《Depthless Hunger [Underdog | Xianxia | LitRPG | Monster Hunter | Fantasy]》


 Chapter 1: The Trial Begins

    The first thing Kai realized was that there were teeth snapping at his face. He stumbled backward as the jaws slammed closed. Before he could catch his bearings, a leathery body crashed into him and he fell onto his back.


    There was a monster coming toward him, but his instincts finally engaged. Instinct took the form of actual kicks, beating away the beast that was trying to tear out his throat. It slashed back, its claws raking his shin, but he managed to land a solid blow.


    As the beast slid away and Kai scrambled back to his feet, he got a better look at it. The creature appeared like a dog that had been turned inside out. It was hideously mangled, but it had teeth and claws that could easily kill a person. Ruined dogs were common monsters outside the city, scorned by the professional hunters as mere nuisances. Kai realized that there was a big difference between studying them in training and actually fighting one.


    When the monster rushed forward again, Kai managed to leap back. The bloody stripes on his shin hurt like hell, but he was used to pain. Maybe he hadn''t fought many real monsters, but he''d beaten the snot out of himself in the training yard countless times.


    Before it could charge again, Kai scooped up a medium-sized rock in one hand and a heavy stick in the other. The beast was more cautious now, growling and circling around him. He took the time to check the area: no other monsters, no other hunters. He barely even remembered going through the shimmering portal, but there was no more time to think about that.


    With another growl, the monster began running toward him. Kai waited until it got close and then hurled the rock at its head. The impact wouldn''t have done much good, but the monster smoothly juked to the side to dodge.


    Which gave him just enough time to whack it in the face with his stick.


    The blow knocked the monster to the ground with a satisfying crunch, but the stick broke on impact. Worse, the creature wasn''t dead. Kai had always known that ordinary muscle couldn''t compare to spiritually-enhanced strength, but he hadn''t wanted to find out like this.


    As the monster scrambled up onto its twisted legs, Kai desperately looked for another stick. The best he had was a jagged rock. He grabbed it as the monster began to run toward him and threw wildly.


    The rock bounced off the creature''s skull and it just kept coming. Kai desperately thrust with his broken stick as if he was holding a practice sword, before he could even think about it. Staring into the monster''s enormous jaws, he wondered if that was going to be a fatal mistake.


    His combat training hadn''t failed him: the stick came up directly into the monster''s mouth and the splintered end drove deep into the sensitive flesh.


    The momentum from the charge nearly knocked him over, but the monster had impaled itself on the stick. Yet it wasn''t dead. Kai felt a claw scrape across his shoulder before he managed to shove it away. He wasn''t even thinking anymore, he just rushed after the fallen beast and kicked it in the head until it stopped moving.


    After several seconds staring at the body, he dropped to one knee and caught his breath.


    Were the Hunter Trials always like this? Kai had never been allowed to watch the previous years, but he''d asked older hunters for advice. He didn''t think that trainees were usually thrown directly against a monster like that. If things had gone a little differently, or if he hadn''t trained his body for so long, he could easily have died. The goal of the trials was to forge new hunters, not to kill off the contestants.


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    Hunters were all that stood between his city, his country, his world... and being torn apart by monsters. Now, staring at the first monster he''d ever killed, Kai realized that he was finally becoming a hunter. For the first time in his life, he could fight against the monsters that made living near the Frontier so desperate.


    To do that he needed power, and soon. The veteran hunters could handle the ordinary monsters, but when hordes formed a monster incursion, they threatened to wipe Monskon City off the map. Almost twenty years ago, his parents had died fighting off the flood of monsters. Thirteen years ago, he''d huddled with the other orphans and hoped the city survived. Six years ago he''d thrown rocks from the city walls and wished that he could fight alongside the hunters.


    Judging from how difficult it had been to fight a single ruined dog, they''d been right to stop him from joining the hunters. But Kai wasn''t a child anymore: he''d been training his entire life for this moment. If he succeeded in the Hunter Trials, he''d gain the strength to fight a horde. Just so long as he didn''t get himself killed first.


    "Well, that was unlucky."


    Even though he knew the voice, Kai still scrambled to his feet and put up his fists. He had no idea what the trials might throw at him. But his mentor stood calmly at a distance: Gunjin Granfian was a grizzled old man whose hair stood up in a gray shock. As usual, he was wearing his sword and armor, both of which Kai could really have used at that moment.


    "Normally trainees don''t arrive right next to a monster," Gunjin said, "and normally monsters would be more cautious about attacking someone coming in via portal. But luck is part of the Hunter Trials, so it''s good that you survived."


    "Barely." Kai winced as he got to his feet. The gashes on his leg and shoulder weren''t deep, but they were really starting to hurt once the adrenaline wore off. "Am I actually ready for the trials, Gunjin?"


    "More than ready. It might have torn you apart, if your training hadn''t increased your..." The old man punctuated his own sentence with a wave of his hand. "Never mind, you don''t have the spiritual awareness to understand your own attributes yet. That will change, if you make it through the trials."


    "Right. Okay. You can''t be here to help me, can you?"


    "Every candidate is traditionally given an explanation by their sponsor, to orient them after the portal. But we can''t lift so much as a finger to help, which was why I had to wait for you to kill the monster. Fortunately, the rest of the trials should be somewhat easier for you."


    "Alright, explain." Kai tore off part of his padded shirt with his teeth and began tying it into a rough bandage. He was better at combat than healing, but he''d trained in every discipline he could, just in case fate blessed him with healing abilities. No matter what he received, he''d use it to defend the city.


    "Over one hundred candidates have been thrown into the monster reserve. You have three days to awaken your spiritual sight and true Class abilities. If three days of fighting for your life doesn''t awaken anything, you''re hopeless." Gunjin grinned at him. "You don''t need to worry about that. Think of it as a time limit to achieve as many objectives as possible."


    The bandage wasn''t perfect, but it would do for now. Kai straightened up and looked back to his mentor. "How are the winners chosen?"


    "All I am allowed to tell you about the evaluation is that the candidates will be judged based on many factors, including the number of monster cores they acquire. However, I can also say that there are a number of waypoints set up within the reserve. Two of those are dedicated to awakening your spiritual sight and your abilities. Some waypoints are limited to the first candidates who find them, some are not."


    "Got it." Gunjin hadn''t told Kai too much about the trials before today, but he''d made a few things clear. The best strategy would be to fully awaken his Class abilities first and only hunt for monster cores after.


    "One more thing." Gunjin stepped closer and lowered his voice. "The spells on the reserve should prevent you from dying, but they won''t stop you from being maimed or crippled. And they can''t stop every lethal blow, especially once candidates start fighting one another."


    Kai almost said "Got it" again, but he was getting too amped up to talk. This was the moment he had been preparing for, and these three days would define his life. Instead he just nodded and hoped that it looked strong instead of stupid.


    "But honestly, Kai, you shouldn''t have a hard time. You had such a bad start in life, you''ve probably used up all your bad luck. The rest should be easy." With that, Gunjin stepped backward into a shimmering blue portal and Kai was alone in the wilderness.


    Well, not alone. There were a hundred other candidates out there and an untold number of monsters. Kai cracked his knuckles and got started.

 Chapter 2: Meeting the Competition

    As Kai explored the wilderness, he let his first monster core roll around in his palm. He had seen them set in crystals in the city, but this was the raw material: a sticky orb of flesh. It felt disgusting to the touch, especially since he''d had to tear it out of the monster corpse personally.


    But it was the first thing he''d earned during the trial. The only equipment he''d been given before going through the portal was a sack, and he should put the core back inside, but for the time being he wanted the reminder. He''d actually survived a battle against a monster. It would be the first of many, if he succeeded and joined the hunters.


    Since it didn''t seem that any weapons would be provided, he headed toward a forested region to the east. He could find a better club there, plus he thought he saw some sort of building in the same direction. Though he''d never been allowed inside the monster reserve, based on Monskon City in the distance he could estimate that he''d been placed near the western side. Most likely the final goal was toward the center.


    Along the way, he wondered what he would find first: weapons, monsters, or other humans. The humans worried him most, since they could easily turn on him. Kai thought he had a decent reputation among the other trainees, but he had no connections among the nobles and he spent too much time training to make many friends.


    Fortunately, he didn''t run into any threats before he reached the forest. Kai found a sturdy branch and tore it off a tree, then began to strip away the bark. Right in the middle of his work, a monster shrieked and jumped onto his back.


    He instinctively raised the branch to defend his neck, just before claws arrived. The creature on his back was small and looked a bit like a monkey, but it had six limbs that were clawing into his back. When he tried to swing over his shoulder, the monstrous monkey easily ducked aside.


    A second later he slammed his back into the tree, then threw his head back and felt it connect with the monster''s skull. The combination was enough to stun the creature, and it dropped with an eerie moan.


    Stunned, not dead. Kai whirled and stabbed the monkey with his branch, only to realize that he still hadn''t sharpened it. Fortunately, the monkey was much less durable than the dog-like monster, so he was able to bludgeon it to death without any more trouble.


    He was bending down to see if he could find its monster core when he heard several more shrieks.


    Kai leapt up, ready to defend against a whole horde of the monkeys, but the sounds weren''t getting any closer. When he tracked the source, he abruptly realized: there were three of the monkeys attacking a pair of humans deeper into the forest. They were crying out as well, desperately trying to fend off the monsters, but they already looked pretty bloody. The creature that attacked him must have wandered from the others.


    After checking for ambushes, just like he''d been trained, Kai rushed in. His first swing caught a monkey in the side of the head, smashing it into the ground. The other two leapt backward, screeching. He roared back, waving his stick and his other arm over his head. Fortunately, these monsters weren''t the most bloodthirsty, so they retreated deeper into the trees.


    "Are you alright?" Kai asked as he turned back to the two humans. Two young men about his age, severely torn up by the monkeys'' claws. According to city law, anyone with basic combat training could attempt the Hunter Trials. Clearly these two had expected it to be much easier.


    "St-stay back!" One of them waved a broken stick in his direction. "We don''t have any monster cores!"


    "Or anything else," the second added. "Just let us retreat, okay?"


    Kai sighed and swung his stick up onto his shoulder. "Tell you what, if you let me take the monster core from the dead one, we''ll call it even."


    They scrambled out, leaving him to try to harvest the two monsters that he''d slain. That proved frustrating, due to the monkeys'' tough fur, so he ended up crafting a few weapons first. Only a stick with a sharpened point and a rough wooden axe, but they would be better than nothing. He hadn''t really thought his survival training would be useful in the Hunter Trials, but he had always worked hard at it because he assumed Gunjin recommended it for a reason.


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    As soon as he was finished, he took the two small orbs of flesh and left the forest. The monkeys might be relatively weak, but if they teamed up on him in an ambush, they could be fatal. The blood soaking into the back of his shirt proved that. He could hunt monsters once he had fully awakened, since his Class awakening could make his crude weapons completely obsolete.


    Still, as he walked back over the plain, Kai couldn''t help but glance at the three orbs in his sack. They varied more than he expected, unless that was just what different grade cores looked like. Something to ask about when he wasn''t fighting with everything on the line.


    Gradually a shrine in the distance became clear. Almost certainly one of the waypoints that Gunjin had urged him to find. There seemed to be a few other people closing on it... and a whole group moving toward him instead.


    Kai gripped his makeshift spear tighter as he realized that he recognized the group: Irunians. They were from the nation far to the northeast and they didn''t try to blend in: they all had straight dark hair and wore sweeping red and blue robes. Irun and his own nation of Goralia were allies, but that didn''t mean anything here.


    More importantly, Irunians stuck together and they did not mess around. There were four of them, two men and two women, all of them armed. How had they gotten steel weapons so quickly? If they decided to attack him, he was going to have a major problem.


    "Greetings." The man in the lead raised a hand and then bowed to it. "I am Tusquo Agyama, of Irun. May I ask your name?"


    "Kai Granfian." Kai lowered his spear and tried a smile. "I hope you aren''t here to fight?"


    Tusquo didn''t smile back, but gave a solemn nod. "We have been separated from half our number. Allying with someone familiar with local monsters is the wisest course of action."


    "That''s fine with me. How do you get those weapons? Did they let you take them in?"


    "You dare?" One of the women stepped forward, her eyes flashing. "We would never cheat in the face of an honest challenge!"


    "Calm." Tusquo raised a hand to hold her back, but didn''t look away from Kai. "I think he meant no harm. Tell me, Kai Granfian, how do you think we came by these weapons?"


    Was it some sort of test? Kai looked over the weapons, noting that they all appeared to be made of pure steel, without any wood or cloth bindings. All he could do was guess... "I know that Irunians have a skill they call the Path of Steel. Did it create them somehow?"


    "Correct. Some of us have learned the Path of Steel, but we are here to absorb mana and awaken the Classes of Goralia. If you assist us, we will forge you a weapon as well."


    Irunians were generally known as loyal allies, so Kai figured that this was probably a good opportunity. He did his best to copy their raised arm bow and smiled at the group. They seemed welcoming enough, and the woman he''d offended even muttered an apology. Kai wished that he had the spiritual sight to judge the group, but based on their toned bodies and the way they held their weapons, he guessed that they had decent training.


    As for the Path of Steel, Kai got a good look at it for the first time in his life. Tusquo sat down and cupped his hands together, then liquid metal just... flowed out of his skin. It wasn''t technically any more fantastical than the amazing things hunters could do with mana, but Kai still watched raptly.


    They wouldn''t answer questions about their nation''s art, but they did let him choose his weapon. Kai thought for a while before requesting a long two-handed sword. He''d trained with every weapon up to the point of competence because Gunjin said that was the best way to prepare: his Class might turn out to use any weapon or none at all, so it was best not to specialize. He figured that a two-handed sword was reasonably flexible and would get him through the Hunter Trials.


    Once he was armed, the entire group went back to walking and compared notes. They wanted to know about the local monsters, so he told them what he knew. Fortunately, it didn''t seem like they were just trying to use him, because Tusquo reciprocated as soon as he finished talking.


    "I do not want you to fear betrayal, Kai Granfian." Tusquo gazed at him seriously. "No one in our group would cheat, but... we do have information that we ordinarily would not. On the second and third days, there will be additional announcements. The prizes are meant to award all who acquit themselves well, not to encourage competition. If a team works together effectively, all will profit."


    "What do you know about the prizes?" Kai asked.


    "Anyone who endures through all three days will be given one of your mana potions, though one of little value. Those who have accumulated many monster cores will receive a pill that increases the growth of one''s Class. And those who prove strongest will receive a scroll said to permanently improve training."


    That sort of thing was the exact reason that Kai was determined to succeed at the Hunter Trials. It was impossible to buy your way to great strength, but you did need some resources. The poorest of the poor could rise high, so long as they could win competitions.


    Just when he was about to ask another question, Kai heard earth crumbling. He looked up in time to see a large rock hurtling toward them. Immediately he dodged, and all the Irunians got clear as well, but Kai had seen who had thrown it.


    There was a group of eight competitors, and Kai recognized some of them. He groaned and drew his new sword.

 Chapter 3: Noble Brawl

    "Well, well, well! I should have known scum like you would immediately make an alliance with the foreigners."


    Fhazi Lantrian was a young man almost exactly Kai''s age, the newest potential hunter from the storied Lantrian clan. He had the sandy blonde hair and strong jaw the girls in their year considered attractive, though the wealth that came from his position didn''t hurt. Even now he was wearing finely crafted boots and an expensive tunic of imported cloth.


    He swaggered forward, as usual. The problem was that he swaggered at the head of a group of fighters, also as usual. Fhazi wasn''t the most important member of the Lantrian clan, but he was important enough that he always had allies hanging on for his money. This time he also wore a magical breastplate, letting off yellow mana like steam. Most of his group wasn''t armed, but he carried a silver sword, likely smuggled in via his family''s connections.


    "But I don''t have time for you today, Kai," Fhazi went on. "The Hunter Trials are too important to waste on trash. Anyone who hasn''t awakened on the first day is already behind, don''t you know? So we''ll be taking all those foreign weapons and any monster cores you''ve managed to find. Hand it all over and you can stay in the trials."


    "Irun has always been a loyal ally of Goralia, and especially Monskon City." Tusquo settled a hand on the hilt of his sword. "We do not deserve this disrespect."


    "Do you know how to count over in Irun?" Fhazi made a show of looking between the two sides. "You''re outnumbered and outmatched. If you fail here, you won''t even be able to awaken your Classes."


    "The purpose of this trial is not surrender."


    It seemed like Tusquo was going to keep talking, but Kai knew it was pointless. Instead he looked over Fhazi''s group carefully. All of them were typical Goralians, pale with varying shades of brown hair. He guessed they''d all had the standard physical training as well, so they couldn''t be ignored. The most obvious dangers were a pair of enormous men who looked like they''d gone through the same strength training that Kai had. Even without Classes, their bodies would be using small amounts of mana to strengthen themselves.


    Neither of them interrupted the conversation, though. It was a slender woman who stepped from behind Fhazi and hurled a jade needle. Kai tried to move, too late, but Tusquo was faster. He struck it out of the air with a contemptuous swipe, then raised his sword. Immediately everyone on both sides readied their weapons, sizing up their opponents.


    While everyone was facing off, Kai switched his sword to one hand and carefully hefted his wooden spear. It might look crude, but he''d put effort into sharpening the point. As soon as the others attacked, he hurled it toward one of the hulking guards.


    To his surprise, the spear went deep into the man''s thigh. He went down with a groan, clutching the wound, but there was no time to look at him.


    Two of the others were rushing at him, so Kai met them head on with broad, sweeping strikes. A more skilled opponent could have exploited his movements, but these two were taken off guard. They were used to bullying in groups, not fighting a determined opponent. Before Kai could press them further, the Irunians moved in and the fight became a brawl.


    Kai took a step back to use his sword''s range better, and that made him a target. Fhazi rushed toward him, his armor glowing with hot yellow mana. He had a sword too, and he wasn''t incompetent with it. Instead of overreaching, Kai engaged his strikes cautiously to test him.


    "Come on, is that all you have?" Fhazi laughed and kept striking, blow after wheeling blow.


    Though he retreated, Kai quickly realized that he had the advantage. His opponent''s style was good for overwhelming opponents, but it was filled with openings. It would be a simple matter to redirect one of his wild blows and then cut him.


    That led to the bigger problem: not killing him. Seriously injuring a member of the Lantrian family, much less maiming or killing, would only bring stronger warriors looking for revenge. Kai needed to end the fight without doing too much damage, and that was a problem when he didn''t know how strong his opponent''s armor really was. For the thousandth time he wished that he''d somehow awakened his spiritual sight before the trials. Only a lucky few got to do that.


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    When Fhazi swung wide, Kai tried a direct cut. It glanced off the armor with nothing but a few sparks of mana. Good, it was durable. Fhazi seemed surprised that the blow had done so little damage, glancing down briefly before actually lowering his sword to laugh.


    "Are you serious? I could stand here all day and you couldn''t hur-"


    Kai put his full weight behind a two-handed strike and struck Fhazi across the chest.


    It didn''t pierce his armor, and he''d never intended it to: the sword whacked him like a club. Kai had put all his strength into it, and against a smaller and weaker opponent, it was enough to knock him into the air. Only a few feet, but Fhazi lost his sword and stumbled back. The breastplate hadn''t broken, merely leaking mana from a gash across the ornate carvings.


    Holding his breath, Kai gripped his sword in an aggressive position and tried to look like he''d planned exactly that. Fhazi stared in horror at the damaged armor, then fled. Kai let out the breath: that was the best he could hope for, defeating his opponent without injuring him.


    That bought him some time to examine the rest of the battlefield. The Irunians were fighting admirably, all clearly trained in their chosen weapons. Tusquo was a virtuoso with his sword, far better than Kai''s generalist training, and was easily pushing back two people at once. Both women had smaller weapons, but they fought back to back so effectively that they held off all the others.


    That left the fourth Irunian, who fought with an iron staff against one of the hulking guards. He wasn''t bad, but he couldn''t land a solid enough blow to finish the fight. The guard charged in through a glancing blow and struck him to the ground. As the Irunian stared up dazedly, he raised both fists together to hammer into his head.


    Kai struck from behind with a swift cut. Just enough to disable the shoulder, not to cut off an arm. His cut drew blood, but not a lot... and Kai realized too late that his opponent had trained his body more extensively than he realized.


    The bulky guard lunged at him. Kai threw a desperate thrust, but his opponent shifted enough to make it a glancing blow off his ribs. Then the man''s entire weight hit him like a brick wall, slamming him to the ground. Training made Kai keep a grip on his sword, but his arm was pinned and he couldn''t bring it to bear.


    He lunged in and bit his opponent''s nose. That had never been part of his training. Kai had no idea where it had come from. But as he tasted blood, he used his full strength to heave his opponent up and fight free.


    Though the brute grunted in pain, he wasn''t stunned for long. He hit back, his fist driving Kai into the ground. What followed had nothing to do with the forms and styles he''d learned in training: Kai flailed for his life, landing whatever blows he could. He knew his lip had been torn open and blood was covering one eye, but he just kept hitting back.


    When his opponent reared back again, Kai struck on instinct, his nails clawing the brute''s eyes. His opponent cried out louder in pain and Kai leapt at him with a roar. Somehow he''d knocked the other man down and he began striking him, over and over, possessed by a rage he''d never...


    Never...


    Before Kai could decide what he felt, or land another blow, a hand closed on his shoulder. He snarled and looked back, but it was only Tusquo.


    "Kai Granfian. You must be calm. The battle is over."


    Kai panted for breath, slowly coming back to himself. It really was over. Fhazi''s group wasn''t defeated or even disabled, but the fight had clearly been beaten out of them. Right now it looked like the noble just wanted to flee with his guards, and Kai recognized that it would be better to let him go.


    He wondered if they should have taken monster cores from their opponents, but Tusquo seemed indifferent. Eventually they let their attackers go, leaving Kai strangely dissatisfied. This was about the best outcome he could have hoped for, but he''d wanted something else. Or maybe he was still just recovering from the rage that had overcome him.


    Shoving those matters aside, Kai focused on his real goals. Fighting Fhazi was trivial compared to reaching the shrine. If anything, he should be glad that the fight seemed to have improved the Irunians'' view of him. They could be valuable allies during the Hunter Trials.


    Monsters grew denser as they neared the shrine, but Kai welcomed the distraction. It gave him something to focus on, plus the Irunians wanted his knowledge of the local monsters. Most of them were simple enough to eliminate with a trained group. They even ran into another of the twisted dogs, just like the one that had attacked him at the beginning, but now that he was armed and prepared it wasn''t much of a threat.


    Of course, all the monster cores were split among the group. By the time they could see the shrine''s defensive boundary, Kai had only gained two small cores and one larger. Still, he judged that was a worthwhile trade-off. This competition was a three day marathon, not a sprint where it made sense to go alone.


    Plus, the shrine mattered far more. Stepping over the glowing boundary of defensive mana, Kai truly let everything else fall away.


    "Welcome." An older man covered in scars emerged from the shrine''s first archway. "Until this point in your life, you have been traveling this world blind. But your mettle has been tested, and you may be ready to see the world as it truly is. It is time to awaken your spiritual sight."

 Chapter 4: Spiritual Sight

    A small number of candidates gathered within the shrine while the central pool began to glow with mana. There were several warriors, all veteran hunters, who Kai guessed were there to keep order or rescue the injured. One of them gave healing potions in return for monster cores, and he judged that it was worth paying one of his small cores to heal all the injuries he''d received.


    Kai sat down against a wall to rest while the potion did its work. The pain was gradually replaced by a strange tightness in his muscles, as if the potion was gripping his flesh from within. It wasn''t pleasant, but it wouldn''t get in the way of fighting like the open wounds.


    The shrine was just a marble dome above a mana pool, with gates in all four directions and a circular barrier to keep out monsters. It looked like most of the architecture in Monskon City, but he''d never seen a shrine exactly like this. Neither had most of the others who arrived while the pool warmed up, judging from how they gawked at everything.


    "Alright, shut up!" The scarred leader bellowed over the chatter until he got their attention. "Everything is ready, so the rest is up to you. If you''ve endured enough to awaken your mana, all you need to do is dip your face into the bowl. Come on, form a line."


    Kai had been ready to jump into the pit of hot blue mana if necessary, but it seemed like it would be easier than that. The warriors began to dip large silver bowls into the pool and set them down on pedestals. Kai watched at first, noting how the candidates stepped up and lowered their face into the bowls. Then he realized that the lines were getting longer and scrambled to get a place.


    The ritual was surprisingly not flashy: the mana sparked a little when a person touched it, and their eyes glowed when they rose, but that was it. No columns of mana, no peals of thunder. Actually, the most obvious result was that some of the candidates began looking around wildly, or stumbling a bit and grabbing their eyes. The warriors kept them from falling into the pool but otherwise didn''t interfere with their confusion.


    As he got closer, Kai shifted his weight repeatedly and tried to swallow, since his mouth had become incredibly dry. There was almost no chance that something would go wrong, but there were a few people who were mana blind. If he failed here...


    All too soon, it was his turn. Kai had to wait a little longer as they dipped a new bowl of mana, and suddenly he wished that he had less time. No, he couldn''t hesitate. As soon as he could, he bent down over the bowl and forced his head into the watery mana.


    The power burned into his eyes and instantly shot through his head, searing paths into his mind. Kai pulled back with a gasp, nearly inhaling a lungful of the mana. He had been determined that he wouldn''t stumble around like the others, but he still found himself reeling as the world came alive with new lights and colors.


    At first it was overwhelming: so many strange symbols burned into his mind that he couldn''t keep up. Based on the stories of hunters, he had expected to see words floating in the air. This was far more of a sensation, an awareness that was a little like vision except in another sense not at all. The language he had simply wasn''t up to the task of describing it. Apparently the hunters hadn''t been lying when they said you had to experience it for yourself.


    When he tried to read the sensations, all he got was strange impressions of capacities that he didn''t fully understand:


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Physique: Mortal


    Soul: Mortal


    Supremacy: None


    Talent Capacity: Unawakened


    Elemental Capacity: Unawakened


    Essence Capacity: Unawakened


    Cultivation Capacity: Unawakened


    >


    As Kai focused on his training, those symbols faded to embers. Yet even then, his vision flared up with more symbols every time he looked at a person. He avoided staggering around, yet his mind spun.


    Kai carefully walked to one of the walls of the shrine, trying not to look at anything. Gunjin had given him suggestions for how to adapt as quickly as possible, so he began working through those. Eyes closed, first. Then carefully look down at himself. He wondered why looking at his own eyelids didn''t count, and immediately realized that his intentions mattered.


    If he wasn''t trying to look for mana, his new spiritual vision wouldn''t overwhelm him. It was just like any other sense, except his eyes needed to focus in a way they''d never done before. He managed to make the swarm of symbols go away first, then stared down at his hands, took a deep breath, and tried to read the chaos...


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 6


    Unknown Class: ???


    Physique Level: G-2


    Soul Level: 1


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    >


    The symbols dissolved into wisps of light, yet he retained a stronger memory of them than he would have with a mere glimpse at a sign. Had he done it right? Kai repeated the process, reading more thoughtfully. He had known that there would be something about an unknown Class, since he had yet to awaken. The "levels" were less familiar to him, and he wasn''t certain why there were two. That must be one of the things that Gunjin and the other veterans said he needed more training to understand.


    What he hadn''t expected at all was a rating for "Total Power." Warriors said that power was an objective part of reality... apparently it really was. But the numbers didn''t add up. How much was each piece of his strength worth? If his unknown Class was counted, shouldn''t the number be known by process of elimination?


    Once he came to grips with the new sense, Kai began looking around at everyone. He started with one of the adult hunters who was running the shrine, and though the sensation was a bit more intense, he was able to comprehend all the symbols on the second try:


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 79


    Warrior Class: 28


    Physique Level: F-1


    Soul Level: 3


    >


    Despite himself, Kai grinned. Being able to see mana this way felt good, in a way he hadn''t anticipated. But he immediately threw himself into the task of figuring out what any of it actually meant.


    The veteran warrior''s Soul Level was only a little higher than Kai''s, which surprised him. His Physique Level had an entirely higher grade, which Kai already knew about: that was why he could punch the hunters training him for days and never harm them. His highest number, and likely the biggest contributor to his total power, was his Class.


    That made sense to Kai: no amount of exercise in the training yards would let someone kick through walls or throw fireballs. But Gunjin had told him that some hunters focused too much on Class, and it could lead to their bodies being weak. If the numbers weren''t tricking him in some way, this fighter was ahead of him in every way, but not that far ahead.


    That was an experienced warrior. Kai instead looked at the nearest candidate, a young man he didn''t know.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 2


    Unknown Novice Class: ???


    Physique Level: G-0


    Soul Level: 0


    >


    That made Kai feel a little better: he might not be able to fight a veteran hunter, but his training showed up even in his spiritual vision. He began looking around at everyone in the room, just soaking in the new sensations. Most likely he looked like an idiot, swinging his head in every direction, but the thrill from using his new sight hadn''t faded yet.


    His first two samples hadn''t been anomalies. The candidates who looked physically out of shape had a "Physique Level" of G-0 and those with an athletic build were several steps higher. Virtually all of the veteran hunters were in the F grade, but he was surprised how many were at F-0 or F-1. If that was the first plateau, some of what he''d heard from veterans made more sense.


    "Soul Level" was harder to interpret, other than the veterans universally having higher numbers. He didn''t need magical vision to tell him that, unless there was something more to it. What did become clear was that the numbers never quite added up. Could something be wrong with his awakened vision?


    Kai looked around for the warrior with all the scars, and what he saw didn''t help:


    <


    ???


    >


    Nothing. Not symbols for unknown values, like he saw for everyone''s new Class, just a chaotic tumble of impossible color. The bottom dropped out of Kai''s stomach and he wondered if there was something wrong with him. Was it possible for an awakening to break somehow? Since the visions weren''t overwhelming him anymore, Kai hurried over to the oldest veteran.


    "Excuse me, sir... I can''t seem to see anything about you." Kai tried one more time up close, with no luck. "Should I be able to?"


    "Wouldn''t expect it." The veteran turned to him and folded his arms. "Your spiritual sight has just been awakened, so it isn''t perfect. You may get confused at first, especially if someone is too much stronger than you, or they''re from another nation."


    "Then... does that mean it''s possible to deceive yourself? Could I just... get someone''s strength wrong?"


    "Heh, like an optical illusion? No, not usually. Maybe with crazy foreign magic, but not the way you mean." The veteran poked him in the temple, a bit too hard. "You''re seeing power that''s really there, not imagining things. It may not be all as nice and neat as a merchant''s ledger, but you''re seeing reality."


    Kai absorbed that slowly and tried again, but without any better luck. Since the veteran was willing to talk to him, he decided that he might as well try to put his other questions to rest. "Why don''t the numbers add up? I''ve been looking at everyone, and there''s always a discrepancy."


    "You''re already seeing several numbers, eh? That''s pretty fast."


    "Should I not be?"


    "Usually people start with vague impressions, then slowly make out a single number. In a day or two, most of the kids here will be able to make out a person''s Class, and there''s a lot more after that. It''s odd that you can see so much already."


    "Well, Gunjin tried to prepare me for the spiritual sight."


    "One of Gunjin''s brats, huh? Maybe you can train before awakening after all." The veteran shrugged, making his scars ripple over his muscles. "Eventually you''ll learn how to compare each trait exactly, if you work at it. Some go up slowly, but each stage is worth a lot. You''ll want to focus on your Class first, because it rises quickly. So don''t worry too much about all the symbols. Let your head get used to it first."


    That was a bit of a relief, but even with the explanation, Kai couldn''t squeeze better numbers out of his new vision. "Do I need to stay here until I figure that out?"


    "You can leave whenever you want."


    "But should I?"


    The veteran chuckled and finally unfolded his arms to shoot a thumb over his shoulder at the other candidates. "I''d say you can go as soon as you''re not staggering like a drunk. Just be careful with monsters: they don''t use mana like we do, so you probably won''t have any idea about their strength for a while. What you think is a wimpy alpha rank might actually be a beta. But you can already see enough to make your way to the center."


    Someone else walked up with another question and the veteran turned to talk to her, so Kai decided he''d heard enough. There would be time to perfect his spiritual vision when he wasn''t engaged in a trial that could decide the rest of his life.


    Abruptly he realized that the veteran might have given him a hint: apparently his new spiritual vision could help him find the center in some way. That didn''t immediately make sense, so he went out to test it. The barrier around the shrine looked different, symbols throwing themselves at his head along with the normal glow, but he couldn''t make much out from them. Instead he examined the skyline while straining his new vision.


    Not much back the way he came. A few wisps of symbols that might be monsters or stragglers. But when he looked eastward, toward the theoretical center, he saw... well, he wasn''t sure what he saw. It was like a swarm of numbers so tangled up that he couldn''t read them. He guessed it was pretty likely that the concentration of power probably meant the center, or at least a point of interest.


    So he had his new eyesight and a path to the center. The sun was burning overhead, barely past its noon peak. Not bad.


    It was hard to judge the exact distance, but if he hurried he might be able to make it to the center before nightfall. That would mean he''d been fully awakened before the first of the three days was complete. Kai couldn''t help but grin. For the first time in his life, things were going his way.


    Nothing could stop him now.

 Chapter 5: Measuring Up

    Kai wanted to run straight for the central shrine and awaken his Class, but he couldn''t give in to the impulse. Candidates had already begun forming alliances and they''d run into one another even more as they got closer. They might not be as aggressive as Fhazi and his goons, but others were arriving all the time.


    Fortunately, he didn''t need to wait long before Tusquo and the other Irunians emerged. One of the women was still stumbling and staring, but otherwise their group seemed to have adapted quickly. When Kai told them about the source of power to the east, they agreed with his assessment and headed off together.


    "Do you not have spiritual sight in Irun?" Kai asked. Tusquo was silent for a time, watching the horizon, but he eventually answered.


    "It exists, but there is less mana in the air at home. There are other such skills, but they are more difficult to learn. We were sent here in order to awaken talents we could not find in Irun."


    "Oh, is that the reason? I guess I never really thought about it."


    But Kai was definitely thinking about what Tusquo and the others might be ranked. As soon as he got a chance without looking rude, he opened his spiritual sight fully to examine the other young man.


    <


    Name: Tusquo Agyama of Irun


    Total Power: 8


    Unknown Novice Class: ???


    Physique Level: G-1


    Soul Level: 1


    Path of Steel: Iron 1


    >


    The results were surprising in more ways than one. There were more symbols than anyone he''d seen before, not just Physique and Soul but a "Path of Steel" as well. Apparently it was good for more than just creating weapons. Tusquo was the first candidate Kai had seen with more spiritual strength than him, though an actual fight between them would come down to many other variables.


    As for the others, none were as impressive, but none of them were rated zero in any category. Except for the lack of Classes, which prompted another question.


    "Do they have Classes in Irun?" Kai asked. "If there''s less mana there..."


    "That is a more serious matter." Tusquo seemed unwilling to say any more, so Kai was almost glad when they were attacked by a monster not long after.


    This one was a twisted boar that drooled blue mana from its jaws. Kai immediately tried to use his new spiritual sight on it, only to feel a confusing muddle of symbols. Just like the scarred veteran had told him might happen. Gunjin had explained that monsters operated by different rules, though Kai hadn''t fully understood the explanation before awakening.


    Since he couldn''t be sure how strong the monster was, Kai began in a defensive stance. The boar charged at him and he spun aside, cutting through its flank... or he tried to. Its knotted fur deflected the strike relatively easily, and it rounded on him the next moment.


    His allies struck from multiple sides, but the monstrous boar immediately began kicking and attempting to gore them. Tusquo lunged in and cut deep into its shoulder, and for a moment Kai thought the tide had turned. Then the boar lashed out, slamming its head into him hard enough to send him tumbling.


    Tusquo hit the ground heavily, unable to get up before the boar charged at him. Kai tried to intercept and stabbed as deep as he could into the boar''s side. This strike made it through the fur, but the boar thrashed wildly. It managed to wrench the sword from his hands, then turned with a bloodthirsty grunt.


    Kai realized that he had saved Tusquo, but now the boar was focused on him. Before he could retreat, it was in his face, tusks flashing at him. Without thinking, he grabbed the one aiming for his head. The sharpened point jabbed toward his eye... but he managed to hold it back.


    As the beast''s head swung, Kai automatically grabbed the other tusk, thinking he could hold the boar in place. A second later, he realized that he was an idiot. The boar didn''t feel that much stronger than him, but it had four legs and a lower center of gravity. All he could do was hang on for dear life as it began to toss its head, trying to throw him away so that it could impale him.


    Finally a club slammed into the monster''s head... but it hadn''t been Tusquo.


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    Focused on the fight, Kai hadn''t even seen Fhazi and his group approach. One of his largest goons had a massive stone club now, and that one had dealt the finishing blow. Kai released the boar''s tusks, forgetting all about the cuts on his hands. This could turn bad rather quickly.


    "That was our kill!" Fhazi emerged from the group and waved as if to brush them away. "The core is ours, but since you helped, we''ll let you go. We can fight over cores after we''ve truly awakened."


    Coming in to steal the core was obviously unfair, and Kai ground his teeth, but he realized that they would have to put up with it. There was no profit in fighting Fhazi and the others now, and their group was completely healed. When he looked over his shoulder at the Irunians, they didn''t seem eager to fight again.


    "Alright, take it." Kai pulled out his sword, then retreated from the corpse. He kept his eye on them, but Fhazi''s group let them depart while they searched for the monster core.


    While he backed away, Kai took a second look at Fhazi and his goons.


    <


    Name: Fhazi Lantrian


    Total Power: 4


    Unknown Novice Class: ???


    Physique Level: G-1


    Soul Level: 0


    Sacred Armor: 2


    >


    Immediately he understood why the veterans said you could only rely on magical items for so long. Fhazi''s special armor might have doubled his strength as a novice, but it was only worth a tiny fraction of a veteran''s power. More powerful mana-using equipment existed, but it wasn''t that much more powerful, so the limits to buying power seemed quite clear.


    The rest of the group had actually been more interesting. Most were average candidates, but both of the large men were rated as a Physique Level G-3, higher than Kai. Most surprising, the woman who had thrown the needle in the previous fight was at Soul Level 3. None of the candidates Kai had seen were that high, and even some of the veteran fighters weren''t.


    That made certain what he''d suspected: they were ringers. Anyone could verify if someone had awakened their Class, but there were no rules about other forms of training. Kai wondered just how strong someone could become without a Class, though it would be stupid to ignore your primary source of power. That was probably why even the ringers weren''t that much older than the normal candidates.


    Combined with physical fitness, the woman actually had a total strength of 10. Either the system wasn''t completely accurate about relative power or she had been holding back earlier. Either way, Kai thought that it was smart to avoid the fight. They could resolve things after they''d awakened their Classes.


    "We now have two choices." Tusquo''s voice broke him out of his analytical thoughts.


    "What? Don''t we want to go to the center?"


    "Yes, but by what path?" Tusquo pointed directly east, then swung his finger to the side. "None of us have perfect vision. Tell me what you see."


    Kai squinted as he opened his spiritual sight, though he wasn''t sure it did any good. The jumble of power was still quite a long distance away, but there was something else. Various symbols pressed themselves into his mind when he looked toward it, nothing he could quite make out.


    What was certain was that there was some kind of structure, and he could see the glimmer of a barrier with his bare eyes. It looked like another small building, so they really only had one option... "We might as well visit," Kai said. "It isn''t that far out of our way."


    No one objected to that plan. Along the way they spotted two other candidates, who kept their distance, and no monsters. After the boar, the area seemed emptier than he''d expected. Except for a hill nearer the center, there was nothing to look at but their destination.


    To his surprise, there was a little house inside the barrier. Not a shrine, not a fort or tower, just a wooden house like any in Monskon City. It even hung out a sign with a crossed flask and branch of flowers, the symbol for a healer. Had they built a whole house just for the sake of the Hunter Trials?


    "Be cautious," Tusquo said. "This is almost certainly another test."


    As if to contradict him, at that moment a woman emerged from the front door. Kai was mildly surprised: for the first time since he''d started the Hunter Trials, he actually recognized someone.


    Juray Phrissan ran an apothecary in the neighborhood near Gunjin''s house, so Kai had spoken to her on multiple occasions. She was a woman of about thirty with long brown hair that fell around her shoulders. Instead of her usual stained apron, she wore a jerkin and practical pants. They did nothing to hide her attractiveness - Kai knew that some neighbors gossiped about why she wasn''t married yet.


    "Well, hello there!" She waved and beamed at them. "You''re the first to arrive, and I''ve been terribly bored!"


    "I''m glad to see you too, Juray, but what are you doing here?" Kai stepped forward, despite Tusquo urging him to move more cautiously. "You can''t be here for an awakening, can you?"


    "Of course not. I''m here to represent the good citizens of Monskon City, who you will be protecting if you join the Hunters Guild." Juray frowned and glanced over the Irunians. "Well, I suppose that isn''t as likely for all of you, but you''re still welcome to use my services."


    "So you''re operating a store in the middle of the reserve? Do you sell all your normal potions?"


    "They''ll only let me exchange healing items for monster cores. However..." Juray gave him a wink. "If you''re confident in your skills, I have a little challenge for you."


    "Let''s d-" Kai cut off when Tusquo raised a hand in front of his face.


    "We must remain cautious," he said, still frowning at her. "What manner of challenge is this?"


    "I''m not allowed to say," Juray answered. "Do hunters ever know what they''ll be called upon to defend? If you accept the challenge you''ll face a risky fight, but there will be monster cores in it for you. Say the word and I''ll release the seal."


    A seal? Kai looked around the house while the Irunians spoke amongst themselves. He didn''t see anything unusual within the barrier, but he spotted a large stone plate sitting several paces away. It glowed a little in his spiritual sight, so he guessed that was the source of the challenge.


    Tusquo glanced at him, waited for a nod, then turned to Juray. "Very well. We will attempt this challenge."


    "Great! I''m a bit curious what will happen myself." She stepped back into the house and Kai heard a sound like a clay pot shattering... and then something much larger shattered.


    The stone plate he had seen before broke into wisps of brown mana, revealing a ramp plunging into the earth. Just as he wondered if they needed to enter, a dark shape emerged from the shadows. It was a boar like the one before, grunting and drooling the same mana.


    No, not a boar. Dozens of them. They tore their way through the remains of the seal and charged as a single horde.

 Chapter 6: The Challenge

    Kai''s body drew his sword, but his mind had no idea what the hell he was going to do. An attack like this seemed absurdly dangerous for a group of hunter candidates. Maybe it was a mistake, maybe it was an assassination... whatever it was, it was running toward them.


    "This is impossible." Tusquo took an involuntary step backward, then glanced at the others. "We should retreat inside the barrier and await reinforcement."


    "No!" Kai kept his eyes on the charging boars, but tried to call to the others. "If this challenge is about defending the city as hunters, we can''t just retreat. Can the barrier even handle that big a charge?"


    There wasn''t much time to discuss it, so Kai was relieved to see that the Irunians didn''t flee. Actually, several of them had already cupped their hands to generate new weapons. He had no time to check the details, because the boars had arrived.


    Spinning knives hit them first, many glancing off but a few managing to spear boars in the eyes. Tusquo had hurled caltrops over the ground instead, which was a smart idea that didn''t work. The monsters'' hooves trampled directly over the spikes.


    Then it was up to Kai. He thrust directly into the nearest boar''s charge, its momentum driving the sword deep into its throat. That didn''t stop it. The beast was shedding huge amounts of blood, but it kept pushing toward him with hate-filled eyes, its tusks shaking wildly.


    But he''d expected that after the previous fight. Kai had his feet braced and strained his arms as hard as he could to swing the boar to the side. It collided with several of the others, and for just a moment Kai thought that he could fight them back.


    Another boar slammed into his side, one tusk ripping through his shoulder. Kai staggered back, yanking his sword free, and swung wildly. It managed to keep any more from attacking him, but they were closing in from all sides now.


    As soon as he had a second to breathe, he glanced at the others. They''d managed to blunt the charge, but only because the boars had scattered to surround them. If they didn''t have their backs to the mana barrier, they would already have been completely encircled.


    The boars lunged in one or two at a time, so their group could hold them off, but soon the monsters would rush in at once. Tusquo looked entirely focused on the combat, managing to knock down one or two of the beasts with well-placed blows. But it couldn''t last.


    "Retreat when they charge!" Kai called. "Through the barrier, then strike back!"


    His warning couldn''t have come a second later. Several of the boars rushed in and the group quickly retreated through the wavering wall of blue mana. The boars slammed into it like an invisible wall... which trembled at each impact.


    Kai leapt back out again and managed to land a thrust directly into one of the monster''s eyes. But he struggled to pull his sword back out and several of the others nearly gored him before he could retreat.


    None of the boars seemed disturbed by the invisible wall. Their eyes were fixed on their prey within and they kept stabbing their tusks into the mana. Kai wasn''t an expert on barriers, but he knew that they only had limited energy. Even normal arrows could eventually wear them down, much less monsters with mana of their own.


    "What kind of challenge is this?" Tusquo demanded. While his allies watched the barrier nervously, he turned on Juray. "This would be a threat to fully awakened warriors!"


    "I don''t know." Juray had wrapped up a hand in her hair, so tightly that her fingers were white. "I''ve helped with the Hunter Trials for several years, and they''ve never given me anything this dangerous. But that might not matter. If I help you, you''ll probably still be disqualified."


    For the first time it occurred to Kai to check her with his new spiritual vision. He had been coping by keeping his spiritual eyes closed most of the time, so it was easy to miss things.


    <


    Name: Juray Phrissan


    Total Power: 26


    Herbalist Class: 8


    Physique Level: G-1


    Soul Level: 2


    >


    Her "Herbalist" Class seemed to offer her less strength than the others, which made sense for - no, there was no time to think about that. Juray was strong for a civilian, but she couldn''t survive against so many monsters. Disqualification or not, they were on their own.


    "Kai Granfian?" Tusquo didn''t sound angry like before. He sounded worried.


    When Kai turned back toward the barrier, he understood why: an enormous boar nearly as tall as him was pushing its way through the others. A few grunted back and it knocked them aside with a casual swing of its head. It didn''t take a monster expert to see that this was the leader, and that they were going to have a major problem. Kai was no expert on monster ranks, but this one was at least a beta, which meant it was lethal for unawakened fighters. Maybe even a gamma.


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    The largest boar slammed against the barrier and the mana wall shuddered a lot more than the monster did.


    "Our only chance is to break them apart." Tusquo cupped his hands together to form a new weapon, and it looked like he had a plan. "Kai, do you think they''ll follow the largest one?"


    "I can''t promise," Kai said, "but probably some of them will. Monsters that are over-sized have usually absorbed extra mana and dominate others of their kind. What are you planning?"


    "It''ll be just like the races back home. Come on!"


    Tusquo gestured to the other Irunians, revealing strange hooks in his hands. The others didn''t look happy about it, but they obeyed him and moved closer to the barrier. While they created their own hooks, Tusquo turned back to him.


    "Kai Granfian. We will divert them, but I do not know how successfully. You must take the opportunity to strike." He raised a hand and gave another Irunian bow. "If we are separated, it has been an honor to fight alongside you."


    "Uh... you too." Kai should have bowed back, but he was way too busy watching the monsters slam into the barrier. Was the mana already dimming a bit?


    In a single twisting leap, Tusquo vaulted out of the barrier and onto the largest boar''s back. The steel hooks bit down into its fur - they didn''t draw blood, but they seemed to dig in deep. When the boar gave an angry shake, Tusquo managed to ride it out by gripping the hooks and digging in his feet.


    As soon as it realized it couldn''t shake him off easily, the boar pivoted and tried to slam its back against the rocks. Tusquo barely crawled out of the way in time, struggling to stay on the boar''s back. Seeing how much trouble he was in, the other Irunians rushed into action, and Kai ran with them.


    He couldn''t jump on top of a boar like they did, but he did manage another thrust directly into a boar''s eye. A back kick from the leader nearly took his head off, but the missed strike put it into position. Kai saw his chance and took it, thrusting against the beast''s leg.


    His sword glanced off. This monster was a threat for veteran hunters with fully awakened Classes, far beyond mere candidates.


    Fortunately, the beast charged away instead of rounding on him. Tusquo seemed to have stabbed one of his hooks into its flesh, so it was bellowing and twisting in pain. The others were staying on top of smaller boars, trying to herd them, and the rest of the monsters seemed to be following.


    While the majority rushed away in a herd, a few were still attacking the barrier. Kai ran along the edge, ducking in and out to avoid their charges and striking back. He couldn''t always deliver a lethal blow, but he could deal injuries to legs or faces that made the monsters retreat. Perhaps if the majority left, he could actually take out those that remained.


    Just when he felt a bit of confidence, he heard a scream from outside the barrier. One of the Irunian women was flailing wildly in the air, barely holding on to one hook. As he watched, she lost her grip and went flying into the horde. She crashed into one of the boars and several others rounded on her.


    Before he had time to think, Kai burst from the barrier. He managed to stab one boar through the jaw, but another got to her. She struck back wildly with a short knife, but she couldn''t cut deep enough. Before Kai could catch up, the monster thrust a tusk into her side.


    Her screams urged him on and Kai fought the remaining boars savagely. If his training hadn''t been beaten into him, he might have died in the rush. By the time it was over, three boars lay dead and there were no others nearby. When he looked up, he saw that the horde was retreating into the distance, Tusquo and the others still struggling to redirect them.


    There was no way he could catch up, and even if he did... no, that didn''t matter. After checking one last time for other monsters, Kai bent down to the Irunian woman. She was still breathing, but there was a lot of blood pouring out of her side. He jammed his sword into his belt and scooped her up, carrying her back to the barrier.


    "She needs more healing than a potion," Juray said nervously. "I could sustain her life long enough for someone to help, but she''ll be removed from the contest. Do you think that''s what she''d want?"


    "I think she''ll die if you don''t." Kai set the Irunian down and then collapsed onto his back. He was bleeding from a lot more injuries than he''d realized and he''d probably have bruises all over. None of that seemed important when there was a horde of monsters rampaging through the reserve.


    Juray bent down beside the Irunian and managed to make her swallow blue liquid from a vial. As she worked, Juray spoke to him without looking up. "Did anyone in your group have enemies?"


    "You think this could be sabotage?" Kai''s eyes widened as his mind had time to catch up after the violence. "Does that happen?"


    "It''s not supposed to, but the strongest clans can get away with bending the rules. If no warriors have shown up by the end of the day, they aren''t going to help."


    That was what he had been afraid of. Gunjin had told him that real-world threats were necessary for awakening a strong Class, which was why the Hunter Trials were so dangerous. In the end, it didn''t matter whether the horde was sabotage or just bad luck... he needed to survive it all the same.


    Thinking about it that way, Kai realized that he really only had one choice. Even if he could chase down the boars, he couldn''t help Tusquo as he was now. His best chance was to use this opportunity to reach the center and awaken his Class. Kai forced himself to his feet, groaning as he discovered brand new pains.


    "The challenge was supposed to be defending civilians, right?" He glanced down toward Juray. "Is there some kind of reward aside from the monster cores?"


    "Not much, I''m afraid." She finished making some kind of poultice, then rummaged in her bag for something and handed him a twisted glass vial. "All I''m allowed to give you is a healing potion, as well as food and water. I''m guessing you don''t have time for that?"


    "Doesn''t look like it." Kai took the vial and drained it immediately. The tension in his body was a lot worse than before, but it was better than pain.


    "If you come back later, I can give you the rest of your reward then. Otherwise... all I can say is good luck." Juray gave him a nervous smile and then returned to her work.


    As Kai stepped through the barrier, he realized just how many boar corpses had been left around it. He didn''t feel like he''d landed many lethal blows, but between all of them, they had taken out almost a dozen. That was far more monster cores than he currently had, but cutting through all the boar hides to find their cores would waste too much time.


    No, this was all or nothing. Kai refocused on the central hill and began sprinting to awaken his Class.

 Chapter 7: Awakening a Class

    The idea of sprinting all the way had seemed great at the start. As his sides ached and his lungs strained, Kai began to regret it. He''d trained himself with running plenty of times, but that hadn''t been over such rough terrain after fighting several battles. Normal human stamina wasn''t enough to run an area the size of the monster reserve.


    Which was why he needed to reach the center. The intense source of power was getting closer and he could see that it was a small hill with a shrine on the top. If that wasn''t his destination, at least he could climb up and get a good look at everything else. Though the sun was getting close to the horizon, he should still have time to scout the region.


    So far he hadn''t seen any monsters except a single twisted dog, which he''d outrun until it gave up. He''d briefly passed another candidate and had a shouted exchange about the horde of monstrous boars to the west. That meant nothing had been done and the candidates were on their own.


    He''d have to hope that Tusquo and the other Irunians had made it. If they didn''t survive the initial rush, there was nothing he could do for them.


    When he hit the edge of the hill, Kai collapsed against the first stone steps winding their way up the side. He just held himself upright for a while, panting for breath. All his muscles burned, but he''d made it. Without getting attacked. Hopefully in time.


    "Hey, good job! You''re the third person here."


    The voice came from further up the hill, so Kai forced himself back upright and tried not to look exhausted. The source was a woman in her thirties lounging on a stone bench near the top of the hill. She wore light armor emblazoned with the crest of the Orgoron clan but didn''t carry any weapons. Unlike most of the veterans, she didn''t have any scars. He still got a sense of danger from her and wondered for a moment before remembering to focus on his spiritual vision again.


    <


    Name: Unknown Orgoron


    Total Power: 94


    Spellbow Class: 32


    Physique Level: F-3


    Soul Level: 4


    >


    She was no slouch, even by the standards of the veteran hunters. Kai wasn''t sure what a "Spellbow" was, but he assumed that her Class let her keep her distance from monsters. The Orgoron clan was one of the largest in Goralia too, so he needed to make a good impression.


    "Do I get a prize for being third?" Kai asked. He even managed not to gasp for breath midway.


    "No, but being one of the first candidates with a Class will be advantage enough. Come on up, but no rush. We''re not quite ready for you."


    He couldn''t say too much while he climbed the stairs, not with his body becoming one solid ache. Once he got a bit closer, however, he had to ask. "Are you all aware of that giant boar monster rampaging around?"


    "We saw it, but we''re not quite sure how a gamma-ranked monster got in." The Orgoron warrior stared out from the hill, almost as if she could actually see it. "Once you kids have awakened, you should be able to kill it. It''s too bad that some will fail against an unfair challenge, but that''s better than interfering with the Hunter Trials and ruining a whole year."


    When he reached her seat, the woman slid to her feet. Kai was looking past her toward the main shrine, which looked more similar to the ones he''d seen in the city. It had four open entrances, but the ceiling was filled with a sheet of blue glass that cast everything within in unreal light. He could see some other warriors waiting around, along with some who looked like nobles or merchants from the city. Leaders? Sponsors of candidates?


    "My name is Rallia, by the way." The Orgoron woman tapped on his sleeve to steer him in another direction. "I''ll guide you through the process, but you have to wait."


    That apparently meant waiting for the second arrival to finish awakening. Kai peered through the shifting blue light to see the pool in the center. This one was also filled with mana, just far larger than the little shrine where he''d awakened his sight. There was a stone stair leading down into it, and a young man about his age was currently lowering himself into the mana. Very slowly.


    "Are there consequences if you can''t awaken?" Kai asked Rallia. She nodded somberly.


    "If your mind isn''t completely focused, your heart might explode in your chest."


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    "What?"


    "I''m kidding." Rallia cast him a lopsided grin. "If someone can''t awaken, they just fail to absorb the mana. They waste it, and everyone''s time, and people are pissed, but nothing else happens. But you don''t need to worry too much about that. We make the Hunter Trials dangerous enough that it basically never happens."


    Kai''s nerves were too high to appreciate any humor, so he just nodded. The man who had gotten there before him was really taking his time. Before he could think of another question, Kai saw Gunjin emerge from the shrine entrance. As soon as he arrived, the older man grabbed him by the shoulders and smiled.


    "You''ve done well, Kai. Excellent performance so far."


    "Thank you, sir." He glanced between his mentor and Rallia, but they barely looked at one another. "Do you think I made a mistake, leaving all those monster cores? Uh, I assume you have a way of watching..."


    "No, it was the correct decision. You can acquire plenty of cores later." Gunjin kept one hand on his shoulder and guided him closer to the shrine. "Excellent work making an alliance with the Irunians as well. It''s difficult to earn their respect in times of peace, so you took a rare opportunity."


    "Does that mean they survived?"


    "Another of their number was disabled and removed, but Tusquo Agyama is mostly unharmed. That''s all I can tell you without breaking the rules."


    Gunjin always had been a stickler for the rules. None of the talents he''d taken into his clan had ever received an unfair advantage, and he fully used that reputation. The Granfian clan wasn''t huge, but Gunjin had built it into a rival for the major national clans. Every noble family sought to find talent from the lower classes, since they didn''t have enough in their own children, but Gunjin specialized in the search.


    Out of curiosity, Kai tried to examine his mentor with his new senses. All he got was a haze of symbols implying great power, just like the other old veteran. Gunjin was in good physical shape, Kai knew that from the practice yard, but he was a slender man. His strength clearly came from something deeper than Physique.


    While they were talking, the other candidate went completely under the mana... and burst upwards the next moment. He tore up the steps, mana scattering off him. At first he wore a shocked expression, then it dissolved into joy.


    Slowly the young man raised a hand with his palm up. A flame, born out of pure mana, flickered into being. The candidate stared at it a moment, then twisted his wrist. Without warning, the fire exploded up, engulfing his face.


    When it faded, his hair had been blown backward, but he was unburned. After several moments staring with wide eyes, he laughed loudly. One of the nearest warriors took him by the arm and guided him out of the shrine. That meant Kai was next, but he took a moment to examine the other candidate.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 8


    Flamecaster Novice Class: 1


    Physique Level: G-2


    Soul Level: 1


    >


    So his Class was "Flamecaster." Kai only knew the general terms for Classes that were commonly seen in the city, so that wasn''t familiar to him. He had expected more broad categories, and he wasn''t sure exactly how the word "Flamecaster" had gotten into his head. But it felt right, and perfectly matched his intuitions.


    If he had his math right, the Class granted an immediate slight power boost, but would soon grant much more. And now it was his turn. Kai looked to the others, wondering if there would be further delays, but Gunjin only gave him a satisfied nod and Rallia gestured for him to enter.


    "You can go right in," she said as they entered the shrine. "Won''t make any difference in the end, it just changes how tingly you feel first."


    "Then let''s not waste time." Kai stepped forward and jumped directly into the pool of mana.


    The power engulfed him immediately, then rushed into his body. It was lighter than water, so he went directly through and hit the bottom of the pool. His legs were thrumming with so much power that he barely even felt the impact. Raw mana was flowing into his body, far more intense than before, his very flesh beginning to burn.


    It wasn''t purely random, though. Kai could feel the mana sliding along the grooves of his mind. The familiar movements in the training yard, the adrenaline of a good fight, his blood soaking into his clothes... the mana flowed directly through all of those experiences and kindled them into a new flame.


    Somehow Kai was stumbling up the steps. He''d never consciously chosen to leave, but the experience had just been too intense to linger. Something had definitely changed within him, and he felt stronger, but... how? The previous candidate had almost immediately begun experimenting with flames. Kai had no idea what he was supposed to do next.


    Everyone was staring at him. Kai stared too, and his spiritual vision immediately fixated on a new word.


    <


    Laborer


    >


    Just what was that supposed to mean? Kai had heard of people receiving generic-sounding Classes before, but "Laborer" was new to him. The warriors running the shrine looked surprised too... and not surprised like they were impressed.


    "Well, shit." Rallia walked up beside him, shaking her head sadly. "That''s rough luck, kid."


    "What?" Kai grabbed her arm before she could turn away. "Does it say the same thing for you? What does that mean?"


    "I don''t know what you''re seeing, but don''t overthink it. Your Class is for manual labor, apparently. Maybe it has to do with how you''ve trained, maybe it''s your destiny, maybe it''s just dumb luck. But there''s nothing much you can do with it. I can''t help you."


    She turned away and Kai desperately looked toward Gunjin. His mentor was staring at him with a total lack of expression that was almost terrifying. Abruptly he closed his eyes and turned away. "I need to research if this Class has any hidden potential. Continue the trials to the best of your ability, Kai."


    Gunjin stepped into one of the archways and disappeared into a portal. Rallia gave him an apologetic shrug as she walked away. All at once his support was gone. A few of the warriors clapped him on the back or offered vaguely encouraging platitudes, but they wanted him out so they could get ready for the next candidate.


    Kai stumbled out of the shrine and stared into the setting sun. He tried to find some hidden strength within himself, but there was nothing. His Class had awakened, and it gained him nothing. Even though he tried to tell himself that Gunjin would discover that it held a secret power, he didn''t honestly believe it.


    Exhausted, Kai sat down at the edge of the hill and just stared. At the end of the first day of the Hunter Trials, fate ruined his life for the first time.


    Not the last.

 Chapter 8: The Second Day of the Hunter Trials

    That night, Kai slept like a stone. When he woke up, the tightness from the magical healing was mostly gone and he felt better. At least until he remembered his awakening, and the Class that apparently meant all his hard work was pointless. Rallia was gone, Gunjin hadn''t returned, and nobody else seemed inclined to talk to him.


    Two more candidates had arrived during the night, both locals. Unfortunately, checking them with his spiritual vision wasn''t any comfort: the woman had awakened a "Knight" class and the man was apparently a "Rogue." That sounded mildly negative, but the man was already training how to throw knives and have them reappear in his hands. Just the sort of magical power that a Class should grant, not his worthless Laborer status.


    To avoid slipping into misery, Kai glanced at himself again:


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 11


    Laborer Class: 1


    Physique Level: G-2


    Soul Level: 2


    >


    His training was comparable to the other candidates, and in most cases better. If his spiritual vision was accurate, he''d grown substantially more powerful since beginning the Hunter Trials. He forced himself upright and resolved that he wouldn''t let this setback stop him.


    That moment of great determination was undercut when his stomach growled. He''d eaten basically nothing since breakfast the day before, and he was really feeling it.


    After confirming there was nothing else for him at the central shrine, Kai headed back to Juray''s waypoint. Assuming that she was still there, she had food and water for him. He tried to comfort himself with that a little: even though things had gone wrong, they''d managed to defend the position against an unfair challenge. Even before awakening.


    Was it possible to be a monster hunter without a Class? He knew that Physique and Soul Levels were important, because the local hunters often talked about fighters who had put all their work into their Class but lagged behind elsewhere. But the advantages granted by a Class were so massive, it was hard to imagine how it would work.


    Kai eventually came up with one example after walking for a while: Gunjin had once spoken about a man whose inborn abilities were tied to poison. They hadn''t strengthened him like other Classes, but they had made him immensely lethal and he had become a veteran hunter at the Frontier.


    So it worked for one person... but it was hard to imagine the same thing for a Laborer. Kai imagined a fighting style based on carrying rocks and pushing wheelbarrows, which made him snort. Not likely.


    When a monster came prowling toward him, Kai actually hesitated. It was another one of those twisted dogs, just like he''d killed at the beginning. Yet now that he apparently wasn''t fated to be a warrior, he found himself staring instead of acting...


    In the end his training took over. He drew his sword and sliced across the monster as it struck, nearly cutting it in half.


    After staring down at the body for several seconds, Kai bent down to find its monster core. He might have encountered an obstacle, but he wouldn''t let this stop him. If there was any potential to be found in the Laborer Class, he''d find it. Meanwhile, he would finish the Hunter Trials in as strong a position as possible.


    Before he encountered any other monsters or found the waypoint, a light appeared overhead. Not the rising sun, a glowing point of mana. He shielded his eyes to look at it better, wondering if it could be a threat, when he heard a voice speaking over the reserve.


    "The second day of the Hunter Trials has begun!" The voice sounded like an old woman, but he didn''t recognize her. Kai kept walking while she spoke. "New waypoints have been placed throughout the reserve. For those who have not awakened, these shrines will assist you in arriving. But for those who already have, they will offer opportunities to deepen your new skills. Good luck!"


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    Both light and voice vanished. Kai had heard rumors that the Hunter Trials could change midway through, and now he understood what those meant. Most likely there would be another announcement on the dawn of the third day. Other than keeping an eye out for new waypoints, it didn''t change his goals.


    Along the way, Kai spotted a cluster of rocks that looked unweathered, as if they had been dropped in overnight. They were infested with small lizard-like monsters, and he braced himself for a tough fight, but to his surprise they dropped easily. He killed half a dozen of them with only a few scratches, then sat down to extract their monster cores. Small, but still valuable.


    Perhaps those in charge of the test had added in some easier challenges to help those who had trouble with the horde of boars. Kai wasn''t sure if he wanted to find them again, since he didn''t have a new edge. He would hunt weaker monsters if he had to, but he wanted more.


    When he finally reached Juray''s isolated house, he saw that the barrier had been restored. She emerged before he did, waving cheerily.


    "Hello there! They set up my waypoint again, and would you believe the next group only had to fight three of those dogs? You got really unlucky..." Her amusement faded as she got a better look at him. "Kai? You look fine, so... oh. That''s not what you wanted, is it?"


    "No, but there''s not much I can do about it." He pushed past her instead of greeting. "Do you still have the food you offered?"


    "That I do!"


    She ushered him in, though the interior was absurdly spare compared to a normal home. There was only a simple table and chair, but Juray pulled an entire meal out of her pack. It must have been spatial magic, but that sort of thing was too expensive to be part of Kai''s life normally. He sat down to eat and he was impressed by the assortment of food. Bread that melted in his mouth, mixed fruit from the entire country, and wine along with clear spring water. They hadn''t skimped on the reward.


    It could only taste good for so long, though, before he began to think about his situation. Eventually he sat back and asked a question while his mouth was briefly empty. "Has this happened in previous Hunter Trials? Someone just gets a useless Class?"


    "I''ve seen a lot of disappointed candidates, but yours does seem a bit rough." Juray pulled an entire chair from her bag and sat down opposite him. "It never helps to say this, but it''s the ultimate reminder that life isn''t fair."


    "Could I have... done something to do this? Is it my fault somehow?"


    "Who really knows how Classes work? Certainly not me. I know that I spent every day as a teenager trying to train in mana-crafting, then my Class decided that I needed to work with herbs. So... here I am."


    Since Juray had been an apothecary the entire time he''d known her, the idea that she had wanted to be something else set him back a bit. Kai looked her over curiously. "Mana-crafting? What''s that?"


    "It''s similar to what I do, but it involves making and enhancing curatives from raw mana. I can work with herbs better than a normal person, but not fundamentally differently. It''s like the difference between someone whose Class lets them be a slightly stronger fighter and someone who can call down lightning."


    "Huh. I hadn''t known that." Kai considered for a moment. In the end, it didn''t matter: he was full now, so he didn''t have time to sit around feeling sorry for himself. "Is there any way to fundamentally change your Class?"


    Juray shrugged with an odd smile. "I have concoctions for temporary strength or faking a Class, but changing someone''s natural powers? If that kind of thing exists, you can''t get it from a lowly Herbalist."


    "Thanks for the food. I don''t suppose you can offer any other help without cheating?"


    "If you win, you should get a very nice potion I made that will help you, no matter what your Class is. Until then, just be careful with the new waypoints."


    That was an odd line, but when he stared at her she only gave a mysterious smile. Maybe an oblique hint? Kai thanked her again and headed out, examining the horizon in all directions. He could work out the big problems when he wasn''t under such a tight deadline.


    There were more points of interest on the horizon: either they''d dropped in a lot of waypoints or his spiritual vision was getting better. Based on how strong an impression the symbols made on him, Kai could roughly estimate their distance. Not much else about them, but that was a start. He checked his sword and began jogging out toward the nearest.


    As he drew closer, he strained his eyes to try to extract more information. He thought he could make out several different sources, like clusters of symbols. Reading them individually was impossible, but the combinations looked extremely familiar - they were probably candidates just like him. Moving around rapidly, unless his eyes were tricking him.


    Then he got closer and he saw what they were fighting: an enormous tree that stood alone in the wasteland. Not only was it lashing out with vines, a branch clenched into a fist and punched one of the candidates. Even as he ran closer, Kai saw one of the candidates try to hack at its trunk and immediately collapse to the ground as roots wrapped around their legs.


    No, not a tree. There was a woman clad in leaves in the center of the branches.


    He had no idea what that thing was, but the Hunter Trials were clearly about to get more complicated.

 Chapter 9: A Different Kind of Test

    Kai kept his sword sheathed as he sprinted the remaining distance. Understanding the battle could be more important than entering it, especially because he couldn''t be certain the humans were his allies. Four candidates about his age, all looking local to Monskon City. No, five - another one had been smashed into the ground, unconscious or dead.


    His spiritual senses were a bit overwhelmed with all the rapidly moving fighters, but he could pick up a few things. Three out of the four had awakened their Classes, probably that very morning. The fact that they were having so much trouble against this monster was a bad sign.


    That monster made him pause. From a distance he''d just seen branches and vines attacking them and figured it was some sort of monster tree. Now that he got up close, he could see that the humanoid form was merged with the center of the tree. It looked like the upper half of a voluptuous woman with bark-shaded skin and green hair. He still couldn''t identify her, but it didn''t take a genius to figure out that she was controlling the tree, even before she waved a hand and sent out another fist of branches.


    One of the candidates was running toward the trunk, shielded by some sort of shell of blue mana. Whatever the shell was, the wooden fist punched straight through and sent him flying. Since Kai still hadn''t drawn his sword, he was able to catch the man before he hit the ground.


    "Thanks." The other candidate wiped some blood from his face as he briefly examined Kai. "I don''t know who you are, but if you help us, we''ll share the reward."


    "Just what is this thing?" Kai asked as he drew his sword.


    "No idea, but it''s guarding a chest there. Look out for the vines, and it can also make roots grow from anywhere..."


    Though the other man kept talking, Kai stopped listening to him when he saw the treasure. The wooden chest by the base of the tree looked like it could have come out of a children''s story book. Nobody he knew would keep anything in a chest like that... now that he looked closer, it didn''t even have a lock. Most likely the leaders had placed it as a reward for overcoming the challenge, but the oddity made Kai hesitate and look at the creature more carefully with his spiritual vision.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 39


    Dryad Class: 10


    Soul Level: 3


    >


    For one second he was puzzled, then the next he realized that he''d been an idiot. He looked up to try to call to the others, but the person he''d been talking to was already running in again. Vines immediately lashed out at him, but that had only been a distraction.


    A young woman in red robes leapt over her ally, both her hands burning with dark mana. It looked like she''d intended to grab the humanoid in the trunk, but she didn''t get close. Several of the upper boughs bent lower, sweeping her out of the air and into some of the other fighters.


    Kai spotted one of the others remaining at a distance, gathering mana. It was the man who had reached the shrine before him the previous day and become a Flamecaster, and it looked like he had developed his control significantly since then. Before he could fire, Kai ran in his direction.


    "Wait!" he called. "Use your spiritual sight!"


    The other candidate narrowed his eyes in the direction of the tree, frowned, then pumped more mana into his fireball. "It''s stronger than I thought. Distract it and I''ll put everything I have into one flame."


    "That''s not what I-" Too late. The others listened to what the Flamecaster said and attacked from all sides.


    All of them were quickly knocked away, but the next moment a torrent of flame erupted from the Flamecaster. Several boughs bent down to block it, only for the flame to burn directly through. When the column reached the humanoid in the center, she raised a wooden arm. Power swelled around her, resisting the flames, but leaves were burning all around the beam.


    Kai dropped his sword and instead grabbed the other man''s arms, pulling the beam upward. Immediately he felt resistance and the flames turned toward him. Before he could be incinerated, Kai slapped the Flamecaster across the face as hard as he could.


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    That shock was enough to quench the flames, and the other man seemed to have exhausted most of his strength. All of his allies turned on Kai, confused but more than ready to fight. Before the situation could turn bad, Kai raised his arms and spoke to all of them.


    "Have any of you used your spiritual vision on monsters? Have you ever seen one that had a name or Class? If she has both, she must not be a monster." Of course, Kai couldn''t take all the credit for that observation. When he''d asked Gunjin about all the races that existed in the world, Gunjin had told him that the difference was clear in spiritual vision.


    Only now did he understand how clear it was. Not every nation in the world was locked in a war with monsters, but they all saw the difference in soul as sharply as black and white.


    His argument got through to them and the group hesitated. Some looked to their fallen comrade, but it seemed that he was still alive, just stunned. As they finally stood down and released their techniques, the woman in the tree let out a long yawn.


    "Oh, thank goodness. This was getting very tiresome." Her voice sounded surprisingly human, and she covered her mouth while she yawned just like a human would. "At least I can go to sleep now."


    "If you''re not a monster, what are you doing here?" the Flamecaster asked.


    "Your leaders asked me to help." The dryad, if that''s what she was, lowered a branch in front of her and leaned forward onto it with her arms crossed in front of her. It made her breasts pillow in a very distracting way and Kai did his best to remain respectful. "They said they were worried that their children were too eager to fight. Seems like it."


    "Then we weren''t supposed to fight you for the chest?"


    "Nope. Please go away now." She settled in deeper into her leaves, surprisingly laid back for a being who had minutes before been fighting all of them.


    The group didn''t look happy about it, but after some conversation, they picked up their injured companion and departed. A few shot him an angry glance even though it wasn''t his fault. Kai just picked up his sword and waited for them to get some distance away before he approached the tree. Up close, the dryad really did look remarkably human, and her skin didn''t look quite so bark-like. He found himself wondering how it would feel and shoved that thought out of his mind.


    "Uh, excuse me... is it okay if we talk?"


    "I would rather not." The dryad looked up from her branch as if she''d much rather be asleep. "But I suppose you passed the test. Good job. Good human. Are you happy now?"


    "I''ve never met someone like you," Kai said, and immediately felt as awkward as a teenager. "Should we have known your, uh, people?"


    "Probably not. You know what''s south of Goralia?"


    "I thought it was just wilderness."


    "More or less, but some of us live there. I''m from far, far to the south." The dryad let out a long yawn and pushed herself up a little to look at him, which made clear that she was wearing nothing but leaves. "Humans are always running around, hacking and burning things. It''s very disruptive."


    Kai swallowed, unsure where to take that. Eventually he glanced down toward the chest. The treasure chest. "If we weren''t supposed to fight you, then what about that treasure? Was it just bait?"


    "Oh that. You only have to ask for it without attacking me. Why don''t you go take a look?"


    He approached the base of the tree carefully, expecting to be swatted at any moment, and knelt down next to the chest. Now that he looked up close, he saw that the wood had an almost identical appearance to the rest of the tree, but wasn''t attached to the dryad. There was an ordinary enough hinge, so he opened the lid. All that it contained was a cushion with three pills atop it.


    No, seeds. The pale green spheres radiated mana like strengthening potions, but he felt certain that they were alive. So there was a reward after all.


    "Do I take one of these?" he asked. The dryad looked over his shoulder and blinked a few times.


    "You know, I''m not sure. If you take them all, I can go to sleep, so why don''t you do that?"


    "Thank you." Kai took the three seeds carefully, but even up close he couldn''t make anything of them, with spiritual or normal vision. "Can you tell me what these are?"


    "Mana seedlings." The dryad answered as if she expected him to understand that, and when he obviously didn''t, sighed and went on in a lower voice. "They will enhance your growth, but only under specific circumstances. You should eat one of them before you enter a dangerous situation. If you''re having trouble developing, it could help you over the obstacle."


    "Should I save them for when I get stuck, then?"


    "They''ll probably grow less effective the stronger you become. These are for seedlings, after all." She patted him absentmindedly on the head and then settled back onto her branch. "I guess you aren''t so bad, but I''m tired of talking now."


    That seemed to be the end of the conversation as far as she was concerned. Kai thanked her a few more times and backed away. The seeds burned in his palm the entire time, emitting huge amounts of mana. He''d heard of items like this, and it wasn''t surprising that they''d be placed within the Hunter Trials, but he hadn''t expected to find any so soon.


    As he walked away, Kai considered his options. He placed two of the mana seedlings into a very secure pouch within his sack, where they''d be safest. The last he kept in his hand, both in case it was necessary and to think about it. His gut instinct was to save them, but the dryad had said they''d be less useful that way. Picking the right time to use them would be difficult.


    He''d lost several hours in his early travels, but the majority of the second day still stretched before him. It probably made sense to use all three mana seedlings during the Hunter Trials, so he just needed to figure out when the most "dangerous situations" would be. The trials were intended to push them to their limits, so opportunities were sure to come up, he just didn''t want to waste the seedlings on a trick like the dryad.


    Less than an hour later, Kai spotted a cloud of dust on the horizon. He shielded his eyes and made out a group of the monster boars: only about half the group, and not including the largest. They weren''t moving toward him, so he could simply let them run on.


    Instead, Kai swallowed the first of the mana seedlings and ran into battle.

 Chapter 10: Second Sunset

    As the horizon began to swallow the sun, Kai staggered back to the nearest waypoint. It had been a day of grueling combat, and if he ran into any other candidates he might regret pushing himself so hard. There hadn''t been much fighting between humans on the second day of the Hunter Trials because of all the new monsters. That would probably change.


    He had used up two of his three mana seedlings. Hopefully he wouldn''t regret that, but he resisted the urge to examine himself with his spiritual vision. The numbers didn''t matter as much as working as hard as he could, and getting to safety so some monster didn''t kill him in the night.


    After the good prizes from the dryad, he''d aggressively pursued other waypoints, but they hadn''t been as eventful. Many of those that looked like they might have been interesting were already cleared by someone else. Once he saw several of the goons that served Fhazi taking down an octopus monster in a small pond, then leave with the rewards. It seemed that the best challenges were taken fast.


    There were a few simpler waypoints that distributed food and water. The quality was far worse than the reward meal given by Juray, so he belatedly wished that he''d thanked her more. He''d considered going back to her, but it would have wasted too much time to retrace his steps. Best to keep moving forward.


    Before the sun set completely, Kai reached his destination. Just another little shrine surrounded by a barrier. Fortunately, it looked like no one else had returned to it, so the only occupant was a bored-looking hunter. When Kai arrived he nodded to the man, who grinned.


    "Turning in for the day, huh?"


    "I''m pretty tired," Kai said. He paused and stared back out into the darkness. "Wait, are there special events occurring at night?"


    "Not for the basic Hunter Trials. Get your rest and heal up. You look like you need it."


    Kai didn''t hurt as badly as he''d expected, given all his injuries and the potion he''d taken during the day. He still really, really wanted to sit down. Before heading in, he decided to press for one more question. "If it''s not cheating, can you tell me what the situation looks like out there?"


    "You think they tell me anything important or let me use the portals?" The hunter snorted. "No, I just run the shrine and save candidates if they''re getting themselves killed. I guess I can say that more candidates are out than usual. That huge monster is still out there."


    "The giant boar?" Kai strained his eyes into the darkness, as if he hoped to find it. His spiritual vision had been improving through practice, but he didn''t spot any concentrations of power that might be the over-sized monster.


    "Yeah, that thing is a problem. But they might put a bounty on it tomorrow, so I can''t say anything else."


    After thanking the man, Kai shuffled into the shrine and finally dropped. He needed rest, but his mind was racing. To take his mind off everything, he opened his sack and counted all the monster cores. He''d been trying to keep track, just not very carefully given all the fighting.


    So far he had 53 small cores, 14 larger, and 1 enormous core he''d torn from the chest of a twisted bear-like creature. That one had required a trap, several injuries, and a bit of luck. He hadn''t been comparing totals with the other candidates, but he thought that was a pretty decent number.


    Once he''d finished counting, Kai decided that there was no point putting it off any longer. It was time to see if his work that day had made any progress...


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    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 16


    Laborer Class: 2


    Physique Level: G-4


    Soul Level: 2


    >


    It wasn''t as bad as he''d feared. His Physique Level had improved twice, no doubt due to the mana seedlings fueling his combat experiences. At this rate he was rapidly approaching the F rank, which would make him about as tough as most of the veteran hunters... just without a useful Class.


    That was the fly in the pudding. None of the fights throughout the day had revealed any special abilities or wondrous secrets to his "Laborer" Class. Its level had increased for some reason, possibly due to the mana seedlings. Or possibly just to mock him.


    If he worked twice as hard as everyone else, could he keep up? Right now it felt like it, but Gunjin had implied that every source of power became more and more difficult to increase as it advanced. For now, all he could do was give the last day of the Hunter Trials his all.


    Lying down and thinking about his plans, Kai wasn''t sure when he fell asleep.


    .


    ..


    .


    He woke up with the earliest light stabbing into his eyes. That was the way it had always been: the slightest light was guaranteed to wake him up. Since he''d lived in hole-ridden shacks until Gunjin took him in, he''d gotten used to rising early.


    Kai rose to his feet and yawned. He struggled to remember the fragments of dreams that slipped away before realizing it was pointless. One last day.


    There weren''t any sources of power on the horizon, so Kai decided to train until the dawn announcement. If they changed the rules for the last day, that could significantly change his strategy. Given the apparent weakness of his Class, his best hope of getting stronger was to acquire the top rewards for the Hunter Trials.


    Since the day didn''t seem to have started as far as the managers were concerned, Kai dropped to the ground for his old physical training. He started with ordinary push-ups, and when they proved too easy, he vaulted into a hand stand and lifted his body weight that way.


    As he went through his routine, he marveled at how much stronger his body had become. Since he''d finished puberty, his gains in strength had always been slow and steady. Even when he tried more difficult exercises, he could only advance at a limited rate. But now his body was being enhanced by more than simply his physical exercise, and he was already seeing the benefits.


    He might not have gained an exceptional Class ability, but he''d take what he could get. Exercising normally felt better than before and he wondered if he could improve that way now that he could attempt new exercises. Most likely there would be diminishing returns switching between combat and physical training. That didn''t mean he couldn''t balance both to see how far they could take him.


    Kai had time for a long routine before a glowing point of mana appeared overhead. It briefly outshone the sun, but he just ignored it and prepared his things for the day''s work while he listened.


    "The third day of the Hunter Trials has begun!" It was the same old woman as before, though her voice was a bit less cheerful. "There has been a change to the schedule: the trials will end today at noon. Everyone''s performance up to this point has been evaluated, and if you''re still here you''re eligible for prizes to be awarded at the end, even if you''re eliminated today. A different prize will be awarded to any group that is able to eliminate the Direboar.


    "No new waypoints have been added, but all candidates are encouraged to compete with one another to test their new Classes. Anyone who is still conscious when the bell rings will receive a mana potion. But the most substantial rewards will go to those with the largest number of monster cores. Stealing monster cores is permitted and encouraged. The strategy you choose is up to you, but prizes will be awarded at our discretion, for the good of Monskon City. Good luck!"


    Those were essentially the rewards that Tusquo had explained to him. Good to know that the Irunian hadn''t been lying. Kai was especially glad to hear that some rewards would be given based on the discretion of those judging. They would see that he was working at a severe disadvantage given his Class and hopefully reward him for his effort.


    As for the others... Kai headed away from the shrine and searched the horizon while he considered strategy. He wasn''t sure how his collection of monster cores compared to the others, but he didn''t think he needed to be too concerned about volume. They were encouraging infighting, which could turn bad for him unless he found allies. Except all allies could easily be enemies.


    He predicted that the least honorable candidates would go for the easiest path of taking down weak opponents to steal their cores. This late in the trials, they wouldn''t risk their lives against the largest monsters unless they had to. If that was true, then hopefully the best plan for staying away from them would be to throw himself into danger.


    Time to see if his new strength could take on the Direboar.

 Chapter 11: A Rough Hint

    After killing only three lesser monsters, Kai was starting to get frustrated. Not many monsters so far. All the other candidates he''d seen were trying to run out the time. The sun hadn''t gotten far up in the sky, but he only had until noon. He wanted to find the Direboar, or at least some other challenge... even getting ambushed would be better than wasting his time.


    Then a whirlwind slammed into the ground in front of him and he regretted those thoughts.


    For a moment he thought it was a living tornado, then he remembered to use his spiritual vision. That made clear the spinning bands of viridian mana, whipping the air into a frenzy. They dissipated not long after he saw them, revealing a young woman in a green cloak. She looked vaguely familiar, with a mop of blond hair and a slim athletic build. She wore a top that left her midriff bare, but her hands were encased in gauntlets with nasty spiked knuckles.


    "You and me, winner take all!" The woman bashed her gloves together with a cheerful grin. "I was planning to do this anyway, but then they told us to fight each other, so..."


    "That doesn''t seem fair," Kai said. She was obviously going to attack him, he just wanted more time. He pointed at the sack tucked into her belt. "If that sack is filled with your monster cores, I have way more than you. I have more to lose."


    "While everyone else was getting cores, I was training my Class. It''s a valid strategy." She gestured for him to attack. "My name is Inafay Corinin! Come on, fair duel!"


    The Corinin clan was another of the largest in the city, and prominent throughout Goralia. Kai bought a little more time as he drew his sword. "That''s not very honorable for a Corinin."


    "Dammit, it''s not like I targeted you because you got a weak Class. I''m looking for tough fights, and I''ve seen you kill monsters - you''re a beast! So are we going to fight, or are you going to disappoint me?"


    She still hadn''t taken the initiative, and he didn''t think that had anything to do with honor. Still, while she had been talking he''d gotten a clear look at her spiritual presence.


    <


    Name: Inafay Corinin


    Total Power: 13


    Windcutter Novice Class: 6


    Physique Level: G-1


    Soul Level: 2


    >


    Inafay might be physically weaker than him, but she was no slouch. And she hadn''t been lying about training her new Class: she had the highest rating he''d seen from any candidate. The fight could go either way depending on a few variables...


    Finally she got impatient and thrust a fist forward. They were still many paces apart, but a burst of wind exploded from her hand. Kai managed to duck aside and felt the wind whip his clothing violently. She was already winding back for a punch with her other arm.


    Kai ducked underneath the wind as he stepped in, his sword sweeping up. The tip of his blade would have cut her face, but Inafay leaned back just enough to avoid it. She grinned at him and dodged back with a little dancing step, as if taunting him.


    Her next two punches went wide, giving him a chance to run in for a direct attack. Kai closed the distance... and then leapt backward as hard as he could.


    Her gauntlets smashed together and wind mana exploded around her, forming a sphere so intense that it tore through the ground. That was exactly what he''d been afraid of: she was clearly a physical fighter, so why had she been spending so much time taunting him to attack? The sphere of wind was more potent than he''d expected, but he''d been able to get out of range in time.


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    Inside the sphere, he saw Inafay''s eyes widen as she realized her mistake. Not fast enough. As the wind began to fade, he leapt in and thrust directly for her heart.


    She barely managed to jerk aside and his blade pierced her shoulder instead. It should have been a disabling blow, but Inafay turned her cry of pain into a roar and slammed a fist into his chest.


    For a moment his entire torso was raw pain, then Kai felt his back slamming against the rocks. He tumbled several times, losing his grip on his sword somewhere during the process. When he finally skidded to a halt, he struggled to lift himself up to his elbows, much less get to his feet. If she hadn''t been weakened by the stab wound in her shoulder, she might have finished him off then.


    Was that the power of a trained Class? The wind had shredded most of his shirt, lacerations covered his chest, and there was already an ugly purple splotch where her fist had struck.


    Kai forced himself back up and considered his options. Okay, he couldn''t afford to take hits like that. But she was down an arm and couldn''t use her sphere technique, so he had a chance. When he went to pick up his sword, Inafay hurled several wind bursts at him, but he was able to dodge around them until he was armed again.


    "Damn, that hurts." Inafay let her injured arm hang limply and thrust her other arm toward him. "But I''m not giving up yet, so bring it!"


    She unleashed a wind burst the next second, without any punching motion. He barely managed to get out of the way, but when he tried to step in, a second burst nearly caught him in the face. This was her fighting for real, effectively keeping him at a distance.


    Every time he tried to get into her range, one of her bursts of wind would clip him. Kai realized that a lengthy fight would benefit her: she might be bleeding from her shoulder, but she could keep up these movements a lot longer than him. If he ended things soon, he might be able to heal with a potion, but at this rate he''d be beaten to a pulp.


    So he needed to accept a hit. The right hit. Kai readied his sword, pretending to grip it with both hands while shifting all the weight to his right. Then he charged.


    As expected, she retaliated with wind punches. This time he let the first hit him in the left shoulder, jerking his arm back. But he converted the blow into spinning momentum, his right arm thrusting out to pierce her stomach.


    Just before he could hit, Inafay ducked. No, she wasn''t ducking: she slammed her fist down into the ground and a half-sphere of wind exploded from her. The sword was instantly blown from his hands, and the wind hit him like a wall.


    His instinct was to flinch back... but he pushed on. Ignoring the pain as the arcs of wind cut him repeatedly, Kai pushed through the sphere and slammed his head directly into Inafay''s forehead. The impact made him reel, but when he could see again, the wind was gone and she was flat on her back.


    He limped to pick up his sword, struggling just to raise his arms. His plan had been to hold it by her neck to force a surrender, but he wasn''t sure he could keep it in place without accidentally stabbing her. When he turned back, however, he saw the young woman shake her head.


    "No need. You could finish me off, so better to call it here." Inafay used her good arm to wipe away some of the blood on her face. "You''re absolutely crazy, but I guess it worked."


    "Are you going to need help?" Kai asked. "I mean, I''m going to steal all your stuff, but will you be okay out here?"


    "Someone from the clan will be along to pick me up. I just keep everything in this... ugh, I guess you''d better reach it."


    Kai took the sack that had been tucked in her belt and looked through it. She had over a dozen cores, a few of them reasonably large. More importantly, she had been carrying a healing potion that looked like it had been earned at one of the bigger waypoints. He drank it immediately, because all those cuts from the wind were starting to wear on him. Nothing he could do about the loss of his shirt, though.


    "It was a good fight," Kai said. "But do you know anything about the Direboar? I was aiming for that prize."


    "I actually took a shot at it earlier, but my wind slid right off its hide." Inafay shook her head, but she was smiling just a little too much. "If you''re really taking it on... good luck."


    "Why are you smiling like that?"


    "Well... I might have been running away from the boar. Just a little."


    "What?" Even as the pointless question fell from his mouth, Kai began whipping his head around to search. All the wind battering him had wiped out his sense of orientation. Which direction had she been coming from, anyway?


    Soon it didn''t matter: there was a cloud of dust growing on the horizon. It was coming straight for him. Kai looked down to talk to Inafay, but there was already a man stepping from a portal. He wore a similar green robe, so he must have been one of the Corinin representatives. The man barely glanced at Kai before he helped Inafay to her feet and into the portal.


    "Have fun!" She gave him a little wave just before she was pulled through, then the portal disappeared. Leaving Kai alone in the wasteland to face the rushing monster.

 Chapter 12: The Direboar

    Kai stared at the charging mass of tusks and muscle the size of a wagon and wished he had a bigger sword. The weapon that the Irunians had created for him was still undamaged, but it was not going to be enough. Not for the Direboar.


    As he began to retreat, Kai tried to look at the monster with his spiritual vision one more time. Nothing but a muddle of symbols that made it clear the boar was a monster instead of intelligent creature. He had a vague sense that it was rather powerful, enough that he wasn''t going to take it head on. Beyond that, he would need to use his instincts. And those instincts told him that standing directly in front of that thing''s charge would be suicide.


    He needed a better arena to fight it, and in the monster reserve, he didn''t have many options. All he saw in range was a region of clustered rocks and a small cluster of trees. Not the rocks - the Direboar could probably charge over them. That left the forest.


    Though he managed to reach the first trees before the monster caught up, it wasn''t far behind. Kai slipped behind a tree, then ducked and crawled around a small bush to another location.


    Less than a minute later the Direboar leveled the tree with a single swipe of its enormous head. Its pointed hooves tore apart the ground where he had been not long ago. Realizing he wasn''t there, the Direboar stabbed through the fallen trunk with both tusks and hurled it deeper into the trees. The points of its horns pierced the old wood like it was paper.


    From his hiding place, Kai tried not to breathe. It was a damn good thing he hadn''t tried to hide behind one of the nearest trees and ambush the monster immediately. Now the Direboar was stomping around the grove searching for him, giving him a little more time to prepare.


    First he got a better look at the creature. There were several metal hooks still hanging in its fur, and an Irunian sword had been thrust deep into its neck. One leg was matted with blood and someone had managed to burn part of its flank. None of that seemed to slow the monster down in the slightest.


    Kai figured he only had one thing going for him: he wouldn''t have to deal with any other monsters. He spotted several of the twisted monkeys, but they fled from the Direboar. One that was too slow was trampled, then the beast bent down to eat its corpse. While it was occupied with its meal, Kai crept further away and began preparing.


    Once again, the optional survival training he''d taken on was going to be essential. Kai saw a few vines that could be turned into trip ropes and discarded the idea almost immediately: the boar was charged with so much mana that it would probably tear straight through. A pit trap might have worked, if he had a day to prepare. But there were plenty of branches, and he''d already tested them as spears.


    Keeping an ear open for the Direboar''s rampages, Kai carefully found several appropriate branches and turned them into sharpened stakes. There wasn''t enough time for a large pit, but maybe an alternative would work...


    If he''d had hours, Kai might have been able to set up a perfect trap. Part of him had been hoping that his Laborer Class would somehow make the work easier. Unfortunately, he was only partially done when the Direboar began to leave the small forest. It had been grunting and snorting through the trees for some time, pursuing his scent, but apparently it was giving up. Since he stood no chance out in the wasteland, Kai decided that he needed to make the attempt now.


    He got into position, swallowed his last mana seedling, hefted a wooden spear he hadn''t had time to finish, and yelled, "Hey ugly!"


    Instantly the boar whirled in his direction. Its eyes actually burned with mana, and it shot mana-flecked spittle in all directions as it roared. Kai hurled his spear as hard as he could, aiming for its open mouth, but it closed its jaws as it charged. The dull tip glanced off the thick fur, just as he''d feared.


    The earth itself seemed to shake as the Direboar charged directly at him. Suddenly his plan didn''t seem so smart, and holding his ground in front of it felt incredibly stupid. Too late now: Kai drew his sword and held it by his shoulder in thrusting position.


    Several paces from his position, the Direboar''s hooves smashed through the hastily covered pit. It stumbled forward only a step into the shallow pit... directly into the sharpened stakes. The beast''s momentum rammed it straight into the points, and some of them drove into its stomach. As it roared in pain, Kai thrust forward with all his strength.


    It wasn''t enough.


    Before he could strike the Direboar''s face, it shook wildly, one tusk knocking his sword aside. He barely kept his grip on it and struck back against the nearest tusk. His cut only chipped it, but he tried again. While the Direboar was impaled on the stakes, it couldn''t charge at him, giving him a chance to dodge and strike back. He managed to land a few jarring blows to its tusks and even opened a small cut on its face.


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    For just a few blows, Kai thought that he might be able to go toe-to-toe with the Direboar. Then it pushed through his stake trap and Kai had only a split second to realize. Not long enough.


    The next thing he knew, he was spread painfully against a tree trunk. He hadn''t been impaled on a tusk, but being struck by the boar''s head felt like a building had kicked him. All that saved him was the fact that the blow had sent him flying some distance away.


    With a snort the Direboar powered through the rest of his attempted trap. Some of the stakes snapped and a few dangled from the beast''s chest. It was losing a lot of blood, but he had a feeling that wouldn''t stop it. His sword lay on the ground just in front of the Direboar... it stomped contemptuously and the metal actually bent in the middle. After a frenzy of grunting and stomping, the sword was too damaged to ever be used again.


    Kai stared into the creature''s eyes and wondered if he was going to die. There hadn''t been time to set up another trap, so all he had was a few more spears at another location. Any second now, it was going to charge directly at him. If one of those razor sharp tusks struck him in the head or heart, he doubted he''d live long enough for any of the judges to save him.


    Before it could charge, Kai bolted for his remaining spears. Well, he staggered. The impact seemed to have re-opened many of the wounds on his chest that had been cut by wind, and he felt like all his internal organs had been replaced by bruises. He was fighting on pure willpower now.


    He barely managed to reach his spears before the Direboar caught up. After hurling the first, Kai leapt to the side to escape the charge. The monster whirled on him quickly, just not quite quickly enough. Kai thrust his second spear into the boar''s side where its armored hair had been burned away and felt the spear drive deep.


    And then snap. He stumbled forward, directly into the boar''s maw as it turned. Pure instinct made him jerk his head aside and avoid the tusk going for his eye. The beast merely tossed its head and tried to impale him again with the other tusk.


    Kai grabbed both. He hadn''t planned to, and he felt like an idiot a second later, but it had happened automatically. With his hands wrapped around the tips, he could try to wrestle with the monster. It couldn''t see him well, since he was so close, and so it began to push aggressively to trample him.


    As he had been at the start of the Hunter Trials, Kai would have been dead. Even with all the strength he''d gained, he struggled just to keep the Direboar from throwing him aside. He needed to retreat with every step or it would flatten him, so it was pushing him back through the forest rapidly. Soon his arms would give out or he''d stumble and then he''d be impaled.


    When the Direboar roared, Kai roared back. He stared back into the face of the monster, ready to fight to the end... and then he saw the cracks.


    One of the Direboar''s tusks was severely damaged mid-way down its length. His repeated blows during the battle had chipped away a few pieces, and now it looked like it might give way. Kai didn''t feel any weakness when he strained against it, but he didn''t see any other choice.


    Letting go of the left tusk, Kai slammed his free hand into the side of the tusk and wrenched as hard as he could. The Direboar whirled to impale him... and its tusk broke with a resounding crack.


    Spinning the tusk in his hands, Kai thrust it directly into the beast''s throat. The sharpened point pierced the armored hair with ease and the beast''s charge drove it deep. Almost immediately Kai was half-buried in the beast''s putrid fur, his hands burning from the tusk''s jerking movements.


    He had nothing left. If the Direboar had survived even that, he was dead.


    Slowly the enormous body slumped forward, half-pinning him to the ground. Blood was beginning to gush from the wound now, and the ground was muddy with the gore from its torso. It all burned with foul mana, but Kai was too exhausted to escape from underneath it. By the time he managed to pull himself out, he was coated in the blood.


    Had he actually done it? Kai stared at the corpse in disbelief. He wanted to retrieve the monster core, but he''d lost his sword and his hands ached.


    "That''s it for you, kid." One of the scarred veterans stepped from a portal and grabbed him by the arm. "We need to treat you before the toxicity takes hold."


    "Toxicity?" Kai resisted on instinct. Going into the portal meant ending the Hunter Trials early. It meant giving up. "What... what''s the...?"


    "You don''t want monster blood on you ever, and especially not in open wounds. Come back. You''ll get credit for killing it, but you can''t stay like this."


    "No... keep going..." Kai used what little strength he was regaining to pull away. "Feel fine..."


    "That''s absurd, you..." The hunter trailed off and frowned at him. "Did you actually resist the toxicity? Your training has been extreme for a candidate, so..."


    He stood back and watched Kai as if expecting him to collapse any moment. Kai couldn''t pretend that he felt well, but as he got further from that vicious encounter, he felt further from death. Wiping away the blood hurt worse than anything during the fight: the shallow wounds caught with every movement and sent pain shooting through him.


    Eventually the warrior departed with a shake of his head. Kai stared at the Direboar corpse for a little while before using a few of the wooden spears to try to get deeper. If the monster core had been lodged in the center of the beast''s mass, he almost didn''t want it.


    Fortunately, he found the core not far from the place the tusk had pierced and was able to pull it out. His arm was covered in blood again, but he held his largest core yet. When he tried to pull free the tusk to use as a weapon, it proved to be stuck firm in the Direboar''s skull. That wasn''t coming out.


    Once he felt better, he''d make some more weapons from the trees. For the time being, Kai sat on the corpse and let himself recover a little. Should have stockpiled potions. He wasn''t near death, but he ached all over and his hands were still numb.


    "There you are!"


    Exhausted as he was, Kai hadn''t sensed anyone approaching. He looked up just in time to see Fhazi and his goons entering the forest. Fhazi frowned at the Direboar and then turned to shake a finger at him.


    "You stole my kill. You''re going to pay for that."

 Chapter 13: Final Noon

    Kai tried to keep his face neutral and was pretty sure he did a terrible job. Fhazi still had six of the members of his entourage, including the two huge men and the suspicious woman. Though he wasn''t as exhausted as just after killing the Direboar, Kai was tired and nearly weaponless.


    To add insult to injury, every member of the group had awakened their Class. They might not have progressed much otherwise, but he''d be facing a storm of mana if it turned into a fight.


    "Do you want the monster core?" Kai asked. His pack was secured in a tree and he didn''t want to turn his back to get it, but he figured negotiation was worth a shot. "Others softened up the Direboar first, so I guess it''s not fully my kill."


    "You really think I''ll let you get away so easily?" Fhazi sneered and took a step closer.


    Actually, Kai had been hoping that they would forget the exact terms of the trial: the winner was the one who killed the Direboar, not the one holding its core at the end. Losing one core would have been a fair trade for avoiding an unwinnable fight. Unfortunately, it looked like Fhazi just wanted to beat someone.


    There weren''t a lot of options left. Maybe he could bait Fhazi into a duel? There was no reason for him to agree, but it might appeal to his ego. Kai reached for his spiritual vision - it felt like staring directly into the sun - and checked the young noble:


    <


    Name: Fhazi Lantrian


    Total Power: 8


    Grandfist Novice Class: 3


    Physique Level: G-1


    Soul Level: 1


    Sacred Armor: 2


    >


    Even Fhazi had gained a powerful-sounding Class and increased it several times. Classes really were the fastest path to power.


    "Witness my power!" Fhazi raised both his fists and mana began to flow from him. It slid in smooth curves that began solidifying around his fists, forming gauntlets that looked like they were made of woven steel. Steel that began glowing red hot.


    It was all impressive, and rather slow. If he hadn''t been so beaten, Kai would have tried to hit Fhazi before he could finish preparing. Some people were able to use their Classes extremely quickly, like Inafay, but he''d also noted that others were slow to warm up. That would be good to remember for the future, if he had a future.


    "That''s enough." The quiet voice drew everyone''s attention, and Kai turned just in time to see Tusquo walk into the forest.


    "You again?" Fhazi whirled on him and raised his fists. "You want to settle this now?"


    Kai was glad to see that Tusquo looked mostly unharmed - torn robes and a few bruises, but still able. What bothered him was the fact that Tusquo was alone. Either the other Irunians had been removed from the competition, or...


    Without warning shards of ice exploded through the trees. Fhazi''s group staggered, and Fhazi himself raised both over-sized gauntlets in front of him to deflect the fragments. As soon as he turned away, Tusquo drew his sword and swept it through the air. An arc of mana shot out, cutting several trees in half and sending members of Fhazi''s group flying.


    They might have ended the fight right then, if one of the huge goons hadn''t summoned floating mana shields to block the next attacks. He was faster than he looked. Kai was ready to join in the fight when Tusquo walked up to him and grabbed his shoulder.


    "Kai Granfian, you must go. We will handle this fight."


    "Go?" Kai stared at him. "You don''t want my help?"


    "You will endanger everyone more by being here." Tusquo kept his eyes on the growing brawl and continued speaking to him in a low voice. "There is a waypoint that reveals the current state of the competition. You have the second most monster cores of any candidate, and fighting the Direboar revealed your location. I suggest you escape."


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    "I... thanks." Kai clapped the Irunian man on the shoulder and headed out. They were outnumbered, but their ambush seemed to have been effective, so they should be fine. Maybe they even wanted all of Fhazi''s monster cores for themselves.


    He was happy to let the Irunians have them. It was nice to have at least a few people in the entire monster reserve who wouldn''t be hunting him down.


    The small forest had been too damaged to offer any more safe hiding places, and it was likely to be everyone''s target. Kai headed back out into the wasteland and looked for any defensible locations. Nothing. The sun beat down mercilessly on a mostly flat landscape.


    Worse, his spiritual vision picked up several people who seemed to be moving toward him. Kai began running in an empty direction, hoping that would take him away from the greatest concentration of fighters. He winced as he ran, but his body was working well enough to move. Just a bit of pain. He could fight through pain.


    Just when he started to feel confident, something slid around his ankle and he smashed into the ground.


    He kicked free, even before he knew what was happening. Some kind of vine wrapped around his ankle? It must have been an attack, so he tried to scramble onward. Just in time to see an enormous hammer flying for his head.


    Kai rolled to the side, barely avoiding the blow. It tore into the earth and the warrior ripped it free the next moment, nearly clipping him again. He managed to vault to his feet, only for more vines to wrap around his ankles the next second. They were thick and covered in thorns, but they hadn''t yet pierced his skin.


    Two opponents. He realized that even before his spiritual vision registered on a conscious level. There was a young woman in leather armor nearby, her mana snaking to the vines. The hammer was wielded by a man about the same age and roughly twice his weight. All muscle. Whoever he was, he would have towered over even Fhazi''s largest thugs.


    The two of them clearly wanted his monster cores, and Kai doubted he could beat them in his current state. Before they could strike, Fhazi himself came running after them. His enormous gauntlets pumping as he ran looked a bit silly, but they were still burning with mana.


    "Not so fast! He''s mine!" Fhazi''s yell managed to draw their attention, so Kai used the chance to kick his way out of the vines.


    "You''re after their cores too?" Kai threw out the question as sincerely as he could. The woman turned sharply to glare at Fhazi.


    "You can''t fight us both," she hissed. Fhazi only raised his gauntlets, as if prepared to fight all of them.


    While they all faced off, Kai began to edge away. He only got a few steps before a wall of thorn-covered vines erupted in his path. They hissed with so much mana that it emanated like steam, completely blocking off his path. The woman wasn''t looking at him, but she was more than prepared.


    Before he could think to go around, a burst of flames tore through the vines. Another man leapt through the gap - it was the Flamecaster from earlier. Kai felt the briefest flicker of happiness before the man''s fiery eyes targeted him. Now he was trapped between four of them. All that kept him alive was the fact that the vine-user and her partner were turning to face the new threat.


    "He''s mine!" Fhazi yelled. "All of you get away!"


    "All of you are mine." The Flamecaster grinned and his teeth glowed with inner flame.


    "If you think you can-"


    "Enough!" The warrior bearing the hammer slammed it down into the ground and shouted loud enough to silence all the others. "We all want the juiciest target. Don''t let him turn us against each other. We defeat him first, then fight over his monster cores."


    Unfortunately, the hulking warrior proved surprisingly persuasive. After a few glances, all four turned toward Kai.


    What followed was an onslaught unlike anything he''d faced before. He constantly needed to retreat from bursts of flame that scorched his skin. Vines exploded from the ground to bind him at every opportunity. Worst was the hammer-wielding warrior, who was slow but deliberate. When he managed to land a blow on Kai''s side, he was pretty sure that several of his ribs turned to splinters.


    Fhazi was the easiest to deal with, since his charges were the most reckless. Kai managed to grab him at one point and throw him into the vine-user, which earned him a few moments of relief. But even Fhazi could hurt him if he landed a blow.


    His vision was swimming too much to see any of the symbols, but he knew they had all begun to develop their Classes. In just a few days, they had already acquired this much power. Even if he had been at full strength, even if he had a weapon, even if...


    Kai staggered back. Bloody, scorched, bruised, aching. He refused to fall and stared out at the four of them through bleeding eyes.


    "This is senseless," the largest warrior said. "You cannot hope to beat us. Surrender before you are permanently injured."


    "That''s what you think." Kai raised his fists and smirked. "You haven''t seen what I can do. As soon as I get a hold of even one of you, there will only be three left. Then two. Then one."


    "He''s completely mad," the vine-user told her partner. "Just put him out of his misery."


    "Stop hiding behind those vines! Come and face me directly!"


    "This is senseless," the warrior repeated, shaking his head slowly. "You cannot think you can win. Why are you still fighting?"


    All Kai did was smile. He wavered on his feet, but he stayed up. The sun was hot, so hot. It had to be soon... abruptly the warrior realized and looked upward to check the sun.


    Too late. The bell finally rang to mark noon, and the Hunter Trials officially ended.


    Kai managed to stay on his feet until the judges started to emerge from portals, then he collapsed.

 Chapter 14: The Purpose of the Hunter Trials

    By normal standards, it had been the most successful Hunter Trials in recent memory. And yet, as the elders of Monskon City discussed the distribution of the prizes, Gunjin Granfian was thoroughly displeased. He''d put so much hope into Kai, only to be stymied by the awakening. When it came time to decide the final distribution, it went exactly the way Gunjin had feared.


    "We''re only a year from the next monster incursion," Hannagan Lantrian said. The old man always presented everything as done and settled. "We need our newest hunters to have grown enough to contribute to the defense of the city. If there are no objections, we''ll reallocate resources from lost causes to promising candidates. Then w-"


    "I object." Gunjin hadn''t said a word up to that point, but now leaned forward at the table.


    "Advocating for your precious orphans again?" Hannagan shook his head slowly. "Fate granted the boy a worthless Class. It would be madness to give him any resources to boost his development."


    "I don''t object to Class-based resources, but you''re robbing him. Need I remind the elders of the growth we''ve seen? Kai Granfian was among the most promising candidates and he showed the greatest growth in Physique and Soul in the entire trial. Does such exceptional progress deserve a knife in the back?"


    "Oh, his body absorbed a little mana, yes. But he''s far from the top of the growth charts when Class is factored in, and that is where the differences will lie over the coming months. Come now, Gunjin, would you honestly put your boy up against a raw talent like Inafay Corinin?"


    Hannagan gave a smiling nod to the head of the Corinin clan and Gunjin grimaced when he saw the old woman nod. A surprising number of elders, even those who were usually Gunjin''s allies, appeared to be agreeing. The battle might be unwinnable, but Kai had given so much, Gunjin decided to try again.


    "When the monster hordes come again," Gunjin said, "we''ll need every hunter we can find. Forget the elites of this generation: how many of your weaker warriors would be able to defeat a Direboar alone, even after a year of training? Kai managed it today, with nothing but a sword and a worthless Class."


    "All the more reason to give him nothing!" Hannagan glowered at Gunjin from across the table. "He''ll acquire some brute force on his own, so let us give our resources to those who can excel with them."


    "Brute force? He displayed exceptional ferocity, yes, but can you really criticize his tactical performance? Or how he allied with the Irunians and led multiple groups? There''s great potential there, from leadership to-"


    "That''s even worse! His futile striving might inspire others and they''ll follow a man who will never reach the true heights of power. When the incursion happens, he''ll buckle and kill countless others alongside him. No, Gunjin, it would be a waste to spend anything on a candidate destiny has so clearly spurned."


    Gunjin fell silent because he had other orphans he needed to advocate for. Too many of the other elders, themselves powered by their personal Classes, were in agreement. Nothing could be done.


    "No more arguments?" Hannagan smiled smugly. "Good. Now, why don''t we discuss the best approach to our Irunian guests? I thought that a mixed approach..."


    The words slipped away. Gunjin hoped that Kai, still blissfully asleep, would be forgiving for his failure.


    .


    ..


    .


    When Kai woke up, he wasn''t in the monster reserve anymore. That should have been normal, but the past two nights had burned themselves into his mind. As he realized where he was, he also realized that the Hunter Trials were truly over.


    The first thing that made it obvious was the air. He had almost forgotten what real air tasted like: less scorched than the monster reserve, filled with human smells both pleasant and unpleasant. More than that, there had been a constant hum of mana during the trials that was entirely absent now. He could have known it was over just from the fact that he was lying on a real bed, but it was the first breath of air that brought the truth home.


    Kai swung his legs out of bed and immediately winced. Apparently he hadn''t been cleaned up or even healed. He was sitting in a cramped room with a few beds, surrounded by walls made of stone blocks instead of the polished marble of the shrines. There was a large tunic hanging from the door, presumably for him since no one had given him a shirt either.


    Before getting up, Kai looked himself over. Aside from the injuries and grime, he felt better than before. As he scratched his jaw, he realized that he already had the beginnings of a beard. Usually he kept his wild hair in check, but that had been a distinctly lower priority during the trials. Of course, looking at such details was mostly irrelevant, so he finally made himself use his spiritual sight again...


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 26


    Laborer Class: 3


    Physique Level: G-6


    Soul Level: 3


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    ???: ???


    >


    His eye sockets still ached a bit, but the symbols manifested smoothly. While his useless Class bothered him, at least his ordeal at the end had led to significant progress. Nothing to do but leave the room and find the others.


    How long had it been? Kai tugged on the tunic and emerged into a sunny hallway. He could see that the sun was most of the way down but not yet reddening. Just having gotten that much sleep made him feel a fair bit better, but he wanted to know the results of the Hunter Trials.


    As he walked down the corridor, Kai finally recognized his surroundings: the royal blue wall hangings carried the symbol of the Hunters Guild. He''d never been up this high before: when he looked through one of the windows, he could see over practically all of the city. Monskon City stretched out in a maze of streets, separated only by the two great walls that marked off the inner and outer districts. At the moment he could stare over it all from the top of the highest hill.


    Every year the Hunter Trials ended in the great hall, so he finally knew where he was going. Kai took his time on the way, shaking the last stiffness out of his joints. Maybe someone had fed him a potion of some kind after all, given the tension in all his muscles.


    When he turned a corner, he made sure to look out the new windows to the west. He could just see the monster reserve beyond the city walls. It looked no different from before, but for the first time in his life, he was looking at an area he knew well. Instead of being a mysterious trial only for adults, it had been his entire life for a period of three days.


    Eventually Kai found his way to the great hall. It arched high overhead, the rafters filled with hangings portraying the greatest warriors in the Hunters Guild, but he didn''t care about that today. Instead he focused on the long table and the podium set up at the end. He saw many familiar faces from the Hunter Trials seated there - Tusquo gave him a solemn nod and Inafay waved cheerfully. Both looked fully recovered, which put him out a little, but that didn''t matter compared to the results.


    Guild leaders and clan heads stood atop the podium, shifting various boxes into position for the ceremony. These weren''t the toy-like chest from the dryad, but cubes banded by metal and mana. Everyone knew they contained the treasures of the Guild, given out only at times like this.


    Just when he was about to join the other successful candidates, a hand closed around his shoulder. Gunjin pulled him to the back of the room and spoke in a low voice.


    "There have been a few changes," his mentor said. "Can I trust you not to make a scene?"


    "Why would I want to make a scene?" Kai shot an apprehensive glance at the clan heads and the treasures. "Did they not count my cores for some reason?"


    "They counted, and your final strategy was correct. But..." Before Gunjin could find whatever he intended to say, a chime ran from the front of the room. Gunjin cast him a final look and went to join the other clan heads.


    Troubled by the encounter, Kai found a seat at the back of the table and waited for the ceremony to begin. Surely they wouldn''t change the rules after announcing them so dramatically from the sky. He''d endured to the end, killed the Direboar, and defended a large number of monster cores. That should entitle him to a substantial portion of the rewards.


    "Thank you all for your participation in the 437th Hunter Trials!" The speaker was Hannagan Lantrian, head of the entire Lantrian clan. He was an old man, his white beard flowing almost as much as his purple tunic, but his frame was still strong and Kai couldn''t read his strength in his spiritual vision. "You have passed from being children protected by the city''s walls to adults who protect them. In the coming days, you will face far greater trials on behalf of your city and nation, but your actions have earned you rewards to help you face them."


    Most of the speech was ordinary enough, so Kai shifted with increasing restlessness. Gunjin made eye contact with him exactly once, trying to pin him in place with a glare. Something must have gone wrong... what if there had been so many thefts in the final hours that his core total was ranked poorly? Since everyone remaining had a large number, he could imagine that others had doubled or tripled their numbers by the end.


    "These gifts are not given idly," Hannagan continued. "Such power is easily wasted, which is why we have always created trials that force you to take the first steps yourselves. But the next steps will be with your life on the line, and we want you to survive to become the next generation of monster hunters. Let us begin with the potions for all who endured to the last day."


    Assistants quickly distributed vials to the candidates, though a few like Inafay were skipped. She didn''t look concerned, and Kai didn''t particularly care when he was given his. It was a thin vial of yellow liquid: enough mana to restore a person''s strength, but nothing special. Everyone was waiting for the true rewards.


    "This year, we have taken an unusual step of granting scrolls of enhancement. These create a bond between one''s soul and one''s Class that significantly increases strength. For that reason, the council of elders has bestowed them on those we believe show the most potential."


    For these, the individuals were called to the front one at a time. Tusquo Agyama accepted his with an Irunian bow and returned to his companions. Inafay Corinin grabbed hers cheerfully, and Kai couldn''t begrudge her the reward given how well she''d fought. But as he saw more and more candidates he recognized - the Flamecaster, the vine-user, the hulk with the hammer - Kai started to suspect that he would be passed over.


    Soon the last scroll had been removed from the case and his name had never been called. Kai sat and tried not to grind his teeth. He wanted to believe that it was nepotism, but actually few of the scrolls had been given to anyone from one of the powerful clans. Inafay was a Corinin and the hammer-user was from the Orgoron clan, but none of the others had strong clan connections.


    Given that he''d fought several of them simultaneously, Kai thought that was immensely unfair. Surely his performance on the final day had proven his potential. It might be because the scrolls were tied to Class, which would mean his "Laborer" status hurt him again. Or, he hoped, it might be because he was already getting a special reward for killing the Direboar.


    "Next, it is time to count totals." Hannagan swept an arm to the side and one of the assistant unveiled a huge table covered in monster cores. "In the end, your job is to fight our monstrous foes, so of course your direct performance must be rewarded. We''ll begin rewarding the top candidates, starting with the tenth highest."


    Kai listened tensely as they went up the list. The tenth highest had only gathered a couple dozen cores, but the numbers jumped immediately after that. Were the different sizes being given different values? He distinctly remembered how many he''d held at the end: 68 small, 11 large, and 2 huge. With every candidate, Kai leaned forward a little more: the numbers were creeping closer to his, but his name still hadn''t been called.


    And it never was.


    He sat numbly as the last rewards were given, desperately searching for an explanation. Tusquo had explicitly told him that his total had been the second highest on the third day. The first candidate had over a hundred, and the second might have jumped past him by stealing cores at the end. There was absolutely no reason that Kai shouldn''t have been third, much less not on the list at all. His fists tightened, and he glowered at Gunjin, but his mentor didn''t even look at him.


    As Hannagan began to speak again, Kai''s stomach dropped even further. The entire time, he''d been telling himself that at least he would get a bit of recognition for killing the Direboar. But the speech was drawing to a close and he began to realize that they would never mention it. Everything he''d earned was being denied.


    And so Kai felt as though fate had ruined his life again, but it wasn''t even the second time.

 Chapter 15: The Wages of Effort

    Only Gunjin''s request not to make a scene kept Kai in his seat. Once everyone was dismissed, he shot up and marched to the front of the room. The clan heads were speaking to one another, apparently in a wonderful mood, until he arrived.


    "Why was I disqualified?" Kai demanded. He glared across all the clan heads. "Why?"


    "Rewards are granted at the discretion of the judges," Hannagan Lantrian said. "You have skill, boy, but it seems being a monster hunter isn''t your fate. The city cannot afford to invest resources on someone so weak."


    "Did I look weak at the end?" He didn''t want to admit it, but there were tears in the corners of his eyes. "I fought as hard as anyone, against the hunters you just praised as the best! I deserve to be given the same chances they have."


    "You fought warriors who had been training in their Classes for a few days. Do you truly believe that you can keep up with them for months and years? Over that time, the gap will only grow. It''s best for everyone if you find a new life for yourself now. I''m sure you can turn that determination toward a more productive end."


    Hannagan spoke in soothing, confident tones and stroked his beard with one hand. It was infuriating. Kai clenched his fists and stepped forward, without any idea what he was going to do.


    Something slammed into his face and the next thing he knew he was lying on the ground. As he struggled to sit up, he saw Hannagan straighten and realize that the old man had headbutted him. Hannagan kept up that soft smile, but his eyes were like flint.


    "I''ll speak to the boy." Gunjin stepped in and drew Kai to his feet. "Please excuse us."


    Part of Kai wanted to fight, but the blow had knocked most of the anger out of him. He didn''t want to believe that it was true, but he had to admit that Monskon City and all Goralia were built on strength. No matter how unfair it was, he had no recourse if he couldn''t prove his point.


    Gunjin pulled him into a side hallway and then finally turned to him. "I''m sorry, Kai. Though it seems unfair, the judges will never change their decision. There are records of several promising candidates receiving a Class similar to yours, and none of them uncovered any hidden potential. It''s no fault of your own, but you would not have been able to make good use of the rewards."


    "How can they act like I don''t have any potential? You can all see my Levels, can''t you? I''ve advanced beyond most of the other candidates there!"


    "A demonstration of your willpower, to be sure, but unfortunately many are inclined to dismiss it. Some theorized that your Class may slightly increase physical growth, and thus they believe this is already your full potential." For the first time Gunjin''s eyes wandered, and he frowned at nothing. "In this, I disagree with them. Just as some Classes are stronger than others, some are barely Classes at all. This is rare, but... I''m afraid you need to face the truth."


    "The truth?" Kai grabbed his mentor''s shirt and forced him to meet his gaze. "They rejected all my accomplishments so they could give the rewards to Fhazi and-"


    Gunjin raised a hand in front of his face and cut him off as surely as a blow. The grim sorrow in his mentor''s eyes broke Kai''s growing rage.


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    "Listen to me: Fhazi Lantrian received almost nothing. Yes, he''ll live life with a silver spoon in his mouth. But he''ll never be able to buy his way to true strength, and even Hannagan can''t bestow treasures on him. Our survival is too precarious to give away power to fools."


    "But..."


    "Shut up and listen. That same logic is why we can''t afford to give you anything." Gunjin took a step toward him, his eyes flashing. "You still think of this as a game because you have no idea of the threats we face. Do you even know why monsters exist, or what this city was built to protect? You''re a child throwing a tantrum because life isn''t fair while people are dying."


    The lecture from his mentor took even more wind out of Kai''s sails. He took a slow breath and forced himself to look into Gunjin''s eyes directly before he spoke. "Tell me one thing: is this my fault? Could I have trained harder.... done something different... why did this happen?"


    "I... truly am sorry." The brutal look in Gunjin''s eyes faded and he touched Kai on the shoulder almost gently. "You did everything right, my boy. I''ve never had a student apply himself with such dedication. But we don''t live in a fair world, and it seems you''ve been given a cruel fate."


    With that, his mentor turned away as if to leave him. Kai felt as though his chest had been caved in, and he could have just stood there. But he couldn''t let it end, not like that. Before Gunjin could leave the corridor, Kai ran after him.


    "Wait!" Kai opened the door and thrust a finger toward the table filled with monster cores. "My cores were given to the Hunters Guild, but I received nothing in return. You promised a reward for the Direboar. If you take what I earned with my own hands, you''re nothing but thieves!"


    His wild declaration drew everyone''s attention. Some elders looked puzzled, the assistants looked nervous, and Hannagan looked like he wanted to headbutt him again.


    "You little-" Hannagan was cut off when Gunjin gave a low chuckle.


    "He''s right about that," Gunjin said, then gestured to one of the assistants. "Do as he says. It might be your prerogative to distribute bonuses, but he earned that core by defeating the Direboar."


    Kai shifted nervously while cores were placed into a sack. He counted each and every one, and it seemed they really had kept track of his total. They hesitated but eventually gave him the Direboar core, still throbbing a day later. Judging from the way the others turned away, they seemed to have accepted his logic. Though he didn''t have a real plan, Kai knew that cores could be traded for money, so at least he wouldn''t be left with nothing, and the Direboar could probably be converted into some sort of power.


    When he finally had his sack, the assistants made it clear that he should depart soon. Kai had been hoping to return with Gunjin, but his mentor - his former mentor - slightly shook his head. All of Kai''s anger was cold and dead now, so he couldn''t rage again. The best he could do was gesture for Gunjin to talk one last time.


    "Let me prove myself," Kai said. He gripped the sack so tightly that the canvas burned his fingers. "If I''m wrong and I can''t keep up, I''ll accept what you said. But you have to give me a chance."


    "You''ll get an entire year of chances, on one condition." Gunjin raised a finger. "You can pursue your own training as before, and the Granfian clan will continue to house and feed you. But this stunt has branded you as a troublemaker, so others may try to use you against the clan. No senseless fights, no trouble-making, no attacking other clans. Understand?"


    "Thank you!" Kai felt pathetically grateful, but he needed to cling to any advantage he had.


    "In a little over one year, the next monster incursion will threaten us all. Perhaps even more so than usual. If you are capable of holding your own at that time, then I''ll throw all the resources of the Granfian clan behind you. Everyone would reconsider their judgments, because you''ll have done something considered impossible."


    "I''ll just have to do the impossible, then." Kai grinned at him and turned to leave the Hunters Guild.


    He managed to keep up his smile until he made it all the way out the door and was engulfed in the bustle of Monskon City. Then Kai forced himself to breathe slowly. He did have options. They might have taken all the direct rewards from him, but they couldn''t remove his more intangible accomplishments from the Hunter Trials. After just a few minutes, he already had a few plans for how he could train to be ready for the monster incursion.


    But right at that moment, he just felt like an idiot carrying a sack of monster guts.

 Chapter 16: A New Side of Monskon City

    Two days later, Kai was beginning to realize just how much of his life had been dictated by his hypothetical future.


    Anywhere he''d gone in Monskon City, doors had been open to him as a promising young hunter. While they weren''t closed in his face now, it was obvious that the attention of the city had gone toward those who had been most successful. Older veterans who had volunteered time in the practice yards were now too busy to work with him. They all apologized with smiles on their faces and made excuses, but he knew what they meant.


    The same day that the Hunters Guild had rejected him, Kai had struck back with a thousand plans. Even if he didn''t have a useful Class, even if they wouldn''t give him what he was due, he would find a way to keep up.


    And again, he''d discovered that his life would never be the same. He''d sent letters to the Lantrian, Orgoron, and Corinin clans... only for them to simply not respond. They''d never ignored him like that in the past, even if they declined his requests for extra training. Above all, the other members of the Granfian clan treated him more like a disabled veteran than a young warrior.


    Their pity made him spend more time out in the city, which might as well have been a new place. Oh, he was still allowed everywhere, but he saw it with new eyes. Instead of focusing on the highest institutions, he found himself noticing just how much better the streets were in the upper city. Even the part of the lower city where the Granfian clan lived was much better maintained than others, much less the shacks outside the outer wall where citizens were at great risk of monster attacks.


    Once, he''d thought that the citizens held an attitude of grateful respect toward the hunters who kept them safe so near the Frontier. Now, it looked more like deference. He never saw a hunter exploit anyone, but given how much more powerful their Classes made them, did they need to? Instead of Goralia being a nation of people all working together, he saw a hierarchy determined by dumb luck.


    None of it was fair, but he couldn''t do a damn thing about any of it.


    As Kai approached the mercantile square, he wondered if even the merchants were looking at him differently. Since he no longer had easy access to the clan''s resources, he had begun buying mana-infused items from an elderly woman who ran a stall. She certainly glowered at him, but it seemed like she glowered at everyone.


    "You again? What now?" She sucked on her gums as she eyed him from within a fortress of hanging ferns and piles of jars.


    "I''ve converted my monster cores this time." Kai forced himself to smile pleasantly as he hefted his bag of coins. He had thought he could have traded with the raw cores before, but he''d been forced to sell them for proper currency.


    "Good. Children these days, trading oozing cores." The old woman glowered at his bag of coins for a time. "Well? What do you want?"


    It was a question he hoped to answer soon. Kai had sold all of the cores he''d collected except for the five largest, which he still hoped to find another use for. That left him with 176 Goralian Eagles, which was more money than he''d ever carried before, but not much compared to the amounts he heard veteran hunters discuss. How far it went... he was about to find out.


    "I was interested in one of these sanitation stones," Kai said. "How much?"


    "Ten Eagles for the pumice. More for the nice-smelling ones."


    His eyebrows shot up. Sanitation stones kept a person clean and not smelling awful - he hadn''t been interested in actually buying one so much as checking it as the cheapest magical object he knew. "What about a magical tent?"


    "Hmph, how long is a piece of string?" The old woman shook her head. "That one you see hanging in back will cost you two hundred and fifty. They go higher."


    So magical equipment was a lot more expensive than he had expected. When it came to average food and supplies, everything was cheap enough that he''d need to break his Goralian Eagles into smaller coins. By the austere standards of the Granfian clan, one Eagle was about a month of expenses. But none of that was what he cared about in the short term.


    The woman sold simple healing potions for a few Eagles apiece, and hunter-grade potions for twenty or more. Kai didn''t buy any of them, since he still hoped he would be able to talk to Juray and get a better deal, but that was much worse than he had hoped. Even if he was careful, the injuries he received hunting monsters on his own would consume most of his profits.


    "No idle questions! You''d better actually buy something," the old woman groused, "or I''ll be cross."


    "Oh dear," Kai said, "I wouldn''t want you to be cross."


    "Hush. You haven''t seen me more than disgruntled."


