TURN 14, OMAKE 4 [
Auspicious Nine]
Auspicious Nine 19: Look Above and See Grandeur
Auspicious Nine made fire come alive from his hands. Around his hands, a warm golden flame burned, fueled by a steady from his internal energies by the Woodflame Token around his neck. The artifact converted Nine's innate Wood-aligned energy into powerful Fire energy. From the cupped bowl of his hands where tongues of flame licked the air above grained wooden skin, fluttering forms separated themselves the roiling mass off heat to fly jerkily into the air like primitive lifeforms ascending out of a primordial sea. Sticky sap-like sweat beaded Nine's forehead as he brought his full concentration on the genesis at hand.
One, then two and finally three flickering figures ascended from Auspicious Nine's hands to circle the crown of his head. The trio resembled birds formed from flame, winging round and round in an orbit of Nine. Mind you, these were not independent existences spawned by some generative act of Nine but constructs of energy maintained and moved by his will.
"Hah," he gasped out staring at the flying forms, while still devoting a tremendous amount of focus to supporting his creations, "Look at that. Aren't you the most beautiful things ever?"
"I don't see what you're so impressed about? You just performed a simple qi manipulation exercise a wet-nosed Qi Condensation brat just out of Induction could do on command. You're killing me over here, Nine my boy. I thought you were an Expert not some half-arsed hack," a mocking gravelly voice interrupted Auspicious Nine's appreciation of his accomplishment.
Just like that the absolute attention had committed to his task wavered and awareness of his surroundings bled back into his consciousness. The jostling of the auroch-pulled wagon he was in or the heat from the blazing orb of the noontime sun above were acceptable distractions but less so was the presence of the massive frame stretched out across from Auspicious Nine in the wagon bed. Thickly bearded with crazy hair and dressed in furs and leather, Nine's companion resembled a wild hermit who had wandered in from the desert wastes. Alas for Nine, he was not so fortunate. With hair the color of verdigris, deeply bronzed skin and sapphire blue eyes, the hefty fellow who had so rudely injected himself into Nine's affairs was no vagabond picked up by chance but a Centurion, an optio in truth, of the 353rd Legion of the Golden Devil Clan.
Smoothing away the disgruntled expression that threatened to dominate his visage and pasting a fake smile in its place, Auspicious Nine responded to the earlier comment. "While that may appear true on the surface, Centurion Augustine, I encourage you to look deeper. Examine the form and appearance of my creations closely."
Following up his prompt, Auspicious Nine directed all three fiery birds to stop their revolutions and hover in a line above the prone figure of Augustine. The other man hmphed, the blast of his exhalation causing the birds to move jerkily mid air as though caught in a tempest before Nine clamped down his will to settle them back in order.
Augustine examined Auspicious Nine's creations and evidently what he found did not impress him much. "They look pretty and that's just about it. What exactly am I supposed to be impressed by here?" he said with a grumpy tone.
Rolling his eyes at the predictably obtuse response, Auspicious Nine directed Augustine towards the highlight of his efforts. "Look at the detailing of their construction. Examine the colors of their plumage, inspect the accuracy of the physiology. Don't you see how lifelike I made them. Each one is a distinct bird, but I've captured their essence perfectly using just the medium of flame for everyone of them whether it is the Darting Blue-Throated Hummingbird, the Screaming Scarlet Sparrow or the Golden Crested Cardinal."
Augustine turned his head to see the look of tired pride on Auspicious Nine's face and grunted in disappointment. "Like I said before, they're pretty and that's all there is to it. They have almost no combat function I can think off or even mundane utility. It took you an inordinate amount of concentration to create them so you would be dead on a battlefield before completing just one and as far as I can tell maintaining the detailing you're so proud of requires enough attention that you're pretty much useless in any engagement. I'm not your commander but I'd hope that even the lazy fellows in charge of the 1313th Legion would have their Centurions focusing on something more useful when the Hundred-Year Trials are coming up."
The indignation Auspicious Nine felt at that remark broke the concentration he needed to maintain to technique and the birds puffed out of existence in a ripple of heat. Doubly aggravated from losing focus, Nine let the flames in his hands die and responded to Augustine's disparagement of his efforts. "The precision and attention to detail is useful and very relevant to certain combat techniques I employ, I'll have you."
