Chapter 18.
"Wake up… hey wake up!"
Kiba's eyes cracked open and saw green. He blinked a couple of time to clear his head he saw a cute girl about his age with green eyes staring at him. Kiba blushed.
"Oh thank goodness you are awake. You used too much of your Vis and blacked out. I haven't been able to wake you up.
Kiba looked around instead of the ethereal blackness he experienced with his father and the blackness of the cave he was in the total opposite. He was now in a white room completely white as far as he could see. The only things that weren't white himself and the girl in front of him. He gazed at the girl in front of him with green eyes and long brown hair. Her skin was extremely pale and her eyes had bags and darkness underneath. She wore a white robe loosely around her petite frame. Kiba was blushing as he saw her budding cleavage. The girl was watch Kiba just as intensely, because she also blushed and pull her robe tight in embarrassment.
"S-sorry!" Kiba said flustered and he shut his eyes.
"It's my fault," she muttered with slight irritation.
Kiba opened his eyes slowly, and noticed the cute girl who was kneeling in front of him was awfully thin and she had faint red markings around her neck and she looked like she was try to hide the ones on her wrist. She had a beautiful aura but it seemed to be weighed down by a dark anchor.
"Umm… miss where am I?" Kiba asked after a few moments of adjusting.
The girl grinned cheerfully which contradicted her melancholy appearance. It was like she was a bubbly animated girl who had been forced to stay awake for many days doing hard labor.
"Oh this is my room I guess. It is connected to the cave I found you in. You are the first person to come to this cave in ten years and the first person to find me here."
Kiba was confused, "had she been in this room for longer than ten years?"
"I am really happy!" She said sweetly and honestly
"Yes, I have never met a girl my age before…" Kiba mumbled embarrassed.
"I see… what made you come to my home?" She asked
"My master wants me to master Vis control." Kiba said
"Oh! Is your master the black haired boy or the white haired boy? They were the last people to come to the cave for that. They both learned how to do it. I would say that was about twenty years ago…"
Kiba was now beyond confused. Was the girl who sat before him was older than twenty?
"Um I am not sure my master said he did the same training here and he has white hair."
"It must be him!" The girl exclaimed. "I am glad he has a disciple he worked hard at that training!"
"Um how are you so old?" Kiba asked
The girls face went red, "didn't anyone tell you aren't supposed to talk about a girls age???"
"I am sorry you just look so young!" Kiba pleaded
The girl calmed down. "I don't know… I remember being chased into the cave… by an evil thing about a hundred years ago."
"A hundred years ago…" Kiba repeated
"I stayed in the cave and then this white room appeared so I stay here most of the time. I usually only come out into the cave when something enters it. I cannot leave the cave every time I get close I get scared like that evil thing is just waiting for me…"
The girl was crying a little, and Kiba could not help himself. He reached out with his hand and touched her face to comfort her.
"What are y-" the girl started as Kiba touched everything lit up and images began to fly around on the white walls until they froze on a panoramic view that surrounded them. Kiba looked at the girl who appeared to be entranced.
"What's going on?" He whispered but the girl didn't respond.
Kiba looked at the images on the walls which made it seem like he was floating in the forest. He looked around until saw the girl he was with in the image. She was crying and panting she had a rope around her hand which connected to her neck. She wore a burlap robe.
Suddenly the images began to move. The girl let out a wail as a noise out frame drew closer. The girl ran as a group of men emerged into the frames. The were laughing and taunting the girl who had discovered the cave. She ran inside in attempt to get away, but as the images continued floating Kiba into the cave he saw the men surrounded the girl and began to tear her robe off. She shrieked as the men began to have their way with her. The poor frail girl was being abused in such a manner that Kiba's stomach felt like it was being shredded. The girl was defying them but she was too weak to make them stop until one of men righteously was castrated by a bite. It was a feat of pure will and strength. It was her last stand. The man fell to the ground holding his severed manhood. The proceeding images were haunting as the girl's throat was slit. From there on it was just scenes of her body being cut apart. Then the men left. The images fade and they were surrounded by the caves oppressive blackness.
The girl was still next to him but she had changed. She emitted a green glow that illuminated the cave enough for him to see her.
