Chương 309: Less like a tournament and more like a war

Several icicles shattered upon Kite's barriers while he kept up his steady advance across the dueling ground, the six spectral arms of his mantle weaving an offense of their own in return as weapons of white jade appeared and vanished in a rhythm that matched that of the clash.

Seeing that her ranged offense would once more fail, Frost Among Morning Dew shifted from her skirmish approach - like the creeping winter that seemed to be just one cold night away but hadn't truly arrived yet - and instead adopted the style which she had taught Kite back when he was but an iron-ranker back in Gilded.

Several thick icicles shot up from the ground around Kite like vicious stalagmites out for blood, and thanks to the creeping frost afflictions of his once teacher he was unable to completely sidestep in time even with Implacable Motion alleviating some of the sluggishness that hampered his speed.

The conjured spike from below deflected off his armor, but with enough force to cause the ground to crack around Kite as him being thrown to one side was turned into a moment of unstable balance by Unyielding, but it was enough of an opening. Mistress Dew dove in towards him, using a trail of ice beneath her feet to shift and slide beneath the barriers that shoved outward to ward her off.

One kama of shimmering ice struck true before Kite could interpose a weapon of his own, biting through armor in an icy blossom of pain as she left it there while another hand conjured a katar to strike, Dew using the first weapon as leverage. This new creation was shattered by a warding swipe from Kite's own similar weapon, the three blades of his crackling with disruptive energies as it shattered the conjuration, forcing Mistress Dew to either cede her close position or accept the blow.

Armor of ice appearing to absorb the strike was confirmation enough even as she let go of the kama to start raining down a veritable blizzard of strikes upon Kite before the reconjured barrier of Heaven-and-Void warding appeared between them and pushed outward. This created a short break in the otherwise blistering pace of the conflict that probably looked like a blur to the chosen few onlookers, and it was enough for Kite to find his balance and counter.

Multiple segments of barriers appeared to box in and hinder his erstwhile teacher - now robbed of her ability to teleport through her ice - and with the distance Kite could also resume bringing his reach to bear again. So the dance continued, the gap between the two closing and widening in a rhythm which they both struggled to direct more to their liking before Mistress Dew eventually disengaged and retreated a bit, the shift in her aura clearly signaling the end of the bout.

"Truly as frustrating as I had imagined," she replied wryly as Kite started to have Sage use its stored magics to cleanse the lingering frost that coated him.

"Im-m-m g-glad I did not disappoint," he replied.

"Although it seems like you have kept up pushing your path forward very well, Mistress Dew. Compared to a certain grand elder I had the dubious honor of clashing with not too long ago, who seemed to have been resting on his laurels a bit too long. Just the slight progression of your powers compared to mine was noticeable."

"Indeed. Gold rank is a wider spectrum, where each rank of power is felt more keenly," Mistress Dew agreed.

"Still, I wonder if it would have been enough, had the two of us been fighting in earnest."

"Your offensive certainly was impressive and adaptable enough."

"As were your defenses. Everything cost me just that much more when facing you, Kite. I am not sure I would have lasted long enough to finish out such a fight. What do you say, Petal?" Petal Pressed to Singing Steel - Dew's personal disciple and one of the finalists of the Grand Proving - straightened at her teacher's words, bowing.

"You will have to forgive me, Teacher, but it was all I could do to keep track of your movements. I… am afraid I do not have very well-formulated insights to provide. But knowing the path of Senior Brother Kite, I can only imagine that he would have worn down most people close to him in power in short order."

"Indeed. It's a humbling thought how the young might catch up to us here in the land of glacial progress, especially when one also has a sect to manage," Dew mused while tapping her blue-painted lips.

"But now that the pleasantries are over, I believe that it is time for us to get to the matter at hand. Come, I have had things set up here in my personal sparring grounds for some convenience." She led Kite over to where a table had been set up, containing both refreshments, several documents and a map of Heavenward and its surrounding lands. It looked rather freshly made to Kite's eyes, and had a series of names arrayed in the lands surrounding the city, each with its assigned territory.

"What is this?" he asked, nodding to the document.

"I can see most sects of the kingdom being noted here. Is it where you have been assigned to set up your camps?"

"It is, at least in part, and it's the reason for calling upon you," Dew confirmed, pointing at the territory marked 'Fated Severance' on the map.

"Because this is the assigned space for our sect during the tournament, but not one merely for us to occupy, but to defend. We've received instructions for the Heart of Hua-Xi Tournament, and it seems like it is beyond what we expected. Not duels, but conflict on a much wider scale as we are to defend our own territory and certain nodes placed within while simultaneously trying to seize that of our rivals."

