Epilogue

An Ulmna woman walked across the plateau. She was short with defined musculature that showed in her bare arms of the sleeveless robes she wore. A long sword was carefully belted to her waist, common and plain looking, though well cared for. She looked up to the clear skies and sighed in contentment as she continued to cross the destroyed area.

Her ascension had gone poorly, her rage had nearly overcome her multiple times in the long process of breaking through to the next realm. The thought of her descendants dying to those flea ridden dogs filled her with wrath every time her mind ventured to think of it.

Little Diur's almost death right as she crossed the precipice had again nearly ruined it all. The amount of energy she had to spend to offer her that scant protection had been nearly an unraveling of centuries worth of effort. The last of her bloodline still lived though. That was all that mattered.

She stopped and looked up into the sky and beyond, to that massive human warship that sat like a fat toad above her world. Above her Crucible. She clicked her tongue in annoyance. Little Diur was up there in that ungainly behemoth and she didn't dare swat it down. Not while she was still coming to terms with the leap of her powers. She wasn't sure if she could protect her descendant, not yet.

With a casual sweep of her much improved senses she found what she was looking for. She took a step and traveled kilometers. The ground was pitted and scarred from lightning strikes, trees swept away by the winds she'd unleashed as she breached the bottleneck.

The great wounds on the plateau, deep pitted holes, were older though. She hadn't inadvertently caused these. She took a deep breath through her nose and could smell the rot of a broken cultivation path here. The packmaster had fought his last here, burning apart his own cultivation to give himself just a bit more strength.

There were other scents in the air. Fresh growth, the smell of life reborn. Following the trail she flickered across the plateau, searching quickly until she found what she was looking for.

A pale, leanly muscled woman. Her clothes were little more than tatters, her hair singed and missing chunks. Violet energy shimmered around her, the fading rune absorbing the last of the energy the woman had. She waited for the Knight to notice her.

Alice Roose turned slowly, twin black axes in hand, as she met her eyes. The proud Knight stood tall, fear absent in her eyes as she looked at the Ulmna B-Grade. There were still wounds on Alice's body, trickling blood across her pale skin. Charred skin from absorbing lightning strikes along one forearm and there was a gouged piece of meat from her thigh that looked like a bite wound.

"I am Daniur Hthior, B-Grade cultivator of the Ulmna Confederacy," Daniur said as she looked at Alice Roose. The woman grunted, not lowering her axes.

"I wish to thank you for releasing my grandson from his agony. It was a kind thing you did," Daniur said. This broke through the woman's taciturn mask, surprise ignited along her face as her jaw parted.

"Wherever the storm touched, I could observe. You will be pleased to know that your disciple is alive and well. A few of your fellow Knights fell in battle, but he and Diur have both managed to escape the planet."

"Good." Alice spoke slowly, as if pained. Daniur swept her senses across the woman and raised a single eyebrow. Alice's body was in a state of failure, her internal wounds more grievous than her external ones. Daniur fished in a pocket of her robes and found a D-Grade stone. She pulled it free and tossed it to the woman who let it land at her feet without ever taking her eyes off of Daniur.

"Absorb it so you can heal. It would be a crime to let you die of your wounds while I speak. You must forgive me, it has been several years since I've had anyone to speak to. It seems it has made me rather loquacious."

"Sure," Alice spoke between gritted teeth as she slowly went to one knee to grab the stone. Her rune appeared over her a moment later, energy bathing the wounded Knight as she quickly consumed the monster core.

"Now, having observed everything inside of the storm, that means I saw you train and protect my descendant. That is a favor that can not go unpaid," Daniur said as Alice finished the stone off. The Knight was slightly better off now, some of her wounds healed, and she cracked her neck from side to side as she stared at Daniur.

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"I must thank you, Daniur Hthior, but I am a Knight of humanity. I will not spill her secrets," Alice said.

Daniur threw her head back and laughed loudly. Every one of her guffaws held the rumble of thunder inside, shaking the world as the UImna forgot to restrain herself.

