It was only three days back to Moongrave by cloudship. Technically the cloudship belonged to Charity, but she rarely used it; Sages had little need for transportation. Meira spent most of the trip hiding in her cabin. She'd become a lot more withdrawn after that first night, but there were still occasional flashes of mania. Hopefully her personality would start to stabilize after a few months. In the meantime, I pulled her out a few minutes before the city came into view. It was a sight worth seeing.
Moongrave was one of the larger cities on Cradle, but even the Seishen Kingdom, a relative backwater, had cities with populations in the tens of millions. Power on Cradle had nothing to do with population, and everything to do with the density of vital aura. Cities in aura-poor regions tended to look pretty much like I'd expect cities at this tech level to: A few big palaces and mansions for the rich people, and all the other buildings were stone or wood. Moongrave was notable not so much for its size, but for its construction.
The wall around the city rose hundreds of feet in the air with perfect obsidian smoothness, and ran for miles and miles. Inside, every single building was a palace, with spires thrusting up even higher than the wall. They were interspersed with sprawling gardens containing luminous flowers. Everything was a shade of violet or dark purple, even the sky. The air was nearly as crowded with cloudships as the streets below them.
Meira stared out at the city expressionlessly, but she had a white-knuckled grip on the railing. I stepped up beside her, not too close. "Have you lived here your whole life?" she asked after a minute.
I snorted. "Absolutely not. The city I was born in probably could have fit in just one of those towers."
"How did you get used to it?"
"Start small. Find your own little corner, and expand from there. Accept that you'll never see the vast majority of the city up close."
She nodded, not saying anything else.
We arrived back at Charity's palace a few minutes later. I led Meira off the ship. A pair of Gold servants trailed discreetly behind us, and I sent others away with instructions. As we walked, my scarabs were spreading out, considering rooms. It took me only a few minutes to find what I was looking for. I led her down to the ground floor, to an unused guest room. The basic scripts on the door opened at my touch; I'd have them redone later. It was actually a suite, with a bedroom off to the side. There was another pair of doors at the back of the sitting room, covered by a curtain. I pulled the curtains back and heard Meira gasp softly.
The doors were glass, and opened out into one of the palace's gardens. The trees here were of the same variety as in Night Wheel Valley, with purple leaves. Beds of exotic flowers in shades various shades of purple were planted beneath them, many of them glowing softly. The rest of the garden was grass, with no paths. "Shall we go out?" I asked. She nodded mutely. I opened the doors, gesturing for the Golds to stay inside.
Tension seemed to ease out of Meira the moment she stepped onto the grass. I'd had proper clothes given to her instead of the cast-offs she'd been wearing, but she'd refused any offer of shoes. Now, her bare footsteps left the grass noticeably taller, and small flowers sprung up in her wake. She settled in the rough center of the garden, and I gave her a few minutes to herself.
When I joined her, I found a massive flower which looked a bit like a lotus growing between her hands. She snatched her hands away as soon as she saw me. "I'm sorry! I… forgot where I was for a moment."
"It's not a problem." I settled down next to her. "You can have those rooms and this garden, if you decide to stay."
"I can… have them? The whole thing?" Her eyes were wide. "Is this your palace, then?"
I laughed softly. "No. It's my master's. But she doesn't have the time to oversee it personally, except for the high-level Sacred Arts resources. As long as I don't interfere with her business, I can order things as I like."
"Why are you being so generous?"
"I'm not. Most Underlords would consider those rooms the bare minimum accommodations. Giving a visiting Underlord an entire mansion to themselves is not unusual. As for the garden, you'll need a place to cycle."
"Oh," she said, digesting that for a moment. "You said I'd be training, before, but you still haven't told me what I'll be training for."
"That depends on you. Do you know what you were competing for, in Night Wheel Valley?"
"You were recruiting for… a tournament." I suspected she didn't remember the name of it; she'd considered it important only because Kiro had considered important. "But we lost. The Blackflames won."
