Reflections on the Warpath - [An Isekai Progression Fantasy]

The last dregs of alcohol had left Jay's bloodstream by the time he'd walked over to Tranquillity Tower. The sugary aftertaste of Akira's mystery cocktails still clung to his teeth however, and Jay took another swig of water as he neared the storm sage's abode. Ping had enjoyed soaring through the skies like a windswept kite while Jay was at the beach but she stayed closer to him now.

To enter this tower, a rhyme you must speak.

A couplet, a verse, bring a smile to my teeth.

What?

Speak and teeth don't even rhyme…

Jay walked over to the tower and placed his hand on the lacquered wood facade.

"Oh mighty storm sage, let me into your keep.

"The ocean is deep. Deep, deep, deep, deep, deep.

"Happy now?"

Before Jay could blink, the sage teleported him inside his office.

Jay scanned the circular room. His eyes washed across the mahogany walls and smiled at the six different ocean views framed by each porthole. The sage sat behind his desk, a redwood stalwart that jutted out from the floor but perfectly matched the office it inhabited, and fiddled with a replica sailboat.

"You have a lot to learn, young Jay." The sage placed the boat down and stroked his beard. "What brings you back here? Are you finally ready to depart on your second career as a poet?"

"Good one," Jay sighed, "I actually came for some advice. You said you had a training opportunity for me, I might be competing in the Luminary tournament soon so I need all the training I can get."

"The Luminary sixteen, eh." The sage wandered over to one of the portholes looking out on a midnight sky. A lone lighthouse shone in the distance, barely a pinprick against the blanket of night. "How my young apprentice has grown… from a promising prospect who packed a powerful punch to an elegant Luminary entrant intent on electrifying his audience."

The sage turned back around, staring directly into Jay's soul with his starlight eyes.

"Got any plans?"

"Not really," Jay huffed. "An alliance called Limitless Ascent has invited me to participate in a B grade fight. I'm not sure if I want to compete through. It feels like the leader wants something from me but I don't know what."

"Limitless Ascent… A good name. Mighty. Vigorous. Compelling."

The sage held up his right fist before kissing his index knuckle in a pose he presumably thought made him look wise. The starlight trapped with in the sage's eyes twinkled coliseum gold for a second as he pretended to look off into the distance, deep in thought. Jay knew the sage was probably just looking at a system screen, but he humoured the old man and waited for him to respond.

A wry smile crept across the sage's face. The gold glow vanished.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Names are important; they frame how the world recognises you. This alliance is named after their penchant for progression. I assume they seek strength, so what makes you uncertain?"

"The alliance leader," Jay replied. "She says she can tell me more about my brother and help me train, but it seems too good to be true. She's too composed, too calculating."

Flickers of gold returned to the sage's eyes as he stroked his beard and hummed.

"She sounds like quite the character… but aren't we all? People who seek greatness often wash up on the coliseum's shores, if you journey with this alliance perhaps you'll learn how to navigate their schemes?

"Dealing with difficulties outside the realm of punches and kicks is a useful skill to learn… especially if you have ambitions beyond the lofty walls of the Second Chance Coliseum."

The sage made a good point. The Second Chance Coliseum was filled with people chasing their own agendas. Inside the arena and out. Samira wasn't the first suspicious alliance member he'd dealt with and she probably wouldn't be the last.

But was the experience worth the risk it incurred?

The storm sage wandered back to his desk and tossed a fist-sized gemstone into the air. The milky white crystal reflected light across the office as it spun around before landing back in the sage's palm. He pursed his lips and blew a stream of smoke into the gem, it snaked through one of the corners before swirling around inside its new home. Within seconds, flickering bolts of lightning emerged within the cloud, almost mesmerising Jay.

"Go on the trip," said the sage. "I've prepared something interesting for you when you get there."

"What is it?"

"Did I not instruct you to appreciate surprises last time? You'll find out soon anyway, the fight starts in three days."

"How do you know?"

The sage winked back at Jay.

"The coliseum's more complicated than you know. It helps to know a few people on the inside."

Jay took a moment to think.

"I hadn't really thought about that. Do you work for the coliseum?"

"It's more like a partnership."

"How many people do work for the coliseum?"

The wry smile returned to the sage's face.

"They don't really like people giving out that sort of information…"

He paused.

"…It's probably less than you think; I can tell you that much."

Huh.

The sage threw the crystal in the air once more, this time balancing it on his fingertip and watching it rotate as the storm inside churned.

"Let's not stray from future's horizon, however. Your voyage revolves around the coliseum, but it isn't compelled to stay there. You came to me for a training opportunity yet inform me that you're ignoring another? Does that not seem unwise?

"Join the fight, Jay. Even if you learn nothing from it, you should gain a thing or two from the lessons I've prepared."

The sage winked again. Jay half expected to be teleported outside, but it seemed the sage was more respectful to his D grade acolytes.

"If I let you teach me poetry, will you tell me what the surprise is?"

The sage snapped his face towards Jay, furrowing his brow and almost sulking.

The crystal stopped rotating and dropped to the floor.

"Almost," he said, "you almost convinced me. But alas, I am a man of principle and cannot let that future come to pass. Join the fight. Return after it's over. We can talk about the Luminary tournament then… alongside the poetry lessons, of course."

Jay blinked and opened his eyes to the swirling sea mists.

Well it was worth a shot.

—

Somewhat satisfied with his meeting with the sage, Jay walked back up Reveller's until he reached Akira's apartment building. Jay didn't bother asking Lyra if he could keep staying in Vega's room after the advancement tournament. Instead, he'd snatched up the flat opposite Akira's after it had luckily become available the day after.

The landlord was actually quite pleased that she'd secured a D grader as a tenant. Since he wasn't fighting to the death every week, his rent was more secure than the last five people who'd lived there. It was rather morbid, but if it meant lower rent he wouldn't complain.

Jay washed off the seaside sweat before pulling on the Orivian silk undershirt and clasping the clockwork bracer to his left arm. Although he wasn't walking into a fight, Jay had no idea what might result from his conversation with Samira. He wanted to be prepared for anything.

With Ping glued to his side, Jay made his way towards the Pits.