Abyssal Road Trip

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

It took another ninety days of morning meditation and training sessions before Amdirlain’s sigil behaved. In learning to control it, the exercises caused Ki State and Ki Infusion to combine into Ki Body. This resulting Power was the key to her sigil, providing a clear boundary for its expansion to press against.

Despite her previous expertise with the powers, the changes involved retraining, an endeavour on which the first post-breakfast training session would focus. Amdirlain hovered at the start of the obstacle course, silhouetted by a wreath of flames. The flames cast long shadows across the floating platforms of the obstacle course.

Across some platforms, poles set at different angles provided anchor points among hazards, while on or through others they formed twisting enclosed tunnels. Aside from the platforms, a series of connected and free-floating hoops formed paths that looped among them. They spun lazily about like open-sized helixes, making it important to keep to the right spiral and pace to avoid breaking out their sides.

Her flesh glowed with the brilliant white flames of Primordial Mana, the Phoenix feathers burning as a secondary golden layer beneath them. Though the feathers and flames of her sigil rustled beneath her skin, her position and power remained stable. Just beyond the obstacle course barrier, Master Cyrus and Kadaklan floated, watching her progress.

Cyrus regarded her critically. “Now change the attunement of Ki Body.”

The sigil tried to shrink away from her skin, but Amdirlain shifted to Destruction before it stuttered out. She continued to hover, a figure of absolute blackness with a surrounding halo caused by the oxygen molecules being ripped apart. Songs replaced the air and kept the energy released from cascading outwards.

“Are you still cycling raw Ki or Primordial Mana in your sigil?”

“Raw Ki,” replied Amdirlain, her words coming from all around him.

Cyrus motioned to the first platform. “Circle the platform at an even distance and change the attunement back without pausing on the third lap.”

Amdirlain reversed the attunement on the third lap, but her pace slowed.

“You’ve disabled all the hazards and just left the markers in place?” asked Cyrus.

“Yes, Sifu,” replied Amdirlain.

“She can even say that without jesting now,” said Kadaklan dryly. “The manoeuvrability of your Ki Flight will be different, so I want you to run through the entire course twice before trying for Master Cyrus’s targets.”

Amdirlain grinned as she saluted Kadaklan and finished the run.

“Watch for the signals to shift attunements,” continued Cyrus.

She lined up with the centre of the first hoop and waited for the second platform to edge closer into line. As their edge aligned, Amdirlain raced through the first. The second and third hoops followed quickly, and soon she climbed to the fourth. As it drifted erratically higher, Cyrus signalled a change to Air.

The shift from Destruction to Air was swifter but cost speed, and Amdirlain’s trailing foot dragged across the platform’s lip. Tipped, she smashed into the hoop’s bottom, ripped the whole thing free, and tumbled with it.

On a nearby viewing platform, Isa held up a minus eight sign placard out of the blue while Sarah whistled encouragement.

Amdirlain pulled out of the tumble and shot towards the next step, a tunnel that projected from the side of a platform. She slipped between the blades within it and entered the bottom of a tube that formed a tight spiral that rose a hundred metres. It widened at first to circle the spinning platform five times before releasing her at its peak. Her pace was too slow, and she shot from it, facing away from the next stop. Her first trip through the course destroyed seventeen hoops, fractured fifty-two of the spirals, and broke three platforms.

As she stopped, Kadaklan looked over the repairing course with a sigh. “I’m pretty sure I said don’t go for any of Master Cyrus’s targets.”

“Ha ha ha,” drawled Amdirlain. “They jumped into my path.”

Master Cyrus simply wrote her tally and waved her towards the start. “Too slow, go again.”

“Change attunement every second pass regardless of what we signal,” instructed Kadaklan. “Don’t use the same attunement twice until you’re through all the affinities Ki Body currently allows you.”

Amdirlain snorted. Water Mana armoured her skin as the course repaired itself.

“What a wet blanket,” huffed Kadaklan.

When the three-hour afternoon session ended, Master Cyrus tucked his notes away and headed off. Amdirlain hadn’t progressed to deliberately firing on any of his placed targets.

