Along the road from Deepmere a minor procession traveled the dusty road. Azura could see two carts that were laden with various crops and other food supplies. A third had various mining tools and smelting equipment. Around two dozen kin trailed behind the carts in various states of shabbiness. Six mages, two per cart, rode and directed the horses. Both the horses and kin received the lashes in equal measure. Azura gritted her teeth. Such a sight had become common place in the past year. Yet every time she saw it, it felt like the first time. The rage never went away. She suspected it wouldn’t until her people were free.
“I don’t see any other mages besides those on the cart,” Hamal said from his prone position next to her.
“Could be a trap,” Gerald said from Azura’s other side.
Azura thought it over. It could indeed be a trap, however the goods on the cart were tempting enough to risk it. Their little forest village had nearly 400 kin now. Food was becoming an issue.
“We take it. Let’s go with plan C,” Azura said. Hamal chuckled. That was his favorite. Word was passed around as the cultivators gathered.
Azura and Hamal dressed in long cloaks stepped out in front of the caravan. Predictably there were shouts of concern from the various mages. The front wagon slowed as it approached. Azura held up her hand and waited to see what happened. Sometimes they made a dash for it. Others tried to run her down. Most simply stopped. This was one of those.
“Greetings mages,” Azura called playfully tossing her cloak aside now that they were too close to run. “I’m afraid that you have to pay the tax.”
“Tax? What tax is that?” The mage on the front wagon ask with a gulp. By now she had become quite infamous.
“I don’t think they know about the tax,” Hamal said turning to her.
“What! How could they not know about the tax?!” Azura shouted in mock outrage.
“Perhaps we should enlighten them,” Hamal offered diplomatically.
“Ah yes. Naturally your right my good kin,” Azura said nodding as the other mages joined the front two.
“The tax good mages, is call the Magebane tax. You have to give us all your kin. Then you have to pay them for services rendered for the previous year.”
The mages were sweating at this point.
“My dear Azure Magebane,” Hamal said. “You forgot the fees again.”
“Ah yes thank you correcting me,” Azura said shaking her head. “We have administration fees, processing fees, kin mistreatment fee, and processing fees.”
“You already said processing fees,” one mage replied weakly.
“Oh that’s because I usually mess up the paperwork so I need you to pay that one twice,” Azura said giving him a smile. Other cultivators were now arriving rounding up the kin. Many of whom cheered.
The cultivators had been waiting for Azura to stop the caravan before they approached. No one was at the liquid ki stage yet but their mana density was far beyond anything the mages could conceive of. The last year of steady cultivation for the kin had provided wonders.
“Lucky you,” Hamal added. “I believe everything you have should just cover these outstanding charges. Once the inspection is completed you can be on your way.”
“Magebane! Come quickly!” A kin said from the back.
The mages grew noticeably more nervous and began to stutter as Azura left them behind. She was quickly at the kin’s side. Following his gaze Azura gasped upon seeing the occupants of the last wagon. Wordless she turned marching back toward the mages who were now all cringing. Her gaze was death.
“It wasn’t us!”
“Please have mercy! We didn’t do it!”
Hamal took one look at her and pulled his knife ready to gut the nearest mage.
Azura seized the nearest mages by the front of his robes. She effortlessly hefted him off his feet.
“EXPLAIN!” Her bellow of fury seemed to shake the ground.
“We bought them that way!” The terrified mage said.
“There’s a bat shit crazy elf in Deepmere who does… things to kin. After she’s done her servant’s sell them cheap.”
Azura trembled her breathing coming harsh. “Who’s the elf?!”
“Ulvandia!” The mage hollered his robes becoming damp around the crotch.
Azura dropped the man. “Run!” She commanded. If they weren’t out of her sight soon she would kill them all. The mages needed no further encouragement. They fled in random directions.
Azura watched them go before turning back. Hamal was already at the back wagon his face as furious as her own. Slowly she walked back.
The three kin were still mostly whole. That was the best you could say for them. Mostly whole. They were in such bad conditions she couldn’t tell what type of kin they were.
They had been skinned. Now they were wrapped in bloody bandages. Azura wasn’t sure how they even survived the process. She could only recognize them as kin from their basic shape. One was probably some type of snake-kin. The others she couldn’t identify. None of them were coherent.
