Chapter 35 Manor on the Edge of the Capital

Dressed in red, green, yellow and blue, the quartet appeared hostile. Their dress lacked the overall finery she had seen in others, focusing more on embroidery than the other embellishments. For a moment Iris couldn't place where she had seen this group of ladies before it hit her. They looked like the colorful streamer flags that she had seen in some of the remote mountain villages. Prayer flags.

"I would never imagine that you were so starved, is there something wrong with your father, now that your stepmother is in the picture?" It was voiced as a concerned, but it was clear that such was a slight against the duchy household.

"Ooo, this chocolate one is good. Lady Charlotte and Sir Father are in good health and spirts I'll send them your concern." If the sage had not been distracted by the treat table, she would have answered more properly from the start.

"It's a shame that the heir is to busy that she must not have time to eat than, rather than your common stepsister who was attended Marquis Vellum's and Lords Mandare's birthdays. Is there trouble with you that you could not attend?" Blue gal stepped in digging at her general unwelcomeness and difficulty joining social circles.

"After all the duchy was never blessed…"

"Do you think there's something wrong with Lord Lockheed."

"He did bring in some servant girl to play wife with…"

Whispers and gossip blossomed about. Valentine might have shirked but Iris was not even aware she was being belittled.

"You three seem angry for some reason. Here." With hands that could clear a tray of delectables in a flash, she jammed a tart, a cookie, a cake bite, and a mini pie into the mouths of Red, Green, Yellow and Blue respectively.

"Its easy to be cranky when you haven't eaten." With out waiting for a response the flag girls, Iris started to make her way to the long tea table, where she could sit and polish her plate off.

"Hey wait for me!" Countess Mocksure hurried along behind her, fan deflecting her grin.

"What happened to you?" Noble asked the gluttonous sage, amazed at the unorthodox way the sage handle the antagonistic ladies.

"If they were hungry, they should have taken some themselves, now I have less." Iris whined to the blond.

"You grabbed a few more on the way though…"

"Three, I had to give one up."

"Three? That's…wait that's not what's important." Lowering her voice, Mocksure admonished the sage.

"Its not polite to wedge food into someone's mouth!"

"Its acceptable, were both girls."

"That has nothing to do with it!" Even more the young noble wanted to know just what happened to the noble to change so much.

"Even if you have a head injury you can not just play everything off, others will talk." Having reached the table, Iris swept about after placing her delicate china plate on the table. Gently removing the chair for Miss Mocksure.

"Milady your seat if you presume." Something about the eyes made the countess blush cardinal ruby.

"Thank you." Were those eyes always so dangerous?

"I hope they serve some tea soon, as these treats are quite rich."

"Ah, yes, we should be seated for today's affairs." As the hostess for this gathering Baroness Barkhoaf, oversaw the general itinerary. Slowly and politely heading the crowed Lady Mocksure refused to stop and whispered a barrage endlessly.

"There's a long-standing tradition to not allow any deviation or weakness. Obviously head wounds are known to cause problems, but they clearly must be in a narrow-defined nature. Further more you look vibrant and healthy so one will constantly be-"

"If you wanted my treat so badly you should of asked." Iris responded after jamming a tart into her mouth, effectively ending the noble's tirade. Before she could spit it out iris leaned in close and decisively spoke.

"Now make sure you eat that; else I will have to put something else to your lips." The sages sultry voice washed over the noble, making her feel like her purity was in danger so she obediently nodded. Another noble lady happened to be behind her and was blushing furiously at the pair. That one got a jam cookie for her trouble.

"Please all be seated." In the background Barkhoaf was slowly gathering and other ladies took their seats at the table. Much to the joy of the sage incognito the table was quickly laden with snacks and tea was poured shortly after.

Iris ignored everyone and constantly found peace in the delectables. It was fine to do as she was supposed to be quiet and introverted. Most nobles seemed to think that forcibly fed was enough of a reason to stay clear. In turn the tea party itself was pleasant enough.

"I'm not sure if these gatherings make any sense." After some time Iris spoke quietly to the only two nobles who stayed close, Ladies Mocksure and Barkhoaf.

"How can you say such, these are critical events that most only dream about!"

"I get what you mean Lady Lockheed."

"Wait what?" Both ladies spoke simultaneously shocked that either would speak in such a manner.

"There is no way we can forsake such gatherings; they are the corner stone of nobility."

"They don't serve much purpose when we just sit and idly do nothing. Since the princess is so fond of me, I am forced to hold events like this so not to disgrace royal factions. Yet all I accomplished was that I spent the past three weeks working to the bone so others could use our house to gossip in instead of their own."

Iris was at a lost with their discussion, since she never felt her actions were anything but her own. One's position mattered little in the martial realm if one lacked strength to protect it. However it was critical for a ladies future in this kingdom.

"The princess did not come if I'm not mistaken." Iris added idly.

"Of course not, she would never attend the first event of the season, everyone knows that she can't attend any events until after the opening ball. Most attendees here are trying to get invitations."

"Aside from this moment the only thing I was asked about was her highness. I don't mind having others come and be merry, but I do wish they would show some restraint in their ambitions."

"If we are not ambitions than the only option is ruin. Fallen nobles suffer terribly, so we must always showcase our best self's. In fact, Lady Garthbill was speaking last year…"

Both Iris and the baroness knew that it was unlikely to stop the lady from rambling on endlessly. After three sentences about the glory of social gatherings Lady Mocksure wildly flailed and made muffled screams.

Iris force fed the noble an entire cake wedge to quiet her.

!@# !@# !@#

Something was strange about this world; noble Valentine had decided. Mongooses were not supposed to be that large.

