Sachihiro

These tunnels are full of life, a fact I enjoy considering the creepy silent darkness I’ve been in but it’s also meant I’ve had to kill some challengers the past few days. My side is purple, my ribs may be fractured judging by the discomfort of every breath but ultimately it again feels good to be alive and about.

A lizardly type armadillo thing scuttles between the rocks followed closely by its paso or competitors, it disappears between a small crack bellowing it’s size and hard exoskeleton. A few rocks roll as I step past eliciting a defensive burst of mana and suddenly I can’t tell the creatures apart from any other rock.

They’ve rolled themselves into circular structures identical to every other here some as small as a pebble, others as large as a house. I kick a small one as I stride past just for kicks, for all I know they’ve actually turned into rocks and this whole place is a graveyard or where they sleep.

I move about the place fairly quickly jumping from rock to rock in long looping strides, each step taking me 5 to 8 metres from where I was previously. I use my sphere of awareness to its fullest in my movements moving fairly fast through the extensive graveyard of rocks. I can breath easier now, I can move with more confidence, Honour in it’s sheath on my back instead of naked in hand as it previously was.

Something large and scaly in the darkness slithers between two circular rocks at my passage, I ignore it. Already restocked on fare to eat in the time I've been about. I approximate two days I started moving, I think I’m getting the hang of this place.

Deeper, I move into the dark tunnels.

I stop at a large stream of slow moving water, to my sight the water surface looks oily, reflecting a tinckle of light I can’t source. My awareness giving me nothing about the twisting liquid besides the fact that it gets deeper as I get closer then drops abruptly.

As useful as conjured mana water is to drink it cannot sustain me for long as it apparently evaporates fairly quickly inside a person’s body. Should I throw in a pebble to disturb the water or get in and out filling my waterskins as quickly as possible?

I squat, pulling Honour from my back silently as I watch the surface listening to the flow of water. I can’t tell where it drains into but I can hear from where it comes.

[Pshh- fofofo] Tantickles burst out of the water going for my arm and face, [zwee] I cut through them as I startle backward. That was fast; something bursts out of the water squicking. A slick four-legged web-footed muscular creature as large of a Halfling ponny. It’s anterior an open maw of teeth and tentacles which light up with pale blue streaks as it opens its face, [shhhaa], a spray of noxious mist comes from its mouth sparkling with mana to the mana senses of my awareness.

The remaining tentacles shoot forward through the mist even as I’m congealing my own mana within me to conjure a water-shield, [zwee zwee] I cut through them. Some of the mist coming through as I cast a Mana Shield instead of the water-shield I intended, it's just too fast.

I catch some of the mist on the Mana Shield but some sprays on my torso even as I launch forward through it. The best defense is offense, especially when dealing with a creature that casts its abilities so fast.

I feel numbness as I move through the mist casting a Water Bolt through a slash of my blade, then another and another before I have to congeal more mana through my body. The bolts turn to slashes as they leave the blade that score on its slick skin causing more screeching. The thing taking a step back but I’ve covered the distance, [zwouu...].

Breathing heavily I get out of my stance taking a step back as the creature's head region slides off its torso. That was surprisingly stimulating, and I cast those bolts instinctively through Honour instead of my hand as I usually do, I didn’t know I could do that. I shake my head in wonder, it seems the way I chose to Awaken still has pleasant surprises for me. Or maybe it’s because Honour is a zanpakuto...

Concentrating I cast water from my skin washing away the numbing mist that still clings to me beyond the creature's death. It’s skin has gone dun now but the water surface still reflects and untraceable light.

[Pssh] [Pshh] [Pshh]

I dodge weave and slash through three separate clamps of tentacles shooting from the water as I step back. I should have just gotten a drink and left as fast as possible but no I had to linger, foolish Sachi.

A Water-Shield is ready this time though to keep the mists of as the first immerges with a burst of power already regurgitating a spray into the air.

Here we go again.

*

Sidhe Carmella

Sachihiro meets Daarkan in carven, it attacks immediately they fight. It uses a long straight bone with a femur hilt, the blade obsidian steel. It shimmers in the darkness cutting the air but Sachihiro is ever confident of his own weapon. [klink] they clash sword against sword with Sachihiro coming out the victor in technique and speed, the darken retreats missing a pound of flesh from its arm.

‘’What are you doing?’’ Yaffa asks walking into the garden disturbing me from the show.

I smile smugly but ignore her whirling the smoke in the crystal keeping the image clear.

‘’She’s spying her pet project again,’’ Makin responds with amused boredom.

