Emi found the tea taste quite pleasing, soothing her taste buds as she savoured the texture. It all came to a stop the moment she felt the rough yet powerful aura of Chun stepping foot within the compound they shared. An irritable sigh left her lips as a chuckle reminded her of the presence of Wol in the shared room, opening her eyes to turn her gaze to the door.
Chun Zhang pushed through the doors, vaulting over the chair before settling in it with a comfortable sigh, locking his hands behind his head and closing his eyes, smiling. Emi found the smug look on his face quite annoying as she controlled her temper, waiting for him to speak.
“Well?” Wol asked lightly, “what became of your attempt to spy on the dark fist?” he asked, apparently willing to break the silence first. Chun opened an eye, a wide grin on his face as he spoke, “easy meat” he replied.
Emi dropped the tea cup with a frown, no longer finding herself enjoying the tea as she turned her full attention on Chun who felt her stare from where he sat. Wol chuckled, “You’ll have to give us more than that seeing as you’re all smiles,” he said, apparently that was all Chun needed as he sat up, his grin growing impossibly wider.
“he’s strong, not as strong as we are of course, but he simply cannot match the level of brutality we possess” Chun explained, “were you blind in the wastelands when we first met that …thing?” Emi whispered harshly as Chun frowned. “Did it ever occur to you at that moment that he was pretending simply because of the silent protection of the Highlord?” she asked again.
“She does give some valid points,” Wol said, amusement in his voice. Chun sat up, lightning dancing within his eyes as he spoke, “I took down one of the lightning lord realm guards”, Wol frowned, “Relax, some no name, doubt he had ties to any of the prominent clans” Chun assured the Huang clan heir.
As frivolous as Wol was, Emi found the fact that he took utmost seriousness when it came to the protection of the members of his clan both affiliated directly with the Huang line or found their fortunes outside its walls. It almost made him bearable until she remembered just how much of a conniving bastard he really was, almost.
“Like I said, he’s strong, but not so strong that we couldn’t break him down whenever we want to” Chun said again, this time with an edge to his voice that Emi hadn’t ever heard before. Wol was about to reply when they felt the tremor coming from outside the walls, Emi was on her feet, and the three individual adepts that protected each of the clan heirs pushing through the room with urgency.
Her blade was in her hand as she moved along with the remaining two, heading towards the walls, moving almost like a blur. Above the settlement, dark clouds had begun to gather as cold, powerful Ethra began to swirl in the clouds that burned with black flames. White lightning crackled within it.
“My lady,” the female adept servant said to Emi who nodded, all seriousness on her expression, “yes, the Highlord” Emi whispered. Wol pushed ahead of the two, his wind affinity propelling him as he reached the wall ahead of them, Chun next. Emi noticed the presence of the darkfist and another lord atop the wall, taking in the presence of the tall dark figure who seemed not bothered about their presence.
Just ahead, in front of the wall itself was a crater with the body of what looked like one of the creatures of the wastelands, its head completely blown away. Her eyes went to the dark fist’s hand, seeing what looked like a stain of black blood before it went back to the creature, piecing it together.
She glanced subtly at Wol who seemed to have come to the same conclusion, hands folded behind his back as he moved closer to Tunde before speaking. “Are they finally attacking?” he asked with the voice of one used to his questions being answered, the other lord ranker who stood next to Tunde speaking with the reverence she had seen many people afford them.
“It would seem so” he said with a slight bow of his head, Emi though had her eyes on Tunde who still seemed oblivious before suddenly pushing past the walls again, landing close to the crater. She felt her blood boil, glancing upwards towards where the Highlord floated, cocooned within the clouds of burning flame and lightning Ethra that was the battle arts of the Talahan clan, the Blitzfire tempest.
Chun was at her side, whispering harshly even as Wol conversed with the lord ranker who seemed more than happy to be the point of contact with the Huang heir. The Zhang heir grabbed her hand as she realized how close she had come to unsheathing her blade, “don’t push it just yet” he hissed in her ear, her servant frowning.
She glanced up again at the Highlord who seemed oblivious to what was happening just right below him, his eyes in the distance. He wouldn’t know, not when he was focused on the obvious presence he could feel in the distance. It was the perfect time for her to end the threat once and for all, this battle would inevitably provide the opportunity they wanted, duel be damned.
A loud rush of energy had them turning their gazes back towards the stronghold itself where a lance of blue energy shot upwards towards the skies, circular runes manifesting at the point where the energy touched the sky. Emi along with every living soul within the settlement could only stare at it, transfixed.