“Your shifting of Ki Body needs to be faster,” critiqued Kadaklan. “You shouldn’t have to think about the sigil and your body. The change should flow like a feather floating on the wind of your will.”

Amdirlain shrugged. “I know that is the goal, but it’s more like a staggering drunk.”

Kadaklan nodded, smoothly transformed, and a blazing Phoenix raced past Cyrus. The flames that swirled in his wake changed to air currents and back to fire without a pause.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you can do, buddy boy.

The energy disappeared from Amdirlain's flesh, and she reappeared in a seated position next to Sarah.

“How do you change posture and teleport?” asked Isa.

“Phoenix’s rapture restricts me to a living form. It doesn’t say what posture the form has to be in. So I flipped from standing to seated the instant before I teleport,” explained Amdirlain.

“You’re such a cheater,” Isa said with a playful smirk.

Amdirlain motioned to the obstacle course. “Not enough of one, it seems.”

“At least you held onto your sigil throughout your pinball impersonation,” noted Isa. “That’s a big step up from being unable to expand it fully the last time I was here.”

“I feel like I’ve worked multiple lifetimes to get this far,” sighed Amdirlain. “Lots of training and levelling, but a few elements are staying out of reach.”

Sarah slipped her arm around Amdirlain and lightly kissed her cheek.

“Sometimes slowly upping the ante is the only way to win big,” offered Isa. “Any more news on Balnérith?”

“I don’t expect there to be any. Once I got her song, I stripped the name from the Soul and put it back in the deployment queue,” replied Amdirlain. “I’ve not gone hunting for her or another of the sisters.”

“You didn’t even roast those you met?”

Amdirlain smiled. “I want to leave things uncertain for them. If I destroyed them, they could be sure it was a trap. Instead, maybe someone heard about Persephone’s offer to help the sisterhood and ended her instead.”

“Keep the bluff going until you have a winning hand,” agreed Isa, before motioning to the training hall entrance. “Why not simply have Aitherlar squish her?”

“It’s not Aitherlar’s fight,” sighed Amdirlain. “And I won’t get stronger by letting someone else take on my foes.”

“That’s fair, but just checking,” replied Isa. “What makes it yours and not ours? Pretty sure you’ve not changed your tune about being Ori.”

Amdirlain shrugged casually. “I’ve got more sympathy for Ori now, and I can see some common points. Certainly, we both know how to hold a grudge. Balnérith stuck my hand on a spike, and I plan to make her regret it.”

“Only on the matter of holding grudges?” quipped Isa, nodding meaningfully at Sarah’s arm around Amdirlain.

“How is the singing going?” asked Amdirlain, quickly changing the subject. “Have you organised singing time in the children’s routine?”

“The parents helped with the coordination once Roher and Laleither talked sense into them,” replied Isa. “The Lómë pride is a little rankled up after the arguments and exiling the troublemakers. I’ve helped them to make some crystals to increase security. Roher has been settling feathers and getting choirs to analyse the songs. They’re worried if they’ll even be able to handle the songs after you showed off.”

“Their concern putting them on edge in other ways?” asked Sarah.

Isa wrinkled her nose. “And no one wants to bet with me about how things would turn out.”

“Cemna,” offered Sarah. “Amdirlain repaired the crescent area, but plenty of zones need to be cleaned up.”

“Penny ante bets,” hummed Isa. “Are the songs for Cemna in the Orrery?”

“No, but there are enough lifeforms and plants about that we can extrapolate.”

“The Titan’s crew added more worlds,” gasped Isa playfully. “I don’t understand why these contractors think it’s a good idea to add extensions when the construction of the main house hasn’t been completed.”

“It’s almost like they’re taking after the terrible example of others,” grumbled Sarah.

Amdirlain planted a kiss on Sarah just as she was about to continue.

Isa giggled and clapped cheerfully.

“Cheater,” huffed Sarah.

“If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying hard enough,” replied Amdirlain.

Why the fuck did I use that saying in this context?

Sarah snorted, and Amdirlain blushed, recognising she'd shared the thought.

