1345.04.14

Joram smiled as he held his little sister as she tried to snuggle into his chest, looking for a meal. He was sorely tempted to give her a spot of [Sustenance], but knew that his mother would get angry with him for that. It was a very important time, breastfeeding, and disrupting that for any reason was tantamount to a heinous crime in her book.

She was only a few months old, but was getting stronger by the day. He wouldn’t be surprised if she started crawling soon, especially given the constant feedback through the Network that he was getting from her.

Frustration, determination, fright, more determination, and a strong desire to keep up. Well, stay with her favourite people. He was glad that he’d made it on that list, as had Xixi.

Speaking of Xixi. He nodded to her then passed over his little sister when she indicated that he was ready. She only blushed a bit when the baby tried to latch on to her through her blouse, but resolutely repositioned her so that she was no longer in a feeding position.

Joram smiled at that. He’d missed the birth of Xixi’s twin sisters, who were just a few months older than his own sister. Which had caused a lot of gossip and contention. It seemed that with Xixi’s reputation for being a genius in the clan, there were high hopes for her new sisters. And, at that point, with his mother only having had one boy, there was talk of re-evaluating who would become the next Matriarch of the Clan.

Which really didn’t make much sense to him. Bloodlines were important in selecting the next Matriarch. Talent was also important, and optimally someone with both would be chosen. Technically, Xixi didn’t have any direct blood relation to the main line, so their arguments didn’t make much sense to him.

Could it be that they wanted Xixi to take over once they were married? But what about his own mother? Also, he now had a little sister who’d one day continue the Aneath line, likely to produce an heir of her own that might one day become the Matriarch of the Clan.

Bringing himself back to reality, he once again smiled seeing how good Xixi was with children. Would they really get married one day? He really like her. Liked how she was kind and caring with those close to her, yet firm and unrelenting with those who crossed her. He was still laughing hearing the stories of her beating up her various would-be suitors after they had bad-mouthed him.

He also liked that special smile that she saved just for him.

Which also threw his mind into disarray. He wasn’t into kids. Not in the least. He had decided to keep at arm’s length, so to speak, and not say anything about their engagement. Well, not say anything that would encourage it. He was very aware of the concept of “grooming”, and was thoroughly weirded out by it. So, he did his best to not encourage things. Keeping everything on the level of “friend”. He wanted her to make all of her own choices in life, including who she’d be with.

That said, kids will be kids and Xixi was definitely a strong-willed kid who wanted what she wanted. He just wasn’t sure if that was because of what had been arranged, or rather, developed from what had been arranged by the adults, or if they were genuine feelings on her part.

Bah!!

Anyway, at least Gran and Gramps weren’t doing their crazy training routine with him this time around. He’d been, blessedly, left alone by them thus far. Sure, it had only been about a month since they returned, but it still left him more paranoid with each day that passed with nothing happening with them, training-wise.

Well, that left more time for him to work on things on his end.

He felt that he was very close with both the new [Genesis] and the new augment for [Schism]. It would be a huge help when he was able to get a third mind up and running, one that would be more-or-less dedicated to helping him in his everyday life instead of being set to a research topic.

And with [Genesis], well, having a more… real, realm would be fantastic. The benefits of having a realm that could provide elements heavier than iron would be profound. Sure, there were trace elements above iron to be found, but literally just enough to support most flora out there.

Then there was the other side of [Genesis] that most people never thought of: [Anti-Genesis]. It was the alternate manifestation of that power that, well, basically annihilated things instead of creating them. Now, because he was a crafter at heart, he really didn’t like the idea of annihilating an entire area; it was so… wasteful!

But he supposed that whoever had created the power so long ago had thought that it was a valid option, perhaps wanting a way to erase a created space that was no longer needed… or something.

He shrugged, his mind returning to the moment as his little sister began to fuss more, drawing the attention of their mother.

“Play time’s over,” his mother stated, scooping up her daughter as she spoke. “Go, have some fun outside. The weather’s been lovely lately.”

