Clover

I love Jessica, I truly do-

“The bar is now run by the husband of the previous owner’s daughter. From what I could gather, they met because he was a helper, and she let him take over because she wanted to work on trade investments and didn’t want to juggle both the bar and that.” Jessica was writing down in a notebook. “We should go and find Alaina so that we can gather information on her current business. Might be worth checking out”

-but goodness does she not know how to show a girl a good time.

“You know Jessica, when I asked you to come to town with me I expected us to, y'know, spend time together"

“We are together aren’t we? Updating our account of events here in Pleasant Plains is important to maintaining healthy relations.”

I wrap my arms around her, slumping into her so she has to drag me along. “But thats work, and doesn't count"

“There are the festivals we go to sometimes-” she adds.

I whine and slump more. She continues to walk with no loss of momentum from my laziness. “Yeah but we never go and do something fun”

“What about that time I took you to get food at the bar that popped up?”

“That was work Jessica and you know it. The moment you are filling out a piece of paperwork you aren’t having fun anymore”

She huffs and holds her clipboard close. “It's not like that”

I sigh and pull myself off her to walk beside the frustrating woman.

“Anyway, I’ll go dig for leads on the ingredients we need. You can take care of your wife in the meantime, yeah?”

“We haven-”

“You haven’t filled out the paperwork for that- I know Jess. You have your sweetie here, I need go check in on mine” I wave before jogging off.

I make my first stop of the day at the hunters guild. I’ve heard large ones are akin to a mix between; a wrestling tournament, bar, brothel, market place, and castle all at the same time. The one here in town isn’t nearly so elaborate, looking more like a house-turned-small-shop than anything. The part that would be a living room acts as a cafe of sorts and the bedrooms are the guild offices. A table and chair near the door form the front desk.

“Kasey, how are you lovely?” I say cheerly upon entering the building.

The woman in question, her eyes stuck in a book, perks up.

“Kasey, how is my favorite mortal” I open my arms when i see her and give a big smile.

“Oh, Clover, it’s been a few years” She got up with a smile and walked around to give me a hug, the last step more of a fall into my arms. She has a somewhat droopy complexion. A nose that curves down, the downturned corners of her eyes always lending her a tired air. Her skin beginning to show the signs of aging, visible in the creases of her eyes and cheeks. She sometimes reminds me of a librarian I saw once. Even with the age, she is still a very beautiful woman. Her eyes sparkling and a smile I can’t help but love. She still looks thirty years younger than her years, in part because of me. I give her a little kiss, and then take her hand in my paw.

“A few years, yes, and you barely age a day each time I see you” I rub her slender hand, the years of work showing on them , with my other paw.

“Oh, you always say that” She chuckles and her grip tightens against my paw. Her cheeks carrying a slight glow of pink.

“And I mean it each time I say it” I lean in and brush her hair.

“Will you stop flirting with my mom when I’m in the room Clover?” another girl with looks close to her mothers, though her eyes are less droopy, and her hair slightly red compared to her mother’s black.

“Annie!” I wave to her “You’re looking very well. You were learning how to keep the guild with your mother, yes? How is that going?”

She tries to pout but she ends up smiling due to the pride. “Yes, I have taken over all of the paperwork. She gets to handle to requests since she’s always kinda been the face of this operation.” The younger of the marms said.

“Well that’s great to hear. You should talk with Jessica about paperwork, she has a bit of an obsession with it.” I then turn my attention to Kasey. “So I suppose I would still be directing my questions at you Marm Kasey?” I idly play with a strand of her hair and Annie kicks my shin. I don’t feel the kick and am too distracted by the way I’m making her mother blush in front of her to acknowledge it, like I am just about every time I visit. I pull Kasey into a chair at one of the makeshift cafe tables and wave to the barmaid and chef, one of Kasey’s other daughter’s, for some food.

“So Clover, what did you need today?”

“Well firstly-” I pull her in for a kiss, holding it for a long moment enjoying how she melts into me. She places her hand on my face and returns the kiss before pulling away. readjusting her glasses and giggling. “Secondly, I need a couple of ingredients in the area, can you put out a mission on them for me ?”