    He couldn''t afford to antagonize her, so Kai moved to his next goal. "These are moonfire herbs, right? For enhancement potions?"


    "Seven apiece, thirty for a bundle of five. But you don''t look like you know anything about herbalism."


    "I''ll manage somehow." Kai managed a smile and bought a whole bundle. From what he''d seen, the type of enhancement potions that the winning candidates had received cost at least a hundred Eagles. The ones he could make himself wouldn''t be as potent, but they''d prevent him from falling too far behind.


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    "Anything else?"


    "I guess I just wanted to ask... do you sell mana seedlings here?"


    For the first time, the old woman actually looked surprised. She blinked owlishly within her little fortress before responding. "I could maybe get my hands on one if I had a buyer. But you''re going to be looking at a thousand Eagles, minimum. Depending on the market. I''d ask if you want to order one, but frankly..."


    "Right, no thank you." Kai nodded to her and moved away before he could flush.


    Once again, he''d entirely underestimated just how much it would cost. The Hunters Guild and the major clans poured thousands of Eagles worth of resources into their top candidates. No amount of solo monster hunting, much less a normal job, was ever going to let him pay for it himself.


    As he walked to his next destination, Kai tried to think of a way forward. If he had no ambitions, he had enough money to live comfortably for years. Trying to become a true monster hunter without any support, he could burn through it all in days. Worse, he wouldn''t be able to stay in the Granfian clan forever unless he proved himself, which would only add to his expenses.


    No wonder the Hunter Trials made all the difference. It was the only way that someone without clan backing could afford to train... and that path had been taken away from him by his useless Class.


    His muscles ached more than he had expected after that morning''s training session. Kai was still pushing himself as hard as he could, even without magical support. He could suffer through some pain without potions to ease the aches, but the physical exercises that had once been his life were no longer enough. After two days of grueling work, he felt like he hadn''t progressed at all.


    When he reached Juray''s shop, Kai barely glanced at the window and almost walked on. After two days of finding her absent, he had begun to wonder if she was ignoring him too. The fact that she had opened up her storefront was so unexpected it took him a second to accept it.


    "Oh, Kai!" Juray had been working with a mortar and pestle, but began wiping off her hands when she saw him. Far from avoiding him, she smiled rather broadly. "I haven''t seen you since the Hunter Trials."


    "I tried to stop by," Kai said, "but I didn''t see you."


    "I''m so sorry about that. The guild has been commissioning me constantly since the trials, restoring their supply of potions and all of that sort of thing. Do you need something?"


    He dropped the bundle of moonfire herbs onto her counter. "I''ve tried to research enhancement potions. These are the main ingredient, right? Could you mix one for me?"


    Immediately he saw the sorrow enter her expression, but at least it wasn''t pity. Juray barely looked at the herbs, instead examining his face. "The guild judged you, did they?"


    "What''s that supposed to mean?"


    "If they judge someone doesn''t have enough value to them, everything changes. I''ve seen it before, starting with myself. I was never a fighter, so I can''t really understand what you''re going through, but... I''m sorry that it turned out this way, Kai."


    Her compassion didn''t grate quite as much as the others, but Kai still frowned and pushed through. "Thanks, but that''s life. Can you make the potion or not?"


    "I certainly can, it just depends on what exactly you want. You won''t... I may not be an expert in training, but I know my craft. You won''t be able to maintain all of the amenities that the clan scions can. If you want to advance without them, you''ll need other strategies."


    "I know." This, at least, seemed more like a test than condescension. Kai reached into his sack and dropped one of the largest monster cores onto the table - he''d had it encased in crystal to keep it fresh. "If all you care about is power, you can brew a potion with more toxicity, right?"


    Juray''s eyebrows rose slowly. "Well, you''re more ambitious than I thought. Yes, I can extract some mana from a monster core of sufficient quality... which that seems to be. It wouldn''t be the sort of thing you''d want to take to enhance your training - that sort of potion is grueling enough on its own."


    As far as he''d read, potions like that were basically poisoning yourself, but they were the only kind within reach. "I only want to use them to break through walls," Kai explained. "I don''t understand everything about them yet, but I can push through normal advancement with effort."


    "I''m afraid I know even less about that. My Class doesn''t have any severe breaks in power like the military ones. But yes, with these and just a few other ingredients, I can make you one hefty potion. This is from the Direboar? With ingredients of this quality, the result should be equal to anything the clans can produce."


    "How much will the brewing cost?"


    Juray tapped a finger on her lips for a while, examining him with a strange expression, then answered slowly. "If you agree to bring me all of the rarest ingredients you find or buy, I won''t charge you anything."


    "Are you sure?" Kai asked. "Is that really a fair deal?"


    "It''s not pity, if that''s what you think." Juray crossed her arms and leaned against the wall of her storefront. "One of the main things that prevents me from growing as an herbalist is lack of expensive ingredients. I could brew amazing potions like the prizes for the Hunter Trials all the time if I had the resources, but most of the year those are all being taken by better healers, or those with rarer Classes. I''ll never develop just brewing the same old potions for aches and pains."


    "Then consider it a deal." Kai suspected that she was trying to hide her generosity, since there was little hope that he would bring her rare ingredients, but he would take what kindness he could get. Juray was one of the few people who hadn''t changed how she treated him, so he made sure to smile at her before he departed.


    Was it her ordinary Class that held her back in life? He''d always thought that she could get married easily, given how attractive she was. Just owning a shop put her well ahead of most inhabitants of the city, so she should have been a catch for any man. But thinking about that didn''t do him any good, especially since she was one of his only allies in his new life.


    On his way back home, Kai was thinking so much about his next training session that he bumped shoulders with another man. He automatically apologized and was surprised when the middle-aged worker quickly apologized and moved away.


    He realized that he''d been wrong earlier: the average citizens of the city hadn''t changed how they treated him. It wasn''t just that laborer, everyone he''d encountered had been a bit deferential. Since he wasn''t important enough for any of them to have heard about his Class, it might be that the difference didn''t matter to them. For the average citizen, anyone who even dreamed of becoming a monster hunter was high above them.


    It should have made him grateful, but Kai stormed back in a worse mood. All around him, he saw citizens trudging between home and work, barely putting food on the table. They never dared to dream of anything else, they just accepted their fate.


    The same thing wouldn''t happen to him. He wouldn''t allow it. Kai hated what that thought implied about his view of all the citizens he was supposed to protect, but he shoved the thought down and got back to work.

 Chapter 17: Advanced Spiritual Sight

    Long before dawn, Kai was alone in the training yard going through his exercises. He might not have any advanced techniques, and Juray needed more time to complete his enhancement potion, but that didn''t mean he couldn''t work. A Physique Level of G-6 might seem like just symbols in his spiritual sight, but in the real world it made him superhuman.


    Exercises that had once risked injury were now easy, so he pushed himself much harder than before. All of the new hunters in the Granfian clan were experiencing increased strength now that their Classes had awakened, but Kai had always spent more time training and could test his body''s limits even further. He had no idea how much work it would take to reach G-7, but he''d fight his way there no matter how long it took.


    As he worked, Kai kept his mind off the futility of it all by focusing on future plans. It had been yet another day without an answer to his letters, so he needed to discount help from the clans. He had Juray as an ally and hoped to discuss further ideas with her. Even though he could imagine various schemes that would produce a positive feedback loop, the problem was that he had so little kindling to start any fires. Just the money he had from the monster cores and a few resources provided to all Granfian hunters.


    Eventually Kai reached his physical limits and recognized that he wasn''t getting anything further from his training. He had cleaned himself off and sat down to recover for future training when others arrived in the yard.


    "Kai, there you are. Good thing you''re here early."


    The familiar voice surprised him at first and Kai popped to his feet to see an old friend. Yangil Granfian was a hunter about five years older than him, a lean but muscular man wearing full steel armor. A five year gap had been insurmountable when they were younger, then Yangil had been a bit of a mentor, and recently the difference hadn''t seemed so large at all. They were both technically full hunters now, and the idea made Kai examine his friend with his spiritual sight.


    <


    Name: Yangil Granfian


    Total Power: 48


    Knight Class: 9


    Physique Level: G-9


    Soul Level: 3


    >


    Though Yangil wasn''t as powerful as some of the veterans, he was still impressive. His Physique was right at the peak of the G rank and he had a Soul Level just as high as many warriors. But Kai realized that staring at all the symbols would make him seem awkward, so he pushed through them to smile.


    "Yangil, I haven''t seen you in a long time! You''re back from the hunt?"


    "Frontier gets worse every year." Yangil gestured for the other trainees to spread out before walking closer and lowering his voice. "Listen, Kai... it might be best if you moved your training hours earlier. We''re going to have a lot of new Granfian trainees who will need the space."


    Kai frowned at the implication but tried to shrug it off. "I didn''t arrive now, I''ve just finished training."


    "Oh? You always were out here early. Well, that might be easiest on everyone. We''ll talk later, alright?"


    "Are you seriously kicking me out?"


    Yangil had been smiling since he entered, but that expression slipped away as he stepped even closer. "I can''t order you, but give these kids the same chance you had. Maybe one of them won''t be dealt such a bad hand by fate."


    "It''s that bad?" Kai struggled to keep his face neutral, which required swallowing both anger and shame. His friend... no, Yangil had never really been his friend. Maybe all he''d ever had were allies who wanted his potential future power.


    "Worse than I''d heard. Not even a Novice Class... or can you not see that part? I''d tell you to work on your spiritual sight, but I guess it doesn''t matter now."


    Right at the end, the politeness slipped away from Yangil''s eyes. Behind it, Kai could see not just pity but scorn. He''d seen that more than once: the idea that he must have done something to deserve this. Kai opened his mouth to say something, realized it would sound petulant, and walked away.


    As he left the training yard, most of the new recruits didn''t pay any attention to him. Just as well, considering that Yangil might try to humiliate him if he pressed the issue. Kai had always thought of the older man as jovial and fun-loving, but in retrospect his sense of humor seemed cruel. It had just never fallen on Kai because he was always at the head of the pack.


    Before he could descend into petty anger, Kai forced himself to refocus. Even though it was intended as an insult, Yangil had pointed out a real shortcoming: his spiritual sense wasn''t fully developed. It might not grant strength directly, but spiritual sight was a critical skill for any hunter. Developing it might be the best use of his time even if he had access to the training yard, since his physical development was plateauing.


    The Granfian clan had their personal library near the center of their village within the city, and at least no one there scorned him. They might be stingy with power, but the clan had been founded on increasing access to knowledge. Now that he had passed the Hunter Trials, the warriors running the library took him directly to the books on spiritual sight without question.


    Now that Kai had actually experienced it for himself, the language wasn''t so confusing. None of the symbols were so concrete that they could be drawn in the books, but there were underlying truths. Kai rapidly clarified a few points that had been unclear to him.


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    Chief among them, the reason that some Classes used the word "Novice" and some didn''t. It seemed that most Classes began in a nascent form that fluctuated wildly before reaching their mature state. This meant they were briefly weaker, but when they reached their "Level 1", it would be more powerful than the first step of another Class.


    So that was what Yangil had meant: his "Laborer" Class didn''t have a nascent form and so it had no chance of evolving.


    Rather than dwelling on that, Kai soaked up all the knowledge he could about developing spiritual sight. The books suggested that it would take the average hunter a month or more to fully develop their sight after first awakening it. But the books also seemed to imply that those hunters hadn''t done many of the basic mental exercises that he had pushed through while still in training, so he hoped it wouldn''t take that long.


    For the next several days, Kai developed a new routine. He stayed out of the training yards during the day, not wanting to be shamed by Yangil again. If he went even earlier in the morning and then returned late at night, he could get just as much physical training as any of the others. That left him with the middle of the day to deepen his spiritual sight.


    Just in case he''d missed something, Kai went back over all the old exercises: envisioning symbols perfectly in his mind, memorizing phrases forward and backward, gathering his will into a line to cast outward. Far from missing something, every exercise was much easier now that he had personal experience with what they discussed.


    The new exercises took him a little longer to grasp, but he threw himself into them. Some, like trying to fix the floating symbols in place, didn''t seem useful but must be training his general capacities. What interested him most was the idea of looking deeper into the symbols.


    According to the theory, spiritual sight both identified objective facts about someone''s development and tried to quantify their value. For the Classes of Goralia, these were simple numbers, but the systems of other nations could be more complex. Though even Goralia wasn''t perfectly simple, given what he''d learned about Novice Classes.


    Even though it wasn''t immediately useful, Kai made himself memorize all the exercises for evaluating monsters. They lacked some essence - possibly the soul - that made them fundamentally different, but their strength could still be ranked from alpha to delta. The books said that it could take hunters several months to grasp any symbols at all from monsters and potentially years for their judgments to be accurate.


    Sometimes he noticed other young hunters putting in work on the same exercises. He tried exchanging tips and suggestions with them, but most seemed more interested in developing their Classes. Since he was on his own, Kai resolved to put in twice as much work as everyone else and hope he could keep up.


    Since he had been braced for a long struggle, Kai was shocked one day when he looked at his own soul and saw a new host of symbols:


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 27


    Laborer Class: 4 (4)


    Physique Level: G-6 (14)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    ???: ???


    >


    Along with each category, he now had a distinct impression of its overall "weight." His Physique Level of G-6 was no longer just useful for comparing to others, he could see that it was the core of his strength. His Soul Level of 3 was also weightier than the number suggested, even if he didn''t understand it. Perhaps most importantly, these new symbols all added up perfectly to his overall strength.


    Only one thing stood out to him: there were some fuzzy ambiguous symbols when he looked at himself that he never saw around others. He realized that he''d been seeing them ever since the Hunter Trials, he just hadn''t focused on them. They weren''t mentioned in any of the books he read and none of the exercises made them go away, so Kai tried to set them aside.


    Could the mysterious symbols mean more than that? Kai felt as though they represented an important part of him, maybe even a powerful part, yet he couldn''t grasp their nature. He tried not to build up any false hope and focused on what he could control. After all, if he was going to figure out the strange symbols, building up his sight was the best option anyway.


    Everything else was exactly like the books had suggested. Even the fact that his Class barely offered him any strength couldn''t dampen his enthusiasm at this new revelation. Kai spent an hour just staring at people, getting used to his new senses and marveling at how it all connected perfectly. No more ambiguity. Now he could really see the weight of everyone''s souls in a coherent system.


    Only after he got bored with that did it occur to him that he''d mastered his spiritual vision in four days.


    Realizing that left him with strangely mixed feelings. It reminded him of the old days when he had been working harder and pushing further than anyone else, but those memories had a melancholy tinge now. Being able to see how far behind he was might just be depressing... and yet he found himself more motivated than anything.


    He walked back to the training yard even though it was still the middle of the day, evaluating as he went. The untrained members of the Granfian clan usually had a total strength of one to three, while hunter candidates were all under ten. Veterans he respected were all much closer to a hundred, though he didn''t actually see anyone in three digits.


    When he reached the yard, Kai stayed at the entrance and evaluated some of the others who had completed the Hunter Trials. A few were more remarkable, but most looked like a young woman who was clearly going through early sword exercises:


    <


    Name: Unknown Granfian


    Total Power: 14


    Warrior Novice Class: 5 (5)


    Physique Level: G-3 (8)


    Soul Level: 1 (1)


    >


    Despite her new Class, she was evaluated as much weaker than him. The insights from his spiritual sight roughly matched his normal intuitions: she wasn''t untalented, but her fitness and skill were both beneath his. Until her Class began granting her overwhelming power, she''d be at a disadvantage if they fought.


    Yangil looked up at him with a frown and Kai didn''t back down, staring directly into his eyes with his new sight.


    <


    Name: Yangil Granfian


    Total Power: 48


    Knight Class: 9 (19)


    Physique Level: G-9 (20)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    Despite all his experience, Yangil''s Physique was still stuck at the G rank and his Soul was no stronger than Kai''s. Yes, his developed Class granted him great power, but he wasn''t impossibly far ahead. If they fought that day, Kai knew he would almost certainly lose.


    But in a year? The idea made Kai''s heart race. If Yangil had only made so little progress in five years as a full hunter, then even Kai''s unsupported progress didn''t seem so meager.


    Still, there was no point in starting a fight that moment. Kai gave the older man an honest smile and turned away from the training yard. Now that he didn''t need to train his spiritual sight anymore, he needed to find a new way to productively fill his hours. Perhaps Juray was done making his potion or he could find another idea in the city.


    "Excuse me? Hunter Kai?" One of the officials stopped him near the entrance.


    "What is it?" Normally Kai would have been searching for any sign of pity, but his mood was too good to bother with it. Besides, it looked like the official just had a message for him.


    "This came for you." The man handed him a small slip of paper and then hurried on his way.


    The message was scrawled in such a sloppy hand that it took Kai a moment to read it, but then the letters came together: it was Inafay Corinin. She implied that her clan hadn''t shown his letter to her, but she had found it and then responded. Not only that, she suggested a time and place for them to meet. It seemed like she remembered their duel during the Hunter Trials and clearly was looking forward to fighting again.


    Kai''s grin broadened. He forgot all about hunters just getting by: if he wanted to advance his ambitions, he needed to compare himself to someone like Inafay.

 Chapter 18: Corinin Clan Secrets

    For several days Kai anxiously alternated between the training yards and the library. There were more complex exercises available, but they were fundamentally different from what the other young hunters were doing. It seemed that the clan had deeper secrets for advanced training which they didn''t share with everyone. He suspected that they involved leaning into one''s Class, so he wasn''t sure if they would even be effective for him.


    But all of that was just trying to fill his time efficiently before his meeting with Inafay. When the day she''d identified arrived, he eagerly headed out into Monskon City.


    The Corinin clan was too important to have a single complex: buildings they owned were strewn all across the upper city. For that matter, they had connections all across Goralia: each clan was bigger than a single city, to one degree or another. Whatever the overall clan politics, at the moment what mattered was that Inafay had asked him to meet her in a space they owned, but didn''t fully control.


    Kai left early in case he couldn''t find the place, only to figure it out almost immediately. That left him potentially arriving too early, which would be more than simply awkward: given the weakness of his position, he couldn''t afford to look desperate. Her letter had been friendly, but also hasty, so he wasn''t sure about her real position.


    "Yo!" Inafay dropped out of a nearby tree right beside him, then grinned at him cheerfully while wiping off her butt. "You finally get here!"


    "Uh, sorry if I was late." Kai made sure to keep his gaze professional, even though her clothing was even more casual than before. Still practical, but she clearly didn''t expect a serious attack. Had her abdominal muscles gotten even more toned?


    "No problem, no problem," Inafay said. "No sword this time, huh?"


    "The, uh, the Direboar stomped it."


    "That''s okay, we''ve got extras. All kinds of practice stuff here." Inafay led him over to the side of a training yard that was more like a private garden. The central cobblestone space was shaded by a canopy of trees, carefully pruned over the years to provide a green space in the middle of the city.


    More relevant to his purposes, there was a rack filled with wooden training weapons. Though Kai had gone with a long sword previously, he selected a spear instead. If his Class didn''t use any particular weapon, and he still hadn''t specialized, he might as well use a weapon that was well-suited to an opponent with such a frustrating combination of long range and close range capabilities.


    "I want to talk later," Inafay said as she pulled on her spiked gauntlets, "but let''s spar first."


    Only then did Kai realize that he had failed to look at her with his spiritual sight. He''d been developing the habit of examining everyone, but the importance of their meeting had thoroughly distracted him. As they squared off, Kai amended that error.


    <


    Name: Inafay Corinin


    Total Power: 25


    Windcutter Novice Class: 9 (9)


    Physique Level: G-5 (12)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    In the short time since their previous fight, her power had almost doubled. He wasn''t surprised that she''d developed her Class, but he was a bit intimidated that her Physique Level had almost caught up to his. It wasn''t too visible physically, since she''d been fit from the start, but he could feel a more potent current of mana running through her body.


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    "Just until first blood, or a blow that would draw blood." She banged her gauntlets together cheerfully. "Oh, and breaking the trees counts as a loss. Let''s go!"


    Inafay was standing near one of the trees, so Kai started with a thrust at full extension, hoping to get her to damage some branches with her wind magic. It seemed like her control had improved, since she easily redirected his blow with a current of emerald wind that barely rustled the leaves. She raised her fists, grinning, and began hopping back and forth with wind at her heels.


    As he dodged her wind-fueled strikes, Kai wondered who would win if they fought for real. He didn''t have as much of an edge as before and her Class had clearly become more flexible, but neither of them was putting their all into the fight. Soon he put aside such thoughts and focused fully on enjoying the sparring match.


    Anything more than a glancing blow from her wind would be disabling, if she didn''t hold back. Kai managed to stay ahead of her until the end, when she leapt into the air in a move that looked foolish... and then redirected herself with a burst of wind that put her gauntlet just beside his jaw.


    "And that''s match!" Inafay tapped the side of his head with a grin, then pulled back. "I''d like to say we''re even now, but you weren''t anywhere near as serious about this."


    "I wasn''t taking you lightly," Kai said.


    "Oh, I didn''t mean it that way. But during our fight, you looked deadly serious."


    They walked away from the training yard to a mossy area centered around a pool filled with clear water. While Inafay tugged off a gauntlet and pushed her windswept hair into place, Kai drank his fill. She grabbed the dipper after he was done, drank and splashed her face, then sat down on the side of the pool.


    "Did you really agree to meet just to spar?" Kai asked as he sat down nearby. Inafay only shrugged.


    "Yes and no. I want someone willing to kick the crap out of me, because none of the other Corinins will. Oh, don''t get me wrong, they work me pretty hard. But I feel like I''m missing something and I don''t want to rely on the clan for everything. So I think we can help each other."


    "I don''t know how much I can offer, but I''m glad I was the first person to come to mind when you needed someone to kick the crap out of a woman."


    "Oh, don''t start." Inafay punched his shoulder, not lightly. "I heard you had terrible luck with your Class, and I don''t know what to tell you. No good ideas from me. But it''s really fucking unfair that they took your rewards away from you."


    Kai resisted the urge to hug her, but his smile might have been a little misty-eyed. "That''s, uh... thanks. But how much help can I really be? If you''d landed with a real blow, it probably would have taken me out."


    "Injured you horribly? Yes. Taken you out? Don''t think so. You''re a physical beast, Kai. I''m hoping that you can help me break through into F rank Physique Levels, probably by getting there first. It might not solve your problem, but at least you''ll be able to resist Classes."


    "Resist Classes?"


    Inafay cast him an odd look, then shrugged. "Do they really not tell you this? Going from G-9 to F-0 isn''t just another little step, it means your body is permanently reinforced with mana. All hunters are required to hit at least F-0 to go on any really dangerous hunts. But more importantly for you, if you can reach that point, mana that tears through flesh won''t immediately disable you."


    "Huh." Kai had known about warriors becoming reinforced with mana, but the fact that it was tied to the letter grade was news to him. That probably explained why so many hunters he saw were in the low F rankings. "It seems to get harder the higher you go."


    "Don''t I know it. I''ve been stuck at the peak of Windcutter for a while now."


    "You were at 6 before, so... I suppose you''ve only managed three stages in two weeks?"


    "It''s even worse than that, because I hit seven right after fighting you." Inafay stuck out her tongue irritably. "I know these are the easy beginning stages, but I hate being stalled like this. My trainers have all kinds of ideas about how I can break through, but they''ve been wrong so far. Some said I needed to develop my Class with different skills, but as you can see that didn''t help at all. Others said it was about Physique Levels, but that didn''t work either."


    "What about Soul?"


    "Nobody seems to know exactly how that works, but they say it has nothing to do with your Class."


    Kai observed her in his spiritual sight again, and though he didn''t uncover any secrets, he was already feeling more comfortable. This wasn''t just pity. "So you''re looking to use your time productively instead of just grinding against the wall. I don''t know how much I can help, but I guess I can show you some new exercises."


    "I''ll take them, but I brought some of my own. You see, as soon as your Class awakens, there are all kinds of mana resistance exercises..."


    Those exercises proved to be exactly the sort of thing that the clan had been withholding from Kai. They couldn''t entirely replace his ordinary training, but he could sense that new spiritual muscles were being exercised and felt like they might help him progress. Fortunately, he had a few tricks to offer Inafay as well, so she seemed eager for their next sparring match.


    They scheduled another meeting in two days and Kai left in a good mood. For once, things were looking up. He was sure that fate had something awful in store for him, but he planned to charge straight into it.

 Chapter 19: Blood Potions

    Using his connection to Inafay, Kai began another whirlwind of training. She might not be able to grant him the potions and other benefits of her clan, but she freely shared their knowledge of complex techniques. Both of them had already advanced a Physique Level in just a week and she hinted that she wanted to try even more things.


    But she could only spar every other day, so Kai kept up with everything else. He was too young a hunter to get good jobs at the Guild, but he spent some time training with the veterans in monster lore and survival. Back with Clan Granfian, he pored over their library for everything related to Classes. He''d advanced again as a Laborer, and even though it didn''t seem to do him much good, he figured that it didn''t hurt. According to his improved senses, it did add a small amount to his total strength.


    The only relaxation he allowed himself was going to visit Juray and chatting about potions. It wasn''t really necessary, but she didn''t seem to mind his presence. They were mostly idle visits, but one fine day Kai received a message that his custom potion had been completed.


    When he arrived, Juray was busy helping an old man. She barely looked at him while working and he was almost disappointed, but as soon as her customer was gone, she pulled him inside and closed her shop window.


    "It''s finally done. You''d want another few weeks of refinement for a smoother potion, but you won''t lose any strength with this." She opened a locked cabinet and unveiled a large crimson flask with a flourish. "It may not be a Hunters Guild prize, but once this is complete, you won''t find a better enhancement potion."


    "Once it''s complete?" Kai asked. "I thought it was finished." He tried to take the flask, but she pulled it out of his reach.


    "I''ll explain in a moment. We need to talk about what exactly you intend to use this for."


    After studying the matter over the past week, Kai was pretty sure he had his answer. "I need to save it for when I hit G-9. I''m slowing a bit right now, but given that I have at most two of these, I can''t afford to waste them. This can help me get over the wall between G and F Physique, right?"


    "It definitely can, it just needs a different finishing agent. Please step over here and lend me a bit of your blood." Juray pulled him to her work table and handed him a knife before uncorking the flask. "We need quite a bit of blood, at least ten big drops."


    With anyone else he would have been skeptical, but Juray had always been open about her work. If she said the potion needed his blood, it really did. He carefully made a cut on his forearm and squeezed drops into the opening. When they hit the liquid, it churned wildly and he felt the mana throbbing in time with his heartbeat.


    Abruptly Juray made a cutting gesture and pulled the potion away. He held the wound closed and watched as she quickly capped the flask again and began to heat it over a flame. She added a blue powder to the candle flame very carefully, but after that seemed to relax.


    "This liquid is now specifically aligned with you," she explained. "Someone else in your position might get a little benefit out of it, but I don''t recommend giving it away."


    "Do the scions of the big clans get potions like this all the time?" Kai accepted a clean cloth from her and carefully dealt with the small wound while he listened.


    "They probably don''t use blood as a finishing agent, but some do. Most likely the best hunters won''t overuse them, even though it''s never been exactly proven that using too many weakens you."


    "But some people believe that?"


    "My theory is that it''s just because the talentless wealthy constantly drink these sorts of potions." Juray tapped the flask and seemed pleased by how it swirled, then turned a smirk on him. "So your precious Inafay has probably only had one or two of these."


    "Precious?" Kai spluttered for a second before he could pull himself together. "It''s not like that at-"


    "It''s not? But you always look so happy after your little fight dates."


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    Seeing that she was just mocking him, Kai rolled his eyes and refused to engage. But the subject had really never come up. Inafay was cute, and seemed to dress to attract a bit of attention, but she had never once brought up the subject or flirted. Given that she was likely to be the strongest Corinin of her year at minimum, she would have almost total freedom with such a decision.


    That soured what good humor there had been. Kai had always just assumed that marriage was somewhere in his future and focused on training. But now... even if he managed to succeed, his worthless Class would always be a mark against him. Even if Classes weren''t exactly inherited, any family with means would consider it too much of a risk.


    "Aww, I didn''t mean anything by it." Juray finally plucked the flask from its place and delivered it to him, then folded his hands around it. Her hands were shockingly soft. "Be careful with this. The glass is tough, but it''s not invincible, and you can''t afford very many of these."


    "Umm, speaking of..." Kai pulled away from her hands, which were very warm, and fumbled for his sack of money. "We haven''t discussed the payment for all your work. I do have enough, even if-"


    "Nonsense. I''ll count us even if you tell your hunter friends about me, alright?"


    That wasn''t a fair deal, but Kai found himself smiling back and agreeing. Whatever else Juray''s kindness held, it wasn''t pity. He carefully placed the flask in a secure pouch on his belt and instead withdrew his remaining large monster core. It throbbed within the crystal prison, no weaker than before.


    "I need to decide about this," Kai said slowly, "but I wanted to ask you another question first. During the Hunter Trials, I received something called a mana seedling. Should I not have used it then? If I''d saved it until now, could it have helped me break through a different barrier?"


    "No, I think you made the right choice." Juray pulled back to sit on the edge of her table. "I don''t get to work with many of those, but I know the theory. A mana seedling opens your soul to new experiences, so it''s best used in times of great stress. There''s no hard and fast rule for these things. The potion I just gave you is the exact opposite: you''ll want to use it when you''re completely calm."


    "I thought it might be something like that." Kai stared down at his last core as he rolled it around his hand. "I could use this for another potion just like the first one, right? It would still be helpful?"


    "That one turned out well, so having two wouldn''t hurt."


    "But would that be a good idea? If this is the last high quality core I''m likely to get, I was wondering if I needed to save the potion for when I get through all the G ranks, for when I reach F-9 and run into another barrier. I know it would be less effective then, but..."


    To his surprise, Juray snorted. "Do you have any idea how few people in my shop are even thinking about E rankings? If my little potions are the best you can do when you reach such a rarefied position, something has gone horribly wrong."


    "So we should use the monster core for something else." He''d suspected as much and was almost glad to get the confirmation. Based on his limited resources, he had a theory about what he needed next. "I think what I need, more than anything, is a potion for emergencies. Something that will keep me from dying if things go wrong. Could you make this into one?"


    "Not exactly." Juray plucked the core from his hand and examined it. "If you want something that will knit you back together from the verge of death, I can''t help you. Those are expensive potions and you don''t have the right ingredients for one anyway. But..."


    "But...? Don''t tease."


    "Just thinking about reagents. I can''t make you a miracle potion, but this could be used to create one that could prevent a career-ending injury."


    Kai blinked at her uncertainly and Juray waved a hand.


    "Maybe you haven''t seen it in the big clans, but plenty of hunters end up unable to fight. Your type takes all kinds of crippling injuries, after all. With the right potion, you can come out the other side stronger instead of maimed for life. Now, nothing I make will regenerate an eye or limb or anything, but it might still be worth it to-"


    "That sounds perfect. Thanks, Juray."


    He lingered for a while longer as she told him which ingredients he would need to buy. It was going to cost almost fifty Goralian Eagles all told, but in the end he''d have a potion that could keep him moving forward instead of backward. In his time he''d seen a lot of veteran hunters end up with horrible injuries and he wasn''t arrogant enough to assume he could escape the same fate.


    On his way back home, Kai considered his training while cheerfully tapping the flask at his belt. If he was a more popular member of the clan, he might celebrate his successes with feasting and drinking. Being unpopular might be lonely, but at least it gave him plenty more time for training. It was getting late, so if the trainees had stopped early, he might be able to use the practice yard.


    But when he got close to home, he heard the sounds of a scuffle. Kai forgot about everything else and rushed toward the outer courtyard where he could see the densest tangle of power. The symbols were too enmeshed to read, but his improved sight caught glimpses of both Classes and something he hadn''t seen for a while... the Path of Steel from Irun.


    When Kai burst into the courtyard, it was already over. Fhazi Lantrian was there for some reason, flanked by his two enormous goons. Standing opposed to them, Tusquo Agyama stood with a sword drawn and blood along the edge. His Irunian friends were with him, but one of the women knelt on the ground clutching her head.


    "Ah," Tusquo said quietly, "just the man we wanted to see."


    Fhazi turned to him with eyes blazing. "You! This is all your fault!"

 Chapter 20: The Unexpected Hunt

    Kai''s first instinct was to draw a weapon, but he remembered what Gunjin had said about not causing trouble and restrained himself. Instead he carefully raised his empty hands and swept his gaze across both groups.


    "Can someone explain what''s going on here?" he asked.


    "I believe we have made an error of protocol." Tusquo carefully wiped off his sword and lowered it. "We had intended to meet with you to make a request."


    "Liar!" Fhazi jabbed a gauntlet in his direction. "You know the laws of Goralia! We treat you like honored guests, and you start collaborating to undermine the Hunters Guild?"


    "That was never our intention. We only-"


    "Kai put you up to this, didn''t he?" Fhazi whirled back on him with a glower. "You''re pissed that you didn''t get anything, so you mislead the Irunians. That''s just the kind of dirty trick you''d pull."


    Tusquo sheathed his sword further, and at his gesture the other Irunians lowered their weapons as well. When their attention wavered, Fhazi lunged out to kick the woman on the ground. All the social confusion had thrown Kai at first, but the violence made him snap into action: he stepped forward and caught Fhazi''s leg.


    He''d planned several follow-up defenses, only to find them unnecessary. Fhazi''s blow felt surprisingly weak, especially after so many bouts getting bludgeoned by Inafay''s wind. To avoid antagonizing Fhazi, Kai pretended to fall back a step and put some distance between them.


    "Let me see if I understand," Kai said, loud enough to talk over both sides as well as the mutterings from the growing audience. "Our guests from Irun came here to request work, believing it was a private matter when it should have gone through the Hunters Guild. Just a simple mistake, right?"


    Fhazi glowered but didn''t contradict him, while Tusquo bowed politely before responding. "I believe that is accurate."


    "Then this all makes sense... except for one thing. Fhazi Lantrian, what were you doing at the Granfian complex?"


    "That''s..." Fhazi started to take a step forward, but one of his goons put a hand on his shoulder. He squirmed out of it, then realized just how outnumbered they were. "We saw something inappropriate and took action, like any citizen should! If you''re going to make this right with the Guild, then we''ll be moving along."


    Gesturing to his entourage, Fhazi departed with as much dignity as possible. As they departed, Kai swept his spiritual senses over the group.


    <


    Name: Fhazi Lantrian


    Total Power: 12


    Grandfist Novice Class: 5 (5)


    Physique Level: G-2 (6)


    Soul Level: 1 (1)


    >


    They''d all improved since the Hunter Trials, but it was Fhazi that drew his attention. Even being fed everything the Lantrian family could afford, he hadn''t advanced very far. At the moment he might be a threat, if he could land a hit with his Class abilities, but Kai felt sure he could resist those at F rank. With a little more work, he would be beyond such bullies.


    He wanted to check Tusquo next, but the Irunians had finished taking care of their injured member and now faced him as a single somber group. Probably not the best of times to be comparing strength. Before Kai could come up with anything, Tusquo spoke.


    "I apologize if our behavior has inadvertently complicated your life."


    "No, he was obviously looking for a way to cause trouble." Kai folded his arms as he looked over the group. "What were you coming to ask?"


    "We hoped that the Granfian family, and you in particular, would be willing to provide support when we venture into the wilderness. Our route will be leaving the common paths, so the quantity of monsters we are likely to encounter will be beyond our ability to resist."


    "That''s definitely the domain of the Hunters Guild, and I think you know that. Why come to me first?"


    "Let me ask you a different question, Kai Granfian." Tusquo took a step closer, eyes flinty. "Would you be willing to risk your life for power, if that power was necessary to defend yourself and those you care about?"


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    The question was asked so seriously that Kai hesitated, but he knew that he only had one answer: "Of course."


    "The same is true for us, and the nation of Irun. Please escort us to the Hunters Guild and I will make everything clear."


    In the usual Irunian fashion, Tusquo talked around the issue instead of being direct. As far as Kai could tell, they had a very specific reason to want to explore the wilderness. One that they didn''t want others to know about, or perhaps even a secret kept from Goralia in general. If it had been any nation other than Irun, Kai might have been suspicious, but he assumed they had legitimate reasons.


    The conversation on the way was partially focused on convincing him not to hint any of their intentions for the trip. Other than potentially being a risk, Kai had no problem with that. The Hunters Guild took a cut of every assignment through them, so he didn''t mind a tighter operation that didn''t rely on the guild so much.


    Along the way, he took the opportunity to examine Tusquo''s strength again:


    <


    Name: Tusquo Agyama of Irun


    Total Power: 29


    Manablade Novice Class: 7 (7)


    Physique Level: G-3 (8)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    Path of Steel: Iron 2 (10)


    >


    His Manablade Class had clearly improved, faster than anyone Kai had seen except Inafay. By far the largest surprise was observing the "Path of Steel" with his improved sight: each stage of it seemed to be valued more highly than any other system of power Kai had observed. Then again, he hadn''t seen very many Krysali warriors recently and no one from the Elemental Nations at all.


    "Our journey should begin in a fortnight," Tusquo was saying. "There are, again, important reasons that it must occur at that time, but we would prefer not to state those so clearly."


    "Because someone else might learn something from it?" Kai asked. The timing meant nothing to him, but others knew a lot more about foreign powers.


    "They might." Tusquo stared back at him, clearly unwilling to give any more information.


    "Alright, then... you want me to suggest the timing? I''m not sure that''s actually logical timing for me, but I can try to come up with an excuse."


    "Your cooperation is much appreciated."


    "I have a question for you." Kai paused, sorting through his words, and eventually decided to just plunge forward with it. "Why did you take until now to contact me? Is that part of the timing too?"


    "No, not at all." Tusquo blinked at him in surprise. "We have taken until now to consider your initial letter to us. We agreed that your behavior during the Hunter Trials was honorable, but working together more closely is a delicate matter."


    Kai shouldn''t have been surprised. He chuckled over it as they reached the Hunters Guild, but his good humor died as they entered.


    Hannagan Lantrian stood in front of the main desk, his arms folded over his broad chest. The head of the Hunters Guild looked none too happy, and the reason was obvious: Fhazi stood not far behind him with a smirk on his face. He hadn''t been running away, he had gone to try to sabotage them.


    "Honored Irunian guests." Hannagan gave them a perfect Irunian bow and ignored Kai entirely. "If you require the services of the Hunters Guild, we would be more than happy to offer assistance. Indeed, it is unnecessary to pay individual clans, considering the longstanding alliance between our nations."


    "That is exceedingly generous," Tusquo said, bowing in return. "However, this is a trivial matter, nothing but a training excursion. We did not want to trouble you."


    "It is no trouble at all. Would you like to be escorted by my grandson and his friends? The boy could use a little danger to shake up his life."


    Fhazi jumped as if he hadn''t expected that and started to say something, but Hannagan elbowed him in the ribs. The old man moved so fast that Kai barely saw the movement, just the results.


    Of course, Tusquo refused the offer. The two of them sparred back and forth with polite language until Hannagan eventually gave in. He gave them all a polite smile, then gestured for Kai to approach.


    "You have every right to choose your own companions," Hannagan said, "but I care for each and every hunter in Monskon City. Allow me to give him a few suggestions while you finish the paperwork, will you?"


    There was no way to refuse that from the head of the Hunters Guild, so Kai followed him into a side chamber. As soon as the door closed, the old man wrapped a hand around his neck and slammed him into the wall. Kai struggled to move his arm, but it might as well have been made of steel. Even his spiritual sight slid off the old man''s power.


    "I cannot stop this idiocy, but I do not approve." Each of Hannagan''s words was crisp and precise. "You''re not remotely capable of surviving in the wilderness on your own. You think this will be like the tame monsters in the reserve? Without a proper Class, the real thing will tear you apart. All of this work, this effort... it''s taking resources away from those who deserve them. If you had any decency, you would reject this offer and retire."


    "I''m... a hunter..." Kai could barely choke out the words, but he glared back at Hannagan without blinking.


    "For now. Maybe if you survive, this journey will show you your place. Just know that if you do anything to jeopardize the Guild, Monskon City, or Goralia... you will be exterminated. I will allow nothing to undermine our defenses, not even fools."


    Hannagan threw him to the ground and Kai barely caught himself. Once he would have been choking, but his improving Physique left him less vulnerable. Since he doubted that Hannagan wanted to see any defiance, he let himself gasp for breath and recover from the choke.


    "Know your place, trash!" Fhazi stepped forward and tried to kick him in the side. Kai wasn''t going to let himself be humiliated that much: he raised a forearm and deflected the blows.


    Before the third kick, Hannagan slapped his grandson in the face. Fhazi staggered back, less injured than shocked, staring at the old man.


    "Don''t humiliate the Lantrians any further." Hannagan spared Fhazi only a moment of scorn before he turned his attention back to Kai. "We won''t treat you unfairly, boy. But if you fail in this assignment, it will be your last. If you do anything to alienate Irun, you''re done. All I need is one good reason."


    With that he spun away and left the room, Fhazi on his heels. Kai remained on his hands and knees, struggling to swallow his rage.

 Chapter 21: Delving into Classes

    Kai sat in the center of the Corinin yard, pretending that he was pushing deep into his own soul and mainly worrying that he just looked constipated. The new exercise involved focusing on his own mana and straining to push it deeper outside his body, which just felt awkward. He''d been much better at the differentiating exercises that Inafay had taught him first.


    Inafay herself was walking around the square, doing a more elaborate version of the same exercise. He wasn''t sure exactly why she was pushing so hard on this new spiritual training, other than that it had something to do with her Class. Whatever the reason, she''d been passionate about it for their past two sessions.


    Struggling to push aside such thoughts, Kai returned to his meditation... and realized that he had finally done it. While thoroughly distracted, he''d managed to push a bead of pure mana into the world. It was a murky brown, incredibly mundane compared to the iridescent pearl that Inafay had shown him, but he was still shocked to have done it.


    "Uh... I think..." He didn''t want to say too much or raise his voice for fear that it would vanish. Fortunately, Inafay heard him and hopped closer to peer at it.


    "Not bad, Kai, not bad. Your work paid off and it came out right the first time: this is the pure form of your Class mana, nothing else. It''s easy to get it all muddled if you rush."


    "And that''s... good? What do I do with it?"


    "You don''t feel anything unusual?" Inafay bent closer, examining his face with the bead of mana between them. "Look at the mana, really look, and you should start feeling intuitions. There are all kinds of metaphors... imagine finding a weapon you''ve never seen before. You can tell something about it by the edge, the balance, and so on, right? Do the same with your mana."


    Such abstract exercises weren''t Kai''s strength, but he''d forced himself through plenty of mana preparation training in the past. He tried to filter out the rest of the world and focused solely on the bead. This was allegedly a manifestation of his Class itself, so surely it could reveal something.


    Gradually he began feeling a phantom ache, like he''d spent all day on manual labor. When he stared into the murkiness of the mana, he thought he saw glimpses of himself training as he usually did. Something within him pulsed in response and he felt certain that this mana was infusing his body, making him just a little stronger and more durable.


    But that was all. He hadn''t expected to discover that his Class possessed hidden legendary powers or anything so fantastical, but he had expected something. Kai looked up to see if Inafay had any new hope for him, but she sighed and dropped to sit on the cobblestones opposite him.


    "No big revelations, judging from your face. Sorry about that."


    "Why did you suggest this exercise?" Kai asked. "Should it have revealed something new?"


    "It''s not just a training exercise: there are lots of other ways to strengthen your Class. This one helps you understand it better." Inafay waved a hand near her chest and he had a feeling she saw her own symbols hovering there. "Some Classes are common, but new types show up every year, so of course they''ve developed ways to explore unknown ones. Even mine is a bit new, so I had to do all this to figure out the limits of what I could do."


    "But nothing much in my case, unless I did it wrong."


    "No, I think you did everything right. There''s at least a silver lining: manifesting your mana like this can be good for making potions. I figure you can use the help there too, right?"


    "That''s kind of you." Kai smiled, but he was concerned about the new expression on her face. "Inafay, is everything alright?"


    She stared at him, then laughed oddly. "What? No, nothing serious. I just didn''t want to say that I''m not going to be able to make our training sessions for a while. Gotta go away for some intensive training."


    "Is that why you were trying to teach me all these new things?"


    "I guess so, yeah. I''ll be back eventually, since I still need to improve my Physique Level, but you''ll be on your own for a while with... everything. I wanted us to be square before I left."


    That would disrupt his plans to prepare for the trip, but Kai focused on what she was saying. "Why are you leaving for this special training?"


    "Because I''m about to break through!" Inafay hopped up as if she was too excited to stay seated. "Everyone in the clan is claiming credit, but I''m sure it''s you! Fighting here I just feel so much more in touch with my Class... it''s like the wind has been getting more and more intense, and now it''s about to burst."


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    "That''s great." Kai swallowed his bitterness and got up to congratulate her. "So you leave the Novice classification behind and get a boost?"


    "Actually, the boost itself isn''t that significant, not like with Physique rankings. But the main thing is that, instead of running up against the limits of my Class, I''ll be starting over fresh. I should be able to gain strength rapidly in their intensive training course, and after it, I''ll be able to go Class-to-Class with some adult hunters. Of course, I''m not aiming so low, so I''ll be back to keep training."


    "You''ll blow past most of the people here, then. I assume that means you''re destined for better things?"


    "Either I go south to the wealthier cities or, if I''m good enough, to fight on the Frontier with the elites." Inafay''s enthusiasm finally faded and she gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I know boasting about all this must seem cruel to you."


    "No, it''s... the way things are."


    "I don''t have any answers, but I do have this!" Inafay reached into a pouch and then thrust out a fist. "You said you wanted a mana seedling, right? Well, I couldn''t get one, but this overdrive pill is as close as I could find. It''s not a potion, because apparently they concentrate mana in pills over in Krysal. But it should work, if you use it right!"


    Carefully accepting the gift, Kai found himself staring at a crystalline sphere in his palm. Instead of the hum of a mana-filled potion, it seemed to tremble with a different sort of mana. Allegedly his training was enough to absorb mana from any source, but that wasn''t the biggest problem. "Are you... sure you want to give this to me?"


    "I will punch you if you refuse! I was serious about you being the one to get me to this point, and none of the information I''ve given you is a fair payment. With this, we''re even. I insist."


    Even if it was partially charity, Kai accepted the pill without further objections. "What were you saying about using it correctly?"


    "This one is actually pretty dangerous." Inafay put her hands on her hips and frowned down at it. "Apparently it throws your body into overdrive, putting so much stress on you that it could do more harm than good if you don''t use it at a time when you''re already going to take a beating. Like, they stressed to me that I shouldn''t use it even in serious sparring. But the overdrive pill could help you pull through a crisis point and get stronger, so I figured it would do you some good."


    "Thank you, Inafay."


    "No, thank you. I''ll get in touch after my training is done, alright?" With that, she leapt away and left only a streak of green mana piercing the trees.


    Kai stared after her, wondering if that could have been his life if fate had chosen a little differently. Instead of being stuck with a useless Class, he would be competing with her to fully awaken his Class and develop new abilities. Part of him was happy for her, yes, but he couldn''t help feeling bitter.


    Since there was nothing he could do about that, Kai focused on the practical: her absence threw off his plans to prepare for Tusquo''s trip. He only had a week and a half to prepare for a journey that would be dangerous at the best of times, and apparently the Hunters Guild would be watching closely for a reason to kick him out. His only chance of keeping up with everyone else was definitely on the line.


    As he developed a new training schedule in his head, Kai walked back to the lower city. Since he had more time, he should return to Juray and explore the possibilities for his new mana techniques. Most likely they wouldn''t result in anything, but he couldn''t leave the chance on the table.


    "Hello again, Kai." Juray gave him a broad smile and ushered him closer to her shop window. "I''m afraid there''s no chance I can finish your second potion in time for your big trip, if that''s why you''re here."


    "No, I wanted to talk about something else." Kai drew his focus together and hoped he didn''t look too stupid as he tried to concentrate mana. "Can you create potions from pure Class mana?"


    Her eyebrows immediately shot up. "Well, is there any kind of training you aren''t doing? I know what you''re talking about, but I don''t have much experience with it. I''ve met some more skilled Herbalists who can take mana from extremely powerful hunters and distill it into a potion that briefly grants someone a bit of their essence. There are also mixes that try to feed a person with their own power. But, to be honest... I wouldn''t get your hopes up."


    "But can we try?" Kai finally finished and lifted in a bead of muddy mana in his cupped palms.


    Instead of answering directly, Juray disappeared into her shop and returned with a small bowl. It was unusually thick and formed from a dark metal, but otherwise Kai couldn''t tell anything about it. Maybe an arcane metal from Irun?


    She coaxed the bead of mana into the bowl, where it not only maintained its cohesion away from him, it hovered in the center. Juray sighed in relief, then began running a number of experiments. Since he had no idea what she was doing, Kai simply watched as she poked, extracted, heated, and otherwise analyzed his mana.


    Eventually she straightened up and shook her head. "I hope you weren''t expecting to learn that your Class had some amazing application in potion-making."


    "I''m not even slightly surprised." Kai stared down at the bowl forlornly. "Is it any good at all?"


    "You could probably sell it to day laborers who need refreshment, but it would be too expensive for them. There''s a chance that making potent ones and drinking them yourself could help a little... but probably not a lot."


    "I think we have to try."


    They discussed an exact plan, since the potions would require purchasing new ingredients that Juray didn''t have on hand. In the end, Kai decided to spend another ten Eagles to fund the creation of an entire set of the potions. His dwindling money wasn''t doing him any good sitting in a sack, after all.


    Besides, if he succeeded at Tusquo''s request, he''d soon be paid more anyway. Either he''d have more money, his life would be ruined, or he''d be dead.

 Chapter 22: Not the Intended Preparations

    One day. Just one more day.


    Kai had prepared himself about as well as he could, in terms of his own strength. He''d undergone a brutal training regimen combining all the exercises he''d learned up to that point, but now he needed to rest or he would be too exhausted to fight. Though he hadn''t been able to spar with Inafay, he''d spent time with the Irunians to make sure they could work as a team.


    They''d had some new ideas for him, but he''d focused on exercises he''d already mastered to avoid injuring himself. As he walked back into the city, Kai used his spiritual sight to see the strength he''d be leaving the city with:


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 34


    Laborer Class: 7 (7)


    Physique Level: G-8 (18)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    ???: ???


    >


    As hard as he''d worked, hitting G-9 had proved impossible. His useless Class had continued advancing thanks to his new experiments, but he''d take what he could get. The fact that his Soul Level hadn''t improved had frustrated him until he read in the Granfian Library that it almost never developed with pure training, only in true combat.


    Since he couldn''t increase his Physique rank, he''d decided to leave his special flask with Juray: the risk of it breaking in the wastelands was too high. Instead, he carried a number of cheap healing potions. They''d drained his funds yet further, but he needed to put everything on surviving this mission.


    To avoid draining himself further, Kai had scheduled all of his other preparations for the final day. Going around Monskon City purchasing ordinary supplies like tents and flints was practically a vacation compared to his usual training schedule. Though he looked longingly at some of the mana-enhanced equipment, he just purchased the cheapest options of decent quality. The goal was to increase his survivability, not travel in comfort.


    His errands were all finished by early evening, so Kai found himself wandering and trying to imagine what else could help. He couldn''t think of any other purchases to make and he had no one to really relax with, so he headed to the Hunters Guild. Perhaps the veterans there could tell him more about monsters along the Irunians'' chosen route.


    Along the side of the primary Guild building there were a number of terraces crowning the city. Some held chambers for the top hunters, others stored valuable materials, and a few offered other amenities. One of the lowest held the Guild restaurant and bar, which Kai technically was permitted to enter but hadn''t had time for before that point.


    As he entered he looked over the veterans, wondering how many would be willing to speak to him. No doubt they had heard about his disappointing Class, but he thought he had a decent relationship with many of them. Maybe they could commiserate, at least...


    Then Kai saw Fhazi and realized that nothing was going the way he planned.


    The young Lantrian scion sat at one of the largest tables, surrounded by a group that included the two huge goons and the ever-present quiet woman. They were relatively far away, though, compared to all the wealthy young people Fhazi was socializing with. Members of the Orgoron and Corinin clans, Krysali merchants standing out with their dusky skin and colored robes, even a couple of Irunians. All the types of people who made the world move and no longer had anything to do with Kai''s life.


    "Kai Granfian!" Fhazi stood up with a wicked grin. "Have you mastered your Class yet? Does the mighty Laborer Class let you bring us a round of drinks better than any servant here?"


    Kai could feel the warriors at the table examining him, observing his useless Class. Those who lacked spiritual sight took in his shabby robe and rough hands and learned everything they needed. Instead of responding, Kai ignored all of them and moved to the bar.


    Though Fhazi could be impetuous, he wasn''t foolishly cruel. This overt malice was clearly trying to provoke a response. If Kai started a fight, or even spoke back too aggressively, then Hannagan would immediately take the opportunity to expel him from the Hunters Guild. Since he wasn''t about to fall for that, Kai took the higher path and ignored the taunting.


    A mug of beer splashed over his head, drenching his hair and soaking into his shirt. Kai whirled, a fist raised, and held back an inch from Fhazi''s smug face.


    "You really want to trade punches?" Fhazi asked. "Because my Grandfist has been getting stronger and stronger. Go ahead, I''ll give you the first hit. Just so long as you don''t go crying back home when mine hurts way worse."


    "If I''m not welcome here, I''ll leave." Kai gave the entire group a flat smile, pretending that their smug looks didn''t hurt. At least a few had the decency not to laugh, though it was hard to tell anything on the largest thugs'' dull faces. "Have a lovely evening."


    He turned around and left with as much dignity as he could while dripping with beer. Fhazi shouted a few more insults, which accomplished nothing, and then hurled the empty mug at him. Now that he was ready, Kai easily caught the mug before it could strike his back, then set it down on a table with exaggerated care.


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    Once he was out of sight of the Guild, however, his composure crumbled. He had wanted to punch Fhazi directly in his smug face and a darker part of him wanted to tear out his throat. Maybe with his teeth. Trying not to think about where that savagery came from, Kai wrung out his hair and tried to dry his shirt a little.


    "It''s not right, for him to do that."


    The voice took Kai completely off guard. He didn''t recognize it at all and whirled suspiciously, only to freeze. To his surprise, one of Fhazi''s enormous goons had followed him. The man loomed on the shadowy street, but he didn''t look like he planned to start any trouble. His face didn''t give anything away, but if anything, he looked... sympathetic?


    "I''m sorry I can''t do anything." The enormous man cracked his knuckles on one fist, but instead of a threat, it conveyed nervousness. "But I thought you should know. Some of us think it''s not right. It''s not your fault you got a bad Class."


    "If you feel so bad for me," Kai spat, "then why do you go along with everything Fhazi does?"


    "Don''t got a choice. We need the Lantrian clan to help us advance. They told us to take care of Fhazi, so that''s what we gotta do."


    "There''s no way that''s true. With your strength, any clan would hire you. If you stick around with that little shit, that''s on you."


    "Maybe that''s true for somebody like you." The man started on the knuckles of his other hand, his eyes constantly downward. "When you''re as big as my brother and me, everybody knows what you''re gonna be. We''re not dumb, not like everybody thinks. But we''re not as smart as you. They''d never train us in swords and traps and everything. Just brawling."


    Part of Kai still wanted to be angry, but the bile drained out of him. Actually, he was the one being shitty and petty when the man was trying to reach out. Kai took a deep breath, tried to forget about the smell of beer all over himself, and forced a smile.


    "Maybe we''ve gotten off on the wrong foot. What''s your name?"


    "Raghi Tonjin."


    "Tonjin?"


    "Yeah." Raghi shrugged with a sheepish grin. "Nobody knows us, and we''re not really a clan. But that''s our name. It''s just me and Lofgan now. That''s my brother."


    For the first time, Kai tried to really look at the man, not just assume a stereotype about him. Yes, he was built like a particularly uninspired pile of bricks and lacked anything resembling a neck. But based on everything he had said, it was wrong to simply lump him in with Fhazi''s hangers-on. Kai opened his spiritual sight to truly examine the man.


    <


    Name: Raghi Tonjin


    Total Power: 25


    Scrapper Novice Class: 7 (7)


    Physique Level: G-6 (14)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    The fact that Raghi had grown so much stronger since the Hunter Trials should have angered Kai, but he couldn''t think about anything the same way anymore. Raghi and his brother weren''t just being handed power, they were struggling to get whatever they could. After Kai had seen how hard it was for those without backing, it would be wrong to look down on anyone for doing what they had to.


    "If you just wanted to apologize," Kai said, "your apology is accepted. I understand why you have to serve a major clan, but that isn''t going to help me the next time Fhazi orders you to hit me."


    "We''re sorry about that." The new voice took Kai off guard and he whirled to see the other brother emerge from the shadows. Lofgan looked even more nervous than his brother. "But no hard feelings? You seem like you enjoy a good fight."


    "I guess so." Kai looked between the two and found himself smiling. "I wish I could convince you to join another clan, but I guess you have your reasons. Can you at least tell me why Fhazi hates me so much?"


    "He thinks you took everything he deserved," Raghi answered. "You and people like you. He thought he was going to be the greatest monster hunter, then people like you blew past him. He really tried for a while, but he couldn''t keep up. Even with all his father''s wealth, he isn''t advancing."


    "Did his father hire you two to protect him?"


    "That''s right."


    Kai glanced back toward the bar, thinking over the usual fighters that surrounded Fhazi. "Some of those with him are Lantrians, but not all. Just how many of his people are hired? Do the rest of them feel like you do?"


    "Not really." Raghi answered simply and shook his head, but Lofgan spoke up again.


    "You''ve gotta be careful about Yerinna. She''s the woman with the needles, you''ve seen her. I''m not sure why, but she''s real loyal. And lethal."


    "Yeah." Raghi raised his hands and squeezed the air. "In a straight fight, if I could get my hands on her, she''d be dead. But in reality, she''d cut my throat while I was asleep or something. She''s dangerous."


    Lofgan bobbed his head in agreement. "No idea where she came from, and the others don''t know either. She''s not very friendly with anybody, even Fhazi."


    That was valuable intelligence, but Kai found himself wondering exactly where this conversation was going. Since the brothers seemed more earnest than conniving, he decided to just be direct. "Alright, you''ve apologized and answered my question. Is there something else you wanted?"


    The two looked at one another and shuffled awkwardly before Lofgan spoke up quietly. "Maybe a drink? Umm, one not poured over your head."


    Despite himself, Kai laughed and joined the brothers. He was worried that being seen together would ruin their reputation, but they took him not only out of the inner city, but even past the outer wall. Apparently there were bars in the outskirts, never visited by hunters. Though he didn''t ask, Kai got the sense that the Tonjin brothers had been born in the outermost city before being recruited.


    As the three of them shared a drink, Kai came to know the brothers better than he had ever expected. Though they looked very similar, Raghi was actually two years older and had a different father. They didn''t like to talk about their parents, but they were glad to talk about anything and everything else. Kai got the sense that they didn''t get the chance to truly communicate with someone often, since Fhazi mainly wanted to hear himself.


    Instead of viewing the two as matching thugs, Kai began to wonder how he ever saw them as identical goons. Raghi had darker hair and a scar across his jaw, while Lofgan had a leaner face. Lofgan drank beer as copiously as you''d expect for a man his size, but Raghi actually preferred mulberry wine. Though Raghi had manifested a typical Scrapper Class, Lofgan was something called a Whistlewind that no one was sure what to make of.


    By the end of the night, Kai couldn''t exactly say they had become friends. The brothers did have a stubborn loyalty toward the Lantrian clan and they didn''t seem inclined to think about certain subjects very much. They weren''t likely to become regular drinking partners. But as he finished his last drink and wished them well, Kai was glad he''d gotten to know them.


    Walking home down the darkening streets, Kai began to reverse that conclusion. Seeing Monskon City from their perspective, there was even more injustice than he had realized. Even if he''d shed blood and tears for everything he''d earned, there were other people who started with worse fates.


    A night of relaxed drinking should have been exactly what he needed before a stressful journey. As Kai tried to go to sleep, he wondered if this hadn''t been the worst possible start. Everything had seemed so much simpler that morning.

 Chapter 23: Venturing From Monskon City

    As many times as Kai had left the city, he still felt nervous the first time he left as an official hunter. No, he wasn''t leaving on an official hunt, but encountering monsters was a virtual certainty when leaving well-patrolled lands. This was his first chance to do more than just take the city''s resources, to actually protect people from the monster scourge and make a difference.


    Despite the difficult path they''d chosen, the trip should be easier than the average escort job. Instead of guarding merchants or other civilians, their central group was all Irunians, most of whom could defend themselves. Tusquo and an Irunian woman had developed a Class, two others were skilled warriors even if they hadn''t finished the Hunter Trials, and even the three specialists seemed capable of defending themselves.


    Perhaps for that reason, or because this mission was somewhat secret, there were only five hunters from Monskon City. While he kept watch for monsters, Kai checked on the entire group again. Their leader was Curaina Granfian, who he couldn''t see at the moment. Yangil headed up the group. That left Kai and two hunters he barely knew.


    It occurred to Kai that, even though he''d been using his spiritual sight on everyone in their group, he hadn''t really considered them systematically. He still didn''t see Curaina, but knew that she was the only member with a Power total over 50. Yangil and one of the other hunters were rated in the 40s, then there was a drop to four along with Kai in the 20s and 30s. Two Irunians with ratings below 20, then the civilians with single digits.


    Was that enough? Even though the numbers older hunters regularly talked about made more sense to him now, Kai wasn''t sure. He felt like some trips had gone smoothly with fewer hunters while at other times even veteran hunters didn''t make it back. Even with all their preparations, they didn''t have the monster scourge fully under control.


    "Kai." Curaina appeared with very little warning from the bushes alongside their path. She was a woman in her thirties with slate gray hair pulled back in a tail, clad in a scale hauberk. Though he''d seen her among the other Granfian trainers from time to time, Kai hadn''t had many chances to observe her strength with his new senses.


    <


    Name: Curaina Granfian


    Total Power: 64


    Stonecaster Class: 15 (25)


    Physique Level: F-0 (30)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    He blinked aside the symbols to focus fully on her. "What is it?"


    "I''ve been scouting ahead, and I''m afraid we''re going into this under-powered." Curaina ground her teeth as she fell into pace alongside him. "If the Irunians weren''t so damn secretive, we could have taken a stronger group. Anyway, no disrespect to you, but I want you to take more of a supporting role. Get a longer weapon from the Irunians."


    "You think a sword won''t be appropriate?" Kai set his hand on the hilt of the simple sword he''d bought earlier.


    "You have some disadvantages, but I know you keep a level head. Given this group, we''re likely to end up grappling with monsters we can barely match. I don''t want you to take them head on, I want you to stay at a distance and strike. Without hitting us, mind."


    As soon as Kai nodded, Curaina marched away to speak to the others. She wasn''t the most reassuring of leaders, but at least she had offered a reasonable plan instead of mocking him. Kai went to go speak to the Irunians about getting another weapon.


    His first intent was to talk to Tusquo, but at the moment the Irunian leader was deep in conversation with some of the hunters in back. That left the others... who didn''t exactly look friendly. Then again, they were all going to be traveling together for some time, so surely they wouldn''t reject him. Kai decided to speak to the young woman who had first dropped out of the Hunter Trials, gave her a careful look with his spiritual sight, then spoke up.


    "Uh, hi." Kai matched her pace and tried not to stumble over his own feet when she turned her hard gaze on him. "I don''t want to bother you, but-"


    "You have fought at my side and saved my life against the monster threat in the reserve." She smiled as if the expression took a supreme act of will. "It is not a bother."


    "Good. I''m Kai from the-"


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    "I know who you are, Kai Granfian. I am Kanaqa Hiryla. How can I assist you?"


    "Our leader just suggested that I needed a longer range weapon to provide support. I know that generating steel isn''t easy for you, but I hope that, given the circumstances..."


    Kanaqa examined him seriously. "It is not an unreasonable request, but why did you ask me?"


    "Because you''re the only one other than Tusquo who rates higher than the first stage of your Path of Steel. I don''t know a lot about it, but I figured that would be good."


    "I have focused on the path of Irun because I failed to awaken one of your Goralian Classes." Kanaqa frowned, but he thought she was pleased that he''d noticed judging from her eyes. "It is no trouble to form a weapon for you."


    After some discussion about her skills and his goals, she formed a long pike. It took more time than past weapons, the sphere of liquid metal between her palms ebbing and flowing as she wove strands into the long shaft. He considered that it might have been easier to provide her with a wooden shaft, because the final weapon was immensely heavy. Still, with his mana-enhanced Physique it wasn''t difficult to wield, and it wouldn''t break easily.


    Over the next several days, Kai had little chance to use his new weapon. They did run into a few monsters, but they were only familiar twisted dogs like he''d fought in the monster reserve. Not many of them could get close, because Curaina tended to skewer them with floating shards of rock as soon as they appeared.


    When he did face off with one, Kai was especially careful, only for it to die in a single thrust. His spiritual sense for monsters was still forming, but he was fairly confident that these were no stronger than the ones he''d fought previously. If they fought nothing but similar alpha-ranked creatures, they had nothing to be worried about.


    During the time he wasn''t holding a key position, Kai tried to get closer to the other members of the expedition. The Irunians were polite to him, but reserved. He spent almost an hour talking to the woman who had gained a class alongside Tusquo - she proved able to cast shards of ice - but she never even gave him her name. He had to ask directly before she reluctantly identified herself as Anoqa Hiryla. They were willing to risk their lives fighting alongside him, but he suspected they wouldn''t invite him over for dinner unless forced.


    Just when Kai was beginning to think the trip might go smoothly, an enormous monster burst from the bushes and charged toward him.


    Though it was only about a third the size of the Direboar, the creature was entirely covered in armored scales and still outweighed him. Worse, the single horn jutting from its head looked rather sharp. Kai immediately hefted his pike and began to retreat, but the civilians were only a few paces behind him. With no sign of Curaina and the other hunters at a distance, he had no choice.


    Kai set his legs and thrust with his full strength... and the tip of his pike glanced off the monster''s armor.


    An instant later it was on him, bucking its head to try to spear him with the horn. Kai barely managed to dodge to the side, only for its heavy head to slam into his side. It was already inside the range of his pike, so he drew his sword with his off hand and tried to stab it in the eye.


    Another blow skating off the armored scales. An instant later its shoulder crashed into him and Kai tumbled across the ground, dropping his weapons to avoid skewering himself.


    He pulled back to his feet and was shocked at how far he''d been thrown. Fortunately, the others were closing on the monster and the Irunian civilians sensibly retreated. Tusquo was battering it with arcs of mana from his sword, the blows failing to draw blood but at least staggering the creature. When Anoqa joined in, several of her ice shards managed to pierce between the monster''s scales.


    It bellowed in pain, but it wasn''t close to down, and its next charge scattered the group. Kai hastened to get back into the fight.


    While recollecting his weapons, Kai realized that he had a severe cut along his side where the horn must have hooked him. In the midst of things, he hadn''t even noticed. Being slammed by the creature''s weight hurt more and his chest ached. Kai decided that he needed to drink one of the minor healing potions immediately, then waited for a chance to enter the fight.


    Just when it looked like the beast might trample over the Irunians despite their best efforts, Yangil leapt into the fight. He wielded what looked like a simple sword, but he swung it with the full weight of his Knight Class behind the blow. The first swing cut deep into the monster''s shoulder and it bellowed more loudly than before.


    Yangil''s second cut tore scales from its chest, but then the beast''s horn very nearly skewered him. The sword was knocked from his hands and he desperately grabbed the horn. For a moment he arrested its movements, then it began to push him back, head bucking to try to drive him to the ground.


    Tusquo and Anoqa continued to strike it with ranged strikes, but the beast was in a blood rage and barely seemed to notice the new injuries. The others, even the experienced hunters, stood at a distance too uncertain to take action.


    Then it was up to him. Kai ran closer and cut at one of the monster''s legs. Once again, the tip of his pike failed to penetrate, but he''d expected that: Kai got one of the spikes of his weapon around the creature''s leg and tugged as hard as he could.


    His pull managed to drop the monster onto its side, which gave Yangil time to retreat to a safe distance. But the beast lurched back up, far faster than he''d expected, and it was almost on him.


    Kai whipped his pike around, slamming the butt into the beast''s eye. He could feel something give, but his blow didn''t stop its charge and pain tore through his side. All too quickly he was on his back again, the monster rearing over him, its sharp hooves dropping like death...


    Earth erupted from beside him and an enormous spike of rock pierced the monster''s chest. Even that didn''t kill it, the beast shaking its head wildly and stabbing in all directions with its horn. By the time Kai looked back to see Curaina, she had stepped closer and driven another spike through its head.


    "Sorry I couldn''t get back in time." Curaina glanced over the group, then down at him. "Good work, but that injury will need immediate treatment. Take a potion now, get a bandage on it, then drink another in an hour."


    With that she moved away to assist the others. Kai did as she asked, his fingers lingering on the third potion in his pouch... his last. Several days into the journey and he''d already burned through his preparations.

 Chapter 24: Aquagorgon

    The next several days of the trip went smoothly. Kai stayed in formation and contributed when necessary. The group collected monster cores. They were allegedly nearing their destination.


    But he felt as though he was dragging himself half-dead. It had been days since he''d properly cleaned up and he had the start of a messy beard. He still hadn''t repaired his shirt in the places it had been torn. None of it mattered.


    Maybe Gunjin and Hannagan and everyone else had been right to think he was doomed without a strong Class. Kai thought he was about as skilled as any member of their group, and he was more durable than most. But if they ever ran into a monster that couldn''t be harmed by ordinary human weapons, he would immediately become a liability. Even if he put inhuman effort into improving himself, he wouldn''t be able to handle the more powerful monsters deeper in the wastelands, much less defend the city during an incursion.


    Once, Kai would have been glad for more experience against monsters. Now, every time they encountered something new, he held back and let the others handle it. He still watched carefully, particularly when they encountered a nest of snakes that instinctively dodged all ranged attacks. But he had no healing left and lacked the spirit to throw himself into danger.


    "Hey!" Yangil trotted back from the front and waved to everyone. "There''s a pond up ahead, and it carries some residual mana!"


    "Wait." Curaina intercepted the group as they started to move forward. "I know you all want the chance to rest, but we''ve never confirmed the water is safe in this region. We need to check it out first."


    Even if Kai hadn''t been able to sense the hum of mana from the water, it would have been obvious: the hollow surrounding the pond flourished with plants that glittered purple. He didn''t see anything dangerous in the clear water, but waited for Curaina to investigate.


    Once she confirmed that she didn''t sense anything, Kai waded into the shallows along with the others. He cupped his hands to draw some to his lips and was surprised that it tasted a bit like common potions. Mana-infused water was often used as a base, though he thought that it needed to be more intense than this pond. Something definitely felt wrong about it, even if he wasn''t sure what. Maybe a question to ask Juray after he got back.


    While the others drank or cleaned themselves, Curaina stood with her arms folded. After observing her scowl remain unchanged for some time, Kai approached. "Everything okay?"


    "I feel like there''s something wrong, but I have no rational reason to believe that." Curaina stared down into the deepest section of the water. "Some monsters can hide their presences, particularly hunters, so the lack of mana doesn''t necessarily mean it''s safe. But I examined every inch of the water and there''s not even a flesh-eating minnow. Maybe it''s just nerves."


    "Uh..." Kai hesitated to contradict a veteran hunter, but his stomach was beginning to knot itself. "Is that the problem? Shouldn''t a mana-rich pond like this have at least some monsters?"


    "Shit. Everyone, listen up! No fast movements, but we need to-"


    Before she could finish her sentence, eels erupted from the mud beneath the pond. Kai caught a glimpse of the Irunians closing together in a tight formation, weapons drawn, then he had an eel of his own to deal with. It lunged at him, mouth impossibly wide, and he only barely raised his pike in time.


    After the eel skewered itself, Kai swept his pike in a wide arc, trying to ward off any others that wanted to strike. He noticed something odd: the monsters were all rising from the edges of the pond and arcing into the air before striking. They were spaced too evenly as well, as if it was a planned ambush. That, or it could be something much worse...


    It looked like the Irunians were safe in a cluster, but two of the hunters struggled at the edge. Yangil waded in to save them, the eels clamping down on his armor. He grunted in pain, as if some of their teeth got through, but tore through the group. There was only a brief gap before the eels shifted to keep them enclosed within the pond.


    The mud beneath Kai''s feet shifted dangerously as something enormous emerged in the center. It had a narrow head roughly similar to the eels, but with far larger teeth and three glowing purple eyes. As more serpentine lengths uncoiled around it, Kai realized that what he''d been thinking of as eels were eyeless extensions of the central creature.


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    Curaina struck before it could, stone spikes exploding from the pond in all directions. The burst of water was quickly joined by blood as tentacles fell in all directions. A larger spike tore through the center of the beast, which was just translucent enough that the stone was visible through its body. Deeper within, Kai thought he saw something deep purple stirring.... the beast might be sagging, but it was definitely still alive.


    "Okay..." It took Curaina some time to catch her breath, but then she managed to call to the others. "This is an Aquagorgon... we''re lucky it''s an immature one that still can''t regenerate well."


    "You mean it''s not dead?" Yangil blurted.


    "Not yet. Stay away from the tentacles until we''re sure. Everyone who can fight at range, begin carving up the central body. Every part of it is a threat until the core is destroyed."


    The others began hurling mana toward the beast, which groaned and twisted as pieces were torn from its body. That left Kai useless, but instead of despairing he tried to examine the pond carefully. Many of the jawed tentacles had been severed, while the others lay still... oddly still. If the monster was in so much pain, why weren''t its outer limbs thrashing?


    "Wait, it''s-" Whatever he had been about to say, he was too late. Apparently dead appendages leapt up and tore into the entire group.


    Kai instinctively lunged to help the Irunians, skewering one of the jaws about to clamp down on Anoqa''s head. Another bit down on Tusquo''s shoulder and he grunted in pain. Before the others could close in, he swung his sword in a broad arc, a circle of mana tearing through the nearest. Anoqa recovered from her shock and sent ice spikes through most of the others near them, earning a moment to breathe.


    The others hadn''t been so lucky. All of them had been bitten by several tentacles, though their jaws were stopped by Yangil''s armor and Curaina impaled all those near her with stone. Both of the other hunters managed to fight them off and raised their weapons, fending off the tentacles rising around them.


    In the center of the pond, the Aquagorgon slid off the spike that had been impaling it, translucent purple flesh healing almost as quickly as it moved. Though the formerly clear water was now roiling with blood-stained mud, it didn''t look like it had been dealt any serious injuries. Even when Curaina tore through its base, it only seemed to slow down.


    So this had all been a trap. Kai was surprised that such an intelligent monster always made its tentacles rear up out of the water instead of...


    "Get out of the water!" Kai shouted.


    Fortunately, the Irunians understood. Tusquo swung his sword toward the shore and severed a swath of tentacles, then they all leapt. More tentacles tried to lunge at them, but Kai and Anoqa speared them out of the air and they managed to land safely on the shore. Kai urged them further back, just in case the Aquagorgon could tunnel further outside the pond.


    When he turned back, for a moment he thought that his warning had been completely in vain. Curaina looked skeptical, while the other hunters stared back at him as if he was a coward. So far, the tentacles had remained back, dodging away from their weapons.


    Then one of the hunters went down with a cry as the water churned around her. There were a few glimpses of more jaws rising to clamp down on her, drawing her under to finish tearing her apart. Her screams of pain were drowned almost immediately.


    The others might have fallen as well if Curaina hadn''t acted quickly. She drew up an entire platform of rock under the remaining hunters, the sheer edges cutting through some of the tentacles trying to ambush them. Yangil was still on his feet, but the other hunter had collapsed to one leg, clutching his injuries.


    Another tentacle curled upward, snapping out and grabbing Curaina''s outstretched arm. She must have been exhausted by the effort of raising the earth, because she hacked through the tentacle with a knife instead of generating any more spikes. Blood was pouring from multiple wounds now, but she still managed to shout to the others.


    "Hit the core, or it will never stop!" She managed to generate another thick spike that temporarily pinned the Aquagorgon in place, but judging from her grimace it wasn''t enough. "Yangil, I just need a distraction. Use your armor and-"


    But Yangil used his firm footing to leap out of the pond. Curaina stared after him in shock, then several more tentacles clamped down on her body. Her F-rank Physique endured instead of being torn apart, but she obviously couldn''t survive much more.


    Behind her, the central maw of the Aquagorgon rose to consume her. Curaina struggled, but each spike emerged a little slower. Tusquo and Anoqa struck at range, but the Aquagorgon was healing almost as quickly as they damaged it. There was no one else coming to save them.


    Before he knew what he was doing, Kai popped the overdrive pill into his mouth and swallowed. He felt nothing as he charged back toward the pond, but he didn''t stop: they needed to kill it while it was still weakened from Curaina''s strikes or they were all dead. As he jumped through the regenerating tentacles, he felt a surge of new mana and found the strength to knock them aside.


    It was still nothing close to the burst of power he''d needed to overcome such a powerful foe. And yet Kai leapt from the stone, directly into the Aquagorgon''s mouth. The hooked teeth closed around him and his vision went red.

 Chapter 25: The Second Feast

    As Tusquo stared over his bleeding comrades, he reflected that it had all seemed like a good idea at first. Their assignment in Goralia had been such a disappointment, he had jumped at the chance to accomplish something. Dreamed of returning to Irun with another fountain of metal that would make a difference for their home nation.


    Somehow, all of his comrades had escaped the pond alive, but at the cost of several of their Goralian allies. It would be dishonorable to leave behind Curaina Granfian and the others, yet he could not see how he could make any difference. Even sending his most powerful cuts into the creature''s body, he was barely slowing it down, and his mana would soon run dry.


    Then, before Tusquo could do anything to stop him, Kai Granfian hurled himself into the maw of the beast.


    He was bitten by several of the jaws before he arrived, yet he plunged on. Somehow he had gotten a second wind, but there was no new power equal to this foe. Yet it was too late to do anything, because he somehow managed to get inside the main jaws before they could close on him.


    And then his ally was nothing but a struggling body within the Aquagorgon.


    Tusquo automatically thrust out, running mana along his sword to pierce as deep into the beast as he could. It roared out in pain and thrashed, but the wound was already closing over. He had so very little left.


    "Anoqa." He turned to his comrade and saw the same grim understanding in her eyes. "Could you freeze the monster''s body?"


    "I''m sorry, but these Goralian powers... the ice I create does not lower the temperature enough."


    "Still, we have to try." Tusquo turned from her to the Goralian survivors, who stared in horror. He reached up and grabbed the man named Yangil Granfian by his heavily armored shoulders. "You there! Collect yourself or there is no hope for us!"


    The man''s only answer was to push him away, and Tusquo staggered back under the Goralian''s superior strength. His mana was still strong, and his wounds not so deep under his armor, but his eyes... Tusquo recognized a man whose will was broken. Their best chance was gone.


    "Tusquo!" Anoqa called out desperately and he turned back to see her fending off more of the tentacles. They had pushed their way through the sand around the pond to attack them at a distance, and though several were pinned to the ground with shards of ice, more leapt upward.


    When Tusquo swung his sword to decapitate the group, he simply swung his steel through the air. Too late, he realized that his Goralian Class had finally failed him. That new source of mana had been so promising, yet now it was spent, and their hope with it.


    He still charged, using simple steel to sever one of the jaws about to attack his comrades. If he had walked further along the Path of Steel, perhaps they all might have lived. As it was, he saw nothing but an honorable death for them. At least he would die fighting alongside his comrades, as well as a worthy ally from another land who had given his life for theirs.


    The second head, he severed. The third, his cut was ragged. As he struck down the fourth, the third regenerated and bit into his leg. Tusquo struggled to raise his sword, one more time, but the jaws were rising over him...


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    And then they slumped.


    All around the shore, the Aquagorgon''s savage heads collapsed. The purple sheen of their skin seemed to fade as the mana within spluttered and died. Tusquo could only stare in shock until his gaze was slowly drawn back to the center of the beast.


    A monstrosity clawed its way out of the maw of the Aquagorgon. Kai Granfian bled from hundreds of wounds, and he cut his hands further as he pushed open the hooked teeth. His pike, piercing through a fleshy purple core, rose to prop up the mouth, and he clung to it.


    The man was victorious, yet he didn''t look like an honorable warrior, but a beast. Every inch of his body was covered in blood, slime, and the viscera of the monster''s organs. His head and beard were ragged, more like tentacles themselves than hair. Above all, his eyes were filled with an unnatural savagery as he forced his way out.


    How had he done the impossible? Everyone had dismissed him as weak, cursed by the national spirit of his own home country, and yet he had accomplished what the others could not. At that moment, Kai Granfian looked as though he could take on the world with nothing but bloody-minded determination.


    Then, all at once, his strength disappeared and he fell into the water.


    "Help him!" Tusquo called out to the others, but he was the first to move. He managed to grab Kai Granfian before he could drown in the wake of his victory and dragged him up to the artificial circle of stone.


    Pumping his chest expelled some water from his lungs, and Tusquo replaced it with a healing potion. He had no idea if it would be enough. Aside from all his wounds, Kai Granfian had been absolutely covered in the monster''s slime. Tusquo lacked the knowledge to cure such poisons, and the only person who might know...


    Curaina Granfian lay still in the center of the stone, her eyes dull. Tusquo gave her body a bow of the deepest respect, then closed her eyes. She had been an honorable warrior to the end, and if she had not been betrayed by the cowardice of her allies, she might have lived.


    Now that it was obvious that the Aquagorgon was truly dead, the others began to act as well. They began to treat their wounds, and some who were better off went to retrieve the corpses. Goralian customs might be strange, but they still wanted to honor the bodies of their dead. Anoqa began going through their pockets, which seemed improper, but when he saw her retrieve a healing vial, he understood.


    They were going to need everything they had. Even though they had nearly reached their destination, they had lost most of their guard and none of them were in shape for a fight. Some were beginning to mill around or argue with one another, and Tusquo recognized that this was a critical moment.


    "We camp here!" Tusquo called out loud enough to gather their attention as he rose with his arms spread. "The threat of this place should keep away the monsters for a time. Make sure to clean your injuries before you seek too much magical healing, as the beast may have been venomous. You two, we will need to filter the water of the pond."


    Of course his comrades listened to him, and the remaining Goralians started to shuffle after them. Yangil Granfian stood alone for a time, then hurled his helmet to the ground with a curse. He turned back toward the pond, eyes filled with unfocused anger.


    "You should have told us this was so dangerous!" His fingers trembled as he tried to draw his sword. "If you had-"


    "Thank you for your assistance." Tusquo drew his sword and pointed it toward the Goralian''s chest while keeping his expression completely neutral. "Now that the battle is over, we need to work together."


    "But you... we had no idea..."


    "Your people were the ones who decided how many hunters to send. Now, help the others or even more of your comrades will die."


    That insult finally broke his anger and the Goralian turned away. Tusquo frowned after him, wondering if that could become a new problem soon. When alliances were weak, loyalty could become a poison all its own. Everything would become easier once they reached the fountain, but it could all still fall apart. Unless they could hold on, all their struggle would be in vain.


    The same was true for Kai Granfian. Tusquo turned back and stared down at him where he lay, as still as the dead. He had accomplished a great deed, but whether or not it claimed him was up to the whims of fate. All Tusquo could do was pray that it finally took mercy on him.

 Chapter 26: Walking The Path of Steel

    Pain swirling in darkness. Hooked needles piercing his skin endlessly. Even when he felt empty, the pain continued spearing through him, as if lines of agony had been etched in his flesh. A terrible, unnatural throbbing working its way through his veins. His very soul felt overloaded.


    Voices and movement, then another rush of pain. For a time he slipped into the darkness, then he suddenly emerged. His body ached as he sat up, gasping for breath.


    Only when he stared down at his body did Kai return to himself. His body appeared to be whole, but he did not feel well.


    He could barely remember the agonizing minutes in the body of the Aquagorgon. A bloody rage had come over him, the same as he''d experienced in combat except much worse. The overdrive pill hadn''t given him more strength so much as made him throw himself wildly beyond any limits of sanity. All he could hope now was that Inafay was correct about its recovery properties.


    The landscape around him looked ordinary enough for the wasteland, a rocky clearing within a grove of spiked trees. More importantly, he didn''t seem to be anywhere near the pond. Someone had clearly taken him away and bandaged his wounds, but who was left? He could hear a few others sitting in a camp, but turning his head enough to look hurt.


    Before he could muster the will to get up, Tusquo appeared in his vision and smiled thinly. "Kai Granfian. We are all glad to see you still live."


    "The... the Aquagorgon?" Acid seemed to spill up his throat with each word.


    "Dead, thanks to you."


    "But we... this..."


    "We haven''t gone far, we just needed to leave the pond to avoid scavengers. Come this way, I''ll fill you in." Tusquo gestured out of their camp, so Kai had no choice but to force himself up.


    The others came to greet Kai while he was still disoriented and working his way through the pain. Eventually he managed to walk, so he joined Tusquo and the Irunian filled him in. It was tragic that Curaina had died and Kai wondered if he could possibly have saved her if he''d acted more quickly. Their group was certainly much weakened, which would be a problem for surviving the trip back.


    Once they got further out, Tusquo stopped and stared into the distance. When he spoke again, his voice was much quieter. "Kai Granfian, can I trust you to keep a secret? Normally I would not ask this of you, but after you gave your life for ours..."


    "What is it?"


    "This mission is actually a matter of national importance to Irun. We came to Goralia to see if we could master your Classes, yes, but we also sought resources for ourselves. For a long time, it was believed that pools of liquid metal existed only in Irun. There were suggestions of others in your borders, so we were sent to find them."


    "And... did you?" Kai tried to watch the horizon as well, even though he wasn''t sure what he was looking for. If they had done all this for nothing...


    "Not only did we find one, it is a strong well that has not been drained by generations." Tusquo turned and put a hand on his shoulder. "Your sacrifices were not in vain, and the alliance between Goralia and Irun will only grow stronger."


    "Then why weren''t you honest about what you wanted? You could have had an entire army of hunters."


    "If we had gone through official channels, your leaders would have... made demands. Or at least that is what our elders believed. But if we have discovered a source of our national resource first and then begun negotiations, the matter will be much cleaner. Tell me, Kai Granfian, do you follow Frontier politics?"


    All Kai could do was shrug. The truth was that he didn''t pay very much attention to those things, beyond learning about monster hunters from other nations. As far as he was concerned, everyone who fought against the hordes of monsters should be allies. Every race that might exist along with the dryad woman he''d met in the Trials, so certainly other humans with slightly different hair and skin colors. But as he got older, he realized that wasn''t the way everyone saw things.


    "This is a secret that many know," Tusquo said, "but we still prefer not to speak it aloud. The truth is... Irun is weak. Our strongest elites have never been as powerful as those of the other nations, though they won worthy victories. But in recent years, our numbers have begun to dwindle as well. The longer this continues, the weaker our position."


    "How can that be?" Kai asked. "You''re the only ones who can make so many things... don''t you make most of the armor for Goralian elites?"


    "Economic power without military might begins to look like a prize to be won. Some say that the Krysal City States would already have invaded us, if they weren''t on the opposite side of the central wasteland. We are fortunate that Goralia and our neighbors to the far east are firm allies."


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    "Allies you don''t trust with your resources, apparently."


    "These are difficult times."


    Though he wasn''t an expert in politics, Kai thought through his maps and saw an obvious absence. "What about the Elemental Nations? They''re to the northwest of you, right? Is Irun worried about them?"


    "Our treaties there are not as firm, but the Elemental Nations are generally content to fight with one another." Tusquo turned to him with a somber expression. "I swear to you that I speak the truth. All we want is to be able to stand on our own feet. We hope Irun and Goralia can stand together, but for that we need new strength."


    "Is that why you were sent to the Hunter Trials?"


    "Indeed, that was a previous agreement. And it has proved helpful, though it is difficult for us to split our time between our own paths and the Classes of your nation. But now that we have found another pool, this mission is a great success. I only wish it had not come at such a great cost."


    "Is it really a success already?" Kai asked. "There''s no guarantee we can get back safely."


    "Use of this pool will greatly strengthen myself and my allies." Tusquo finally smiled. "But we wished to thank you more personally, since your Guild may not reward you. For a start, we will make it clear to them that you performed extraordinarily in your task. We could not have asked for a better ally. But we also wished to offer you something more."


    "Oh?" Kai tried to swallow his rising hope.


    "Just as it is possible for some Irunians to awaken a Class, some of your people can walk the Path of Steel. In most instances, we have found that only your best are capable of the type of discipline required. In your case, however, I believe that you deserve the chance."


    The chance fate had denied him before. Despite himself, Kai''s imagination leapt to build a new future for himself. He would be completely willing to start over and learn a brand new art, if it meant he wasn''t limited by his Class. It was easy to imagine himself taking up a liquid steel sword like the Irunian elites, fighting at the Frontier as a bridge between both sides...


    "However, I must caution you that we do not know what the results will be. Just as with your Trials, our process involves some degree of risk... and also of destiny." Tusquo shrugged languidly. "The reasons for such things are beyond my understanding, but I know that everyone pulls metals of different strength from the pool. There are no guarantees."


    "It''s still an opportunity I never would have gotten elsewhere. Thank you, Tusquo Agyama." Other than that, Kai had no idea how to thank him. His mind was still abuzz with the possibilities and he again searched the horizon for the hidden pool. "What do I need to do? How much preparatory training is there for the Path of Steel?"


    "Since you already have discipline and combat training, little else will be required. The Path is, first and foremost, a matter of will. We can make the attempt as soon as you are ready. My superiors will arrive in time, and it might be simpler if the matter was already concluded before they arrived."


    "Then let''s go."


    Kai followed Tusquo over the wasteland until they stumbled on a crack in the earth. It was so narrow that it nearly disappeared from some angles and the low shrubs disguised it. Yet when he knelt down, he saw that it traveled much deeper than he expected. A crevice plunged deep, almost as if it had been cut by an enormous blade.


    The depths would only be bright at high noon, but they still ventured into the crack. As they descended down the jagged rocks, the light faded... only to return from below. Gradually Kai was able to make out a pool beneath that glowed with its own light. Almost like a mana pool from the Trials, and yet completely different: instead of mana, it flowed with liquid steel.


    When they reached the bottom, Tusquo bowed to the pool and then spoke in a reverent whisper. "Such pools are the source of our strength. When someone who does not know our path touches them, they will be rejected. If you push through that rejection, you can grasp a form within, a form that becomes the seed of your future strength."


    "And if not? What happens if you fail?"


    "The metal will resist you unless you master it. If you cannot before it adjusts to your presence, then you cannot walk the Path of Steel. That said, it is rare for someone to fail entirely. What matters more is the strength of the metal seed you can draw forth. Most reach Iron, but the more talented will draw forth a Steel sphere, or even a stage we call Truesteel."


    After a quick glance at Tusquo''s spirit, Kai tried to put things together. "Does that mean that you drew Iron?"


    "No, I was able to grasp two spheres of Steel. Everyone begins at the earliest stages, but your metal seed determines how high you will be able to advance without taking extreme measures."


    "Two spheres?"


    "That is the second test of will." Tusquo bent down beside the pool and waved his hand over it. The liquid metal rose, nearly touching his fingers before falling away. "After you''ve brought one sphere to the surface, the pool will begin to reject you. But, if you still have the strength, you can push to grasp for a second. I would recommend you try, because there''s little harm in failure."


    "But, uh..." Kai stared down at the lapping waves of metal. "You don''t mean now, right?"


    "Not today, but soon. Take some time to gather yourself."


    In the end, Kai took a single day. Though he ached all over from the magically-healed injuries, the overdrive pill appeared to have done what was promised. It took him longer to absorb the facts of the deaths and that their trip was over. He sat at the bottom of the crevice, staring at the metal and only occasionally eating. At one point he shaved and cleaned himself up, just to be in the right frame of mind.


    By the following day, he told Tusquo that he was ready to make his attempt. Tusquo responded by bringing all of the other Irunians. They gave him one of their dark gray tunics, then stepped back and stared at him. Kai blinked back, unsure if there were further rituals.


    "You may begin when you are ready," Tusquo said. Behind him, Anoqa gave an encouraging smile. "Do not fear finding the metal seed: it will form in your hand if you push deep enough. From now on, this is a matter of will."


    Then there was no reason to delay any longer. Kai took a deep breath and then jumped into the liquid metal pool. It resisted him at first, then his weight pushed him into the depths and the steel closed over his face.

 Chapter 27: Grasping a Path

    Kai had worried that he would become disoriented, given that it would be impossible to open his eyes underneath the surface. That was the reason he''d jumped in so directly, and he''d planned to follow his momentum to swim to the bottom.


    None of that had been necessary. The liquid metal closed on him from all sides, far thicker than water, but the bottom was palpably oppressive. He could feel the difference in the pressure just between his feet and his head. There would never be any question which way he needed to go.


    His second plan had been to pivot and kick off the side of the pool. When he turned, his feet flailed at nothing. Could he have drifted out so far? Had he dropped into some mystical space? There seemed to be nothing but the liquid metal on all sides, even overhead. All of it pressed in on him, as if trying to crush his very being.


    Kai focused his will and began swimming down. Even though he was only a passable swimmer, he found himself plunging deeper. It really was about willpower alone, and though all the liquid struggled against him, he was able to overcome it.


    When Kai extended his hand, he grasped something almost immediately. A sphere that churned separately from the water around him, as if a part of a different ocean. It resisted slightly when he pulled it up, but Kai managed to drag it back to the surface. The return trip was far easier, as the metal sought to expel him, and he soon burst to the surface with a fist over his head.


    "Good!" The first thing he heard was Tusquo''s voice, then clapping. As the liquid metal rolled away from his eyes, he had a blurry vision of the Irunian group applauding. "Hold the first sphere tight and go back down. You may have time for a second!"


    Even his best dive only plunged him back into the endless abyss, but this time Kai was mentally prepared. He didn''t flail at the liquid itself, just steadily pulled himself downward while he focused his willpower. The mental difficulty wasn''t that much worse than many other forms of training.


    But if not for all of that, he would have struggled. The liquid actively fought him every moment, trying to push his arms back up and sweep him to the surface. When he focused his will on moving downward, something pushed back. As he swam down, the metal grew hotter and denser. By the time Kai had reached the point of deepest concentration he was flailing, his fingers desperately scrabbling against the void for another pearl.


    As soon as he felt something he shot back up with a sphere in each fist. The liquid became so much denser that the waves he formed hurt when they bounced off the sides of the pool and struck him. He could barely see the Irunians clapping, this time with more enthusiasm.


    Kai shoved both metal spheres into his mouth and threw himself down again. He heard a few gasps, then the liquid metal closed over everything.


    This time it was far worse. At first all he could do was hang in the void and try to cope with the crushing pressure. It nearly pushed him back up in that moment''s lapse and he struggled just to maintain his position.


    When he tried to swim downward, his arms felt like they were colliding with solid steel. He wasn''t swimming anymore, he was digging through stone with his bare hands. Even when he managed to push down an inch, his only reward was greater pressure.


    Maybe it really was impossible. Tusquo had implied that two spheres was the maximum... but no. Fate had given him a second chance, a new opportunity to seize enough power to matter in life. He couldn''t let it go, no matter what it took. If he didn''t give this absolutely everything he had, he''d never forgive himself.


    So Kai swam deeper into the metal abyss, inch by excruciating inch. The heat around him rose until it seemed as though the metal was boiling, yet if anything it was even denser than before. It had passed beyond liquid or solid to become a seething mass of rejection, determined to throw him back.


    All the rage Kai had ever felt at the unfairness of the world, he threw out ahead of him. No matter how impossible it seemed or how much it hurt, he forced himself deeper. He had no idea how far he''d gone or how far he had to go, he just knew that he had to keep going. His fingers reached downward as he kicked weakly, the last of his will ebbing away...


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    His hands closed around another sphere.


    Kai blacked out for a moment and the next thing he knew, he could feel himself floating on the surface of the metal pool. His entire being hurt like hell, but there was a new pain: his lungs aching. When he rolled over onto his side, it felt like rolling on a sheet of solid metal.


    After coughing out the spheres in his mouth, Kai spent a while just gasping for breath. The Irunians weren''t clapping anymore, just staring at him.


    Three spheres. Kai gathered them up with trembling fingers and struggled to his feet. The liquid metal practically threw him out of the pool and he struggled not to collapse in front of the others.


    Still silence, especially as Tusquo carefully picked up the spheres. What had once been awe began to give way to something else, and Kai felt like he''d dropped back into the abyss. He had a feeling that he knew what was going to be said, but he had to ask.


    "What..." Kai swallowed his desert of a mouth and tried again. "What rank are they?"


    "All three metal seeds are Bronze." Tusquo spoke very quietly, but as soon as he did so, the other Irunians began to retreat. In their eyes Kai saw the same flickers of pity he''d seen so many times before.


    "You didn''t... mention Bronze..."


    "I''m afraid that Bronze is the rank below Iron. This... doesn''t usually happen. I''m sorry, Kai Granfian. My gift to you turned out to be an unworthy one."


    "If..." Kai felt miserable sitting on the ground and forced himself up. He grasped the results of all his suffering and the three spheres rotated gently in his palm. "If I tried to follow the Path of Steel with these... what would happen?"


    "You would become the most skilled Bronze user in the history of Irun." Tusquo''s sad gaze made it clear exactly what that meant.


    Groaning, Kai stumbled back against the side of the crevasse. The others had already left, as if his fate was sealed. Maybe it was... though the way things had gone, it seemed like his fate had been decided since the moment he was born. He could feel a primal connection to the spheres in his fist, but he instinctually knew that Tusquo was right: their power wasn''t enough.


    "I have an offer for you." Tusquo stood with his arms folded behind his back, oddly stiff. "It is simultaneously kind and cruel, fair and unfair."


    "What is that supposed to mean?"


    "Those seeds represent your potential, and ordinarily you would draw them into your soul. However, you do have the option to... permanently sell your future on the Path of Steel. This would forever seal that path from you, and strengthen mine. In return, I would try to give you something worth more than Bronze-ranked abilities."


    Despite everything they''d been through together, Kai stared at Tusquo suspiciously. Had all of this been a ploy to strengthen himself? Could Tusquo have sabotaged his attempt to produce this very outcome? Other than his own intuitions, he had no proof of anything the Irunians had claimed about their system. If it really came down to it, the Irunians outnumbered them now.


    No, that path was madness. He didn''t believe that Tusquo would do that to him, not truly, he was just angry at the world. Kai sighed and forced himself to straighten up.


    "If I do give you these," he asked, "what can you give me?"


    "My ability to shape weapons was enhanced simply by accessing this fresh pool, and it would be strengthened by your sacrifice." Tusquo raised a palm and generated a sphere of steel, much faster than before. "I could create weapon spheres for you. I suppose even three, in exchange for yours."


    "Weapon spheres?"


    "Seeds of pure potential. Instead of relying on me to shape them, they would respond to your will and form a weapon exactly as you imagine. Not only that, I guarantee the steel of those weapons would not be easily destroyed by any monster. It is not equal to a full path to power, but it is the best I can offer."


    "So three weapons...?"


    "Three potential weapons. You could save them as long as you needed." Tusquo spread his arms with an apologetic smile. "I am sorry that I can offer no more. I wish that the elders of Irun could shower you with treasures, but I have little sway with them."


    "Can I think about it?"


    "Of course. If you wait too long, they may begin to bond with your soul, even if you don''t absorb them. But you have enough time to think."


    Without another pause, Tusquo began climbing out of the crevasse after the others. Soon Kai was left alone, and it wasn''t long after that the sun''s rays stopped reaching him and he was lit by nothing but the light of that damn pool. It sat still, another path closed to him, and Kai could only stare numbly.


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 45


    Laborer Class: 8 (8)


    Path of Steel: Bronze 1 (1)


    Physique Level: G-9 (20)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    ???: ???


    ???: ???


    >


    Symbols welled up in his vision, almost without his conscious will. He realized that he had been hoping that luck would finally turn his way and he''d be blessed with some amazing power. Instead it was just his old power and a few more incomprehensible symbols.


    If his fate wasn''t going to change, what did that leave? Kai spent a long time searching for an answer.

 Chapter 28: Whats Left Behind

    His failure on the Path of Steel had been gutting at first, but Kai was surprised how quickly he accepted it. Maybe he was getting used to disappointment, or maybe it was just that hopes carried for a few days couldn''t compare to those crushed by his Class awakening. Sometimes he even found himself laughing. Of course fate couldn''t let him have anything.


    Even in his less acerbic moments, Kai began letting go of the idea. He had seen how useful the Path of Steel could be, but he didn''t want to be a craftsman. Even if he could form mana-enhanced bronze, it wouldn''t compare to ordinary steel, much less the highest grades of steel made for elites. The one thing he needed was power, and the spheres in his palm couldn''t give him that.


    Despite his disappointment, Kai was still willing to press himself harder than anyone else if he had a chance. But there were only so many hours in the day, and he couldn''t afford to pursue every path at once or he would end up weak in every one.


    As soon as he decided that, Kai managed to feel some hope again. He knew his Class was never going to uncover any secret strength, but he''d just proved that he could excel with the magic of a different nation. At minimum, he could visit Krysal and the Elemental Nations to see if his destiny-granted abilities there were stronger. If necessary, he could even journey beyond the Frontier nations until he found the skill that was right for him.


    Once he''d made that decision, Kai didn''t waste time and went to tell Tusquo. The Irunian nodded somberly and helped him disengage from the spheres. In some ways, the exercise was the inverse of everything he''d learned with Inafay: pushing away part of himself instead of delving deeper. Given his experience, it didn''t take long to make his decision final.


    Even after Tusquo departed with the spheres, Kai still saw a haze of symbols for Bronze drifting across his essence. Similar to the blurring symbols he didn''t understand, but these bothered him. Wanting to turn away from this failure entirely, Kai focused until he managed to eradicate even the faintest traces. Now he had returned to a proper Goralian balance.


    Deciding that he had spent too long wallowing in his misery, Kai went to check on the others. Everyone seemed to have recovered and Anoqa was steadily working on improving control of her Class. The other Irunians seemed too awkward around him to talk at any length, so he didn''t try.


    Instead he found Yangil sitting on a rock away from camp. Not sure what to say, Kai walked up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.


    "Don''t touch me!" Yangil struck his hand off with real force, leaving a welt on Kai''s arm. "If you had been a real hunter, Curaina might not have died!"


    "If I..." Kai choked down the rest of his rage. There weren''t many of them out there and they needed to stick together. He tried to tell himself that Yangil was just dealing with guilt. "None of us realized that the Aquagorgon was setting a trap. It''s tragic, but th-"


    "Don''t talk like you understand." Yangil rose and stabbed a finger at his chest. "Did you learn nothing from all this? When we get back, I''m telling Gunjin to have you removed from the clan."


    Kai didn''t step back, glaring at the man who had been a fellow clan member not long ago. The difference in power between them wasn''t so large anymore, and if Kai could keep the man from drawing his sword, get around his armor...


    Once again the anger drained out of him. No, there was nothing for him this way. Instead Kai simply walked in the other direction and kept his distance.


    Before tension could rise too high in the camp, other hunters arrived in a great mana-powered wagon. It was a group of mixed Irunians and local hunters, and the way they treated one another, Kai thought there were political tensions. Apparently Tusquo had been right and the pool was a major point of conflict.


    But he''d also been correct about the goal of finding it early. It seemed like Goralia and Irun had made a deal, one that overall benefited Irun. Or, if the Irunians were really struggling so much, just allowed them to keep their footing instead of falling behind. Kai preferred not to think about it anymore, so he prepared to leave along with the group returning to Monskon City.


    On the morning he was going to depart, Kai was met by Tusquo. Without saying a word, the Irunian man handed him a metal case, with fittings perfectly molded for three metal spheres. Instead of being filled with potential like the Bronze seeds from the pool, these trembled as if eager to take a shape. Only after Kai closed the case did Tusquo speak.


    "These may not be what you need, but they are the best I can create. If you touch one and envision what you want clearly, you will have your weapon. I believe they will be equal to any of your needs for the near future."


    And, if Kai remained stuck in his current position, equal to anything he could ever accomplish. But he shoved that thought aside and smiled at Tusquo. "Thank you. Are you staying here?"


    "Yes, I intend to work with my people to establish our presence here. But we''re not too far from Monskon City, and the wilderness between us will grow safer. Perhaps we''ll be able to visit."


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    "Don''t be a stranger." Yet, as Kai turned away to join the returning group, he had a feeling that was exactly what they were going to become.


    On his own, he examined his spirit again.


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 44


    Laborer Class: 8 (8)


    Physique Level: G-9 (20)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    ???: ???


    ???: ???


    >


    He actually felt better without the Path of Steel in his soul, like he''d cast off dead weight. Now that he wasn''t so discouraged, he was pleased to see his Soul Level, which had become a surprisingly large part of his power. He felt it, too: a deep abiding strength despite its formlessness. That and his Physique had always been the core of his power. For a moment he almost wished he could get rid of his Laborer Class as well, but he pulled back. No, if he wanted to advance, he needed to focus all his efforts.


    None of the new hunters were eager to talk to him: if anything, they seemed to view shepherding the group home as a necessary chore. This group was on average much stronger, most rated at 60 or higher... Kai found himself thinking about how things might have gone differently if there were no politics and a larger group had gone together. Curaina might still be alive.


    The wagon moved faster than a group could walk, but they were taking a safer curved path around dangerous territory, so the journey was still expected to take eight days. That was about all Kai could get out of them. Yangil turned many of the hunters against him, then departed with a group running ahead to the city as quickly as possible. Kai would have been worried about his reputation, if Tusquo''s message hadn''t already established that the mission had been a success.


    Even at their pace, they still encountered a few monsters, and the hunters occasionally went out of their way to eliminate one. After the first, Kai decided that he needed to participate. He couldn''t afford to waste even these few days.


    Since his pike had been rendered unusable by the Aquagorgon''s slime, Kai instead used the first of the metal spheres to form a bow. Perhaps a bit of a risk, but Tusquo''s promise held. The longbow had an immense draw weight usable only by an enhanced warrior - it was actually a bit too much for him, but Kai hoped to advance to F-rank Physique and use it more comfortably. Even better than he expected, the weapon sphere also formed a quiver of ten arrows. He''d been thinking about it, but hadn''t expected them to come out.


    The second time they encountered monsters, Kai did his part from a distance. With little danger to himself and the other hunters engaging the beasts, Kai was able to drop several, even an armored one with a shot through the eye. He had always been a worse archer than swordsman, but along the way home he brushed up on those old skills.


    Since he only had ten arrows, Kai needed to be meticulous about retrieving them, but otherwise they were perfect. The fletchings rippled almost like real feathers and never received any damage. When they hit, they tended to punch through with some added magical strength he couldn''t pinpoint. Until Kai could find a ranged skill of his own, he was pleased with his choice.


    Uncomfortable as the company might be, Kai was mostly just eager to get back to Monskon City. Yes, so he could pick up his flask from Juray and see about advancing. But more than that, he just wanted to be in a familiar environment among allies again. Hell, he''d even go out for a drink with the Tonjin brothers.


    Focused on the return, Kai barely paid attention to their surroundings beyond searching for monsters. It was the flicker of movement in the distance that finally drew his attention, because he had to check in case it was an attack. When he confirmed that it was only humans far in the distance, he nearly ignored them entirely, but then he found himself looking again.


    There were a shocking number of buildings for a settlement in the wilderness. Actually, now that he looked more carefully, he thought he saw a tower in the distance. Run down, but several stories tall. He knew of a few settlements outside of Monskon City, but they weren''t in this direction, and they should have been better guarded. Just what was this place not far outside his home city that he''d never even heard about?


    "Hey." Kai moved to the front of the wagon and tapped one of the hunters on the shoulder. "What''s that place?"


    "Eh?" The man looked out, then dismissed it with a grunt. "Used to be an outlying town, before a monster incursion. That was before our time. Anyone out here now is either a bandit or an idiot."


    "But they just live out here? We can''t be more than five days'' travel from the city..."


    "Maybe they can''t afford it, or maybe they like it better here. The main thing is, they''re not our problem. It''s their fault if they want to live somewhere without good walls."


    That explanation didn''t truly satisfy Kai, so he watched the horizon until they stopped for the midday meal. Since the hunters were always on the road, they enjoyed their moments of relaxation and took long lunch breaks. Kai told them he would be back soon, got only grunts in response, and ran off to explore the strange settlement.


    As he got closer, he confirmed his suspicions. There were actually several towers, as well as a whole street of buildings with two stories that hadn''t been visible from his old vantage point. The streets were overgrown with weeds, but they stretched in multiple directions. This hadn''t been some tiny village, it must have been an important outlying area of Monskon City. And he''d literally never even heard of it.


    Once he got near the outskirts, Kai began to see the signs of the monster incursion. There had once been a wall, but it had been shattered in the attack, then looted over the years. One enormous cornerstone too large to move had claw marks through it, each cut wider than his head. Something had melted one of the towers to slag and there were several strange pits as if something had clawed its way free. The villagers were burning things in them now and using the tower for shade, but the sight had an impact on him.


    This was exactly the sort of thing he''d always wanted to stop. All the tales he''d heard of the worst monster incursions had come true here, annihilating what had once been a productive settlement. Hunters existed to stop exactly this.


    And yet this settlement sat abandoned, no longer defended by anyone, and no one seemed to care. Kai turned back to look toward the wagon, wondering how they could be so apathetic... and saw them pulling away.


    He shouted and started after them, but he''d run too far. The mana-powered wagon was already gone down the road, leaving him alone in the ruins of an unknown town.

 Chapter 29: Forgotten, Not Lost

    Being abandoned was not, admittedly, the way Kai had hoped his day would go. But truthfully, he was more concerned about the fact that the hunters had so little respect for him than the prospect of getting home. He was only a few days of travel away from Monskon City on a safer route than his first trip, so he could probably return on his own. That would be their excuse and no one could say they left him to die.


    So as he ventured into the unnamed ruined town, he decided that he had two goals: first to find out more about its condition, and second to recruit allies if possible. Even if the threat was low, he''d seen how dangerous the wasteland could be and didn''t intend to take any chances.


    As he walked through the city, he was surprised that the people looked just as run down as the buildings. Even compared to the poorest in Monskon City, their clothes were patchier and thinner. People he suspected were relatively young men and women looked aged beyond their time. They regarded him with suspicion, but they seemed to regard everyone with suspicion.


    There didn''t appear to be any hunter organization, which made him wonder how they could possibly survive monster attacks. He did note that a few stable institutions had guards - a market, a weapons store, even a bakery. When he examined them with his spiritual sight, however...


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 11


    Grunt Class: 1 (1)


    Physique Level: G-2 (6)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    ...he wasn''t impressed. The fighters clearly all had a bit of experience, but he would have had a decent chance fighting them even before the Hunter Trials. Perhaps they survived simply by never attracting the most dangerous threats.


    Since he''d been left without a meal, Kai decided to stop at a small stand off the main street, staffed by an elderly man who was hunched nearly horizontal over his table. Kai purchased the available bread and fruit, bundled together for easy consumption while walking. Though the dish was new to him, it tasted wonderful. Of course, his primary purpose in buying it was to have an excuse to talk to a local.


    "I just moved into the Monskon region," Kai said between bites, "looking for work. Didn''t realize there was a place out here."


    "Not many kinds of work this far out." The old man looked him over with eyes that were filmy but still keen. "Maybe it''d be suited for you, though."


    "Looks like this place has seen better times."


    "Oh, aye. When I was your age, we had a whole town, always bustling. Most important waypoint outside of Monskon, with all kinds of visitors from Irun. But not anymore."


    "Monster incursion?"


    The old man snorted. "You''re from southern Goralia, aren''tcha? Not every disaster up here is due to incursions. No, they just decided we weren''t worth it anymore, so they didn''t send as many hunters. The worse monsters started building up, and some of the younger hunters died. After that happens, they stop coming and it all goes to hell."


    Kai listened silently while he ate his meal, glad that the food helped hide his expression. The story he gradually got from the old man made him equal parts angry and sad. There had been a lot of people living out here, only to be abandoned by Monskon City. And for what? Punishment for some crime? Internal politics? He had no way of getting that side of the story.


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    Instead, he heard the perspective of a man who had lived through it all. The families had moved out, leaving those who couldn''t afford to move or wanted to be away from civilization. When the monsters got too bad, everyone fended for themselves and a few were eaten. It was no way to live, but it was the life they had accepted.


    Just when Kai was struggling to come up with more questions, someone else caught his eye. A scarred man swaggered down the center of the street with multiple knives in his belt. Not so unusual, but something about him made Kai take a second look.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 16


    Fighter Irregular Class: 12 (6)


    Physique Level: G-2 (6)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    The man''s soul carried something called an "Irregular" class, which was the first time Kai had seen a symbol worth less than its basic number. Though he''d never heard of such a thing, he had to guess it was due to an improper awakening, likely not via a Hunter Trial. Given all the ways he''d heard of warriors awakening their skills, he''d assumed they were all equal, but perhaps there were inferior methods.


    "Who''s that?" he asked between bites. The old man craned his neck to look, then sighed.


    "I know you need work, boy, but I don''t recommend going with them. Now, I know that smuggling is the only game in town. That''s the only reason we still get by." He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth disapprovingly. "But I don''t like that bunch. Always robbing from honest folks, and what they trade can be real unsavory, even people. You can do better than that."


    Kai stared at the old man in confusion before his understanding of their conversation did a somersault. The old man had assumed Kai was a ruffian the entire time - he''d cleaned up and even shaved recently, but apparently he looked like a vagabond. No wonder the man had been so open about his hatred of hunters in the city. If Kai had approached as an official member of the Hunters Guild, he would no doubt have received a very different welcome.


    "Thank you for the meal," Kai said as he rose. "I''ll see what work I can find."


    He finished off the bread with large bites as he pursued the strange man. Clearly he was a smuggler and likely a bandit as well. Though Kai thought it would be a good deed to eliminate the group, he wasn''t sure that he was capable of it on his own. At least he could investigate the smugglers more carefully and take their measure.


    It seemed like the smuggler wasn''t paying any attention, confident in the reputation of his gang or perhaps just arrogant. Kai thought he managed to follow him without drawing any extra attention. In an alleyway beside one of the ruined towers, the bandit met with a couple others who were on guard outside a fortified building.


    While creeping closer to listen in on their conversation, Kai examined them with his spiritual sight. Neither of the other guards, or the third man who came out to chat, had a Total Power of more than 20. Their Irregular Classes seemed to do them some good, and would definitely give them an edge against normal opponents, but they were no match for awakened hunters.


    A single group of veterans drinking in the Hunters Guild could have brought them to justice in a day. But Kai swallowed that bitter thought as he crept behind a nearby wall in range.


    "-still making trouble today?" one of the smugglers was saying.


    "No, she got worse. Almost covered me with vomit."


    "I think the bitch does it on purpose."


    "Well, just be careful. We''ll try extracting more today."


    The smugglers who had been on guard wandered into the town, coming very close to his hiding place. While Kai pressed himself back against the stones, he wondered just what he should do. If the city was closer and he was on better terms with the Hunters Guild, he would go back and bring a group. But he had no guarantee anyone would help, and it sounded like someone was in trouble.


    Though the guards kept a good watch on the alley, they didn''t spend much time looking up. Kai circled around and jumped onto the roof of the building. It was made of heavy stone, likely from the old days of the town, so his feet made no sound as he crept above the guards'' position.


    Kai hurled himself down at the two smugglers, striking one with a blow to the head and grabbing the other in a choke hold. He had been prepared for a longer fight, but they didn''t have a chance. Soon both lay unconscious at his feet.


    He hesitated outside the door, staring down at them and readjusting his bow over his shoulder. In the eyes of some, all these smugglers were better off dead. But hunters weren''t judges or executioners. They might keep order, but the very foundation of the Hunters Guild was that humans should fight the monster threat, not one another. Given his current status in the guild, he wasn''t going to take lives carelessly, since that could get him thrown out.


    But he did need to see what they were doing inside. Depending on the circumstances, he might depart to report or try to deal with things himself. Kai opened the door as carefully as possible, but the hinge still creaked loudly.


    So he found himself staring at half a dozen smugglers lounging around a room. It was filled with a number of tables, chairs, and boxes, but Kai barely had eyes for any of them. Instead his attention was immediately drawn past the group, to a cage where a young woman huddled, covered in bloody scars.


    The smugglers began drawing weapons, but it didn''t really matter. After what he had seen, Kai stepped inside and firmly closed the door behind him.

 Chapter 30: Smuggling Foreigners

    "Son, if you know what''s good for you, you''ll turn around and forget you saw anything." One of the larger smugglers lifted a sword in his direction, in case there was any confusion. "This has got nothing to do with you. And we''re not selling, if that''s what you''re thinking."


    Kai kept a smile on his face and he faced the group. All of the smugglers were in the same general range except the leader, who had a Total Power of just over 20. He double-checked that there was no one else lying in wait, but it looked like he was only facing the half-dozen smugglers. It should be possible to neutralize them for interrogation without too much risk.


    "Would you really just let me go?" Kai asked. He raised his hands to keep them away from his weapons, acting nervous in case they weren''t using their own spiritual sight on him.


    "This is none of your business. Get lost."


    "I''m just wondering how you can kidnap people this close to Monskon City. Surely the Hunters Guild doesn''t allow that."


    One of the other smugglers laughed. "Nah, this is some foreign bitch. Not like Krysal or somewhere. Really foreign. Her mana is all fucked up, so w-"


    The leader cuffed him alongside the head and glowered at Kai. "You from one of the other gangs? Listen, this is our personal business. Just making a little profit."


    "I''m going to have to ask you to let her go." Kai smiled blandly and drew an arrow. The smugglers should have noticed that it was made of solid steel, but they just laughed.


    "Farmboy playing hero? Really? You might think you''re hot, getting a Class, but let me tell you: your Class is shit. And anyway, you don''t want this bitch, trust me."


    That, more than any of the threats, threw Kai off. He slowly realized the reason all the smugglers were so confident: their spiritual sight was a weakened form and they could only get a general sense for his Class. For the first time, being a simple Laborer was to his advantage. As the chuckles died down, a few of them began to look a bit nervous.


    "Wait a minute, boss... we had guards, didn''t we? How did he get-"


    Because that smuggler was the first to figure it out, Kai shot him first. He sent the arrow into the man''s hips, aiming for a wound that would be disabling but not lethal. The group roared and began charging him, thinking that they could rush him before he could shoot too many of them.


    And they were right, he could only loose two more arrows before they arrived. But that was when things turned really bad for them.


    Dropping the bow, Kai took them on with his bare fists. They had knives, but they were so much slower and weaker than him that it was no contest. All their experience was knifing rivals in dark alleys, not fighting stronger opponents, much less monsters. Compared to all of the enormous beasts that had been battering him lately, taking down a few thugs was a stroll through the park.


    Once they were all down, Kai moved to make sure those on the ground were knocked out. They all had a few Physique Levels, so he''d known they could take a beating, but one had died after hitting his head at the wrong angle. While investigating, he noticed that there was a shallow but long cut along his shoulder. In the fighting, he hadn''t even noticed.


    As soon as he started paying attention to it, of course the wound began smarting painfully. Kai glowered as he rubbed the flesh around the cut. Even the weak Classes of these smugglers were strong enough that they could be lethal to him, had they been more skilled or more organized. He really needed to get back to the city and reach the next major Physique rank, but first he had higher priorities.


    When there was only one smuggler left conscious, Kai jerked him into the air and gave him a smile. "Alright, let''s try this again. Just what are you doing here?"


    "Honest, we just ran into her." The smuggler spat some blood onto the floor and grimaced. "Seemed like she was running from someone. She''s a tough bitch, but something''s wrong with her. Half-dead most of the time."


    "Then why hold her? For your cruel games?"


    "S-s-she was that way when we found her! Honest! She''s always bleeding all over the place for no reason."


    Kai briefly glanced over at the young woman, who gave no sign of paying any attention to anything that was happening. The skin he could see was utterly covered in scars and twisted flesh, and the bottom of her cage was stained almost black. It did strain credulity that even these smugglers would torture her for no reason, but that raised the same question.


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    "You didn''t answer me." Kai shook the smuggler a few times. "Why are you holding her?"


    "Something''s wrong with her mana. Really wrong, nothing like anything I''ve seen. That''s all I know, honest! The boss was finding a way to extract it from her, sell in the black market."


    "Black market?"


    "You know, in Monskon City. I d-don''t know anything about that. P-please, you gotta believe me. I just grew up here, I didn''t want to-"


    Kai struck the smuggler in the back of the head and dropped his body. He would need to investigate that later, but he doubted that these smugglers really knew all that much about it. They might be a local power, but they were no one in the overall scheme of things. Their captive mattered more.


    "Are you alright?" Kai tried to speak gently as he approached the cage. The young woman didn''t answer him, but she did stare at him with dark eyes.


    Now that he got a better look at her, Kai had to swallow a wince. Her flesh was completely covered in long scars, many of them weeping blood that looked almost black. There were trails of it from her eyes, mouth, and ears as well, merging with the network of scars. One of the guards had spoken about her vomiting as well, so it seemed she was deeply sick. Someone must have hacked at the hair on her head, because there were only a few ragged tufts amid the scars.


    "I''d like to help, but I guess I need to find the key." Kai wished that he had a fancy skill to cut through the cage, but he didn''t have a good way to break the metal and that would probably just scare her. Fortunately, it didn''t take him long to find a key ring on the leader. "Here we go, I''ll have you out in a second. What''s your name?"


    She spoke quietly and he didn''t understand a single word. Kai didn''t think he''d even heard that language before and had no idea if she''d said her name or not. Despite her utterly wrecked appearance, she had a surprisingly feminine voice.


    "I guess you don''t speak the language. Do you understand me?"


    In response she uttered another string of incomprehensible syllables. No sign of a nod or other gesture.


    "Then I''m probably babbling at you, aren''t I? Well, I hope it''s a comforting babble instead of just nonsense. Opening up the cage seems impossible to misinterpret, right? Yeah, let''s start there."


    He unlocked her cage and briefly tensed, just in case she didn''t understand. But the woman only slumped over onto her side and expelled dark bile from her mouth. She looked like she couldn''t stand on her own, much less attack anyone.


    When he gently touched her shoulder, she barely had the strength to flinch. She gripped his arm when he offered support, though, so he guided her out of the cage to one of the smugglers'' chairs. Along the way, he realized that her arm felt like silk wrapped around bone. No one should be this thin and he wondered again how she had come to this state.


    Along the way he also took the opportunity to examine her, and what he saw made him pause. His spiritual sight revealed only a haze of unstable symbols, perhaps due to her illness. But he could get a sense for her soul, and he immediately knew that the smugglers had been wrong. She held power inside her, but it definitely wasn''t mana. Instead of a crackling flame, it was more like flowing water. Just how far from home was she?


    "Alright, here we go." Kai eased her into the chair and then backed away, since she seemed to dislike his touch. "That stuff must taste awful, so I imagine you need a drink. I don''t know if they have anything other than beer, but I can look..."


    "No..." Her voice came faintly, finally a word he could understand. She raised a trembling hand toward the other side of the room, then slumped back in her chair.


    Kai looked in that direction and frowned, trying to figure out what she meant. There were a number of boxes, some of them open to reveal ordinary supplies. Eventually he spotted something more unusual: a treasury cube bound in mana-enhanced steel. That was definitely where the smugglers might keep more valuable goods, and he had the keys in his hand.


    Inside, Kai hoped to find a treasure trove and was disappointed to find only a few sundry items. A jeweled dagger that was probably worth a decent number of Eagles, but nothing else stood out. Only while taking it out did Kai notice a bundle of cloth. The material itself was finer than anything he''d seen before, a thin blue garment with a cloud-like pattern printed on it. Wrapped inside, he discovered a sack and a narrow box with ornate gilding he''d never seen before.


    "These are your things, right?" Kai raised them for her to see and the woman vomited more black bile in response.


    He didn''t want to snoop through her things and lose more trust, but he examined them as he approached. The box contained a number of pills, larger and darker than the overdrive pill. Definitely not Krysali, but likely something similar. Probably the medicine she needed.


    "Here you go, is this what you need?"


    When he set the items down in front of her, she began struggling to open them. Unsure if she wanted help, Kai decided to back away. After he saw her successfully swallow one of the pills, he headed out to deal with the two guards he''d left outside.


    Fortunately, they still lay where he''d left them. The whole affair hadn''t taken very long, but he didn''t want to risk other members of the gang noticing and interfering. He briefly considered that the absence of guards would be a problem and decided that there was nothing he could do about that, so he simply dragged the unconscious guards inside.


    Where he saw the woman cutting the throats of the fallen smugglers.


    "Whoa, whoa, wait!" Kai dropped the bodies and moved closer to stop her. "We don''t just kill criminals here, we need to bring them to justice."


    She stared at him as she drew her knife across the throat of the last smuggler.


    "And now we can''t interrogate the rest of them." Kai sighed and took a step back. "I don''t know what they did to you, but I wanted them alive. Sorry, I know you don''t understand me, but we need to-"


    "I understand you just fine," the woman said in perfectly clear Goralian, "but I do not care about your laws, and I will not submit to you."


    An instant later she was across the room and her hand was closed around his throat. Her power flared and she smashed Kai through one of the tables to the floor.

 Chapter 31: Zae Zin Nim

    Being smashed through a table hadn''t stunned Kai much, but the hand around his neck felt like steel. How the hell could such a thin woman wield so much strength? She kept him pinned there, apparently determined to suffocate him.


    Whatever strange power she possessed, it flowed in her far more powerfully now. He had no idea what abilities she might have or how they worked, but he was sure that she hadn''t been faking her illness. That meant that the medicine she had swallowed must have been responsible for her improvement, so before he did anything else...


    Kai sloppily swung at her face with his off-hand and the foreign woman tilted her head out of the way contemptuously. An instant later he rammed his other fist into her stomach with his true speed. She gagged, and her grip weakened enough for him to throw her off.


    As soon as he was up, he didn''t take any chances: Kai kicked her in the stomach hard enough to send her sliding across the room. When she stopped against some boxes, she began to vomit black bile again. He remained alert for a trap, but he didn''t think she was faking the trembling in her limbs. It seemed that his blows had effectively interrupted her absorption of the pill.


    "I save you and this is how you thank me?" Kai put his hands on his hips and stared at her, but she glared back darkly.


    "I know all about the ''thanks'' you want. You disgust me."


    "Whoa, wait!" The venom in her voice took him completely off guard and Kai found himself on the defensive even though she was the one who had attacked him. "You think I''m going to try to extort something out of you?"


    "Of course you are."


    "Is it so hard to believe that someone might help you because it''s the right thing to do?"


    "Yes." She stared at him with a baleful gaze that held not the slightest shred of doubt.


    "Fine, I can see I''m not going to convince you." Kai faked a sheepish smile as he shifted his weight, then lunged to grab her box of medicine. Her eyes widened and she froze. "I want to give you these and let you go on your way, but I need some kind of reassurance that you won''t immediately take another pill and try to murder me."


    "I swear on my honor that I will not raise a hand against you."


    "Is that how your people swear oaths?"


    "No, I was imitating you." The woman''s eyes narrowed as she examined him. "I still think I hate you, but I can see we''ll have to cooperate. What do you propose?"


    "Let''s start things off on a better note." Kai gave her a real smile. "My name is Kai Granfian. May I have your name?"


    "You may not."


    He stared at her, trying to determine if it was a joke, then sighed and moved on. "Even at your full strength, I don''t think you can just leave here. I also need to get out of here before the rest of the smuggling gang shows up." When he''d started talking, Kai hadn''t known where he was going, but as he looked over the boxes a plan came together. "There was a wagon out back, I think. I''ll take it out and you can hide in the back until we leave town. Nobody touches anybody, nobody murders anybody. Does that sound acceptable?"


    After another pause, the woman nodded. While Kai retrieved his arrows and pulled together some fake supplies, she sank down into her chair and shuddered through a series of racking coughs. Many of the wounds crossing her face had broken open again and her ragged clothes were further stained as if her entire body was bleeding. If that black bile really was blood.


    After staring over all the bodies of the smugglers, Kai threw them all into a pile in front of the cage. It would have been better to interrogate them or drag them all back to the city for judgment, but maybe this would scare the rest of the gang off enslaving any more people. The world was probably better off without them, he just wished that he could have made more of a difference.


    Once he attempted his plan, the woman cooperated without further complaint. With her covered by a tarp in the back, the wagon looked ordinary enough, so Kai began to pull it away. It was unusual for a warrior to pull a wagon themselves, but his strength was more than up to it. Hopefully by the time anyone thought it odd, he would be long gone.


    Every step of the way, Kai was sure that something would go wrong. Smugglers would pour out of nearby buildings, or a leader with a powerful Class would appear, or the heavens would strike him with lightning because they just hated him that much. But he only got a few odd glances. With every step further away from the town, Kai began to accept that it might work, and once the buildings were tiny on the horizon he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.


