“The Awakening trial consists of two separate parts: the awakening of one’s core and determining your affinity.” Zho continued to pace in a horizontal line in front of the class. Kantan glanced at Lyra and wondered what affinity she would end up with. Each person had an innate affinity that their chi would be the most effective with. A fire affinity did not mean that you were required to develop a fire core, it simply meant that you would be more powerful with one. Conversely, that same fire user would find manipulating and cultivating a water core very difficult.
“The first part of the challenge will require you to fight in the clan dungeon. Only once you have reached your limit will you have the chance to awaken your Chi.” Zho came to a stop and eyed the class with a raised eyebrow. “The demons within the dungeon are powerful, but manageable for the average human. As long as you stay on the first floor you should be able to handle any threat the dungeon throws at you.” Kantan felt a small ball of fear settle heavily in his stomach as he processed the information.
Each year multiple groups of students and clan potentials entered the dungeon in an attempt to collect power and wealth. Each year there were clan members who would not return, consumed by the dungeon for their failure. Kantan shook his head slightly to rid himself of the nerves, falling back on the cultivation technique to balance himself. “Anything you recover when you exit your trial is your’s to keep, though any subsequent dungeon runs will be taxed by the clan.”
A student’s hand went up, and elder Zho stopped with a slightly annoyed expression. “Yes, you may speak.”
“If we awaken our cores, would be able to continue to the second floor?” the student was tall and lanky, sporting chestnut brown hair in a messy mop atop his head. Kantan didn’t recognize him aside from the occasional classes he had seen him in over the years. The clan was small compared to the rest of the clans in the kingdom, but it was still much larger than the average town. There were quite a few people Kantan was sure he’d never consciously seen before that were taking the same classes as him.
Zho scoffed slightly in response to, “If you progress to the second floor, you will surely perish. Core or not.” the student looked down in embarrassment, prompting the teacher to continue. “The second floor will require you to have invested chi into your body to survive, the likes of which you will not be able to complete while enshrouded in demonic essence. Do not forget that having a core does not make you invincible, if anything it will make you more vulnerable in the dungeon.” Kantan nodded at that information.
Chi was a powerful tool, but it had its drawbacks as well. While you had Chi, you were faster, stronger, and more durable than the average person without a core. When you ran out of Chi though, you would find the after effects of chi usage leaving you fragile. His grandfather’s words replayed in his head, reminding him to run if it meant survival.
“In order to aid you in your trail though, we are giving each of you a special talisman.” The instructor raised a thick slab of ornate papers from within his robes, each runed with expert calligraphy. “Should you find yourself on death’s door, or unable to awaken your core, simply remove this from your person and you will be removed from the dungeon and receive immediate medical assistance based on your clan standing. The only other exit from the dungeon is to complete the floor and find the exit portal.”
Kantan felt a wave of relief at hearing that he had a way out that wasn’t through the floor boss. Ensuring that he could make it out alive as long as he maintained awareness of his condition throughout the trial. With a backup escape in place, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of excitement creep into him. This would be his chance to prove that all of his training wasn’t worthless. With a glance at Lyra, he could see that she wore an intense expression of focus. As if sensing his gaze she turned to him and grinned a full competitive smile. He could tell right then that the first one to awaken their core and make it out would be the victor between them.
Lyra had always been competitive, whether it meant running to their next destination or training in the sand pits, she wanted to win. It was part of what drew Kantan toward her like a moth to the flame. She pushed him to grow and adapt while making it seem effortless at the same time. If anyone had a guaranteed chance at awakening their core, Kantan knew it would be her. Tension shot through his neck as his nerves screamed at him that he was in danger. His instincts drew him to look toward elder Zho, who was staring at him with an intense gaze.
An invisible pressure pushed down on his shoulders as his teacher spoke. “I would hope that the information I am giving you is interesting enough to warrant your attention young Korellion. Ensure you do not disappoint me.” As quick as it had appeared the pressure vanished, causing him to sit up right faster than he intended to. Zho’s aura had pushed him almost into a bow under the intense weight. Kantan felt a surge of frustration course through him, but he clamped down on it. Getting angry at a clan elder would not help the situation.
“Sorry elder.” Kantan bowed intentionally this, hoping that Zho would drop the matter.
Elder Zho sniffed and raised his head, “Good, now where was I? Oh right, the trial. After you have awakened your core, you are expected to clear the floor and exit without the use of your talisman. Doing so will ensure your place as a Soul Warrior in our clan.” Coming to in front of the center row, Zho clapped his hands once. “Now that I have informed you of the requirements, we will discuss common demonic beasts found within the first floor of the dungeon.”