Kasey was wiping her lips with a grin stuck on her face. “Well, I certainly can put something in for you. What sort of a bounty are you willing to put up for these?”

“Gold-silver”

Her eyes shoot up. “truly?”

“It’s an urgent request, otherwise I’d make it silver due to how it's mostly just herb collection. The sooner we can get these ingredients the better”

“Important sect stuff. I get it” she pats my arm with a smile then takes the list to peruse it. She nods down the list in approval before she stops “Oh, we do have one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“This ‘Gnatsbane blood’ it’s not something we can take care of.” she says tapping one of the objects on the list.

“I thought it would be a simple thing to ask for?”

“Perhaps for a larger hunter’s guild. We don't even have the members yet to justify a proper storage shed, or an expansion to this building..

I sigh and nod. “Gonna need to be a cultivator mission then.” Something to bug Jessica about later, I guess. I groan inwardly at the thought of more to take care of. I think of ways to ignore my duties for an hour or so and I look to Kasey. Yeah, I can think of far worse ways to put of chores than spending and hour with a wonderful mortal. I give her a mischievous grin while leaning in and her blush returns with a vengeance. She idly plays with her glasses as a little impish smile grows on her lips.

“Your food, miss mom hunter- I’m sorry, I mean ‘highly-respected-cultivator Clover’. How is your Dao partner by the way?” With a chuckle, I look up to see Sophia, and wave a casual greeting.

“Sophia, how are you. Your kids still doing fine? As for Jessica, we aren’t dao partners yet, but she’s doing well in her duties.” I say, grabbing a spoon to poke at the stew dropped in front of me.

She rolls her eyes “The kids are doing fine, as always.”

“And everything is good with Robby?”

She smiles “Yes, he’s recovered wonderfully, Thank you. No new signs have shown up since we last saw you.”

“That's a relief to hear. I was worried about him"

“Maybe stop by for a visit more often then?” she chastises.

I just smile and take a few more bites, before addressing what she said. “A cultivator can spend months to years in a meditative trance. Stuck with their focus. I try not to meditate for too long but this last breakthrough took far longer than I planned.” I then look away.. “They’ll likely be becoming longer and longer as I continue on my path. I’ve heard stories that a master cultivator can spend centuries in meditation” The unspoken explanation of why I never became more serious with Kasey on the side.

She pursed her lips and then breathed out her nose disappointedly. “Not what I meant Clover.” But she shook her head and gave a smile. “We just, miss you, that’s all…”

A small boom echoes from somewhere outside the guild.

I sigh, already suspecting what that might mean.

“Oh no, not again.” Kasey groans.

“Was there another cultivator waiting for a duel?” I ask the obvious question.

“Yes… they, they’d just arrived this week. It had honestly slipped my mind.”

Grrrr “Fine, I should hurry to take care of this before they do something they’ll regret.”

I give everyone a quick hug, down a last bite of Haley’s wonderful stew, and hurry out to deal with the pest.

----------------------------------------

Jessica

My master once said that the more traditional a person is the more likely they are to fall into the same patterns. Nowhere so far have I found this to be more true than with immortals.

"Greeting cultivator of the Tribulation Sword Ascension Sect I am Tai Yi Fen of the Heavenly Nine Winds. I am here to challenge your first disciple." He is a young looking male cultivator. long black hair, flowing robes, chin like steel or however they describe themselves. Do they like to describe their own skin as jade or was that the girls in those ancient "tales". Why do they always use jade too, unless everyone is green? Maybe they are all Syl with leaf skin. Though they never talk about one another's flowers and the way they describe sex doesn-

"A-hem"

Oh right. "Sorry. I am Jessica D'eon, first disciple and the blade of Tribulation Sword Ascension. Are you within the approved boundaries for a duel of this nature?" The name of our sect really is stupid. I need to make the Master change it one of these days. Maybe people would try to challenge us less if we had something more respectable. Naming sense is definitely something old sects tend to have down. Then again, I suppose there was less competition back when there wasn’t as much competition.

