Ch101: The Xuere Patriarch

The incarnation of Allfather with a boyish face of chubby cheeks flitted through the air at a breakneck pace. He needed to deal with Blasphemer Yirn, but his current focus lay elsewhere. His divine sense noticed a young man moving towards the north at a snail's pace-- in his eyes-- through the forest beneath his feet.

He disregarded this man as nothing but an ant, having reached such an age without having achieved the shell advancer realm of power. He had long identified his target, and soon reached the location.

A man with fox features soon blocked his path.

"Nothing but an incarnation. Yet even if your true form came, in this middling realm, you would be limited by the laws of the universe," Cory grimly said, with his eyes filled with a deathly drive.

The boyish chubby-cheeked incarnation frowned as a disc-shaped aurae-formed plate coalesced on his back. Nine aurae-formed weapons of differing elemental colors and nature shot out from the plate, casting an aura of divine light.

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As Rein attempted to return to the Xuere Gap, he soon heard sounds of battle behind him. The roar of thunder and flashing of lightning clashed against sounds of bludgeoning, slashing and a variety of noises of various elemental explosions.

Strangely, despite having only met the Xunian Cory for a short period of time, Rein was fully confident that the Xunian would successfully prevent the passage to Suey's world from being reopened before the vestiges of the spatial tunnel faded away.

After half a day, he had returned to the Xuere Gap. However, the defensive fortress controlled by the Xuere Clan was still far off, and now, in between him and this place of safety was a dark sea of demon beasts. This was where nearly all of the demon beasts in the wilderness had gathered.

Rein felt a sudden tap on his left shoulder, and he spun around while simultaneously backing away as he grunted in alarm.

He discovered that Master Yirn, with his mysterious sparkling eyes of ancient knowledge, surrounded by a murky-green hood, had appeared behind him.

"Here," Master Yirn grunted and tossed a vial towards Rein.

Rein received the vial and widened his eyes as his sight came upon a drop of thick blood.

"Xeeseir's heartblood. It contains a hint of his 'Retrace'." Master Yirn simply informed Rein with his grumbly voice. "He'll be reborn soon enough, this time free of 'her' limits. That is all you need to know."

Rein understood and knew that there was nothing he could say. He felt sorrow, but he also understood those red strings weren't anything good. To be free of those red strings must be a boon. That must be what Master Yirn meant by 'free'.

He hesitated for a few breaths, then decisively tilted his head back to drink the vial of Xeeseir's heartblood. He needed strength. In his heart, he swore that if Xeeseir's being was being reborn, he would gain and use the limits of his powers to prevent the infection of the red strings next time. 

As he drank the heartblood, he suddenly felt a sort of understanding, a reflex growing in his mind. This odd power integrated into his draconic body.

"If ever you learn a magical art that involves returning the power of an enemy's magical attacks, you will find your comprehension bolstered," Master Yirn explained.

Rein nodded in understanding. Indeed, with Xeeseir reflexively comprehending his origin magic, his heartblood would hold some of his innate understanding of the 'Retrace' function.

"For what purpose did you send me to the Hall of Heroes?" After recent revelations, Rein was very much confused by this.

"Did you not discover where your younger brother was taken? Did you not affirm your will?" Master Yirn sighed.

"Yet your goals?" Rein was certain the Master Yirn also had his own goals.

"Did I not receive the opportunity to free Xeeseir's soul? He is an old friend of mine, if you are so curious," Master Yirn replied.

Rein closed his mouth. He inwardly sensed that there was much that Master Yirn kept to himself, but it was not his place to probe too deeply.

"WIll you not provide assistance to that half-fox Xunian?" In Rein's mind, surely, Master Yirn knew of the Xunians.

"No," Master Yirn slowly shook his head. "If I make a move, I will bring even more eyes into the area. Many forces are fully prepared to target me should I reveal myself."

Master Yirn placed his left hand on Rein's right shoulder.