    "That worked better than I expected." He turned back to see what insult the woman would throw at him next, but there was no response.


    When he checked underneath the tarp, he found her lying unconscious. She groaned in pain, yet didn''t wake up, even as more blood dribbled from her mouth. Without her power or her hatred, she was a miserably bedraggled thing. Kai felt sorry for her, even though he was certain that she would have hated it.


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    Since she didn''t seem likely to wake up, Kai didn''t abandon the wagon after all and kept putting distance between them and the town. Once he needed to stop to ward off a minor monster, but otherwise it was a smooth trip. He noticed that her coughs seemed to be getting worse and she was delirious, babbling in the language she had used previously.


    Since she seemed to be getting worse, Kai stopped and tried to help her drink some water. She drank a little but struggled if he ever touched her, so he backed away. After some thought, Kai pulled out her thin box and removed one of the pills.


    She was too delirious to take the pill, but he managed to feed it to her with some more water. It wasn''t long before her eyes shot open and her entire body tensed. Kai braced himself in case she charged at him again, but this time she remained calm.


    "Do you think I''ll be grateful for this?" she asked.


    "Given your behavior," Kai said, "I''ll be glad if you choose not to spit in my face."


    To his surprise, she gave a slight laugh. She seemed almost as surprised and returned to her scowl. "You have done the bare minimum, nothing worthy of any great honor, but I have done worse. I apologize for my behavior."


    "If you don''t choke me again, don''t worry about it." Kai finally let himself relax a little and set down her bundle of things on one of the boxes. "You don''t have to tell me anything if you don''t want to. You can run off if you insist. But you''ll leave me wondering what the hell was going on here for the rest of my life. Would you really do that to me?"


    For a long time she didn''t answer him, dark eyes staring into his. Eventually she nodded, almost to herself, and spoke in a low voice. "My name is Zae Zin Nim."


    "Well, that''s... not a name I''ve heard before."


    "I came to your continent for reasons I prefer not to divulge. My condition is manageable, but I underestimated how much it would weaken me, and I fell into... unfortunate circumstances." Zae... or Zin? Or Nim? lowered her head and frowned. "I doubt they would have been able to extract my qi, but I''m glad they didn''t get the chance to try."


    Not sure what exactly she meant, Kai focused on the concrete: "I don''t know how things work where you come from, but we try to be fair here. What is it you''re trying to do? Is there any way we can help each other?"


    "And now the question of compensation." The foreign woman was on her feet in an instant, glaring down at him. "As expected."


    "I don''t mean anything like that! You use a power completely different than anything I''ve seen. Can''t you at least teach me the basics?"


    "It''s likely not worth it. To judge your potential as a cultivator, I would need to analyze your dantian. Are you willing to take a strike from me without resisting?"


    "A non-lethal one?" Kai squared his shoulders. "Do it."


    She flitted forward, her palm striking him in the stomach. The force alone was enough to make him stumble back, but it didn''t really hurt. Much more concerning was the fact that he could feel some alien power inside him, like spinning water... he tried to grasp it, force it to move like mana, and it slipped between his fingers.


    The woman frowned and made a gesture, pulling the power back out of him. She seemed to consider it for a moment, then shook her head.


    "How odd. I didn''t expect any barbarians here to even grasp qi, but you tried to adapt to it." She slid her hands into her sleeves and regarded him somberly. "You could think of cultivators as having many different characteristics. Inborn talents that hard work can barely change. Your dantian is unusually large, and you''re more perceptive than I expected. Strong ability to retain qi as well. But there is no point in trying to train you."


    "Why not?" Kai asked. "Those sounded like good things."


    "There is another capacity that you could think of as ''growth,'' meaning the ability to use qi to move toward the next stage of cultivation. Obviously, this factor is far more important than all the others combined, since high growth will outstrip all other factors given a little time. I''m afraid your growth rate is slower than any I''ve ever seen... why are you laughing?"


    Kai couldn''t help himself and laughed until he had to wipe tears from the corner of his eyes. "A skill from a different continent... an entirely different form of power... and fate still has it out for me." He got himself under control and focused on her. "So you won''t help me?"


    "You may not be a repulsive man, but I can feel your hunger for power. I want no part in it. I will remember you with respect if I never lay eyes on you again."


    She leapt away from the wagon and disappeared into the wilderness with startling speed. Kai hadn''t been able to get a good look, but he didn''t think her feet had been touching the ground as much as they should have. Clearly it was some sort of foreign technique.


    If she had been in good health and tried to fight him, Kai doubted that he could have won. Her strength had been intimidating, her speed seemed even greater, and he had no idea what strange powers they might manifest on her home continent. That word stuck in his mind... it was literally the first time he''d met someone from another continent. Usually the other continents were abstract myths, so far from home as to be irrelevant.


    Since she''d been so clear about her intentions, Kai decided that he had no choice. He packed a crate of the valuable goods from the wagon and began heading back to the city.


    Along the way, he couldn''t help but think about Zae Zin Nim. Given her power, he hoped that she would be okay on her own, but that clearly hadn''t been true in the past. Whatever illness she carried, it was more than enough to overcome her. For hunters, they usually became resistant to disease as they grew stronger, but he had no idea what kinds of exotic conditions might exist elsewhere.


    He found himself wondering if his actions with the smugglers would have serious consequences. They seemed to have stumbled on the foreign woman and had no idea what they were doing, and they didn''t have an easy way of retaliating against him. There didn''t seem to be a good way to track down or investigate their operations, if they had any. Could the entire matter really just end? A brief incident in his life that he would think back on as an old man in confusion?


    That assumed that he would make it to old age. Kai shook his head and focused on the here and now.


    The remaining days of the journey dwindled, and miraculously he wasn''t attacked by any monsters he couldn''t handle. Kai even resumed some of his exercises, both to keep himself alert and to press against his limits. He was going to have so much to do once he got back.


    By the time he saw the city gates, he had an entire list in his head. Take a bath, get the flask from Juray, eat a proper meal, report at the Hunters Guild, check if Inafay had returned, see if the jeweled dagger had any value...


    Kai hadn''t even gotten home when all those plans were thrown from his mind because Gunjin Granfian appeared in front of him with a scowl on his face.


    "You''re finally back, Kai. We need to talk."

 Chapter 32: Picking up Pieces

    "Is this about the mission?" Kai nervously looked to see if anyone else was listening. "I''m sorry that we lost hunters, but the situation was more complex than it-"


    "I don''t give the tiniest of shits about the mission." Gunjin''s eyes never left him for a second. "There were conflicting reports, and it was transparently obvious that Yangil was lying about the details to undermine you. That is your own problem, we have-"


    "They just abandoned me out there!" Kai waved a hand out the gate, barely keeping his voice down. "I''m supposed to just ignore that?"


    "Think about why. Yangil, the Lantrian brat, the others... they don''t like what you remind them of."


    "What?"


    "Your power is already equal to many older hunters, in a matter of months. Think about what that means to them." Gunjin tapped the side of his own head. "Most of them reached their limits and told themselves that they''d done everything they could with their Class. But you''ve pushed so far, so fast, with a Class far worse than theirs - that''s both intimidating and threatening to the way they see the world. You see now?"


    "Yeah, I get it." Kai took a deep breath and let go of his anger. "If it wasn''t about that, what''s so important that you came out to meet me?"


    "We need to discuss your future in the Granfian clan. Because you exceeded all expectations, I have arranged an opportunity for you, but the window is somewhat limited."


    "Oh." Kai tried to keep his heart from rising, after being disappointed so many times. "Thank you, sir. But is it necessary to leave at exactly this moment? I just got back, and there were a number of things I needed to do, including tasks relevant to my training."


    Gunjin''s eyebrows rose incrementally and Kai could feel his spiritual sight, then the older man shrugged. "Your opportunity will be lost within five days. I would prefer to leave tomorrow. Whatever you do, clean up. There''s a guest we can''t afford to offend."


    "I''ll be ready tomorrow," Kai promised. "But sir, I have to ask... is everything alright with Irun now? I don''t have anything against them, but they implicitly lied, and lives were lost..."


    "It''s unfortunate, but so is the existence of international politics. In my opinion, this outcome is probably for the best, and Irun will be more tightly allied with us. I don''t like that my clan was forced to get involved, but I can play the aggrieved ally and get concessions from them. I told you, Kai, I don''t care about your mission. Be ready tomorrow at noon."


    His mentor turned away and was gone in an instant. Kai briefly wondered if he had used magic or an invisible portal, but decided that he had just moved that quickly. No matter how Kai strained his spiritual sight, he still couldn''t get a sense of his mentor. He was beginning to believe that the true elites, those who had fought on the Frontier, were much further beyond him than he had known.


    In any case, he had less time than he thought, so his plans needed to change. Kai wanted to rush to Juray to get his flask as quickly as possible, but talking to Gunjin had made him realize just how filthy he was after his trip. Juray wouldn''t appreciate him showing up looking and smelling like a vagabond, so he would get himself cleaned up first.


    Back home, Kai checked if anyone had left messages for him and was disappointed that there wasn''t even one. He''d hoped that at least Inafay was back and wanted to train. Once he''d secured his items back in his quarters, Kai asked one of the Granfian staff for a shave and a haircut, then took a thorough bath.


    Not smelling foul was good, but otherwise he felt no different, just more impatient. Despite everything else he had to do, he trotted across the city to talk to Juray again after most of a month away.


    "Kai!" She smiled as soon as she saw him and embraced him warmly. He was briefly awkward at her softness, but she pulled back and gestured toward the door. "Come in, I have a lot of things to show you."


    While she closed up the shop window, Kai stepped inside. The inside of her home was completely occupied by bottles, pans, and strange filtration devices. Some of them filled with potions, others apparently empty or carrying only residue. Clearly she had been busy, so while she finished he glanced at her with his spiritual sight again.


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    <


    Name: Juray Phrissan


    Total Power: 30


    Herbalist Class: 12 (22)


    Physique Level: G-1 (4)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    Apparently all her work had substantially improved her Class... Kai remembered that he had made a number of requests as if from a past life. That had been before the trip, before Curaina died, before his attempt at the Path of Steel...


    "I know you''re probably here for your flask," Juray said as she returned to him, "but I hope you have time for some of my experiments. It''s been an exciting month for me."


    "I can make time." Kai smiled back and sat down on one of the only chairs that wasn''t piled with glassware.


    "First, the bad news: I made a potion from your Class essence and it turned out to have the limits I''d feared." She set a small vial, a sphere except for the flat base and lip, down in front of him. It burbled with a dull brown mana. "I''m going to just give this one to you, though I doubt it will do you much good. This is the sort of thing some do to improve their Class, but..."


    "I understand. But you seem excited about it?"


    "These techniques are usually restricted to powerful Classes, but working on yours made me realize that there was no reason I couldn''t use my own!" Juray swept a hand from behind her back and proudly revealed another potion, identical except that the liquid within was dark blue. "This is an Herbalist potion! Is it useful to anyone else? No, not really. But it''s let me practice with some new skills, so... hmm, where did I put that?"


    She began puttering around the house, searching through the small forest of glass. While she looked, Kai picked up the second potion and examined it. "So what happens if I drink this?"


    "You won''t be able to become an Herbalist, if that''s what you''re thinking. Your spirit would temporarily have some fragments of my Class within it, but they wouldn''t help you much. Perhaps you could put a little more mana into techniques. The main application is for me to use on myself so I can manage more complex work, such as... wait, never mind, here we are!"


    Juray spun back to face him and triumphantly planted another potion on the table. Though it used the same bottle, the mana in this one pulsed with crimson power. Kai couldn''t help but pick it up, searching the strength he felt there. His spiritual sight couldn''t pick up any symbols, yet he felt a strong intuition that this represented a familiar Class.


    "This sort of potion might not be useful to you," Juray said as she sat down opposite him, "but they''re extremely valuable. That''s derived from a Warrior Class, if you didn''t figure it out. Drinking this one really will make you a bit stronger for a while."


    "Why wouldn''t that be useful to me?" Kai asked. He wanted to take the potion, but restrained himself.


    "Well... has your spiritual sight advanced enough that you''re seeing people with numbers?"


    He''d passed that point long ago, so Kai just nodded.


    "Then you know that most mature hunters have a Power around 50. The strong ones are closer to 100, and the scale goes a lot higher than that. This potion will temporarily add... maybe 1 or 2." Juray took the vial from him and sighed. "As I improve my technique, I might be able to increase that slightly, but likely never above single digits."


    "So... it''s no long term solution, but you could make a lot of money selling it to people who want an extra edge."


    "Well, I could in theory." Juray shrugged sheepishly. "I''m having trouble actually selling this one, because I guess customers aren''t used to this sort of thing from me. So right now I''m just out a lot of resources."


    "I''ll buy it from you." Kai hadn''t been planning to say that, the words just tumbled out of his mouth. When he saw Juray''s face light up, he decided to stick with it. "I just finished a long assignment and I''m due to be paid. And maybe I can talk to some of the Granfian hunters? I''m sure they''d be willing to give you some mana in return for potions."


    "That would be wonderful!"


    The potion cost almost fifty Eagles, but the hug Juray gave him erased his regrets. Besides, he had plenty of good things coming to him, not the least the flask she''d been saving for him. Juray took it out of storage and, seeing how eager he was to use it, didn''t hold him back any longer.


    Even though Kai wanted to rush straight back home to try to improve his Physique ranking, he forced himself to remain calm. Instead he finished a few other errands, such as selling his share of the monster cores from the journey and buying a tunic that wasn''t in such awful shape. After that, he ventured to the Hunters Guild, dodged Fhazi Lantrian and his entourage, and received payment for the long Irunian mission.


    Two hundred Eagles for his work, twenty-one from his cores, combined with those he had left over... Kai returned home with two hundred and thirty-three Goralian Eagles in his pouch. A significant amount for someone like him, but it paled in comparison to the flask containing the potion Juray had created from the Direboar''s core and his own blood.


    As he got back to his room, Kai realized that he should have sold the jeweled dagger or talked to the others about the potions. He was too excited for any of it. Even though he was getting hungry, he kept that tension in his stomach. It would keep him on edge.


    Kai set the flask down in front of him and just stared at it for a while. He''d been at G-9 for some time, so he had to be pressing up the limits of the barrier. Before the night was over, he''d either have advanced to F rank or he''d have failed.

 Chapter 33: Reaching the Frontier

    As far as Kai had read, there were few nasty tricks when it came to Physique Level. It was simply the raw amount of mana your body could process, which usually happened subconsciously, so people could advance and even break barriers simply by physical exertion. That meant there were no hidden pitfalls, but there weren''t any shortcuts for him either.


    He sat down on the floor and held the flask in his hands. That wasn''t part of any ritual or practice he''d encountered, it just kept his mind centered. It would be tonight.


    Even though his basic exercises didn''t do much for him at G-9, Kai went through them anyway, as quickly as he could. He flexed his mana as well, finally getting his heart rate up. When he felt the burn all the way through his body, he opened the flask and drank it to the last drop.


    And nothing happened. Kai frowned and looked down at the flask, wondering if-


    His body seized up and he fell to the floor, thrashing against the stone. Intense heat spread from his chest throughout his body, tightening every muscle. It was like the tension of a healing potion except a thousand times worse, as if his flesh was being forced through a tiny hole.


    Yet, even though he was slamming against the stone, it didn''t hurt at all. The tension increased to the point where he thought he couldn''t bear it, then it was gone. Kai lay on his back, panting for breath. Not only had the unnatural searing vanished, the body heat he''d built up during exercise was gone as well. He felt as cool and refreshed as if he''d just come out of a deep sleep.


    Not trusting himself to get up yet, Kai simply opened his spiritual senses.


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 54


    Laborer Class: 8 (8)


    Physique Level: F-0 (30)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    ???: ???


    ???: ???


    >


    Finally he''d reached it: Physique Level F-0. Even with barely any support from his Class, he had the same physical strength as many adult hunters. Maybe it wasn''t enough, but he wasn''t going to stop. The jump from G to F rank had been worth five times any other step, so he could only imagine how significant the next would be.


    Numbers alone couldn''t sustain his excitement, though. Kai sat up and grabbed one of his old swords to run across his arm. Gently at first, then harder when it didn''t cut. His body felt no different from before except where the sword touched it: instead of any pain, his skin just felt a bit hard and cool. His skin probably wouldn''t turn aside a direct sword thrust, but he was clearly no longer an ordinary human.


    More importantly, now that his body was infused with mana, Class skills should no longer tear him apart in the same way. He wanted to test against someone, but had no one to ask. No doubt Inafay''s wind would be far stronger when he next saw her, but at least he wouldn''t have fallen behind.


    As his energy ebbed, Kai realized that he was fatigued. That morning, he had still been out in the wasteland, struggling back to the city. Now, after running between so many errands and making a breakthrough, he was mentally done even though his body felt fresh. Best to sleep well for whatever his mentor had planned tomorrow.


    Kai lay down, sure he would be too excited to sleep, yet it felt like the next moment he opened his eyes it was morning. Instead of groggy, he felt entirely refreshed.


    Now he had a different problem: what to do with all the time before noon. Minor errands felt absurdly trivial compared to the unknown meeting with Gunjin. Kai decided to return to his usual routine, since he missed it after so long in the wastelands.


    His normal exercise routine was simultaneously easy and yet rewarding. Before, it had felt like he had plateaued on many exercises, but now he could feel his muscles responding again. Everyone had spoken about the wall between ranks, he just hadn''t expected to feel it so obviously. Allegedly F-ranked Physique Levels developed slower than the previous rank, but he was eager to see how quickly he might advance.


    Once the others began arriving, the training yard grew less comfortable. They couldn''t directly throw him out, but he could sense how little they liked his presence. Kai decided to depart of his own free will and focus on other training.


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    After a full round of spiritual exercises, he cleaned himself up, put on the new clothes he''d bought yesterday, and went to meet Gunjin.


    He arrived at the Hunters Guild a little early, but his mentor was waiting. The older man didn''t speak, simply tilted his head slightly in one direction. They climbed a side staircase that curled around one side of the guild, passing the portal chamber where he had entered the Hunter Trials, and kept climbing. Eventually they reached the top of one of the taller buildings, where a traditional shrine sat alone. He could only assume it operated as a portal, but they were so valuable he''d only used them for the Trials.


    They stood silently for a time before Kai spoke. "We''re using a portal?"


    "Yes," Gunjin said, "but it isn''t prepared yet."


    "I see." Kai swallowed, waited a little more, then decided he couldn''t waste this time. "I suppose you''re not going to tell me what we''re doing, if you haven''t already. Can I ask some questions?"


    "If it''s about training, it would be unproductive to discuss now. But anything else, you may ask."


    "While I was in the wasteland, I met someone who claimed to be from a different continent. I couldn''t verify that, but her power, appearance, and clothing were like nothing I''ve seen before. All I really know about her was that she said her name was Zae Zin Nim."


    Gunjin stared at him. "Please don''t tell me you managed to start a war with a different continent. Surely even your luck can''t be that bad."


    "I didn''t! Honest. I mean, I''m not saying she liked me, but I think she was just a traveler."


    "To be honest with you, Kai, dealing with the Frontier has filled my life. Travelers with three names like that are generally from the Cloudspire continent, and they do use a different sort of mana. But that''s all I can tell you."


    Kai was a little disappointed, but since his mentor didn''t seem interested in the subject, he moved on. "One odd thing about spiritual sight. I don''t think this is a training question. When I''ve examined myself, I''ve noticed some unusual symbols below the ones I know. They don''t seem to interact with the others, but they''ve been stable, so there must be something to them... do you have any idea what they are?"


    "I noticed those when examining you earlier." Gunjin didn''t even turn to look again. "Sorry to disappoint you, but this is just a veteran problem you''ve run into early, due to how hard you work. Those represent fragments of power that you aren''t capable of using. For example, you may have absorbed some foreign mana from the woman you mentioned earlier. It would be best if you expelled them from your soul."


    "But... could I learn to use them?"


    "If you could, they would be more comprehensible in your spiritual sight. No, everyone picks up detritus as they train, and if you train hard enough, it needs to be purged from time to time."


    "Is it actually doing any harm?"


    "Not at your current stage of development." Gunjin glanced at him and then rubbed the bridge of his nose. "This is far more advanced than you need, but in brief... the soul has a limited number of capacities. You can gain the strengths of several different nations, but you can''t go on gathering them forever. As your soul becomes full, the useless fragments will begin to clog up your growth, and you''ll find yourself running into barriers that offer little reward."


    Kai accepted what he''d said, trying not to sulk. Most likely his mentor was correct, since the man was far more knowledgeable than him... but Gunjin didn''t know everything. The Cloudspire continent was unfamiliar to him, and he was wrong about the strange power being a type of mana. For now, Kai was going to hold on to the strange fragments of power no matter what anyone told him.


    Gunjin noticed his anger and shook his head. "Look, Kai, I will say this: those two fragments are stronger than average, and they''re causing less disruption in your soul than would be expected. If you''re so determined to keep them... well, if anyone can turn them into something, perhaps it''s you."


    Before Kai could ask another question, one of the four archways of the shrine shimmered. Instead of showing the other side of the roof, Kai saw a wasteland landscape beneath the arch. It was similar to the portal he''d entered to begin the Hunter Trials, except this one was less obscured... and far more powerful. He knew that portals required more mana the further they traveled, so just how far was this one?


    "Come along, then." Gunjin moved straight toward it at a fast walk, so Kai hastened to follow.


    Going through this portal wasn''t quite as disorienting as the first time, but Kai still stumbled on the other side. As his vision stopped spinning, he froze for an entirely different reason: he wasn''t standing in a wasteland like he had seen, he was on top of an enormous wall.


    Kai slowly walked to the edge of the monument he had heard about a thousand times but only seen in paintings. The top was formed of impossibly large slate gray blocks, and when he reached the side his gaze slid down the smooth surface. No bricks, no mortar, only a sweep of stone all the way to the ground. It had originally been smooth, but claw marks and burns marred the inner side.


    This was the wall that marked the Frontier, officially separating the lands ruled by humans from the deadly wasteland at the heart of the continent. There was nothing below except a few shriveled plants, so Kai''s gaze wandered to the sides. He''d expected the wall to be circular, but the territory it surrounded was so vast he only barely saw the gentle curve. The entire circle had been raised by an act of impossible power, so long in the past that no one remembered how it had been done.


    In theory, this was the battle line that was his ultimate goal in life. The air itself felt more deadly, yet to his surprise he felt less ambient mana than usual. That must be the second threat aside from the monsters: the sucking void of mana that veterans said made the true wasteland especially dangerous. Just being present atop the wall was a huge risk.


    "All the way to the Frontier...?" His voice was almost a whisper when he turned back to Gunjin. "Why here?"


    "I brought you here for three reasons." Gunjin raised a fist and uncurled fingers as he answered. "First, I have arranged for you to meet with someone who may be able to offer you a second chance at power. Second, this is the best place for us to have a serious conversation about your future. Third, to test you."


    Kai could only stare at his mentor and hold his breath.


    "It seems that our guest hasn''t arrived, and we''ve spoken enough, so..." Gunjin uncurled his last fingers and pushed Kai over the edge.

 Chapter 34: Beyond the Frontier Wall

    Kai flailed wildly, hoping he could catch the side of the wall, and did nothing but churn the air. Before he could think of any other plan, he slammed into the ground.


    Groaning, Kai slowly rolled over onto his back and tried to muster the will to sit up. If his Physique hadn''t improved, that fall would probably have killed him. As it was, he''d gotten the wind knocked out of him, but it actually wasn''t as bad as he expected. He forced himself to get up and look around, just in case there was anything about to attack him.


    Unlike atop the wall, the air shivered around him. It was like nothing Kai had ever experienced before, as if the world itself was a drum being beaten. He''d heard veterans talk about strange experiences at the Frontier and suddenly he understood why they didn''t try to describe it. On some level he couldn''t pin down, the Frontier felt wrong. If he had been weaker, even his strength back in the Hunter Trials, he might have fallen unconscious.


    "This is your test?" Kai shouted up toward Gunjin, who stared down calmly. "You know I can''t survive the Frontier."


    "No, but you''re strong enough to see it. Stay alert."


    Something in his tone made Kai suspect it was more than a generic warning. He immediately pivoted, observing the environment with both ordinary and spiritual senses. At first it looked like the gray wall cutting off half his world and only wasteland in the other... until he saw the monster.


    It looked like an ordinary enough breed, a dog pulled inside out. If not for the environment, Kai would have been disappointed. Nothing about it seemed particularly powerful or unusual, until he realized the absence: it didn''t growl or make the slightest noise. In fact, he wasn''t sure it was breathing. Instead of a dog''s loping gait, it walked toward him with unnatural precision.


    His Irunian bow was unharmed by the fall and never needed to be strung, so Kai quickly nocked an arrow. No reaction from the monster. Before it could get closer, he released the arrow directly toward the center of its mass.


    Just before the arrow struck, the monster distorted, its flesh contorting into a spiral. His arrow passed through the empty space and a moment later the beast had snapped back to normal. Other than slightly increasing its pace, it gave no indication that it knew it had been attacked.


    Bizarre as it was, Kai didn''t let it unnerve him since Gunjin had said this was a test. He drew two arrows next, then loosed them in quick succession. He sent the first towards the monster''s chest, then the second just to the side a second later. Again its body twisted out of the way, but his second arrow caught the twisting body and pierced through.


    When the monster snapped back to normal, it had a steel bolt through its shoulder. It didn''t seem to notice. By now, the ruined dog was getting close.


    The next thing Kai knew, the beast''s maw was stretching over him, larger than a wagon, hundreds of teeth snapping down at him. His mind froze up but his combat instincts saved him: he leapt backward and loosed a fourth arrow just like he''d been trained.


    Only as Kai skidded back through wasteland shrubs did he realize what had happened. The monster must have distorted again, this time offensively: its upper mouth had expanded to an impossible size and tried to swallow him whole. He caught a glimpse of the teeth scraping back over the ground as it returned to normal size.


    It still walked toward him, despite being pierced by two arrows. Kai hesitated, wondering if he should draw his sword or stick with his bow. Before he could decide, the monster charged the final distance toward him.


    Kai thrust with his sword, directly into its face. Its throat opened up to become a cavern as its jaws expanded, ready to consume his entire hand, but he had been expecting something horrifying. He swung to the side, cutting through the side of the jaws.


    The beast collided with his chest, claws tearing into him, and Kai crashed to the ground. Only the fact that its mouth had been cut open prevented it from biting off his head. Instead of returning to normal, the jaw hung open with enormous flaps of tooth-covered flesh. Kai reversed his grip on his sword, only for the blade to snap off when he tried to stab the monster.


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    Too late, he realized that the blade had been entirely corroded down its length. The claws cutting into his chest were growing, distorting into twisted spirals that would drill into him, and his sword was useless.


    Pulling out two arrows, Kai jammed them into the monster''s head and its heart. Since the Irunian steel had shown no sign of corroding, he figured that was his only chance... but it wasn''t enough. The monster still twitched toward him, dead eyes fixed on him utterly without passion.


    Kai drew another arrow and slammed it deep, less stabbing the beast''s head than hammering it with his fist. He struck over and over again, pummeling the monster until it lay still. All at once, there was no sign of distortion, only a monster corpse with several arrows through it.


    For a while Kai just sat on the ground, staring at the body and wondering what the hell he had just experienced. He had listened to a lot of veteran hunters, even a few elites, and he''d never heard of something like that. The fight had exhausted him and his chest was covered in blood, but more than that, he felt mentally exhausted in a way he''d never felt before.


    "That''s surprising." Gunjin stepped off the side of the wall and landed lightly on one foot not far away. "I had intended only to show you the reality of the threat, then save you before you died. It''s remarkable that you took out one of them, given your state."


    "But that... how many are there?"


    Gunjin chuckled humorlessly. "Few normally, but during an incursion, the ground crawls with them. You can see why ordinary human weapons are insufficient." Gunjin shook his head. "As you are now, you could defeat a great many hunters in Monskon C-"


    "Really?"


    "Most likely. Your Physique could resist their Class abilities, which would allow skill and tactics to be victorious. But that beast should show you why that isn''t enough."


    "What was wrong with it?" Kai began removing his arrows, checking their lengths for corrosion. Thankfully there was none, but that didn''t make the apparently ordinary body any less disturbing. "Are monsters on the Frontier really that much more powerful?"


    "This is less a question of power than distortion. What you fought was a perfectly ordinary monster, tainted with something far worse. That is the reason we''re losing this war..." Gunjin trailed off and looked back toward the wall. "But I see our guest has arrived. We will resume this conversation later."


    A man stood atop the wall, watching them quietly. He looked ordinary enough, with tan skin and red armor, but his hair immediately drew Kai''s attention. The people of the Elemental Nations had immense diversity in skin color and every other trait, but their heads always made them obvious. Hair the color of flames flowed directly up from the man''s head, waving in its own wind. It wasn''t exactly like a fire, the way Kai had heard, but it was unmistakably unnatural.


    "Let me assist you." The guest snapped his fingers and serpents of flame flowed around them. Kai flinched at first, but the flames felt only warm, not hot. With a rush of heat he was pulled back up to the top of the wall. "My name is Enalanis of Magma. That was remarkable, for a child."


    Operating on instinct, Kai nodded to him politely, but he couldn''t resist examining the man with his spiritual vision. At first he saw nothing comprehensible, then the man seemed to relax his defenses to allow Kai to see his true strength.


    <


    Name: Enalanis of Magma


    Total Power: 728


    Flameborn: Thriceburned (413)


    Kindler Class: 53 (53)


    Physique Level: E-6 (98)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Emergent Class: Enkindled Soulflame (+100)


    >


    During the Trials, Kai had seen a man who had awakened a Class called Flamecaster, but he immediately understood the difference. The Elemental Nations allegedly had entirely different sources of strength that were widely feared, and the man''s Flameborn power on its own was more powerful than anyone Kai had met.


    What struck him as extraordinary was Enalanis didn''t rely on his primary ability alone. He also had a Class more powerful than most hunters in Goralia, plus extraordinary Physique and Soul Levels, plus some "Emergent" title Kai had never seen before. He had to wonder just what this man was capable of.


    "Thank you for coming, Enalanis." Gunjin nodded to him with more respect than he''d shown anyone else Kai had seen. "Before you move on, I''d be grateful if you could test my student here."


    "I understand why you would go to the expense." Enalanis stared at Kai, who only then realized that his irises burned like flames as well. "You''ve clearly endured much, boy. But you should know that the powers of my homeland are the most capricious and mercurial of the Frontier nations. I would bestow them upon you if I could, but what happens next is up to fate."


    "You mean..." Kai looked between his mentor and the Flameborn, understanding but not quite believing. "You want me to train for elemental powers? What do I need to do?"


    "The first test is simplicity itself." Enalanis raised a hand and summoned a dark red flame. "Take this and see your potential. There is nothing you can do to prepare and no way to enhance or change the result. Either you will intuit the path or you will not."


    It was all happening too quickly, but Kai couldn''t anger two elites by wasting their time. Gunjin nodded almost imperceptibly. Kai took a deep breath and then reached out to grasp the flame.

 Chapter 35: A Conversation Between Adults

    The flame immediately coursed through his flesh and Kai gasped. He could feel it reforming, twisting over him. His mana surged wildly, having no idea what to do. Allegedly it was supposed to come intuitively, so he threw himself into trying to control the flame.


    To his surprise, the heat flowed together into an icy current that pooled in his hand. A moment later, it evaporated and he struggled to hold on to a sphere of wind. Somehow the wind condensed down into a stone, trembling with the might of an earthquake, then it exploded into flame again.


    Then it winked out and the power was gone.


    "A pity." The Flameborn shook his head sadly. "I thought you would have made a good Earthborn, but it seems the land felt otherwise. Fare well, Gunjin."


    Flames exploded around him and the man flew from the wall, soon becoming a comet disappearing into the sky. The fire hadn''t burned Kai, yet he felt as though the flames had gutted him. In his current state, he wasn''t sure if it was because of the test or because of what he already knew the results meant.


    "I''m sorry, Kai." Gunjin turned away from him and stared down over the wasteland.


    "No second attempts?" Kai asked, more because he needed to try than because he expected to be surprised.


    "You grasped the spirit of the test quickly, but it seems you were unlucky. Even in the most purebred portions of the Elemental Nations, those with such powers are rare. This was always a long shot, but I had hoped..."


    There was nothing to say. Kai''s hands balled into fists even though he knew it did no good. Every time he had a chance, every time the world gave him anything, fate drove his face into the ground. He wasn''t surprised, just bitter.


    "I know that you''re angry because you feel that Monskon City has treated you unfairly." Gunjin finally turned back with a new hardness in his eyes. "In this conversation, I am going to give you the respect of treating you like an adult. We need to talk about how the world really works."


    "It looks like it works by random luck!" Kai hadn''t meant to shout, but the words exploded from him. "Some people are just blessed by fate, then the world hands them everything they ask for!"


    "We''re losing." Gunjin''s voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, but it cut through Kai''s rage. "Not so quickly that it''s obvious, but our nation is dying. Our hunters aren''t strong enough, and there are too few of them to maintain our lines."


    "Bullshit. I''ve seen hunters sitting around the Guild doing nothing, while there are entire towns outside the city just abandoned. I visited one, you know! They told me how the hunters left them to be controlled by smugglers and thugs, just abandoning their duty to-"


    "Because we can''t protect them. I don''t know exactly which town you mean, because there are dozens of stories like that. Regions we could once keep safe are abandoned to monsters. If the hunters on the Frontier ever failed, half of Goralia would burn within a year. And it''s not just Goralia. Every nation is struggling to survive. We cannot afford to be generous."


    As much as he didn''t want to believe it, Kai swallowed the bitter fact. "But the children of the wealthy..." He knew he sounded petulant and he didn''t care. "Fhazi Lantrian gets fed the city''s resources without having to do a thing. He might never even fight a monster."


    "You want to send him here?" Gunjin gestured out over the Frontier. "There are worthless hunters, yes. But throwing them against our enemy would be like throwing chaff into a wildfire. They aren''t the problem, just irrelevant byproducts of the system."


    Every objection Kai could possibly raise, Gunjin would have an answer. Instead of trying to argue any further, Kai went to sit down on the edge of the wall. Even here, he could still feel the lethal intent, hordes of monsters that could sweep over civilization. He''d always wanted to fight them, and yet...


    "Let me explain to you how Goralia really works," Gunjin said. "The Frontier is our most important defense, but it can''t stand alone. The southern regions, despite the fact that they''re scorned as being soft and weak, provide powerful resources that could never be grown so near the wasteland. All the wealthy families, despite their problems, create the trade and prosperity that support our strength."


    "And Monskon City? What are we?"


    "You haven''t figured it out yet? Cities like ours provide hunters capable of using the south''s resources and growing strong enough to join the Frontier. Every part of the system is essential. If the merchants took over, yes, they''d be overrun by the next monster incursion. But if you let the soldiers take control, the nation would die weak and starving. We can survive only with a balance."


    Part of Kai was still furious, but he couldn''t help but listen. His early lessons had presented a simple picture of Goralia and the other nations around the Frontier, never addressing things in such stark terms. Though it was a grim picture, he believed that what his mentor said had the ring of truth.


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    When the lecture petered out, Kai took a deep breath and asked his next question. "So why are we failing? Were past generations really that much more powerful than us?"


    Gunjin snorted derisively. "That''s a tale for children. The greatest legends will always be in the past because you can''t very well lie about the present.


    "Our nation works, but it doesn''t work perfectly. Some of the reasons you''re angry... they aren''t wrong. One of the reasons I founded the Granfian clan was to make sure that impoverished children with potential wouldn''t be left behind. But not everyone takes the threat seriously, and dysfunctions accumulate, and all the while our enemy hungers for our flesh."


    "You can''t just take people here and show them the threat? What about the incursions?"


    "It''s more complicated than that." Gunjin lowered his head and his voice shifted, losing the confident tone. "I believe, but cannot prove, that the monster incursions follow an unstable pattern. The incursion that killed your parents was more arduous than some others, for example, and left a scar. But those since have been weaker, so many believe the threat is broken."


    "And they won''t listen to you?"


    "Some did, but the last incursion... under-performed. I may have been mistaken, or there may have been other variables I didn''t understand. Most believe that they were right to ignore my warnings. If it turns out that I am correct... there will come a future incursion that risks destroying everything. Not just Goralia, I mean all the Frontier nations. Maybe the entire continent."


    After having worked under him for most of his life, Kai was inclined to believe his old mentor. Even though he''d never heard the full story before, he found himself believing it. And yet all of that was irrelevant, because he knew why this conversation was taking place. It was no call to arms.


    The old anger and bitterness flared up and died almost as quickly. Kai took a deep breath and tried to speak without emotion.


    "All of this is your way of telling me that you can''t afford to waste resources on me," Kai said. "No matter how hard I work, I didn''t get handed powers that could be used against the threat, so I''m just usele-"


    "By the incursion, you''ll be stronger than most of the hunters in the city. But for us to survive, we need heroes."


    Kai turned away and closed his eyes.


    "I showed you what we face," Gunjin said quietly. "Monsters possess strange powers that are diametrically opposed to ours, which worsen under the taint. To destroy such threats, abilities with enormous destructive power are required. Truthfully, even the common Warrior and Knight Classes are of limited use, unless their users fully expand their powers. So in the end, you are correct. I am sorry that it has to be this way."


    "And there''s just no hope for me?"


    "A man born without arms deserves no less respect, and may have a thousand praise-worthy qualities, but you don''t hire him to build you a wall."


    There it was, plain as day. Kai scrabbled for other scraps of hope. "What about our supposed allies to the south? Like the dryad who was in the Hunter Trials. Could I seek out their powers?"


    "Not even theoretically possible, to my knowledge. Their abilities are diverse but tend to be inborn. I suppose you could try the Irunian test of metal, but-"


    "Don''t." Kai rubbed his eyes roughly and decided to keep them closed. "I already tried with Tusquo and it turns out I''m the lowest possible rank on the Path of Steel."


    "You underwent the trial and... removed the capacity? I see." Gunjin''s voice shifted in an unusual way, but Kai didn''t want to look at his face. "I wish that you would have told me that. The powers of the various nations use... similar aspects of your fundamental essence. Every time you burn out or remove one of them, your spirit will be circumscribed."


    "What does it matter, if I''m worthless anyway?"


    "Don''t be childish, Kai. The clan isn''t going to abandon you instantly. You''re free to work as Granfian staff, and I think you''d make an excellent trainer."


    "Exactly what I always wanted to be."


    "Are you telling me that you''ve harbored such disrespect for all the men and women who have been supporting and training you all this time?" Gunjin''s eyes bored into him and Kai was forced to drop his gaze.


    He didn''t think the question was fair, but he couldn''t answer it. Instead he sat sullenly, forcing himself to accept the new reality. Even though it wasn''t a surprise, he couldn''t endure slamming up against the barrier of fate over and over. How many times was he expected to pick himself back up? Or was the world telling him that it was time to surrender?


    "It''s natural for you to have negative feelings, but I need you to listen to me." Gunjin crouched down beside him, capturing his gaze again. "Many of the city''s most powerful items would have little effect on you, so giving you those resources would be unfair to everyone else working hard. I need you to understand that giving you more wouldn''t be fairness, it would be nepotism."


    "I understand." Kai took a shuddering breath and forced himself to his feet. "Just don''t expect me to be happy about it. Do I need to change my work now?"


    "What I told you after the Trials still holds: you can prepare as you wish before the next monster incursion, which is likely to be just after the next Hunter Trials. Your work on your Physique has been impressive, and we may need all the help we can get. If you find some other path, we''ll welcome you in that role."


    "But does another path even exist? Could I... I don''t know, what about the Krysal City States?


    "Trust me, you don''t want to try there." Gunjin smiled acerbically. "It''s true that their crystals involve no luck or soul, but they can be bought by anyone. In a sense, it''s by far the least fair system I''ve ever seen. Now, this has gone on long enough, so we need to return."


    They needed to go to the base of the wall and find an outpost to use a portal back to Monskon City. Kai followed after Gunjin, his thoughts numb. He wasn''t willing to give up, but he just didn''t see any possible path forward. Even if he did the impossible with his Physique and Soul Levels, staying ahead of the strongest elites, they would always have their special powers as an advantage he couldn''t match.


    When they returned, Kai felt as disoriented as if he''d been abandoned on the Frontier. The walls of the Hunters Guild seemed simultaneously claustrophobic and empty. Before Gunjin could depart, Kai called after his mentor one more time.


    "Could this be my fault, somehow? Or does fate just hate me?"


    "Fate is another tale for children." Gunjin looked back at him, but only briefly before he turned away. "In my experience, the world is nothing but blind luck."

 Chapter 36: Social Paths Upward

    The next morning Kai began training and he had no idea why. Improving himself felt good... but was that really enough? As he pushed his body to its limits alone in the training yard, he realized that it wasn''t. He''d never wanted power for its own sake, he''d wanted to fight the war against the monsters and protect the people of the city.


    Now, after learning so much, he also wanted to change the system and make it less unfair. Yet he felt so far from being able to make any difference. It wasn''t as though he would be any good as a politician or merchant, and he was only proving his limits as a warrior. There weren''t many other options.


    All that kept him from falling into pure bitterness was the reminder that his position was exactly the same as so many others: those who couldn''t afford to train, everyone else who awakened a weak Class, those who starved in forgotten cities, or even the Tonjin brothers forced into their narrow path. It would have been a lot easier to focus on himself and wallow in misery as if he was the only person in the world. But far from making him happier, thinking about the fact that others were struggling just cost him the selfish pleasure of misery and made him angrier.


    Eventually he decided that he should talk to Juray in case she could help him get a new perspective. But for once when he crossed the city, he didn''t find her at her shop. Just when he began to leave disappointed, he spotted her struggling with a box down the street.


    "Oh, Kai!" She beamed over the top of it. "I can just barely manage these... can you help out?"


    "Sure." Kai followed her directions to a wagon, where even more boxes awaited. He recalled that Juray had trained her Physique to the point where she was stronger than the average untrained man, so he expected the boxes to be heavy... and nearly hurled the first one into a wall.


    He''d been focused on his defenses, but all his training had increased his strength as well. Since lifting the boxes was effortless, Kai decided to lift the wagon instead. He followed Juray, who saw what he was doing and just shook her head.


    "Alright, that will definitely save me trips," Juray said. "We''re headed this way... that''s a whole load of purified ingredients, so they''re not too fragile, but make sure they don''t get smashed, okay?"


    "Is this new business for you?" he asked as they walked. The weight wasn''t too bad, but balancing the wagon...


    "Oh, I wish. No, purifying ingredients is always pushed off on the lowest Herbalists, so I''ve been doing this for a long time. Of course, that means you get good at it, and so people tend to come back, and you end up doing the same thing every year."


    "And so the cycle perpetuates itself."


    "Wow." Juray peered over at him. "You''re in quite a mood, aren''t you? Are you going to start talking about overthrowing the Guild and seizing the means of hunting?"


    "Maybe not that far." Kai abruptly realized that he didn''t want to talk about his problems with her. It would only make him more irritable, and he''d also feel guilty for complaining. "I''m just stuck, and I''m thinking about how a lot of other people are stuck too. Sometimes it feels like there''s no way to improve your lot in life unless you get lucky."


    "More or less."


    "Your joke earlier... are a lot of people angry about it? Are things that bad?"


    "I wouldn''t say that." Juray set down her box to rest for a moment and used it as a seat. "There are certainly worse places to live, at least according to the stories travelers tell. Everyone has some basic dignity here, and it isn''t that hard to have a decent life."


    "But if they want more than they have?"


    "Well, for many their best hope is to join a major clan or awaken a Class, because otherwise you''ll run into too many roadblocks. Honestly, one of your best chances is to marry into power. Lots of hunters want someone to come home to, or less useful skills become more valuable if they can support another talent."


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    "Oh?" Kai wiggled his eyebrows mockingly. "Is that why you''re an Herbalist?"


    "Don''t even!" Juray laughed and pushed him, though he didn''t even budge. "I did think that way, maybe ten years ago. I was disappointed I didn''t get the Class I''d wanted, but I thought that I might find a hunter and focus on making potions for him. But I pretty quickly realized that wasn''t what I wanted."


    Was that a way of telling him to back off? Kai generally felt like an idiot when it came to women, so he decided to just treat it neutrally. "And what do you want?"


    "Stability. With hunters... even the strong ones, there''s a chance they just won''t come back. I''d rather have someone I can work with to build a life together, even if we don''t ''advance'' in the world. But I''m getting older, and because my shop requires so much time I can''t provide what a lot of men want. So... oh, never mind, I didn''t mean to get into all that."


    Kai turned away, pretending that he needed to shift the balance of the wagon. Pretty soon Juray stood up again and they resumed their journey uncomfortably. He wasn''t sure if she was implying anything and didn''t feel like he had the wits to think about that. Somehow he had the feeling that he was more likely to end up in an early grave than settling down with someone.


    The words of his mentor resurfaced in his mind like bile in the throat. He almost said something about how fragile Juray''s hopes were, how a monster incursion might wipe out the entire city. But there was no point saying any of that, so he held his tongue. It was doubly pointless since it seemed so unlikely that he would ever be able to do anything about it.


    As they passed a Krysali merchant, Kai''s mind finally got out of that rut. Krysali people weren''t rare in the city, but it was uncommon to see their dusky skin and swathed clothing. This one was a middle-aged man who wore a large crystal around his neck, leading Kai to eagerly examine him with his spiritual sight, but it was just jewelry, not one of their crystals of power.


    "I heard you can buy power in the Krysal city-states," he said. "Do any merchants try for that? If you had enough money, couldn''t you buy a ton of crystals and become as strong as a hunter?"


    "If you could manage to buy them, maybe." Juray glanced over her shoulder at the passing merchant and frowned. "I''ve known a couple merchants who tried to get into the crystal trade and they said it''s cut-throat. Most rulers have a strong vested interest in keeping the power to themselves, and since they keep condensing new resources, it all tends toward monopolies."


    "Gunjin said that their system is the least fair."


    "Maybe that''s true. You never hear about Krysali youth developing new powers and upsetting the system, and if they did they''d probably need a sponsor to buy crystals for them. I do think it''s possible to buy yourself a title in a city-state with enough money."


    "Really?" Kai glanced over at her in surprise. "I mean, I have no reason to doubt you, just..."


    "I''ve heard it costs a million Goralian Eagles at minimum, and I don''t know if that actually buys you enough crystals to contend with the others. But there''s something to it, because shipments of those crystals are one of the few times that foreign merchants can make a profit on them."


    A million Eagles... that amount was so far beyond anything Kai had dealt with that it might as well be imaginary. Rather than getting discouraged, he just enjoyed talking to Juray. She might not be a hunter, but in her work she heard a lot of stories from afar, and entirely different stories than the ones he''d overheard. Even if he didn''t technically accomplish anything, the conversation got him out of his own head.


    Once he got Juray''s wagon where it needed to go, he chatted for a little longer and then left. She suggested that they should meet to discuss potions again and she might have wanted to talk more, he wasn''t sure. The abruptly serious conversation about marriage had really thrown off his thinking, so he pretended he had something he needed to do.


    Juray might have called herself old, but she was still gorgeous as far as he was concerned. What she''d said about what she wanted was basically the exact opposite of what he had, which didn''t stop his mind from conjuring up scenarios anyway.


    When he got back to the Granfian clan complex, he found himself wondering if he could manage another round of physical training. There were trainees in the practice yard, but they weren''t taking their work particularly seriously. He felt a surge of anger and swallowed it bitterly.


    "Kai?" It was one of the messengers from the gate, sounding a bit exasperated. "Are you even listening?"


    "Sorry, distracted," Kai said. "What is it?"


    "There''s a message for you."


    Kai took the paper and immediately frowned. There was just a time and a place, nothing else, but he thought he recognized the sloppy handwriting. "Who left this?"


    "The Corinin girl, the new hunter they''re calling a genius." The messenger frowned and stared upward before suddenly smiling. "Right, Inafay Corinin. She sounded pretty disappointed that she couldn''t meet you, then she flew off."

 Chapter 37: Scorn and Marriage

    When it was finally time to meet with Inafay again, Kai found himself oddly nervous. Their relationship had always been comfortable, yet there had been so many new thoughts going through his mind lately. Or maybe it was the fact that everything had turned against him while she had just finished an extensive clan-funded training.


    At first when he arrived to find her absent, he was worried that her priorities had shifted, but she joined him not long after. Oddly, she was wearing light armor over a long tunic, quite unlike her usual outfits. Her hair was back in a bun as well, which was an odd look for her.


    "Sorry, I''ve been all formal lately." She poked at the bun irritably, but didn''t undo it. "Anyway, stop looking at this, use your spiritual sight!"


    "I, uh, thought it might be impolite."


    "I demand you check out my progress!"


    If she was being so insistent...


    <


    Name: Inafay Corinin


    Total Power: 49


    Windcutter Class: 17 (27)


    Physique Level: G-8 (18)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    Kai let out a low whistle. After fully developing her Class, its power had shot up until it was the majority of her overall strength. She''d kept up with her physical training as well, so once she broke through to the F rank, she would be immensely strong. At the moment they were still somewhat evenly matched, but he could easily imagine her leaving him behind.


    "That''s impressive, Inafay. Not to make light of your work, but I take it things were easier after the barrier?"


    "Oh, it''s no insult, it was a lot easier." She put her hands on her hips and mock-scowled at him. "But you have no right to act all impressed when you''ve come so far. How the hell are you outdoing everyone when it comes to Physique Levels?"


    "Breaking through obstacles by ramming them with my face, I guess." He didn''t want to complain with her, so he just grinned. "I assume you want to get back to work to get yourself over the barrier?"


    "I do, but I think it''s going to take a while. There''s actually something else I need an outside trainer for. This will be weird until I explain it, but I want you to attack me completely at random. Like, no set start to the match, just take a swing when I''m not-"


    Kai punched her in the shoulder with a fair bit of his strength. She winced and fell back, laughing.


    "Alright, I guess I asked for that! And it actually proved my point."


    "Which is?" Kai asked as they walked to the center of the private training yard.


    "While training, I''ve noticed that Class abilities seem to take a while to warm up. That delay has been improving as I train, but it still takes too much time to connect with the mana, gather it into the appropriate form, and deploy it. I can do it quickly in an exercise, but real combat is too different."


    "I think I know what you mean." Kai had seen the delay in some other fighters, but it hadn''t been relevant the few times he''d fought humans. "I imagine that if you''re fighting Class against Class, both of you just spend the first few seconds preparing."


    "Exactly!" Inafay took a few more steps away and raised her fists. "But monsters aren''t going to wait around, and some opponents might not either. Those few seconds are a weakness, and one I can''t ignore."


    "That makes sense. So what should our training schedule be? I was thinking-" Kai cut off with another strike, but this time Inafay was ready. A burst of wind flowed around her arm and her range vastly expanded, hitting him before he could get close enough.


    Kai grunted in pain, but the blow hadn''t been disabling with his new Physique. He would need to test its limits later, though for the moment he was more interested in the delay she mentioned. In the past, he had been watching his opponents'' bodies, noting the tells in their muscles as they prepared to move. Now that he was thinking about their mana requiring a moment of setup, he had a new target.


    Over the next hour, they practiced quick strikes, both at random and with Inafay prepared. Her actual speed at summoning her wind didn''t increase, but her instincts improved so that she began preparing her mana instantly instead of unintentionally hesitating. She would have started hitting him every time if Kai hadn''t improved in a way he hadn''t expected: he was developing footwork and technique for a single powerful strike to try to take human opponents down before they could summon their Class abilities.


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    Both of them agreed that the training had been productive and Inafay immediately set up the next. For some reason, their meetings changed location more than before, and frequently weren''t in the upper city. The potential reasons for that bothered him, especially because Inafay didn''t talk about why, but that didn''t stop their sparring from being fun.


    If anything, he found himself too invested in their training over the following weeks. Perhaps it was because Inafay was such an optimistic presence, or perhaps it was because their sessions were one of the most productive parts of his life. Throwing himself against her wind was one of the best ways to improve his Physique and he was getting better at ending fights on the first strike.


    Focused on his training, he could almost forget about the ways that dumb luck had ruined his life. Occasionally he wondered if that meant something had to go wrong, and sure enough, fate decided that he had been ignoring it for too long.


    One day, just as Kai was finishing sparring with Inafay, he heard laughter from overhead. They had been working on her offense and his defense, so it looked like she was just beating the shit out of him. It had never occurred to him to care about that, but he instantly understood the derision in the laughter.


    He looked up to find a group of three young hunters sitting on a nearby roof. Though he didn''t know any of their names, he recognized all three from the Hunter Trials: the Flamecaster who had awakened before him, the woman who controlled vines, and the enormous hammer-wielder. All three of them had evolved their Novice Classes, with the accompanying power boost.


    "What''s even the point of having F-rank Physique if you can''t hit anyone?" the woman asked. Not only had her Class strengthened, there were living vines wrapped around her forehead and waist.


    "I doubt that was his goal," the Flamecaster said, "he just broke through the barrier from people hitting him all the time."


    "Is this what you''ve been doing, Inafay? And here I thought you had a paramour."


    "Don''t be dicks!" Inafay scowled up at the three of them. "Maybe you have time to go mock people, but I need to train."


    The Flamecaster glanced at Kai and sneered. "Do you get anything out of beating up a cripple? Or is this a cruel side of you that we''ve never seen before?"


    "I had to look for other training partners because you''re all too busy being gossipy bitches!"


    Staying silent while Inafay defended him made Kai''s cheeks burn with shame, but he couldn''t find any words. Though he had suspected that the strongest young hunters felt that way about him, hearing their scorn in person gutted him. Even if he could beat them now - and he wasn''t sure about that - they would never really respect him.


    "You''re underestimating him." The hammer-wielder hadn''t spoken before that point, but when he rose to his full height, the others cut off. "This one always has a scheme. He knows how little his Class is worth, so he''s trying to worm his way in."


    With startling speed for such a large man, the hammer-wielder dropped down in front of Kai and grabbed his shirt. His eyes held a deep distaste worse than mockery.


    "Do you really think you can seduce Inafay? The fact that you''re even trying is a joke. Her clan would never let someone as worthless as you stain one of their strongest young hunters."


    Kai was too taken off guard to respond and Inafay looked shocked as well. She recovered first and jabbed a finger at the taller man. "Back off, Balgahai."


    "I''m just telling the truth. You need to pay more attention t-"


    When Inafay struck, there was almost no warning. Green arcs of cutting wind exploded around her arm even as it thrust forward. Balgahai''s eyes widened and he began to summon his hammer, but he was too slow. Her blow swept him off his feet and a small tornado threw him into the two others, knocking them over and shattering the shingles.


    "If any of you have a problem with me," Inafay said quietly, "you can schedule a match. Otherwise, keep your mouths shut."


    It looked like the Flamecaster was about to say something else, but the woman pulled him away. Balgahai returned to his feet and brushed himself off, more angry than harmed. He didn''t say a word as they turned away and returned to the upper city.


    Leaving a very uncomfortable silence in the courtyard.


    "You, uh..." Inafay turned back to him with an odd expression. "You weren''t trying anything like that, were you? I didn''t think so, but I''m terrible at picking up hints."


    "Uh, no." Kai swallowed. "Umm, not that you aren''t attractive, but I mainly wanted to spar with you. Does this make things awkward?"


    "No, I''d prefer it if everyone was just honest about these things! No weird ambiguous flirting."


    "Then maybe we''d better talk, just to be sure?"


    Inafay tilted her head from side to side while working her mouth, as if trying to make the thoughts roll into place. "I''m afraid I''ll say something dumb but I''m just going to go for it. I like you fine, but not in that way. If my parents were going to force me to marry someone, and you were one of the options, I''d be relieved. I mean, I think you''re pretty handsome and we get along great. But given the way things are..."


    "Your parents might have married you off like that?"


    "Even if I''d awakened a weak Class, the Corinin name has some weight." Inafay visibly forced herself to grin and summoned a sphere of wind around her fist. "But now, nobody can tell me what to do. I want to focus on training first and wait until I''m really swept off my feet in love, you know? Maybe it''s silly to believe in soulmates, but I''m still hoping."


    It was surprisingly romantic, given what he''d seen of Inafay, and Kai found himself smiling. "I guess I feel the same way. It looks like my best hope in life might be getting married by someone stronger, so I wouldn''t be upset if you were offering. But since you''re not going the decadent route and taking ten husbands..."


    "Has this all been a roundabout way of submitting your application for concubinage?" Inafay''s grin turned real and she punched him in the shoulder. "No way, you deserve better than that. I have no idea what to tell you about Classes, but I think you''re the best fighter of any of us. This is just a game or a way to get status to most, but you have this vicious edge that I wish I could match. So whatever happens to you, I hope you find someone who really loves you."


    "That''s..." He wasn''t sure what to say to that, so he just swallowed the strange sadness. "I hope you do too."


    "Okay, enough sappy talk! I guess we''ll need to figure out a way to prevent them from harassing us again."


    "Is that the reason we''ve been moving around?"


    "Yeah, I wanted to spare you all that shit. Plus, I don''t want them learning about the new advantages I''m trying to develop. Thanks for not defending yourself and revealing anything, by the way. It''s best if they think I''m just wasting my time out here."


    "Uh, no problem." He''d been too puzzled to speak, but he was happy to let Inafay think he had been honorably stoic.


    They made arrangements for their next training session and Kai made himself smile until he left. As he walked back home, he had no idea if he felt better or worse.

 Chapter 38: Not the Intended Advancement

    In the days following the confrontation, Kai was surprised by which elements stuck with him. Talking things out with Inafay surprisingly made him feel better, since everything was clear. He didn''t care about the fact that the nobles mocked him, he was just glad to continue his training.


    But the numbers fixed in his mind. He hadn''t focused on them at the time, but his mind had apparently absorbed the haze of symbols around them. Their Classes all offered them strength that his never would, and Balgahai Orgoron had also advanced to F-rank Physique. Even if he worked harder than all of them put together, did the impossible over and over again, it wouldn''t be enough. And yet he''d exhausted every option available to him and no great power had fallen into his lap.


    It would have been easy to drift into despair, yet Kai kept moving for reasons he couldn''t explain, even to himself. Even if he couldn''t break through, he could at least be a better friend to his allies. He''d never spoken to the Tonjin brothers since returning to Monskon City, for example.


    His biggest failing had actually been with Juray: he''d promised to convince other hunters to donate mana for her potion experiments and never followed up. She''d even given him the vials to collect the mana, which he realized might have been a reminder. Those potions might not transform his life, but assisting her might actually do more to help defend the city than fighting.


    Getting those donations proved to be more difficult than he expected. Not because of his reputation, but because relatively few hunters had acquired the mana techniques to extract a physical drop of mana. It was easy to forget how many hunters strengthened their Classes but didn''t worry about improving anything that didn''t directly grant them power.


    A few of the older hunters agreed to donate some mana in exchange for free potions, given how expensive they could be. Some were actually a little too quick to agree, which puzzled Kai until he realized that they might be thinking that he was moving on. Leaving behind his dreams of being a hunter for something they all thought was more suited to him.


    Never. His mood turned bitter, but Kai still finished filling all the vials.


    When he arrived at Juray''s house, he saw her shop window was open, but she was nowhere to be seen. He checked the door, found it unlocked, and ventured within. Juray lay slumped on the table, her head lying on her arms, a strangely sad expression on her face.


    "Oh, Kai!" She smiled so quickly that he almost thought it had been his imagination. "I didn''t expect you to come at a time like this."


    "Are you alright?"


    "Just tired. I''ve been overworking myself lately. What do you need?"


    "Actually, I have something for you." He triumphantly revealed all the vials of mana. "They were harder to get than I thought, so it took a while to get variety. A whole lot of Warriors and Knights, but I do have one drop from a Watercaster who works out in the fields. And the-"


    "This is wonderful!" Juray swept them out of his hands eagerly, but her attention remained focused on him. "This should be more than I need to get started, make a small profit, and begin advertising enhancement potions. Honestly, I was beginning to worry that you''d forgotten."


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    "Uh... truth is, I''ve been a bit selfish lately and I did forget, a little. But I hope the full set makes up for it."


    Juray''s smile shifted in a very strange way. After patting his arm, she moved back to her worktable. "I was actually lying earlier. I''m not tired, just... lonely, I guess. It means a lot that you came back with these. Keep me company while I get the potions started?"


    "Sure, I can." Kai followed at a distance so he wouldn''t get in her way as she began rearranging her work table. "I don''t know how entertaining I can be, though. I''ve been doing nothing but train lately."


    "Lately?" The word came alongside a teasing smirk. Kai let himself relax a little and sat down opposite her.


    While she began the laborious process of converting the drops of mana into usable ingredients, Kai told her about what had been happening lately. He knew that his training didn''t really interest her, and he felt petty talking about his own problems, so he ended up talking about his work with Inafay. The confrontation with the young hunters from the major clans was the only really entertaining story he had.


    It seemed to interest Juray, and she nodded or shook her head at all the appropriate places. Once he stumbled into his conversation about marriage with Inafay, however, she began regarding him with a wry amusement. He regretted bringing it up and stumbled through the rest. Why had he mindlessly started talking about that part? Somehow he''d gotten caught up in the story and forgotten who he was talking to.


    Once he finished, Juray shook her head. "You really are a bit slow about these things, aren''t you?"


    "What is that supposed to mean?" Her tone was beginning to make him irritable, but he tried to swallow the emotion. "Surely you''re not telling me that Inafay actually meant the opposite? Because, even if there were hints, that''s just not fair. If Inafay was interested in me, she should have-"


    "I wasn''t talking about Inafay."


    His irritation dissolved into disbelief. Surely she couldn''t have just implied...? But though Kai was no master of social interaction, it was hard to misinterpret the look that Juray was giving him. And while he tried to swallow his tongue, she reached out to lay her hand over his.


    "Don''t you ever want to just rest for a while, Kai? You haven''t been impolite about it, but I''ve seen you look at me. Oh, don''t blush. If bluntness is what you need, let me be blunt. We may not have a relationship, but I care about you. Is that enough?"


    "But I..." Her hand was incredibly soft atop his and he was suddenly aware how alone they were together. "I''m the exact opposite of everything you said you wanted. I can''t give you any of that. If anything, I''m more likely to die young than the average hunter."


    "Kai... I''m not asking you if you want to grow old together, I''m asking if you''d like to stay with me."


    Swallowing painfully, Kai found that his head had been turned into a soup of emotions. At first all he managed to do was squeeze her hand back, then he finally stumbled onto words. "I don''t, uh, I don''t really know what I''m doing. I mean, I did a few things when I was younger, but I''ve spent almost all my time training."


    "Oh, I''ve noticed." Juray leaned closer and kissed him briefly on the cheek before she moved on to close her shop window. "This isn''t a trial or a test of skill, Kai. Please relax."


    "But there are so many things that... uh, do you have a potion for, uh, children? I know that''s important, so..."


    "What kind of incompetent Herbalist do you take me for?" Juray tapped a case of small white cloves on her way to lock the door. "These things are a significant percentage of my income."


    "Oh... well... oh." Kai realized that he was babbling like an idiot but his mind was having trouble adjusting to the fact that this was actually happening. Did people just decide this sort of thing? Even though he had no idea what he was doing, he felt as though it would be wrong to start this way. "Juray... I''m bad with this sort of thing, but I do really admire you. I''ve always enjoyed spending time together. So I... I hope..."


    She interrupted his words with a kiss, this one not on the cheek. That afternoon, Kai learned that sometimes it was okay to do things he wasn''t trained for.

 Chapter 39: A New Mood

    As Kai walked through town, he tried not to skip like a love-struck idiot. It took some actual discipline, because his mood was fantastic.


    From the way veterans complained at the bar, he''d gotten the impression that sex automatically made relationships complicated and messy. Everyone was either gripped by the truest love in all history or bitterly complaining about their partners. But so far, being with Juray had been... simple. There was a casual intimacy that hadn''t been present before, but otherwise they still respected one another and worked on potions together. One very major thing was different, of course, but that seemed to leave them both happy.


    With that relationship buoying his spirits, Kai had finally pushed through a number of tasks he''d been putting off. He''d taken the jeweled dagger from the smugglers to a weapons dealer and confirmed that, yes, it was simply an expensive dagger. Kai wasn''t even surprised. He had gotten about fifty Eagles from the sale, and combined with the other items he''d recovered, he had over three hundred. Hardly a fortune, but enough to buy some of the magical items that top clan members received.


    Not that he would, when there were so many other potential needs. Being in a relationship with Juray didn''t grant him free supplies, but they did spend more time working on her Class potions. Using them, he''d been able to delve deeper and confirm, once and for all, that his Laborer Class didn''t hold any other secrets.


    Knowing that for certain was freeing in a way. He''d resolved to completely ignore it going forward and focus on what he could control. All his training over the past weeks had been paying off.


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 59


    Laborer Class: 11 (9)


    Physique Level: F-2 (34)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    ???: ???


    ???: ???


    >


    When he''d passed the ninth stage of Laborer, instead of evolving into a new form, it had begun granting him less overall power. Even though Physique improvement was supposed to slow substantially in the F rank, he''d still gone up two levels, which put him ahead of many of the adult hunters he saw.


    Most strikingly, a Soul Level of 4 was higher than all but the serious veterans. He was fairly certain that it would never increase without more fights with his life on the line, so he didn''t expect it to rise while he was in Monskon City. Though he had a few plans for how to potentially increase it without unnecessary risk, those were still in the works.


    Overall, he didn''t feel useless anymore. He might not be able to fight the elites, and in ten years Inafay would probably be far beyond him, but he wasn''t weak. If there was really an attack, he would be able to save significant numbers of people from monsters.


    Memories of the beast in the Frontier slithered through his mind and Kai''s good mood temporarily faltered. If there was a true monster incursion like Gunjin feared...


    For now, there was no reason to think about that. It was still some time until the next expected incursion, which wasn''t predicted to be an overwhelming one. That gave him plenty of time to improve himself further.


    Aside from his continued training, his primary goal was to find another source of power. Despite others warning him against it, he was seriously considering a trip to the Krysal City States. Power might come down to money there, but if he could somehow acquire their crystals, there was no way fate could reject him. It was just a matter of finding a chance that was an opportunity instead of pure recklessness.


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    Tempting as it was to go back to visit Juray again, Kai was instead going outside the city to meet two burly men. He didn''t exactly have an alliance with the Tonjin brothers, but he suspected they were willing to meet with him. Since he already had ways to find opportunities in the upper and middle tiers of the city, he needed to explore the lowest as well.


    Eventually he found them in the same bar where they''d met before, Lofgan with a huge tankard of beer and Raghi with mug of mulberry wine. They smiled when they saw him, but Lofgan started the conversation gruffly.


    "Fhazi is mad at you. Thought you should know."


    "Why is he mad at me?" Kai gestured for a small beer and sat down at the side of the table between them. "I don''t think I''ve even seen him in weeks."


    "Apparently he was sweet on Inafay." Lofgan shrugged broadly, though it was hard for him to shrug in any other way. "Most rumors say she just hires you as a practice dummy, but he has his own ideas."


    "Not really ''sweet on her,'' " Raghi said into his mug. "Wants to fuck, more like."


    "And I don''t blame him! But obviously she''s not going to pay attention to the little bastard."


    Once that conversation might have made Kai uncomfortable, but now he found himself remarkably nonchalant. Instead of worrying about Fhazi any more, he turned the conversation toward the brothers and their current efforts at training.


    Both of them had reached G-8, which he''d been able to tell at a glance, and felt like they were slowing down. Apparently men their size were only given strength-based techniques, which eventually led to bottlenecks in power. Kai was able to share a few suggestions with them in return for the Lantrian clan''s best training methods for raw strength.


    A more unexpected problem was that they were both slowing in their Class development. Prodigies like Inafay expected to hit Level 25 at minimum, but apparently average warriors only got significant help to 10 and usually stalled out in the teens. It made sense from a cynical perspective, since the power from their Class was enough to make a significant difference, but more would result in diminishing returns.


    "Our best chance was the Hunter Trials," Raghi said morosely.


    Kai lowered his drink enough to speak. "The enhancement scrolls were what you needed?"


    "Yeah. But those were only for a few of the best. We never had much of a chance."


    "There''s the brawl, maybe." Lofgan spoke up, then immediately looked like he regretted it. The brothers glanced at one another as if they hadn''t wanted to bring up the subject, so Kai pounced.


    "What brawl is this?" he asked lightly.


    The two traded monosyllabic attempts at dodging the question, but couldn''t get away with it. Kai eventually persuaded them to tell him everything: apparently the "Brawl" was an underground fighting tournament hosted by one of the smaller families looking to increase their status. They were offering prizes usually only available from the stronger clans, but inviting less famous hunters, hoping to poach them from other organizations.


    That had been exactly the sort of thing Kai had been hoping to learn about. The Tonjin brothers also knew about black markets and a monster fighting arena that sounded truly fascinating, but the Brawl was the event happening soonest. Kai badgered them into giving him the information and planned to attend.


    Three days later, he walked through a run-down part of the lower city where he''d rarely visited. His mood was still excellent, and he was curious how well he could do in the informal tournament. Because it took place in a single day, he thought that his stamina would give him an edge, plus he had a healing potion from Juray in his pouch. The scrolls the brothers cared about wouldn''t do him any good, but there were rumors of other prizes, even Krysali crystals.


    He arrived at an unmarked building, where two guards frowned at him but led him to a hidden door in back. Their Power was only around 25, which didn''t suggest the level of the tournament was particularly high, so his optimism dialed up just a little more.


    On the other side of the door, he found himself in what he could only describe as an unusually large alleyway. The nearest buildings had enormous overhangs that almost brushed up against the city wall itself, leaving a shaded space underneath. From above, the enclosed space would be entirely invisible, but it contained a combat circle and even some rough stands for people to watch.


    Immediately he looked for the Tonjin brothers, who were easy to spot due to their size. When they saw him, both immediately looked aghast. Lofgan made some sort of wild gesture of warning, while Raghi mouthed something that Kai couldn''t quite make out.


    "Not you too?" Fhazi shoved someone out of the way to emerge from between them. "I should have known you''d be here, Kai."


    Both brothers lowered their heads, faces dulling to simpleminded bodyguards.


    "These two idiots thought they could fight without me knowing and win treasures that would just be wasted on them." The Lantrian scion pulled on his gloves. "Grandfather says that it has to be allowed, but that doesn''t mean we''re going to let you win."


    Even this development couldn''t ruin Kai''s mood, but before he could say anything, others began shouting from the ring. The fighting was already beginning.

 Chapter 40: The Lower City Tournament

    No one actually explained the rules of the tournament clearly, which struck Kai as a terrible idea. There were currently a group of men and women flailing in the ring: all of them had at least G-1 Physique, but otherwise they weren''t very impressive. Judging from context, he thought that this was an elimination round, sorting out who would actually get into the tournament brackets.


    Otherwise, just about everything seemed to be legal. Lots of people got whacked in the crotch or poked in the eyes, and there were no serious injuries only because the fighters weren''t very good at violence. Some had weapons, but no blades. Breaking bones didn''t seem to matter, but in the second melee, he saw someone get disqualified for a blow to the head that left a man unconscious. The limits seemed poorly defined.


    Fhazi pushed his way into the next round, and though his blows were a bit rough, his Grandfist Class sent everyone flying. He ordered the Tonjin brothers to take the next entry rounds one at a time, making sure that all three of them got into the final brackets. No doubt he thought that improved his chances, since he would be taking their rewards.


    Since there weren''t many qualifying rounds left, Kai considered his strategy. A bow had been a good idea when he was fighting monsters, but now there was no way of using it without seriously injuring someone, if not killing them. He''d have to fight with his fists.


    When the bell was rung for the next round, to great shouting from the crowd, Kai stepped into the ring. Only one of the others struck him as a possible threat: a woman with an Irregular Class that put her above the others. She would be his first target.


    She seemed to be aiming for him too, swinging a club wildly. Kai grabbed her wrists and her arm, then used his leverage to hurl her into the rest of the crowd. Fully a third of them tumbled out of the ring, disqualified. Some of the others didn''t notice, still struggling with one another, so Kai picked up a heavier man and tossed him out as well.


    It worked as well as he''d hoped: the fact that he was casually lifting and chucking adults intimidated the others without hurting anyone. Soon everyone else had either retreated or been tossed out, so Kai made it into one of the tournament slots.


    "Alright, wait for us to make the bracket!" A grubby man who seemed to be in charge called to everyone, which set off a rush of food vendors, gamblers, and more.


    The bracket looked like a single elimination tournament with thirty-two contestants, drawn in cheap chalk on the city wall. Instead of bothering with names, they just used colored circles stuck to the wall. One of the tournament workers slapped a circle onto Kai''s chest, where it stuck to his clothes with some sort of glue.


    Before all the positions were taken, however, Fhazi slipped beside the man in charge. It looked like money exchanged hands, then the shuffling of the circles changed. There was no proof, of course, but when the bracket was finally placed on the wall, Kai strongly suspected that it wasn''t a purely random one.


    While the first sloppy fights began, Kai examined the chalk lines and tried to predict Fhazi''s plan. It actually wasn''t a bad scheme. It looked like Kai would be up against people he didn''t know for the first two rounds, then Lofgan Tonjin would be his third opponent, assuming they both won their matches. The cleverer part was, if the rounds were fought in order, Kai would immediately have to fight Fhazi afterward. Despite his arrogance, Fhazi was smart enough to soften him up with his bodyguard first.


    Raghi Tonjin was on the opposite side of the bracket, either randomly or to try to win more awards. Presuming they both won all their matches, they would meet in the final round of the tournament. Kai wasn''t sure how likely that was, given this kind of informal street brawl.


    Though the crowds seemed excited to see people beating on each other, Kai found the first rounds disappointing. Nearly every fight had a clear winner, the Tonjin brothers finishing with particular ease. Fhazi used his Class freely, breaking a man''s leg. He was probably just a local tough who couldn''t afford the healing, and the broken leg might ruin his life.


    For his part, Kai had no trouble. His first fight was effortless, then for his second he was pleasantly surprised to go up against a Novice Icecaster. He waited to let the man hit him, but the shards of ice splintered off his skin harmlessly. Kai had been braced for a minor injury, but the blow felt shockingly weak compared to Inafay.


    All of that meant that the remainder of the tournament would be against Fhazi and his scheme. While the remaining fights concluded, Kai looked over at the young noble and tried to keep his expression neutral.


    When it came time for his third fight against Lofgan, Kai set aside thoughts and focused fully on the match. He ignored the smooth stone beneath his feet and tuned out the screaming crowds. Lofgan entered the ring slowly, cracking his knuckles on both hands. To anyone without spiritual sight in the crowd, it would certainly look like a one-sided match.


    The bell rang, and Lofgan charged at him immediately.


    Kai easily dodged aside from the wide sweep, but then Lofgan stopped playing the fool. He didn''t draw back for another blow, just charged straight into him. His momentum forced Kai a couple steps back, dangerously close to the edge of the ring. Smart. Lofgan knew that Kai''s Physique would give him an advantage, so he wanted to end the match quickly.


    In theory, the smart thing to do would be to use his old wrestling training to throw Lofgan past him and out of the ring. But finishing the match that way would just humiliate the man, and Kai couldn''t bring himself to do that. Instead, he set his feet and began pushing back.


    Lofgan roared in his face, exerting all his muscles, but he could only hold Kai back temporarily. Step by step, they struggled back across the ring. Kai''s muscles burned, yet the mana kept flowing in. Even if Lofgan could punch above his Physique''s weight, Kai had been training his strength for just as long, and the end was inevitable.


    "Good match." Kai didn''t push further when he finally forced Lofgan over the edge. The larger man smiled briefly, but then winced. Kai understood a moment later when he returned to Fhazi for berating.


    Another bell, even faster than the usual rounds. The tournament runner had definitely been bribed, as he announced the next match swiftly and Fhazi leapt into the ring. He was already drawing on his Class, holding nothing back. That much mana would kill the average fighter in this tournament.


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    <


    Name: Fhazi Lantrian


    Total Power: 26


    Grandfist Class: 2 (12)


    Physique Level: G-3 (8)


    Soul Level: 1 (1)


    Advanced Armor (5)


    >


    Once again, Kai considered the smart path and decided against it. More than any rewards, he wanted the chance to test himself against real opponents. Since this street tournament didn''t include very many, he needed to take the chances he could get. Instead of striking Fhazi quickly, while he was off guard, Kai held his ground and let him attack first.


    Several punches flew at him, shockwaves rippling through the air. Kai managed to dodge around each, holding back from retaliating to get a better sense for Fhazi''s style. Though the young Lantrian was pompous, he wasn''t incompetent. He''d had some combat training and had progressed in his Physique since the Trials. Unless Kai-


    The next punch came much too close and Kai tried to deflect it with a forearm. Instantly a shockwave of pain raced up his arm. He''d underestimated just how heavily the mana would hit: Fhazi might be a fool, but all his clan''s resources had managed to evolve his Class. As far as he''d come, Kai couldn''t be careless with Class-bearing opponents.


    "Look, your arm is already half-broken!" Fhazi pointed at the hanging limb and sneered. "How much will it cost you to heal that? Do you make that much in a year?"


    Kai grabbed Fhazi''s pointing arm, pulled him off balance, and then kicked him in the chest hard enough to throw him out of the ring.


    The crowds clapped and cheered as Fhazi flopped over the stone several times. No doubt he had earned no friends with that kind of boasting, since the majority of them were poor themselves. For several seconds Fhazi looked shocked, staring down at the massive dent in his armor. Without it, the kick might well have caved in his chest.


    "You..." Fhazi lurched back to his feet and pushed through the shock. "That''s a cheap move! Because you''re afraid, aren''t you? No matter how hard you work, just one hit from a real Class will finish you!"


    Before Kai could think of a suitable response, someone threw a piece of fruit at Fhazi''s head. He flinched back and retreated to the Tonjin brothers, whose immense size kept anyone from troubling him further. Instead of saying anything else, he sulked by the side of the ring, presumably hoping that Raghi could win the tournament for him.


    Until then, Kai had a while to rest. He massaged his forearm and saw that a surprising amount of skin had been torn open, plus the rest had turned an ugly purple. Part of Kai wanted to keep fighting with that handicap, but he changed his mind when he saw Raghi staring at him. No, he''d take this seriously, so he drank his new potion and let it do its work so he''d be prepared for the second Tonjin brother.


    But Raghi lost his semifinal round.


    His opponent was a grim middle-aged woman with short-cropped hair. She hadn''t particularly attracted Kai''s attention in previous rounds, since she''d won in ordinary ways. Against Raghi, she revealed a quarterstaff that looked to be made from Irunian metal. Her Class was just a low Warrior, but each blow seemed to send a shock through Raghi''s system, and in the end she battered him out of the ring.


    As much as he wanted to test her and give the crowd a good final fight, Kai decided that the risk was too high. Her ability might be able to pierce his Physique, and her skill with the quarterstaff was nothing to sneer at. Bringing anything other than his best would be a mistake.


    "And now we have the final round!" The organizer of the tournament waved his hands gleefully. "Brute strength against experience and skill! Who will win everything our benefactors have assembled? Need I remind you of these treasures? A wondrous healing potion, a suit of beautiful Irunian armor, and no fewer than three scrolls of enhancement!"


    Kai and his opponent walked into the ring from opposite sides through the cheers. Kai tried to ignore the fact that he was being called a brute and instead hopped back and forth, shifting his weight. He wasn''t fighting an unknown opponent, he imagined he was up against Inafay. She was summoning her full power and she would blow him away, unless he managed to strike first.


    The bell rang and he lunged with a snarl.


    His fist hit the woman''s throat and he felt something crunch. In an instant, Kai went from ferocious to horrified.


    The woman clutched at her throat, struggling to breathe as she sank to the ground. Her quarterstaff fell slowly, its ringing against the stone loud in the silence. Then there came a violent chorus of cheers, jeers, and profanity, but Kai barely heard any of it.


    "Give me the potion!" He thrust his hand at the tournament organizer, who stared at him in shock. "That''s one of the prizes I just won, right? Give it to me!"


    With trembling fingers, the man handed him an elaborate spiral glass. Kai practically tore off the top as he bent down beside his fallen opponent and poured the liquid down her throat. She coughed and struggled at first, then grabbed the glass with both hands. He pulled back as she began drinking from it, glad to see that her injury seemed to be healing.


    The injury he caused.


    That feeling when he''d crushed her throat was still burned into his mind, the sensation fresh against his knuckles. It had felt horrible. Fighting against other competitors or smugglers had been one thing, but Kai had nearly just killed a woman who had done nothing but fight to improve her life.


    Instantly, he knew that this path wasn''t for him. Yes, he might be able to win future tournaments if they were all this easy, but it wasn''t worth it. His strength had always been meant to fight monsters, not harm other humans. Not that he wasn''t going to accept the rewards he''d just earned.


    As he rose, he saw Fhazi approaching him, flanked by the Tonjin brothers.


    "Are you happy now, Kai?" Fhazi started to jab a finger at his chest, then quickly withdrew his arm. "You''ve won a few weak scrolls that you can''t even use. Or are you going to sell them in the hope that you can buy yourself some miserable little shack?"


    "Go away," Kai said. In that moment, Fhazi seemed so unbelievably petty that he had no strength for it. The Lantrian scion glared at him as he departed, and one day that might come back to bite him, but for now Kai was done with all of it.


    "Alright, you''ve earned it." The grubby man running the tournament shoved the armor and the box of scrolls at him, none too gently. "You''re not welcome here again, and you''d best not try anything I run. Don''t you have enough treasures in the upper city?"


    Kai only shook his head and turned away. Before he left, there was one more detail he couldn''t leave alone. His last opponent appeared to have mostly recovered, but she leaned on her quarterstaff and rubbed her throat. When she saw his approach, she tried to evade him and he had to step into her path.


    "I didn''t mean to hit you that hard," Kai started, only for her to jab her staff at his face.


    "I don''t want your pity." Her voice rasped out and he winced, but he had to push on.


    "Look at my Class. I''m serious, do it. The clans have given me nothing, and I only wanted to win what advantage I could. But this is my last tournament here, I swear it. I don''t want to fight humans like this."


    She stared at him, and though he couldn''t feel her spiritual sight, he saw her expression shift. After rubbing her throat for a while longer, she spoke more quietly. "Then why are you bothering me?"


    "Because these prizes are worthless to me. I need a better contest, and you look like a woman who might know one." He lifted the box of scrolls in her direction. "I''d be happy to give you some of the rewards in exchange for information about-"


    "Don''t patronize me." She jabbed the box away with the tip of her staff. "What do you want?"


    "I heard there are fights against rare monsters? I don''t care if they''re illegal, I want to participate."


    "Hmph, fine." She leaned in closer and rasped several phrases into his ear. It was a mix of names he didn''t know and locations he wasn''t sure about, so he could only do his best to memorize the sounds. Once that was done, she pulled back and began walking away as quickly as possible.


    "Thank you," Kai said, keeping pace. "I''m Kai Granfian, by the way. What''s your name?"


    "No." With one last glare, she pushed into the crowd and left him behind.


    That left him standing with his rewards, the winner of the tournament. Everyone around him gave him a wide berth, and he saw more than a few fearful glances. Even though he''d accomplished his next goal by learning about the monster fights, Kai didn''t feel like he''d learned anything at all.

 Chapter 41: Glowing and Burning

    Kai lay back in Juray''s bed and just existed for a while. The warmth suffused all his muscles, which decided that they didn''t need to do anything in particular. Juray yawned and shifted against him to a more comfortable position, then lowered her head against his chest again. It might have felt nice to just stay there forever, but his other thoughts were starting to return.


    "That was satisfying, right?" he asked.


    "No, this is how I act when I''m bored." Juray mumbled the words and then nuzzled further against him.


    "I was just thinking about before... was I absolutely terrible the first time?"


    That got through her haze. Juray laughed softly and propped herself up on his chest so she could look at him. "You were very earnest. I don''t want to give you the wrong impression about me, but in my experience... the first time with a new person is always awkward. It takes time to understand one another, so it only gets better."


    "Mm. I just feel like I''ve had so much to learn..."


    "Oh, please don''t. Hunters can be just awful about that, treating intimacy like it''s a technique. As if the secret is to rub a woman''s left elbow clockwise three times, then you''ll unlock infinite pleasure. You already have the right idea just listening and being present. Don''t ruin it by bringing Classes and training into it."


    Kai chuckled and rubbed her back. "You say that, but I''m sure there''s someone out there who awakened the Humpmaster Class."


    "Keep whispering such honeyed words, mister, and you''re not going to get out of this bed." Juray flicked his forehead, but it turned into an affectionate stroke through his hair.


    He leaned up to kiss her then, and it lasted longer than he expected. But she''d reminded him that he had plenty of things to do that day, so he really couldn''t stay in bed. Juray pretended to pout as he slipped out, then stretched languorously under the sheets. Despite what they''d just been doing, the suggestion of the curves of her body through the fabric shot straight to his brain.


    Since he was trying to get his pants on, Kai quickly looked away. Only after he''d fully laced them did he turn back to her. "It''s going to be a busy day for me. What about you?"


    "More enhancement potions. I don''t mind the money, but I underestimated just how many the hunters would burn through." She stretched a moment longer, then wriggled to wrap the sheet around herself and get up. "I guess there''s nothing to do but get started, since training calls. Don''t come back this evening, because I need to talk to some Hunters Guild people, but don''t stay away too long, understand?"


    "How could I?" After getting his shirt on, Kai stepped beside her and kissed her cheek. "You''re beautiful."


    "Hey, it''s not my ego I want you to stroke." She gave him one more lazy smile, then tottered off in her sheet to get to work.


    While Juray always seemed to start off slow, Kai left the afterglow filled with energy. He felt like he could climb a mountain just for the fun of it. Once he''d gotten his boots and bow, he headed out into Monskon City to return to work.


    After the tournament had troubled him, he''d thrown himself into training for a while and then returned to Juray. In a strange sense, both had been comforting. Now he still regretted some of what had happened during the Brawl, but he accepted it. What mattered was how he moved on.


    That would start with evaluating what he had been given. The suit of Irunian armor was too tight for him and wouldn''t offer that much protection anyway since his mana couldn''t make good use of its inherent power. Selling it in the market would have lost too much of its value, so he searched out hunters until he found a man with a Knight Class who was willing to buy it for three hundred Eagles.


    In a stroke he''d nearby doubled the amount of money he had on hand, yet that barely registered to him. The real reward from the tournament had been the three scrolls of enhancement, which still sat in their case. He had them evaluated for a small fee and discovered that they weren''t quite as powerful as those offered after the Hunter Trials, but could still fetch over a thousand Eagles each. That kind of money would completely change the life of most people.


    And yet, the merchant who bought the scrolls would be able to turn around and sell them for even more. They were technically useless to him, since they would only strengthen his Laborer Class, yet he couldn''t bear to let them go for simple money. He didn''t have a plan to use them yet, but he hoped he would find some way to use them as leverage.


    There had been more that he planned to do, but Kai realized that it was almost time to meet Inafay. He sprinted across the city to their next destination, which no longer winded him. They''d begun meeting outside the second wall and so far none of the other clan hunters had bothered them.


    When he arrived, she sprang up with a grin that immediately faded. "You alright?"


    "I''ve just been through a lot." Kai didn''t want to tell her about much of what had happened, but he definitely wanted to get her opinion on one issue. "I fought in a small tournament in the lower city, and it was odd. Killing wasn''t allowed, of course, so my bow was useless to me. I have ordinary swords, but I''m thinking I need something better for close quarters combat."


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    "And, in all the fighting you''ve done, nothing has jumped out to you?"


    "Not really. I know some warriors say that a certain weapon just speaks to them, but..."


    "Well, something is speaking to me!" Inafay bashed her gauntlets together as she sometimes did, but then removed one of them and tossed it at his chest. "There''s a reason I picked gauntlets before I even awakened my Class. You can use them for striking, obviously, but even if you end up using another skill or weapon, they can still serve you as armor."


    "I don''t know." Kai looked over the glove carefully. "I just gave up some Irunian armor because I don''t think it would have worked for me."


    "But that was ordinary steel, right? You still have two weapon spheres, unless you got up to adventures and never told me about them. Those would be exceptionally well-suited to gauntlets. That liquid metal can make a perfectly articulated gauntlet, and then you''d have an option for melee combat. A non-lethal option, too."


    "I''m beginning to come around to the idea, but to use the weapon sphere, I need to be able to picture the result clearly. Gauntlets are probably more complex than I know, so it might end up useless."


    "Then follow me!" Inafay turned to go, then immediately pivoted back. "Wait, no, you probably don''t have the spheres with you. You grab those, I''ll get something from home, and we''ll meet back here. Go!"


    Their plans for the day were apparently thrown out, faster than Kai would have liked. However, as he ran back across the city, he decided that the logic was sound. The bow would serve him well against monsters while the gauntlets would balance it. He still had the third weapon sphere, so later if he decided on the perfect weapon for him, he could use the gauntlets as armor like she''d suggested.


    When he returned with the second weapon sphere, Inafay was already back, looking through several papers. She eagerly showed him diagrams that he recognized as her gauntlets, just laid out in more detail. But, as she cheerfully explained, the fact that he was using Irunian steel meant that he could try for more elaborate features. Apparently it was possible for the gauntlets to have a blade atop the fist that could be retracted, for lethal or nonlethal strikes.


    Everything had gone too fast, but Inafay was already impatient, so Kai fixed the gauntlet in his mind and tried to bring it forth. He''d been afraid that the sphere would somehow refuse him after so long, but it quickly expanded into exactly the gauntlets he''d expected.


    "These fit perfectly." He turned one hand from side to side, admiring how well the steel matched his hand. In full armor he felt like his hands were trapped inside a plate, but the gauntlets were practically like a second skin.


    "Great!" Inafay pumped a fist. "Now flip your wrist! Do it!"


    After several tries, Kai figured out the trick of making the blades on the back of the gauntlet expand and retract. Not a gesture that he was likely to do in normal combat, but easy enough. This would expand what he could do significantly.


    "Now, how can you get gauntlets and not want to punch something? I volunteer!"


    They tried something like their normal training with their remaining time, particularly speed strikes. It took Kai some time to adjust to using the gauntlets, so Inafay had the upper hand for most of the day, but he gradually adjusted. By the end, he was a bit battered but he felt good about his decision.


    Once on his own, Kai aggressively threw himself into his personal training routine. He did it entirely in the gauntlets and was surprised how little they chafed or disrupted his movements. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm made him finish earlier than he''d planned, so he ended up recovering and wondering what to do next.


    Ordinarily he might have returned to Juray, but she had specifically said she would be busy. Well, there was another loose end still unpulled. Kai carefully remembered what the quarterstaff user had told him, then began traveling to that part of the city. It was a little early, but he could work on mana techniques while he waited.


    He soon found himself in a shady part of town, one where the surly woman would have been right at home. No hunters on the street, at least not official ones. The Tonjin brothers had once told him this part of town could be dangerous, especially for outsiders. Kai was beginning to wonder if he was too outsider for the place when he finally found the building that had been described.


    There, he asked after the name she''d given him. An old man with a jagged scar running across his bald skull emerged to stare at him. And apparently only to stare, because he said nothing.


    "I was told that I could find monster fights here," Kai said. The old man immediately scowled.


    "The fights are for trainees who need to shed some blood, or for important people who want to see blood shed. Look at you... F-rank Physique, Soul Level 4... you''d just slaughter the monsters we worked so hard to catch. No amount of money is worth the hassle."


    "If I wanted to fight random monsters, I could just go back into the wasteland." Though he was out of his depth, Kai still felt confidence surging through him, so he folded his arms and stared right back at the old man. "I thought you''d have something dangerous for me. A challenge."


    The scarred man stroked his stubbled chin several times, a smile forming. "You''re crazy, but not so weak that it would be suicide. I might be able to arrange something, on one condition."


    "What is it?"


    "You fight one of my lost causes. A monster that was captured a while ago, but I''ve never been able to make a profit from. If it kills you, maims you, ruins your life... you don''t get to complain. If you agree to fight and give a good show, I might be able to arrange something for you."


    "Same question as before. What would I be fighting?"


    "Have you ever heard of an Isulfr?" When Kai shook his head, the old man gave an unpleasant chuckle. "It''s somewhere between a wolf and a snake, and it''s a nasty customer. One was captured during the last incursion, but it''s not just a monster... something is wrong with it. Something foul. You can take your time deciding, because you won''t be able to run away later."


    "We''ll talk later. Give me one month." Kai knew that he should do more research first, so he didn''t fully commit, but part of him was already sure that he was going to fight this Isulfr.


    The way the old man had spoken about something foul... Kai found himself instantly sure that it was the same taint that had infected the monster on the Frontier. Instead of scaring him, he found himself wanting to face that horror again.


    In the wasteland or in an arena, it didn''t matter. It was only a matter of time.

 Chapter 42: What Training Means

    So began one of the most intense months of training in Kai''s life. He''d always worked hard, but now that he had gathered so much information about different training schedules, he could prepare something far more extensive.


    When Juray or Inafay asked, he said that it was to prepare for fighting stronger monsters. That was partially true, since he felt certain that it posed a massive threat. But truthfully, when he was pushing himself past the breaking point, it was for his own sake. Now that he was content with leaving his Class behind, he needed to put everything on the line and prove that he could succeed without it.


    Still most of a year until the monster incursion, if the predictions were correct. Kai gave himself a month for this rumored monster and got to work as if the incursion would happen then.


    In all the time he had been avoiding the Granfian training yards, or working around Inafay''s schedule, or talking to the Tonjin brothers, Kai had gotten a very clear sense for exactly how much work everyone put in. Despite all the differences, there were common threads.


    Every hunter trainee spent at least four hours in the practice yard, but as he''d seen during his own training, too many treated it like a game. It was time to socialize and show off a few tricks, not drive themselves to their limits. By contrast, the serious hunters in the Granfian clan worked hard at least eight hours a day: two hours each on physical conditioning, combat training, Class development, and study.


    To his surprise, not every clan divided their work so evenly. The scions of the Orgoron clan spent a full four hours a day developing their Class, with four other hours divided between exercise, sparring, study, and social etiquette. He''d been scornful of the final section at first, but far more went into social etiquette than he had expected. Fully trained Orgoron hunters could negotiate deals with warriors, merchants, or nobles anywhere across the Frontier.


    From his time traveling with Tusquo, Kai knew that Irunians on the Path of Steel would spend half their day training their specific martial skills, two hours on exercise, and two on their national abilities. Tusquo himself put in several additional hours of pure combat practice as well as advanced training combining the Path of Steel with exercises.


    Kai hadn''t been able to learn the full schedules of all Corinin clan members, but he had a strong idea of Inafay''s training routine. Her clan demanded that she spend three hours developing her Class, two on exercise and sparring, and one on etiquette. She additionally put in at least four more hours of her own time on wildly varying training, from Physique development to specific skills.


    Not everything came down to hours worked. The Tonjin brothers were generally relegated to the role of thugs by the Lantrian clan: instead of Class-focused training like their primary hunters, the brothers were given a full four hours of physical training, with only single hours dedicated to sparring and Class development. But those four hours included methods for physical strength and stamina that he''d seen nowhere else, so he eagerly incorporated them.


    When planning his schedule, Kai decided to do absolutely everything.


    He woke up before dawn and began with two hours of the physical conditioning that had always begun his day. When the other hunters began to arrive at the training yard, he would leave to join the Tonjin brothers and participate in the final and most grueling two hours of their strength training. Once all of that had exhausted him, he would go to the Hunters Guild and spar with any veteran who would fight him for an hour.


    Originally he''d wanted to work straight through the day, but after five hours of constant work he noticed that his improvements waned. So he had reluctantly accepted a break in the middle of his day, eating a full meal and letting his body recover. Since he had six hundred Goralian Eagles sitting unused, he spent some of them buying potions from Juray that would help his recovery time and strengthen his Physique.


    While that recovery process was ongoing, he pushed himself through two hours of pure mana training. He no longer wasted any time on his Class, but he performed many of the same exercises the clan scions used to develop their souls. If his progress ever slowed there, he could trade in practice with his spiritual sight, Class mana isolation, or other secondary skills.


    Once his body was completely restored, he would leave the city to venture into the wilderness and fight as many monsters as he could find. So close to the city, he couldn''t always find enough targets, but it gave him some real experience and the monster cores partially reduced all his other costs. In between the monsters, he worked on his survival skills.


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    After two or more hours of that, he would return to the city exhausted and bleeding. The next portion of his day was a bit of a wildcard, sometimes training with Inafay or sometimes fighting against anyone who was willing to use their Class against him. He wasn''t sure how much it was strengthening him, but he knew that his body was getting used to the pain of mana slamming into it over and over.


    Once that was done, he''d join Juray for two less structured evening hours. By that point he was starving, and they often ended up in bed together, but often it was just talking or relaxing in one another''s presence. When she didn''t want his attention, he''d read books from the Granfian library, searching for new techniques or studying encyclopedias of monsters.


    Juray said that she wouldn''t accept such a demanding schedule from a husband, but she smiled when she said it.


    After Juray settled into her night routine, Kai would return to the training yard, which had been abandoned by everyone else, and eke out the last drops of his potential. Depending on how difficult the day had been, it would take one or two hours for him to collapse and then drag himself back to bed, only to repeat it all again the following day.


    By the end of the month, he wouldn''t have a clue which fork he was supposed to use with clan leaders, but he''d have a much better chance of stabbing them to death with it.


    Was all of it enough? He could never really be sure. During some of his study periods, he attempted to track down reports of a monster called an Isulfr at the Hunters Guild. The name wasn''t on the official lists, but there were reports of strange monsters that appeared during incursions that matched what the old man had described. After pinpointing several entries that seemed similar, Kai studied them as well as he could.


    Most likely, the perfect information he needed was only available at the Frontier. But for all his ambition, Kai knew there were certain things that were impossible. He wouldn''t be able to gain anything from the Frontier unless he succeeded at everything he was attempting.


    One advantage of working himself so hard was that he never ran into Fhazi or Hannagan Lantrian. If Fhazi never saw him, his vendetta would cool down, and Hannagan couldn''t call him weak and then complain about his training. The days were grueling, yet surprisingly peaceful. It was never the life he had dreamed of, but it was a good life.


    Near the end of the month, Juray presented him with a flask that he''d nearly forgotten: she had completed his second request after the Hunter Trials. Actually, she had completed the request a long time ago, but she had been working on enhancing it. Normally he received no supplies for free as her partner, because that wasn''t their relationship, but she jokingly said that he deserved the improved potion for serving as her test subject.


    When it came time to attempt the monster fights, Kai took that flask along with him. Given the old man''s behavior, there was a chance that the Isulfr would mortally wound him. He wanted to win, but if it came to the worst, Juray''s flask should keep him alive and let him come out the other end stronger.


    Along the way, he turned his spiritual gaze inward to check his progress.


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 63


    Laborer Class: 11 (9)


    Physique Level: F-4 (38)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    ???: ???


    ???: ???


    >


    It might not be dramatic, but he was proud of having increased his Physique by two steps. There were veteran hunters who went years to increase it by one, or never went beyond F-0. Hopefully that would be enough.


    Going to the monster arena was the one thing he''d never told his friends about, and Kai wasn''t sure exactly why. Maybe because it was foolish or they''d try to talk him out of it. Something about putting himself up against such a powerful beast felt personal. He''d nearly died against several dangerous monsters and they would be the ultimate standard against which all his progress was measured.


    He retraced his steps to find the old man, but was instead met by several shady hunters who escorted him out of the city. Not failed hunters or Irregular Classes, either: full hunters with Power between 50 and 100. The tension in his body began to increase as they traveled, especially as they barely said a word to him.


    In the end they reached a pit instead of a building. A varied audience sat on the upper levels, divided by fences from the lowest area. He could see several tunnels leading into the sides of the pit, as if it had once been some sort of mine. Most tunnels had been converted to pens and he could see monsters prowling within. More than anything else he had done, this was truly breaking the rules of Monskon City: monsters were to be exterminated, not used for entertainment.


    Kai told himself that it was fine because he was coming to kill them. Truth be told, though, he was growing eager for the fight.


    He''d given himself one day without physical training to make sure that his body was fully recovered. Was that enough? There was a strange density to his muscles and he honestly wasn''t sure whether it was strain or weariness or injury. After so long being accustomed to pain and exhaustion, it was strange to feel so normal.


    Then, as he was escorted toward the lowest level, the air began to tremble. He hadn''t felt that sensation since he''d been at the Frontier and his eyes were inexorably drawn toward one of the largest tunnels.


    The Isulfr lurked in the darkness, utterly still.

 Chapter 43: The Monster Pit

    "You came after all." The old man scratched at the scar across his scalp. "When you said a month, I figured you would run off."


    "Why run off?" Kai pretended that he couldn''t feel the monster warping the world from across the pit and just smiled. "All I''ve gotten from you is promises about how dangerous this creature is supposed to be."


    "Oh, trust me, you''ll get the challenge you want. But we can''t start with that, and you agreed to participate in the entire event."


    "Then can you explain the exact rules? I don''t like how everyone seems to understand these underground events except me."


    "What do you think this is, the Hunter Trials?" The old man snorted and then jerked his chin toward the audience surrounding the pit. "The only rules are that we draw things out, get the people to make a lot of bets. I''d prefer it if I didn''t lose any hunters or monsters, since it really costs to replace them, but since the people like to see some blood..."


    Other than showing him where to sit, the old man didn''t give him any further information. It looked like he had a wide group of fighters, only some of them officially hunters. They all sat together on a lower ledge opposite the crowd, where it was only a short jump down to the bottom of the pit.


    "Ladies and gentlemen!" The person calling out wasn''t the old owner, but instead a handsome man in a golden tunic. "We have for you today another showcase of skill and savagery! Do you dare witness the wrath of the Frontier? Will you cheer for our brave hunters? Who will triumph, and who will fall in the pit?"


    He went on, clearly intending to hype up the audience, but Kai stopped listening. The only relevant question for him was how the real monetary goal of the event would affect the challenges he faced. Judging from what the old man had said, he wanted to hook the audience and drain their money by giving them a show.


    As the event finally started, a few of the weaker hunters were sent down into the pit. They had Power in the high single digits, but less training than he''d had when he entered the Hunter Trials. So, even though the twisted dogs they faced were among the weakest of monsters, they struggled to win. That might have been the point, given how the crowds cheered.


    Kai had to suppress his instinct to jump in and finish things. These weren''t fools, just citizens trying to make the best of what they had. He kept himself in place with the thought that this was at least a safer environment for them to gain combat experience than out in the wastelands.


    Vendors were beginning to distribute food and alcohol. One walked through the hunters'' section and Kai almost took some bread before realizing he''d need to pay exorbitant prices. So that was another way to drain the money of the audience. He didn''t understand why people this poor were willing to pay extra for bread when they could bake better in the slums.


    There didn''t seem to be much rhyme or reason to the events, other than the handsome man always trying to make them sound more exciting than they actually were. Kai was inclined to ignore him, but ended up watching more closely. He noticed that the announcer occasionally looked to the scarred old man, who gave subtle hand signals, and then smoothly switched what he was saying.


    Before he could watch too long, Kai was suddenly pushed toward the pit. The announcer wasn''t talking about him, but apparently he had been signaled in some way. When Kai hopped down to the bottom, he realized that he had been sent alone.


    Instead of focusing on the crazed crowds all around him, Kai just tested the ground with his boots and looked for any obstacles that weren''t obvious from above. Nothing remarkable, just a few rough patches and a jagged outcropping that blocked off part of the pit from the rest. As the others began to winch open the gate that held the monstrous dogs, Kai flexed his gauntlets and then held his bow in position.


    It looked like they were releasing half a dozen dogs against him alone. That suggested that the old man wanted something fundamentally different from this fight. The best strategy would be to shoot each monster as it came out of the gate, but Kai had a feeling no one else would be happy with that.


    Instead, he let them emerge and begin moving as a pack around him. Kai waited until they were just about to charge, then loosed his first arrow directly into the leader, scattering them.


    The rest of the fight was all show and no strategy. He spun with unnecessary flourishes to hit random dogs with arrows while letting the others get close to him. Given how much more powerful he was than at the beginning of the Hunter Trials, he wasn''t even in any danger. When there were only two left, he shot one while letting the other ambush him from behind, then turned at the very last second and killed it with a punch to the chest that sent its body flying across the pit.


    All around him, the crowds were cheering. The old man looked less sour than usual, which was probably good. But as he climbed back up the side to the hunter area, Kai noticed something strange.


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    One of the women sitting in the better section of the audience struck him as familiar. He didn''t know her name, but he was certain that he''d seen her either at the Hunters Guild or the upper city, possibly both. She had a full Class and a Power of over 60, so she was likely a member of one of the clans. Perhaps these fights weren''t so illegal after all, or perhaps something else was going on. Maybe if he had a fancy clan''s social etiquette training, he''d know the answer.


    After his fight, things actually got more interesting. Apparently the early stages had been to rile up the crowd and establish that monsters could be a threat before revealing the more dangerous, and likely more costly, beasts. The beasts and fighters received individual introductions now and Kai watched raptly.


    Some of the monsters were ones he''d only read about, never seen in person. There was a creature that looked like an oblong blob, silly-looking until its mouth opened and extended half-way along its body. He knew from reading that they were ambush predators who usually lived in the water, so it was at a serious disadvantage in the pit. It still nearly bit one fighter in half and had to be pushed back by the others.


    Most of these fights had about even odds, or so Kai judged. That made sense, if their goal was to earn money from bets. He did his best to both analyze the monsters and work on his spiritual sense for their strength. Mostly alpha ranks, with a few betas. Meanwhile, he noticed that every time the human side lost, the monsters were driven back into their tunnels instead of killed. No doubt the owner protecting his investment in the creatures. He might even feed the beasts or otherwise help them heal, which seemed perverse.


    A few people were seriously injured and Kai again had to restrain his impulses. It all seemed to be under control... at least until they brought out the plant.


    He was actually a bit puzzled when several workers pulled out a clay pot, the sort of thing a wealthy clan member might use to grow flowers. But instead of anything beautiful, only a twisted lump of thorns grew within. As they set it down in the center of the pit, he realized that metal wire pinned a number of vines into the irregular shape.


    Remembering the dryad, Kai did his best to examine the plant with his senses. Judging monsters was still difficult, but at least he was starting to get a coherent impression of symbols instead of abstract mana. So it couldn''t be a mana-bearing plant, it really was a monster of some kind.


    From a distance the workers undid a twist in the wire. As it fell away, the thorny vines began to writhe, tearing free of the binding wires and twisting in all directions. Some plunged into the ground around the pot while others rose into the air, poking in all directions as if expecting an attack.


    That was when things started to go wrong. Several hunters were called down to hack at the plant, trying to sever the vines that stretched toward them. They judged the maximum distance the monstrous plant could threaten, leaving them free to slowly cut it apart. The audience seemed to find that more amusing than Kai did, but even that cautious strategy left several hunters bleeding from thorny strikes. The match began to stretch on, since every time someone tried to push in further, they received multiple superficial injuries.


    Then the plant tipped itself over. Its vines burst out further than they had before, lashing into one side of the circle. One woman was caught across the face and thrown back, while a man was caught by a vine and pulled in. He screamed in agony as the vines began punching into his body over and over.


    For once the crowds went silent, experiencing monsters as horror rather than entertainment. Even the announcer failed to continue speaking. Kai decided that it was time to take a hand.


    He first shot an arrow into the heart of the plant, which seemed to have no effect. Instead, Kai drew the sword at his side. It might be ordinary Goralian steel, but it would have a lot of force behind it.


    Leaping from the upper level, Kai came down on the plant with the broadest swing he could. His blow cleaved straight through multiple vines, cutting them off from the hunters they were threatening. The severed ends flailed as if in pain while other vines plunged toward them. Even before his feet hit the ground, Kai was forced to fight a desperate defense on multiple fronts.


    Kai only managed to sever a few vines before others wrapped around his sword and tugged it from his hands. Well, two could play that game. He reached out and grasped the vines with his gauntlets, then tugged with his full strength.


    The pot flew through the air and smashed against the side of the pit with a loud crash. The vines went slack, but Kai treated the creature as a monster, not a plant. After gripping the vine at two points, he again exerted himself and jerked the entire formation into the air over his head.


    When the central bulb of the monstrous plant hit the stone, it broke apart with a loud squelch. This time, it really did go slack. As the crowds around the pit cheered, Kai examined his gauntlets and wondered if he could have managed without them. The Irunian steel was unscratched, but he had felt the points press against his hands.


    As far as he could judge, the threat from the monster was less that it was immensely powerful in terms of mana and more that it had so many limbs. Perhaps his F-rank Physique would have been able to resist the thorns, but he was still glad he had used his gauntlets.


    Workers took away the fallen vines and Kai wondered if they would be planted to be regrown. If only he had been a Flamecaster, he would have incinerated the entire thing. That monster had killed a man, but as the workers took away his body, the crowd seemed to forget. All they let him do was retrieve his arrow.


    Kai started to return to the hunter area, only for the old man to catch his eye and then shake his head.


    "You''ve seen a terrible beast, ladies and gentlemen, but worse still lurks within!" The announcer boomed over the crowd so loudly that Kai wondered if he had a Class for it. "This young man has more than proved himself, but even his strength will be challenged. For we have a special treat for you... an Isulfr, a monster born in the midst of an incursion. The speed of a serpent, the jaws of a wolf, the monster that is said to swallow the light... the Isulfr rises!"


    From the other side of the pit, metal screeched as the bars slowly rose and the world began to shiver.

 Chapter 44: The Isulfr

    All of the other monsters had rushed from their gates as soon as the bars retreated enough, but when the Isulfr''s cage opened completely, nothing emerged. Kai could feel it within, even aside from its aura distorting reality. He tried to remain calm by inventorying his weapons: he would begin with his bow and his gauntlets would be useful if it got close, but he had to assume his sword would be destroyed if he ever needed to use it.


    Finally the Isulfr crept into the light. It looked like a short serpent with four squat legs, but moved more smoothly than such a thing had any right to. An elongated head extended from its shoulders, rising up to the level of his shoulders. Instead of anything resembling a normal face, it had four red eyes set at the front of its head. No mouth at all, which contradicted what he''d read.


    Kai carefully took two arrows and nocked the first. Most likely he would only get one chance before the monster realized that he knew what it could do, so the first strike had to count. When the Isulfr took another step forward, he loosed.


    The shaft sped toward the creature''s center of mass and it immediately distorted. Instead of spiraling out of the way, its flesh retracted and then expanded, somehow knocking the shaft out of the air. Kai was taken off guard, but his instincts had already released the second shaft.


    Fortunately, this one sank deep. The Isulfr twisted its head in a circle to examine the arrow, no more than mildly curious... and then it scrambled in the other direction and began scaling the side of the pit.


    Several guards began to thrust at it with pikes, but none of them were rated higher than 20 and they didn''t have a chance. Kai immediately loosed another arrow, but this time his aim was off: the Isulfr twisted again and it knocked the arrow from its back.


    He sprinted toward it, releasing arrow after arrow as he got closer. Some of these did manage to sink in, not that they slowed it down much. By the time he arrived, he had to jump up to grab the monster''s tail. Kai braced his feet against the wall and then tugged the Isulfr backwards. Even his full strength was barely enough to dislodge it, pulling it back to slam into the stone upside-down.


    Though Kai sprang back to his feet, the Isulfr was faster. That elongated neck was twisting toward him in serpentine movements, all four eyes fixed on him... and then the head split open.


    Despite all his experience, Kai was still frozen for a moment. The monster didn''t have jaws like an ordinary beast, its entire head split open into four pieces with one eye at the end of each jaw. Each quarter had a long line of razor sharp teeth and the entire jaw undulated as they fell on him.


    The jaws clamped down around his bow and his arm. Kai let out a scream as he felt the teeth cut deep into his flesh and grind against bone. One of the eyes was almost at his face, since the long jaw was chewing his shoulder. It stared at him with lethal indifference as it continued biting down.


    Since he still had the arrow he''d been meaning to shoot in his other hand, Kai slammed it directly into the Isulfr''s eye. It didn''t roar, but it did flail backward and finally release his arm. There was no time to think about the pain or his position: Kai pulled another arrow and slammed it into the monster''s chest. A moment later he slapped his gauntlet against it, driving the arrow as deep as it could go.


    Before it could recover, Kai tackled the Isulfr''s central body and knocked it over onto its back. The head immediately twisted upward to bite him again, but he slammed another arrow into its throat. This managed to pin two segments of its bizarre throat together, so Kai straddled the neck and began thrusting more arrows into its neck.


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    His vision was growing dim. Had he lost so much blood already? He could see blood flying from his arm with every movement, but he pushed himself onward. The best chance of victory was to kill it then, suffocate it if he had to, cut off its-


    The Isulfr twisted with immense strength and Kai was flung across the bottom of the pit. It seemed to take so much longer to fall to the ground than it had taken him to fly there. With the raw fury of battle broken, his gnawed arm became a mass of agony. Kai reached for another arrow and realized that his quiver was empty. He''d used every one of them on the monster and it wasn''t enough.


    Somehow the crowds were cheering. As if this was part of the show and some of them hadn''t nearly been killed. Above, the old man cast him a gesture that Kai entirely ignored. This wasn''t about entertainment. He needed to kill this thing.


    Across the pit, the Isulfr twisted itself into a spiral and the arrows fell from its flesh. Black blood oozed from the holes, but it wasn''t anywhere near as close to death as he''d hoped. At least there was the chance that he could get to the arrows on the ground and use them as weapons again.


    The four part mouth arced open toward him and Kai was surprised by a high-pitched whine. He rubbed his head, trying to brace himself against it, and then realized that the world was growing dark again. Shadows clouded his vision as if he was losing his sight. Kai stared up in horror as he realized that the Isulfr was responsible, and the last thing he saw was it charging silently.


    He had only heartbeats left, and despair filled them. Kai realized that it was hopeless to try to resist the strange darkness, so he had only one chance: relying purely on what he''d seen of the monster and trusting his instincts.


    Even though the Isulfr emitted no noises, he could hear its footsteps against the stone. Its head could stretch far in front of it and he guessed that it would open its jaws to bite him at full extension. So as soon as he heard the footsteps get within range, Kai threw himself into a roll.


    No teeth tore into his body. As Kai came up, he knew that the Isulfr had likely pulled back. It would strike for him right away, while he was disoriented: that meant it would either be coming at him from the side or circling around to his back.


    Kai drew his sword as he rose, swinging blindly in a broad arc that covered his front and side. Nothing, so it was at his back. Jaws no doubt opening. He dropped the sword and hurled himself backward.


    This time he hit flesh. He had no idea what part of the beast he had struck, so he just forced it to the ground with his weight. When he brought a fist down, he could feel its flesh giving way. Again and again he brought the Irunian steel down on the Isulfr, slowly battering it into submission no matter how much its body twisted. If it got away again, his blindness would be fatal, so this was his only chance.


    Then four jaws closed around his torso and Kai screamed.


    The second bite was even worse. Teeth were cutting deep just beneath his ribs, threatening to saw into his organs. Two of them struck his rib cage, agonizing but not lethal for the moment. The last jaw was across his shoulder, but twisting violently, trying to wrap around his neck.


    Instead of darkness, Kai''s vision became red. He grabbed the jaw by his neck and bit into it before he knew what he was doing. One of the teeth dug deep into his mouth and he tasted blood, but he kept biting and he tasted its blood as well.


    Somehow the jaw came off between his teeth. Kai twisted his head savagely, tearing it away from the body. He whirled blindly and fell upon the Isulfr, striking over and over until he began to feel grisly stone beneath his fists instead of flesh.


    As soon as he felt its life give way, Kai collapsed. All of the exhaustion and injuries flooded over him, absolutely undeniable now that the battle was over. He couldn''t so much as move an arm. As his human mind slowly reemerged, he realized that he must have ingested a large quantity of monster blood, which was now poisoning him.


    Wait, the flask Juray had made for him... Kai struggled just to remember where it was on his belt, or if he''d left it in the stands. He fumbled at a pouch, the fingers of his gauntlets sliding off the surface. Even those small movements exhausted him and his arm refused to move any further.


    Lying on his face meant he risked suffocating in the fallen monster, but he didn''t have the strength to roll over. Only his mind still worked, and that was faltering. It occurred to him that he hadn''t told anyone about where he was going. He had inadvertently trusted himself to people who ran an underground monster pit and cared more about profits than human lives.


    Stupid, so stupid... he had no more time to think anything else before the darkness claimed him.

 Chapter 45: Ambiguous Recovery

    As he drifted in soft darkness, Kai felt as though there should be pain. Some animal part of him knew that he was injured and should be fighting for his life. And yet there was only a tight warmth through his body. It didn''t respond when he tried to move and it was difficult to tell where his skin ended and the softness began.


    His mind returned after the sensations and he forced himself to open his eyes. Was that Juray''s ceiling? Moving his head to look at the rest of the house was too difficult, but he''d become familiar with how the ceiling looked over the previous months. That meant that the worst hadn''t come to pass.


    It didn''t mean everything was alright. He''d collapsed in the monster pit surrounded by people who didn''t care about him. They could well have robbed him of his flask and everything else he carried, or perhaps he hadn''t been found soon enough. Maybe he couldn''t feel his legs because they had been torn off in the Isulfr''s final thrashing.


    Just as Kai began to convince himself that he was doomed, Juray''s face slid overhead. She gave a relieved smile and smoothed back his hair gently.


    "You''re okay, Kai. Just focus on recovering for now."


    "Wh... wha..." He couldn''t get out anything else.


    "I''m not sure what you were involved in, but some very suspicious characters brought you into the city and said that you had fought off a monster. They were going to take you to the Granfian clan, but I intercepted you. Don''t worry, you''ll be alright."


    He tried to nod and it hurt, so Kai gave up on that idea. The best he could do was smile at Juray, then his eyes fell closed again.


    If he had survived the battle, he wanted to see if it had helped him progress. When he tried to examine himself with his spiritual sight, his mind spun and he drifted away again.


    .


    ..


    .


    The next time Kai awoke, he knew he was sleeping in a bed instead of floating in a void. Actually, his entire body ached, and he felt so much tension from healing that it almost felt like it would tear apart his body on its own. When he struggled to sit up, however, he managed it.


    Juray was cheerfully talking to a customer at her shop window and he just stared at her for a while, drinking in the sight. Belatedly he realized that he should use this opportunity to do what he couldn''t before and examine his soul.


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 65


    Laborer Class: 11 (9)


    Physique Level: F-5 (40)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


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    ???: ???


    ???: ???


    >


    His improvements had been slowing, but now his Physique had taken another jump. Many hunters took years to reach the middle of the F rank, but he was sitting at F-5. He was a little disappointed that he hadn''t reached Soul Level 5, but he saw very few hunters in Monskon City who had reached that point. Even if the numbers weren''t much higher, he felt like he''d gained something by fighting with his life on the line again.


    Once she finished her sale, Juray closed the shop window and turned back to him with a smile. "There you are. You slept like the dead after that first time awake. Are you feeling okay?"


    "Actually, it hurts all over." Kai tried to roll the stiffness out of his shoulders and immediately regretted it.


    "That''s because I''ve been taking you through an unusual healing process. For a start, your body has always resisted monster toxicity well, so I saved you a lot of money by not using any of the usual purgatives. I needed to use numbing and relieving potions to keep you from injuring yourself further, but since then I''ve let you handle it yourself. It will hurt, but no permanent harm done."


    "Just how bad was I? And how much will it cost?"


    "You''re remarkably durable, so it isn''t as bad as it might be." Juray sat down on the bed beside him gingerly, as if afraid to jostle him. "That said, I had to pour some intense potions into you. It doesn''t sound like the Granfian clan will be funding your recovery, since this was an extracurricular fight. So... let''s just say that you won''t be seeing any of the money you earned fighting the monster."


    "Ugh. What about its core?"


    "I''m not sure exactly what you fought, but they didn''t say anything about it. I''m pretty sure that the suspicious folks who brought you here were happy to pocket that for themselves."


    He shouldn''t have been surprised. Still, if the entire ordeal had been roughly a wash, that was actually progress. Briefly he worried about the flask, but then he spotted it lying on the table beside him, along with his other items. If they hadn''t stolen that, then the monster pit owner had basically treated him fairly. Exploited him, but fairly.


    "I felt a bit bad taking all your winnings," Juray said, "but it really took a lot to patch you up, and my shop doesn''t have such high margins that-"


    "No, it''s fine." Kai pushed free from his thoughts to smile at her. "Fair''s fair. This relationship is supposed to help both of us, after all."


    "I''m glad you feel that way. This treatment has been a professional service, but..." Juray''s smile turned much warmer and she walked a pair of fingers up his thigh. "Once you''re feeling a little better, you''ll get something from me personally."


    "Ooh, don''t tempt me. Everything hurts too much right now."


    Juray laughed and left him to focus on his recovery. Being able to rest in her house was surprisingly comfortable, but he couldn''t relax for long before he began thinking about training again. Throwing himself into his full physical routine would be terrible in his current condition, but he didn''t want to waste the time he had.


    After some thought, Kai decided to cycle through his various mana exercises. He wasn''t sure if he had actually made any progress on applying his spiritual sight to monsters, since his impressions could well be based on all his other knowledge of them. When he examined his own spirit, however, he felt a strange kinship to the distorted symbols he didn''t understand. Gunjin had said they were useless, but Kai pulled them closer to the center of his spirit.


    After waking, he was able to move around within an hour, then it took him most of a day to feel like he was healthy again. He''d been asleep for over a full day, so the recovery had taken quite some time. It bothered him to admit, but he had to accept that fights like this were probably not the wisest course. Maybe if he was a clan scion who could easily afford expensive treatments and entire days lying in bed.


    Still, he had killed the Isulfr. If he hadn''t been the one to fight it, the monster would probably have hurt more people, and the city was better off with it dead. No matter what anyone thought of him, he was doing his job as a monster hunter.


    Juray was very successful at preventing him from getting back to work immediately, but eventually his drive to keep moving forward pulled him from her embrace. Only the least serious of his rivals would be wasting time, so he needed to get back into action as soon as he was able.


    The first morning he felt fully healed, Kai returned to his grueling exercise routine. It might take him years to reach the next Physique rank, but it no longer felt beyond his grasp. If he could reach that, he would have an advantage that even most veteran hunters lacked. The cost of his treatment hadn''t even been as bad as Juray implied, so the fight hadn''t lost him money overall. He was spending more on all his training-enhancing potions.


    One way or another, he would find a solution. The next incursion was only nine months away, which was simultaneously forever and all too soon.

 Chapter 46: One Final Variable

    Somehow, one month of training became two. Kai struggled with the intense pace at times, especially days when he woke up exhausted, but he refused to let himself stop. If he wanted to keep up with people who had fully developed Class abilities, he needed to go far beyond what anyone expected.


    In all that time, he only managed to increase another Physique Level, but it actually didn''t bother him. It took many veteran hunters years to reach his current stage, and most plateaued for the rest of their lives. He could feel the mana soaking into his body as he worked. The fact that he could almost taste the progress kept him throwing himself into his training every day.


    The incident with the Isulfr had forced a few changes to his schedule. It was no longer easy for him to leave the city to fight monsters, and Gunjin had implied that if he caused too much trouble for the clans, he wouldn''t be protected from consequences. But since Kai had gotten his fill of fighting monsters for a while, he focused on his fellow hunters.


    Specifically, he began to spend more time sparring with the veterans at the Guild. Given his current strength, he actually had a Power rating similar to many of them, and if they sparred with restrictions on Class, he could actually win much of the time.


    That didn''t make him proud, because he was beginning to realize that the veterans he''d looked up to for most of his life were far from the peak. He''d always known that the true elites went to the Frontier, of course. It still felt strange to look at older men and women with hardened bodies and years of experience and realize that they were nowhere near as strong as he had thought. In a sense, they were those who had failed to make the leap to greater challenges and so stayed back to raise the next generations.


    While chatting with them, he discovered that it wasn''t accidental that he hadn''t seen any local hunters with a Power over 100. The veterans disagreed about the reasons, but it seemed to be known that there was some kind of barrier at 99, different from those in a specific part of the soul. He started to understand why they didn''t discuss it more often when most of the information he received was contradictory.


    Still, there seemed to be something to it. Kai decided that this would be his new target. If he could bring himself over 100 with nothing but Physique and Soul, that would prove to everyone that it was possible to take a different path. It might take him years of training, but he would spend the rest of his life working if it was possible.


    Of course, finding a solution that let him use the rest of his soul would be the superior option. No miracles seemed likely, but one day at the end of their sparring, Inafay spoke up.


    "Hey, Kai, I might have something for you." She pulled off her gauntlets and began rubbing her chafed knuckles, not looking at him for some reason. "It doesn''t look like there will be any good expeditions, sorry. It seems like if the clans think that someone is making progress, they keep them focused on training until they reach a much higher stage. But there''s going to be a trip to the Krysal City States."


    "To Krysal? Why?" Kai was working on his own gauntlets, which didn''t chafe but did leave his hands sweaty.


    "I''m not completely sure. The rumors seem to imply that they''re a bit worried about monsters too - there''s this whole argument about incursions that I don''t want to get into. Anyway, we''ve never exactly gotten along with Krysal. It''s more of a non-aggression pact than a real alliance, you know?"


    "But they''re sending some people to talk to them, hoping something will work out?"


    "Yeah, that''s how it seems." Inafay hopped to her feet and grinned, but he thought she was still hiding something. "Anyway, I don''t know if it will work, but I''d like to have you along. I think it will be happening within a month or two, so stay alert."


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    "Sure, definitely." Kai saw that she had her own concerns, so he left her to head back to the lower city.


    Though he no longer expected anything to provide him with an easy path to power, Krysal was still one of his best chances. It sounded like the entire trip might be motivated by the same concerns that Gunjin had mentioned earlier. If possible, he''d be interested to travel along with Inafay.


    As he walked, Kai ran a hand along his belt and considered the other possibilities. He''d never heard of any potions that could actually provide a new source of power, but they were still worth exploring. Juray said that she was reaching the limits of her current enhancement experiments, though she kept using him as a test subject.


    He was carrying a number of her Class-based potions at the moment. Just as they had predicted, the potions were primarily useful for helping hunters develop their own Classes, but they did temporarily grant new power. By drinking some before sparring, he was fairly certain that he''d briefly felt the difference. The problem was, a difference of one or two power in his spiritual sight was only noticeable in direct testing, not a way to manifest new abilities.


    At the moment he had nothing but Class potions and the vials to collect more mana. As Kai headed further down the city''s slope, he decided that he had enough time before his next training session to try to convince someone. He''d already convinced Inafay earlier, and the potions derived from her didn''t let him produce wind, but they did produce a slight wind effect around him. Juray was hopeful that if he could find someone with a Class that produced a more subtle effect, it might work in a new person.


    If he did find an appropriate one, that might be a valuable relationship, particularly if they were from the lower city. A lot of poor hunters were only just getting by, so the chance to earn some money just by doing mana exercises would be a valuable opportunity. The problem was that Juray didn''t meet the right sort of people, and he was training too much to spend all day searching.


    Once he got into the lower city, Kai had to push aside such thoughts so he''d be fully alert. Ever since the fight with the Isulfr, he''d started getting more attention. Instead of passing as just another unimportant hunter from the clans, people seemed to have heard of him. He had a bad feeling that the story had been distorted, because even the positive attention wasn''t entirely comfortable.


    No one bothered him that day when he found an appropriate bar for unaffiliated hunters and asked a few questions. He didn''t waste that much time and actually got one bead of mana. But when he headed out to his next training session, he saw Fhazi Lantrian waiting in the doorway.


    "Kai Granfian!" Fhazi yelled out over the bar before he could slip away. "You''re always running around, getting in my way. This is the last time."


    "I''m in your way?" Kai barely paid attention to him, just looked for other exits to avoid the hassle. "What did you need to do here?"


    "That''s not important! You''re clogging up training grounds everywhere, and it needs to stop. So I propose a friendly sparring match! Let''s see if all that Physique of yours can stand up to my Class. Or are you too much of a coward to spar with someone who could actually fight you?"


    Was he really doing this? Kai didn''t understand why Fhazi would want to make his challenge so public, since both of them should know how it would end. Even with all of his family''s resources behind him, Fhazi hadn''t grown much in the past two months. The way he was emphasizing sparring was odd as well... maybe he thought he could win if he stopped Kai from striking first.


    "Don''t ignore me! Are we sparring or not?"


    "Alright, fine." Kai didn''t like speaking for an audience, so he walked closer before too many people could stare. "Since you had the decency to come alone, we can spar."


    "Finally! Everything is arranged, so let''s do this." Fhazi turned away with an unbelievably smug expression that Kai didn''t want to think about and led them out into the side alley.