I nodded. "Yes. The Blackflame Empire's team is full. You won't be joining it. But the Akura Clan's own team still has one open spot."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"We want the strongest Underlords in our territory on our team, regardless of what their name is."
"Are you saying that's me?" She gave me a look which suggested she was reevaluating my sanity. "You defeated all three of us without even breaking a sweat. You should know better than anyone that I'm not strong enough for whatever it is you're asking."
"Do you think the Sage picked my name out of a hat?" I asked dryly. "There's only a single Underlord in the Akura Clan who can defeat me regularly, and she's our Monarch's chosen heir. I would judge that you're currently as strong or stronger than most of the Underlords in the inner family, despite their superior training. With the same training? I have no doubt you could surpass nearly all of them."
She shook her head. "Why would you pick someone you barely know to represent your Clan?"
"I'm not picking anyone," I said. "The choice of who gets the last place on our team belongs to Fury."
Her eyes widened. "The Herald?"
I wasn't surprised that she'd heard his name. Fury appeared as a war god in the pantheons of several minor religions, after all. "If our Monarch or my master were making the final choice, they might consider the political aspects of it. But Fury? He doesn't care about any of that. The only thing he cares about is strength. Prove you're stronger than the competition, and I guarantee you'll be his pick."
She considered in silence for several seconds. "And the fastest way for me to see Kiro again is to win this tournament?" she asked.
I couldn't help it; I burst out laughing. "Win? If you make it past the first round, the Clan will be happy to send you back to the Seishen Kingdom in style. Even making it to the top 8 is considered an incredible achievement. No one is expecting you to win. No one is expecting me to win, for that matter. But yes, being selected for the tournament is certainly the fastest way for you to see Kiro again."
"What happens if I'm not selected?"
I shrugged. "Then it'll take longer. There's always work to be done for skilled sacred artists. But you have to understand how important the Uncrowned King tournament is for the great factions. Serious fights between Monarchs tend to destroy continents, so this is how we demonstrate our superiority to each other. Until the tournament is complete, no one is going to have much time for anything else, so I can't say exactly how long it'll take if you're not selected. But it won't be more than a few years."
"Can I still leave now, if I want?"
"You can. On your own, I'd guess you could reach Overlord in ten years, maybe less if you're lucky. But you'll gain more than just advancement from the training we can give you."
Again, she was quiet for some time. "All I ever wanted was to serve Prince Kiro," she whispered eventually. "How did everything get so complicated?"
"Life does that. Maybe someday I'll tell you about the time I just wanted to make some friends and ended up accidentally taking over a city."
If she was curious about that, she didn't show it. "Alright. I'll stay, and I'll train for your tournament."
"It's not going to be easy. You'll need to fit several years worth of training into less than nine months."
"I understand. Kiro deserves my best effort."
I nodded. It wasn't quite the ideal motivation, but it was a start. I infused a sliver of soulfire into a pair of my scarabs so they could pick up the item I'd had one of the servants leave on the table inside. They dropped it into my outstretched hand, and I passed it to Meira. It appeared to be a round, faceted red jewel about the size of a large marble.
"This is a mind construct we use to train our young sacred artists. It contains a great deal of information on different Enforcer techniques. It also contains a test on that information. You need to learn how to instinctively recognize what type of technique your opponent is about to use. Once you've completed this construct, you'll be given another about Striker techniques, and so on. I expect you to have completed it within one week from today. That's in addition to your physical training, which we'll be starting tomorrow morning. Also, like I said before, this garden will be your cycling chamber. Make whatever changes you need to in order to increase the life aura to sufficient levels. The servants can provide any natural treasures you need, within reason. Is that all understood?"
"I… Yes, I understand."
"Then you should get started. I'll be back tomorrow."
I was pleased to see that she activated the mind construct as soon as I left. I didn't know what her training had been like before, but she definitely wasn't going to be able to skate through on talent alone here.
