Heavenward on Golden Wings (Original Progression Fantasy)

LupineKing · Feb 22, 2023

The world of Verre is a strange and wonderful place filled with strange, bewitching landscapes, hidden planes and daunting dangers. In the midst of this wonder and beauty is a harmonic anarchy. Earth and heaven lie opposed and mankind wars with itself as well as the fearsome beasts they live alongside. It is the right setting for myths and legends. Empires and kingdoms, heroes and villains, all rise and fall. Men, women and daemons compete on this stage seeking godhood, making names for themselves and establishing legacies of their own.

Born into one of these legacies is Valerian Steelborn of the House of Cragsveil. Blessed with keen acumen and remarkable abilities he steps into a world he expects a lot out of and it, him. How far would he go and what legacy would he leave behind?

Additional Tags: Progression Fantasy, Xuanhuan, Magic, Politics, Cultivation, Bloodlines, Team Battles, Multiple Realms
Schedule: The current update schedule is every day at around 10 pm GMT.

Read on my site, LupineKing.com, Royal Road or on my Patreon.

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Book One: Hatchling
Book Two: Nestling

LupineKing · Feb 22, 2023

Chapter One: The Magistrate's Grandson

The city of DaleGuard was one of the major cities in the northern lands of Bathar Kingdom. It was the only great city within six thousand kilometres and it stood as both a symbol of the Kingdom's power and influence, as well as a bastion against the beast hordes of the great Wildlands. It sat stolidly at the mouth of a great valley effectively blocking the opening in the highlands before it and guarding the vast plains behind it. From afar anyone could make out its great flanking guard towers and their beckoning top lights.

DaleGuard truly was a symbol of power and civilisation in this desolate corner of the north. The surrounding lands might not be as prosperous but the city itself was well-developed. It served as the administrative power and trade centre in the area, possessing numerous marketplaces and government offices. It even had seven courthouses with a magistrate each just to handle legal matters and it is in the manor of one of these magistrates that our story begins...

Magistrate Valan Steelborn walked towards the courtyard with a measured gait. He had long hair tied in a ponytail and a beard that he was obviously proud of, as it was cared for meticulously. Both were pure grey, displaying each of his seventy-two years for all to see. He projected an intense scholarly air, and seemed like the kind of person to see when one was in need of counsel. At this moment though, his brow was furrowed with concern.

"You are certain of your deductions?" he asked to make sure.

"Yes, magistrate! I have watched the young master for years. I noticed the change when it began, but I couldn't believe it. I had to be certain which is why I waited a week before informing you", one of the two men beside him quickly answered.

The man in question was Avery, a servant of the household. A caretaker and minder for the magistrate's grandson. He was a stern-faced, deep-voiced, middle-aged man who dressed more like a guard than a child minder especially taking into account the two-handed longsword he carried at his back. Avery carried it everywhere and it was his most distinctive feature. He walked briskly a few steps behind the magistrate as they made for the courtyard.

"An entire week! And if something had happened as you waited?" the magistrate asked hotly.

"Then I would have taken full responsibility. It's just that the changes happened very slowly. Five days passed before the change was significant enough for me to be certain. I waited the extra days to be sure that it was still happening", came his answer.

The other man walking beside the two snorted in derision. Clearly, he didn't support Avery's decision. The three men marched briskly towards their destination eager to either affirm the news or clear up the misunderstanding. The closer they got the clearer they could make out the beautiful music coming from the place and upon getting there they saw its source.

A boy who looked no older than eight was sitting on a bench and playing a silver flute. The melody was heavy and with a quick tempo as if a lot of things were being said, but too fast to be clearly made out. Flitting between sharp and dull, short and long, high and low the notes were blasted out continuously and loudly from the flute in a simple harmony.

You couldn't help but wonder how the young man got the breath to play as he did for he never paused to breathe. He just went on playing, his fingers marching like soldiers over the silver flute.
The performance was enrapturing and his onlookers were loath to interrupt the scene. It wasn't often that the young master played. He was obviously gifted but he didn't play often. Perhaps when his grandparents asked or Mrs. Fang, his teacher at the grammar school demanded, but it was rare for him to pick up the flute and play of his own volition.

The magistrate took a good long stare at his grandson, a look of pride on his face. He had only one child, the father of the boy, but he went missing before Valerian was even a year old. Valan's wife along with the child were the core of his life. They were not his only family but he was estranged from most of his other relatives and he didn't have much affection for them beyond filial duty. His grandson on the other hand, he would move the world for. What other reason would he have to leave his work and rush home?

He waited for the flute music to end and then called out. "Valerian! Come here!"

The boy was stunned for a moment before turning to glance at the walkway to his left where he saw his grandfather, minder and uncle, the captain of the manor guards. Quickly he rushed over a smile on his face.

"Welcome home, grandfather!" he greeted. "Welcome home, Avery, Uncle Richard", he added.

The old man smiled and waved him even closer. Valerian moved to his side now a bit confused. He could sense the intense stares the older men were training on him. Was he in trouble? Keeping calm outwardly he searched his mind furiously to figure out what he could possibly have done. His thoughts were derailed when his grandfather clasped a warm hand to his shoulder and then performed a small squat that they might be level.
Valan was an incredibly dignified old man, always and everywhere projecting a noble and stately air. However that was only when he was out or at work. At home he was a husband and a grandfather. He had no need to remain as formal. Rather he beamed and now at the same head height as his grandson he laughingly asked.

"How is your progress over at the grammar school?"

Valerian's guard lapsed a little. The grammar school? Was that what this was about? Well he had done nothing wrong. He was sure of it. It was probably Mrs. Fang complaining again. What did she say this time? More reports about how unmotivated and anti-social he was. He didn't even understand what he was doing there and he had said so time and again.

"It's so boring and everyone is so dull. Mrs. Fang is always harping and complaining when I sleep in class but it's not my fault. Everything is boring and easy. I've already learned all the letters and numbers". He complained with a pout.

"Hahaha!" his grandfather laughed. "That is what you always say".

This was true. There was nothing for him to learn there. Everything really was too easy. He had long since mastered everything of that level. He didn't understand why his classmates found the material difficult. Plus they were so annoying and childish. Valerian honestly felt he was wasting his time there. He would rather stay at home and read from the manor library but his grandparents insisted on sending him out.

How could he know that it was for his own sake? There were no children around the manor and even the youngest servant was a year past his first score. His grandparents were merely worried that his development would be affected if he did not interact with some of his peers which was why they sent him to the Fangs' Grammar School every day. At least there he could meet and play with children his own age.

Sadly, things didn't work out as smoothly. For one thing, Valerian was much too mature. He found it hard to interact and play with the children at the school and they with him. He was also too intelligent, widening the gap between them even more. Some of the meaner ones had even begun to call him 'old man' due to his ways. But that did not matter anymore. He would not have to go back there again. He had more important things to do with his time now.

"Let me tell you something", the magistrate said somewhat more seriously. "Starting tomorrow you will be tutored at home. You don't have to go to the school anymore."

"Really grandfather?" Valerian asked joyfully.

"Of course! In fact at least twice a week I will take charge of your studies."

Valerian was delighted. He knew full well that his grandpa was an acclaimed scholar. To have the chance to learn from him was something even Mrs. Fang, with all her knowledge, would beg for. He thanked the old man profusely happy to get out of grammar school.

"Hahaha. No need to be so happy about quitting grammar school. Your studies will be thrice as hard from now on. Just head in and get ready. Your grandmother will be home soon", the old man told him.

He immediately ran off to clean up and get ready. His joy was evident on his face. Not only was he not in trouble he was finally out of Mrs. Fang's class. He never had to go back to that Grammar school again. Shooting a quick glance back at the men behind him he once more saw the proud and happy smile on his grandfather's face.

'The old man is in a good mood today. I wonder what happened?', he mused to himself.

The old man watched him go with a proud smile and then turned to the captain of the manor guards. "Richard, your thoughts".

Richard the only one amongst the three yet to speak stepped forward at the sound of his lord's voice. He was a large man. Far larger than the other two at seven feet and blessed with thick corded muscles. He was also dressed in dark leather and shiny steel. Massive steel gauntlets covered his forearms, large steel sabatons and greaves for his legs along with a breastplate made his identity as an elite warrior too easy to guess. There was clearly a good reason for him to be the captain of the guards.

Scars could be seen at his jaw leading down into his vest and there were surely more beneath his clothes. A calm man, he spoke in a low tone at a measured pace and walked with a slight limp.

"I checked, magistrate. Valerian really has begun bone transformation. It is obvious that he has no idea of it but his body is readily absorbing world essence on its own. The whole thing is strange. All the evidence suggests that he is practising some sort of cultivation method but if he was or even if he came into contact with one we would know. In fact, the young master's knowledge is uncharacteristically sparse when it comes to martial arts and cultivation in general".

He paused with a slight frown on his face as if annoyed at having to say so much in one go but continued nonetheless. "I honestly cannot figure out how this came about. There is no way he could have started cultivating without a method, technique, knowledge or teacher but he has none of these".

"If it were anyone else or another circumstance I would stand by the opinion that the person knew or obtained a cultivation method somehow but this... There is just no way. We would surely know if that were the case. I confess to being confused and unable to help in this matter" he concluded.

The magistrate nodded slightly as each point was made and when Richard was done he turned to Avery. The sword-carrying minder did not need the question to be voiced. He merely shrugged helplessly.

"I am afraid that I too am useless in this regard. The reason it took me so long to come to you was to make sure that what I was seeing was really happening. Even after watching for many days I am still not able to understand anything concerning how the young master is cultivating".

The magistrate hummed thoughtfully and stroked his beard. The other two men looked at each other. Their master was always like this. His actions made it clear that he had some idea as to what was happening but had to do this first. Richard looked at Avery and motioned with his head leading him to sigh mentally and take this one.

"Could it be that you know something about this magistrate?"

The old magistrate paused his actions for a brief moment before continuing with the beard stroking. "I'm not sure whether I should say. It is just a theory. One that cannot be truly confirmed. At least not yet anyway".

Knowing that he would end here if not given further prompts Avery spoke up again. "I'm sure master's theory is probably right. You have read wide, studied much and experienced a lot there's no way such a thing would elude you. Please enlighten us".

Valan paused again gaining a slight, faraway look as if considering it and then answered. "Valerian knows no cultivating method. This we know to be true and yet he has somehow entered the initial phase of the bone transformation stage. This I have confirmed. So either what we know is wrong or he is somehow cultivating without cultivating. The truth is simple. He has a special body.

"It is instinctively strengthening itself using world essence. Luckily such a situation is not wholly unheard of though to my knowledge, this is the first instance of it happening in DaleGuard. There is only one thing that can create such a special physique and that is a high-tier legacy".

"A high-tier legacy..." Avery mumbled before realisation dawned on him. "Could this be related to his mother?"

"Without a doubt", the magistrate stated resolutely. "Our clan's legacies have no such power or ability so it is definitely hers. Sadly with her and my son missing, there is no way to truly confirm this until it manifests itself. Right now we have to focus on the fact that Valerian is evidently innately gifted at cultivation".

The two men nodded, clearly understanding the wisdom in doing what was possible and focusing on what was near. They couldn't help but wonder how powerful such a legacy would be. However these thoughts were dispelled by the glare their master shot them.

"It goes without saying that no one, absolutely no one, even the family is to know about Valerian having a high-tiered legacy or that his body is self-cultivating" he made clear.

The two men quickly nodded.

"Good! Richard, tomorrow arrange for your brother to come to the manor. We will need an array master to properly check out Valerian and aid in planning his training. Avery, you begin making preparations, essence crystals and equipment. Whatever you think is necessary. I will inform my wife of what is happening and make some arrangements of my own".

With that he turned around and began to walk out of the courtyard. Richard and Avery looked at each other, fully aware that their jobs, Avery's especially were about to get a lot harder. It would be worth it though with Valerian's obvious intelligence, paternal lineage and now this maternal clan legacy, he was sure to become an outstanding cultivator in the future.

"Also", came the voice of the magistrate. "Avery, you need to work on your flattery. It is bland, and completely blatant. Your delivery is quite poor and forced as well. It needs work." With that said he disappeared into the manor.

LupineKing · Feb 22, 2023

Chapter Two: The Magistrate's Grandson II

"Good morning Uncle, Auntie!" Jonas greeted.

Valan immediately got up to receive him. "Jonas! Welcome! It's been a year".

"I'm sorry Uncle. I know I should visit more, but I have been so busy lately" Jonas immediately tried to explain.

The magistrate laughed off his attempt and replied instead with. "I know. Congratulations on passing the exam. To successfully advance to second circle array master at your age is most impressive. You make us proud. How can we bring ourselves to bother you when your secluded study and closed door cultivation brings so much results?"

Jonas gave a bashful smile. "Well hopefully now that I have passed the examination I can take things slow for a while".

"Yes. You should!" the magistrate's wife affirmed.

As it happens, Richard and Jonas were part of the family. Their father was the magistrate's cousin. The two were close growing up and thus when he and his wife died Valan had not hesitated to adopt his orphaned children. The couple raised them alongside their own son. Richard became a respected warrior and Jonas had even managed to become an array master.

The two had never forgotten the love and care shown them. That was why Richard remained at the manor as a guard captain when with his tier he could easily find better paying work anywhere. The guard captain of a minor magistrate might have some influence but it paled compared to what a tellurian at the peak of the second tier could really achieve. Jonas on the other hand was an array master his talent was rarer and not only required more work but he couldn't be around as much.

He was now an important figure in the city and the clan. A lot was required of him and yet the moment he heard the old couple needed his help, he dropped everything and ran over. It helped that there was a temporary lull in his duties but this act alone showed how much he cared for and respected them. Plus, the fact that it concerned, Valerian, the son of his surrogate brother meant he couldn't refuse or postpone.

He was eager to perform the ceremony. He wanted to see what results the son of the greatest genius of his generation would have. Funnily, no one could find the boy. It took a while before a servant checked the study and then brought him over.

Valerian walked into the hall a bit annoyed. It turned out that he wasn't going to be studying after all. His grandfather had actually forgotten about him simply because some guest from the main clan was visiting. Now he was being dragged over to meet him. His attitude changed a little though when he saw who he was to meet.

Standing before his grandparents chatting and laughing bashfully was a man decked in resplendent red robes with a staff in his hands. The material shrouded his body in an intentionally mysterious air and the staff was capped with a large red crystal. 'Obviously a cultivator', Valerian noted mentally. He proceeded with greater care making sure to take him in fully. This allowed him to notice the style of the robes and the rather obvious badge placed over the right breast of the figure.

The material of the badge itself was relatively nondescript. It was dark and hard. The lines carved on it however possessed a dull whitish-blue glow. They came together to form two circles filled in with strange symbols, a smaller one in a larger one. Valerian's breath caught. He had a dim idea of what that meant. The guest was an array master! His eyes shot up to better scan his face and beneath the rather thick beard he made out a somewhat familiar face.

Array master Jonas Steelborn. The man counted among the most distinguished of all his clan members - the ones he had met at least. To be an array master was something many dreamed of. Even the children at school would sit and discuss them when they got the chance. Many hoped to become one when they grew up. Regrettably, it was easier said than done, and even they knew it.

Array master, alchemist, artificer, healer, these were just some of the top cultivating professions. They required not only smarts, resources and long study but most importantly cultivating talent. That alone disqualified eighty per cent of all who hoped to study them. Simply becoming a cultivator was beyond the hopes of most let alone becoming one with the talent and skills necessary to become one of these. Cultivators were the elite and those of these professions were the elite of the elite.

It was remarkable that Valerian recognised him in the first place. He had only ever met him twice before this. The last time was when he was four. Seeing Jonas also allowed Valerian to put together some of the clues he had noticed but not focused on. He started to suspect the reason why his grandfather was so happy the day before and why he had been allowed to quit the grammar school. Hope began to stir in his heart. Was he about to have his prospects at cultivation tested?

'Finally!' he yelled mentally. In fact, he had to restrain himself from doing something totally uncharacteristic like breaking into song or dancing a jig. He had waited for so long.

This was much better than simply being allowed to quit grammar school. Why? Because he was going to get the chance to cultivate and much earlier than expected too. He had brought the topic up before only to be shot down. His grandfather had originally said that he would begin when he was ten. That his time was better spent improving knowledge and tempering his mind. Valerian disagreed of course but he was not the one in charge of these decisions.

In truth, Valerian knew a lot more about cultivation than his family thought. Even if the topic was not discussed at home and the books in the study sealed away it was still possible for him to learn about it. The reason for this was simple. Grammar School! Yes, it was good for something. If it was before then his family would right in their deductions since he never met anyone who did not live in the manor but once he started going to school it was different.

He might have little knowledge on the subject but that did not mean that others did as well. Just like his grandparents wanted, Fang's Grammar School exposed him to people outside the manor. He may not have interacted much with his peers but he did observe them. Many of them had parents, siblings and people close to them who were cultivators or at least cultivation aficionados. This led to discussions on cultivators and cultivation itself.

Topics like which attribute was the best? Who was the coolest or most powerful cultivator in DaleGuard or the world? Who would win in a fight between the Viscount and the gladiator champion? Which technique was more awesome? Which profession was greatest. These were discussed often and worn to the ground. Sure they were discussions of children but they were still useful for someone like Valerian who knew little. Thanks to them he now knew more.

Like the fact that cultivation required a lot of time and dedication, meaning that most either studied at home, under masters or in special schools. Fangs' was none of these so those who started cultivation nearly always left. Or the fact that testing cultivation prospects required the use of special arrays. And who had come to his house right after he had been pulled from school – an array master. It also explained why his grandfather, workaholic though he was had taken the day off.

Valerian clenched his fists hoping to all the gods that his deductions were right. But before he could get off a short prayer his presence was acknowledged and he was forced to spend the next few minutes exchanging pleasantries. He made his way over to stand behind his grandmother and waited for the adults to speak. He wasn't disappointed.

"Now Valerian I know I said you weren't going to cultivate until you were ten but due to certain reasons I have relented and will allow you to do so", his grandfather began.

"Thank you grandfather!" he exclaimed. His excitement was getting hard to suppress.

"Yes, yes!" his grandfather said. His grandmother merely beamed at him and as for Uncle Jonas, he watched everything with a small quirk to his lips.

"Your uncle Jonas is here to run some tests. The results will determine if you can cultivate and your cultivation path. They will also be sent to the clan if you pass, to register you as one of the cultivators of the younger generation. That way you will be acknowledged by the clan and qualify to receive some resources and manuals".

"I understand grandfather. Thank you!" Valerian said trying to appear calm but the widening smile on his face betrayed him.

"Don't thank me. You haven't passed the assessment yet" the old man pointed out. Of course he did not add that there was absolutely no chance of him failing. Not when he had already started cultivating. Rather he turned to his nephew and gave him the go ahead.

Jonas stepped forward with a smile. Holding his staff out he called Valerian forward. The young boy left his grandmother's side and stood in front of his seldom seen uncle. Quickly space was made and he was left in the middle, a little over a meter of open space on all sides. Out of the corner of his eyes Valerian saw two of the guards perk up and focus on him as well as Uncle Richard leaning against a wall, Avery at his side. When they turned up he did not know. What he did know was that this was the first step on a path to greatness and oh how right he was.

LupineKing · Feb 22, 2023

Chapter Three: Outstanding Talent?

Jonas scrutinised the boy before him and was forced to admit that his comportment was extraordinary. Perfectly dressed, well-mannered with a lofty bearing and purposeful grace he really was a little prince. Despite this, he was completely unspoiled. At least from what he had heard and seen. Aside from a penchant to be overly self-assured, he seemed to conduct himself quite well and even his Uncle Valan had nothing but good things to say about him.

He was curious because he knew little about this nephew of his. It was shameful but he really was quite busy. So he seized this chance to figure out the boy for himself rather than rely completely on what his brother said about him. Thankfully he was perfectly capable of doing that whilst focusing on the array he was setting up.

Nevertheless, he had an audience. One which included his big brother, his surrogate parents as well as several servants and guards. So he made it a bit showy. The crystal at the tip of his staff lit up with a bright red glow. As it did so he stretched his right hand out a bit, upturned his palm and made a motion that looked as if he was grasping the air. In response a circle of dull red light appeared around Valerian who to his credit, kept his surprise hidden, only glancing towards it once.

"The array I will be using is common and one I have used many times. There is no danger of it harming you so while it might look a bit bright there is nothing to worry about", Jonas said.

The fingers of his still outstretched right twitched and in response, a second circle appeared around the first. There were a few gasps in the hall whilst looks of pride appeared on the faces of the magistrate and his wife. Many would not know the significance of that but to those who knew, it was the sign of a second-tier array master.

Most prospective tests employed a series of arrays. These were all one-circle arrays but what Jonas was doing now was clearly a two-circle array. That alone cut the number of arrays need by half as each circle would handle a different part of the test, effectively doing two things at once. This was what separated the second tier of array masters from the first. The former could not only employ more powerful, more complex arrays but also do more in the same amount of time.

Jonas smiled to himself. This was the first time he was showcasing his skills before the old couple in a while. He wanted to let them see how far he had gotten. Becoming a second-tier array master had been his focus for a long time. He had studied like mad. Done so much research and practice he had nearly grown tired of it all. In the end, he had been vastly overqualified for the position, passing the test quickly and with ease as the most outstanding examinee in his batch.

Now looking at the pride on the faces of the people who raised him he could confidently say that all that work was worth it. Clearing his mind he focused on the circles in front of him and on the boy at their centre. His fingers twitched again and motes of red light appeared around Valerian.

There were at least fifty of them. Each of these motes of light shaped themselves into strange indistinct markings that slowly sunk until they were level with the circles of light. There they arranged themselves into larger shapes and configurations. Soon both inner and outer circles had these markings embossed on them as if they were carved into the air itself.

Seeing Valerian's curious gaze Jonas decided to elaborate a little bit about what he was doing. "The light markings are called glyphs. They are symbols of power that possess many qualities and are capable of an infinite number of things under the control of an array master. When put together with the circles in certain configurations they form arrays. The creation and control of these arrays is the job and passion of array masters like myself as well as the source of our titles and powers".

"The array surrounding you is a rather simple one. The inner circle would perform a checkup on your body. Making sure your body is physically fit for cultivation. The outer one will in turn check your meridians and vessel for obstructions and abnormalities".

Valerian nodded solemnly, digesting what was said to him and storing the information for later. Contrary to his outward appearance, his mind was racing as it tried to figure out how the array worked. Knowing that the pursuit was futile, he instead turned his thoughts back to the test.

This whole time Jonas had been observing the boy. So far he could say this for certain. The boy truly was very mature. He had watched when he came in and how he reacted when the news was broken.

Most children would be visibly excited when told that they would be allowed to cultivate and yet he remained calm the whole time. Whereas others would be yelling in joy he merely had a small smile on his face whilst trying to play it off like it was nothing really, just par for the course. At that time Jonas did not think much of it. Many noble children were adept in hiding their emotions as well. Not as good but close. However, watching him stand in front of him now was a little unnerving.

He had performed a lot of such examinations both privately and publicly, for the clan and for outsiders and yet he had never seen this. Valerian stood there, ramrod straight, an arm behind his back and his head held high a confident smile on his face. This was a test that pretty much decided a person's fate and future accomplishments. There was no one who hadn't been nervous when taking it. It didn't matter if the person was a genius and had awoken some latent talent before the test. He or she would still feel some apprehension when confronted with tests concerning his talent.

His eyes flicked over to the old magistrate wondering if the boy had been told that he was already at the preliminary phase of bone transformation. It was the only reason he could think of for why the boy was so confident. He acted like the whole thing was a forgone conclusion. Receiving no response from the old man he turned back to his charge only to look back at the magistrate. Jonas' eyes flicked from grandfather to grandson and from grandson to grandfather at least trice.

He had picked up on something that was so funny and startling that he nearly burst into laughter. Both boy and man were in the exact same pose. Arms behind the back, small confident smile, head raised high with a sleepy almost bored look. Everything right down to the small tilt of the head. How this happened he did not know but he guessed that the old man had finally trained himself the perfect heir.

Putting that aside he made one final motion and the circles lit up. They had been dull red before, and now they were a bright fiery colour. The glyphs looked especially eye-catching. The entire array fell to the ground. It hovered level with Valerian's soles for a moment before slowly rising over his head and then falling again. After three cycles of this, it came to a stop at his waist. Then the light of the inner circle began to dim.

Valerian shuddered for a few seconds before he adjusted to the sensation created by the arrays. All eyes were now truly focused on the event taking place eagerly awaiting what came next. They were not disappointed. A large glyph, about a foot in size rose from the inner circle. Everyone looked at it, knowing that it represented the first batch of results.

Jonas looked at the results, dismissed them and announced. "Your body is very fit. The bones are regular and well formed. They are no deformities that might hamper your cultivation".

By this time the outer circle had also begun to dim. The glyph had already risen so Jonas announced that as well. "Your meridians are also in perfect condition. There are no obstructions, leakages or recognised abnormalities".

The results were expected but that didn't stop some of the onlookers from sighing in relief. The magistrate in particular was relieved and despite his usual stoicism, it nearly showed on his face. Whilst this was certainly the easiest part of the tests it was not a guaranteed pass. A healthy, strong body was a necessity no matter the cultivation path. Physical deformities could just as easily destroy one's hopes or limit a person's progress.

Jonas made that grasping motion again. The arrays burst into motes of light which quickly formed themselves into circles and glyphs again. The circles formed first, then the glyphs. It was a skill he was very proud of. Rather than erase an array and start over he could take control of the energies and reform them into a completely different array. This form of recycling saved time and energy but required intense focus and control.

"For the second part of the test, the inner circle will measure your essence and check its level to see if you can cultivate. The outer circle will extract a little of your essence and check the type of force you have. This will tell us if you can cultivate and what direction you would pursue".

This was the most important part and so everyone watched with bated breaths. They gazed intently as the bright array dimmed and pushed out three glyphs. Under their watchful eyes Jonas leaned forward to announce the results only to nearly choke on his own tongue. His coughing and spluttering caused the tension building in the hall to be resolved in sad disappointed whispers. Valerian had definitely failed and now Jonas was unable to proceed.

The words out of Jonas' mouth quickly disproved those views. "E...E...ESS...NCE LEVEL FORTY-ONE TIMES NORMAL!"

The hall was plunged into sudden silence. No one could believe the words the array master had spoken. In fact not even he could which was why he had choked the first time. After checking the results again he was remained so unbalanced he yelled it out. So he composed himself and announced the results again.

"The essence level is measured at forty-one times the norm".

The magistrate's wife stepped forward. "Jonas... Are you sure?"

She couldn't be blamed for asking. All the guards and servants watching had the same thought running through their minds. No doubt anyone who heard the results would question them as well. The reason was simple. Essence was the most important thing for cultivating. A person required an essence level at least five times that of a normal person in order to cultivate. More was obviously better but forty-one was just excessive. It had to be a record.

As a second-tier array master Jonas' essence level was hundreds of times that of a normal person. However he was pushing forty, had been cultivating from the age of ten and had achieved not only the second tier in array mastery but also as an Arcanist. All this had increased his strength and essence. For an eight year old boy who had yet to start true cultivation to have such a high level of essence was unimaginable.

"Auntie Clara, I couldn't believe it too at first but I've checked three times. Plus there is more", Jonas answered.

"More?"

"Yes!" he answered solemnly then indicating the two remaining glyphs he added. "Valerian possesses dual force. He has both qi and arcane energy".

This was an even greater shock than the first bit of news. Dual force was so rare it was considered a legend to most. Ordinary cultivators would have either arcane energy or qi, never both. For instance, Richard had qi whilst Jonas had arcane energy. The probability of awakening one or the other depended partly on lineage but also on chance. Arcane energy was rare in the Steelborn family and thus most cultivators possessed qi. Jonas as an arcanist was in the minority.

Each force had its own properties, abilities and cultivation path. For a person to possess dual force meant that at the very least he could simultaneously travel both paths and gain all the benefits therein including twice the power. This information combined with his high essence level meant there was absolutely no doubt that Valerian would go far.

Right now Valerian had a happy smile on his face. He stretched his body slightly to rid himself of the uncomfortable tingling sensation that the arrays had given him. It wasn't painful, just strange. By this point, the number of servants and guards watching the tests had doubled and even more were rushing in. He was glad that he hadn't humiliated himself in front of them. He made a move to get out of the array.

"Wait!" Jonas exclaimed.

Valerian nearly cursed. 'I thought the array was harmless. Don't tell me it will explode if I disrupt it', he muttered mentally. He was trying to get to his grandparents now that the tests were done but hearing Jonas' yell reminded him of all the stories he had heard at Fang's about the destructive powers of array masters. He really should have asked for permission.

"We aren't done yet", Jonas explained but seeing the look of confusion on Valerian's face he elaborated. "The tests are usually a series of five first-circle arrays. Even performing them two at a time we should still have one left. However, we will have to create two now."

"Why?" Valerian couldn't help but ask unknowingly voicing the thoughts of many of the watchers.

"The final test is done to sample the examinee's force and determine if he or she possesses any innate attributes. Normally it requires only one array since there'd only be one force but you have both so we'd need both".

Understanding dawned on everyone and Jonas wasted no time shattering and reconfiguring the array. This time when it dimmed it gave rise to no less than four large glyphs. Jonas left out a huge rush of air and everyone knew that the results were once again astounding. They were just waiting for Jonas to read them out.

"Innate dual attributes of metal and wind for both forces!"

LupineKing · Feb 22, 2023

Chapter Four: Clan Matters

The next day was a very hectic one in the magistrate's household. In spite of their wishes to the contrary, the results of the test could not be kept hidden. Three elders of the Steelborn clan had come over. One of them was a third-tier array master sent over to confirm the results of the test. After putting Valerian through the ceremony twice more he too came up with the same results. The three elders then locked themselves in the study with his grandparents and engaged themselves in discussion.

Realising that he would receive no training or teaching for yet another day Valerian picked up a book on geography and sat in the hallway outside the study for some self-study. The planet Verre contained three continents. The continent he lived on was known as the World's Heart. To the east and separated by the world's thinnest ocean was the Breathland continent whilst the southern Na'ar continent sat separate and distant. The reason the World's Heart was known as such was that it was the centremost of the three continents. There were also the two polar caps.

World's Heart was undoubtedly the largest continent of all and was split between three major empires. The greatest of these and perhaps the most powerful in all of Verre was the New Haven Empire in which he lived. The other two powers were the Crystal Spur Empire and LongCrest Federation. Each empire was divided into numerous smaller kingdoms or states. These kingdoms had their own rulers even though they were under the rule of the various major powers.

Besides paying tribute, obeying imperial edicts and fulfilling the imperial objectives, the 24 kingdoms mostly managed themselves. There were imperial offices and command posts but on a whole, the management of a state was left to the king or appointed official. So long as a king remained loyal, obedient, paid taxes and tributes and did not overly harm his people he could have a nice, long albeit slightly restrained rule.
The imperial force was not one to be questioned. It was genuinely powerful. It managed the largest and most dominant power in the continent. Forty per cent of the entire Newhaven Empire was directly managed by the imperial force. The remaining sixty per cent was what made up the 24 countries and beast lands.

Nonetheless, the situations in the countries were not bad. While they were a few steps down from the actual imperial land they enjoyed a large variety of benefits from the empire. The Kingdom that Valerian belonged to was the Bathar Kingdom. Bathar was recognised as the seventh most powerful kingdom under the Newhaven Empire.

Kingdoms were ranked according to population, wealth, size, military, resource endowment, infrastructure and the calibre of their cultivators. Thus the fact that Bathar occupied the seventh rank slot was not a small achievement. The competition between the various states was a major driving force for development and probably one of the reasons that the empire had held its position as the greatest for so long.
Valerian's head shot up, his mind breaking away from the book. The door to the study had opened and he could hear the voices within coming closer. Quickly he straightened his appearance and pretended to be absorbed in his book. Even as a child, he knew that he had to make a good impression on the elders. Aside from the clan leader and the patriarch the elders held the most influence in all clan affairs. Having even one of them on his side would improve his own standing.

The three elders and his grandparents exited the study and saw him sitting quietly in the hallway. Seeing him so engrossed in the study made them nod to themselves but seeing him swiftly put the book away, stand up and greet them impressed them even more.

The elders of the Steelborn clan were not of the typical, elderly upper management types.

To be an elder in the clan, one had to be at least a hundred years old and possess strength of at least the second tier. Each elder wore embroidered steel grey cloaks, as was the custom for clan elders, and massive steel armour in the exact same style as his uncle Richard's.

Over their left breast was carved the clan's signature StormHawk on the outcrop insignia. In World's heart, the left breast usually carried badges showing loyalties or allegiances whilst the right showed status or position.
"Valerian come here!" the elder in the middle called.

Quickly he moved over wondering what they needed him for.

"Good child. I need you to do something for me, is that alright?" he inquired.

Valerian answered measuredly, "If there is anything you need honoured elder, ask. Taxing or not, I will fulfil it so long as I am able."

The elder's grey eyebrows raised slightly at his manner of speech. From the corner of his eye, he looked at the magistrate immediately pinning him to be the source of this. Obviously, the boy had picked up his formal and exaggerated mannerisms. He chose not to comment on it though and instead raised an arm and pointed the palm outward saying.

"It is nothing so difficult my child. I just need you to punch my palm as hard as you can".

Valerian's face immediately changed and his body became tense. Due to his longstanding practice of always appearing outwardly calm, it was not obvious but the experienced eyes of the elders easily saw through him. They had expected something like this. His actions had only served to confirm it. Now all they had to do was measure the degree.

Valerian was very apprehensive but when he looked at the elder he could tell he was being serious. He wanted to refuse but ended up asking, "Are you sure?"

The elder nodded with a smile. "Just punch this old palm of mine. No need to be shy. This old man can handle it".

This made Valerian even more determined to refuse. He knew that the old man was baiting him but he was not going to be goaded into hitting him. However, before he could open his mouth to do so his grandmother's voice rang out.

"Don't worry Valerian. Hit him. Elder Foreson is a King level cultivator. You cannot possibly harm him. Just give him all you've got".

Valerian looked the old man over his fears abating somewhat. Elder Foreson was an extremely well-built man. He was as tall as his grandfather but more robust and muscular. His aura was vastly different too. Even the magistrate's recognisably authoritative aura paled in strength and force when compared to his. His hair while as grey did not sit on a body as frail as the magistrate's, rather his very form implied strength and power. Inwardly Valerian cursed his own foolishness.

The Steelborns were the most powerful clan in DaleGuard. Any elder of the clan was definitely a powerhouse. He couldn't hurt him if he tried his hardest. He was now convinced that the man knew what he was doing and that he knew. It couldn't possibly matter if he revealed his secret now. So he backed up two steps and raised his fist.

"Okay. I'm going to attack Elder Foreson", he reminded. It couldn't hurt to be a bit cautious.

"Good!" the elder said. "Remember! Put in everything you have".

Valerian nodded. He breathed in deeply and taking a step forward he punched out with all his strength for the first time in his life. The fist cut through the air at an impressive speed before it met the elder's palm. It was a simple punch devoid of any proper skill and performed with an untrained fist. Yet the moment it met the elder's palm a loud sound could be heard and the elder's eyes immediately became serious.

THUD!!!

You would think someone had slammed a stone club into a wooden wall. A slight wind from the strike swept through the area and ruffled the elder's clothes. However, his palm remained unmoved. Indeed it was as if nothing had happened to it but shock could be seen on his face and on the faces of all the other grown-ups.

Valerian withdrew his fist. In his mind, he nodded appreciatively. Sure enough, a clan elder was not that simple. The strength of someone at the king tier could not be underestimated at all. He would definitely have to acquire this kind of strength in the future. No, he would have to be stronger.

Valerian had a good estimate of his own strength. This was the other reason he ignored all the provocations at school and declined all fights despite how annoying they got.

For as long as he could remember he had always been abnormally strong. He didn't notice it at first but eventually, as he grew older he began to see the disparities between his own strength and that of the servants in the household. Still, it wasn't until he knocked his grandfather out by accident when he was celebrating his fifth birthday that he realised how great it actually was.

That day was etched into his memory. Even now he wondered what would have happened if his grandmother had not taken him aside and spoken to him. When his grandfather woke up he did not remember anything and no one was in a hurry to tell him. But he learned his lesson then and from that day he kept a tight rein on his strength. He never unleashed his strength again till now when he poured out everything he had and even that was unable to so much as move the elder.

The elder's view of things was completely different. He and the others had suspected Valerian's strength and decided to test it. However, even though prepared, he had totally underestimated how much of it there was. If not for some swift last-minute adjustments, he might have been humiliated. What would people think if they found out that an eight-year-old had actually struck his palm away? Sadly, he was not entirely successful as proved by the fact that he failed to completely neutralise the force behind the punch.

The other two were the same. They had a clear idea of what happened thanks to their heightened senses. Thus they saw plainly how powerful Valerian's punch was and what it took to stop it. Their assessment of his worth shot up even more. Dual force, double dual innate attributes, an essence level forty-one times average and now this frightening degree of strength. Even a daft, blind, ignoramus could see that this boy was going to a major talent in the future.

Quickly they dismissed him and got down to business.

"Elder Foreson, just how strong is Valerian?" Valan asked curiously. In this gathering, his position as a magistrate and lord of the manor accounted for nothing. The elders were all older and more powerful physically and politically. No one was going to call him lord or master here. Just plain old Valan.

"The boy possesses at least four tonnes of strength behind his punches", Foreson admitted.

"Four tonnes..." Valan mumbled in astonishment.

"I know", Foreson stated. "He definitely inherited the first legacy. In fact, his inheritance is probably comparable to the patriarch's. Even though it is not fully awakened, his strength outstrips those of his peers who have full access to it. My guess is that it will reveal itself in full when he reaches the qi gathering stage like it does for most late bloomers".

Valan nodded mutely for a second stroking his chin as was his fashion. Then a thought struck him. "Then my request..?"

Foreson nodded in acknowledgement his eyes unusually bright. "Rest assured. It will surely be accepted. Even if it is not I will do everything in my power to make it so. The boy will receive the full support of the clan and the top-secret manuals will be made available to him. It's just... are you sure that you want Richard and Jonas to take charge of his training? You can move back into the clan compound. That way access will be even easier and he will have the best tutors on hand".

"I'm sure!" Valan stated firmly. "The two have looked forward to the role from the moment he was born and their current level is more than enough to drill him for now. We will focus on the basics and if he needs any specialised or advanced training I guarantee that we'll seek the aid of the clan".

The elder wanted to protest the decision but he reflected on the resoluteness of Valan's stance and the hard set of his jaw and thought better of it. In its place, he sighed and shook his head slightly. Perhaps it was best. Given the issues Valan had in the past, his presence could upset the current balance of powers especially given how gifted his grandson was. Looking the frail man over he couldn't help but think, 'It truly is a pity'.

Valerian sat in his favourite courtyard with one of the manor's hounds at his feet. He reflected on the events of the last few days and had to admit that even he was a bit dazed. Three days ago he had been a student of Fang's Grammar School. Now he was a soon-to-be cultivator with the highest ever measured potential in the city of DaleGuard. He had overheard some of the servants speak and knew that many were already referring to him as a Heaven warping talent.

He had to admit that he liked the sound of that.

Lost in thought he nearly didn't notice the elders leaving. His grandfather was seeing them off but they declined, unwilling to trouble him and so he ended up leaving them not far from the entrance of his courtyard. However, they did not immediately leave. Rather they watched his grandfather hurry back into the main building. Then one of the elders opened his mouth.

"Looking at him it is hard to imagine that his father, mother, son and now grandson were all the most outstanding geniuses of their generations. What went wrong?"

Another assented. "I know. It's so unfair. How did a wastrel like him come from such a great bloodline? Remembering all the resources that were wasted on him when he was younger still hurts my heart. If even one of my sons had half the opportunities he had growing up he would be stronger than me now."

"Enough!" Elder Foreson barked at them. "Remember, Valan is still the son of the patriarch".

"That doesn't excuse him nor does it explain how he wound up being such trash", the first to speak pointed out.

Even Foreson had to admit he had a point. "No it does not. I guess Heaven has to even things out somehow".

The three elders continued their talk as they left. Neither of them spared a thought for the young boy in the courtyard not too far away. It wasn't that they did not notice him there. They just dismissed him. He was a child and they kept their voices low. The distance between them was also significant. There was no way that he would hear anything. How could they possibly know that Valerian was blessed with incredibly sharp senses?

Counting the legs of a centipede from a hundred meters away was nothing to him. Neither was listening to a conversation carried out less than seventy meters away. Thus the elders left not sparing him a glance thereby missing the sharp, wrathful look that existed in those same eyes as they watched them go.

