Hisui clutched at her head, lookiurbed. After a moment, she narrowed her inky-bck eyes at me, and seemed to have made up her mind. “This is not your true Tribution, little Qi Refiner. Merely the fury of the Heavens for your crass interference. But it seems that you might even survive. Since you refused my generous offer…” She reached up and pulled, and several strands of her purplish-pink hair came away and she twisted them into a strand of loops, before a small bronze bell appeared and was attached to it. “…I am curious, just how willyou face your true Tributions iure? This…” She gestured, and I could tell she was sidering my bonds, and the voices of Eri, Daiyu and my sis, who were still encio do my best, hang on and not give up. “…will not save you. A true Tribution of Lightning and Wind will not be so easily misled.”
“Your point?” I asked, as I began cirg my Spirit Water. If Daiyu and the others felt this was the key to ging my probable demise, who was I to question them? It makes sense anyway. Spirit Water was flowing into me through my Silver e, which was also Daiyu, somehow. The fvour, if that was even the right word, was nostalgic, reminding me of both Daiyu and Shaeu.
“I am simply curious.” Hisui smiled. I felt the tugging of her Charm but having been exposed to simir a number of times, I shrugged it off, and her smile ged, growing sullen. “Yes, it seems I am not at my best. This world has ged over the years. You will press on, tio Cultivate, will you not?”
“Of course.” Even if it’s not about power, I promised Daiyu, and I want to help her reach her full potential, realise her dreams. After all… that’s my Dao, isn’t it?
“Yes, ohe path is embarked upon, Cultivators follow it until the end. You have great heights to climb…” Hisui observed. “But should you surpass that fake…” She sneered over at where the other Tiānyì were tearing shreds of the monk apart, feasting. “…and the true Chaotids blow, you will face might far in excess of what you repelled here. I wish to see it. To sate my… curiosity.” She licked her lips agaiively.
“Sorry, but I don’t like you very much. You’ve tried to kill me, despite calling it mercy, and…” I gnced down at Tamamo-no-Mae’s still body.
“...give that up. There is no saving her. With no sciousness, one does not have the heart to resist the Winds, nor our tender mercies.”
“She isn’t even part of this Tribution. ’t you just overlook her?” I asked. The youiānyì who was toying with her scoffed.
“The meal is not as good as I had hoped, but it is my right to feast!”
“See? I’ve o offer any of you favours. I might be a pushover for women, but I have standards in who I roll over for.” I poked some harmless mockery at myself, but I was serious. The Spirit Water was surging around my sacral and lunar Chakras, overspilling, and my Eye, which was already being taxed the Wind and Lightning, sparked with amber letters.
Your Skill, Sacral Chakra Of High Moonlight Spirit Water has advanced from Rank 4 to Rank 5. Your Sacral Chakra now gees signifitly more Water Elemental energy…
The sudden surge of Spirit Water within me as my body started produg more helped, but that alone wouldn’t be enough. Gingerly, delicately… I began to pass more of the burning golden lightning up to my Material body, which was in terrible shape. Not enough. But I’m also in a hurry… The Bezoar had finished drawing in and verting the remaining poison of the destroyed Sessho-seki ih element, and using the fact that earth fed water, I poured it in, dissolving it, strengthening my water element. I fed my fire into the earth, and my wind into the fire, the four primary elements being ed at an increasingly rapid rate, but swelling my Spirit Water ensurately.
Hisui looked at me, as if seeing what I was doing, and shrugged. “I am wounded. Is it not the dream of mao die in the arms of a beautiful woman? Surely a kinder fate than being purified by Heavenly Lightning, round away to nothing by the endless Chaotids. Besides… other, worse things than we are often called by the Winds, to test your resolve and Dao heart. But I… I will e again, and truly match wills with you. My sisters and I, if we hear your Tribution, will e. Thus, my gift…”
She reached out, tying the bracelet of hair with the gentle bell around my left wrist, and the bell jangled softly in the Chaotic breeze. Moments ter her bck eyes went wide, and the darkness drained from them, revealing silver irises and deep blue pupils. She spat out some words I didn’t uand, other than one word, a name…
“Shèng dà Gōng zhǔ Jī' è de guǐ hún Ta?hā!” It sounded a little like a ese, perhaps it meant princess, or hungry, if it was referring to Ta?hā. Hisui was sweating now, her hands trembling a little, and I could see she was unig with someoside of the Tribution. After a moment, Hisui looked at me acgly.
