Though stopped by Tranquility with a resounding clang, the impact sends a pulsating tremor through my Spiritual weapon and deep into my bones. With a concentrated focus of will and Chi, I direct the bone-shaking vibrations outwards and away from my body as it travels up my arms and out my back to minimize the damage done. This all happens in the blink of an eye but I barely need to think as the reaction is all but instinctual after months of punishing practice. Though the Resonating attack has been successfully dealt with, my arms are leaden and numbed by the destructive passing of Argat’s attack, as if I’d spent hours hammering away at a monumental mountain of steel instead of blocking a single overhand strike. Still, this is better than the alternative of having my muscles torn and bones fractured by the Resonating waves of power.
I want to stop, but I can’t, not after one hit. “Again.” With another clang, a second Resonating wave is transferred through my shield and directed out my body, leaving me trembling in its wake. “Again.” And again. And again. Such is life, trials and tribulations without end. Even when life gives me a break, I’m compelled to manufacture trials and tribulations as practice for when the real shit hits the fan. It’d be much better if I could cancel my opponent’s Resonating strike with one of my own, but lacking the ability to do so, this is all I got.
So much to learn and so little time. At the rate things are going, I’ll be surprised if I make it to the grand old age of thirty.
Long after I’ve lost count of the number of strikes, Taduk steps in and looks me over. “Time for a break my boy. Your eyes are bloodshot, means the strikes are reaching your head. Could be concussed or worse, brain damage is nothing to sneeze at. Sit and heal, no more of this noisy practice until tomorrow now, you hear? Hows a man supposed to nap with all your weapons clanging and damnable drum beating? We should never have gotten on these boats, what’s wrong with taking a nice quin ride along the sea shore? Let me tell you...”
Nodding in meek compliance, I lower my self to the ship’s ever swaying deck with my teacher’s gentle help, barely able to keep my head straight as Taduk continues his tirade. I guess I overdid my training but it’s not entirely my fault. If you aren’t a sailor, there isn’t much to do on a boat and I’m terrible at doing nothing. Despite being on the largest ship I’d ever seen, the cramped confines of our dark hold don't allow us enough room to practice the Forms much less spar, and with all our gear packed away, all I can do is sit in quiet meditation, nap, or practice defeating Resonating attacks.
I’ve said it before but travelling sucks donkey balls. When do I unlock flying mounts?
Retreating to the comforting oblivion of my Natal Palace, I draw on the Energy of the Heavens to replenish my diminished Core and naturally repair my injured muscles. I understand why Akanai likened my self-strengthening abuse to swatting flies with a heavy spear. Even after years of pain and suffering, the results are barely noticeable, hardly worth the effort. I’d be happier if there weren’t any results at all, because then I could stop, but since it works, I can’t stop or else all my previous suffering will have been for nothing.
I’m in too deep to give up now, gotta see things through till the end. Even if the gains are minuscule, they’re still there and I’ll take any advantage I can.
It doesn’t take long for my Core to reach its limit, and the torrent slows to a trickle as natural limiters kick in to ensure I don’t absorb more Heavenly Energy than I can handle. Opening my eyes, I take in the void around me before focusing on the churning wall of Blobby, an ever moving yet deceptively still current of Heavenly Water surrounding the mentally constructed room and village. After finding him in Sanshu’s canals, my standard rate of cultivation improved to where I no longer needed a Runic Ring. While I’m not sure if or how my amorphous tenant is responsible for my upgrade, it can’t be a coincidence. The sad thing is, drawing more Heavenly Energy at a faster pace has limits to its usefulness. Sure, I replenish it faster, which means I rarely run out during a fight. In those rare instances I do empty my Core, it only takes about a half hour of meditation to get back to fighting strength and about four times that to top it off due to diminishing speeds as my core draws closer to full capacity. It’s a nice perk, but I’ve found little use for replenishing Chi faster.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have and Reinforcement, Honing, Stability, and Lightening are all super useful, but it’s not like I can divert all my Chi to using those skills. While it’s possible to do so, it’s rarely advantageous since it would throw things out of wack. Over investing Chi into Reinforcement not only risks tearing muscles or breaking bones, it can also put me off balance or slow my actions/reactions since I’ve devoted so much attention to Chi and not enough to everything else. Likewise, using the other three skills require a balance between power and function. Too much Chi into Stability or Lightening leaves you too anchored or too free and Honing more than necessary to cut through metal is just downright wasteful most of the time.
