Chapter 9

Ash was amazed by the carriage. The roads in the town were far from even, but the carriage did not hit a single bump. Due to the runes inscribed on the wheels, the carriage almost glided over the bumps like they were not there. He was starting to like these runes more and more. A few of the children were talking to each other but by the time they made it out of the gate, they all went silent.

Looks of amazement flashed on their faces. For most of them, this was their first time leaving the town. Although it was the first time for Ash too, he was not as surprised. The forests here were much more lush and green than on Earth but it was not anything super amazing. On the road leaving from the town were a few other people with either horses or small carriages carrying goods and people. None of those carriages were as nice as the ones Miss Glaze acquired though.

On the side of the road were many tall trees to the left side and a wide open field on the right that was used for crops. Ash could not tell what was being grown since it looked too different than crops on Earth and he didn't study agriculture anyways. They road for about 20 kilometers before they came across a forest. The road that they were on led into it. Ash had taken the time to see if either Emily or Evan knew the distance to Goan City. "Goan City is about 400 kilometers away now that we have reached the forest. About the next 300 kilometers will be through this thick forest." Evan took the chance to showcase his knowledge this time. After a few more rounds of information gathering, Ash found out that the forest was relatively safe. There were no spiritual beasts in this forest. There were only a few that were slightly stronger than normal beasts but they would not come near the road. Even if they did, Ash was not worried since Miss Glaze was there with them.

Ash had tried to use the trip to practice his breathing technique but even though it was a smooth ride, he could not concentrate due to the conversations going on around him. Instead he tried to listen in to see if he could find out any new information about this world. He saw one of the children he remembered to be slightly more talented start talking about the school she wanted to go to. Ash then remembered that he had no idea what schools there were to choose from. He decided to ask either Emily or Evan about the schools. He looked over to his left where they both sat. "Do either of you know about what schools there are to choose from?" He asked. Evan perked up at the question. "There are four different schools in Goan City brother! There is the Iron Rhino school, the Mystic Fern school, the Broken Sword school, and the Striking Fist school!" By the time that he spoke the name of the last one, he had a fervent look on his face. "I am going to join the Striking Fist school brother! Its so awesome! Its the best school to go to if you want to learn about fist and palm techniques!" While he said that he made mock fist strikes into the air.

"Hahaha..." Emily let out a little light laughter. "I plan on going to the Broken Sword school. My family has a history of studying the sword. Many of my cousins are already in the BrokenSword school. They say that if you want to have the strongest defense that the Iron Rhino school is the best but the place with the most interesting techniques is the Mystic Fern school." Ash soaked up this new information like a sponge. He had not known anything before about the types of schools. "What makes the Mystic Fern school so special?" Ash asked. This time Evan answered again. "The techniques of the Mystic Fern school are amazing brother! There, you can learn about anything from alchemy to how to control spiritual beats!" 'How is that even possible?' Ash thought. The other schools each only focused on one thing. The sword, the first, or a great defense. On the other hand, the Mystic Fern school had a wide range of things they focused on. "The Mystic Fern school is the hardest of the four to get into even with my talent. Rumor has it that it is only a small branch of a larger school far away. Maybe no one except the more powerful people in Goan City even know if that is true. Only those who have the ability to walk the path of Transcendence are able to join this school." After Emily finished speaking, she looked depressed once again.

Ash had a lot of new information to process so he left her alone and looked out of the wrap around window. He was very interested in the Mystic Fern school. He had no idea what path he wanted to take in this world of martial artists. He knew already that he wasn't interested in learning fist techniques. They sounded the most boring. He also did not care for learning the sword. Although in the many books and shows he had seen the sword was a very powerful tool for destruction but it was also the most tread path. He always thought that things that were unique were a lot cooler. Besides the Mystic Fern school, there was also the Iron Rhino school that sounded enticing. "How cool would it be to just stand there with a strong defense while someone took a swing at you and not even feel it?" Ash thought aloud. Thankfully he had just whispered it and since many others were engaged in conversation, no one noticed. 'Damn, I have to stop that habit!' Ash thought.

Ash looked around outside of the window and saw nothing but lush, green forest. It was beautiful he thought. Before he could admire the scenery even more, the carriage came to a sudden halt. When the carriage stopped, he was jolted forward and could not see out of the window anymore. A few of the other children were like him, but no one seemed hurt. When Ash got back up he was shocked and confused. The scenery was no longer a lush forest but instead looked like a desert. He noticed the other children in the carriage start to panic. "Oh no! This looks like an illusion technique!" Ash heard the panicked sound of Emily's voice. "An illusion technique?! What's causing it, Emily?!" "I don't know but I can't see the other carriages anymore!" Ash took a look around and he also could not see the carriages. "How can we get out of here?' Ash asked. Before he got a response to his question, he saw something that shocked him even more than being in an illusion. A huge hand the size of the carriage itself stretched out of the desert. The sand formed until it was solid and then reached out toward the carriage. Most of the children were screaming by now. A few weaker willed ones even passed out. Ash himself was very panicked. The hand reached over and crushed the top of the carriage. It ripped the roof right off and the children had nowhere to go.

All of the sudden a loud voice was heard. "Today is your lucky day! You get to die by the hand of Marvin Donald! HAHAHAH!" The voice was gone just as quick as it appeared. Ash only had the time to glance up and notice that Emily was gone. 'The Donald family?' Ash thought. Then the hand made out of sand formed into a fist. The last thing he thought before that fist was brought down was 'Fuck me.' And then it was dark.