“What do we do?” Hamal asked. Azura hesitated before speaking. She wasn’t sure. Gods below, she never had to deal with this kind of thing before! Well that wasn’t completely true. She did heal her mother…
“We stick with the plan,” Azura said before turning toward the ten now freed kin.
“I am The Azure Magebane. Come with me if you want or you can make your own way. I'll free you of your slave runes regardless of what you choose. So choose now. Time is not on our side.”
All ten choose her. She quickly activated their mana pools. While doing so she used their own mana to burn away the foreign mana in the slave runes breaking them. The freed kin and her cultivators started moving the wagons toward the river as she sat next to the injured kin. Taking a deep breath she gathered a piece of her solid ki into her finger. She gentle placed it on a gap in the bandages.
The kin stirred but he was too far gone to fully awaken. First thing was to activate his mana pool. That was a simply matter. She’d done it hundreds of times by now. Next was something new. She took control of his blood using her crystalized ki as a link. Unlike the first time when she healed her mother, Azura’s ki was now attuned to blood. With a link into the kin’s body she was able to bring her own ki inside. Once there she infused the kin’s blood with power. Blood flowed from his pores filling gaps where his missing skin was. The bandages attempted to soak up the precious fluid but she didn’t allow it. Now the truly hard part. Starting at a spot at his hand Azura changed the blood. She didn’t transmute it rather she commanded it. Her will, infused into the blood, would not be denied. Slowly at first the blood changed becoming new skin. As it did it she lost control of the new flesh. Quicker and quicker she reverted the blood coating the kin’s body in fresh skin. It was costly ki wise. As she withdrew the solid ki she noticed that the liquid ki she had invested was gone. It wasn’t simply exhausted. Azura grimaced at the loss. Obviously her ki wasn’t meant to heal. That healing had taken about a day’s worth of passive mana absorption from her ki spiral. Resolved to take the loss, Azura moved on to the next kin.
Akira awoke slowly. His mind was fuzzy. His body was blessedly pain free for a change, but utterly exhausted. Even after awakening he could hardly move. He was as weak as a new born. But he was comfortable for the first time since… well this entire nightmare began. He laid there in a state that was neither sleep nor full wakefulness. He was afraid that if he moved the dream would end. Afraid that the elf would command him to her chamber. No! He had to not think about that. That was when voices started.
“We have to get revenge!” A young woman’s voice shouted.
“How are we going to do that?” Another voice replied.
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“I can sneak in and take her out. Her and all those fucking elves.”
“I’ve heard of this Ulvandia,” a voice said and Akira trembled at her name. “She’s a representative of the elves. Killing her would make a lot of trouble.”
“Leaving her alive would be worse,” the young woman’s voiced continued.
“Let’s discuss it at the meeting later. Aren’t you going to center today anyways? We have a bunch of cultivators who want to use the spot,” the other voice replied.
“Did something claim it again?” The female voice asked.
“Go ask Gerald,” the other voice said. “He was on watch duty there. It could be good practice for them.”
“No. I want to do it,” the young woman’s voice came. “I really need to kill something.”
“How violent you are daughter of mine!” The other voice exclaimed.
“I take after my mother.”
Silence followed and Akira started to relax when footsteps came toward him. His heart pounded. Was it another elf to take him to the mistress? Was it his turn again? No, no! Not again! Not ever again! He tried to get up. He only succeed in falling out of bed. The steps sped up and a curtain was thrown back. Akira looked up afraid it was the sadistic elf and all this was a new game of hers. His near panic state relax slightly as a white cat-kin walked in.
“Are you okay?” She bent down toward him. He’d expected her to help him to his feet. Instead she scooped him up like a baby before putting him in bed. She was a lot stronger than she looked.
“Where am I? Who are you? Are there any elves here?” This voice broke at the last question.
“It’s okay. You’re safe here. This is Azure’s Rest, a kin village. My name is Coralline I run the healing ward. And there are no elves anywhere near here. If there were, they'd be dead.”
Akira began to cry in relief. It was over. It was truly over. Coralline scooped him into a hug as he wept. Her soft fingers stroked his tan fur avoiding his missing ears. Tentatively he reached down and confirmed his tail was gone. He wasn’t even recognizable as a mink-kin anymore. As he calmed his last memory from his time in the elf’s care returned. She had skinned him alive. The agony… oh the blistering agony… the bitch took her time. Whenever he passed out she stopped until he was awake then continue. All the time she kept rambling on about what a glorious memento he was leaving her. The crazy bitch kept telling him how generous he was… Bile rose in his throat. Turning away from the cat-kin he vomited. It wasn’t much. That took the last of his energy as he collapsed back to bed.
