Chapter 23: A Dual for Mothers Attention
Sakura
The next morning I woke to my room being cleaned by several women. They wiped down every surface, stole my traveling clothes, and returned a fresh set. This one was rugged and sturdy. “It’s meant to survive athletics, my lady.” The elderly cleaner said, when I asked about the odd outfit.
It was a set of light robes, a leather belt, a basic blouse that reminded me of t-shirts back on Earth, and breaches. The underclothes were soft and breathable as well. When I touched the pile of clothes the first time, I could tell the entire pile had been mana infused and chie inscribed. On the front and back of the robe was our family crest, an empty tortoise shell emblazoned in red, with a white background. On the front was a pink lotus flower in full bloom on a gray background.
I guess that’s mine? Odd, I have my own symbol.
“Thank you.” I said as I emerged from behind my changing screen. The elderly woman, who was clearly the leader of the cleaning crew, bowed and smiled.
“The young miss is most welcome. Please let this servant know if there is anything the young miss might need.” In a move that was faster than I had expected, the crew left, and the door shut with a thunk that told the story of just how heavy it was.
I met up with Rayce outside in the hallway. I had donned my knives, and he held his own sword-spear in hand. “Good morning Sakura. Thank you for last night.”
“Good morning. Where are your companions?”
He looked uncomfortable for a moment, and I could tell he was wavering. “Rayce. We talked about this yesterday. Call them. We need to introduce them to Gamera and get his advice.” His shoulders slumped and he let out a defeated sigh.
“Alright.” He turned and opened the door, then whistled. Three dogs, ranging from medium to large, to almost reached my shoulder, bounded out of his room and tackled him to the floor. Assaulting my younger brother with doggy kisses. “Enough! Enough, you monsters. Get off me!”
He complained, but I could tell from the laughter in his voice he enjoyed the affection. I offered my hand, and he took it. In a flash, I pulled him to his feet, and rescued him from the not-so tender ministrations of his spirit hounds.
“That’s enough out of you three.” My voice was sharp, probably sharper than I meant it to be, as their ears flattened against their heads and they sat obediently, looking at me for instructions. “Oh. Uh. Rayce is trying to do the right thing and tell Gamera about you. That means you three need to be on your best behavior. Understood?”
The leader, and largest of the three hounds, woofed agreeably.
“Uh. Okay. Good. Rayce? Let’s go.”
***
We found Gamera in the central courtyard, meditating under a tree as the lights that hovered in the central part of the chambers sky slowly grew brighter, mimicking a morning sunrise.
“Is, is he snoring?” Rayce asked.
I had to fight back laughter as I walked up to the old tortoise and touched his shoulder. “Master Gamera? Master Gamera, you fell asleep.”
“Wha, what?” his eyes slowly opened, and he blinked one and then the other. “Oh. Children. Yes, that’s right, you’re my responsibility. And I was having such a pleasant dream.” He stood, shook the dirt from his shell, and picked up his walking staff. “Alright. Follow me children.”
“Wait.” Rayce motioned towards his dog companions. Who stood, well, if not still, then as close to it as they could manage. They sat, tongues lulling out to the side, panting and whining quiet doggy cries of anticipation. Eyeing Gamera with the obvious anticipation of making a new friend. Their feet tapping slighting on the ground, as if holding back the boundless enthusiasm that was their personality. “Um. I have something to confess.”
Gamera lowered his head until it was level with Rayce’s. Then he closed one eye and examined him with the other. That’s almost as unnerving to watch as it was to have happened to me.
“Confessions are for sins, and love Rayce. Don’t tell me you. . . loved these spirit dogs. Well, I suppose that when dealing with dogs, it could be either. So which is it Rayce? Are you confessing your love for these animals to me? Or, are you confessing a sin?”
“He’s eleven!” My face burned as the words escaped before I could stop them. “Stop being gross.”
“I didn’t mean it like that.” Gamera’s own face went pale as he realized the way his words could have been taken. “Human biology. Bah.”
Rayce looked down at his three companions, then back to Gamera. “Gross.” He laughed. “But no. I need to tell you I had them. And how I got them. Because, well, I’m trying to be honest.”
The largest dog woofed agreeably, and Gamera’s eye swiveled down to it. He reached out a clawed hand and scratched behind the giant animal’s ear. A moment later, it had fallen to the earth in obvious satisfaction at the ear scratches. “Good boy.”
