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Abyssal Road Trip - 450 - Plans
🕑 Added 2024-09-23 00:07:20 +0000 UTCAmdirlain’s PoV - Nepal Mountains
Amdirlain had settled down to relax with her scrolls, but her renewed leisure time was brief. A half-hour had passed when she felt Sarah and Kadaklan returning through the mental link, and Amdirlain unlocked the door without rising from the table.
The pair entered the suite and looked over her collection of scrolls without saying a word.
Sarah sent an image of the silk-clad Dor Ji, her face mottled in rage, with three stern-faced guards still accompanying her. She was standing across from Jinfeng in a tastefully decorated room, hissing in a cold fury.
“A nice calm conversation,” drawled Amdirlain.
Jinfeng snorted in disgust. “She’s a petty, pretentious noble. Lord Dha Ca is hosting her stay, so we’re not moving out. Instead of heading off in three days, we’re here for weeks.”
“Why?”
“Lord Dha Ca requested Kadaklan’s help and my attendance at the upcoming tournament that starts in two weeks,” said Jinfeng.
“Their ranking tournament?” asked Amdirlain.
Jinfeng nodded. “Yes, their ranking tournament. Each time, they host it in a different location, and it’s Silver Lake’s turn. With the White Tiger’s Claw Grandmaster in the room, I had no room to wiggle without souring relationships between the orders. Not that it would matter to Kadaklan since he’ll want to stay around to help the wounded students.”
He has a soft spot for wounded warriors, which might explain why he put up with my nonsense.
Amdirlain ran a fingertip along the security disc’s edge, adjusting its settings to prevent anyone from overhearing. “Did he dump the request on you before or after his cousin arrived?”
“After he calmed Dor Ji down,” said Sarah. Sitting cross-legged on the floor beside Amdirlain, she plucked a scroll from the table. “He was smooth. Why would you want to stay in your suite, cousin, when I have rooms available for you in the compound? He instructed some servants to settle her, but before she even left the room, he dropped the request on Jinfeng.”
“Thus, he put the obligation on me since he resolved the clash with my servant and accommodation,” said Jinfeng. “Are you sure you want to continue this disguise, Sifu? You won’t be able to watch me compete in the tournament if you keep it.”
“Why not?”
“They don’t allow any outsider to board their order’s sky keep but Ki practitioners,” clarified Jinfeng. Pulling her hair combs free, she shook her head and raked her fingers along her scalp.
“Sky keep?” Amdirlain caught an image from Jinfeng that seemed four times the combined size of Edinburgh Castle and the parade ground set up for the military tattoo each year. Hundreds of ballistae along its parapets resembled super-sized versions of Chinese repeating crossbows. “When did they build that?”
Jinfeng smiled knowingly, and her jade-green gaze brightened. “I just have to think about something hard when you’re curious, and you read my thoughts?”
Amdirlain ducked her head sheepishly. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’ve known you could hear my thoughts for ages. However, that’s the first time you’ve said something I could call you on. As for the sky keep, it’s been in operation a few hundred years,” explained Jinfeng. “There are only three that I’m aware of, and they were all built by the same Tao Enchanter.”
Have I gotten too relaxed around her and the others? Not enough to keep my brain busy except looking at myself and deconstructing my baggage?
“How does a small sect afford a thing like that?”
“Relatively small, but yes, it’s still an exuberant purchase. I know their creation was to counter dragons’ aerial advantage following the scourge,” explained Jinfeng. “Perhaps the White Tiger’s Claw gained one because they focus on protecting the border. I believe there have been some successes against chromatic dragons, but I’m unsure about their age.”
“All matters for another time,” said Amdirlain. “Why were you so quick to mention that I couldn’t watch the tournament in person?”
“I’m allowed to wish my Sifu’s presence,” said Jinfeng, her mask of composure briefly cracked.
Her parents never approved of her focus, and no Master took her under their wing. She’s so composed yet still seeks the same things as me: connection, meaning, purpose, family.
Sarah smiled. “Travelling with your Sifu as a junior is one thing, but her disguised as a lowly servant is too challenging?”
