The First Cultivator

The Crystal Glade, an apt name, Azura decided as she studied the mana forest from a distance. The valley in which the mana forest resided was filled with luminescent purple crystals that towered over the valley. The sunlight reflected through those crystals, bathing the entire area in soft lavender light.

"It's beautiful," Coralline said. Azura nodded. She was surprised that her mother was one of the candidates for advancement. With her mother were Fatania and four of her children, including Tallous. The rat-kin hadn't been as jubilant since the death of his sister at the hands of the Kinslayer. Something had changed in him that day. It wasn't the all-consuming hate that had plagued Gwen. It was determination that could crack diamonds. He had cultivated relentlessly and was now ready to progress. Azura wondered if advancing to the next stage would heal his eye. They were going to use a regenerative potion on it, but he refused. It would have consumed a large amount of his condensed mana.

Behind the rat-kin was Alenina and three of her elder children. The rabbit-kin had been some of the most determined cultivators in Azure's Rest. Not surprising. She had already lost two of her children, one to the mists when he was recruited into being a soldier, and the other… Toren. Azura let a wave of grief pass over her. She had a long time to come to terms with her friend's death. Every now and again, it would sneak up on her, reminding her of what she had lost. Azura didn't let it bury her in sorrow. She instead let it fuel her desire to see the kin race protected and thriving once more. She would honor her friend in the best way she knew how… by smashing some faces.

Azura drove her fist into her palm, which created a miniature thunderclap that startled the waiting cultivators.

"Whoops, sorry."

The remaining three were others she was less familiar with. A squirrel-kin girl named Talhi with shiny black fur and a cute nose. The other two were a pair of gray wolf kin twins named Fang and Ren. Azura couldn't tell them apart and mentally referred to them as the wolf twins.

They were the best of the gas cultivators that their group had to offer. She hoped they were up to the task.

Movement below drew her attention. A significant difference between this mana forest and the one back in Deepmere was the number of mages active in the zone. They had a strong basecamp that they could just make out from their vantage point. It was a portable camp, allowing it to move around and collect resources easily.

"Why didn't Deepmere do something like that?" Azura asked. They had settled in the mana forest after all. It was only now that she wondered why the city didn't do so as well.

"It had to do with the type of mana forest it was. This one is tame in comparison. The one outside Deepmere was filled with far more beasts," Fatania said. "They did try to settle inside before but were overrun by the hungry predators. Instead, they sent in teams to harvest resources. Cheaper that way. Perhaps if they hadn't had the mists to worry about, they could have done something else."

Azura nodded at her words. It made sense, and ultimately it didn't matter. All it did was make their current job more difficult.

"Gerald, are you ready?" Azura asked.

"Yup." Gerald hefted his Warhammer over his right shoulder. Azura was glad it wasn't aimed at her this time. That had hurt during their spar.

"We'll come after," Fatania said. "I don't want to exhaust any mana if possible. It will just take longer to advance."

"You should still invert your mana pools. It would be better to have the mana ready in case you need it. You can't advance if you're dead."

"Good point," her mother said, and Azura felt the thick mana surge through their bodies.

"Gerald, let's do this," Azura said as she stepped off the cliff's edge. Her blue hair billowed around her as she felt like a hungry raptor on its unsuspecting prey.

***

Former Grand Magus Arwin cursed his luck for the thousandth time as he handed over a cooled drink for the young lady. To think that he, a former council member of Deepmere, would be reduced to such a pathetic station would have been unthinkable a year ago. First, the whole mess with that walking disaster, the Magebane. After that, there was the mist's steady advancement into their territory. Then their allies deserted them. He was left with no choice. What was he supposed to do, die with the masses? Unthinkable. So, after looting, or rather, repurposing as much as he could, he left. How could he have predicted his men would turn on him and take everything for themselves? No loyalty whatsoever. True, he did pay them relatively poorly. He also refused to give them any leave, whether it was for sickness or the passing of a loved one. They should have thanked him for instilling hard-working habits. Some people were utterly ungrateful. Speaking of ungrateful…

"Oh, servant, fetch me some meat skewers and make sure they aren't overly charred like last time," the young lady said, her voice loud and clear. "It's so hard to find good help these days." A vein twitched in Arwin's forehead as he turned away from her, sent on another errand beneath his station.

