Rising Kite - A story from the world of HWFWM

The world seemed to slow down. Kite could more clearly see the hand reaching for Dragonfly’s pink curls, and just as the fingers were about to close, it all changed. From too slow to almost too fast to follow, an inky cloud exploded from Dragonfly before disappearing almost as fast.

The descending man landed with the shattering of stone and the splashing of water as the stream suddenly sported a new pond, courtesy of the small crater caused by the forceful landing. He looked at his empty hands, then up at where Dragonfly had been standing.

In her stead hovered a small paper doll, vaguely human shaped. The man barely had time to scrunch up his eyebrows in frustration as a myriad of glyphs lit up on the doll, the resulting explosion launching him back into a nearby rock formation.

Instructor Whisper appeared next to Kite in a similar cloud of smoke.

“Follow this charm and stay out of the way. If things are looking bleak for me, I recommend that you run. Understood?”

Kite barely had the time to nod before a slip of paper with flickering glyphs caught his attention as it flew in front of his face, before gliding off through the air.

Not long after, he crouched next to Dragonfly behind a mossy boulder some forty meters down the small stream. They sat close and peeked out at the same side of the stone. This let them both get a proper look at the unexpected assailant as he rose from where he had fallen.

It was a human man of medium height but built as an ox. His body was swollen with muscle until it almost became obscene, veins clearly visible on his bare upper body. He was clean shaven of both head and face, and still sported the severely unnerving smile below small, beady eyes.

Instructor Whisper stood straight and dignified about twenty meters away from the man with a detached and severe expression, robes still immaculate.

“It’s not very nice to deny a man his path like that.” the stranger spoke between clenched teeth. “And they looked so delectable too. Enough that these idiots-” he gestured to the fallen iron-rankers “-apparently lost their senses and were put down. It’s hard to find proper initiates out here in the middle of nowhere though, so I have to take what I can get.” All while he spoke, the rictus grin remained frozen on his face.

“I’m surprised you dare bring your tainted path close to these lands again, deviant. You know you will be hunted down like the beasts you are after I report back.” answered instructor Whisper in a clipped tone.

“Then I believe we live under vastly different assumptions, little man. Because if we follow my path, you will soon lie broken beneath my hands and not be in any position to report anything to anyone while I break those little treats you brought me with something entirely different.”

“Our paths will forever be at odds, deviant. The adventure society has principles that are created to protect the people from beasts like you, and today I will be their arbiter.” instructor Whisper stated as three more paper charms appeared in his hand.

His opponent had already began moving, and as he took a hulking leap, four chains sprouted from his back. Two wound themselves along his arms in a way Kite recognized from his earlier fight, while the other whipped about like the heads of rabid snakes. His muscles pulsed with a sickly purple light which sent nauseating images of formless horror through the minds of everyone present. Both Kite and Dragonfly reeled from the disturbing mental effects before they managed to shield themselves with a united effort of auras.

Instructor Whisper did not remain idle either, as he sent the three charms flying to hover in different static positions around the mossy battleground. As the bandit closed the distance, the same ability replaced the instructor with another exploding paper doll. The bandit, now wiser to the trick could at least protect his face with a meaty hand and he swiftly pursued the smaller man, using his chains to grab branches and stones to gain speed or change direction abruptly. Instructor Whisper continued to dodge the ever-increasing frequency of punches, conjured chains and barreling charges, his margins lessening with each second.

The bandit almost shrieked in triumph as he, after tens of missed attacks, finally managed to predict where his elusive opponent would appear. Huge fists reached into the appearing smoke and lifted the instructor from the ground while squeezing, muscles pulsing again with the purple light.

“We have to do something!” Kite whispered frantically.

“I know!” Dragonfly hissed back, “but even I am not fool enough to dive into that fight. They’re both bronze rank, and not in the early stages either. We’d be paste. Heaven damn it!” She punctuated the last part by punching the boulder which, judging from the thin cracks, looked more hurt by the experience than her.

Kite suddenly stepped out from behind the boulder. Before Dragonfly could drag him back down, he had plucked a short, curved bow from his void sheath. It was made from supple wood which still looked alive, and between its curves were a spider’s web instead of string.

WWJS:

[Item] Gladespinner’s bow

Rank: Iron - Uncommon

[Effect] Conjure arrows for a small cost of mana.

[Effect] Arrows fired inflicts and instance of [Gladespinner venom], a stackable poison which drains stamina over time

Kite had received the bow after the battle with the spider’s and their brood mother. However, he only had a basic proficiency with the weapon, and that was a bit too generous of an evaluation. “Better than nothing.” he mumbled as he drew the string and fired.

Arrows flew along the stream, almost all missing the stationary and rather large target. The last one which actually hit simply bounced off the swollen muscles of the bandit’s arm, not even garnering an ounce of attention from the man.

To the horror of Kite and Dragonfly, a loud cracking sound could be heard as the huge man’s fists broke the body of instructor Whisper. And once again, they were all surprised at what came next.

Instead of a spray of blood, paper streamers erupted from the smaller man’s body. They were apparently quite sharp as the bandit stumbled back covered in lacerations. At the same time, instructor Whisper appeared standing on a fallen log some ten meters away. Along with him appeared dozens of additional charms hovering around the glade.

