Jeff Sabean [Sabean - Heishi

Heishi

Shifting Planes Series: Book 1

Copyright 2019 Jeff Sabean

All rights reserved.

Dedication Page

First, I would like to thank my loving and patient wife Beckey, who has been there through this whole journey for me. She has read everything I have written, giving me feedback along the way and helping make my writing better. My son Zane has been reading this story as I wrote it and has been my go-to guy for reading level difficulty. The rest of my children, Alyssa, Titus, Jade, and Mia have been ultra-supportive and have given me so many ideas for new ways to take my stories. Alyssa, my Cutie Pie, started me on this journey, as she was writing her own stories and reminded me how much I love to write. Thank you all for putting up with me as I obsessed over this, it never would have happened without all your support.

Next, I would be remiss to not thank my D&D group from my last trip to the desert. Torres, the pain in the neck GM, gave me the ideas behind some of the characters and such. Carty and Gonzo, you wild animals, for the relationship you two had in our game that helped me shape the characters I added to the book for you. Archer, for stepping up our game when you joined our party and taught us to think outside the box for in game combat and reminded us that rogues can in fact steal from their own party (just never from your healer!). I would like to thank Pritts for having an amazing moustache and bringing humor to every session. Kuster, who joined our campaign at the very end, but was one of the first to volunteer to read my first few chapters and give me feedback on them. And last but not least Applegate, who made fun of us relentlessly for months until you tried playing and found out how fun it was. Thank you all for allowing me to steal some ideas from our sessions to add as Easter eggs to bring some comedy to the book and for proof reading for me.

Lastly, I would like to thank J.T. Williams , author of the Half-Elf Chronicles (among many many other books). If not for him, I would still be fumbling around on my own trying to figure out how to publish my story. He is a gentleman and was instrumental in getting me on the right path to make this dream happen.

Contents

Prologue The Call

Dawn. A beautiful time of the day filled with expectation and wonder as the sun breaks the horizon in a brilliant display of color. This morning seems more beautiful than normal, with a light haze still hanging around the base of the hill where the two combatants kneel facing each other. Their weapons are placed just to the sides of their legs, while they kneel just outside of each others reach, as dictated by protocol. The peacefulness of the morning deceptively covers the promise of upcoming violence. Aki is inhumanly relaxed, with his eyes closed and his mind wandering as he takes in the sounds and smells of the hillside around him. A slight breeze blows through his hair that he keeps cropping shorter and shorter to hide the salt and pepper that is appearing around the edges. For a moment he lets his mind wander as he decides whether it is time to take it all off, or if he should embrace the aged master look. At 62 he has a height advantage over his opponent, but his greatest advantage is the decades he has spent mastering his arts. His tonfa, his choice of weapons for the day, are laying on the ground near his knees, one on each side of his legs. He is vigilantly aware of the movements of the younger man and smiles to himself at the thought of the upcoming battle. He will let this moment linger a while longer before beginning, as this is his favorite time of the day.

Heishi appears edgy; clearly nervous about being so close to the legendary master kneeling across from him. Although he has youth on his side, he isnt foolish enough to believe it will be all he needs to best the wizened warrior sitting opposite him. At 5'8" he realizes that Aki has a reach advantage, as do most men he squares off against, which might be one reason he gravitated to the long sword as his primary melee weapon. He moves with the practiced precision of a man who has performed this ritual of respect more times than he can possibly remember, but there remains a slight jerkiness to his actions that reveal an internal struggle to remain calm. As he closes his eyes to take a moment to focus before the combat begins, he cant help but be a little impressed that he has made it to this point. His katana lays peacefully near his left knee, and he is keenly aware of the swift death he can invoke at will when he wields the blade. His years of training and perseverance will hopefully pay off this morning, and then he will take his place in history as a master himself.

Aki gradually opens his eyes and gives a slight grunt to signal he is ready to proceed. Simultaneously, the two opponents bend at the waist and bow deeply, placing their foreheads to the ground in a sign of mutual respect. The bow is held for a few seconds, and slowly the men begin to return to their starting positions. Without warning, Heishi reaches down and grips the saya, or scabbard, for his blade in his left hand, lifts it and smoothly pulls the blade as he steps forward with his right foot. The jet-black blade arcs toward his opponent, light being absorbed by all but the ha, the cutting edge, which catches and reflects the light as it flashes with blinding speed. With a thought, he activates the blade and lightning flashes, leaving a green edged trail of electricity as the blade blazes toward Akis forehead. From this distance it is impossible to get a killing blow, so the classic first strike is to aim for the forehead to hopefully make a clean cut and draining blood into your opponents eyes. A fight typically would not begin until both opponents have completed the bow and returned to a standing position, but Heishi is depending on his slight breach of protocol to give him an edge in this fight.

The ploy almost succeeded, but this is not the first time an opponent has attempted subterfuge to defeat Aki. Just prior to the attack, the younger warrior made a fatal flaw and flinched before he reached for his blade, which was all the warning the veteran needed. As the blade flashes toward his face, Aki effortlessly reaches for the tonfa handles laying near his knees. Quickly and naturally, he raises his right hand with the handle gripped loosely. Just as the katana blade comes in range, Aki activates the weapon with a thought and shadows curl around the tonfa Aki designed himself. The blade stops inches from his face, the shadows absorb the impact and the lightning energy from the sword, and the old warrior smiles mercilessly.

Youll pay for that, kid. Aki mutters as he uses the momentum of the swing to spin his opponent like a top. His left hand follows through with his second tonfa aimed for Heishis midsection and would have crushed the ribs of a lesser man, but such would not be the case today. Heishis first strike was a calculated risk, and although it did not pay off, he was not surprised and maintains his balance. He lightly rolls to the side as the second tonfa curves for his belly and deftly dodges the bludgeoning strike.

Disentangled from the initial encounter, both warriors now circle each other, watching for any flaw in his opponents defense. Aki feints with his left, attempting to force Heishi to follow the movement, but knowing his enemy well the feint fails: Aki favors his right, not his left. While he is momentarily off balance from the feint, Heishi attempts a second cut swinging for Akis neck just above his left shoulder. Predictably, Aki moves to deflect the blow, but by the time his tonfa reaches the spot where the blade should be, Heishi has already pulled it back and is stabbing forward from his waist. Shocked, Aki reflexively jumps back and narrowly escapes disembowelment. As the two regain their footing, Heishi presses his attack with a swing straight down the center toward Akis skull. A momentary look of terror crosses Akis face as he realizes he might be late with his block, which causes overconfidence in his opponent. Rather than a slicing motion, he chops with the sword as if it is an axe, which slows the attack and affords the elder warrior the opportunity to deflect the blade with his left hand.