The Void Knows: Part II
By DocWolph



It's a beautiful morning...uh...afternoon...

Roughly a week had past, by Amy's reckoning, and the studying was only getting
harder and more detailed with every turn of the virtual pages in the Mystic
League's vast libraries. Everything from basic "slight of hand" (some of which
Amy was surprised at how unfathomable simple some of these tricks were) to the
most advanced Cosmic String Emission "procedures" that even Rae hadn't even
learned yet were arranged in a complex but logical order that was easy to
index but hard not to get lost in. Obviously a deliberate feature to
discourage inexperienced students from gleaming too many secrets before they
were ready. Still, Amy was forcing herself to learn an entire new discipline
as quickly as she could...and it was giving her a massive headache.

Days and nights pasted rather quickly on the league space station. When Amy
realized just how large and natural the orbiting...refuge was she almost lost
her balance. The Mystic league is built in and on an asteroid just under 700
miles across. It hung as an additional moon over the Earth- like planet she
was told was called M'lesso by the natives. Amy was not yet permitted to meet
the native beings on the planet but was told that they were a culturally
advanced civilization made up of some twenty different species. Their
technology was primitive, pre-industrial, and yet pleasant and promising. The
people were very pleased that Menikomenqolui was appointed as their world's
new guardian after the last guardian, Namaliushio, went mad and tried to kill
them all. Rae made quick work of Namaliushio but only after she was able to
find him...

As Amy's mind was so focused on study and training, which was not done in
great amounts here - to her amazement and dismay, she never learned how Rae
actually defeated the elder dragon. After about six or seven days, Amy's mind
had had enough. Her powers of concentration were tapped dry and she had
trouble even carrying a simple conversation. Meditation only made things
worse... It was times like this that she truly appreciated her guest
quarters...

Even the most posh and luxuriant suites on Earth were scarce competition for
the vast, almost mansion sized, quarters. Each room was a "Versailles, France"
unto itself... The sheer luxury and opulence of her room assignment was
utterly mind-blowing. Not surprisingly, after getting to know Rae a bit
better, the pooch didn't much like her huge apartment place and lives in much
smaller quarters (about the size of a 10,000 square foot home). Still Amy
liked her's and now, most especially, the enormous bed... It was set in the
middle of a vast ornate room made the look like the inside of Russian Czar's
palace bedchamber. The bed was surrounded by translucent white draperies
accented with fine lace-like patterns woven as to look like they were grown of
pale green planets. The bed itself was oblong and nearly 25 feet from
end-to-end. it's thick silken covers were a cool green hue that shimmered in
the slightly filtered sunlight. Amy was too mentally spent to care about
bathing and plopped right down on the bed. It was firm and despite the sheets
apparent thinness, they weighed like wet blankets. Amy never quite noticed;
given her great strength it was actually very cozy. She fell asleep. Strangely
she never had any dreams... Amy simply dismissed it as a complete mental
shut-down...

The following day, Amy was up after nearly ten hours of sleep. She was at
first upset that she had so badly over-slept but quickly got over it as she
found a hot bath being drawn by gracefully designed robots. The bath chamber
was a smaller, more private, affair than the bedroom. The was still very
ornate and refined. Designed largely like a Roman bath with the fantastic
ornament of a Czar's palace, Amy was beginning to feel spoiled. Still, she
stripped to bathe. One robot, that resembled a far less clunky looking C-3PO,
quietly provided her with all she required... Until now there had not a single
word been spoken...

"Mistress Brigand-Anderson," The robot was quiet and respectful, "I have
today's itinerary available for your approval. Would you like to inspect it?"

Amy looked at the robot a moment. She was just beginning to lather up a
washcloth, "could it wait a..." Amy really was in a hurry, "Read it to me,
Would you?"

"Of Course. All times have been adjusted to your chronological standards."

"Naturally," Amy began gently scrubbing her feet. Her gigantic breasts were
pressed out of the way by her long legs as they were brought closer so to
reach her feet.

"After lunch, you have managed to sleep through breakfast, you are to meet up
with Rae Iksaki at 1430 hours. Her last class for the day will be adjourned at
that time. You will then continue your training today by engaging in your
first real lessons of channelling cosmic radiance. This is expected to last
all day and a late dinner is scheduled as a contingency."

Amy had worked her way up to her deep abs and narrow waist. Washing her upper
body was the biggest chore...for obvious reasons. "What time is it now?"

"1226 hours, Mistress Brigand-Anderson..."

"You can simply call me Amy."

"I am afraid that I am not programmed to be so familiar with those I serve. I
am sorry, Mistress Brigand-Anderson."

"Never mind then," Amy handed the robot her washcloth, " Could you scrub my
back, please?"

"As you wish." The robot's strokes across the contours of her sculpted,
wrought-iron, back muscles were like a most exquisite massage... Amy found
herself enjoying the experience trying to remember that it was a robot and not
a person as her masseuse...

After sending the robot away, The remainder of Amy's bath was rather
uneventful. She had noticed some growth in her breasts but they seemed a bit
softer yet much more perky. She figured that she'd picked up a cup size in the
last week. To the average eye that much growth on her chest was totally
miss-able, but because of her near obsessive attention to the details of her
physical growth, Amy saw it quite clearly. her waist seemed unusually thick
but her trunk was covered in enlarged, deepened, and hardened, muscle... The
only areas were there was no conspicuous growth were her arms and legs. That
sense of power that she felt when she tapped into Lord Rhodin's aura was back
but as a faint shadow of what she experienced then. Amy found it encouraging
that she was able to feel such power again. Now to her expanded waistline.

Don't you eat too much! There's dessert...

Amy went to lunch at the scheduled time, about 1300 hours, to meet with Rae.
She wore a specially made version of her adventure dress. The league tailors
were very precise and worked like machines to complete the dress. Made of a
finely woven mesh of Obsidium crystals, an naturally occurring alloy that was
clearer and more indestructible the more pure it was, and a fine white silk.
Her usual shoes were replaced with toeless socks made of the same material.
lastly her new golden wristbands. Amy could clearly feel their weigh, they
contained advanced force field generators to aid her in using her already vast
strength. The whole outfit would have bankrupted Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne
together if they tried to duplicate it. and it literally weighed a ton and a
half. Still she was able to move in it as if she were nude. Those tailors are
incredible, she thought leaving to meet her teacher.

