Reforged from Ruin [Eldritch Xianxia Cultivation]

Entering the "carriage" feels like entering another world. Raika's done similar effects with the spatial weirdness of her Body, and before that, while traveling with Taurus and the Division of Altered Cultivation's resources. It's not entirely novel, then, but it is distinctive in a way that her previous experiences weren't.

There's windows.

Not a screen or illusion or array showing what's happening on the outside world, but windows.

As she feels (by only the barest possible tremor) the carriage get dragged back beneath the earth by the way it interacts with the local Death-aura, she watches as the nearest example remains static, perfectly stable and without more than the barest hint of Qi. A slight breeze blows in, the smell of it fascinating and surprisingly crisp, considering where said window is looking out to.

Rather than the dirt of the space around them, she sees vast, empty fields of ash.

No. Not ash.

Sands, made entirely of powdered bone.

She recognizes the terrain.

The faceless skeleton smiles at her, nodding. "Apologies, Reverend Raika. I understand that not all find the view accommodating. Perhaps there is another location you would wish to see?"

She hesitates… but shakes her head.

"Nowhere that I would burden a stranger with, Bishop. Am I using your form of address correctly?"

The skeleton nods, the action displacing droplets of slow-falling gold wax off its skull and letting them slowly levitate down. "Indeed, Reverend. Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'm sure we have much to speak of, and not too much time in which to speak. I was informed that you might prefer a… non-standard sort of introduction, rather than a more traditional approach. It has come to our attention that you have famously moved rather quickly and intensely through the halls of power."

She can't help but give a (mostly polite) snort to that, even as she keeps an eye on Li Shu and Jin as they enter, followed by the centicroc, who seems rather uncomfortable with the whole affair. "That would be an accurate statement, yes. Still, as someone who knows next to nothing about your society, I would appreciate a basic introduction, as you say, if only so as not to cause any unnecessary incidents."

The skeleton laughs, lungless ribs flexing with the sound. "Indeed! You are famous for such things. The tales of your exploits along your Wall were the talk of the town for some time."

"Oh? You've been watching us?" Li Shu asks.

The skeleton waves a hand, the motion once again sending droplets of gold to float and hover in its trail. "Apologies, but yes, we have. Please understand, however, that it means no offense, and isn't anything personal; when the end of the world crouches somewhere, it is only good sense to keep an eye where it sits."

"The end of the world. You mean the Emperor? Or the Cold Sun?"

A glint of something sharp, cold, and bright, far, far back in its pitch sockets.

"Perhaps, my dear, we are getting ahead of ourselves. Please-"

With a wave, the black mahogany of the interior carriage reforms, and Raika shivers as she hears a distant but notable howling sound that comes with the changes. Wood shifts as if liquid, and from out of the shadows, carried by faint wisps of Qi and nothing else visible, sets of pillows, carpets, cushions and plates descend onto rapidly growing tables, couches and lounges. The plain black room, austere but made more lustrous by the presence of the windows on each wall, quickly expands, the space within warping such that the windows go further and further back, opening the room into a minimalist, noir antechamber, flush with bright white satin and silks atop midnight architecture.

"Have a seat, wherever you please. We have some time yet before we arrive at our destination, and it would be uncouth of me to entertain my guests improperly. Would you prefer tea, or something heartier?"

"Tea is fine," Raika says, nodding to Li Shu. The healer has taken to minding Jin, who seems entranced and a bit disoriented by their surroundings, and she guides him along towards one of the couches, her Sacrifice smaller and less numerous than in the exterior. She herself seems somewhat at ease, curious about the space more than concerned, but Raika can hear her heartbeat- even, but quick. Ready.

"Excellent. I've taken the liberty to prepare a personal favorite of mine, brewed with a darker, roasted blend. I will warn, weary travelers- it has a bit of a kick to it, but properly sweetened, it's a lovely mix."

Roasted? That's… new.

The skeleton (of?) Lu Karai walks to a couch that forms opposite the one Li Shu and Jin are sitting at, a fresh table blooming out of the midnight wood between the two. More of the strange, shadowy strands of Qi descend from above, bringing with them a pot that seems oddly shaped for tea, and several small cups, alongside what looks like a bowl of dark green honey. Raika sits last, waiting until everything is ready and the Lu Karai has begun filling and distributing cups between each of them.

"Standard practice is for the youngest to pour," he(?) admits, "but seeing as I am your host, it is only proper that good manners take precedence over decorum. Now, I'm sure you have many questions, and undercarriage travel is quick, but not so quick that we don't have time to spare. Please, feel free to interrogate me ruthlessly- it'll be like I have flesh again."

The silence after that final comment carries.

