Nobi felt rather uneasy, seeing how he had just been invited out of the blue to a meeting with a few Elders that seemed way out of his league, forcing him to temporarily abandon his post of watching over Young Master Fung.
Once he got to the Sect Master’s house, he hesitantly went inside through the open door. There were no guards to speak of, and it felt really weird. Once he got into the room, he realized why there was no need for guards during such a meeting. Everyone in the room was a high level person that had broken away from the confines of mortality. Nobi’s meager level 45 could not even begin to compare. Many formations had been activated, and hundreds of preventive measures against scrying, eavesdropping and any other sorts of information gathering methods were all concurrently doing their job, lighting up the dark room with a neon-like glow from the runic circles from the bottom up.
"Master Nobi, please join us. Take a seat. We thought that it was fitting for yourself and your Clan Head of the Tai to know about some of these developments, seeing how your Young Master Fung is now also deeply involved in all of this." Said Elder Lingfeng.
Nobi liked Lingfeng, since he always got straight to the point and always spoke directly, unlike the other noble-types that liked to flower all of their words with useless pomp and hide behind metaphors.
"So, is this about Fung? Did the Imperials do something? Are the Ming on the move?"
"Master Nobi, relax, this is not about Young Master’s Fung background. It’s about the girl’s." Added the huge man in plated armor with glowing eyes.
Nobi recognized him. That was Senior Knight Fall from the Sollarites. A living legend, if anything. Above 100, if the rumors are to be believed. Also one of the main pillars propping up the Temple of the Sun.
Strangely, only the Sect Master of the Blue Mountain of Books was present, with all of the other Elders absent.
On the table in front of the gathering of men were 3 glowing communication orbs, currently linked to gods-know where.
"Beyn, did you get that orb working already?" A voice came from one of the orbs.
"Yes Mina, we’re ready for the transmission."
Nobi recognized the face in the crystal orb. That was Beyn “The Artificer”, the hooded grim faced scout/thief of the former Hero’s party. Next to him was Hoho “The Bloodfire Valkyrie,” the fierce warrior/firemage hybrid and secondary damage dealer of the party, then lastly, Mina “Brokenbones”, the healer/buffer of the group. Nobi knew that they were all over level 70.
From the second orb, a great plated shadow with glowing eyes similar to that of Knight Fall could be seen, but the distinctive carvings on the great helm betrayed his position, marking him as the Grandmaster of the Temple of the Sun, High Templar Draun Mortdecai, the “Boss” of the Sollarites. An ancient figure that most assumed was an elf, because the dude had been around for hundreds of years on this planet already. Nobi could not even begin to fathom what level the High Templar was. They said that he could defeat even Elder Dragons in single combat.
From the third orb, Nobi spotted the elderly figure of a white-bearded wizard, wearing a blue robe filled with glowing stars and a pair of minute silly glasses on his nose, looking like a scholarly and kind grandfather. Nobi did not get deceived by the appearances though, since he knew High Astromancer Lyriss, Grand Archmage of the Mages Guild was also another monster in disguise capable of wielding unfathomable powers and demolishing cities with a snap of his fingers. Why were all of these big shots in a conference together, Nobi could not even begin to speculate.
"Mina! Is this thing working? Can you hear me?" Lingfeng spoke into the Hero’s party orb.
"Yes, yes, it’s working just fine. Step aside you two, the adults are talking." The small healer lady pushed her other two members away from the focus of the orb while still retaining her creepy unflinching ever-smile.
"Mina. The emotional suppression and truth compelling formations on the house worked as you said. How many formations did you build into that place anyway? She just came out and said it. Why did you force her like that? And why did you have me take on this role? You know I am a man weak at heart! Why do you have to torment me so? All I see when I look at her is Lei Lei, and she is HAUNTING me Mina!" Lingfeng shook the orb in anger as if trying to strangle the person at the other end.
"Because you felt the most guilty about not doing anything, out of all of us."