“Imbecile.” he commented, before chanting a spell. “Let thine freedom be taken by scriptures of power”.

Lines of magical symbols started flowing out of some of the floating charms, connecting and forming a cube around the bandit. As the big man lunged toward him, his fist met an invisible barrier which glowed slightly on contact.

“You think this flimsy thing will stop my path!? The bandit shouted in a voice broken between a roar and a squeal, before he started to pound away at the barrier. However, instructor Whisper was not done.

“A stroke of the brush shall seal thine fate!”

The rest of the charms lit up, before they started to shower the trapped bandit with hundreds of small beams of bright force. From a distance, it looked as if he was bathed in needles made of pure light, as if to excise the foulness trapped between them. They were relentless, and the damage dealt was visible even from where Kite and Dragonfly watched. At this rate, it seemed like it would soon be over.

However, it seemed like the bandit shared the instructor’s sentiment of not giving in so easily. He staggered back, and wheezed out a chant of his own through the apparent pain.

“My flesh stands ready for the most sublime of pleasures. Let it awaken true ecstasy, so that I may make the world my receptacle!”

Once more they could all feel the disturbing pulse, albeit more subdued as it seemed to have a different focus this time; inwards. The glowing light from within the man’s body intensified, and both his speed and power seemed to increase drastically. He renewed his frenzied assault on the barrier, which now started to show cracks at a disturbingly quick pace as he seemed to ignore the rays of force that still showered him .

Kite recognized the signs of a certain type of ability; where the user gained powerful boons at the cost of a weakened state afterwards. As Dragonfly had one, he was quite familiar with how they could swing a fight if used at the right momentum, lessons learned during their sparring. And thanks to those lessons, he knew that he might actually be able to make a difference in a situation where he otherwise would have to remain a passive observer.

He flashed a smile at Dragonfly as he brandished his bow again.

“This always annoyed you so much!” as he took a breath and fired.

The arrow flew wide, as did the three following. Kite tensed with each miss as he could see the barrier weakening quickly, and that it might be too late in just a few seconds as his target would no longer remain stationary. He counted two more heartbeats, praying to the goddess Fortune and made a silent vow to Warrior that he would increase his time spent practicing if he could only land this arrow.

Dragonfly, only now picking up on the reason why Kite renewed his efforts, seemed to have her own solution to the problem as he suddenly heard:

“Say ‘aaaaaaah’.”

“Wha-” he started to ask as something was shoved into his mouth.

A current went through his body, as the bronze spirit coin dissolved and the world slowed down. He could feel his hands stop shaking. The coolness of the stream through his greaves. The smell of Dragonfly, flowery beneath a generous dose of the smells of the forest, sweat and blood. His eyes focused as his arrow crackled slightly before it was released.

For an iron ranker, mortal limitations were very much real. While their abilities made them dangerous, their physical characteristics had not yet changed all that much. As Kite hadn’t put too many hours into his archery, which meant even hitting a huge and stationary target at that range was quite unlikely. This changed as his body channeled the more potent bronze rank magic, as borrowed strength, perception and clarity took the hit chance from ‘very unlikely’ to ‘routine’ as long as he wasn’t too particular of where the arrow struck the target.

The projectile flew along the waters of the stream now tainted with blood from the intense battle upstream. With his increased perception, he could see it enter the shower of bright rays still fired from instructor Whisper’s many wards. Fortune seemed to have heard him, as it flew the final stretch unscathed and pierced the swollen flesh of the man’s back. The damage was entirely negligible, but the added special attack was anything but. Upon contact, Disrupting strike delivered its shimmering energies into the man.

As the pulse traveled through the bandits body, helped along by the bronze spirit coin in his body and his racial gift which let such abilities ignore the resistance from rank disparity, the swollen muscles deflated like a water skin hit by a ballista bolt. Kite had used the tactic several times during his sparring with Dragonfly, as such high risk-high reward powers became a trap when facing Kite’s rather unusual power set.

The bandit shrieked and fell down to one knee, as his mighty punches became a weak flailing. Then clawing. Then nothing. Instructor Whisper kept the attack going for a little longer, but as the bandit leader remained still, he eventually released the attacking wards, the barrier-cage following shortly after.

Kite missed a bit of the aftermath as the world became blurry as the strength from the coin left him. He wobbled on his feet and had to lean on Dragonfly as the pair walked back up the stream toward the instructor, who rose up to face them after fastening a suppression collar around the still unconscious woman.

“Report.” he asked them rather curtly. They were both a bit taken aback by the formality in his voice, but began piecing together their recollection of the events. After hearing them out, the instructor nodded approvingly.

“That is in accord with what I saw as well. You are to be commended for your assistance in the matter. While staying was a risk, you took action within reason and therefore saved me both injury and valuable resources. As you might have surmised, things get a lot more messy for me if I can’t contain my foe. Thank you.”

“Can you tell us who they were, instructor? You seemed to know them. Or of them, at least” Kite asked, albeit with a careful tone. “He spoke of initiates. Were they really of the Unbreakable Chains sect?”

