Silas wasn’t sure they should do this, but they closed the gap between themselves and Hoshi. They went through the jungle into a clearing with a large pond where they found the one that was shaking the earth and yelling so loud. Silas wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he was not expecting what he saw. Silas’s mouth gaped at seeing it.
Hoshi was a sloth currently sitting on a branch in a lone tree by the pond. It was sitting up and looking at the group, smiling widely at them and even raising one of its paws and waving to them. He looked like a simple hairy brown sloth with gigantic eyes and those long claws he had for fingers. Dull brown eyes, but he had an ever present soft smile when he spoke to them. Hoshi’s expression reminded him a little of Elder Shen, the aloofness about him.
“Greetings, Sacred Artists. Welcome to my jungle. It’s a pleasure meeting the ones causing such a ruckus from the bottom of the mountain.” It spoke humbly, as if it wasn’t a creature who didn’t radiate great power and could speak. It seemed like the group kept Hoshi from a nap and it spoke slowly, as if it were tired.
Everyone but Daiki stared in wonder at the creature. They had all come across spirit animals in their time, of course. Hoshi was on a whole different level though. Silas, William, Maisy, and Magnus all clasped their hands together and bowed low to the animal.
Daiki stared for another few minutes. “I always thought you were an elephant. No one from the monastery has seen you.” Then he remembered himself and joined the group in the bow.
“Well, you aren’t from the group down the mountain, are you?” Hoshi looked at Daiki and then stood on his branch and bowed towards the monk, then lowered himself once more towards the rest of them. “What brings a member of the Kunlun Sect out to my portion of the jungle after all this time?”
Daiki stared at the sloth and nodded. “No, honored Hoshi, we are not from the sect on the bottom of the mountain. In fact, we are looking to disrupt them and send them away from this island. They murdered a friend of ours, another Sacred Artist.”
Hoshi looked at Daiki and frowned as much as he could before shaking his head. He then looked to Silas for a moment before crawling down from his tree. He crept along on the ground towards Silas and then stood once more.
The sloth was about as high as Silas’s waist, but Silas could feel the presence of someone who was spiritually much larger than himself. Silas’s mind reeled at the thought. If Silas was Jade, was this creature in the Opal realm? It was staggering to think, and he wondered how old the sloth was before Hoshi spoke.
“She was your friend? Tell me of her.” Hoshi smiled, looking up at Silas.
Silas kneeled in the grass so he could be eye level with Hoshi before he spoke. “She was my dearest friend. I've known her since we were children, both attending the School of the Jade Mountains. She was helping me train my apprentice.”
The rest of the group remained silent, watching the exchange between the two of them, and Hoshi nodded his head before looking at Silas with a soft smile. A paw lifted to pat Silas’s cheek and then Hoshi nodded.
“I am sorry to hear about your friend. It was by the people at the base of the mountain?” He asked Silas. Silas gave a simple nod in return.
“You are planning on just going in and attacking?” Hoshi looked at Silas and tilted his head curiously before raising a paw to his mouth.
“Well, if you are friends of the Kunlun, then you are my friend as well. They have been a good neighbor all of these years, never intruding upon my lands, until now, but I am sure it was just a mistake?” Hoshi looked up at Daiki when he asked.
Daiki pressed his palms together and bowed. “Yes, Master Hoshi. It has been a pleasure cultivating the rice so close to your lands so we can make our wine.”
Hoshi gave a small chuckle and nodded his head. “Your Elder Shen has given me a few bottles every few years since he took the position. How has he been? I saw you had trouble the other night with one of Genki’s dragons, hm?”
Silas reeled, even the animals knew more than most regular mortals in the realm about the Kami and the dragons and everything. He stared at the sloth, his mouth hanging open.
Daiki nodded. “Yes, Master Hoshi. A dragon came to attack. It’s thanks to Silas and his friends that we were left mostly unharmed. Silas is a student of the Kami Kenji.” Daiki took a minute and sighed. “Elder Shen has stepped down, though. He has gone into secluded cultivation after the events with the dragon. I think he was unhappy with what he had done during the fight.”
Hoshi nodded his head one long slow nod and then looked into Silas’s eyes, giving a long blink that matched the nod. It fell onto all fours and padded off in the direction the group had approached from. “Alright then, come on, you little Beggars, let us see if I can help you.”
Silas climbed to his feet and looked at the others, cocking his brow. Daiki returned Silas’s gaze and gave a shrug before following Hoshi. The rest followed Daiki, with Silas falling in just behind Maisy. She looked back at him and gave him a grin and a wink. Silas could tell she looked a little hopeful and curious about what was about to happen. Silas wasn’t sure what to think or what to expect. How the creature sounded earlier. He still couldn’t comprehend it being a sloth and not some mammoth lizard or even a dragon.