"You still have work to do. I will lend you a hand and send you into the Zyne fortress," Yirn said.

Rein blinked, and the next moment he found himself within the fortress guarding the Xuere Gap. He turned and Master Yirn was already gone, not even a hint of his shadow remaining behind.

He sighed and strode towards the Hall of Heroes building that contained the portal that would send him back to the Halls in the Green Trout City.

He could already hear whispers of Lyne being ravaged by a devil in the wilderness, coming from the mouths of the soldiers defending the city. He was confident that Lyne's mental fortitude would withstand this-- after all, she was the one who had chosen to walk this path. Still, he felt worry in his heart.

Yet, there was nothing he could do regarding this matter as of right now. He was simply too weak and inconsequential.

He soon found himself back in the Hall of Heroes, and frowned as he felt… a sense of loneliness. He chuckled at himself. He did indeed feel the same sensation when the Golden Desert Town and his old family was destroyed, and he thought he had developed tolerance towards it.

He never expressed too much towards Xeeseir, but now realized he rather missed the man's straightforward brotherly approach. And Suey… though their relationship was initiated through a rather debaucherous process, he was now certain that there was much more, an inexplicable link within his heart.

He was broken out of his reverie by Wilo and… Chirh?! He wasn't surprised that Wilo had successfully returned, but Chirh… that wimp, should have struggled to return safely. However, when Rein looked his body over, the man carried not even a single scratch.

"The order has been given," Wilo informed Rein, her voice the gentle rustling of leaves through her wooden mask. "In a week's time, that demon beast wave will crash against the fortress of the Xuere Gap. You'd best prepare yourself. The Halls will gather then."

After saying this, she strode off for her own preparations.

"It's good to see you alive," Rein commented with a raised eyebrow at Chirh.

"You don't sound impressed," Chirh nonchalantly replied.

"Perhaps my assessment of you is inaccurate," Rein said. Chirh had no injuries, returning completely unscathed. Naturally, Rein felt suspicion.

"You have no idea how I scurried like a rat amongst the demon beasts!" Chirh whined. "Luckily, I ran quickly!"

Rein simply patted the man on the shoulder and travelled out of the underground labyrinth, towards alchemist instructor Vahrk's misty valley.

Along the way, just outside the tunnel to the mountains northwest of the Green Trout City, he bumped into a man of an even bulkier frame than himself! That was, of course, Malak.

Rein greeted that man with hooked fingers as he bowed in apology.

"Unexpected circumstances prevented me from travelling to the northern outpost," Rein sighed to Malak. He had long realized that this man was no true enemy of his.

"I accomplished the task. A pity I cannot remain Guihnes' underling," Malak grumbled as he pulled Rein further to the side for some privacy. "This is going to be troublesome…"

"How so?" Rein felt curious. Was this related to Malak's request for a meeting at the northern outpost in the western wilderness?

"As you can tell, my origins are from the Golden Desert," Malak explained. "Me and my band of brothers, a few years ago that is, discovered a legacy in the sands. Strangely, only those of sufficiently tempered bodies can enter, and those above the magical shell realm are rejected from the legacy grounds."

"Unfortunately, somehow, the powers of the Golden Desert caught word of the discovery, and as such, I sought protection. Supreme Guihnes provided that for my services."

"Now, I will have to scuttle around like a rat as I push, tempering my body to its physical limits while remaining in the shell realm to maximize my chances. I thought that you would increase the chances of my band of brothers, you understand? I originally wished to give you this offer alongside my band of brothers in the northern outpost, but…"

"Simply survive and if you ever come to the Golden Desert within the next ten years…" Malak frowned in thought. "At least, I believe it is likely that by the end of the next ten years, me and my band of brothers will make an attempt."

Rein nodded, but he inwardly frowned, very much unsure of his own future.

"Dahk!" Malak suddenly broke into a smile as he jovially greeted an approaching spearman.

Rein widened his eyes. When had these two gotten acquainted?

Dahk was a man of minimal words, as he answered the question upon Rein's face.

