FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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CHAPTER 26

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"Well done!" Callen praised as I successfully expelled the nature energy for the third time in a row. "You are ready to move on to the next stage of your training!"

I would have smiled if I wasn't so exhausted. My chest hurt from the effort of expelling the nature energy so many times in such a short time. I would be fully recovered after a short rest. Sometimes I was glad of the insanely large reserves of nen I had, it had allowed me to complete this training after just two months of intensive training. Nearly all of my other lessons had been sacrificed in order for me to focus on achieving this feat.

"So... what is the next stage?" I asked, still a little breathless.

"You shall begin learning to draw upon the spirits power."

"Really? Isn't that dangerous? Last time I did that I seriously thought Jan'Zar was going to kill me!"

"Last time you did that, you did so without permission. But now that you have successfully learned to expel hazardous energy from yourself it should be safe enough to proceed." He assured me.

"I was told that using the spirits power would weaken my defences against their attacks."

"That is true."

"Then why am I learning to use their power before I've tamed them? Khaine didn't start learning until after he had tamed his."

"Not all students require lessons in the same order as others." Callen smiled. "We have determined that because of the strength of the spirit within you, it would be beneficial for you to learn to use their power as your own. This would you to become easier to resist their power once you become accustomed to it. But you must not over use this power. As you mentioned, it will slowly weaken your spiritual and mental defences over time, and the spirit will be able to invade your mindscape and attempt to affect you in untold ways. You must adhere to all of the rules and techniques we have taught you. If you don't..."

"I understand the risks." I assured him. My life was on the line here, I wasn't going to be foolish enough to ignore the risks.

"Good. Once we begin your training you will once again have to resume resting through meditation. Regular sleep will no longer be permitted!"

"Even when I'm with you?" I asked curiously.

"Even then." He said sternly. "While I can protect you, it is essential you master these techniques. This is the most dangerous part of your training thus far. There is a very real chance that you could, or that you will succumb to the spirits to influence. If either of those things happen..."

"They won't!" I declared.

"If either of those things happen..." He continued. "We will be forced to kill you."

His tone was quite heavy, remorseful and I could hear the pain in his tone at the prospect of killing me. But there was also a serious undertone which left little doubt in my mind, that no matter his feelings on the matter, he would carry out his duty for the greater good. That sent a cold shiver up and down my back.

"It won't happen!" I said defiantly. Trying to reassure him with my determination.

"I know that it won't." He reached up and caressed the side of my muzzle. I leant into his touch. "How about we get some lunch before starting your new training?"

"Sure." I smiled.

************

After a light lunch Callen led me into a chamber underneath the temple. I had never been here before. The corridors were made of thick stone bricks; solid and unyielding. But these corridors were darker, and had even less adornments to the more commonly used areas of the temple, which were not what I'd describe as homely to begin with. It was noticeably colder than the rest of the temple as the warm air of the day couldn't reach these corridors.

We entered a chamber where Jan'Zar and two priests were awaiting us. The priests were both advanced in years. The Priest standing closest to Jan'Zar was a green scaled lizard with a head fin, the other was a grey pelted wolf who was a little whiter than grey around his muzzle. They both wore the same robe, one different from the traditional robes worn by the temple priests.

The robes a priest wore reflected their specialisation. High Priests wore black robes highlighted with purple, while trainee priests who were still learning their specialisation wore brown robes and priests who specialised in studying scriptures wore grey robes, I had not yet seen robes like the ones they wore. It was not uncommon for priests to learn multiple specialisations, and as a result may have access to different robes which they only wore on specific occasions where they would implement their skills.

I had heard of descriptions of these robes, but it was my first time seeing them. Black robes with an orange belt and collar. They were masters of the spiritual arts. They were not shaman, but they had trained for decades in the art of spiritualism, which had been described by Priest Dunbar during my lessons as a parallel discipline; with as many similarities to the shamanic arts as differences.

Part of me wondered what they knew about the spirit inside of me, and what they weren't telling me. The spirit had indicated in the past that if Callen and Jan'Zar learned their true identity, that they would kill me without any hesitation. I'd initially assumed that the spirit was trying to trick me, hoping to weaken me by fearing the very ones who were going out of their way to help me. After all what spirit could be such a threat to the Guardian Deities, that would require such a reaction?

They were obviously being cautious with me messing with the spirits power. If they were being this cautious, they surely had to know something that they weren't telling me. Or perhaps that one encounter we had with the spirit in my mindscape, where Jan'Zar and Callen clashed with the spirit before we escaped, had been enough for them to gauge its strength? For them to know just how powerful that it was?

