Nara Kuzunoha had her own ideas about what needed to be done. Once Wu Hai had been purified of the remnants from the Demonic Bloodline, he had essentially been cured but it left a looming issue.
Wu Hai would eventually choose to roll the Die, or even allow someone else to roll it. Both could cause serious issue and she couldn't allow it to happen. Stopping the Prince before he left the pagoda to join his father, Wu Hai and Miss Nara had a talk.
Kuzunoha's face seemed to cringe and she rubbed her foot on the ground when she spoke, the subtleties weren't lose on the prince. "Wu Hai, you can't use that form die so recklessly. If I hadn't been around, who knows how you would have handled yourself. The Demonkin was one thing, you seemed to have the mental capacity for that.. even if its somewhat scary to see you as such."
Her hand pressed against his chest and she continued. "You're too important, to me, to the sect, to your family, Don't take these huge risks."
Before she could continue Wu Hai grabbed her hand and pulled it from his chest. He could feel her tense up like he hadn't seen before, "What is with you today? This world is risky, I cannot just watch."
Sighing and continuing, the prince had a bit on his mind. "Kuzunoha. If you're that worried, come along. Besides, I did say I would eat you up one day."
Wu Hai chomped his teeth in front of her and watched Kuzunoha smile.
Then, he abruptly kissed her.
Kuzunoha turned a bright red and sank into his silhouette.
"Since When.." She stopped herself and straightened her clothing.
The Prince's grasp had gotten better.
"Lets go see your Mother, I'm sure she's worried." Kuzunoha perked up and walked out of the Pagoda with Prince Wu Hai.
The people outside were baffled, but glad. The Zao Clan was always better when Wu Hai was happy, and Nara always brought a change in his attitude.
"People are staring." Nara let go of the prince's arm and stood at her position as an Elder of the Sect.
The Patriarch already had given his introductions and started sorting out the new arrivals, the operation was like clockwork.
"Guzhe" Wu Hai went up and hugged his friend.
"What have you been up to lately?" It had been some time, Guzhe looked a lot stronger than when he had first arrived from Earth.
"Your little brothers are quick learners. I became the head of the Stealth Corp, Ho trains with me most days." Guzhe was curious when he saw another black bird peeking from the prince's shadow.
Guzhe pointed and Lu Sha was forced from the Shadow.
"Hey, Hey.. let me go." Lu Sha floundered while he was in Guzhe's grasp, freeing himself from the restraint spells and shot into the sky.
It caught the attentions of everyone but then Wu Hai and Mike waved him down.
Mike introduced him to the group of onlookers. "This is Lu Sha. He use to be an Ice Elemental."
"An Elemental? A bird Elemental? A Phoenix? A Black Phoenix?" A million questions came from Zao Lei as she hovered around Lu Sha in amazement.
"Lei, you don't even play with the Black-fire Wolf. You've had him since you were a baby, now you show interest in a black bird." Matriarch Calistown started pulling at her child's foot as it dangled in the air.
"No. Let him be. You're lucky that he likes the mountainside." The Matriarch laughed and smiled.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
It was raining, the mud was too much for the Arine Mount to continue. With each step its toes sank deeper into the ground.
Wiping the sweat and hot rain from his brow, Zhan pushed forward while walking the Arine in the bog. He was looking for another town, but the elements were not kind. Zhan's clean clothing only lasted so long, and then his bare feet bore the brunt of every stone, every twig, every sharp stake that stood out among the landscapes. Zhan was skilled at making things, but he didn't have a workshop. the best he could do was lash some skins around his ankles.
Appearances aside, Zhan traipsed through marshes and then through the prairie again. Eventually, he had to hope for another city. People seemed far and few, the occasional beastkin settlement or demonkin patrol would make his stray from his path.
A small creek stood between Zhan and a Stone Eater. The Stone Eater had been grinding its tusks on the ridge side, it was preparing to sharpen them to mate.
'This will do' Zhan recalled the Cloud Sky Ox he had slain when he first met Rachael, the scene was very close to what he was seeing now.
'Adjust,Aim.Draw.Release.' Releasing an Arrow made of Myssintree, it quickly pierced the heart of the Stone Eater.
The body slipped into the creekbed shallows and bled into the water. The fish nearby started to gather and feed. Mike needed to rescue his kill, the fish in the river were beginning to frenzy over the corpse in the water. The hide of the Stone Eater wasn't something they would easily bite into, however they could find a way in through the mouth or wound.