Emi had heard of it before, this grade of defensive arrays that came together to create the formation she watched began to take shape. Having seen it deployed once and once only doing a battle with a rival sect a few years ago, the clan had considered it one of their most prized possessions, and here she was, sure the master had deployed it as a precaution more than an actual strategy of any kind.
An advanced realm defensive array formation, and either a low or mid-grade but an advanced realm formation a the same. It settled like a bubble around the entire settlement with a loud gong, Emi pursed her lips before turning her gaze to the figure of Tunde who stood just a few inches outside the walls itself, eyes still staring into the distance in silence.
Touching the formation, she found her hand passing through easily with only a cold numb feeling to signify the passage. She wondered just why the clan was pouring this number of resources into a settlement in the middle of nowhere, beginning to understand just why the patriarch had such fascination with the settlement. The rumblings began slowly, building bit by bit as she saw the sandstorm that towered high into the skies, the feeling of raw aura pressing down on them, diluted by the presence of the defensive array.
For once she found herself ignoring any thought of the dark fist or the settlement, watching as the gates of the walls opened and the regiment of the lightning army that had accompanied them all the way from the empire began to march out in orderly lines, the banner of the imperial clan flapping in the air.
It dawned on her with such certainty that the war had come, so suddenly that she gripped her blade tighter, unsheathing it in absolute silence. The cannons atop the walls began to power to life, pointing into the distance as if sensing the power that was coming. The rumblings grew louder, the very walls themselves vibrating and the disciples white with fear yet standing firm.
Wol stepped forward, unleashing his aura as the disciples turned to him, his power distracting them from what was coming. The lord at his side seemed to exude an aura of raging waters and the sharpness of a blade but Emi scoffed at it, clear signs of a recently advanced lord in his weak aura.
She hadn’t sensed that from Tunde.
She turned her gaze again to him, watching as he still maintained his vigil, staring into the distance without so much as twitching. From the opened doors came a large woman who looked feral, a wrapped item in her hands as she met up with him. He glanced at her, Emi unable to hear what they said as the woman’s eyes widened, her posture changing before she nodded at him, bowing slightly.
She was a lord as well, something Emi realized and yet she had bowed to Tunde as if in deference as he turned away, she had to admit he was becoming more interesting by the second.
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Sera had felt the tremors, the moment she advanced, breathing heavily as she came down from the high of overcoming the heaven’s crucible that had turned her very blood to lead within her body. Her scars were light now, seemingly merging with her skin as she felt her two affinities fuse into something powerful, a core manifesting in her lower abdomen.
She trembled with pleasure, the power of blood running rampant through her, and yet, the sense of urgency she felt in the air had her grabbing her blunt weapon and dashing towards the stronghold itself. Had the king finally made his move?; was war finally coming to black rock, and if so, the chance for revenge had come earlier than she had expected, but she welcomed it all the same.
The gates of the stronghold itself were opened and the army of the empire she had heard so much about marched out towards the walls of the settlement itself. A loud boom drew her attention to the stronghold where a lance of blue light painted the very skies a rich blue, weird shapes manifesting that she couldn’t understand. She ignored them, making her way towards the stronghold itself as she watched them step out, the supposed elders of the settlement itself.
Lady Ryka led the group, her eyes seemingly alight as she walked in tandem with a large man who had shaggy beards called Draven and his one-eyed wife Isolde. The other large female whom Sera took extreme pleasure in the fact she was taller than known as Giselle. She had often found herself wondering what a fight with her would be like, perhaps one day, right now though, she had to find Tunde.
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From the stronghold stepped out the last of them, the partner of Tunde who looked more domineering now and seemed to draw the shadows to her effortlessly, Miria. Lady Ryka spotted her first, Draven whispering furiously to his wife as the wrapped weapon Sera was all too familiar with in his hand.
She shouldered the large blunt weapon she intended to use in crushing the ribs and flesh of Corespawns and the other forces of the king. Making her way closer to them, the lady paused with a startled expression, “lord realm, how?” she asked, Sera’s chest swelled, “beat around a few lords, the Highlord was impressed, gave me a few resources” she replied.
Contrary to what she expected, the lady frowned, “another debt to pay off” she whispered as she shook her head, glancing at the blue dome that now covered the entire settlement. “We don’t have time” she started, leaving Sera wondering what debt the lady was referring to. “I trust everything is in order?” she asked.
Draven nodded, “the forgehands are sharing the imbued weapons among the disciples, the forges are hot and burning and our reserves of Ethereon thanks to the benevolence of baron Crispin should hopefully last us this invasion” he explained, “hegemons willing, Isolde?” the lady asked, turning to the one-eyed woman.