“Dor Ji spoke about Am disrespectfully. Though she was clueless, I still wished to chastise her for her words,” declared Jinfeng, her chin lifting and the shift of her shoulders conveying her facing off against a distant foe. “Those I fought a decade ago are going to see how much I have improved, and I would like to credit my Sifu directly, not a mysterious stranger who isn’t present.”
“I was having fun being disguised,” huffed Amdirlain. “Just when I’m working on reducing my rank further you want me to toss it away?”
“You maintained it better than I expected, even after seeing you on Qil Tris,” agreed Sarah. “You didn’t even smack a few people that deserved it.”
“I had plenty of practise dealing with wandering eyes on Qil Tris,” said Amdirlain. “Do I only revert my clothing or drop it completely?”
“Drop it completely,” pleaded Jinfeng. “Then you will draw eyes away from me.”
Amdirlain turned to Sarah. “Whose eyes? What did you do to her?”
“Why blame me?” Sarah laughed, but Jinfeng nodded energetically and pointed across the table. “All her fault.”
“Are you collecting Jinfeng now I look ordinary?” teased Amdirlain, dramatically pretending to swoon in dismay. “Oh, woe is me. It’s her Dragon heritage, right?”
“What Dragon heritage?” asked Jinfeng.
She doesn’t know? Interesting.
“Maybe I’m teasing,” replied Amdirlain, motioning Sarah to spill.
“I didn’t realise how blind she was,” noted Sarah. “No wonder she took you on as a Sifu. You’ve experienced the same blinkers, able to see your flaws, but not where you excel beyond the obvious.”
I’m getting better, aren’t I?
Jinfeng’s gaze flared with determination. “My appearance was never to my mother’s standards, and my skill with the blade never satisfied mine. There are always ways to improve.”
“Fun as this is, I feel like I missed the first half of your conversation,” said Amdirlain. This time, she shut out Jinfeng’s public thoughts after being called on it earlier.
“On the way back here, Sarah pointed out the White Tiger’s Claw observers on the street,” explained Jinfeng, her knuckles cracked with sudden tension.
Amdirlain nodded. “Yeah, all the ones we saw on the way from the gatehouse had their eyes on you.”
“It was the nature of the watching that she explained,” Jinfeng sighed
“She’s such a graceful predator now. It goes well with her natural confidence,” said Sarah. “So enticing to those watching her purely for their sect’s goals. Jinfeng went red when I asked if she had a Dao mate or would pick someone for a tumble.”
“There is another I’m interested in, and I’ve far to go before I’d be a worthy partner,” said Jinfeng. “It is far safer for my sanity to keep him from my thoughts. All this is beside the point. I would like you in attendance, Sifu, and with you pretending to be a servant, we can’t train as often in the lead-up. I’m not yet up to the proficiency of their Grandmaster.”
“Do you think you’ll progress to the point of challenging him?”
“I will compete against him if I reach the senior masters’ tier. He and all the elders have to fight in that tier. I want to make him sweat a bit.”
“Fine, disguise dropped.” Amdirlain restored the bracelet to her wrist and stored her robes. The tendrils expanded outward from the bracelet, cloaking her in green silken fabric.
Sarah rolled her shoulders, and her mercenary garb turned into blood-red silk robes highlighted with silver threads before she reverted to her willowy human form.
“You don’t know a thing about modesty, Sifu,” coughed Jinfeng.
Amdirlain lifted a hand, and her restored bronze-gold skin shifted to scales them to fur before returning to skin. “What is there to be bashful about? I don’t even look this way. My form is an illusion of my will.”
[Change Form [M] (100) -> [S] (1)]
The Power rippled along her body, like water disturbed by a heavy wind, only to have it suddenly echoed from within.
[Change Form evolved to Shapeshift.
Change Form [S] (1) -> Shapeshift [S] (1)
Synergy with Phoenix’s Rapture affects evolution.
Do you wish this advancement to be absorbed by Phoenix’s Rapture?]
No.