As I walked, I tried to objectively consider whether I was biased. The Seishen king clearly despised her, and his attitude trickled down to everyone trying get in his good graces. It was a situation I was intimately familiar with. At least she had one positive relationship, but it was far from a healthy one. I couldn't help but be reminded of the way I'd latched onto the Undersiders, to the point that I'd been willing to rob a bank just for their approval.
On the other hand, she really was a sacred artist of rare talent. I might have been biased, but Charity certainly wasn't. Grace was highly skilled, but she wasn't in the same league as me or Mercy. If Miera could push past her issues and reach her full potential, she would undoubtedly be a stronger competitor.
It was a big if. I was honest enough to admit that I wanted her to succeed for more reasons than just having the strongest team we could. I'd have to keep a careful eye on myself to make sure I didn't keep putting energy into her if it became clear she couldn't rise to the challenge. In the meantime, I'd push her and hope for the best.
The arena was filled with dense jungle plants from the Phantom Islands, thick with both life and shadow aura. As usual, having her feet on bare earth and grass seemed to help calm Miera, although she was still obviously on edge. "Are we going to fight?" she asked.
"Not yet. First, I want to have a look at your techniques. I assume you have more than just your Ruler technique?"
"Of course I do," she said with a glare. "Kiro made sure I had the best instructors available."
"Demonstrate them, if you'd please."
She produced her staff from her soulspace and cycled madra into it. A scythe blade of green flame extended from the end. I examined it carefully. This was the technique which had damaged Yerin's lifeline so badly.
"Weapon Enforcer technique," I noted. "I assume it's most effective in that form?" She nodded mutely. "Don't underestimate the power of symbols, especially in the Lord realm. I suspect there are ways you can enhance the technique further, though. A Forged echo, maybe." I shook my head. "Something for later. Continue."
She let the scythe blade fade away, then raised a hand. A ball of green life madra gathered in it, then blasted away as a lance. "A basic Striker technique. Sometimes simple is best, of course, but there are many directions you can take a technique like that." I was currently considering how best to modify my own Striker technique, which was similarly simple. Hopefully I'd be able to pass on some of Charity's advice to her. "You have more?"
"One more," she replied. This technique was subtler, just a dim green glow surrounding her.
"Full body Enforcer technique," I judged. "It's life madra, so I assume the main effect is regeneration. Aside from that… increased strength and speed?"
"Mostly speed, but only a little," she said.
I nodded. Again, it was a very basic technique. I wasn't surprised; most life artists weren't combatants, so whatever tutor the prince had been able to find for her probably wouldn't have had a huge amount of knowledge to draw on. "No Forger techniques," I noted.
"I can Forge plants for my Ruler technique, if there aren't any nearby," she said. "It's harder and less effective, though."
"Show me," I said.
This technique was far more dramatic than any of the others. A pillar of green madra erupted beneath Meira's feet, carrying her into the air. It solidified into Forged bark, and long branches sprouted from the top. The tree cocooned her, some branches wrapping around her, while others swung back and forth like snakes.
"Impressive," I said, nodding. "Needing to lock yourself in place is a serious disadvantage, though."
"I can protect myself easily enough," she said as the tree began to dissolve around her.
"That's because you've never fought someone on your level before," I told her bluntly. "The best defense is always to not get hit." My scarabs sensed something at the edge of my range, and I smiled. "Here comes someone now who can give you a demonstration."
I turned away from her and waited. She frowned when I did nothing after a few seconds. I braced myself. Then a missile wearing sacred artist robes hit me, still nearly knocking me over.
"You're back! You're back, you're back, you're back! I missed you!"
I was tall enough that Mercy's feet were left dangling when she jumped up to hug me. She seemed fine with it, as usual. "I was only gone for a few weeks," I said, smiling as I hugged her back.
