Growing Pains 303 Book 1 Chapter 36 (Patreon)

“Toi, can the Hindel form spirit contracts?” My question to seemingly no one had Alpha’s consort looking at me strangely. That was until Toi manifested. Then both consort and the male Hindel that hadn’t been introduced moved almost in tandem.

The consort moved in front of the Alpha, interposing her body so that she could meet any attack that Toi might launch. The male moved to attack, summoning a spear at spinning it faster and faster. The spear moved so fast that without my perception, I would never have been able to guard against an attack.

“What is the meaning of this?” The male Hindel thundered.

“This is my response to the Alpha’s question,” I replied nonchalantly. The shrug of my shoulders that accompanied my blase answer disputing my indifference. There was a tightness, the beginning of a martial form that I would release if Toi were attacked.

“The Alpha asked if she could share in the knowledge I gained from the Mystic Realms. While I did gain spirit plants, ores, and rare items, the crowning jewel in what I gained is a new path of enlightenment.

“Toi is a Spirit. One that was willing to form a contract with me. She will be able to manifest on the physical plane by absorbing the waste byproduct my astral body produces daily. 

“Don’t think of her as a spirit in the same context you might the natural spirits of this world. Think of her as an amalgam of knowledge, memories, and ideas. When I set the parameters for what I was looking for in a Spirit companion, I was greeted by dozens of spirits that met those criteria.

“Toi and I clicked. She has a breadth of knowledge one would expect in a Master Class Professional and the ability to control the Spiritual plane well enough to fight with me when needed.

“I know my people can form Spirit contracts, but before I can make any bargain with you, Alpha,” I said, addressing the woman and ignoring the man still playing with his spear. I had to admit, to some surprise, he had been playing with his spear for enough time; I’d have thought he would have been spent. “I need to know if your people have the ability to enter the Astral plane and form a contract.”

“Eerie, enough,” Alpha said as she floated over to examine Toi. 

“You are a construct of astral energies?” She asked after a few moments of examination. I’d felt her scanning Toi, but none of her scans seemed to be more than mental probes.

“I can say with some certainty that the Hindel will be able to form a Spirit contract,” Toi replied as Alpha moved back to claim her lounge. And no, I am not a construct of astral energies. 

“I am a living, sentient being. One that is capable of accessing a trove of knowledge that exists as part of the Universal Dao. Think of it as a library of sorts. A spiritual resonance that can be used to filter for and withdraw information if you have the right credentials.

“Jai was able to complete a  [Ritual] that drew me to her. If I hadn’t had the credentials required to access that aspect of the Universal Dao, she was searching for; I would not have manifested.

“I would have remained incorporeal. Still sentient, but ignorant of time and space as I waited.”

“How can you tell the Hindel are able to form these contracts?” Baamai asked her question containing enough hostility that I could tell I had made a mistake in allowing Toi to appear at the meeting without context and explanation. 

The consort and I hadn’t had a real chance to mingle. She had been required to go into isolation for a few weeks after winning her position. With my own time spent in the Mystic Realm, this was the first time we’d really had a chance to interact. And from her perspective, it would seem as if she and the other Hindel had been ambushed.

I felt a twinge of guilt but brushed it aside as inconsequential. I had to remember that they were using agents to gather information about me and mine. Their purposes might have been altruistic, but what happens if some point in the future, our goals no longer align?

“When Alpha scanned me, I was able to scan her in return.  Not completely, but enough to know she has an astral body. An astral body isn’t exactly the same as a Dharmic body, but the connection between the two is the link.

“As long as you can forge a bridge between the Dharmic and the Astral, you can complete the [Ritual] to form a spirit contract.”

“Now that we know you can perform the [Ritual],” I interjected, “I think we come to the heart of the matter. The price.

“I am willing to perform the first Spirit contract [Ritual] to prove the validity of Toi’s claim. If the person you select is able to form a contractual agreement, then I will share the secrets for creating the [Ritual], a supply of seedstock or cuttings from the spirit herbs needed, and a section of land in my territory where you can grow the plants.

“In exchange, I want the secrets, cultivation manuals, techniques, herbal knowledge, herb seeds, and samples; the Hindel’s capable of glimpsing the future use.”

I really resented that anyone had a method to see what the future might hold, and I had no way of reproducing, learning, or sharing those skills. I had planned to discuss Spirit contracts with Alpha regardless, but instead of an open exchange, I thought an equal swap of techniques and materials more equitable.

“We can agree to that,” Alpha hedged. 

“We won’t need land. We have our own spatial devices that allow us to farm spirit herbs, but the rest we can agree to. The only requirement we would need is also the reason I requested this meeting.

“We wanted to offer you the chance to become a [Voice]. But this offer is now a requirement. If you want the secrets of our precognitive techniques, you would have to agree to become a Voice.”

“What is a Voice?” I asked, never having heard the term before.

“A Voice is the equivalent of a land-based Alpha. You would gain access to the gestalt mind our people populate, access that you can share with those sworn to you or members of your House.”

“That seems easy and harmless enough,” I responded.

“It would seem so, but there are two conditions for becoming a Voice,” Alpha warned. “You would need to choose a Hindel to practice duel cultivation with. And you would have to proclaim your Sovereignty.

“Your Fief would become a Kingdom able to trade with the Empire but separate. A Kingdom that would have the full backing of the Hindel Empire.”