Avi slipped her AR Glasses on and took a look at Joram. From the magic emanating from his crotch, she suspected that he was still waring his Jockstrap of Holding. She then tapped at her omni-tool, bringing up the scanning functions, then did a full sweep of Joram’s body, taking note of the readings as she went.
She wasn’t familiar with the intricacies of draconic or phoenix physiologies or how they changed or behaved during puberty, but she did detect higher levels of libido in his system, along with a few other things that seemed to be affecting the area of his brain responsible for arousal.
Joram was starting at her, an accusatory look painted on his face.
She cleared her throat before speaking.
“Well, it does seem as though you’re quite… healthy,” she said, looking him straight in the eye.
“When did you make those glasses?” He asked, changing the subject suddenly, much to her relief.
“Oh, they’re one of the things I wanted you to [Delve] so that I could make more,” she said, waving it off.
“Hand’em over.”
Avi did just that, careful not to let their hands touch. If he was indeed as… primed as she thought he was, she’d very much need to take precautions.
It only took him a minute to [Delve] the glasses then fabricate his own using the drawers and drawers of pure chemical elements in his workshop.
She smiled as she took in the change in design, remembering his taste in glasses. He’d always loved the Clark Kent style and had gotten them when he’d eventually started needing reading glasses back on Earth. Though, with his new body, he looked much nerdier than he had before.
With that done, the conversation, thankfully, went in another direction.
“I’ll have to leave soon,” he said, now looking at a map of the known world.
It was filled in very well, especially since people had been exploring this world for tens of thousands of years, even before that cataclysm stuck roughly twenty-thousand years ago.
Their continent, the Waeryn Continent, took up almost a quarter of the map, while the Zhizun Zhanshi continent took up a slightly larger portion of the map. The rest was covered by oceans and the occasional island here and there spread out between the two super-continents.
If you were to look at the world, from the side, it would look a bit like a sandwich. The left of the world would be covered by one super-massive continent, then you had a massive ocean, then the other super-massive continent on the other side. It was odd for anyone who studied tectonic activity and continental movement. But the positions of the continents hadn’t significantly shifted in written history.
About the only thing that had significantly changed the surface of the planet had been the cataclysm that had resulted in dozens of moons being destroyed and falling to the surface of the planet, nearly wiping out all life.
Anyway, at least the maps were reliable for the areas more heavily settle by sapient species. That said, for any other ruling power out there, their maps might have been much less accurate than the ones found in the Library that she and Joram had copied over.
You see, the various countries, kingdoms, and empires out there tended to keep the exact details of their countries hidden from those outside of it. Something about keeping military and strategic secrets. Which hadn’t prevented the clan’s agents from getting their hands on that information anyway and sending it back to be recorded.
Which resulted in the most accurate map on the planet.
Joram pointed to a section of mountains on the Waeryn Continent that was closer to the eastern side of the landmass.
“We’re here. Over there,” he said, pointing to an island off a peninsula on the eastern coast, “is where the Grand Waeryn Academy is located. This is where I plan on staying while gathering more information about the sects, clans, and powers of the Zhizun Zhanshi continent.”
“You’re planning on going to school?” She asked, a bit taken aback by the news.
“Yes,” he said, pushing his glasses up his nose while nodding. “There are a few reasons for that. Namely, creating contacts. If I can get enough influential people to support my vision for how the Clan will operate in the future, then I’ll worry less about leaving everyone behind.”
“You want powerful backers to help deter anyone from taking advantage of us,” she said nodding.
“Yes. While that is one of the reasons, the other is that the Academy is located near a major port, dealing with cross-continental trade. They also accept students from across the ocean.”
“Are you planning on using them to get a way in?”
“If I can build up good enough relations with those students, then it will be easier to move around once I head over there. From what I gather, people need passports to travel from country to country, much like here. But there, you need to be supported by a large clan, sect, academy, or school to get a passport.”
“Have you thought about trying to enroll in one of the institutions there?” Avi asked carefully, not sure how he’d react to the question.
Joram just nodded. “I was thinking of spending a couple of years in the Grand Waeryn Academy, then applying as a transfer student to one of the institutions there. It would be the easiest way to get that passport. Hence why I would need to try to befriend the foreign students.”