“It’s okay you’re not alone,” Coralline said. “Tabatha! Fetch a mop we have a mess over here!”
“I’m sorry,” Akira said coughing slightly.
“It’s no trouble,” Coralline said holding his hand. That was the first time he noticed that he had his fur. How was that possible?
“Do you think you could keep down some soup?” Coralline asked.
Surprised, he now noticed his hunger. He was in fact, ravenous. It was surprising. Over the last few days he hadn’t wanted to eat at all.
“I think so.”
“I’ll be right back. No one is going to leave you all alone,” Coralline said pulling away. As she left a cute rabbit-kin came in, mop in hand.
“You feeling better?” The rabbit-kin asked.
“I, I think so. You’re Tabatha right?”
“Yup cultivator Tabatha at your service,” she said in a cheerful voice giving him a salute.
“Cultivator?” Akira asked.
“Oh I guess you don’t know that yet. Well the master does the first few lessons with the new recruits so you will learn it all then,” Tabatha said.
“Oh… okay,” Akira said not understanding anything. “Do you know how I was healed? I thought I would die. I was ready to die. But now… I can’t believe I’m going to say this. I feel good. Better than good actually.”
“That’d be your awakened mana pool,” Tabatha said. “Mana has all sort of benefits to the body.”
“Awakened pool?”
“I guess you haven’t focused inward yet. Your mana pool has been awaken. That feeling of extra vitality is just a minor side effect. Once you start training you’ll be amazed.”
The girl was crazy. Kin didn’t have awaken pools.
“As for your healing I wasn’t there, but the master said you were in bad shape. She healed you best she could after awakening your mana pool.”
Akira shook his head. This was all so crazy. Did some rogue mage go about healing kin?
“Who’s your master?”
“Azure Magebane. You’ll meet her later today or tomorrow.”
“The Azure Magebane!” Akira gasped. He’d heard legends of her. Whisper rumors of a kin so powerful that mages fell like wheat before her. Even the mages talk about her in fearful tones when they thought no one was listening.
“You can’t be serious,” Akira said trying to sit up. Tabatha eased him back down.
“I am,” Tabatha said. “She rescued you and a group of kin yesterday. You arrived in Azure’s Rest last night. You’ve been out for about a day or so.”
“Tabatha you shouldn’t make him so excited. He’s still recovering,” Coralline said a bowl of soup in her hand.
“I wasn’t,” Tabatha protested.
“Uh huh,” Coralline said. “You can take off early and cultivate. I can handle this.”
“Sweet!” Tabatha cheered racing off with the mop. There was that strange word again. Cultivate. What did it mean?
“Is what she said true?” Akira asked.
“Is what true?”
“That the Azure Magebane is here? That she saved me.”
“Yes. Don’t worry about that now. I want you to eat, then sleep. You’ll have plenty of time to ask questions later,” Coralline insisted. She held a full spoon out to him. With an overwhelming motherly aura he opened his mouth.
All his proceeding questions were answered with a full spoon and motherly patience. He had no defense again such a strategy. Soon he gave up and just ate. It wasn’t long before sleep took him again.
When next he woke he was surprised about how well he felt. Whatever was in that soup it seemed to empower his entire body. He felt like he could run a mile! Tentatively he got out of bed and fully looked at his surroundings. The room he was in was well crafted. Strange for kin to have such a place. The boards were made from a tree he wasn’t familiar with and had a smooth black shine to them. A single window allowed light in and was covered by a thin cloth. Standing up he pulled the cloth aside.
He was expecting a shanty town. An area that was barely held together. One which could be left behind with little loss. That wasn’t what he found. He found a thriving village in a forest glade. Homes constructed in massive trees hung in the canopy just like the one he was in! Rope bridges led from one tree to the next while kin of all types walked about busy with various duties.
A hidden village of kin. Of course! That was why the mages haven’t found them. They must be hiding in a forest somewhere. But it was odd. The only place he knew of that had trees that big was the mana forest. He couldn’t be there. He would have died from mana poisoning already if that was the case. Turning from the window he walked out of his little room.
