Canvas Town, Tseludia Station, Pantheonic Territory, Fifthmonth, 1634 PTS
As usual, the room was filled with my disciples, several of them being hardworking and practicing in silence. A few, however, had been loudly laughing and talking with one another as they practiced their motions, suddenly ceasing their actions as they looked in horror to the door as it opened.
“Seems you’re all enjoying yourselves,” I observed.
Shadowblade had frozen mid motion, Gen and Han had awkward looks on their faces, and Lin was intensely blushing. Qian and Blake, meanwhile, seemed to be comfortably pausing their exercise to greet me. I suspected that in reality, Blake had been the only one of the group being fully diligent. Still, I was not foolish enough to restrict the youth of my disciples. That would only cause problems further down the line.
Behind me, I heard Rachel snicker.
“Disciple greets Master!” called my disciples in unison, each bowing before me. I gave them all a nod, and they rose again to their full height.
“It seems you’ve all been working on the exercises I gave you,” I observed. “Show me your results.” I nodded to Blake, who was holding a training sword.
By this point, all of my disciples had decided on the weapon they intended to use primarily. To no surprise, the majority of them had chosen the sword. Not only was it one of the most common martial weapons, it was also my own specialty, and they rightfully believed I had more to teach about it. Blake, Han, Qian, and Lin had all made this choice, though Qian had picked the more aggressive saber, rather than a dynamic jian like myself and the others. Gen, on the other hand, had picked a glaive, choosing to enhance the reach advantage provided by his lanky limbs even further.
Shadowblade, to no surprise, continued to use throwing knives. I had needed to ask Ran to specially order a large quantity, and he was the only disciple currently using real weapons. With such a weapon, it was best to train for the exact size and shape one intended to use, so I had felt that training versions would be counter-productive. Shadowblade was not the type to listen anyway, and I suspected he would have trained with the low quality real ones he had already owned. Similarly, he had refused to tie his hair up, even though a clear sightline should improve his efficacy. I had, however, also insisted he learn knife fighting in melee, and in this, at least, he had thrown himself into with all his efforts.
Blake quickly went through the motions, and I approved of his clean movements. I gave him a couple pointers, which he accepted gracefully, before moving on to the next disciple. Within fifteen minutes, I had looked at the fruit of their labors, and approved wholeheartedly. There were issues I had needed to correct, but what I was looking for at the moment was not perfection, but a sufficient foundation to move forward. These disciples of mine were all hardworking, and with advisement, I trusted them not to slack off on the basics.
“I believe you have all advanced enough to take the next step,” I told them. “You can inform me which technique you wish for me to teach you, and I will find the time to do so. Of course, you are not allowed to share these techniques with anyone else, even one another, unless I give permission.”
My eyes roamed over each of the disciples individually, and they each agreed to the rule. I gave them a firm nod.
“Good. I believe that Rachel already shared the list of techniques with you last week. Have you made your choices?”
“I would like to learn the Heart of Rainfall,” said Gen, and after a short pause, I gave him a firm nod. It was not a bad choice for a first advanced technique, and though it was a final resort, the technique was still useful in a variety of situations.
“I… I want to learn the Water Striding Steps!” said Han, a storm raging in his eyes. I smiled at him and gave a nod.
“A good choice. Movement is vital for keeping yourself safe as well as for pressing the advantage. I turned to Qian, who stood beside him. She blushed, and then spoke.
“I would also like to learn it.”
The words were slightly mumbled, but I paid no heed to it. The Water Striding Steps were, in my opinion, the most vital and powerful technique I knew. They had saved my life more times than I could count, and were the core technique of all of the Downpour Sect’s martial arts. Even the disciples who did not choose it today would likely ultimately seek to learn it. Still, if they did not choose it now, I suspected each of them would choose it later, even if not as a technique they intended to turn into a core at some point. It was simply that useful. Next, I moved on to Blake.
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“I wish to learn the Ripple Disguise Art,” he said. At this, I frowned.
