Mists of the Rising Sun 3

Foreword
''The third part of Mists of the Rising Sun. Now that the protagonists have seen that those in positions of authority and supposed righteousness may very well be unjust and unrighteous, what will they do?''

''Is Eldric Bellamont going to be a friend or foe? Who is actually tricking who? Also, what is Keeper Lucius actually planning to do next, now that his true nature is laid bare before the Tsaesci that he attempted to trick into working for him?''

''Also, what are the Ka Po Tun really up to, regarding the waters of the five streams and more? What are they seeking?''

Chapter 21
Kasumi shook her head after she listened to Eldric's story, at least understanding why the man was dead set against Keeper Lucius from the Vigilants of Stendarr. The whole chain of events begun when Eldric's father was sent to exterminate vampires, as a member of the Vigilants. Eldric's father was a talented spellsword who used might and magic in conjunction to exterminate his enemies. The missions normally went well when he was around, which earned him the title of vampire slayer from his peers.

It so happened that Keeper Lucius was formerly one of the former comrades in arms of Eldric's father and they fought the vampires together. It was a particularly unfortunate incident where Lucius was ambushed and infected with vampirism after he was separated from his allies. Lucius managed to kill the vampire, but he was badly wounded and couldn't move, until turning into a vampire healed his injuries. Harboring the hate for Eldric's father for failing to try and rescue him or come back for him later, Lucius rejoined the Vigilants of Stendarr by disguising his true nature.

Eldric's father left the Vigilants of Stendarr after he went to High Rock to carry out a vampire extermination, from which he never returned to Cyrodiil. The truth was that he had actually spared the daughter of the vampires he was sent to kill, having realised the Vigilants of Cyrodiil were sending him to exterminate anything they deemed against the Divines. As Eldric's father had always vowed to protect innocents, he decided to leave the organisation. Using the money he accumulated, he settled down in High Rock and operated a farm and vineyards.

Eldric himself was born a few years later, his mother being the vampire who was spared by his father. He did not have any traits of a vampire, so he could freely wander around under the sun. He started helping out on the farm when young and learnt various restoration and destruction magic arts from his father and mother. For quite a while, Eldric's family lived in peace, away from troubles, as he welcomed two younger siblings. When he was older, Eldric also started learning how to use a sword and he naively promised his siblings that he would protect them.

Lucius never forgot, though, and he came to High Rock to enact his plan of revenge about eighteen years since Eldric's birth. Through the years, Lucius had taken advantage of his vampirism to advance the ranks within the Vigilants of Stendarr, for his powers allowed him to fight stronger daedra and beasts. Leading a whole group of Vigilants to High Rock after discovering the whereabouts of his former superior, Lucius burned down the vineyards and massacred Eldric's family. This was facilitated by the nature of Eldric's parents, which easily convinced the Vigilants that his father had turned to the daedra.

Eldric's father had fought back and successfully took out many of Lucius' aides, until Lucius himself revealed his true nature and managed to kill him. Thirsty for blood, but having killed practically everyone, Lucius turned to the almost dead Eldric to sate his vampiric hunger and left the boy for dead, already ready to use the entire scenario to prove he had went through much difficulty. It was how his ranks in the Vigilants would rise further after the given incident. Eldric himself didn't die, though, as the blood he carried from his mother awakened, countering the effects of Lucius' own vampiric curse and transforming the boy into a strain similar to his own mother.

It was then Eldric realized he had become a vampire, after feeling the strange need to drink the blood of the living and the tingle the sun caused on his skin, which led him to study vampirism itself. He didn't know what to do regarding his new condition and therefore, by accident, he discovered Spirit Pressure cultivation through his own experimentation that fixed his weaknesses. He took the swords that belonged to his parents and swore revenge, tracking Lucius down to Cyrodiil after travelling Tamriel for several years. It was when Eldric's plan to just kill Lucius and then escape, but he met Kasumi and therefore he failed.

Kasumi therefore agreed that indeed, Keeper Lucius wasn't someone that would be considered a good person, and so eliminating him would be good for the people of Tamriel. Much to Ren's displeasure, she offered her help to Eldric if he would increase the pay he would give her when everything was over. Eldric himself was glad to have the help of the three Tsaesci, so he immediately lent Shiori his second sword as a deposit for the payment as well as a temporary weapon for her to use, promising to pay up later.

Which was what led to the current situation. Ren didn't seem very happy as he was forced to walk on the pavement, although the actual problem was Shiori who could not run along the rooftops and jump across wide gaps to traverse the Imperial City at a higher speed. The group moved slowly, seeing if Keeper Lucius was anywhere to be found, although there wasn't actually much hope of locating him. It was likely the old vampire had already fled the city after revealing his nature, unless he was arrogant enough to assume he could take on all of them.

"Vampire, since he is of your stock, surely you should know the habits of your kind. Is there anywhere this Keeper Lucius would be after escaping like that under the sun? I don't think he is as resistant against it as you are" said Ren, as he decided to ask questions to narrow the area of search. Night was going to fall soon, so catching Lucius before night came was advantageous. Neither Ren nor Kasumi was thinking of capturing Lucius, as killing him would be far safer and faster.

"Most likely indoors, an inn or restaurant. He wouldn't want to stay under the sunlight for long, since he is of the Cyrodiil kind and his penalties are more severe than those of an average vampire. Even if he maintains illusion magic and constantly restores himself, his body is taking damage under sunlight, which will tax his magicka and cause fatigue. He may also hide in a temple or any other public place that is indoors, waiting for night" said Eldric, for he had studied about the different kinds of vampire just to know how best to defeat Keeper Lucius. He had studied the various types of vampirism, along with their weaknesses and advantages.

"Searching all those places would take too long. Do you have any idea how we can narrow down the possible places he would go?" said Kasumi as she thought about what was the next step to take. She noticed that Ren seemed to be deep in thought, as though he had figured something out.

"If what this vampire here said is true, most likely this Lucius would require somewhere to feed and rest, so he can recover his various vital parameters. As vampires cannot get sick, wouldn't the best place be to go to a temple where the ill are being healed? It would be easy pickings for food and as a servant of the local religion, he will not be suspicious. After that, fleeing the city would be easier at night" said Ren, as he smiled slightly, having thought over how Lucius was likely to respond to the current state of affairs.

"That works, I guess. So, do you have an idea where such a place would be? I take it's not your first time to this place, if you managed to confirm your enemy is here" asked Kasumi as she looked at Eldric to get the answer from him. The vampire would definitely know Cyrodiil better than her or Ren. She wouldn't even trust Shiori who seemed to have stayed in Leyawiin the whole time.

"Somewhere which would house a shrine of Kynareth, despite Mara being more closely related to healing and love. If that's the case, given the rebuild after the Great War, we could try the Temple of the Nine first, then check if there are any minor temples of Kynareth around. With such a large city, the Temple of the Nine here can't be the only place of worship by the locals" said Eldric, as he thought about the layout of the city. Indeed, Kasumi was right when she mentioned it wasn't Eldric's first time in the Imperial city.

Eldric decided to lead the way for the group, given that there was no way the three Tsaesci would go anywhere if they didn't have at least a map. Ren seemed to have memorized the streets and relative positions of everything, but it was still apparent he wasn't familiar with landmark locations, as he committed them to memory as Eldric mentioned them whenever they passed a landmark. Kasumi and Shiori were both hopeless at finding their way, although Shiori seemed to be doing better at understanding how the city was planned.

The group stopped outside a rather run down building, which was probably what they were looking for. For a temple dedicated to the gods to be housed in such a structure, the rebuild of Cyrodiil after the battles that took place across the entire province was incomplete despite the Great War being a distant memory. Eldric pushed open the door to the place, as he watched two priests take care of the sick and wounded. Keeper Lucius was nowhere to be found, though. Eldric couldn't detect any traces of the older vampire as far as scent or presence was concerned.

"If the door we used isn't the only one, it's quite possible that our enemy kept in the shadows as he exited through a back door. The narrow alleys wouldn't be brightly lit given the setting sun. He likely had his fill before moving on" said Ren as he walked up to one of the sick and looked at the person's shoulder instead. Lucius had took care to cover his tracks, biting someone on the shoulder rather than neck, then using healing magic to make the wound look older than it really was.

Kasumi nodded to show she agreed with Ren's reasoning and she didn't wait as she left the establishment through another door which she easily found. Ren followed Kasumi out, but Shiori seemed to feel that something was off and she didn't follow the masters she served, instead remaining in the room dedicated to Kynareth. Drawing the sword that Eldric lent her earlier, Shiori pointed it at one of the priests, who didn't seem to respond, asking "did a Vigilant of Stendarr pass through this temple earlier?"