They all went to the path the group was making before Hoshi called them to him and looked down the mountain. “They are powerful down there, my friends. One may even almost be a Saint. I can’t quite tell if he’s been able to break through yet, but even though you are very powerful, it will be a dangerous fight for you.” Hoshi said in that slow drawl before turning back to look at them. “Shadows versus Illusion. It would be an interesting fight.”
Silas dropped to his knees. Not the graceful lowering himself like he had before to just speak with Hoshi, but this time he dropped. He stared at the sloth and then put his forehead in the dirt.
“Master Hoshi, if you could help, we would be unworthy. You know the same things we know, though, the same things Elder Shen knew. There is a war between the Kami happening, a struggle for power. The young Kami should not be sending dragons to attack mortals, or Sacred Artists simply because they want more power for themselves. We must help the Kami put a stop to it.” Silas pleaded, speaking into the dirt. He didn’t dare look up while he pleaded for help from the sloth.
“I wonder though,” Hoshi began, and then paused and closed his eyes for a moment. “Would it be such a bad thing if the powers of the Kami came to the mortal realm? Why should they have that sort of ultimate power while they leave the mortals to deal with only the five elements?”
Silas lifted his head and looked at Hoshi. Hoshi was speaking a little sense. They were powers but they could be fought against. “Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean the Kami should send Sacred Artists to murder each other, or send dragons to destroy villages. Elder Shen said the dragons were once the protectors of the Kami, but what mortal poses a threat to them? Even in the Sacred Arts we have yet to find someone who can become a Celestial. Someone who could maybe see the scope of the power the Kami have. We beg and scrape to serve the Kami, yet the young one does this?'“
Hoshi nodded his head and conceded the point. Silas’s friends positioned themselves along the mountain, watching. Everyone but Hoshi had their spirit veiled. They were near the base of the mountain and if the Dragon Cult wanted to reach out and sense them, they could. Hoshi didn’t bother because he never did. Daiki didn’t even know how long the sloth had lived here, or how old he was.
Finally, Hoshi spoke. “So, we agree we think it is alright if the mortals are able to cultivate some of the Kami’s powers. As long as the Kami are not sending dragons after people.”
Silas looked at Hoshi and shrugged. “Yes. I don’t see why more people can’t practice shadow or illusion, or wind or something?” It was a half question. Illusion might be a little powerful, but those with a powerful mind could overcome it. He supposed he was the one who made a dragon from shadow the night before, who knew what would be too powerful for the mortal realm to deal with.
“I suppose it will be for the Kami to decide.” Hoshi then waved Silas over and then smiled at him before giving him one of those long slow blinks and lifting his arm to point down to the camp. “These illusionists have been bothering me for weeks now. I am happy to do something to get them off of my island. There’s only a couple following Genki’s actual path. The rest are more traditional Sacred Artists. At least from what I’ve been able to tell.” He looked up at Silas with another one of those goofy smiles.
“Well….” Silas started…
The group conceived their plan of attack. Maisy was going to be providing support like usual. She said she had some songs that could help strengthen the mind if they needed it. Or she would use the same songs she normally did, strengthen the allies, weaken the foes. William and Magnus themselves should be able to deal with most of the lesser Artists, and then that left Hoshi and Silas to deal with the more powerful of them.
It took the group a few more minutes before everyone was in place, and then Maisy started playing her flute. Silas felt the invigorating notes fill the air and Hoshi used a technique and grew a quarterstaff made of madra in his hands. Silas likewise got his war hammer from his storage ring and was holding it in his hands now.
The camp was a typical camp with about a half dozen plain fabric tents of a dull purple color that matched the madra that killed Kio. They were in a circle around a large fire pit that was currently out. Once the occupants of the tents heard the music, they filtered out, and the group saw there were two people per tent which made it a dozen to their six. Silas nodded. He liked those odds. He sent his spirit to feel their power and saw only a couple of them were in the spirit realm of cultivation.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect wore robes of purple and teal. They were flashy, much like the animals they took their name after. The dark purple outer robes had the same sort of tint to it that Kenji’s realm had. Silas found it curious, but he figured they were all family members, so there must be some similarities to them after all.
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The strongest one, which Silas put at about the same level as his father and Elder Shen, must be the illusionist. Then there were two others in the spirit realm, one at the same level as Silas and then one a stage below, newly entered the spirit realm. Suddenly their camp had a ring of fire around it, the pit as well exploded in flame.
