Casualperv Great Elder changed to Grand Elder
We made our way to the Grand Elder, Elder Laaka moved skillfully through the tower as if she were not blind at all. I could not help but wonder what technique she was using to aid such mobility.
“Can you believe this…” mumbled Safi as she trudged after us.
“Somehow, yes I can,” I said, with just as much resignation. We arrived at a much larger room than anywhere else we’d seen in the tower. The Grand Elder was poring over a thin stack of paperwork. Next to him stood two disciples, they watched him with nervous faces.
The Grand Elder looked up as he heard us approach. “Mele, to what do I owe the pleasure?” He spoke with a soft voice, polite and relaxed. His sudden movement gave the two waiting disciples a fright.
“Hello, Grand Elder Frederick. I’m afraid my presence here will be more of an inconvenience than a pleasure. But, it’s good to see you too.”
“How could that be? The mountain itself would have to be crumbling for me not to enjoy such an occasion.”
“Ah, well.” she chuckled. “It’s certainly not that bad.”
“Then give me five minutes to finish with these two,” he said as he returned to working.
“Absolutely,” Elder Laaka said as she bowed.
“Your friend?” I asked with a whisper.
“Certainly,” Elder Laaka whispered back. “He was the one that brought me here. I think he just needed someone to have some more intelligent conversations with,” she said cheekily.
“Will Aleki accept this arrangement?” I wondered if the friendship between them would cause a bias that would be unfair to Aleki.
“Ultimately it does not matter who oversees the trial, the truth-tellers will be able to find out who is lying and who is not. The Grand Elder just oversees the proceedings, to make sure nothing goes wrong. They also ensure the sentencing is carried out.”
“I understand,” I nodded. We waited for a while longer until Grand Elder Frederick was finished with his duties. He shooed the two disciples away then turned to us.
“Who have you brought me, Mele?”
“My two disciples,” she said as she patted me and Safi on the shoulder. “And, this one - who attacked them whilst they were on a mission.”
“Attacked, you say? Is this an accusation?”
“I’m afraid so,” nodded Mele.
“Then a hearing will need to be arranged. Kerie,” he spoke a name loudly. A man rushed in with disciple robes a different colour to the ones I was used to seeing. Aleki was not wearing his disciple robes for the attack. “Fetch me this boy’s Master, inform them of a hearing tomorrow concerning an accusation against their disciple.”
“Yes, Grand Elder,” the man bowed before leaving.
“Then, leave the defendant and the accused with me, I will keep an eye on them until the hearing.” The Grand Elder said with finality.
After Elder Laaka finished talking with Grand Elder Frederick about how she had finally managed to snag herself two disciples, her and Safi left, leaving me alone with the Grand Elder and an unconscious Aleki.
“Sen’o, I hope you are telling the truth. Elder Laaka is a good friend and I would be very upset to find that you were causing her trouble.”
“If she is such a good friend, you should have more faith in her choice of disciple,” I said unhesitatingly. The Grand Elder reacted with raised eyebrows then chuckled.
“I suppose that is true,” he said. “Well, it’s unfortunate for you, but the rules dictate we keep the involved parties isolated before the hearing to avoid any meddling. I hope you understand.”
He took Aleki into his arms and ushered me to follow him. Eventually, I found myself in a small room with a bed. I assumed Aleki would be taken to one similar, I had informed the Grand Elder that Aleki would wake up soon and would have to be caught up on what had transpired.
I decided to at least use my time to cultivate. I was still far away from reaching the qi capacity of the second layer so any opportunity to chip away at it I was grateful for. It was unfortunate that I still did not have a partner so that I could make the most of Redemption’s Rose, but solo cultivation was still possible until the third layer.
I was interrupted eventually by the Grand Elder. It was the next day, and the time for the hearing had arrived.
I walked behind the Grand Elder, we followed a path that did not lead back to his room, I was yet again headed for a location I was not familiar with. The closed, indoor nature of the Sect meant that I very rarely had my bearings, the only way to know where you were going was to have gone there before, or been given directions.
Unlike it the usual outdoor sects where it is open and easy to navigate, this one was maze-like and confusing. All the corridors looked the same, rocky and boring. That was until you were going somewhere special. I was definitely going somewhere special now.