The priest turned and gave Shiori a blank stare, suggesting that Lucius had used more than healing magic within this makeshift temple. Shiori kept the sword in her hands steady, as she lowered her stance slightly in accordance with what Kasumi had taught her. Before the priest could respond, Shiori moved her Spirit Pressure to her legs, covering the short distance between herself and the priest, seemingly to stab the man in his left shoulder. The priest quickly turned slightly and moved to his own right so the blade only scraped his robe, only for Shiori's open palm to meet his face as he crumpled to the ground.

"That Lucius enthralled the priests here as well. I will trust Kasumi and Ren to take Lucius out alone, but we have got to do something about the enthralled in this building" remarked Shiori as she quickly turned and used the sword in her hands to block a Sun Fire spell that was fired at her by the other priest. Said priest was swiftly defeated by Eldric using a quick pommel bash to the forehead before he could respond to the failure of his spell. The sick and wounded all began to rise from their sleeping positions, indicating that Lucius had did more than just feed off them.

"The two others that travel with you, they can't have overlooked Lucius managing to enthrall the entire temple, can they? Especially the man. He seems so careful with how he does things" remarked Eldric as he dodged a fist that was swung at his face. While he had killed the Vigilants earlier, that was because they had spent so long enthralled by Lucius, there was no saving them. The priests and commoners in this temple were different. Eldric lashed out with his palm, striking the jaw of the one who attacked him, knocking the person unconscious as Shiori caught the fist of another. Without further ado, Shiori flipped her attacker over one of the beds and smashed him down onto it, causing the man to curl up in pain and pass out.

"They would have noticed, but if they ignored these people and left me behind, it means they are confident the two of us can handle this" sighed Shiori as she reached behind caught a cudgel aimed for the back of her head, before she struck her attacker in the solar plexus with the pommel of the sword she wielded. Turning smoothly, Shiori used the flat of the sword to slap her attacker's face and send the person to the floor with a few broken teeth. While it was still impossible for Shiori to fight Ren and Kasumi, against some enthralled commoners, she might as well be considered a master.

Chapter 22
"These locations don't have streams when compared with the map of Tamriel. I understand the references to areas and the numbers, but Savirien Choraak's map and journal aren't going to find five sacred streams! Why are there even markers in barren wasteland?" complained Min Yeon as she used her finger to trace out patterns on the map that they had regarding Savirien Choraak's buried treasure. Joining the dots meant nothing and the arrangement seemed completely random.

"I noticed the passages that Savirien Choraak pointed out includes directions and numbers. There are some really strange numbers, actually, that do not always correspond to the points. I wonder why" said Jin Woo as he scratched his head. For the past weeks, he had stayed in an inn with his sister, as both of them worked to crack the mysterious code that Savirien Choraak had written to conceal whatever he hid in Tamriel. It was fortunate both of them understood Tsaesci language, or it would have been game over.

"There is also this really strange reference to the Traditional Tsaesci Sword Dance done by their priestesses on offering ceremonies. It's almost like Savirien Choraak was simply replicating information he was ordered to write. These short passages and the rest of the journal's contents don't even link up nicely. The handwriting is the same, but the tone becomes a lot more serious. Just, what was he hiding and why so many references to his masters?" complained Min Yeon as she examined it again. The mention of priestesses that came from the Tsaesci land made her remember Ren, who was of the Mikogami clan that raised those priestesses. Which meant he might understand what it was all about.

"Could it be that the numbers are actually degrees of the angle, with the change in direction from the mentioned cardinal direction being the angle mentioned? In that case, there would be a necessity to know if the degrees are to be read clockwise or anti-clockwise. Tsaesci swordplay flows in circles after all" said Jin Woo in reply as he thought about it. Even without knowing the directions, if they simply plotted the angles on the map and drew lines, surely it would point out something. Of course, knowing the direction to read the angles would improve the efficiency of everything.

Min Yeon didn't reply, so Jin Woo took a piece of parchment and accurately replicated the map that Savirien Choraak had drawn so many years ago. The work was flawless, given Jin Woo's military necessity to draw maps accurately, to the extent the points were accurately marked. Then, marking the initial cardinal directions tagged to each point, Jin Woo drew the projected lines without care for the angles, by using two directions for each point. The work was laborious and Jin Woo went through Savirien Choraak's journal again, but he felt as though the effort was worth it.

"Some of the directions are a complete mess. There still doesn't seem to be any patterns in this" commented Min Yeon angrily as she read the map that her brother had transcribed. Indeed, the lines were everywhere and overlapped in all sorts of places. There was no discernible patterns in the entire drawing that would have pointed out anything. Some of the lines even overlapped some of the points.

"It seems like we actually require the knowledge of the sword dance of the Tsaesci Priestesses to decode this map and find what we are looking for. Maybe there are things like thrusts and skyward sweeps of the blade that we are not aware of in the sword dance. In that case, we cannot just use the sword dance to judge direction, it may also tell us which points to ignore" said Jin Woo as he scratched his chin and considered the possibility. If what he supposed was true, then there was no way for the two of them to decode the map without help from a Tsaesci familiar with the sword dance.

Min Yeon pursed her lips and then decided to go out for a walk, since she already stopped understanding what her older brother was talking about. She was the kind who had spent her life mastering skills related to warfare, so decoding some long dead Potentate's secret code was not her strong suit. It was best that she left her brother alone to do what he was much better at doing, while she figured out the best way to trap and take out the Tsaesci that they were sent to kill.

Jin Woo frowned as he read the journal again, then proceeded to look at the map he had replicated. Indeed, there was no discernible pattern to the overlap points. This meant it was likely some of the original points were meant to throw the one who tried to decipher the locations off. It also implied something in the Tsaesci Mikogami sword dance would signal a null point that was to be excluded. The implication of such would be that it was necessary to know how the Mikogami sword dance was performed. Jin Woo also thought back to the Tsaesci that he was supposed to kill, remembering that Kasumi's personal guard Ren was of the Mikogami clan.

As Jin Woo thought about it, capturing Kasumi seemed like an ever more attractive prospect. If he could use Kasumi as a hostage to ask Ren about the Mikogami sword dance that was performed by the Tsaesci priestesses as an offering, decoding the map would become a reality. Jin Woo had allowed the Tsaesci to run free, since he thought that recovering Versidue Shaie's treasure was more important, but without the help of the Tsaesci, there was no way he was going ever decode Savirien Choraak's code.

Making up his mind, Jin Woo rolled up the map he drew and the original, deciding to walk out of the room he stayed in to look for Min Yeon and ask her to locate the Tsaesci, so they could continue with their main objective. Sitting around wasn't going to make it easier for them to catch their targets and complete what they had to. Min Yeon's "Heaven's Eye" was proving incredibly useful in their current endeavours. Leaving the inn, Min Yeon was nowhere to be found, so he would have to catch up to her.

Min Yeon was walking alone in the streets, while waiting for her brother to finish his self given assignment to decode what he could about the map. Instead of her usual attire, she had changed into something more casual, observing the commoners of Tamriel, who watched her with a strange look. Min Yeon had worn the traditional garments of the Ka Po Tun, foreign to the land of Tamriel. Her decidedly non local looks paired with her attire made her stick out like a sore thumb, with the natives of Tamriel unsure where she was from.

Min Yeon smiled slightly as she observed the people's wonderment at her appearance, well aware that she was considered attractive from the place she came from. She was almost enjoying herself in Tamriel too much, unshackled by the expectations of her family and colleagues. While Min Yeon's pride in her own strength made it hard for her to admit, there was that part of her that decided a mundane life wouldn't be bad, especially after she had completed her service to her country and family.

Min Yeon cut her own thoughts off when they began to wander, deciding that affecting her morale was not worth it. It was also because she sensed a fluctuation of Spirit Pressure in her immediate area. Turning, Min Yeon noticed one of the assassins that worked for her leaning close to an alley, gesturing for her to move out of sight. The moment she had entered the alley and left the sight of the people of Tamriel, the assassin knelt down and placed his hands together, saying "Lady Min Yeon, please, your brother requests your immediate return. He said it is urgent and sent us to find you."

"I understand. Be at ease. Dismissed" said Min Yeon, as she leaped from the ground level to the rooftops in a single bound, proceeding to run at full speed across the roofs and jump from roof to roof, so she could return to where she had begun her walk. Min Yeon found her thoughts wandering again to living quietly after it was all over, but she knew well enough they were still in the thick of things and couldn't afford to slack off. Reaching the inn she stayed at wasn't difficult given her speed. With a final jump, Min Yeon landed at the doorway of the inn, watching her brother's eyes follow her as they both entered.

"Min Yeon, I need you to find our Tsaesci targets again. It is likely we will require their assistance to unlock the map. Don't worry about their cooperation. I will be able to make them listen to me. Just find them and catch up to them. When they are in our hands, the code will be broken" said Jin Woo as a smile crossed his face. Min Yeon was momentarily confused as to why they would have to locate the Tsaesci when her mind put two and two together and she understood.

