50. Camaraderie
Time passed differently for each of them. For Taimei, it was six weeks. For Hien Ro, only three days passed between the others leaving Little Bug’s mountain and Taimei returning. She was the first, and then Yara. Then Lukal Lukal, and when he returned we began playing cards while waiting for the others to come.
Arjun, Farun, and Lahri’s time alone with me on their respective mountain was both productive and different. They were each lovesick for the others, and refused to admit it. They were eventually able to separate their feelings for their dao companions and focus on their own personal foundations, focusing on why they themselves walked this path.
They were not leaders and followers in their relationship. They were equals joined together and seeking common goals. They had been brought together by chance, a simple lottery during the investigation of my storm-forming formation months ago. I do not know the details of how their relationship formed from there, but it was forming up to be something special.
Arjun was the least impressive on the surface, but he held within his heart a hidden modesty and wisdom that kept the others grounded.
Lahri was the groups passion.
Farun was their ambition.
Together their passions complimented each other like carbon and iron. That is why their time alone and away from each other was difficult for them, but also why it was so important. They needed to establish their foundations individually before they brought themselves together into a gestalt.
Ironically, none of them saw what it was that was forming between them until I, rather bluntly, pointed it out. After which they became intensely embarrassed and introspective, and I allowed them their mental privacy. After they concluded their meditations on the matter, however, I saw the strings tying them together were stronger than ever before.
In terms of their foundations, they had as many errors to correct as Taimei, but it took them longer, individually and collectively, due to a lack of concentration. I cannot fault them for that, because it’s extremely frustrating when hormones get in the way of cultivation.
Finally they returned. Lahri first, and then Arjun, and then finally Farun. Each returned within twenty minutes of the other.
Two hours after they returned, Thaseus arrived. He had been ruthless with himself, and although his cultivation was stronger than ever, he had lost ten pounds. He was unshaven, and he carried in his hand a sword of bamboo.
I did not question his choice to change his path at this juncture. It’s always better to altar your course as soon as you realize that you’re heading in the wrong direction.
Thaseus’s future was the most mercurial to me of any of the disciples. He remained the young man he had always been, but there were hints of something greater in the depths of his soul. I had brought him with to be the grinding stone against which the others were sharpened, but he was turning into a promising candidate himself.
When they all realized that it was the same day that they had left, despite the days/weeks/months they had spent with my avatar in isolation, they could only laugh. Late it was late in the evening when we stopped our communal card game and went to bed.
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It wasn’t until the next day that they realized that Polkluk was still unaccounted for.
He returned two days later. He was five inches taller, and he had aged from sixteen to age twenty-one.
He’d had the most unstable base. Rather than accepting this and stepping onto the bronze path, he had asked how to perfect it. And I had taught him.
It had taken him five years to retrace his steps and fix all of the cracks and imperfections, but when he strode into the camp, it was with a triumphant grin.
It’s just a shame that nobody recognized his accomplishment except for me; before us stood a completely new man from the boy that he had been. Where the others teased him when my Dao Avatar revealed how much time had passed for him versus everyone else, he simply nodded and bowed to me.
“This unworthy disciple thanks the Awakened Soul for his tutelage and patience,” Polkluk said.
“This unworthy soul thanks Master Polkluk for his practice in slowing time to a crawl,” I said, mocking in my voice at the formal tone.
“You are not unworthy, Master Po Guah, you are—”
“I know what I am better than you,” I said sharply. “If you are unworthy than so too am I.”
Polkluk, having grown accustomed to the version of myself that I had sent to guide him, looked stricken at the chastisement. But he bowed. “This eager disciple thanks his master for the correction.”
I sighed, and we spent the rest of the day playing cards.
Until Xol decided to make an entrance. The jaguar spirit-beast stalked into the camp and leapt onto the table in the middle of the lot of us before anyone aside from myself felt he was there. He revealed himself in all of his glory.
“First Disciple greets his junior disciples,” the spirit beast said proudly.
A tense moment passed as the shock of his appearance rippled through the others.
“ First disciple?” Hien Ro asked, outraged. “If anyone is first disciple it’s me! I’m the one who has been following him since—”
“Welcome to the table, brother Xol,” I said, cutting off my friend before he could pick a meaningless fight. “I do not see such ranks, but if it pleases you to hold such things in your head that is up to you.”
The jaguar’s ears flattened as it realized that it had been subtly rebuked.
“Would you care to sit with us and get to know your fellow disciples? If you plan on taking part in the training with us, and that invitation is open to you, then you are far behind in establishing the camaraderie that will be required of you,” I informed him.
The others perked up as they processed my words as well.
“I don’t have thumbs,” the jaguar said reluctantly. “I require a servant to hold my cards for me.”
The others face palmed, but Yara said “I’ll hold my cards and Xol’s as well. But I am not your servant, Xol.”
The great cat yawned and stalked over to her side.