“Just what is wrong with this backwater world? Why is Ta?hā here, and why does she threaten me over you…?” Hisui blinked, realising she might have said too much. “I… I will have to carry news of this back to…”
“I wouldn’t.” I broke in. “You seem to know her, so you should be aware she’s quite a thirsty woman, and she has a habit of holding grudges. Butting into her business strikes me as a terrible pn.”
“Even she ot interfere with a Tribution…” Hisui mused, but her face fell. “Yet afterwards, indeed she could seek me out… but I have a duty to report these matters…” She was sweating now, silver droplets falling from her like light rain.
“Do you?” I wasn’t much aware of what went on in the Pantheons above. Tan had mentioned a little, but usually only to emphasise a point or entice us to support her. Seems like the Tiānyì are from Tan’s Pahen, or at least know of her… “She’s just attending to business down here, if you were smart you’d leave her aloo get on with it.” I waved my left arm, and her bell tinkled a little. “At least until you’ve seen my true Tribution?” the promise, I smiled. Hisui paused, clearly torn, before letting out a bitter sigh.
“I was terribly excited, drawn into a Chaotid Tribution. Instead my sisters and I were faced with mere rancid scraps, and now this.”
“Don’t bme me, bme the Saint of Swallowing Sorrows.” I deflected. “Anyway, I suspect that if you are waiting for my Tribution, you won’t be waiting decades or turies. Give me a few years. You keep quiet about Tan until then, right?”
“Tan?” Hisui said incredulously. “You would address a?hā, oldest and most powerful of the Three Cravings, eldest daughter of Mara, so familiarly, and moreover, a mere Cultivator, defending a Divine being? This… perplexes me.”
Her remaining sisters were watg on, and as this was happening, I had transferred almost all the golden lightning to my Material body. It was now burning down faster than I could repair it, even with the huge amounts of aether that Eri and the others were still funnelling to me. The Spirit Water isn’t enough, either… maybe if I… My water was not merely trated, potent High Spirit Water, from the nds of the Fae, but also infused with Moonlight. I have more of that… P my Masu, the Full Moon Light I possessed, into the Spirit Water, I tried to magnify its pn the stant pressures on both my body and mind, I answered Hisui’s fusion. “Tan’s just Tan. Being powerful doesn’t make her any less a person. So if she’s got a problem, then of course I’ll step in. What are a mere few years down here on this isoted p pared to up there in the higher Astral? There’s no be to you saying anything, and only demerits. Like I said, Tan holds grudges.”
Elder sister, we should say nothing…
It has nothing to do with us…
I do not want to be burned by her thirsty fmes…
Her sisters will not thank us anyway…
“Best quit while you are ahead, elder sister.” The e-haired oing on Tamamo-no-Mae decred. The beautiful, busty body with nine bushy tails was starting to bee transparent, her fur now almost like gss, her skin pale. No good. Time is running out. e on, e on…
Feeling my desperation, Daiyu and Eri were squeezing out everything they could, while my sis was sending me ihoughts, though filled with support and hope. The first thing I had to do was cut off the Wind and Lightning, and I now allowed the Chaotids to flow through me as well, using Spirit Water to direct it around my body. The effort was excruciating, but rewarding.
Your Skill, Water Manipution has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, passing the first Bottleneck... It was suddenly easier to move the Spirit Water within me. Herding the lightning towards my Material right arm, letting the Winds flow through me, but blog it as it tried to return, I attempted to vihe Tiānyì to relinquish Tamamo-no-Mae.
“You should quit too. After all, you said your meal is disappointing. Instead, I put in a good word to Tan for you. That’s surely worth more thaing some shreds of her spirit?”
“ry.” She ughed my offer off. “I would rather eat now, than worry about tomorrow on ay stomach. Besides… she is eroding away. It is over. Just be happy it looks like you will survive, and have caught in i of elder sister.”