Instructor Whisper sighed. “You are correct. Deviants from a not so distant path. While you are not yet members and don't meet the qualifications for some of the classified knowledge, there are some things I can relay. What do you know of the sect?”

“Only that it was destroyed and that they supposedly did a lot of really horrible things. I tried not to put too much stock into it though, since I thought it was mostly rumors.” Kite responded.

“While it might not hold true for every member, it did for most. At least at the end. The sect had always taught a path of dominating the battlefield through abilities that left enemies helpless, and having at least one power which restricted enemy movement were a criteria for joining.

While strict and domineering, their values weren’t beyond common sensibilities or far removed from the teachings of other sects. But some rumors got out a little too frequently, and a covert investigation revealed that quite distasteful practices had become commonplace among the elders of the sect. By the time the other sects struck, only the most newly inducted disciples were uninitiated into these dark rituals. Use of restricted essences had spread among them, especially the corrupt essence, but also the essences and awakening stones of the darker gods.

The horrors of these practices were varied and I shall not name them all, but some followed what they called the path of pleasure, albeit that no one but the practitioner would be pleased by such a path. They essentially act only to gain access to new heights of pleasure, no matter what or who would suffer the consequences. While varied in their inclinations they are all quite twisted individuals. You did the kingdom a service today.”

Both Kite and Dragonfly had listened with increasing unease, and the latter broke their silence.

“But weren’t they hunted down? Why aren't there more adventurers out here to fight them?”

Instructor Whisper’s mouth became a thin line.

“A most reasonable question. Unfortunately, sect politics have become involved. Which means that both the Victorious Sunset sect and the Descending star sect lay claim to further larger scale purging contracts. As they bicker over each one, dragging the society into the mess, the punitive patrols are few and far between. Therefore it is mostly small-scale contracts for bandit hunting that are done with any regularity.” He spat to the side.

“This barely makes a dent in the numbers, unfortunately, as there is no shortage of desperate souls escaping to this corner of the kingdom, so the deviants have their pick of new people to induct.

But I believe that I might have overstepped my professionality and slid into the lands of personal opinion. Please forgive a weary instructor for the lapse.” Holding up a hand to forestall more questions, he gestured to the collared woman.

“We shall bring her back with us and let the society’s interrogators see what they can wring from her. You both did well today, and due to the circumstances I shall break protocol and congratulate you both for passing. As of now, you are one-star adventurers of iron rank. Your first contract shall be to arrange transport and bring the prisoner back to the city.

As soon as we return to the village, I will travel ahead of you and make arrangements for your arrival. Understood?”

Both Kite and Dragonfly nodded, as the sudden weight of responsibility settling on their shoulders quieted any thoughts of protest.

The freshly-minted pair of adventurers watched the retreating form of instructor Whisper, as he rode what looked like a big lizard made out of folded paper, complete with saddle and bridle. He had debriefed them thoroughly, and left after giving one final word of advice.

“This has been a perfect lesson as to instill one truth of the adventurer lifestyle. That the information in the contracts is a loose guide at best. Neither you nor I suspected to encounter a bronze-rank bandit, yet we did. It is up to you both to use your judgment and meticulousness to discern the best way forward. And remember that there is never any shame in stepping down and calling for assistance. No matter what members of certain sects would tell you. Your paths are only as fragile as you make them.”

Dragonfly looked down at their cargo. The woman was collared and bound to a stretcher they had constructed from two sturdy branches with a pelt stretched between which they had bought from the villagers. She was fast asleep, which she’d remain for the remainder of the trip, courtesy of some quite potent sleeping pills auntie Dove had included in the collection she had sent with Kite. The woman had awoken earlier, and started shouting obscenities which gave the pair the impulse to both blush and vomit, and they’d unanimously decided to keep her as sedated as possible.

Fortunately, the trip back was largely uneventful, with the exception of a rather hectic night battle against a pack of rummager hounds. The canine monsters weren’t individually threatening to an iron ranker, but could create quite a mess as their long, multi-pronged prehensile tongues made them quite proficient thieves.

As they neared the gates of Gilded, they got a lot of odd looks from the other travelers around the gate, but the whispering died down as they were met by an escort of adventure society officials for the final stretch of the journey.

The very same evening, Kite and Dragonfly sat together on the roof of the apartment Kite shared with uncle Walker. He was admiring his badge in the last rays of sun, as the sky took on a rosy color which melded well with the golden foliage all around them.

Putting the badge away, he picked up one of the meat skewers from the huge basket of food they had bought to celebrate. Brandishing it like a mock blade, he held it out toward his companion whose pink hair seemed to meld with the evening sky above. She gave him a grin and picked a skewer of her own to cross ‘swords’ with him.

“As the rains follow the slopes to create fertile fields, may our paths carry us to glory.” he intoned with mock seriousness. He had found that he really enjoyed how relaxed he felt around Dragonfly, as her amicable nature and passion had worn down a bit of the serious teenager in him who always felt like the world judged him.

“So far, our paths have mostly carried us to sleeping outdoors and fighting pervy bandits. So I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more of that glory.” she replied with a wink.