Initiation
Heian Ciemnosc was now standing on the lounge, which was much better lit and with dozens of people within it. Despite the number of people in it, it was mostly empty. Heian Ciemnosc could tell only the most influential in the club were there. Many of them had the dog with their jaws wide open and drooling, and only a few had their dog ferociously biting. The former signified a more outstanding status, and the latter a lower one within the Saberbone Diabolical Club from what it looked like.
Elena left his side from the left, stepping into the crowd of people looking at him. Heian Ciemnosc didn’t look nervous but was interested instead as he looked at the different Races and high-ranked members within the club. And as everyone seemed to look at him, Heian Ciemnosc remembered Elena’s description of Arla, and quickly found a big bad wolf staring at her. Not an actual wolf nor Beast wolf, but a pair of eyes that would simply make his body feel pain in a way he still hasn’t been taught. One of the many things left to discover.
She wasn’t tall and was even somewhat short. Pale skin, but with a creaminess to it that added more sensuality that she already naturally exuded. She had a few moles around her cleavage, whose breasts were small but still ampler and pointy than Elena’s, and a couple below the left corner of her mouth. As she looked at him 2 meters away, she looked as if holding herself back quite a lot, trembling as she restrained herself to only look at Heian Ciemnosc.
Then, there was Frank, taking a good spot which distanced him from the rest of the crowd. When Heian Ciemnosc set his eyes on Frank after fearlessly meeting Arla’s eyes without trembling legs. Frank placed his palms together and spoke with a slightly commanding voice, “Welcome to the Saberbone Diabolical Club’s headquarters, Heian Ciemnosc. But they can only be called your home if you join our club. Will you?”
“... Oh, sure.” Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes darted around. He limited himself to look at them with his eyes, knowing very well all of these people can be above the First Step and have already broken through the Second Step!
“Wooo!” - “Hurray” - “Kyaah!” There were some type of congratulatory cheers, but they lasted for 3 seconds before silencing themselves. Frank took another set of steps forward and came to stand right before Heian Ciemnosc. With a swing, a bunch of jackets came from Frank’s Covert Space bag, and he passed them over to Heian Ciemnosc, who could only lift his hands to receive and remain like that awkwardly.
“Your shown talent is rough for us to invite you into the Saberbon Diabolical Club, Heian Ciemnosc. But to be accepted by everyone, there’s still the need for you directly showing that talent, your worth.” Frank stepped back and gestured to Heian Ciemnosc to put the jacket on. It was a blackish, hide-like but just fabric jacket the exact same size Heian Ciemnosc needed.
Rustle~. After Heian Ciemnosc put it on, he felt like some cool kid with the refreshing jacket trying to fill his senses and the other cool kids looking at him testingly, somewhat silly. He understood the need for many jackets. After all, when coming out for missions, it was completely acceptable to wear one’s club uniform by the Academy. Only. They had to wear it above their Wrath Nihility Academy’s uniform, and it could never fully cover it.
His thin shoulder pads were of a ferocious dog biting. The cape of flames behind it looked as destructive as Heian Ciemnosc saw it from previously today and now on a few other members. Hearing steps from behind, Heian Ciemnosc noticed the 2 beauties from before were entering the lounge to farm part of the celebration. Frank then spoke again, a bit helpless.
“You… don’t have any Covert Space bag, do you?”
Heian Ciemnosc shook his head, and Frank simply lowered his head but kept his eyes up as if embarrassed but also understanding. Then he said, “Well, tough times ahead. Make sure to get at least one in less than a month. We’ll bring you to do some real tough missions outside the Blackotia Kingdom… if you manage to enter the club tomorrow with the test.”
Heian Ciemnosc blinked profusely in response, feeling ‘sad’ there wasn’t a free Covert Space bag for him for being so special and unique. It was rather unfair to be so good at being the envy in everyone’s eyes.
Clap, clap. Frank suddenly clapped with his arms going as higher up as possible. The illumination of the lounge flickered twice in correlation to his slaps in the air. The room seemed to turn dangerous as males had extremely cheeky grins, and a specific young woman among the many, with short stature, lifted her eyebrows and puckered her lips out. Instantly, she shouted as she lifted her right arm and closed her eyes shut.