"I am one hundred and fifty years old and just past my third breakthrough which I was told would put me in line to match you, Jessica D'eon, first disciple of the Tribulation Sword Sect. I was informed you were about a hundred and twenty years old likely past your third breakthrough. Quite fast for such a small sect, you follow in your master's footsteps well and look forward to this honor"

Right, let's get this over with so I don't have to listen to all this formal talk anymore. I like my formalities but this is overkill.

I extend my hand toward the nearest path out of the village. "I will accept your challenge then. This way please, I would rather not cause damage to our village."

The lands outside Pleasant Plains are, well, plains. Plains that are rather pleasant. The occasional hill is visible in the distance before the other mountains. Technically a very large valley I guess but I think I'm splitting hairs with that analysis. It is hemmed in on one side by the peaks where our own sect lies, and the other by an untamed range some of the newer members like to visit and train in. Very few trees; green, grassy, and flat for the most part. I suppose it’d be a valley in the broadest sense of the word. Our sect is just visible on one of the westward mountains. A bit over an hour away for a cultivator of my ability. Probably a few minutes for Master. I think about a day, maybe two, for your typical mortal? It's been a hot minute since I last had to travel by foot at mortal speeds.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I'm sure you know all the rules. Keep it civil, no first step abilities, whichever cultivator loses has to leave their sect and lose face as a cultivator all that stuff."

"It is actually the challenger's pick between leaving their sect, or a request from the loser to the victor."

"Are you going to pick that?"

"I think I will"

My eyebrows raise. That’s a first for me. Typically they just want to show they’re stronger and move on.

"Very well then, what would you request of me on this? I put forward basic refutations allowed to me. No marriage, no forcing me to turn against my sect, etcetera."

He nods "Of course, I would ask you to join our sect actually, assuming I believe you are worthy of that honor."

I'm caught off guard again. "Excuse me?"

"While you are not exceptional to the degree of a savant, the reports I have seen speak highly of your talents. Having won every duel you have fought so far, my masters believe you would bring honor to the Heavenly Nine Winds as an acolyte"

I am stuck at that. I think for a minute. Then ask "Would it be limited to only me?"

"My masters only wanted you"

I nod "and you won't, or can’t, amend that?"

He nods.

A simple decision then. "I won't concede."

He nods. "Of course, what will you wager for your half?"

"I want a technique tome"

They nod "I won't concede"

The stakes have been set. The challenge accepted. We both draw our blades. My sword, a rapier, 110 cm from guard to tip, a slight curve starting three quarters of the way up. Single sided except for the top quarter which is double sided. Grip made of leather and guard that wraps over the hand. Their weapon is a typical sword for one of a traditional sect. Straight blade, double edged. Meant to be wielded in one hand. Jian, I believe it is. Traditionally about 80 cm I believe? I have the reach advantage here.

The moment before the first action is quiet but the duel has already started. A mental tally of spells and skills at the ready. Shifting of weight between feet, ready to dart into action. Slight shifts of grip. Subtleties you pick up upon after you have been dealing with duels for so many years. The second one of us finally commits- He moves his weight further onto the back foot, allowing the front to rise off the ground. We both act.

A cultivator's duel is fast. Minute skills should become tantamount to breathing if you wish to keep your head. The initial exchanges are fast, he puts forward a stab to my chest which I parry, which was met by a counter parry which was then rotated out to open me but I retreated to bat the blade out of the way, stop, hold my spot so they can't counter, lead in-

“[Third wind]” Tai Yi Fen announces. When a cultivator uses a skill- they do not merely speak it. Their aura announces as well. Heard through the soul. He starts to move more quickly, his lunges threatening to cut me, the slashes holding an edge beyond just the blade with the wind threatening to slice as well. The marked increase in speed and threat noted. I am able to hold the assault back, if with slight difficulty. Reach and their traditional fighting style being one of the few advantages I have at the moment. I am waiting for the right moment to let my skill out.

[Third Wind] of the Heavenly Nine Winds sect- the third wind steps tend to focus upon lift, and physical wind manipulation.