“It is not he who has my i.” Hisui disagreed, pouting. “But this world, this situation is most perplexing. But our time is running out…” The Winds were dying down now the monk was dead. “Give up on her. She is finished. Do not let your lead you to stumble at the final hurdle. It would be a waste for your spirit to be purified to nothing, blown away on the Winds.”
“That almost sounded like you are worried about me.” I snorted. Desperately I needed more Spirit Water, and as I poured in all my Masu, I felt more elements ing through my Silver e.
I… refining these all to Qi is… challenging. I am not sure how much longer I st. But Shaeu is strong. I envy her. Wih and fire were trig into me, and though it was now Qi, a refined version, purer yet having slightly less strength, I could still feed it to my Chakras. Even Daiyu’s healing was struggling to cope with the strain, so I had to move fast. Let the body break, that’s not important. What is… Switg the aether flooding me from Ether Healing, I focussed most of my Split Thoughts onto the image of water. Turniher to a ossible, I had do before, but wasteful, very wasteful and ineffit. But beggars ’t be choosers, uhey want to go hungry…
My Material and Astral bodies were suddenly starting to break apart, though the Material one was corroding at a far more rapid rate, as almost all of the Lightning and much of the Wind had been trated there by my efforts. As Hisui looked on, startled, w why I was beginning to fail, just as victory seemed certain, I poured out aether in a bottomless tide, feeling the thoughts of those who had tributed. There’s so many. My girls, the traihe Fae, eveengu from Mount Atago, everyone is giving their all. If my path is es, Bonds, then how I not walk this, when everyone is p out their strength to pave my way?
Water boiled withirohahe sacral and lunar Chakras suddenly filled to bursting, before with a feeling of something within me shifting, more amber messages fred in my vision, and Spirit Water gushed forth, driving the st of the Lightning and Wind up through my Silver e…
Your Skill, Lunar Chakra Of Seven Primal Elements Of Wood has increased from Rank 4 to Rank 5, reag the first Bottleneck…
Your Css, True Faeduine, has increased from Level Five to Level Seven…
Your Charm, Majesty…
Your Skill, Sacral Chakra Of High Moonlight Spirit Water has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, shattering the first Bottleneck…
Your Skill, Water Manipution has advanced from Rank 6 to Rank 7…
The messages were dizzying, and my subtle bodies were close to breaking from the sudden internal pressure of my rising strength, terbang the fury without. Now is the moment. Now or never…
My Split Thoughts all verged on my Material body, leaving only a fragment in my Silver e. With a great roar, I poured all the coalesg Spirit Water, shining a brilliant e streaked with beautiful indigo and silver, into my right arm, surrounding, g in the Lightning and Wind. That done, I tore my arm free at the shoulder, blood gouting red onto the burning ground. Around me, ash and falling debris from the Mount Nasu voloes hid my struggle, but everything hung in the bance. Uranai, my death was almost certain. But… almost isn’t definite. And w together, we ge things…
“Now for the hard part…” I regretted speaking, as my lungs burned, hot ashes and wind drawn in. The bonds were still sending over aether, and I grabbed at it, as well as what little elemental energies were left, and started crafting. My arm, full of Purifying Lightning and Chaotid was the material, and drawing on inspiration from the Sessho-seki, indeed, using some of the materials I had salvaged from the shattered rock, I worked at a freic pace, knowing I had no time to make it perfect, or even good, only good enough.
Your Css, Shaper Of Flesh And Spirit, has increased from Level Oo Level Three. You ow trol Elemental energies aher within yourself to a higher degree, and manipute stronger sources of Elemental energy and Adherence…
You have gained a Skill, Shapercraft. You use parts of your body or the bodies of others as materials to craft ons, armour, tris, and other wonders. Your ability to trol the flow aance of Elemental energies, Aether, Adherend ????????? within subtle bodies has increased, and effects that boost Material and Spiritual properties, as well as heal aore subtle bodies, are enhanced. [Css: ype: Artifice]
It's really been a good few days for me in terms of gaining new and stronger Skills and Csses… My thoughts were scattering, the frantic effort to finish the creation I was w on. The Spirit Water inside froze, turning the arm a deep blue, threaded with veins of the same type as the Sessho-Seki had. I poured out my spatial element and darkness element, infusing the arm, and soon it was do’s a rush job, I’ll fix it ter, but…
Crude Right Arm Of Tribution is a…
My Eye started givihe description, but I had little time. My Material body was barely more than a charred skeleton with my Eye and a few scraps of burned flesh and seared ans, so I retrieved Daiyu’s ring and stuffed the Arm inside, before dismissing what was left of my form, my Split Thoughts returning to my Astral body. I didn’t die, but I might as well have…
Taking a shuddering breath, I looked at Hisui, who was shaking her head, long hair fluttering in the fading Chaotids. “The Tribution has passed you by. You did survive…”
“Of course. You seem surprised.” I saking a long, shuddering breath, memories of the pain I had endured slowly fading.