'It's alright, sweetie. I've heard you say it so many times,' returned Sarah.

Isa waved at the course. “You were awfully clumsy.”

“The energy changes the aerial dynamics dramatically,” replied Amdirlain. “Since the environment in the deeps means that my aura from Phoenix’s Rapture won’t harm anything, I need greater adaptability.”

“You got enough attunements yet?”

Amdirlain snorted. “Not even close. The combination of Ki Body lets me attune with more of them, but now that I’ve got the initial eight, adding more will take insights I’ve not yet found.”

“Another reason to go on the trip,” noted Sarah.

Isa huffed. “I want to come along too. You told me your approach to Ki Body is supposed to be some secret East Wind’s court technique, but can’t Master Cyrus get you any scroll to progress it?”

“Even if he could, it would likely hold the usual traps. Also, since Master Cyrus combined Ki Infusion and Ki Strike, not Ki State, he doesn’t have personal observations he can even hint at,” replied Amdirlain. “I’m going to have to get there and then earn the favour of a school that teaches it.”

Isa pouted and pretended to cross her arms in a huff. “I still want to come along.”

“Talk to the hand,” rebuffed Amdirlain cheerfully.

“Children,” sighed Sarah. “Gilorn will be waiting.”

Isa hopped up. “I’m going to go drag Ilya from the scrolls and kiss her brains out.”

Amdirlain snuck another kiss of her own and then teleported away.

It was a busy night, creating an expanded number of demi-planes. While she had to leave finishing the final touches to Gilorn, Amdirlain opened a Gate into the vast stellar dust cloud they’d made and continued the process. Here and there among the atoms, she sensed where collisions had occurred slowly enough to allow bonds to form, and hundreds of combined molecules had gained enough mass to draw in more. Amdirlain started singing, creating a focal mass of hydrogen and helium beyond the cloud’s edge. When she was done, the mass of the concentrated formation began to shift the existing gas cloud’s spread.

There is not enough mass to compare to the Earth’s moon in that locus, but it should cause some orbital shift.

In the early hours before training started, Amdirlain opened a Gate at the mountain’s base again. Beyond it were three figures instead of the duo she’d expected.

Jal’krin grinned. “Hi Am, Jul’iane said you looked different on your Home Plane.”

I guess I didn’t clarify my Home Plane in the discussions with Tulne.

“What are you up to, Composer?” asked Amdirlain lightly.

“You’ve been stealing my sister away for months now. Don’t I rate a chance to see what your home is like?” asked Jal’krin.

“She’s only had three visits,” huffed Amdirlain. “But I suppose you can come along on a day pass.”

“A day?” protested Jal’krin.

“Is that too much?” teased Amdirlain. “I’ve been told you’re super busy. Don’t you have a new promotion tour starting soon?”

“Get through the Gate, silly. Am said yes,” ordered Jul’iane. She placed a hand in the middle of Jal’krin’s back and pushed him ahead.

Amdirlain grasped Jal’krin’s shoulders and pulled him into a hug. “Brat, it is good to see you.”

Unperturbed by her greeting, Jal’krin patted her back. “I’m the brat? For years, I thought you were younger than me.”

With a loud huff, Amdirlain stepped back and scratched her head sheepishly. “Yeah, things escalated. The situation wasn’t what I expected on Qil Tris, so my simple disguise got complicated.”

Jal’krin shivered. “Yeah, Jul’iane filled me in on what you hunted. I caught her practising new skills and dragged the truth out of her.”

“Dragged? I fessed up as soon as you asked,” protested Jul’iane.

“I don’t imagine you’re here for arcane lessons or combat drills,” said Amdirlain. “So why the interest?”

“I wanted to see your training drills for myself,” explained Jal’krin. “I thought I might get inspiration to write some stirring martial themes. My muse ran away, and I felt like a creep chasing after her, so surely you wouldn’t make this awkward.”

Amdirlain snorted. “I just wanted to hear the truth. If you want inspiration for some music, I’m sure we can help. It’s up to you if you watch this morning’s fun or meet with some interesting folks about the place.”

