Amdirlain’s PoV - Outlands - Xaos


    When Cyrus returned by himself to the training hall, he waited patiently until Amdirlain turned her attention to him.


    “Captain Bedevere is going to talk to the garrison’s commander about my location preferences,” explained Cyrus. “Though Bedevere doesn’t think the commander will agree to a spot towards the hill’s peak.”


    “Did you want to wait for the training site before I help them unlock Monk?” asked Amdirlain.


    “No. This technique for Ki cycling differs from how you helped the Githzérai students gain the Class. I’ll show you and then get you to follow my example on the next student,” explained Cyrus. “I’ll let you ask for a volunteer.”


    Amdirlain shot the group, all discretely listening, an amused look. “Should we at least give them a demonstration?”


    “If this Class lets us fight like you and your Githzérai friends, I’m all for learning,” Callen stated, and the others murmured or nodded in agreement.


    “You’re inspiring faith in others wherever you go,” noted Cyrus, ignoring the unamused look he got from Amdirlain. “Callen. Come here where the others can see.”


    The others laughed good-naturedly at Callen’s sigh for volunteering himself.


    Once Callen stood facing the others, Cyrus motioned for them to spread out so all could see, an important factor given their disparate heights from the lanky Ratkin to a couple of tiny Mousekin.


    “Inside every living being, there is a well of life energy. For most it’s unfocused and simply serves to keep them alive. Monks learn to harness that energy, thus empowering their bodies so a bare hand is a deadly weapon and their flesh is armoured. It is a path that requires discipline and practice to get the most from the Class,” explained Cyrus.


    “Not the explanation I expected you to give,” noted Amdirlain.


    “Its spiritual benefits are greater, but these are soldiers, and it’s best to explain what this will give them from their perspective,” replied Cyrus.


    “How armoured?” Enrig asked.


    Amdirlain snorted at how he proved Cyrus’ point.


    “That depends on your Willpower and how much effort you put into practising. It’s possible to keep yourself protected better than a suit of enchanted mithril full plate could,” explained Cyrus. His skin glowed before Ki State projected above his clothing, resulting in him being enclosed in hardened plates stylised after Chinese Ming-era armour. The tiger mask, however, Amdirlain didn’t remember as being standard.


    The energy rising out of his flesh drew noises of appreciation from the selected students and drew attention from the others who had returned to their own training.


    Callen put his hand to a dagger hilt and gave him an enquiring look. When he drew it, Cyrus let him tap the dagger against the plates covering his forearm, even trying to stab them without objection.


    “I think that counts as a demonstration,” commented Callen.


    “Good, now put your dagger away. I’ll get you to hold a hand out and help you find your internal energy,” instructed Cyrus, and he clasped Callen’s forearm when he did so. “Am, place your hand atop mine and try to extend your Ki to touch us both. Given your use of Harmony, that should let you sense the energy flow, though I know this differs from how you’ve assisted others in the past.”


    “How much Ki should I use?”


    “About half what a Ki Strike would consume,” advised Cyrus, and with his free hand, motioned up Callen’s arm and traced a path to the centre of his chest. “My energy will move along the path from his arm to his heart chakra to stir its energy awake. This way, even before the others awaken, it can start to learn to travel his limbs for Ki strikes.”


    Amdirlain nodded and followed his instructions. The excess energy she prepared via her cycling rushed forth, and she had to restrain it before it could spill from her hand. Focusing its motion, Amdirlain allowed a mere wisp to mingle with Cyrus’s Ki and unfurl it like a kite string.


    As Cyrus started, Amdirlain could feel the energy sink into Callen’s arm and race along with the blood rushing through the artery. When it reached his heart, Cyrus'' energy circled Callen’s heart before it left the circulatory system behind and looped downwards. Her awareness, drawn within his flesh, felt granules of Callen’s energy start to follow the path Cyrus and she led. More power followed their example, with each orbit in a loop between the heart and the solar plexus chakras.


    “Can you feel the warmth move from the centre to the base of your chest?” asked Cyrus, and Callen nodded. “Focus on the energy pattern and maintain it at this pace. When I release your arm, walk to the pattern’s rhythm and sit or stand quietly by the railing.”


