Luthando

The world quakes violently with the opening of the portal gate, everything here is being saturated by the densely concentrated ether and mana of Valeria diffusing into this anorexic world. Though the amount of gain is negligent even I feel a slight increase in myself bringing me another step closer to the 7th evolution I so desperately need.

The mountains shake, rock sections falling away, snow tumbles loudly as avalanches wash down the peaks, cracks open up that spew fire and steam high into the air. The atmosphere hisses in protest as elements combine where they naturally never should. A mountain starts sinking close by; a behemoth sized thing at least 5km tall starts sinking with deafening rumbling as though in quicksand. Creatures I hadn’t spotted in concealment reveal themselves and flee, a humanoid figure about a metre tall suddenly appears disappearing down a hole a mountain away.

The others look at each other with frowns but Noluvuyo finishes arming the warding array having given out silent orders; a dome suddenly winks into existence around the entire mountain going up at least a km above the very peak. Its a medium 2nd stage Initial Element defensive array designed to keep things out but with little modification can keep things in.

Soon enough the ether coming from the portal gate fills the dome and stabalises, not going further than the array, yet the mountain we stand on itself seems to be undergoing changes.

‘’Maybe we shouldn’t stand within the array,’’ I say feeling myself bloat with unfiltered ether and my skin tingling, the rock surface I’m standing on shifting and changing before my senses.

We exit the array and watch from the outside as the mountain grows, literally grows taller and wide and denser and heavier. 16 Faceless constantly shifting or adding new arrays in order to keep the contamination contained while adopting to the dimension of the growthing mountain, its a captivating sight. My sense can penetrate the rock less and less until eventually I can feel nothing but the outer barrier of the mountain and it still keeps risings.

‘’Maybe we should get out of here, in case something blows...’’ Luvuyo says fidgety while we flaot watching the strange phenomenon.

‘’Lets go subdue your area Noluvuyo,’’ Luyolo speaks freely now that Lukhanyo is gone, I may have nudged him along as well. She looks back and I know she knows I know there is something there she doesn’t want to share with us, she smiles viciously.

‘’How about we wait for Lukhanyo to return from the report with the resources needed to establish ourselves here.’’

I shrug, ‘’seems to me that could be a while if it happens at all,’’ I say pointing to the still changing mountain and scrambling Faceless trying to keep everything contained. ‘’Besides, this could be our only chance. You never know what response the report will spark from the Family, especially if they suspect how rich this land actually is, we should take the initiative.’’

‘’He’s right you know and I’m tired of doing nothing, lets go,’’ Luvuyo says flying south without further ague.

There are 5 of us bunti-jin, 3 of whom are at the 1th or 2nd stage of Initial Foundation. Close to breaking into the next of the 9 stages of Initial Element, then Chi Transformation where they are considered true cultivators. There are 20 Faceless with us, all of who are at the 8th stage of Body Tempering and close to breaking into Initial Foundation. I have achieved 2nd stage Body Tempering, meaning the weakest Facesless has a body 4 times more resilient, since 100 years ago my growth has been mainly in mana evolution.

A direction not usually pursued amongst my people but I have been given a chance to prove myself their equal with the highest mana evolution seen in anyone under a 1000 years old in the Vale. We look down on the inhabitatns of these lands from our position a few kilometres in the sky. They scramble to organise themselves even as they seem to be reeling from the little ether that came through the portal before we blocked it.

There are hundreds of thousands of them scattered throughout the area in multiple villages between the mountains. They organise themselves, armour themselves and weild weapons that glow bright with power to my senses. I look at the 25 of us patiently floating in the air, I look down at the 12 000 or so villagers from this first village stand ready as best they can.

‘’Well, I think we’ve waited long enough!’’ Luvuyo says happily and dives down without preamble.

[BAM]!

He lands creating a crater already having killed a dozen people with his momentum, spells fly trying to intercept him some finding nothing where he should be, others unravelling as they come close to his aura, still others landing but having no visible effect. He punches through a chest, eviscerates with a chop, decapitates with a backhand, stabs with a finger, destroys with a kick.

The few weapons that touch his skin have no effect, his body was tempered through the 8 stages before he became what he is, he needs no armour. His speed takes him through the masses of them quickly, bowling through their ranks without struggle or finesse as with every shove or backhanded, stomp or punch he kills.

Luvuyo wrecks through mortal flesh like a storm of force, blood and viscera flying every which way with people screaming and crying out their defiance as they throw themselves in his path. He swaths weapons aside, scratches all over his arms and body indicative of how powerful the weapons are. I grin at the wealth before us, this is like finding a dragon’s hoard or a Titan’s leavings.

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And the weapons are already forged so much less work overall, I float one of the discarded blades up towards me and inspect it carefully, fine work but really I don’t know much about weapons with my companions probably knowing even less.

‘’He’s having all the fun to himself,’’ Noluntu grumbles and pouts unhappily crossing her arms over her chest.

The locals try to reorganise themselves and slow his progress but he just jumps over shield barrier when his punch doesn’t deform the metal. The he is amongst them again like a fox in a hen house, his clothing isn’t enchanted and is now in tethers. Knowing him that was probably intentional so he feels damage on his body.

