Almarine had a problem. Well, less of a problem and more how to get around the rules lawfully.
She needed to teach Arson how to meditate, and to read, without breaking the law. She felt childish even having to think of ways to sneak a toddler information, but knew that she could put herself in for more trouble than she could currently handle if she was forced to fight against certain individuals within the city of Maelstrom.
The current head of Graveyard was her ex-husband, and the thought of having to deal with the man in a conversational setting filled her with terror, let alone being forced to fight the man.
Normally the fight would be an utter laugh for her to embarrass him, but her ex-husband was aware of her current limitations, and wouldn’t hold back if the opportunity struck and allowed him to legally retain her for any reason.
So…
Almarine stood in front of a large cave opening with questions of how to get a toddler to find the entrance to her study without actually showing him or guiding him toward it directly. When an idea struck her and she found herself in an all out sprint back toward the main portion of the orphanage.
“Momma Mari, are you okay?" Almarine turned her head still in an all-out sprint, but stopped the moment she saw the young girl with black hair staring at her alarmed. Not fully aware that she hadn’t been seen running since Xani almost drowned, which’d made the sight something to fear ever since.
“Ah, Jasmine…” The young girl's face changed immediately, at the sight of how Almarine began to look at her.
“Why did you say my name like that,” asked Jasmine, but Almarine had already extended an arm to guide the young girl toward the cafeteria. She needed coffee and had a lot to force onto Jasmine, if her plans for Arson were going to be able to start as soon as possible.
“I need your help, child, and we have a lot of work to do. Do you understand? This is a serious situation, and I am putting a lot of trust in you for this,” said Almarine. Jasmine nodded, and smiled. Jasmine was the perfect pick for this job in Almarine’s eyes for two reasons.
One, she was a born manager, and two, no one cleaned better than the girl in her entire orphanage.
And though I want to do this for Arson, I do not want to clean up after anyone…
“What is it that you would have me do?” asked Jasmine. Almarine swept her into the kitchen and spoke in a whisper for the appearance that they needed secrecy.
“We are going to host a treasure hunt.”
…
Arson was excited. He felt he was learning a lot. Especially from his friends Khalif, and Xani.
He loved building what Almarine called home. Though when Arson thought of the word home, he saw the mental picture of a multicolored sky, and Maelstrom’s sky was a soft blue. So he wondered if that meant his home was somewhere else.
Hmmm I wonder what I will find in the treasure hunt…
He’d been stuck in a loop in thought over the treasure hunt. As it was all everyone around him spoke about all day. Momma Mari, Xani, Khalif, Rob, and every other person Arson could think of all did.
Excited about what he felt to be his first important meeting, Arson thought of what he wanted.
Something to teach me how to fly so that even if I do fall off the banister like momma Almarine says will happen if I keep sliding down the rails, I won’t fall and bust my head open. Or bleed out.
Arson didn’t know what it meant to bleed out, but the way Almarine’s face was when she’d said it would happen made him feel differently about being high up, but he was working on conquering his fear.
He could see how the obstacles that Almarine gave him in the dojo were growing taller, all while he missed the increased stamina and dexterity required to get through them successfully was far above what was normally offered to a child in their third season cycle.
The absurdity of him completing courses at the rate he had been, was what Almarine expected a young cultivator should be capable of which was why she’d now pushed for the treasure hunt.
She expected perfection, and a child being capable of pushing himself and giving everything he did his absolute all, was what she expected for perfection to become a reality.
A path of potential she’d never actually been able to push any one pupil toward entirely. Many of them gained large portions of her entire knowledge, which was fine, but that only ever made them great at one thing. Or one element of a technique or skill they were exceptionally good or talented at gave them a minuscule edge, they sharpened to take them far above what was normal.
What Arson was unaware of was how she planned to jam his mind full of many disciplines, rather than just one as many masters within cultivation did with their students. Even as he was forced to perform more and more daring jumps, his heart never managed to stay calm during the moments just before any leap was taken.
Almarine could sense this and made him complete jumps she hadn’t even truly made Khalif run through, what she couldn't sense was the formidable mentality being shaped by being pushed toward his worst fear constantly in that matter at such a young age.
An unbalancing that resulted in the urge to conquer every fear constantly. It drifted into his building time with Xani which resulted in much more of the CityNation puzzle being completed. Arson’s worst fear with that portion of his day being that he would be forced to leave before he could complete the puzzle he loved so much, or it would be taken from him in a way similar to how other orphans lost things.
