Rising Kite - A story from the world of HWFWM

It was a weary, yet happy young man who now stood in line waiting to be let into the city of Gilded, the biggest city in the Autumn lands. Contrary to his first visit to the city, the throngs of people around him felt more comfortable and less overwhelming than they had been. It almost felt like a different life after these many months, Kite reflected as he held his aura under tight control. This didn’t stop Sage, his familiar, from reaching out through his aura senses to inspect his surroundings. Its attention mostly went unnoticed, but Kite could see some in the crowd look around as if feeling watched but not being able to make out from where.

He gave his familiar a mental nudge to be on his best behavior as he reached the gates, showing his adventure society badge and giving his name. He had been on the road for just short of four weeks since he left master Stone’s abode, and had quite the stack of finished contracts in his dimensional satchel along with some other curiosities he had picked up along the way, either through happenstance or the manifestations triggered by his familiar.

As he walked through the city streets, he bought food from quite a few vendors, enjoying the savory tastes of cooked meat, mushrooms and vegetables after weeks of mostly feeding on spirit coins.

Kite had so many things he wanted to do now that he was back. Turn in his contracts, browse the trade pavilion of the adventure society, meet up with Dragonfly and Serene, practice some of his new techniques and maybe even buy some more books he had been holding off earlier to save funds. Maybe even complete his set of awakening stones, if the offer from the society still stood.

But first off, he wanted to go home. The apartment he shared with his uncle wasn’t large, but it had become more and more like a proper home to him over the last few months. A calm haven for rest between exciting and dangerous travels.

While not unexpected, he was a bit disappointed to find the apartment empty. A letter from his uncle told him that he was once again out on a contract, and Kite smiled when reading the well-wishes at the end of Walker’s message. He plopped down on the bed and began unpacking his things.

One of the things he took out from his bag was a small scale which glittered in all the colors of the rainbow. He put it next to the rest of the twenty-odd scales in a bowl on one of the bookshelves. His uncle had collected most of them, but this was the third one added by Kite. Uncle Walker had told him that he had found them here and there in small streams over his many travels, and that he collected them in hope that they would bring luck. Or at least just be a pleasant decoration in his home.

He also produced two identical awakening stones, circling them in his palm as he looked at the tiny reliefs of a spear in each. During one of the contracts on his way back, he had been hunting a pack of rummager hounds led by one of the more rare alphas of their kind. The crafty monsters had been terrorizing the village and its surroundings, stealing many things. While no person had been attacked, they had still caused quite a lot of damage in stolen goods and destroyed property.

Kite had found their nest in the ruins of an old bastion, a smaller precursor to the fortresses where people nowadays would gather to weather out a monster surge. After dispatching the monsters, he would have left if Sage had not alerted him to a manifestation deeper inside the ruins. He had needed to use his special attack with the spatial tears to gradually carve through a fortified door, which had been protecting a small armory. Rows upon rows of spears had stood in racks, and Kite had recognized them as lesser magic items called militia spears.

The weapons were a simple affair, where a normal wooden shaft was capped with a spearhead which could be charged with a small level of magic to the level where it just barely passed into iron rank. This weak charge allowed even a normal ranked person to wield it with only minor discomfort, and the spears were a common emergency contingency in case of a breach or catastrophic loss of essence wielders during a surge.

All the weapons inside had long since lost their charge, and Kite simply noted the ruin’s location in case the governing city lord would want to reclaim the stash of weapons. However, he had gladly helped himself to not one but two awakening stones of the spear. The first seemed to have manifested long ago while the second had been triggered by Sage’s presence.

As he sat on the bed in his room, he said a prayer of thanks to Fortune. While he didn’t intend to use the stones for himself, as he didn’t want to push his path toward the spear, the find would probably allow him to sate his curiosity on a different matter.

But he put them back into his bag for now as he rose. His first order of business was in the jobs hall. He hoped Adelaide would not be too displeased by his work.