Many of the non-combatants are disappearing over a hill running with young ones in arms but still the fighters stay throwing themselves at Luvuyo. ‘’It looks like they are running to the next village over,’’ I say pointing at the fleeing inhabitants.

‘’Let them, there is no need to kill them all. I will need a workforce after all,’’ Noluvuyo says.

‘’Aren’t you going to use the mortals from back home?’’ Noluntu asks curiously.

‘’I will use resources from home as little as I possibly can,’’ she says I wonder what plans she has with worry. Maybe I shouldn’t push my luck with her, for now she doesn’t really consider me a threat and as much as I want these people’s respect I should probably keep a low profile until I’m at least at the 9th mana evolution and close to indestructible.

We watch as Luvuyo has his fun obliterating everything in his path, laughing and roaring his challenge, trying new experimental moves to see how they flow in combination with his style. He really is having all the fun, I sigh and wait my turn.

*

Om

‘’You’re leaving,’’ she says sadly with cold finality.

‘’Yes," I say gazing into her deep dark eyes.

She smiles wanly and skips over to me in a single step covering the courtyard, her delicate hand lands lightly on my breastplate. The armour charcoal black with runes of gilded silver running through it, a gift given to me by Mizar some years back, a hand-me-down piece one of her brothers outgrew. I cherish it greatly

‘’Will I ever see you again?’’ Mizar asks not looking up at my face, she knows I don’t belong here, she knew I would leave at some point.

‘’I don’t know.’’

She looks down at her feet, instinctively my hand cups her chin bringing it up. Our eyes lock and I see the desire there, the possessiveness, the vulnerability, the strength. I never understood why this woman chose me as a lover, she is gorgeous, strong, smart with a mind bogglingly wealthy family. Any in this entire empire would gladly be her lover, many bugger themselves trying yet she chose me, strange.

‘’Is it because of how great grandfather governs the empire?’’

I take a moment to consider. I don’t like being trained like a pet by the godking of Celest no matter how much it may have benefited me. The positive reinforcement his insidious ability gives when I push myself to new heights, the incessant downs when I fail or don’t do the best I can. Even now I hesitate to leave but I don’t know if the hesitation is ‘cause I genuinely don’t want to leave or I’ve been programmed like the rest of this empire into a obedient dog addicted to the magical pats on the head.

‘’No,’’ I respond honestly wrapping my arms around her slender frame. She wrinkles her adorable nose at me in displeasure, the frown lines on my own face loosen at the sight.

‘’Why do you leave then? The time of the prophesies is at hand you know, it won’t be safe travelling out there.’’ She says but even as the argument leaves her mouth she knows it’s the wrong thing to say if she wants to convince me to stay, not that I will let her.

I bend and kiss her on the lips lightly, it’s a delicate kiss but it last a moment too long. I step away from her and pick up my hammer from the stone floor, I flip it easily. Grabbing the stone head I caress it’s unblemished flowing pattern then secure it on my back. ‘’I go to fulfil a promise,’’ I whisper and turn, walking away.

Its a long mostly quiet walk through the puzzle that is the Inner City but in just 60 minutes or so I’m leaving the gate and walking into Orion Proper. The people are mostly humanoid but the most diverse set of humanoids I have ever come across. There are beastmen of different species brought together by profession and creed, humanoids of deferent races and humans of different ancestry.

The districts are very active with people, teaching things learning things laughing and joking together. All happily under the thrall of their emperor. I sigh, I’m letting my personal distaste of being unknowingly influenced colour my perspective. These people are happier than most living in a thriving government where they are afforded almost every opportunity, I honestly can’t imagine how an empire the size of Celest could maintain itself like this and not lose its citizens to emigration as they leave Atrium to create their own fiefdoms. And they could if they left, citizens in Celest are stronger than the average anywhere else I’ve been.

It takes almost 5 hours but I eventually reach the main gate out the city and take one last look back. The top of the walls are patrolled by wheeless chariots, the walls themselves bristling with power accumulated from centuries of peace. There is no peace any longer, the Hezbollah armies have deployed.

I step off the main road and walk on the grass next to it for a while, giving way for the traffic still going in and out of the City of Stars. As soon as I’m a ways from the city I start jogging lightly. My boots are sturdy, my mana ring stored with supplies that will keep me for a month before I need to start hunting or foraging, my hammer weighing nothing on my back and the call for home in my mind. I increase my pace.

Celest is a big empire stretching across a number of queendoms, kingdoms, republics, Kraterocracies and meritocracies. It didn’t take me long travelling here sponsored by Master Acamar, more than half that distance we covered in a single step through a portal. Now it will take me at least 4 years to get to the coast on foot and maybe another few years to sail from here to Pangaea, with an imperial writ of passage I shouldn’t encounter any sapient difficulties though.

Before I crest the hill I slow down and take a last look at the large city housing millions of people, before seeing it myself I couldn’t even have imagined it. I turn back to on my path and pull on the new power that woke in me yesterday. I’m 2nd tier now.

I’ve been ready for an Awakening for a few years now it seems I can only progress up the tiers when Sachi does, or at least that’s what it felt like when it happened. I guess with the bond we share we can’t really outpace each other in power which negates the purpose of the bond to begin with. Ay Sachi, another idea backfiring. I can’t wait to see how big my boys have gotten though, I can’t wait to visit home.