Ajax death blade wasn’t known for his patience, even now as he stood in front of the establishment his contact resided in, the burly guard that had three tusks shooting out of what passed as his nostrils, grey thick skin with red eyes, Ajax had half a mind to slap the head off the security of the pleasure house. With a sigh he pinched his nose, exhaling as he could feel his temper rising,

“Again, I’m an expert, from house thousand blades and I require to see the crystal eye,” he said,

Masters weren’t known to visit pleasure houses, at least in public, should he do it, it would pass the wrong message to whoever noticed a master of the house as reputable as the thousand blades, however, an expert were a dime a dozen, there were more experts in houses as great as the thousand blades like grass on a field, it was therefore not a big deal. The guard snorted, eyeing Ajax up and down in distaste as his rumbles and slightly ragged clothes sent the wrong message to the guard,

“Look here expert, you don’t look like the types we see in this establishment, plus Mr. crystal eye doesn’t meet with someone of your…. standings” the guard repeated,

Ajax breathed in, he could imagine the frown on Killian’s face, dress how you want to be addressed Killian would say, Ajax thought his blade pretty much dictated how he wanted to be addressed,

“For the last time, I’m not here for the pleasure house entertainment, I’m here to see Mr. crystal eye, perhaps you can pass the message along?” he growled,

The guard snorted,

“Yeah right, everyone says that, next thing you’re deep in them lovely hostesses here, you think I’d- “the guard said before Ajax literally slapped the guard into the distance, sighing as he straightened his clothes and opened the doors of the establishment, a soft flowery smell permeating the air,

“Up here” he heard in his head,

Glancing up, he saw a man in a gold ornately designed silk robe crook his finger at him, a frown on his face. The establishment catered for the well and mighty in the society of nexus point 1, also for any visiting dignitaries that had such tastes. Filled with the females of numerous species, Ajax could even spy a few green women with leafy hairs, the famed dryads under the protection of a vaunted master of a house that protected sacred creatures, whatever pull Mr crystal eye used to get them here, Ajax didn’t want to be around when the house heard, they never messed around when it came to their kin. The lighting of the establishment was dim and set the mood for the numerous lush and naked bodies with the sweaty undertone of musk, up on a stage a woman with three heads all attached to the same body sang in a voice so intoxicating, Ajax had to use his realm to block off the sound waves that he guessed carried some sort of aura that put the mood in the establishment this way.

With a light hop he landed on the first floor of the establishment that catered for clients slightly above the usual customers here, spoilt children of masters, wealthy merchants, and the likes. Again he saw the man climbing another flight of stairs and with an afterthought Ajax opened a spatial rip and passed through, appearing on the next floor in the blink of an eye to see the man sitting on a red plush chair, the third floor catered for masters and masters alone. Granted masters weren’t meant to be seen in pleasure houses, but as long as they did it in seclusion, the pleasure houses were more than ready to cater to them. With a thought he removed the shroud on his core as his master rank intent surrounded him, a few eyes immediately zoomed to his spot, Ajax brushed it off and let them sense his intent, immediately they backed off, understanding immediately he was no mere master, he was an emissary.

The man in a gold silk robe sat on the red chair, two women at his side as they catered to his every need and want, the man had only eyes for Ajax,

“Mr. Ajax, my security are not brutes or monsters you hit around,” the man said,

“Then you should hire better experts, a level 160 expert as a security guard shows your level of shrewdness Mr. crystal eye” Ajax replied,

“Usually, we don’t have unruly guests here, this is a pleasure house, not a war zone Mr. Ajax” crystal eye replied,

Ajax just sat opposite him, removing his katana from his spatial vault and placing it beside him, Mr crystal eye whose eyes were literal ruby-colored crystals removed the dark glasses that had runes swirling over them to show his true rock gem-like eyes, glancing at the blade,

“I see you still carry Krial,” the man said,

Ajax gave a non-committed grunt, folding his arms, crystal eye sighed and snapped his fingers, the girls pouting stood up, drawing a silk blue blind to cover the room Ajax and crystal eye was in, effectively cutting off any sound from outside and any from leaving, they also left the room. Ajax unleashed his realm around the room also, crystal eye shivered a bit,

“Your realm, what path are you treading Ajax?” the man murmured,

“My path, you haven’t been in touch crystal,” Ajax said turning to the man,

The man picked up his glasses and blew at them, cleaning them with his cloth,

“You were instructed not to be in contact after the schism, many forces still hunt for us Ajax, the last thing I thought you would do is contact me” crystal eye responded,

“The order died out decades ago, who would be searching for its remnants?’ Ajax asked,

“The same forces whose eyes are now on a certain expert about to enter a swordsmanship tournament, an expert rumored to be related to the death blade” the man replied,

