Blood & Thunder: Compiled 6 (Patreon)

Yi Zhen wondered, not for the first time, just what Necahual’s home must be like. Though this time, her pondering was focused on the fact that he was describing the spiciest meal she'd experienced as "mild". She’d had two bites and even now an hour later she still could feel the burn in her mouth, but that was still the lesser irritation she was dealing with at the moment.

“So what can ya tell me ‘bout our boy?” Wei Lan, the bandit that had sworn her service to Necahual, asked as she picked at her teeth with the bamboo skewer she’d had her meal on. “He’s certainly cute, but I have to say I’m still trying to figure him out. Ain’t never seen a man so terrified of a woman.”

“Perhaps it is an enemy entering his bedroll without his permission that unsettles him,” Yi Zhen returned, maintaining the posture and poise expected of her.

The archer scoffed, “I swore myself to him. Ya Sect-Scrum may break your word the minute ya can find some made up insult to excuse it, but I take that shit seriously.”

Yi Zhen took a deep breath, refusing to rise to Wei Lan’s bait, “Do you not need to find a partner for the first round?”

“Already have. Some scrub from Red Screaming Hawk Sect owed me a favor. Now, don’t think you’re getting out of answering. I’m not asking for how deep his cock reaches, I’m after knowing more about who he is.”

Considering for a moment, Yi Zhen decided to humor the other woman and feed her a single piece of information, “From what I have gathered, he is a soldier who fought against demons.”

Wei Lan considered, before shrugging, “See ya later, Tits. Got an idea I want to take a look at.”

Putting the other cultivator from her mind, Yi Zhen resumed her preparations for the first round. Competitors were allowed a limited number of artifacts and cultivation tools, and they had to be preapproved by the tournament officials. Her Azure Sword would be allowed, as it was the standard weapon of the Indomitable Ocean Sword Sect, but she was left with two additional items she could bring with her. In the end, she chose a package containing three Immaculate Restoration Pills and a Heavenly Dawn Talisman.

Nodding to herself, Yi Zhen gathered her chosen tools and made her way to the Imperial Magistrate Office established to have them approved. She could have sent someone else to take care of this matter, but it would allow her a chance to examine potential rivals in an inconspicuous and non hostile manner. Necahual didn’t have to worry about getting his gear approved, due to his status as an Independent Cultivator the unspoken assumption was that he would need all of the assistance he could get.

It wasn’t an unfounded assumption, as by and large cultivators from sects had more resources to facilitate their cultivation and opportunity to refine their techniques. The catch for that was that Independent Cultivators were far more unpredictable, as one had no basis to determine what their techniques were liable to be before seeing them in use. Yi Zhen had in her first tournament faced off against an Independent Cultivator who utilized a simple shovel as his primary weapon. He had gone on to reach the semifinals before being eliminated by Li Jian, the Young Mistress of the Unbroken Tomb Sect.

Thinking about that particular sect sent a small shiver down Yi Zhen’s spine. Few cared for the Unbroken Tomb Sect, but none went so far as to believe they were demonic cultivators. Indeed, their hatred for demons was almost as famous as their unsettling cultivation and choice of aesthetics were infamous. But they were infrequent competitors in the Grueling Gorge Tournament, so she did not expect to see them.

“Ah, the Young Mistress of the Sea graces us with her presence,” a familiar voice spoke as Yi Zhen entered the Imperial Magistrate Office. Turning to the speaker, Yi Zhen nearly coughed blood upon seeing Li Ling, Outer Disciple of the Unbroken Tomb Sect.

Bowing as was proper, Yi Zhen greeted, “This Yi Zhen greets you.” Receiving a bow in return, Yi Zhen stood and continued, “I offer my apologies, but I must speak to the administrators. I assume I shall see you in the tournament?”

“Of course,” they answered, “I was simply surprised to see one of your… status, doing something so mundane, and I had to satisfy my curiosity. There have been some unsettling rumors coming from the coast, speaking of strange cultivators practicing techniques never before seen and partaking in savage, barbaric acts. One would be forgiven for wondering what the Indomitable Ocean Sword Sect was doing about such things.”

Yi Zhen did not answer, merely continuing to meet their gaze, before they gave a brief nod, seemingly satisfied, and turned to leave. She watched them depart, keeping her eyes on them until the doors closed behind them. A subtle tension left the young woman, and she let out a breath.

Yi Zhen had met them in her last time competing in the Grueling Gorge Tournament, and they’d eliminated her in the second round. She’d grown since then, at the time she’d still been in the Fifth Stage of the Mortal Realm, but she could tell that they had too. Idly, part of Yi Zhen wondered how Necahual would fare against them, before dismissing the thought with a touch of regret.

As satisfying as it would have been, Necahual was still in the Mortal Realm. A match between the two was a foregone conclusion.

[hr][/hr]

Necahual stared at the small pellets before him. A member of Yi Zhen’s calpulli had offered them to him that morning, but he had no clue what they were supposed to be for. They were larger than kernels of maize, but still small enough that he could swallow them. They looked… plain. After thinking it over for a moment, he decided that he would ask Yi Zhen what they were for.

Not right away though, for the moment he was nearing a greater understanding in his supplementary abilities. He would continue to improve them on his own for now.

With a few deep breaths, Necahual shut his eyes, and sought to become one with the world around him. In this state he felt his teotl circulate through his body, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. He felt the power inside of him, and the nobility that was a part of his being, even more so than the blood in his veins.

Focusing, he felt his blood grow stronger, more potent, sharper. His inherent nobility burning brighter, more intensely, becoming even more impossible to deny than it already was.

The flow of his teotl was uninterrupted, even as he felt a strange presence at his door. He did not know how long the person stood there, but Necahual did not care. The presence was intrusive, and he was not yet done with his task. The intrusion would have to wait.

Time passed, and Necahual felt a tap at his shoulder. It was then that he snapped back to the world, opening his eyes to see a beautiful maiden by his side. It took him a few moments before he realized who it was.

Yi Zhen. She had been the one to intrude upon him.

“I apologize for interrupting, but the opening ceremonies are about to begin,” she told him with a bow.

“Thank you,” he said as he stood and followed her out of the room he’d been provided.

The trip to the ceremonies was short, and he was soon surrounded by others, the air brimming with the potency of their teotl. There was a grand speech given, but Necahual barely heard it, for his eyes were locked on a single, towering figure. Hair as red as freshly spilled blood, towering over everyone else present, his chest covered in clinking rings, thick bracers over his arms, an ax within a hook over the back of his shoulder, a circular shield slung over the opposite shoulder, and his teotl pulsing thickly in his body.

In hindsight, it wasn’t that surprising that one of the barbarians had survived if he himself had. But Necahual honestly hadn’t been expecting to see one at this tournament. Taking a deep breath, Necahual forcefully reminded himself of the rules. He would not be the one to strike the first blow.