^^ Zoken's Aura ^^

— James —

Luckily for Sakura, it turned out that what she'd negotiated for was simply that the Dryad Women were allowed to come to my Pavilion, on some sort of Lot-based grouping of six, and if I felt like their companionship, then they were lucky; if I didn't, they went home again.

I almost refused outright, but only on the principle of if I managed to get one of them pregnant, I would want to raise the child; I hadn't lied when I said that my favorite thing in life was children. My father had left my mother and I when I was only two; I spent my whole life wondering why, and never received an answer. I would never allow myself to scar a child like that.

When she heard this concern, the Dryad woman, (who had been allowed to introduce herself as Dalia Lily,) assured me that the children would never be kept from me for any reason; in fact, she was confused as to why I'd thought they would be in the first place.

I finally agreed, with an amendment; I would visit a predetermined location in the Ogre Village, not the Shrine, and anyone -of a suitable age- would be welcome. I couldn't have them interrupting my training, after all, and distracting my students, or myself.

I also made sure I stressed that I didn't care for children or young girls, and that the thought of copulating with an undeveloped woman made me violently ill. I knew that this Era considered woman Adults and ready for both marriage and children by the physical age of 15, and while that was biologically true, it didn't matter to me; children were children, in my eyes.

Lastly, I sheepishly admitted that the Ogre Women were also very welcome, as I found their forms to be intriguingly sexual and also aesthetically pleasing. They agreed to my terms, and then left, with a passing comment to the effect of 'see you soon'.

I relaxed on my bench, sighing loudly. "The Guru would cut my dick off for agreeing to those terms... but, it's been thousands of years, apparently... I guess my kids have died, and their kids, and theirs..." I sighed morosely, now depressed at the thought.

"You had children, Master?" A Miko who was sweeping the shrine asked, tilting her head.

"Hmm? Yes, two sons and three daughters... they were already grown up and off living their own lives by the time I must've died..." I sighed.

She nodded, and continued sweeping. "And you liked having children?"

"It was the happiest time of my life, yes; even with the screaming babies and lack of sleep, I couldn't have been happier. My wife definitely enjoyed the fact that I didn't mind getting up three or five or ten times in a night, letting her sleep. When we had the triplets, that was stressful, but I still enjoyed it." I smiled at the memories of teaching them to walk, or speak, or, later, teaching them how to use their Chi to train their bodies. The boys had enjoyed being the only boys in their high-school who looked like pro athletes, and the girls approved of the ability to change their own bust sizes and hip measurements, (though I did not, and I had regretted teaching them that immediately.)

"Triplets?" She asked.

"Hmm? When you have a Litter, Three babies at once. My poor wife had a set of twins and then triplets, so we stopped having babies, after that. Who knows what would've happened next? Ha!" I explained.

She shook her head slowly. "You are truly blessed, then, Master... I've never, ever heard of such a thing, except in WereWolves and Deer."

"Mm." I nodded, and looked at the sleeping Children. 'Are any of them above the requirements to eat the Sage's Apple?' I asked after a moment.

<All except Mika, Yes; she is a level 21 Shrine Maiden, representing her 21 years as a Shrine Maiden.>

'And how does she gain levels? Just from training? What about eating a White Apple?'

<Both of those options would indeed work.>

I nodded and plucked a white apple, holding it in my hand. 'So, this Apple, it won't harm low-level monsters? Not even children? Only humans?'

<Correct. Dwarves would experience a powerful burning sensation in their stomach, but would ultimately gain strength from it.>

I hummed. 'And is there a way to put this into the Water Supply? It would be diluted that way, and have a lesser effect, yes?'

<Correct; however, it would not count as 'Eating' the Apple, and therefore the first time they ate the Apple would still provide a proper XP Boost.>

'Alright... how do I make one of those Elixirs with this, then?'

<Simply Make Apple Juice, and add Spirit Water. It is not a Master-Level Potion, it only has high-class ingredients.>

'And that would increase the XP? Making an Elixir versus just putting these into the water?'

<Incorrect; the water here is Spirit Water: you would be simply adding unnecessary steps.>

'Ah... well don't I feel stupid.' I chuckled, and gathered a few apples into a covered cauldron I pulled up from the ground, made of stone and wood. I poured the apples in through an opening on the top, and then placed it into the water, where the water would run through the small slots in the sides, carrying the juices of the apples downstream. "I suppose we'll have to warn those humans who try to drink from the Lucky Lake not to do so if they're lower than Level 50, yeah?"

<I advise a Sign.>

"Smart, a sign should do. Then if they ignore it, it's natural selection." I nodded.

