--------

”I have to apologize for not being able to receive you with proper hospitality. We aren’t really a sect that places a lot of weight on pomp and fanfare at best of times, and the current situation hasn't really helped matters." The Sect Master said modestly. The Aasimar woman had healthy tanned skin that contrasted well with her relatively humble attire.

Karna had noted that very few people in the sect wore any fancy adornments, and the few that did mostly had some sort of cultural reason for it. That didn’t mean their clothing was bad quality though, as it was often made from very comfortable or practical materials. While it seemed that the sect eschewed showing off wealth in useless ways, they did allow for practical things that brought comfort or those that were useful in a fight, like heavily enchanted materials. They also had exceptions for things that had artistic value or were simply beautiful. The Sect Master herself wore a robe made of Moonsilk, a material almost solely made by the High Elves, with an inner lining that was heavily enchanted with protective runes and etched formations. Outwardly her robes had simple but attractive decorations.

The impression was marred a little by the fact that she was injured. Not heavily, as she wouldn’t be receiving visitors otherwise, but the long battle with the demonic immortal had taken a toll. As the Sect Master, she had naturally been at the forefront of the battle, holding the line. Karna could tell at a glance that the woman should really be resting, but the presence of visitors like herself, Queen Amaranthine’s daughter, and especially Tsumi warranted her presence regardless.

"No apologies necessary," Tsumi said smoothly. "We certainly understand the situation and can sympathize. The Inferno is everyone's enemy and being bloodied in battle against them is not a mark of shame by any stretch of the imagination.”

“Well, I hear the Magocracy has taken a very active stance in combatting the scourges, helping several weaker worlds. Very admirable of you. And I believe we owe you our thanks as well. I was told you were the ones that got the word out to the Emissary about the situation.” The Sect Master gave a small bow even though she was sitting down, and the act was clearly uncomfortable due to her injuries.

"No need to go so far. We only did our duty. As for the Magocracy, in fairness, it has mostly been Arjuna and Wolfgang doing their part. Our world was fortunate enough to be spared thanks to the presence of the Emissary, so it is only proper that we help others.” Tsumi schmoozed fluently. Normally she would’ve allowed Karna to lead the proceedings to allow her to perform her ‘diplomatic mission’ that was the supposed reason they had been traveling here in the first place. However, her presence negated that possibility as it would be odd for her to take a step back as the Headmistress and Karna’s master.

"I'll be sure to remind father of his place once we get back," Karna said with a voice tinged with the idea of what exactly she meant by her reminder. She firmly believed Arjuna's place was at home, helping Duskclaw heal. She'd make sure he remembered his duty.

The Sect Master who had introduced herself as Ardani gave a slightly amused chuckle. The thought of the great Grand Medjai getting lectured by his daughter was quite amusing. “I feel compelled to ask as to why you are here though. With the current dangers of travel, I doubt you came here just on a diplomatic mission.”

"Well, ironically that was the original plan. A group of our students was traveling this way when the disturbance hit, and they were indeed on a mission like the one you mentioned. Karna was one of them as you expressed interest in her earlier. Then the disturbance hit while they were in transit and the student were all stranded and separated." Tsumi explained.

“Oh, my! I feel bad that this happened while they were traveling to us.” The Sect Master seemed genuinely apologetic.

“We managed to recover the students except for one. The ship’s crew suffered some losses, and I only found Karna and Anaire here a handful of days ago. We came here under the assumption that the last missing student might have come this way because this was the original destination and an easier place to reach when compared to our own world.” Tsumi continued the explanation.

“And then you got stuck with this mess.” The Sect Master nodded in understanding.

“Yes, well, the trip wasn’t for nothing. We did find what happened to the missing student.” Tsumi grimaced a bit.

“Please tell me she wasn’t killed by the demons.” If that were the case, that would be a rather embarrassing loss of face for the Luminous Sect.

“No, she was among the refugee ships that left before the demons locked the place down. The only issue is her destination. Wei-Jin.” Tsumi stated with a voice that made it clear they hadn’t given up.

“That’s…problematic. I assume this student had some demonic blood? Yes, I expected as much. So, let me guess. You’re here to ask for our help to lean on Weijin to let her leave? As much as I’d like to help as thanks for the favor you did to us, we don’t have that kind of power. We might be one of the more notable Sects on the Higher Planes, but we can’t match an empire like Weijin.” The Sect Master looked apologetic again.

“While we would appreciate any aid you can provide, we are looking at more long-term solutions and trying to find other opportunities. No, we’re here for a simpler reason. This world is still in lockdown, and this was the best place to come while we wait for the way to be open again.” Karna interjected in her master’s stead.

