“What is it?” Kolin asked. “We’ve spotted this thing a week ago and so far can't figure out its purpose and origin.”
The master was already putting his clothes back on. Shrugging, he replied:
“It's hard to describe this thing accurately, but it’s a type of device that, in certain circumstances, can bend space and connect two places far-away from each other.”
“Is it dangerous?” Solis inquired.
“It can be if you don’t know how to handle it. Why don’t you ask the girl?”
The boys’ heads turned towards Lila. Frowning, she said:
“I tried to swim towards it but couldn’t get closer. Then I tried to move away, but couldn’t do that, either. It felt as if time was frozen.”
“That’s why I had to pull you out,” the master concluded.
“And how are you going to retrieve this thing?” Kolin insisted.
“Perhaps I’ll need to return with a piece of rope and a hook,” the man replied.
“That won’t be necessary,” a new, harsh voice broke in from behind. “We’re going to retrieve it right now.”
The teenagers turned around and found a group of five people dressed in brown, military-style attire, standing in front of them. The new voice belonged to an imposing man in his forties with long black hair kept in a ponytail, who seemed to be their leader. The newcomers didn’t have any distinctive badges belonging to major martial arts. Nevertheless, they looked unfriendly and were carrying swords at their belts. With a discrete move, the master detached the patch from the left side of his chest and hid it in his pocket.
“Who are they?” Solis asked, looking with a worried expression at the master.
“I have no idea,” the young man answered, smiling. “Perhaps some gangsters who think they can just come here and get the big prize.”
“Are you going to stop them?” Lila asked.
“No, why should I? If they can retrieve the artifact by themselves, they can have it.”
The newcomers walked to the edge of the platform, bent down, and peered into the sea, towards the underwater location of the mysterious object. After a few moments, one of them produced from a bag a rope with a large steel hook and slowly lowered it into the sea.
“Let’s go over there and watch them,” the master said, stepping away from the newcomers.
The three teenagers followed him to a spot about ten meters away. From their new vantage point, they began observing the five men.
The rope with the large hook of steel continued to descend into the water. Now it had to be close to the artifact.
“Did you get it?” the leader asked.
“I think I did,” replied the man who was handling it.
“Try to pull it up slowly.”
The man attempted to move the rope upwards. The rope didn’t budge.
“It’s jammed,” he said. “Perhaps the thing down there is too heavy.”
The other thugs came closer. They grabbed the cord and pulled with all their might. They couldn’t move it. The master was grinning.
“Why can’t they pull it out?” Kolin asked. “Is it that heavy?”
“Not exactly. It’s just that next to it time floes much slower,” the master said.
“What are they going to do then?” Lila pressed.
“These guys won’t be able to retrieve the rope and the hook from the water. At some point, they’ll have to give up.”
The five men kept pulling the rope with a stubborn determination. Yet, the line seemed attached to something weighing several tons. With an angry expression, the leader turned towards the Two Waves Master and shouted:
“Hey, you! Why don’t you come here and help? You look strong enough. Perhaps the six of us could drag it out of the water.”
“It won’t work,” the master replied, shrugging.
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve read some time ago a little book about these artifacts. Time slows down tremendously near them. You have to pull very fast the rope to change their location even by one centimeter.”
“Why don’t you come here and show me?” the leader went on, this time on a threatening tone.
“I don’t feel like it. Perhaps, after you give up, I might somehow find a way to do it myself, and then I'll bring the artifact to my home.”
“You surely have a big mouth,” growled another man from the group. “Perhaps I could convince you with this,” he added, unsheathing his curved sword.
The teenagers went pale and moved a few steps back, away from the imminent danger. The master didn’t look concerned. He continued to smile and said:
“Please, don’t do that! Swords are sharp and could hurt someone!”
“I’m fine with it, as I won’t be the one who’s hurt,” the ruffian barked.
In a few strides, he got close to the master while the other gangsters watched them with amused expressions.