“House dr- “Ajax said before crystal eye snapped his head so fast in his direction and he snapped his mouth shut,

“The day you utter the name of that house in my vicinity is the day I stop treating you like a brother and a sworn enemy” crystal eye replied,

Ajax could feel the aura pouring out of the body of crystal eye, a rock-solid wall of crystal that brimmed with both aura and mana, the path of the crystal warriors, an existence that was hunted a few decades ago but had been left to repopulate after their entire species were almost eradicated and rumors of a supreme being, probably the supreme of mana stepping in to issue a decree stopping their eradication. It had been a rumor, but it had been enough for their hunters to stop hunting them. Nodding mutely to crystal eye who turned back to his glasses,

“How were they even aware of him?” Ajax asked,

“So, the rumors are true then, you have taken a disciple and a draconic slayer at that?” crystal eye asked,

“Do you think I would take a disciple?” Ajax asked,

“I think it would be utterly stupid of you to do such, knowing the number of great houses vested in keeping our sect or order dead Ajax, for the love of the supreme beings above Ajax, do you know what you could be dragging an innocent into?, you think the protection of house thousand blades would be enough to protect him from the eyes of the old ones?” crystal eye said,

“For a man who claims to be laying low, you really do know a lot of things,” Ajax said,

“that’s because I keep mute, stay my hands, and keep my ears open,” crystal eye said,

“You have no ears” Ajax replied,

Crystal eye sighed, crossing his legs,

“You know what I mean,” he said,

Ajax sat up,

“The old ones?” he asked,

“Yes, the old dragons, the great serpents, the rulers so old they may as well be deities,” crystal eye said,

“Because he’s a draconic slayer?” Ajax asked raising an eyebrow,

True, draconic slayers were rare, but not rare enough for those terrible beings to shift from their slumbers, if rulers moved then Ajax understood, but those beings?, it was ludicrous. Crystal eye sat up,

“Always the petulant child, slow to learn but fast to swing a blade, pay attention,” he said as Ajax nodded, biting in his retort,

“An expert from a tier 1 world that hasn’t fought its first calamity suddenly gains a draconic slayer title, plus having ties to a supposedly remnant master of a terrorist sect that had been eradicated that’s also under the protection of a new great house and participating in a prestigious tournament, well?” crystal eye said, raising one red eyebrow,

“I…see,” Ajax said,

“why do I have a feeling you literally just trained the kid without thinking of repercussions?, plus while I’m grateful to whatever force in the archailect that wisely saw fit not to let the kid get the path of the reaping katana, you were quite dim-witted” crystal eye said,

“Be that as it may, do you have it?” Ajax asked,

Crystal eye recline back on the chair,

“It’s a death wish Ajax, they have him at the nest” crystal eye said,

Ajax squeezed his fists, biting down the anger in him,

“Are you sure?” he asked him quietly,

“It took me over thirty bloody fucking years to find that fact out, of course, I’m sure” crystal eye growled,

“So, what do we do?” Ajax asked,

“We?, are you deaf?, they have him at the nest, the home and planet of their main rulers, it’s a house Ajax, not a clan, they have more than one ruler, you’re a master, your friends are masters and I’m pretty sure the rulers of house thousand blades wouldn’t risk their necks on a fool’s errand trying to rescue the Grim” crystal eye said,

“So, we leave him there?’ Ajax asked, his temper rising,

“If you want to waste your life attacking the nest without a literal army behind you then be my guest” crystal eye responded,

“That wasn’t a no,” Ajax said, crystal eye only raised an eyebrow,

“you have a plan don’t you?, let me in on it,” Ajax said,

“no”

“No?, why?” Ajax asked stupefied,

“you’re rash, impulsive, reckless, you’re literally exactly like him, plus it’s still a work in progress, not near completion, so fuck off and wait till you see the sign” crystal eye said,

“And how will I see the sign when I’m galaxies away?” Ajax asked,

“Oh, you will, for now, focus on protecting that expert, he dies and you get me as an enemy, you don’t want that Ajax” crystal eye said,

“Why are you so invested in him?” Ajax asked,

“Unlike you, I value life, get out of my establishment Ajax” crystal eye said,

“Have you heard from the rest?” Ajax asked again,

Crystal eye gritted his teeth, his jaw clenching visibly,

“Get out,” he said again and snapped his fingers as a force literally pushed Ajax out of the establishment in the blink of an eye,

Ajax found himself outside the establishment, sighing as he glanced at the guard trudging back with a dazed look, the guard saw Ajax, whimpered, and bolted in the other direction. Ajax rolled his eyes, dusted his cloth to see a package by his side, an inscription on it,

“Stop looking like a homeless idiot” it read,

It was evidently crystal eyes, grumbling about how he had good clothes in his spatial vault he opened it to see the attire, a nostalgic feeling coming back to him as he stared at the black attire, a crest of a dark katana on it. He folded it back and threw it in his spatial vault, glancing back at the establishment,

“Stay safe old man” he whispered,

Turning back to the street filled with stores that catered their wares, Ajax expanded his perception to find his disciple and fellow master, masterfully dodging certain areas that screamed of protective runes meaning they held things that belonged to the archailect and were effectively under the jurisdiction of the brigade, he had no desire to go toe to toe with a general of the brigade. When he sensed his disciple, his eyebrows shut up in surprise, instantly opening a spatial rip and appearing at the top of a mountain that had been seared off too neatly to be the work of nature. There his disciple fought a fellow expert that had the look of a feral monster.

