“To sweet retribution!”
The call was echoed as a dozen other cups and glasses were raised in toast to the words of Soar on Enlightened Wind, the disciple being the last one to drink as he remained standing and looking out over those gathered. All of them proudly wore the colors of the Descending Star sect in addition to armor and other equipment, a stark contrast to the fineries of the large dining hall in the Resplendent family’s city compound in which their gathering took place.
“It fills me with joy that so many of you came when we called,” disciple Soar began, addressing the gathered people. “That there are still those remaining within our sect who still hold its honor closest to heart, and the loyalty to one’s fellow students as absolute. That will, no matter the politicking of the high-rankers, stand up for the wrongs that have been committed. That there are people like me and Mist who remember.
Because even while the monster surge rages, there is already another rabid beast to put down. One who has murdered our fellow members, initiates Sparrow and Ram. One that both the adventure society and the city lord continue to protect, even nurture, as they try to oust us and shake the foundations of our sect, afraid of the power we wield.
But as you all know, we will soon get our chance; the chance that our elders would have us set aside, yet a chance we could never look past. A chance to right the wrong that is called Kite flown in on Winds of Fortune; an auspicious name bringing only misfortune wherever he goes.
And now we finally know when and where he will be. It has been far from easy, our dear brother Mist here risking everything just to help us make the inquiries needed. And after almost risking discovery, dear Mist has finally received word. Please, brother, inform us.” With those words, Soar gestured for the young noble to rise and join him.
Mist tried to straighten himself as best he could, aura bursting with pride at the cheers and raised cups, standing beside Soar as he spoke.
“Through my retainers, I have managed to confirm that the outcast knave will leave on a contract later this evening, having been specifically chosen to reinforce one of the holdfasts while the rest of his team is sent on other errands. Why they would choose a coward such as him to reinforce anything is a mystery to me, but such incompetence has ever been the way of the adventure society.
But he will not find his way to his destination. No, he will instead meet only retribution and his end. We will make sure of that.” Inside Mist, he could feel the year of resentment and frustration bubbling and churning, making him anxious to get on with it. To act. And from the looks of his fellow sect members - his true brothers and sisters who cared not for his expulsion but only for his loyalty - they shared his feelings.
“So please, brothers and sisters, eat and enjoy my family’s hospitality. Because in but a few hours, we will finally have partaken of the justice denied us.” Mist raised his glass in toast, those gathered doing the same.
“To the Descending Star sect! To the fallen! And to just retribut-”
*CRASH!*
Mist was interrupted as the door to the dining hall burst open with enough force to send parts of the door and frame tumbling to the ground. At the same time an aura unfolded, solid and unyielding. Not enough to blanket the room or in any form of spiritual assault, but definitely enough to announce and make known the origin of said aura. One that, working through some of the changes from ranking up, Mist recognized.
“So this is where the craven fellowship gathers,” a voice rang out as the subject of their collective anger stepped into the room. While most of it was stunned to speechlessness, part of Mist’s mind still noted that the outcast’s aura seemed firmer and more solid in more ways than one, hinting at trials overcome and temperings endured. “When I followed the trail of questions back here, I must admit to being disappointed. One would think that someone might learn from two defeats suffered, but alas. And this time, you have gathered even more of your cowardly kin. I must admit that you sure did up the scales this time, former disciple Mist. A dozen sure is quite the step up from four.
I deemed it time to settle this and at least act with the honor you all seem to lack. Therefore I, Kite flown in on Winds of Fortune, challenge you - all of you - to a clash of paths. I will even allow you to choose the order of which of your paths will crumple before mine, as it matters little. This folly of yours ends tonight.”
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Meridians of the Sky looked up towards the darkening skies above her, the stars well visible to her eyes. Even the thrill of victory against the pair of silver-ranked amalgam echidnas laying dead before her did not entirely manage to distract her from her tumultuous thoughts.
