Abyssal Road Trip

Amdirlain’s PoV - Outlands - Outpost of the Monastery of the Western Reaches

When they arrived back at the courtyard, Cyrus was chatting with Klipyl within the circle of benches.

“The limit is always resources,” advised Cyrus.

“Gemstones don’t come to the surface unaided,” grumbled Klipyl. “Are you going to keep them working the fields until hundreds of warehouses overflow?”

Cyrus glanced behind her, causing Klipyl to look around. She immediately spotted their clasped hands. With a delighted squeal, she clapped. “You made up.”

Sarah motioned her to the forge room. “Go on in, Klipyl. You’ve got a lot to learn.”

Though Klipyl followed her direction, Sarah lingered long enough to steal another soft kiss that sent sparks along Amdirlain’s spine. As Amdirlain smiled, Sarah released her hand and headed after Klipyl.

The casual display of affection had surprised Amdirlain, and butterflies still kicked up a hurricane in her stomach. She glanced uncertainly after Sarah before she pulled herself into line.

Will she change her mind? Should I at least re-enable Phoenix’s Rapture’s passive effects?

Master Cyrus waited until the pair walked away before addressing Amdirlain. “Kadaklan said you had a busy morning dealing with emotional scars.”

“That’s one way to put it,” allowed Amdirlain. “I’m surprised you were here.”

“I was seeing how the conversations with individuals around the monastery had gone,” explained Cyrus. “Kli surprised me with her insights on opportunities within the community.”

Glad I’m not the only one she surprises.

Amdirlain smiled. “I caught the last of those. Does it affect your Dao? Your path involves teaching others to reach enlightenment, so the more people you set on the path, the greater the potential growth.”

“I shouldn’t undertake such actions simply because they benefit me,” countered Cyrus. “It has been customary that those ready would work to seek enlightenment independently. Who knows what flawed individuals we might help gain a Ki class if we provided them shortcuts?”

“I’m not talking about shortcuts, rather providing them extra lessons,” replied Amdirlain. “A compromise between what we did in Xaos and the lessons the village children currently receive.”

“How many extra lessons?”

Amdirlain shrugged broadly. “I’m not in charge, but I agree with Kli. The food situation is far different from the Material Plane. You’ve got warehouses full of rice and staples, and you'll be increasing that stockpile. Wouldn’t it be an opportunity to better educate the villagers instead of getting them to bring in crop after crop when the fields ripen in a week? You said moving materials and people back and forth isn’t simple.”

“You could streamline that,” noted Cyrus.

“What’s it worth?” laughed Amdirlain. “No, don’t answer. Instead, get someone to calculate how many contribution points would pay for an extra hour of daily lessons for all the current students. Then, figure out the value of being able to ship grain and materials gathered in the Outlands to the Monastery of the Western Reaches. I’m not helping for free if the monastery won’t teach the villagers without being reimbursed.”

“I thought you weren’t the lady of new beginnings any longer,” remarked Cyrus.

Amdirlain smirked. “I enjoy creating things, whether equipment, living creatures, enchantments, or opportunities. They’ll still have to apply themselves, and some might opt to study calligraphy and literature instead of their Ki.”

“I’ll ask the duty pavilion to conduct the calculations,” agreed Cyrus. “Will you have time for an abbreviated lesson before dinner, or do you have other plans?”

“I’ve got time now, but I have questions about the Power called Harmony,” said Amdirlain.

“Kadaklan told me you had also mentioned an interest in it, so I’ve assigned a scholar to review the technique records,” noted Cyrus. “There is a codex that contains any cross-referenced mention of powers or techniques within manuals.”

“Does it also obfuscate the references?” questioned Amdirlain lightly.

Master Cyrus gave a wintery smile. “There is a reason for such protections.”

“I know, but I find the double speech annoying,” replied Amdirlain. “I prefer explicit instructions when I’m learning. You know, follow steps one to ten, and here is the result you can expect.”

