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Ch.1:Welcome
"Congratulations!" Says the booming voice of a broad shouldered man with long braids trailing to the ground. "You have passed trials and tribulations and proven yourselves worthy to be amongst the illustrious Serpent's Fang sect. I, Jorin Karr, am proud to induct you to join us in the pursuit of strength and immortality. Come, grab your sect token and officially become one of us."
The children rush in a frenzy before something like order takes over the crowd and they form a line. One by one they grab their token and attach it to their sect robes with infectious glee. Jorin does not say anything, acknowledging each with a smile, until it is Tantra's turn. He doesn't frown at her, but he doesn't smile, simply giving her the token and moving on to the next. Tantra scurries off from his judging gaze and finds a corner where she can be alone.
Father, she sighs, why have you done this?
She knows the reason of course, it's just stupid. The fanciful dreams of a dying man, if only he had passed before this decision was set in stone. Then she would be back home, managing trade and enjoying proper tea.
Instead she is here.
Oh well, make the best with what you have, that was the first lesson her father taught her. Can't expect a mountain of coins to solve everything, and that applies to this place to a rather extreme point.
She waits for Master Karr to lead them to their homes as her peers chat and celebrate, avoiding her, for which she is grateful. Until one buffoon decides to interrupt her peace.
"Hi!" Says a boy of modest height and modest pudge, "my name is Yorin, what's yours?"
She looks at his outstretched hand dubiously before taking it in hers, rudeness is a merchant's bane after all. "Tantra Sol," She says, "a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The boy stares at her then cocks his head.
"I don't know half the words you just said." He states.
Tantra sighs, "It's nice to meet you."
-
The house she's assigned isn't bad per say, it's just much smaller than she's used to, and she's going to be sharing. Fantastic. She sighs for the hundredth time today as she turns the key and enters the house to be met with no one, good, better this way. She heads off to her new room for the foreseeable future and places down her bag of meager belongings. Father didn't want her to come with much, saying a proper cultivator doesn't need baubles and trinkets to reach the heavens, as though she was ever going to become a proper cultivator. She goes to the mirror to inspect herself and finds nothing particularly offensive, other than the obvious lack of cosmetics, she sighs again.
Well, this is her life now, it wouldn't do to slack. She walks over to her bed and sits down, it isn't very comfortable, but that's fine. She crosses her legs and closes her eyes, Qi sight is something beyond her, but everyone can feel the presence of the ethereal energy, even if only a little. Tantra does this through a process of elimination, taking in the sensations and categorising them until she can find something that doesn't fit. It takes a while, and she grabs the Qi of her core and pulls-
Her door slams open, startling Tantra and making her jump back.
"Hello Junior!" says a reptilian girl with scales to replace hair, "I am the amazing Karaz! Kowtow before me, that I might share my vast stores of knowledge!" she says with a slight lisp.
Tantra just stares stunned, blinking at the girl in confusion, "Are you…my housemate?"
Karaz pouts, "I see a distinct lack of kowtowing."
"Oh lay off Karaz." someone says behind her, causing Tantra to jump again. There is a girl with black hair tied up into a ponytail, sitting all comfortable on her bed. "She just got here, she doesn't need to deal with your brand of nonsense, and you interrupted her meditation."
Karaz squints at the girl, "who are you to tell me what to do? Stalker."
A cup of tea appears in the girl's hands and she takes a sip, "I was simply observing the attitude of our newest addition." She glances over at Tantra, "which has revealed something interesting indeed."
Tantra freezes as she turns to stare at the woman. Could she truly have found her out just through casual observation?
"Well c'mon then" Karaz says as she plops herself onto her bed. "Leaving a girl curious is a crime."
"In what nation?"
"The kingdom of Karaz."
"Then I give my thanks to the gods that no such place exists." She clasps her hands together and bows to no one in particular.
"Bitch" Karaz mutters.
The black haired girl lets loose a large smile, "only the best for a fool."