Ajax had half a mind to step in, glancing to his side to see Killian and another master who turned to him, assessing his appearance,

“Ajax, meet Ajad, descendant, and vassal of the jungle king,” Killian said in a formal voice,

Ajax understood immediately, bowing a bit,

“Master Ajad,” he said,

“Master Ajax” Ajad replied,

“I’m guessing the expert is from your clan?” Ajax asked,

“Indeed, a friendly duel at the behest of the jungle king, and I must confess, your expert shows too much versatility to be coming from a tier 1 world, he has pushed Axut farther than ever, as far as one other expert that passed this place a few days ago,” Ajad said,

“The archailect holds many surprises” Ajax simply replied,

Killian just raised an eyebrow at him in question, Ajax shrugged, aware Killian was curious as to where he went, but he provided no replies. Killian faced the battle back. Ajax was about to talk when he felt it, at once all masters focused on his disciple and Ajax could feel a smile playing on his lips,

Anshara,

“How?’ Ajad asked,

“Indeed, how?” Killian murmured,

The state where swordsmen aimed to achieve constantly, a state of tranquility in which their blades and bodies became one, bringing out their latent skills and having their sword skills step beyond whatever tier their ascension level stood at. Moyo was hardly in that state but the air around him had changed, signaling the gates into Anshara were opening up to him, a feat reserved for only peak experts and masters, and here was a low-level expert trying his best to unconsciously reach the state he wasn’t even aware he was reaching to. They watched him hold back an expert who had gone farther down on the path of his mantle formation, who had greater control over his realm, and whose path was one of brutal efficiency. Axut the expert struggled against the titan blade whose very willpower held out despite the odds, even pushing back the attacking expert who was slowly losing his composure.

The moment the expert unleashed his mantle to deliver a killing strike, Killian blitzed to the front of Ajax, holding him back before he could draw his katana from his spatial rip to subsequently decapitate the kid, Ajad the master had already appeared in front of his offending disciple, grabbing him by the hand as the skill of his path fizzled out at the touch of a master. Ajax glanced at his disciple who saw him with wide eyes, he smiled at him before his disciple fainted, his mind finally shutting down to recover from the weight of the realm he had held.

***********************

Moyo woke up to the most splitting migraine he had ever felt, groaning as he sat up and squinting his eyes in obvious pain. The wind blowing softly informed him he was still high above the mountain, he saw Axut had woken up earlier than him and he sighed,

“You did good monster,” a voice said behind him,

Moyo turned to see Ajax behind him, standing close to him, over a good distance away Killian conversed with master Ajad who had Axut by his side, head bowed. Moyo turned back to his master,

“doesn’t feel like it” he replied as he stood up, wobbling on his feet for a few seconds before getting his bearing,

“against one of the cubs of the jungle king?, you did well, albeit a weak member of his line,” Ajax said,

Moyo mutely stared ahead,

“I’m weak,” Moyo said, Ajax nodded,

“Good, you’ve accepted the fact, that is the first step,” Ajax said,

“The next step is to change that, now stand straight, they come,” Ajax said as Moyo saw master Killian leading master Ajad and Axut towards his position,

As they got close to them, Axut stepped forwards and bowed at the waist to Moyo,

“Expert Moyo, I humbly wish to apologize for my conduct, it hadn’t been a duel to the death and I went out of line there, I shouldn’t have unleashed my full mantle on you the same way you barely unleashed yours on me,” Axut said,

Moyo felt his body become rigid, gritting his teeth as he realized that Axut had been thinking he was holding back, he didn’t glance at his master to see the look on his face, he didn’t glance at Killian to see what he was guessing was a disappointed look on his face, he didn’t glance at master Ajad to even consider how he viewed him. He bowed at the waist, head down as he bit back the pain in his voice, swallowing his excuses and said the words in a slow articulate voice,

“apologies expert Axut, it was my fault for being weak, no one should hold back on the behest of someone weaker, how else will they learn?, when next we meet though, I promise a better display, swordsmen only advance,” he said,