"A Golden Desert group once sought better lands down south, but was rejected by the Minhr Nation. They traveled further south and settled onto the islands of the Southern Starry Seas." Dahk's explanation was to the point.

Rein lightly smiled as he nodded in understanding.

"Your woman?" Dahk then questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Rein shook his head as he sighed. He couldn't reveal Suey's secrets.

"We men overcome deaths and schemes," Dahk staunchly replied, interpreting Rein's reaction to imply the twin ladies' deaths. "So, too, will I return to the Southern Starry Seas triumphant and return the pain to my enemies."

Rein felt strange hearing this, but he certainly recalled Dahk having explained that he and his brother had been sabotaged during some sort of competition in the Southern Starry Seas.

He hooked the fingers of his two hands to greet the two again before continuing to the alchemist instructor Vahrk's valley. He was, of course, returning to deliver the herbs and plants he had gathered as thanks to Vahrk for providing him with various types of antidotes.

When Alchemist Vahrk saw the bounty that Rein withdrew from the spatial pouch, he was overjoyed. He simply handed Rein a bag full of limpite coins, as well as a vision egg containing the introductory knowledge of an alchemist!

Rein naturally felt overjoyed. He had always desired to further his understanding of alchemy, especially poisons, knowing that his younger brother had been delivered into the hands of a devil 'god'.

He then travelled to the lava-filled volcanic landscape of Blacksmith Rahr's forge.Though he had discarded much, his spatial pouch still carried many ores and ingots that once belonged to the Molten Stone Clan of the discovered ancient ruins.

Once again, he received a good amount of limpite coins, along with a vision egg carrying some of Blacksmith Rahr's knowledge. Rein felt ecstatic. Blacksmith Rahr's knowledge will allow him to cross reference modern techniques with the many ancient dwarven books he had gathered.

Having a week before the gathering of the Halls' forces, Rein first spent it forging… well… a set of nipple jewelry rings for Lyne, as well as a collar design that he eventually planned to gift to Suey. As for whether they would wear these… that would be their choice. Rein justified his lewd guilt by recalling that Lyne herself had expressed her newfound sensitivity to her twin peaks…

Luckily, Rein barely had the ability to crudely complete such an item. Having received some training under Blacksmith Tiehr, Rein was already capable of some basic forging and inscription techniques.

As such, he spent quite a number of days crafting a unique set of 'basic' rings, inscribing the mark of his own draconic lightning into the set of rings. A simple rod-like piercing, upon which the large and heavy ring could be attached.

Inscribing personal magics was something common in the advancer world. Advancers who have some basic understanding of inscriptions, and a degree of mastery over their own magical arts, usually have the capability to inscribe and gift a limited usage of their powers if they so desire.

As for Rein, his draconic lightning was most unique. After quite a few failures, he was finally able to inject a sliver of it into the set of rings.

He did need Blacksmith Rahr's assistance with infusing limpite into the metal brass rings. Blacksmith Rahr did not ask any questions, shrugging off his curiosity. He had heard enough rumors. Rein observed and soon understood the process of slowly infusing and distributing limpite using the folding technique alongside an aurae injection skill to sense and spread the limpite distribution pattern.

With that done, Rein wandered out into the Green Trout City to the hidden store belonging to the Fusion Sect Elder's Baejenh.

To his shock, instead of communicating through the parrot like the previous time, Baejenh sat across the table with a furious glare.

"Do you know what you have done?! I had hoped to eventually draw Lyne from the grasps of Minhr's power struggle and take her as a disciple!" A silvery aurae light cascaded out from Baejenh's form, and Rein felt this magical force compressing around his body in a crushing manner, pressing him downwards. In Rein's eyes, the secret meeting room turned black and white under the intense pressure.

Though Rein now had an inkling of the consequences of his tryst with Lyne, and he felt a degree of guilt, he also felt he understood Lyne enough to reject Baejenh's words. As such, he forcefully resisted Baejenh's pressure and lifted his head creakily.

