[49] Worse Than a Rampaging Demon

[49] Worse Than a Rampaging Demon

Tanisha didn’t sleep in her bed despite how comfortable it looked. She instead oped to sleep snuggling up to Bjorn on the massive familiar futon. She was tucked in her comforter against his warm belly as he curled around her. Morning came all too quick for the pair, as Joha arrived before the sun to start her training for the day.

Isi servants led them to one of the training halls. Tanisha was surprised to see that there were people up and training already; some doing various drills, katas or even meditation. She was wonderstruck, having never seen swordsmen practice before.

They got several turned heads as they walked. She didn’t know if it was because they were an odd group, or if they had already heard about them. Tanisha wouldn’t have long to ponder that, because as soon as they reached their training area she was distracted with pain. Despite the increases to her stats she found training just as difficult as it had been the first day. She hadn’t built up the muscle memory, and focusing on moving properly, adjusting maya, and controlling her breathing was difficult.

She found herself envious of Bjorn, who had fallen asleep watching her practice. Even so, she was determined to make herself stronger. She would give every exercise, movement and breath the respect it deserved. After two hours the sun finally rose while she was in lotus position, breathing in slowly and exhaling the blue maya.

“We are done,” Joha stated.

“Praise the Forest Father!” Tanisha said as she lifted her arms in triumph then fell to her side. She was quiet for a second before she asked, “Why is my maya blue when yours goes from red to black?”

Joha smoked his pipe. “It is our connection to the Infernal Planes; I draw energy from deeper within than you do. The darker the maya, the deeper the energy is drawn from. The fact that yours is blue and not white is a good thing.”

“What if it was white?” Tanisha asked.

Joha smiled. “I would not have taken you on as my apprentice. It is the weakest connection to the maya one could have, and means you have no talent for maya. Blue, on the other hand, is a common starting point. In fact I started there.”

Tanisha sat up and looked at Joha seriously. There was something that had been bugging her.

“Back at the gnoll camp.” She started almost at a whisper. “I didn’t feel anything when I saw those bodies. I mean I have been seeing a lot of bodies recently but... it was different. I had absolute apathy to what was inside of that tent. When I saw Tyr’s reaction it made me feel like I should have felt the same way, but...”

She locked that thought away, letting the maya have that one thing. She knew it was naive, but she didn’t want to feel that way toward her Bjorn. He didn’t deserve it. She could feel that he genuinely cared for her. Their bond and his actions proved that, many times over. He was not Sabec, he was not her parents, he was really hers and she would do anything for him.

She came to her senses in Joha’s arms. They were back in her room. She had spent the last forty minutes trying to escape his grasp and screamed obscenities and insults at him because of the cleansing. He told her it would happen, and he would not let her go until it was done. Removing the maya from her mind was a delicate process and if he stopped the effects could be irreversible. Now that she had experienced it she felt a part of the maya she hadn’t noticed before. She could recreate what he had done to her and control the effects maya had on her mind.

“I’m fine now,” Tanisha said, out of breath from all of the struggling.

“Good. This was actually the least explosive I have seen someone be in this process,” Joha said as he set her down.

Tanisha was embarrassed at herself; her face wet with tears and snot from her begging, threatening and sobbing for him to put her down during the cleansing. His words felt more patronizing than comforting. He materialized a handkerchief from the maya around him and handed it to her.

“Really, was it not that bad?” Tanisha asked. “And sorry for the things I said about your mother.”

Joha said with a chuckle. “The last person I saw undergo a cleansing was a behemoth, a greater demon. He destroyed a small village before it was complete. He also helped to rebuild after and no one died. So, in comparison, this was really not that bad.”

Tanisha's face was flush. “So, the only person that was worse than me was a rampaging greater demon?”

Joha rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well he didn’t insult my mother. Sooo, maybe this was a little worse.”

Tanisha pouted, wiping her face with the handkerchief. “I said sorry.”

***Author Note***

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