I have other uses for Chi like Self-Healing, Amplification, Deflection, Sending, and Resonance, but in the grand scheme of things, I’m a little underwhelmed by the Energy of the Heavens. I mean, it’s useful, but is this it? Is this all I’m supposed to do, keep collecting Chi over the years as my Core slowly grows in size and density? There has to be more. Besides, there are so many cool things one can do with Chi, but until my Chi is able to remain Chi outside my body, I’m shit out of luck. Short of that, all I can use Chi for is to make myself a better fighter, which is limited in value. No matter how awesome I am at swinging a sword, I’m constrained by the finite range of my weapon and travel speed. Even if I’m capable of killing three Defiled per swing, that’s still three hundred swings to kill a thousand Defiled. A thousand enemies is just a drop in the bucket when talking about an army of millions. Even if they all stood still and closed their eyes, it’d take weeks for me to make a big enough dent in their numbers to matter.
I know there’s more to Chi, but it’s so far beyond my reach it might as well not exist.
With a small mental effort, I bring myself closer to the room and watch as Baledagh practices his Forms. So engrossed in his training, he has yet to notice my presence, his graceful movements and sublime combinations both deadly and beautiful to behold. While his enthusiasm for the Martial Path grows by the day, mine has waned as the reality of our situation sunk in. My brother doesn’t care, he's happy to meet any challenge head on but I’m drowning in worries for the future. I realized long ago, even Akanai and Baatar are bit players in the war to come and I’m so low on the totem pole I don’t even matter. We could win a hundred battles and still lose the war, Akanai’s army of fifteen-thousand Sentinels rendered insignificant in the face of overwhelming numbers.
To further ramp up my anxiety, I realized that as a Second Grade Warrant Officer, its entirely possible I won’t be attached to Akanai and instead ordered to follow some chump like Chun Yimu and be forced out on some suicidal mission to test the waters or buy time. In the eyes of the Imperials, I’m a grunt, a linesman, fresh meat for the meat-grinder and if I don’t play my part, then that’s a paddlin’ or worse. I’m not thrilled by the prospect of leaving my fate in the hands of others; to say I’m terrified would be an understatement.
Leaving my little brother to his practice, I fly off into the void to inspect Blobby’s aquatic barrier. Zipping around the void isn’t as fun as I thought it’d be. There’s no sense of time or motion here, more of a general stillness before arriving at my destination. Keeping a respectful distance from the voracious droplet, I stare at my silent tenant with a strange mixture of hope and despair. What did GangShu want with Blobby? Sure, this water blob can make Heavenly Energy, but that’s only with Baledagh working to gather up all the Spectres. Unless the overly attractive rat-Ancestral Beast intended to go on a Demon hunting spree, how did GangShu intend to use Blobby?
This is ridiculous. If the world knew I had Blobby in my possession, they’d tear me apart and kill each other to claim him for their own, but I have no idea why. What would they even use him for? Akanai, Baatar, and Taduk have no answers, nor do they know who to ask besides GangShu. My best guess is since Blobby is comprised of Heavenly Energy, learning to control him is the same as learning to control Heavenly Energy. Unfortunately, after ‘teaching’ me how to Hone my Aura, Blobby appears to believe his rent paid in full and heartlessly ignores all my question.
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Tell me your secrets Blobby, you can trust me. What’s so special about the water I’ve failed to Bind? Why can’t I manipulate it like Elder Ming did, crafting shields, blades, and bullets out of water? Why does Ping-Ping want to drink it so badly while my other pets couldn’t care less? They’ll drink it, but they don’t treat it any differently from regular water, so what’s the secret?
...
Listen here you disembodied puddle of excrement, if you don’t start talking, I’ll use you to scour every piss pot in the North. Maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow, but it’s only a matter of time before I figure you out. Mark my words you smug, arrogant bastard.
...
