by Philip Read
“I’ll be, I didn’t expect to see a tribesman here. How have you been doing Damage?” I ask as we clasp forearms and I introduce him to my companions. “This is Yami, we are colleagues and this is Joseph a troublesome kid I want to set back on the right path.”
“Nice to meet you all, come have a seat in the living room and join us for a smoke. Artemis please prepare a meal for our guests and have Susi prepare the guest rooms.” Damage says to the slave who bows and disappears down the passage.
We sit and as I look around the place, the house is warded against spirits and fire. Now that I’ve been trained into being more familiar with such things its easy to pickup on if it isn’t being masked.
“So you have slaves now, and a cabin in the woods at the Central Province of your most recent enemy?” I ask as another slave, a pretty but old woman brings in tea and little sandwiches.
“Yes well, needs must.” Divina says from the doorway as she walks in and introductions are repeated.
“Congratulations on the baby, when are you expecting to give birth?” I ask the aura around her is clearly that of an expecting mother.
“Soon, but I plan on giving birth back home. This was very much a surprise for both Damage and I, and you. What brings the mighty Asriel out here in this part of the world, finally making an ally of the Sandie’s?” She asks as she sits at Damage’s sofa’s armrest and cuddles up next to him.
“Not yet, but we are still watching them as I assume you are as well. I didn’t know the Tribes where this well versed in subterfuge though, Damage, you look like any upstanding senior guard should and Divina my dear what would Sachi say if he saw you? You look absolutely divine in that dress and your Sandersonian accent is impeccable.” I say as I sip on my tea.
“Yes well, some of our allies have been helpful in helping us establish a Security Of The Exterior department which is basically a bunch of people pretending to be something they’re not in order to keep a close eye on what our neighbours are doing without giving the game away.” Divina says with a little smile.
“And I see you’re enjoying this role you’re playing, but otherwise how has it been going?” I ask curious about the progress the Tribes are making and a little saddened by their lost innocence.
“The Sandie’s actually already know about this place so we still have a lot to learn in order to be on par with them. Their own spy network is very well trained and not reliant on magic as much which is probably how we were found out. All these wards against spying and eaves dropping we curves into the house when we put it up.” Damage says caressing his mates tummy intimately.
“Do you know who lives in a cabin on the North side of the town with a red and yellow front door?” Yami asks leaning forward.
“Mhmm… That could be Lady Rhaena,” Divina says with a slight frown, “we’ve actually had her over for a meal once. Very beautiful and very strange woman, completely white skin with red eyes and shimmering white silver hair. Why do you ask?”
“One of our traveling companions stopped at her door is all, just wondering why since he’s never been to this side of the continent.”
Yami says with a grin, eating a banana from his spacial ring to keep his mouth busy. He does that when he doesn’t want to respond to anything else.
“She’s probably one of the unpigmented, a rare living bloodline that descended from the original vampires and behemoths, or so the legends go.” I say trying to decipher why Kazimoto would go visit one of them. Well the Hito and vampires do have a history, they probably know each other.
“Well we haven’t been posted here long so we don’t really know everyone that well yet, and many of the locals like to keep to themselves here at Central. Its a very beautiful and prosperous place but the Mages here get away with almost anything and everyone just turns a blind eye.” Damage says.
“Yes well it’s still better here than it is on Pangaea, the excess there and the things the powerful get away with are repulsive.” Joseph speaks for the first time.
“Things like what?” Divina asks him directly and he hlooks at me, I give him a nod and he leans forward and starts telling more horror stories about the Circle and specifically about a member of the circle named Fat Albert.
Chapter 58
Rhaena Tara Seeing
I’m sitting on my padded stool looking at myself in the mirror on the vanity while brushing my hair straight and smooth down my back when I feel him at the edge of my senses. It’s almost like blinking it’s so fast, I’m not even sure I felt anything or I’m just imagining things even as I feel it again and stand straight questing my senses as far as I can my eyes turning deep red and my canines elongating.
There is a knock at the front door polite as can be as though we aren’t both beings of immense power that have done away with trivial things like knocking on doors. I grab a sword and shove a tricyclone dagger into my thigh sheath as I take the stairs up 6 at a time.
“Open the door respectfully and move out of the way.” I project to Dina even as my feet reach the ground floor mats and I swerve into the passageway.
“May I see the Mistress of the house?” My unknown uninvited guest projects to Dani making sure I’m include in the exchange but not directing it at me.
I turn the corner to the receiving room even as Dani says “Right this way sir.” Leading my very polite guest towards the receiving room.
Our eyes meet as he takes of his strange round pointed hat and giving to Dani to take. He has no visible weapons on him, no jewelry or accessories that could be spacial items, charms or talismans. His clothing is a lose set making up a kimono but with divided pants. I haven’t seen one of those since before the Orientals left the continent 100 some years ago.