"All at the same time?" Kite asked, frown deepening.

"That feels less like a tournament and more like a war."

"Indeed it does. And given your warnings of the event, I thought that now would be the ideal time for some coordination. We only have two weeks left after all, a bit of that time will be spent on the road. Had I known what I do of the capital and the plotting there but without you and the guild in the picture, I might even have kept the sect away from there. But you will need all the allies you can get, and I too remain unwilling not to lift my blades in the defense of this kingdom."

Kite glanced at Dragonfly and Uncle Walker, the only other people present beside himself, Dew and Petal, and nodded.

"Then let us coordinate to the best of our abilities, honored Frost Among Morning Dew. It shall be a relief to have the Fated Severance Sect at our side in the time to come."

"Father."

"Will. Laevyeth. Good to see you," Indomitable March of Glaciers greeted from behind the desk in his personal study. Even though Will had surpassed his city lord father in terms of pure power by now, he could still properly appreciate the man's aura, its calm and unmoving nature a perfect mirror of his name.

"To what do I owe the pleasure? Grim reported that he had seen that ship of yours on the horizon, but it has been long since I had the pleasure of a visit."

"The call of the path is strong and constant, father," Will replied, standing hand in hand with Laevyeth as always.

"My lady and I have worked twice as hard to reach towards the heavens as of late. Darkness looms on the horizon, and we shall soon be part of the vanguard that charges straight into it. So I thought that it was high time to make the journey to see mother and you."

"Jarvan has mentioned troubles in the heartlands, as have the scarce few sources I possess with that kind of reach. Is that what you're throwing yourself into now?"

"It is."

"And shall I assume that you being here means that it might be dangerous? To a degree that you felt the need for a proper goodbye? You do face danger all the time, son. This sounds different."

"Even though my lady and I are confident in our ability to pierce the heavens together, there will be no end of trials for us to overcome on that journey. Some more significant than others. And this might prove to be the most worthwhile one yet,"Will replied somberly.

"But through the perfect form of my Lady's Heavenly Shaft, we shall have to make the attempt."" I see," Lord Indomitable said with a sigh.

"I don't suppose that Kite is involved as well?"

"He is. My friend reached gold rank a few months back. He will be at the very forefront of whatever is to come."

"Why am I not surprised?" Lord indomitable chuckled.

"I did hope that your association with him would lead to a constant companion and a bit more protection when I made the effort to tie you two together during iron rank. It seems that it worked a bit too well. That humble demeanor of his hides a surprising tendency to find trouble."

"And through trouble he creates opportunity. We all help in that regard. Kite has ever been a staunch companion, and even had I not been his friend, I would owe him a debt beyond compare for introducing me to my Lady," Will replied in defense of his friend, to which his father chuckled once more while lifting his hands placatingly.

"You misunderstand me, son. I did want you to find opportunity. And you, honored Laevyeth, have been a true blessing from beyond this world. Our whole family can rest easier now that we know that you remain at my son's side."

"As was I blessed with him," the outworlder agreed, turning her silvery eyes towards Will in clear adoration.

"The cosmos is a vast place. That much I know from the memories of my creator. To have the fortune of ending up here in this time and this place? It is a blessing beyond even your local goddess of this world."

"Then I hope you know, son, that you will ever have us here at home, praying for your victory as we keep Gilded as secure as we can," Lord Indomitable said, rising from his seat to place a hand at his son's shoulder.

"Please protect one another through whatever trials await you."

"That thou needst not doubt," Laevyeth agreed, and the moment of closeness lingered for a silent moment before Will spoke again.

"Then, before I go see Mother… There is something else I would wish of you, Father."

"What is it, son?" Before he answered, Will took a step back, with Laevyeth shifting into her spear form to be held at his side in what felt like a mix between a salute and a ready stance, showing off their combined might to the world.

"You and the rest of the family alike did not trust in my path, calling it a doomed prospect. A dead end. Something lacking nuance. A path that would never be able to reach the heavens. But now, as you look upon me and know of my deeds and the fortunes I have been able to change, both alone or alongside my friends and companions, what do you see? Do you still hold to your words and judgments? Is this still the work of a mere dreamer who is unable to see and recognize the realities of this world?"