“So, are you going to tell us how to extract the artifact from the water, or not?” he went on, blade pointing at the masters' chest.
“Probably not,” the master said, with a wide grin on his face.
The ruffian lounged, aiming for the young man’s heart. The master didn’t move until the blade was just a few centimeters away from his body. What followed looked more like a blur. The teenagers heard a loud clang: the sound of metal hitting the rocky ground. It seemed the master had stepped in and grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the sword. Less than a second later, the attacker was down on his knees, hands behind his back. The blond man was now holding tightly both his wrists. A couple of meters away, the sword lay on the rugged surface of the island.
The master forcibly lifted the gangster to his feet, gave a solid kick to his buttocks, and sent him sprawling towards the other four men.
“Anyone else feels like playing?” he asked in a calm voice.
The thugs knew when they were outmatched. While the kicked man was slowly getting up rubbing his right wrist and his bottom, the leader replied in a more conciliatory tone:
“Sorry, sir. It was a misunderstanding. I suppose we shouldn’t bother you anymore. May we take the sword dropped on the ground and leave?”
“Sure. Take it and get out of my sight,” the master shouted.
A few moments later, the gangsters were gone.
“Now what?” Lila asked, looking at the young man. “Do you plan to retrieve it yourself?”
“I’ll give it a try. However, I’m not sure I can pull it out,” confessed the fighter, raising his eyebrows.
“You still haven’t told us where did this thing come from,” Kolin insisted.
The master sank into his thoughts for a while, then he said:
“We don’t know. Once every few centuries, mysterious artifacts show up in our world. In most cases, in unpopulated places. The main martial schools are always on alert to retrieve them before they come into the wrong hands. I can’t tell you more.”
Perhaps the Two Waves fighter knew more, but, of course, he had no plans to elaborate on this topic. It had to be knowledge meant only for the initiated members of the martial clans.
The master was already putting his clothes back on. Shrugging, he replied:
“It's hard to describe this thing accurately, but it’s a type of device that, in certain circumstances, can bend space and connect two places far-away from each other.”
“Is it dangerous?” Solis inquired.
“It can be if you don’t know how to handle it. Why don’t you ask the girl?”
The boys’ heads turned towards Lila. Frowning, she said:
“I tried to swim towards it but couldn’t get closer. Then I tried to move away, but couldn’t do that, either. It felt as if time was frozen.”
“That’s why I had to pull you out,” the master concluded.
“And how are you going to retrieve this thing?” Kolin insisted.
“Perhaps I’ll need to return with a piece of rope and a hook,” the man replied.
“That won’t be necessary,” a new, harsh voice broke in from behind. “We’re going to retrieve it right now.”
The teenagers turned around and found a group of five people dressed in brown, military-style attire, standing in front of them. The new voice belonged to an imposing man in his forties with long black hair kept in a ponytail, who seemed to be their leader. The newcomers didn’t have any distinctive badges belonging to major martial arts. Nevertheless, they looked unfriendly and were carrying swords at their belts. With a discrete move, the master detached the patch from the left side of his chest and hid it in his pocket.
“Who are they?” Solis asked, looking with a worried expression at the master.
“I have no idea,” the young man answered, smiling. “Perhaps some gangsters who think they can just come here and get the big prize.”
“Are you going to stop them?” Lila asked.
“No, why should I? If they can retrieve the artifact by themselves, they can have it.”
The newcomers walked to the edge of the platform, bent down, and peered into the sea, towards the underwater location of the mysterious object. After a few moments, one of them produced from a bag a rope with a large steel hook and slowly lowered it into the sea.
“Let’s go over there and watch them,” the master said, stepping away from the newcomers.
The three teenagers followed him to a spot about ten meters away. From their new vantage point, they began observing the five men.
The rope with the large hook of steel continued to descend into the water. Now it had to be close to the artifact.
“Did you get it?” the leader asked.
