> AH - This holy syllable is the syllable of the Ancients, and is the first syllable of all things. Sound is the essence of all things. All things vibrate and extrude sound. AH is the primeval sound. It is used to start and end mantras, scriptures, and other kinds of prayers.
>
> Lotus Scripture
Raxri had no second thoughts. Burning all their Will to quicken and lighten their entire body, they shot forward upon streamers of Will, their Light Body Technique hastening their movements, shooting them straight through the space in between them and the child-monk.
Raxri was a streak of black careening toward that island of violence. The other monks could not keep up with them; they stayed back fending off the other dog demons.
In the span of two heartbeats, Raxri was there, between the handgun and the child-monk.
Raxri screamed in pain; the bullet carved their back. The adrenaline that they had stored, however, released, flowing into every part of their body. Now moving upon wings of Will, Raxri turned and sliced that dog demon in half with a single sure-stroke of their sword
Two more dog demons descended upon Raxri, sword and spear slicing and hacking into their flesh. Wincing as they exerted effort, Raxri kicked the spear-wielding one away, leapt into the air to dodge another sword swing, and then used Devastating Red Hand to smash the dog demon straight into the earth. Their bones crunched before they unspooled into Will strands.
The spear wielding one stabbed again, and Raxri parried it away with their sword. They traded blows, steel clashing against steel. The dog demon managed to maneuver Raxri out of the way, and then unleashed a steel serpent onslaught at the young monk.
Raxri moved forward and couldn't parry: their hand was pinned to their side. All they could do was take the spear's stab onto their body. Then they held the spear so that it held fast into their chest--Raxri felt it puncture a lung. No matter. Moving upon winds of Will, Raxri hacked off the dog demon's surprised head, and it unspooled into a thousand Will strands.
Raxri fell to their knees, hands still at the spear. Stupid Raxri, they thought. Here you go again. What makes you think you can save everyone?
"Are you okay!?" It was the kid, shaking them out of their reverie.
Raxri smiled and nodded. "Everything's okay. I'm here now." Pain erupted from them, blood dripped from their mouth.
"We should get you to the infirmary!"
"I'll be fine!" Raxri screamed as they turned to the other dog demons. The dog demons had reached even this part of the monastery. Even more filed in, and Raxri shoved the kid to behind them. They rose to their feet and brandished their blade. "Demons! If you want the kid, you'll have to go through me! I am the wall, now!" No way Raxri was going to run. They'd done that before, at the beginning of all this. They'd done that just for them to be saved, and it was mortifying. They were done being saved. It was time to seize what they could.
If I keep being saved... how can I save others? I have to save myself first. And Raxri knew that that was the most difficult thing one could ever hope to do.
Save one's self.
It was no matter. If they died here it was no matter. The dog demons charged, spears and swords swinging and stabbing and striking. There were at least five of them.
Raxri did not remove the spear skewering their chest. I'd bleed out.
They'd rather die fighting on their feet than live on their knees.
Raxri exchanged blows with the dog demon soldiers, their monksword clashing with demon spears and blades. Despite the spear in their lungs they never weakened in speed nor strength. A combination of Whorl Hand, Devastating Red Hand, and Bladed Hand made quick work of the five demons. Parry into counter into strike with the blade into another strike with the Bladed Hand which fed into a counter. A counter move that allowed them to parry two weapons at the same time, and then a counterstrike to slice both those demons quickly.
Nevertheless, stray slashes and stray thrusts struck. That was the threat of violence after all. When one commits violence, you must also be ready to suffer violence in turn. Otherwise what you do is sheer stupidity, even one that the Holy Fool cannot patronize.
All sides of the coin will be slashed and cut
Bleeding all over, Raxri managed to dispatch the five dog demons with a burst of energy pulled A decapitation, two impalations, a wide chest gash, and a waist bisection.
Afterwards, Raxri fell on one knee again, wincing, one eye closing.
"Ma'am, ma'am!" The monk boy had tears streaming down their face now. They ran over to Raxri and offered a pill. "Here! The great alchemist gave this to me. It will help you relive your pain!"
"Just relieve my pain, right?" asked Raxri. "It won't heal my wounds?"
The monk boy looked like he'd been crying for hours with how red his eyes were. Raxri sighed and took the pill. "Thank you, young one. I'll be fine, you see? Retreat to the house quarters. You've done your part."
The monk boy nodded. They turned and dashed towards one of the barricaded house quarters. Smelling fresh blood, some of the dog demon soldiers saw the escaping kid and ran after them. Raxri, now with relief running through their body, dashed once again and intercepted those demon soldiers. With an expert unleashing of their martial art, they handily exterminated those demons.