Zhan started to channel some roots to help him move the body. Stepping into the river was out of the question, the fish even gnawed on the roots as they tumbled through the flagstone and silt.
"Imagine that." Zhan walked up to the roots that had brought out the corpse of the Stone Eater, caught in its maw was a large yellow and orange swirled gemstone.
"It must have been trying to swallow it." The stone was put away into his storage ring.
Cleaning up the stone eater once it was on land took about an hour. The hide was fair and heavy, the bitter winds made it ideal for the Hunt. Mike crafted a crude set of slippers and turned the rest to cover himself from the cold.
To the North was nothing but Demonkin.
Zhan heard a voice coming from a cave nearby, it sounded desperate. Inspecting it was part of his nature, the Prince found the entrance among some bushes. The crystallized bush had long slender fruits hanging all over it.
Zhan had plenty of meat from the Stone Eater, but the fruits were crusted with frost and flickered with a little bit of starlight with the moons hanging above. The flesh was inside slick and crackled when he bit into it.
A creamy substance filled his mouth, it tasted sour and spicy.
Zhan's familiarity with Ice Magic strengthened a bit, there was no mistaking the rise in power. The Prince's fingers glowed with more warmth than before, the biting and bitter cold did not seem to bother him as much. The Cave was inviting, his journey had really only just begun.
There were some interesting steps that led further into the cave, Zao Zhan knew that it was a hermit's home by the distinct smell of food lingering the further in he went.
The aftertaste from the fruit broke Zhan's concentration and he saw a torchlight ahead in the tunnel.
"Hello?" Zhan called out in the cavern, he didn't know what to expect but he hoped it wasn't a fight.
Pulling a sword and glowstone from a storage ring, Zhan approached with caution.
"You.Come.In.Good.Time." The voice cracked, it was like he had not spoken for some time.
"Oh? Very well. I am Zhan." Zhan introduced himself and sheathed his sword.
A light hung in the room, the lingering smell of herbs brought a strange calm to the atmosphere.
"Sit. Drink. Have some Tea." The light finally revealed the face associated with the voice, two distinct horns stood on the Man's head.
"Don't worry, My name is !Eersiewrsx-F$##!%!#$. You can call me Ferser." Ferser introduced himself, the greeting seemed very strange.
"You don't deal with demons very much, do you?" Ferser was one of the few demons or demonkin who had even bothered to speak rationally to the Prince.
"My only encounters with your kind have been very fierce battles, perhaps I should go." Zhan was preparing to leave, he hadn't shown malice.
"No need to flee. I told you, Don't worry. Come. Have some Tea. Its nice to speak like this again, its been some time. Tell me of your homeland." Ferser seemed interested in Zhan's background but the Prince was smarter than that.
"My home is shattered, I seek revenge. My daughters killer holds her sister in his grasp. Tales of my homeland.. pfft. I seek a strange Qilinkin, black and a bit taller than me. As a father, I cannot rest until he is dead." Zhan gritted his teeth and looked at the fire by the side of the room.
"Is the Tea ready?" he asked.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
Weeks had gone by, many in the Sect had things to figure out. With the appearance of Ibuwere, a lot of questions about the continents, their political structures and the races that controlled the world got answered. Some of the worst to handle were in fact the greater of the Devil's spawn. Their offspring usually carried many of the traits down their bloodlines, the Devil bloodlines were unique.
The Older the Devil, the greater the power. Usually, they were dormant. The Great War of the past had left them willing to wait until the Great Chaos once again ran the wild world.
There were the exceptions that exist, those who regularly receive sacrifice or offerings grow in power quickly. Like all things, sudden growths in power cause mental instabilities, sometimes those who've developed become sloppy and unable to control their abilities properly. Corq'wei's appearance for Zao Wu Hai had been such a case.
The Hundreds of Continents existed.
The Network of Island chains snaked across the planet. Still, They had flown for weeks in a single direction before reaching the edge of a continent, the overall size of the world was much greater than either of them had imagined and it seemed endless given the descriptions from Ibuwere. Kingdoms and tribal land borders were a fluid thing, changing with each generation.
Much of the deep northern territory had been taken over by the Devils and Demonkin. The East was primarily controlled by the Dragonkin. The Western side of the filled with beastkin tribes. Much of the South was dominated by the Qilinkin but beastkin tribes and cultures controlled the lands.
The Humans were the ones drawing maps originally, and so from their prospective the central continent was the one Wu Hai had grown up on. In the far East, he had finally found a Devil. That had him busy with regret over his own ability. The times he had lost control were heavy on his soul, there was not a lot of pity to go around, everyone within the Sect had similar goals.
