Along the road from Deepmere, a minor procession traveled the dusty road. Azura could see two carts laden with various crops and other food supplies. A third had multiple mining tools and smelting equipment. Around two dozen kin trailed behind the carts in various states of shabbiness. Six mages, two per cart, rode and directed the horses. Both the horses and kin received the lashes in equal measure. Azura gritted her teeth. Such a sight had become commonplace in the past year. Yet every time she saw it, it felt like the first time. The rage never went away. She suspected it wouldn't until her people were free. Unfortunately, that was a slow process.

"I don't see any other mages besides those on the carts," Hamal said from his prone position beside her.

"Could be a trap," Gerald said from Azura's other side.

Azura thought it over. It could be a trap. However, the goods in the cart were tempting enough to take the risk. Their little forest village now had nearly four hundred kin. Food was becoming an issue.

"We take it. Let's go with plan C," Azura said. Hamal chuckled. That was his favorite. Word spread as the cultivators gathered.

***

Azura and Hamal, dressed in long cloaks, stepped out before the caravan. Predictably, there were shouts of concern from the various mages. The front wagon slowed as it approached. Azura held up her hand and waited to see what happened. Sometimes, they ran for it. Others tried to run her down. Most simply stopped. This was one of those.

"Greetings, mages," Azura called playfully, tossing her cloak aside now that they were too close to run. "I'm afraid that you have to pay the tax."

"Tax? What tax?" The mage on the front wagon asked with a gulp. By now, she had become quite infamous.

"I don't think they know about the tax," Hamal said, turning to her.

"What! How could they not know about the tax?!" Azura shouted in mock outrage.

"Perhaps we should enlighten them," Hamal offered diplomatically.

"Ah, yes. Naturally, you're right, my good kin," Azura said, nodding as the other mages joined the front two.

"The tax is called the Magebane tax. You have to give us all your kin. Then you must pay them for services rendered for the previous year."

The mages were sweating at this point.

"My dear Azure Magebane," Hamal said. "You forgot the fees again."

"Thank you for correcting me," Azura said, shaking her head. "We have administration fees, processing fees, kin mistreatment fees, and processing fees."

"You already said processing fees," one mage replied weakly.

"Oh, that's because I usually mess up the paperwork, so I need you to pay that one twice," Azura said, smiling at him. Other cultivators were now arriving, gathering the enslaved kin. Many of the rescued kin cheered.

Before they approached, the cultivators had been waiting for Azura to stop the caravan. No one was yet at the liquid ki stage, but their mana density was far beyond anything the mages could conceive of.

"Lucky you," Hamal added. "I believe everything you have should just cover these outstanding charges. Once the inspection is completed, you will be on your way."

"Magebane! Come quickly!" A kin said from the back.

The mages grew noticeably more nervous and began to stutter as Azura left them behind. She was quickly at the kin's side. Following his gaze, Azura gasped upon seeing the occupants of the last wagon. Wordless, she turned, marching back toward the mages, now cringing before the storm. Her gaze was death.

"It wasn't us!"

"Please have mercy! We didn't do it!"

Hamal took one look at her and pulled his knife, ready to gut the nearest mage.

Azura seized the nearest mage by the front of his robes. She effortlessly hefted him off his feet.

"EXPLAIN!" Her bellow of fury seemed to shake the ground.

"We bought them that way!" The terrified mage said.

"There's a bat-shit crazy elf in Deepmere who does… things to kin. After she's done, her servants sell them cheap."

Azura trembled, her breathing erratic. "Who's the elf?!"

"Ulvandia!" The mage hollered as he shook like a leaf in a tornado.

Azura dropped the man. "Run!" She commanded. If they weren't out of her sight soon, she would kill them all. The mages needed no further encouragement. They fled in random directions.

Azura watched them go before turning back. Hamal was already at the back wagon, his face as furious as hers. Slowly, she walked back.

The three kin were still mostly whole. That was the best you could say. Mostly whole. Their minds were an entirely different matter. They were in such bad conditions that Azura couldn't tell what type of kin they were.

They had been skinned and were now completely wrapped in bandages like a mummy. Azura wasn't sure how they even survived the process. She could only recognize them as kin from their basic shape. One was probably some type of snake-kin. The others she couldn't identify. None of them were coherent.

