Cai Masaru Ryuzaki
Cultivation Level: Foundation establishment realm, early stage, level 1
Astral Ascension Level: 3
Draconic Bloodline Resonance: 64%
Physical Stats ~303
Mental Stats ~317
Spirit Stats
Charisma 20
Fate 15
Caliber 7
Energy
****
Manipulation 20
I had combined all of my physical and mental stats into two average numbers to make them easier to absorb. They were fairly close to each other already, and I could easily expand them. I could actually get fairly specific with my stats, all the way down to my grip strength or pattern recognition scores if I wanted. In most cases, however, less would be more.
Looking at my stats, I felt a sense of excitement and expectation. Entering a new realm of cultivation had boosted my stats by nearly half. I had also hidden my relative level for now. Perhaps if I could see other people's levels it would be helpful to compare my own with theirs, but for now, this was easier.
Ignoring a slight weight on my abdomen and a tickling sensation on my chest, —at least for now— I quickly pulled up the rest of my information.
Abilities
Mana Abilities
Neutral Mana Core 1
Telekinesis (Aisling) 2
Eyes of Wisdom 1
Qi Abilities
Cultivation Core 1
Regeneration 1
Physical Augmentation 2
Aetheric Eyes (Yume) 2
Healing Touch 1
Soul Abilities
Soul Nexus Core 1
Soul Manipulation 2
Soul Bond 2
Parallel Thought 1
Skills
Physical Skills
Martial Arts 3
Spear 3
Katana 3
Dual Wielding 2
***
Cognitive Skills
Astral Projection 1
*Languages
-
Draconic 2
***
Soul Skills
Soul Space 2
Cultivation Skills
Qi Refining 4
Qi manipulation 4
Meridian Network 6
Meridians Opened: 20
Chakras Activated: 1
Mana Skills
Rune crafting 3
Mana Manipulation 2
Titles
Spire Lord
Cultivator
Soul Warden
Soul Bonds
Aisling Manalán 3
Tamamo no Yume 3
Conditions—
There was a lot of information, with skills improving that I hadn't expected. The most intriguing improvements were those to my mana. It seemed apparent to me that there was a connection between my cultivation and my mana, which I hadn't anticipated. I had noticed before that Ash's mana traveled through her meridians, though she called them mana circuits. I hadn't experimented much with my own mana inside my body, but I was beginning to think that was something I would need to address.
For now though, the girl sitting on my stomach took priority.
"Amaya?" I asked, my eyes still closed.
"Yes Cai?"
"Am I tied up?"
"Mn."
"I see, I see." I twisted my wrists just a bit, testing the zip cord binding my hands above my head. My feet were likewise tied, though I thought I could break free if I put some effort into it.
"Amaya?" I asked again.
"Yes Cai?"
"Are you drawing on my chest with a permanent marker?"
"Mn."
"I see, I see." That would explain the faint smell and the tickling on my chest. I drew in a breath, afraid of the answer to my next question.
"Amaya?"
"Yes Cai?"
"Is… Is my face also drawn on?"
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"Uun" She denied, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you for that." I expressed my sincere appreciation.
Her hair tickled my bare chest as she nodded. "I intend for you to take me shopping today, and do not want to be embarrassed walking next to you."
"Hmm, very thoughtful indeed. I applaud your forward thinking." I smiled as I tensed my wrists. "Amaya?"
"Yes Cai?"
"Run!" I shouted the last word as I snapped my arms down, breaking the restraints in one swift movement.
Amaya squeaked and jumped off me, dashing for the door. I was slowed momentarily by the bindings of my feet, but catching up to her was easy enough. Even so, I paced myself, playing with her as she darted down the stairs and around furniture to escape.
Her skills and balance were incredible, even more than normal now that she had a little qi flowing through her. Even so, I was surprised when she began throwing my aunt's precious tea cups at me.
A cold sweat broke across my brow as I had to use telekinesis, both hands, and all of my dexterity to catch the thrown objects. I wasn't worried about getting hit, but if one of these cups broke, I wasn't sure either of us would survive my aunt's wrath.
"It seems you've grown desperate Amaya! Such a lowly scheme will never work on me!" I growled, interjecting theatrical bravado into my voice.
She giggled as she turned to run once more. She was usually so quiet that the sound sent warmth flooding through me. I loved it whenever I could get her to express genuine joy.
I let her run for a few seconds more before I finally cornered her. "You have brought my terrible wrath down upon you. Now, suffer and regret!" I lunged, catching her and tickling her mercilessly. She laughed and struggled, but only escaped when I let her up.
