Legacy of the M'Zee Chapter 5

*** AUTHOR'S NOTE ***

Sorry again for the mistimed post this week. I have chapter 6 done in both novels and chapter 7/part of 8 in Essence Wave, so you'll definitely be getting another post on Wednesday (or as soon as I remember :-p). Not sure how much I'll be getting done this week, though, as we're having a bunch of projects done on our house. I'm taking Friday off anyway, so I hope to keep going with 2 chapters for a while, and my company gives us the 24th through the 3rd off, so I'll get a bunch done then, I hope. 

Anyway, enjoy!

*** AUTHOR'S NOTE ***

“Man, do we really have to wear this?” Jon whined while pulling at the neck of his formal keikogi.

“Dude, it’s not even touching your neck. Stop messing with it,” I said, shaking my head at his antics.

“I should have worn it before today. It’s stiff and itchy,” he complained.

“It is not, Jon,” Aleks said. “You are just nervous about the dinner. Do not be. Just sit and enjoy the meal and presentation. If you are unsure about what to say, just do not make any comments about who you believe is winning the debate. We are here to show support to (name), but only obliquely. She is the one who is espousing support for increased trade between the Ashkhas (name) and Craesti Kingdom.” She gave Jon a confident look “Do not worry if you speak out of turn, either. We will be able to deal with any repercussions.”

“Are you sure we should even be here?” I asked Aleks. “I’m not sure how comfortable I am with interfering in another country’s democratic processes.” ‘Democratic’ came out in English without a translation.

“Demo-what-ic?” Bridget asked.

“Uh, it’s the word for this type of government,” I said. “Where everyone in a country, or district in this case, gets to vote on who will lead them or on the laws that will govern them.”

“Ah, okay,” she nodded.

We were riding in a carriage towards a banquet hall in the Merchant District, where the top two contenders for the Ashkhas Summit (check) were set to debate prior to the vote. Vaya and Aleks sat on either side of me while Jon and Bridget sat on the other side. My team and I were invited for winning the tournament, and Aleks was invited as the heir of Craesti. Her position was such that she could, and had, sign trade deals and treaties, though she leaned on Librarian Narwan and Knight Kaminski as advisors before doing so. This was especially true while I was recovering, as the combined nations planned the coming war on the Illyrian Empire.

The carriage ride wasn’t long. We arrived at a fairly large facility after only about ten minutes. In that short time period, though, we managed to go almost ten kilometers from our starting point. Every time we leave the hotel, I thought while staring out the window of the carriage, I’m reminded how ridiculously big this city is. The building we stopped in front of was two stories, square except for a dome covering most of the roof. The entrance had three pillars holding up a patio ceiling before reaching two doors that stretched through both stories. Carved along the pillars were scenes of trade, people of various races providing and receiving goods to and from the Ashkhas.

The doors were ridiculously ostentatious, though I couldn’t tell if they were solid gold or just plated really well in it. Each door had a single Ashkhas carved into it, staring nobly into the distance. An Ashkhas guard stood on either side of the doorway. They both were holding large pikes and wearing ornately decorated breastplates, helmets, gauntlets, and greaves that seemed to glow with Aether from their Inscriptions. When the carriage stopped, the leftmost guard strode down the three stairs to the road and opened the door. “Welcome honored guests,” he intoned. “Please allow me to assist you.” He extended a hand up.

“Thank you,” Aleks said, taking the hand and allowing him to assist her down from the carriage. I hopped down after her and turned to assist Vaya out as I’d been instructed. Jon followed Vaya and helped Bridget, following the customs of the Ashkhas. Aleks walked to the doorway in, with the guard following just behind and to her right before peeling off to resume his station. The other guard opened the door for us to enter. Inside was a rectangular room with a dozen carved pillars holding up the dome. A stage had been set up in the middle, surrounded by dozens of tables between each of the pillars in three distinct circles. Two Ashkhas, both older, were discussing something next to the stage. I could tell they were trying to pretend that they didn’t hate each other’s guts.