LupineKing · Feb 22, 2023

Chapter Five: Essence Theory

Finally! Valerian's education was about to begin. Following the test, the household became very hectic and it took four whole days before it settled down. His grandfather was always away, either at work or at the clan compound dealing with the elders. His grandmother was mostly the same except she dealt instead with the well-wishers who came around the manor. The bottom line was, no one had any time to train or teach Valerian anything. After they had promised him too.

He fully understood the reason why things happened that way. The clan was interested in his talent and so his grandfather had to make nice, especially since they were going to foot most of his training costs. Plus news of his talent had leaked and so many people were trying to draw close to them and make connections. These people might be fair-weather opportunists but they had to be handled with tact. That was where his grandmother came in.

Not to mention the fact that they had work to do. His grandfather was a city magistrate. He couldn't neglect his work just because of his grandson. His grandmother had an even more trying job as a beast tamer, and a highly respected one at that. They were trying as hard as they could as is. It didn't mean he had to like it though. He didn't complain but he didn't like it either.

Thus he was understandably relieved and happy when things settled down some around the household and his grandfather announced that he would be having the first lesson today, with him. He was so excited that he could barely sit still and finish his dinner. He kept asking about the lesson plans and what he was going to be studying. The whole spectacle made his grandmother happy. She loved it when he acted his age.

Valerian rushed to the study as soon as he was able. From the moment he received the announcement, his mind had been working non-stop trying to figure out what he was going to learn. Was it going to be some secret art, family cultivation secrets or even one of those cultivation methods that he had heard so many rumours about? Given that he was now about to start cultivating it was probably the last. But which one? Which kind even? Alas, he met something quite different.

Valan stood before a chalkboard pointing rod in hand. He made the servants rearrange the study a bit to accommodate Valerian's lessons. There was now a new, small desk and a board. Teaching his grandson was something he had been looking forward to for a long time and he knew just what to start with. In fact, the topic was written in bold, beautiful script on the board.

ESSENCE THEORY

"Most cultivators know absurdly little about the process of cultivating itself much less the energies and forces they are using and the theory behind them. Their minds are completely focused on techniques, methods and skills. Constantly fighting for secret arts they use but do not understand. It's honestly quite pitiful", he began.

"How can you hope to make any stable progress when you do not understand the fundamentals? It is important to correctly grasp the truth behind the forces to use them properly. Only a fool will take a weapon into battle without knowing what it's made from, how to use it and what it's capable of".

"Right!" Valerian answered emphatically. He wholly agreed with his grandfather. It was obviously stupid to use something you had no true knowledge of. Mentally, he ignored the fact that understanding the fundamentals never crossed his mind. He too had expected to jump right to cultivating methods and secret arts. He blamed this fact on the wrong impression he had gotten from listening to the kids at Fang's. That and the seductive power of secret techniques.

"The basis of cultivation lies with essence. Have you ever asked yourself why the word cultivate? Why use a word that means 'to foster growth', 'to refine'? There are many theories but amongst the foremost of these is that what cultivators cultivate is their essence", Valan expounded. As he did so his gaze burned hotter and his speech grew more impassioned.

"Essence is the lifeblood of the universe, of Verre and of everything in it. It permeates everything. The air, the earth, the oceans and rivers, all are filled with the essence of the world. All living things contain essence as well. It is in no way an exaggeration to say that essence is life because that is what it is to living creatures and indeed to the world itself. Without essence, all the creatures of Verre will die and the world itself would become desolate".

Valerian nodded dumbly. He couldn't remember a time when he saw his grandfather like this. It was a side of him he had never seen. Despite this or rather because of it he did not let himself be distracted. He focused his mind on what the old magistrate was saying.

"Essence is not just life, it is also energy. It is power. That is why when cultivators cultivate they increase their essence and grow more powerful. It is the source of all the extraordinary things in the world. There is nothing it can't do if applied properly and there is no shortage of uses for it. Why even Erasmus the Sage once..." here the magistrate realised that he was getting carried away. With a sheepish smile, he cleared his throat and started over.

"There is no need to go too much into depth right now. This is only the first lesson after all. We will cover this and more in our subsequent ones. Your grandmother might even join us. Right now what you should be concerned with is the relationship between essence, humans and cultivation".

"Yes, grandfather" Valerian assented softly. It didn't matter much to him either way. He was more than ready to learn whatever the old man had to teach. He had known he was a scholar but now confronted with the depth of the man's knowledge he couldn't help but be a bit overwhelmed.

"Good! The first thing to understand about this is the essence cycle. An abundance of essence exists in the world. It is the essence that exists in the elements, in the land, sky and sea. We call this the world essence. World essence is different from the essence contained within living things. How different? We'll come to that later.

"What's important is that living things take in world essence every moment of our lives in the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink, the earth we trod, etc. however we also release the essence in ourselves into the world through our emissions such as exhalation. And when we die our forms decompose and our essence becomes part of the world's essence.

"Cultivation requires the increment of the scale of this cycle. Cultivators take in large amounts of essence which they use to not only improve their essence but also their bodies. That is why cultivators are so much stronger than normal people and why they live for so much longer. Essence is life thus having more essence basically ensures that you have more life. However, working with essence requires essence which is why cultivators need to have large essence pools. At least five times the essence pool of the average person is needed to cultivate.

"The thing you must note is that humans are unable to directly cultivate their essence. Rather the essence of humans gives rise to one of two forces in the body. These are vital force or qi and spiritual force also known as arcane energy. What we actually cultivate is these forces but in doing so we improve and increase our essence.

"Vital force or qi is a physical energy. It enhances the body and as its name implies improves vitality and body function. It is capable of truly great things but it is primarily centred on the body and nothing can change that. Spiritual force or arcane energy can extend according to the user's capabilities. It deals more with the world than the body. It can manipulate the natural world to an enviable degree but its benefits to the body are rather lacking.

"Here in Bathar, people who train or cultivate their qi are known as tellurians whilst people who cultivate arcane energy are called arcanists. Your grandmother, Uncle Jonas and I are all arcanists whilst your Uncle Richard and Avery are tellurians. Do you understand what I've said so far?"

Valerian nodded his mind heavy with what he had learnt. "Essence is life and power. It permeates the world and every living thing exists in a cycle of essence. It is the basis for the powers and abilities of cultivators, however, they are unable to train it directly. Rather they train its constituents. Those who are blessed with its physical aspect are the tellurians whilst those who cultivate the spiritual aspect are the arcanists."

Valan gave a proud smile. "Excellent! A bit short and sparse but you got the primary things down. Next we will go over the two forces in more detail".

"Wait! I have a few questions", Valerian interrupted.

"Ask away".

"You emphasised the fact that tellurians focus on their bodies whilst arcanists focus on the world. Does this mean that arcanists are physically weak or that tellurians are unable to affect the natural world?" Valerian inquired. His eyes had a pensive look in them whilst his fingers incessantly stroked his chin in thought.

Valan's smile grew even wider. His own hand unconsciously rose to stroke his immaculate beard as if showing Valerian how it was done. "That is a very good question. It shows that you are capable of thinking outside of the parameters you have been given. Keep that attitude and improve on it. It will help you greatly in the future.

"To answer your question, traditionally yes. Traditionally a tellurian would be a spiritually inept physical powerhouse who employed his or her powers through feats of strength, speed and whatever abilities he or she has cultivated in the physical self whilst an arcanist would be a frail combatant who made use of his or her spiritual might to control the natural world to attack an opponent. Fortunately or unfortunately the real world is not so easily defined.

"It is perfectly plausible for a tellurian to find a way to use his or her body to control the world and for an arcanist to use the world to strengthen his or her body. So in truth, it will depend on which arcanist or tellurian you meet. Some may truly follow that archetype but there are undoubtedly some who follow other paths. The thing to bear in mind is not to let your guard down. Do you understand? Any other questions?"

"So I shouldn't sit and think that I know what my opponent is capable of simply because the person is an arcanist or a tellurian" Valerian summed up.

"Yes! Any other questions?"

"Ah! Yes. I get why arcanists are called arcanists since they use arcane energy but why are tellurians called tellurians? Also, what are people like me who are both called?"

His grandfather continued to stroke his beard. "Those are just titles my boy. Different people call them different things. That is why I specifically said that in Bathar the terms used are tellurian and arcanist. Elsewhere it's different. For example, warriors and mages, physics and psychics, knights and warlocks, etc. there are many names and different reasons for those names. As for why we in Bathar call qi cultivators tellurians that has to do with old world philosophy".

"Old world philosophy?" Valerian questioned with a puzzled look on his face.

"That is something we might discuss when you are older. Just know that some of the ancients felt the arcane path was the way of heaven and the other that of the earth. As for people with dual force. There are a few names for them as well but due to them being so rare there are no general names for them. You will be probably be referred to by both titles. Any more questions before we continue?" Valan clarified.

"Just one more. You mentioned which paths you and grandmother belong to but you didn't mention my parents. Were they tellurians or arcanists?" Valerian probed softly.

Immediately after the question was voiced the atmosphere in the room changed. Valerian quickly wished he had kept his mouth shut. No one in the manor ever talked about his parents. It was pretty much taboo. Even he with his vaunted memory could barely remember anything about them. Thus he couldn't help but be curious about the pair who sired him. Hearing about the rest of the family stirred those feelings up especially since he knew his father was a genius cultivator. He was just about to tell his grandfather to forget about it when the answer came.

"Your father was an arcanist. As for your mother I'm not too sure but what little I know leads me to believe she was one as well".

Valerian sat there unable to come to terms with the fact that his grandfather actually answered his question. The silence stretched on for minutes as both parties remained unsure how to proceed. Eventually, Valerian just bowed his head slightly and said, "Thank you, grandfather".

Valan seized this chance. "Whatever for boy? Now, let's get back to what we were doing".

Eager to put the matter behind them, the two threw themselves headfirst into study. They spent their time in that study. Valan teaching and explaining with Valerian taking notes and asking questions. The pair of grandfather and grandson were so caught up in their work that they even missed lunch.

LupineKing · Feb 22, 2023

Chapter Six: The Manifold Elemental Incarnations

The series of introductory lectures with his grandfather left Valerian feeling enlightened and gave him much to look forward to when he actually started training. Eventually, Elder Foreson and a few other elders dropped by the manor to hand over the manuals he would be training with. The manuals in question were just copies, but they contained the highest-tier methods available to the clan and had to be transported from the compound to the manor under heavy guard.

Methods were incredibly valuable and the higher the tier of a method, the more it was worth. The better the method the better the result from training according to it. Given that they were a means of training warriors they were responsible for a great portion of a clan's strength. One of the reasons the Steelborns occupied the top spot in DaleGuard was because of their high-tier techniques. They weren't going to risk them getting out.
Originally the clan wanted him to stay in the compound to study the methods but his grandfather adamantly refused. Thus a few elders were required to bring them over and guard the manor while he studied. Before, getting elders to guard the manor would be unthinkable but now Valerian had been identified as a future asset for the clan and they were happy to make some concessions for their investment.

Imagine their surprise when Valerian returned them after just an hour of study. He had already memorised them. After testing him on their contents Foreson was forced to accept that he really had memorised them. He incinerated them right there. They were just copies after all. Then he left grumbling but a little happy at no longer being obligated to guard the manor.

"I hear you've already memorised the Manifold Elemental Incarnations", Jonas prodded.

Valerian nodded. To be honest the constant expressions of surprise and incredulity from everyone were getting annoying. Sensing that he didn't want to talk about it Jonas did not pursue the matter. The two of them were sitting in Valerian's favourite courtyard and Jonas readily admitted that he rather liked the atmosphere it had. It was cool and the breeze hit the trees just right. Rustling the leaves softly without ripping them loose excessively.

"I too train in that method. It is the greatest method for training arcane energy that the clan possesses. The reason for this is that it remains highly effective even at the higher arcane tiers and allows the cultivation of many abilities and spells. Perhaps the most outstanding thing about it is that it is also compatible with every elemental attribute making it dozens of times better than the clan's second-best arcane cultivation method Arcane Monolith which is restricted to the metal one.

"For instance, I possess the fire attribute making it impossible for me to train according to the Arcane Monolith method. If you were to train in it you would have to neglect your wind attribute. However, we can both train in the Manifold Elemental Incarnations with no problems. You can even train both your attributes with it at the same time making it the best type of method for you. It is truly the best method in the clan and requires special permission to train in it".

Valerian was listening intently so he caught some of the implications of what his uncle was saying. Thus he couldn't help but ask. "Does that mean that not everyone in the clan trains in it?"

"Sadly, yes. There are certain stipulations that must be met before the elders allow anyone to train in it. However, the clan has five methods. If you are able to train any of them to a high enough level the clan will allow you to upgrade to the Manifold Elemental Incarnations".

"You can do that?" Valerian exclaimed. He had been under the impression that the choice in cultivating method was a permanent one.
Jonas chuckled in amusement before answering. "Normally you can't. The second method must be compatible with the first or else complications will occur. Our Manifold Elemental Incarnations is compatible with an incredible number of cultivation methods and types".

"That's amazing!" Valerian exclaimed. He was finally beginning to understand the import of the method and its value.

"Of course. There is a reason why the elite in the clan practise it. Even so the number of people who successfully cultivate it is very few". Here he paused a bit in contemplation before continuing upon deciding that Valerian was mature enough.

"What I'm going to tell you now is a secret. One you must not reveal to anyone not even other clan members. At least not without permission. I am only telling you since it is something that you must know as a practitioner of the Manifold Elemental Incarnations".

Sensing the seriousness of the situation Valerian nodded solemnly.

"Good. In truth, the Manifold Elemental Incarnations is not just the most powerful art in the clan but also the entire county. Yes! Not just the city or viscounty but the whole county. It will be difficult to find one of its tier in the duchy to think of getting one compatible with so many elements and methods before considering its other special properties. The only reason we Steelborns have it is due to some special circumstances.

"The reason for the secrecy is to prevent others from knowing the true value of the method. If they knew then the clan would face untold calamities. You should be able to imagine what would happen if it got out that we possessed such a thing".

Valerian nodded fearfully. He did not know that the clan had such a frightening secret.

"Good!" Jonas said in a serious tone but he soon lightened up. "There's no need to look so worried. Just practise it and make sure you don't tell people of its true power. Don't even discuss its properties with others as there are some who would be able to estimate its tier from that. If people ask either ignore or refuse. Every family has its secret arts. No one can force you to reveal it".

Valerian nodded again but Jonas still looked unsatisfied. So he added. "Yes Uncle. I understand. I promise not to reveal the secrets of the Manifold Elemental Incarnations or its true tier to anyone without the express permission of the family".

Jonas smiled widely. The reason he had stressed it so much was to make the importance of keeping the secret clear to Valerian. He was not exaggerating the danger it posed in the slightest. Ordinarily, he would have waited till he was older so he would better understand but who knew if he would blurt something out to someone before then? Valerian was certainly smart but he was still a child and would not even know it was supposed to be a secret. He had to impress the danger on him.

Now he had to clear his head a bit. He was supposed to start his lesson but he could tell that Valerian's mind was occupied with thoughts on what they had discussed. There was even some fear still on his face. This state would surely be detrimental to his training so he took him towards the kitchen and got him some snacks whilst entertaining him with some funny stories. They made their way back when Jonas determined that Valerian was sufficiently distracted.

"I know Uncle Valan has given you an introduction to essence and the forces but I'm not sure how far you've gotten yet. Since I will be handling your arcane training it is best if I get a fair idea of what you know".

Realising what was being asked of him Valerian began. "Arcane energy, mana or spiritual force is one of the two forces that rise from essence in humans. As a spiritual energy, it enables people to forge a special connection with the world. This allows them to summon and control the forces of the natural world. People who cultivate this energy are called Arcanists".

Jonas displayed a surprised expression but only for a second. He was getting used to the fact that his nephew was a genius. Still, he made his approval known. "Good! Succinct yet listing all the important details".

Jonas continued where his nephew left off, "All arcanists follow a general route, however, there are differences in cultivation methods and more importantly, the differences in arcane energy. This leads to different albeit parallel paths. This has to do with the attributes of their arcane energy. Attributes are basically elemental properties. A simple analogy would be that, if arcane energy is tea then attributes are the different flavours of tea.

"There are two ways to get attributes. The first is to be born with one. That is to possess one innately. The second is to train or gain one. You possess innate metal and wind attributes. This means that your arcane energy possesses the characteristics of metal and wind. Thus it will be easier for you to learn or use metal-attributed arts. However, any attempt to practise arts of a different attribute will be arduous.

"This is the advantage the innately attributed have over those who are not. They can train faster when practising arts of their elements whereas those without innate attributes will have to spend time training one up. Those arts will also be more powerful under their hands as well due to the synergistic effect.

"But those without innate attributes have their own edge. Unlike the innately attributed their attributes are not predetermined meaning that they can choose whichever one they want and train it. Plus, someone with an innate attribute will have a very slow training speed when training in something other than his or her innate attribute but that person would not have that problem if he or she did not have an innate attribute. Meaning it is easier for them to train in multiple attributes".

Jonas adjusted his seat and placed his staff across his lap. "Which is better is an argument that is older than the empire. Each has its merits and demerits none of which are our current concern. I am only mentioning it because it is common knowledge. Being innately attributed or not is a matter of chance and birth. It cannot be changed and all have to make do with what they get.

"Our clan in particular is mostly full of qi cultivators or tellurians. Seven out of every ten Steelborns has qi instead of arcane energy. We also have an uncommon number of people with innate attributes. Out of every five cultivators three or four would be innately attributed. The most common attributes are metal and wind nevertheless some random elements crop up from time to time. It's mostly fire or earth though.

"Most tellurians in the clan are born with the innate metal attribute whilst arcanists are born with the wind attribute. Looking at it that way it is not so strange that you as a dual force user have both attributes though why it is not innate metal qi attribute and innate wind arcane attribute instead of dual attributes for both forces is a serious question.

"However it is not one we care about. We'll not look a gift horse in the mouth. My task is to train you in the arcane arts and that's what I'll do".

Feeling a bit parched from talking so much he grabbed a glass at his side and took a sip. Then he adjusted his posture. Lifted his staff, placed it back over his knees and generally fidgeted for a few moments. Jonas was trying not to show it but he was a bit nervous. Aside from giving advice to a few colleagues and juniors, Valerian was going to be the first person he trained. Even if it was not a formal apprenticeship he would still be considered his master in official records.

Calming himself he referred mentally to his lesson plan. 'The successful arcanist prepares beforehand', he intoned in his head.

"The arcane path is split into seven tiers or realms of power. They are in increasing order of power; the Arcane Disciple, Arcane Lord, Arcane King, Arcane Emperor, Arcane Sage, World Transcendent and Heavenly Immortal. The higher levels are too far off to discuss even for me so ignore them for now.

"All you need to focus on is that the arcane path is one that dominates the world. We mimic it, understand it, control it, master it and govern it. To possess arcane energy is to possess power over the natural world, over the elements" as he said this he raised a hand and with a grand gesture he set it aflame.

Valerian immediately took a step back crying out in surprise. The fire coating his uncle's hand was bright and hot yet it did nothing to the flesh. He watched as the flames seemingly congealed into his palm forming a small sphere like the pith of a pear. Before his very eyes the orb grew larger and larger until it was half a meter wide in just a few breaths.

"Uncle! What are you doing?" he received no answer.

He had been retreating steadily the whole time sweating so much his clothes were beginning to stick to him. The heat was intense and oppressive and the whole courtyard bathed in it. The fiery light of the orb could be seen reflected in his eyes and yet he did not look away. The light revealed the awe and slight trepidation in his gaze.

Confronted with the power of an arcanist, Valerian could feel his heartbeat quicken in excitement. Why? Because it was a power he himself possessed.

LupineKing · Feb 22, 2023

Chapter Seven: Arcane Baptism

Bathed in the light and heat of that ball of fire Valerian couldn't help but be reminded just what sort of power lay within his grasp. But that was only if he could reach for it and grab it firmly. No matter what, potential was only potential and not actual strength. He would have to work really hard if he hoped to gain the latter.

He could still make out Jonas' figure, nearly obscured by the half-a-meter-wide ball of flame just in front of him. Unlike Valerian, he did not seem to be under any duress. He wasn't sweating nor did his skin get flushed by the flames despite being so close to them. He didn't even look concerned. Seeing that cool, confident figure only made Valerian more determined. He wanted that. He would have it. No matter how hard it was, he resolved.
The ball of fire suddenly disappeared. One second it was there the next it wasn't. The only evidence of its existence was a sweaty eight-year-old, some scorched grass and the residual heat. Valerian's wide eyes opened even wider if that were possible. Jonas got up and after brushing down his robes walked towards him.

"That was a sample of the second-tier fire spell, Fireball", he said in an even tone.

He did not apologise for not warning him nor did he explain why he did what he did. He just marched up and continued like they were still sitting and chatting on the stone benches. Unease flashed in Valerian's eyes. That display of power had shown him that his uncle wasn't as simple as he thought. Particularly the ending. If that fireball had appeared as quickly as it had vanished, there was no way he wouldn't be injured right now. After all he had been sitting right in front of the man.

Jonas on the other hand was quite satisfied with the way things played out. Gauging Valerian's reactions had allowed him to assess his three Cs. The three Cs were something his own mentor had tested him on and explained to him. They were three factors essential for practising the arcane arts. The first C was caution, the second was curiosity and the third was courage.

The arcane path was very dangerous. Without the first C, an arcanist would not live long. The path required constant study and experimentation so without the second, that arcanist would not make much progress. Finally, it entailed a lot of risks, and chances that had to be seized. This required courage or the arcanist was doomed to mediocrity.

Valerian had not been dumb enough to sit still with a fireball so close to him and he knew to make space when he saw it grow. He did not wait for someone to warn him or save him nor did he stupidly think that his uncle was above hurting him. This proved that he was cautious. In the face of danger, he had not run rather he stayed and observed. He had even questioned him. This in addition to his bookish traits showed was both curious and courageous.

Jonas was rather satisfied with this. Intelligence and talent were a great boon to cultivation but they were not everything. The arcane path was very harsh on all who walked it. Without the three Cs and a lot of hard work, no arcanist would ever amount to anything. Jonas himself had surpassed many with far better prospective results than his. He was fully convinced now that his decision to mentor his nephew was not wrong. The boy would go far and he will be one of the people to push his cart there.

"I, Jonas, son of John, Surnamed Steelborn, The Burst Blaze, Arcane Lord of the fire attribute, Array master of the second circle, Scion of the house of Cragsveil am willing to take you Valerian son of Valiant of the house of Cragsveil, Prospect of the arcane path, as my student. Do you accept?"

Valerian was shocked and confused. He could tell that this was not something to be taken lightly. The tone it was delivered in alone revealed that to talk of the language used. He was confused because he thought Jonas had already been chosen as his teacher. He voiced this.

"Aren't I already your student?"

Jonas suddenly realised that maybe he should have discussed this with him before making his proclamation. Quickly he explained what it was he doing and its significance. Arcanists were proud people. As cultivators on the route to immortality and people blessed with the ability to dominate the natural world they possessed a certain arrogance and it showed in what they did. It was customary for them to announce themselves names, titles and all when they met. A proper introduction was required in formal gatherings, duels and other events of significance.

This done he repeated himself. "I, Jonas, Son of John, Surnamed Steelborn, The Burst Blaze, Arcane Lord of the fire attribute, Array master of the second circle, Scion of the house of Cragsveil am willing to take you Valerian son of Valiant of the house of Cragsveil, Prospect of the arcane path as my student. Do you accept?"

Now understanding what his role was Valerian did not hesitate. "I, Valerian, Son of Valiant, Surnamed Steelborn, Prospect of the arcane path, Scion of the house of Cragsveil, am willing and honoured to be your student".

Jonas nodded happily. Despite this, he felt a small pang of pain and sadness in his heart. Student not apprentice. This was a major detail for arcanists. A student you taught but an apprentice you trained, you passed legacies down to, you raised, you handed down your hopes and dreams for him or her to complete. He was sad because he was not qualified to have Valerian as an apprentice. In fact, he was unqualified to have anyone as his apprentice. He was still too low on the power chart and more importantly he had no legacies or spells to hand down.

He comforted himself with the fact that it would not always be the case. He will eventually make a name for himself and have numerous apprentices. In addition, teaching Valerian was sure to be good practice for when they finally came around.

"Before I teach you magic, there are some things you must know. First off, what I did back there was use a spell. It allowed me to collect world essence and shape it into a ball of fire. That is how the arcane arts work. World essence is a strange and powerful force. It is dense and all attributed. Every element is present in it; fire, water, metal, wind, etc.

What an arcanist does is that using his own essence he summons the surrounding essence and places it under his control. Then he shapes it, converts it into whatever element or attribute he wants and uses it. In my case I summoned fire-attributed essence, concentrated it in my palm and shaped it into a sphere. I can then fire it at someone or use it for something else".

'Like scare your student you mean', Valerian thought. He kept his mouth shut though.

"However using magic that way requires control over arcane energy, something you do not have so our first task will be to help you find your energy and control it" Jonas informed Valerian.

"Find it?" Valerian asked a surprised look on his face.

"Yes find it! Or have you already discovered it?" Jonas asked expectantly.

Valerian quickly shook his head. He would know if he had a world-warping energy at his fingertips or sloshing about in his gut. Jonas on his part corrected his expression. It was too much to hope for that Valerian would have already made contact with his arcane energy. It seemed he might have gotten too used to his nephew performing incredible feats. While contacting your arcane energy on your own wasn't too difficult it required some stimulus such as danger which wasn't something a sheltered boy like Valerian would have experienced.

"People like you who possess arcane energy but have not accessed it yet are called prospects. Once you've done so you will have officially stepped on the arcane path as an Arcane Disciple. However, it is not so easy to be an arcane disciple. It is the first step and the foundation for your career as an arcanist and thus requires special preparation.

It is split into five sub-stages which are, the arcane baptism, energy gathering, arcane manifestation, sea formation and the energy condensed stages. Only when these are achieved can a person truly be called an arcane disciple. Thus arcane disciples who have completed all these steps are called true or consolidated arcane disciples.

The arcane baptism requires you to use your newly acquired arcane energy to transform your body into a vessel capable of absorbing world essence and transforming it into arcane energy. The energy-gathering stage is where you begin training your energy, and as the name implies increase it thanks to your arcane baptism. Once you have a sizeable amount you can then extend it outside your body in the arcane manifestation stage. It is at this stage that you can cast spells.

The majority of the disciple realm though involves the gathering of arcane energy. This is with the intention of creating a sea of arcane energy within the body to support the drain of spells. Once this is done this sea can then be condensed into an arcane crystal in the final stage aptly named the energy condensation stage. It is only when the arcane crystal is formed that a person can be called a true arcane disciple".

As such our current goal is to help you make contact with your arcane energy. Then you can use the Manifold Elemental Incarnations to perform your baptism. Once that is done I can begin teaching you what I know about the arcane arts".

Valerian was excited now. How could he not be? He was on the cusp of becoming an actual arcanist. Soon he too would be able to conjure balls of fire to fling at his enemies. Maybe not fire but wind and metal were definitely assured.

Finding his arcane energy was simple. The only reason he couldn't control it was because he was unaware of it. All he had to do was bring it under his perception. This could be done by having someone insert his own arcane energy into his body to stimulate his own, or use an array to accomplish the same thing. Valerian opted for the array method.

He sat cross-legged in the array, having been placed in a special introspective state. Honestly, Valerian had never felt anything like it. He was hyperaware of himself, his immediate surroundings and most of all his internal state. He could feel his heart pumping and the blood that flowed through his veins. He could even follow it as it meandered through his body's pathways and dispersed into his organs. His mind was focused and his perception honed and aimed at himself.

Jonas assured him that it was a meditative state that he would learn to enter on his own. That it was a simple, core skill for all cultivators. In the beginning, it was fine if his trainer helped him enter it but eventually he had to learn it on his own. Thankfully it was not difficult to learn.

All the same, Valerian was more concerned with sensing his arcane energy at the moment. He felt nothing which made him wonder whether Jonas had begun or not. It was at this point that he felt a now familiar and uncomfortable tingling sensation. Immediately his inner world trembled and he felt it. It was like the clouds had parted and the sunlight was streaming in illuminating a previously hidden part of him. A part he had never known. He sent his sense diving in.

He perceived it as a giant agitated pool rumbling with tumultuous waves. Instinctively he knew it wasn't supposed to be this way. It should be calm, and tranquil. 'The array must be causing this', he realised. Reaching out to it with his mind he tried to calm it. Instantly the waves stopped. He looked on amazed as what had just been choppy water became peaceful with a mere thought. For a while, all he could do was test just how much control he had over it.

He raised his own waves, parted it, shaped it into orbs that whizzed around. Even raised the entire pool hundreds of meters up and caused it to fall back down as rain. He was having so much fun he nearly forgot what he was meant to be doing but once he remembered he immediately got to work.

Jonas looked at Valerian with concern. Technically the process was harmless but this was the first time he was on this side of things and with his first student too so he was justifiably nervous. Which is why relief flooded his face when he felt Valerian's energy surge and then begin to circulate throughout his body. Clearly the boy had started employing the Manifold Elemental Incarnations like he was supposed to. He could feel the world essence in the area swirl and converge around him.

"How is it going?" he heard a voice ask.

He turned around confirming that it was his aunt who had spoken. He glanced around to see the rest of the family also revealing themselves. He wasn't surprised though he had felt their presences from the very beginning. It was Valerian's first training session so of course, they'd come.

"Everything seems fine. It is even going better than expected".

Aunt Clara laughed softly. "That's Valerian for you. Always exceeding expectations".

Richard was next to speak. "What's next?"

"Well, he is supposed to circulate his energy in accordance with the method throughout his body for at least thirty complete cycles. Then he will start using it to perform his baptism", Jonas replied.

"So we wait?" his brother surmised.

"Yes!" he admitted. He took a long look at his nephew sitting there in the middle of the courtyard. Then dismissing the array in place, he created a completely new one. This one had two circles and its function was to gather world essence around Valerian. 'That ought to cut the time down somewhat', he thought. Then he settled down on one of the stone benches to wait with the rest of the family.

LupineKing · Feb 23, 2023

Chapter Eight: Harriers and Cluders

Valerian's first lesson with Richard was exactly how he expected it to be. A set of training clothes was given to him the night before and when the sun rose Richard came for him and dragged him, drowsy as he was to the courtyard. So Valerian stood there in his new leather outfit, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes in front of a frowning armoured giant.

"Sharpen up!" Richard commanded.

Valerian tried, he really did. He knew the kind of man his uncle was. Curt, strict and direct. He didn't mince words and on account of his throat injury, he didn't like to speak much either. He was the second most feared person in the manor and the most obviously dangerous. He was someone Valerian looked up to as a model of what a warrior should be.

He didn't want to disappoint the man but getting dragged out of bed at sunrise was disorientating. He now understood the complaints of the other manor guards. Looking up, he saw Richard staring at him with a frown still on his face.

"Run a lap around the courtyard", the man barked at him.

On account of his drowsiness, it took a few seconds before the words registered. Once they did his nearly halted. 'Wait... what?' he tried a half-hearted attempt to get out of it. It didn't work but he managed to compose himself enough to claim that he was fully awake. The cold frown on his uncle's face stopped him though. It was clear that he wasn't getting out of it.

It turned out that the run did wake him up. It left him tired and panting, but awake. He put his all into it hoping to at least impress the giant in front of him but he had no such luck. There was not even a hint of a change in the man's expression. It almost made him want to complain but he knew full well that it would get him nowhere. The guards that did usually had their training doubled.

"The tellurian path is not an easy one. It requires a fit body and a lot of physical training. The body is a vessel and the better the vessel the better the qi that can be stored in it. Thus to be a tellurian is to have a well-trained body. In addition to this, tellurians focus on physical combat which is impossible to use effectively without training. I will be responsible for yours".

He paused here with a look of discomfort on his face. Valerian was worried. The scar running down his jaw looked extra red today. He wondered why. He knew that his uncle had been in the army at one point and had gotten severely injured in a mission. So injured in fact, he was bedridden for half a year. He had to relearn how to talk and walk. His cultivation even declined. However when he recovered he pushed himself so hard, he not only regained his former level, he surpassed it.

It was even suspected that he was about to break into the king tier. All this Valerian had learnt from listening to the guards talk. It was one of the reasons he so respected the man. Anyone who could suffer such wounds, survive and make such a dramatic comeback was more than worth the respect.

"The tellurian path is separated into seven tiers; Practitioner, Lord, King, Emperor, Sage, World Incarnate and Divinity. But being a tellurian is not as simple as using qi, accomplishing feats and breaking through the tiers. First you have to transform your physical form. Using world essence and a chosen cultivation method you first have to transform your bones strengthening them and improving your marrow. Then your flesh so as to give you not only a strong frame but also dense, powerful musculature. After this is done you may then open your meridians allowing you to channel qi throughout your body, completing your transformation and allowing you to use the battle skills and enhancements that tellurians are known for. Once you have gathered enough qi you may condense it into a core crystal and become a true tellurian practitioner".

"All this though is a matter of cultivation. Something you will do on your own according to the clan's Great Monolithic Art. My mission is to sculpt you into a warrior and train you to fight. This does not mean that your cultivation and my training are separate. If you have any questions or run into any problems you tell me is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" Valerian exclaimed. Richard's eyes swept him for a moment and then nodded.

"Every day after you wake up you will come here. Under my supervision, you will perform a series of drills and exercises before we move on to actual combat training. You may then leave and practise cultivation while I discharge my duties", again he paused to check if Valerian was following.

"For combat, we will be practising the family's greatest martial art; The Fighting Arts Of Harry and Clude. Harry and Clude were ancestors of ours. They were twin tellurian combat geniuses who came up with an incredible fighting style that has become the official style of the entire clan. Its principles focus on teamwork and the maximisation of defence and attack.

"The two brothers went everywhere together and did everything together. Whenever they had a task to do they would split it into two and each would take half. Fighting was no different. Clude the older one would defend and Harry would attack. It was simple and effective. Whilst Clude grabbed the enemy's attention and blocked the attacks Harry would seize the opportunity to finish them off.

"This does not mean that Harry could not protect himself or that Clude was incapable of attacking. Anyone not careful when facing Clude would get a shield bash to the face and a blade to the gut. Each just had a primary focus and together they covered each other's weaknesses whilst maximising group effectiveness. That is why it is required training for all Steelborns. It is a fighting style that maximises team efficiency and was created and developed with our legacy in mind. Attacks and defenders working side by side.

"Due to the origin of the fighting style attackers are informally known as Harriers whilst defenders are called Cluders. You will be taught the basics of both arts after which you will specialise in whichever one you lean towards. Any questions?"

"Which are you, Uncle Richard?" Valerian couldn't help but ask.

"I am an expert at both but I usually act as a cluder. Anything else?"

Valerian thought a little before asking, stroking his chin in a manner that nearly made the stern warrior chuckle. "Uncle Richard, you mentioned that the Fighting Arts of Harry and Clude are developed from and can maximise our clan's legacy. Elder Foreson also mentioned that with my strength I probably possess the clan legacy but I still don't know what the clan legacy is".

"I see..." Richard said in his hoarse voice. It only took him a second to make a decision and it was very dramatic too.

His entire form twitched, convulsed and then expanded right before Valerian's stunned eyes. Richard, who was naturally over two metres tall, shot up till he was a little over three meters tall. He didn't just grow taller. That same multiplication factor was applied to every aspect of his body be it width or musculature. His skin became a steely grey and his hair turned into quill-like bristles. Large steel spikes even shot out from his shoulders, elbows, knuckles, heels and knees.

If he looked dangerous before he now looked like a terror no one would like to meet on a dark night. Valerian didn't have to be told to know that this form had increased his power by a large margin. Strangely though his armour stayed on perfectly. Gauntlets, greaves, breastplate, nothing was broken. In fact, it looked like it had become part of him.

"This the Steel Monolith transformation, our clan's top blood legacy. It appears in eight out of ten clan members with innate metal attributes. There are some who go as far as to call this our true form. It gives us incredibly strong, dense, durable bodies. Even in my normal form, I am able to put out a little over fifty tonnes per arm. The transformation quadruples my strength and increases my speed by fifteen per cent. My defence becomes so great that steel shatters when it strikes me".

Valerian was stunned. "Y-your armour?" he blurted out.

"A special design from the clan's artificers to account for our legacy".

Valerian looked up at the three-meter-tall giant in front of him stars shining in his eyes. "Uncle Richard, you're so cool! How come I never knew about this stuff? How did we get such a cool transformation?"

Richard shifted uneasily, uncomfortable with both the adoration being shown and the follow-up questions. He thought it was stupid that Valerian had been sheltered from this for so long but he held his tongue. It had not been his decision to make but the magistrate's. So instead of answering the question he reverted to normal and then he diverted the conversation.

"You should understand what legacies really are. They are inheritances or endowments. The important things handed down in martial families from generation to generation. There are two types of legacies; material and blood legacies. The cultivation methods, secret arts even the fighting arts of Harry and Clude as well as legacy equipment like my armour are considered material legacies. Basically, the physical things the clan accumulates, develops or gains that are passed down.

"Blood legacies are different. They are passed down the family's bloodline itself. Only by being born into that family would a person have access to these legacies. Our Steelborn clan has two. The Steel Monolith Transformation and the StormHawk's Wings. The first I have shown you, the second however I do not possess as it only appears in those who have the innate wind attribute and at a far lower frequency than the first. We are the only clan in the viscounty to have two blood legacies".

"Wow! We are so powerful!" Valerian exclaimed.

'Only in some respects', Richard thought to himself. Outwardly though he said, "Enough about that. The daylight grows stronger and yet we have yet to truly begin".

"Here!" he said waving his hand.

Immediately a pile of metal pieces appeared on the floor. Upon closer inspection, Valerian realised they were pieces of armour. He looked up to his uncle knowing the man had used an interspatial ring to make them appear as they did. Interspatial rings were incredible artefacts. They could be blood bound preventing anyone but the owner from using them and contained an empty miniature dimension in them for storage. The sizes differed depending on the grade of the ring though.

"What are you waiting for? Put them on!" his uncle bellowed.

Springing into action Valerian reached for the pile and began to pull out the armour pieces. Greaves, sabatons, gauntlets, breastplate, tassets, pauldrons and poleyns all made from a heavy, dark metal were grabbed and put on over the leather clothes he was wearing. He struggled a lot doing so but he was aware of his uncle's trained gaze on him and so put in all his effort.

"Not bad for your first time. Nonetheless, you must remember that your armour is your lifeline. You must be able to outfit yourself without aid in as short a time as possible. Practise! You must have the process down to five minutes by the end of the week. Is that clear?" came his uncle's comment.

"Yes sir!" Valerian exclaimed. However, seeing that his uncle was about to move on he quickly asked. "Uncle Richard, I've noticed that you and elders only seem to wear certain armour pieces. Even what you've given me conforms to this. Why only these? Is it some sort of uniform? The clan's chosen style perhaps? Would it not be better to wear the full plate?"

Richard's eyebrow rose sharply. He hadn't expected the subject to come up so quickly. He knew the boy was smart, inquisitive and observant but due to not interacting with him often he was unclear on the extent of his mental prowess. Hadn't he caught on too quickly? His eyes narrowed. Just how much did he notice and how much did he know. He resolved to speak with Alfred on this. Perhaps the child's minder would shed some light on this.

"It is the clan's chosen style and for a large number of reasons. Remember this, every protection has its weak spots and full plate is no exception. A skilled opponent knows to attack the weak spots in an opponent's defence and protections. Our armour is designed with our fighting style in mind. Clude's in particular. How? I will explain shortly. Just know that we are not as exposed as we look. Remember our transformation and its defensive abilities? The armour works with that.

"Additionally it is designed to work as a reinforcing set. It possesses the ability to fortify the qi barrier that naturally surrounds tellurians and is able to spread its defensive properties all over the body using it as medium to connect all the pieces together and employ their full capabilities. Nevertheless, the true purpose of the armour is to facilitate the fighting arts of Harry and Clude.

"We'll start working on those shortly. But you should know that each set of armour is tailor-made and that they are actually essence artefacts, capable of being blood bound and requiring qi to display their full capabilities" he elaborated.

This caused Valerian to take another look at the dark metal pieces fitted over his leather outfit. Only now did he notice how well it all fit and how well the ensemble went together. 'When and how did they get my measurements?' he questioned. He was quite happy with it especially now that he knew its significance. Plus it looked very cool.

"I get an artefact. Awesome!" he yelled.

"Not yours though", Richard pointed out. "It's not an artefact. Just a set of training equipment".

"What? Why?" he complained with a pout. He stopped however when he saw his uncle smiling. It was the first time that day he had seen anything other than a frown or a stern look on the man's face. He couldn't help but wonder what caused him to smile so.

"Why? First off you will outgrow that very soon. Second if it was, you would be the only one who could control it and I wouldn't be able to do this".