Unfortunately, dispatching these dog demons blew Raxri's defenses wide open, and they became surrounded by dog demons once again. They had no choice but to engage again in violence, exchanging blows, overwhelming some, dodging and avoiding others, flipping over sword swings and sometimes even balancing delicately upon polearm shafts.
No end in sight... Raxri grimaced. They were forced to one foot as a spear thrust sliced into their thigh. "Argh!" They parried the spear away and with a furious indignation cut down that spear demon with a three-point slash.
Then, Pilinitala dove in, stabbing a dog demon that was about to slice Raxri open from behind. They were like a shooting star, monk spear shooting down and ripping the dog demon open. Then, as they helped Raxri to their feet, she shouted: "Yiwaritala! The Abbot!"
Further into the fray, amidst throngs of dog demons all trying to kill him, Yiwaritala to turn around and nodded. He dove himself out of the path.
Raxri, confused, turned.
The Abbot, wind whipping his balded form, descended to the ground. He walked into position, into the middle of the army. A straight line between him and the dog demon sorcerer that summoned the horde.
Abbot Wairojashra raised a single palm and chanted: "RAYUKINIG MURAT, AIROTSANA MURAT, AND KITAMA SANJAH MURAT." The Abbot moved his entire body in spiralling motions; the air flurried about him like a nascent tornado.
"TALA MURAT AND WANGGANG SENAG MURAT OF THE INFINITE LIGHT!" Energy cackled about the Abbot's body. Raxri felt their hairs rise, as if they'd been struck by lightning.
The sound was akin to that of a keening thunderhead. Raxri's mouth dried.
"KSEWRAN MURAT, THE TERMAGANT BUDDHA! SET MY HEART ABLAZE!"
Suddenly, a pindrop silence, as the Abbot pulled their hand back. The whole world inhaled.
"Witness my violence, that the wheel may be shattered..."
--when he exhaled, the world exploded--
"PAGWASAK NANG GULONG NI PANGANIM NA BUDDHA SIX BUDDHA PALM SUNDERS THE WHEEL!"
A beam of indescribably destructive light exploded from the Abbot's outretched palm. Every demon in between him and the dog demon sorcerer was incinerated, completely erased from this reality and every other reality. The dog demon, at the last moment, uttered a magic spell that ripped its being out of reality just as the annihilating light eradicated the mountain path that it once stood upon.
The largest of the dog demons, clad in black steel armors and brocaded silks, carrying a giant longknife the length and width of an entire fully grown man, bellowed out: "Retreat! To the chieftain!"
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The dog demons ran as fast as they could, scampering out of the way. The monks finished off the dog demons that chose to attack at this time, and the others that didn't all managed to flee back into the mountain path. In a matter of seconds, the monastery was shorn of all dog demons, save for the lamellars, crude armor and weapons, and rusted blades of the would-be invaders.
Raxri, panting and tired, and with a spear stuck into their chest, collapsed onto their butt. Pilinitala and Ampun immediately saw Raxri and rushed over to them. As if to save Raxri from certain embarassment, both Ampun and Pilinitala sustained wounds of their own, though they looked nowhere close as battered as Raxri.
"I'm fine," said Raxri, panting.
"We'll get you to the healer."
"I'm fine..." and Raxri fell into the darkness.
When they awoke, they were upon another comfy mattress, staring at a clean brown ceiling. A comfortable cotton blanket wrapped upon them. Something warm, damp and heavy was on their forehead. They moved their hand to touch it but winced instead as pain shot up their arm.
"Careful there," said a deep, matronly voice. Raxri moved their eyes to see the woman doctor sitting upon a cushion, sitting relaxedly. Her skin was the color of inner bamboo. Her almond-shaped eyes had irises the color of bright gray diamonds. The folds above her eyes were so thick that it seemed as though she was perpetually sleepy, or perhaps she always kept her eyes in that heavily-lidded half-shut state? Her pitch black hair was tied up above her head in a strict ponytail, with loose strands of stringy hair falling lazily across her face.
She was writing upon palm leaf manuscripts on a wooden desk. Their writing implement was some sort of small bladed thing, lightly dipped in ink. It was a thorn of a calamansi for sure. "You've suffered multiple grievous wounds."
The woman doctor had their exceedingly long hair tied up into multiple layered buns atop their head, affixed with multiple long pins. She was clad in an interesting raiment--what looked like a brocaded cheongsam, a golden sash around her waist from which hung multiple bladed accoutrements and a single handgun, and a second silk cloth that wound about her arms like the decorative sash worn by gods. Her hands were wrapped in interesting embroidered gloves, though they were not rubber. They were cloth, but somehow sheened as if liquid. It took Raxri a bit to notice that they weren't cloth at all! The "gloves" were actually excessively intricate hand tattoos that reached up to her upper forearm, made to look like embroidered gloves.
