Callan Stone and the Akashic Records

(Word Count: 2,674)

The next few days passed, hiding out in a little cave I made for myself a little ways inland, healing. Unfortunately for me, Chi Healing speeds up the body's natural healing. At least, for the most part. It was supernatural enough to the point where I didn't have to cut off my legs or anything, but I still ended up with some severe scarring across my legs and back. I could still move around just fine, but I could feel the scars pulling with every movement.

When I was finally feeling clear headed, I checked through Chi Sense for any survivors on the ship, and I could only find two people. The two guys I had knocked overboard in the beginning of the fight. I had killed 48 people.

Realization set in and a sick nauseating feeling came over me and I was instantly clammy. 48 people. It was so easy once I stopped holding back.

I took a couple of deep breaths to hold in the urge to vomit. 'I had to do it to survive. It was me or them. Me or them. My family or them. I'll choose me and mine every time.'

As I meditated to calm myself, I noticed that my Low Cosmic Connection was closed off again. I groaned. The little mantra I was repeating did help me calm down, but what I was really doing was closing myself off to what I had done. Pushing my feelings aside and hardening my heart to not feel anything. It was the beginning to the path of the murder hobo.

No, this was the wrong way to do things. I couldn't close myself off to this. Not only to stop myself from becoming a murder hobo down the line, but to regain my Cosmic Connection. It was my best skill.

I began meditating again, and delved into my closed Water Chakra. Blocked by guilt.

I was flooded with all of the guilt I was repressing just moments ago. I saw myself once again in that engine room, killing all of those people. I did so out of fear and panic. However, what I was telling myself before was also true. It was me or them. I killed them to survive.

Every living creature wants to live. The loss of life is a shame, but it wasn't wrong of me to want to live. I took a deep breath. Feel the guilt, let it pass through you, and let it go.

My mind went back to my time with Master Piandao.

I was back at Piandao's, having just finished explaining to him about my origins and purpose for being here in this world.

Piandao took a long sip from his tea, a thoughtful frown on his face. "Callan, what is swordsmanship to you?"

I blinked, not expecting the question. "Well, it's a way to protect myself and those around me."

Piandao nodded, having expected the answer. "Yes, that was clear from the very moment you started your training. You're always defensive, never fully committing to your attacks. This is your greatest weakness. You are strong, stronger than everyone I've ever met, and yet you lack the will to kill. I know I have taught the mindset that the sword should be viewed as an extension of yourself, but you mustn't forget the purpose of the sword. It was made to kill."

I nodded with mixed feelings. "I know that I will have to kill eventually on this journey, but I would rather spare life when I can."

"You seek to protect your world from what is coming, but you must realize that when you return the most dangerous foes you will have to face won't be the growing population of monsters and beasts. It will be those that have traveled the worlds, just as you had. Humans. It will be a war the likes of which we have never seen. You won't be able to afford your mercy then, and so you can't afford your mercy now."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You must do everything you can to grow as powerful as you can, before you return to your world. You can't afford to hold back in fear of killing someone."

I opened my eyes, and I was back in my little hideout I had made.

'You were right, Master. I won't hold back anymore. I held myself back during the siege of the North Pole, and nearly failed to save Princess Yue. I held myself back during this fight, and nearly died. There is no shame or guilt to do what I need to do to survive and save my family.'

There was something magical about entering into the Chakras. They were your spiritual centers, so it was incredibly easy to resolve any emotional conflict one might have. Now that I was done moping, I pulled up my status screen.

STATUS SCREEN

NAME: Callan Stone

TIER: 1

GLOBAL LEVEL: 12 => 14 21,258 => 30,381/35,347 Exp

CLASS: Monk 4 => 10/10 782 => 9,586/9,586 Exp

CLASS HISTORY: Street Rat 10/10, Brawler 10/10

STATS:

Str: 30

End: 49 => 55

Dex: 26

Int: 15

Wis: 45 => 51

Cha: 15

Free Stats: 0 => 10

SKILLS:

Skill Points: 0  => 4

[Deception LVL 100/100]

[Forestry LVL 100/100]

[Axe Handling LVL 100/100]

[Wood Chopping LVL 100/100]

[Persuasion LVL 100/100]

[Hammer Handling LVL 100/100]

[Blacksmithing LVL 100/100]

[Sword Handling LVL 100/100]

[Knife Handling LVL 60/100]

[Sewing LVL 42/100]

[Cooking LVL 100/100]

[Leatherworking LVL 23/100]

[Running LVL 100/100]

[Sprinting LVL 100/100]

[Jumping LVL 100/100]

[Leap LVL 55/100]

[Acrobatics LVL 100/100]