Maybe I was just overthinking this whole thing?

As we approached the two Priests, they both bowed. We stopped a few feet away and I took another cursory glance around the room. The walls were made of solid stone, four mounted torches illuminated the room which was for all intents and purposes had nothing in it other than the slightly raised platform that they were standing upon at the far end of the room.

"Greeting Lord Callen." The wolf smiled.

"Good day." Callen nodded his head. "Are you prepared to begin?"

"At your command."

"I expect you've explained what is going to happen?" Jan'Zar asked with a tone of mild impatience.

"To an extent." Callen replied.

"Then explain it to him already!" She snapped.

"As I told you earlier, you will now begin training with drawing upon, and using the spirits power. Priest Gerome and Uklou are here to aid you should you become overwhelmed. But given that you have previous experience drawing up the spirits power I doubt that we will require their services." Callen shot them an apologetic look. They both just smiled in understanding. "You may begin once you are ready."

"All right." I nodded.

Callen moved to join the others and I moved into the middle of the room. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and focused. In the past I'd drawn on this power when I was in distress or a life-threatening situation. I had never tried to draw on the power while being calm and collected. This was my next hurdle to overcoming the spirit inside of me, and to move on to the next stage of my life.

I tried for a while to simply pull on the power by sheer will, but that was not enough. It seemed. Instead I tried to remember the times I'd drawn on the power. The feeling of helplessness, weakness and fear that I'd felt. But remembering how I felt, and feeling those emotions are quite different. I failed to draw on the power. I don't know how long I was there trying, it certainly felt like a long time, at least an hour, an no one had yet to say a word to me.

I felt a tug on my subconscious. I had felt this sensation before. It was the spirit, my doppelganger, was trying to make contact with me. It was enough to catch my attention, but something I couldn't easily ignore if I wanted to. I exhaled slowly and in a matter of seconds I was in my mindscape. I spawned into the familiar campsite, an exact representation of the one I spent my first nights here in Aaru, and sitting on the log by the fire pit was the spirit; in the form of my red eyed doppelganger.

"So, you wish to borrow my power? There is a price to be paid." He grinned.

"I am going to take your power!"

"Easier said than done my young host. Maybe one day you will have the strength to do so. But today is not that day!" He smirked smugly.

"If it takes me a day, a decade or the rest of my life to defeat you, I will eventually succeed if it is the last thing that I do!"

"I admire your spirit." He laughed. "I have lent you my strength in the past to ensure your survival. But for the time being I shall allow you a small taste of my power. Impress me and perhaps I shall allow you a greater taste!"

"Your generosity knows no bounds!" I said sarcastically, to which he laughed.

I felt a surge of strength flow through me. I knew this sensation; the power of the spirit was flowing into me. It was incredible. This was not a surge of nature energy; this was the spirits own power! I slipped from my mind-scape and opened my eyes. They knew immediately that I had succeeded. Jan'Zar and Callen no doubt could sense the change in my nen. But the two Priests would undoubtedly know by the red glow my eyes would adopt when channelling the spirits power. I noticed their reaction as they noticed, but they remained calm and composed.

"I thought you'd have managed to reach this point a little sooner!" Jan'Zar scoffed.

"What's important is that you have successfully drawn upon the spirits power." Callen cut in. "Now feel free to experiment with the powers capabilities. If you begin to feel overwhelmed, expel the energy immediately. If you struggle with that, let us know immediately."

I nodded my head in understanding of their command.

"We know from experience that the spirits power is certainly based around fire." Jan'Zar added. "Focus on that for now."

That made sense. It may also be why they brought me to this chamber. There was nothing here that could burn, even the doors to the chamber were made of stone. We were also far away from another fur who may get caught in the crossfire should I lose control. Using wind bending in this chamber would be extremely dangerous due to the close confines.

I reached out towards one of the torches. When my nen made contact with the flames its flared. The spirits power was certainly potent. I was attempting to restrict the spirits power for the moment, but containing it was nearly impossible as it was thoroughly mixed with my own nen. I drew a fire spirit from the torch, the flame returned to normal the moment I pulled my nen back. I held the fire spirit between my paws.

I focused on the most basic of skills I'd learned back when I was first learned to fire bend. In this case it would be magnifying the intensity of the flames. I poured a significant amount of power into the fire spirit, allowing the spirits power to freely interact with it this time. The fire spirit ballooned in size at an incredible rate! If I hadn't taken the precaution to create a resistant barrier of nen before I'd begun, I would have been badly burned. It had been a bad idea to have the fire spirit that close to me when attempting this.