On her way she noticed the myriad of species moving about as if in some
Ivy-league college. When Amy had asked about this Rae had simply explained,
"This is not so much a franchise combat sports league like the name implies,
but a school to teach and train in the ways of sorcery and how to use those
skills and abilities with the best effect... Species from all off the known
universe and parts beyond apply for entrance but Meniko will only admit a
scant few each year. There are only about 220 students here even though we
have dormrooms for up to 5000..." Amy thought it a little odd to admit so few
until she learned of the intense psychological, and physical screenings to
make sure only "right-minded and stable" persons are allowed to participate
and of "Mau" , the only Mystic Leaguer to actually, by mission of action, kill
more than a dozen people using his vast strength and power...

Amy finally made it to Rae's humble corner of the school. The portal was a
robust, almost Celtic, design that felt like something from D&D. The huge
doors were carved granite covered in deep colored glass that shifted colors
like soap bubble. Combined with the cheery and hospitable framing, the whole
ensemble felt like a Disney set. Amy scanned the door for a knocker or chime
of some kind...even after a week, she was still searching...force of habit.

"Amy!" called out a familiar voice. She turns to see Rae and her sister,
Fatima, making their way down the canyon-like corridor. Rae was her usual
happy visage, wearing a very tight dark blue dress so short that there was no
way it could cover her white panties, a pair of matching leggings with no
feet, and a set of hefty looking wrist bands and anklets. This is Rae's
current fighting uniform and her most famous outfit. Fatima was like wise
dressed in her own fighting uniform, but the anklets were an more elaborate
pair sporting a few evenly spaced jewels and more gold trim. Just seeing them
both together, Amy still couldn't tell which was the older sister except to
already actually know them.

"Rae!" Amy was happy to see her new teacher and Rae was happy to see Amy fully
rested. Fatima was dismissive of Amy but polite as she went on by. "Good
Afternoon, Fatima..."

"Mah'ee'lae," Fatima said in her native tongue without looking back. She kept
going as if Amy hadn't said anything at all. Her footsteps slightly vibrated
the floor. Many of the mystic leaguers did this inadvertently when holding
down a great deal of emotion...either joy or anger. Seeing the pooch-girl's
face it was obvious that it was anger...

"She still doesn't much care for me..." Amy observed trying not to sound
upset, "She's still angry about me be chosen over her?"

"Yes..." Rae said with a sigh. Her sister had become so headstrong and almost
as violent as Kina. "She's a far cry for the happy little pup I had to raise
years ago. I just wish I could help her get back to that state. Sato Hima says
it's because she thinks she's competing with me... I used to believe that but
now..."

"I'm sure she'll come out with it soon," Amy could see the heartbreak on Rae's
face. The cute, soft features dimmed as she grew ever more concerned with her
sister's emotional state...

"I really hope so..." Rae's heart sank. She could sense the future and it
wasn't a good one...

Lunch was an absolute banquet. It is as if the horn of plenty burst, Amy
thought. The huge dining hall was one of the many communal areas in the
school. Dishes and delicacies from across the cosmos were prepared and served
everyday in this school. To Amy's surprise the food was generated in a field
of energy...like StarTrek replicator technology. So everything that wasn't
eaten was recycled as energy. This also proved to be a help when M'lesso
suffered a famine or natural disaster. Meniko sent supplies when and where
needed. When Amy first saw this she was shocked and even morally outraged at
the apparent greed and subsequent waste... Of course, knowledge cures all
ignorance...and Amy came to see this as another example of one dragoness'
vision of Olympus...

"I never got to ask I was so busy studying," Amy poked at a dish that
resembled a chocolate covered beef steak which turned out to be one of Amy's
favorite dishes. It was actually a thick cut of a log from a tree that when
cooked perfectly mimicked cattle beef in smell, taste, and texture... She
asked for the seeds seeing an opportunity to severely curtail hunger on Earth
but was stopped by legal provisions that prevent the sharing of biomatter,
plants and/or animals, with worlds unable to rid themselves of it if the need
or desire arose. Amy never asked again. Still with so much food one thing
still nagged at her, "I know that huge bodies need to eat a great deal to
remain healthy..."

"That would be Kina or Fii," Rae obviously had to answer that question before,
"Each one can pack away more than two tons in a single sitting and neither
shows a single bodily sign that they have eaten more than a few platefuls."

"How do they do it? I'm sure you've figured out how..." Amy was curious but
also a little worried. Were they that hungry? Maybe it's some side-effect to
their training and/or powers?

Rae was quiet just a moment, "Why don't we ask them? I never could get the
particulars straight anyway..." Amy was again hit with a nervous chill at the
mention of that brazen, butch, lioness. Over the last week, she'd tried to
avoid Kina hopping not to have to put up with the near constant poking,
prodding, and general bullying. Even if Kina's behavior was most likely just a
lioness establishing and maintaining her place in the hierarchy, Amy just
couldn't think of any way to deal with the big catwoman...

Two hugely muscled eating machines were greedily chowing down a literal
mountain of food. Despite the speed and utter savagery of this feeding frenzy,
not a crumb was dropped, nor spot of sauce spurted, nor bone left uncleaned -
most were eaten anyway. It was like watching a time- elapsed film of two
people eating very neatly and courteously. Amy was told of Fii before but
never met her till now...

Fii is a very large Malyar lizardine, a very reptilian specimen with sheer
scales that looked like very polished, glass-like grass green skin. She was
clearly larger and more muscular than Kina - but not by much. The huge female
lizard was, of course, breastless but boasted monstrous pecs that gathered and
bounced, when relaxed, like huge boobs. Her eyes were amber but shifted
periodically to a blue-violet then back. Thick ridges over the eyes, looked
like they were pasted on bits of polished metal not scale. All this, and she
was dressed in a tight dark gray and gold bodyglove with short legs stopping
only a few inches from the crotch and sleeves cut off half-way down the huge,
nearly barrel-shaped, forearms. An even more imposing figure than Kina, with a
mouth full of finely treated crocodile's teeth to boot...

"Fii...Kina," Rae was very polite being careful not to lean in too close. Last
time she did, she found her whole arm down Fii's throat.