    Despite his instruction, Cyrus didn’t immediately release Callen’s arm, but he reduced the help he provided. A few times, the pattern almost faltered, and Cyrus nudged it back on track. Only once Callen managed ten loops unaided did Cyrus detach his energy from the loop and trace the route along his arm. Amdirlain followed his example and lifted her hand from Cyrus when they had withdrawn above Callen’s skin.


    Stepping back, they gave Callen plenty of space to move to the railing. Only once he’d settled cross-legged on the ground did Cyrus motion the next student forward. “Amdirlain, you take the lead this time, and I’ll monitor you both.”


    Though her pattern cycling was a far more complex version of what she followed with Cyrus, Amdirlain still ensured she paid attention to the student’s Ki reaction. She didn’t force it to move but applied subtle adjustments to her path to stir through stagnant spots she noticed on the following loops.


    After she’d enabled the student to stir the energy, Amdirlain brought her energy movement to the same pace. Rather than trying to stir any extra Ki, she stayed alert to ensure their control didn’t falter. One by one, the students joined Callen along the railing. It didn’t all go smoothly, and a few had false starts after they’d settled into solo practice. Ultimately, it took nearly two hours before all ten could consistently keep their energy flowing.


    “I want you each to spend at least an hour each day cycling energy in this fashion. Eventually, we’ll show you a pattern that will shift energy between the seven loci or chakra in the body,” explained Cyrus. “Over the next few days—or, if you are haphazard in your training, weeks—you should be offered Monk or other classes that can use Ki.”


    “What if we can’t get the energy to start by ourselves?” asked Enrig, his voice almost a soft breath of noise with his focus still on the warmth shifting in his chest.


    “One of us will assist until it becomes a simple matter. If you’re concerned, keep your cycling going as long as possible. The longer you continue this first session, the easier you’ll find it is to get your Ki moving again,” instructed Cyrus.


    “What if we’re not offered Monk?” asked Killi, a tawny-furred Mousekin with brilliant blue eyes who was the group’s smallest member.


    Cyrus gave her a pleased smile. “Don’t worry about needing to take a particular Class—take what appeals most to you. No one can truly tell you the best way to achieve enlightenment, and being false to yourself is a sure path to failure. If you get presented with something other than Monk from this training, I can still teach you the fundamentals. Then we’ll see about getting you more information on how to train your new Class—I know many Ki scholars.”


    Though her ears flickered almost nervously, Killi didn’t blink and gave a firm nod of acknowledgement. Throughout Cyrus’ explanation, she hadn’t paused her Ki cycling.


    The whole group had continued cycling for nearly half an hour before Bedevere reappeared.


    “Keep going as long as possible, and eat a solid meal before sleeping. It might seem like you’ve done nothing, but your body has been worked harder than you might believe,” ordered Cyrus.


    With that said, Cyrus turned towards Bedevere. “Did the commander agree to your counter proposal?”


    “They had another in mind for your building,” informed Bedevere. “Though it is exempt from any fees.”


    “Fees that the town was going to cover for training the guards,” observed Cyrus.


    “Fees that the town couldn’t collect from another tenant using the land you wanted,” suggested Amdirlain.


    “Very true. If you’re staying here long term, as Am previously indicated, it will be centuries of potential lost land fees,” clarified Bedevere.


    Though Cyrus didn’t look mollified entirely, he let Bedevere lead the way without further objection. Amdirlain just walked along, examining the variety of shops and stalls along the road that didn’t have a 90-degree angle in sight; even laneways split off it like a stream branching off. They’d passed the market square and continued along its course, undulating in long serpentine curves down the hillside. When they passed the second curve without Bedevere giving any sign of slowing, Cyrus issued a dissatisfied huff.


    Bedevere turned off the main road at the limit of the third curve from the market square. The laneway he led them down took them between a building of flowing water and another with toddler-sized bees, their wings continually thrumming away, covering its three stories.


    At the end of a lane, he pointed slightly downslope to a broken-fenced meadow. Among the long grass, a few white goats stood about chewing their cud and eying them suspiciously as the trio approached.


    “Is one factor that the commander doesn’t want us close to the keep?” enquired Amdirlain looking over the weather-worn fence.


    “Many residents will pay more for land closer to the keep. Which is ironic if they think it makes them safe. While the garrison spends most of its time within its walls, trouble normally originates from the Portal in the hill’s depth.”


