[Fred] Chapter 8.2: Catching Up

[Linwelin]

《Chapter 8: Training Again!

Chapter 8: Training Again!》

《Chapter 8.2: Catching Up》

Previous post from Chapter 8

"IT'S NOT LIKE I CARE ABOUT THAT OR ANYTHING!" Tiffany almost shouted, her face a bit flustered after being put on the spot.

You can create a side thread for meeting with Ai, Lai Ju, and Shuren. You spent an hour doing the experiments with Lu Zhihao in Ch 8.1.

Fred grins at the response, knowing he's got her right where he wants her, "You don't care about it? That's too bad~! I really thought we were all getting closer. Was that just me thinking that?" Fred looks around at the rest of the group, seeing if anyone else wants to play along with the teasing.

Ai and Lai Ju

Since Fen had been discussing planning with everyone, Fred imagined that Ju and Ai were together, as Ai still hadn't gotten accustomed to most of the Ravens. Thus it was a simple matter finding the two of them, keeping themselves entertained however they could, which at the moment was brushing Ai's hair. It was a surprisingly picturesque scene.

"Heh." Fred said as he approached. "You two look so well matched, I could mistake you for mother and daughter!" He worn his trademark mischievous grin as he said this, awaiting the flustered responses. Who knew it would be so much fun to make people flustered! Just a few words, and they go all red. Priceless! He mused to himself.

Shuren

Fred approached Shuren's resting place, the spirit tree at the center of camp. "Master Shuren! I'll be heading into the caves soon, but I wanted to ask you a few things."

[Throndir]

Spirit Tree Camp
Day 9 - Morning

"Nyahahaha!" Seeing Tiffany's reaction and Fred's teasing, Bethany's laughter continued to spew forth from the catgirl's mouth.

"It's not just you Fred, we're one large family where we all love each other." Filiane said gently with a hint of teasing.

"Passionately love each other." Lu Zhihao corrected a she licked her lips to stare at Tiffany.

"We're close. We're all like friends, sisters, brothers... aren't we all like lovers." Lai Fen smirked.

Bethany continued to laugh of course until Gu Bai interjected herself into the conversation.

"Guys!" Gu Bai yelled loud enough over Bethany's laughter. "It's not a bad thing to be family and love each other! I mean I love Tiffany too!"

With all the attention centered on her, along with her name being directly called out, it was more than the nine-tailed fox girl could handle. Her cheeks had already further reddened.

"A-as if that means anything to one s-such as I!"

Spirit Tree Camp - Lai Ju and Ai
Day 9 - Morning

"Fred...!" Sio Ai's familiar voice called out.

As for Lai Ju, your mention of her and Ai as a 'mother and daughter' only served to have the vice-commander of the Dark Ravens smile gently as a hint of a blush filled her cheeks. Rather than being flustered, Lai Ju only happily continued brushing Ai's hair.

"I want Fred to brush my hair." Sio Ai said as she waved towards you. With that proclamation, Lai Ju stopped and looked towards you.

"Good morning Fred... As you can see, Ai here wants you to brush her hair... perhaps I can... show you h-how...?"

Spirit Tree Camp - Shuren
Day 9 - Morning

"Why, if it isn't my future son-in-law!" Shuren said teasingly. "What did you want to ask me about?"

[Linwelin]

Lai Ju and Ai

Fred was notably surprised at Lai Ju's lack of fluster. Maybe that tease has gotten overused? He thought to himself, bemused.

"Oh?" Fred looked toward the eager little Ai before turning back to Lai Ju. "Sure! Run me through how it's done. If I end up any good at it, I could even do yours as thanks." Fred smiled happily, oblivious to why Lai Ju would stutter over something like this.

Shuren

Fred lets out a chuckle as he finishes his approach, "I'm still not sure how that joke came about." He gave a short greeting bow, which he'd learned during martial training with Shuren previously. "My questions involve being the sect leader of the Dark Ravens. What exactly sets me apart from the rest other than my title? Is there anything specific to being the leader that I should be learning or know of? If not, then I don't really understand the point of the leader position. I'm not the strongest member, nor the wisest. As it stands now, I'm not sure what my role in this community is."

[Throndir]

Spirit Tree Camp - Lai Ju and Ai
Day 9 - Morning

When you mentioned brushing Lai Ju's hair as thanks, the familiar tinge of red on Lai Ju's cheek once again appeared.

