"Sir," Renald stands at the cave entrance.
I want to will the intruder away.
"What?"
"Sir. The patriarch has requested grand master Rain and your presence.
I sigh and look away from Rain's beautiful red eyes.
We stand as one, and I float through the air for the first time without using a flying sword.
A smile crosses my lips as I swim through the Chi that permeates the world.
My gravity-defying feat gets a look of approval from my beautiful counterpart.
The patriarch's mansion is familiar now, and I greet Director Chambers. He has many responsibilities in caring for the patriarch's estate.
"Grandmaster, he's waiting for you."
I enter the patriarch's great hall.
There are many seats, but I only ever see a dozen seats filled.
Despite the late hour, I see a significant number of people.
These are the elders of Steady Sword.
"Grandmaster. Please, sit." He motions to my customary spot, and there is a space open for Rain to take.
"Grandmaster, which of you was responsible for the tribulation?"
Rain speaks for herself, "It was I, Your Excellency."
Her voice is proud.
The patriarch examines us.
"You are a credit to your sect, grandmaster Rain."
The surrounding elders nod their approval.
"Steady Sword," the patriarch begins. "And, Violet Horizon have been at odds on many occasions since our founding.
"We have played mercenaries in petty conflicts."
The patriarch pauses to ensure that everyone is paying attention.
"We have lost some of our greatest to pride and vanity.
"This status quo has gone on for too long.
"I have spoken with the patriarch of Violet Horizon and some of his elders."
From behind the patriarch come unfamiliar faces.
"We are faced," the patriarch continues, "by a threat that holds no respect for us. The daeva, these demigods of Aion, will subjugate us as slaves. Mortal and immortal alike.
"The games we just engaged in are a prelude to what will come.
"I call upon all of you to join me in a compact with our brothers and sisters.
"I call for the unity of Steady Sword and Violet Horizon. The transformation of our divided sects into one Violet Sword sect."
Several elders voice their dissent.
"We cannot abandon our sovereign will. Are we to give up our station to Violet Horizon?"
The voices are loud. But relatively few.
"I believe the patriarch is right. The daeva threaten us all."
"Have any of you even seen one of these supposed daeva?"
A silence rings out as the dissenters gain strength.
The patriarch observes silently for a while.
Suddenly, the room grows cold.
The dissenters catch the shift in the room.
This isn't a debate.
The voices grow silent.
"Grandmaster Rook and Rain," the patriarch's words ring loud throughout the hall. "You two will be vital in our campaign against the daeva. Violet Sword still needs ascended immortals to face the threat.
"If we can bolster our numbers with the pills you make, we might stand a chance."
Rain and I share enthusiasm for our role in this changing sect.
The meeting carries on as day rises upon the world.
Eventually, we are dismissed. The dissenters long silenced.
I find it shocking how, in one night, the world can change.
I was a little immortal only yesterday, preparing to say goodbye to the object of my desire. And now, I've ascended, and the distance between us doesn't seem so great.
We returned to the apothecary, where I learned the lessons from Rain's crafting.
"Renald."
"Yes, sir?"
"Can you tell me if the ascended immortals still guard us?"
"They do, sir."
"Good. Please relay to Director Chambers that he should send over immortals to consume the Immortal's Ascendance pill."
"Yes, sir."
With that, I dive deep into my craft.
Even though she perfected the pill, Rain observes my every action.
The heavy clouds that had dispersed once more coalesce.
In time, the lightning strikes out at perfection, to be intercepted by our ascended immortal bodyguards.
The first young immortal steps up with anticipation.
As he swallows the pill, his cultivation reaches new heights.
The young man is ushered out to find a quiet place to meditate.
Rain is next up to work. Defying the will of heaven one at a time is a wise limit.
Our crafting carries on for days, each of us taking our turn.
The number of ascended immortals grows.
Not everyone who takes the pill succeeds in ascending. But, everyone who failed climbs significantly higher in their cultivation.
Days pass, and Rain stops working with the pill cauldron.
"It's time," she says.
I smile a sad smile.