I fought from rolling my eyes, but I let a smile cross my face. Are all dogs lovable stereotypes?
Gamera nodded. “I understand. Well, confess after you’ve made it to Steel. Then at least you won’t be to board when your parents learn you tried to run away, and keep you by their side for a month or more so you can have ‘family time.’ They’re like that, you know.”
Rayce blinked, and I had to fight a smile. I had suspected he had known. The tortoise seemed to have the ability to know everything that happened on, or in this case in, his shell.
“How did you—”
“No time for that. Come along, children. And dogs.”
Despite his antics, there was already a carriage, one pulled by a giant gentle looking beetle that reminded me of a ladybug, waiting for us. I’m thinking he enjoys being seen as the old crotchety man who doesn’t care. But he can’t help but be kind, I thought, examining the old tortoise as the morning light grew stronger.
“Sakura, you’ve already reached your goal of ascending to Steel by the end of the tournament. So focus instead on getting used to your new body, and getting over your squeamishness. Rayce, you’re also enrolled in the steel division. You’re at peak Iron. The fighting, if any of your opponents are worth their salt, will be enough to push you over the edge.”
“Wait.” Rayce said, confused. “You put me in Steel too?”
“Of course I did. You need good opponents. Besides, your little companions can join you.” He sneered down at the three dogs before reaching a claw out to gently scratch the belly of the largest one who was lying on the floor of the carriage, belly up to the sky.
Either he’s not very good at being mean, but is doing his best at it. Or, I’m bad at reading tortuous-man expressions. Maybe both.
Rayce relaxed slightly at that thought. “You hear that, guys? You’ll be able to come with me.” The smallest of the dogs rested a big shaggy head on Rayce’s lap as the other two began chewing on one another’s legs for seemingly no reason.
Dogs are different from what I thought they’d be. I had never had a pet before. Only seen them in movies, or on the street as either the pampered pets of the powerful, or as some stray who had selected another low social credit human and followed them around in hopes of scraps of food. I’d never had one myself as Genji. The closest thing Sakura had to a pet was Crash. But that was her father’s training mount, not a pet.
Hopefully, they help him enough to even things out; I thought as I watched Rayce interact with this companions. I have a feeling he’s going to need it.
***
It took the better part of the morning to get to the fighting grounds. As I stepped outside the carriage, the sounds, smells, and sights nearly overwhelmed my now enhanced senses. I closed my eyes and covered my ears, waiting for things to calm down.
Then a soft set of claws rested on my shoulder, and the world went mute around me. “I’ve created a muffling bubble. It won’t tune everything out, but it will help dampen things while you adjust.” I gave the tortious man a slight bow, and then followed as he led us towards a large white tent to one side of the stone arena.
All around us was a fair, children playing games, adults buying food, or chatting amiably. People just enjoying themselves and the festivities. I wanted to badly to go exploring through the tents, meet new people, and reconnect with those Sakura knew among the peasantry of her home. I felt the need to check on projects, like the water wheel and mill. But I had things to do, and even if I were to just take off, the Genji part of me knew I’d be quickly overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of so many people in such tight quarters.
At least for now, I’d have to have patience and wait.
Rayce didn’t feel the same. He didn’t hesitate as he followed Gamera into the tent, barely sparing a second glance at the people around us.
Inside the tent, things were a lot quieter. But the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Dozens of cultivators, all Steel stage, mulled about in the tent glaring at one another, sharpening weapons, or tending spirit, or spirit beast companions. And not all of the cultivators were entirely human.
A woman with bunny ears and the physique of a war god practiced a slow kata while standing on a set of small bricks she had laid out in a pattern in one corner.
“When did we get so many kin, Gamera?” Rayce asked. “I thought most of them lived in the central province near the capital.”
Gamera grumbled something unintelligible before responding. “Many have fled to safety, and your parents did not have the spine to refuse them.”
I glared up at him, and he shrugged.
“I didn’t have the spine for it either. We have the room, and even if I don’t have much more space on my shell for building, there are plenty of other kame who do. Most of my children, nieces and nephews are lightly populated. Your parents have begun rehousing many of the people who we have taken in to such places. Or in the forest villages and towns closer to the southern kingdom’s capital, away from the border. As for those here? They’re cultivators, come to offer service for their families’ safety. This tournament is a way for them to show just what they can do.”
