Karin Fan Fiction ❯ Karin: The Inquisition ❯ Chapter 8

Chapter 8        Later that night, Richard called all the new guests, including Hondo, into his study.  There were enough chairs for them, and they found it odd that it was just Richard.  Normally, you could not turn a corner without bumping into a Brownlick.  He kindly bade them sit, and they did so.  He paced back and forth behind his desk, looking them over.  He then sat down and began to explain the situation.  He said, “You have all been brought here because your safety, and the future are at stake.  The Inquisition has risen, and because they have been off the radarscope for so long, it is hard to know just how big they are.  This is going to take some time and investigation.  You were brought here, because a college town in the heart of Maine is the last place where they would look.  However, the last thing they would expect is to see you out and about.  It is not our concept to keep you cloistered here, because you all need to live.  Since some of you were in college before…certain events, we would like to see you continue.  In fact, I would like all of you to attend.  The University of Maine has night courses, and that would be perfect for you.  The concept would be to ‘hide in plain sight’ as the saying goes.  If you have had a dream of a college degree, it could start now.  I am not saying that you will be here for four years, but I am saying that you are welcome to stay until that time.  Since you are all adults now, save for the children, truly, you can decide for yourselves what you wish to do with your lives.  The children can attend school in Bangor, and the rest of you in the university.  Do not worry about getting in, because I am actually on the board!  Trust me; I can get you all in!  Be that the case, I would like those that are not currently pursuing a degree to think about what you would like to do.  I shall bring some of the standard aptitude tests in so we can get placement, or advanced credits established, depending on your skill.  However, if you only want to take a class or two, that is fine as well.  That way, you won’t be cooped up here.”      Kenta pondered, and said, “You know, getting my masters would be good.”      “The university has a great masters program,” said Richard, “In fact, if you are here long enough, you might be able to go for the doctorate.  You are an engineer, yes?”      “Very much so,” said Kenta.      “Good,” he said, “Then that takes care of you.  I shall have you in that program come this September.”      Fumio then said, “All I would wish are some classes to help me with English.  I do not speak your language very well.”      “Actually,” said Richard, “There are some summer courses open, and anyone that is not that strong in English, we can help with that.  However, think about what field of study interests you, and then we shall see what we can do.”      He then stood up with a look on his face that said he was satisfied that order of business was tended to.  He, then affected a bit more of a serious face, and said, “In the meantime, you, Jean-Claude, and Hondo are to do me a favor.”      “After the way I behaved,” said Jean-Claude, “I’ll do just about anything to make up for it.”      “We are going to need men to spy,” said Richard, “and the two of you have skills that can aid in this.  The council here intends to send in some spies to Paris at some point to find out just where they are at in this, how much needs doing, how many there are, and so forth.  For that, I need a crack troop, and I believe you two men are key.  After watching you fight, Hondo, you have enough skill to stand up to any vampire.  If that skill is then taught to vampires, you have created an elite team that can get the job done.  This will be your repayment, Hondo, for being the proverbial fly in the ointment.  Do well, and you shall erase some of the bad taste that you have left.  This goes somewhat for you, Jean-Claude.  I understand that gaining back some trust is what you seek.  Well, now is your chance.”      Both men went to their feet, and they both offered the most humble form of Japanese bow that there is to offer: down to the knees, one at a time, then down to the haunches, hands on thighs, and then sliding forward with a bow.  Jean-Claude said, “It shall be done.”      “Good,” said Richard, “You then shall start tomorrow night.  Thank you for your time, and enjoy the rest of the evening.”      Everyone arose and left, but Richard pulled Jean-Claude aside for a moment, and said, “Be warned: one of those that shall be in there shall be the one you almost cut in two.  We were able to aid him in restoring himself, and we do not know what his disposition shall be.  Be very careful.”      Jean-Claude nodded, and went out.        As they all made their ways back, Mickey looked at his father, and said, “Does this mean going to school here?”      “Of course it does, son!” said Jean-Claude, “And it will be good for you, because I already made sure that you and your sister were already proficient in English.  What is even better is that you don’t have to worry about school uniforms anymore.  They don’t have that here.”      That brightened up Sheila, and she said, “That means I can wear what I want!”      “That means you can wear whatever is modest,” said Jean-Claude, “You know what the Book says, and how I stand on that!”      She said, “Yes, daddy,” slightly annoyed.      “What do we do for now?” asked Mickey.      “Well, I already know that the two of you are powerful enough to trust on your own out there,” said Jean-Claude, “So, go ahead, and meet people.  You may end up making friends out of people you did not know were classmates.”      “I hope so,” said Mickey, but sounding a bit down.      “Hey, Tiger,” said Jean-Claude, “What was that mope all about?”      “Is this what it means to be what we are, pop?” asked Mickey.      “Right now,” Jean-Claude answered, “Yes.  However, as you well know, your sister, you cousin, and the future child of Innocent are going to be the ones to change all that, although I do not know how.  Besides, whatever we do, we make our own normality.  Make some friends, son—you and your sister always seem to be able to do all that.  Who knows, you may start to achieve certain things right now.  It will be fine.  It’s just something new.  We’ll be okay.  Be the strong by I know you to be.  Be the big girl I love.”      They both said, “Okay, dad,” and hugged him.      As the two of them walked away, Sheila said, “What exactly is it that we are supposed to do one day?  How are we going to bring this…whatever it is…to pass?”      “Sis, you know how things have happened with us,” said Mickey, “I barely remember it, but I remember back in Japan when those men tried to hurt us, and how those men in the white robes protected all of us.  I’ve always wondered if it had to do with all of that.”      “I almost wish it were not that way,” she said, “There are so many expectations about us.  They act as if we are royalty around here.  It’s freaky.”      “Just don’t let it get to your head,” said Mickey, “It’s already big as it is!”      “Why you…” she said, and glomped him.  He just laughed as he wrestled back, and they both were laughing, but grappling the whole way.  Jean-Claude and Yuriya saw that, and they were so glad to see this.  “The more like normal kids we treat them, the better off they are.  We have to make sure they do not lose the common touch.”        The next night, nine male vampires entered a room that was converted into a makeshift dojo, looking for their instructors.  However, when they entered, all they saw were the mats, the staves, the practice swords, punching bags, and other various tools of the trade, but they did not see their instructors.  What they did know was that they had all received notes to be there at a certain time, and to be ready for anything.  Yet, the place was empty.  However, from above dropped two smoke bombs scented with just enough garlic to shake up a pure vampire.  When that happened, they began to be knocked around the room, and then to feel something wet and cold slid across their necks.  When everything dissipated, and they were able to regain themselves, they all had a large red ink line on their necks, and they saw Jean-Claude and Hondo standing there, each holding a red magic marker.  “Each one of you would have lost your heads,” said Hondo, “That was very sloppy.”      Jean-Claude then said, “We did say, ‘be ready for anything.’”      It was then that the men first realized that they did not know what “be ready for anything” truly entailed.  They wanted to be mad, but they knew what the patriarch had said they were there to do and why.  The two of them were about to continue, but they were surprised to see a beautiful 21 year old almost white haired girl enter wearing a black girl’s sailor outfit, with a skirt that hung to the knees, that fit loose, and wearing black tights underneath that.  “I hope I am not too late,” she said.      “Anjou, what are you doing?” asked Jean-Claude, and when he used her normal first name, you knew that he did not like the sight, and that he was quite serious about matters.  He then said, “This is not for you.  It’s going to get very serious in here really soon.”      “I want to fight,” said Anjou.      “You don’t have to fight,” responded Jean-Claude.      “This is for Francois,” she then retorted.      “Muff,” he said, calming a bit, “I know you’re still smarting, but this…”      “It’s not what you think, Big Brother,” she said, “Well, yes, there is revenge, but, I felt so helpless that night.  Whether or not he was there, I never want to feel that way again.”      That cut Jean-Claude to the heart.  She continued, “I always knew that there would come a day when we could not always be together, and I knew that Francois could take care of me, but I still felt…well…naked.  