Before he could reply, Jul’iane let out an indignant yip. “Fun?! Can’t we merely have some slightly insane drills instead?”

When they teleported to the courtyard, Aitherlar’s door was open. Amdirlain’s positioning afforded Jal’krin a view of her crystal wonderland and her own vast training hall.

Jal’krin’s breath released like he’d been gut-punched. “How am I going to find the music for this?”

“One note at a time?” proposed Amdirlain.

With his ears and fur standing on end, he turned to Amdirlain. Eyes wide, he gently and repeatedly head-butted her shoulder.

“Oh no, he’s attacking me,” drawled Amdirlain.

“Jal’krin, quit embarrassing me,” protested Jul’iane.

Amdirlain patted his head. “What’s wrong, Composer Jal’krin?”

“I need to disown my sister. She’s seen this before, right?”

“True,” admitted Amdirlain.

“For a former dancer, she has no poetry in her soul,” proclaimed Jal’krin.

Tulne snickered softly and reached up to stroke an ear. “It’s okay, you make up for her.”

Oh? Tulne’s happiness has multiple reasons.

“Tulne, don’t take his side,” grumbled Jul’iane.

“You described the training hall as a great open space for large-scale brawls and Aitherlar’s grotto as big and sparkly,” noted Tulne.

“I’m more into physical aspects,” huffed Jul’iane. “They both provide plenty of space to move, and Aitherlar’s grotto provides lots of cover.”

Jal’krin nodded glumly. “I’ll have to tell Mum that there is nothing in her to compose anything of beauty.”

Jul’iane growled low.

“Now, children,” said Sarah, coming out of her workshop. Her red silk outfit for the day showed her willowy lines. “Jal’krin, are you still chasing after the next song?”

“Always,” laughed Jal’krin. “All that red. Are you Sarah?”

“Good guess,” replied Sarah.

“It’s the confidence in your walk,” explained Jal’krin. “You look like someone plucked all your fur and flattened your snout. Is that form uncomfortable? I mean, even your red-scaled one has a decent muzzle.”

“This form is fine. I’ll introduce you around while Am and Jul’iane have their morning fun. My mother loves musicians. She might give you enough inspiration for a lifetime of composing,” cautioned Sarah as she approached.

“Then I’ll be writing songs until they prep me for the furnace,” retorted Jal’krin, thumping a hand against his chest.

Sarah stepped close and brushed fingertips down Amdirlain’s back. “Do you want me to introduce him to Mother while you prepare for the morning training? Or afterwards?”

Maybe today I’ll chance a massage without a shirt. At this rate, I’ll earn a cowardly lion achievement or something.

Amdirlain held in the shiver, but all four caught the spice of desire. “I’ll leave him in your care.”

“I’ll happily take a tour, but can I share some music with you later?” asked Jal’krin.

“My mornings are busy, but the afternoon is more flexible,” explained Amdirlain. “We’ll carve out a chunk of time.”

With that, Amdirlain stole a quick hug and kiss from Sarah before she headed inside. With the stolen kiss lingering on her lips, Amdirlain headed towards the training hall, opening gates around the monastery as she did. Without even a wave of farewell, Tulne headed towards Morgana’s manor, her mind intent on their last discussion.

Before either made it inside, the first attendee was in the training hall.

“Hints about today’s challenge, Am?” asked Jul’iane.

“Just a minor challenge,” quipped Amdirlain, moving further down the hall.

Once the attendees from the pavilions were spread throughout the hall, sandy figures of knee-high kobolds appeared. Each student registered a soft aura around their kobold, before the creatures blurred away.

“Catch and control,” instructed Amdirlain, weaving the kobolds’ paths to pass close to different students. The first who tried to grab another’s target found his fingers just passed through the sand.

The first Kobold slain by a too-vigorous catch transformed into an Ogre and continued to run, bowling over the students who didn’t leap clear.

“They have the information you need, so you can’t kill them,” yelled Amdirlain over the ongoing commotion.