The larger room appeared to be some type of clinic. Various shelves contained bottles which held herbs of some type. Other held what looked like meat? Yes, some type of preserved steak. A few other beds were on the side walls along with other curtains that led, to what he presumed, were other rooms like his. All the other beds he could see were empty. The only occupant of the area was the white cat-kin he’d met earlier. She wasn’t paying attention to him and instead seemed to be in some sort of trance. She moved in fluid motions as if she was fighting an invisible foe. Her motions weren’t rushed but well-honed as she flowed with her eyes closed.
He waited for over three minutes but the kin continued, oblivious to his presence. Not knowing what to do, he coughed. Surprised, the kin stumbled. She fell bumping her knee on a desk that was against the wall.
“Ouch!” Coralline said.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you!”
“It’s okay. My fault for sneaking in some cultivation while I was waiting for your group to wake up.”
There was that word again.
“My group?” Akira asked.
“Yes, there was two others who were in similar condition as you. Although they weren’t as bad. I’m just waiting for them to wake up. Then we can all take a tour of your new home.”
As if summon the two side curtains opened. A lizard-kin and a brown cat-kin emerged. Both seemed wary.
“Excellent,” Coralline said clapping her hands. “Let’s begin the tour.” Akira turned toward the others. He knew them both. All of them had spent time in the sadistic elf’s care. Together they followed the cat-kin into their new home.
“We’ve had to keep most of the buildings up high or underground due the mana beasts. They don’t cause too much trouble anymore,” Coralline explained as the group walked across a bridge to another giant tree.
Akira frowned. “Why are their mana beasts here?”
“We’re in the mana forest. But don’t worry!” Coralline went on. No doubt she saw the alarm on his and the others faces. “Each of you had your mana pools awakened. You’re in no danger. However before you can undergo any training you will have to decide if you want to stay with us or not. If you don’t wish to stay we can escort you to the nearest village. Do you want to stay?”
Well that was an easy question. Akira vigorously nodded his agreement as did the others.
Coralline smiled. “I thought you would, but one should never assume. Anyways besides the medical facility we have living areas up here along with an area for cultivation depending on your style. The training grounds are over there,” Coralline pointed. Akira followed the direction and saw a wide open tunnel that seemed to go deep into the earth.
“We have the underground living areas, general storage, the smithy, kitchens and dining hall, and various other facilities. You can choose either living area you would prefer,” Coralline went on as she took a spiral staircase downwards. The stairs wrapped themselves down the tree length and were excessively wide. The reason for such space became apparent as a row of kin trotted up the stairs all carrying heavy weights.
Coralline chuckled. “Some like to train on the stairs. You can feel free to decide your own pace once you get started.”
Once on ground level they walked around the massive tree where the training grounds came into view. It had been previous hidden by the foliage. Akira gawked at the sight. Kin were training, which was obvious given the name. Several were running some type of obstacle course while carrying weights. Others were striking at dummies with various attacks. Akira quickly turned away from those and focused on the arena. Two kin were sparing there. At least it looked like sparing. It was hard to tell. They were moving so fast! With each step they blurred forward landing strikes that seemed to make the trees tremble. A bear-kin missed his swing as his opponent ducked. They were over forty feet away yet the wind from his strike violently blew threw his fur. Instinctively he raised his arm to shield his face as the duel went on.
“That’s the sparring arena. Some like to test out their full power there. If you want to use it just be careful not to injure your partner,” Coralline said as moved toward the tunnel. Akira followed moving awkwardly as he watched the fighters continue. One seemed to a rat-kin who was moving like lightening and a bear-kin who seemed frustrated he couldn’t catch him. Akira shook his head in amazement. They moved toward the tunnel entrance and the combatants were lost to sight.
“Hi mom!” Came a shout from farther in the tunnel. There stood a blue-hair half cat-kin. Akira felt his blood run cold. She had to be…
“Oh, hi honey,” Coralline said giving the young woman a hug. “Finished already?”
“Yup. It was just a manticore. Didn’t even last two hits.” The girl shook her head sadly.
“Not much can take a single hit from you,” Coralline said as she pulled away. “I believe you know our guests. They’ve decided to stay in the village.”
“Excellent! My name is Azura. People call me the Azure Magebane,” she cheerfully said sticking out her had to shake. Akira unsteadily reached out and grabbed the proffered hand. Dreams really could come true.