“Am I now a traitor in truth?” she thought to herself, mentally recoiling from the harsh title which she was unsure belonged to her or not. Around her, the other members of the sect who had left along with her fought in their assigned groups, but as all of their auras felt stable and thriving, Meridian allowed herself to remain lost in thoughts for a while longer.
The adventure society had been surprisingly good to them, even allowing them to work as a somewhat cohesive force when assigning the surge contracts. But when they had asked her to come in for a meeting, only to find that a certain young outcast was also present, Meridian had still felt torn. Under oath of silence, she had listened to his plan; of his ambition to corner the wayward disciples of her sect - Or former sect, to be precise - by using their somewhat compromised ideal of honor against them. Of his path and why he thought himself at least having a chance of success. And of what he aimed to do with them, should he actually manage the feat.
In the end, it had been the final part that had eventually convinced Meridian. So she had spoken; answered their questions and shared her knowledge. And maybe having become an actual traitor along the way, no matter her good intentions.
“Well, cousin, at least that would then make two of us,” she thought bitterly, looking to the southwest; towards the compound which had been her home for so long. “Because even if I just donned the mantle, you seem to have been wearing it for longer than anyone knew; yourself most of all.”
Feeling one group of her followers being thrown into slight disarray, Meridian let her focus snap back to the present, moving off into the dark forests to stay closer in case her intervention was needed. After this evening, change would come upon them whether she liked it or not. And Meridian would have a role to play in future events.
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Entering the Resplendent family compound had been surprisingly easy. Almost suspiciously so, although Kite assumed that he perhaps should not have used his training with Braid as a measure for the magical defenses of Gilded’s high society. Expecting complex arrays for just a local compound in this part of the world was a little much. While it was clear that the formation could be further empowered by feeding it spirit coins, it had only been powered by the ambient mana upon Kite’s arrival. A directed disrupting strike had scrambled it for long enough to allow passage through the sprawling compound’s main gate.
Having already received a bit of guidance as to his destination, Kite had then just entered the foyer and walked on with purpose, his aura having servants quickly scurry away from his path with only the usual and instinctual fear of the mighty coloring their auras. It had only been when drawing closer, that a house retainer had noticed him and politely asked his business.
“I have been called by the young master to the evening’s gathering, although they might not expect to see me just yet. They are currently at the westernmost dining hall, correct?”
His calm, assured demeanor had apparently given the man enough for him to bow and apologize for disturbing Kite, quickly hurrying off so as to get away from the bronze-ranker’s presence.
Once outside the door to the dining hall, Kite could indeed feel the auras inside; smoldering with the haze of revelry colored with anticipation and frustration. And, when questing closer with his spiritual senses, Kite could also feel that shuddering instability ever so faintly, the sensation easily lost within the other fluctuations of the auras of those gathered unless one knew what to look for.
“I’m sorry for what work this may bring upon you,” Kite thought, looking once more towards where the retainer had scurried off. “Warrior, please guide my hand. And Fortune, please bless me with your favor.”
Kite then threw up a recording crystal to hover over his shoulder before he swiftly turned and gave the double doors a sideways kick, the fine wood splintering as one of the pairs even fell from its hinges. Flaring his aura outwards, Kite could feel the stiff shock in the auras of those present, even recognizing some of the faces from memory or description.
“Mist and Soar, of course,” he thought, readying himself to deliver his challenge. “And a few others who have challenged me in the past, after the war. At least initiate Summer from the ambush chose a wiser path.” Kite still remembered the young woman with the metal whips participating the last time Mist had tried getting his so-called justice, the one who had also been the first to actually back away from that fight.
“-I, Kite flown in on Winds of Fortune, challenge you - all of you - to a clash of paths. I will even allow you to choose the order of which of your paths will crumple before mine, as it matters little. This folly of yours ends tonight.”
As Kite finished, his words sinking in for those gathered, there was but a brief moment of silence before the first expected response came. Thirteen auras flared up in anger, indignation and other similar responses while most gathered flew to their feet, powers activating and equipment conjured. Their collective auras started pushing against Kite’s own, wearing away at his spiritual defense even through his resistance. Had the group before him actually made a joint, concerted effort to suppress him instead of wrestling one another almost as much as Kite, he was sure that he would have found himself unable to stop them in short order.