Lord Indomitable listened to his son's words in silence, a silence that kept stretching out after Will had finished. At that moment, the severe contemplation in his eyes only made him look ever more like the glaciers of his path; the indomitable and immovable monument that could both crush and protect. But a moment later, that image cracked down the middle in a rumble of imagined ice as Will's father started laughing.

Not just a mere chuckle either, but a rising, full-belly laugh that had been a rare enough occurrence in Will's life to make him feel as if he was witnessing something unique and precious. Because it was not a laugh of scorn. Rather the opposite in fact.

"Son," Lord Indomitable eventually managed to get out as he started to settle down somewhat.

"No matter the results, I do not believe that anyone within their right mind would call your path a conventional one. It is one of such a singular purpose that I find myself in wonder every day of how you have managed to get to where you are today. But you have gotten here. No, not just that. You still keep climbing, somehow managing to drive that singular point through every obstacle in your way, which is poetic enough in its own right. So I suppose that you are indeed deserving of this: I admit it.

I was wrong about the path you chose to walk, son. In hindsight, I should have known that someone so fitting to the name we gave you shouldn't have been capable of leaving it at anything less. You have succeeded, despite our best efforts to steer you away. And you have my acknowledgment, and my pride as a father. You truly deserve it, Triumph of Indomitable Will." The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Wow you sure cleaned this place out, Braid. It's almost like you expect not to come back~," Wander remarked from her perch atop the weaver's right shoulder.

"Given that we know so little of what we are heading into and the fact that I can store everything I need inside my loom and dimensional satchels, there really isn't much reason to leave anything behind," Braid replied where he stood in the middle of the now rather empty room of his workshop on Kite's lands.

"I have already made sure that my ordinary materials have been distributed among the nearby villages so that they might come to use."

"As I said, sounding mighty ominous there. Do you really think it will be that dangerous? I mean, Kite and Soul are the golds. We can just do our thing while they grab all the attention~."

"It doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"Sure, but preparing for one's own death… Isn't that just creepy~?"

"I believe that the word you forgot is 'potential', Wander. Potential death."

"You really think it will be that bad~?"

"If things are really going down now? It might be. You know how many threads we have followed over the years that have led back to Discord, especially now that we have hindsight to help us notice the details," Braid said somberly.

"They have had decades to prepare. Fortunately, most of that time should have been spent elsewhere rather than the capital itself, but we'd better prepare to run into a lot of unpleasant surprises if things devolve into violence."

"I'm starting to question why I agreed to come~."

"Oh hush now, Wander. It's not like you haven't made your own preparations and precautions."

"I mean, sure, I keep a few bodies as far away as possible most of the time, but that's just redundancy. Not empty your whole home levels of gloomy~."

"Who said that I feel gloomy about the prospect?" Braid replied, a smile in his voice.

"Not over the prospect of death, mind you, but the challenge. The potential. To wade into the unknown with everything of note that I have created these last few years. All the threads at my disposal. I assure you, Wander, that I have every intention of living through this. But if I die, it will at least not be with the regret of not having brought everything I have to bear for my craft and this Kingdom."

"Braid~?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not sure where on the scale of eerily bloodthirsty to damn heroic what you said just now falls… But I'm here for it! This… This might just turn out to be awesome~!"

"There, little Raven. Do you feel more ready to talk about it?" Kite gently asked the twelve year old girl that was still sniffling and shaking beside him on the bench in a secluded part of the garden, wrapped in his arms as she had cried her eyes out for the last five minutes.

"No…" she managed to get out between lingering sniffles.

"But I suppose I have to."

"Well, I for one won't force you," Kite said, choosing his words carefully with the little ball of raw emotion that was his sister. He did not remember much of how it was to be in that awkward stage between childhood and true adolescence, but from the shifts of raw and complex emotions he had gotten a very close view of through his aura senses the last year, he suspected that it was rougher than memory wanted to admit.

And while Raven had a lot of Auntie Crow's focus, it seemed like she had also inherited enough of Dove to add a big dose of passion to her emotional pot.

"No, I have to. I'm soon grown up, Big Brother. I can't just cry anymore," Raven replied, making a seemingly titanic effort to shove her emotions down, partially succeeding.

"I'm… I'm just worried. You're going away again soon."

"I know. And I have a lot of times over the years."

"I know but- but this time it's different! I can feel it. Mommy Crow is good at hiding it, but I can see it even on her. And Mommy Dove…"

"Is probably a lot less subtle," Kite agreed with a smile and rueful shake of his head.

"I'm scared, Big Brother. What if you don't come back?" The question hung between them where they sat, and even with his gold-ranked mind, Kite found it hard to come up with a good answer.

