34. Refuge

  Stepping through the waygate, Di Ram was floored by the sheer number of unchecked auras he sensed all around him. Gold rank, silver, even bronze ranked cultivators were flaring their presence at maximum power as they walked around the suddenly occupied ruins of the Six Mountain Sect.

  Di Ram had been born in one of these buildings, and it was normally with sad nostalgia that he visited his father who had chosen to make these decaying buildings his own. Now, however, he was floored by just how many people were present.

  “You there! New arrival! This land is claimed by the Six Arms of the Tyrant wing of the Six Mountain Sect! State your business,” a stranger said, flaring a gold ranked aura in challenge.

  Annoyed, Di Ram flared his own diamond ranked strength. The challenger staggered, as did many others in the location. While there were millions of refugees from Majeesha, only about two dozen were at diamond rank, and in a culture were strength was paramount, Di Ram had just demonstrated his worth.

  His wives came through the waygate with the rest of the contingent from Mer’cah a moment later, with a total of two dozen individuals. Silver ranked and below, these were the same men and women who had helped him during his desperate flight south in the shadow of the undead uprising six years ago.

  “I am Di Ram,” He said sternly, not letting go of his aura for a second lest the fools think that it was a sign of weakness. “Where is my father, Di Phon?”

  “He is on the mountain. He has explained the precepts of deciding the patriarch of the Six Mountain Sect, and is facing off against Tyrantus, the highest ranked of our Diamond Ranked challengers to retain his position,” the fool state.

  Casting out his senses, Di Ram realize that he could feel the activated wards that protected the dueling mountain, preventing the vast energies of gold ranked fighters from leaking out. The wards were under strain, however, powered as they were by diamond ranked individuals and containing threats a realm above what they were designed for.

  “Who is in charge then? I come from the Many Peaks Alliance to discuss the refugee crisis of the new arrivals from Majeesha. We need to get numbers on how much food, clothes, and shelter your people will require.”

  The fool sneered. “We have the sect, what do we care about the weaklings who cannot fend for themselves in this new world? We will—”

  Abruptly the wards of the challenger’s mountain cut out. The fool turned with a grin, then frowned as he sensed something that he was not expecting.

  Flying down from the mountain, Di Phon carried the broken and bloody body of his challenger, Tyrantus. Beaten and battered but alive, the former occupant of the ninety-eighth floor was thrown onto the pavement for everyone to see while Di Phon, his shirt ripped away to show his musculature and the wounds he had suffered during the battle, shouted out “There! I have defeated the Majeeshan challenger and retain my position. As per the bylaws of the six mountain Sect, I am immune from challengers for two decades. If you have a problem with that, get the hell out of my territory.”

  The Majeeshans all exchanged looks. Then abruptly went back to minding their own business. They were from the lower floors of the tower, or from the towers where the children were trained in preparation for climbing the primary tower. They’d known all along that they had no say in who would win the fight, so aside from a few quiet bets, nobody had gotten that worked up about it.

  Except for the idiot who had challenged Di Ram on his arrival, who looked devastated. He ran over to the beaten challenger and dragged him into one of the buildings nearby.

  Di Phon saw his son, then flew down to greet him. “Hello, Di Ram. I am pleased to see you. I know that you have moved on from the sect to the Many Peaks Alliance, but for just now, I need administrators while I settle the foundation leveled children and the weaker members of the lower floors of the tower. I also need powerful fighters to keep the members from the higher floors in check. I humbly and formally request the help of the alliance in dealing with this crisis.”

  “Of course, father,” Di Ram said. “Let’s get started. How many mouths are we talking about.”