Did it work? Have we done enough? Eri’s thoughts came through, echoed by Daiyu and my sis, so I took a moment to praise them.
Yeah. I feel like shit, and I’m not kidding that even with all your help I’m totally out of strength, but… I’ll live. The problem is…
That’s only half the battle, right bro?
Indeed. If it was simply a matter of surviving, we could have avoided this trial. But we amamo-no-Mae.
My sis and Daiyu knew my dilemma. As Hisui answered me, shaking her head in disappoi, I gnced down at the Kitsune in my arms. Sure, from everything I’ve seen, she’s ly a good person. In fact, she’s awful, capricious, whimsical and cruel to those she has no reason to care for. But… she’s also who I need.
“Do not even think about it.” Hisui warned, seeing where I was looking. “There is naught you do. The Heavens ot be cheated…”
“Of course they . The monk here did it…” I disagreed, f my tired mind to work.
“And where is he now? Punishment deferred is not punishment dismissed.” Hisui scoffed.
“Well, if I dey it until I am ready to face my true Tributions, I’m all for it. After all…” Despite the ragged, defeated state I was in, I had fidence we could still succeed. Tsukiko’s Fate was absolutely certain. pared to that, almost certain to die doesn’t have the same ring of finality to it. “…you say the Heavens wish to test my Dao heart? Well, let me show them just how strong it is.”
I merged my Silver e with the phantom tail I held, mimig the way that I saved Daiyu and my sis when their Silver Cords were cut off from reag outside the Sessho-seki. Immediately I could feel Tamamo-no-Mae, though it was like looking into a kaleidoscope of shattered stained gss, a mix mentary memories, dreams and colours, all of which were rapidly sunk into a deep bck darkness, vanishing from view.
“Get out, she is mine!” I found myself in a dark, lonely space, Tamamo-no-Mae ed in s, held up simirly to how the monk had treated her, the rusted links stretg off into the infinite darkness arouhe Tiānyì rushed forwards, her e hair fluttering behind her, her beautiful young fagry, her ample bosom heaving in annoyance. “I will evict you by force. I am not scared of Ta?hā!”
“Is that right?” A familiar voice echoed out, and my sis appeared too, Daiyu having materialised moments before, sihey were still entwined deeply around my Silver e. “Wow, gloomy pce. I feel sad for her. Oh yeah… Tan. I’ll be sure to tell her that you’re pig a fight.” My sis wi me. “Oh wow bro, you look like utter shit.”
“Thanks.” I ughed dryly. “Yetting bsted by lightning, eroded by wind and harassed by these women stantly. Then I had to do some extreme surgery just to get by. I see why this was a good ce of death. And the worst is likely yet to e.”
“Do not ignore me!” The Tiānyì stamped her feet angrily on the darkness, and my sis snorted.
“Wow, big. Don’t get any ideas, bro. If you have to pick up more women, you missed a really heartfelt moment from Bell. I think… you o be a man and romance her, it’s pitiful otherwise!”
“I said do not ignore me!” she repeated, and outside I could hear the songs of the Tiānyì again, and the cold, brutal wind of the Tribution was starting to caress my skin, as it echoed around the infinite darkness here like a howling ghost.
