June leaned against a wall within the forgotten train station, eyes closed as she waited for her demonic associates to finish whatever device they were developing. From what she had managed to gather, they were planning to use one of their relics that came from the era when they opposed Tripitaka and his company on their Journey of Enlightenment. Though, she was unsure if the story was entailing that as her memory was foggy regarding the story. "How do you still have that Gourd from your battles against the Monkey King?" Questioned The Cobrivite without opening her eyes to address The Silver and Gold Demons, "Thought he managed to turn each one of your five arcane relics against you..." She finished off with the laughter from Ginkaku, which caused June to open her eyes to The Silver Demon.
"Yeah, the recorded events aren't exactly accurate to the story. We never encountered the Monkey King." He explained as June grew more confused by this, "Let's say that The Ethereal Council kind of altered the story vaguely. Wukong had kind of vanished before that and was not really around to that monk." The Silver Demon pressed on further as the efforts to modify the Gourd were coming to a close.
"I can already tell that you're confused now about why this is a thing. To be honest, there are many accounts of The Council altering the accounts of Midgardians and Mythic interactions multiple times, too. From Chinese to Slavic, Norse, and so forth. It has been quite the mystery for why they did this has been quite a mystery..." Tonikaku announced while crossing his arms to ponder this great mystery himself for it.
"Slavic? You are referring to one of the first recorded events that took place in Ancient Russia... One of the greatest enemies of The Cosmos originates. The God of Darkness, Chernobog..." June responded as she got up from the wall behind her. "Tales of his campaign against Second Generation of Divine nearly destroyed Yggdrasill and the foundations of Creation..." The Cobrivite announced with subtle fear regarding this powerful entity of Dark Power. Though, the little accounts regarding Chernobog were reasonable due to the terror he had inflicted across the realms to the point that many were too afraid to even record his existence, hoping he would be lost to time.
"Yep... Hell, even the first Demons like Apophis and Ravana were nothing to this guy and his power. One of the few times where both Demons and Divine were willing to work side by side to take down an enemy." Remarked the Silver Demon with the same amount of fear from the very mention of the Slavic God. "Anyways, we managed to finish our little Gourd and made sure it wouldn't dissolve our bounty when we took her to The Dragon Emperor and The Dark Elven Queen." Ginkaku explained with a good sense of pride for his Arcane and technological know-how to achieve this.
"That's good. The last thing we all need to enrage that arrogant bastard by killing the Princess... Though, I find it odd that he was even to entertain the idea of keeping Esmeralda alive to the Queen." June finished as she was ready to take off to capture her bounty.
"Woah, woah! Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Malbec. Keep in mind that the camo tech in your armor is damaged thanks to the Shadow Monkey. You're gonna need to have a Glamour Spell to blend in among the Midgardians. Plus, I have been hearing that Khonsu and Hades are here due to the forest fire in California." Explained Tinokaku, crossing his arms to express how serious it was to make use of a Glamour Spell for their disguises.
"Two members of The Ethereal Council are here? Out of all of them, Khonsu is here as well. Great... As if things were not already complicated." June missed with rage as her tail swung to destroy another stone pillar within the train station left in ruins. Both Ginkaku and Tonikaku shared the lament that June was expressing. Any operations that were not recorded by The Asier would lead up to The Council dealing with those who violate the laws personally. Midgard had to be kept in the dark about The Realms of Euvis and the Mythics that already live alongside them. Midgardians were seen as too dangerous to allow coexistence to be established due to many past events that led up to this separation.
"Fine... Teach me whatever Glamour Spell you have to allow me to avoid detection from The Council." June declared with a hiss.
Elsewhere, Washta was doing research on her older sister's notes regarding General Perov Fyodor. From what Washta had learned from the notes that Shadi took regarding the Russian soldier, the Shawnee woman was able to make some connections between him and some odd events that had transpired with some kind of group. Yet, Shadi was not able to identify who this group was or their intention. Washta grew somewhat frustrated that these notes weren't able to present any form of insight into where or who she and her new group of friends should go next. Her growing irritation was soon picked up by Theo as he made his way through the Tavern.