"It has been fun," I say.
"Yes, it has. Rook," she pauses. "We will meet again."
"We will." I nod to her.
And, like a celestial maiden departing for the heavens, she returns to her sect.
The matter of the merger has yet to be announced publicly.
And details of who the patriarch will be are in the air.
For now though, I can only hope to meet her again.
Nigel has been spending more time in the apothecary. The sequence of perfect pills has rekindled the passion he'd thought dried up.
"Rook, you always make waves with everything you do."
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Nigel is busy lamenting how rusty he's gotten in his retirement.
I pay him no mind as I see to the daily operations of the apothecary.
I make at least one perfect Immortal's Ascendance pill daily.
There is a long line of young immortals seeking the prize of a perfect pill.
It's not something that can be mass-produced.
The perfect pill takes time. One thing that immortals have in abundance.
The line of immortals grows as I tire of the masses' demands.
But, this is my service to the sect. And, talk of war grows on the patriarch's council.
"Winged humanoids have been spotted near the Tower of Acer. The daeva are growing bolder while we hide in our sect."
The patriarch's lips are a line. "We will begin our preparations for war from this moment on."
He looks from one council member to the next. "By my authority, you will each establish a standing military force."
I look to the other council members.
They, like me, are shocked by the patriarch's words.
"Dismissed."
For the first time, I watch the patriarch get up and leave the table.
Things are moving quickly in Steady Sword.
The rest of the council members look at one another. A smile can be seen on more than one face. Intimidated faces can also be seen.
I think of my place in all of this. I'm just an alchemist and now I'm told to raise an army.
My advantage over the other council members is that fresh immortals are knocking at my door.
As I returned to the apothecary, I find Nigel.
"Nigel, I need your help with something."
"Oh," comes his curious voice.
"We need pills—lots of them."
He follows my gaze to the grand master cauldron.
"You couldn't mean..."
"No, not perfect. But, superior immortal's ascendance pills."
The retired grand master alchemist weighs his thoughts.
"Do you have the materials to make so many pills?"
"We do. The gatherers are eager to cash in on the hunt with this pill in such high demand."
Nigel looks into my eyes. "What's this all about?"
I lay out the details of the campaign we will engage in.
Nigel looks pensive, "How will you tell them that you want to recruit them?"
"Give them the choice with the pill."
I call over a master alchemist who acts as secretary for me.
"Marco, I need you to make a roster and go down the line of immortals outside. Ask if they will join my league for the war campaign."
"War campaign?" Marco gasps.
I smile a predatory smile. "That's what I said."
The word spreads like wildfire through the ranks as Nigel and I coach a team of alchemists in the first of many batches of superior-grade Immortal's Ascendance pills.
Before the first batch is finished, Marco returns needing more paper for the roster.
At last, the pills are finished and distributed to the front of the line.
Nigel and I are back to work before the first pill is consumed.
The days that follow involve much labor and collection of information.
"Spread the word that we will have our first league gathering next week."
Marco nods his head, and I return to my task.
Some are dissatisfied with not receiving perfect pills. But, their numbers are few.
Days pass as the masses grow stronger.
Word of war is on the tongues of every sect member, and factions are rising. The Alchemist's League grows in number, and word of the planned meeting is disseminated.
The grandmaster cauldron has seen more use in the last week than in the year that preceded it.
I find myself thinking of Rain in the quiet moments. Truly, our time together was too short.
The day is upon us, and I stand before several hundred of my fellow league members.
Only some people who signed up show up. But the numbers are more than I had expected.
A number of ascended immortals float over the masses to get the best view.
"Fellow daoists," I begin. "Thank you for joining me today.
"Steady Sword stands on the brink of a new era. We face a threat like none before. We are not simply selling our swords to the highest bidder.
"This time, this new age of giants will see immortal face demigods.
"These daeva of Aion seek only one thing—our subjugation.
"If we allow them, they will take Gaia from us."
There is a stir in the league.
"We will face war. This is not up for dispute.