"Fred...!" Lai Ju started, almost mirroring what Sio Ai said, though with a completely different meaning. "A-ah... nevermind." The girl shook her head as she moved a bit to give you room for you to sit down next to her.

"I'm ready!" Sio Ai said as she herself sat back down and positioned her back towards the two of you.

Spirit Tree Camp - Shuren
Day 9 - Morning

"A joke, eh?" Shuren flashed a smile, his eyes twinkling. He grew serious however, once you started to discuss the actual reason of your appearance.

He nodded sagely as he began to process your question.

"The leader is one that ties everyone together." Shuren explained. "That was something that my predecessor did, something that I did, something that I had taught Lai Fen, and now, something you will have to do... There is more... but..." He paused as he looked at you carefully.

"What do you think of the Dark Ravens, Fred? Or if that's too broad... Then what do you think of Lai Ju? Or Lai Fen? Of the outcasts that call this their family. No wrong answers, Fred."

[Linwelin]

Fred plopped down next to Lai Ju, taking the brush in hand. "Alright, Ju. Lead me through the actions, only know what I saw, but I wouldn't be surprised if I missed something important."



"What do I think of them?" Fred looked blankly at Shuren, not having expected to be asked this. He turned to look down for a moment, deep in thought about what his feelings were about this group over the week or two he'd been with them. Having settled on the words, he looks back to Shuren with an equally serious expression. "I think they're good people. They mean well to their family, and many of them desire their actions to be able to change the world for the better. Were I in the situation where I have to choose who I supported in that throne room again, I would still make the same choice." Fred paused a moment before moving to his second thought, one that was more at the heart of what he came to Shuren for. "But they're all so close and self-reliant, I don't see how or why they need me. I'm not nearly as strong as they are, and this world seems to value strength above all. And I still don't understand this 'hero' thing. Maybe that's why I don't understand their actions, but I can't think of anything this 'hero' could offer that would lend itself to commanding such a family instead of acting as a separate ally."

[Throndir]

Spirit Tree Camp - Lai Ju and Ai
Day 9 - Morning

Lai Ju was doing her best to stay calm, but even you can tell her heart was beating much quicker, she seemed to hesitate a bit, but soon enough, gently took your hand, and started you out nearer the ends of Sio Ai's hair.

"Instead of starting from the top of the head... You start here, at the ends." Lai Ju explained with a hint of a blush on her features. You saw Sio Ai turn her head slightly, to attempt to see what the two of you were doing.

"So in case there's knots you don't-"

"I want to hold Fred's hand too!" Sio Ai stated, interrupting Lai Ju.

Of course at this, the second-in-command turned bright red.

Spirit Tree Camp - Shuren
Day 9 - Morning

Shuren's eyes was almost unreadable, though he eventually nodded approvingly.

"You desire to be stronger then." Shuren stated. "Then there is a way... Our sect has a few techniques unique to our own, something that I've cultivated too, and something a few of our members have potential to learn." Lai Shuren then made himself comfortable, sitting down next to you, his legs crossed as he leaned back slightly using his arms as support.

"It's called the Baleful Raven Method. But it's not something to be taken lightly. You see... the techniques make use of pain, suffering, anger, hate, jealousy, sorrow... Basically, darkness that lives within you and your heart. Ki, the internal energy that lives within us all, is one that can be explicitly tied to your emotion and sense of self. It is almost a mirror... And those attuned enough with Ki can even recognize who's ki belongs to who. For example, Lai Fen's ki would be very much different compared to Jed's - when I finished her training, Lai Fen's was a magnificent dark purple. As a result, the resulting techniques they can accomplish are thusly different."

"What makes the Baleful Raven Method not be taken lightly is the fact that it will change one's Ki for any of its practitioners. You need to allow darkness into your heart. There are of course many ways to accomplish this. But at the same time, it's not as common as you might think. I say that, but many of our members already have the potential to follow the Baleful Raven Method."

"Deng Lin. Her brother was killed by an opposing sect, and as a cruel joke, she was fed his blood for days until we saved her. In an almost disturbing way, she still favors the taste of blood, even though it traumatizes her so."

"The Hudson sisters. Both taken from an orphanage, and sold as slaves to an aristocractic house in Baolong. The two girls were used as sex objects, and since then they've hidden their emotions under that stone-faced mask of theirs."

"Or Wen Chaoxiang. He pledged to take an oath of silence until he achieved his vengeance for the death of his daughter."

"Duan Jun who tries to escape our reality into the worlds of dreams, and only resulting to sleep most the day."

