^^ the Continent ^^

The castle looked much different, after only two weeks of apparent work. It had gained a festive air, with a variety of silk draperies in every color imaginable, despite the Fort Shape of the Castle.

The messenger, standing to my left, yelped and flailed around, steadying himself under two disappointed stares; myself and Yin, both staring at him pityingly. "I apologize if I surprised you, Messenger. Your horse seems unaffected." I added dryly, and guided the horse by the reins towards him.

He pet the tall, fine-boned beast slowly, regaining his composure, then bowed to me deeply. "Thank you for assisting, Sir!"

"Lead me to the King." I commanded calmly, and waited for him to register the command.

After a moment, he blinked and stood up very straight, then turned and started walking swiftly, almost woodenly; he was clearly still startled, shaken deeply for some reason. Perhaps magic was rarer than I'd thought, here; it had been simple to obtain, but perhaps I was unnecessarily using it. Was a simple teleportation spell considered extravagant or wasteful? I would need to observe other users of magic to determine when would be an appropriate time to use it.

The messenger's horse was guided to the stables while we approached the Main Hall, passing by people wearing a variety of clothing styles and under the watch or protection of several Guards Each. We walked without rushing, (we'd been expected to arrive in a few hours, not in an instant, after all,) curiously examining the plethoric peoples with curious glances. Their features were mostly European, though I did see a few people that looked somewhat Arabic and Ugaritic, and even one lone Japanese Man, sitting in a garden alone, wearing ceremonial Dueling Garb for Kenjutsu, or Itto-Ryu, perhaps.

I paused, halting the messenger and my sister, then approached the man, bowing at the edge of the small garden, surrounded by weeping willows. I spoke Japanese, in an attempt to discover if the language was existent, here. "Most Humble Greetings from Xi Lóng, Southern Dragon Kung-Fu."

He opened his eyes, and looked at me curiously, speaking in English. "You speak the language of my forefathers? It is a very old language... it has been 20 years since the last person who spoke that language fluently, my great-grandfather, passed on from this life... you must be Xi Lóng, the Master of Wushu from Earth, who is called the Master of War..."

I nodded, straightening my back. "I am Xi Lóng, and I am a Grand-Master of a Style of Wushu, Southern Dragon, Yes. But I am not a Master of War, this title is presumptuous. Arrogance is Rot for the Soul."

He smiled slowly, his elegant features gaining a youthful, playful light. "My grandfather says the same thing."

"Are you waiting for your opponent?" I gestured at his clothes, and waited as he looked at me quizzically. "You are wearing Ceremonial Dueling Garb for Kenjustu or Itto-Ryu, are you not?" I clarified.

"Am I? I apologize for the confusion, these are my clan's Formal Clothings... I am not here for a Duel." He shook his head.

"Hmm... I suppose if long enough has passed that you no longer speak Japanese, you would not know the symbology of your clothing... my apologies for my mistake, then. Enjoy the Garden." I bowed and turned away, beginning to walk towards my sister and the Messenger.

"Ah! I-I am Aihiru Wakai, Heir of the Aihiru Clan, it was a pleasure to meet you!" He said nervously, standing and bowing awkwardly. Now that he was standing, I could see the gangliness of his legs and arms, the thinness of his torso, all revealing what his mature face did not; he was no more than 18, I'd say, still filling in. His sword was of traditional make, now that I could see it; a Katana of beautiful craftsmanship, with an ivory sheath and bone handle, gleaming in the soft light of the lanterns throughout the courtyard. It was nearly sunset, as we were still in the same time-zone as the Estate.

'The Duck Clan? Interesting Naming Choice...' I smiled privately, and then responded. "Yes, a pleasure." I bowed again, showing him the proper posture wordlessly; I wouldn't insult him by telling him he was bowing wrong, but manners dictated that I not allow him to continue bowing to people incorrectly.

He bowed properly, following my example carefully, then grinned casually, ruining the serious vibe. "Will you be taking part in the Demonstration, Master Xi?"

"Lóng is my Clan, Not Xi... and what Demonstration? I thought I was Invited by the King to some sort of Gala?" I frowned, now having a somewhat clearer idea of what would happen here.

"Well, I am sure the king did not intentionally mislead you, but the Demonstration is the largest part of this Gala... it is a friendly competition between the various warriors of the Kingdoms of Men and the Republic of the Forest." He explained slowly and carefully, though his face betrayed his mild irritation; the King's duplicitous nature was infamous, it seemed.

"I see... I am sure it was an honest mistake. Perhaps I will ask him when I see him. Good Evening, Sir Wakai." I nodded a goodbye to the younger man, then rejoined my sister and the Messenger.

"Why do you look displeased, Elder Brother? Has that man insulted you?" Yin asked suspiciously, eying the man narrowly and speaking mandarin, in an attempt at secrecy.

