There was an obvious lack of planning and organization between Almarine and Jade. In fact it was nonexistent. If it wasn't for the fact that the women fought like they’d known each other since birth, they would have no hope for success. “Why would we go straight to the core, isn’t that where these lunatics get their directives from?” asked Jade. Military officers rushed them from two sides. Their path through the center of the largest structure at all of Maelstrom was not an easy one. The women fought the equivalent to a super-powered army, trained to protect their planet's access point to the system itself. So though both women were extremely skilled and relatively outside the reach of the foes around them. There came a point when a swarm of anything no matter how small became enough to overwhelm any odds with access to numbers. “Yes, but how they receive and translate those directives is honestly a toss up!” Both women now teleported through enemies. The younger, punched foes in the same instant she appeared, as the elder’s strikes caused her opponents to be teleported, often inches away from walls or ceilings. The devastating combination caused bodily collisions to occur consistently between the allies of the women’s enemies, but neither woman ever even teleported into the other’s path nor close to the same exact position. “Are any of the Oligarchs of this planet currently—“ “No, only three of seven of our planets leaders are awake at a time. The chosen head appointed from one of the seven. A military leader who is currently off-planet fighting a war against demons, and the current head of the Cultivator’s Guild.” “Are any of them between us and the core, old lady?” “Wow, temper young lady, temper, you don’t have to yell,” responded Almarine. “Temper, who are you my mother? Answer the question, woman!” “Fifty-fifty, we see at least one, on the way in, 75% chance we see one on the way out,” said Almarine with a shrug. Jade didn’t like those odds at all, and when she thought briefly she realized they may be met with not one, but two potentially difficult opponents. A detail that made her understand they could also face both these opponents at the same time if the first of two wasn’t handled. Jade shook her head in an attempt to shake free the thoughts. The minds of mana filled cultivators tended to manifest their most prominent thoughts into reality and this was what she wanted to avoid above all… “Looks like luck isn’t on our side,” said Almarine with a point toward a young man that floated slowly around the corner of the nearest crossroads of intersecting halls. Jade looked between the man who didn’t look up from his books, a ring of tomes all spinning in view just out of arms reach, and back at Almarine who now held a sideways fist out toward Jade, as if she was asking the woman for a fist bump. “What is wrong with you?” “I’m tired, and old, I don’t want to keep fighting all day, and one of us needs to go and make my request, how do you youngsters solve picking, do you have a better idea?” Many cultivators in the defense force watched the exchange, weapons drawn and at the ready. The onlookers gave the new man who’d entered a wide berth. They feared the women in front of them, but not in the same way they worried over the leader who floated at a walking pace toward Almarine and Jade. The two women played rock paper scissors, choosing the same option so many times that the man made it only a few yards away from them and their audience started to wonder if the choice would be taken from them. Then the man floated directly between them both and their game paused. Both shared a look as the Oligarch of Knowledge, Nex Vladimir paid them no mind; the pages of his tomes all flipping in either direction as the man scanned the books. His long blond curls framing his silver glasses as his eyes darted back and forward. "Seriously," mouthed Jade in Almarine’s direction, to which the woman once again shrugged. “I lost in rock paper scissors, you have to fight Ram,” said the man with a sigh. Jade’s brow furrowed, until a wall crumbled in the distance from the direction Nex had come. A titan of a man ran through the rubble as if it weren’t there and looked both ways down the hall. He scratched his head while he searched, then locked directly in on Almarine and Jade, before he smiled and yelled. “Ram Palomino!” The short haired mountain of muscle charged toward them both; the game of rock paper scissors reignited once more. “I won, so you will fight Ram, do you know of me, of course you do, I am Ram, Ram Palomino!” The man pounded his chest with a fist larger than either woman’s torso, and lifted a sword nearly longer than both Jade and Almarine stacked on top of each other. The claymore, a mast worked piece of art, made to cut through cultivator and continents indiscriminately. The military on seeing Ram rush in, evaded the interaction entirely and fled. The massive hall they were in, now enclosed by troops on either end, with the three preparing for battle nearly at its center. Ram’s footsteps began to shake the ground they all stood on, and Jade couldn’t help but glance toward Ram, her choice changing from paper to rock in the moment she looked away. His next few steps in their direction caused her to be lifted off the ground like a violent earthquake had started amidst its most volatile point. She stumbled, but managed to widen her stance to give herself balance, but it was already too late. Ram swung his weapon, and Jade looked toward Almarine, who held up the symbol for paper before she fluttered her fingers in Jade's direction and vanished. The playful goodbye shocked Jade even more than Almarine’s use of teleportation, as