    Kai rolled his shoulders as they left the bar, wondering how difficult this could be. He was slightly sore from his training, but the mana-searching interlude had mostly restored him. Clearly Fhazi wasn''t going to give up until he got some sense of revenge. Maybe it would be best to let him get in a good hit. Most likely the Grandfist Class would still injure him, which only meant that Kai would get in a little defensive training while Fhazi was satisfied...


    As they turned out of the side alley, Kai realized that he''d completely misread the situation.


    Instead of turning back onto the main street, Fhazi had led him deeper into the bramble of houses. Most sections of the lower city were a maze of little streets, so that was no surprise.


    Except that Fhazi''s entourage was stepping outside of nearby buildings, blocking them in. Several of his usual flunkies, a few hunters, and the Tonjin brothers looking guilty. They definitely weren''t there to ensure that the sparring match was fair.

 Chapter 47: A Duel of Different Honors

    "You''re wasting everyone''s time," Fhazi said from the safety of his small army. "You know that you''ll never come to anything, but you''re still consuming Monskon City''s resources."


    "If you really believe that, why not spar with me for real?" As Kai spoke, he observed the environment carefully. No easy exits, and breaking into one of the buildings would just cause more problems.


    "We''ve been defeating you ever since the Hunter Trials, but you never seem to learn. This time I decided for a more permanent lesson."


    Kai shrugged with false nonchalance as he analyzed Fhazi''s group. Fhazi himself had grown little stronger, but he had nine allies. Three with relatively weak Classes and Power in the low 20s: not the most significant threat, but they could use their numbers to position him for the others. Three he didn''t know, but they were all rated over 30. Then the Tonjin brothers, formidable opponents in the 40s. Most dangerous of all, the woman called Yerinna had just over 50 and had already drawn several needles.


    All told, he was going up against ten opponents with over three hundred Power between them.


    If they really fought him together, it was impossible. Not a challenge or heroic effort, impossible. Even his F-ranked Physique couldn''t endure that many hits from Classes. But since this didn''t look like it would end with simple mockery, Kai began considering his options.


    "How much are the Lantrians paying you for this?" Kai asked the group. "Is this what you''ve always dreamed of doing?"


    He took a step closer, hoping that he could take Fhazi down first and make the rest decide it wasn''t worth it. But before he could actually strike, Fhazi took a step back behind a squat man with an Earthenshield Class, who would no doubt defend him.


    "I''m not here to listen to your sniveling." Fhazi jabbed out a hand from his position. "Beat the shit out of him! Make sure he doesn''t get up this time!"


    Nine hunters drew on the abilities of their Classes, raw mana flowing through them. Before they could finish, Kai had already crossed the distance and punched one of the unknown hunters in the face.


    Whatever a "Lancer" was, the man wouldn''t get a chance to use his abilities. They were all slow compared to Inafay, so Kai was able to take one down instantly and dodge back before they could strike. Yerinna reacted fastest, throwing a needle toward his legs.


    It was easy to dodge back, but she hadn''t really been planning on hitting him. Her needle pushed him further back in the alley so that the group blocking off his escape could attack him. Two of the weaker hunters were creeping toward his back, readying heavy clubs.


    Kai pretended not to see them and readied his bow, then hesitated as he reached for an arrow. "I don''t want to hurt anyone!" he called to the group. "Let''s just talk thi-"


    The ambushers struck him over the head with their clubs, but they hadn''t been paying enough attention to his Physique. Both blows bounced off harmlessly and Kai whirled on them while they were shocked. Even using it improperly, his bow was a bar of solid steel: he bludgeoned both to the ground and sprinted toward the remaining two opponents in his way. If he got past them, he could retreat deeper into the alleys.


    If he hadn''t spent so much time training his senses, the next needles might have taken him in the back. Yerinna really did fight to kill. He had just enough forewarning to dodge aside, so only one needle hit him in the side. The assassin hurled more, but Kai grabbed one of the hunters in his path and jerked her around behind him to use as a shield.


    When the needles sank in, her body slumped, which confirmed that the needles were poisoned. His side was beginning to feel numb, but his Physique was resisting the worst of it. He didn''t want to find out what would happen if more of the needles hit him and he worried about how much harm they were doing to the woman he''d grabbed.


    "See what you''re doing?" The body he was using as a shield began to tremble violently. He''d have to hope that the poison wasn''t lethal or that Fhazi''s group could help her, because he couldn''t play it safe with Yerinna.


    He tossed his human shield and retreated from the next needles, striking at the last of the opponents behind him on the way. His plan had been to take down that man as well, but there was no time: he had to dodge around the corner to avoid another needle. When he dared to peer around the edge, he saw that Fhazi was staying back with his Earthenshield bodyguard while he urged the others forward.


    Yerinna was stalking forward first, more needles in hand. It didn''t take much acting for Kai to look nervous, since he wasn''t sure how much of her poison his body could resist. He ran back to a safer distance so that she would pursue.


    As soon as she came around the corner, Kai shot her in the stomach.


    The assassin stared down at the arrow in her stomach, shocked. She looked up, as if she couldn''t believe that her prey had struck back. Kai stared back at her without faking any hesitation: he didn''t want to kill Fhazi''s group, but he wasn''t going to take a trained killer lightly.


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    His second arrow caught her in the shoulder and she spun to the ground. Since her Physique was still in the G rank, Kai hoped that would be enough to take her out of the fight. The next part of the battle was likely to be the hardest.


    Fhazi wasn''t going to follow him first, of course, and the hunter who had been closest didn''t seem eager to pursue. That left the Earthenshield, who was staying close, and the Tonjin brothers. Given his options, Kai needed to move the fight, so he began looking at the nearby windows. When Kai saw the two hulking brothers move around the corner cautiously, he wasn''t surprised.


    He tackled them both, using his full strength to drive them to the side. They battered at his head and shoulders, but they couldn''t stop him from driving them through a wooden door. They tumbled across the floor of the abandoned home, and given the narrowness of the alley, they were all in darkness soon enough. Of course, both brothers got to their feet immediately, unharmed by such a light blow. From their sparring, Kai knew that he couldn''t fight them both fairly.


    So he reached into his belt pouch and pulled out the enhancement scrolls. The Tonjin brothers froze.


    "These are what you needed, right?" Kai waved the scrolls in front of them while he took a hasty glance over his shoulder. He had time. "With these, you can break through with your Class and you don''t need to play thugs for the Lantrian clan anymore."


    "It''s not that simple." Lofgan stared at him sadly. "You think they wouldn''t punish us? People like us can''t just break a contract. Even with the scrolls..."


    "Then do something else for me: don''t resist."


    The brothers glanced at one another, and for a moment Kai thought his gambit would fail, but then they nodded. Relieved, Kai stepped forward and handed them each a scroll. Once they had each made their scroll disappear into their armor, Kai mouthed his thanks to them.


    Then he grabbed their heads and slammed them back into the stone wall.


    Even not defending themselves at all, they took several blows to bring down. He didn''t hold back, since he knew the Tonjin brothers were tough enough to endure being knocked unconscious without permanent damage. As soon as they fell with suitably obvious injuries, he turned back, fearing an attack.


    Still no Fhazi. Only three opponents left, but Kai was beginning to wear out and those last three weren''t going to split themselves up to make things easy for him. Fhazi might be slimy, but his Grandfist could still hurt or even kill him. The Earthenshield was an unknown quantity and his defenses might ruin any other strategies. Even the remaining hunter who hadn''t been brave enough to pursue had a full Class and over 30 Power. It would be so easy to make a mistake...


    Kai glanced down at his belt and all the useless potions there. After a moment''s thought, he started drinking.


    .


    ..


    .


    It should have been easy. Fhazi Lantrian had been dreaming about it for over a week. Imagining how it would feel to see Kai''s stupid determination battered away by overwhelming force. Then he could put his boot on the man''s face and finally hear him surrender.


    Instead, his allies had fallen one by one. Fhazi wasn''t even sure how the first one had gone down: he''d still been drawing on his Class - fight hadn''t even started yet! - when the man crumpled. At least Yerinna had done her job and driven Kai away, but more of the useless idiots had fallen along the way.


    "Come on, cowards, with me!" Fhazi gestured at his bodyguard and the idiot who had basically stood there while Kai got around the corner. It took them a while to step over the bodies, but they carefully pursued him. No ambushes: they''d take him down the right way.


    When they turned the corner, Fhazi gasped at the sight of Yerinna. She bled from two arrow wounds and struggled to draw breath. Was she dying? Was Kai such a monster that he''d just killed her? In a sense it was good that he showed his true colors, but it shouldn''t have been Yerinna, she was actually useful.


    No sign of Kai. There was no indication he''d fled further down the alleyway, which was a dead end anyway. A minute later Fhazi noticed the broken door. So he''d decided to flee in there. Fhazi gestured for his bodyguard and remaining ally to come up beside him and get ready.


    "Come on, Kai!" Fhazi cupped his hands over his mouth to shout into the darkness inside the building. "You can''t run from us forever! Come out and face me!"


    An instant later Kai charged out the door, laughing wildly and dragging the Tonjin thugs behind him.


    Fhazi let out a yelp and flinched as Kai hurled their bodies forward. One of them struck the man to Fhazi''s right and flattened him to the ground, pinning him under the thug''s ridiculous bulk. The second body flew straight for Fhazi, but his bodyguard finally stopped gaping like a fool and stepped into the way to deflect it with a wall of earth.


    "You''ve always been so proud of your Class, Fhazi." Kai''s lips were bleeding and he grinned maniacally. "But now that I''ve awakened my real Class, let''s see how you stack up."


    Impossible. Fhazi struggled to look past the other man''s madness and see his soul...


    <


    Name: Kai Granfian


    Total Power: 70+


    Warrior Class: 2


    Knight Class: 3


    Scrapper Class: 2


    Windcutter Class: 4


    Laborer Class: 11


    Physique Level: F-6


    Soul Level: 4


    >


    It couldn''t be. He didn''t have just one Class, he''d somehow awakened five? Terrible new power flowed off Kai, multiple colors of mana churning around him. This was unbelievable, completely unbelievable...


    "No way..." Fhazi''s bodyguard stared like an idiot and lowered his guard for a moment.


    In that instant, Kai struck him across the face. His bodyguard wasn''t so weak as to fall with one blow, but as he started to gather another shield of stone, Kai somehow punched through it.


    For several seconds Fhazi could only stare at the brutal brawl, then he remembered who he was. Fhazi Lantrian. Wielder of the Grandfist Class. He gathered his power into his new technique and stepped into position to deliver a fatal blow directly into Kai''s back...


    He didn''t see the kick that struck him, but Fhazi tumbled back as if he''d been hit by a monster. After groaning and clutching his chest, he struggled back to his feet just in time to see Kai drop the bodyguard with another brutal blow.


    "N-no!" Fhazi scrambled back as Kai turned on him, more like a beast than a man. "Get away!"


    "That''s enough." The voice rang through the alleyway.


    Grandfather Hannagan stood there, flanked by veteran hunters. Fhazi stared at them in shock for several seconds, then breathed a sigh of relief. The plan had gone nothing like he had intended, but it had worked after all.

 Chapter 48: The Final Stroke of Fate

    By the end of the brawl, Kai was swaying on his feet. Taking so many potions at once had worked, but it had been reckless. Far from granting him the abilities of multiple Classes, all the new sources of mana had churned inside him until he wanted to vomit.


    The shock on their faces had been worth it, though. Kai had no idea what he''d looked like, but he''d been venting mana in all directions, so it must have seemed overwhelming.


    Now, despite the way his head was spinning, he had won. The Earthenshield was down for good, the other hunter was still pinned under a Tonjin, and Fhazi was no threat on his own. He turned around to face the Lantrian brat and couldn''t help but smile.


    "That''s enough."


    And, with those words, Kai''s world upended in a much worse way than mere dizziness. He whirled, already recognizing the voice: Hannagan Lantrian stood in the alley with official Guild hunters. It beggared belief for him to be there randomly, which meant it had all been set up, which meant...


    "Look at this." Hannagan shook his head as he spread a hand over the alley. "Fine hunters beaten half to death, and some of them may well lose their hold on life. Don''t just stand there, you fools, help them!"


    Several of the hunters went to provide medical aid, while two remained back to block the entrance. Not that it mattered. Kai could see where this was going and running would do him no good. Possibly nothing he could say would matter, given who stood against him, but he couldn''t give up even when it was this unfair.


    "I was forced to defend myself," Kai said. "I hope I didn''t deal any serious injuries, but they would have done worse to me."


    "I challenged him to a friendly sparring match!" Fhazi blurted out as he struggled to his feet. "Ask anyone in the tavern! My friends were just here to make sure he played fair, then he started attacking us!"


    So it really had been like that from the very beginning. Kai started to grind his teeth and stopped, since glowering couldn''t possibly help him. Hannagan looked over the damage as if he was really considering the evidence.


    "He shot Yerinna!" Fhazi gestured around the corner wildly. "Tried to shoot her right in the heart!"


    "And who was throwing poison needles?" Kai demanded. He didn''t know if this was a pure farce, but he couldn''t let the most obvious evidence go unmentioned.


    "These are very serious accusations." Hannagan stroked his beard and began slowly walking through the alley. "The Hunters Guild will, of course, investigate the truth thoroughly."


    Even before they turned the corner, Kai knew that it was hopeless. The female hunter who had gone down early no longer had any needles in her back. Most likely there would still be poison in her body, but it wouldn''t matter. The only way the needles could be gone was if someone removed them, perhaps even the hunter now applying a poultice to her back. He didn''t see a single sign of a needle in the alley.


    It seemed as though Yerinna would live, though she would require extensive healing. Kai wasn''t sure how he felt about that. Given what she''d likely done to his life, he almost wished that he''d really aimed at her heart. Then at least Fhazi wouldn''t have a loyal assassin enforcing his cruelty.


    "It seems we have no choice but to accept grave truths." Hannagan spoke loudly, which didn''t make sense until Kai realized there was a growing audience. "Kai Granfian provoked a bloody battle and used completely inappropriate levels of violence. This is no little scrap or rivalry. This was an attempt to murder some of our city''s finest young hunters."


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    From that moment on, Kai followed in silence. It was the only dignity he had left, because it was clear he would never be given a fair trial. In fact, they gave him no trial at all: Hannagan claimed that as a new hunter he had few protections. Because of the "egregious recklessness" of his actions, a sentence would be handed down almost immediately.


    They still dragged him from the alley to a central square to make everything public. There were always older hunters gripping his arms now, as if he was going to run. As if he was fighting people, instead of the combined authority of the Lantrian clan. No, he''d won the physical brawl and run directly into a trap that made his strength useless.


    What else could he have done? Fhazi had clearly been tracking him, so he would have arranged a fight eventually. The only way to avoid the accusation would have been to accept the beating, and Fhazi would have tried to make it disabling. Even if he had fully recovered, Fhazi would never have been prosecuted for the same crime, so he could just repeat the beating.


    Ultimately, Kai couldn''t see any way out. If the head of his own Hunters Guild was against him, then he didn''t have a future here.


    More people gathered in the square, though it was going to be a sentencing instead of a trial. Kai spotted Inafay at the edges looking furious, but other members of the Corinin clan physically dragged her away. It was better that way. She would only leap to defend him, and though she might be important enough to get away with it, she couldn''t change the result.


    Perhaps it really did come down to power after all. If Kai had awakened a different Class, they would never have targeted him. He could have been the one flouting the law and everyone would have looked the other way because of what he could offer the city.


    The entire system was rotten, but it was all he had ever known.


    Before the official event began, Gunjin appeared beside him quietly. If Kai had held onto any hope, it would have disappeared at the sight of his former mentor''s face. He''d given up on hope long ago, but it still hurt to realize what would be said before the first word.


    "You''re going to be banished," Gunjin told him, "and there''s nothing I can do."


    "Nothing you can do?" Kai wanted to spit, but he was too exhausted for hatred. "You mean that you''re choosing to do nothing."


    "That is correct. I am sorry that it has come to this, Kai, but I won''t feel guilty. It would cost me far too much of what I have built to defend you against this charge, and I cannot afford that. Even if the sentence was commuted, the Lantrian clan would only make sure to finish the job."


    "Then there''s nothing to say."


    "I suppose not." Gunjin stared at him for a long time and his lips twitched as if he was about to say something, but then he turned on his heel and vanished into the crowd.


    Finally they stopped dragging it out: Hannagan stood up on a platform and shouted for the crowds to be silent, then began a speech he had clearly prepared.


    "After careful investigation, the Hunters Guild has discovered that several of our own young hunters engaged in a reckless fight. Many are injured, and several are near death... all because of the actions of one man." The guild leader''s finger swung down on Kai like a hammer. "Kai Granfian, you stand accused of harming your fellow humans and undermining our city and our nation. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"


    What would be the point of saying anything? Most of those watching already knew that the city could be unfair, and the others wouldn''t believe him. Perhaps it made more sense to stay quiet and not disturb the unity of Monskon City... but no. He refused to simply let them shove this injustice down his throat, not while he still lived.


    Just as he drew breath to speak, a palm struck him in the back. Icy mana flowed through his body and his jaw locked up. All Kai''s strength was only enough to stare at the hunter beside him, an older woman who didn''t even look in his direction while she bound him in place.


    "Your clan has already rejected you, and now so does the city." Hannagan raised his voice even further, his words ringing off the walls. "From this day forth, you are Kai Clanless. You are banished from Monskon City, never to step past its walls again on pain of death. You are barred from entering any Guild anywhere in Goralia, and you are unwelcome at all our outposts. From this day forth, the wasteland is your only home."


    He had known it was coming and had expected it to still hurt. When Kai Clanless was marched to the city gates and thrown out, he felt nothing at all.

 Chapter 49: Fragments of a Life

    After stumbling in despair for a while, Kai eventually pulled himself together. Not because he had hope. Simply because moving forward was the only thing he knew how to do.


    In a sense, he had been doomed ever since the moment he received his Laborer Class. If a simple life in the city was unacceptable to him - and he''d rejected it at every turn - then he really didn''t have any option. He was going to end up in the wasteland one way or another.


    That wasn''t necessarily a death sentence. He had more experience in the wastelands than most hunters his age and he''d developed considerable power. In a sense, that power was what had gotten him in trouble, since he might have made it through if he''d lost the fight. Or just ran, or surrendered and let them beat him...


    But no. Perhaps this was for the best, if he had been running up against his limits in Monskon City.


    With that thin comfort, Kai tried to take a step back and evaluate just how bad his current situation was.


    Since sending someone into the wastelands unarmed usually meant death, they hadn''t taken away his weapons. He still had his bow, minus two arrows. His gauntlets had served him well through the entire fight. Though it wasn''t much compared to those, he did still have an ordinary sword from the Granfian household. Perhaps most importantly, he still had the third weapon sphere, since he''d carried it on him at all times recently.


    Things didn''t look so good when it came to other resources. He''d been carrying only experimental potions and he''d used those anyway. His precious healing potions, carefully kept in his quarters for times of need, were useless to him. Worst of all, the special flask Juray had made for him was still at her house.


    Thinking about her hurt, so Kai forced himself to stay practical. His biggest problem might actually be a lack of practical supplies: no tent, no bedroll, no food. Being sent into the wastelands without a weapon was considered unfair, but going out without food or water was just fine apparently. If he found a source of water he could cleanse it... no, that would require a pan, flint, and other supplies he no longer had.


    Kai was willing to take on any monster in the wastelands, but he couldn''t survive without food. He turned back around and stared back at Monskon City. Clearly there was no future for him there. That didn''t mean that he couldn''t go back in. They would be looking for him, but the city''s security had always been focused on monsters, not people.


    Still, it wouldn''t be easy. Instead of rushing in blind, Kai made sure to break line of sight with the city walls, then found a dry riverbed that would let him cut east. From there, he could creep through some low shrubbery to get close to the city and wait for his best opportunity.


    Unfortunately, by that evening he was beginning to think it would be more of a challenge than he expected. The hunters guarding the city, formerly a source of pride, would make it nearly impossible for him to sneak in. It might be easier to sneak in with visitors, which led to a whole host of new problems he''d need to solve.


    Briefly Kai considered just fighting his way in, brawling with anyone who got near until he could grab his things and then run out. It made him laugh, very briefly.


    Before he could try anything desperate, Kai noticed someone unusual emerging from the city. So far away, they were just a speck, but something about their movement immediately drew his attention. He stood up and shielded his eyes to get a better look... it was definitely Juray. Wearing one of her auburn robes that he''d always thought she looked lovely in.


    She walked some distance away from the city and then waited. Kai crept close enough to get her attention, then gestured for her to join him. At first she half-ran in his direction, but as she drew near she slowed down and her expression fell.


    "Kai..." It sounded as though she''d been crying. "I wish I could... hope you understand..."


    "I''d never ask you to come with me." He still grabbed her in a tight hug. "My life has been ruined, but yours doesn''t have to be. Unless... did they go after you too?"


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    "No, and I don''t think they will. Most of the clans know that the decision was unfair, they''re just not willing to stand up for you. Even I can only..." She extricated herself from his grip and lifted a satchel that he''d barely noticed. "I brought you the recovery flask and... and a little extra. I know it''s not much, but it''s everything I could manage."


    "So no one is going to argue about the banishment? It''s just over?"


    "Your clan m... your former clan made clear that they wouldn''t say anything. Inafay showed up and wanted to storm the Guild, but I convinced her that she''d just be throwing her future away. She wanted me to apologize to you, but obviously she can''t come and risk any blame falling on her."


    Kai stayed close, rubbing her shoulders since he knew what was coming. "That''s fine, tell her I don''t blame her at all. She''s more likely to be able to change Monskon City than I am."


    "There are some other things in here too. I know it''s not much, but if anyone can survive out here..." Juray grimaced and wiped her eyes roughly with the back of her hand. "I didn''t want it to end like this, Kai. I thought we''d be together until we started to drift toward someone else. But this..."


    There was absolutely nothing he could say, so he pulled her into a kiss. This time she didn''t pull away, instead wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing herself against him desperately. He tasted salt where their lips pressed together, nothing like their quiet affection, and felt starved for more. It couldn''t last forever, but it lasted as long as it could.


    When she finally stepped away, Juray summoned her composure with a deep breath. "There''s one more thing you need to know. Hannagan thinks the matter is over, but Fhazi isn''t satisfied. He''s sending out messages to outposts and towns associated with the city. If you try to go to any of them, it will give him an excuse to retaliate."


    "I assumed as much." Kai started to stare out at the wastelands again, but that was his problem, not hers. "Thank you, Juray. For everything. I don''t have the words to say how grateful I am, I just..."


    "I know." She wiped her eyes again and then turned swiftly. He watched her the entire way back to the city, but she only looked back once and that was nearly too much for them both.


    Seeing her left him feeling simultaneously stronger and emptier. He forced himself to look at the satchel''s contents more carefully. The enhanced restorative flask was safe in a special hardened pouch, and he would need it now that he was locked off from healing. She''d thrown in more than a few extras, various potions he''d need to sort through later. There were also a few random items that must have been raided from his room, like his reserve money bag and a few tools.


    Perhaps most immediately useful, the satchel included a large canteen of water and some food. She''d definitely chosen practically, as it was all dried jerky and fruit. It wouldn''t feed him for very long, but it was about as much as someone could pack into a satchel.


    So he had a few resources... but what the hell was he going to do with them?


    There were several immediate problems he needed to solve, but he was equally likely to solve them in any direction. That meant that his path should be decided by longer term goals. If only those goals hadn''t been his main problem for half a year.


    Eventually he decided to travel northwest, toward the Krysal City States. Journeying deeper south into Goralia would only lead to more problems from his banishment and he wasn''t sure he could make the long journey to Irun. There were a few mercantile paths leading northwest, and even if he couldn''t use the waystations along the roads, he could follow them and be safer than average.


    Kai walked for most of a day, then slept a difficult night in a pile of rocks. At least there had been few signs of monsters so far, which in a sense he had himself to thank for: these had been the very lands he''d been hunting during his prior training.


    The next day he headed out with more strength, though he was extremely careful not to use up his food and water too fast. Traveling north would only make water more and more scarce, at least until he got away from the central wastes and into Krysal. From the maps he dimly remembered, there was at least one road arcing northwest around the wastes, but it felt a lot further away when traveling on foot.


    Before he discovered the road, Kai spotted a ramshackle town. It was quite a ways outside Monskon, but he couldn''t ignore the possibility that it was officially allied with them. In fact, when he observed carefully, he saw several official hunters patrolling. No, that place was one of the traps that Fhazi hoped he would stumble onto.


    Though Kai braced himself for a long walk to the next sign of civilization, he spotted a fire in a matter of hours. Not only that, it seemed to be based in a set of ruins even more devastated than the forgotten outlying towns. Yet it was almost within sight of the official settlement... Kai had a feeling that the people there might be keeping their distance for the exact same reason he was.


    The closer he got, the larger he realized the column of smoke loomed. It seemed to be emerging from an enormous pit that ejected foul smoke without a clear cause. He could see some of the people living in the ruin now: they were rough men and women who glowered back at him and walked faster.


    He didn''t know who they were or what they were burning, but Kai headed to find out.

 Chapter 50: Civility of Another World

    As soon as Kai neared the camp in the ruins, he knew that he was unwelcome. Then again, he wasn''t sure that anyone was really welcome. It seemed less like a community than a stalemate of criminals who only barely hated the monsters outside more than one another.


    Then again, he was one of them now, a clanless man banished for violence. Maybe he shouldn''t cast judgments.


    Though the ruin was in worse condition than the abandoned community he''d seen before, in some ways this place was more advanced. Every individual camp appeared to be armed and guarded. If smugglers existed here, he definitely wouldn''t be able to slip into their base so easily. However, it was obvious that he wasn''t going to find any friendly street vendors or other amenities.


    Since no one was stopping him, Kai ventured deeper into the camp. He finally discovered the source of the smoke: an enormous pit filled with strange coals. They didn''t look familiar, but they put off a considerable degree of mana that gave the impression they could keep burning for a long time. Thrown atop the coals were a number of bones, clearly from monsters. Their burning was what produced most of the smoke as well as the worst of the smell.


    Nothing had come to a fight so far, but Kai still used his spiritual sight on everyone he encountered. There was a wide variety, a mix of Classes and Irregular Classes. On average, even the unarmed people, such as cooks, had a Power rating of 10 or more. Almost all the guards had at least 30. He didn''t see anyone who was a match for the veteran hunters in the city, but the average strength must need to be high to survive in the wastelands.


    The place wasn''t exactly friendly, but it wasn''t as bad as it looked at first. Kai decided to approach one of the larger groups, since they seemed to have food supplies and they should be less worried about a lone stranger. When he approached, however, their guards immediately reached for their weapons.


    "Excuse me!" Kai gave them all a smile and approached his hands clearly visible. "I''m just passing through, and I was hoping I could buy some food."


    "There''s a place better-suited for you that way." One of the guards jerked his chin back toward the outlying town. "Don''t bother us."


    "I''m not welcome there."


    "Sure you''re not. You''re a city hunter if I''ve ever saw one."


    Kai had anticipated several different directions the conversation might go and this wasn''t any of them. He barely managed to keep the frustration off his face. "I was banished. What do you think I''m trying to pull on you? I''d just like to buy food."


    That finally earned a pause and a number of the guards spoke to one another in guarded voices. Eventually a better-dressed man stepped forward to address him. The guards didn''t seem entirely happy, but remained at a distance while Kai spoke to him.


    "We have some of the usual foods," the man told him. "The bread you see there, a bit of meat, some fruit. Say... one Goralian Eagle for a full meal?"


    "An entire Eagle?" Kai had been prepared for higher prices, but that was downright extortion. He''d been considering his smaller coins, not Eagles. One of those should have bought a large quantity of food, or at worst a meal at the finest restaurant in Monskon City.


    "Talk to the others, if you want." Based on the man''s smile, he knew how it would go. "If you don''t want to pay what food is worth out here, don''t waste our time."


    The meat roasting over their fire smelled surprisingly good. Kai wasn''t exactly starving, but he had been rationing his dried food and the idea of a fresh meal was glorious. For a moment, he examined the entire group and wondered if he could fight them.


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    Maybe not this group. They might have lower Class and Physique Levels than he was used to seeing, but he barely saw any with lower Soul Levels, and some were even at 4 with him. That fully matched their hardened appearances. If he couldn''t break or distract them as easily, they''d use their numbers against him and eventually cut him down.


    Some of the smaller groups, though... Kai realized what he was thinking and pushed the thought away. Before he could think differently, he shook his head at the merchant and backed away. Finding this community was rapidly starting to seem less lucky than he''d thought at first.


    Perhaps it was wrong to approach the larger groups. Kai headed away from the main fortified ruins and began walking around the smoke pit on the clearer side. There was a woman not much older than him breaking some bones to throw in. Her lumpy and ill-fitting armor was definitely from Monskon City, even if she wasn''t.


    "Hi there!" Kai gave her his best smile and she immediately leapt back.


    "What the fuck do you want?" She drew several inches of the sword at her waist and eyed him like he was a serpent rearing back.


    "Just to talk. I''m new to-"


    "Absolutely not. Get the fuck away from me."


    Despite his better instincts, Kai growled in irritation. "What did I do to deserve this treatment? You all act like I''m rushing at you with weapons drawn."


    "With a spirit like that, you might as well be." The woman drew her sword and poked it in his direction. "Fucking F rank, and that much Soul? You could leave my body in the fucking ditch, if not worse. If you don''t get the fuck away, I''m calling the others."


    Kai raised his hands and backed away, lest the woman use the word "fuck" any more. When he thought about it for more than a moment, however, her bluster just made him sad. Whatever he''d done wrong, she was clearly intimidated. He tried to consider things from her perspective and examined her soul.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 22


    Fighter Irregular Class: 7 (3)


    Physique Level: G-4 (10)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    Immediately her eyes widened and she took several steps back. It looked like she was about to shout for others, so Kai retreated before he could get into another brawl. Instead of looking at her with his spiritual sight again, he just recalled the symbols.


    Her Irregular Class counted against her, but otherwise she was reasonably well trained. In the city, she likely would have been a promising young hunter. Out here, he had the feeling that she just felt vulnerable. Certainly, she probably knew that her sword might not penetrate his skin and that he could easily overpower her. If he''d given her a reason to be suspicious, or she just didn''t trust him, he could understand why his actions would come off as aggressive.


    Tired of interactions he didn''t understand, Kai stalked out of the ruins. It was possible that every other community in the wastelands would be like this, and even more likely that they were few and far between. Taking his chances out there seemed better than staying.


    After several hours of walking, it was beginning to get dark again. Just when Kai was considering looking for a secure place to spend the night, he spotted a wisp of smoke. Nowhere near the burn pit he''d seen before, unless he radically misjudged it.


    Not willing to give up just yet, Kai began jogging toward it. Along the way he wolfed down some jerky, just so he wouldn''t be starving when he arrived. If it was another community, hostile or no, he''d try to approach them more carefully.


    As he drew closer, Kai realized that the smoke was definitely coming from a single fire. Possibly a large one, but nothing like the burn pit. It seemed to be coming from the top of a rocky hill. Likely a camp, since the position offered clear lines of sight as well as decent defenses. Yet there wasn''t enough room at the top for a very large group.


    "Excuse me?" Kai called toward the top and began hiking up the side when he didn''t hear an answer. "I just saw your fire..."


    "Eh? Whadya want?" An old man leaned from one of the rocks. He was bent but still spry, with a shock of uncombed white hair. The fire was definitely his, with an animal roasting on a spit over it... no, it wasn''t an animal. Kai realized that it was one of the common boar monsters like he''d fought in the Hunter Trials.


    Eating monsters was supposed to be toxic, but the old man didn''t appear to be in ill health. Kai automatically examined him with his spiritual sight before he could think twice.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 98


    Lancer Class: 29 (39)


    Physique Level: F-2 (34)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    Immediately the old man stood up, his eyes narrowing. "You really shouldn''t have done that, sonny."

 Chapter 51: Wilderness Etiquette

    "Oh, come on!" Kai pulled his bow off his back and threw it down on the ground. "I don''t want to hurt anyone, and you of all people shouldn''t feel threatened!"


    The old man blinked at him and squinted down at the weapon. "Is that bow made of metal?"


    "It''s Irunian steel," Kai said absentmindedly as he picked it up. He''d been overcome by a moment of frustration, but if the old man was going to attack him, he really wanted to have his bow ready. When he looked up, however, he found the old man chuckling.


    "You really are new, aren''t you? Running to strangers, looking at everybody''s soul, just answering questions..."


    "I was banished literally yesterday." Since this was the friendliest anyone had been, Kai returned his bow to its place and tried a smile. "I''m trying to get by out here, but I feel like I keep screwing everything up."


    "I remember when I was first banished. There''s an etiquette out here, and it''s not one they teach you in fancy clans." The old man sat back down and patted the rock beside him. "Why don''t you sit down?"


    "...should I?"


    "No, you shouldn''t! Anyone who''s offering something for nothing, or acting too friendly, probably wants to kill you." The old man raised a wrinkled finger. "That''s your first lesson, and the only one I''m giving you for free. If you want to be polite, you tell someone exactly what you want from them. Only if they accept a deal can you start acting friendlier. Now, what else have you been doing wrong?"


    "I just don''t... wait." Kai froze mid-step, then stepped back. "What do I need to give you for future lessons?"


    The old man cackled and slapped his knee wildly. "Maybe you''re not doomed to an early death after all! I love these boars, but it''s getting hard to run after them at my age. If you bring me another one, I''ll offer you another lesson. Sound fair?"


    "Sounds fair."


    It took him until dusk to locate one of the monsters, but once Kai finally spotted the boar, he took it down with a single arrow. He trotted back to the hill, carrying it over his shoulder. It had taken discipline to not immediately take the monster''s core, since the old man might want it, or want to do something cooking-related with it.


    Kai was curious just how he was apparently surviving on monster flesh, but he thought that would be a terrible first question. Especially if he had to pay for every single question with another boar.


    "Not bad, not bad!" The old man clapped his hand together and eagerly came to take the boar from him. "It took me three entire days to track down the previous one. It''s possible to eat the ruined dogs, but there''s nothing you can do about the taste."


    "Can you tell me how communities like the one to the south work?" Kai asked. The old man waved him to a rock opposite the spit, and this time it didn''t seem to be another test.


    "This is about the point where it''s okay to ask someone''s name. I''m Aglahai Clanless, what about you?"


    "Kai Gr... Clanless."


    "We''re brothers, then!" Aglahai laughed at his own joke without reservation. "Listen, Kai, if you help me with a bit of hunting, I''ll tell you what you need to know. Maybe I''m getting soft in my old age, but I''d like to help you out. You remind me a bit of me when I was your age. Speaking of which, do you want some of this boar? It''s getting just perfect."


    Aglahai pulled the boar off the spit with his bare hands and skewered the new one. Even cooked, the monster smelled foul, but Kai was getting hungry. He decided that this was a good time to test just how generous the old man would be, so he asked his most pressing question.


    "How can you eat monsters? I thought they were always poisonous."


    "Oh, you can burn the poison out! It''s probably not healthy for you, but I''m still kicking!" Aglahai slapped his own stomach as he took the roast boar to a small portable table. There he began slathering it with a heavy sauce from a jar. "Mind you, it''s an acquired taste, and it''s never as good as proper meat. But if you know what you''re doing, which I do, you can hide the taste with flavoring."


    Once the boar was slathered in sauce and covered in some sort of aromatic herb, it didn''t smell quite so awful. Kai accepted the offer of a slice and picked it up with his knife, carefully eating around the edges. It was too chewy and contained a deep bitterness that he disliked, but his body didn''t react as if he''d been poisoned. If it was really possible to eat monsters, that was a skill he needed to acquire.


    "You''re taking to it fast." Aglahai had torn into his own slice and now spoke around a mouthful. "Probably because your Physique is right crazy for a boy your age. Or, then again, you might be used to bad food. You''re not quite so polished as I thought at first, so I bet you''ve known some hardship."


    "I grew up an orphan," Kai said between bites. "What about you?"


    "Usually you don''t want to ask people about their pasts. Now me, I don''t mind. Hell, I''ll talk your ear off given half the chance! But it''s a bad first question."


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    "Alright then... what about the communities? Why do they have a pit of burning bone?"


    "It''s a monster deterrent. Their bones can burn for a long time, and the smoke keeps others away. It''s effective enough, but the young ones are always too confident in it. If there''s a gamma-class monster, or a big enough group, or even an incursion... the smoke isn''t going to stop them. But don''t tell those little fire huddles I said that, or they''ll get all huffy."


    Kai chuckled. "You don''t sound very fond of them."


    "Wastes of time, in my opinion." Aglahai eagerly went to serve himself a second thick slice of the boar. "Mind you, that''s easy for me to say because I''m not so weak. But you''re a tough kid, I suggest staying away from them. More likely to get stabbed in your sleep than to get what you want. There aren''t enough to be reliable and they''re barely holding on, anyway."


    "Well, if you can teach me how to cook the poison out of monsters, I should be able to fend for myself better."


    "That''s what I''d suggest!"


    They ate in silence for a while, Kai just filling his stomach. The smell of the new boar was starting to get to him, though, so he pushed for a new question. "I understand that using your spiritual sight is impolite, but do you really just... guess about everyone''s strength? I''m used to investigating everyone automatically."


    "For a start, throwing around phrases like ''spiritual sight'' is liable to get you punched. Lots of folks call it ''eyeballing'' someone, and anyway you don''t want to do it unless you want to start a fight, or think they''re going to start one." Aglahai waved his slice of meat cheerfully. "Mind you, most of the people out here are half-trained and half-blind. If you''re subtle enough, you can get away with it."


    "I think I''ve read about that being a thing, but it had never seemed important." It was one of the mana exercises he''d set aside as less relevant to his development, actually, and he knew exactly how he needed to train. He was inadvertently copying the old man''s casual speech. "Anything else I should avoid doing?"


    Aglahai was eager to give his opinion on any subject under the sun, so the conversation stretched late into the night. Eventually Kai pretended to go to sleep and watched the old man, just in case it was all a long trap. Somehow he fell asleep for real, and fortunately woke up alive.


    "Up up, no time to waste!" Aglahai jabbed him in the side with a foot and then began puttering around camp. "I can''t sleep in anymore, not with my back. You''ll have to put up with that if you stick with me, haha! But really, get moving."


    Over the next days, Kai followed the old man in a roughly northwestern direction and discovered a side of survival training that he''d never realized existed. Most importantly, he learned that cooking monsters required intense heats that would scorch other meat, as well as a number of tricks to eliminate the poison and hide the worst flavors.


    In exchange for the lessons, Kai helped Aglahai hunt down monsters. He actually hoped that they would run into something truly menacing, since it would have been interesting to see the old man fight, but they were remarkably lucky just when he wished they weren''t. Like fate had dealt him a mortal wound, then tickled him just to be obnoxious.


    As freely as Aglahai talked about anything, he actually took a long time to reveal much information about himself. Kai only gradually discovered that he was from much further south in Goralia. Apparently the lush heartland could be just as vicious when it came to clans. Exactly why he was banished, Kai had yet to learn, but the old man had apparently spent almost his entire life in the wastelands.


    A week in, Kai began to wonder if it would be possible for him to build a new community outside the city. Either Aglahai picked up on it or the timing was bad, because the old man started asking about which direction Kai would go off on his own.


    That was still an open question. Other than his general goal of the Krysal City States, Kai had nowhere he actually needed to go. Instead of worrying about it, he dedicated himself to learning everything Aglahai would teach him so that he could survive in the wasteland on his own. Running into a friendly veteran was a remarkable stroke of luck, and Kai had few enough of those that he couldn''t afford to overlook them.


    Obviously he couldn''t absorb a lifetime of tricks, but after two weeks Kai thought that he had a solid foundation. Monster cooking, wasteland etiquette, tips for water, training suggestions, and more. Even though he knew the day was coming, Kai was going to miss the old man.


    Eventually they sat around a fire much like the one where they''d met. Aglahai had been uncharacteristically quiet that evening and finally spoke up in an odd tone. "It doesn''t take much, does it?"


    "What doesn''t?" Kai looked up from his food preparations curiously.


    "Life. Everything was going great for me too, once. The Hunter Trials were a bit different in my day... but I suppose that''s neither here nor there." Aglahai sighed like a creaking building. "The long and short of it is that I killed someone. It was an accident, but that didn''t matter. They banished me as a murderer and that was just it."


    "Your life hasn''t seemed to turn out so bad."


    "Oh, I don''t know about that. Wouldn''t seem that way if you asked my parents or my fiance."


    "Did you ever see any of them again?"


    "Only during an incursion, and I wished I hadn''t." Aglahai''s usual grin lowered to reveal surprising bitterness. "I suggest you get out of this place, sonny, and never come back. The whole Frontier is cursed. I don''t mean the central wastes, I mean every nation fool enough to live near it."


    Not sure what to say, Kai worked in silence. It didn''t take long for the old man to continue.


    "I might look strong to you, but the older I get, the more I realize I''m not. It''s too early for you to think about, but there are all kinds of barriers in life. And at some point, you just get full up. You don''t want it enough and you can''t keep pushing yourself. I don''t know what to tell you about life, but I''ll say this: either find somewhere you can marry somebody nice, or stay hungry. Do both and you''ll just end up like me."


    "You don''t seem weak to me," Kai said. Aglahai immediately scoffed.


    "You''ll eat those words, sonny. Now, I can see you have a Class problem, whatever is going on there. But I would bet you that even without a Class, you''ll surpass me. In ten years your Physique and Soul will be so far beyond mine, you could kill me by farting. Though please don''t."


    Aglahai laughed and slapped his knee again, but it rang a little hollow. Both of them knew that they wouldn''t have that much longer together. Kai looked over his potions and belongings, wondering if there was something he could give the old man to truly thank him. At the very least, he wanted to leave things on better terms than his rushed goodbyes with everyone in Monskon City.


    In the morning when he woke up, Aglahai Clanless was gone.


    Without him, Kai realized that he was going to need to make his own plans again. He was reasonably far from Monskon City now and extremely far from Krysal. Heading further north to find the mercantile path was still an option, but that no longer seemed appealing. After everything he''d learned, Kai had a much stronger sense for the wastelands.


    Further northwest, there was a crossroads where travelers from many nations met. Wherever he ended up in the end, Kai''s next step would be there.

 Chapter 52: The Crossroad of Frontier Travelers

    As Kai traveled, he realized just how right Aglahai had been. Away from the major cities with strong Hunters Guilds, there simply weren''t many communities so close to the central wastes. In another week of traveling he only saw a single town, a small fortified community alongside a major road, and he decided to stay away from it in case his banishment applied there as well.


    With the lessons that Aglahai had taught him, Kai was more prepared to survive than he had expected. Cooking the poison out of monsters was a revelation... a disgusting, jaw-wearying revelation. Kai began conserving the food Juray had given him just so he could get rid of the taste in his mouth when he got really desperate.


    Unfortunately, even fighting monsters and braving the elements had failed to raise his Physique or Soul Level. He really was feeling like he was pushing up against limits, not of spiritual laws but of his environment. The sooner he reached the crossroads, the better.


    In the absence of direct strengthening, he focused mostly on his technique, particularly his spiritual sight. He worked on the subtlety exercises he remembered, then on the rare occasions he passed someone in the wasteland he tried to observe without them realizing. No luck so far, but he was fairly sure he was getting closer.


    The real breakthrough had come with monsters. Now, whenever he spotted one, his spiritual sight resolved into something meaningful. Usually a name, if he had read about the monster or was familiar with it, but most importantly a rating. For most of his life, ranks like "alpha" and "beta" had just been ideas thrown around by hunters. Now he understood that monster souls were too radically different from humans, so they needed a different approach to be ranked.


    Weak alpha monsters ranged from monkeys and bats to the ruined dogs, which were substantially different to a young hunter but all trivial for him now. When he''d spotted a boar, the symbol looked like a beta, but it wriggled toward alpha at times. He guessed that the tiers weren''t as objectively differentiated as with human souls, or perhaps his sight couldn''t pin them down.


    While gathering water near a river, he''d fought one of the oblong mouth creatures he''d only seen in the monster pit, and it was unambiguously ranked beta. So far Kai had yet to encounter a single monster ranked gamma, even though that had to be the logical next step. Given how rapidly their rankings increased, that boded ill for how high the scale could go.


    If only he''d been able to deepen his spiritual sight sooner. He was deeply curious about what some of the rarer monsters he''d faced would have been rated, especially those infected by the Frontier.


    Butchering and overcooking the monsters became second-nature, but they led to another problem: the monster cores. Kai had been collecting them all, unable to leave resources behind. Problem was, they were made of meat and even their intrinsic mana couldn''t sustain them forever. He was afraid that they would begin to go bad soon, especially in the heat. Aglahai hadn''t been able to share any tricks for that, and in fact had implied that most monster cores far out in the wastelands were wasted with no one to crystallize them.


    Just when Kai was beginning to think that his life would be nothing but monsters and wasteland forever, he spotted another column of black smoke.


    No, two... except even that estimate was too low. As Kai ran closer, the column divided into no less than four channels of thick smoke. It seemed like they formed the corners of a community that was clearly larger than the previous ones he''d seen. It had to be the waypoint.


    "Hail, stranger." The voice came from a man only about five years older than him, riding on some sort of... cloud? Kai hadn''t seen anything like it before and tried not to stare.


    "Just passing through," Kai said, restraining his senses. "I have gold, cores, and some potions. You offer anything to strangers?"


    "We''re not a bunch of paranoiacs here." The cloud-riding man grinned at him and then drew a lance out of some spatial magic device to point toward the area. "Don''t fuck with the pits, and don''t take more than you''re due from the pool. A little eyeballing is okay, just don''t be unreasonable. You do that, you''ll fit right in here."


    "Got it."


    As the man floated away, Kai tried his new technique. Instead of focusing his sight through mana, he just barely brushed his senses over the other man''s soul. The result was a vague impression instead of a detailed set of symbols. There was no sign that the guard noticed, though that didn''t prove anything.


    Anyway, the guard had a Power rating of over 60, and most of the other people who Kai examined were around 50. Instead of suspicious clusters, most seemed to be traveling alone. Near the center, furthest away from all four smoke pits, he could see a number of stone buildings that looked like they were actually staffed, maybe even a bar. This place suited him a lot more than the previous community.


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    Just as he''d hoped, the waypoint wasn''t clusters of Goralians hating one another. There were multiple Irunians, generally the only ones moving in groups, some with entire suits of liquid metal armor. Warriors from the Krysal City States bearing crystal weapons. Even occasional hair flowing like the Elemental Nations.


    He was hoping to run into someone from another continent, to get entirely outside the world he knew, but no one looked so obviously foreign. Then again, there were so many different people that he couldn''t be sure. Monskon City had always seemed cosmopolitan to him and compared to this place it was as familiar as a provincial village.


    When he spotted a dark-skinned man with an intensely powerful crystal around his neck and a large sapphire sword across his back, Kai decided that he absolutely had to use his spiritual sight, just briefly.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 62


    Crystal Cultivation: 850 (35)


    Physique Level: G-8 (18)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    Some parts of the man''s soul were familiar, but his central aspect was entirely new to Kai. Instead of anything like a Class, he had something called Crystal Cultivation. Kai was shocked by how high the first number was - what could it be, literally the number of crystals the man had condensed into his necklace? However it worked, it formed the core of his strength, just like a Class usually did for Goralians.


    That aside, Kai really wanted to spar with the man, just to see what his crystal could do. He heard stories about the strength of their weapons and their ability to manifest armor. Allegedly some could even fly atop their crystals, though he was skeptical about that. Too bad there was no way to ask for a simple sparring match without getting into trouble.


    He made his way to the center and was distracted by a pool of mana. It wasn''t anywhere near as intense as the one that had awakened his Class, but more valuable than simple water. Since the guard had implied that everyone could take a little from the common source, Kai drank his fill and then filled his empty bottles. Better to have it than nothing.


    While he was trying to decide if it was worth going to the bar, someone else caught his attention. A woman of about thirty had flowing blue hair from the Elemental Nations and dressed in swathes of fabric that seemed to flow with living colors. His first impression was that her strength was above 100, so he fully opened his spiritual sight, only to see:


    <


    Shroud of Water


    >


    Immediately her gaze flicked to him and he felt her strength pass over him. He''d shut down his senses automatically, so she just turned away without expression. As much as he wanted to push further, he suspected he was already at the bounds of politeness.


    All the strongest hunters he''d met had their strength obscured to him, but he''d never gotten such clear symbols when he tried to examine them. He could only wonder if they used a different shrouding technique or if there were two different phenomena at play. That actually might be a useful skill, if it could stop people from seeing his Laborer Class and judging him accordingly.


    As much as Kai enjoyed observing so many other travelers, he soon began to realize how isolated the community was. He might have become friends with any of the people he passed, but he would never find out. Talking to anyone or pushing for information would only make him seem suspicious, and he couldn''t afford to ruin the one community that had accepted him so far.


    Once he reached the center, he was at least able to conduct business. He sold off all of his monster cores for less than he would have gotten at Monskon City, though he thought the price was reasonable given their isolation. The food sold at the tavern was expensive for the simple fare, but not as exorbitant as earlier and it tasted wonderful to eat something other than monster. Now, if only he could find someone who sold supplies, maybe he wouldn''t have to sleep on the rocks any longer. Surely eight hundred Goralian Eagles would go reasonably far even in a place like this.


    "Excuse me?" A soft voice interrupted the last of his meal and he looked up, then stared.


    The woman standing beside his table was absolutely gorgeous. Long silvery blond hair cascaded around her shoulders, not quite hiding pointed ears. A crimson dress wrapped around her like a second skin, dropping sharply off her shoulders to bare impressive breasts. Yet it was cinched at the waist by an entirely practical belt holding both potions and strange silver rods he didn''t recognize. Her dress fell almost to the floor with slits up the side that flashed hints of long legs.


    Before Juray, Kai might have been entirely tongue-tied. The sight of the woman made him miss Juray but also awakened hungers he''d been forcing down. He forcibly swallowed his desire and tried to speak in an even voice. "What do you need?"


    "I think we might be able to help one another. You see, my strength has hit a barrier I can''t break through without some help. If I could just take a better look at you... well, I think we might be compatible."


    "Go ahead." Since looking at her physically was distracting, Kai was glad to switch to his spiritual eyes.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 89


    Silver Courtesan: 9 (50)


    Physique Level: F-0 (30)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    Not only was her fundamental nature something called a "Silver Courtesan," her power felt different from anything he''d felt before. Not mana or qi like Zae Zin Nim had talked about, something more raw. Whatever it was, she clearly had considerable experience with it.


    Meanwhile, her spiritual senses swept over him like a heavy rain. She reached down with an elegant arm and touched his chin, turning his head left and then right. Whatever she saw, it made her smile just enough to show a flash of teeth.


    "Yes, I think this could work nicely. I have a proposal for you, then. If you help me break through my current barrier, I''ll be able to increase your strength significantly. The two are more intertwined than you might think."


    "How can that be?" When her hand pulled back, he could still feel her touch on his cheek. "You should know I don''t have anything special."


    "No, I specifically want this... ''Laborer'' is it?"


    "My Class? But it''s a worthless one. It''s already hit its peak."


    "Oh, no no no." The woman slid down into the chair opposite him, her smile broadening. "Your problem is that you''re thinking of your soul as a Class from this little continent, when in fact it''s something quite different. We really need to talk."

 Chapter 53: The Truth of the Laborer Class

    "How can my power not be a Class?" Kai asked. He refused to think about implications and simply watched the strange woman as he thought about the facts.


    "I couldn''t come close to telling you how it happened," she said. "Maybe one of your parents had foreign blood, maybe it''s just a freak accident. But surely you''ve noticed there''s overlap between the powers of this world, right? It doesn''t matter if you use mana or qi to empower a sword, it cuts in similar ways. This is the opposite, an ability that acts close enough to a Class to be mistaken for one, but with key differences."


    "So... it could have been awakened by the mana pool, but wouldn''t develop the same."


    "That''s my theory." The woman folded her arms in front of her and leaned forward, a maneuver that seemed designed to maximize cleavage, yet she looked more serious than before. "Yes, I believe this could work. Let''s start things off properly, shall we? I''m Anaelina, and before you ask, we don''t have fancy second names where I come from."


    "Kai Clanless, so I guess I don''t either." It took some effort, but Kai kept his eyes on hers, especially since she was promising him a new route to power. "I understand how I might benefit from proper training techniques, but I don''t understand why I can help you."


    Anaelina shrugged carelessly. "It would take too long to explain everything, but in my home, our souls tend to convert... experiences into power, I suppose you could say. My theory is that your ability converts pain and suffering into strength. Mine works a little different, but if you gain enough strength, you''ll be able to give me some of it back and I''ll finally get past this barrier."


    "Where''s home? Are you from Cloudspire?"


    "No, Rosemount. But does either name really mean anything to you?" Anaelina laughed and then looked guilty. "Sorry, sorry, I didn''t mean to make fun. But you should know that your home continent is called Deadwaste and it doesn''t have the best reputation. There are a lot of things you''ll need to unlearn. What do you say, would you like to unlock your true potential?"


    It was a shock, but Kai found himself nodding. He''d seen how powerful people from other continents could be and Gunjin had essentially confirmed it. Since it was clear he''d already reached the limits of his Class and it had done him little good, it couldn''t hurt to try something new.


    "Wonderful! Let''s find a better training location where we won''t be observed." Anaelina pulled him from the tavern and clasped onto his bicep, just barely avoiding brushing against him by some feminine technique. "I have a camp a little further out, since this place smells so foul. I heard you had a serious monster problem here, but I didn''t think it could be so bad."


    "There are fewer monsters on the Rosemount continent?" Kai asked.


    "We have more than a few, and some that are much stronger than yours, but they aren''t nearly the endemic problem. That''s one of the reasons that everyone here has been struggling to build things for so long. But put Deadwaste out of your mind! Your future lies in world-class arts."


    "You really think it has that much potential?"


    "It has amazing potential if I''m right, but I''m not going to share those secrets with you just yet." Anaelina cast him a playfully exaggerated wink. "If you can master your personal nature and help me break through, then maybe we can make a new deal. I have some fun secrets, but you need to prove yourself first."


    They made their way out and Kai carefully examined anyone who looked toward them, just in case. Most continued to ignore him as they had before, while a few men either glowered or grinned at him. He wasn''t completely sure, but he thought he could feel some opening their spiritual sight briefly to investigate Anaelina.


    Once back in the wasteland, Anaelina disengaged from his arm and instead gestured for him to follow. Her Physique was lower than his, but given her F rank, she was able to move quite fast. They didn''t encounter anything unusual until they reached a small river. Partially sheltered by a small outcropping, there was a dormant fire pit and a tent of rich purple cloth. Apparently this really was her camp.


    "This is home for now!" Anaelina waved a hand over it carelessly. "A bit sad, but I don''t mind roughing it if this gets me through. Thanks for coming with me, by the way. All the people here are so suspicious, always trying to control the environment... it''s really very inconvenient."


    "You implied I had a lot of work to do," Kai said. "How do we start?"


    "First big test: seeing how well you can manage this." A heavy green potion swept out of one sleeve, which didn''t seem possible. "After you drink it, try to draw in as much power as possible. Now, the average person in Deadwaste would let almost all of it trickle away. You need to retain at least 25% of it for this to work, but I''m hopeful you can do 50% or more."


    Though far from an expert, after helping Juray with her potions Kai knew a little about them. He examined the mana and gave the liquid a sniff, but nothing seemed amiss. It actually felt remarkably similar to the types of potions that clan scions would be given. Deciding that there was little risk, Kai drank first a sip, then the entire container.


    Almost instantly, he felt new mana flowing into his body. There was a surge of something else as well, something wild that made his heart race, but it wasn''t harmful. He focused on letting his body absorb the energy by repeating the mana exercises that had never been useful to him because of his Class.


    When the surge ran out, Kai was surprised to see that his Class had instantly increased by a level. It still didn''t grant him any more strength, but he hadn''t heard of anything that could cause jumps like that. Anaelina clasped her hands together enthusiastically.


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    "You only lost a little over 10%! Being able to absorb 90% of one of those is considered exceptional even on Rosemount, so that''s not bad for your first try."


    "That''s how we''re going to proceed?" Kai asked.


    "Well, I can''t afford to give you those potions constantly, despite what this could be worth to me." Anaelina spun away from him, looking through her camp in an apparently random fashion. "You''ll need to push most of the way yourself. Oh, but you won''t be using the old exercises you just showed me. If you want to really awaken your ability, you''ll need some new techniques."


    Over several days, Anaelina was as good as her word. The techniques she demonstrated for him seemed odd, much more aggressive than normal mana manipulation. His Class didn''t feel any more powerful, just... full to bursting somehow. Despite what she''d said, she gave him several more potions, each filled with raw mana and other sources of energy.


    He wasn''t sure what to make of her behavior. It seemed wildly flirtatious to him, and she wasn''t shy about touching him. Her praise for his progress was effusive and more than would be necessary if all she wanted was his help. Yet there was something untouchable about her that made him try to think about her as the person training him instead of a woman.


    "You''re really doing very well," Anaelina said at the end of one day as he settled down on a newly purchased bedroll. "What number is your spiritual sight telling you?"


    "Laborer is at 17," Kai answered automatically. Nothing else had changed, so he had basically been watching the number slowly roll up for days.


    "Hmm... by those standards, I think you''ll reach your peak at about 25. It''s a bit like the Novice Classes I''ve seen here, where the power needs to reach a certain point to evolve. There will be some trouble at that point, of course, but I''m sure you''ll be able to get through it."


    Despite all her compliments, Kai wasn''t so sure of himself. His Class didn''t feel like it was going to evolve, it was more like mana was surging up against a mountain. Moving from G to F Physique had felt like breaking through floodgates, but his Class only seemed overloaded. He would have to hope that when the moment of truth came, fate wouldn''t stop him from taking the next step.


    "Why so quiet, Kai?" She put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in closer. "Don''t worry, you''ll more than repay me after this. If you''re really that worried about it, just try to be in the best of health. You are healthy, right?"


    "Pretty much." Nothing he couldn''t tough out, but Kai realized that it might be critical to his development, so he should be more honest. "I guess my gums hurt. The other aches and pains could just be training, but I''m not sure why."


    "Gums as in your teeth? How odd... wait, how long have you been living in the wilderness and eating monsters?"


    "It really depends on how you count. It''s been over a month since I was banished."


    "Then eat some fruit and vegetables, silly!" Anaelina shook her head at him. "Poor man, raised among barbarians. You can''t live on meat alone."


    Insulting as that seemed, Kai bought some more diverse food the next day and was surprised when he did feel better. It didn''t seem to have any impact on his training, but Anaelina had suggested that breaking through would require him to be in peak condition: physically, spiritually, mentally. Since this might be his last chance, he tried to do everything right.


    And yet his progress began to slow. For a time he''d been gaining at least one Class level a day, but eventually it failed to rise for an entire day even after a potion. Stuck at 21, still far from his goal. He considered using the one remaining enhancement scroll still in his belt, but worried that it wouldn''t match the exotic techniques from Rosemount. Kai ended up staying awake after Anaelina had disappeared into her tent, staring into the fire and hoping that he wouldn''t disappoint her. If this didn''t work...


    There was something off that made it hard to rest. The closest thing he had ever experienced to it was the reality distortion he had felt at the Frontier, but it definitely wasn''t that. Like there was something buzzing all through his body and soul. Even if it meant progress, it made him restless, so he got up to take a quick walk.


    "Don''t give up now, Kai." Anaelina reemerged from her tent with a smile and floated behind him, her fingers tracing over his shoulders. "I know you must be feeling frustrated, but even geniuses don''t break through barriers in a day. I''ve been stuck for over a year. So just sit back, relax, and let it happen."


    Kai settled back down, distracted by how her fingers felt when they brushed the skin of his neck. "I just feel a bit strange. Like there''s-"


    "Your body hasn''t experienced this before and it''s struggling to adapt. Everything will be fine if you relax, Kai." Anaelina slowly wrapped her arms around him, pressing her breasts against his back. "You''ve been working so hard for my sake... would you like me to help you relax?"


    Part of him, one part in particular, desperately wanted to say yes. Instead he found himself thinking about Juray. That didn''t make any sense, because she had always been clear that she had never expected loyalty. No doubt she would want him to be happy, and he could honestly say that he hoped that she found the satisfying relationship that she wanted.


    Perhaps that was exactly the problem. He had always known that Juray cared deeply for him, even if she didn''t love him, and he just wasn''t sure about Anaelina. It was possible, even likely, that she would have sex with him solely to persuade him to train more. For all her flattery, he wasn''t sure how much she really liked him and how much she just wanted a mutually-beneficial arrangement.


    That decided it. She was stunningly beautiful, but he wouldn''t accept any proposition unless she offered it after she had broken through her own barrier.


    "That''s flattering," Kai said, "but... I don''t know, I feel like I don''t know you well enough, and I want to concentrate on training until I break through."


    "Men. Always nothing but training on their minds." Anaelina plopped down beside him and dropped her head to one hand to pout.


    "Sorry." Her offer had only made him even more tense, so he stood back up. His legs actually hurt a bit, despite doing only his basic physical training. Perhaps he had been sitting and processing mana for too long. A walk would work out the kinks and also let him cool down.


    Just as he started to move away, Anaelina spoke up quietly. "I was born in a tiny village near the heart of Rosemount." For once, she didn''t act coy or even look at him. "Not everyone can be a warrior, the way you do things here. When I grew up, everyone said they knew exactly what I was suited for."


    Kai frowned and sat back down opposite her to listen.


    "You know, some say that power is always inborn. Anyone can work hard, so the only ones who will succeed are those who have power in their blood, their soul, or their fate. So they say that real strength ultimately comes down to luck in the end."


    He wanted to agree, but his mouth was unusually dry. The tingling feeling had spread through his entire body now and he was beginning to feel strangely fatigued.


    "I actually agree about the luck part." Anaelina finally looked up at him and flashed a bright smile. "But it isn''t luck in where you were born. In my experience, it''s finding an opportunity and capitalizing on it. Discovering an ability that lets you upend the rules of this world and conquer the rubble."


    Something was wrong. Kai jumped to his feet and began moving back on instinct. An instant later, a hand closed around his throat and he began to feel his strength draining away.


    "Then those who found their own luck can steal power from those who were born with it." Anaelina stared up at him, her eyes and teeth as silver as starlight. "Now it''s finally time to begin."

 Chapter 54: Fate Plays Dice

    Kai grabbed at Anaelina''s wrist, but she was overwhelmingly strong, far more than she should have been. Before his stamina could drain away, he struck her arm with both of his, using leverage to break her grip.


    It worked, but he nearly collapsed when he dropped back to the ground. The tingling throughout his body intensified and now he understood it for what it was: part of his soul was draining into Anaelina. Mostly he felt his Class ebbing away, but the rest of him was weakened as well.


    Before he lost his strength, Kai leapt back to where he''d set his bow. In an instant he drew and released an arrow, but Anaelina was faster. She was practically a streak of silver as she ran directly into the arrow, knocking the shaft aside and then striking him.


    Her blow didn''t harm him even slightly, but it pushed him all the way to the shoreline where he plowed into the sand. Kai struggled to get back to his feet just in time to see her pick up his bow. She frowned as it resisted her, but a moment later she twisted it in half with a shriek of metal. It only bought him seconds, but he used that time to throw his will into his spiritual sight.


    <


    Name: Anaelina of Rosemount


    Total Power: 142


    Silver Demon: Amber Rank (80)


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    He had hoped that he would discover some weakness, but it told him nothing. She was more powerful than she had pretended to be, and now her primary essence read "Silver Demon."


    The only thing that he noticed was that the draining sensation had gotten much weaker when he was further away from her. She had been trying to keep him in place from the very beginning. Kai growled and pushed to his feet, intending to reach the river, but Anaelina was on him in an instant and easily lifted him off his feet.


    "You could have taken the easy path, fucked me, and then died in your sleep, but I suppose you have to do everything the hard way." Her bright smile held no more teasing and even as he stared down at her, power twisted around her clothes. Silver fabric flowed from her belt, wrapping around her body until it was covered by a cloak. "I don''t mind. You''re not as repulsive as most of the barbarians here, but faking gets tedious after a while."


    When he made another attempt to dislodge her grip, this time it was futile. Kai struggled to breathe as he felt his Class sucked away by her overwhelming power. He was still wearing his belt and his gauntlets, but he wasn''t sure they offered him an advantage. Nothing but his weapon sphere and a few useless potions... wait.


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    Kai rammed his fist into Anaelina''s stomach and she barely flinched. He struck a second time, letting his strength weaken... then on the third strike, he twisted his wrist and drove the blade of his gauntlet as deep as he could.


    Anaelina grimaced and staggered, but she didn''t let go of his neck. The draining became more intense and he struggled even to lift his arms to his belt, much less strike her again.


    "Tougher than you look..." Her smile gained a bit of its old enticement. "I wish I could drain away all that delicious Physique, but unfortunately I can''t do that yet. Maybe once I absorb your strange Class. It might be worthless for you, but it matches me so very well."


    Removing the last weapon sphere from his belt, Kai pushed it into Anaelina''s open wound and envisioned twisted spikes.


    The Irunian steel exploded outward, impaling her body from multiple angles. Anaelina screamed like he''d never heard before and collapsed, scattering blood in all directions. Kai''s feet hit the sand and his legs nearly crumpled underneath him, but he drew on the last remnants of his willpower and hurled himself into the river.


    At first he thought that he''d just sink to his death, but he managed to reach a floating position on his back. As the current bore him downstream, he felt a weight recede from his soul. He was finally escaping her range. That had been his greatest fear: that even if he dealt her a mortal wound, she would be able to finish him off before dying, or worse, somehow drain his body enough to heal herself.


    When the current swept him up on a rocky shore, there was no trace of her presence. His entire soul felt scraped raw. He desperately didn''t want to see what she had done to him, but he was too weak to move. After several minutes lying on his back and catching his breath, Kai reluctantly turned his spiritual sight toward himself.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 58


    Laborer Class: 0 (0)


    Physique Level: F-6 (42)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    ???: ???


    ???: ???


    ???: ???


    >


    His Laborer Class had been reduced to 0.


    Kai had just enough breath to laugh bitterly. He should have known better. Her seductress routine hadn''t tricked him, but he''d blindly stumbled in anyway because he was so desperate for power. Everything was the same as it had always been: his soul was fundamentally worthless.


    As the rage surged inside him, Kai threw his will against the useless symbols. He inverted every exercise that had been meant to encourage the growth of his Class and instead cast it out. It resisted but he pushed harder, determined to expunge every trace of the soul that had made a mockery of his life.


    Without warning he succeeded and his chest seemed to cave in. Kai cried out in agony as his soul collapsed around the absence. He wondered if removing the piece of his soul that he''d been born with meant destroying himself, then wondered if he cared.


    Before he could find an answer, his thoughts dissolved into darkness and blood.


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai Clanless lay on his back, bleeding out, wondering what fate had brought him to this point. As he desperately thought back over every step that had taken him to this point, he saw only disappointments... and yet something underneath them, darker and more terrible than the denial of fate.


    What little remained of his conscious mind felt only rage and bitterness. He was beyond words and could only feel an all-consuming hatred for the fact that fate had ruined his life just as it had so many times before.


    But this time, Kai was wrong. Fate or random chance, his life was not what had been ruined.


    <


    Talent Capacity: Void


    Elemental Capacity: Void


    Essence Capacity: Void


    Cultivation Capacity: Void


    >


    And, into that void, something that should not have been swirled together...


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 60


    Physique Level: F-7 (44)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    Direboar''s Strength - II (beta)


    Aquagorgon''s Health - II (beta)


    Isulfr''s Bite - I (alpha)


    Monstrous Hunger - VI (zeta)


    >

 Chapter 55: Monstrous Awakening

    Running through the wastes.


    Biting deep.


    Tasting blood in his mouth.


    Reveling in it.


    Dreams faded away and Kai tasted only sand and glass. He was lying on his face on the shore, and the sand against his skin reminded him of everything that had happened. Now that he felt less hopeless, he forced himself up to his knees to make what he could of the rubble of his life.


    His heart was thrashing in his chest and every part of him ached, likely due to how severely Anaelina had drained him. Kai fumbled at his belt for the flask Juray had given him, only to find the pouch open. He despaired for a moment, then saw the flask lying on the sand beside him.


    Or rather, half of it.


    Carefully spitting out some of the glass fragments in his mouth, Kai wondered at what had happened. Was it possible that in his frenzy he had drained the flask by tearing it open with his teeth? That might have saved his life, but it also meant that his current state was how he felt after healing. Surviving was going to be a challenge.


    When he tried to examine his own soul to see what he''d done to it, all the symbols blurred. It was almost like he was seeing two different sets of symbols at once, phasing through one another. That instantly gave him a headache, so he forced himself to focus on the important details.


    His Class was simply gone. Remembering his anger before, he felt almost insane, but apparently he''d survived the removal. More sensible was the fact that his Physique had increased to F-7, which was a strong piece of evidence suggesting that he had drunk Juray''s potion. As for all the haze of confused symbols, he attributed that to the technique Anaelina had used to drain his soul.


    Everything seemed a lot worse to his actual physical eyes. His Irunian bow had been destroyed and his sword appeared to be lost in the river, so he had only his gauntlets left. Most of his supplies and the remainder of his food had been in his satchel, which was probably sitting back at the camp. As much as he needed those, he couldn''t risk going back.


    Just about all that had survived were the items in his belt, as it was designed to endure difficult hunts. Unfortunately, that meant only his money and the few remaining Class potions he hadn''t used in Monskon City. Not even a single healing potion. He''d been too reliant on Anaelina for the past several days.


    Anger surged within him and died down just as quickly. Perhaps he''d worked through all of his emotions the previous night. He was still bitter about being taken in and believing in his worthless Class one more time, but it was only a lingering tinge to everything else. What mattered now was finding a path forward.


    It took him some time to gain his orientation and figure out that the river had swept him south of the crossroad. His first priority was obviously to go there: not only could he replace some of his supplies, he could speak to the authorities about Anaelina. Even if she was dead, which he desperately hoped she was, he might be able to get more information about her.


    As he jogged back, Kai felt increasingly healthy. Either the draining was wearing off or Juray had done a better job at the recovery flask than she''d thought, because his body felt fantastic. The only real problem was the gnawing hunger in his stomach.


    Spurred by the desire for some answers, Kai didn''t take a single break on the way back. Since he''d woken up in the early morning, he caught sight of the crossroads community by early evening. Nothing appeared to be on fire, at least not more than it ordinarily was. In fact, it seemed like everyone was going about their business, since the events of his life meant nothing to them.


    At least, it seemed that way until a cloud shot toward him and there was a lance stabbing in his face. It should have speared him, but Kai grabbed it with one hand almost before he knew what he was doing, and to his surprise he held back the attack.


    "What the hell?" It was the same guard as before, staring at him from the other side of the lance. "You have to be the same man as before, but... that is the strangest shroud I''ve ever seen. I don''t know who taught it to you, but I suggest you slap them."


    "Is something wrong?" It still took Kai a bit of focus to see his true soul through the haze of symbols, but the difference didn''t seem like it should be shocking.


    "I almost impaled you, and there''s a part of me that still wants to." The guard pulled back his lance but stayed on his flying cloud, still highly alert. "We let you in and you didn''t cause any trouble, so I want to trust you... but I can''t let you walk around like that. Someone might eyeball you as a monster and kill you before they thought twice."


    Whatever the man was seeing, it wasn''t a problem solely with him. A few people walking around the edge of the community had taken a spiritual glance at Kai already and then looked again. Clearly something was setting them off.


    "I don''t want to cause any trouble," Kai said. "But I need to talk to you about something. Do you know a woman named Anaelina, from Rosemount?"


    "You think I know every single traveler who passes through here? But in this case... a foreigner who looks like she''s in danger of falling out of her dress? Yeah, she''s known here. I''m not giving you any information about her. Even if you''re just aiming for the obvious, we don''t interfere with people''s privacy here."


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    "It''s not that, it''s a warning. You don''t have to believe me, but she attacked me outside the city and tried to... drain away my strength, somehow. She nearly killed me and I really doubt I killed her before I got away."


    "Draining power directly? Not just mana?" The guard folded his arms skeptically but at least he listened. "We don''t really do anything if people murder each other outside of the fires, so long as they don''t cause trouble here. But if she lured you out... I guess I can talk to the others. Of course, you might just be trying to sabotage her."


    "It''s the truth, and if you watch her I would bet that you''ll see her try to isolate people." Kai searched for other words and eventually decided that he had done enough. If she was still alive, he would have cut off her main source of victims.


    Meanwhile, the guard was still examining him suspiciously, his stance oddly tight. "If your soul was damaged, I guess that might explain it. Seriously, I would recommend that you get someone to help you with that right away. Lots of people out here attack first and ask questions later."


    Kai thanked the guard and headed in the other direction. What had the guard''s strange reaction been about?


    .


    ..


    .


    What the fuck had that been? The guard remained tense until Kai disappeared into the landscape, then his hands began trembling uncontrollably. He had to dismiss his spear or it might have fallen.


    When he''d first arrived, the traveler had been concerning enough: not too many hunters came through with so much Power and obvious training. But now he had transformed, like his humanity peeled away and revealed a horror underneath. Before, it would have been an even fight, but the second time the guard felt like he was nothing but prey, shivering in front of a predator.


    The worst part was that it didn''t make any sense. He''d seen a lot of monsters and tuned his senses on them. Occasionally there were vaguely humanoid monsters, like demonic apes or similar, but they were always clearly beasts. Then the traveler returned, inexplicably speaking like a person despite radiating horrifying levels of bloodlust.


    He should have fought him. That would have been the responsible thing to do as a guard. And yet, when it came down to it, he hadn''t dared.


    After several deep breaths, the guard managed to calm himself. Perhaps the traveler really had just damaged his soul and needed help. It occurred to him that the traveler had wandered off in a dangerous direction, one with monsters that could threaten even the settlement. Part of the guard thought that he should have called after him to give a warning.


    A larger part of him hoped that the monsters would finish him off and he''d never have to see anything like that ever again.


    .


    ..


    .


    Getting close enough to the community to smell the food past the smoke had made Kai''s hunger much worse, but he couldn''t afford the risk. He decided to search for a safe place to stay the night, figure out what was wrong with his soul, and sort everything out before he went back.


    It looked like there were a few potential camping points within sight of the community. Kai discarded those too close to the river, which left him with the hilly region to the west. He saw a few cave entrances and decided that they were too obvious as a choice - anyone else not staying in the community might have gone there. If he wanted to avoid interacting with anyone, the most likely option was a region of craggy boulders he could just see to the southwest.


    Along the way, Kai examined himself more critically than before. If he was honest with himself, he wasn''t pushing through a haze of symbols to see his true soul. It was more like he got several contradictory impressions and then chose the one he wanted. He could see how someone seeing it might mistake him for a monster.


    What he was going to do about that, Kai had no idea. Food and shelter first.


    Upon arriving at the crags, Kai was surprised how good of a shelter they would be. Near the edges, the wind whistled between the boulders, but by the time he got nearer the center, it was peaceful. Some of the larger boulders loomed high overhead and would provide shade as well. After collecting some firewood, he sat down and caught his breath.


    This would be a good place to meditate and figure out what was wrong with his soul, since there was no sign of monsters. He was actually surprised that none of them had taken up residence in such a good location.


    Wait, he''d learned this lesson before.


    Kai leapt to his feet and dodged to the side as something slammed into the ground where he had been sitting. He was already pivoting toward it, smashing a fist into the rocky appendage. It broke apart and, as the creature staggered back, he finally got a good look at it.


    What he had thought was a chunk of the boulder was in fact a monstrous beast that looked like the offspring of a spider and a crab. Two of its legs in front ended in massive pincers while the other two came down in spikes, like the one that had nearly stabbed him. His blow seemed to have shattered the joint, so he hoped that he was capable of hurting it, but the majority of its body seemed to be rock-like armor. Destroying its limb with one punch had to be a lucky hit.


    For a moment they just stared at one another, Kai looking up into the beady eye knobs behind the pincers. The rock spider seemed to be confused that its ambush had failed. Kai wasn''t sure exactly how he had reacted. Realizing the risk had been purely intellectual, and sensing the movement could be attributed to battle experience, but the immediate retaliation seemed to have come from nowhere.


    When it reached forward to grab him with a pincer, Kai dodged past it and took a swing at its eyes. The monster reared up and his fist only cracked its central plate. An instant later, the other claw struck him in the chest and Kai was slammed into a boulder.


    The rock spider immediately crawled toward him and Kai carefully examined it further.


    <


    Monster: Rock Spider


    Threat: Gamma


    >


    Not just a gamma-ranked monster, but a strong gamma. Even though he had become much stronger between fighting the Direboar and fighting the Isulfr, every gamma-ranked monster fight had put his life on the line. This beast seemed to be more fragile than those, but its blow to the chest had hurt and he knew his Physique couldn''t stand up to its stabbing limbs. It was a miracle it hadn''t torn through him.


    When it next approached it did so at an angle, menacing him with a heavy claw. If he wanted to win, he''d need to find an advantage. As it sped up, Kai scanned the boulders and then turned to run.


    It immediately gave chase, but Kai slid low between two boulders that were close together. Just as he''d hoped, the rock spider thrust its claw into the gap after him. Kai whirled on it and brought both fists down as hard as he could.


    The carapace splintered as it was driven to the ground and the rock spider screeched from the other side. Kai grinned and tried to ignore the pain in his chest. If he was smart and used the environment against the monster, he could wear it down and then go in for the kill.


    Behind him, he sensed another boulder uncurling.


    This time it was the most Kai could do to dodge aside as a second rock spider attacked him. He was trapped between it and the small entrance... no, it was even worse. The first rock spider crawled up over the barrier, fixated on him.


    Two monsters that would have been nearly fatal on their own. Already injured with nowhere to run. Kai let out a cry and charged.

 Chapter 56: Fragments Coming Home to Roost

    More out of a desire to go out fighting than any strategy, Kai met one of the monstrous rock spider''s pincers with a punch. To his surprise, the carapace broke and the monster staggered back. He had no time to celebrate, because the other one was almost on top of him, all its front limbs stabbing down.


    He managed to dodge one pincer, then one of the stabbing claws caught him in the side. Kai wrapped his arms around it on instinct, then pulled, hoping he could tug the monster off balance.


    The entire limb tore off at the joint.


    Though his conscious mind was stunned, Kai''s muscle memory knew a weapon when he held one. He swept the limb to the side, knocking the rock spider above him over. The second monster was coming toward him again, holding its injured limb back and using its remaining pincer defensively.


    Kai leapt into the air with the severed spider claw over his head and jammed it down into the center of the rock spider''s body. It penetrated deep and all the monster''s limbs began spasming, trying to batter him from his position atop it.


    Several caught him, but Kai struck back at the others. Even with just his gauntlets, his blows shattered the rocky defenses of the monster. When he saw that first rock spider was still coming toward him, Kai grabbed the last limb, tore it off, and leapt into the air.


    The second rock spider had clearly learned its lesson and scuttled back, avoiding a fatal impalement. But now that he was on the offensive, Kai didn''t let up. He swung the limb at the rock spider repeatedly, scoring only glancing blows until finally the side connected with its upper carapace.


    His weapon and the beast''s torso both cracked, and Kai leapt directly into the fragments. One heavy blow between the eyes and the rock spider could only flail in death. This time he was able to leap away before taking too many blows.


    For almost a minute Kai simply stood atop a boulder and stared at the dying monsters. He had expected to lose his life fighting them, since even one should have been a difficult match. Yet he felt surprisingly fine, his injuries not even slowing him much. His only explanation was that the rock spiders were a good match-up for him, particularly vulnerable to the kind of blunt damage he could inflict.


    His stomach gurgling interrupted his thoughts and brought him low. Damn, he had never been this hungry in his life.


    Kai found the firewood he had previously gathered, now scattered between the boulders. As he did so, he carefully kept watch for further monsters, but he found none. Perhaps these two had been a mating pair. Without a flint it was difficult, but he eventually managed to start a fire with friction. Since he didn''t have a spit or pot, he took several of the meatiest legs of one of the rock spiders and propped them together over the flame.


    While the monster cooked, Kai had more time to think. And he didn''t much like his conclusions.


    The idea of the rock spiders being particularly vulnerable to him didn''t ultimately make sense. Even if their limbs had particularly weak joints, that didn''t explain how he had wielded them so effortlessly. They had felt light in combat, but while setting up his cooking fire he realized they were as heavy as stone. It seemed as though he had grown stronger, yet his Physique was unchanged from F-7.


    It couldn''t have been drive, not that he had even been that driven. Unmotivated fighters might perform worse than their souls indicated, but no one could simply decide to become stronger because they were just too angry. The only explanation was that he was missing a variable.


    As he rolled over one of the spider legs to cook the other side, Kai realized that his wounds barely hurt anymore either. When he glanced down at his torso, he began doubting his memory. There had been a growing bruise across his chest and a deep gash down his side, just minutes ago. Both were much less serious than he remembered and he felt as though he''d been resting for hours.


    Since the problem must lie with his ruined soul, Kai sat down and tried to derive meaning from the hazy overlapping symbols. His hunger and the smell of the crabs cooking were so intense that he couldn''t concentrate.


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    Most likely he had only cooked away some of the poison, but Kai told himself that he had always been resistant to monster toxicity and tore into one of the legs. With the rocky carapace off, its flesh tasted somewhat like the crabs he''d occasionally tried in the market. The lean body only offered enough meat because of the monster''s enormous size.


    He was so hungry, even foul monster flesh temporarily tasted good. Once Kai had eaten a significant amount and began roasting more of the monsters, he could finally sit down and think properly.


    If the familiar symbols of his soul were only the half he chose to interpret, then logic dictated that the others might also represent something meaningful. Trying to look at both at once made him cross-eyed for a while, then his oddly doubled soul suddenly snapped into focus.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 60


    Physique Level: F-7 (44)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    Monstrous Hunger (zeta - VI)


    Direboar''s Strength (beta - II)


    Aquagorgon''s Health (beta - II)


    Isulfr''s Bite (alpha - I)


    Rockspider''s Claw (alpha - I)


    >


    What he saw was horrifying, but Kai forced himself to stare at it until his mind could accept the truth. Though he had some normal elements of a human soul, the dominant impression was that of a monster. Not only were the second set of symbols rated like monsters, they corresponded to specific monsters he''d fought.


    Even though he knew that it had just saved his life, Kai still felt a wave of revulsion. His entire life, he''d trained to fight on the side of humanity against the monster hordes. The thought that his soul was somehow contaminated left him sick to his stomach.


    Still, he had to face facts. The symbols might be unfamiliar, but they were perfectly comprehensible. He''d displayed immense strength and his wounds recovered unnaturally quickly, then he saw "Direboar''s Strength" and "Aquagorgon''s Health" within his soul. It couldn''t be exactly their traits, otherwise he would have regenerated almost as quickly as he was injured, but the sources were undeniable. That was enough to convince him that the more opaque symbols, such as "Isulfr''s Bite," must have real meaning as well.


    Now that he thought about it, he realized that these fragments of strength must have been the distorted symbols that he''d been carrying along with him. Gunjin had said that they were power he couldn''t use, but that had clearly changed. It had to have been due to Anaelina draining his soul, though he had no strong theory about how it worked.


    One piece didn''t fit his theory at all: "Monstrous Hunger" corresponded to no beast he''d fought. It swam around in his vision, as if it wasn''t as fixed as the others, but it felt most appropriate at the top of the list, as if it came before all the others.


    That trait was rated higher than all of the others by a wide margin, yet he wasn''t sure if it was doing him any good at all. Hunger didn''t seem to have any benefit, unlike the others. He considered that maybe that was what was making him so hungry and chuckled.


    Now that he had at least a guess at what was happening, Kai settled down to recover. Even if the idea of having monstrous elements in his soul repulsed him, it couldn''t stop him from eating his fill. He also broke open the rock spiders'' main bodies - remarkably easily - and retrieved their monster cores. They were just as large as the Direboar''s, if not larger. His nature really had changed.


    Exactly how strong was he? For half a year, he''d gotten used to everyone''s strength being reduced to a single number, even if the variables were more complicated. Now he had only monster ratings that seemed to exist separately from everything else. Did anything like this exist, in Deadwaste or anywhere else in the world? It felt like he was stumbling directly into the unknown.


    Once the smoke of the fire had died down, Kai tried to get some sleep, hoping that everything would seem clearer in the morning. Yet as he tried to sleep, he found himself distracted by a new sensation.


    All the smells of the world around him were more alive than before... no, not all the smells. The bodies of the rock spiders smelled worse than before, but if his sense of smell had really been enhanced, he should have been able to smell the bone pits from the crossroads. When Kai explored the rocky area further, the few small flowers seemed no different to him, yet he found his head turning to follow the subtle scents of a pair of monstrous bats flapping overhead.


    Again, he could only theorize the most basic concepts: his sense for monsters must have strengthened. An excellent trait for a monster hunter to have, he desperately tried to tell himself. The scents were all still dizzying and unclear, just like when he''d first developed his mana or worked on his spiritual sight. Hopefully more understanding would come with practice.


    Before Kai tried to go back to sleep, he caught something else: a stronger scent, one nothing like the others. An entirely different beast, or a human? Somehow it smelled familiar, which had never happened since he''d started developing these new abilities.


    Whatever it was, it was coming from the caverns to the south. Instead of sleeping, Kai sat and stared out toward it hungrily.

 Chapter 57: An Unexpected Reunion

    In the morning Kai was hungry again, but not so overwhelmingly. Since he woke up too early, still ready for pre-dawn training, he cooked some more of the rock spiders. As he ate, he sat down to think about how he was going to approach the strange scent.


    Fresh despite little sleep, he spent a while focusing on his new sense of smell. He still wasn''t sure if he was really picking up new scents or if it was a more spiritual awareness. Going around sniffing things didn''t seem to help at all. Yet his impression that he could smell monsters was only strengthening. After further testing, he realized that humans also had scents, just weaker ones. Everything else, from flowers to the foul bone fires, was no different from before.


    Which meant he was still fixated on the strangely familiar scent in the caves.


    As Kai walked toward them, he considered whether he actually had a good reason to pursue it. Technically he could just ignore everything else and go test his fate in Krysal. But the journey was still long and he would be making it with so few supplies that he was reluctant to start. Better to wrap up all loose ends here and prepare before going that far just to gamble on fate again.


    Just as he''d suspected earlier, the caves were an obvious location for outcasts to use. He could smell a small group of hunters in one and left them be, instead focusing on the familiar scent hiding deeper within the hills. Whoever it was, they seemed to be actively hiding, because tracking them down led him into a maze of cracks that barely deserved to be called caves.


    Since the meeting could just as easily be a negotiation as a fight, Kai decided to drink one of his few remaining Class potions. A tiny amount of power trickled down his throat into his soul, giving him a shadow of a Warrior''s Class. Fortunately, his theory was correct: his soul stabilized in his own sight, orienting around the Class and obscuring everything that was broken. That would make a better first impression.


    Kai rubbed his jaw and realized that he would make a terrible impression every other way. He already had a lot of beard, his hair was unkempt, his clothes were ragged, and...


    And he ran into Zae Zin Nim before he could reconsider.


    She jerked upright from her position in the cave, staring at him in shock, which gave him enough time to examine her. Since they''d last met, her weeping black scars looked no better and her robe looked much worse. It seemed that more of her hair had grown back, though it was still patchy and ragged. Her eyes, fixed on him, flickered through surprise, anger, and then irritation.


    "I thought I said..." She stopped to cough into a fist. "I said I never wanted to see you again."


    "Unfortunately, I have traveled for months just to annoy you in particular."


    Immediately her already narrow eyes became slits. "No matter what you say, you tracked me to my hiding place." She reached into her robe, deceptively fast, already holding another of her pills.


    "Wait!" Kai raised both hands palm up. "How much of that medicine do you have left? Are you going to waste more of it on someone who doesn''t mean you any harm?"


    Though Zae Zin Nim stared at him suspiciously, she didn''t immediately swallow the pill. As the silence stretched, Kai decided that he was being given a chance to explain himself.


    "I didn''t intend to find you in particular, but my life hasn''t gone the way I''d intended. I''m banished from my home and wandering. When I felt your unusual energy, I thought that we might be able to help one another. All I want from you is a fair exchange of knowledge, I swear. I don''t know what you need, but I''m a native of Goralia. I don''t think you would be hiding out here if you were fine on your own."


    "Well... at least you''re less suspicious than before." Zae Zin Nim slowly straightened and pulled her arm back into her robe. "You aren''t going to try to convince me you want to help out of some sense of altruism?"


    "No, I despise you and hate the idea of us working together. Which means you should trust me, right?"


    To his surprise, she gave a low laugh that transformed her face. A moment later it dissolved into painful coughs that wracked her body. He wanted to step forward to assist her but restrained himself and just waited for the fit to subside.


    "I know you might not want to talk about it," Kai said gently, "but would you tell me what''s wrong with you?"


    "No."


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    "Is there anything I can do to help?"


    "Not likely, given the miserable state of this wasteland." Zae Zin Nim''s scorn seemed to pass him, but Kai was still annoyed on behalf of his continent. Despite his best intentions, a trace of invective made it into his voice.


    "How much progress are you making on your own?" Kai met her gaze directly and waited until she lowered her eyes. "If you don''t think we could ever work together, I''ll leave and stop wasting my time. But if you want to get anything of value from me, you need to reveal something I can work with."


    After a long pause, the foreign woman shuffled away and sat down on a level rock. She didn''t have much of a camp, but he could see a bedroll and the remains of a small fire behind her. After hacking up some more black bile, she spoke in a ragged voice.


    "I am... not truly sick, not with anything that could be called a disease. Rather, I am trapped in a specific position and unable to advance. I believe even here you must be familiar with such things."


    "Our Classes run into barriers pretty early." Kai found another rock, dusted it off, and sat down at a respectful distance. Maybe he''d finally gotten through.


    "That is actually what I need from you. The trap I face cannot be overcome by any of the skills I know, which is part of the reason I fled to Deadwaste. Everyone in my homeland considers your powers inferior, but they seem intuitive and they develop quickly." Zae Zin Nim paused to drink from a narrow flask. "If you could help me awaken one of these Classes, you would have earned my gratitude."


    "As far as I know, anyone can awaken if they have a good pool of mana. That shouldn''t be different just because you''re from Cloudspire."


    "It hasn''t seemed so easy to me. The first pool I found was a failure. My hope was to make use of the one in the center of the crossroads community, but their guards are too competent for me to infiltrate."


    Kai blinked in surprise, then shook his head. "I think you''ve misunderstood. They have a pool of water that''s infused with mana, but it isn''t intense enough to awaken a Class. You need something fundamentally different."


    "Qi doesn''t work that way." Zae Zin Nim stared at him as if this was his fault.


    "You used that word before, too. That''s the kind of... natural energy you have on Cloudspire? Not mana?"


    "We have both, but..." She shook her head rapidly, as if shaking off water. "I''m not sure what I think about that. It doesn''t matter. You have already been helpful to me, presuming you are telling the truth about the pools. I need to know what you want from me."


    "That''s easy. If you''ve read about Classes, you know that they''re just granted by chance, right? Well, mine was a weak one, weak enough that I was thrown aside. I can''t hope to keep up with anyone unless I can find a new source of power." Kai hesitated as he thought about what was happening to him. He didn''t want to talk about it, but it seemed likely that Zae Zin Nim would eventually figure it out. "There''s also... something different. I was injured and my soul is behaving strangely. If you know what''s happening to me, either because it''s common in your home or for whatever reason, that would be repayment enough."


    Her dark eyes flickered over him and he felt a strange sort of spiritual sight before she answered. "You seemed normal, but that Class... it''s different from before. Hmm. Since you have been so direct, I must tell you the truth: I do not know if I will be able to help you with such things."


    "Would you teach me how to use this qi stuff? In exchange for helping you awaken a Class."


    "I could teach you the skills, but I don''t know how useful they would be to you here." She sat silently for a time, huddled within her robe. Now that she wasn''t glaring at him, she looked tragically frail. "You called yourself Kai Granfian before."


    "Kai Clanless, now."


    "Kai Clanless." Zae Zin Nim straightened and fixed him with a glare. "I may have misjudged you. We may be able to help one another, and I believe we should make the attempt, but I can make no promises."


    "That''s good enough for me." Kai grinned at her, but she didn''t smile back.


    "If this pool is not sufficient, do you have a plan?"


    "The only mana pools around here that would be intense enough for awakening will be controlled by Hunters Guilds. But deeper south into Goralia, the mana is richer. I''m also not banished from those cities, so I could help you a little more. If we travel there, I think I can promise finding you a source. I can''t promise that your Class would be what you need."


    "I would be suspicious if you did. But very well." She began to move to collect her things, as if the agreement was complete and there was no more need for discussion. Kai had nothing to pack and doubted she would appreciate help, so he just watched her for a while before speaking up.


    "If we''re going to be traveling together, what should I call you? You have, uh, a lot of names. I don''t know which ones are clan names, or if you even have clans, or... I don''t want to cause offense."


    "Use all three."


    "...if you insist. But it would be weird if you called me ''Kai Clanless'' all the time. Only the ''Kai'' part is my name."


    Zae Zin Nim didn''t answer him at all, so that seemed to be the end of it. She gathered everything into a small pack over her shoulder and departed the cave, only briefly glancing to see if he was following her. As they walked out of the cavern, however, she spoke in a low voice.


    "All three parts are my identity, but they are not the same. ''Zae'' is an inherited name. My parents bestowed ''Zin'' and ''Nim'' on me, though for differing reasons. Most should call me ZaeZinNim, said together as one name. In the sense you understand here, ZinNim is my personal name, for friends or close allies. Saying only Nim would be like a pet name." She cast him another glare as if she had an infinite supply of them. "Do you understand?"


    "Thank you for explaining, Zae Zin Nim."


    "Good." She turned away and began heading south, so she fell back when he took the lead.


    It wasn''t the path he''d intended to take, but Kai was willing to set aside thoughts of Krysal for the time being. The powers of the Frontier nations had treated him poorly, and it seemed that Deadwaste wasn''t respected as a whole. Perhaps he''d have better luck with a brand new path.

 Chapter 58: Starting from the Bottom of the World

    After several days traveling together, Kai was still unclear on exactly how powerful Zae Zin Nim was. Attempts to examine her soul only showed a mix of strange symbols, damage, and what he thought was some kind of shroud. In practical terms, he had seen her strike blows that he didn''t think he could equal, but her physical condition could cripple her at any moment. Though it hadn''t been tested, he suspected that she couldn''t take much punishment.


    Regardless, it seemed as though she actually needed his help to make swift progress. She wasn''t familiar with the local monsters and wasn''t accustomed to the unrelenting pressure of the wasteland. Only after she started trusting him to stand guard did she get some sleep and let them move faster.


    As for her actual techniques, those were even more opaque. She could enhance her strength with her qi, as he''d seen before, and deal lethal blows with her bare hands. Once when she had been in better condition, he''d stood back and let her take on a group of boars and she had killed some of them with bolts of energy that flew from her hands. She didn''t seem like someone who really needed a Class to be powerful.


    Along the way, she asked him questions about the region that showed that she knew surprisingly little about it. She didn''t strike him as uneducated; it was more like a wealthy clan member visiting the poorer part of the city for the first time. Her insights into every form of power she''d seen were piercing, but most cultural details might as well have not existed to her.


    "So it''s not a formal compact," Kai was saying, "but Goralia, Irun, the Elemental Nations, and the Krysal City States are generally known as the Frontier nations. In theory if a monster incursion becomes particularly bad, they''ll provide assistance to one another beyond their usual alliances."


    "It would be simpler if they were just ruled by one empire," Zae Zin Nim said archly. "In Cloudspire they would be."


    "An empire right over a bunch of monster-infested wasteland where nothing can grow? I''m not sure how successful that would be."


    "You''re underestimating just how large Cloudspire is." She paused briefly and glanced northeast. "So what''s at the center of the central wastes? No one builds a giant defensive wall for no reason."


    "I''m not sure there''s anything there, other than good breeding ground for monsters. But I don''t really know." Kai could only shrug. "Legends say that the region was destroyed by an ancient war between all the Frontier nations. Probably not true. There are stories about something terrible that fell out of the sky, but I don''t think there''s any proof of that. It might just be land that no one wants."


    "What about outside that ring of nations? Cloudspire is west of Krysal, but I haven''t seen any of the other directions."


    "I... don''t really know. I''ve never been outside of Goralia before, and given the fuzzy borders, maybe I''m still not."


    "Not surprising. Most peasants never even leave the villages where they were born." Zae Zin Nim pushed on as if there was no implicit insult. "So the cultivators at the Frontier are the strongest on the continent?"


    "I''m not sure what you mean by cultivators, but I think so. The hunters who succeed far beyond their peers go there. They say that one person on the Frontier is worth an army elsewhere." When she didn''t seem at all impressed, Kai couldn''t help but get a little irritated. "Is the entire Cloudspire continent really so much more powerful?"


    "The energy in the environment is certainly far richer there, or even on Rosemount. All of Deadwaste is basically a desert by comparison, even when it comes to mana. Some say it''s just a weak region, others that it was drained at some point in the past."


    "Oh, thanks a lot. If the whole continent is so worthless, why are you here?"


    "To hide." Zae Zin Nim was silent for many steps, then spoke up more quietly. "I am aware that I am... not particularly polite by your standards. At home, what you call humility is viewed as mere deference. Everyone accepts their lot in life as their fundamental nature. I believed the same, until my recent... difficulties. For that reason, I may continue to speak recklessly."


    That might have been her attempt at an apology, but acknowledging it would probably backfire, so Kai took a different approach. "Are you really here just to hide? I thought that a Class might help you with whatever your problem is."


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    "I do not wish to explain everything, because you could use it against me. But my advancement has been blocked. No matter how much qi I accumulate, from whatever source, it will largely slough away. My hope is that an entirely different source of power will allow me to break through and resume my cultivation. I attempted to find mana on Cloudspire, but was forced to retreat here."


    "Someone is after you? I know you don''t want to talk about it, but if you''re being pursued, that''s something I really should know..."


    "I doubt they would follow me here." She didn''t seem inclined to offer any more, leaving him to continue the conversation.


    "So you have mana on Cloudspire too, but not similar abilities?"


    "We have everything there. Qi is predominant, of course, but there is also mana and chakra as w-"


    "Wait, chakra?"


    "The dominant power in Rosemount." Zae Zin Nim shook her head. "I do not wish to lecture about all these things. But before you ask, yes, all those sources of power are stronger in Cloudspire. The mana is two or three times more dense than anything I have seen here. It is said to flow a little stronger on Rosemount, despite being a secondary energy. That is why Deadwaste is so little respected."


    "And everything we have is just inferior."


    "Most everything. Normally all worthy cultivators, even novices like us, would be able to ride on floating vessels instead of walking to every location. Everyone with any real power carries devices with extra-spatial storage. I will admit the steel from Irun is better than what I''ve seen, if magically weaker. This transition has been... difficult for me."


    Kai thought about telling her about mana-powered wagons, but figured that might make them just seem even more provincial. He wasn''t sure how he felt about everything she said. Part of him wanted to defend his homeland, no matter what, despite the fact that Goralia had betrayed him. Another part of him was excited to think that there were two continents out there with power beyond anything he''d ever seen before.


    The cessation of conversation prompted Kai to focus on his senses again. There were no monsters within range, otherwise he would have been alerted, but he did smell some in the distance. A few twisted dogs in the distance as well as fainter scents from deep underground. It had never occurred to him to focus upward, since so few monsters flew, but he tried to sweep the sky. Were there really small flecks of power there, or was his imagination getting the better of him? His own soul was still fragmented, only just holding to the Warrior Class shape.


    "You aren''t the weakest of the weak," Zae Zin Nim said abruptly. "Cloudspire''s masters rate other lands on the Heaven''s Path Scale, and I would judge most of Goralia to be on the second step. On the lowest step, power is even scarcer: Physique never develops beyond human levels, spiritual sight is nonexistent, and so on. You have done very well given your limitations."


    Perhaps another attempt at encouragement? It could just as easily be the same problem as he had always faced with his Class: doomed to weakness due to an accident of fate. As soon as he reframed it that way, tales of foreign lands lost their appeal.


    The bitterness twisted inside him and transformed into hunger. Even though they had eaten a midday meal not long ago, Kai found himself ravenous. Almost as if the tales of greater powers were aromas teasing him... he became extremely conscious of every scent on every side.


    And above.


    A monster dove toward them, silent except for the slight flutter of its wings. He caught only a brief glimpse of outstretched claws, an enormous purple eye, and leathery wings stretched back. Before it could strike, he pushed Zae Zin Nim to the ground just underneath its swoop and raised a fist to intercept.


    But the one-eyed monster caught itself with a single powerful flap of its wings, staying out of his range. There was a cross-shaped pupil at the center of the purple iris... which examined him briefly and then turned back toward where Zae Zin Nim lay.


    <


    Monster: ???


    Threat: beta


    >


    Unlike most monsters, this one had a strong sense of self-preservation and knew that it couldn''t fight him. It pretended to lash out with its claws, again just out of range, and then flew backwards with another flap. Zae Zin Nim was lying on the ground, coughing up bile and unable to defend herself. The claws would have wrapped around her and borne her away if Kai hadn''t anticipated it.


    He swung at the monster to force it back, but that was just a feint: he leapt upward and managed to grab one of its stubby legs. To his shock, he couldn''t pull it to the ground and found himself jerked higher into the air, the second leg slashing at his shoulder.


    Awkwardly swinging in midair and getting higher all the while, Kai struggled to land a solid blow. The claw barely hurt his F-rank Physique, but they were getting higher surprisingly quickly. If he didn''t kill it soon, the fall could well kill him. Its legs and claws looked like lean gristle and bone, and its wings were too far away, which left one target...


    Kai levered himself up and smashed his fist directly into the monster''s eye.


    The resulting pulp was disgusting and covered his arm with goo, but the creature''s cry of pain ended almost immediately. Kai plummeted back down, unable even to grab for its body. He''d had a thought that he could grab it and use the wings to coast, which now seemed laughable.


    When he hit the ground his legs ached and he slammed down into a squat, but he was surprised how little the fall harmed him. No broken bones, so the rest would likely recover quickly. Other than his arm being covered in the creature''s eye fluid, he was fine, which meant everything was okay provided that Zae Zin Nim...


    She was staring at him, her eyes wide. When he started to take a step forward, she drew back.


    "That can''t be..." As she whispered the words, Kai realized that she wasn''t looking at his body.


    Zae Zin Nim was staring straight at his soul.

 Chapter 59: Impossible Souls

    Before Kai could think of an explanation, Zae Zin Nim had already swallowed one of her pills. Her qi began flowing within her, just like when she''d fought the monsters, and she unleashed a burst of it toward him. When they had first met, such an attack might have torn through his chest.


    Kai instinctively struck at the energy, knocking it into the sky. His hand burned slightly, but he knew that it would heal soon. They were both startled by the deflection, but Kai recovered first.


    "I told you my soul was damaged!" Kai tried to look nonthreatening without actually letting down his guard, which was difficult because his instincts urged him to attack.


    "You said damaged, not... this!" She stared at him with a wild gaze, but when her hand extended, it was to flail at the air, not to attack him again. "Just what are you? There can be monsters that take humanoid form... but this doesn''t make any sense..."


    "And here I thought you might just laugh and say there were a million people with monster souls on Cloudspire. I take it this isn''t something you''ve seen before?"


    "In the sense that I''ve never seen a triangle with four sides! Monstrous and human power are oppo-"


    Zae Zin Nim suddenly began to cough again, her wounds along her arm breaking open. She staggered back and Kai automatically moved to try to help her before she waved him away. Once she had recovered, she straightened to glare at him.


    "If you tell me that you intentionally did this to yourself," she said, each word deliberate, "I will seriously reconsider our agreement."


    "I don''t even know how it happened." Now that it seemed they wouldn''t fight after all, Kai shrugged sheepishly. "I was actually hoping that you might be able to explain. Something happened that removed the Class part of my soul and then things started changing. I still haven''t figured out exactly what''s going on."


    "Whatever it is, it shouldn''t be."


    "So am I destroying my own soul?"


    "That''s the really troubling part." All the tension draining from her, Zae Zin Nim sat down right in the dust and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Somehow, your soul seems healthy. I think the only instability is coming from your mind, because you''re still struggling to accept it."


    "Accept what, exactly?" Kai sat down opposite her and crossed his legs. "To me, it looks like two different layers of the symbols I usually see. I wondered if I had two souls, or split it in half, or... something like that."


    "It doesn''t look that way to me. When I first looked at you, I saw a pure monster''s essence, just a threat. It''s completely impossible for monsters to have souls, that''s why they''re monsters. Yet you still have Physique and Soul Levels... I would guess that these monstrous elements filled the void where your local abilities should have been, but they seem to be dominant. It doesn''t make any sense."


    "You said the instability was due to me not accepting what happened?"


    "Having a clear view of your own essence is critical for balancing your own nature, and yours is deeply confused."


    "So if I just come to terms with it, I-"


    "No! If you take that path, you''ll be throwing your humanity away."


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    Kai stared at her, for the first time forgetting about the abstract theory of it all. He still felt like himself... except for the hunger and the new instincts and the underlying viciousness. Yet even before, he remembered falling into a monstrous bloodlust, as early as the Direboar and maybe even before. All his life he''d wanted to fight monsters, and now...


    "This isn''t some cheap moral complaint," Zae Zin Nim said flatly. "I''m not saying that philosophers will disapprove and housewives will gasp at the scandal." She leaned forward, her eyes boring into his. "I''m telling you that if you continue on this path you will become, in the deepest ontological sense, a non-human monster."


    "So what?"


    The words were out of his mouth before he''d really thought about them. Zae Zin Nim pulled back with a frown and Kai hesitated as he wondered if he meant that. Though the idea still made him queasy, he found himself coming to a conclusion surprisingly quickly.


    "Humans aren''t good because they''re human. Monsters aren''t bad because they have the word ''monster'' hovering over their head. All that matters is what we do. And unless you can tell me with absolute certainty that taking this path will somehow destroy my free will, I don''t think it matters."


    After a long silence, she closed her eyes. "I suppose that''s true, in a sense."


    "Really? Because I''m not sure it is." Kai rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Everybody I run into is going to have exactly the same reaction you did, and I can''t afford to keep having this argument. People were suspicious of me before, and I think my soul was a lot more ambiguous then."


    "I didn''t get any sense of that when we first met again... did you intentionally deceive me?"


    "Not exactly." Since honesty had worked for him so far, he swallowed and pushed forward. "I knew my soul might look suspicious, so I tried to stabilize my soul with a potion."


    "A temporary solution at best." Zae Zin Nim rose to her feet and began walking in the direction they had been traveling before the monster attack. "I need time to think."


    She spoke with such insistence that Kai decided to give her space. While she moved on, he found the monster''s body and retrieved its core before he caught up with her. Zae Zin Nim didn''t so much as acknowledge him, but when he shifted their path slightly to avoid a forested area filled with monstrous apes, she followed without comment.


    After only an hour, Kai was antsy and hungry again. The foreign woman continued walking without hesitation, even past the time they would usually eat dinner. Clearly, she was comfortable with empty silence in a way he wasn''t. Only when the sun fell near the horizon did she speak up again.


    "Walking a new path is always dangerous, Kai Clanless. But from what I have seen, I would like to know where yours will end." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I will do what I can to help you, and I pray that you will help me. Please do not betray my trust."


    "I''ll do everything I can." It was clear that her statement meant more to her than he could discern, so he tried to treat it with the respect it deserved. He thought that Zae Zin Nim might have smiled at him, but the expression was gone a moment later.


    "This is breaking my usual standards, but I will try to help you first. Would you like to learn how to cultivate?"


    "Can that be done here? The last time we met you said I wasn''t suited to it, and you said we didn''t have qi."


    "It''s so thin that it might as well not exist by the standards of Cloudspire, but small quantities are detectable." As she explained, she led him toward a hill that would at least block some of the wind and brushed off a place to sit. "The first stage of the process requires considerable mental discipline, so you can learn it even here."


    Kai quickly sat down before her to listen. "You think it would work, given my... condition?"


    "Some of your success is determined by the heavens, but far from all. Most importantly, I think it may be suited to working through your present condition. Now, listen carefully: the first stage is qi condensation. You must learn to grasp the power and draw it into your body. This process will slowly refine your physical self. Ordinarily, this is only a requirement for future advancement, which you couldn''t access here. In your case, I believe it will require you to resolve any... inconsistencies."


    "But I can''t even sense any qi, aside from you."


    "Because you''re looking in the wrong way." Zae Zin Nim closed her eyes and swept her hands to either side of her. "From what I have seen, mana is like a fire burning within the soul. It might be fed by outside sources, but it is fundamentally internal. Qi is nothing like that. It permeates everything, invisible as water to a fish. The first step is to pull back from what you have known..."

 Chapter 60: The Silver Demon Feeds

    Even though there was no one to watch her, Anaelina stretched her arms over her head luxuriously. Finally, exerting her body no longer hurt. Some of her internal organs had yet to fully recover, but her outward appearance was restored and her chakra was strong.


    Around her, the gang of barbarians lay dying as the last of their strength drained into her. She couldn''t yet steal their health or Physique directly, but she was getting closer. Once her Silver Demon evolved again, she wouldn''t need to strike opportunistically like this.


    The two sides had been involved in some kind of conflict that she didn''t particularly care about. Light hair, dark hair... the barbarians were all about the same. When she had come down on them in silver wrath, many of them had actually continued fighting one another instead of turning on the greater threat. She doubted that it would have mattered, it was just a bit pathetic.


    One of them was struggling to his feet, trying to resist her draining. His Class appeared to be a "Watershield," which was at least new, so she decided to let him struggle further. Maybe his soul would ripen to be more than a snack.


    Overall, she was disappointed by what she''d gained from this group. Warriors, crystals, Knights... these flavors were becoming tiresome. When others on Rosemount spoke of how weak Deadwaste was, they were thinking of abilities like these. Some of the Warrior Classes could cut through stone or steel, but they were just swinging blades a little harder. They melted in her mouth, then they were gone a moment later. Those with more dramatic abilities were always tastier, which was why it was so frustrating that they tended to remain in their cautious little communities. Luring them out took entirely too much time.


    Like that Kai boy. Anaelina licked her lips and shivered at the memory.


    "You... you bitch!" The Watershield had gotten to his feet and formed a layer of water beneath him, which did seem to resist her aura. It wouldn''t stop her from grabbing him directly, but she pretended to gasp.


    "How are you doing that?"


    "It won''t... work anymore! I''ll get you... throw you down... you''ll get what''s coming to you!"


    "Oh dear, how frightful!" Anaelina put a hand to her chest just to taunt him. He looked like he was about to cough up a lung, so his struggles were more amusing than anything. Still, his mana was recovering, so the flavor might be a little more mature when he finally got around to talking to her.


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    Even now, with her evolved demon, Anaelina preferred a properly marinated meal. It was more than her own pleasure: no matter how powerful she became, she doubted that she could simply steal someone''s essence wholesale. But if she had time to prepare them, fatten up their souls, then she could absorb a much more substantial strength.


    Kai had been the perfect meal in that sense. His Class was useless to him, but an excellent ingredient for her. That raw, simple effort was better converted to chakra than a dozen warriors. Despite the devastating injury he''d dealt to her body, she had come out stronger, and her connection to Physique was much better. It had definitely been worth it.


    Her hand traced over her stomach where he''d torn her apart.


    She had been certain that she''d absorbed his entire Class down to the last dregs, so she had presumed that he must have drowned in the river. Only days later, when she had recovered enough to have thoughts other than rage and hunger, did she realize that she was wrong. Somehow, even with a gaping wound in his soul, he had survived.


    There was still a connection between them, a silvery line vanishing into the distance. Anaelina was quite confident that he had no strength left in his Class, but he must have clung to the remnants. Foolish. It would never become anything important and he was only handicapping himself.


    Still... if his Class did recover, might it be worth draining again? She didn''t think that it could help her break through a second time, or really be anything more than a little food. But she''d never tried, so maybe the flavor alone would be worth it. Once she had fully recovered, she would have to track him down.


    "You''ll pay!" The Watershield charged at her, creating a wave in front of him. Anaelina stepped to the side and tripped him up as he passed, sending him sliding down the slope toward the other bodies.


    Ignoring him while he threw a tantrum, Anaelina stared southward. The connections created by her demon weren''t very strong, and she wasn''t experienced with them because she let so few targets live. Still, she had the strong sense that he was moving rapidly to the south. Deeper into another one of the barbarian nations, which could be interesting in its own right. Yes, she would have to follow him. She likely wouldn''t be able to pinpoint his location once she got close, and he would be alert for her, but that would just make the hunt more fun.


    While looking in that direction, she spotted two other barbarians walking toward her. Investigating the signs of the battle, no doubt. Two burly men, a Scrapper and an Earthcaster. She considered simply killing them immediately, but these little morsels were becoming tiresome. Better to try for a longer meal, the question was just what kind.


    So instead of attacking, Anaelina stumbled in their direction, looking particularly vulnerable and making sure they got a good look at her tits. She could practically see the big stupid wheels in their heads turning as they realized she was a foreigner completely alone with no allies or laws to protect her.


    Well, the obvious route again. She adjusted her dress to show more cleavage and her shroud to show a noblewoman with single digit strength.


    "Oh thank goodness!" Anaelina gasped as she pretended to see them, then pointed a hand toward the Watershield beginning to come after her. "These horrible brutes massacred my guards! You have to protect me! Please, please, I''d be ever so grateful..."

 Chapter 61: Mana to Qi

    How many hours had he been sitting and gathering qi? Opening his eyes to peer at the sun again would only make things worse, and he was safe since he would smell any monster approaching. So Kai remained seated and focused on qi condensation.


    He had expected it to be like gathering dew off of grass in the morning, but it was so much worse. Like sucking clouds from the sky by huffing and puffing. The strange energy was so thin on the ground that it seemed to exist only in the corners of his vision, evaporating whenever he focused on it. Zae Zin Nim had years of experience with the task but could only describe how it had felt in her home land, where they were swimming in the stuff.


    She was still in the small city they had passed, running errands so that he wouldn''t incite attacks from anyone. The trip was supposed to take some time, so he threw himself back into qi condensation so he could show at least a little progress when she returned.


    The second major problem was that so many of his instincts were wrong. Mana required a strong and confident hand, drawing in power quickly so that it became second nature, just part of his normal actions. Qi flowed away from him if he applied more force than a butterfly''s wings. He had needed to adjust his mental models: thinking of stirring it with his hand was too forceful, he needed something more like a thin reed.


    But still, when he really focused, he could succeed to a small degree. The insubstantial wisps gathered together inside him and became... well, if not droplets, at least spiritual moistness. He''d gotten better at the first task, the problem was what came next. No matter whether he concentrated fully or tried a light touch, the energy seemed to dissipate once he held it.


    Then a scent interfered with his meditation: Zae Zin Nim was back. He tried to keep working until she stood just in front of him and began setting things down.


    "These tents are small, but reinforced," she said tersely. "I wanted to acquire sanitation stones, but the quality was unacceptable."


    "They might not make them to your standards here." Kai opened his eyes and looked over what she had bought. At least she''d gotten a proper flint. "If you don''t buy them now, we might end up smelling like this for a long time."


    "It may not be appropriate for fine courts, but we are training ourselves in the wasteland, not striving to impress. Besides, one grows accustomed to it. Your hygiene standards on Deadwaste are nowhere near as slovenly as I had been led to believe."


    "I''ve always reached for the high ideal of ''marginally less slovenly than expected.'' "


    "This is the remaining money." Zae Zin Nim set the bag down in front of him. "It was somewhat replenished by selling the monster cores. I tried not to waste any."


    At a quick estimate, there were about five hundred Goralian Eagles left. Based on his best guesses for prices, she had haggled for good deals, but also purchased a few things for herself. He hadn''t noticed at first, but she was wearing a new tunic, longer than necessary and cinched with her old belt. If a few small purchases made her more comfortable, he was glad to let them pass unmentioned.


    "I''m afraid my time has been less productive," Kai said. "I was successful at the gathering process almost half the time, but none of it lasted. Be honest with me now: do I have any hope of doing this right? I figured it would take me longer than most cultivators to get started, but it''s already been two weeks."


    "I have... actually been somewhat deceptive." She gave him a bow that he thought was apologetic and then sat down opposite him. "I gave you unrealistic standards in the hope that it would make you apply yourself more. I now see that was unnecessary."


    "Then there''s some hope for me after all? How many days do competent cultivators usually take for this stage?"


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    "Kai, most average cultivators take their entire adolescence to become able to properly gather qi. Even for those on a path that requires them to start late, it takes them months. There is nothing shameful about your performance so far."


    He blinked as his expectations swerved wildly. "So that''s good... but you said that I was supposed to start accumulating in the second stage. Wh-"


    "First stage. It''s the second step, but this is all part of the qi condensation stage."


    "Alright, second step, whatever. But you said the qi is supposed to be accumulating inside my inner... dantian thing. I''m not sure if it''s unstable, or improperly formed, or if I''m just losing my grip on it, but I still have nothing. It just all slips away."


    "For that, I need to attempt something different." Zae Zin Nim hesitated as she picked up the bundle from her home, but eventually withdrew a small pill. He immediately realized that it wasn''t more of her medicine: this one glistened white and smelled like concentrated qi. "Your cultivation so far has been limited by the severe lack of qi. I allowed you to struggle because this leads to forming good habits instead of using qi density as a crutch. But now that you have reached the next step, a better test is how well you do with a surplus of qi."


    "Are you sure?" Kai wanted to grab for the pill but restrained himself. "Your supply of those has to be limited."


    "Take it. This one is too weak to do anything more than replenish me, and it would only leak out due to my condition. Just don''t forget everything you have learned so far."


    Kai eagerly grasped the pill, struggling with a new hunger. This energy had been foreign to him not long ago, but now it looked as good as perfectly cooked meat to a starving man. He forced himself to remain calm, repeated all his meditation lessons, and then swallowed.


    It was like stepping out of mist into a waterfall. He actually gasped as the qi flooded his soul, then hurled his full willpower into keeping it from escaping. All the techniques that had been as hard as pulling teeth were suddenly effortless and he understood exactly what she meant about an excess of qi producing bad habits. He did his best to cultivate as if he was still in a qi desert.


    Only a little of it was lost and he succeeded in stirring the rest into his soul, forming a solid bead... and yet it still seemed to be dissipating. He desperately tried everything he could, but the qi was ebbing away no matter what he did. Eventually a small remainder stabilized, settling in the new hollow that existed in his soul. Was that failure?


    Zae Zin Nim abruptly pressed a palm to his forehead. He could feel her examining him, like spiritual sight but tactile. A moment later she pulled back and frowned.


    "Well?" he demanded. "Don''t keep me in suspense."


    "Nothing has changed from my first evaluation of you. Your dantian is large, and your body soaks in qi like nothing I''ve ever seen, but the heavens have blessed you with very poor growth."


    "Does that mean that I''m doomed as a cultivator?"


    "It will never be your central source of power, but you can still gain something from that fiendish determination of yours." Zae Zin Nim sat down opposite him and folded her hands in her sleeves. "The qi condensation stage will help you develop, and if you can reach the Body Refinement stage that will reinforce everything you''ve gained. What I have to offer is not useless to you."


    "I''m glad to hear that. I want to ask you how your mana exercises are going, but there''s one other thing... you said my capacity to retain qi was good, but it doesn''t feel that way to me."


    "Some of it is being absorbed by your body. This is natural, if a bit unusual. I''m afraid the fact is that your path is different from those I''ve studied. This can be neutral or even beneficial, but it is easy to deviate catastrophically if you aren''t following a stable path. For that reason, your cultivation will need to proceed slowly and carefully."


    "So if there''s no path for someone like me, can we create a new one?"


    She blinked at him several times, as if he''d suggested they punch a mountain. "Kai, I need you to understand something. Paths on Cloudspire aren''t invented on a whim. All of the cultivation techniques I used were developed by entire sects over many generations. After a lifetime of work, a master might hope to add a few strokes to their techniques. No, we can''t just create a new path."


    But it seemed like that was the only option available to him. Kai wasn''t even bothered by the fact. Ever since he''d begun to accept that his soul was apparently a freakish product of coincidences, he''d known that he''d need to move forward cautiously. The monstrous parts of his soul might offer potentially great power, but they weren''t going to hand it to him. He''d need to work harder than ever before.


    Of course, he couldn''t have done that without Zae Zin Nim, so he needed to pay her back. He smiled even though he knew she wouldn''t smile back and stood up. "Thank you for your assistance this far. Would you like to work on mana training now?"


    "Yes. There is much work to be done."

 Chapter 62: Qi to Mana

    Zae Zin Nim did not like mana cultivation. She did not like it at all. She especially disliked the fact that she kept thinking about it as "mana cultivation" even though she should have known better.


    In fact, mana was proving to be far from the inferior version of qi that she had always been taught. Approaching it calmly accomplished little and all her mental discipline needed to shift gears as if she was on a radically different path of cultivation. She gritted her teeth and tried to channel all of her frustration into enough raw emotion to stir her internal mana.


    It was easy to slip into the wrong habits, because she actually could cultivate mana. It would never help her advance, and she knew it wouldn''t awaken a Class either, but it felt surprisingly good. Her meridians, so strained and cracked, accepted the new energy despite herself. She needed to force away that soothing current and instead stoke a flame.


    Everyone on Cloudspire had also been wrong about mana-users having no internal techniques. They were certainly more brutal, but calling them simplistic was like saying a perfectly executed palm strike was just slapping someone. Kai had actually been a bit frustrated at first as she tried to grasp the concepts.


    Of course, she''d been able to master them in time, ahead of the schedule he set for normal hunters. No matter how strange this land was, she was still the woman who had been hailed as a genius so many times that her rivals had conspired to ruin her life forever.


    Once she pushed her mind into the proper mental grooves, Zae Zin Nim didn''t falter from them. The mental discipline required wasn''t the same as the mind-consuming focus of meditation, so that meant her thoughts began to wander. Unfortunately, they wandered straight back to Kai.


    She had tried to give him suitable encouragement without inflating his ego, but the truth was that his progress was intimidating. If she hadn''t realized that mana users did develop strong mental discipline, she would have been terrified. Despite all his disadvantages, he threw himself into cultivation with a fervor she''d rarely seen before.


    How strong would he have been if he''d grown up on Cloudspire? Strangely, she thought that he might have lost what made him remarkable. Cultivating here required clawing for the barest wisps of qi, which suited him perfectly. The life he''d lived involved running headlong into every obstacle and battering it down with his very essence.


    What a contrast to the lazy cultivators she remembered surpassing! She remembered how they had whined and struggled when they were sent to practice in regions with diffuse qi, and that had been ten times as dense in as this environment.


    The major problem might be his body, which was clearly shifting on a spiritual level. She had omitted some facts about that because she had no solutions and didn''t see how the knowledge could help him. His body soaked up qi like rain on parched soil. Normally that wasn''t supposed to happen until the Body Refinement stage, and she feared he would deviate painfully, but the qi didn''t seem to be going to waste. There was a hunger deep within his soul, never satisfied...


    Best not to think about that. Zae Zin Nim stood up and dusted off her robes, or the closest she could get to proper robes here.


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    "I would like to spar now," she said. Kai finished his current cycle and then leapt to his feet.


    "Sure! I was thinking you might need some work."


    They walked further from their camp and bowed to one another, though his bow was a strange imitation. Zae Zin Nim disliked it, but she had come to accept that mana could not be cultivated by meditation alone. She had been skeptical when Kai had said it required tension and danger, then slowly come around to his way of thinking.


    Sparring with him wasn''t exactly dangerous. Oh, he was reasonably skilled, definitely more than cultivators who relied on advancement to blow opponents away. He also had a vicious edge that occasionally came out when she landed blows, an animal ferocity controlled by human intellect.


    But despite all the ways she had come to respect Kai, he was weak. Despite his willpower and skill, he had been born on a continent with barely any power. For the first time in her life, she thought about how truly unfair that was. The will of the heavens was ultimately senseless and cruel.


    Midway through the sparring match, Zae Zin Nim felt something rupture inside her. Her condition had been improving, but the ragged scars within her could only hold together for so long. There was bile spilling out inside her, and unless she stopped immediately, she would suffer for it.


    "Are you alr-"


    She cut him off with a palm strike to his shoulder, sending him stumbling back. Though he looked concerned, he respected her enough to keep fighting. Zae Zin Nim pushed herself harder, seeking that edge of danger, feeling the mana surge around her as she forced out the last of her qi.


    It ended with her stumbling to the ground and vomiting, of course. She was bleeding everywhere and her robes were soaked in a foul sweat. Part of her was furious that her condition had interrupted her sparring match, but she thought she had made the right choice despite the misery: her mana had responded to her last desperate attacks more than to hours of meditation.


    "Are you alright?" Kai bent down beside her and she turned away from him. Thankfully he understood and backed away. "Well, I don''t want you to hurt yourself, but you''re adjusting to the mana exercises. Your cultivation techniques must work better for this than I thought, because you''re making incredible progress. I''m sure by the time we find a sufficiently dense pool you''ll be able to awaken a Class."


    "And how-" She stopped to hack up what felt like internal organs. "-how will I know what will awaken?"


    "That''s the part that''s up to fate, supposedly. Some think that it has something to do with your inner nature, and if that''s true you don''t have to worry. Everything about your soul is so orderly, I feel like your Class will have to fit in or it would be ashamed of itself."


    Always such broad encouragement with a laugh. Zae Zin Nim was never sure if his words could be entirely in earnest. Not that he didn''t express hard realities, but he seemed to want to make her feel better. It was simultaneously confounding and strangely warm.


    "Please excuse me, I need to clean up." She staggered away from him toward the river. Water was becoming more frequent as they traveled further south, so she was easily able to find a bend in the river that was blocked by rocks so that he couldn''t see her.


    Ordinarily, she would never have bathed alone while traveling with a man, since she knew exactly how that would end. After so long together, she was beginning to accept that Kai truly wouldn''t do such a thing, or even try to peek at her. Not because he thought of himself as honorable, but because it didn''t occur to him to do so.


    As she reached the edge of the water, Zae Zin Nim caught a glimpse of her face in the water and choked back a sob. Always so arrogant and thoughtless. Even if he had been a worse man, why would he follow her? She was a bleeding wreck, her former beauty a ruin of scars and oozing bile. Even the smugglers had been too repulsed to try to touch her.


    Cleanliness long forgotten, Zae Zin Nim fell to the side of the river and wept.

 Chapter 63: Three Different Tiers

    Instead of following the river, Kai determined that the quickest way south was to cut through one of the last true wastelands before southern Goralia became lush. Even the wastes weren''t that forbidding, with a marked lack of monsters and much healthier trees than he was used to. But after several days, he realized just how weak the ambient mana was.


    He hadn''t thought about it that way, before doing so much cultivation. Mana didn''t permeate the air like qi barely did, but it did fundamentally flow through the world more intensely in some places than others. As they traveled deeper, he no longer saw blue mana-using shrubs or diamond-winged butterflies. Neither had any real potency, nothing that could be used for training or potions, but even they couldn''t survive here.


    That day, he was waiting outside a village for Zae Zin Nim to return with some food and seasonings. Since he still didn''t have a way to hide his twisted nature properly and only had two Class potions left, he tried to avoid others. While he waited, he cooked some monster meat for them.


    With monsters getting scarcer, all they had were a few twisted rabbits. He split them into two groups, cooking half for himself while burning all the poison from the other half. Zae Zin Nim didn''t like eating monster, but she could stomach it with the proper preparation. By contrast, he only felt slightly queasy while consuming the toxicity, then it did no harm. It had continued to taste better too, and this time he couldn''t blame being so hungry.


    Easier not to think about that. Kai turned from his fire to examine the village.


    The huddle of buildings was strange to his eyes. Just homes, no barrier walls or even defensive structures from ruins. Such a place would have been torn through in northern Goralia, but apparently they could get away with it here. Kai spotted some young men about his age roaming around the village and decided that he should brush off his spiritual sight by checking them.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 0


    Physique Level: Null (0)


    Soul Level: Null (0)


    >


    He blinked in surprise, then checked the young man again along with several of the others. What he''d seen should have been impossible: they had no Physique or Soul Levels at all, which meant he saw their overall power as 0. A stout and well-built man had a Physique of G-0 and one heavily scarred woman had a Soul Level of 1, but everyone else in the village was beneath what he''d thought was the floor.


    Without any real conclusions, Kai just settled down to eat. He was mostly done by the time Zae Zin Nim returned. She tossed him a sack of fruit that struck him as shockingly expensive until he remembered how much more common fruit was in the south. Meanwhile she sat down beside her monster rabbits and began using new seasonings to blunt the taste.


    "They don''t have much here," she said, "and they wouldn''t buy monster cores. What''s bothering you?"