"Having some troubles, Washta?" Questioned the Greek Mechanic as he whipped away some grease from his forehead, coming back from a tough repair job in one of the rooms of the building. Though the Shawnee woman refused to respond as she looked over the notes that lay before her. Theo chuckled a bit at this action before suggesting an idea to her, "Ever thought that Shadi's notes might be encrypted? After all, she was being hunted, and it is doubtful that Shadi wanted any rando reading these documents." He finished as Washta turned toward the Greek Handyman with an expression of surprise over her.
"Well, if they are encrypted... I don't know how she did so..." Washta replied bitterly, sighing in defeat from the fruitless endeavor she had found herself against.
Theo shrugged in a form of empathy regarding the struggle that Washta currently faced as he took a seat next to the Shawnee Woman. "Mind if I take a look at them?" Requested Theo with a warm smile. With an irritated groan, Washta handed the notes to him. She knew that there was little hope of her figuring out Shadi's hidden message if there were any. Having a new fresh set of eyes wouldn't hurt in the quest to locate both News Reporter and Private Investigator.
Theo read over the various written papers that Washta had on her, but there was the question of how she obtained these notes before anyone else could. "How did you get these papers anyway?" He questioned as he flipped through the several handwritten notes.
"Simply through the mail. Came to my apartment roughly a day or two before my older sister went missing. Guess the old post office is still reliable even when technology has become such a dependence for most people in this modern age, huh?" Answered Washta as she folded her hands behind her head while leaning back against the couch she sat in. That comment did win a small chuckle from Theo. Though, as Theo looked over the documents, he did begin to notice some oddities within the writing popping out throughout them. "You know, I am seeing some of the letters in the paper being written in a particular manner compared to most of them." He announced as he searched for more occurrences that mimicked the one that he had discovered.
"Wait, seriously!?" Washta shouted in shock as she swiftly began to look over Theo's shoulder to see what he was talking about. Soon, she began to notice this oddity and facepalmed at her inability to catch this subtle detail. "By the Great Spirit, why am I so blind?" She lamented with a groan while her hand slid down on her face to show how angered she was.
"Hey, I wouldn't be so hard on yourself. After all, this means that your sister did a really good job of hiding whatever she thought was important." Theo remarked with a smirk of admiration for The Shawnee Report's capability regarding written encryption. "Now it is a matter of figuring out the key to decode the wording... Which is gonna be another challenge entirely." Theo stated with dread radiating from his voice as Washta was able to relate to the challenge which was now before them.
As the Native Woman and Cyclops in disguise worked on their challenge, Esmeralda and Tyrik were having a practice duel between the scythe and the longsword. Though, Tyrik was caught off guard by the design of Esmeralda's scythe as it wasn't the type you would have seen Ruby Rose of RWBY nor Maka Albarn of Soul Eater. It had similar traits, but one end of her weapon had a blade that was like a straightly curved blade meant for piercing strikes that could cut through a person with ease. The head of her scythe mimicked the types of scythe most often seen in pop culture. Yet the design of that blade was crafted to be a modified hammer with an arching curved blade. This weapon was the best of defense and offense rolled into one. It was clearly demonstrated by Esmeralda's movements as she swung the scythe to spar with Tyrik, who was barely able to combat her style. Tyrik saw her fighting style allow Esmeralda to move fast, yet fluently like a river flowing through the various stones, which blocked its path down a stream. Though, Tyrik's sword style was able to defend against this swift use of the Momentum of Esmeralda's body and the weight of her weapon to their fullest. As he dueled with Calibur, allowing the blade to guide Tyrik's movements through the Arcane forged into the blade, he also added in a sword style that he thought would be appropriate for himself Though, to say that it was a sword style is a bit inaccurate as it was inspired by the Form Three Lightsaber Style, Soresu. Tyrik always preferred the Martial Arts Systema as it allowed him to swiftly disarm and immobilize an opponent without killing them. From what he knew about Soresu, thanks to the Death Battle Episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi Vs Kakashi. The Form was a use of strong defense, waiting for the opponent to mess up, and then capitalizing on their mistake to finish the battle quickly.
