Amdirlain’s PoV - Nepal Mountains - Silver Lake
The morning after the senior students' ranking wrapped up, they divided the arena floor into ten large circles spread out along its length. Their formation was a staggered pattern that allowed each circle to extend past the halfway mark of the area.
As the fourth person allowed onto the floor, Jinfeng took up a spot at the far end of the ground. Among the last competitors, Timur strode down the length and stopped in the ninth circle. His opponent looked childlike when they squared off and bowed from opposing sides before striding inwards.
Timur’s body shifted into an empty void that drank in the surrounding light.
The other Monk shifted his stance, and a radiant golden light rose from his flesh. The staff blurred in his hands, emitting the churn of a buzz saw as he continued to increase its speed.
Void will eat Radiance.
Timur charged forward, his opponent lashed out, the momentum of the staff snapping towards his reaching hands. The blow soundlessly burst through his limbs, only for Timur to reform within the staff’s reach, his hand clasped on the man’s shoulders. The blackness dropped away just before Timur’s forehead shattered his opponent’s nose in a spray of blood.
Hands twisted in his opponent's robes, he flung him towards the stands, only for the other Monk to bounce back midair and deliver a blow across a hastily raised forearm. The staff solidly connected this time, letting out a meaty thunk, but Timur didn’t flinch. The man remained airborne, raining down blows and jabs. Timur lashed out with a hand to catch the staff and yank him close. A flurry of blows cracked against the man’s stomach and legs, resounding like an axe cutting into a tree. The man released the staff and went to leap away, but Timur unleashed a rippling obsidian Ki Blast that tore the air beside him. The massive rift of vacuum dragged his opponent from the circle, even as the protections prevented the effect from impacting the stands.
“Poor flight control,” murmured Kadaklan.
Further from them, Jinfeng stood with her blade lazily lifted to waist height. With the point dipped, she waited. While the other circles clashed, her opponent remained still with his spear levelled at her. The tip glistened in the morning light, and droplets slid from the metal, drawing hisses from the stone as wisps of smoke rose.
Kadaklan wrinkled his nose. “A poison practitioner of some kind. I’ve seen many variations, and it’s common for their Ki Strike to coat the weapon in a venom. It’s always painful to tend to the wounds they leave.”
The Monk started to shift his weight, a cobra swaying as he gathered himself.
Jinfeng blurred to the halfway point. Her stop thrust should have been too short, but a glistening ice spear breached the gap between them in a blink. It shattered his right collarbone and went out above his shoulder blade, where it bloomed into a four-hooked prong. With a twist of her wrist, she broke the icicle from the mithril blade, thrusting out a hand to grab the icicle and reel him in with a single yank. The point of her sabre against his throat froze him in place.
“I surrender.”
The judge signalled her win, and wordlessly, Jinfeng sheathed her blade and exchanged bows with her opponent before they exited the circle.
Throughout the next three matches, Jinfeng and Timur stayed at opposite ends of the ground. Timur’s matches were always energetic and dramatic clashes that drew cheers. Jinfeng danced ahead of weapons and techniques, forcing opponents to over-commit. Then, in the opening, she struck only once.
“What did you do to her sword style?”
“I’m not the one to blame,” huffed Amdirlain. “While I inspired her, I didn’t control her Skill’s evolution. Though that isn’t the issue, it’s more that she’s keeping her cards close. The less she’s crossing weapons now, the less future opponents have seen.”
“She strikes like an Assassin, straight for the weak spot,” said Kadaklan.
Amdirlain grunted. “She’s been trying to maximise the efficiency of attacks to catch me in them. You’d see her dance if she needed more than one attack.”
“You’ve caused her Skill with Jian to evolve?”
“Muse’s insight doesn’t cause evolutions. What it does is help inspire. She’s merely found insights within herself twice.”
“Merely.” Kadaklan’s gaze didn’t leave the fourth opponent, who was now leaving Jinfeng’s circle. “You’ve stopped healing between fights?”
“I warned them last night they’d need to cover today. The healers need practice, and it’s far easier to handle the workload from twenty competitors than hundreds,” said Amdirlain, floating a teapot and cups over to their position in the front row. “We’ve got a few days of this while the junior finalists are determined?”
“Correct.”