“-and there. That should be the last one.” Adelaide said, a pleased look as she brushed a strand of green hair from her face. She had just finished counting out a final stack of coins for the last of the contracts Kite had turned in. As usual, she took the opportunity of his visit to drag him off to a separate room for some peace and quiet as they sorted out their business.

As he had watched her work, Kite had noticed nuances of green in her hair which he previously hadn’t been able to discern. The difference was very slight, but Kite was once again impressed to see the result of his spirit attribute fully awakening as his perception and cognitive speed had seen a slight increase. This was all thanks to the awakening stone he received from master Stone at the end of his training, and Kite was itching to show off his new ability to Dragonfly as he thought she would be suitably impressed.

His recovery attribute had been the first to fully awaken after he got his familiar, and it too had been a boon during his recent travels. Spending less time to recover his health, mana and stamina was nothing to dismiss.

Kite was pulled back to the present as Adelaide had posed him a question.

“So, will you be completing your set of awakening stones soon then, now that you are back? I think it would be good to use the remaining months to really come into your powers and the increased capabilities of your body.”

Adelaide spoke from experience, having her full set of powers. From the feel of her aura, Kite thought she was well on her way to bronze-rank. He nodded at her question.

“Yes, but not today. I have some other matters to attend to first. Coming into my full set will probably take some time getting used to, so I want to get as much out of the way before that as well.” he answered. “Could I trouble you for your help this time as well? Your insights have led me right so far, and I truly appreciate your company.”

She gave him a slightly longer look than he expected before answering with a smile.

“When asked like that, how could I say no? How about in four days? I’m off desk duty then so I should be able to make time.”

“That sounds great, thank you Adelaide.” Kite said as he was gathering his not-so insubstantial earnings. “I’m off to the trade pavilion, as I’ve had some experiences I’d like to be more prepared for in the future.”

“And I’m back to desk duty.” She said with a sigh and roll of her eyes. As she left, he could hear her muttering something about young masters and privilege.

Kite was looking down at a pendant on display. It was a delicate piece of work as it incorporated a small, azure feather gently entwined in threads of silvery metal. Kite was trying to imagine how someone had crafted it without damaging the fragile looking feather, only looking up as the store's proprietor approached him.

The Resplendent Treasury was a small store on the second level in the trade pavilion, accessible to Kite since his promotion. Its owner was an older man of the smoulder race with ash-gray skin and the faint glow of blue flames in his eyes, the latter crinkled in merriment as he approached.

“A fine day to you, benefactor. I see that you are admiring the azure heron charm. Are you in the market for anything in particular?”

Kite replied to the man's polite bow with one of his own. “I am indeed, master craftsman. During my latest travel, I was thoroughly humbled as I almost fell to my demise. While I can forgive myself for a mistake once, the heavens would surely strike me down if I did it twice.” Kite answered, falling into the more formal way of speaking that was common when making business with strangers.

“Then you have a good eye, benefactor. That very charm is made with the feather of the azure heron. I took great care in keeping the integrity of the material, as I hope you can see. As I prefer simplicity and directness in the effects of my work, benefactor will have to forgive that it provides nothing more than the advertised slow fall. However, I am proud enough to say, with confidence, that you will not get more duration or control over said fall from any other iron-rank charm.”

Kite looked again at the item in appreciation. “Then I will trust your knowledge, master craftsman. I will buy it.”

An hour later, Kite left the trade pavilion with a lighter heart and the new charm hanging around his neck while his bag carried the rest of his purchases. The amulet was the most significant, and expensive, of the things he had bought, but he did not regret it for a moment as he remembered his battle against the rocktopus.

It had been another of the contracts he picked up on his return trip, a simple hunt of a high-end iron-rank monster. He had encountered the multi-limbed monster atop one of the many cliffs sprouting from the sea of foliage, and had almost been thrown off the side when the creature had managed to snare him in its tentacles and lifted him off the ground. Apparently potent enough to not be negated by his ability [Implacable motion], only quick thinking had saved Kite from gravity’s ruthless embrace as he had pulled out and stabbed his javelin into the tentacle with his only free arm, taking hold of the conjured vines to prevent the risk of an ignoble death. Kite had been unsure if he would even have had the time to activate Immortality to bring him back to peak condition, or if the fall would have killed him immediately. He had prevailed, with the close call spurring him to shore up such a weakness.