Arson had begun to encounter those that saw his time with Almarine to be an undeserved privilege. Children had taken his desserts for almost an entire season by that point, and if it wasn’t for him knowing somebody in the kitchen staff, he wondered if he would know what some of the delicious items the others enjoyed even tasted like.
After a while he skipped going into the cafeteria entirely, as he started to lose entire portions of his meal before he could even sit down. A roll, small bowl of vegetables, and even the fruit he cherished above all had been snatched in different ways.
Distractions, as simple as a tapped shoulder had once left Arson with a clean tray. Luckily for Arson being a messy eater during this portion of his life, or even Rob would have believed he was lying to get more food, but a clean tray was a clean tray.
What if someone stole the Architects Puzzle Kit from Almarine before me and Xani could finish it?
Arson tried to shake off the thought with each portion of Maelstrom they managed to finish, but the fear only grew.
He was being taught why the city was built the way it was, the more of the sewers, aqueducts, and canals were completed, the more he understood the need for clean water and why. Many portions once completed even described to him what they’d finished afterward, and this only motivated him further.
Now as he thought more about the treasure hunt that consumed everyone in the orphanage he overheard a conversation between Momma Mari, and a girl named Jasmine that made him wonder if the important meeting he’d wanted so badly, may be something he should fear.
“We have to make it public, or it's illegal,” asked Jasmine.
“Precisely,” answered Almarine. Arson waited to enter the room where the two discussed their project. Arson in a crouch that Khalif had taught him that dispersed his weight, and made him make less sound. He felt unseen, but hadn’t learned the many aspects to being able to sneak properly.
“So there're going to be all kinds of scions and maybe even a few HonorBorn kids, running around the orphanage of all age groups, and we are going to let this happen?”
“Precisely.”
“Why are we doing this again? What happens when some scion with a core, smacks one of us orphans into our afterlives?” asked Jasmine worried.
“Precisely!”
Arson leaned into the room just far enough to see Jasmine go pale at what Momma Almarine was saying. Her bewildered look, made him shake his head, and want to laugh at the teen.
She should hear what she says to me and Khalif when we fall. It's far more scary than being smacked by whatever a scion was, right? Arson was not sure of himself, as he had no clue what a scion was, and made a mental note to ask Almarine later.
“That’s the problem child, I have to find a way to make sure that cores can’t be used during the treasure hunt, and without an excess of extra mana, I can’t afford to buy an anti mana field, so the first thing we need to do, is knock over that set of buildings, one to make an area for the treasure hunt with more exceptional offerings, and we also need to hide a superior treasure map than we offer to the general public, at the highest point within a secure section of the rubble,” explained Almarine. Arson looked at the nearby buildings she planned to knock over, and remembered that she’d used the same term, knock over, when Xani had accidentally pushed one of their puzzle pieces onto its side before it could be connected properly to the pieces next to itself.
Nobody lives in those, is that why she wants to push them onto their sides,” asked Arson to himself just under his breath.
For Almarine to purchase a new building the energy that maintained the abandoned buildings had to be freed, so Almarine figured she could solve two problems at once.
One, was letting the newly sneaking Arson overhear where the map would be placed, and the second was to tip the scales, not many would be able to run the obstacle course she planned to create, nor run through the caves that led to her abandoned study.
“So do you just need me to grab some people to help knock down buildings,” asked Jasmine. Almarine's face scrunched, and seemingly from nowhere lifted a large fireman’s axe.
“No, silly, that is what this is for, I need you to use that Chatter thing, social media, right, I’m still hip to the changes,” said Almarine, and it was Jasmine’s turn to shake her head.
“For what exactly?”
“Promotion, something like, The Orphan Mother of Maelstrom is sponsoring a treasure hunt, or something like that, trust me it will work,” said Almarine. The face Jasmine made told Arson that the teen didn’t believe Almarine, and Arson wondered why.
Almarine’s right about everything, I bet a lot of these scions are going to come,” said Arson, trying to sneak from the room. Almarine glanced in his direction once he turned to run off and smiled to herself. Then realized the brat was supposed to meet her there shortly.
Arson had other plans after overhearing what he did, and knew exactly who to go and ask.
He found himself in front of Seven. Though he was a successful loan shark, even as a teen, nothing he did was without risk. The young man wanted to become a successful information broker one day, and knew that practice made everything sought for cost less.