"I score higher than you on our exams Sola"
"Common sense and intelligence are two very different attributes, one of which you are greatly lacking."
Karaz scoffs, "common sense is for common people."
"Umm." Tantra interrupts, earning the attention of both the girls. "Apologies honored seniors, but this junior was hoping she could spend her evening in meditation." She gives each a bow.
Karaz hums, "Well mannered for a young'un," then she jumps off her bed, "Alright, introductions can come later. The last one isn't even here." Then she walks off back to the living area. Sola stays.
"How are you here?" She asks, crossing her legs and laying her chin in a hand as she regards Tantra with a neutral expression, "The connection to your soul is too weak, so much so I wonder how you aren't dead or crippled."
Tantra looks down shamefaced "I possess a few deficiencies."
"You talk like a noble, some nepo-child then?" Sola tilts her head and shrugs. "It doesn't matter in the end, coming here was a mistake, this place will kill you."
Then she disappears.
Tantra stares at where the girl was with a bewildered expression, was that a technique?
She shakes her head and focuses back on her meditation.
-
The methods of cultivation are no secret, any peasant could cultivate and advance, and indeed many do. The first and most fundamental aspect of cultivation is the soul, the second is the body, and the last is the metaphysical organs in between. Since the soul cannot grow until muchlater into the journey, it is the body and core that is trained first. That brings us to the present, with Tantra's hands on her knees, barely staying up and gasping for breath. The sharp crack of a beating stick fills the air as Tantra lets out a yelp of pain, "you bring shame to the Serpent's Fang! You will run until you can't, or would you prefer we train your durability?"
Tantra just grunts and goes back to jogging. Well, it looks like jogging but she's pretty sure most others would consider it alternative walking, since that's about how fast she's going. She wouldn't call herself pampered, but she wouldn't call herself fit either. She went on morning jogs and circulated her Qi occasionally, so as to not fall behind her peers, but she was never meant for this life so she never really took it seriously. Which means she is falling behind. Her peers are still moving at a steady pace while she languishes like a ghoul. There are older disciples who have been at a full sprint for a full half-hour, and aren't slowing down. She keeps her walk-jog going for as long as she can, but she can't help when her legs give out from under her and she falls to the ground.
One of the teacher's assistants comes towards her, and she prepares for another beating. Instead he lifts her up and places her down, away from the tracks. "Good job." Says a chipper voice, "Now circulate" then they turn around and observe the students.
Tantra, out of breath and vision spotty, does as he says.
She has yet to open her meridians, and doubts she ever will, so she has to circulate the old fashioned way. It takes all her focus for a thread of Qi to make its way through her tired body.
It takes all the Qi she gathered yesterday and most of the meager offerings from her soul, and yet her body still could fit more if she simply had more to give. She sighs and stops herself from draining the rest of her Qi, it wouldn't make much of a difference. When she opens her eyes It is night and all the students have gone, except for one.
"You took so long!" Yorin says, "we missed the day's lecture because of you." he points accusatively.
Tantra raises a brow, "you waited for me?"
"Of course!" he nods to himself, "What kind of friend would I be If I left?"
Tantra tilts her head, "we're friends?"
"Uh-huh"
"Since when?"
"Since yesterday." He puffs out his chest proudly. "I can't just leave a weakling alone, it would be wrong."
Tantra chuckles, "So even you can tell?"
"Of course! You're so thin, and so pale! Like the sun has never kissed your skin."
Tantra can't help it, she lets out a snort, then pales at herself.
"My apologies," she bows.
Yorin tilts his head, "For what?"
"For presenting myself in such an undignified manner." She says.
Yorin scrunches his brow, "If you're gonna use big words at least teach me what they mean."
Tantra stares at him, then shrugs, "sure."
-
She passes by a myriad of disciples as she makes her way to her new living situation, hobbling away at the pace of a snail, with shaky legs that cause more than a few to chuckle and snicker. It's embarrassing, but she tries to ignore them, she's not very successful.
