Episode 59: Family versus Connections

“AAAH!” Autumn woke up and sat upright. She found herself in a comfortable chair, but was frantic to wipe the sleep from her eyes, still unsure about where she was.

“Where am I?” She looked around after a few more rapid blinks and finally was able to see the conference room she was in.

The floor to ceiling windows reminded her of ancient cathedrals. The walls were seamless, but held carvings of many historical battles known commonly to HonorBorn cultivators of all ages.

“You are in a RaidCorp conference room,” said a kind woman beside Autumn that made her jump in surprise. She turned to take in the kind looking woman, with a business suit and a name tag that read, Sprinter in bold and simple font.

“Who are you, and why am I here?” asked Autumn. The woman at first pointed to her name tag as if that were a sufficient enough answer, but spoke up after Autumn couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the woman.

“My name is Sprinter, and I am here to be your assigned attendant for your meeting with the executives of my company, as well as your friends and family,” said the woman with a smile.

“What friends?” Sprinter gestured far down the table at Autumn’s question, and Autumn turned to see a young man there,. Only for flashbacks to strike her immediately with a storm of images that came at her like a flood.

The young man had assaulted Auto, taking him out of the fight so quickly Autumn hadn’t been able to react. She had only felt a flicker of movements through the roots of Titan before Auto’s earpiece went dead.

Before she knew it, a figure rose out of her own shadow. The tall silver haired boy had climbed out of her shadow the moment she filled her hands to attack a group of nearby raging skeletons. She followed through with the original attack, knowing circumstances would be worse for her siblings if she didn’t, but was still unnerved by the smile he wore when he grabbed her ankle and said,” Autumn, right? Kinda gotta make sure I grab the right sister?”

Autumn blinked and found herself mentally back in the conference room, facing the same smile. Then another two voices entered the room and both Autumn and the silver haired young man she believed to be Arson’s friend turned to see who was coming.

“If you trashcan babies have done anything to my sister, I’m going to burn down that little orphanage you all called home and feed the ashes to the mothers that didn’t claim—“ Ash entered the room first, but cut herself off when she saw Autumn. Autumn nodded at her younger sister, who just so happened to be bumped out of the entryway when Troy entered behind her. The shoulder check shouldn’t have been enough to move Ash, but Autumn was beginning to believe that her youngest brother’s friend group wasn’t as normal and low born as everyone around her speculated they were.

“My bad, didn’t see you there,” said Troy while she lifted Ash off the ground with a single hand before her sister could react.

“Get your filthy hands off me,” said Ash with a swipe at Troy that missed entirely. Troy had the girl on her feet and was already headed toward the other young man in the room with a smile on her face.

“Hey, where are the others?” asked Khalif. Troy rolled her eyes before she looked at Sprinter.

“Do you have any screens that could bring up what is happening in the Feed the World event zone?” Sprinter nodded at Troy and with a slight gesture, the table in front of them twisted with light and sound, before the area they’d just been in was revealed.

“What the sparks is that guy,” said Ash at Autumn’s side. She mumbled the words, but all had heard what she said even through the large gaps of space between each chair, and over the volume of the holograms.

“Carter Gestalt, first Fearless title holder to ever be tested in the lower floors,” said Sprinter. Autumn looked at the woman and then back at Carter.

“If it weren’t for how many skeletons I am witnessing here, I’d call you a liar,” said Autumn with a mumble of her own. The scene in front of her was something she felt college Sekt cultivators were capable of after many years of guidance under the tutelage offered by multiple masters.

“Why is his Scythe pulsing like that,” asked Ash. Autumn wanted to know as well, but had decided not to ask out of fear of being looked at as uneducated.

“No clue, but you can ask him when he gets here,” said the silver haired boy who also stared at the sight before them in awe.

“If I’m right, it has something to do with a legacy, didn’t know he was skilled enough with a scythe to receive one, but regardless, something’s weird about his weapon’s ascension,” said Sprinter.