At first, Arwin thought he was lucky. After his men stole his rightful possessions, except those he managed to store in a most undignified place, he subconsciously rubbed his butt at the thought as he walked, he arrived in Tram, relatively unscathed. With his… concealed goods retrieved, he was able to buy his way into the lord's employ. He was confident his former position and knowledge would be invaluable. In less than a year, he expected to regain his former glory. Instead… he was serving the man's little shit of a daughter as she was on a safari in the Cystal Glade. Not as a teacher or even a trusted guard, but as a type of butler. How degrading.

After fetching a dozen skewers on a large platter, he was on his way back when a disturbance could be heard at the edge of the camp. A lot of shouting and some spells could be heard as he made his way back. Arwin ignored it. Probably just another mana beast incursion. After the first twenty, he learned not to bother with it. The mages stationed here were talented. He would rather get the little shit her food before she complained and made him clean her personal latrine by hand… again. How that little shit managed to produce such a big shit was a mystery that even an Archmage wouldn't be able to solve.

Arwin entered the young lady's tent as the yelling outside intensified.

"What's all the racket?" The young lady asked.

"I'm sure it's just another mana beast attack," one of her guards said.

"Ah, yes, of course you're right," she said as she nervously tugged on her dress. The girl looked like a doll, with porcelain-white skin and curly green hair that fell to her waist. Entirely out of place in their large tent.

"You're courageous, enduring the dangers out here, my lady," the other guard said.

Arwin wanted to laugh out loud at the little lady's private guards. Arwin forgot their names. He mentally referred to them as Kiss and Ass. The pair had their lips so firmly planted on the little shit's backside that it would take an Archmage powered severing spell to separate them. He just placed the platter down beside the lady when a loud thump sounded from outside, which was now suspiciously quiet all of a sudden.

Arwin was about to suggest that one of the guards investigate when the flap opened. His blood turned into a thick gel that impeded all thought as SHE walked in. It couldn't be. There was no way he was that cursed by the gods. He blinked furiously, trying to dispel the stress-induced image. Yet she remained, the Magebane. She was unchanged from when they met in Lord Tarwin's manor so long ago. Long, blue hair that she inherited from her father. The cat ears crowning the top of her head. Her long, fluffy tail, which matched the color of her hair that ended in a white tip, flicked back and forth as she looked around. Their eyes met, and he collapsed on the ground as her intense green slit eyes bored into him.

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"Who are you?" The lady asked. Arwin looked at the lady as she stood up on her makeshift throne to make herself seem taller. It didn't help. Her doll-like appearance made any posturing useless. While the little shit was trying to act imposing, her guards were far more reasonable. He felt the spell constructs take shape with flawless precision. For all their combined ass kissing, the pair were powerful. That might have mattered if their foe were anyone but the killer of mages that stood before them.

"GREATER LIGHT LANCE!" Ass chanted.

"IMPEDED!" Kiss said simultaneously. A powerful offensive light spell with a movement restriction spell cast in tandem. That was impressive… also useless.

The pair of kiss asses gaped, their mouths open wide, as the Magebane's movements weren't hindered and she casually slap the spell out of the air.

"What…" Ass said. What other utterances of genius the man might have said were lost as the Magebane suddenly appeared between the two. Arwin never saw her move. Then it was over. The pair was slammed to the ground by an unseen force. She must have been in a merciful mood for both were alive, but unconscious, although he suspected that both their jaws were broken. Arwin didn't dare move.

"You…" The young lady stuttered as the Magebane strode toward her.

"ST, STAY AWAY! My father wouldn't hunt you to the end of the world if you harm me!" The little shit cringed as the Magebane drew within arm reach.