But, contrary to the cacophony of angry responses, none actually made a move to attack Kite, and glances cast towards the former inner disciple made it quite obvious who stood at the top among Kite’s would-be assailants. That was why Kite let his gaze lock onto the man; his dark hair, angular jaw and clean-shaven face making him look like the very model of a Hua-Xi warrior. And while Kite could also glean quite a bit of suppressed surprise, it was dwarfed by the cold fury Soar directed at the one who had so abruptly barged into their meeting.
“You… challenge us?” Soar finally spoke, the others falling silent at his words. “You, the cheating trash who has tried to build a stairway towards the heavens through bringing down your betters, wish to challenge us?”
“While many would claim that it is showing you more honor than your actions so far deserves, the fact remains; This has to end, one way or another. And unlike you, I will aim to do so with honor in the way dictated by the Queen of Jade and Sky. Even if the former disciple there has already chosen to ignore her decree once before, because I do not believe that you can honestly claim that this little gathering served any other purpose than ambush and deceitful intent.” Kite made sure to keep his voice as flinty as possible while speaking.
“Lies and slander!” Soar retorted. “I had indeed aimed to find you, and to serve you the justice that has been overdue for too long. As I expected to find you in the wilderness, the rest have merely been called along to protect us from the surge still raging in the lands while we settled our scores.”
“If you mean to come up with excuses, you would do well to at least practice the art of making them believable,” Kite countered with obvious vitriol. “And in the end, they mean little. My challenge still stands. So choose who will be the first among you to break yourself upon my path, or back away and confirm your cowardice to the world.”
“And what is to stop us from just ripping trash like you to shreds where you stand?” The angry outburst came from one of the women in the gathered crowd. “I say that a filthy cheat isn’t even worth the consideration of-” She suddenly fell silent as Soar’s aura shifted its attention from Kite to instead deliver a jarring aura spike, spiritually rocking the woman.
“Oh, so this is your intent? To try and anger us into confirming your words, attacking you and losing face?” Soar asked, a bit of additional confidence leaking into his voice as he thought himself having caught on to Kite’s intent. “Do you think that the warriors of the Descending Star sect are so easily fooled? Then that just proves your idiocy even more. Because, unlike an outcast like you, our honor is already boundless, forever linked to the legacy of an institution before which you have yet to know your place.
But then I suppose that I will have to thank you as well, trash. As I said, I had intended to be your sole contender this night; a clash honoring both the sect and the queen’s decree. But in coming here and delivering your challenge, you leave us no choice but to accept, inviting certain doom upon you. Brothers and sisters, I say that we take on this upstart and show him the folly of his ways. From this day, let no one say that Kite flown in on Winds of Fortune did not bring his demise upon himself.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Kite had to forcefully suppress his slight smile as Soar took the way out which had been offered to him. “While not getting assaulted by thirteen of them at the same time is all well and good, the true trial is yet to come,” he inwardly reminded himself as the disciple continued.
“I say that we show this worm some true power; the power of heritage. When he loses, he will subject himself to be collared and brought to the sect compound. There are certainly a lot of us who would like some time to question him and hear his most sincere apologies.” Soar’s words caused a general murmur of acknowledgement to spread among those gathered. While some still seemed to be incredulous as to why the disciple entertained this notion, none spoke out against it.
“And should my path conquer all of yours, you will all publicly admit to your dishonorable ways, both now and in the past, sparing nothing.”
“A demand only a weakling would make,” Rise said with a sneer, turning into a grin at his next words. “But ultimately, they are just words soon lost in the wind. I for one will accept. Anyone else?”
There was a moment of silence as those gathered took in the exchange, with Mist being the first who broke the silence. “I too will accept! I will finally have revenge for the injustices inflicted upon me!”
