by Philip Read
* *
Rhaena Tara Seeing
“So what is your primary discipline in anyways?” Kazimoto asks after 16 hours of canal pleasure between us.
I twist in the sheets and lie on my tummy as I face him. His hand immediately quests down my back and cups my rounded behind before coming back up to my shoulders. I can feel him now, his energy, his calm aura and I can’t believe I couldn’t feel him before.
“I’m primarily a Blood Mage.” I say as I look for a reaction. Blood mages are very dangerous people and with my heritage I have a very high affinity to blood and magic in general.
“Mhmm… So you became an Blood Archmage, how did you figure out not to kill after acquiring that power?” He asks even as his fingers explore my naked body gently, its arousing, distracting.
“My Master told me not to take a life when I achieved Archmage status, he never said why but I figured it out eventually.”
“Who is your Master, anyone I would know?” He asks kissing my shoulder and up towards my neck. The man seems incorrigible, I think I may have unleashed a monster onto the world, his body seems to recover very quickly and he has been taking full advantage of that for hours now, very enthusiastically.
“I doubt you’d know him seeing as you’ve been secluded in your mountain valleys all these years. He is a vampire though so you may have heard of him.” I say as I try to resist his energy permeating into me, caressing my skin and my own energy to little static and electric surges between us.
“A vampire that doesn’t kill? That’s a rare combination for a people that are designed to be killing machines.” He says into my neck.
“Yea well he is the shy mysterious type. I think he was even embarrassed about being a vampires the first time I met him, but he is one of the good ones. His name is Erickson, Erickson Shaw.” Kazimoto stops what he’s doing as he looks at me me strangely. “You know him?”
“I know of him, he trained with my people in the Underworld for a while after coming out of his blood haze. He was turned by a lover he didn’t even know was a vampire just after his first Awakened to mana, he should be embarrassed about how he was turned but not the turning itself. It’s a small world isn’t it?” He says looking up at empty air and I sigh because he’s stopped what he was doing.
“How small is the Underworld for you to randomly have heard of something like that?” I ask as I get up and walk to the closet and slip into a silk gown.
“I remember because his sister came and killed his new mistress in a brief but titanic battle before she handed him off to one of the vampire clans we are affiliated with down there to raise until he is out of the haze. It’s just something that stuck with me what she did for her brother is all, that was something like 1200 years ago though so I may be misremembering.”
“Oh that sounds exactly like something Erica would do alright so I doubt you are misremembering anything at all.” I say, getting ready for a bath.
“Where are you traveling to anyway?” I ask something I should have asks hours ago.
“I’m traveling to this Conclave on Gaia with 2 of its members. I should probably head out as well before they get too far ahead if they didn’t stop for sight seeing.” He says getting up and getting dressed smoothly, his presence already beginning to fade from my perception again.
“The isn’t much to sight see in Kabina, the city of Urban or Capital are pretty interesting though, you should pass through and say ‘Hi’ to the power brokers there if you pass through.” I say with a mischievous grin, already imagining the reaction of those uptight mages as he sweeps through their neighborhood, rattling their surety in their own strength.
“You Awakened twice didn’t you?” He asks as he stops at the door before leaving.
“Yes, why do you ask?”
“I think I’m the only being of my age on Gaia to only have Awakened once, its a bit embarrassing realising I’ve been slacking off. Your secondary Awakening is to the martial path I estimate, your both a blood Archmage and an Imperium Warrior aren’t you?” He asks, I’m surprised he didn’t examine me this entire time we’ve been intimate together, I certainly have him though I didn’t get much except his aura, spirit energy and age.
“I’m actually an Archmage and an Awakened King or someone of comparible power in order to reach the next leve.”
“Right, and the moment you kill is the moment you have to Ascend, interesting predicament that. May I see you again next time I’m on this part of the world?” He finally asks the important question.
“You most certainly may see me again Kazimoto. What is your primary discipline if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I’m an Ascendant Warrior.” He says with a slight grin on his face, I try to decipher that and cone up with one conclusion.
“How can you be an Ascendant Warrior if you are still here on Gaia?”
He shrugs, “I decided to keep training after reaching Imperium level and in a few hundred years I surpassed it, I still have to focus on my secondary discipline though.”
“Which is?”
He grins again, “I’m a Soul Elementalist.”
“I don’t even know what that is actually.” I say my arm hairs prickling in alarm the more he reveals about himself, I have no reason not to believe him.
“It’s like a Soul Mage, but better.” He shrugs, “I should go, I hope to see you again in good health.” And with that he’s gone, he didn’t even open the bloody door but he’s gone.
I smile at myself as I hug my tummy. I finally found a man worthy to have my children, and I already have one in the incubator already forming. In 4 months it will be out and I will be ready for another, I hope I’m not making a mistake but I have never felt such age from anyone else before, our children will be unmatched.
* * *
Saya del’Mira
“Ma is being so unfair and unreasonable.” Saya says to Dishna following her around to the park, Didi is only 5 years old but she likes to go places.