"I understand. Let us kill two birds with one stone, then" said Min Yeon as she returned to the room that they had rented. Moving her hands in a circular motion once more, Min Yeon engaged her "god's eye" technique, as she stared into the abyss with her sixth sense. It didn't take long for her to understand that Ren and Kasumi were both in the Imperial City. While that was a good distance away, catching up would not take long for a pair of Spirit Pressure users.

Chapter 23
Ren and Kasumi both landed on another roof, after having leaped from across the road. They had not seen any trace of Lucius around after following the back alley path. The sun was setting and soon enough, it wouldn't be a hindrance for Lucius to freely move around outside or display his powers. With a frown, Kasumi said "are you sure Shiori can handle all those people back there? It's one thing if it was you or I, but I can't just let her be like that. It would be wrong of us if anything happened to her."

"Those enthralled there are priests and farmers, through only one episode of control. They will snap out of it easily and have little combat experience, unlike the Vigilants. If Shiori can't defeat them, then she can die there. The Tamrielic cultivator is with her anyway" shrugged Ren as he continued to look from above, trying to see if there was any trace of their quarry. He was unconcerned if Shiori lived or died, given that she was still considered a criminal to the Tsaesci state. However, Shiori had not taken any opportunity to run away, so it would have been a good idea if they taught her to keep up.

Ren seemed to have spotted something, as he landed on yet another rooftop, conjuring a fan of ethereal talismans in his hand before he threw the bunch, causing them to split up and burst into flame, the five fireballs flying through the air aimed at a hooded individual that ducked into alley. Ren didn't pause, as he leaped in the direction of the figure, followed closely by Kasumi. The fireballs swerved into the alley and exploded, throwing the figure back out into the main street as Ren landed close by.

Those around the area obviously fled the moment they had seen the black fireballs fly out from seemingly nowhere. Ren moved towards the figure and used the tip of his blade to throw the person's hood back. Kasumi was about to complain that Ren had attacked an innocent young lady when Ren said "a Vigilant of Stendarr has requested you to hire a carriage for him, right?"

"How do you know this? That's impossible!" exclaimed the lady, as Ren kept the tip of his blade pointed at her face. Of course, Ren had rough knowledge about the positions of all the facilities given he scouted them out during the time he spent in the Imperial city. He knew the girl was headed for the stables and that she was using Lucius' cloak pin to pin her own cloak. The pin was made of gold, so it was reasonable to assume Lucius had used that as collateral to make someone reserve a carriage for him.

"Only a fool like you would wear a cloak like this with such a pin. If I couldn't tell the difference between a scared young lady and a trained killer from such a distance, those fireballs would have did a lot more than just knock you into an alley. You'll tell me where that man who paid you is" replied Ren, not moving his blade away from the young lady's face. Kasumi placed her hand on Ren's hand, to persuade him to lower the sword, but Ren held it steady, shooting Kasumi a sidelong gaze to indicate to her that moving his weapon away was potentially dangerous.

"He barged into my house. He said he could make me rich, but I know he's dangerous. Those maddened eyes are like those of a beast. He gave me his sword and told me to use it as collateral. He's got my family, so I can't say no" said the girl, looking up at Ren's blade in fear as it crept ever closer to her face. It was obvious that Ren wanted the information quickly. Now that he heard it, Ren nodded slightly and put his sword away before he raised his sword arm to cover his face while pushing Kasumi back.

The girl had thrown a handful of sand and dust at Ren's face to blind him for the moment, but Ren himself had reacted in time to shield his face from getting dirtied. He had managed to move Kasumi out of the way as well, pushing her behind him to prevent any of the dirt from getting on her. Kasumi let out a slightly shocked yelp, but she regained her bearings quickly and responded accordingly, a small orb of lightning forming on her fingertips as she waved her hand. The ball of lightning flew after the fleeing girl, exploding against her back and causing her to tumble over once more.

Both Kasumi and Ren used their movement abilities, catching up in an instant, as Ren conjured a talisman and pressed the edge against the girl's back, frowning and saying "lead us to your place right now. If you do not, whatever I am holding in my hand, I will drive it through your spine. Even if you live, you won't walk again. I thought we could have handled this civilly. I am not here to harm you, but to kill the vampire invading your house."

The girl didn't speak further, too terrified of Ren to reply to him as she began to walk. It certainly wasn't normal to those of Tamriel to see people that had the reflexes of Ren and Kasumi, except for vampires, which was probably why the commoners feared the latter. The overall journey was not that long a walk, as they arrived outside a rather ordinary looking house in a more run down area of the city, the girl using her keys to unlock the door for the two Tsaesci that had followed.

Before they entered, Kasumi asked Ren for one of his ethereal talismans, getting a confused look from him before she was handed one such talisman. Kasumi then turned to look at the girl and said "you know where is the current shrine of Kynareth, right? Not the main temple, the temporary one near here. You have to look for a girl called Shiori there, and bring her here. Don't worry, tell her that her masters said to protect you, and hand this talisman to her. She will know what to do."

Ren let some air escape through his lips to show his displeasure, as he threw the door open and drew his sword, deciding there was no point in subtlety. Kasumi drew her weapon as well, both Tsaesci entering the room using their movement technique as a crimson orb bloomed out from the darkness inside, flying through the door and exploding outside. Lucius was obviously in the house, already waiting for those who wanted to kill him. The girl needed no prodding to run away, terrified that a fight had broken out.

Ren and Kasumi ended up on either side of Lucius, as the vampire looked from one to the other, thinking who he should attack and defend against. Both Tsaesci were already in their combat stance, ready to fight and kill Lucius, keeping their distance and making sure he was in between them. Lucius knew he wasn't in an advantageous position, so his first move was to turn to bats, splitting up as a swarm and flying around Kasumi to reappear quickly behind her for a fast swipe with his claws.

Kasumi had noticed Lucius' intents the moment the vampire had burst into a swarm of bats, having moved her sword behind her by holding it over her shoulder and turning slightly. Kasumi braced the flat of the weapon on her back, so Lucius' claws struck the weapon, not her flesh. Then she crossed her left arm across her body and fired spirit needle, cutting a wound in Lucius' side as the vampire evaded before he had time to press the attack on Kasumi's body. The move allowed Kasumi to quickly rotate and bring her sword back down, as Ren immediately fired a barrage of spirit needle shots to force Lucius to put distance between himself and Kasumi.

Lucius responded at first by turning to mist so he could buy time to figure out his next move, then he understood Ren's intentions and decided to move not towards Ren, but instead Kasumi. Kasumi noticed the shifting mists coming in her direction, bracing herself before she exploded through the mist using her movement techniques, moments before Lucius reformed and swiped his hands down to strike. Lucius was unfazed, though, as he turned and fired another crimson orb of energy to damage his enemies, Ren and Kasumi both scattering away from each other to avoid the explosion that blew a table apart.

"Ren, why aren't you just incinerating him? Isn't that your specialty?" cried out Kasumi as she shifted backwards to avoid a trio of claw swipes from Lucius that barely scratched her clothing. If they had been an inch closer, a few nasty gashes would have opened on her abdomen. Ren seemed strangely reluctant to use his full abilities to bring Lucius down, although why he was hesitating to use anything stronger than spirit needle puzzled Kasumi. Three ethereal talismans were thrown like knives to slice Lucius, breaking his charge against Kasumi as he was forced to avoid the attack.

"Two children upstairs, sensed their presence the moment I stepped in, the siblings of the girl that ran away probably. This house also has lots of wood in it. The vampire chose a pretty good spot given he fears fire as much as the house. My black flames touch anything in here, the whole place is up in flames. If you were not here, I'd have just set fire to the whole thing from outside, but you would complain" said Ren, as he turned out of the way of a spear of ice that Lucius had charged and fired at him, hoping to catch him off guard as he spoke to Kasumi. Ren replied in kind by shattering the next ice spear that Lucius had prepared, by firing spirit needle through the vampire's spellcasting hand.

Lucius had staggered from the spell exploding in his hand, but he was aware enough to quickly change to mist so Kasumi couldn't run him through with her blade. Kasumi again just ran through the mist, turning quickly as Lucius reformed and used a pulse of telekinetic power to slam her into a wall rather than press any close ranged attacks. Ren quickly used his ghost hand technique, manipulating a fork on the dining table and firing it straight for Lucius, as the latter brought his hands down to claw at Kasumi after reforming from mist.

The vampire was not fast enough to avoid the cutlery, which pinned one of his hands to the wall before it could strike Kasumi, who had used one of her hands to push herself out of the way. Kasumi didn't even hesitate, as she threw the sword in her hand straight at the pinned Lucius, who ripped his hand away from the wall with a groan of pain as the fork had pierced all the way through the bone and flesh. It was not nearly fast enough, though, as the sword caught Lucius in the shoulder, before he turned to mist and it clattered to the floor, reforming a distance away. Lucius clutched his wounded shoulder with his good hand, snarling at the two Tsaesci.

