After getting the buzzy-fuzzy pointy thing jammed into her back, Aliki's life took a grand and confusing turn.
Life in the Dawn Fortress was way faster paced than she liked it to be! While she could eat as much as she liked and it was actually
delicious for a change, there was all kinds of things that she didn't like coming along with it!
First there was how little she was allowed to sleep! "A soldier of the Clan must make best use of every hour of the day to improve themselves!" Is what the scary guys with spears barked out when dragging her out of bed, and there was all kinds of poking and prodding and then she had to get up and go for a run.
Very not nice of them!
But after the run was breakfast, which was always good! There was nice variety and all kinds of delicious things were put forward! "Food is fuel!" They say. "Until you can subsist off of the morning dew and sun, you eat well!" Which was the most sensible thing they could ever say, and she certainly didn't object to being able to eat her fill!
But then she couldn't take her post-meal nap, because they'd just drag her out of her chair and march her off to the big room, where other stern eyed important people would start barking out little things like recent history, rudimentary geopolitics, and all kinds of things with numbers that she already had bashed into her head by the Doctor a while ago!
But they kept saying it was for the sake of the adopted people who they couldn't be sure received a good education, and she guessed that some of this stuff might be important some day.
After morning classes came lunch! Which was a return to good things! They even included some funny looking water this time around and called it 'Spirit Spring Nectar' or something. It was all tingly and fizzy though and had her nearly bouncing off of her seat before they dictated a return to training.
Which here involved getting dressed in some heavy and uncomfortable shirts and skirt thingies, handed a board and a pokey stick and told to use them in weird ways. "Every Cultivator in the Clan must understand the Three Great Formations and the rudiments of battle!" The instructors would shout really loud. "Whether your skills lead you to arrays, archiving, or research--you must always be able to contribute to the Clan's security when called upon! Any who should be found to be deficient in their education will be punished in full accordance with Clan Laws!"
More weird talk, but as necessary as Aliki found it to be, it wasn't nearly as bad as the morning stuff though.
Then came dinner! Which came with nice music and conversation with everyone! It was new and stuff she didn't get to see at home! It was nice to just sink into the flow of things, finish her dinner, and then melt into her chair and finally catch up on her nap time because it lasted a good deal longer!
But then they'd poke her awake and everyone would go "Come and join us Aliki!" And then she'd have to get back up again to go on the evening run, which was icky again, before going for bed.
So, life here in the Fortress as an Aspirant was a bit of good, a bit of bad, and a whole lot of stuff going on. Aliki was a little disappointed though that she wasn't being asked about her healing skills--but apparently a lot of people were complaining about not being able to use their skills here.
It seemed pretty obvious though? Based on what they already said anyway. They had to make sure everyone who was being brought in from the outside knew what the people who were born inside knew!
Or else you'd just mess things up and everyone would have a sad!
That didn't really stop people from complaining during the evening meals and break though. "If I could only use my family sword I would excel!" said one fancy looking boy. "Learning these tricks will only impact my Dao-Heart!"
That's a silly name.
The instructor laughed at him though and invited him forward. "Son, you're not even a Cultivator yet. Determination is all well and good, but for all the propaganda claims that everyone is a shining pillar in the desert, that kind of behaviour gets people killed."
He taps the butt of his stick on the ground. "Whether you're born to the Blood, adopted into it, or fostered within it by a subordinate in good standing--everyone is taught the same foundational skills." He raised his board. "Spear and Shield! The Three Great Formations! Standardized Education!" He recited. "Through sharing a common foundation, every Cultivator of the Golden Devil Clan understands what the others are capable of, and those who rise to glory understand how their followers can aid them!"
Aliki nodded once, twice, barely stifling a yawn. The instructor's gaze
latched onto her, and her hair stood on end. "Aspirant Aliki! Is there something funny about what I just said?"
She shrunk back. "Nosir!"
"Are you failing to understand then?" He adds, looming ever more scarily--Aliki froze in place. "N--nosir!"
"Then you stand at attention and
Show Respect when your instructor is offering words of wisdom!'" He barked out. Aliki hastily nods.
"Y--yeesssir!" She squeaked out, to the stifled giggles of the other Aspirants--which just drew his attention on
them.
"DID I GIVE PERMISSION TO LAUGH?" The weight of his
presence sunk down on the group. "If one is in error, they are corrected, and the job is done." He wrinkles his nose. "We aren't some two bit sect that seeks to make a show of the matter!"
The silence is deafening, and the Instructor withdraws his aura--but the aspirants are too busy frozen up to react. He snorts dismissively. "At ease!"
Everyone collapses to the ground at that piece of permission. "You're not the best crop we've ever seen, and training is a mess--but you're not the
worst either." He allows. "Study hard, keep up with your training, and we'll have you sorted to your specialty and begin your Cultivation soon--but I will not tolerate any bullshit in the Aspirants and future Legionnaires of my Golden Devil Clan. We live and die by our ability to stand together against a hostile world. Anyone who tries to disrupt that unity will be in a
world of shit when I catch up with them."