Patting the saber belted to his side, he continued speaking, "A saber in the hands of a properly trained user is not just an edge to sunder opposition with but a brush with which to wield artistry against foes."
"I'll believe it when I see it," Augustine said, shrugging as he sat up, "But I don't have time to continue this conversation. We're close to our destination and I have to see to my troops."
Like that the other man easily leapt out of the wagon with an easy grace that belied his massive form and jogged ahead. Auspicious Nine tracked his motion up the long body of the caravan sent forth from the camp of the Defiant Slayers of Giants. The wagon he and Augustine had been located in was the tail of a long snake of marching legionaries and Spirit Beast powered transport carrying food, Spirit Stones and other supplies as trade goods. The benefits of rank had afforded the two of them the luxury of being exempted from marching in formation while being barked at by officers.
As Auspicious Nine watched Augustine inspect the troops under his command, he again repeated the observation that the legionaries had made better time in the last twenty four hours than past projections for Legion movements would have accounted for before the Jingshen war. The Millennium Oasis Formation truly deserved its elevation to the rank of mandatory education for all legionaries in the manner of the three prior Great Formations. Ferenike of the Indomitable Thirteen had not just made a mark for herself in the Miracle at Pleuron, but her legacy would forever more be embedded in the core strength of the Clan from Aspirant to Elder. That was a goal worth aspiring for, to produce a work of innovation and research that transformed the operational doctrine and capacity of the Clan.
Auspicious Nine sighed as he reviewed his own research projects at varying stages of completion and concluded that such an accomplishment was as yet far off. Nothing he had achieved so far was on track to winning anything close to the recognition that was his goal. The breeding of different breeds of insect Spirit Beasts as consumables had stalled out with only minor success. He was not breaking any new ground in his investigation of the Clan's bloodline although he was gaining a decent reputation for his monographs on mutations to the Blood of Bronze. Likewise brief dabbling in the Philotectes variant of the Kataphraktoi Formation had revealed that its workings were wholly derivative and offered little more room for improvement than had already been squeezed out. If he wanted to make his mark and expand the frontiers of knowledge, he needed novelty and grandeur. That burning desire and his own innate curiosity were what had set him on accompanying this caravan towards their destination. Learning from experiences outside the norm might just be the lever he needed.
As these thoughts run through his mind, Auspicious Nine lifted his gaze from examining the caravan's activities and looked to the horizon ahead. He and the rest of the caravan were in the area classified as the Foothills of the Colossus Footsteps Path and they had headed south from the 353rd Legion's base, skirting around the earliest rises of the mountainous range while keeping the perils of Nascent's Fall to their east. The secrets of traversing that cursed battlefield from the past had not yet been revealed to him but someday, Nine promised himself, he would firsthand witness the memorial to the deaths of no less than five Nascent Souls. That was for another time though so the caravan had continued south, picking up speed once they broke out of the lower lying areas of the western mountain range. Though Augustine had stated that the caravan was just now nearing its destination, that location had in fact been in sight for much longer. The desert Organ Meat Desert might have crests and valleys among its dunes made the terrain not perfectly level but the commanding stature of what they were headed to was little affected by that. The Whirlwind Tree was visible with the naked eye for miles around so high did its trunk reach up, bearing aloft a verdant canopy of branches and leaves. Taking in the majestic presence of the Spirit Tree, Nine was ever more convinced that having an arboreal heritage was much better than any Spirit Beast lineage.
The caravan made its way towards its destination which in truth was not the Whirlwind Tree itself. Instead as evening fell they settled down outside the oasis in the shadow of the magical tree and the settlement built around that body of water. Four Winds Whirlpool Oasis Town was a bit of a mouthful for a name but it was certainly an accurate. Auspicious Nine felt the tug of gently blowing wind all around as the caravan settled down for the night. The town was built in a broad arc on the southern hemisphere of the oasis with the towering slightly off-center Whirlwind Tree to the north. The caravan had actually come past the Spirit Tree to reach the town and Nine was hungry to build upon the brief inspection he'd been permitted on the way to Four Winds Town. He'd wanted to depart the caravan immediately once they had gotten close enough to the subject of his interest but Augustine had insisted that Nine stay with the caravan all the way to the town and would only release the treeman to his inquiries after he Augustine was done meeting with the leaders of the town.