“I think you left something out there.”
He thought for a second before realizing that he’d missed a portion of his explanation. “Right. It’s easier to become an exchange student if you’re endorsed or sponsored by another student.”
Makes sense, she thought as she nodded.
“So, when are you thinking of leaving?” She asked, prepared to adjust her plans.
“Well,” he started, looking a bit hesitant. “I want to get going soon, as the school year will be starting in a couple of weeks…”
“And how, pray tell, do you plan on travelling that far so quickly?”
He just gave her a bland look.
“Mass effect fields.”
Avi looked at him, jaw dropping.
“Are you planning on cultivating eezo?”
It was his turn to blink at her for a moment before a huge smile came to his face.
“I always wanted to be a biotic,” he said, grinning for all he was worth.
She face-palmed.
“Any idea how that would interact with the Adamantium Body Technique?”
“Nope! But I can guess,” he said, still grinning. “And it might actually help when it comes time to start cultivating the Neutron Star Technique after I finish with the Adamantium Body Technique,” he said, now nodding.
“I’m not going to be able to convince you not to try, am I?”
“Time to make some eezo!”
* * * * *
Joram was banging his head on his desk again.
Sure, he had the exact scientific data for eezo, its molecular composition and all that. Because eezo wasn’t actually a chemical element, but a compound. But it was another matter entirely to make the stuff in quantities greater than a gram… and keep it stable.
Even though he was banging his head, he was also going through the file Altaea had left him on the material. From how to find it all the way to how its unique properties when harnessed.
What he was currently focussing on was the refinement and storage process.
It was much more complicated than he’d realized.
Pure eezo didn’t seem to be very stable- if more than a gram was collected- in this universe and required special treatment, otherwise it would catastrophically destabilize. Which was the root cause of the head banging.
M3: I think I’ve found out why it is reacting the way it is.
Joram: Do tell.
M3: I am reasonably sure that it is reacting to the mana in the atmosphere.
Joram blinked at that. He wasn’t sure if mana was present in the universe Altaea had found herself in, what he called MEU2: Mass Effect Universe 2. Mostly because it seemed to be a combination of the ME Universe and the Who-verse.
Joram: That’s going to make it tough.
M3: Indeed. Though we can try using an array to create an anti-magic field. That might work.
Kinkade: Sounds reasonable. I can get started on laying down the array.
Joram: Let’s do this!
*Two hours later*
“You know, we can make this into a long-term project. No need to rush things,” Avi said as she patted his shoulder.
“We’ll do that then,” he said, voice muffled because he was once again laying face-down on his desk.
“So, your travel arrangements?” She gently prompted.
“Just build a jet or something,” he said listlessly, all enthusiasm drained out of him.
“That’s a bit… conspicuous,” she hedged.
“It’s not hard to add [Silence] spells to the engines,” he said, waving away her protest. “Heck, you could even add an illusion to make it look like something else. A flying chariot? Carriage? Santa’s sleigh?”
He really just wanted to go and play with alchemy. He’d been very close to breaking through to the 5th Tier of alchemy before everything had gone to shit, so he was a bit eager to get back to it, even though it had already been nine months since the attack.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“I’ll get something made,” Avi said, her voice resigned. Then changed the subject. “Do you want me to start interrogating the new prisoners?”
Joram felt his face redden as he remembered his encounter with the female practitioner.
“Yeah, you’re better at it than I am,” he mumbled before standing up and heading off to his alchemy lab.
* * * * *
Ren Wentian was bored. Aside from the strange man who’d left after telling him to “sit tight”, he’d been alone since yesterday. Well, at least he thought it had been a day. The lights in his cell had dimmed for long enough for him to correlate that with nighttime.
Although he hadn’t been the least bit tired.
As a matter of fact, he still felt as energized as when he’d woken up, albeit weaker. Which confused him greatly.
He could tell that he’d dropped down to the Earth Realm, but couldn’t determine why. From what he could sense, he didn’t have any damage to his body or meridians. His core was likewise undamaged, throwing that idea out the window.
He was just… weaker. But full of energy, as though he’d slept for an entire week or something.
He was also hungry.