“I’m 8 now, she should let me play with her kurasigama if I want to. Da let’s me play with Katar and Razor when he’s around and grandpa Damage taught me how to sharpen a dagger before he left. I’m a big girl now, grandpa Zhen says so all the time!” Saya says stomping her feet in protest. Didi does like wise emulating her big sister as they miss the wolf following them.
At the park they are not short on playmates as after the war the Tribesmen and women went about making as many babies as a people can make. There are different types of babies as well as the diversity in Paradisum is unlike anywhere else on the continent. A half-dwalf, half-barbarian little girl particularly stands out with her unreasonable strength at her young age.
The inclusion of some of the displaced orc tribes means there are some orc children in the park and already two half orc toddlers, the first in the city, swaddled in a bundle by their mother who is watching her full orc child playing with the mean little girl named Saya. Orcs are supposed to be naturally stronger than humans but no one seems to have told this girl that as she stands on a hill with her little sister kicking down challenger after challenger. There is something uncanny about the children as even the little girl seems strangely vicious for her age.
“Play time is over now.” A sweet low voice says but it cuts through the deluge of voices and commotion made by the children. The two little girls squill in delight as they run off to the soft spoken mysterious woman known only as Kuyoki.
“Mama Kuyoki, mama Kuyoki!” They cry out as they throw themselves into her embrace without hesitation.
The woman is beautiful, but slight of stature, much smaller than Barbarian women are known to be but she is known to be the first mate of Sachihiro, the one that defeated Victor in a sanctioned duel. It is also known that she spends a lot of her time in The Arena with the best warriors in the Tundra, that could only mean she herself is an Awakened of some sort and worthy of her station.
The children and their mother/stepmother walk towards the park exit past
the park guards. The is only a single children’s park for the entire city so all the children may get to know each other regardless of tribe or race and the park is guarded by Awakened wolves. Wolves are very social creatures and they can sense fear, bloodlust or danger in general so they make the perfect guards for the most precious items on Paradisum.
“So how was your day today?” Kuyoki asks and they chatter her ears off talking about their days.
Such is life on Paradisum.
Chapter 59
Sachihiro
I have two months of time with my new Master before I have to leave for home for an undetermined amount of time and we don’t waste it. I don’t see Ragnar or Silo anymore but apparently a person that goes through the Awakening is sequestered here and provided with something called mana stones as a fuel source so they can go thought the Awakening all in one go, regardless of how long that takes. At least those that want to Awaken in the new way similar to how Master Zaraya does anyways.
Silo on the other hand I recently learnt is attached to Ragnar on the hip and where Ragnar goes you can bet Silo is sitting outside the door waiting for him to come out. I don’t really get it but apparently Silo was a slave and had no one and nothing, Ragnar saved his life and gave him a rune brand that freed him from his slave bindings. They have been inseparable ever since and so by default anyone that trains Ragnar trains Silo in most cases.
I meet Master Zaraya’s other three disciple, my fellow disciples now Lucas, Inam and Samantha. Lucas is just a normal handsome guy who seems to be the stereotype of a young Prince, everything Brand isn’t.
He is confident, diligent, loved by females, humble but authoritative, smart, charming and sincere. But he is a prince without a kingdom since his has been conquered by another bigger kingdom and the entire royal family scattered or used as figure heads to control the people.
I don’t really sympathise and think his people are stupid to be controlled by a person they know is being controlled by invaders, in the Tundra that chief would have been challenged and killed long ago. But that’s just my ‘barbarian’ opinion, I’ve been meaning to read up on different forms of governance anyway but I got distracted by the book on gemstones I found tucked away in the upper floors of the library.
Inam is an Dawn elf, and because of that I initially didn’t like him on principal. Dawn elves are darker skinned that the rest of elven kind and are apparently looked down upon as the lowest form of elf by all the other elves, at least lowest form not considering the drow.
Despite initially keeping my distance I got to know him a little bit and to my utter frustration and Ava’s derision I actually like the man. Enough to invite him and the rest of the other disciples to the tribes drinking hole come dusk, they initially weren’t well received but Inam proved he can stand his own in a fist fight so now everyone just mostly ignores him.
Dawn elves look closer to the ebony skinned African people I’ve met on occasion as opposed to the rest of the lighter skinned elves, looking down on an entire people because of the colour of their skin is one of the dumber ideas I’ve been introduced to in the wider world but it happens.
Apparently the dawn elves betrayed us out of desperation as dawn elves the world over are a dying breed, hunted by the rest of elven kind, used as slaves and generally downtrodden. I have very little sympathy for that either, not after seeing what their betrayal led to but on an individual level I definitely like Inam.
Sam is another story, the very definition of a noncombatant with her sweet innocent continence and pure aura. The woman is apparently even a virgin and follower of one of the deities of purity, I initially had absolutely no idea what she was doing as Master Zaraya’s disciple until I learnt Masters training strategy myself.
She doesn’t train us to fight or teach us to use weapons or different fighting styles to my initial confusion. The woman examines us in that way she does then gives us a schedule to follow while she supervises. Sounds simple but it isn’t, and after the first day it actually made a lot of sense once I thought about it.