<That is Correct.>

I smiled and began mashing the apples in the cauldron with my bokken, shaped like a spiked club for a pestle. "Hey, Miko? Where do you place your fallen apples? When they come off the tree each summer? If you don't eat them, where do they go?" I asked the girl sweeping, who was staring at me in an attempt to see what I was making.

She flinched. "Oh! We, Well, we give them to the Gilded Wood? Some of the trees burn up afterwards, and some stop trying to eat us, so that's essentially our way of controlling their population."

I nodded, and directed the stream to also weave through the Gilded Wood, circling back to the place it had left, and placing a sort of vine mesh in front of it, to make sure no Gilded Wood seeds or anything like that made it through.

"Well, we'll handle that differently, from now on. The fallen apples will be put into this urn, and churned, to make the water here more potent. As diluted as it will be, it will not harm anyone, only make them more powerful." I explained.

She bowed. "I will inform the Head Miko immediately, Master!"

"Mm... and set aside a few for me to make Cider From... they seem perfect for a light cider or a sweet Alcohol... lastly, please tell the Chief I have something to ask her, when you have the chance." I added, and she bowed again, scampering away.

<Item: Demon Alcohol can be created in the same way as Elixir, simply distilled and let to proof for several centuries. Item: Lesser Demon Alcohol can be made in the way you are imagining, Distilling Elixir; it is less dangerous, and less potent, capable of being drank by monsters, without harming even weak ones... though they will be highly intoxicated by the first sip, if their constitutions are low. Humans under Level 25 will fall into a coma, though, and wake up at Level 25, however long that takes.>

"A good export, then, that and Elixirs. To begin to repair the bonds between these villages and the Holy City." I nodded.

<That is Possible.>

I smiled and continued to grind the cauldron, then got a good idea, looking at the children. I created four more cauldrons, and filled each with apples and a Pestle. I made each pestle specifically to the restrictions of their physical strength, which were all carefully equal to that of a human, currently. I would make them heavier as their strength stats went up, and them standing in the river as it was filled with the Elixir would mean they got the first doses of it, and would slowly gain even more strength from just standing in the water and doing manual labor. Also drinking the water during breaks would be good for them.

<This method... you will make of them Monsters.>

"That is my current Goal, Yes." I nodded.

<Ah... carry on, then?> Thoth seemed quite shaken by my actions, but I didn't necessarily care.

I continued to work, pouring the overripe apples that were brought to me by the Shrine Maidens into the mortars and continuing. Some of the Shrine Warriors took the initiative to assist with some fervor, and so I created them some cauldrons on the other side of the river, explaining that these five were for the students, and harder to use so that they trained their muscles more.

They demanded (or asked very seriously and respectfully, I suppose,) that the others be just the same, so I shrugged and allowed it. After all, I liked the idea of them getting stronger; if the surrounding wild lands were as dangerous as they say, each and every single resident here needed to be as strong as the average beast out there, which was 3rd Form, according to Ken.

As such, my current mission was to make everyone in these four villages a 3rd Form, even if I had to train them all personally.

—

The students woke up around dawn, after I had settled them all in the area I'd made for them, a little section of the grove under the ground that had six simple rooms, with beds made of double-thick tatami and a thick cotton blanket, for now. They would earn the right to ask new things of me.

A small bath was also down there, a heated Hot Spring full of the Elixir, which they would need dearly to repair their bodies after the long and grueling days ahead. That was the one thing that looked like a luxury, but I knew it was actually a necessity.

I saluted the sunrise, coaching them through the basic motions and words as they struggled to move their bodies with the new restrictions I'd placed in their muscles, and then gave each of them a white Apple, munching on my own. "That is your breakfast; it is the only food you will receive today. Eat." I commanded, spitting out my seeds and tossing them into the river.

The river carried them a bit, before a set of four trees suddenly bloomed alongside the river, still young trees for now.

The children looked at the apples, then me, and Mika spoke. "Master... you know these are poisonous, so why-"

"Without. Question." I frowned, my voice shaking the ground.

They flinched and reflexively obeyed, then one by one their spirits reacted.