At that last word, glyphs on Valerian's armour started glowing. Startled he glanced towards them not knowing what to do. Then his armour started to get heavier. It was like a crushing pressure was spreading all over his body weighing him down rather than just those pieces getting heavier. 'The reinforcing effect!' he realised. The pieces were working together just like his uncle said.

Richard looked on, smiling widely just like his own trainer did when he was on the receiving end. Now he knew how it felt to be on this end. He waited a bit for Valerian to regain his composure and then it was business as usual.

"Straighten up! It's not that heavy", he barked. He nearly chuckled when he saw the venomous look Valerian threw him.

"From now on you will do everything wearing that armour. There are other sets of leather clothes in your closet for you to change into when your current set gets dirty. Armour care however is your responsibility. So after this session, you are to go to the manor's quartermaster. He will teach you how to take care of your armour. Is that clear?"

Valerian couldn't answer, only nod.

"Good! We will go through some stretches and then I will teach you some stances".

Valerian could only groan. In his mind, he knew that this was just the beginning. Who knew what else was in store?

LupineKing · Feb 23, 2023

Chapter Nine: Complications

Valerian opened his eyes slowly. It only took a second to determine that there was still at least an hour before dawn. He stood up, stiffly extricating himself from his cross-legged pose. Over the last two weeks he found it increasingly easier to slip into that special meditative state and maintain it for hours at a time. He even went without sleep sometimes, only to arise rested and refreshed. His body wasn't used to staying in the pose for long though.

Awake he went up to his armour rack and began to put the pieces on. He had long since gotten acclimated to training in the morning and no longer needed to be prodded into action. Now he made sure to be ready and warmed up even before his uncle Richard came through the door.

His training was coming along great. At that very least he received only praise for his progress. Unfortunately, it came at a price. His schedule was completely packed. His day started with strength, endurance and combat training followed by a shower, breakfast and a short break. Then lessons with Jonas before lunch and studies in the study with his grandfather till supper. After this was evening training and private cultivation in his room.
He couldn't complain though. He vividly remembered all his complaints about grammar school and his wish to truly be occupied instead of wasting time with things that took a few seconds and no effort. He sighed though when he thought of those carefree days. Hopefully, when he became capable of creating hurricanes with a flick of the wrist and crushing mountains with a fist he would look back to these moments as well with nostalgia.
He remained lost in thought as he went about his morning exercises until he heard his uncle's heavy tread coming towards his door. The man was early. He shrugged and went to open the door. His busy day was about to begin.

Soon Valerian was sitting in the study listening to his grandfather stress the importance of applying strategies in battle.

"Remember! You've been blessed with heaven-defying talent. Don't let it go to waste!"

Valerian's heart clenched. He thought back to the last few weeks and began to feel the pressure. With an unusually meek voice, he asked.

"Grandfather! Is it really necessary to cultivate?"

Valan was taken aback. The question stunned him. "Is it necessary to cultivate? Where is this coming from?"

Valerian frantically defended himself. "It's just that not everyone can do it. There aren't even many cultivators. I was wondering why it is so important."

Valan gazed intently at him not sure where what was going on. A second later he sighed. "Maybe Clara and Richard are right. I have caused you to be too sheltered if you cannot tell what makes cultivators so important".

"It's not that grandfather. I understand that cultivators are powerful and can do so many incredible things but power aside I don't see why they are so much more highly regarded than other professionals like physicians and soldiers" Valerian explained. Then a thought struck him.

"You're not a cultivator grandfather. You hold an important public office, have influence and live quite well and you didn't need to be a cultivator to do it. Why do so many people pursue cultivation, something so dangerous and which most can never practise in the first place instead of other professions?"

Even as he spoke he knew he had spoken too rashly. His grandfather's lack of cultivation was a yet another taboo topic in their household. He watched as the man somewhat deflated before him, his face falling. However, he did not take back his words. This was something important to him as well.

The magistrate turned away slightly and for a moment Valerian thought he would leave but he didn't. He just sighed. It was a long sigh filled with reluctance and sadness.

"Now I remember why I worked so hard to keep you so sheltered. Why you know so little about cultivation? I knew this day would come but I worked to postpone it just that much longer. Truth is, ever since you were placed in my arms you've looked at me like I was the greatest in the world. I never wanted you to realise that I wasn't worth your admiration".

"Grandfather..." Valerian called softly. He hadn't expected that this would be such a painful subject for the man. Seeing him so morose immediately made him think that his own misgivings weren't important after all.

"You must understand Valerian that you are right. Besides power, there is little that separates cultivation from other professions. In fact, cultivation is not a profession at all it is merely a way of life that opens doors to the true professions. But power is all it needs because power is all that matters. Power is the most important thing in the world of Verre!

"If you have power, you can do anything and be anyone. On other hand, those who have no power are forever destined to be beneath the heels of those with power. Our very empire is so large and wealthy because we have power. Our clan is able to dominate the entire viscounty because we are the most powerful force in the land. If we weren't another group would have done away with us and taken our place in a flash and there would have been nothing we could have done or said about it.

"Verre is a dangerous, callous place my child and the only way to survive is to have power of your own that you can fall back on. It is at constant war with itself and the entities that dwell in it. These entities are themselves at war with each other. That is nature. People fight all the time. Against each other, against the beasts, against the elements, all so that they can survive and thrive. That is why power is so important. To have power is to have a better chance of survival. No one begrudges the tiger for killing and eating the deer. For the sole reason that the tiger is powerful.

"That is the ugly truth I have tried so hard to hide from you. Why? Because I have no power of my own. You see people cultivate because it grants them power. You might think that the benefits of cultivation are limited to physical and mystical power but there is a lot more to it. There are political aspects, and the authority and influence from it are just as important. That is why people cultivate.

"You say many are incapable of cultivation. That's true. But what's also true is that despite that they learn some form of martial skill for self-defence or master some trade or art that allows them to fit under some power so as to gain benefits such as shelter and protection. Everyone with even the slightest chance of cultivating seizes it, Valerian.

"Most are like me doomed to never even become true disciples or practitioners but they still give it their all and on average they are much, much more powerful than someone who cannot progress beyond the energy-gathering stage like your grandfather".

Valerian sat there mutely. He never knew this. The atmosphere and topic were making him uncomfortable. He didn't like where it was going.

"I told you that cultivation grants more power than is obvious. You should be able to understand. Or rather it would be plain to you if you knew more about the world than merely what was in the books I give you. Even among beasts, it is the strong and powerful that lead. Same with humans. We look to the powerful among us, the cultivators, to guide us, protect us and make decisions on our behalf. They administer the laws, and protect us from the daemons and our fellows. In truth, it is the cultivators that hold political power wherever you care to look in Verre."

Valerian wanted to tell him that was not true. To remind him that he was a magistrate of the region just to rouse him from his despondent state, but before he could utter a word his grandfather raised a hand to silence him.

"I know what you are thinking, what you want to say. I am a magistrate. An official of the state. Someone with clear political power even though I am so pitifully weak. However is it really so? Tell me, Valerian, cultivators are people who command the elements themselves and possess the power to accomplish mighty feats. They are people who enjoy the admiration and envy of their fellow men and are the ones tasked with ensuring mankind's survival in this cruel world.

"Which of these great individuals would be willing to be commanded or governed by weaklings like myself?"

Valerian opened his mouth but shut it soon after without saying anything. Even he could not think of a reason why. He couldn't help but think back to Fang's Grammar School and how even he had looked with disdain at some of the other children. Who indeed would be willing to a subject to someone lesser than himself? His grandfather nodded sadly at his silence.

"You are my grandson. You possess a fierce intelligence that most can only guess at but I know. I am just like you. That is why I talk thus with no fear that you will not understand. I was born intelligent. Incredibly intelligent. The things that took others several tries to even begin to understand I comprehended on the first try. I don't even have to search my mind to recall something. My memory is so good it is like answers present themselves to me when asked for.

"I can perform multiple actions at the same time, process information like you wouldn't believe and can recall nearly every single sight, sound, smell, taste or feeling I have ever had. It is something you too will probably learn to do with time but aside from us you will be hard-pressed to find even ten people below the emperor tier in the duchy capable of the same.

"I have the second highest score in my scholars' exam in the near three hundred thousand years of our kingdom's history. I have mastered twenty languages and am adept in many other things and yet I am forced to be a low levelled magistrate in a border city. Even with this, I can be counted as quite fortunate. It is clear that I wouldn't have even gotten this far if not for my father's power and influence. The fact that I work in his city is more than proof enough.

"Don't look at our manor and lifestyle and think that being a low levelled magistrate is something to be proud of. I have ten assigned guards, five for my home and five for my person but who will work under someone with no hope for the future like me? Aside from your uncle, the rest have not even consolidated the first tier yet.

"The only reason we can afford our lifestyle on my meagre salary is because of your grandmother and I are from wealthy clans and her profession pays well. I shudder to think of what would happen if my father was not the former Viscount of Cragsveil."

"So you see Valerian you can make a living if you are not a cultivator but it would not be anything to write home about. I have a condition that prevents my body from accumulating arcane energy. It is why despite cultivating for over sixty years I remain unable to go beyond the energy-gathering stage. I could cultivate like a normal person then..." he sighed and did not continue for a while.

"You have been given a great opportunity. One that many can only dream of. You cannot waste this chance! I know you won't! In fact, I look forward to the day that you will become an outstanding cultivator. With your talent and the clan's resources, there is no doubt in my mind that you will surpass my father. You will even be better than your father. I just hope that when you become a powerful cultivator, you will not forget your pitiful grandfather" he ended.

Valerian was startled. He could see the tears in the old man's eyes and the tired set of his shoulders. He had no idea that their talk would leave his grandfather so drained and downcast. He was at a loss at what to do. He wanted to comfort the man but had no idea how to go about it.

His was a somewhat reserved family. They were not the type to have public or physical displays of affection. It could be seen from their characteristic aloof manner. The fact he referred to the old man as grandfather and not grandpa or some other informal term was clue enough.

"Your cultivation tier doesn't matter to me at all. To me, grandfather is a role model. An example of what a man should be. Wise, elegant, responsible, just and eloquent. I believe that you can outsmart any cultivator and are better than they can hope to be. You have taught me the importance of knowledge and intelligence as well as many other things. I will always keep them at the forefront of my mind. Don't worry grandfather. I will become a cultivator like you've never seen before. One you can be proud of."

Valerian swallowed the hot lump burning in his throat. He finally understood why his grandfather's cultivation was a taboo topic. He even got why the man was so ashamed of it. To be forced to rely on your family and your wife to get ahead in life. To be blessed with such a brilliant mind and yet be completely disregarded because of a strange physical condition.

It had to be tough. Right then Valerian made a promise to himself. He resolved that no matter what happened he would become an outstanding cultivator. For his grandfather who never had the opportunity to do so. For his grandmother the pillar who silently supported the family. For his father, the genius whose life had been cut short. For the mother, he never knew. For his uncles who took the time to train him. And for himself. He had always been outstanding at everything he did. He would become outstanding at this too.

As soon as he left the study Valerian headed straight for his room. He took the rolled-up mat leaning against the wall and unrolled it on the floor. It was a special cultivation tool made from daemon skin and inscribed with an array that aided in the gathering of world essence. When he first got it Valerian poured over it for hours trying to make out the glyphs in the beautiful leather.

He had no time for that now. He quickly sat down cross-legged on it and entered a meditative state to cultivate. He had made a promise to himself and he was going to accomplish it by hook or by crook.

LupineKing · Feb 23, 2023

Chapter Ten: Complications II

Starting with arcane cultivation, Valerian circulated his energy according to the Manifold Elemental Incarnations hoping to complete his arcane baptism. Under his efforts, all the pores in his body began to open and close. His body began to expand and contract as well in accordance with their rhythm. It was like he was breathing with his entire body.

Anyone looking at his body in the essence spectrum would see world essence entering his pores whenever they opened. Moving in myriad ways under the compulsion of his cultivation method to transform his flesh into the perfect vessel for the accumulation and channelling of arcane energy. This was the true arcane baptism, only Valerian's was quite special.

Ordinary methods would create a differing number of channels for energy in the body or transform the skin to allow world essence to seep through but the Manifold Elemental Incarnations was different. It changed the entire body. Flesh, bones, blood vessels, organs, pretty much every part of the body became capable of absorbing and channelling arcane energy. That was the only reason Valerian was still at the arcane baptism stage.
He had not yet transformed his entire body. Never mind that his current self was far better than many could hope for. It was better than even Jonas' but he was supposed to keep practising this stage so as to gain the best transformation possible. Even with the method not everyone could achieve such a state. The elders hoped he would be able to completely transform his flesh, and Valerian would not disappoint.

After a couple of hours, he apprehensively switched to his qi cultivation method. Unlike his progress on the arcane path, his tellurian cultivation was at a complete standstill. He had kept it a secret but he had not improved even one bit since he started cultivating. This was very frustrating for Valerian who was used to being the best at everything he did.

He tried and tried but he was unable to make any progress. Unused to failure he became increasingly disturbed. So much so that it was beginning to seriously affect his confidence and cultivation as a whole. That was why he questioned his grandfather the way he did. He had hoped to be told that cultivation was unimportant so that he would feel better at failing to cultivate his qi. However confronted with its true importance, he couldn't afford to fail.

His prospective tests had shown his unparalleled potential as a tellurian. He had the full backing and resources of the clan and a high-tier cultivation method innately suited to him and his bloodline. There was no reason for him to fail. He would not let himself fail.

Previously no matter how he channelled the Great Monolithic art his qi refused to respond but this time he would make it respond. Calming his mind and focusing his will he forcefully grabbed hold of his qi and with willpower alone, he began to move it around his body in accordance with the monolithic art. Soon he was covered in sweat.

The force fought him the whole way. It completely refused to follow his commands and if he did not have such a strong hold over it would have slipped back to its special pool. Unwilling to lose he dragged it millimetre by millimetre along the route it should go. The process brought him immense pain but he ignored it in favour of his progress.

He reminded himself constantly of the stakes he was playing for. In a few circuits, he would finally be able to push his qi into his bones and begin bone transformation. That there was no gain without pain. He ignored the way his blood roiled and boiled. The way his body protested and the pain that wracked his form.

Anyone still watching at this point would be shocked and appalled at the changes in his appearance. Valerian's teeth were so clenched his gums bleed. His hands grasped his knees so tightly they looked bloodless. His body shuddered visibly as he tried to ignore the pain, and his clothes were completely drenched in sweat. If his eyes were open the watcher would see how bloodshot they were.

Too bad Valerian had never watched someone cultivating qi before. If he had he would know that what he was doing was more akin to self-torture than cultivation. Sadly, he didn't know so he continued with what he was doing. Sometimes he lost ground and the qi retreated yet still he preserved. There was no question that his willpower was incredible. Not even grown men would be able to endure what he was going through.

Valerian's mind was totally clear and focused. He wholly ignored the pain and protest his body was enduring and forcefully moved his qi. All his thoughts were turned towards the task at hand and he was succeeding. He was nearly there. His qi was about to make a full circuit. He would have smiled if he could however as soon as the circuit was accomplished his body twitched and despite himself, a sharp cry burst from his lips.

The painful, loud cry rent the air disturbing all the people in the household. Quickly locating the source the guards led by his grandmother and his uncle Richard broke down his door. However the moment their eyes met the sight that awaited them they couldn't help but recoil in horror. Clara gasped and covered her mouth whilst everyone else stood slack-jawed.

Valerian sat there on his mat still in a cultivating pose. Motionless, hands grasping his knees, wet with sweat and blood bubbling past his lips. She rushed to him screaming for help to find him unresponsive and unconscious.

It was only a week later that Valerian finally woke up. Raising his aching head from the pillow his eyes swept the unfamiliar room. A pure energy filled the place. He could feel it work on him, entering his body on its own volition and soothing his internal injuries. He traced the energies to several elaborate arrays that covered the floor, walls and ceiling. This was more than enough for him to deduce that he was in an infirmary of some kind. A high class one by the look of things.

"Young master, you're awake!" a voice exclaimed.

Slowly Valerian turned his head in its direction to see a young man in bright cream coloured robes. He tried to ask where he was but found his tongue to be heavy and unresponsive and his mouth dry.

"Don't try to speak, just wait! I'll bring Healer Brian shortly". The young man warned.

In less than a minute the previously empty room was filled with people. His grandparents were there as well as the three elders that often came around the manor and his uncles were leaning against one of the walls. However aside from the young man from earlier there were two additional people, one female and the other male both middle-aged. The man wore a monocle and cream robes in the same style as the young man only with a mantle over it. Clearly, he was Healer Brian.

Healer Brian was currently bent over him running hands glowing with a bright yellow light over his body. The light brought Valerian great comfort. It was warm and soothing and best of all it removed the dull pain that he felt in his insides. Once that was done he was made to drink a pale blue liquid from a crystal phial.

The moment the healer straightened up though, his grandfather's voice rang out.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"Yes! He will have to refrain from using any of his forces or cultivating for a day or two but aside from that and a little soreness and stiffness from being unconscious for so long, there's nothing to be concerned about. His meridians are fine and his internal injuries are nearly gone", the man answered. Then fixing his monocled eye on Valerian he continued.

"Our concern should be what caused his injuries in the first place. I confess to never having seen cultivation injuries like those before."

Everyone's attention was immediately caught. They were curious too. What could have so ravaged his insides and put him in such a state?

Somewhat anxious the magistrate couldn't help but ask rather loudly, "Valerian what did you do?"

"Nothing", he replied with a confused look on his face.

"Come on boy, nothing would not have wounded you like you were. I saw your injuries myself. We won't punish you we just want to know what caused it" Elder Foreson told him.

"Truly! I didn't do anything. I was just cultivating".

"Valerian, please! Just tell us. There is no way that just cultivating could injure you so", his grandfather pleaded.

"Wait!" Healer Brian called out. "Just how and what were you cultivating?"

"Healer Brian! Are you saying cultivation caused this?" Elder Foreson asked incredulously.

"It might be possible. We need to know more." The man replied. Turning back to the bedridden youth he asked again. "Just how and what were you cultivating?"

Valerian thought back and answered truthfully. To be honest he was a bit hesitant to tell them as they would then know about his difficulties cultivating but he knew he must. Evidently, something went wrong and it was best to figure out what. Besides he couldn't hide this secret forever. So he began to tell them all about the trouble he faced when he tried to cultivate his qi and how it refused to respond to the cultivation method no matter what he did.

It was here that the strange middle-aged woman finally spoke up. She was dressed just like the elders only with a special maroon cloak. It completely set her apart as someone with authority and when she spoke everyone went silent and focused on her.

"That is impossible! What you are describing is a rejection and there is no way that any metal-attributed clan member would suffer a rejection from the Great Monolithic art. Especially not one who has been confirmed to have the blood legacy", she said.

"It is an art that originates with our earliest ancestor and one we have practised for as long we have existed. It not only trains our qi it enhances our strengths and bloodline and awakens our legacy. There has never been a rejection when practised by a metal-attributed clan member".

Valerian digested what she said. Then slowly and firmly he said to her, "It still happened".

Seeing that the woman was about to erupt Healer Brian quickly interjected. "That still doesn't explain your injuries, young man. Don't beat around the bush. Go straight to the point!"

Valerian shifted, ill at ease under the stern, fixated gazes of so many people. Nevertheless, he continued. "I'm coming to that sir. You see after nearly two weeks of trying with no success I was getting desperate. Since channelling the Great Monolithic art did nothing to budge my qi I memorised the path it was to take and then forcefully dragged my qi along that path".

Loud gasps filled the room at his proclamation. It was easy for them to see how his internal organs got mangled now. A dark look even covered his grandfather's face and he went completely silent. However, in the midst of the stunned silence came a question asked in a curious tone.

"How far did you get?" Healer Brian asked tentatively.

Valerian thought back, a pensive look on his face. It was hard for him to recollect those final moments before the blackness. In fact, a normal person would probably have blocked those memories. But fortunately or unfortunately, Valerian was no ordinary person.

"The last thing I remember is completing the first circuit before I lost control over my qi and then nothing but blackness until waking up here".

This time even the maroon-cloaked woman appeared stunned. Her lower jaw hung loose and she looked at him as if he was a monster of some kind. The others might not know what it meant but she and the healer knew full well what it would take to circulate qi that way. Especially according to a method his body was actively rejecting.

Before the meridian opening stage, qi remained a wild force in the body. This was why there were particular methods required to circulate it. The meridians weren't open yet so there was no proper channel for it. The most a person could do was push it into the bones or flesh to refine them. If one wanted to circulate it then a method was needed. For a child to be capable of forcefully circulating his qi thus was definitely some she had never heard of.

She exchanged a glance with the healer. It was remarkable and something that will be discussed in the meeting of the elders. Despite this, it was not something that should be encouraged.

"Never, ever do that again! You are lucky that you only managed one circuit and that the clan had the healers and resources on hand to cure the results of your foolishness. Even so you can clearly see what happened to your body. Any successive attempt would be several times worse and at that time even if the clan wanted to help we would be unable to. At best you will be left a cripple or a dullard, unable to cultivate, move your limbs or think correctly ever again. That is if you do not die".

Valerian nearly panicked as he listened to the healer. Had he really been that close to death? The very thought sent ghostly fingers running up and down his spine. There and then Valerian made a resolution to be more careful with his cultivation. He hadn't realised that just sitting down and channelling energy carried such a high risk.

"I'm curious though. We might have answered the question about how he got injured but there is still no explanation for why his body rejected the Great Monolithic Art" the maroon-cloaked woman pointed out.

"You are right!" Healer Brian conceded. "There is no reason it should. Young Valerian is a true Steelborn. He carries our blood and the Steel Monolith legacy and possesses an innate metal attribute. I can attest to that. He should have no problems channelling the method".

It was at this point that the magistrate finally spoke up. He had said nothing thus far and had merely wallowed in the suspicion that he was the reason that Valerian was lying in the infirmary. If he hadn't gone on and on about how important cultivation was and how terrible it was to not do so maybe Valerian would not have been pressured to do something so risky.

He too knew the full ramifications of what his grandson had done and what it meant that he had even been able to do it. He was an acclaimed scholar after all. But he said nothing of the matter. The only reason he was speaking up now was to help find a solution to Valerian's problem.

"Perhaps his mother's legacy is not as compatible with ours as we originally thought", he suggested.

Healer Brian and the woman in maroon mulled this over. It was possible that both legacies were clashing somehow in Valerian's body suppressing each other and preventing him from accessing either. It would explain why the steel monolithic transformation had not awakened despite all the signs that he had it. If so he would require some special methods that didn't favour one side, catering to both and did not provoke any adverse reaction.
The problem was that no one knew what his mother's legacy was. How would they find a suitable method if they had no clue what they should be searching for? The maroon-cloaked woman was just about to voice this out when someone said something.

"Yeah right! The problem is from his mother's legacy", one of the elders said with a sarcastic sneer. Valerian's eyes shot to him identifying him as the elder that had called his grandfather a wastrel the other time.

"What are you trying to imply?" his grandfather questioned angrily.

The man didn't hesitate to make his disdain plain to see. "Isn't it obvious? The grandfather's body cannot hold arcane energy and the grandson's rejects qi training. The connection is clear. What mother's legacy? That's just an excuse! I just can't believe you actually passed your filthy blood down and ruined a peerless talent for the clan".

"Y-yo-YOU!" Valan spluttered.

"You think because you're the patriarch's son I wouldn't dare. Just look at the boy and what's happened. It is obvious he carries your taint. The only question now is if his children would be similarly crippled or if it would skip a generation like it did with your son".

A chair screeched as his grandmother shot to her feet with a face so furious it looked like she would spit lightning. Richard pushed off the wall, an immense tower shield and a spear appearing in his hands out of thin air. The crystal at the top of Jonas' staff lit up casting red light everywhere.

Seeing that a fight was going to break out the maroon-cloaked lady quickly intervened.

"ENOUGH!" she yelled.

Waves of power accompanied her voice and suppressed everyone in the room. It was as if they were standing right next to a ringing church bell. The word rang in their ears and shook their very souls. It took several seconds before anyone could shake off the disorientation. Luckily thanks to her control everyone experienced the same degree of effect regardless of cultivation level. So the weaker ones among them did not have their brains dribbling out of their ears.

"Elder Grant, you are out of line! Richard, Jonas stand down. Now!" she barked.

The elder looked affronted and the two brothers still looked murderous. The former because he didn't understand why he was being chastised for saying what was obviously the truth and the latter two because they, like everyone else from the magistrate's household knew just how hard the elder had poked the magistrate's weak spots.

"Grant you will report yourself to the listless cavern for one month's punishment effective immediately! Valan you will come outside with me!"

"But..." Elder Grant tried to get out. He was nailed with a dark look from the maroon-cloaked woman and ended up saying. "Yes, Great Elder!"

Grant looked like he was about to protest, Valan looked gloomy, the members of the magistrate's household still looked furious, Foreson, the other elder and the healer were decidedly uneasy and the great elder merely strode out the door expecting to be obeyed. All of them forgot about the young boy in their midst. A boy who looked at the door his grandfather and the elder had just gone through with a fierce light and an unnoticed spark of comprehension in his eyes.

LupineKing · Feb 23, 2023

Chapter Eleven: Left with One

The next few weeks were unkind to the magistrate's household. It was as if someone draped a damp blanket over everything, smothering their happiness. Valan walked with his head down, Richard looked furious all the time, and as for the other members of the household, they did their best to stay out of their way. It was as if a curse of gloom had been cast over their home. Valerian could even swear that the daylight was duller and the food was increasingly bland ever since he got injured.

The reason for this of course could be traced to the aftermath of that meeting in the clan infirmary. Once he recovered he was subjected to a barrage of tests just to confirm Healer Brian's hypotheses. Then he was given a stack of five qi cultivation manuals. The complete works possessed by the clan. Unfortunately, his body utterly rejected them as well.

Following this, a secret meeting was conducted and a declaration was announced to the household. He was to desist with his tellurian training. All the assurances and promises that the clan had made concerning his education in the tellurian path had been revoked. There was no point they said if it was just going to be wasted. He was advised to focus wholly on his arcane studies since in that at least he still remained a peerless talent, for now.

It was distressing to note that there were many who argued against even this decision. Not because they did not think that the clan had not exhausted every avenue available to it but because they felt continuing to support him was a further waste of resources. To them, it was painfully obvious that his arcane studies would halt at the energy-gathering stage where he would be woefully unable to accumulate energy just like his useless grandfather.

Thing is, Valerian had long since predicted that response. He saw it coming from a mile away after watching how the elders reacted in the infirmary. He was still surprised and hurt though. To think that his clan would totally give up on him and ask him to do same was definitely an eye-opener.

The most painful part was watching what it did to his family, most especially his grandfather. The meetings, discussions and talks held concerning his future were conducted without even consulting him. There was even talk of having him removed from his care and taken to be raised by the clan. As if his grandfather's presence was somehow infectious. Two more fights broke out. And he had it on good authority that his uncle Richard broke an elder's nose and both his arms.

It didn't help matters nor did it stop the gossiping. Even in their own household Valerian could clearly hear and sense the servants and guards discussing the matter and looking at him with looks of pity and schadenfreude. Just yesterday his grandmother nearly fed a servant to the hounds after overhearing him say something derogatory about his grandfather.

Valerian blamed himself. Yes, he did. He had given people the opportunity to so readily disrespect his grandfather and his family. This was an issue that few knew and even fewer dared speak of but his blunder had caused his and his grandfather's names to become the subject of conversation. Just imagine. If the issue was so publicly discussed in their household and the clan then how widespread was it in the city itself? Remember his grandfather was a public official.

A strange slow-burning fury had been ignited in his heart and Valerian did not know how to quench it. It was an entirely foreign feeling. He could not recall ever getting angry before. Annoyed, yes, irritated yes, exasperated, definitely but this maddening fury was new. He wanted to crush something, scream, curse just to displace it somehow. But he didn't.

He kept his lessons at the forefront of his mind. The lessons his grandfather had taught him. Everywhere he went he fixed a small nonchalant smile on his face, remained impeccable and above reproach, his comportment and manners elegant and his speech eloquent. Publicly he acted as he had always done as if the events of the last month or so had never happened. It caused some people to look at him like he was retarded, like he was a stupid little boy who did not realise what was going on around him but he paid them no mind.

Privately though, he marked down their names and faces. He took note of their derision and how they had deflated his grandfather and turned what was formerly a joyous happenstance of his family into a subject of mockery and he turned that into a source of motivation. So what if he could not train his qi? He was still an arcane disciple with dual innate attributes and forty-one times the average essence level. He was gifted with superior intellect, extraordinary senses and great strength.

If he couldn't turn these into greatness then he probably deserved to be called the true grandson of a wastrel or whatever people were calling him now. As for those who called him 'the great disappointment' and speculated about whether his arcane cultivation would end up like his grandfather's, well, he would just have to disappoint them.

He allowed them to stoke the flames of his determination and directed all that heat into his training. It was true what his grandfather said. Power was everything. He hadn't fully understood it then and he still may not fully do so. Nonetheless, he recognised that before even those who knew of his grandfather's condition did not readily speak of it. Even Elder Grant and the other one once spoke of it behind his back. Why? Because though he had no power, his father did.

They were cowered by the clan patriarch, the true ruler of DaleGuard and the fact that his worth had risen with the discovery that his grandson was a heaven-warping talent. That was why they acted meek in front of him and guarded his manor with little complaint. Now they could let their disdain out for all to see. The only reason they stopped in the infirmary was because the Great Elder, a figure more powerful than them spoke out.

Foreson and the other elder did not speak then but Valerian knew full well that they held similar views. They were just smart enough not to blurt them out but who knew how things would have gone if the Great Elder had not intervened. They were powerful and thus had nothing to fear in front of a powerless man like his grandfather.

He would not be the same. No disrespect to his grandfather but the man was just plain incapable of doing anything about the problem. He would be different. He will not allow a scenario to spring up where he stood helpless in front of people while they insulted him. This was why despite wasting two entire weeks in the infirmary it only took two days after getting home to attain the perfect arcane vessel.

The perfect arcane vessel! Something that no other person in the history of the clan could brag about. His entire form was now capable of channelling and absorbing energy. He didn't know it but under mage sight he looked like he was a solid being of arcane energy. Unlike others who would only have their energy channels illuminated his whole body radiated light and energy. All he knew was that now he had some good news for his family. Something that might lessen the gloom.

So that morning he got off his mat with a more hopeful smile knowing that he had just finished the first step on his arcane path. Then he put on his armour and began his exercises.

Richard was never happy go lucky. Being orphaned at the cusp of puberty did that to you. This was even before mentioning his nigh disastrous stint in the army and the fact that his surrogate brother and his wife were missing and presumed dead. However, his smiles while rare still came from time to time. Not lately though. None who looked at him would think that his face was able to do so.

He wore a dark, furious look wherever he went and his temper, never good to begin with, was incredibly frayed and taut. He had since lost count of the number of people who scuttled out of his way in last week. And the reason for this could be traced to those idiots who called themselves clan elders. Even thinking about them caused his hackles to rise.

'How dare they?' he screamed mentally.

Like many orphans at that age, he had many problems with authority. The clan elders were one of his sore points. He remembered how reluctant they had been to take him and his brother in and how they had acted like placing them was a hassle. Then his uncle stepped up. Since then he had had an 'us vs them' mentality when it came to the clan. A mentality that had been vindicated many times but never as strongly as now. Their current actions had him snorting flames.

To say he was angry was an understatement and his disgust was so great that he could spend the whole day throwing up. The elders had not wasted a second before taking back their support despite all the promises they made. Thankfully he had things to occupy his mind or he would wallow in his rage. For instance, right now he was training his nephew.

He watched as Valerian took a five-minute break before they moved to combat training. Richard was most impressed with his nephew. That's why it infuriated him so that the clan had pretty much given up on his tellurian training. The boy just had so much potential. He could keep a 30-kilometre per-hour pace around a 60-kilometre course for a full hour whiles wearing weighted armour, had unbelievable arm strength and a gift for the martial arts.

At the very least Richard could never boast of being able to do the same when he was eight. Still, he gave no indication of how truly impressed he was. 'Best let him work for it', he thought. He kept up the training sessions, refusing to go along with the elders' wishes and give up on his nephew. Not before he got the boy to reveal his full potential.
"That's enough!" he announced. "Prepare yourself! I will be attacking shortly".

Valerian quickly got into a ready stance. Keeping his feet firmly planted and apart he raised his hands in front of his face. Before him, his uncle Richard took out a longsword and held it loosely in his right hand. Two weeks ago the thought of someone coming at him with an actual sword would have filled him with apprehension now he just braced himself.

"Remember! Keep Clude's principles of defence in your mind. Apply them readily but do not focus too much on them. Just hold them there and let them guide you", Richard reminded you. Valerian nodded.

In two steps his uncle was before him covering the twenty meters between them in less time than it took to draw in a deep breath. The longsword in his hands flashed forward in a simple thrust aiming for Valerian's midriff but he was prepared. He had faced this attack countless times over the last month and knew just what to do.

Keeping his fists level with his chin, and his forearms before his chest, he stretched his right arm forward slightly and met the blade with the back of his forearm. Disregarding the slight impact and moving his arm outward and downward he let the sword slide down and off the plates of his gauntlet and watched his opponent lean to his right.

It was a manoeuvre that though simple would have been dangerous and foolhardy if he were not a Steelborn. The Steelborns were particularly heavy-set folk. They were all tall and muscle-bound, blessed with unbelievably durable bodies and immense strength and that was in their normal forms. When transformed they grew even stronger and more durable. But there were some drawbacks.

Theirs was not a build that leaned towards speed and agility. Their transformed bodies were even worse. The fifteen per cent increase in speed looked great but they also grew exponentially heavier and their large bodies made them walking targets. The fighting arts of Harry and Clude recognised this and decided that rather than attempt what they were not good at, they would instead emphasise their strengths.

What this meant was that Steelborns did not dodge nor did they try to pull off overly complex and acrobatic manoeuvres. Instead, they used their strength and sturdiness to defend against attacks. A normal person would not be able to take a sword strike to the forearm but with their bodies and strength, it was quite easy.

The average consolidated tellurian practitioner would have the strength to lift at most three to five thousand kilograms. Valerian, an eight-year-old at the preliminary bone transformation stage had a similar level of strength. True he was unusual even for a Steelborn but that's only because that was the strength of his normal form. The average Steelborn at this stage would only have ten to eleven hundred kilograms of strength but he or she would also have the steel monolith's transformation which quadruples strength making that about five tonnes of strength.

This combined with their incredible defence, special armour and fighting style allowed them to shrug off hits and keep fighting. Against most opponents, they could even sit back and let them tire themselves out trying to hurt them. However it would be wrong to think that they just stood and allowed their opponents to whale on them.

Clude's first principle of defence is, "Unless absolutely necessary, take no attacks head-on! Deflect everything!" The meaning of this was self-evident. It was also the key to the manoeuvre that Valerian just pulled.

When facing the incoming thrust he did not take the stab point first. He made his gauntlet meet the sword after the point and even then not directly on the blade edge. 'You can never foretell the enchantments and substances on a weapon', his uncle had told him. Rather he met it at an angle and then relying on his strength and armour pushed it aside.

It wasn't easy though. It took weeks before Valerian had the proper timing to avoid getting struck in the breastplate but after that, he could succeed four times out of ten. And once the manoeuvre succeeds Clude's second principle kicks in.

"Counter to disrupt balance and battle rhythm!"

Valerian did not hesitate. His left fist rushed forward at breakneck speeds. The reason the strike was deflected to the side was to cause the attacker to be unbalanced. A thrust caused the body to lean forward. A redirection like this would cause the opponent to over-extend and lean to the right of the defender. This was the perfect time to 'punish' him as his uncle put it and Valerian did not intend to let the chance slip by.

That small gauntleted eight-year-old fist carried the crushing force associated with over four tonnes of strength and smacked solidly against his uncle's right shoulder. The intent behind this strike was not only to cause damage but also to disable a limb and further unbalance the opponent to provide an opening for more follow-up attacks.

Of course, this was not a true battle but merely his uncle testing him by attacking him in different ways to help him with his deflections and counters. He was completely incapable of harming or moving the man no matter how hard he tried. Not only was he an experienced and gifted fighter of the lord tier. He was a master of the very art they were practising and possessed incomparably greater strength and defence.

Notwithstanding, for the first time ever Valerian detected a change in his uncle's expression when the strike landed. The man fixed him with an intense gaze and Valerian found himself backpedalling nervously.

"Your strength has increased greatly. I estimate that it's improved by at least two more tonnes. You've advanced to the middle phase of the bone transformation stage!" the man announced.

LupineKing · Mar 3, 2023

Chapter Twelve: The Hope Not Lost

Valerian was floored by this news. It was downright unbelievable, but he knew better than to doubt the man. If he said he had advanced then he had. But when? How? These were just some of the questions whirling through his head. Unfortunately, he did not have time to ruminate on them though. His uncle was advancing towards him with a furious look on his face.

"What. Did. You. Do?" the man enunciated.

Fear rushing straight from his heart Valerian retreated even further whilst yelling out, "Nothing! I swear!"

"What nothing? You were told not to take any more stupid risks and not to attempt qi cultivation until a solution had been found", his uncle growled.

"But I didn't! I only cultivated my arcane energy!" Valerian yelled frantically. He was right and truly scared in the face of his uncle's wrath. It was not the first time the man's anger had been directed toward him. It was the second. The first was back when he first woke up after the cultivation accident. Back then Valerian thought he was going to die.

Apparently, his uncle had meant it when he told Valerian to come to him with any problems or questions regarding his qi cultivation. He became very mad when he realised that all the problems, or at least most have been avoided if Valerian had just come to him with his problem. It was a side to him that Valerian had never confronted before that day and one he had hoped never to again. Too bad things never worked out like planned.

Seeing that he was scaring his nephew Richard forcefully reminded himself that despite his maturity and talent Valerian was still only eight years old. He could not always bark at him like he was a subordinate officer. So he visibly calmed himself before inquiring.

"What are you not telling me?"

Valerian scrambled for answers. What could have caused his advancement? What had changed since the last training session? Then a lamp lit up in his mind.

"I've formed the perfect arcane vessel in my arcane cultivation manual!" he blurted out.

Richard's eyes bulged out. A perfect arcane vessel! He knew what that meant. It meant that the person's entire body, cells and all were capable of channelling arcane energy and absorbing world essence. He knew that Valerian was training in the Manifold Elemental Incarnations, the same method as his brother. It was hypothesised that the method could possibly allow someone to fashion his body into a perfect arcane vessel but that had never happened.

Not to his knowledge at least. What was the perfect vessel? It was the pinnacle and not something so easily reached. The average method allowed a person to create channels in the body for the purpose of conducting arcane energy. The wider the channels the more energy could pass through them. The more numerous the pathways, the more energy that could be absorbed from nature.

This meant that person could cultivate his arcane energy faster and control it better. Bear in mind that was only with a normal method. Someone with a perfect vessel would have a training speed tens of times faster than normal and an arcane pool dozens of times greater. For Valerian to manage this. Something no one in the clan had done before...

Still, that did not explain how he had advanced to the middle phase of the bone transformation stage. Having a perfect arcane vessel was a boon to arcane cultivation, not qi cultivation. Or was it? Richard's mind spun. Dual force users were practically unheard of. Who knew what having both forces present did to the body, especially their essence?

Sudden comprehension dawned within his eyes and he turned away from Valerian and started walking out of the courtyard.

"Come with me!"

Valan looked at a departing Valerian with a pensive but hopeful look. The entire family, Valerian excluded were all in the hall with him. They had all conducted independent tests and confirmed that indeed the boy had not only achieved a perfect arcane vessel but had also advanced to the middle phase of the bone transformation stage.

Funny how they were more excited by the latter, an ordinary achievement instead of the former, a feat no one in the clan's history had ever accomplished.

Valan faced his family with a small smile on his face, the first one in a week. Unconsciously his back straightened up and that often-seen elegant air wafted off him. "Richard! You brought the news, any thoughts?"

Clearly, for this moment at least the magistrate was back to his usual self - Aptly playing the wise man. It raised the spirits of everyone present. Seeing him despondent over the last few days had brought the entire home to a new low reminding them how his antics livened up the household.

"I am not sure but I think there has to be some synergy between his arcane energy and his qi. We all know that while a person might have only one force cultivating it indirectly cultivates his essence meaning that he gains both effects albeit at a much lower level. An arcanist increasing his arcane energy strengthens his essence thereby gaining a small boost to his physical form. That is why sage-tier arcanists can have bodies on the same level or stronger than entry-level tellurian lords.

The effect is probably stronger in Valerian's case since he has both forces", Richard speculated.

The magistrate revealed nothing only saying. "Good. Good. That's a reasonable hypothesis. Jonas, you?"

