Rising Kite - A story from the world of HWFWM

Rupert Versis, deputy director of Gilded’s adventure society branch, stood at the bottom of a large crater. Around it, splotches of a rusty red color intermingled with the splinters and wood chippings that were all that remained of the thick woodland previously occupying the area.

He looked down at the biggest patch of the red substance, already dry and flaky. “I must admit, Knight of Blood, that you were indeed willing to fight to the death. Most in your place tend to forget about their principles when things start going poorly.” He looked at his own slightly disheveled state, armor rent and cut in places. “And you did put up quite the fight. But the dueling-cage you formed wasn’t the most splendid of ideas in the end.”

The battle had been brutal, if slightly one sided. As Rupert had arrived at the spot of his designated flare, he had found a man in full plate armor seemingly made of swirling blood in the process of hunting down what adventurers he could get to. From what Rupert gathered, the teams of adventurers had done an admirable job in diminishing the damage from the silver-ranker’s appearance, but the sounds which reached his superb hearing spoke of the grim truth; that a lot of adventurers would not return after this night.

Still, the man had immediately challenged Rupert on arrival, completely ignoring the scrambling lower-rankers as he declared that a worthy foe had appeared. While his skill and tenacity had been admirable, confining himself in an enclosed space with Rupert had been a bad idea. With no allies nearby and the red conjured dome even shielding the retreating adventurers from collateral damage, the leonid had pulled out all the stops and his sonic attacks had devastated everything inside the dome except himself.

As there was still more work to be done, Rupert made his way up to the edge of the new landmark his struggle had created to find a newly arrived squad of aides, in addition to extraction teams in the process of bringing back the wounded.

“Reports?” he asked a nearby woman who waited with a scroll in hand.

“From what we know as of yet, one of the Descending Star sect’s grand elders has been slain, while the Victorious Sunset sect up north managed to slay one opposing silver-ranker and drive off the others, albeit at the cost of grand elder Sight being severely injured. Mistress Dew and master Vigil still remain unaccounted for, as we have yet to receive reports of their battles.

However, there has come another more urgent report from the peripheral watch posts far to the west. Apparently, there is a small horde of monsters rampaging on their way eastward. Hundreds of them.”

“Monsters?” Rupert asked in consternation. “It does not sound like mere happenstance.”

“Not likely, sir. Initial assessment is that they aren’t directly controlled, but still driven berserk and herded this way. We do not know how, but have sent word to the records for any other news of similar occurrences in larger scale fights against our opponents.

While they are still far away, and not in the number to threaten the base camps on their own, there is another problem, deputy director-”

“The scout platoon.” Rupert interrupted her, realization dawning The scouting platoon were the ones sent deepest into enemy territory, the furthest to the west. And if the monsters were coming from that way, they would surely end up in their path. “We must organize a relief effort at once.”

“There has been development already, deputy director. We have scrambled what reserves we could, but Fortune did smile upon us. The delayed asset arrived a short while ago, and is already en route.”

“So, she made it?” Rupert asked, receiving a nod from the aide. “Then we can just hope she can reach them in time.”

Unmaker of the White Seal, grand elder of the Unbreakable Chains sect cast a wistful, if disappointed, glance at the corpse dangling from one of his chains.

“It is disappointing that you proved resolute enough that I had to kill you. You would have made a fine addition to our forces, but alas. At least I received a bargaining chip in our dealings with the church of Undeath.” he said to the dead silver-ranker. What had she said her name was? Ah, yes, Deeds of Fate Unwitnessed. She had indeed shown much proficiency with that meteor hammer of hers. But wielding a chained weapon against a grand elder of the Unbreakable Chains sect? A study in futility if there ever was one.

He was currently making his way back towards one of their outposts, leaving the battlefield to the warriors of the sect to handle as the remaining enemy silver-ranker had retreated along with the opposing sect’s students.

“Has my personal disciple unleashed his little project?” grand elder White asked a nearby inner disciple, a part of his small entourage.

“Yes, grand elder, the woman bowed. Senior disciple is reported to have released the captured monsters, and is herding them along with a few of the initiates equipped for the task.”

White only nodded, neither looking at her or faltering in his stride as he was musing over the situation. Not surprisingly, the arrogant alliance against them had been stopped short in their advance as the sect revealed their hidden might. While White was still chafing at the lower quality stock initiated over the years, mere criminals and other unmentionables, they had needed the numbers, compensating further through their allies and using resources the so-called civilized forces would balk at.