"DO WHAT? What did you expect me to do to him, punch him? Cut him with my wind blades? He would have just healed back up like nothing happened! Berate him for his actions? He was not listening! He wouldn't have stopped anyway! And I never imagined that he would take it so far!" Lingfeng punched the table around the orb till the surface cracked.
"None of us did, yet it still happened. At least you now have a second chance to at least fix some things, no matter how twisted that chance may seem to you."
"But she’s not...!"
"Lei Lei? No, she most certainly isn't, but she’s as close as it gets. That’s Lei Lei’s blood running through her veins, and her flesh still moving around, still living and breathing, even with all of the mind modifications that those fuckers might have implanted into her head. Isn't that enough for you?"
"YOU! Mina, you are a cruel little bitch, you know that don't you? Do you know how much it HURTS, you twisted little midget, having to put up with her presence everyday? To go and meet her with a warm smile and pretend that nothing has happened and that nothing is wrong? Next time we meet, I'm going to punch your lights out!"
"I don't care. I'm just doing what I think is right!"
"Yeah, and you are tearing ME apart in the process! I think I have aged another 10 years ever since she has come to the sect! I have white hairs sprouting!"
"No, you are just tearing YOURSELF apart! You need to get over your guilt, and start working towards a more productive goal. You want to know why it hurts so much? Because you have stopped “pretending” to care a long time ago and have actually started to protect the girl for real without even noticing it."
"Cough!" A deep voice resonated from the orb hosting the High Templar’s image. "As much as I enjoy watching this whole drama unfold, can we get back to the point? What about the child and her discoveries? Have you ascertained the validity of her words?"
"If you mean if she’s lying? No. Not a single bit of hesitation about what she said about the Fire Tome or the Hero of the Flame. The formation did not even flinch, even after she explained all of the weird nonsensical stuff to me. Whatever she knows, it’s all true. Well, at least true enough to her that the formation was unable to detect any deceit. She IS hiding something though. Something deeper and more disturbing. I might have an idea about what, and would explain a lot of things, but it’s just my own assumption. I think she might be an “Isekaier”."
The room suddenly became silent as a tomb.
"You’re serious, aren’t you? One of the Blessed Children?"
"Would I bring this up if I wasn’t?"
"WHAT? HER? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME, LIFFY? DID SOMEONE KNOCK YOU OVER THE HEAD AND YOU WENT SENILE DURING YOUR LEVEL UP? SHE’S JUST AN EVIL CLONE, A MOCKERY OF LIFE! I DO NOT KNOW WHY YOU EVEN KEEP HER ALIVE, YOU SADISTIC BASTARDS!"
"Hoho, stop screaming, they can hear you just fine."
"SHUDDUP BEYN! WE SHOULD HAVE BURNED THAT LITTLE FUCKER TO ASHES THE MOMENT WE FOUND HER GUILTY! JUST GIVE HER TO ME AND I WILL END HER QUICK, I PROMISE!"
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"Lord Beyn, would you please restrain your companion? I can see that she is upset, and is letting her emotions cloud her judgement, so it would be better if she...skipped this conversation."
"NO! FUCK YOU MORTDECAI! YOU WILL NOT GET RID OF ME SO EASY! SHE FUCKING KILLED HIM IN COLD BLOOD! HOW CAN YOU EVEN DEFEND HER...NO...BEYN, LET GO OF ME!"
"Hoho, stop shaking the crystal ball, you will mess up the connection!"
"FUCK ME? FUCK YOU AND YOUR INCESTUAL SISTER FUCKER OF A “HERO” ! THERE, I SAID IT!" Mortdedcai erupted. "Your fucking “Hero” was a pedophile and a murderer! I can’t believe I trusted that guy like a brother! And you Hoho? You are just as guilty! They call you fire, but if you hadn't been such a frigid little bitch, then the Hero maybe wouldn't have had to use his sister to relieve his needs instead."
"YOU! HOW DARE YOU BLAME ME FOR THAT! DON’T YOU THINK I TRIED? I EVEN JUMPED NAKED IN HIS BED AND TOLD HIM TO TAKE ME!"