“There is no point to that approach, as it wouldn’t be conducive to success. Genuine progress requires understanding and personal insights,” rebuffed Cyrus. “The manuals require the student to search for insight and understanding. Your life has been a touch distracted since we last spoke. Did you have time to consider the matters we spoke on?”

“There seem to be similarities between the use of the sigil for this Ki Blast, Kadaklan’s Ki Movement, and the body in the base version of Ki Infusion,” stated Amdirlain.

“Oh?” questioned Cyrus casually.

“The techniques involve understanding the links between the nodes and how the Ki travels along the pathways, while with Ki Infusion, it requires an understanding of how Ki saturates the flesh,” explained Amdirlain.

“And why might that be?”

“The pathway between the nodes is the outer skin of the sigil,” proposed Amdirlain.

Master Cyrus smiled cryptically. “Is that so?”

“And the spiritual net itself is the outer boundary of the Soul, linking it to the person’s form,” continued Amdirlain.

“Perhaps,” hedged Cyrus. “But where does that lead you?”

“The sigil represents the Soul’s nature,” said Amdirlain. “Or, to put it another way, the truth of the Soul presents to the outside world via the person’s spiritual net. The Ki Blast technique is about compressing and empowering that truth, either filling it with Mana or encasing it in Mana when it’s projected forth. An individual’s truth becomes a weapon to oppose their foes.”

“It is normal for the Ki to enclose the Mana, but for your needs, we’ll need to progress the technique to where you can achieve the reverse,” agreed Cyrus. “It is not only a weapon that can be cast forth this way. Some healers use a variation of this technique, which carries the effect of their Universal Life to an ally separated on a battlefield.”

“I take it the downside is that it’s just a rush of raw health, and the healer can’t control what injuries the energy repairs first?” questioned Amdirlain.

Cyrus nodded. “Correct. However, easing the burden of injuries at an opportune moment can tip the fortunes of a fight between otherwise evenly matched opponents.”

“And the form of the healer’s sigil allows them to target selectively?” questioned Amdirlain.

“Once they gain sufficient proficiency in it,” confirmed Cyrus. “Do you want to practise on targets?”

After a brief hesitation, Amdirlain nodded.

Amdirlain waved toward the front door. “Let’s head inside, and I’ll add some illusionary targets into the sparring area.”

Not needing further prompting, Cyrus stood and moved beside Amdirlain. “Master Lu has spoken of the targets you’ve been providing in your morning training sessions,” said Cyrus. “I sparred with her before lunch, and it seems you’ve inspired impressive growth.”

“You could come along, but I doubt I’d be able to pressure you,” Amdirlain replied as she strolled towards the stairs’ door.

“Is that the key to your teaching technique—applying pressure?” questioned Cyrus.

“I honestly don’t know yet, but I was pushing her hard during our sparring session. During which, my Muse’s Insight gained multiple levels and I heard the evolution of her Skill,” explained Amdirlain.

Cyrus perked up with interest and smiled eagerly. “Do you want to see if you can cause the same effect on others?”

“I have two other sparring sessions booked in the next couple of weeks,” allowed Amdirlain. “Unless they outstrip me, I’ll see what I can learn from those sessions.”

“I look forward to learning more about your Power as well,” said Cyrus.

“Muse’s Insight is just a combined Skill,” corrected Amdirlain as she pushed open the door. “Though some skills in the past have combined into powers, so maybe it’s on the edge of that change.”

“How are you progressing with breaking down your Devouring Cacophony into teachable sections?” questioned Cyrus.

“It’s a work in progress. I’ve started with the basics, and Kli is helping me review my explanations,” said Amdirlain.

Cyrus smiled. “Have you managed the impossible and gotten her to take a disciplined Class yet?”

“I doubt she’ll ever be interested in acquiring Monk,” Amdirlain replied. “I’m just trying to ensure she can protect herself without a weapon. Since she’s a Trumpet Archon, her bare hands hold Celestial energy, making them dangerous weapons against foes from the lower planes. Against them, at least, she won’t need Ki’s armour-breeching ability to be a dangerous unarmed opponent once she’s developed enough proficiency.”