“What do you mean?” asked Troy. Autumn watched the attendant look around at all who’d gathered and sighed before she spoke up again.

“Some skilled in weapon craft or stylized combat, can be offered certain access to energies that other cultivators of lesser discipline will never gain,” said Sprinter.

“What kind of energy lets you do all of that without mana,” asked Troy after Carter spun and a wave of power rippled outward. The strength of the blow enough cut entire waves of enemies in half in under a breath. While the energy it was infused with, further dismantled foes it chopped, mincing the bones it touched like a freshly sharpened chef’s knife.

“For weapon users in the world of cultivation, there are pools of energy that lay untapped both in the air we breathe and the ambient mana all around us. If you have ever taken a basic science class, you know that air is made up of different element particles, but what is mana made of?” Sprinter looked at them all when she spoke to register with everyone there that the question was for any one of them, but Autumn was surprised when Troy answered.

“Mana is made up of the excess of life energy made by the realm, on top of the ambient mana strong cultivators push free of their pores, like a natural weather system, we the cultivators feed the realm basic minerals through our elemental affinities, and it refines the energies and makes pure mana for us to intake, but what is that energy around his weapon made of,” said Troy with a gesture at Carter. The group wondered why he’d only used the weapon to fight; the same question apparent on all of their faces.

“This energy is something that leads to the use of Univers, with the swing of a sword or any weapon for that matter, there are intentions and emotions involved, things used only when cultivators are truly at their limits, or when they have to dig deep and the only thing pushing them forward is their inner will to live, that energy unless tapped into, is stored naturally in our environment, the mana all around us, or sometimes for the truly skilled and lucky cultivators, the energy is stored within their own weapons, or their bodies instead.” Sprinter once more pointed at Carter’s weapon, but before she could continue more people entered the room.

“Sorry, we had to beat you guys up like that, boss’s orders.” A young man with a rebreather said with a pat on Aura’s shoulder while they entered the room alongside a girl who wore a robotic glove.

“Oh hey you two, where is Auto,” asked Aura with a look at her older sisters. The two young women shared a look, and the older shook her head, while the younger shrugged.

“I’m over here, sorry I’m late, had a secondary meeting. Don’t look at me like that, Ash, I’ll tell you later,” said Auto as he sat down beside Aura, who had just sat next to the rest of their sisters.

“So this Carter guy is strong enough to get one of these legacies,” said Ash, restoring the conversation about what was being seen in front of their eyes. Sprinter chuckled then, and the response the group received absolutely floored each and every person there.

“No, this must be completely different, he is most likely receiving many legacies at once. Normally, this sight is of such a small magnitude that it is only perceivable by cultivators with incredible amounts of mana circulating through their bodies, the fact that we are able to see the energy being granted is honestly mind-boggling to witness,” explained Sprinter.

“Hmm, anyone else wishing they didn’t have to leave,” asked the silver haired boy. The nods that came from everyone excluding Ash, herself, and Auto shocked Autumn to the point that she wondered if she should ask the names of the people in the room she didn’t know yet. She’d worked alongside many of the members of Black Hole, but never spent time with her brother’s closest friends beside Troy.

“Hey, Troy, can you introduce us to everyone? Or maybe you can, Aura,” asked Autumn with a look between Troy and her sister. Troy nodded and introductions began.

…

Troy was surprised by how easily her friends seemed to get along with Arson’s siblings. Ash included. Once passed the young woman’s more abrasive and upfront layers that made up her personality, the room seemed to settle more toward civil, than civil war.

Troy could feel the girl’s gaze flicker between her and the projection of Arson in front of them all.

Troy had to admit that Arson was a tad overwhelming to witness use a scythe. She wondered if the skill he could display was with all the most prominent weapons known to cultivators, such as swords, hammers, and spears; only for him to laugh at her when she’d asked, and say, “No besides shields and bows, I normally make a fool out of myself when I practice with smaller weaponry.”