Standing, I looked down at my chest to examine Amaya's art work. There was an entire playground of chibi characters splayed across my chest and abdomen. She had clearly had a lot of time to work.
Amaya sauntered closer and poked my chest with a finger. "Divine punishment," she said, her eyes filled with accusation.
I grunted, looking at a clock to see it was far later than I would have expected. It seemed the amount of time variance between the Astral and the Material was still diminishing. It wouldn't be too much longer before the ratio was 1 to 1, and that was assuming it stopped there.
"Sorry Amaya. Time is getting harder to anticipate in the other realm. I think something big might be coming. The Voice said that the Earth was coming into alignment with the Astral. Time rearranging itself would seem like an indicator that it will happen sooner rather than later." My voice was serious, and Amaya could sense my tension.
She put a hand on my shoulder in support. "Do not worry. I am here now, and I will grow strong enough to help you." She grabbed my hand and began pulling me towards the dojo. "Come."
I chuckled at her eagerness, but resisted her pull. "Let me make you breakfast first. Then training, then shopping. Tomorrow is the festival, and I'll be leaving the day after."
My friend looked back at me, eyes slightly glaring. I nodded in apology. "Yes, I meant we'll be leaving. Anyway, there are some things I wanted to buy and have delivered to America. Things that need to have a certain quality that is hard to find there."
Amaya didn't say anything, but happily changed direction for the kitchen. Meanwhile, I did my best to hide the reaction I was having to the sight of her in her crop top spaghetti strap and black pajama bottoms. Helping her with her meridians while she was in a bra would be even harder. Today was going to be a long day.
****
Amaya's eyes seemed to gain a subtle excitement as she examined the merchandise. I wasn't surprised at this point that she knew so much about a good blade. What I was surprised about, was how talkative she became when explaining them to me.
"—need to check the balance before even examining the blade. If the balance is off, even a little, then there is no point in looking further."
We were in a local weapons shop in the village. Apparently, this was the only place Amaya would even consider looking for a daisho, or any other blades for that matter. I wanted the pair of swords, both the katana and the wakizashi, to be of the highest quality. Besides, I was planning to enchant them, and my hope was that having them made in Japan would enhance the very concept behind them. Japan was their land of origin after all.
I was nodding along to Amaya's lecture, though I wasn't sure how important balance was when I could barely feel their weight to begin with. Then again, the quality could affect the enchantment, so I figured it would be best to listen.
Amaya's explanation broke off as the door to the shop opened and the quiet footsteps of four people could be heard entering. The face of my childhood friend darkened subtly as she eyed the newcomers over my shoulder.
I turned, curious to see what had made her look so upset. Well, as upset as Amaya ever looked, which wasn't all that different from her usual stoic expression. Even so it was obvious to anyone who knew her. Well, at least it was obvious to me.
As I had surmised by their footsteps, four people had entered the store. There were three men and one woman, all in their late teens or early twenties. The man in the front wore a slight sneer as he approached us directly.
I had never made an intentional study of the way people walk. I couldn't explicitly say what it was in a person that gave away their level of martial training, but there was definitely something my subconscious picked up. Perhaps it was their economy of movement, or the way they maintained their balance. Perhaps it was the way their muscles were built for utility rather than show, or maybe it was their micro expressions. Whatever it was, I could tell that these four had been trained to fight.
Then again, this was apparently a village of assassins, so I shouldn't be surprised.
"Long time no see, Ryuzaki-san." The man in front said before his smirk deepend. "I thought we had rid ourselves of you for good when you finally let go of your aunt's apron strings."
"Nakamura Hiroshi-san. It is my misfortune that we meet again. I had hoped that since you were older than me, you would have left home by now. Then maybe I could visit in peace."
Nakamura Hiroshi had been around since I was a kid. He never could accept me living in the village as a half breed. His attitude got even worse when Amaya began to grow into her looks. It was almost funny seeing him chase after her in futility.
The smirk on the shorter man's face faltered, replaced by anger for a moment before settling into a sneer. "My time to leave the village will come soon enough, now that my partner has turned old enough to receive our first assignment." His beady eyes flicked to Amaya, looking her up and down appreciatively.
I glanced at my friend to see the sheer revulsion in her eyes, before looking back at Hiroshi. "Heh. She says she never agreed to work with such a…" I squinted back at Amaya. "I can't say that to his face. He would be devastated."
