Ikrei P.O.V.
DOOONG! CRASH!
I was sent flying against a wall inside the training underground circle room.
“ARGH!”
I couldn’t move anymore.
Sarkan had not move one step during the whole “sparring.” Mages have to compensate with either having party members or learning combat arts and becoming hybrids. Spell casting time and other restrictions. But in this case, it wasn’t applicable. The fighting style of a true grandmaster mage, his own personal creation.
‘Another monster.’
“You pass. The use of your body armor is acceptable.”
He turned to talk to my “special” instructor.
“Everything else has been taught properly, I assume?”
“Yes, Lord Sarkan, not a single word or application is missing.” Krigsain was surprisingly respectful.
‘Guess Sage Sarkan’s display was a bit over the top.’
“Ikrei, you are not to use what you have learned until you are given the order to do so. The methods you have learned are for your particular case, others cannot apply them as you have been taught. The reason you were taught early was to account for this troublemaker’s possible failure.”
He was being extremely stern.
“Carry on and show us your plan, chosen one. After the plan, you are to undertake your last hunt Ikrei. Continue training under this charge for it. Dismissed.”
“By your order.”
Krigsain grabbed me like a haversack and bolted. We needed to do a lot of things from here on out.
‘Let’s eat first. day of Ioƛl and all that.’
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Krigsain went ahead to talk to sister Kuyun. I went to the starlight room to send a coded message through my communication pearl to Cultivator Li. The pearl would activate once I left the main warded area of the castle. The little star filled room was the only place were communications from outside were allowed for the Sachears. The room was of course under surveillance.
‘Another test in the use of liberty for the members. The delicate dance between orders and freedom. A test of one’s true heart.’
That’s how I received the coordinates last time.
“If you got nothing to hide, there is no problem. But If you do, you won’t come here.”
Regardless of where we were. The elders seemed to know what everyone was doing, uncomfortable.
The message read as follows:
Hello paramour. I am quite busy and won’t be able to fulfill certain contract related duties. In exchange for three “fun” activities in the future, I propose a trade. You get one night out with me for a special event. This is a request, not and order, a show of goodwill. Don’t waste it. Communicate with our liaisons for all required arrangements. The date will be established later. Kind salutations to you all. Go, go, go, Great Dragon!
Time for some food.
“I need some Thurskan.”
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Next day, underground studio of the Inverted Titty.
“CUT!” Manager Yǐngr shouted.
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I had just finished recording the official version of “The Song Remains The Same.”
“Good one, good one. Brett.” Krigain was with us in the studio.
Coming out of the special magic booth. I sat were the main controls were with Sochu, Yǐngr and Krigsain.
“In order to truly start your career you still need to undergo the procedures Brett.” Hau Yǐngr spoke.
‘She is referring to the final loyalty mission.’
“I understand.” I bowed slightly.
“Now, let’s talk business beloved of the Will. Speak freely.” She opened the floor.
“I need a third neutral party to intervene in recording unique material. There are restrictions in the use of Iergar elements within the music industry. But that doesn’t necessarily apply to easterners.”
“You want us to break a rule of the shadow factions?” Hau Yǐngr wasn’t pleased at all.
“Not really, it is the use of it. Soul torture techniques with the aid of music arts. It’s just that the effects applied to our recordings will be similar when it comes to sound. There might be complications.”
Krigsain took out a special ketar he had built and plugged it in into a little box he had created. A very strange creation. He started playing what he called a riff.
A riff with the Iergar effect but Krigsain called it, distortion. He played several riffs he had prepared for many minutes.
The upbeat, rough power sound made Sochu move his fingers on the sides of the control panel.
“This would have been developed in our world similarly if it wasn’t for the prohibition.”
“I can see the value. But what can you offer that would justify our intervention?” Hau Yǐngr asked.
“We will adjust it to make it palpable as a first run for the masses. You get to have 30% of all distribution rights. My friend here gets 20%. The kingdom gets their 10% and the 40% is for the artist that will stamp the name on the final product. Lyricist credit goes to Brett Black; you get to keep a future superstar under your wings.”
“Our cut must be 60% not a coin less.” Yǐngr was adamant.
“You are getting a star, not just anybody. And I mean, a real superstar with scorching bright flames.”
“Who?” Boss asked very intrigued.
“The Singing Phoenix.”
Stupefaction, surprise and happiness. A very wide smile appeared on Yǐngr’s face.
“You better not be lying right now, beloved of the Will.”
Three artifacts of Krigsain’s property appeared before us on a small table nearby.
“If I am lying and she doesn’t come you get to keep these. How about it, we got a deal?”
After about twenty breaths.
“Liánxì Zhǔxí, Yōuxiān Shìxiàng Yī.” Yǐngr spoke through her cufflinks. Krigsain only smiled.
‘I need to learn other languages. Memories come back!’
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We worked furiously for the next few days. Without pause and even without sleep. We were running on a brand new batch of Akathos’ pills. Midnight battle training sessions added for fun.
‘Yeah, no that fun.’
Sister Kuyun had arrived.
She was recording using the brand new power ketar Runecraft artifact Krigsain had gifted her. It included a variety of smaller glyph like floating artifacts that were created to produce the distortion sound and other sound effects.
The bar was without their main band during this time. They were all here, helping. Everyone was excited with the new music.
Sochu was serving drinks for the crew, every time a new track got finished.
As the icing on the proverbial cake, we also recorded “Me.”
Krigsain playing while I sang.
I was happy, really happy.
‘Thanks for the memories big guy.’
Another day later, Krigsain’s latest pestering question came.
“How about it Brett, you got the lyrics?”
I was working on the outro lyrics of the song “Queen of the Night.”
I didn’t really understand his obsession with me writing the set. Or the reason why I must be the one to become the attraction point of all the curious powerhouses in the future, All I got was the same answer every time.
“It will do wonders for your training.”
I was still writing and rewriting but I kept getting rejected and admonished.
‘When it comes to music, Krigs is far worse than taskmaster.’
Finally, a couple of more days later, a week. I was done. Yes, we had missed another day of Ioƛl. Special plan, special allowances.
“Good, Brett. This will be your gift to your woman. She will be a Night Queen one day too.”
‘Wait, what? Why?’
“You got to run that by me one more ti—”
I was trying to get and answer when the underground studio access door opened.
Powerful steps from a cloaked hooded person. Black with fiery red borders.
She was here.
A hand motion later. Her hood came down.
Red fiery hair, green eyes, matchless olive skin with clearly defined traits. In particular, her red lips, natural, seductive fire red lips. A beauty, truly a beauty.
‘Still I think taskmaster is up there with her and that’s with only one eye.’
“You would be shooting blanks after five minutes with her, if she starts to sing. Do not underestimate her.” Krigsain sent me a mental message.
“Whatever you got, it better be good my dear or I’ll flame you. I was… busy.” Her voice wasn’t just melodic it was hypnotic.
‘Dangerous.’
Everyone that wasn’t Sochu, Yǐngr, Krigsain or myself was unmoving. Even sister Kuyun dropped a ketar pick.
“We’ve got ten songs for you to listen too. You will be recording on nine of them. You can slice our necks if we fail to please you, my phoenix.” The playboy smile appeared again.
Krigsain was pointing at me. The fiery visitor’s gaze was penetrating, deeper than taskmaster’s. Very, very uncomfortable.
‘Why are you getting me involved in your shit?!