I managed to regain control of the fire spirit, immediately cutting off the supply of nen feeding it and pushed it away from me. It shrank in size after a few seconds and returned to its original size. I gestured to the others that I was fine. They had all readied themselves with the suddenness of the last act.

Keeping a safer distance this time, I resumed the attempt; this time holding back a little bit. The fire spirit grew in size quickly, until it was nearly six feet across. The heat radiating off of it was incredible. Already the room was getting uncomfortably warm. Right now, the fire spirit was flooded with nen, but it was burning it just as quickly. I attempted to gather the nen into its centre, using the same techniques I would when preparing to turn it into a fireball.

Once the energy was gathered in the centre, the fire spirit shrank to half its original size now that I had controlled the flow of nen within it. In addition to the change in its size, the flames had turned to a light blue and the heat radiating from it had grown. The concentrated power from the spirit had caused this reaction.

The power of the flames was impressive. It was clear that this effect was due to the nature of the spirits power. But the spirits power was also magnifying my own nen in a way similar to nature energy; only far more potently. That meant that it would increase the effectiveness of any nen based technique.

But for now, I should continue to see how the spirits power reacted as I continued to manipulate the flames. I raised my paws and began to split the pool of energy feeding the spirit into two, and as I spread my arms pulled the fire spirit into two. As expected, the fire spirits were half the size of the original. But I had intentionally tried to leave a higher concentration of the spirits energy in one half. As a result, the fire spirit on the right continued to burn a light blue while the one on the left burned a warm yellowy orange.

I turned to the others to gauge their reaction.

Jan'Zar was stoic. Callen had a small smile. The Priests however, looked on with mild shock and wonder. I felt a little proud that I had made the Priests react like that. Controlling the spirits power was remarkably easy; likely as a result of the nature energy training I had done with Ranstoc. I could control it as easily as I could my own nen. Perhaps because the two were mixed so thoroughly? But at the same time, I could at least manipulate how they mixed to an extent. But I think it would be impossible to separate them entirely; no matter how much I practised. I had burned through about half of the spirits power and not wanting to waste the remaining power, and then have to go through the effort of acquiring more, I extinguished the two fire spirits.

"Most impressive." Priest Uklou, the green scaled reptile, exclaimed.

"Indeed. He controls the spirits power well." Priest Gerome agreed. "He obviously has previous experience in doing so."

"A little." I nodded.

"What did you learn?" Callen asked.

"The spirits power immediately mixes with my own nen. But I can change the mix to an extent." I explained.

"That was why the two flames were different colours?" Callen inquired.

"Yes. The spirits power fuels the flames in a way I could never manage with my own nen. The power of the blue flames was so strong that a simple nen barrier would likely be overpowered immediately."

"So how would you defend yourself?" Jan'Zar asked.

Her question caught me off guard. I hadn't been expecting a question like that. But it seemed reasonable that she was wanting me to find ways to defend myself in the inevitable battle I would have with the spirit.

"Blocking the flames would be difficult. Perhaps using a flame barrier would help. But the safer option I think... would be to either dodge or deflect the flames themselves."

"Interesting." She smirked.

"Is there anything else?" Callen asked.

"Like with nature energy it enhances the potency of my own nen considerably. My physical abilities, and likely my wind bending, would also be enhanced more than normal."

"I would say the first test is a success." Callen smiled. "Perhaps we should try changing our location?"

"Hmmm..." Jan'Zar considered his point while staring at me intently. "I agree with you to a point. What we can practise here is limited due to the nature of your abilities. But I believe we should remain here for the remainder of this lesson. He will have to learn to use his abilities in confined spaces anyway."

"Very well. If you think so." Callen relented to his sisters suggestion.

"What would you like me to do?" I asked.

"Experiment." She smirked. "Let's see what you can do without causing any harm to us."

I knew that by 'us' she was referring to the Priests Gerome and Uklou. Even if I did somehow manage to seriously injure Jan'Zar and Callen they would not die. Their bodies were only vessels after all; bodies which they had created in order to interact with the world. And they could create new ones if they needed to.

Since wind bursts would be dangerous in such a confined space, I decided to test a skill that was more 'focused'. I attempted to see what difference the spirits energy would make to one of my wind blades. The density of the air I was able to gather was significantly greater, and did not burn up as much of the spirits power as the flames had.