    "Oh, I just looked at some of them." Kai''s gaze wandered out toward the village again. "I didn''t think it was possible to have a Physique below G-0. Is this place one of those lowest points you talked about?"


    "Yes, this region is on the very first step of the Heaven''s Path Scale. Any less and we''d be dealing with a void where life couldn''t exist. There isn''t enough mana for their bodies to absorb it while exercising and they''ll struggle to grow in any way."


    "I didn''t realize there was a foundation I was taking for granted. In Cloudspire, does the denser qi mean you start with a much higher floor?"


    Zae Zin Nim paused in the middle of her work, cast him a strange look, then nodded. "You could think of it that way. People who are born in the regions with the strongest qi can automatically gain an F-rank Physique during adolescence. There are also places where what you call spiritual vision is as natural as breathing, just because the energy is so dense."


    "That''s... a bit depressing. How high does it go? If there was even more energy in the air, could babies pop out of their mothers with E-rank Physiques?"


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    "Hmph. You might grow stronger in energy-dense areas, but don''t be silly. I don''t know about chakra, but the densest gatherings of qi in the entire world are on Cloudspire. So the highest floor is already known, unless the imperial court has better, or there''s a mysterious fourth continent out there."


    "Huh." Kai finished off a satisfying meal while thinking, then decided to risk another question. "Was it like that for you? Reaching F-rank before you were even an adult?"


    She was silent for a long time, eating with tidy little bites. Eventually she swallowed, wiped her lips with a cloth, and looked up at him. "Thanks to your help, my cultivation is no longer risking deviation. Would you like to see?"


    His eyes widened at the offer. It was basically nothing back in Monskon City, but offering to show someone weaknesses meant a lot more out here. When he nodded, he could feel her shroud easing, so he carefully examined her with his spiritual sight.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 149


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 90% (100)


    Blackblood Physique Level: F-5 (40)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    Her symbols were substantially different than those he''d seen before, but after all his qi training, he could make some sense of them. Where her Class would have been she instead had a Cultivation rating. Apparently she was 90% of the way through the Body Refinement stage, which strangely provided her with exactly 100 Power.. Her body appeared to use the same scale he knew, but it was listed as "Blackblood Physique."


    He desperately wanted to ask her more about that, but he had the feeling that she had already revealed more than she was comfortable with. So Kai just tucked the numbers away in his head and stopped examining her so closely. Her shroud hid herself from his sight the next moment.


    "You''re already over 100," he pointed out. "I thought there was a barrier."


    "There is, but it''s not as important in Cloudspire. Most people break through it when they reach the Body Refinement stage, if they can reach it at all."


    "I know I have a long way to go, but if I managed to break through Qi Condensation, how much of your strength would I have?"


    "For cultivation? About the same." Zae Zin Nim shrugged. "Almost all of our paths have long plateaus at a given stage, then enormous leaps. That''s part of what has me trapped in my current position. Your Classes rise so smoothly, they should be able to help me break through."


    More teasing hints about her past he would have to ignore. Kai focused on cleaning up their camp and then cultivated a little more while she finished her meal. His own progress was a little stranger.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 62


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 5% (2)


    Physique Level: F-7 (44)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    Monstrous Hunger (zeta - VI)


    Direboar''s Strength (gamma - III)


    Aquagorgon''s Health (beta - II)


    Isulfr''s Bite (alpha - I)


    Rockspider''s Claw (alpha - I)


    >


    All his cultivation work only put him at 5% of the Qi Condensation stage, though even that had increased his strength somewhat. With his Physique training slowing and no powerful monsters to challenge him, Physique and Soul hadn''t improved.


    On the other hand, he could viscerally feel that he had become stronger. "Direboar''s Strength" had increased from beta to gamma and it made a substantial difference. Boulders that he would once have struggled to move he could now lift over his head. As far as he could tell, development of his monstrous characteristics left no trace on his human soul.


    The fact that one had improved was encouraging to him. He still wasn''t sure what Monstrous Hunger did for him, but if he could increase Aquagorgon''s Health enough, he would be nearly invincible. On the other hand, the fragments of power he''d gained from the Isulfr and Rockspiders remained inert at the alpha rank. They didn''t seem to develop intuitively and there was no one who could explain how they worked, so he was going to have to chart a path for himself.


    As they headed out for the second half of their daily travel, Kai remembered another question. "Right, almost forgot! Did they have any apothecaries in the city or did you find anyone who would volunteer some Class mana?"


    "You''d best give up on that," Zae Zin Nim said as they walked. "The people here lack the mana control to generate a bead like you needed, so of course their pill-makers lack the skill."


    "That''s not good. I only have two Class potions left, and one of them is Herbalist, which would just be distracting."


    "Does it matter? I don''t mind running the errands."


    "It matters if I intend to ever enter civilization again. Such as, to list a completely random example, when we reach a bigger Goralian city and I need to negotiate your access to a mana pool."


    She frowned at this, but eventually shook her head. Her hair was still uneven, but there was enough for it to shake back and forth. "If your cultivation develops far enough, you may be able to use that as cover. Until then, you still look pretty monstrous, so let me do the talking."


    Another potential benefit to improving his cultivation. Kai continued walking in a pleasant mood, considering the possibilities. He didn''t think that eating monsters directly strengthened him, yet he always felt better afterward. There was an animal connection there, if he could just tease it out...


    As the evening stretched on, Kai was distracted by a mix of scents ahead. Not just the faint whiff of a weak village, but monsters and Classes in active use. He tried to shield his eyes against the sun and peered forward. "Do you see anything?"


    "Looks like several wagons under attack." Zae Zin Nim needed to shield her eyes, but she could apparently see much further than he could. "I suppose you want us to go do something about it?"


    "I think we should." As he started to run, Kai pulled his second-to-last potion out of his belt and drank it down. They wouldn''t last so long after all.

 Chapter 64: The Mercantile Life

    Kai''s body felt shockingly light as he ran, so he didn''t have as long to examine the battle as he expected. He made out three heavy wagons, overloaded with goods. They had minimal fortifications, and the guards around them were shockingly weak, just rated 20 on average. There were several lizard monsters menacing the legs of the horses, but the majority of the threats seemed to be bat-like monsters swooping overhead.


    <


    Monster: Bat


    Threat: Alpha


    >


    <


    Monster: Lizard


    Threat: Alpha


    >


    Neither type was strong enough to earn a beta rating, though the bats did seem swift enough to cause problems for anyone without enhanced reflexes. The guards might have been able to pull through if they had kept together and used shields, but they were panicking, letting the claws of the bats cut into them from their blind spots.


    Just as Kai arrived, he saw three bats sink their claws into an untrained young man atop the first wagon and drag him into the air. Kai immediately leapt into action, leaping off the back of one wagon to intercept them before they got too high.


    Three swift blows from his gauntlets and they were dead. Even easier than he had expected. Kai managed to catch the flailing young man in his arms and then used his legs to absorb their landing. As he set the man down, he looked to the rest of the battle, only to find it almost over.


    Zae Zin Nim used extremely thin beams of qi so as not to tax her reserves, but she easily pierced the wings of the bats. When he joined her to take out some of the remaining lizards, it only took a matter of minutes to end the battle. The beleaguered guards cheered their arrival, but when one of them got a good look at Zae Zin Nim, he pulled back.


    "What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded. She immediately shrank back and Kai automatically started to step in front of her before she strained herself.


    "The question is impolite, but we need to ask about plague." The surprisingly high voice came from the young man, who approached them calmly. "If you''re ill, we must ask you to keep some distance. But if not, thank you for saving our lives."


    "I am not diseased." Zae Zin Nim stalked away from the group and kept her back turned. That left Kai to handle the negotiations.


    Now that he looked over the group, it seemed to be entirely weak guards except for the young man and a pair of workers on the wagons. Since the young man was the only one dressed in fine clothing, he might have been more important than he appeared. He had light brown hair swept straight back from his head, bright blue eyes, and an easy smile.


    "Really, I can''t thank you enough," the young man said. "My name is Razzagah, but please feel free to call me Razz. It seems like you and your friend just saved my caravan."


    "Shouldn''t you have expected monsters?" Kai asked. The question was a bit unkind, but their lives really had been at risk. Besides, the only way a merchant younger than him could be carrying such cargo was if he belonged to a powerful clan.


    "I did, but as you can see I underestimated the threat." Razzagah looked sadly over the monster bodies, which his men were eagerly looting for their tiny monster cores. "This area was supposed to be safe. I thought I could beat the competition by racing across it, but apparently I had horrible luck. Or good luck, since you came to save me."


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    "Maybe, maybe not. What are you carrying?"


    "A broad number of goods that will turn a profit in Rayakan, of course." Razzagah gestured for him to approach the wagons and began removing the tarps to show him. "The reason I was rushing was a shipment of fine silk from Krysal, but I can''t imagine that''s relevant. I''m carrying a few crates of healing potions. Umm... there are these kegs of condensed mana? I didn''t think monsters cared about them."


    All at once it made sense. Kai examined the kegs and shook his head. "That''s your problem. Monsters don''t operate like we do, so you''re right that they ignore most mana. But condensed kegs like this will draw them, and flying ones have a big range."


    "Such a small mistake, to be lethal... but fate smiled on me and brought you. I can''t tell about your friend, but you look far stronger than my guards, so I''d be happy to pay you a premium rate if you escort us to Rayakan."


    The offer wasn''t a surprise, but Razzagah''s casual use of spiritual sight surprised Kai. It was rare for merchants to develop it, and since the other man looked several years younger than him, he must have been pushing his development early. Even if he was a little ignorant, given the value of his cargo... perhaps he wasn''t just a foolish merchant''s son after all.


    While the guards patched up their wounds and inventoried damaged supplies, Kai negotiated a rate for them. He had planned to be a hard negotiator, but when he asked for a hundred Eagles each, Razz accepted immediately. Was this really what he was worth as a guard?


    The idea that he could command such a high price for a few weeks of work encouraged him, at least until they got underway and he had time to think about it more. Yes, a hundred Goralian Eagles was a substantial sum. But even if he got constant guarding jobs, they would only add up to a couple thousand Eagles every year. He could burn through that in a pair of enhancement items, and he knew that well-built houses cost tens of thousands of Eagles at minimum. No, a guard''s life would be nothing more than scraping by for a hunter.


    Not that he was a hunter anymore.


    Zae Zin Nim sat at the very edge of the front wagon, as if trying to be near him and as far away from everyone else as possible. Kai climbed back to the previous wagons and, after making small talk with the guards, purchased a mantle with a hood from one of them for a fraction of an Eagle.


    "Here," he said as he handed it to Zae Zin Nim without looking at her. "You have better things to do than listen to them."


    He wasn''t sure how to interpret her reaction, but she took the mantle from him carefully and soon had the hood pulled up over her face. Beyond that, she didn''t seem inclined to talk. Kai instead moved up to sit beside Razz, who was doing his best to encourage the spooked horses to go faster.


    "Is this a big gamble for you?" Kai asked. Razz immediately smiled uncomfortably.


    "Yeah, you could say it''s my first real risk. A few clans have absolute dominance on luxury goods in Rayakan. Anything to do with hunters is dominated by Orgoron. I have the mana and potions just to prove someone else can trade in them. But my big bet is challenging the Corinin clan on silk."


    "Silk is that valuable?"


    "A big city like Rayakan has an active court scene." Razz gestured vaguely south and rolled his eyes. "Every year, there are brand new fashions, and Krysali silk is always a sought-after luxury item. Problem is, the Corinins always have all the best silks first. This year, I risked a lot to meet a contact early, and now I''m racing back to beat all other merchants. My parents said it couldn''t be done, but if I can sell the newest silks first, they''ll be more willing to listen to me. Maybe we can even deal with our permit problem."


    Such trade squabbles had always struck Kai as distasteful, but he found himself liking Razz more than he''d expected. The young man was just trying to get an advantage in life. Judging from his slender physique, he might not have been suited for monster hunting at all, so he''d taken what he could.


    Before Kai could say anything else, Zae Zin Nim pulled on his sleeve to draw him nearer. "You can''t expect me to remember all these Goralian sounds," she whispered. "Are these clan names going to matter?"


    "It''s not complicated," he told her. "The Orgoron clan is probably strongest in terms of hunters. It seems like the Corinins have a trade lock on this city, but they''re generally the best of the lot. The only other clan with representatives across the nation is Lantrian - they''re the ones that banished me."


    "You were... Granfian?"


    "Yes, but that''s a small clan. It''s somewhat important in Monskon City, but nowhere else."


    "Hey, I hear you whispering back there!" Razz grinned over his shoulder. "I don''t mind, really, but driving the cart gets really boring."


    "Just explaining the local clan politics." Kai swung back up to the front of the wagon and took a seat beside Razz. "She''s not from Goralia, so the names tend to run together."


    "You look like you''re from around here, though."


    "Yeah. I''m... not from a big clan, so just Kai is fine."


    "No problem at all. Like I said, I prefer Razz." The young merchant grinned at him again. "But if it means anything to you, my full name is Razzagah Lantrian."

 Chapter 65: Surprises Down the River

    Kai made sure to keep his expression neutral and show no weaknesses, but his entire view of Razzagah shifted after the revelation of his clan. Not every Lantrian was corrupt. He knew that. That didn''t mean he was going to accept the word of Razzagah Lantrian when he had absolutely no proof of what he said about the clan politics in the city.


    As they continued along their way, Kai made sure to talk to the guards who had been hired earlier. Some of them resented him, but the majority were open to talking to him simply because they recognized his strength. Unfortunately, they seemed to have been drawn from neutral parties who didn''t particularly care about the major clans. Other than confirming that the Corinin clan dominated trade in Rayakan, he didn''t learn anything useful.


    There was nothing he could do but wait until they reached the city. He might not have access to the Hunters Guild there, but he could still navigate the clans to some degree. Until then, he would just have to hope that he wasn''t helping the wrong side.


    "Are you sure you''re being rational about this?" Zae Zin Nim asked him one night while they were cultivating. "If he was closely tied to the Lantrians who banished you, he would have recognized you and acted on the banishment."


    "It could still be a trap, or he just needs us as guards." Kai squirmed as he spoke, however. It was true that Razzagah had been nothing but friendly toward them.


    "Even if they''re all corrupt, why are you so confident in the Corinin clan? Just because of one friend?"


    "It''s not just Inafay. Her family never stopped her from training with me even though they disapproved. They''ve always been the fairest of the major clans."


    They stopped talking as some of the guards moved past them and the conversation never resumed. He accepted it as for the best, since their conversations were going in circles and they distracted from his training.


    One benefit of traveling in wagons instead of walking was that they had more time to cultivate, a fact that Zae Zin Nim had emphasized in relation to Deadwaste in general. Being able to focus more fully had taken him to 10%, though he wasn''t sure how much he would slow as the percentage increased.


    He was glad for the time, given how relatively uneventful the trip was. They appeared to have arrived at the point of greatest crisis, so the occasional monsters they encountered afterwards didn''t challenge them. Perhaps a few of the guards might have died during the fights. Few of them had to work, since Kai and Zae Zin Nim could defeat everything in their path with ease. It just left him a bit resentful that he couldn''t eat the monsters.


    That was an uncomfortable development. Even though they were eating better food than he ever had on a journey, part of him still wanted more. When they left the core-less corpses behind he found his gaze lingering. Just one monster would have hit the spot, but since there was no benefit to it, he restrained himself.


    Perhaps even more uncomfortable was the fact that Razzagah continued to be so personable. Despite being a Lantrian, he seemed humble and cheerful. If it was an act, it was a damn good one. After feeling himself getting sucked in, Kai spent several days secretly examining the cargo to make sure that they weren''t carrying anything illegal or dangerous. As far as he could tell, they really were just carrying new silks and other valuable goods.


    "What are you going to do once we reach Rayakan?" the young merchant asked one day as they ate. "I''m going to be busy, especially if we arrive in time. Anything I can help you with?"


    "Well..." Kai didn''t want to give away their plans, but since it wasn''t illegal... "We need access to a mana pool strong enough to awaken."


    "Oh." Razzagah scratched his head. "I''m afraid the Lantrians don''t have control of a pool, and the Hunters Guild isn''t going to just open theirs. There are a few others in private hands, like the Corinin clan estate, but that''s a gray market good and it would be expensive. Are you sure you don''t want to just wait until the next Hunter Trials? It''s only... what, a third of a year now?"


    Had it really been so long? It felt like simultaneously a lifetime and not long enough. But it would still be a third of a year, and Zae Zin Nim couldn''t wait that long. "We need one sooner," Kai said. "If you don''t have a contact for it, that''s okay."


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "I didn''t say that! But there are so many variables, I think we''d better focus on getting all this cargo to the city. If that works, I''ll be in a good mood and I''ll try to help you if I can."


    "How many days left?"


    "That depends on the river!" Razzagah fumbled with a map in his lap and peered down at it. "If my numbers are right, we''re almost out of the badlands. The plan is to switch to a barge, then sail straight in. That should get us there fastest and avoid any knotty permit problems."


    If anything was underhanded, it had something to do with the permits that Razzagah occasionally mentioned. Since he wasn''t sure of the truth, Kai stayed silent on the subject. Whatever was happening, better to begin by doing his job faithfully instead of breaking a contract.


    Only two days later, they reached the river again. The land near it became a verdant explosion, more trees than Kai had ever seen before in his life. They actually had to cut them back instead of carefully preserving them. After traveling along the river for a little longer, they finally reached their penultimate destination.


    A small set of buildings hung close to the river, dwarfed by the amount of activity around them. It was almost a port like Kai had only heard about existing on oceans, with ships, sailors, and cargo going in every direction. The majority appeared to be low barges that managed to carry a shocking amount of weight. Some only passed through, but more were waiting, apparently including their contact.


    As soon as they arrived, Razzagah began nervously urging everyone to hurry. All his papers seemed to be in order when he spoke to the officials and Kai didn''t see any bribes exchange hands. Yet he only grew more anxious, constantly glancing downriver. Since it appeared to be so important, Kai helped out by carrying as many boxes as he could. The sailors running the barges complained a bit and rearranged the containers he deposited, but he could carry a lot more than the guards and workers.


    Despite all the tension, they left without any problems. The waypoint receded behind them and Kai realized that he had completely missed anything it might have contained. There had been a restaurant with interesting smells, plus the scent of unfamiliar monsters. Strangers traveled in both directions, even a few foreigners... but they were all vanishing into the distance.


    A day down the river and it was almost like they were in a different world. Calmly drifting over the water with only farmland on either side, the farmers themselves appearing only rarely. This was definitely the heartland of Goralia, peacefully producing the food and other resources that supported the north and the Frontier.


    Kai was beginning to believe that they might reach the city in safety when he smelled something odd. Not the sludge of the river, not the occasional monster on the banks... there were significant sources of human power ahead. His stomach churned as he realized they smelled delicious, but that wasn''t the worst of it: they were clearly lying in wait.


    "Are we expecting anyone ahead?" he asked aloud. Razzagah turned to stare at him.


    "I mean, we aren''t so far from the city, so we''ll see the guards soon enough."


    "No, there''s someone hiding." Kai moved to the front, trying to identify the exact locations. His new sense of smell was rather imprecise, even though the scent was getting stronger and stronger. "Do you have problems with bandits?"


    "Usually not this close," Razzagah said. "But... we''d better be cautious, just in case."


    They drifted onward and Kai began to think that he''d raised a false alarm. No sign of anyone, though they could have been hiding in a cluster of trees ahead. Just as Kai thought it had been nothing, Zae Zin Nim jerked to her feet. A second later, mana exploded within the trees. One second after that, arrows rained down over the barges.


    Some of the guards, on high alert, managed to duck behind shields. Kai grabbed the nearest two frozen in shock and threw them out of the way. Zae Zin Nim whirled in place, deflecting a substantial number of arrows and protecting half the barge, perhaps unintentionally.


    "Bandits!" one of the sailors called. They began pushing away from the bank, but it was too late: Kai saw a large group of fighters pouring out of the trees. Some were preparing mana for attacks more dangerous than arrows and several leapt into the air to attack the barge.


    Before he could analyze the group, Kai jumped to intercept. He caught one man around the waist and jerked him out of the air to the other bank. As soon as he landed, he hurled the fighter into the crowd, knocking over a woman who was preparing to launch flames at the barge. They all turned toward him in shock, as if they hadn''t expected such resistance.


    Now that he was thinking again, Kai wondered if he''d made a mistake. There were a dozen bandits nearby, but they were nothing like any bandits he''d seen before. The weakest of them had Power ratings in the 40s, and there were plenty in the 50s. He saw advanced Classes, high rank Physiques, and plenty of dangerous weapons. They had at least 600 total Power arrayed against him and he''d just isolated himself from the others.


    No one attacked yet. Kai carefully set his feet, planning his fight. One bandit reached for a crossbow and froze when Kai glared at him. They remained there, trapped in the tension, until Kai realized that it was much worse than he had thought.


    This group was much too prepared to be simple bandits. Regardless of whether or not he''d survive the fight, he''d just stumbled into something more complex than he''d realized.

 Chapter 66: The Rivers Strangest Bandits

    If they''d had time, Kai would have looked toward Zae Zin Nim, or asked Razzagah questions to figure out if he was even fighting on the right side. But there were a lot of armed men and women staring at him, and when they attacked, he had no choice but to fight for his life.


    A man with a Spellslinger Class tried to attack first. He drew on his mana much too slowly: Kai leapt forward and kicked him in the chest before he could strike. To his shock, the man''s breastplate crumpled and he went flying back, breaking through a tree.


    Could he have been faking his strength? Was the whole ambush just a bluff? Kai was so taken off guard that he hesitated, giving the nearest two bandits time to attack him. A spear glanced harmlessly off his head while a Knight Class''s sword barely drew blood on his raised forearm. Both fighters looked shocked and it was Kai''s turn to take advantage.


    He knocked them flat and the bandits retreated, crying out to one another in terror. Even as he fought, Kai couldn''t quite believe it was so easy. According to his human strength alone, he should only have had a slight advantage. It might be possible to win with the proper tactics, but he shouldn''t be able to annihilate the group like this.


    Kai''s thoughts were interrupted by a giant of a man charging him. Not only was he seven feet of solid muscle, his Physique was rated F-6, almost as high as Kai himself. The man wrapped his enormous arms around Kai, binding him in place, straining his muscles to make him vulnerable to the others.


    And yet he didn''t feel that strong. As Kai freed his arms, he realized that his Physique was working together with the monstrous Direboar''s Strength within him. He couldn''t measure his exact total strength and the man must not be able to either, because he stared in shock as Kai began to push him backward.


    Despite everything, Kai grinned as he overwhelmed the other man''s strength. Monster-born or not, this power was part of him. It didn''t replace his Physique or all the work he put into his training, it was the ultimate manifestation of those struggles. And he had more fragments within him... what could he do if he managed to tap into Rockspider''s Claw or Isulfr''s Bite?


    Flames struck him from behind. Kai grunted in mild pain and threw the man aside to find who was targeting him. To his surprise, it was a woman with a full Flamecaster Class, with over 50 Power. That much mana should have pierced his defenses and started burning him alive, but his body resisted it. He could practically feel his minor injuries regenerating.


    Kai laughed out loud and advanced on her. She took a step backward, then suddenly arrows struck her side. Shot by the hunters on the boat. As he came out of his fugue, Kai realized that focusing on the flow of his new power had completely blinded him to the rest of the battle.


    Since he had taken on the bulk of the group, Zae Zin Nim and the hunters had been free to mop up the others. They had been entirely outclassed by the bandit group, but Kai had turned the tide of the battle on his own. He should have been happy... except for the fact that now he had to think about what these supposed bandits really were.


    "What''s going on?" Kai demanded. He turned back to the barge and glared at Razzagah, who looked faint.


    "I don''t..." The younger man shook his head slowly. "They don''t feel like real bandits, do they?"


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    "Why would hunters from the city be targeting you? Are you smuggling something illegal?"


    "Nothing like that!" Razzagah rushed to the edge of the barge, fists clenched. "Look at their equipment: they''re dressed like bandits, but equipped extremely well. This is all a ruse: they wanted to destroy my shipment before it could reach the city."


    Merchants killing one another over a little profit? That seemed ridiculous to Kai, but there was an easy way to confirm. Many of the attackers had only been disabled, not killed, so Kai grabbed a delirious man and lifted him into the air.


    "Who sent you?" Kai asked. The man''s eyes didn''t focus until Kai shook him a few times. "Who are you really?"


    "Just mercenaries..." The man shook his head wildly. "We''re just... just hirelings..."


    Before Kai could question him any further, he heard a sharp sound from the barge. The hunters were beginning to look downriver nervously, and when Kai followed their gaze and saw a speck in the air, he realized that things weren''t going to end so easily.


    The speck revealed itself to be a flat diamond of amber crystal carrying two warriors. A Krysali woman with a crystal around her neck crouched near the front, presumably piloting the diamond. A knight in full Goralian armor stood behind her with his arms folded, staring down at them.


    Both had over 100 total power. Kai felt as though he could almost pierce through to see their power in more detail, but he knew they wouldn''t fall as easily as the false bandits. Before he could push through with his spiritual sight, they swept closer.


    "Razzagah Lantrian!" The knight spoke up as the diamond kept pace in front of the barge. "Unfortunately, your shipment has been waylaid by bandits. Unless you want this to end in tragedy, we suggest you get to shore."


    "This is absurd!" Razzagah stepped to the front of the barge to glare at them, frightened but holding his ground. "Your real ambush failed. The two of you aren''t even attempting to disguise yourselves. If you attack, everyone will know that the Corinins bankrolled this attack on me."


    "Can you prove that?" the Krysali woman asked with a smirk. "I''m a foreign mercenary, you know. You shouldn''t make accusations against important clans so lightly."


    "You''re welcome to try to prove it in court." The knight unfolded his arms and hefted a greatsword from his back. "But then you might have to explain just what cargo you lost. And that would lead to all kinds of questions about permits, wouldn''t it?"


    Razzagah gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, but he had to back down. He turned back toward Kai and shook his head grimly. "They did this just to send a message, but we can''t fight them. These two are the Corinin elites, so this is way beyond what I''ve paid you. I''m just sorry that it ends this way."


    The sailors appeared to already be using their poles to nudge the barge closer to one of the shores. They looked nervous and Kai understood why: the Krysali mercenary was manifesting a thick spear of crystal in one hand that looked like it was going to go straight through the barge. Razzagah didn''t actually own it, but apparently they didn''t care if a few barge workers lost their vessel. And maybe their lives.


    "Kai?" Zae Zin Nim appeared at his side so silently he didn''t realize until she spoke. "I could not possibly care one stroke less about who is right in this conflict. Do we fight or not?"


    "Can we take them?" Kai asked. He wanted to check the two elites again, but there was almost no time left. The crystal spear hovering overhead could be coming down at any moment.


    "In a straight fight? No. But our goal is only to keep the barge safe until it gets within sight of the city, and that might be possible."


    He didn''t have an answer for her. The Corinin clan sending mercenaries like this was shady, but the way they spoke about the permits made him wonder if Razzagah was up to something worse. Taking action could well embroil him in a new conflict and he had no idea which side was right.


    Seconds ticked on and the sailors appeared to be struggling to get the barge out of the current. The Krysali mercenary rolled her eyes and then lifted a hand toward the spike. That was what pushed Kai to a decision in the end: whichever clan they represented, these two were willing to risk the lives and livelihoods of innocent bystanders.


    "We fight."

 Chapter 67: The Corinin Mercenaries

    Kai nearly spoke too late: the crystal spear was already plummeting and he was too far away to intercept it. But Zae Zin Nim heard him and instantly snapped into action, leaping and meeting it with a palm strike. The crystal spun into the distance, shedding a rainbow of shards as it broke apart.


    And, on that beautiful note, everything went to hell.


    The Krysali mercenary drew back in shock, but the knight didn''t waste a heartbeat. He was already overhead, swinging his sword to cut Zae Zin Nim in half. Kai leapt at him on instinct, tackling him off the boat with such force that they embedded themselves in the muddy shore on the opposite side of the river.


    A second later a gloved fist hit Kai''s stomach and he fell back. The knight didn''t even get up, he launched himself from his prone position into a horizontal spin that brought his greatsword overhead with lethal force. Kai only just managed to leap backward and out of range.


    "Move, move!" Razzagah recovered first among all the guards and civilians, then began urging them all on. They pushed the barge back into the main current and began retreating at full speed... woefully slowly compared to the elite mercenaries intending to sink them.


    "You''re in a bit over your head, aren''t you boy?" The knight swung his sword up onto his shoulder and frowned at him from within his helm. "If you''re from too far into the badlands to have spiritual sight, I should tell you that my name is Barroguk Clanless. I was hunting monsters when you were nursing from your momma''s tits, and if you fight me you''ll lose enough teeth that you''ll be back to drinking milk."


    Kai could see the man''s soul easily enough, now that he had a moment to breathe, and his spiritual sight didn''t help.


    <


    Name: Barroguk Clanless


    Total Power: 137


    Knight Class: 31 (41)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    The man had a total power of 137, including a highly developed Knight Class and an intimidating E-0 Physique. It contributed the majority of his overall strength, but none of his other aspects were weak. Worst of all, Barroguk was an opponent who could fight directly against Kai''s strengths.


    He glanced toward the barge in the hope that it would offer an alternative strategy. Zae Zin Nim was releasing bolts of qi to keep her opponent at bay, but they deflected off the Krysali woman''s armor at strange angles. Even as he watched, the woman gestured at her diamond platform and it wrapped around her back, forming armor that covered her chest and arched up into a crown of brilliant crystals.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 151


    Crystal Cultivation: 5125 (104)


    Physique Level: F-4 (38)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


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    Her essence looked, if anything, even worse. Slightly lower Physique and Soul Levels, but she had developed thousands of crystals that granted her over 100 Power all on their own. It was one of the single most dangerous pieces of a soul he''d seen, barring the Frontier elite, and she was going up against a weakened Zae Zin Nim.


    "Run now or suffer." Barroguk was already stomping forward, sword swinging in a blow that could split an entire company in half.


    Presuming he would have a way to follow up such a telegraphed blow, Kai leapt backward to the edge of the river. His opponent was on him almost instantly, shifting his swing into a thrust. Kai barely managed to dodge to the side and struck the side of the sword with all the strength he could muster.


    It swung to the side, but that was all. The sword started to pull back for a second swing, so Kai quickly grasped it with his gauntlet.


    Barroguk kicked him in the chest a moment later and Kai almost vomited as the pain shot through his stomach. Without letting go of the sword, he managed to land a blow that made his opponent''s helmet ring. If he could keep his opponent''s sword bound, trade blows up close...


    The sword twisted violently and pain shot through his hand. Kai stared in horror as he realized that his Irunian gauntlet had been shredded and his hand was covered in blood.


    An instant later, he was slammed onto his back by an enormous armored boot. Barroguk kicked him in the side, sending him tumbling along the river. Kai tried to struggle to his knees and made it just in time to see the next kick coming toward his face.


    Without thinking, he swiped his bloodied hand through the air. It should have accomplished nothing, yet Kai felt mana leave his body. An invisible force struck Barroguk across the center of his body and knocked him backwards into the river, where he sank like a stone.


    Kai staggered to his feet, unsure what had just happened. His hand was mangled, tatters of Irunian steel still hanging around it. Somehow he had released a force he had never used before, and he knew it must have emerged from the monstrous side of his soul, but there was no time to think about that.


    Even during their brief fight, the barge had traveled a surprising distance down the river. As he sprinted after them, Kai could only watch as Zae Zin Nim desperately defended the barge from crystalline shards thrown by her opponent. Though it was remarkable that she was still holding her own, it was obvious that she could barely keep up her defense. Her body hadn''t failed yet, but it was only a matter of time.


    And all Kai could do was run after them. He tried to swipe with his hand like he''d done before and it accomplished nothing. Whatever he''d tapped into, it was closed to him now and every attempt only hurt his hand further.


    Zae Zin Nim held on until he got closer, then briefly met his gaze. He wasn''t sure what she meant, but he knew that this was his only chance. Kai judged the perfect moment and then leapt at the Krysali mercenary''s back with all his strength.


    She twisted aside in midair with unusual agility, but not fast enough. Kai slammed his remaining gauntlet into the crystal crown that hovered over her head and was gratified to feel it shatter.


    He hit the top of the barge awkwardly the next moment and struggled to roll to his feet through the pain all through his torso. Thankfully the Krysali woman was wavering wildly in the air, clutching at floating shards around her head, so she couldn''t retaliate. Zae Zin Nim gave him a brief nod of satisfaction and began drawing up new strength for a larger qi attack.


    A gauntlet closed around the side of the barge. Barroguk pulled himself up onto the barge in a single vaulting motion, shedding water in all directions.


    Three large scratches had appeared across the front of his armor, leaving lines marring his breastplate and helm. If only they had been enough. The first two had failed to penetrate his armor and the third across his face had only drawn a line of blood.


    "What the hell was that, boy?" Barroguk hefted his sword into a striking position, but he hesitated as he began examining Kai with his spiritual sight.


    Only then did Kai realize that his false Class had been burned away in the combat. There was nothing he could do, either, with the greatsword in position to strike him. Yet if he did nothing, his opponent would see what he was and the entire city might be closed to him.


    An explosion of qi saved him. Zae Zin Nim spun in the air and unleashed a flurry of qi bolts. They failed to penetrate Barroguk''s armor, but they launched him off the barge and far upriver.


    Just as Kai was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he realized that she hadn''t been done. Many of the bolts that had apparently missed redirected themselves, flying up toward the Krysali mercenary. She dodged or deflected many of them, but several slammed into the back of her crystal armor. Several large pieces broke away and she plummeted.


    Kai turned toward his ally, shocked at her display of power. He had known she was strong, but he had underestimated just how far she could go when pressed.


    "I think..." Zae Zin Nim''s next words were choked off as she coughed up dark blood. Black bile began pouring from her eyes, mouth, and ears. Her eyes looked at him for only a brief moment before they rolled back in her head and she collapsed off the side of the barge.

 Chapter 68: Arrival at Rayakan

    As the water gates into Rayakan opened, Kai barely saw them. He caught brief glimpses of majestic architecture, a bustling port, and grand statues of hunters past, but they didn''t matter. His attention was entirely focused on the woman lying lifelessly in his arms.


    Ever since her final exertion, Zae Zin Nim had shown no signs of consciousness. If he hadn''t caught her, she would have fallen into the river and drowned. Her condition was clearly worse than before, but she didn''t even cough, just oozed black bile constantly. He''d been watching her carefully and her eyelids hadn''t so much as fluttered.


    It was a small comfort that they had made it to the city. With Barroguk knocked so far back and their opponents'' method of flight damaged, the barge had made good progress. Everyone had been tense that they would face another threat at the gates, but when they came in sight of Rayakan, Razzagah had breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently his enemies wouldn''t attack him in front of an audience.


    "You did more than anyone could have asked of you."


    The voice penetrated Kai''s haze and he looked up. For a moment he didn''t even recognize Razzagah Lantrian, then he shook himself. They had arrived at the city. His job was done and they were, in theory, safe.


    "I know that you''re worried about your friend," Razzagah went on, "but I need to pay you. The two hundred Eagles I promised, plus an extra hundred as hazard pay. If there''s anything else I can do, I''d be happy to throw in a little more as a courtesy..."


    "That''s..." Kai wanted to tell him to go away, since the last thing he wanted to do was think about a Lantrian. But he had a lot of problems and not very many resources, so he didn''t have much choice. "She needs some standard healing potions, as well as some Class potions. The kind that grant you a portion of mana in a different Class."


    "Tricky order, but I''m sure I can arrange something. Is that all?"


    "We need an inn. Somewhere close. And not affiliated with any of the clans."


    "Done and done." Razzagah touched his shoulder gently. "I need to go now, Kai, but remember how grateful I am. Without you two, this shipment would have failed and I might be dead three times over. Follow my assistant and they''ll help you with what you need."


    One of the workers from the caravan guided Kai away from the docks to a tall inn only a short distance away. He barely saw it, mostly focused on ensuring that Zae Zin Nim didn''t bump into anyone. With her hood fallen over her face, she looked almost like someone who was simply ill. They received a few strange glances, but he was in the company of a clan official, so everyone looked away and assumed it was clan business.


    Soon he found himself with an entire inn room to himself, an impressive one with two beds. Kai asked for food and a tub of hot water from the innkeeper. Only once everyone else had left the room did he allow himself to sit down and rest.


    His hand still ached, but the bloodstains were the only remnants of his injuries. The worse loss was his gauntlet, which he broke apart and even picked out of his flesh in a few places. It was too much to hope that the steel Tusquo had made so long ago could have stood up to such a powerful opponent, but he still felt the loss. Now his only weapon left was one gauntlet, and it wouldn''t be good enough if he needed to face off with Barroguk again.


    The Lantrian assistant returned first, bearing the potions as requested, then disappeared. Kai looked over the potions, noting that many of them seemed to have conventional Fighter Classes. Given that he had drunk his final Herbalist potion before entering the city, he would take whatever he could get.


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    More importantly, there was a recovery potion among the others, and a rather expensive one. After staring at it for some time, Kai went to where Zae Zin Nim was lying and managed to dribble it into her mouth. She threatened to cough it up and he had to hold her jaw shut to make sure she swallowed. Her wounds continued to ooze, but at least there wasn''t bile pouring from her ears.


    Once she was sleeping peacefully, Kai considered the value of what they had been given. Three hundred Eagles in payment, plus the price of the potions, and the inn had been paid for. That was hundreds of Eagles worth of value thrown out as a bonus, practically as much as all his other work combined. If Zae Zin Nim didn''t make it through, it wouldn''t be worth it.


    Instead he thought about Razzagah Lantrian. No doubt the man had made an obscene profit on his shipment, not to mention flouting rival clans. These were nothing but business expenses to him... but he could have left them as soon as he made his profits.


    Finally the innkeeper returned with a huge tub of steaming water, one that required several servants to move. Kai realized that it was probably intended for two people, but that didn''t matter. As soon as they were gone, he considered what he could actually do.


    First, he removed Zae Zin Nim''s bundle from her robes. The cloud-patterned silk robes had been partially stained by the black bile, but he set them aside. Most important was the box of pills, which rattled ominously as he picked it up. She had only a single condensed qi pill left and three of her medication. Even though she had been taking fewer lately, that was terribly few.


    He wasn''t sure about the water, but he hoped it could ease her physical pain. Kai scooped her up in his arms, marveling at how fragile she was. As he walked over to the tub, however, he hesitated. His first instinct had been to strip her. She was so skeletally thin that her body inspired only pity in him, but she might not feel the same way. To spare her feelings, he lowered her into the tub, robes and all.


    She murmured something in her own language, incomprehensible but possibly positive. Actually waking seemed far off, but when he positioned her against the side of the tub, she remained with her head above water. He left her there to soak and went back to her pills.


    It would be completely impossible to buy qi anywhere, even in such a large city, so this was all he had. Kai decided to leave the final qi pill in case she had a use for it, but took out one of the medicinal pills. In camp he''d once seen her crush one and dissolve it into her drink, so he got a mug of water and did the same. This time she was more receptive and didn''t spit up any of it.


    Surrounded by the steam, all her scars glistened, but they weren''t oozing bile anymore. That might be all he could do for her. Kai started to think about what other business he could do before deciding that he needed to stay with her. She couldn''t ward off two dangerous opponents only to drown in a bathtub.


    As soon as he had nothing to do, the exhaustion hit him. Crippling waves of it, stronger each time he let himself relax even slightly. To keep himself alert, Kai focused on his own soul.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 74


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 10% (12)


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    Monstrous Hunger - VI (zeta)


    Direboar''s Strength - III (gamma)


    Aquagorgon''s Health - III (gamma)


    Isulfr''s Bite - I (alpha)


    Rockspider''s Claw - II (beta)


    >


    His Physique had improved, which was a petty consolation prize after the brutal fight. He was more interested in the fact that Rockspider''s Claw had increased to beta rank. That strongly suggested that he had tapped into it during the fight, but he couldn''t do it again. At least, he had failed during the fight, and he wasn''t going to make any attempts that would destroy their room.


    He tried to cultivate, but struggled to focus. Eventually the tub''s water had cooled and Zae Zin Nim appeared more relaxed. Even though she was dripping wet, he gently lifted her out of the tub and set her down in one of the beds. As far as he could judge, she was as stable as she could be, given the circumstances.


    Now he just needed to stay alert in case they were attacked by a clan. Kai sat down on the other bed to rest his eyes for just a moment and was unconscious almost immediately.

 Chapter 69: The Truth about the Blackblood Physique

    The next morning, they were both still alive. Kai was shocked at how refreshed he felt and decided he had the Aquagorgon to thank. No one had attacked, Zae Zin Nim was breathing peacefully, they had been successful... and he really needed to piss.


    Once nature''s interruptions had been taken care of, Kai considered his next steps. Taking care of Zae Zin Nim had been his highest priority before, so the question now was how to balance it. She hadn''t bled more during the night, so he hoped that her condition wouldn''t worsen on its own. Leaving her alone for too long felt wrong, but realistically there wasn''t much he could do for her.


    Would she be upset to wake up alone? Or would she be disturbed to open her eyes to find him looming nearby?


    Technically they had only one objective: gaining access to a mana pool. But that wouldn''t be easy and she was in no condition to take advantage of it, so he set that goal aside. He needed to find out the truth about Razzagah and the Corinin clan. As much as he hated to believe that Inafay''s clan could be corrupt, there was no way to make their decision to send mercenaries seem honorable. If it had really been about illegality or permit nonsense, they would have stopped Razzagah with official agents of the city instead of faking a bandit attack.


    Finding out more about that conflict would be useful... if he had any leads. After the whole journey with the wagon and then the fight, Kai was in no mood to talk to anyone. He decided that his first priority should be strength. No matter what he ended up doing or who he faced, he would need power.


    Kai sat and cultivated through the early morning, but eventually reached his limits. Since there was still no sign that Zae Zin Nim would stir, he decided it was worth the risk to venture downstairs. First he examined the whole inn from inside and outside, checking for potential weaknesses. It was sound enough, though there was nothing that would stop Barroguk or the Krysali mercenary from breaking directly through the walls.


    That confirmed, he returned to speak to the innkeeper. "I''m afraid that we''ve made a mess of the room."


    "Oh, we expected as much with hunter business." The middle-aged woman nodded to him cheerfully. "Don''t worry, you''re paid up. Perhaps some dry sheets?"


    "Yes, that would be nice."


    "And another bath, I assume? You, uh... look like you''ve seen better days..."


    For the first time since the fight Kai actually looked down at himself. His clothes were torn, splattered with mud from the riverbank, and covered in both blood and dark bile. His hair, which had been getting longer for some time, was a chaotic mess around his head, and he had a ragged beard. The innkeeper was a consummate professional, to have delivered him a huge bathtub the day before and then politely greeted him looking like this.


    After a soak in another large tub, he felt human again. They had also left out clean clothes, which he chose to believe was a complimentary gift instead of an insult to his former outfit. The tunic was too tight across the chest and the pants not quite comfortable, but they would do. Now he wouldn''t shock anyone if he tried to talk to them.


    Staying close to the inn, Kai began gathering what information he could. From various patrons of the tavern next door, he learned that Rayakan was rife with clan scheming. What Razzagah had claimed was true: the Corinin clan ruled with an iron fist, or perhaps a gold fist given their economic domination. The Orgoron clan seemed limited to the Hunters Guild and the Lantrians were indeed much weaker in the city. Good to know, though of course Razzagah wouldn''t have lied about anything so easily verifiable.


    Aside from the usual matters, there was a surprising amount of simple gossip. He''d always heard that southern Goralia was soft, spending their time on fancy balls and celebrations. The way people talked about them, they sounded more like battles. Given how much the city was controlled by trade, who made an impression at a party might actually be more important than who had the strongest hunters.


    Not that it was irrelevant. Kai couldn''t get information about mercenaries as easily, but eventually he struck up a conversation with an older hunter at the bar. The woman didn''t want to talk about clan politics until he started asking questions about mercenaries, then she had a lot to say.


    Apparently the Corinin clan had made a splash by hiring two powerful hunters to enforce their affairs. Of course Barroguk Clanless was one of them; he had been thrown out of some city further south and come here to make his fortune. The Krysali mercenary turned out to be named Iroaki of Philaster. She was less notorious, but had attracted attention when she defeated one of the strongest Orgoron hunters.


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    Now their enemies had names.


    Both of them were almost certain to have survived, and presumably rejoined the Corinin clan. The question was whether they would come after him again. Even though the two elites had kept the upper hand during the battle, they might resent how it ended, or Iroaki might be angry about the crystals that had been destroyed. If he understood crystal cultivation, her strength had been permanently reduced.


    Otherwise, all Kai accomplished was eating. He was absolutely starving, so he took advantage of the tavern and ate his fill. The day had stretched on, so he simply went through his old exercises alongside another round of cultivation before falling asleep.


    In the middle of the night he woke, slightly restless. When he started to get up, he saw Zae Zin Nim''s eyes glittering in the moonlight. She was almost entirely dark, just a shadow in the bed, but he could see that she had turned on her side and was watching him.


    "Kai..." Her voice was hoarse, but not as weak as he''d feared.


    "Are you alright?" He came to sit on the bed beside her and she didn''t shy away.


    "I need... to sleep more. But I thought... we should talk."


    "You can rest all you need. I can tell you about the rest when you''re feeling b-"


    One of her hands wrapped around his wrist, gripping tightly. "Not about that." Here in the darkness, she seemed so different, at once far away and less guarded than usual. "You should know about what happened to me. You''ve done all this... it''s not right that I never told you."


    He remained silent and just held her hand.


    "I used to be a celebrated young cultivator. Extremely lucky, by your standards. I naturally possessed an expansive dantian, which meant I would develop more slowly, but have higher limits. As I cultivated, I developed dense meridians, which can move more qi, but slower. I kept up or surpassed my peers, but everyone knew that it would take years to see my full potential. Do you see where this is going?"


    "Everything is trading off short term gains for long term potential," Kai said. He realized that he was rubbing the back of her hand and wasn''t sure if he should stop. She nodded, nestled deeper into her pillow, and continued speaking.


    "When I came of age, my rivals... we call it a cursed blessing. The Blackblood Physique is a path that''s usually used for those who are rising too quickly. They suffer greatly, but temporarily. Then when they break through, they have deeper reserves. And so..."


    "Every single aspect of your essence was slow. You couldn''t break through to recover from the Blackblood condition, and I''m guessing it stopped your cultivation."


    "Yes. My sect would have spent many resources to help me, but that was the diabolical stroke." Zae Zin Nim pulled her hand away from his, only to hold it before her face and stare. "The Blackblood Physique isn''t a disease, so it can''t be cured. They couldn''t remove it without permanently ruining my body. The best they could offer was medicine to manage the symptoms, and it soon became obvious that I wouldn''t be able to advance."


    "And so you fled here." Kai nodded as the pieces fell into place. "Just to find a Class, or because you were being targeted?"


    "My rivals tried to assassinate me back home. I doubt they would follow me here. But Kai... I need to awaken a Class. You''ve staved off my condition longer than I''d expected, but I need a permanent solution."


    "What about the crystal cultivation from the Krysal City States? You got a good look at it during the fight. There are some similarities, aren''t there?"


    Zae Zin Nim scoffed, thankfully not emitting any black bile. "An inferior version of the cultivation I know, reliant on accumulating crystal wealth. Worthless." Abruptly her scorn became an intense stare and her hand squeezed his. "I saw you fight all the mercenaries. Monstrous and human power together. But you struggled to master it, didn''t you?"


    "Yeah. It''s nothing like anything I''ve trained before, and there was a skill at the end..."


    "You may be walking a totally new path. It has incredible potential, but it will be difficult." Her dark eyes bored into his. "I swear to you, if you help me break through, I will repay my debt. I will use every scrap of power and knowledge in my possession to help you master your new power. Get me to the mana pool. Then we can unlock these secrets."


    "I..." Kai swallowed, unsure what to say. Before he could find the words, Zae Zin Nim''s concentration seemed to fade. Her hand grew slack in his and she slumped back against her pillow. When she spoke again all the intensity was gone and she mumbled the next words.


    "And we should go to Krysal... I want one of those floating crystals... No more walking... no more stupid wagons..."


    She seemed to be falling asleep again, so Kai eased off the bed to avoid waking her. Just when he started to walk away, she spoke again.


    "Sometimes I think... your life was even worse. I could have acted differently, but there was nothing you could have done. And yet there was no self-pity... no weeping... I''m glad I met you, Kai. Please..." Whatever she had been about to say fell into mumbling.


    Kai turned back, only to find her fully asleep. He watched for a while, then slipped into his own bed. Given his recovery and training, he had expected to fall asleep immediately, but instead he lay awake thinking about the politics of the Cloudspire continent.


    Then suddenly it was morning, the sun was burning his face, and people were shouting at the top of their lungs.

 Chapter 70: Accusations and Deception

    Since he''d fallen asleep in his pants, Kai simply pulled on his tunic and grabbed his shoes on the way down. It looked like Zae Zin Nim would sleep straight through the shouting, despite its growing volume. As he leapt down the stairs, he could hear it getting even worse.


    Half-way to the crowd, he barely remembered to drink one of his new Class potions.


    Not a moment too late, because when he hit the bottom of the stairs, he saw chaos in the main room. There was a whole mob of hunters, some dressed as city guards and others in uniforms emblazoned with the symbol of the Corinin clan. They looked like they were trying to break into the inn, and the only things holding them back were a small group of citizens and social propriety.


    Kai considered the group briefly, noting their power was between 30 and 50 on average. Not that strong for seasoned guards, but it didn''t matter. What they brought against him wasn''t raw power, it was the rule of law.


    "There he is!" One of the Corinin hunters jabbed a finger in his direction and suddenly the entire group was looking toward him. "You there, are you a hunter?"


    "I..." Kai knew he shouldn''t hesitate, but the question itself made him stumble. That had been his mental identity for so long... but here, given the situation... "No. I went through formal training, but I''m not officially a Goralian hunter."


    "That''s obscuring the truth." A man wearing extremely fine Corinin robes took a step forward. "This man is an ex-hunter banished from a northern city for his crimes, yet the Lantrian clan is hiring him to do their dirty work."


    "Do you have any evidence other than hearsay?" The new voice was Razzagah Lantrian, who Kai hadn''t even noticed up to that point. He couldn''t face off against the hunters, but he stepped up to the Corinin official. "You haven''t showed us a contract, a warrant, or anything else. This is a flagrant misuse of the city guard."


    "The evidence is standing right in front of you! If you have any honor left at all, ex-hunter, tell us the truth about how Razzagah Lantrian hired you to guard his caravan."


    All eyes turned toward him, especially the city guard. Razzagah shot him a pleading glance, but Kai couldn''t afford to meet his gaze or he would look suspicious. He bought time by clearing his throat, desperately considering how to answer. Normally, he would have said that it was always the best policy to stick to the truth. Considering that policy had gotten him banished...


    But this confrontation was clearly about mixing truth and lies. Assuming no extra layers of deception, the Corinin clan had felt comfortable sending mercenaries everyone knew were theirs out to destroy the shipment. That would never pass if normal testimony was accepted. If so, then the accusation was just a ploy and the real question was plausible deniability.


    "I was never hired as a hunter," Kai said. "We were traveling together when mercenaries attacked our group for unknown reasons. Because I took an injury defending the caravan, Razzagah paid for recovery at this inn, but I didn''t perform any services as a hunter."


    "Exactly!" Razzagah shot him a barely concealed grin and then turned to the officials in outrage. "I hired a dozen guards for my journey and every single one of those contracts is on record at the Hunters Guild. Pretending that I was making illegal contracts is entirely spurious."


    It seemed that Kai had said the right thing, because the city guard shuffled back awkwardly. The Corinin official looked displeased but made another attempt. "And why are you hiding the other unlicensed hunter who participated in the attack? What are you trying to conceal?"


    "Do you accuse every traveler coming to Rayakan?" Kai stepped past Razzagah to look the Corinin man in the eyes. "If you somehow have witnesses to the fight, bring them forward. Will they testify that my companion could possibly be from Goralia? She''s willing to come down and answer the accusation."


    Just as he had hoped, the official paled. He must be high up enough in the Corinin clan that he had spoken to the mercenaries and heard about exactly what happened. It would be insanity for him to press the issue, both because Zae Zin Nim was obviously foreign and because they could never send their own mercenaries to testify. The entire accusation had been an attempt to push Kai into making an error, but they had nothing.


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    Well, nothing but a raw power advantage. Kai hoped that his implication that Zae Zin Nim was still healthy had landed. Given that both mercenaries had been knocked away, they might not have seen her collapse, or at the very least they might believe she had recovered easily.


    "Is this any way to treat guests to Rayakan?" The innkeeper put her hands on her hips and scowled at one of the guards. "I expected better out of you. Now, all of you go away and deal with your clan business somewhere else! You''re bothering my customers."


    That finally broke the conflict and the guards began filtering out. It looked like the Corinin hunters might not leave so easily, but as they started to get a good look at Kai, their confidence diminished. Even with his soul thoroughly cloaked by his most recent potion, he would look like a veteran. Since his numbers could do the talking, Kai kept his face neutral, as if he was just a traveler who didn''t care about the clan politics.


    Once they were all gone, Razzagah turned back to him and breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank fuck. I was terrified that you were going to say the wrong thing and get us all in trouble."


    "What," Kai said, "you expected me to march down here and announce that I had violated the terms of my banishment?"


    "Well, no offense, but a lot of hunters aren''t quick thinkers and you look like you spend more time cracking heads than using yours." His tone was surprisingly light, despite the implicit insult. Razzagah stepped closer and grinned again. "But that was perfect. If you''d said I gave you nothing, they could have used the records of me paying for the inn against me. This way we''re on solid ground: there was no formal contract and they can''t prove that any illicit money changed hands."


    "But they can just use the city guard to make accusations? Sorry, but that''s not exactly encouraging. And what were you doing here?"


    "They were trying to get to you first, maybe get you to testify in their favor. But I was tipped off that they suborned the city guard, so I arrived first. Not first by long, or I''d have talked to you, but it''s probably better this way. This way there''s less suspicion that we conspired together first."


    That gave Kai pause, though he tried not to let it show on his face. It was possible that, if the Corinin clan had arrived first, they would have spoken to him honestly. Razzagah might have intercepted them and twisted the confrontation to his own ends... but that was getting a bit hard to believe. Kai had to admit that Razzagah had been fair with him so far.


    "Anyway, I thought you might want to know that everything has worked perfectly." Razzagah''s grin welled up again like he was struggling to hold it back. "I made a small fortune on those silks, and more importantly it''s a mercantile coup. The Corinins are worried that others will try to cut into their markets, which is why they''re retaliating. It''s fantastic to see them on the back foot for once!"


    "It will be less fantastic if their next retaliation involves sending elite mercenaries to attack us."


    "Oh, I don''t think they''d do that in the city." Razzagah finally stopped smiling and faced him seriously. "But I understand why you''d be concerned. Your best defense might be to take a formal role here in the city. They''re willing to attack unknown travelers, not targets who would draw more attention to them."


    "But I really am banished. I can''t join any Hunters Guild."


    "Did I say anything about the Guild? No, I mean that you need to make a public appearance at one of the clan balls. Doesn''t matter if you''re Clanless, they like to have visitors, especially if they bring in any exotic flavor. Northerners are welcome, and of course your companion would be as well."


    "She''ll decline." Kai folded his arms and scowled as he considered the matter for himself. He hated the idea of participating in southern social culture, but he couldn''t dismiss the offer out of hand. "What exactly is going to be involved here?"


    "Just attending a dinner or two at the Hunters Guild. I''d formally invite you to join the Lantrian clan, but given the accusations..." Razzagah shrugged helplessly. "That doesn''t mean that we can''t work together off the books. I''ve been thinking about what you said earlier... you know, about needing a mana pool. We may be able to help each other?"


    "How?"


    "Best not to get into it here. By tomorrow I''ll know more... we''ll meet at noon, alright? Wear whatever your best clothes are - no, never mind, I can bring something."


    As Razzagah headed out, Kai wondered just what he was getting himself into. The promise of getting access to a mana pool was tempting, but part of him just wanted to abandon the city entirely. Getting entangled in the conflicts of merchants struck him as a headache.


    When he headed back upstairs, he found Zae Zin Nim sitting up in bed, so he explained what she hadn''t been able to hear. She nodded quietly, following the clan politics despite her lack of familiarity. Then, when he started to explain his reluctance, she surprised him by immediately shaking her head.


    "No, you need to get involved. Maybe not with Razzagah, but somehow. I''m not just saying that because I need a mana pool. This is your best chance to move forward."


    "And how is that?" Kai asked.


    "I like merchants even less than you do, but they''re necessary. So far, you''ve been fighting opponents with weapons you''ve put together out of sticks and mud." She settled back against the headboard and closed her eyes. "The mana is dense here... denser than I''ve ever felt in Cloudspire, even if it doesn''t compare to the qi. And it''s being controlled by the merchants and other powers. You''ve gotten far on your own, but eventually you need to take advantage of those resources."


    Kai sighed and accepted that he didn''t have a choice. Not only was he getting involved in the clan politics he''d always tried to avoid, he was doing it along with a Lantrian.

 Chapter 71: A High Society Hunters Guild

    Rayakan was flatter than Monskon City, so Kai wasn''t able to instinctually navigate his way to the upper class section. Instead of large defensive walls, the city seemed to be divided into neighborhoods differentiated by nothing but architecture. As he got out of the rough wooden housing around the docks he began to see more stone buildings. Not rough stone like he knew, but every house fancily dressed with elaborate curling stonework.


    The most important people in the city still managed to lord it over others: if they didn''t have a hill, they just built higher. Instead of clusters of clan buildings, there were enormous enclosed estates that loomed several stories over the city. On the west side of the river, the Hunters Guild was the tallest of all. It, at least, was built of sturdy stone remarkably similar to the Guild he knew, but it was in rather poor repair.


    Before he got too close to the Guild, Razzagah caught up with him in an alleyway as agreed. "Okay, Kai, this is just a dinner. You don''t need to worry about any exact manners because no one will expect them from you. Don''t be an asshole and you''ll be okay. But, uh, do change clothes."


    "Fine." Kai took the tunic the other man offered and shucked off his shirt to change. "But I don''t see how this is going to benefit me."


    "If people know who you are, the Corinins can''t send their mercenaries to assassinate you, at least not as easily. And even if you can''t join the Guild, if you''re a familiar face they won''t send people after you. So just make a good first impression."


    "And that''s really it?" Kai was surprised how rough the tunic was - he''d been expecting the fine silks that he''d protected to this point. Perhaps not the appropriate garb for a dinner, or they were being saved for later events.


    "This is also your chance to meet the Corinin clan''s top members. If possible..." Razzagah glanced away from the Hunters Guild to the opposite side of the river. "They''re holding a more significant celebration next week. If you can get an invitation, that could be very beneficial. Don''t ask about it, just accept if it''s offered. Make sense?"


    Kai grunted affirmation. He left the alley and headed toward the Guild, on his own from that point. Though everyone knew there was some connection between him and Razzagah, he needed to establish himself as his own person instead of a Lantrian flunky. All he had to do was act like he belonged.


    The instant he stepped into the Guild, someone handed Kai a potion and he realized that he had no idea what he was doing.


    It had been called a dinner, but there were barely any tables. Everyone was standing in small clusters, only occasionally taking food from plates being carried by servants. He noted that everyone was better dressed than him, including some silk robes. But the oddest thing was the fact that almost everyone was carrying a potion just like his.


    Just in case he was mistaken, Kai took a drink, acting as if he was casually surveying the room. Definitely enough mana for a potion... but it wasn''t really. The base ingredients were mixed with fruit and sugar in a way that meant it had to be a drink.


    He drank more to hide how astonished he was. Almost all the mana being drunk was going to waste, which made it an astonishing display of wealth. Except no one seemed surprised, so was this just the normal level of waste in Rayakan? Most of the people he saw were hunters, yet they made no effort whatsoever to make use of the mana they drank. By the end of the night, they would have literally pissed away a small fortune.


    "So you''re the northerner." A man''s gruff voice took him off guard and Kai pivoted toward a middle-aged man. "I''m Dommag Corinin. You may not have meant any harm, but the way you stumbled in created a bit of a problem for the clan."


    Dommag was a tall man who Kai would have called powerfully built if he showed any signs of hunter training. No, the cut of his tunic and the sheer number of layers pinned him as a merchant. He was slightly older, with patches of gray through his hair and beard. Still, this was Kai''s first chance to talk to a local Corinin directly.


    "I understand there''s a rivalry going on, but I didn''t know anything about that." Kai gave the man a friendly nod. "There wasn''t anything illegal involved, was there? I wouldn''t want to harm the defense of your city."


    "Defense of the city?" Dommag''s lip actually curled. "I will be blunt. What you consider defense is wasting the strength of Goralia against vermin. The monster threat is trivial compared to the real problems of the nation: trade with Irun or invasion from Krysal. You should be our nation''s military, yet you play your games in the north. Go back and stop interfering."


    Stunned, Kai wasn''t able to say anything before Dommag walked away from him. He''d never imagined that anyone in Goralia could treat the Frontier like it was a trivial distraction. In the past, monster incursions had penetrated to the south... but maybe that seemed like ancient history when you were making a fortune in fine silks and drinking mana as a refreshment.


    More importantly, he was now willing to abandon his ideas about the Corinin clan. It was still possible that Razzagah was pulling something over on him, but if so, the other clans didn''t seem eager to reach out. Kai didn''t want to have anything else to do with them and forced himself in anyway.


    "Oh my, oh my!" An older woman with heavy makeup approached him, hands fluttering beside her. She wore the most elaborate costume he''d seen to that moment, an explosion of colored fabric. "My husband can be so unkind, the cruel man. You are our newest guest from the north, aren''t you?"


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    "Right, I''m Kai Clanless. I didn''t realize guests were so rare."


    "Guests pass through every day, but not such handsome young men. Please let me be the first to introduce myself: I''m Kalliay Corinin." She took his arm and brazenly stroked it as she pulled him inward. "So glad you''ve decided to join society. The Lantrians have a bit of a history here, but they''ve fallen on such hard times, you know."


    "Uh, is-"


    "Mmm, such a strong young man." Kalliay spoke right over him as she tugged him toward a circle of younger nobles. "I''d love to eat you up myself, but some of my dears were just dying to meet you. Now, why don''t you have fun and we''ll talk later?"


    She giggled and pushed him toward the circle, squeezing his ass in the process. Kai''s head whipped around to stare at her, but she was already gone. Now he was surrounded by young hunters about his age, though few of them were rated above 20. Many of them were young women wearing Corinin or Orgoron sigils, while the men looked more surly at his arrival.


    For a while Kai was swept away as they asked him questions and showed more interest than he''d ever received in his life. Kai knew he wasn''t hideous, but he had never stood out among other men his age except via his hard work. Receiving so much female attention was downright dizzying and he struggled to keep in mind his original goal.


    "I heard you were banished from a northern city after a fight," one of the young women said shyly. "Was it a blood feud? Did you kill him?"


    All the pleasure of the encounter drained away as Kai realized the truth. He was a curiosity to them, a northern brute to be put on display. Their interest in him meant nothing, even if it was genuine.


    Kai wasn''t sure how he looked in that moment, but the young woman''s eyes widened and she took a step back. Several of the others giggled while she retreated. Did she actually think he was going to hit her for the insult or something? Perhaps that was exactly what they expected of him. If he was supposed to get an invitation somehow, did he need to play into the stereotype?


    Before things could devolve too far, a voice from behind saved him.


    "How is your Class so weak when you''ve advanced that far with your Physique?"


    When Kai turned he saw a woman wearing an expensive but more sensible tunic. The hand wrapped around her glass looked like it had some calluses on it and she was carrying a sword. Those facts jumped out at him and he only later noted that she was lean with a sharp face and carefully styled hair. Her impression was so much closer to a real hunter than the others that he automatically opened his spiritual sight.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 65


    Warrior Class: 33 (43)


    Physique Level: G-9 (18)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    At 65 power she was in roughly his same tier, which wasn''t bad considering she was probably only a few years older than him. His combat instincts had activated instantly, so there had barely been any pause since her question. He had expected more people to wonder about the discrepancies in his soul, so he had an answer ready.


    "Good question," Kai said with a smile. "I''ve been more focused on practical techniques than on mana skills so far. It''s still my first year since the Hunter Trials."


    She frowned and peered at him as if skeptical. He doubted that she could pierce the deception, but his answer didn''t seem to satisfy her, because she turned around and stalked away.


    "Who was that?" Kai asked.


    "Soeraina Corinin," a woman said as she draped herself over his shoulder. "She''s essentially the leader of the Guild, but she''s such a bore. Good thing you scared her off."


    Pushing away the one person who might have given him an interesting conversation. Kai struggled with the impulse to brush off everyone and leave, or maybe jump up on a table and scream at them. Instead he decided that this was another battle: Zae Zin Nim had said that he needed merchant resources, so he needed to play their games. That meant making a good impression and getting an invitation.


    So Kai gave them all his best barbarian smile and got started.


    .


    ..


    .


    By the end of the night when Kai left the Hunters Guild, he was numb. The female hunters had pushed more drinks filled with mana on him and been getting steadily drunker themselves, but he''d felt fine. Kai might have given more thought to that if he wasn''t so exhausted from meaningless social interactions. He''d much rather sit and cultivate with Zae Zin Nim in silence than be fawned over by so many women who viewed him as little more than an animal.


    But he''d been invited to the Corinin estate. It had taken a lot of flirting, eventually even with Kalliay Corinin. He wasn''t sure if the woman was completely sincere or just liked to act young, but she had been all over him by the end. That, more than all the drinking, left him feeling a little sick.


    As soon as he was safely away from the wealthier districts, Kai sat down on a bench and dropped his head into his hands. He might have stayed there forever if Razzagah Lantrian hadn''t caught up to him.


    "Uh, Kai? You alright?"


    "Hey, Razz." Kai straightened up and pulled two metal emblems from his tunic. "Are these the kinds of invitation you wanted me to get?"


    "Perfect!" Razz inspected them with obvious approval. "They have a lot of guards and even a mana barrier on their estate, so it''s practically impossible to get in normally. Is this one for you and one for a guest?"


    "I assumed that would be you, unless it''s not allowed."


    "No, that''s for your friend. I can get my own. I''ll have to call in some favors, but I can make it happen. The Lantrian name still carries some weight here."


    Kai finally looked up at the younger man. After so long at the dinner, he had no more patience for bullshit. "Tell me exactly what you''re doing or we''re not working together."


    "Oh shit." Razz took a step back, but then sat down on the bench beside him and lowered his voice. "Alright, you saved my life so I might as well be honest with you. The Corinin clan has... had the guilds seize certain permits belonging to my parents. The matter would already be resolved, but the clan is holding the key evidence. Allegedly for inspection, but it''s just a pretense to make sure the seizure never ends. Until we have the permits restored, a lot of our current trade is on shaky ground, legally."


    "And you think you can convince them to give the evidence back? At this party?"


    "Uh, not exactly." Razz looked toward him as if he expected Kai to bite his head off. "Don''t get angry about this, but they have control over all the official channels. If I can physically take the financial records and give them to the guilds, the prolonged investigation will end, no matter how we get them. That does technically mean stealing, but it''s not as bad as it sounds. It''s not exactly legal for them to be holding the evidence either, so this isn''t-"


    "I''m in." Kai straightened and gripped both invitation emblems in his fist. "What''s the plan?"

 Chapter 72: The Great Corinin Vault Heist

    "When I offered to help you find a mana pool," Razz said, "I had absolutely no intention of engaging in criminal conspiracy. But here we are."


    They sat in a private room of a different inn where they had all met. Zae Zin Nim still looked a bit weak, but she had appeared like a ghost. By contrast, Razz seemed barely able to contain himself, constantly toying with items in the pouch he''d brought with him. Kai just sat back and waited to finally hear what he was planning.


    "How illegal this is depends on whether we get caught." Razz spread his arms and smiled sheepishly. "It''s unfortunate, but that''s the way it is. The Corinins can send their mercenaries after me because I can''t prove anything, and I have to live with it. But that means that if we can take from them, they won''t be able to retaliate. If we do things right, they won''t even suspect us."


    "How are you going to steal from the most powerful clan in Rayakan?" Kai asked. "I assume it will be during this party, but they must have extra security then."


    "Yes, but that''s also going to be their weakness, because they don''t know how well-prepared we are."


    Razz triumphantly pulled a map from his pack and spread it out on the table. Kai leaned forward and didn''t understand at all for a while before he realized it was some kind of drawing of a building from above. Given the size and the context, it had to be the Corinin estates.


    "The mana pool is in the basement here." Razz tapped a point on the lowest level. "Because of that natural formation, they built their family vault around it. They open it rarely, so if we can get in and get out cleanly, they won''t suspect until too late."


    "Great, unless they have reason to suspect us." Kai gestured at the entire map. "Where did you get this? Won''t buying maps of their estates make you the prime suspect?"


    "Not at all!" Razz didn''t let his grin waver for a second. "Thing is, this isn''t a map of the Corinin estate. You see, the building used to be owned by the Orgoron clan, before the Corinins took power. I found the old information in archives a while back, so I''ve just been trying to get to the point where I could take advantage of it. They can''t move the mana pool and I have good reason to believe they haven''t moved the vault either."


    "Can we break the vault seal?" Zae Zin Nim spoke up for the first time. She had seemed entirely uninterested, but now she was poring over the map.


    "That''s the least of our problems. The Corinins rely on layered security, so the inner vault door is only to prevent clan members from stealing. I''ve purchased a clever Krysali device that can neutralize it... the problem is getting through the outer two layers of security."


    This had been planned for even longer than he''d expected. Kai leaned closer, trying to read the unfamiliar chart. He noted that several new lines had been added more recently than the base ink. Their effect was to cut off a significant portion of the estate from the rest, dividing it into inner and outer sections. Just as he was about to ask, Razz traced a line around the exterior.


    "There are so many Corinin hunters on guard that it''s impossible to sneak in during ordinary times, which is why it needs to be during the celebration. With our invitations, we can walk in." His finger slid inward to the inner region blockaded by old and new lines. "The inner clan areas will be especially well-guarded while they have so many guests. It''s possible to get a personal invitation from a family member, but you''ll be checked and would never be able to make it to the vault."


    The obvious solution was to fight their way in, but apparently Razz didn''t think that way. Given the strength of Barroguk and Iroaki, Kai would have to accept the subterfuge route. "Alright, that seems fool-proof if you play by the rules. I assume there''s a weakness?"


    "We can get through if we split up the roles. All three of us enter as normal guests, separately. Kai will be the only one to get access to the inner section and you won''t even try to access the vault. No, your mysterious friend can smuggle the vault piercer inside her robes. They''d never check a woman too closely for the outer party. Instead, Kai will drop his inner invitation off this balcony, leaving her to collect it and then sneak through both via a different route."


    "And what will you be doing this entire time?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Being conspicuous in the outer party. Since they won''t trust me out of their sight, I''ll draw a significant amount of attention and leave the rest of the estate emptier for your work." Razz lifted both hands. "I know, I''m taking on the least risk. But all I''m asking is for you to find the financial records in the vault. Your rewards should be far greater."


    "Presuming that I can use the mana pool within the time limit and emerge without attracting attention." Her attention had been focused on the plan, but she looked directly at Kai, so he answered first.


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    "The Class awakening process is almost instantaneous," he said. "It will be more of a problem for you to learn how to prepare the pool and search the records."


    She sat back, her face giving almost no clue what she thought of the plan. Still, Kai suspected that she would already have raised objections if she had any.


    For his part, he was a little uncertain. Since Zae Zin Nim could move quiet as the night, he had no doubt that she could sneak in. It struck him as a bit more of a gamble that the financial records would be in the vault, but that wasn''t his risk. All of that left him with one much bigger question...


    "You rushed through the middle part," Kai said. "Earlier you just claimed that I''m going to acquire an inner invitation... how, exactly?"


    "Well..." Razz''s face slowly spread in a grin that was none too comforting. "Since you''ve already proved how proficient you are at charming Corinin women..."


    "No way. Absolutely not. My skills include beating up monsters with my fists and hiking around wastelands. I don''t know the first thing about polite society anywhere, much less here. How am I the social manipulation part of this plan?"


    "Oh, come on, you were a hit at dinner! These celebrations are practically an excuse for young clan members to spend time together, so all you need to do is get one of them to invite you inside."


    Kai scowled and sat back. Razz was still grinning like it was inevitable that he would agree, while Zae Zin Nim watched him quietly. This was all for her sake, but the plan was absurd. If he refused, he thought that she would support him. There had to be some less humiliating alternative.


    "The Hunters Guild should have its own mana pools," he tried first. "And they-"


    "Will be preparing them for the Hunter Trials." Razz brushed away the idea with one hand. "And if you think this plan is crazy, don''t even dream about breaking into the Guild. The private Corinin vault is mostly just to hoard resources, but the Hunters Guild is a matter of city security."


    "We don''t have to do this illegally. What about making a deal?"


    "You remember who controls the Hunters Guild, right? Soeraina Corinin. You can''t get around their clan no matter which way you go. The question is whether you try to attack them at their point of strength, or during a party while they''re relaxed. Trust me, this is the better plan."


    "Well..." Kai directed his scowl toward the maps instead. "How were you going to do this before we arrived?"


    "I was planning on hiring professional thieves." Razz winced when they both looked at him. "Maybe that''s underhanded, but so is what they''ve done to my family. Anyway, this is much better. I trust you both more than thieves, plus you won''t need half the equipment. I can''t tell exactly how strong you are, miss, but you''re clearly better than the guards here."


    "If the vault seal is so weak," Zae Zin Nim said carefully, "I would probably be able to penetrate it without assistance. I also do not anticipate difficulty evading the guards, provided that I have the necessary invitations. But I will not agree to this plan unless Kai does."


    It was kind of her to say, but Kai was slowly coming to accept his fate. The Corinin clan was throwing away mana like it was water and hiring powerful foreign mercenaries to keep control. There was no way he could take them on directly without acquiring some new advantages. And if that meant giving up his dignity, well... he''d lost most of that back when fate gave him a worthless Class.


    "Fine." Kai rubbed his face with both hands. "I can''t believe I''m doing this, but I guess I''ll try."


    "Excellent!" Razz clapped him on the shoulder. "That gives us several days to transform you into the most beautiful man who has ever walked the streets of Rayakan."


    "Wait, what?"


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai sat cross-legged in the center of the room, trying to cultivate and ignore what they were saying. Despite what Razz had claimed, the majority of his time before the Corinin party had been spent in normal training. He''d gotten his hair cut by a barber and taken an oiled bath, but there hadn''t been much beautification... before today.


    "Not the rough tunic?" Zae Zin Nim said as she set it against his back. "I thought we were going for a barbarian look."


    "There''s such a thing as going overboard." Razz used a bolt of silk to push the tunic aside. "Putting all of this frankly excessive muscle inside the newest silk will just make him look more barbaric. An attempt at civilization only showing his true nature even more clearly."


    "Hmm. I suppose."


    "Speaking of which, maybe remind him not to shave tomorrow? Beards are out of fashion this year, so that would look suitably rough."


    "Unnecessary. Just give him an hour before and his jaw will be covered in stubble."


    Yes, better to just not listen to them. Kai couldn''t tell what Zae Zin Nim was thinking, but Razz seemed to be having entirely too much fun using him as a living doll. Since Kai had absolutely no idea about this sort of thing, he had no choice but to leave it to them. Maybe he would get lucky, a blood vendetta would break out in the middle of the party, and he''d get to punch something.


    When it came time for the actual attempt, Kai didn''t feel like himself. He''d taken a fresh Class potion, skipped shaving, and put on the silk tunic. In the mirror of their room he really did look like a thug wrapped in a veneer of civilization. Which was apparently just what they wanted.


    "It''s time to go." Zae Zin Nim appeared in the doorway and he almost jumped at her appearance.


    She had applied layers of makeup to cover all of her wounds and it was almost unnerving. It had been done artfully, given how well she''d been able to hide such extensive lines. Her makeup looked less caked on than Kalliay Corinin. But it still seemed a little like a mask... he had guessed how she would look without all her wounds and this felt wrong.


    It seemed she agreed, because she also looked uncomfortable. In a strange way, that reminded him of why he was doing all of this. When they had reunited, he had promised to help her break through. He had been willing to put his life on the line and fight overwhelming opponents to help her, so why shouldn''t he be willing to flirt a little for her sake?


    He knew which one he would prefer, but his life had never been exactly fair.


    "Alright," Kai said. "Let''s get started."

 Chapter 73: A High Clan Party

    As soon as Kai and Zae Zin Nim set foot in the Corinin clan estate, they were the center of attention. Kai knew everyone was looking at him as the brutish thug playing at being a clan member, so he was glad that she drew some attention away. In addition to all her makeup, she wore the cloud-covered silk from her homeland.


    It revealed how unhealthily thin she was, but that only made it look like she couldn''t possibly hide anything on her person. Even though he knew to expect it, he wasn''t sure where she carried the Krysali vault piercer in her clothes. Step one complete.


    The two of them were set upon by other young clan members, Orgoron and lesser clans as well as Corinin. He noted that Zae Zin Nim introduced herself as "Hanelay Cloudspire." Close enough to a Goralian name to seem normal, though they hadn''t discussed it first. Maybe she felt more protective of her true name than she had let on.


    When they clarified that they weren''t partnered, the crowds quickly isolated them. Meanwhile, Razz entered separately and made a show of arguing with the guards. Once he was inside, he seemed to get along well with the others, simply ignoring those who glared at him. Dommag Corinin came over to talk to him for a while and soon left in a huff.


    Kai realized that he was being too passive and forced himself into action.


    Pushing directly for an invitation to the inner estate would make him look like the wrong kind of brute, so Kai instead approached a group of young men. They appeared to be engaged in some sort of drinking game, downing glasses and then trying not to wince.


    "Can I join?" Kai stepped in and picked up one of the glasses. Immediately he realized that it was another potion-quality drink.


    "If you think you can." One of the men, an Orgoron hunter, looked supremely confident. "I don''t think you have mana that potent in the north, so you might want to start slow."


    "Well, catch me if I pass out." Kai smiled and then drank the entire glass.


    It burned going down his throat, but that was because the potion tasted like it was half alcohol. The mana itself was intense, just not directed toward any specific end. Compared to Juray''s carefully planned potions, it was nothing. Fortunately, the alcohol had enough of a kick that he winced instinctively, which prompted a laugh from all the other men.


    "It''ll take more than that!" Kai slammed the glass down with unnecessary force. "Now, does this game have rules, or do I just drink all these?"


    As the drinking game began, he kept his eyes open. The bravado seemed to bore most women, but there were a few looking at him, since he was living up to his reputation as a barbarian. Ignoring them, he looked for Zae Zin Nim.


    She seemed to be uncomfortable with all the attention. After struggling for a while, she claimed to need rest and retreated to one of the gardens outside the main building. From his vantage point, Kai could see unarmored Corinin guards following her. Even if she really did need to get away from the crowd, leaving early was smart. By the time they actually executed the plan, the guards would be tired of watching her do nothing suspicious.


    By contrast, Razz was drawing as much attention as possible. He was shamelessly flirting with two different women, which seemed certain to fail. It looked like he was the butt of the joke and he acted like he didn''t realize it. In a strange way, Kai respected the man more for that.


    After half a dozen drinks, Kai realized that the mana was never going to overwhelm him. It might be denser than he was used to in the north, but his body was used to far more intense experiences. Something within him seemed to just soak up all of the liquid mana... and it seemed to be working on the alcohol too. He had to fake being a little drunk, just enough that all the other men would keep trying as they drank themselves under the table.


    "Enough of these silly games!" Kalliay Corinin was dressed even more extravagantly than before and she used a massive fan of peacock feathers to break up the group. "I''ll not have you all vomiting in our ballroom! Now Kai, dear, wouldn''t you rather have some more refined company?"


    "Sure." He slurred his response just a little and let her lead him to a sitting area.


    The couch she led him to was the softest thing he''d ever sat on. He couldn''t help but settle back into it, even though he knew what was happening. This was what he wanted, in theory. Kalliay wrapped herself around one of his arms, treating him like a trophy, and pressed a drink into his hands.


    Was he supposed to take her advances seriously? She was so much older than him, he couldn''t imagine that she''d really be interested. A whole circle of women associated with Kalliay had come along, much closer to his age, and they began to ask questions. He knew how that game was played: there was no need to lie, because his honest answers made him seem like a provincial ruffian anyway.


    Even as the women giggled, Kai wondered if he would be the weak link in their plan. He had no clue what he was doing. Was he really supposed to seduce someone? If Juray could have seen him, she would have laughed herself sick. Honestly, he wished that he had her advice, bizarre as the thought was.


    When Kalliay handed him a second drink, he didn''t think much of it, but by the third Kai realized the truth. She had seen how much he drank, and unless this was an elaborate plan to prove his true limits, she was trying to get him drunk.


    "You''re nursing that so much, dear boy!" Kalliay shook her head at the drink in his hand. "Why not live a little? We want to see how you celebrate up the north, after all." As she purred, she ran the back of her fan along the back of his neck.


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    All at once Kai was sick to his stomach, and it wasn''t the alcohol. The juvenile part of him had been anticipating what might happen, but now he just felt tired. None of this was what he wanted. There had to be another way to get an invitation...


    The flirting was interrupted by the sound of someone being violently sick. Everyone turned to see a large man vomiting into a bin, which prompted a mix of laughter and scorn. But no one said anything when he uncorked a healing potion and drank the entire thing. Even from a distance Kai could feel its potency... that potion had been worth hundreds of Goralian Eagles and the man had just used it to get over a little sickness.


    As his stomach turned a flip, Kai put a smile on his face and wrapped his arm around Kalliay Corinin''s waist.


    .


    ..


    .


    Alone in the garden, Zae Zin Nim reflected on the differences between celebrations in Deadwaste and in Cloudspire. There was no shortage of debauched revelry at home, but there it was something inflicted on society''s inferiors. Here, everyone seemed happy to degrade one another. She was supremely relieved that her foreign status and reserved disposition allowed herself to separate from the crowd.


    If she hadn''t known Kai Clanless better, she might have thought that he enjoyed it. He was a young man, after all, and in her experience young men were extremely predictable when it came to certain subjects. Yet she knew what he looked like when he smiled, a fierce grin that came out of nowhere, and this didn''t even deserve to be called an imitation.


    She couldn''t watch him the entire time without drawing attention, of course, so she looked away and tracked the qi of the group. Eventually they left with Kai, the old woman half-supporting him as he pretended to stumble. Zae Zin Nim was glad there was no one to see her face.


    The guards had stopped paying attention to her and simply patrolled the garden, so she easily slipped into the shadows. Keeping track of Kai''s movements, she moved in parallel outside the estate. They must have given him an invitation to the interior, but if it didn''t go how Razzagah had said...


    Just when she began to worry that the situation had gotten out of hand, Kai broke from the others. She wasn''t sure what excuse he had made, but his qi approached hers rapidly. Then she caught just a glimpse of him in the window of the balcony indicated, beginning to stumble through.


    "Kai, not that way!" An attractive woman pulled him back into the estate with a laugh. The balcony doors closed and she couldn''t hear them anymore.


    While waiting long enough to ensure that they had moved on, Zae Zin Nim prepared herself. Her essence had been obscured from the beginning and now she fully shrouded it so she would be nothing but a ghost to spiritual senses. She took more time than she might once have, because mana users had proved less incompetent than she expected.


    Eventually she took the chance. In a single silent leap, she reached the balcony where she had last seen Kai.


    A metallic square lay just in front of the balcony doors, just as they''d discussed. Zae Zin Nim picked it up and examined the unusual mana formation. No traps, just a form of identification. Gripping it in one hand, she passed into the inner estate. Just as had been promised, no alarms rang at her presence.


    With the first two steps of the plan complete, the rest was up to her. She had memorized the estate map, so the only difficulty in traveling to her location was avoiding the occasional servants passing through to the outer party. They all used their own squares to open the doors, but theirs were attached to their sleeves instead of in the form of invitations.


    When she tested her own, it worked in the same way. Not all of the doors within were sealed with mana, but she followed the procedure anyway. Soon she left behind all signs of the party as she moved deep within the Corinin estate. That brought her to the vault door, exactly as Razzagah had described.


    It might have been a major obstacle in Deadwaste, but Zae Zin Nim wasn''t particularly impressed. She could have overpowered the mana binding the great stone slab and a real cultivator could have simply punched through it. Instead, she was forced to use a crystalline device that slowly undid the seal.


    This "crystal cultivation" ...she could admit that some of the techniques were similar, but it seemed like such a cheap copy. Perhaps the inhabitants of this Krysal place were immigrants from Cloudspire, or shipwrecked sailors who had washed up on shore. She had no real evidence for the theory, aside from the fact that the Krysal City States were across the ocean from Cloudspire.


    Eventually, however, the device did its job. The stone slab opened silently and Zae Zin Nim walked into the Corinin clan vault unopposed.


    Compared to what she had been expecting, there wasn''t much. No sacred treasures with mystical powers, no millennia-old ingredients? The vault was basically a cube carved out from the stone that served as a storage chamber. Dust covered various containers stacked along the walls and there was even a set of paintings no doubt moldering and losing their value. Only a section with shelves and documents looked to have been used recently.


    Then she spotted the mana pool and she forgot about the rest.


    Technically she should have looked for the documents first, but Zae Zin Nim barely considered this. She had what she wanted within her grasp, so everyone else could go to hell. Kai was the only person she owed anything.


    The circular pool had been covered by a slab of metal, but when she pulled it aside, the entire chamber was illuminated by sapphire light. Mana flowed underneath and she was surprised to see that it wasn''t truly a liquid. This was no mana-charged water, as with the potions favored on this continent. Instead the power flowed in pure form, like a flame burning without fuel.


    Zae Zin Nim took a careful breath and sat down beside the pool to prepare herself. This was her chance to overcome what had blocked her cultivation for so long. She needed to take the leap as soon as she could possibly do it right.


    Kai had told her there was nothing to it but instinct. She suspected that what he said was true for him and would not be for her. Technique analysis had never been her strength, so she had only slowly been developing her understanding of Classes. Her teachers had told her that advanced essence management was unnecessary until her cultivation had broken free from the first realm, but now it might prove critical to her survival.


    Still, she could only prepare so long. Eventually she would have no choice but to trust herself to abstract danger and instinct. Hopefully the tension sustained as they fought their way in would be enough for her to awaken.


    She stepped into the pool and immediately fell to the bottom. The mana swirled around her soul, beginning to suffuse her... and then it began to conflict.


    As fragments of her soul ground together, Zae Zin Nim let out a silent scream within the mana. Her cultivation had advanced too far, occupying the space within herself that her new Class was awakening. It was as if an alien seed had been planted in her dantian, now spreading roots that would crack everything she had struggled so hard to gather.


    Zae Zin Nim desperately tried to reach to the edge to pull herself free, but her hand fell into an abyss of mana and the power pulled her back down.

 Chapter 74: Turning a New Page

    As the mana attempted to drown her, Zae Zin Nim desperately choked down panic and focused on facts. She had only seconds to avoid a permanent deviation. Escape was impossible. The only path was through the mana flooding her.


    Instead of trying to manage it like qi, she screamed directly into the mana. The roots that had been invading her dantian evaporated into raw power. It threatened to escape her entirely, then responded to her will and formed a ring around her dantian.


    Just like that, it was over. Zae Zin Nim realized that her body had crawled back out of the pool despite not having consciously decided to do so. She lay on the side for a while, marveling that she had somehow reached a stable state never discussed in Cloudspire. Her dantian remained where it should be in her lower stomach, a bit drained but unharmed. A ring of mana burned around it, a halo from one angle and an eclipse from another.


    Her cultivation was unharmed, but had she acquired what she needed? She slowly sat up and searched within herself. All her polished cycling techniques didn''t work, as she''d predicted. Instead she reached for the mana exercises that Kai had taught her.


    Blue flames flickered to life around one of her hands, slowly spreading to outline each finger. It began to spread up her arm, not only not burning her but strangely cool. When she reached for the power, all the flames snuffed themselves out.


    There would be time to discover the truth of that later. All that remained was to see the truth of her essence.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 152


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 91% (100)


    Novice Coldfire Corona: 1 (1)


    Blackblood Physique Level: F-6 (42)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    The new power settled in just beneath her cultivation, declaring itself to be "Novice Coldfire Corona." That was not what Kai had said should appear, but she was unconcerned. Her years of cultivation had adapted the mana into a form more appropriate for her. Once that would have been intimidating, but she knew they could find the appropriate path together.


    On that note, she had what she wanted, so it was time to stop being selfish. Zae Zin Nim swiftly began to inventory the vault, evaluating everything not compared to the treasures of her expectations, but by how useful they could be to him.


    Even though it seemed the most petty, she forced herself to examine the papers first. Razzagah Lantrian had been a trustworthy ally and helped her reach this opportunity, after all. She was surprised how many papers had been stored, in compendiums instead of proper scrolls. At least they were very easy to search, even if all the mercantile details eroded her will to persist.


    When she reached the specific records that Razzagah had wanted her to search for, she simply took the entire book. It would take too long to find the exact evidence he needed, plus this would make the goal of the theft less obvious.


    That complete, she could look for anything that might be useful. She left all the gold, since it usually meant nothing compared to cultivation. When she happened across a large number of Krysali crystals, however, she swept all the most potent ones into her sleeve. Even if she couldn''t use them to create a proper flying vessel, she had a theory about their potential use.


    Aside from the completely useless items such as the paintings, there were a large number of marginally powerful items. Magical swords, armor, and the like... all of it pathetic. Only the Irunians who had made Kai''s weapon spheres could create anything that wasn''t an insult to the very concept of a magic item. He was better off fighting with his internal monstrous power than using these crutches.


    Only a single item displayed any kind of spatial manipulation whatsoever, but she couldn''t define its proper usage. The outer appearance was a dense wedge and it could clearly expand into something larger. Since she didn''t know how large it might become, she simply took it without further experimentation.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Careful examination revealed that two of the most valuable items were left to gather dust in a corner. Two stones with dense elemental mana, buried so deep that perhaps their purposes had been forgotten. She suspected that they would generate fire and water, not at a combat level but in large enough quantities to make their journey less unpleasant.


    Just when she thought there was nothing left worth taking, Zae Zin Nim noticed a safe in a corner. It wasn''t locked to keep anyone out, but warded to keep something in. When she forced open the door, she was surprised to see a monster core throbbing inside. This one was a sphere of bluish flesh that was larger than her hand, far beyond any of the other monster cores she had encountered in Deadwaste. She''d seen more potent and refined cores before, but never any that had this strange twisted nature.


    Whatever it was, it might potentially be useful to Kai. Instead of dirtying her robes, she tore a painting from its frame and used it to wrap up the core. The constipated-looking man on the painting couldn''t object, after all.


    Loaded down with everything she had stolen, Zae Zin Nim was even more cautious leaving the estate. There was no way she could hide everything from the vault and no way to explain what she was carrying to anyone who looked for more than a moment, so she needed to leave as soon as possible. Her only stop on the way out was the balcony, where she dropped Kai''s invitation emblem in the exact position he''d left it.


    Then, a single jump over the estate''s outer wall and the theft was complete. If the entire city came down on them the next day, she didn''t really care.


    .


    ..


    .


    "The mistress has no more need of you."


    Kai woke up to someone dragging him upright. He very nearly attacked before he remembered what was going on. The guard was just a man with a total strength of 10; one solid punch might have accidentally decapitated him. Having come so close to murder put Kai off balance, long enough for him to be pulled out of the room. The sheets entangling his legs nearly tripped him up, then he was pushed out.


    His pants hit his chest, then the door slammed a second later.


    Memories flooding back, Kai ashamedly tugged his pants back on. What he''d experienced might have been a fantasy for some men, but he felt like a toy. Maybe some of the women had felt physical lust for him, but he''d seen plenty of scorn as well. Kalliay Corinin certainly had viewed him as someone to be used and discarded. Now that he stood outside the well-guarded inner estate, he just felt tired.


    Currently he was wearing only pants, and he doubted he was getting his tunic back unless he fought the guards for it. It wouldn''t be difficult, just pointless. A few of them snickered, as if he should be ashamed of himself. Kai wasn''t sure what he felt, but he decided that he didn''t care what they thought. He squared his shoulders and resolved to walk out shirtless.


    Was his musculature changing? He''d always sought a leanly muscular body, wanting to balance strength and agility. Somehow he''d become significantly more top-heavy even though he had been wandering through the wastelands and cultivating instead of doing any focused upper body training.


    What surprised him, now that he had time to think about it, was that the night hadn''t even been very physically gratifying. He''d take a lazy afternoon with Juray a thousand times over an impersonal orgy. Even though he tried to tell himself otherwise, he did feel a little slimy for making the decision. If Zae Zin Nim hadn''t been able to awaken her Class, he would feel even worse.


    On his way out, he saw that the party was essentially over. There were a few drunks collapsed across seats and a number of broken chairs as if a brawl had broken out. Several serving women were gathering all the remaining mana-charged wine on a cart, and when they saw him walking through shirtless, they tittered behind their hands.


    Kai grabbed one of the wine bottles, tore off the top with his teeth, and drank it while he walked past.


    So many of his thoughts had been focused on making everything work for Zae Zin Nim and Razz, he hadn''t really thought about what it would do to his reputation. Back in Monskon City, he hadn''t paid attention to that sort of gossip because he''d always been training. Here, he had a bad feeling that people cared more about that sort of thing. If people started throwing this in his face... it might be easier just to leave Rayakan. They had what they needed, hopefully.


    Kai sped up as he got into the city, hoping for answers. They couldn''t meet Razz at all that night or even the next day, since they needed to avoid drawing any more connections between them. Maybe longer, depending on if the theft was discovered and investigated. But he should be able to meet Zae Zin Nim at their inn unless something had gone terribly wrong.


    By the time he got back, there had been no shouts of alarm or pursuit by hunters. The innkeeper shook her head when she saw him, but didn''t say anything.


    When he finally got back to their room, Kai saw Zae Zin Nim sitting almost motionlessly on her bed. Definitely unharmed, though her shroud was up and so he couldn''t see if her awakening had been successful. Had this step been meant to cure her physical condition or not? If she''d collected anything, she had sensibly hidden it away.


    "Kai. You are well?" She blinked when she opened her eyes, but said nothing about his condition.


    "More or less." He moved past her to go look for another tunic in his pack. "I really hope you awakened a good Class, otherwise all this trouble was for nothing."


    For the first time he had ever seen, Zae Zin Nim blushed. The expression was strange across her scarred face, but it was unmistakable. To make things even weirder, she rose to her feet and gave him a deep bow.


    "You gave up your chastity for my sake, Kai Clanless. I will not forget this."


    "Wait, that''s not-" She pushed past him and was gone before he could figure out what the hell he was supposed to say to that.


    He hadn''t even gotten his question answered. Kai sat down on the side of the bed and just stared for a while, then collapsed backward.

 Chapter 75: Hangover of Loot

    In the morning, Kai didn''t feel like discussing anything that had happened the night before. He saw Zae Zin Nim wrapped up in all her blankets, so she must have returned at some point during the night. Since she seemed to be sleeping soundly, he crept out of the room for his usual morning training, breakfast, then second training.


    When he returned, it seemed Zae Zin Nim had been cultivating for some time. Her eyes flickered open and this time she was all business. The previous awkward moment might as well have not existed.


    "We cannot meet with Razzagah Lantrian today." She placed her hands on her knees firmly. "I would like to discuss our future cultivation."


    "Sure, but I still don''t know if we succeeded last night." Kai sat down on his own bed and leaned back propped up by his arms. "You did get everything, right?"


    "The financial records are beneath the bed for now. I believe they include what our ally wanted, but I cannot say for certain. In any case, only he can tell you how successful such political matters were."


    "Fair enough. But when you say cultivation, you do mean your Class, right?"


    "To start." Zae Zin Nim raised a hand in front of her face and blue flames began to flow over it. Her shroud rose enough for him to get a strong sense for the symbols representing it, but even his base instincts told him that she had awakened something useful. "Initially, it was going to destroy my cultivation base, but all of your training allowed me to adapt it. However, I am unsure of its new form."


    "Hmm... ''Novice Coldfire Corona'' sounds nice, at least." Kai stroked his chin as he wracked his memory of Hunters Guild records. "The Coldfire part sounds like the sort of rare Class that occasionally appears, though I haven''t met anyone with it. I''m not sure why it''s called a Corona, but if you''re already able to manifest a visible ability, it can''t be too broken."


    "But why is it ''Novice?'' Have I acquired an inferior version of a stronger ability?"


    In all their training, had he never explained that aspect to her? No doubt she had been worrying about it ever since. Kai quickly leaned forward to clarify. "No, think of it like a preparatory cultivation stage. It will improve as you discover the basic extent of your abilities, then it will advance to its true state."


    "This is good. I do not yet fully understand, but I am pleased." She clenched her fist and the flames vanished, then her eyes fixed on him. "This is what I need to break through, Kai. You have saved my life, and all I have given you in return are the rudest arts of cultivation, barely usable in this barren land."


    "Hey, you almost killed yourself fighting the elites. I couldn''t have expected more fro-"


    "No. What I have given you is not a fair exchange."


    "Uh, we don''t need to-"


    "I will not rest until I have helped you through the barriers you face." Though Zae Zin Nim stared at him intensely, her back slowly sagged. "I fear that may be difficult. As I told you, I am not well-suited to discovering new paths. However, I do have a number of observations about your progress so far that I hope will be helpful."


    "Then I''d be grateful for whatever you can suggest." He tried to bring down her intensity a notch with a smile. "Can you tell me about what else you saw in the vault first? I''m honestly curious what kinds of things they keep there."


    "It seems that their wealth is largely financial, because I found very little. I am keeping everything except the records and one other item on my person in case we are searched, which is another reason to hand off the record book soon. Anyway, some of these are known to me while one is less clear."


    As she started removing items from her robe, Kai''s eyebrows rose. He suddenly got the feeling that Zae Zin Nim would have been happy to clean out the entire vault, and potentially the pockets of everyone in her path. She might not even view it as theft.


    "Uh..." He hesitated as he recognized some of the items. "Maybe we should test some of this outside the city? We''ve already done enough damage to this room."


    "For some we could, but there is one remaining thing." She left the items behind on the bed and slowly walked around to the other side. After bending down, she rose with something roughly spherical, so large that it required both hands to carry it.


    Once she set it down, the odd canvas wrapped around it unrolled, revealing an enormous throbbing monster core. He had no idea what it was from... except that the world immediately began shivering in a way he''d only felt twice before. Kai automatically wrapped the core back up in the canvas, but it vibrated straight through. Only after Zae Zin Nim wrapped a thin layer of qi around it did the sensation fade.


    "This thing..." Kai took a moment to catch his breath, because his heart was racing as if ready for a fight. "I don''t suppose these things are sold on every street corner in Cloudspire?"


    "No, I have not seen its like before and don''t know what it is." She looked down at the package soberly. "However, I think you should eat it."


    "What?"


    "I suggest you consume it immediately. Not only could it potentially draw undue attention or identify us as the thieves, I believe its condition has been slowly deteriorating ever since I removed it. It would likely be most potent if you ate it soon."


    His first instinct had been disbelief, but he had to admit it wasn''t so crazy. Eating monsters had done him no harm so far, despite the increasing levels of toxicity he''d ingested. If he was really using their strength in some way, then the very source of their power might work for him as well. It was an experiment worth trying.


    Maybe the giant world-distorting core wasn''t the best place to start, though.


    "You might be on to something," Kai said, "but I feel like it would be a bad idea to try it here. Let''s get out of the city so we can test everything. We need space, even for your Class training, and I don''t trust any of the training grounds here."


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    "That is acceptable." Zae Zin Nim glanced over the huge collection of random items and tilted her head to the side. "I think it was already a risk taking them here in the dead of night. How do we remove them now?"


    Ten minutes later, they left Rayakan pushing their ill-gotten gains in a cart of vegetables. The innkeeper had been willing to help without asking questions and the guards didn''t care about anyone heading out. It wasn''t exactly an elaborate heist, but Kai was done with those for a long while.


    It was more difficult to find empty space, as the region around Rayakan was filled with farmland and small settlements. Eventually they found an area too rocky for farming, with a few boulders littered about as if a giant had dropped pebbles. Once they were fully out of sight, they could finally look over everything they had discovered.


    First, Zae Zin Nim demonstrated two small stones that were apparently familiar to her. One could generate a large fire at a single strike, like a perfect flint. The second stone was a little smaller, but produced a steady stream of water if either mana or qi was forced into it. Not items of power, yet far more useful than half the potions he''d ever carried around.


    Next she showed him a wedge in the shape of a half-circle, which apparently puzzled her. Here, Kai could help. He took the wedge, oriented it properly, and sent mana flowing into the appropriate notch on the bottom. It immediately leapt from his hands, expanding into a fully sized tent.


    "And it can return to its other form?" Zae Zin Nim stood with her hands on her hips, observing it curiously.


    "Of course it can. What good would it be otherwise?"


    "I thought I should ask. It would be just like Deadwaste to create an item that only half-worked."


    She might not have been impressed, but Kai was still trying to come to grips with how much they had stolen. The elemental stones were useful, likely worth several hundred Eagles each. But this tent was much larger and nicer than the ones he had seen in the market, even before he considered the fact that it could be compressed. It was probably worth thousands, more than everything else he''d owned combined.


    Just as he was reeling from that, Zae Zin Nim opened one of her bags and poured hundreds of Krysali crystals onto the ground.


    "You even took those?" Kai bent down to examine them, since this was the first time he''d seen such crystals that weren''t being used to attack him. They immediately reminded him of the overdrive pill he''d once taken, even if these had a different sheen. Every time he moved his head, they seemed to shift color.


    "They are an essential part of my plan going forward." She picked up one herself and held it before an eye. "It''s qi-like, but not qi. Ordinarily, I would not suggest using it for anything other than their specific brand of cultivation. However, you have shown an extraordinary ability to... digest any energy you encounter. I believe you may be able to cultivate with these, far faster than you could with the thin qi here."


    "I''d have to trust you to check if it''s causing one of those deviation problems, but sure."


    "You seem somewhat uncertain."


    "It''s just..." Kai stared over everything they''d taken and shook his head. "Maybe we stole too much? I mean, all of this was taken from someone, and we..." But a moment later he thought about the Corinin clan pissing away hundreds of potions that could have saved the lives of so many hunters in the north. "No, never mind, I''m being stupid. Let''s take everything we can get away with."


    "This is reasonable." Zae Zin Nim watched him, her face utterly inscrutable until she spoke again. "Don''t think that I would steal from you, even if our alliance ceased to be beneficial. I may not have your moral hangups, but it is reasonable to treat fairly with those who are fair with you."


    "Then there''s something we can agree on. What I don''t want us to do is steal from people who are just weaker than us, especially if they''re struggling to get by with what they have. But if we take from people who are wasting their resources anyway, I''m not going to weep for them."


    "Hmph, if you insist."


    Honestly, Kai wasn''t really thinking about the moral aspect of things anymore. Despite the fact that Zae Zin Nim said that she owed him, he felt the opposite way. He thought she was telling the truth when she said she wouldn''t turn on him, but it was hard to read anything in her dark eyes. In any case, it was time to show her something he''d been holding on to for a long time.


    "I have something else for you." He reached into one of the least-opened pouches on his belt and pulled out his third and final scroll of enhancement. "These are given to hunters with newly awakened Classes, to strengthen them. It was completely useless to me, given my Class, but maybe you can make better use of it."


    "Thank you. I will use it wisely." She shifted backward, possibly uncomfortable with another gift when she was trying to even the scales. "Can we experiment with this monster core? I cannot be certain, but I truly believe that it would be beneficial for you."


    "I like your idea, but I think it would be good to start small."


    He began with a monster core they''d had crystallized but hadn''t yet sold. After cracking the simple preservation crystal, he popped it into his mouth... and it was fine. Unpleasantly chewy, but it didn''t drip any hideous juices into his mouth or anything. No harm done as far as he could tell.


    Still not ready for the ominous core, Kai decided that they should test a fresh core. It took them almost an hour to find a single rabbit-like monster, given how close they were to the city. Once it was dead, he carved out the monster''s bloody core and forced it into his mouth.


    His teeth tore through the flesh surprisingly easily, he tasted the flavors of the monster... and the terrifying thing was that he didn''t hate it. He''d been telling himself that monsters no longer tasted so horrible because he was hungry, or some other excuse, but now he couldn''t hide behind any of those. He was chewing on a raw monster core and it actually tasted good. A bit like beef except the juices were acidic, yet somehow he liked the kick.


    "That is repulsive, but encouraging." Zae Zin Nim pored over him yet again with her spiritual sight. "I had hoped they would work like qi pills for you. No such luck. However, it does seem like you are absorbing something from them with no ill effects. Do you feel any stronger?"


    "I doubt a core this small would even be noticeable." And thinking about how it might work just left him with endless questions. Would monster cores from Aquagorgons increase his equivalent attribute? Would only new monsters make any difference? He had absolutely no way of getting answers to any of those questions aside from experimenting.


    "The large one now, unless you have a concrete reason against it."


    "No, I think... I''d better try it."


    He wasn''t going to just bite into the thing, though, since that would cover his face in monster goo. Kai decided to compromise by using a knife to cut off pieces. The cut oozed blue bile and the world stopped vibrating so nauseatingly.


    When the first shred of the core touched his tongue, Kai gasped. It tasted amazing. He swallowed the entire piece almost without chewing, then regretted it. Now the vibrations were inside his skull, shaking the world from within.


    Yet the flavor... he rushed to cut another piece and swallowed it as well. Just as good as the first. By the third bite, reality was twisting even worse inside his head. He started to take a break, then realized that the sensation was getting worse even if he waited. Instead Kai threw himself at the monster core and devoured it as rapidly as possible.


    His vision was getting so blurry that Zae Zin Nim became nothing but a fuzzy line. Soon he barely even thought about her, consumed by the hunger. He dropped his knife and picked up the rest, tearing into the delicious core and eating as if his life depended on it.


    When he swallowed the last bite, the world stopped threatening to shake itself apart. Yet he was somehow on his feet, everything reeling around him. The hunger hadn''t gone away, and as it intensified he felt a deep hatred surging within him. Anything was a target... anything was food... he smelled something nearby and turned toward it with a snarl.


    As he took his first step, his vision dissolved into a haze of red.

 Chapter 76: Long Term Cultivation Plans

    At first he had no idea where he was. It was worse than waking up from sleep, rougher than being hungover, far more disorienting than dizziness. His life had been continuous memories up until that point and then there was a visceral gulf he couldn''t ignore in the middle of it.


    Coming out the other side, Kai had no idea where he was or what he was doing. There was blood all over his hands. His entire mouth felt wet and sticky. Only as his tongue ran against his teeth and he savored the taste did he remember what had been happening before he blacked out and turned to look.


    Zae Zin Nim stood at a distance, palms raised defensively. Several cuts had been torn in her tunic and she was oozing black bile in multiple places. Yet her eyes... they stared at him with caution, but not hatred.


    "Did..." Kai''s voice was too deep and raspy, even after he finished swallowing. "Did I attack you?"


    "Yes, with considerable ferocity," she said, as if discussing the weather. "Considering that you don''t usually roar like that, I didn''t take it personally."


    "Oh fuck, I''m sorry... I never intended, I just... I don''t want to say I was overcome with rage, it was more like the ''me'' that I feel in my head just disappeared..."


    "You don''t feel another such incident coming on?"


    "No, I don''t think so." Kai shook himself viciously to refocus. The terrible thing was that, even though he felt guilty, his body felt great.


    Rather than think about how he''d torn into the monster core like a savage, Kai went to wash his mouth out with their new water stone. The liquid was surprisingly cool and he felt refreshed almost immediately. That faded when he looked behind him and he saw Zae Zin Nim sit down with her limbs trembling. Despite how calm she acted, the experience had not been easy for her.


    Considering that she might need more time, Kai examined his soul again.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 74


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 20% (12)


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    Monstrous Hunger - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - III (gamma)


    Aquagorgon''s Health - III (gamma)


    Isulfr''s Bite - I (alpha)


    Rockspider''s Claw - II (beta)


    ??? (???)


    >


    For the first time in months, his spiritual sight did him almost no good. Something new with ambiguous symbols had appeared near the bottom of his soul, undecipherable. He almost didn''t notice the other difference, then realized that "Monstrous Hunger" had increased by one rank.


    "We can confirm one thing," Zae Zin Nim said, again able to appear perfectly calm. "Whatever your soul is, your power is not accurately represented by your human characteristics. You hit much harder than anyone below 100 should be able to."


    "Again, I''m sorry about that." He sat down opposite her, not too close. "I didn''t hurt you, did I?"


    She chuckled and it actually sounded authentic. "You tried to bite me."


    "What, I... like ran up and tried to chomp your arm?"


    "It was strange, but you looked very serious about it. I dodged on instinct, so I don''t know what would have happened. Maybe it was foolish, but..."


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    "Maybe not." He immediately thought back to his fight with Barroguk and tried to think about how to explain it to her. "When I was fighting that Knight, I... projected a force somehow. I don''t know how to describe it, because mana or qi, I''ve never had a skill like that."


    "Oh, you started doing that too." She inclined her head to the side and for the first time he saw the massive claw mark, three lines torn into the stone. "Seeing it for myself gave me some thoughts, but I need more time to consider them first."


    Which might also mean that she needed more time after the experience. As lightly as she played it off, he had the feeling that he had attacked her with full intent to kill, leaving her with no choice but to defend, wondering if she would need to kill him. He wouldn''t have wished that experience on anyone, much less one of the only people who had been consistently kind to him since his banishment.


    Maybe it would be best to shift to something completely unrelated. "Can you explain to me what''s going on with your Blackblood Physique? I wasn''t sure if awakening a Class would cure you or not."


    "No, it''s just going to unblock my cultivation. But it did improve my condition." Zae Zin Nim ran a hand over her arm and then rubbed the bile from her wound between her fingers with a frown. "If I had fought you before, I''d have been in just as bad a condition as after those elite mercenaries. It''s still disgusting, but it isn''t harming my health in the same way."


    "So how do things look for you moving forward? Your Class development, or cultivation, or... however your path will look now."


    "There''s no question about that: I need to advance past this preliminary Class stage. That will refine my mana to the point where it can work with my qi, and in that time I should move closer to the peak of the Body Refinement stage. It should work just as I hoped: I''ll be able to push through the blockade caused by every aspect of my essence and begin acquiring benefits from them."


    "Then your condition will stop acting like an illness and start strengthening you? Do you know how?"


    "Actually..." She folded her arms the way she usually did when cultivating and closed her eyes. "I am somewhat uncertain. In my path of cultivation, the body is continually reborn at each stage, so it is unclear how it develops. Advancing from the Body Refinement stage to Nascent Foundation will definitely restore me to good health. I am uncertain about... other variables."


    It seemed like a sensitive topic, so Kai moved on. "So you have a pretty clear path set for you. We''ll have to work together to discover what this Coldfire Class can do, then once you''re comfortable with it, you can use the scroll and probably blow straight out of the Novice stage. Then I won''t be able to help you at all with the cultivation part, sorry."


    "I may need someone to defend me while advancing. As you have no doubt noticed, cultivation requires significant time, and does not react well to interruptions."


    "Then I''ll do what I can."


    "I''m sure that you will." Zae Zin Nim opened her eyes again, fixing him with her gaze. "I have every intention of being helpful to you, but your cultivation strategy will heavily depend on your goals. I confess I am not certain what they are at this time."


    "Good question." Kai chuckled, but it actually left him feeling a little adrift. After the confusion of the heist, it was still a little difficult to believe that he''d gotten to this point. Apparently he''d more than repaid Zae Zin Nim, so he didn''t have any immediate needs. Once his entire life as a hunter had been clear in front of him, but now...


    "We still have these financial records for Razzagah Lantrian. I presume that you intend to keep working with him."


    "Yeah, that''s a good place to start. At minimum, we fulfill our side of the bargain." Kai looked out toward Rayakan, even though it wasn''t properly visible from their distance. "Here''s how I see it. If our role was discovered and the Corinin clan starts sending their mercenaries after us, we have no reason to stay in the city. But if we got away with it, I think it''s in our best interest to keep working with Razzagah. You have to admit, we profited a lot from this job."


    "Presuming we can trust him." She caught his gaze and shrugged. "In my experience, merchants care only for profit and currying favor with the most powerful sects. But this is a different continent, and I no longer think I should be so confident I understand it all."


    Kai threw up his hands. "You''re asking the wrong person. I''d have told you the same, but apparently in Rayakan hunters are the greedy and wasteful ones. Maybe merchants are altruistic and kind here."


    "Heh. Very well, we can continue. But after that? I presume you do not intend to stay in Rayakan for the rest of your life."


    "They''ve predicted another monster incursion not long after the next Hunter Trial." Kai had to struggle to think about exactly how long it had been. He thought there was still about a third of a year. "I may be banished, but I still want to prove myself then. My mentor... Gunjin is a hard man, but he''s open-minded. Even if he won''t listen, the monster incursion would be our best chance to test our strength in a way that would make a difference."


    "That will do." Zae Zin Nim folded her arms in her sleeves and nodded sharply. "I cannot teach you because you are forging a new path, but I can offer advice."


    "Please do."


    "We''ll begin by experimenting with the Krysali crystals. I don''t think you can rush the Qi Condensation stage in a meaningful amount of time, but you can make progress. Eventually you need a better method of hiding yourself than those potions... you burned through yours, by the way. You look like a monster right now."


    "Shit." Kai started to grab another one, then thought better of it considering the training they might be doing. "So what else?"


    "Your next advancement would definitely be your Physique, so we can focus on that. But the largest practical effect on your capabilities isn''t in raw strength: you''re lacking in technique. I don''t mean your base skills, which are adequate, I mean abilities that can have a greater impact on the battlefield."


    "Like those scratches I apparently put through stone. Or... biting, I guess."


    "Indeed. I do not know any cultivation techniques for developing unknown abilities, but while fighting you, I made several observations..."

 Chapter 77: Trade and Monstrous Training

    As per usual, Kai met Razz at a new point outside of Rayakan. The secrecy of their meetings meant that he needed to spend more time waiting, which would have been annoying if he didn''t have the option of cultivating. Even though Zae Zin Nim said that it required concentration, at his earliest stage he had no trouble cultivating along a major road.


    So far, he''d been able to draw off a little of the strength found within the Krysali crystals, but only a little. It required a different technique than trying to soak up the barely existent mist of qi in the atmosphere. Still, the first stage was always supposed to take a long time, so he didn''t mind.


    Just when he was beginning to think the meeting wouldn''t work, a hunched old merchant in a broad hat sat beside him.


    "Hey!" Razz grinned from underneath the hat. "How do you like my disguise?"


    "Do you really need disguises?" Kai asked.


    "Probably not, but it''s too much fun. Actually, on that note, there''s been no retaliation or even acknowledgment from the Corinin clan at all. I have a hard time believing that they didn''t notice the theft, but there''s no sign that they''re taking aim at anyone."


    "Because you haven''t tried anything with the information yet?"


    "Yeah, that could be part of it." Razz leaned back beside him, abandoning the hunched posture. "Now that I''ve had another few days to look over the finances, it''s all there. We can clear the problems and get our permits back. But since my family has survived this long, I think we should wait, so the timing doesn''t seem so suspicious."


    "Well, that''s your business. So long as we took the right book."


    "Oh, you definitely did. There''s actually even more in there. All kinds of impropriety that, while the Corinins can definitely get away with it, might be used to undermine them. Can you believe they''ve been ripping off Irunians? That''s a potential weakness no matter how you look at it."


    "I''m glad it worked so well for you." Kai started to get up, only for Razz to grab the back of his tunic and pull him back down.


    "Hey, don''t leave just yet. Are the two of you really going to spend so much time out in the wilderness? I know you''re training, but you both made a splash at the Corinin party. There could be real opportunities for you if you build on that influence."


    Kai had expected something like that, but he still had to think about it a while before answering. "Right now there''s something important we need to work on. I don''t know if the Guild can detect what mana was used for an awakening, but better if we have a mature Class instead of an obviously new one."


    "Alright, I can''t argue with that."


    "But keep your eyes open, alright?" Kai clasped Razz''s arm and gave him an honest smile. "You came through for us before, so we''re open to other chances. Any monster hunts, tournaments, or even parties if they could be beneficial enough."


    "Those are more northern customs, but I''ll do what I can."


    "Razz... what do you think is the ultimate purpose of all this mercantile work? Is it just to make money for yourself? To restore the Lantrian clan in Rayakan?"


    "You want me to say it''s to support the north, right?" Razz stared back at him, for once deadly serious. "I don''t know why you even ask. I could just tell you what you want to hear, and given the short length of our relationship, you wouldn''t have any way to confirm it."


    Kai hadn''t been thinking any of that, he''d expected Razz to give him an honest response. He felt like that was probably naive of him, and he was annoyed by the whole thing even if the younger man was right. "Why say all that? How do you benefit from reminding me that you could be deceptive if you wanted?"


    "Well, it would be more deceptive to pretend to be honest and straightforward."


    Kai stared at Razz for a moment, then just grinned. He could hardly believe it, but he actually liked the Lantrian merchant. Compared to the others he didn''t seem inclined to excesses, and his goal of restoring his clan was at least understandable. Even though they''d grown up in radically different worlds, Kai felt closer to him than to the "hunters" who spent most of their time at parties.


    "If we''re going with honesty, the truth is that no one really takes the north very seriously here." Razz stood up along with him and they began to walk away from the road. "But I was looking through some records, and in the past more of what we produced went to the Frontier. Most view that as progress, but I noticed something else: we used to have more of your hunters coming down here. I think the two halves of Goralia have grown apart over the past generation."


    "Gunjin said something just like that." Kai thought back to that conversation and realized that he''d been a bit naive as well. "I was being implicitly scornful of the south and he pointed out how important your trade is. The key thing is that we need both sides."


    "Maybe so. But anyway, we''ll meet again in three days, next location southeast. I''ll have some new potions for you and maybe some new information you can take advantage of."


    That was all he could hope for. Kai smiled at Razz again and then loped back toward the farmlands surrounding Rayakan.


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    With Zae Zin Nim''s help, he had been making progress, just not as quickly as he had hoped. One of the biggest problems was that he needed to train entirely new instincts. Whatever the power inside him was, it didn''t work like mana or qi. He could only access it by instinct, and that had proved a major hangup.


    He had seen it before, with other young hunters in training. They believed that they had access to some new power no one else understood, a pure rage or magical ability that couldn''t be measured by spiritual senses. And they were always wrong. It was just a trick of the mind, like a drunk convincing himself that he was more charming than he really was. When Kai had awakened his spiritual sight, he had understood just how clear power could be.


    Except now he really was dealing with a power that operated on instinct. He had proof that it existed via his sense for monsters, but accessing it still felt like a mistake. No matter how much he believed it existed, many of his instincts clung to his human strength.


    Kai hadn''t thought of any grand solution by the time he finished running back to their camp. Zae Zin Nim had been cultivating, but her eyes snapped open when he arrived.


    "I have a new idea for a test." She rose to her feet smoothly and he noted how much less weak she seemed. Still unnaturally thin, but she never coughed her lungs out while sparring anymore. "This is a palm strength test. It''s not really appropriate for mana, but I hope it will show something."


    "And you''re not going to tell me what?"


    "You''ll either grasp it yourself, or my idea is bad."


    She braced her feet and extended a palm in front of her, gesturing for him to do the same. Kai awkwardly got into position and put his palm against hers. It was a bit strange to be touching that way and he was surprised just how small her hand felt. Usually he never thought about the difference in size, since they were so focused on work.


    Then she began pushing and he needed to concentrate to avoid being knocked over. There was no wrestling or movement from side to side, just comparing strength along a single line. Physically, he was stronger than her, so he began to push her back... and then she started to use her qi.


    Immediately he was struggling, his arm aching as it was forced back inch by inch. He could tell that she wasn''t using the full 100 Power of her cultivation, just calmly ratcheting up her strength each moment. They''d done tests like this before. A growl emerged from somewhere deep within him and Kai felt a new strength join his own.


    Zae Zin Nim staggered back a step, struggling to restrain his palm. But instead of pushing back, she locked eyes with him. "Now set aside that new strength."


    "What?" He gasped out the word as if his mind needed a moment to catch up. It ran against his instincts, but he tried to let go of the monstrous power within him even though it meant that she began winning again.


    She pushed him back a step, then nodded. Beginning to understand, Kai reached for his monstrous power again. Not to win, but to feel the difference. They pushed back and forth, the contest becoming an exercise. The Direboar''s Strength within him wasn''t a formless power that came and went, it was something he could learn to tap more precisely.


    By the time they finished, Kai was covered in sweat even though they had just pushed palms back and forth like some sort of child''s game. He sat down, staring at his hand and trying to keep hold of that exact feeling.


    "You seem to have grasped it." Zae Zin Nim sat down opposite him and nodded in satisfaction. "Earlier, I told you that there was a difference between a characteristic like Direboar''s Strength and a technique you needed to access like Rockspider''s Claw. It occurred to me that this cannot be entirely true, since you do not always perfectly use your new strength."


    "That distinction was useful to me, though."


    "Useful but incomplete. This exercise proved that you can grasp and release the monstrous strength within you, and I hope that it gave you a much stronger understanding."


    "Yeah, definitely." Kai formed a fist and smiled. It had actually been consciously letting go of the power that had been the breakthrough, instead of always trying to reach for it. "I don''t think there''s any way to do a similar test for the claw technique, but a similar principle applies."


    "There is a scale of how easily accessible different aspects of your monstrous soul are." Zae Zin Nim peered over him again. "You can hardly help but use ''Aquagorgon''s Health'' when your life is in danger, and the strength comes naturally. But the claw will require work to access, because it involves projecting force in an unnatural way. I think the bite will be even more difficult, so we should set it aside until you master the claw."


    "That works for me. But what about the Monstrous Hunger?"


    She was silent for some time, then simply shook her head. "I don''t know. It might be something more difficult to grasp than the techniques, or it could be even more fundamental than strength. Again, there are no manuals or guides for your path."


    Part of Kai was convinced that fate would screw him again and his highly-ranked Monstrous Hunger would just make him really hungry all the time. It definitely hadn''t done him any good that he could tell so far. But the revelation about his techniques put Kai in too good a mood to care, so he dedicated himself to training.


    They retreated to the rockiest region they had been able to find amidst all the farmland. Some local farmers had actually come out to bother them, but when Kai had suggested they would eventually clear off the rocky land with their attacks, the farmers had been amenable. They''d offered a single Goralian Eagle for the work, which Kai had graciously accepted. Once there, Zae Zin Nim worked on exploring her new Class abilities and Kai attempted to claw rocks with his bare hands.


    It was always difficult to feel the power when he wasn''t in actual danger and he''d torn a couple of fingernails ramming them into boulders. He pushed through the pain and kept trying. Now that he had a more intuitive sense for his strength, he could feel the potential within him. The difficulty was accessing it with such consistency that he could rely on it in combat.


    During their experiments they had tried to test the limits of his strength, since of course it wasn''t limitless. Kai''s best guess was that if he perceived Direboar''s Strength as being gamma-ranked, that meant he had the strength of a gamma-ranked Direboar. If it wasn''t that simple, something was seriously wrong with his spiritual sight. Equating that to human strength, a gamma-level monster would be a threat to most hunters with power of around 50.


    That on its own made sense, except his human strength was involved as well. Based on experimentation with Zae Zin Nim, she was convinced that when he managed to project a claw at full strength, it had a combination of both. If so, he would be able to punch above his weight.


    Kai stared at the boulder in front of him and took a deep breath. He didn''t try anything fancy this time, didn''t recall his sword training, didn''t try to feel angry. Instead he carefully tensed his fingers into a claw, then swiped it through the air in front of him.


    Three lines of force tore through the boulder, breaking it into four pieces he could see clearly before they all tumbled away from him.


    Finally. Kai grinned and picked another boulder to try again.

 Chapter 78: Different Breakthroughs

    Mana wasn''t so difficult, in the end.


    Zae Zin Nim had been told she was a genius so many times that she worried her teachers were trying to butter her up for some sacrifice. Finding her cultivation thoroughly blocked had shaken her confidence, then going to Deadwaste and struggling had been depressing. As she watched the blue fire dance over her fingers in accordance with her will, she felt a bit of her confidence return. This "Class" ability was within her grasp.


    Then of course, there was Kai, who shook her confidence in an entirely different way.


    The only people to ever keep up with her had been cultivators who were given amazing legacies or stumbled across ancient cultivation methods. Even they had struggled or slowed, often becoming distracted by the benefits of power or wasting their time taking revenge against opponents who couldn''t touch them.


    Kai did none of that. The level of focus he brought to everything, including his cultivation, was absolutely insane. Despite the fact that he was converting different energies and adapting to crystals in a terrible environment, he was making quick progress. Of course, cultivation was a long and slow path, especially compared to the hot flows of mana, so he wasn''t going to advance a stage any time soon. But she knew plenty of immortals who she doubted would be keeping ahead of him for long.


    What troubled her most was the way he threw himself into the unknown of his monstrous techniques. She could, reluctantly, acknowledge that Deadwaste had superior methods for uncovering unknown sources of power and that Kai was well-studied in them. Yet he still charged down endless dead ends, smashed into the walls, and just retraced his steps to try again. All the while managing to avoid a deviation that would ruin his advancement permanently.


    Then again, deviations just didn''t seem to be the same here. Her language might actually be improper in some cases, since their training wasn''t exactly cultivation. That didn''t make it any less disturbing that he managed to not just walk the line, he sprinted down it.


    From what he had told her about his different ability awakenings, he had already received worse than most fire deviations due to pure luck. Perhaps the heavens had already thrown so many torments at him that there was nothing left.


    For the first time, Zae Zin Nim began to think not about whether Kai could be helpful to her, she began to worry that she might be left behind.


    So she forced herself to apply all her attention to her mana again. She wouldn''t let herself become a lazy genius coasting on her reputation, she would throw herself into her training with all her being. And it was training, not cultivation. Accepting that difference was an important step forward.


    Her first month of training had taken her Coldfire Corona from 1 to 7 fairly quickly and then slowed, which Kai said was typical, even for the top hunters of each generation. She had been hoping that she could blow past even their records, but it seemed it wouldn''t be so easy. It would be more important to do everything right, to build her Class foundation before she passed the ninth step and it developed into its true form.


    That meant more physical work. Zae Zin Nim got to her feet and began working on her new training regimen. Kai was less useful there, since his own Class had never given him any help. All she could do was follow the best practices and try to relax so her instincts could take over.


    She tossed a stone into the air, then shattered it with a precise application of qi. Before the fragments could hit the ground, she unleashed qi attacks to destroy each one. Unlike usual, the bolts were surrounded by mana, leaving trails of blue flame through the air. The rocks never had a chance and only dust hit the ground.


    Of course, she could have done that before. Simply adding mana to attacks was by far the easiest application she had discovered so far: the mana naturally peeled off her dantian to join her qi, almost without her thinking about it. She appreciated the boost, but it would never let her challenge someone truly above her, like a cultivator in Nascent Foundation stage or above.


    Zae Zin Nim picked a larger rock and began practicing her palm strikes. First with no energy at all, to be certain her form was correct, then with qi, then combining qi and mana. This was the second application of her Class that came intuitively. Chaotic as mana could be, something about the cold flames she had gained naturally aligned with soft martial arts.


    To truly find the limits of that synergy, she suspected she would need to practice on live targets. She was actually looking forward to when they would go fight monsters.


    Those two skills had reached a basic level of understanding, which left... something else. It was infuriating, but she was certain that she was missing something about her Class. When Kai had said it, she had been skeptical, then she had slowly come to the same conclusion. She felt as though someone had given her two thirds of a cultivation technique and withheld the secret third that would strengthen the others. There was something else for her to find and she had yet to discover it.


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    That absence was what prevented her from using the valuable "enhancement scroll" that he had given her. Only with a clear understanding could she move forward. The problem was that none of her experience up to that point equipped her to find it, at least not fast enough for her liking.


    When she recognized that she wasn''t making any more progress, Zae Zin Nim switched from training back to cultivation. Chilling fire circulated within her, clearing a path for her qi. She was moving toward the peak after so long, and it should have been exhilarating. Passing the Body Refinement stage could finally remove her physical problems and would also grant her enough power that she wouldn''t need to fear the local elite mercenaries. But at times it still seemed so far away...


    Especially when she watched Kai train, as she gradually realized she was doing.


    Feeling her gaze, he lowered the boulder he was carrying to the ground and leaned on it. "I was thinking of trying simultaneous cultivation next," he said, as if that was a normal thing. "Do you think it''s too early?"