I want to be able to feel as safe as I do when you are there.  This way, it could be like that, even if you were not there.”      That did it.  He started to cry a bit, went up to her, and hugged her.  “Please forgive me,” he said, “I wish I could have been there!”      “Please,” she said, “You did nothing wrong.  Just train me right, please?”      Jean-Claude stepped back, and said, “Okay then, but understand Muff, I, and Hondo are not going to hold back on you.”      She got that cute smile, and said, “I would expect no less!”      However, one of the men said, “Young girl, you need to keep out of this!”      Yet, Jean-Claude began to smile, especially when she looked at him, and he gave her leeway.  She raised a hand, and went hard into the wall.  “She is a prodigy,” said Jean-Claude, “She is far beyond her years in her skills.  I would not underestimate her, gentlemen.”      Hondo noticed this and said in the best English he could muster, “Speaking of which, this is the reason why you all were overwhelmed.  What you did not know is that the both of us scrubbed with pure, unscented soap, and were up above you.  This is why you could not smell us.  You were not thinking three dimensionally, not stopping to think that death could also come from above you.  The smoke bombs compensated for our shortcomings compared to your abilities.  That is the key, and that is why some humans are able to defeat you.”      Jean-Claude continued, and said, “If a human dedicates himself to something long enough, he can learn to adapt, improvise, and overcome, keeping his shortcomings from hindering him, and make himself equal to you in his own way.  The problem that I have found with vampires is that some become so reliant on what they are, and what they can do, that they become sloppy, and they become proud.  The Bible comes in here, and says, ‘Beware any man think he stand, lest he fall.’      This counts for you as well.  None should think of himself more highly than he ought to, because the second you do, you are heading for a fall.  Thus, what we are going to do is train you in such a fashion as to where you will not be reliant on your vampiric abilities, and be able to fight as a human.  By doing so, you will learn how it is that he can overcome you, and then beat him at his game with your abilities.  Sun-Tzu’s first chapter in his book ‘The Art of War,’ was entitled, ‘Know Your Enemy.’  This is what we intend to do here.  Thus, forget all you think you know about humans, or dhamphirs like me.  You shall relearn all that in the coming weeks.  We shall start with empty hand fighting, and physical conditioning, and I am not just talking about physical fitness.”      With that, he handed the floor over to Hondo, and he said, “Gentlemen, and Anjou, I would like to welcome you on a journey…to your own destruction!  When I say that, I am going to destroy all of you, and then reconstruct you as the deadliest vampires in the world, and hopefully, in the Clan, should you accept the offer when training is done.  What I shall teach you is essentially the first mixed martial art that came along long before the name for it was conceived.”      As he spoke, he began to demonstrate what he was saying.  He said, “It consists of locks, strikes, breaking, tearing, immobilization, and killing blows.  This art allows someone like Anjou to take on someone the size of Jean-Claude and turn him into a pile of jelly.  That is the art of Ninjitsu.  Now, you may think I beat you because of being crafty.  Okay then, which one of you thinks that I cannot go against one of you toe to toe?”      They looked around, and a fairly fit looking vampire stepped up and said, “Okay, human, I’ll take you on!”      He thrust forward, but Hondo started to move and compensate for his shortcomings, even though he was toe to toe with his opponent.  Hondo quickly started to strike for vital areas that, despite being a vampire, would hurt the same way as if it had been done to a human of the same size.  Within 30 seconds, he had his foe on his belly, arm restrained, with Hondo pressing his knee into the tailbone of his opponent where 18 pressure points rest.  The vampire could not believe it.  He was helpless.  Hondo then said, “As a vampire, he is incredibly strong.  However, even the strongest of men, once on their bellies and restrained, are helpless.  Just a simple arm lock, and work into pressure points has immobilized my foe.  I could do what I wanted from here: stake him, shoot him, and cut off his head.  Whenever you go into a fight, you have to keep all this in mind.  Assess your opponent.  Keep a safe distance, and let him make the first move.  Let him open the targets for you, and then turn it against him.  Know what you fight, and what his weak points are.  