“And against Mortal foes, she’d be more inclined to incapacitate rather than kill?” asked Cyrus.

Amdirlain shrugged. “That would depend on why she’s at cross-purposes with a Mortal.”

Silent notes set up dozens of targets behind the blue barrier of the sparing area and tied the illusions to the dimensional anchors.

“What have you focused on with your lessons so far?”

“I hope to teach adaptation in live combat, as that’s been a key element of my survival. It’s likely the main thing I can offer since many of my transferrable strikes and blocks are like other styles.”

“Might I attend your next lesson?” asked Cyrus.

“Of course,” agreed Amdirlain, suppressing a snort at the thought of challenging him. “I doubt I’ll be able to challenge you, but I can link you in so you can see the challenges presented to each student.”

Only offering a nod of appreciation, Cyrus strode towards the blue barrier and came to a halt, barely an arm’s reach from one target.

“Are we taking a Zen Archery approach?”

Cyrus tilted his head questioningly. “What do you know of that combat style?”

“If you are one with your target, then it’s not a matter of hitting it but simply releasing the arrow,” paraphrased Amdirlain.

“This is a simplistic explanation, but close,” replied Cyrus. “This exercise is more about refining your control. The further you are from the target initially, the greater the temptation to push out a burst of Ki. Rather than flood this place with your energy, I want you to draw only slightly more of a wisp up than you normally use for cycling. When you reach the end of the cycle, mentally compress your sigil and release energy down your arm or forward from your body. As the pathway can flex, so can it contract and expand. You should know that intimately from your healing.”

“If I get into the habit of ‘aiming’ as such, wouldn’t that be restrictive later?” questioned Amdirlain.

“When learning a technique, you don’t always need to take the most challenging approach from the start,” Cyrus advised.

Amdirlain smiled. “Are you sure about that, Master Cyrus?”

“Whatever approach you are most comfortable trying,” repeated Cyrus drily.

She took another step closer before starting to cycle, adding pieces of her anxiety and self-doubt to the mix. As the loop completed, feathers and flames flared beneath her skin, and Amdirlain pushed. A Phoenix’s beak punched out from her chest, and the complete form expanded. The wings flashed, filling the air with fiery mist for a dozen metres.

[Ki Blast [Ap] (29->30)]

I see you have nothing to say. You might be the Aspect of Knowledge, but remember that others don’t know everything you do, Gideon. Being a judgemental, manipulative prick has gotten old.

“That was only a wisp more?” questioned Cyrus.

“I might have been a little overeager,” Amdirlain sheepishly admitted. “It wasn’t much extra Ki, but maybe I shouldn’t have added the emotional juice.”

“Then try again with Ki alone and compress it further. Ideally, you want the focus of the blast to be needle-thin,” instructed Cyrus, motioning at the illusion that the anchors had reconstructed. “Begin.”

Her next attempt compressed the blast to torso size, but the wings still spread a mist of energy. It took another forty attempts to constrict it to where the wings weren’t diffusing energy.

[Ki Blast [Ap] (30) -> [J] (1)

Note: You made it quite clear my feedback wasn’t welcome.]

Ego much? If you can’t accept you could have given a heads-up, I was right to be angry about the contempt in your message. I am tired of the mix of snark and manipulation in your notes; it’s unwelcome and not helpful to my mental health. Isa told me of the helpful clues you gave her and, while I admit that I don’t know your rules Gideon, cut the bullshit. If you can’t say something nice, keep your fucking comments to yourself. I don’t count telling me I’m doing something wrong as being nasty, but the continual attitude you’ve been giving me for decades has gone over the line.

Her response to Gideon didn’t even take an eye blink, and Amdirlain looked over to Cyrus, who was contemplating the fading afterglow.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“You’re not speaking Mandarin, are you?” questioned Cyrus.

“No,” agreed Amdirlain.

Cyrus nodded thoughtfully. “Sometimes you say things, and the sound is a blend of words.”

“It’s an ability that lets me communicate with anyone, though it’s closer to True Song than normal speech,” explained Amdirlain. “It has the advantage of letting me communicate with species that don’t use speech. The problem is when you know multiple words that could have the same meaning.”