    "No, you could probably begin now." Intimidating as his progress was, she wouldn''t lie to slow him down. "Just be cautious, and if you feel the qi slipping, stop immediately."


    "I know you said not to push, but I''m just getting frustrated." Kai took a drink from their water stone as he sat down opposite her. "All our other training helped me enough, I thought my Physique would break through, but I''ve been stuck at F-9 for so long..."


    She couldn''t help but snort. "You''re treating E rank Physique as if it''s something to be learned in an afternoon."


    "But you said everyone on Cloudspire reached rank F by the time they were an adult."


    "Not everyone, just cultivators." She paused as she considered how to frame the issue for him. Perhaps she had exaggerated her homeland''s accomplishments slightly and given him the wrong impression. "Most struggle to reach the peak of F and rely on their qi alone. This leads to a very common blockage when they try to advance from Body Refinement to Nascent Foundation. From there, the majority remain in E rank for the rest of their lives. Only those with unusually physical cultivation techniques might reach D, and that is exceedingly rare."


    "Huh. I don''t suppose you have any tips for getting through?"


    "I''m still in the F rank myself, as I''m sure you''ve noticed, and my physical path is entirely different from yours."


    "Understood." Kai sat down to cultivate, but his mind wasn''t properly clear. Still troubled by his lack of progress, even if it was just in his own mind. Zae Zin Nim decided that, as self-motivated as he was, he could use some encouragement to inspire his training.


    "The E rank shift often leads to a substantial physical development," she said. "In my case, the absorption of the Blackblood Physique. I''ve seen others experience physical changes, such as their skin growing paler. There''s even an ogre clan that grows horns. You may require more time to develop your potential changes."


    "Really? Interesting. I always thought that reaching F was the big gap, since it reinforces the body with mana. I haven''t seen any unusual characteristics on the few E rank Physiques I''ve seen."


    "It depends on your path. But given your condition, and the way that your monstrous skills inhabit your body, I would be surprised if there was not some manner of physical change. You need to get it right or the rest of your development will be harmed. So consider your work at this stage an investment, not time wasted."


    "Thanks, Zae Zin Nim." He flashed her a smile and then threw himself into his training.


    That accursed smile...


    The "simultaneous cultivation" he was attempting was a merger of purely physical techniques and proper cultivation. This time, it meant standing on one arm and holding his body upright while he stirred his qi. Unusual positions were nothing new, but he was also exerting his mana throughout his body in the local fashion. She wouldn''t have advised it for anyone else. His progress on both sides was weakened, but she guessed that he hoped that the intense stress would help his Physique break through.


    Watching him had been a mistake. With his body and soul both pressed to their limits, there was sweat pouring down his body. Her cultivation continued within her on pure habit as she watched one drop of sweat roll its way over the tensed musculature of his back.


    What still bothered her was that she''d never been attracted to a body like his. Most cultivators were fit, but they scorned such large muscles as belonging to the lower classes. Kai was all hair and stubble instead of a refined gentleman. She had laughed with some of her peers over how grotesque such bodies looked, yet now she was staring at one. He looked more like a thug than a man... or perhaps more like a beast.


    Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath and made herself look away. Cultivation. Nothing but cultivation.


    For all his work, Kai would have been annihilated by a higher stage cultivator. She had been taught that mana was simply an inferior version of qi, but facing the pool had proved that mana could be shockingly intense. Though Deadwaste was still much weaker than Cloudspire, she could imagine another continent with such powerful mana that they would equal cultivators.


    So much of what she had learned seemed incorrect now. Instead of being a slovenly barbarian, Kai worked harder than anyone she had ever known. The local officials could be corrupt, but if anything they were less corrupt than those she knew. Razzagah was at least as smart as any of the merchants from home. Only access to power sources separated the local mercenaries like Iroaki from many cultivators.


    A vast world outside her sect yawned before her, one in which nothing made any sense and face meant nothing and anyone could die in an instant. It should have terrified her, but Zae Zin Nim only forced herself to focus. She would rise to face it, she just needed time.


    Time she wouldn''t have. There was a flying wagon hurtling directly toward them.


    Both of them were on their feet in an instant, but she recognized the driver as Razzagah. He slowed the wagon to a halt and waved wildly to them. "Guys, shit just went down. The Corinin clan is on the warpath, we''ve gotta move!"


    "They realized what we did?" Kai asked.


    "Worse. They''re trying to start a war with Irun!"

 Chapter 79: The Irunian Menace

    As they raced over the farmland in the wagon, Kai leaned closer to Razz. He generally trusted the young merchant, but in this case he was definitely hiding something. After he''d stammered out some information about troop positions and deals gone wrong, Kai was even more certain. Now he applied a little pressure.


    "Okay, this may be a little bit my fault." Razz laughed nervously, though neither of them responded. "Remember how I told you that the Corinin clan was cheating Irun? Well, I sort of leaked some of that information, and the local Irunian delegation was pretty mad about it."


    "So this is all your fault," Kai said.


    "No, no! Let me finish. The Corinins could have recovered if they''d made concessions or chosen a sacrificial lamb to accuse of corruption. But instead they doubled down and tried to negotiate hard. And now instead of me getting a potential advantage in international trade, I''ve gotten a disaster."


    Kai glanced back at Zae Zin Nim, who shrugged her absolute indifference. Okay, then he needed to make some snap decisions. "What exactly was being done and why is it leading to troop movement?"


    "To oversimplify... southern Goralia purchases a lot of metalwork from Irun, the sort of thing too intricate for our smiths to make. They command high prices, and nobody would dare cheap out on them. But recently Dommag Corinin has been buying Irunian steel, mixing in inferior work where most won''t notice, and selling it all for an extra profit. They found out..."


    "And they weren''t happy. Irunians take their reputation seriously."


    "So we''re learning. Anyway, they''re sending a force to come to Rayakan and take back all their unsold merchandise." Razz threw up his hands. "Apparently the contracts say they can do that if we''re in breach! But the Corinins won''t take that lying down, and I don''t know if the Irunians are sending a military group. Either way, this could turn bad."


    "Then I think I get it." Kai braced himself to jump off the wagon, but Razz grabbed his sleeve.


    "Wait, are you headed for the Irunians? If you''re able to talk to them, can you do me a favor?"


    Kai sighed and turned back to him.


    "Hear me out, please! They''re going to want to withdraw trade, which we can''t afford. But if they make another deal, the Lantrian clan could handle everything they need. It''s just a matter of getting them to trust us." Razz glanced nervously between the two of them. "I know I''m asking a lot of you here, but I actually have a new opportunity. There''s a monster the Hunters Guild isn''t taking care of with a mounting reward."


    "And?"


    "And I think I can arrange a way to claim the reward even though you''re not members. If you... no, I''ll get started on it right away and trust you on this part. If the Irunians seriously attack Rayakan, we''ll have much bigger problems than wandering monsters."


    "Alright, fine. You can leave that for later, just figure out a way to negotiate a new deal." Kai clapped Razz on the shoulder, then leapt off the wagon.


    Mana-powered vehicles were convenient, but they moved slowly compared to his new running speed. Considering that he could already smell steel ahead, it wouldn''t be far. He wasn''t sure how much good he''d be able to do once he actually arrived, though. Honestly, he was more sympathetic to the Irunians than Razz and his scheme to gain advantage.


    Zae Zin Nim kept pace with him effortlessly, practically floating over the ground. He was fast, but he was beginning to realize that cultivators could move with unreal speed. Not necessarily at close quarters, but definitely superior over long distances. Maybe one day he''d have cultivated enough to glide over the landscape instead of thumping his way forward.


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    He could see steel glinting in the distance... and there were several specks diverging from the main group to intercept them. Kai cursed under his breath and turned to make sure Zae Zin Nim understood the stakes.


    "We want to try to negotiate with them," he said, "but they''ll fight. The important thing is not to kill anyone. They respect strength, not brutality."


    "If you insist." She rolled her eyes but didn''t object.


    Not long after, both sides skidded to a halt. There were several Irunians in their usual dour robes, all bearing glimmering weapons. He judged them at an average of 40 power, which was actually more than enough to overcome most hunters in Rayakan. But the one who bothered him was their leader, who wore a full suit of liquid metal armor. Even though it resisted spiritual sight, Kai estimated that the armor alone was worth at least 100 power.


    "Stand aside," the leader said, voice muffled from within his helm. "We have no quarrel with you."


    "We are not representatives of Rayakan," Kai answered, "but we do bear a message from them. Some of their members wish to apologize for the dishonor and make amends."


    "That gauntlet... just where did you get it?"


    Too late he realized that he was still wearing Tusquo''s gauntlet. Kai hastily raised it so that they could all see. "This is part of a weapon sphere granted to me by one of your countrymen. It is an unrelated matter, so-"


    "More likely another Goralian theft. If you are worthy of such a gift, prove it."


    Just like he''d feared. Kai held his ground as the first several Irunians drew their weapons and attacked.


    A man wielding a shining partisan attacked first, penning him in with thrusts. Kai wasn''t sure if his body could handle Irunian steel and didn''t plan to find out. He used his gauntlet to grab the handle, grunted as it slid back against the head, then tore the weapon from the man''s hands.


    Too late, he realized there was a woman behind him with her sword almost at his neck. Not an honorable tactic, so apparently they really were pissed. Kai managed to duck and landed an elbow in her gut, sending her to the ground.


    Meanwhile, Zae Zin Nim was spinning between the others gracefully. She hadn''t worn her Cloudspire robes again after the party, but somehow she made even a plain tunic look elegant. In a matter of a few blows, her opponents had been knocked to the ground without serious injury.


    Then the leader drew his sword and struck at her in a single blinding blow.


    The man hadn''t held back at all. Kai didn''t think there was any way he could have dodged in her position: he would have needed to take the injury and try to fight back. Zae Zin Nim spun in midair, dodging the thrust and then placing a palm against the liquid metal armor.


    Her qi dissipated harmlessly and Kai could see her eyes widen. But as the Irunian pulled back his sword, she didn''t hesitate again. When her other palm rose, it struck her opponent with blue fire. A wave of it expanded from the impact, sending the Irunian tumbling backward over the ground.


    Just as the man landed, Kai wrenched his sword from his hands. Even with the advantage of surprise, he struggled to pull it free. Before the Irunian leader could retaliate, Kai reversed the direction of the sword and handed it back to the man hilt-first, showing off his Irunian gauntlet.


    "You are free to ignore our words," Kai said, "but please listen to us first. Southern Goralia can be a treacherous place."


    Silence. Several painful seconds of it. Then the leader carefully accepted his sword and returned it to its sheath. "This is more respectable than we expected. But, even if you are unaffiliated with the local clans, you were sent by one of them, were you not?"


    "I''ll not claim otherwise. I believe the Lantrian clan would trade more honorably with you, but I cannot promise that." Kai abandoned his effort to speak with Irunian formality and just shrugged. "Frankly, I''m a bit out of my depth here. I can only tell you what I''ve seen so far."


    "This is acceptable." The leader gestured to his warriors, who gathered themselves with no apparent hard feelings. "Escort our new guests to the main group with all the honor they''re due."


    So they headed toward the small Irunian army with no injuries and little energy spent. That was about as good a start as Kai could have hoped, the question was just how the negotiations would go. He would just have to hope the rest went smoothly until it was out of his hands.


    Along the way, he couldn''t help but glance at Zae Zin Nim. She''d reacted to the failure of her palm strike so smoothly, relying on mana she''d only just learned to use like it was second nature. Even weakened by her physical condition, she always had a grace that made him feel like a bumbling oaf.


    "Kai Granfian?"


    The voice interrupted his thoughts and made him turn back to the Irunian force. Someone broke from it and Kai only had a second to see Tusquo Agyama before the man pulled him into a tight embrace.

 Chapter 80: Claws Against Steel

    Kai hadn''t known that Irunians could hug, but the evidence was squeezing his ribs. He squeezed back and eventually Tusquo released him. As soon as he did, Tusquo stepped back to a more ordinary distance, which made it easier for Kai to admit the truth.


    "It''s Kai Clanless now, actually."


    "That is no doubt a story for another time." Tusquo turned from him to Zae Zin Nim. "I do not know your companion, but she appears to be a highly competent warrior. Greetings, I am Tusquo Agyama."


    "I would prefer to remain nameless," she said.


    "Privacy is everyone''s right."


    Tusquo bowed in the usual Irunian fashion, extending his hand and then lowering his chest to meet it. Zae Zin Nim bowed back, stiffly from the waist. They stared at one another as if trying to figure out what had gone wrong.


    Before things could get weirder, Kai stepped in. "So, Tusquo, what have you been doing? It''s been a long time since we met." He automatically examined his friend to see how his soul had changed.


    <


    Name: Tusquo Agyama of Irun


    Total Power: 71


    Manablade Class: 12 (22)


    Physique Level: G-9 (20)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    Path of Steel: Iron 4 (20)


    >


    A moment later he realized that it might be impolite, but it seemed that Tusquo had already examined him in turn. His old friend had advanced in a slow and steady way: he was stuck at G-9, but his Class and especially Path of Steel had improved.


    "I have been traveling," Tusquo said, "though perhaps not as much as you. After the metal pool was established, I returned to Irun for training. There are... certain matters of internal politics that would take much time to explain. But after that, I was assigned to deal with Goralian matters. That has brought me south, and eventually here."


    "You skipped a lot, but alright." Kai glanced at his friend''s new belt and sword sheath, all of it flowing steel. "Clearly you''ve been training, but I want to know what it means to be assigned to Goralia."


    "Our leaders determined the experiment with Classes to be a modest success. They want an even larger group of Irunians to take part in the upcoming Hunter Trials, and this year they will attend more than those at Monskon City. That was actually at my suggestion, given the... competitive nature of the Trials."


    "Probably a good strategy."


    Before they could talk any further, the rest of the Irunians encircled them. Several of their officials wanted to speak to Kai, doubly so after Tusquo vouched for him. Disregarding all games, Kai simply told them what he knew about Rayakan in plain terms. He mentioned Razz and the Lantrian clan but didn''t try to embellish anything or lay out their hopes. Irunian warriors could be stiff, but their diplomats weren''t stupid.


    While he spoke, he hoped that Zae Zin Nim would be alright. She certainly seemed uncomfortable at first, until she realized that the warriors who wanted to speak with her were those she had defeated. Even the liquid armored leader she had struck appeared interested. Since they were all similarly reserved, he trusted that they would get along fine.


    Meanwhile, the questions were beginning to get more intense. Razz hadn''t exactly lied about the situation, but he had left out information. Combining it with what Tusquo had said a long time ago about Irun feeling weak compared to its neighbors, he suspected that they were here to negotiate aggressively. Just when he was beginning to feel out of his depth, they had a much worse arrival.


    Iroaki of Philaster streaked toward the Irunian army on a new flying diamond. Kai nearly got ready to fight before he realized that she was actually the distraction. The real threat was Dommag Corinin riding with her: the time for violence had passed, so upcoming negotiations would be the real battle.


    Accepting that he had done his part, Kai retreated from the negotiating table. Not as many of the Irunians were interested in him as in Zae Zin Nim, so fairly soon he was alone with Tusquo.


    "You told me nothing of your tale." Tusquo folded his arms and examined him head to toe. "I noted that you manipulated your Class in some way, yet I feel in my heart that you are much stronger than you appear. Is this some manner of defensive technique?"


    "It''s more complicated than that, and I don''t know if I should get into it." Kai ran his hands through his hair as he tried to figure out how much he should tell. He liked Tusquo, but he couldn''t go around blurting out his true nature. "It''s been a difficult road for me. Perhaps I should begin by thanking you: your weapon spheres saved my life."


    "I noticed your gauntlet. You could have produced more steel than that."


    "Actually, I''m afraid this is all that''s left."


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    Kai explained what had happened to the others, leaving out many of the details. He spent more time on his arrival at Rayakan, covering the politics there from a personal angle. Of course he said nothing about the theft from the Corinin estate... when had he gone from being a straightforward hunter to holding so many secrets?


    "I have... occasionally felt guilt that I was unable to do anything for you." Tusquo closed his eyes and clasped his hands behind his back. "But you seem to have done well for yourself, for all that you cannot speak of it."


    "You''re too kind. Your strength will blow past mine if you reach F-rank Physique, not to mention all your potential on the Path of Steel."


    "Such modesty does not become you. I was astonished to see that your pace surpassed mine, despite the fact that I have both the Class and the Path of Steel that were denied you. And, though I will not press, I feel certain that you have not showed me your full potential."


    That was another way to think about it, but suddenly Kai was tired of comparisons. He just wanted to spend some time with Tusquo again, and since they had never really sat around and talked about their feelings... "Is there a way we can train together? I''d like to test something."


    "I think there is no reason we cannot, while we wait for the negotiations. They are likely to require some time." Tusquo unclasped his hands and began forming a liquid metal sphere. "What did you have in mind?"


    "Defensive tests, more or less. I think we could easily trade blows there and both learn something. For example, you need to test your steel against different types of force, don''t you?"


    "That is correct, and I presume you bring the offense in this case."


    "Oh, I want you to attack me." When Tusquo stared at him, Kai smiled sheepishly and continued. "I''m curious how well I can stand up to Irunian weapons, but I didn''t want to test it in the middle of combat."


    "As reckless as always." Tusquo shook his head and then began forming the liquid metal in his hands into a thin sheet. "Very well, we can begin with a simple experiment."


    They moved further away to avoid collateral damage, then Tusquo set up his sheet of metal against a tree. Kai considered starting with his fists, but decided there was no point: he swiped his hand across it and was gratified to see the metal tear into pieces, as if invisible claws had ripped directly through.


    Tusquo''s eyebrows rose slightly, but all he said was, "I presumed that you would be applying blunt force."


    "Do opponents always announce how they''ll be attacking?"


    "It was merely an observation. Give me a moment." He touched the torn pieces and they flowed back into his hand.


    This time it took longer, the steel returning to liquid and then slowly forming a thicker curved plate. Kai had the feeling that it wasn''t just being reshaped, it was being reforged.


    On his second attempt, he was surprised to feel the steel tugging against his hand. Even though he wasn''t touching it, his hand struggled to move, as if his spiritual claws were attached to his real arm. He still managed to shear through it, prompting Tusquo to frown and reformulate the steel a different way.


    While he waited, Kai stared at his hand and pondered exactly what he was doing. Was there really an invisible force extending from his hand, formed of some energy he couldn''t sense? He''d never been able to use it for anything other than quick attacks. Perhaps it would be possible to apply it more gently, to extend his hand to grasp something... but it might be wiser to project the energy from him so that he wouldn''t dislocate his arm if he struck something too durable.


    That wouldn''t prove to be Tusquo''s steel. Though it improved throughout their training session, it was never able to stand up to a direct claw attack. Eventually they switched to Tusquo striking and it was Kai''s turn to be humbled: his Physique might be able to turn aside an ordinary weapon, but Irunian weapons dealt him severe injuries, at least once Tusquo stopped holding back.


    Which he''d done after seeing Kai''s body healing unnaturally. Aside from increasing the force behind his strikes, Tusquo hadn''t reacted in any way to what he''d clearly observed. That was the good thing about Tusquo. Kai almost wished that he could join them, though Tusquo and Zae Zin Nim might begin a dourness competition and permanently ruin the mood.


    "This has been interesting." Tusquo finally gathered all his steel into a sphere and drew it back into his hands. "There are more things under the sun than I had ever imagined."


    "What happens next?" Kai asked. "Do you go with the rest of the group to Rayakan?"


    "It seems unlikely that we will all go, given the present negotiations. I may be selected, or I might return to our post. Given your present condition, I presume there is no chance you will return to Monskon City for the next Hunter Trials?"


    "Not possible. I suppose we might see each other during the incursion afterwards."


    "It could be supposed."


    Again, there was nothing else that could really be said. The silence acknowledged that their paths would likely take them far apart again, then they began discussing how else they might train. Before they could even begin, Dommag Corinin suddenly imposed himself in their little clearing.


    "We welcomed you into our estate," he announced grandiosely, "and then you poisoned the Irunians against us?"


    "I think you did that yourself." Kai spat out the words before he could think better of it. Antagonizing Dommag was stupid because there was no way it could benefit him. The merchant was sneering at him, and unfortunately he didn''t need to back up his scorn because Iroaki walked quietly behind him.


    The Krysali mercenary glared daggers at him, and not solely because she was serving as a bodyguard. Clearly she had fully recovered from the battle, which made sense since she had the Corinin clan''s resources behind her. Kai wondered what would happen if they fought one another, right then. Or her partner Barroguk, who was no doubt healed as well. He might have a chance, even against an elite mercenary, but he still didn''t have control of his new power. It seemed like he would have to find out who would win, sooner or later.


    "There you are!" Razz''s voice broke over the group and he marched in with a cheerful grin. "Dommag, we all missed you sorely. Surely you wouldn''t want me to represent Rayakan alone, would you?"


    "What business do you have here?" Dommag''s gaze flickered in between Razz and Kai. "I should have known you''d start meddling."


    "I have an entirely legitimate proposition for our dear allies the Irunians." Razz turned to Kai and shoved something at his chest. "But the last thing I need is for you to start messing things up. We don''t need any mercenaries picking fights here. Surely you have something better to be doing!"


    There was some sort of package pushed into his shirt, so Kai retreated silently. He thought that it was a ploy: Razz wanted to imply that Dommag bringing Iroaki was improper and get all the merchants to negotiate alone. Given the Irunian military presence, that would probably benefit him in some way. Kai had no desire to become engaged in such mercantile machinations.


    Once he was a little further away, he unwrapped the thin package Razz had handed him. Before he could finish reading it, Zae Zin Nim appeared beside him. He wasn''t sure what they had told her, but she joined him as they walked away from the Irunian army.


    "What is it?" she finally asked. Kai handed her the paper and tapped the drawing at the top.


    "That thing is called a Gomodo. Dangerous cousin to a dragon, and usually they don''t move this far south in Goralia. I have no idea how it got here, but apparently it''s been causing all kinds of problems and none of the nearby Hunters Guilds can handle it."


    "So...?"


    Kai grinned. "So we''re going to kill it."

 Chapter 81: Tracking a Gomodo

    Getting away from the politics of Rayakan to hunt again should have made Kai happy, but even as they ventured deeper into Goralia, he found himself thinking about everything. There were so many variables, he was ultimately hoping that people deserved his trust. Razz most of all, given how he had put himself front and center.


    Running into Dommag Corinin without any accusations of theft should have been comforting too. It barely registered. Regardless of what they knew about him, the Corinin clan of this city would ruin his life if they thought they would profit.


    The one person he was sad to leave was Tusquo. There was so much more they could have spoken about, yet it seemed that events pulled them apart again. He also somewhat regretted that he hadn''t gotten another weapon sphere, even though he knew that was selfish. Tusquo couldn''t generate those easily and Irun desperately needed its strength if cities like Rayakan were willing to taunt them like this.


    Which left him with his claws. Kai flexed a hand and hoped that would be enough.


    "What do we know about this thing?" As she ran, Zae Zin Nim waved the papers in his direction. She had been silent for the first several days of their travel, mostly cultivating, but now she seemed oddly interested.


    "First, I should tell you that I''ve never hunted one." Kai managed to take the papers from her to look at the drawing of the squat lizard. He couldn''t hold them as adroitly while moving and they ended up fluttering all around. "But I''ve read a little about them in the Hunters Guild records. They''re more common in Goralia as far as rare monsters go, which... I guess that''s kind of contradictory. Among rare monsters, they''re-"


    "I get it. What do we know about fighting them?"


    "The accounts weren''t very well written in my opinion. They say Gomodos are usually lazy, but apparently they can be fast. It was unclear if they''re really durable, or just hard to stop. What I got out of it is that you need to be absolutely sure you''ve put them down. I remember one hunter said he lost a leg from a Gomodo he was sure was dead."


    "That''s not very useful, without a scale for exactly how tough they are."


    "I think they keep growing throughout their lives, so presumably they only get stronger. The reports suggest this one is fairly large, so we should take it seriously."


    "Hmm." Zae Zin Nim shook her head. "If it couldn''t be taken down by the elite mercenaries, then it may be a challenge. I wanted to test my skills against it, but it might be better not to take the risk. We use our best attacks right from the start, end the battle before it begins."


    "Oh, I don''t think the elites would have fought it." When she gave him a flat stare, he hastened to explain. "Remember that the Hunters Guild is controlled by the Corinin clan. The monster isn''t causing enough of a problem for them to care, so they''re not going to send their strongest assets. Whatever the reward is, it was put up by smaller villages. The amount is probably nothing compared to what the top mercenaries are getting paid, so they''re not going to bother chasing after it."


    "Hmph. Then do whatever you want."


    The package Razz had shoved at him contained three things: the notification requesting someone defeat the Gomodo, a scrawled note about its last known location, and a letter stating a few terms. Since Kai could never join a Hunters Guild again, he couldn''t fight it as an official hunt. But if Zae Zin Nim claimed to have killed it and took the reward, it wouldn''t be worth the trouble for anyone to try to pin blame on him.


    Or so he hoped. Razz had clearly prepared for this and wanted to use it to convince them to help with the Irunians. If the timing had been slightly different, the terms might have changed as well.


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    He decided there was no point second-guessing himself. No politics, no merchants. Just a big nasty lizard that he needed to kill.


    When they reached the correct region, he had been afraid it would take weeks to finally locate it. To his surprise, as soon as they identified themselves, local farmers began pointing them in the right direction. They weren''t exactly cheerful, and a few muttered derogatory comments about hunters under their breath, but they were quite invested in showing which way the monster went.


    Once they got closer, the string of helpful farmers ended because Kai could see for himself. A house had collapsed and a swath had been torn through a field. It seemed to end at a wall of trees serving as a windbreak alongside the field. He was a bit disappointed that the Gomodo wasn''t visible from a distance.


    "It might be smarter than average." Kai looked over the fields and trees, seeing too many potential ambush points. "It could have left that big obvious trail, then hid in the crops to attack us from the side."


    "So this is another time that it would be convenient to fly." Zae Zin Nim sighed and gestured for him to go first.


    All his caution was unnecessary: they soon caught sight of the Gomodo lying at the end of the crop damage. Honestly, it looked kind of stupid. Just a flat lizard flopped on its side. It was chewing on half a tree trunk, its jaw working slowly over the wood. Still, its hide looked tough enough to turn a normal blade, so it could lie there with impunity.


    Just in case, Kai opened his spiritual sight...


    <


    Monster: Gomodo


    Threat: Beta (II)


    >


    ...and saw that it was rated as a beta level threat. Zae Zin Nim appeared to have noticed the same, because she shook her head. "Doesn''t look like the smart sort of monster."


    "It''s possible that standards are really so low here in the south," Kai said, "but we should still be careful. Think we can kill it in the first stroke?"


    "Might as well."


    The monster must have been able to hear them, because it rolled off its side enough for one eye to swivel in their direction. It just kept chewing. Something about that made him nervous, so Kai resolved to really put everything he had into the attack. End the fight before it could play any tricks.


    "Okay." He took a deep breath and raised his hand in a claw. "Three... two..."


    "Let''s just kill it." Zae Zin Nim unleashed a qi attack trailing blue flames, so he had no choice but to strike it as well.


    Despite the lack of coordination, both strikes hit at about the same time. The qi singed the beast''s hide and his claws tore into it, sending it flipping over...


    And it landed on its feet and suddenly began racing toward them.


    Zae Zin Nim had better instincts than him, unleashing a series of qi bolts just as strong as her first. Kai instead hesitated, and when he examined the qi tearing into the monster''s body, he realized a terrible change.


    <


    Monster: Gomodo


    Threat: Gamma (III)


    >


    It looked like a gamma-ranked threat to him now. This monster didn''t just appear lazy, something about its nature tricked a hunter''s senses. He tried to call a warning, but it was already too late.


    Even though the qi was burning its body terribly, the Gomodo just kept charging. At the last second Zae Zin Nim realized that she had made a mistake, but it was too late: the monster reared up and snapped its jaws around her arm.


    Such massive jaws slamming closed should have torn off her arm entirely. Yet Kai was startled to see a line of blue flame extending out of its maw to her shoulder. It was her Coldfire behaving in a way that he''d never seen before. Zae Zin Nim looked shocked as well, as if she hadn''t intended to defend herself that way.


    The only one who wasn''t shocked was the Gomodo, which resolutely tried to chew off her arm despite the flames.


    Kai leapt in to assist, stomping on the monster''s back hard enough to break its spine. Its jaws jerked open, allowing Zae Zin Nim to pull free. She quickly slammed her other palm against the side of its head, a blow that drove it to the ground. Betting that it still wasn''t finished, Kai lifted his foot for another stomp.


    Except the Gomodo moved faster. Its back jerked at the broken point, swiveling in an unnatural way and striking him hard enough to send him tumbling. Kai hit the ground and skidded back, pulling himself back to his feet and already fearing what he knew he''d see:


    <


    Monster: Gomodo


    Threat: Delta (IV)


    >


    The Delta-tier threat reared up, its maw opening around Zae Zin Nim''s head. She cried out in surprise and it slammed her to the ground, jaws closing around her neck. They were resisted by an aura of blue flames that lit up around her body, but the monster didn''t seem to care. Even though it was scorched by dozens of wounds, it just kept biting down on her.


    As Kai rushed to save her, the flames began to gutter out.

 Chapter 82: The Agony of Excess

    Even though Kai slammed his shoulder into the Gomodo''s head as hard as he could, he barely sent the beast rocking back. Now that it was moving, it seemed like nothing could stop it. Zae Zin Nim had collapsed and he couldn''t tell how much of the blood covering her was the monster''s, but there was no time for that.


    He''d already seen that even her full power hadn''t been enough to stop it, so attacking the beast head on was senseless. Even though part of Kai wanted to roar in its face and charge, he couldn''t let that part of him take control. Instead, as he rushed at its maw again, he spun into the air.


    Upside-down over its head, he smashed his gauntlet directly into the Gomodo''s face as it reached up to strike him. That earned him only the briefest reprieve, but it was enough time for him to land on its back. He took a moment to gather the perfect strike, just like he''d practiced, and in that time it began bucking wildly. It required all his focus not to be thrown off and instead to bring his hand down across the monster''s middle.


    His claws struck in a tight pattern, tearing through the monster''s back. He left nothing to chance and swiped with his other hand, this time tearing the beast fully in half. Nothing was left but two pieces, thrashing out their last life.


    When the Gomodo''s tail struck his side, he realized how badly he''d miscalculated.


    As the severed tail battered him, the upper half of the monster dragged itself around and snapped at his leg. He could only barely dodge it, which gave the tail time to slam him to the ground. Both halves of the beast seemed to be nearly blind, since it really should be dead, yet they still came after him with bloody-minded determination.


    There was no time for clever strategy now. He just tried to kick the tail back with all the strength he could, even as he twisted away from the snapping jaws. That got him just enough space to punch the monster''s head again, except it barely slowed down and managed to get its jaws around his shoulder.


    Kai''s vision went red and he almost gave in to his rage. A small part of him knew that would be a mistake: this monster could keep fighting even longer than he could. If it could keep attacking after being cut in half, it could survive long enough to kill him. He couldn''t afford to trade blows with it in a bloody rage.


    So, forcing aside the pain, Kai gathered all his concentration and focused on his free arm. He straightened his fingers, formed a claw, and thrust them directly through the Gomodo''s skull.


    Its body still thrashed, but without intention. He managed to pull his other arm out before the teeth tore it too much and then just lay on the ground as the upper body slowly died. Somehow the Gomodo''s tail lasted even longer, laying waste to a circle of crops before finally lying still.


    Everything hurt. As Kai lay there, he realized just how good the corpse was smelling.


    He pushed the thought away along with the body and forced himself to his knees. The arm the Gomodo had bitten was still in bad shape, so he used the other to crawl closer to the body lying on the ground. "Zae Zin Nim? You alive?"


    "Could be... worse..." She managed to sit up with a grunt. Her sleeve was bloody, but strangely there was no blood around her neck or torso. "The flames defended me... but they burned deep. By the end, I had... nothing left."


    "Defensive skill. Sometimes those can drain all your reserves to save your life."


    "Wasteful. I could have killed it with a few more strikes."


    She scoffed, and Kai was about to argue, then he saw the look in her eyes. No, she knew how close she had come to death. It wasn''t something he''d like to think about either, and he''d had a lot of near-death experiences. Since she clearly wanted some privacy to work through her denial, Kai limped back to the body.


    Normally, he would use the fire stone to cook the monster and then eat it. But Zae Zin Nim was carrying it at the moment, and the body looked so juicy... before he could be disgusted with himself, he knelt down and began eating.


    Strangely, the corpse seemed to be disappearing faster than his bites could justify. The Gomodo had been huge, so it should have taken him a day to eat the entire thing. Yet the fight had awoken something in him and he could feel his power exerting itself. Every time he took a bite, more of the body dissolved into raw power. As if he was consuming the monster''s very essence.


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    That should have been a good sign, but not long after, Kai felt a searing pain in his stomach. He stumbled back, clutching both hands over his middle.


    "I might have just done something stupid," he told Zae Zin Nim. "Can humans eat raw meat like this? I thought I could, but..."


    "No, think about it logically." Her legs were a bit shaky as she walked over, but she had regained her casual grace. "There''s no way you''ve started digesting the meat this quickly."


    "It sure feels like it has! Fuck, that hurts..."


    "Are you feeling the pain in your stomach? Or is it lower, in your dantian?"


    Kai didn''t think it was exactly either, but her comment was just what he needed. The pain might be physical, but its source was spiritual. There was some kind of conflict... like the Gomodo''s strength was fighting everything else he carried. He didn''t want to let go of any of it, so he pushed the sensation aside, trying to find an empty space that would ease the pain.


    To his shock, it worked. His stomachache vanished and the meat began looking delicious again. This time it wasn''t so hard to resist the urge.


    "I feel better," he said, "but I don''t understand why."


    "I can only guess." Zae Zin Nim sat down just behind him, or rather crumpled. "Whatever you are might be new, but it probably can''t just accumulate monstrous strength indefinitely. Think about it: after a few years, you''d have hundreds of monsters represented within you. If it''s anything like other aspects of power, then you can''t just throw everything together."


    "Like how every system has only one Physique aspect, or how different cultivation paths will come into conflict."


    "Yes. If you feel better, it seems you found a space for it. In theory, if it works like advanced cultivation, what you''ll need to do in the future is combine the different pieces of your essence into one more powerful form. But I don''t even know how to do that when it comes to my own sect''s cultivation, much less... whatever you''re doing."


    "That''s still helpful, thank you."


    Her words actually made perfect sense to him. The Gomodo had been big and strong and tough, just like several of the other monsters he''d eaten, so it didn''t fit into his soul smoothly. Maybe if he had been a genius or his new nature had come naturally to him, he could automatically have merged it into Direboar''s Strength or Aquagorgon''s Health. Instead, he''d just have to figure out how it all worked by painstaking experimentation.


    "Uh, do you think I should eat the rest of it?"


    "If you feel like it." Zae Zin Nim groaned and dropped onto her back. "Just leave the head so we have something to show all the peasants."


    Future bites didn''t cause any more pain or increase the power within him. Still, Kai was incredibly hungry and the monster was the only thing that sounded good, so he kept eating. As he did, he paid special attention to the strange interactions of his bites.


    He had been afraid that the effect would have vanished, completely beyond his reach, but the phenomenon returned as soon as he went back to eating. Not only did more of the monster''s flesh disappear, fragments of its skin vanished as well. Even though he hadn''t tried to eat any of the rough skin, he felt as though he could taste it.


    Eventually, in a surprisingly short time, he had consumed almost the entire body. Even his new ability failed to eat the monster''s claws or spines, and he''d intentionally left the monster core and the head to serve as proof. Though he wondered if the core might have granted him something, when he tore it out it didn''t smell even slightly enticing to him.


    Once he was finally sated, he turned his attention inward.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 87


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 30% (14)


    Physique Level: F-9 (48)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    Monstrous Hunger - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - III (gamma)


    Aquagorgon''s Health - III (gamma)


    Gomodo''s Stamina - II (beta)


    Isulfr''s Bite - I (alpha)


    Rockspider''s Claw - III (gamma)


    ??? (???)


    >


    "Gomodo''s Stamina" had appeared among his other traits. That made for seven monstrous aspects, including the indecipherable one, which did feel like a lot. He had the feeling that it would be challenging to learn how to fuse them, but he might need to figure it out sooner rather than later.


    Of course his Physique hadn''t changed, stalled against the barrier as it was. He was a bit surprised to see that his Soul Level had increased to 5. The battle had been rough, but it hadn''t been nearly as long or brutal as some of his others. When he mentioned it to Zae Zin Nim, she answered with a shrug.


    "You may have seen your Soul Level increase after substantial battles, but I don''t think it generally works that way. Usually it rises very slowly."


    "You haven''t talked about it much," he pointed out. "Do you have special techniques for it in Cloudspire?"


    "Not really. They''re considered a less important part of the soul because they''re not essential to cultivation and eventually are dwarfed by it." From her position, Zae Zin Nim raised a hand and stared at the sky through her fingers. "I wasn''t convinced, even if I can''t pinpoint the exact benefit. Cultivators who were just fed thousands of pills by their sects and barely fought tended to have weaker Soul Levels."


    "Huh. Another mystery for the-"


    "Wait." Zae Zin Nim shot up to a seated position, all lethargy banished. Blue flames flickered weakly around her as she stared skyward. "Get ready."


    Kai forced himself to his feet even though he still had no idea what she was talking about. Could he fight, if they had to? Consuming the monster had given him more energy than he''d expected, but his body wasn''t anywhere near healed. Somehow he had burned through his qi as well, probably subconsciously when his life was on the line.


    Then he saw them: Iroaki of Philaster was flying toward them again, and this time Barroguk Clanless stood behind her instead of an old merchant.


    There was no time to run: Barroguk leapt down and slammed to the earth beside them.

 Chapter 83: A Peasants Reward

    "Looks like some illegal hunting." Barroguk hefted his greatsword up to his shoulder and sneered. "That''s bad enough on its own, and worse when it''s by someone who''s been permanently banished from the Hunters Guild."


    "I took this assignment of my own volition." Zae Zin Nim spoke politely, but Kai could see that she assumed the conversation would end in a fight. She gathered what strength she had as she watched Iroaki circle around them on her diamond.


    "So you say. By the time this story gets back to the Guild, the facts won''t be so clear."


    Kai took a deep breath and tried to think of a viable strategy. He wanted a rematch against the two elite mercenaries, but this was the worst possible time. Given their current condition, he didn''t see any path to victory. Even escape might be difficult under such circumstances...


    "Hey!" The shout took all of them off guard because there was absolutely no power behind it. All four combatants turned to the side just in time to see a farmer standing at the edge of the damaged field.


    No, there were a lot of farmers. Some were just peering to see what the commotion was, but a lot more of them looked determined. The man who had yelled before spoke up again. "No Guild nonsense now. We paid good money for somebody to kill that thing."


    "This is none of your concern." Barroguk swung the greatsword off his back and held the heavy piece of steel at full extension toward the crowd. Many flinched and a few gasped, but they didn''t retreat.


    Then a piece of fruit slapped into the side of his head. Barroguk turned to glare at the older woman who had thrown it, as did the others.


    Beside him, Kai felt Zae Zin Nim tense. She looked like she expected an explosion of violence and intended to throw all her strength into one more attack, but none came. The silence stretched for a heartbeat, then a child threw a rock at Iroaki. Several others began to cheer and the old woman stepped forward with her hands on her hips.


    "We saw those two nice young folks kill the beastie! You can''t just swoop in and take it now. You may do things that way in the big city, but not here." Her words were joined by a chorus of jeers and a few more projectiles.


    Taken aback, Barroguk and Iroaki actually retreated. The locals crowded around Kai and began urging him to follow. A few of the burlier farmers managed to pick up the Gomodo head and carried it back, cheering.


    Having so many people around them shout over one another was a bit dizzying, but Zae Zin Nim looked absolutely flabbergasted. Kai leaned closer to her and spoke low enough that the crowds couldn''t hear. "What is it?"


    "Why didn''t they attack the peasants?" she asked numbly.


    "You expected them to just slaughter a bunch of random civilians?"


    "Of course. They actually threw things at the elites! A few swings of that sword, or one good cast of those crystals..." She shook her head slowly. "I''ll never understand this continent."


    That suggested rather grim things about Cloudspire, but Kai''s mood was too good to be brought down by that. He''d been keeping his eyes on the mercenaries the entire time and it looked like they were giving up. There were too many witnesses now, especially since the locals were spreading out. Even if the elites worked for the most powerful clan in the city, they couldn''t just carry out an assassination in public.


    He was a little surprised that everyone was so enthusiastic, though. If the villagers had been there in time to interfere with the final standoff, then some of them must have seen him eating the Gomodo. The crowds were a bit less rambunctious now that they''d reached a village square, so Kai decided to ask an older man.


    "You were watching us?"


    "Oh, not the fight. Too dangerous. A couple tried and didn''t make it." The man shook his head sadly. "But when I heard everything get quiet, I figured I had to go look. Monster wouldn''t want to eat my old bones, heheh."


    "Then you, uh, saw me...?"


    "Oh! Yes, that was right strange. But all hunters are strange, and at least you came out to help us. I figured you must be hungry after all that hard work."


    Kai sat back, smiling in befuddlement. He was fairly sure that no hunter in the world would respond so positively to seeing him eat a monster like that. Most likely citizens in the north would have been after him with torches and pitchforks. But maybe, here in the south, he was just a curiosity. Hopefully they wouldn''t go talking about it.


    Though a lot of people wanted to talk to him, they came and went so quickly that it was all a blur to Kai. They were definitely happy that the Gomodo was dead, since it had been terrorizing their farms even longer than he''d known. When he made extremely clear that they weren''t hunters acting officially, for the sake of the rumors, that only seemed to improve their mood. The Hunters Guild didn''t seem to have such a good reputation among the villagers.


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    Everyone wanted them to stay for some sort of feast, but Kai insisted that they needed to get back. The entire event seemed to have rendered Zae Zin Nim catatonic, so he wanted to get her away from the crowds before anyone looked too carefully beneath her hood.


    Once he insisted, some of the better dressed villagers brought him a heavy bag with the reward money. A full four thousand Eagles, instantly multiplying their funds. The Eagle was the highest denomination of Goralian Currency, so the payment included a lot of heavy gold coins that Kai had heard veteran hunters refer to as "fat Eagles." Each was worth a hundred Eagles on its own, which somehow made the whole thing even more unbelievable.


    Their way back was equally strange. They stuck to major roads just in case the elite mercenaries might attempt another ambush, which meant a lot of people recognizing and waving at them. Some tried to invite them in, but Kai always made excuses. He soon discovered that he could use "being a hunter" as an excuse for nearly anything. Most likely he could march into people''s homes, declare hunter business, and start smashing their pottery.


    Eventually they saw Rayakan in the distance and he realized that they had actually gotten away with it. No signs of the city on fire or under siege by Irunian forces, either, so maybe everything was actually fine. As that fact slowly settled, he glanced over to Zae Zin Nim.


    "What do you want to do with all this money?"


    "I... don''t know." She blinked at the bag as if unsure what it was. "Buy some cultivation resources, I guess."


    "Obviously that''s a good choice, but I don''t know if we can find anything valuable enough to really help us. Even if we did, a few purchases would use this up quickly, so we''d have some left over. We couldn''t have won without you. Surely you want something."


    "Not unless they sell those floating Krysali vehicles. I''m sick of walking."


    "I don''t know if we can afford that, but I think you''re lying." He glanced over her tunic, which was already stained with her dark blood even though she wasn''t expelling it anymore. "I saw how carefully you''ve preserved that silk robe. I don''t know if anything here will be to your standards, but would you like to buy something nice?"


    "What would be the point?" She spoke with surprising venom and looked away, definitively ending the conversation. Kai sighed and let it go.


    Truth was, he wasn''t sure what he wanted to buy either. It just seemed that, with his luck, all the money would end up stolen if he didn''t use it soon.


    As they drew closer, Kai realized that one side of the river leaving the city was unusually busy. He saw quite a few Irunians walking on the docks, moving various goods. That could be a positive or negative sign, but he was just happy it was a sign they weren''t attacking the city.


    Once they returned, they found their old inn. The innkeeper welcomed them quickly enough, though she couldn''t give them their old room. Her next offer was cramped but still had two beds, one of which Zae Zin Nim immediately used to fall asleep.


    He stayed awake a while longer, both to keep watch and to think. Of course he''d always known that life wasn''t fair and that the largest clans exploited their positions. That lesson had become even clearer in Rayakan. For some reason, though, it was seeing all the villagers so happy to have someone come and help them that pushed him over the edge.


    Goralia couldn''t continue like this. Kai still felt some resentment toward his former mentor for abandoning him, but Gunjin had been right about one thing: the whole country needed to change. To be healthy enough to survive against the monsters, it needed more than just strength or wealth. Somehow they needed a society where farmers were respected as much as hunters.


    How that would happen, he had no idea. Apparently on Cloudspire villagers could be slaughtered for daring to stand up to anyone above them. Maybe there was no solution at all.


    Still, when Kai heard that Razz Lantrian was here to see them, he responded quickly.


    The young merchant waited in the bar downstairs, grinning to himself and then even more broadly when he saw Kai. He swept up and hugged him, which seemed a bit much. Finally Razz pulled back and thumped him on the shoulder.


    "You''ve saved me several times, Kai. I wouldn''t be here without you."


    "Where is here?" Kai asked.


    "My clan has a new deal with the Irunians, which won''t be slowed down at all once we pull our permit trump card. We''ve gone from struggling to make ends meet to having enough money for new investments." Razz shook his head in disbelief. "And here I thought it was a lucky break when you showed up to save me from those monsters. You''re my lucky charm, man."


    Because his own luck drained into others, presumably. Kai managed a chuckle and tried to calm Razz down. "It can''t be this easy. The Corinin clan must be planning to retaliate."


    "Of course they are. I''m most worried about their political schemes, because Dommag is a clever old bastard." His grin finally vanished. "But it seems likely that they might plan a direct attack. Rumor has it they''ve hired a third foreign elite. Normally they wouldn''t dare send someone to assassinate me, when it could be pinned on them, but if they''re desperate..."


    "And I''m guessing you don''t have someone ready to fight them."


    "They already hired the strongest mercenaries! No, if I''m going to get through this, I need the two of you. I know you''re a bit outclassed, but you only need to be strong enough to defend me during the length of an assassination attempt."


    Just as he''d feared. But since he had nowhere else to go... "If you want our support, we''ll need yours."


    "I already have a few ideas. I didn''t expect you back so soon, so I''m not ready."


    "We can talk later. But I also need strengthening options... potions, foreign pills, scrolls, whatever you would normally send north. We have almost five thousand Goralian Eagles to put down."


    "Five thousand?" Razz whistled. "I was going to say that training resources are difficult to find, even for me, but that will make the difference. I''ll get back to you once I''ve finished my research. You rest for now."


    Kai nodded and let the man go. But as he sat in the tavern, he felt like there would be no more time for rest.

 Chapter 84: Rebuilding Estates and Souls

    The first step in Razz''s plan turned out to be an unusual one: remodeling the ruined Lantrian estate. It had seemed like a complete waste of time at first, but Kai soon began to understand. Instead of hiding in a walled complex in Rayakan, the old Lantrian estate stood outside amid the farms. Still within a short distance of the city, but far enough away to send a message, especially when Razz had his clan officials give out gifts of food to all the villagers who helped with the construction.


    Kai and Zae Zin Nim were both technically helping by serving as guards, but few duties were actually required of them. They spent all their time training, which also served as intimidation to potential opponents. A few workers had scoffed while watching them cultivate, saying they were just sitting around, but their experiments destroying boulders had silenced all critics.


    Meanwhile, the workers were really a social defense: with everyone working together in clear view of the city, the Corinin clan couldn''t strike against them. From what Razz told them, they had basically retreated to their own estates and parties. Those weren''t just indulgences, though: they were making alliances and gathering forces for another confrontation. Everyone, even the villagers, seemed to know that the Lantrian clan was reborn and challenging the Corinins.


    But none of it changed Kai''s fundamental goal: training because his life depended on it.


    As soon as a private courtyard had been cleared to train, they began to test the new ability Zae Zin Nim had uncovered while fighting the Gomodo. If it had been Kai, he would have begun experimenting immediately. She preferred to retreat inward and thoroughly examine the spiritual nature of the art before applying it practically.


    When they did finally face one another to test, she certainly looked ready. "Please attack me." She slid her arms within her sleeves and stood flat-footed.


    "Full power?" he asked, making a claw gesture.


    "Not yet. Begin slowly."


    The workers had left some practice swords and other equipment, so Kai grabbed one of them. A bit unwieldy, but it would do. He decided not to do anything fancy: he just swung it horizontally at her side. Just when he expected the wood to impact flesh, the practice sword froze in place. Not as if it had impacted something strong, as if there was nowhere to go. Blue flames outlined her arm around the point of impact.


    "Hmm." Kai pulled back and struck overhead. This time he was more prepared and watched as the flames manifested from her body and intercepted his strike. There was a barely audible sound he struggled to describe, like a whoosh of flames crossed with a clear bell. "That''s fast. You want me to try to hit before it can activate?"


    "I''m not sure it matters." Zae Zin Nim closed her eyes and turned away from him. "Try again."


    Just in case she was planning a trick, Kai shifted to the side and swung from an unexpected angle as quietly as possible. The practice sword stopped against the side of her head, just like before. She turned to look at him over it, mildly amused.


    "Nice try. It isn''t automatic, because it takes conscious effort, but after that I believe the aura is reactive. It activates when you connect and no sooner."


    "That''s pretty convenient," Kai said. "So basically it doesn''t matter how much faster someone is than you, the aura will block it."


    "Not exactly." Her lips twisted in disapproval, apparently at herself. "The amount of time it takes to prepare is longer than I''d like, so I''ll be very vulnerable to being taken off guard before battle. At least it''s instinctive, like all your skills. Let''s try something else."


    They spent a while testing the limits of her new ability. When he took swings at her while she was running, his blows rang off her body without slowing her momentum at all. He could stop her if he actively stood in her way, but even trying to tackle her from the side left him slipping off, his body numb from her chilling flames. It seemed that, for brief moments, she was nearly impervious.


    That said, he immediately discovered a potential weakness in the technique''s use. When he struck twice in quick succession, sometimes the second strike got through, particularly if it was unexpected. Zae Zin Nim muttered to herself in her own language and improved significantly, though she clearly thought that she needed more practice.


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    Eventually it was time for the strength test. This time she didn''t stand calmly, instead bracing her feet and crossing her arms in front of her chest. She looked like a bundle of twigs that would snap at the slightest force, but Kai prepared to use a full claw.


    "You ready?" he asked. She only nodded.


    He swung at her from several paces away and three lines of blue fire lit up across her body. They lingered for several seconds, the ringing flame louder than before. Once they faded, Zae Zin Nim was unharmed and unmoved, but she let out a long sigh.


    "We''d better not try that again." She drew back and rubbed her hands over her forearms. "My mana seems to drain away so quickly..."


    "Well, it''s better than dying, isn''t it?"


    "Yes, but if I could move proactively, there would be more efficient uses for it. I must think on this."


    Since she seemed so subdued, Kai tried to smile encouragingly. "This is a pretty great ability, though. I was sure that you''d develop something that didn''t just reinforce your other abilities. How do you feel overall?"


    "Perhaps the word is... complete." Zae Zin Nim wreathed her arms in fire and examined them for a time, then offered a very small smile. "I believe this is what I was missing. It may yet develop, but the fundamentals are in place."


    "Then is it time to try the scroll? I''ve been afraid it would get torn up or soaked or something."


    She nodded and retrieved the enhancement scroll from her robes. Unrolling it seemed a bit uncomfortable for her, like she expected the scroll to work differently, but once she held it before her she looked confident. Her lips mouthed over the strange non-words that formed the enhancement. As she spoke, the text lit up with blue fire, then when she reached the end the entire scroll burned away and flowed into her.


    Zae Zin Nim sighed again, this time in satisfaction. "Good. This is a better cultivation base, or at least that''s what I''d call it. Now it''s time to get to work."


    She wasn''t kidding. Over the next several days, she threw herself into Class training in a way she never had before and Kai was glad to match her intensity.


    Every morning he began with intensive physical training, trying to push the limits of his Physique even further. The fact that he hadn''t broken through to E-0 frustrated him, but he tried to use that as fuel to train even harder. Then once Zae Zin Nim had finished her morning meditation, they spent several hours sparring in different styles.


    After a lunch break, during which he felt the absence of enhancement potions, it was time for their most grueling experimentation. Both pushed themselves with their new abilities, trying to polish their fundamental techniques. Manifesting the biting skill he had used to eat the Gomodo proved difficult, so Kai spent most of his time on his claw. He could activate it reliably now and was working on using it in more flexible ways.


    Once he was physically exhausted it was time for a long session of cultivation, which was his least favorite part of the day. But training wouldn''t really be training if it was all fun, so he threw himself into it. His goal there was less the power that the Qi Condensation stage offered than not having to drink Class potions all the time. He was getting sick of the flavor.


    Ideally he would have liked the final portion of the day to be more practical training or monster hunting, but they lacked good options, so he settled for more physical exercise. Even though he was training his body as hard as he ever had, the next breakthrough remained elusive.


    By contrast, Zae Zin Nim had finally connected with her Class. She broke through her Novice stage after a week and then sprinted up its new form for another week before her progress slowed. After that she redirected more of her time to cultivation, hoping to finally break through. He had to admit that she''d been stuck far longer than he was, but he still felt a little jealous when he examined her soul.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 178


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 92% (100)


    Coldfire Corona: 8 (18)


    Blackblood Physique Level: F-7 (44)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    So many things had come together for her that he was starting to feel like she was leaving him behind. And yet he couldn''t even be angry with her, because she was the first person he''d ever met who worked just as hard as he did, every available minute.


    Honestly, their breaks to eat were one of his favorite parts of the day. She might not have shared about her past freely, but Zae Zin Nim opened up in a way she hadn''t before. Despite her dour mood, he was certain that she enjoyed that time as well.


    He just didn''t know where any of it was going. Since the moment he had met her, she had been suffering under multiple conditions and unable to think about anything but breaking through. It was easy to imagine that once she reached the next stage of cultivation she would transform and leave him behind forever. Maybe she would leave behind a gift that settled the scales in her opinion and then never think about him again.


    It was easier not to think about that. Even grinding his will against the walls that stood in his path, Kai was enjoying his training and wished that it could continue for years.


    Instead he got a month, then the letter arrived and all hell broke loose.

 Chapter 85: Bidding for a Breakthrough

    Razz had never been shy about visiting the estate, frequently visiting the workers and other locals, but this time he sent a letter. That should have been the first warning. Just the idea of going back to Rayakan for another party should have been the second. But the letter promised so much...


    "Do I have to come?" Zae Zin Nim had already changed into her good robes, so she obviously intended to join him, but she was sulking about it.


    "Everyone is going to be at the market, so it''s the most likely time for a fight to start." Kai didn''t want to play the northern barbarian role again, so he simply sorted through his clothing and pulled on the tunic that was least torn and stained. "Besides, Razz said that all the best items would be sold there. You might find something you want to buy."


    "That is unlikely. What if they''re staging it as a distraction and intend to attack this estate in our absence?"


    "What would they gain by that? It''s just a few buildings that the Lantrian clan hasn''t put too much money into yet. And the local people seem to like it, so the Corinins would just be burning approval for no reason. No, Razz said that this market was their way of making a move."


    "If I have no choice, I have no choice." She scowled in the general direction of Rayakan. "Exactly what should I expect from this market? If there were valuable treasures to be sold on Cloudspire, they would be sold via a public auction."


    "Honestly, I''m not sure. I get the feeling this will be fancier than anything I''ve been to." Kai pulled on his functional belt, then a cloth one over it. Good enough. "Alright, let''s go. Allegedly we''re supposed to be ''fashionably late,'' whatever that means."


    They left the estate to find a carriage waiting for them. That was an entirely unnecessary expense, but apparently Razz wanted them to be treated as respectable potential customers. His letter claimed that there would be rare items present that were never available otherwise. Since Kai was still holding on to nearly five thousand Eagles, he hoped to find something worthwhile.


    Maybe something that would help him break through.


    The carriage took them through the streets of Rayakan much faster than usual, less due to its inherent speed than the fact that everyone got out of the way. Kai saw the Corinin estate looming out the window, then they turned away. It took him longer to identify the Orgoron estate: it was large and ornate, just not as dedicated to looming.


    As soon as Kai stepped into the garden, he confirmed his fear that it wouldn''t be an ordinary market. He saw many of the same finely-dressed clan members, just wearing the new silks that Razz had brought. The only difference was that they stood and talked around small display tables with various items.


    "Not very secure." Zae Zin Nim frowned at the nearest objects and he hastened to whisper to her.


    "Don''t steal anything."


    "I don''t intend to, I''m just making a point."


    She departed to lurk around the edges before the socialites could bother her again. No one seemed as interested in Kai after his previous appearance; killing the Gomodo might have been a big deal in the surrounding farms, but it wasn''t even a footnote in the lives of the major clans. As he stared around at the fake hunters talking over all of the enhancement scrolls and potions, his anger continued to rise.


    It felt like so long ago that he''d been enraged to be denied his rewards after the Hunter Trials. As unfair as that had been, it was better than this. He could understand why Gunjin Granfian thought a harsh system was better than all this corruption.


    Abruptly Kai noticed a much more practically dressed group: there was a whole company of Irunians, including Tusquo. He smiled at the other man and got a nod in return. Before they could meet up to talk, Razz swept up beside him and grabbed his arm.


    "Kai, there you are! They''re putting out some of the best items now, so you want to make your purchases before the Corinins arrive."


    "They aren''t here already?" Kai had seen at least Soeraina, the unfriendly head of the Hunters Guild.


    "Some of them, but the main group is waiting to make a big entrance with their new mercenary. Come on, I think I have something appropriate for you." Razz tugged him away from the main part of the garden to a gazebo that reminded him of a floral version of the shrines from home. "We have some rare mana fruit from the highest quality orchards. I don''t know exactly what your biggest obstacle is, but all of these are supposed to help you break those limits."


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    A small group of merchants stood behind the table of mana fruit. They didn''t have many customers for items with such high costs, so they greeted him cheerfully. Kai dismissed a few of the fruit that just had high concentrations of mana to focus on the most valuable.


    "If I could have your attention, sir," one of the merchants said, gesturing to a spiky red sphere, "this is the finest drake fruit our orchards have ever produced. A single bite is said to improve your Physique, and the entire fruit is guaranteed to help you advance to a new stage."


    No doubt an exaggeration, but that did sound promising. Kai instead pointed to a plum that glowed with purple mana. "And this?"


    "You have an excellent eye, sir. These mana plums are the single most potent source we sell. The perfect choice if you have no more specific needs, and delicious to boot."


    "Look at that one." Razz elbowed him and gestured further back on the table. A strange spherical fruit sat on a small plate, like an enormous white grape. The shape was so smooth and unmarred it almost didn''t look like a plant at all.


    "A highly specialized option, but a prized one!" The merchant swiftly moved it forward to join the other two. "Only the greatest of hunters encounter it, but it is said there comes a point when their spirit can no longer contain their strength. This soul fruit will allow you to overcome such limits. We have only one, but it would be a great investment in your future."


    "Or your present." Razz pulled him away from the merchants to whisper in his ear. "To my eye, you look like you''re at 87 Power and struggling to advance."


    "Wasn''t the barrier supposed to be at 99?" Kai asked.


    "That''s what I''ve heard, but the problem isn''t that number, it''s the fact that reaching a full 100 actually means something. If you''re trying to grasp some power that would raise you over that point, I think it just won''t work at all. At least, that''s what our records say about supporting hunters."


    Could that be his problem? Kai knew that there was a significant gap between F-rank and E-rank Physique, so perhaps that would take him over the limit. He was fairly confident that the mana plum was wrong for him, but the drake fruit was still tempting. Eventually he decided that there was no more time to waste and chose the longest term advantage.


    "How much for the soul fruit?" he asked, pulling out the heavy pouch of money.


    "For you, sir, only six thousand Eagles."


    Kai couldn''t hide his wince, but Razz nudged him again. "You have almost everything, I can cover you for a thousand or two more."


    "Then I''ll take it," Kai said. The merchants immediately became theatrically apologetic.


    "We''re glad to see you so eager, sir, but please bear in mind that we have only a single soul fruit for this entire market season. You must give some of the other hunters an opportunity to request it as well, so the bidding can begin."


    Razz expertly swung a sack of money from his tunic and dropped it onto the table. "How many of these have you sold every year? Rayakan is fabled for its crops, not its hunters. Close the deal now and save yourselves time."


    "That''s very reasonable, good sir, but we have reason to believe this audience will be unusually thirsty for such valuable treasures."


    After arguing for a while longer, Razz seemed to have them almost convinced. He looked away, winced, and then tapped Kai on the arm. "Dommag just got here and he''s going to grandstand, so I have to go. Close the deal quick and we''ll worry about money later."


    Kai thanked him and then turned back to the merchants as he left. Apparently there would be no more haggling, but he didn''t mind so long as he got the soul fruit. Even using the fattest coins, it would take a while to count up the entire amount.


    "I''ll give you six thousand two hundred." The voice rang sharply over his shoulder and Kai turned in time to see Soeraina Corinin walking up behind him. She looked no happier to see him than at the last party.


    "That''s very generous, madam," the merchant said, "but this good sir has already begun a transaction..."


    "Make it seven thousand. The Hunters Guild needs every soul fruit it can get. They can''t be wasted on fools with broken Classes."


    "Well, in that case..."


    "Seven thousand one hundred." The new voice came from a lean man wearing Orgoron colors. Kai watched in disbelief as he was swept aside and the merchants focused on their new offer.


    At first Soeraina and the Orgoron man bid up in smaller increments, clearly beyond their intended target price. Thinking he might be able to compete, Kai estimated how much Razz had left with him, but before he was finished the total had already passed eight thousand Eagles. As he realized that they were nowhere near their limits, Kai took the money and retreated.


    How could he compete with clans backed by entire mercantile operations? Even though neither clan seemed to have anyone who actually needed the soul fruit, they were still fighting over it. Was it just a petty game for them, or a treasure they''d stick in their vaults?


    For a moment, he considered grabbing the soul fruit and just stuffing it into his mouth. The merchants were all untrained and Soeraina was just an average adult hunter, so they probably couldn''t stop him. But Kai abandoned the foolish thought almost immediately. He might hate the decadent clans, but these merchants were independent people trying to run a business. Blaming them for wanting a good price would be absurdly selfish.


    Soured by the experience, he didn''t want to look at any of the other items. Anything else that might be suited for him would just be taken by someone else. The clans might even be intentionally blocking him, since he was a thorn in their side. Instead he walked to see what was happening in the central garden.


    He froze. Dommag Corinin had entered with a massive entourage and appeared to be arguing with Razz, but that wasn''t important. None of his petty concerns about money were important. Kai''s eyes were drawn to the stunning woman in a low-cut dress who accompanied the Corinin clan.


    Anaelina glanced toward him and her eyes lit up with joy.

 Chapter 86: Silver and Steel

    One of the most dangerous women Kai had ever known was standing across the garden, beaming at him. At first he had no idea what he was supposed to do in such an absurd situation. He wanted to attack her with all his new strength, but she was no doubt the new Corinin mercenary. If he struck the first blow everyone would turn against him and he would be vulnerable to her retaliation.


    Yet if she began using her draining aura in a crowd like this, the casualties would be terrible. Instead, Kai looked to warn the few allies he had. He couldn''t find Zae Zin Nim at all and could only hope that she would understand the gravity of the situation. Tusquo was standing in the Irunian group and met his gaze, but when Kai tried to gesture a warning, he only frowned.


    "Well, look who it is!" Anaelina wove through the party with sinister grace and was already almost on top of him. She tried to clasp his hands and chuckled when he pulled away. "Why so cautious? Surely you''re not so angry about our little spat."


    "I can only think of one reason why you''d be here." Kai drew his gauntlet from his belt and tugged it over his hand, fancy party be damned.


    "You mean you don''t believe this is a coincidence? How terribly suspicious..." She put a finger to her lips and pretended to sulk, a mockery of her old act. "But actually, I already took what I needed from you and yet you seemed to grow some new soul. I confess, I''m not usually in this position."


    Kai had no plan whatsoever, but he decided to keep her talking in hope that it would give others time to notice. "I''d be willing to forgive you for trying to kill me, but I don''t think you''ll let it go."


    "You did impale me rather brutally. Would you believe that I just couldn''t forget you?"


    "No."


    "Then let me try something else." Just a bit of the old silver light emerged in her eyes. "I think you know just how many people I could kill here if I felt like it, and I think you''re soft enough to care about that. But if you''re willing to talk to me, I might play nice."


    "Then I don''t have much of a choice, do I?" When Kai looked around, he was irritated by how many people were watching. A lot of men looked jealous, having absolutely no idea about the true nature of their conversation.


    Anaelina simpered and grasped his arm before he could pull away. He immediately tensed, but she wasn''t draining any of his strength, just leaning closer to whisper in his ear. "You know what I am and I won''t pretend otherwise. But this doesn''t have to be so unpleasant for you. I think we could come up with a nice arrangement..."


    "This isn''t what we''re hiring you for, strumpet!" Kalliay Corinin stood nearby with her hands on her hips. She had dressed even more extravagantly than before, but she couldn''t hide her age when standing side by side with Anaelina.


    "Oh, can''t I have a little fun?" Anaelina practically draped herself over his shoulder and Kai felt a chill descend from his heart to his stomach. He wasn''t sure if she had really come pursuing him, but he was confident that she didn''t care about the Corinin clan.


    "Believe me, you don''t want such a dull boy. I''ve already had a taste and it wasn''t much to talk about."


    "Kai, did you really?" Anaelina turned on him with what looked like real surprise, then laughed. "Oh, and you weren''t happy about it! Want me to kill her?"


    The instant he felt her feet start to move, Kai kicked her shin as hard as he could. Looking at Kalliay still filled him with revulsion, but he didn''t want her to die like this. His kick only made Anaelina stumble, and since the blow was hidden by her dress, it was hard for anyone to tell what had happened.


    "And you," Kalliay said with a finger in his direction, "you should have learned your lesson and-"


    Anaelina tore her head off and cheerfully tossed it overhead. That was when the screams began.


    Guards from the entrances immediately began rushing in, but their average strength was no more than 30. Given what Anaelina could do, they might be more of a liability than anything. The Corinin party looked especially shocked and Kai grimaced as he realized they didn''t have their other elite mercenaries. Even Barroguk would have been a welcome presence right then.


    "Alright, forget everything I said." Anaelina was staring at no one but him, her eyes bright. "Let''s do this the fun way."


    She should have been watching more closely, because at that moment Zae Zin Nim slipped from behind one of the charging guards and closed the distance. It only took a moment, then she struck the other woman in the back with her palm. A circle of blue fire expanded and Anaelina was thrown so violently that she struck one of the outer walls and demolished it in a shower of bricks and dust.


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    "Lost little cultivator, far from home..." The words floated to them in a sing-song tone, then Anaelina emerged from the dust with her silver cloak flowing around her. "I don''t mind. Cultivation stages are delicious."


    "Can she really?" Zae Zin Nim asked him without taking her eyes from the enemy.


    "We''d probably better assume so." Kai dropped down into a fighting position beside her and tried to think of a way that they could turn the chaos in their favor. Anaelina was still covered in her shroud, so he couldn''t even be certain how much stronger she was than last time.


    The party had already broken, many of the guests fleeing and knocking over tables in their desperation. Most of the hunters fled as well, which was either cowardice or a sensible decision if they had used their spiritual sight. But the Orgoron guards were still charging in and some hunters had begun drawing weapons.


    Killing her employer had made Anaelina everyone''s target, but he didn''t think she was foolish enough to do that on a whim. Her smile hadn''t wavered in the slightest.


    As soon as the guards arrived, it became a bloody brawl. They realized too late that they didn''t stand a chance, bodies and tables already tumbling over the garden in a wave of violence. Zae Zin Nim used qi attacks from a distance, managing to catch Anaelina once or twice. Kai wanted to join her, but realized that it would be unwise to reveal his claw technique too early.


    Grabbing one of the upright tables, Kai hurled the entire thing at Anaelina. She smoothly slid underneath it and rose facing him, still smiling.


    At that moment Soeraina Corinin lunged from her hiding place behind a table and swung her sword directly into the other woman''s arm. It bit deep and Anaelina winced... before her hand rose and grabbed Soeraina''s wrist. The leader of the Hunters Guild gasped and struggled feebly to escape the draining grip.


    Kai rushed in at that moment. Of course Anaelina was ready for him, immediately turning to intercept his charge, but he launched a claw just before he arrived. He was gratified to see a moment of shock, then the spiritual claws tore three gashes through her torso. Not losing his momentum, he slammed his shoulder into her side and sent her tumbling across the garden.


    Earning a free moment, Kai pulled Soeraina back to her feet. "She can drain strength," he said, "but she''s not immortal. Get hunters with ranged Classes."


    "You... how did you...?" Soeraina stared between his soul and his arm. "No, that doesn''t matter. I misjudged you earlier, and I-"


    "Go!" Kai shook her before she could throw out any more useless apologies. She finally nodded and raced in the other direction. He realized that the head of the entire Guild had just obeyed him, but there was no time to think about that.


    His blow had been solid, but he knew it wouldn''t keep Anaelina down for long. Kai braced himself in combat position, ready to see her rise from where she''d fallen. An instant later he saw a silver flicker and then she was beside him, reaching out to grasp his head.


    A sword pierced her arm as Tusquo stepped between them.


    Anaelina grimaced more in irritation than pain and swiped at him. Tusquo deflected her hand by withdrawing his sword and tried to cut back. Despite his disciplined movements, he wasn''t fast enough. Her hand wrapped around his throat the next second...


    And Tusquo''s sword sliced through her side. Anaelina staggered back, for the first time shocked.


    "Retreat," Tusquo said brusquely, then raised his sword to attack again.


    That didn''t make any sense to Kai, but he assumed the other man wouldn''t have said it without reason. As he ran toward the garden exit, he saw the other Irunians closing in. It looked like Anaelina wasn''t able to drain the Path of Steel, but that didn''t mean they were immune. Leaving them behind felt so wrong that he almost doubled back.


    "Kai, this way!" Razz grabbed his shoulder and pulled him toward the street. "She''s tracking you, so we need you to lead her straight east."


    "What''s going on?" Kai asked as they ran. Razz just pushed his shoulder to urge him on.


    "There''s no time to explain, just move!"


    Though he hated to run from a fight, Kai kept moving because of the look in Razz''s eyes. The young merchant had been absolutely terrified, but he had stayed in the garden when many hunters had fled. He wouldn''t have done that unless he had planned an ambush or something else. Even though he didn''t understand the plan, Kai ran into the street.


    It seemed to have been somewhat evacuated, possibly just by the panic. No ambush he could see. Zae Zin Nim appeared beside him a moment later with a grim expression.


    "Did that woman track you all the way here?" she asked.


    "I don''t know." Kai glanced back over his shoulder and saw nothing. "It''s hard to believe this is a coincidence."


    "Then she must have a specific method. If it''s-"


    Whatever Zae Zin Nim had been about to say, it was cut off by a laugh. Anaelina burst from the Orgoron estate and sprinted toward them at full speed.


    Just before she arrived, a body of steel struck her from the side. An Irunian elite had covered themselves completely in liquid steel and tackled Anaelina to the ground. The armored form struggled on top and began smashing downward and Kai wanted to go back, but he was still being pulled forward.


    Only after they turned two more corners onto a smaller street did Zae Zin Nim let him stop. She looked back once, then turned to him. "I don''t think we can kill her, Kai. She can''t fight everyone here, but she''ll retreat before she''s beaten. That means the only way we''ll be free of her tracking is for you to break the connection."


    "What if there isn''t a connection?" Kai demanded. Could he still hear the battle?


    "Then we''ll have a problem. If she''s using some chakra technique from Rosemount, there may be nothing we can do. But I suspect her feeding on you left some sort of connection. You need to sever it."


    Zae Zin Nim guided him to look internally, just like they did for qi cultivation. Kai struggled to focus, but it was difficult with a deadly battle going on so close. No matter how hard he stared at his own essence, he didn''t see anything that might be a connection.


    If anything, the symbols representing him were even clearer than before. Only one line contained ambiguous symbols and that one had only emerged after he ate the twisted monster core. After draining him for the first time she had left almost nothing... what could be connecting them?


    Anaelina started to pass their street and skidded to a halt as she saw them. Too late.

 Chapter 87: Monstrous Hunger

    Fighting the Irunians had clearly taken a toll, because Anaelina bled from multiple wounds. Yet she still moved with ease and her eyes were glowing silver, just as they had when she''d tried to kill him. As she walked toward them, she flicked her hair back over her shoulder.


    "So stubborn!" She clicked her tongue at them like a disapproving parent. "But I''m afraid I''m not letting up now. There''s something strange about you that I''m desperately curious about."


    Zae Zin Nim elbowed him in the ribs and stepped forward. She still wanted him to try the severing technique? It made the most sense to him to fight together and hope that they could kill Anaelina, but she seemed very determined, so he focused internally.


    When Anaelina attacked, Zae Zin Nim met her with a qi strike. This time the silver demon wasn''t holding back and her aura smothered the alley. Blue flames lit up around Zae Zin Nim and she didn''t even stumble, allowing her to land one solid hit. Not enough.


    While they fought, Kai desperately searched deeper within himself. He abandoned the idea of using his spiritual sight and scrabbled for something intuitive. There couldn''t be any trace of Anaelina''s monstrous nature within him or he would have noticed. Unless it could be the Monstrous Hunger? When Kai pondered it, his vision began to dim, as if he was sinking into a pitch-black pool...


    A cry of pain pulled him back. He saw that Anaelina had grabbed Zae Zin Nim by the shoulder and now forced the other woman to her knees. Qi began to flow through her grip and Kai realized with horror that it was only beginning. Soon she would begin to drain away Zae Zin Nim''s fundamental cultivation, destroying everything that she had worked so hard for.


    Kai attacked with everything he had, but just before he used a claw, Anaelina lifted Zae Zin Nim as a human shield. He hesitated and a second later her hand was around his throat, slamming him into the wall.


    "Now, let''s see..." Anaelina gave him a predatory grin and squeezed... and then faltered. "What have you done to yourself? I can feel a deliciously strong power, but it''s incredibly inaccessible... hmm..."


    She spoke like her draining skill wasn''t working, but Kai''s head was swirling. Even if his strength wasn''t draining, he couldn''t stay conscious for long. His vision was going dark again, the water was rising, then all at once he plunged through.


    .


    ..


    .


    At first he thrashed wildly in endless darkness, then Kai flailed into the air. He landed on what should have been a shore, but everything felt wrong. The sand didn''t stick to his hands and felt oddly smooth, like it was composed of endless dark beads.


    Black water, black sand, black sky, yet somehow he could see. Kai stumbled to his feet and looked around himself in confusion.


    The only possible explanation was that he had been sent inside himself, either spiritually or mentally. It was almost like the technique Zae Zin Nim had been trying to teach him, but something had definitely gone wrong. What was he supposed to do in this empty landscape?


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    Thoughts of her urged him to hurry. Everything felt timeless around him, but the real world might still be moving forward. Anaelina might be draining away everything he''d gained or killing Zae Zin Nim. There was no time to waste.


    When Kai pushed inward, a monster erupted from the sand. He raised a fist to fight it, only to stumble directly through. Thrown off balance, he staggered several steps before turning back and beginning to understand.


    What he''d interpreted as a monster attack was actually a motionless Direboar. Not only that, he was sure that it was the exact beast he had fought in the Hunter Trials. Now that he wasn''t so disoriented, he reached out and touched the fur. It wasn''t ghostly anymore and instead thrummed with the strength he so often felt filling himself.


    As he walked further, Kai almost stumbled over the Gomodo. Moving a little to one side, he managed to find the Isulfr. None of them moved as they had in life. The more he walked, the more confident he felt. Even if this was some sort of distorted mental technique, he was moving inside his own essence. This strange place was him, so he should be in charge.


    Quickly moving in a circle, Kai made all the monsters he knew surface from the dark sand. Then the only issue was finding what didn''t belong. One of the statue-like monsters was an amorphous mass and shifted every time he looked at it, but he was sure that was the unknown monster core. No, there must be something else.


    Eventually he spotted it: a single brown bead amid all the black. Kai picked it up and immediately felt the long-forgotten sensation of his Laborer Class. Was this a final remnant that hadn''t been stolen, or had Anaelina intentionally left it to track him? He didn''t see any hint of her silvery power, so the bead was his best guess.


    He had worried that it would be hard to destroy, but when Kai squeezed the bead in his fist, it crumbled instantly. That felt right. Regardless of whether or not it broke the connection between them, he was glad to turn his back on his old Class for good.


    Now the only problem was that he hadn''t left his soul.


    Kai tried to run back to the water and only got his pants wet. When he tried to tunnel through the sand, it gently pushed him back to the surface. How was he supposed to leave? People could be fighting and dying outside while he fumbled with a new technique.


    "No. Calm down. Think." Kai took a deep breath and examined his inner world more carefully.


    It had seemed larger at first, but he was standing on a tiny island of dark sand in the midst of a dark ocean that extended forever. The monsters within him stood motionless... and he noted something about them. Not only were they arranged in a circle, they all seemed to be looking inward.


    When he began walking to the center, his legs shook. There was something at the heart of all this, he was certain of it. He tried to tell himself that it would just be the human aspects of his strength or something else that would be a simple explanation. Instead he just kept thinking about the fact that there was one other thing unrepresented...


    Something ravenous burst from the sand and leapt upon him with a world-shaking roar and it all came apart.


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai opened his eyes and saw that Anaelina still had him pinned against the wall. She looked more frustrated than before, but not much time could have passed. He still didn''t feel any of his strength draining away as it had the first time.


    "I guess I didn''t lose you after all." She grimaced up at him. "Honestly, this is the first time someone has resisted like this. Tell me what happened to you - how are you doing this? If you don''t, I''ll start tearing off the woman''s limbs."


    When Kai opened his mouth, unsure what he was going to say, he took a deep breath. He hadn''t intended to, the air just seemed to flow inward. Yet Anaelina staggered and grabbed her hand around his neck with her other arm.


    "Impossible... how..." For the first time, he saw her look truly afraid.


    A palm struck her in the side and shockwaves of blue fire exploded through the street. Anaelina hurtled into an opposing building and disappeared.


    "Be careful," Zae Zin Nim said. "That didn''t finish her, and she might..."


    Kai''s breath ended and he felt his consciousness slipping away. There was no island to greet him this time, only darkness.

 Chapter 88: Final Transactions

    Thatch. Kai hadn''t woken up staring at thatch since he''d been a young orphan, not yet adopted by the Granfian clan. He blinked several times before trying to sit up.


    The rest of the room matched the roof, so he had been moved to some village house. After everything he''d been through, he expected to be in pain, but his body felt perfectly normal. Also encouraging was the fact that Zae Zin Nim sat on a chair beside him, cultivating.


    "Are you alright?" he asked. "Did Anaelina manage to drain any of your qi?"


    "What kind of question is that? Have some sense of self-preservation!" Her frown quickly faded, however. "No, you jumped in before I could suffer any permanent harm. You''ve only been asleep several hours and there''s been no sign of her since then."


    "Then where are we and what are we doing here?"


    "It''s too much trouble to keep track of everything. Let me get the merchant to explain."


    She stalked out and, not long after, pushed Razz into the room. He gave a broad smile and wave as he sat down in her vacated chair. "Hey, Kai! Glad to see you''re alright. We suspected you would be, but that battle was rough on everyone. You do feel fine, right?"


    "More or less." Kai shifted to a more comfortable sitting position, because he could see what was coming. "What''s the situation in Rayakan and why have we been moved to wherever this is?"


    "Well, in one sense things are going great. The woman who attacked the market has not been seen again. We''ve increased the guard and everyone is in communication, so we don''t think she''s attacking individuals. This is absolutely terrible for the Corinin clan, let me tell you. There''s absolutely no way they can dodge the fact that they showed off their new mercenary and then she went wild."


    "All of this is good for you, isn''t it?"


    "Won''t deny it." Razz spread his hands in an exaggerated shrug. "The Orgoron clan isn''t taking the blame, but they lost a lot of hunters in the fighting and their market event was destroyed with significant losses. The Lantrian clan is the only one coming out of this looking stable."


    "Plus you have the support of the Irunians."


    "And the general public! But that brings me to the difficult part of this: I''d like to ask your permission to stab you in the back."


    Kai stared at him flatly. "Explain."


    "There''s one little problem about the killer: she was extremely obviously going after you. The public doesn''t know why, I don''t know why, and frankly it doesn''t matter why." Razz''s smile turned apologetic. "Regardless of whether it''s your fault, a lot of people blame you as responsible somehow. The Corinins are on the back foot, but if I continue associating with you, they''re going to use that against me."


    "I see how it''s going, then." Kai rubbed his eyes as he caught up and realized what would happen. "You kicked us out of the city and you want to deny all involvement."


    "Not deny, since that could be disproven, but I''ll definitely disavow you. I''m sorry about that, I really am. I would have liked to have you in Rayakan for longer."


    "One condition, or I''ll march to the Lantrian estate and announce our eternal alliance." Kai stood up to face Razz and waited until the other man rose as well. "I want you to look me in the eye and tell me that you''ll run Rayakan better than the Corinin clan did. No expensive excesses. Make the Hunters Guild respectable again. No mercantile games... okay, fewer mercantile games. But don''t enrich yourself by exploiting the people you''re meant to be leading."


    Razz sighed and pushed his hair away from his face. "Didn''t we already cover this? Yes, I''ll be trying to do those things. But there''s no point making me tell you what you want to hear."


    "Promise me. If I hear otherwise, I''ll come back."


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    "Hah!" Razz squirmed a little but then thrust out a hand. "Alright, I promise. I''m glad I met you, Kai. Hopefully one day you''ll be glad you met me."


    Kai shook his hand firmly. The idea of a hunter making a deal with a merchant would have been laughable not long ago, but all the chaos he''d been through had changed more than just his power. When Razz let go, he stepped back and gestured to the door with an elaborate bow.


    "I guess it''s good you got that agreement out of me now, because I also have a lot of bribes for you. They should still be waiting."


    That part Kai hadn''t been anticipating at all. He saw that Zae Zin Nim was waiting outside the door, listening more than she had let on. She raised a sack of coins. "He gave us back what was lost during the fight."


    "Whatever else you can say about the merciless indiscriminate killer, she wasn''t greedy." Razz pulled him into a village square. "But that''s just returning what should have belonged to you in the first place. I can do better than that."


    Though he didn''t recognize their exact location, Kai knew the look of villages around Rayakan by now. This one was slightly smaller than the one where they''d killed the Gomodo, with worse roads and a lot more thatch. He didn''t see any actual villagers, just a cluster of Lantrian officials and a few others. Several looked oddly familiar, and he definitely recognized Soeraina Corinin.


    "I misjudged you when we first met." She looked like she didn''t want to apologize, but she couldn''t meet his eyes. "I thought you were another northerner looking to come south and indulge yourself. But instead you showed me just how weak our Guild had become. That will change."


    "I''m glad for all of that," Kai said, "but are you sure you want to be talking to me in public?"


    "Let the public think what it wants. Razz tells me that you''ll be moving on anyway, and I wanted to give you this." She reached into her belt, very like his own, and revealed the pale sphere of the soul fruit. "I think you''ll make better use of this than we would. Take it."


    He wasn''t going to refuse: Kai''s hand had already closed around the fruit. "Thank you."


    She nodded and turned away. As several men and women moved forward, Kai finally placed them: they were some of the merchants he''d seen at the market. He hadn''t expected that at all, considering that he didn''t even know any of their names.


    "Our trip to Rayakan didn''t exactly end the way we''d wanted," the head merchant said. "We lost much of our merchandise and, even though they promise another market in time, the city no longer feels like a safe place to conduct business. Since you were one of the few to show real interest, we wanted to offer you our goods at a very reasonable-"


    Razz coughed loudly.


    "-at a significant discount. What do you say, can we help one another?"


    That didn''t exactly help Kai''s impression of merchants, but he supposed they were more citizens who had been on the wrong side of the violence. As it turned out, whether because of their gratitude or Razz''s pressure, they weren''t lying about offering good deals. In the end he purchased a pair of drake fruits and several mana plums for just a little over two thousand Eagles. It hadn''t been the path he''d intended to take, but now he didn''t need to compromise.


    With that done, the final business seemed to be over. Kai glanced around the village one more time before turning back to Razz. "No Irun?"


    "They retreated to their own camp. Something about an urgent message, but I think they''re just shaken and want some time alone. Oh, but your friend Tusquo survived. The Irunians all fared pretty well in the battle, actually." Razz shifted awkwardly, then reverted to a grin. "I guess there''s really nothing else. I''ll take care of Rayakan, don''t worry. You head back north and do... whatever it is you''re doing."


    "Good luck, Razz." They shook hands one more time, then Kai gathered his things and left.


    When he''d come to Rayakan months ago, all he''d been thinking of was finding a mana pool and fulfilling his promises. Somehow he left it not only significantly stronger, but carrying a small fortune in coins and magical items. A "soft" southern city had proved to contain far more trials than he''d ever suspected.


    Zae Zin Nim slipped from nearby shadows to follow him once he got out of the village. "Are we done here?"


    "Yeah, looks like it. Where do we go next?"


    "I want to stay away from civilization until we can both advance, especially since we don''t know the current situation with Anaelina. But we should head north. I''d like to test myself against more of these monsters."


    "Works for me."


    With both of them in good physical condition, they could walk much more quickly than when they had arrived at the city. They stayed alongside the river for a while, nodding to the sailors who waved at them, then eventually veered away to head straight north. Kai wanted to talk, yet he was still thinking about everything that had happened.


    Was all this good or bad luck? Any plans he''d had for Rayakan were gone now and he had no choice but to leave it to Razz. Maybe it was just luck and trying to label it any further was a mistake.


    "Noticed them?" Zae Zin Nim asked. Kai blinked, then looked back.


    Sunlight glinted off something in the air behind them. A crystal diamond floated in the air, far behind but slowly closing. Even from this distance he could see it was carrying two figures, so Kai just groaned. It wasn''t over after all.


    "Are the peasants going to come out and defend us this time?"


    "No," Kai said, "I don''t think so. They''ll wait until we''re away from any witnesses, then strike."


    "Good." As Zae Zin Nim spoke, a wisp of blue flame escaped her lips.

 Chapter 89: Exiting like Entering

    It was strange, walking along calmly while knowing that a battle was impending. Oh, there was a remote possibility that the two elite mercenaries were following them to deliver a message. Or maybe to give them gifts because the Corinin clan had turned over a new leaf and was just so generous.


    Given their opponents'' Krysali vehicle, outrunning them was impossible. Turning around to face them offered no real advantage, and neither side was trying to pretend they didn''t see the other. Since one area of the wasteland was as good as another, they just kept walking.


    "Do you think they''ll attack together or one-on-one?" he eventually asked. Anything to break the growing silence.


    "They didn''t bring allies," Zae Zin Nim said without looking back. "That suggests they''re confident and they''ll likely fight individually. I''ll take the Krysali, unless you aren''t confident about the knight''s armor."


    "Yeah, Barroguk could be a problem, but..." Kai looked down at his hand. He still felt a bit silly bending his fingers like a claw, but he could feel the power within. "No, I want to fight him if they go one-on-one. But what if they work together?"


    "If so, they would probably try to eliminate you first. That would be a mistake we could punish. If given the chance, we ruin the flying one''s vehicle and armor first. Don''t let them escape this time."


    "Yeah, makes sense."


    So they were back to walking. Kai scratched at his jaw and realized that he hadn''t shaved since before leaving for the market. He considered stopping to do so, just to mock their pursuers. No, probably best not to give any indicators either way. When they met, it would be strength against strength.


    As the time stretched on, Kai decided to pull out one of the drake fruit he''d just purchased. It was even spikier than he remembered and tore apart in little shards. They hurt going down his throat slightly, but then he could feel the new power flowing through his muscles. Maybe it would have been better to use later, but he had a feeling that this was going to test his Physique like never before.


    Past the last farms, on a stretch of mostly empty scrub-land, the Krysali diamond finally flew overhead. It arced around to block their path and Barroguk Clanless jumped off to land in the center of the road.


    "You know we can''t let you go." He rolled his shoulders so his armor clanked and then drew his sword. "Come back to Rayakan and answer for your crimes."


    "Which crimes are those?" Kai asked. It came out snarky, but he was honestly curious if someone was finally going to accuse him about the heist.


    "Whatever Dommag says you''re guilty of." Barroguk smiled humorlessly. "You''re lucky that we weren''t there when that bitch went crazy, or you wouldn''t have gotten away with everything so easily."


    "Why are you so loyal to the Corinin clan? If you''re after money, shouldn''t you be worried about how much they''re losing?"


    "This is personal for me," Iroaki said from her diamond platform. Kai was surprised at the venom in her eyes when she stared down at them. "We were commanding premium rates, then two children stop us from finishing a job and the Corinins start questioning us. I''ve been intending to kill you ever since the river."


    "Alright." Zae Zin Nim fired qi toward her and the two of them began exchanging attacks almost instantly.


    At first Kai was alert for a sucker punch, but they seemed focused on one another. That left him free to turn to Barroguk, who wasn''t so quick to act. He hefted his sword slowly, brushed off the pommel, then began his assault.


    There was no trick to it, just solid technique backed up by raw power. Even though someone with his strength could easily wield a sword like that with one hand, Barroguk used both for tightly controlled swordplay. Always cuts or thrusts at the center of the body, advancing a half step at a time, yet devastating if they ever connected.


    Kai deflected the sword with nothing but his gauntlet. The first time they''d fought, the blows would have pushed through his guard. Now that he was fueled by Direboar''s Strength, he could more than keep up. His opponent began to frown, not understanding how he was deflecting such heavy strikes, but he didn''t open any weaknesses.


    Fine, Kai would have to create one. When he managed to knock his opponent''s sword wide, Kai turned the deflection into a vertical slash from Rockspider''s Claw.


    The spiritual claw screeched across his opponent''s armor, tearing three rents through it. He saw blood and struck again. An armored boot caught him in the chest the next second and he fell back, then desperately tumbled to the side as the sword slammed down into the ground.


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    Once Kai came up, however, he saw that his opponent hadn''t gotten out clean. Barroguk had managed to lower his head to avoid the worst, but the claws had torn three cuts through his breastplate and parts of it buckled backward. But underneath... blood had been drawn, but his E-rank Physique was too durable for him to die so easily.


    "It''s ridiculous how far you''ve come, boy." Barroguk held his sword at extension toward him. "And I don''t like this foreign claw skill you''ve mastered. But the gap is too large. It''s laughable for you to think you can beat me."


    "Trying to convince me to surrender already?" Kai made a playful scratching motion and laughed when his opponent flinched.


    Barroguk lunged an instant later, turning the bravado position of his raised sword into a deadly thrust. But he''d underestimated how Kai''s monster-fueled body had recovered during their short conversation. He was able to dodge just aside from the thrust, slap the side of the blade with his gauntlet, then deliver another claw strike to the chest.


    This time Barroguk turned aside, managing to deflect most of it on his side armor. But his wounds had slowed him down slightly and Kai''s next claw caught him in the legs.


    The impact tore through straps and sent smaller plates flying. Barroguk endured it, but he staggered, and that was enough time for Kai to tackle him. Once he was on the ground, Kai pinned him and extended his hand in front of his helm, ready with a straight claw.


    "Are you really willing to go this far for a bunch of merchants paying you? I could have killed you right then."


    "You should have," Barroguk growled. "No more talk."


    Kai tried to stab down, but he''d underestimated his opponent. Barroguk managed to jerk his head aside so that the spiritual claws bit into the ground instead, and his retaliation was devastating. One gauntlet struck Kai in the chin hard enough to knock him into the air, then he swept his greatsword upward, spinning it violently.


    Somehow Kai managed to stagger back out of range, but he barely stayed on his feet. The punch had rattled him and the sword had opened a nasty wound on his side. However that spinning sword technique worked, it felt like it had cut through his muscle and smashed against bone. At least one of his ribs was broken, which wouldn''t heal even if he earned some time.


    Which he couldn''t. Barroguk rushed him without the slightest hesitation, death in his eyes.


    .


    ..


    .


    Iroaki of Philaster was good. Despite the scorn Zae Zin Nim had heaped upon the local derivation of cultivation, it could still be a threat. It wasn''t simply armor: after Iroaki grew a crown around her head, she was able to manifest brand new crystals from midair.


    But the battle was still turning against her. Zae Zin Nim''s Coldfire Corona seared around her dantian, granting each one of her qi attacks new intensity. Bolts that might have given way to the crystal shards before now burned through and kept flying, forcing her opponent to dodge increasingly desperately.


    The outcome was inevitable. She had improved substantially during the previous months, while her opponent had waited, confident and static in her skills. Several qi attacks had gotten through, chipping away at her armor. There was no need to take any additional risks when every passing moment tilted the scales more in her favor.


    Zae Zin Nim saw crystals forming beneath her from the corner of her vision. Too late: the next crystal shards didn''t manifest in the air, they tore up from the ground.


    Even at her full speed, she could only partially dodge aside: the crystals tore through her hip and she tumbled to the ground with a cry of pain. She could sense the power growing underneath her, more crystals emerging to impale her.


    Slapping the ground with both hands, she pushed herself up into the air just ahead of the crystal spikes. Again she saw movement from the corner of her eyes: Iroaki was flying directly toward her bearing a crystal lance, far too powerful for her to destroy with a qi attack.


    Just before it struck, Zae Zin Nim twisted to the side, pushing the fatal tip aside with one hand and landing a palm strike with the other.


    Her opponent tumbled in one direction and her diamond clattered to the ground in the other. It would have been a perfect moment to finish her off, but Zae Zin Nim needed to catch her breath.


    Iroaki really was comparable in speed and strength to a Body Refinement stage cultivator, so she couldn''t be taken lightly. The martial arts Zae Zin Nim used just flowed out of all her training naturally in a way they wouldn''t have even several months ago. Training with Kai, and even adjusting to the rough style of Deadwaste, had sharpened her in ways she hadn''t realized before that moment.


    Her opponent was struggling to get up, building more crystal armor around herself. Ignoring her, Zae Zin Nim instead walked over to her fallen vehicle to see if it would obey commands. The diamond wasn''t large, but she would finally be able to-


    Spikes grew from it and she barely pulled her foot back in time. Apparently not.


    Now that Iroaki was fully armored, she began to advance slowly and steadily. Her posture really was like a cultivator''s, and the swords of crystal she was forming around herself were extremely familiar. Those would begin moving soon and they''d be immensely dangerous. That would be quite a final trick... if Zae Zin Nim hadn''t saved one of her own.


    She ran closer, directly into the swords. At the last moment, she let her flames flow out of her soul and cover her body. The blades shattered off her blue aura, Iroaki''s eyes widened in surprise, then Zae Zin Nim struck her chest with a focused qi strike. Iroaki spat up blood as her internal organs failed and then she collapsed.


    As Zae Zin Nim swayed slightly on her feet, she saw all the crystal swords crumbling around her. It was really over, then. She thought she had saved her defense for the correct moment, but it had still drained her more than expected. Maybe the corona was enough to protect her against something minor, but it wasn''t enough for her to charge into a swarm of swords again.


    Ignoring the fallen crystals, she turned to see how Kai was doing. He had taken a grievous wound to the side and now he was struggling. Normally she would want to let him finish his own battle, but with the greatsword flashing so close to him... he could be decapitated before she had time to interfere.


    The most logical thing to do would be to cut down his opponent from behind. Zae Zin Nim decided that she would trust Kai and wait.

 Chapter 90: All Loose Ends

    Now Kai had no choice but to dodge backward from his opponent''s careful strikes, because each one of them might twist dangerously. One of those strikes had destroyed his gauntlet, so he couldn''t even rely on that. Both of them were injured, but he was being forced to move more. His opponent''s superior Physique versus Kai''s monstrous abilities restoring him... he wasn''t sure who would win.


    One horizontal strike went much too wide, so Kai tried to duck under it and swipe at his opponent''s legs. Barroguk leapt over his claw with surprising agility, nearly catching him in the head with a kick. Kai scrambled backward, trying to get back into a stable position but not given a single inch.


    A thrust was coming directly for his chest and he couldn''t dodge. There was no alternative... Kai grabbed it with the remnants of his gauntlet to bind it in place.


    Barroguk grinned savagely and twisted his blade.


    Kai let out a roar and swung harder than he ever had before. His spiritual claws tore through his own gauntlet, impacted his opponent''s blade as it began to twist, and then slammed through to bite deep into his side.


    As Barroguk stumbled from the impact, Kai wavered. He''d drawn deeper than he had before, and though it had worked, he was dizzy. Only the sight of the greatsword on the ground, and his opponent''s hands reaching for it, pushed him to act quickly enough.


    He tried another claw and came up dry, so he shifted to a punch. It wasn''t enough, Barroguk struck back. They exchanged blows in an uncontrolled brawl before Kai finally drove his opponent back to the ground and raised his hand to finish him off.


    Barroguk caught his punch, then grabbed his other wrist. The older man grinned through bloody teeth as he began exerting his full Physique to push Kai back. There was no way Kai could compete with him as a human, but he hadn''t been just a human for a long time. Embracing the monstrous power within himself, Kai began to press back. He should have redirected to pin his opponent, but his inner rage wanted to win.


    "That can''t be..." Barroguk stared at his hands being forced back, then at Kai. "I can see your strength, p-plain as day... you can''t..."


    No more talk. As he forced his opponent down, Kai''s mouth began to open against his will. He felt like his jaw was extending, growing new teeth, transforming into something inhuman. In that moment, he didn''t know what he looked like and he didn''t care. All he knew was that his prey was terrified.


    "G-g-get away from me!" Barroguk was struggling simply to escape now, but it was too late.


    Kai''s jaw snapped shut and he felt steel and bone crunch between his teeth. His opponent''s body immediately went limp. As Kai returned to himself, he drew back and grabbed his jaw. It felt completely normal. Could it possibly have grown like he was feeling, or was that an illusion? Somehow Barroguk''s armor lay headless in front of him.


    "That''s a bit much," Zae Zin Nim said. She looked as though she''d taken a bit of a beating herself, but she was watching him calmly.


    "Did I... eat his head?" Kai felt his teeth, which were still bloody. His tongue tasted a bit like metal. "That doesn''t make any sense..."


    "Clearly a technique. I don''t know what he saw that had him so scared, but to me it looked like you just snapped your teeth closed. You manifested a form of energy, just like your claw, and took a bite out of the top of his armor."


    "Ugh... I didn''t intend that, I just..."


    "Are you going to eat him?" Zae Zin Nim tilted her head to one side so her uneven hair fell across her face. "Eating monsters for your strange path is one thing, but if you start embracing cannibalism..."


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    "No, definitely not." It wasn''t really a moral stand, though, because he felt no hunger at the idea. Trying not to think about how he''d feel if the corpse started looking tasty, Kai just checked his wounds. "I guess that''s the last loose end wrapped up."


    "And hopefully that''s the end of it for good. Let''s loot the bodies and go."


    She seemed remarkably unconcerned given what had happened. After rubbing his jaw a while longer, Kai decided that he didn''t care. It was the same technique he''d seen with the Gomodo: he wasn''t simply eating, he was consuming essence directly. If that was the bite technique that had been lurking inside him for so long, it made sense why he couldn''t tap into it so easily.


    The two mercenaries weren''t carrying much of use, not even money, which was the one thing Kai would expect of a mercenary. He took the greatsword, since it was still mostly undamaged, and Zae Zin Nim had harvested a variety of Krysali crystals.


    "I suppose that''s one more gift for Razz," Kai said as they began walking. "Without their mercenaries, the Corinin clan will be in even worse shape."


    "No more talk about Rayakan," she said. "That''s in the past, let''s move forward."


    "Well, the good news is that we have almost a month before the next Hunter Trials. We shouldn''t need to rush back, then we can be fully trained for the incursion..."


    .


    ..


    .


    Razz sat behind the biggest desk he''d ever owned in his life and stretched. It wasn''t the desk that got him, it was all the papers spread across it. No reports of the killer, increased trade, new Irunian deals. Now that his family had their permits restored, they were able to begin full scale trading again, but that was only the beginning.


    The powerful clans of Rayakan were too shocked by the violence to argue with him, and meanwhile he could make some popular changes. A few tweaks to import tariffs and the villagers should be much happier. Everyone else would hate it, but trade would increase and they wouldn''t be able to complain. Those who lost out on their profits didn''t have the strength to oppose him anymore.


    Even the Hunters Guild was progressing well. Because Soeraina led it, technically the Corinins were still in control and no one could accuse him of trying to push them out of the city. He was, of course, just not so obviously.


    Soeraina herself had proved remarkably reasonable, even after paying her debt to Kai. They''d no doubt clash in the future, but for now they could work together. By the time Orgoron recovered, Rayakan would be a different city and they''d have to play the new game. He''d make a tidy profit and he''d even be able to keep his promises.


    Dommag Corinin forced his way into the office, face almost purple. "Just how did you assassinate my best mercenaries?"


    "I truly, honestly, sincerely don''t know what you''re talking about." Razz leaned back in his chair and put his arms behind his head. "I was wondering where they had gone, since I expected you to use them to lean on smaller merchants."


    "You know full well what happened. You expect me to believe that those two brats defeated mercenaries worth tens of thousands?"


    "You''re making bad decisions left and right lately, aren''t you?"


    As Dommag went apoplectic, Razz continued his confident facade. Actually, he was relieved to hear that. He had predicted that Dommag would let Kai and his friend go instead of throwing valuable resources after them, and he''d apparently been wrong. For that matter, he wouldn''t have guessed that they could win against the elites... apparently he''d underestimated them yet again.


    "You''re so happy with your control of Rayakan?" Dommag grinned unpleasantly and began fumbling inside his fancy tunic.


    "Technically the elders of the Lantrian clan are in charge, and I''m just transferring goods for my parents, so you''re talking to the wrong man."


    "This isn''t another game. This is about responsibilities." Dommag threw a battered letter down on the desk triumphantly. "That arrived yesterday, straight from the north. An official missive for all Rayakan. If you want to own the city, all the consequences can be yours as well."


    Message delivered, Dommag marched out of the room. Razz was a bit taken aback at how confident he''d been. He carefully checked the letter for poisons or traps, but it appeared to be perfectly ordinary. The seal of Goralia across it had been broken, but he didn''t suspect that this was some kind of trap. No, Dommag had been too triumphant for that, it was just bizarre.


    As Razz read over the letter, his amusement faded. This couldn''t be a ploy because it just didn''t make any sense. He doubted that Dommag could even imagine something like this, it was so far outside his petty little world. And if the letter was true...


    "What''s the fastest way north?" he demanded as he left his chamber. An official fumbled a paper in surprise.


    "Razzagah? Why are you going north?"


    "Not just me. We need to make an emergency shipment. A big one."

 Chapter 91: Morality Fruit

    Winning a battle was great. Benefits included not dying. But maybe Kai''s life had gotten too easy, because he was aggravated that he''d won the battle and yet hadn''t broken through.


    No matter how many times he checked, his Physique remained stubbornly at F-9. He''d pushed himself past his limits and taken a severe beating. For that matter, he''d eaten a drake fruit right before the battle. Yet none of that had been enough to take him to E rank. Was it stuck there solely because he hadn''t eaten the soul fruit first? It was so rare that he hadn''t wanted to use it until he was prepared.


    "You''re still upset about your Physique ranking, aren''t you?" Zae Zin Nim glanced at him with an expression that left her plausible deniability that she was amused.


    "Well, can you blame me?" Kai grimaced as he rubbed his still-healing arm. "He was able to overpower me for too much of that fight, and I struggled to injure him. If I hadn''t had access to Direboar''s Strength, I would have lost."


    "But you did. Are you really upset about fighting someone with a Class and twenty years of experience on you?"


    It was technically true, it just wasn''t any comfort. If Kai had just managed to advance a little further, then he''d have had a decisive strength advantage. What if Zae Zin Nim had been unlucky in her fight and needed help? What if more opponents had followed after the elites? He couldn''t afford to end fights lying half-dead.


    "Didn''t you buy two drake fruit?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "You could eat the second one before you try to break through in a more controlled environment. It''s usually good to try both, since everyone''s path is different."


    "What? No, that one''s for you." He had been carrying it in his belt, but only because he had more space, so he handed it toward her. She stared down at his hand. "Didn''t you say that you needed to improve your Physique before you could reach the next stage? I can''t help you cultivate, but maybe this will work."


    "That... could be true." After examining the fruit thoroughly, she began cutting it into small pieces to eat them gradually.


    "I was assuming that half of the stuff we bought was for you. Well, except the soul fruit, since you don''t really need that."


    "Mm."


    "Do you think that I''d be making a mistake by eating it now? I''m afraid I might be wasting my effort against barriers, but I also don''t want to take it early and waste something so valuable."


    "It''s probably fine." It seemed like she might say no more, but after she finished swallowing a piece of drake fruit, Zae Zin Nim became more talkative. "I''m the wrong person to ask about breaking the 99 Power barrier, since it was built into the path set before me. But I do know the theory. It''s more like expanding the borders of your soul than evolving one part of that soul. The only reason you wouldn''t want to expand early is if you didn''t have a clear-sighted view of your essence."


    That actually might disqualify him. Kai took out the perfectly spherical fruit and turned it over in his hands. Sometimes the white peel seemed entirely opaque, other times he thought he could feel power surging within it. Not mana or qi, something more fundamental. It couldn''t go to waste.


    "I wouldn''t worry too much about wasting your training or cultivation before then," she continued. "The ''other side'' of you seems to soak up anything. It actually might be slowing you down in some ways because it''s always hungry. But if you were up against a barrier where hard work or special treasures wouldn''t help, I think it would absorb all the excess."


    "So you''re suggesting that I should wait." Kai started to put back the fruit, but Zae Zin Nim shook her head.


    "Not necessarily. Your essence might be strange, but it doesn''t strike me as all that unbalanced. You''ve adapted everything you''ve received fairly well so far. The problem is likely in your head, so the question is if you have a mental framework for every part of your essence."


    "Honestly, I''ve been thinking about my soul as being split into two halves, but I don''t think that''s really true. Though I should say..." He realized that he had never told her about his surreal experience while Anaelina was trying to drain his power. It felt awkward to describe such a vision at first, but Zae Zin Nim nodded along and so he told her about everything.


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    Well, nearly everything. When it came to what had emerged from the center of the circle, it was just a formless "something" that he couldn''t adequately describe.


    "That does sound like a mental framework," she said after a pause. "The question is whether it''s a good enough one. Are you comfortable with this dark island?"


    "I''m not sure how I''d know if I was. I haven''t been doing this very long."


    "If it was entirely inappropriate, you would probably face more serious consequences. But we have time to do nothing but train, so you might as well give it some more thought."


    He did so starting from that moment, continuing through their evening training schedule. There wasn''t much conversation, aside from Zae Zin Nim once complaining about Krysali cultivation and the apparent limitations of its flying capacity. But instead of thinking about the monstrous talents within him, he found that his attention kept wandering.


    At first he had gotten irritated at himself for the lack of mental discipline, then he gradually began to wonder if it was really an accident. He kept thinking about Rayakan and the actions he''d taken there. Or, perhaps more importantly, how they had left it. There were things he''d wanted to discuss and never had.


    The next day after their early training, Kai decided there was no point drawing it out any longer. "Zae Zin Nim, do you really not care about anything we did in Rayakan?


    "What?" She blinked over at him as if she didn''t understand the question. "I gave you my opinions on all our decisions. It was an effective place for growth, even if only temporarily."


    "I mean about the clans, the Guild, and... the whole social order. You can''t say you don''t care. You seemed to have strong implicit opinions when the villagers defended us."


    "Because that was just unnatural. But as for the city... I think it was for the best. I liked Razzagah Lantrian better than some and think he can be trusted, for what he is. The former leaders were clearly wasteful. The city will be a little stronger with them deposed."


    "But you don''t think it matters," Kai pressed.


    "Not in an ultimate sense..." Zae Zin Nim made a vague gesture into the air ahead of them. "Maybe we improved things, maybe not. It won''t last. Anyone with enough power could unmake all of it easily. Such peace can''t last unless it''s rooted in power."


    "Is that even a meaningful argument? You can always say ''what if someone shows up and destroys it all?'' to any position, but it doesn''t prove anything."


    "It''s not hypothetical. You saw how much damage Anaelina did to their ruling structure just in the process of pursuing you. A slightly more powerful version of her could have enslaved the entire city, then it really wouldn''t matter who was in charge or how they treated the peasants."


    Kai sighed and accepted that he might not get through to her. "That''s a depressing way to view life. I mean, even without a mad killer showing up, everyone is going to die anyway. Everything crumbles to dust. If changes that have an impact for a short time don''t matter, there''s no point doing anything."


    "Yes, good point."


    He started to roll his eyes, then caught a strange twist to her lips. Had she actually been joking with him? Sometimes he felt like the two of them were warriors fighting back to back, then other times he wasn''t sure they were even on the same battlefield.


    They walked in silence for a time, then she spoke again in a softer voice.


    "I don''t think we have the same attitude toward... moral beliefs. In my life, I''ve heard many powerful cultivators preach ideals in one moment, then betray them the next. It always seemed clear to me that they were simply pretexts, weapons to be used against others. Anyone who believed otherwise was either simple-minded or deluded."


    "So, when we first met..."


    "It never occurred to me that you might be sincere in wanting to help me." Zae Zin Nim shook her head slowly. "It still seems unbelievable. But I''ve come to believe that you mean what you say."


    "So I''m a simple-minded do-gooder?"


    "If I recall, you recently killed a man by eating his head, including the helmet. I don''t think you have any room to talk."


    Kai laughed freely and thought there was a slight smile on her face as well. That had already been more than she usually said on such issues, so he was willing to let it go. She surprised him by speaking up again a minute later.


    "My life has been about following the path set before me as quickly as possible. I always thought that it was meaningless for me to even consider such questions before I had enough power to back up my beliefs." After a pause almost as long as the first, Zae Zin Nim spoke more quietly. "It is possible that I should have given these matters more thought. I am not sure."


    "Hey, there''s no rush," Kai said. "We want to hit our breakthroughs soon, but when it comes to the rest, we''ve got nothing but time."


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai raced northward on a thousand feet, drawn by something he couldn''t name. He could taste the change in the air, swelling with every throb of an eldritch heartbeat. The sound was unfamiliar, but it knew him. There was no choice but to obey. With a thousand jaws he wanted to consume the humans around him, but something higher called.


    He soon saw the vast stone blocks of the Frontier appear in his path and only dimly remembered why they existed. They were nothing but an obstacle now. In a multitude of leaps he reached the top. There he paused briefly, looking beyond with thousands of eyes. Somewhere, deep in the wasteland, it was beginning...


    Then he woke up in his bedroll, covered in a cold sweat. Kai tossed and turned, struggling to remember his dream, before he fell asleep.

 Chapter 92: The 99 Power Limit

    Traveling and training made great companions in Kai''s view. Maybe it would have been more efficient if they''d had a self-propelled method of transportation like Zae Zin Nim wanted, but he enjoyed the walking. If they didn''t talk, he could always work on mana exercises, test things internally, or try very basic cultivation.


    The wasteland environment left a lot to be desired, admittedly, but he didn''t mind the company. After several days of focusing on nothing but training, Zae Zin Nim resumed an old conversation out of nowhere.


    "You have absolutely no grounds to question me about moral fiber. Ever since we''ve met, your only long term goal has been to acquire power. Oh, you''ll save poor starving orphans if they''re in front of you, but can you honestly say that you''ve had any moral objectives?"


    "What," Kai said, "do you expect me to travel across the world to find some poor starving orphans who aren''t in front of me?"


    "I''m being serious, Kai."


    "So am I, actually." He shook his head as he dredged up thoughts that had long been abandoned. "Look, I grew up in a city where everyone''s lives were threatened or at least made worse by monsters. Fighting was all I was good at, so of course I was going to do what I could to help. How could I do otherwise?"


    "Quite easily, but go on. That''s not much better than those starving orphans."


    "Well, the thing is, a goal like that will just keep expanding. If I became strong enough to protect the people in front of me, then I''d try to strengthen the whole city. If I was able to do that, then I''d try to protect all Goralia. And if I somehow became extraordinarily powerful, then I could go to the Frontier and try to stop the monster threat for good."


    Zae Zin Nim regarded him oddly. "Reasonable, but you haven''t been doing a very good job of the monster hunting."


    "Right, but the goal expands in different directions too. If there are humans attacking someone, am I going to not act? Of course not. And if there are merchants cheating them... well, I never thought I''d be any good at fixing that, but I did a little to help in Rayakan. Even what you said about everything failing doesn''t matter. I don''t see what choice I have but to continue that path."


    "I suppose I can understand that." She fell silent, but he was getting to know her well enough that he knew when she was thinking. "And it really never stops? If you somehow just... fixed the Frontier, do you go on to Cloudspire and fix everything there?"


    "Given how often you tell me cultivators can annihilate everyone here, that sounds a bit overambitious." Kai laughed, but she didn''t, so he swallowed it. "I feel like it would be easy to lose track of yourself and keep changing things until the cure becomes worse than the disease. I don''t know anything about your homeland and I don''t know what might need to change. But monsters killing people? That''s pretty unambiguous. I wouldn''t mind spending my life changing that."


    "Overambitious was right. I think it''s time for the soul fruit now."


    He was puzzled until he realized that this was a test in her mind. If anything, he felt less certain about his fundamental nature than before, but he had actually enjoyed talking about the issue with her. What he''d said was still true. Goralia needed a lot more than just fighters, but he would do everything he could. And if he reached the Frontier, he''d take on whatever problems existed there.


    When they stopped for a break, he decided to accept her challenge. He took out the soul fruit again and examined it for a while before bringing it to his mouth. As soon as his lips touched it, he knew that was wrong. Taking little bites of such a powerful object and slowly chewing his way through it wasn''t right.


    Instead, he opened his mouth and his spiritual jaws consumed the soul fruit whole.


    He might as well have swallowed a lightning bolt. It didn''t rush through him, he rushed through it, a tiny bit of flesh caught up in a river of raw power. Yet part of that onslaught seemed to wedge inside him, grinding open a barrier he hadn''t been able to feel until that moment.


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    And he had only a short time to grasp hold of that change before it irrevocably twisted him into something else.


    At first he tried to envision the dark island with the monster spirits, but the vision washed away in the flood. No, that was wrong. He tried to feel his own body and he couldn''t tell where he ended and the world began. There was nothing but white in his vision and he had no idea if he was standing or lying down or running and screaming.


    Instead he went back to the clearest version of himself: the symbols that objectively displayed his power. Those stood firm against the white rush, but he realized that they weren''t quite deep enough either. No, he needed to grasp hold of the fundamental truths that existed beneath those symbols. Once he concentrated on that, everything began to fall into place.


    Maybe his soul was split into two halves, maybe not. He had no answers. What was certain was that both were part of him. As his soul ground open, he took deep breaths and forced it to grow proportionally. There would be space for every monster he''d eaten and more. His Physique could develop smoothly again. For that matter, his Soul and cultivation and everything else.


    All of those were growing smoothly, but he felt something else. Like scar tissue, tearing as the body underneath moved. When he looked he saw jagged remnants of his old Class, the Path of Steel, and the power of the Elemental Nations. They were no longer part of him, but scars remained where the power had once been.


    Those he ejected... no, he consumed them. Then suddenly it was over and he discovered that he was lying flat on his back.


    Had the sun been in the sky like that when he started? It felt like so long that he couldn''t remember. His experience might have been years, or eons, or...


    "That was fast," Zae Zin Nim said. She leaned over him with a frown. "I''m guessing that you made it. Do you feel any different?"


    "Not really." As much as he had felt transformed by the experience while in the throes of it, now that it faded he was left with only sensations. "I suppose it would be better to check myself directly..."


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 088


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 45% (15)


    Physique Level: F-9 (48)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    Monstrous Hunger - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - IV (delta)


    Aquagorgon''s Health - IV (delta)


    Gomodo''s Stamina - III (gamma)


    Isulfr''s Bite - II (beta)


    Rockspider''s Claw - IV (delta)


    ??? (???)


    >


    The difference in his spiritual sight was subtle, but unambiguous: the limit on his strength had been removed. If that was what had been preventing him from reaching E-rank Physique, then it had been worth it. Now that he felt his newly widened soul, however, he wasn''t so sure. There had been something he had been thinking during the experience, something more important than he''d realized...


    "Happy?" Zae Zin Nim asked. He could only shrug.


    "Still wish I''d been able to advance further. At least all the monstrous traits have been growing. I wonder if there''s some kind of limit where I can only improve one side at once."


    "I think they''re every bit as important for your cultivation, just less quantifiable. How you can balance those two will be... a very difficult aspect of forging your path forward."


    "Glad you pushed me to this step. Thanks." He smiled at her but she looked away. Since she seemed awkward, he searched for another topic. "Do you know how the numbers of the scale were developed? It was set so that each order of magnitude has real spiritual meaning, right?"


    "That''s my understanding." She turned away to continue walking, but her shoulders seemed less tense. "In Cloudspire, they say that the first 99 numbers are a human''s soul, whereas 100 is the beginning of a real cultivator''s soul. I''m not sure how true that is, not anymore. But I know that there are certain techniques that will instantly kill anyone below that stage."


    "Huh, I''m glad we don''t have those here. But what about the other end? Is the difference between 9 and 10 just as important?"


    "I... had not thought about that. If so, you would be better off asking people in dead zones without energy. Or it may be that it''s more practical to measure a hundred steps than ten."


    As they continued on, he felt certain that she had been meaning to say something. Flush with success, Kai was more than willing to wait. She''d share in her own time.


    .


    ..


    .


    Near the center of the Frontier, he saw it. In his dream he could see only a formless emptiness, yet in the way of dreams he thought he knew what it was. Not an object at all, but an absence. A vast hole in what should be that distorted everything.


    And he needed to go there. No... his directions were all wrong. He was inside the emptiness crawling upward. A thousand of him, a million. The surface was so close, he could taste it. Then he could burst forward and his hunger would finally be sated.


    When Kai woke up, he struggled to remember what he had seen even though there was nothing to remember. He told himself it had been only a dream, but wasn''t convinced.

 Chapter 93: Many Levels of Fear

    There was still quite some distance to Monskon City, but Kai was beginning to find the environment familiar. That actually made him even less motivated to hurry, especially since he couldn''t enter the city. Since they still had over a week until the Hunter Trials, he decided to use their time for a little more training.


    The most enjoyable part of that was hunting monsters with Zae Zin Nim. The average local monsters didn''t really stand much of a chance, especially with her hunting mercilessly beside him. It still gave them an opportunity to practice their techniques on better targets than boulders.


    Strangely, he had no desire whatsoever to eat the monsters. Not because they were repulsive or toxic, like a normal person should feel, more like they were too small. There was nothing interesting about their meat anymore. So they just harvested the monster cores and disposed of the bodies. Even though he still carried twenty-five hundred Eagles, he''d seen how costly training resources could be and wanted more.


    "I haven''t spent my life fighting monsters," Zae Zin Nim said abruptly. They had been cultivating, but Kai stopped to listen to her. "We have them on Cloudspire, but they aren''t as much of a threat. My instructors said that it was because cultivators were too powerful to be affected by anything but the more powerful sacred beasts. I''m not sure if-"


    "I had a feeling you were going to share something more personal there," Kai said wryly.


    "Yes, I..." She took a deep breath and met his gaze. "The threats facing me were always other humans, or the other human-like species on Cloudspire. There are methods of cultivation where you can use the deaths of others to increase your advancement, so the earliest step is to avoid this fate."


    Based on hints she had dropped in prior conversations, Kai guessed that she had passed that stage rather early. Since she was sharing more than usual, he kept his mouth shut.


    "But after that, my next goal was to have a life for myself. My father was - is - the leader of an important sect. I don''t think he loved any of his children except as assets. So long as I was exceeding expectations, I was his pride and joy. But if I had fallen behind, then I would have become just a piece on his board. I would most likely have been married off to an ally, and that would mean the end of the life I had so far."


    "I can''t imagine, but it sounds awful." Kai waited a while longer, then coaxed gently. "But then your rivals blocked your advancement. And I don''t think I''ll cause any offense when I guess that men on Cloudspire don''t want their brides covered in scars and vomiting up bile."


    "To say the least. I honestly don''t know what would have happened if I had stayed. I think my father still hoped that I would find a way through, but I fled here on my own because I wasn''t sure what he would do." Again she lapsed into silence, but something else was bugging him.


    "Forget about the Blackblood Physique. If you had reached the next stage, wouldn''t you have been a rather powerful cultivator? If you reach that stage here, you''ll be free to do whatever you want. Is there still a threat of being married off to someone?"


    "Oh, that persists until you reach several stages higher." Zae Zin Nim rolled her eyes as if the threat of forced marriage was just an everyday idea for her... which he supposed it was. "There are a lot of cultivators who want wives who are just a little weaker than them. Or just strong enough to help them for a while before they reach the next stage."


    Kai frowned as he tried to adjust to that way of thinking. It definitely wasn''t anything that appealed to him. Even in his wildest dreams of becoming a successful hunter, he''d always preferred the idea of someone going through life alongside him. After his experience with the Corinin clan, he was doubly certain of it.


    "That''s my history." She fixed his gaze with her own. "No real secrets. Just some details that don''t matter anymore."


    "But you want to go back, right?"


    "I... once that was my only goal. Now I''m not so sure. I need more time to think. Until then... I would be glad to travel with you."


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    "And I''m glad to have you with me."


    Was there more they were leaving unsaid? Kai was terrible with that sort of thing when it came to women from his home, much less from different continents. He decided not to press now and instead worry about it after they''d gotten past their next objectives.


    Now that the subject had been raised, he found it surprisingly easy to imagine himself spending his life with Zae Zin Nim. Even with her physical condition. But she seemed to find her own body so repulsive that he couldn''t imagine it working. No, they would just need to move forward. Maybe by the time she recovered, she would have thought enough about what she really wanted.


    Their conversation lapsed and they returned to cultivating. It was almost relaxing, so of course fate finally threw another problem at him in the form of a massive object hurtling in their direction.


    Zae Zin Nim stood up first and he recognized it a second later. At first he thought the speck on the horizon was a monster, then he realized that it was a human construct. A mana-powered wagon, but a far sleeker and faster model than he''d ever seen before. As it drew nearer, he realized that there were actually several of the vehicles moving together.


    They were both prepared for opponents to emerge, but when the lead wagon drew close, Razz popped out of the armored front. "Finally! You two were moving way too fast. I really started regretting coming along myself, let me tell you."


    "Razz? Is everything alright?" Kai stepped closer, examining the contents of the wagon as well as he could. It had more hunters than average, but its real cargo hissed with powerful mana.


    "You''re asking me that? I guess it''s not a surprise that you haven''t heard." Razz pulled himself over the side and dropped down beside them. "I''m not sure how much of this is secret, but I decided that I didn''t care. This is too important."


    "Out with it."


    "The monster incursion is coming early, and not just early. Something is so wrong with this one that they''re canceling all Hunter Trials. All of the cities near the Frontier are supposed to be evacuated immediately, though the order came out too late, so the evacuation is causing trouble. Everyone in southern Goralia has been ordered to send troops and supplies. You''re lucky I was already working on a big shipment."


    Kai knew that he was staring, but that news was worth it. "You''re saying all of Goralia is treating this like a war?"


    "No. Every nation near the Frontier is on high alert. They say even the Krysal City States have agreed to a cease-fire and are trying to shore up the western front." Razz slowly placed his hand against the side of the wagon. "People are scared, Kai. Scared enough that I wonder if this shipment is really doing any good."


    "There''s no way of knowing, but thank you. Did you come to distribute this yourself?"


    "I thought I could catch up with you faster than this! But no, I just wanted to warn you in person, because there are a few other details that no one is supposed to know about."


    Zae Zin Nim had been listening all along, but now she stepped closer. Only once they had huddled together did Razz continue in a whisper.


    "Some of the southern nobles don''t trust the Frontier forces anymore. They think that they did something to cause this, or that they''re making the monster incursions worse somehow, to justify their own existence." Razz shook his head. "I don''t know everything. Dommag Corinin was apparently one of the members of this conspiracy and I only know what I learned from his papers."


    "A conspiracy?" Kai asked. "Surely they wouldn''t attempt to undermine the Frontier right before a historic incursion."


    "No, they''re supposedly going to send in a group of their own to investigate, without any elites to stop them. I don''t know how mad that is, but I do have the location where they''ll make the attempt. I thought you''d want to know, but honestly, I think the smart thing to do would be to get as far away from the Frontier as possible."


    That didn''t seem likely, but there were too many unknowns. Instead of worrying about them, Kai looked back over the wagon and smiled at Razz. "Thanks for filling your end of the bargain. It looks like the north needs your help even sooner than I thought."


    "I''m doing what I can. I want to... you know... do the things we said the last time we parted."


    "Right, no need to go over it all again." Kai clapped the younger man on the shoulder. "Get back to safety and we''ll do our part."


    Razz nodded with confidence he obviously didn''t feel and returned to the caravan. He and a number of other officials climbed into one of the smaller wagons and headed back south, while the rest began to move. One of the hunters called down at them, offering a ride, but Kai waved them off.


    In minutes they were running far ahead of the main group. Once they''d established a pace, Zae Zin Nim glanced over at him.


    "Does this change anything? Are we still testing our skills in the incursion?"


    "That depends how fast things go bad. Normally we''d leave the majority of the fighting to the Frontier elites and defend Monskon City, but that may not be an option." He tried to peer ahead, even though he knew they were still far from their destination. "We should stop by there next and get more information. After that, we need to decide if there''s anything to be done about this southern expedition. But for now... back to Monskon City."


    That night, Kai didn''t dream of the Frontier. He no longer needed to, with the world twisting ominously in his heart.

 Chapter 94: Idiocy in the Face of the Apocalypse

    At last they came into sight of Monskon City. Kai had skipped his training for the first time in ages because he had a feeling he would need every drop of strength. The problem was how to deal with his return. During an incursion some rules were relaxed in favor of survival, but he wasn''t sure how much the locals actually knew. If they had obeyed the evacuation order, there should already have been crowds streaming southward...


    "Class potion." Zae Zin Nim poked him in the side and he realized that he was about to charge into a monster hunter city looking like a monster in the middle of a monster attack.


    "Right." He drank a standard Warrior potion and winced at the taste. "I''m not sure how we''ll be received or what the local politics are. Please follow my lead."


    "I don''t care about Goralian politics at all, I just stay quiet and then attack whoever you start punching."


    He''d thought that drinking Class potions before encountering anyone was second nature, but the possibility of an early monster incursion had gotten him worked up. It wasn''t just a mistaken estimate, he was sure of that. Monster incursions were one of the greatest possible threats to civilization, yet he felt sure that this was something worse.


    As they approached the gates, Kai saw some people building up new defenses in the streets, but there were no more guards than normal. Either they hadn''t received the evacuation orders or they had chosen to ignore them. Or... he supposed it was possible that the Hunters Guild had received the order and withheld the information from the people.


    "Hey!" One of the guards at the gate finally noticed him and took a step forward. "Kai, you can''t be back here. If the Lantrians see you..."


    The guard''s partner just drew her sword. "If you want to participate in the monster incursion, you have to prove your strength with a series of duels to-"


    "I don''t have time for this," Kai said. He grabbed both guards by the top of their armor, hoisted them into the air, and walked into the city waving them around. "Gunjin Granfian! I have critical information about the monster incursion!"


    None of the guards made any attempts to stop him, even those he was carrying. Perhaps they sensed the difference. For so long he''d been inferior to them because their Classes could have torn through his body easily. Now that he wasn''t so easy to kill, he could see the abilities for what they were: a minor source of power that had never grown into anything more.


    Still, he set down the guards and didn''t make any sudden moves. Even if they seemed weak to him, the local hunters could still defend the city against a significant number of monsters. There was no sense weakening the city right before it would be sorely tested.


    He''d hoped to see people he knew, but at most a few of the hunters looked vaguely familiar. Kai peered deeper into the city, looking for Gunjin but actually hoping to see Juray or Inafay. What would Zae Zin Nim think of them? He suspected that she would get along with Juray politely and could actually be friends with Inafay, if they could get over the personality clash.


    "This is a bad time, Kai." Gunjin emerged onto the street through a portal, which was an absurd expense. Then again, given the bags beneath his eyes and his thousand-yard stare, he seemed to be living in absurd times. Kai decided not to waste any time on reunions.


    "Do you know that the south is sending people into the Frontier to undermine the elites?"