Kasumi seemed to analyse the current position of Lucius relative to the door, as she ran for her sword, or rather more accurately vanished from sight as her movement speed exceeded human perception. Lucius moved back as Kasumi reappeared in front of him, the horizontal slash of her blade missing by a fraction, before he tried to move forward to get into range where his claws would be effective. Kasumi turned to move her sword into the way at superhuman speed, but she knew injury was unavoidable since the speed difference between herself and a vampire was not large enough.

The clang of metal resounded as Ren had covered the distance in the time it took to blink one's eyes while using his sword to block Lucius' strike. Kasumi was already out of harms way as Ren delivered a kick to Lucius' abdomen, sending the vampire flying back. Lucius crashed into the table, which broke under his weight, before turning to mist to once again escape as Kasumi flickered, reappearing on the other side of the mist, her sword readied for a stab. Lucius reformed and quickly tried to roll to the side as Ren fired a kitchen knife telekinetically using ghost hand at him, then he realized he was tricked when Kasumi delivered a kick, sending him out through the doorway.

Lucius tried to enter the house once more, turning to mist to surge through the door when he was forcefully recoiled, ethereal patterns forming a barrier at the door as Ren held his hand out. Ren had generated ethereal talismans to form a barrier, blocking Lucius' entry and forcing him to remain outside the house. After the duration of Lucius' mist form was over, the vampire reformed, angry at the situation as he waited for the time he would be able to turn to mist again.

Kasumi and Ren were both about to drop the barrier and continue their attack when a blade burst through Lucius' neck from behind, before it was withdrawn. Lucius collapsed to the ground, clawing at his throat as Shiori stood over him, the sword she borrowed from Eldric covered in blood. The girl from earlier had made good on the instructions and brought both Eldric and Shiori, who had arrived just on time to surprise Lucius before he could change his focus from Kasumi and Ren to someone else.

Ren lowered his hand as the barrier dissipated, as the original owner of the house came forward to see what had happened. Ren walked over to Lucius, placing his hand on the vampire's neck, not to ascertain if there was a pulse but to see if Lucius was truly dead by sensing the magical energy flow of the latter. Finding that all the energy in Lucius had dissipated, he was sure the vampire was dead. Ren looked up and turned to the house's owner, saying "it's over. We have killed the vampire that's plaguing you."

Chapter 24
Shiori held the magical sword in her hands out for Eldric to reclaim, not comfortable with a sword that she was unfamiliar with. When Eldric did not reclaim the weapon, Shiori waved it, emphasizing that she was not going to keep a blade that she had borrowed. Eldric looked at Shiori as if she was crazy, before he said "as part of the payment, keep this blade. I broke your weapon so it is only correct that I compensate you for your former weapon. You do not have to return it to me, really.

"Doesn't this sword mean anything to you? I can't keep something that your parents left for you. It's just not right, even if you are offering it. Payment in coin would be a better alternative, really" said Shiori, as she watched Ren burn Lucius' fallen body, reducing it into scattered ashes. It would be better if no one caught wind of what happened in this area. Kasumi was talking to the owner of the house and explaining what they were all really up to in rather basic Tamrielic language, so said owner wouldn't report them for illicit activities.

"It used to belong to my mother, so I think it will suit you better. The weapon is a bit short for my overall height and seems a bit long for you, but I noticed your kind uses some standardized sword, at least those two you are always with. I never had a chance to use my mother's sword anyway, so maybe you can let it see some future action, like you just did" shrugged Eldric, as he also took a pouch of coin from his belt. He fully intended to repay what he promised to the three Tsaesci that helped him take down Lucius.

Shiori decided not to argue further as she simply accepted the weapon and used a cord to tie it to her side, in the same style which Kasumi and Ren wore their weapons. She figured it was unlikely that she would be able to persuade Eldric to take the sword back. Shiori also knew she needed a weapon as well, for Kasumi had only taught her swordplay, not even unarmed combat or Spirit Pressure usage.

Kasumi had finished her explanation to the girl, who finally understood the whole chain of affairs and decided that there was nothing worth reporting to the authorities. As Ren cleared away Lucius' ashes using his Spirit Pressure to generate forces similar to wind, Kasumi took a short walk with the girl through the now safe house, to ensure that Lucius had not hidden anyone else within or had enthralled the younger siblings of the girl. Kasumi eventually left the house and motioned for both Shiori and Ren to leave with her. Eldric himself parted ways with the Tsaesci, going another direction.

As the three Tsaesci walked to pack up their belongings and move on to the next city before more people caught wind of them or the Ka Po Tun caught up, Ren turned slightly and looked at Shiori from the corner of his eye. Shiori seemed slightly taken aback, expecting some form of dressing down, but Ren only said "tomorrow, when we are on the road and stop somewhere, I will permit Kasumi to teach you combat techniques and movement abilities suited for the female form. I myself will teach you how to control and increase your Spirit Pressure."

"For real? I thought you didn't trust me enough to teach me movement techniques? I could just run away, which is why you didn't want Kasumi to teach me anything. This sudden change of heart is quite unsettling, so why do I feel there will be some terms attached to it?" said Shiori, not really believing what she was hearing. It seemed strange that Ren had dropped his guard and changed his mind all of a sudden after killing the vampire and receiving rewards from Eldric.

"You didn't run away when we left you to fight the enthralled in the temple. You came to find us the moment we sent the girl to look for you, so I would say, you can learn a bit more. It's not like you would run anyway, since you know there are Ka Po Tun warriors everywhere. Also, if you can run across the treetops with us, we can save money on carriages and cover more distance than the fastest horses." said Ren, his tone neutral, as if he was stating fact, not actually reasoning out anything for Shiori's knowledge. Kasumi acknowledged the conversation with a nod, probably already thinking of what skills to impart to Shiori.

"Thank you very much! I will do my best to study everything the two of you offer me! When can we start with all these techniques?" said Shiori as she bowed in gratitude even as she walked, which caused Ren to shake his head as he averted his gaze. Kasumi herself seemed mildly amused at the scene, as she giggled at Shiori's simplistic actions while also shaking her head. It would be a while before they got back to the inn they stayed at to pack up. Staying on in the Imperial City was unwise, especially when Ren had antagonized the Thalmor and they slew a leader of the Vigilants of Stendarr.

Twenty minutes later.
Kasumi pulled out the magical mirror that her brother Tetsuya had given her, exerting her spirit pressure as the shiny surface began to ripple and Tetsuya's visage appeared. The younger Tsaesci greeted his elder sister politely at first, before he asked "why did fall out of touch for so long? I would guess you had a lot to do in Tamriel, so there was no time for us to talk. Anyway, besides all that, what is it on your mind currently? I know that you wouldn't just call me up without any reason."

"What is the easiest way to improve skills with our Tsaesci movement techniques in the shortest possible time? Someone we have with us needs to learn the necessary skills, since we aren't exactly in a good position to return to Akavir right now" said Kasumi in reply, as she anticipated what Tetsuya would say. She was certain he would ask her more questions on why there was a necessity for such rather than just answer directly, so she thought of an explanation that would convince him.

"The movement techniques simply require understanding the flow of Spirit Pressure in the legs and body. Unification of the physical movements of the body, the Spirit Pressure flowing in the body and the magical energy outside the body. If you want to teach someone that, you simply have to put them under pressure and chase them after teaching them the basics of Sora no Aruki. The skill itself cannot really be taught, just learned" said Tetsuya in reply, which surprised Kasumi with the lack of further question. Indeed, it appeared that Tetsuya could guess his sister's mental states easily.

"Does that come with any risks? Seems too easy compared to the amount of supervision that mother had given us when we were younger. It's almost as if you are leaving out a few key steps regarding such a training method, or it has a fatal flaw" said Kasumi in reply, not really buying the whole method that her brother had laid out. Indeed, it had taken her a whole year to learn how to perform the Sky Stepping Technique, so cutting so many corners and forcing Shiori to do or die would likely come with consequences.

"If the unification of the Spirit Pressure and physical movements fail, the body itself can fail in a spectacular fashion. Tearing your leg tendons or even breaking bones is not uncommon. However, that will heal in at most a day for even the weakest Spirit Pressure user. It's low risk, just that the learner will have to put up with a bit more pain. Overall, the pain is the same, just compressed into a smaller time period" replied Tetsuya, as if he was stating facts and not cautioning Kasumi against attempting to teach Shiori using such a method.

Kasumi nodded, understanding what her brother was telling her. If Shiori was to advance fast in terms of techniques, there would be no alternative to such painful training based entirely on trial and error. Hence, she would force Shiori to train using the prescribed method once they left the city and entered the forested paths once more, as they headed northward to the next city.

A day later
Shiori leaped off a branch, as she narrowly managed to avoid a flying orb of lightning that slammed into the tree itself, dissipating as it didn't have space to turn and chase her. For about fifteen minutes, Kasumi had been firing multiple orbs of lightning at her and she had to avoid them using some strange Spirit Pressure technique known as the Sky Stepping technique that Kasumi had explained briefly. Shiori wondered just what kind of silly training this was, especially when the flow of Spirit Pressure in her leg went out of control and she heard something snap, before she fell to the ground in pain after landing.