“Nobody’s to think of me until I say so!” Then she lowered her head, her eyes determined and steely as if she were to die in her next move. “I have a special guest to slowly seduce.”
Nobody dared not listen to her. Her cultivation base was already unreadable, and the other guys immediately went on to drink and chat with other pals as soon as she gave such a declaration.
“...” More blinking continued as Elena brought him over to a couch. Frank sat in the middle while Heian Ciemnosc sat to his right, and Elena sat to Heian Ciemnosc’s right. Finally, just as they were going to start chatting and Heian Ciemnosc was about to elaborate, Arla came hurrying and wordlessly jumped in the air. Her bum slid through the air, legs closed together, and her trajectory put her straight on Heian Ciemnosc’s lap.
“...?” Heian Ciemnosc’s left eyebrow jumped. The young girl-looking young woman, short and small in certain aspects, was right on top of him but wasn’t making any advances. Whether it was necessary anymore, she simply sat on his lap without doing anything else and gave her back to Elena. With a thin, simple smile, she looked directly at Heian Ciemnosc with her round, large black almond eyes. “Nice to meet you, I’m Arla. One of the Club’s secret weapons.”
“Oh, for what?” Heian Ciemnosc kept his words from before in and played a little, his eyebrows and facial expression relaxed. Meanwhile, Elena peeked from below at him, curious to see his expertly harlot-management demeanor. Arla did understand his meaning, and she smiled even more brightly, showing her canines, “I’ll have you know I refused to become a leader of the club, and Frank ended up as it. Without me, this lil’ boy wouldn’t have become a leader so early on.”
“I mean, just look at him, doesn’t he look kinda cute? He is one of my husband candidates 100 years from now. If he isn’t too dumb, he will be all my prey.” Arla nodded like an uncle trying to show off to their nephew. Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes interest grew a little. Arla continued, “If it wasn’t because I had to stop my bonding activities with my club members, honorable and hard-working, I would’ve become the leader. I’m unlike Little Elena over here, who says she’ll only see one dick in her entire life, yuck!”
“...” - “...” Elena scrunched her little nose up, looked at the back of Arla’s head, and appeared as cute as an angry puppy with tons of fur. Arla felt that and Heian Ciemnosc’s speechlessness. But she continued, “After you get a bite, you’ll want more. So, since it is you. You should adore and enjoy it while you can and not take too much to start having fun with me, aight?”
“... Oh. But now I’m curious. Am I one of your candidate husbands like Frank?” Heian Ciemnosc didn’t nod but exclaimed with a seemingly soulless ‘oh’ before asking her. Arla pouted and wrangled her left eyebrow. After a bit, she slapped his left shoulder, smiled big and brightly, and showed her unmistakable beauty to him, “You’re not in my eyes, only my kitty’s eyes. Hey, if anything, I see your potential and think it’ll be fine to encourage you, you know?”
“Mmn mn, alright. Then thank you, Arla, for your heavy efforts,” Heian Ciemnosc said. His hands were placed on her lower thighs as he thanked her smoothly, his words surprising her now widened eyes as she felt charmed. With a rare blush on her face outside bed, Arla nodded and then patted Heian Ciemnosc’s top of his head twice with her left hand before standing up from his lap.
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Stepping away from the sofa, Arla gave Elena a mischievous wink before suddenly rushing into a group of fellas getting drunk. Heian Ciemnosc blinked several times as he slowly saw them worship a goddess and move over to what could very well be a room.
“Huh, I didn’t know that!” Frank suddenly said at this time, looking at the air. Elena and Heian Ciemnosc looked at him, to which he then elaborated. “No wonder she let me kiss her all the time in- well, that. I thought she was just like that to all leaders! No wonder the other 2 looked at me weirdly when I told them… huh.”
Frank looked like a boy who suddenly got to understand girls. Heian Ciemnosc looked at him pitifully, and Elena rolled her eyes in disbelief and in hopes this leader of the club would grow a heart-shaped brain faster than possible… on the leader’s terms.