"I forget how isolated you humans are. Your secrets have been parsed out long ago, at least in theory. How you craft your so-called full runes is still unknown, but amongst the learned and upper echelons of cultivators, we have known the secret to your strength."

Alice seemed to grow rigid for a moment before deflating and looking around herself. She readjusted the grip on her axes and squared her shoulders.

"I will have to report this," Alice said, finality in her voice.

"I am sure you will, eventually," Daniur said with a smile. Alice frowned, a scowl crossing her features as she met Daniur's eyes. Daniur had to repress a gleeful laugh at the determination and strength in that glare. It spoke of a spirit that was resilient, strong, and honorable.

"I will do it the moment I am reunited with my people," Alice reasserted.

"I am sure you will," Daniur said, enjoying leading the Knight around.

"Are you implying that I won't be reuniting with the rest of my people," Alice said. Her legs tensed, ready to spring forward and begin attacking. Daniur had to repress another giggle. The Knight was perfect.

"I am implying that. You have taught my granddaughter and I must insist that you are repaid for your efforts," Daniur said.

"I take checks," Alice said, deadpan.

"No, financial reward won't do at all. You see, I named this planet Crucible. Do you know what that is?" Daniur said. She began to walk, enjoying the feeling of the mud under her toes, the wind on her face, and the anticipation of the imminent fight moments from starting.

"Stress thing. It can shape something under extreme stress," Alice said, she pivoted, never letting Daniur get to her blindside. Not that the B-Grade cultivator needed to have that type of advantage.

"Crucible. It is a pot that items may be melted into and combined under high temperatures. This is my crucible. I found it centuries ago. It was what allowed me to progress from the bottom of C-Grade to B-Grade. I threw myself at every challenge, every fight that I could find. I lived like a storm and cultivated here. I brought my descendants here as well, partly to guard me and partly to hope that they would also experience the growth that I had. Only one showed signs of that growth."

"Diur," Alice answered.

"Yes. For too long my bloodline and clan have calcified, grown stale and rigid in their systems. Little Diur is now shaken free of those restraining traditions and will continue onward, maybe one day surpassing me. But, I have seen that kernel of potential in others as well," Daniur said. She couldn't stop the smile that covered her face.

"Kon," Alice said, continuing to fill her part in Daniur's speech.

"Yes. A boy forging a new cultivation path, part body cultivation part rune absorption. It will be something to watch with interest."

"You should help me return to them so I may continue their education then," Alice said. Daniur laughed again.

"Why would I send them a teacher so weak?" Daniur said after a moment. That caused the Knight to growl under her breath, her pride pricked.

"No, it would be better for them to recover slowly from this. Let their foundations you have wonderfully built settle. I have a few contacts amongst your human leaders, I will pull strings to assure that a proper mentor is found. In the meantime, I will help grow that final kernel of potential I found," Daniur said as she settled herself right in front of Alice.

"What, you need a trainer while you're cultivating?" Alice spat.

"My, dear, you are a bit obtuse. I shielded you from the worst of my ascension. I have come to find you and told you that I have found multiple potential filled individuals. It is an intuitive leap to understand that I'm speaking about you," Daniur said, clucking her tongue at Alice. The red headed Knight just raised her own partially scorched eyebrow.

"You're offering to train me?"

"Not really offering. I will train you and once you reach an acceptable level, then I shall unleash you upon the galaxy," Daniur said with a wide, predatory smile.

"If I say no?" Alice asked, growing restless as she shifted her weight from foot to foot.

"You would say no to personal martial tuition from a B-Grade cultivator? One who will help you explore the galaxy? I shall show you sights and challenges that you would never have before. All I ask in return is your diligence and patience."

Alice licked her lips, greed evident on her features. Then that horrible sense of duty and honor began to fill her face and Daniur felt her slipping away. She struck before Alice could fully deny what she truly wanted.

"Now, I believe you trained my descendant like this," Daniur began, settling into a comfortable fighting stance before meeting Alice's eyes.

"Now, hit me!"

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