Mists of the Rising Sun 2

Foreword
''This is the second part of Mists of the Rising Sun. Ren and Kasumi's adventure is far from over and their original objective has completely derailed. Not to mention, they have picked up a new follower, the girl they were to originally capture, Shiori Inoue.''

Armed with a serving girl who now can carry their baggage while running and hiding if there is trouble, how will the heroes fare?

Chapter 11
Kasumi frowned as she trekked on the forest path, leading the way as she read a map. Ren didn't seem happy to have to walk either, moving beside Kasumi at the same pace. As they had chosen to bring Shiori along and have her carry all the clothes, they would have to travel at a speed more reasonable for the mundane Tsaesci that didn't have a high mastery in movement arts. Shiori struggled to keep up still, since Kasumi and Ren walked as fast as humanly possible, despite the uneven ground, like they were used to travelling over any kind of surface without slowing down.

"Can't you teach me how to move over long distances, at least? I wouldn't be slowing you two down if I knew how to run on rooftops and leap from tree to tree like you two" said Shiori, asking again for the two higher ranking members of her society to teach her something useful. Kasumi had agreed, but it was hard to get Ren to agree to it and he stopped Kasumi from doing so. It was obvious enough that Ren didn't want to allow Shiori to escape using movement techniques, which was why she wasn't allowed to learn it.

"You already know my opinion. I will not teach you, and I will not let Kasumi teach you. You will escape if you knew how to move like us. Similarly, you would fight us if we taught you how to fight" insisted Ren when he seemed to notice something and gripped Kasumi's hand, causing her to stop and look up from the map she was reading. Shiori stopped behind the two, unsure of what was happening.

A group of individuals came out of ambushing positions around them, totalling about five people. Unlike the typical bandits, they were dressed in armor plated robes and most of them carried maces, although one who appeared to be the leader carried a silver sword. The five drew their weapons, which caused Ren to tilt his head to the side slightly in annoyance. Kasumi herself quickly stowed the map, as Shiori tried to hide behind the other two, although it was futile since the five had spread out around them.

"What you want? I think you all should not block us. We don't have to fight" said Kasumi in Tamrielic, no longer having to stammer as she was more familiar with the language by now. She had placed her hand on her blade. Ren had simply kept his hands to his side, allowing Kasumi to do the talking without interfering. He didn't go for his sword. Shiori raised her hands, although her small frame and young, girlish appearance was decidedly not threatening.

"If you know what is good for you and really do not want a fight, Stendarr demands that you turn over to the ascetic lifestyle. Leave behind your weapons and live a life of piety and mercy. Return to the temple your ill gotten finances. Always walk in the light or we will drag you into it" said the sword wielder, as he smiled at Kasumi. He was sure the foreign looking woman would understand, given the distinctly Imperial style of dressing she and her two followers wore despite their non native facial features.

"Who is Stendarr? Bandit Leader? Why are you trying to rob us?" said Kasumi, not knowing anything about the culture of Tamriel or their local practices. She had no clue what all the talk of temples was about. All she was clear that these were five bandits trying to rob them in broad daylight as they journeyed to the supposed capital of Cyrodiil. That meant the extermination of such was good for the people.

"I understand. You are one who does not walk in Stendarr's light. An agent of the daedra. If this is the case, we shall exterminate your filthy kind" said the man with the sword, as he exhorted his underlings to attack. Kasumi shook her head slightly as she flickered, one of the mace wielders being sent flying as she reappeared with her outstretched palm. The man Kasumi hit crashed into a tree, which audibly snapped and fell on him, crushing him.

Ren had made a move for the others and he flickered as well, reappearing in front of another mace wielder who was empty handed after being disarmed. A swing of the mace sent the man staggering back as his armor plated robes creaked in protest, before his compatriot was smashed into another tree when Ren threw the mace at the third man's chest. The one Ren disarmed tried to make a rush for Ren, but he was rebuffed when he was simply grabbed and thrown to the ground, before Ren stomped on his ankles to break them.

The last mace wielder fell as the sword wielder backed away, after Shiori panicked and fired multiple Spirit Needle attacks. Ren and Kasumi had regrouped, not seemingly affected by the one sided battle that just occurred. The man with the sword realized he was at a disadvantage and wanted to turn tail to flee, but he didn't make it when he felt the cold edge of Kasumi's blade on his neck.

"This Stendarr must be a bandit lord. Take me to him, so I may rid the world of evil. Turn in your leader and I will spare you" said Kasumi, conversing in Tamrielic again. Her words evidently confused the man, who had no idea what she was talking about.