"Her loyalty to the Xuere Clan's future… she would not have selfishly abandoned their struggle in imitation of her father!" He breathed through his clenched teeth under the spiritual pressure. "If you, with your imperious capability, truly wished to protect her, you should have stood against the Dingien Clan!"

These words, perhaps unwise to utter, were partially said in anger. Rein simply felt it unfair for this woman to…well... In his eyes, dump her frustrations, whatever that source may be, upon him.

The silvery light glowed blindingly as waves crashed towards Rein, flattening his head against the meeting table. Soon, the stone table along with Rein's seat cracked before Rein found himself crushed against the ground. Then, to Rein's relief, the silvery light softened then ceased.

When he stood back up and brushed off fragments and dust of stone from his black jacket and pants, he found Baejenh still glaring at him. He did not question how Baejenh had realized that it was him who had taken Lyne's virginity and placed his seed in her womb.

"The Fusion Sect forbids its members from interfering in any conflict between clans or nations, in desire of their talent-- unless too great of a conflict destroys one too many talented roots," she coldly replied. A sudden loss of control caused her to spit at the shattered stone fragments of the table.

Rein understood her frustrations without the need for an explanation. Such was the nature of belonging to factions. Rein knew enough from his merchant days in the mortal world.

"So…" he eventually said after an awkward silence. "Now, you should be able to take her as your disciple, yes?" From his view, Lyne would have the best chance to overcome any future barrier with Baejenh's assistance.

"You…" Baejenh pointed a shaking finger at Rein before finally containing herself once again.

"The Fusion Sect does not recklessly accept disciples! I need approval from…If she was whole, with her talent, it would be easy! But…" She exhaled then provided further explanation. She knew that Rein's knowledge was limited. The young man had yet to even enter the shell realm.

"When it comes to female advancers, copulation greatly affects the woman more than the man. As the man, your essence remains mostly your own. As for Lyne, her body now carries your seed, and as such, her aurae has an impurity that increases the difficulty of her path by an incomparable margin!"

"Nature… " Baejenh muttered frustratingly.

"Nature isn't always fair," Rein finished her sentence for her. He himself was born with no affinity with elements after all.

Another awkward silence.

"Surely, you have a method? I've heard that there are many paths," Rein asked hopefully. He then opened then closed his lips again, unsure if his next words might be… overly arrogant. Still, he eventually chose to say it.

"I know not if my favor is worth anything, but if you, the great Mistress Baejenh, can accept her as a disciple and guide her upon an adjacent path…" As he said this, Rein really wasn't certain if his favor was worth anything.

"You think your favor is worth gold?" Baejenh spat once again. "And you think I need your favor to take her as my disciple?! She will be my disciple regardless, and she will walk a harsher path, to seek and master the yang in the yin, to temper her ice in fire. Hmph. Those old codgers can fuck off if they block my way."

Rein smartly kept his mouth shut, but was inwardly delighted at having drawn Baejenh to such a decision.

"Youngling," Baejenh glared at Rein. "You must know that she will have to remain in the shell realm until she gains a natural icy spirit to infuse into and form her core. Else, it is impossible to be the unbreakable ice within the firestorm. Now, get out!" She flicked the sleeves of her silvery white robes, and Rein obeyed with a bow.

Rein breathed a sigh of relief, having survived a life-threatening situation.

Yet, he only strode a few blocks before a cloaked form reached out from an alleyway and dragged him onto an empty and narrow path.

He soon recognized this form to be Lyne and his pounding heart calmed. She began patting his body down.

"I'm uninjured," Rein simply stated, realizing that Baejenh must have pressured Lyne into revealing who had 'assaulted' her folds.

"This will unleash a stinging power against those who dare to place their hand onto your…tips," Rein said as he withdrew from his spatial pouch, the boxed set of nipple rings he had crafted with his crude blacksmithing knowledge. He would eventually improve his skill overtime, and no longer require assistance from Blacksmith Rahr.