"On the contrary; he is but a boy, and he has revealed the purpose of this Gala. It is a show of Military Might, a Friendly Duel between the greatest Warriors in the Kingdoms of the Continent. We are here to intimidate the other countries, I suppose." I explained with a sigh, and directed us forward, towards the Main Hall. "Let us continue, now. I am eager to speak to the King."

"Of course, Sir." The Messenger nodded and opened the main doors, the guards letting him pass without more than a cursory glance.

The interior of the Grand Hall was even more resplendent than the outside, but I could see a theme now other than just color, with religious iconography spread liberally throughout. In the center of the room, two men in full plate-armor circled each other, while the king sat on a throne and Dias, looking down at them over steepled fingers.

I watched, for a moment, and determined their relative abilities in fighting to be sub-par; they circled each other clumsily, the plate armor inhibiting their movements to the point of idiocy. One man tripped, and the other instantly thrust his sword forward with a movement clearly too advanced for him; a Skill, no doubt. Several people reacted instantly, crying out as the sword pierced the downed man's throat through an opening in his armor.

I sighed, shaking my head. "This is what happens when idiots are just handed swords... they make a mockery of the Sacred Art of War." I glanced around at the silent room, and the several dozen people staring at me, then turned to Yin. "Go stop his bleeding with the spells Regina taught you. I will be disappointed if he dies so pathetically."

"Hâo Ba, Da-Ge Xi." She bowed and disappeared, her Swift Movement Skill making her movement less than a blink. The people who had rushed forward flinched away from the downed man, and she laid a glowing hand on his wound, instantly halting the bleeding.

"I apologize for intruding in your Demonstration, I was Summoned by a Royal Seal." I hummed, handing the scroll to the messenger and shooing him gently.

He hesitantly approached the Dias, then knelt and held out the scroll to the king, who directed a guard to take the scroll from him and send him scurrying off.

"I did not expect you to arrive for several hours... Well, you're here now! Yes, Sir Long, I requested your presence to take part in the Friendly Demonstration my country has Hosted this year... you see, every year, we designate the most Skilled individuals amongst our Knights, and hold a demonstration for their skills; I'm sure you can understand the many benefits of winning said Demonstration... and the highest-ranked individuals often go on expeditions to the Demon Continents, attempting to kill one of the Demon Lords, which destabilizes their region and hopefully causes enough chaos that they don't attack our shores quite so much this year." The king smiled genially, and a few people nodded seriously; there were two other coastal kingdoms, both represented here, and I was sure they needed the raids to lessen in order to properly run their countries.

The two kingdoms directly to the left and right of this coastal kingdom were equal in size and prosperity to this one, each bigger than ten of the many dozens of interior kingdoms combined, according to the King's Maps. The eastern coastal kingdom was famous for its silk, porcelain, and glass, while the western country was famous entirely because of the quality of their blacksmithing, making even lower-tiered metals like brass and bronze into proper weapons and creating alloys of steel and tungsten, which were apparently very good for channeling magic. The kingdom we were currently in was famous for its Mages, for the most part, and the three were close allies.

The third Coastal Society was veiled in mystery, a woodland people to the far north who I'd only heard passing mentions of, and even when I ask directly, they have no information to give; yet, I saw their flag, a green backing with an intricate tree holding Ravens in the branches and the gore and viscera of a Snake feeding the Roots. Very vivid imagery, and I liked the conceptual imagery quite a lot... but the people who stood under the flag were hidden in deep forest green cloaks, dappled in brown and white of various shades, perfect for hiding in a deeply-wooded taiga like their homeland.

I made a note of their sinuous grace, the ease of movement they each displayed casually, and smiled a bit at their confidence; they at least trained their warriors properly, that was good. I would enjoy dueling with them, perhaps, during the Demonstration. Their Martial Style would likely be modeled after a Bird, or some form of Forest Cat, due to their agility, and my Dragon Style was based entirely on the concept of a Dragons Scales for defense, (the Iron Body Skill,) a Dragon's Wings for movement, (the Swift Movement Skill,) and a Dragon's Hidden Talons for attacking from a position of power, (the Stealth Skill); we were perfect dueling partners with Agility-types.

I didn't see a Bow or Sword with any of them, nor weapons at all, which lead me to believe magic was in play; they weren't pure-magic fighters, that much was clear from their movements, so they likely either sent their weapons into a Pocket like I'd learned to create a week or so ago, or they used weapons created from Magic, which I was very curious to see in person.

