Luthando

I Blink in front of the creature devastating it with a combination of blows that batter into its flesh not giving it a chance to counter or defend, it manages to erect a frontal shield with a roar of outrage pushing me back but I’m behind it with a Blink delivering a solid roundhouse kick to the back.

It flies forward almost completely spent from the hours of fighting, I Blink in front again using its flight momentum to kick it down into the ground [WAM] to a cloud of dust as the earth is pounded into oblivion by the force of it's crash.

I send Air Blades cutting in [swish,swish,swish] they devastate anything down there creating even more dust particles that do nothing to impede my sight of my opponent as again its rapidly regrowing antlers are cut preventing it from using them in defense.

I fly up then launch myself feet first into its back feeling the cracking spine as it caves in. Flam and blood flies out of its orifices with its tongue and eyes hyperextending out its body, a beautiful sight. Ribs break as I use it's sternum to dig deeper into the already crumbling ground.

Jumping off I land lightly as I again wait for it to recover slightly so I can again devastate it and bring it to the brink of destruction. My opponent is yet to give up but I can feel it reaching the limits of its admirable endurance.

On queue it glows brightly again changing form from the large bipedal one to the large four legged rain-deer one the transformation again seeming to heal it of most wounds. I jump back as the soil at my feet tries to swallow me landing 20m away only for razor sharp rock spikes to shoot from the ground where I was standing. The air pressure changes with the air impeding my movement as I fly up but I spread my arms and legs breaking through the hold with a superior domain.

I summon an Energy Beam that collides with a quickly erected shield but by the 3rd consistent second the shield shatters and the creature dodges most the energy, only its shoulder cut through. Our energies keep colliding, with mine winning most of the exchanges but I try not to brute force my superiority instead using superior skill and intelligence to overcome it so as to test the limits of my skills.

It uses wind I use earth, it uses earth I use water occasionally mixing it up with punches and kicks to let it know I can still get in close if I want to. Its beast form quite conducive for a battle of elements and mana abilities with its humanoid form agile and strong conducive for hand to hand combat and probably use of weapons if it had any.

The speed and versatility of its transformations is admirable but more than once I’ve wonder what would happened if I grabbed it in a choke hold between forms. Its control is amazing and the efficiency with which it uses its manna, husbanding it so that even though it uses excessive area attacks to try to injure me it still has lasted this long in the fight.

I grin as it again summons water from what used to be a flowing stream trying to envelope me only for me to suck the heat from the element before shattering through the stationary ice with Air Blades that fly at my opponent cutting it to the bone before dissipating.

The first dozen hours of the fight were a struggle for me I’m almost embarrassed to admit, the natural energies of the world resisting my control in favour of my opponent. I had to wrestle the ether from its control with a bit of Killing Intent fuelled chi grasp. In terms of manna evolution we are of equal power both of the 6th tier but it has the advantage of age and stability in power over me that I have rarely come across in Valeria when it comes to manna.

Of all my family and Bantu-jin of the Nguni I am the only one that uses manna as my primary means of growth while most focus on chi cultivation. At the tender age of 14 having only cultivated chi into my bones I was crippled, my channels destroyed by a Nappa Clan attack when they assassinated mother who was the clan heir at the time and well known for her battle prowess. It took 20 warriors to take her down and only because she had me to protect dividing her attention did they succeed in their mission.

Since then Uncle Kolisa has had me learning to use manna as the main part of my arsenal supplemented by the little chi I naturally have within me instead of the other way around as my people are known to do. There are lands outside Valeria though where other specialities like manna magics, spirit sorcery or Word wizardry are more prevalent and have been refined for millennia to be able to compete and stand up even against chi cultivation.

It is tutoring by such specialists that has me able to compete in a mission such as this, though compared to my cousins I’m still the runt of the litter. Especially for my age.

‘’It has been fun playing around with you but I am on a deadline creature, yield or die,’’ I say casually and my opponent pauses for the first time in hours to consider my words. It surveys the destruction we have cause as if seeing for the first time, the changed landscape broken off mountain sections, charred and chuned earth.

‘’I am an Ancient, caretaker and custodian of all the lands 400kms all around and it has been so for the past 200 years. My claim has been acknowledged by this land and it has increased my power and sheltered my descendents for many generations to the point that in but another 100 years I could ascend to become an Ancestor.

"If ever I were to yield it not just be my pride I abandon but my claim to these mountain, my claim to these valleys, my claim towards Ancestry,’’ it sends to me in a deep solomn stakedo. ‘’What are you called being from another world?’’

‘’I am called Luthando Moya of the Nguni bantu-jin,’’ I respond after a moment of hesitation to my opponent shaking dirt and blood off of it’s fur.

‘’You have honoured me with your name Luthando Moya of the Nguni bantu-jin. I am known as Abigayil of the Rolling Meadows and Silent Hills, I ask only that you spare my descendents and the inhabitants of my land.’’

I take a moment to consider this request before nodding my acquiescence. ‘’So long as none challenge me and obey my decrees on these lands.’’