“Oh, mn. Careful, that’s the attitude and behavior of someone who loses their woman in the end.” Heian Ciemnosc advised, his darkest eyes staring straight into Frank’s eyes as Frank drank from his glass. Frank slowly put his glass down, turning his head to face Heian Ciemnosc, and said with glimpses of truth, “Mm! You’re right. I have to be careful.”
“Are you really interested in her?” Heian Ciemnosc tilted his head to the left, and Frank looked at him with widened eyes. “Err… I also go around.”
“...” Though that wasn’t what Heian Ciemnosc was referring to, that answer was okay. Heian Ciemnosc somewhat got an indirect answer, at least. Heian Ciemnosc then cleared his throat and tried to say something, but before he could start, Frank gestured towards him and won him to it. “You have something to say. Go ahead.”
“Oh… Tomorrow I can’t do the test, nor the rest of the week. I have a job to do still.” Heian Ciemnosc said. Frank was slightly taken aback and then asked, “The whole week? With whom? Maybe that can be worked out. Our Saberbone Diabolical Club is something.”
“Teacher Puru,” Heian Ciemnosc answered. But he didn’t want to stop doing the job. Doing so would mean no free cultivation meditation and no convergence of pure energy. What’s worse, he wouldn’t have a new book to read! And he couldn’t see Teacher Puru’s hot girlfriend tease him! It felt nice, the attention…
“Oh, never mind.” But Frank gave Heian Ciemnosc hope, as the former immediately dropped the subject. Heian Ciemnosc was already smiling inside, but Frank felt like elaborating more. “He’s- ah, we can wait a week. There won’t be tough missions until the 3rd month. We can wait…”
“Why? Is Teacher Puru scary?” Heian Ciemnosc asked with a calm voice and looked back at Elena. She had grabbed his right hand and began playing with his hands, also seemingly barely knowing who his employer was as she massaged his fingers, her eyes lost in thought for some reason. Frank jumped his eyebrows and tilted his head directly to the left suggestively.
“Scary? Well yeah. But, respectable? Tons.” Frank drank his glass up, leaving it empty. “Heian Ciemnosc, Teacher Puru is one of the Wrath Nihility Academy’s most precious Teachers. He might not be near becoming a Supervisor with his personal strength and cultivation or talent. But below the Dean level, he is the best strategist of the entire Academy.”
“He is known for being an allrounder. Be it land forces, navy, or armada. He has it all. In the 10 year war, I fought under him a couple times. Each one, I ended up in bed for a month. Not because of the enemies I fought and what I suffered from their weapons. But because of the heavy workload I had to do as a ‘useless’ First Step cultivator back then. Even within the war of Second Step, I could be some heavy loader, moving and building things like crazy.”
“I never did stuff like that, and I realized how trifling my cultivation had been back then. Without those experiences, my cultivation base might’ve still been at the First Step.” Frank nodded and tilted his head several times while leaning forwards. His respect could only be measured by one’s eyes, as he contained many emotions, from gratitude to reverence.
“Just don’t try to tell him you are interested in knowing more about fights and battles, or you’ll end up like me. I’ve heard some fellow veterans of war have asked him that, fellow students. Nowadays, they are nothing more than potato sacks left to rot in their beds. Even their mental exhaustion made them go into a coma. It’s crazy stuff.”
“Oh no…” Frank didn’t notice until he heard Elena’s worried exclamation as she held Heian Ciemnosc’s right hand almost to her chest. Frank immediately saw Heian Ciemnosc’s face. Those darkest eyes shone, and his facial expression was the same as not knowing the immensity between heaven and earth. This kid was crazy!
“Ahem, well, anyways. Next week, your test. Understood?” Frank had made a grave mistake, but there was no coming back. Who knew this talented in cultivation, allrounder Craftsman was also a tactic and strategy knowledge-hungry?!