She has a much bigger problem than being a laughingstock though, it's night, meaning she has no time to meditate. So tomorrow's going to be full of pain just for the fun of it, she glowers at the thought.
Eventually she reaches the home she's been assigned where she finds a pale girl with dark blue hair who can't be much older than a toddler sitting there. Her eyes are an endless sea of black, sclera and all. She sits cross legged as she regards Tantra.
The girl gets up, brushes off her robes, then extends a hand to Tantra.
"Weakling!" She says, smiling, "Welcome to Ranya's house! Ranya will do her best to be a good housemate, so please be patient with her as she is doing her best."
Tantra blinks, didn't she already say that?
She takes the offered hand and shakes it.
"You are Ranya I presume?" She says bemused.
"She is!" Ranya says, "What is pre-zoom? Is it before the being of fast?"
Tantra chuckles, "I am Tantra Sol, and presume is like assuming something-" Ranya gives a confused look "-or like guessing, well not exactly, it's like guessing when you know your guess is right?"
Ranya tilts her head, "wouldn't that just be knowing?"
"Apologies, I am explaining this poorly." Tantra says while scratching her head.
"That's okay Tantan, Ranya has trouble with words too!"
Tantan?
"Good to see you two getting along." says a voice as Sola suddenly just appears beside Ranya, who seems unfazed as Tantra jumps with her extremely sore legs.
Sola chuckles.
Ranya grabs her ear and pulls.
"Ow ow ow ow, Ranya! Stop!" Sola begs. "I'm sorry, okay?"
"Sorry Sola, Ranya must punish bullies on sight. it is a sacred duty."
-
Sola is rubbing at her ear and grumbling to herself as Ranya goes to grab Karaz, Tantra wonders about her methods as she hears a yelp before the two exit the hall and enter the living room.
"We are ready!" Ranya says proudly.
"Yeah, totally ready." Karaz mumbles while taking a seat, "let's please get this over with, I had a shit day."
Ranya jumps up and smacks Karaz on the back of the head.
"No swearing!" Ranya scolds.
Karaz grumbles, but to Tantra's surprise, actually acquiesces.
"Alright, who wants to go first?" Sola asks.
Karaz raises her hand.
"This one is the magnanimous Karaz, but you already knew that. I'm in this shi-" Ranya gets ready to pounce,"-craphole because beast bloods aren't exactly welcome in the proper sects. That and I fit the aesthetic."
Ranya gives her a little clap and goes to stare at Sola.
Sola Sighs.
"I'm Sola Razan, I'm here to learn how to kill"
Tantra raises a brow before Ranya continues the proceedings.
"This is Ranya! Ranya is possessed by a Daemon! She is here to learn how to eat it before it eats her."
Tantra stares, "You're possessed by a Daemon?"
"Yes!"
Tantra doesn't really know what to say to that, at least nothing polite, so she chooses to say nothing. Surely the sect masters wouldn't place an obvious danger right in the middle of their homes? Surely Ranya has it under control.
Surely.
Three pairs of eyes look at her inquisitively and Tantra sighs.
"I am Tantra Sol, I was brought here because of my father's dream to raise an immortal."
Ch.2:Day To Day
Tantra couldn't do a push-up to save her life, so instead she has to do a modified version where her knees are touching the ground to reduce the weight.
She's still struggling, much to the instructor's amusement.
She's easily the weakest amongst the disciples, mostly because all the people here got in through the proper channels and proved themselves, while her father just found whichever sect valued coin over face and dumbed a practical fortune on their laps. She wouldn't be surprised if it was the most money this place has ever seen and ever will see, it's not exactly a sect beyond sects.
Still, it is a place to train, a place to improve. That's all that mattered to her father when he shipped her here like common cargo. Yes, she is still angry with him, yes, his death makes those feelings complicated. Their last conversation was a rather explosive argument about exactly this topic, many words were thrown, a few curses were said.
She doesn't like to think about it.
Instead she focuses on the motions of the exercise. It's pretty easy when her muscles are screaming so loudly, like a newborn demanding attention. That reminds her of her little brother, and how she won't get to see him grow anymore. By the time she can leave this place with some measure of safety he'll already be grown.
