The Martial Unity



BAM!

Rui activated Flux Earther, harmlessly dispersing the energy of her charge, as he glanced down at her with a puzzled expression.

This was not what he expected.

In the place of a cold and apathetic was a delighted and ecstatic person.

"You returned!" She exclaimed. "And as a Master! How did you do that so quickly?!"

Her voice was one of joy, one that did not hide how pleased she was to see him. She did not hide how shocked she was at the fact that he had reached the Master Realm when he was just a Squire just two decades ago.

"K'Mala..." Rui murmured as he studied her with a quizzical expression. "You seem to do well these days. Congratulations on having become the tribe chief, however late I am."

She got up from him, smiling. "That happened ten years ago. It's not even special, just an annoying position with lots of responsibility and work."

"...Uh huh." He frowned; he wasn't sensing the tilt to psychopathy that he had been primed to expect.

"You've changed so much." She muttered. "You used to be so weak, but now you seem to much stronger than me."

Rui's smile strained at her words. "It's not like I was particularly weak, given my age at the time."

"Hah! You used to pretend to be strong back then just so you could have our attention!" She laughed at him.

Rui did recall that, in fact. He used to use the Mind Mask to pretend to be grade ten back then because the G'ak'arkan Tribe only respected strength. There was no other way to fulfill the mission that he was entrusted to fulfill.

Looking back, however, it was indeed a tad bit embarrassing.

"That was purely due to my mission, I assure you."

"Hah, sure, you can tell yourself if you want to."

Rui glared at her lightly as she indulged herself by laughing at his expense.

"Well, what brings you back to our island?" she asked, after finally calming down.

"It's a simple matter, really," Rui replied. "We, the Kandrian Empire, are currently in a war. We need all the help we can get. We hope to enlist you in our war effort in exchange for anything we are able to provide that is commensurate with the value of your services."

Her expression grew intrigued. "An invitation to war, is it? That is unexpected; I didn't think that you would be coming for me myself as opposed to my tribe's techniques. I thought you came for our techniques."

"Well, that was why my friend came along as well. I, however, came for you."

She giggled at his words. "Well, I'm honored."

"Came for you for war, that is." Rui felt the need to add that clarifier for some reason.

Her expression suddenly darkened as K'Ahru and N'Kulu cautiously landed behind them, finally having caught up to her.

"What are you two doing here?"

The two men gulped as the chilling peril of a Martial Master sent chills down their spine.

"I thought I made it clear, did I not?" She glared at them coldly. "Absolutely no leaving the tribe until you complete your homework."

Rui did a double-take when he heard that word. "Homework...?"

"Help us, Rui of the Kandrian Empire!" K'Ahru tried to force Rui's hand by making his request in front of K'Mala. "Save us from this tyrant!"

"Oh, I see..." Her voice grew cold. "You tried to appeal to him to save you from me, didn't you?"

The two men winced at her words.

"Looks like I'll have to take the time to train you once more; come personally, you will never dare to do such a thing once more."

"No!"

"Sorry for the trouble!"

They scurried away as they returned to the tribe in fear.

"Hmph, if you weren't here, they would experience pain unlike anything they have ever felt before." She turned towards Rui with a smile.

Rui, on the other hand, stared at her with a serious expression. "K'Mala, just what have you done to them? I can't imagine what must've happened for them to feel this way about you."

When her attention had turned to them, Rui was able to sense apathy and a lack of warmth in her eyes that only seemed to return when she gazed at him.

She gazed at him for a moment, shaking her head lightly. "It's not what you think."

Rui raised an eyebrow. "I think I know what I saw. I saw people scared of their leader."

She heaved a sigh as she grabbed his hand, tugging at him.

"Come, I'll show you."

Rui let her pull him as they sky-walked across the island. It wasn't long before they happened upon a large village that had almost sextupled in size since Rui last remembered it.

"This..." Rui's eyes lit up with interest.

The sophistication of their civilization had risen since Rui last recalled. Their huts used to be made of mud; now, however, they were made of neatly carved wood that made for larger homes that could accommodate more people and a greater quality of life.

On top of that, the clothing that the people of the tribe donned had evolved beyond just animal pelts wrapped around their bodies to a form of flora-derived fabric that could be woven into clothing articles.

That wasn't all.

"Agriculture." Rui's eyes lit up with intrigue as he spotted tilled swathes of land outside the village.

It appeared that the G'ak'arkan Tribe had transitioned from a hunter-gatherer society to an agrarian society over the span of twenty years.

He continued studying the village and its people as they descended from the sky. He didn't fail to notice the people scurrying in fear when the two of them arrived. He also noticed them gazing at Rui, holding hands with her in intrigue.

"Ahem." He tried gently to extricate his hands from her unwilling grip.

"Come." She pulled him in the direction of a particularly large building made from mortar, wood, and stone. "This is what I wanted to show you."

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