Denizens of the Labyrinth

Jazmel stood in the courtyard, he was bare chested and covered in a sheen of sweat. Clutching Yoru No Tsubasa, he swung it about his body. In precise arcs, clean and concise; before moving on to sharp strikes at ghostly ideas from past battles.

"You look like you've worked up a sweat." He heard and looking up, he noticed Sadé watching him, with an intense look in her eyes. She was analysing him, feasting on his body with her eyes. He looked down at his body and saw the sweat, the scars from previous battles. But he had grown with great system experience. He had packed on muscle; his limbs were thick on it now and though he felt comfortable in his body. It was the first time in a long time he was noticing his superficial change.

He heard some giggles and looking up some of the chamber maids were watching him and giggling. Sadé looked at them, her face, and eyes suddenly very serious. He found it instantly funny, but when she turned to look at him. There was a look that drew the smile off his lips very quickly, a possessive glance.

"Do you have a minute?" another voice called and looking up, Jazmel saw Siromi looking at him, standing to the side and watching him and Sadé interchangeably.

"Yes." Jazmel sheathed his sword and pulled on his own kimono, it was dark blue. Almost black and Jazmel liked the quality of it. he shrugged into it and Jazmel stepped towards Siromi.

"There is a gate inside the prefecture that we use for training, if not culled it could break out. Would you like to attend to it with me and a few of my retainers?" he asked, cordial and polite. But there was something behind his eyes. Competition, he wanted to test Jazmel's mettle.

"Of course." He said and turning to Sadé he beckoned for her to come too.

"When do we leave?" Jazmel asked.

"Now." Siromi said, turning on his heel and moving forward.

Jazmel followed, not even taking a moment to wipe his sweat. Instead he walked out, Sadé following and Siromi leading them.

As they exited, Charme appeared and fell in line to follow them. Siromi left with three of his own. they didn't speak to Jazmel, Sadé or Charme but Jazmel was alright with that.

The gate was a normal portal a maelstrom of blue, green, and white. It reminded Jazmel of sea foam. Siromi stepped into the portal without hesitating and his retainers followed him. two young girls, both clutching and carrying katana's of their own.

The first one was small, tiny in height. barely five foot. This woman has a poised and confident demeanour, with long, sleek black hair cascading down her back. She was wearing traditional samurai attire with an earthy green outer robe and a black inner kimono, her arms crossed in a resolute stance. Her sharp, pale eyes give her an air of command and precision, and a purple gem-like marking on her forehead suggests a mystical or noble background. She carried an extremely long katana, easily her height. she carried it across her shoulders now and Jazmel wondered how she would use it.

This woman holds a katana firmly in one hand, her stance both relaxed and ready for battle. Her long brown hair flows freely over her shoulders, complementing the simple yet elegant black kimono tied with a crimson obi. Her intense, confident gaze is fixed on the horizon, as though she is sizing up her next challenge. The sunlight highlights her warrior spirit, and her balanced posture hints at her mastery of swordsmanship. She felt like a warrior who blends grace and lethal precision, standing strong in her convictions.

Sadé stood beside him as soon as they entered the gate. She had called her most notable skill into action.

Storm crown

Jazmel's gaze lingered on her as she stepped forward, her presence commanding the space like a storm on the horizon. The Storm Caller Armour Set clung to her form like it had been forged for her alone, its gleaming white plates shimmering under the faint light. The metal seemed almost alive, with soft, blue streaks of energy crackling across its surface, mimicking the unpredictable flow of lightning.

Her chestplate was an elegant masterpiece, its overlapping segments offering both protection and grace. Feather-like projections extended outward from her arms, moving gently with the faintest shift of her body, like storm winds stirring the edges of a tempest. The skirt-like plates that draped over her hips swayed with each step, their layered design reminiscent of thunderclouds breaking apart in slow, deliberate motion. Below, her sleek boots left faint arcs of blue light where they touched the ground, as if she walked with the storm itself at her feet.

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And her hair Jazmel couldn't look away from her hair. Long and flowing, it cascaded down her back in soft waves, its lilac hue glinting like the calm before a downpour. It was almost otherworldly, strands of it catching the light in a way that made it seem infused with the energy of the heavens themselves. It framed her face beautifully, accentuating the delicate curves of her features, yet failing to soften the sharp edge in her gaze.

It was her ears, though, that gave her an air of mystery. Peeking through her hair, their elegant points marked her half-elven heritage, a sign of a lineage tied to magic and otherworldly grace. The lilac tint of her skin around the ears blended seamlessly with her hair, as if the storms themselves had kissed her.

Then his eyes were drawn to the crown. Above her head, a crown of ionized energy hovered, crackling softly. It wasn't a physical object, but a ring of living power storm clouds charged with electricity, glowing faintly with blue and white light. Arcs of lightning flared in and out of existence around the crown, as though the storm itself bent to her will. It pulsed faintly, steady but fierce, and as she moved, the energy shifted, casting her in a halo of raw, unyielding power.