All these, in truth, are the basics of any martial art, but in Ninjitsu, knowing this was a matter of life and death quite often.  The word ‘ninja’ itself means ‘spy’ in your tongue.  Winning the fight often was the difference between getting chopped in two by a samurai, and hanging with a geisha later on that night.”     He let him up, and went back to the others wiser for the wear.  “What we shall start with are basic strikes and blocks, and then hard body conditioning.  You will be at this all night, so be ready to drink the bottled stuff for a while.  No one said this would be easy!”      He had them form up in two rows of five, and they started to learn the basic moves as they mirrored Hondo and Jean-Claude.  They both barked at them as they went, but they all knew that it was for their benefit, so they were willing to tolerate it.  Then came hard body training.  “What we do here,” said Jean-Claude, “is slowly condition your striking surfaces until they are bludgeons.  For you, however, this will happen quickly.  Tai boxers spend years kicking banana trees to get this effect.  However, for you, as quickly as you heal, this process shall be accelerated to the 25th power!”      With that, they started punching sand and kicking hard surfaces, forearming hard surfaces, and so forth.  This would be the sorest part of the night, but by the time it was done, they had accomplished in a few hours what it would take years for a human to do.  The next thing they went to was the flowerpots.  This was a set items set on loose poles that looked like upside down flowerpots.  The poles became taller as it went for about seven tiers, and the object was to go from one to the other all the way to the top without losing balance.  “Tonight, you shall start by just trying to negotiate them.  Later on, you shall learn how to do more than just balance.  Okay, line up!”      They began to line up, and one by one, they learned that vampire abilities did no good here.  There was none, save one, that made it to the top, though they tried several times.  What caught everyone’s attention was that Anjou made it all the way, and somewhat swiftly, although not as gracefully.  She stood on the pot at the top and smiled smugly.  She did not see Jean-Claude sneak up from behind, and shake the pole.  She yelped, and he caught her as he laughed, “You have to be ready for anything, Muff!”      One of the men, who did not like being shown up by a woman, tried again, but fell off halfway up.  Hondo, to make a point, ran, leapt, and landed on the third tier on his toes.  Bug eyes were the rage at that moment.  Hondo then not only began to climb, he was doing strikes and moves as he went, as if he stood on a solid floor.  By the time he reached the top, he was on one foot, the other crossed onto his thigh, with his arms crossed.  “By the time we are done, my pupils, you shall be able to do this as well.  Welcome to the world of the shadow warrior!”      By this point, everyone was applauding.  This human was so impressive; they actually forgot that he was human.  The class went on, and something began to happen, which was what both instructors hoped would happen.  Camaraderie began to build between the pupils and between them and the senseis.  This was good on two levels.  It helped to kill the mistrust between them, and it helped to make them the strike team they would need to be when their probing mission into Paris would take place.  Of all of them, Anjou was getting things the fastest, as she seemed to be the most focused.  She had always had the discipline for this kind of thing, but now, she had more incentive.  Jean-Claude now knew that this would be the best therapy for her, in that, she could take out her frustration on the training equipment, and then focus her mind on continuing her life.        However, this did not go unnoticed.  Christy, at Innocent’s request, brought her to a place where she could watch the training without being noticed.  She was amazed.  She could not believe what she was seeing, and she saw a different Hondo than she had ever seen before.  She then began to wonder just how centered on herself that she was.  She had always been around him, and yet, she had never seen this side of him.  She had always thought of Anjou as a petite, frail figure of a girl, and she was learning otherwise.  Of all the people, she though she knew Jean-Claude the best, but every time she turned around, there was another facet of him that she had not seen.  Maybe she did need to change.  However, what she did not realize she was doing, Christy noticed, and was actually pleased.  The person Innocent was watching the most was Hondo.  If she had asked Innocent about it, she knew she would write it off as saying that she never saw Hondo in action like this, and it fascinated her.  However, Christy knew otherwise, and she thought to herself, “Just keep watching, dear Psyche, and let your love blossom soon—our hope awaits us!”