    Gunjin''s eyes widened just slightly for a moment, then he turned to command the guards. "Everyone stand down. Incursion business."


    That seemed to be good enough for the local hunters. Gunjin gestured to the side and a shimmering blue portal appeared in the street. No choice but to head through it, bringing them into a slate gray room with several portal generators on the walls.


    Immediately Kai realized that they weren''t in the local Hunters Guild. No, this was the bedrock beneath the Granfian complex. After having been in the clan for his entire life, Kai had always needed to go to the Guild for anything to do with portals. Apparently his old mentor had more secrets, but this wasn''t the time to argue over details.


    "Normally I wouldn''t do this, but the threat is worse than expected." Gunjin sagged against the wall where the portal had been and rubbed his eyes roughly. "Whatever else you may be, Kai, your heart is in the right place when it comes to monsters."


    "Sir... I mean, Gunjin." Old habits were clinging to him now that he was back, but Kai shook them off. "Is it really that bad?"


    "I miscalculated. The incursions do fluctuate, but there''s a massive external variable I still don''t understand." Abruptly regaining his composure, Gunjin straightened and directed them to follow him through the only ordinary door to another room. "It might not matter. I expected an incursion that would threaten to destroy Goralia, but this is orders of magnitude worse than my worst fears."


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    Instead of portals, the second room contained a spare bed, a desk, and a bookshelf. Only a large map on one wall stood out and Kai immediately recognized the familiar ring of the Frontier nations. Seen from above, the Frontier wall was perfectly circular. What he''d never seen before were strange lines drawn around it, curling as if they represented wind or some other force.


    "If the threat is really so large," Zae Zin Nim said, "then isn''t everyone dead no matter what?"


    Gunjin glanced at her briefly and apparently decided he didn''t care. "Using normal tactics, yes. There are two other paths. First, we could save some people if we focused our strength and fought a defensive retreat. Second... some of my contacts in the Elemental Nations say that there have been signs of spatial manipulation. Like our portals, but vastly larger. We may be getting guests from outside the continent who will change the equation."


    "Cloudspire or Rosemount?"


    Instead of answering, Gunjin just kept staring at his map. There was nothing Kai could do about such complex issues, so he recalled the map Razz had shown them and tapped the appropriate place. "Apparently the southern group is going to cross into the Frontier at this point. Other than that they believe the Frontier elites are faking or manipulating the incursions somehow, that''s all I know."


    "Just like the south to piss away our only chance." Gunjin scowled as he stared at the point. "The problem is that the Frontier wall was created in ancient times and serves a critical role in redirecting the force of incursions. Fools meddling with that balance at a time like this could lead to a collapse we couldn''t repair and monsters would flood toward it. That would be the end of Goralia."


    "Can we do something?"


    "This may be the one issue we can do something about. There''s no time to waste. If you''re not volunteering, I suggest you run. If you''re really going to fight for the city that banished you, prepare yourselves while I gather everyone available. Our best chance is to stop this ill-conceived expedition before it enters."


    Kai glanced over at Zae Zin Nim, who shrugged. He would have expected the mention of travelers possibly from her home continent to bother her more, but apparently she still considered this pass¨¦. Hopefully she was right and monster incursions were just a trivial problem that no one outside of Deadwaste thought was important.


    He didn''t think she was right.


    Gunjin took them back to the Granfian training yard. The square he''d spent so much time working in had been transformed by a flurry of activity. Instructors, old veterans, and new trainees were all arming themselves and preparing. The veterans looked the most nervous: they knew what they faced.


    "Kai? What the hell are you doing here?"


    He turned to look and saw Yangil Granfian, who he hadn''t thought about in a long time. "This isn''t the time for old squabbles," Kai said before the other man could get started. "Gunjin is putting together a group to stop the incursion from getting worse."


    "And you think you''re coming along? We lost a good hunter to the Aquagorgon because of you!"


    "You know what really..." Old anger had been building within Kai, but then it began to drain. Why was he arguing about something so long ago? Instead of letting the adrenaline take him, he looked at Yangil with his spiritual sight.


    <


    Name: Yangil Granfian


    Total Power: 50


    Knight Class: 11 (21)


    Physique Level: G-9 (18)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    In the nearly a year since they had last met, Yangil''s Knight Class had increased from 9 to 11. That raised his total power by 2, barely reaching 50. The realization didn''t make Kai feel superior, just tired. Arguing with someone so weak was absolutely meaningless.


    That didn''t mean he could calm the situation. Before he could decide what to say, Gunjin sped past them barking orders. "Yangil, you''re with the advance group. No petty feuds. Give Kai anything he wants."


    "But sir..." It was too late, as Gunjin had already moved past him. Yangil turned back to Kai with a grimace. "You''d better not fail us like last time. And if you think I''ll let you use this to humiliate me..."


    "I don''t care. Could I get a message to Inafay Corinin?"


    "Not possible. She and most of the strongest new hunters headed into Irun for some kind of tournament. That''s part of the reason we''re rushing the defenses. No one thought the incursion could come so soon."


    Since Kai didn''t think Yangil would lie about something like that, he nodded and turned away. Maybe it didn''t matter, especially if their mission went smoothly. But the ominous feeling that had been growing inside him for days made him fear that he would need every ally he could get. When it came to their survival in the face of a disaster, he already knew he couldn''t trust Yangil.


    That only left Juray, but Kai didn''t know how to bring that up. He couldn''t just say that he wanted to visit an old lover because he missed her. Presumably she would be working hard in her shop, trying to convert the piles of resources being shoveled at her into emergency potions. She wouldn''t flee, which meant that if the incursion reached Monskon City...


    "No more chatter!" Gunjin appeared from another portal that remained open behind him. "Everyone in this group is headed to the Frontier. Our goal is not to engage with any monsters, solely to prevent a group of southern fools from destroying our only chance of survival. We negotiate with them if possible, but use force if necessary. If they make it into the Frontier, I''ll need to find my contacts there. Understood?"


    Everyone nodded their understanding. Kai wanted to examine the group more carefully, but they were immediately urged through the portal. He felt the same disorientation that he had before, then he found himself standing on the Frontier wall.


    Only wasteland as far as he could see. Judging from the sun, he was facing south, outside the Frontier, yet the southern group was nowhere in sight. For a moment he was actually naive enough to hope that they had arrived early, then he heard someone curse behind him.


    When Kai turned around, he saw the expedition immediately. They were already inside, traveling toward the heart of the Frontier.

 Chapter 95: The Last Moments for Mortals

    Gunjin Granfian rarely cursed, even when he was truly angry, but he cursed then. He turned back to the ground and spat out a few words.


    "Stay put. I need to contact someone. Fight to stop them, if it comes to that."


    Then he stepped into the portal and was gone, leaving Kai and everyone else atop the Frontier wall. The others started to realize that they were leagues from the city, holding a doomed position just before a monster incursion. Kai was more concerned about where Gunjin had gone; clearly he had allies among the elites, but he hadn''t wanted to speak to them directly until he had no choice.


    "Come on, we can handle this ourselves!" Yangil shouted over the group''s muttering, then thrust his sword out toward the southerners. "They''re not that far. We can drag them back before Gunjin returns, if they won''t listen!"


    Was he trying to make up for his cowardice before? Or did he simply not understand how much more dangerous the Frontier was? It probably didn''t matter, because he seemed to be convincing the others. Perhaps it was just easier to chase after a visible goal instead of waiting for a horde of monsters to come toward them.


    The others had pulled out ropes and begun climbing down the side of the wall. After a glance at Zae Zin Nim, Kai just hopped off the side. This time he was able to land smoothly, his legs absorbing the impact. Zae Zin Nim landed beside him almost without a sound.


    As far as he could tell, there were no monsters within sight. If there had been, they likely would have been chasing the southern group. What bothered him more was the lack of the world distortion that he''d felt before. He didn''t think that it had anything to do with the fact that he''d gotten stronger... the absence was more like an in-held breath. Soon, it would reverse...


    "Be careful if we encounter anything," he told Zae Zin Nim. "Even if it looks weak. I can''t explain what exactly is wrong with the monsters here, but it''s similar to that core you found."


    "Hmm." She didn''t say anything else, but he thought he saw her posture shift. He could be reasonably confident that she, at least, would be appropriately cautious.


    The others worried him more, especially as they grouped together at the bottom of the wall with great bravado. Without the strange aura or any monsters, they didn''t understand what they were facing. Going along with them might have been foolish, but the alternative... no, he couldn''t stand back and simply wait while there was a chance he could make a difference.


    "Now we run them down!" Yangil gestured for the whole group to follow him and charged.


    Though they might have been conserving a little strength for the fight, the pace struck him as surprisingly slow. Now that they weren''t jerking from one emergency to another, Kai took the time to look over the group more analytically.


    He and Zae Zin Nim were the strongest in the group by a wide margin. Two older veterans had power in the 60s, based mostly on strong Classes. Yangil was fifth after them, then there were four younger hunters in the 30s. At such levels, experience and determination might make more of a difference than raw power.


    If they ran into a horde of ordinary monsters, the group would perform fine so long as they stuck together. Most of them had Classes that could easily cause great destruction. But if they encountered twisted monsters that could shrug aside normal blows, he could see them falling apart swiftly. Many still had G-rank Physiques, so if their offense failed they were one small mistake away from death.


    Given the ominous lack of monsters, they made good time. The group of southerners appeared to be about half a dozen officials along with several guards. Their average strength was over 40, which was good by the standards of southern cities and woefully inadequate for their current location.


    "Stop, in the name of Goralia!" Yangil drew his sword as they arrived... and one of the officials turned sharply.


    Kai realized that the man was attacking before he understood how. Globs of ice swirled from the air around the apparent official, then flew toward the group. They all targeted feet, binding many to the ground. From the corner of his eye he saw Zae Zin Nim gracefully step aside, but the best he could do was kick the glob as it struck him.


    The ice fused to his leg, but Kai thought that he''d be able to break it with a good stomp. Since his opponents were using non-lethal attacks, he was more interested in examining them. Now he could tell that the official had a "Snowcaster" Class at 60, but somehow he had been able to not just hide his essence, but appear completely untrained. He''d never seen a shroud like that before.


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    "If this is for the sake of Goralia," one of the other officials - hopefully - said, "then you should stand down. Stop defending elites who don''t care about you."


    "Don''t spew nonsense!" Yangil started to hack at the ice binding his legs.


    "You always assume you have a monopoly on power. It''s your brutish tactics that have locked us in this endless war."


    Before the two could get into a shouting match, Kai stepped in. At first literally: he forcefully stepped forward, shattering the ice around his leg. Then he raised a hand in front of Yangil''s face to keep him from spouting more angry rhetoric.


    "If you know something, please tell us," Kai said. "From our perspective, it looks like you''re endangering everyone just before a monster incursion."


    "Don''t listen to their lies!" Yangil started to take a swing at him, but Zae Zin Nim shifted behind him, driving the man onto one knee and pinning his arm. He grimaced, apparently in enough pain that he could no longer talk.


    For a moment the guards looked like they might fight, but Kai simply stood ready. Even though they couldn''t see his monstrous strength, he looked strong by their standards, so they weren''t eager to fight him. If he was willing to talk and the zealous hunters were all iced in place, maybe they could get to the bottom of the problem without a pointless brawl.


    "That''s better." An older woman among the officials took a step forward. "We truly are doing this for the sake of Goralia. We don''t hate hunters or the north, we just want to get the truth."


    "And what is that truth?" When Kai looked over the southerners, he didn''t see a group of zealots.


    "They''ve been lying about the true extent of the monster incursions, and we have proof. Yes, monsters are a bit of a problem. But they don''t merit wasting so much of our nation''s military on our northern defenses."


    "But every other nation bordering the Frontier spends just as much! Are you really suggesting an international conspiracy?"


    "No, just a group of powerful hunters who want even more power and so exaggerate their importance." The official gestured to one of her companions, who was carrying an odd crystalline ring. "But using new technology purchased from the kingdom beyond Irun, we''ve been monitoring the rise and fall of monstrous energy for several years. There''s no correlation with the battles of the elites."


    Kai folded his arms and tried not to scowl as he listened. There was no way he could refute evidence from a contraption that he''d never seen before, but he wanted to understand their position. "Even if that''s true, why send this expedition now? Why not handle things through diplomacy?"


    "Because there''s a concentration of energy in the center of the Frontier." It was the man with the crystalline ring speaking this time, using it to gesture onward. "Because it never changed, we assumed it was some device they used to create more monsters and justify their existence."


    "That''s absurd. A device that creates monsters?"


    "There are strange things in this world that no one can explain." The older woman cast a sour glance north. "But there''s another reason. Go on, tell them."


    "This year," the man said, "there''s been a build-up like never before, yet the energy from the monsters has gone down. This is our chance to prove... the deception.." His voice trailed off as he stared down at the crystal ring. Flecks of light glowing within were beginning to expand around the ring. Kai had no idea what that meant, but the entire group of southerners looked shocked.


    Some of them began to argue with one another and, even though Kai shouted at them, they wouldn''t answer his questions. He found himself wondering just who had sold them the ring and what it actually measured. Gunjin had been analyzing the monster incursions for years and Kai refused to believe he was a part of some conspiracy. Maybe something strange was going on, but most likely none of them had it right.


    Meanwhile the hunters on his side were beginning to help one another break free of the ice. Zae Zin Nim reluctantly let Yangil free and it seemed like his anger had cooled enough that he wouldn''t attack anyone. Neither side was exactly happy, however, and a conflict could break out at any moment.


    "Would you like to know the truth?" a man asked. It took several seconds for Kai to realize that the man hadn''t been standing between the two groups before and he struggled to focus his attention on the new arrival.


    The man had clear but heavily wrinkled skin and a bald head with wisps of graying hair. He appeared to be wearing a white robe covered with splotches of paint, one sandal, and one sock on his other foot. When Kai opened his spiritual sight, he was immediately overwhelmed by a white hot mass of symbols so intense that he winced like he''d just looked into the sun.


    "Come on, let''s all go to the center together!" The strange man stuck out one foot, pivoted in almost a complete circle, and began walking north.


    Everyone began following him even though it didn''t make any sense. Kai only realized he was walking when he felt the muscles in his legs cramping up. It didn''t feel like any force was controlling him, he had just decided to walk and couldn''t change his mind. Many of the others around him looked dazed.


    Ahead, Kai heard an inhumanly deep roar that shook the earth. A cloud of dust began to rise in the distance, and from it swarmed monsters. They were still nothing but specks, but they moved in a great twisting mass that grew closer by the second.


    "It''s starting," one of the older hunters whispered. "It''s a real incursion..."


    "Oh, this isn''t the start." The strange man appeared beside them with a broad smile. "This is just the bait. Everyone else will be along shortly, then it will be started."

 Chapter 96: Beyond the Highest Peaks

    No matter how Kai strained, he couldn''t stop his legs from moving forward. On some level, he didn''t want to. Some of the others didn''t seem to even notice, just strolling alongside the strange man as if this was perfectly ordinary.


    When he exchanged glances with Zae Zin Nim, she looked downright miserable. He felt her try to use her qi to escape, then surround herself with her corona, but neither had any effect. There wasn''t going to be any easy way out of this. If his brief glimpse had been right, the old man was more powerful than anything he''d ever faced before. Likely far more, even stronger than the Frontier elites.


    "Now, I don''t want to hurt you fine young fishies." The strange man stepped ahead of the group, then turned around, putting his back toward the charging horde of monsters and walking backwards. "Hello there! My name is Koleiman the Magnificent, but you can just call me The Magnificent. It''s wonderful that you''re going to investigate the center, because so am I."


    "Are you with the Frontier elites?" the leader of the southern group asked. Koleiman blinked at her, turned his head to the side, then kept turning until it was fully horizontal.


    "Is that a type of fish? I''ve already forgotten what you said, to be honest. But come along now!"


    Strength wouldn''t work and Kai didn''t want to pit his willpower against this Koleiman either. His only chance of not being marched into the monster horde was to change something within himself. He reached for the island of monsters in his soul and for the first time his essence gained a little leverage. The vision was inside him, he just needed to coax it out...


    "Did you know that your world is flat?" Koleiman was standing just beside him, but all he did was stare around with wide-eyed wonder. "I feel like worlds should be curved. Just a big ole ball. But I flew pretty high and it looks flat all the way to the edge."


    Having said that, he skipped off. Kai wasn''t capable of breathing a sigh of relief, but he focused internally again. If that hunger deep within himself could just become active again...


    Suddenly his feet swung freely. Kai nearly stumbled as his momentum became his again abruptly. He looked around to see if the old man had noticed, but Koleiman was currently walking in front of the group and babbling nonsense. So he was free... and it might not matter.


    As the horde of monsters drew near, it began to turn toward them. Whole packs of twisted dogs, all of them shivering unnaturally, with worse monsters behind them. It was far too many for any of them to fight and some in the group began to cry out even though they kept walking.


    Rainbow light flowed from Koleiman and wrapped around the entire group. Outside it, the monsters seemed to slow to a crawl, their legs moving as if through molasses. Even stranger, they seemed to forget about the group they had been attacking the moment before.


    "Don''t worry, fishies!" Koleiman danced in front of them and clapped his hands. "I''ll get you all to the hole safely. Everything will be clear then. Or maybe it won''t be, but that isn''t my problem."


    Kai grimaced and kept pace with the others. He was free of the strange control, but it didn''t do him any good since leaving the rainbow aura would mean his death. If only he had any idea how, he''d free Zae Zin Nim. The most he could do was meet her gaze again and put a finger to his lips. She stared, then frowned, which was honestly a relief compared to her previous agonized expression.


    All of the monsters around them continued moving slowly, yet Kai didn''t think they were the ones being affected. It was their group that was moving unnaturally quickly. When he looked to the back, he saw the dust the last hunters kicked up suddenly slow to a crawl when it left the rainbow aura behind them. That was enough for a basic theory of what was happening and he had no time for anything else.


    Then the sky cracked open and soldiers began falling through. Each one of them wore armor that covered their bodies, but the blood red material and sweeping plates were completely unfamiliar to him. There was something else odd that he only realized as they landed in formation: they fell just as swiftly as their group was walking, not as slowly as the monsters.


    The new army began to march, and though they were far ahead of his group, Kai realized that they must be traveling toward the same central point. Worse, they didn''t fight the monsters so much as cleared them. The front line of soldiers cut down everything in their path with swords, qi attacks, or bursts of elements. Not because they were threatened, just to move the obstacles out of their path.


    Just what were they? At first he hoped they could be some group of elites that he''d never known about, but their armor and skills seemed too undeniably foreign. When he tracked just one soldier, he noted that the man seemed to use different abilities indiscriminately. Was that what real power looked like? Taking hold of every ability in the world at once?


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    Then someone stepped through a portal in the air and Kai got a lesson in real power.


    A woman floated in the air, so extraordinarily beautiful that physical pain shot through his chest. She wore elaborate silk robes that flowed around her on the strength of her own qi. Behind her, the portal she had passed through was completely unlike the murky shimmering colors he knew. Instead it was a perfect circle offering a window into a beautiful valley of falling blossoms before it snapped closed.


    When she saw the crimson army the woman frowned - the expression was also achingly beautiful - and then casually waved a hand.


    An arc of qi burned across the landscape with a sound like a clear horn echoing over mountains. It tore through a swath of earth, evaporating hundreds of monsters simply on its way to her real target. When the arc reached the crimson army, some of the soldiers dodged while those who tried to defend dissolved into the power.


    Before it could sear through the entire army, one of the soldiers abruptly expanded, becoming taller than any building Kai had ever seen. An enormous crimson shield managed to blunt the rest of the qi, then the massive suit of armor swung toward her.


    The gorgeous woman looked only mildly annoyed and flicked a finger. Her next attack moved too swiftly for Kai to see anything more than the aftermath burned on his eyes. Somehow another soldier had also become a giant and deflected it, but there were more coming.


    "Is she a cultivator?" Kai asked Zae Zin Nim. She had been staring and shivering, only then managing to recover.


    "She is, but... I''ve never seen anyone like that..."


    As they watched, the woman managed to destroy one of the giants with a barrage of qi. The damage opened the armor enough for Kai to see that there was indeed a giant man within: he had dark skin and bright blue eyes unlike anyone Kai had met before. One of his allies raised his hand and released a hail of dark arrows, but the woman gracefully waved her hand again. A shield of qi formed in front of her and the arrows splintered against it.


    Every single attack released could have killed him a hundred times over, but Kai realized that there was more strategy than he had expected. The giants weren''t trying to kill the woman, they were just slowing her down. Meanwhile the human-sized soldiers had begun sprinting forward, as if they could achieve victory by speed alone. For her part, the cultivator was floating in the same direction and trying to kill the smaller soldiers when she wasn''t distracted.


    It seemed like she might be winning. Kai had no idea how close they were to the center-point of the wastelands, but if that was the goal, it seemed she would get there first.


    That was when he began hearing a rhythmic beating against the earth. He looked to the west and spotted a muscular man with blue skin charging toward the battle. By normal human standards, he was enormous, but he looked small compared to the giants. That proved irrelevant as he reached the monster hordes and stomped his way through them.


    Every time he touched the ground, he released more power than Kai possessed in his entire body just to throw himself into the air again, releasing a shockwave that killed monsters who were too close by. The power felt like some cross between mana and chakra... Kai refused to even consider opening his spiritual sight to learn more because the sight might blind him.


    When he drew near, the muscular man took an enormous leap that sent him sailing toward the cultivator. For the first time in the fight she actually dodged, an elegant twist through the air that allowed her to strike the muscular man with a burst of qi. This bolt was so intense that it looked as though the blue-skinned man had dissolved into the light.


    Yet when Kai could see again, he saw the man skidding back through the earth. The force created a furrow through the ground and sent boulders the size of houses flying, but he was still on his feet. In fact, when he lowered his arms it looked as though he hadn''t even been scratched. Kai could only guess that his Physique was so impossibly advanced that even such overpowering attacks slid off his body.


    The impact had pushed him at an angle, but he seemed to be even closer to the central goal. Several of the red armored giants began to sprint, the cultivator stopped fighting to fly forward, and the muscular man began leaping again. Their point of convergence must be close, almost within sight...


    Then reality twisted, worse than Kai had ever felt before. New monsters flooded out, moving just as swiftly as all the warriors, trampling directly over their slower brethren. The muscular man began tearing them apart with his bare hands, but he wasn''t able to ignore them so easily any more. Even the cultivator flying overhead was forced to stop as several flying monsters began to harry her, emitting great bursts of light from their mouths.


    More warriors were arriving all around, too many for Kai to keep track of. Every single one of them was more powerful than anyone he''d seen before, but none of them could move through this new wave of monsters easily.


    Actually... he realized that only their group was still moving forward. None of the monsters appeared able to see anyone within the rainbow aura. Koleiman walked at the front, directing an invisible orchestra with his hands and occasionally spinning a pirouette.


    He seemed mad, but if this was a race to the center, the madman was winning.


    The sheer scale of the battle had begun to overwhelm Kai... and then his gaze was captured by what lay before them. As they slipped through the battle, the unbelievable sight unfolded. He knew with absolutely certainty that they had reached the center of the Frontier... and the reason for its existence.


    A hole gaped in the earth, larger than the entirety of Monskon city. He could barely see the other side and the edges looked perfectly sheer. As if the world was a thin sheet of cloth that someone had poked through with a needle. Worse, he had the inexplicable feeling that the hole extended upward as well. From the corner of his eyes he could almost see a column of distorted air rising into the heavens. The mere concept of looking over the edge filled him with dread.


    "Almost there! Hurry, fishies!" Koleiman gestured for them to follow and the group began to speed up.


    All around them, more armies from around the world emerged. Fighting over the depthless pit that Kai was suddenly certain the entire Frontier had been built to contain.

 Chapter 97: The Spoils of the World

    The hole in reality yawned wider and wider as they approached, but there was nothing Kai could do. While they walked within the rainbow aura they were protected and everything outside was certain death. Even if he picked up Zae Zin Nim and tried to flee, there was nowhere to escape.


    More monsters were crawling out of the pit at a nearly constant rate, both the slow masses and the faster ones that targeted the strongest warriors. He saw a few of the soldiers in crimson armor go down under monster hordes, but so far they had been treated as a mere obstacle. It seemed like Koleiman, whatever his goals were, would slip through the entire battle.


    Kai''s mind recoiled against the idea of looking down the pit... but there was also part of him that was called toward it. He''d seen the vast chasm in his dreams, he just hadn''t understood.


    Before they could arrive, someone stormed past them. The muscular blue man charged to the very edge, sending monsters flying in every direction. He let out a cry of triumph and leapt, not as if he wanted to jump down but as if there was something floating within.


    Just before he arrived, a slim woman winked into existence over his head. She wore rough pants and a jacket, as well as a plumed hat that somehow stayed on her head even while she spun in the air. She twisted her fingers on one hand and Kai saw three coins spinning dexterously between them: one gold, one red, and one white.


    The muscular man started to roar in anger, then between blinks they both disappeared.


    At first Kai stared in confusion, but he theorized that the new arrival hadn''t simply appeared there. If these warriors could use portals to land directly on top of the pit, they all would have done that in the first place. No, more likely she had some Class - or a power so far beyond it scorned to be called a Class - that allowed her to move short distances.


    When he listened for human roaring over the monster noises, Kai spotted them again: both stood within the main brawl. The man bellowed and tried to grab her, but the young woman gave a playful grin and then vanished in another glittering of her coins.


    She appeared just above the pit and began to drop into it... only for an enormous beam of qi to encompass her from above. This one seemed to shock the young-looking woman, but her coins were still spinning rapidly. When the beam should have struck her, it inexplicably twisted to the side just long enough to arc around her and then continue on its previous course.


    Kai traced the beam back to the source and spotted the enchanting cultivator again - then he struck himself on the head with both hands and forced his gaze down. It was like every time he looked in her direction, something seized hold of his mind and insisted that whatever she was doing was jaw-droppingly beautiful.


    Trying to think about her objectively, he thought that her features were unnaturally perfect, her skin so clear it was more like a polished stone than flesh. Maybe that was beautiful to some, but he thought it was more eerie than anything. He doubted that his mind would agree if he looked up again.


    "And we have arrived!" Koleiman threw up his hands and the monsters pouring out of the pit in front of them transformed into showers of purple petals. All the monsters still climbing from the pit avoided the space, giving them a clear path to the edge.


    Distracted by the battle, Kai hadn''t realized how close they''d come. Now that the hole in the world yawned before him, he could think of nothing else. From this angle, he could see more of the interior. The sides still looked unnaturally sheer, but the surface was rough enough for monsters to continue climbing into the world. The material of the pit was oddly dark... the sun shone brightly overhead, yet somehow didn''t illuminate the depths, as if the light was being consumed.


    "Now, you first!" Koleiman cheerfully grabbed one of the southerners and pushed him to the edge.


    The man screamed, trying to resist the movement of his own legs, but he couldn''t stop himself. When he looked down, he went entirely silent and simply stared for several seconds. Then his body crumpled and he fell into the abyss.


    "Interesting, very interesting." Koleiman nodded and stroked his chin. "Next."


    One of the women who had led the southern officials walked forward next. When she reached the edge of the pit, she looked down for only a moment before her head exploded in a shower of gore. Koleiman laughed and clapped his hands.


    Third came one of the hunters, then the southern Snowcaster, then...


    "No!" Kai grabbed Zae Zin Nim around the waist and dragged her back. Her legs tried to keep walking forward at first, then she went limp. He could feel the relief throughout her body... and then Koleiman turned to look at them.


    "Huh." His head tilted all the way to the side, then he shrugged. "Well, maybe I won''t need all of you. Have fun, little fishies."


    Was he just going to let them be? Kai watched helplessly as another hunter stepped forward and began melting into white goo. He''d pulled Zae Zin Nim to the edge of the aura, but if they went a single step further, the battle outside would tear them apart. Most likely the people in the strange auras were moving so quickly that if he stepped out, he''d be dead before he even knew it.


    "What do we do?" he whispered. He wanted to save the others, but attacking Koleiman would be suicidal...


    "There''s nothing we can do." Zae Zin Nim closed her eyes and wearily sat down beside him. "Our fate was to stumble on an impossible foe, so we will simply die."


    "Is this what Cloudspire is like?"


    "This is worse." She said no more and composed herself for death.


    Kai didn''t want to give up, but the battle outside was driving home his powerlessness with every passing moment. Any one of the people outside could have conquered the entire Deadwaste continent in a day, and they were slaughtering one another. As he watched, he actually saw several brought down by monsters. Though the beasts avoided Koleiman''s side of the pit, they were still swarming in.


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    The most horrifying thing was that he thought all this power was being contained. Once the beautiful cultivator waved a hand and unleashed a wave of qi that looked as though it could consume a city whole. It streaked through the earth, evaporating everyone on its way toward Monskon City. But at the Frontier wall in the distance, the beam flickered out. If the wall hadn''t been containing the battle, Kai wondered if all Goralia would have been destroyed.


    Someone new appeared in the air overhead, so swathed in white robes that it was impossible to see anything but their eyes. The being raised a hand and then an enormous symbol lit up in the sky behind them. It struck Kai as similar to those he saw with his spiritual vision, but this symbol had depth and reality. Even though his spiritual sight had been firmly closed, it imposed itself on him.


    In an instant, every flame on the battlefield leapt into the air. Fireballs launched by warriors, flames dripping from the jaws of beasts, streaks of fire hurtling from strange weapons... all flowed upward and into a sphere. The robed figure raised a hand, then the combined inferno raged over the battlefield, consuming entire armies.


    The blue-skinned man charged out of the flames, laughing wildly, and leapt at the new figure with an earth-shaking stomp. Nothing seemed to have touched him, from the flames to the strikes that connected in midair.


    "Too slow... everyone is showing up..." Koleiman muttered to himself while fumbling in his robes. He pulled out an unusual device: it was made of something that might have been a strange metal, smoother and more intricate than anything Kai had seen before. Koleiman pushed a button and the magic artifact made a soft tone.


    At that moment, a tree erupted on the battlefield. Kai watched in horror as it grew out of the body of one of the giant armored warriors, stretching high. Yet Koleiman ignored it, instead pushing more buttons on his magical artifact. Were the two unrelated?


    The woman carrying the coins moved toward the tree, only to be intercepted by the robed figure. Whoever they were, they gestured and flames blurred into being around the woman. She appeared to be consumed for a moment before her body erupted in a mesh of sizzling white lightning. It arced across the battlefield, tearing through several figures before resolving back into her usual form.


    Koleiman grunted in satisfaction, his head raised, and Kai had no choice but to look up. He immediately stared in shock. A vast object was descending from the sky, just as sleek and complex as the small device. It looked almost like a ship that flew with magic, but this vessel had vast cauldrons of power burning on the bottom instead of wind magic or sails. Thin metal lines extended from the sides and began releasing streaks of light that impacted all over the battlefield.


    Some of the lesser fighters - still a thousand times stronger than Kai - died instantly when the streaks passed through them. The cultivator deflected them with a shield from one hand, frowning slightly. She wasn''t looking at the attacks, instead letting her eyes flicker over the battlefield. Whatever power the robed figure had, it failed to control the streaks of light and they had to retreat. It seemed like Koleiman had taken the upper hand... until the blue man appeared again.


    Laughing as light splattered off his skin, the man leapt into the air. He shrank to a speck before reaching the flying vessel, forcing Kai to realize that it was even larger than he thought. But that didn''t matter: the enormous man tore the vessel out of the air, even though that should have been impossible, and then hurled it to the earth. The explosion scoured another portion of the battlefield and sent monsters flying, but Koleiman only grunted and looked back to the pit.


    The strange tree had endured all attacks and began to glow. A pillar of light shot into the sky and for a moment Kai thought it had missed before he saw the shadow in the heavens.


    Even though Kai''s sense for what was possible had been overwhelmed multiple times, he still gaped: an impossibly vast sphere began to blot out the sky. It reminded him of the moon, but this sphere glowed with ominous purple light. As it loomed closer he could make out the surface, thin lines resolving into mountain ranges. An entire world was being brought down on their heads as if to end the battle simply by flattening everything.


    Many of the warriors began to slow. They had fought on, even when companions were destroyed by various attacks, but even they stared overhead. Just when it seemed like they might all be crushed, the cultivator raised a hand skyward and unleashed a beam of qi that outclassed anything Kai had even imagined.


    In an instant, the sapphire beam pierced the world overhead and sundered it into pieces. Entire mountains began tumbling through the air, even the rubble from the explosion enough to devastate the continent. But before they could get too close, a new power pulsed within the pit. Some nearby warriors evaporated and an upward current of force pushed the rubble into the sky.


    With that pulse of power, the battlefield changed.


    Kai realized in horror that the fighters were finally getting serious. Before that point, they had been more focused on reaching their goal than attacking one another. The cultivator could have unleashed that world-destroying blast at any moment, she just had higher priorities. Whatever strategies such divine beings used, their focus had just shifted.


    Overhead, the cultivator raised both hands and glowing points of light began to flicker to life around her in an ominous circle. The blue man bent his legs and flexed the world around him. The glowing tree split open and a verdant being stepped from its heart. The slim woman finally stopped smiling and began spinning coins with both hands.


    Kai turned away before the confrontation could blind him. No matter how he tried to think about the situation, he couldn''t come up with any way to survive. Everything he''d done to that point had only delayed the inevitable by a pathetic handful of minutes.


    "How dreadfully boring." The voice wasn''t loud, but he managed to hear it over the battlefield. Most of the beings outside the rainbow field made distorted and slowed sounds, but the words had been perfectly clear.


    A man wearing all gray shuffled through the chaos. Whatever color his skin had originally been, now it was a featureless gray that matched his loose robes. His expression was weariness personified. Few seemed to notice him, not even the monsters moving rapidly. As he walked, the man looked from side to side as if that was an impossible effort.


    "Another pit, another cosmic battle. How dull. Tainted monsters. How tedious."


    One of the crimson giants loomed beside him, raising a boot the size of a house. The gray man sighed and shrugged one shoulder. An utterly colorless point began to glow above him, motionless. Then the giant stomped on him... and vanished. There was no explosion or sense of power, the suit of armor simply ceased to exist.


    "Great size. How monotonous. Cultivation, abilities, Dao, soul arts... downright platitudinous."


    As the gray man walked closer, Kai realized that something was wrong. The others were all slowing down, nearly frozen. Koleiman had become a statue: his face set in glee as his colorless body stared into the pit. The gray man shuffled through the edge of the rainbow aura without apparent effect.


    "And of course Koleiman the Magnificent with his research. As always, so trite, so prosaic, so bromidic..." The gray man''s head swiveled to look at Kai. "What the fuck is that?"


    "M-me?" Kai should have been terrified to have one of these nigh-omnipotent beings finally focused on him, but he still wasn''t bound in place. "My soul-"


    "You don''t need to talk, anomaly. Well, I don''t know what to make of this... it seems that random chance can still produce novelties... as a matter of principle, better eradicate it root and stem."


    The gray man raised a hand and colorless oblivion approached.

 Chapter 98: In the Wake of Gods

    As the achromatic point of light approached him, Kai knew that it would obliterate everything he was. Now that it was facing him, he understood it in some terrible sense: the non-light was the opposite of soul, a power that simply removed the existence of whatever it touched. He was helpless to move, so he could only watch as it drew closer...


    Koleiman struck the gray man from the side, flicking a paintbrush across his arm. The gray man grimaced in pain as his arm began to dissolve, the destruction rapidly rising to his shoulder. It looked like he would evaporate entirely, then he somehow stepped away from his own arm. As it vanished into flecks of blue light, he grew a new arm and frowned at his opponent.


    Reality began to tear between the two of them and Kai was finally free. He stumbled away before their conflict could kill him accidentally.


    So few were left alive. Zae Zin Nim sat forlornly, but the others continued to march up to the edge of the pit and die. There were only three others left, and the one approaching the pit was Yangil. Kai didn''t like the man, but even here at the end of the world, he couldn''t let a hunter just throw his life away. Now that no one was watching, Kai ran up and grabbed the remaining hunters and officials, pulling them back.


    Unlike Zae Zin Nim, they struggled against him, as if still controlled by their desire. Kai shoved back with his superior strength, but he had been off balance. He staggered and realized too late that he was teetering over the pit. His gaze was drawn directly down...


    Nothing. He could see the enormous shaft into the earth darkening for what looked like a mile, then it was entirely lost in darkness.


    For several heartbeats he heard nothing but his own breathing. Wasn''t this where he was supposed to explode, or melt, or simply die without explanation? He didn''t see anything that would kill someone just by looking at it. Just when Kai was beginning to think that Koleiman had done something to kill the others, he felt the world lurch underneath him.


    The depths before him ceased to be a pit in the ground, it was a puncture through the world. Everything he had ever known was just a thin sheet of silk drifting on the surface of an indifferent void. No matter what he believed, that truth was forced upon him, increasing the pressure in his skull...


    And Kai felt hungry.


    When Kai turned away from the pit, he did so as a monster. There was a gnawing emptiness inside of him that could not be filled, but he wanted to consume the world until it was gone. In that moment, he could have eaten anything.


    As he saw the others, the experience passed. All the realities that had seemed so obvious and undeniable to him the moment before suddenly felt bizarre. He almost turned back, just to see what would happen if he stared into the pit again, but then he managed to refocus.


    No, if he died, he would die as a human. Yangil was rocking back and forth sobbing while the others lay unconscious or raved, but Zae Zin Nim still awaited her death. It might all be futile, but he knew he couldn''t end everything like this. Even if his story was nothing except meaningless chance, he would at least face it.


    "Zae Zin Nim." When she opened her eyes, he extended a hand to her. "Why not die fighting?"


    "Fool." She shook her head, but she did take his hand and let him pull her to her feet. "Very well. I didn''t want to die, but I''ll die alongside you if you really want."


    "Then I guess..." His words trailed off as the rainbow aura that had been protecting them the entire time pulled away.


    Kai had the briefest glimpse of Koleiman and his gray opponent fighting one another into the melee, then he staggered on a deadly battlefield. He couldn''t see any movement or strategy, there were simply explosions and bodies tearing apart on all sides. Now he was every bit as vulnerable as the slow monsters dying on all sides.


    More were crawling up from the depths of the pit. Kai turned with Zae Zin Nim and charged into the horde.


    Something caught him in the back and his world froze into crystal.


    When it shattered, he was staring at a different sky. Kai realized that he was in midair and flailed as he slammed back against stone. He groaned and rolled to the side, then flinched as he nearly went over an edge. Somehow he was lying on the top of the wall that surrounded the Frontier.


    He wanted to see if any of the others were still alive, but the sight before him was entrancing. Armies and attacks blurred in the distance, moving so quickly he couldn''t understand anything. Even the largest explosions winked in and out. Was that how the battle looked from the outside?


    It ended with a column of raw power that tore through the sky and scattered the clouds. He couldn''t see from so far away, but he felt certain that it had erupted from the depthless pit. Afterwards, he expected to see further fighting and strained his eyes for the nearly instantaneous movements.


    Nothing. Just the empty wasteland and the subsiding sense of the world twisting underneath him.


    "It''s already over. How many phases up was that?"


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    "Couldn''t tell you."


    Two voices, a man and a woman. Kai tried to forget about the battle and rolled back over. He saw two strangers who he assumed must be the speakers first. The man was a tall Krysali completely encased in crystal armor, while the woman had a jungle of hair erupting from her head. It flowed out like limbs and gripped several others: Kai recognized the surviving hunters and diplomats. They had been struggling, but it was futile against the living hair.


    Thankfully Zae Zin Nim was there beside him. She and Kai weren''t bound by the hair, presumably because they were in control of themselves. Zae Zin Nim turned to him with wide eyes, gave a strange smile, and then collapsed. Kai wanted to catch her, but he ached as if he''d been fighting for a solid year.


    "Are you..." His throat hurt, but he forced himself to continue. "Are you the Frontier elites?"


    "Not so elite compared to that." The strange woman snorted and turned away. "It''s even worse than you think. They were focused on one another and the power phases were restrained by the wall. Some of those forces could have destroyed entire countries if they''d wanted."


    Her companion bent down beside Kai with a more compassionate expression through his crystal helm. "I know you''ve been through a lot, son, but I need you to focus. How many were left alive? You were part of the hunter expedition, right?"


    "I''m not a hunter," Kai said, then realized that was utterly insane.


    "I don''t think that matters very much right now, son." The Krysali man gently helped him to his feet. "There was one group of southerners, then the hunters from Monskon City. After your groups merged, we lost track of you completely. When you reappeared I tried to pull you back, but I almost couldn''t just due to the raw concentration of power out there. That''s why I asked you how many others were left alive."


    "Just us." He looked around the group, noting Yangil, another hunter, and a southern official. "One of those... those people out there was killing us. By the time he got distracted, there were only the five of us left."


    "You see?" the woman said. "It still works in theory."


    "For whatever that is worth." The man sighed and turned to stare toward the Frontier again. After everything he had seen, Kai couldn''t think about it the same way ever again.


    "Do either of you know what happened?" he asked. The man shook his head and the woman chuckled.


    "I have fought on the Frontier for a hundred and fifty years," she said, "including more than twenty monster incursions. This is a first."


    "Remarkable that you''re still thinking clearly after all that," the Krysali man said. "I am Aeglien of Torleen and my companion is Handelrey Orgoron. I know you must have questions, and we do as well, but the truth is that all of us have been forced onto a new frontier. There are no answers."


    Though he couldn''t examine the essence of either hunter, Kai felt certain that they were far more powerful than him. And all three of them were basically nothing compared to the battle they had just witnessed. These elites with extended lifespans would normally never have a reason to speak to him, but now they all just stood and stared.


    Still... they might not understand everything, but he was fairly certain they knew more than him. He forced himself to face the two older hunters. "So you''ve always known about that... giant pit?"


    "You saw the pit and you''re still sane?" Handelrey let out a low whistle.


    "So you did know. Why not tell anyone?"


    "What good would it do?" Aeglien asked. "We don''t understand what it is, despite centuries of study and experimentation. Just a hole torn in the world. Monsters crawl out of it, but it''s not the source of every monster. We aren''t a strong enough power to know everything about Rosemount and Cloudspire, but we''re fairly certain they don''t have an equivalent pit."


    "And I guess there''s not much you can do except manage the monsters." Kai thought back to the sheer scale of the pit and shook his head. "Even if you could somehow seal the top, the monsters would probably break through during the next incursion."


    "It''s not even possible to seal. According to our records, the people in the distant past who built this wall tried and failed."


    "So it''s some sort of... flaw in the world. It makes or draws monsters, and twists them."


    "We call that the taint," Handelrey said. "It''s some sort of power wholly different from anything we''ve found elsewhere. It ebbs and flows over time, which is why some incursions are worse than others. My guess is that this time was some sort of peak that occurs after centuries. All our foreign visitors wanted to take advantage of it somehow."


    "You know, Gunjin was right." Aeglien turned toward his partner with a somber expression. "He might have underestimated the timing, but the distortion was clearly rising to a peak much worse than any in recorded history."


    "Wait, Gunjin?" Kai looked back and forth between them. "You know him?"


    "Why do you think you''re alive, son? He came to tell us that an expedition of southerners was charging in and that there were probably hunters going after them. That was the only reason I was able to pinpoint you early. Otherwise no one could have removed you from that battle."


    "Is he alright?"


    "Just organizing our defenses elsewhere. Gunjin isn''t bad, but he''s no elite."


    "He''d be a menace if he could master phases," Handelrey muttered. Kai immediately fixated on the word.


    "That''s the third time I''ve heard that." He glanced between the two elites. "Just what does it mean?"


    "It''s decades too early for you to think about that." Handelrey seemed about to dismiss him, then gestured over the wasteland. "Let''s just say that once you get fast enough, you need to be able to enter a fundamentally different state. That''s why everyone out there seemed to be moving so quickly. They''re fast on their own, certainly, but their power goes deeper than that."


    That would finally explain the rainbow aura: Kai and all the others must have been carried along in a different phase, moving faster than the ordinary monsters. Judging from what the elites had said earlier, there had to be many tiers of phases. Since he was tired of being out of his depth, Kai just tucked the information away for later.


    "Well, I should get back." Aeglien rolled his shoulders, producing a hideous crunching sound from his crystal armor. "The Krysali City States are in no way prepared to deal with this. Unless we change a few things, this incursion will go through them like a scythe."


    "Send the southerners to someone who can debrief them," Handelrey said. "It might not have mattered so much this time, but we can''t have them undermining us. Oh, and send the kids back too."


    "Wait." Kai hastened to get in front of the two elites before they could move away from him. "Are you saying we still need to defend ourselves? I saw so many monsters destroyed, I assumed..."


    Both elites glanced at one another and then Aeglien answered sadly. "The foreign powers killed the majority of the horde, but they also scattered many of them and destroyed many of our spiritual barriers. This one is going to break every pattern we''ve seen before."


    "Then you mean the incursion...?"


    "You thought it was over? Everything may be finished for the gods who fought over the pit, but for us mere mortals... the monster incursion is just beginning."

 Chapter 99: Home, One Last Time

    It seemed like the two elites were going to push him aside, like he was another helpless civilian. Kai might have been humbled by the incredible powers on display, but he couldn''t let that happen. After so long being forced to watch as others fought for the fate of his homeland, he needed to do something.


    "Don''t send me with the others. Please." He knew they could teleport him with a flick of a finger, so his only hope was convincing them. "I know I can''t help you fight here, but I''ve been training for monster incursions my entire life. Send me somewhere I can do some good."


    "Son, do you realize that everything is about to become fractured?" Aeglien of Torleen gestured toward the Frontier. "Usually we can thin out the horde within the walls, then target the strongest so that only some make it to the cities. The invaders completely ruined the usual filtering strategies. Some cities might pass without harm while others will be leveled by monsters that should never have gotten out. No one will be safe, this incursion."


    "We should send some people deeper," Handelrey said. "With this many, there are bound to be a few that bypass all the ring cities to hit the softer targets."


    "That''s assuming we can pull anyone from the Frontier. But that''s our problem, son. We don''t want to send young hunters who have just been through such a harrowing experience into what could be an equally painful one."


    "We are ready." Zae Zin Nim surprised them all by standing up and speaking. Despite her earlier vulnerability, her face was a mask as if she had been unaffected. "Send us somewhere appropriate for our stage and we will deal with what fate sends our way."


    "Well, you certainly look determined. Very well. Where would you like to go?"


    "Monskon City," Kai said. There was no real question in his mind that it had to end there.


    Crystals began forming around him, somewhat similar to those he''d seen the elite mercenary use but far more powerful. This time he wasn''t so shocked, so he had a few breaths to look at them more carefully. Each facet seemed to itself contain another crystal, with its own interlocking pattern...


    Then the crystals around him shattered into a fine mist and he was standing back outside Monskon City. Kai quickly looked around in case the monsters had already arrived, then realized just how much his sense of time had been skewed. All of his experiences during the battle had been forced into a small period of time, then he had been thrown across the nation by special techniques. He had a moment to catch his breath.


    Beside him, Zae Zin Nim looked like she really was prepared to take on the horde. By contrast, the other three were a mess. One was still unconscious, one wept, and Yangil sat shivering and staring at nothing. Kai didn''t know how much of the chaos he had perceived, but it had clearly scarred him.


    "Alright, let''s get you some help." Kai pulled the weeping man to his feet. "You''re alive, it''s over. Just hold on a little longer..."


    Guards emerged from the city to help the civilians, who seemed to recover a little when surrounded by normal people. Yangil sat numbly, and when Kai approached him the other hunter slapped away his offers to help.


    "Are you insane?" Yangil looked in his direction, but his gaze seemed to pass directly through him. "You saw them... we''re nothing compared to that... insects... specks of dust..."


    "No one is asking you to fight the entire world," Kai said gently. "But there are people in Monskon City who need your help. Even small monsters can be as overwhelming for them as those masters were for us."


    "It doesn''t matter... we might as well already be dead..."


    After staring down at the broken man a while longer, Kai let him be. There was no sense trying to force him when there were so many other people who might accept his help.


    Even though he wouldn''t shut down like Yangil had, Kai had to admit that he felt scraped raw. Aquagorgon''s Health was taking time to restore all the damage to his body, and some unquantifiable part of his soul felt drained. Even the brief glimpse had left his spiritual sight imagining afterimages. He needed to prepare for the upcoming battle, but he also needed to recover himself mentally.


    "You seem to be taking this well," he said to Zae Zin Nim. She had been following like a ghost, apparently as indifferent as before. "But you can''t convince me that you''ve seen battles like that before."


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    "No, not like that." She took a deep, controlled breath. "I was a member of an important sect, but we were a large public organization. I had always been told that the secret organizations of the world had even more powerful cultivation techniques, but I hadn''t believed it."


    "There were more than just cultivators there, you know."


    "Yes, I know. I can admit that Rosemount might have hidden grandmasters as well."


    He might not have enough information to theorize, but Kai was beginning to think he understood why Deadwaste was weaker than the other continents. The hole in the world didn''t just emit monsters, it felt like it also drained the vital energy from its environment. Not obviously in a minute or a day, but over time he suspected it was the reason the center of the continent was a lifeless wasteland, and why their mana and qi were relatively weak.


    Most likely the first people to settle on Deadwaste had built the Frontier wall, then established the system to keep the pit and its incursions in check. They might even have founded all the nations ringing it, for all he knew. What bothered him was wondering if they did it for the good of the world, or to contain the energy for some reason related to all the foreign masters. Yet they had all arrived at once, as if the event had been a surprise, and he didn''t know how to interpret that.


    So many secrets, so far out of his reach...


    "I want to fight the incursion." Zae Zin Nim surprised him by speaking again. "I''ve changed my opinion about many things here, but before today I still believed the monster problem was simply local pests getting out of hand. Now I understand. I feel like if I can''t fight even the remnants of that horde, I''ll never be able to understand the powers we saw today."


    "I feel exactly the same way." Kai couldn''t help but grin. Just having her look determined again did wonders for his spirit. "If the monsters will be coming so randomly, we won''t be cleaning up minor threats. You''ll be able to find a real challenge anywhere."


    "Of course, I understand it''s your home. I will do my best to protect it."


    "Was my home." Kai stared over Monskon City''s rising houses and realized how far he''d gone. He still cared about the place in an abstract sense, but he knew he would never be settling down there and retiring as an old hunter. "I''m going to protect it with everything I have, one last time. But if we survive the incursion, I think I need to look for some answers."


    She nodded somberly, then they went to join the main defense forces. No guards challenged them this time. Even if the average citizen didn''t know what had happened, they could feel that the incursion was getting closer. Banishment was a petty concern when the survival of civilization was at stake.


    Inside the main street of the city, Kai saw that the armored wagons from Rayakan sat all in a row, their supplies being distributed. He noted a significant number of healing potions being taken to defensive positions, but Razz hadn''t left it at that. There were all manner of mana-bearing fruit, enhancement items, and other support options. Hunters throughout the city were arguing over exactly who could use them best, but at least they were focused on the upcoming battle.


    Most likely they had several hours until the first monsters started to arrive, which meant one of his top priorities needed to be breaking through to E-0. But his mind was still swimming with everything he''d seen, so he didn''t exactly feel capable of centering himself. Instead he looked through the city a little longer, hoping...


    "Kai!" Juray dropped what she was doing and rushed to embrace him. She pulled back and stared into his face, and he almost thought she might kiss him, but then she just squeezed him as hard as she could. "I heard you were here, but I almost didn''t believe it."


    "I''m sorry I missed you earlier." He finally set her down, though he couldn''t stop smiling. "There''s not enough time to really talk. The monsters will be here soon."


    "So they keep telling me. But if you give me a few resources now, I could try to create something for you."


    "Are you sure? I assume the Hunters Guild has you working as hard as you can."


    Juray waved off the objection. "My goal is to help protect the city, not obey them. As far as I''m concerned, you''re one of the best defenders. And..." Her gaze slid over to Zae Zin Nim. "I don''t know who your companion is, but she seems strong as well. If you tell me what you need, I might be able to whip up something."


    "That is unlikely," Zae Zin Nim said.


    "This is an opportunity." Kai cut her off before she could be too dismissive. "Juray is one of the best apothecaries in the city when it comes to flexible work. She might not use qi, but she could still help. Take a look at her essence."


    Kai hadn''t actually looked himself yet, but Juray didn''t disappoint him.


    <


    Name: Juray Phrissan


    Total Power: 55


    Herbalist Class: 33 (43)


    Physique Level: G-3 (8)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    She had improved more than most of the hunters in the city, taking great strides in her Herbalist Class. For that matter, she''d made more progress on her Physique than any civilian and even some hunters. But he couldn''t help but feel a sense of anxiety, because a rank of G-3 wouldn''t protect her if the monsters broke through.


    After some pressure, he managed to convince Zae Zin Nim. They both gave Juray some blood, a drop of mana, and in Zae Zin Nim''s case even a stored bit of qi. She promised that she would do the best she could given the time and rushed off to her house. Kai wanted to hug her one more time, but she was already gone.


    Instead he stared after her. Even if he left afterwards, he absolutely had to protect Monskon City. And that meant advancing while there was still time left.

 Chapter 100: The Defense of Monskon City

    There wasn''t enough time.


    As Kai desperately tried to push his Physique to the limit, he began to accept that he wouldn''t make it to E-0. Occasionally he began to feel a strange twinging in his muscles, like when he had reached F-0, but it always felt wrong. The twinges were painful and, instead of developing his body to a new stage, he felt like he was crippling himself.


    Eventually he let out a growl and slammed his fists into the flagstones of the training yard. The monster incursion would be arriving soon and trying any further would only leave him unprepared. Breaking through might restore his body to some degree, but it wasn''t a magical balm for everything. He had to admit failure.


    The flagstones trembled, but if he had reached E-rank, they would have shattered.


    He reluctantly pulled himself back to his feet and looked across. There was basically no one else training at a time like this, of course. Everyone was thinking about violence and death, not power. Only Zae Zin Nim sat nearby, and she opened her eyes sadly.


    "Don''t despair, Kai. This continent failed us both." She smoothly rose beside him. "I have pushed to the very peak of the Body Refinement stage, but I lack the qi to reach Nascent Foundation."


    "Even if you use the last qi pill you have?" he asked.


    "It would grant me a significant amount, but if I tried to press through it would be insufficient, and it would be wasted. Better to use it in a moment of true desperation."


    "Well, I''m afraid there will be plenty of those."


    They left the training courtyard to join the main defense forces and he marveled to see the streets of Monskon City completely empty. Most of the civilians were staying in bunkers in the upper city and had already gone to ground. There were a few defensive positions, but no hunters waited at them, because if the monsters reached that point, the fight had become truly desperate.


    The primary wall of the city was unlikely to be broken by any monsters, but the gates had been heavily fortified. In fact, it looked like two of the three gates had been entirely filled and the last was guarded. When they passed into the lower city they began to see more warriors and civilians preparing the defenses, as well as places to heal the wounded.


    Of course, the primary defensive point for the city was its outer wall. The street leading to the gates, normally a thoroughfare, had been tightened to form a deadly pathway. Then the outer gates had been closed, with an Earthenshield and a Flameshield Class hunter waiting to reinforce it if necessary.


    Enough time to fortify the city itself, but not enough time for its defenders...


    Walkways led to the top of the wall, so Kai and Zae Zin Nim followed the paths to talk to the leaders of the defense. Once at the top, Kai realized he could already see monsters approaching from the north. Not the carpet of legs and claws that had poured from the abyssal hole, but still enough to destroy the city.


    To his surprise, he found that he actually recognized the main leader of the defenses. He hadn''t seen Rallia Orgoron since the Hunters Trials, when she had seen his awakening. She stood with several other hunters and elders around a table bearing a map of the city. When he walked up she gave him a strange glance, but didn''t comment on his soul.


    "They''ll be here soon," she said. "The horde will hit the northern wall first, but the hills and wall are too sheer for them to climb and there aren''t many flying ones this year. So they''ll move around the exterior, defenders raining projectiles down on them the entire way. Those who make it to the southern gate will try to break through."


    "You''re not sending out early forces?" Kai frowned as he examined the thoroughly barred gates. "If you fought a defensive action, you could thin them out further."


    "And get some of our bravest hunters injured before the true battle begins? Stupid."


    "Better for them to face their first injuries before the slower and stronger monsters arrive. Then they''d have time to recover and they can join the true battle strengthened."


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    Rallia snorted. "Maybe that works for the insane, but many of our hunters will be broken by this battle. We don''t want to start wearing them down with melee combat until absolutely necessary."


    Kai disliked the strategy, but he had to admit that she was a veteran and knew the limits of average hunters better than he did. If he convinced a bunch of weaker hunters to follow him, they might end up dead instead of strengthened.


    Meanwhile, Zae Zin Nim had been examining the map and now spoke. "So you''ll place your strongest cultivators on the northern and southern walls?"


    "Why would we waste them on the north?" One of the elders brought a fist down on the lines representing the wall. "We already told you, they''ll never break the northern wall."


    Zae Zin Nim frowned and stepped back. Someone else might have mistaken her expression as accepting correction, but he knew that she was simply frustrated and not inclined to keep arguing. He suspected he knew what she was thinking and decided to pick up her argument.


    "That might be true for a normal incursion," he explained, "but the horde has been disrupted. There might be monsters who could climb or even damage the northern wall. If they managed to break through there, the entire defensive strategy would crumble."


    "Absurd! You can see the monsters for yourself, there are no abominations among them. The Frontier has done its job as it always has."


    "Could we move ranged fighters?" Rallia looked over the horde more thoughtfully than the others. "There''s no sense in some of our strongest simply waiting in the south while the monsters push their way around the city."


    "You think skipping all around the city wall during the middle of a pitched battle is easy?"


    They continued arguing and it seemed like leadership was split on the subject. As the argument became less productive, Rallia stepped away from the table to face Kai.


    "If you want to help," she said, "go north yourself. If they do start to break through, call to me. Even if I can''t convince them, I can follow myself."


    "We''ll do what we can." Kai started to leave, then turned back to Rallia for one last question. "Tell me the truth: what are our chances of getting reinforcement from the clans? Can any of them get back from Irun in time?"


    "The strongest took a flying vessel." Rallia glanced northeast, then shook her head. "I don''t know how far away they are, or how much help they''ll offer if they arrive."


    "Irunians?"


    "They were supposed to join the Trials and never arrived. Someone sent a message saying they have their own problems. Assume no reinforcements."


    He''d been afraid of that, but better to face the truth. Kai left the leaders to their squabbling and began making his way around the wall of the city. As the monsters drew ever closer, the urge to run rose, but that would probably disrupt the defenders or even knock them off the wall. He saw a lot of terrified faces watching the horde approach. Many were just civilians carrying heavy rocks: they might not have any mana-fueled strength, but a rock dropped from that high would be lethal to most monsters.


    That had been him, seven years ago. Back then, he''d thought his fate was to become a hunter. Even though Monskon City had rejected him, Kai realized that he wanted to save these people. He didn''t want to rejoin the city, but he needed to prove that he wasn''t who he had been.


    When Kai reached the northern point of the wall, he had to admit that it seemed like the elders were right. The front of the horde was composed of familiar local monsters, such as twisted dogs and boars. There were also a strange deer-like beast with razor horns that ran ahead of the others, but when the horde hit the northern face of the city, it had no choice but to go around.


    Then he saw what he''d feared: an enormous furry spider reached the rocky outcropping of the city and began crawling up the side. It didn''t slow when it reached the wall, its claws able to find purchase even on the smooth stone. Some of the defenders noticed and panicked, beginning to throw rocks down toward it. The spider skittered from side to side and even when a few rocks struck it, they bounced off its fur. As two more spiders began to climb the base of the wall, the defenders began screaming.


    Bolts of qi tore through each of the spiders, sending them tumbling down into the monster horde. Many of the defenders cheered, but Zae Zin Nim simply lowered her hand and watched the river of monsters as it parted around the base of the city.


    The occasional spider might be handled by her, but Kai spotted two more beasts that worried him because they didn''t resemble anything local to the area. One looked more like a clam shell than a normal monster, traveling on a hundred small legs that took it over rocks. The other was like an anvil on legs, its body simply rising into a massive wedge of stone. When it reached the city wall it didn''t climb, it began ramming its head into the stone.


    "Kai..." Zae Zin Nim caught his attention and he looked over to see that the clam-like monster was actually the bigger problem. When she sent out a qi attack, it deflected off the shell harmlessly and the beast kept climbing. "That one is tainted, like the others at the Frontier. I don''t think my qi will ever get through."


    Then it was time for what he had known was coming from the beginning. If they didn''t stop the monster horde from breaching the northern wall, the entire defense would collapse and Monskon City was doomed. With no strong defenders at the north, he was their only hope.


    So Kai jumped over the edge and plummeted toward the climbing monsters.

 Chapter 101: An Inevitable Revelation

    The side of the wall flashed past him faster than Kai had anticipated, and he briefly wondered if he had made a mistake, but the armored monster was already almost in his face. He assumed that its shell could deflect all normal attacks, so he straightened his hand and thrust a claw directly between its jaws.


    It pierced deep and the creature let out a hiss, but it only staggered a short distance down the wall. Several of the foremost legs began reaching up, trying to cut into his legs. Before it could reach him, Kai thrust his other hand into the crack between the halves of the shell. Maintaining both at once strained him, but he managed to hold on long enough to swing his arms in opposite directions.


    In one movement, the monstrous clam was torn in half.


    All its legs went limp at once and he was suddenly plummeting again, almost falling into the fleshy core inside the shell. The mass within was pulsing intensely and the world started to twist. If Kai hadn''t just been through a harrowing experience near the pit, it might have overwhelmed him, but now this much was nothing.


    Operating on instinct, he reached for the biting skill within and consumed the heart of the monster in a single chomp.


    Seconds later they hit the ground, but the lower shell and all the legs blunted the impact. Now he stood at the base of the wall with monsters all around him and no one else in sight. The horde immediately turned to focus on him, but Kai lifted the lower shell and then spun in a circle. His first arc smashed through many of the nearest monsters, then he hurled it into the mass charging toward him.


    His instincts were screaming at him to eat the rest of the clam-like monster, but he resisted. Everyone atop the wall was no doubt looking at him now, so he needed to maintain control. Besides, there were too many monsters for him to hesitate even for a moment.


    Needing space, Kai experimentally swiped horizontally with one hand. His spiritual claw tore through multiple boars and sent their bodies tumbling into the others. As he fought, he found himself grinning. Ever since his trial, they''d all told him that he could never be a true hunter during an incursion because he lacked the ability to deal enough damage. Now he was fighting the horde at the very forefront of the entire city.


    Zae Zin Nim skated down the side of the wall and slid out beside him, killing the monsters in her path with well-placed strikes. He smiled at her, but she only pointed off to the east. Kai realized that the wedge-headed monster was still trying to hammer into the city wall and cursed.


    They ran toward it and he was shocked at how the monsters in his way were little more than obstacles. He could kill the vast majority with well-placed claw swipes and any that got through were swiftly put down by Zae Zin Nim. When they reached the large monster, there wasn''t any need to discuss it: he went low and she went high.


    Kai''s claw slashed against the beast''s legs and for the first time he felt a monster really resist him. But his blow did open wounds and stagger it, and a second later Zae Zin Nim landed a palm strike against one of its flat sides. The strange beast tumbled end over end, then eventually slid across the wasteland.


    Once it lay on its back, it thrashed its injured legs, but didn''t seem to be able to get up. They both stared at the fallen monster.


    "Deadwaste is so weird." Zae Zin Nim turned away, her lips in a tight line.


    "What, you don''t have anvil-headed monsters in Cloudspire?"


    She didn''t answer, just returned to the battle. Kai joined her and they easily formed a dead zone in the middle of the horde. They seemed to have killed the largest monsters in the initial wave, so all they needed to do was make sure that the occasional spider didn''t get past them to climb the wall.


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    Unlike the impossible battle he''d seen within the Frontier, this one seemed almost slow. Kai had enough time to scan the battlefield and he noted that the monsters not focused on them were still splitting around the city. Defenders were striking them with rocks, arrows, and the occasional Class skill. They were definitely thinning the horde, but significant numbers would still reach the southern gate.


    He''d been worried that the monsters would wear him down by attrition, but Kai was surprised at how good he felt. One of the spiders had dealt a minor cut which was already healing, otherwise he was untouched. Using claws too quickly in succession tired him out, but he quickly learned a natural pace and integrated them with normal strikes. Above all, he felt no weariness in his muscles at all. Gomodo''s Stamina seemed more than equal to a fight of this level.


    After killing the shelled monster, he wanted to try out Isulfr''s Bite more often in combat. It still didn''t come as easily when he wasn''t facing a powerful opponent. He decided not to take unnecessary risks experimenting in a situation like this. Even if he wasn''t suffering attrition yet, there would be more dangerous monsters coming.


    Something buzzed overhead and Kai looked up just in time to see a giant insect with six blurring wings move overhead. It was already higher than the city wall and would easily pass over the top.


    "Hey!" He nudged Zae Zin Nim and pointed toward it. She released a qi attack, but the monster flitted aside in a jerky movement.


    That could cause chaos all on its own. There was no way he could jump high enough to reach it, and even if he managed to throw something so far, it would only dodge. Could he possibly climb the city wall and intercept it? The monster was already getting close...


    A beam of sapphire mana pierced the monster''s body and it exploded into shards.


    Tracing the beam back, Kai spotted Rallia Orgoron standing on top of the wall. A bow formed of blue mana glowed in her hands. As he watched, she placed her other hand against it, then formed a new arrow of mana. He''d forgotten about her Class...


    <


    Name: Rallia Orgoron


    Total Power: 96


    Spellbow Class: 34 (44)


    Physique Level: F-3 (36)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    As a Spellbow, Rallia was a significant boost to their defenses. She felt his gaze and waved at him with arrow in hand, but then she drew it back for another shot.


    With her providing support from the wall, Kai began to feel like they could win the battle. Any time a more powerful monster appeared, the three of them would work together to kill it off quickly. A significant number of smaller monsters were being destroyed in the process as well. If they kept this up, they could break the majority of the horde at the first point of contact.


    The only problem was that he was getting hungrier as the combat went on. He tried to use that to fuel him, indulging further in his monstrous side than ever before. If he fought them like a beast and told himself that he could eat later, he actually became an even more effective fighter. Maybe his animal aggression left a few openings, but Zae Zin Nim and Rallia covered his blind spots.


    "East, east!" The shouts from the wall didn''t register at first, just more yelling from the defenders. He gradually realized that they were yelling a direction.


    When he looked up, he saw that many of them had clustered to one side. To the east he could see a growing cloud of dust. One monster had split from the horde, apparently smart enough to try to take the city from the side instead of following all the others. Kai couldn''t see what it was through the dust, but if the defenders were so worried, he should intercept it.


    After tossing a few more monsters out of his way, Kai broke free from the main horde and sprinted toward the new beast. As he drew closer, he began to see fur through the dust, then tusks, then beady little eyes...


    Kai laughed as he saw that it was a Direboar.


    So much had changed since the Hunters Trials, it wasn''t even a real fight. Bristles that had deflected all his attacks now tore apart as his claws cut deep. The massive tusks sweeping at him broke with a single blow. Kai met the charging behemoth by slamming his forehead into its massive skull and the monster was the one to fall back.


    With a savage grin he set upon it, tearing it to shreds. The hunger took over and he found himself biting down and reveling in the taste. It wasn''t just a dead monster, it was a conquered foe that proved how far he''d come. A beast inside himself growled in triumph.


    As Kai''s human mind returned, he realized what he had done. The worst part of it was, the monster flesh still tasted sweet. He was a ragged mess and covered in blood, but he still felt only triumphant.


    Then he looked up to the city walls and realized he had been wrong: the worst part was the fact that everyone had seen him.


    As he left behind the bloody rage, Kai understood exactly what they saw. Not a hunter, but a man who was practically a monster himself, covered in the gory remains of a beast. The defenders stared at him silently and he realized that his artificial Class had dissolved when he indulged. Every single person above with spiritual sight now saw him as a monster.

 Chapter 102: Clans Atop the Walls

    Could the previous Hunter Trials possibly have been only a year ago? As Rallia Orgoron stared down with the other defenders, it seemed impossible. The years started to blur together as she got older, but she remembered Kai Granfian.


    It had been a sad loss, when he emerged from the mana pool with a worthless Class. He was supposed to have potential, but she''d seen many times before how the world cared nothing for fairness. For her, it had been the injury that stopped her progress and ensured that she would never join the elites. She counted herself lucky that she could still be respected as a veteran hunter instead of simply stopped by fate.


    After that, she had mostly forgotten about Kai. There had been a few whispers among the new Orgoron hunters about his futile training, but she ignored the gossip of children. She''d heard that he''d attacked someone and been banished, then assumed she would never hear of him again.


    Only a year after awakening, he returned to the city transformed. Impossibly, her spiritual sight had indicated that he was almost stronger than her. Rallia had seen many young hunters with more ambition or more support pass her, but not broken Clanless without any advantages. He seemed to have abandoned his Class for some unfamiliar art, which explained nothing. The bulk of his power was built on top of insane improvement in Physique and Soul Levels.


    Clearly, he had gained his new source of power from the foreign woman traveling with him. She kept her power carefully shrouded, but Rallia knew strength when she saw it. Perhaps the woman was training him, perhaps not, but she added to the mystery.


    Now she stared down at Kai and had no idea what she was seeing.


    A little blood and guts had never bothered Rallia. They were just part of the job if you were a serious hunter. She''d known some warriors who lost their heads in a fight and an even smaller number who managed to channel that into effective fighting. But she had never seen someone tear a monster apart with such savagery.


    When she looked at him with her spiritual sight now, she could only see faint shadows of the symbols she had examined before. She thought they still existed, but they were overwhelmed by what she saw now.


    <


    Monster: Kai Clanless


    Threat: Delta


    >


    He unquestionably registered as a monster, and not a weak one. If she had seen a delta-ranked monster in the wilderness, she would have fallen back and requested support. That could well be the right decision for him as well. She could have killed a Direboar herself, but she couldn''t have dismantled one with such ease.


    "Did the monsters infect him?" a nearby hunter asked.


    "Is he really human?" came from a nervous civilian.


    "What''s going on?" asked a woman who was more honest than the other two.


    Some looked toward Rallia for guidance, but she had no idea. It seemed likely that Kai had done something truly horrifying to himself in order to acquire this new power and that it had changed him. Even if he could fake being normal, he couldn''t suppress that rage forever and he would never be allowed to stay in Goralian society.


    Rallia wasn''t sure she cared. As he left the Direboar corpse, he continued fighting the monster horde and he showed no signs of attacking his companion by accident. The foreign woman didn''t seem particularly concerned either.


    The fact was, they were facing a monster incursion of unprecedented enormity and they needed all the help they could get.


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    She wasn''t sure exactly how strong to rate him, other than the fact that he had obviously overwhelmed a gamma-ranked Direboar. He still fought like a human, so her instincts still evaluated him like one. Even when hunters shrouded their essence, she thought she could tell a qualitative difference between those who were stuck below the 100 Power barrier and those who had passed it.


    During the early fight, she had placed him in the former category. When he let loose, he was definitely in the latter. He wasn''t almost as strong as her, he was much stronger.


    "Do we shoot at him?" an archer asked. Rallia slapped the man in the face.


    "He''s fighting the monsters, idiot." She raised her voice to calm the crowds around her. "Stay focused! If we don''t thin the herd here, the southern gate will never have a chance!"


    Most of them obeyed simply because they''d seen how useful her Spellbow Class could be. Rallia wasn''t sure it would be enough and wished she could have convinced others to join her at the northern front. This incursion was so erratic compared to the somewhat predictable waves of the others. In that past, the elites had told her that would only happen if the Frontier collapsed, so she hoped that the worst hadn''t come to pass.


    When Rallia saw something flying in the corner of her vision, she generated another mana arrow and very nearly loosed it. She barely held her draw at the last second. Once she realized the truth, she instead targeted one of the larger monsters below that hadn''t reached Kai yet.


    The heads of the major clans had returned in their flying vessel, a great ocean-going ship that had been converted to run on mana. It creaked as it slid over the city, but she didn''t see any signs of damage. Many on the walls cheered and Rallia actually joined them. She could see the Orgoron scions and several other strong young hunters on board, so they would make a real difference.


    Instead of floating over the battlefield, however, the ship slipped over the wall to land at the Hunters Guild. None of the young hunters disembarked, but Hannagan Lantrian jumped off the side to the wall. He was some distance away, so Rallia had to push her way past other defenders to talk to him.


    "Never lose heart!" Hannagan was saying, imparting courage to those around him. "Monskon City will never fall so long as stout hearts defend it!"


    Rallia tried to get his attention, politely at first and eventually pulling him away from the others. Hannagan drew himself up angrily and she was reminded again of just how powerful the old man was. She''d never seen his true strength, but she was certain it was over 100. That didn''t matter, since she was approaching him as a fellow hunter.


    "Why land the ship?" she asked in a voice too low for the others to hear. "We''ve managed to break up the horde, so this is the perfect chance for the young hunters to test their strength before the worst arrives."


    "Fight as long as you can," Hannagan told her, "then retreat to the Hunters Guild. We''ll have returned to take a second group of people by then."


    "You''re retreating? Isn''t it a little late for that?"


    "Monskon City is doomed." He uttered the words in a heavy whisper. "I don''t know what the elites were doing, but this incursion is pure chaos. Instead of spreading out, much of the horde is concentrating here."


    Rallia stared, not quite able to believe her ears, before she forced herself to answer. "You just told those people th-"


    "Why make them suffer in their final hours? Even if they make it to the end, there is a monster coming that will end everything quickly. That beast is also the reason I''ve forbidden the young hunters from engaging: I cannot allow the flowers of our city to be cut down before their prime."


    "At the cost of the city."


    "These are difficult times." Hannagan stroked his long beard as if calm, but she could see his muscles shifting under his tunic. He was willing to back up his words with force. "You''ve always held the line like a good hunter, Rallia. Don''t do something foolish and waste all that. We''ll need veterans if we are to rebuild."


    "Yes, sir." As much as she hated it, there was nothing she could do. Hannagan Lantrian was absolutely vicious about bringing down the might of the Hunters Guild and the entire Lantrian clan on anyone who threatened his power.


    "Now, if we just... wait, what the hell is that?"


    Hannagan had looked over the battlefield many times, but it had been more of a show than real observation. Now that he actually examined it, his eyes locked on Kai. The old man was no fool: he understood what he was seeing instantly. If he had any concerns about the boundaries between human and monster, he didn''t show it.


    "And so that thug ended up where he belongs." Hannagan raised a fist and gathered intense green mana, then aimed it toward the battle below. "One less monster for the horde."


    His attack plowed through the air, slow but immensely powerful. Kai and his companion were taking down a massive spider and didn''t notice its approach. He was still covered in blood and looked like a barbarian, but he was fighting for the city. If that strike connected...


    Before she knew what she was doing, Rallia had already released her arrow.


    It sped after the green burst, collided with its side, and sent both flying in opposite directions. Kai whirled to see the attack, but Rallia was almost out of time to worry about him. Hannagan had turned on her with fury in his eyes and she knew she''d be punished for this.


    "Good luck, kid," she muttered under her breath. If he survived this, his life was only going to get harder.

 ONE DAY HIATUS

    Cognosticon here. Yesterday I posted four chapters in a row, including two for everyone, as thanks for the new surge of patrons. Unfortunately, I went overboard and I''m going to miss today. I know missing a day is bad, but I figured that moving forward with not fully baked chapters is worse.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The chapters should continue at the normal schedule tomorrow. In the future I still hope to offer bonus chapters, but I have to be careful to maintain the level of planning I aspire to while keeping up this pace. Apologies for the delay.

 Chapter 103: The Air Above Monskon City

    No one on the walls cheered for Kai anymore, but he kept fighting. Given the way some stared at him, he supposed that he should be grateful they weren''t actively targeting him. There had only been one ominously powerful attack that had been deflected, otherwise he was left to his battle.


    Which, to his surprise, seemed to be ebbing. For a time it had felt like the monsters would keep coming forever, but the horde had begun to trail off. The area where Kai and Zae Zin Nim had fought was piled with monster corpses. If he wasn''t still under watch by the city''s defenders, he would have tried consuming some of them to see if it strengthened him.


    Not that he really needed it. Between Aquagorgon''s Health and Gomodo''s Stamina, he was surprised just how long he had been able to maintain the same intensity of fighting. Zae Zin Nim had kept up remarkably well, but when she sat down on a rocky monster''s corpse to take a break, he moved to guard her.


    "Is that the end of it?" she asked between breaths.


    "Can''t say." Kai killed a nearby boar absentmindedly while he examined the horizon around Monskon City. "I remember the incursions when I was younger, there was a long slow period. The hunters weren''t worried about the defense of the city, but no one was allowed to go outside."


    "Given what we saw out there..."


    "Yes, that''s the real danger. There could still be dangerous monsters coming amid these last few. Plus, the ones that got past us have probably formed an army by the southern gate, so as soon as we... wait, what is that?"


    Kai jumped on top of one of the larger piles and shielded his eyes with his hand to try to see better. There was a flying ship rising from the wall of the city. For a moment his heart leapt as he realized that Inafay and the other young hunters must have returned. Then he realized that the ship was slowly turning, its bow sweeping away from the city as if it meant to depart.


    One of the defenders from the wall leapt to try to get on board. They barely managed to cling to the railing and slowly pulled themselves up, only to be pushed back down by a guard. An outcry rose from the city wall and the ship pulled further away so others couldn''t make the same attempt.


    "Retreating?" Zae Zin Nim stood up beside him and regarded the ship.


    "Just running away." Kai couldn''t see anyone on the deck, but he was sure of it. "They think the city is lost so they''re abandoning it."


    "And I suppose, given your overactive sense of justice, you don''t want to let them?"


    "This isn''t about justice, it''s about strategy. With that ship, we could drop projectiles over the main body of the horde. For that matter, we could take fragile Classes close enough to do more damage... but there''s not much we can do about it."


    "I might be able to get you up there." Zae Zin Nim began walking closer to the wall, peering as if judging the distance. "If you can get high enough, I can impart a dull qi impact."


    "Can you really?" He followed, then began to run when she did.


    "It would be a bad idea with anyone else, but you''re stupidly durable. There aren''t many more monsters here, so we might as well try now. They''ll be out of reach if they fly too much higher."


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    The ship was indeed beginning to rise now that it had gotten away from the city wall. Kai wasn''t entirely sure what Zae Zin Nim intended and decided that he would have to trust her. He''d get himself in the right direction, then trust that she could provide the force to get him the rest of the way.


    "I must point out," Zae Zin Nim said as they got close, "that this is another problem that would be immediately solved if we had a flying vehicle."


    "If you get me up there, we could try to take it."


    When he hit the side of the city wall, he began running up it. He only managed a few steps, but with his new strength that propelled him into the air over twice his height. Just when he reached the peak of his jump and worriedly looked down, he saw Zae Zin Nim leaping up at him.


    Her palm hit his boot and a circle of blue fire expanded from it. Unlike most of her palm strikes, this one didn''t strike his inner body, only propelled him upward. His leg had gone cold, but he was hurtling higher than he''d ever jumped before, directly toward the side of the airship.


    He hit hard enough that the wood cracked and barely grabbed the rigging. As he clambered his way up, the guards on the deck stared in shock. As they started getting their weapons ready, Kai managed to vault up the last distance and wrestle them both to the ground.


    After seeing them push away a fleeing civilian, Kai wanted to hurl the guards over the edge, but he restrained himself. All his wrath needed to be saved for whoever had ordered the flying ship to retreat instead of helping in the battle. Across the deck he saw only clan officials and chests filled with goods, not even as many people as the ship should have been capable of carrying.


    "You!" The enormous Orgoron hunter bearing a hammer thrust it in his direction. "How could you give up your humanity and join monsters?"


    "I''m still on your side!" As Kai objected, he spent more time looking around the deck, because he didn''t expect this to end with words. A few areas were blocked from his sight by boxes, but he didn''t think there was any way to control the ship on the deck. Then he needed to look below.


    "Your blood will be the next spilled, you miserable... now!"


    The call gave Kai a second of forewarning, but not enough. Vines erupted out of pure mana, not breaking the deck as they lashed around all four of his limbs. Now he spotted her off to the side: the woman who controlled vines had been getting into position for a perfect strike.


    He should have known the two of them would be working together. Now he was being stretched in four directions while the man with the hammer rushed in to deal a finishing blow.


    Solely with his human strength, Kai would have been sorely pressed to defeat the two. They both had power in the 70s and they worked well as a team, so they might be able to make up the gap in strength.


    But they had clearly heard more about his monstrous nature than actually seen it. Kai flexed his full strength and tore free of the vines just before the hammer struck his face. He ducked just underneath it and rammed his shoulder into the larger man''s chest, sending him flipping overhead and into his partner. They both crashed to the deck and Kai was on them in an instant.


    "If you''re so concerned about the monster horde," he said as he dragged them to the edge, "then do something about it!"


    As he threw them both over the side of the flying ship, he realized that might have been reckless. He hadn''t had time to examine their Physique Levels or to check how high the ship had flown. Fortunately, it looked like they hadn''t risen far: the two hunters crashed into the city wall and started to fall before the woman grew more vines to slow their descent.


    Ultimately, though, he wasn''t going out of his way to help them. If they had been willing to abandon Monskon City despite everything it had given them, they were cowards.


    When he turned back, all the guards and officials were staring at him. Kai didn''t really know much about sailing ships and considered demanding information from someone, then decided that would be a waste of time. The only way to search was down, so he pulled away some sort of wooden grating and jumped down to the level below.


    He landed in a hold that seemed to be mostly filled with supplies. No guards, and only a few passengers behind him. There were none at all toward the front, so he immediately turned his attention there. When he pushed through the door, he discovered a large room at the front of the ship, glowing with many colors of mana. Most emerged from a device that must have controlled the ship, being used by a slim figure.


    "Oh Kai..." Inafay Corinin turned to him and her face fell. "I didn''t want to believe it was true..."

 Chapter 104: A Windy Rematch in the Clouds

    As she stepped away from the controls, Inafay rolled her shoulders like she always did before they sparred. There was no delay in summoning her skills anymore: she would be ready in an instant. The only thing keeping her from attacking was the way she was looking at him.


    "I don''t know what you''ve heard," Kai said, "but it isn''t-"


    "I heard that you had turned yourself into a monster, and that seems pretty damn clear!" She smashed her gauntlets together and took a step forward.


    "Don''t use your spiritual sight, just think! What does it mean for me to be a monster, if we''re standing here talking like this?"


    "Hannagan said that you had been corrupted and would do anything to sabotage the city''s defenses. I didn''t believe it while you were defending everyone below, but now you fought your way through the guards, threw people off the edge, and went straight for the controls. What am I supposed to think?"


    "He''s the one sabotaging the defenses!" He almost wanted to growl and tried to shove the instincts back down. "Why are you running away instead of helping everyone putting their lives on the line?"


    "We''re going to come back to rescue more people, unless you break the ship!"


    "Look around you! You''re not evacuating the citizens, you''re running away with the Guild''s wealth. Just be logical and think about everything Hannagan has told you. After what he did to get me banished, how can you trust him?"


    Inafay might have hesitated, but then her eyes narrowed. "He said that you weren''t yourself and that you''d say anything to accomplish your objectives. Are you even in control? It sounds like the real Kai talking to me, but would you know if you had been corrupted?"


    "Dammit, Inafay, you have no idea what you''re talking about. This is-"


    Without warning her fist caught him in the chest. Wood splintered behind them as they shattered through multiple boards and they didn''t stop until they''d broken through above the deck. She continued pushing forward, her wind driving them on, until she slammed him onto his back.


    "Don''t condescend, Kai. Take me seriously!"


    He took her seriously by punching her in the face as hard as he could. Inafay tumbled back across the deck, but she managed to stop herself with one hand and then pulled back to her feet. Kai''s chest ached from the impact of the wind, so it took him almost as long to get up. All around them, the guards and officials were backpedaling to whatever crannies they could find.


    She wanted him to take her seriously? Kai finally opened his spiritual sight to examine her the way she had as soon as he''d entered.


    <


    Name: Inafay Corinin


    Total Power: 98


    Windcutter Class: 34 (44)


    Physique Level: F-4 (38)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    Inafay Corinin had certainly been training hard. Her Windcutter Class had already grown to the point where many adults reached their limit, and her Physique and Soul Levels had almost caught up to his. Not only did her strength total to 98, every aspect of her soul was in balance.


    When she began unleashing wind strikes at him, their old dance resumed as if there hadn''t been so many months apart. She still used the same punching movements leading into concentrated bursts, her technique was just more refined. He adjusted to the new speed and dodged back and forth as he tried to close the distance.


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    Kai began edging to the side so that some of the officials would be behind him. He knew that Inafay wouldn''t risk harming them, and in her moment of hesitation he could get within her range. Of course she still had her sphere, so...


    Realizing what he was planning, and how it would look to her, Kai hesitated and then shifted in the opposite direction. That weakness was too much in such a close fight and one of her blasts caught him in the chest. The instant he fell, she didn''t let up, hurling more intense blasts in his direction.


    He just barely managed to push off the ground to dodge the next gust and flipped up to one of the piles of boxes. Even if he needed to fight Inafay, tactics that made him look like a monster wouldn''t work.


    The most logical thing to do would be to use his claw technique. He was almost certain that her wind couldn''t deflect pure energy, so that might end the fight on its own. But as much as he told himself that he could explain afterwards, trying to fight her with his monstrous skills caused a sense of dread to claw up his throat. It was true that he had been less in control lately, and he didn''t want to cause a fatal wound...


    Without those skills, he had no choice but to dodge behind the boxes. Inafay didn''t hesitate for a second and she would circle around the pile soon. Fighting just as a human... did he have a chance at winning? Using just his human strength she was stronger than him, plus he hadn''t cultivated long enough to equal her Class skills. A logical hunter would say that it was impossible.


    But he''d been finding ways to beat opponents he had no business fighting from the beginning. Kai took a deep breath and grabbed one of the boxes.


    When he hurled it at her with his full strength, Inafay had no choice but to dodge. He''d already picked up another box and thrown it. She cast another wind burst against it, but she only broke open one corner and sent Goralian Eagles scattering all over the ship. Her blow didn''t redirect the center of the mass of the box very much, so she still needed to dodge.


    Kai had already hurled a third box, and this time he rushed in after it.


    Just before he arrived, he saw the grin on her face and realized he''d miscalculated. A green tornado of mana burst around Inafay, so powerful that it knocked the box skyward. He had almost reached her anyway, but she didn''t need any time to recharge: she knocked her gauntlets together and the tornado transformed into her sphere of wind.


    The wind slammed against his chest like a wall, the currents of mana opening dozens of shallow cuts. He staggered back as coins and broken boards showered around them.


    "Ha, gotcha that time!" Inafay grinned, and for a moment it was just like they were in their old training courtyard.


    If he reached out to Aquagorgon''s Health, the bloody lines across his chest would begin to heal immediately. But she would see it and make the wrong conclusion... and in a strange way, that would feel like cheating. Without his monstrous regeneration, all the injuries were slowing him down and his stamina was flagging, but there had to be a way...


    "This is all I really wanted." Inafay smiled sadly at him. "Human or monster, I just wanted to fight you again, instead of... everything..."


    That sealed his decision. He would keep all bestial instincts and powers in check for this, win or lose. He''d trained in many disciplines before becoming a hunter, hoping that one of them would serve him after he awakened. Even though his life had taken an entirely different path, that discipline would serve him now.


    Inafay began punching wind in his direction again, so he was forced to retreat. As an idea formed in his mind, he moved back toward another set of boxes. Along the way, he had to roll underneath one horizontal arc of wind and he grabbed a fallen coin from the deck. Inafay had the advantage, but she was running down her mana and her Physique couldn''t take many more blows, if he could just create an opening.


    When he reached the boxes, she snorted mockingly but didn''t let down her guard. Kai threw one at her, just as he had before, but he also dropped the coin he was holding.


    Inafay didn''t play around with this one, she simply knocked the box skyward with a rush of wind. He''d already kicked the coin as hard as he could, directly into her head. It pinged off, not doing much damage to her F-4 Physique, but she reeled back at the unexpected blow.


    In that moment, Kai leapt the distance between them. In midair he grabbed the box she had knocked skyward, then slammed it over her head.


    All the mana-driven wind died as Inafay crumpled. Immediately the adrenaline of combat faded and Kai rushed to her side. She was bleeding from a cut on her forehead, but she smiled at him.


    "It is... you..." Her eyes fluttered closed the next second, but he could feel that her heart was still strong. Kai smiled and reached down to brush her hair out of her wound.


    Then he realized that someone was charging him. He reacted instantly, slashing upwards with a claw to drive them back.


    When he rose to his feet, he saw that Fhazi Lantrian stood on the deck of the flying ship. Judging from the warriors emerging from the back cabin, he had been hiding inside until then. Unfortunately, it looked like he had his Earthenshield bodyguard and both Tonjin brothers along with him.


    "It''s just like grandfather said!" Fhazi grinned at his minions and gestured them forward. "You can all stand back - watch me put down this monster!"


    Kai straightened his back and let all his monstrous abilities loose. This battle had nothing to do with humanity.

 Chapter 105: The Unstoppable Oversights

    As the last of the monsters in the north died, Zae Zin Nim wondered why she was still fighting. The fun had drained out of the combat with Kai missing and there were no longer any threats capable of climbing or damaging the wall. Since the extended fighting had drained her, both in terms of qi and mentally, she began to retreat closer to the city walls.


    Overhead, the flying ship continued to circle. She interpreted that as a somewhat positive sign, but if Kai had gained control, he would have used it to defend his little city. It meandered over the center now and she doubted that she could reach it, even if she leapt from atop the wall.


    Instead, she began moving around the outer edge, mostly just observing. Despite the battle plan''s obvious weaknesses, the middle portion did seem to be working. As the monsters scrabbled around the walls of the city, searching for human targets, they were slowly killed off by projectiles and attacks from above. If their average citizen had a stronger cultivation base, they could have wiped out the majority of the horde then.


    Lacking that, the monsters that got past were allowed to accumulate near the gates. Zae Zin Nim noticed that more seemed to have gone wide, only later curving back toward the city. Perhaps some of those should have drawn her attention, but she was growing apathetic. She didn''t really want to fight vermin anymore, she was just curious to see the gates.


    There, she saw that the strategy wasn''t going so well.


    While the number of bodies around the gates showed that the defenders had kept them off for some time, their mana was running low and they struggled to keep up with the tide. Most of them were mediocre vermin, but there were several giant ape monsters who ran through most attacks. They danced up to the gates and clawed at both wood and metal with their bare hands. Bit by bit, they were tearing down the entrance to the city.


    Something about their movements was rather strange. Monsters could never be sensed as easily as qi, but Zae Zin Nim''s vision for them had been improving due to her training with Kai. Something was strange about the hideous monkeys... their tails lashed unusually swiftly, enough that she expected attacks from them that never came.


    The gates began to come down and other monsters crawled in between the monkeys. It looked as though the city might fall, then a wall of solid rock erupted in the gap. When the monkeys ran in to batter it, they were struck from the sides by defenders who had been waiting for that exact purpose.


    Still, they resisted enough of the mana that it seemed they would break down the new barriers. While watching them, Zae Zin Nim suddenly realized what she had been seeing.


    She stepped closer and then fired one precise qi attack. It severed the tail of one monkey and then both pieces shrieked in pain. Instead of a tail, the back half proved to be a furred worm that thrashed wildly with its head severed. The bulk of the giant monkey died even faster, shriveling up as its source of energy was destroyed.


    To their credit, the hunters on the walls noticed what she had done and began redirecting their fire. Even though the monsters attempted to hide underneath their generated bodies, Class systems were adept at hitting precise targets. Several warriors jumped down from the walls to strike with melee weapons and they quickly cut down the monsters pounding against the new gate.


    In their absence, the earthen wall was quickly restored. The plates of stone shifted aside to allow the warriors to enter and Zae Zin Nim wondered if she should go as well. It seemed that many of the peasants on the walls were waving at her, perhaps cheering...


    No, they didn''t sound jubilant. She realized that they were urging her to hurry and pointing at something behind her.


    An enormous monster almost the height of the city wall lumbered closer. Its body appeared to be made of nothing but armored plates, from the spiked segments of its tail to the mess of angles that formed its face. As it neared the city it slowly reared back on two legs, revealing that the underside was just more armored plates. The upper limbs were somewhat longer with sharp edges, but they ended in heavy chunks of armor.


    Zae Zin Nim absently identified it as an arthropod-imitating monster while the rest of her mind spun uselessly. This one was far more powerful than the others. She didn''t know how the locals might rate it, but it was the sort of beast that made Body Refinement stage cultivators run in terror. Clearly, in ordinary times the warriors at the Frontier would have stopped it.


    Most of the defenders began focusing on it, but bursts of flame and ice skittered off the armored plates just as uselessly as arrows or rocks. She wasn''t sure if anything had harmed it even slightly. As it reached the wall, the monster raised a limb with terrible slowness and struck the stone barrier. It shuddered and many defenders were thrown from the edge to the monsters below.


    Perhaps this was the sort of challenge she had claimed to desire. As she began moving toward it, Zae Zin Nim formally rescinded her request to fate.


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    She was completely certain that the monster''s armor would deflect a qi attack, so instead she jumped up onto the monster''s back. There were enough plate edges and spikes for her to get a grip easily enough, then she waited to see if it would try to reach back to strike her. It didn''t notice her at all, simply smashing its other arm into the wall.


    While it battered the gate, Zae Zin Nim carefully made her way up the monster''s back. Its movements were growing wilder the higher she went, so she first found the place where she guessed its heart might be. Then, after a deep breath and a gathering of her remaining qi, she slammed her palm down against one of the armored plates.


    Her palm strike passed through the armor, twisting the inner organs of the monster. It let out a screech of pain but it was too massive for her qi to penetrate deep. Now it began swinging one arm behind its back, trying to swipe her off.


    As the clumsy limb came closer, she pushed from her position, leapt off the beast''s arm, and redirected herself to its head. Between two of the armored plates, dark eyes gleamed out at her. She released a pinpoint blast directly into them and leapt away to join the defenders on the wall.


    Had her blast done any good? She thought she might have damaged the eyes, but the blood oozing from between the plates was barely visible from a distance. The monster continued striking mindlessly and its next blow sent chunks of stone falling from the wall. Zae Zin Nim realized that even if she could harm the behemoth, her blows were no more than pinpricks.


    Finally one of the burly cultivators in armor leapt out to attack. He swung a hammer against the monster''s chest hard enough to make it fall back, but failed to crack the armor. As it stumbled back, its heavy tail lashed out and the wall finally crumbled.


    Zae Zin Nim leapt away from her position and landed on the roof of a nearby house, but many other defenders weren''t so lucky. A significant portion of the wall collapsed, and though the largest monster had fallen on its back, others were beginning to rush forward. The defenders generating the earth did their best to close the new gap, but the defenses were rapidly collapsing.


    From her position, she saw many workers who had been assisting the walls scream and run in terror. The most vulnerable were those assisting in the medical clinic that had been set up not far from the wall.


    Most likely they were going to die. Zae Zin Nim had already proved that she couldn''t kill the largest threat and she couldn''t hold the monsters once they spread out between the streets of the city. The logical decision was definitely to retreat. Before she could make her decision, she noticed a woman trying to help one of the warriors retreat and pouring a potion over his wounds.


    The woman Kai had embraced earlier. Juray.


    As she began to move, Zae Zin Nim reflected that even a year ago she would no doubt have watched Juray die. The change wasn''t necessarily a wise one, but she had been infected by Kai''s strange beliefs. Zae Zin Nim landed on a monster''s back, killing it with the impact, and then leapt to meet Juray.


    "You need to retreat more quickly," she said. "They breached the wall."


    "But there are still wounded here..." Juray looked up from the man she was treating with a desperate expression.


    "You do not understand. The outer defenses are lost."


    As soon as other retreating warriors arrived, with monsters hot behind them, Zae Zin Nim decided to simply take matters into her own hands. She scooped up the other woman and raced down the street with her, toward the inner wall. It wouldn''t hold much longer than the outer one, if the largest monster got up again, but Kai would want the woman as safe as she could be in the city.


    "I have something for you." Even while being carried, Juray fumbled in her healer''s bag and pulled out a strange purple vial. "I can''t create the energy you possess, but I made this based on your constitution. It might be able to help."


    "Yes, thank you." Zae Zin Nim barely looked at the concoction, since it would surely be only another mana potion. Once they reached the defenders by the inner wall, she took the vial and tucked it into one of her pockets.


    "Where''s Kai? I have something for him too..." Juray looked around with sudden fear, forcing Zae Zin Nim to interrupt her.


    "Last I saw him, he was on the flying boat. I don''t know where he''ll come down, so you should keep it for him."


    "I will. Thank you, so much."


    Zae Zin Nim nodded to her and instead looked to the outer wall. Not only had the earth mana users faltered and let more monsters in, the largest abomination was back on its feet. She saw no further sign of any damage to its body and the hunter who had knocked it over was dangling from one of its spikes. Blind or not, the beast began lurching into the city, ignoring the hail of attacks from the surviving walls.


    Something flashed across her vision and Zae Zin Nim realized that another monster had arrived. It looked something like a hawk the size of a carriage, with four wings ending in sharp talons. In one swoop it had cleared an entire portion of the wall of defenders. Some were flattened, some fell or jumped, and a few dangled from its talons as it rose back into the air.


    That beast would ruin the remaining defenses in a matter of minutes. Zae Zin Nim drew on what qi she had remaining and intercepted its next dive with a bolt trailing blue flames, the best she could manage. She could only watch in despair as the monster''s body twisted, opening a hole through which her qi flew harmlessly.


    So it had been tainted by the force beneath the pit. Between the flying beast and the armored giant, the defenses would soon collapse completely. From her position at the second wall, Zae Zin Nim could see that many defenders were rushing up the central streets and would arrive in time, but many more would be trapped within the city. It was only a matter of time before the monsters got inside and began killing.


    Unless someone could bring down the two greatest threats, all attempts at defenses were useless. Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath as she accepted that she was unable to eliminate them. As impossible as it seemed, her only chance was to move beyond the Body Refinement stage.


    Normally she cultivated in qi-dense caverns or fine palaces. As she retreated from the battle, Zae Zin Nim decided that it was time to try the barbarian way and see if she could advance in the midst of battle.

 Chapter 106: End of a Rivalry

    It seemed unbelievable that Fhazi would really fight him alone, so Kai waited suspiciously. The young noble had an entire gang of cronies with him, though they weren''t enough to take him down even if they worked together. Only the Tonjin brothers had progressed meaningfully, which meant all the rest had power in the 20s or 30s.


    Could his confidence actually lie in his own skills? The young Lantrian noble was certainly swaggering as he crossed the deck. Kai tried to open his spiritual sight using all the skills he''d learned.


    <


    Name: Fhazi Lantrian


    Total Power: 22


    Grandfist Class: 3 (13)


    Physique Level: G-3 (8)


    Soul Level: 1 (1)


    >


    As far as he could tell, Fhazi had barely grown stronger. The bulky armor he was wearing wasn''t even mana-charged, so he was weaker than any time Kai had fought him before. His Grandfist Class was still barely out of Novice - Kai could probably take his punches directly without much harm.


    There had to be something more to it. Kai realized that the assassin woman named Yerinna was nowhere to be seen in Fhazi''s entourage. He hoped that she had been sent to do something more important during the battle, but it was always possible that she was waiting for the moment to strike while he was distracted.


    "Come on, are you a coward?" Fhazi began summoning his Class mana and it seemed unbelievably slow after fighting Inafay. That almost made Kai attack simply because the window of opportunity was so large. Just in case his opponent had a clever trick, he held back.


    Finally, when Fhazi was just a few steps away from him, he let out a burst of laughter and new power flowed within him. Kai''s eyes widened and he looked more carefully at the strange heavy armor he was wearing.


    <


    Name: Fhazi Lantrian


    Total Power: 47


    Grandfist Class: 3 (13)


    Physique Level: G-3 (8)


    Soul Level: 1 (1)


    Supreme Lantrian Armor (25)


    >


    Apparently it was the "Supreme Lantrian Armor." It certainly flowed with more mana than Kai had seen in a piece of equipment that wasn''t part of someone''s essence, but the fact that it more than doubled Fhazi''s strength didn''t mean much. With his low Physique and Soul Levels, it would be like a child trying to swing a greatsword.


    "Too late, you fool!" Fhazi raised a fist. "This armor comes from our deepest vaults and possesses power beyond anything you can possibly-"


    Kai grabbed Fhazi by the collar of his breastplate, lifted him into the air, and tore the armor off him. His spiritual claws could probably have ripped through it, but he focused on breaking the straps. Because it was formed of several large pieces, it wasn''t hard to break it apart. While he did, Fhazi swung at his arm and head, but the blows glanced off.


    Once Fhazi''s strength had drained back to normal levels, Kai tossed him back into his flunkies. They were all staring at him, so Kai made a point of collecting the pieces of armor. He could give them to someone who might actually use their strength. Once he was done, the only sound on board the flying ship was the hum of the mana keeping it aloft.


    "We''re not going to abandon Monskon City," Kai told both the hunters and the crew. "If any of you have a problem with me, state it now. Oh, and someone put Fhazi back in his room before he embarrasses himself again. Anyone object?"


    No one did. His order regarding Fhazi didn''t seem particularly necessary, as the young man was still staring at Kai with an expression of horror. Since everyone was finally listening to him, Kai began giving orders. He started by pointing to an official from the Corinin clan.


    "You, take care of Inafay. You over there, clean all this stuff off the deck. Someone who can pilot, take us low enough so we can drop into the city."


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    "Uh... Kai?" Raghi Tonjin was standing beside the railing and now gestured below. "Things look bad."


    Kai went to stand beside them and immediately understood. From above, it was obvious just how overwhelmed the defenders had been. An enormous armored monster had apparently broken directly through the main gate, ruining their plans for an organized retreat. Now monsters and humans fought desperately in the lower city.


    The only reason that the upper city hadn''t fallen was that the largest monster was moving very slowly. It lumbered down the central street, occasionally demolishing a house by accident. When Kai tried to get a read on it, his spiritual sight distorted. That thing was definitely not meant to have made it so far from the Frontier.


    Just when he thought he understood the battlefield, he saw something flash over the rooftops. The strange four-winged monster was fast and apparently smart: it tucked its wings to dip between two rows of buildings and scattered the humans who had been retreating there. It was only a matter of time before it entered the upper city to terrorize the defenders.


    Fortunately, his orders were being obeyed, so they were drifting closer to the second wall of the city. Kai peered over the edge and then turned back to face the group.


    "We''re going to need to jump. If the monsters get to the inner wall, it won''t last long. We need strong hunters to defend it."


    "Umm..." One of Fhazi''s flunkies raised a trembling finger toward the monster casually flattening buildings.


    "I know," Kai said, "but it''s moving slowly. If the inner wall is broken, everyone will be dead before it can even arrive. Now, who''s with me?"


    There was a pause, and for a moment he thought that they would all ignore him. But eventually Raghi and Lofgan Tonjin stepped forward. He clapped them on the shoulders and then stepped to the railing.


    It wasn''t far for him at all, but he needed to wait a while longer so the brothers'' Physiques could survive the drop without injury. The anxious defenders on the wall had already been watching the ship, but cheered when they saw hunters coming to join them. Thankfully none of them had the spiritual sight to look at him very carefully or they wouldn''t have been cheering for long.


    He saw Rallia Orgoron, sporting several new wounds but still moving. Before he could talk to her, the monstrous eagle flashed by them again. She unleashed another one of her mana arrows, but the monster''s body distorted around the bolt. All she accomplished was making it pull away instead of plowing through the defenders.


    "That fucking thing..." Rallia rubbed her injured shoulder and grimaced. "I haven''t hit it once. If we don''t take it down somehow, there will be no one to defend the gate."


    "I don''t know about it, but have you tried to attack the biggest one?"


    "Completely invulnerable. Maybe Hannagan at his full strength could crack it, but I haven''t seen him since we argued."


    "Wait..." Kai thought back to the moment when he''d felt the attacks behind him and made the connection. "Did he try to attack me? And did y-"


    "Yeah, I did. You wanna thank me, find out a way for us to survive this."


    When the eagle came around for another pass, Kai swung his arm as broadly as possible. He could practically see the claws slice the air, but the eagle twisted to the side and he barely clipped a wing. Given that the monster was clearly tainted, that wouldn''t be close to enough. It was so fast, too... he could only think of one way he might hit it.


    Before he had a chance to tell anyone the plan, Juray was suddenly at this side. No embrace now, she just shoved a potion into his hands.


    "Kai, this is for you. But there''s something else." She thrust out a hand toward the lower city, where he noticed a group of hunters defending themselves inside a damaged building. "If we leave them out there, they''ll all be dead, but if we get them back here, I have enough potions for all of them. The defenders are getting thin, can we afford to rescue them?"


    "Absolutely not," Rallia snapped. "We can''t risk opening the gates again, and you can see how many injuries they have. If you try to limp back here with them, you''ll be cut apart. They''re dead unless you''re willing to go out there yourself."


    "I would, if someone would guard me!"


    As Kai looked over the city, he didn''t think the area was swarming with too many monsters. Not yet, anyway. He stepped in between the argument and focused on the Tonjin brothers instead.


    "Raghi, Lofgan... are you willing to go down there?"


    They swallowed, but nodded, so Kai shoved the bundle of Supreme Lantrian Armor at them.


    "Use this if it helps. Juray... all I can say is be careful."


    "You aren''t coming with us?" she asked. He wanted to focus on her, but he was still keeping one eye on the monster eagle as it circled for a better angle.


    "I will if I can," he said, then turned back to the Tonjin brothers. "You two better keep her safe, you hear?"


    Before he could say more, he saw the eagle fold its wings for another dive. Kai turned away from the group and began running toward it, even as it plummeted toward the ground far faster than he could move. It was too fast for him, so his only chance was to hit it while the beast was diving along the wall.


    He leapt just before it struck the first defenders. It slammed into him like a brick wall and his momentum redirected instantly as it swept him along. As he clawed into its flesh, it rose again, striking at him with strange talons and trying to knock him away.


    No matter how he tried to strike it, the tainted body kept distorting away from his claws. He was losing his grip even before it began to spin, then he realized that he couldn''t hold on. Before he fell, Kai opened his mouth and clamped down on the nearest wing.


    Something gave way and he tasted monster flesh, then he was hurtling through the air. He crashed through a building hard enough to daze him and skidded across the street. All he wanted to do was lie down and groan, but he forced himself back to his feet because he had no idea where he was or what he was facing.


    He''d fallen in the middle of the lower city, near the central street. Monsters surrounded him and he could see even more in a line all the way to the outer wall, where the giant creature continued to stomp inward.


    With hardly any defenders remaining on the outer walls, charging into that horde was lunacy. But behind him, he knew that there were hunters struggling and even in that moment Juray might be venturing out on her desperate mission. Given the state of the defenses, he was the only one standing between them and the rest of the horde.


    The enormous monster let out a bellow. Kai growled back and started running.

 Chapter 107: Impossible Limits

    Zae Zin Nim sat alone in an abandoned house, trying to ignore the sawdust falling from the ceiling with each earth-shaking step. Her only hope of finding a solution through cultivation was beginning to seem dimmer and dimmer. If she followed every guideline she had been given, it would take her over half a day to break through. This city didn''t have half a day.


    Taking her last condensed qi pill would shave off a few hours and she would do it in an instant if that time made any difference. Her Physique had advanced enough, so her last medicine pill was unnecessary, but she had set that out as well. Aside from the mana plums she had nearly forgotten about, the only asset she had left was the potion Juray had given her.


    It sat before her, bubbling with unknown potential.


    Her analysis of the liquid had proved that it didn''t contain any qi. That meant that it couldn''t reduce the amount of time she required to break through. What it might do was push her dantian into a higher energy state, where she could try to complete the Body Refinement stage at a dead sprint.


    The problem with the safe path was that it would take too long. The problem with the quick path was that it could lead her to deviate from her path of cultivation and potentially cripple herself.


    On top of that, there was no guarantee that even the quicker path would be sufficient. It would require a barbarian apothecary to have done an excellent job and also for Zae Zin Nim to have adapted perfectly to her new power. It was all a gamble... and yet the shaking around her proved that waiting also meant death. Her only truly safe option, the one her father would have urged her to take, would be to just leave and let everyone else die.


    Zae Zin Nim carefully picked up the potion and took a sip.


    The liquid was more potent than she expected, flowing into her throat with a chill that exactly matched her corona of mana. It certainly couldn''t refill her qi, as the herbalist had said. But it was surprisingly aligned with her own body, presumably from the sample of blood that she had given. If she let the potion fill her body to the limit, then focused her qi solely on her breakthrough, would that be enough?


    It was her only hope. She drank the entire potion and then let the bottle shatter.


    Immediately the qi in her dantian began sloshing wildly, disturbed by the new energy. Zae Zin Nim quickly swallowed her final pill of condensed qi, aiming to fill her dantian to the absolute maximum. Yet the mana was rushing so hotly, it was still throwing her off. The corona was rotating wildly, threatening to destabilize everything and let her qi bleed out.


    The obvious solution would have been to eject her Coldfire Corona and abandon that aspect of herself completely, to use it as nothing but fuel for her advancement. She rejected that almost before she knew that she had done so. No, she needed to preserve everything.


    At last she stabilized the corona so that it formed a ring around her dantian. In its pale light, her dantian seemed full as well, but the corona was spluttering. She realized that she was bleeding all over her body, enormous amounts of bile pouring from her scars as she skated next to a horrible deviation.


    Before her mana could gutter out, Zae Zin Nim swallowed her remaining pills of medicine, then ate the mana plums for good measure. That restored the corona, which she was pleased to note automatically soothed the remaining disturbances in her core. Both her dantian and her body felt cool and calm despite the wild energies she had just barely contained.


    Yet, when she finally focused on her dantian to push it over the edge, she realized that she had lost precious drops. She was on the verge of breaking through, so she couldn''t abandon her effort - her qi was already swelling beyond her ability to contain. If she stopped now, she would deviate and ruin her cultivation foundation forever.


    How long would it take to restore those drops and push herself over the edge to Nascent Foundation, drawing from the feeble qi around her? It might have been an hour, maybe a half of one, but it was definitely too long with the monster horde rampaging through the city.


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    "I''m sorry, Kai. There just isn''t enough time."


    She whispered the words into the empty room, then focused on the inferno within her.


    .


    ..


    .


    At first Kai felt better, charging down the street of monsters. His body had been recovering from his earlier battles and most of the stronger monsters had been cleared, so his stamina was restored. His human and monster sides coexisted uneasily, but he was managing to combine his tactical calm from his duel with Inafay with the ferocious power within him.


    Not far ahead, he saw several hunters desperately fighting a defensive action. He lunged on them in an instant, a spiritual claw tearing into the pack of monsters from behind. They rallied and cut down the rest, so he started to move past them. None of them even looked familiar... wait, one was the scarred warrior he had met during the Hunter Trials. Having 67 Power had seemed so impossibly high back then.


    That was laughable now that he''d glimpsed the scale of the world. All the way up to the unstoppable warriors he''d seen at the Frontier, but Kai couldn''t afford to think about them now. Not when he was running toward a monster that appeared all but invincible.


    The armored beast continued to stomp forward at a slow rate. It might take it an hour to travel all the way to the highest point of the city, but considering that no one seemed to have harmed its body, it might be able to do just that. So long as it was alive, the defense of Monskon City was hopeless.


    If he''d been in a child''s story about monster hunters, the beast would have a single weakness, like a differently colored piece of armor that made the entire monster die when touched. Most likely, it was just massive and stupidly tough.


    As he got close enough that he stood in the monster''s shadow, Kai realized that it didn''t even seem to be paying attention to him. It simply dragged one foot forward after another, crushing buildings or other monsters indifferently. So long as it wasn''t aware of him, he had a chance for an ambush. Then again, it was getting closer to the inner wall... Kai decided to use leverage instead of aiming for a surprise attack that would likely glance off.


    Just as the monster started to put its weight down on its left foot, Kai swung a claw as hard as he could. The claws skated off the leg''s armor, but the force was enough to push it forward. Instead of another shuffling step, the monster lost its balance and crashed to the side, demolishing one half of the street.


    Soon after, a house-sized arm swung down toward him. If the monster had been any faster, Kai would have been crushed, but it attacked about as slowly as it walked. Even so, he had to throw himself away from the point of impact and he could feel the jarring crunch through his teeth. The monster was slow, but not stupid. It had guessed his location instantly from that attack.


    While it was lying on its side, Kai ran closer as quietly as he could. The plates of armor by the neck were smaller, since they needed to bend more. After the first strike, he doubted that his claw could hack through, but he might be able to penetrate.


    Kai focused on extending the spiritual claw from his hand, then drove it in between the plates. He felt something give way and his claws bit into flesh. Three lines of blood poured from between the plates, so he only needed to stab another claw in and he could tear it open, just like the previous monster...


    When the entire head began to move, Kai couldn''t let go fast enough. One side of the monster''s head slammed into his body and Kai hurtled through the air helplessly. He smashed through both sides of a wooden house before tumbling across the ground and coming to rest against a stone wall.


    It wasn''t possible. Maybe if he had Zae Zin Nim, Rallia, or anyone else to form a better strategy. But with almost no resources left, the gap was too large. Only the Frontier elites could have beaten this monster.


    Unwilling to give up, Kai drank one of his healing potions, but he still couldn''t see a path forward. The giant was getting up, apparently ready to ignore him and move on toward the largest group of humans. He could barely even see the blood stains on its throat armor.


    As his fingers brushed over the larger flask in his belt, Kai realized that he hadn''t properly examined Juray''s potion. It looked like it was designed to assist his Physique, like the previous enhancement potion but more powerful.


    His flicker of hope died almost immediately. He''d been pushing up against the barrier to E-rank for a long time and taken in more than enough power. The problem wasn''t energy, it had always been in his head. Drinking the potion now would just waste her work.


    Both his monster and human sides were trying to use his body in different ways, struggling to make it develop in opposite directions. He understood that now, when it was too late to do anything about it. Kai started to turn away, to consider another strategy, only for the world to grow dim. Surely he couldn''t be so weakened from one blow...


    Suddenly he felt himself falling into his own mind, losing himself in the vision. He desperately scrabbled to remain focused on the real world, but the dark island was already rushing toward him.

 Chapter 108: The Last Dregs of the City

    Had he smashed her with a box?


    That was Inafay''s first thought as she struggled back to consciousness. All her battle instincts were still blaring and she very nearly took a swipe at the healer who was tending her. It took several seconds for her body to catch up with the fact that Kai had defeated her.


    And that he''d been right. When the boxes had started exploding, she''d realized that they were filled with coins and other valuables. Most likely they had been lying to her in order to make her go along, which made her feel a chaotic mix of anger and guilt. There was no time for any of that.


    "What''s going on with the battle?" she demanded. The woman shrank back and stammered a reply.


    "I-I''m sorry, milady, but the barbarian forced us to stay in the city. It looks bad... I know you wanted to escape, but we had no-"


    "That''s fine, that''s fine!" Inafay burst out of the bed and looked around for her gauntlets. Lying just beside her, good. She tugged them on and unlocked the door.


    "Please, you took a serious blow! You need to rest."


    Inafay checked her head for blood, saw that it had been cleaned off, then shrugged. "I''m healthy enough to fight. Let''s go, before everything turns bad."


    None of the others stopped her as she pushed her way up to the deck. As soon as she got a look at the city, she realized just how badly things had gone. The largest threat was clearly an absolutely gigantic monster stomping through the lower city. Her wind abilities were always weak against armored opponents, so she had absolutely no chance of doing more than annoying such a beast.


    She was more likely to be able to help the main group of defenders, who were fighting just above the wall to the inner city. As she watched, she saw several of her peers defending the entrance. There were even vines flowing over the gate to reinforce it and monsters flying away from hammer blows. So that was what Kai had done with those two.


    Since they seemed to be holding, she looked for anywhere else in the city that could use her help. Immediately she saw Kai fighting his way down the central street, alone. But it was nothing like their fight not so long ago. When he swung his hands, she could see the impact of invisible energy like three giant claws tearing through monsters and anything else in his path. If anything did get close, he tore it apart with strength he hadn''t shown during their duel.


    At first she was furious. Had he been treating her lightly by not using his full power? But as she watched Kai fight his way toward the largest monster, she realized that she had it all wrong.


    He had given her a fair fight, human against human. Whatever he had done to change himself, he was unleashing his monstrous powers on opponents who deserved to die.


    Inafay couldn''t help but grin. Oh, she wanted to try to fight him like this, but she could respect that he hadn''t. One more thing they would need to talk about after the battle was won. Surely Hannagan Lantrian couldn''t be so stubborn after Kai had helped save all Monskon City. All she needed to do was make sure that the battle was won and everyone could begin rebuilding.


    Something flashed underneath the ship and she turned in time to see a monstrous eagle pass over the defenders on the inner wall. One of its four wings had been partially torn off, yet it was still faster than most monsters she''d seen. The hunters didn''t seem to have a good counter, because they all flinched or retreated.


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    That gave the monsters below time to near the gate. Inafay could see that the gates themselves had been torn off their hinges, which mean that only the single Earthenshield she could feel forming a stone barrier was holding the entrance. Once he ran out of mana, the monsters would tear into the last part of the city and begin slaughtering.


    She knew exactly where she needed to go, then.


    So far the monstrous eagle had been completely ignoring the airship, but Inafay intended to change that. When it circled around for another pass at the defenders, she sent out a wind burst. Just when she thought it might strike one of the wings, the entire creature rippled and her mana passed through harmlessly.


    When the eagle finally turned toward them, Inafay felt the world twist around her. If her clan hadn''t forced her through the early Frontier training, she might have collapsed right then. Even though the effect was more intense, she forced her way through it and prepared a more powerful burst.


    Before the eagle could dive toward the ship, she thrust out both fists to emit two larger spheres of wind. The eagle twisted sideways to fly through them, but that was when her trap hit. Both spheres began circling around one another, hot and cold air forming a whirlwind that quickly picked up her mana. Soon there was a green tornado burning over the city with the monster caught in its most intense gales.


    It wasn''t enough. Inafay poured in all the mana she could, but her most intense winds had always been reserved for close proximity. She could maintain the tornado for some time, she just knew it couldn''t kill the tainted monster.


    Within the slashing mana, it continued to distort itself until it barely resembled a bird of any kind. It couldn''t dodge the whirling threads of mana, but it bent along with them. An ordinary monster would have been torn apart, but it was not only surviving, it was regaining strength. When it reformed one wing and attempted to flap out of the tornado, it nearly escaped.


    Inafay choked and dropped down to one knee as she struggled to shift the tornado. She had enough mana left for one good blast, but the tornado was her strongest technique from a distance. If that couldn''t work...


    "Hey!" She shouted toward one of the officials watching the battle in horror. "Don''t just stand there, fly toward that thing!"


    "W-what?"


    "Move the airship closer! Quickly, before I wear down!"


    The official she''d yelled at was too stunned, but another one rushed down to the control room. Soon Inafay felt the ship lurch closer to the monster pinned in midair. That possibility gave her the strength to stand again. She didn''t need to tear it apart from here, just keep the winds moving fast enough that it couldn''t escape.


    Even as they got closer, pulling up almost alongside the monster, Inafay could tell that it wasn''t enough. She could have poured all her mana into the tornado and still not killed it.


    Not that she''d ever been intending to do that.


    Inafay sprinted for the side of the ship and leapt off the side, directly into her own tornado. She drew in a deep breath, pulling back in all the mana that still circled in the air. For a brief moment she was suspended in the air in front of the eagle. It was beginning to reform, injured but still strong enough to stretch a talon toward her...


    Then she unleashed all the mana she had left into a sphere. The raw power kept her in the air for several seconds as the sphere raged around them with the fiercest winds she could muster. She saw the flying monster finally tear apart, its remnants scattered to the streets below.


    After that, she fell herself. She had really been hoping that someone would jump to catch her or something.


    With nothing left, Inafay bounced painfully off a rooftop and then hit the street. The impact stunned her and would definitely leave a mark, but that was meaningless compared to the real problem. She''d used up every last drop of her mana and it had left her in the middle of monster-infested territory. Considering how difficult it was for her to get back to her feet, she could only hope that the defenders had seen what she had done.


    No such luck. As she limped down the street, Inafay saw monsters pass by. Several noticed her and turned back. Several dogs, a boar, and one of those evil deer... she might have been able to bludgeon the others to death with her gauntlets alone, but those deer were too fast.


    It lowered its razor sharp antlers toward her and charged. Inafay took a deep breath and raised her fists for all the good it would do. Only three paces left... two...


    A monstrous hand closed around the deer''s antlers and jerked it back. Inafay turned blearily toward her savior, then her eyes widened in shock.


    "No way..."

 Chapter 109: The Balance of Human and Monster

    The dark waters ejected Kai onto the island, no matter how he tried to resist. Either he had passed his mental limits or some part of him wanted this. All of the confused forces within him must have reached a critical point that required a resolution.


    He stumbled through the glassy sand to the central circle. The ghostly statues of the monsters rose easier than before, responding to his presence. This time, he could feel his human strength more strongly inside himself. This place was just a representation created by his mind, not truth. There had to be some way to bring both halves of himself into balance.


    Nothing leapt to mind, his two halves as distant as before. Or was the problem that they weren''t halves? If he needed to perfectly balance both sides of himself, he would have a hard path to walk.


    Perhaps the answer lay in the monstrous force in the center of the circle. Kai approached hesitantly, but nothing leapt out at him. In fact, whatever presence had been there before seemed to be quiet. He stared down into the sand, willing himself to see more. The sand began to pull away, but it only formed a pool of dark water that reflected his own face.


    What was he supposed to do now?


    It might be that he needed to embrace the monster within himself. It could be that he needed to strengthen his mental discipline and bring it under control. Or perhaps the balance he had imagined earlier. There were a thousand potential patterns he could invent.


    All of them equally frustrating, because it didn''t matter. He didn''t care what he was, he just wanted the strength to make a difference. Monster or human were just irritating labels, but he needed to balance them according to some cosmic system that probably hated him just as much as every other system of power he''d encountered.


    Unless...


    His mental world began to contract as he pondered the idea that it really was all arbitrary. He was the same person no matter whether he was technically considered a human or a monster. It wasn''t that he need to balance human and monster sides, or choose between the two, the truth was that both labels were wrong.


    As Kai walked around the island, it all began to dissolve. No representations of the monster essences, no strength within himself, no dark pool at the center. All just mental illusions that could easily lead him astray.


    He stared down into the dark pool and realized that he had always been the only one there. Just like people could tell themselves that their worst impulses were actually some evil spirit tempting them, he had split himself into pieces. His savagery was so much simpler to dismiss when it was a monster inside of him instead of part of himself. That way he could pretend that he was still human, when he should have been realizing that being human meant nothing.


    The last of the illusion dissolved and Kai realized that he was standing back in the city. Not human, not monster, something different. That wasn''t a fact that made him special, it was irrelevant.


    Before he could lose his clarity, Kai drained the flask in his hand. His body began to tremble, but this time he didn''t fall. No, it felt good. He''d been fighting against himself for so long, now his power swept together in a great rush. His Physique transformed rapidly as it embraced the new unity of his nature.


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    When it was over, he stared down at his body uncertainly. He was still covered in blood, but his skin was whole underneath. Other than no longer feeling in conflict with himself, he didn''t notice many changes. It did seem like he was more muscular and he was seeing the street from a slightly higher angle, but it wasn''t the radical transformation he had been hoping for.


    Still, when he examined himself with his spiritual sight, he saw a rush of new power.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 122


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 65% (17)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    Monstrous Hunger - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - V (epsilon)


    Aquagorgon''s Health - V (epsilon)


    Gomodo''s Stamina - IV (delta)


    Isulfr''s Bite - II (beta)


    Rockspider''s Claw - IV (delta)


    ??? (???)


    >


    Just as he''d hoped, breaking through to E-rank Physique had catapulted him far past the 100 power barrier. Direboar''s Strength and all his other traits had become significantly stronger as well, particularly those reinforcing his body. It was still easy to think about them as his monstrous characteristics, but he knew better now. There was no more Direboar, only him.


    His navel-gazing was interrupted by the sounds of screams coming from the defenders. Kai ran into the city, casually swatting aside a few monsters in his path. The giant had continued moving forward, but hadn''t made it far: his internal vision must have happened in an instant.


    He had expected to see the monstrous eagle tormenting the defenders atop the walls, but they seemed to be looking downward. Assuming there were pockets of defenders trapped below, Kai ran in that direction. His spiritual gaze revealed little, maybe a few weak symbols dissipating...


    Suddenly he saw Inafay in front of him. She was barely on her feet, intending to go down fighting against a monster charging toward her. He acted before he could think about it, grasping the monster''s antlers and pulling it back.


    It jerked surprisingly sharply, almost breaking the monster''s neck. Kai twisted it further to smash it against the wall, then hurled the corpse into the nearest monsters. Maybe it was his imagination, but they seemed to flee from him in a way monsters never had before.


    "No way!" Inafay stared up at him and it did seem she needed to crane her neck more than before.


    "Are you alright?" he asked. His voice was raspy, but normal enough.


    "Forget about me! The flying one is dead and the defenders are holding the gate, but that giant can still smash everything. I don''t know what you''ve done to yourself, but go kick its ass!"


    Kai couldn''t help but smile. He didn''t leave Inafay immediately, instead making sure that she got to a street that had a clear shot to the next gate. Soon after that, he turned south and looked toward the last threat to Monskon City.


    The giant looked no less imposing than before. As slow as it moved, it had destroyed a path almost all the way through the lower city and it would soon be at the gate. No one else came to join the fight and no hunters were coming to save them. If he didn''t stop the incursion here, no one would.


    He didn''t roar like he might once have, just took a deep breath, crouched, and then hurled himself into the air. Houses flashed past his vision before he collided with the monster''s chest. His impact didn''t break through its armor, but it did push the creature off its feet and send it flying back down the central path.


    When it tried to regain its footing, Kai clawed at its head and was glad to see the massive armored skull jerk back. Blow after blow, he drove it out of the gate and further from the city. Near the outer wall almost nothing was left alive, just rubble and corpses. The longer he could push it back, the better the chance of-


    One of the monster''s massive arms hit him in the side, driving him to the ground. Kai slammed into the dirt but was up the next second. His new E-rank Physique might not be able to shrug off a monster this powerful, but it could no longer crush him. It had regained its footing and now turned toward him as if recognizing a threat.


    Kai charged, and this time he chose to roar.

 Chapter 110: Formless True Forms

    When the giant of a monster swung at him again, Kai dodged aside from its blow. The end of each limb was basically a bludgeon, so he doubted there was anything to damage within. Instead he struck at the narrower wrist, aiming a claw between the plates of armor.


    He drew a little blood, but the plates stayed in place. Soon afterward the monster swung its limb to the side, churning up the soil with the enormous movement. Instead of simply dodging, Kai leapt over the attack and slammed into its chest with his full strength again.


    Once more the giant staggered, but he wasn''t getting through. Kai was still thinking about his best strategy when he landed, then realized that the monster was moving strangely. It wasn''t just staggering, it was turning. Slow as its body was, the movement sent its tail whipping into him with deadly force.


    Kai barely managed to catch the bladed tail before it cut him in half. The force still pushed him across the ground and he could feel a few of the spikes cutting into his side. He grimaced and did his best to bring the tail sweep to a halt. Even if he was stronger than ever before, this monster was the size of the city wall, he couldn''t beat it with raw power. His hands were struggling just to maintain his grip on the tail.


    Yet it was getting easier. As Kai skidded to a halt, still holding the bladed tail at bay, he realized that his hands had changed. He hadn''t even noticed when his fingers had elongated. Instead of anything resembling human fingers, they shifted into cruel talons. Those claws had dug deeper underneath the plates of armor.


    Acting on instinct, Kai used his full strength to tug at the segment he was gripping. A whole plate of armor tore loose, trailing blood. The monster let out a screech and its tail began thrashing wildly, forcing him to retreat.


    Kai grinned as he stayed out of range, then leapt over the tail as it swung back toward him. His new E-rank Physique hadn''t just granted him more muscle, it had granted him unity of form. Using his Rockspider''s Claw technique had always felt awkward with his tiny human fingernails, but now his body shifted to match. Just like he''d realized in his spiritual vision, he had one body that was neither human nor monster.


    When he came down on the giant monster''s tail at the midpoint, he tore into it with greater purpose. His claws easily hooked underneath a plate of armor, but that was only the first step. Once it tore away, Kai thrust his other claw into the undefended flesh. This time the force that exploded from his hand felt like a perfect extension of himself and the blow severed the tail entirely.


