{"sf1_id":334050,"sf2_id":"rm8GGOVe","title":"The Grand Master of Sarthas Chapter 23","author":"Ceberune","words":1752,"posted_at":"2012-02-03T05:10:00.000Z","tags":["Character Development","Dragon","M/F","Phoenix","Plot Development","Wolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/334050-the-grand-master-of-sarthas-chapter-23","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/rm8GGOVe","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=334050\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#2 of The Grandmaster of Sarthas","content":"The morning meditation was a habit the wolf had yet to shed.\u0026nbsp; He technically no longer needed to beseech the Void for his power.\u0026nbsp; But the chat was nearly always calming and it helped him focus as the day wore on.\u0026nbsp; This morning differed however.\u0026nbsp; The Void spoke to him of an approaching presence.\u0026nbsp; Female by her aura, but she gave off no scent that his mundane senses could detect.\u0026nbsp; That pegged her as an Elite Amarokine female, or dragon trained.\u0026nbsp; An Amarokine female does not know how to protect herself from detection via channels through the Void.\u0026nbsp; This approaching female could protect herself, at least temporarily from a Void master, as he was.\u0026nbsp; His ears caught the flutter of clothing and feathers as she turned and sat next to him silently.\u0026nbsp; Despite his tight control, he could not help but smile at her familiarity.\u0026nbsp; \"Chiko-san.\u0026nbsp; I am glad you have arrived and happy you are safe and healthy here on my Estate.\"\u0026nbsp; He said.\u0026nbsp; She chuckled, her giggling a well cultured tinkling of bells.\u0026nbsp; Her voice carried the honey and sincerity of a courtier, with the added tone of warmth and friendship as she spoke.\u0026nbsp; \"You are a Grandmaster Ceberune-sama.\u0026nbsp; The Void masks my sensei taught me were meant to last days against Grandmaster inquiries.\"\u0026nbsp; She stated with amusement.\u0026nbsp; He bristled slightly at the honorific she added to his name.\u0026nbsp; \"You show me more respect than I deserve Chiko-san\"\u0026nbsp; he said humbly.\u0026nbsp; She laughed at this as she answered.\u0026nbsp; \"Do I?\u0026nbsp; Here you are, a Grandmaster of the elements.\u0026nbsp; Two elementals at your beck and call, bleachers erected around your training area, and a unit of Kitsune mercenaries that refuse to spar against you, even all at once.\" She said with amusement again.\u0026nbsp; \"So either you are showing false humility or your sincerity lessons need to be resumed.\"\u0026nbsp; She teased.\u0026nbsp; He chuckled.\u0026nbsp; \"I was never one for courtly crafts Chiko-san.\u0026nbsp; I always left that up to you and Bianca.\u0026nbsp; You are the voice of honey to soothe tempers.\u0026nbsp; She is the mistress of courtly webs.\u0026nbsp; Able to weave her own or unravel another's.\u0026nbsp; I fear I can only recognize threats.\u0026nbsp; Stopping them is beyond my ability short of violence.\"\u0026nbsp; He said.\u0026nbsp; She chuckled again.\u0026nbsp; \"Violence is a very effective countermeasure.\u0026nbsp; Most courtly intrigue can be stopped cold with a well placed blade.\u0026nbsp; It is the ones that survive that event that have a tendency to cause problems.\"\u0026nbsp; He chuckled.\u0026nbsp; \"Hence the reason why I did not kill Bianca after that little unpleasantness with Kado.\"\u0026nbsp; She laughed.\u0026nbsp; \"You would never harm her, even if she had meant for you to be there for that duel.\" \u0026nbsp;She said.\u0026nbsp; He shook his head.\u0026nbsp; \"Not now...But then I was impatient.\u0026nbsp; I knew what needed to be done, but was heedless of the price to be paid.\"\u0026nbsp; She smiled as he opened his eye to gaze on her after years away.\u0026nbsp; She had matured greatly in those years.\u0026nbsp; Though about the same height as Bianca, she lacked the bunny's substantial breasts.\u0026nbsp; They were still more than a pawful if the wolf had decided to fondle them, and risk her possible wrath.\u0026nbsp; As with all of her race, her plumage started with a bright white at her stomach, and as the eye moved further from it, her plumage became yellow, orange and finally red.