Inside the Grand Elder’s home, there were many guests - villagers. Most of them uninvited. Sana was more curious about what was happening to Koh but this could be a disaster for the whole village. So she stuck near her mother and the other elders. Invited were four elders: Elder Sha, Elder Bakra, Elder Fuanon, and Elder Imla. As well as the great warrior leaders. Elder Sha was the Seer and spiritual leader for the village. She could predict disasters and protect travelers. Yet, even she could not know what the spirits hadn’t told her.
Elder Bakra commanded the Beast Hunters. Elder Bakra was the Village Champion before retiring from his post and becoming the elder of the Beast Hunters. The elite members of the village hunted beasts of all power and gathered many of the items needed for life in the village. Members of the Beast Hunters had experience in the warrior camp but only the truly elites were considered.
Koh became a trainee for the Beast Hunters by reaching the second Stage so young and his ability to utilize his attunement so effectively. This created envy in many of the villagers but it was good to push them. He had learned [Second Wind] as soon as he reached the second Stage. This was an advanced healing and support technique for wind-tuned warriors. He did this at 12, the youngest ever in the village! He’d be a great beast hunter someday, she’d make sure of it.
Elder Fuanon led the crafters and traders of the village. Without them, the warriors and the hunters would have no home and no family to protect.
‘I have to be wary of him. He’s crafty and uses his wits to get what he wants.’
However, she knew everyone would do their part to protect the village and no one wanted to endanger the rest for petty gains. Elder Imla would make sure of that.
Elder Imla had many different roles and commanded different parts of the village that needed tending. She was responsible for coordinating between the elders and groups of factions in the village. It was safe to say without her, the village might fall apart. Elder Imla was the only one of the elders who could not fight and did not cultivate chi. But she was the wife of the current Village Champion and leader of the warriors: Shon Dra.
Warrior Dra was both vicious and cunning, like a snake. His axe could cleave a Stage 5 Bear easily and he could beat you in a game of Chalice at the same time. His two commanders, Lam and Nilai, embodied each of his two characteristics. Lam was as vicious as she was unrelenting. She had battled a Stage 6 Wilgar for a week in order to tame it as a mount.
Nilai was cunning, he was the embodiment of a shadow. Her shadow. His daggers dripped with poison but his tongue more often made people suffer.
This was going to be a difficult meeting.
“Everyone, everyone, hear my words,” Spoke the Grand Elder, Sana’s mother. She had on a dark purple robe and white flowing hair. Her tanned skin showed her age as wrinkles, lines, and creases formed and yet her demeanor remained effervescent.
“I know many of you are confused, surprised, and even a little bit scared. But worry not, for the warriors will be scouting and only scouting. WE ARE NOT GOING TO WAR. Elder Fuanon has sent word to the South detailing our initial findings. When we have more information, we will inform the village.”
“But what about the barbarians!?” cried out one of the villagers. Sana remembered every single one of the villagers, it was her duty. This villager was Kaya, a woodcutter, and she was right.
The barbarians were inhabitants of the north, beyond the forest and mountains. They had strange rituals and customs but would leave to themselves. Sana smirked, she found them to be very similar.
This village was the first response to any type of invasion or movement from the north. It was their duty to inform the southern cities of any signs of barbarians trespassing into the southern region. Sana wasn’t too keen on the idea and she had no love for the entire region. But this was their duty and, this time, it seemed the barbarians were intent on trespassing.
Warrior Dra spoke to assuage the villager’s fears,”We will only be scouting the barbarians. They are coming down from the North but are trying to forge a path to get to the western road. We know the forests. The Warriors are setting out with elite Beast Hunters to properly understand the enemy. Once we know what we’re facing, we will inform the South, as our duty, and then we will prepare accordingly. There will not be a war.” He said in his deep, gruff voice. But Sana could see the spark in his pale green eyes. No, he wanted a war.
“Furthermore, the Spirits have been disturbed by their movement and have retaliated. The barbarians tried to destroy parts of the forest, attempting to burn through to make their path. However, their actions have only angered the spirits and in turn they took the souls of the barbarians. Though I’ve only received this information yesterday, it is possible that the barbarians may not want to come down so deep into the forest - or even able to. The Spirits will offer us their protection as long as we can minimize the damage to the forest.” Elder Sha added.
She was a powerful Seer. She had a connection with the spirits like only two others in the village not including herself. Her relationship with the spirits was... different than the others. Her connection, stronger than any before her. It was more like she commanded them.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
‘This should alleviate a lot of their concerns. Elder Sha’s words have value and the spirits have been a guiding force for the village for centuries.’ Sana mused at how the spirits danced around Elder Sha and the Grand Elder. Yet, they danced even more around her. Seeming to move in happiness.
Her command of the spirits and her mastery of souls was getting closer to her mother’s, the Grand Elder, and that was no small feat. The Grand Elder had almost a century of experience and was believed to be reaching the limit for the next stage by the villagers. They were wrong but the villagers would feel safer believing that. Sana was even told that she would be approaching her own limit before her next stage. She did not like training but achieving the next stage would give her more freedom. And doing so would gain her access to the teachings of some of the village's ancient arts. Some that were even forbidden. Everything she wanted would be close. It was only a matter of time. Realizing she was getting distracted again, she tried to focus on her mother as she was speaking.