“All elixirs are being shared with the forces, I’ll go ahead to monitor it before joining you at the frontlines, the shelters are stocked as well” Isolde replied as Ryka nodded. The lady seemed to take a deep breath as her eyes seemed to come alight, “I’ll do the best I can from here, with my advancement to lord realm, my techniques should begin to manifest better now” she said with a smile.
Sera cocked her head at the woman, curious as to her abilities. She felt maternal, unlike any cultivator she knew who actively engaged in battle, so it came as a surprise to her as a green glow enveloped both Ryka and her surroundings. Draven sighed with pleasure, “to once again feel the aura of the lady, we owe the Highlord for this boon at least” he said softly.
Ryka smiled as she shook her head, “go, protect black rock, know that I watch and do the best I can, I only ask that you come back alive” she said softly. Draven threw the wrapped weapon to her, Sera confused as she grabbed it. immediately she felt the aura of the weapon resonate with her concept, both of them seemingly testing each other out before latching on to each other with such strength that it startled her.
“As he suspected” Draven said with a nod, “seems like the both of you are a good fit” he added. Sera frowned, “I don’t understand” she said as she found herself gripping the weapon tighter, some feeling within her urging her to unsheathe it.
“Tunde suggested you’d be a fit for the weapon, against my candid advice really” Draven started as she felt herself nearly flaring, unsheathing the weapon. She clamped down on it, shock in her eyes at the unwarranted feeling, the bloodthirsty instincts of the weapon goading her to strike at any small insult.
“If it survives this battle, perhaps we’d find a way to reinforce it, but till then, midnight is yours,” he said. Sera glanced at the wrapped weapon again as she frowned, “where is he?” she asked. Miria snorted, “where do you think that battle freak would be?” she replied, Sera smiling.
She glanced back at them hesitantly, lady Ryka nodding her head with a smile, “you say you owe him an oath?” she asked as Sera nodded hesitantly, “Then keep him safe, you wield his rage, be that rage, don’t let him fall to it again” she added. Sera noticed Miria frowning just a bit; as if wanting to caution the lady about those words, Sera though, felt different.
She shot off with lord-ranked speed, pushing past the districts in a blur as she arrived at the opened doors of the wall itself, pushing past the blue barrier that had her shivering slightly. She saw him in the distance, robes flapping silently as he seemed to stare into the distance at…..it.
She stumbled to a stop next to him, shock in her gaze at the largest sandstorm she had ever seen bearing down on them with visible speed, no doubt aware that the large dark shapes she could see just filtering behind it were the forces of the king. Tunde glanced at her, speaking softly, “I see Draven gave you the weapon” he started, “and lord realm as well, no doubt there’s a story behind that” he added.
“I’ll tell you when we survive this battle, but I came to be sure,” she said as he cracked his neck, “sure?” he asked. “The blade, midnight, is it really mine to wield?” she asked, almost hesitant. Tunde chuckled, “It represents something, a dark path I don’t see myself attempting to go down” he started, “but it resonates with you Sera, we might not have known ourselves for long, but that much I can see” he finished.
Her eyes widened, gripping the weapon harder, feeling the biting jagged edges of the weapon beneath the silk clothing. More and more forces, both from the black armoured army and the forces of black rock itself began to gather outside the walls, imbued weapons in their hands. She watched him open his void ring, grabbing a bland-looking weapon as he spoke softly, Sera bowing to him.
“Hunt well Sera,” he said as his aura began to raise him into the sky, she turned her gaze from him back to the looming sandstorm, at the crackling clouds of black flames and lightning in the skies and the arrayed forces.
For the first time in a long while, Sera laughed the laughter of the hunt.
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Varis had done all he could, he removed the restrictions he placed on his core. Feeling his body sigh with pleasure at the raw power that returned to his limbs, he wondered how he could have gone that long without it. He saw them below, from Tunde who stood at the head of the forces, eager to test his might against the coming horrors, to the clan heirs who stood atop the walls, watching him with cautious jealousy.
He felt proud, he had raised him in such a short while that if he no doubt grew stronger with this battle, news would reach the capital ahead of his return, that the pampered brat had created a faction within the most useless of places within the empire. It was the goal of his mother, after all, to prove his worth to the patriarch, and Varis was about to do that in style.
He opened his void ring, grabbing his soulbound blade that hummed with eagerness at his touch, the inscriptions carved on it by a master artificer glowing as it resonated with his concept. It swelled with power as he felt the touch of his sister’s aura on him, a technique he hadn’t seen for a long while coming.