“That we can probably help you with. We’ll be meeting with the representatives of the Host soon, and if we promise to take an active part in eradicating the demons, then they’ll likely agree to let ships leave sooner. We were going to do so anyway to clear our name a bit. With the demonic immortal locking us down inside the sect, many innocents of this world were left to fend for themselves against the demons, and we ironically suffered the least from this attack. We’ll need to show that we’re also willing to sacrifice for the good of everyone.” The woman had planned on sending out most of the sect anyway, so if it happened to help Tsumi and Karna as well, then all the better.

There existed a certain perverse incentive for the sect to not rush too much to get the world open again, just to keep Karna around and maybe convince her to stick around, but they were a righteous sect and wouldn’t entertain such ideas. Karna had also made her stance clear already. “Wonderful. Then we’ll be in your care for now. We’ll try to not be a burden. Karna is also a prolific crafter so she can help with some rebuilding efforts, while Anaire can help heal the wounded.” Tsumi quite happily ‘volunteered’ the other two while slacking around herself.

--------

Sect Master Ardani watched with interest as Karna worked in the sect’s smithy, creating items that they sorely needed at the moment. She wasn’t the only one of course, as the sect naturally had its own crafters, but all help was welcome. “She has admirable work ethics.” The elder in charge of the forges nodded approvingly. She was a slightly odd Aasimar in that she was much stockier than usual, and she was also a little squat. Usually, Aasimar were closer to elves in look, while this one was more akin to a dwarf.

“You’re having her make nails and screws?” Ardani asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Nails and screws are quite necessary when it comes to rebuilding efforts.” The elder said a little defensively.

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. But she is also a foreign diplomat known for her crafting abilities, and one we wouldn’t mind joining our sect at some point. And you’re having her use her skills to make nails.” Ardani stated with a voice that was between amused and mortified. She had pretty much given up on Karna leaving the Academy for their sect, but that didn’t mean the girl couldn’t join them after graduating. At least she wanted to forge a relationship of cooperation.

“Well, nearly everyone is performing repetitive tasks that require relatively low skill as things stand. We don’t need heavily enchanted weapons at the moment. We need nails. And screws. Screws aren’t usually made by forging, actually, so it requires a lot of skill.” The elder remained defensive.

“Uh-huh.” Ardani looked at the woman with a certain amount of pressure in her gaze.

“Well look. She might have a great reputation, but we don’t know the extent of her skills and she’s really young. It’s hard to give her work appropriate to her level. And I was being truthful when I said we need a lot of nails.” The elder admitted.

Ardani tapped the desk she was leaning against with her fingers. She sensed something from Karna. Something she hadn’t sensed the last time they met. Something that roused her curiosity and made her feel there was much more to the girl than she had suspected. And she had already suspected the girl was a Blessed Child with almost infinite potential. “Offer her some of the work from Halls of the Holy. I want to see what happens.”

The elder looked a little confused but went to do as she was told. Karna had stopped working when the woman approached. Once she heard what the elder was asking, she looked sharply at Ardani and the two exchanged a long look before Karna finally nodded. 'Interesting. So she has some kind of aversion towards forging holy items. I'm eagerly awaiting the results.'

-----

“So. She created all the items requested exactly to specifications, even a bit better, but she refused to make any weapons?” Ardani confirmed a few days later.

“Yes. All the items she made seem especially potent, and healers in particular commented that their powers seemed to be flowing much better with the items she created.” The elder explained.

“We can infer that she has some sort of affinity towards certain types of Divinities then. And she doesn’t seem to be very fond of Divinities that have to do with arms. That’s fascinating.” Ardani muttered mostly to herself. Creating holy items was very finicky and could be wildly affected by the creator. “She seems more and more like a great fit for us. Too bad Tsumi got her talons into her first.”

She turned towards another elder, a male Aasimar dressed like a monk. “You sparred with her yesterday, right? You said before that you were eager to be her martial arts teacher. How did she fare?”

“She did remarkably well. I was…unable to get a proper edge over her even though I used quite a bit of my abilities. It was clear that the difference in level between us was too much to overcome, but she is an expert in rendering such advantages pointless. It doesn’t much matter how much stronger I am if I can’t hit her properly, and I’m not so much faster than her that I can just overwhelm her either. Not without resorting to techniques that would render the whole spar a waste. She’s been taught well. Whoever did it is good. Very good.” The man said with admiration. The sect had sent a teacher to the Academy years ago, but that teacher had been withdrawn later on.

“Better than you?” Ardani questioned further.

“Hard to say. Close to equal at least. Her techniques are highly refined and pretty much perfect in execution. She’s been training hard, that’s for sure. Tsumi didn’t teach her, that’s clear. She doesn’t have that kind of ability.” The man said with conviction. Since he was one of the best pure martial artists in the plane, his words were high praise indeed.

“Well then. We’ll follow her development with great interest. And let’s see if we can work together with the Academy in the future. Working so closely with Tsumi is…uncomfortable, but I’m more and more convinced that the girl will be a key player in the coming decades. They’re leaving tomorrow?” Ardani asked for confirmation.