That doesn’t explain this though Arson. Troy was as captivated as everyone else was. Arson had their full attention now.

At first she’d felt he’d been showing off. They were used to this from Arson since before he’d left, but now, Troy saw this show of power for what it truly was.

“He didn’t have anything to prove to us,” said Xani.

“Agreed, but I think if we continue to downplay our own growth since we started, it may hinder us,” stated Troy.

“How so, none of us have grown so much that I think we’d come close to scratching—“ Khalif’s question ended when he’d nearly said Arson’s name, but Troy picked up on what he wanted to know and did her best to answer.

“Look, I could get into the details, but Carter is scary, we all know he has mana, but when’s the last time we saw him need it,” asked Troy. She wanted to pull more of her people toward the answer, rather than give information to the potential enemies around them.

“What, do you think he can’t use mana anymore or something,” asked Rob. Troy shook her head and glanced at Arson’s siblings before she clenched her fists.

“No, I believe Carter made himself that strong as a way to show he deserves to lead us, and be worthy of our growth and grace,” said Troy. Ash snorted and Troy forced down an eye-roll. It was the kind of behavior that Troy knew to be what Ash felt gave her the status to laugh at her comment. As a HonorBorn noble, who couldn’t she laugh at?

“You laugh, but your brother is being taught by that monster each and everyday, and you couldn’t even beat Cro, who could probably beat all of us here by herself…” Troy stared down Ash, and the stir of emotions that played across her face let Troy know her point was made. It was a lie, but the truth was far worse, and Troy would not be the one to let the dragon free of its cage.

“Our little brother is being trained by that guy, to do what exactly, please tell me anything but—“ started Aura, but Troy laughed and cut in.

“Use a scythe, obviously…”

…

Arson knew he was in trouble after the third large portal opened. He’d forced all of his friends away, and now had to survive alone.

The feeling of solitude filled him with a vigor that he could use, it wasn’t an actual source of energy that he could draw on, but more a fear that pushed him beyond his limits.

You don’t have to be alone ever again, Arson, just push beyond.

“Think,” said Arson while he shifted his stance. Widened legs to support what was to come.

“Analyze…” The words were echoed by thousands of voices around him in the stands. All could hear him, his words enhanced by the broadcast producers through spatial and sound runes.

Arson prepared to spin. His arms spread wide in an instant before, his hands came together around the base of the scythe he used.

“Move!” Arson’s feet came together in the same moment he spun 360 degrees. The momentum of his swing carried him onward. The slash made only more violent by the continual swarm of skeletons that entered his range of attack.

The crowd turning his mantra into a literal chant while more and more skeletons were bisected.

Come on, Come on! Arson sped up instead of slowing down. A resonance had begun, and without knowing it, Arson tapped into the force that connected all Scythe users.

While he was charged from all sides, projections made of Univers were created. Physical manifestations of women and men who’d once perfected the art of Scythes, dashed outward from the torrent of energy Arson filled his scythe with. A scythe that had nearly every crack on its body and blade restored by skill, mastery, and natural ability turned into energy.

The Scythe in his hand completed itself, and continued to drink in the ambient mana from the sleighed skeletons. The more he spun the more manifestations of Univers were created, and the more dense with power the weapon itself became.

It wasn’t until this point that the figures themselves became so dense with power that not only Arson could see them being created, attack in exotic ways, and disappear; the crowd could as well.

The alias he’d recently chosen for himself, once more yelled by fans across the entire event area to the point that Arson lost himself in the adrenaline and the seeming endless variants of Scythe-work being performed around him.

I can learn from this, I can learn from all of them whoever they are. He pushed his own thoughts to the back of his mind, and focused. Doing his best to memorize everything he saw happening around himself, while more and more joined in the chant.

“Carter Gestalt! Carter Gestalt! Carter Gestalt!”