"Shiori, you aren't going to improve if you just let your leg break like that. You can't move like the wind if you don't put in effort. Heal your leg, come on" said Kasumi, as she waited for Shiori to resolve her broken leg. Shiori placed her hand over her injured leg, focusing as a rippling haze appeared around her palm, restoring the condition of her limb even faster than her already fast regeneration. Before Shiori could complete the healing, though, she rolled to the side, avoiding a lightning orb that slammed into where she sat, as Kasumi surprised her with an attack.

"Hey! I have not finished with my leg! You could have given me some time or warning before we continued with this thing you call training!" complained Shiori as she shot off the ground and again focused on the Spirit Pressure flowing through her legs, as Kasumi started to fire lightning orbs again. Not wanting to break her legs, Shiori focused entirely on the orbs and her own movement, trying to prevent her energy flow towards the legs from increasing too much or too fast, as she leaped from tree to tree, avoiding the attacks.

The concentration Shiori had to maintain was mentally draining, though, as she eventually skidded along the forest floor after landing on her feet, raising her hands in surrender to indicate to Kasumi to stop firing. Kasumi shook her head and leaped down from her perch atop a tree's crown, landing beside Shiori, disappointed that Shiori simply gave up. Shiori panted in fatigue, her mind actually in more pain than her body, although both recovered at a rate that wasn't quite humanly possible.

"This movements are so tiring to perform, yet you say you can cross an entire forest using it? How would that even be possible, if it drains so much energy to use even one step? I can barely even walk straight or stand up without shaking now, so how do you two do it?" asked Shiori, not quite understanding how Ren and Kasumi casually used the Sky Stepping technique she was currently learning. It didn't seem quite possible that achieving higher levels of Spirit Pressure cultivation would allow such unrestricted mobility.

"Your Spiritual cultivation level is too low to use Sky Steps effectively, so I simply need to teach you the basics of it. After Ren helps you improve your foundation, you should be able to use the Sky Steps with much less fatigue. I don't know how much you can learn from him, though" replied Kasumi, as she waved her hand to indicate to Ren to come over and take over teaching Shiori some more advanced Spirit Pressure cultivation methods. Ren, who had watched everything from under a tree, walked over.

Without letting Shiori compose herself, Ren simply started reciting some sort of scripture, although it was closer to instructions that Shiori had to follow. Ren also demonstrated the movements of his body as he recited, not really caring if Shiori could follow or not. Shiori on the other hand tried her best to follow what Ren was telling her, copying the hand and leg movements to her best as she tried to remember the movements of her body's own internal energy. When Ren finished his demonstration, he didn't repeat himself for Shiori to confirm what she knew. He simply walked off and sat down again.

"What I have taught you is no more profound than what you have learnt as your own foundation. Now, if you cannot perform this necessary basic steps without any guidance or repeats from me, learning will be difficult for you in future" said Ren, as he explained his rationale for not repeating himself. Shiori herself felt as though Ren was just making it difficult for her, but Kasumi strangely seemed to agree completely with the reasoning. Shiori actually wanted to protest, but catching Ren's stare, her protest died in her throat and she started moving according to what she knew.

Closing her eyes, Shiori recalled the energy movements one by one, her hands moving in harmony with the flow of energy around her body. As she was not a beginner to Spirit Pressure, Shiori actually somewhat had an idea of how her energy should move. Her earlier practice of the Sky Stepping technique also allowed her to limit the energy flowing around her body, preventing self damage as heat began to rise off her. While Shiori didn't realize it, the movements of her Spirit Pressure and body movements unified and she didn't even need to recall the lines Ren had taught her, instead recalling only the movements.

Kasumi watched Shiori's practice, as Ren had sat down and closed his eyes, again meditating on some technique to improve his own use of Spirit Pressure. As the waves of pressure streamed off Shiori's palms when she thrust them towards trees and caused branches to shake, Kasumi couldn't help but feel somewhat inferior, realizing that the girl she was sent to capture was very much someone with high affinity for Spirit Pressure cultivation, unlike herself. Shiori's rate of improvement was markedly higher than her own. While Shiori gave off the impression of being inept at daily life, she surely had the natural talent to become a powerful Spirit Pressure user.

Shiori opened her eyes when she finished the movements and practices, as the heat haze around her body fading away. She looked at her palms momentarily, before waving her hand at one of the overhanging branches, exerting the Spirit Pressure in her body that she had learned to control. The branch shook violently in response, as if strong winds passed through it. Kasumi frowned and said "you actually asked us to teach you how to use Spirit Pressure when you already completed your entire foundation? A beginner can't master a basic technique in such a short time. If you had such power, learning the Sora no Aruki would have been easy."

Shiori put her hand behind her head and scratched it, as she stifled a nervous laugh at what was happening. She replied "I started learning how to use Spirit Pressure when I was about fourteen. I completed my foundation at sixteen and just didn't continue to practice after that. I only wanted to be a District Magistrate, so there was no need to learn high level martial arts or powers. What I know should be enough to defeat normal people who have no Spirit Pressure, so I didn't study more. I just practiced my basic techniques when I had time, so whenever I felt more powerful I just tried a bit harder."

"You dodged my Spirit Needle when we first met, so I could tell your foundation is not weak, even if you cannot use your Spirit Pressure properly. I knew you wouldn't need me to remind you twice on how to move your energy, since you would know it instinctively. If you were a true beginner, your leg would have torn clean off earlier. For one like you to start at fourteen and complete your basic foundation at sixteen, your potential is high. Kasumi will tell you the same as well. It would be a waste to stop training" said Ren, from his meditative position, as he did not open his eyes or otherwise showed he acknowledged anything more than the words.

"That means Ren only taught you how to control your Spirit Pressure, which is supplementary to your foundation. And you can already generate wind from your hand. The amount of power in your body is already higher than an average Spirit Pressure user in Akavir and you just wasted your time instead of using your power?" said Kasumi, somewhat shocked at the whole turn of events. Now that Kasumi remembered it, Shiori roughly using her Spirit Pressure for healing still managed to completely restore her body. While Shiori's powers were still rough and basic, they were indeed strong for the amount of work and time she put in.

Ren opened his eyes after a while and stood up, shaking his head to indicate that he was somewhat disappointed in Shiori not admitting such earlier. Ren then proceeded to walk off without interfering further, saying "Kasumi, you should intensify the mobility training for her. What I taught her is enough for her to master the Sora no Aruki without further refinement of the self. She needs no further Spirit Pressure refinement until you start teaching her proper unarmed combat."

Kasumi smiled slightly, before lightning concentrated on the tips of her fingers and she pointed them at Shiori. It didn't take the latter girl any prodding to leap off the ground and start running, especially when Kasumi started to fire her Storm Arrow skill in rapid succession. Shiori avoided shot after shot using the earlier movement techniques Kasumi had explained to her, feeling that somehow, it was much easier after Ren taught her how to unify her body movement and Spirit Pressure movement.

Chapter 25
"You were really cruel, Ojou Sama" insisted Shiori as she sat down beside a fire, roasting a few caught fishes on a spit. The training had proceeded quite well, at least until Shiori had ran out of stamina and couldn't continue. Kasumi had not let up and and continued firing. As much as she commanded her magicka to move, Shiori couldn't and Kasumi's attacks had hit her multiple times when she was down. Although Shiori had recovered, she still held some contempt for Kasumi's unusual and painful training method.

"You won't learn if I don't keep firing. Also, in actual combat, you think the enemy will stop trying to kill you if you are tired? You have to improve that stamina of yours. Surely, with what Ren taught you and your own Spirit Pressure, your stamina won't run dry so easily. Keep practicing what we teach you" said Kasumi from her seat on the branch of a tree, wrinkling her nose slightly. The smell of river caught fish that was only cleaned with rough techniques definitely disagreed with her sense of smell. Kasumi wasn't expecting the best food as they had left in too much of a hurry to buy supplies, but the stink of improperly prepared fish that was not marinated wasn't something she would enjoy.

"Fine, but can we start slow? Please?" asked Shiori, still unwilling to put up with the training methods she saw as inhumane and hardly effective. As much as she could see the slight improvement in her movement abilities, she felt as though the pain she had to go through was not quite worth the effort she had to put in. Shiori thought of how she could have just gave up when she first met the two and tried to run, but it was a bit late to do so. As she had aided Kasumi once, it was likely the Ka Po Tun assassins that Kasumi mentioned would come after her as well.

"We don't have time for that. You already know Ka Po Tun assassins can come to kill us anytime. If you do not improve at the fastest possible speed, it is likely they will be able to kill you as well. Even if you improve, there is no guarantee you will live, but you will stand a better chance" said Kasumi, as she swung one of her legs aimlessly as she continued to sit on the branch of a tree. In her opinion, Shiori didn't have time to take things slowly, so she would have to be forced to learn. It was either sink or swim.

