Little Celah, Tseludia Station, Pantheonic Territory, Fifthmonth, 1634 PTS
We met up with Jihan’s group outside the lower entrance, and I felt thankful that they had made it out without any issues cropping up. Between that and the news that matters at the sect had reached their ultimate conclusion, I felt the pressure and anxiety decreasing. All that was left was to manage the aftermath.
Upon meeting up, I inspected the remaining size of Jihan’s force, noting the large number of casualties sustained, but said nothing. Many of the survivors had glazed looks in their eyes, and I did not wish for them to dwell on what had occurred inside the structure. If we left them alone, I imagined they would recover in time.
“Any considerations?” I asked, as Jihan stepped up towards me.
He shook his head.
“No serious injuries among the survivors. Everyone should be back to normal after a long night of sleep.”
“Good. In that case,” I said, “we’ll want to head out immediately. Rachel, have you-”
“Already chartered an aero. Two stacks in that direction.”
She was standing beside us, one arm outstretched towards the nearest bridge. My gaze followed that direction, thinking through the path we would need to take. There were at least ten flights of stairs upwards that we would need to take if we wished to reach the highest layer of the stacks, where the skydocks were located. It was an inconvenient but expected issue, given the circumstances. Not for the first time, I was glad that our own headquarters was located much nearer to the top of the stacks.
“Perfect,” I said, striding in that direction. I had no desire to waste time.
With the aid of Rachel’s illusions, we appeared to transform into Jobu. While a group of our size still garnered much attention, nobody halted our passage, and we quickly managed to reach a nearby skydock, where the chartered aero awaited us. From there, we sped rapidly towards the sect.
By the time we arrived, the worst of it was over. The dead had been cataloged and the injured were receiving first aid under Rachel’s directions in the largest training room. As I entered, I immediately saw over twenty individuals lying on the floor, their injuries ranging from the extremely mild to the extremely severe. The lost causes had been left to die, and these were simply those whom Rachel believed it was possible to save. Despite my surging emotions, my will remained resolute. The Redwater Sect would do its best to remain neutral in this conflict. I would not make another move, not until I found the right opportunity. But there certainly would be recompense, I thought.
Once more, I gritted my teeth as I scanned the room, ignoring the polite greetings I received from all who noticed my arrival. The toll was extremely heavy for a force as young as ours, and this would delay the development of all affected disciples. I slowly walked through, immersing myself in the thick smell of blood and the ceaseless groaning. Rachel flanked beside me, and we drew the attention of all we passed.
“Why are the injured still here?” I asked. “Have them moved to the hospital.”
It had been over an hour since the attack had begun, and I felt it was odd that they were still all present within the sect. We had plans to set up a medicinal palace at some point, but had yet to acquire the talents we needed to make it work. In light of what had happened, I was starting to feel like those plans must be brought forward as soon as possible.
“I’m concerned about moving some of them,” she said, “and I delayed the rest from heading there until we arrived. I was concerned about a potential ambush along the route.”
I frowned, knowing little of medicine.
“We should at least move who we can. I understand the quicker the treatment occurs, the easier the healing process is?”
She nodded.
“We can have Jihan move with them and make sure no more Ceirrans make a move along the way.”
This sounded like a reasonable idea, so I did not continue to ask about the matter. Rachel knew far more about this discipline than I ever would, so I would allow the two of them to handle it themselves. I could handle other tasks in the meantime.
“How many deaths were there?” I asked.
“Nine disciples, four noncombatants, and…” Rachel hesitated for a moment, and I found it difficult to parse just what emotion her face was displaying. The moment soon ended, however, and she finished her sentence. “...and Cinto.”
I sighed, unable to help but pause as well. This was a huge loss for the sect. I was not close with Cinto, and nor did she ever seem to like me. But I had always kept a firm estimation of her value. She would be very difficult to replace. I cleared my throat, returning my attention to the present. There was no benefit in dwelling on such matters. My duty as the sect leader was to always move forward for the sect’s good.
“Who all died?” I asked.