"You're doing something extra scary now," Raven continued.

"And what if you don't come back this time." The tears once more welling up in the girl's eyes finally prompted Kite to act, rising from the bench and kneeling before Raven to catch her gaze.

"Do you remember what Auntie Crow always says?"

"W-what? Mommy Crow says things all the time," Raven sniffled back.

"True, true, she does have quite a few. The perks of a well-read mother," Kite chuckled.

"But I thought of this one: When a man walks for himself, his steps are light; when he walks for those he loves, even mountains make way."

"No they don't."

"Perhaps not directly, but do you understand what the words mean?"

"... That you will fight hard because you have people you love?" Raven replied, not seeming convinced.

"That I will, little Raven. I love you. I love Auntie Crow and Auntie Dove. I love Dragonfly. I love Uncle Walker. I love my friends. And, for all its faults, I do love my kingdom and home. Enough to be a bit selfish and put my foot down when rather mean people want to decide how it should be to live here. Auntie Crow's saying talks about people in general. So you know what the best part is, then?" Kite finished, a gleam in his eye.

"No?"

"I can already move mountains now by myself, Little Raven. So just imagine what I can do when fighting for all of those people and places I love." This did cause Raven to go from morose to thoughtful as she looked up to a nearby cliff where Kite had done just that, Implacable Motion having led to him carving a tunnel through the stone near the top simply by running into it as he had demonstrated it for her around two months back.

"... Okay," she eventually admitted, smiling even though her eyes were still a bit misty.

"I believe you, Big Brother." As Obsidian Crow rose from his place at the seat of honor in the long hall at the heart of the Tengu Clan's stronghold in Cinnabar Rise, a pulse of aura silenced all the family members gathered. Eyes turned toward him, many the onyx of their celestine heritage even though there had been enough intermixing over the years to leave the clan quite diverse.

"I trust that you have all been informed of our upcoming task," the-red masked assassin stated as his gaze panned across the room.

"The contracts have been agreed upon and finalized. Once the upcoming tournament starts, we shall move back into the capital through our own hidden pathways along with allies to our cause. While our part will be mostly to gather intelligence, we have good reason to expect that there shall be plenty of opportunities for tempering awaiting us, not the least when we reclaim our ancestral compound atop the Heavenly Stairway."

This caused a low murmur of agreement and excitement to spread throughout the room, many seeming happy to partake in yet another reclamation of their property in the capital. It had occurred a few times before in the history of the clan, and Obsidian Crow had it on good authority that there were already wagers among some of the family members on how fast they would be able to expel the squatters who no doubt resided there at this moment, thinking that they had claimed the place of their own.

He had already made a few bets himself, after all.

"You also know that this is not merely mercenary work," he continued once the chatter died down after another pulse of aura.

"Our clan was founded here by the great ancestor, meaning that this kingdom is our home. And while the rule of Discord and the strife that would no doubt follow might be an excellent realm in which to fill our coffers, we have long since known the consequences of a land constantly bathed in blood. It has been noted in the history of our very clan, counseling future generations against such a relapse, and as acting family elder it is one I mean to follow.

Let the wider world be the place where we sell the most lethal parts of our paths and trade, while Hua-Xi remains our ancestral home and haven. Thus, let us have a hand in expelling those that would force our kingdom back centuries. Any agents of Discord or their allies will be fair game. Use your judgment and act. For your paths. For your clan. And for the future of our home. Let the great ancestor be proud of us the next time he returns from beyond the stars."

"I thank you for your assistance in tempering my path," Impeccable Silver Edge intoned, bowing towards Soul who had repeated the words.

"Forgive me, Blessed One, but I doubt that I have been any help to your path while I remain at silver rank."

"It is good practice in precision and control, letting me further harmonize with my body," Soul replied, waving away his concern.

"Perfection is a vast concept, requiring one to both aim for the greatest heights as well as for absolute control over the force one exerts upon the world at any time." The two then started a few of their katas next to one another, the silence of the empty training grounds only broken by the sound of displaced air as fist and glaive snapped out in different directions. It had long been their routine, which was why Silver found himself most surprised when it was Soul who broke the silence.

"We shall soon depart, yet you are distracted, Again," the amethyst-haired celestine stated rather than asked without pausing or taking her eyes off her imaginary target, while Silver had to constantly struggle to not let his eyes be drawn to her perfect form and divine gold-ranked features.

