Chapter 56 – Visitors
On one of the open, private training fields that had been cleared of snow, Siu moved through his forms alone, wearing light clothes, repeating them over and over again, seamlessly switching between the basic ones and now even incorporating the Fox's deception into them. Since the time he ran away, following Arya and Marly's instructions and commands, without his mind questioning what his body was doing, it was an experience that allowed him to finally realize a path to merge the movesets.
Sometimes... thinking was the problem. Turning it off, allowing his body to do what felt right was the key to take the next step, and each of those steps, each shift of weight, was now something he would dare call... perfect. He wasn't chasing breakthroughs in his training; it was more like loosening the direct control over his body and breathing technique, and learning to automate them without conscious thoughts, preventing his brain from interfering with how he moved.
Maybe that's why, even when not looking for it, the breakthrough had come to him. Every time he completed a set and looked down at his body, besides sweat that made the cold air even more chilly, there was dark, nasty grime oozing from his skin. It was a clear sign that he stepped into the next stage: Marrow Cleansing. Apparently, his bones had reached their limit and began filtering essence for real, pushing out all the impurities he had accumulated in his life, one way or another.
It was always the first months, the first changes that were the greatest, causing the cultivators to become... well... walking sludges, but it would lessen over time, as all the taint was gone from within, prompting a kind of rejuvenation to the body.
Watching him stop and breathe out, reaching for a towel to wash down the smelly and nasty grime from his face before they began stinging his eyes, Arya lifted hers half-open as she lay coiled up atop a nearby pillar, yawning in boredom. As for Marly, she clung upside-down beneath the overhang of a stone arch, using her tail as a hook, acting like a bat... or a possum, swinging back and forth, entertaining herself.
That was when the trio noticed that footsteps were coming towards them, and by the sound, they were a heavy pair. Siu finished wiping his face clean before straightening up and turning towards the noise, while her two companions did the same, watching the figure coming down the steps that led to their private field.
"Is that a man made of rocks?" Marly asked, making Arya shrug.
"He is stiff, but in all the wrong ways..." Arya answered her, making Siu keep up an unbothered gaze because he already recognized who it was.
Those broad shoulders, the thick neck with the pin on his chest? It was Bren Taar, the leader of the Stone Ward Collection, who came to try to recruit him the very first time.
"And he didn't come alone..." Arya scoffed as her eyes scanned the others, because behind him, two other Stone Ward members lingered like a pair of bad bodyguards, keeping an eye on the 'beasts.'
"Siu," Bren started, his voice surprisingly cold and unfriendly for some reason, "We need to talk."
"We are already talking," Siu inclined his head, returning his attitude in the same manner, "If this is about joining your Collection, my answer hasn't changed."
"Very funny," Bren's mouth went to a tight smile as he stepped into the field. "This isn't recruitment. I am here because of business and a recourse."
"Then we have even less to discuss." He said without letting him finish.
"That's not how this goes," Bren exhaled slowly through his nose, blowing out a cloud of hot air like a bull. "Especially because you were there."
"Be more specific," Siu answered, now wiping his arms, "I am at a lot of places, because I am a busy man."
"You fought alongside Harrik," Bren continued, "And alongside Isca, hunting the Icecrown Stag."
"I didn't even know the name of the guy he brought along... But I can tell you this: I fought alongside fools," He continued, actually annoyed by his tone. "And, Bren Taar of Stone Ward Collection... that distinction matters, so if you want to refresh my memories of what happened, let me do the same: They came naked, so they froze to death."
Hearing his way of speaking, one of the disciples behind Bren shifted, growling with anger, but he didn't speak up or come closer... but it wasn't hard to tell he was probably calling Siu different names in his mind.
"Keep insulting the dead," Bren raised a hand, as if warning him and also signaling his own men to stay put, "And we won't just have a nice talk."
"Get to the point."
"You walked away with some important knowledge," Bren continued after a momentary pause, "And tools, which I am asking for, as a recompensation for leaving two of my good people behind... dead."
"Really?" Siu's gaze hardened a lot as he kept looking at him, his left eye twitching a little. "If you're here to accuse me of anything, please, do speak plainly." He whispered, letting his breath fog the air before his face, as he felt his anger rise, the figure standing opposite him reminding Siu of some people... The same type of disciples he once hated with all that his then young mind could conjure.
"I'm here to offer you a place to repay it all," Bren continued, "Because we're going back in, with proper preparation and with numbers. And... You'll come with us."
"Were you always like this, or inhaling the fumes in the mines made you stupid?" Arya asked, already standing on all fours, but for the Stone Ward Collection, it was simply a tiny fox, barking at them from the top of a pillar, "I bet your dick doesn't work at all anymore!"
"He has to be limper than I am when I play dead..." Marly added, apparently already getting corrupted by Arya.
"Girls..." Siu groaned in his mind, while outwardly, he spoke only one word, "No." His refusal was immediate and clean... without a chance to misunderstand him.
"Just Siu..." Bren's brow twitched as he answered him, "You already refused me... us... once."
"And I'm refusing you again. It is that simple."
"Boy," Bren stepped closer, lowering his voice, flexing his muscles and massive frame, which, in fact, cast a shadow over Siu as the man was wider and taller than him in that moment. "Harrik and Isca were Stone Ward members. You were part of that hunt..." He pointed at Siu's chest, but before he could touch him, Siu had already shifted just enough, so it missed him. "Whether you like it or not, blood ties were made when he died."
"No, they weren't." Siu met his gaze without flinching, "I owe you nothing... Period."
"You owe us for their deaths."