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We stopped in front of a small alcove that had Rayce’s and my first names written on a placard. “This is where you will stage between fights. When it is your turn to duel, someone will call your name. Should you wish to watch the other contestants in their fights, you can do so at the viewing table over there.”
Gamera pointed a long claw at a table on the far end of the tent. There, several festival workers were managing a small crowd of cultivators huddled around a table. The table had an illusion cast on it that showed two fighters dueling. One was breathing fire while the other blocked with a multi-colored shield conjured from various kinds of mana.
“What do we get if we win?” I asked, eyes still glued to the illusion table.
“Right. No proper contest comes without its rewards. But neither of you will be winning this tournament. That is just the truth of things. There are some here who are peak Steel, pushing towards the immortal realms. Still, if you have a good showing, I’ll arrange an hour cultivation session with one member of the inner family. I’m sorry it isn’t your parents but, apparently, they have a lot of work to catch up on. But you must earn it. Sakura if you win two matches. And Rayce. If you win just one of your three initial bouts.”
Rayce smiled. “I’ll ask for a session with Uncle Raif.”
“Um. Why? Couldn’t we just ask them for help if we needed it?”
Gamera bristled slightly. “You could. Before I was assigned as your teacher. Now you are my responsibility. Having you waste their time like that would be a dereliction of my duty to your training.”
“So you’re using access to our family as a reward?”
“What? No.” Gamera sighed deeply, and the Sakura side of me felt bad for the old tortoise. He was just doing his duty, after all. Genji, however, wanted to twist the knife. I liked my new parents, and having someone attempts to stand between me and them, was not something Genji, not something I, would permit without good reason.
“I screwed up. I admit it. The need for constant hand holding by grown adults who should know better astounds me. Still, your parents are giving me the opportunity to make up for that mistake by watching over you and training you in these early foundation stages. They are still your family. And when time permits, you are more than welcome to see them. As a matter of fact, your mother is one of the judges for the tournament. So be prepared.”
With that Gamera stalked away, his long neck lowered in annoyance.
“You should be nicer to him. He’s family, after all.” Rayce’s voice was quiet, low, so only the two of us could hear. “He’s doing what mother and father asked. Besides, we should be honored to learn from him. We’re his first students since he’s taken an avatar. And there have been offers. All kinds of offers, from sect heads, counts sons, and a bunch of others. I saw a few of them myself, while I was home and he was checking on me. They hounded him day and night for a little while.”
That does change things. A little. “Alright. Thank you for the perspective Rayce. I’ll consider it.”
Rayce let out a huff of amusement. “Okay crazy.” He went to the far side of the alcove and talked in hushed tones to his three companions.
I sighed, and knew he was right. Of course, he was right. I’m just being defensive. I’ve not had a lot of people I can rely on and, well, I’ve come to trust Yu and Ren. Maybe I should let the tortoise into that little circle too.
***
Damn it, I’m never trusting that tortoise again!
The man that stood opposite me in the arena was a full-grown adult, with biceps the size of my head. He was huge, and I? I was going to die. I was sure of it.
“Welcome to the fifth round of our preliminary matches.” The announcer, a woman who sounded unbelievably bored, said. Her voice filled the arena, unlike the crowd. Who barely filled half of the stone seats.
Apparently, the Steel division isn’t all that interesting, I realized as I watched the faces of the contestants. Most were in small clusters, probably the families and friends of the competitors. Though a few were eating food, and enjoying themselves, clearly fans of martial arts rather than practitioners.
“Let us, again, thank our three judges for taking their time to judge these events. Master Quai of the Celestial Mountain Sect School, Count Mor’ad of the northern county and bonded companion to Yer’gal the great Kame, and of course, her Grace Duchess Yu herself. Participants, please show respect and your thanks to our judges.”
The mountain of muscle turned towards the judges’ box and bowed at the waist. I quickly followed suit. Two of the judges were reading something on a sheet of paper, distracted. While my mother Yu looked on with delight. She gave me a little wave, and a smile, before letting her face go blank, falling into her duty as a judge.