When any junior student successfully pinned or hung onto their foe, it dissolved into a slip of paper with a text's name. Meanwhile, masters and seniors found the sand coalescing into assorted objects that Amdirlain had purchased with the contribution points she and Sarah had earned.

“Those who have received a slip of paper, be aware the chief librarian has a paid copy reserved for you.”

Master Payam considered Amdirlain contemplatively. “I take it the list I supplied you wasn’t the only one you received?”

“Everyone with a student here gave me one,” agreed Amdirlain.

“Are you trying to get the entire mountain to attend your class?” asked Jinfeng. Her gaze didn’t lift from examining the sheathed blade from her captive; it had led her on a broken-field run around the entire hall.

“Everyone here has been attending for at least two months, some over three. Those late to the fun might require a full year before they get a gift, so those now acting from greed won’t profit easily,” clarified Amdirlain.

Jinfeng’s new blade slipped forth with a low rasp, and Amdirlain heard its enchantments sing to life, a mix of Mana and Ki.

“This is Master Chu’s work. Where did you get this?” breathed Jinfeng. “I didn’t think any of his swords were here.”

“The armoury had it sitting in the reserved racks. The pavilion head recommended its attributes might be useful to you,” explained Amdirlain.

“Most guests only use contribution points on their own needs,” observed Master Payam absently, watching the excited discussion among the students.

“The system of contribution points is for strengthening the monastery,” replied Amdirlain. “I like to improve any place I’m visiting, and this time, I’m even doing it within your rules.”

“Normally, masters reward promising students to aid them out in the world. You’re not reversing this and heading off already, are you?” questioned Jinfeng.

“That’s not the purpose of the gifts. I’ve seen a lot of improvement and dedication, so I thought I’d provide a stepping stone on people’s journeys,” said Amdirlain. “Head up, have breakfast and talk. Today was a fun game. Tomorrow, the training will get harder.”

Jul’iane came over as the others headed upstairs, a slip of paper in her hands. “I’m not an official student here, and I can’t read this, Am.”

“Master Cyrus mentioned there was a White Tiger Technique that he believed would work with your Ki Strike approach,” explained Amdirlain. “He said he’d help you sort out a translation for the various references and the text.”

“I don’t have any contribution points for his time,” whispered Jul’iane.

Amdirlain patted her shoulder. “You’re my guest, Jul’iane.”

“My other concern is their courts,” murmured Jul’iane. “It feels odd hearing them talk about their rulers.”

The reverence given to the Jade Emperor and the four winds wouldn’t sit well with any Catfolk from Qil Tris.

“Think of them as guides for self-improvement rather than someone wanting your worship. When you hear someone talking about them reverently, view it as having great respect for a teacher or pride ancestor. Like one of the city founders.”

The example perked up Jul’iane’s ears. “Okay. Kadaklan said their deities aren’t like ours, but it’s strange. Is this why you’ve kept things restricted?”

“Imagine how some people would react,” said Amdirlain.

“Yeah, I can see why you didn’t set up a large-scale connection to the monastery from Qil Tris,” admitted Jul’iane.

“Master Cyrus will meet with you at the library during my morning session with Kadaklan,” Amdirlain said. “If you don’t want to study it, you don’t have to.”

Jul’iane tucked the slip away. “I’ll meet with him.”

Amdirlain waved her towards the stairs. “You know how to get food.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Jul’iane’s mouth. She dashed forward and jumped hard; just before she reached the peak, she front-flipped to land on the lowest platform’s front edge.

She’s having fun.

When Kadaklan arrived, he joined Amdirlain, hovering at the obstacle course’s start. He glanced over the series of constructs on the floor below but refrained from enquiring. Mental assaults against a series of psionic constructs allowed Amdirlain to practise protecting against mental instruction for when she lost her Hidden status.

“Did you try any more Ki Flight last night?”

“No, but my Universal Life got a workout,” advised Amdirlain.

Kadaklan nodded. “Just be careful you don’t combine it into Ki Body with all the self-healing you’re doing. That is a risk of that evolution, though Ki Body will serve you well as a protective shield against energies. I wasn’t expecting you to gain that evolution, though it shouldn’t have surprised me.”