Abigayil of the Rolling Meadows and Silent Hills nods his head then takes an aggressive fighting stance. ‘’Then I have nothing to worry about and look forward to dancing with death as is natural.’’

Ether collects around it swirling with the air, from the ground from the water from everyone collecting on the once again glowing being as though it is again performing another transformation. The world shakes and groans before the four legged large creature stands before me again with a glowing dark orb crackling with impatient power as it groans from within its open maw.

Mana Barrier

Trigonal Shield

Triangle Shield

Cocoon-

I’m only able to erect the three before the beam shoot at me, already dodging but its fast, faster with a wider area of coverage than any of its beam attacks I have so far witnessed. My shields shatter one after under the continuous assault that’s barley slowed before the concentrated centre of it bellows past me. I’m caught in it enough to burn though, my arms and legs held tightly to my torso with my meagre chi barrier clenched tightly around myself as my skin burns and melts away under a power the likes of wish I have never come across.

My muscles slough away exposing my shin bones and the bones on my forearms, my hair fizzles away my ears, cheeks, nose gone from my face even with my head tucked tightly behind my shielding arms. I drift away from the area affected by the attack, a smoking piece f meat spinning through the air to me caught by one the Faceless that were observing this entire time. I plaves me down gently then takes formation around me with the other nine now landing to take semi-circle formation between me and my foe.

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The lips are seared shut but my situational awareness is focused enough that I ‘see’ the attack tamper off, I see my opponent drop on its front knees then its back knees before laying on the ground dead. I breath a sigh of relief, that was a close one. This world’s tier 6 is a good fight so my limit is proably tier 7 or something inbetween the two, got it.

Even as I start expending mana to facilitate my healing its like a bell has tolled in my head, the soil I’m lying on suddenly feels welcoming, as soft as a bed of feathers. The air is easier to breath, more succulent yet nothing has been added or taken away from just a moment ago. Then mana responds to me easily, easier than it ever has, easier than I knew it could and its like the world itself speaks to me without words telling me I’m now the claimant of this territory. I can even feel the borders of my territory, smaller than what Abigayil of the Rolling Meadows and Silent Hills claimed was his but still I I have claim to the surrounding mountains above and valleys below for almost 80km around.

Then Abigayil of the Rolling Meadows and Silent Hills’ body starts dissipating as though blown by the wind twirling around and filling me with ether. Its a euphoric feeling even facilitating painless healing of the wounds I currently bare, its soon gone but that strong stable 6th tier mana evolution aura Abigayil of the Rolling Meadows and Silent Hills projected is now mine. I’m firmly in the 6th tier and I can feel that if I wasn’t in this world with such spare ether permeation maybe I could have evolved to the 7th. I have some time before my rendezvous with the others, I close my eyes and blissful sleep takes me.

*

Sachihiro

We rush through the trees after keeping a steady pace going for over three hours, we’ve left the fight far behind but I was loathed to slow down so close from the coast and everyone followed. And now there it is; the ocean serenely undulating sparkling like liquid crystals under the distant sun. Here and there churning as slow steady waves break against rocks jutting out of the water and face of the cliff going south east then curving around back towards the north. We aren’t actually far off course but this isn’t exactly where the strange beings known as Undine usually facilitate crossings.

‘’We need to rest,’’ Kuyoki says lowering an Andrew she’s been carrying this whole time gently onto the ground.

‘’One hour,’’ da says nodding to Ava and both of them heading back into the woods, Sema follows an angry look on her face.

Everyone is quiet as they go about their tasks seamlessly practiced from months of travelling together. Everyone is solemn, we haven’t faced a challenged of that level in a very long time and I would be excited about coming across if I didn’t have my kids with me still. Of all of them here only Iki is a true warrior able to stand her own against any challenge, all my other babies are mine to protect and that scares me. Especially because I couldn’t even move when I was needed back there, I walk to a ways away from the others breathing in the salty scented ocean air clearing my head. At least I’m trying to clear my head.

Hands on my face wiping dirt and old dried sweat off myself, I walk up the hill without really paying attention to anything. Getting up here I try to let myself feel the ocean breeze which isn’t as soothing as I have imagined it being all these years I have been far from the coast. I really don’t know what’s best a lot of the time, I sigh trying to collect my thoughts. Taking a deep breath I channel mana through my whole body, divided mind allowing me to accomplish the necessary mental gymnastics with one part of my mind while another casts and I project an envelope of misty water around myself.

I keep it like that obscuring myself entirely from any on looking as my mana drains steadily in some nonspecific metaphysical organ within my body. It’s like a muscle holding a heavy weight uplifted that gets more and more tired as the weight is held up. I stand there in a cloud of water I cast and assembled from thin air letting this ‘organ’ exhaust itself as more and more mist collects and swirls around me under my lose control. I’m tired but it’s all mental and I want my body to feel what my mind feels, I want to drain myself of mana so I actually become as weak and miserable as I feel inside.