Shiori pouted and went back to grilling the fish, knowing it was better to overcook it rather than undercook it. Raw fish was edible back in Akavir, but Shiori didn't trust the fish from Tamriel, especially not after she fell sick from eating them raw a while back, when she first came. After the fish started to char at the skin, Shiori took them out of the flames and sighed, doing her best to scrape off the burnt fish skin so Kasumi wouldn't have to eat it. She had vowed to serve Kasumi, so she would put in her best into doing so.

Ren came back from the forest after a while, biting on a hawk leg that smelled much better than what Shiori prepared, as he showed disgust at the smell of the fish. Kasumi seemed rather jealous as she slid off the tree branch, landing on her feet and taking a bite from the fish Shiori had prepared. The taste was utterly disgusting, with a strong fishy odor, but Kasumi choked it down against her will, knowing it was better than going hungry, which caused Ren to laugh when he tossed the bone of his meal aside.

"The forest can actually provide many ingredients, if you know how to look and aren't that afraid. Breaking some beehives for honey to glaze the food isn't really that hard, and herbs are actually everywhere if you look closely" said Ren as he sat down beside Kasumi and unwrapped what seemed to be a second hawk leg that he had wrapped using large leaves. He offered the food to Kasumi with a smile on his normally cold face, which caused Shiori to frown when Kasumi discarded the remainder of the fish.

"Not everyone has your power which can burn all the bees out of their hives" commented Shiori as she ate her own portion of fish, clearly suffering from the taste of it. She had wished that Kasumi would share the food Ren prepared with her, but she knew that was a pipe dream. It would be something that wouldn't happen, given that the single leg of a hawk didn't have much meat on it. Ren must have dealt with the whole bird and ate most of it before he came back to the camp site.

"You would have acquired the necessary power to do such, if you spent your youth more productively. For a Spirit Pressure cultivator who managed to complete the foundation levels within two years, your talent is higher than most Tsaesci not born from Nozomi's line. Basic flame transformation should not be difficult for you. It's your own fault, really" commented Ren, responding to what Shiori had said without so much as trying to reassure her or anything of that sort. He had plainly laid bare the truth.

Shiori didn't bother to respond to Ren, knowing that he would respond with another similar statement if she tried to contradict what he said. Also, Ren was correct in his assessment that Shiori had wasted her youth away, so Shiori simply decided to stand up and walk deeper into the forest to practice her skills again. She simply didn't want to hear Ren talk more, and Kasumi had made no attempts to disagree with Ren either. In fact, Kasumi seemed to be in silent agreement.

Kasumi watched Shiori walk off into the forest, before she nudged Ren in the side and said "I know you mean well, but did you really have to put it like that and make her feel bad about herself? You can't blame her when she is just a commoner without a push to keep reaching higher like us. Shiori comes from a very different world from ours, with different obligations. I understand that, so I try not to chastise her when I can avoid it."

"She is that kind of practitioner, though. The talented kind who actually can reach high with minimal effort, and who will achieve great things if she puts in a lot of effort. She just happens to be lazy, which means she needs someone to push her forward, not someone to encourage her and hope she feels better about herself. A lot like your own mother, except lazier and less driven. You, on the other hand, happen to be much better to teach" commented Ren, as he leaned with his back against the trunk of the tree he sat against.

Kasumi also leaned back as she sighed, looking at the sky turn orange as the sun slowly set. She knew that Ren's words would make Shiori work hard, for one day, and then there would be a necessity to scold her or put her down again the next. Kasumi was glad that she herself had a better attitude towards training, yet unlike Shiori she didn't seem to be getting much results from the amount of effort that she had put in. She didn't realize it, but soon she was leaning against Ren, as she felt drowsy after a whole day of training Shiori.

"Princess, this is not appropriate. It will be better if you can sleep with your back straight, without leaning on me. I know you still can't get used to sleeping outside" said Ren as he gently shook Kasumi, which jolted the latter back awake. Kasumi visibly frowned at what just happened, unhappy that she was shaken awake soon after she had fell asleep because of fatigue. She had almost started to have a good dream, then Ren spoiled everything with his insistence on proper etiquette.

"Don't you actually like me? I read in some books in Tamriel that it is alright for couples to lean together and sleep leaning on each other. Pretty surprising too, I've never saw such descriptions in the stories that I read back in Akavir. They do so many things differently. Don't be a spoilsport, come on" said Kasumi, unwilling to actually put her head against the hard tree trunk. Not that Ren's shoulder was any softer, actually, but she still preferred it to lying against a tree.

"Those in Tamriel must have rather wild imaginations and a poor sense of self control. You are the Princess, and I am the officer in charge of maintaining your safety. Even if we put that aside, like you have instructed me to, your status as a Royal means your father will arrange your future for you. This isn't something that I am allowed to decide. Hence, whether I like you or not has no bearing on our interactions" replied Ren, as he shifted sideways, away from Kasumi so she wouldn't be able to lean on him without falling all the way down.

Kasumi didn't reply further, only grumbling as she leaned against the tree, unhappy with the turn of events as she closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep. On the other side of the tree, Ren looked into the skies as the sun slowly set, experiencing the sunset of Tamriel once more. In actual fact, the formality Ren spoke about was but an excuse, so Kasumi wouldn't end up getting too close to him or relying on him. Tamriel was fraught with dangers, and Ren had to make sure Kasumi would abandon him if he instructed her to do so and it was necessary to preserve her life.

Shiori soon came back and collapsed near the campfire she had started, having spent the whole time seriously practicing after Ren's earlier statement about her lack of power. It was obvious she was tired and covered in sweat, but neither Kasumi or Ren paid any heed to it. Reading the overall mood, Shiori decided not to ask any questions, knowing it was likely she would be snapped at if she tried to get Kasumi or Ren to reply to her. The annoyance was clear on Kasumi's face, while Ren looked like he was in deep thought.

The orange evening skies was slowly replaced by the deep blue night skies, as stars filled and twinkled within the celestial sphere. Kasumi had rested enough and she opened her eyes, looking at the stars and moon above. According to the books of Tamriel she had read in her travels, the Tamrielic people had their own constellations and asterisms, yet to Kasumi, the sky was the same in both Akavir and Tamriel, except for the slight differences in the stars that were accounted for by latitude.

Without really caring if Ren was listening to her or sleeping, Kasumi simply mused aloud, saying "the stars that shine upon the Akaviri and those of Tamriel are the same, yet our lands, culture and even use of powers are so different. Why would people even walk so many different roads that lead to outcomes not ideal? Why is it that people here believe in higher powers rather than attempt to become higher powers themselves? Why do some people feel they are superior?"

"Kasumi, you need to understand, there are similarities between Tamriel and Akavir, such as how both are inhabited by humans, but our histories and creation myths are not the same. They believe in creation by the gods above and powers beyond their control. Our people, on the other hand, believe in solving problems ourselves and we were taught how to use Spirit Pressure by our ancestors, who worked hard to gain understanding of it. They defer their problems to those of authority, while we take charge of our problems and solve them" replied Ren, which surprised Kasumi as she wasn't expecting any reply, or for Ren to scold her for disturbing his sleep.

"But, surely the locals here would have realized that the gods above would not help them and that solving the problems themselves would be a better solution. Why would no one ever question the culture and try something different? It's how the Tsaesci were originally born, and how we became what we are today" commented Kasumi, continuing the conversation with Ren.

"They believe in heroes of yore and saviors of prophecy. When such individuals indeed come, or at least, there exist people powerful enough to take up the mantle of being a hero, the common population would put it down to the favor of the gods. They are blind to the talent and hard work put in by the mentioned hero. A city is not built in one day, a man does not become a hero overnight, yet this can be conveniently ignored by those who adore the local gods and heroes. Our people, on the other hand, aim individually to become great heroes and work towards it. We don't chalk anything up to divine favor" replied Ren, as he sighed. It was obvious he didn't have a good opinion of those who lived in Tamriel.

"The books written by scholars did state a man who was one of the Tamrielic heroes of prophecy did challenge our ancestors. He called himself the Nerevarine or something along that line. He fought a few Guardian Clan members and claimed to be the reincarnation of an ancient hero. His power was far higher than the average Tamrielic warrior. So wouldn't there be a certain truth to those beliefs?" said Kasumi, more mystified and curious now that Ren began debating questions of culture and philosophy. She had realized Ren loved to talk about such things, after similar conversations with him.

"Yet you can visit the tomb built by our ancestors for him. He was a kind, honorable man willing to help us understand his culture and thought our forefathers much about Tamriel, but as a warrior he didn't amount to that much in the end. He fell to the swordplay of General Minato Shiragane after challenging the latter to a duel to the death, as is recorded in history. A Tamrielic hero of prophecy he was, but whatever power he was endowed with, ultimately his trust in it and unwillingness to reach higher proved that hard work wins in the long run if talent stops working hard. Your own mother Ayaka is living proof of that principle" replied Ren, as he seemed to shift in position on the opposite side of the tree.