A younger Auspicious Nine would have been anxious at being denied to satisfy his curiosity while opportunity was so close at hand, but the older more experienced scientist that he was now contented himself by diverting the drive of interest towards other ends available to him. Walking along the shore of the oasis, he channeled qi through the meridians surrounding his eyes and by the light of the full moon saw almost as clear as day with poor color perception. He looked over the Four Winds Whirlpool Oasis and quickly spotted the unique features that gave it its name. All across the broad expanse of the waters, whirlpools sprung into existence, some very short-lived but others continuing for as long as he observed.
"They say that the Whirlwind Tree gathers the winds from the four corners of the Organ Meat Desert to itself, stealing away secrets spoken where the air moves," a quiet voice spoke up from behind Auspicious Nine.
Having sensed the approaching presence well before hand, Auspicious Nine was not surprised by the interruption to his contemplation and instead replied to his unseen companion. "The Whirlwind Tree is known to be a powerful wind manipulator even for an entity in Core Formation. Its reach is considered unmatched beneath Nascent Soul in the desert but I truly doubt that it can command the wind over all the desert. It would certainly be an exciting hypothesis to test out though."
The person at his back laughed at his words, clear dulcet tones ringing out into the night. They came closer and finally stood beside Auspicious Nine on the borders to the oasis. Nine glanced at her, seeing a young dark skinned woman wearing loose white robes and a scarf around her face.
"Forgive, I haven't introduced my self," she said, inclining her head towards Auspicious Nine, red eyes gleaming in the dark, "I bid you welcome, Golden Devil. I am Adwoa Mansa, apprentice Speaker for the Four Winds Whirlpool Oasis town. And who might you be if I may ask?"
Returning her politeness, Auspicious Nine dipped his head towards the woman and replied, "I am Auspicious Nine of the Golden Devils Clan, Centurion of the 1313th Legion."
"Oh, that's interesting. The 1313th Legion you say? We don't usually get visitors from your Clan that aren't with the 353rd," Adwoa remarked, tilting her head to look up at Auspicious Nine, "But then again you aren't exactly the usual sort are you? I don't ever think I've met someone who looked to part plant."
Auspicious Nine chuckled at the openness of her fascination and responded candidly. "Don't worry about it. I wouldn't expect you to meet too many people like me in the desert. As far as I know there are only a dozen persons quite like me, all siblings to me and progeny of the great hero Jin Muyi."
Adwoa leaned forward with increased interest at the mention of Auspicious Nine's parentage. "Do you men Jin Muyi of the Indomitable Thirteen, the one who sacrificed his life to defeat the calamity that came down from the mountains? That Jin Muyi?"
"Yes, that Jin Muyi, fallen Elder of the Golden Devil Clan," Auspicious Nine said evenly.
"Huh," Adwoa rocked back and forth on her heels, "I didn't know he had children though I guess that explains the plantlike nature. His transformation and feats were legendary even in our little corner of the world."
"I didn't think you were so isolated," Auspicious Nine said to her, "I know your oasis to be a major stop for those heading south to the Hong Xuan Clan or just traveling this part of the Foothills."
Adwoa wrinkled her nose. "Oh sure we get a lot of traffic but it's nothing exciting. The only really interesting people who come by are either Golden Devils like yourselves or Ice Maidens from the Ice-Qi Caverns to the west. The Maidens are pretty but not exactly the best conversationalists if you know what I mean."
Thinking back to his last foray into the home of the Ice Maidens of Hu Lin City, Auspicious Nine had to disagree. "I don't know about that. I've found them to be very passionate in their engagement. Perhaps it's because you aren't reaching them on a level that excites their interest."
Adwoa looked askance at Auspicious Nine's characterization of the famously cold women-only sect. "If you say so. They really only show up to trade and meet the Whirlwind Tree because of the past they made a while back."
Cocking his head in curiosity, Auspicious Nine thought back to his reading on the Whirlwind Tree and couldn't recall the pact between the two influences that Adwoa mentioned. "What pact is this that you're talking about?"