"What do we do?" Hamal asked. Azura hesitated before speaking. She wasn't sure. Hell, she never had to deal with this kind of thing before! Well, that wasn't entirely true. She did heal her mother…

"We stick with the plan," Azura said before turning toward the ten now freed kin.

"I am the Azure Magebane. Come with me if you want, or you can make your own way. I will free you of your slave runes, regardless of your choice. So choose now. Time is not on our side."

All ten chose her. She quickly activated their mana pools. While doing so, she used their mana to burn away the foreign mana in the slave runes, breaking them. The freed kin and her cultivators started toward the river as she sat beside the injured kin. Taking a deep breath, she gathered a piece of her solid ki and put it into her finger. She gently placed it on a gap in the bandages.

The kin stirred but was too delirious to be aware of anything. The first thing was to activate his mana pool. That was a simple matter. Azura had done it hundreds of times. Next was something new. She took control of his blood using her crystallized ki as a link. Unlike the first time when she healed her mother, Azura's ki was now attuned to blood. With a link to the kin's body, she could bring her ki inside. Once there, she infused the kin's blood with power. Blood flowed from his pores, filling the gaps where his missing skin had been.

The bandages attempted to soak up the precious fluid, but she didn't allow it. Now, the tricky part. Starting at a spot in his hand, Azura changed the blood. She didn't transmute it. Instead, she commanded it. Her will infused into the blood would not be denied. Slowly, the blood changed, becoming new skin. As it did, she lost control of the new flesh. Quicker and quicker, she converted the blood coating the kin's body to healthy skin. As she withdrew the solid ki, she noticed that the liquid ki she had invested was gone. It wasn't simply exhausted. Azura grimaced at the loss. Her ki wasn't meant to heal. That healing had taken about a week's worth of passive mana absorption from her ki spiral. Resolved to take the loss, Azura moved on to the next kin.

***

Akira awoke slowly. His mind was fuzzy. His body was blessedly pain-free for a change but utterly exhausted. Even after awakening, he could hardly move. He was as weak as a newborn. But he was comfortable for the first time since… well, this nightmare began. He lay there in a state that was neither sleep nor full wakefulness. He was afraid that if he moved, the dream would end. Fearful that the elf would command him to her chamber. No! He didn't want to think about that. That was when voices started.

"We have to get revenge!" A young woman's voice shouted.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"How are we going to do that?" Another voice replied.

"I can sneak in and take her out. Her and all those fucking elves."

"I've heard of this Ulvandia," a voice said, and Akira trembled at her name. "She's a representative of the elves. Killing her would cause a lot of trouble."

"Leaving her alive would be worse," the young woman's voice continued.

"Let's discuss it at the meeting later. Aren't you going to the center today anyway? We have a bunch of cultivators who want to use the spot," the other voice replied.

"Did something claim it again?" The female voice asked.

"Go ask Gerald," the other voice said. "He was on watch duty there. It could be good practice for them."

"No. I want to do it," the young woman's voice came. "I really need to kill something."

"How violent you are, daughter of mine!" The other voice exclaimed.

"I take after my mother."

Silence followed, and Akira started to relax when footsteps came toward him. His heart pounded. Was it another elf to take him to the mistress? Was it his turn again? No, no! Not again! Not ever again! He tried to get up but only succeeded in falling out of bed. The steps sped up, and a curtain was thrown back. Akira looked up, afraid it was the sadistic elf, and all this was a new game of hers. His near-panic state relaxed slightly as a white cat-kin walked in.

"Are you okay?" She bent down toward him. He'd expected her to help him to his feet. Instead, she scooped him up like a baby before putting him in bed. She was a lot stronger than she looked.

"Where am I? Who are you? Are there any elves here?" This voice broke at the last question.

"It's okay. You're safe here. This is Azure's Rest, a kin village. My name is Coralline. I run the healing ward. And there are no elves anywhere near here. If there were, they would be dead."