He turned around. "Class dismissed!"
Aliki was too busy trying to hide under her hair. Teachers were scary!
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Months passed, and despite the best diet of her life, and the sorts of physical conditioning that she could never muster the energy for at home, and Aliki was…
If not
happy with her current lifestyle, at least content enough not to show protest. She was still a lanky, scary looking ragamuffin in a pile of young masters and tough looking teenagers, but that was okay!
She made it through the most basic of the basic training, and was ready to become a Cultivator! A superhuman champion who could live twice as long as a normal person, endure conditions that would break another--and supposedly even call forth the winds and rain!
Not that she ever saw anyone doing that, but she was certain that it was probably a thing. Definitely.
There were far fewer Aspirants at the end of the three month initiation period. Some lacked the patience to endure the formation training, some lacked the will to maintain the conditioning.
Far more just cracked at some point under the constant pressure of the initiation. Unable to keep going, to constantly be pushing your limits while also remembering all manner of scholarly studies. They choked, fell out, and were shuffled to minor non-Cultivating positions in hopes of eventually making something of themselves.
Aliki wasn't entirely certain how she got this far, but given the fact she was standing with the others here, it clearly meant she was good for something. Senior Legionnaires were moving from Aspirant to Aspirant, passing out a little sash everyone was supposed to wear to announce their specialization.
In her case, she got a shiny red one! There was also a jingly pouch attached that she couldn't quite open.
"For those of you who have endured well to this point, I offer my congratulations!" The chief instructor nodded. "You and the other training cadres will be combining into a single unit in the future, and joining up with the primary Clan educational program! Your conditioning and formation fighting techniques will continue now that you have met basic fitness standards--but your classroom sessions will be divided based on your specialization!"
He began to count it off. "Vanguards! Engineers! Medics! Alchemists! Logistics! Auxiliaries!" One after another, the roles were rattled off. "All Legionnaires should be able to master a single specialty to the limits of their cultivation! Diligent ones should seek to also seek proficiency in at least two more!" He gestured, and the small pouches suddenly snapped open.
"Within your attached pouches are the instructions on our Legion Body Tempering technique, and your first ration of Spirit Stones--use them wisely!" He admonished the group as he saw the first signs of greed in the eyes of the Aspirants.
"A single Least Spirit Stone is sufficient to meet the needs of a beginning Cultivator for a month!" He added. "Trading them is not forbidden--but know that you will not receive another ration for a year! If you desire further resources, you must earn them through the Clan's Contribution Board!"
Aliki perked up--she heard about this! It was apparently a super important system! The instructor takes a moment to make sure he still have everyone's attention.
"For the first twenty years of your career, you are considered to be Aspirants--and thus have access to Aspirant-grade missions! These are chores and small duties key to the comfortable functioning of the Dawn Fortress. They are safe methods through which Points can be accumulated! However, while they are safe, they are not
valuable. The sooner you can reach the Third Heavenstage of Qi Condensation, the sooner you can move to Junior Legionnaire Tasks, which will be required to advance your Cultivation further!"
Aliki took a moment to pull one of the stones out of the bag, and held it up to the sun. It was…
Very shiny.
And it looked delicious.
Without thinking about it too much, she tossed it in her mouth, and crunched it down into a powder. It was all sizzly and fizzy and tickled her tongue!
That was a good thing, right?
She swallowed it down, and felt the little bubble of energy move down from her throat down to her stomach. She felt super hyped all of a sudden! It was going to be a great day and she could get more of those!
She broke out of her reverie though to find everyone--including the instructor staring at her.
"... Aspirant Aliki" He began, very slowly, very deliberately. "Did… You just
eat a Spirit Stone?"
Aliki blinked, not understanding why. "Are we supposed to do something else with them?" Her guts felt warm! They got a little tickly sometimes when she had a
really new meal but this time it was sticking around for a while.
"She didn't just swallow it! I saw her literally chew it down!" A voice nearby whispered. Aliki was too busy dealing with a somewhat dopey grin on her face to respond though.
She did hiccup though.
Then she did so a second time, and she frowned--the heat in her stomach was sort of building up and concentrating somewhere. She wiggled about in place, and focused on it.
Something… Spiny and slimy maybe?
She hiccuped for the third time, and a little puff of strange looking air escaped this time, before the tingling all settled down.
She still felt great though! Like she didn't need to sleep for like, a day!
"... Class dismissed" The instructor said, turning and rubbing his forehead.
"need to update the profile again" he muttered before walking off.
What was his problem anyway? She'd eat more if she could!