[Sneak LVL 100/100]

[Muted Steps LVL 100/100]

[Hide LVL 62/100]

[Meditation LVL 100/100]

[Archery LVL 51/100]

[Carpentry LVL 100/100]

[Sailing LVL 80 => 85/100]

[Baguazhang LVL 100/100]

[Chi Manipulation LVL 100/100]

[Chi Sensing LVL 80 => 84/100]

[Low Cosmic Connection LVL 24/100]

[Horse Riding LVL 52/100]

[Fishing LVL 100/100]

[Wood Carving LVL 100/100]

[Swimming LVL 73/100]

[Drawing LVL 100/100]

[Haggling LVL 40/100]

[Chi Enhancement LVL 100/100]

[Parry LVL 100/100]

[Dodge LVL 100/100]

[Counter LVL 100/100]

[First Aid LVL 100/100]

[Intimidation LVL 30 => 40/100]

[Earthbending LVL 72 => 85/100]

[Seismic Sense LVL 74 => 80/100]

[Earth Softened Steps LVL 43  => 45/100]

[Chi Enhanced Senses LVL 100/100]

[Northern Shaolin LVL 100/100]

[Language(Hanzi) LVL 60/100]

[Calligraphy LVL 40/100]

[Situational Awareness LVL 100/100]

[Painting LVL 32/100]

[Sunder LVL 55 => 56/100]

[Pickpocket LVL 1/100]

[Discombobulate LVL 9/100]

[Tai Chi LVL 100/100]

[Singular Attention LVL 100/100]

[Divided Attention LVL 100/100]

[Teaching LVL 100/100]

[Chi Healing LVL 15 => 50/100]

[Pain Tolerance LVL 1 => 56/100] *NEW*

[Precise Striking LVL 1/100] *NEW*

WP: 3,200

I had gained over 9,000 EXP from that fight. I gained 2 Global Levels, giving me 10 free stat points and 4 skill points, and I gained 6 Monk Levels, giving me 6 points in Endurance and Wisdom. It seemed almost too little for such a huge moment in my life.

Regardless, my Monk Class was now capped and I got a new skill from it.

[Precise Striking LVL 1/100]

You hit precisely where you want to.

Increases accuracy by 0.5%/LVL

Increases damage/effect of your strikes by 0.5%/LVL

To be honest, the accuracy buff wasn't all that needed. I was already pretty precise in my attacks as it was. However, from the phrasing, I believe this also applies to any attack, not just melee. But the real bonus here was the increased effect of any strike I make. Discombobulate? Sunder? Now boosted passively. This made me wonder what other status effects I can inflict that will be boosted through this.

My mind searched through ATLA's story and I remembered Chi Blocking. It was very monk-like and matched this skill perfectly. Not only that, but it was also a type of bare-handed fighting, which was boosted by both my Brawler and Monk classes, I was sure it counted as a Chi skill, which was boosted by my Monk class. I could also see it being counted as a stealthy/sneaky skill because it could be used for quiet takedowns.

It was definitely a must-learn skill before I left.

Then there was the new Pain Tolerance skill:

[Pain Tolerance LVL 56/100]

Reduces pain by 1%/LVL

Very straightforward, but this skill was a life saver as I was recovering.

Putting the new skills aside, I now had to choose a new Class.

| Selectable classes: Martial Artist, Bounty Hunter, Archer, Swordsman, Earthbender, Soldier, Agent |

Agent 0/10

You've entered into the service of a secret organization

+1 Cha, +1 Wis, +1 Int

+25% efficiency to intelligence gathering and stealth skills.

+25% Learning Speed to intelligence gathering and stealth skills.

Agent was probably unlocked when I joined the White Lotus, but looking at the bonuses, I wasn't too interested in it. Instead, I chose Swordsman. With my newfound resolve to not hold back against my enemies, I didn't mind the extra lethality gained from the Class.

It wasn't just the lethality though, I'm pretty sure there are some hidden requirements to unlock new skills. Choosing this class may allow me to get a lot of new sword skills.

Swordsman 0/10

You've started on the path of the sword, taking one step closer to becoming one with the blade.

+1 Str, +1 End, +1 Dex per level

+20% efficiency to all sword skills.

+25% learning speed to all sword skills.

For my new Free Stat points, I split the 10 points and put 5 into Intelligence and Charisma to bolster my lowest stats.

STATS:

Str: 31

End: 56

Dex: 27

Int: 15 => 20

Wis: 51

Cha: 15 => 20

Free Stats: 10 => 0

The 4 Skill points I placed into Low Cosmic Connection, bringing it up to level 28.