Adopting a lecturer's pose, Adwoa answered him. "It goes back to the last time someone actually tried to invade on foot and your Clan called on the agreement with the Whirlwind Tree to raise up sandstorms to impede the armies. The Great Protector did as asked but was opposed by weather magics from the armies who knew of the arrangement. To fulfill its obligations, it sent the then Speaker to make a request of the Mistress of the Ice-Qi Caverns to allow it draw on the geomancy of her territory in exchange for favorable terms on the oasis water and other reagents. The Mistress agreed and the Whirlwind was able to overpower the invaders' defenses with a truly massive tempest."
The information Adwoa gave him allowed Auspicious Nine to place the event she described in the history of the Golden Devil Clan.
"Interesting," he muttered, "That invasion and the response from the Whirlwind Tree is recorded but not the pact. I suppose you would know the truth of it as junior Speaker."
Adwoa relaxed her posture and stretched up her arms in a yawn. "Learning the history of the position is about the only interesting thing about the role apart from communing with the Whirlwind Tree. Everything else is just managing the people in the town."
"Surely it can't be all that bad," Auspicious Nine questioned, poking at Adwoa with his aura, "Four Winds Whirlpool Oasis Town is where the disciples of the Whirlwind Tree settled after they earned its favor and it taught them the ways of manipulating the wind. You yourself aren't doing to bad. 5th Heavenstage is an achievement better than most who cultivate."
Adwoa turned to look blankly at Auspicious Nine. "Is the Expert telling me to be proud of being a dinky 5th Heavenstage cultivator? How old were you when you overcome your Heavenly Tribulation?"
Auspicious Nine answered truthfully, "Just shy of six decades if you want to know."
"Six decades to reach Foundation Establishment and he praises 5th Heavenstage?" Adwoa barked out a laugh and kicked at loose dirt at her feet, "It must be blessed to have such a powerful father and a powerful backing in your Clan."
The air stirred around Adwoa, blowing mightily against Auspicious Nine before dying down as suddenly as it had risen up. Adwoa sighed, looking up towards the great boughs of the Whirlwind Tree. "The Great Protector is generous to those who it deems friends. It taught my ancestors our way of cultivation and even expanded the oasis that was here before when we were nomads, unable to settle down because of our distant heritage from another of the Nine Seas. But it's still a tree even if one at the peak of the third great realm. What works for a Spirit Tree doesn't quite get the same outcome in humans. My mother is the Speaker and her mother before that in an unbroken chain all the way to the very first Speaker. In all my family's service as Speaker, ascending to Foundation Establishment is a feat of great figures and none have ever reached the late stage of that great realm. I'm jealous that what is a fervent prayer for me came so easily to you."
Auspicious Nine might have become older and wiser with lived experience in the Legions but dealing tactfully with the emotional entanglements of others was not something covered in the curriculum and advancement track.
"I happen to be a quite accomplished alchemist if I dare say so of myself and have quite a number of cultivation aids that should prove helpful to your ambitions," Auspicious Nine offered, happy to help, "Fair warning though, these are mostly experimental recipes that might have unforeseen side effects including death, paralysis, and insanity among others but I'm almost certain you have nothing to worry about."
Adwoa eyed the bright smile with which Auspicious Nine earnestly made his offer and snorted, "Yeah right. I'll pass. I can't do much improving if I'm dead. You're really bad at this you know that, right? You have to work on your sales pitch if you want anyone to buy what you're selling."
Auspicious Nine shrugged. "It works well enough within the Legions so I must be doing something right."
Adwoa looked at him disbelieving, drawling. "Sure, I'd pay to see that."
Turning away from Adwoa towards the never still waters of the waters, Auspicious Nine put a question to her that his observation and reading had generated, desiring to know if his supposition was supported by the experience of the closest dwellers to the oasis. "Why is it whirlpools rather than waterspouts? The latter seems more the province of the Whirlwind Tree than the former."
Adwoa squatted and dipped her finger in the oasis, twirling it about before responding. "Funny enough, I asked the Whirlwind Tree that once and the reply I got was something about fluid currents. The Great Protector is named for its manipulation of the winds but it is not limited to just that."
Standing up she shook out her finger. "It's a good thing to. All that swirling means that outside of the Simmering Soup Sect we are the largest suppliers of Thousand-Year Cauldron-Water. The tributes you Golden Devils bring go directly to the Whirlwind Tree but the oasis waters means we can survive off the additional material your Clan and others bring for trade."