"I can't sleep for now, so will you take a walk with me in the night? You know that Spirit Pressure makes it hard to remain tired and clears fatigue too quickly sometimes. In this discomfort, it's hard to properly sleep. I never understand how someone like Shiori can sleep" said Kasumi as she stood up and abruptly changed the topic, the leaves rustling as she steadied herself. She had enough rest for the time being, so she found it impossible to go back to sleep in such conditions. It wasn't abnormal for a user of Spirit Pressure to sleep less than three hours.

"If you wish, Kasumi, I shall walk beside you" said Ren, as the leaves rustled again, indicating that the male Tsaesci had got up and off the ground to accompany the princess he was supposed to protect. Kasumi didn't have to wait long, as Ren was already beside her in an instant. Kasumi began walking, taking the lead since she was the one who suggested such an activity. Ren followed quietly behind Kasumi, as if he was shadowing her rather than walking with her.

Under the night skies, Ren and Kasumi walked through the forest, leaving Shiori and their campfire behind. Neither was worried about bandits or wild beasts, given their ability to detect threats and then fight them off if necessary. The forest was quiet, with only the chirping of crickets breaking the dead silence, the stars above visible from gaps in the canopy of trees. It didn't take a long time before the pair came across a small pond deep in the forests, where the moons above were reflected. At the sight, Ren had moved closer to the edge of the pond, being the one who left Kasumi behind instead.

"A sight that reminds me of the tranquil pond at my home, although this is far less sculpted and designed, being part of the wilds. What a regret, to see the reflection of the moons and yet not have any wine to go with the scenery. It would have been a perfect place to drink" observed Ren as he looked at the gently rippling water, the distorted reflection of the moons gleaming upon its surface. Ren had crossed his hands behind his back, as he looked closer to the side of the pond, watching his own reflection.

"You do remember I am still here, do you? Every time you drink alcohol and relax, the comments you make tend to veer into less formal ones. You even called me a beauty under the moon the last time" said Kasumi, as she folded her arms and looked at Ren from behind. She had understood and knew that Ren appreciated nature and silence, which was why he seemed happier in Valenwood's forests than the cities, but she couldn't agree with such a philosophy. Living far from civilization in the midst of nature seemed a rather dangerous endeavor at best.

"It is better than you are here. You are a beautiful girl and it would be wrong of me to say otherwise. The ideal would be for an artist to capture your visage under the soft moon glow, beside this lake, in the forest. My hand was not made for wielding brushes, but swords. That is another regret" commented Ren, without even turning back to look at Kasumi, but addressing what she just said. The statement made Kasumi blush, as she usually did when complimented about her appearance, but Ren's offhanded statement actually made her somewhat angry. It was like he was stating that she was no more than a decoration, or perhaps an art subject.

"It's abnormal to hear you talk like that, as strange as it was that night. You are always so serious about everything, so why the change of pace? I am not any more of a princess than I am during normal hours, yet I am no less of a princess than I am during this time. No one in Tamriel really knows our identities or would believe us. Is the front of formality really necessary?" asked Kasumi, as she walked forward to stand beside Ren, looking down at her own reflection to see what was so interesting in the pond water. She saw silver fishes swimming languidly, their scales flashing.

Ren didn't reply as he looked at the fishes swimming, pondering on the events that passed. He seemed deep in thought again, as his eyes looked at the swimming fishes, before looking up at the moon. It was as if he didn't hear Kasumi's question at all, although his eyes had flicked momentarily to the side when Kasumi had spoke. Ignoring the question seemed to be purposeful, yet Ren refused to explain the rationale for his strange shifts in behavior. Or perhaps, he was thinking of an answer he deemed satisfactory.

"Ren, I am asking you a question. It would be polite if you would just answer me, you know? Why do you put on a false front of formality when you are with me, even when there is no one from Akavir looking. Or rather, when I think about it, you could have transported yourself back to Akavir using the same magic that brought us here. Why are you even still with me?" asked Kasumi, raising her voice to catch Ren's attention as she demanded a proper reply. She was not going to allow Ren to just ignore her.

"You have a dream, or am I wrong about that? You wanted to show those of Tamriel that the Tsaesci are nothing to fear and you want to stop the Ka Po Tun who came here. If you failed, you would be sad and the smile on your face would fade away, no? I don't personally care for any of that, as I have no stake in Tamriel and I am just here on orders from the Emperor. But I wish to protect your smile. Hence, I chose to remain here with you" replied Ren, still looking at the reflection of the moon and the fishes swimming in the pond. He had not turned to look at Kasumi, before he seemed to realise something.

With a wave of his hand, Ren sent Kasumi flying with a pulse of force, causing the surprised princess to flip through the air and land on her feet a distance away. Kasumi was about to assume that Ren was going to betray her when she noticed a change in the magical flux around the area. A transparent dome formed around Ren, trapping him within as haunting music was played. A maiden clad in black descended from the air upon a tree, as a man in black came out from the forest.

"Princess Kasumi, it would appear that your bodyguard has confessed his love for you moments before he will die. I would suggest you come quietly with us back to Akavir. You can't save anyone this time and no one will be saving you" smiled Ryu Jin Woo, raising his right hand and swiping it across, mists and sparkling energy forming into his spirit blade. He advanced upon Kasumi, who had drawn her own sword in response, taking his time to corner his prey.

Chapter 26
Kasumi leaped away as Jin Woo crashed into the ground she once stood on, kicking up dirt with the power of his attack. Twisting midair and seemingly leaping off nothing, Kasumi avoided a wave of mist that smashed apart trees behind her, landing on a treetop as she stuck her left hand out. Multiple lines of light streaked from Kasumi's hand, aimed to pierce Jin Woo, as Kasumi fired her Spirit Needle attacks to break the charge of her opponent.

Jin Woo simply raised a single hand, as a shield of ice formed in front of him and absorbed the attacks, splintering and cracking. Punching the shield of ice, Jin Woo shattered it into melting shards that soon transformed into multiple bolts of water that curved towards Kasumi from all directions. As the bolts that Jin Woo fires flew towards Kasumi, the latter leaned forward and flickered, vanishing from sight as she avoided the attacks entirely.

Jin Woo raised his sword with a smirk upon his face, as he intercepted a two handed downward strike from Kasumi by blocking using his strength alone. The force shattered the ground below Jin Woo's feet, yet it didn't harm the Ka Po Tun swordsman as he pushed his sword aside to fling Kasumi away and went for a quick stab at her chest. Kasumi's response was to slacken her sword arm and push the other way, the sharp point of Jin Woo's sword missing her as she landed on her feet and brought her sword forward in a stab.

Kasumi's stab was slapped to the side, not with a blade, but with a hand that hit the flat of her own sword. Jin Woo immediately brought his sword inwards for a horizontal slash, which Kasumi blocked by deflecting up and away. Yet, the follow up was fast and the two Spirit Pressure users exchanged a flurry of blows, the sound of swords clashing echoing around. The power of each blow was such that every blocked strike caused the ground below the one who blocked to shatter, yet neither Kasumi or Jin Woo seemed worse for wear, other than the constantly closing superficial wounds that were building up on both parties when strikes managed to slip through.

"My my, you have improved, princess. What happened to the girl who couldn't even block a single strike? I have not started yet, though" laughed Jin Woo as his sword emitted white mist. Kasumi immediately blocked, yet the blow was a lot stronger than everything she had deflected and she was sent flying back. Landing on her feet, Kasumi immediately pushed off to her side as multiple lances of water crashed into where she just landed, causing a powerful explosion. She rolled along the ground, as multiple lines of spirit needle fired through the kicked up dust, with some narrowly catching her and cutting wounds.

Ren watched as Kasumi and Jin Woo fought, unable to do anything as the barrier around him pressed down on him with a heavy force. Whoever constructed it had a strong Spirit Pressure foundation and it was slowly sapping his own stores of magical energy. The fight was slowly becoming one sided, as Kasumi was running out of stamina and Jin Woo's overall superiority in mystical arts was obvious enough to any observer. Yet, it was proving difficult for Ren to break the barrier around himself.

Ren closed his eyes, realising he would require a drastic measure to even escape the dome. If he couldn't escape, Kasumi would lose eventually and he would be too weak to even fight. It meant both of them would die. If this was the case, Ren preferred that Kasumi would be able to get away, even if it meant his end. Collecting his Spirit Pressure, Ren started to feel the Spirit Pressure barrier that was constructed around him with his ability to feel the flow of magic.

Kasumi could feel her strength ebbing as she blocked yet another strike, which sent her tumbling back. She had sheathed her Guardian Clan sword and switched to her Spirit Sword earlier when Jin Woo had tried to crush her with a barrage of water blasts. The change in weapon wasn't proving very useful, though, as Kasumi brought her weapon up and blocked a vertical strike that would have easily bisected any non magical blade. This bought enough time for Kasumi to roll to the side and kick Jin Woo away as his weapon ploughed into the ground. The reprieve was minimal as a cutting wave of white mist nearly pulverised Kasumi, if not for quick roll to her left.