“[Second Wind]” they announce as the winds of the plains suddenly grow and whip about. I have to slightly squint my eyes against all the dust in the air. The winds collect around their blade. It adds length and a blast of sharpened wind with each slash. That is a bonus of fighting older styles. Their affects might be strong and focused, but they're also very well documented. I pull a piece of paper from a side pouch and let it get sucked up into their tempest. I smile as it starts whipping about their body, snap my fingers, and. . .

BOOOM

Paper explosives are a little old school but they get the job done. The [Second Wind] collects a lot of dust and when kept tightly makes it weak to fire. They know not to let these explosion hurt them but Yi Fen is forced to stop their skill and retreat from the explosion which is exactly the opening I need.

“[Second Step: Force]” my aura sings a focused shot of qi into Yi Fen’s chest forcing another step back. [Quick Step], and then the world is a blur as I slide past their defenses and lunge at their throat. The single drop of rich blood that slides down the length of my steel is the sign of my victory and the end of our duel.

A moment of silence passes before they whisper "I concede-" their eye lingering on the blood before lowering their own unsullied blade.

I make a noise to acknowledge them and pull out of my lunge, taking the cloth I carry in my side bag and wiping the blood away before resheathing. I extend my hand.

"Whatever tome you happen to have on you will do." I need to be on with my census of the town and time is short, not least because he rudely interrupted me in the middle of it all.

Yi Fen looks taken aback at this, but he complies and hands over a piece of jade. Ugh, old fashioned. Copper holds information better.

I take the stone and walk back to town. My plans to get back to work further hampered by a crowd gathered to watch the cultivators duel. The majority of the watchers are children. Children who happen to have no sense of personal space or dignity and heads filled with far too many loud questions.

The initial barrage is primarily statements of awe and excited jumping up and down.

"Woah, that was so cool!"

"THAT WAS SUCH A BIG EXPLOSION"

But then the stick-fighting starts. A couple kids trying to recreate the fight in the back. I have to quickly grab those because they clearly have no idea what they are doing and given another half hour at most, likely closer to five minutes, with them I expect someone to lose an eye or stab their playmate somewhere unpleasant. It is while I am thus occupied that the questions start.

"How old are you?"

"Do you sleep a lot?"

"How did you make that explosion?"

"I wanna be a cultivator!"

"I'm hungry"

"Why does your wife date my grandma?"

And oh boy they are something else.

"I am a hundred and twenty four. I don't sleep that much, you're thinking of meditation and kata, which are states we enter to cultivate. It's like sleep except we are still aware in some manner. The bomb is a craft that infuses a paper with qi. I made the qi explode when activated by my command. Maybe you can be a cultivator one day if you work really hard and get lucky. Go talk to your mom about some food then. Clover is not my wife and your grandma being her mortal partner is something I have nothing to do with"

"I wanna touch your sword"

"Do you like dogs?"

"My mom says I gotta wait for lunch"

"How did you become a cultivator?"

"You're older than my grandma!"

"How do I learn magic?"

"Do you kill a lot of monsters?"

I had to keep a couple small pudgy hands away from my sword with some light deflections. I would not dare hit one even with a light smack given how fragile mortals tend to be. I do not want to hurt them.

“No you cannot touch my sword, it’s sharp and very special to me. I do like dogs, my family owned a lot of dogs when I was mortal. If your mom says you need to wait you should probably do that. If she says it is okay I can give you a light snack though, I think I have some biscuits on me. I became a cultivator because my master unlocked my potential. Never tell a girl that, it’s very rude. I learned magic through a lot of study and practice. I sometimes kill monsters though most of my time is spent managing the sect.”

“Why do you look my mom’s age if youre so old?”

“Your master must be really old!”

“Mom says I can have a snack”

“Can you make me a cultivator?”

“Hey Dani keeps pulling my hair”

“Am not”

“I have a hole in my shirt, see?”

“Do you wanna see my dog back home? They’re really nice”

“What’s the biggest monster you’ve killed?”