The rock was a dull green speckled by black drops of crystal. I could vaguely see my warped reflection as we travelled through it. Within the rock face was carved hundreds of people, all looking further into the tunnel. I got the feeling I was approaching an important part of the Sect’s history.
Grand Elder Frederick led me through a tunnel, away from the one we were travelling through. He opened a small set of doors and revealed a room filled with people.
I had never seen so many people gathered since coming to this world. Currently, every single one of them was looking directly at me. Even someone as well-travelled and experienced as me froze for a time.
I recovered my poise just as quickly as I lost it, the Grand Elder showed me my seat, to the left of a large desk. He left again, presumably to fetch Aleki. I was still the centre of attention, no one took their eyes off me.
I spotted Safi and Elder Laaka at the front. I gave them a cautious wave and forced a smile. Safi laughed at how uncomfortable I was which made me unwind a little bit. Then I saw Chit the Silent, she was wearing her usual head wrap and she was sitting next to Safi.
I then saw the most surprising member of their group: The girl I’d beaten up, the one I could safely assume was Aleki’s sister. I must have shown my surprise because she gave me a shy wave then looked away.
Finally I found Itzcoatl, he was sitting next to a girl, happily chatting away. Neither of them noticed me looking so I swept my eyes through the crowd. I saw some more familiar faces in Ta’oma, Jamie and Donia, the four-armed woman.
After finding everyone I knew in the Sect gathered in one place, I realised that just as Itzcoatl had said, this was a big deal.
Aleki finally entered, a collective sound of gasps as if they were not expecting him to actually come through the door sounded throughout the crowd. I saw Aleki’s sister looking at him with disgust.
Grand Elder Frederick took his seat at the table in between Aleki and I, and began talking.
Casualperv Hello :) thanks for reading my story. I made a Ko-fi account (linked below the chapter) if you would like to support me directly it would be greatly appreciated! If not, don't worry this story is not going anywhere. There is no content available behind a paywall and there never will be for this book or Mongrel. I might end writing something completely seperate and put it on Patreon or something but I'll start out slow. Love you all
Casualperv Great Elder changed to Grand Elder
We made our way to the Grand Elder, Elder Laaka moved skillfully through the tower as if she were not blind at all. I could not help but wonder what technique she was using to aid such mobility.
“Can you believe this…” mumbled Safi as she trudged after us.
“Somehow, yes I can,” I said, with just as much resignation. We arrived at a much larger room than anywhere else we’d seen in the tower. The Grand Elder was poring over a thin stack of paperwork. Next to him stood two disciples, they watched him with nervous faces.
The Grand Elder looked up as he heard us approach. “Mele, to what do I owe the pleasure?” He spoke with a soft voice, polite and relaxed. His sudden movement gave the two waiting disciples a fright.
“Hello, Grand Elder Frederick. I’m afraid my presence here will be more of an inconvenience than a pleasure. But, it’s good to see you too.”
“How could that be? The mountain itself would have to be crumbling for me not to enjoy such an occasion.”
“Ah, well.” she chuckled. “It’s certainly not that bad.”
“Then give me five minutes to finish with these two,” he said as he returned to working.
“Absolutely,” Elder Laaka said as she bowed.
“Your friend?” I asked with a whisper.
“Certainly,” Elder Laaka whispered back. “He was the one that brought me here. I think he just needed someone to have some more intelligent conversations with,” she said cheekily.
“Will Aleki accept this arrangement?” I wondered if the friendship between them would cause a bias that would be unfair to Aleki.
“Ultimately it does not matter who oversees the trial, the truth-tellers will be able to find out who is lying and who is not. The Grand Elder just oversees the proceedings, to make sure nothing goes wrong. They also ensure the sentencing is carried out.”
“I understand,” I nodded. We waited for a while longer until Grand Elder Frederick was finished with his duties. He shooed the two disciples away then turned to us.
“Who have you brought me, Mele?”
“My two disciples,” she said as she patted me and Safi on the shoulder. “And, this one - who attacked them whilst they were on a mission.”
“Attacked, you say? Is this an accusation?”
“I’m afraid so,” nodded Mele.
