Sachihiro

Running through the darkness doesn’t seem to be as much of a chore anymore; the tapping of my feet, the crinkling and shaffling of small creatures, the silence of the darkness. I don’t feel so isolated or scared anymore. Not that I was that scared to begun with but I feel I’m starting to find some sort of footing or self confidence here having survived this long especially considering how I was flung into this without warning.

I inhale, stepping high I float through the air over the gapping crevice landing in a hopping stride without losing momentum.

The daarkan are native to this place and those where actually armed and armoured warriors. Not that their equipment was that comprehensive but that big guy’s blade stood up to Honour rather well and surprisingly so did that teleporter’s vambraces. Though all their other equipment seemed rather regular their main weapons were quite good and the way they moved during the fight speaks of experience.

Yes, those were experienced warriors I think should be the norm here. If I can handle them and the agnatha creature I’m fairly confident I can handle myself against most average beings that I run into down here. Anything else though I need to avoid otherwise I’ll just be slowed down further.

A pleased sigh escapes me as I close my eyes moving through a cool breeze; the place is uncomfortably warm but on occasion, there are these cool breezes of air that feel like sweet nectar on my skin blowing out of nowhere. Jumping high I grab overhead onto a ledge, pulling myself upwards easing into a roll and I’m on my feet running onwards.

It’s easier to move forward now having assessed my survival capabilities at least to this extent down here. Still, I take my steps with caution but less worryingly, it's easier on my mind to be down here now and I’m moving a lot faster than I was when I got into the underworld. There is a lot of life I still sense outside my awareness out there but some things seem to avoid me now and I find that comforting, being avoided. It eases my mind.

It is a dreadful thing not to be dangerous and now I feel I’ve found myself feeling dangerous again. Mhmmm, have I ever consciously found myself dangerous I wonder? Even having gauged where I think I compare to the average denizens of this place I take every precaution to stay efficient.

I awash myself in Spirit Aura, doing a spontaneous cleanse of inner peace and spiritual cleansing that bursts outward from my skin and psyche. Flooding the spirit-energy through my body I open my lids to see with spiritual eyes looking at things beyond the reach of my sphere of awareness and anything around that might have even a trace of spirit.

There are currents of oozing liquid blackness, speckling blood-like currents, prints and marks all about that are highlighted in polychromatic colours and hues to my eyes as I peer at things beyond just the physical world. Some things looking natural enough, others so bizarre they stretch my imagination wondering what could have caused them.

Something in the far distance moves in bursts of cloudy blurs forward then stops, forward then stops. Covering large swaths of distance in the starts and stops, I wonder how it does that.

That could be another agnatha doing short teleports, or any other creature using a similar spell involving spirit energy. Or could that be a movement ability anyone could learn? I should have spoken to that teleporter about her ability more, she did imply it came with the tide of new awakenings though.

I close my eyes releasing the spirit aura with an expelled breath. Again reduced back to just the things perceived in my awareness I stride forwards. The ground has been fairly even now for a good 3km, mhmm a surprise considering how uneven was not but a moment ago.

Could this be a road?

I step to the side and starting moving diagonally forward, breathing steady, hands close to my weapons.

As much as I’ve gained some confidence I don’t like roads, especially not in this place. I don’t want to meet other ‘travellers’ or any other creature that stalks this dark place, I need to get to a wall.

Mhmm, the barrier isn’t really a wall but still solid enough that I can’t immediately get through it. Like tent canvas, it yields to my touch, definitely not stone but tough. I walk further forward taking my time lest I miss something and sure enough, the ‘wall’ carols me inward until I eventually reach a dead-end were it thins into a cone shaped point.

Unsheathing Honour I stab into the tough yielding material but have a hard time getting through. It takes a while but I eventually dig my way through ripping an opening and crawling out of whatever membrane I found myself within.

With my awareness I can’t tell how far encompassing the material is nor can I tell what it is really but I want it. Anything this hard to cut with a zanpakutō I want, especially since I’m on my last pair of leathers and I don’t think they will last long in this place. Not with what if what I’ve experienced so far is anything to judge by, how many sets of clothes have I gone through already?

I make a little camp not far from my intended project. Finding a wall to put my back against is essential but otherwise, it isn’t the most defendable position I’ve passed through recently. Grabbing Kata I unleash the spirit within me, burning through my body focusing it into my spirit-bound throwing axe. I kneel and wipe the floor carefully before getting to work curving camp defensive runes into the stone.

The trick is in getting the spirit-energy to stick into the rune and for that to happen to rune must be done right, its meaning clear. The marks aren’t deep, barely scratches on the floor but I don’t intend to be here long so permanence isn’t a priority.