Her skin bubbled from the powers interacting before Phoenix’s Rapture flinched back from the poised absorption of Change Form. With its retreat, the lesser Power drew in the raw flux of Chaos it left within her flesh. As it churned through the bones and organs of her current form, agony rampaged as cells splintered and twisted, only to reform with her will. Ancient fear rose from her Soul, but the healing from hours of quiet meditation allowed Amdirlain to dance beyond the wounds that rose from a child’s anguish and aeons of loneliness. The Power surged with the turmoil, no longer held at bay by unreasoning fear but welcomed by Amdirlain’s acknowledgement of her change. As it settled into place, tendrils slipped upwards from within the collar of her robes, and her fingers lost their coherence, but Amdirlain locked them back to stability again.
[Shapeshift evolved to Protean.
Conflict downgraded Phoenix’s Rapture [G] (120->100)
Shapeshift [S] (1) -> Protean [J] (1)]
That’s a drop in both, but I have time to grow them again. Welcome back, baby!
“What was that?” Sarah’s nostrils twitched. “Protean?”
“The evolution of Change Form interacted with Phoenix’s Rapture and pushed things along, though I was briefly uncomfortable,” said Amdirlain. “Were the tentacles a bit of a giveaway?”
“Those and your scent is gone,” noted Sarah.
“I’ll have to figure out the line between the powers,” sighed Amdirlain. Her skin turned to liquid metal, and she focused on being a living being to shift back to her elven form, trying to feel when the control shifted between the powers.
[Protean [J] (1->2)]
Is Phoenix’s Rapture handling this form now? Sarah’s not getting any scent from me, so no. What’s the key?
Jinfeng’s lips parted in a question, but she hurriedly closed her mouth.
“You can ask.”
“No, Kadaklan warned me it wasn’t a question I should ask,” said Jinfeng. Though still kneeling, she saluted Amdirlain. “You’re my Sifu. That’s all that matters.”
“We’ll start training for the tournament tomorrow,” said Amdirlain. “Ten days of focused activity, and then you can rest and meditate before the start.”
Jinfeng’s smile lit up the room. “Thank you, Sifu. Has there been any news about Klipyl yet?”
“I’ve been told she’s still within the wellspring,” said Amdirlain. “If she lets go of her individuality, her energy will join the Domain. Until we hear more, we can only wait.”
Her smile faded slightly. “I hoped she’d have been back by now. She is a strange Shen, so blatant in her desires, yet kind. If she doesn’t get back before the tournament ends, we’ll save celebrating until she does.”
“That sounds like a plan,” agreed Amdirlain. “Should I let his lordship know of my presence?”
“Let’s not make things too easy on him. We can fly out somewhere to train in the morning and set the rumour mill buzzing. Practitioners training outside the sect’s compound use the lake and the nearby cliffs,” advised Jinfeng.
Amdirlain grinned playfully. “Let’s set the cat among the pigeons on the lake at dawn. We’ll have to plan what cards to display in public training.”
A sly smile twitched at the corner of Jinfeng’s mouth. “We’re going to plan a training session together? What happened to you making me adapt, Sifu?”
“There is no need to be so incredulous, thank you,” Amdirlain replied primly. “Though I was more after a checklist of what to include, not order or frequency.”
“I can even provide some input?”
“Perhaps a little input,” allowed Amdirlain.
Hours later, they were reviewing drill options when Kadaklan entered the suite.
At the sight of Amdirlain in her elven form, Kadaklan paused with his hand on the door. “Has there been a change of plans?”
“Jinfeng had her arm twisted to register for the White Tiger’s Claw ranking tournament,” offered Amdirlain.
Jinfeng wrinkled her nose. “Because Sifu caused Lady Do Ji, the inn’s owner, to spit blood with her shocking rudeness.”
“Whatever event triggered your inclusion, an outsider offered a place in another order’s ranking tournament is an unusual honour.” Kadaklan sat in the chair closest to the hearth. “Perhaps your past is coming back to haunt you, Jinfeng.”
“We’ll see if anyone is bearing a grudge,” said Jinfeng. “They’d like you to aid the healers, Kadaklan.”
“Not unexpected. I’ll extract suitable compensation since I’d prefer to be healing townsfolk. It’ll be worth attending to see whether their sect’s pride survives your participation, especially given your recent growth,” said Kadaklan. “You know those you defeated will be mad enough to vomit blood at your inclusion.”