"I know, but it's so boring around here when you're gone. If I'm not training, no one even wants to look at me. They just fold in half as soon as I walk into the room." I set her down, and she caught sight of Meira. "Hi! I'm Mercy. What's your name? Your Goldsign is really pretty! What kind of Path are you on? Are you Taylor's friend? Do you want to be my friend too?"
Meira blinked several times. "I'm here to train, not to make friends," she said after a moment.
"Oh," said Mercy, wilting slightly. Then she perked back up. "Well, that's okay. I train lots, but I still like it. We can train together, if you want."
Meira looked rather skeptical about Mercy's ability to train with her. I carefully kept the smirk off my face. "I was just explaining the disadvantages of a technique which immobilizes you to Meira," I said. "I think experience is the better teacher in this case, though. Maybe a quick duel?"
"Against her?" asked Meira, still sounding skeptical.
"Facing opponents on many different Paths is crucial to your training," I said blandly.
"Of course," she said, acquiescing. I wasn't surprised; she was used to following instructions. "What are the rules?"
"No techniques powerful enough to cause an injury that I can't fix with the healing elixirs I have on me," I replied. "If I think an attack would have ended the fight at full power, I'll call it." Damage to lifelines was notoriously expensive to fix, although I wasn't really expecting Meira to land any serious hits, and advancement would mostly solve the problem anyway.
"Good luck!" said Mercy, smiling cheerfully. Meira scowled.
I flew up above the arena to get out of the way. As soon as they'd put thirty or so feet of distance between each other, I snapped, "Begin!"
As expected, Meira immediately unleashed her Ruler technique. The miniature jungle writhed around her, roots and branches bursting up from the ground to form a barrier. The trees around Mercy lashed out, attempting to grab or strike her.
They hit nothing but air. Mercy swung between the lashing branches with absurd grace, as though every hit Meira tried to land on her was a step in a dance they'd practiced hundreds of times. After a few seconds, Meira began launching Striker techniques from her central cocoon, with no greater effect.
Without slowing in the slightest, Mercy Forged a bow in her hand. I knew she probably had her real weapon in her soulspace, but she preferred to give herself a handicap when fighting people at the same level. Still dodging Meira's attacks, she Forged an arrow and layered three additional techniques into it in as many seconds. She caught a branch swinging up, using it to vault into the air above the trees and give herself a clear shot. Then she unleashed her attack.
The arrow punched straight through the layered branches Meira had surrounded herself with, and there was a pained cry from inside. "Stop!" I immediately shouted, using a bit of soulfire to make carry it across the arena. But the branches had already stilled. The cocoon around Meira dissolved and she fell out of it, clutching her shoulder.
Mercy and I both landed next to her. "Sorry!" she said. "I hope I didn't overdo it, I wasn't sure how much power I needed to get through your barrier. That technique was really cool!"
I handed her an elixir from my void key. "This will help," I said.
She swallowed it in one gulp, then slowly pushed herself to her feet. "How did you do that?" she asked after a few moments.
"Which part?"
"Any of it! All of it!"
"Well, both my Iron body and Enforcer technique are focused on agility, which makes me really good at dodging things. And the rest of my Path is mostly about combining multiple techniques into a single attack."
Meira slumped back against a nearby tree. "What do you even need me for, when you can all do things like that?"
I took pity on her. "Remember I told you the other day how no one expected either of us to win the Uncrowned King tournament?" She nodded. I jerked my thumb at Mercy. "That's because they expect her to win."
It didn't take long for Meira to figure it out. She jerked upright, then bowed so low her head almost touched the ground. "This one apologizes for any offense she has given to the heiress of the great Akura clan! This one is honored for the attention she has been given."
Mercy's gaze fell. "You don't have to do that," she said softly.
"This one would not dare to offer anything but the greatest respect!"
I sighed, walked over, took her by the arm, and pulled her upright. "Stop it," I said when she flinched back. "She isn't her mother. She doesn't want you to bow and scrape. She wants to be your friend."