she didn’t know that she had been the one to teach the woman the skill. Ram, Palomino!” “Embers and sparks…” Jade rolled her eyes and the sword cut through the air at an incredible speed. A speed she wouldn’t have been able to match until she’d fought Almarine only recently. She lifted an arm and caught the weapon in a single hand, a massive wave of pressure rippling outward at the contact between weapon and armor made Jade happy her strength had increased… at first.. The man’s follow-through made his entire 13 foot frame explode with muscles, and Jade felt herself be jerked into the air like a perfectly deflected projectile. Ram chased after Jade in another ground shaking blitz, even as she was spun end over end, struggling to catch herself aerially. This is going to suck…” Even as she spun, Jade was able to catch glimpses of the giant man’s leap through the air in her direction, and the wall she sped toward. Walls not made fragile from centuries or millennia of disuse. Mana rich walls that could easily support her being flattened like an ant between the ground and a tumbling boulder in a landslide. “Ram Palomino!” … Almarine loved being able to teleport. It made sneaking anywhere far easier. Most of the cultivators within Tempest’s domain were incredibly perceptive. Against an individual who’d claimed a piece of the night sky itself, and was able to use the moon’s reflective energy to create illusions, however, most fell short. She’d thought she’d been noticed a handful of times, but was glad that her distraction was paying off and her granddaughter's fight was sufficient enough to constantly draw the attention of those gathered. While Almarine snuck through the home of Maelstrom’s core. Jade and Ram knocked over wall after wall. Almarine began to wonder how much more the building could take, but found her destination and dismissed the thought. The wide open area was that of a stadium. Accessible on 8 sides through open archways the massive open space held a core larger than any core Almarine had ever seen. She strolled into the room without a fear, as the guards in this area were mana based constructs the size of buildings, built to sense malicious intent. Since Almarine had no such intentions, the 8 mana golems remained inactive. “What a special surprise,” spoke the massive ball of spiraling light at the center of the room. Its voice could be both felt within her mind and heard by her ears at the same time. The effect making the voice echo slightly, even whilst it already boomed with pressure and infused energy. “Hello Tempest, how have you been since we spoke last?” The massive ball of Univers and elemental manas pulsed and an exotic spray of light danced through the room all around Almarine. “I am absolutely splendid, did you know that I have made contact with almost a dozen new Godlings since you fell back into my realm, I now have so many new opportunities to grow stronger, actually you brought one of them with you,” said Tempest. “Is that right, I knew my granddaughter was strong but that is impressive, she may be the youngest Godling of them all, right?” To her surprise the ball of energy laughed and the impression of denial was received by Almarine’s core and soul realm like a splash of cold water across her face. “No, another connected to you is the youngest, a boy, he’s my new favorite, he has bravery confused with fear, it is quite lovely to watch him develop,” answered Tempest. Almarine’s mind went blank at what she suspected Tempest was indicating with his words, and it wasn’t until one of the many structures that surrounded the core space was toppled that she snapped back into focus. She glanced in the distance only to see Jade step off Ram’s claymore even as the large Cultivator swung it at her trying to separate her torso from her legs. Almarine couldn’t help but smile at seeing Jade’s continual use of pressure points and the soft touch stance that primarily required two fingers from each hand to be used. Ram’s once smile seemed to have transformed into a grimace of displeasure. Jade’s growth capability unmatched as far as Almarine had ever experienced. “You don’t mean my Arson, do you? He cannot be a Godling, he doesn’t have a core yet,” stated Almarine convinced both that Tempest spoke about the star eyed child she’d come to love, but believed him to be wrong about. “Yes he does, he’s working on far more than his first core as we speak. If he wasn’t obviously a cultivator, I’d wonder if he was a juvenile mana core like myself,” said Tempest. The words from the being of light and energy were filled with laughter and the sensation of joy and elation. “I’ve been within his soul realm, no core exists there,” said Almarine more to herself than to Tempest. “Many thought the first with the Phantom Sun System didn’t have a core either, but they were wrong, as you are now, this… Arson, has the potential for many great things,” said Tempest, another building in the distance destroyed. Ram Palomino now being chased by Jade who’d obtained his sword, and held it awkwardly in her far too small hands. “You jest. No one has ever been able to claim the legacy of the Sky Father. How should I believe that a boy who arrived on my doorstep a mere handful of season cycles ago could do such a thing?” “Isn’t he why you are here in the first place, you want me to make a change in your society’s laws so that you can give him a brighter future, do you not?” spoke Tempest in question. The mana core knew all that occurred within its own realm, with the exclusion being the thoughts of cultivators. Mortal women and men were incapable of avoiding the intrusion. Most often being used like webcams instead. Tempest’s needs were