“He hasn’t freed himself of the technique of the Ironedge just yet, this is merely a testing of our defences,” Rhaelar’s voice said, coming from the stronghold itself. Ethereal whisper was a technique used for discreet communication between high-ranking cultivators, something that took a serious amount of discipline and learning to use as well as willpower.
Still, the words of his sister had him frowning as he replied with the same technique that had been abandoned since the advent of the Ark system. “I can feel the presence of a Highlord, definitely the true beast that came the last time,” he said.
“Indeed, hold him down, let our forces hold the line” the master replied. Varis nodded, turning back as Ebon Tempest shuddered with pleasure with Varis swinging it. his gaze was drawn to Tunde who levitated easily with his aura, a far cry from the cultivator who struggled to even keep himself aloft a few months earlier.
Varis watched him turn to the assembled troops, intrigued at what he was about to say.
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Tunde felt all his worries drop away the moment he floated above the forces who stared at him. Not the heirs who stared at him intently, he could care less about them, not the forces of the empire themselves who judged him with stares like hungry predators, they didn’t matter. Not even the cultivators of black rock itself whom he barely knew at all as they stared at him with what he could only describe as reverence.
He pointed at the looming sandstorm, speaking with he coaxed the aura in the air to carry his voice far. “They come” he started, “multitudes of abominations from the wastelands as well as fellow cultivators who debase themselves with unholy beastly cultivations that have turned them to unholy abominations”
He locked eyes with Miria who seemed to conceal herself among the numbers, Tunde picking her out, “They come to tear down our walls, the walls that we have laboured countless months over" he continued. “The one who calls himself king, and those who flock to his banner, they come to tear our flesh from bone; to feast on our flesh and get drunk on our blood”, The blade in his hand was suddenly wreathed with the dark grey Ethra of his concept as his heart pounded.
“I say we break them of their illusions and show them just what it means to come for the forces of the empire. Warriors of the empire, cultivators of the black rock, we stand together, united, or we fall and die like rodents” he said grimly.
“I will not stop swinging, stop fighting till they are all dead: because this is my home, black rock, the wall to stop the wastelands from encroaching on all we love”
The violent winds of the sandstorm were already blowing close, threatening to drown out his voice as he raised it even higher. “So, crush them, let them bash themselves against us, tear them to shreds, for today, we hold the line for the empire, we hold it for black rock!”
The first of the creatures broke through, the giant shape of a tier 4 Sandshard whose mere body dwarfed Tunde a dozen times over, large maw filled with razor-sharp teeth and a roar along with it. Tunde swung the blade, Joran’s wrath crackling to life with a flare of Ethra as it crashed against the creature with such violent force that its entire carapace shattered in an explosion that tore the creature apart.
The weapon shattered, Tunde grabbing another weapon from his void ring as he raised it high, a loud roar coming from the forces behind him, hundreds of creatures pouring out of the sandstorm that was the doing of the Highlord himself. Tunde with a shout dived headfirst into the horde, blade swinging.
***********************
Emi blazed with the path of the blossom blade art, turning her gaze to a frowning Chun and a thoughtful Wol, “still think he’s harmless?” she hissed before jumping off the wall, her aura carrying her into battle, her faithful adept behind her.
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Kugan Blazewing had gathered this sandstorm, shielding most of his forces from the direct gaze of the Highlord he could feel in the distance. He would meet him in battle, that much was certain, but he had a few things to settle before then. The king had sent him reinforcements, the bulk of their forces, no doubt Yumar close on their heels, waiting on the king to recover completely.
He was completely calm, finally having the right to unleash his entire might in battle, his animal side screeching at the urge to rip the Highlord of the empire in half. He glanced behind him, at the select few lord realm Corespawns and true beasts he had selected, kneeling behind him.
“You know my will,” he said softly, his two children among them as well. They would do him proud, of that he had no doubt. “Find them, those who tainted my pride, and bring me their heads, the both of them” he ordered.
They vanished into the sandstorm in a flash of tier 4 or lord realm speed, Kugan tracking them as well. The moment they passed through the storm, he turned his full attention on the Highlord, his flaming wings raising him up into the air as he gathered his first attack, a claw made of fire and wind, imbuing it with his Ethra and essence flame before sending it towards the Highlord.
A storm of black fire and lighting clashed with it, the two techniques exploding with a tectonic boom, cancelling each other out as they cleared the clouds from the skies. Kugan laughed, his entire body alight with red and orange flames, his eyes burning with rage as he shot towards Varis.