These forms of weapon combat were oddly matched with each other. Esmeralda can use each block from Tyrik's blade to return another strike with the right flow from block to target with ease. Yet, Esmeralda was surprised that despite her fast-paced attacks, Tyrik was able to still stand up to her and even begin to pressure her. Even if her method of fighting was able to make the best of her movements and weapon, the scythe itself was still heavy to use. Eventually, Esmeralda would not be able to keep pace with Tyrik as her body strained from exhaustion created by her style. Soon, Tyrik had his sword right next to Esmeralda's throat before she could register that she had lost. "Got ya, Princess." Tyrik announced with a cocky tone and a wink, making Esmeralda blush by these actions. Taking the sword away from Esmeralda, the Mythic Rookie chuckled as he twirled the sword a few times before placing the blade onto his shoulder. "That was fun, though. Thought I was gonna be beaten multiple times during our sparring match." Tyrik chuckled before seeing Esmeralda frozen by what had occurred.
Soon, Esmeralda began to laugh, amazed that Tyrik was able to learn so quickly and surprised that she was defeated. "You are way better at this than I thought, Ty... You are remarkable, in more ways than one too." The Dark Elf told Tyrik as she reverted her weapon into a bracelet on her left arm. "But let me guess, you used some kind of fiction knowledge to make up your fighting abilities again. Am I right, dork?" She remarked in a sassy manner, placing a hand on her hip while smudgily smirking at Tyrik. Swiftly, this made Tyrik grow very much flustered as he tried to make up something to no avail, making Esmeralda laugh even more at the young Draconian flustered state. It was something apparent regarding Tyrik that was easily flustered by others, which was a form of enjoyment that Esmeralda took advantage of.
Sighing in defeat, Tyrik smiled before asking the obvious. "You really enjoy messing with me, huh?" He questioned as Tyrik put Calibur back into his holster on his belt.
Esmeralda giggled as it followed with a nod to confirm this skepticism of their enjoyment. "You are getting better with your sword, though. I'm kind of impressed honestly by how fast you are with all of this." She praised while thinking about what Tyrik's next lesson should be. Drake's approach was too aggressive for her liking. Her displeasement of the Paladin's preferred method of teaching is what led to her demanding to take over the mentoring of Tyrik in the Ways of Mana and Battle. "So... Mind explaining what Drake had taught you about Arcane and Mana? That should be our next lesson for you to cover, Ty." Esmeralda questioned as she placed her hand on her chin, showing that she was in deep thought.
Tyrik thought this over, but it became quickly clear that the only thing Drake had thought of him was just the Principles of Kyler Seals. Though, The Dark Elven Princess was happy that he was aware of the Limitor regarding one's Mana. "Well, we should cover how to use Mana for Spells in that case." She began as Tyrik sat on the ground to absorb the knowledge that Esmeralda was about to give him. "Let's begin with The Formation of Creation. From The Light and The Darkness, Seven Primordial Elements were born to sow the fabric of the Cosmos. The Light created the Physical Elements of Lightning, Metal, Earth, and Plants as The Darkness created The Formless Elements of Fire, Water, and Wind. As these Elements came into reality, The Waters of Creation began to nurture The World Tree, known as Yggdrasil, each branch creating the worlds that house each of their own heirs of powerful beings. You would know their stories from Midgard's many stories of Myths and Legends." Esmeralda explained with a smirk before getting to the point of this information.
"Understanding these Elements are important since it will help you apply them to your Mana to form it into one of The Seven Spell Types. These are Illusionary, Kinesis, Alchemic, Enhancement, Healer, Conjureror, and Inherit. Inherit and Enhancement are the simplest to understand as well as apply. Inherit are in a sense, forms of Spells that don't require anything to truly cast them. Though, these kinds of Spells are dependent on the race of their user. For example, Elemental Monkeys like Liùěr Míhóu and maybe soon-to-be rival, Lin Chao can mimic any spells associated with their Elemental connection with just one view of it in action. Another example comes with Dragons, which you are probably aware of, that they have very powerful control over a specific Element with incredible ease. Enhancement are spells that allow one to amplify their abilities with greater effect. As I said, these are simple to use and understand." Esmeralda finished off with the demeanor of a high-class teacher.
