Chapter 17: The Child Soldier

The boy appeared around a corner, his small hands were wrapped in cloth that was already stained with blood, and his gray robes were torn and dirty. His face was calm despite the obvious signs of recent combat.

Tao saw Arthur and immediately moved to stand beside him. The boy's posture suggested he intended to help with defense rather than seek protection. Arthur's first instinct was to tell the child to find shelter, that a nine-year-old had no business fighting in a war.

But Arthur had no way to communicate that sentiment without revealing he understood the local language. And more importantly, he had no authority over this boy. Tao was not Arthur's student or dependent. The child was an independent cultivator working a mission to earn money for his village. Arthur's opinions about appropriate age for combat were irrelevant to Tao's circumstances.

Still, Arthur could at least try to keep the boy relatively safe while they worked together.

Arthur pointed at Tao, then at his own eyes. Then he made a sweeping gesture indicating the surrounding area. Watch for threats. Alert me to problems. Stay close where I can protect you if necessary.

Tao seemed to understand. The boy nodded once and took a position slightly behind and to the left of Arthur. Good tactical spacing. Close enough to support, far enough not to interfere.

They did not have to wait long for the next situation.

A bear-warrior, massive and armored, came crashing through a nearby building's wall. The structure partially collapsed behind the warrior, dust and debris exploding outward. This beastfolk was clearly Foundation Establishment equivalent based on his energy signature.

Strong enough to be a serious threat.

The bear-warrior saw Arthur and Tao, recognized them as cultivators, and roared a challenge. The sound was deafening, carrying physical force that made loose objects nearby vibrate.

Arthur reached for Deep Synchronization with Bedrock. His Dissonance spiked as the deeper connection formed, climbing from 123 to approximately 200 points. The cost was higher than normal due to the Flush penalty. Deep Sync normally cost about sixty points for Bedrock given Arthur's moderate affinity. With the fifteen percent penalty: approximately seventy points. Still acceptable.

The bear-warrior charged. Incredibly fast for something so massive. Arthur shaped a Stone Pillar technique, causing earth to erupt from the ground directly in the warrior's path. The pillar rose to shoulder height in less than a second.

The bear-warrior did not slow down. He smashed through the stone pillar with his shoulder, shattering it into fragments. Momentum barely checked.

Arthur had expected that. The pillar was not meant to stop the charge, just to slow it enough for his follow-up. While the bear-warrior was recovering from the collision, Arthur used Bedrock manipulation to create uneven footing beneath the massive figure. The ground became liquid stone, flowing and unstable.

The bear-warrior lost balance and fell forward onto his hands. Arthur immediately transitioned to Ember Harmonic, achieving Standard Synchronization. His Dissonance climbed to approximately 235 points. Still safe.

Fire Lance technique, aimed at the warrior's exposed back. The superheated projectile struck between the shoulder blades, burning through armor and into flesh. The bear-warrior roared in pain and rage.

Tao moved while the warrior was distracted. The boy crossed the distance in a burst of qi-enhanced speed, his small fist striking the bear-warrior's kidney with devastating precision.

Arthur felt the impact through his Attunement, sensed the qi-enhanced force concentrating into a point and causing internal damage.

The bear-warrior swung blindly backward, trying to hit Tao. The boy was already gone, having retreated immediately after landing his strike. Professional fighting. Hit and move. Do not stay in range longer than necessary.

Arthur used the opening to finish the engagement. Deep Synchronization with Zephyr, layered on top of his existing Ember connection. Dual Weave. His Dissonance spiked to approximately 320 points as the multiplicative cost applied. Deep Sync with Zephyr normally cost about sixty points. Combined with the existing Ember Sync and doubled for the Weave: approximately eighty-five points added with the Flush penalty.

Plasma Bolt technique. Compressed air and superheated fire combining into a devastating projectile. Arthur shaped it carefully, compressing the energy into a sphere perhaps six inches in diameter. The technique screamed forward, trailing distortion and heat shimmer.

Impact against the bear-warrior's skull. The massive figure's head snapped backward. The warrior fell, body going limp.

Not dead. Arthur could still sense the faint energy signature. Unconscious and severely injured, but alive. That was acceptable.

Dissonance current level: 320 points.

Still less than his threshold, with plenty of capacity remaining. Arthur released both Synchronizations and took a moment to breathe. The Flush was working as intended, giving him operational room to work freely without constantly worrying about approaching his limits.

Tao was watching Arthur with obvious interest. The boy had seen multiple techniques executed in rapid succession, probably analyzing the patterns, trying to understand how Arthur's magic system worked. Intellectual curiosity in those young eyes.

Arthur nodded acknowledgment to Tao. The boy had contributed meaningfully to that fight, his qi-enhanced strike creating the opening Arthur needed. Working together had been more efficient than Arthur fighting alone.