The feather was rather pretty too, giving off a slight azure shimmer as it reflected the midday light.

WWJS:

[Item] Charm of the Azure Heron

Iron rank - rare

[Effect] Activate to slow any fall for a low ongoing mana cost. Gain excellent control over said fall regarding falling speed, body positioning and minor control of direction. Cooldown: None.

After arriving back at his home, Kite tried the charm a couple of times by jumping from higher and higher vantages. The charm performed as advertised, slowing his fall to a leisurely pace on command. He could adjust his direction only slightly, which came nowhere near an actual ability to glide, but it provided great options for controlling his position in the air. Even when diving head first from a roof, he could easily adjust to falling feet down in less than a second.

Satisfied, Kite left for other errands. He had a lot he wanted to do, after all.

Kite had always liked the temple district as the different gods had such distinct places of worship. From Warrior’s austere, fort-like complex to Fertility’s rather overt decor of people entwined in acts much approved of the goddess. While Kite wanted to tell himself that he was an adult now and that sex merely was a natural, if pleasurable, part of life, he still felt quite flustered each time he passed that particular temple. Much to his chagrin, he sometimes felt like the temple itself saw him, and that it could tell.

Seeing the temple also reminded him of Brook. It felt like more than a lifetime ago, where his first love had blossomed. It had been a beautiful time, of sweet romantic vows and fumbling, earnest intimacy. While his past self had not believed it possible, Kite had eventually been able to move past their unwilling separation as life tore them apart. He thought he remembered that her family moved to Bulwark, a city quite a bit southeast of Gilded. Promising himself to at least look for her if he was ever in the area, simply to catch up if nothing else, Kite continued toward the temple of Song.

He found Serene sitting in prayer in one of the small courtyards, an achingly beautiful song seemingly manifesting in the air around her. Recognizing it as one of her many songs of prayer, he leaned against the nearby wall to let her finish. Knowing her aura senses, there was no way she hadn’t noticed his arrival.

When the song came to a close, she rose to greet him with a smile. “Welcome back, Kite.” she spoke as a gentle breeze around him, a warm sound of jingling chimes accompanying her words. She seemed to scrutinize him without looking straight at him. “Your aura has matured quite a bit these last few months. It feels more collected and united. This suits you.”

“It’s great to see you again, Serene.” Kite said before giving her a quick hug in greeting. “How have you been? As usual I can’t really fathom the whole of your aura, but it does feel different. A bit more complete and calm, maybe?”

Kite really meant it, too. There was something different about Serene overall, in the way she moved. Her jade-colored eyes looked the same, yet watched the world a bit differently.

She giggled slightly. “It seems you haven’t forgotten to practice. I’m glad you noticed. Me and Dragonfly have been working hard while you’ve been away, and the goddess recently blessed me with my final awakening stone. I am now well and truly on my way toward bronze rank.”

“A cause for celebration then!” Kite said with a smile. “Want to join up with Dragonfly and catch up? I went by her place before coming here, but she was out at that moment. She might be back soon though, if we’re lucky.”

“I would very much like that. My next duties begin tonight on evening choir though, so I will probably retire early. You go ahead and see if Dragonfly is back, and we’ll meet up at the usual place?”

“A fine plan! See you soon!” Kite called after her as she walked off toward her personal quarters.

Leaving the temple Kite walked by the temples of Healer, Merchant and Lust while making his way back to see if Dragonfly had returned. While the temple of Fertility made him slightly flustered, the temple of Lust made most people blush. Kite had never had any business there so far, and was quite surprised when what he assumed was a priestess opened a window as he walked by, calling “Good luck!” after him. He stopped to look at her in confusion, to which she merely responded with a wink before disappearing behind the drapes inside the window.