Jonas exchanged glances with his brother. Both of them could clearly recall the times as kids when they were queried in pretty much the same way. The four-way competition back then had been very intense. Now they were older, Valiant was gone and Vorm was away on deployment and still, they continued. To their uncle, every event was an opportunity to teach them and test their knowledge.

"You always say that the simplest solution is the probable one. In forming a perfect arcane vessel Valerian obviously upgraded his bones in a manner not completely unlike bone transformation and thus elevated their change to the middle phase. After all, both processes require flushing the body with essence and so whilst the Manifold Elemental Incarnations may not be meant to improve strength and toughness it brought them up a grade", he proclaimed.

The magistrate nodded slowly giving nothing away before turning to face Alfred. The childminder hysterically shook his head and shrugged to show that he knew nothing. To his great fortune, the magistrate chose not to press him.

"It's nice to know you still remember my lessons on essence theory", Valan began. "Your answers were spot on. Each addressed a different yet plausible reason. That is how advancements are made. It is why I always remind you, start with a plausible statement hoping to explain the phenomenon then rigorously test..."

"Spell it out dear!" his wife interrupted. Everyone was eager to know the truth. She in particular was too anxious to listen to him circle the issue.

The magistrate blushed slightly and after a small cough continued. "You were both right. The synergy between Valerian's forces is there and the two forces are indeed complementary even more so than you realise, but that is an issue for the higher tiers not the stages of the first. Also, by flushing his bones and transforming them according to that arcane method Valerian did indeed improve his bones just not in the way you think.

That does not mean that your answers did not cut the heart of the matter far from it. You just neglected a small piece of information that would have guided you to the truth. That piece of information concerns Valerian's special physique.

Let's ignore the Steelborn legacies and even the O'be curse for now. What have we overlooked?"

"His mother's legacy!" both brothers exclaimed.

"Yes! His mother's legacy. Need I remind you that his body was already transforming itself even before he began actual cultivation. It was absorbing world essence on its own to alter his bones. Forget whatever small increase the essence flushing did for his bones or the negligible increase in physical form. What do you think is happening now that he has a perfect vessel and his essence absorption has multiplied by a hundredfold?" the magistrate elaborated.

"So basically the more essence his body absorbs the more it transforms", his wife clarified.

Valan lips twitched. He nearly pouted at having his momentum upset twice in a row but he didn't. Clara loved to mess with him and she'd only do it more if she realised that it got to him. Not that she wouldn't anyway.

"Yes", he ended up affirming.

She frowned. "That poses a problem though", she started. "His initial growth was so slow we almost missed it. All this time he was still transforming unconsciously and yet remained at the very beginning; the preliminary phase of the first stage of the first tier. He might have gotten a boost now but it will wear off quickly.

Each successive breakthrough will require many times as much essence as the one before it. He already has the perfect vessel. He can't improve it further and its main yield is to his arcane energy. The tellurian aspect is just a side effect. Very soon his essence absorption will not be able to keep up then his transformation speed slow down to what it was previously, maybe even slower. At that rate, it will be a decade or two before he is a consolidated practitioner".

The faces of everyone present fell at this. Well, nearly everyone. The magistrate still had his easy-going smile on his face.

"It seems another person has benefited from my lessons. Wait! She was already brilliant when I married her!" he said teasingly.

"You have a plan" Clara stated.

"Of course! I always have a plan", Valan confirmed.

Silence settled into the hall while they waited on him. However, it soon became evident that the old magistrate was not going to say anything. Everyone turned to his wife knowing that if she didn't intervene they'd have to resort to /that/. Understanding their intent, the magistrate's wife prodded him.

"Well..."

"Well what?" he shot back.

"What's the plan?" she asked.

"Plan?" he asked in a confused tone. Inwardly he was rejoicing at having at least gained some payback for earlier. Interrupting him...humph!

"Delrein's sake Valan! Cut it out or so help me..."

On hearing her tone the magistrate immediately decided that maybe he shouldn't push her too far.

"The solution is simple!" he announced. "If all he requires is essence then we just have to supply it".

Jonas was startled. "Would that really work?"

"It should", his uncle confirmed. "Thus far he has been working with world essence unfortunately like your Aunt pointed out that would not remain effective for long. However, if we were to supplement his essence intake somehow then..."

"His body should be able to work with that", his wife finished. Unable to help it he shot her a dark look. She just smiled demurely in response.

Ignoring the old couple's play, Richard couldn't help but point out, "That seems a little...."

"It should. The process would be very wasteful. It doesn't matter what we get him. Pills, elixirs, daemon meat, cores, spirit herbs, what have you he will only be able to half refine them at most since he can't move his qi and he definitely shouldn't refine them into arcane energy. Even if he could convert them to qi we would then have to determine whether the process would work with qi instead of raw essence. However it is the only thing we can do to help him", the man admitted.

"We should go to the clan, and tell them what we have found. If we get them to reinstate the provisions for his tellurian cultivation and even increase it we would not have to worry..." Jonas tried to say before he was interrupted.

"NO!" the old magistrate yelled emphatically. "We have been insulted enough. I am not ready to go back and grovel before those myopic cretins. Besides, do you really think those elders would sign off on such an experiment? Even if they did I would not accept it. Let them continue to fund his arcane studies Clara and I will pick up the cost of the materials".

He glanced towards her as he said this and she nodded to indicate her support. She even moved closer to him allowing him to wrap an arm around her waist.

"It will be very expensive!" Jonas reminded them.

He understood where the man was coming from but he also loved his uncle and didn't want him to make any rash decision out of pride. A decision he might regret later. In spite of this, when looking at the old man he saw nothing but grim determination and so he had no choice but to assent to his decision. Richard on the other hand was wholly in support of this. It showed in his eyes.

"Don't worry", their uncle assured them. "I have a lot more saved up than you realise. In addition, Valiant's fortune is still with me and it is untouched. While our belts will be tight for a while, we will not go hungry".

Seeing the sombre look on Jonas' face the magistrate merely laughed and said, "Don't worry. Really it will be fine. Remember that before the true depth of Valerian's talent was discovered your Aunt and I were going to fund his education on our own.

For now, you should focus on Valerian's training. In the meantime, Alfred I will write down a list for you. You will then go to the market and purchase the items we need to test my little theory".

Soon, the talk in the hall dissolved into planning and suggestions on what they should do. Meanwhile, on the other side of the North wall of that very same hall, a young boy opened his eyes. The intense expression of concentration left his face and he pushed off the wall to walk back to his room. His talent for eavesdropping was proving its worth. He had heard all he need to hear.

LupineKing · Mar 3, 2023

Chapter Thirteen: Commander Vorm's Visit

If Valerian wasn't a prince before he was now. His current way of life would make many so green with envy that they'd turn black. He only ate food made from spirit herbs and daemon meat. His drinks consisted of juice from special plants, fruits and daemon milk. He had two precious baths a day. One; a mineral bath filled with precious salts and essence crystals and the other; an evening bath containing herbal remedies. Then there were the elixirs and pills he took like sweets.

All of this was done with the intention of aiding his cultivation. The medicines were to help with the tellurian practitioner tier. They were precious aids that worked alongside cultivation to enable a person speed through the initial stages. However, Valerian did not cultivate as a tellurian. He just popped the pills and relied on them releasing their effects in his body.

Every day, Avery would give him some pills to take at different times of the day. He administered the baths, prepared the precious ingredients and rubbed a special balm on his body that strengthened the amount of world essence that he could absorb.

Funnily, he was only told that they would help him with his cultivation. The true reason was not actually explained to Valerian. He was still a child. It wasn't everything that was told to children. Nor did he have to be consulted about every decision made concerning him. That would be stupid. Why then should he have guardians? He understood that but he had to wonder. If he did not know the truth beforehand, would he truly have accepted their answer at face value?

Probably not. He still had ears and could easily overhear the servants. Apparently, the actions his grandparents had taken had garnered attention. None of them had seen or heard of someone using so many precious substances. In fact, the sheer amount that was used on him each day made many of them feel faint.

One had even remarked that he now understood why his grandfather was referred to as a wastrel by some of the clan members. He too had been fed such precious resources for years without making any progress whatsoever. His father had even gone as far as to hire an alchemist and a cleric to monitor and help him with the intention of curing his condition but had no success.

And now he seemed to be on the same route. Nevertheless, Valerian tried not to let the comments affect him. In fact, Foreson and some of the other elders had come over to question his grandfather over his movements and purchases. They were turned away of course but they did not go quietly. One had announced loudly that if the magistrate wanted to waste his money he was welcome to do so.

Valerian would not let that happen. Even now, sitting at table with his family and eating such precious foods whilst they ate food that was so much inferior to his own made him incredibly uncomfortable. The only reason he ate was because he did not want their efforts to go to waste. In addition to this, he trained even harder.

He put his all into everything and often had to be helped into his special baths as he would be too tired to do anything. If he wasn't training he was cultivating his arcane energy. If he was doing neither he had a book in his hands reading on the arcane in preparation for his lessons with Jonas. Even Richard was honestly impressed and taken aback by his ferocity and progress.

Everyone noticed his efforts and commented on them wondering what had gotten into him. As if it wasn't obvious.

There were literally people with eyes trained on the manor, waiting for him to fail. They had not missed the opportunity to mock his family even more now that they purchased precious cultivation resources so outrageously. The only thing they'd like better now was for their assertions to be proved true. He would not give them that chance.

A troop of men marched towards the gates of DaleGuard with a swift, purposeful stride. There were at least two hundred people in the troop all of whom carried weapons of some kind. Some were clad in full sets of armour while others only had a few pieces but all wore dangerous looks on their faces. They stormed towards the walled city seemingly without care.

Anyone would tell you that was a foolish action. Those walls were not there for show. They were a hundred meters tall and twenty meters thick. Built from a dark stone that was as strong as tempered steel and specially constructed to enhance the city's defensive capabilities.

They were also enchanted to not only be stronger but prevent cultivators, no matter how skilled, from being able to manipulate their material as well. They could try but they would always fail. This was the work of the kingdom's top earth-attributed arcanists. All in all, the walls were a fitting testament to the city's name.

One must never forget that it was and still is a fortified city created with the purpose of guarding the openings in the surrounding mountain ranges that led into the Kingdom of Bathar. While the former viscount may have expanded both the city's limits and purposes, it still remained the headquarters of all military forces in the region.

This meant that not only were its walls nigh unbreachable, its battlements and guard towers just waited for the chance to unleash their wrath on any who dared have inappropriate thoughts towards the people and land it sought to protect. Also, the sheer number of cultivators behind the walls alone would have most would be attackers revise their decision to do so.

Even so, the armed force continued at their pace toward the city. A closer look at their ranks revealed why they were so daring despite the daunting DaleGuard looming over them. They were bearing the standards of the kingdom and of Cragsveil. Clearly, they belonged to the Viscount's forces. Thus, when they marched up to the gate no one rained arrows or spells on them. Instead, the gates remained open for them to come in.
The man at the head of this procession led his men in amid salutes from the soldiers stationed at the gates. Not stopping, he headed for a section of the city clearly marked for military accommodation. There he dismissed his soldiers amid cheers. They quickly dispersed going to their homes and families. In the midst of this, a new squad came up to meet him, their leader coming close to converse in terse whispers.

The leader of the troops was obviously not an ordinary character. He wore a bright silvery helm. It was a beautiful, ornate thing with a single sheet of metal covering his neck and face. It shielded his cheeks whilst leaving only a hard strip covering his nose. The dome of the helmet was also a strange affair with the front displaying a large horn after which a plume of metal bristles began ending in the back with a short tassel. The rest of his armour run along similar lines.

His shoulders and torso were covered in the same decorated silvery metal and he wore large gauntlets that extended to his elbows. The only other pieces he wore were tassets, poleyns, greaves and sabatons all silvery as well. One did not have to examine the StormHawk emblazoned on his left breast to know he was Steelborn.

The two men exchanged harsh whispers before the silver-clad man reared his mount and turned to trot away. Five mounted knights from his original troop immediately followed him along with the new squad and their leader.

The armed men rushed straight to Magistrate Valan's courtyard. There the sound of stomping from the mounts and armed men was heard through most of the household causing many to come out to see the arrivals. They were unafraid because the guardsmen had not stopped them so they were probably not enemies. Still, they were somewhat cautious.

The watchers were treated to the sight of seven mounted dragoons and a squad of infantrymen. The lead dragoon was a man in silvery Steelborn armour atop a massive Hoarfrost Spikesaur. The beast was gigantic, a full metre and a half at its withers and fourteen metres from head to tail. Covered in large, dense white scales it was a fearsome beast.

Armoured, fast, with incredible stamina and the ability to use ice-attributed attacks, it was a perfect battle mount. It was also a daemon, a special beast that was like to normal beasts what cultivators were to normal humans. In its case it was a saur, a class of lizard daemon feared among the reptilian species. The highest class of reptilian daemons, the dragons, were separated into three classes, the drakes, the drakons and the wyrms. Lizard daemons despite not being as highly regarded were similar. They were divided into saurs, crocs and geckos.

The saurs were the land-based lizards and spikesaurs were fearsome even among them. They were ideal battle beasts and mounts, able to fill both roles with ease. The spikesaur had superior attack and defensive abilities. It had a long, ridged, massive prehensile tail that made up about two-thirds of its entire body length, a shocking nine and a half metres. This tail is used as a whip or bludgeon and its dagger-like claws and teeth were fully capable of ripping heavily armoured men to shreds. As for its scales, they were tougher than stone. Not to mention that this was a Hoarfrost. The ice attributed variety, possessing all that entailed.

Naturally strong and fast, this particular saur could run more than twice as fast as a normal horse whilst comfortably carrying thirty times its carry weight. Plus, it was a fully trained battle mount of a high-ranking military officer. But its true value as a mount came from its sheer endurance, resilience and mobility. A horse could maybe move at nearly fifty kilometres per hour unburdened at full gallop but it would never be able to maintain this speed for an extended period of time. The spikesaur was different. It could run at max speed for a day or two, heavily burdened, with little strain.

It was also armoured thanks to its scales and its massive, toed feet allowed it to move on an incredible variety of terrain. The lizard could move on rocky, marshy, flat, loose, sloped and frozen ground. It was these factors that made saurs in general the preferred mount of Bathar's elite heavy dragoon battalion -- The Saurians.

However, even among saurs the Hoarfrost Spikesaur was in a class of its own. Its scales were tougher, it had a crown of savage spikes on its head and a few other parts of its body and could use ice-attributed daemonic arts. In addition to this, the particular specimen that had been ridden into the magistrate's yard was an extremely powerful and beautiful one. There couldn't be more than three such beasts in the whole city let alone one with an actual master serving in the military.

Seeing it also dispelled any wariness that the members of the household could have had. The daemon as well as its rider of the beast were familiar to them. Even Valerian who had been drawn out by the commotion immediately went back to his courtyard to continue his training, leaving Richard to handle it.

Valerian had long held Jonas Steelborn, lord tier arcanist and second circle array master as arguably the most famous of the relatives he had met. Arguably. The reason for the use of this term was because of the man who had just ridden in on his high-class battle mount.

Vorm Steelborn, king tier arcanist and commander of the Viscount's forces of DaleGuard's military. Array masters were very highly reputed and Jonas was recognised as the most gifted one in his generation. However, Vorm was an Arcane King.

Arcane King! The very words made the bones of many shudder in admiration and even Valerian was not exempt. Before he had just seen it as a lofty title for a great cultivator but now that he was an arcanist himself he finally understood what it really meant. The tiers in cultivation were not just steps on a ladder. Each implied a certain level of power and comprehension of the mysteries that was beyond his current understanding.

That fact that Vorm had achieved this alone marked him as a gifted talent and the fact that he did so before the age of fifty marked him as a prodigy. Not that Jonas was any less of one. He was an Arcane Lord, a veritable level of power but the only reason he could even be mentioned in the same breath as someone so far above him in strength and status was due to his skill as an array master. The worth of a second circle array master did not lose out to that of an Arcane King.

Richard walked up to the assembled men calling out joyfully, for him at least. "Vorm".

The armoured knight leapt off his mount replying in turn, "Richard".

"Is uncle in?" he asked in addition.

Richard had some inkling as to what this visit was about so he nodded and motioned him over. "Come".

He led his cousin into the manor. Those who observed saw that as they crossed the threshold Vorm's unique helmet suddenly shimmered and liquefied, running down his neck to become part of his breastplate. It was no trick of the light. His breastplate liquefied next triggering the entire ensemble to do the same. The silvery liquid swirled around him once before being sucked into the ring on his right index finger.

LupineKing · Mar 3, 2023

Chapter Fourteen: Commander Vorm's Mission

Armour put away, Vorm allowed himself to be ushered in to meet his uncle. His own father had been the magistrate's elder brother. Sadly, he died young. Thus even though Vorm grew up with his mother he had an incomparably precious relationship with his uncle. Valan was not just his uncle, he was also his teacher and his father figure.

He counted himself as fortunate. His father may have died but having Valan as his uncle afforded him the things that made him who he was today. He was the leader of Cragsveil's military, commanding four thousand, five hundred warriors. What some called the O'be clan curse had worked in his favour turning him into a recognised powerhouse with abilities others could never fathom. Again, it was Valan who gave him the guidance necessary for that to happen.

When a subordinate informed him of the magistrate's troubles he tossed everything aside. Despite coming home from an extended deployment and a lengthy campaign he did not go home to rest or to his wife and children. Instead, he rushed to his uncle's house. This was more than enough to show how much he valued this particular uncle of his.

"So ... you were gone for quite a while this time but I did not hear any news of battle at the Pronged Gap!" Richard inquired.

"There was none", he answered.

"I was about to head back when I received intel that a Dire Daemon had made its way over the boundary and was causing chaos along the East. I decided to deal with that before coming home. It took longer than expected."

Richard chuckled, a single dire daemon would never delay him that long. "A Horde Lorde huh? The newcomers are always so brash. They honestly think that despite the fact they could not make it out in the Wildlands they can run rampant here."

Vorm couldn't help but smile. He shared that opinion. Still, this particular Horde Lorde had some reason to be cocky. It had many powerful subordinates and a proper grasp of the properties of its element. It would probably have risen to the profound tier soon. Thankfully, he got there in time to stop it.

The two men had never truly been close but they had similar dispositions. Nevertheless, they took the time to catch up a bit before Valan came out to meet him. Once the old man came, however, Richard made an excuse to leave knowing that they needed to speak privately.

"Good morning uncle!" Vorm began.

"Good morning Vorm. Hope all is well", the magistrate answered casually.

"All is well Uncle. I have come about the matters concerning Valerian and yourself", Vorm stated simply. He had to cut to the chase. If he did not and ended up drawn into the magistrate's pace it would be dinner before they were done.

"Ah! As I suspected. Tell me, what have you heard?" the magistrate added.

"I learnt of Valerian's outstanding prospects, of his dual force nature and the rumours of his crippling disability", he answered.

The magistrate's eyes hardened. It was nearly imperceptible but Vorm caught it. Not only was he that good but he had also known the man all his life. He wouldn't dare say that the man was bare before him but he could certainly notice when he hid something especially now when he was watching closely for a reaction.

"Valerian is not crippled. His is a problem stemming from his mother's legacy", the old man stated matter of factly.

"Yes. I heard that too. Only I was told it was an excuse you were using to avoid admitting that your defective blood had been passed on" Vorm pushed.

It seemed harsh but he knew from experience that he had to do it. He had to push his uncle in order to have the full story come out. He wanted that. Not an hour long lecture that would have them skim the subject and the issues involved then retire for tea before a second session. He was here for information, not a lesson. He would get it.

"What is it you wish to know Vorm?" the magistrate asked blandly.

He was neither blind nor stupid. He knew exactly what his nephew was doing. He didn't approve but he knew that the boy -- no -- man would keep pushing until he had his way. After he had tried so hard to teach him patience too.

"Let's start with what happened exactly?" he replied finally leaning back in his chair.

The magistrate did the same reaching up to stroke his long beard as he did so. Then he set out to weave his tale. Vorm did not stop him. His uncle was the best narrator and storyteller he had ever met. He settled in looking forward to what he had to say. This led the magistrate to smile. Little Vorm always loved a story.

"My dear nephew. I hope you remember my stance regarding cultivation and the proper age for children to start it", he opened.

"How could I not? Because of it I only began cultivation when I was ten", Vorm answered.

"Good, good. Then, does it not strike you as odd that Valerian is cultivating at the age of eight?" he questioned with a small smile.

Vorm was startled. It was only now he reflected on it that he realised that it was strange. His uncle had always maintained that it was stupid and unnecessary to make children begin cultivation before they were ten years old. He argued that true progress in cultivation only begins with the onset of puberty and anything before that would only help with the foundation. So apart from establishing some of the basics such as control, there was no basis for starting so early.

This flew in the face of the general practice that had children begin as soon as they were able. However, the magistrate cared little about that. He pointed out that the overemphasis on cultivation was what allowed children to grow up empty-headed and ignorant. Besides the basic numbers and letters, the only things they knew had to do with cultivation. This was a serious shortcoming that could lead to problems in the future.

The head start wasn't worth it in his opinion. Not when there would be next to no physical growth till puberty, meaning that training would be unable to show its results. Or the fact that it was during puberty that natural essence absorption peaked to facilitate the changes, making that the best time for even arcanists to train. Even a person's own essence would be stimulated during this period doubling the effects of all efforts.

Thus, he felt that the years before were better spent on more scholarly and childish pursuits. If training the body and the essence was not very effective why not focus on the mind? After all, these were children they were talking about. How many had the attention or comprehension to make any meaningful gains when they were forced to train instead of play at so young an age?

However, if you spent time teaching them the things they would need as adults you'd not only broaden their knowledge but their minds as well. This would help with their comprehensive abilities and develop them into more balanced adults.

This was a conviction he had held for most of his life. A conviction that had caused Vorm, Richard, Jonas and even Valiant to be forced to wait until they were ten to even begin cultivation. They were forced to sit through boring lessons on politics, strategy, philosophy, cultivation theory and other such subjects whilst their colleagues were busy with their baptisms and transformations. You would have thought they were to become scholars.
Nonetheless, the effects of their lessons revealed themselves when they began actual cultivation. It was like they cultivated their minds first before they progressed to their bodies and energies. Each of them was far ahead of those same peers who started before them.

He was a medial Arcane King, a reputed spell caster and a famed commander. If Richard had not suffered his injury he would definitely be a king as well. Jonas was an expert array master of the second circle an achievement that couldn't be over praised and Valiant ... he had outdone them all.

For his uncle to go against his own convictions and let his grandson cultivate at his age, there had to be a reason. "Why?" he asked.

"I see it's begun to dawn on you", the magistrate said smiling. "I was forced to let Valerian start so early because of a small discovery we made nearly three months ago". Then he began to tell his nephew some of the events of the last two months.

"You're saying that Valerian's body is somehow self-cultivating?" Vorm asked bewildered.

The magistrate nodded sagely.

"And that the reason you are buying all these resources is to provide it the fuel it needs to continue?"

Again the old man nodded.

"You are sure that his condition has to do with his mother and not yours? That it has nothing to do with the O'be curse?" Vorm asked for the second time.

The magistrate looked annoyed. "Do you think that I of all people will be mistaken on this issue?"

Vorm thought about it and decided that it was very, very unlikely. There was no one more knowledgeable about the O'be and their curse than his uncle. The man had searched and researched for so many years trying to understand his defect and the source of it. There was no way he would not be able to tell if Valerian's condition was similar to his or not.

"Have you spoken to the elders? Get them to know what is happening. With their support you will probably find other ways to help Valerian" he suggested.

The magistrate merely snorted in anger. "The elders! Forget them! Most of them do not even know about Valerian's special physique. That was classified as a secret on par with the O'be legacy. When Valerian woke up and the problem was first discovered I broached the issue. They actually nearly considered it. Then they remembered that I was a crippled wastrel and immediately concluded that Valerian's problem was my fault".

As he spoke he couldn't but think back to the moment when the great elder pulled him outside. Unlike the ignorant Elder Grant she as a great elder was in the know about the true nature of his condition and the O'be legacy. But all she did was ask whether he was sure that Valerian's condition had nothing to do with the O'be curse. He assured her that it was not.

However even as he spoke he could see the disbelief on her face. He knew then and there that he wasting his breath. Which was easier to believe? That the inability to move qi was related to a mystery legacy belonging to a missing woman of whom little was known or to the one curse they knew with similar effects. The great elder looked at him and informed him that be that as it may the clan would have to withdraw its support. It could not afford to waste resources.

The meeting held later was just a formality. The issue had been decided there. The elders were already of the mind that Valerian was as crippled as he was and were prepared to cut their losses early. They only held off on his arcane cultivation because they did not want to be seen doing so without proper proof. But to them, there was no need. Not when it was so obvious.

At first, Valan had been infuriated but eventually, he too began to doubt. Could Valerian's condition really be traced back to him? It would fit. He knew nothing about his daughter-in-law's true origins. Who is to say she even had a legacy? What if this was all just another form of the curse?

Thankfully, good news came just in time to break him from his downward spiral. From that moment, he knew what to do.
Vorm looked at his uncle unsure of what to say. He knew how touchy the subject was but he was not sure that the old man was making the right decision. To bet everything on an untried theory was too reckless. Uncle Valan did not do reckless.

"Are you sure there is no other way? Perhaps we should invite some experts to come and examine the boy. They could find something to help", he broached.

"Find what?" the magistrate barked.

"I have narrowed the problem to a blood legacy he inherited from his mother but without knowing what that legacy is we can do nothing. It could be that he needs a special cultivating method, a special device, or substance, or environment or any other number of things. We can't know because we have no idea what the legacy is.

"If there's a problem, we wouldn't know. His legacy has not revealed any obvious characteristics that we can use to deduce its nature or origin. Thankfully, we can tell that it is active due to it transforming his body. The best we can do is wait for it to reveal more of itself. But we have no idea how to do that as well. So we are banking on it doing so during puberty or when his one of energies, probably his qi, reaches the gathering or condensation stage", he elaborated.

"That is..." Vorm began but he could not continue. He could not see any way out of it. They were backed into a corner. The only other route was to ask Valerian to give up on his qi cultivation which was obviously not even an option.

"But after that, what then?" he was forced to ask.

To call someone a tellurian when he did not even practice a qi cultivation method was a stretch. Their importance to cultivation could not be overstated. Even if Valerian got to the qi gathering stage what then. He could only ever be an inferior cultivator for the rest of his life.

"Even I cannot see that far ahead", his uncle admitted. "With luck, something would change by then but if not once his meridians are open there are alternative methods of training we can try".
"Qi tempering! You're planning for him to undergo qi tempering when he achieves qi movement" Vorm realised with some distaste.

Once a tellurian succeeded in opening his eight meridians he could move his qi through them. They would become roads or channels allowing him to distribute his qi throughout his body and move his qi to wherever it was needed. It was only after this stage that a person would have control over his qi and be able to use it to perform skills or enhance his body.

Qi tempering was an ancient form of tellurian cultivation, from a time when cultivation methods with true mysteries were not so widespread. They strengthened qi in a variety of ways and could have some very good effects. However, they lacked any inherent mysteries making them inferior to actual cultivation methods for the most part.

Many were still used today but only as supplementary techniques, not mainstay ones. Plus, besides some really old clans and tribes, very few had any qi tempering methods worth a damn. For Valerian to practise such methods as his primary form of cultivation was as good as cutting his path short. He could never even dream of reaching the higher tiers.
Vorm shook his head dispiritedly. 'Is this really all we can hope for?' he asked himself dispiritedly.

"Don't look so glum", his uncle ribbed.

"You might look down on qi tempering but the actual techniques are better than you think. Also, not all hope is lost. These are just things for the meantime. I've got feelers out searching for any information on his mother and her origins and I have contacts that might be able to get us some qi tempering methods of the king tier when the time comes".

Vorm was incredulous. Sounds of shouting distracted him for a second and caused his eyes to flick towards the entrance but he ignored them for the sake of the conversation he was having.
"You want to begin a search of the same kind that drove Valiant mad with obsession and resulted in his disappearance?" he broached in a careful tone.

"Yes", the magistrate said softly, gaining that look he always did when his son was mentioned. "We have to. If there's any chance it may help Valerian we have to take it".

"I'll handle that", Vorm suggested. Best to keep the old man away from the matter. Then to change the subject he asked. "You know, I have never spent much time with the young man. Is he really as bright as you all say?"

That got a smile from the old man. "Hah! Recently I've been forced to admit that even I underestimated him".

"Really, do tell?" he asked now honestly curious.

"He has achieved the perfect arcane vessel theorised in the Manifold Elemental Incarnations!"

Vorm was gobsmacked at the news. He made to say something when the sounds from the commotion in the front yard heightened, cutting him off.

LupineKing · Mar 5, 2023

Chapter Fifteen: Let Loose

When Richard followed Commander Vorm into the manor, Valerian knew that the day's training session was officially over. He still kept at it though. Going through the stances whilst focusing on the mantra and principles so that they would entrench themselves more fully in his mind. He lacked the qi mastery to bring out the true might and profundities in the moves but the goal of training at this stage was to sculpt his body and ingrain the skills in his muscle memory.

So he busied himself for a while before his sharp hearing caught wisps of the conversation that the soldiers were having. Unsure of what he heard, he moved closer.

"That's right! Everyone thought that the brat was some sort of heaven-warping talent. Who would have thought that he would be disabled? He cannot move his qi! It does not respond to anything at all", he heard one say.

"It's true. I heard it as well. They say that the Steelborn elders gave him more than a score of methods to try but none of them worked. He even ended up hurt from trying. You guys were stationed at the towers and so you do not know what has been happening in the city. But in my opinion, it was obvious from the start. The grandfather is an ostrich, how could his grandson soar into the heavens as a raptor? He was probably just dreaming of being a peerless talent".

"Just think about it. Innate dual attributes, dual forces and an essence level forty-one times normal. Does this magistrate take us to be fools? It is obvious that he was just trying to con his clan into giving him more resources", another added.

Unable to take it Valerian rushed out to the front yard fixing the speaking men with a fierce glare. Immediately, all sounds of conversation in the main courtyard ceased. Many of the military men even looked embarrassed to have been caught gossiping. He ignored them fixing his gaze instead on the ones he knew had been saying those nasty things.

Both men were middle-aged and well-built but the first speaker was quite unkempt for an infantryman. Valerian could smell the alcohol on his breath from his spot thirty metres away. He wore simple leather armour that was tattered on his right side. The second man was younger and cleaner with thin pursed lips and a large forehead. They were clearly infantrymen since they were not among the soldiers who came in mounted but those who walked beside them.

Valerian felt even more enraged, low levelled peons like these were looking down on his family. He had been right to suspect that they had become the talk of the city. He noted their appearances down, adding them to his list before turning to glare at the manor guards.

The guards looked away sheepishly unable to meet his gaze. They knew they were in the wrong. They, the guards of the household, had actually allowed outsiders to come into their territory and disrespect their lord. Frankly, they were a little ashamed but they also felt vindicated by the fact that those men spoke the truth.

Having quelled them Valerian turned to go back inside when a voice came from behind.

"Hmph! See him strutting like he's all that!"

Valerian recognised the voice as belonging to the man with the large forehead. So he turned around to look at the man again the look on his face asking if he dared that way speak to his face. However, he was unable to silence him like he did earlier because the man was strangely emboldened.

"What? Stop scrunching your face! Are you going to cry brat? You should you little cripple", the man added then looking towards his companions he continued bitterly.

"Can you believe this brat? Coming out here like he was going to attack us. Who does he think he is? Do you know how much gold is being wasted on this cripple? I heard his grandfather was a legendary wastrel but junior seems to want to break his record. If I had even a tenth I'd be a true practitioner by now, paid off my debts and enrolled my children in some academy..."

Valerian was surprised. He understood mockery but the vehemence in the man's words was something else and he wasn't stopping. He looked towards the guards stationed around the courtyard all of whom seemed to be looking away as if they couldn't notice anything. He caught sight of some of the servants. Some of them pretended to be busy but most of the people in the courtyard were looking at the proceedings without doing anything.
It was only then that Valerian realised that he was on his own. He looked at the same servants and guards he usually joked around with. The ones who told him stories and called him young master. None of them would even stand up to defend him or his family when the situation called for it. He cursed himself. He had been such a fool. What had he expected? That he would come over and his status would magically cause them to reconsider.
His eyes stung with unshed tears and he turned his back to the onlookers to blink them away without being noticed. The disgruntled soldier continued to rain abuse on him but Valerian did not care at that point.

He'd show them. He really would! He'd tell his grandmother and get them all punished. They'd be sacked or fed to the hounds. No! They'd be given to Sela to play with. They'd see. He would make them regret it.

Behind him, the soldier continued to speak. Not even he was sure what he was talking about anymore. What had started out as a mockery of the magistrate and his grandson soon became a rant on the Steelborns and their tyranny. Then it escalated to an attack on all nobles in general before narrowing back on the Steelborns and their 'haughtiness'.

He was a bitter, impoverished man whose wife was cheating on him and whose children did not respect him. He had numerous debts and had recently been told that he was actually sterile calling the paternity of his kids into question. To sum up, he was a man who had finally gotten a chance to vent and thus he could not stop his resentment from pouring out.

Around him, his colleagues were distancing themselves. Mentally telling themselves that they were not here and they could not see anything. His friend, the not too sober one, was worried. He was taking it too far. Not only was he yelling abuse at a child, but he was also forgetting in his rant the fact that the boy was the grandson of a sitting magistrate as well as their commander's very own nephew. To the side, one of the armoured knights made a move to stop him but was stopped by another knight.

"...stupid Steelborn outsiders. You should just go away and take your filthy blood with you!"

Something in Valerian snapped. Whereas before he had been leaving. Planning to take his revenge by setting his grandmother loose on the offenders he just stood stock still for half a second. Rage poured out of him as in an extreme burst of speed, he appeared in the air right in front of the spit-spewing man. He was blinded by anger but not enough to forget Harry's first principle.

"Put in all force when attacking, taking out your opponent in a single strike!"

The disgruntled soldier did not even see it coming. One second the sniffling brat was slinking off, the next he was under attack. Lucky for him, his training kicked in. Instinct and ingrained reactions are always faster than conscious thought. Qi rushed into his arms as he crossed them in front of his face to shield his head.

Alas, despite being in the qi manifestation stage he was just too weak because he practised an inferior cultivation method. How could he block a strike coming from Valerian, who was far stronger than any child had a right to be?

Valerian would not have cared anyway. It was as if he had tunnel vision. The only thing he cared about was his fist meeting his target. He did not even realise that he had covered a distance of thirty meters in the time it took to blink twice, a new record for him. Fuelled by his rage his armoured fist shot forward carrying a shocking murderous intent and the desire to make his enemy pay.

His small gauntleted fist was like a wrought iron ball shot from a cannon. It smacked against the soldier's arms with such force that an audible crunch could be heard reverberating through the courtyard. All who heard it winced but there was nothing they could do to stop it. Valerian's sudden attack had surprised everyone, not just the man he was attacking.

SNAP! CRASH!

The onlookers were forced to watch the disgruntled soldier's arms shattering in the face of the overwhelming force that met and overpowered them. The power was actually so great that his supporting arm bent backwards and broke a second time when it struck his massive forehead. Also, since it was a downward strike he was even knocked to the ground shattering some of the stone tiles of the paved courtyard, his face covered in his own blood.

What Valerian saw was a little different. His sharp vision registered the fear and regret on the man's face and the momentary distortion from the impact and the pain. It satisfied him in a bloodthirsty way that he had made the man regret his words. That he had actually caused the man to be afraid. Would he dare insult his family now?

Everyone, guards, servants, and soldiers stood there stunned. The sheer force and ferocity behind the attack left them breathless. No one could have predicted this outcome. They were so shocked that it took them a second to realise that Valerian was raising his fist to launch another attack following Harry's second principle.

"Seize all openings to put down your opponent!"

Fortunately for the downed soldier, his friend was a little less stunned than the rest of the soldiers. He blindsided Valerian knocking him away with a charging tackle. The young boy was thrown aside rolling a few times on the pavement before rising to his feet. He was only fortunate that the man had not followed up with the attack. Rather, he stopped to check on his friend.

The man was barely breathing, broken bones were poking out of his arms and his mouth was filling with blood. Wiping his friend's face and turning him over so he would not choke on his own blood, the tipsy soldier was shaken into sobriety.

If his friend hadn't raised his hands to protect himself? If he hadn't enhanced himself with qi? If he was any weaker? If he himself had not gotten there in time to stop the second strike?

Confronted with the fact that his friend had nearly died the man was understandably shaken. As it was, even if he recovered he would be a cripple. For a few moments, he could do nothing but stare at the wreck his friend had turned into. Then his panic and worry swiftly changed into anger. Sword drawn, he charged towards the perpetrator. At this point, he did not care that he had just attacked his commander's nephew or that his friend probably deserved it. He wanted revenge.

"YOU BRAT!!"

It was now Valerian's turn to panic. By this time his rage had dissipated and the adrenaline was wearing off. His head swung from side to side taking in the scene around him. The guards and servants stared at him as if looking at him for the first time. He could see the fear and shock on their faces. And he could see the tiles that had cracked from the impact caused by the man hitting the ground and the bloody misshapen lump lying in the middle.

His eyes widened when he saw the wrathful soldier coming for him. This one was different from the first one. He was not distracted and was coming at him with the intent to kill. Much weaker than his friend, he had only opened six of his eight meridians so he was unable to use any true qi skills. However, he could still channel his qi through the open ones to enhance himself. Plus, his killing intent, forged from dozens of bloody battles erupted in full force.

It closed in on Valerian's inexperienced form, making him feel like he was drowning in his own fear. Unbidden his eyes flicked towards the other soldiers pleading for help. He was met with the sight of them standing at the ready with their weapons drawn. Erroneously thinking that they too were preparing to attack him, he nearly gave up.

It was a conditioned response. Having faced an attack, their first reaction as military men was to ready their weapons in case they were to be attacked next, especially after such a furious unexpected attack like Valerian's. It was only the knights that did not do so but that was because they were powerful and fully confident of being able to handle a less than minor figure like Valerian.

Valerian had read many books. Among them was a story about warriors who lived on the battlefield because it was where they felt most at home. The reason being that it was only in the throes of combat that they were truly themselves. Fighting was what brought out their true nature. While an overly romanticised tale, it did have some true facts.

Confronting danger was one of the ways to tell one's true nature. Every living thing had a flight or fight instinct. When thrust into a dangerous situation there were some who run as fast and as far away as possible. Others would fight to their last breath if they had to, staking their survival on the outcome of the battle. Placed in the same situation and left with no way out, Valerian was surprised to find out that he did not turn his back. Rather, his fear prompted him to fight his way out.

Something was born inside him at that instant. A defining trait he would not notice until much later in life. It was a mentality to take the bull by the horns instead of trying to outpace it. Both were equally ridiculous but in his mind getting gored from the front whilst doing his best to take his killer with him was better than getting gored from the back while running away.

He was a cornered animal that sought to force his way out of his tight spot instead of digging a route to freedom and his essence answered this need. All he felt was a rush of arcane energy and then all the weapons in the area seemed to leap towards him. Even pieces of armour and the pot in the hands of one of the servants came flying towards him.

The shocked gazes he was enduring became even more intense when all registered the fact that he was now surrounded by a wide range of metallic objects. Each of them pointed outwards as if daring someone to come forward.

Swords, spears, three axes, four shields, many pieces of armour and a pot swirled around an eight-year-old boy who was just as shocked as the people around him. It was probably the biggest surprise of the day. A few of the more experienced people there had managed to channel their qi or arcane energy into their weapons and armour to prevent them from answering Valerian's call.

The most pitiful ones were those whose own weapons had harmed them in their flight or had had their armour violently ripped off their bodies before they discerned what was happening. One was even dragged a few feet by his well-buckled breastplate before he coated it with his qi. The attacking soldier was no exception in this case. He stood there looking dumb as the sword in his hand ended up protecting his enemy. Its quavering tip pointed in his direction.

Tension filled the air and Valerian was at the centre of it. Seeking to dispel this atmosphere and get things to calm down the knight who had been stopped by his colleague earlier stepped forward. He raised his right hand but before he could get a word in, a sword shot at him. Quickly sidestepping the missile, he began to reconsider his decision to get involved.

Valerian couldn't help it. He panicked when he saw the knight move and when he did, the sword flew out to protect him. He knew full well that the knights were the most dangerous people here. The fact that they had special horses and full plate armour more than highlighted this fact. Operating on the notion that all the soldiers were enemies made him jump when the heavily armoured man moved towards him. Now he was even more worried.
They had not made a move yet but his attack could cause them to.

Thankfully he did not have to continue wondering whether he had broken a cease-fire or whether the knights were going to get into the fray because at that moment a booming voice bellowed.

"WHAT IN THE THREE REALMS IS GOING ON HERE?"

Valerian turned. Help had come. "UNCLE RICHARD, THEY WANT TO KILL ME!"