It was a young girl of about Kiba's age maybe a little older with ash colored skin that had a green tint to it. Vibrant red lines covered her body. Large green irises stared at Kiba, strands of her grey and black hair partially covering them. She was figuratively decimated as she had witnessed her rape and murder. The memories flooded her brain like a deluge. She looked to the top of the cave her eyes wide and tears streaming. Kiba was shaking, watching his mother die was brutal, and he thought that he would never experience anything worse than that. "Is this worse?" he thought as tears formed in his eyes. "Why… why?" he thought. He looked over to where the apparition was in a state of shock. Seeing her that way ate at Kiba's stomach, "I need to do something, anything." Acting more on instinct than thinking he hugged her. He did it to act like a shield for her. "I will protect you."
The strange girl shuddered and blinked. She wanted to push away but there was a warmth she had never experienced before. She was perplexed as she had never heard anyone in her life say they wanted to protect her. "What is this?" She thought. "This is what a friend would…" With every bit of will she could muster she said, "Only if I can protect you first."
Kiba looked at the girl who moments ago looked fragile and helpless.
"S-she is smiling?" Kiba thought perplexed, but then relaxed a little.
"You helped me!" She grinned brokenly
"H-how? I made you relive that awful event."
"Yes, but now I understand why I am here and why I couldn't leave…. even if it was horrid. I'm a ghost."
Kiba clenched his fists around the pendent and thought maybe he could use it to absolve her.
"Stop," she said "I don't know what you have there but I sense a purification capability from it. I won't stop you but let me help you first."
Kiba was taking this hard. He was exhausted and his head felt like it was splitting in half.
"You said you wanted to learn how to master your Vis. Well I can tell you how the others did it."
Kiba was taken aback. "You know?"
"Yes!" She smiled. "It is surprisingly easy and the two boys who figured it out were embarrassed by how simple it was."
Kiba paused to take it in.
"You are expending your Vis to stay alive, but you are forgetting to to store the Vis from your surroundings."
Kiba gave her a funny look as if he had a question mark above his head.
"I didn't realize until my memories came back, but I can see Vis. They are small shimmering particles the I can see in the air. All you have been doing this entire time is radiate Vis you haven't absorbed it. If you absorb it then you should be able to master Vis!"
"So it's like the way plants do not need to eat because they consume the sun's energy." Kiba murmured.
"When you inhale you suck up the Vis in the cave but when you exhale it all comes out. The other boys were the same way until they figured out they could store it. You need to filter the Vis out. Also they were able to absorb from their surroundings from any point on their bodies."
"Hmmm," Kiba thought from a minute trying to put all the pieces together then he decided to test it.
He sat down into the lotus pose with his right leg on top and he kept his back straight. He practiced the breathing technique that Sensei taught him but this time he concentrated on absorbing his surroundings. The feeling and actions he performed were strange and acted like his Grimoire skill where his abilities were engaged by his mental commands. There was no physical movement required other than the simple acts required for human function. The absorption of Vis from his surroundings was merely a trick he needed to activate with his mind. As he took in Vis he could feel his body recover and his desire for food and water plummeted. Kiba was ecstatic that it worked and thanked the Ghost girl repeatedly. "Thank you so much miss please let me repay you somehow!"
The girl's aura was no longer oppressed and showed warmth and harmony, even though she remained ashen and emitted a green glow, the difference was like night and day. "Call me Rubarow please that's what I was named by my parents."
"Got it!" Kiba nodded
"And if it isn't too much to ask let me be a summon. I would like to go on an adventure and leave this cave."
Kiba was unfamiliar with her request, "do you know how to become a summon?"
She said, "No, but a ghost can sign a contract that is produced by a secret art skill… if that helps…"
Kiba pondered for a while, he could tell that his mind had flipped a switch on absorbing Vis. He was doing it subconsciously. He decided that with this new ability he could use the Vis freely. He activated the Tenshi art "Grimoires," and noticed that they emitted a golden glow as they orbited him. He also notice that they also had gauged vials on the spines. They each contained an unequal quantity of a red fluid most had very little except the Ghost Monogatari which was full. He opened the book and a congratulations was written across the page. "You have ranked up from Beginner to Novice."
The once only partially full book was now full all except for the last ten pages.
Kiba was lost it was hard to understand his power, but he activated it for one reason to figure out how to make a Ghost summon. He turn to the table of contents that was riddled with topics. He scanned through until he found the "summoning" section. He flipped over to the designated page and started reading.
"Ghost summons: Spells, companions, and fighting
Spells: Summoning apparitions for a purpose
Companion: summoning apparitions for a purpose through mutual agreement
Fighting: Summoning apparitions to fight on demand."
Kiba decided to go to the Companion section because it seemed to be the best fit.