He looked down at his stomach, now covered by a new shirt he’d found waiting for him on his bunk. He’d been certain that it hadn’t been there when he’d first inspected his small cell, but hadn’t let that bother him. So he’d changed, not really caring about what he wore as much as wanting to look less like a ragged beggar.
Nor did his clothing issues compare to his confinement. The last thing that he remembered before arriving here was his battle with the thieving clan. He and his teammates had just cleared a hall when they came across a woman with weird hair colour. Then nothing.
He tried to remember if he’d sensed her cultivation, but he just came up with a blank. She must have been in the Mystic Realm to have defeated them so fast.
He nodded at that. That made the most sense.
But why capture him? Did they think that he would talk? Reveal secrets of his Diamond Jade Lotus Sect?
Ren Wentian was still pondering that when the door opened up and a woman with fantastically red hair walked in with a tray of food.
He squinted at her a bit as he stood up, trying to place her, but dismissed the thought. He’d have remembered hair like that.
She didn’t say anything as she placed the tray into some sort of cubby just on the other side of the barrier keeping him in his cell.
“If you’re hungry, just open that little cupboard and have a bite to eat,” the woman said in an accent that told him she was from the Waeryn Continent. He almost didn’t register that because her melodious voice distracted him.
He nodded his thanks to her, then opened the small cupboard and retrieved the tray of food. He wasn’t worried that it was poisoned for two reasons.
One, they could have done anything to him while he was unconscious. Two, he was highly resistant to poison from training the technique his Sect was named after: the Diamond Jade Lotus Body Tempering Technique. It was a mouthful to say, and even harder to train, but it was one of the better body refining techniques on the continent.
He stepped back to his bed and sat at the edge, then dug into his food.
Ren Wentian didn’t recognize it, as the preparation wasn’t what he was used to. But it was good and moderately filling.
The young woman outside his cell merely pulled up a chair and waited while he ate, calmly retrieving a book from her storage ring to read.
Once he’d finished and downed the cup of tea that came with the meal, the woman stored her book away and leaned forward.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d answer a few questions on my mind,” she said with a smile that would have enchanted a lesser man.
As it was, he was still dazzled.
* * * * *
*1346.01.21*
Avi was impressive as ever.
Not only had she gotten the two new prisoners to talk, but she’d even managed to get more information out of them than Bai Lian. Likely due to the others being a bit more socially inclined that Bai Lian.
Joram now knew that their little coalition was simply called the Tri-Lotus Coalition, a set of three sects under one of the super-powers of their homeland. There was the Sky Lotus Sect that specialized in air and lightning cultivation techniques and martial arts. The young woman, Mo Yu, hailed from there.
Then there was the Diamond Jade Lotus Sect that specialized in body tempering and earth-based martial arts. Both Bai Lian and the guy, Ren Wentian, hailed from there.
The third sect of that coalition was the Ephemeral Ice Lotus Sect. Either they were full of rotten apples or Avi just hadn’t killed any of them. Either way, the sect wasn’t represented amongst the three prisoners.
All three sects were subordinate to the Heavenly Fire Lotus Clan, a clan large enough to rule an area the size of a country.
From what Mo Yu and Ren Wentian had gleaned during their travels, their mission had come down from the very top, probably even from someone in the Heavenly Fire Lotus Clan.
Which meant that he would have to investigate a major power, not just some upstart sects. He sighed, thinking of just how social he was going to have to be in the near future. Maybe he could somehow get the Three Lotuses (as he was starting to call the prisoners) to do some of the talking for him. Smooth things out for him. Lay the groundwork. All that stuff.
He really didn’t like having to be social. Altaea’s lessons on etiquette and diplomacy hadn’t been his favourite lessons from her. In fact, had it not been Altaea personally teaching him those things, he was sure that he’d have found a way to completely avoid them.
Joram shook his head as he watched the trio as they walked with Asura through one of the medicinal gardens. He spotted Mo Yu as she stopped to inspect some of the plants and wondered if she knew anything about them.
Then he shrugged. It wasn’t likely that she’d appreciate his presence any time soon, given how she’d reacted to him and all. But he was curious. He hadn’t ever really had the time to sit down with another alchemist to discuss the art. Maybe he’d ask Avi if Mo Yu was an alchemist, then go from there.