"It is time to face this, rather than to let your edge be dulled during what might come." There was no question of what she spoke of, but her words still left Silver feeling as if he suddenly stood before a decisive moment in his life; a battle for his fate, albeit one where no blows would be struck.

"Ever since our clash during the Grand Proving, you have held my heart, Blessed One," Silver replied, also keeping his eyes on his movements and finding the meditative exercise rather soothing.

"That admiration has only grown throughout the years, changing my faith as I have embraced Warrior and the path towards the heavens for what it is rather than what it would mean for a sect or even the guild. While you strive towards perfection, you have already become its embodiment in my eyes. and thus, my heart has remained set."

"I see," Soul replied, her aura unreadable to Silver, and he was unsure if that was a blessing or a curse at this moment.

"It is important for every warrior to know his heart. And to know the hearts of others through tempering. And teaching," she said, the latter still seeming to be a bit hard to admit for the gold-ranker who had drilled well over a hundred students in this arena over the last few years.

"Most matters of the heart were something I disregarded at the beginning of my path, but I have since reconsidered. Thus, I am now better acquainted with the meaning of your words. You are one of the people who has sparred with me the most and spent the most time observing me. So tell me, Silver, what does that tell you about my heart?" At that moment, Silver had it confirmed. Something that he, if he had been honest with himself, had probably known for a long time now. Yet there was no way out but through.

"Your heart is dedicated to the heavens. To Warrior. To perfection. It walks unwaveringly even as it learns and grows," Silver replied, not grimly, but with a distinct feeling of finality as he spoke.

"Your words are true. A proof of your own dedication and skill as a warrior," Soul agreed, her speech unhindered even as she made several flips and kicks with a grace even a peak silver-ranker like Impeccable Silver Edge found mesmerizing.

"And from your words and aura, it would seem like you already know that our hearts are not on the same path. Similar, but not unified. I do not believe I have ever found myself straying, and I honestly doubt that I ever will. The concept of such emotion is honestly most foreign to me."

"I… know," Silver eventually replied.

"I have known for some time."

"And yet you persist? Why?"

"Perhaps my heart is not as easily tamed as I would like. Perhaps I lack the discipline."

"That is not true," Soul retorted with such a no-nonsense tone to her words that Silver wondered if he had ever received a more honest reprimand.

"Then… Then perhaps I have found that it can still spur me on. That it resonates with the zeal of my path and the dedication for yours. That witnessing you and yearning for you and your example leads me to strive even harder towards the heavens."

"Do you think it will continue to do so, even though you know my heart?"

"I… yes. It will. I do not know for how long, but you remain the example that I must strive toward." Another few seconds of silence passed, before Soul spoke again.

"Good. That is dedication to your path is worthy of praise. You have my respect, Impeccable Silver Edge. Even while they do not resonate with mine, I acknowledge your heart and your spirit. May they keep acting as the spark that drives your growth." Then that matter was finished. Both kept going through their katas in silence. Yet Impeccable Silver Edge felt a distinct sense of lightness to his steps and emotions, a yoke on his heart lifted through words and truth.

He would be able to follow Soul to the capital and into whatever awaited there in his old home and among former brothers and sisters. To prove to the puppeteers in the shadows that his path before Warrior - and in Soul's wake - would not fall victim to their desires.

"It would seem that we are ready," Might of Inner Calamity said into the mostly empty council chamber.

"Our allies are in place. The sects have begun to arrive and fortify their positions around the city."

"And our ritualists stand ready as well, the hidden chambers beneath the palace prepared," Ametrine followed.

"We have so far had no confirmation of the guild arriving in force, but likewise none of the interfering actions we tried to send North managed to come close to their seats of power, proving that they have some kind of information network available."

"Obsidian Crow, no doubt," Altessia said grimly.

"Even though we cannot see them we will have to expect some kind of action on their part. All agents need to keep utmost vigilance for that blasted man's shadow threads. The secondary ritual sites are the most exposed to his kind of scouting."

"Yet they are needed to protect the main working."

"I know, Sister," Altessia replied to Ametrine with a distinct edge to her tone.

"And I would also have you know this; should Obsidian Crow appear, he is mine. I will not leave Cala unavenged, and he is too disruptive to any attempt at secrecy to allow to remain alive. Even if the guild arrives with their two golds, our allies will make sure to keep them occupied, the conflict only adding to the purview of our god which we will be gathering. Walk with Discord now, fellow gardeners.

It will soon be time to harvest the fruits of our labor, grasping power in the chaos of conflict that will be the future of this kingdom."