"Companion Summoning: the skill to bind an apparition to a person through the consent of both parties. A spirit class is then chosen by the parties or if undeclared at random. A spirit class is the type of spirit your companion will become. Spirit classes like Grimoires can be ranked up after sufficient experience is gained. For the Novice rank there are three default spirit classes: Healer, Scout, and aide.
*Recommended spirit class for your skill level: Aide*
Due to the overwhelming amount of information contained in each Grimoire and the fact it changes as you earn experience it is recommended to have a Ghost summon with the Spirit Class: Aide. An Aide can be summoned without Vis and is greatly beneficial to the summoner due to the Aide's abilities to consolidate information and rely it with ease. Three available rank ups for this Spirit Class."
"So what do you think Rubarow? Want to be an Aide?" Kiba asked at the girl who cocked her head as she thought. "Does that mean I get to be your best friend and go adventuring?
"Yes, but you don't have to be my Aide to be my best friend. I only have two friends and they are both grown ups. So really in a way you'd be my only friend."
Rubarow grinned wildly and hugged Kiba who blushed.
"Ghost Art: Companion Contract," Kiba read the incantation out loud and a scroll appeared. "It is interesting to see this piece of parchment floating in the air." Kiba said.
"Umu, what does it say?"
Kiba squinted at the words on the scroll which was slightly difficult but thanks to a glow around the parchment he could make it out. "It says 'Please each party member must press their hands to the paper and state the Spirit Class."
Kiba nodded to Rubarow who placed her delicate hand on the page and then Kiba did as well.
"Aide," they both said in unison. The page which was mostly blank began to display a racing black line that drew a complex geometric shape and connected it to an outline of the hands.
"Completed: Rubarow is now Kiba Yūrei's summon. To summon simply state "Summon Aide" the summon can be maintained until commanded to returned. If the summon no longer wishes to be a companion then they are granted immediate absolution and will disappear from this plane."
Kiba deactivated his grimoires and sat next to his glowing friend. "Thank you," Rubarow said. " I now have a purpose."
She smiled at Kiba who looked down for a moment, "I should be the one thanking you. Now I will be able to become strong, and have a friend to protect."
Chapter 19
KIba was sitting alone in the cave while Rubarow was in what is called the Grimoire Stasis. It is were beings that are aligned to the user's power go so that they won't pass to another plane of existence or be attacked. Kiba was in a meditative trance and felt like he was becoming more one with himself. He was able to visualize the cave cerebrally by connecting to the Vis particles in the area. He felt no fear in the cave nor hunger or thirst, just calm and connected.
Though he was undisturbed he could tell that the cave was being opened. He stayed put unmoved waiting for the Sensei to call to him. He could easily sense the presence of two individuals. One was easily Sensei but the other was different. It did not have an evil presence, but it was not of divine orientation. Kiba was not fooled it was clearly Hana, but something was different.
"Kiba, you alive?" called the Sensei
KIba rose to his feet with a proud grin.
"Yes," as he walked toward the entrance.
The sunlight was blinding and Kiba could not quite see as well as he could. He saw the two figures, one was surprisingly tall. His eyes adjusted and he saw the familiar looking Sensei. He turned his gaze to the lady behind him. It was a tall well figured lady with pure black skin like that of a night sky or cast iron. Her hair was white and she had two horns protruding her forehead. Her ear were long and pointed. She had two enlarged bottom canines that were slightly breeching her closed mouth. She looked incredibly imposing with a muscular build. She may have been muscular but that did nothing to detract from her surprising feminine beauty. She wore a tattered cloth around her swollen chest and groin which look crudely made. She had red geometric and sharp line tattoos on her body that Kiba could not discern as well as two red dots at the start of her eyebrows. Her jade colored eyes were sizing me up like a predator. Then a grin broke out on her face.
"This person is clearly Hana her face and essence is the same. She must have gone through a transformation!" Kiba thought.
"Wow Kiba you sure have grown since we last saw each other!" The new Hana called out.
Kiba blushed, "Look who's talking!"
Hana looked at her arms and said, "Aaah what happened to me?" She was obviously making a joke, and I smiled.
"I am glad to see you are both not only successfully made it through your ordeals, but are in good health and spirits. You guys are oozing with Vis and once we get back I will have a feast for your accomplishments!" Sensei exclaimed.
"Sensei?" Kiba asked
"Yes?" He replied
"Is your name Koyo Sahara?"
