Amdirlain's PoV - West Wind's Court
When Amdirlain arrived at the library, nearly two scores of curious practitioners followed her. Their broadcast thoughts were awash with even wilder rumours than those she’d heard from their initial guide. A student leaving the library with a bundle of scrolls almost spilled them at her feet. Hastily retreating, he grabbed the entry drape and held it back for her.
"I'm sorry for startling you," Amdirlain interrupted as he tried to apologise. She nodded to the drape before she stepped past. "I appreciate the kindness."
I never understood women who snapped at men old-fashioned enough to hold doors for them. I hope I didn’t do the same according to his culture’s etiquette by getting in before he could apologise. His mind isn’t broadcasting any upset, so it’s probably okay?
The foyer was busier than the streets outside, with dozens of students lined up at the counters around the room.
Heading for the largest counter at the rear of the chamber, she looked over the eight librarians in white robes with black trim. A few towards the centre showed jade and gold ties fastening their robes, and she headed towards that group.
Among those librarians, a silvery-haired man beckoned her to his section of the counter and set aside his brush. "Lady Am, what might we help you with?"
Her meaningful glance took in the stacked books and scrolls in holders already on his counter from the morning's students and those still in line. The student closest to the counter bowed to her and quickly insisted she go ahead.
She returned his bow with a smile that caused a blush to darken his skin and stepped forward; Analysis provided her with the Librarian's name.
"Senior Librarian Lobsang, you seem quite busy this morning, so I'll be prompt. Lord Bai Hu said I should seek maps showing the route to the North Wind's mountain here. Would you have someone show me them?"
Lobsang cleared his throat in surprise. "His mountain, not the North Wind's Court?"
"His mountain," repeated Amdirlain.
"I'll have someone arrange copies for you at once," Lobsang bowed crisply and went to turn away.
Amdirlain lifted a hand to get him to wait. "I don't need a copy. I only need to see the maps."
He motioned towards the counter's far end. "If you'd allow me, I'll escort you to the map section, Lady Am."
"A couple of other items. Could you deduct the cost of the texts those who gave way for me this morning are seeking from Lord Nazha’s token?"
"You want us to charge Lord Nazha?" asked Lobsang, blinking rapidly.
"Not directly." Amdirlain set the contribution pendant she'd been given on the counter. "I believe he's covering the cost of anything I need during this stay. To honour their courtesy, I simply must purchase the texts they're after as a small token of appreciation."
He gave me his credit card details after inflicting that torture on me; he is lucky I don't cover the complete education costs of everyone in the city.
Lobsang passed the pendant to the Librarian beside him. "The staff here will sort that out while you examine the map."
"And if you could cover the cost of the scrolls for the student who held the drape for me?" asked Amdirlain.
"Do you know them?"
"Why don't you write this down," advised Amdirlain.
He recorded the details Amdirlain provided, their name and the scrolls he'd been carrying.
"Is there anything else?" asked Lobsang.
"No, that's all for now," replied Amdirlain.
I'll have to get creative in punishing Nazha.
"If you'd accompany me," Lobsang repeated his earlier gesture.
"Of course," replied Amdirlain. Detouring around the waiting lines, Amdirlain surprised Lobsang by walking beside him through the bookcase-lined passages.
Though Amdirlain had scanned every map in the place before they arrived, the mismatched scales and coded notations made identifying the map she needed problematic. Rather than work through them, she strolled beside him, working on her psionic practice.
Should I ask Aitherlar if she wants to travel with us? How would Sarah react if I suggested it? I wonder when Aitherlar last visited the Material Plane.
"Did you find the material retrieved for Master Cyrus useful?" Lobsang asked. The question interweaved with her myriad of thoughts as she planned psionic constructs to push Metacreativity through the ranks.
"I did," allowed Amdirlain. "Though I’m done with them, could you have someone make copies of them all and send them to the Monastery of the Western Reaches?"