“Some of them might have advanced considerably. The whole incident was over a decade ago,” admitted Jinfeng. “Though given how hard Sifu’s pushed me, I’m confident that my skills will at least pose a challenge.”
“If anyone you’ve previously defeated bests you, I’m going to have to inflict even tougher training,” said Amdirlain.
Jinfeng face lit up. “Now I’m conflicted.”
Amdirlain rolled her eyes. “You look like a child with two different sweets and can’t decide which mouthful you want first.”
“True, to be challenged by various foes or your training,” mused Jinfeng. “It is a hard choice.”
“No. You must do your best if you want me to do mine.” Amdirlain fixed Jinfeng with a stern look.
“Of course, Sifu.”
“Look at you, not rewarding inappropriate behaviour,” Sarah smiled in amusement.
Amdirlain returned her smile. “Since Lady Dor Ji handles the town wards and probably won’t cooperate, what do you plan to do while I’m training with Jinfeng?”
“I’ve got texts to study, and I can work on some items or go hunting.” Sarah shrugged. “A few weeks in one place won’t be a hardship. The tournament starts in two weeks, but how long does it last?”
“Their ranking tournament takes over a moon. Maybe that’s why they only hold it every second year,” explained Jinfeng.
At the announcement of its duration, Amdirlain’s eyebrow arched upwards. “How does it operate?”
“They’ll divide their ranks into tiers, and everyone within the tier fights until the top places are determined, and those competitors advance to the next tier.”
“And everyone fights everyone?”
“Doing that would require too much time. There are groupings inside each rank, which are determined by lot, and you have to win fights within your segment to progress to the finals for your rank tier,” Jinfeng drew a doughnut on a sheet of paper and split it into sections before drawing lines from each segment into the centre. “Typically, the top three combatants in those finals move to the next tier, though it can be more depending on deaths since the last tournament. The ones with the most losses from the higher tier after fighting get relegated back a tier.”
Sarah frowned. “Fatigued from all the fighting, the winner could end up straight back in the tier they just left.”
Jinfeng nodded calmly. “That is true.”
A gurgle from Kadaklan’s stomach interrupted the conversation. “Shall I ask someone to bring food up here?”
“Dibs on the biggest bedroom,” said Sarah.
Kadaklan’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “Don’t make too much noise. You don’t want to scare the town.”
The servants that delivered the evening meal twitched in confusion at the presence of their ‘new’ guests and the absence of the mercenary and servant, but they laid out the food and left without fuss.
Kadaklan filled them in on the details he had learnt about the town and its political situation while chatting with patients and healers at the temple. The information he’d gathered in an afternoon had Amdirlain shaking her head in amusement.
“I didn’t realise healers were such gossips,” said Amdirlain.
“Only when it’s not about our patient’s medical issues,” advised Kadaklan. “Since you’re keeping your listening to a minimum, I thought it might help to know the lay of the land.”
“I feel like games are being played here,” said Amdirlain. “Precognition is giving me sounds like marble pieces laid on a Go board. Just a constant tic of stones being set in place.”
“How many boards could you wipe clean if you listened with Resonance?” asked Jinfeng.
Amdirlain’s gaze flicked to the window, but she restrained the Power. “I won’t find out, but I will listen to more minds. Even when players can’t force your decisions, they can use powerful individuals and their perceived behaviour to force the actions of others.”
“The powerful can suppress misconduct or be the steel flint sparks off,” said Kadaklan. “I’m calling it a night early. Since we’ll be here a time, I’ll meditate early in the evenings and then let Jinfeng use the second room the rest of the evening.”
“The servants’ room at the back of the suite is fine with me,” countered Jinfeng.
Kadaklan nodded but still headed off and left the others to their planning until the looks Sarah was shooting Amdirlain prompted her to retire.
The furnishings in the main bedroom displayed beautiful carvings and painted scenes. As she closed the door behind them, Sarah absorbed the cupboards along the walls.
“I’m going to switch the furnishing around. You can put up the sound barrier.” Sarah gave Amdirlain a heated look that sent a shiver up her spine. “Your scent’s back.”
“I know.” Amdirlain tapped two fingers against the slow beating pulse in her neck. “I just had to focus on how we felt together for my body to return to an actual living form.”