Become Stronger.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
Zao Wu Hai had noticed that Mike's transformation while battling the Devil proved his destiny was not to follow him. Instead, the Prince had a hard decision to finalize properly.
"Teacher, We have some things to discuss. The Forge, Being your apprentice.. I think its all wrong. What if the Zao Sect gave you complete control of the forges in the Western Mountain. Have you had a chance to see it?" The Prince was eager to get back to searching for his niece and standing around in the Sect did nothing but delay his departure.
"I heard that this city has an offsite Forging complex. I'd like to see what that's like. You did a pretty good job in such a short time back in Yunnan. It would be interesting to see what your people can accomplish given time and preparation. Lead me there, If you're furnace can match mine then I will consider it settled." Gefest threw his hands up.
The distance between the Sect and Yunnan was quite great. Attempting to return without Wu Hai's direct intervention would be a dumb idea. Gefest knew that his student wasn't trying to do wrong by him, and so the forgemaster went to see the offer in earnest.
The Trip to the mountain was quick enough, Wu Hai didn't want to teleport when he could walk. He would miss out on everything if he just skipped through his daily journeys. "The Mountain was originally lined with metals when we were first excavating it. Afterwards, I found a network of caverns beneath and this is what they've done with it since I left."
The Prince pointed to the monumental space that ran the center of the Mountain. Dozens of stories below, a bubbling pit of magma was being controlled and managed by formations. Talismans bound the flow and directed the channeled heat. Occasionally small birds could be seen jumping in and out of the fire.
"Firefish live in the mountain. Wahchung seems to like their taste, but its probably better suited for an alchemy material. I'm sure Harris has found some use for them. The blast furnace can be intensified with the crank of a lever. The Lever doesn't really do anything except select the formation to switch to. We did our best to make it more modernized, not everyone controls abilities." Abi kicked her heels up and she hung onto Genba's shoulders.
"Yes. The new residents in the area have become somewhat familiar with basic metalurgy, Harris helped Abi put together a training book. Its a good thing that Xuan Kim Li is back, we've made some progress with Alchemy since you've left. I should just let him tell you." Genba pulled his wife off of his back and walked the Prince's party to Harris' Workshop.
The gaseous aromas that should have been present around so many different substances wasn't present. Wu Hai saw many tubes and vials placed behind barriers, it was obvious that measures had been taken to prevent accidents.
"Prince Wu Hai, It is nice to see you. I think you're going to be surprised. First, Test this." harris put a plate in front of each of them and had a peculiar look on his face.
"..Test?.." Mike blinked so hard to make sure he was seeing the same thing.
Harris interjected quickly, dispelling some of the questions. "Turns out Alchemy is even closer to cooking than Chemistry. Potions are easy enough, but If i make certain smoothies from the plant life, we've found dramatic effects can take place. These enchiladas were inspired by Souze Herzares, she found a multitude of ingredients like monster poultry can be treated the same way as earth and cooked down, but when soaked in certain herbs.. we get buff food. The Effects can be dramatic.. like i've said. This particular dish raises awareness and the sense of smell, I hope you enjoy it. The Sauce was made with Agevore Cream that's been blended with Cilantro and Gilded Garlic. You should be able to sense undead easily too, but the effects are temporary."
"This sounds interesting and smells fantastic." Gefest grabbed a a bite and lost him self in the sauce.
A blank expression first covered his face. Moments later it was tears, then he swallowed.
"I.am.Home." Gefest started chowing down on the rest of his plate and moved onto Mike's plate.
"Teacher?" Mike seemed confused but didn't stop him.
In between bites, Gefest reassured the pair. "I'll take the position, but when you return to my shop if you don't get my notebook I will never forgive you. Now, give me more of these and then take me to my office space. I'd like to get started. Oh.. by the way, what do you need me to make?"
Gefest finished his plate quickly and waited for Harris to come back with more.
"I want you to make Mike your disciple, and teach him everything. His last battle proved that he's much more in tune with your teachings, not that I can't benefit from them myself." Zao Wu Hai wasn't sure what Mike would think of his proposition, he had yet to discuss it with him.
"Bro?" Mike didn't understand and asked in confusion.