When the first five rounds had concluded, they removed all those who had moved circles at least once and randomly divided six competitors between the middle three circles. Jinfeng and Timur drew one and three. It was a fortunate draw for Jinfeng’s goal, putting them in different starting circles.
The Monk who faced off against Jinfeng had a crescent moon staff with four loops of chains hanging from the crescent and a long spike capping the haft. As he stepped across the circle on the far side, he turned it over in his hands. It left a fiery trail in its wake, and from behind the blur, he studied the ice-blue skin of Jinfeng’s hand; his lips curled in a meaningful smile.
“He’s hoping the feedback from elemental opposition will throw her off balance,” murmured Amdirlain.
And he’s arrogant enough to make it clear what he’s planning.
“Popcorn?”
“Nope, it’s all stored in the house.”
Kadaklan gave a deep regretful sigh. “Pity.”
He jabbed forward with the curved crescent, trying to catch Jinfeng with the blade or the spiked tips. With each attack, she stayed just out of reach and watched the timing of his motions. As she continued to counter his attempts to herd her, he committed a fraction too much strength into a strike and over-committed. Jinfeng swept inside his reach before he could adjust. As he pulled the weapon back, she snared one chain hanging from it with her free hand and kept ahead of his attempt to withdraw. Her blade jabbed repeatedly, causing steam to hiss from the flames infused in his flesh. Each clash drew down on his Ki reserves, but it was a death by a thousand cuts at their rank.
Still, his robes were soon tattered, and he couldn’t free his weapon from Jinfeng’s grip. Releasing one hand from its haft, he thrust it towards Jinfeng, and flames roared from his palm. She sliced downwards, causing a wedge of ice to split its path, and a burst of steam erupted as the compressed layers of the wedge stripped away, obscuring her from sight. With a solid kick, she launched the melting block towards him and let go of the chain. With the weapon no longer caught between them, he slipped up and didn’t dodge away. Though the wedge struck his braced arm first, it possessed enough force to drive him from the circle.
As the man tumbled head over heels until he smashed into the arena wall, Amdirlain nodded in satisfaction.
“I’m unimpressed by his flight control,” grumbled Kadaklan. “Even if he didn’t stay in the circle, he could have taken to the air instead of smashing into the wall.”
I wonder if there will be any wire-fu fights among the senior masters. However, they probably want more space since crossing the boundary causes disqualification.
Amdirlain grimaced as he rose from the shattered ice, cradling an open fracture where his wrist had snapped. “I agree.”
“I’ll get this one,” said Kadaklan. Wafting down from the stands, he landed beside the junior Master and soon stabilised the bleeding wound, the bones retreating into flesh. Other healers moved out to tend the combatants as the round of matches finished. When Indra Ka looked at Amdirlain curiously, she just nodded towards Kadaklan, getting his patient to check the range of motion in his arm.
With his arm repaired and weapon retrieved, the man moved on to his next opponent, and Kadaklan joined the healers in the tunnel that led into the stands.
The next opponent that faced Jinfeng was a lean warrior with a mandarin queue that reached his waist. He set aside the Jian he used in previous bouts to an observing official and entered the circle. Both hands’ thumb and index fingers pressed together before his chest for a few seconds before his hands blurred through a series of seals. Lightning flared beneath his skin, and his eyes crackled with static. An aura of electricity surrounded him, but Jinfeng didn’t move from an open stance with her Jian extended down to her right. A lightning bolt dropped from the clouds and met the man’s suddenly upthrust hand. The flash caused most to flinch away, and they missed the energy transforming into a crackling Jian.
Ki Weaponry? I’m missing a whole suite of fun. He’s been defeated once and wants to make up for it.
Jinfeng lifted the blade in a salute, her left hand forming seals as she did. The swirling wintry winds within her flesh stilled and vanished ahead of a silvery wave that rushed inwards from her sword hand.
Oh, you’re playing games, Jinfeng. Are you trying to get them to think the Affinity effect is from your sword? One cat is out of the bag but, hopefully, she’ll hold the other affinities for the senior Master matches.