It didn’t escape my notice that everyone that got out of that beast’s control had to go into the Rage to do so, and where was my Rage? It hasn’t escaped my notice how difficult that fight with Rigdis was to the extent that I had to kill him to decisively end it. Why did I not take him seriously anyways, why arm myself with a single hand axe knowing my opponent is a trained Barbarian warrior with a big ass sword? Was it pride, hubris? Is it because the previous rug of the challenge had gone so smoothly when we were similarly armed testing our skills against each other with short bladed weapons? Or did I simply forget that he is Awakened with the Rage and was fighting with his spiritual weapon in the final rug? I had to kill him to stop him and had I been wielding Razor chopping off an arm and a leg would have been so much simpler that it was trying to do the same while wielding Kata.

Why the fuck did the asshole think to challenge me in the first place! *sigh

I hate pity parties, I hate self doubt but still there is just no easy or straight forward path I see ahead in my life. I’m making mistakes and I am learning from them as fast as I can so I shouldn’t shit on myself so much. But still...

Clenching my fists I open my mouth and scream a silent scream silently voicing my frustration onto the far horizon; I was useless in that fight. That beast had us all shaking in our boots with nothing but a look an aura ability. Sure I’ve been practicing all these years but I haven’t had a single focus in a long time, scattering my attention towards too many pursuits and in the intervening time everyone has caught up with me. My head start and the advantages over most other people at the Tundra are gone. I stop 'screaming' with a huuf, my breath gone even though no audible sound actually escaped my lips.

Everyone who’s anyone in the Tundra is an Awakened now and they have a special ability or gimmick of some sort that evens the playing field. Because they have specialised in their Awakenings most are just better than me when it comes to a physical challenge of strength or agility or speed or even magic. I look down at my slightly calloused palms, I concentrate further channelling two spining orbs of water that feel like they are sucking breath and blood from my chest before they stabilise. I take a deep breath as they float above my open palms, much easier to maintain than they are to create.

If I’m honest with myself I don’t know much about magic, I don’t know much about how I just did what I did but with the exercises Vevina has crammed into my head and instincts that have come with my Awakening I have managed to do this incredible thing I’m now doing. With constant practice over a number of years it has become easier and I have learnt other was to manipulate my gift and create other casts but I could never be able to teach anyone this, I just do it. *shrug, meaning I don’t really understand it.

I wrap my fingers around the undulating balls of water squeezing them as tightly as I can but I’m unable to break them. This is water yet not, it’s almost like it’s alive and stuffed full of potential energy, which it probably is. I release them from my control and splatter them on my dry face washing whatever dirt there might be off. I can feel the weakness and headache of mana exhaustion coming, feel the warmth and energy leaving my body even as the far horizon visibly darkens with grey clouds before my eyes.

Have I been wasting my time learning a skill I may never fully understand how to use to its fullest potential? I’m good with a sword that one I’m sure of but I haven’t been always good with a sword either, and its not like I’ve focused on perfecting a single sword type and fighting style all these years let alone focus on the sword as a single weapon. I’ve been dual wielding Kata and Razor efficiently since my time in Tiba sparing with Nyye. My expertise with long armed battle axes has been improving ever since I discovered my nodachi's shikai released form is a battle axe and pushed myself into practicing with similar weapons. Since Hiroshi got himself killed and left me a spear in his place I’ve been pushing myself to, if not master spear-work get myself proficient enough to at least consider myself an Expert.

I think I’ve stretched myself far enough and need to focus my attentions now. I am a sorcerer, I’m a swordsman, a spearman, an axe warrior, a hunter, librarian, a spy, a diplomat, a minor mage, a husband and a father. All things that need my dedicated attention and time.

I used to actively enjoy training and sparing, it used to be actually fun for me to do something knowing I am steadily improving myself and testing myself against people that are acknowledged experts and masters of their fields. I used to love holding a new interesting weapon in my hands and learn interesting and efficient ways to kill or maim using said tool. I love bladed weapons; I love swords and am particular not just about their use but their craftsmanship, its a hobby, or at least it used to be.

But in recent years everything has almost become a chore. I spar with Ana and Phera fairly regularly but in recent times I’ve dragged my feet knowing that I’ll get my ass handed to me by the twins more than I’ve looked forward to it. How many upstarts that may have quenched my thirst for battle have I ignored or turned away too lazy or preoccupied to put in their proper place? My excuse for years has been keeping my trumps in my back pocket for when I really need them but what use is a trump that isn’t regularly practiced and mastered in battle?

Even in my recent fight with Rigs I didn’t Limit Break, not bringing to the fore a tool that would have made me at least 50% faster, more nimble and hitting harder. Most of the main ability I’ve used to get a decisive advantage in fights like soul presence, spirit aura, spirit oppression are no longer in my repertoire and haven’t been for years. Not with all the spirit energy I’d accumulated and grown until 7 years ago sequestered in that place and the spirit energy I’ve grown since equivalent to that of a young adult's at least. But maybe its time I got my spirit back.