“What was that about?” Kite mumbled perplexed, before he continued walking.

Fortune favored him yet again as Dragonfly had returned home while he had visited Serene. She lived in a small cottage on the property of her master. Unlike uncle walker, master Force owned a rather large townhouse with a garden. When Kite had been walking up to her house, she had apparently sensed his aura. He hadn’t even crossed half of the garden before she threw open the sliding doors to her little home.

“You’re back!” she shouted joyfully, activating her leaping power before colliding with him like an enthusiastic, pink-haired comet. Much to her consternation, Kite wasn’t felled to the ground by her assault-grade hug, as Kite’s ability transferred some of the force to the poor lawn instead. Fortunately, the damage was only minor.

Not long after, the trio was united again on the roof of Kite’s apartment. The day was sunny enough to chase away most of the chill, but they still enjoyed hot tea and were catching up on events from their time apart.

“-you should have seen her, Kite! She literally sang the ogre apart. It started vibrating, then *pop* it was gone.” Dragonfly described animatedly. Serene looked a mix of pleased and abashed at her enthusiasm.

“You still did most of the work, Dragonfly, but you have been very accommodating in letting me try out that particular ability.” she said before taking another sip of tea.

“It sounds like you’ve had quite the adventures.” Kite said, chuckling at Dragonfly’s antics. Her passion always made him happy, contrasted well against Serene’s prim grace. “My last few months have mostly consisted of standing under waterfalls and being pounded by flying stones. I did bring you these, though. Master Stone made so many, so I could keep any I wanted.” As he spoke, he produced two small stone statuettes carved with exquisite detail. One was a dragonfly sculpted from rosy quartz, landing on a lily pad. The other was a beautiful bird in a pose of silent song, carved out of green jade.

“I might have requested the particular materials and motifs for these ones.” he added sheepishly, inwardly pleased with the appropriate level of ‘ooooing’ and ‘aaahhing’ from the recipients.

As the teapot emptied and the sun was beginning to set, Serene rose.

“It is time for me to head back, but I’m glad that you have returned, Kite. You both should finish your set of awakening stones when you can. We have a certain venture to get ourselves ready for, after all.

Oh, and Dragonfly, you should remember to return the books Kite loaned you.” she finished with a wink.

Kite didn’t think more of it until he noticed that Dragonfly, still seated on the roof, had frozen slightly. Her aura was fluctuating a bit, but she didn’t seem truly distressed.

“Yes indeed. Yes I should.” she answered quickly before Kite could ask more. “I’ll fetch them for you, Kite!” she said, also rising.

“I’ll walk you there, if you don’t mind the company.” Kite said, rising as well. Serene gave off a giggle as she was leaving.

“Good luck then!”

“What was that about?” Kite asked Dragonfly as they got down from the rooftop. He could feel the same fluctuations of her aura, but still could not grasp their meaning.

“Oh, nothing. Girl talk. Super secret.” she answered, rather quickly.

Dragonfly had been uncharacteristically silent during their walk through the city, mostly content with asking him questions about his time away to keep him talking. Kite had tried giving her time to see if she would eventually tell him what it was. She didn’t seem sad or angry, but there was definitely tension. Her aura kept fluctuating as well.

His curiosity and slight concern defeated his patience just as Dragonfly opened the door to her cottage.

“Dragonfly, are you nervous?” he asked, finally having arrived at some kind of conclusion regarding her behavior.

“What? Me? Nonononono. I’m not nervous. Or anything el-” she started, but stopped under Kite’s incredulous gaze. She stared at him with an unreadable expression for a short moment, before seemingly steeling herself with a breath. He could feel her aura calming down as well.

“Come in. We can talk about it after I’ve returned your books.”

Not long after, Kite stood looking around Dragonfly’s room. It looked like he remembered from previous visits. The small cottage was dominated by a low bed, a table surrounded by pillows for comfortable seating and the usual appliances for running water. As usual, it was very tidy and smelled of old, dry wood and the flowery smell of its occupant.