LupineKing · Mar 6, 2023

Chapter Sixteen: Contradicting Views?

Whatever was going on outside was now too loud to ignore. Vorm could even make out screaming and the clashing of metal on metal. He quickly made his way outside, Valan following warily. The two were met with an interesting sight. All the soldiers were up in arms and standing in a defensive formation with terrified expressions on their faces. At their head were the armoured knights Vorm came with, only they looked like they had been mangled by a wild beast.

Following their scared eyes to the side of the courtyard, they saw an unkempt soldier dangling in one of Richard's large hands and half the dragoons lying on the floor. The infantryman had already fallen unconscious. He was only held up due to Richard not letting go of his jerkin leaving his feet to drag on the floor. Next to him, on the floor beneath Richard's foot was the poor knight who had only tried to keep things from escalating.
Confused, they tried harder to understand the inexplicable scene. The atmosphere was beyond tense. The soldiers looked ready to ... retreat and Richard looked like he was preparing to give chase. Despite this, the two sides seemed temporarily frozen. The servants were the only ones moving. Obviously panicked, some run indoors for shelter whilst others run out to watch.

The most eye-catching sight was Richard facing off against the scared soldiers. With the soldier in one hand, spear in the other and a knight beneath one foot, he looked like a warlord and the main courtyard, a battlefield. Then there was Valerian still surrounded by the many metallic articles that hovered around him like sentries. It was only after this that they noticed the bloody sight on the paving stones.

Just a minute ago.

Truth be told, the moment that Valerian recognised the yell as his uncle's he knew he was safe. A sense of relief flooded his gut. However, he didn't really calm down. Instead, with his voice still high with panic, he screamed out a frightened response.

"UNCLE RICHARD, THEY WANT TO KILL ME!"

Everyone's expression changed. The soldiers in particular were instantly filled with dread but they were unable to do anything in the short pause before all hell broke loose. Richard did not wait for a second opinion or side. He registered Valerian's appearance as well as the things caught up by his arcane energy and turned to face the unkempt soldier and the broken heap behind him.

Then he burst into action.

He knew full well that Valerian had not been taught metal manipulation yet and that one of the few things that could force someone to manifest abilities early was danger. Combining this with the bloody soldier on the floor, the unkempt one with his friend's blood on him and the fact that some of the soldiers still had their weapons out told him all he need to know.

In two steps, he had the drunk in hand. "How dare you?" he growled.

The man tried to struggle but it was no use. A soldier still opening his meridians vs a knight at the very peak of the Lord tier. Like a field mouse vs a tiger, it was comical. The armoured dragoon who tried to break things up earlier tried again. Racing to Richard's side in an attempt to stop things from getting out of hand, he made to extricate his subordinate whiles saying.

"Please calm down. We can settle this..."

All he received as thanks was a swift backhand that knocked him out and a not so nice place to rest on the floor.

"Settle this? You come in here and attack my nephew and now you want to settle this?" Richard barked.

Sparing the man no mercy he stomped on his chest. Denting his armour and keeping him knocked out and pinned. Even if the man had been awake he would certainly have gone back to sleep. And that was the intention. According to the fighting arts of Harry and Clude, a battle was never over until you had well and truly put your opponent out of it. The knight was definitely out.

However, this sparked the anger of the other knights and they rushed forth. Their own colleague had just been callously smacked unconscious and trampled before them. How could they not be angry? He was such a nice guy. Kind, honourable, loyal and dedicated, he fully played the role of a chivalrous knight. All he wanted to do was help and all he received in return was a cruel, savage blow.

In response to their charge and fury, a long spear appeared in Richard's left hand. It was a little more than three meters long and its shaft was made from a pitch-black metal capped at the bottom with a dark grey metallic spike. The shaft was covered in a few silver glyphs but was otherwise unadorned. The spearhead was a different matter, however. It was made from two distinct metals or perhaps one metal with two colours.
The sword-like blade was forty centimetres long and came with a v-shaped hilt where it met the haft. The blade was double-edged, eight centimetres wide where it met the hilt and slowly tapered to a sharp point. It had a lustrous silver core making up its middle four centimetres and a dark grey metal at the edges.

The moment it appeared, an aura of power and might swirled around it revealing to all just how powerful it was. Perhaps this had something to do with the three daemonic essence crystals embedded in it. Starting at the hilt was a large gold oval crystal followed by two smaller cyan and bright red ones. This was not all. Like the shaft, the blade was inscribed with glyphs along the core, only these ones weren't silver, they were gold.
Valerian looked at the spear like he always did; with awe. It was his uncle's pride and joy. Cloud Piercer, the Royal Artefact that served as Richard's father's weapon. Damaged in the battle that claimed the man's life, Richard, Jonas and the magistrate had put in a lot of resources and effort to make it even better than before. It showed.

From the instant the spear materialised, the hearts of the five knights clenched. From the ease with which Richard had subdued their colleague, they knew that defeating him would be very difficult but once the spear appeared they knew it was impossible. Equipment was an important facet of strength. Richard already surpassed them in power so with such a weapon there was nothing for them to do. One quickly communicated a plan to his comrades with a voice transmission.

The plan was simple. They might not be able to beat him but they did not have to. Four of them would confront him and force him away whilst the last person would grab their colleague. With this in mind, they rushed him. Subsequently, they failed utterly.

Two strikes! That's all it took. Two one-handed spear strikes from a man with a soldier in his right hand and another under his boot. That was all it took to send them reeling and bleeding.

Sparks of admiration nearly shot out of Valerian's eyes like fireworks. He had always known his uncle was powerful but seeing him in action was another thing. The man was an immovable mountain. He defeated those other knights with such ease he had trouble believing it. Spears were two-handed weapons but he wielded his with one hand. His left hand. Without any skills or flashy attacks, without releasing his captives or using his qi, without even transforming, he defeated five other knights so quickly that Valerian did not even see the attacks.

Seeing that effortless strength, that unquestionable might, created an intense desire in Valerian's heart. It must be understood that just a few seconds before he was on the verge of despair. A single low-ranked warrior was about to kill him and yet his uncle had fended off five high-ranked ones without even trying. Staring at that broad armoured back gave him a glimpse of the kind of person he wanted to grow up to be.
The opposite was true for the soldiers on the other side. Their dread had turned into terror. Seeing how their superiors had been so easily dealt with made them understand that they were doomed. There was no way they were getting out of this mess.

Fortunately for them, Vorm and Valan appeared and the issue was quickly resolved without any more violence.

Valerian was in his courtyard. The morning's start was still fresh in everyone's minds but standing there in the quiet courtyard provided an atmosphere that was more calming than the blood-stained pave stones of the main courtyard. Here, Valerian was surrounded by his family, most of whom looked at him with pity. The reason for this was due to his punishment. Yes, he had been punished and at the moment he was kneeling, hands clenched, feeling cheated.

"But they started it!" he argued.

"That does not matter!" his grandfather yelled furiously. "They might have been in the wrong but it was not your place to do anything about it. What have I told you? If someone does something you come to me, your grandmother or your uncles. You seek an adult, you don't take it into your hands".

"The guards were there and they weren't doing anything!" he mumbled.

"All the more reason for you to ignore them! Or did you honestly think that attacking a squad of warriors accompanied by six dragoons was a smart choice?" Valan carped.

"I thought I had pressed upon you that violence is not a proper means of solving problems. That only brutes have that mentality. Had you thought it through you would have remembered that your Uncle Richard was not far or that you could come get your Uncle Vorm to quell the disorder. They were his soldiers and he is the one responsible for them not you".

"Remember! Violence cannot be your first resort when it comes to solving problems. That is a bad habit many cultivators have. They seem to forget that there are other ways to deal with issues. Rather than negotiate or apologize they compound issues by fighting. You have to be better than that, smarter than that."

Valerian kept quiet he realised that no amount of arguing would get him out of this. That didn't stop him from feeling angry inside. Why didn't his grandfather understand? It was like he did not hear all the insults that people were muttering behind their backs. If you did not shut them up they would continue to do so with impunity. Mentally, he scoffed. Reasoning was something that was done among equals.

Wildebeest could never talk lions out of eating them no matter how they attempted to reason with them. Why? Because they were weak and the lions were strong. Their only hope lay in fighting the lions off or running away. That way they either got away or convinced the lions that they would be too much trouble to deal with.

Valerian knew the truth. Today confirmed it for him. When his attackers realised he could fight back they changed their tune. Hadn't they stopped belittling him? Granted, the situation escalated but that was only because he wasn't strong enough to properly put them down. When Uncle Richard did it no one stepped forward again because they rightly recognised that he was someone they could not beat. He had the might necessary. One day Valerian would too.

Valan looked at his grandson finally taking note of the hard set of his jaw and the tightness of his fists. Immediately, he knew that he was not getting through to him. He sighed. Perhaps it was not such a good idea to lecture him when their emotions were still so charged. He would leave the boy to finish stewing and then calm down before broaching the topic again.

"Remain kneeling and think about what you have done today. I hope you will understand the consequences of what happened today and how far they could have reached. Think about what would have happened if your uncles were not here to protect you and the trouble you could have brought upon yourself and this family. I will be back when I feel you have had enough time to do so".
With that, he turned and walked away. 'Why can't they ever understand?' he asked himself.

Cultivators were all too proud. The problem came from their power and how they were treated by society. It made them too arrogant. The attention caused them to view things from how others would do so. It made them overly conscious of how they were viewed by others and caused them to base their esteem on the way their fellows viewed them and act with that in mind.

He had seen and heard of too many people who had died to 'save face'. He had been witness to far too many disputes that could have been stopped if either side had just taken the time to talk things through instead of posturing and blustering. He had judged too many cases where things got blown completely out of proportion when all it would have taken was one smart person to halt the catastrophe at the beginning.
Who cared about your face when you were dead? A short epitaph to your stupidity and then your dependents would be left to fend for themselves. That was all you got.

The world of cultivators was built around their powers and their reputations. It was why instead of talking or using their heads they would use their powers instead. The thing about being strong is that there is always someone stronger. What if you run into that person? The whole thing was a trait he had to prevent Valerian from gaining and he would.

Vorm shot Valerian one last look before following his uncle out of the courtyard. Richard followed as well. He had to admit that he was surprised. From all accounts, Valerian was a smart, level-headed boy but today he had seen his fierce side. His mind went back to the image of the soldier with the broken arms. To think one punch from an eight-year-old did all that damage...

"Richard, would you mind telling uncle that I am fully behind his plan, whatever it is? We cannot let that boy waste his talents. If he has this much power now, imagine what he could achieve in the future. I will contribute a share of the resources he needs."

Richard shot him a glance. He was not happy with the way things had been resolved. To him the punishment was unfair but he understood it. He was just unhappy that more attention was not being focused on the people who had caused the whole mess in the first place.

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" he asked icily.

Having grown up with Richard, Vorm could pinpoint the source of his aggression. The man wasn't angry with him per se but the soldiers who caused this mess were under his command and so the responsibility was his nonetheless. He answered the man's question hoping that would appease him.

"I have to oversee the punishment of some eighteen soldiers".

Richard shot him another glance and said gruffly, "I'll do it later".

Vorm was puzzled. "Later? Why?"

"I have some guardsmen to see to and I am sure that the manor will probably need new ones tomorrow" he replied curtly.

Richard had not forgotten. Half of the problem stemmed from the inaction of the guards stationed in the main courtyard. They had ignored their duty and stayed on the sidelines. Even when their young master was attacked they did nothing. He would make sure to teach them a lesson they'd never forget.

LupineKing · Mar 6, 2023

Chapter Seventeen: ... Of Guile and Force

Once Valan left the others did so as well. Valerian didn't care. At least, he tried not to. He just knelt there, head down. He was filled with so much anger at the unfairness of the situation, he could cry. Before that could happen, a long tongue licked his face. He tried to ignore the forked appendage and concentrate on his brooding but it kept licking him.

"Stop that Sela! I'm not in the mood!" he protested.

He was ignored. Pushing it away didn't help either. It tickled. Eventually, he had to give in. Laughing, he wrapped his arms around the head of the giant viper. The snake rejoiced in her triumph, transmitting feelings of smugness and warmth to him as she licked him, drawing him out of his melancholy.

Sela was one of his grandmother's battle beasts. She was a daemon. A Winged Cloudviper to be exact. She had large, keeled scales coloured a mismatch of greys, blues and white patches and four large, scaly horns that protruded from over her dark, elliptic pupiled eyes. However, the most distinctive things about the daemon were her large bat-like wings and the crackling sound made when her scales rubbed each other.

The snake was incredibly large. Her large head was a full seventy centimetres across at its widest part and she was nineteen meters long from head to tail. Even Valerian, a rather large eight-year-old could not encircle her girth properly with his arms. Also, he knew for a fact that her fangs were actually about ninety centimetres long and could deliver a poison that could dissolve him into pus with barely a tea cup's worth.
Sela was very proud of her fangs, horns and wings and she had reason to be. She was beautiful. At least in Valerian's eyes, though some of the servants would disagree. She was also cruel and playful. There was a reason she was the one he wanted to torment his enemies.

Strangely, despite being a dangerous, venomous daemon of swift, winged death with an acknowledged penchant for malice Valerian had never felt even the slightest twinge of fear towards Sela.

Of all his grandmother's battle beasts, she was the one he was closest to. Not Gulsalma, her right hand or Fuooh who spent all her time perched on his grandmother's shoulder, or even Pan who had twice wrestled Uncle Richard in his transformed state and lost marginally, but the malicious serpent who in turn liked no one else in the household -- besides her mistress that is.

A mistress who knelt down beside her grandson to pat him on the head.

Valerian's grandmother Clara was a beautiful woman. She was sixty years old but her grey hair notwithstanding she did not look it one bit. She had the body of a thirty-year-old and the mannerisms of a duchess. Lithe and powerful she was the greatest grandmother he could ever hope for.

"Your grandfather was only worried about you, you know! We all are. Do you know how close you came to being seriously hurt or killed today? For something to happen to you in our own home with us around but unable to prevent it would have been devastating. That is why he was so harsh. You must remember that your actions have consequences for others as well", she said softly.

And now Valerian felt bad. He hadn't thought about it that way. Guilt flooded his gut. He knew how badly his family had handled the disappearance of his parents. Even now it was a sore topic for his grandparents. To think that he had nearly put them through something even worse than that. It made him feel like a horrible person.

"That is what he meant by asking you to think about the consequences of your actions. Can you imagine what would have happened if your uncle Richard was not stronger than those knights? He would have still done his best to protect you but he would definitely have failed and all because you rushed into a situation without thinking and brought trouble to the whole family", she added.

Valerian thought he felt bad before but now he felt even worse. His self-righteousness had already fled in the face of the fact that he nearly caused an incident that his family could not recover from. All because some disgruntled soldier insulted him.

"Attacking that soldier right in front of his comrades when you had no way to win was foolish. And yes, you shouldn't resort to violence as an end-all. You cannot act mindlessly and on emotion like you did before. It is poor judgement that almost always leads to bad decisions. When you encounter a situation you cannot handle you have to seek help and not charge straight in. However, your grandfather was not completely right."

Valerian's head shot up in confusion. He thought the whole reason she was here was to show him the error of his ways and let him see things from his grandfather's point of view. Why then was she contradicting him?
The feared beast tamer known to all as Clara Steelborn merely run her fingers through her grandson's hair and elaborated.

"You have to understand that your grandfather was meant to be a great cultivator. He had the lineage, the legacies, the resources, and the teachers. Everything was available and at his disposal. Unfortunately, thanks to his special condition his cultivation stalled at the energy-gathering stage and he has never been able to advance past that. This caused great disappointment not only in the clan but in himself. It is why he so earnestly pursued his scholastic pursuits.

"Sadly, this was not enough. Not for him, not for the clan and not for those who saw the Steelborns to be the pinnacle of strength in Cragsveil. Bear in mind that your clan was merely a small nomadic family of mercenaries and smiths from the Wildlands until they stopped at DaleGuard one day and your great-grandfather joined the viscount's army.

"It was his accomplishments and power that allowed him to seize the peerage when the old viscount was deposed following the Battle of the Guarded Pass. After all, it is power that determines leaders among both men and beasts. However, there were many who weren't happy with this decision. They felt that that the new lord should have come from one of the clans or tribes native to these lands and not from an outside clan.

"It was here that your family showed their true power. Your great-grandfather was powerful but he was only one man. It was his clan who acted as his rock and it was the might of the clan and the famed Steelborn StormHawk that allowed him to retain the position and for a long time, the might of the clan was unquestioned. Your grandfather changed that.

"His condition created a sore spot that the rivals of the Steelborns could attack, further worsening his relationship with the clan and becoming more of a black sheep in the eyes of all. It was his shrewdness which saved him here. He made no clamour, kept his head low and weathered all aggressors.

"Back then, he was still the son of a viscount but he did not throw the clan's might or wealth at his opponents. Rather, he distanced himself to prevent his stigma from further affecting them. They did not protest his decision. Thus, he had no vast amounts of wealth and he had no strength, but he was not suppressed by his family's enemies. Granted, he was not of as high value a target as his brothers but that was also in part to his own efforts.

"He became not a fearsome steel monolith but a chameleon. Diminishing himself in the eyes of others and working in the shadows till he gained what influence he needed to live on his own. He did not act brashly nor did he ever confront anyone physically the entire time. He was strong without being strong. It was this aspect of him that attracted me to him in the first place. Sadly, this same aspect is the reason he does not understand".

Valerian looked at his grandmother with his eyes wide open. As the story unfolded, he could picture in his mind a young Valan Steelborn winning his battles with nothing but guile and ingenuity. He never knew any of this about his grandfather. He'd had some suspicions but his guesses were both on the mark and far off.

"He is someone with no strength or pride. Having never truly received any respect for his person he does not understand what it means for us. Non-cultivators are mortals. Their main concerns are making a living and providing for their families. Their lives are fundamentally different from ours. We are different", his grandmother was saying.

"Making a living is easy for us. Any half-decent cultivator could gain public office. We have long lifespans and as for wealth? Dealing with daemons is both our duty and a business that pays incredibly well. But all that is beside our true purpose. To protect and advance our people".

Something occurred to her making her pause. "You know about wolves, don't you Valerian? I saw you reading a book on them the other time".
He nodded sharply wondering where this was going. His grandmother only smiled and continued. "What happens when a wolf pack grows stronger? Or to be more precise, what happens to the other animals, wolves et al when a particular pack grows dominant?"

Valerian thought about it carefully before answering. "Wolf packs grow stronger when they gain more members, stronger members or both. Once they do they expand their territories and hunting grounds driving out other predators like foxes, bears, jackals, hyenas, other packs and even lions that would otherwise compete with them over prey, territory and resources".

"Good answer! That is the problem, isn't it? The land cannot support everyone. For the wolves to feed themselves and grow even stronger and more numerous they must seize the territory they need and drive their rivals away, killing them if they must. That is the true story concerning the battle for life and survival. It is the reason why men and beasts are always at war with each other and themselves. They are in competition.

"The role of power in this competition for life is pivotal. Without it the wolves would not be able to drive their rivals away nor would they be able to hold on to the territory they require. Even among the wolves themselves, the alpha may be wise and experienced but the moment it becomes clear that his strength is failing, he will be replaced. The reason is simple. It is strength that determines who leads, who lives and who dominates.

"It is the same where ever you go. The reason Bathar is under the rule of the imperial family of Newhaven is because we are not powerful enough to rule them instead. And there is no place where this principle is more evident than among cultivators. There is an old saying, 'When force does not suffice it's because you are not using enough of it'. It is true.

"It is our power that determines whether we are the rulers or the ruled. Those who lack it have no choice but to be ruled, and to give up their lands and resources to the powerful. And that is the situation that we must avoid. It is why we cultivators exist, why we have the powers we do. This way we can safeguard the survival of ourselves and our own in this harsh world.

"Heaven and Earth are not humane. They grant us our power, provide us with our resources and engender conflict so that only the most deserving of the children of Verre, that only those with the greatest will and strength can rise to the top. Not just to become deities, but that we and ours might inherit their true bounty.

"If power was not necessary then there would be no need for cultivators. We are the favoured of Verre, the carriers of the blessings of Heaven and Earth. We live in their true domain, experiencing their harsh trials. We are not the meek but the strong.

"Mortals do not see this side of the world. They might revere us and live alongside us but they are not like us. They live alongside us but they are not with us, not truly. Your grandfather is the same.

"This is also the reason why I am so proud of you. You stood up to defend yourself and defend this family. It was a bit daft and foolhardy but you rightly realised the facts of life. Those who lack the power to defend themselves are doomed to be at the mercy of others. That you have to fight to get what you want".

As she said this, she brushed the dirt off the armour of her kneeling grandson with her hands. Sela coiled around them both and then rested her head lightly on Valerian's shoulder. She communicated the same feelings to him. Pride. Warmth. Concern.

"Reasoning and negotiation are powerful tools but like violence, they are not the solution to all problems. They require at least two sides. What do you do when your opponents refuse to back down or listen to reason? Do you sit still and die? Absolutely not.

"Also there are many situations where violence is necessary. Take what happened today. When Richard came and met you under attack, was he to wait and attempt reason when you were so clearly in danger?"
All of a sudden his grandmother stopped and sighed looking drained. It had occurred to her that she was giving an ideological lecture to an eight-year-old. That was the problem with talking to Valerian. He acted so smart and mature that you often forgot that he was still just a child.

"I have spoken so much that I am sounding like your grandfather but these are things you should know and be aware of. These are issues that you will encounter when you grow older, things you might understand then. Just know that no single way is right. Your grandfather was right but he was not completely so.

"You should never rely on violence when there are more peaceful alternatives nor should you be guided by rash emotion. However, you should not forget that force is a legitimate method. At times, perhaps more often than not, it is the route you should go. Never, ever present yourself as weak!

"That is your grandfather's single greatest problem. He has allowed his weakness to define him. Do not do the same. Be strong but be wise as well. Only both will get you what you want and allow you to keep it. Do you understand?" she asked, serious once more.

Valerian nodded so fast that Sela hissed and shifted in annoyance. "I understand, grandmother. I will endeavour to be wise and powerful at the same time. I will try to know when to apply force and when not to so that I can be both strong without being strong and powerful enough to be dominant", he said in a solemn tone.

Clara listened to her grandson and laughed before ruffling his hair. In truth, she could not help but wonder and not for the first time how much Valerian really understood and how much of him was just an emulation of Valan's overly formal, exaggerated form of speech. Despite this, she was truly proud of her grandson.

He had his grandfather's intellect and her vicious decisiveness. It was like seeing a perfect blend of their traits. looking at him, she smiled and took out a very sharp dagger. It was about thirty centimetres long, made from steel and had a handle of bone.

"Today, you touched on the primary skill of a metal-attributed arcanist -- metal manipulation. You say you want to be powerful. Start with mastering that. I will give you this dagger. Once you can get it to follow your whims I will also begin to teach you my skills", she paused here as if considering something.

Coming to a decision she uttered, "In fact, I will even take you hunting with me".

"Really grandmother?" Valerian asked excitedly.

He'd wanted to accompany her since he could walk. He couldn't believe she was finally giving him a chance. This was before he even began going to Fang's Grammar School. The appeal came not with the thought of trekking through the grasslands searching for some beast to kill but rather the fact that he would get to leave the city. Back then, he never left the manor estate and so the dream of seeing the things spoken of in his books was very compelling.

"Of course! You are a big boy now and once you learn to control that dagger you'll have some protection in the wild. However, that is only if you learn to control the dagger on command. So, you better work hard", she said with a smile.

"Don't worry grandmother! I'll have this mastered in three days tops!" he declared.

"Good! Now I cannot lift your grandfather's punishment but he should have calmed down enough by now that I can convince him to do so himself. You get started while I go talk to him", she said.

She left him there, kneeling in the courtyard, the dagger placed half a meter in front of him. Valerian stared at the sharp implement knowing that it was key to him not only gaining more power but also getting his grandmother, the most powerful person he knew to begin training him.

In addition to this, it was this skill that saved him that very morning. Even if she hadn't brought it up he would still work to master it just so he would not be as helpless as before.

He stretched out a hand towards it then channelling arcane energy down his arm he tried to establish a connection with the dagger. The same kind that allowed him to control those other implements in the morning. His grandfather always said to start small when learning something new. So he poured all his will towards getting it to rise.

'Come on, come on', he repeated in his mind but it stayed still.

Annoyed he yelled, "RISE!"

Nothing happened. Feelings of amusement came at him. Sela was laughing. Choosing to ignore the viper, he focused instead on the dagger. He would get this down no matter how long it took.

"Rise!" he commanded again.

LupineKing · Mar 6, 2023

Chapter Eighteen: Setting Out

As turned out, it took four days before Valerian had full control over the dagger, much to his displeasure. And that was even with his Uncle Jonas' help. In doing so, he learnt some very important lessons about channelling, controlling and using arcane energy. He also found out why he could manipulate metal. The rationale was pretty simple.

He possessed the innate metal attribute. The average arcanist however would not have an innate attribute. Due to this, they could only manipulate the world's essence in its raw form. Without training and using spells, there was no way they could manipulate the elements. It was different for the innately attributed.

They were born with a disposition for a particular element which allows them to manipulate it, even without much training. This meant that whilst someone without an innate attribute would need to be taught to sense and control the different elements present in world essence, an innately attributed arcanist could do this with ease. They could not only manipulate world essence but they could draw on the metal-attributed portion of it.
For example, someone with no innate attribute would have to rely on studying and using the fireball spell in order to manipulate the world essence into flames he could throw at his opponent. Before training or gaining an attribute, he would never be able to control raw fire. But someone with the innate fire attribute would be able to cast the fireball spell with greater ease as he would not require as much time to sense and control fire-attributed world essence.

In addition to this, they could rely on that same innate connection to fire to control natural flames with this essence. This was the reason why the innately attributed were so envied by other cultivators. They would have to acquire an attribute with training before they would have access to the advantage that the innately attributed had from birth.

On some level, it probably wasn't fair but such was life and Valerian was not going to complain. Not when he had two innate attributes for each of his forces. Besides, there was a huge factor that played in the favour of those without innate attributes. They could train up more attributes. In fact, they could acquire any one they wanted.

It was generally accepted that all the elements were equal but each had its specialities and thus things it was good or bad for. Fire had great explosive power and earth was famed for its defensive abilities. Only someone with no innate attribute could freely choose one after weighing what he or she wanted. A person with an innate attribute would find it hard to learn another attribute. Someone like Valerian who had two would find it near impossible to do so.

However, elemental manipulation had limits. Any arcanist could manipulate his element and all things made of it, but they could not do so if it was already branded with another person's essence. For instance, if someone tossed a fireball your way, even if the person did not have the fire attribute and you did, you could not just move it out of your way.

This was because their essence was already controlling those flames meaning yours could not do so unless you far surpassed him or her in arcane might. Elemental manipulation was ultimately establishing a connection with your element using your energy and then using your energy to control that thing. Because of this, you could not control something that was already connected or made from another's essence.
Meaning that if there was a bonfire between two fire-attributed arcanists of comparable strengths only the person who established a connection to the flames first could control it. This was evident in the fact that Valerian was unable to summon the weapons of those who channelled their qi or arcane energy into their gear back then. Also, he could not even move the armour or weapons of the knights because they were already branded with their essence.

Valerian was disappointed to discover this limitation because without it he would have been completely immune to wind and metal spells and weapons once he mastered their respective elemental manipulation techniques. Still, it was a cool and convenient power. He could move his new dagger any way he wanted. Making it hover beside him or attack anything at a distance. He effectively had a flying sword for the price of a common dagger.
All that was beside the way, today he would be going hunting with his grandmother. He could not keep his excitement contained. Even going to bed the night before was difficult and the smile on his face seemed permanent. He couldn't help it. Today would be the first time he stepped out of the city limits. And he was going to fly as well.

He walked up to Gulsalma, his grandmother's mount. Gulsalma was more than just a mount and she made sure to remind everyone of that fact. She was his grandmother's first contracted beast, a Dire Daemon, a mount, battle beast and right hand. It meant that she was always at her side and that she was the leader of all the beasts in the manor estate and around it.

She was also half Numinous Leopard and the most powerful daemon Valerian had ever laid eyes on. Numinous Leopards were extremely high-ranked daemons on par with dragons, phoenixes and white tigers. This meant that she was born with incredible innate gifts and blessed with great potential.

She made sure that everyone knew that had she been in the wild she would be a fearsome Horde Lorde with a territory spanning hundreds of square kilometres. This was an accepted fact. She was right and no one could contest it. Who would dare argue with a Dire Daemon let alone one that was large enough to be used as a mount?

At two metres, twenty centimetres wither height, five and a half metres long with a further three metres of tail it was three times bigger than a normal leopard. The rosette-covered, flaxen-furred beast had good reason for its arrogance. It had claws and teeth that could rend steel and a bite that chomped through marble pillars. Not to mention the fact that it was absurdly fast.
How fast Valerian did not know but, the fact that they'd be riding Gulsalma today was more than enough of a treat. The thing was though, they were going to fly and the proud feline had no wings. Flying was not one of her innate traits but rather a learned magic spell. One that he would get to experience today.

So he got onto the daemon, sitting in front of his grandmother. She had no reins and no saddle. She didn't need any. The connection between beast and mistress was that strong.
You see Clara Steelborn was not just the demure, hardworking wife of a city magistrate, but also a beast tamer. She was a cultivator who specialised in the rearing and training of daemons, a job she was very good at. In fact, rearing daemons was in her blood.

Her clan were plains folk whose primary profession was ranching daemon horses for mounts. However, she was not a simple breeder but a cultivator well respected for her battle might. Why? Because of her contracted battle beasts.

She did not focus on her own strength as much as she did the training and strengthening of daemon partners like Gulsalma and Sela. That did not mean she was personally weak. Far from it. All it meant was that she lived, trained and fought alongside her daemon companions.

Many did not know it but whilst Richard was the most obviously dangerous person in the manor, the most powerful person was actually his grandmother. Valerian was willing to bet that not even his uncle Vorm was a match for her in battle.

The thing to keep in mind was that beast tamers did not fight alone. They fought with their beasts. Not even Vorm, his Hoarfrost Spikesaur or both working together could possibly be a match for an experienced Arcane Lord, two Dire Daemons and two Daemon Lords who were adept at working and fighting together as well as covering each other's weaknesses.

Sitting on the back of one of those Dire Daemons made Valerian giddy. So giddy in fact that before take-off Gulsalma warned him.

"Better sit still Val! We wouldn't want you falling off now, would we? Oh and keep your mouth shut. There are a lot of insects about".

Aptly warned Valerian sat back, quiet as a mouse. This prompted Clara to laugh and remind her oldest friend.

"Don't scare Valerian, Sal. He has enough to think about. This is his first hunt after all".

His first hunt!

This was something Valerian did not want to be reminded of. He had come to understand that the significance of being taken on this hunt was greater than he first thought. His grandmother was one of the plains folk and one of those who took hunting very seriously. A young person's first hunt was a deep and meaningful thing.

As a matter of fact at dawn that morning, he had been required to take a ritual bath, say some prayers to his ancestors, and undergo mental preparation for what was to come.

In the old days, only cultivators were true hunters among the plains people. This was because they were the only ones who could hunt anything of significance, such as daemons. They were warriors, the elite of their tribes and clans as well as role models for their youth. Hunting was also a spiritual thing. Valerian did not really understand it but he knew it was important.

Thus, hunters may share their job title with their mundane counterparts but they were more. In many ways, they were custodians of culture and a throwback to earlier times. Theirs was a profession that Valerian had yet to understand but he knew that true hunters held power amongst the plains folk.

The plains folk were the true natives of Cragsveil and the surrounding counties. A large part of Bathar was grassland and the plains folk were the people of the grasslands. Most were actually settled nomadic tribes. There were still actively nomadic ones but historically, they were people who moved from place to place, taking what they needed from the land, giving back to it and moving on to another site.

Each tribe or clan had at least one speciality and his grandmother's was horse ranching. They had a diverse range of breeds and were among the most reputed horse breeders within the surrounding six kingdoms.
Then again, they were also hunters and tamers. His grandmother was no different. She grew up in the clan leader's household and her brother was the current chieftain. She was trained not as a breeder but as a hunter and a guardian of the clan and herd. It was a lofty position amongst the plains people and one that called for respect. She even managed one of the clan's shops in DaleGaurd.

As a rule, Clara took her traditions very seriously. Taking a child out on his or her first hunt was not just a must, but also one of the sacred acts of her people. It was one of two ceremonies that established a young person as an adult and cultivator of the tribe. The other was the choosing and contracting of a mount or battle beast.

Rather than think about this or the fact that traditionally it was supposed to be one of his parents leading him on the hunt Valerian chose to focus instead on the topic of daemons. After all, he would be encountering wild ones today.

Right then, Gulsalma took off. She did not run, she just leapt into the air and shot up to a height of over a hundred metres. Eyes open wide Valerian turned from side to trying to figure out how this was happening. Soon he spotted them. Translucent wings were connected to Gulsalma's midriff. They were not natural or real so he rightly guessed that they were a skill or spell of some sort. They did not beat or flap but stayed outstretched, somehow keeping them aloft.

Valerian could only stare in amazement as the ephemeral limbs carried them closer and closer to the city walls with each second. Soon it became apparent that they were not headed for the main Eastern gate but the Northern one.

DaleGuard was a city with a combined area of some hundred square kilometres. It was built in the form of a pentagon, only, one side was much longer than the other. This extra-long side was the Eastern one facing the Pronged Gap. However, they were not headed that way but instead towards the north which was closer to their destination.

One interesting defensive feature of the city was the wards. No one could just fly into the city as they pleased. The wards covered the entire city; walls, sky and ground. Remember, DaleGuard was a military installation and the fact that it had become the administrative capital of the viscounty made it even more important.

The only true openings in the wards were the gates and even they could be closed faster than you could blink if they needed to be. This greatly increased security and allowed for entry and exit to be monitored and controlled. No beasts or cultivators could go over the walls or fly in. Flying daemons and their riders had only one way in or out and that was the landing platforms. Right over every gate was a giant platform where anyone who was flying had to stop.

That was where they were headed now. It only took a few minutes and once they were there they got onto the platform and walked in between the guard towers and over the wall walk to the platform on the other side. Each platform was an outward extension of the city walls. They were a hundred metres wide and a hundred and fifty long making it easier for people to come and go.

Soon they were off and for the first time, Valerian could see the world for what it was. Vast acres of grassland stretched into the distance, only interspersed with scattered strands and groves of trees. He could hear the squawking of birds and from a distance, his remarkable eyesight caught a herd of antelope grazing not too far from the city walls.

And the mountains. They were headed for the Rhas Mountain Range, a place that might as well have been the imperial palace given how unreachable it had been for him. Looking at it now, Valerian felt the wait was worth it. The rocky giants rose from the ground like earthen spikes to stab at the heavens. Clouds swirled around their peak and Valerian could swear he saw a draconic form lumber into a cave. All in all, it was a magical sight.
The Rhas mountain range was the second largest in Cragsveil. The first was the Grand Boundary on the other side of the viscounty. Both formed the borders of the viscounty and the Kingdom of Bathar. The former stretched past the Viscounty of Cragsveil to make up the majority of the northern border shared with their enemies the Wherry Kingdom, and the latter was an even more massive mountain range that formed the entirety of Bathar's eastern border.

They were also the reason for the viscounty's unique name. Cragsveil was a low-lying grassland lined or veiled by two massive mountain ranges. They were impressive sights that could be seen from any place in the land. In the mornings, when the sun rose and its beams struck the mist that sometimes shrouded them, they lit in beautiful displays that enthralled all watchers.

It was the first time Valerian saw a mountain close up. If you could call it that. For a time, he was confused. Within the space of three hours, the formerly distant range was looming over him. Now he could not hold more than one of the earthen forms in his sight. Just how fast had they been going? They must have covered at least four dozen kilometres without him noticing.

It was as if he didn't even register their speed. None of the things he associated with high speeds like the wind rushing against his face or the roar that came with parting the air had taken place. They just moved through the air languidly. Clearly, his grandmother had something to do with that. He did rather enjoy the landscape rushing by though. It was beyond exciting.

Sadly, soon they were at the foot of the mountain. Gulsalma slowed down, dropping slowly in altitude until they were skimming the tops of the meter-tall grass. It took a few seconds before Valerian realised that they were headed for a small glade.

"From here on we'll walk!" his grandmother told him.

LupineKing · Mar 6, 2023

Chapter Nineteen: Hunting with Grandma

They stood in the glade; a young nervous boy, his grandmother and an overly large leopard. The last was crouched, somehow managing to lessen its presence in the tall grass. As for the old woman and her grandson, they had no such innate gifts. She held his hand and pulled him even deeper into the wilderness.

"The hunt is a sacred thing. It is not just about finding some beast to kill. It is an enactment of one of the most basic of life's mysteries. It is the original work that is done to nourish the self. It is the thing that reminds us that we are still beasts needing to feed off the land and that what we take is life. Hunters are not just killers. They are harvesters, coming not just for meat but also scouring the land for herbs and other precious resources that their family or clan may need.

"It is an act of unimaginable significance. One you may not understand until you have attained a certain comprehension of the mysteries of heaven and earth. Just know that you must respect the world that provides for you and remember your place in it. You sustain yourself with the lives of other creatures which is not something to take lightly.

"In fact, there is an ancient litany that we plains folk keep. In recent times, fewer people remember or observe it. But people like me, true hunters, people of the kind I want you to be, do not forget. It goes as follows;

We are hunters of the plains, children of heaven and earth.
We respect their ways, we keep our oaths, we observe our duties,
We respect, obey and guard the numen,
We respect and perpetuate the cycle of life and death,

We are hunters, gatherers, harvesters of nature's bounty,
We take only that which we and ours need,
We remember that we are beasts and that we too are meat,
We accept that as we hunt, we too are hunted,

When it turns out well we return, having gotten prey,
Besides the hunt, we kill only those who seek to kill us,
We do not hunt our guardian's kin,
We do not hunt with plague or spreading poison,

We do not hunt those in the three acts of life,
We do not hunt the sacred beasts,
We do not take all, we leave enough to foster new growth,
We do not cull a kind,

We are hunters, not carrion seekers,
We hunt those with perverse thirst for our kind,
We hunt those who would take our grounds,
We may hunt but not eat our kind...

Valerian listened as his grandmother spoke softly. Her tone was solemn and on her face was a look of pride. He made sure to commit what was said to memory and was glad for that because right afterwards she asked him.

"Can you repeat it?" She inquired. Valerian nodded. But to make sure, she had him do so right away. Besides a few words which she corrected, he was able to recite the litany correctly from memory. She smiled in pride.

"In the past, you would have been given this litany on some parchment or taught it directly. You would never have qualified for your hunt without first memorising it. I knew that was unnecessary in your case. However, as you well know, memorisation is different from understanding. I will do my best to communicate to you the meaning behind that chant", she said whilst pulling a fallen leaf from his long dark hair.

That said, Valerian's grandmother began to lead him through the forest more earnestly. Taking time she pointed out whatever crossed her mind, such as animal tracks, plant species and the things he should do and be able to do with them. She spent a full hour leading him through the brush trying to get him acquainted with the wilderness.

How to move without leaving needless traces, how to decipher traces of animals in the underbrush and tell which animal the tracks were from. It was a teaching and learning experience for both of them. For nearly five hours, the two went about in this fashion. Gulsalma had long since wandered off leaving them to roam the mountainside aimlessly, led only by their fancies.

It was the most interesting lesson Valerian had ever had. With his grandfather, all he did was sit and listen, making note of anything he wanted to ask about later. If he was lucky there would be some assigned reading for him to continue with once lessons ended.

With Jonas, he spent his time in almost the same way. He sat cross-legged on the floor and was drilled on arcane lore, but he supposed that was because they had not begun practical lessons yet. That should change now.
As for training with Richard, it was the only active one among them. Every day began with extensive exercises and combat drills. These would leave him battered, tired out and yet strangely satisfied by the end.
This was totally different from what he expected. For one thing, he hadn't expected a lesson. Then there was the fact that everything was so relaxed. They just walked around with her pointing out things that caught her interest and him asking questions on the same.

It was fun and educational. He wasn't listening to a lecture or answering questions, nor was he following explicit directions. They were under the sun, walking freely, taking in the landscape and the things in it, and having a pleasant discussion. It was a weird freedom but Valerian liked it. The feeling of not being restrained was somewhat intoxicating for a manor brat like himself.

Regrettably, at one point his grandmother looked up at the sky and told him that their leisure was over.

"The sun is pretty high in the sky" she revealed. "It will be noon in an hour or two, it is best we get on with what we came here for".

For all his comportment, Valerian was unable to keep his disappointment from showing on his face. He didn't want this to end nor did he appreciate being reminded of what was expected of him today. His grandmother looked at him and laughed, drawing him closer.