The fury of the Winds was avoided, yet bato the storm he goes…
The sing of the Lightning was evaded, yet deep into the storm he plunges…
The whispers of our sister he denied, yet with ears wide opeurns…
Pitiful foolish Cultivator, tossing aside your victory for defeat once more…
The harmony of the Tiānyì made me shiver, and I could feel their anger, but Daiyu was the first to dismiss them. “I have never heard of beings such as you. I knew of the Lightning from our histories, but… these Winds. It is refreshing to know that there are peaks beyond the peaks, just as I suspected. But as fn you… it is best that way.” Daiyu took up a fighting stance. “Begone, woman. Tamamo-no-Mae is under Akio’s prote, and none may harm who he chooses to defend!”
“Well said!” My sis drew her bow too, though sidering where we were, I imagined we weren’t really physically present, more… representations… of ourselves. “If you want to attract my bro’s attention, just keep jiggling up and down like that, but do it quietly in the er while we work!”
“Sis, that’s rude.” I shook my head, before apologising to the now-fused Tiānyì. “Don’t worry, I’m not looking at you in a lewd way. Hisui her. But… this is my path, you uand? My Dao. My way is e, and I already have a e to Tamamo-no-Mae, as fleeting as it may be. In fact…”
With a sudden thought, a blinking, slightly surprised Nebisuki appeared, her form here fully restored, her missing tails and leg back, though she looked wan and haggard, clearly suffering. Seeing Tamamo-no-Mae now ed in front of her, she blirying to catch up.
“…I’m not the only ohe Winds test my Dao, you all said, well if I let you have Tamamo-no-Mae now, then I would be betraying my path, my Dao. If so, there’s no way I should have passed this mock-Tribution. So step aside and art here, if not friends, then as acquaintances.”
The Tiānyì seemed fused, perhaps not used to entering into iations. I heard the voice of Hisui from without, pining that I was a fool, but I ighat. I may well be a fool, risking everything when I mao survive, but… that’s the road I’m walking. Besides, I believe we do it together, and if we do… save the seeds, and build a foundatiohat will withstand whatever es…
“So where is this?” My sis asked, looking around. “I’m not here really, am I? It’s just my thoughts.”
I nodded, able to feel the es between us and my Astral body still intact. “I think you’re right.”
“It is written of in the old texts, in the most a of the jade tags the Incorruptible Jade possessed.” Daiyu observed. “The inner self, sometimes called the Mental World, or the Sea of Thoughts. Cultivators who reached a certain level of strength could maheir own personal worlds internally. Perhaps those that reach beyond Saint might even be able to express it externally… I would not be surprised if beings of great power have the same ability.”
“So this is grandmother’s world now?” Nebisuki said, trembling, her spirit weak and feeble from her injuries. Though it seems Shaeu has stabilised her. “How pitiful. There is naught here but the darkness, the silence.”
“Yn me again!” the Tiānyì protested, as Hisui also found her way here, followed by a number of the other Tiānyì. Seeing them, the first Tiānyì tried to make herself look bigger, more threatening. “Sisters, this one is mine, I cimed her!”
“You already said the meal was terrible. It’s because of this, right?” I gestured to her desote world, the Winds blowing in slowly eroding the edges, even the darkness slowly yielding. “In that case, what have you got to lose? If we ’t help her, she’ll die, but if we restore Tamamo-no-Mae to a more normal state, won’t your potential meal taste better?”
Hisui narrowed her eyes, perhaps w what my angle was, so I didn’t hide it. “We fight now, ht ter, but why not see if we make Tamamo-no-Mae something worth fighting over first?”
“Are you sure, bro?” My sis asked, before realising she eaking out loud. She tried to unicate with her thoughts, but since we were seemingly mental projes ourselves, following the bonds that tied us together through my Silver e, our thoughts were expressed for everyoo hear. She looked at the Tiānyì before saying her piece. “They might be strong, you know? And…” She left unsaid that I was in no state to fight, and expeg Daiyu to was impossible as well, since she was ragged and drained from Qi Refining and passing it to me as best she could. Obviously Nebisuki is no use either, and my sis certainly ’t do it alone.
“Again, oep at a time, sis.” I o show that I uood her misgivings, but then wihe e-haired Tiānyì tilted her head, fused, but my sis merely shrugged.
“If you say so bro. Oh… I think I see. That could work.”