"Rae..," Kina was the first to stop and smirk, "Hey meaty..."

"Don't," Rae gave the lioness a stern glance that instantly took the smirk off
Kina's face.

"That's Amy?" Fii's voice was husky but still very pleasant, "I pictured
someone a lot smaller and less adorable..." Fii was definitely friendly unlike
the majority of her race who longed for battle and supremacy over the
universe...

"Thank you," Amy bowed respectfully, "I was just wondering...if you don't mind
my asking...how do you two eat so much?" Amy tone rose as if shocked and
almost amused at the same time...

"Well..." Fii stood up, from her meal, towering an easy 9 feet tall, "I
was...an experiment by a twisted little dog of a scientist, Master
Serendoe..."

"Jinks!!" shot a few voices from across the dining hall. Their voices echoed
off the high ceiling and far walls.

"Funny," Fii was obviously not going to tell a happy story, "Trying to create
a fighter of, as he put it, 'perfect power', Serendoe messed with the
gene-codes and biochemistries of dozens of young unsuspecting members of the
League of Super-Powered Athletics. He had many marginal successes... None of
them were no worse off than when he began... I wasn't so lucky... My body got
stronger faster than my normal metabolism can sustain. Now I have to eat
incredible amounts of food just to survive... But when a silver dragoness
approached me, she sent me here to learn how to tap what I needed from the
universe. I did and Meniko was gracious enough to show me how right away. I
still have to eat a lot but I can go several days without eating...just
water...if that..."

"This Master Serendoe..." Amy started only to be cut off by another "jinks!!",
"Reminds me of some of the villains on my world. They think nothing of the
effects of their work only the assumed rewards..."

"I hope to be like Rae and not have to eat ever again someday," Fii looked at
her fuzzy friend. both exchanged approving looks.

"I just eat this much because I can," Kina bragged falsely...

Fii laughed at sharp, hammer blow, of a bass laugh, "Hah! You were in the same
boat I was in. After Serendoe was done with me, and left me to starve to
death, he did the same thing to you. The only difference is that he fixed his
procedures so you didn't have to eat all the time like a shatmik beetle just
to live..."

"It's true," Rae smiled at Amy who was obviously a little disturbed by the
tale, "Kina's body is like a bio-mass reactor. The more she eats the more
energy she has that she can turn into pure strength. One time she was able to
match me for a few seconds but it cost her all her energy and she passed out."

"I see," Amy was amazed thinking of the possibilities and the potential
tragedies. She could make out Kina's aura and could see how much power she had
accumulated...enough to match the total nuclear armory of Earth hundred times
over. She looked at her own dish, the "wooden" steak, and just left it... She
wasn't hungry anymore.

"What's wrong, friend?" Rae was concerned but not overly, "Everyone gets a
little sick watching those two eat for the first time..."

"I can imagine," Amy was not happy to hear Fii's fate and the reason to grow
so much stronger...to combat the effects of a warped scientist's sick dreams,
"I wanna get back to training again. I still have a mission to fulfill,
remember?" Her voice was direct and serious.

"Of course," Rae said sweetly but with what seemed a heavy heart. Amy found
this rather simple-speaking, pooch to be a witty and well-thought female not
to be underestimated. Rae had half-heartedly commented that she was often
teased as being a bit of a simpleton or a ditz... Rae was neither ever, just a
simple-spoken person who didn't want to mislead anyone...

They leave the dining hall. Amy was not sure but she could swear Kina was
watching her ass... The blue haired human blushed a bit pulling down her skirt
over her muscular hind-quarters.

Hold on! This isn't a contest...

"It isn't about strength," Rae was moving too quickly to be seen clearly by
Amy, "It's about your ability to control to energy in and around you. You're
nothing alone but the universe has all that you need... All you have to do is
learn to tap into it..."

Amy lowered her head to try to focus her concentration. As an aura magic-user,
Amy was accustomed to using the power within and building it up like a muscle
to increase her power. But it was obvious she could only go so far. Painfully
obvious as Rae continued to churn the air as she moved, at will, past
super-sonic speeds a round the huge training space under a dome on the surface
of the asteroid that is the league. Amy could feel nothing. She could remember
with perfect clarity the volumes of information that she had studied and yet
could not bring it together to simply speed up to see Rae's movements.

Rae stopped a few feet in front of Amy, "It's not about the knowledge either.
Still your busy mind, quell your fiery spirit, and leave your flesh unmoved
and the universe shall come to you... It's something Sato Hima told Fatima
when she was having trouble... She got it right away..."

Amy raised her head a looking at Rae with a raised eyebrow, "You keep
mentioning Sato Hima. Who is he?"

"He's the smartest person I have ever meet...besides Havvon..."

"Old boyfriends?"

Rae looked at Amy with wide eyes, then a bashful, blushing, face, "I almost
married Havvon. Sato Hima... He's a Casid lion like Kina but was groomed to be
the best leader he can be. He's a leading administrator here and the greatest
friend I have ever known beyond my own family." She thumped Amy's huge breast
causing it to bounce, Amy instantly caught her bounding chest to bring it to
rest, "Back to work... Now don't think and don't feel. Don't do just be...
Just be..."

Amy took a deep cleansing breath and gently closed her eyes... she felt her
body go limp and could feel it's weigh, girth, and power. It seemed so small,
so frail, like nothing... Then she heard voices... One was angry and
demanding, the other was Rae's, patient and passive... She opened her eyes...

"No, Fatima," Rae stood squarely in her sisters path, "Amy is not strong
enough yet. It wouldn't be fair challenge..."

"Sissa' I have every right to show you that I can be a better champion than
Amy!" Fatima was nearly shouting trying and failing to hold down her anger, "
I have trained for years to get this far and I can go further! But the whole
time no one ever took me seriously..." Her eyes begun to run wet with
heartbreak and a child's long submerged pain, "Everyone always looked past me
to you because I'm just Rae's baby sister... Fatima's not strong enough...
Fatima's still too young... I am so strong enough and I am not a baby
anymore!!! Now let me show you!!!!" Fatima grabbed her sister and tried to
throw her aside.

Rae wasn't visibly fighting back but she couldn't...wouldn't be moved. She
looked back at Amy who was quiet almost in shock. Amy wasn't sure if she was
afraid or simply felt Rae's overwhelming sorrow and pity. Amy gave a deep
swallow and moved up to Rae, "Let her show you..."