\u0026nbsp; Her family had picked up much brighter plumage than most, lacking the darker reds and possessing more white and yellow.\u0026nbsp; Some say that the brighter plumage represented their loyalty to the Emperor.\u0026nbsp; The Akahoshi family had been one of the first and most loyal families to serve the empire.\u0026nbsp; Hers had been so when he knew her back in school.\u0026nbsp; Her maturity, or perhaps her training as a Ghost Hunter had darkened her plumage to that of a more average coloring.\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"See something you like Ceberune-sama?\"\u0026nbsp; she teased.\u0026nbsp; He chuckled.\u0026nbsp; \"A friend and sexy avian sparring partner?\"\u0026nbsp; She had meant to embarrass him as such questions had back in school.\u0026nbsp; His swift answer however caused her to blush, and without her courtly fan, she could not hide it from him.\u0026nbsp; He chuckled as she turned from him in embarrassment.\u0026nbsp; \"Blame Bianca for my comeback speeds.\u0026nbsp; I was forced to deal with her insults, jabs, and wit for too long.\u0026nbsp; Once I had a good grasp on language in school, I worked hard to be able to fire back off the cuff as often as possible.\"\u0026nbsp; He said.\u0026nbsp; She smirked and turned back to him.\u0026nbsp; \"Then what you said was in jest?\"\u0026nbsp; she asked with ice in her honey voice.\u0026nbsp; \"No, it was truth to the letter...\"\u0026nbsp; He responded and suddenly realized his error as she opened the front of her kimono, shamelessly displaying her sex and breasts to the stunned wolf.\u0026nbsp; \"Then perhaps the lord of the estate would prefer a better view.\"\u0026nbsp; She said with a mischievous tone in her voice.\u0026nbsp; He chuckled.\u0026nbsp; \"Only if you are looking for me to spoil your Awakening.\"\u0026nbsp; He teased back.\u0026nbsp; The young phoenix smiled.\u0026nbsp; \"Tempting...\"\u0026nbsp; she commented.\u0026nbsp; \"But I do believe you may be correct.\"\u0026nbsp; She said and covered herself back up.\u0026nbsp; \"You know, now that I know you do not have anything on underneath that kimono, it would be so easy to...\"\u0026nbsp; he said and she interrupted.\u0026nbsp; \"Find the message I have for you?\u0026nbsp; It is right here.\"\u0026nbsp; She said, smirking as she pulled the scroll from her obi and offered it to him.\u0026nbsp; He gave her a sideways glance then opened the scroll, deftly catching a few things that fell from it as it was unrolled.\u0026nbsp; He spent a moment looking it over then shook his head briskly a moment before his eye glowed bright blue.\u0026nbsp; Chiko chuckled.\u0026nbsp; \"I should have warned you that it used an elemental cipher.\"\u0026nbsp; She said.\u0026nbsp; He looked her and growled playfully as he read the missive quickly and rolled it back up.\u0026nbsp; He smiled at Chiko who looked at him expectantly.\u0026nbsp; \"Have you eaten yet Chiko-san?\"\u0026nbsp; he asked.\u0026nbsp; She clapped her talons together and looked at him joyfully.\u0026nbsp; \"You learned our greeting at last Ceberune-sama!\"\u0026nbsp; she said with amusement.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\"Keep it up lovely bird, and you may find your way to the sparring ring yet...\"\u0026nbsp; he teased.\u0026nbsp; \"A spar you say?\u0026nbsp; Physical or verbal?\"\u0026nbsp; she continued to tease.\u0026nbsp; \"I believe the verbal part is over, unless you can embarrass me as much as I did you.\"\u0026nbsp; He fired back quickly.\u0026nbsp; She pouted playfully.\u0026nbsp; \"Very well.\u0026nbsp; Where is your ring?\"\u0026nbsp; she asked.\u0026nbsp; He smiled and led her to a large rectangular area.\u0026nbsp;\n\nThere were several spars in progress, however the participants quickly stopped when they saw the approaching lord and moved off to the nearby bleachers to watch.\u0026nbsp; \"This area seems a bit excessive in room.\"\u0026nbsp; Chiko commented.\u0026nbsp; Most of the sparring rings she saw in the east were small affairs, no more than ten meters in diameter, often much less.\u0026nbsp; This ring was easily one hundred meters by about fifty meters.