Lyne quickly opened the box before closing them, blushing as she delivered a playful slap onto Rein's left cheek. She felt a combination of protection alongside lewdness that strangely warmed her heart.

"I'm meant to be grounded in the Xuere Estate within the city," she informed Rein. "And I'll have you know that I wasn't worried at all." She then dashed off, leaving Rein scratching his head.

Rein strode down a few more blocks, and his complicated day met another obstacle-- a elderly man blocking his path. This man might have combed-back silvery hair that extended to his lower neck, but he still carried the form and strength of a bear. His face had many intimidating scars, his eyes exuding a frosty flame below his sharp eyebrows.

Rein glanced at his robes, decorated with the symbol of an icy phoenix.

Rein swore to himself. The crowd surrounding the two seemed to not notice the presence of this man, simply avoiding the spot upon which he was standing as if there was a large stone pillar there.

This intimidating man looked upon Rein. He, Zyne, as the grandfather of Lyne, desired to judge this young man who had 'ruined' his granddaughter.

Inwardly, he was in a struggle.

He had already investigated Rein, and discovered this young man to have certain oddities.

Initially, Zyne felt enraged, having discovered Rein's exhibitionist play with a woman known as Suxeire. He thought that Rein was nothing but a playboy.

Yet, he soon discovered that Rein only performed such acts with this woman-- there was no record of Rein ever pleasuring himself with any brothel or tavern wenches. Nor did Rein ever attempt or make advances to gain the good graces of any other women.

Zyne wasn't some knobhead. After all, he is the one the fortress protecting the Xuere Gap was named after.

Then there was the hand of the Second Prince that led to Lyne being captured and tortured by the Harvest Devil Ailehr, to be eventually taken by the Second Prince, which filled him with the desire to rampage through the Minhr capital city, Heavens Peak City.

As such, Zyne, after forcing Lyne to make a confession, felt both gratitude and fury at Rein. His granddaughter had even threatened to simply leave just as his son did if he injured Rein! He naturally found all of this difficult to accept. Not to mention, Lyne would not be Rein's first, even if it was socially acceptable in the advancer world for powerful advancers, whether they be man or woman, to have multiple partners. Though… a woman with multiple partners was much more likely to be regarded as automatically devilish, regardless of whether one might view that as fair or unfair.

"Come." With a wave of his hand, Zyne lifted Rein into the skies with his telekinetic powers, and they flew westwards and landed onto an uninhabited area west of the Green Gilded River that ran south, west of the Green Trout City.

"You believe I would accept your perverse nature?" Zyne was very much displeased that Lyne had chosen this man, shown to be capable of such debauchery.

"Only if it satiates those involved," Rein honestly replied. Frankly, he felt a degree of guilt at having indulged in such perverse acts. Still, he wasn't one to force debaucherous acts upon another-- if there was one thing he loved the most, it was when a partner, one way or another, 'baited' him into committing such acts…

Of course, this was an understanding that he had slowly become aware of.

"I truly only desired to enter and focus upon the advancer world when I joined the Hall of Heroes," Rein honestly replied to Zyne.

"Oh?" Zyne glared at the young man. He was no fool. He knew that Lyne had inherited certain traits, forceful traits from her father, his son. His son had been so frustrated with the prospect of being forced into a political marriage in the previous fight for the throne that he had simply vanished from the realm.

Back then, Zyne had been enraged, believing that his son should have placed the burden of the Xuere Clan on his shoulders. Zyne had an inkling that his son had left Lyne behind just to spite the man.

If so, it was working. In some twisted way, deep in Zyne's heart, he was relieved that Lyne had given the Second Prince the so-called middle finger through her actions. A feeling that he constantly suppressed to be 'loyal' to the rulers of the Minhr Nation, so he told himself.

"So, you claim that my granddaughter… threw herself into your arms like a wanton slut? After a brief interaction?" Zyne accused Rein, intentionally misinterpreting Rein's words.