The room they were in was spacious. It took a bit for Raxri to realize they were back in their guestroom, just with one of the window slats closed. It was still a spacious space. No doubt this was more comfortable than having to lay alongside hundreds outside.
Raxri swallowed. After a great deal of effort, they managed to croak out: "Th-The boy monk...," Raxri coughed. "Is he...?"
She removed her spectacles and rubbed the base of her nose. "Otaketala? He's fine. You, however, are not. Mighty stupid of you to be doing that, you know. Even with the proper rituals and medicines, outside of an outright miracle from the Awoken themselves, it will take you at least a moon to heal from your wounds."
Raxri squeezed their eyes shut. "I'm sorry. I..."
"What, you lacked strength?" The doctor scoffed. "Blame not yourself. You're no hero." She sighed. "You are a walker of the Path, nothing more. Gods, it is as if after taking the vows of the Savior, people like you begin throwing your own life to the wind! Self-preservation is just as important as self-sacrifice. Remember this."
Raxri bowed at the chiding, as they knew they should. "I'm sorry."
The doctor exhaled. "Forgive me. You are not the only injured in the attack." She bent forward and offered her hand. "I am Doctor Myu Fan. I'm a native here, hailing from the Nunuk League. I specialize in Elder Medicine and, as of five harvests ago, Esoteric Infinite Law Healing practices. It seems I've arrived at an auspicious time... I was just about to leave for home last night. Now I have to stay here to help healing with everyone."
"Um--" Raxri inhaled, gathering energy to speak, "I-I am Raxri Uttara. Student of Witch Akazha, Practitioner of the Whorl Hand and Adamantine Sword. Lightning-Enterer of the Infinite Law... um..."
"Huh, can't believe that bitch took up a student," said Myu Fan, leaning backwards and crossing her arms in front of her admittedly bountiful breasts. "Never knew she'd waste her time like that."
"Ah--"
Myu Fan turned to Raxri and shook her head, as if lapsed out of a reverie. "Ah, yes. Forgive me. Yes, Raxri Uttara. You are one of the greatest casualties of this."
"Did any of the monks die?" asked Raxri.
Myu Fan was increasingly and visibly getting miffed at what Raxri was doing, ignoring all the questions and statements about them. "I... yes." Myu Fan sighed. "There were some monks that perished, sadly. But no doubt they will be reborn in better places due to the merit and karma they've cultivated here. In places wherein they will be able to better cultivate Liberation, if the teachings of the masters here are of any indication."
Raxri breathed.
"Blame not yourself for it," chided Myu Fan again. "They fought in the name of the Law. That is enough. Who knows, maybe one of the Saviors will bring them to their Pure Land to cultivate Liberation eternally."
This was no certain balm to Raxri's thoughts, but then they realized that nothing will be a true balm to Raxri soul at this point. Wracked with worry and fear, with pity and apprehension, Raxri chose to change the subject instead. Hurt still struck through them like a lance, but they powered through. They endeavored not to show any of their pain on their face. "You've met the witch Akazha?"
Myu Fan smiled deviously. "Hmhm. More than just met, I've trained in some of the witch arts with her. Contemporaries, we are, though I am older by a few harvests."
"I see."
"That witch has never taken on a student before, you know. You must be something special."
Raxri realized she didn't know who they were. This meant that she was new too; she hadn't met them when they first came here a decade ago. Raxri shook their head and said, "Nay. In truth I am nothing but. I was shorn of memory when she found me shambling out of the Vault of Souls, is all. Until now, she endeavors to examine me and find out what exactly happened to my memory, that it would be removed upon awakening in the Vault."
"Huh. What, so you were once dead?" Myu Fan tapped her lips with her poker. "You speak in no jest? You yet live? Be careful not to befangle me with uninteresting jokes. As a doctor I must take this very seriously."
"Yes," said Raxri. As they spoke, they found strength returning to their arms and legs. Despite this, the pain was still fresh. "The... well, it was the witch Akazha that told me that the Vault of Souls has deigned to remove me of memory. Or something to that effect. I have no idea about anything as I've lost that memory, so I took it upon myself to believe her. I'm inclined to, she is a witch after all."
Right, sure." Myu Fan pouted. "How interesting. To be killed and then brought back to life with no memory. It were as if you were reincarnated within your own body. Is that possible? Do you remember anything at all from your past?"
Raxri shook their head. "Even when some people know of me, I cannot remember them. However, it seems my body remembers somewhat. I find that learning martial arts and Will Harnessing Techniques have come naturally to me, as if they were some muscle memory that I am but rediscovering."