“I don’t think you boys are welcome here anymore, are ya!” William yelled out as he and Magnus charged from the tree line of the jungle. William was waving his blades around and Magnus had his guandao ready for attack. Magnus had even taken off his robes and charged in just his boots and pants. His hair was pinned back and out of his face. Silas lamented a moment at the recent change to his body this past winter when he was much bulkier, like Magnus was.
The body cultivators met Magnus and William head on and William fought with the ferocity of a Tiger. He was fighting two men at once, both of them sword users, and William danced between their strikes, countering each strike with his own. Magnus was fighting one man who was using a dart rope, the same weapon Misumi used to use.
Silas’s blood boiled. These men represented the Kami who took his wife away from him. Took Reiko from him. Destroyed Kyoto village. The plan was originally for Silas to wait until the more powerful Sacred Artist to get involved, but he couldn’t take it. Silas yelled and used his Shadow Walk technique, blurring into the shadows with a shout.
“Wait, Silas!” Hoshi yelled after him with as much urgency as the sloth could muster. It didn’t matter, Silas was already in the shadows.
Hoshi frowned and then instead of running or walking, the sloth floated through the air towards the camp. He was feeling the boost from Maisy’s flute as well, letting the sound power him, speed him up as much as it could. Hoshi may be a wise, powerful, almost immortal spirit animal, but he was still a sloth, and it seemed he had a few tricks.
Daiki was also now in the fight with William and Magnus swinging his own quarterstaff around. Seven body cultivators surrounded the three of them. Exchanging volleys and techniques. They had a leg up, of course, because they were spirit cultivators and could use techniques outside their body, but the Heavenly Dragon Sect didn’t make it easy for them.
Silas exited the shadows, now ending his Shadow Walk. He was on the other side of the camp, behind the leader of this group. He sent his mana flowing into his war hammer, activating those brown specs of stone in it. The specks were from a crushed spirit stone of a great elephant Silas once killed. He slammed the hammer down with a yell and it caused ripples of the very ground around the area.
On top of the fire around the camp, now the ground was also rippling in a seismic assault towards the leader. Silas didn’t wait for the attack to hit, he jumped back activating his Shadow Walk technique disappearing into them. While still in the shadows, he weaved another technique.
The shadow rose as he ran through the purple tinted void of the shadows and ran along next to Silas. Silas looked at it for a moment while they ran and wondered if it was Reiko. He doubted it. The last time he saw Reiko and Himari, they were leaving him walking away from him in Kenji’s realm.
He saw Hoshi battling three other Sacred Artists. One had moved to join the fight against William, Daiki, and Magnus. Hoshi was just toying with the three. they were all slinging attacks at the sloth. Hoshi was just swatting them away lazily, looking at them with that smile he had. Swinging his madra staff around and deflecting or dodging when he needed to. Hoshi was just buying Silas time to deal with the real threat in this camp.
He came from the shadows just as the ground assault was hitting the enemy master. Him and the shadow were ready to fight. The shadow went in close for hand to hand combat since it had no weapons and Silas stayed back with his hammer. He yelled out again, swinging the hammer just as they came from the shadows, swinging it towards the man.
As soon as the hammer would have hit, the enemy was gone. The swing was too far for Silas to pull it back. In the realization that the enemy wasn’t there, he used the momentum and swung himself. He went in to charge at one Sacred Artist fighting with Hoshi.
Silas’s Shadow as well moved with him, and they attacked the same person. The shadow moved in close and exchanged blows with the one who fought with their fists only. It didn't take Silas and Hoshi long once they thought about it, but these opponents they were fighting seemed weird. Hoshi eventually just floated there in the air, looking down at the two he was fighting. Even the trio taking on the bulk of the opponents thought something was fishy.
“Hey, somethin’ odd goin’ on, no?” William called over to them.
That’s when they heard the screams. The enemies disappeared from view and Silas realized the enemy had tricked them.
“SILAS!”
It was Maisy, and Silas’s stomach fell. He looked up into the mountain they came down, where he knew Maisy was supposed to be, and scanned for her.
“I wasn’t paying enough attention. I’m not sure when her music stopped.” Hoshi spoke to Silas and dropped the technique he was using to float. He now landed on the ground next to Silas and let his staff disappear.
Silas didn’t hear a word he had said though, yet again he had taken off in the shadows towards the screams. His Shadow Self was released and Silas dashed from shadow to shadow, moving exponentially quicker than he would be if he stayed on foot. He was at the spot he heard the screams in moments and appeared at the base of a tall tree, his grip tightening on his hammer as he looked around. It didn’t take the trio long, but soon enough, William, Magnus, and Daiki were there with him.