“Mn!” Heian Ciemnosc nodded. His right hand returned to his leg, still with Elena’s hands grabbing it. When she noticed where her hands were, she blushed while looking down, slowly letting go of his hand as Frank brought some drinks from the table. He gave 2 to Heian Ciemnosc and another one to Elena, she was still too small, and even though Frank could read Heian Ciemnosc’s age, he gave no fucks. He was a maaaaan!
… The entirety of the night was a crazy drinking session. It didn’t take long for Heian Ciemnosc to hear the powerful thumps and thuds of a certain nearby room, along with many growls of different faces and moans of the same young woman. Elena and Heian Ciemnosc were left alone after a sweaty Arla came back, with only her sweat, though, and put her hands in Frank’s pants before, quite literally, pulling him into another room.
The rest of the males reappeared, acting normally, like it was an everyday occurrence. Heian Ciemnosc looked at Elena for answers, but all she gave him was a little smile and a shrug of her shoulders. For the rest of the night, he and she chatted slowly, drank slowly, and compared theoretical fight experiences, especially in duels.
Elena became increasingly interested in Heian Ciemnosc’s experience. He was such a skillful fighter, after all. He was all melee and didn’t seem to use any weapon, for that matter. She was practically Elena’s interest and intrigue as it seemed like she and her master used polearms at the very least.
She had grown too interested and fangirly than Heian Ciemnosc expected, perhaps. But Heian Ciemnosc couldn’t stop himself and continued to tell her of all his experiences, even when he had to painfully turn back to those lasting memories. Seeing her smile and stupid, dumb brown eyes all focused like he is whenever he saw Obsidiafying realm raw flesh at the Spirit Gathering realm was a— more than —good exchange.
The lounge was about 200 meters big. It had several steps, from which a set of furniture decorated every step as it went higher and higher until the last, upper step. Which led to a door that directly opened to stairs going to the highest floor of this building, which was the central building in the headquarters.
At the center of the lounge, the Everburning Flame illuminated most of the room. There were lamps all around, unique to the club. But only the Everburning Flame was wholly lighting the lounge up. There were low-stature couches and puffs of all colors, but mostly of orange, yellow, and red. Anything that gave some twinges of fire as a color was there, with the occasional green or black, even purple and pink.
There were also small tables in front of every piece of furniture, while the east, south, north, and west of each step had a large table containing all the food and drinks possible. It was comfortable to a level; Heian Ciemnosc never imagined a club such as this, with such reputation and veneration from students and staff members alike, could be seen as easygoing as now. Of course, Heian Ciemnosc also knew every one of these people was powerful to extremes he couldn’t comprehend yet.
There were citizens in the celebration as well. But they couldn’t accompany the celebration for long, needing to sleep soon after enjoying a bit. Thus, the lounge was filled with cultivators, though a thin number of citizens remained. Most of them were old and had known these people for a couple hundred years at most, close to their death doors. Being tired and getting wasted was the least they could do, and Heian Ciemnosc could tell.
Heian Ciemnosc listened to Elena’s experiences while hiding his knowledge of her increased cultivation base to the 7th stage in just a few days. Heian Ciemnosc enjoyed hearing her talk about her own experience. Unlike what he had to offer, tools and weapons were seen as more than a person’s talent in fighting.
If anything, the 4 ‘major’ organizations of the Sinvonnia Kingdom had that little something about them… they indeed did. There were also many more combat styles that he could only think of before. Hearing Elena explain some of her fights in detail, and with such burning fervor, felt like a challenge to his imagination, compelled him to soon discover it.
Once most of the night was over, Elena brought Heian Ciemnosc to his bedroom. Not inside, but simply showed him where the door was before going to her own. She was too wasted to go to her master’s private mansion and be scolded. Not for wasting herself but for taking too long to find herself free and enjoy her youth. Not in a lewd way but in a carefree manner.
In any case, Heian Ciemnosc was surprised again as he found his bedroom to spill some medicinal aroma, one working wonderfully to reduce the drunken state and sobered him up. There were still a couple hours before the morning lights of the day, so he tumbled to the bed with abandon, letting his body free fall and rest before morning came. This week was bound to be more interesting now.
…