The first day was mostly the same as it was with Ragnar and Silo. We spent something like 23 hours outside gathering the indicated herbs in the required quantities and then hunting for the little ‘fucken’ flying camouflage squirrels that live on a little isle in the middle of Lake Mamihlipanata. Very difficult animals to catch and impossible to stalk so all my previous hunting experience was utterly useless and we had to use our senses to catch them.
Then we delivered the animals to the butcher, Richardson something and the herbs to Isis and the old woman. They allow us into the smoke tent and we spend some hours there getting in touch with our spiritual selves and the spirits that haunt our lives. For me that’s the deity of knowledge and my own spirit getting in better touch with my physical being, I have no idea what it entails for Inam, Lucas and Sam.
From there we went to the baths for a deep scrubbing, then massaging, then acupuncture, then the meditation hall where our schedules slightly diverged and we went to different meditation focuses. Meditation can be exhausting regardless of how relaxing people like to say it is and spending close to 16 hours at the meditation hall is a form of corporal punishment by my opinion.
We went through the ringer or at least I did as I had to go through chakra meditation, quiet mind meditation, body awareness meditation, awareness meditation, meditating with my zanpakutō, thinking meditation, even talking to Gaia, the Trinity and whatever else deity I felt like talking to. I didn’t even know talking to the gods was considered a form of meditation until these people that specialise in this stuff took a look at my schedule and put me through the ringer.
By the time I left the hall my head was pounding and heavy from all that concentration and Zaraya was waiting for me outside along with everyone else. It was already night time, about the time I usually headed to my battle group but apparently we are now exempt from that until our schedules change.
“Good work everyone, now you all have 6 hours of sleep next, I’ve arranged for new lodging were you will be in the same apartment. After the 6 hour sleep time you continue with your schedules, I’ve been watching your efforts and I’m impressed.” And with those words she left, a dictator.
*
We got some sleep, I was mentally exhausted and 6 hours ended quickly for me before we had to go to our different dojos. I went back to the man that was instructing me in unarmed while I was still following Pleo around and we got back into our training rhythm without a hiccup. After 2 hours in unarmed I’m off to sword practice in the actual dueling yard, I’ve never actually been here before but I meet up with Inam and Lucus who also focus on the sword as their main weapons.
The instructors take a look at each of our schedules and we are again separated into different classes. I’m led through the dueling yard and out to the back all the while wondering what is written on these schedules that I can’t see. At the back I’m led to another room with a beautiful wooden floor I’m required to remove my shoes before entering.
To my complete and utter shock it’s a Hito man that meets me inside and I immediately take up the old etiquette I learnt at Honshu bowing at the waist and kneeling waiting for instruction, I should have worn a hakama.
My behaviour is acknowledged with a bow and then he shows me his zanpakutō, which is easily identifiable in the eyes of the initiated. Great, another soul-samurai, all of them are fanatics of the sword and if this guy is my new sword master then things will get serious.
“I am Masashi Odate of the Omura clan in the Hidden Ha Village.” He introduces himself with a bow.
“I am Sachihiro van Damage of Paradisum in the Tundra.” I say with my own bow still kneeling.
He nods before asking, “Who was your kenjutsu master?”
“Master Hiroyuki Sanada.” I say still keeping my head down.
“I know of Sanada, he is a respected warrior by reputation and the reputation of his students. Who was your zanjutsu master?”
“
Kazimoto the Beautiful Madman.” I say surprising him completely.
“Rise.” He says after a moment and studies me intently. “You had Kazimoto as an instructor?”
“Yes.”
“He gave you a style?” He asks seriously, definitely a fanatic.
“Yes.”
“Have you mastered it?” He asks his eyes looking at me intensely.
“No, I am still a justus at the style but a master at swordsmanship.”
“You wouldn’t have a zanpakutō if your weren’t a master leveled swordsman.” He says and I refrain from telling him I have this mainly through bribery than anything else, though I’ve since lived up to the samurai legacy of skill mastery.
“Very well,” he continues, “I cannot help you with a unique style from the old master but I can help you with your kenjutsu and zanjutsu mastery. I am a grandmaster swordsman and a master leveled zanjutsu swordsman, we will dedicate 10 hours of everyday here. This room is warded so no spirit energy or soul energy can enter or leak out so you will not need to hold back.”
My zanpakutō hums lightly at those words and a similar anticipation originates from his katana in his hands. He nods to acknowledge it as well.
“It has been many years since Ozorimaru has let herself loose against another zanpakutō, let’s begin immediately.” He says unsheathing a beautiful silver implacable blade with an edge that can cut through light.
I know my nodachi’s name as well but I’m not yet ready to announce it, my monster tells me she has to be whole before I can fully unleash her true form.
“We will start with the kenjutsu forms.” He says taking a stance. I unlimber my own monster and unsheathing her to a happy loud ringing that fills the room. I take a stance and we face each other, before we know it we’ve both moved and sparks start flying.
*
Something close to 10 hours later I’m off to the healers with the help of some of the other dueling students holding my severed arm up against the stump so it can be reattached, at least its a cut from a katana. Katana cuts are always clean, I think before I allow myself to pass out instead of go into the Rage.