She doesn't entirely get the joke (if it is a joke), but it's still vaguely funny. She offers him a (mostly) sincere chuckle, which leaves the glowing metal skeleton gleaming.

"Ah! Glad to see my funny bone hasn't vanished entirely. You'd think it would be easier to keep track, what with how visible they all are, but my younglings say my jokes are simply dreadful."

This actually does get a full and surprised laugh out of Jin, which seems to please Lu Karai to the point that he claps his finger-bones in delight as he passes the boy a cup of just the darkest tea Raika's ever seen.

"Ah! Proof at last that I was, indeed, a jester in a past life. What a relief."

Raika smiles, taking a sip of the tea-

Oh. Oh that is not tea.

She doesn't know what it is, but that is a flavor. Absurdly bitter, even with the taste of honey adding notes of sweetness and cool, calm cold to the hot liquid. It's… shit, it's not bad, but she was expecting flavored hot water, where this comes off more as the blood of some strange spirit plant or alchemical reagent.

She takes a second sip, even as she enjoys watching Li Shu visibly flinch at the drink, which Jin has yet to try.

"That is… not how I traditionally view tea, Bishop," she says, taking a deeper smell of the concoction. "Is it always made quite so intensely?"

"Is it not to your liking, Reverend Raika? I'm happy to send for something more herbal, if you prefer."

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Raika studiously ignores the desperate pleading look that Li Shu throws her way, taking her third sip and savoring. "No, no. It's… new, that's for sure, but it's not bad. You'll have to share the recipe sometime."

Again, that lipless grin. "I would be more than happy to. If your primary curiosity, heading as strangers into a strange land, is how we brew our tea, however, perhaps we might be best suited to summoning a member of my staff."

She snorts (taking another sip of the thick black brew). "I admit, that's not quite the most pressing thought I have. First one to come to mind is, if it takes long enough to return that we can have this conversation, how is it that you were so timely in picking us up?"

The skeleton's smile leers wider, and they do a short little bow, sitting where they are, atop a small mound of white pillows now stained gold.

"Yes, well, perhaps I have been just the slightest bit untruthful. It is true that we caught wind of your exploits through your breach of the Wall first and foremost, but I'm afraid, as your companions have likely informed you, that my compatriots and I have kept an eye on your movements thereafter. Or, to be more precise, the movements of the young Postulant, Rai Jin."

Jin looks up, his eyes widening even more than they were. It's the sound of his name that seems to bring him back to the present moment, blinking owlishly at the skeletal figure across from him. "Me? But… I'm-"

"The most talented living outsider to have passed through the Wall to date."

The sentence carries a weight that Raika doesn't understand, but can most certainly feel. It's delivered with the sort of gravitas that implies more than it says, much like the honorifics the skeleton keeps using, or the way he was already moving to meet them by the time they first began glimpsing the "kingdom" proper.

"I understand there must be some degree of confusion. I have, after all, used more than a few terms not commonly explained to outsiders, and, for the actions of other, more uncouth members of my church, I apologize.

"As I stated earlier, I am titled a Bishop, a ranking member of my organization, gifted with the responsibility and right to teach newcomers to the art, preach on the nature of our world, and organize the forces of my siblinghood. You, Reverend Raika, have been titled posthumously, as is our way- though there was some debate on whether or not you fit the official criteria, it was eventually determined that you passed an initiation of sorts, though unknowingly. And, of course, power has its own volume, and drowns out many dissenters. You, as we've come to understand it, have plenty power of your own, enough to be considered a danger and a powerful ally. Thus, 'Reverend': a holy title, but a… vague one. No assigned role in the true hierarchy, but an established credit and recognition among fellow initiates of the order.

"For young Jin, I use the term Postulant. For all his distinctive talents, he is, after all, still on his first life. It would be rather improper to title him truly."

Li Shu pulls Jin just the tiniest bit closer to her, the pattern of her Sacrifice reinforcing their space.

"First life?" she asks, not impolitely.

Lu Karai nods, still jovial despite the morbidity of his figure. "Of course! No state secret, that- to be properly initiated into the church, one cannot be alive as they are when they are born. Just as we are birthed into this world, to be born beyond it, we must again pass between the veil of life and death."

Raika leans forward. Not threatening, not directly, but making sure that, from where she's sitting, to one side of her allies and the skeleton both, she's reinforcing the space between them.

"And you claim that I have passed some rite?"

The skeleton shrugs.

"At the very least, passed it enough. You have, after all, transcended the human condition, and in the time since you've left the end of the world, beyond the Wall, our scriers have seen more than one instance of loss of life. While you may not have traditionally died, considering the loss of vital organs in such distinct, all-encompassing ways, it was decided to grant you honorary passage, and the title thereof."