Akira began to cry in relief. It was over. It was truly over. Coralline scooped him into a hug as he wept. Her soft fingers stroked his tan fur, avoiding his missing ears. Tentatively, he reached down and confirmed his tail was gone. He wasn't even recognizable as a mink-kin anymore. As he calmed, his last memory from his time in the elf's care returned. She had skinned him alive. The agony… oh, the blistering agony… the bitch took her time. Whenever he passed out, she stopped until he was awake, then continued. She kept rambling about what a glorious memento he was leaving her all the time. The crazy bitch kept telling him how generous he was… Bile rose in his throat. Turning away from the cat-kin he vomited. It wasn't much. That took the last of his energy as he collapsed back to bed.

"It's okay. You're not alone," Coralline said. "Tabatha, can you get a mop? We have a mess over here!"

"I'm sorry," Akira said, coughing.

"It's no trouble," Coralline said, holding his hand. That was the first time he noticed that he had his fur. How was that possible? Didn't he lose his skin?

"Do you think you could keep down some soup?" Coralline asked.

Surprised, he now noticed his hunger. He was, in fact, ravenous. It was surprising. Over the last few days, he hadn't wanted to eat.

"I think so."

"I'll be right back," Coralline said, pulling away. As she left, a cute rabbit-kin came in, mop in hand.

"You feeling better?" The rabbit-kin asked.

"I, I think so. You're Tabatha, right?"

"Yup, cultivator Tabatha at your service," she chirped happily.

"Cultivator?" Akira asked.

"Oh, I guess you don't know that yet. The master does the first few lessons with the new recruits, so you will learn it all then," Tabatha said.

"Oh… okay," Akira said, not understanding anything. "Do you know how I was healed? I thought I would die. I was ready to die. But now… I can't believe I'm going to say this. I feel good. Better than good, actually."

"That'd be your awakened mana pool," Tabatha said. "Mana has all sorts of benefits to the body."

"Awaken pool?"

"I guess you haven't focused inward yet. Your mana pool has been awakened. That feeling of extra vitality is just a minor side effect. Once you start training, you'll be amazed."

The girl was crazy. Kin didn't have awakened pools.

"As for your healing, I wasn't there, but the master said you were in bad shape. She healed you best she could after awakening your mana pool."

Akira shook his head. This was all so crazy. Did some rogue mage go about healing kin?

"Who's your master?"

"The Azure Magebane. You'll meet her later today or tomorrow."

"The Azure Magebane!" Akira gasped. He'd heard legends of her. Whisper rumors of a kin so powerful that mages fell like wheat before her. Even the mages talked about her fearful whispers when they thought no one was listening.

"You can't be serious," Akira said, trying to sit up. Tabatha eased him back down.

"I am," Tabatha said. "She rescued you and a group of kin yesterday. You arrived in Azure's Rest last night. You've been out for about a day or so."

"Tabatha, you shouldn't make him so excited. He's still recovering," Coralline said, a bowl of soup in her hand.

"I wasn't," Tabatha protested.

"Uh huh," Coralline said. "You can take off early and cultivate. I can handle this."

"Sweet!" Tabatha cheered, racing off with the mop. There was that strange word again. Cultivate. What did it mean?

"Is what she said true?" Akira asked.

"Is what true?"

"Is the Azure Magebane here? That she saved me."

"Yes. Don't worry about that now. I want you to eat, then sleep. You'll have plenty of time to ask questions later," Coralline insisted. She held a full spoon out to him. With an overwhelming motherly aura, he obediently opened his mouth.

All his questions were answered with a full spoon and motherly patience. He had no defense against such a strategy. He gave up and just ate. It wasn't long before sleep claimed him again.

When he woke the next day, he was surprised by how well he felt. Whatever was in that soup seemed to empower his entire body. He felt like he could run a mile! Tentatively, he got out of bed and looked at his surroundings thoroughly. The room he was in was well crafted. Strange for kin to have such a place. The boards were made from a tree he wasn't familiar with and had a smooth, black shine. A single window allowed light in and was covered by a thin cloth. Standing up, he pulled the fabric aside.

He was expecting a shanty town. An area that was barely held together. One that could be left behind with little loss. That wasn't what he found. He found a thriving village in a forest glade. Homes constructed in massive trees hung in the canopy, just like the one he was in! Rope bridges led from one tree to the next while kin of all types were busy with various duties.

A hidden village of kin. Of course! That was why the mages hadn't found them. They must be hiding in a forest somewhere. But it was odd. The only place he knew of that had trees this big was the mana forest. He couldn't be there. He would have died from mana poisoning if that were the case. Turning from the window, he walked out of his little room.