"Why did I think this was a good idea?!" Screaming as she sprinted through the underbrush, trying to not grapple with the oversized carnivora several meters in length. Though not much taller or wider than the noble, the fuzzy creature was an expert grappler far beyond her own means.

To understand why the noble was fleeing one must look to her relative pass. Her play ended and her frustration at her lack of events for her journey drove her insane.

"A task, give me something to do!" Most sects held a commission hall, and the city of Lu Khan Ping did not have a sect of its own. Instead, a local guild hall served the city as a loose collection of commissions, mercenaries' investigators, placement agency and request for those willing to pay.

"Do you care at all what it is?" Most people were not that aggressive so when the waifish receptions received Valentine's identification jade, she desired as little contact as possible.

"Exciting, that's all that I need it to be." Her tag placed the noble as a cultivator of a major sect, whether her cultivation was enough that remained to be seen.

"Well, there's a person who wanted things from a 100 year spirt beast, however if you are not sure if you-

"Done, give me the quest papers."

Valentine had chosen poorly.

The request was for a 100 year spirt beast pelt, reward was the cores and other uses of the spirt beast plus nominal fees. The specific animal wasn't chosen but it needs to be a mammal pelt, 100 years. Unfortunately, there were only two kinds of spirt beast that existed in the frame of the city.

Seven species of snakes and two species of mongoose. White tailed which were more docile, and black tailed shadow boxers. The latter was more aggressive and loved to throw down with anyone who walked by.

It was the latter for Miss Lockheed.

Cursing in her native tongue, she had already lost the first bout, and was looking to find a way to limit its extreme movement. Spotting a small wedge of craggily land she hopped forward, vaulting to a thick low branch with leafy ends. A quick chop severed it from the tree. Brandishing it after spring boarding from the trunk, she drove her fluffy foe into the craig. Despite her efforts, at 100 years the beast had enough cunning to not stay confined and disengaged.

Breathing heavy for a moment, she used the chance to recenter, bringing her fatigue to nothing with martial calming arts, a cornerstone technique of the Bladeless Sect. The branch was too unwieldy so she let it fall.

Her opponent was quick to resume its attack, her options limited it was all she could do to keep up with black tail. Used to hunting snakes in the underbrush Valentine did what she could to cover her back with trees as they darted across the mountain wood.

"Hold I shall save you!" It was at this moment as expected that a man showed up, most likely named some pun for dragon, or son of heavens. He had a girlish face in lose robes. Ready to add as his first harem member in the form of the noble lady, he darted in sword gleaming in flickering forest sun.

It was fortune for this man that he wasn't blessed, rather some random cultivator delusion by fiction, who assumed he was the main character in a trite wish fulfillment novel. Had it been, otherwise, things would go very bad for this man when the Rainbow sage would get involved. His sword was nothing more than ordinary, and considering an opponent who significantly outclassed him…

Man was batted aside, wrapped up, bitten, scratched three times, and then rolled into a ball and kicked down a cliff by the black tailed beast.

It was a hollow day for the poor soul, and the noble rang funeral bells in her head for the boy.

One good thing the noble felt, the boy gave her a chance to observe the mongoose's fighting style. Facing the beast once more she smirked lightly. As expected, the snake hunter struck first. Unlike before the noble wasn't so overwhelmed. Using her whole body the noble stayed close grabbing fistfuls of fur, using her knees to bash inward.

Twisting the girl locked around the forepaw, the beast quick to nip at her open back. Recoiling as a num feeling impacted his jaw. The girls back had been hard as rock.

"Earthen Ware Armoring Technique!" Gloating that the teeth hadn't even pinched, the noble slung her arm, lashing out with a heel strike from her palm. The creature reacted quickly wildly biting and when that failed shaking like a wet dog to dislodge the human attached to it. Sent tumbling with a loose matt of fur in hand, the noble got back on her feet.

"Next step…" This wasn't going as well as she hoped so it was had to be time for an ultimate move to turn the tides in her favor. Her footing was solid, so she took a deep breath, exhaled than waited for her opening. As a beast, the shadow boxer had an intuitive feel for his opponent, something was serious.

For a moment the world held its breath, a loose cloth that had fallen some where gently tumbled about between the two fighters. Each stared down into the beady eyes of their opponent. On some unseen signal the two moved.

Valentine took initiate after a quick juke of the monster's lunge. Closing in despite his extra flexibility with her harden body, she grabbed onto whatever fuzz she could reach. He elbows and knees served better to bash the monster with than her fist. Violently batter each other the wriggled like an asp pit, the two hissed and bit at each other. Swinging wide the girl was tossed into a tree. Reacting quickly, she moved to kick through rather than slam.

Swinging through the barked shrapnel, ignoring her throbbing foot and minor cuts, noble lady switched arms and leveraged her swirling with a kick at its face. Going wide she dragged her self-inward, not that it mattered since the mongoose tried to crush her.

This had been the opening that she had been looking for. Shoving off the monster she brought both of her hands together on her wrist. Her foundation assisted her in strengthen the technique. Feet planted, once again in an absurdly sturdy stance, the girl unleashed her best move.

"Grand Steel split spire!" Two knife hands embedded themselves in the beast. Slashing across its midsection. Matte silver flashed like thunderbolts, impelled into the beast, fur petals fell about the noble, hair bouncing sanguine in the dim light. Robes fluttered delicately juxta positioned against the brutal scythes the cut into the mongoose. Amidst the fur, the noble looked at the wound she inflicted.

"Oh…" There were obscenities to be said, Valentine Lockheed had struck to early, leaving a bare shaven 'x' in the abdomen of the black tailed mongooses.

Not a drop of blood had been spilled.