Hardcore: Qi Worlds Chapter 24: Vaugend Trial 6

 Benzhi set off down the mountain with Ailen in his wake. This part of the mountain range was covered in snow and even with tree-run qi ability, they had to take care of the dangers, it was possible to fall through a snow bridge or even the odd avalanche. Benzhi turned back, on instinct, and noticed they were being followed. 

 They waited, at the bottom of the crevasse, for Reyas and Glum to catch up to them. 'Did she want round two?' Benzhi chuckled to himself. 

 Reyas slowed as she approached Benzhi. 'When she grimaced she was awful cute,' Benzhi thought, her impressive chest heaved up and down, not through exertion, that climb was child's play for her, she was probably very angry.

 "Ye," she said scathingly, "should not insult our courage." She shook her fist at Benzhi emphasising each word. She then stomped around in a semi circle preparing her next onslaught. "If ye want our help, all ye has to do is ask." she carried on, her anger abating slightly. Benzhi didn't know if he should feel embarrassed or turned on. He was feeling both incongruously at the same time.

 "Sure," Benzhi said sweetly, "can you help?" 

 Glum huffed. Reyas stared at Benzhi for a full minute, lost for words. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Glum was about to say something and she held her arm in front of him to indicate he keep quiet.

 "Aye," she shouted all too loudly. 

 "Great," Benzhi replied, "we could use your assistance right now. I'd like to scout for a couple of caves, near the mine, that the Guardians can use as a base. And we need some warm clothing stored there."  

 Benzhi suddenly realised something else.

 "Oh, and I need an outfit too. I need to look like a Gael to the men of Vaugend." He added.

 "We don't answer to ye," Glum said angrily.

 Benzhi replied as sweetly as he could muster, the complete opposite of how he had been outside the Seer's cave moments ago, "No you do not." He paused for a second, "you are helping." He said each word individually shortly followed by his biggest grin.

 Reyas walked up to Benzhi, inside his personal space, her fur cupped breasts touching his chest, she looked him in the eyes. She had regained control of her emotions, "Aye, we will do as ye ask, but do not step awry or ye will feel the wrath of the Staggan Clan." Benzhi was so turned on, he was thinking what he could do to step awry right now, just to see what happened next. 

 "Thank you," he said with a step back and bow, "oh courageous Staggan Clan." Benzhi straightened and smiled cheekily at Reyas. "Let's get moving, the sun isn't going to wait all day for us to chat." Benzhi flourished his hand indicating for Reyas to lead the way. "After you beautiful."

 "Pah," she spat. And led the group towards to the south.

 The group, led by the Gaels, were shown two caves which could be used as bases by the Guardians. One was closer to the mines, while one was more remote and highly defensible. Both were stacked with furs and tinder as the Trovas Clan used them as caches and safe havens. 

 During their short excursions, Glum made it well known to Benzhi that if he were to touch Reyas, now they were separated from Ulfgrim, in any way, that he would have his newly formed manhood severed. Seer blessing or no seer blessing. Glum didn't even know that Benzhi had only recently acquired the use of such an appendage. Benzhi thought it was strange that Glum only gave him the, not so subtle, hints and never said anything to Ailen.

  The group of four then made their way to the Staggan Clan hold in order to outfit Benzhi and gather warm clothing for the Guardians. The hold was solely made of wood, apparently, the Clan Hall would be made from stone in the future but that took years to build. It consisted of a large central hall, which had wings for the main family and the Clan leadership. It was surrounded by ten cabins ranging from small to large, in all, the buildings housed over a hundred members of the Staggan Clan. Ulfgrim had not yet returned, he had travelled to the other two Clans to meet with their Chieftains. 

 The Staggan Clan welcomed Benzhi and Ailen, they were wary but never rude. The children stared openly at the pair, they were strange, exotic and exciting. Where the adults were shy or polite the Gael children would just come up, when their courage was gathered and ask blunt questions, usually to Ailen, like "why are ye green" or  "where is ye pants?" 

 Reyas took Benzhi to meet the crafters who were going to assist him. Gleig was a leather worker where his wife, Nasven was a tailor of sorts. She assisted him with design and sewing and did the same with furs where Gleig tanned, worked, cut and decorated the leather. 

 Reyas explained what Benzhi needed, taking charge of the function and look. Benzhi stayed quiet, happy to be accommodated. "It must be ready soon," Reyas explained, "is anything ready or almost ready that can be used?"

 "Aye," Nasven answered, "we have a new outfit for Ulfgrim that is almost ready. Will that be....?"

 "Aye, that be fine," answered Reyas. It seemed that Reyas had a position of authority in the clan, Benzhi surmised.

 "Take this off," Nasven ordered Benzhi. She had a stick and string in her hands, the seamstress indicated his clothes.

 Benzhi stripped down. He was in good shape, he ate very little and constantly exercised. He knew if it wasn't for qi he wouldn't survive on his calorie intake versus expenditure. 'The wood elves must have an amazing metabolism, it must be extremely efficient. They lived on so little food and were constantly on the move. It may be a combination of the two, qi and wood elf fuel efficiency.' Benzhi supposed.

 Nasven whistled appreciatively as she measured Benzhi's body, she was an older lady, Benzhi just smiled at her. Her husband Gleig just chuckled, while he was working at his bench, he wasn't perturbed in the slightest.