A young human woman met us at the door. “I am glad you were able to come, Princess Aleksandra, Knight Aiden, Duchess (check) Vaya, Mister Jon, and Miss Bridget. I am (name) and will be your guide and assistant for the debate and meal today. You have been given a place of honor to respect your positions and victory in the International Tournament of Champions. Please, follow me,” she said while bowing deeply to us. She led us to the second table on our right it the front row. Fix places were set there, and Aleks was led to the center seat. I sat to her right, and Vaya to my side, while Bridget and Jon sat to Aleks’s left. Each place had two forks, two spoons, and a knife along with a glass of water and a glass of wine.

We didn’t sit, instead standing behind our chairs like the few other people were. I nodded to Prince Gunther, who was directly across the stage from where we were placed. After acknowledging Gunther, I looked around, but didn’t see anyone else I knew and had spoken to. The lead Ashkhas team was sitting off to our right, but I didn’t know any of them personally.

We chatted quietly for a few minutes, waiting while a couple dozen more Ashkhas filed in to be seated. Finally, every chair had someone standing beside it. The two Ashkhas that were pretending to make nice were joined by a third, and they stepped up onto the stage. The third one spoke, his voice echoing throughout the building, “Welcome to the final debate of this year’s elections for the Merchant (name)’s Summit representative. Already the candidates have been narrowed down to the final two. Here we have (name), head of the Blue Dolphin trading family, and (name), the oldest son of the head of the Alchemist Cartel.”

While the speakers were being introduced, servants brought out the first plate. On it was a salad full of level two and three greens and other vegetables. No one started to eat, yet, so I waited. The speaker reached behind himself and pulled out a cup, “Before we begin the debate, a toast! May the Ashkhas Baqiya continue to grow and prosper, that we may be a Baqiya no more!”

I started at that, but held my wine glass up with everyone else and took a sip. I thought back to the word ‘Baqiya’ and forced my translation ability to function. It worked and gave me a meaning of remnant. They named themselves the Ashkhas Remnant. Their civilization was established at nearly the same time as the Craesti, who were fleeing a disaster that no one will talk about. Though everyone did get pretty high-strung about the Dungeon we first found.

After the toast, everyone started to eat. It was almost a game of who could eat the quietest, while the debate raged. The moderator alternated back and forth asking the questions chosen. The chosen speaker would get a few minutes to answer, then their opponent would get to ask them questions before the opponent gave their position and had to answer questions. The topics varied from tariff setting to rent subsidies and new construction.

“Our final question, do you support increased taxes to pay for the coming war with the Illyrian Empire? (Name, alchemist), it is your question.”

“We should not be going to war anyway,” he answered brusquely. “Why should we involve ourselves in a war against one of our trading partners at the behest of another? All this will do is deplete our warrior (section) with no benefit to ourselves. What happens if a Beast wave attacks the wall, or Behemoth decides to attack again, while our forces are deployed? Let the lesser races fight it out. We do not need to involve ourselves in their childish squabbles.”

“What?” (Name, Blue) said. “They attacked us first. We are already at war. They allied with Chaos cultists and corrupted Beasts, killing thousands of civilians in our city.”

(Name, alchemist) laughed, short and sharp, “So says a boy from Craesti. Lies and slander, I say, in an attempt to get our support. What proof do we have that he is telling the truth?”

“The attacks stopped after the destruction of the Illyrian ships?”

“That just proves the Craesti were behind the attack, not the Illyrians!” (Name, alchemist) shouted. “They did it to bring our superior forces down upon the poor Illyrians, who have been slandered and maligned for years because of their gathering style.”

“You mean the one that requires slaves and causing crippling damage to others, thus requiring them to assault every other nation and terrorize international shipping? That style? Please. You only argue for them because your parent’s cartel sells nearly forty percent of your product to them. You are sticking your head in the sand and denying their attack’s upon our shipping and the enslavement of our people, all so you can make extra profit. You are disgusting, and a curse upon the name of our Merchant’s (name),” (Name, blue) said, her voice dripping venom.

I learned towards Aleks, “should I clap? I really want to clap.”

“No,” she admonished quietly, slapping my shoulder gently. “Everyone knows we are here to support (name, blue) but we do not want to advertise it too heavily. Our quiet support is better than being enthusiastic in our praise.”

