I spent minutes laying on the ground, trying to gather myself and staunch my tears. I had been under the complete control of a demon again. I couldn’t do anything, it had me and could do anything it wanted with me. I was without power or control, forced to do as the demon wanted and nothing more. I could still feel the lingering brush of its overpowering magic humming against my skin.
Around me, a green forest sat silent. The only sound the wind which brushed against my light summer clothing. It was slightly damp but not the frost of winter, it was still clear that this was no longer summer and the wind was biting into my body. A light drizzle started then and I started to shiver. It didn’t matter if it wasn’t winter in this place, if I didn’t find shelter soon, I wouldn’t make it long.
It took longer than I wanted to admit for me to stand up and brush myself off. Part of it was the rebound from the effects of the world travel spell, but more was the shaken state of my mind from the casual show of power over my life.
The trees surrounding me were pine, standard, normal, everyday pine trees. The smell of the trees was overwhelming. The fact that I was surrounded by normal pine trees provided some comfort both with the idea that the world was similar to my old one and the sticky scent which reminded me of Christmas with my Aunt.
The thought of my Aunt and what I gave up hit me harder at that moment. I had been avoiding thinking about how my summoning circle would hurt her when she found out. I would be leaving a mystery behind as well, I would be presumed dead from a botched summoning, but then, no demon would be running wild which would counter that idea. I couldn't imagine how many problems this would cause for her.
Another shiver wracked my body as the wind blew through and the drizzle started to increase into an actual downpour. Every direction I looked seemed just as good as any other for the chance to find shelter. There was nothing for it but to start walking so for lack of options, I just aimed myself roughly downhill and started walking.
I had been walking for less than five minutes when a pile of rocks on the slope forced me to divert to one side. The pile of rocks turned out to be a granite overhang. On my first examination, I thought that the little cave at the back was shallow, but the back wall dipped to the right side and around the corner the tunnel actually extended back beyond. I was only looking for shelter so I had no intention of stepping into a nice dark cave in a new and mysterious world. A peek around the corner of the wall to discover that it did in fact continue was my only reason for looking.
My first mistake was going any distance into that cave.
I had turned back, with the intent of scurrying away from the dark cave entrance when a sickly yellow -something- fell onto me. The impact of this disgusting ball of goo with the consistency of snot slamming into the back of my head and shoulders knocked me to my hands and knees. The jolt of the small rocks slamming into my knee caps shot through my already abused senses.
My second mistake was my gasped shout of pain.
The heavy gooey mass riding my shoulders quickly squirmed around and covered my head. The sudden weight shift threw me forward though my new goo helmet protected me from the small fall. My world turned yellow and distorted even as I tried to pull the now hardening mass from my face. I had an almost full breath even given my small gasp of pain, but the goo had sealed around my face keeping the pine scented air from me.
Flopping on my back I tore at my face trying to pull the mass, now with the consistency of taffy, from my face. In my terror, I was heedless to the pain of the uneven rocks bruising my body. Pulling as hard as I could, I gained a small amount of air from a hole that quickly sealed itself. My terror induced strength was quickly ebbing and soon I wouldn't be able to pull the mass away and breath.
My last gasp helped me focus and form a mental spell construct, my reflexive action was to focus a small amount of my mana into a kinetic spell and try to rip the slime from my face. Forming the spell then pulling my hands away I released the spell. The moment the spell structure passed beyond my aura the spell tore apart and failed. I gained only the width of my aura between my new face mask and my skin.
Slapping at my face I flailed, screaming as I bit at the rubbery gag that was suffocating me. I wasn’t striking just at the thing on my face, but everything around me in a wild flare of panic. Slapping, biting, snarling, screaming, as everything started to go darker. I could see a ring of black around my vision, my limbs slowing and my panic starting to fade away into impotence.
A little voice in my mind which sounded like my fourteen year old self wimpered even as the black started to cover my vision. The wierd visual effects of dying started to take on a sick fascination for me even as I began to drift into an odd detached sensation.
Lightly glowing bubbles drifted past.
No, a single glowing bubble.
A glowing pearl of white floated inside the slime. With a sudden burst of clarity I expelled all my mana at that glowing pearl of white, so far gone I couldn’t do more than direct the mana, the form of the spell was uncontrolled.
The pearl flickered brightly for a moment, then the light dimmed until it was almost gone, the hardened plastic like material around my face suddenly bursting into a thin liquid which ran down my face.
Through giant gasps of air I tried to spit out the slime in my mouth even as I felt some of it passing down my throat. Retched, moist, heaving coughs barely cleared my lungs as I could feel the disgusting remains of the creature thick in my stomach. I was barely able to roll out of the puddle of slime and into the sunlight in the back of the cave before I passed out from exhaustion and mana depletion.
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Te Don never raised his eyes from my feet as he passed on the message from the martial master. I was to meet the master in the central practice square as quickly as possible. Te Don’s eyes steadily focused on my feet, but I could see the slight uptick on his lips. I’ve seen that same subtle smirk for years, that or the praise and simmering as someone attempts to gain my favor.
I sharply gestured Te Don away as I started towards the central practice square. In the back of my mind I forced my Qi to circulate through my body and into the carved marble amulet that I carried on a rough braid loop around my neck. The comfort of the familiar swirling pull through the resistant stone and back into my body calming my nerves.