It takes a while carving runes all around my intended camp but I enjoy the diversion; something new, something I haven’t practised doing in a while. Camp runes are fairly straight forward, keep out vermin, damped sound, detect intrusion, minor defence from spiritual attacks.

After that’s done I rush back towards the tough material and start chopping into it. It’s tough, it takes a while for Kata to starts eating away at it but that just encourages me to keep going. The material is about 10cm thick and somewhat yielding, it's huge as well, more than 6 kilometres long and I don’t know how height. Honestly not yet sure what I’ll do with it but I need some form of armour or protective material to increase survivability. Hopefully, I can find someone to work it for me at some point once I’m out of here.

In maybe an hour I have a sheet of the material curved out, rolling it on itself makes it nice and compact but it refuses to enter my rings. A head-scratching puzzle this, nothing spiritual about it as far as I can tell nor is it warded or magical in any way.

Pushing mana into a ring I check the things I have inside, miscellaneous paraphernalia, nothing that has any significant mana cost to insert or remove from the ring. I check the one Master Zaraya gave and again nothing that implies its running out of capacity, especially since I’ve removed items of late more than I’ve acquired anything new to add to my possessions. Mhmmm, maybe its too big/

I get to work cutting out a smaller section instead of messing up the fairly symmetrical one I’ve already acquired. It’s monotonous but I don’t really mind, this is at least something interesting in its own way. The section I cut out is about 1m x 1m square, fairly small compared to the nearly 10m section I have rolled up on the floor. Easily it fits into one of my storage rings taking a chunk of mana.

So it was too large. Looking at the section on the floor I’m loathed to just leave a potential resource behind, I sigh. Maybe one day I’ll come back for more of this stuff, if I find a use for it at east.

I drag the cutout section to my temporary campsite, even if I’m leaving it behind I don’t feel like just leaving it there for anyone to take, took me a while to carve this out. Once behind my wards I make a bed of it, unsheathing Razor I carefully clean it. Checking the edge which seems to be okay, tightening the braids of the handle, cutting the air a few times before sheathing it again. I love this sword.

Unbuckling Kata I check it for damage as well, grabbing a wet-stone from a ring I set to sharpening my edge. A keen edge, every weapon in my arsenal must have a keen edge. I check the push dagger I keep at the back of my neck, I check the dagger in my boot sharpening all my implements that need sharpening though very few have seen use since I got Honour back.

That done I undo the bandages over the wounds I’ve accumulated since being healed by Paulos way back when. I’m healing fine, my mobility certainly isn’t impaired by anything but pain if I move but pain is an old friend. Washing the bandages in conjured water I reapply them before sitting in a full lotus and taking a deep breath.

It’s been a while since I practised my meditations. I take another slow breath, tracing its path from the moment air enters my nostrils to as fair as my body allows me to keep track of it as it passes at the back of my throat. My lungs inflate pushing ribs apart stretching obliques and diaphragm out stomach inflating I hold it, letting the vital substances in the air permeate into blood moving through the lungs and across my body.

[Whhhhh], breath escapes in an extended sigh. I push it out completely deflating myself to the extent that I feel my lungs wringing themselves of air from the pressure. I hold the exhale at a point, suspending myself until my body is starved of air, then with another breath air is moving in at a faster rate. I focus on each breathe. Excluding all else, thought, awareness, higher consciousness. I exclude all else but the breathe until it’s all I all I am, rhythmic breathe. Quiet Mind is achieved.

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*

Shae

A group of Alderman make themselves known atop a hill some kilo’s away, close enough to be obvious but not so close that we can reach them with any attack. Saya is instantly in a crouch, lips peeled back in a grimace, aura blazing promising death with the spear held ready and a dagger in another hand. None of the arrivals are Solomzi nor do they have Serenity or Rayna anywhere close.

‘’The kids aren’t with them, not unless they found some way to trick my blood sense,’’ I send already spreading out.

The others stick closer together to increase resources focusing at the enemy looking for the threats we can’t see coming.

‘’There,’’ someone points out. And sure enough, another group of Alderman whistles through the air like a shimmering mirage before disappearing again like a scent blown passed by the wind. My blood starts to warm within me, my dexterity is increased, the speed of movements and thoughts, the power within my body increased.

I scent the air catching a whiff of blood, one of them has a bleeding wound and with that l track them all.

I take another whiff of the air, readying my aura I bunch-up twirling the curved blade claimed from the dead in my right hand. I forget about everything but my sense of that blood, disregarding my eyes with how complete the Alderman camouflage is.