They both nodded then made their way outside. It really was a lovely spring day. Again, winters here were short and mild… compared to what he’d originally grown up with. He’d probably compare it to what he’d experienced in Paris, or maybe lower-mainland B.C.; though, sunnier.

He was especially glad that the summers never got terribly hot either. Back on Earth, he would have called this place a paradise. Not too hot in the summer, almost no snow in the winter to shovel, but enough to be happy at seeing it fall every now and then. The only thing he would have complained about was an internet connection, and that would have been easy given the number of satellites being thrown up into orbit to provide wireless service to those in remote regions.

Well, can’t have it all…. Unless I “invent” the internet here…

Joram laughed at that thought as he and Xixi settled down under a flowering tree to enjoy the blossoms.

‘Joram?’

He blinked, not being used to Xixi using the Network to speak with him when they were alone.

‘Yes, Xixi?’

‘Do you miss big sis Tillia?’ She sent, trying to play it cool by turning away to look at the blossoms, but still watching him from the corner of her eye.

It’s a trap!! Oh, admiral Akbar….

‘Would you miss someone who’s bene with you for as long as you could remember?’ He asked instead of answering her question.

Ah, Socrates. So helpful!

Xixi furrowed her brow in thought for a few moments before looking at him directly.

‘Is it just that?’

Joram shrugged, not quite sure how exactly he felt about Tillia. He was pretty sure that it had been his developing hormones that had been messing with him at the time, and to save face he’d just gone with it after that. But now? Well, his body was that of an early teenager now. He’d even discovered peach fuzz….

He wasn’t looking forward to even more hormone-induced confusion.

‘Probably,’ he replied. ‘I just know that I like her, and miss her when she’s not around.’

Xixi sat for a moment, internalizing his response.

He was again struck by how mature she was. Every other seven-year-old he’d met had been this impulsive bundle of energy that needed to get things done! That, or they just wanted to do that they wanted to do and ignored everyone else.

‘I like big sis Tillia too,’ she finally sent over as she turned to look up at him. Even seated, he was a good head taller than she was. ‘When she’s done training in seclusion, we can all go explore the food vendors.’

Joram smiled at that. For all Xixi looked like a young lady, prim and proper, she was a foodie. With how many calories she burned with training, you’d never have guessed just how much she’d pack in given the chance.

‘Sounds like a plan!’ He sent back with a smile, for he, too, was a bit of a foodie!

* * * * *

Tillia pouted.

It was boring on her lonely peak. Sure, she could speak with Joram- or even anyone else in the Network- whenever she wished, but not having human contact more than sucked.

She was a people person! She’d been around people her whole life. First her parents and cousins, then all her siblings that had followed. Then her babysitting business, then finally taking care of Joram. Now, due to her stupid affinity for the Laws of Time and Chaos, she was stuck on a mountain all by herself!

She didn’t even get to talk with the person making her supply deliveries! There were under orders to drop the food in a “safe spot” and not speak with her! Drop off a spatial ring filled with supplies, transfer the supplies into her spatial ring, leave the empty ring in the box for pick-up next week. Rinse and repeat.

“Gah!” She gah’d, not able to keep her frustration from overflowing.

Wake up. Exercise. Eat. Study. Meditate. Eat. Exercise. Meditate. Sleep.

Rinse and repeat!

Tillia took a few calming breaths. Then a few dozen more.

She didn’t know what would happen to her after she managed to get her affinities under control. From what she had read, she was honing her ability as a “Seer”. She hadn’t known what that was when she was dumped on the mountain, a newly constructed villa welcoming her arrival. She was quite frankly amazed at how fast it had been built and more than suspected that it hadn’t been built naturally.

That aside, at least it was comfortable. Running water, hot water! An area for her morning routine that was on a Cleanse cycle. Even the kitchen wanted for nothing. A truly wonderful place to live….

“All alone!!” She screamed at the ceiling.

More calming breaths followed.

It had only been a few months, but she was going stir crazy. She felt that she was making great progress in her studies, and was now at Rank 3 of Tier 3. Phenomenal progress by Clan standards. She would have been hailed as a genius if she hadn’t been stuck on the mountain, all alone….