"If you're sure you no longer need them, Lady Am. We should charge it to the contribution pendant?"
"Yes," continued Amdirlain.
"I had heard no tales about you and Lord Nazha clashing."
Aware he was hunting for rumours, Amdirlain's grin didn't waver. "His Dao involves growth. I'm simply using contribution points he wanted to lavish on me to help others grow."
"Of course," responded Lobsang, his suspicion hidden behind a composed mask.
"Indeed, of course," chorused Amdirlain.
The map chamber contained a variety of storage devices, from cabinets with shallow secured drawers, bars with long maps laying over them, and cross-hatched latticework shelving that reminded Amdirlain of wine racks. Each gap held furled paper secured around a spindle and tied in place with silk ribbons.
A young Tibetan man with a round face and freshly shaved head sat at one of the angled drafting tables in the centre of the space. A thin brush drifted across the page before him; his attention riveted to a faded and brittle-looking map of a coastal region that he was carefully copying. Two other desks were vacant with tools and fine brushes around them. A sign nearby asked visitors to wait quietly.
Lobsang coughed softly and headed for a cabinet containing scores of shallow drawers long enough to hold A0-size flat sheets, secured by a bar and latches along the side.
The young man stiffened slightly but shifted position only once Lobsang unlocked the central bar. "Those are the cartographers' references, Senior Lobsang."
"Lady Am wishes to see maps to direct her travels to Wudang Mountain, Cartographer Akar."
The complete lack of recognition from Akar's thoughts amused Amdirlain.
"There are copies available, Senior Lobsang."
"Which of these drawers contains the maps Lady Am needs?" persisted Lobsang.
Amdirlain touched his upper arm, drawing his attention. "It's alright, Senior Lobsang. I appreciate you guiding me here, but I've other maps I'll need to discuss with a Cartographer."
"If you are sure, Lady Am," Lobsang replied.
"I'm sure, and I've already taken much of your time this morning from helping others," replied Amdirlain. She sat near another table, keeping her hands away from the tools laid out with precise care.
Lobsang exchanged bows with her and headed back down the passageway.
After finishing the island he'd been working on, Akar cleaned his brush and set it aside.
When Akar finally looked her way, he bowed his head politely. "My apologies, Lady Am, but replicating maps is delicate work, and errors that go unspotted can cost lives."
"I can imagine situations where accurate information is vital," said Amdirlain. "Is fighting against interruptions a constant challenge? You recognised Senior Lobsang without looking up."
"Senior Lobsang always coughs the same way when we're in the middle of working and then heads for the originals. Others tap on the shelving or start telling you what they are after," explained Akar. "Everyone has their approach to interrupting. I can't understand why they don't realise it is so quiet here that the sound of someone's footsteps is normally enough."
"Normally?"
"I didn't hear your footsteps," admitted Akar.
"Did you choose to become a Cartographer, or was it a family tradition?"
Akar looked at the map he was copying, wonder and curiosity showing in his gaze. "I chose my profession. My family doesn't understand it."
"What do you like most about maps?" asked Amdirlain.
"They show parts of the world I'll never see," replied Akar. "I'm not a practitioner, and the only parts of the world I see are those the West Wind's Court takes me. The lines on the map tell me tales of places I'll never see and the efforts of the people that recorded them."
"Did you ever want to be a practitioner?"
Akar shook his head and folded his hands in his lap. "Their lives are so often filled with violence, whereas I enjoy the quiet of the map room and the aid they provide travellers. You mentioned you were after more maps than just that for Wudang Mountain. What else can I help you with?"
"I plan to visit the East and South Wind's courts before seeking an audience with the Jade Emperor," replied Amdirlain. "I'd need maps to show me the regions in which they're located."
"The last I cannot help you with, as it’s not known to mortals," declared Akar. "Wudang Mountain and the South Wind's Court are simple, but the East Wind’s location is not. To my knowledge, the East Wind's Court lies on the ocean floor beyond the islands of Nippon; his forces protect the islands from invasion by humans and monsters alike. From what I've heard, there are monasteries on the east coast of Nippon that deal with the court. I can provide you with maps that show their location."