never finite, so he didn’t ignore the mental gibberish, their mundane ways of thinking of no consequence to the System’s construct, while the gateways to the soul always gave the being more information to work with. “I would like concessions to be made, not just for my charges, but all the orphanages within the realm, if this can be done, then I believe not just my charges will overcome great obstacles, but so will you,” said Almarine, attempting to provoke a need for their interaction with the mana core, and take the entity's obvious spotlight off Arson as much as possible. Your life being admired by the system hasn’t been an easy one… “What sort of concessions?” Almarine smiled and gave a single nod. A plan she’d started alongside two girls a fortnight ago was brought to life, and everything in the realm of Maelstrom would be forever changed. “First, I would like to start a program that not unlike the mentorship offered in most College Sekts gives to students, not in all areas of life as the colleges offer from master to disciple, but more an internship with proceeds being used to fund the program itself, while anything made in excess is donated to the CityNation,” explained Almarine. A series of destroyed walls and structures exploding in the background while she spoke. “This sounds like an apprenticeship, many forms of schools within the lower realms use this, why would you believe that this type of layout would be any more beneficial than the restricted knowledge format we already have in place?” Almarine thought a moment, knowing that her next answer needed to be perfect. The mana core was known for its temper, a temper that resulted in the current oppression of knowledge their realm’s whole existence now faced because of this very being. The more powerful cultivators in a realm, the better for the realm’s most prominent core, in this case, the living Tempest before her. With more cultivators, came a higher position amongst the realm ladder that led to the heavens. After losing many ancient cultivators to a piece of forgotten knowledge, Tempest associated knowledge as a whole as risky… necessary, as without it Tempest’s cultivators couldn’t grow. So instead of making the access to unfathomable and dangerous information impossible, Tempest instead gave it all from small to large, a price tag. “This system works for your cultivators with available resources, Tempest, but it ignores the potential of all those who start within the realm without funds or name to stand on. In fact the boy you claim is a Godling, would have been ignored completely by the system we currently have in place, if I hadn’t—“ Almarine took a risk, and led the living mana core in a direction that she hoped would get her what she needed. “If you hadn’t what, broken the law…,” asked the mana core. Almarine looked away, and the lights within the room began to dance dangerously. The soft colors offered by the core, changing to look like the angry skies before a storm arrived on the horizon during sunset. “How could you? You know what we lost the last time, Celeste was one of my prized possessions,” said Tempest. The name of Almarine’s daughter being spoken then was enough to make her rethink what she was doing entirely in that moment, until the image of Arson’s body floating in a softly swirling pond flickered in her memory and she banished the unwelcome thoughts. You can make this right. Just do right by those who are depending on you now. “I saw an opportunity, and I couldn’t ignore it Tempest, if I am right, the children within my care will one day bring the ascension of the entire realm into the heavens above,” said Almarine, using these words precisely, knowing the solitary wish of every core in existence. Become heavens core, and raise the heavens into a new and glorious age of prominence by the will of the System. “Hmm…” The mana core thought. The colors displayed shifted from chaotic to calm, and Almarine knew she’d avoided trouble when Tempest spoke up once more. “I believe you are right Almarine, I can see many occurrences of what you speak of through the eyes of my citizens now that I know what to look for, so I do thank you for what you have brought to my attention, but this isn’t something I can do without much consideration, and for that I will need to experiment, I will give you 100 season cycles to eclipse the current system of Maelstrom, either in wealth, reputation, or capabilities, if you or any of your charges show you are able of doing so within this time period, I will consider an overhauling of the restrictive knowledge system,” said Tempest. A sensation of relief and pride in what she was about to try filled her chest and Almarine began to cry, until Tempest finished speaking. “My only stipulation is that this Arson of yours must remain affiliated with Maelstrom. If his allegiances shift at any point before 100 season cycles, the experiment will be concluded, and this program of yours will be destroyed,” said Tempest. Almarine’s eyes widened and she knew she had failed in drawing attention away from Arson, but knew that she now had time to make sure that the realm’s inefficiencies could be solved. As long as Arson doesn’t get any big ideas of leaving the realm permanently as he grows older… “That don’t sound good,” said Jade as she entered the room. She dragged an unconscious Ram by the end of one pant leg, and flopped the large man just inside the archway she entered through. The woman then dropped the man’s large blade beside him, and sat on his chest, her shoulders sagged with exhaustion while she took a deep breath and looked between Almarine and Tempest. “What?”
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