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
UPDATE:
Aspirant Aliki has shown an innate ability to consume spirit stones directly, bypassing usual breathing and body tempering exercises to simply metabolize QI available in the most optimal fashion. Utilizing this method, she immediately broke through to the First Heavenstage of Qi Condensation in front of her Initiation Cohort.
While promising in the sense that it disproves the theory of her being a Blood Path sleeper agent introduced to our Clan, it does suggest certain untapped abilities that may be of further concern in the future. Updates will follow as we discover them
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Aliki's first day in the specialist training course was surprising! She was expecting to be surrounded by a lot of people, because who doesn't want to be a healer?
A lot of people apparently! As the room was empty, with only a handful of fellow aspirants along with her!
The teacher was an older looking gentleman, stroking his beard as he gazed upon the new crop of aspirants--she thought it was fondly?
"A good omen, a good crop sown this day" He spoke, a wizened voice suggesting deep wisdom. "It is this one's pleasure to be your instructor in this field. I will speak, and request questions in the end."
He seemed to be eyeing Aliki there--who had her hand raised while keeping the other on her lap. She frowned, but lowered her hand.
"To be a healer is a noble profession--one of the most noble of all in this old man's opinion" He flicked his wrist at the group, distributing a series of notebooks. "Nonetheless, it is a perilous profession to hold within this Clan."
Aliki opens the notebook, and makes a slight 'Oooooh!' noise as she sees it full of all manner of scribbles and diagrams she hadn't seen before. She is suitably ignored as the teacher continues.
"The vitality of the Golden Devils is known far and wide, and to an extent this makes our job easier--a patient who can endure more will be more responsive to treatment after all. But in a sense, it ensures that when our services are required--they are required
immediately, and that requires us to be close at hand." He narrows his brows, and gazes upon the Aspirants in his chamber.
"Needless to say, none of our great foes respects the sanctity of the healers--and our own are scoffed at by the other great medical powers in the Region. They call our methods barbaric and clearly demonic."
He snorts. "Nonsense, the apothecary's art is a valuable one without a doubt--but not all ailments are easily solved through concocting pills and consuming them. Our tradition includes two additional methods."
Aliki leans forward. Two more? She didn't realize these were all distinct things! How exciting was this?
"The first method is--as I have mentioned--the art of the Apothecary." The teacher continues. "One seeks heavenly materials throughout the world, and utilizes them to concoct pills. It is closely related to Alchemy, but focuses primarily on medical applications--while a skilled Alchemist can concoct pills to produce any desired effect. It is considered the orthodoxy--the greatest value it holds is that a medical pill forged by an Apothecary will only release its effect when consumed--making them something that can be used in battle. It is, however, an extremely expensive method--and only the very best Apothecaries can make a significant profit from their work. We employ this method, but proactively only."
He raises up two fingers then. "Our second method is the art of the Surgeon--one who understands the human body and all of its variations, and uses string, scalpel, and thread to carve out any ailment and mend the body. A heavenly Surgeon can take a shattered body and piece it back together over time. The greatest strength of the Surgeon's art is that it is often economical, and permits recovery without any negative side effects to a Cultivator."
He frowns though, even as Aliki madly tries to scribble his words down into the margins for future review. "Its flaws as an approach are that it is a slow method. A healing pill can be consumed in an instant--dedicated surgery can take hours. This ensures it is mostly valuable for salvaging those with terrible wounds in the aftermath of a battle, as opposed to something viable in the middle of a conflict. It is an unpopular method beyond our Clan, few are willing to trust another to carve them open to mend their wounds. The vitality granted by the Blood of Bronze makes this a popular method of recovery to our people though, and the art continues to be developed to this day here."
Aliki thought this was all fascinating material--but she
felt[ the descent of a powerful aura then, and halted her scribblings in time to look up.
"The third method is one that--with any luck--you will never have the need to employ." He cautions. "So I will have you all pay full attention--and to refrain from taking notes."
Aliki pouted, but set her pen down and focused her attention on the teacher.
"The third method is
transfusion. To channel the vitality of another into the wounded, to bolster their recovery by spending one's own inner strength. It is fast, it is effective." His face darkens. "But it is recognized by the Heavens to be a branch of the Blood Path, and thus falls under its interdiction."
What did interdiction mean anyway? That wasn't a word that Aliki had ever come across.
"It is an emergency method, when the cost of leaving someone injured on the field exceeds the limit of their future prospects--for to invoke Transfusion is a two edged blade--the prospects for donor and recipient are both damaged."
Oh, was that what interdiction meant?
"You will be taught all three of these methods over the course of your studies. Ideally, you will master a single one." The teacher continues. "We will begin with the orthodox method of the Apothecary, and the initiation into the secrets of plants and vegetation."
Aliki couldn't help but plant her tongue into her cheek at that point. Plants and vegetation? She'd never met any that were edible.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...