"SERVANT, HELP ME!" Arwin didn't dare move. If the Magebane got distracted killing the little shit he might be able to escape.

"HEEEELPPP!" The little shit cried covering her face with her arms as the Magebane reached toward her. This was it. When she started killing the kid, he would run and… The Magebane reached past the young lady and took the platter full of meat skewers before turning her back on the little lady.

"HEY! Those are mine!" The little shit appeared more offended by this than the manhandling of her guards.

"Not anymore," The Magebane said as she glared at Arwin. Then she was occupied as she took the first bite. Her expression lit up like she hadn't had anything good in a long time.

"These are great!" The Magebane said.

"They're mine!" The little lady yelled as she rushed at her. The Magebane simply let the plate hover above the kid's head, held by an unseen force, while her free hand landed on the little lady's head, holding her back as she continued to eat. The little shit's arms uselessly reached for the skewer in the Magebane grasp as she finished it and took another. She then deliberately turned toward the lady as she took the first bite, chewing slowly, letting the juices trickle down her chin to mock her.

"Azura, what are you doing?" A voice said from behind him.

Arwin turned, and his heart stopped. Any hope he had of a quick escape was now ruined. Around a dozen kin had entered the tent.

"I found a snack," the Magebane said.

"Aren't you going to share? I raised you better than that." A white furred cat-kin said.

"Oh… uhh… I was just checking to make sure they weren't poisoned. Yup, that's it. You never know with these nobles. They poison each other all the time. I should try a few more just to be certain."

"I think we'll take the risk," the cat-kin said as she took the remaining skewers, handing them out to the others. The little shit eyes went wide and she collapsed on the ground like her whole world was suddenly destroyed.

"Who's the kid?" A large bear-kin said.

"No clue," the Magebane replied. The Magebane didn't even know who she was? Was all this just a horrible coincidence? "She was in here with two guards, so I thought she might be important. Also, he was here." Her voice darkened as all eyes fell on Arwin.

"Is that…" A female rat-kin began.

"Yup. That is one of the counselors of Deepmere. I met him at my father's manse. I think his name was Arwy or something like that."

"He was one of the leaders there…" An angry voice said as a rabbit-kin woman stepped forth. "He's one of the people who made us starve. Left us with no choice but to enlist loved ones in the military to be sacrificed so they didn't risk any mages. The ones who enslaved us!" The rabbit-kin woman's voice continued to rise after each sentence. Her eyes blazed like fire. The little lady backed away toward the Magebane. Arwin wished he could do the same. No one spoke for a long moment.

"Yup," the Magebane said. "He's all yours. Don't use too much mana. Don't forget why we're here."

"Wait!" Arwin pleaded. "I, I, I never liked their plans! I tried to talk them out of it! I didn't have any choice!" The lies fooled no one. The rabbit-kin stalked forward and seized him by the hair. Then started dragging him outside as he thrashed in her iron grip.

"Please! Spare me! I didn't have a choice!!!" No one listened as several rat-kin followed behind. Perhaps he could escape now that he was away from the Magebane. That hope was dashed as a pair of mana-restraining shackles were placed on his wrists.

"I knew these would come in handy," the rabbit-kin said. "I just never expected that I would be the one using them. You've cost me two of my children. Your life is little compensation, but it's a start."

"I…" Arwin started, which was transformed into screaming as the pain began. She seized his testicles and squeezed with such force that they were obliterated, their remains staining his robes. It only got worse from there. No more words left his lips, just endless screaming and torment. He never found the breath to beg. It was pure bliss when it all went black.

***

"I never expected to find him here," Azura said as the screaming began. She was glad Alenina dragged him out of the tent. The kid didn't need to see anything like that.

"I wonder what happened to the other leaders?" Her mother said.

"I'm sure we'll find out eventually," Fatania said, then gestured to the kid. "Kid, who are you?"