"Don't worry so much. Besides, this will not be our only hunt. It is merely the first lesson. I can't teach you everything in one day, can I?" she told him.

Hope shone on his face but all she did was smile, revealing her dazzling and somewhat pointy teeth.

"Come on!"

Everything was ready. The antelope were upwind of them grazing peacefully on the tall grass. Each of them had sandy, short coats and horns. The females were smaller and possessed short, small, tightly spiralled horns. The males however were quite large; a full metre and a half at the withers and their horns were large spiralled weapons more than half a metre long with wicked ends. There was even one, an old male, with a much darker coat that had metre-long horns.

Valerian knew that the horns were largely decorative and were there mostly as a show of dominance, but he also knew that the males fought with them. Thinking about those sharp ends filled him with worry especially when he realised the old male was a daemon.

Luckily, he was not the one hunting but rather his grandmother as part of an example. He just stayed at her side in the shield spell, eyes peeled to make sure nothing escaped him. Gulsalma was in the grass waiting for his grandmother's signal.

Had you told Valerian before today that the giant leopard was so skilled at hiding he would likely not have believed you. Sure, it was a leopard, so it was likely a stealthy animal, but its size and indomitable presence did not imply stealth. Seeing it in action was different. He knew its general location thanks to his grandmother's directions, but he could not see the beast with his own eyes. It was frightening.

For his benefit, his grandmother raised a hand and dropped it as the signal, and then the hunt began. Gulsalma burst out of hiding right beside the herd. The alert beasts panicked immediately and took off like they had been shot from a cannon. Led by the old buck they ran off but they were unable to lose the leopard on their tail. Valerian had never seen anything like it.

Each of the beasts had to be running at speeds exceeding a hundred kilometres per hour. They moved through the grassland like they were not actually touching it. The antelopes made huge leaping bounds carrying them both forward and up. They barely touched the ground for a quarter of a second before they were off again, throwing themselves dozens of metres forward and four high. It was like an acrobatic dance. A very deadly dance where any who missed a step was sure to die.

It only took a few seconds for them to move four hundred meters from their previous positions. The herd began to split up. They were taking so many bends and turns that those who couldn't keep up were being left behind. They had no choice but to keep going in the hopes of either catching up with the herd or losing their pursuer. Then, the unthinkable happened.

Gulsalma just disappeared from her place behind the animals and appeared right next to them again, this time from the right. The antelope were stunned and completely confused. The previously harmonic dance of leaping beasts was thrown into disarray. They scattered but Gulsalma continued running now chasing a rather good-sized young male in their direction.

The change in the direction their predator was coming from had so rattled the beasts they fell into the hunters' trap. The young male and a few others were now headed in their direction. Quickly noticing that the large leopard seemed to be after their friend the others did the smart thing and abandoned him.

Breathing out visibly in relief when their pursuer remained focused on their colleague, they joined the other animals around in watching how the chase would end. To Valerian, the outcome was already clear. The handsome young buck was being led into their trap.

However, the young buck seemed to notice as well. Antelopes were naturally very alert, observant beasts. That was how they survived when they were on the menus of just about every large predator. Also, this one carried the blood of a daemon. Daemons were special beasts which were just as smart as humans.

It had probably dawned on this one that he was been corralled somehow. This made him try to deviate from the course being laid out for him. Still, Valerian did not think that he had figured out what they were up to. He probably thought there was another leopard lying in wait ahead, or realised that his movements would be restricted where he was headed.

He wasn't completely mistaken, but no matter what he did, he was led towards the small strand of trees. Desperate, he did something that Valerian was not expecting. Just as he was to pass between the two trees where their spell was anchored he gathered his strength and made to leap to the side, out of the copse of trees.

Valerian's heart leapt into his throat. Was all their work going to be for nothing?

Thankfully Gulsalma was still on the buck's heels. All it took was a momentary burst of speed and a swipe to his back legs and the antelope tripped. He fell with great force and momentum causing him to roll between the trees, activating the anchored spell.

Cyan-coloured streams of light sprang into existence around the tumbling beast, ensnaring him in a trap he would never escape from. He hung there, a third of a metre from the ground, helpless, unable to even kick in protest. From the very beginning, this was the goal that had been set.

Valerian's grandmother had anchored the wind spell Wind Ties in that space and set it to activate if anything crossed the assigned perimeter. Gulsalma was more than capable of snatching up any of the antelope without trouble. However, she chased one into the trap for the demonstration. Valerian took several deep breaths only now realising that he had been holding his breath.

The whole thing had barely taken a minute! Just watching was exciting and exhilarating. He was now relying on his deep breaths to calm down his racing heart. He turned to ask his grandmother a question, only to find out that she was no longer at his side. Spinning around he saw her standing in front of the bound antelope, a dagger in one hand, a horn in another.

She gestured for him get closer and he did. Once he did, Valerian could more clearly make out their captive. He was a tawny brown male. He was an excellent specimen weighing at least three hundred and twenty kilograms with massive v-shaped spiralling horns about eighty centimetres long. However, Valerian could also make out its psychological condition in addition to its physical one.

The beast was scared. That much was clear to see. Its eyes were both frightened and wide open. The mouth was open, panting and bleating. Or at least it would have been if the spell did not restrict sound as well. Seeing its panic made him hesitant to come close. He looked at his grandmother and saw her bright eyes trained on him.

"This is one of the things you must observe on a hunt. Kill swiftly and cleanly. Do not leave your prey to suffer or cause unnecessary pain or wounds", she said to him. "The best thing to do is to kill immediately, after capturing, if you do not plan to keep the beast alive. Just pull back the head..."

Valerian watched as his grandmother pulled the hand holding the horn to the side pulling the head back and exposing the neck in his direction. Then lifting her other hand, she placed the knife clutched in it, a knife identical to the one she gave him, on the exposed flesh. His breath caught knowing what was coming next but staying silent and watchful.

"Cut deep and swiftly, making sure to sever both the oesophagus and all the blood vessels. Then just hold on and let the blood drain away".

Valerian watched as the buck's neck was severed and it bled out right before him. There was no sound but he knew that the animal was not bleating anymore. It never would again. He watched impassively as it died, surprised that there wasn't more to it than that. He had dreaded this moment but now it felt a bit anticlimactic.

As he watched the deer, his grandmother watched him. She nearly smiled, proud of the fact that he hadn't looked away, vomited or cried. Many reacted adversely when they first encountered death. There were only a few, like herself and now her grandson, who could maintain a sense of presence, disconnecting themselves from the act.

No pride, no enjoyment, nothing but an act and an actor, performing one of nature's plays. A harvester, not a killer.

It might seem callous and it was, but the mindset was invaluable in battle and other parts of life. That combined with a natural instinct for battle like Valerian had reportedly displayed in the courtyard both confirmed something to her and pleased her. He was definitely her grandson.

Valiant had been his father's son through and through but she had always known that if she and Valan were to have another child he or she would take after her. Her grandson was a welcome surprise. He already displayed many of Valan's features and mannerisms, but she could see what others could not.

There was a predatory aura that swirled around Valerian. It was an aura that matched her own. It slumbered within and rose to the surface when needed or called upon. She was pleased because it told her that he would always be the hunter and never the hunted.

LupineKing · Mar 7, 2023

Chapter Twenty: Hunting with Grandma

"Are we done?" Valerian asked.

He was a bit relieved. It hadn't been as bad as he thought. Journey and prep work aside, the whole hunt had barely taken a minute. His grandmother responded with a smile.

"Actually we are just starting. The whole point of today is to teach you how to hunt. That was just one approach. We still have three more to go", she told him.

"Three more?" Valerian asked in astonishment.

"Yes, three!" his grandmother said in an amused tone. "However for the remaining three, I think it would be best to get some help".

As if the last word was a trigger of some sort, the space beside her suddenly trembled and broke open. It was like someone had noticed that a section of the world was made out of glass and had taken a pick to it. Valerian could barely keep his tongue in his mouth as a hole in space opened up before his eyes.

It expanded as quickly as it appeared becoming a glowing vortex four metres in diameter. His eyes flicked towards his grandmother who stood there delighting in his reactions. Without warning, a form shot out of the newly opened vortex. It was dark and fast, a blur before even his sight. Quickly, he took several steps back the dagger at his hip unsheathing itself and flying into the air but it ignored him, heading straight for his grandmother.
He could barely make out the blur leaping onto her outstretched arm and scurrying up to her shoulders where it took a seat, its true form finally becoming visible when it stopped, revealing it to be a scaly four-legged reptile. Valerian breathed out in relief when he recognised the form of Fuooh, one of his grandmother's contracted beasts. The little thing ignored him.

Valerian wasn't surprised. Most days Fuooh did not even glance in his direction. The damned thing was spoiled rotten. She spent all her time perched or draped on his grandmother's shoulders. An impressive feat considering that the lizard was a meter long, tail excluded. Fuooh was a Jadeite scaled Gecko. An arboreal lizard famed for its defensive scales which were the colour and hardness of actual jadeite. She was also a Daemon Lord.

Another figure walked out of the vortex, this one taking its time. It was Pan, his grandmother's Mountain Devil Ape. Pan was an unbelievably large beast. He was three metres tall when slouched forward and knuckle-walking. He also possessed an impressive physique with huge fists and massive muscles that rippled when he moved.

He had the biggest hands Valerian had ever seen. Each palm had a width of close to thirty centimetres. They were tougher than stone and backed by those massive muscles. In fact, his forearms were noticeably disproportionate but that was just how his kind was built. He was also covered in coarse dark-coloured hair with a large silver-coloured patch over his saddle-shaped back.

His large size, massive arms and fierce looks made Pan on par with Sela as the most fear-inducing of his grandmother's beasts. That's because Pan was a male Devil Ape.

Most apes were shy, gentle individuals if not provoked. Devil Apes, on the other hand, especially the males, were different. The males had in addition to their silver backs a bony, red crest over their heads. It was hard, bright and made their heads look more conical. They were easily recognised and everyone, beasts included thanked the immortals for that. Devil Apes did not need to be provoked before they attacked. They were fiercely territorial and the "unlanded males" actually roamed the mountainsides looking for adversaries to battle. They did this to temper themselves and grow stronger, increasing their chances of obtaining more territory and attracting females. For them, strength and combat were all that mattered.

Luckily, Pan was a rather laid-back individual. Valerian had never seen him get truly violent. He had sparred with Uncle Richard a few times but those were always contests of strength. Contests Pan always lost. However, Valerian had never seen him grow angry or enter into the feared "devil's rage". He was told that it was because of his grandmother's training and the fact that Pan himself had mellowed over the years. Perhaps that was a good thing. He could only guess the damage he would cause otherwise.

Pan strode out of the vortex and out onto the plains at the foot of the mountain. For a moment, the Dire Daemon looked wistfully at the mountains before getting out of the way and letting Sela through. The winged snake didn't waste any time. Like Fuooh she sped out, only she coiled around Valerian to tickle him with her tongue.

Just like that, all of his grandmother's contracted beasts were out on the plain. Three females and a male. Two Daemon Lords and two Dire Daemons. It was a remarkable line-up and one that he looked forward to seeing in action. Then a thought struck his mind.

Daemons were essentially the cultivators among beasts. They too had tiers of power just like human cultivators did. Their tiers in ascending order of power were, Daemons, Daemon Lords, Dire Daemons, Profound Daemons, Mystic Daemons, Bestial Ascendants and Primal Divinities. This meant that power-wise, Pan and Gulsalma were the most powerful in the household. For both of them, in fact, all the beasts in the house to be gathered for one hunt...

Were they going after a Profound Daemon or heavens forbid it, something higher? He made his thoughts known to his grandmother immediately letting her know that he didn't think he was ready to face a beast of that tier but she just stared at him and laughed.

"You really worry too much dear. The reason everyone is here is to help with the hunt, true but they are not here to hunt one beast in a horde style. They can but I wouldn't put you in that kind of danger on your first day. They are just here to help demonstrate different methods that you can use when hunting", she clarified.

Valerian felt foolish. He should have known better. There was no way his grandmother would do such a thing especially when her little boy was with her. The part about such a hunt not happening on his first day completely went over his head unnoticed. He apologised and holding her hand allowed himself to be led to another site.

A flock of crowned cranes roamed the area around an old oxbow lake and its parent river a few kilometres from the foot of the mountain. They were elegant, regal beasts that stood a full two metres high with stiff, spiny feathers that stood up on the top of their heads to give them their eponymous crown.

Graceful and beautiful they walked around like they were at a pageant or feast, eating plants, frogs, small fish and other delicacies that could be found in the waters and marsh.
There were also a few in the air, their fabulous four-metre wingspans outspread as they made beautiful aerial displays. It was an idyllic sight. The kind you'd find depicted on the canvas of a master. Indeed, Valerian would be disappointed if there weren't numerous depictions of such scenes. It was that good. Sadly, it did not last.

A massive serpentine form fell out of the sky wreathed in lightning. Like a javelin thrown from the heavens, it struck a particularly acrobatic crane who was giving a spectacular mid-air dance that was being appreciated by the other cranes and creatures below. That serpent of course was Sela, displaying an expertly executed ambush.

Winged Cloudvipers, like all vipers, were ambush predators. They lurked in the sky, floating aloft until suitable prey came within strike distance. When that happened, they folded their wings against their bodies and channelled lightning essence for both speed and power. Often, they struck their prey before they could even react, electrocuting them and sinking their long hollow fangs into their bodies then unfurling their wings to keep them both from crashing into the ground.

If the impact didn't kill their target, the poison definitely would. Their poison worked on the flesh and nerves of their prey. It broke down muscles and made meat easier for them to digest. However, their attacks had a small problem. Being aerial predators they could not strike, envenom and let go like many other snakes. They had to hold on or risk having their prey fall and be lost to them. The problem was that prey often fought back. No one wanted to be eaten after all.

This was where their lightning attribute came in handy. Apart from increasing their speed and striking power, it had a third beneficial effect. It paralysed their prey, making it very difficult for most animals of a similar or even higher tier to fight back. Once their victim had ceased struggling, they would then fly off to a nice quiet place and swallow their prey.

Valerian watched the literal bolt from the blue make her kill. The shock factor and the speed of the attack made it such that by the time the other cranes had calmed down and marshalled themselves to rescue their flock member it was clear that he was dead and Sela was already making her exit. With a burst of lightning and a flap of her wings, she was gone nearly as swiftly as she came.

Pan walked up to an enormous Long-tusked Hog. The beast was scavenging in a thicket. It had just succeeded in chasing away a couple of hyenas from their kill by scaring them with its bulk and a half-hearted charge. Now it was happily gorging itself on the carcass of an antelope.

The hog was gigantic. It was actually the same size as Gulsalma making it at least five metres long and two high, but it far surpassed her in bulk. From the side, it looked like a very large carriage. Valerian could tell that six of him could fit inside it with no problem. The beast was mean and ferocious with long sharp tusks over a metre long jutting out of the sides of its snout. It was also a Daemon Lord.

Of all the beasts they had hunted today, it was unquestionably the most dangerous. The crane was a simple daemon and the antelope could be called one as well if you stretched the definition but for this hunt, his grandmother had chosen a Daemon lord. A hog that was surely five times more powerful than the previous two combined. Despite knowing that Pan was a Dire Daemon and certainly stronger, he could not help but worry.
The large ape was oblivious to his thoughts though and simply strolled up to the pig before letting loose a loud roar in challenge. The hog spun around angrily wondering who would dare challenge him only to spot Pan walking over aggressively. It immediately adopted a ready posture and let loose a bellow as well hoping to scare him off or convince him that a fight was not worth it.

Pan ignored it and began to knock on the ground with its knuckles, growling aggressively. It was clear that he had not come for the food but to fight. Surprisingly the hog was not as worried as it should be. In fact, it was actually interested in the competition. That was the true reason why long-tusked hogs were so feared. They were fierce and overly aggressive. Even in the face of a daemon like a mountain devil ape, it did not back down.
At least that's what it looked like on the surface. Truthfully the hog would never have stayed to fight if it knew Pan's true power. A Daemon Lord fighting a Dire Daemon? It might as well commit suicide. But it stayed. The reason for this was because it actually thought Pan was a Daemon Lord as well and was confident in being able to fight beasts of the same tier.

Pan was suppressing his aura and power to the Daemon Lord tier. Ordinarily, that would never happen as both daemons and cultivators were incredibly proud of their power. However, his grandmother had ordered it to and it complied. The ape was supposed to demonstrate how a confrontation was to go and he couldn't well do that if all the beasts around turned tail and run at the sight of him.

Challenge accepted the two jumped straight into battle. Valerian didn't even see the first strike. He only noticed the hog's tusks glow brightly and then a loud crash resounded through the area. Safely ensconced in his grandmother's shield spell and warded from sight, hearing and smell Valerian was fortunate to not be buffeted by the shockwave. The leaves on the trees and some of the branches and their tenants were not so lucky.
The two giants churned the earth beneath their feet, ruining the grass and creating furrows in the dirt with their struggle. Even the trees, hardy and strong though they were from absorbing world essence were affected by the battle. Each clash produced waves that shorn off leaves and shook their tenants loose. But soon the two blurs stopped.

Valerian was happy at this because he was beginning to wonder what the point was in having him watch these hunts when he could barely make them out. Thankfully, the two beasts had now halted. Valerian's eyes opened so wide the eyeballs nearly fell out.

The hog was caught. His snout was held securely in Pan's armpit such that his overly large tusks were away from his body. Then the ape raised his other fist and began to rain a barrage of punches on his opponent's flank. The poor pig could not resist. He was trapped in the hold and he was not strong enough or skilled enough to break free. He could only struggle impotently as he was beaten to death by Pan and his cask-like fists.
Fight over with, Pan picked up his massive victim and slung it over his left shoulder before making his way back to them. Valerian just stared mutely. His dazed state was interrupted when his grandmother called out from beside him.

"I hope you now see what happens when you foolishly charge in without measuring yourself against your opponent".
Valerian's face coloured but he could not say anything. She was right. He had been asking for a beating at the very least and death at worst

The last hunt was done by Fuooh. It was the first time Valerian saw Fuooh do anything except eat, sleep and sit on or around his grandmother so he watched carefully. Properly hidden by spells they followed closely behind the gecko as she cornered a large hare in a crevice of some sort. It was a partition in the rocks that was narrower at the top than it was inside or at the bottom.
The poor hare was tired and trapped. The only exit was blocked by Fuooh and unknown to it by Valerian and his grandmother. With no way out, it could only brace itself as Fuooh closed in on it. It fought valiantly though. A term Valerian did not use lightly due to its connection with his father but in this case, he had to concede the point.

The hare did everything it could; clawing, scratching, kicking, biting, and pretty much all it was capable of but the dark green lizard just stood impassively and took it all without batting any of its none existent eyelids. It just waited for the hare to tire and then snapped it up.

Valerian looked on and sighed. That hare was so brave alas the weak were not long for this world once they met someone more powerful. Just watching how it used every trick it had only to have them brushed off must have hurt it mentally. He put it out of his mind after a moment of consideration. That was how the world worked. He had to make sure he did not end up the same.

LupineKing · Mar 9, 2023

Chapter Twenty-one: Innocence Lost

Victims either eaten or stored away, the contracted daemons lazily loafed around in a small glade. Valerian sat in front of his grandmother, who was the only one standing.

"Besides some basic hunting lore, I've shown to you four basic hunting methods. Outmanoeuvring, ambushing, confronting and cornering. Can you tell me what you've learnt?"

Knowing something like that was coming from the start, Valerian was already prepared. It wasn't hard to predict. His grandmother liked to teach by example and then buttress her points. Plus, she kept mentioning that she was teaching him this or that this was a demonstration.

"The objective of the first was to keep the target off-balanced and direct it into a situation not only favourable for you but also let you hold the supreme advantage. The objective of the second was to attack an unwary target and get away before any counterattack can be mounted. The third required subduing the target with power or strength and the last had you making sure that there was no escape", he listed out.

"Good but there is a lot you are missing", his grandmother said calmly. "Outmanoeuvring requires planning and forethought. You need to consider yourself, your opponent and your environment, taking into account the factors present and your objectives. You not only have to place your target in a position favourable for you but also ensure that it is helpless to do anything about it.

"Did you not notice the similarities between the first and last examples? They were exactly the same only the second could fight back. That should not happen if you have truly outmanoeuvred your opponent. Cornering only occurs if you do not properly outmanoeuvre. In fact, cornering an enemy is never really a desirable outcome. Can you guess why?"

Valerian thought about it carefully. Drawing a blank he tossed out a weak attempt, "Is it because they fight back?"

His grandmother merely looked him over. "Well, you are not wrong. It is because they fight back but the issue is how they fight back. Cornered prey fight back with everything they have. Many would not hesitate to ignite their essence and or use life-threatening moves just to either get away or take you down with them.

"Even the most timid of animals will attempt to fight if that remains the only avenue available. Though of course there are also those who would put that effort into escaping and then you will have nothing to show for your work.

"There is only one scenario where you should actually consider cornering an opponent on purpose. That is if you intend not to confront your target but instead provoke a reaction. The things people will do when their lives are at stake can tell you a lot".

Valerian looked at his grandmother, suspicion clear on his face. "This is about more than just hunting isn't it?" he asked.

She smiled in response telling him that he guessed correctly. "The principles of hunting work against any adversary and in many situations. It is a guide on how to handle or tackle issues", she admitted.

"For instance, that day in the courtyard you attacked the first soldier before he was truly aware of what you were doing. You blindsided him, preventing him from mounting a defence or calling for help. That right there was an ambush. With an ambush, you need to attack swiftly and decisively. Do not reveal your intent beforehand, do not let your opponent defend, and choose your spot carefully and wisely to both give you an attack advantage and an avenue of escape.

"The right thing to have done after that was to give up the attack and retreat, either to a safe spot or into concealment to prevent your enemy and his allies from pursuing you. You did not do that. That was a bad call. Even performing an ambush like you did when you were surrounded by multiple opponents who were stronger than you was unwise. You had no cover, no backup plan and no true means of escape.

"Lucky for you, you had allies in the vicinity. That could have turned out badly especially when you stalled and missed multiple opportunities to get out of there".

Valerian's head hung down when he was reminded yet again of that event and his bad choices. He was just about slipping into melancholy when his grandmother kneeled in front of him and caressed his head.

"Don't be sad Valerian! I'm not doing this to berate you. To be honest, you did remarkably well for a young man with little training and no combat experience. I'm only trying to help by showing you things you can improve on. I want it to be that the next time you find yourself in a similar situation you will know how to react and that you will subdue all you opponents. Standing tall and proud without even a speck of dust landing on your robes", she said soothingly.

It must be said that Valerian's grandmother was probably the one who understood him best. She knew just what to say or do to motivate him, to calm him, to infuriate and to bring him down or up as she pleased.
She played on his pride calling him 'young man' and avoiding the terms 'little' or 'boy'. She did not speak down to him or treat him like you would a child and she planted an image in his head. An image she knew would resonate with his will and ambition. She was right.

Valerian could already picture himself standing there, tall, elegant and nonchalant as foes fell before him with little effort. He did not know it but being praised always for his intellect and feats had made him develop a complex. He was something of a perfectionist. He could not fathom failure on his part. He could not picture not being excellent at something. Not when he succeeded at nearly everything he did. It was a mindset that made him try harder than one could think.

He could not perform below his standard. If there was something he did not understand he would work to master it. It fuelled his determination and made him work harder than most would, all so he could maintain that simple disinterested gaze that made it seem like nothing was beyond him.

However, it also opened him to mental demons. As a matter of fact, he already had one. Valerian, He-Who-Failed-at-nothing had failed consistently and consecutively at qi cultivation.

No one but he knew how hard he had tried. How many hours he had spent in his room doing all he could and coming up with nothing? Unable to accept his failure, he nearly killed himself by forcefully moving his qi. This proved that his pride not only helped him but hindered him as well.

Upon failing for the umpteenth time and having it broadcast that he was hopeless and crippled, Valerian had developed a shadow in his mind and heart. He had begun to doubt himself. That was partly the reason why he had gotten so angry that day instead of ignoring the insults with his usual indifferent air.

All this his grandmother had guessed and though she had no way of determining its severity, she could still find ways to remind him of his potential. She could get him focused on his triumphs, both future and present instead of letting him focus on his failures. That's what she did. Valerian was already thinking of what it would be like to be an unstoppable cultivator and so long as that seed she planted in his mind remained there as a focus she would have nothing to worry about.

"Come on. Don't be a baby. Let's get back to what I was saying" she said teasing. As expected Valerian looked embarrassed and quickly straightened himself up.

"A confrontation only works in your favour if you are more powerful than your opponent or possess some sort of factor that gives you a distinct advantage over your target. It might be a skill. It might be your expertise. It might be some innate ability that your opponent cannot account for, defend or attack you through. This is important to note.

"Earlier Pan won his battle because his opponent was unable to tell his true strength and because he completely held the advantage in combat skill and experience. You must also remember that the other forms of hunting are either inapplicable in some situations or engender disdain when used. For example, you cannot ambush your opponent when you are supposed to duel and there's no way to truly outmanoeuvre a target you know nothing about.

"It is also the reason why all cultivators put emphasis on personal combat skills because you never know when you will be in a situation that calls for self-defence or for you to make a decisive attack or display of power. It is what we all fall back on. As someone who wishes to stand tall with unquestioned might you must take this one into serious consideration and focus on it.

"Nevertheless, you must practice the others well and be able to employ them in any circumstance. The reason for this is because all combat possesses some connecting similarities. You can apply the principles of one mode of hunting in another. For example, Sal's aim was to outmanoeuvre her prey and yet she lay in wait, stealthily for a perfect opportunity like she was planning an ambush. She had her power to fall back on in case it resulted in a confrontation.

"Sela planned an ambush but had to make sure to position both herself and her prey and take numerous factors into consideration as well as employ a great deal of power, skill and speed. Pan confronted his but kept certain skills hidden to surprise his opponent and put him in a situation where there was nothing he could do but wait for death. Fuooh factored her and her opponent's strengths, and the environment and ended up in a confrontation that she knew she would win.

"When hunting or fighting or doing anything for that matter, do not restrict yourself to one way of doing things. To remain stale is to spoil and die. You must learn to adapt trying new and different things for every situation you encounter", she finished.

Valerian sat there coming to grips with what he was learning but there was just so much. His mind had actually been opened to new possibilities and a new way of viewing things. It began to whir and spin as it churned up ideas based on what he had just learnt. Raising his right hand to stroke his chin, he began to fall into deep contemplation and he tried to digest this new information. Thankfully he was stopped before he went in too deep.
"You can ruminate on this when we go home but first we have something to do", she said laughing. She found it funny that he had lost himself in thought in front of her.

Valerian looked around sharply his mind stirring. He saw his grandmother's amused gaze and grinned bashfully before recalling what she had just said.

"What else is left grandmother?" he inquired.

"This!" she said pointing behind him.

He spun around and came face to face with Gulsalma. His heart leapt a bit. Not because he feared that she would do something to him but because he had not noticed her leave, nor had he noticed her return with her current burden.

In her mouth, she carried an antelope. It was a young female but of a different kind from the one they killed earlier. This one was much smaller and had a reddish-brown coat. The thing was asleep and unharmed. It just lay in her jaws unconscious.

"I am going to teach you how to slaughter and dress an animal", his grandmother explained.

Valerian glanced in her direction once before sighing. He had suspected that today he would be forced to make a kill. He just relaxed because he had thought it over with the morning's events. He resigned himself to his fate. How could he be a hunter or a warrior if he was afraid of killing? So he watched impassively as the young deer was laid at his feet.

He looked at his grandmother asking what to do. She came closer and said to him.

"Place the hind legs together and place a foot over them. Then do the same for the fore legs".

He did as asked and looked up for more instructions. It was only now that he realised that he had become the centre of attraction. All of his grandmother's beasts had gotten up and surrounded him, eyes trained on what was to come.

"Grab the horn like I said and do what must be done", the old lady stated simply.

Valerian did so not noticing his grandmother making a hand sign beside him. Immediately the antelope was revived. It jerked awake to find itself surrounded and in the middle of a bunch of predators. Screaming and struggling fitfully, it tried to get away. The whole thing was so unexpected that Valerian nearly let it slip loose.

He quickly came to his senses and kept a good hold on it. Then, reaching over to the small of his back he grabbed the bone handle of the knife slung across there. He pulled it from the sheath in a swift, smooth motion and held it over the neck in the same way his grandmother had to the antelope they caught earlier.

Then, he hesitated.

The reason why Valerian had dreaded this moment was that he had read a lot of books about killing and making your first kill, and the descriptions bothered him. Was it really as bad as they said?

That was why he hesitated. He was stopping to evaluate his own condition. He looked at the antelope's fear filled eyes, listened to its frightened bleats and felt it struggle beneath him. There was no spell restraining this one's voice or movement.

He looked at it. Really, looked at it whilst waiting for the feeling described in the books. Was he just going to kill an innocent animal who had done nothing to him just for food? The thought of food made him think of venison. He had eaten a lot of it in his eight years of life. He liked it. The eyes looking at the antelope changed in a way that was not necessarily noticeable but to the predators gathered there it was as clear as day.

Valerian drew his knife across the beast's throat, firmly and confidently. Watching him, you would not have thought that it was his first time. It was so clean and efficient. Valerian's face remained impassive and focused as he made that smooth, purposeful cut. The whole thing was instinctive and without remorse or much conscious thought behind it.

This was different from when he attacked that soldier in the courtyard. At that time, his mind was clouded by rage and his actions were guided by anger. It showed on his face and in his thoughts. Also, he did not consider his actions then. This was nowhere near the same. He actually gave himself time to consider and still killed it.

Valerian slaughtered the antelope, realising in the end that the creature beneath him was food and he was hungry. That was it. That was all he needed. Aside from Sela and Fuooh, none of them had eaten since they left DaleGuard that morning. So, he held the antelope as it finished bleeding out and through its death throes.

Surrounded by predators like himself and under the pleased gazes of the heavens and the earth, young Valerian made his first true kill.

The hunt was concluded.

LupineKing · Mar 9, 2023

Chapter Twenty-two: Array Master of the First Circle

It has been five years since that fateful day that Valerian had his prospects tested. Five years filled with blood and toil, soaked in sweat and tears and all at a cost of incredible funds and extensive training, but he had done it. Now even those who looked down at him before, those who originally had nothing but disdain for himself and his family, came around with smiles pasted on their faces and entreaties on their tongues.

Valerian Steelborn, the second coming of the wastrel, unholy glutton, cursed talent, cripple and all round disappointment had proved his worth. No one could point fingers at him and speak with unmasked derision anymore. No one could even call him those names anymore. He was a genius who had come into his own.

He was a dual attributed arcanist at the energy condensation stage. Advancing four stages in five years. It was a reasonable achievement for someone of his status. It was fast progress and showed respectable talent but it was not truly prodigious if you factored in the resources he had allegedly expended to get there.

He was also a dual attributed tellurian at the meridian opening stage with three opened meridians. Now, this was something to be proud of, especially since it was well known that he was "cursed" in this aspect. Then again he was a wastrel who had probably consumed more stock than some pharmacies had ever sold.

Regrettably, people who thought this way would never know the troubles he had gone through. The ravaging pain of raw untempered essence wreaking havoc on his insides whilst he waited for his body to absorb even a tenth of it. They would not know the cost that it had involved and the sacrifices his family had been forced to make. The fact that they had cut down their number of guards by a third and their servants by half or the sale of some of his grandfather's priceless tomes and the fact that more than half his inheritance was already spent despite the supplements from family and few well-wishers. They knew nothing about his several trips to the clan's infirmary or to the healers they had on retainer that had to deal with the constant injuries that came with his unorthodox method of cultivating.

Valerian had long since stopped caring what the ignorant, unwashed masses of DaleGuard thought of him, his family and his affliction. He just focused on his progress knowing that it would all be worth it in the end.
It was too. Without practising any qi cultivation method he had somehow made it into the meridian opening stage in just five years and had achieved some limited qi movement.

The greatest benefit was not that though. Qi movement allowed him to enhance some parts of his body. The parts he could currently channel qi to, but that advantage paled before another, more startling discovery. Every advancement in his tellurian path no matter how small led to a significant increase in his body's strength, speed and vitality.

Before training Valerian could lift four tonnes, when he got to the middle phase of bone transformation six, then nine, followed by thirteen, fifteen, eighteen, twenty-two, twenty-three and now currently, twenty-four. It was mind boggling. Even the clan elders could not come up with a reasonable explanation for this. The strength gains were too fast, too great and too unbelievable.

It has to be mentioned that Valerian had yet to awaken the legacy. Once he did and he gained the ability to transform, the multiplication factor alone would make him a monster. Then there was the speed. It turned out that the extraordinary speed that Valerian had often displayed increased by the same factor every time his strength did.

That was a surprise to everyone. Steelborns weren't exactly known for their speed and agility but Valerian could change that. For that reason alone, there were many who watched his progress with bated breath, offering sacrifices to the gods amid prayers.

There was no one the same age and tier in the whole of DaleGuard who could boast of the same. His speed, strength and tenacity made him a hell to face and that was even before you factored in his arcane abilities.

To illustrate, Richard a reputed tellurian of his own right and one of the sterling examples of Steelborn strength was a forty-two-year-old peak Tellurian Lord with a normal strength of about a hundred tonnes. As a young man, he had received added attention because as a consolidated practitioner, he possessed strength that let him carry over seventeen tonnes in his normal form. That meant over ninety in his monolithic transformation.

Valerian was about one and a half times stronger and had similar levels of speed and toughness to himself back then without even half that level of cultivation. This simple fact was mind-blowing to the Steelborns. If Valerian actually succeeded in attaining qi manifestation, a definite possibility at this stage, and unlocked the legacy…?

It didn't need to be said.

However, that was not the reason they were here today. That was after all a Steelborn matter. It was not something that would have dignitaries representing the Earl and several other sects and organisations coming to DaleGuard to confirm the news and win him over.

Valerian stood up and walked towards the dais when his name was called. He seemed indifferent to the many disbelieving, admiring and envying eyes trained on him. With both hands at his back he walked gracefully down the carpeted aisle in the great hall by-passing the middle-aged man coming from the other direction and climbed up the stairs.

He cut an impressive figure in his brilliant cyan and gold arcanist robes. Today was not a day for armour. Instead, he was dressed in fine, expensive formal robes that declared his status as an arcanist – perfect for the current event. Valerian was tall for his age, with dark short hair and thick backwards combed locks that barely went past his ears yet strangely stuck upwards and backwards a bit on the top.

He was elegant and his dark olive skin tone only enhanced his looks. However, there was more to his looks. He wasn't just a pretty face. Well, his face wasn't the most handsome one out there or even in the top rankings. It was his aura that made him one that never went without notice. Aloof, comported and so cultured that people did a double take when he went by.

However, the admiring gazes on him had nothing to do with the striking young man he was growing up to be. They were here to watch the history defining moment that was taking place in DaleGuard's Array masters' guild.
Yes. You guessed it. Valerian had become an array master!

The second youngest person to ever become an array master of the first circle in Bathar's three hundred thousand years of history, the youngest in the last two ages and the youngest ever to become a circle master of three attributes. It was a historic moment and as Valerian knelt to have the Guild master place the badge over his right breast he suddenly felt the weight of his achievement and the work it took to get him here.

This was the true mark of his genius. The one thing that no one could take from him and all had to acknowledge. It had been a long road to get here but he had done it. He still remembered the day that his Uncle Jonas began teaching him control exercises and he asked to be taught how to create arrays. To him, the decision was a no brainer. He had one of the most gifted array masters in the city as his uncle and tutor why not take advantage of that? And so his daily lessons intensified.

Knowledge of a thousand symbols. The ability to correctly condense them out of world essence. Creation of at least three thousand combinations and configurations. Execution of at least one first circle array.

Those were the minimum requirements for becoming an array master of the first circle. It was the step that only an extreme few would ever surmount. Every arcanist had the ability to manipulate world essence but how many could memorise and visualise a thousand glyphs and three thousand combinations, their uses and interactions with each other?

How many had the intellect and discipline to study such an esoteric field? How many possessed the control and willpower necessary to force world essence into such minute, precise shapes and hold them together so that they could display their effects? To be honest, Valerian did not know the answer but he did know that even in that number he would be called an exception.

He had no formal education in the subject. He never went to one of the fancy schools or studied in a sect. He relied on his uncle and the tomes that were at the family's disposal. Despite this in five years he was able to completely astound the examiners of the Array master's guild. He went through those tests displaying knowledge, skill and control far beyond what most first circle masters could accomplish and topping it off with an act that had the whole city buzzing.

Valerian had revealed that not only could he condense the glyphs from normal world essence he could also do so using only metal and wind attributed world essence. That was the reason for his title as circle master of three attributes. Normal arrays were great. They were created from normal world essence which contained within it every element and thus they could do anything. Unfortunately, they were not specialised meaning they did not provide as good a boost to particular task that a single element array could. You could not expect a normal array that produced fire to have as good an effect as an identical array condensed from fire attributed essence.
However, even with the same glyphs it would be impossible to produce fire if your array was formed with water elemental essence. That was why array masters normally focused on using and controlling normal world essence only specialising as they went up the ranks and gained particular specialities.

There was also the difficulty involved since in the beginning most would not have the will power and control necessary to filter elemental essence from world essence and then condense the glyphs. Yet here was a young boy only thirteen years old who could do this with not one but two elements. Valerian cheated though.

He relied on his innate gifts for metal and wind to help him with the process. It was a hack but a widely used one. All array masters with attributes did so. So, no one said anything on the matter. In fact, they even respected him more for it as that showed his potential and aptitude.

That was the reason why so many major powers in the region had sent representatives to show up at today's ceremony. Even discounting the fact that he could form three different kinds of arrays he was still the second youngest first circle master their kingdom had ever produced and with all was considered, he was undoubtedly the most gifted.

So, all eyes remained on him as he descended from the dais now a fully recognised array master of the first circle. They looked upon the formerly disregarded "cursed talent" of the Steelborn clan and wondered how they would get close to him. This was true even for those within the clan like the female great elder in the first row, the old woman from that day.

Oh how Valerian enjoyed the irony. He could barely keep his upper lip from curling upwards in disgust but somehow he kept his visage stoic and apathetic and went down to mingle with the people at the graduation banquet. It wouldn't do for him to miss out on this opportunity because of a few annoyances after all.

This was a major chance to earn some patronage and backers. His family had been cut off for so long. Some allies would be welcome as well. Thus, like a true scion of aristocracy, he slipped into the milieu exchanging pleasantries and making small talk. This was where the foundation of his future would be made and he took care to play the game well.

It was actually a setting he was quite comfortable in. Nearly all of his life had been spent around adults and aristocratic ones for that matter. He might not have any friends his age but his conversational skills in the formal arena were praised by Valan Steelborn himself.

In fact, at some point and probably due to the wine he let an uncharacteristic smile out onto his face that dazzled everyone with its brilliance. The unexpected change from indifferent genius to alluring aristocrat was surprising and probably exposed more of his true nature than he meant to. In response, the number of dowagers and dames with daughters his age he had to fend off increased dramatically. Thankfully, he had his family on hand to help out.

The next few weeks were more of the same. People kept calling at their manor with flimsy excuses and gifts. Massive amounts of attention were being poured over them. Religious orders, sects, schools, merchant organisations, the Array masters' guild, the Artificer's Union, and other noble clans, it seemed everyone wanted to stake a claim before it was too late.
His grandfather was in his element. The man was positively giddy with the attention. Thankfully, he was an acknowledged master of the political arena and so everything was left in his capable hands. His grandmother was busy at work now that the attention had caused business to skyrocket.

Jonas known to all as a gifted array master himself and Valerian's teacher found himself buried in commissions and requests from people to teach their children as well. Richard? Well, he remained Richard. Although, even he became very busy with the security of the household.

However, the entire thing quickly lost its charm and eventually, it began to look like only his grandfather was enjoying himself. Valerian quickly made an excuse and obtained permission to go on a hunting trip. Putting on his armour and gathering some supplies he set off before any minds could change determined to stay in the wilds for a week or two. Hopefully, when he came back things would have calmed down some and changed for the better.

Things were about to change, just not in the way he expected!

LupineKing · Mar 10, 2023

Chapter Twenty-three: Hunting Solo?

It is said that in the beginning all there was, was a timeless void. A plane devoid of all but itself until the wheels of fate and time were set in motion and Verre was born. A mass of heaven and earth that swirled around each other. The earth becoming the core, the provider, the base, the domain of mortals, the stern father of all. The heavens wrapped around the new earth becoming the ordering force, the apex, the domain of the ascended, the capricious mother of all.