When the shift stopped, her flesh and clothes looked cast from metal. With a tight frown breaking his composure, the man flicked the blade forward, and dazzling lightning blasted towards Jinfeng. When the blasts stopped, she still stood in place, but the grounding of the lightning had blackened Jinfeng and the surrounding stone. The man lashed out again, but she crossed to him with quick, flowing steps, causing the bursts to flare brighter. He brought his blade down to parry hers, only to find Jinfeng alongside him. The smooth front kick smashed through his Ki Armour, broke his hip, and sent him sailing out of the circle.
She’s been trying to keep up with me—poor bastards. It’s not how many techniques you know; it’s how well you can use any of them.
The next opponent that entered Jinfeng’s circle seemed to have the same view. Having lost six fights in a row, his expression was drawn with fatigue. He left his blade in its sheath and saluted Jinfeng, fist to palm, and bowed over the top of his hands. His black queue swayed in the breeze within the arena.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Master Lu Jinfeng, it would be an honour to cross blades so that I might learn,” he said.
Jinfeng returned his salute and nodded; her flesh and clothing resumed their usual appearance. The blackened marks transformed into damaged silk and burnt flesh that began to mend. The grey and black of the western reaches made her pale complexion pop, while the red and white of the white tiger’s claw highlighted his worn state. He turned away momentarily to secure his tattered silk robe before he drew his Jian and stepped forward.
“Travel your Dao to the best of your ability, martial brother,” said Jinfeng.
Unsheathing her blade, she turned to set its sheath outside the circle. The man made no move towards her exposed back. Her meaningful glance at Amdirlain weighed the air and she paused a moment before turning back and strode to the circle’s centre. There, she extended her blade and settled in a foundation stance, her weight evenly balanced, and the blade tips barely touched as the man mirrored her.
She wants me to inspire him. A blade is more than how it cuts, Jinfeng; weapons can also be used to protect. Do you even recognise that you want to help temper another? To defend his ambitions and hopes?
The match started with quick strikes and cuts to test each other’s reach and reactions. The pace remained steady through the first minutes of the combat. Crossed steel unleashed ringing chimes as the man sought to press Jinfeng’s defences and keep her blade from his flesh. Jinfeng danced about him, matching his pace but challenging his limits; she left nicks in her wake. Not to mock him but to note where his defences failed.
Amdirlain lightly cradled their minds and extended Muse’s Insight to settle over them.
The exchange continued, and the inspiration provided found the man obtaining his second wind. Attacks and motions became sharper, and the pace increased by a noticeable but not dramatic degree. Though his steps lacked Jinfeng’s grace, they slowly became smoother than his previous matches. He paradoxically tripped when a broad collection of skills merged into Agility, and his motions flowed faster than expected. A shift of weight threatened to turn his ankle before he dropped and tumbled. His staggered recovery brought him to his feet to challenge Jinfeng from a different quarter. She slid his thrust aside, and her composure slipped fractionally to offer an approving grin, before her mask fell back into place and she stepped up the pace.
With that, she herded him about the circle more actively. Among the explosions and flashes from other circles, the simple match should have seemed pathetic, but as some other matches concluded, it drew disproportionate attention as more saw in its simplicity Jinfeng lifting a fellow Ki Practitioner to new heights. Exhilaration soared within his centre, stirring the meagre Ki fumes to the tempo of their blades. As it cycled from his heart to throat, he relaxed into the fight. An open zen state allowed him to meditate even as they battled. Aided by Muse’s Insight, his body felt the awkwardness in subtle places; adjustments of the barest millimetres smoothed his attacks and sped his defences. Jinfeng pressed him harder as he improved, herding him around to ensure he’d keep the change while moving.
His minor corrections allowed her to get a feel for the fundamentals she still needed to correct. Minute shifts in her stance, shortening the angles of cuts, and shifting the tension in critical muscles focused the power of blows. Soon they required less effort and let her recover quicker. The focused nature of the match helped highlight gains that the months of training against Amdirlain had inspired.
Throughout the exchange, Jinfeng flowed along, aware of the weight of the blade and the pressure from each contact shifting through her arm. She continued herding her opponent about and, amidst repeated strikes, felt a strange Ki surge along her arm. Caught in the moment, she joined within it, and the essence of her Dao flashed from Jinfeng’s blade. The nascent technique barely extended past her Jian’s tip, but his blade didn’t stop the light, as it carried through to crack his renewed Ki Armor and opened up his right arm to the bone. Disengaging, she spun his Jian away and sped to catch it before it could hit the ground.