“Cultivators really do not age, and in some cases can reverse aging to an ideal form. My master is indeed quite old, but do not ever say that around her if you meet her. Lying is wrong, your mom said no such thing. I know who she is, and you definitely did not had time to ask. I could technically make you a cultivator, but you probably wouldn’t make it through the initiation process at your age. Dani stop that, and don’t lie, I saw you pull Chelsea’s hair. Here, I have a needle in my pack let me get that hole for you.” I pull out a pre threaded needle and quickly get to stitching “I think your grandmother was the one to teach me how to sew in the first place back when she was young. Your grandmother is Stephanie right?” the girl nods “Yes, she would not stop teasing me about not knowing how to do so many basic home crafts” the stitching only took a few seconds to finish “There you go, all done. Now who was- ah yes, I don’t think I have the time to see your dog but I’m sure they are very nice. The biggest monster I have killed was a hare spirit beast. They were about the size of a horse drawn carriage. A couple meters tall and broad. Scary thing. Even herbivore beasts are really something else.”

By the time all their parents finally come to collect their kids nearly a half hour has passed. I swear they must be leaving them with me on purpose. One of them did her laundry right in front of me before bothering to coral her son. However, that's minor and thankfully over with now, and I can finally get back to the fun part of this visit.

The town itself isn't massive. A typical cultivator town early in its growth. Wherever immortals set up so do towns. They come with opportunity and new investments. Cultivators as a rule tend to invest a great deal in things that will pay off in the longest sort of long term. Time is cheap when you’re immortal after all.. Admittedly, keeping tabs on the local town usually isn't within the purview of a first disciple. But I want to. Learning all the small ways a town changes as it grows; cataloging every aspect in my ledgers so I can lay it all out and see the patterns, the beautiful math behind it all and the ways that individuals influence it and are shaped by it.. The weird ways the flow changes and stays the same. It’s something I could lose myself in; A meditation in and of itself.

It was a little bit later when clover finally rejoined me.

“Had some fun?” she asked with one of her usual smirks.

“It was over pretty quickly”

“So a typical duel?”

I shrug “more or less. For once I didn’t get asked to give up cultivation forever if I lost.”

“Really? What did they ask for?”

“They wanted me to join their sect. Only me though”

“Thats…. Different.”

I nod then dig in my bag for the stone. Handing it over, “this is what they gave up. I haven’t bothered to read it yet. I got caught up with children for about half an hour”

Clover laughed “I saw you getting assaulted by the children when I came over. I heard the explosion and hurried over to make sure everything was fine. Also those parents knew you as a kid too, don’t you think they’re just using you as a babysitter?”

I give her a stink eye “Thanks for helping get them off me”

“You’re the one who wants to be called mommy” she teases with an elbow shove.

I shove it off then address a previous statement “Anyway, they’re just children. Not much else to be done. What do you think I am? Some old age cultivator? I’m not gonna hit a child for being a child. Not to mention how easy it would be to just…” I let that hang in the air.

“Did you ask if the visiting guy caused trouble or hurt anyone?

“They didn’t seem so old school as to behave like that. He at least was somewhat respectable and didn’t throw a fit when he lost. Likely a sect formed close to the schism I haven’t researched much into the Heavenly Nine Winds sect except to peruse for weaknesses. Definitely not new in any form considering the format of their kata and-”

“Ahem”

I was interrupted by a cough. I turn around to see Tai Yi Fen.

“What are you still doing here?”

He collected himself then bowed. “First disciple of the-”

“Please skip the pleasantries” Clover added quickly. “We really don't care for them.”

His face did a strange series of emotions before he straightened. “Well- I am here to act as a diplomat for my sect. As is tradition”

I blinked. “A sect diplomat?”

They nodded looking a little hesitant, not looking like he expected to explain himself. “Yes… a long term visitor of a sect to have their sect voice heard as well as deliver correspondences to their home sect if need be or if troubles arise.”

I look to Clover. I think I’ve read something about it once in passing but- she cocks their head as well, just giving a shrug that conveyed a “I dunno” expression.

"Well, I guess we have a room for you to stay in. You will likely need to fill me in on what exactly a sect diplomat is supposed to do in day to day matters but uh- welcome? I guess?"