"What part of the world can you even be from? Stendarr is the god of righteous mercy. Did you crawl out from under a rock or something?" said the bandit, which caused Kasumi to press her sword tighter to his neck, causing a bead of blood to form. Kasumi most definitely didn't buy the explanation, since the Tsaesci by nature did not worship gods, only naturalistic forces, elements and processes. She didn't quite understand why there was a god of righteous mercy or what he did.

"He's not lying, ojou sama, since those in Tamriel do not believe in the same forces and systems as we do. They apparently worship anywhere between eight to ten people, depending on what kind of race and religion they supposedly are. Some of them worship more and some of them have alternative gods or saints" said Shiori helpfully. She had lived for a while in Tamriel, so she knew a bit about the worship of the Nine Divines, the Daedra and the like.

The bandit dressed as a Vigilant of Stendarr decided that it was wiser if he just gave in to Kasumi, since there was no way he was going to get out of this alive if he continued to fight. From observation, he could tell that his allies were all defeated. Raising his hands, the bandit dropped his sword to indicate that he had no more wish to fight on, in hopes that Kasumi was going to take her blade of his neck. Kasumi did not, though, keeping her weapon up. She wasn't going to allow herself to be surprised by a cheap shot.

"Look, miss, it isn't my fault. The Thalmor caused all these troubles back in the Imperial City when they clamped down on Talos worship and caused a schism within the temple authorities. I may have been a former priest, but a priest gotta fill his stomach as well. I haven't eaten or slept well since the change in lifestyle" said the bandit, deciding to see if he could garner some sympathy from Kasumi.

"All this Talos nonsense because some people cannot agree. The Thalmor indeed checked us for Talos Worship. What so special about this Talos anyway. I don't understand why people can fight over what is right or wrong to worship. It's just beliefs anyway" said Ren, finally deciding to say something since they were going nowhere. He felt as though Kasumi was talking too much to someone who had already descended into the scum of society. It would have been better if they finished the job.

"You aren't wrong, traveler. But the Thalmor evidently don't see things the way you do, or I wouldn't have been forced to abandon my post as a priest of Stendarr and turn to banditry to support myself" said the bandit as he pulled his hood back, revealing that he was actually a middle aged blonde Nord. Kasumi finally decided to lower her sword, but she didn't sheath it.

"Don't do evil again. Get out of my sight. If I see you again, doing this, I will kill you" said Kasumi, her accent still rather strange as she wasn't used to speaking Tamrielic tongue. She waved her sword to the side to indicate to the bandit he was free to leave, but kept an eye on him as he picked up his sword and disappeared into the forest. There was no necessity for her to take more lives.

"At this rate, Kasumi, I wonder how the Imperial City will be. Seems like the Thalmor there are less favorable compared to back in Valenwood" said Ren, as he started walking again, motioning for Shiori to pick up the pace. Kasumi shrugged and shook her head, deciding not to reply until they actually saw the place for themselves. Being on the road for so long had definitely made her a bit more irritable than normal.

Chapter 12
Kasumi arrived at the Imperial City, taking a gander around as she looked from left to right, seeing just what was up. The earlier encounter with the bandit priest had rendered her rather suspicious of everything that was going on around the area, particularly with what the Thalmor seemingly did and the atrocities they were said to commit. Ren followed calmly behind Kasumi, keeping a lookout for potential threats, while Shiori plodded along behind with heavy footsteps, tired by the exertions of trying to move in pace with her far faster masters.

"We should find a safe place to stay. It will be necessary if we are to get stronger" remarked Kasumi as she tried to see if there were any inns or such nearby which she could rent a room. It appeared that lodging would only be found deeper in the city, though. A Nord man staggered out of an alley, injured, as three Thalmor officers came out of the same alley, one of them with lightning sparking in his hands. The Nord tried to run, but the Thalmor mage shot him in the leg, causing him to fall down.

Kasumi immediately moved her hand to her sword's hilt and was about to move in to intervene when Ren gripped her wrist and shook his head. Shiori looked somewhat afraid, having witnessed the actions of the Thalmor firsthand, which caused her to agree with Ren and shake her head as well. Kasumi loosed her hand from the hilt of her blade, lowering it to her side as she watched the Thalmor take the man away.

"We can't worry about others when we have to worry about ourselves, Kasumi" remarked Ren as he coaxed Kasumi to continue walking, so they might find a place to stay and rest. It would probably be a while before the Ka Po Tun caught up, assuming they either fled Leyawiin or tried to lay low, since now their paths would diverge again. Even if the Ka Po Tun could track them, it would take a few days to arrive unless it was a coincidence.