Rachel proceeded to give a list of the deceased, but luckily none of them happened to be any of the talented disciples who I had been keeping an eye on, nor any of the core logistical personnel. Ran had defended the center of our operations well. Despite this sliver of good news, however, a heavy cloud still hung over my mood, due to the loss of Cinto, and the environment surrounding us did nothing to assist. She had fallen in defense of the disciples, and I had to respect the stand she had taken. She was a great teacher, and she had died protecting her students. It was an admirable end, I thought. I hoped her friends and loved ones could take solace in that.
“She’ll make a good martyr,” observed Rachel. I glared at her, but she pretended not to notice, merely shrugging. “Everyone in the sect knows her. By publicizing the nature of her death, we can turn this attack into an event that builds loyalty and strengthens the sect’s spirit, rather than damaging it. We can also use it to damage the reputation of the clan.”
She was right, of course. It didn’t fully sit well with me, but I would not be controlled by my emotions in such a way. Moreover, I felt that Rachel could be trusted with the implementation of such matters.
“Be careful about it, but go ahead.”
She nodded, and I sighed again. Cinto was dead, and Mung had betrayed us. This would delay the development of our flickering and genesis disciples significantly. I idly wondered whether I could make a deal with the Celans to receive Mung’s services again. Though he was only present for a little over a week, he had been a great help to the disciples during that time.
I could consider the matter later. For now, I turned to Rachel.
“Where’s Ran?” I asked.
“She’s currently having the property damage assessed so that we can get it repaired as soon as possible. Why do you ask?”
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“I want to speak with her about something.”
Rachel frowned, and something within her eyes shifted.
“If this is about how she acted during the attack, I feel the actions she took were very prudent. She protected most of our administrative and logistical personnel from the-”
I quickly cut her off with a wave of my hand.
“It’s not that,” I explained. “I simply had an idea I wanted to run by the two of you.”
For a moment she seemed as if she wanted to say something, but instead she shrugged.
“Sure. She’ll be here in a few minutes.”
I continued to look around the room as I waited, and it did not take long for me to notice the only disciple of mine who was present in the room. Alongside one of the training room’s walls was Han, and I slowly approached, careful not to threaten him or anyone else with my body language. He did not seem to be in the best mental state, and as his master, it was my duty to assist as best I could.
Once I neared, I realized that his right arm ended below the elbow. It was crudely bandaged together, his face still slightly pale, presumably from blood loss. I sat down next to him, and he looked up at me in surprise.
“Master!” he said, attempting to stumble to his feet, but I placed one hand on his shoulder, holding him down.
“Are you alright?” I asked.
Han softly chuckled, his face downcast as he glanced down and stared again at the stump where his arm had been.
“Has it even been a month?” he asked. “My martial path is already over. What will happen to me now?”
His words clearly strained, and I could see tears welling up at the corners of his eyes. He was still quite young. I shrugged. I had never quite known how to handle such situations, so I chose to simply answer his question.
“We can pay the hospital to reattach it, but the cost will be expensive if you wish for all of the nerves and meridians to be reattached perfectly. I want you to focus on training your energy and your foundation as your body readjusts.”
He paused for a long moment, before softly replying.
“Am… am I not being kicked out?” he asked.
Ah, I thought. So that was the source of the fear in his eyes. He was worried that we would abandon him now that he had received a crippling injury.
“It was a wound sustained in defense of the sect. Even if you were not my disciple, I would not leave you in the lurch. Problems that can be resolved with money are not problems at all.”
This clearly was not the case in reality, but it felt like something that needed to be said. Han still looked down, but my words had clearly helped him.
“Was this your first real fight? Even the most brutal of spars cannot compare to a real battle,” I explained, my voice shifting into a tone I reserved for lectures. It was a natural reflex of mine, one I had picked up from my own master.
“I’ve fought before, but never…”
I nodded, unsurprised. He was young, and in the end today might become a positive experience for him, a benefit to his development.
“That man you faced… one day you’ll probably become like him,” I said. They were cynical words, but I had not been an idealist in quite a long time. “The underworld is a brutal place, and a martial artist must become ruthless to succeed. You remind me of myself when I was younger.”