"Steady Sword will be on the front lines of this war. We... will be on the front lines of this war.
"If you are not ready to put your life on the line for Gaia, by all means, take your leave of this gathering.
"But, if you're ready to face would-be gods who never had to claw their way out of the pit, stay. And, join my league.
"To all of you." I bow hand over fist. "Respect, my fellow daoists."
A cheer echoes out from the gathering.
As the cheer dies, I say, "We will be organizing the establishment of troops. All ascended immortals over here and the ground-based immortals over here."
I spend the rest of the day organizing the roster.
"We will meet again in one week for our training to begin."
A cheer rises over them once more before the masses disperse.
"Not bad, alchemist," one of the ascended immortals comes to me.
I need to familiarize myself with the man.
"Name's Godfrey. I'm interested in who you have organizing the troops."
"One of my attendants is seeing to it," I say, neutral in my tone.
"Beg your forgiveness, alchemist. But, many of you alchemists only have a little experience with the martial field beyond practicing on it.
"What you need, alchemist, is a general."
"And that would be you?" I ask, still neutral.
Godfrey's smile is aggressive.
"Ask anyone who takes on the fiercest missions.
"I've led teams of immortals. Both as a lower and ascended immortal.
I have not heard of the man, but his confidence is infectious.
"Marco," I call my secretary to order the troops.
"Yes, sir?"
"Take Godfrey with you as you order the troops."
"Sir?" He puzzles.
"Do it, Marco."
"Yes, sir."
Godfrey bows hand over fist before turning to the ordering of the masses.
It's relieving to have someone who, at least looks like he knows what he's doing, join my team.
"Get into line, you mutts!" Godfrey bellows with Chi in his voice.
The league members respond well to the man's dominant aura.
The rest of the day is spent dividing the hundreds of our militia into groups of tens and hundreds.
The unit is first divided into three squadrons that make up the brigade.
Ascended immortals are given leadership responsibilities.
From the squadron level, the hundreds are broken down into tens.
We need to have more ascended immortals to have every leadership role covered. But I plan to change that in the coming months.
"Spread the word," I speak to Marco and Godfrey. "Immortal's Ascendance pills will be distributed by rank. If members fail to report and don't take this seriously, they'll lose standing in the league.
Godfrey smiles a smile that looks like a sneer.
"Not bad, alchemist."
"Dismissed."
The gathering around me bows hand over fist. I return their salute before taking to the air.
When I reach the apothecary, I see a messenger from one of the other council members.
"Your excellency," the man bows. "Elder Skyflare has requested the preparation of one hundred Dragon's Scream pills."
After the patriarch's demonstration of the pill, it is on the elites' minds.
"They won't be perfect. Is elder Skyflare prepared for that?"
My relationship with the elder is neutral. Neither good or bad. This would be a good opportunity to curry favor with the somewhat stiff man.
"The elder is prepared. He holds faith in your abilities."
"Very well, it will take a few days. See the financier before you return to the elder."
With that attended to, I get my alchemists pumping out Immortal's Ascendance pills alongside their other responsibilities.
"Nigel."
The older man looks up from a young alchemist's pill cauldron.
"Yes?"
"Need you with me."
"More Ascendance pills?"
"We have a request to mass-produce the Dragon's Scream."
Nigel runs a hand through his beard.
"Who's crazy enough to take those?"
"Elder Skyflare, the trade pavilion must want to boost their bodyguards."
Nigel nods. "On you, grandmaster."
The rest of the day is spent making dozens of the requested pills.
At night, I find myself again in my immortal's cave. My meditation feels hollow, like I have found the other half of my soul and lost it.
I sigh as I cultivate.
Since my ascendance, my command over the spiritual world has grown by leaps and bounds.
My aspiration to craft a superior sword for my use has stalled. With so much work to do, I haven't been able to focus on my blacksmithing properly.
I sigh. My footloose dao is far from me these days.
I pull out the flying sword I received from the Fire Island immortal.
It's an extravagantly designed sword. But I can tell its purpose is not to battle.
I have several common swords that I can use as disposable weapons.