With the greater density of air, I could create stronger blades, ones which would not break as easily. But not only stronger, but larger as well. By the time I had used up the last of the spirits power I had managed to leave a distinctive scratch on the surface of the solid stone wall. Even Jan'Zar seemed mildly impressed by that. Up that point even the lightest of leather armours would cause my nen blades to break, and the best I could manage was to cut into exposed flesh or regular clothing.

"When I was first told of that skill of yours, I was both impressed and nervous in regards to its potential as a weapon. After all an invisible weapon is something the average warrior would struggle to overcome. But if you are able to do this to a stone wall..." Callen muttered as he stared at the shallow cut I'd made in the stone wall. "It's potential as a weapon might even be greater than I'd ever expected."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked curiously. His tone was a little strange.

"Not especially." He smiled. "You did well today. You may do as you wish until meal time. I believe you also have a lesson with Garr tonight?"

"That's right." I nodded. "If that is everything then I shall be off." I turned to the priests. "Thank you for time today."

They both bowed their heads in response and I turned to leave. I made my way back through the dimly lit corridors and back up to the ground floor. After being stuck in that room for the past few hours I decided to go for walk and get some fresh air. It was late afternoon and it was beginning to cool down, but it was still warm out.

At this time the temple grounds were quiet. But in a little while everyone would be finishing their duties and training, and the grounds would be abuzz with activity. There were very few furs walking about right now. The few that I did encounter someone, we passed by one another without instance. But as I walked, I noticed someone walking towards me. He gave off a different kind of aura. He stopped a short distance away from me and I did the same in response.

He was a reptile, the same species as Priest Uklou. In the late afternoon sun, his green scales reflected several different shades of green. He also wore what looked like a set of Rukan'dokra officer armour. Only instead of a polished steel his armour was black with a reddish metal crafted into the chest that formed a crest I recognised. It was the crest of Pyrrat; the Guardian Deity of Fire!

His eyes took me in. the way he looked at me I could tell he was measuring me; gauging my strength. Not an unusual thing for a warrior to do. I had done the same thing the moment he'd stopped in front of me. I could tell from the way he carried himself that he was dangerous. He walked towards me and I readied myself. I didn't like the aura he was giving off. But he just walked past by me without another word. I watched him until he disappeared from sight. That was more than a little unnerving.

After training with the Rukan'dokra I knew that every single warrior in their ranks were exceptionally skilled. To have amassed an army of elite warriors this size was no small feat. If it came to it, I suspect that this army could dominate not just any army, but all the armies of the Mortal Realm. And yet, that individual seemed more dangerous than anyone I'd met within the ranks of the Rukan'dokra thus far.

I decided to end my walk there, that lizard had left me feeling a little uneasy, and headed towards the dining area and catch up with the others. As I arrived Goku was just arriving as well. We chatted idly for a few minutes before lining up for our food since we'd arrived a little early. Jasmine and Kero joined us and we all lined up together and talked about our days.

"Oh!" Jasmine exclaimed as we finished our meal. "You'll never believe who I saw today!"

"Who?" Goku asked.

"Var'tan Kakla." She said excitedly.

I had heard that name before. He was fairly famous among the ranks of the Rukan'dokra. A prodigy for all intents and purposes. From what I'd heard he left nearly a cycle ago to participate in a 'Guta'rand' in the service of Pyrrat. To be requested for a Guta'rand was a great honour. It was an indefinite term of service, where the deity attempts to form a bond with the individual to make them a Champion.

"He's back?!" Goku queried. "I've heard that a Guta'rand could last decades. It's not even been a full cycle yet hasn't it? That seems very strange."

"That is because he is escorting Lord Pyrrat as he visits the temple today." A familiar voice announced from behind me. I turned around to the smiling beak of Jun'bak. I was stunned to silence. "Is something wrong Malakye?" He chuckled at my reaction.

"Jun'bak!" I exclaimed, finally overcoming my surprise.

I jumped from my seat and embraced him. He quickly returned my embrace, patting me several times on the back. I hadn't seen him since he departed with Master Jun'lao so long ago! He looked good. He wasn't wearing his usual white robes, which all of Master Jun'lao's student wore. He wore a robe that was a stunning mix of browns and oranges.

"I wanted to surprise you!" He smiled. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No! Would you like to join us?" I asked.

"I'd love to." He smiled and Goku slid up the bench to give Jun'bak enough space to sit.

"Everyone this is Jun'bak. Jun'bak this is Kero, Jasmine and Goku." I introduced everyone.