    “Which means if there is enough danger to overwhelm the garrison, they’ll be next to have something trying to eat them,” finished Amdirlain.


    “Precisely,” agreed Bedevere. “If your training facility is here, a secondary group will frequently gather a distance from the keep. If such an event occurs, they can support an evacuation.”


    That context brought a thoughtful look to Cyrus’ face. “I hadn’t considered the unusual situation you have here.”


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    “They’d prefer to take a measured approach to your offer,” admitted Bedevere. “Though the wards down here have more space.”


    “That puts a different perspective on the location,” said Cyrus. “Though, why did you hold off explaining it?”


    Bedevere smiled. “You can tell a lot from how someone handles unexpected news. You’re used to having your requests fulfilled, Cyrus, whereas Am was pleased to get any land.”


    Cyrus gave Amdirlain an enquiring look, and she shrugged. “The town’s wards don’t stop teleporting inside them, so why stress?”


    “Every school I’ve been to, the more important locations are in higher locations or central to the site,” interjected Cyrus. “I also prefer the stronger breezes found higher on the hill.”


    “This town isn’t a school; we’re just establishing a place to train within it,” countered Amdirlain. “Maybe you need to travel to different locations and see how more mortals live for a bit.”


    Her advice had Cyrus open his mouth to protest, but he closed it with a snap and took a slow breath before he replied. “It has been a while since I’ve done so; most of the mortals in the Middle Kingdom are aware of what to watch out for to identify immortals and Shen.”


    “That brings up something I’ll want to talk to you about later,” advised Amdirlain. “But for now, do you have a design in mind for a suitable training space?”


    Cyrus concentrated hard on an image of a Chinese courtyard surrounded by red walls and peaked green slate roofs. The grey slate stones of the courtyard’s floor bracket wooden posts of various heights with small platforms atop. Opposite the courtyard’s gated entrance were multiple sets of wide sliding doors that opened into a hall with a hard wooden floor; numerous windows on the far side of the chamber promised good airflow.


    “Are the posts to train acrobatics or Ki Flight?” asked Amdirlain.


    “Initially acrobatics and the platforms are just wide enough to fight those standing on others near you,” advised Cyrus.


    “Interesting training,” murmured Amdirlain before she turned to address Bedevere. “Can I start construction now, or do we need to wait for someone to relocate the goats?”


    “They do need to be moved,” confirmed Bedevere.


    “I can add a pen off to one side and put them in that for now. Let the owner collect them later,” said Amdirlain.


    Bedevere nodded. “If you can do that, I’ll have someone track down their owner.”


    The music ripped down the worn fence and cleaned up those posts and railings that were still serviceable. A short piece scythed all the grass in the meadow down to ankle height before drying and baling it into stacks for the goats. Driving the posts deep into the ground at their new location, she followed it with the addition of the salvaged railings to form a gated pen near the bee-covered building.


    The nimble goats had already scattered through the now open meadow, but they were contained within the new fence line mid-stride. Their bleating and clanging bells momentarily filled the air until Amdirlain’s mind calmed their protests.


    With the demolition completed, Amdirlain switched tempo and started a sturdy tune that expanded the bedrock upwards to form the training site’s outer wall. Though there was no need for the decorative roofing atop solid walls, her intent followed Cyrus’ image to add the gates and windows before setting the roofing in place. A low whistle came from Bedevere as she closed off the second song only minutes after it had begun. “That wasn’t what I was expecting.”


    “It’s not done yet. So far, most of the stonework is complete, but I need to take care of the flagstones, interior walls, flooring, and windows trims,” advised Amdirlain.


    “So far,” scoffed Bedevere. “Done in minutes instead of months of manual labour.”


    Amdirlain gave him a wink and stepped off to one side. When her song made the ground from the laneway’s end to the courtyard’s gate start to shimmer, they quickly joined her.


    “I’ve never seen a Spellsinger finish even one ritual that fast,” muttered Bedevere, eyeing Amdirlain with increasing curiosity. “Do you add that golden glow to construction rituals so people can see their boundary?”