Amaya narrowed her eyes at me, a stubborn set in her jaw. I raised my hands in surrender. "Fine! I'll say it." Turning back to Hiroshi, I finished the message. "She never agreed to work with such a 'disgusting impotent man. You're the worst and should just die!' or so she says." Of course all of this was in Japanese, so a lot of the insults involved breaking polite custom with things like pronouns. Combined with words like saitei, kimoi, and inpo, it was a pretty crushing insult. Amaya could be ruthless when she was angry.
Hiroshi turned a bright red as his anger spiked. The two men with him blanched, while the girl—who I knew to be Hiroshi's sister—let out a small giggle. Hiroshi glared at her, though she only smirked back and shrugged.
The angry man turned back to me, seething hatred in his eyes. I thought for a moment he might want a fight, but he eventually calmed enough to regain his smirk. "As I would expect from a half. You come here smelling like a foreigner, then take it upon yourself to talk for a Japanese woman. Not that it matters. My father is a member of the counsel, and he is already working to have us assigned as a team." He looked pleased with himself for a moment, before his smirk returned to a scowl. "As for your aunt's attempts to get you accepted into the clan, they were doomed to fail before they even began."
I was a little surprised that my aunt had made any such attempt. She never said anything to me about it, but I trusted her to know what she was doing. Before I could respond to Hiroshi, however, Amaya flicked her wrist forward, a snarl on her lips. Everyone paused to take in the sight of the wakizashi blade now pointed at Hiroshi's groin.
"I would rather die. Though you would go first." Amaya spoke in a rather dramatic fashion, but she definitely got her point across. "As for Cai, he only spoke my words for me because I find speaking with you revolting. Do not make me do it again."
Through all this, the expression on my friend's beautiful face never wavered, though her eyes were cold and spoke of easy violence. Hiroshi blanched and he tried to step away but the blade pressed harder. We were still standing there when the door opened again. A moment later another of my childhood friends joined the circle.
Mochizuki Kageri was several years older than me, and had watched after me on occasion growing up. I had only learned recently that she had also been something like an apprentice to my aunt between her eighteenth and twentieth birthdays. The only other person to receive that honor had been Amaya, though again, without me knowing it.
Kageri onee-chan took in the situation before smiling gently. "I think this has gone far enough ne? Perhaps we should all take a step back before an elder gets involved."
Hiroshi, still fuming, nodded and began to step back. He was stopped once more as Amaya pressed harder, her cold eyes still promising death as they bore into the man. Kageri onee-chan stepped forward and gently pushed my friend's hand down, though Amaya's black eyes never left Hiroshi.
The three men all turned to leave, though their leader called back over his shoulder. "I'm afraid the elders will already be getting involved. We can't have an insubordinate tool after all. Amaya-chan needs to learn to work as she is told. With whom she is told."
The fourth member of their party, Hiroshi's younger sister Nakamura Kaori-san, hesitated a moment. Instead of following them, she took a small step closer and bowed. "I apologize for my older brother. He does not speak for me." She straightened and smiled. "Not every one is opposed to you joining the clan. I, for one, would welcome a strong and capable person. And handsome too." She blushed prettily at me, but took a step back when she felt Amaya's glare.
I smiled at her and gave a short bow. "I appreciate your words. May I call you Kaori-chan?"
She nodded with a happy "Mn", so I continued, ignoring it when Amaya stepped on my foot. "As for your brother, I care little for his antics. They simply mean nothing to me. Besides, I understand a little what it's like to have a difficult older sibling." I looked meaningfully at Kageri onee-chan, who rolled her eyes.
"It's not like we ever actually did anything like a brother and sister. I just baby sat you a few times. Besides, I was a perfect child. Nothing to be embarrassed about."
I shrugged one shoulder and continued to address Kaori-chan, "Ok, so maybe I don't really know. Still, I understand what you mean, and hold nothing against you Kaori-chan."
She smiled and nodded, but before she could say anything more, her brother poked his head back into the shop and yelled her name rudely. She jumped and turned to leave, waving at us over her shoulder.
After calling farewell, Kageri onee-chan turned and hooked her arm in mine, ignoring the scowl from Amaya. "So, what were we shopping for? You can tell me all about what you've been up to as we go."
Amaya stepped up, taking my other arm and dragging us both back to the display. She deliberately ignored the older girl, determined to pretend that nothing had changed. Even after Kageri onee-chan left, Amaya continued to hold my arm.