“So, how did you find the books? Did you try any of the techniques they taught?” Kite asked as she was retrieving the stack. As he asked, he once again noted a shudder of her aura which was quickly calmed.

“Yes, I did. While some of the titles were quite boring, their contents were surprisingly good. But there was one book which I couldn’t really translate to any kind of practice.”

“There it was again,” Kite thought. “That shudder in her aura. What could it me-”

His thoughts stopped as he looked down on the book she was holding out to him. The cover read The Dyadic Tempering of Auras. Kite’s mind proceeded to perform some kind of fusion between a deathly stillness and internal scream. Any thoughts on being a calm, collected adult went straight out the window as he realized that he had lent her that book as well.

The Dyadic Tempering of Auras was a book describing techniques to combine sex with aura training, using the trust and closeness of the sensual and sexual acts as a foundation to practice close aura contact and fine control without the unsettling feeling from aura suppression. While not usable as a combat technique, it did seem really useful for developing a delicate aura touch to easier convey meaning through the abstract medium.

Kite had always been torn between a lustful fascination and quite a bit of embarrassment that he had owned the book, feeling like a young teenager being caught peeping at his neighbor. And now he had inadvertently shown it to Dragonfly. Was that why she had been acting so strangely? What did she think of him after this?

“Ah. Yes, tha- I mean, it really has some inter- I mean I bought it by mis- No, I mean it is mostly academical intere-”

“Kite?”

“... yes?”

“Have you been able to practice these techniques?”

“Wha-” he began before calming himself slightly. “No, only in theory. They do seem nice. And useful. Why do you as-

He was interrupted as he felt a tentative, gentle caress as her aura had reached out to his. It felt a bit fumbling, but also quite pleasant as the hairs on his neck stood on end.

“Would you like to practice them then? With me?” She asked, as he could sense the same kind of fluctuation from her as before. With context, he now understood. It had been nervousness, but with an undercurrent of something he hadn’t felt from another since he had awakened his aura senses. Longing. And a bit of vulnerability.

Taking another steadying breath, he tried recalling what he had read in the book. He gently returned her gesture, his aura gently touching hers with careful ‘movements’. She visibly shuddered this time, blinking once. When she opened her eyes, the passionate spark he usually saw in her had returned.

“Do that again.”

If an aura-sensitive person passed by a particular townhouse in the eastern parts of Gilded, they might notice a pair of auras quite close to one another. What might at first glance look like a struggle would, at closer inspection, turn out to be quite a lot more intimate. At first their interaction would seem hesitant and tentative, but also eager. As time passed their movements would be more overt, balancing back and forth as the auras pressed into each other until there was a kind of equilibrium. Then, ever so gradually, the unseen forces would start to meld. Keeping the equilibrium while still entwining into one another softly. Not like the brutal suppression of an aura battle, but more like an embrace. As that embrace became tighter and firmer, there would be a ramping pressure, rising and rising. Until a ripple pulsed through the auras, born of unity and balance. And then, gradual separation. Carefully retreating until they were once again adjacent and in balance, close and at rest.

As they gradually let go of their embrace, Dragonfly leaned back from her seated position in Kite’s lap, brushing aside some stray pink curls.

“Heavens. I love aura training.” she breathed, still a bit winded from the experience.

“I mirror the sentiment.” Kite answered, a dazed smile on his face.

The experience had been quite enlightening, both a bit dumbfounded to discover that even sex could have nuances previously unknown before their powers awakened. It had been hesitant at first, but as they had found a common rhythm in the teachings of the book, they had glimpsed a whole new layer of experience. Using their auras like that had been very challenging, but Kite was the first to agree that if this could be considered practice, then it was a skill worth learning.

“Dragonfly?”

“Hmm?” she answered dreamily.

“Was this why you were so nervous before?”

“Well… yes.”

“I believe I can understand it, at least partially, but I would still like to ask why? Did you think I would react badly?”