On that note, he’d finally managed to step into the 5th Tier of alchemy. He still didn’t feel that he was very good at refining 5th level pills and elixirs and such, but he still managed to succeed about half the time. He didn’t know when he’d get the chance to practice his alchemy in the future, but hoped that he would have the time to take a class or two at the Academy.
He stood up and just leaned over the balcony to keep Asura’s group in sight when he got a call.
‘Joram?’
‘Yes, Xixi?’
‘Are you leaving?’ She asked, her thoughts managing to tremble.
‘What makes you think that?’ He asked, deflecting the question.
‘Mother-in-law,’ he nearly choked at that, ‘said that you have to leave again,’ she sent, now very emotional.
He closed his eyes and silently cursed his mother. Then sighed. That his mother would tell Xixi shouldn’t have been a surprise, but something to be expected.
‘Yes, I need to find Tillia and the others that were taken,’ he sent back and got a flood of emotions in return.
There was of course sadness in there, but regret, hurt, and loss also greatly contributed to the flood of emotions. Then came determination.
‘I’m coming with you,’ she sent in the way that children could say something with absolute confidence.
He smiled, then. ‘I would love to have you, but you won’t be old enough to enroll in the Academy.’
‘We’re the same age!’ She rightly protested.
‘Yes, but I look like I’m old enough to enroll, and my cultivation is high enough as well.’
A flood of stubbornness and frustration smacked him in the face, so he compromised with his best friend.
‘But that doesn’t mean that I won’t be able to come see you.’
‘How? You’ll be so far away!’ She demanded, reminding him that she didn’t know the true nature of the realm she was living in.
‘I can come to this small world at any time, from anywhere in the world, Xixi. Besides, we’re still connected through the Network. We can talk whenever you want!’
A serious Pout came through, almost making him laugh when the image of a chibi Xixi pouting formed in his mind.
‘But the Network stops working all the time!’
That hit him in the gut. He couldn’t deny that her connection to the Network over the years had been less than stable.
‘Well, I can always come back and add you back to the Network if that happens; because I am able to come back whenever I need,’ he reemphasised the last point, which got him feelings of grudging acceptance in return.
The conversation then turned more lighthearted before Xixi was off to help with her sisters again.
He was quiet for a time after that, thinking of what the future held for them all, but then was once again interrupted.
M3: Hey, I think I’ve got it this time.
Joram perked up as he became aware of M3’s progress. It took him a bit to go through, reading through line after line of “code”. But at length he finished, then smiled.
‘Avi? I’m going to run a test on the new augment to [Schism] now. Don’t be alarmed if the Network goes down or something,’ he sent quickly before shifting to his workshop, setting his omni-tool to scan him and record the findings.
Once done, he dismissed his current [Schism] before manifesting it again, this time with the new augment option added in. He felt him mind copying itself again, getting a “thanks” from both Kinkade and M3, then a “hello” from the new mind. So, M4.
He grinned and set M3 and M4 to work on the new [Genesis] while Kinkade just got back to what he was doing.
Then he settled down and observed how much of a draw the extra mind was having on his psionic reserves. It only took him an hour to determine that at his current rate of replenishment, he was now running at a net deficit. He should have enough psionic power to easily get through the day, but he didn’t like the idea of potentially being low should an emergency arise.
After a bit of thinking, he decided that some new jewellery was in order.
He shifted a small block of Sky Nether Jade into his workshop and got to work.
* * * * *
Asura couldn’t believe that she was witnessing this particular argument.
It had started when she had mentioned that Joram, the one Ren Wentian and Mo Yu had met upon awakening, was going to speak with them later that day.
Bai Lian had gotten a grin on her face, looking excited.
“It will be good to see the young master,” she’d said, causing the other two’s heads whip around to stare at her.
“What?” She asked, turning a bit red at the scrutiny.
Before Ren Wentian could say anything, Mo Yu’s mouth started going.
“’Young Master’? How could you betray the Sects for that perverted, no good, womanizing brat?!”
Which had led to Bai Lian becoming defensive.