"A pleasure to meet all of you. I hope Malakye has not been a burden on you." He said seriously, but from the sideways glance he shot me I knew he was just teasing me.

"Ass!" I shot back, unable to stop smiling.

"Not at all!" Goku chuckled. "So how do you two know each other if I may ask?"

"My father trained Malakye before he arrived here." He explained.

"Wait..." Kero mumbled as his mind started to connect the dots. "Weren't you trained by Champion Jun'lao? Your Champion Jun'lao's son!"

"Really!" Jasmine smiled excitedly.

"Yes." Jun'bak smiled.

Jun'bak had mellowed out quite a bit since I last saw him. He was smiling a lot more and was far less uptight. Before he would have been far more prideful of such a reaction. He was still full of pride of the acknowledgement of his father, but his smile was now warm and welcoming rather than boasting his superiority. He had really changed! I don't know what had happened to invoke this change, but I was glad to see he was doing so well.

"Is Master Jun'lao here? What about Hen'zi and Kao'lar?" I asked.

"They are not."

"Then why are you here?" I asked. "Are you going to join the Rukan'dokra?"

"Not at all!" He chuckled. "I have no interest in that. I am here with Kami. I was lucky enough to be allowed to join them on Lord Pyrrat's trip."

"That's so amazing!" Jasmine swooned. "You actually know Lord Pyrrat!?"

"I have had the honour of meeting him fairly frequently now." Jun'bak smiled.

"You're so lucky!"

"Wait a minute!" I said finally realising something. "Kami? When have you ever been so formal with Master Kami?!" I stared at him intently. "You would give us shit if we ever dared utter his name without the honorific!"

"A lot has happened." He chuckled in amusement and rubbed the back of his head with his left paw.

A sign I knew signalled he was nervous. But then I had a flash of inspiration that revealed the truth.

"You're in a relationship with him now!?"

"What!?" Jasmine exclaimed loudly.

"You found me out!" Jun'bak laughed. "Yes. We are now a couple."

"It's always the cute ones!" Jasmine sighed.

"How? When?" I asked excitedly.

"My father was well aware of my feelings. He gave me his blessings and even arranged a trip where I could go and confess them to Kami." He said a little bashfully. "As you probably figured out, he accepted my feelings."

"That's amazing!" I smiled before leaning in and whispered so the others couldn't hear. "So, are you still a virgin?"

"No!" He said proudly.

"Good for you!" I gave him a playful punch in the arm. "It was about time!" At the mention of time I suddenly realised that I was going to be late for my lesson with Garr if I didn't hurry. "I have a lesson to get to. I'd love to catch up some more later."

"I will be here for the next three days. We will get a chance I'm sure."

"All right!" I said as I stood up to leave. "See you later guys!"

I left to a chorus of their farewells and hurried off to join Garr for my lesson.

************

"Jun'bak!" I called out as I spotted him walking ahead of me on my way to have breakfast.

"Good Morning." He smiled.

I honestly couldn't get over just how happy he seemed to be now. Not that he wasn't happy before. His smile was the biggest change. It wasn't just a regular smile, it radiated his happiness now, and he also smiled so often now. It was an amazing change.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Well... If you really must know..." His smile gained a mischievous element to it, and the glint in his eye told me all I needed to know.

"Say no more." I chuckled. "I'm glad for you. Glad you finally replaced that stick with a cock!" He punched me playfully in the arm.

"I don't appreciate your phrasing!" He scowled. "But you're not entirely wrong. Rumours have it that you and Callen have been together for a while now."

"Yeah." I smirked. "Rumours are rife. But surprisingly no one has actually approached me to ask. Except for Jasmine."

"Few acolytes would risk their position in the temple by asking."

"I wouldn't care if they asked."

"I know you wouldn't." He nodded. "But, even if they knew that, do you think that the average fur would risk angering one of the deities they serve?"

"I suppose not. But Callen's not like that." I said defensively.

"I doubt that he is. If he was, I don't think you would be in a relationship with him."

"A rare compliment from Jun'bak!" I said with mock shock. "Am I dreaming or has the world come to an end?"

"Such an ass!" He shook his head. "What are you doing today?"

"I have class with the acolytes this morning."

"What about Khaine? I've not seen him yet." He asked curiously.

"He has been gone for a couple of weeks now. He is having some intensive training which will allow him to make use of his spirits power." I explained. "He won't be back for another couple of weeks at least. I'm a little nervous about what he's learning if I'm being honest."

"Are you afraid he'll get stronger and leave you in his wake?"

