Seed Of Speed

Despite looking for her, Diego did not find Rainshower in the Dining Hall which was not that strange as they rarely crossed paths throughout the past few months, but he still had hoped to get the chance to see her. Instead, Diego took his plate of food and sat down at a small, empty table, but it was not long before a familiar bald head placed down his own tray.

"Brother Brightmelody! It's good to see you on this fine morning!" Stormblade said joyfully as he sat down across from Diego.

"How are you this chipper every morning?" Diego asked with a chuckle.

"The sun is up, the sand is warm, and the view is delightful, how could I not be happy?" Stormblade replied as he clearly stared at the nearby table filled with female shamans.

Diego rolled his eyes as he dug into his breakfast, deciding not to comment.

"So…" Stormblade started after taking a few bites of his food, "how was your date with that healer?"

"Not that it is any of your business, it was nice, and I ended up buying her a spirit beast."

"That's it? Nice? Brother Brightmelody, don't let this woman take you for everything your worth!"

Diego eyebrow twitched as he delivered a chop to Stormblade's head and snapped, "What do you know? I've been through more relationsh.i.p.s than your forever alone, bald-head has!"

"I just can't be weighted down with commitments right now. My cultivation must come first!" Stormblade replied, completely ignoring the chop.

"Sure, that's your problem," Diego said, rolling his eyes. "Speaking of your cultivation, Silverflame told me some information about your family situation… Is your refusal to use Fire mana the cause of all your problems with magic?"

Stormblade sighed and poked at his food with the most serious and downtrodden expression that Diego had ever seen on his face. "I don't really have a choice… I have an 8-star affinity with Fire, but without have the Anzoli name, my silver fire will only lead me to problems. I'm lucky enough that the imperials did not kill me and my mother outright when she brought me before them. As long as I hide my potential and accept my place as a weak shaman, they will let me live in peace."

"That just doesn't seem right."

Stormblade gave a dry laugh and replied, "They are the Imperial Family of the Desert Empire. They are the ones who determine right and wrong in these sands."

Diego was silent for a few moments then asked, "If you could change that and take your place as a proper heir… Would you?"

"Yes!" he replied instantly, a slight madness in his eyes. "I wish I could one day take back my mother's and my own honor! The only reason why they did not kill us before was that it was beneath them! We were nothing more than dirt in their eyes, and they did not want to 'clean the blood out of the marble floor'!"

Diego sighed as he knew he could not understand everything that Stormblade had gone through, but he could tell it that it had scarred him deeply. The same man that would spend his day laughing with his friends like he did not have a care in the world was also carrying such a heavy burden in his heart despite knowing that he would never likely have the chance to do anything about it. Instead, he buried it, along with the power tainted by his blood, and tried to become someone powerful without relying on those gifts.

"You're a strong man, Stormblade, and I am proud to call you a friend."

Stormblade waved a hand dismissively as he chuckled, "Brother Brightmelody, I'm sorry to break your heart, but I truly only like women."

Diego glared at him with his eyebrow twitching while Stormblade leaned back, laughing loudly.

"Eat, brother! These serious topics have no place here when there is good food to be enjoyed," Stormblade said then started eating his meal with renewed vigor.

Diego could only shake his head in exasperation and return his attention to his food. Once he was done, he bid Stormblade goodbye and made his way to Shadowbolt's manor. As usual, he greeted the servants he passed as he made his way to his master's underground study where, of course, she was already waiting on him. When he looked at her, he could not help but break out in a cold sweat as, for the first time, he truly 'felt' her presence. Grand Master Shadowbolt was every bit deserving of her title and rank as he could practically see the black lightning coiling around her body that made he feel there was no way his soul would remain intact if he made contact with the dark lightning.

::Impressive, the 'Shadow Bolt' she is titled after is a unique combination of Shadow and Thunder magic that acts in a similar way as Rainshower's Holy Water, but she managed it through her own understanding while Rainshower had a natural affinity the holy aspect. If she was to ever attack you with that magic, even the God Seed would not be able to regenerate the damage you take as it would directly impact your soul::

"Brightmelody, you have succeeded with forming your Crest?!?" she exclaimed with surprise.

"I did, master, last night after I returned to the sect," Diego confirmed.

"Marvelous! I can sense the mana within your body is far purer than any of the common Magic Crests could have refined! Your deceased master must have been a great shaman!"

Diego chuckled as he nodded and sat down across from her, trying to not be intimidated by her aura. She seemed to notice his discomfort and retracted her aura as much as she could, but he could still feel it despite her efforts. The [Heaven's Celestial Eye] was far more powerful than the Crest Shadowbolt used, so there was no way to completely hide from its gaze.

"Well, it seems your rest day did some good for you. Now that you have finished the bulk of Swordflash's training regime, the sect would like you to help contribute to the overall well-being of the members. Core disciples tend to support the sect by three different means.

"First, they will run Support Missions which help the various villages throughout the desert either by defending against bandits or driving away Beast Swarms. Second, they will lead expeditions into the various Void Passages that appear all over the desert. The last method is dependent on the disciple and their skill. Some will take on special requests in the Crafter's Corner while other will teach classes in whatever subject they excel in. I have brought up the fact that you seem to be able to add with cultivation which the other Grand Masters have been hoping you would offer as your service."

"I actually have two separate methods, one aids with bottlenecks in cultivation and the other helps people learn skills, and possibly spells, but I have yet to test that. The second method does draft my reserves much faster than the first, but that is when I am using the ability on myself. I'm not exactly sure how many people I can help at one time, but I would be more than happy to have some sort of concert to help the sect," Diego offered.

"The Grand Masters and I will arrange the first one and test your levels for efficiency. After that, we will discuss with you how offend you would like to hold these concerts and what you would like as commission."

"While we are talking about these things, I would like to request to lead an expedition to a Metal Void Passage. The blacksmith that is crafting my brother's weapon also offered to create me a set of armor and weapon, but he requested that I arrange the expedition."

"Who is the blacksmith?" Shadowbolt asked.

"Adapt Silverflame."

"Ah, he is a very talented blacksmith and his unique flame gives all of his creations a purifying quality and a certain immunity to curses. Very well, I will add your name to the waiting list and the moment Grand Master Sevenrings discovers an impending Metal Void Passage, you will be alerted and asked to submit your team for review."

"What are the requirements for the team?" Diego asked.

"You will need to create a ten-man team with at least three martial students and three supporting shamans. Your team will compete against another core disciple's team under the watch of a few Grand Masters to have your strength judged and, so long as you are at a proper level, your application will be accepted."

"Alright, thank you, master."