"Amy..." Rae was solemn, "I...don't think it would be a good idea... She's so
much stronger than you can begin to imagine..."

"I have a good idea of were she's coming from," Amy was still and solid as a
statue, "I had to push to really make my friends take my abilities as a genius
and a fighter seriously. I have since vastly surpassed them but..." Amy
stepped back and bowing her head, "Teacher please let your sister show you
what's she's accomplished..."

Rae lowered her head with a heavy heart... The pause was crushing as Rae was
made to feel the full weight of her responsibilities as an older sister and as
a teacher. Rae was quiet for a long few minutes, "I am sorry... Amy. You will
fight my sister... Aul help me if I'm wrong..."

Fatima's face lit up with a look of satisfaction Amy had only seen on the face
of villains who were about to do something they knew was wrong but would enjoy
anyway... Rae faded from sight with tears in her eyes... Fatima's cold smile
melted as she saw how she hurt her sister.

Amy was angry now as well. not at Rae or Fatima but how this whole situation
was so unfair to everyone.

"We don't have to fight," Amy said sensing Fatima's powers building, "You have
nothing to prove here."

"Yes I do," Fatima assumed her ready stance, not unlike that of a kickboxer's,
"I am Rae's little sissa' and that has to be made to mean more than the little
puppy that follows her big invincible sister around... I am not some little
pup who has to hide behind my big sis. I never had to and I never will... Make
ready!!"

Amy assumed an akido stance hoping to use agility and grace against what was
sure to be an onslaught of brute force. She could not remember when she fought
an opponent that felt so unbeatable, so strong, so young and angry... She took
a deep breath, "Ready..."

Rae materialized just past the training room doors... She tried hard to stop
her tears but it was all for naught. As she looked back at the locked door,
two streams of tears rolled down her canid face. "Fatima...Amy..."

"Rae Iksaki?" came a strong male voice. It was an always familiar voice
belonging to Sato Hima. He towered over Rae at nearly nine feet tall, though
solidly built he was fully dressed in suit the more closely resembled a toga
and pants. He looked like an ancient Greek councilman with a lion's proud
face. His features were much like Rhodin's but leaned more to the feline.
Bright amber eyes seemed to glow amidst the frame of his trimmed and groomed
copper-orange mane that flowed well past his shoulders. "It is unusual for you
to let anyone see you cry tears meant for anything besides joy."

"Fatima is going to fight Amy," Rae held off her sobs as the tears slowed a
bit, "I think I have failed as their sister and teacher respectively..."

"Who asked for the bout?" Sato was calm and understanding but gave off an sura
of supreme competence.

"Fatima demanded the fight to prove herself...to me."

"Did you allow it at that point?"

"No... Amy asked me to allow it even after I told her she wouldn't stand a
chance..."

"I take it you allowed them to fight at that point. Why?"

Rae quaked a moment not sure how she came to the decision. Her mouth was dry a
she could feel her tears welling up again, "I trust them...both..."

Sato walked past Rae to the door and opened it, "Come then. You have nothing
to fear..." Rae followed still afraid for both Amy and Fatima...

Amy stood still and calm as Fatima moved glidingly across the floor around the
human. Amy had just begun the training and wasn't able to grasp the most basic
concepts yet. Fatima had trained to be as strong as possible since she was,
according to Rae, five or six years old. Even all the training as a warrior
was not going to beat Fatima as she had been instructed by no less than a half
dozen fighters of equal or greater skill than Julia Diggers... There was only
one chance...to take advantage of Fatima's youth and inexperience...

"She's not going to win that way," Sato was quiet but calm. Reading auras was
how most magic-users could sense the thoughts of others. Sato could actually
reads minds this way. "Fatima has fought hundreds of experienced and powerful
opponents..."

"...including the Black Beast," Rae murmured as if not to attract that fiend's
attention, "I could never hope to defeat that monster but Fatima did it when
she was only 10..."

Fatima charged in with an obvious straight punch. Amy knew that it could be a
trap and evaded it neatly. She tried to counter with a sweep kick to knock
down the pooch. Amy's leg was stopped cold by the unfathomable strength of
Fatima's legs as she stood like a tree kicked by a child. This was Amy's fight
with Kina all over again... Nothing Amy could do will effect Fatima... and
this time Fatima meant to harm Amy...

"If she can learn to use the cosmic radiance she will stand a chance," Sato
was calm but impressed at Amy's ability to evade to punch.

Amy dashed back to get some reaction room on Fatima who suddenly disappeared.
Amy jumped forward, almost out of instinct, to avoid the elbow lunge that came
from behind. Amy was starting to feel panic but forced it down to focus on the
fight. This is nuts! Amy thought, she's as fast as Rae and way out of my
league as far as strength...

Rae wanted to speak but Sato held out his hand stopping her "Let them fight."

Amy suddenly felt a fist in her gut and jumped back riding the blow that would
have surely maimed her. She was flying out of control toward the ceiling. A
quick flight spell and she stopped her ascent. She turned to face Fatima who
was already on her way up. Without a single word Amy threw one of her "Mercury
Bubbles" like a huge stone at Fatima. She was amazed a moment by how easily it
happened and powerful it felt leaving her hand. Before all her strength won't
have produced a bubble, only the size of a beach ball, even a tenth as
powerful. The bubble met Fatima but glanced off her brow like a beach ball.

"She's learning...it's coming to her!" Rae murmured with a sudden sense of
adulation.

"She has claws, Rae. She just has to learn to use them."

Amy scarcely blocks the sudden kick from the side slamming her into a distant
corner of the dome. Amy falls, winded but unharmed, to the floor. Fatima
hovers in midair then disappears again. Amy instantly blocks a simple punch to
the face but is driven into the wall.

"Amy's just too slow..." Rae began to go to her student...

"Have faith in them Rae. It's hard but you did that for Fatima when she fought
for you before. Let Amy fight for herself now." Rae stopped her broad
shoulders sunk...