The words of the young elf were soon echoed by the rest joining to voice their assent. Hearing Mist still spout claims of injustice caused part frustration and part pity to well up inside Kite at the mind which had to make up such delusions. “I wonder who he was before all this, for the corruption to have brought this out in him. The directors did say that it was suspected to only amplify traits and emotions, not create them.” But Kite soon cleared his mind with a breath, the familiar meditation soon coming upon him as the world, his body and his aura all came more into focus.
“Very well. Who will be first then?” Kite asked aloud. He had barely finished speaking before a young woman, one that he recognized from long ago, turned to Soar and spoke up.
“Senior brother, please let me! You will not even have to unsheathe your blade, as I long for revenge of my own. The heavens will favor the righteous!”
Soar regarded her for a while before nodding. “You have my blessing, junior sister.”
“But not in here!” Mist interrupted, gesturing to the open sliding walls leading out into a garden surrounded by the buildings of his family compound. “Best not let the outcast’s blood sully the carpet.”
Kite did not acknowledge Mist’ words any further, instead just turning and leaving for the garden. It was a beautifully cultivated park, with both sculptured trees and hedges along with seating areas and other fixtures such as patches of tranquil sand carefully raked into elaborate patterns. Kite kept close track of the gathered sect members also trailing out into the garden, but the only noteworthy happening was Mist shooing away some household staff and guards with body language that all but screamed ‘We got this handled, just stay away and don’t interfere!’ Many of the gathered disciples also produced recording crystals of their own.
The garden was also rather sizeable, and definitely enough to accommodate the bronze-ranked violence that would soon ensue, although a clash between most silver-rankers would probably see the buildings suffering significant damage.
Stopping somewhere roughly in the middle, Kite’s opponent also stepped up to face him at the appropriate distance, having grown to twenty meters for a clash at bronze rank instead of the ten meters back at iron. She was quite tall; a human with dark brown hair which she was just finishing to gather up in a braid for the upcoming struggle.
“Not needing to hide behind an officiator this time, scum?” The woman asked him, referring to the last time she had challenged Kite back at iron rank not too long after his return from the Jade-Sky gate.
“If your intent is truly to show honor, then no officiator should be needed other than the warrior’s agreement, no? I will admit not to put too much faith into you living up to those words, though,” Kite remarked, feeling her aura shudder a bit further in anger along with the fluctuations that were now a bit easier to distinguish when he knew what to look for, hinting at his opponent potentially being one of the afflicted.
“Words you will regret!” she snarled, assuming a ready stance and retrieving her light blade on its chain from a spatial pouch. “I, disciple Elegant Jasper, will bring you down in this clash. My sting has grown ever faster since we last fought, and one such as you will not even be able to follow it!”
“Then come, and break upon the path of Kite Flown in on Winds of Fortune.” Inwardly, Kite still cringed a bit at the theatrics, but all of the people advising him during the preparations for this day had stood unified in that they were needed.
There was a moment of stillness before both of them, as if to an unheard signal, sprung into action. The disciple had been one of the more troublesome clashes of Kite’s early career, her speed and acrobatic fighting style combined with the reach of her weapon having allowed her to run circles around him.
As his foe closed in on him, Kite did note that her claim of being faster now held true, the boons springing to life on her laid bare before his magical perception. But Kite had himself gone through quite the transformation since their last meeting as well, in power and experience both. And for the last six months, Kite had been trained by and sparred with Phiona Geller; to whom the disciple seemed both sluggish and inept.
“Wall. Ward.”
Just as the disciple made a nimble stop to pivot, sending her weapon arcing towards Kite and preparing to reverse her momentum, Kite’s spell took effect. A cage of force walls appeared around them, making as small a cage as Kite was able to around both of them while catching the incoming blade on his barrier.
What was to have been a leap backwards for the disciple instead brought her back straight up against the barrier wall, a projected strike from Kite’s staff carrying the power of Void-Sunders-Firmament and Chakra Implosion impacting her just as her eyes widened in realization of the development. However, the strike did not leave broken bones or torn flesh, but the chill, tearing sensation as her mana was sundered still caused a gasp from her, immediately followed by the whoosh of the air in her lungs being forced out. Because Kite had not once stopped his forward momentum, crashing barrier first into the disciple with the momentum of his armored bulk behind it.