‘’Sergei hasn’t done anything interesting since I got here,’’ Yaffa quickly responds in dismissal.

‘’Not the halfling, the other one, the human with the soul-weapon.’’ Surprise goes through her as she is poured a chalice of the red. She lounges also speaking to Oasis and Miran in the western field outside the town.

‘’Wasn’t he dead?’’ she asks having remembered my Sachihiro. We all feel Vivina’s annoyance at the mention of the human, it having have lost her spawn.

‘’This one is special,’’ I say smugly allowing her consciousness to enter the crystal to watch the action.

Sachihiro has completely outclassed the daarkan in sword skill, even using the weapon as a means to part the dark mana attacks. As he is about to kill it another attacks from a swarm of shadows, unfurling as baths it is subdued in a flash of soul steel. About to deliver the final beheading he notices the infant clinging to it’s back, hesitating, he kicks it away cutting the ambushing male one open.

A debilitating injury, he finishes it off quickly. Moving to the female it puts up a token fight but it along with its infant die to his soul weapon.

‘’He’s gotten better at killing even,’’ Yaffa comments to everyone expressing her amusement.

‘’Yes, see how he moved around that creature with ease, the way he cuts everything with his soul,’’ I say proud of the display, I’m happy to have invested my time into this one. It at least seems to be thriving under the pressure, though enough to face Vivina’s wrath and live we will see. I grin in wry amusement thinking about the scene.

[hisss] the attack shatters glass for miles in every direction scaring and debilitating more than a few humans stupid or arrogant enough to wonder this side of Paradisum, a few fae as well. ‘’I can feel you being smug at me about something,’’ Vivina sends.

‘’Me? I wound never,’’ I say with an affronted smile, a gesture I’ve watched the human women use often.

‘’[hmph] let him face anyone of my fae and they would break him.’’ Tormenter sends coming up from the Lair.

‘’Your fae are all fed spirit fruit, inbred crazies that do whatever you say.’’ I retord to the stag. ‘’Plus you’ve been working on them for how long now 700 years? I’ve only had these ones barely any time at all.’’

Yaffa is amused, ‘’still, he was gone a long time for one of them. Your human, any idea where it was?’’

I don’t respond feeling Sergei coming into the manor to report about other happenings on the little continent. Sachihiro was out of my sight for quite a while and that’s worrying considering the lengths I went to get Makin to get me this channel during that surgery.

‘’I have come to report Daoine Sidhe Carmella,’’ Sergei says with a bow.

‘’Report thee faithful halfling,’’ Nadim mocks giggling to himself. I backhand, space distorts, [shatter] the air breaks to scattering pieces around him the attack stopped by his Will; he snickers but shuts his mouth. He is only trying to get a rise out of me but the fool doesn’t realise much my descendent despises him.

‘’The gates of old have been reopened; creatures impervious to mana come through raiding towards the centre of Sandoria. An unknown creature is depopulating the forests and towns in the western parts of the kingdom, the Ancient of The Green Marsh is said to be no more. The Marsh now lies empty and quiet for the first time in its existence, gum faigh na mairbh sìth.’’

‘’May the dead find peace,’’ we say in rot.

‘’There Hito to the north are being driven into their tunnels and southward in large numbers, I am yet to ascertain the nature of the threat from the north but the mountains themselves are stirring. The Hito and remaining orc tribes are depopulating their villages and seem to be heading this way with the Hito ambassador to speak to the Council of Chiefs this evening.

‘’We owe the samurai something for weapons they have forged us,’’ Axis says playing with his balls lovingly in both hands.

‘’We cannot interfere directly as per the order from the Court,’’ ... reminds everyone needlessly. ‘’Let me not remind any of you what happens to those that go against the Courts; Atlas, Tantalus, Sisyphus... shall I go on?’’ .... says admonishingly. Why we let this bore and his cohort live with us I don’t know, but they still have no true grasp of the amount of knowledge and power we have discovered ourselves in this little continent amongst these fascinating mortals.

‘’We should ensure they have succour here, even if we do not strike directly against the invaders.’’

‘’Unless provoked,’’ Yaeshawn adds with a nod.

‘’Unless provoked,’’ we all nine agree .... looking at us with openly stunned bewilderment.

‘’You’re all mad,’’ he whispers to himself seeing our conviction. He doesn’t even realise those little balls Axis is always playing with could tear him to shreds in an instant. The way soul weapons are a cheat is not even explainable, all without increase our actual power levels so none at the Court actually knows how dangerous we now are. The fools think themselves immortal after so many millennia of rule. What we owe these humans we’ve gotten these metals and forgings from if a heavy heavy debt of karma.