Amy catches Fatima's arm and armdrags her to the ground. Amy casts a "black
ice" spell to stop Fatima a moment...just long enough to get out of reach.
Then Amy threw one "Mercury bubble" one after another. Each one more powerful
than the last. As she did, Amy pushed her self further away from Fatima. The
blasts raised a cloud of dust so thick the wall was not longer visible. Amy
steadied herself to find Fatima. "I hope she's alright..."

Fatima stood behind Amy, "Yeah I'm alright..." Fatima grabbed Amy by the
throat and began to squeeze...hard... Amy's years of training afforded her a
degree of flexibility that was surprising ever to Rae and Sato. Amy reached
around a squarely struck Fatima in the "funny bone" Fatima's hand instantly
sprung open and Amy dropped to the ground. She had reacted before the strangle
hold could effect her. But Fatima was still reeling, her arm unresponsive and
painful, after Amy's counter...

Amy quickly ran at Fatima with a powerful barrage of punches. Fatima barely
feels any of them as her anger quickly became rage. Fatima instantly threw a
massive fireball at Amy who she too close to realize what had happened. A
thick haze of energized air, looking like smoke, blocked all eyes...

"Amy?" Rae barked again starting after the two fighters.

Sato took Rae's thick arm firmly, "She's alright, "Behold..." The air cleared
to reveal Amy standing completely unharmed. Her dress was totally destroyed
leaving her naked as a Jay-bird, but she was unhurt...

Amy quickly slapped Fatima sending her flying into a far wall... Amy looked at
her hand surprised, "Did I do that?" She didn't feel any different, expect for
the draft around her body. Her shoulders slump at the realization, "I'm naked"
About this time she notices Sato Hima watch the bout... She blushes not seeing
Fatima's fist connect neatly with Amy's face. Amy is driven straight into the
floor. Amy rolls and gets up so fast she almost didn't realize she did...
Suddenly it was becoming so clear to her. Fatima's incredible speed was no
longer as impressive, but the sheer difference in strength was still daunting.

Fatima ran a Amy straight into a judo throw that sent the pup into the ground
with such force as to stun her. Amy quickly applied a strong submission hold,
she'd seen so many times before on pro-wrestling and Lita had nearly defeated
her with, on Fatima. Ironically Pinning the pup's tail made the hold even more
painful and Fatima shrieked in pain. She instantly teleported to escape. Amy
ran to Fatima and caught her arm in a painful arm hold. Amy had to appreciate
the sheer girth of their respective arms as Amy's bulging muscle pushed on
Fatima's making the hold harder to escape and even more painful. Again Fatima
teleports.

This time, Fatima is ready... Amy again runs at Fatima but jumps to attack
from a different angle. Fatima dashes forward to exactly where Amy would land.
"Starlight!...." Fatima shouts, "Rocket!!" Fatima leaps into the air meeting
Amy with a massive uppercut but misses. Amy stops short in midair and kicks
Fatima in the side. A loud cracking sound and whimper follows Fatima to the
ground...

"Fatima!!" Rae shouts running to her sister who slowly picks herself up.
Fatima still struggled to fight on. The wound was already healed but the point
was made... "Amy won, li'l sis. Amy won."

"No!" Fatima roared, "I'm the better one..." Tears rolled down her face, "I
don't want to be in your shadow any more!"

"Fatima..."Amy was calm as she approached feeling her self-confidence re
assert itself after so long. She felt like she could "play the game" again and
it showed as she totally ignored her nudity. "Please don't feel that way...
Your sister never meant for this to be you. Rae loves you so much and it hurts
her to see you like this..."

"Sister...Please it just isn't your time..." Rae embraced her sister firmly
and dropped her head on Fatima's powerful shoulder, "I know you want to be as
strong as me and you want everyone to treat you like your own person but
please...Don't go this route..."

"I think you two should discuss this in private," Sato said wrapping Amy in
his robe-like coat. the shirt underneath did little to hide the considerable
physique.

"Thank you," Amy accepting the coat, "You ever meet Lord Rhodin?"

"Not in person," Sato said as Rae and Fatima left together, "Why...oh I
see..."

Amy was about to speak but saw the look in his eyes, a dispassionate
acknowledgement of her admiration. She blushes, come on Amy he's a big
cat...man...

As Amy follows Sato Hima through the vast halls of the school she is amazed at
her sudden attraction to the big lion-man. She clearly felt it the first time
with Lord Rhodin but now it was really starting to bother her. Few human men
were as handsome and sincere. He didn't flow with emotion but a powerful air
of confidence and grace....like a young king. Then she recognized the vast
doors to Menikomenqolui's chambers, "What are we doing here?"

Sato turned looking down to Amy, "We wish to make you a student here... It
will allow you greater access to our training and study resources. Including
more advanced training... Now that you've begun to master the basics..."

Amy's face lit with anticipation as she followed Sato into the chamber...

Death takes wing...

Voidbird looks at the far reaches of nothing as Master Masq appears behind
him. Voidbird was still as he peered into the depths before him.

"You are more patient than before," Master Masq spoke low as if not to disturb
an obvious peace, "Still plotting my demise, I imagine..."

"As ever and until you fall the nothing," Voidbird turned, "What do you wish
of me now?"

"Take a small force of voidbeasts and kill Rae Iksaki."

"Is that all?"

"You say that as if she is nothing," Master Masq turned to leave. Voidbird
follows. "She is the most powerful being this side of the ONE. I want you to
use strategy to strip Rae of her limitless power and strength and then kill
her."

"Don't make it sound as if this can be done overnight..."

Master Masq looks over his shoulder, "My apologies. I still treat you as a
temporary and finite existence. We are Void and time is our ally and their
foe..."

"The task will be done when it is done. She is immortal but we are eternal."

"Beware," Masq said as a sea of voidbeasts shimmeringly lumbered into view,
"Lord Rhodin has recruited a new champion who may become a match for Rae
Iksaki given time..."

"So Time favors not only the Void..."

"Go..." Master Masq said low and menacingly. Voidbird and the voidbeasts fade
from sight. "Kill Rae and her little friend too..."

Just sign here...and here...and here...and...

"So now you are a proper student, Miss Brigand-Anderson," Sato said with a
pleasant wholly male voice that felt like a boyfriends or loving brothers
voice... Amy didn't have a brother but she understood the feeling all the
same...