Jazmel felt his breath catch. She wasn't just a warrior; she was a force of nature, a storm given form. In that moment, she wasn't Sadé she was the storm incarnate, untouchable and unstoppable.

She was beautiful and he couldn't help but stare, she noticed him and smiled coyly. He focused his will and tried not to be dazed by her beauty, all powerful and strong before him.

He hadn't been wearing his armour, preferring the freedom of mobility to defence. Especially with his strengthened tyrant-like body. Which he had to finish rebuilding, that was on list. Baba Yaga had told him to look for the river of nightmares, wherever that was.

DING!

YOU HAVE ENTERED THE FOREST OF VENOM!

THE POISON FIELDS!

BEWARE THEY ARE OVERRUN WITH TOXIC CREATURES!

VENOMOUS MONSTERS WILL HUNT YOU DOWN WHILE YOU ARE IN HERE!

…

"Well that sounds pleasant." Sadé whispered and Jazmel chuckled.

Kazumi leapt from her ring, expanding to her full size. The size of a full-grown horse, she sniffed the air and nipped at it. looking over at Jazmel, he inclined his head with respect, and she moved towards him to lick his face. he laughed and patted her massive head.

Paldane seemed to grow aware of this and crawled from his neckline.

"Move back! You smell of ash and cinder!" he whined and to Jazmel's surprise Kazumi responded.

"You are barely a dragon if those things bother you." She snorted and moved back closer to Sadé her patted her neck affectionately.

"She speaks?" Jazmel said and Sadé eyed him.

"Why wouldn't she?" and Jazmel nodded, seeing the trap laid out for him, he turned and noticed Siromi watching and studying him and Sadé.

"You both have companions. A dragon and a foxhound?" Siromi asked.

"Yes." Jazmel asked, curious to see where this was going.

"And you are betrothed?" he asked, curious.

Jazmel coughed, choking on something and nothing at the same time. He stumbled and when he looked up, he noticed that Sadé was watching him intently and waiting for him to respond.

"We are courting." He said, all official and trying not to sound too shocked by the question.

"Interesting." Siromi answered, making Jazmel wonder what about it was actually interesting.

"You are a princess?" he asked, turning his questions on Sadé.

"My mother is now the Queen of a kingdom, yes." She said and Jazmel listened, watching the interaction.

"And you plan to marry someone beneath you?" Siromi said, his words stung. Jazmel watched his face and to his annoyance. Saw no hostility, Siromi was asking because he wanted to know.

Sadé took a moment to prepare herself before responding. She turned to look at Jazmel, to really take him in and not taking her eyes off of him. she responded to Siromi.

"I have known many elders; many nobles who thought it was their right to be above others. Simply because they had power, through luck or familial investment. Yet they have barely had anything about them. No care for their people, no links outside of transactional benefit and influential power. No, I cannot say I know great people inside this labyrinth. Except Jazmel. I have witnessed him, watched him cultivate a brand of nuance inside these gates and domains. He has excellent intuition, a super heart, and the gravitas to know what to do and when to do it. Though we are courting, in the simplest of words, if I were so lucky to be betrothed to such a man. I would be proud, he is exactly the type of man I could expect to lead a clan, or a family." She said.

Jazmel watched her for a long moment, Siromi and the others were silent also. In fact it was Charme who spoke up first, reminding Jazmel that they were not actually alone.

"Well said Sadé, well said." Charme was silent and ever present. But much like Jazmel, those words had reached her and like Jazmel. Made her heart quiver.

"I will adhere to see what you see too." Siromi said, inclining his head with respect towards Sadé.

"We move into the venom fields now." he said and leading the way, as if it was his right. He and his two retainers moved forward. Moving into the venom fields.

The Venom Fields stretch before Jazmel and his companions like a poisoned wound upon the earth. The air itself feels heavy and acrid, laced with the faint, sharp scent of decay and chemicals. A hazy green fog clings to the gnarled and twisted trees, their bark oozing with a viscous, luminescent sap that glows faintly in the dim light. Every branch seems to droop under the weight of venomous vines, their surfaces slick and dotted with needle-like thorns.

The ground beneath their feet is treacherous an unstable mix of damp, mossy earth, and bubbling pools of toxic liquid. The puddles shimmer with iridescent colours, an unnerving beauty that belies their deadly nature. Strange fungi sprout from the ground and cling to the trees, their caps glowing faintly with eerie bioluminescence, some pulsing as if alive. The mushrooms release thin wisps of spore clouds into the air, drifting like ghostly smoke before dissipating.

The entire forest buzzes with life, though not the kind that brings comfort. The sound of skittering legs.