One of his personal disciples, who had personally received a divine essence from lord Pain and took the name Tamer of Instincts for himself, had become an interesting resource in the conflict as his particular powers lent themselves well to dominating the base monsters. While not true control in any meaning of the word, it still let the sect capture a few hundred monsters in the weeks leading up to this conflict, the beasts now being set loose and roughly guided toward their foes. Containment of the monsters had been a chore, but the formations of their ritualists had worked well enough to keep most of them docile enough and to prolong the time until they dissolved back into the ambient magic.

White had no illusions that the beast horde would threaten the strongholds of the adventurers and the sects, but setting them loose upon their foes would surely create a bit of chaos, curtailing the movements of the smaller strike teams and tie up resources, which would in turn allow White’s forces and allies to further pressure them or even exterminate isolated elements.

The adventurers creeping around their territories would be in for a rather unpleasant surprise.

Kite, along with the rest of his companions, sat scattered in an alcove of the small cave system which was the rendezvous point. They were all quite exhausted, both from the battle and the retreat. The atmosphere was morose and subdued, Kite himself mostly feeling numb as the image of uncle Walker nodding them farewell played in his mind. After closing his eyes and releasing a long, shuddering breath, he opened them to find two creatures observing him.

Glint hovered in front of him, her agitated swaying conveying worry as she darted around his head every now and then. Kite could feel her concern for him and for uncle Walker as well. He did admit to being a bit surprised to find Sage there as well, instead of floating around and exploring. While the meaning was still ever so vague, Kite even got the feeling that the familiar’s symbols projected the concept of uncertainty.

As Glint snuggled up to his cheek, he leaned his head against the carp while reaching out a hand to idly trace the symbols of Sage’s current shape. The incorporeal familiar was a rather alien being, but Kite still found the implied worry for him heartwarming.

“I’m just worried and sad at the same time, and not sure that I even know which one is the most correct to feel at the moment.” he murmured to Glint, knowing the words to be true. He wanted to desperately hope for uncle Walker to have escaped, but the doubts gnawed at him as well. They had all seen the numbers of undead which still remained.

He had barely noticed another presence closing in on him before Dragonfly sat down at his side and leaned against him.

“I hope he’s alright…” she said, voice a bit forlorn as her statement mirrored his own inner turmoil.

“Me too.” Kite answered, the simple answer conveying the depths of his worry.

“You should all rest and recover.” Grim stated to the whole group while standing up. “I will keep watch.”

Seeing the truth in his words, they all downed pills for recovery and settled down. Even though the immediate danger had waned, they were still out in enemy territory. Kite thought that his mind would be too agitated to meditate, but found that the familiar emptiness of his mind and the path he started visualizing came surprisingly easy. It was almost as if his mind wanted the respite from the fear that still gnawed at this core.

As soon as he settled into it, he came to realize that the roiling feeling inside him was not only emotional turmoil. A familiar feeling of potential welled up inside him as he carefully guided it towards the surface before letting it burst forth of its own accord as a gray light tinted with just a little more bronze than last time burst forth from within.

WWWJS:

Congratulations!

Your ability [Chakra Implosion] has reached Bronze 0.

[Chakra Implosion] has received additional effects.

Chakra Implosion

Special attack (Combination, mana drain). Cost: Low mana Cooldown: 2s Current rank: Bronze 0

Effect - Iron: Strike an opponent to implode part of their mana reserve in addition to the physical effect of the strike. Applies an instance of [Broken flow], a stackable affliction that reduces mana recovery.

Effect - Bronze: Applies an instance of [Broken form], a stackable affliction which lowers damage resistances by a small amount.

While part of Kite felt that the increase was irrelevant in the face of what was actually bothering him, a memory still flashed before his inner eye.

It had been an evening not too long ago, a bit into Kite’s month of training with his group, as both he and uncle Walker had sat at their small table, teapot already emptied. Kite had thought his uncle looked so content, leaning back in the small chair, head resting against the slanted wall with eyes closed.

“Uncle Walker?”

“Yes, little Kite?”

“How do you stay so calm with everything that’s going on? The venture, the infiltrators, the other dangers cropping up?” Kite asked, feeling that his uncle’s calm demeanor seemed to greatly contrast the restlessness building inside him.

Opening an eye just a bit to glance at him, Walker smiled.

“Well, young one, let your uncle relay some common wisdom to you so that you find your own way of centering yourself in a turbulent world.

I will admit that I haven’t always been so wise. When I first met you, you being just a little babe, I was freshly ascended to bronze-rank. All serious business. Wanting to prove myself and catch up to some imaginary rival which constantly taunted me for being too slow. For falling behind.