I could hear the rhythmic practice of Fang Fa as he moved through the pattern of his Lo, his personal practice form which blended with his reinforcement. Few had a personal practice form, a true Lo, even fewer had successfully completed a reinforcement and started on the path to another. Fang Fa was renouned for his completion of two reinforcements; marble and quartz. The necklace around his neck held two well worn stones one of marble and one of quartz, the third was a polished bead of iron.
No one from the clan had ever successfully created a reinforcement from iron, it was rumored that it wasn’t possible though no one could explain why it would be so. The Kur stone clan had always focused on stone and had perfected many practices which helped in the reinforcement of stone. To form a new reinforcement from iron or one of the other metals would expand the possibilities for the sect.
Fang Fa had spent the last ten years in careful practice in his attempts instead of strengthening his current reinforcements. The other sect leaders focused on strengthening their own reinforcements, their aging being repressed by careful focus and practice, their bodies strengthened by their practice. Only Fa’s face showed the lines and wrinkles of his age. The others were far older but appeared far younger.
I didn’t bother to wait for Fa’s movements to reach a termination. I was supposed to wait, poised for his halt like a dog straining at the leash, but I refused to play his games.
“You called for me father,” I said.
Fa’s movements never hesitated, I doubt he was even aware I had arrived. His focus on his Lo was legendary. Slowly his leading leg slid forward and planted, his torso always in line over his body. Fa’s arms bent and held in front of him almost gently then an arm would snap out and downward almost driven by a shart twist of his hips. His movements reminiscent of the slow shift of a mountain then the sharp crack of a landslide. While his movements appeared controled and without effort, the rictus smile of pain on his face denied the seeming ease of his movements.
Clenching and unclenching my fists I waited until Fa’s movements seemed to slow and then rest. Blinking and looking around Fa shivered slightly like he was shaking off a dream then turned. Fa stared at me, faced composed and without movements. The lines of his face a topographic map of strain and pain.
It took effort but I stopped fidgeting and let the push and strained pull of my Qi through my stone focus my poise.
“Why is Si Lu’s leg broken?”
I kept my eyes locked on my fathers feet even as I strained to keep my expression calm and stoic. I knew this was going to be a problem, but I hadn’t thought my father would be the one to provide the rebuke. Nothing I could say would change the outcome but I refused to let this be presented as my fault.
Bowing slightly I answered, “Combat training is dangerous, Si Lu was unprepared and tried to strike above her skill level and was so injured.”
“Her leg has been broken in five places. Twice above the knee, twice below it, and the knee joint itself has been struck so greatly that the cap has shattered.”
Fa just stared, waiting for my comment. My actions had been far beyond a simple practice duel. My blows had been intended to injure her so badly that she would be forced into convelescence. Injuries such as those required strict focus to heal and would leave none for her reinforcement. The injury would heal, but she would be left even further behind those of our age group. Si Lu had been the weakest of our group and now would be left even further behind.
I found I couldn’t resist and said, “Punching a Telda tree is an excelent way to injure your hand.”
While my tone was polite, the use of an old proverb Fa prefered and the quoting of it to him was unlikely to help me. My stomach roiled as I tried to keep my stoic face. My actions had been right on the edge of what was allowed, in truth, possibly beyond what was allowed.
The first snap of Si Lu’s leg as I had struck it would have been enough of a rebuke for her challenge. The last of the group challenging the first was consider a great insult. I know that she didn’t actually desire the challenge, she had been forced into it by the rest of the training group. She chose a single battle with injury rather than multiple battles with the entire team. My hope with my severe action was to keep the rest from repeating these taunts to my standing.
My subsequent strikes, coming faster than Lu could signal her loss of the duel, were as much about my wounded pride as it was about dissuading challengers.
“A single straw can be easily broken, a bundle less so.”
Fa’s words snapped me back to the present. As always my father loved his proverbs and parables. Most of the conversations I had with him were of rebukes and parables instructing me to work harder.
“Your actions have harmed the sect. You will make efforts to repay your actions.”
So saying Fa returned to the practice square and began his movements again. The sound of gentle shuffling behind me made me aware of Si Ka, Si Lu’s brother. Si Ka was in the middle ranks of the combat group, but his selection to direct me from Fa’s presence was a silent rebuke. It wasn’t until I was passing through the carved wooden door of the practice room that Si Ka spoke.
“Fang Dao, your master has instructed me to inform you that you will be performing the chores of the foundation group; all of them.”
It was only Si Ka’s reflexive recoil that made me aware that I had started to lunge at him for his words. Clearing the grounds of the sect of Fild rats, beating the bushes to disuade flying snakes from nesting this close to the compound, all of these were daily chores. This month though the foundation group would be required to enter the forest and harvest weak reinforcement supplies that they would use during the month. Berries from Pild bushes, killing large Fild rats for their musk glands, and of course the two day hike to the slime cave to farm for monster cores.
Forcing me to harvest resources for the foundation group, the team below my own, and gaining nothing from it, along with the loss of practice days, this rebuke was greater than any father had ever used before. I could see Si Ka’s small smile in my mind as I stomped towards my quarters in preperation for tomorrows hike.