It strikes me, yet again, how we are preparing for war.
I feel the array around me. The hum of spiritual energy fills my ears. The chi of heaven and earth falls into my net like a hole in space.
My soul stone abounds with energy. Rather than absorbing more energy, my effort is to use the chi to forge a pure soul stone. To rid myself of the impurities in my dao.
With every mote of chi purified, I will grow that much stronger. But, my soul ocean is vast. And the purification is slow.
I give up on my meditation for the night and travel to the apothecary.
A number of my alchemists steadily craft at all hours.
"Grandmaster." One of the workers stands to bow.
I nod to the man, the others standing.
"Carry on."
I find myself before a cauldron and set to making Immortal's Ascendance pills, as large a batch as I can make with the normal cauldron.
The hours pass steadily. With war on the horizon, I find myself needing more preparation.
With dawn comes my other alchemists, each sitting, ready for the day's challenge.
The days pass, and Elder Skyflare gets his order completed.
But, more requests come in, and we scramble to fill orders while cultivating the league of immortals who signed on to fight for me.
Steadily, our work progresses.
The patriarch has called a meeting of the council.
"How progress your militias?"
Elder Skyflare proudly stands, "I have over eight hundred disciples of the trade terrace ready for war."
I'm surprised he got so many so quickly.
The other elders go down the line. Despite my early assumption that I would be a front-runner with recruits, my numbers need improvement.
I'm somewhat embarrassed when my turn to report arises.
Despite my embarrassment, none of the council members are critical.
"Grandmaster, how goes production of Ascendance pills."
"Your Excellency, we are on track. But, we are using our stock of herbs at a rapid rate. The trade pavilion must see to our supply.
The patriarch looks from me to Elder Skyflare.
"Elder, can you accommodate the grand master?"
The elder thinks for a moment before saying, "Yes."
With that settled, the patriarch turns to other matters.
"Elder Crow, how many ascended immortals do you have in your militia."
"One hundred and thirty, Your Excellency."
"Send them to reinforce the Tower of Acer."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
The rest of the meeting carries on, and units are disbursed to perform patrols and reinforce strategic points.
The pillar of creation is said to reside to the northeast in the tundra beyond the desert.
We disburse to our respective duties.
The next week is rapidly upon us. And the league meets.
Unlike the gang we were in before, the squadrons and subsequent troops stand mostly in formation this time.
I have to give it to Godfrey. He has a talent for telling people what to do.
"Thank you all for coming."
The troops look at me expectantly.
"Today begins our training as a unit. From this point until deployment, you will be drilled and trained in the ways of war.
"Many of you are ground-based cultivators. We will boost you as fast as we can. But, until then, you will all be trained in anti-air combat.
"I, at this moment, authorize Command Seargent Godfrey to conduct your training.
I step aside for Godfrey to take center stage.
"Thank you, grandmaster." Godfrey looks out on the crowd of eager faces.
"I trust," Godfrey begins. "That you all heard that."
A silence rings out.
"From this day forward, I will drill into you the principles of respect and discipline you forget after years out of the pit.
"You will return to the hungry animal you were, and I will collar you.
"Drill sergeants, report."
A dozen immortals come forward.
"These faces, you will hate. They will try you in ways that you are too fresh to comprehend.
"Your training starts now."
I watch the command sergeant take the reigns of my army.
He must have some experience on the battlefield.
I turn my attention back to the apothecary.
As I prepare a batch of pills in the grand master cauldron, one of my attendants comes forward.
He faithfully waits until I lay the pills out to cool.
"Sir, a shipment has arrived for you."
"Oh," I'm not expecting anything.
I am escorted out to find dozens of boxes.
I'm shocked. But, when I open one, I comprehend.
Boxes and boxes of quartz crystals.
The patriarch's reward. It's far more than I was expecting.
It's far more than I need.
As I'm busy thinking of how to use this gift, it dawns on me that I can make an array far bigger than the one in my immortal cave.
"Go," I say to my attendant. "Get some men and women. I'll need some help."