Joram had assured her, a few times, that she would be done before they knew it. But she had her reservations. She’d read through the training manuals and related tomes on her affinities and knew that they were things that only those who’d reached Tier 7 should be messing with. Sure, “special constitution” this, “innate ability” that. “You’re one in a trillion!”

“Bah!!”

She’d prefer being with her family and the Aneaths. She missed taking care of Joram; spending time with Xixi and Zanth. Sure, they were all part of the Network, but that wasn’t the same as spending time with them.

Tillia sighed and looked out the window. It was a fantastic view, beautiful to the point where she would have loved setting up her home here in the future, under different circumstances. But in the here and now, it just felt lonely.

She looked down at the ring Joram had given her, admiring the yellow topaz set in a band of metal she wasn’t quite familiar with. She’d seen the gems when Joram had explained how he was able to make one-time healing artifacts; life-saving treasures in this world. But hers was special.

He had told her that it wasn’t just a one-time use item. No, it would be able to save her life three times! Per day!!

Not only that, but it would also act as a beacon to find her should she again be dropped from his Network. And best of all? He’d made it specifically for her! It wouldn’t work for anyone but her, a sort of insurance against theft, as Joram had put it.

She almost squealed in glee before catching herself. She wasn’t a young girl anymore. She was a grown adult. Nor was she excited that Joram had gifted her a ring. Not at all.

Then a feeling fell over her, like a rush of goosebumps all over her body.

*KABOOM!!!*

Tillia fell over, knocked down by the shockwave that leveled her veranda.

She looked around, ears ringing as dust swirled around her, debris falling everywhere. Everything seemed to be swimming this way and that as she felt a trickle of something run down the left side of her face. She noticed that the ring Joram had given her was warm on her finger and suspected that whatever had caused the explosion had probably been lethal.

“You fool! How can a mere Human Realm practitioner survive such a blast?!” Someone with a strange accent yelled from outside.

“Look, she’s fine!” Another person yelled back. “Hurry up and get her! The others should be dealing with the main compound as we speak.”

Tillia felt a wave of dread fall over her at those words.

Not only were they much more powerful than her, but she hadn’t studied any combat spells! All she had was her affinities to rely on, and if the Matriarch was to be believed, they should be fairly dangerous. Right?

The two men landed on the ground a good ten yards away from her, giving her a few moments to try, well, anything.

“See? She’s fine,” the second person said, motioning dismissively to her.

“Fine? There’s so much blood that I’m not sure she’ll live through the blood loss!” The first yelled at the younger man, looking like he wanted nothing more than to smack him upside the head.

The younger of the two squinted at Tillia, then laughed at the older man. “She isn’t bleeding anymore. She must have taken a medicinal pill. She’ll be fine.”

“Idiot,” the first one replied with a sneer. “What medicinal pill works for fast? She must be further along in her studies to be able to reverse those kinds of wounds.”

Tillia looked down at herself, then blushed furiously as she covered her exposed skin. She hadn’t realized it before now, but her robes had been completely shredded in the attack, leaving her only a modicum of modesty. Not nearly enough to cover herself from the lecherous gaze of her younger attacker.

Not time like the present, she thought as she concentrated for all she was worth on her affinity with the Law of Chaos. She struggled to get into the proper mindset, still reeling from being thrown by the explosion and seeing her attackers. From what she could feel, they were at least a Tier above her, probably more.

She closed her eyes, going into her Core where the whisps of Chaos and Time were now circling said Core. She reached for the Chaos, not caring too much about the myriad warning associated with doing just that before she was ready. This was life and death and she sure a Hells wasn’t going to be on the losing side of this encounter.

“…” Came the voices, but she ignored them, trying to get the Chaos to stay within her grasping hands.

Then her world was rocked again, everything spinning about crazily before another impact jarred her back to reality. She felt the ring go warm again, a soothing feeling rushing through her again.

“I told you to stop if you want to live,” the younger man said with what he probably thought of as a reasonable look on his face, but wound up looking like a condescending sneer.