Coming to the door of a rather old and run down inn, Ren pushed it open and allowed Kasumi to pass through first, leaving Shiori to hold the door open for herself, according to the order of importance in Tsaesci society. It led to some weird stares from the other patrons that didn't quite understand the relations between the three, seeing Ren's actions as ungentlemanly although Shiori was actually the one obliged to hold the door open for him and close it afterwards. Ren ignored the stares and walked to the counter, placing down some coin as he asked for a room. The innkeeper didn't seem like the busybody kind and quietly handed over the keys.

In fact, Ren felt as if something was off. Everyone seemed too somber and he noticed the actions of the Thalmore from earlier. The bandit priest definitely wasn't lying when he said the Thalmor in the Imperial City were not nice people by any means. Ren moved up the stairs soundlessly, both Kasumi and Shiori following behind him as he unlocked a room, which had two beds and a chair.

"Seems safe enough for some practice. Shiori, watch the door and lock it" said Kasumi, as she started removing her outer layer of clothing. Ren was doing the same, yet neither of them removed the final layer that preserved their modesty. Shiori didn't actually comment on the action, since she herself had also practiced Spirit Pressure before. It was normal if the body got very hot when practicing, so removing the clothes would allow heat to dissipate. It also meant less laundry as the removed articles of clothing wouldn't be soaked in sweat.

"Kasumi, I will teach you the techniques used by the Hoshimiya and Mikogami clans for the strengthening of the Spirit Pressure. In exchange, you will teach me the techniques used by the Itsuka clan. This is the only way the two of us can get stronger" noted Ren, as he sat opposite Kasumi on the floor. Kasumi herself sat on the floor as well, not wanting to sweat into the bed that she would later sleep on.

"Hoshimiya clan techniques? Doesn't each clan keep their own techniques secret? I can teach you the Itsuka techniques but why do you know the Hoshimiya ones?" asked Kasumi, uncertain about what Ren was talking about. She felt somewhat suspicious that Ren would know techniques that wasn't from his own clan, but it did conveniently explain his talent in flame magic.

"My mother was from the Hoshimiya clan and she passed her techniques to me. If not, I would still be in Akavir trying to figure out the nature of the Mikogami techniques. I will pass the Hoshimiya techniques to you as I practice them again. Listen well" said Ren, as he began to move his hands in circular motions to concentrate his magical energy into various points of his body, explaining his internal flow step by step to Kasumi, who was able to follow. He whispered the techniques quietly, so Shiori wouldn't be able to hear even if she tried.

Kasumi was already a Spirit Pressure user, so it wasn't hard for her to follow the steps, as she gathered what magical energy she had and flowed it around her body in a copy of what Ren was doing. She obviously saw the parallels with her own Itsuka technique, realizing the Hoshimiya clan had simply appropriated the Itsuka clan's original techniques and altered them for their own use. The same was probably true for the other four Guardian Clans. Their techniques all had a common origin.

Shiori decided to stop looking at the lightly clothed Princess and Nobleman from her land of origin, after having looked carefully at their hand movements, although she had no way of actually knowing how they were moving their magical energy. She started copying the motions while not exerting her Spirit Pressure, trying to get an understanding of what was being practiced by the other two. If she wanted to get away from Kasumi and Ren, she definitely needed to become stronger as well.

After what seemed like an hour, Kasumi and Ren both opened their eyes, before Kasumi started telling Ren about her own family's Spirit Pressure technique. The energy movements were different, as were the motion of the hands, as both of them continued their exercise of their magical power. Shiori again looked on, bored after having memorised the exterior movements of the Hoshimiya clan art with no idea how to use it. She now started memorising the exterior movements of the Itsuka clan art, but it was confusing and there were very little, with most of it being spent in a meditative pose as heat visibly rose off the practitioners.

It was apparent Ren had figured out the magical energy manipulations needed for the Itsuka techniques for it was the basis of the techniques he already knew. It wasn't hard for him to fill in anything Kasumi left out, with the technique being in complete harmony with what he had learnt. He understood the true nature of the ability more than Kasumi did and it aided him in filling in some gaps in his own Mikogami clan techniques. Progress on Ren's end was fast, especially because he was already gifted from young in learning Spirit Pressure.

Kasumi was having more trouble with the Hoshimiya techniques, but her good foundation in the Itsuka techniques meant all she had to learn were the supplementary techniques to more precisely control her output and conversion of magical energy into elemental techniques. She had a feeling that it would help her use her powers better, but kept her mind on refining her own body to prevent unwanted side effects.