He stands at approximately 165 cm with raven black silky hair that is tied in a bun on top of his head. His eyes are also dark and slightly pinched enhancing his similarity with the Oriental people, is this them camping back for their ancestral lands or is this just a traveler passing through? He is wearing simply made clothes I notice as he steps down the step onto the carpet not leaving an indentation on the soft fluffy carpet.
He stops 2m away from me and bows at the waist respectfully, more respectfully than he needs to if I’m reading his power level correctly. At this level of power its mostly a guessing game of who is more powerful than who and sometimes not feeling someone’s power could just be attributed to a talisman, an amulet or simply a talent, other times it could mean his power level is so much higher than yours that you can’t even comprehend it.
I’m over 900 years old and the power I have built up in that time isn’t insubstantial, so one can imagine my surprise and alarm when I yet again feel someone whose power I can’t gauge here on Gaia. I can even gauge Eragon’s vast power that feels like a raging molten volcano when he growls and his chest rumbles. The level of difference between me and the Dragon of The West is vast and intimidating but at least I can feel it.
How much more stronger than that ancient dragon has this unassuming man before me have to be to seem completely null to all my senses. Examine, detect, presence, aware, blood sense, aura detect, mana sense, spirit presence, every single one of my detection skills and abilities coming up with nothing yet I’m looking at the man before me, I’m looking at his hat in Dina’s hands.
“Greeting Mistress of the house, I am just a traveler passing through this part of the continent but I don’t live to far outside the kingdom myself.” He projects smoothly in Universal, though it’s not like you can be anything but cool speaking in Universal because your intentions can be transmitted as well, so if you want to sound cool you sound cool.
But even with that I can usually tell when someone projects their intentions with their meaning, this time however I can’t do it. This man before is too much of a mystery for me to posture or pry into his affairs, still I thought I knew all the really powerful on this part of the world.
“Please take a seat, I am Rhaena Tara Seeing of the Swift Blood Sisters,
you may refers to me as Tara seeing as you have so much greater seniority than me.” That’s a risk but one I’m willing to take, if he isn’t older than me he will feel uncomfortable wearing that mantle lest it be tested, or he could just bluff me and pretend to be older than he is.
I project my age slightly just so he can’t claim to have been ignorant of my age if he is proven wanting. At our levels of power, when you reach and surpass the minimum requirements for Ascension its no longer just power that determines position in the packing order. Age, skill level and power determines ones place in the unofficial heirachy of the near immortals of Gaia.
I place my slightly luminous white moonstone bladed sword away as I take a sit indicating for Dina to bring refreshments. “People at our level of power rarely visit each other without alterior motives or a play for more power. What is it you might be after besides your already stated intentions I wonder?”
He shows his empty hands in a gesture of not carrying anything concealed up his sleeves. “I am an old man and I find I have done very little traveling and have always been the custodian of my peoples greatest weapon with the responsibility that comes with that. Now I find myself whole for the first time in millennia and not being responsible for the protection of my people or for safe guarding them.
“And for the first time I can travel, I can see the world at large and I can enjoy my many years of life before my path leads to more challenges too big for me to face alone. My name is Kazimoto of the Hito people of the Hidden Valley and I find myself without associates of comparable age or power outside of the Underworld, my people’s historical homelands.”
“I see… I haven’t ever heard of the Hito people before and if your ancestral home is in the Underworld that could explain it. I’m told my ancestry is originally from there but I’ve frankly never been though I’ve been curious about life down under, especially now with Underworld bottom feeders rising to the surface nightly to try to make a place for themselves.” I say as I start to relax, so this man is not behaving like the powerful usually do because he hasn’t been exposed to all the posturings and muscle flexing before.
“Is it usual amongst people to arrange themselves by seniority of age or is that just something you prefer to do personally?” He asks bluntly and I smile slightly, he is definitely a breath of fresh air in comparison to all these uppity Archmages that this kingdom seems to breed like locusts.
“Most people that manage to stay on Gaia beyond the Archmage, Imperium or Psionic Emperor level of power tend to accumulate obscure kinds of power that are difficult to measure with any accuracy. Its sometimes easier to measure their affinity to things than it is how powerful they become in things so we all usually just measure each other’s ages for some reason.
“I’m not sure when it started but its sort of assumed that the older you are after reaching Ascension power the more powerful you are in general. You really didn’t know this did you?” I ask with a smile, he smiles back and reveals his age letting it spread out from him slowly.
I frown, then my hand itches to reach for my sword and cut his head off as quickly as possible. I’ve never felt so much age on a single person before and the implication of power behind it is astonishing, but I feel his aura slightly with his age and he isn’t being threatening but just proving his seniority to me. I watch as he retracts his age slowly again until I again feel nothing at all from this Kazimoto before me.
“Amazing, so you are something close to 3000 years old I see. How have you stayed on this planet so long without being compelled to Ascend?” I ask truly surprised that someone at this level of power still exists on Gaia, they were all supposed to have been exiled to the Gates long ago.
“How I assume we all stay on Gaia after achieving Imperium power, we refrain from killing anyone or anything that is sapient and we can stay.” He says casually as though he isn’t revealing one of the most well kept secrets on the planet.