They continued back and forth for another ten minutes, before the moderator finally stopped them. He stood in the center and looked out at everyone, “Thank you for attending this debate! The transcript will be produced and placed at the Merchant’s Guild locations throughout the (name). The final vote is in one week. Please, enjoy the desert, and thank you for supporting the Merchant’s (name).”

A sumptuous cake was placed in front of me, and I ate it slowly, savoring the rich, chocolatey goodness. “So I can see why we are supporting (name, blue),” Jon said from the other side of the table.

“I was amazed that (name, alchemist) wasn’t booed off the stage,” I said. “How did someone so obviously divorced from reality reach the finals?”

“There are many who do not wish for war, and want to pretend the attacks never happened,” Aleks said. “We can only thank Light that they are in the minority, but the Alchemist Cartel is powerful, and many others think that, since they are wealthy, they must know how to make sure everyone else is wealthy as well. They ignore the rumors that the Alchemist Cartel bullies nonaffiliated Achemists to maintain their market share, while the Blue Dolphin trading company seeks to empower their customers. They believe that if their customers are richer, they will buy more stuff from them, thus enriching them both.”

“Yup, a truly free market is better, as long as freedom is maintained and monopolies are prevented,” I said, thinking back to Economics 101.

“I am done, are we ready to go,” Bridget said, obviously bored with the political and economic discussion.

I looked at our plates, and they were all empty. “I’d like to try to speak with Prince Gunther before leaving. I’ll meet you all in the carriage?”

“I will join you,” Aleks said.

“Sure,” I smiled at her, then gave Vaya a quick hug before walking around the stage. I avoided being drawn into a conversation with an Ashkhas merchant, who congratulated me for saving the city, by simply saying, “Thank you. I did my best, as did many others protecting the populace. I’m sorry, I must go speak with Prince Gunther. Have a great evening.” They looked nonplussed, but smiled as I walked off with a small bow.

“Prince Gunther,” I said, bowing deeper to him, “I’m glad to see you up and about, and regret not getting the opportunity to test myself against you again.”

“Ja, Aiden,” he stood and bowed to me. “Congratulations on your victory in the tournament. Princess Aleksandra, it is an honor to speak with you again. I sorely regret not getting to face you in the ring. Either of you.”

“I as well,” Aleks said. “Just like I am annoyed at Aiden here for not properly fighting me in the final. Will you be journeying into the Divine Territory?”

“Of course!” He said boisterously. “I would not miss it even if I had to crawl on my hands. Just being at the entrance for a week will be worth a month outside. Even if a portion of my gains go to the smiling trickster next to you.”

“Who, me?” I asked with a Cheshire grin.

“Yes, you,” Gunther mock glared at me, then laughed. “Eh, served me right for being so overconfident. After the Territory, though, I want a real fight. No Aether techniques at all, just fists and martial capability.”

“I’m down for that,” I said.

He gave me a questioning look for a second, then nodded.

“It’ll have to be here in the city, though, since we will be headed back to Craesti and preparing for war soon after,” Aleks said.

“Of course. We may meet yet again on the battlefield against the Illyrians. Hopefully with the Ashkhas support,” Gunther said with a grimace.

“May the war be swift and casualties low,” I said with a frown. “Though I know it won’t be.”

“Well, Aiden,” Gunther said, his voice serious, “war is never good, but there are times when it is the lesser evil.”

“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things,” I said, thinking of a quote I’d long memorized. “Someone for whom nothing is worth more, who has nothing which they are willing to fight for, nothing for which they care more about than personal safety, is a miserable creature with no chance of being free, unless we are willing to step up and protect them.” I paraphrased the ending, thinking of why I’d originally sought to attend the Air Force Academy, and why I was now pushing myself to get stronger as fast as possible.

“Well said, Knight Aiden,” Gunther said. “Unfortunately, I must leave for the evening, but I would love to spend an evening discussing philosophy with you one day.”

“After you beat me black and blue, we’ll go get drinks and talk philosophy,” I said.

“You are mining for quality ore,” he said. At my questioning look, he said, “That is a plan, and I look forward to it.”