“What other ways do you know for species to communicate?”

“Scents, colours, many things—it sends the meaning to those around and lets their mind handle the translation,” replied Amdirlain. “Though animals might not follow my instructions unless my presence influences their instincts.”

“If you revealed your auras?”

Amdirlain gagged. “Normal animals would likely pass out or flee for their lives.”

“Let’s continue your training until the dinner chimes,” Cyrus proposed. “If you keep progressing in this fashion, you might cause it to evolve before you get to Master rank.”

From the viewing platform, Amdirlain heard a song arise and retrieved the orrery from Foundry.

Did Gilorn tire of waiting for me to fetch it?

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

After seeing Master Cyrus on his way, Amdirlain headed into the training hall and floated up to the platform where Gilorn rested; next to her sat the orrery. “Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

“Think nothing of it. I can hear you no longer have to dissolve your scent,” replied Gilorn. “I take it that things are settled between you?”

“We’ve agreed on a starting point,” amended Amdirlain. “I’m going to keep working with Kadaklan and Sarith to sort out the memories from my past lives.”

Sarah wants me for me.

The thought sent a cheerful buzz of wonder through Amdirlain, and she focused on it as the niggling self-doubts pointed out a host of rejections and betrayals. None of those it raised came from Sarah, and she silenced them with that fact.

“I’m glad you're taking an interest in healing yourself and not just injured worlds,” said Gilorn primly. “After all, it would be best if you didn’t repeat such inefficiencies in our sessions.”

“I’ll do my best to avoid inefficiencies,” drawled Amdirlain and pointed to the orrery. “I see you retrieved the device.”

“There are so many songs within the crystals. They are only accessible to me when placed on the reading platform, which causes the device to reconfigure,” advised Gilorn. “I believe Orhêthurin might have put some protections in place. You said that Isa could use the device?”

“As far as she could get the orrery to transform into a system,” confirmed Amdirlain. “It was random in the experiments she conducted. I heard the songs within them only when I used Universal Life to expose them to my Ki, but I couldn’t make out enough details.”

“When was the last time you tried?” inquired Gilorn.

“That is a good point. I only had an unevolved Resonance in Grandmaster,” admitted Amdirlain, and she sat down with a scowl of frustration twisting her expression.

“You have a lot going on, Amdirlain,” consoled Gilorn. “Did you need the songs in these crystals before now? You don’t need them now except as a reference, and if the Lómë genuinely wish to make amends, then haggling with you is the wrong way to go about it.”

“I still want to complete Ori’s work,” admitted Amdirlain. “So I’m not opposed to finding the right songs for the worlds.”

Gilorn hummed. “Might I ask why?”

Amdirlain turned her attention to the orrery and considered how to explain it. “It seems an insult to her memory to toss aside everything she hoped to create. It’s like finding an artist’s home and randomly deciding to finish a painting they’d put their life into perfecting without so much as a by your leave.”

“You have things you disagree with but still respect her vision for the worlds within the realm?”

“There have been so many beautiful worlds on the Material Plane,” sighed Amdirlain. “I don’t know who created which world, but they aren’t where my disagreement with her approach lies. I want to change how souls are treated and judged, yet I want to finish the rest of what she designed.”

“You have a soft spot for beauty,” commented Gilorn.

Amdirlain nodded. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as some worlds look unpleasant by my previous life’s standards, but their music is this delicately interwoven tapestry.”

“An area of your past that you seem to have moved past from how you speak,” said Gilorn. “Hopefully, the Lómë can do the same.”

“Is that a reminder that I need to find the music for them?” questioned Amdirlain.

“That wasn’t what I meant, but feel free to take it that way,” rejoined Gilorn, her tone crisp with amusement. “I would like to ask: Why do you care about maintaining the worlds when you plan to restructure the treatment of the souls?”