<Update!
Mika Katachi's Level Increased!
Mika Katachi's Ur Increased! (3rd Form)
Mika Katachi's Loyalty Kncreased!>
<Update!
Maze Lily's Level Increased!
Maze Lily's Ur Increased! (6th Form, Prodigy)
Maze Lily's Loyalty Achieved!>
<Update!
Hallox Mars' Level Increased!
Hallox Mars' Ur Increased! (4th Form)
Hallox Mars' Loyalty Achieved!>
<Update!
Jerrod Kylan's Level Increased!
Jerrod Kylan's Ur Increased! (7th Form, Master)
Jerrod Kylan's Loyalty Achieved!>
<Update!
Zoken Katachi's Level Increased!
Zoken Katachi's Ur Increased! (5th Form)
Zoken Katachi's Loyalty Increased!
Zoken Katachi's Class: Clan Heir, Reached Max!
Zoken Katachi Evolves into: Fair Oni, at Dawn!>

'Oh? Nice...' I smiled at the Evolution, but I suppose it wasn't difficult to raise yourself up from literally nothing. Any increase was increase, after all.

They each gasped at the feeling of power surging through them, and began eating the apples swiftly, but each of them left the cores in their hands. "The cores have all the nutrients you want. Just spit out the seeds, it's only a bit crunchier than the rest. You shouldn't waste food, especially given this is all you'll eat today." I chuckled at their ignorant wastefulness, and shook my head.

They hesitantly crunched away at the rest of the apples, -still confused by the magical reaction,- and spat out the seeds, tossing them into the river as I had. As I expected, new saplings grew along the river, a few minutes later.

I nodded and checked their levels, to see how they'd Increased; I quickly found that only strength, speed, stamina, and defense had been increased. "Hmm... well, let's see how much your Chi has increased... summon it for me, each of you, in order?" I commanded calmly.

Mika was the first to the left, so she sighed and stood, breathing deeply. A glow of green energy appeared around her horn, then expanded to her hands; it glowed brightly, like an aura, but didn't form flames, like the Head Miko of Ken's had.

Once she had that, she picked up a rock, and began molding it with her hands like putty, forming a small rod and then bending it into shapes. She made a stone bracer of some kind, then fell to her knees after maintaining this display for about thirty solid seconds, breathing heavily as the stone shattered on the ground.

I nodded. "Interesting... next, Zoken."

He flinched at his name being called, and stood, squeezing his fists. His eyes closed, and he breathed quietly for a moment before growling savagely, and a black flame appeared on his horns, enveloping his entire body in seconds. I raised an eyebrow, but then the Aura stretched away from his skin just about an inch or so, forming the body of his father in ceremonial armor. A pitch-black Kijin was wrapped around him for a few seconds, but then he also fell to his knees, the aura dissipating.

"Oh? That was quite impressive, Zoken! I didn't expect that at all, and I am pleasantly surprised!" I nodded, and looked at the next one, the Orc. "And you, Hallox?"

He nodded and focused his own aura, spreading a red flame from his tusks to his hands, then surprised me by creating a battle axe out of the flame, and then stopping glowing, but the axe remained. He grinned slowly, wheezing for breath, but then shook himself and stood tall, growling happily.

"Huh... and that axe is physical?" I asked, curious.

He nodded and planted it in the dirt, parting it and singing some of the grass. "It is."

"I see... then, Maze Lily, next?" I looked at the small Dryad.

She breathed deeply, letting her eyes glow, then set her hands on fire, and finally she did the same as he had, but she made a white bow, with a white flame arrow already nocked.

"Very nice... shoot me." I ordered her, wanting to see it's velocity.

She hesitated for a moment, then drew the arrow and shot it at me in a fluid, practiced movement. I stepped out of the way, and let the arrow hit a rock I placed in its path; the rock melted, to my surprise, but the arrow dissipated. "Huh... well then." I nodded, and looked at the Dragon. "I don't suppose you'll be something similar, Apprentice ArchMage?" I asked.

He shook his head and pulled out a book, a Grimoire. "I'm more focused on Magic, Master... it looks a bit different, though the type of energy required is the same." He muttered a spell quickly, taking only three seconds to recite, and then a black magic circle appeared over his hand, and his own Ur collected inside it, rising out slowly as a Pitch Spear, the weapon of Hades. I could feel the difference between his weapon and the other two; though theirs were semi-permanent, his wasn't on fire; it was condensed, properly contained, and altogether superior.

I couldn't let him know that, though. "Curious... takes too long to summon, but I like the look of it, and it's definitely permanent... but is it sturdy?" I asked, wrapping my hand in Chi and gripping it before he could react. It shattered like rotten wood in my grip before I even really squeezed, and I hummed disappointedly. "Ah, my apologies... still, a good showing from everyone... but it's not enough." I shook my head and walked back inside, waving them to follow.

"This time, each of you will take a piece of this apple. It is also magical, but it is called the Apple of the Sage. It only grows once every 100 year so and it is the only one of its kind, currently." I cut a few slices of the silver Apple off with a sharp rock I'd shaped into a kitchen knife, handing them out.

'None of them will die, yes?'