As he got hold of one of her arms Kite used his other gauntleted hand, now being outlined in the blue shimmer of Cleave the Spirit, to start raining punches down upon her. Two of her active boons had already winked out when the disciple finally came to her senses enough to activate a pair of powers, speeding up greatly while also becoming incredibly flexible, enough to bend out from Kite’s pin and get around him. Her newfound freedom was short-lived however, as she had nowhere to go and only an approximate three by three meter prison of force walls to use.
While Kite held little doubt that she could have broken through the walls with some concentrated effort, he would not let her have that time as he once more grabbed hold of her weapon hand and drove her into the other wall. Because Kite could rest quite assured that his tactic would be a viable one against this very disciple, courtesy of the former grand elder Meridian.
The whole point of them meeting up at the director’s office the day before had been to persuade her to share what she knew of as many bronze-rankers from within the sect as possible. The iron-rankers would in all probability not be brought along, and if the silver-ranked sect leader or other grand elder showed up, Kite needed a different kind of intervention. As a former grand elder herself, they had thought it a qualified guess to assume that Meridian had a decent grasp of the abilities of the disciples and inner disciple; a guess that had been proven correct once her concerns had been assuaged.
“Disciple Elegant Jasper. Essences; swift, whip, adept, master. Agile warrior. No flight or phasing powers, or much other in way of escape,” Kite mentally repeated from the time spent memorizing as much as he could from the roster they had been given. Curtailing the movements of a warrior with the swift essence would often be a valid tactic, and if that warrior lacked ways to phase through Kite’s walls or the skill to simply fight him off, it went from valid to all but certain.
This proved to hold true. While disciple Jasper struggled fiercely, Kite’s combined arsenal of mana-draining effects brought the struggle to a close a mere minute after it had begun, Spiritual Futility doing the heavy lifting as the disciple’s quite lacking grappling skills ensured that she spent a lot of time in contact with the different barriers.
As she finally fell limp, Kite bent down and gripped the collar of her robe, letting his force walls fall as he dragged her unconscious form off to the side a bit aways from where they had fought. He then turned to the gritted teeth and hateful glances directed his way, meeting all of their gazes with a resolute, if slightly grim, smile of his own.
“Next.”
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Serene stood in the garden, enfolded in her aura and unnoticed by Kite and all of the present disciples, whose focus remained on the duel currently being fought by Kite and a swordsman, the latter quite obviously frustrated into fury at being forced to discard his conjured blade wreathed in rather intimidating darkness in favor of a much more simple crafted sword.
While she could understand his frustration, Serene felt little pity for neither the swordsman nor the other two disciples already lying unconscious on the ground. Because she had been there even earlier than Kite, standing unseen in the gardens outside with a recording crystal in hand while those gathered had toasted and cheered to what she assumed would be the death of her friend.
Having been told what to look for, Serene could also sense their instability. While she had met many adventurers, sect members and outcasts alike, with poor aura control, there was an odd quality to these ones. One that was quite easy to just explain away as lack of discipline and move onto other things.
“Is that why the affliction has been able to go unnoticed for so long” she thought. “Even after the Victorious Sunset sect had spread the information? Whatever it is, it is a most devious creation.”
Either way, should Kite succeed, it might help shed further light on that particular issue. So for the moment, Serene could only resolve herself to wait and be patient. And pray for her friend’s success.
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Kite deflected a series of quick jabs from his opponent on his barrier, staying a bit defensive as he prepared to seize an opening. Unlike his two first opponents, this man was a bit more cautious, and judging only from aura control Kite would also think him one of the more skilled disciples present.