I turned towards my opponent and found he was shaking like a leaf. Maybe he’s new? He’s a grown man, though. Surely, it hasn’t taken him this long to cultivate to Steel. Or maybe it’s the fact we’re being watched by the judges? Though, only Yu is paying even the slightest bit of attention. Perhaps—
Someone hit a gong, and the two of us stared at one another in shock for a moment. “Uh. Hi.”
“Hello. I, I don’t know if I can fight you.” The giant muscle bound man said.
“Trust me, you can. Mom wants it, Gamera wants it. I’m basically being served up on a silver plater here.” His hesitation lessened slightly.
“You’re sure?” I nodded.
“How about this? Maybe we just both do our best, then?”
He nodded, and his stance firmed. His shaking didn’t exactly go away, but it became manageable. I pulled two knives from my belt.
“Uh. Contestants? Oh, maybe they didn’t hear you. Hit the gong again.” Yu’s voice filled the arena, somehow activating the enchantment the announcer had been using as she spoke to the board girl. The young woman picked up her small mallet and hit the metal plate again.
The giant charged forward, and I threw myself to one side. “Eek!” The sound I made was decidedly not dignified. But I rolled with the fall, and came to my knees. My opponent was standing where I had been, his legs embedded in the ground up to his ankles.
I froze in that moment. I had my knife in my hand, and saw my opponent standing there, trying to get out of the hole he had dug for himself. When he couldn’t pull his legs free, he punched the ground. Cracks formed, and the reinforced stone began chipping away.
Come on Sakura, move! Do something!
My hands moved, a knife shot out towards him, as my heart beat faster and faster.
“Ouch! Hey! That stings, yikes!” He hissed through his teeth as he tried yanking the knife embedded in his upper arm free, only for it to disappear and reappear on my belt. A tiny barrier appears on the wound, highlighting it and preventing significant blood loss. The safety enchantments from the arena were already kicking in.
“Little bee, you’re going down!”
There wasn’t anger in his eyes, but a sense that I was standing in his way. An obstacle needing moved, a boulder he needed to push off the side of the road.
I grinned. I can do this!
As my right hand reached for another knife along my belt, my left lashed out with the second. “Ouch! Hey!” Again it disappeared, and again it reappeared along my belt. “That’s starting to get annoying. Fine!”
Aura appeared around both of his fists and he brought them down on the stone that trapped him with a twin fisted punch. The cracks in the stone expanded, turning the area trapping his ankles into loose gravel.
“Finally!” He lifted both his legs high out of the stone, and faster than I could let go of another knife, he was free. “That’s going to stop. Now!”
Okay, I think I can do this. My heart was beating as fast as it had ever beat before as I dodged again. This time, he didn’t charge forward using whatever Dash technique he had used before. Instead lept at me, hands out, arms extended. If he gets a hold of me, I’m done!
I rolled again, and he tripped on the broken stone he had created. I lashed out with two more knives before he got back to his feet. They landed along the same arm as before.
He stood and charged me again. Again, I darted away. I was faster than him, if only a little. He would have to use his movement technique to get to me, and we had both just learned he didn’t have control of that yet.
I kept him at bay, darting away, dodging the rocks he threw at me, or the powered punches that sent shockwaves through the air at me. Between each of his attacks, I sent another knife down range. Most missed him, or hit and an angle they barely could be considered nicks on his skin. But more than a few landed, cutting him deep enough the arena’s enchantments had to staunch the bleeding and further damage.
Less than a minute later, we both stood, panting, and his entire right arm was encased in the arena’s magic. He couldn’t use it, symbolizing that in a real fight it would be immobile.
“You’re quick!”
“Thank you.” I tried to keep my voice respectful, but my lounges were working like billows, and I felt like I just couldn’t catch my breath.
“I think you’ve won this one. Can’t use the arm, and well, we keep this up longer and all I’ll have accomplished is a few more cuts and bruises. And some more damage to my pride. Your sting hurts, little bee.”
He stepped back and raised a hand into the air. “I concede!”
My knees shook as Gamera came and retrieved me from the field. As my opponent walked past me he stopped and shook my hand. “Good bout. Hope I’ll have the opportunity to learn more from you in the future, my lady. Uh. By the way.”