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At the end of class Kantan found himself at the butt end of a quarterstaff, his last sparing partner standing over him. The bell rang signalling the end of class today, and coincidentally the final sparring session. His opponent, average in height and build had the distinct advantage of range over his own hand to hand fighting style. It had been almost impossible to get into his opponents range, as the quarterstaff allowed for quick rotating strikes while leveraging the length of the staff to increase its damage. He knew he would have more than a few bruises, but his grandfather would help him recover.
Kantan nodded to his opponent, and sat up with heavy breath. Lyra made her way over to him, her two wooden short swords in hand. She had taken up a dual weapon fighting style, which fit her competitive personality. “I see you did well, not a scratch on you!” He laughed, and then regretted it as his side had received more than one hit in that last fight. “That last guy sure knew how to twirl a stick, it hurts to breath.”
Lyra giggled warmly before freeing up her hand and extending it to him. “Well maybe if you knew what you were doing you could have prevented a couple of those bruises.” He accepted the help up to his feet and came face to face with her. Her eyes were dilated with adrenaline and she was breathing slightly heavy. Somehow she made even fatigue look enthralling, and he could tell they both reeked of sweat.
“I guess your right about that, though I’m not sure how im supposed to close the gap on a ranged opponent. Each time I closed in on him the other side of the staff would clip me faster than I could react.” He scratched at his head, trying to analyze his shortcomings in the fight.
Lyra interrupted his thoughts before he could get to far into them though, “Don’t go getting all broody on me Kantan, especially since I have something to show you.” Kantan looked to her, seeing playful eyes beaming back at him.
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“Oh? What would that be?” He watched her skeptically, remembering the last time she had shown him something. A small shudder ran through him as the memory of running from a herd of angry pig beasts was brought back to the forefront of his mind. “I don’t think I want to tick off any spirit beasts tonight.”
She waved her hand dismissively, “Oh its nothing like that. Go home and clean up, then meet me at the northern edge of town. Trust me it’ll be fun! Oh, you should bring food too, we may be a while.”
Kantan’s eyebrows shot up with the rise in his curiosity, “Gone awhile eh? I hope you're not trying to abduct me.” He joked, but began walking down the steps of the school.
Lyra turned to him and winked playfully, “As if that was the worst thing that could happen to you. If not you then maybe I’ll kidnap one of those suitors my father is always trying to set me up with.” She turned with feigned deference, before giggling at him.
He couldn’t help the slight flutter of his heart at the thought of her being set up with some random suitor. “Is he still trying to marry you off? I thought you had told him off about it.”
She sighed in frustration, “I did, and what do I find when I come home a few evenings ago but some stone core in the clan militia with a minor relation to one of the clan’s elders.” She threw up her hands, her voice gaining in volume. “My father told me that it would be some great ‘honor’ to marry someone who was solidly in the stone core stage. As if that was the only thing that mattered.”
Kantan winced slightly at the mention of her attempted suitors was a stone soul, the second stage of Cultivation. Awakening your core put you in the first base rank, granting you increased speed, durability, and strength. This made you stronger than any unawoken person you encountered, as long as you had the Chi to spare. As soon as you ran out of Chi you were essentially a normal person.
Reaching Stone soul would reforge your body with the power of your soul, giving you the permanent benefits of Chi empowered physical traits. It was at this point that you would train to utilize your Chi externally in the use of special abilities and attacks. If the men her father was attempting to wed her to were already Stone Souls than he would have no chance to court her himself.
Lyra seemed to notice the change in his demeanor, her voice becoming bubbly as she jumped around him. “Don’t you worry, I told my father off and sent the man packing. If anyone is going to choose who I marry it will be me when I’m good and ready.” Kantan felt his mood improve some, and was about to speak when she stopped at a fork in the road. “Don’t forget to bring some food, or we’ll both be going hungry.” She flashed her trademark smile at him, “You wouldn’t want a lady to go hungry would you?”
Kantan was left with red cheeks as she quickly twirled and began walking down the left pathway. He wanted to respond with something cool, but found his stomach fluttering and couldn’t think of anything witty. She always did know how to make an exit. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he turned and patted his cheeks in determination. With that he began to walk back down the pathway toward his grandfather’s house.