“She would never have conceived of undertaking what I’m doing to the damned. Her memories were precious, and she wouldn’t have considered removing another’s memories even if they might never recall them. However, she had this well of rage for those who had committed evil acts,” sighed Amdirlain. “She created the lower planes not because she wanted them but because she knew all beings had the possibility for evil, and she wanted a clear separation of where different souls would end up. Their negativity and maliciousness draw souls to the places made vile by their predecessors' corruption. The Abyss was once beautiful.”

“What will you do if Atonement tips the balance and causes problems?” asked Gilorn.

Amdirlain sighed and slumped into a nearby armchair. “I’ll reassess as I go. I know Ori didn’t like the pollution in the Abyss, but she couldn’t decide a way to resolve it. Cleaning it up will probably be impossible, but I can see how to stop it from worsening. The souls of the damned not drawn to evil deities are a starting point, but I’m under no illusion that it will stop it completely.”

“I’m glad you’re flexible in achieving your goals,” offered Gilorn. “A strong Willpower can lead to bullheadedness.”

“I can’t believe you said that,” laughed Amdirlain.

Gilorn huffed. “I don’t know what you mean. Whatever way you translated my statement isn’t my problem.”

She made a pun and doesn’t even know it. Oh, the irony.

“My head isn’t that hard. Certainly I can learn from mistakes I’ve made in the past,” grumbled Amdirlain playfully.

Gilorn chimed merrily. “No, your Willpower might be made of granite, but at least you don’t have rocks between your ears.”

An idea tickled at the back of Amdirlain’s mind.

“Domains don’t keep out environmental conditions, do they?” inquired Amdirlain innocently.

“That’s an awfully strange change of subject,” noted Gilorn.

“A burst of inspiration,” Amdirlain grinned. “You said you wanted to see the creation of a Planar Seed?”

“Yes,” gushed Gilorn.

“Well, there is a particular arsehole I want to hurt, but I figure flooding him out now that he’s gotten a Mantle is going to take a bit more than I had planned,” laughed Amdirlain. “So I’m going to make a Plane and have it fill itself with Celestial water. I’ll open the sluice gates once I’ve enough to cover a few billion square kilometres of land. Once I’m done with it, I’ll hook it to the oceans in Celestia and let the life forms there take it over.”

“Oh!” cooed Gilorn excitedly, but she gave a sour chime. “Aren’t you getting off-topic? What about the songs for the Lómë?”

“Fine, work before play,” grumbled Amdirlain, and she examined the memory crystals bordering the table. “Do you think she’d have it organised by the stars in a galaxy?”

“Why do you ask?”

“If they’re grouped, it would make it easier to find the crystal with the worlds I want,” explained Amdirlain.

Analysis of the dead worlds provided her with a list of galaxies to search for. After unsealing each crystal with a wash of Ki, Amdirlain repeated the process with various worlds whose songs she could make out and gradually identified the crystals with the plans for the matching galaxies.

[Analysis [S] (37->38)

Note: Other systems and worlds exist besides those in the initial plans.]

Amdirlain didn’t respond to Gideon’s note. Placing each crystal on the orrery, she named the system and listened after the orrery had transformed. With the music of the first planet audible, she transferred the songs for their lifeforms and ecosystems into a separate memory crystal. When she was done, a set of crystals contained the music of the dead worlds that could be restored. One of them currently hosted an Eldritch, a being she still had no idea what to do with.

“Roher, I’ve found the music for the planets that need healing. I’ll get them to you tomorrow,” Amdirlain stated and released the Message.

An orb of light appeared beside her, and Roher’s voice buzzed within it. “We could come and collect them now, save you the bother.”

Amdirlain groaned and almost accepted his proposal, but as she started to prepare a reply, she sent a different response. “It’s been a pretty emotional day for me. Let’s sort it out tomorrow.”

I’m supposed to look after myself first occasionally.

“Understood. Tomorrow it is then. I should let you know we’ve exiled those who were the source of the disagreement, and they’ve left Vehtë.”

Well fuck, that breaks with customs billions of years old.

“It seems the Lómë have lost their fascination with stability. To send the others off and break with custom so quickly is unprecedented,” observed Gilorn.