"A little bit." I admitted. "Since he started mastering his spirits power, he has gotten a lot stronger."

"I have every faith that you will not allow yourself to be defeated that easily." After a few moments of silence, he gently grabbed me by the arm and looked around to make sure no one was in ear shot.

"Is something wrong?"

"I probably shouldn't be telling you this. But you will be participating in a gruna kinyar later today."

A gruna was a fairly common place occurrence amongst the Rukan'dokra. It was an all-out fight between two warriors in order to test their abilities. The vast majority were arranged by the warrior in charge of teaching the group of warriors, but a few were arranged between the warriors themselves. There were very few rules in regards to these fights. So long as you didn't intentionally kill your opponent you were pretty much free of any consequences.

"Who's my opponent?"

"I shouldn't say any more than I have." He looked genuinely nervous about being caught.

"Fine. Are they strong?"

"Very." He said seriously. "Do not take them lightly. Don't hold back against them."

"I won't."

"You'd better not! If you let your guard down, even once, they will make you suffer for it!" He sounded like the old Jun'bak right now, but now his words held an undertone of worry in addition to the seriousness he normally had. If his words weren't enough, then his change in demeanour was more than enough to let me know just how serious he was in this moment.

"I won't go down without a fight. I won't disgrace my Masters." I promised him.

After making the promise to him we got breakfast with Goku and the others until I had to leave for class. Jun'bak promised that we would see each other later. Class went by quickly. Priest Dunbar focused the majority of our lesson on discussing lesser known truths about the barriers between the Mortal Realm, Aaru and the Underworld.

If I'm being honest, I only understood about half of what he said, but based on the number of questions everyone had on the subject I wasn't the only one. One of the most surprising truths, for me, that I had found was that the three worlds were not layered like a multi-storey building; with Aaru being the top floor, the Underworld being the basement and the Mortal Realm in between them. That all three worlds borders were pressed against one another; he had used the analogy of imaging three rocks being held in a clenched fist. Their positions can change, but they cannot be separated from one another.

That demonic invasions could happen in Aaru as well as in the Mortal Realm. But the defensive measures that the Guardian Deities and their Champions take prevented the demons of the Underworld from invading easily. And if they did manage to invade the Rukan'dokra was sure to make swift work of any invaders. The Mortal Realm had not been so lucky. Priest Dunbar revealed a surprising truth that demons fairly regularly, every few years on average, manage to break through into the Mortal Realm. But the invasions were usually minor, and the Guardian Deities had measures in place to deal with such invasions quickly.

Priest Dunbar went on to explain that it was difficult for the demons to break through on their own, and that when they did succeed in breaking through, it was generally because of curi'nakra, or individuals who had helped summon them from the other side. This of course led the lesson along the topic of curi'nakra, and the varies ways individuals could help the demons enter the Mortal Realm. Which was terrifying to know that there were such furs that wanted to side with Maugan Ra and his demonic hordes.

But curi'nakra were truly the most terrifying beings in that regards, and becoming one was no easy feat. Most furs would die during the ritual to become one, as their body was corrupted by demonic energy. And that the abilities of a curi'nakra were impossible to predict. Each fur would gain a different power; and they had a variety of titles to describe the nature of these abilities. But the most dangerous and feared were the curi'nakra ban'doku; these individuals had the power to rip through the barriers that separated our worlds, opening portals which allowed demons to enter our world as simply as we could walk through a door! Thankfully however, curi'nakra were rare. And Davina's predictions had always allowed the Guardian Deities to find and stop them before they could cause serious harm.

By the time the lesson ended I felt exhausted. It was a fascinating lesson, but truly terrifying to think about how vulnerable the Mortal Realm was. It made me more determined to master my power, so that if I did become a Champion, or if I simply returned home, I would have the strength to defend my friends and family. The others didn't seem to be as affected by the lesson, but they didn't have any ties to the Mortal Realm as I did, so it was understandable. It still worried them that a single curi'nakra had the power to rip open a gateway and allow a demonic army to invade Aaru.

"I mean... who would want to side with Maugan Ra!?" Jasmine exclaimed as we exited the temple, still discussing the topic we'd been discussing in class.

"He is a deity Jas." Kero countered. "Why does anyone worship any deity?"

"But he's EVIL!"

"The actions of one can be seen as evil. But their motivations can be pure." Goku quoted some scripture. He did that fairly regularly since that was where he was focusing his studies on. "We cannot understand the motivations or thoughts of anyone so different from ourselves. If we did, we likely wouldn't view them as evil."