“We will also be pulling unrelated warriors from around the forest and providing extra training in preparation for the worst case scenario, effective immediately.”
The crowd became more rowdy in response to the Grand Elder’s words. Sana thought of Koh and wondered how this would affect his hunt. The rules of the village were brutal and strict. When she became Grand Elder, she would change some of that. She would be a benevolent Grand Elder. But tonight, she had to stand straight, listen, and understand the machinations of the village. Tonight, she was the Grand Elder’s daughter, the heir to the Spirit Guide’s teachings.
And not the soon-to-be fiancé of the Rak’s oldest son nor the Benevolent Grand Elder she envisioned. No, not tonight, but that would all also only be a matter of time.
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Koh breathed. And he breathed hard. His lungs burning, he’d run and hid from his snake pursuer for a few hours now. He barely had time to rest as he jumped trees and ran under branches. The snake knew he was going west towards the village and attempted to follow him. It even looked like the creature knew his general direction and would try to head him off. So the night before, he had gone further north, it was safer and the beasts didn’t roam so much there. Now it was early afternoon when he was finally sure he’d lost the Stage 2 creature. He ate his jerky and drank his water. He needed to rest. His body was failing him. The poison was numbing his right shoulder and his light, pale skin was turning gray.
‘No, don’t think about the poison. I can use [Second Wind] again if I recover a little bit more. Thankfully, I staggered my chi usage and was able to keep some of my wind chi. I do need to find a cure for this. So tired... NO! Can’t sleep in the forest. No ward. One fire stone left, my spear, and my knife. What -’.
He heard a noise. Something unnatural in the forest. He was much more receptive to sounds ever since his wind attunement awakening. And the streams of the wind. There was movement, but not from any beasts. He stayed silent, watching.
Slowly he saw a man coming out of the shadows of the trees. A large human man with long brown hair. And light skin. This was the first time Koh had seen another person with a similar shade of skin. At least, based on what he could currently remember. The stranger was fully equipped - a brown metallic helmet covered his head, a similar colored armor adorned his body, and in his hand was something glowing. Koh focused his eyes on the item. It looked like a necklace of some sort. The more Koh focused on the necklace, the more it seemed familiar, almost calling him to it. Then he realized the man’s head had turned, looking in his direction. And Koh saw the man’s eyes. It was hollow. Pure darkness.
Before Koh could react, butterflies started coming out of the man. No, the butterflies emerged from the stranger, replacing every part of him. They flew out into the sky, and disappeared. Each one fading away into nothing. And then the forest went silent again.
Koh leaned back towards the tree, breathing sporadically. It was a sight he would never forget. A spirit had appeared in front of him. At least, he thought it was a spirit. Even he had to admit he struggled mightily with Elder Sha’s lessons on spirits. From what he could remember, spirits existed in the forest or maybe everywhere - he didn’t pay much attention to things involving the outside.
But there were a large number of them located here. It was a big reason why their ancestors built the village in this location in the first place. The spirits could be seen by anyone if they wished to be seen and only be those with a strong spiritual connection if they didn’t. His mother and his brother were two such people. Sana too, but it seemed more like they followed her. The spirits rarely sought to harm people but they did tend to be mischievous. There had been several stories of traveler’s and villagers chasing a beast only to find themselves lost in the forest. The spirits would not directly harm them but they could do everything else. However, if they were angered, their wrath could wipe out the entire village. If Koh remembered correctly.
‘Now, why would a spirit reveal themself to me? And what was with that necklace? It looked so familiar..’ As Koh continued to rest and assess what just happened, his breathing became steady. He closed his eyes and his chi started rolling inside his body. Slowly, it spread throughout, small strands at first. He did this for as long as it took to chop an Elder Tree. The small strands of chi started to become bigger, sturdier, and then sharper. Then he rolled these strands again. Repeating this process of rolling his chi strands and then spreading them through his body. Breathing steadily.
[Second Wind]
Koh could feel the wind chi covering him, engulfing his injuries and fatigue. He felt better, still not as good as when he started his hunt. ‘Ok, my body has recovered somewhat and the poison seems to be slowing down. It was a good idea to let myself accumulate my wind chi before using Second Wind. Always be in surplus. Another rule.’
He could see the sun going down and figured this was a good place to rest as he didn’t notice any creature disturbing his meditation. Tomorrow he would make his way back to the village, finish his test, and officially become a Beast Hunter. No sleep tonight. Ever since he entered the Second stage, he didn’t need to sleep as much but he did need to eat more often. He was told that at higher stages, sleep was no longer necessary and even food was merely a distraction. Chi could sustain life, in perpetuity. But that was a realm far away. He was only at the Second stage, and he had only just awakened. No, that was all far away, he had time. He breathed.