“Now I’ve likely got a few thousand enemies adrift in the realm,” groaned Amdirlain.

“I know their songs and can remove their abilities with True Song,” reminded Gilorn.

The temptation to be safe from the risk they represented itched at her, but Amdirlain groaned again. “I don’t know. I won’t punish someone for what they might do. I was a Succubus, after all. The Norse could have just slain me for what I might have done.”

“If they move against you, can I kill them?” inquired Gilorn.

Amdirlain breathed. “Gilorn. Did they upset you that much?”

Is this why Ori had Gilorn sealed away?

“They left Orhêthurin to die,” hissed Gilorn. “They are the ones that abandoned her to save their precious skins.”

Well, she’s not emotionless.

“They didn’t know Orhêthurin was any different to any other Anar,” reminded Amdirlain.

“So?” huffed Gilorn. “Abandoning the rest of the Anar was nearly as bad. They were their partners in the True Song, yet they turned their backs and fled.”

“No, if they attack me, I’ll need to do it myself,” replied Amdirlain. “If I’m going to do that to any of them, I need to get strong enough to do it myself.”

Amdirlain heard Sarah stiffen in the forge room and start to set aside her tools, directing Klipyl to pack up for the evening.

“Then you have lots of work to do,” stated Gilorn.

What else is new?

“What will I need to handle it?” questioned Amdirlain.

“At least another evolution of your True Song, depending on how high your magic rating is by then,” informed Gilorn. “Even then, you are talking about changing old souls who will not cooperate, so you must overcome the inertia.”

“Then they have that long to figure out how to pull their heads out of their arses,” declared Amdirlain.

“And if they don’t?” asked Gilorn.

Are you asking me questions to ensure I’ve considered everything? You wanted to prune it from them.

“Administration access is going to get removed,” said Amdirlain. “I’ll leave them with blank slates in their Class slots so they can get new classes over their very long life spans. If they reincarnate, their inability to use True Song will remain. I don’t know how they’ll be without it.”

“It is something to consider since it is a foundational piece of their souls. Once you remove it, they won’t be able to get it back unless you reinstate it, but I don’t know the songs for that,” advised Gilorn. “The flip is they’ll just have to find their path the same as everyone else without an underserved advantage.”

Booted heels tapped against the training hall’s stone floor as Sarah entered. “Deciding the fate of worlds?”

“Come on up,” called Amdirlain; shifting around, she tucked her feet under herself.

Instead of taking the stairs, Sarah floated up outside the platforms and landed next to Amdirlain’s chair. She’d changed out of her forge gear into loose red silk pants and shirt, with leather boots that reached her knees.

With Amdirlain’s armchair too restrictive to cuddle in beside her, Sarah dropped into a chair across the table.

“I didn’t see the Lómë deciding that,” advised Sarah. “They have changed.”

“The Abyss didn’t allow them to be divided. You either worked with the community or risked everyone’s lives,” said Amdirlain. “Is it any surprise that the ones who don’t get that are from the tower?”

“You know I’d prefer them dealt with immediately, right?” Sarah inquired.

“You’re a Dragon. Of course, a potential enemy needs to be removed,” replied Amdirlain. “I will not get rid of someone just because they weren’t polite.”

Sarah wrinkled her nose. “I know and can understand. I should say that if they make a play for you, Mother will kill them if I can’t.”

“Let’s not warn them about that fate then,” laughed Amdirlain, but the bitterness flooded her again.

The scent tickled against Sarah, and her brows lifted in pleased surprise. “You’ve still not got Phoenix’s Rapture back on?”

“No, I’m trying to process my emotions,” explained Amdirlain. “Shall we get going?”

“What’s on the agenda for the night?”

“Playtime making hollow world demi-planes, though if Mor’lmes starts exploration, we might hassle him,” advised Amdirlain.

“What did you do?”

“Sent him a key to a Demi-Plane,” grinned Amdirlain.

Sarah rose and offered Amdirlain her hands with a smile. “Playtime then.”

Amdirlain smiled shyly as she got to her feet, and all three vanished.