"I, I, I'm the daughter of the Lord of Tram. My name is Lady Yan of house…"

"We don't care," Azura interrupted. "Is there anything that guards the leylines?" Might as well pump the brat for information while they're here.

"The leylines? They belong to my family, you can't have them!"

"Too bad we're taking them for a few weeks. You can have it back after," Azura said.

"No! Even if you hold me hostage, the guardian will only allow my family to gather the resources there! It'll never let you pass!"

"We can just kill it then," Fatania said with a shrug. "It won't be hard."

"Foolish animal! The crystal guardian is immortal. The power of the leylines regenerates it endlessly."

"That could be a problem," Azura said. "If the leylines regenerate it, then it would consume the mana. We also would have to be on constant watch."

"How does your family get past them then?" Coralline asked.

"As if I would ever tell you!" The brat shouted.

"I have ways of making you talk," Azura said, stalking toward the brat. She backed away until her back was pressed against the tent wall.

"Don't think because you're a child that will save you," Azura continued. "I've spent time in the company of those who are masterful at the art of torture and are the embodiment of pure evil. They had no problem using harsh tactics against children. I don't want to do it, but I will."

The brat's eyes were wide, and her mouth trembled as she spoke. "I, I, I'm the… the lord's only daughter. You wouldn't dare…"

"Wouldn't I?" Azura asked darkly as she pushed the kid down and sat on her chest and arms, pinning her in place. Azura prepared herself to do the cruelest act to a child that she could think of.

Poke.

There was a long pause.

"Did you just poke me?" Yan asked, incredulous. Her chin was raised, staring at the spot on her chest that Azura poked.

Poke.

"How dare you insult me with…" Poke. "… such childish antics!" Poke. "I'm not someone who…" Poke. Poke. Poke.

"Stop doing that!"

Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.

"I SAID STOP IT!" Yan thrashed, but Azura was unmovable.

Azura kept poking, and Fatania turned her face, her hand covering her eyes as she shook her head. No doubt, such cruelty was too brutal for the rat-kin to handle.

Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.

"I'LL NEVER TELL!" The brat howled.

Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.

"STOP! I YEILD! JUST STOP!"

Azura stopped. The kid's eyes were red-rimmed, and snot was leaking from her nose. Azura raised herself off the kid, her hand on her hips, waiting.

"There's a medallion in my chest. Place a drop of blood from anyone you want the guardian to ignore. It will last about a day." The kid sniffed, wiping her face with her dress sleeve. A trail of snot was left on the delicate garment.

"Thank you for your cooperation," Azura said.

"Where did you learn such cruel methods?" Yan asked, getting to her feet, rubbing her chest.

"Oh, my mother did that to me often when I was your age. I lasted a lot longer than you did."

All eyes turned to Coralline, who shrugged. "It was funny, and it was the only way I found to get you to do your chores."

"See, pure evil," Azura said, and Yan nodded in agreement. Coralline rolled her eyes.

Fatania just kept shaking her head as Tallous ran off to fetch the Medallion. The mood soured when Alenina walked back in with her hands covered in blood. Fatania wordlessly handed her a towel to clean up. For some reason, Yan pressed into Azura's side at the sight. Azura didn't judge the kin for her anger. She had done much the same when she found Toren's body. Alenina didn't have anyone to vent her rage at the time. Besides, if she didn't kill him, Azura would have. She would never forgive those from Deepmere who enslaved her people.

Tallous returned at that moment with a large golden medallion in hand. "Is this it?"

"Y, Yes," the girl stammered.

"Alright, let's get started," Azura said after each of them added a drop of blood to the Medallion. She was debating what to do with the brat when the girl seized her hand and tried to pull her forward.

"I'll show you the way," the girl said. Azura was somewhat surprised by the change in attitude. Humans were weird like that. Elise did strange things all the time. Azura relented and let the brat lead the way as they all followed. It did resolve what to do with her for now. The girl only briefly paused at the dead bodies outside before leading them out of camp further into the Crystal Glade.