And so begins the construction of a massive flower of life array.
I estimate how big it will be, with space for one person at the nucleus and expanding to incorporate more nodes.
The first day sees a tangled mess on the field behind the apothecary.
I continue as best I can at night and see the flower grow more solid.
The quartz crystal is like sand in a desert.
I don't stress over using too many resources for the array. But, I do aim for the most efficient form for the grid.
By the third day, a hum can be heard as we work on the concentric circles.
As we finish, I survey the work from the air.
It's beautiful, like a blossoming flower.
Around the array are over a hundred empty circles. Empty for my cultivators to fill.
"Renald."
My shadow appears from a ripple in space.
"Yes, sir."
"Have Command Sergeant Godfrey send one of our squadrons here."
"Yes, sir."
My faithful companion floats off, and I return to running my apothecary.
Over a hundred men arrive in formation faster than I would have expected.
"Your excellency, third squadron commander Michal, reporting as ordered."
The ascended immortal is a severe gentleman. But seems prepared for anything.
"Commander, organize your men to take a position in the array I've set up."
The commander is unphased as he orders his men to find their positions.
I leave the apothecary to observe.
A hum grows as the men find the empty circles. It proceeds to become an almost deafening roar.
A spiritual air comes over the field as the last circle is claimed.
I open my eyes to the spiritual world and see a torrent of energy fall into the abyss.
The appetite of this array is terrifying.
I turn to my aides and order the distribution of cultivation pills.
I observe for hours as the lines of chi ripple back and forth.
Rather than flowers in a garden, I see trees in a forest.
A power surge occurs, and I watch as a lower immortal ascends.
This array is a terrifying thing.
The cultivators are unwilling to disperse, and I leave them to their meditation.
"Sir."
"Yes, Renald."
"Sir, the patriarch has called for you."
I look at my half-completed batch of pills. They will have to be finished by another.
I call a master alchemist to relieve me.
The patriarch's hall has a large number of elders gathered.
"Grandmaster."
"Your Excellency." I perform my salute.
The patriarch looks me over.
"Can you explain what you're doing?"
"Sir?"
"I've heard reports of your men in meditation. The chi in the area is being consumed at a rapid rate.
"Your Excellency, as you know, I have been dabbling in using arrays for cultivation.
"With the reward your excellency has provided me, I have constructed a new array to dabble with."
"I hardly think this dabbling, grand master," comes the voice of one elder.
"I am ready to share my insights on the construction of arrays with the council," I say, conscious of a note of fear in the elder's demeanor.
The patriarch gives me a meaningful look, "Then do so."
My presentation is in-depth, and I draw several patterns for the council to reference.
Comprehension shows in a number of faces, while others scowl.
"Thank you, grandmaster. You may take your leave," the patriarch says as he measures the room.
The dynamic of power in the sect has changed dramatically.
There are many friendly faces as I leave, but also many angry faces.
I measure myself against the gathered elders.
My soul well is larger than any of them. But, with size comes impurity.
The powers I can manifest are, at best, that of an intermediate ascended immortal.
Considering how recent my ascent is, my power is astounding.
But this is a warfare that I need to prepare for.
The factions are raising armies for the coming war. And my enemies will, sometimes, wear friendly faces.
I depart the patriarch's hall and find my way to the martial field, where Godfrey continues to drill the men.
"Command seargent," I say in greeting.
"Alchemist."
"How are the men?"
Godfrey rubs his chin, "Pathetic. My mother could march better than this lot."
I nod my head, not entirely sure how true his statement is.
"See to it that you rotate the squadrons to the array at the apothecary.
Godfrey gazes long at me.
"Smart, how are you playing this. But, I wonder how long you can maintain this show."
"Excuse me?" I'm surprised by his words.
"You're no little immortal. Your ascent and continuing feats of strength are making waves.
"Not everyone enjoys another's success."
I look long into Godfrey's steely eyes.
"Which is why I need an army."
Godfrey smiles a half smile. "That you'll have, alchemist."
A squadron splits off to take their turn in the array.