In regards to auras, none of the previous challengers had been able to make much of a dent in Kite’s spiritual defenses, and Kite should even have been able to suppress most of them had the battles turned out to be more drawn out. Once, he had even felt an aura from one of the bystanders trying to subtly pressure him as well in an attempt to aid his comrade, but a quick glance and a bit of the attention from Spirit Singularity directed towards the disciple had caused the attempt to quickly cease.
The sword of Kite’s foe soon became wreathed in a dark sheen, energy condensing to something not unlike obsidian as the swordsman made a powerful downward slash. Sensing the disrupting force ready to burst from within the glossy darkness, Kite only feinted at raising his barrier to defend, having the disc of force vanish in the last moment before contact. The descending blade instead met Kite’s staff which appeared in his right hand, Pattern-shattering counter shredding the gathered energies of the special attack while the staff, ever durable and excellent at absorbing impact, barely moved in response to the collision.
Meanwhile, Kite’s other hand was already moving to counterattack, his gauntleted hand striking out towards the man’s wrist. More mana was forced from Kite’s foe as Chakra Implosion did its work, but there was another effect left behind as well. Because the gauntlet on Kite’s left hand did not match the rest of his armor.
Instead of the teal jade color, it was made from a matte, brassy metal with articulated sharp ridges covering the joints and the edges of the fingers being slightly sharpened. It was what Kite had received, or rather bargained for, at the end of his short stay with sect leader Dusk of the Victorious Sunset sect. As Kite activated its power, he could feel the mark now left on his opponent in addition to the afflictions of Chakra Implosion; the mana drain now also accompanied by the still rather unfamiliar sensation of draining a bit of stamina as well.
Kite had been quite surprised when sect leader Dusk had brought him back to her solar, only for her to open one of the finely crafted wooden armoires standing along a back wall. Inside Kite had seen several pieces of equipment; rings, amulets and pieces of armor. They were all iron or bronze rank, although he could not glean anything more from the glance he was shown before Dusk had picked up the very gauntlet he now wore on his left hand.
“This was one of my most faithful companions during bronze rank,” she had explained. “It served me through some of the most arduous trials I have ever experienced, giving me the endurance needed to persevere. And from what you have told me, endurance is something which you will sorely need if you truly aim to challenge those that have started seeking you out. Doing like you intend, a grand series of clashes to truly prove your superiority, is mostly spoken of in stories and fables. For good reason.
Facing opponent after opponent will let them go all out against you while you must conserve your strength. And I would offer you to bargain for this gauntlet, as it will most certainly help your path in that regard.”
Kite had looked from the gauntlet back to the sect leader. “And what do you want in return?”
“As I said before, the karmic debt between us is one of actions, not of the material. As such, I will want something in return to keep our karma from growing even more out of balance.”
“Then-”
“Pay me one bronze spirit coin, and this keepsake is yours.” At Kite’s stunned silence after she had named her prize, sect leader Dusk once more showed one of her rare smiles. “After all, just knowing who you will use it upon is already worth quite a lot to me,” she finished, smile turning into a vicious grin.
And so far during his battles with the disciples of the Descending Star sect, Kite had already seen the worth of both her training and bargain. Because while Kite’s powers used little to no stamina in and of themselves, fighting was always strenuous. Bronze-ranked constitution helped a lot, but facing over a dozen foes in intense duels in quick succession would still risk wearing one down. The effects of Kite’s armor and new gauntlet had so far been able to alleviate this problem quite a lot, making it worth Kite’s while to get into close combat and get at least one good touch on his opponents.
Therefore, even if the third duel proved to be the most drawn out so far by a good margin, Kite’s own attacks, further tempered by his short training with sect leader Dusk, and the plentiful hits impacting his barriers eventually caused even the swordsman to become sluggish enough for Kite to finish him with an empowered Chakra Implosion. Dragging his fallen foe off to the side to join his two comrades, Kite also had Sage spend one of its charges to cleanse him from some of the bleeding afflictions which some of his opponent’s light hits had left behind.
Straightening once more and regarding the number of people still left, Kite inwardly winced. “This will surely get worse before it gets better,” he thought to himself as he stepped back in position and spoke.
“Next.”