    The muddy churned-up ground was transformed into a slate walkway with a neatly edged border. The flagstones Amdirlain set in place continued to grow through the courtyard until only the locations for the posts to be placed were exposed ground. Though the construction could have been completed in a single song, Amdirlain’s current issue wasn’t power but control. Handling each piece of the structure separately made it a better challenge for her control. While growing the outer wall from the bedrock had been a significant enough working, mere flagstones weren’t much of a challenge. As Amdirlain wrapped a border around the compound’s outer wall to buy a moment, she bled off more energy by adding enchantments of self-repair and maintenance to consume extra fuel.


    “I believe we’ll likely need some enchantments to keep the wooden flooring intact against certain clawed feet and another to muffle the sounds of any sparring from within,” suggested Amdirlain. “Perhaps keyed so any calls for help aren’t also muffled. What about self-repairing training constructs so that the students can practice without worrying about holding back?”


    “That’s a lot of wealth to be pouring into a training hall,” disagreed Bedevere. “I’m glad enough you’re willing to offer, considering it’s my troops you’re seeking to train, but I dislike debt I feel I owe you. Already I have ten soldiers with four affinities and a Wizard Class that should have taken years to gain. Now you’re talking about adding multiple enchantments and constructs to a building to benefit the same troops.”


    “Not just them; there will be others I might train here as well,” countered Amdirlain. “If any townsfolk ask for training, I’ll see about helping them as well.”


    “Do you often wander into a town and spread wealth about Am?”


    “No, this is the first town I’ve done this for, but I’m not helping you; you’re helping me,” stated Amdirlain. “I’ve not done a lot of teaching in the past, and I’m hoping you’ll all be patient with me if I stumble in my approach at times.”


    “And it seems I’ve got a few things to learn about other mortals after so long among my people’s celestials,” offered Cyrus.


    “Are you both exiles or something?” enquired Bedevere. “Not that it’s my business, but I’d like to know if we’re buying trouble.”


    “I’m in good standing,” declared Cyrus, motioning to Amdirlain. “I’m here to finish some teaching that I started a few decades back since Am has more to learn.”


    “Whereas I have enemies like anyone, but I don’t know anyone currently hunting me. On the other side, I have Celestial allies that could come to help if the town direly needed aid and if such aid was allowed by the pantheons that the garrison here serves.”


    [Diplomacy [J] (25->26)]


    “I’ll make an inquiry with the commander and let you know their viewpoint on such aid,” said Bedevere.


    “Then let’s go into the courtyard, and I’ll finish the incidentals along with those,” suggested Amdirlain, and she led the way towards the courtyard’s open archway.


    The open hall at the other end was an empty stone framework with gaps in the outer stonework that allowed for the windows Cyrus’ image had included. The hall''s entrance was set back beyond wide stone steps and the deep awning that Amdirlain had intended, but she carefully pictured the construction’s progression before she began. When she started, her voice drifted into dozens of lilting melodies interwoven to spread her power.


    A half-dozen wooden versions of the Maze’s constructs grew from the open spots she’d left for the pillars, soaking up the first rush of power in the song. When they stepped off the dirt patches they’d grown up from, the constructs already had padded quarterstaves and training spears clasped in loose grips and a complex set of conditional orders to aid in training.


    As they moved to stand before the hall’s stone steps, a single slab of wood had already bridged the hall’s subfloor bearers and joists.


    From the skirting board, decorative traces grew and, upon reaching the openings, expanded into window frames and flexible louvre slats. As the rest of the hall finished, the front edge rose into a latticework of wood and paper stylised after the Japanese Shoji-style doors rather than those Cyrus had envisaged. When the shape of the sliding doors was complete, Amdirlain left them still connected and continued with the work.


    Tendrils of wood grew around the courtyard, settling in place as a trim along the awning, and turned open gaps in the wall into decorative windows and a hinged gate. A cutting note ended the song, and it disconnected hundreds of sections of wood at once, allowing the doors to slide and louvres to turn.


    “Not quite the style I imagined,” prodded Cyrus.


    “I like this style. It softens the light but doesn’t cause a hard disconnect between exterior and interior,” countered Amdirlain, but her lighthearted tone caused Cyrus’ brows to lift.


    “You sound like you’re quoting some fancy architect,” observed Cyrus.


    Ignoring the notification of the little crafting experience that appeared, Amdirlain grinned. “No, just a write-up of them I remember reading. I picked them because I like this style of doors even if I’m mixing architectural eras and national standards.”