I hoped she had uood our trump card here. Firstly, I wasn’t sure of the strength of the beings blown in by the Tribution. They could hardly be weak, but they hadn’t directly attacked us, instead relying on the Winds and our owal weaknesses. Ae everything, I’m still fident I repel their temptations.
Hisui was the oo break the awkward silehat fell on the dark void. “It matters little. Perhaps I will get my meal yet. If you fail…” She seemed eager, only to suddenly widen her silver eyes, armed. Yes, she gets it. Hisui grabbed a child-like Tiānyì who was skulking around, and rattled off some words in her indecipherable tongue, and all I uood was the a?hā. The young-looking girl seemed terrified, but Hisui tightened her grip and shook the girl, before she nodded, her eyes teary. With that Hisui tossed her away and she vanished, and while this was happening, I asked Nebisuki a question.
“Do you know a being called Sekka?”
Nebisuki seemed surprised, but ails wagging. “I know her. She is what you mortals call a snow woman, a Yuki-onna. She dwells in the far north, on the isnd humans name Hokkaido. She is not one of the Parade, but eve Nurarihyon respects her. I am curious, why speak of her now?”
I didn’t doubt the visions were real, but getting ation is nice. Before I could answer Hisui sighed. “The Laws are followed by all, but you are n. a?hā and her sisters are never oet a slight. I have no wish to provoke her for no gain.” That said, she eyed me with curiosity and hunger, as well as a wry, knowing smile. “The Winds may be dying down, but this heartless shell will fail at any moment. I am amazed you escaped the Tribution, but you are spent. Even your bonds that brought you this far are dwindling…”
“She’s right, bro. What’s your pn?” My sis asked again, worried, but stepping closer, ready to defend me, whether she could win or not, and seeing that, I shook my head.
“Our bonds aren’t spe…” Sure, what aether I’m receiving has slowed signifitly, but I am still getting a top-up through Eri. In fact… Eri, how many are left to tribute?
Not many. And to be ho, Chiasa-san and Chiaki-san ’t hold on much longer. When you get back, they need a reward, they’ve gone beyond their limits many times over to be of help to you. But if we force it… a few Fae are left, so… Eri finished expining, and I was now aware of the bounds of what I could do here. At least with my lunar Chakra having Ranked up, my aether regeion has also increased substantially. I will hardly have time to take it easy, but every little helps. If before was about quantity, everyog in to overwhelm the Winds and Lightning with endless aether and elemental energies, this… this is going to be surgical, all about efficy…
“Yes, I too am curious. We all are.” Hisui spoke for the Tiānyì, the one who was to cim Tamamo-no-Mae nodding rapidly. “Just what are you going to achieve here?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it? Why not wait and see?” I turo Daiyu, Aiko and Nebisuki. “All right then. I don’t have a huge amount to go on with, but I have enough to start. A question.”
As they all looked at me eagerly, I spoke, posing my thought. “This darkness… it’s cold ay, but irely empty. What’s here?”
“That is obvious. Tamamo-no-Mae, and her s…” Daiyu observed, before smiling happily, having uood, the expression on her face charming in its rarity. “…of course. If this is her Sea of Thoughts, her sciousness made ma, then if she is still within it…”
“Then we wake her up!” My sis agreed, pumping her fist. “Way to never give up, bro! You’ve certainly ged.”
“Oh, has he?” Nebisuki asked, momentarily curious, before her ears y ft on her skull, her tails drooping. “No, that matters little now. What does is grandmother seems lifeless, insensible. And she is bound in so many s…”
“Yes, so… we have to break her s. But I suspect doing it via force here either wouldn’t work, ht even damage her, speeding the erosion of the winds. No… I think what we have to do is stimute her to break her s herself!” And I have the key to that, I think. Though the question is, I start the process before I run out of power, before she dies, or… before Hisui and her fellows decide this game isn’t to their tastes? With those thoughts running through my head, I tried to project fidence. Holy, I’m not sure if this would even work, or what the sequences would be. After all… it might not just be the Spirit Water that made the difference, and I’m not out of danger yet. But… “Fortunately, I have at least some of the keys to her s, I think. So…” Taking a deep breath, I began…
ShipTeaser