The art was one of the less popular of those I knew, as the Downpour Sect had been very isolated, and there were few of us who found a need for such an art. Still, formless arts were the best at disguises at the high levels, and such arts would be very useful on the station. I did not ask what drove Blake’s interest in the art, as I felt what I knew of his background gave me a fair idea. Perhaps I was wrong, though, and he was merely inspired by tales of the Many-Faced Demon. Either way, so long as he did not break the sect rules with it, I did not mind such motives.
“Interesting,” is all I said, before I turned to the next disciple, Lin Wuyuan. As always, in front of me she wore a mask of intense focus and discipline.
“I would like to learn the Heart of Rainfall,” she said. I gave her a nod, approving of this decision as well. My disciples had good heads on their shoulders, I thought. They had clearly all put plenty of thought into this decision.
Finally, I turned to Shadowblade, who smiled, his eyes bright and excited. For some look in his golden eyes gave me a bad feeling.
“I would like to learn the Soul Severing Art!” he said.
I gave him an odd look.
“That art causes permanent soul damage to yourself, and if you lose your weapon you no longer gain the benefit from it. And you use throwing knives,” I reminded him, attempting to persuade him against this foolish plan.
For some reason, his eyes remained filled with excitement. I sighed, knowing that reason alone would not get across to him. I supposed one had to let the young make mistakes and learn lessons from it.
“If you truly wish for it, I will teach it to you,” I said. I met his eyes, ensuring he understood how serious I was. “But whatever you do, do not lose the weapons you use the art on, nor allow them to be destroyed. You will regret it until the day you die.”
My gaze carried the weight of my own past mistakes, and I made sure he understood what I was saying. Taken aback, Shadowblade quickly nodded, and I allowed the pressure to die down. He still looked excited.
“I still wish to learn the Soul Severing Art, Master,” he said.
I sighed.
“Alright, then. But I would recommend being extremely careful.”
He bowed to me, and I moved on.
“I’m sure you are all excited to acquire some truly powerful abilities. But remember,” I advised, “not to slack on your basics. The more you improve your foundation, the greater your overall fighting strength will become. Even I still occasionally practice the basic foundations of my sword art. As unorthodox practitioners, you must all be wary of ensuring yourself a very strong foundation, or you will be unable to progress further and doom yourself. As my disciples, I will offer you the chance to acquire a near-perfect foundation, but every martial artist must create theirs for themselves.”
Once again, I gauged the reactions of my disciples, and approved of their solemn response.
“Good,” I said. “In that case, I will first teach Gen and Lin after this. Then I’ll teach Blake. Tomorrow, Qian, Shadowblade, and Han will be taught theirs.” They all bowed slightly as I gave the instructions. “By the way,” I added. “The meditation room is currently undergoing repairs, so you will not be able to use it for at least a week.”
I saw some curious looks across my disciples' faces, but I did not bother to explain what had happened. There was no need, and regardless I wished to keep the knowledge of Triezal’s capture a secret for as long as possible. While the background checks we had performed on my disciples were as thorough as possible, this did not mean they wouldn’t accidentally let something slip to a friend who was problematic.
I turned to Rachel, who had remained quiet this entire time. She seemed distracted, and I questioned why she had even bothered to follow me inside. Perhaps something important was happening with the interrogation. I then turned back to my disciples.
“Blake, wait outside. Han, Qian, Shadowblade, take a rest. You’ll be working hard tomorrow.”
They all bowed.
“Yes, Master.”
After this, they filed out, while the remaining two disciples waited before me, expectant looks on their faces. I smiled at them as only four of us finally remained in the room.
“First,” I said, “We will need to discuss what it means to be a storm.”
The Masked Specter Sect: [This force’s existence is unknown. It is possible it is merely a rumor, or perhaps just a fiction. However, many believe it to be real. The sect is said to be a secret society of formless practitioners who have hidden themselves within Sunlit Hall using extreme powers of disguise. While none claim they secretly rule the orthodox path, due to the protective influence of the ascendant goddess Ceirra, many mysterious happenings over the years have been blamed on them, particularly among certain internet circles. On Tseludia Station, rumors of the Riverfiend being an ex member of the Masked Specter Sect have propagated, but few believe them, as he is being far too high key. In popular culture, the sect is said to be headed by a powerful earthly immortal known as the Many-Faced Demon.]