<They will experience excruciating pain, one and all, but none will die, no.>

They trusted me now, apparently, because they each simply ate the Apple slices, and then keeled over, growling at the pain. Zoken was the only one who screamed, but I simply watched, carrying them all to lay in the river to recover faster.

Ken appeared swiftly, (he thought I didn't know he'd been watching, like a helicopter parent,) and growled softly. "What did you feed them?!?"

I showed him the Apple, and the window appeared in his eyes.

<Item: Apple of The Sage, Unique Item.
Type: Food, Medicine.
Effect: Legendary Healing Buff.
Effect: Legendary Increased Muscle Growth.
Effect: Legendary Increased Durability.
Effect: Legendary Increased Virility/Fertility.
Effect: Instantly Lethal to <Lvl 50
Effect: If Class isn't Present, Gain Sage Seed.

Item cannot be Crafted; Tree yields one fruit, once every 10 years, unless fed continuous Ur to Grow Faster. One Exists: Unique Item.>

He relaxed slowly as they all passed out; their heartbeats were clearly audible to me, and probably him as well. "I see... I suppose that you needed them to be stronger, to survive your training."

"Exactly." I nodded, and re-upped the Chi-blockers in their bodies, matching them to their new stats, which were quite auspicious, for children.

<<<Individual: Zoken Katachi
Race: Fair Oni (Ultra-Rare Evolution Path)
Ur: 5rd Form
Strength: 2%
Speed: 15%
Stamina: 2%
Defense: 35%
Intelligence: 75%
Weapon's Skill: 9%
Unarmed Skill: 7%
The Sage-Guardian Kijin Clan Heir, Kendo Student, Hero Seed.>

<Individual: Mika Katachi
Race: Ogre (near Evolution)
Ur: 3rd Form
Strength: 24%
Speed: 15%
Stamina: 3%
Defense: 45%
Intelligence: 85%
Weapon's Skill: 2%
Unarmed Skill: 11%
Shrine Maiden of the Sage-Guardian Kijin Clan, Young Earth Mage, Sage's Guardian, Saint's Seed.>

<Individual: Maze Lily
Race: Gilded Dryad (Ultra-Rare-evolution Path.)
Ur: 5th Form (prodigy)
Strength: 5%
Speed: 10%
Stamina: 2%
Defense: 40%
Intelligence: 100%
Weapon's Skill: 20%
Unarmed Skill: 1%
Gilded Lily, Prodigy, Pyromancer.>

<Individual: Hallox Mars
Race: Dark-Orc (Ultra-Rare Evolution Path)
Ur: 4th Form
Strength: 50%
Speed: 20%
Stamina: 10%
Defense: 75%
Intelligence: 60%
Weapon's Skill: 10%
Unarmed Skill: 15%
Axe-Warrior, Berserker, War-Shaman, Hell-Ox, Seed of Wrath.>

<Individual: Jerrod Kylan
Race: Dark Dragon, (Ultra-Rare Evolution Path)
Ur: 6th Form
Strength: 40%
Speed: 30%
Stamina: 10%
Defense: 75%
Intelligence: 100%
Weapon's Skill: 2%
Unarmed Skill: 5%
Apprentice ArchMage, Sage Seed, Cult of Hades, Chronicler.>>>

Most of their physical stats went up by at least double, and their defense most of all. I wondered if they would change if I activated my Chi, though?

<Answer: Definitely.>

"Ah, Well, tomorrow they begin training in the Arts." I shrugged, and laid nearby in the river, floating on my back, relaxing.

<Update!
James Taaliyah, Level UP!
James Taaliyah, Ur UP! (14th Form, Spirit Class.)
James Taaliyah's Class: Clan Progenitor, is Maxed!
Evolution to: Ancient Spirit Sage of the Mountain (Ultra-Rare Evolution Path) will begin at Dawn!

New Status:
Individual: James Taaliyah
Race: Ancient Spirit Sage of the Mountain (Ultra-Rare Evolution Path, 9th Generation)
Ur: 14th Form, (Spirit-Class)
-
Class: Ancient Spirit Sage
Level: 99/100
Class: Ancient Sword Art Progenitor
Level: 30/100
Class: Ancient Fist Art Progenitor
Level: 30/100
Class: Great Spirit Warrior
Level: 24/100
Class: Ancient Clan Progenitor
Level: 1/100
-
Defense: 99/10
Intelligence: 10/10
Speed: 99/10
Stamina: 99/10;
Strength: 99/10;
Unarmed Skill: 99/10;
Weapon's Skill: 99/10;>

I hummed in surprise, and smiled. 'Interesting...'