“Apologies, is this not a good time?” The woman said, understandably confused by his lack of response and deep frown. The dark humor in the question shook him out of his trance.
“Oh.. no, sorry come in,” Taran said with a nervous laugh, “it’s been a long day.”
Scholar Cleric Liora stepped inside and looked around the house, noting the Rot lines coming from the back room. She rarely missed much, it’s why the Society sent her out here after all. Well, that and her typical wanderlust.
Liora hated staying in one place for any lengthy amount of time. She supposed being part of the administration of a Seeker group like the Lotus Society maybe hadn’t been the right path for her, but she still made it work by taking any and all requests that required travel.
This had started as a typical contract, ‘make contact with the new Seeker, Liora’ and ‘don’t pressure them too much, Liora.’ Liora had felt a bit more excited when she entered the abject chaos that now comprised the entirety of Akshaya Village.
“So… what can I help you with?” Taran’s question bringing her mind back to the room and to her duty.
“Yes, well, we were alerted about a new awakened in this area, and I was dispatched to come find you,” Liora said, pulling out parchment and a quill from her travel pack and starting to scribble notes on what looked like some sort of official document.
“Okay, wait, I’m going to need you to back up a bit here,” Taran replied, “so I’m a ‘Seeker’? What exactly is a ‘Seeker’ outside of the tall tales we were told as children? And you came from—wait, where exactly did you come from? Sorry, but this is all rather far fetched and if you can’t tell me the fastest way to purge Rot then I’m going to have to cut this conversation short.” Liora couldn’t help but notice his brief glance at the back room.
“Quite the uproar in the village today, and it seems you were not… unaffected,” she said while gesturing to the Rot lines.
“No, and speaking of, I’m sorry but I don’t really have time to waste here, I have to help my sister, she’s not… well,” Taran said as started to stand.
“Did it give you a Karmic Edict?”
That question quickly sat Taran back down.
“How do you know about... whatever ‘it’ is?”
“I understand you’re in a rush, but let me explain the basics, then if you’ll allow me to accompany you we can discuss more on the way.”
Taran sat in silence and stared at the odd woman in front of him, considering her offer. All he could think was that she was rather…plain, not ugly by any means, but not what he would consider pretty, just… plain. Her pale skin was highlighted by the unruly long black hair that kept falling in her face. He needed to get moving on the Karmic Edict that could save his sister, but if this woman could help him understand what was going on, maybe it would be worth the time. Sighing in acceptance, Taran gestured for her to continue.
“As I said, I am from the Lotus Society. A ‘Seeker’ is simply one with access to The Karmic Ledger. When The Wheel shattered, the system of Karmic judgment fell as well, running rampant and finally settling, somewhat, as a System that Seeker’s can access. The Ledger grades our deeds, feeds on our choices, and binds us to rebirth. The attribute screen highlights a physical, mental, and spiritual representation of you as you are today, the Ledger can help you improve over time. The ‘Dharma Path’ choices you were presented with are a reflection of the choices you have made in past lives, and the impact those choices have had on your karmic imprint. Now, what path did you choose?”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“Lightweaver. Not sure why, it just felt the most useful in the moment,” Taran replied, looking down at his hand, distracted by how insane it was that he could now whip deadly strands of light from it, and thus missing Liora’s slightly surprised raised eyebrow.
“Lightweaver, that’s a very… uncommon Path, one we haven’t seen in some time now. Anyway, you can improve your Path by upgrading your Lotus grade, gathering Dharma Seeds through killing, well, anything… though we would prefer if you stuck to Pretas, Voidspawn, and the like, the Karmic repercussions of killing sentient beings are not particularly pleasant.”
A memory of the men Taran had killed, unwittingly crossed his mind. He smiled weakly.
“In the Lotus Society, we refer to Seekers as ‘Dharmic Blades’ to reflect that we are not mercenaries, we are bound to three resolutions. One: Severing Naraka’s Tendrils by removing Rot, Pretas, Voidspawn, and any un-earthly beings. Two: Mending the fractured Wheel by gathering Godsplinters, lost pieces of the Wheel. And three: Enduring The Ledger by using it to gain power without losing yourself in the process.”
“Losing yourself? What does that mean?”
“Some threads might be best left unexamined for now… but let’s just say that gaining access to such a rare and vast font of power such as The Ledger can change a person. Many get overconfident, ego inflating and turning rogue, thinking that having power gives them the right to rule over others. Now, before we head out, can you demonstrate the first Lightweaver skill?”
Taran shrugged, standing up and letting the light threads fall from his palm, lightly singeing the floor where they brushed against it.
“Very good, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Dawnstrands. Are you willing to share your Ledger with me? Just sit in meditation and invite me in, you’ll know when you feel it.”
Taran didn’t quite trust Liora yet, but she was the only one he knew that had any information about what had happened to him in his ‘awakening.’ He nodded curtly and sat down on the cushions they had laid out in front of the east wall. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes, willing his Karmic Ledger to open before him and waiting for whatever came next.
In short order he felt Liora walk up to him and place a hand gently on his head, her touch warm and soothing. He relaxed his guard and found her sitting next to him in his vision.
- Taran Sandhin - Seeker
- Dharma Path: [Lightweaver]
- Lotus: Clay Petal [F]
- Dharma Seeds: 3/100
- Race: Human [F]
- Karmic Echoes
- [Asura’s Blood Debt]
- Karmic Epithets
- [Mara’s Touch]:
- Samsaric Crafts: None
- Karmic Threads: 0
- Sutras
- [F]
- Naraka Corruption: 16%
- Lotus: Clay Petal [F]
Liora stared in shock at the golden Sanskrit lettering on the parchment in front of her, her eyes instantly drawn to the bottom line. Her eyes flicked back up the page.
Opening her eyes, Liora gently prodded him from his meditation, “Taran, how exactly did you awaken?”
Somewhat shaken by her suddenly serious tone, Taran relayed all that had happened to him in the last day, his near-death in the Thousand-Hand Storm to his twisted interactions with Mara throughout. Taran thought nothing of it, assuming his Karmic Ledger was the same as anyone else’s.
“I see… and has Mara continued to make contact?” She hadn’t heard of Mara’s influence on a Karmic Ledger in hundreds of years, not since the rumors of The General’s downfall and that was over two hundred years ago.
“From time to time, he seems to enjoy the game of it,” Taran said with obvious bitterness.
“You’ve made an… interesting friend,” Liora said. “Let’s hope the Society doesn’t ask too many questions, and for now I suggest you keep that information between the two of us.”
Shifting uncomfortably due to Liora’s intense stare, Taran coughed, “Well, there it is. If you want to come with me, I’m leaving now. I have to find the Alchemist and ask him to watch over Anya while I’m gone.”
Liora stood up, grabbed her travel pack and nodded, following Taran out of the house. As they exited, a low moan echoed from Anya’s room, the black tendrils of Rot snaking under the door suddenly writhing and spreading.
“Taran, your sister’s not just infected— she’s a conduit.”