Meira darted a look at Mercy, who had turned away. "Why?" she whispered, sounding like she was forcing herself to speak. "Why would either of you want to be friends with someone like me? What could I possibly offer?"
"You don't need to offer anything. Just treat us like we're people, instead deities."
"It's okay if you don't want to," said Mercy quietly. "I understand why people are scared of me. I won't force you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable."
Meira was quiet for some time. "You're… not what I would have expected," she said eventually.
"I try not to be," said Mercy.
Meira slowly nodded. "I still don't think I'd make a very good friend. But I'd be honored if you'd be willing to help me with my training."
It'd been a couple of weeks since Meira had arrived in Moongrave. I was still keeping an eye on her, but I wasn't as active in her training as I'd been at first. Mostly that was because Charity was back, and I wanted to spend as much time as I could on my own training while she was available. But I was also trying to force Meira to develop a bit of independence. She still had trouble taking the initiative in her training, when someone didn't explicitly instruct her to do something.
On the plus side, she was extremely efficient on tasks she had been instructed to complete, and she was already nearly done with all four mind constructs. They'd helped her quite a bit as she began modifying her techniques. I'd given her advice when I could, particularly on her Ruler technique, which were the techniques I felt most familiar with. Since her other offensive techniques attacked the target's lifeline directly, she had little use for purely physical attacks, so I'd helped her optimize her Ruler technique for battlefield control.
That evening, I found her back in the arena where I'd introduced her to Mercy. I landed on the edge of the roof and peered over; maybe it was just habit, but I still preferred to see things with my own eyes. It was certainly an impressive enough sight. When one thought of large plants, they typically thought of trees, but there was no reason why techniques had to be limited by real biology. Case in point, a flower resembling a tulip except about forty feet tall had sprouted in the middle of the arena. Meira stood at the top with the petals wrapped around her, and the flower swayed wildly back and forth as she presumably practiced dodging. An interesting technique, but it wouldn't take long for an opponent to figure out they could just cut the stem at the base.
As the flower bent particularly low, the petals unfurled and Meira gracefully stepped off onto the branch of a waiting tree. That tree then bent and twisted, allowing her to step to the next tree over. Using this method, she was able to move around the arena with surprising speed, often changing direction unexpectedly. I nodded in approval.
I'd been watching her practice for ten minutes or so when she drew the notice of another pair of observers. Akura Shiria and Akura Douji had lost quite a bit of their swagger after Harmony… met with an unfortunate accident, but they'd regained most of it after advancing to Underlord. Like many of the Akura, they assumed their name alone set them above everyone else, which was why they would never be considered for any position of real importance in the clan.
The pair of them emerged into the stands a ways around from the arena from me. I listened through my scarabs as they failed to recognize Meira, immediately agreed that she had no business using the arena, and decided to teach her a lesson. I smirked slightly. Yes, these two would do nicely. I wrapped myself in the Umbral Mantle and descended.
Shiria and Douji got Meira's attention by fully unveiling their spirits, which was direct enough, but also a bit rude. She immediately came over, a tree near the edge of the arena bending down to set her on the ground below them. For a moment, they sized each other up. Then she pressed her hands together and bowed deeply. "How can I assist the honorable Akura Clan?"
"You can begin by explaining who you are, and why you think you have the right to use our arena," drawled Douji.
"I am Riyusai Meira," she said, still bowing. "I am the guest of Akura Taylor."
I smirked again when they both reflexively glanced around at the sound of my name. Seeing nothing, Shiria spoke up. "What's your business with the Sage's disciple?"
"She is training me, so that I am better able to serve the Akura Clan."
"She's training you?" asked Douji. He made a show of glancing around again. "She doesn't seem to be taking a very active role."
"Of course not. Her time is far too valuable to spend on one such as me. I am grateful for the instruction she has given me, and for the resources she has made available to me."
"And for what purpose is the honorable Sage's disciple training you?"