"I guess..." Jasmine pouted.

"Good day to you all." We all looked up to see Priest Uklou standing before us. We all stopped and bowed our heads respectfully at him, while we greeted him in return. He was not wearing the black and orange robes he had during my lesson yesterday, and instead was wearing the grey and purple robe worn by High Priests. "Malakye, Lord Pyrrat has summoned you to take part in a Gruna Kinyar. Both he, Lord Callen, Champion Kami'rastulatra Nas'ra, a number of Priests and officers of the Rukan'dokra shall be in attendance to witness the fight."

So it was time? Thankfully Jun'bak had given me the heads up earlier so I wasn't surprised by this turn of events. I looked back at the others and I could see their worried expressions. Goku was the only one who wasn't worried. He knew that gruna were not uncommon, and had participated in a few himself. Although I doubted he'd been summoned to one that would be watched by such a high-ranking audience. Jasmine and Kero on the other paw looked extremely nervous for me. They not warriors, but they had heard of how violent one of these fights could become.

"I will be fine." I assured them. Then remembered something. "Do you want to come and watch?"

"Wait... are we even allowed? We're only acolytes!" Kero asked.

"By the agreed rules of the gruna, the participants are allowed to have furs of their choosing witness the fight itself." Priest Uklou confirmed. "The choice is yours."

"Oh man... Lord Pyrrat and Lord Callen are going to be there!!" Kero worried aloud.

"You'll be fine." I assured him, gently squeezing his shoulder. "I'd appreciate the support. But if you don't want to, I understand."

"I'll go!" Jasmine declared.

"I shall also go." Goku bowed his head.

"Very well. I'll go to." Kero relented. Obviously still nervous.

"I appreciate it." I smiled.

"If you would all follow me." Priest Uklou requested politely.

We followed Priest Uklou to the Great Hall. I was familiar with this hall; this was where Garr trained me on the viol. Unless you had permission, the only ones allowed to enter were the Guardian Deities, their Champions and the High Priests. The others were visibly nervous about entering, but as we approached the temple guards stationed outside the doors opened them for us.

The Great Hall was nearly fifty yards long, and along both sides there were thrones, each one dedicated to one of the Guardian Deities, with the throne dedicated to Asurmen at the far end of the chamber. Standing in front of that throne were a group of Priests, Rukan'dokra officers, Callen, Jun'bak, Master Kami and another figure I had never seen before. But judging by the way the others bowed to him I could only assume that that was Pyrrat; the Guardian Deity of Fire.

Standing at least eight feet in height, but his body was not packed with muscle like a warrior. His body resembled a drake with dark red scales. In truth his overall appearance was not anything unusual; I doubt I'd have given him a second look in a crowd. But he had an aura of power that radiated from him like heat from an intense fire.

Standing away from them was a single figure. He was running through a hopka; a series of moves related to the standard martial art taught to all the Rukan'dokra. His moves were fast, clean and crisp. He was definitely an expert. As we neared, I recognised him. He was the one I'd seen yesterday. The one who'd stopped to stare at me. He was topless, his green scales glistening with sweat as he continued his routine. My guess was that he was to be my opponent.

"Calm. Calm. Calm." Kero muttered under his breath as we made our way up the chamber.

He was trying his best not to freak out, his eyes firmly locked on Callen and Pyrrat. He was not accustomed to being in the presence of deities. Jasmine was pretty much the same. She was also visibly nervous, but was doing a better job at composing herself than Kero. Goku was just Goku; nothing ever seemed to faze him. The constitution of a warrior he'd learned before joining the ranks of the acolytes. He nudged my arm to silently get my attention.

"That is Kakla." He whispered, motioning subtly towards the reptile I had assumed to be my opponent.

Was that why Jun'bak had been so concerned about my fight? He knew it was to be Kakla? That made sense. When anyone spoke of his skills, they always held a tone of reverence. Just watching him execute the hopka I could tell he was incredibly skilled at martial arts. Each movement was perfectly executed. But his skill with a sword was what was held in the highest regard.

"Greetings!" A deep voice echoed. I turned to see Pyrrat stepping forwards to greet us. We all came to a stop; the others immediately fell down to one knee in reverence to the Deity. I remained standing, bowing my head respectfully towards him as he got uncomfortably close. He leant in close, to look me in the eye. He looked me up and down, and walked around me as he studied me, gently touching me or patting me occasionally as he examined me; like you might do to a piece of livestock. "Very nice."