After both of them were done, Ren started telling Kasumi about his own family's techniques, which only led to confusion. There were completely no hand movements this time. Ren and Kasumi faced each other and simply continued their meditation while mentally moving their own magical energy around their body. Yet, this was the technique that made the most heat stream off them. Shiori had no idea what was going on, so she took on a similar pose and started to redo her own basic foundation in Spirit Pressure, knowing it wouldn't help much.

Chapter 13
The knocking on the door grew more impatient, but the man ignored it. Many had came to seek him out over all sorts of inane matters, so he had long got used to nosy neighbours trying to catch a glimpse of what he did as work. He was actually a historian and archaeologist, interested in the remnants of dynasties long dead. In particular, he had managed to get his hands on some material penned by the second Akaviri Potentate Savirien Choraak and was studying it. Yet the language made completely no sense. It was definitely not written in anything that was familiar to Tamriel.

The knocking on the door finally ceased, before a loud bang indicated that the door was shattered. A man dressed in black walked in, a similarly dressed woman following behind him, both with an exotic air around them and features that screamed of a non Tamrielic ancestry. The historian looked up in annoyance, then his face paled when he noticed what really transpired.

"You are a historian with knowledge on the Akaviri Potentates, am I correct? I see you are currently working on a document. If we do this peacefully, nobody has to get hurt. Will you cooperate?" asked the foreign looking man in perfect Tamrielic, which surprised the historian but unnerved him as well. The man cocked his head to his side in impatience, as the historian struggled to think up of a satisfactory answer.

"Why are you so interested in the Akaviri Potentates? Who are you anyway?" asked the historian, glancing at his the mysterious document that made no sense. The foreign looking man noticed the document and scanned it visually, before he laughed, making the historian even more confused as to what was really going on. It did nothing to quell the tension, though.

"Indeed, you have Akaviri documents. I am an enemy of the Tsaesci and you can call me Ryu. That is all" smiled the man, who was the Ka Po Tun assassin Ryu Jin Woo. The lady with him was obviously his younger sister Min Yeon. They had regrouped and decided to proceed with the plan, now that enough heat was on them regarding hunting Kasumi down. Time was not to be wasted here.

"So, Mr Ryu, you talk about Akaviri documents and the Potentates. Other than being a thief of whatever research I have, what do you want with me? You still have not stated your purpose" said the historian in reply. He was visibly backing away when Ryu Jin Woo advanced slowly. He reached to snatch up the document he was studying, but to no avail. Jin Woo had tapped the floor gently with his foot and multiple tendrils of water round around the historian's arm, restraining him from touching the document as even more tendrils of water appeared to chain the man's other arm.

"When Versidue Shaie came to this place, he didn't just come to conquer you all on instruction from his overlords. He brought some very important documents to be concealed. Some of these documents do not belong to the Tsaesci and have to be returned to their rightful owners. Since Versidue Shaie knew the importance of the documents to his true masters, he would have recorded it somewhere. If not him, then his son Savirien Choraak" noted Ryu Jin Woo, as he sat down in the chair the historian used, scanning through the document.

"That's impossible. The Potentate only came to rule Tamriel and the Empire. It is recorded as such in the historical annals. There's no way Versidue Shaie brought anything to this land to hide" said the historian, looking at Jin Woo and struggling against the water binds that prevented much movement. He realized he was facing a mage of uncommon skill and wits.

"I believe a true Akaviri like myself will know better. How many of you even know the Tsaesci are not golden snakes? Like any other scholar, you are ignorant, only believing the little you can see. Do you understand the entire library from reading a single child's tale? Tell me, where do you stow all your research?" asked Jin Woo with a snort, before he laughed again and waved his hand, causing the binds of water to vanish. The historian heaved a sigh of relief, before he started retching and choking, the lack of oxygen getting to him as Ryu Jin Woo maintained a shell of vapor around him.

"You ... what twisted magic is this? There's a basement in this place, spare me, please! The key is in my pocket and you push the bookcase to the right to get to the door" gasped the historian as he collapsed to the ground, Ryu Jin Woo placing one of his feet on the pathetic man's head and slowly pressing down to put pressure on the neck. When it was all said and done, Jin Woo pressed his leg down and the man perished, his neck snapped.

"He should have expected to die since he knows we are from Akavir. Min Yeon, go get the key and settle the bookcase. Hopefully we can find what father wants us to find" said Jin Woo as he took his foot of the historian's head, dragging the corpse over to the bookshelf after his sister retrieved the key that the man had spoke about. With a wave of his hand, Jin Woo shifted the bookshelf to the side with telekinesis, before Min Yeon unlocked the door and both of them entered, dragging the dead man behind them.