Even as I took contracts as a messenger or to make deliveries, I went out of my way to throw myself at more dangerous situations. It often went well. But one time, it nearly didn’t.”

“What happened?” Kite had asked, curious but unworried as his uncle was obviously fine now.

“Well, you were only two or three years old at the time, so you don’t remember it. But I threw myself at a forest hydra, not taking enough care to scout my surroundings farther than my detection powers went. This meant that I was suddenly caught up as the third wheel in a territorial struggle when a nearby ogre chief noticed our battle and decided to join in.”

Kite had understood the danger. Both forest hydras and ogre chiefs were among the top most dangerous bronze-rank monsters common to the autumn lands.

“Heavens uncle, what had you done for Fortune to forsake you so?” he had asked with a wince.

Walker chuckled as a response. “Maybe Hunter had Fortune teach me a lesson about taking my time and hunting properly. Or maybe it was to facilitate the true lesson, which came later.

This happened close enough to Starberry peak that I went straight to your aunties for aid. Oh, did they have words for me. I almost thought Dove would accidentally finish the job the monsters had begun, like a tribulation from the heavens striking down the foolhardy.” he shook his head, bemused, before continuing.

“At that time, you had caught one of the common sicknesses normal rankers get. You should have seen yourself; a small bundle of snot and misery, wrapped up in blankets. We were two of a kind that evening, and I was laid down on the same couch to rest while the pills did their work. Two warriors, down on our luck.

I thought that you’d fallen asleep after a while. It was raining, and your aunties always said that you slept best to the sound of pattering drops. But then I saw that you were just sitting there, a waddle of blankets, and just looking at the raindrops sliding down the windows. And you were even smiling a bit, misery forgotten just for a while.

So I thought; if that little chick can enjoy something small even as things are rough, then maybe I should too. And it was a good lesson. Brought me many happy moments during the years which I might otherwise have brushed by, gaze only focused forwards. The only constant in the world is that it always changes.”

He raised his empty cup at Kite in a toast. “So here’s to enjoying the small moments as well, even as the stream of life rages around us.”

Smiling at the memory, even as worry clawed at the same time, Kite tried his best to follow his uncle’s advice and started to inwardly examine the development. He felt satisfied with the addition, benefiting both himself and his allies against the more tenacious foes as he could now wear them down on even more levels.

“Congratulations, Kite.” Serene whispered to him, the only one seeming to have noticed the change. “It does seem that you aim to outpace the rest of us.” she finished with a friendly wink.

It was undeniable that Kite’s pace was a bit faster than the rest of them, especially since they had begun working more together and his evolved racial gift started paying dividends. It was not a spectacular difference, but a noticeable increase in pace even to Dragonfly who shared the original human racial gift.

They got about an hour more of rest before their meditations were interrupted. This time, Serene projected her voice to all of them.

“We have incoming, some wounded. The auras are familiar, so it should be the rest of the scouting team.”

They all got to their feet as Grim returned as well. “I assume Serene told you as well?” he asked, continuing as they nodded. “Then I would suggest we remain alert. Our enemies have many foul tricks to employ for the purpose of deceit.”

At least somewhat recovered, they formed up a little bit inside the mouth of the cave, taking cover among the rock outcroppings of the natural stone formation. A short while later, silhouettes appeared, quickly revealed to be bedraggled adventurers they all recognized as part of the scout platoon as Grim threw out a few glow stones to banish the evening murk around the cave.

One of the bronze-rankers they recognized, a human man named Whirl who followed a path of stealth and wind, stepped forward and provided Grim with the agreed-upon pass phrases, but they still took their time with observing the new arrivals through magical senses and Serene’s aura sense, necessity forcing her to be a bit less-gentle about it.

“Heavens, I almost still can’t believe an iron-ranker has such an aura, even after feeling it in action multiple times.” Whirl muttered after the group had been cleared and was entering the cave, carrying two severely wounded members. He was standing next to Grim near the cave mouth, both bronze-rankers scanning the surroundings while they talked.

“Priestess Serene is most impressive.” Grim agreed. “It seems like you faced a substantial resistance as well.”

Whirl grimaced. “Some bastards lay in wait for us as we struck a church of Undeath outpost. Fortune be praised that we weren’t too far in, and as they had only one bronze-ranker we were able to push through them and escape. But not without casualties.” he said nodding to the wounded who had been laid out on field cots and were tended by the healers. “I’m just glad we all got out.” Whirl finished, not noticing the tightening lines around Grim’s mouth at the statement.