"Yeah, and he told me next morning that he thought you tried to rape him while being drunk. Do you think all men are wild animals that only think with their sausages? Mortdecai is right. You never made him Desire you. You were only acting as a sexually repressed horny toad. That’s not attractive, that's scary!"
"SERIOUSLY? EVEN YOU, MINA?"
"SHUDDUP ALL OF YOU!" Mortdecai bellowed. "None of us that knew the Hero and are sitting at this table are innocent. We all hesitated, and look what happened! And by the way Hoho, we were planning to kick him out of the Order for what he did. He just never returned to the headquarters to go through the formalities.
Nobi swallowed hard. Everybody he knew thought that Lady Hoho was the Hero's girlfriend, but apparently things were not so simple. And the part about the little sister? WHAT THE FUUUUUUUCK! What did he get himself into?
"YOU WOULDN'T DARE! AFTER ALL HE DID FOR YOU PLATED-HEAD SAND-EATERS, YOU WOULD HAVE THE AUDACITY TO TARNISH HIS NAME?"
"Hoho, stop hitting the orb, It did nothing wrong! I’m not going to ask you again!"
"AND NOW YOU LEAVE THAT LITTLE BITCH ALIVE AFTER WHAT SHE DID TO HIM! MORTDECAI, YOU FUCKING BASTARD,TAKE THAT BACK!"
"HOHO, STOP HITTING THE GLASS…*crack* OK, THAT’S ENOUGH! [Tranquilizer Shot]" *Twing* *Poff*
"AAARrgh…Even you, Beyn? Eben...yuuzzzz" *thud*
"Yeah...cough...sorry about that. Hoho can be quite...flammable at times. You all knew how she felt about him." Said Mina as she mended back the cracks in the orb from her side. "Repairing broken bones and flesh is one thing, but fixing damaged emotions is another, I haven't gotten the hang of fixing those yet. It’s still in the works. But let me ask you another thing. None of you are even going to mention the other ones that came after Lei Lei?"
"Ah...those...Well at least he held back his essence with them and did not kill them."
"And you Dare call that a good thing, Lingfeng? I only put up with him because of you guys. I’m not sorry that he died even the least, he had it coming majortime. If I had not sworn an oath, I would have let him die to trash mobs a long time ago!"
"RAARGH! BEYN, YOU FUCKER, YOU SHOT ME!"
"Shit, Mina, she’s awake! She burned all of the poison out of her system, do something!"
"Gentlemen, hold on a second. HOHO, SHUT THE FUCK UP! *buzz cast sound* [Induce Coma]"
"Arrghrborgl!" *flop* *ClatterThud*
"Beyn, get her the fuck away from here. She’s being too much of a pain in the ass for me to deal with right now. Yeah…cough...sorry about that...where were we?"
"The girl."
"Ah, yes, the unusual one. Quite a conundrum. I have also monitored her through the formations installed into the house, and she also puzzles me to no end."
"Well, at least now you know how I feel every fucking day. I have no idea where the genius ends and the crazy starts with that one. She has shown me things that I can barely even begin to explain. Not to mention the weird notions and words that she keeps coming up with, and the weird experiments, the unheard of cultivation methods, mountains of secrets from Mother Earth that sects would kill eachother for, and even her weird relationship with the Tai boy. If I had not witnessed her teaching him, and then him executing some of her weird techniques with great success right in front of me, I would have thought it all a lie.
She could cause the whole cultivation world to shake from the very foundations, if all of her knowledge can be applied to the masses! And I have no idea if that’s a good or bad thing! She’s like a pebble tossed into a still pond, and is making so many waves that I have no Idea what or who they will hit!"
"Is that why you assume she is a Blessed Child? It could just be the knowledge left over by the Demonic Sect, just like she claims it to be." Asked the Archmage.
"That weird shit? NO WAY IN HELL! If those fuckers from the Demonic Sects knew the cultivation techniques that she is offering, we would all have become dead a long time ago."
"Well, Blessed Child or not, the fact is that the Demonic Sects are moving in closer to the Blue Mountain of Books as we speak. There is something in that place which they seriously desire, and we have no idea what it might be yet." Added the Archmage. "There have been many attacks along the way, rumors of untold numbers of victims, entire missing villages, bloodshed and human sacrifices. Something has to be done."