“Don’t waste my time unless you got something for me,” said Seven before he even looked up to see who had approached him. When Seven glanced up to see a fierce eyed toddler in front of him, he laughed and went back to reading his flatscreen. As one of the few orphans that could afford the pocket sized system extension, he was rarely seen without the device in hand.
“How do I make it so a scion can’t slap me,” asked Arson seriously. Seven looked up and Arson stared back at the clean cut black haired teen, as he squinted at Arson momentarily, before he bursted into laughter.
The orphans within the room all looked over to see what was so funny. Only to be left with the sight of Seven leaned over in his chair cackling with Arson staring him down.
“Wait are you being serious?” Seven stopped laughing and leaned back to take Arson in as the toddler folded his arms in front of himself.
“That is a pretty loaded question kid, wait are you even a kid yet man, how old are you, can you even spell scion? I only do serious business little buddy, so take this game somewhere else.” Arson looked around at the others in the room, and shook his head, but still didn’t move.
“This is important to me, I need to know, and will give you my desserts for a fortnight for the answer,” offered Arson. Seven tilted his head at the young man, before he thought a moment, nodded his head, looked away, and then back to Arson as he spoke.
“I have enough desserts kid, but I do need some information from you and if you answer honestly, I’ll let you know what I know about scions,” said Seven. Arson nodded, but didn’t know what to do when Seven extended his hand to complete the beginning of a very old ritual.
“You're supposed to shake my hand, it's a way of showing that you will remain honest during our dealings, shake hands before you work, and you have made an ally, shake hands after, and be remembered as a cheat or liar,” said Seven. Arson put his much smaller hand in Seven’s and they shook.
“Okay kid, I just need to know one thing, and that is,” said Seven as he leaned in toward Arson and began to whisper.
“Are you being trained by Almarine, are you her newest disciple, I mean?” Arson thought a moment, and had never heard Almarine use either word so shook his head.
“Nope, but we do go to the playground with Khalif sometimes if that is what you mean,” responded Arson honestly. As Almarine had referred to each obstacle course as a playground, so Arson knew it to be nothing more than that.
“No you sparking firecracker, like the fighters you watch everyday in here with me fool, does she show you how to fight and use mana?” asked Seven. Arson shook his head again. He’d thought of asking, but never cared enough, he just enjoyed watching certain fighters, most of them in the pre college divisions across all of maelstrom.
“No she’s too busy making me do puzzles with Xani,” answered Arson. Once again telling his truth.
“Well that’s a rip off, but I guess I can give you as bland an answer as you gave me,” started Seven, before he pointed at the commercial that played next to them on the wall screen hologram.
“You’ve seen him before right, The Demon of Maelstrom, undercity underdog, he is a scion, unlocked his core at 11 season cycles old, comes from a family full of cultivators, potentially linked to nobility, but could just be a prominent trading family or descendant from an Elder.” The hologram showed a video of the young man using an unseen force to smash into his enemies from a distance. Lift them off their feet and slam them bodily into the ground from a yard away with nothing but practiced movements. Martial forms combined with telekinesis to a devastating effect on screen. Made even more lifelike by the projected holograms.
“Want to defend yourself against Cultivators kid, good luck, you have to become one,” said Seven as he slapped Arson on the back. Arson trying not to stare at the screen in shock, his mouth having had drifted open slightly at the realization.
“How do I do that,” asked Arson. Which caused Seven to laugh hard again.
“Ahh kid, you kill me, if I knew that I’d be the richest man in all of Maelstrom.”
Arson nodded, taking the young man’s claim as fact, and making his second mental note for the day.
Figure out how to become a cultivator, and become richest man in all of Maestrom. Doesn’t sound impossible, maybe I should ask Almarine for help?
Arson shook his head, and started to walk away. He didn’t want to do anything that would make Almarine have him jump from higher places. So pushed the question aside.
“Thanks Seven, I’m late for my puzzle, I’ll be back.
“No problem kid, I’ll leave you with that last question on the house seeing how I’m being adopted today, visit me sometime when you grow up kid, you had a good eye for picking winners beside for a few blunders here and there, I’ll be working at the Mana Well as a promoter,” said Seven with a sneer and wink in Arson’s direction.
Arson waved, before he bowed slightly, as the fighters he knew to be cultivators did before they fought. Something Arson knew to be a sign of respect like the shaking of hands Seven had shown him.
“Until we speak again Seven, may your path lead to Endless, growth and grace.”
“Aren’t you proper, Growth and Grace, kid, and don’t you change for anything or anyone, you got a good head on your shoulders.”