“He’s no such thing! He’s been a perfect gentleman. Not only has he treated us well as prisoners, but he hasn’t laid a single finger on me!”
Mo Yu looked like she’d bitten a lemon at that point, unable to deny that he hadn’t touched her. But rallied when the image of Joram standing in front of her naked reared its head in her mind. Her face turned red as she spoke.
“Bust because he didn’t do anything to you, doesn’t mean he didn’t to anything to me!” She said, turning even more red as her verbal slip registered in her brain.
“What do you mean?” Bai Lian asked suspiciously. “I won’t stand for anyone slandering the young master,” she said, standing up straight.
“Now, let’s all take a moment to breath,” Ren Wentian said, trying to calm the situation. “Why don’t we just go over our encounters with this Joram. Sit down, share step by step what each of us experienced.”
Both young women looked at him with such intensity that he stepped back, raising his hands in defeat.
“That sounds like a perfect idea,” Asura said, a sly smile on her face. “I’ve got just the space for it.”
Asura then brought the trio to one of the testing facilities, entering one of the smaller reinforced rooms. Within minutes they were all settled on comfortable chairs around a table, all brought in by some helpful droids. A few others came to bring in some stationary, snacks, and a projector.
She smiled at the looks Wentian and Mo Yu gave the droids while Bai Lian acted as if this was all a normal occurrence for her. Which, really, it basically was. She’d been brought back and had been chilling in the prison for months longer than the other two had been. Heck, today was the first day that Asura had let them out together, shocking the two newbies when they discovered that they were in a small world.
She motioned for Wentian to start first as she set up the projector and made sure that it was properly linked to her omni-tool. It wasn’t a long story, and even a bit boring.
Mo Yu looked like she had expected as much while Bai Lian just nodded along.
“I woke up to Avi and a redheaded body cultivator looking at me,” Bai Lian reported.
Mo Yu looked sceptical, but Ren Wentian nodded; completely believing his junior sister. Asura also nodded along, which only managed to irk Mo Yu further.
“Well, I woke up to that pervert standing in front me, completely naked,” she said, going red at the memory.
The other two stared at her, mouths falling open. Bai Lian recovered first, rallying so that she could defend Joram.
“Surely there’s more to the story than that!”
Mo Yu coloured further as she turned her head away from those at the table.
“Nothing more needs to be explained. There’s no excuse for such behaviour,” she said archly, still intent on counting the tiles on the wall.
“Oh, I’m sure that I can shed a bit of light on things,” Asura said, a mischievous glint in her eye.
Everyone turned to her and finally looked at the projector, now turned on. Asura pointed at the wall behind her where the first of three videos she’d queued up was paused, ready to go.
Bai Lian blushed a bit at seeing her chest exposed for all to see, then the mortal wound in her chest registered, causing all colour to leave her face. Ren Wentian didn’t fare much better, nor did Mo Yu as her hand went unconsciously to her own chest.
Asura started the videos Avi had edited so that Joram always appeared in his Aneath form, and then watched the trio’s reactions.
Bai Lian remained white as a ghost as they watched her short video. Ren Wentian started looking a little green during his video, but then got a disbelieving set to his jaw.
By the time Mo Yu’s video came, she looked like she wanted to run. As she watched her own resurrection her eyes grew wider and wider, her mouth following suit, until she almost looked like a caricature you could have a street artist sketch for you.
Asura could tell when Mo Yu realized the full extent of what Joram had done for her, and likely how tolerant and merciful he’d been after what she’d done to him.
What Asura didn’t mention was how close Joram had been to snapping in a different way. Either way, she was had gotten off lucky. And, well, so had he.
“Any questions?” Asura asked once the videos ended.
- Author's Note:
I'm still hearing of other sites ripping stories from Royal Road here, so I'll add in this note, which'll be copied in the "post-chapter author note" just below (if you're on RR and reading this there). That said, if you're reading this anywhere other than Royal Road, my Patreon Page, or my Discord Server, then it's been stolen and you should report it!
People/Sites stealing the original works of hardworking authors creates ridiculous legal issues when the author wants to take their work to the next step: publishing. So, again, please report stolen/ripped works whenever you come across them to the original author (if possible).
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