They continued moving through the civilian areas. The battle on the wall was still raging, sounds of combat echoing through the streets. Arthur and Tao encountered more scattered beastfolk warriors who had broken through the line.

A group of five wolf-warriors cornered near a granary. Arthur used Torrent at Standard Synchronization to create a flood of water that swept their feet out from under them, then Bedrock to partially entomb them in stone while they were down. Tao darted in during the confusion to land precise strikes on pressure points, ensuring the warriors stayed unconscious even when the stone binding wore off.

Dissonance cost: approximately forty-five points with penalty. Current total: 365 points.

Two tiger-warriors threatening a group of elderly civilians taking shelter in a temple. Arthur intercepted with a Zephyr Barrier at Standard Sync that deflected their initial charge, then used Bedrock enhancement at Shallow Sync to overpower them in close combat. Tao kept the civilians calm during the fight, the boy's presence somehow reassuring despite his young age.

Dissonance cost: approximately fifty points with penalty. Current total: 415 points.

Three more wolf-warriors attempting to break into what looked like a school building. Arthur could sense multiple children inside through his Attunement. He created a Stone Wall at Standard Sync that blocked the entrance entirely. When the warriors tried to go around, Arthur used Ember at Shallow Sync to create a ring of fire that herded them away from the building. They retreated rather than press through the flames.

Dissonance cost: approximately forty points with penalty. Current total: 455 points.

The pattern continued. Arthur kept his techniques efficient, using only what was necessary for each situation. Tao provided supporting strikes when opportunities appeared, his qi-enhanced attacks adding meaningful damage at critical moments. They were working well together, their different fighting styles complementing each other effectively.

Arthur's Dissonance continued climbing with each engagement, but the rate was manageable. He estimated another hundred and forty-five points of capacity before reaching his threshold. Plenty of room for continued operation.

They had just finished dealing with two more wolf-warriors when Arthur's Attunement detected something wrong. A surge of that external shamanic energy, moving rapidly through the city streets. Not the ambient enhancement effects the shamans had been providing to their warriors. This was directed. Targeted. Coming straight toward Arthur and Tao's position.

Arthur spun, searching for the source.

Tao sensed something as well, the boy's posture shifting to combat readiness.

The attack came from an unexpected angle. Not from ground level but from above.

A figure dropped from a rooftop, landing in the street perhaps thirty feet from Arthur and Tao.

One of the beastfolk shamans. Not the chief, but a smaller one. This shaman wore layered furs and a mask carved from bone that covered the upper half of his face. Wolf features visible beneath the mask. The figure carried a staff decorated with feathers and small animal skulls.

Arthur immediately assessed the threat. The shaman's energy signature was weaker than the chief's, probably equivalent to low Core Formation. Still dangerous, but manageable if Arthur was careful.

The shaman began chanting immediately. No preamble, no warning. Just straight into a working. Arthur felt the external energy gathering rapidly, being drawn from whatever source these shamans accessed and channeled through the practitioner's ritual technique.

Wind began to swirl around the shaman, visible currents forming into a vortex. The technique was building quickly, far faster than Arthur had seen the shamans on the battlefield working. This was a prepared attack, something the shaman had been holding ready.

Arthur reached for Void Harmonic, trying to create a Negation Field to disrupt the shamanic working. Standard Synchronization came easily given the high ambient concentration. His Dissonance climbed to approximately 490 points as the connection formed. But he was still shaping the technique when the shaman's working finished.

Too slow. The distance was too great, and the shaman's technique completed before Arthur could interfere.

The vortex released.

A concentrated blast of wind, carrying debris and small stones, shot forward in a tight beam. Not aimed at Arthur.

Aimed at Tao.

The boy tried to dodge, his qi-enhanced speed carrying him sideways. But the wind blast adjusted mid-flight, tracking its target with unnatural precision. The technique caught Tao full in the chest.

The small figure flew backward, his body lifted off the ground and hurled through the air like a rag doll. Tao crashed into the wall of a building twenty feet away with terrible force. Arthur heard the impact, heard the sound of small bones meeting stone with nothing to cushion the blow.

The boy crumpled to the ground and did not get back up.

Arthur's expression was calm, but his eyes were cold. This practitioner had hurt a child. Had almost killed him. That was unacceptable regardless of the reasoning behind it.

The shaman's stance was wary, his body language suggested uncertainty, possibly recognizing that attacking Tao might not have been the wisest choice. But the shaman was committed now. Retreating would mean showing weakness.

Because Arthur had released the incomplete void technique, his Dissonance was back down to 450 points. 150 points below his threshold. Enough capacity for one more significant technique, or several smaller ones.

The shaman raised his staff, beginning another chant.                        

Arthur’s eyes narrowed, for the first time since entering this world, he was about to get serious.