"You have your own destiny, I cannot stand in the way.. but at least now you have unlimited resources and a stable environment to learn from Teacher. I have to find Xue, and that's going to take me into unknown places. It was fun rescuing people from the Slave Auction, but I think the next time I return to Yunnan that I will not be so welcomed. We kidnapped a slave, and those dead slavers outside of the forge probably didn't help the situation. Either way, there are things I want to do and I can't do that with someone wanting to plant roots." Wu Hai grabbed Mike's hand from his shoulder and sat down to continue.
"Mike, you probably won't even stay with the Sect in the long run. I just don't see it. Don't be a stranger, and... don't marry early." Wu Hai pulled out Wahchung's compass and passed it over to Mike.
"Destiny if a hard thing to disappoint. You'll never forgive yourself for giving up on it." Standing up, The Prince bowed to his teacher and then to Mike.
"I'll see you all again. For Sure." Wu Hai started channeling a teleportation ring and reached out with his hand.
Very quickly he arrived in his Father's study, a gust of wind swept the curtains nearby and startled the patriarch a bit.
"Father. I think its time, I've already settled things with Mike and Gefest. I still don't know what to do with Ibuwere, but he seems content with the Tower for now. Qu doesn't mind the company, the secretaries have their advantages and disadvantages." Wu Hai thought about how his mobile fortress had its own problems even inside and then wondered about where he would go after Yunnan.
"I plan on taking Kuzunoha with me, Xuan Kim Li wants to stay with the researchers this time and refuses to leave the tower. Lu Sha and Guzhe are getting along, but I think it is better if Lu Sha picks what he does rather than being requested. We should give him all the space and freedom he wants. I've had Qu stock up our supplies again, but I won't be bringing slaves this next time; At least, I think so." Wu Hai went up to hug his father, last time he had been robbed of the opportunity because of the farewell ceremonies.
"You had better go see Khan Ni and Rachael before you leave. Khan Ni is about to give birth, and Rachael is heartbroken with your brother out searching." The Patriarch finished hugging his second born son and returned to his work.
Wu Hai knew that his father was fighting back the tears, everything that had happened recently had been leaving heavy scars on the Sect and its balance. The teleportation ring wrapped around the Prince and he disappeared.
'Good Luck' Zao Ooran rested his hands on his head and swung around in his chair.
He was going to have to explain to Calistown why Wu Hai was missing Dinner.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
"I don't understand the rush." Kuzunoha had no choice but to hurry when Prince Wu Hai arrived at her doorstep.
"I need to grab a few more things." Kuzunoha kept stuffing things into a bag.
"I can't take this anymore." Wu Hai pulled out a new storage ring, whisked away the interior of her bedroom inside.
"Here. This is much faster." He passed the new ring over and watched her smile awkwardly.
"I didn't want to empty my room. Lame, Now I have to put everything back...'Ughh.' Wu Hai, really, Sometimes.." Miss Nara stamped her foot and accepted the ring, her normal ring was filled with books and scrolls.
"You're incorrigible. Lets go." Nara Kuzunoha looked out of her window.
Wu Hai was channeling his ability and when she blinked she was standing in the Tower's entrance.
"I'm going to shrink the tower, I've had Qu stock supplies for everyone. We'll figure out what to do when we arrive. You should be ready for anything, but I'm going directly to the lower forge. It probably wasn't discovered, but it might not be in good shape. We've been gone for nearly a month. I don't think we're going to bother with the City, but I made a promise to Teacher. Are you all ready?" Zao Wu Hai pushed his concentration into the Tower Token and put the bent tower away.
Another flash, and the pair had appeared in a space encapsulating darkness. Once again, Miss Nara felt the forces of teleportation; it left her feeling a bit dizzy but the feeling passed when she noticed the lights were out.
"I had Mike seal the exit, its not original but its a tactic that worked for me as a kid." Wu Hai pulled out a glowstone and set it on the floor before spreading out his spiritual sense to the area.
There were a lot of people, a lot more than when he had left.
"I just need to disguise myself. We should both disguise ourselves. Mike and I both caused a scene, we don't know what's awaiting us." The Prince looked around the room for Gefest's manuals, he would take everything that wasn't nailed down.
"The forge should stay, future generations might find use for it." Traveling all over the place aimlessly wasn't the safest method of exploration, but Wu Hai didn't know where to look for his Niece and former companion.
"I could just teleport us upstairs, but I felt someone inside. I still don't want to reveal the teleportation spell to anyone, humans aren't known for having such ability. It will attract a lot of attention if we're discovered. I'll turn the entrance into a blind. Stay close." Wu Hai raised his mask and hood.