“Yes. We got word from the Host that the lockdown will be lifted in the morning.” A third elder interjected.

“Alright then. It’s a shame to see them go, but let’s keep in touch with them. Let’s make subtle inquiries towards Weijin. If we can arrange for the release of their friend…” She left the rest unsaid. She had been truthful about influencing Weijin when they spoke earlier, but there were certain options she could explore. She’d had a few run-ins with the Emperor of Wei-Jin before and she might be able to call in some favors. The issue was that the Weijin were the type to really hold on to something the more you wanted it. She couldn’t reveal her interest too soon, but she had a nice excuse in that the refugees were from their world and she simply wanted them returned.

---------

"Mother!" Anaire called out and rushed Queen Amaranthine. The Queen had been a little surprised but had sensed her daughter's approach.

"Anaire! It's good to see you alive and well." The Queen scooped Anaire into her arms, not paying heed to the officials around her. The officials couldn't really blame her for her breach of decorum. "You are well, right?" She pushed Anaire to arm's length and looked her up and down with a discerning eye.

“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” Anaire laughed. “I feel bad saying this, but the whole accident has been good for me in many ways. I learned a lot.” She also had someone new to aspire to, someone closer to her age, but she couldn’t say that of course.

The Queen seemed to sense her thoughts anyway. “I suspect you also made an important friend, am I right? Where is she by the way?” It would also be fair to thank Karna and Tsumi for keeping Anaire safe.

“Karna and Tsumi only dropped me off. They were eager to get home and check Duskclaw’s condition.” Anaire explained. They were currently located at a command center the Queen had created outside the elven capital, as ships and mages of other countries and groups couldn’t teleport to the city itself.

“Her ‘condition’, eh?” Amaranthine had a small sneaky smile, which made Anaire wary immediately.

“Mother? What’s that look for?” Anaire asked, knowing the type of woman the Queen was sometimes.

“Oh, nothing, nothing. I simply suspect we might get some good news soon-ish. Too bad they left so soon though. They could’ve taken me along since I’m supposed to visit the Magocracy for some negotiations. Come my dove, let's go find someplace where you can tell me all about your adventure. I think I might enjoy hearing this." The Queen pulled Anaire towards her tent that had been set up nearby. The officials could all see that they had been dismissed and dispersed without a word.

"Don't think your little distraction tactic will work mother," Anaire said sternly, placing her hands on her hips. Amaranthine recognized the gesture and made a mental 'tsk'-sound.

She was rescued by the arrival of her son though. “Anaire? I heard you were back!” Cendirion eagerly rushed to embrace his little sister. He had been really worried about her.

“Brother. It’s good to see you too.” Anaire greeted her beloved older brother, but both her mother and her brother noted that her greeting was a little bit more subdued than they had expected.

“Is something wrong sister?” Cendirion asked with concern.

“No, of course not. What made you think that?” Anaire asked a little thrown off by the question. She didn’t notice herself that she was acting any different, but some of the hero-worship towards her brother had vanished. It wasn’t a major change, but it was noticeable.

"Don't mind it, sister. I'm just worried as is my right as an older brother." Cendirion decided to change the subject. Unfortunately, his choice of subjects was a bit ill-fated. "How's Karna? I heard you spent this time with her. Is she with you?"

“Gosh, brother. You sleep with a girl once and become obsessed." For some reason, Anaire felt like teasing her brother, and a small plan suddenly sprouted in her mind. "I mean, imagine if I walked around with my head in the clouds just because I scratched her itch a couple of times. Just because there was a lot of petting involved, that doesn't give me the right to assume she has any obligation to me. Just because I made her feel better than her master, that doesn’t mean…”

“Oh, Divines, I don’t need this image in my head. I’m glad you’re safe. I’ll see you later.” Cendirion suddenly bade a hasty escape.

“Oh wow, I didn’t even get to make jokes about teasing or petting a pussy.” Anaire chuckled at the escaping form of her brother.

Amaranthine was also grinning widely. “I assume there was some sort of cat form involved?”

“Well, what do you think?” Anaire winked at her mother, and suddenly felt that the whole situation was all kinds of wrong, which caused her to make a face.

"I suppose that answers that." Amaranthine cackled. "An amusing thought, though I'm not sure if I would be too happy about it if two of my children shagged Arjuna's daughter. That would make things more complicated than they need to be, and the number of jokes Wolfgang and Ashanti could make at my expense would be...too much."

“Eh, I might have been just a bit tempted, but somehow it felt wrong. She…helped me cope with the situation in a way that made me think of her more like a big sister.” Anaire replied thoughtfully.

“Well, that’s good. It’s nice to have someone like that. Now I really want you to tell me everything. I hope you weren’t in too much danger?” Amaranthine took them the rest of the way towards the tent.

“Funny you should ask. There was this battle with the Netherworld, a war with Inferno, and there was even a demonic immortal involved. It all started with a massage I had to give as a result of a bet…”