This was Verre, the world, the planet, the home and parent of all who lived within its confines. Split into the heavens and the earth, the order and the chaos, the changing and the stable, the favouring and the indiscriminate. Filled with wonders beyond telling and perils beyond imagining, with numerous hidden depths and lofty heights. It was an entity to be worshipped and respected. To be obeyed and revered above all.
Worship of Verre itself, the heavens and the earth was the oldest and most widespread religion in the world. The Backol or diviners, the priestly class of the old religion, lived lives attuned to the mysteries of the heavens and the earth, seeking to explain these to the people and lead them in the worship of the primal divinity whose essence all relied on for life.

Looking out at the magnificence of Verre from his moss covered overhang, Valerian took in the landscape. He could gaze up at the beautiful clear patches of sky and the mutable clouds or look down at the grassy plains, the distant knolls, the stranded trees and all the creatures that lived in sky, earth and betwixt.
Faced with such splendour and shrouded by the world's essence he could understand why Verre was worthy of such praise and worship. He could comprehend the curiosity and awe that would drive someone to abandon a normal life and devote him or herself to decoding its mysteries.

The outdoors were Valerian's favourite place. They were just so vast and beautiful. The open plains, the towering mountains, the many trees; tall and mighty sentinels governing the grasslands. Right now he stood on a mountainside gazing out at the remarkable view. The mountains were the only place in Cragsveil dominated by trees and not grass. The roots of the latter found it too difficult to find purchase here.

It didn't matter to him. Valerian himself did not require deep roots to live off the mountain. He had been hunting since he was eight. There was little about surviving in the wild that he did not know. Plus, while he was not with his grandmother he was not alone. Avery was with him.

The middle aged man had not aged even a day. He still looked exactly as Valerian remembered him, looking back when he would stand guard beside his crib. But he did look a bit more tired though. He wondered why. Regardless, the man had maintained that stern, stoic look on his face and two-handed longsword in his baldric throughout the time Valerian had known him.

He also rarely left Valerian's side. So in truth, Valerian while hunting solo, wasn't really alone. Avery hung around to do his job. A two fold task that entailed acting as his aide and ensuring that Valerian was protected. Thus he followed the young man everywhere he went. Even now on this hunting trip he stood at the bottom of the outcrop looking up at his 'young master'.

Valerian leapt of the rocky outcrop and landed deftly on the ground by his manservant. He was clad in his Steelborn armour. Simple and grey with a dull gold glow about it. Perhaps that could be attributed to it being an actual essence artefact. It was not the training version he had used as a child. It still had the same effect but its worth and defensive ability were much higher.

"This is the perfect place for us to use as our temporary hunting camp", he told Avery.

Avery nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. The spot was up against a rocky wall covered in crevices and furrows and dominated by a massive stone outcropping that jutted out from the mountainside.

From it, whether on top or under one could see for kilometres whilst the overhang provided decent shade and protection from rain. The place itself was well hidden due to the stone outcrop and the other massive boulders that covered that side.

The shaded area wasn't deep into the rock face so it wasn't a proper cave but it would more than suffice for their needs. The only problem would be the thicket to the east, but with a few warning spells, they'd have nothing to worry about.

The reason why they were checking this place out like prospective tenants was because that was what they were. Hunters on long trips would often set up temporary base camps from which they would make their forays. They would live there for the duration of the trip only leaving for home when they got enough of what they needed. Valerian intended for this trip to last at least a week. This spot would be theirs.

The hunt was progressing smoothly. Valerian continued to lead the juvenile hog daemon towards his carefully laid trap. Hidden to the side Avery watched, ready to step in if anything went wrong but he knew he wasn't needed. This was a manoeuvre Valerian had perfected.

Valerian's armour glowed gold and bright. One of the things his grandmother had taught about the wilds was that you could never be sure when trouble would strike. Upon her advice, he wore at least one defensive spell wherever he went.

The spell was never at full power because that would be an unwise drain on his reserves but he kept it up nonetheless and remembered to boost it when trouble did arise. That was the source of the dull golden glow that always surrounded him.

His defensive spell of choice, Valiant Armour. It was one he chose both for its name and its defensive capabilities. It created a layer of magical armour over his skin from gold-coloured metal essence. With this up he could endure at least one strong charge from the hog daemon without issue. Yet Valerian did not stop there. He had added a second spell. The more common, Mage Guard.

This one was a blue unattributed barrier that surrounded him like a cocoon. It wasn't as strong as the valiant armour defensively but it lacked any elemental weakness making it a valuable spell in its own right. With the two together Valerian was not only safe, he was also confident and secure.

Moving swiftly and surefootedly, he harried his quarry. A bunch of daggers and quarrels hovered around him. There were nine in total. Nine being the maximum number he could control freely without issue and without the act taking too much of his concentration. Concentration he need to evade and fight against the maddened hog that was trying to skewer him.

He clutched his arcane focus firmly in his right hand whilst the other remained outstretched before him controlling the weapons. The daggers he used to slice up the beast's skin, the quarrels he drove into its flesh. Neither was powerful enough to land a critical blow but then again that wasn't his intention. He just caused some small wounds whilst riling the beast up.

This ensured that it followed him right into the trap he had laid out. He just kept his mind on the surroundings and felt for the anchored spell with his mind. Once the hog charged past the threshold he triggered it.
[Iron Clad Shackles].

Chains burst from the ground rooting the hog in place. With his foe momentarily helpless in front of him, Valerian did not hesitate. He thrust his focus out intoning mentally, 'Heart Seeking Bolts!' At this command, his formerly ineffective weapons became enveloped in bright metal essence, their offensive might increasing many fold as they became the medium of the spell.

In a flash, they forced themselves into the hog's body, slicing up internal organs and killing it in a single blow. Whereas before the hog's skin was too thick and its defensive essence layer too formidable, the shackling spell not only restrained its movements but also suppressed its power allowing the enchanted weapons to kill it with ease.

Valerian stood there a few moments more, panting in excitement. This was a long-tusked hog daemon, the same kind as the one Pan had killed that day. Whilst several times weaker than that one, he could now fight a daemon and win. He lowered his focus to take a short rest.

Every arcanist worth his or her craft had at least one focus, Valerian had three. Arcanists relied on their abilities to draw on and control world essence to cast their spells. The process was difficult and required a lot of training and concentration. An arcane focus helped with that.

It halved the work required by reducing the burden on the user when it came to collecting and controlling arcane energy or world essence. For example, Jonas carried a staff caped with a red crystal. That was his primary focus and it had a high tier fire daemon core at the top to help him control and summon fire essence.

Many other arcanists were the same – staff carrying robed cultivators who colour-coded their clothes and equipment to match their respective attributes. Nonetheless, there were others who used wands, staves or other more esoteric devices as their foci.

Valerian's primary focus was a little more unique though. It was a mace. The original plan was to have a stave made. A simple piece about seventy centimetres long, but somehow thanks to the suggestions of his uncles he ended up with something just as long only with large metal flanges fixed to the top. It was also three times his weight and had a core that glowed a strange constant swirl of cyan and grey gas.

In addition to his, the gauntlets of his armour had been modified to serve as his secondary foci. Each gauntlet was inscribed with special glyphs to help conduct arcane energy and had small cores embedded in the back.
The right one had a wind core and the left a metal one on account of his dual attributes. They were far inferior to his mace but they were a boon nonetheless. It was wiser to have something to fall back on.

Only the spirits knew how many arcanists had perished because their foci had either been destroyed or because they were disarmed in combat and left with none. Jonas himself carried two wands tucked into his robes and his grandma had a wicked looking dagger carved from a daemon fang with a dark core as the pommel.

Having rested a bit, Valerian got up and began dressing the hog. First he removed the prized tusks and then he dug out the daemon core. The core was the essence crystal of a daemon. It was were its essence was stored and could be used for all sorts of things such as the crafting of weapons or foci and as a storage or gathering tool for elemental energy. The latter however was limited to the attribute of the daemon beast whose core it was.
The hog had a brown core that exuded an earthen aura, signifying that it was an earth attributed beast. However, Valerian knew that already. He fought it. Putting the precious items away he sliced open the belly and began removing the viscera. He would have skinned it but the skin was much too torn up from the battle and would be worthless so he left it on.

Avery looked on, watching his master's practised stroke whilst keeping an eye on the surrounding area. The smell of a freshly killed beast was sure to attract unwelcome guests.

Lait Mayne walked up the mountainside with his team. He was a simple enough looking guy with a coarse dark beard and decent leather armour. He had a sword at his waist and no less than four daggers strapped to his other side.

The rest of the men with him were the same but his position as their head could be inferred from the fact that he walked at the very front, actually leading them up the mountain. Also, he was the only one not carrying any baggage.

As for the rest, they were a band of scruffy looking fellows in a mishmash of clothes and styles. The only thing that really identified them as part of the same group was the tattoo that each bore. It comprised three dark spots with a blood-red 'V' running slanted through the gaps without touching them. It was prominently displayed on their chests and arms.

Each of the men walked briskly and maintained a tight formation, however, their guards were clearly lapsed. This was a route they had walked many times. People rarely came this way and the only time they really had to be careful was when they left to make sure they were not spotted or followed, even by their colleagues.

They were bandits. A small splinter of the actual force on their way to one of their secret hideouts to stash some of their more precious loot. Every single one of them was a cultivator with levels ranging from the third stage to true first tiers like Lait. They were also among the most trusted of their leader's men.

Bandits were not nice people. None would think so and no one should think so. They lived hard lives and resorted to stealing and pillaging the fruits of others' labour so that they would not labour themselves. They were criminals of the violent kind and not above turning on each other even under the best circumstances. The ideal of honour among thieves is not one that is widely held.

The mission of this particular six man cell was secret and important but it was not complicated. All they had to do was avoid being seen by their colleagues and any patrolling soldiers, drop the loot in the secure location and make their way back. Their actual base was only two mountains away so it was not a particularly long trip.

They marched leisurely, making good progress but not keeping their presence to the minimum for which they could not be blamed. They had grown accustomed to the easy trip and did not take the precautions they should have. Unfortunately for them today was not like the others.

They walked out of a thicket and instead of coming upon their secluded hiding spot they came upon a youth and middle-aged man sitting in the shade of the rocky outcropping, a fire in their midst and a roasting hog spitted over it. Stunned, Lait merely glanced at the two people camping in the front entrance of their band's secret trove. His men did the same.

Sadly, their entrance was not quiet and the subjects of their observation noticed them, twisting, in turn, to look upon their observers.

The two groups stared at each other for a moment in strange silence.

LupineKing · Mar 10, 2023

Chapter Twenty-four: Where Negotiation Fails

At first, Valerian had thought of inviting the men to join in their meal as was the custom of hunters but he quickly tossed that option out when he saw the design of the tattoo they bore. He saw the bearded man at the forefront's eyes focus on the StormHawk insignia on his own left breast and curse. Valerian strongly felt the urge to do the same.

'They're Vults!'

'They're Steelborns!'

This was a very bad scenario. Valerian was the grandson of a sitting magistrate. He had recognised the tattoo as soon as he saw it. It was the identifying mark of a bandit group known as the Vults.
They were not a particularly large or powerful group but they were known for their skill and strategy. They operated in a far away secluded, hidden base from which they raided merchant caravans. His mind scrambled for a solution to this problem.

On the other side, Lait was still cursing. 'What in the hells were Steelborns doing here at their secret spot?' he screamed mentally in frustration. His eyes then strayed to the obviously fresh hog and he realised. To have their mission compromised because someone decided to hunt in their area. How unlucky could they be?

His eyes scanned the place carefully, paying special attention to the wall behind the interlopers. Nothing was disturbed. Thankfully, the unwary duo did not know of the treasures behind them or how to open the doorway. Good. Now, what to do?

Avery was up, sword in his hand. His entire form was ready and poised for combat. In his mind, there was only one way this encounter was going to go and he was ready for it. He had to protect his young master no matter the cost.

Valerian rose to his feet as well, slowly, with his hands raised in a non-threatening way. With his eyes, he tried to get Avery to do the same whiles communicating his disapproval to him for adopting an aggressive pose so quickly. Hopefully, he would be able to calm everyone down before things got out of hand.

"Hello! My name is Valerian Steelborn and this is my valet Avery. We are pleased to make your acquaintance", he said.

The bandits were shocked at his civil tone. The ones at the back had expected the man beside him to speak first or even their leader to do so. Who'd have thought the youngest here would take charge and wait… who went hunting with his valet?

"If you really need this place, we are willing to share, or better yet leave it to you and find another. What say you? The hog is big enough for all of us", he said in a placating tone.

Valerian really did not want this to turn into a fight. The Vults were well known criminals, smart ones too if his grandfather's files were anything to go by. They had had strings of successful raids and operations throughout Cragsveil. Their leader was supposedly a strategic mastermind.

Lait was the same. He was one of the few who truly understood their group's strength and the reason for their success. The Vults kept a low profile, most of the time. They did not rob incessantly like other groups. Instead, they relied more on planning and efficiency than numbers or force and they restrained themselves so as not to come off as overly violent or murderous.

The timely, substantial bribes they paid to the necessary people helped too. But best of all, they knew which people not piss off.

The Steelborns were at the top of that list. A previously unknown family that had somehow seized the reins of power in the region with nothing but unmatched might and skill about two hundred years ago. Not even the ancient families of Cragsveil could hold a candle to them.

That was why their gang only attacked major merchant caravans and tradesmen from out of the county. Even then they were careful. They had their periods of heightened activity. But they had even longer periods where they did nothing but stay low and live of the fat of their wealth. Also, they made sure to save for the lean times in a secret vault known only to a small few, such as the six men here today. A vault that now had Steelborns in front of it.

Lait was at a loss about what to do. He could not let them go. No matter what, tongues would wag and questions would be raised. Why were there Vults on this mountain, so far out of their usual territory? Why just a small number of them? What was so special about the place?

They had to silence them. But doing so could bring them flak they might not be able to deal with. No organisation could survive with the Steelborns breathing down their necks or dogging their steps. That had to be avoided.

'We could let them go and then clear the place out', Lait thought to himself. However as soon as he did so he discarded the idea. There was too much stashed in the vault. So much that ten of the interspatial ring he carried would be nowhere near enough.

They couldn't take multiple trips in the time they'd have without attracting even more attention. Plus, once they did so they'd have to move and truly go to ground. Abandon their base, find a new place, etc.
There was really only one choice.

"Kill them!" he said to his men.

Already expecting the order, they rushed forward, intent on finishing them quickly. Swords were drawn and one pulled a bow off his back. This had to be done hard and fast. Luckily, they knew what to do. Killing people over wealth was their business after all. They just had to kill them and dispose of the bodies as thoroughly as possible.

People disappeared in the mountains all the time. Then they'd finish their assignment and rush back to base. After that, the Vults would just lay low for a while and distance themselves from everything. With luck and some favour from the gods, they wouldn't even be suspects. If not, it did not matter. Nothing would be traced back to them.

'Damn!' Valerian cursed mentally. He too hadn't really expected to be let go but he had had to try at least. His mind spun rapidly, trying to figure a way out whilst his eyes swept the scene and prepared for the battle to come.
As he did so, he sent more arcane energy into his shield. The pulse of energy made his outline glow gold and bright. Then he quickly cast his support shield, the Mage Guard. It was only when his defence was in place that he reached for his primary focus. Taking it into his hands and feeling its familiar, reassuring weight Valerian poised himself for battle.

The bandits were not idle either. Three of them had rushed forward weapons swinging. Thankfully they met with an unexpected obstacle. Avery had his longsword in hand and was singlehandedly holding them off.
It is not that they were not strong. Far from it, the weakest of the three was in the meridian opening stage with seven opened putting him much further along than Valerian who had three. His strikes were brutal and fast, seeking to take advantage of any openings the others gave him. However, the speed and power of the true clashes kept him on the outskirts of the battle looking in.

The real combatants were Avery and the two manifestation stage tellurians. One was surrounded in an earthen glow and the other was fast with a glimmer of qi focused at his feet. The three came at Avery in an inverted arrow formation trying to pressure him from the sides. The earthen tellurian was the only one who fought directly seeking to match Avery blow for blow whilst his unattributed counterpart struck fast accurate blows.
Avery was a water-attributed tellurian. He was also a true practitioner. This ensured that he was far faster than his opponents and that his strikes carried greater power. For a few moments, it seemed like he and the earthen bandit were evenly matched but that was just an illusion. The bandit's lack of formal training was too obvious and he relied too much on his qi in his blows.

It only took a few strikes to reveal the rather large gap between the two of them. The man fought well but Avery's longsword just seemed to twist and turn in the air to meet both his and his colleagues' attacks without much effort.

However, the stalemate was not favourable to him and his charge. There were still three other bandits on the side and Avery understood that they were probably the real threat. He intensified his efforts performing a flourish with his blade that disarmed his primary attacker but before he could press his advantage he heard a yell from behind.

Valerian was paying close attention to the fight, something he knew the remaining three Vults were doing as well. It was apparent that this was just a probing attack. They were trying to gain a quick read on their opponents' strength before they all pitched in to reduce casualties and preserve strength.

However, there was more to it than that. They couldn't have too many people attack at the same time in this small space without them getting in each other's way. That was an advantage that Valerian had to make use of as soon as possible and he had an idea.

"Avery! Out of the way!" he yelled and then trusting the man to do so he thrust his mace and arms forward releasing the spell he had been casting.

'Scything Blades', he intoned mentally so as not to give his attack away.

Sharp, fierce beams of golden metal essence appeared out of thin air assailing the bandits in front of him. Each beam was as sharp and as strong as an actual sword and carried nothing but the will to chop down everything in their path.

Avery quickly got out of the way with his superior speed but his opponents had heard the warning as well. This meant that they were not as surprised and unprepared as Valerian had intended. Not stupid, they hurriedly took measures to protect themselves.

The earth-attributed tellurian immediately activated a skill, his skin transforming becoming like stone. Then he crossed his arms in front of his face to protect his eyes. The golden blades crashed down on him shattering into bursts of light when they struck his hardened skin.

The wind-attributed bandit was long gone, evading with a movement skill but the one remaining bandit suffered terribly. He managed to block two beams and take the last on his breastplate but one succeeded in catching him in the arm. It was not a serious wound but it ruined his momentum preventing him from reacting properly to the others.

He didn't have to worry though because the three sitting on the sidelines finally decided to act. An arrow tore through the air to make a frightful impact against Valerian's mage Guard. The glowing blue shroud shuddered and flashed with the impact stunning Valerian.

He had not even noticed he was being attacked until the arrow broke apart on his shield. It broke his concentration, preventing him from casting the follow-up spell he was working on. That wasn't all. A light barrier appeared before the besieged bandits protecting them from the remainder of the scything blades spell.

His eyes flicked over to the three who had until now stayed out of the battle. There he caught the meridian opener drawing the string of his longbow again and an arcanist whose body was surrounded by bright white light, wand pointing out to maintain the Light Screen that protected the others.

'A light-attributed arcanist is a bandit?' Valerian questioned mentally.

He did not have time to ponder on this strange happenstance though. Their boss was no longer beside them. Sounds of clanging metal drew him to a spot about twenty yards away where the man was attacking his minder with a flaming broadsword. That wasn't good news.

Lait attacked the valet with fast furious attacks forcing the man to retreat steadily. The broadsword in his hands was coated in a thick layer of fire qi feeding off the air to produce bright flames. Each of his strikes carried all the force he could muster and whenever his opponent tried to open space between them he fired streams of sword qi to keep the pressure up.

It was a costly strategy that caused him to expend qi and stamina in a manner he knew couldn't keep up for long.

That didn't matter though. He had a plan.

"Jaunt 3!" he yelled out.

His men responded immediately. Their probe had worked well enough. Now they would resort to standard procedure. All he had to do was pin his opponent down. His sword clashed with his opponent's, the fire qi on his broadsword sputtering when it met the water kind on the longsword. The two remained locked in place, each pushing forward in an attempt to overpower the other with strength.

Lait fumed. The man held an elemental advantage over him, which made the battle harder. The longsword wielder was the greatest threat present and even he wasn't sure he could handle him on his own. Still, he was confident. Elemental advantages were not the only way to win fights.

Avery was well and truly worried now. He looked over his opponent's shoulder to see the widening gap between himself and his charge. The bandit was deliberately forcing him away and to the side, in lieu of the rock face that towered behind Valerian and formerly himself.

Unfortunately, there was little he could do. He could not afford to waste qi the way the other man was. Not with other foes to face. Two of which, the manifested tellurians, were closing in. A hand left his weapon to pull something from his jerkin. It was a small crystal plaque barely five centimetres long. He crushed it without hesitation.

Lait cursed again as he watched his adversary crush some sort of talisman. By this time his men had taken their place around the man, surrounding him in a triangular formation, but the damage was already done. A beam of energy streaked upwards to explode above them like a firework, forming a giant StormHawk a hundred meters in the sky anchored to the ground.

This was the problem with fighting against nobles. Apart from their various defensive artefacts they almost always carried signal beacons in case they run into some trouble. Lucky for them it wasn't the sort of artefact that communicated directly with another party.

If it was, they were done. At the very least, the other party would also know who it was who was attacking their fellows. They had to hurry even more. This needed to be over before the reinforcements got here. With this in mind, they did not dither.

Lait released a large beam of fiery sword qi at Avery. Simultaneously, four blades of sword qi appeared to lock down any escape routes and the last bandit stabbed his sword into the rocky dirt causing a shockwave to destabilise their opponent's footing.

It was a beautiful combination. One they had practised and employed many times to great success. Sadly, Avery wasn't so simple. He had figured they would act together against him from the moment he noticed them taking their places in the formation. He had wanted to strike then but he saw Valerian struggling to endure the attacks of the other three bandits.

Remembering his duty, his qualms about overly expending qi fled. Before the earthen bandit's sword could make its way halfway to the ground he gathered his qi, crouched slightly and used one of his famous skills, the Rising Geyser.

The skill forcefully expelled a large amount of water qi downwards, blasting him into the air and carrying him towards his charge, leaving his opponents to deal with the aftermath of their own attacks.

LupineKing · Mar 12, 2023

Chapter Twenty-five: Blocked In

Valerian was cornered. He was now being attacked by three opponents at the same time and his shields could barely handle the damage. Arrows, sword strikes and exploding light orbs from the end of the arcanist's wand all crashed against him. It made it even harder for him to attack since his concentration was focused on buttressing his shields to prevent the bandits from breaking through.
He could be likened to a tortoise, stuck in a shell, afraid to stick his head out for fear of being eaten yet unable to do anything aside from preventing them from finding a way to break through his only protection. If they failed, he lived. If not, he became a meal.

However, Valerian did not like to sit helplessly. He didn't need to look to tell that Avery was still being led away by the other bandits. He could clearly hear the ringing of metal on metal coming from his direction. The crafty criminals had actually succeeded in separating him from his protector. The minder was even out from under the shadow of the forty-metre-tall outcrop.

'Shit!' he cursed.

He couldn't let them have their way. As things stood, they'd just wear him down till his shields came down and deal with him then. In the worst case scenario, the trio attacking Avery finished him off and came over to help his own attackers break through his safeguards. It was imperative that he regroup with Avery but how?

He could not leave his position at the moment. Forget the attacks raining on him. The only reason his adversaries had not surrounded him was because he kept his back to the rock wall behind him and there was a massive boulder to the left. This restricted their attacks to his front. If he left this defensive position they'd circle him and leave him with nowhere to go. Plus, it blocked his movements as well. The only way out was through them.
'I need to carve a path through them', he realised.

That was easier said than done but luckily the makings of a plan began to form in his head. With his mace raised high by his right hand to support his lifelines, he stretched his other hand out. The weapons he kept on his person responded, coming out of their resting places.

The nine weapons rushed towards his enemies like they had minds of their own. The swordsman he attacked earlier scrambled out of the way nearly ending up a pin cushion. Then they swooped down like raptors towards the archer forcing him to also abandon his rapid assault in favour of cover.

The weapons weren't as good or as powerful as flying swords but they were still sharp and under his control, they could deal out some damage. His attackers knew this and made sure not to get in their way. This bought him the breathing room he needed to start casting a spell but a sudden blitz from the sky nearly rendered that moot.

Crescents of frigid sword qi came down like rain upon the bandits around him. It tore apart the earth and in the archer's case ripped him apart. Valerian raised his head to see an awe-inspiring sight. Avery hung in the air, scowling like a vengeful spirit and sending down the crescents with each wave of his sword.

The arcanist, someone Valerian was beginning to recognise as a warder – a specialist in defensive spells – raised his wand to form another light screen that held up against the sword attacks. Valerian instantly seized this opportunity to cast his favourite single target spell – Heart Seeking Bolts at the swordsman who had so far defied all his attempts to deal with him.

The flying weapons were instantly enhanced with the now familiar gold shine becoming deadly implements that boded swift death for anyone designated as their target. The sword-wielding bandit who had previously been lucky enough to somehow survive all of Valerian's previous attacks was unable to do so this time.

Already busy trying to avoid death from above he was not able to react when the spell caught up with him. Five quarrels drove themselves into his vulnerable organs whilst the daggers left crisscrossing slashes through his flesh. They barely even slowed when they went through him. Going in and out cleanly leaving nothing but holes and spurts of blood in their wake.

It took him a full second to register that he had just been killed. Unsure of what to do he tried to stem the flow of blood from his throat with one hand, whilst the other clutched at his chest. But they never quite got there. His vision merely faded and he fell to the ground.

No one had the time to care about him. The arcanist simply wrapped his shield more solidly around himself and Avery finally fell to the ground. Whatever skill he was using to extend his hang time expired. The moment he landed, he rushed to Valerian's side yelling out.

"Hurry! We have to go".

Relief evident on his face Valerian dashed off with his protector. The two of them left the now arriving Lait and the rest of his men behind. The bandit leader was cursing again even as he urged his men to follow. They couldn't let them get away.

Conversely, Avery and Valerian knew they couldn't let themselves be caught. They may have killed two of the bandits but they only got the weakest ones. The group was well organised. Two people in the meridian opening stage, two in the manifestation stage, one mana condensation stage arcanist and a true practitioner.

They also had effective co-ordination, communication and strategies. It would seem the Vults deserved their reputation.

The remaining bandits were undoubtedly the toughest and most powerful. They wouldn't be hesitating or underestimating them again either and they were bound to be pissed that two of their own died. Yeah, they had to make sure to leave them as far behind as possible.

Sadly, they did not make it far. They barely got two kilometres from their campsite when a barrier of light suddenly appeared to block their way. Heading towards the scrubby woods at the side revealed that their way was blocked off by beams of sword qi coming from their rear.

Turning around they were confronted with the sight of their pursuers closing in on them. The arcanist was in the lead flying their way on a platform of light. Right after him was Lait, the bandit leader. The man's face was contorted in fury and his flaming broadsword looked particularly menacing. In contrast to the furious tellurian and the smug looking arcanist, the remaining two weren't very eye-catching.

Exits covered, Valerian's eyes swept the area scanning it for anything that could help them in their plight. He noticed that there was a wide crevice in the rock wall to their right. It got him thinking.

"Avery, let's make our way over there", he said pointing to the cleft.

"Why?" the man asked incredulously. He had been thinking of how he'd break through the barrier ahead.

"We don't have time. Just trust me!" he uttered before dashing there and leaving his minder with no choice but to follow.

The man did not understand. They were already cornered. Why put themselves in an even better trap with no way out? The crevice was only eight metres wide at the mouth and had a high wall not unscalable for cultivators in normal conditions. However, given the kind of tail they had, they'd definitely be shot down if they tried to climb it.

Still, he followed Valerian, praying to his ancestors that the boy actually had a plan.

Once they made their way a bit ways in Valerian asked his protector. "Can you buy me about a minute's worth of time?" he said in a serious tone. "Make sure they don't come close. What I am about to do cannot be interrupted", he stressed.

Avery looked at him wondering what exactly he was planning. For a moment, Valerian was unsure whether the man would follow his order but he just nodded and rushed back out of the crevice to face their pursuers. The young man just sighed in relief and got to work.

From his interspatial ring, he took out six cubes of tempered steel. They were large, blocky and heavy, measuring fifty centimetres at the side. He just left them lying around him and began to force himself into a focused state. He pushed himself to ignore the sounds of combat coming from close by. Rather he imposed a strange calm attentiveness upon himself.
This attentiveness was trained on the world essence around him. In a few seconds, it was all he felt, all he saw and all he cared about. He fixated on the flow and ebb of the essence around him. Then, cupping his right hand, he raised it in front of him, his left holding his focus loosely.

Under his control and compelled by his arcane energy a stream of metal elemental essence collected in his palm to form a glyph. Once one was formed another followed, soon they were pouring out of his palm to gather around him. Before long, a multitude of glimmering symbol-shaped motes of metal essence were floating around him.

This was Valerian's chosen method of glyph creation. It was also the one Jonas used and the only one he had received full training in. Many other arcanists chose to directly draw the glyphs out of world essence either with their fingers or an arcane writing implement often a personal, stylus-like focus. However, that required training and practice in calligraphy not only to draw glyphs correctly but also do so speedily.

Directly condensing them from world essence was more difficult than the standard path. It required a lot of focus, will power, visualisation and control over both world essence and personal arcane energy but in return, it was faster and far more precise.

So long as the mental image of the glyph was accurate and vivid the ones produced would be the same as well. You just had to picture them in your head and force the world's essence into that shape.

That was what he was doing now. He started slow but his speed quickly picked up, condensing glyphs faster than he ever had before. When they were all done he did not rest. He began to conduct them into places and configurations for his array using hand motions to help the process along. Soon there was a rather complicated one-circle array half a meter in diameter.

It floated before him, a bunch of indistinct bits of glowing gold light. It was Valerian's best work yet, but he wasn't done. With a strong pulse of arcane energy, the six steel cubes rose into the air to hover around him. Now ready, he came out of his hyper-focused state to implement his plan.

Avery stood with the crevice at his back, blocking it with his form. The sharply dressed valet was a mess. His clothes were disordered and splattered with blood. Sweat covered his brow and blood trickled from a cut over his right eye causing him to constantly wipe it lest it blind him. In spite of everything he remained in front of the gap, an insurmountable obstacle.

He was panting heavily, breath coming with a slight hiss on account of his bruised ribs but his face was largely impassive. An ice-cold qi exuded from his body chilling all in the vicinity. Even the blood on his sword was frozen making it look like red crystals were growing on it.

This was nothing. His opponents were worse off. He had dealt them twice as much damage as they did him. Unfortunately, that damage was split among all his assailants and there were four of them. Right now, they stayed out of reach watching him warily as the lull in the battle dragged on. None of them wanted to be the first to step forward and face someone so far out of their league.
Mercifully, a cry came from inside the crevice.

"Avery I'm done. Get in quick!"

He did not think twice. He took off an arrow fired from a bow, hastening into the shadowed crevice. The bandits made to follow him but he sent a few flying crescents of sword qi their way causing them to scatter momentarily.
Making his way to his charge he took note of the array hovering over the boy's palm.

'Was this what he was working on?' he pondered.

He just hoped it would be enough to get them out of the mess they were in. Then he saw the floating steel cubes. 'What are those for?' he questioned with his eyes bugging out.

Valerian barely registered Avery by his side. The majority of his mental effort was still trained on the array. The instant the man cleared the boundary he had designated in his mind though he burst into action. With a flick of his wrist, the array sailed outwards towards the mouth of the crevice growing as it did so.

This was an advanced array master technique referred to simply as enlarging. It was exactly what it said on the tin. Instead of drawing the array full-sized, a competent arcanist would draw it smaller and then infuse world essence into it to enlarge it to the required size. It was faster that way, only it required a fine degree of control and a lot of concentration. It was also one of the techniques that set Valerian apart during the array masters' examination.

The array continued to grow, covering the width of the crevice in a second. It was followed closely by the large steel cubes that Valerian was keeping afloat. They flew into set points of the array melding seamlessly into the array circle, becoming part of it. Before the bandits could even think of forcing their way through Valerian activated the array.

The entire thing glowed brightly for a scant second before reducing a bit in intensity. It blockaded the mouth of the crevice, an impassable, indecipherable scrawl of glyphs and lines with six large cubes of steel embedded in it. As soon as it was in place Valerian fell to his knees finally feeling the strain he had been under.

He grabbed a handkerchief and wiped his sweaty face even as he tried to compose himself. Avery just stared in awe at the massive array shielding the place.

The array was known as a Cladded Fortress Gate. It was both the most powerful array Valerian could create and the most powerful defence in his repertoire. In its simplest form, it created a screen of metal essence to fend off attacks, but its true power lay in its ability to be cladded. In this, the steel cubes served an important purpose. They were the true heart of the array.

Each cube was 50 centimetres thick and what the array did was incorporate their properties into its matrix. A single cube ensured that the screen was comparable to a fifty-centimetre-thick sheet of steel. Having six meant that the entire golden essence screen was in fact comparable to six layers of fifty-centimetre-thick sheets of steel.

This was an absurd level of defensive might. The absolute peak of first circle arrays. Valerian would not be able to do more until he became a second circle master but this was more than enough. How many people could get through three meters of steel?

The only problem with the array was that it took too long for him to set up making it an impractical choice for battles. Also, unlike his other defensive spells which protected his whole body the Cladded Fortress Gate was one-dimensional. It only blocked incoming attacks from the front. A smart enemy would simply go around it.

That was why he had them come to the crevice. There was only one opening making it the best place to set up the shield. It probably wouldn't last forever but once it was active it would buy a lot of time. Enough for a quick break and a draft of their next course of action. In fact, he had something that might work. Pushing himself to his feet Valerian began working on the next stage of his plan.

Avery continued to gaze at the array. He could hear muffled cries of anger and frustration coming from the other side. Someone was cursing up a storm as well. He slumped against a rock taking the respite to catch his breath and regain some qi. His gaze wandered to his young charge. The boy was certainly full of surprises.

He watched as the boy got back up and began removing other chunks of metal and weapons from his interspatial ring. Then he started weaving streams of arcane energy into the masses of metal. Avery blanched the moment he recognised the actions.

This was a spell he had seen Valerian practice. It was not a pleasant spell and the results were very messy. His suspicions were confirmed when the metal pieces began to clump together to form slightly glowing spheres. The childminder promptly distanced himself a bit more from the young lad. Why?

Valerian was making enhanced Explosive Spheres.

LupineKing · Mar 12, 2023

Chapter Twenty-six: Widespread Destruction

Lait was angry, frustrated and tired. He stood in front of his men, fire essence stone in hand. His sword had been put away a long time ago. Right now he just stared at the massive golden array between himself and his enemies and muttered curses under his breath.

Outwardly, he could do nothing. Not till they brought down the ward. Consequently, Lait just stood there and drew on the essence trapped in the crystal he held, frantically replenishing his reserves to have another go at the stupid thing.

After about a minute, he put the essence stone away and readied himself. Standing before the array he took in a breath so deep his chest seemed to bulge a bit. Every one of his men could feel the build of qi in his body and watched with tense expressions as their leader made to fire off his most powerful skill for the fifth time in the last twenty minutes.

'Fire Wyvern's breath!' he called out in his mind as he expelled the air and qi.

In response, a sustained blast of fire attributed qi shot from his mouth in a straight line towards the array. Under his control it was a focused beam only twenty centimetres in diameter unlike the wave of fire it usually was. He directed this beam to strike at the array at a low spot just a meter or so off the ground. That section, already a dull red, began to heat up even further.

After closely examining the array he and his men were unable to figure it out. They couldn't be blamed. Not even Evans that bullshit warder knew much about arrays. None of them were any good at the subject. Who could have predicted that they'd run into an array master?

Their only choice was to brute force their way through. Unfortunately for them, it appeared that this shield array was perfectly suited to resist brute force. Seeing that they were making no progress Lait, as the leader, responsibly offered himself up.

He was a fire attributed tellurian. The array was clearly a metal based one. Thus he was the most suited to dealing with it. After all, metal was weak to fire in the elemental cycle. So he went at it with his most powerful skill and was surprised to see some results. Lait did not know it but the great defensive array before him was just a metaphysical series of metal plates. What he was doing was basically taking a focused blow torch to a safe.
What he did know was that his attacks were working … somewhat. The main problem was that his qi reserves were not up to par. Fire Wyvern's Breath was a very powerful skill and had the energy consumption to match. Lait had worked long and hard to become capable of firing off three in a row but after he did so his qi core would be near empty.

Today, he had fought with that trice damned water attributed swordsman and used up a lot of his qi keeping him at bay. He was barely able to use the skill twice before he was tapped out. Sadly, it wasn't enough. They had to break through the array, kill those Steelborns and cover their tracks before the reinforcements the swordsman had called arrived.

With no other choice, Lait took out a fire essence stone from their shipment. Essence stones were crystals composed completely from condensed world essence. They were precious resources, each worth its weight in silver florins. The one he held was formed purely from fire attributed essence making its price twice the normal on account of its greater rarity.

Lait was forced to absorb the essence making up the stone to replenish his own. It was an extravagant expense but none of his men uttered a word in protest. They understood the stakes they were currently playing for. Failing this task would be far more costly than even ten thousand of the stones. They just watched as their leader made use of the costly gem.

Lait wasted a great deal of the essence stored in the stone every time he tried to make use of it. He wasn't exactly in an optimal mental state and his technique was poor and shoddily executed. However, he got the job done. He'd fire three quick Fire Wyvern's Breaths and then frantically replenished his qi as he rested. As the minutes trickled by, the damage to the array became more and more noticeable but so did his fatigue.
Mentally drained and physically overdrawn Lait knew that when he finally got through the shield he would be useless in the resulting fight. All he could do was hope in his heart that his men would be able to handle it without him.

'We have to succeed. We just have to!' he prayed.

On the other side of the array, Valerian was nearly done with his preparations. He had lined up in front of him a grand total of nine Explosive Spheres. Originally intending to make more he recanted and focused on enhancing the ones he had already created. To do so he used yet another metal element array. This one was a reinforcing one to boost their power.

Frankly, Avery was horrified at what he was doing. Still, he knew his place. He just stood on the side and watched with his usual expression. Nevertheless, his apprehension was justified. The Explosive Sphere spell was one that gathered metal attributed essence to form a sphere of magic that well … exploded. However, all spells could be cast using a medium. When done properly, this lessened the cost and increased their power like with Valerian's favourite Heart Seeking Bolts.

Valerian had done the same with these Explosive Spheres. He used bits of metal, mostly scraps and weapons. When they exploded the force would not only be greater, they'd discharge metal shrapnel at the unlucky folk in their range. As if that wasn't bad enough, he had run a reinforcing array through them. Avery actually worried for the bandits now.

Preparations dealt with, Valerian then began explaining his plan to Avery, asking if it was viable. The blue-liveried man thought about it carefully. It was a sound plan. He was even a little surprised at how simple and direct it was and he made that known. He did keep one part to himself though. He was even more surprised that Valerian had consulted him about it.

"It would work but don't double cast. Just focus your spells around me instead", he pointed out.

Valerian gave him a look filled with incredulity. "And what about me?" he asked.

"You'd get on my back and I'd carry you", Avery stated.

"There's no need. I can cast the spells. We'd each get our own", Valerian countered.

"That is a waste. I am faster and stronger. Focus your efforts on me. Or is this because you'll be riding piggyback?" Avery questioned.

"It is unnecessary and undignified", his charge said.

"You have ridden on my back for years. It is nothing new", Avery added.

"Yes", Valerian pointed out. "Years. That's how long it's been and I don't think you've noticed but I am a lot bigger now".

Avery smiled. He remembered those simple times. Valerian had been so adorable then. He was a little, precocious thing who'd point and ask about everything they encountered and force him to lug him everywhere. Oh, how things had changed!

Ignoring his charge's protests Avery placed a hand on his shoulder. He wasn't good with words. He wanted to say something but words failed him. He just looked at the boy. The atmosphere turned solemn, with two staring at each other saying nothing.

They knew the risks of what they were about to do. Chances were; only one or none of them would survive this ordeal. There was no getting caught. There would be no ransom. They'd be slaughtered and buried in a shallow grave somewhere and no one would ever know. Valerian in particular was very scared.

He was the privileged grandson of a city magistrate. He had never been in this kind of danger before. He could barely calm his nerves and when he thought of what lay beyond his shield array he was filled with dread. This was different from being in battle.

Here, he wasn't charged by the action and emotion that would draw your mind from such things. This was walking into a situation where death was a very strong possibility. It required a different sort of courage.
Part of the reason that he was able to stay composed was because he had Avery with him. The man was the sturdy wall he could lean on. He had been with him forever. The blue-liveried man was not a servant of the household or one of his grandparents' hired hands. He was Valerian's own manservant. A position he had held since Valerian was born.

The boy could not think of a single moment of his life when the man was not around. He had come to rely on him even more than he realised. That scared him. He knew well enough that if push came to shove Avery would no doubt sacrifice himself for his sake. The man was that loyal. He did not want that.

"We will get out of this", he said. "Don't do anything stupid!" he warned the man.