"Three Demonic Sects have been working together as of late, and it’s getting highly dangerous all over the length of the Silk Road. It’s especially bad if they suddenly decide to attack your Blue Mountain of Books Sect." Said Mortdecai. "What about the boy? Or the book? Could they be the cause for all of this madness?"
"Maybe, but highly unlikely. The boy was not even aware of his own destiny until he got told by the girl a few days ago."
"How is she so certain?"
"I have no fucking idea, but I do not see why she would lie or make up such a claim. It does not help her in any way, quite the contrary."
"Could it be one of her Blessed Child powers?"
"Maybe...hell if I know!"
"I have looked upon the boy you mentioned." Knight Fall intervened. "His inner flame burns strong and pure. He would make a good asset for the Temple of the Flame, if you would allow it."
"Maybe. But he is too young to enlist yet, and we all know how often those in the Temple of the Flame sacrifice their lives. It could be an undesirable exposure to a pointless risk."
"Or a reason for him to level up, as it is the case with any danger. Can we test him somehow?"
"Maybe? The Captain from the Temple of the Flame delegation that arrived here might have a method to test the authenticity. I will speak with him after this meeting."
"Then what about the girl?"
"I guess...I will have to test her myself."
"You are? Are you going to use it? If anyone spots you wielding that sword…"
"Don’t worry, I’m not a moron. I’ll do it in some place where nobody would notice. Actually, I could use your help with that, Elder Lingfeng. Do you guys still have that firespring cultivation spot up in the mountains? It would make for an ideal location."
"Yeah, I can show that place to her. I did promise to take her to a leyline intersection, so it might as well be that one."
"And another thing...during the process, Young Master Fung might wind up getting a little...roughed up, if he gets in the way too much. Is that ok with you, Mister Nobi?"
"It’s alright. As long as no real harm comes to him, he could use the “pointers”."
"I will not harm the boy permanently. I swear on my Templar’s honor!"
"Ok then the next item on the list..."
*BLARING ALERT NOISE*
"SHUT IT ALL DOWN! WE’VE BEEN INTERCEPTED! AND IT’S COMING FROM YOUR SIDE, FROM WITHIN THE SECT!" Suddenly Mina screamed into the orbs.
"DAMMIT! KILL THE CONNECTION AND RAISE THE SECT BARRIER! NOT EVEN A FLY GOES IN OR OUT!"
Nobi remained frozen in his spot, as the rest of the company went into a frenzy while each attempted to do something about the situation. A leak of such massively disturbing information in the wrong hands...it could become disastrous!
In the end, Nobi found himself being led out by Elder Lingfeng, which still had a sour expression on his face.
"I hope I do not have to tell you about how confidential the stuff you just heard about can be considered. This will be only for you and your clan Head only, got it? Not a word to any other intermediaries. There should not be even a fly in the room when you relay this message. "
"Then, is it true about the girl? I...sort of failed to understand what’s wrong with her…"
"Ah, yes, a mistake on my part to give context...well, do you know she is barely over 6 months old?"
"WHAT?"
Lingfeng then gives Nobi the abridged version about cloning and the death of the Hero of the Sun.
"We indeed have a few good reasons to believe that she's one of the Blessed Children though. If she is indeed one, then she might be even more valuable than the discovery of the Hero of the Flame. "
"But...with her background...Urgh...no wonder this is giving everybody a headache!"
"Indeed so. I don't know what to believe either, Mr. Nobi. Mother Earth works in mysterious ways. If she is indeed one of the few, then this conflict is going to escalate to a whole new different level. Best prepare yourself and the Tai Clan ahead of time."
Nobi did not know what the hell he was going to tell the Clan Head anymore. This had been too much, even for him. Clones, magic and knowledge from another world, the Hero killing his sister, unheard of cultivation methods...and Fung being smack dab in the middle of all of this? The whole thing might be even worse than the Mings coming back!