I'll ask Kadaklan about the Jade Emperor's Court.
"Those would be helpful, but I only need to see them. A copy won't be required," replied Amdirlain.
"You remember all you see?"
"Yes."
"So you are a Sage then?" Akar rose and took down rolls from the shelving without waiting for her response. As he laid them on an empty table, he carefully secured each with clips along its edges. The highly detailed maps even included topographical lines.
I wonder if people possessing something like Sarah's Eternal Map Power drew these out.
"There is a Class ability that allows people to map with such accuracy, correct?"
"A few classes have abilities to remember and draw out locations they've explored. The more familiar they are with the area, the more accurate their maps become," advised Akar. "It is interesting to look at the history of their maps to see how their details improve, even though their journals show less time spent exploring an area."
So, it's not something limited to Sarah's situation.
Amdirlain sent the images to Sarah, who soon confirmed all the locations through her satellites.
"That's all I needed."
"I'll put these away then," said Akar.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Amdirlain gently touched his forearm as he reached for the clasp. "My apologies for the interruption, Akar, I appreciate your time and efforts. I'll let you get back to your copying."
Akar blushed. Flustered, he almost fumbled the first map.
When Amdirlain returned to the entryway, Senior Lobsang moved to meet her and bowed again as he handed over the contribution pendant. While she felt Bai Hu still in his tent, she scanned across areas away from his pavilion and found Kadaklan in an infirmary. A score of warriors with blade and ice injuries led her to Jinfeng in a nearby arena, beating a man bloody with icy Ki blasts, her blade dancing around a vicious-looking club.
Everyone's having some fun.
Teleport placed her inside the infirmary's entryway within line of sight from where Kadaklan stood with another man in similar orange and red robes.
The pair were watching junior healers treat those in need of care. Upon spotting Amdirlain, Kadaklan excused himself and made a beeline for her. "Good morning, Lady Am."
The playful gleam in his gaze wasn't apparent to the audience of healers behind him, his voice loud enough to draw their attention to her.
Amdirlain restrained a sudden urge to tweak his nose. "Master Kadaklan, how have your discussions been?"
"Fruitful, especially with all the practice subjects," said Kadaklan. "Lady Sarah mentioned we'll be moving on after a training display."
Aware of the extent to which Bai Hu awareness covered the camp, Amdirlain nodded. "Since Bai Hu helped me, I thought repaying his kindness was only fair. You have many injuries from blade and ice here this morning, but I sense only the tending healer's energies within the mended wounds. Did they not know how to heal themselves?"
"Jinfeng has been sending many hot-headed sorts this way. None of them seem to have been proficient in Universal Life."
Amdirlain hummed. "At the tournament, I thought they were saving their Ki and didn't ask. How many come to healers for things so easily healed with that Power?"
"Its energy flows are difficult for many combative types to understand," replied Kadaklan. "It takes a certain perspective. Many would-be healers also take other routes in life when they cannot learn how to access that Power."
Should I provide them with a different inspiration instead of more combat skills?
"Are there any such students struggling now?"
Kadaklan smiled cheerfully, his eyes sparkling. "If there are not, we can ask if anyone would like to experiment. Are you seeking to branch out?"
"Are there any techniques in Universal Life that allow it to be used in a harmful fashion?"
"I've not read of any techniques developed around perverting its purpose. There are more accessible Ki powers that can cause harm after all," said Kadaklan. "Though I do not know what takes place in heretical sects."
"Do you think people would work to improve if we could help them get at least a basic grasp of it?"
"Even the basics would help prevent wasteful deaths when too far from immediate aid," offered Kadaklan.
“This evening, could you take me through the exercises to help people access Universal Life? Then tomorrow, we can try an experiment.”
Kadaklan bowed.