"I…" Rein stumbled slightly but recovered. "It may be brief, but often, bonds are best and easily forged over a thorny path. Consider me a blade if you will-- no," he corrected himself. "A bludgeoning tool."

Zyne gazed upon the young man before him and a small smile lifted the corner of his lips. So, this young man is capable of speaking vaguely with implication.

"My granddaughter believes that it is time for the Xuere Clan to move. To join the Seventh Prince. Specifically to offer her hand in marriage," Zyne informed Rein.

Rein raised an eyebrow. He suddenly recalled that Suey and Lyne had shared a private conversation before they parted. His intuition was that this was Suey's hand. As for the Seventh Prince, Rein recalled some information about the man. Supposedly similar in age to himself, having barely come of age. The Seventh Prince should only be a figurehead propped up by a number of questionable supporters…

"An interesting idea," Rein nodded in understanding. "Will your offer reach the Seventh Prince himself?"

"Hah! I personally delivered the offer," Zyne scoffed. "He did not reject it. Despite knowing the seed within my granddaughter's womb to not be his."

Rein widened his eyes as his mind spun. Did Suey know? No. But perhaps she had some understanding of the Seventh Prince's nature.

"You seem to not care regarding this… marriage," Zyne was somewhat displeased by Rein's non-reaction. In the end, he at least wished for his granddaughter to be loved.

"Marriage…" Rein shook his head. In his merchant days, he had seen many clients disloyal to their partners despite the so-called contract. As such, he regarded it with disdain.

"As far as I am concerned… as long as she does not betray my interests, and perhaps even stand at my side… I, too, see no reason to block her path, no matter her methods of choice." That was Rein's answer. Plus… that child within her womb is his. He wasn't sure what the Seventh Prince might be thinking, but…

"You say you will be a bludgeoning tool," Zyne now returned to the primary goal of his 'kidnapping' of Rein. "Allow me to judge your ability." Zyne grinned. He would now be able to release at least a measure of his inner rage.

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In the capital of Minhr, the Heavens Peak City.

An incredibly handsome man was in his royal chambers, a quill furiously scrawling across a parchment. His every move was both graceful yet powerful, his form a twisting dance over the parchment upon the maloewood desk.

When he was complete with his writings, he lifted his head to reveal a diamond jaw that was in between a square and pointed jaw. He had a roman nose with keen bright eyes, and perfectly arched brows. His layered dark hair curved around his face in a wavy pattern down to his shoulders.

"Announce my declaration in all corners of the capital and nation," he ordered a kneeling woman beside him.

When that woman read the words upon the parchment, she couldn't help but exclaim.

"Noble Seventh Prince. You cannot play such a hand."

"Why not? I am sick of being but a puppet. It's time I made a move. The Xuere Patriarch has offered full cooperation."

"But…"

"Did you not know? It was my doppelganger that remained behind as I went to the western wilderness to take what my older half-brother desired," the Seventh Prince grinned.

"I… " the woman still kneeling before the Seventh Prince, struggling to resist his demands. She knew herself to be the only one truly loyal to him. "Even then… you will simply become a puppet of the Xuere Clan!"

"Hardly. With the Xuere Clan in a bit of a pinch, they will back my vision. Of that, I am confident. The Xuere Patriarch is well-regarded as well," the Seventh Prince calmly replied.

"But… if rumors are true… that child of hers…" the woman stuttered. "Once that child is tested for dragon blood, your deception will be laid bare."

"Perhaps. But children are not tested for bloodlines until the age of ten, when the onset of puberty activates the bloodline. We only need to rid ourselves of our opponents prior to such a time."

The woman could only agree and accept the Seventh Prince's decision.

An announcement would soon send the Minhr Nation into shock and frenzy. As for the Second Prince? He could only offer a limited retort. To prove the Seventh Prince's claims false, he would need to reveal his connections to the devils in the western wilderness, dooming his path. He could only stay silent!