“I surrender.”
The spectators roared in wordless approval.
Jinfeng turned and nodded. Striding towards him, she offered him the hilt of his captured sword. “Well fought. Would you share your name, martial brother?”
He respectfully reclaimed the sword from her, ignoring his bleeding arm, and bowed deeply. “Master Lu, this student of the Jian is Guang Lee.”
As he introduced himself, a healer in orange and yellow robes entered the circle to staunch his bleeding arm. The lady clicked her tongue disapprovingly and held a hand above the wound. It glowed with shimmering blue Ki and drew the parted flesh together, restoring muscles and veins.
“I look forward to crossing blades again, Master Guang,” replied Jinfeng, returning his bow. “Thank you for the insights you inspired today.”
“Whatever insights you found, I was merely a whetstone towards achieving them. Your instruction provided me with substantial insights, Master Lu. You have my deep abiding gratitude.”
The healer tugged on his dangling sleeve and guided him from the circle. Jinfeng returned to her spot with his departure and watched her next opponent take his place.
Master Guang Lee won his next three matches and, although his participation in the tournament didn’t continue beyond those fights, he avoided elimination.
None of the combatants who challenged Jinfeng after that came close to upsetting her run. With the first ten matches finished, only she and Timur were undefeated, and the judges automatically placed them in the finals.
With that announcement, Jinfeng leapt from the arena floor and smoothly landed in Amdirlain’s section.
“Congratulations on getting through to the finals, Jinfeng. Your guidance of Master Guang was impressive,” offered Amdirlain.
Jinfeng nodded calmly. “It’s thanks to the inspiration you’ve provided me, Sifu. I hadn’t expected my life to change so dramatically when Master Payam invited me along to your training hall.”
While the next fights were ongoing, Grandmaster Indra Ka’s gaze discretely flicked their way frequently.
‘I believe he isn’t sure if I’m to blame for Master Guang’s improvement or you are,’ offered Jinfeng across the mental link
‘You were responsible. Inspiration only lets you see what is already within your grasp.’ Amdirlain focused on a match where two masters exchanged rapid Ki blasts, each attempting to drive the other from the circle. “I had expected more weapon usage.”
“The White Tiger’s Claw teaches the advanced Ki Blast techniques while in the senior student ranks. As a junior Master, each would have had time to develop their proficiency. While I find it wasteful of Ki to continue futile attempts, each is probably concerned with seeming weak by not continuing to match the other’s efforts.”
“Why did you let him complete the lightning techniques with all those hand seals?” Amdirlain looked at Jinfeng critically. “You could have interrupted that technique easily. Were you looking to show him up?”
Jinfeng snorted. “I’ll leave the showing up to you, Sifu.”
“Ouch, burn, I resemble that remark. Though I’m not the only one that got burnt today,” quipped Amdirlain softly, and she motioned to a repaired section on Jinfeng’s sleeve. “A little reckless? Kadaklan teased me about not dodging. Do you think he’ll do the same to you?”
“I recognised it and was confident I had a counter. Though it wasn’t flawless, it was a lesson better learnt now than in combat.”
A transparent orb appeared next to Amdirlain’s shoulder, cutting off her reply.
“SIS! Come get me.” Klipyl’s message hiccuped into a spray of giggles that prompted nearby masters to stare their way. “I don’t know what time it is where you are, and I feel like I’ve slept forever. My boobs and butt have gotten so much bigger.”
“I need to teach her the discrete Message version,” muttered Amdirlain.
“I bet she knows it,” offered Jinfeng. Her composure remained intact, though her eyes shone with relief. “She’d see this as far more fun, and you just have to consider her wording to know she’s being as discrete as she cares to be.”
That’s valid.
Amdirlain released a reply, letting Klipyl-chan know to expect a summons shortly. “You want to do the honours?”
“What?” gasped Jinfeng, her composure cracking.
‘We’re summoning Klipyl. Do you want to come along, Kadaklan? Sarah?’ projected Amdirlain through the mental links.
At the pair’s acknowledgement, they vanished from the seating section and reappeared in a secluded grove they’d rested in weeks ago; Kadaklan and Sarah appeared beside them.