Amdirlain reappeared inside a high-ceiling tent with low stands around the fighting ring, with an enchanted boundary. None of those nearby noticed her arrival, caught up in their raucous banter as they discussed parts of the recent exchange.
Her view down a side aisle allowed her a clear view of Jinfeng helping a broad-shouldered Tibetan man to his feet. Thick black ice hampered his movements, his right hand frozen to the handle of his kanabō. As he took a staggering step, he tried to wrench the weapon—slightly longer than a baseball bat with rows of spikes along its sides—from a boulder-sized ice mass. Jinfeng waited until his efforts were thoroughly frustrated, and then she shattered the ice with a tap of her Jai. The man recovered smoothly and shook the ice covering him free; the chucks took with it his long braid that had suffered from the cold. With only a single glare at the shed hair, he stalked toward the infirmary, his fingers swollen and blistered from the frostbite.
A mental nudge gave Jinfeng her location. Leaving the man to his own devices, Jinfeng exited the circle and saluted Amdirlain. "Sifu."
The tent went quiet.
"Master Jinfeng, are you putting the competition on ice?" asked Amdirlain.
Jinfeng's suppressed groan barely rattled in the back of her throat. "They are proud of their mountains and the ice-covered peaks."
"So you're just giving them a taste of home," noted Amdirlain casually. "That's very kind of you. How has your study of the blade manuals been going?"
"After the first challenge, they've kept me a little busy," replied Jifeng.
Amdirlain restrained her smile. "I saw the results of the latest bouts in the nearby infirmary. I hope they've all learnt their lesson. We'll have limited time here."
"Some of them refused to believe how much I'd improved." The victorious look she shot at the man being helped away spoiled Jinfeng's serene composure.
Turning, Amdirlain stepped out through a side flap of the tent and waited for Jinfeng to join her.
"Old friend?"
"There have been a few who thought themselves still far above me. He was the agitator, but refused to duel until I dealt with his underlings."
"I've got locations for teleporting to Wudang Mountain and the South Wind's Court. However, I've only got maps of monasteries that the Cartographer believes to be near the East Wind's Court, so we’ll need further information."
"Then I'll make enquiries, find out what masters have travelled there, and get directions," said Jinfeng.
"Thank you."
"If you are going to hop between locations, do you still need my help as a guide?" asked Jinfeng.
"I was letting you know so you can decide what to do," corrected Amdirlain. "If you want to come along, that's fine. However, if you feel drawn to do something else, that's your choice. I'm not expecting you to travel with me simply because you've been doing so until now. You have abilities that let you travel and keep yourself safe from many threats.”
"Is Klipyl continuing with you?"
"Klipyl needs to make some choices of her own," replied Amdirlain. "Regardless, the pace of the trip has escalated, so you'd need to decide what you're going to do with yourself soon anyway."
"Until we hit trouble at Silver Lake, I thought we'd be travelling around the lands for years," offered Jinfeng.
"Potentially, we might have been," replied Amdirlain.
While it seems like I'm no longer assigned garbage detail, was it anything other than me being nosy and dealing with things that had nothing to do with me?
Or was I seeking to learn lessons about myself and others?
Jinfeng headed for the library, but Amdirlain retired to their house. Hearing Klipyl still with Sarah in the workroom, she established tiny gates to a Demi-Plane. Perched on the living room couch and working across the threshold, she drew ectoplasm from the Astral Plane. Each second, she set out an increasing number of complex constructs; she was still pushing her limits when Kadaklan arrived.
"I can't see anything but solid blackness through that Gate," noted Kadaklan. "Are you making another star?"
"Just pushing myself by making constructs with Metacreativity," replied Amdirlain. Closing off the gates, she fixed him with a cheeky smile. "Are you sure you're okay if I open the option of being a Healer to others?"