“It was all a trick.” Magnus was the first to speak, and he thrust the thick tipped spear edge of the guandao into the ground.
“MAISY!” William called out and Daiki just stood there, not sure what else to do.
Silas reached out though, closing his eyes. His first time trying this, he sent his perception through the shadows. He figured if he could send his perception and sense things that weren’t in the shadows. It should be possible for him to throw it out in the shadows. Silas could feel… something. He wasn’t sure what it was or what it could be, but he pushed back at the feeling, trying to explore. His eyes closed tighter. The rest of them looked at him, all asking if he had found her. He ignored them.
Silas’s world was suddenly gone. He was no longer standing in the middle of a jungle on a mountain. Silas was in the middle of a vast desert with flat-topped mountains and some sort of plants with spikes all over them. He had never seen such things.
His eyes were open, and he looked to the sky. The sky didn’t have a cloud in it and the sun was blaring down on him. The one thing about this place was that Silas absolutely did not like was that it was hot. Not the hot he was used to back in Kyoto, but it was dry and hot, and way hotter than he was used to.
Something was approaching him from one of those flat-topped mountains. It moved quickly. No, Silas realized. Not that it was moving quickly, it was a giant. The person was as big as the flat top mountain. It now looked down at Silas with a wicked smile.
“Welcome to my domain, Shadow Cultivator,” it boomed down at Silas.
Silas had to cycle mana to his ears, so he didn’t blow his ear drums. He wasn’t sure what to do or where to go, or where the hell he even was. He gripped his war hammer like he was ready to attack, but this person standing in front of Silas was huge. Beyond huge. He was the size of the mountains. What was Silas going to do against that?!
The giant just laughed, sending more booming vibrations to Silas’s ears. It was dressed in typical Sacred Artist robes, same ones as The Heavenly Dragon Sect wore. The purple outer robes and teal inner. The man had the tan skin of the Southern region of the empire, short black hair and brown eyes.
Wait.
Silas reeled. He realized this was the same man that he went to attack. He was the group leader. The one who kidnapped Maisy. Silas tightened his grip on his hammer and cycled his mana. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but the mana started to envelope him and he went into the shadows.
Silas was dashing up towards the giant’s shoulder. He was planning on coming out right at the shoulder and trying like hell to clobber him with the hammer. Maybe he could do another one of those moves like he did to the dragon?
Silas had just slipped into the shadows when a giant hand reached and grabbed him off the ground. Silas was being squeezed, and the giant was laughing more.
“You think you and your shadow tricks can stand up to the power of illusions?” The giant brought his hand back and threw Silas.
With a pulse of mana, Silas sent the hammer back into his storage ring as he flew through the air. He couldn’t do much else besides grit his teeth and brace himself for the impact into one of these mountains. He was flying at it and Silas brought his arms up to block his head and attempted to curl himself up so he didn’t hurt himself too badly.
There was a crack. Silas just saw it before he hid his head. A crack in the very reality in front of him. The crack spread like a fissure in space and Silas gaped a moment at the display of power. The crack then exploded in an explosion of glass and Silas flew through space. Silas was weightless now in the sky, in a void, he was in nothingness. He wasn’t in Kenji’s realm, this wasn’t that purple tinted shadow realm, this was… space. He was flying through the stars, and his mind reeled as he tried to make sense of this.
His body was turning in the air and there was suddenly a pull of gravity on his body. He was now falling headfirst into a jungle. Into where he supposed his friends were waiting for him. He wove his mana, not into an actual technique, but he had to break his fall. The only thing he could think of was trying to get some of that black, gooey shadow stuff that he could fall through. This way, he wouldn’t completely shatter every bone in his body when he landed on the hard ground.
The shadows expanded around the trees below him. He worked as fast as he could, falling through the shadow stuff. It was like a meteor hit the world. His body crashed into a tree and then on the ground with a loud thump. Silas groaned and opened his eyes. Daiki, William, Magnus and Hoshi were all standing over him, looking at him with their jaws dropped.
“We’re not strong enough.” Was all Silas could say before the shadows swallowed him up and he was once more transported without him knowing who or what was doing this.
When the shift finally ended, the fall was much softer, and in fact there was no fall. Silas was still on the ground, but this time he was in that familiar purple tinted plane of Kenji’s. In that same open void of a field where he first taught himself how to Shadow Walk. The Kami was looking down at him, Shu standing on Kenji’s shoulder and gave a screech before munching a cracker that Kenji was holding out for him.
“No, Silas. You are not strong enough.”