Now, with all of the system stuff out of the way, it was time to get moving. I've been stuck in this dugout for several days already. My sword was cleaned, oiled, and resharpened. My armor was still burnt to a crisp though. I didn't have the tools to replace all of the burnt straps on the grieves, nor the paddings that had basically melted.

I'll have to replace them once I get into a decent sized town that had what I needed.

With a stomp, the outside wall fell away, revealing the outside.

My boat was hidden somewhat in a small creek bed, a hastily made overhang of stone was there to cover it. But now, looking at it with a clear mind, it was not hidden at all. I was lucky that no one had come by and seen it.

I loaded up what I could in a large backpack, and set off.

I quickly checked with Chi Sense and found that Hakoda and his men were actually closer to me now than they were a couple of days ago. They seemed to be heading south east, towards a nearby earth kingdom town.

I change direction and created a rolling wave underneath me to push me along quickly. Soon, I was skating along the ground at neck-breaking speeds. This was an idea that I had during my time in the North Pole. I was thinking of the coming plot points that were in season two when I remembered the scene in the season's finally of Toph hurrying back to Ba Sing Se, doing the same thing that I was doing now. I decided to call it Earth Skating, because it felt like I was roller skating.

It only took a couple of hours of travel, blowing past or through a couple of Fire Nation camps, but by the evening I was already approaching the Southern Water Tribe's camp.

My mode of transport was nowhere near the stealthiest, since it feels like a slight earthquake to everyone nearby, so by the time I actually reached them, they were all waiting for me with weapons drawn. They weren't overly hostile, seeing that I was an earthbender, but they were ready for anything that may happen.

I slowed down and stopped a respectful distance away from them, letting the earth fall and settle back down beneath my feet. Before I could open my mouth, Chief Hakoda stepped forward. "Who are you, and what business do you have with us?" He demanded. 

"Greetings, Chief Hakoda. My name is Callan Stone and I am here on behalf of the Northern Water Tribe. I have a letter for you from Chief Arnook."

I pulled out the scroll with the water tribe's seal on it. Hakoda signaled to his men, and they all put their weapons away.

"Hakoda!" Bato stepped forward from behind the rest of the men. "I recognize this man from my stay at the abbey."

Hakoda turned a discerning eye back to me, looking me up and down. "Really?" Seeing that the atmosphere was now much lighter, I stepped forward and presented the scroll. Hakoda took it. "Thank you, Mr. Stone."

"It's not a problem, Chief Hakoda. Bato, it's good to see you again," I gave him a nod in recognition before turning back to Hakoda. "On a more personal note, I also bring you news on how your children were doing."

"You know my children? How are they? Where are they now?" Hakoda asked eagerly.

"I visited the Northern Water Tribe, and Katara and Sokka were there with Avatar Aang. We stayed there for about 3 weeks, and we actually split ways just a couple of days ago. I'm happy to tell you that Katara has become a truly outstanding waterbending master. She has quickly become Grandmaster Pakku's best student. As for Sokka, I'm now his swordmaster. I taught him the way of the sword. He also got Princess Yue to fall for him. I think Chief Arnook will mention it in his letter."

Hakoda gaped at him before busting out laughing. "That's my boy! He got himself a princess!" All of the men cheered, slapping each other on the back.

"Wait a second," Hakoda gave him a suspicious glare. "You're not having any thoughts about my daughter, are you?"

It was my turn to gape at him. "What? No, of course not."

"Huh? What, she's not good enough for you?" Hakoda demanded angrily.

I scoffed incredulously, "Of course she is. I have no doubt she will be an amazing woman, but she's far too young."

Hakoda nodded in approval. "Good. And don't you forget it!"

"Alright, well, I delivered the message, so I'll be on my way now. I wish you all the best." I turned and made to leave, but Hakoda stopped me.

"Ah, wait a moment! Why don't you stay for dinner? I want to hear stories about my children!"

I sighed, but relented. I couldn't exactly deny him the chance to learn more about his children. "Alright, but I'll have to leave first thing in the morning."

"Alright!" Hakoda slapped my back and guided me forward towards the camp. "Come, we've got some stew cooking!"

~ CatAR ~

The rest of the night was spent with me telling the story of my travels, though I didn't mention anything about being from another world, how I met Katara and Sokka, the war at the North Pole, and my time training with them. Overall, it was a good night. The Water Tribe warriors made for good company, as they shared some of their own stories.

I ended up staying the next day with them, fixing up their gear and my own armor as well.

It was only the day after that, that I split ways. Using the Earth Skating technique, I shot off towards the Si Wong desert.

A day later, I arrived at Misty Palms Oasis, the small rundown town on the edge of the desert.