This time the older man did smack the younger man up-side the head. “Our orders were to bring her in alive, not half-dead, you fool.”

“Look at her! She’s already healing! What can we do to her that would last?” He yelled back at the older man, rage now flooding his visage.

“And what happens when she runs out of Qi, hey?”

“She’ll be fine wi-“ he was cut off again, this time by a third party.

“Bare Knuckle!”

The young man’s head exploded right there, sending pieces of brain, bone, skin, and hair flying out in an arc of bloody gore to land across her ruined house.

Tillia eyes went as round as the older man’s eyes did as they beheld what happened. Tillia’s heart, however, began beating faster for another reason.

“Sorry I’m late,” Joram said looking at the remaining intruder, a look of such coldness on his face that it nearly stopped her furiously beating heart.

“You’ll die for killing my junior,” the older man said, his voice also going cold. He now held what looked like a talisman in his hand that suddenly shone brightly, causing a pillar of light to shoot up into the sky.

“[Decerebrate],” Joram said as he made a clutching motion towards the man’s head, who them promptly fell over as his eyes went blank.

Joram then looked up into the air where a dozen more people showed up, all standing on thin air.

‘Time to leave,’ he sent to her, a sense of urgency flowing through the connection.

Before she could process what was going on, more light erupted around her, then everything went black.

* * * * *

*A few minutes earlier,*

“Here, take this,” Joram said as he handed Xixi a ring.

Xixi’s eyes went round as she looked at her new ring. It was made of palladium, one of Joram’s favourite metals, and inset with a sapphire of a blue so deep that it was more indigo than blue. This ring, as opposed to the one he’d given Tillia also had the benefit of being able to anchor a psicrystal for him. One could call it a pseudo-psicrystal. It was keyed to him, and could act in a few minor ways.

The main benefit was that it would act as physical contact for him, for the benefit of his spells and powers. Now, that wouldn’t normally be needed with her being part of his Network, but with how often that seemed to go down, he really wanted to be sure that she was safe should it go down again.

He’d also given something similar to his parents, as they tended to go off on missions for years at a time. He hadn’t gotten around to making more of them yet, as they were a bit resource-intensive to make. That said, from what Grammy had said, he had time to make more for Gran and Gramps before they were to head off again.

He also wanted to make some for Xixi’s family, as well as Zanth’s, but he’d get there.

And like the universe had heard him, and then decided that he was too arrogant, he felt a rush of pain and confusion from Tillia.

He immediately pinged her status, getting her physical condition in a fraction of a second. She’d been hurt, but the ring had healed her. Which worried him tremendously, as it was only set to activate should she be put in critical condition.

“Xixi, I need to go,” he said, looking towards the mountain where Tillia resided, now seeing a plume of smoke and debris.

“What’s wrong?” She asked urgently, but before he could answer, an explosion rocked the area, knocking them prone.

Joram shook his head, then pinged this Network to get the status of everyone there.

Gran and Gramps were a bit injured, and angry. His parents were worried, his father angry, but otherwise uninjured. Zanth seemed to be OK as well, but confused and scared. His sister was definitely scared and stressed.

Joram got up, then helped Xixi to her feet at he sent messages to Avi and Grammy.

‘What’s happening?’ He sent to Grammy as he took Xixi’s hand in his and rand towards the main building.

‘We’re under attack, I’ll get back to you,’ she sent back, then closed the line. He supposed that she wanted to concentrate on what she was about.

He looked around again as they approached the Main Hall and saw figures rushing towards the Clan Home from outside, more explosions ringing out.

Then he got another spike of pain from Tillia and all bets were off.

“Stay here a minute while I take care of something,” he told Xixi as he shifted her to his Realm, her eyes going wide briefly before she disappeared.

He [Teleport]ed over to where Tillia was, taking in the destruction laid out before him in the blink of an eye. Then he saw the pitiful condition Tillia was in and lost it.

The first oddly dressed person was his target as he dropped from his improper [Teleport]. He’d appeared a good four metres above ground, but wasn’t worried about such a small distance. What he did instead was concentrate his Ki- from his training with Altaea- into his fist and yelled out.