"Oh? Yes, I suppose I forgot to tell you… how did you find out?" Sahara smugly looked at Kiba who replied, "I uh I saw my father…"
"I see, that's good a parent should visit their Kid from time to time."
"Yes, And I also made a friend!" Kiba said
Hana patted Kiba's head, "Is that so?"
The trio began to walk toward Edelweiss. Kiba could barely comprehend the beauty of his surroundings because being inside a dark cave made him accustomed to cerebral mapping and images. Seeing the real thing is very different mostly due to the level of detail the mind recalls. "I hope Rubarow can see what I see."
Chapter 20
Kiba's and Hana's mouths hung open as Yuko did a slight bow. There was a mountain of food arranging on a large dining table. The glistening skin of perfectly cooked meat was steaming hot and the piles of potato dishes and green vegetables surrounded it. There was a large hot pot and a massive bowl of clear spring water with ice in it. There were three different cakes and a pile of rolls. Tears were streaming down the two starved students faces as they repeated their gratitude over and over.
When they finally got to eat nobody said a word for a solid thirty minutes as the mountain of food turned in a mole hole.
As the two finished eating they began to go into detail about their experiences with Sahara. Kiba listened intently to Hana's story about how after several days of failure she met a Greater Lich who was the undead skeleton of a famous Earl who commanded these lands hundreds of years ago. He taught her about Vis control like Rubarow did to him. They had trained for several days and Hana could easily meditate while sustaining minor injuries. The Earl told Hana that he was tired of being bound to the waterfall and would like to give his powers to her because he felt she was worthy. To Kiba's surprise when the Greater Lich gave his essence to Hana she evolved into a stronger Demi-human, a Reaper. A reaper was a being who was merged with high level undead. Most of the time it results in zombification or turning into a vampire but Reapers are a rare vareint that maintains the living aspect of the being while turning all the undead essence into Vis storage and power output. The side effect is the body modifications that occur due to the overwhelming undead Vis. Reapers are not the same as the legendary Grim Reapers, but Reapers are similar. Grim Reapers are type of Lich Overlord and only exist to in moments between life and death. Not all deaths will have the presence of a Grim Reaper which is why there are undead and ghosts. If Hana had been fully human she would have reverted back to her normal appearance with minor changes to her body, but since she was half elf her new features were stuck. Hana didn't seem to mind the changes and she talked about how resilient it was.
When Hana completed her tale Kiba summoned his friend Rubarow who was amazed by the magnificent manor she now appeared in. Kiba explained how he met his father when he passed out then woke up in a white room to find Rubarow. Rubarow who had been doing research found that ghosts have this white room ability because it is a plane connected to this plane. These form when a person dies. The Grim Reapers are supposed to appear in them to show the dead person their life. After this the white room is converted into a tunnel to the next plane a person's soul travels. The locate depends on the merits of an individual's life. The more positive and pure a person was in life the tunnel to a Higher plane emerges. If a person lives a degrading life full of what is referred to as "sin" then they will be sent to a lower plane. If an individual was neither good or bad they would simply be tunneled back to this plane. If magic or misfortune falls on an individual their white room will never be visited and they become ghosts or undead. Undead are different from Ghost due to their ability to have a physical presence and can move around like the living unless they are bound to a place.
"I have learned a lot since I became an Aide!" Rubarow said excitedly she looked around the room and was startled by Hana who did have a menacing appearance. Hana smiled and tried to look more submissive to not frightened Kiba's friend. "Nice to meet you Rubarow I am Hana I am a War Mage for Saga. I am currently training under Major with Kiba."
Hana bowed slightly.
"N-nice to meet you." Rubarow bowed as well. She looked up and caught the Sensei's gaze. She looked closely and shout, "Kiba! It really is him!"
Kiba stopped chewing on a roll and said, "Really?"
"Yes it's the white hair boy!" Rubarow was excited pumping her hands up and down.
Kiba noticed his Sensei's puzzled look and explained that she had seen two boys around twenty years ago go in that cave to learn Vis control.
"Ah I see," the Sensei put his hand to his chin. "So Ms. Rubarow we have met before?" He was putting on a playful charm for the girl. Rubarow put her hands in front of her face bashfully. "I saw you in the cave…" she mumbled.
Sahara laughed and patted the girl on the head, "how to you like my student?"
"Umm aaah he wanted to be my friend, so I like him a lot.." Rubarow said. "I didn't have any friends, so it meant a lot to me."
Kiba was being patted on the head by a black hand.
"Geez kid you really are a sweetheart." Hana laughed.