Leg muscles swell with nourishing blood. [Vhoo] I launch forward cutting into an exposed chest whilst ducking under the thrusting spear. Shoulder charging my opponent into his friends, deflect a spear point away stabbing into a shoulder ducking and kicking through the melee of them suddenly around me. Elbow strikes, head strikes stabbing and cutting amongst them has my blood raging hotter, further increasing my dextrous power further increasing the disparity between our capabilities.

They try to give each other space wielding short spears but having caught them in camouflage I caught them bunched together to share the same optical illusion taking the initiative from them. [Ghgm], I grunt as a spear punches into my side with surprising strength, breaking the shaft I kick the wielder back. To wound me is nothing.

Having had my Blood Essence suffused about the chaotic field the ground is set, I pull on my mana taking back my blood essence and it comes to me in a sucking tide of blood. [Vhooou], blood rushes out of wounds into a twisting sanguine ball as the previously injured scream impotently at their ejecting life force.

The congealing ball of blood splinters with waves of mana crashing into those without previous injuries, cutting into them creating more blood for me to manipulate as they themselves start to bleed. I will kill all of them for their crimes against us, I will kill them all!

I breath blood with every inhale, healing and getting physically stronger from the sweet life-blood of my enemies. The humidity of blood leaves even my clothes damp as I crash through the mists of my enemies, pulling more blood from more wounds which renews the power of the blood I bring to bear to injure more enemies so I can bleed them also.

I sway in drunken ecstasy on the red life-force flooding into me reaped from screaming flesh with mana, will and gesturing hands. Innate blood magic, without even a single awakening they have no chance of defending against me.

In sixty seconds I’m steaming out of a cloud of blood breathing hard heart pumping body aching under the internal pressures. My breath steams as it leaves my mouth, internal temperatures decreasing slightly with the vent.

Saya is finishing off stranglers of the retreating hunters, the kids are safe between the border barrier and Isis’ back. Some of the other former slaves stayed and fought even but I’m not surprised two of them ran for the border barrier. My gaze falls back to the first group of Alderman to appear, a group of 12 that hasn’t moved since they made themselves known on that far hill.

[Hhhaaarrr!], Saya’s hate-filled roar rages out chasing the fleeing hunters she’s now given up on catching.

[RRHHAAAARRRR!], Didi’s bear companion outdoes Saya in volume and concussive force. With a swipe scattering the lifeless corpses around her about in punctuation of its point.

The red mist clears about me showing the horror-stricken husks scattered in their dozens were once blood filled men tried to fight me.

‘’Leave,’’ one of the 12 shouts pointing a crooked hand at the shimmering border boundary not far behind us.

I go back towards the others and stand my ground amongst them, each of us dirty and emancipated but ready to kill. I’m surprised that Vumile character is still here with Saya nearly killing him but the other is easier to understand. Liva, she’s motivated purely by vengeance but I still don’t know why he hasn’t yet fled.

‘’Leave,’’ the word this time punctuated by revealing a trust-up Solomzi wrangling like a worm with hands and feet tied behind his back. The naked man looks abused and absolutely miserable but I don’t see how that would motivate any of us to leave without all the kids.

I look at the others, in a glance I know we are of the same mind.

‘’Leave and you can take him with or we cut his throat along with everyone in his entire clan,’’ the man says pointing at Ingwe’s brother. The only thing tempting about that offer is them giving him to us ‘cause really a slit throat is just too good a death for that one. Isis seems as baffled by the offer as I am, Didi shakes her head slightly but we all say nothing in response. Is that offer supposed to be funny?

I allow a mental connection and in an instant, my mind is connected to Solomzi’s.

‘’I have hidden the children, take me and I’ll lead you to them,’’ the hysteric sending comes. That’s the Conclave’s sending method. So much they have learnt from us yet this is how they repay us for all the good we’ve brought them. Betrayal, rape, racial cleansing, slavery, theft, I grit my teeth incensed by the contact but cautiously curious none the less.

What’s he trying to accomplish crying out to us? Does he really think anyone here cares if he and everyone he knows dies? But where are the children, why haven’t the Alderman brought them up in negotiation instead of offering up this useless piece of shit for leverage? What stories has Solomzi been peddling to his elders about our involvement with him?

‘’What do you think?’’ I send between Didi, Isis and Saya.

‘’Let him burn,’’ Saya says.

‘’I don’t know what his game is but above all else he is a coward looking out for himself,’’ Didi says with surety. ‘’Keep that in mind when dealing with that scoundrel.’’

‘’They are all poisonous gulaz,’’ Isis sends, her grief-induced exhaustion bleeding through the connection.

‘’I’ve kept quiet about the other children, they think I claimed all of Sachihiro’s children so I could give them back to you. You think I won’t give them up in hopes of a clean death? Take me with you or I tell these hunters exactly where to find little Alta, Serenity and Rayna!’’ Solomzi threatens, and I believe him.