Han did not reply, but his eyes widened as he stared at me, injury almost forgotten.
“How far do you think I can go?” he asked.
I gave him a soft smile.
“I will give you the tools you need. The rest depends on you.” I clapped him on the shoulder again, standing back up. “Go follow Jihan” I instructed him. “He’ll take you to the hospital and ensure you’re properly treated.”
“Yes, Master,” he said, his spirits seemingly refreshed. I hoped this would give him what he needed.
He obediently made his way off, while I turned to meet up with Rachel and Ran, who had just entered on the other side of the room.
“That was kind of you,” said Rachel, as I walked.
“It was my duty.”
“I’ve been getting curious, actually. Are you so concerned about him because you see your disciples as replacements for-”
Her voice cut off as I glared at her, and she chuckled mirthfully.
“I suppose I won’t say it then, ‘Cyrus.’ But it’s important to keep track of how you think, even if it’s subconscious.”
“You shouldn’t even know about any of that,” I said, my tone cold.
“I read the files the clan received from Sunlit Hall,” she said. “It’s important to face your past. You can’t run forever… Jin.”
This time, I made no response, but the rivers inside me had turned to solid ice. I was not surprised that she had taken a look, and in fact suspected that she had done so a long time ago, perhaps even before we met. But I had journeyed this far out not only for the natural treasures- I also wished to leave the past behind me.
I finally met up with Ran roughly at the midpoint of the training room, and returned my focus to the current situation as I immediately explained why I had called her in.
“I think we should increase the level of our partnership with the Venin Group,” I said.
Both Rachel and Ran blinked.
“Do you mind if I ask why?” said Ran, speaking slowly. “Currently, they’re just a financial partner who is taking advantage of our threat to increase their standing.”
This was the normal relationship between merchants and martial artists, I knew. The Downpour Sect had such a relationship with one of the merchant groups who ran caravans through the storm, which was one of our main sources of the food and materials we required. Matters were somewhat different in a city, where underworld organizations often had industries of their own, but there were some things that were universal. And the harmony between a financial force and a martial force was one of those things. Every successful government was a fusion of the two for a reason, in my estimation.
I gestured to the wounded, many of whom were now being helped up and led towards the exit.
“Our medical capabilities are a great weakness. We cannot simply rely on a hospital three stacks over for all of our needs. The Venin Group is a pharmaceutical corporation we have a positive relationship with. I would be surprised if they didn’t have the medical connections we needed to set up a branch hospital here.”
“That’s a big ask. Nahalken would certainly not agree without acquiring sufficient benefits from us, and we simply lack the capital for it.”
I shrugged.
“Corporations have no lack of competitors. There will always be more facilities he wants destroyed or protected. The two of you are thinking in financial terms, but it is important to remember that we are martial artists, above all else. I suspect Nahalken has been wanting to scale up our cooperation after my advancement, anyway. The fact that we are in need of another palace is of mutual convenience.”
While I had not truly interacted with the Staiven for all that long, I felt I had no difficulties in comprehending their mindset. After all, the Staiven corporations were just the same as martial artists- their ambitions were boundless, and their sights set on a journey without end.
Ran seemed to disagree with my thoughts.
“Sect Leader, that would be giving outsiders influence within the sect itself. Is that truly wise? ”
I smiled.
“The tallest mountains are not the ones which stand alone.”
Rachel sighed.
“One would think you’d notice the irony.”
Seiyal Medical Sector: [While the medical technology of the Canvasians are low, the Staiven are not unaware of the financial power of the large numbers of refugees and immigrants from the race who continue to enter the Pantheonic Territory. This is a powerful market, and the more time passes, the more pharmaceuticals, equipment, and dedicated professionals have been trained up to deal with the race’s medical needs. While the power and influence of the Seiyal medical sector cannot compare with that of more populous and advanced races such as the Staiven and the Celans, the treatment options available to the race continue to wildly grow in number and quality as more is learned about Seiyal biology. In certain circles, it is rumored that the more powerful corporations within this sector have deals with government officials to acquire more information about Seiyal and martial artist biology.]