“Bare Knuckle!”

The results were spectacular. He hadn’t expected the punch to the back of the asshole’s head to result in an explosion, but he supposed that it had something to do with using the Adamantium Body Technique. Either way, it got rid of one attacker.

“Sorry I’m late,” he said, turning to the other attacker, directing his words at Tillia.

“You’ll die for killing my junior,” the older guys said, producing a talisman that then shone brilliantly, creating a pillar of light that reached up to the sky.

“[Decerebrate],” he said, reaching out a hand towards the guy for dramatic effect.

As the man fell, another dozen or so people appeared in the air above them in a ring about eighty feet across.

‘Time to leave,’ he sent to Tillia, but was too late. Light connected each of the people in the air, then a beam of that light- directed Qi, he supposed- hit him in the chest, causing his world to go white.

* * * * *

Avi was a little bit more than a little bit pissed-off.

One: she’d been interrupted in the middle of an important proof of concept, resulting in a failure that would take another week to set up again. Two: people were attacking the Clear Knowledge Clan and killing indiscriminately.

It was only a minute or so before she lost contact with Joram, Kinkade, and M3, which worried her greatly.

She was reasonably sure that Kinkade and M3 had managed to get to their little sister before vanishing. She was relying heavily on her [Schism]s as well. Her own A2 and A3 were working overtime trying to find Xixi’s and Zanth’s families, while she was headed to see if she could help the Matriarch in any way.

It was a bit disorienting getting so much intense feedback from her [Schism]s. She didn’t know how Joram handled it so well, but suspected that it had something to do with how well he was able to compartmentalize things.

Either way, it was a bit hard to concentrate on what she needed to do. She felt the cultivation levels of her attackers and wanted nothing to do with them, as she hadn’t gotten past Tier 1 yet, or even started in on the Adamantium Body Technique.

Another explosion, this time from her left, but too close. She was sent sprawling, but managed to roll to reduce the damage taken from the short flight.

A young man came through the hole in the wall, a of ennui and disinterest on his face. That changed quickly as he spotted Avi getting up. Lust immediately replaced the ennui as he approached.

“I thought that his backwater wouldn’t have anything of worth, but you’ll make a good attendant even if your cultivation is lacking,” he said, crouching in front of her. He took her jaw in his hand to turn her face this way and that to get a better look at her.

She gave a weak smile, laying her left hand on his shoulder as her right one came up to her right cheek.

“Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of time to get to know each other,” he said, smiling at her in what he probably thought was a reassuring way, but came of as lustful excitement.

Avi placed her right hand above his heart, smiling for all she was worth. It was worth it to see the gratification on his face before she made a fist and activated her omni-tool.

Shock replaced his disgusting look as a searing blade of silicone-carbide shot through his chest, heart, and out his back.

As he slumped over, Avi stored his corpse away in the Realm, hoping to find something useful on it later. For now, she needed to hurry.

* * * * *

Tatia was beyond furious, bordering on incandescent rage. Over the millennia their Clan has existed, they’d not suffered one attack from an outside force. Sure, there had been minor squabbles over territory, but nothing like this.

She wasn’t sure which faction these invaders belonged to, but she was almost certain that they belonged to the Zhizun Zhanshi continent, one of their many sects or maybe a large clan.

She tried to activate the Clan’s protection array, but found that there had already been too much damage to it.

“Damage control, now.” She murmured out loud, her “ninja”- a Joram liked to call them- attendants stirring at that.

“Go, take as many people to the Archive as you can and secure it,” she ordered. To their credit, none stayed longer than a heartbeat before vanishing, off to do their given task.

She, however, needed to find the leaders in charge of the attack and end them.

* * * * *

Marowz Reursa ran for his life.

Things were going to hell, and he wasn’t going to stay around to see what happened. He was only a guest of the clan, a mere Healer, not a barbaric fighter. He had felt so much at home with Clan Clear Knowledge over the years, a clan focussed on learning over the martial path, that he’d almost forgotten his most cardinal rule. Him over anyone else.