Okay I’m sorry. It’s frustrating having all this power right in front of my eyes and not knowing how to use it. C’mon friend, my back's against the wall here. Do you want me to beg? I’ll do it. Look, here I am, on my knees, begging you to help me. That little bastard Gen learned how to control fire in a matter of weeks and meanwhile, I’ve been stuck figuring out water for years. YEARS! Ugh, I hate to admit, but that cannibal fire-starter is a frikking genius. Just thinking about what I could do with his power puts a smile on my face. With fire at my beck and call, I could snipe enemy leaders, deny routes with wildfires, and rain widespread death and destruction upon my foes. I’d go from worthless grunt to named hero in a heartbeat if I had his skills. It’s not fair Blobby, I transmigrated here and as far as I can tell, you’re my OP cheat, so get to work! You have years of suffering to make up for and one slightly enhanced Aura is not going to cut it.
Indifferent to my plight, Blobby continues doing his best impression of a shimmering wall of water. Bummed out by his unresponsive response, I take one last look at Baledagh before exiting the void, ready to do what I always do when feeling down: Find Lin, the twins, and/or my pets to cuddle. A quick glance around the gloomy interior spots none of them, though I see Taduk snoring loudly in his hammock, drowning out the beat of the slave driver’s drums. It's keeping beat for the poor, overworked rowers down below us. Repressing the twinge of guilt which comes from travelling under slave-power, I tell myself I can’t help them and make my way topside to search for comfort.
You can’t save everyone Rain. Hell, you can’t even save yourself.
The glaring afternoon sun shines down as I step out onto the ship’s deck. A wooden vessel of epic proportions, it stands at over a hundred meters in length and half that in width. Enormous sails billow out from nine towering masts, driving us ever southward as our ship hugs the coast. Getting out of the way, I head to the side and stare out over the Azure Sea, seeing nothing but glittering blue waters as far as the eye can see. Lovely as it is, the ship’s crew of over five hundred sailors are hard at working keeping us from veering off course, for the open waters hide countless dangers within their depths. While the coastal waters have their fair share of problems, shallow reefs and hidden sandbars are far less intimidating than man-eating sharks and territorial kraken.
In fact, the coastal waters are so safe, Ping-Ping chose to swim the whole way south, which was fortunate because I’m pretty sure she wouldn't do well cooped up in the ship's hold. Lifting her head to greet me, she squeaks adorably while paddling alongside the ship, too close for the oars to strike her. Somehow, I get the feeling she knows where I am at all times, or more accurately, where Blobby is. Escorting the ugly yet affectionate giant turtle is an entire mob of quins, tens of thousands of Sentinel mounts streaking through the water like furry, four-legged torpedoes. At home in the water as they are in the mountains, some of the quins are so relaxed they’re swimming with their bellies up, chittering and playing as we make our way south.
They’re a real hit with the sailors, but Ping-Ping still steals the show. Her presence took some getting used to, but once they realized she wasn’t going to eat them, the sailors saw her as a sign of good fortune. Even the roosequins get along fabulously with the Divine Turtle, treating her as one of the pack. On more than one occasion, I’ve seen quins driving schools of fish right into Ping-Ping’s mouth as an offering to their shelled companion. Not that she can’t hunt for herself, the old girl gets around fine on her own, especially in the water. The Azure Sea holds little danger for the Guardian Turtle of Ping Yao as she’s more than capable of safely exploring it’s depths before returning with a full belly and enough scraps to share.
Voracious sharks and giant squids aren’t so frightening once you realize they’re just a light snack for your pet turtle and aquatic weasels.
Ahead and behind us are a multitude of identical ships, though mine is one of the largest. The entire Sentinel army boarded north west of the Society Headquarters, saving everyone from an awkward situation where we’d have to pretend to get along. Oddly enough, Nian Zu and Han BoHai embarked with us, drawing a line in the sand to illustrate where they stand. It’s a welcome relief knowing we have strong allies at our side, but I’m not sure how it’ll affect things in the long run.
Enjoyable as the fresh sea air and adorable sights are, this isn’t what I came here for. Spotting Alsantset and Charok, I make my way over to see them. Hanging on the side of the ship, the twins point and laugh as they watch the quins' antics, while Li Song hangs back with most of my pets, though Mama Bun is conspicuously missing. Waving at the quiet cat-girl, I raise my voice to be heard over the wind. “Hi! Are You Enjoying It Up Here?”