Looking up to see the astonished look on Axut’s face,

“You withstood attacks that would incapacitate experts, my only advantage was realm and mantle strength, you call that weak?” Axut asked,

Moyo was about to ask with a puzzled expression what he meant when Ajad placed a hand on the shoulder of Axut, effectively sealing his mouth shut. The master produced a communication construct as the face of the jungle king came up, everyone immediately bowed at the waist,

“Impressive young titan, impressive!” the ruler said,

Moyo didn’t look up but replied in clear words,

“Your words humble me” he said,

“Hmm, so you say, but I can see the stark realization of defeat in your body, your voice carries the indomitable will of a mountain shaken, but will your actions from this point forward help you get stronger?’ the ruler asked,

“We fall and rise again, no matter how many times we fall, we either rise or waste away, and I intend to rise” Moyo replied,

“Perhaps, time will tell, but hear one piece of advice young titan blade, this will be far from the only defeat you will face, a time will come when you will feel powerless, your willpower will be the only thing that keeps you moving, hear my words and remember them, the only way to get stronger is by taking a step at a time, ascend no matter the consequences,” the ruler said,

Moyo bowed lower,

“Your words are ingrained in my heart” he replied,

The jungle king grunted satisfied,

“Gaze onto me titan, it’s time I gave you your reward I promised,” the ruler said,

Moyo looked up into the bright green eyes of the ruler,

Notice, ruler with sobriquet: jungle king wants to bestow upon you skill: ferocity of the beast(r), accept Y/N?.

Moyo looked startled, the ruler stared on with a stoic look, Moyo quickly accepted and felt power pour into his body, the masters and Axut taking a step back. Moyo groaned as an almost feral feeling permeated his body, his skin became sensitive, almost too sensitive to the feel of the air around, the subtle changes on the bodies of those around him, and each subtle movement they made. He came down from the high to view the skill,

Ferocity of the beast(R): you have acquired the reflexes and perception of the jungle beasts, you can react with almost blinding speed to whatever actions taken by a foe, and with time you can possibly react before they even do.

Moyo bowed again,

“I will make good use of this boon lord jungle king” he replied gratefully,

“I have no doubt you would, the future in front of you is, well, it would give you a lot of chances to get much use out of it,” the jungle king said,

Moyo glanced and saw master Killian look up,

“On behalf of house thousand blades, I thank you. However, it begs the question, are you picking a side?’ Killian asked,

“No, this is merely an ascender proving their worth to me, however, should your squabbles find their way to my domain, expect no mercy,” the jungle king said, his voice cold,

Killian bowed again,

“Then I would have it in mind to stay clear should that happen,” he said,

“Good, impress me titan blade, I will be watching,” the ruler said as the projection shut off,

The air became less tense as everyone glanced at each other,

“The jungle king gave you that skill?” Axut said, puzzled,

“He must have seen a reason to, who can understand the ways of rulers. However, we must start moving, time grows short” Ajad said,

They moved in silence, the masters phasing away like literal air, leaving the experts to follow behind them. Moyo and Axut moved in tandem and silence, Axut broke the silence first,

“You may perchance meet a fellow ascender on the world of Agabod, a total beast, an expert also but shrugged off every attack like she didn’t feel a damn thing, plus her mantle gave off the feeling of it had three personalities,” he said,

“Three personalities?” Moyo asked,

“As you’re aware, mantles are a manifestation of how we view our paths, in order words our paths shape our mantle. The same way my mantle manifests as a howling beast and yours looks half-formed like an armor, hers shifted through three forms, one looked like a horned beast that repelled my attack, the next a snarling monster with all claws that delivered the same brutality of my toxins back at me and the third looked like a serpent” Axut explained,

Moyo didn’t correct him about the fact that he had no idea about the intricacies of a mantle, but he absorbed whatever he could learn, besides, something about the mantle in question nibbled at the periphery of his mind like an itch he couldn’t scratch. He thanked Axut as they arrived in front of the masters who stood at a platform on another mountain in front of a large circular stone structure that sat on a wide stone platform. The circular structure was big enough to fit two or three transport ships without them touching each other, in front of the platform were two guards who held spears and bowed at the presence of master Ajad, the master touched the platform as it hummed to life,

“a week from now this platform would open once again to bring you back, should you not come through then it would be another week for the portal to gather enough aether to drill a hole through space to Agabod again, safe trip, and may the supreme beings watch over you,” Ajad said,

Killian, Ajax, and Moyo bowed to the master before Ajax grabbed him by his robe and swung him through the portal in a flash, grinning as he went through in a flash, Killian sighed,

“Thank you,” he said before going through,

“What an odd set of people,” Axut said,

“The archailect is full of monsters son, I would train harder if I were you, that expert would come back stronger, only an idiot would say otherwise” Ajad said,

“Yes, father” Axut said bowing,