"Greeting Lord Pyrrat." I said confidently. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Hmm." He smiled and took a step back. "I like this one. It's unfortunate that my brother is so taken with you. Perhaps he'd be willing to share?"

"Pyr, please behave yourself." Callen scolded his brother.

"Oh shush! Don't worry, I'm not going to steal your boy toy away from you. Although I must admit I do wish to see what he is capable of. Both on the battlefield and in the bedroom."

I heard Jasmine make a quiet squeak in response to his comments. Was she shocked by his comments? Embarrassed? I remember hearing rumour that Pyrrat was also known as the most lustful of the Guardian Deities.

"As flattering as it is to hear that my Lord, I'm afraid I must decline your advances." I said bluntly, staring him in the eye. "Your brother is quite capable of ensuring that my needs are sufficiently satisfied."

Jasmine made yet another noise in response to my comment. Pyrrat just burst into laughter. A deep booming laugh that echoed loudly round the chamber. It was not a fake laugh; it was a proper belly laugh.

"I'm glad to hear it!" He smiled. "You've got a keeper here Cal! Hmm... I see you've brought some friends." His voice took on a slightly lustful tone as he looked over the others.

"I asked them to be witnesses to the gruna." I said.

"Excellent! The more the merrier! Please stand." He grinned, and then clapped his paws. As the others stood up, the one Goku had identified as Kakla stopped and turned his attention to us. He walked over and stood next to Pyrrat. "Kakla here shall be your opponent. I am expecting a good fight!"

Kakla and I stared at one another. His purple eyes were stunning, but as beautiful as they were, they bore a cold determination. I was nothing more than an obstacle for him to crush, and I was standing in his way. I doubt that the result of this match would affect his guta'rand; but from the stories I'd heard about him, I doubt he would be taking any chances. He was going to use me to further his ambitions. I wasn't sure if I could win or not, but I sure as hell wasn't going to go down without a fight.

"Kami! You wished to speak to Malakye before the match?" Pyrrat called.

"Yes, my Lord."

Master Kami and Jun'bak approached while Pyrrat and Kakla walked back to the others. Priest Uklou walked over to join the others.

"Master Kami." I bowed. "It is good to see you again."

"You as well Malakye. I see you've made a few friends." He smiled.

"Greetings Champion Kami'rastu..." The others bowed and said in unison only to be cut off by Master Kami.

"Please, Kami is just fine."

"Yes. Thank you, Champion Kami!" They said.

"Jun'bak could you escort them to a safe distance? The match will be beginning shortly." Kami asked.

"Of course." Jun'bak smiled and motioned for the others to follow him.

"Malakye, this will be a difficult fight."

"I've heard of Kakla." I nodded. "If he is half as good as the rumours say..."

"He is better." Master Kami stated bluntly. "The Rukan'dokra ranks are filled with exceptionally talented fighters. Many of them considered prodigies. Kakla is a prodigy among prodigies!"

"He's that good?"

"Yes. It would be unfair of me to say why, but he is a bad opponent for you."

"I've heard he cannot use kii."

"That is true to an extent." He admitted. "He is not a k'tan, nor is he of a race of Tai'lar. He is however a highly skilled spiritualist. According to Priest Uklou, he would hold the rank of spiritualist if he wanted it."

"What do you mean?"

"He never took the test. If he had, he would very likely be the among the youngest to ever attain that rank. Instead he joined the ranks of the Rukan'dokra." He explained. "He excels at everything he has ever put his paw to. To this day he has never lost an official match. He is not only a talented fighter, but also formidably intelligent."

"I understand." I nodded.

"I truly hope that you do. Take the time to warm up, and choose a weapon." He gestured to a rack of weapons against the wall a short distance away. "Once you are ready the match will begin." I nodded to confirm my understanding. "One more thing. I understand that you have been learning to use the spirits power."

"Yes."

"I admit I'm not sure about that course of action. But I will trust Lord Callen and Lady Jan'Zar's judgement. However, should you feel the need, you have permission to use the spirits power in this fight."

"Really?"

"Yes. I would prefer that you wouldn't. It is dangerous, and you have only recently started to learn to wield it. But Lord Pyrrat hopes that Kakla will be an opponent capable of forcing your paw."

"If he wanted me to use the power, why not just ask?"

"He wants to see what you are capable of."

"Because of the prophecy?"

"So, you know?" He quirked his brow.

"Yes."

"In part, yes, that is part of his motivation. But there is another part." He looked over at his shoulder towards the others. "Something that is not important in this moment, and will become clear shortly. For the moment focus on the fight."