"And Li Shu?" she asks. "She's stronger than the kid, and a Craft user besides. She doesn't get a special title?"

The skeleton leans back. Raika gets the impression that, had it any eyelids, it would have used them to blink just now.

"Well… not in the church, no. With due respect, lady Li Shu, I'm afraid the church of the Fallen Kingdom, while always open to all, cannot anoint someone who has not the touch of their own death on them. Though I do implore, please, that you take it at face value- there are many who specialize in their own ways with the use of both the Craft and Qi who are not church members, and they are all greatly respected members of our society."

"But not respected as much as someone with a church title, I'm assuming?" Li Shu asks, raising her brow.

"Ah… well… no. The church is the foundation of the state- it's recognition does bury its roots a fair bit deeper."

Raika meets Li Shu's eyes, and there really doesn't need to be any words or Intent for them to share a message.

Act offended, but play along.

If they worship death here, it's more-or-less one of the better scenarios to have a healer be respected as more than an enemy, at the least. Even if they are clearly building their culture around some… distinctive beliefs.

"Alright. So you've been interested in us since we passed the wall. Some members of your Kingdom even came looking for us, apparently."

No visible reaction to that besides a polite nod.

"And while watching, we met some sort of criteria. All very good. That still doesn't particularly explain why we're in your carriage as we speak. Where are you taking us?"

Lu Karai raises both hands in a theatrical sort of shrug. "I assure you, it's no nefarious scheme. As I've said- we saw the collapse of the Wall, saw you emerge, and felt the talent of your young ward here. It prompted some to keep an eye on you, some overeager few to even look to introduce themselves directly to your allies here, but that prompting came, in large part, from you. We're an isolated lot, but we see the world as it turns. It is, in many ways, our divine responsibility to watch for the end of the world, and the End beyond that. You've demonstrated power on par with the more dangerous examples of the group that calls itself the Pack, and a considerably higher than average ability to use it. Some would argue that, given a few years, you might grow to rival the Apex in turn. When we heard you were approaching, well, it is only logical that we would hope to properly introduce you to our world."

"Doesn't answer the question."

They laugh, their ribs again mimicking the act of expanding and contracting to the rhythm of nonexistent lungs. "True enough! I have taken it upon myself to escort you directly past the outskirts of our territory, in through some of the hassles of the outer warding, towards one of our greater cities. It would take us a few days of travel yet to reach the capital Church, so I apologize for the expedited arrival- we'll be meeting with some of my fellow Bishops, and what I hope to be accommodations suited to your tastes, in the city of Godsfall, likely in its central Cathedral, the Church of Burrowing Saints."

Raika nods, taking another sip of the dark brew. "That sounds… acceptable. I appreciate your openness, so far. It's been a pleasant surprise, not needing to fight my way through my introduction to every greater group in the fourth ring."

Another laugh, heartier this time. "Quite! We're a bit more civilized than all of that. Leave the fighting to the living and the blessed- the initiated have better things to do, hmm?

"Anything else I can offer? Further questions answered, perhaps?"

Raika taps twice on her seat, with left and middle finger, as if in thought.

Li Shu leans forward, taking focus off her as she does, though it's clear that Lu Karai is a bit surprised at the "uninitiated" taking the lead.

"So, you mentioned the blessed, is that-"

Raika isn't listening anymore.

She's watching.

She sips her "tea", and wears the mask, and makes sure that she's taking up space alongside Jin, blocking him partially from the view of the living skeleton in front of them, tracking his heartbeat, nervous but determined. He's overwhelmed, and she's there, and it's what she can offer for right now, at least until things escalate or he needs something else.

The mask she's wearing nods along, and smiles and laughs and sips the brew, and thanks the Heavens for Li Shu and her ability to ask the best questions in the world- and she watches.

They have been watching her and her friends.

Some members got "overeager" and sought out her friends directly while she wasn't there.

And they consider her a threat.

And, on purpose or not, they sent someone with no microexpressions, no heartbeat, no sweat or pheromones or really even Qi organs that she can recognize, to bring them. Someone who can lie, in any way they choose, and be completely unaffected by the act in any physical way.

And who smells, exclusively, of gold, and wax, and bones.

She's not sure if he's a construct or not- but he's the first person she's met in a long time that could feasibly lie to her with no signs of it, and he just so happened to be waiting for them, taking them straight past most of the territory she could see and right into a stronghold.

Things are going great. Nothing like nightmarishly high stakes and the ever-present fear for the lives of her friends to really make her feel at home, no matter what the polite corpse might promise.