With her long braid wrapped around her neck, Li Song responds with a rare half-smile, nodding as she motions towards Aurie. My big silly floof is having the time of his life, joining the twins on the rails with mouth wide open and golden-fur ruffling in the wind. His arms and head hang so far over I worry he’ll fall if we hit a rough wave, but Alsantset and Charok have the situation well in hand, keeping firm grips on both their children and my silliest of wildcats. Sarankho is more reserved in her gawking, sitting primly with all four paws on deck while her white-furred head rests atop the railing. Jimjam and the bears are apathetic to the sights, curled up together at Li Song’s feet while periodically moaning. The poor babies are seasick but they’ll be fine once we land. As sympathetic as I am, there’s nothing I can do to make them feel better. Besides, there are few things funnier than watching two bears and cat stumble around on dry land because they’ve grown accustomed to the swaying of a ship.
Tucked in their saddlebags, my little bun buns are the most docile of the bunch, sleeping happily in their wool-lined enclosures. To keep them from running about, Guard Leader fed them a second Spiritual Plant. To my dismay, Guard Leader wasn’t willing to share her purloined plants with my other pets, stubbornly keeping them for bunnies only. If I want to feed my other pets Spiritual Plants, I’ll have to find some on my own, but it’ll have to be in secret. I don’t want to upset Taduk any more than necessary.
Giving each bunny a tiny pat on the head, I notice Blackjack is missing from his pocket. Shooting Li Song with a questioning look, she points up into the sky. Holy shit, can he already fly? But he’s just a baby, probably even younger than the bun-buns. How can he already use Chi better than me? Unfair...
It soon becomes apparent I’ve misread the situation. Li Song isn’t pointing at the sky, but at the highest point on our ship, a tiny crow’s nest sitting above the main sails, at least 70 metres above the deck. Shielding my eyes from the sun’s glare, I see my lovely wifey Lin perched above the crow’s nest, clothes, ears, and scarf flapping in the wind.
Mother above, my wifey is crazy.
Bolting across the ship and up the rigging, I make my way up to the crow’s nest in what I can only assume is record time. Waiting at the top is one helpless lookout withering beneath Guard Leader’s stoic, imposing presence, though the overall effect is ruined by Mama Bun napping in her arms. Giving the expert warrior a look that says she should know better, I turn my attention to my precariously placed wifey. Putting one foot on the edge of the nest, I pull myself up behind Lin and wrap an arm around her waist while clinging to the mast for dear life. “Hey wifey,” I Send, knowing she won’t hear me over the wind. “What say you come back down now?”
Melting in my embrace, Lin instantly releases her hold on the mast and trusts me to keep us both alive. Flashing her toothy smile, she shows me Blackjack sitting in her palm, looking regal as can be. His ears fluttering in the wind, the newest addition to my family has a contented look upon his face as he stares out at the clouds, enjoying this taste of the heights he’ll one day soar through. Likewise, Lin snuggles in against my chest as her braids and scarf thrash about behind her, enjoying this stunning view of the world with her ‘Rainy’, wholly unconcerned about danger or risk.
Seeing Blackjack and Lin so at ease has a calming effect, and after lowering all three of us to the crow’s nest, I take the time to appreciate the view. From up here, the people, the boats, the sea, and the land, it all seems so small and distant. My problems, so pressing while down below decks, almost seem irrelevant in the face of such majesty, my worries carried away into the ether by the cold winds. Sometimes, Lin’s attitude aggravates me to no end, but I envy her ability to see the best in every situation. While we sail along the coast of the Azure Sea, I agonize and mope in the dark and she climbs high into the light, two people taking the same journey yet living worlds apart.
To think, I was so focused on the horrible things going on in life, I almost missed this incredibly beautiful view.
Balance isn’t just for the Martial Path, I need to have balance in all things. I need to stop focusing on the negatives all the time, who knows how many amazing things I’ve missed while worrying about the worst case scenario?
Wrapping both my arms around Lin, I hold her close and Send, “I love you Lin.”
This is why I always find her when I'm feeling down. She knows exactly what to do to cheer me up, even when she isn't trying.
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