“I did Mana cycle a lot through my spiritual net,” offered Amdirlain. “I’m concerned that I might use it as a crutch to get my sigil to behave.”

“There are evolution options that require Ki Body and Ki Flight to be used in conjunction,” advised Kadaklan. “And Ki Body can combine with Ki Flight.”

“Do you have first-hand experience with that?”

“A guide shouldn’t brag,” Kadaklan gently rebuffed.

“Just occasionally show off,” Amdirlain drawled. “Like a certain someone leaving the hall yesterday.”

“I merely showed the possibilities for smooth transitions,” replied Kadaklan.

“I in no way said that certain someone was you,” observed Amdirlain.

Kadaklan huffed and opted to change the subject. “Is Mars coming by again soon?”

Amdirlain nodded. “He and Anna will be along next week. She promised to let me pick her brain between their meetings with Livia.”

“After your other guests have left,” noted Kadaklan.

“Be considerate with them. Jul’iane is having issues with mentions of the courts,” advised Amdirlain. “Though I should say it’s likely not an issue with Tulne. She’s oblivious to everything outside of Spell discussion with Morgana. She headed straight to her manor when I was getting the training hall set up. Why did you ask?”

“Mars wanted some alchemical formulas for improving crop yields,” explained Kadaklan. “I prepared a guide to take inexperienced individuals to the competency they’d require to brew them consistently.”

Amdirlain frowned. “I thought he’d just have Blessing paths to yield that result.”

“He didn’t explain why he needed them,” admitted Kadaklan. “I can think of a few reasons without being in that position.”

Showing his followers that alchemists are helpful for more than just brewing recovery potions?

“Start with water and do a slow run of the course,” instructed Kadaklan. “Don’t do any transitions.”

She set off without arguing, and the minimal effort required gave Amdirlain time to refine her plans for the months ahead.

♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫ ♫

The second session after breakfast was an incredibly hectic rush of combined activities that pressed Amdirlain to keep up with everything. As the chimes for the lunch break faded, most of her teachers moved off to give her some time, but Morgana remained seated.

She waited until the others had left before she spoke up. “We’ve covered many areas in arcane theory since I arrived. Do you have a principal interest?”

“I’m mainly interested in practical applications,” said Amdirlain.

“Normally, those so inclined don’t have your grounding in Arcane and Magical Circles,” said Morgana. “Given your need for combat capability, I see that time spent on Mana Finesse and Spell Disruption are a higher priority.”

Amdirlain smiled. “Erwarth insisted on teaching me about magical circles and inscribing rather than merely letting me duplicate the results of someone’s circles.”

“Knowing how something works can make causing problems for your opponents much easier,” offered Morgana.

“That’s pretty much what Erwarth said,” allowed Amdirlain.

“Alright,” sighed Morgana. “Let me put this a different way. You have a lot of lessons going on. You’re learning and training in many paths. What do you need?”

“I need the capacity to handle large amounts of Mana,” replied Amdirlain. “I need to shut down a Demon Lady—Balnérith—who is magically stronger than both of us combined.”

Morgana cleared her throat and smoothed her silvery dress along her thighs. “I’m glad you’ve got a small goal for yourself.”

“A tiny one,” quipped Amdirlain.

“Have you considered seeking someone stronger than her to support you?”

Amdirlain twitched her shoulders in a tiny shrug.

“The oldest among the cloister won’t help you?” questioned Morgana.

At the question, Amdirlain shifted uncomfortably. “I’ve not asked them.”

Morgana leaned forward with her hands loosely clasped. “Am. You don’t have to do everything alone.”

“That is a habit I struggle to overcome,” admitted Amdirlain. “Though it’s not just about Balnérith’s capability. I need to increase my capacity to handle Mana for other reasons, but the higher it is before I confront her, the better.”

“Then we’ll focus on refining your use of Mana in spell casting and treat theory, as well as new lists and other skills, as a secondary concern. Given your capability to inject Mana of any Affinity into an array of spells, that reduces the need to learn specific spell lists for each one.”