Avery nodded and chuckled. To think in the end it would be Valerian trying to reassure him. It was funny. His charge had grown up. He was more like his father every day. He was also different in many ways. In some he was better, others worse.

'Is that a good thing?' he asked himself.

Valerian stepped back to put the last bits of his plan together. With his mace held in both hands he began his spellcraft. He cast three spells on Avery and on himself. The first was Wind Cloak, a defensive spell that rarely saw much use in his hands. The reason; Valiant Armour was a much better physical defence and Mage Guard was better at shoring up elemental weaknesses.

It had one great benefit though. Wind Cloak boosted speed and agility, which was something they'd need for their plan to succeed. As if in confirmation of this, Valerian followed that with wind speed, a spell he learnt from his grandmother which increased the speed of its target. Adding that to Wind Cloak made for an awe-inspiring increase in speed for both Avery and himself.

However, the spell casting drained him and that was before his final spell, Valiant Armour. It was a strain but he managed it in the end. This was the reason why Avery had wanted Valerian to concentrate his spell-casting on him and let him carry him to safety. The strain from maintaining his mental effort combined, with the exhaustion of arcane energy was becoming quite evident in Valerian's visage. But he did not stop. Their lives depended on his plan.

Unlike Lait, Valerian did not practice a poor method. The Manifold Elemental Incarnations was a high, Profound technique. Plus, he had attained a perfect arcane vessel. With his method and arcane vessel he could absorb, refine and channel arcane energy dozens of times better than the average arcanist.

This was a great aid to the regeneration of his arcane energy and provided him with a rather large reserve to draw from. Still, he had to rest a little after expending so much energy. After a couple of minutes of circulating his method, Valerian stood up.

Avery gave him a questioning look but all he did was nod in response. Holding his mace in his right hand and stretching the other hand out, he let out a pulse. The nine Explosive Spheres slowly and carefully levitated from the ground to orbit him. He was ready!

Lait huffed and puffed as he tried to catch his breath. He was getting close. He knew it. The array was clearly weakened and the place he'd been attacking was heated to a cherry-red glow that radiated with heat. He fell to the ground and pulled out a brand new fire essence stone. The third one. Collecting himself he stimulated his remaining qi and began to drain the crystal in his hand. He never had the chance.
A change occurred with the array he and his men were camped in front of. One second the array was there the next it burst into motes of light. The scary part involved the things that flew out of the light cloud.
Three glowing balls of indeterminate materials shot out towards himself and his men. They moved independently from each other. One headed straight out towards Lait, another went left and the last right. Knowing that they could be nothing good the bandits quickly scrambled out of the way. Alas, that wasn't enough.

Lait was in a very precarious position. He was seated on the floor with barely enough energy to get up. There was no way he was going to evade what he guessed was death coming at him. He also had no qi to use any defensive skills. But he did have one trump.

Despite looking middle-aged, Lait was actually in his early sixties. What's more, he had been a mercenary and then a bandit for two-thirds of that time. His experience with the border of life and death was plentiful and when he saw that metal ball shoot towards him it came in handy.

Without even a shred of hesitation, he reached for the necklace he wore and crushed the pendant in his fist. A glowing barrier immediately surrounded him.

It was a talisman that he had acquired from the corpse of a young noble after a raid. The poor bastard hadn't had the chance to activate it. Lait had kept the lifesaving treasure knowing it could save him one day. Today, he called on its powers and it didn't disappoint. The barrier it released was sufficient to protect him even from attacks from the average Lord whilst it was active.

It was sufficient to protect him from the chaos that came next. When the balls struck something – like the body of the earth attributed tellurian who activated his stone skin defence – they exploded. Each explosion carried the force to level a large house and the metals that made them up shot out with the explosion borrowing the force to destroy whatever they met.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The earth attributed bandit met his demise in the explosion. Lait survived unharmed, as well as the other one who had been chatting with the arcanist. This meant that he was thankfully ensconced in the spells the warder employed to protect himself.

The sound from the explosions was deafening and caused roosting birds up to five kilometres away to take to the air in fright. The ground around them was completely cratered and torn up. All trace of grass and plant life had disappeared leaving rocks with shrapnel stuck in them and scorched earth that smoked slightly.

Lait looked around in fright and worry. He was so shaken he nearly didn't notice when their quarry dashed out of the crevice and made a run for it. His eyes almost fell out as they ran past him trying to make use of the confusion they had caused to escape.

"Get them!" he found himself shouting even as he forced himself to his feet. "Don't let them get away!"

Unfortunately, they were too late. The young Steelborn and his valet had made it past them and were already working on creating a lead. Evans quickly created one of his floating platforms and they all got on it to give chase. That was when disaster struck again.

Valerian only used three of the nine Explosive Spheres in that first attack. Nine was the greatest number of things he could control with true finesse. They were to be used in three volleys. The whole point of the first was to sow chaos to aid in their escape. The second was to break down any barrier that the warder may have set to box them in.

Thankfully, the second volley was not needed because the bandits hadn't thought of that. The last volley was kept in case they got chased. However, Valerian did not fire them at his pursuers. He fired them at the rock wall behind him.

Earth-shattering booms rang through the mountain face as the airborne mines detonated along the cliff face between the bandits and their pursuers. Lait and his men were just lucky they were not fast enough to get caught up in it. The destruction was even bigger than Valerian had planned it to be since he had more bombs.

As he'd hoped, the rock wall began to crumble and fall apart. Soon a landslide was created between the two parties creating a downflow of rocks and dirt that blocked off the bandits' advance and continued into the trees.

Lait could only curse. He couldn't even make out the bastards with the dust cloud that had cropped up. The ringing in his ears wasn't helping matters either. There was no way through the active landslide and no safe way over or around. That meant they were going to get away. They'd failed! He was just about to place his head into his hands in defeat when Evans tapped him on the shoulder.

"What?" he snarled in anger as he spun around.

He needn't have asked. He could see for himself. A squad of soldiers was speeding their way. As if that wasn't already bad enough, they all bore the Steelborn badge.

LupineKing · Mar 12, 2023

Chapter Twenty-seven: A Rescue?

Oblivious to the events taking place behind him, Valerian ran like his life depended on it. His figure blurred as it rushed through the landscape. Already tired, he forced himself to keep going. Despite his incredible speed and endurance, he was tapped out. He was panting and stumbling as he made his way across the mountainside and over the rocks. However, he did not stop to take a rest.

He knew instinctively that he had to keep going. The moment he stopped would be the moment that would bring him down. He would not be able to muster up the energy to continue. His qi was drained and his arcane energy had long ceased supporting the spells he cast. Luckily, the Wind Speed wasn't a sustained spell but a timed spell.

Just then, like a dream upon waking, the spell faded. Valerian nearly went tumbling head over heels when he felt the last vestiges of energy leave his body. His run petered to a stop. Utterly exhausted, with his muscles burning and his vision blurring, he just lowered himself to the ground. There he clutched his side in the pain that came with extreme exertion.

Sprawled in the sparse grass and stony dirt, Valerian gasped and coughed as he tried to pull air into his screaming lungs. Sweat matted his form, plastering his hair and inner clothing to his skin but right now he could care little about how he looked. He glanced back the way they came and was pleased to note that the bandits still hadn't shown up.

They'd made it!

They had run for nearly two-fifths of an hour and Valerian had put in his all the entire time. They must have covered close to sixty kilometres in that sprint. Thankfully, pushing himself like he did was not for nothing. He had managed to take advantage of the bolstering spells to open up the distance as much as possible. The bandits couldn't possibly follow them now.

Avery stood on the side and watched as his charge struggled to pull himself back together. In his opinion, Valerian had lasted too long given how he pushed his limits. The young aristocrat famed for his comportment was now a mess. His hair was in disarray, his clothes and armour were filthy and he was lying in the dirt, curled up and panting like a dog freed from a hot box. It was a bit disconcerting.

The man took the occasion to straighten himself. Quickly wiping his face and trying to pull his tattered vest and sleeves together to look more presentable, the manservant found a small boulder to sit on as he too began to rest. His exhaustion was much more manageable than Valerian's due to his long years of training, his higher level of cultivation and his age.

The two just stayed the way they were, recovering slowly as the light of day changed to dusk. As the light fled, Avery stood up. Bandit free or not, it would be unwise for them to remain out in the open in the mountains at night.

"Master Valerian!" he called but received no response. "Master Valerian. We should go. We have to find some shelter for the night." Again he received no response. Strange.

Slightly worried, Avery walked up to his charge. The boy was just lying there with his eyes closed. Quickly, he bent over to check on him. Then he sighed in relief and stood back up.

The boy was merely asleep.
_________________________________________________________________________________

When Valerian came to, it was to the smell of broth cooking over a small fire. He rose slowly, muscles still aching slightly from the trouble that morning. His arcane energy and qi were all replenished. That alone was enough to make him feel safer. Tossing the blanket covering him aside, he sat up, surprised to find himself sans armour and only in his leathers.

The dancing flames of the fire cast warm light on the stone walls surrounding him, informing him that he was in a cave or underground cavern or some sort. Cold air came rushing in from the entrance, brought in by the night breeze, chilling his toes. Still a bit on guard from before he opened his hand and called his focus to his side. The weighted metal artefact immediately slapped into his palm after shooting over from where it was. At his side.

He hadn't been disarmed. A bit confused, Valerian observed his surroundings in more detail. Whilst they were definitely unfamiliar he could recognise the sheet he had been covered with and the pot simmering over the fire. Training his gaze on the entrance he was greeted with the even more familiar broad back of Avery.

A sense of warmth and security filled him. Settling back down he nestled himself once more in the blanket. He was clearly safe and sound. However, Avery had heard him. The man immediately made his way over.

"Young Master Valerian. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm alright", Valerian answered sitting up once more.

"Please sit still, I'll fetch you some soup", the man told him.

True to his word, he got a small bowl and ladled up some hot broth for Valerian. Clutching the hot bowl in one hand and a spoonful of soup in the other, Valerian blew some air over his soup and drank it quietly. The broth was simple, made with some ingredients they had brought with them and some wild hare meat. Despite this, it was some of the best-tasting soup Valerian had ever eaten.

He merely sat there emptying bowl after bowl whilst Avery stood by filling it every time it emptied. Apparently, nearly dying had both increased his appetite and refreshed his pallet. Soon he was done and the two sat in the small cave in companionable silence. Valerian did not feel like talking. Instead, he just lay in his blanket and went over the events of the day.

All of a sudden, Avery shot up in excitement removing a communication talisman from his storage ring. He spoke into it hurriedly. The call was very brief but Valerian did make out Avery giving out what sounded suspiciously like a location.

"Who was that?' he asked after the call was done.

"A passing patrol was in the area and saw our signal. They just now managed to make contact. I told them where we are. They should be here within the hour" Avery explained.

This was good news. They were even more secure now. However, Valerian's eyes were narrowed in Avery's direction. Unfortunately, the man did not notice it.

"They called you?" he asked.

"Yes. Why?" Avery questioned with a puzzled expression.

Putting on a happy smile Valerian shook his head slightly, commenting, "Nothing. I'm just relieved that's all. Their response time is getting good".

Avery just nodded absentmindedly not really registering Valerian's words.

Who ever heard of guardsmen calling and not the victims calling first? Plus, how did they have the signature to Avery's personal communication talisman?

The soldiers made it over even faster than expected. There were six of them. A full team. Each was geared not just for battle but also for surviving in the wilds. Their cultivation levels ranged from the third stage to the leader, an axe-carrying man who was a true practitioner. Valerian was very impressed. On arriving, they lined up and saluted him.

The leader came up and began talking to Avery and Valerian.

"We saw your signal", he said. "It took some time to track you down and catch up but we only made it there in time to see that landslide you caused. It was impressive", he admitted. "Anyway, we rounded up the Vults who attacked you and slowly tracked you here."

Valerian nodded calmly taking it all in. The man's story surprised him but he had nothing to say on the matter. "Where are they?" he enquired instead.

"The Vults?"

Valerian nodded.

"Boys, bring the bandits over. Young Master Valerian would like to speak to them" the man shouted.
Three soldiers acted. Following the order, they dragged their quarry over. Valerian looked on as the battered remainder of the band that had caused him so much trouble was placed at his feet and mercy. The men were not looking good. The arcanist especially. He was unconscious and the back of his skull was bleeding from a rather large gash. As for the leader, his face was just one giant bruise. The last was covered in bruises as well.

"Hello again", Valerian greeted coldly.

Lait looked at him defiantly, too trussed up with essence-suppressing manacles to do anything else.
"Do you mind telling me why you attacked us? What are you even doing here?" he asked.

The bandit and his cohort kept their mouths closed. These were the very questions they'd tried to kill them to keep from being asked. There was no way they'd spill the beans now.

Valerian looked them over. "Tell you what", he began. "I'll make sure the person who speaks receives a full pardon. However, if no one does so I'll make sure you receive a punishment worse than the one you're probably imagining".

"We'll never tell you anything Steelborn!" the manifestation stage bandit spat.

The look on Valerian's face grew even colder. It looked like he was about to kill them right there. "I see", he simply stated. "Do you feel the same?" he asked Lait.

The bandit leader struggled to get his broken jaw working right. Speaking through the pain he told Valerian, "You'll never get anything from us. I promise you that".

He meant it. His team was chosen not for their skill or power but for their great dedication and loyalty to their leader. There was no way they'd betray him now.

Valerian gave a cold smile. "You say that now. But I can assure you that there are numerous ways to get even the most unwilling to talk and the clan has quite a few experts in such matters", he pointed out.

"Whatever you are trying so desperately to hide will come out eventually. You'll spill your secrets and then I'll make sure you get twice the punishment you deserve. I for one make sure to keep my promises", he finished.

Unable to help it Lait's countenance paled. His subordinates did as well. Even the leader of the soldiers was unnerved. The cold, deathly assurance in Valerian's voice shook them. It was clear to them that he was not joking. The boy was dangerous. The weakest bandit immediately began to struggle, trying to escape his bindings but it was of no use. Valerian merely gestured to the soldiers and they were carried away.

The team leader stepped forward and in a more subdued voice, he spoke. "Vults really are something. When we met this lot the leader succeeded in crushing an interspatial ring. When captured, he nearly killed himself. They are secretive, organised and efficient, very unlike the usual bandits. If you didn't know better you'd think they were soldiers or in some martial sect".

Valerian listened distractedly. He'd read their file. He wasn't learning anything new. There was definitely something off about the whole picture. Everything he knew told him that they not only had a purpose in coming to this place but also that it was a very important one. The fact that the leader crushed his interspatial ring was more proof.

Those rings came with all sorts of enchantments to protect and create the interdimensional storage they held. Destroying the ring meant losing whatever was in it forever and yet the man had done so. Plus, they had panicked when they run across him and Avery and had done all they could to silence them.

Whatever it was he would find out.

In the meantime, he said, "I'd like to thank you for your help sergeant! Who knows what could have happened without your intervention? I'll pen a message. When you take the bandits to DaleGuard give it to my grandfather and you'll be rewarded for your troubles".

The man was perplexed. "And you sir?" he asked.

Valerian's left eyebrow rose. "For my part, I will try and see if this hunting trip can be salvaged. Things may have gone a bit wrong but there's no reason I can't accomplish what I came here to do. Life goes on. Why do you ask?"

Unsure how to broach the subject the sergeant tentatively inquired. "Well, I was thinking you'd come back with us".

"Oh? And what, pray tell made you think that?" Valerian asked. His eyes were narrowed and their hidden depths suddenly seemed teaming with dark promises.

"Oh, no young master! I wasn't trying to be presumptuous. I was only thinking that given your harrowing experience, you'd like to return to the city and recuperate", the man hurriedly explained.
Valerian's eyes remained focused on him. Actually, they seemed even more suspicious. A feeling of danger struck the sergeant making him reach for his axe unconsciously. He managed to stop himself before he drew a weapon in front of his lord. The same lord whose tone now carried a hidden edge.

"Your thoughts are neither welcome nor asked for", Valerian ground out. "What I do is none of your business. If I wanted to return to the city I would have said so. As it stands, I have given a directive. Get on with it! I have my own matters to attend to".

The soldier was a little stunned but he held his ground. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that sir!"

The moment he said that the atmosphere changed. Now, his men had begun to notice as well. It was a sense of danger that people who fought often would grow familiar with. It was like a mental alarm bell that warned when something was about to happen. Only, the sergeant could not place this one. In front of him, Valerian took a single, purposeful step in his direction.

Too late he realised that the source of the pressure was coming from the boy in front of him. He very nearly drew his axe and backed off right then. However, he was a veteran, fully capable of dealing with the pressure and confident that he could handle a noble brat with a weaker cultivation level. Or so he thought.

"Can't let me do what sergeant? What makes you presume that you can let me do anything?" Valerian inquired, his tone dark and daring.

The man was tongue-tied. He couldn't think of a proper response. Putting his hand at his back, he rubbed the flat of his axe for assurance. Abandoning all subtlety he ventured, "I'm going to need you to come with me, sir!"

Valerian merely took another step in his direction. "Really?" he asked whiles giving a short laugh. There was no mirth in it and his eyes remained dark and angry.

"That's funny. Well, let's say that I refuse to come with you. What are you going to do then? Enlighten me", he dared.

The sergeant was nervous now. That feeling of danger was now intense. Everyone was now watching him, waiting for his response. His arm, unbidden, reached for his axe again. That was the wrong move because as soon as it began grasping the handle Valerian's voice came again.

"Are you sure about that, Sergeant?"

The inflexion on that last word seemed like a trigger. It reminded him that even if he could beat the boy and drag him home he was after all, still a sergeant. His background was common and his influence minute.

His opponent was a noble from the most powerful house in the viscounty and his own position placed him as one of the most influential youths in his family. Say he succeeded and carted him off. What then? He would have made a very powerful enemy.

One whose current power was more than enough to ensure that he never found paying work again. Even if his current backer could shield him for now, what was going to happen in a few years when the boy grew more powerful than the old geezer, like he was sure to? He stood there contemplating this issue. Thankfully, the choice was taken out of his hands.

"Why don't we all calm down?" Avery ventured.

Everyone's eyes immediately turned in his direction. Many had forgotten that he was there but now that he had spoken they dearly wished he could diffuse the situation. The sergeant in particular looked at him with hope.

"Young master, the sergeant is only doing his job. Please forgive him. You know soldiers are coarse-tongued. He merely didn't know to put his words together properly" he offered.

"Oh!" Valerian expressed in fake surprise. "Are you siding with him, Avery?"

LupineKing · Mar 12, 2023

Chapter Twenty-eight: The Valley

Becoming the focus of his master's anger nearly made Avery recant his statement. He knew better than anyone present the danger they were in. Valerian was in one of his dark moods. Avery had noticed it not long after he'd finished eating. Right now, the best thing would be to stay out of his way, but he couldn't well do that at the moment.

"Not that Young master! I just happen to think that there might be some wisdom in his words. The hunt's already ruined. There's nothing wrong with coming back later. Not to mention, you should probably oversee what happens to these men yourself", he said.

"I see…" Valerian murmured.

Avery was worried. He just hoped that his own connection to the boy was enough to protect him. He may not want anything to happen to the soldier but he wasn't sticking his neck out for him either.

"Those are good points Avery", Valerian judged. "We'll do as you say for now".

His manservant gave a large sigh of relief.

Truthfully, Valerian didn't really care for what Avery said. However, the man's words had made him realise that his anger was misplaced. He wasn't angry with the soldiers but rather with himself and the one behind them. The day had not gone well at all and that had opened his eyes as well as compounded the issue. The whole thing made him want to lash out.

He was weak. Their ordeal had proved that. His offensive power was lacking and his combat experience insufficient. He had never realised this before but then again he had never actually fought against other people. Only his uncles and the beasts he hunted. With the latter, he simply outmanoeuvred them. Today, the day of his first true confrontation had ended in failure.

This epiphany as well as the near-death experience left him shaken and worried. He now knew his actual combat skills were not up to par. What would happen next time? What if Avery wasn't there? He had to fix this weakness before it became an actual problem.

Despite this, he wasn't going to come out and admit that he might have been wrong and overreacted. Besides, the other man had clearly overstepped his boundaries. He was lucky to be spared as is. He decided to leave things as they stand, and started walking back into the cave.

The sergeant was beyond relieved. The issue had been resolved. It had neither come to a head nor resulted in any truly irreconcilable difference. He'd hate to have had to walk into town after assaulting a noble's son. That would have caused all sorts of problems for him. Just then something caught his eye.

It was a metallic glint that came from a shiny object that entered his vision from behind his head. The metallic implement swirled around him twice before he could react. It was fast. Too fast. He could barely make it out. But he got a general idea of what it was. It was some kind of dagger; shiny blade, strange symbols and a simple bone handle.

He watched as it left his side and flew to its master. Someone he identified from the fact that it sheathed itself in a scabbard slung across his back. It was Valerian. The boy did not even glance towards him. He just continued strolling away as if he did not have a care in the world.

The sergeant's frightened eyes swept over to Avery. The manservant merely shrugged before hurrying to catch up with his master.

The soldier stood stock still, watching them make their way into the cave. Unable to help it his hand rose to rub the back of his neck. That blade just now had just made its way into his blind spot without him noticing. When did it do so? How?

He thought of the boy with the dark eyes and immediately to re-evaluated him. The boy was definitely more than a genius array master. He rubbed the back of his neck in thought. He'd never have known the blade was there if it hadn't pulled that stunt at the end.

Damn, that brat was dangerous.

The party was now far larger than it had originally been. There were eleven of them. Three were injured prisoners. Due to that, their travel was slow. Something that made the already unbearable atmosphere even worse.
They had elected to spend the night at the site where the two groups met. Right outside the cave that Valerian slept in. Then, they began their journey home at sunrise. Unfortunately, the tense uncomfortable air from the day before never went away. Valerian was silent and broody whilst the sergeant merely kept his mouth shut and his eyes trained on his dangerous cargo.

Thanks to that, not one of them had the presence of mind to enjoy the scenery they were passing through as they made their way down the mountain which was a real shame since the view was incredible. They were in the outer parts of the Grand boundary. The greatest highland in the whole of World's Heart. The very world essence here was different from that of any other place. They walked on until Valerian stopped them. His dark look was gone. Replacing it was one of confusion, curiosity and wonder.

"Something is not right here". He called out.

Everyone stared at him wondering what he was on about. It was only Avery who took his words seriously. The manservant immediately unsheathed his sword. Eyes scanning their surroundings, he placed himself in a position to better guard Valerian. Seeing his reaction, the soldiers were instantly on alert. They were pulling out their weapons as well when Valerian did something crazy.
He began to run to the side yelling, "Come with me!"

Now even more confused they followed. Pushing their way through a strand of trees, they came upon an amazing sight.

Lying a few metres below their current position was a small field. It was a miniature valley with a short cliff wall on their end and a relatively flat expanse that stretched for at least eighteen metres before it met the gentle slope on the other side. Everyone stared. It was that beautiful.

The trees were even sparser in the valley but that didn't lessen its beauty. The grass was vibrant and spotted with many beautiful flowers. There was even a small, trickling stream running through it. From their vantage point, they could all see that the water was clear and potable. The many creatures drinking from it only served to reinforce that belief.

All in all, it was an idyllic site. There was no one whose breath wasn't taken away. It was like a spot embodying nature's purity. The frogs croaked softly, competing with the birds nestled around. The hares scampered all over the place and an odd squirrel climbed to her delight. None had ever seen a prettier sight. Then Valerian remembered what he came for.

Paying no attention to the stunned soldiers he jumped the two metres into the valley. The rest of them quickly recovered and rushed in. When they did they began to let out gasps as they made a new discovery. The world essence in the small field was at least twice as thick as it was outside it. They'd definitely stumbled on some special site.

Valerian ignored them. Instead, he closed his eyes and reached out with his arcane senses. Avery hurriedly took his place at his side.

One of the soldiers curious about the place made his way to the stream. He was only a short distance from it when the rock beneath his foot suddenly forced its way out of the ground. Crying out in shock he fumbled with his blade waiting for an attack that never came. The rock just floated up into the air where it was met with all the gazes from the eyes the man's scream dragged over.

It hung there for maybe half a second before it flew towards Valerian and stopped in front of him. The men glanced at each other, still wondering what was going on. Then another yell came. Spinning around they discovered that many more rocks were levitating from the earth and flying to their charge. These rocks came from all over the place including the stream bed.

It was the Sergeant who finally worked up the courage to ask what was going on.

"What's happening?" he asked Avery. Sadly, the man had no idea as well.

Noticing Valerian's eyes flutter open the manservant posed the question to him. "Young master, could you please explain what's going on? The men are becoming nervous."
Valerian did not turn his eyes towards him. Rather, he trained them on the many rocks floating around him. Even so, he gestured the two men closer and answered the question. The whole time he kept his voice low as if he was about to reveal a secret.

"There's something very strange about this place. I managed to sense it as we walked by. The metal essence here is extremely strong. I have never felt anything like it. And aside from that there's this…" he muttered.
Using his powers, Valerian dragged one of the rocks over. It was the size of his head and covered in soil and bits of grass. With a gesture, he banished most of the dirt away allowing Avery and the sergeant to see what lay beneath. As expected, they gasped in surprise. Valerian didn't blame them. He was having some trouble believing it as well.

That's because the rock was clearly a massive chunk of solid gold ore. Anyone who had ever seen the metal before would be able to make out the unmistakable clumps embedded in the rock. Unable to help himself, the sergeant looked up glancing at the many floating rocks around them. They were at least twelve of them, all of different sizes.

Then something clicked in his head. These were from all over the place, including the steep rock walls around them. He spun on his heel scanning the valley and measuring it. If they were all gold then …. His mind failed at the calculations but he knew that the value of this place was definitely worth a few million sovereigns.

"This is a gold vein!" he exclaimed.

Valerian shot him an annoyed glance because of his outburst. However, he could understand the man's excitement. Still, he'd better correct him quickly.

"Not exactly", he began. With these words, he was instantly the focus of attention again.

"What do you mean?" the Sergeant asked in puzzlement. Avery wanted to know as well.

Choosing to simply show instead of explain, Valerian, pulled more of the floating rocks his way. He waved his hand in their direction and they extracted themselves from their coating of dirt to reveal their true selves to his audience. Avery and the sergeant could only stare in stunned silence when they saw what Valerian had uncovered.

"I don't understand", the burly soldier finally stated.

Avery was the same. Each of the six rocks that Valerian had drawn over was the ore of a different metal. They were iron, silver, chromium, titanossis, platinum and glacies ferrum. Avery had never heard of something like this before. One or two metals he could understand but seven in one place? He also wanted answers. However, due to his long service to the magistrate's family, he knew to keep quiet and let his master explain. He wasn't disappointed.

"That isn't the only weird thing about this place. Or haven't you noticed?" Valerian said waving his hand in a gesture over the field.

"Noticed what?" the soldier asked still confused.

Valerian took a deep breath and began to explain. "This place has at least seven different minerals occurring in it. They are everywhere in the valley and occur in vast quantities. Of these, three of them are essence metals but while uncommon they are not that rare. Many places with high quantities or qualities of essence are the same and this place certainly qualifies as one.

"Whilst even I am boggled as to the reason for the number and variety I can say that the essence levels here are more than twice what they are outside the valley. But there's something even stranger".

Here he lifted his hand up and in that air-grasping movement he learnt from Jonas he condensed an orb from metal-attributed world essence. The orb was unlike anything he had ever condensed before and Avery's eyes widened at the sight. Normally, when Valerian condensed or collected metal attributed essence it appeared as a golden colour. Now, it was an icy grey.

"You guys probably can't feel it since none of you possess the metal attribute but the metal essence here is incredible. It was what drew me here in the first place. It is cold and hard and at least four times as intense as it is elsewhere. I have never encountered the like", Valerian explained as he stared into the glowing ball.

"However, that's not the worrying part", he added.

The sergeant came closer also entranced by the weird clump of metal essence. He couldn't be sure but he could swear that the essence had a nature. His thoughts, though, focused on the more pressing issue.

"What do you mean?" he asked. What was so worrying?

"Come on! Something here is clearly not right. I'd have thought you of all people would be the first to tell. Can't you see it?" Valerian inquired.

The man bristled yet he said nothing. He wanted Valerian to stop playing games and spit it out already. Valerian though was not about to go out of his way to help someone already on his shit list. Avery, against his will, had to step up and ask politely.

"Young master, perhaps it would be better for you to tell us since we haven't a clue as to what you mean. Especially if there might be some danger involved", he said.

Valerian looked at his minder and relented. "Take a good look around you", he pointed out. "Look closely at the land. It is well sheltered, beautiful, with a good source of water and extremely precious essence".
"Does it not strike you as strange that such a prime piece of land has not been taken already? Do you not find it bizarre that despite the plentiful world essence there are no daemons here? Are you not puzzled by the fact that there are all these animals here and not a single true predator?" he clarified.

With each question, the burly soldier's heart filled with more and more alarm. The brat was right. There was something wrong here. How could he be so stupid? There was no way that such a place would be uninhabited. Even if there were no signs of people, there were bound to be daemons. This was the Grand Boundary for crying out loud.

The only reason he could think of for why the place he had neither daemons nor large predators was that the place was already someone's territory. A daemon powerful enough to frighten away challengers. One that did not appreciate neighbours. A daemon whose land they were trespassing on.

"EVERYONE!" he shouted drawing the attention of his men and the prisoners. "WE'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE! QUICKLY!"

His men were swift to act. They did not bother with why but instead hastened to leave at their leader's command. They were ready to haul bottoms and they would have done so if a young man's voice did not stop them.
"That will not be necessary sergeant!" Valerian called out.

The man turned to him giving him a look as if asking if he was stupid. One Valerian chose to ignore in favour of getting his point across.

"Calm down. The daemon is not here and probably hasn't been for a few days at least", he explained.

"What makes you say that?"

"One of the first spells I cast when I got here checked out the surroundings for noteworthy life signs. Besides us, there are no noteworthy life signs within four kilometres. Any daemons in the area are keeping well away from this place.

"All the more reason to get the hell out of here before it comes back" the man argued.

Now, it was Valerian's turn to look at him like he was stupid. "Yes, you are right. Were it to return and find us here things would be … bad to say the least. On the other hand, it is not here now. This is the perfect time to take a look at its lair and figure out what sort of beast it is and its apparent tier. Surely, you don't think that we should just leave this site to it?", Valerian asked.

This sent the wheels in the man's head spinning. He was imagining the possibilities. The gold aside, there were many other high-quality minerals in the area. Two of them were even essence-imbued materials. Plus, the site was filled with high-grade world essence and even higher-grade metal essence if the boy was to be believed.

The Steelborns gave a finder's fee to anyone who gave them news of exploitable sites and the locations of resources. This fee was dependent on the type and quality of the find. If he was to report this to his superiors and back that with information on the place and its resident, his cut would be astronomical.

He could retire and live wealthily for the rest of his life. No more babysitting annoying nobles or running about following orders. He would be his own man and have people do things for him instead. Greed shone in his eyes at the promise of riches.

"I understand", he conceded. "Sit still and wait whilst we try to find the lair".

Valerian said nothing. He just lifted a finger and pointed it at a spot behind the sergeant. The man turned around to see a giant boulder leaning against one of the steep rocky sides of the valley. The rock was unnaturally placed and clearly there to cover something. It was so obvious that the man wondered why he had not noticed it before. Glancing over his shoulder, he glared at Valerian. Nobles were all annoying on principle but this brat was especially hateful. He'd never met anyone else who made him feel so stupid.

LupineKing · Mar 12, 2023

Chapter Twenty-nine: Into The Lair

Even with Valerian's assurance that there were no daemons within four kilometres of them the sergeant still insisted that they take their time and exercise caution when it came to exploring the cave that lay behind the giant boulder. He got his men together. Besides two who they left to guard the prisoners, the rest were marshalled into a simple raid team.

First, they confirmed that the beast had been out for a while by checking the boulder. From the dust and track in the ground, it hadn't been moved in days. Satisfied with this news they worked together to push it out of their way. Then, they arranged themselves in a simple arrow formation. Two took the lead, two at the sides and Valerian, Avery and the sergeant took the centre.

If he was honest, Valerian would admit that he admired the sergeant to some extent. It only took a snap of his fingers to get his men to act and they obeyed his orders promptly and without question.
But then again Valerian would never admit it. Not when the man had left that bad impression on him in their first encounter. His own reservations about the man's roles and job aside, he refused to respect anyone who did not respect him, and it was clear from their first interaction that the burly soldier didn't.

So he maintained his practised disinterested face. That didn't mean he did not take precautions of his own when walking into the lair. His armour glowed with the sheen of his favourite spell and the other was on his lips. Oh, how he hated that that was his default response. Still, it was the wise thing to do in this situation.

The entrance to the lair was a cave mouth ten metres high. It did not exactly fill the men with confidence to know that they were going to be snooping in the home of a monster that required an entrance that big. However, they were ready to go in anyway even if only to get the whole thing over with and be on their way before the homeowner returned.

Lighting torches, they made their way in. They needn't have bothered. Apparently, the daemon wasn't too fond of the dark itself. The inside of the cave was lined with luminescent stones that shone bright light into the cave corridor. Everyone gave them a wary glance knowing that the extravagance meant that the inhabitant of the cave may be even greater than they thought.

The inner complex was simple but grand. There was a long corridor from the entrance to the first chamber. It was a gigantic room with a ceiling height of about twenty metres and an area of a few hundred metres. They stood in it for a few minutes admiring its simple beauty and the numerous exposed veins of precious minerals that lined the walls and floors.

It was a display of wealth and power that Valerian had never heard of. How powerful was the daemon to be able to carve this place into rock embedded with titanossis and frost iron not to mention the other minerals? Valerian suspected that it was a metal-attributed beast. It all fit. If it had abilities like his, this would not only be an abode but also a fortress, training area and a weapon.

With such powers, it could make this lair easily and it would benefit greatly from the metal essence in the area. He hadn't been in here long but he could already feel its effects on his essence. How much less living here all the time? The minerals were not only wealth but also a readily available source of weapons that could be hurled at foes. It was a perfect lair.

Valerian gave the lair an appraising look. He wanted one just like it.

Quickly, they moved to the second chamber. This was a much smaller corridor that had two openings leading out from it. One led to the right and the other was in the far back, opposite the one they had just come through. One of the soldiers was sent to check out the right offshoot. Advancing carefully he made his way over to the entrance and peeked in. Then with an outstretched arm, he made a few signs to indicate that the room was empty.
There was only the other chamber left. Eager to get it over with, they hastened towards it. At this juncture, they had all subconsciously accepted that the daemon truly wasn't home. Now, they just wanted to examine the sleeping chamber and leave. With any luck, the third chamber would contain the information they were looking for.

In their haste, none of them, not even Avery noticed the strange state that came over Valerian. For some reason, his grey eyes glowed gold and his mouth began to salivate. A great hunger came over him. He suddenly felt like he was starving. Like he had never actually had a meal in his life and proper food was lying in the room ahead.

Conversely, with the hunger came a great burst of energy. It was like he couldn't keep still. He had to get there. Both the pace of his heart and his feet quickened dramatically. Fortunately or unfortunately, everyone else was speeding up too and so his increase in speed went overlooked.

Inwardly, Valerian was startled and worried. He struggled bravely to bring his body back under his control. He didn't understand what was happening. However, the moment he crossed the threshold of the chamber all attempts at control became fruitless. The hunger more than doubled. Anything he did at this point was the equivalent of tossing pebbles into a ravine.

The first soldiers to enter the chamber could barely believe their eyes. Today had been a day of many surprises but this took the cake. This chamber wasn't empty. There was a massive creature in front of them. But the heavens were kind and it was dead. That didn't stop their hair from standing on end though. Nor did it take away the fear and awe in their hearts.

Dragons tend to do that to people. Dragons were powerful, majestic creatures and when others encountered them, they couldn't help but be dumbstruck at the sheer magnitude of their presence. However, the effects did differ a bit from dragon to dragon. Some inspired more fear than awe others more awe than fear. This one gave more than the healthy dose of both.

"Blimey. That's a Steel Scaled Wyrm", one of the soldiers pointed out.

"Ar..are you sure?" another asked, struggling to get his tongue to work.

"Of course! I mean, what else could it be?" the first exclaimed.

He was right. The dead beast before them was a Steel Scaled Wyrm, a feared kind of dragon. It was a giant reptile six metres tall at the shoulder, twenty metres long and covered in massive scales that gleamed with a steely metallic sheen. The fact that it was a dragon was evident from the fear it caused but what could have possibly killed such a great daemon?

Its scales had been ruptured and its blood had caked on the floor. It lay on its side, maw open in a painful grimace. This notwithstanding, there were no signs of battle and the entrance had been closed when they found it. The sergeant couldn't imagine what could have caused the death of this steel titan.

Avery was stunned as well. Turning to Valerian he asked, "I can't believe it. Young master, are you seeing this?"

It was only now that Avery noticed Valerian's strange state. The boy just stood there, eyes unfocused and unseeing. From his mouth came an inordinate amount of saliva. A shocking look for someone as concerned about his appearance as Valerian. As for the rest of his visage, it was contorted into a tortured expression.

"Young master?" Avery asked worriedly. He placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently.

"Young Master Valerian! What's happening?" he tried again. This time a little more frantically. The commotion drew the attention of the others in the chamber who turned to look at them. Then, Valerian moved.
Being as close as he was, Avery was able to make out the savage hunger that sparked into existence in his charge's eyes. He couldn't help taking a step back in fright. Alas, he did not have the chance to recover his composure because Valerian was already walking towards the dragon's corpse. As he got closer to it, a shocking sucking force came from within his body.

The world essence in the area was drawn in by it. Everyone present watched with scared eyes as the suction coming from Valerian created a visible vortex that rapidly consumed the world essence in the vicinity. Even non-cultivators would probably be able to sense the drain.

"What's going on?" The sergeant yelled questioningly.

"I don't know", Avery yelled back but then he detected something. "Wait… I need all of you to leave." Seeing them stare at him in befuddlement he shouted at them. "NOW!"

The sergeant gave him a searching look before ushering his men out. When they went out of the chamber, Avery walked to the entrance of the chamber and stood there guarding it, praying to all the deities he knew that he wasn't wrong.

He shot a glance over his shoulder to Valerian whose suction power was targeting the true essence being emitted from the dragon's corpse with a vengeance. Directing his spiritual sense, he examined the boy's body. Yes, Valerian's qi levels were rising dramatically. He thought back to that fateful day in the courtyard and hoped that once again he was making the right choice.

When Valerian was checking the area for signs of life, he used a sensory spell his grandmother taught him. The more powerful a being, the greater its essence and thus the greater the life sign. That was why he did not detect the dragon. It was dead and therefore did not have a life sign.

However, when he stepped into its chamber and saw its corpse he was hit with the full force of its essence. It diffused from the daemon's core and flesh drifting into its environment and breaking down to become part of the world's essence.

Daemons, unlike humans, do not possess the distinction between their physical and spiritual forces. Consequently, when they 'cultivated', they directly developed their true essence. That was why they were more powerful than their human counterparts.

It was this true essence that drew Valerian closer. He hadn't been able to determine it before but his fleeting consciousness had now figured out the source of his hunger. The dragon's essence was just there for the taking. It wafted in the air like the aroma of a delectable dish.

Valerian wasn't just hungry, he was ravenous and right now, he had a craving for dragon.

If anyone was privy to this thought they'd probably scream in fear and wonder. Dragons were to many the ultimate beast and Valerian's instinct when encountering one was to eat it. Not only that, he was drooling.
Completely unable to help himself, Valerian moved closer to the massive corpse. His body trembling in the presence of the daemon's essence. Unlike the others, he wasn't affected by the fear and awe-inducing effects of its aura. He basked in it. He felt his flesh moan in gratification and greedily slurp it up but that wasn't enough. He needed more.

By this time, Avery had taken note of his strange state and tried to rouse him. Valerian could feel the man's hand on his body and hear his worried voice but he just couldn't respond. He had long since lost control of his body. A body that walked closer to the source of the delicious true essence.

In but a second, his rate of absorption went beyond his limit. What was previously a trickle that went into his body became a surging river. The dragon had been of a high tier when it was alive and because of this, there was a lot of powerful true essence wafting around. Valerian's instinct-driven body wanted it all. Like someone dissatisfied with using a spoon, it grabbed the bowl and raised it to his lips drinking ravenously.
The previously passive absorption had become active. The suction was so great that all the world's essence, as well as the dragon's true essence in the chamber, began to pour into him. It was intoxicating. Despite himself, Valerian's mind ceased fighting back. He sank into the pleasurable sensation. Ancestors! It was beyond savoury. The draconic energy tasted too good.

With each glug of true essence, his mind drifted away, awash with new sensations and sights. The world around him started to fall away and he began to forget who he was.

Heavenward on Golden Wings (Original Progression Fantasy)

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