Heart pounds harder at the mention of those names blocking my ears from hearing anything else happening around me.

‘’We will take him and leave,’’ I shout out to the men at the hill. I can’t take the chance of those hunters finding the kids before we do, I can’t have them be hostages used against us. Not again.

Liva growls, the sound like an attack grating against my mind but a hand on the girl’s shoulder has her quiet again despite her protests. We didn’t come here to exact her vengeance upon the Alderman, above all else we want our children back from these savages. Priorities.

They untie him sending him on his way towards us with a few slaps and a kick in the ass, he limps quickly towards us.

‘’You can still track Alta and the others?’’ Didi asks through sending as we watch Solomzi make his way over.

‘’I can, not Alta but Rayna and Serenity,’’ I take a breath busking in the comfort of Blood Sense telling me where they are. Yes, I can sense where the kids are hidden even now.

‘’I’m slitting his throat as soon as we are out of sight then,’’ she says with finality.

Gritting my teeth I say nothing, I wanted to interrogate him first. There is so much of what caused all this that I don’t understand, the betrayals were organised so quickly and executed with synchronicity. Were they really just bidding their time planning to kill us all along, is this due to the appearance of the border barriers or a plot by specific factions? At my age, I have learnt to be patient and methodical in my planning and for that I need all the relevant information I can get.

I glance at Didi. Alta is her son with Browly, our grandson. Didi chose to settle here and interacted with these people the longest of all of us here. I don’t know what she’s been through but she’s much harder than I’ve ever known her to be.

So be it, if she wants to slits the man’s throat without questioning him she can slit the man’s throat I won’t stand in her way.

I smell his blood as he gets close, tempted to pull it out of him before letting loose on all the Alderman I can get my hands on. But no, the kids come first, finding the kids comes first.

He walks past with head down limping without talking directly towards the mosaic shimmering rainbow separating the Foothills from whatever else awaits us on the other side. We all start retreating backwards watching our foes, I control my anger, my hate but I will come back and bath this land in blood. Of that, there is no doubt.

One of our stranglers, Vumile, grabs Solomzi by the scruff of his neck and they disappear through the barrier. Isis with Orochi and Anya are next followed closely by Didi and her giant snake, taking one last glare Saya joins them with the large bear at her heels. The last strangler Liva seems more filled with hate than I am in her reluctance to leave, probably nothing else to live for that one.

‘’We will exert our vengeance on them another day,’’ I reassure her.

We step together through the liquefied rainbow and find ourselves in a wasteland of ash. I look behind me and see nothing but black sooth and windblown ash as far as the eye can see. Taking a breath is stifling, the others are all still, sooth clinging to their skin blackening them as they stir the ankle deep powder with their feet. Not a trace of the green and golden grassland we were standing in just a moment ago, how do we get back though?

Reversing my steps I create my own swarm of cloying ash disturbed by my movement, ‘’how do we get back?’’ I ask no one in particular panic already rising in my throat.

‘’You don’t,’’ Solomzi says before falling on one knee visibly struggling to breathe.

Didi seems to remember him, tripping him with her legs she starts pounding into his face with fist after fist. Saya rushes over pulling one of his defending arms away, twisting, [pop] [aaargg] his shoulder is popped out of socket. Then she stamps on him repeatedly, I disregard the scene my eyes locking with Isis’ in horror. Did we just abandon Rayna, Serenity and Alta alone in that land of savages?

‘’Anya!’’ Isis cries as Anya falls and starts convulsing alarmingly on the ground. Even as I rush over Orochi’s eyes turn white before he also falls over and starts convulsing as he screams. Vumile grunts, coughing out bloody ash before passing out, seemingly falling into a peaceful slumber. Liva’s scream has me covering my ears in its intensity but then she too passes out.

Didi grabbing her throat with eyes as wide as saucers in panic falls on one knee, her companions putting themselves on either side of her as support.

‘’What’s happening?’’ Saya shouts in hysteric panic, Isis is covering her mouth with a clothe, stripping herself and tying another over the kids’ mouths.

‘’It might be the ash don’t breath it in,’’ she sends as she works but its too late. Whatever it is its inside me too, I can feel my blood heating in preparation for battle. Saya’s back suddenly arches violently her limbs going akimbo, she grunts in surprised pain. I move but stumble then fall loosing control of my limbs. My blood burns hot, [hhhaaaa], exhaling steam does nothing as I start to boil from within.

[Hhhaaah], my breath escapes but now its the only sound that I can consciously make as I lose control of myself. I’m burning I’m burning. Sweet oblivion take me I’m burning!