Chapter 31: A Discourse In Arms

“So how are you feeling, now you're a Heaven ranked Challenger?” Laurence said, swinging his hammer in a short arc towards Yun's face. The needle popped up and knocked away the hammer, letting it swing by inches away from Yun's face. Laurence’s muscles in his arms bulged and the hammer changed direction mid swing, moving down.

“I...” Yun moved his free hand slightly and stepped backwards, watching Laurence swing pay him harmlessly once more. “I feel more connected to Creation, and because of that more connected to the other Books. It's hard to put into words”.

Laurence sprinted forward when he saw the hammer was going to miss and sent the short blade cresting Jormugand forward, ripping up the oddly thick air that he was having to push through in order to reach Yun's body. “Well try. It might help me finally break through this annoyingly thin veil I've been stuck behind since I was ten”. As he spoke Yun’s needle blade flicked forwards, slashing at Laurence’s gut from his left side. Laurence saw the blade coming and rather than move away he forced his hammer further forward and span out of the way, adjusting to make sure that his trajectory was exactly the same as before the strike passed.

Yun took a single step forward, catching his side and grazing his skin. As the blade made contact the two brothers broke apart and took two steps back, raising their weapons in salute before walking over to the edge of the stage and sitting down. Laurence looked out at the grassland before him and smiled, admiring the work that Yun had managed to do at such a young age. The land itself was still adjusting, and would likely take days to do so while Yun got accustomed to his new powers, but the framework was beyond solid and it even had special protective measures against Gi built into the very molecules that made up the plants and stones within this new realm. Yun was preparing for every eventuality, but it would take time to come into fruition.

“You know how all six Books, all six fundaments of reality are connected in too many ways to count right?” Yun said after a few moments.

“Of course, Creation can't create without all of the paths working together,” Laurence replied.

“Yeah, well before, when I was a Saint, I understood that in theory, and even used it in construction a few times. The thing is... I didn't realise how much I was missing. Now I have been reformed by Creation I can physically feel the pull of the other Books in every single thing I do and make. I can feel it within everything in this world, and I know it is the path I must take to complete my work. The only question for me is deciding on what path to take towards Immortality. Without a book to rely on I feel a bit like a ship at sea with no navigator. I know where I want to go, but don't know how to get there or what it will look like when I am done”. Yun stopped and looked at Laurence. “Brother, it's terrifying. A single wrong step could send me thousands of miles off course, if you continue to use my analogy.

“I now understand why people lust after the Books so much. They are a simple path to enlightenment with basically no downside. It saves hundreds of years of a person's life on the path to complete mastery. With the Books it becomes so easy, but without it... it's dreadful”.

“I don't get what you mean. Can you feel the other paths you have to take? Why not just follow the one that feels the brightest, or closest?”

“It's... it's not that simple. Sometimes I feel like the best path is two entirely different directions at once, and it’s irksome if nothing else. Sometimes when I am building this world in front of us I decide I want to make something...” He closed his hands and began slowly opening them after a few moments. From within his palms butterflies flew out and disappeared into the sky. “Like that, I sometimes feel like I should use the power of the way of life like I just did. Sometimes though, I feel like my direction should be the opposite, like I should go towards making things with the elements instead. Wouldn’t animals made of fire and ice be cool? It’s just... If I pick one, I don’t know if I should go the other way, if what I made was the right choice but in the wrong order, or if it was simply the wrong thing to do? Should I go after both? Should I follow neither? It’s insane, and so complex”.

“Well why not pick a direction and go as far as you can with it? It seems obvious to me. You just go as far as you can and then work with something else when you get stuck. Keep that fresh path until you get stuck again and swap back or switch to a different path”. Laurence smirked as he looked at his brother. “I mean I might be wrong, but it seems like it’s the common sense answer”.

“Common sense isn’t so common, brother. You know that as well as I do. You’re right. It likely is the best way for me to progress without an omnipotent book to guide me, but in comparison it is so slow! Think about it. We mastered creating any tool, any object, any artifact, in what, seven years? We went from children who were complete novices to grandmasters of an art in that short time, when it takes normal people their entire lives to become a true grandmaster of any one of the skills we know. Fifty years perhaps, and even then. The true geniuses could become a cultivator of Creation within their late lives, but us? Without the Book, without the tower, we would be nothing. We would have nothing. This place is our lives, and to become Immortal we need to grasp it by the horns. Laurence, we need to either climb up that tower as fast as possible or share books with everyone else”. Yun stood up and drew his needle blade. “Have you got any tips for my fighting style then? I mean I know I’m stronger and faster than you now, but my technique with weapons is still beyond shoddy. The only reason we are even close to even in combat is because my reaction speed is a step beyond yours”.

“Fighting with your sword is something you never did work on,” Laurence said, hopping up and pulling out his hammer again. “The first thing you can really do is change your stance. Blade hand forward, other hand behind your back. Blade leg forward, and keep your back straight. If you remember that swordsman who fought master back when we first joined the Empty Throne, try and emulate him”.

“But he lost”.

“So? He lost because he was an idiot, not because his form was wrong. He was called a fencar, or fencur or something, and used thin blades like yours, focussing on precision and piercing power rather than out and out strength. You ready?” Laurence raised his hammer to his face in salute once more.

“Always”.


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