I turned my attentions back to the king, and responded after a further moment of thought. The king was presuming quite a lot with me, and I didn't appreciate his overfamiliarity at all. He was not my friend, nor even my benefactor, to speak to me so informally, but rather the man who had Kidnapped me and my Sister against our will and then killed all those innocent people for no other reason than he was too lazy and weak to train his own soldiers to a proper level of skill. He and I were not even on proper speaking terms, and yet he was presuming to claim, in the sight of all of these people, that we were close allies. I would not tolerate such impropriety and callous disregard for my own person, and my personal freedoms; I was not his servant nor his friend, and he had summoned me here, in front of every other kingdom around whom he had good relations with, none of which were likely aware of his underhanded actions in Summoning my people and slaughtering us for his own gain. It was a cuttingly harsh miscalculation on his part to put me in the same room as them, and then piss me off, and he would learn of his mistake quickly. Whether he would learn from it... who knows?

"I understand, yes. You still have provided me no proof that Demons are Evil, and therefore I protest their thoughtless, wanton Slaughter based only on your perception of evil, which I call doubtful based on your own actions towards me and my people, and, according to you yourself, countless other people's. So I will respectfully decline any part in this expedition until such proof is given." I raised an eyebrow at him sternly, and kept his gaze as the people around us scoffed or shouted or did whatever they would do; I cared very little for their opinions in the first place, and wishing proof of a people being my enemy was no cause for insults.

"And who in the hell said you'd be taking part anyway? You haven't even sparred anyone yet, and you're acting like you've already conquered the world!" The knight who'd won the earlier pathetic match growled at me.

"You will speak to Da-Ge Xi with respect!" Yin growled at him, then chopped him in the throat with the side of her hand in a flash of movement that he likely didn't even perceive until he was already on the ground, clutching a broken larynx. The metal gorget he'd been wearing was in pieces, the metal itself shattered; it was the only reason his head didn't come off.

"YIN!" I snapped at her harshly, approaching her and slapping the back of her head sharply. "You will never strike someone unprovoked ever again, do you understand me?!? You could have killed him with that strike!!! And for what?!? Asking a random person he'd never met why he was acting superior to him?!? Control yourself, or I will send you home and lock you in the Meditation Garden until you have learned to respect your opponents, even and especially when they do not respect you!!!" I hissed under my breath as she rubbed her scalp.

"Sorry..."

I turned to the representative who had rushed to the man's side, and bowed deeply. "I sincerely apologize for my Sister's lack of training; as her Guardian, I take full blame for her thoughtless and disrespectful nature. Should your Knight wish a Duel to settle Honor, I will be his match."

The woman in the gold and red silk dress looked confused, but nodded slowly. "I think all will be well if she heals him like she did his opponent?"

"Understood. Yin!" I glanced at her sharply, and she flinched, kneeling next to him and placing a glowing hand on his neck.

When he was healed, he attempted to surge upwards, towards her, but her hand stayed on his neck, pinning him to the stone floor effortlessly. "I do not suggest you attempt to fight me without your sword; you have absolutely no chance of even touching me without a weapon." She explained calmly, then released him without a single care or fear, and walked back to me.

"As for your question, Sir Knight? My sister is a beginner in every sense of the word. She is only 12 years of age, and has only now begun the Iron Body Training; she is several orders of magnitude weaker than me. And the only skill she used just now was Swift Movement, which I will punish her for later; there was no reason to use it, after all. I have yet to see, in all my time here, a single truly skilled warrior. That was the meaning of my statement: I knew the king summoned me here for a reason, and his speech revealed that reason to be to ask me to lead one of these expeditions and to intimidate his closest neighbors, in some base, flagrant display of power that he is insinuating to you that he has the ability to send me against you, should you anger him; I assure you this is not the case. Knowing all of this, I refuse to participate in that which I see as a shallow and pathetic display of weakness and insecurity. My reason for being here is thus void; with the King's grace, I will now leave, my objective complete and my responsibilities handled." I didn't look away from the king at all, watching him squirm in his seat under my intense stare.

"Well, Sir Lóng... that is surely your right, but what if I provided you the proof that the Demons were truly evil, and their goals are simply our destruction?" The king asked, shrewdly moving back to a more comfortable subject.

"I would not believe it; you've just revealed that there are Demon Lords under the Demon King. This denotes a power structure, a Society, a Culture, and perhaps even a Religion. With that, you have proven to me they are not a Horde of thoughtless, mindless, bloodthirsty savages here to devour you; they are a neighboring nation, trying to conquer you. Given your own philosophy that you've spouted callously at me, when I protested the wanton Slaughter of my people for your own gain and power, trapping their souls in a jar to power your Knights' new Stolen Skills, it seems to me that the Weak are being fed to the Strong. The natural order of things, is that not what you said to me just a fortnight ago?" I asked curiously.

Absolute. Silence.

The chamber held its breath, it seemed, as everyone tensed and frowned and gritted their teeth; nothing I'd said was incorrect. Dreadfully Callous and Heartless, perhaps, but not incorrect, by their own standards.

Then the person from the forest stepped forward next to me, lowering their hood and revealing gorgeous androgynous, honey-colored, fine-boned features. A pair of pointed ears poked out of their inky black hair. "Are these accusations from the Hero Xi Lóng true, King Aethelwulf?"