“Not really, but…” she trailed off, before picking it up again. “You would never be mean, Kite. I know that. I could even imagine you, all worried and earnest. ‘I truly cherish you, Dragonfly, but I already have another partner to practice with.’ or ‘You are a delight, but I simply do not see you as someone to share this with’ “ she said with her best Kite-impression, before continuing.

“But even if you were nice, rejection would still hurt. At least I think so. And it was a long time ago since I’ve been with someone. A long time. Heavens, I did really need this.

First I tried dismissing it, but that book had put the idea into my head and I couldn’t get it out. Didn’t want to, to be honest. You are nice, and you are cute, especially when you get all earnest. And you feel safe. Who would be better to try it with?”

As she spoke, Kite’s mind was processing this new development. He was pleasantly surprised that the mental process remained calm and collected rather than the semi-panic he had experienced earlier. His processing led him to a rather important question. His first instinct was to avoid it as it would risk complicating things, but he resolutely pushed the instinct aside. If he wanted to take a step toward the so-called maturity he had thought himself capable of, keeping up the honest conversation was the least he should be able to bear.

“Then where do you want to go from here? Regarding us, I mean?” he asked. “I must admit that I had never expected you to see me as a potential lover? Or partner? The life we lead… I must admit that I hadn’t thought of any of it at all. Everything has been rather overwhelming these few months. In a good way, mostly. It feels like I have begun to find a place in this world, but at the same time it feels like I’ve barely landed.” The words had begun spilling out now, showing no sign of stopping.

“And I realize I should have said this before we… became intimate. You are important to me, and I didn’t even ask you before-”

His words were interrupted as she leaned forward to put a finger on his lips to silence him before giving him a hug, all soft skin and pink curls tickling his nose. After a couple of seconds, she leaned away slightly, with a big smile.

“There it is again. That almost silly earnesty when you just speak your mind even as you try to outpace yourself to get everything across at the same time. It is quite endearing, Kite, and you should never stop with it. But you should stop assuming that it is only you who would have made any mistake or that you bear all the responsibility for everything that happens.

I didn’t ask you either before all this. It was actually rather selfish of me, now that I think about it. See, both of us did the same. It’s not only you, Kite.” she finished, lightly flicking his nose with a finger.

Her words helped Kite visibly relax as his mind, which had begun racing again, was once more brought to heel.

“So, how do you feel about it then?” he asked, with fewer words and a bit more calm.

She looked towards the ceiling in thought.

“This might come as a surprise to you, but master Force tells me quite often that I can be a bit impulsive.” She stopped in a fit of giggle at his flat look. After collecting herself a bit, she continued.

“In all honesty, Kite, I hadn’t thought much further. I wanted to try these aura techniques, I was horny and I felt that you were the person I wanted to explore this with.

If I got to choose only based on myself, I would like to do this again. Lots of times, preferably. I mean, it felt very, very good and we’ve just begun practicing. But I wouldn’t want the rest to change, at least not too much. You said it yourself, the life we lead and the paths we follow are a bit of a mess at times, and tend to not leave much room for calm and steady living.

Based on what I feel from your aura, which I’ve become rather intimately familiar with by the way, you don’t seem upset or anguished by this. Rather relieved, actually. Or am I mistaken?”

“No, I believe you are correct.” he said, hugging her again. “But will you promise to tell me if anything changes?”

“Oh I think you would notice. My aura control is becoming decent, but apparently I’m not as good with keeping a lid on my emotions as I would like.

But as long as you promise me the same, then yes.”

“Then may the heaven’s bless our efforts.” Kite said with a grin. Realization seemed to strike him, as he continued. “Dragonfly, I just thought of something.”

“Do tell.” she responded, while laying herself down to sprawl content on the bed.

“If we continue our united practice, we should probably consider getting some simple, basic formation to mask our auras. It was probably Fortune’s providence that master Force was not home. The way we were projecting, any bronze-ranker passing on the street probably got a quite decent idea of what we were doing.”

What followed was Kite’s first time witnessing that a full-body blush was indeed possible.