The larger room appeared to be some type of clinic. Various shelves contained bottles that held a variety of herbs. Others had what looked like preserved meat. A few other beds were on the side walls, and other curtains led to what he presumed were other rooms like his. All the other beds he could see were empty. The only occupant of the area was the white cat-kin he'd met earlier. She wasn't paying attention to him and instead seemed to be in some sort of trance. She sat cross-legged on a small mat in the center of the room. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to be intently focusing.

He waited over three minutes, but the kin continued, oblivious to his presence. Not knowing what to do, he coughed. Surprised, the kin tumbled to the side.

"I'm sorry!" Akira said. "I didn't mean to startle you!"

"It's okay. My fault for sneaking in some cultivation while waiting for your group to wake up."

There was that word again.

"My group?" Akira asked.

"Yes, two others were in similar condition as you. Although they weren't as bad. I'm just waiting for them to wake up. Then we can all take a tour of your new home."

As if summoned, the two side curtains opened. A lizard-kin and a brown cat-kin emerged. Both seemed wary.

"Excellent," Coralline said, clapping her hands. "Let's begin the tour." Akira turned toward the others. He knew them both. All of them had spent time in the sadistic elf's care. Together, they followed the cat-kin into their new home.

***

"We've had to keep most of the buildings up high or underground due to the mana beasts, but they don't cause too much trouble," Coralline explained as the group walked across a bridge to another giant tree.

Akira frowned. "Why are their mana beast here?"

"We're in the mana forest. But don't worry!" Coralline went on. No doubt she saw the alarm on his and the other's face. "Each of you had your mana pools awakened. You're in no danger. However, before you can undergo any training, you must decide if you want to stay with us. We can escort you to the nearest village if you don't wish to stay. Do you want to stay?"

Well, that was an easy question. Akira vigorously nodded his agreement, as did the others.

Coralline smiled. "I thought you would, but one should never assume. Besides the medical facility, we have living areas up here and an area for cultivation, depending on your style. The training grounds are to the left of us and over there," Coralline pointed. Akira followed the direction and saw a wide, open tunnel that seemed to extend deep into the earth.

"We have the underground living areas, general storage, the smithy, kitchens and dining hall, and various other facilities. You can choose either living area you would prefer," Coralline went on as she took a spiral staircase downwards. The stairs wrapped themselves down the tree's length and were excessively wide. The reason for such space became apparent as a row of kin trotted up the stairs, all carrying heavy weights.

Coralline chuckled. "Some like to train on the stairs. Feel free to decide your own pace once you start."

Once on ground level, they walked around the massive tree and saw the training grounds up close, where the foliage had previously hidden it. Akira gawked at the sight. Kin were training. Several were running some type of obstacle course while carrying weights. Others were striking at dummies with various attacks. Akira quickly turned away from those and focused on the arena. Two kin were sparring there. At least it looked like sparring. It was hard to tell. They were moving so fast! With each step, they blurred forward, landing strikes that shook the nearby plants. A bear-kin missed his swing as his opponent ducked. They were over five meters away, yet the wind from his strike violently blew through his fur. Instinctively, he raised his arm to shield his face as the duel continued.

"That's the sparring arena. Some like to test out their full power there. If you want to use it, just be careful not to injure your partner," Coralline said as they moved toward the tunnel. Akira followed, moving awkwardly as he watched the fighters continue. One seemed to be a rat-kin who was moving like lightning, and a bear-kin who seemed frustrated he couldn't catch him. Akira shook his head in amazement. They moved toward the tunnel entrance, hiding the combatants from sight.

"Hi, Mom!" Came a shout from farther in the tunnel. There stood a blue-haired half-cat-kin. Akira felt his blood run cold. She had to be…

"Oh, hi honey," Coralline said, hugging the young woman. "Finished already?"

"Yup. It was just a manticore. Didn't even last two hits." The girl shook her head sadly.

"Not much can take a single hit from you," Coralline said as she pulled away. "I believe you know our guests. They've decided to stay in the village."

"Excellent! My name is Azura. People call me the Azure Magebane," she cheerfully said, sticking out her hand to shake. Akira unsteadily reached out and grabbed the proffered hand. Dreams really could come true.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.