 It only took a day for the pair to get Benzhi's outfit ready, he spent the time training the qi techniques he had witnessed the Gaels use. He asked Reyas and Glum to spar while he observed. The Clan had a corral just for this purpose. While Benzhi observed with qi sight, he noticed it was not as simple a technique as he first thought. This would take him a long time to become adept, let alone master and engage without concentration. The technique created new circulation paths which weaved through muscle and bone. Not only were they new paths, but the streams themselves had intricate patterns, which the Gaels switched without thinking. Benzhi would not be so lucky. The strength pattern consisted of twisting streams, where speed was totally different with fine hooks sprouting out from the stream. Benzhi practised speed just in his leg and hip muscles and strength in his arms. After a day, his level of competency was negligible, but it was a start and something he could train. It was not going to be a technique he could utilise in the upcoming battles.

 Reyas got bored sparring with Glum using their wooden practice picks and invited Benzhi for a stoush. Ailen was spectating as well and clapped with glee. "This will be good," he cheered. Ailen was forever positive, Benzhi did appreciate his unending enthusiasm and spontaneous outbursts of joy.

  Benzhi did not use qi blade, it was his shunpo versus Reyas qi body techniques. There were no features that allowed Benzhi to use tree-run as the corral was surrounded by a fence which was four foot high.

 Reyas moved in quickly, spinning her wooden practice picks slightly in front of her at each side. Benzhi dodged to the right and she followed. Benzhi was able to parry one of her picks with ease, but two was impossible, although she could not shunpo she was still quick. Benzhi guessed Reyas was not using strength but a speed technique. Knocking her right pick aside, he spun around her right side, staying away from her left pick. Benzhi began to engage shunpo, on and off, making it very difficult for Reyas to know where he would be at any moment.

 They two began to circle one another slowly. so far it had been a stalemate. Benzhi charged Reyas with shunpo, attempting to use speed to catch her off guard, he stabbed his wooden sword directly at her heart, she barely got a pick around in time to deflect the blow. The speed of the charge startled the talented warrior. However, now that she had parried the danger, she was bringing her second pick around to jab Benzhi in the chest. Benzhi brought his right hand up, he was still wielding the sword in his left, and qi palmed her wrist which was holding the offending pick. The pick flew out of her hand if it wasn't attached with a strap it would have flown off. It hung uselessly until she was able to grab it. Benzhi was not about to give her any time to recover and kicked her midriff with a qi strike. Benzhi used the same technique he used with qi palm out the flat of his foot. He may have only had one sword, to her two picks, but qi strike made all his limbs weapons. 

 Reyas flew backwards and smashed into the corral fence. 'Oops, that was a bit hard' thought Benzhi. He rushed to her with shunpo.

 "Are you alright?" he asked. Clearly, she was not, she may have internal bleeding and broken ribs.

 Reyas was writhing in pain, but that didn't stop her bringing her wooden pick to bear and she smashed Benzhi in his side. "Did I say we are finished?" She said through clenched teeth.

 Benzhi gripped her hand, stopping her from hitting him again and held her close. "I surrender," he said dropping his sword. 

 Reyas spat blood out her mouth, "Good," she said. "Now take me to the healer."  

'Man was she intense,' Benzhi thought. By this time Glum had jumped the fence and made it clear he would carry Reyas to the healer. Benzhi nodded, sat, and began to work on the bruise at his side with qi healing. Practice made perfect.

 Benzhi and Ailen set out for the forest the next day. Reyas wanted to accompany them, but the healer and Glum forbade it. She still would have resisted but Benzhi shook his head gently as well and she finally relented.

 The new clothes Benzhi wore were warm, the torso and groin armour were protective and decorative. Embossed with a snow lion, they did not restrict movement in the slightest. Benzhi still went barefoot, the only alteration to the garb. The all white furs covered his shoulders, upper arms and head. The previous owner was a type of bear, a rare white bear. Benzhi loved his new furs, but couldn't help feeling sadness for the bear. 'Sure, he could consider killing ten thousand men of Vaugend, but one dead bear was really upsetting.' he thought how hypocritical he was.

 The white furs were superb camouflage in the snow. Ailen had secured himself a heavy cloak and carried four others in a pack. Benzhi was sure the Fae artisans could make superb cloaks, given time, but that was the reason he wanted some warm clothing from the Gaels, they had it at hand where the artisans would need too much time. 'The poor bastards were all probably making arrows day and night, no matter their speciality,' Benzhi thought as they ran.

 The pair made it to the southeastern border by early morning the next day, they rested for the night at the eastern border outpost. 

 Benzhi and Ailen met with the Guardians at the outpost, Gisael was not present, she was at the glade. There had been no activity, from the men, in sight of the forest, while they had been gone. Leaving only the capable Zoastria behind, with orders to kill any men who came within bowshot of the forest, they took the rest of the guardians back to the glade.

 Upon arriving back at the glade Benzhi called a meeting and gathered all the Fae, except Zoastria, to the Willow. He spent the rest of the day explaining the plan, allaying their fears and gaining the consent of the entire village. 

 Gisael would lead the Guardians, excluding Zoastria and Benzhi, to the mountain base and launch hit and run attacks against the men, starting immediately. The gatherers would support by carting arrows and supplies to the mountain bases, over a thousand arrows, ones which they had already prepared for the defence of the forest. The gatherers would return and remain in the forest and would support Zoastria if needed.

Benzhi would head to Vaugend and steal the Core. 

Chapter end