"I could go on and on, of course. Many of those in the Dark Ravens have their own past. Their own scars. In truth, though powerful, the Baleful Raven Method is a broken technique. For it is only those broken who can achieve it as such."

He smiled wryly.

"Though, as you are the hero, I wonder if you are blessed by all the goddesses. The goddess of light is granted, of course. But how about the goddess of darkness? Among the goddesses, it is she who aligns the most with the ideals of the Dark Ravens."

[Linwelin]

Fred nodded along while going through the motions, as his choice to ask for guidance proved to be right. I might've ripped her hair out a bit by mistake if I went in blind. He thought to himself before noticing Ju internally struggling beside him. Why is she so unsettled? Did I do something weird again?

"I want to hold Fred's hand too!" Sio Ai stated, interrupting Lai Ju.

Seeing a hint of why Ju had been struggling through this moment, Fred pressed the little girl before him for answers. "Why's that, little one? It'll be tough to brush your hair if I don't have both hands."



"The Baleful Raven Method, huh?" Fred says pensively, staring off into space for a bit before turning back to Shuren. "Based on what you've said about the source of this 'darkness', I would need to have experienced extremely unjust treatment. That seems like such an odd, almost selfish source for power. The most I've ever experienced was extreme hunger, but that was as a bird. I've not experienced enough injustice to have vengeful thoughts like that, so I may have to rely on the Goddess of Darkness to aide me if I'm to pick up this method. Hopefully I'm lucky-" Fred stops as he suddenly has a realization, his eyes lighting up in curiosity as he realized he missed something Shuren said. "Training? You trained Lai Fen to have that kind of ki?"

[Throndir]

Spirit Tree Camp - Lai Ju and Ai
Day 9 - Morning

"Well... uhhm..." Sio Ai mumbled as she turned back to face forward so that the back of her head was towards you.

Ever since becoming a hero and receiving all of the blessings, you've found yourself stronger, smarter, faster, but also seemingly much more sensitive to humans. Sio Ai grew quiet, and you felt a slight tremble from her body.

"Ai?" Lai Ju asked.

There were tears forming in her eyes.

Spirit Tree Camp - Shuren
Day 9 - Morning

"Yes, though for Lai Fen, she was already very much suitable for learning it as she had an extreme hatred for the emperor. The cultivation of the Baleful Raven Method allows her to hone in on those emotions, then draw them out and amplify them with one's ki. In your case Fred, it would be more difficult to train you without that seed of Darkness that you first need to identify, grow, and cultivate."

"Apart from that, as you said, perhaps you'd somehow need the aid of the Goddess of Darkness. I'm no expert in this, but it is said that the summoning of heroes relies on the divine. Much of it was attributed to the Goddess of Light, however, there was one such a case where a rogue hero had gone terrorizing the populace many years ago, and one of Baolong's neighboring countries, the Felencorp, had insisted it was the work of the Goddess of Darkness. So instead of a single deity, the Goddess of Light, who holds sole dominion over heroes, perhaps instead that all goddesses have a hand in it, including the Goddess of Darkness. In that case... Then there is hope."

"Your powers Fred... Can you describe them to me? A passing mage once told me of a theory... Heroic blessings are granted by each of the goddesses, or combinations of them. Powers that grant comfort and banish evil would belong to the Goddess of Light. Powers of transformation or of passion would belong to the Goddess of Fire. Powers of nurture and material wealth would belong to the Goddess of Earth. Powers that deal with the mind of thoughts and dreams belong to the Goddess of Air. Powers over relations and feelings would belong to the Goddess of Water. Lastly, powers that deal with the so-called negative emotions of the heart are those that belong to the Goddess of Darkness."

"As I recall some of the others explain before, your powers include ripping clothing off beautiful young ladies?" He grinned at the statement.

[Linwelin]

Fred had seen this kind of behavior before in his past life, but had always thought it happened when the other party was yelling or generally being cruel. The current situation was baffling to him. But no doubt about it, this was human sadness. Luckily, Fred also knew a way to comfort it from watching people for so long. He carefully leaned forward, his head resting on top of the little girl's, and wrapped his arms around her gently. He didn't say anything, just continuing to hug as long as was needed. He looked with a side glance to Lai Ju, giving a 'am I doing this right?' kind of look.