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The walk back was peaceful, the sound of the town alive with activity with the upcoming trial. There was always a large celebration for those who survived the trial and managed to awaken their cores. They were give spirit beast meat and Chi infused drinks to give them a large boost to their starting reserves. Each new Soul Warrior was expected to serve the clan and continue to delve deeper into the dungeon to collect resources. Then after a time they would rotate with the border warriors who ensured no other clans mounted an attack against them.
People were bustling from building to building with decorations and food to be prepared. It was a warming atmosphere to have everyone working together for a change, as compared to the rest of the year when each cultivator was focused on their own improvement. With each soul rank they achieved, not only did they grow stronger but they lived longer as well. This was incentive enough for most to strive toward the higher soul ranks, though some did so simply because there was no better way to increase one’s standing and finances.
As Kantan neared the outer parts of the town the activity died down as did the traffic, giving him some needed quiet. As much as he could appreciate the atmosphere of the town, he was not an overly social creature to begin with and the intensity of it all got to him more than he liked. While he walked toward his grandfather’s house he focused on his breathing, imagining the Chi he hoped to awaken flowing in to him with each breath. The Astaire clan cultivation method was reportedly one of the easier to perform, focusing on condensing as much power as possible, instead of winding it through unique patterns to increase its complexity.
When it came to the different ways to cultivate Chi Kantan struggled to fully comprehend the difference when he couldn’t manipulate the energy himself. His grandfather had told him to imagine Chi complexity as the pattern you maintained your chi in. The higher a person’s complexity, the more Chi they would be able to store at the higher ranks. By putting Chi into specific patterns called weaves allows you to store it much tighter without having to maintain it as frequently. The Astaire style of cultivation simply attempted to amass as much Chi into their core pushing instead to widen their reserves instead of condensing.
His grandfather had made the comparison with Ice, showing that a bucket full of ice had gaps and pockets of air. It worked, but it was not efficient and would leave gaps in his strength.When the ice in the bucket finally melted, it was less than half full. Weaved Chi was compared to water, filling the space it was given completely. The difference was also clear in how one utilized the Chi within them. When His grandfather attempted to pour the ice out of the bucket, it would stick as it melted and form clumps. Chi wanted to be weaved, and left alone would form patterns. This was true of Chi that was cultivated as well, but without concentrated effort it was slow and constantly replaced. Soul Warriors without weaved Chi would often use much more of their energy with each movement and strike than they needed to. He than had Kantan pour just a glass of water from the bucket, which was significantly easier, and he only spilled a little.
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After cleaning up and packing a quick bag of food Kantan payed his respects to his parents shrine before heading back out toward the town. His grandfather had been out attending to something, likely a form of training, so he had gotten ready in record time. He was often distracted while his grandfather as around, constantly stopping to talk and banter. If he didn’t enjoy their conversations so much he may have been annoyed at how often it made him late.
The road was relatively bare, as he only passed one cart heading out to one of the farms on his way into town. The sun was beginning to descend in the sky, signalling the beginning of evening. His stomach rumbled, reminding him to hurry to the northern side of town so he could eat the food he had prepared. Kantan fingered the string tying the bag closed in anticipation, though he kept his stomach at bay as he jogged the side streets and alleyways of the inner town.
Having lived his life here he could find his way to just about anywhere in the city relatively quickly. Since Lyra lived toward the northern side of town he knew the route better than others, having come to play with her as children frequently. As he thought back on their playing the curiosity of where they were going began to draw on him. His legs moved on automatic, weaving between the back roads with practice efficiency. Kantan traveled for a few minutes this way until he bumped into a wall of flesh, knocking him to the ground in surprise.
The impact surprised him more than hurt, knocking him to the ground. Kantan rubbed his behind absently as he climbed to his feet. “Sorry about that, I should have been paying more attention.” He chuckled as he looked up to the person he had ran into. The man was tall and thick with muscle, sporting a clean shaven face and short cropped hair. Kantan took a few steps back as he noticed the man’s face, a shade of red that made him uncomfortable. A subtle but definite pressure began to push on Kantan, making the hair on his neck and arms raise.
Then man was wearing a set of the clan’s militia leather, marking him as a border warrior. “Yeah you should have.” The man’s fingers were curling into a fist and relaxing repeatedly., setting Kantan on edge.
“I’m sorry if I have inconvenienced you Senior, I shall pay closer attention to my surroundings in the future.” Kantan bowed respectfully and collected his food sack, wanting to disengage from the situation entirely. He began to walk around the warrior, but a firm hand grasped his shoulder. His momentum was immediately halted and the man’s hands were like a vice. A feeling of dread began to creep into him as the force increased.
“Did I say you could leave, Unawoken?”