"You're talking about opening up a Power, not forcing them to follow a path. Initially, it will allow them to heal cuts, bruises, and scarring. Even if they only learn how to do that, it will still be a useful capability," Kadaklan calmly stated. "And if they don't follow it in this life, maybe in another, their Soul will find it suits them."
Amdirlain patted the couch. "Show me these exercises, and maybe I can help create a bunch of healers now or in the future."
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
It was late the next day before Kadaklan completed arrangements for the experiment in teaching Universal Life.
The teenagers sat quietly in a circle, their minds buzzing with excitement as a local Healer introduced Amdirlain.
As a group, they started with the same exercises Kadaklan had shown her, and Amdirlain linked her minds to theirs. Letting them feel the energy, she gently helped them find their way to allow it to flow.
When the group had Ki glowing through their hands, experienced healers led patients to each. From the corner of the tent, Klipyl watched the students' focused expressions, her hands clasped tightly to her sides.
Tears trickled down one girl's face as the white light shone from her hand and washed across the cuts on the patient's leg. Bits of debris spat from the shallow wounds, and the flesh sealed cleanly.
The herder took a damp cloth from the girl's hand and wiped his dried blood away.
In the clinic, other students who had recently awakened the Power tended to patients under the supervision of more experienced healers.
As Amdirlain turned to leave, the tear-stained girl snapped to her feet and bowed. "Thank you for this Power, Lady Am. Everyone I heal, I'll dedicate to you."
"You should direct those dedications to Quan Yin. She and you deserve them more than I do," advised Amdirlain gently. "If you hadn't spent the effort and learnt to sense your Ki you wouldn't have been able to follow what I just showed you."
She returned the girl's bow with a polite incline of her head before leaving with Kadaklan in tow. Klipyl glanced their way before returning her attention to the students tending to the minor wounds.
When they were outside, Kadaklan asked, "Your telepathy plays a big part in aiding students, doesn't it?"
"That and being open about how the Power feels," replied Amdirlain. "I don't impose my perception of the ability, I let them sense the energy flowing through me when I use the Power. You might do the same by teaming up with Sarith, for example. Let her read your mind, and don't filter it with knowledge of what you're doing. Empty your thoughts and be one with the energy flow."
"Then just let her share that sensation with others?"
Amdirlain nodded. "I helped give them a nudge here and there but mostly, they worked it out from how their Ki felt."
"Can you do that for an arena full of practitioners?"
"Time will tell. Maybe with less help offered, which means the exercise will take longer," replied Amdirlain. “I’ll leave you to your healing discussions and return to my psionic drills.”
Kadaklan nodded, and Amdirlain disappeared.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
The crystals formed slowly, floating about the lounge room table, soaking in complex rules matrixes until they threatened to burst. When one shattered, Amdirlain ground them all up and began again.
Klipyl's gaze was on the destruction of the latest set as she dropped beside Amdirlain.
"What were the martial arts to you in your old life?" Klipyl asked.
"They were many things: self-improvement, stress relief, a means of staying fit to name a few," replied Amdirlain.
Klipyl tilted her head. "What led you to choose Monk when you got here?"
"On the cliffs, it was a lot about what I didn't have," admitted Amdirlain. "I didn't have weapons or armour, and I had an image from my games and stories of the Monk as a self-sufficient combatant and healer. Why?"
"I'm trying to find my way," said Klipyl.
"I noticed your focus on the students' healing," said Amdirlain.
Klipyl shrugged. "I'd seen you heal others before, but I'd never seen someone without a Class use Ki that way. Because the Ki comes from within, it stirred more thoughts about classes not mattering."
"Sarah's information not helping?"
"It's given me objectives for skills and powers, but I saw your impact on those teenagers," said Klipyl. "It was food for thought. Change is a constant, isn’t it?"
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
Lady Dor Ji's PoV - Storm Peak Citadel.
The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Dor Ji facing three elders and not the junior council she had expected to hear her complaint.