  Di Phon laughed. “I have no clue, most of these idiots can barely count past one hundred!”

  ~~~~~~

  “Thank you for the tea, Mai Mai,” Di Phon said, wearing a new set of robes and sipping on the delicious beverage.

  “You’re welcome. You saw my child’s father?” she asked.

  “Briefly. He dropped the Majeeshan refugee crisis in my lap then flew away to ‘pop another pimple.’ He did pass on word from Atla that you should eat more green vegetables during this stage of your pregnancy,” Di Phon answered.

  They were gathered in the receiving room of the patriarch’s mansion. Di Ram, Pi Phon, Di Sana, Di Tonilla, and six Majeeshans were also there, and Mai Mai was serving each of them tea. The Majeeshans were particularly impressed by the beverage and were silent as they actively cultivated with the energies contained within it.

  Everyone else was accustomed to Mai Mai’s tea by now and simply carried on in conversation.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “So then. We have millions of individuals. Everyone who was challenging the towers of Majeesha, wherever that is and whatever that means,” Di Tonilla said.

  “It is the place where our Lord, Little Bug, grew so strong, stepping from the Diamond Path onto the Platinum,” Di Phon explained. “He spoke of the details, which is why I expedited the fight with that idiot from the top tower, and also why I made the display that I did. They respect strength above all, but respect the rules of issuing and accepting challenges. I am secure in my position as their leader, for now.”

  “And if you lost?” Di Ram asked.

  Di Phon scoffed. “The Majeeshans are strong but shallow. There was little risk of that.”

  “So it was a gamble that paid off,” Di Tonilla said. “Simply state as much and you earn more respect than acting like it was a foregone conclusion. I can sense the wavering in your aura that shows you were forced to push yourself.”

  Di Phon looked at his daughter in law, then nodded his acknowledgment of her words. “You are correct. It was a gamble, but my victory was the surest way to claim the loyalty of the strongest of the Majeeshans.”

  “It’s not their strongest that I am concerned with, but their weakest,” Di Ram said. He pulled out the scouting reports. “There are reports of thousands of children between the ages of five and fifteen wandering around the forest. What do we do with them?”

  “Round them up, continue their education, and give them a purpose to life aside from just accessing the next floor of their tower,” Di Phon answered promptly. Then he shrank slightly. “Which is, admittedly, a task that is beyond me. Which is why I came to the Alliance to request help. I don’t know where to begin.”

  Di Tonilla sighed. “Well, we’ll bring out the food and clothing we have immediately. Fortunately the system of waygates means that we are able to draw resources from all over the globe. As we get more accurate numbers, we’ll have a better idea of the task ahead of us. Additionally, I’ll put out word that there may be many children available for adoption or integration into sects and clans.”

  “So we spread them all over the world?” Di Sana asked. “What about their families?”

  “They have none,” Di Phon said, shaking his head sadly. “Ask them yourself.”

  Di Sana turned to one of the Majeeshans who was cultivating with Mai Mai’s tea. “Di Phon says you have no family, but how can this be? Everyone has parents.”

  The young woman opened her eyes, then shook her head. “We are sterilized when we arrive in the tower. Our families sold us to climb the tower. We have only vague memories of anything but the climb. Climbing was to be our entire purpose for living until Lord Little Bug Challenged the tower and claimed us as his prize. He has taken from us our purpose, and I do not know what shall replace it.”

  “That is heartbreaking,” Di Sana said, closing her eyes, which brimmed with tears. “Thank the heavens that Little Bug broke that system.”

  “Ours was but one of many tower worlds,” the young woman said. “All alike in form and function. The practice might have been paused on Majeesha, but it continues elsewhere.”

  Di Sana nodded. Then she stood, kissed her husband on the cheek, and said “I do not wish to be part of such a heartbreaking meeting. I will go and see what I can do to help the displaced children.”

  “Sana,” said Di Ram, but she just shook her head.

  “I know how to deal with children, and even if I am no fighter I am on the silver path. They should respect me. It will be fine,” she said, stepping out of the room.

  He sighed and watched her go. Then he turned back to the discussion at hand. “So then, I see several possibilities for the refugees. Aside from the children who need caring for, we will integrate as many into the Six Mountain Sect as possible. We are also in desperate need for enforcers for the Many Peak Alliance, so any who would volunteer for that service would be welcome. Otherwise, I would suggest those who do not accept those options to make a pilgrimage across Atla to find their own place. There are many sects and some clans who are open to outsiders, or the Majeeshans may make their own. How do these offers sound to the ears of a challenger from Majeesha?”

  The Majeeshans exchanged looks, then shrugged. “It would be better if there were clear ranks,” the woman who spoke earlier said. “It is in our hearts to prove ourselves among each other. The fact that there is no hierarchy is causing heartache among many of the arrivals.”

  “You can take the Majeeshan out of the tower, but you can’t take the Majeeshan out of the tower mentality,” Di Phon said, stroking his beard. “Very well. The Six Mountain Sect shall reintroduce it’s ranking system.”

  The Majeeshans’ ears perked up. “How does it work?” the woman asked.

  “It’s very simple. We will institute weekly duels between the juniors. For those who don’t wish to partake, they will be able to earn contribution points by gathering resources for the sect. The ranking system was discontinued three or four centuries ago, but I’ll find the outline and update it for the current world and situation. When I have finished with it, we will distribute it. But it will require administration. I am hereby announcing that the roll of administrator is automatically worth one thousand points per month, the same as to be won through five duels.”

  “That will produce a lot of competition to become an administrator,” the Majeeshan predicted.

  “Yes. We will start the selection with a standardized test, I believe,” Di Phon said. “Beyond that, we will be weeding out those who cannot handle the strain, or the corrupt, or those who lack the scruples to handle their power appropriately. But it is administrators that we need more than anything right now.”

  Di Ram nodded. “I will take any of the golden path who wish to join the alliance. We have numerous locations which are struggling to deal with spirit beasts and rogue cultivators and other challenges and are turning to the alliance for help. I will instigate a bounty system similar to the ranking system of the Six Mountain Sect, so that successful completion of objectives have clear rewards.”

  The Majeeshans exchanged looks, then nodded.

  “This will be a good start,” the young woman admitted. “Let’s discuss the matter further.”

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