She focuses on the exercise.
-
Tantra stomps over to the library with a chastised Yorin in tow, taking glances at her before looking at the ground, "are you still angry?" he asks.
"You punched me in the face!" Tantra whirls on the boy, and points at her eye, "can you see my eye? No! You can't! Because it's all covered up by a bruise the size of your fist." She raves.
"But we were sparring." Yorin says weakly
"We were supposed to be sparring, not beating me senseless!"
Yorin scratches his cheek, "sorry, I'm used to fighting against the other village kids, I thought you'd only be a little weaker…but…you've never been in a fight before, have you?" A light seems to shine through Yorins mind.
Tantra huffs, "no, violence is unbefitting a lady." She grumbles.
Yorin tilts his head.
"But I've fought plenty of girls before." He points out.
"They are not ladies."
Yorin scrunches his brow and stares at Tantra, "but…neither are you."
Tantra ignores him as she opens the door to the library.
-
The library is surprisingly well maintained considering the resources of the sect, candles flicker creating a dim lighting as disciples go from shelves to desks. Tantra walks up to the librarian's counter where an older gentleman in purple robes writes on a scroll.
She knocks on the counter.
"Yes, yes, give me a moment child."
She waits with hands behind her back as the librarian continues to write.
"Why are we here?" Yorin whispers.
"You'll soon find out disciple Yorin"
Yorin groans, "don't start being fancy Tantra. I said I was sorry."
Tantra doesn't dignify that with a response.
Eventually the librarian finishes with his writing and looks up at the two of them.
"What do you want?"
Tantra bows, "greetings master, this one is in search for a primer on Torrakian letters, along with a scroll, ink, and two quills"
The librarian stares at her, "Is this for the boy?" he queries.
Tantra nods, "indeed master."
The librarian scratches at his chin and raises a brow, "you're that brat Jorin's been complaining about. I'm surprised that one such as you would find the time to play the tutor, all things considered."
Tantra bows deeper, "This one is simply repaying her friend for the thorough lesson of martial prowess he delivered earlier"
Yorin perks up when she calls him her friend, blissfully unaware of his fate.
The librarian chuckles, "Alright, I don't have a primer for letters, but I do have a stockpile for language, I'm sure you can work back from there. Aisle one section C, once you've found them come back here for your scroll and quills."
Tantra gets up from her bow with a radiant smile, "Thank you master"
-
Tantra breathes in through her nose, and the Qi of the world enters her lungs. She holds her breath as the Qi slowly travels down their respective bridges and into her core, she breathes out the dead air through her mouth and repeats the process. This method is…inefficient and slow. It's why despite taking a whole evening she still can't fill her core.
But that's fine, Tantra isn't hoping to become some legend amongst legends, hells she's barely aiming to be a cultivator, if only to survive the journey home. So this'll have to do for now.
Still, she can't say this doesn't bother her, it's frustrating to be so glaringly inept at anything.
-
Tantra walks into her home to find Karaz and Ranya scowling at each other. While doing handstands, and juggling small leather balls with their feet. Tantra just stares, amazed and confused. The aches and pains from the day's training temporarily forgotten in the face of something so ridiculous.
"Yeah they do that sometimes." Says a voice directly into her ear.
Tantra squawks and jumps in fear, only to sigh in relief at the sight of Sola.
"Honoured senior, please, show mercy to this junior," Tantra says.
Sola chuckles, "not when your reactions are so funny."
Tantra actually has to hold herself back from a rather unclouth retort, reminding herself of the rules of etiquette with a steadying breath.
"What are they doing?" She asks instead.
Sola shrugs, "competing for something I'd guess. They usually get like this after an argument, then challenge each other to some such bullshit-" Ranya launches a ball at Sola which she catches and throws back at the girl, "-competition to determine who was right. I was out when this one started so I can't tell you what it's about, usually it's something stupid though"
Tantra just glances between Sola and Ranya. She decides it would be best to ignore that interaction. Actually, maybe it's best to ignore this whole interaction and just go to bed.