“I think I did,” replied the man who was handling it.
“Try to pull it up slowly.”
The man attempted to move the rope upwards. The rope didn’t budge.
“It’s jammed,” he said. “Perhaps the thing down there is too heavy.”
The other thugs came closer. They grabbed the cord and pulled with all their might. They couldn’t move it. The master was grinning.
“Why can’t they pull it out?” Kolin asked. “Is it that heavy?”
“Not exactly. It’s just that next to it time floes much slower,” the master said.
“What are they going to do then?” Lila pressed.
“These guys won’t be able to retrieve the rope and the hook from the water. At some point, they’ll have to give up.”
The five men kept pulling the rope with a stubborn determination. Yet, the line seemed attached to something weighing several tons. With an angry expression, the leader turned towards the Two Waves Master and shouted:
“Hey, you! Why don’t you come here and help? You look strong enough. Perhaps the six of us could drag it out of the water.”
“It won’t work,” the master replied, shrugging.
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve read some time ago a little book about these artifacts. Time slows down tremendously near them. You have to pull very fast the rope to change their location even by one centimeter.”
“Why don’t you come here and show me?” the leader went on, this time on a threatening tone.
“I don’t feel like it. Perhaps, after you give up, I might somehow find a way to do it myself, and then I'll bring the artifact to my home.”
“You surely have a big mouth,” growled another man from the group. “Perhaps I could convince you with this,” he added, unsheathing his curved sword.
The teenagers went pale and moved a few steps back, away from the imminent danger. The master didn’t look concerned. He continued to smile and said:
“Please, don’t do that! Swords are sharp and could hurt someone!”
“I’m fine with it, as I won’t be the one who’s hurt,” the ruffian barked.
In a few strides, he got close to the master while the other gangsters watched them with amused expressions.
“So, are you going to tell us how to extract the artifact from the water, or not?” he went on, blade pointing at the masters' chest.
“Probably not,” the master said, with a wide grin on his face.
The ruffian lounged, aiming for the young man’s heart. The master didn’t move until the blade was just a few centimeters away from his body. What followed looked more like a blur. The teenagers heard a loud clang: the sound of metal hitting the rocky ground. It seemed the master had stepped in and grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the sword. Less than a second later, the attacker was down on his knees, hands behind his back. The blond man was now holding tightly both his wrists. A couple of meters away, the sword lay on the rugged surface of the island.
The master forcibly lifted the gangster to his feet, gave a solid kick to his buttocks, and sent him sprawling towards the other four men.
“Anyone else feels like playing?” he asked in a calm voice.
The thugs knew when they were outmatched. While the kicked man was slowly getting up rubbing his right wrist and his bottom, the leader replied in a more conciliatory tone:
“Sorry, sir. It was a misunderstanding. I suppose we shouldn’t bother you anymore. May we take the sword dropped on the ground and leave?”
“Sure. Take it and get out of my sight,” the master shouted.
A few moments later, the gangsters were gone.
“Now what?” Lila asked, looking at the young man. “Do you plan to retrieve it yourself?”
“I’ll give it a try. However, I’m not sure I can pull it out,” confessed the fighter, raising his eyebrows.
“You still haven’t told us where did this thing come from,” Kolin insisted.
The master sank into his thoughts for a while, then he said:
“We don’t know. Once every few centuries, mysterious artifacts show up in our world. In most cases, in unpopulated places. The main martial schools are always on alert to retrieve them before they come into the wrong hands. I can’t tell you more.”
Perhaps the Two Waves fighter knew more, but, of course, he had no plans to elaborate on this topic. It had to be knowledge meant only for the initiated members of the martial clans.
(to be continued...)
Books by Marian C. Ghilea:
BUTTERFLY'S DREAM: https://bit.ly/2PM63uU
TIDES OF AMBER: https://bit.ly/2HfcHVB
Image source: Pixabay - https://pixabay.com/photos/martial-arts-291046/
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