Much later, Sarah was curled up against Amdirlain’s side, tucked under her arm with breasts pressed against her side. The warmth where their bodies touched seemed to throb through Amdirlain’s veins with every breath that Sarah took.
“Is there something on your mind?” asked Sarah sleepily, her leg draped over Amdirlain’s thighs. “It feels like your brain is revving. Are you still on edge?”
Her fingertips caressed the outer slope of Amdirlain’s left breast and trailed playfully downwards across her abdomen. Amdirlain caught her hand before she enticed her into another round. Pleasure still washed through her nerves from the forms Sarah had already used that night.
“My lovely wife is being frisky tonight.”
“You don’t want to be distracted?” purred Sarah.
“What you said earlier today, do I still have the blinkers?”
Sarah leaned in closer and nuzzled her ear. “You’re much improved, my love. Everyone has different blinkers, be they preconceptions, racial or social basis, or the limits of what they can tolerate.”
“Okay. I’d better be careful of whose blinkers I rip away while in town.”
“Are you sure this training session is a good idea?”
“No, I’m not, but it will help Jinfeng and, I believe, bait some interests out into the open,” said Amdirlain. “Can you do me a favour tomorrow?”
“What do you need?”
“When we’re on the waters, would you observe the Grandmaster? It was far too convenient for him to be at the Lord’s compound when you and Jinfeng visited. So many sect members watched Jinfeng after we arrived, and I’m sure he got word from them. Typical visits and gifts mean he could have deliberately shown up for introductions or something more.”
“I’ll scry on the Lord as well,” offered Sarah a moment's consideration. “You didn’t mention that to the others.”
“You’re free to discuss it with Kadaklan. I’ll tell Jinfeng when you learn more,” said Amdirlain. “I also want to break Dor Ji’s financial hold over people in the town.”
“Oh?” laughed Sarah. “Did Dor Ji get you pissed off?”
“I’m not being petty,” Amdirlain grumbled defensively.
“Not one bit.” Sarah kissed her cheek. “You just hate people being chained by any means. It’s best to be careful not to burn their bridges. You can dig them out of their current financial hole, but if they have a few poor seasons, they could be back in it.”
“Maybe I’ll set up a micro-financing bank for the townsfolk and farmers,” proposed Amdirlain, and she released her tension through a long exhalation. Entwining her fingers with Sarah’s, she smiled warmly. “Rather than distracting me, do you want to make love?”
Sarah responded by tracing the muscle in Amdirlain’s neck with heated kisses and pressed tight against her.
When Sarah eventually fell asleep, Amdirlain extended a tentacle off the side of the bed and started experimenting. The mass of her True Form allowed her to establish extensive creations, but she took her time with the basics to renew her feelings for the Power.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
The eastern peaks shadowed the valley’s length in the dawn light.
A low murmur of sounds came from the town as households stirred. Groups of practitioners were already out on the waters and nearby mountainsides.
Two figures ruptured the near stillness. They plunged from the inn’s upper balcony in a blur and raced along the streets.
A blaze Amdirlain blew past the dock guards, watching other practitioners already on the lake, with Jinfeng in pursuit. As they yelled in surprise, the pair spiralled across the lake’s surface, moving around sparring groups as they did. Those out on the water maintained their focus, holding themselves aloft in differing expressions of their Ki powers. Some moved over shifting swarms of metal discs, while others caused the water or air to turn solid underfoot. A group of five who fought from atop thick mist banks that looked like clouds skimming the lake were the largest style represented, yet there was variation in hue and opacity. Energy rippled beneath the combatants’ skin, carried by Ki infusion, so they looked like elementals who had gained Human form.
With Jinfeng closing in, Amdirlain leant forward beneath her strike and briefly switched to flying above the waters.
Reflected in the crystal blue waters, Amdirlain was so close that only momentum kept her shoulder-length hair from dipping into the water. A dipped toe at high speed sent up a jet that surprised Jinfeng, and a misstep caused her to skip across the water. Sliding across its surface on her knees, she regained her feet instead of sinking, but Amdirlain was on her. Jinfeng barely kept ahead of the playful rapid fire of strikes and slashes, deflecting and evading them as the pair danced across the waters. She moved to slide past Amdirlain’s side, but a tendril snaked around her ankle and yanked her under.