The severe furnishings of the appeals hall suddenly felt smothering. The dark grey stone of its low ceiling was like a tomb of ice, matching the gazes of the three youthful-looking women before her. A stark agelessness in their gazes indicated their Immortal state, even if Lady Dor Ji had been unfamiliar with them.
She wasn't.
Arrayed before her were three female judges from the punishment council.
They sat in judgement at the hearing table, all on the side opposite her. No chair was there for her, and a guard raised a hand to halt her before she got halfway to the table. A clerk for each judge sat with brushes poised, ready to scribe the record.
Dor Ji bowed, feeling the weight of their presence in their stony gazes. "I was told to present myself to discuss my complaint."
"While the junior council started reviewing it, we heard from Grandmaster Indra Ka of the events at Silver Lake. We have also heard about the financial mechanisms you were using to oppress Mortal families from Master Cyrus of the Monastery of the Western Reaches. As such, the Grandmaster took your request from the appeals council and placed it in our purview."
"I wasn't told."
The ledger Lady Am had seized from her appeared on the table before Lady Kalni.
"The evidence was sufficient for us to begin investigations without consultation. These entries are all marked with your seal. How do you plead?"
Dor Ji lifted her chin, but her eyes felt glued to the ledger. "To what?"
"Attempted assault on the Lady Am and years of oppressing mortals, especially mortals outside our lands, in a fashion that affected the finances of other orders."
"Why is the council listening to these outsiders?" blustered Dor Ji.
"Grandmaster Indra Ka and Master Cyrus's complaints came with confirmation from Lord Nazha. Your stifling of the families' growth dismayed him."
An icy sensation coiled within Dor Ji's stomach, and she felt a sudden urge for the lavatory as her bladder tightened.
"I needed the funds for my growth. I took a small amount from many to provide myself with financial stability. The sect provided me nothing, and warding nowhere towns didn't pay enough to sustain my needs between refreshing their protections."
The three judges stiffened.
"I remember lifetimes in villages like those you preyed upon. I remember how a little surplus in one season would be stretched to make life easier for years or how an unfortunate event could consume what seemed a fortune." With each word, Lady Kalni’s voice grew colder.
Dor Ji swallowed as silence crushed down across the chamber
"How do you plead?" asked Lady Kalni, her voice colder than the wind that howled around the highest peaks.
"I did nothing wrong. It was all perfectly legal," declared Dor Ji.
"Including the planned assault on the perceived servant?" asked Lady Kalni.
Dor Ji kept her hands flat against her sides to prevent them from balling into fists. "She insulted me."
"Even if she was a Mortal and not Lady Am in disguise, she wasn't your servant to punish."
Anger surged through Dor Ji, and she spat her reply. "You've not cared about other incidents in the past. I've heard about the cover-ups conducted for your favourites."
Lady Kalni straightened, outrage breaking her composed mask. "What cover-ups?"
"Oh yes, of course," sneered Dor Ji, her pulse pounding in her temples. "What cover-ups?"
"I'm not pleading false ignorance. You will tell us what you've heard," stated Lady Kalni. "If this is true, it must be stopped."
"What?" stammered Dor Ji. The shocked looks broke the indignant rage within her accusation.
"If you expose genuine rot to us, your punishment will be lighter. If you've nothing but wild tales, your punishment will stand."
"What if someone planted baseless tales to encourage behaviour from those like Dor Ji?" proposed Lady Pema. "There have been such incidents in the past when dark sects have mustered."
Lady Kalni stared at the staff in the room. "Have any of you heard such tales recently?"
One junior aide nervously licked his lips and gave a sharp nod. “A few.”
"Then we should get to the truth of this quickly," Lady Kalni said, looking at the aide. "Bring a chair for Dor Ji. Then we will hear the tales you've heard and not passed along."
"Who am I to question the council?" whispered the aide. “Some rumours say the failed expeditions in the south include those who dared.”
The three judges exchanged concerned glances.
"News of this investigation will not leave this room," stated Lady Kalni. "Oaths will seal all before we adjourn."