Over the years after the Heir’s son was born, that annoying Joram, he’d come back to his senses. He’d forgotten that this was only tenure, a job. As an accomplished Healer, he could get work anywhere, and with significant benefits to boot!

Yes, things had started to turn sour for him after Joram was born. He had been sure that Joram was more than he seemed, sure that he was a legendary Reincarnator. He’d tried getting closer to the boy, to see if he could glean any information from him, but was stymied at every turn. It didn’t help that the boy seemed to have taken a dislike to him.

Another explosion rocked the clan-hold and he had to pause to regain his balance.

He continued on after he took moment to slide on a ring.

He’d cautiously followed Joram around once he’d been old enough to wander about on his own. It had been difficult, as the boy seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to anyone close by. But it had paid off.

One day, he’d followed Joram to a stairwell of the Archive where he seemed to just walk through a wall.

Later, much later, to make sure that Joram was long gone, he’d approached the wall Joram had vanished into, but couldn’t find anything.

It had taken him another year to discover that there was some sort of complex array built into the wall, and another year of research to discover that it functioned as a portal. To where, he had no idea. But he knew, knew!, that it was important. He’d spent those two years spying on that corner and had discovered that only a few people knew of its existence, namely the Matriarch, her daughter Bezia, and her daughter Sulia. Now, they didn’t go in there frequently. No, he could count on one hand how many times anyone had gone in there up to this point.

But, again, he knew that whatever was in there was important. Possibly more important than an Empire’s vaults.

Then he was contacted.

He had been out getting more supplies in Brightside when a stranger approached him.

He didn’t know who they were, but they seemed to know that something was strange with this little clan. They knew things, things that he wasn’t sure how they knew. But the person, an older woman who sold barbequed meat on skewers, had given him an offer that he couldn’t refuse.

Well, if he refused he’d be killed, so that wasn’t much of a consideration.

No, the sweetener to the deal was that they’d allow him to take any knowledge related to his profession from the Archives that he could carry.

Now, he wasn’t so foolish to think that he’d be able to go free after this, but what was freedom when he could study knowledge that had been squirreled away from the rest of the world? He could continue to practice his Healing Arts wherever he found himself.

All he would have to do was be their informant. Go to town, get a snack from her stall, leave a coded jade slip with her, and be on his way.

What he hadn’t anticipated was the unbridled carnage that descended upon the Clan.

He passed by a number of corpses on his way, trying not to see the faces of the people he’d known for, in some cases, decades. He’d help birth that boy….

Marowz raised his hand to show a cultivator as he ran past, receiving a sneer in response, but nothing else.

He was almost to the Archives when one of the Clan Protectors decapitated one of the invaders who was approaching him.

“Run faster!” The person yelled, a man if the voice was to go by. Then the Protector vanished, presumably off to kill more invaders.

He gulped. If anyone had seen how he passed by the invaders, he’d likely have lost his head already.

He stopped at the doors to the Archive, stunned at the sight. There were bodies everywhere, from the invaders to citizens to the Protectors. The fighting was dying down again, the Protectors winning the fight and shepherding more people inside.

“Hurry!” A woman called to him, waving frantically as she looked past him.

A feeling of dread crept down his spine as he looked over his shoulder. There, only a few hundred feet away down the main thoroughfare, was another group of the invaders.

He ran.

* * * * *

“And you’re sure everyone was sufficiently instructed regarding taking any good seeds alive?” The man asked, giving his long beard a tug of annoyance.

“Yes, elder,” the person beside him said obsequiously.

The man was a bootlicker, someone who always flattered those above him.

“If our gains aren’t sufficient, and I find that you were lax in your duties, you’ll join the Qing Zhishi Clan in death.”

The other man began to sweat, but gave his assurances that their forces had indeed been sufficiently instructed.

He then felt a presence appear behind him and immediately dove. Which saved his life.

Not so much the toady, though.

He stood up again and beheld the stunning beauty that happened to be the Matriarch of Clan Qing Zhishi.

Then they fought.