"To be honest, apart from wanting an audience with the Whirlwind Tree, getting a batch of Thousand-Year Cauldron-Water from the tap was great motivation to make the trip," Auspicious Nine admitted, "It makes the best potion base for water-soluble recipes and I am in need of quite the quantity to perfect certain alchemical watercolor paints. The price needed to acquire the amounts I require from retailers would be ruinous so it was all the more encouragement to come."
"I didn't take you for a painter, not with that blade at your side," Adwoa remarked, "What do you paint?"
Auspicious Nine was all too happy to share about his newfound obsession with the combining the Dao of Painting and the sword style he practiced. From there the conversation flowed fast and free between the two as the hours went by. The night was late when they called a halt to their talk, the caravan having long before concluded its introduction with the leadership of the oasis settlement to let excited legionaries on break enjoy the comforts available in the trade town before being rounded up by their officers back to the caravan's camp.
"Well met Auspicious Nine of the Golden Devil Clan, our meeting has been both entertaining and enlightening for me," Adwoa said just before her departure, "We shall meet again tomorrow and perhaps I will guide you to your audience with the Great Protector."
After watching Adwoa leave for her home, Auspicious Nine made his way back to the caravan where Augustine found him running through practice drills with his saber.
"Where have you been all night?" the older Centurion asked watching with an appreciative eye towards Auspicious Nine's movements, "I thought you were going to badger me to let you go poke the big tree but I didn't see much of you."
"Research about my subject takes many forms, including sociological inquiry," Auspicious Nine answered him, taking a breather in his practice, "A subject's relationship with its environment provides insight into its nature. The Whirlwind Tree is a powerful yet sessile lifeform, one that appears to have taken steps to mitigate its weaknesses. Its spiritual awakening has seen it appreciate the value of having a community serve its interests, one that works to both parties benefit as far as I can tell. Self-aware Spirit Flora are a rare thing, particularly ones capable of creating and maintaining such complex relationships as the Whirlwind Tree has demonstrated with the Golden Devil Clan and the Four Winds Whirlpool Oasis Town. That is valuable knowledge I didn't have clearly before tonight."
Excitement seeped into Auspicious Nine's voice as he poured out his observations and half formed thoughts, "Even setting aside the Whirlwind Tree itself, the inhabitants of the oasis are simply fascinating. Did you know that they descend from a group of exiles who came to the Third Sea from another land in the Nine Seas when such travel was still possible? They all practice the cultivation method passed down to them by the Whirlwind Tree and while they don't have easy advancement, almost everyone shows some affinity with the method."
An eager light filled Auspicious Nine's eyes as he continued speaking. "There are of course questions to be answered from what has been learned. For example, does the Whirlwind Tree take steps to mitigate threat to itself from nearby residents by suppressing their cultivation in some way or do they have a lingering vestige of an elemental bloodline foreign to the Third Sea like suppose? How soon can the tree be expected to try for Nascent Soul and what would it need to succeed?"
A look of relish danced across the treeman's face. "This has already been a productive trip and tomorrow promises yet more gain."
"Sounds like you're getting what you wanted out of this trip so perhaps there will be less grumbling on the way back," Augustine said, having little actual interest in Auspicious Nine's intellectual pursuits but found himself drawn to the other Expert's swordsmanship, and cracked his knuckles as he made Nine an offer, "It looks like you're having an easy time with those drills. What do you say we put some real sweat into your practice and have a spar, you and I?"
Grinning broadly, Auspicious Nine sank into a low guard and waved Augustine forward with his free hand, "I thought you'd never ask. Allow me to demonstrate the Gui Hua Dao Fa in full flourish."
***
The next day, Auspicious Nine mildly put out that the previous night's spar had heavily favored Augustine. He did however take quiet satisfaction in the fact that Augustine had not left their bout without injury much like himself but Augustine lacked the benefit of a recuperative technique as effective as the [Verdant Bough Regrowth]. Comparing the condition of the two Experts as they met with the current Speaker of the town, it would have been easy to think that Augustine had rather had the worst of the fight from the bandages and bruises he sported.
The Speaker, who introduced herself as Yaa Mansa to Auspicious Nine on this first meeting with the treeman, scowled at the two Centurions. "I like my nights quiet and peaceful, not filled with the raucous impoliteness of two of my guests creating a disturbance at my front door."