Meira hesitated slightly. "I will do my best to fulfill whatever purpose she gives me."
The two of them weren't dumb. Seeing an Underlord training and being given special treatment, they could put two and two together. "I hope you don't think yourself worthy of representing the Akura Clan in the Uncrowned King Tournament," said Shiria.
"I make no claims of my own worthiness," said Meria. "I only obey the instructions given to me."
That was enough confirmation for them. "I will judge your worthiness for myself," said Douji. "Surely the Sage's disciple would agree that your training would benefit from an exchange of techniques?"
"An excellent idea," I said, dropping my Enforcer technique. The two of them actually jumped, whirling to find me lounging in a seat behind them as though I'd been there all along. Which I had been, of course. "How generous of you to offer."
They both quickly pressed their fists together and bowed. "Forgive us, honored disciple. No disrespect was intended."
"I'm sure not," I said, my voice practically sucking the moisture out of the air. "No need to worry. I completely approve. In fact, I think it would be appropriate for the two of you to face Meira together, since this arena is such to her advantage."
Now they looked nervous. Obviously they realized they'd made some kind of mistake, but they couldn't back out when I was giving them exactly what they'd just asked for. "Of course. It would be our honor," said Shiria, bowing.
"Excellent," I said again. "I'll judge. Wait for my signal to begin at the far entrance. I'd like to have a few words with my student, first."
The both bowed again and left. I drifted down onto the arena floor in front of Meira, who had something of a deer in the headlights look. "Why are you doing this?" she asked after a moment.
"Because there are some things you can only learn the hard way," I replied.
She pressed her hands together and bowed. "This one apologizes for whatever she has done to merit this punishment."
"It's not a punishment, it's a lesson. Specifically, a lesson about understanding and respecting your own strength."
"I… don't understand," she said after a moment.
"I know. That's why the lesson is important." I gestured for her to follow, leading towards the nearer entrance to the arena. "Akura Shiria follows a force Path. She'll close the distance quickly if you give her a clear line of sight. Akura Douji follows a lightning Path. He prefers to keep the range open and use Striker and Ruler techniques." I stopped when we reached her starting position and turned. "Please avoid killing either of them, but you don't need to hold back entirely. If they suffer some damage to their lifelines, well, that's just a little extra motivation for them to reach Overlord sooner."
"Do you... actually expect me to defeat both of them?" she asked.
"I expect you to take this fight seriously and use what you've learned. I suspect the result will surprise you."
With that, I took off, flying up over the center of the arena and hovering there. Seeing Shiria and Douji in position, I said, "Prepare yourselves," using a bit of soulfire to make my voice carry over the entire arena. I waited a moment, then said, "Begin!"
Shiria and Douji opted to take a cautious approach, which spoke well of them. They'd clearly seen Meira controlling the forest with her Ruler technique, and so began destroying trees as they advanced forward. Shiria smashed them with her warhammer, while Douji shattered them with lightning bolts. Meira climbed back up into the canopy, but didn't attack yet, instead letting them use madra and display their techniques. I nodded in approval.
At the edge of my range, my scarabs sensed someone approaching at extremely high speed. He arrived barely a second later with a blast of wind, coming to a stop in midair next to me. "Hey, Taylor. Who's the new kid?"
I stifled a sigh. Akura Fury and I were basically polar opposites, both in personality and fighting style. We did our best to maintain a relationship of mutual respect, even if we grated on each other a bit. Well, mostly he grated on me, and I bored him, because he had the attention span of a six-year-old who'd just mainlined an entire box of pixie sticks. But he still stopped by to check in on me every once in a while, and I always kept a lid on my irritation and listened to what he had to say. For all his immaturity, he was still an extremely talented sacred artist.
"Riyusai Meira," I responded. "We picked her up from the Seishen Kingdom. They had her just taking care of the gardens in their palace."
Fury hmmed, settling in to watch. Hopefully they wouldn't dance around each other for more than a minute or two, because he tended to abruptly fly off whenever he got bored.