"You really should come quietly, princess. I can at least make it painless and quick if you stop resisting" said Jin Woo as he swung his blade again, another crescent of white mist flying past Kasumi as she flattened herself against the ground so it would pass over her. Kasumi then rolled to the side and got up as a third crescent of mist dug up earth as it travelled along the ground. She wasn't fast enough to avoid a geyser of water that exploded out from below her, though, flinging her into a tree as Jin Woo clicked his fingers. The Ka Po Tun swordsman raised his sword, as white mist collected along the blade again, ready to finish Kasumi off.

Min Yeon felt a change in the air as she maintained the barrier around Ren, before a surge of energy assaulted her and she felt her Spirit Pressure go out of control. Ren had overloaded her barrier by expelling a large amount of his own Spirit Pressure to counteract and take control of it. Watching the silver flute in her hands shatter, Min Yeon fell from her perch on a tree, coughing up blood as she was damaged by her loss of control. Min Yeon tried to draw her sword, but the pain in her chest prevented her from getting into a stance as she bent over, supporting herself using the blade.

Jin Woo heard the barrier break, realising he had underestimated his enemy as he turned and blocked a stabbing strike from Ren's flaming sword by deflecting the blade off to his side. Ren was fast, though, already turning to pull his blade inwards as he slid it off Jin Woo's sword. The Ka Po Tun jumped back and then rushed forward to deliver a crushing vertical blow, but Ren moved to the side and transitioned into another stab, which forced Jin Woo to turn to his side as the flaming weapon passed his body.

Jin Woo brought his sword into a horizontal slash with strength alone, as Ren vaulted cleanly over the blade and gathered flames in his free hand, firing a burst of fire. Jin Woo seemed to stretch into a blur as he shifted away using his movement technique, before firing a barrage of water spears at Ren, who replied by creating a shield of black flames that evaporated the attack. With a wave of his hand, Ren sent the shield of flames flying at Jin Woo, who shifted to the side to avoid the attack. Jin Woo had noticed Min Yeon's injuries, which caused him to narrow his eyes as he glared at Ren.

"Breaking my sister's barrier would have taken a lot of magical energy. You don't have much left in your current state. For harming my sister like that, I can't forgive you" said Jin Woo as he shifted to a two handed stance and got ready to attack once more. Streaking forwards, Jin Woo's blade was stopped cold by Ren's own, as the Tsaesci officer didn't reply to the provocation. The two of them exchanged blow after blow, Jin Woo realizing that despite Ren's current disadvantageous situation, he wasn't going to win if he used his blade alone. Ren's overall talent with the sword was apparent by this point.

Kasumi picked herself up as she witnessed the exchange between Ren and Jin Woo. She knew that Ren was simply buying time for her to run away, and that it wouldn't be possible for him to win, yet she didn't want to escape. Kasumi felt as if running away, while allowing Ren to die was wrong, yet she was powerless to change the situation. Pain coursed through Kasumi's body, Jin Woo's powerful attacks leaving aftereffects that made it hard to even stand straight, let alone continue fighting. Ren was stalemating Jin Woo, by using fast, lethal swordplay to make it hard for Jin Woo to cast magic or plan. This was only going to last as long as Ren had stamina given his current condition.

Jin Woo ducked down as Ren's slash passed over his head, yet before he could cut at Ren's chest, somehow the sword had redirected itself downwards, forcing him to roll to the side as Ren moved backwards and out of reach. Jin Woo recovered fast as he delivered a stab for his opponent, only for Ren to deflect the strike away from connecting by use of the sword's pommel. Jin Woo streaked backwards, flowing on magical power, avoiding a stab to his face from Ren's blade as he started to laugh.

"Defend against this" said Jin Woo, as he swung his blade. A wave of white mist burst forth, aimed not for Ren, but Kasumi. Kasumi's own eyes widened as she tried to move, but she already knew she was too slow. Using her enhanced strength and speed was not enough if she could not use the Senriho technique. Closing her eyes, Kasumi awaited her own end, until her eyes were forced open by something slamming into her. Ren had used the magical power he conserved to move at full speed, knocking Kasumi out of the way as he formed a barrier to intercept the attack.

Ren's barrier shattered, as he was flung back by the sheer power of the strike, crashing through a tree before he tumbled along the ground. While his injuries were severe, his barrier had managed to protect him from the worst, which would have been complete disintegration. Kasumi watched as Jin Woo clenched his fist, a large orb of water forming in the air above Ren, who could only smile at his vain attempt to save his charge. Jin Woo moved his hand down, a fist of water formed from the orb and punched Ren, the ground below him giving way and shattering. When it was over, Ren was unconscious, lying in the middle of a crater.

"Next is you, princess. He's a tough one, but killing him can come later" said Jin Woo, as he turned to face Kasumi and walked towards her, sword in hand. Kasumi forced herself to stand, looking at Jin Woo, before turning to look at the unconscious Ren. She was angry at herself for being weak and helpless, which had led to Ren's current state. If Ren did not have to protect her, he would have escaped successfully. Her own weakness was precisely the reason that Ren was going to die for nothing. If she just had more power, things could have been different.

Holding her sword up, Kasumi stared at Jin Woo, who was advancing on her, a smirk upon his confident face as he held his sword to his side, white mists streaming off the blade. Kasumi had steadied herself, having recovered enough to stand on her legs because of her recovery ability. Focusing entirely on Jin Woo, Kasumi discarded the thoughts of losing as she only wished for one thing. To kill the man that was blocking her path and putting her in such a precarious position. After him, she would kill his sister, then move on to his family when she returned to Akavir.

Jin Woo slowed his advance when he felt something in the air shift, noting that the emission of Spirit Pressure was not as he would expect. Ren was unconscious, so there was no way that it would be him. As the foreign energy intensified, Jin Woo realised there could only be one source, which would be Kasumi. Deciding to be safe rather than sorry, Jin Woo looked more closely at Kasumi, feeling the emission of Spirit Pressure from her body. It was at that moment Jin Woo stopped his advance and instead took a step back.

"I won't forgive you. I really won't forgive you. I cannot forgive you" muttered Kasumi as she took a step towards Jin Woo, the energy flowing from her body intensifying. The Spirit Pressure that Kasumi was emitting kept increasing with each step, expanding outwards from the original source. Jin Woo readied himself realising that the aura that Kasumi as giving off had intensified until it was comparable to a high level Spirit Pressure practitioner. That, and it was still increasing in power.

Deciding not to give Kasumi time to prepare, Jin Woo streaked forward in a blur, sword aimed to cleave Kasumi into half as he broke the sound barrier once more. Jin Woo's blade never connected, though, as he seemed to pass through an afterimage of his opponent. Noting the change in Spirit Pressure flow, Jin Woo quickly turned to his right and leaped forward, a stab from Kasumi missing him by mere millimetres as it cut the back of his clothing. Jin Woo ducked down in time for Kasumi's sword to pass over him, as he righted his stance and fired multiple spears of water to disrupt Kasumi's attack.

Kasumi seemed to dash through the water spears unharmed, as she cut through them with rapid cuts from her Odachi, a white shroud of energy forming around her body as her Spirit Pressure continued to intensify. Jin Woo pressed his hand to the ground, leaping back as Kasumi landed where he just stood, delivering a downward slash that would have bifurcated him if he was any slower. The ground which Jin Woo touched exploded violently in a blast of water, yet the mists that were kicked up dispersed when Kasumi sliced downward with her sword, revealing she wasn't damaged aside from her clothing.

Jin Woo decided to cut and run as he fired multiple Spirit Needle attacks at Kasumi to distract her, so he could come up with a new attack plan. From what he could feel, Jin Woo knew that Kasumi had gained a large boost to her physical parameters and her Spirit Pressure emission had increased itself to levels that were greater than his own. Confronting Kasumi head on in close combat would be suicide at this point, so Jin Woo knew he had to outlast Kasumi instead.

The plan was not effective, as Jin Woo instinctively raised his sword and used the flat to stop a powerful stab cold. Kasumi's immense strength sent Jin Woo flying through a tree, as he tumbled along the ground and used a short ranged water explosion to throw himself in another direction. Kasumi crashed down where Jin Woo just was, kicking up dirt and stones, before she used a swipe of her blade to send the largest rock flying at Jin Woo. Jin Woo landed and flattened himself on the ground, as the rock pulverised another tree behind him.

At the point, Jin Woo decided that it was enough and his Spirit Pressure cultivation still had a long way to go. Although he still did not understand how Kasumi obtained such power, it was best to escape with his life before things went downhill. There would definitely be a price to pay for accessing power beyond one's own capability, so he would leave Kasumi to face that. Slamming his hand to the ground, Jin Woo created a cloud of mist as he quickly gathered the watching Min Yeon and retreated from the area.