He lowered his voice so only the two of us could hear. “You never infused your attacks with either mana, or chie. You might want to consider doing that in your next bout. Would have saved us both some running around, I think.” He smiled again and left, as I felt my face go red from embarrassment.
How did I forget that? I watched as he walked into the alcove and away from the prying eyes of those watching. Three little girls, and a woman who looked about his age, tackled him.
One of the little girls he picked up and put on his shoulder as they walked out of the stadium glared daggers at me.
Can’t blame her. I hurt her daddy. As she glared at me, I found myself smiling as Gamera lead me away.
***
My next two matches ended up playing out much the same as the first. In the second bout, I faced another adult man, someone who was serving as some kind of law enforcement with the city watch.
I infused my daggers with chie, and they dug deeper into my opponent’s arm when I landed a hit. But the officer was not dissuaded by the pain, and kept after me. He had no weapon, but used several mana and chie blasts as he desperately tried to close the distance.
But I had learned from the last bout. I kept away, dodging, rolling, and running when he got too close.
In the end, he yielded. He was good humored about it which was nice to see. “Little Bee, that’s what the farmer called you, yes?” I nodded. “That’s a fitting name. Those knives hurt! Well done.” He bowed, and left to meet up with several of his friends from the city watch, who patted him on the back and offered to buy him drinks. Or teased him. I heard several making fun of him for losing to a “Little Girl”.
I let it go. Men are weird sometimes.
When I asked Gamera about why he and the first man were adults fighting in what appeared to be an almost all kids division, he explained.
“When someone begins the path of martial cultivation, often depends on their circumstances. If you had to grow crops so your family would not starve, or if you were an investigator whose time was better put to use cultivating the skills to interrogate a suspect rather, than learning to fight spirits and bind spirit beasts, then you too would be late to finding your first steps on the path of martial cultivation. But as I have said, the Dao’s paths are many and varied. Who is to say a farmer who has learned the skills past down to him from a hundred generations before, and has built on that legacy, cultivating better crop growing techniques, and tending the spirits of his family’s ancestral land is any less worthy of praise then a cultivator from a noble family who seeks to maximize his own families legacy?”
“So there are many types of cultivation, then?” I had never considered that before in either life.
“In a sense, yes. But there are limitations to the skill one can cultivate without being able to control chie, or mana. Those men you fought were likely not all that interested in martial training as a life long persuet, but instead using it as a tool to learn how to control mana and their own chie. Developing a core if they were not borne with one can also add to the time it takes for some to begin their journey down this path. They will probably use the abilities they have learned to better help them advance in their own chosen professions.”
“Craft and service cultivators.” It clicked in my mind. Those were terms that Sakura had heard before but had little context for.
“Exactly. They use these tournaments to show their bravery, willingness to defend their home should danger appear on their doorstep, and their mana and chie manipulation skills.”
“Why not do that in the other contest? And is that why they don’t use weapons?”
“They do participate in the other contests, and yes. Exactly. After your third bout, and your brothers, I will take you to see the rest of the fair as a reward for good sportsmanship. If you can muster it.”
I didn’t like the glint of mischief in his eyes when he said that.
The third match was pretty anticlimactic. I faced a young girl, a little older than me, who was mid-Steel. The arrogance she displayed told me she was nobility of some kind. She wouldn’t even look me in the eye as we squared off before the match.
“Go get em Yang’Chie!” Count Mor’and yelled from the judges’ box. Yu shot him a death glare, but that was about all she could do.
I guess that solves that mystery.
The girl glared daggers at me from across the field. When the gong hit, she let loose a torrent of flame directly at me. I tried to dodge, but my knees gave out and I fell on my side.
“Ah!” I covered my face, desperate to protect myself from the flames. A moment later, it had grown warmer, but I was uninjured. I looked around and realized I was encased in a protective shell. THe magic of the arena had kicked in and saved me from horrible burns.
My knees gave out, and I collapsed to the ground, exhausted. My heart raced, and I felt totally spent. It was odd to feel physically tired, and still have nearly full mana pool and chie core.
“And Yang’Chie is the victor!”
The girl didn’t stay around, she just turned around and walked away.
Rude.
Gamera reached down, dismissing the arena enchantment with a wave of his hand and hauling me to my feet. “You did it, girl. Well done. First we have lunch, then your brother’s matches. They’re scheduled the second half of bouts for this afternoon.