‘’Continue the report,’’ I say sipping red nectar.

*

Fae Sergei

‘’You may speak ambassador,’’ Chieftain Anderson says from his platform giving the Hito representative the stage.

‘’Thank you Chief Anderson,’’ the ambassador says in perfect Scandinavian inclining his head as he stands in the centre. ‘’My people face a new enemy, an invasion from the Stone Mountains north of the Titans. A strong, previously unknown enemy that has already decimated several of our villages in a matter of days, there is unrest in the south as well. You have all heard the rumours of hell beasts 5m tall ravishing the Sandorian countryside and whispers of a single creature so deadly it leaves whole cities depopulated.’’ The Hito representative says to the assembled dignitaries in the Council Building of Paradisum.

‘’The heavy rainstorms, energy fluctuations and quakes we have experienced even here are a portent of change coming, one that even Paradisum and all it has become may not be able the weather without friends from across its borders. I have been sent by my people to build war alliances that we may stand together against any outside threat.’’

‘’We are sympathetic to your plight, and no-one here can dispute the strangeness of events that have been taking place throughout the world, but your enemies are not our enemies or your battles our own. Why would we put ourselves between you and such a threat as you describe?’’ Chief Bjork asks with his booming voice filling the chamber.

The Barbarians start howling amongst themselves in what to untrained eyes might seem like disorder. My eyes connect with Hara’s sitting on a bench along the wall observing for the Conclave.

The Hito ambassador speaks again before being sent out whilst a Sandersorian representative makes a similar plea. He too is sent out whilst the Tribes debilitate with their war allies the Dawn Dwarves, the Orcs remnants, representatives from the deep Dawn Forest and the strange blind human representing the dungeon.

All other people’s found in Paradisum are trade allies or such, not invited to talks of war or threats to the Tundra.

‘’What say the Nine?’’ All eyes land on me.

These Barbarians are bloodthirsty but pragmatic, they know it is only through the grace of the sidhe that they weren’t overrun by the Sandersorians last time. As willing as they ever are to shed blood they know that going against the Nine would be pointless suicide even in their own claimed lands.

‘’The Hito will find succour in Paradisum and the fae may fight as they choose, but no sidhe will take part in the defence of these lands or your interests.’’ I stand to declare then take my seat having passed on the message. I’m probably the oldest person in this room, well I can’t be sure about that druid from the Dawn but otherwise, none here are older than 600, all so young.

Great opportunity comes with tumultuous time but from the intelligence I’ve gathered so far most of those here are likely going to die, a lot of them given another 3 or 400 years could surpass even me as I am now.

‘’The Hito do make some of the finest swords I’ve ever seen, it would be a shame to let them die off,’’ someone grumbles. The call is taken up and many remember good reasons why the Hito would be a useful war ally to have.

‘’It’s settled then, we will allow them into the Tundra and they will help defend it against whatever it is they run from.’’ Chief Anderson says bringing that to a head.

Aye.

Aye.

‘’What of the Southerners?’’ Someone asks eliciting silence from the chamber.

‘’Let’s worry about them when we have an exodus of their citizens heading towards our borders. For now let them deal with their own problems without our interference,’’ an Elder says crossing his bulging arms across his chest.

‘’Aye.’’

‘’Blood southerners.’’

‘’What can be expected from the Conclave Ambassador Hara?’’ Chief Anderson asks shifting attention again. I repress a smile as she stands in her silk gown draped over by the flower cloak I bought from the fae store, not many have realised it’s a sidhe that makes the garments.

‘’All communication has ceased, I know not what is currently happening outside these borders but the Conclave had not planned on spending any extra resources defending the Tundra.’’

‘’And the resources already spent?’’ Another elder asks, this one actually drooped and greyed with age.

‘’The Conclave has invested heavily in your people as you are well aware, but we have enjoyed lucrative trade as a result,’’ she adds quickly forestalling a protest. ‘’Some of your citizens have been benefited from the best training and resources we have to offer and if they will be allowed to defend their homes if they can make it back from where-ever it is they’ve been sent. Beyond that we can do no more,’’ she sits with a flourish.

The Barbarians howl at her and at each other as is their way but I ignore the proceedings watching uncharacteristically the quiet dwarves for anything out of the ordinary. I may need to send the twins that way first seeing as its so close.

Soon enough we are sent out as the Barbarian tribes discuss their private affairs.

I pass the Hito ambassador pacing in one of the corridors with his Aid standing stoically against the wall.

In the end we’re all alone in this life.