"Oookay" She says, "tell me who wins?"
"Sure."
-
Tantra is running.
Again.
She can confidently say that this routine is getting rather boring. Are there really cultivators who seriously do this for every hour of every day? That sounds exhausting, and not just in the physical capacity. Aren't all those cultivation stories about excitement and action? Not that she'd prefer that but it's been a week and she hasn't run afoul of a single young master. Then again there are only two and the rumors that surround them makes them sound like disgustingly decent people. Tantra's expectations have been seriously disillusioned. Not that that's a bad thing, it's a very good thing in fact! Means that her journey will be easier than expected.
Yorin slaps her back lightly as he passes her, she huffs and increases her speed.
Her condition hasn't even been leaked, and if Sola can tell then surely there are other disciples who can see her weakness. Yet there is nothing, not even the slightest hint of bullying. Although the only ones that talk to her are Yorin and her housemates so maybe their style is more social isolation rather than bullying.
Yorin slaps her back as he passes her again, Tantra grits her teeth and keeps going.
The masters haven't said anything to her either, which is strange. You'd think a disciple who bought their way in would get some level of scorn from the proper masters, but no, they teach her just the same as everyone else. Not even a hint of derision when conducting their classes. It's all surprisingly professional.
Yorin slaps her back.
-
Tantra creates a thread of Qi from her core and weaves it through her body.
First is the head, the psyche, how we perceive the world. To cultivate this part is to become more of who you are, experience more of the world around you. It is the greatest among equals, and therefore always comes first.
As the small motes of Qi absorb into her mind, Tantra moves the thread to her chest.
This is where life is made and maintained, breath and blood in synchronicity. It takes the greatest amount of Qi from the thread, because it was the one most abused when training.
Next is the muscles of her arms.
Just a cursory pass to keep her in the habit, a few motes are absorbed, but nothing noteworthy.
Then comes the abdomen, the strongest muscle of the body becomes even stronger as it absorbs the Qi, and the organs it contains become more capable of their functions.
Lastly is the legs, and they take the rest of the waning Qi all to themselves.
Tantra takes a breath and pulls on another thread and begins the cycle anew.
-
Tantra has a serene expression plastered on her face as she moves her bishop.
"Checkmate" She says.
Karaz looks at the board bewildered, "this…this cannot be! I am the greatest mind in this house, how could I be bested by a junior?!?"
Tantra smirks, "forgiveness honoured senior, this one has simply been trained in the ways of chess since she was but a child."
"You're still a child." Karaz grumbles
"Now now, no need for that, my victory was fair under the gaze of the gods."
Karaz sighs, "fine. Lets go outside, we'll need some space"
Tantra smiles.
Ch.3:Check
There isn't much to be said for the Darkwoods, it's big and it's dark. Few flora can survive here, with those that do being highly coveted. Which is why Tantra is on her knees, combing through the shrubbery with a straw basket on her back. Yorin sits on a root just a few feet away, scrunching his brow at the book in his lap.
"C-A-T" he says, "cat?"
"Correct" Tantra says as she picks a flower and throws it into her basket, "you've progressed disciple Yorin, you can finally recognize some of your letters. I would be proud if it didn't take so long."
Yorin preens as he ignores the latter part of that comment, Tantra chuckles at his antics. He's…refreshingly innocent, compared to what she's used to at least, merchant life is filled with polite hyena's. Even at her age she's been exposed to the need to measure words and calculate benefits. If there were one good thing that came from coming to this sect, it would be the ability to speak without worry.
A small smile plays on her face as she breathes in the surrounding Qi. The DarkWoods is a focal point, meaning that the deeper one goes the thicker the Qi they'll find. This, on its own, would be enough for Tantra to justify coming here. The real prize however, is the merits that can be earned here through the collection of vegetation.