Auspicious Nine could not help but interrupt to correct her. "Pardon me, madam but we did not fight on your door step but beyond your town's borders within our own camp."
The withering glare Yaa sent Auspicious Nine would have felled a lesser man but Nine was proof against the attacks of propriety. More interesting was that the force of the glare was backed by an aura stronger than Nine's own. If Adwoa was to be taken at her word, then her mother was no simple woman.
"I would like to think that our most kind overlords in the Golden Devil Clan would know the expectations of a good host from their responsible guests, but perhaps I expect too much," Yaa said slowly looking both men in the eye, "Centurion Augustine, I believe we are going to have a fruitful negotiation in this latest trade exchange."
Augustine winced at that last statement but kept any comments to himself.
"Centurion Auspicious Nine, I believe you have already met my daughter," Yaa said indicating towards Adwoa standing nearby, suppressing a snicker at her mother's treatment of the two senior cultivators, "She will guide you to commune with our town's Great Protector. Please try not to be as impolite with our patron as you have been with me."
Yaa quickly dismissed Auspicious Nine after that, ducking into a private chamber followed by Augustine presumably for the negotiations that she had mentioned. Bouncing on her feet, Adwoa was visibly eager to escort Auspicious Nine to the Whirlwind Tree.
"Come on follow me," she said darting off towards the looming giant in the north.
However fast she moved, Adwoa was never going to outpace an Expert like Auspicious Nine even one with so little progress in his great realm so the treeman quickly caught up with the young woman. Walking past squads of legionaries unloading the tribute that the caravan had brought, Nine asked Adwoa a question, "Are you the only one escorting me? No one else is to join us?"
Adwoa hummed as she moved, pausing to reply to Auspicious Nine, "Who else would be needed? The Great Protector is the strongest being hereabouts so any trouble you could cause to it would likely be beyond our means to deal with. Besides, its our patron not our god. We appreciate its assistance but don't think its sacred."
Auspicious Nine took the opportunity of the walk to ask Adwoa questions that had come up after their discussion the previous night, but mostly he observed her and how the wind behaved around her. There was always a wind in and around Four Winds but the air around Adwoa was intermittently calm and fiercely moving as she traveled, never impeding her movement even at its greatest strength.
Traveling at Adwoa's pace meant they they had enough time to tide over Auspicious Nine's insatiable appetite for more information when they reached the Whirlwind Tree which dominated the horizon like a living mountain. The roots of the Spirit Tree were the first portions Nine made contact with, massive supports that rose up from the ground in a spiraling pattern towards a trunk that continued the twisting shape all the way up to the far off crown. Bending his head back to look above, Nine saw misty wisps that resembled low hanging clouds circling just below the distant ceiling of the canopy.
"This is a glorious vision," Auspicious Nine whispered as he touched the nearest root that rose as high over his head. The thrum of energy he felt beneath his touch in the bark and wood was incredibly powerful, almost overwhelming to his spirit from the contact.
"As much as I hate to interrupt the moment you're having, I unfortunately don't have all day," Adwoa said, poking Auspicious Nine in the side when he seemed overcome by the presence of the Spirit Tree, "The rite of communion is actually very simple so let's get to the fun part."
"Sorry about that, I just got swept away in the potency I could sense," Auspicious Nine apologized, "It's unsurprisingly difficult to get Core Formation subjects at full strength for close up examination."
"I'm surprised you were even able to get any at all," Adwoa said in surprise, "I would imagine that most of them aren't fixed in place like the Great Protector."
Auspicious Nine flashed her a smile. "I have my ways. But you were saying something about the rite of communion?"
Adwoa reached down to her belt and took out a stoppered copper flask. "So the Great Protector can communicate on a human level but it tends to keep its focused awareness far ranging unless something important draws near. Important in this case means a peer or superior or interesting materials nearby. The first two we don't have handy and the tribute is back at the town but we do have tradition on our side. Generations of Speakers have spilled their blood for the Whirlwind Tree and performed the rituals. My blood might not be as alluring as Spirit Stones, Beast Cores or whatever else is in the tribute this time, but it is known and accepted. Watch."