With a small rotation gesture of her hand, Esmeralda continued forth with her lesson. "Next, we will cover the mid-tier kind of Spell Types. These are Alchemic, Conjureror, and Healer. Both Healing and Conjureror are the only two Spell Types that have an Elemental dependence out of The Seven Spell Types. Healing requires the Elements Plants and Water as these two are well known for their healing properties when not being used in a combative form. On the other hand, with Conjureror, this Spell Type depends on Fire, Earth, Wind, and Metal. Conjureror can be used to create weapons or summon clones, a trademark power of The Stone Monkey King." She explained further with a small smile that Tyrik could keep up with her, despite how blan her educational session was going. "Alchemic are Spells meant to change these Elements into different forms and is the Spell Type that allows someone like myself to shapeshift. It's definitely a very versatile form of Mana use and can be even fun at times." She added on with a small giggle. Tyrik couldn't help but relate to this notion regarding shapeshifting. There have been times when Tyrik wished that he could alter his appearance when he wanted. Tyrik has sometimes wondered what it would be like to be a girl, but never really thought about pursuing this due to the hatred towards those of The LGBTQ Plus Community. This was a big reason that Tyrik has been too scared to even approach the idea of experimenting with the idea.
"Now we enter the two final and most powerful Spell Types, Illusionary and Kinesis. Although, they are also the hardest Spells to master due to they have the greatest need to use The Light and The Darkness to fuel their function. Illusionary use The Darkness to alter one's very sense of reality, even War Gods like Aries and Set have made mentions that they are hesitant to do battle with Kitsunes. They are the masters of Illusionary Spells, and some of these Illusions can be used as violent means of torture without even harming the one trapped inside of the Illusion. Kinesis allows one to move objects with their mind, absorb or redirect energy, and even control one's body with the right Spell." Esmeralda explained with a final wave of her finger. "Am I making sense, Tyrik?" Asked the Dark Elven Princess with a raised eyebrow and arms crossed her chest, hoping that she didn't lose him through the wordy explanation.
"I believe I understand things so far... I would assume that trying to use Mana requires a good understanding of math and science to apply the energy as well as Element into the desired outcome, corrected?" Tyrik replied with a nervous tone but was able to relax as Esmeralda confirmed this information.
"Glad to see you can learn about all of this quickly. I am kind of giving you a crash course regarding all of this." She admitted with a nervous laugh, "It took me years to learn and master the ways of Mana... But once you get a hang of it, Mana gets easier to use." She followed up with a large smile. It warmed Tyrik's heart to see Esmeralda happy and not sad as well as depressed. Even though she tried to hide this fact, Tyrik was unfortunately observant enough to pick up on these kinds of details. "There are steps to follow with Spell casting, too. These are as follows. Step One: Understanding the Element's Functionality for your Spell. Step Two, Part A: Knowing how to apply the chosen Element, or Elements, into the desired Spell Type. Step Two, Part B: Depending on the complexity of your Spell's outcome and power. You will need to form the correct hand signs to channel your Mana into the desired effect. Finally, Step Three: You must open the correct amount of Kyler Seals to supply the needed amount of energy to perform your Spell." She finishes before turning deadly serious upon reaching this, "But you can not mess up step three! If you are reckless with Step Three, you will endure a potentially fatal recoil on yourself!" Esmeralda screamed to emphasize her point regarding this level of danger. "Do you understand?" She interrogated as she jabbed her finger into Tyrik's face, causing him to back up.
"Yeah, yeah... I get it, Esmeralda..." Tyrik promised with a cold sweat forming due to this action from his crush. Though, The Princess quickly smiled and rewarded Tyrik with a kiss on his cheek. This made Tyrik completely red on his face, making the girl before him laugh in pleasant delight before her.