The rest of the evening was spent celebrating and catching up with each other.
Chapter 21
Sahara and Hana were drinking rice wine from saucer like glasses as she watched Kiba and Rubarow sleeping next to each other in the roo
Hana was wondering if ghosts even needed to sleep, when the Major sighed and spoke from the next room.
"Tomorrow we will begin again and as soon as you two get your summons down we will begin the real journey." She walked over to see the major reclined on the couch. She sat down next to him and drank the rest of her wine.
Hana looked at her black hand which was slightly sweaty and placed it on Sahara's thigh. "Hana?" The voice next her said. Hana was really nervous she wondered if she had lost her attractiveness, "No!" She told herself. "You can do this."
"Major," she returned seductively.
"Did you put your hand there intentionally?"
"Y-yes…" she responded quietly
"There is something you should know first…"
Hana was extremely in the mood and leaned against him pressing her breast into his arm.
"I don't think it matters…" she said breathing hot air on Sahara's neck.
"I cheated on my wife while she was pregnant with another woman. Then I ditched them both when I was caught." Sahara said seriously. "If that doesn't bother you….. it should."
Sahara set his glass down and leaned forward away from Hana. There was a break and Hana said, "I sensed a negative air about you since we first met, and you are totally despicable…. But gradually I saw that you truly do care about Kiba and Yuko and me."
Hana stood up, sat behind Sahara, and wrapped in a tight embrace. Her body was pressing into his back as she reached below.
"If we make it out of this quest alive… you need to see your child." She said as Sahara had a familiar feeling rise from his crotch. He was lost in thought and he felt the hands let go and Hana body fall away. He turn slightly to see Hana had undone her robe and was spread out naked on the couch. Her jade eyes were staring entranced with Sahara's. Her silver hair caressed her face and neck like a fine fur. She covered one of her honey dew sized breasts in her hand while the other covered her womanhood.
"If you promise me that then you can have me."
"Aye I promise," he said as he fell into her.
Chapter 22
Kutra was a village on the northernmost coast of the Saga continent. A strange fog was covering the town as the villagers gathered in the city center. The mayor was bound and gagged and was being dragged into a pillory. The mob was being led by a beautiful black hair woman with a raven like appearance. She was known as the Wise Lady Mari and over the last couple of years she had gathered large support from the village as a midwife and healer.
"Good evening people of Kutra, I stand before you today with our beloved mayor. This man, no this abomination summoned me to his house to assist with his ailing daughter. Upon healing the daughter I was informed that I would need to met with the Mayor in his office. When I arrived he sat at his desk with a large chest full of gold… the townspeople's money. That's when he offered to pay my services with it."
A large commotion came from the crowd. An angry man shouted, "my wife is sick and because of the increases in taxes I can barely afford to feed my family!"
"Silence, honestly this is a crime I could look past, because I have offered services for free to numerous villagers. However he was not satisfied he pulled out ten gold in addition to the single coin he was going to pay me with. He then solicited sexual services from me!"
The crowd began to holler and scream at the mayor in the stocks. He was being pelted by stones and rotten food. His eyes pleading but disregarded.
She watched the villagers hound the prisoner then had the guards take him to the prison.
"Attention… I will supersede the duties of the mayor for the time being. If anyone has any qualms about it there will be an election for the position next month. I know many of you are angry, but we are a village of compassion. We will not kill the mayor but let him think about his crimes in prison. Now I will take my leave to interview his wife and two daughters. If they are cooperative I will let them stay in their current residence under my supervision."
The Wise Lady was praised by the villagers while a few tossed more rocks and rotten food at the mayor as he was escorted to prison.
About thirty minutes later Mari entered the Mayor's home which was fairly large and had a dining hall for receptions and a quite elegant staircase in view of the foyer of one walks past the staircase they enter the gathering room which was a large dance hall of sorts which lead outside to a terrace and courtyard. In the courtyard was a small Mausoleum which was just a stone egg shaped piece of art. Mari placed her hand on a small switch and the egg rotated to reveal a staircase. Mari descended the stairs with a torch. There was a corridor that she followed when she got to the bottom of the stairs. It lead to a large square tomb like chamber where a dozen women in black robes hold different types of magic items. They were circled around three figures. It was the mayor's family all tied up. The wise woman walked toward the encircled women, gave a bewitching smile that showed no hostilely, and whispered, "This is my village now and you are my spoils." Mari laughed as the circle of black robes women closed around the terrified family.