“This should give enough space for a decent-sized circle,” stated Sarah. “Did she say what species she’d changed into?”
“Only that her boobs and butt were so much bigger,” replied Jinfeng, drawing a groan from Kadaklan.
Sarah retrieved the crystal staff and offered it to Jinfeng. “Use this one. We don't know if the device you used last time is enough.”
Jinfeng tilted her head in surprise. “You expect that much change?”
“She’s been gone months. Either she had trouble, or something major went on,” explained Sarah. “Better to be safe, as you didn’t use one of Am’s gadgets to call her last time.”
“You need to use her name, but she’ll hear anything you say,” advised Amdirlain.
Jinfeng nodded sharply, took the staff from Sarah, turned to face the clear ground amid the tree, and held it upright in her hands. “Klipyl-chan, come forth and join us, please.”
The ground shone as the device created the mithril circle and the summoning triggered. Klipyl’s manifestation was a strange reversal of her acceptance of the Celestial transition: a silhouetted figure of light who bled out her internal illumination until her pale skin and black hair was safe to look at directly. She wore a dark blue sleeveless top that laced up through her cleavage and hugged every curve. It sat untucked over loose, silken pants in a matching hue with red trim tucked into the top of functional black boots. Hundreds of broad ribbons of gleaming light extended from her back to brush against the barrier, and four translucent swords floated around her. As she grinned at them, her streamers fluttered and murmured reassuringly.
Klipyl loomed over them at five metres tall and winked at Jinfeng. “You called baby? Want me to show you a good time?”
Jinfeng put a hand to her face. “Klipyl, you’re still the same.”
“Pretty swords,” commented Sarah, as she broke the summoning circle. “It looks like your wings got jealous of your ribbon, and everything seems to have grown proportionally.”
“I know,” laughed Klipyl, and she put her hands beneath her boobs to lift them higher, causing the cleavage to strain against the restraining laces. “Look at these puppies. I could use them to suffocate a giant when I’m at my full height.”
“What Celestial species are you now?” asked Jinfeng.
“Calmacil,” replied Klipyl, and she motioned to the blades. “It means sword of light, hence all the pig stickers. They’re weird weapons and can’t touch someone without evil in their hearts. Though I’m aware that they’ll have no problem with hitting demons.”
[Calmacil Angel
Details: A recent addition to the Celestial ranks, these angels sit slightly below solars in their base strength and abilities. Born from the lingering Ki energy in the wellspring of Lerina and the desire of a certain Archon to help people form connections with others and yet be able to protect them.]
That was a promotion and a half. However, given all the species of angels she skipped, it overall reduced her ability to accumulate strength through multiple transitions.
Klipyl shrank to one-hundred eighty centimetres and took on the white skin with blue swirls of an Isil Elf, but her hair remained black instead of their typically lighter hues. With her change complete, she swept Kadaklan up in a hug and swung him about. “Did you miss me?!”
His first response was incredulous laughter, but finally, after a long hug, he held her at arm’s length. “Never change, my friend.”
“Ahh, shucks. Does that mean you did?” Klipyl tilted her head and clasped her hands behind her back.
“We were worried about you,” said Amdirlain.
Klipyl gave a little sniff, and tears gleamed in her eyes. “Sis, no fair, you’ll make me cry.”
“There is a market for angel tears,” Sarah said, even as she gently patted Klipyl’s back. “But anything from you is too precious to sell.”
A bright grin illuminated Klipyl’s face. “Let’s get somewhere comfy. You’ve got to tell me everything that’s happened.”
“Only if you return the favour,” said Amdirlain.
“There isn’t much to tell. I was floating in a warm place, and though I remember seeing vivid sights, the memories have already faded,” said Klipyl. “The energy in me kept getting stronger. At first, it felt good, like a nice, comfortable home that filled me. Then I realised I’d reached the point where I needed to either awake or dissolve and strengthen the domain. The choice was simple since I didn’t want to leave you all. I emerged from the river, said hi to Lerina, and told Am I was awake. Lerina told me how long I’d kept you waiting, which was a big surprise. I thought I hadn’t even been gone for a day.”
“We’re glad you came back to us.”
The others echoed the sentiments in their own words, and Amdirlain transported them to the suite.