Fortunately, the real fight began quickly afterwards. Shiria and Douji had made they way some distance into the jungle that covered the arena, and although they'd managed to keep a clear space around themselves, they were effectively surrounded on all sides. Apparently Meira decided it was the time to strike, because all the branches, vines, and roots surrounding them suddenly lunged forward, attempting to grab them.
To their credit, both reacted immediately. Douji unleashed a crackling net of lightning which fried most of the nearby plants. Shiria caught a glimpse of Meira and used her Enforcer technique to dash forwards, bringing her hammer to bear. The blow split the tree Meira had been standing in, but she slipped aside to another tree. A moment later, a blizzard of flower petals erupted from every tree, swirling around Shiria and Douji. It was an adaptation of my own signature technique, although not nearly as effective; Meira couldn't see through it, and it didn't block spiritual senses as effectively, either. It was basically the equivalent of throwing a fistful of dust in her opponent's eyes. But even simple techniques could be effective when applied correctly.
Shiria dashed out of the cloud of petals towards the last place she'd seen Meira and immediately ate a green Striker technique. She staggered back slightly, shock on her face as she realized she'd just suffered significant damage to her lifeline. But she recovered in time to block the next Striker technique with her hammer. Then she went back on the offensive, once again dashing at Meira.
Branches splintered every time Shiria swung her hammer, but Meira was too slippery to nail down. She retaliated with Striker techniques, never letting her opponent get too close, and occasionally throwing in more disorienting clouds of petals. Shiria blocked most of the techniques that came at her, but a few slipped through. After taking two Striker techniques in quick succession, she threw down her hammer. "Yield! I yield!" she yelled, sounding slightly panicked. Fair enough; each of those techniques probably cost her a solid couple of years off her lifespan. Continuing to advance would make the problem irrelevant, but that was never a guarantee even for an Akura.
Meira broke off without a word. She flew back to Douji, who was struggling to force his way through the hostile plant life. Another cloud of petals covered her approach, and she landed behind him, swinging her scythe. He sensed her in time to throw himself out of the way, retaliating with a whip of lightning as he landed on his back. Branches interposed themselves to block the technique, and Meira leapt over them, her scythe descending.
Again, Douji scrambled backwards, attempting to fend her off, but he'd been forced into a section of forest which he hadn't cleared yet. Branches lunged forward, wrapping themselves around them. He shattered them with a burst of lightning, but it wasn't in time to avoid Meira's next hit. Her scythe swept through his arm. It didn't do any physical damage, but he screamed anyway as a large portion of his lifeline was severed.
A desperate barrage of Striker techniques forced Meira back for a moment, but then a fresh swarm of branches and vines burst from the ground. These were Forged rather than real plants, which was much more expensive in terms of madra; clearly Meira had decided it was time to end the fight. Douji defended himself as well as he could, but unlike the real branches, there was no limit to how many of these Meira could throw at him.
Again, she leapt at him from behind. Pinned in place by the endless waves of Forged vines, Douji managed to graze her with a Striker technique, but it wasn't enough to stop her. Instead of striking with her scythe, she planted a kick in his chest, sending him sprawling backwards. The vines wrapped around him, and she landed on top of him, holding the edge of her scythe just above his throat. "Yield!" he gasped out as well.
Slowly, she withdrew the scythe. She stood there staring at him for several more seconds, as though she couldn't quite believe what had just happened. Then jumped away, back into the trees. The vines binding Douji dissolved, and he slowly got to his feet. Beside me, Fury nodded. "Not bad. Life artists are usually pretty boring, but she seems fun. Might stop by later, give her some pointers on that scythe. Make sure she keeps her nose to the grindstone, we might be able to make something out of her."
He vanished in another blast of wind, not even waiting for my reply. This time, I didn't bother stifling my sigh. Then I flew down to see if Meira was finally ready to stop pretending she was just a gardener.