“I know that, but how can you survive thousands of years on Gaia without needing to kill someone or something? I’ve been on Gaia for 609 years more than I should have been because I’ve been living a clean life not killing anyone and I’ve been patting myself on the back for centuries for my restraint and here you come along almost 3000 years old and you’re just so overpowered I can’t even feel you standing there?” I shake my head even as Dina places a tray with tea down and we start drinking my guest and I.
“Your servant does all the killing for you doesn’t she?” He asks as he places the cup to his lips, hiding half his face.
I look at Dina’s retreating back and back at my guest, he is very perceptive. “She is my great grand niece from my brother’s side actually. He Ascended long ago leaving two wives and a slew of children behind, helping raise them and training them has sort of become my obsession these past 300 years I guess.”
“And you were worried that I would come to your home posturing and hurt your niece thinking she is a disposable slave to prove how serious I am.” He says leaning back and nodding. “That’s why you brought that beautiful moon blade with you, you expecting to have to kill me?”
I shrug, “This kingdom usually produces entitled Archmages that search for challenges so they can Ascend after a lifetime of relatively safe dungeon diving and academic work and they expect to be able to kill someone that can fight back. Its really sad the state of the world these days and just how soft everyone on this continent is in comparison to those that achieve Archmage level on Pangaea, Gondwana or Atrium.”
He grins, “My people have been on this continent for centuries and we are a primary martial warrior people that follow the way of the sword. I’m guessing the sword is your secondary weapon after magic?”
“You guess correctly, and I’m guessing that its called the ‘Hidden Valley’ because your people have been secluding themselves all these years?”
“True, but the Barbarians seem to be a force to reckon with in this continent. At least their prowess isn’t exaggerated and you can hardly call their aggressive behaviour posturing.” He says finishing his tea and pouring himself another cup. “This is good, where did you cultivate it?”
“That tea was actually a gift from my grand nephew Philip who likes to travel the world around with his friends, and though the Barbarians make formidable martial warriors their capabilities are capped at that, mundane martial warriors. Or at least they were when I got to these lands, now I hear they found a way to Awaken so I’m still eager to see what they will become.
“They are still relatively tame in comparison to their more savage and exotic counterparts the Mare and the Hulks, who also have rune magic and stronger spirit magics in general.” I say keeping to my point of how sedate life here is.
“How about the Highlanders and their fae keepers, is their power and potential for power not something to look out for even in this continent?”
“Yes but the fae have a chosen people on almost every continent and they mostly ignore those people mainly using them as breeding stock since they seem so infertile when mating amongst themselves. I will admit that some of their spawn that leave whatever world the fae call home are very powerful usually but they never tend to stay on this continent, but I hear that is changing as well.” I say with a slight twist of my head making it a question with my body language.
He smiles and puts his cup down, “I’ve met some of the sidhe at Paradisum, very queer people the fae sidhe. But they seemed determined to make a permanent home there regardless of political backlash from their home for giving us lowly humans access to some of their building design secrets, helping the Tribesmen Awaken and also training them in some of their fighting styles.”
“It sounds like a place to visit if its as beautiful and inclusive as they say it is, this Paradisum.” I say with a slightly smokey voice, finding myself flirting and leaning forward and catching myself from leaning further forward.
“It is a beautiful place but the law there allows for spontaneous challenge to a match to the deat
h, which is how most Southerners die when they visit the Tribal lands. One can always refuse but there is shame involved in that and definitely no second visit to their lands will be permitted. They like warriors there more than anything else, even now as diminished as they are they keep their arena sands wet.” He says with deep considering eyes all over me, I think he also wants to flirt but is out of practice.
Even me, when was the last time I bedded a man I couldn’t break in half by accident, when was the last time I was dominated by a man stronger than I am? Spirits beyond, its been hundreds of years.
“Would I be too forward if I invited you up to my bedroom?” I find myself asking despite only just having met this man, he may still have nefarious intentions but by the Gates will I wring him dry before I have to try to kill him, if it comes to that.
“I would be honoured to accompany you to your bedroom, but I’m slightly worried. It has been a long time for me outside of visiting the nymphs in a valley outside of my village.” He says as he stands taking my hand. Fucking nymphs is usually a rough and furious affair that involves more stamina than technique, I’ve seen the men ruth with them before.
“A man of your age and power should have his pick of women to keep him warm and busy.” I say leading him towards my upstairs bedroom by the hand, making sure he has a good view of my hips as I walk.
“Well the is also the danger that you become more of a symbol than a person in your people’s eyes and they forget that you a mortal person as well.” He says as we step onto the landing and I turn to look at him.
“Are you a mortal person though?” I ask as I place his arms around my waist and put mine around his neck, I’m a few centimeters taller than him but that doesn’t really matter in the greater scheme of things.
He gives me a look as I kiss him gently on the lips, he kisses me back the second time and we study each other. “No, I’m no longer a mortal being.” he says as he pulls me into the bedroom.