“Senior disciple, we have picked up a trail. Adventurers, at least one wounded.” one of the initiates scouting ahead of the herded monsters reported as he bowed low with eyes locked on the ground in subservience.

Tamer of Instincts looked down at the man, pleased with the submissive gesture. “It was only a matter of time before we came upon the rats scurrying out of the underbrush.” he replied, a predatory grin playing on his lips.

“Shall we ambush them then, and cut them down as they flee?”

Tamer tapped his chin as he thought while idly using his bronze-rank aura to prod a group of three-horned ogres to continue eastward. It was only one of many such groups of monsters currently being driven eastward in a wide screen across the area, guided by Tamer’s subordinates. “No. Follow them from a distance. The rats tend to have places they think safe, a place where more rats will gather. Find it, and use this.” he said, handing over a small statuette in the shape of an unknown beast’s maw closed around a clear crystal. “Then the pack will descend upon them and clear out the gathered infestation.”

“Yes, senior disciple.” the initiate said, bowing low again as she backed off.

Tamer was brought from his musings as he felt one of the several bronze-ranked monsters they had managed to contain long enough turn its agitated attention toward him. The ogre chief had stopped in its tracks, beady eyes locked on Tamer as if preparing to challenge him. Sighing, Tamer directed his full aura upon the monster, the aura gifted him by lord Pain to subdue inferior beings such as these. The bronze-ranked monster held up longer than most, but eventually staggered back and fled, guided ever eastward along with its kin.

Still, Tamer knew that there would be more such acts of rebellion, and was happy to crush each and every one of them. He was the alpha here, after all. But he remained thankful for the special chains made by their crafters to keep some of the more rowdy bronze-ranked specimens in check when he couldn’t be present. After all, it wouldn’t do to have his project, the proof he would present to his master to be considered worthy of more training and responsibilities, to go awry just because his subordinates didn’t have his presence and authority.

Hastening his steps, Tamer sent out a rippling pulse through his aura as the monsters in the vicinity pressed forward with increasing speed and agitation. He had a rat’s nest to clear, and there would inevitably be more of them waiting after tonight.

Following the team first to arrive after Kite and his companions, the rest of the teams making up the scout platoon started trickling in. All of them told similar stories; of ambushes and traps of different kinds. All of the teams had wounded, and many had lost at least one member. And one team didn’t return at all, their absence clearly felt.

While adventurers were recuperating, Serene had joined the others with healing abilities in treating the wounded. Essence users gradually became a lot more inherently resilient as they rose in ranks, but iron-rankers had not yet gone far on that path, their bodies still retaining much of the inherent fragility of a normal ranker with vital organs and other points which could lead to more or less instant death. Fortunately, all in the scout platoon were at least closing in on bronze-rank, their higher recovery-attributes and more developed abilities meaning that many would recover blessedly fast. As some sported serious injury, this meant that instead of spending weeks convalescing, many of them could be back on their feet in a day or two if they were given the right treatment, as their bodies reformed along the blueprints of their souls.

It was while meditating between healing spells that Serene felt something at the edge of her aura perception. She took more active control over her senses, sweeping them outward. What they assumed would be the last group to arrive had just started to make themselves comfortable in the caves in their allotted space. She felt their weariness, but moved on. Her companions were there, resting and well, along with what remained of the other teams. One of the bronze-rankers stood guard at the entrance and beyond… beyond was…

Serene’s eyes flew open, as she started running for the entrance to the cave while using her powers of sound manipulation to send a message ahead to their lookout. The ability, her first to have reached bronze rank, could carry her voice both further and with more precision than before. “Intruder, stealthed, something dark in the aura. About twenty meters out into the forest.”

Reaching the entrance, she saw that it was Whirl who had been on guard. Apparently, he had taken her warning most seriously as he was already dashing forwards like the wind before seemingly dissolving into the air. A heartbeat later, a huge circle of forest was sliced apart as trunks from trees, branches, bushes and even rocks fell into pieces. At the center of the newly formed circular open space, Whirl still hung in the air as he had just come out of the spinning attack he had unleashed, naginata coming to a stop with a dramatic flourish.

Even through the falling debris, an observer could make out the figure of another person, its iron rank aura unstable and falling apart as it stood frozen in place. A moment later, the upper torso tilted at an angle which left no uncertainty that the spine was no longer connected. As it fell to the ground along with the legs, an object fell with it. It was a statuette in the shape of beast fangs biting down on a crystal. A crystal whose light was but a flicker, but rising to almost blinding levels in but a second, along with an artificial aura blasting out from it as the aura beacon had already been activated.