"How... interesting. I will have to see what I can contribute to the discourse. Though... you will have to feed me information from your end. I cannot see Akazha."
Raxri tilted their head to the side and only winced. Their usual form of questioning was barred due to a slash that rested around their neck. "Why?"
"Ah... that is information for you to find out later, I suppose. There is some... unfinished enmity between us."
Wow. Who hasn't Akazha courted death with? "I will keep that in mind," said Raxri. They tried getting up again, but the pain was far too great, despite the renewed vigor in their appendages. "I cannot move."
"Your will is strong but your body requires rest, despite it all," said Myu Fan, turning to write again onto the palm leaf manuscripts. "You will be falling asleep soon, in due time. You've been asleep for only one night. You need a bit more sleep to fully heal."
"But..."
"But what, Raxri Uttara, Once Dead?" Myu Fan's face was half indignant, half annoyed, and somewhat cute despite it all.
"I need to train..."
"Training comes later. No training to be had as one heals, like how a muscle cannot grow without vacancy." She came in close, whispered something into her tattooed hands, and then said, "Lights out, Raxri Uttara." She had somehow managed to take crystalline dust from somewhere on her desk and blew it onto Raxri Uttara's eyes. In short order, the dust made Raxri's eyes too heavy, and they fell into the darkness of dreamless sleep.
As Raxri slept, Myu Fan finished the report about Raxri on the manuscript.
The door swung open. Yiwaritala, Pilintala, and Ampun walked in, clad in their working clothes. They each had sustained injuries--Yiwaritala to somewhere deadly near to his eye--but they were all in tip-top shape compared to Raxri's condition.
"How fares Raxri?" asked Yiwaritala.
Myu Fan shrugged, putting down her writing stele. "Talkative. They woke up earlier and told me about Akazha."
Yiwaritala nodded, without looking at Myu Fan. Myu Fan was trying to look into Yiwaritala's eyes but Yiwaritala was doing everything they could to avoid hers. She gave up eventually, saying, "Fascinating case, this one is. Walked out of the Vault of Souls without memory. If memory serves, nothing physical leaves the Vault of Souls. All those stuck there are there for certain eternity without reincarnation, barred from gaining a better rebirth, and barred from cultivating liberation."
Ampun said, "I've spoken with the Abbot about them, earlier. Looks like Raxri was a prodigious mystic and martial artist when they were about 15 harvests of age. Due to their voracious obsession with the hidden arts, and their aptitude for failure, they were able to attain cultivations that would match even those that have been training for hundreds of years."
"So, those still stuck within the second Desire Stratum," said Myu Fan, eyes bored. "We get prodigies such as that every other day in Shen."
"Shen?" Pilinitala asked, tilting their head to the side. Leaf-gauzes wrapped around her lower torso, making it so that she couldn't reveal her abdomen. "I thought you were from the Nunuk League?"
Myu Fan nodded. "I am! But I studied for a year in Shennin libraries. I told you this story Pilinatala, why don't you remember?"
"Oh." Pilinitala hit her head and stuck her tongue out. "Sorry. I forget!"
"Despite this, Raxri came alone," interjected Yiwaritala. "They weren't accompanied by fellow accumulators. More importantly, they were coming here to get tattoos, but seemingly from the tattoo artist before Ampun Sagara here."
Ampun Sagara nodded. "However, I have no contact with that Tattoo Artist. I came 2 harvests after they arrived. Forgive me, I won't be of too much help when it comes to that front."
"All I'm hearing is," said Myu Fan, "this Raxri fellow is one very interesting warrior. A prodigy eh? Not from here? Came without fellow accumulators? This doesn't really tell me anything. It just tells me that maybe Raxri was someone of some import before!"
"I would've thought you'd heard about them since you did study in Shen, Myu Fan," said Yiwaritala.
Myu Fan shook her head. "Not in my regions of Shennin Society, no. The Utter Islands are a vast place, remember that. Wherever the wind blows, that's where news and rumor goes. It just so happens that any news of this particular one has never blown my way."
A silence followed, as the four gathered their thoughts.
Pilinitala said, "So... what's the plan with this one?"
"We will do as the Abbot instructed," replied Yiwaritala. "We will take them under our wing for a moon, and train them in the arts of the Adamantine Sword and the rituals of the Thunderbolt Path. They do not want to ordain, so they will not attain the higher austerities, but that is of no consequence. They will find higher Extinction methods thorugh either the martial or mystic arts, if what the Abbot believes of them is true."
Ampun Sagara turned and raised an eyebrow. "And what is that?"
Yiwaritala inhaled, and then exhaled. "That they were once of the Form Domain."