She looked to Menikomenkolui, who sat quietly as if waiting for a question.
The vast dragoness was obviously thinking intently about something or
otherwise daydreaming... Amy politely addressed the dragoness only to be
ignored not once but four times.

"The headmistress may be in contact with others and is very difficult to reach
at moments like this, "Eriruka's voice carried like a shout in an empty
auditorium, "Come. You will be remanded to the tutelage of Rae and Makahn for
the duration of your stay here. They will now be able to instruct you
fully..."

"Fully?" Amy was stymied as she could barely understand. What she was learning
before was, of course, nothing but there was more?

"Yes, cub," the huge lioness was patient but when she turned to look down to
the small human woman, Eriruka was entirely intimidating and Amy had trouble
hiding it, "What you undertook was little more than the...how would you
say...an 'entrance exam'. The real instruction will consume much more time and
energy to assimilate."

"Indeed," Sato Hima spoke in a much less enormous voice but was still very
strong, "Very few of our students learn more than a few 'founding' spells;
spells meant to provide a solid base for more advanced spells and incantations
that will be taught over the course of many years. Rae Iksaki is perhaps our
most gifted student and it still took her more than four years to learn all
the founding spells."

"How many are there?" Amy was starting to feel like this mission Lord Rhodin
put her on would take far longer than a few weeks or months...

"About 2000 spells in all," Sato was upbeat, "most students only need to learn
around two or three hundred. But implementation is just as important as rote
knowledge...and that's what can take to most time." Sato saw Amy's face change
from nagging impatience to concern to moderated relief. He couldn't help but
be impressed at how frankly humans displayed their emotions. Most species
moderated their expressions as part of their emotional control and
conditioning. Humans have yet to embrace this as a whole.

"I have rounds to do," Eriruka said leaving them and the Dragness' chamber,
"Sato see Amy to her proper instructors, then I understand that you and Kina
are testing for student promotion today..."

"We are twelve very promising youths."

"Good..." Eriruka looked back over her shoulder straight back to Amy with her
blue-in-black eyes, "Amy you are no longer our guest here... Be made ready for
study by first call. We have no 'weekends' and you will continue your day's
lessons until you are finished. But Rae is a surprisingly good teacher. You
will hardly notice to time pass."

"Yes, ma'am," Amy said with a bow. As she walked out with Sato she had to ask,
"Mister Hima..."

"Sato or Sato Hima is fine," he said formally be with sincere grace.

"Sato I've seen mostly women here..."

"That is something we are all trying to change. But I think the notice of
'magic' is a bit of a...uhm...turn off to most males... Don't worry about that
though. Now shall we go?"

"Of course," Amy said leading the way out. Sato flowed pointing her in a
different direction from the one that led to Rae's quarters.

Tell me something about those secret lessons...

Lord Rhodin was restless as he stared most cat-like at the distant Atlanta
skyline. His wounds were nearly completely healed but his powers were still
faded and weakened. "I would pass as an exceptionally powerful mortal now,"
Rhodin said serenely to himself.

Julia had made it a habit to avoid Rhodin much of the time. It wasn't fear,
though more powerful beings and fighters would have feared the lion- man even
now in his state of being, it was more an uneasy respect for the deity. Her
students trained with a focus and respect that was hard for any mortal teacher
to elicit. They were improving as if to , if only unconsciously, worship the
demi-god.

Still, Lord Rhodin did his share of chores and trained...alone. Julia found
that having someone, besides Theodore, who wasn't at all afraid to speak his
mind a humbling experience. Her boorish manners, and overly simple cooking
were not to Lord Rhodin's liking and he frequently commandeered the kitchen to
prepare meals fit for kings or gods. Julia found herself being more mindful of
her words and actions even when out of Lord Rhodin's presence. There was even
a day when Julia was told to challenge professional soldiers to a bout. Army
Rangers...no contest. Julia was humbled by their staying power and sheer will
to win. She had won against two but the third one was the clincher...and the
Rangers won. Her opinion of Earth warriors was changed permanently. "I never
would have thought a real soldier would be so tough. But I could tell they had
no desire to really cut loose on me..."

"If for an instant you believe it is because you are a woman," Lord Rhodin
said that day polishing his armor to a mirror shine, "then you have learned
nothing. You were not an enemy and you were not to be harmed. They are elite
soldiers whose first task is to kill the enemy not win pit brawls. You would
have made fine such a soldier, but I fear your willfulness would cost you any
hope of command. But you are a great fighter..."

"I can so earn a command in any army," Julia took great exception almost
missing the obvious challenge.

"Are you prepared to order men and women who trust you to die at your order?
Would they follow you or must they do so out of fear of you? Are you willing
to die to complete a mission that may or may not play a crucial role in a
battle or war? Will you pledge your life to protect and die for something
greater than yourself."

Julia was quiet a moment. She remembered the stories of heroism in Jade. The
same stories used to inspire young fighters like her. She thought on the war
stories told by aged soldiers on Earth about Pearl Harbor, "D- Day", Vietnam,
and other wars fought with a valor and courage strangely lacking in the
stories told to her in youth. She had no such stories of her own. No tales of
facing death in a million simultaneous forms or watching friends, brothers,
slain en mass defending their way of life. The stories of the "shadows" were
the closest thing but they had none of the power of the tales of war as told
by those aged warriors of Earth. Jade had become jaded with it's peace while
Earth was...is a warrior's dream and nightmare at the same time.

Would men lay down their lives at her order willingly? Trusting their fates to
her willingly as their leader or out of fear as some kind of alpha dog who'd
rip their throats if they even acted like they would refuse.? Julia looked at
Rhodin, though he didn't return the gaze. The intricate runes and decorations
the adorned the armor, she was told, recorded all his battles. Those preceded
by a certain mark were defeats or retreats. Their were in huge number
outnumbering greatly the victories. But those victories were the ones that
counted, victories that won wars, ended strifes, and garnered great honor.

"Armsmaster of Jade," Rhodin said calmly and without emotion, "Sounds
impressive but not all that important. Besides it's historical importance,
what does that title mean in Jade now?"

Julia was quiet longer and more stone like now. Another hard and heavy
question. It meant she was first champion of Jade the greatest fighter...who
competed...there had to be greater in Jade just as any one of those Army
Rangers could have bested her if they had to...were ordered or required to. "I
hate this Earth. It is just one enormous machine..."