"Are you sure you don't need any ass-as-" Yorin stumbles over himself and huffs, "these words are dumb."
"It's assistance," Tantra says blandly.
"Why can't I just say help? It means the same thing" he protests.
"Proper cultivators interact with high society on a regular basis, Yorin. Learn how to speak like them and they'll see you as an equal rather than prey to feast upon."
Yorin raises a brow, "how are they gonna do that with no foundation?"
"There are other ways to hunt than the physical." Tantra says, being purposefully ominous.
Yorin looks at her sceptical and shrugs, "sure," he says, "anyway, do you need ah-sis-tense?"
"No," Tantra shakes her head, "this is my task, you focus on your book."
Yorin sighs but continues reading.
Merits are the currency of a sect, which isn't normally all that relevant so early into the journey, considering resources are only really required later down the path. That is not the case for Tantra, unfortunately. It takes too long to gather Qi, no matter how much better she gets, a whole evening still isn't enough to fill her core. The optimist in Tantra likes to think that perhaps her core's just gotten bigger, the realist grabes it by the collar and shakes some sense into it
Long story short, she needs Qi stones. The condensed Qi stored in the precious mineral would be enough to last her months at her level, and by then she'd have enough merits to buy another. Then she can tackle the issue of expediting the speed of her circulation.
One thing at a time.
She's never picked flowers and fruit before, so the first few deliveries weren't exactly stellar. But she's gotten the hang of it, mostly. She's still pretty slow but at least she does it properly. The alchemist still looks disappointed whenever he sees her haul, but it's enough to get her some merits, and that's all she needs.
"Why can't we just go hunt some mongrels?" Yorin pouts, "it'd be funner than this."
Tantra shakes her head, "you mean it'd be more dangerous. I have no intention of risking my life if I can get the same result doing simple tasks."
"But we could have gotten a stone with only a few hunts!" Yorin protests.
Tantra raises a brow, "I see you are a mathematician now, disciple Yorin."
Yorin blows a raspberry at her.
-
Lessons are fairly simple, they cover algebra, history, and language. All things she's already rigorously studied. The only outlier would be alchemy, but she doesn't attend those. She has no desire to dedicate what precious time she has on a frivolous pursuit. Although alchemy could be quite lucrative…no, don't get tempted Tantra, stay the course. The other kids seemingly haven't received a proper education beyond folk tales and how to count crops, which naturally makes her the highest achiever among her peer group, and she'd likely outmatch quite a few seniors as well. Not that it matters, intelligence is secondary to strength in the world of cultivation.
Still, it does wonders for her pride.
"How did you learn so much so young?" Yorin says with a mouth full of sausage. It was his reward for progressing in his studies, just because the cultivation world doesn't care for the power of the mind, doesn't mean she can't encourage intellectual pursuits.
"Don't eat with your mouth full, it isn't proper" Tantra scolds as she balances a stack of books in her arms. Yorin grumbles but complies as he munches through the meat with renewed vigor, taking one big swallow and letting out a belch.
"Yorin!" Tantra exclaims.
He smiles smugly, "that was a pretty good one wasn't it?"
"It was disgusting!"
Yorin chuckles, "there has to be a word for how strict you are about manners."
"It's called being polite," Tantra grumbles.
He ignores her and takes a swig from his wineskin.
"So," he starts, "how'd you get so smart?"
"It's nothing special" Tantra shrugs, "while I've never toiled the fields, I spent my time with tutors or helping my father with his business. If I didn't learn I would have truly been a fool, all things considered I'm quite average."
"Is that why you like reading so much?" He points at her books.
"The pursuit of knowledge is a noble thing, disciple Yorin, a sharp mind can cut better than a blade." Tantra recites.
Yorin gives her an incredulous look, "Tantra, minds don't get sharp."
"It's an expression."
"I don't know what that means."
Tantra sighs, "An expression is when-"
"Honourable disciple Tantra!" someone yells, "I challenge you to a duel!"