\u0026nbsp; The wolf smiled.\u0026nbsp; \"This is more than just a sparring ring.\u0026nbsp; It acts as an all-purpose training area.\u0026nbsp; Long enough for the archers to ply their trade, spacious enough for most of the magi and druids to practice casting, and nearly big enough for training drills.\u0026nbsp; And the perfect size for two dragon trained to test their skills.\"\u0026nbsp; He said.\u0026nbsp; They walked to the middle of the ring faced each other and sat in a lotus position.\u0026nbsp; \"What are the terms of this spar?\"\u0026nbsp; Asked Chiko in a respectful tone.\u0026nbsp; \"No weapons, save those granted us by nature.\u0026nbsp; No direct elemental attacks, but enhancement is allowed.\u0026nbsp; The match continues until one of us is out cold, or yields.\"\u0026nbsp; She nodded.\u0026nbsp; \"And flight?\"\u0026nbsp; she asked.\u0026nbsp; \"Allowed, but should you take flight, I am allowed direct elemental attacks as you have moved beyond my range.\"\u0026nbsp; Another nod.\u0026nbsp; \"Very good.\"\u0026nbsp; She said and stood, as did he.\u0026nbsp; They took two steps back from each other and bowed, taking their preferred styles stances.\u0026nbsp; Chiko knew the wolf's stance well.\u0026nbsp; It was widely known to be slow and ponderous, using muscle over speed and finesse.\u0026nbsp; Chiko remembered well what her Sensei had taught her about the style.\u0026nbsp; \"Remember that any starting stance your opponent shows you is deception.\u0026nbsp; A true master of hand to hand will be able to switch styles and even more frighteningly, improvise.\u0026nbsp; Our beloved Emperor teaches his students how to win.\u0026nbsp; Honor has no place in his teachings.\u0026nbsp; You achieve victory through any means.\u0026nbsp; All dragonstudents are taught along a similar vein.\u0026nbsp; Here the honorable teachings of your family will be erased and replaced with the desire to win.\u0026nbsp; This school however will not remove your honor, simply redirect it to a useful end.\u0026nbsp; You have been chosen to take up one of the most difficult positions in the world Chiko-san.\u0026nbsp; A Ghosthunter's life is always sacrifice.\u0026nbsp; People will fear you and hate you because of that fear.\u0026nbsp; Your title is whispered about in legends and myths.\u0026nbsp; You will likely live a lonely life.\u0026nbsp; Few can walk beside us knowing what we do.\"\u0026nbsp; Her sensei had said.\u0026nbsp; She had found those that can, and do walk beside her as she squared up with the Amarok.\u0026nbsp; She smiled grimly as her arms burst into flames and the winds whipped through her clothing and feathers as the elements she was trained in moved to assist her.\u0026nbsp; The few in the audience who weren't paying attention were now riveted with runners being sent to get the rest of the unit to watch.\u0026nbsp; The Amarok smiled.\u0026nbsp; \"It would seem your preference for flash still has not dissipated Chiko-san.\u0026nbsp; Now that I have had some years to catch up, allow me to reciprocate.\"\u0026nbsp; He said as he stomped the ground under paw.\u0026nbsp; She shifted nervously as the earth beneath her rumbled.\u0026nbsp; Her eyes grew wide with surprise as the wolf put out his arms, palm up and parallel to the earth below.\u0026nbsp; Then she watched as his forearms were covered in stone and crystal.\u0026nbsp; Her eyes grew wider as the wolf was suddenly draped in a cloak of starlit shadow shortly thereafter.\u0026nbsp; \"Earth as offense and Void as defense?\u0026nbsp; The only one who has ever used Void as defense was...\"\u0026nbsp; He smiled.\u0026nbsp; \"My sensei;\u0026nbsp; and he abandoned it because he did not have the speed to capitalize on its strengths.\"\u0026nbsp; The wolf interrupted.\u0026nbsp; Chiko smiled grimly as the wolf's stance changed to something more familiar and fitting for his style of fighting.\n\n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"The Grandmaster of Sarthas","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/300722-the-grandmaster-of-sarthas-chapter-22.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/348681-the-grandmaster-of-sarthas-chapter-24.json"}}