"No," Siu said calmly. "Why do I keep repeating myself? Are you that dense in your head, too?" He finally spoke up, beginning to throw out insults, "They died because they ignored the warnings, because they mistook their meager strength for actual invincibility. Because they followed their greed instead of their senses. If you want to blame anybody, blame them for not preparing for a hunt... Are you angry because your own men tried to scurry good money behind your back? Then take it out on their corpses, but don't try to get to me... Or I will break. Your. Back."
"Oh really...?" Bren's jaw shut close at that, looking at Siu with unblinking eyes, "This is a bad move, Just Siu..."
"Fuck you." Siu nodded at him with a slowly forming smile on his face. "So was going after the Icecrown Stag in the first place. But unlike your failure friends, I survived, because I prepared... And as I see... You think you are prepared. I am glad I didn't join your group, because I am not keen on wearing a clownmask and being part of a circus."
For a long moment, Bren looked like he might say more... or even hit him. For sure, his hands balled up into a fist, but then, his back straightened, fully towering over Siu.
"Remember this," he said coldly one last time. "My Stone Ward doesn't forget anything."
"Neither do I," Siu replied, nodding at him, "Now... Leave. I am in the middle of my training."
In the end, Bren turned and left, his followers throwing a look at the trio before also turning around, following their leader.
"Stone-brain," Arya muttered.
"Probably pebbles," Marly added, making Arya giggle.
"Doesn't matter," Siu shrugged as he continued his training, "They overthink their own importance."
He had barely completed two more sets when the air shifted again, and he could hear steps coming, which were much lighter this time around. Looking towards it, he saw that the leader of the Ember Circle, Cal'Fia, came to visit.
"I'm sorry for the interruption," she said first, already showing more understanding than the previous visitor.
"I'm listening," Siu answered, but he didn't stop this time, continuing his training. "But I'm already telling you, I will not be interested."
"I had a feeling you would say that..." A hint of a smile touched her lips as she watched him move, nodding her head in appreciation. "Fair enough, but I am still going to ask because we're heading out soon."
"I know."
"Aaaand..." She asked, her hands in the pockets of her robe, "You won't come."
"No."
"Okay," she shrugged and then tilted her head slightly. "Do you have more firebombs to sell?"
"..." Siu finished the motion he was in the middle of and then turned to face her fully before answering. "Even if I did, I wouldn't sell them."
"I'm asking because," Cal'Fia smiled at him, "Tian got us two, so I hoped you might sell me one extra, without a middleman, pocketing the profit in its entirety."
"Sorry, I'm keeping the rest."
"You didn't even try to deny it." She chuckled, covering her mouth, looking at him.
"There's no point." Siu shrugged, watching her smiling eyes and realizing it wasn't just an act, "It was Tian's idea to keep me anonymous, but honestly, everyone could put one and two together."
"Apparently, not everyone, but oh well, that's not why I am here. You could make a fortune, because we need it and you can upsell it."
"I am not part of the Golden Scroll," Siu replied at once, making Cal'Fia laugh without holding back anything, surprising him.
"No, you are not." She exhaled, calming herself down, still grinning, "Haaah... Well, I tried, two have to do it, but we have to move fast... I hoped you could join us, but I am not pushing it."
"I don't want to kill that stag," Siu said suddenly, surprising the leader of the Ember Circle.
"Why?" She asked, genuinely curious.
"I..." He looked at her, trying to find the answer in himself, "I can't say. It's... a feeling."
"I see..." She nodded, not even thinking about making fun of him, "I don't think it will survive the winter, though." She explained, trying to read his emotions, "I got a warning... Inner Disciples had got wind of the creature, because you brought the half-dead Rinmei to an Elder. A few of them began moving and planning to capitalize on it so..."
"Not my problem."
"Fair," she smiled, raising her hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, I'll shut up. Anyway, we will leave in two days, if you would sell me one more... Find me, I will pay you for it, 15% more than what I paid Tian for the two."
"No promises," Siu answered, watching as the woman simply inclined her head and left.
When she disappeared, Siu just exhaled, stopping his training, his thoughts a bit more turbulent than before, making it impossible to continue.
"Master?" Arya asked, sensing it, and the two of them came down, looking at him questioningly.
"It's about that stag?" Marly tried, tilting her head, forcing Siu to nod.
"Yes..." he exhaled, looking up at the sky, and although he said nothing, just watched as snow began falling again, the two of them could read his thoughts perfectly.
Resources... That was how disciples looked at the beast of the forest. But... Weren't those stags doing the same as they were? Cultivating, growing stronger, reaching towards a new stage, a new form. Trying to become... something more. Just like they did, the Icecrown Stag did the same, already having ample intelligence to not only plan, but also to understand everyone and everything happening around it. The way it walked into the clearing, that pride, the way it welcomed the challenge and fought them, using them as a grinding stone.
They were the ones who went out to hunt it down... Its way of killing them in turn wasn't anything the group could complain about. It was how things worked... It was just another form of... harvest. And at the end, the stag was just like any other, proper cultivator in Siu's eyes. It understood its own loss and the honor in Siu's decision to let it go... as it let them leave the forest, too.
"But Master," Arya suddenly spoke up, "You sold them the firebombs..."
"Yes..." Siu nodded, drawing his thoughts back, feeling a bit confused, not really understanding his own thoughts yet, "I know... Its..."
"Complicated," Marly added, making Siu shrug and exhale.
"Kind of," He said out loud, with a chuckle, "It just made me wonder about perspectives, especially because I have you two now. I can't help but think what the stag's thoughts were in that fight... Haaah... Let's end it for today. Time to go and take a bath, because I smell like a garbage pit..."
"Stinky!" Both of them agreed, pinching their noses, making Siu roll his eyes.
"I hope this stage won't be like this forever..." He shrugged, looking all over himself, "It will drive me bankrupt to buy new robes all the time, because these stains... aren't coming out... Ew."