Whirl was quick to respond, dashing up to the item and striking it. Once, twice, thrice the naginata fell, each hit scoring the object but not enough to break it. It took at least a dozen seconds, maybe more, until the thing finally fell apart. But even as the light in its crystal dimmed, howls and snarls had started to carry on the winds, reaching them from the west.

Monsters had found their trail, and the hunt had begun.

Grand elder Lark’s heart ached as he looked at his fellow grand elder, unconscious on one of the floating disks carrying the wounded through the forest paths back towards their encampment. The last battle had been most dire, a flash of flesh and blood, accompanied by the almost artistic movements of the deviant twins. Lark felt shame, both at his inability to protect his fellow grand elder and that she, even facing the pair, had managed to kill one of them while he had only driven off the foul flesh-shaper.

The death of the female twin along with several groups of bronze-rankers arriving in support from the Victorious Sunset sect had effectively ended the battle as both remaining silver-rankers had retreated. But the fallen silver ranker had unleashed a final attack at the already severely weakened grand elder Sight, the deathrattle reducing her to the state she was now in. Lark could feel her aura shivering and shuddering, and could only imagine what torments she must still be under.

“Soon, hero of the sect. Soon, we will reach the healers and-” he started, falling silent as his right hand snapped up, catching an arrow in flight between two fingers. An arrow that had been aimed directly at his fallen comrade. From the woods, silhouettes emerged as more attacks started raining over them as the attacker's auras became clear to Lark’s senses. He knew not how these villains had obscured their presence from him, as he sensed only bronze-rankers in the group, but it mattered little as he was already upon them after conjuring a flaming barrier around the prone form of Sight.

Even as his burning fists almost tore an assailant asunder, his fury was stoked to unprecedented levels as he saw the clothes concealed under the cloaks of the assailants. Silver and blue. The Descending Star sect.

As if to drive the point home, he even heard battle-cries from behind where the other assailants had engaged his sect’s warriors.

“Death to the weaklings!”

“You have always been without honor!”

“Kowtowing to the wishes of an iron-ranker? Pathetic!”

After that, Lark knew only flames and violence. While a few attackers escaped, many fell before his fists. He stood among their corpses, the flames still raging around him, when he spoke his first words since the attacks began.

“The Descending Star sect will be no more. This is but a distraction from the cancer which we have been forced to call our equals for too long. I swear upon the sect leader, I will-” he began, voice building towards a roar when it was suddenly cut short as a familiar, shaking aura pressed against his.

Lark’s flames winked out as he turned to where Sight lay, still as unmoving with her eyes closed. But the third eye, glowing in gold on her forehead, looked straight at him. Her voice was but a whisper, but his silver-rank hearing could make it out even over the rustles of the trees and hisses of pain from the wounded.

“Do not… act… rashly. Pain… Lies… Take it to… expedition lea… Remember our task.” she whispered through the shuddering state she was in, a last vestige of strength spent to make the final words resound as clear as possible. Then she fell limp again, back to her unconscious state.

Lark stood there for a while like a man without a purpose, a candle whose flame had just been snuffed by a wayward breeze. His inner flame, rage fanned by betrayal, was still like a furnace inside, demanding action for this most dire of slights. But there was no denying that grand elder Sight had always seen more than him, seen deeper. She was loyal, loyal enough to aid him even in his folly at the gate. And her final words…

His mind found the image of the sect leader’s stern gaze as she had informed them of her will during their final meeting before departure. In a show of willpower he would have previously thought beyond him, he constructed a bell of sunlight before his mind’s eye which he lowered over the raging fury. Not truly quenching, but sequestering, ready to bring it forth again should the need be.

“Grand elder, shall I dispatch a runner and ready the warriors? This can surely not go unavenged?” asked a nearby inner disciple.

“No. We will return and bring this before the expedition leader.” Lark stated through clenched teeth.

“But grand elder-” the woman began, falling silent as Lark’s aura dropped on her like the weight of the sun.

“Heaven is watching, as one more wise than me gave a lot to remind me of.” he said, gazing once more at the still form of his companion. “We go back. Recover and rest. Ready yourself for battle. As your grand elder, I officially command you to not speak of this to anyone except me or when called as witnesses. Am I understood?” he finished, gazing at all the present bronze-rankers.

As only stunned silence greeted him at first, he asked again. “Am I understood?!”

Snapped out of their shock, the gathered disciples answered as one.

“Yes, grand elder!”

“Then gather the corpses and bring them. But as I said, recover and prepare. We still have a fallen sect to deal with.”