"Ludite," Rhodin smirked with venomous cynicism, "All civilizations everywhere
are machines. Without such devices you would be just an animal with no hope,
no future, no meaningful past, just an ever-present dismal now. Learn how Jade
truly works Julia and you will understand how Earth is not all that
different...and you may also understand the proper place of station of First
Champion. But be warned, the answers may not be as pleasing as you would
hope."

Julia left Rhodin to his work. She was made to feel horribly small then.

Now Julia and her students were ready to return to Jade to learn more about
being Armsmaster and get Rhodin out of her house. Theodore had much work to do
and couldn't go with them but prepared a portal to Jade.

Rhodin decided against wearing his armor to avoid attracting too much
attention.

They pass through the portal after the customary "good-byes". When they emerge
Rhodin is dressed as a paladin. Finery as bluntly blatant as his armor. But
somehow he carried himself such that no one looked more then once or twice.
Julia and her troop were inconspicuous as well.

"First stop home," Julia said coolly as if to prepare Rhodin to be impressed,
"then meet my mother and the heart of the Barbarian nation." Rhodin said
something but wasn't sure if she should ask him to repeat himself. The hike
was not all that long but with Rhodin quietly behind them following, the 10
mile walk felt more like 100.

"Who goes there?" bellowed a great, muscular man dressed in distinctly
Viking-like skins and garb. He wielded an enormous battleaxe as if a child's
plaything as he eyed the party of travellers. He was clearly the guard of the
fortress gate and not a happy one at that.

"You know me, Brecuum," Julia was actually offended. Usually her mere presence
opened doors for her in Jade.

"Aye, I do, Armsmaster Julia," Brecuum pointed his axe with menace, "and ye, I
know the Edge Guardian, Garfield as well. The girls and this...were-lion I do
not. Who be they? Speak strongly and with due candor."

"The girls are my students Carla and Luan," the girls smiled whimsomely but
cringed when the guard's nostrils flared, "and the lion is Lord Rhodin, new to
these parts and my guest."

Brecuum glared at the calm lion-man for a few moments, "Aye then, Lady Julia
if you will vouch for them I won't keep you save this. What business do you
have here?"

Julia was taken aback by the question. A few fine veins popped here and there
just above her eyeline. "Why does a gate guard care? I'm here to visit my
parents. Now answer me. Why does a gate guard care of MY business?"

"War."

Brunhilda Brigand held the temples of her forehead as she reviewed the reports
yet again. The dwarves were in an uproar over G'nola's defeat, her implication
in a plot to overthrow all just governments, and their complaint that Julia
used some form of Earth Magic, Wicca, to regain her lost youth and essentially
steal the Armsmaster title from some other worthy soul. This as the dwarves
were undergoing some major governmental restructuring and their new leader's
first desire was drag out Julia and make her show the world how she lost
nearly 30 years of physical age.

The dwarves were not all that against Julia being Armsmaster but were against
how she was able to compete in what even Julia had confided in a few of Jade's
leaders as her last stand as Armsmaster. Seeing her years younger and
stronger, was an outrage to the dwarves and they were to do something able it.
But as Julia lived in Earth realm, the only way to get Julia back to Jade to
face a dwarves inquiry before all of Jade was the go to war.

Dwarves were masters of war, more so than any other single race in Jade. They
made superior weapons, had built truly infallible fortresses and castles, and
knew how to fight in wars far better than most races did. The barbarians had
lost their edge having the Armsmaster as one of their own. The need to
maintain and build-up military strength was not a priority thanks to the one
fact that politically they didn't need to. Having the Armsmaster as their
chief duelist was often an incentive to let the barbarians have their way.

The dwarves would easily crush the barbarians and the other races were not
about to raise a finger to help either side. Many felt that something was
afoot as soon as some younger ringer for the then and still, in some circles,
despised Julia Diggers defeated G'nola with little effort, after a brief but
dramatic beating by the loser. They wanted the truth as well...

The doors fling open, Brunhilda looks up from the reports. It was Julia and a
small band in attendance. What should have been a bright moment was blackened
by the first words out of the barbarian queen's mouth, "You have some
explaining to do, daughter of mine."

Whoa, easier than advertised...

Maercruus, is a barren waste of a world. baked and searingly hot, it was one
of the many worlds the mystic leaguers trained on to avoid harming mere
mortals or revealing the frighteningly insane limits of their powers. The
ground is solid unwearing igneous rock heated like a kiln in the light of five
stars, the two parent stars and three burning gas giants. Eons before
Maercruus was a living and green world but it's people set their gas giant
worlds ablaze in a poorly considered attempt to increase solar energy yields.
They fried their whole star system. Their was no water, no food, and no rest
from the heat.

"They can call this place Planet Oven," Amy complained yet again. Rae refused
to let her use sunscreen after the first day. As a result Amy could feel every
one of the 375 degrees centigrade on her alabaster skin. Amy had to focus
significantly to control her sweating and not dehydrate. To add to the
relative insult, Rae was wearing a full length robe and cloak looking like
some musclebound Jedi. But this was mainly because she had an appointment to
keep with the Emperor of the Aphkian Imperium, Jaikard Sarvic, and Rae didn't
want to take the time to change.

"That's one reason why we chose this world," Rae smiled cutely. Even after
three weeks of training with the pooch, Amy couldn't resist raising her
spirits even if she didn't want to smile. She just felt better. "Anyway, let's
see how far you've come since defeating my little...uh...younger sister."

"That's hard to picture...me being any stronger," Amy said forming a "Mercury
Sphere", a totally solid version of her still useful but infinitely less
powerful "Mercury Bubble". Then the sphere faded anyway in the heat. Amy
thought back on the harsh mental and spiritual training that asked more of her
than any physical workout she'd ever dared. There were days when she'd imagine
she'd die of the training but Rae just picked her up and put her in gear. Rae
was still leagues beyond Amy, but from time-to- time she thought she'd somehow
catch up.

Amy stressed her arm in a "starightarm" flex. The muscles bugled but actually
looked smaller. Her waistline was a few inches larger but her chest was even
larger. The tailors actually had to refit all of Amy's clothes the make up for
the changes she was going through. What surprised Amy most was she was a full
five inches taller...and she never noticed until she could easily see straight
into Makahn's eyes; almost eight feet off the ground.

