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Lead Grasshopper Stance *1

A basic body fortification technique of metal-aspected pure artists, Lead Grasshopper Stance hardens the user's body in such a way as to promote dynamic movement.

Eight Mines Clutch of Lead *1

A basic weapon infusion technique of metal-aspected pure artists, Eight Mines Clutch of Lead increases the density of whatever object it is used to enhance. While an object is infused this way, its weight increases accordingly.

Grandfather’s Cutting Elbow *1

A basic attack technique, the cultivator infuses his body with mana in such a way that it temporarily takes on a cutting edge along his joints.

Impurities Rejection *1

The cultivator gains the ability to create a brief but intense mana field capable of repelling metal objects from the point on his body where the field is centered.

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Each path was defined by one or more foundational techniques that would then open onto more advanced branches. Sunwhisper thought he could already see how focusing on the Honing Meditations had influenced his available choices. The basic fortification technique was called "Lead Grasshopper Stance," and it seemed to support leap attacks. If he had been using the Annealing Meditation, it probably would have been something that focused more on resisting blows. This Lead Stance did harden his body, but specifically for the purpose of allowing him to withstand extreme movements and landings, not being stabbed.

The techniques were ranked by the same system as his statistics, a star rating followed by a number rank. First rank, one star, was the entry level to any ability. Unlike his statistics, his techniques would improve through direct training, but he was still limited as to how far they could advance by his overall Dao Rating. Sunwhisper had the urge to start practicing right away, but he wasn’t ready to show everyone what he could do, and he still needed to devote most of his free time to channeling meditations for the best results.

His portion of the night watch passed by uneventfully, and he joined the others on the rock steps to rest after shaking Timu awake to take his place. The man growled at him, but as he had volunteered to have his turn only hours before, there wasn’t much else to say.

The morning came quickly after that, and the party collected their belongings and divided shares of smoked krenshar meat before beginning their climb. All that remained of the offal and excess meat they had left nearer the trail were red stains on the soil and a few scraps of stray gristle. There was no sign of whatever had taken or eaten it all, but their fire had been left undisturbed. Sunwhisper suspected that what was left of the kenshar pack had returned to fill their bellies and make the best of their losses.

The temperature dropped as they ascended. Though not dramatic, it was enough that no matter how high the sun rose its warmth did not seem to increase. There was ice on the highest peaks, but they progressed across mostly bare stone. Dappo kept ahead of the group, always about a hundred feet higher, but never so far as to be completely out of sight.

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Kuei stayed close to the three youths, more to ensure their continued cooperation than their safety, and she watched them all closely.

"Have you been on these hunts before?" Janna asked her, hoping to ease the tension.

"No," Kuei replied shortly.

"My father has hunted sacred beasts," Gomen Ji said. It was the first time they had heard him relate anything other than an accusation or a barb.

"Was he successful?" Sunwhisper wondered.

"Of course he was, and he will be again when he has recovered." The Hachi stings could cause permanent nerve damage, as they had done for Father Jin, so this outcome was not as sure as Ji sounded. This statement seemed to remind him of why he hated Sunwhisper, and he shot him a glare before falling silent again.

"Mine was not so successful," Kuei stopped to eyeball the footwork it would take to ascend a particularly chaotic patch of stone ahead of them. She made three short hops, the adroitness of the maneuver giving lie to her brutish frame. Janna followed more slowly, and then Ji.

"Don’t fall," he said to Sunwhisper, wishing the opposite. A misstep here would have sent him down thirty or forty feet onto more rocks.

Sunwhisper waited for them all to reach the next ledge, gauging the distance, and then he activated his new technique. He felt the mana coursing through his body, toughening his synthetic fibers, and he put everything he had into a leap.

It was more forceful than he expected, and he almost overshot to fall off the opposite side of the ledge. As it was, he arced up over his companions and came back down with a thud. His joints felt the impact, but he was unharmed.

Janna gaped at him.

"How did you do that?”

Kuei folded her arms over her chest, looking serious.

"Who taught you that technique? If you can access your element, you need to speak to the elders about receiving your first star."

"I learned it from a scroll," Sunwhisper said, which was mostly true.

"Concealing one’s abilities from the Starfox Guild is a criminal offense," Kuei said.

"I wasn’t concealing it, that was my first time." Sunwhisper felt himself being observed, and he looked up to see Dappo frowning down at him, but the elder said nothing, and soon moved on.

Ji was fuming, but he said nothing as Janna fawned over Sunwhisper and his success. Everyone had said the young Makoto’s core was broken, so how was this possible? Sunwhisper had high hopes for his other abilities as well now that he knew he could use them. Eight Mines Clutch of Lead would allow him to enhance any object he held, but especially his spear. Grandfather’s Cutting Elbow would give him an edge in close combat if the spear failed him, and Impurities Rejection was even more interesting.

It appeared to give him the ability to create a localized magnetic pulse, and he was eager to test it out when he got the chance, but he didn’t want to show all his cards yet. They continued their climb, and in another hour, reached a relatively level ridge that traced the shoulder of the rise they were on.

There were bird calls, but no birds that Sunwhisper could see as they passed by a stand of evergreens beside the ridge. Dappo made a sudden movement, his hand a blur, and suddenly, he was holding an arrow.

Where had it come from?

"Bandits," Kuei spat.

A hail of bow shots followed her pronouncement, and a flock of iron points on the ends of feathered wooden shafts arced through the air at them from the trees.