Removing the stopper, Adwoa poured out the contents of the flask, blood that must have been preserved somehow in the flask, on the nearest root and placed her palm on the pool that formed. She closed her eyes and began to hum again the tune from when they'd left the town. Auspicious Nine observed intently as qi pulsed out through her hand into the pooled blood and then into the tree beneath to the beat of the hummed tune. She did not need to do this for long before there was a response and one of the questions Nine had been pondering ever since the Whirlwind Tree came into view and even more as he had gotten as close as he was now. Why did the Whirlwind Tree lack the spiritual aura expected with cultivation as advanced as it should have? Its physical presence was incredible but until he'd touched the root, the arboreal titan might as well have been the sand beneath his feet to his spirit.
Now, as the Whirlwind Tree answered Adwoa's call a vast weight pressed down on Auspicious Nine's spirit making him feel oh so small. For a moment, it seemed as though all the weight of the atmosphere was concentrated on his form, pressing down with so much pressure that he was about to pop out of existence. Then the weight lifted, although the sense of incredible power lingered just to the side. The leaves in the canopy rustled like a forest in a storm and the trunk creaked and groaned as though bearing a terrible weight.
The wind swirled around Adwoa and Auspicious Nine and she opened her eyes, smiling weakly at Nine. "Allow me to introduce you to the Great Protector of Four Winds Whirlpool Oasis Town, the Whirlwind Tree."
A voice came on the winds, a roaring thunder and a quiet whisper at once. "Speak, daughter of the oath, scion of the bronze pact. I am here and l hear your address."
"Greetings, Great Elder," Auspicious Nine replied to the wind, "I am Auspicious Nine, Centurion of the Golden Devil Clan. I seek knowledge and instruction from the abundance of your wisdom. Would you grant me the boon of your life's story, to learn from your experience and perhaps touch upon enlightenment from your accomplishments."
The wind laughed and roots nearby wriggled sluggishly, shaking the earth. Adwoa stared wide-eyed at Auspicious Nine, not expecting that request from him.
"Why should I tell you the tale of my sprouting, scion of bronze? The pact between your lords and I is sealed and honored, strength provided in peace for strength raised in war. Your request is beyond that which was sworn. What do you offer for the answers you seek?" The wind asked in a medley of voices, male and female, young and old.
Auspicious Nine lifted his voice to the chorus, "I offer three things. First, I pledge to bring to you the bodies of seven peer cultivators from a foreign Sea to nourish your roots in the decades to come and let you drink of the strength of a living Sea. Second, I pledge my skill in poison and disease to the best of my ability against an enemy of yours, so long as it does not work against my Clan's interests. Last, I offer myself, my blood and my story as one born of human and plant to help you in your advancement."
The wind slumped for a few moments and then rose back up, this time whispering into Auspicious Nine's ear. "I accept your offerings. Send the daughter away and we shall speak."
Auspicious Nine turned to a thoroughly intrigued Adwoa who had been listening with great interest. "It looks like I have a deal but the audience is for one and you've been asked to leave. I will meet you back in the town when I am done and tell you as much as I am permitted to share. Centurion Augustine should not need me for anything but if he asks inform him that I am engaged in an audience with the Great Protector."
Adwoa looked disappointed but accepted being sent away.
"I'll hold you to that promise when you come back," she said as she left back towards Four Winds.
Auspicious Nine turned his focus back to the upcoming events and found a comfortable seat on a low lying ridge of root, "Great Elder, I am ready to begin."
The wind rustled over Auspicious Nine and began to speak, "These words are for you and you alone. None who has not paid the price of my history may receive them from you. Swear it now."
The normally disagreeable Auspicious Nine who would have protested being asked to keep knowledge thought it better to refrain from asking to be given liberty to disseminate the history and likely vulnerabilities of a being who could squash him like a bug. Wisely, he swallowed his tongue and swore, feeling a weight on his spirit that instinctively told him that his oath had consequence. Accepting his pledge, the Whirlwind Tree began to speak telling of its first moments of awareness in a time when the eastern deserts did not know the rule of the Bronze-Blooded. Auspicious Nine listened attentively, drinking deep of the experience of ages past. He would be there through days and nights, relying on the resilience of his tempered body to remain without flagging. When at last, he left, he was the better informed for it if not yet the wiser. Time would prove if wisdom would come eventually.
AN: (6300 words). Almost done here. Just one more to go. This story really run away from me though. This was supposed to be a brief stopover but here we are.