“I as well,” I said, bowing to him. “Have a great night, and I’ll see you at the entrance to the Divine Territory.”

He nodded to me, and bowed to Aleks. We turned and walked out, meeting the others at the carriage. Most of the way through the ride back, I turned to the others, “Hey, I’d like to get together with Librarian Narwan to talk about the Dungeon run. Would you all like to join me?”

“Sure,” Vaya said. “We should spend some time going through our actions and see if we can improve.”

“May my team join as well?” Aleks asked. “We are going to the Dungeon tomorrow for the first time, and any advice would be helpful.”

“Of course,” I said, at the same time Jon, Bridget, and Vaya said yes in various ways. “I also want to ask him about combining Aether to create new types.”

“You mean like that weird beam thing you did to murder the murder bears?” Jon asked.

“Yeah. It was plasma, or at least an attempt at it,” I said. They gave me blank looks. “Uh, plasma is another state of matter, like a solid, liquid, or gas, where everything in the substance is ionized. Lightning can cause it to exist, and it can be extremely hot. The sun is made of it. I mixed Lightning, Fire, and Air into my Wrath of the Lightning Deity Technique to create it, and it seemed to make the Technique do more damage. Though it didn’t have the electric stunning effect that pure Lightning can have.”

“Interesting,” Aleks said. “I have heard of mixing those three Elements to make Joy or Passion Aether, usually in some esoteric Inscriptions at extremely rich theaters. Though just Lightning and Fire creates nearly the same effect.”

“That is correct Princess,” Librarian Narwan said, appearing in the seat next to Jon.

I am proud to say I was the only person not to scream at his appearance. “Good evening, Master Narwan,” I said with a seated bow.

He narrowed his eyes at me, then humphed. “As I was saying, most combinations of adjacent Aethers tend to make emotional or conceptual mixes, so you creating a physical one is very interesting.”

“Uh, conceptual?” I asked.

“Water, Wood, and Earth Aether in even quantities makes Life Aether, which is often used by the best healers,” he said. “While Water and Ice can make Cold Aether, and is usually used in restaurants to store perishable goods. It is easier to create a very large cold box using Cold Aether rather than Ice Aether.”

“Sir, why have we not been taught about the mixes yet?” Bridget asked.

“Normally, unless your gathering technique creates them, it is extremely difficult to form composite Aether before reaching Complete Condensation. It is only included in the third-tier curriculum. I had planned on bringing it up after the Divine Territory, as I expect many of you will reach Threshold while within, and you have always surprised me with your capability. I should have known our resident troublemaker would exceed my expectations yet again,” he glared at me, but in a proud way. He’s really weird.

“So, what is the benefit to using composite Aether instead of the pure Elements?” Vaya asked curiously.

“Typically, composite Aether gives you a more focused outcome,” he answered. “Lightning, Metal, Wood, and Ice together make Destruction Aether, used in attacks similar to a simple Aether Blast to do significantly more damage, or used in Inscriptions to demolish buildings with little residue. A Destruction Aether Blast will do more damage, but is easier to stop with an Aether Shield and often moves slower. There is a tradeoff, always. I will make a book of the most common composite Aethers available to you until you leave for the Divine Territory.”

“Huh, that’s like the vision I had when I first took the Affinity Powders,” I said.

Librarian Narwan blinked. “Is that why you were able to use a composite Aether as early as you did? Hmm, I need more of those powders.” He paused for a second. “Wait, I have two sets. Samantha has not taken them. Yes, another experimental subject. The book will be with Lindsay. Enjoy.” He vanished. The door to the carriage did not move.

“How?” Jon asked incredulously.

“No idea,” I said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to do similar things when we reach that level of power.”

“When?” Aleks asked, giving me a look.

“Yes, when,” I said. “We will all make it, and together raise the strength of our nation to be preeminent in the world. So, what do you know about composite Aether, since you were educated in the palace.”

“Other than some of the most common combinations, not much,” she said. “My instructors, and my parents, all said that they would give more information when it became relevant. Unlike Master Narwan, my father said he would not teach me about them until I reached Seed Core. I look forward to trying it out, though I do not expect much.”

“Either way, it’ll be fun,” I said.