"What the actual Fuck is with that outfit?!" Kuzunoha laughed uncontrollably.
"What? No one knows what this means here. I won't be associated with my usual self, probably." Wu Hai nodded, he was wearing a Cyclops Cosplay outfit complete with the Xmen Logo and Movie trailer onesee.
"Where did you even get that?" Kuzunoha inquired softly.
"Tokyo, Do you like it?" Wu Hai fiddled with the golden harness strap.
"You look ridiculous. At least no one will recognize your origin..." she couldn't help but stick her tongue out and then grab his face.
"You really, really do. Lets go, This place is starting to give me the creeps." Kissing him gently on the cheek, Miss Nara was ready to go.
Kuzunoha slapped the wall a few times and a small circular pattern started to appear. A few more slaps later, and the barrier that Mike and Wu Hai had placed over the entrance was quickly cored, a smooth exit had been made.
"Nice. I need to get his notebook.." The Prince was about to finish his sentence when he noticed something strange.
"All the banners are different." Wu Hai grabbed Kuzunoha and pulled her closer and into the hold once again.
"Looks like the leadership here has changed. Lets hurry, and avoid the people." The Prince stepped back out into the light, the deep blue of his outfit made his quite easily seen in the paste sand stucco-like surrounding.
The Door to the forge had been bashed open by something, debris lay all over the place. Gefest's office had been broken into, all the metals and weapons had been stolen or looted. Some papers laid around, The prince wasn't apprehensive in taking whatever he found. The Chair, desk, tables and cabinets all went into a separate storage ring but the papers were all stored in Wu Hai's personal ring. After some time, they found his notebook wedged above the doorframe like a brick.
When the prince took the book out of the wall a crick could be heard in the floorboards at the Forges main entry. Wu Hai knew what it was, he had spent enough time sorting through ore to know when someone had come. People dropped off weapons all the time, but the forge was destroyed and would take time even to just repair the shop.
It was out of business.
"Lets go." Kuzunoha was alarmed, she didn't have a good feeling.
Watching the Prince channel his teleportation technique, she grabbed entered the circle and grabbed his shoulder.
The dust in the room swept itself into the air and covered their escape.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
"?!" Manager Chou was caught off guard.
"INTRUDER!" A Guard moved quickly, but Wu Hai was a little faster to remove his mask.
"STOP!" Manager Chou didn't know what to say, but knew the guard would listen to the order.
"Explain. Why are you here... and just how did you appear here. How long have you been here?" Manager Chou was pretty angry with the development, but still did everything he could grasp the situation fully.
"Manager Chou. Today, you go out of business. I'd like to discuss fair terms." Wu Hai flicked a restraint formation on the guard.
"Kuzunoha, Isolate us from the sound from outside. I don't want anyone to stumble onto our conversation." The Prince sat majestically on the chair and looked at the now sweating Manager.
A barrier encapsulated the room.
"What will it take besides bloodshed to close this establishment forever? Today." Zao Wu Hai didn't pause in his words, the guard started to struggle but it only harmed himself.
"I played by the rules, but this City regularly sent people to kill me, rob me and attack my teacher. I can't forgive it. Explain to me why I shouldn't just wipe this building out entirely, I don't even think it would be that hard. You see. The problem is, you're not talking. Tell me.. what's with the banners outside. They've changed since I was here." Wu Hai ranted and asked a question, the information could have been found anywhere but Manager Chou wanted to live.
Starting from the beginning, Manager Chou started to tell the current state of affairs in the City.
"We have a new Emperor." Sighing like he had no choices but to tell all, Manager Chou held out his hand and rubbed his fingers.
"Money? You want to paid for your info? Right now? really?" Miss Nara chided the man who had been eyeing her like a carnival prize.
"Nothing in this world is free child, not even you." Manager Chou struck a nerve and Kuzunoha moved to kick at him.
"Talk, asshole.. or I'll let the pretty girl kick your ass until you change your mind." Wu Hai didn't have any objections to this method, but it seemed a little excessive.
"The Emperor's Signet was discovered. Last month, he took up residency at the Palace. A lot of people were taken away. I still can't find my attendant. This City is going to hell, you don't have to threaten me for the information. Just pay me." Manager Chou stuck to his usual self-loathing attitude and put his hand back out to be paid.
"Here." Wu Hai put a gold bar into his hand.
"Talk." The Prince grabbed at Manager Chou's collar and pulled him closer.
"Hey. Hey.. We have an agreement now. Let me continue." Manager Chou adjusted himself.