“Then a hearing will need to be arranged. Kerie,” he spoke a name loudly. A man rushed in with disciple robes a different colour to the ones I was used to seeing. Aleki was not wearing his disciple robes for the attack. “Fetch me this boy’s Master, inform them of a hearing tomorrow concerning an accusation against their disciple.”
“Yes, Grand Elder,” the man bowed before leaving.
“Then, leave the defendant and the accused with me, I will keep an eye on them until the hearing.” The Grand Elder said with finality.
After Elder Laaka finished talking with Grand Elder Frederick about how she had finally managed to snag herself two disciples, her and Safi left, leaving me alone with the Grand Elder and an unconscious Aleki.
“Sen’o, I hope you are telling the truth. Elder Laaka is a good friend and I would be very upset to find that you were causing her trouble.”
“If she is such a good friend, you should have more faith in her choice of disciple,” I said unhesitatingly. The Grand Elder reacted with raised eyebrows then chuckled.
“I suppose that is true,” he said. “Well, it’s unfortunate for you, but the rules dictate we keep the involved parties isolated before the hearing to avoid any meddling. I hope you understand.”
He took Aleki into his arms and ushered me to follow him. Eventually, I found myself in a small room with a bed. I assumed Aleki would be taken to one similar, I had informed the Grand Elder that Aleki would wake up soon and would have to be caught up on what had transpired.
I decided to at least use my time to cultivate. I was still far away from reaching the qi capacity of the second layer so any opportunity to chip away at it I was grateful for. It was unfortunate that I still did not have a partner so that I could make the most of Redemption’s Rose, but solo cultivation was still possible until the third layer.
I was interrupted eventually by the Grand Elder. It was the next day, and the time for the hearing had arrived.
I walked behind the Grand Elder, we followed a path that did not lead back to his room, I was yet again headed for a location I was not familiar with. The closed, indoor nature of the Sect meant that I very rarely had my bearings, the only way to know where you were going was to have gone there before, or been given directions.
Unlike it the usual outdoor sects where it is open and easy to navigate, this one was maze-like and confusing. All the corridors looked the same, rocky and boring. That was until you were going somewhere special. I was definitely going somewhere special now.
The rock was a dull green speckled by black drops of crystal. I could vaguely see my warped reflection as we travelled through it. Within the rock face was carved hundreds of people, all looking further into the tunnel. I got the feeling I was approaching an important part of the Sect’s history.
Grand Elder Frederick led me through a tunnel, away from the one we were travelling through. He opened a small set of doors and revealed a room filled with people.
I had never seen so many people gathered since coming to this world. Currently, every single one of them was looking directly at me. Even someone as well-travelled and experienced as me froze for a time.
I recovered my poise just as quickly as I lost it, the Grand Elder showed me my seat, to the left of a large desk. He left again, presumably to fetch Aleki. I was still the centre of attention, no one took their eyes off me.
I spotted Safi and Elder Laaka at the front. I gave them a cautious wave and forced a smile. Safi laughed at how uncomfortable I was which made me unwind a little bit. Then I saw Chit the Silent, she was wearing her usual head wrap and she was sitting next to Safi.
I then saw the most surprising member of their group: The girl I’d beaten up, the one I could safely assume was Aleki’s sister. I must have shown my surprise because she gave me a shy wave then looked away.
Finally I found Itzcoatl, he was sitting next to a girl, happily chatting away. Neither of them noticed me looking so I swept my eyes through the crowd. I saw some more familiar faces in Ta’oma, Jamie and Donia, the four-armed woman.
After finding everyone I knew in the Sect gathered in one place, I realised that just as Itzcoatl had said, this was a big deal.
Aleki finally entered, a collective sound of gasps as if they were not expecting him to actually come through the door sounded throughout the crowd. I saw Aleki’s sister looking at him with disgust.
Grand Elder Frederick took his seat at the table in between Aleki and I, and began talking.
Casualperv Hello :) thanks for reading my story. I made a Ko-fi account (linked below the chapter) if you would like to support me directly it would be greatly appreciated! If not, don't worry this story is not going anywhere. There is no content available behind a paywall and there never will be for this book or Mongrel. I might end writing something completely seperate and put it on Patreon or something but I'll start out slow. Love you all