    “Not like anyone else will notice that,” observed Cyrus before pointing to the twenty-odd empty squares where Amdirlain hadn’t included the posts from the image. “Are you planning to add the posts now or later?”


    “I was considering growing more training constructs,” admitted Amdirlain. “For training Ki Flight, they can always lift themselves to the rooftops to start.”


    “How skilled are the constructs?” asked Bedevere.


    “They should be around a twentieth-level fighter,” advised Amdirlain. “And importantly.”


    Amdirlain blurred across the courtyard, a single kick pulverising a construct. The splinters froze in mid-air after they’d travelled only a few metres. Momentarily spinning about, they reversed course and began to reassemble as Amdirlain stepped away.


    “No experience from that, likely because I crafted them. They won’t infinitely rebuild. I’ll need to recharge them if they suffer that fate too often. They’re set up to follow my and Cyrus’ instructions for sparring matches, but I can add extra people. They’ve also got some basic rules in place, such as they won’t keep attacking if someone drops to the ground.”


    “Very interesting,” commented Bedevere.


    “I’m heading back to the suite. Shall we meet you at the training hall tomorrow, Bedevere?”


    Bedevere nodded. “It would be good if we can continue this and show consistent growth to the commander.”


    “Your judgement on the line?”


    “A Captain’s judgement is always on the line,” replied Bedevere, and he looked over the courtyard again before he gave them a nod and headed off.


    When Bedevere let the courtyard’s gate close behind him, Amdirlain pointed up the hill towards the Blazing Portal’s rooftop.


    Upon receiving a nod from Cyrus, she teleported them to the rooftop garden.


    Amdirlain shifted uncomfortably for a moment as she settled on a bench close to the rooftop’s edge. Seeking a safe topic, she quickly settled on one she wanted to know about. “I hadn’t known Ki State could manifest external armour.”


    “You weren’t trying to control its appearance during your rematches?” asked Cyrus. “The flame effect was theatrical.”


    “I’d been trying to get the Angelic Aura and Ki State to combine in the ones you attended. I didn’t realise you could control Ki State into manifesting above clothing,” explained Amdirlain.


    “Technically, it wasn’t,” countered Cyrus. “The Power’s foundation is within the body, but if you push extra Ki into the effect, you can cause its field to extend since it’s spiritual—your clothing doesn’t stop it.”


    Pursing her lips thoughtfully, Amdirlain pushed more energy into Ki State. Golden overlapping feathers started to swell out of the skin of her hand. As more Ki filled the Power, the outline of more feathers rose about the folds of her clothing.


    “You look like you’re wearing Aztec feathered clothing now,” commented Cyrus, and he drew his fingers together in front of his nose. “And you’re gaining a beak and crest like your sigil is coming to life.”


    Amdirlain snorted and let the Power revert to its neutral state hidden beneath her skin.


    “You did well guiding their Ki, a far gentler touch than I expected you to possess,” admitted Cyrus.


    The subject change caused Amdirlain to pause.


    “I could tell you wanted to avoid it, so I thought I’d get to the point,” said Cyrus.


    “Gee, thanks,” drawled Amdirlain. “Since I possess a gentler touch than you expected, do you still expect me to blow them up?”


    “It’s not about how gentle you are or aren’t. It’s about how your nature is presently an anathema to theirs,” explained Cyrus. “I expect your gentler touch to make the explosions less common, not eliminate them.”


    “I’m not looking forward to inflicting pain on them,” said Amdirlain.


    Cyrus nodded. “But you’ll still do what you need to do to restore them?”


    “Yes.”


    “Yet, if you were one of them, you’d put your self-interest and preferences first,” replied Cyrus. “They might torture you for fun, but they’d never suffer to the slightest degree for you.”


    Amdirlain slumped back against the rooftop’s wall. “So what do I do?”


    “Blow them up.”


    “Thanks,” drawled Amdirlain.


    “You’re welcome,” replied Cyrus, and he looked curiously towards the kitchen visible through the suite’s door. “Do you have any tea?”


    “I thought you didn’t need food.”


    “I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to eat or drink,” explained Cyrus. “The social aspect alone is reassuring.”


    “Let’s go get you registered as a guest so you can come and go then,” replied Amdirlain, moving towards the door.