Rae walked away quietly. In the heat waves, she became a vague mirage.
Suddenly there was a calming but powerful voice in Amy's mind, "Make ready..."

Amy jumped as the whole planet seemed to shake. Rae was quite capable of
destroying the planet like a soap bubble if she wanted or had need to and Amy
didn't derive any comfort in that. Rae was gentle, to a decided fault, but
that still didn't stop a primal fear of that strength from running over the
blue princess.

A sudden wave of heaviness struck Amy and she felt her legs weaken. "...just
because we are so strong that nature has no real hold on us anymore, doesn't
mean we have to fight like mere beings anymore," Amy recalled Makahn, Rae's
ever faithful and doting husband, saying while watching Fatima and her new
beau Tuck spar. They rarely actually threw punches or kicks but used spells
and mystic effects to try to undo the other. A wizard's duel, if Amy had ever
seen one... Rae was using a mystical effect to weaken Amy or confine her. She
had to deduce which before Rae attacked or started piling on the effects.

Amy had to sense Rae's movements since she could never keep up with that rate
of speed long enough to make use of it. Rae was standing still just
one-hundred feet away. Amy could feel the effect growing stronger. the rays of
the suns above began to burn her skin... "She's threatening to strip away my
powers like she did on the ice planet," Amy said to herself forcing away the
effect. Her strength was returning, her skin no longer stung with the stars'
radiance, but the heaviness increased. A gravity effect... Amy calculated that
she could easily support her own weight and the weight of a thousand Earths
like a full backpack and this effect was far stronger.

Amy cast an effect making Rae's thoughts audible.

"Smart move," Rae's mental voice was like a great deity's booming and powerful
but pleasant all the same, "But I know you don't expect it to help you
long..." The voice fades into silence.

"Damn!" Amy's mental voice, light angelic, almost child-like, "Oh-no! Rae can
hear my thoughts!" Amy tried to counter the effect but nothing stopped her
thoughts from being spoken by the air around them.

"This is what a duel in the Mystic League is like Amy... You don't win by
being the most buff. That's the result of your physical training and the
affectation of your power. You can't win by just casting spells. This is a
duel between fighters... Fighters who use sorcery among other powers..."

"Right," Amy called back. The Air echoed her thoughts, "I didn't think I can
do anything that she hasn't seen before... I hope she falls f...D'oh!" Then
the air echoed a memory in Rae's spoken voice, "...don't think, be..." Amy
shot a Mercury Sphere, some twenty feet in diameter, strong enough to split a
moon, at Rae. Amy dashed invisibly fast just off to the side of the sphere.
Amy's jaw drops as Rae catches the sphere. Glowing strands of mystic energy
extend from her fingers wrapping around the sphere, squeeze it down to the
size of a tennis ball, where when Rae's hand crushes to a fine powder like a
harmless clod of dust. Still Amy rushed Rae...and passed right through her.

Rae grabbed Amy by the shoulder and with what felt like a steady and
instantaneous stream of punches fell Amy to the ground. But without thinking,
she dashed away to avoid Rae's next attack. Amy turned casting several effects
and spells. None of them took as Rae was either to strong or easily countered
the spells. Rae was looking disappointed. Amy's memory echoed of the air,
"...young padawan, you still much to learn."

For hours, Amy continued to pound away with dozens of strategies trying to
overcome Rae's sheer power and skill. Amy was losing hope until she was unable
to think of anything else. Amy stopped, "I give up..." The air echoed, "I
never thought I'd say that...ever."

Rae lifted to effect., "You did well for someone with only three weeks
training and no useful experience." Amy's head fell as she felt that there was
no way for her to complete her mission. "Amy?"

"I couldn't even budge you..." Amy's voice cracked. She'd cry but the
practical warrior in her refused to waste a tear where it won't be seen.

"Amy," Rae said approaching her friend with a pleasant look on her face, "When
you fight what do you feel?"

"Feel? I...I...don't know."

"Yes you do...What do you feel? When I fight I feel joy. Joy of knowing I have
a purpose. That my training is useful... That I can do what few - if any -
others can do. The world is brighter to my then. I don't see the pain and
struggle when I fight. Strange as it sounds, I see the glory of my power
unleashed..."

"But that kind of power can destroy everything..."

"True. But only if I let it. I feel only happiness and love even in the
darkest times. These two are my most powerful skills. I won't let anything
else enter my heart - though I can't help it sometimes - or I would, as Master
Serendoe says, be sane and too dangerous for the universe. But that's beside
the point...What is it you feel?"

A moment passes in silence,"Fear... Not for myself but for others if I fail. I
can't shake it. It's what drives me. Makes me want to grow stronger." The a
familiar voice echoes on the air again. In the distance a small robed figure,
or was it a rock, was vaguely visible saying, "A powerful thing fear is. But
to the dark side fear leads. Only pain, anger, and suffering in the dark side
exists..."

"It seems popular culture had it right," Rae smiles almost ready to laugh
jovially, "Just put those thoughts out of your head. You did really well
today..."

A figure in black rises out of the heatwaves. The face mask and armor glinted
blindingly in the suns' light. Behind the figure, a wall miles wide and yards
tall of shapes in the heatwaves emerge. They had no color and where almost as
transparent as the heatwaves themselves. Rae looked at the approaching figure
and smiled, "Greetings, Servant of the Void"

Amy was stunned. Rae just greeted an enemy as if a friend. Again the air
echoed in a child's voice, "Better an honest enemy than a false friend!"

The figure raised a hand to halt the advancing forms in the heat. The figure
came closer. Amy took up her ready stance. The figure towered a menacing ten
feet tall over the comparatively small Rae and Amy. His chrome mask now
clearly visible was an abstracted eagle's or hawk's head. The claws and armor
continued the motif with sinister effect. As a slight thermal wind wafted by,
The black cloak revealed that there was nothing inside, it was some kind of
ghost or spectre but Amy could tell it was vastly more powerful. "Of gods and
monsters," The figure spoke, "I am Voidbird, bringer of death, and servant of
the Void. As I signal, your time to stand will end Rae Iksaki and friend..."
The Wall of menacing shapes looms anxious to kill their foes...

End Part Two