Fred knowingly grinned back, "Men, too. I don't discriminate." He chuckled before his expression got more serious again, pondering how best to describe the abilities he had. "That power is called 'Destroy'. It seems to remove the outer layer of anything I choose. For people, that counts as clothing. For objects, it varies. Like this." Fred picks a stone on the ground to direct his energy toward and uses Destroy to show Shuren the effects. After the debris settles, he continues. "I haven't found too great a use for it yet outside of disarming people, but with how it deals with stone, I see potential."

Fred looks back from the stone to Shuren, "My second power is called Status. I can see the names and some basic information about a target I choose. From what I can tell, it only works on people. I can currently see their name, their current title, and their title history. It's helped me fish out a few spies in the Ravens, and understand people's past and abilities in general."

"And just recently, I developed a third power. Barrier. From what the magic users in the group have told me, it's a shield of raw mana that's extremely efficient. It's not elemental magic, just mana. I can choose its size, how sturdy it is, and what can enter and exit freely to some extent."

[Throndir]

Spirit Tree Camp - Lai Ju and Ai
Day 9 - Morning

Lai Ju smiled softly, while Sio Ai continued to make soft sniffling noises.

Spirit Tree Camp - Shuren
Day 9 - Morning

"You can imagine that blessings from the goddesses aren't fully known, so this will just be conjecture. For your Barrier ability, perhaps that is the most related to the Goddess of Light, as it's one directly for protection. Or perhaps it's a blessing from the Goddess of Fire, for it transforms the area around you into a shield. You can also even argue that it stems from the Goddess of Earth, being a power that nurtures your very life and those you deem to protect. Perhaps even, as the theory goes, that each of these goddesses had a hand to play in the granting of your blessing. When you cast your Barrier. What do you feel? The desire to protect against evil? The drive to help your own allies? The satisfaction of transforming nature around your very whim? For you see, each of the goddesses imparts some of these emotions in their blessings."

"But we are here to channel your inner darkness, right Fred?" Shuren grinned. "Among your three blessings you described, that power where you disarm others, with such a violent name as 'Destroy' might indeed have elements of Darkness in it."

"So, Fred... How about this? The next time we train, let's focus on that 'Destroy' blessing of yours. The emotions you feel from blessings when casting is faint and almost negligible, but if indeed the Goddess of Darkness helped craft that particular blessing, then if you seek for it, you'll find that darkness."

[Linwelin]

After waiting a moment for the child to calm down, Fred softly asked, a slight glint in his eye as he maintained eye contact with Lai Ju, "How about this, Ai. You can hold my hand while I brush Ju's hair. Deal?"



Fred recalled the words of the other Ravens as Shuren offered his special training routine in the future. It caused him slight chills remembering the torturous words said. But still, he knew it would be an overall gain for him, so he steeled himself before giving a positive response. "Thank you, Shuren. We'll work on it in the near future. Fred then began turning to prepare for departure.

"One last question before I head out." Fred said, spinning around as he remembered something. "During our previous sparring sessions, you seemed to dodge in ways that wasn't just due to your reflexes. And it didn't seem like it was thanks to your spirit body, either. Is there a technique that allows you to dodge attacks...differently? I don't know if that makes sense, I just noticed that your movements were strange."

This question is trying to open up Monk class training, specifically their special AC modifier.

[Throndir]

Spirit Tree Camp - Lai Ju and Ai
Day 9 - Morning

The little girl rubbed her nose, removing the excess snot that had started to drip.

"Deal!" Sio Ai agreed.

"B-but...!" Lai Ju started, her trademark blush appearing once again. But with another look towards Ai who had just started to cheer up again, the second-in-command of the Dark Ravens realized her predicament. Not able to look at you in the eyes as she fought to keep her blush in check, Lai Ju scooted a bit closer to you. Ai on the other hand, took her place beside you, and immediately took hold of your hand, in a similar way as Lai Ju did. Though you noticed that Ai grabbed your hand in a much more excited way, unlike Lai Ju who held your hand almost tenderly.

"Be gentle... It's my first time..." Lai Ju said. It took her a full second to realize what she said, she tried vainly to hide her blush.

"A-ah... I mean someone else other than my sister brushing my hair...!"

Spirit Tree Camp - Shuren
Day 9 - Morning

Lai Shuren laughed a warm but boisterous laugh.

"You come back from your expedition, Fred. Then we'll continue that training."

[Linwelin]

All Fred could do was chuckle at the reactions, smiling as he brushed.



"Agreed. I'll be back soon." Fred said as he waved to the spirit while walking away.

Done with both if you are.