Tantra blinks and turns to her right so she can see whoever just spoke beyond her books. They're a rather young boy, even compared to her, graced with a short mop of messy brown hair and a face that hasn't lost its baby fat. He's bowing with a fist in his palm.
Tantra blinks multiple times in bewilderment as he stays perfectly still, Yorin breaks her trance with a poke to the ribs.
"Apologies honourable disciple…?"
"Kisrin Cao, honourable Tantra"
"Honourable disciple Kisrin." She nods, "I appreciate your interest, but I am no martial master. Surely you would be better served challenging someone with more experience than one such as I?"
Kisrin gets up from his bow with a twinkle in his eye, "It would be my honour to teach disciple Tantra, if that would suit you better."
Yorin pokes her ribs with an elbow and gives her a thumbs up.
Tantra is confused.
-
She organizes her newly acquired books on her shelf and sighs, she was hoping to start reading through them as soon as she arrived but now she has to entertain a child. No, this is part of cultivation culture, the sooner she adapts, the better. She just has to look at it from that perspective, and it becomes much less annoying. Just another lesson to learn, that's all. She sighs again, she doesn't want to participate in this lesson though, she'd prefer to have been left alone.
As she goes to exit her room she finds Karaz standing just outside her doorway with a sly little smirk playing on her face. Tantra sigh's for the third time in as many minutes.
"Don't be like that," she throws an arm over her shoulder, "I'm just trying to be friendly, like the fabulous housemate that I am."
Tantra suppresses another sigh, "what can I do for you, honourable senior."
"Well," Karaz says, tapping her lips, "you could tell me why there are two boys waiting outside our house."
Tantra raises a brow at the girl, "one is a friend, the other is a nuisance. We're going to go training in the field, I just had to organize my books first."
Karaz raises a brow of her own, "a nuisance? Now that's just heartless little Tantra. At least give him a chance."
"A chance at what?"
Karaz sighs wistfully, "Oh to be young and dumb again."
"Forgiveness, honourable senior," Tantra starts, "but you are still both those things."
Karaz stares at her for a moment before breaking into a guffaw.
-
Tantra is dumbfounded by the scene in front of her.
"Onwards! Noble steed," Ranya proclaims from her perch on Yorins shoulders. "The great Ranya of a thousand blades must reach her allies before it is too late!"
Yorin neighs as he runs in a circle around a very embarrassed Kisrin, who is hiding his face with a hand in shame. They've gathered quite the crowd. Tantra blinks, then blinks again. Nope, that's a thing that's happening now, she hasn't lost her mind or been spiked with Dream Shrooms.
"Heh," Karaz says, "looks like they're having fun"
Ranya jumps off Yorins shoulders, doing a front flip and landing in front of Kisrin in a stance appropriate for a rapier.
"Enguard fiend!" Ranya yells, "Ranya will skewer you as a gift to the demons of the hells to cook and savour!"
Kisrin reluctantly gets into a similar stance to the encouragement of the crowd, hand behind his back and positioning himself to reduce points of contact.
"Enguard," he says devoid of joy or passion, "once I am done with you, I will torture your friends one by one in the most brutal of fashions," he says lamely. The crowd gasps and murmurs.
Ranya squints, "prepare to meet your end!" she bellows.
-
Tantra checks a kick.
She's been doing this for the past half hour and her legs are starting to hurt something fierce. Kisrin twists his front foot and brings his leg up for a roundhouse that Tantra checks again. She's starting to get the hang of it, timing her checks with generally correct timing. Now she just has to ask whoever she fights to kindly only use specific kinds of kicks. Hmmm, she's being unkind to Kisrin, although he is acting strange. Offering to train her out of the blue? For free? If there's one principle to live by it's that everything has a cost. To waste his time training her must have some ulterior motive.
Kisrin twists and brings his leg up, and she prepares to check.
Yorin's studying, as he should be, she had to stop training a few times when she caught him slacking. The boys already got a solid foundation, now Tantra just needs to get him a brain. Damn, she is pissy right now, must be her aching legs.
Tantra checks another kick.