Once fully submerged, the tendril unwound, and Jinfeng bobbed to the surface and pushed her hair from her face. “What was that?”
“A surprise,” Amdirlain laughed. The tendril, which had matched the colour of the water, withdrew into the base of her foot, and she immediately ran off, heading up a nearby cliff face. Seasonal shifts and bitter winds had cracked and battered its top, but her steps glided between perches.
Jinfeng reached the craggy peak and launched a series of probing strikes, her blade leaving ice trails in its wake.
With a delighted grin, Amdirlain pushed her speed slightly faster; each deflection of Jinfeng’s attacks sent them just enough off-true to cause a miss. Smoothly stepping across the wind-swept rock, she slipped from one protrusion to the next, keeping at the extreme range of Jinfeng’s blade, forcing her to pick new footing continually.
♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫
The Grandmaster of the White Tiger’s Claw hadn’t taken his gaze from Amdirlain since her arrival on the lake.
“It seems I didn’t need time to interrogate Master Lu Jinfeng. Send messages letting our allies know Lady Am is here.”
Nearby shadows pulled back to reveal a man on one knee, his head bowed and gaze fixed on the floor. “I doubt we have any means to entice her cooperation, Grandmaster. All news from those returning from the strange Outlands paint her as an individual for whom material things are meaningless. She creates valuables and enchanted objects in the hundreds, leaving them untended for visitors. Master Cyrus spent many sessions with her in their library and only found two techniques manuals that suited her.”
“Master Cyrus is a fine teacher, but he is not a warrior at heart,” countered the Grandmaster. “Get to know her, find what she desires, and then we’ll gain what we need.”
“Was she pretending to be the mercenary or the cowardly servant who enraged Lady Dor Ji? Both have vanished, according to the maids’ gossip.”
A knowing smile appeared but didn’t reach the Grandmaster’s eyes. “Lady Dor Ji’s arrival and argument were fortunate, yet it doesn’t matter who she clashed with. A warrior would not bother themselves with a hapless individual like Lady Dor Ji. What matters is that Lady Am and Master Jinfeng are a double prize—the Masterless Prodigy and the strange Master capable of creating enduring metals and providing access to trials that allow for materials to be gathered.”
“Lady Am is not a member of any order, merely a recognised guest. We could recruit her,” proposed the kneeling man, stiffening when the Grandmaster shook his head. “Might I know your goal to plan the best approach?”
“I’m not seeking to enlist her. Their presence as guests in the tournament will draw additional attendees to witness the spectacle, and they’ll need to negotiate with us to bear witness. Ensure Lady Am is also competing. Many would pay to observe her style and determine if the tales of her inspiring insights are correct. An arranged opportunity to meet her will fetch more.”
“I’ll have someone challenge her at once. What Tier should I arrange for her placement?”
“Master Jinfeng is holding back yet moving far more smoothly than I had expected. Despite that, Lady Am feels like she is playing with a child. She might be a challenge for any senior master.”
The shadow flowed back over the man, and he was gone.
Sitting in the inn, Sarah ceased her scrying with an amused snort.
“Well?” asked Kadaklan.
“Am’s hunch was right, but there is more going on. The Grandmaster wanted Jinfeng around so he could get information on Am. Now they’ve both shown up, he wants to get them in the tournament,” explained Sarah. “Seems to think it will draw guests in willing to pay a fee to watch them compete and perhaps meet them.”
“Ki Flight prevents any monastery from being truly isolated,” said Kadaklan. “The materials the outposts’ students have gathered in nearly two years would have spread, along with tales. The Monastery of the Western Reaches’ coffers are probably swelling, and other orders would look to profit.”
“Orders hungering after wealth? How crass,” drawled Sarah.
“The wealth itself is merely a means to ensure their members have the best resources for their progression. It takes money to feed and clothe them. Maintaining supply chains for enchanters and alchemists is costly, even if you purchase minimal goods. Hiring servants to tend to daily chores lets students focus solely on their training. All those things take resources.”
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James Skinner
TFTC!
Plateworm
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