    The monster stumbled back, screeching as its severed stump lashed around the battlefield. Its tail twitched as well, but he could feel its life force fading. Kai sank his claws into it, then began trying to swing the severed tail. Though too heavy to move easily, even for him, he managed to spin in a circle with the tail swinging around him.


    It struck the giant''s leg with more force than he could deliver himself, driving it down to one knee. Kai pulled back and managed to spin again, this time lifting the tail high enough that the bladed end lashed across the giant''s face. But when he tried for a third swing, the monster rose up to its full height and smashed one hand down on the tail. The blow splintered the armored plates and left it too damaged to use as a weapon.


    As it loomed over him, Kai waited for the perfect moment. When it began swinging its arms again, he jumped directly up and his new strength took him to the monster''s chest. There he dug his claws into its armor and he was surprised to feel his feet tearing through his boots, new talons gripping the plates. The plates on its chest were massive, but as he strained, he could feel one beginning to give way...


    One of the house-sized fists slammed into him, flattening him between its surface and the armor. He cried out in pain and tried to push back as the monster ground him against its own body. Just when he managed to push up with his hands and knees, the second fist struck the first, flattening him with a hammer blow.


    His arms hung limp as the fists pulled back for another blow. Kai didn''t think that he could cut through them, even if he had the strength to turn around. Only his legs still worked, and they wouldn''t for long if he kept taking blows like that. But, if he timed it right, there was a small chance.


    Just before the next blow hit him, he released his grip. The monster struck its own chest and crashed onto its back. Kai landed and stumbled, still struggling to make his arms obey him properly. He''d knocked it down but definitely not taken it out. This was his chance, so he needed to do what he could.


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    Before it could get up, Kai bounded onto its chest. Just as he''d hoped, the hammer blow had cracked several of the weakened plates. His arms had reverted to their human form, but he still managed to get a grip on one and pull. The most he could do was lift the enormous plate, revealing the bloody flesh over the monster''s heart.


    It took all his arms'' strength to hold it open against the sinew and raw mana, but Kai realized he still had his jaws. When he reached for Isulfr''s Bite, he felt his body respond in a new way. He didn''t think that his jaw was distorting, but when his tongue slipped against his teeth they felt sharp. As the giant started to rise, Kai took the largest bite he could.


    He heard the sound of jaws closing, then he tumbled backward.


    A hole larger than his entire body had been torn from the giant''s body. The teeth marks were still visible, tearing deep into its flesh but also shearing through some of the armored plates. For a moment he was elated, then he landed on his back and all the wind was knocked from him.


    As he lay there, trying to recover, he realized just how much his teeth ached. They had reverted to human form and they ached like they were going to fall out of their sockets. He might have been able to push himself enough to bite something as tough as the giant, but he almost hadn''t been up to the challenge. Now he felt sickeningly full and he was sure he wouldn''t be able to bite anything again. Probably no monstrous claws either, given how much his arms still hurt.


    Still, he had won. He was lying in the wasteland and bleeding a lot more than he had realized, but he''d taken down the main threat. If his neck would stop being so stiff, he could turn his head to look at Monskon City.


    That was when he heard the screech.


    Kai stared in horror as the monster slowly rose. The gaping wound in its chest should have taken out its heart, but it kept moving with a terrifying life force. He realized again just how far this Frontier monster was above anything he''d faced before. It seemed fixated on him now, even though it could barely drag itself forward.


    Before he could do more than struggle to his arms and knees, the giant loomed over him. It didn''t seem able to attack anymore and he realized that it had something much simpler in mind: if it dropped its full weight on him, he would probably be crushed. Yet the armored body blotted out so much of the sky, Kai didn''t think he could run in time.


    His only hope was the wound on its chest. When the giant finally pushed itself up, then threw its body downward, he stumbled into the correct position.


    The armored plates thundered past his head, just missing him, but the monster''s flesh slamming into him was bad enough. It nearly knocked him unconscious and then he was surrounded, suffocating on gore and twisted organs.


    His body refused to change anymore, even when he tried to focus on just one finger. He knew that he couldn''t bite anymore and his arms ached when he tried to summon claws. Yet the monster wasn''t dead, rising just enough to slam down again. He had only seconds before it continued battering him.


    There was nothing left but his determination not to give up. With his bare hands and the final flickers of mana and qi in his body, Kai clawed his way upward. He didn''t think he could go on, but he refused to die inside a monster''s guts. Not after coming so far. Now that he had embraced the hunger deep inside him as his own, he knew that it wanted everything. His hunger could never be satisfied if he died here.


    Finally he tore his way out of the armor on the other side. The monster had at last gone still, its armor turning brittle as its life force faded. Kai had wanted to crawl his way to a better position, but as soon as he pulled himself out of the gory hole, he just lay there, at his very limit.


    It was lucky that his head had fallen facing the city, because he didn''t think he could turn it. Blinking hurt. He watched the damaged part of the wall, hoping to see allies coming toward him. Instead, he had to wait a long time before survivors even began to emerge. Oh, right... they had all retreated behind the second wall. If hunters were exploring this far, they must have finished off the remaining monsters within.


    While he recovered, he tried to calculate how many people in the city were left alive. No doubt a significant portion of the hunters had died, given how terribly the first wall had been broken. More civilians would have died in the retreat. But if the majority of them had gotten behind the second wall, then the worst had been avoided. Of course, there would be painful absences, but at least there were survivors left to mourn.


    Was that good enough? It was all he had.


    Eventually Kai managed to push himself up to a more dignified sitting position. Aquagorgon''s Health within him felt sluggish and he wasn''t healing properly. He''d definitely found his true limits beyond which willpower became irrelevant. Kai felt like he could sleep for a month.


    How long had it been? He was beginning to feel surprised that no one had come out for him. Even if they still viewed him as a monster, someone should have gone to check if he was alive. Inafay for certain, or Juray if it was safe for civilians to emerge. That was assuming that they had both made it through.


    Finally he felt a surge of mana as someone leapt from the city wall in his direction. His vision was blurry, but they seemed to be moving quickly. Kai smiled until he made out the long white beard.


    "Impossible." Hannagan Lantrian stood over him with a look of pure disgust. "I don''t know what fell power helped you survive this far, monster, but your luck has run out."

 Chapter 111: Aftermath at the Edge of Life

    Growing up with the dream of being a monster hunter, Kai had always known that it was likely he would die young. He had imagined countless deaths and ways to avoid them. When he''d grown older, he''d accepted that his fate could very well be one of those imagined deaths.


    He had never expected to be lying on a monster carcass with Hannagan Lantrian prepared to deal him a fatal blow.


    "You know everyone can see you, right?" It took most of Kai''s strength to gesture toward the city. "Even the ones who hate me know what I did. Do you think you can keep leading the Hunters Guild after killing the savior of Monskon City?"


    "I didn''t expect it to end like this, Kai." Hannagan was still gathering mana in one fist, but he looked surprisingly regretful even with no audience to see his expression. "You were one of my favorites. When fate didn''t smile on you, I tried to persuade you to adopt a better life instead of striving. And look where it brought you."


    "Saving your city?"


    "I''ve never seen an abomination like you before, but I know this sort of ambition. You won''t ever be satisfied, and soon you''ll start eating humans next. I can''t allow that."


    "You know, this would never have happened if you hadn''t gotten me banished." Kai wasn''t sure why he was delaying the inevitable. He didn''t want to die, but he didn''t see any way out. It hurt to use his spiritual sight, but he looked just in case.


    <


    Name: Hannagan Lantrian


    Total Power: 138


    Grandfist Class: 64 (74)


    Physique Level: F-9 (48)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    The old man was cruel, but he wasn''t weak. Over a lifetime of ruling the Hunters Guild, he''d grown strong and experienced. Kai was confident he could have taken him at full strength, but given his current injuries, one blow would finish him...


    "Your type is always the same." Hannagan''s sorrow faded into anger. "You''re never responsible for your own decisions, you''re always forced by someone else. Well, this is where all your decisions led you."


    Kai stared at the fist overhead. Even if he had the strength, he wouldn''t crawl or beg. At least he had done one undeniably good thing in his life.


    Just before the fist came down, a surge of energy burst within the city. Both of them couldn''t help but look, searching for one more threat. Kai saw only a dark flicker over the wasteland, then Hannagan Lantrian was thrown from the corpse.


    The older man took several halting steps, eyes wide with shock. He started to open his mouth and only spat out blood. But Kai barely had time to look at him, not with Zae Zin Nim standing beside him.


    Most obviously, she burned with so much power that he couldn''t question that she had broken through to the Nascent Foundation stage. He was surprised to see that her face was still covered in jagged black lines, but they looked more like scars than open wounds. The next change he noticed was that her hair seemed to have been entirely restored: instead of uneven lengths, it hung around her shoulders in a glossy black. Before he could look at her too carefully, she bent down beside him.


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    "Are you alright, Kai?"


    "I''ll live." He grimaced and rolled his shoulders. "Got a spike in my back. I didn''t notice before, with the near death, but it''s getting to me."


    "Yes, you''re clearly alright." She stared at him, but he thought there was some affection in that flat gaze.


    Just as he was about to say something else, they were interrupted by a loud thumping sound. Hannagan struck himself across the chest again, then spat out a little more blood. He no longer looked so triumphant, but he hadn''t released his mana.


    "You think that''s enough to take me down, girl? Step aside and let me exterminate him or you''ll get hurt."


    "I wouldn''t be too sure about that," Kai said. "Have you used your spiritual sight?"


    The old man paused, skeptical, but then looked more carefully. Kai took the time to winch open his aching spiritual sight as well, hoping that Zae Zin Nim wouldn''t disappoint him.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 365


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 0% (250)


    Coldfire Corona: 9 (19)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    She didn''t. The Nascent Foundation stage was even more powerful than he had expected, not to mention that she had finally overcome the disadvantage of her Physique. He wasn''t sure why she was still scarred, but it was clear that her body was no longer her primary weakness.


    "One absurdity after another." Hannagan finally lowered his fists, though he still glowered. "You have no part in this, foreigner."


    "I do," Zae Zin Nim said. "You should leave."


    "I suppose you''re going to try to kill me if I harm him?"


    "I am going to kill you if you stay where I can reach you."


    Hannagan took an involuntary step back. Kai wasn''t sure how much power he had remaining, but the old man clearly wasn''t willing to take the chance. After spitting at them one final time, he turned and retreated over the wasteland with surprising speed.


    Kai just lay back on the corpse for a while. The tension of having his death so near had been exhausting when he had nothing left, so that month of sleep was sounding nice. But Zae Zin Nim had clearly broken through and he didn''t want to ignore her, so he forced himself back to his feet. It only hurt about as much as the entire previous fight combined.


    "You are too tall." Zae Zin Nim looked upward at him with a frown. "Your new form appears strong, but you became taller. You were too tall before, this is just excessive."


    "Congratulations on your own breakthrough," he said. "At least, I hope congratulations are in order. You said your body would be remade, so..."


    "Not as quickly as I''d hoped. I will not be able to fully transform my body until the next stage." Zae Zin Nim shrugged fluidly. "For now I needed to choose between my beauty and my health, so I chose the latter."


    Hopefully that meant she wouldn''t be in pain from her scars anymore, or spend time vomiting black bile. Her comment made him look again and he realized that it was more than her strength and her hair that had changed. She was no longer stick-thin under her robes, and to say she looked "healthy" would be euphemistic. Kai quickly forced himself to a simpler topic.


    "You''ve gotten so much stronger. I thought I was catching up to you, then you just blow right past me..."


    "I''m not so sure." Zae Zin Nim pointedly looked at the corpse beneath them, then at him. "I don''t know if I could have beaten this thing, even had my advancement worked more swiftly. I was already taking a huge risk rushing the breakthrough."


    "Well, next time we can fight it together, then nobody will have to do anything ridiculous." Kai ran a hand through his hair and both only seemed to get the other dirtier. "It looks like they have everything under control now, but no one is coming this way. I guess nobody is going to thank me, huh?"


    "Which is the reason you were doing all this, I understand." Zae Zin Nim nodded somberly.


    "They all saw what I did outside the city, I suppose. I was banished before and I''m even more banished now. Anyone interacting with me would be a pariah."


    "You still have allies in the city who respect you. I suspect if we do not leave the region too swiftly, they will show up sooner or later."


    "I hope so." Now that he thought about it, Kai really needed to thank Juray for her help, and he wanted to talk to Inafay one last time. Even if they had parted on good terms, he wanted to discuss things with words instead of fists.


    Tired of looking at the city that had rejected him, Kai carefully made his way down the corpse of the giant. Maybe his body had recovered enough to jump down, but his mind was too exhausted for that sort of thing. He had gone over a dozen steps before he realized that he didn''t know which direction he was walking or why.


    "I take it you''re no longer dreaming of retiring as a veteran hunter here?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "That path seems pretty well closed," Kai said as he glanced over his shoulder one last time. "But I have no idea where I''ll go next."


    "Anywhere we want."


    "Anywhere?"


    "Well, you''re going to take a bath before anything else. You are absolutely foul."


    Kai laughed, and it hurt his throat, and the pain felt right.

 Chapter 112: Farewell to Goralia

    They agreed to wait three days.


    Kai still needed time to fully heal and to digest the intensity of the experience, not to mention literally digesting all the new monster powers he''d acquired. Zae Zin Nim was apparently eager to spend time cultivating, having broken through to a new stage after so long. In any case, their next destination was simply the vague objective of the Krysal City States, so there was no urgency.


    Only a day and a half in, he spotted someone flying toward them and tensed until he saw the currents of green mana. Inafay swept across the wilderness in a tornado of her own making, directly toward them. Other than cracking open one eye, Zae Zin Nim didn''t even respond. For his part, Kai got to his feet to meet Inafay and stretched, just in case she intended to fight again.


    "I''m here to bring you to justice!" Inafay landed with a rush of wind and then grinned. "Nah, just kidding. A few of us noticed you were still out here, but you''re not planning anything, right?"


    "Just the overthrow of Monskon City." Kai folded his arms and looked past her. "So nothing has changed? Hannagan is still leading the Hunters Guild?"


    "Oh, I wouldn''t say nothing has changed. The truth about what happened on the flying ship has come out and a lot of people are upset about it. Most likely everyone would have praised his wisdom if he''d succeeded, but since the city was saved, all the other clans turned against him. I don''t think anyone will be able to dominate the Hunters Guild for a while."


    "But I''m still banished?"


    "More than banished, I''m afraid." Inafay winced as she glanced back. "That part... isn''t really because of Hannagan. A lot of people saw you eating monsters, and they''re, uh, more disturbed than I am about it."


    "I''m not surprised." He truly wasn''t, but he still didn''t like to have it confirmed. After rubbing over his jaw and noting all the new stubble, he glanced back to Inafay. "Why are you staying?"


    "What, you expect me to leave my home? Somebody needs to lead Monskon City back on the right path, or we''re all going to die in the next monster incursion. Seven years is a long time, but if the next incursion is anywhere near as bad as this one..."


    "Then I wish you well, Inafay."


    "Hey, don''t be like that! We''ll see each other again sometime." She grinned and made a fist. "The others from our generation of hunters are pissed that you blew past them, but honestly I''m inspired. I feel like everybody has been flattering me ever since I awakened, but you actually challenged me. My view of what''s possible was way too low."


    "So was mine." Kai couldn''t help but laugh as he thought about the battle around the pit. "It''s a big world out there, probably even bigger than I know. But I hope we''ll meet again. Next incursion, maybe."


    "Glad to hear you say that, Kai. Really. Now I just need to beat the crap out of myself and run back to say that I couldn''t take you down."


    He started to tell her that she didn''t need to go that far, but she was already speeding off in another tornado.


    Would they actually see one another again? Kai didn''t feel much like he wanted to return to Monskon City, and he didn''t know what mysteries of the broader world would pull him in, but he assumed he would eventually return once he felt ready to take on the abyss in the Frontier. Or perhaps for the next monster incursion, if it proved just as dangerous. By that time Inafay would probably have joined the Frontier elites. They''d have taken such different paths in life, perhaps they''d be able to compare notes.


    "There are more people coming," Zae Zin Nim said abruptly, "but they''re moving very slowly. We''ll be here forever if we wait."


    "Where now?" He pivoted to her and she pointed to the south. Since she seemed inclined to keep cultivating, he headed in that direction on his own.


    This time there was no one sprinting toward him, just a group of three. Oddly, it was Juray along with the Tonjin brothers. He was glad they were all alive, he just hadn''t expected them to be coming together. Maybe they''d taken his order to help Juray too much to heart. Out of habit he glanced at the brothers with his spiritual vision.


    <


    Name: Raghi Tonjin


    Total Power: 61


    Scrapper Class: 8 (18)


    Physique Level: F-2 (34)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    <


    Name: Lofgan Tonjin


    Total Power: 58


    Whistlewind Class: 19 (29)


    Physique Level: G-9 (20)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    His first thought was that they were weak, but that wasn''t true. For two men the Lantrian clan had been exploiting as nothing but thugs, they had advanced remarkably. Raghi had reached F-rank Physique, while Lofgan had clearly made heavy use of the Class-enhancement scroll he''d been given. The real problem was that Kai had outgrown the scale of Monskon City. In any case, Juray moved ahead of them and stopped just before she reached him.


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    "It seems like every time I meet you, you''re covered in blood and something has gone horribly wrong." Juray smiled wistfully as she approached and brushed some of the hair away from his face. "But I guess if it''s taken you this far, you need to keep going."


    "Just how bad is it back in the city?" he asked.


    "Well, it took me this long to get enough time to come visit. We''ve basically cleared out everyone''s stocks of healing potions, and there will be enough lasting injuries to keep healers employed for a very long time."


    Raghi coughed awkwardly. "Everyone is celebrating and mourning at the same time. It''s hard to know what to feel."


    Kai turned toward the brothers fully. "You two haven''t gone back to Fhazi, have you? I''m afraid I don''t have anything else to offer you, but you deserve better."


    "The Lantrian clan asked us, but..." Raghi glanced toward his brother and Lofgan finished his sentence.


    "We refused. Not sure how we''ll make it on our own, but you''re right. It isn''t worth it."


    "You don''t need to worry about these two." Juray stretched up to pat them on the shoulders. "They were so nice in the battle, I''m going to give them some extra help. If they can hunt monster cores for me, I should be able to give them some potions. It should all work out."


    "Not sure about that." Raghi glanced backward awkwardly. "They evacuated the houses outside the city, but all those homes are gone. And, fair or not, everybody saw the hunters retreat and leave a lot of people in the lower city to die. There are a lot of angry people saying they broke the promise that justifies their existence."


    It was a surprisingly long speech from one of the Tonjin brothers, but Kai found himself nodding thoughtfully. The entire rationale for the Hunters Guild, and maybe even the entire nation of Goralia, was that it was necessary for the survival of humanity. This time, the hunters had failed even while their necessity was proven. There was no way that things could stay the same after that.


    "One thing," Lofgan said softly. "That power you used... is it possible to gain it somewhere?"


    "I couldn''t repeat it if I tried." Kai raised his hands, feeling the potential for them to shift into claws again, and shook his head. "But if you need resources, see if you can''t contact Razzagah Lantrian from Rayakan. If you tell him about our history, he might be able to help you."


    The brothers nodded in unison. Juray stepped away from them and brushed Kai''s arm, just enough to pull him slightly to the side.


    "Even if you come back," she said, "it''s going to be a long time, isn''t it?"


    "The truth is that I don''t know what will be happening next, but... probably." Kai started to reach toward her and pulled back. "I never got a chance to tell you, but the flask you gave me worked. I guess you probably shouldn''t associate yourself with me, as an outcast, but I just wanted you to know that you saved Monskon City."


    Juray laughed and the sound was achingly familiar. "Truthfully, I''m just glad to know I made a difference. That''s all any of us can hope for, isn''t it?"


    "Maybe so." They embraced one last time, then Kai pulled back. Juray and the Tonjin brothers headed back into the wastelands, though Lofgan turned to wave several times.


    Kai returned to his camp in a subdued mood. Both because of the farewells and the lack of them. He thought back to the men and women who had trained him, the veteran hunters he had known, and even the shopkeepers he''d frequently visited. Of course they wouldn''t come to say goodbye, and he couldn''t blame them. The roots he''d been hoping to put down in Monskon City had been torn out at the Hunter Trials, they''d just taken a long time to die.


    "Is that everyone?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "I wouldn''t mind leaving earlier."


    "I guess it is."


    As they departed, Kai found his mind returning to practical matters. Having the strength to take down a giant monster was nice, but once they started traveling again he was going to be a lot more grateful for their water stone and magic tent. Despite all the chaos, they had held onto everything they had acquired and even all his Goralian Eagles, so they were in a strong position.


    Then again, they had completely exhausted all their resources for advancement. He would have to form brand new plans, now that he had attained more power than he had ever dreamed. Perhaps he could finally delve further into cultivation, especially if they could find a denser source of qi. There was an entire world out there, so maybe he''d encounter something even stranger.


    Kai looked toward his own essence and was overwhelmed by just how much there was to discover:


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 125


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 65% (17)


    Physique Level: E-1 (83)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    Bestial Traits: 10/6 - !!!


    Monstrous Hunger - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - V (epsilon)


    Aquagorgon''s Health - V (epsilon)


    Gomodo''s Stamina - V (epsilon)


    Isulfr''s Bite - III (gamma)


    Rockspider''s Claw - III (gamma)


    Direclam''s Shell - I (alpha)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Behemoth''s Heart (???)


    ??? (???)


    >


    Several monsters he''d eaten during the battle had appeared in his essence, once he''d digested their flesh. Now that he understood himself better, he could see that he was trying to mix too many. Some of them still appeared unformed. He''d have to figure out the methods of merging or strengthening those abilities, and there were no guides: he was forging an entirely new path.


    Even his new Physique would be an exploration. His fingers could still transform into claws at a thought and he could feel how his body strained to transform with each piece of monster essence. The exact limits and capacities of this new form remained to be seen.


    After several hours of walking, just when Monskon City was almost a memory, a portal opened in the air in front of them. Gunjin Granfian stepped out and turned in their direction. The movement revealed that half his face and one of his arms were horribly burned, covered in twisted flesh. His gray clothing, usually so impeccable, was stained with dried blood.


    "I heard two Frontier monsters got through." He raised his good arm and rubbed the bridge of his nose wearily. "That''s awful luck. We did reasonably well, given the challenges."


    "You were fighting on the Frontier?" Kai asked.


    "Not with the elites, certainly, but they had to call in even someone like me."


    "Then... we made it through? I haven''t even heard about Irun or the other Frontier nations, but it sounds like we endured a worse incursion than anyone had predicted. I''m glad that it wasn''t catastrophic."


    "Absolutely not. We bought the present by selling our future." Gunjin coughed painfully, nearly doubling over, then straightened again. "Several points in the Frontier wall were broken, including one to the south. If we had tried to defend them, we would have lost too many hunters and the horde would have consumed everything."


    "But that means the next incursion we won''t have a chance."


    "Unless we figure out something else." Gunjin shook his head. "I thought I was changing the status quo in Goralia enough, but I underestimated the problem. Everyone did, seems like. I don''t know if there''s any solution, but we have six or seven years to figure one out."


    "Six or seven?"


    "Common knowledge is seven years between incursions, but after this, I need to take a deeper look at my theories. We''d better be paranoid about it."


    "Paranoid at best." Kai stared at the man who had once been his mentor and wondered what he was supposed to say. It would feel wrong to thank the older man after Gunjin refused to defend him, but equally wrong to ignore everything he''d given him in the past. "I''ll be back before the next incursion, Gunjin. In the end, you won''t regret your investment in me."


    "Is that really how you see me?" Gunjin shook his head and in that moment looked very old. "You''ve already proved your worth, Kai, even if it can''t be acknowledged here. But worth doesn''t really matter in this world. It all comes down to luck in the end."


    Maybe it did. Kai stared at Gunjin for a while longer, then nodded and walked past him. The old man turned as if he was about to say something, then walked back into his portal and vanished.


    That left him in the wasteland again. Zae Zin Nim fell in beside him without saying anything. There would be time for talking later, but for now no words felt like enough. Instead they simply walked together out into the wasteland.

 Chapter 113: Interludes Alpha

    The last of the monsters were dying on the Irunian front. A few figures in liquid metal armor were still out there, cutting down those that remained. All of them were exhausted and many were weakened, so it was the perfect opportunity to target one of the isolated warriors.


    Instead Anaelina stood alone and stared toward the central wasteland. She''d never particularly cared about their "Frontier" or their silly ideas about monster incursions. When they''d all started making noise about how dangerous this one was supposed to be, she''d rolled her eyes and just looked for opportunities to absorb their strange powers.


    Then the battle had begun and everything had changed.


    Even a nation away, Anaelina had felt the powers that had dwarfed her own. The Irunians, always with their dull eyes to the ground, mostly hadn''t realized. But her senses had always been clear, attuned to all the powers she''d eaten, and she''d felt a battle that shook everything she knew about the world. The horde of monsters, which was indeed worse than anything she''d ever encountered, was paltry by comparison.


    "It''s the witch!" An Irunian saw her and called to the others. Exhausted as they were, the warriors of Irun banded together and began to advance on her.


    "You know what?" Anaelina said. "Fuck this."


    "You can''t escape!"


    Fuck Deadwaste and its muddy little nations. Fuck that boy and his inexplicable monstrous powers. Fuck the wasteland that could apparently spawn world-destroying hordes of monsters.


    Anaelina was going back to Rosemount. She leapt over the heads of the Irunians trying to capture her and didn''t even kill any of them on her way out.


    .


    ..


    .


    On an ordinary day, the Brightwind Pagoda would be a place of deep reverence. The greatest of cultivators might visit and all others would line up for the hope of receiving the slightest of suggestions. It was said that a single word from the Zae sect was worth an entire manual from another. When anyone in the land stared up towards its lofty peaks, they saw not just the building but the authority of those who controlled the realm.


    It was not an ordinary day. The grand patriarch Zae Clen Ban sat on his jade throne, the relic that had been handed down for generations. Everyone in his court shuffled nervously, from the lowest servants to the sect officials to all fourteen of his wives.


    Those with little spiritual awareness understood only that their patriarch was angry. Those who had advanced in their cultivation knew that something terrible had happened the previous day. Those with the deepest understanding had quietly slipped away before court began.


    "Patriarch Zae Clen Ban, we have finished our survey." The first of the scholars kowtowed with his head to the marble floor. "If it pleases you, we can tell you what we have learned of the incident in Deadwaste."


    "Yes, tell me about this racket." Zae Clen Ban was a nobly-built man, but that day he slouched in his seat, his head propped up on one hand.


    "There appears to have been another outpouring of the usual vermin that infect that benighted continent. Usually we would never trouble the patriarch with such a small matter. But, as you wisely observed, an exceedingly powerful cultivator was involved in the battle-"


    "Who?" The patriarch ground out the word and the court winced. "Deadwaste has no cultivators worthy of the name."


    "The incident must have attracted the attention of an unknown sect, patriarch. The battle also included a great outpouring of mana and chakra, the likes of which have never been se-"


    A rope of qi wrapped itself around the scholar''s chest, then slithered up to his neck. As it squeezed, the entire court shuddered at the patriarch''s wrath. Only once the scholar''s head was a purple mass and his body twisted beyond recognition was the corpse released.


    "Do not insult me with these feeble stories." Zae Clen Ban scowled over the company of scholars. "The limits of Deadwaste are well-known to all. Are you children? I require a proper explanation for what we observed."


    The scholars were silent for some time, many withdrawing the scrolls they held. Eventually the patriarch leaned forward, his wrath growing again. Some quailed, but the oldest of the scholars stepped forward, lowered his head to the floor, and spoke.


    "Our studies have suggested that the barbarians have come into possession of one of the Great Insanities, patriarch. When their own cultivators could not deal with the monster threat, they unleashed it. As with all the Insanities, the resulting power surpassed our expectations."


    "A more likely explanation." Patriarch Zae Clen Ban sat back, appeased, and folded his arms over his stomach. "And what have you discovered about this Insanity that came into their possession?"


    "I fear we have failed to uncover more, patriarch. But it is known that the barbarians of Deadwaste have many relics of older civilizations. They may have stumbled across a new, unknown Insanity."


    "Hmph. Well, at least one of you is worth something. Have none of you anything else for me?"


    The scholars shuffled nervously, as the idea that the outpouring of energy had been caused by an artifact had never even been considered. Several immediately began planning how they might fake results that would support the new accepted hypothesis. But it was a younger scholar who stepped forward with a different observation.


    "There is one other thing, patriarch." He swallowed as he lifted the scroll containing his notes. "After the energies generated by the Insanity faded, there was a surge of natural qi. Nowhere near as substantial, of course. However, given its unusual nature... we believe it may have been your wayward daughter Zae Zin Nim."


    All at once the court went still. Multiple corpses had been created over the mere mention of the patriarch''s absent daughter, and several officials began making an exit. Those who knew the patriarch well examined his visage and held their breath.


    Patriarch Zae Clen Ban chuckled, and the court nervously laughed with him. "So she has overcome her tribulation, has she? Then we should send someone after her. It is past time that she rejoined our family."


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    ..


    .


    An eternity away, two figures stepped onto an empty gray plane. Even with their power shrouded, their arrival distorted the world and sent shivers through reality.


    On one side, an enormous man with blue skin stretched taut over his bulk bent the ground. The gray plane beneath him twisted like muscle fibers, straining as if they might explode at any moment. His bare chest was covered in blood, but none of it was his. Even as he stood, the blood slipped away as if it couldn''t remain on him.


    Opposite the hulking man, an impossibly beautiful woman hovered several feet in the air. The world beneath her began to flow in gentle waves that lapped up into the air, as if reality itself bent to the flow of power within her. She carried her power ready as she met eyes with the man, but chose not to act.


    "Savage Emperor," she said quietly, with an almost imperceptible incline of her head.


    "Final Maiden." The beast of a man greeted her and then folded his arms over his chest. "You wouldn''t have agreed to meet if you got it."


    "Did you?"


    "I should have. Got there first, but Thrice the Fool pushed me away."


    "I''m not sure any of us were truly close to victory," the Final Maiden said. She closed her eyes as if in sorrow. "Who could have imagined that such an anomaly would show up so abruptly?"


    "Not me." The Savage Emperor stomped his foot, devastating part of the horizon. "What is even going on over there? How does some random continent get a P3?"


    "A forgotten experiment? Security through obscurity? Who can say?"


    "I was hoping you could. What''s even the point of meeting?"


    "I had hoped we might make a temporary alliance, but I can see you''re not in the mood." The Final Maiden shook her head slowly. "If anything like that occurs in the future, we need to be more cautious. Koleiman the Magnificent nearly slipped past all of us. Had fate twisted slightly differently, he might have secured the anomaly."


    "Bah, Koleiman is a cosmic toy-maker." The Savage Emperor unfolded his arms and rolled his shoulders, creating an avalanche of muscle. "What I want to know is if it will happen again. Are there other hidden abysses? Is that one going to change again?"


    "I do not know. One of the stagnant powers may have some knowledge of that place, so I intend to make inquiries."


    "You want to take over that little continent? Just in case?"


    "No, that would likely be a waste of our time. And I don''t trust you to do any more than exchange information."


    "You shouldn''t." The Savage Emperor bared his teeth and then turned away. "Alright, then. Chalk it up to Detriton having another mystery. I''ll see you next war, and maybe we''ll settle things then." He didn''t wait for an answer, instead executing an enormous leap that made him vanish into the sky.


    The Final Maiden remained a while longer, watching the gray landscape be captured by her flowing power. Eventually she stepped through a crystal-clear portal and vanished, leaving the emptiness to ripple for a while longer before returning to stillness.


    When it did, the slightest disturbance remained. A man all in gray emerged from the twisted space where he had been eavesdropping. He considered it mildly interesting that enemies such as the Final Maiden and Savage Emperor could meet civilly, but it was ultimately just another turn in the powers of the cosmos. Without a thought, the man dissolved into the emptiness.


    .


    ..


    .


    The prisoner hung from crystalline chains. More than everything that had been done to him, it was the way his arms were forced overhead and pulled taut that hurt. Torture and cruel experiments stopped, but his arms ached constantly, no matter how long he waited.


    When he first arrived he''d strained against his chains, trying to move himself and reach some method of escape. His personal crystal sat in a cage on the opposite side of the room: all of his cultivation glittering out of reach. When trying to summon it had grown too painful, he''d struggled to reach the table beside him. One of the chemicals or strange devices there might have helped him, if only he could reach.


    Now he simply hung limp, defeated. The worst of it all had been the power yesterday: horrifying levels of energy had raged from the Frontier. In his prison, he had no idea whether or not Krysal had survived the incursion or how many of the city states had been destroyed. Then again, if his captor''s city was the one destroyed, that might be for the best.


    He heard her footsteps on the stairs and growled into his gag. The horrible bitch was coming back.


    Omilaena strolled into the room wearing an elegant dress that was slit up the sides, almost to her hip. That look was ruined by her blue hair in a messy bun and the goggles hanging around her neck. The prisoner gnashed his teeth at the woman who had taken over his city. If only he''d gotten the drop on her...


    "Terribly sorry to leave you here," Omilaena said with a smile as she undid his gag, "but the incursion happened yesterday. Did you feel it? Quite remarkable. If you want Krysal to survive in the future, I hope you''ll be cooperative today."


    "I''ll kill you, you bitch!" He tried to spit in her face, but his tongue was dry and swollen.


    "Oh, that''s right, I started experimenting on you already. Given the scope of the incident, it slipped my mind." Her smile vanished and her eyes passed over the stitches she''d made in his stomach. There was the terror he remembered: Omilaena had arrived in his city like any other traveler, then taken over with clinical ruthlessness.


    The prisoner started to shout at her again, but at that moment she used a fingernail to slice open the stitches in his stomach. He groaned and twisted in pain as she took a syringe from the table beside her and injected him with a bright blue liquid. There was a new surge of power, yet it felt like his stomach was eating itself alive.


    "Those forces were more powerful than anything I''ve ever seen," Omilaena said to him absentmindedly as she measured two of her infernal potions. "Far beyond anyone on Rosemount, I''m confident in that. Some of them used chakra more potent than I''ve ever felt. Most likely I can''t even adequately measure their strength, so I''m going to have to accelerate my experiments."


    "Why... why are you...?"


    "I don''t think it was caused by the Frontier elites. Their understanding is shockingly advanced in some ways, but they aren''t fundamentally so overwhelming. No, the scale of power rises much higher than we knew, just like I''d feared. Maybe you can help me figure out some of it."


    Walking across the room, Omilaena opened the box containing his crystal and poured a green liquid over it. The prisoner screamed out in pain as he felt the cultivation within him twist. It was as if the power in his veins was crystallizing, stabbing out through his body. When he could feel anything except pain he stared in horror, wondering how such a thing could be possible.


    "See, you and your crystal are still connected." Omilaena put one hand on her rounded hip in a motion that had once seduced him, but now she was merely looking at him like a pinned insect. "It''s similar to the dantians they always go on about in Cloudspire, yet there''s a distinction... tell me if you feel anything strange, will you?"


    Before she could torture him further, a servant nervously shuffled into the room. Omilaena turned toward the woman with a scowl and the servant nearly fled.


    "What is it?"


    "There are refugees approaching Krysal," the aide said quietly. "Mostly from Goralia. Many of the other cities are rejecting them. I know you want to focus on your experiments, mistress, but you need to issue some sort of command if you want to keep them out."


    "No, let them in!" Omilaena turned to the aide with a sinister smile. "We weathered the incursion just fine, so say we''re being generous. Offer a little food from the vault to refugees, and jobs to capable travelers. I need more raw materials."


    "Mistress? Are you sure?"


    "The trade will be good for us, if we can capitalize on everyone the other cities are rejecting. Just focus on making it all go smoothly and I''ll handle the rest."


    The servant bowed and retreated up the stairs. As soon as she was gone, Omilaena seemed to forget about her, just as she forgot about ruling her city every time it wasn''t convenient. She turned back to the prisoner and thought for a moment before she pulled her goggles up over her face.


    "Now, where were we?"


    .


    ..


    .


    A fisherman limped along the shore of a lethal ocean, looking for mussels. It wasn''t a safe place to live or fish, but then again his life hadn''t gone great. He''d take what he could get, deadly water or no. Besides, he''d gotten used to the taste of the mussels here. All he had to do was step over the sharp crystals in the sand and kill an occasional monster with the anchor he carried over his shoulder.


    Some sort of energy echoed in the distance, distracting the fisherman. Worse than he''d felt before, probably some of those great powers fighting. The fisherman didn''t know much about all of that, but he knew that waves of chakra always made his bad knee act up. Whatever had just happened, there had been a lot of chakra.


    "You say something?" the man''s wife yelled from her place. He turned back to wave at her.


    "Naw, just some battle, I think."


    "It gonna kill us?"


    "Suppose not. It was probably nothing."


    "Then find those mussels, will you? I need to throw ''em in the stew soon."


    The fisherman nodded and went back to his work. Whatever great battle had just taken place, the world went on, there were fish to catch, and he was getting hungry for dinner.

 Chapter 114: New Life, New Hunt

    After being exiled from the Hunters Guild, not to mention becoming half a monster himself, Kai Clanless had expected that his monster hunting days were behind him. Finding himself running through the wasteland to hunt down another beast was unexpected and he still wasn''t sure how he felt about it.


    Ever since he''d gotten back out into the wasteland, he''d been awash in new sensations. The world felt brighter, even at night. He could hear twigs being blown across the ground. Sometimes he even thought he could smell better, though that left him confused. Above all, there was a pull in his stomach toward anything he could eat, quiet but insistent.


    The problem was that he wasn''t sure how much he could trust those senses. They''d been trying to track down an allegedly dangerous monster that had survived the incursion, but his instincts had led him wrong several times. Though Zae Zin Nim didn''t say anything, he could tell that she was growing skeptical.


    He could feel his companion in the distance, gliding over the wasteland on a cultivator''s deceptively slow steps. His hunger twinged every time he became aware of her, urging him to pursue. It seemed to want to eat everything, but especially anything powerful, and Zae Zin Nim was the most powerful person he was likely to find nearby. So far he''d never felt like the urge stood any chance of overwhelming him, but it bothered him that the hunger had grown so much stronger.


    She gave no indication if she felt his interest, but she slid in his direction. "We were off," she said curtly. "There''s another destroyed fort ahead."


    "So it didn''t go north after all." Kai frowned and tried to look in the same direction she did, ineffectually. Ever since she''d broken through, her eyesight had been better than his. "Does it look recent?"


    "The corpses look fresh. We might be only one day behind the Claw Tyrant."


    "Then we head to the fort and see if we can pick up its trail again."


    Zae Zin Nim took the lead and they began running toward the alleged fortress. Kai was sorry to hear that another one of them had fallen, especially here. They were traveling in the borderlands between Goralia and the Krysal City States, where the population had ties to both nations but not the complete support of either. During incursions they suffered more than most, especially on account of the unusually powerful monster that had made it through the incursion.


    When they''d heard rumors of the Claw Tyrant, Kai had immediately insisted that they hunt it. For the sake of helping the locals, yes, but also for a reason he couldn''t speak aloud: he wanted to eat it. Now that he had fully embraced his new monstrous identity, there was no point holding back. To gain power, he needed to find and consume as many powerful monsters as he could.


    Of course, he also needed to figure out how to sort through the mixed powers within him. That was a sore point and Kai let it slip out of his mind as the fort came into view.


    It had been a dull cube of stone, just a fortification designed to hold the line against monsters. The damage made it obvious that the Claw Tyrant had been there: something enormous had sliced through the stone walls like they were butter. The size of the cuts suggested a massive beast, but the rumors suggested that a Claw Tyrant''s entire body was shaped like a claw. Whatever it was, it was too rare to have appeared in any of his old clan books, so they were hunting based on instinct.


    When they got closer, Zae Zin Nim went to examine the corpses and the scratches on the ground. Kai''s gaze instead slid upward, noting the crystalline towers at the four corners of the fort. They had all been smashed or knocked down, but the crystals hadn''t been taken despite the power they represented.


    That was always the pattern with monsters: driven to eat and destroy, yet they didn''t seem to need food. They were simply driven to consume life. At times like this, he could understand why people saw his soul and were afraid of him.


    "This thing doesn''t leave much trace." Zae Zin Nim crouched beside one of the bodies, scowling as if it had offended her personally. "No fur, no feathers, no tracks. We must be close, but I have no idea which way it went."


    "I could try to track it, but I don''t know if it''d be accurate." Kai walked to stand beside her. "Do you think I have a chance, or am I just guessing?"


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    "Do you mean with some monster ability?"


    "Or something like that."


    Her eyes narrowed sharply as she examined him. She stood up and folded her arms in her sleeves before answering. "I don''t think it''s your imagination. You broke into E-rank Physique, so all your senses should be somewhat improved. Your Physique seems to enhance monstrous abilities, so it''s possible you have capacities you''ve yet to fully master."


    "Actually, when you put it that way..." Kai thought about the monsters he''d eaten and shook his head. "I don''t have random monster powers, it''s all specific abilities from specific monsters. Nothing in my soul is specifically sensory."


    "Then do we try to imagine where it went from here?"


    Instead of answering, he closed his eyes and focused. Most of his monstrous abilities contributed raw strength or techniques, but Monstrous Hunger seemed to under-gird them all. Many months ago, it had helped him track down Zae Zin Nim in her cave hiding place, so he knew he wasn''t imagining it.


    What he needed to do was push aside all the other sensations and focus on hunger alone. She was probably right, his other senses were just sharpened by his Physique, not enough to be supernatural. To track a monster as slippery as the Claw Tyrant, he needed to rely on something better.


    First he felt the corpses around him, though thankfully there was no urge to eat them. Zae Zin Nim''s strength was like a bonfire, but his hunger reluctantly accepted that he wasn''t going to eat her. When he managed to look past that... he did feel a tugging in his stomach. It led them further northwest, toward a craggy area more like the Krysal City States than the flat wastes of home.


    At least, the nation that had once been his home.


    "That''s my best guess." Rather than linger with those thoughts, Kai pointed northwest. "I can''t guarantee it''s the Claw Tyrant, but I feel something strong that way."


    "My guess is no better." Zae Zin Nim shrugged languidly. "But before we go, I want to take all these crystals. I need more qi to cultivate, and I''ll take any source I can get."


    Kai didn''t object and actually helped her gather up all the fallen crystals. The dead couldn''t use them, and given what he''d seen of the Frontier nations, he doubted anyone else would use them better. He wanted to help the people just trying to survive against monsters, but he wasn''t going to weep over taking this unused power.


    Once they took everything, Zae Zin Nim shoved some of the crystals at him. He did need to keep cultivating, less for the sake of raw power than because he really needed a better way to avoid looking like a monster to everyone they met. Class potions were limited and the battle at Monskon City had showed their clear limitations.


    That accomplished, they ran northwest on the trail of his hunger. Zae Zin Nim grumbled about lacking a vehicle, as she had many times, and he could understand her frustration. He needed to hunt down monsters, yes, but he also needed time to cultivate, time to train his new Physique, and so much more.


    It might be a full seven years until the next incursion, but Kai seriously doubted that those years would be passed in peaceful training. If he wanted to survive without support from any nation or clan, he needed all the power he could get.


    As they reached the crags, his hunger grew stronger and Kai began to feel confident that he hadn''t led them wrong this time. They''d hunted a few monsters in their way, both for money and as a test of his abilities. There had always been hunger, but nothing like this. Soon his hunger began forgetting about Zae Zin Nim in favor of the delicious sensation that floated at the edge of taste and scent.


    Metal flashed between two crags.


    Both of them rounded on it, Zae Zin Nim gathering her qi and Kai automatically tightening his hands into claws. Nothing moved. The hunger seemed to be all around him now, too ravenous to track anything specific. Kai forced it back down and focused on all his other senses, trying to pick up the monster that was now hunting them.


    Zae Zin Nim acted first, whirling and unleashing her technique. Trails of qi expanded around her like a flower before streaking off into the crags. They pierced some of the stones without slowing and arced through the air, hammering into something behind them.


    During their travels, Kai had seen that technique tear through flesh and utterly destroy monsters, leaving nothing for him to eat. He''d complained in the past and she usually threw out weaker qi techniques.


    This time, her best wasn''t enough.


    As the stone cleared, he finally caught sight of the Claw Tyrant they had been hunting for days. It looked like a severed hand from some giant made of steel, standing on six fingers and still as tall as he was. At the back, where there should have been a wrist, there were only strange twisting spirals and yellow flames.


    Worst of all, its entire body appeared to be made from steel or some stranger metal. Many of the qi bolts had struck it, but they hadn''t left so much as a single scratch. Kai focused his spiritual sight on it, pushing through the distortions of Frontier monsters to try to gauge its strength.


    <


    Monster: Claw Tyrant


    Threat: VI (Zeta)


    >


    He winced as he saw it was ranked as Zeta. The strongest monster he''d ever formally hunted before had been a Delta, a full two ranks lower. This thing was potentially equal to the worst threats that had almost destroyed Monskon City.


    The Claw Tyrant lacked anything that resembled eyes, but as the disembodied hand skittered in their direction, he saw that it definitely had a mouth.

 Chapter 115: The Claw Tyrant

    Once, Kai would have thrown himself out of the way of such a powerful monster attacking him. Now he found himself charging back at it, and it wasn''t an impulsive choice. They''d seen that the Claw Tyrant was fast and cunning while pursuing it, and his partner was stronger at range. Fighting it directly to tie it down was the smart move.


    Before they collided, Kai swiped a hand through the air and drew on Rockspider''s Claw. The energy impacted the Claw Tyrant, but as he''d feared it only flinched and kept charging. When they struck, Kai struck out with his other arm, smashing against one of the finger-like limbs slashing at him.


    It felt like punching steel, but both he and the monster only rocked back slightly. Ever since his Physique had evolved, Kai had felt more in tune with his monstrous abilities, and he used them to their fullest extent now. Fully leveraging Direboar''s Strength, he was able to go toe-to-toe with the Claw Tyrant as their battle shredded the rocks around them.


    All of his claw techniques deflected off the steel-like skin, but the Claw Tyrant couldn''t do much better. The ends of its finger legs were extremely sharp, so he focused on avoiding stabbing movements. Occasionally the sharp edges cut him, but the injuries were shallow enough that Aquagorgon''s Health could heal him even as they fought. And taking full advantage of Gomodo''s Stamina meant that he could keep throwing himself into the brawl blow after blow.


    As he''d hoped, Zae Zin Nim used that time to prepare herself. Her next qi attack was far more concentrated, a drilling burst directly to the center of the Claw Tyrant''s body. It staggered into a nearby crag and demolished half the hill, but the qi didn''t seem able to penetrate the skin. From her vantage point, Zae Zin Nim scowled.


    At least her attack had thrown off the Claw Tyrant''s vicious assault. Kai leapt after it before it could recover and grabbed one of its fingers. Using his full strength, he was able to pull it into the air. The monster was heavier than expected, so the best he could do was a quick arc smashing it into the largest boulder he could find.


    The boulder cracked and the Claw Tyrant let out a screech, but it didn''t break. Instead it flailed briefly on its back, fingers stabbing in all directions as the teeth on the bottom gnashed. When Kai tried to dodge in for a finishing blow, one of them caught him on the leg and sent him skidding over the stone.


    With startling speed the Claw Tyrant caught itself with two fingers and threw itself at him. He got a horrifying glimpse of its underside where a palm should have been: up close, its maw was formed of dozens of smaller steel claws, all reaching for him.


    It tried to slam its mouth down over him and Kai instinctively threw up his hands, grabbing one of the tooth-like claws. Immediately the jaws tried to close, biting his hand, but he squeezed back harder and felt something begin to give.


    If it had been just two claws against two hands, he might have won. But he was far more outnumbered than that.


    The Claw Tyrant kept pressing down, more claws from its maw stretching out to slash at his arms. Kai grimaced as he saw the lines of blood bloom across his forearms. It was taking all his strength to keep it back, but it had the upper hand. Deeper inside the beast''s maw there were larger claws with even sharper tips that he was afraid would tear him apart. If it continued like this, he''d be drawn into the terrible finger-teeth and consumed.


    So he drew on Isulfr''s Bite and consumed back.


    In his experimentation in the wastelands, Kai had been able to instantly eat large chunks of monsters'' bodies. He wasn''t as successful against a powerful monster like the Claw Tyrant, but it worked. Fingers vanished and his mouth was suddenly filled with bitter metal.


    The Claw Tyrant reared back with another screech... and then plunged down at him again.


    Before it could land, Zae Zin Nim struck it directly in the mouth with a qi blast. It staggered to the side instead of collapsing on him and she somehow alighted on its back, slamming her palm against the smooth surface. He heard the bell-like chime of her palm strike and the monster dropped almost flat, but she still didn''t manage to break its durable body.


    Kai scrambled to his feet as she landed another strike, then abruptly the Claw Tyrant distorted and blurred. It flipped around with unnatural speed, suddenly facing Zae Zin Nim with its maw. She didn''t flinch and launched a qi strike into its mouth, but that meant that its claws were closing in to spear her from all sides.


    She managed to deflect two and the other four stopped just outside her body, held back by an aura of blue flame. But her Coldfire Corona hadn''t been upgraded along with the rest of her when she broke through to a new cultivation stage, so it couldn''t protect her for long.


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    Before those fingers could keep stabbing, Kai stomped down on one with all his strength. He didn''t break the exterior, but he managed to drive it deep into the ground. Stepping off the finger, he swung his hand against the others with the strongest claw he could muster, driving them back.


    It didn''t make the monster flinch as much as he''d hoped, but it bought Zae Zin Nim time. She stepped out of the most dangerous zone, then to his surprise landed a palm strike on another of the fingers. When a third tried to stab her from behind, she dodged and grabbed it around the joint. Sometimes he forgot how strong she was now, in part because she was such a small woman and in part because he remembered her coughing blood and struggling just to stay alive.


    When she jammed another finger into the ground, Kai understood what she was doing. The Claw Tyrant broke from the ground underneath him, intending to curl up around Zae Zin Nim and stab her again. He let it go for just a second, then lunged after it as soon as the back of the claw was exposed.


    Instead of trying to pin the limb in place, Kai tugged backward. She had two fingers buried in the stone and he grabbed the others, pulling them back in the wrong direction. A cracking sound split the air, followed by a screech.


    Now the Claw Tyrant was bent backward, both of them on the opposite side of the maw which gnashed uselessly. Zae Zin Nim wrapped her arms around the fingers she had in the ground, holding them in place, and nodded to him.


    Time to finish this.


    Kai might not have been able to overwhelm the Claw Tyrant directly, but now he had leverage. He jerked another of the claws backward, bending the monster even further in the wrong direction, and plunged it into the ground. Then, before it could recover, he leapt directly at the straining back and struck it as hard as he could.


    This time the creature finally broke with an agonizing screech. All the claws tore out of the ground, slashing together, but they were on the opposite side and the creature''s dying spasms only shredded the stone. Soon it crumpled up, somewhere between a dead spider and a fist.


    "Well." Zae Zin Nim sat down on a stone and caught her breath. "That wasn''t completely insane."


    "I guess not." Kai approached the body carefully, just to be sure it was dead. "Do you think it was as dangerous as the two worst ones at Monskon City?"


    "The distortion was weaker, but it was at least as lethal."


    Sometimes it still seemed insane that he could fight monsters that could kill an entire team of veteran hunters. But he''d grown immensely stronger during the incursion and Zae Zin Nim had broken through to the Nascent Foundation stage, plus they had good teamwork. Taking on monsters this powerful was a risk for them, but not an insane one.


    Especially given the rewards. Despite bleeding from so many minor injuries, Kai was hungry.


    He experimented a little with one of the long claws and eventually tore free one of those they''d damaged at the joint. Once he was working with something smaller, he was able to open his mouth and bring his bite technique down on it. Less of the claw disappeared than usual, but the steel in his mouth tasted so satisfying that he took another bite.


    Even though he tasted the monster in his mouth, he thought he was consuming its essence directly and he could feel it growing within him. He still didn''t have full control of his vision of an island, but it was more easily accessible. Bite by bite, the Claw Tyrant was joining the other monsters bound within him.


    And unfortunately, the stomach-churning fullness returned. After a single finger Kai felt as though he would burst with all the power. It had been like this ever since the battle when he''d eaten so many other monsters.


    "Ugh, the fullness is back," Kai said. "I don''t think I can manage this much power. I feel too full."


    "Really now?" Zae Zin Nim stood nearby and gave him a flat stare. "And yet you''re still eating."


    His body was still going through the motions. Kai could only shake his head. "It''s hard to explain. It''s like I''m starving and want to eat more, yet as soon as I eat I''m full. The two sensations should cancel out, but they just conflict."


    "I''m not even surprised."


    Kai ate until he could feel a discrete power inside him. That left him feeling full in every sense, and there were also two claws remaining. While he took a moment to recover, Zae Zin Nim tied them together to join their pack of other monster parts. Within the grisly remains, he found and extracted the monster''s core, which would be the proof of their hunt.


    "I have been thinking about your power," Zae Zin Nim said abruptly. She had picked up their pack as if to leave, then stopped to look back at him. "You said that some of the monsters within you seem asleep?"


    "That''s how it feels, anyway. I can''t really draw on the unfamiliar powers."


    "Your soul may be an abomination, but it''s still a soul. Every cultivator I''ve ever met has a limited capacity, they cannot simply learn an infinite number of different paths. You may need to be more selective with the powers you eat."


    "I don''t want to just throw them away, though." Kai glanced inward and frowned as he considered it. "What should I do?"


    "You may very well be the only person who has ever done this before." Zae Zin Nim shrugged. "I have no guidance for you. But I think the answer will be found in analyzing the different powers and choosing between them."


    "Hmm. Maybe you''re right."


    "I''m going into town to trade. You should cultivate until I return, but maybe you can also meditate on your unnatural powers." Having said that, she turned away and skimmed over the wasteland with the claws wobbling on her back.


    Kai remained seated for a while, considering what she said. She was certainly right that he would need to choose, but Kai didn''t think that he needed to cut out or reject part of his power. The longer he used the monstrous abilities, the more he felt he was beginning to understand them.


    So he had a much better idea. Time to finally try it.

 Chapter 116: Fusing Monstrous Abilities

    After cultivating for a while to calm down after the battle, Kai prepared to take a step into the unknown. Most of his life he''d followed paths that previous generations had made, but it was clear that with his monstrous abilities he had no choice but to forge ahead into new territory. So once he was fully ready, he finally directed his spiritual sight inward.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 129


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 75% (18)


    Physique Level: E-2 (86)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    Bestial Traits: 11/6 - !!!


    Monstrous Hunger - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - V (epsilon)


    Aquagorgon''s Health - V (epsilon)


    Gomodo''s Stamina - V (epsilon)


    Isulfr''s Bite - III (gamma)


    Rockspider''s Claw - III (gamma)


    Direclam''s Shell - I (alpha)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Behemoth''s Heart (???)


    Claw Tyrant (???)


    ??? (???)


    >


    The human side of his power was still simple enough: his Physique and Soul Levels put him well above the average hunter, equal to some of the elite mercenaries he''d fought. He lacked a Class, but the cultivation Zae Zin Nim was teaching him provided a bit of extra power. If he advanced far enough with qi, it could make him look like a cultivator instead of a horror.


    It was the monstrous side where things became complicated, and that was where he thought he could make headway. Every monster listed had been something powerful he''d fought and eaten. His tests with weaker monsters had left him certain that they were simply digested, supporting him little differently than normal food fueled his body but didn''t make him stronger.


    But now that he''d defeated the Claw Tyrant, things had changed. As Kai ran his spiritual sight over the new sigils, he finally saw what he''d theorized.


    One of the numbers had advanced from ten to eleven: exactly the number of monsters he could see within his soul.


    The number after it - a six - hadn''t increased, which confirmed his other suspicion. Most likely six was the number of monstrous abilities that he could support at one time. He had never been sure how to interpret the symbols he saw after that, but they seemed to imply danger, or overloading, or stress. Now he suspected they were showing him the limits that he already knew subconsciously.


    Adding up the abilities also fit that theory. He regularly used the first six abilities while fighting - they felt familiar and within reach. "Monstrous Hunger" was still not precisely understood, but it had been with him from the beginning and he was fairly sure that it represented the fundamental core of his monstrous nature or his ability to consume more monsters.


    That left the newer monsters, which were oddballs. He remembered eating a clam-like creature during the battle for Monskon City, but he definitely hadn''t grown anything that would justify "Direclam''s Shell" appearing in his soul. Some of the last abilities remained oddly unformed, including the Claw Tyrant, and the monster core he had eaten from the Rayakan vault was still entirely opaque to him.


    Kai concentrated and managed to return to the island of darkness. It didn''t feel entirely real, though: it wasn''t his actual soul, just the way his mind tried to interpret it. If there were other paths that were similar, Zae Zin Nim didn''t know about them. That meant he might be on his own figuring out his abilities.


    Feeling around, Kai pinned one of his weaker abilities: Wallcrawler''s Feet. It must have come from one of the spiders crawling up the city wall, and maybe it would give him the ability to stick to a wall or something. Not really a useful or strong ability. If he needed mobility, he might as well find a way to fly or teleport, and the Wallcrawler hadn''t been an exceptionally powerful monster anyway.


    When he reached out to feel the power, it was easy to grasp the essence. In his mind''s eye, it felt a bit like he was larger than the entire island, easily holding the statue of the spider in one hand. If he''d wanted, he was sure that he could have thrown it out of his soul the way he had his Class. The spider wasn''t an enemy force inside him that had will of its own, it was just meat.


    And yet it felt wrong to just throw it away. Aside from his intuition, it hadn''t done him any harm. The additional abilities he''d eaten didn''t seem to be slowing him down, they were merely inaccessible, and their only real downside was the stuffed feeling he got when he ate new monsters.


    Why couldn''t it all have been explained to him? If he''d gotten a normal Class, there would have been countless scrolls and books and mentors to show him what to do next. All Kai could do was keep muddling and forge his own path.


    The monsters in his soul weren''t alive, but they did feel active. When Kai focused, he found it surprisingly easy to push the new statue of the Claw Tyrant beside the statue of the Rockspider. They felt aligned... presumably because they were both related to claws? And yet the new monster was still listed with ambiguous symbols, as if it didn''t have a rank, or perhaps even an identity.


    No magic intuition solved the problem, so Kai kept experimenting. Eventually he even found the unknown monster core in his soul, though he still couldn''t make heads or tails of it.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Looking at the core made him realize another distinction. The abilities with rankings all had names that made intuitive sense to him and spoke of clear abilities, even the ones he wasn''t using. But Behemoth''s Heart and the Claw Tyrant spoke more of unformed potential, as if they hadn''t been properly shaped within him.


    Focusing on the imaginary physical world inside him, Kai ran his hands over the steel skin of the Claw Tyrant. Would it be possible for him to draw out that aspect of it? Having more powerful defenses certainly wouldn''t hurt, and he could maybe even...


    The statue began to sink into the sand and something twitched in his soul. Kai instinctively pulled back as hard as he could until he was just sitting in the physical world.


    His heart raced as he realized what had almost happened. As he thought about the Claw Tyrant''s attributes, he''d begun to shape it into something else. Something usable, perhaps, but not something he''d chosen strategically. It seemed that this part of the process did work intuitively, and it would be terribly easy to make a mistake. The essence within his soul had felt like it was transforming entirely, so if he had gone forward, he might have changed it permanently. There weren''t Claw Tyrants lurking around every corner, so he had to be cautious.


    That gave him an idea, but Kai decided to hold off before he went down the wrong path. Instead he tried something else: moving the statues around to try to choose them. No matter what he tried, his primary monstrous abilities remained in place and the others remained inaccessible. He''d hoped that he might be able to swap them out as necessary, but if that was possible, it wasn''t something he could figure out quickly.


    Since Zae Zin Nim still wasn''t back, Kai set up their camp. They finally had the opportunity to use their magical tent again, which quickly expanded to its full size. He used the fire stone to start a soup and began filling containers with fresh water from the water stone. It wasn''t exactly living in luxury, but they hadn''t been reduced to nothing even if they had spent nearly everything on their advancement before the battle.


    Finally she returned, no longer bearing the dismembered claws. Instead she carried a pack that smelled like it contained food, and she smelled like she''d purchased a bath in town. She sat down beside the pot of soup, but ignored it and instead began tossing things in his direction.


    "Class Potions," she said as she tossed a bundle of small flasks. "They seem low quality, but they should suffice if necessary."


    Kai examined one and immediately saw that its mana felt much feebler than the ones Juray used to make him. He didn''t like to think about leaving her behind, so he focused on Zae Zin Nim as she tossed more objects.


    "Soap, because you need it. There are no worthwhile cleansing stones here. Another tunic, because you''ll just ruin this one eventually. And the rest of the money."


    The last object, a surprisingly heavy sack, proved to be filled with Goralian Eagles. Kai tried to estimate the number and soon gave up. "How much do we have?"


    "After all my expenses, just under 10,000."


    "Wow, the Claw Tyrant was worth that much?"


    "More, actually." Zae Zin Nim lifted out its crystallized core and examined it thoughtfully. "They paid us the reward, after some complaining, but they didn''t have enough to pay for the core. I''ll give them this: at least they''re fair. I don''t know how much your money is worth and they could have cheated me."


    It was worth enough that Kai had to stop himself from whistling. Ten thousand Goralian Eagles was more than most people would ever see, more in the range of buying houses than supplies. Of course, advancement items were expensive on the order of thousands of Eagles, so they could easily burn through all their money buying themselves a little power.


    "We can figure that out later," Kai said as he got to his feet. "I want to do an experiment."


    "What is it?" Zae Zin Nim tucked away the monster core in her robes and rose with him.


    "I think I''ve figured out how to manipulate my monstrous abilities. Do you think that it would be possible to... merge them somehow?"


    "Possibly. Cultivators on Cloudspire are warned to never do such things, as they could cause deviation. But I understand that mergers are done on Rosemount, or some skills require fueling one power with another."


    "That''s what I was thinking: sacrificing one to improve something else." Kai led them away from their camp to a region of rocky cliffs. "But I''m pretty sure the process will be destructive, so I didn''t want to blunder into it."


    "It''s easy to ruin most cultivation paths, yes." Zae Zin Nim regarded him curiously. "Can you use some of your weaker monsters?"


    "I''ve been trying, but without much success. I think I need to take at least some risk or I''ll never advance. So I want to start here."


    Kai clenched his fingers and swung them toward one of the cliffs. The energy leapt from his hand and scored three gashes through the stone, each about a yard across. That was the technique he was accustomed to using, and it worked well enough against unarmored monsters, but it wasn''t sufficient for the threats he needed to face.


    "That''s called Rockspider''s Claw," Kai explained. "It works, but I don''t know how powerful it really is. How much of the offensive power is coming from the monstrous ability and how much is coming from my Physique or something else?"


    "I can''t possibly say for certain, but..." Zae Zin Nim tilted her head back and forth, as if looking over his soul from different angles. "A powerful cultivator could turn a twig into a deadly weapon. However your monstrous abilities work, they certainly seem to be strengthened by your other powers."


    "Was hoping you''d say that. When you awakened your Class, you somehow made it subservient to your primary cultivation. Can you teach me the techniques you used?"


    She showed him the exercises, thankfully no longer condescending to him or talking about how everyone on Deadwaste was a barbarian. Kai wasn''t sure if he could do the proper cultivation exercises, but he understood the concept quickly. When he tried to apply them to his own soul, he soon felt something shift, so he moved deeper to make his attempt.


    When he nudged the Rockspider and the Claw Tyrant closer, they came to life. They began tearing into one another and Kai felt a pain in his soul - if he hadn''t spent so long studying his useless Class, he might have lost control and been spiritually injured. He managed to apply those lessons and held both powers back, preventing them from conflicting.


    Instead he wanted them to merge... except that wasn''t right. Kai started with what he''d trained and then trusted just a little to his instincts: he made the Claw Tyrant eat the Rockspider. One monster rapidly consumed the other and its power grew. Best of all, he could feel the power locking into place within him, as if the two fused together.


    Then it was done, for better or for worse. No going back now.


    Kai took a deep breath and dared to use his spiritual sight on himself.


    <


    Tyrant''s Claw - II (beta)


    >


    Immediately he breathed a sigh of relief. The new ability was called "Tyrant''s Claw" just like he''d hoped: he''d wanted to feed all of his training on his claw technique into the new monstrous essence. Instead of the beast''s armored skin, he had focused on its destructive power. The two had merged into a single ability, decreasing the pressure on his soul.


    And yet, when he looked at the rank...


    "What''s gotten into you?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "It didn''t feel like you injured yourself or deviated."


    "The ability is ranked lower," Kai said. He gestured uselessly at the symbols she couldn''t see. "I tried to create a new combined claw ability that would be stronger, but the rank decreased."


    "This is a rank, not raw Power, correct? The rank likely represents how close you are to the peak potential of the ability. It''s easier to reach the end of a weak cultivation path than a strong one."


    "Then it might...?" Kai realized that questions were pointless. They were covering new ground here, so there was no alternative to experimentation.


    He took another deep breath and clenched his fingers in a claw. That part felt right, familiar. The Tyrant''s Claw essence within him responded easily. So he swung his hand against the nearest cliff.


    Three lines of force erupted across it. Part of the upper half of the cliff exploded away and he tore gashes through the center. The pieces crashed together in a cloud of dust, but for a moment he''d had a clear glimpse of the cliff being torn apart as if by three enormous claws.


    Kai stared, having no idea what to say.


    Zae Zin Nim watched the cliff for a while, then shook her head. "Damn."


    That seemed to cover it.

 Chapter 117: The Scale of the World

    At first Kai had been overjoyed about his new technique, but as they traveled further northwest, discontent set in. Did his total number of monstrous abilities have a hard limit? If so, that would seriously reduce his flexibility.


    He wanted to keep his biting technique because it had proved so effective, even if it was short range. All his experiments with trying to merge it with the others had immediately felt wrong, as if he would burn away his power for no benefit or create a useless skill. It might not be possible to merge all his techniques into a single destructive skill, and in any case he needed more than two techniques to be an elite warrior.


    Merging together the passive abilities was more likely, but he struggled with finding the right combination. Combining Aquagorgon''s Health and Gomodo''s Stamina into a single regenerative technique seemed to make perfect sense, yet it just didn''t feel right. His attempts had either accomplished nothing or immediately given him the sense of wasting essence. Clearly there was still more to learn before he gained full control of his monstrous abilities.


    "What''s gotten into you?" Zae Zin Nim glanced over at him as they walked. "You mastered your powers enough to develop an improved technique, you should be happy."


    "It has to do with my long term potential..." Kai explained his thoughts to her and she quickly nodded. She, at least, would never criticize him for seeking power.


    "I think you''re concerned over nothing. It''s all about balance... let''s fight."


    "What?"


    Instead of answering, Zae Zin Nim struck him in the chest with her palm, sending him skidding backward through the craggy wasteland.


    Something deep within Kai wanted to snarl, but he held it back as they sparred. He used his new Tyrant''s Claw eagerly, its expanded range forcing Zae Zin Nim to utilize all her new speed. Even if he managed to hit her, after reforging her body with her cultivation, she was substantially more durable, so he didn''t need to hold back his claws.


    The overall outcome was known: with over 350 Power, Zae Zin Nim was substantially stronger than him. That fact alone boggled his mind while he should have been focusing on their fight. He was stronger than basically everyone he knew, including every single person in Monskon City. There were definitely more powerful people in the world, but here and now, they could only test their power on each other.


    Without warning, Zae Zin Nim stopped fighting and simply perched atop a nearby boulder. Kai lowered his fists, doubting that she would use a dirty trick but unsure where this was going. After cocking her head in his direction, she nodded to herself and spoke.


    "Judging power isn''t a precise science, when you can''t use spiritual sight, but you feel to me as if you have almost twice the Power I can see in your human soul."


    "You''re saying it just doubles my power?" Kai looked inward and frowned.


    "No, not at all. I believe that you have two sources of power that exist in a steady balance. You have the strength of a human warrior with your Power, then also a monster who would be evenly matched with that warrior." Zae Zin Nim shook her head, sending her hair shimmering from side to side. "Normally, one would expect this to lead to instability and you would either deviate or kill yourself. In your case, I believe that you''re subconsciously keeping yourself balanced."


    "I don''t see why you had to... wait. Are you saying that my monstrous abilities are limited by my human soul?"


    "Exactly. I remember your strength at Rayakan, and you felt like a weaker monster then. I believe that as your soul expands, you will also open up more space for monstrous abilities."


    Kai grinned as he realized that her theory felt right. It didn''t make sense that there should be some random hard limit to his monstrous abilities after all, but the limits of a soul were a well-known phenomenon. No doubt he would need to be careful not to fall out of balance. She hadn''t mentioned it, but he worried that if he tipped too far to the human side, his monstrous abilities might weaken or grow unstable or otherwise cause trouble.


    And of course, if he tipped too far toward the monstrous side...


    That didn''t stop it from being a relief. He might not have a power that he could intuitively chase to grow stronger and stronger, but the power was still his. If he applied his intelligence and everything he''d learned about souls, he could continue advancing. Given what he had accomplished just to that point, he had numerous plans he could pursue.


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    Zae Zin Nim hopped off her boulder to land beside him and started to open her mouth. She realized that she had to crane her neck to look up at him, scowled, and then kicked a smaller rock closer for her to stand on. As she stared at him at eye level, Kai kept his face completely serious and refused to smile.


    She''d just proved she could kick his ass, after all.


    "For the most part," she said, "I believe that Power is an accurate measure. Strategy and intelligence can go far, but they cannot overcome a substantial gap. However, there are exceptions, and I believe your strength may be one."


    "Because people will get a false picture of my strength?" Kai asked.


    "They will, but any experienced cultivator will also be familiar with shrouds and other methods of hiding one''s power. With you, however, they will receive false impressions that will make it very difficult to predict your capabilities. Normally I believe that surprise techniques are petty tricks that should be better put toward raw power. You may be the exception."


    "Is Power really a perfect measure, though? I''m not denying someone with 100 has a huge advantage over someone with 50, but couldn''t they create a situation that plays to their strengths?"


    Zae Zin Nim opened her mouth with an irritable expression, then her eyebrows relaxed slightly. "It is possible that you are right. Cultivators generally use their qi to enhance themselves overall, so their capabilities are evenly balanced in all respects. But there are body cultivation paths, and I have seen that other skills may be less balanced. In those situations, leverage would be important."


    "You don''t seem so dismissive of people from Deadwaste anymore." Kai grinned to make it clear he wasn''t mocking her. "Changed your mind?"


    "Your continent still has pathetic amounts of power, but... that isn''t your fault." Zae Zin Nim shook her head slowly. "I think you need to master the basics of your power, but after that, perhaps we can go to Cloudspire. Given a proper environment, I think you could cultivate very quickly."


    The idea that she would invite him back to her native continent should have been encouraging, for all that she''d spoken of trouble at home. Yet Kai instead found himself thinking grimmer thoughts. "Is that your goal? You want to return to Cloudspire and... what? Take revenge on the people who blocked you?"


    "I would like to do that, yes. However, I am not yet prepared, and you certainly are not. You... would come with me and help, if I asked?"


    "Of course I would." Kai wanted to put a hand on her shoulder like she was a fellow hunter, but he didn''t fully understand her boundaries, so he just smiled. "I want to return in time to fight the next incursion, but that''s years away. You fought my battles, so I''ll fight yours."


    He thought that Zae Zin Nim might have smiled just slightly, but before he could be sure she turned away and began to walk purposefully. That shielded her face with her newly long hair, and by the time he caught up her expression was neutral. Realizing that he might scare her off, Kai decided to take a safer tack.


    "Exactly how much power do you need?" he asked. "Wasn''t reaching Nascent Foundation your main goal?"


    "My body has been refined, but not perfected." Zae Zin Nim reached up to touch one of the long black scars on her face, then her finger flinched away. "The black blood has strengthened me, but in the end it and all other impurities must be purged. When that happens, I may not be equal to my father, but I will be a cultivator who no one would dare disrespect."


    "You''ve talked about how powerful higher stage cultivators are... after everything we''ve seen together, surely you wouldn''t hide the details? Just how powerful are we talking?"


    "I suppose there is no point keeping secrets. Beyond Nascent Foundation is the Earth Soul stage, which is entirely another realm above mine and I will not be able to attain for some time. And beyond that is the very peak of cultivation: the Sky Soul stage."


    "Those are fancy-sounding names, but what does that actually mean?"


    Zae Zin Nim rolled her eyes as she responded. "Be as irreverent as you want, a single Sky Soul cultivator could annihilate everyone here. I have never seen one without a shroud, but it is said that their cultivation alone grants them 1000 Power. It is said that is the highest strength an immortal can obtain."


    "You don''t sound so confident anymore."


    "It is true there are some monsters in this world that even the greatest of cultivators cannot overcome. And..."


    "The people we saw fighting over the pit?" Kai asked gently. Zae Zin Nim nodded curtly but then looked away.


    "I cannot explain them, but yes, clearly they had attained a power I cannot dream of. I have never seen a Sky Soul cultivator fight, but I cannot make myself believe they were simply that stage. Clearly there is something that even the great sects on Cloudspire do not know."


    "So 1000 Power is the benchmark we can actually see, huh? I''ll admit that seems impossible right now, but we''ll keep making progress."


    "It doesn''t feel so impossible anymore." Zae Zin Nim spoke very softly, not meeting his gaze. "So far you have shown no signs of being unable to cultivate, except the meager qi here and fate being against you. If you did reach Sky Soul, and had a monstrous soul to match... I don''t think anyone in my father''s sect could stand against you."


    Given how much she hated her father, that should have been a good thing, yet Kai heard a strange unhappiness in her words. As desperately as he wanted to fully understand her family situation, he knew that pressing would get them nowhere. Perhaps she didn''t truly trust him, or perhaps she had some other reason to dislike that conclusion.


    Before Kai could think of a new direction to take the conversation, he saw something flickering through the sky toward them. Fast - impossibly fast. The streak of green mana would have outstripped any flying ship, splitting the sky as if the heavens themselves pointed at them.


    They barely had time to prepare themselves before the streak hit the earth ahead of them and then, without warning, they were facing another opponent. Kai realized that their discussion of power had neglected another force: they were facing a Frontier elite with more power than both of them combined.

 Chapter 118: New Directions, New Journeys

    Their opponent appeared to be fully ready to fight, so Kai''s first analysis was purely martial. The arrival had an immediate impact, but his spiritual sight couldn''t pierce the veil surrounding the figure. All he could do was use his real eyes and hope he could find some leverage.


    The Frontier elite was a woman with ageless tan skin and dark hair. At a glance at her magic he''d assumed that she was from the Elemental Nations, but physically she looked closer to Irunian. He got an unnerving confirmation of that a moment later when he saw the line of liquid metal snaking through her robes. The steadiness of Irunian abilities combined with explosive elemental powers was likely to be a nasty combination.


    "You killed the Claw Tyrant." She had landed heavily but now began to lift into the air again, power that wasn''t exactly wind mana gathering around her.


    "Is that a crime?" Kai demanded.


    "No, but the manner and methods were very suspicious."


    Now that the initial crisis had passed, Kai got a chance to analyze her more thoughtfully. Not just for her abilities, which appeared to be overwhelming, but the smaller details. The hard look in her eyes wasn''t actually anger, it looked more like irritation. Her power was chaotic, but now he could see that the cause was weariness. And as lethal as the liquid metal likely was, he noticed that it appeared to be binding closed a wound.


    During the same pause, Zae Zin Nim appeared to have noticed some of the same factors, but she was looking for a weakness. Kai realized that they had only a moment to avoid a stupid and possibly suicidal fight.


    "We saw what happened in the Frontier!" Kai blurted the words out inelegantly, but he immediately got the elite''s attention. "Obviously we couldn''t do anything. But after your allies helped us get out, we fought the monster hordes. Why shouldn''t we keep fighting them, if we can save more lives?"


    "You must be Gunjin''s boy." The Frontier elite finally relaxed her shoulders and shifted back. "My name is Sheiri. You''re not as much of an aberration as I''d heard, but I suppose you''re hiding it. No matter, I understand. Sorry for the misunderstanding."


    "Just like that?" Zae Zin Nim asked. Alone among the three, she hadn''t relaxed in the slightest.


    Sheiri turned to look at her slightly, apparently unconcerned. "You were actually the one who worried me. Guests from other continents are common enough, but we need to worry about military actions. When I felt a cultivator kill the very monster I was tracking, I assumed the worst."


    "No. I am here unofficially." Though Zae Zin Nim still scowled at the other woman, she stopped preparing so much qi and shifted backward.


    "Then I have no quarrel with you."


    The elite prepared her power to lift into the air again, so Kai spoke up. "Wait!" Her gaze swung down at him, but he didn''t flinch. "We really do want to help, and it''s obvious that you''re spread thin trying to deal with the aftermath of the incursion. Isn''t it worth your time to at least talk to us?"


    She stared at him, so intensely that he wondered if she was piercing through his false Class to his monstrous soul, but eventually she shrugged. Even more of the stiffness left her spine, leaving her slumping slightly as she turned to face them.


    "It isn''t fundamentally different from previous incursions, just worse. There are more dangerous monsters past the Frontier wall, so we''re pushed to a breaking point. Politicians have already started looking away from us, not understanding that the preparation for the next incursion needs to begin now."


    "We''re seeking the power to be more useful in the next one," Kai said. It wasn''t strictly true, at least for Zae Zin Nim, but he thought it was close enough and he didn''t want to let this chance slip through his fingers. The last time he''d spoken to a Frontier elite, he had been dismissed because fate had ruined his chances at an elemental power. Maybe the world contained stronger people, but the Frontier elites were the strongest people he knew.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    While Sheiri had her guard down, Kai tried his spiritual sight and finally called up symbols for her soul.


    <


    Name: Sheiri Kagskan


    Total Power: 633


    Path of Steel: Truesteel 9 (108)


    Windborn: Twiceblown (281)


    Physique Level: E-5 (95)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Emergent Class: Whistling Steel (+100)


    >


    As he''d expected, she was Irunian, though the majority of her Power seemed to come from an elemental ability that had been awakened later. There was no time to analyze it in detail, because she regarded him with a tired gaze.


    "Got a good look?" Sheiri asked. "You''ve bought me some time, killing the Claw Tyrant, but there''s always more work to do."


    "Let us help. We might not be strong enough now, but you obviously need more numbers." Kai bowed as deeply to her as he dared. "Can''t you share anything from your knowledge at the Frontier? I''ve only ever seen an ''Emergent Class'' from there - what does that mean?"


    "None of us have time to teach you about powers that can only be gained through hard work. Continue on your path. If you can really overcome the truly terrible hand you were dealt, you''ll find your way back to us when the time is right." It looked like she was about to turn away again, so he spoke up louder.


    "There''s no compromise that works for both of us? We need power, you need support... surely there''s some challenge we can face that will make your job easier and give us the chance to strengthen ourselves."


    "You''re determined about this, aren''t you?" Sheiri gave a weary shrug with one shoulder. "If you kill more monsters from the incursion, no one will complain. We lost track of an Infernotoad somewhere in the City States that you might be able to take. There''s a Windscythe hunting from the clouds over the desert. Hmm... there''s a monster called a Shadow of Death that you don''t stand a chance against. Retreat if you run into anything that makes its own darkness."


    "If we do find it, how do we contact you?"


    "Nice try, but instant magical communication doesn''t come that cheap. No, if you really want to help, you should go into Krysal and see if you can''t push things into shape."


    "Krysal?" Kai looked northwest automatically, as if he could tell anything about it from a glance. "I thought they got through the incursion well enough."


    "The City States are rotten at the core. Among all the Frontier nations, they support us the least. In seven more years the rot may spread so far that they crumble, then this will be worse for everyone." Sheiri cast a bitter smile at him. "Of course, I don''t expect you to be able to actually do anything. But if you want to take on something we can''t do ourselves, then understand the trouble here and see if you can change anything. If you actually manage it, I suppose we''ll owe you."


    "Thank you. What-" Kai wanted to push for more, but the woman leapt into the air. As soon as she was a safe distance overhead, her power exploded around her and she streaked across the sky, vanishing in seconds.


    Wind swept in her wake, blowing their clothes violently. It seemed to sweep away all words and they simply looked at one another in silence until the wind died. To his surprise, Zae Zin Nim soon began walking again, continuing to the northwest.


    "You aren''t going to object?" Kai asked. "I was practically begging."


    "A word from a senior can be worth months of training," she answered casually. "It is not unreasonable to try to get something from them, particularly since your elites are not so violent here."


    "So you''re not so dismissive of them anymore."


    "None of them could hold a candle to a Sky Soul cultivator. However... their powers are not as cobbled together as I thought. There is a degree of sophistication there that is worthy of respect."


    "Do you know anything about the Emergent Class she had?"


    Zae Zin Nim shook her head. "It is not familiar to me. You would be better off asking an expert from Rosemount. I understand they focus more on synergies there."


    Kai walked alongside her for a while, thinking about what they had learned, before he decided that they needed to address the obvious. "So we''re going to the Krysal City States? That''s decided for certain now?"


    "I always thought it was the best option," she said, "and now you''re convinced of it. We can gain as much qi as can be had on this miserable continent and maybe advance a little further. Plus, maybe we can buy one of those flying crystal vehicles so we don''t have to walk everywhere."


    "I''m pretty sure those cost more than 10,000 Goralian Eagles."


    "Then we''ll just have to earn more, won''t we?"


    It really seemed that simple for her. Kai grinned and picked up the pace, forcing her to begin using her lightness techniques to keep up with him. Alright, if they had a destination, they might as well run.


    A long time ago, he''d planned to go to Krysal in the hopes of buying his way to power. Even though everything had changed about his life since then, he was still eager to see it. He''d heard plenty of amazing tales from veterans, contrasting sharply with what the Frontier elite had said about a rot at the heart of the nation.


    Either way, they were running to find out.

 Chapter 119: Entering the Krysal City States

    There was only one problem with their plan to go to the Krysal City States: a clear look at Kai''s soul would still send the majority of people running for their lives. He cultivated as much as he could on their way northwest, but it became clear that he wouldn''t be able to reach the peak of the first stage, not on the small amounts of qi they could drain from the crystals. So they were left running the risk of discovery and relying on Class potions.


    Along the way, they discussed their other strategic concerns. Zae Zin Nim planned to take the point position, as cultivators were more common in Krysal - as she reminded him, Cloudspire was across the western ocean. At her new cultivation stage she could easily reveal part of her power and receive respect enough to get them through most situations.


    Kai had no problem with that, but he did have a problem with the fact that she didn''t seem to think it necessary to consider much beyond that. Apparently on Cloudspire it was enough to walk in with a lot of power and things would fall out alright.


    For his part, he wanted a stronger plan, plus he was never sure if his terrible luck would come after him again. The biggest problem was lack of information, so they decided their first destination would be the city of Romastir. It was one of the only ones he''d heard of, due to being on the border with Goralia, and so they could gather information before venturing further in.


    He wasn''t sure what to make of the Frontier elite''s comments. Somehow the Krysal City States were "rotten at heart," whatever that meant. Presumably figuring that out was part of the test, since working at the Frontier required good judgment as well as power.


    When the city finally came into sight, he immediately knew that they weren''t in Goralia anymore. Instead of a heavily fortified city built around a defensible point, it started with an enormous sprawl of fields and farms. This close to the Frontier wasteland, there were more animals than crops, but this close in Goralia there wouldn''t be much of anything growing.


    "Did they just take the best land?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "This looks much better than Goralia."


    "I think their territory is more consistent," Kai said. "Southern Goralia is incredibly fertile and has strong mana, but the north is rough. The evenly spread land is why Krysal can split into different city states without collapsing."


    "Does the qi get any stronger than this?"


    "I can''t say for sure. I''d guess that it''s similar or some cities would be much more powerful than others, but that''s just a guess. Presumably each region has stronger sources."


    "Hmph. That''s common enough."


    "Of course, I think they get most of their qi from the crystal mines."


    Zae Zin Nim''s eyebrows rose. "And where are those? Can we go seize them?"


    He wasn''t entirely sure if she was joking, but he decided to just roll his eyes and laugh as if she was. The actual answer was something he wished he knew. It was difficult to imagine that something as large as a mine could be kept secret, but given their importance to Krysal, there would be strong incentive to keep them as secure as possible.


    Past the fields and farms they reached the city itself. It did have a massive outer wall, which left him wondering what happened to all the farms during an incursion, but it looked much freer than Goralia. He could see balconies on the higher floors, streamers waving from windows, kites arcing overhead. As they drew closer, he saw several massive statues built into the walls, portraying the great men and women of the city.


    Allegedly it was possible to buy nobility in the Krysal City States. The idea didn''t tempt him even slightly, but he had to wonder at the grand statues.


    When they neared one of the gates they found themselves caught up in a milling crowd that gradually filtered into a line passing through guards. As far as he could tell, each person entering the city was either presenting papers or paying money. Before Kai could get a good look at what was happening, a guard approached them and coughed.


    "Excuse me, lord, lady." It was a short man wearing steel armor studded with several qi-bearing crystals. Kai nearly opened his spiritual sight before remembering that it might not be polite here. Since Zae Zin Nim just looked annoyed, Kai decided to respond.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "What is it?"


    "Are you two crystalliers?"


    Kai blinked at the unfamiliar word. "I guess not. We''re monster hunters, from Goralia."


    "Well, if you have papers from your guild... no? Come this way with me, please. You don''t need to wait in line with the rabble."


    Clearly, the guards must have already used spiritual sight on them - it was a damn good thing he''d drank a Class potion out of habit before they got anywhere close. Kai wasn''t used to being treated like this, but he supposed that he''d just entered a new land and should follow the customs. The guard led them away from the main crowd to a smaller door that appeared to enter the guard tower. Since eyeballing was apparently allowed, Kai examined the man as they walked.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 24


    Crystal Cultivation: 117 (12)


    Physique Level: G-3 (8)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    The man''s strength didn''t seem like much, though Kai had to remind himself that his standards had been severely inflated over the past year. He glanced at the other guards as well and discovered that all of them were roughly similar. It wasn''t until they were led to a man with fancy crystalline gilding on his armor that he saw someone a little stronger.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 42


    Crystal Cultivation: 507 (31)


    Physique Level: G-4 (10)


    Soul Level: 1 (1)


    >


    Curiously, the man didn''t appear that much tougher, he just had stronger crystal cultivation. But there was no more time to think about that because the officer was addressing them.


    "Welcome to Romastir," the officer said with an ingratiating smile. "We certainly will not refuse crystalliers of your strength, not at all, but there are a few formalities to set aside."


    "Crystalliers?" Kai asked.


    "Forgive me, a Goralian may not know the term. We don''t have Hunters Guilds here, instead we divide our warriors into several categories based on their capabilities. Most work as guards, or occasionally hunters, but those with a Power rating over 100 are reserved for more important assignments. We call them crystalliers, and even though you may not be crystal cultivators, you will be considered in the same category."


    "Thanks. What are these formalities?"


    "Oh, just a few matters to ensure there will be no trouble. We need you to sign these forms, and there is a small fee. If you do not have crystals to pay, which I assume you do not, a hundred Goralian Eagles will suffice."


    Kai opened his mouth to complain about the price and saw Zae Zin Nim glowering at him. Maybe she was right: they had almost 10,000 Eagles and it was petty of him to argue over such a small amount. He just hoped that the guards didn''t cheat the average citizen that much... then again, the average person wouldn''t have anywhere near that much. Maybe Krysal demanded more from its more powerful citizens, which would be fair.


    It didn''t take too long for them to finish the paperwork once they paid, then they were each given elaborate crystalline seals. They didn''t seem to be made out of the qi-bearing crystal their fighters used, instead some sort of sapphire. The guards told them that crystallier seals were in high demand and would let them pass directly through many outposts. Kai wasn''t sure if the material could possibly be real sapphire, but if it prevented them from having to deal with any more paperwork, he was satisfied.


    On the other side, they walked into the city of Romastir and he immediately got another reminder he wasn''t in Goralia anymore. He saw a fair number of people who looked familiar, but they were outnumbered by dusky Krysali heavily swathed in various cloths. There were far more varieties than he''d known existed, from somber robes to colorful wraps.


    "We don''t know exactly what we''re looking for," Kai said to Zae Zin Nim, "so we need to survey the city methodically. Obviously we need accommodations and a place to sell the monster core. Keep your eyes open for the local equivalents to guilds, sources of crystals for cultivation, herbalists or apothecaries, and anywhere that might post about monster hunts."


    She fixed him with a flat gaze. "That sounds like a lot of busywork. If everything is for sale in Krysal, can''t we just hire someone to do it for us?"


    "There''s no substitute for doing things yourself, especially because we''re not native here. We don''t know what we don''t know, which can be more dangerous than-"


    "Hey!" A voice rang out over the hubbub of the street, originating from a rooftop. Kai looked up just in time to see five figures leap down at them.


    He almost snarled and used his Tyrant''s Claw before remembering he was in the middle of a crowded city. Besides, the five figures weren''t attacking, just surrounding them. Three men and two women, mostly Krysali, all of them carrying crystal weapons. Kai realized who they must be just before one of the men spoke.


    "The guards tipped us off about two new crystalliers," he said. He looked them over, clearly using his spiritual sight, and laughed. "Well, this is going to shake things up. Come on back, everyone is going to want to fight you."


    "We aren''t here to fight anyone," Kai started to say, but one of the women elbowed him in the ribs.


    "Sure you are. Stop wasting time with the rabble and come join crystallier society."


    It was an offer too valuable to be refused, so Kai smiled and bowed politely. He couldn''t sense any true bloodlust from anyone in the group, suggesting they were telling the truth. Of course the local elites would be interested in any hunters on their level who arrived. Working with them was likely their path to better resources.


    Still, Kai couldn''t help but look back over his shoulder as they left the streets behind. So much for his plans to explore the city.

 Chapter 120: Ranking the Krysali

    The group of crystalliers took them through Romastir boisterously, a combination of testing their movement abilities and pointing out the best places to eat or drink in the city. Zae Zin Nim was able to keep up effortlessly, while Kai was fast but not exactly elegant, just jumping or running after the others. Several of them had large crystals they could fly on, just like the mercenary Iroaki, but others relied upon boosts of qi to move themselves.


    Thinking about the Krysali mercenary took Kai out of the cheerful mood of the group. Since most of them seemed more interested in Zae Zin Nim, he took the opportunity to observe the group from behind. He focused first on a young man who called himself Ailag and seemed to act as the leader.


    <


    Name: Ailag of Romastir


    Total Power: 115


    Crystal Cultivation: 2259 (71)


    Physique Level: F-5 (40)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    There was no question that the man was strong by most standards, but Kai wasn''t impressed. Ailag was at least five years older than him and most of his power came from his crystal cultivation. His Physique and Soul Levels weren''t particularly high for someone who should have so much experience. Of course, Kai didn''t have much experience fighting crystal cultivators, so he made sure not to leap to conclusions.


    "Oh, there''s the Simmering Boar." Ailag pointed out a large building topped with a crystal spire. "You might meet clients there, but crystalliers wouldn''t be caught dead going alone. Not the sort of establishment we usually patronize."


    "But the booze is good," one of the other men said, and the entire group laughed.


    Kai wasn''t really interested in fine dining, but he paid attention when the group talked about weapon sellers or crystal merchants. There were definitely details about the local economy and use of crystals that he didn''t fully understand yet. Since it never seemed to come up, Kai waited until he spotted a shop with a sign announcing that it bought and sold monster cores.


    "We have a core we need to sell," Kai said loud enough to break over the group chatter. They slid to a halt on one of the roofs to look back at him. "Can we do it there?"


    "What''s the core?" one of the women asked.


    In response, Zae Zin Nim revealed it from her robes. Immediately several in the group whistled and clapped, throwing out various affirmations. Even though they seemed surprisingly casual and didn''t care about monster hunting, they were skilled enough to instantly tell a monster rank from a core alone.


    "It would be absurd to try to sell it there," Ailag said with a sneer. "The poor merchant would probably have to take out a loan or mortgage his shop just to pay you what it''s worth. No, no, come with us to Crystallier Headquarters. We''ll be able to take care of everything for you there."


    The crystallier group seemed snobbish, but overall Romastir didn''t seem too bad to Kai. There were no clear divisions between upper and lower sections like in Monskon City, instead there were fancy buildings everywhere. He hadn''t seen anyone who looked desperately poor, and even the workers bustling around the city looked clean and well-dressed.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    While they were flying through the city, one particular worker caught Kai''s eye. He turned back to look, examining the man with his spiritual senses.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 43


    Crystal Cultivation: 3 (1)


    Physique Level: F-6 (42)


    Soul Level: 0 (0)


    >


    The man''s soul looked bizarre to Kai: he had a Physique of F-6, higher than any of the young crystalliers, yet almost no other power. No Soul Levels could be explained by the man not being a fighter, but why was his crystal cultivation so low? Was it so easy to gain Physique here that even workers advanced to F rank?


    "What''s the hold-up?" It was one of the women in the group, who Kai vaguely thought was named Naellia. She had stopped back, hovering on a long crystal staff, to look at him.


    "What kind of Physique training do you do here?" he asked. The question immediately sounded stupid to him, so he rushed on. "I was just comparing strengths and I wondered if you had widespread methods for reaching the F ranks."


    "Physique comes alongside your primary work." Naellia shrugged as if it didn''t matter, then examined him with narrower eyes. "You''re strong, but you''re kind of a bumpkin, aren''t you?"


    One of the men who had lingered back laughed obnoxiously. Kai knew they were trying to antagonize him, but he just didn''t care. He wasn''t even sure what grounds they meant to insult him on, and if that made him a country bumpkin, it didn''t seem to matter.


    Before anything else could happen, Ailag looped back. "Hey, come on!" he called from his crystal. "We need to get them ranked!"


    Naellia cast him one last glance that suggested she already knew what she thought of him, then turned away. Kai pursued the group, slightly puzzled, but examined her from behind.


    <


    Name: Naellia of Romastir


    Total Power: 112


    Crystal Cultivation: 2708 (76)


    Physique Level: F-1 (32)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    She was fairly similar to Ailag, with less Physique and more crystals. Even if she could only see the human half of his soul, she should have known he was meaningfully stronger than her. Was she so confident in her offensive power that she didn''t think his Physique could protect him? That was one logical explanation of why the crystal cultivators didn''t seem focused on it, but Kai didn''t want to draw conclusions yet. They must have some secret behind their confidence.


    Finally they reached the Crystallier Headquarters and it wasn''t at all what Kai expected. Given the number of crystals throughout the city, he had been expecting a palace of solid diamond or something. Instead it was a building of dark wood and stone, with almost understated crystals set in the foundation stones.


    "Here we are!" Ailag swept them a dramatic bow with one hand flipping through the air. "This is one of the finest establishments in all Romastir, alongside Mercantile Central and the Refiners Guild. If you''re as strong as you look, this will be your new home."


    As they entered, he noticed that the crystalliers all took off their shoes, which were immediately taken away by cleaning staff. Zae Zin Nim frowned and refused, while Kai grimaced at how dirty his feet were. Seconds later there was a servant bringing a tub of water for him to clean them, which took him aback. The servant seemed just as shocked when Kai washed his own feet.


    The others spoke to one another near the entrance and Kai took the opportunity to examine the building further. Now that he saw it from the inside, he thought he understood. Qi-bearing crystals might be valuable, but they were common in the city, and normal crystals seemed downright cheap. Crystallier Headquarters established its status by not using crystals in the construction. Likely the wood and stone were even more expensive here.


    "Don''t get too clean!" one of the men said with a laugh. He pulled Kai away from the tub of water and into the building. "We''re going to test you right away, and you''ll want a bath after that."


    "Test us how?" Kai asked. The others all laughed.


    "The top crystalliers of the city are all ranked," Ailag explained as he ushered them forward. "Even if you don''t stay long, you need a rank or no one will know how much you''re worth. Since the top two are here, we might as well do it now."


    "Top two?" Zae Zin Nim''s eyebrows rose slightly.


    "That''s right, you''re lucky enough to arrive when the two strongest crystalliers in Romastir are in residence. They were already working on our forces, so the ranking trials start right away."


    Kai frowned and glanced at Zae Zin Nim, but she seemed much less thrown off by all of this than he was. He''d wanted to get a better sense for Romastir and apparently he was being taken straight to the top. Maybe that was unavoidable, now that he was this strong in a land where he wasn''t exiled.


    Too late to back out now. The crystalliers led them out a side door into what appeared to be an arena, filled with an army of fighters bearing crystal weapons.

 Chapter 121: Crystallier Evaluations

    Could all of this have really been prepared for them? Kai tried not to gawk like the rube they apparently thought he was as he looked around the arena. His attention had been immediately drawn by the small army, but they were mostly weak and likely just part of the evaluation. The real threats sat higher.


    Though there were stands all around the marble circle at the center of the arena, most of them were empty. Most of those he saw watching looked like merchants or nobles, not warriors. The exception was a higher box that practically burned with qi, and when he looked toward it hundreds of crystals glinted sunlight directly into his eyes.


    Two figures stood out: a muscular middle-aged man and an older woman who appeared to be holding on to her youthful looks with make-up and cultivation. Both were shrouded, but he was immediately confident they were crystalliers. All of the others sitting around them didn''t look like fighters, some of them even flabby, but they were wearing a huge number of crystals with real power inside them. Maybe what he''d heard about the real power in Krysal was true.


    "Welcome, new crystalliers!" The middle-aged man stood up and greeted them in a booming voice. "My name is Norgoan, first ranked in the city. We hope you will agree to stay in fair Romastir, but regardless we must ask you to participate in a little test. Your performance will reveal just how much we have to offer you."


    Everyone in the entire audience turned toward them at once. Without him noticing, the other crystalliers had backed away, leaving them alone in the arena. Kai swallowed and tried to answer in a strong voice.


    "Show us your test!"


    Some of the other crystalliers clapped or hooted, while the audience was more withdrawn. The wealthy patrons in the upper box were definitely examining them closely. Even though they might not be warriors, he presumed they had attained their position through cunning, so they would be watching closely. He needed to be especially cautious not to reveal his true nature.


    "There are three tests," Norgoan announced with a gesture to the warriors below. "Nothing elaborate, no fancy games, we simply need to see your strength. One of you must step forward."


    Kai glanced over at Zae Zin Nim and she shrugged. After they stared for a while, he nodded to her and she stepped closer to the center of the marble arena.


    The first test was revealed to be a large number of floating crystal targets that the crystallier needed to destroy as quickly as possible. That was effortless for Zae Zin Nim, of course, who simply released seeking bolts of qi that demolished nearly all of them at the same time. The challenge struck him as suited primarily to cultivators and biased against anyone who fought melee, unless the judges were calculating accordingly.


    Before he had any time to stew about it, they announced that he was up next. Apparently they were alternating turns instead of testing all three at once. As the crystals were launched into the air, Kai was tempted to try to destroy them all with a single Tyrant''s Claw, but there was no sense revealing his abilities here. Instead he merely leapt from crystal to crystal, smashing them with his bare hands.


    He finished the test much slower than Zae Zin Nim, though he thought he still showed his strength and speed well enough. There was no scoring, the crystalliers and merchants simply observed them and kept their own counsel.


    "And now, the second test!" Norgoan gestured to the warriors in the arena, who quickly drew back to make way for archers.


    For the second test, they needed to stand in the center of a circle and deflect every arrow launched in their direction. Zae Zin Nim spun gracefully among them, of course, not taking a single hit. Kai was sorely tempted to just stand there and let the arrows rain off him harmlessly, but he did his best to deflect them all. One hit his shoulder and something snarled quietly from within his soul, but it didn''t even hurt.


    "And for the final test... we will see your value against the fine soldiers of Romastir." Norgoan smiled in a way Kai thought was slightly unpleasant and suddenly the warriors around them began forming up. "Begin!"


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Apparently the last test was taking place simultaneously. Kai felt Zae Zin Nim spring into action behind him, since she had no qualms about mowing down opponents, but he hesitated. The soldiers facing him were decently equipped, but most had only 20-30 Power and low Physique Levels. If he fought them with his full human strength, much less everything he had, he could well leave them permanently injured. Was this a cruel test, or actually a test of their restraint?


    When he looked over all the eyes staring down at them, Kai saw little mercy but no other hints. There was a spear being thrust in his direction and Kai reluctantly pulled it away from the soldier and used it to trip the nearest several.


    Fine then. He wasn''t going to massacre a bunch of weak soldiers just doing their jobs, but he could show what he could do.


    Kai defeated every soldier on his half of the arena with almost pure Physique. At first he moved as quickly as he could, dodging around every weapon and arrow while dropping opponents individually. He didn''t land disabling blows, just threw them into a pile that grew ungainly enough that they couldn''t easily get up.


    After he''d proved that he could be agile, Kai abruptly switched to the opposite tactic. He simply walked across the arena toward the remaining soldiers, ignoring the arrows that bounced off his chest. When he got close he calmly took their weapons away and knocked them over, then turned to stare up at the audience.


    It seemed that Zae Zin Nim had already finished, so most eyes were on him. He thought he saw some amused looks, and perhaps a few were even impressed, but he hadn''t blown them away. They didn''t seem to value Physique much in Krysal.


    "An impressive display." Norgoan clapped exactly three times, almost insultingly brief. Yet Kai thought he wasn''t quite as confident as he pretended to be, not based on how quickly he shushed the merchants around him. "We have already finished our consultations. Let me introduce myself again... I am Norgoan, first ranked Crystallier of Romastir."


    "And I am Uarania, ranked second." The older woman rose to her feet with narrow eyes. "If you were to remain here, we would have a new third rank." Her finger rose to point at Zae Zin Nim.


    Many in the audience cheered or clapped, but Kai looked toward the young crystalliers. Most looked upset and he guessed that they had just been demoted. Even if Zae Zin Nim had shrouded her true strength, they must know that she was much stronger than them, so they couldn''t object about it.


    "Which brings us to Kai Clanless." Norgoan leaned forward over the side of the box, resting on both arms. "A remarkable display of raw force which would be a real threat if combined with proper cultivation. You would be ranked fifth in the current tiers, or sixth if your companion also joins."


    Kai smiled and acknowledged as if he cared, but almost all his attention was on the younger crystalliers. Ailag and Naellia looked a little smug, while the others only got angrier, so he guessed that they were the third and fourth ranked. Yet he found himself much more interested in the top two. The older man and woman were completely obscured from his spiritual senses, so he couldn''t properly judge their strength.


    "Given the recent troubles with monsters," Uarania went on, "many of our merchants are especially interested in protection. For that reason, they have already been bidding on your services. If you choose to stay in Romastir, you could receive the winning offers." She gestured to her side and two of the merchants stood up.


    "For the young lady cultivator," an old woman said, "fourteen thousand."


    "Eleven thousand for the warrior," a portly merchant said.


    Those were large numbers, but Kai had no idea what they actually meant. He didn''t want to look ignorant in front of everyone, but he didn''t have many options aside from glancing over at the crystalliers. The group moved in closer, breaking the atmosphere of the trials, and soon they were surrounded. So Kai leaned closer to Ailag to whisper.


    "Thousand what? For how long?"


    "What?" Ailag stared at him as if surprised. "That''s the number of Goralian Eagles per month, of course. Why, how much do you get paid in Goralia?"


    Kai resisted the urge to whistle, since he didn''t want to look even more like a provincial fool. He glanced over at Zae Zin Nim, because numbers like those had an impact even on her. It seemed insane to think that between them they''d receive twenty five thousand Eagles every single month. Then again, the top elite mercenaries at Rayakan hadn''t been stronger than they were right now.


    Twenty five thousand... that would mean three hundred thousand Eagles in a single year. If the rumors about buying nobility for a million Eagles were true, that would mean they could literally buy titles within a few years. Of course, Kai had no intention of wasting his money on luxuries or fancy titles, he was already imagining how much power that much money could buy him. He''d relied almost entirely on challenges in the wastelands up to this point, so there was no doubt great potential in high society.


    It looked like Zae Zin Nim agreed, or at least was tempted by something closer to what she considered real civilization. She kept the others at a distance, but seemed somewhat satisfied by the entire business. Eventually Naellia moved closer and raised an eyebrow at him.


    "Well, barbarian? Is that enough to tempt you?"


    "Maybe so." Kai smiled despite himself. "I guess we''re staying."

 Chapter 122: An Uncomfortable Servant

    The man who had purchased Kai''s services turned out to be a local merchant named Unklian, an enormously wealthy man who owned a major crystal mine, or a stake in one, or something technical like that. He was concerned about bandits attempting to attack the crystal shipments and wanted raw muscle to ward them off. That sounded like a job Kai could do.


    Despite the fact that they treated this job like a hazardous position, Kai was offered fine quarters in one of the merchant''s mansions. The quarters, not to mention everything else he was offered, apparently didn''t even come out of his pay. While the level of luxury seemed insane to Kai, Zae Zin Nim seemed to think it was more or less their due.


    Not being able to see her was the only major downside to the new deal. She had been hired by a noble who wanted a bodyguard for her entire family, particularly the young women. That put them on opposite sides of the city and they wouldn''t be able to speak to one another as frequently.


    Before splitting up, they''d had time to talk and confirm their unspoken commitments earlier. The amount of money they were being offered was simply too good to pass up. Zae Zin Nim wanted to spend all her Eagles on sources of qi and urged him to advance as well. On top of that, in a large city like Romastir they were sure to find various challenges and opportunities. They agreed that they had no plans to stay for years and didn''t care about the rankings, but it made sense to stay for at least a few months.


    With everything settled, Kai found himself in a room so shockingly luxurious he wasn''t even comfortable in it. A giant bed that felt like it might swallow him, carpets everywhere, fancy crystals hung on the walls... he wasn''t sure what to make of any of it.


    "Is this really mine?" he asked. As he spoke, Kai turned to another thing making him uncomfortable: the servant waiting just behind him. He was a short man swathed in gray robes, a bit past his prime and nearsighted based on how he squinted. All of that was fine, but he cringed and bowed every single time Kai so much as looked at him.


    "Oh yes, these are the quarters regularly given to crystalliers," the servant said with a spineless smile. "Lord Unklian has not had one in residence recently and is most grateful to have them filled."


    "What happened to the previous one?"


    "Lost in the monster incursion, I am afraid. But we do not need to speak of such matters, not wh-"


    "Wait." Kai interrupted without thinking and the servant immediately drew back.


    "Terribly sorry to offend you, my lord. Did you seek to know more?"


    "What were the crystalliers of the city doing during the monster incursion?"


    "The majority remained here to defend their masters, of course." The servant seemed to sense Kai''s disapproval and drew back as if he could merge into the wall. "You must understand, the Krysal City States are very well-prepared for the incursions, so there is less urgency. Only a few went to fight and, quite regrettably, some perished during the violence. But there are always some losses during incursions."


    "Huh." Kai''s first instinct was to be suspicious, but this man seemed like he would rather cut off his arm than cause offense, so maybe it was true. That made more sense than the group of exuberant young crystalliers having just fought in a desperate battle. Was Krysal really so much better prepared, or did he not understand how it related to the Frontier?


    "Is there anything else I can get for you, my lord? Anything at all?"


    "Your name, for a start."


    "I am Krainuun, if it pleases you." The little man gave a very slow bow.


    "If it didn''t please me, would you change it?" Kai''s attempt at a joke died instantly and he quickly waved a hand. "Never mind. Listen, Krainuun, we might be barbarians in Goralia but I''m not used to this. I don''t need you to wait on me or anything. But I understand that you can help me acquire things."


    "Of course, of course! Anything you want that is within my feeble powers."


    "We need you to sell this for the best price available." Kai revealed the Claw Tyrant core, which Zae Zin Nim had pushed off on him. He didn''t trust all this luxury, but he wouldn''t mind avoiding the bargaining and negotiation. "Oh, and I''d like to purchase any manuals or books about Krysali Physique training."


    "At once." Krainuun took the monster core and disappeared out the door almost completely silently.


    He moved so fast that Kai actually glanced at him with his spiritual sight, but the man didn''t appear to be a warrior in the slightest. That actually surprised him a bit, since so far almost all the Krysali seemed to own at least a few crystals. Then again, they mostly used Goralian money, and maybe servants had different training. There were still details that didn''t quite make sense to him.


    Kai ignored the luxurious surroundings and spent the first day training and cultivating. The day after that, he was sent to actually work on the crystal shipments. At first he set to it eagerly, wanting to do a good job, then he gradually realized that he hadn''t been hired to be in charge of everything.


    Every aspect of the crystal trade was a finely-oiled machine that didn''t need him. The mine was some distance outside the city, heavily guarded by soldiers from the city state itself, since it was a valuable state asset. Unklian only controlled crystals when they moved to a secondary processing location, then took them via wagon to various cities to trade. When Kai spoke to the workers, who seemed deeply uncomfortable to have a crystallier talking to them, they seemed to be more afraid of a raid from rival groups than monsters or normal bandits.


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    By the end of the work day, Kai thought he understood. He wasn''t actually being hired as security, he was being hired as a symbol of strength. Without him, the crystal shipments would be seen as vulnerable. It was just a suspicion, but he wondered if mercantile rivals wouldn''t have hired another crystallier to sabotage the process.


    Would they send someone anyway? Kai remained alert for the first few days, ready for an attack at any moment and determined to earn his pay. Gradually his sense of tension faded and he just kept his monstrous hunger alert, leaving his mind free to focus on other plans.


    His primary goal wasn''t earning money, it was building on the strength he had already established. Most importantly, he needed to keep cultivating, both to hide his nature and to potentially open space for more monstrous powers in his soul. Since cultivation was a slow and exacting process, that would simply take time. Meanwhile he attempted to build on everything else.


    Ever since breaking through to E rank Physique during the battle, Kai knew that he had great potential within him, he just hadn''t fully tapped it. His normal training in the wilderness had increased it a few levels, but he was sure he could advance even faster with new training techniques. Hence his request to Krainuun.


    The last major step forward was more abstract: finding a way to fuse several of his monstrous abilities. After his success with the Tyrant''s Claw, Kai was certain that he could dramatically improve himself if he could just find the right combination. His goal was to find some way to unify everything to do with his Physique. No matter what he attempted, the monsters seemed incompatible, or the result felt destructive, or the essence simply refused to cooperate.


    This early in the process, Kai wasn''t even discouraged. He was trying to forge a new path and some stalling was to be expected. His best theory was that he needed a different sort of monstrous essence to produce a good combination. Various attempts with the Direclam''s power had failed, but there were all kinds of new monsters around Romastir and he was sure something would work.


    For those first several days, Krainuun said nothing about his assignment and simply attended to him. Kai considered asking, but he had enough other problems to worry about. When the small man entered the room carrying a small table covered in items, he was almost surprised.


    "Your requests, my lord."


    There were little tables just for deliveries? Kai first opened a small box, which was revealed to be filled with perfect little stacks of Goralian gold.


    "I took some time finding the truly best price," Krainuun told him. The servant hovered nearby, rubbing his hands together. "A full three thousand Goralian Eagles, which I hope will please you."


    "That''s good, thanks." Technically it was a large sum of money, more than Zae Zin Nim had expected to get from it before, but it paled in comparison to the salaries given to crystalliers. Kai closed the box and turned to what interested him much more: the collection of books, manuals, and scrolls.


    They were all of good quality, with stiff paper and tight bindings that put the ragged books at home to shame. Yet as Kai looked through them, he began to frown. Some of the books covered the simplest physical exercises, not even training that would help mana enrich the body. He discarded half the exercises as completely familiar to him, one quarter seemed inferior, and the last quarter were slight variations that added nothing.


    It was his first major disappointment with Krysal. If Kai was an expert in any ordinary discipline, it was Physique training, and he knew how to evaluate training methods. This collection couldn''t compare to the Granfian library and he''d grown more just getting access to the Corinin techniques from Inafay.


    "Is this really the best the city has to offer?" he asked.


    "Forgive me, my lord!"


    Kai looked up in astonishment as Krainuun cringed backward, practically hugging the floor. The man was actually trembling and there were tears in his eyes... did he expect Kai to attack him? As he stared at the servant Kai wasn''t sure whether to be offended, disgusted, or just baffled.


    "Hey, hey." Kai started to reach out to the other man''s shoulder and thought better of it. "I''m not angry, I''m really just asking."


    "I assure you, my lord, I did the very best I possibly could." Krainuun pressed his face firmly to the floor. "These techniques may not reach your lofty standards, but I do not believe that any servant could find better. Perhaps in the vaults of the greatest merchants, but you must understand, I simply cannot-"


    "No, it''s fine, I understand."


    "Please, my lord, allow me to wipe away this blot on my service. Is there anything else I can do for you?"


    The man''s cringing was making Kai sick to his stomach and he almost ordered him out, but he decided that was a different sort of cowardice. It would be childish to run away when he was uncomfortable. Just reassuring Krainuun seemed likely to be ineffective, so Kai searched for an idea that might give the man a chance to prove himself. Surprisingly, he thought of one almost immediately.


    "Shrouds." Kai snapped his fingers as it came to him. "I''ve seen several crystalliers with powerful shrouds hiding their power. Could you get manuals on those? Or... would it be reasonable for me to ask you to find some?"


    "Extremely reasonable, my lord, eminently reasonable." Krainuun bowed to him several more times and then began to retreat from the room. He seemed to have calmed somewhat, but at the door he suddenly paused and turned back, with fear obvious in his eyes. "Forgive me, my lord, but there is one more thing."


    "What is it?"


    "Master Norgoan and the other crystalliers request your presence at Crystallier Headquarters. There is to be a feast in your honor, you understand, and it would be highly encouraged for you to attend."


    "A feast?" Kai blinked in surprise as his expectations shifted yet again. "Sure, I''ll go. Anything I need to do?"


    "Of course, there are various details, but please do not trouble yourself about them. We servants will attend to every detail and acquire clothing for you, you may focus on your training. Now, I will trouble you no longer and take my l-"


    "Is this normal, Krainuun? We just walked into the city a few days ago and we haven''t really done anything special. Why is everyone treating us like this?"


    Krainuun turned back to look at him with a strange expression and for the first time Kai wondered if the servant wouldn''t tell him the truth. But soon enough the smaller man smiled and bowed again.


    "Please understand, my lord, that warriors with more than 100 Power are not seen every day. Even the great merchants must spend a substantial portion of their wealth to produce one. You are an extremely valuable asset, and they cannot afford to lose you. So please be at ease, my lord, and enjoy the fruits of your labor."


    With that, Krainuun slipped out and left Kai sitting alone. Surrounded by luxury, he felt the exact opposite of at ease.

 Chapter 123: A Feast for the Elite

    Physical training helped Kai work off some of the unease and when it was time for the feast he felt mostly prepared. Still like he was walking directly into a battle he didn''t fully understand, but mentally ready for the ambush. Krainuun and several young women who worked for the merchant attempted to help dress him and he had to fight to do things himself.


    Instead of giving him Krysali robes, which looked like a pain to wrap properly, they brought him an ornate tunic more in the style of Goralia. It had buttons and trim he didn''t expect, but it was all easy enough to figure out. With a shave and a haircut, Kai thought he actually looked presentable.


    The feast was to be held at Crystallier Headquarters and, even though Kai argued that he could walk there on his own, he was given no choice but to go in a flying crystal carriage. It was definitely a smoother ride than anything he''d seen in Goralia, which made him think of Zae Zin Nim. Presumably she was enjoying the rides and he hoped to see her that evening.


    At night the city was aglow with crystals, from the neon blue of qi to all manner of artificial colors. It was beautiful from overhead, but his vision was drawn to the headquarters complex. Again, it distinguished itself by being less bright than the rest of the city. Soft crystal lights surrounded it, emanating just enough to keep the glare of the city at bay.


    He was allowed down in an ornamental forest, opposite the arena. There he discovered that a long feasting table had been laid out through the middle of a garden. It seemed that everyone ate standing, which made him think of Rayakan. Had they imported the custom from Krysal?


    It seemed that few of the other crystalliers had arrived, so Kai took the opportunity to scout some food and drinks. Everything was no doubt incredibly expensive, but it struck him as less decadent than Rayakan. There were no mana potions for the sake of it, only mixed wines. He didn''t see anything being wasted, beyond the extravagance of any feast. Perhaps if crystalliers were really so rare, that was just what they were due, or at least what they believed they were due.


    "Doing alright?"


    The voice startled him and he realized too late that Norgoan was coming up behind him. Whatever he was hiding beneath his shroud, the man probably deserved his position as the top crystallier in the city. Since he seemed friendly enough, Kai turned back to smile at him.


    "I''m managing," he said. "Do you get many Goralian crystalliers here?"


    "We have plenty of Goralian citizens, but your strongest tend to stay in your own country." Norgoan came to stand beside him and poured himself a large glass of wine. "I hope you''re adapting alright. You arrived looking like you were used to the wastelands, not cities."


    "Yeah, I guess you could say that."


    "No serious troubles, I hope? If all the pomp didn''t convince you, we really do want you to feel welcome here. A city state''s power might be primarily determined by its trade, but the quality of its crystalliers is critical to the balance."


    "Especially because you lost at least one during the incursion?" Kai gave his blandest smile. "I''m surprised that the defense of the city was so fraught, this far from the Frontier."


    "Most of us weren''t required. You must understand, everything in Krysal is run with mercantile precision, so we never have as much trouble as the rest of you." Norgoan dismissed the matter with a rough wave of his cup - a little too rough, as if he wanted to change the subject. "But you''re adapting well enough? I understand it must all be confusing."


    "You could say that. Why do you use so much Goralian money instead of crystals?"


    Norgoan smiled as if it was a slightly silly question, then quickly hid it. "I suppose it might seem strange, but think it through. We can''t be trading qi crystals around all the time, there would be all kinds of trouble. Accidents, draining the qi, all kinds of things. And most of our mines are filled with crystals, not precious metals. So we allied with Goralia long ago for a common currency, since you use reliable gold. No fluctuations there."


    "Fluctuations?" Kai glanced over at the older man. "You mean the value of crystals changes?"


    "You might not have heard about it yet, but once you get deeper into Krysal you''ll understand that there''s a conversion rate. If there''s a work stoppage at the mines, we get fewer new crystals, and their value increases. If a mine runs dry, the ratio of Golden Eagles per crystal can spike dangerously high. When we find new sources, it drops again. Believe me, fortunes have been made and lost with such fluctuations... this isn''t too confusing for you?"


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    "I received a basic education in economics." Kai thought he sounded a little too defensive, so he smiled again. "What is the rate right now?"


    "About thirty Eagles to the crystal - that''s a larger qi-quality crystal, not the smallest. That''s a good rate, it only takes 150,000 Eagles to make a full crystallier."


    Kai tried to do math in his head to figure out what exactly that meant. The amount of Power from crystal cultivation seemed to suffer from diminishing returns, perhaps according to an equation but not one he could manage in his head. Before he could figure it out, a new voice entered the conversation.


    "You hadn''t figured that out yet?"


    It was Ailag, swaggering toward them with a glass of wine. Even though his comment was more important, Kai was distracted by his clothes: the man wore a shirt that was basically just strips of silk to make obvious how muscular he was. The immediate effect was impractical, clearly he just intended to show himself off. Now that Kai was noticing clothing, Norgoan wore a highly fitted tunic that must be designed for the feast. By contrast, Kai was very simply dressed, and his normal clothes would have looked like rags.


    "Crystal cultivation isn''t as slow as other paths," Ailag said. "Oh, there''s time required to absorb qi, but we can make huge jumps when necessary. That''s what we''re all trying to do here: prove ourselves enough to get an investment. If we get enough crystals, we gain so much power that a little Physique doesn''t make much of a difference."


    His jibe wasn''t subtle, but it didn''t need to be. Even with Kai''s simple math, he could see that dumping a large enough number of crystals into someone would make them massively stronger. It completely failed as a threat - clearly Ailag was posturing because he was insecure.


    Maybe the crystalliers were hiding some strength that justified their confidence, but Kai had his own hidden strength now and it didn''t worry him.


    "That''s impressive." Kai gave his most authentic smile, as if he hadn''t even noticed the mockery. "I''m afraid I''m not much of a cultivator. Still dragging around weak Class mana."


    "You might fit in better at Korostir." Ailag pretended to smile as he came closer. "There are some good Physique crystalliers there, even I have to admit."


    "I think I recognize the name, but all I know is that it''s closer to the Frontier. Is Korostir one of the larger city states?"


    Norgoan snorted. "A respectable city, yes, but one of the greats? Hardly."


    "They might be if they weren''t so invested in incursions," Ailag said. "Some damn good crystalliers have come out of there."


    "Nonsense, they don''t have the industry for it."


    Normally Kai would have been glad to let the two of them argue, but that was a point he was curious on, so he wedged his way back into the conversation. "Is there a formal list? Rankings of the city states, I mean."


    "Not formally." Norgoan scratched at his chin as he considered. "Now, I love Romastir, but I have to admit that Yulthens is the greatest city in all Krysal. After it, I''d say there are three city states that really stand above all the rest. Romastir, of course, alongside New Laeneria and Philaster."


    "But Laeneria has been going downhill ever since that Omilaena bitch took over," Ailag said. "Do they still deserve to be in the top four?"


    "I say they do. She may be a demoness, but their mines haven''t slowed production."


    The two of them continued to argue about which cities deserved to be ranked in the top, as if it was an old debate. Kai was curious about the reference to a new leader - "that Omilaena bitch" - but let them keep talking. From their assumptions and implications, he figured out that the exact economics varied city to city. Apparently the ratio of Goralian Eagles to crystals varied depending on local mines, but not so extremely that it was easy to leverage the difference between cities. If it followed the economic laws he''d learned, those differences would already be factored into the prices.


    When Kai had studied economics alongside weapons and trap-making, he''d never imagined it would actually be useful one day.


    Other crystalliers had begun to arrive to join the feast. Some camped by the tables and ate vigorously, while others clustered around Uarania in a corner and appeared to be engaged in subtler politics. Kai decided to stay where he was, absorbing more information.


    Was there really some rot at the heart of Krysal that he could discover? He was starting to think that the Frontier elite had just said something to get rid of him. Then again, he knew that Goralia had been sick as well, unable to keep up with the incursions. Even though everyone seemed confident that Krysal could handle any monster horde, that didn''t mean they had an accurate perspective on the risk.


    Practically no one did, given the apocalyptic flood of monsters he''d seen.


    At least in the more relaxed environment, the other crystalliers were open to sharing information. Kai didn''t want to seem like he was prying, so he tried to think of a way to play the barbarian foreigner and get the information he needed anyway. Before he could come up with a solution, the feast was interrupted by a ripple of murmurs from one side.


    Kai turned to look, only mildly interested, and then stared. A group of women had arrived, clearly as dressed to impress as the men. There was plenty of female flesh on display, but Kai wasn''t a naive teenager anymore and that alone couldn''t sway him. What kept his gaze was the fact that Zae Zin Nim was with them.

 Chapter 124: Weak in the Spiritual Knees

    When Kai had first met Zae Zin Nim, she''d been bleeding profusely and hacking up her lungs. The harm to her body had been so severe that it left her stick thin, more skeleton than woman. He had known that she had returned to health after breaking through the Body Refinement stage, but he had mostly managed to avoid thinking about it while they were traveling together.


    That ended when she arrived then.


    Unlike the others, Zae Zin Nim wasn''t baring any skin below the neck, but it didn''t matter. She wore form-fitting robes cinched at the waist, the type that women thought were a balance of flattering and modest. They did nothing to hide the curve of her hips or the bend of her waist, and even the wrapped top couldn''t disguise the size of her breasts. Given her height - shorter than some of the other women by a full head - her curves almost made his jaw drop. It was all he could do not to stare.


    "Damn." Norgoan wasn''t bothering to hide his attention.


    "No kidding." Ailag out out a whistle. "Pity about the scars, though."


    The comment brought Kai back to his senses. Some women might want people to look at them, but he was pretty damn sure that wasn''t what Zae Zin Nim wanted at that moment, so he averted his gaze.


    Since his expectations had been set by her previous weeping gashes, Kai hadn''t really thought about her scars. It was true that they were gruesome: having grown up around hunters, Kai thought that scars could look good on a woman, but these were ugly and dark. Some had sharp, raised edges, as if the skin had only just torn open. Strange how he barely thought about them most of the time. She was just Zae Zin Nim.


    Back in Rayakan she had worn makeup to try to hide her wounds and it had actually worked for a time. Now, even though the same techniques would presumably have worked even better, she wasn''t trying to hide her scars. To divert attention, or because she was more confident in herself? If they no longer pained her, she might be feeling better. Even if the scars covered her entire body, he couldn''t help but imagine...


    No, focus.


    Once he got himself under control, Kai looked back to talk to her, only to find that she''d disappeared into a crowd of others. When had the feast gotten so crowded? Judging by Power ratings he thought some of the guests were aspiring crystalliers, while the others he guessed to be merchants or other benefactors based on their clothing.


    Before he could orient himself again, Kai felt someone moving up behind him.


    "You clean up good." Naellia stood behind him, her eyes running over his body. "Looks like you''re taking to civilization well."


    "It''s been an interesting experience," Kai said. Naellia was dressed in tight robes that revealed what should have been an eye-popping amount of cleavage, but he was too distracted to care.


    "We have to spend too much time working for the debt-mongers, but occasionally the crystalliers get to have fun together."


    "Oh? I was wondering if there would be training or competitions."


    "That wasn''t what I had in mind." Naellia took a step closer and ran a hand up the muscles of his arm until it lingered at his neck. "Damn, I guess Physique has its advantages. Tell me, does it enhance the entire body?"


    "Couldn''t tell you." Kai gave her a stupid grin and pushed her hand away before walking in the other direction.


    He heard Naellia squawk indignantly behind him, but he didn''t care. The clumsy attempt at seduction didn''t really interest him, though it did make him think about how long it had been since he''d slept with anyone. That thought made him miss Juray. Maybe he could have taken Naellia up on the offer just to get some physical relief, but he remembered how much she had scorned him when he arrived and her abrupt change of face repulsed him. There were too many truly good women in the world for him to waste time with someone who was just attractive.


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    Suddenly weary of the party, Kai grabbed some food and retreated to a smaller clearing in the ornamental forest. It was lit only by the soft light of a few crystals and the glow of the main party, mostly ignored by the others. In the shadows he saw a few crystalliers and others going off together, groping at one another, but they steered away from him.


    "There you are."


    Zae Zin Nim appeared on the opposite side of the clearing and the low light was not doing her any harm. Kai swallowed and forced himself to just look her in the eye normally, the way they did when they sparred or trained together.


    "How are you finding Krysal?" he asked.


    "It''s certainly much closer to civilization, but you have to be careful not to let it make you weak." She came to stand beside him and they stared out into the shadows together, which made it much easier to concentrate. "I''ve seen plenty of cultivators like this. They advance just far enough to gain pleasures in life, then they stagnate. These people are not our equals."


    "Maybe they''re self-indulgent, but I wouldn''t be so harsh. They could be dangerous with enough crystals."


    "Perhaps. But I think these people, so convinced they''re elites, are failures. They aren''t strong enough to make it at the Frontier or one of the other strongish places on the continent. I''ve seen some people and places that convinced me Deadwaste isn''t all bad. This place just confirms every stereotype that Cloudspire has about your continent being smug in its weakness."


    Kai scratched the back of his head as he considered it. "You might be right, but I''m staying cautious. I don''t want to get arrogant and assume they don''t have hidden power I just can''t see."


    "It could be possible." Zae Zin Nim sniffed as if to make clear what she thought of that, but then smiled over at him. "I shouldn''t have worried. It looks like you''ve continued cultivating."


    "Of course. I have enough money to buy all the crystals I can handle now."


    "Continue doing so, but don''t try to break through to the next stage. You''re seeing percentages, correct? Good. Stop at 99% and wait for me. We don''t want you to deviate, and while qi extracted from these crystals might be good enough for now, breakthroughs are important."


    "What happens if it doesn''t work, does the stage not have as much power?"


    "Very rarely, only with very weak paths. You''re more likely to reach one stage, but your inadequate foundation will prevent you from ever cultivating to the next."


    They discussed their training at length, which did a lot to cool off Kai''s mind. Whatever she was wearing, Zae Zin Nim was still his friend and ally. She agreed that his first priority needed to be some security so that his monstrous nature wouldn''t ruin their advantageous situation. Fortunately, his cultivation was getting closer and he was already working on shrouding, so he was on his way.


    "What about you?" Kai asked. "How long would you want to stay? You seemed to be getting along with some of the other women?"


    "No, half of them are duplicitous bitches." Zae Zin Nim said it without any particular rancor, simply making an observation. "This place could be stifling eventually, but for now, we should let them keep giving us money. At least long enough for me to afford one of those flying crystals."


    "Alright, fair enough. And then?"


    "Once we have enough, I say we burn our bridges. Maybe we take over and steal an entire mine of these crystals before we leave."


    Kai sighed. "We can''t do that. Even if that wouldn''t bring the strongest fighters in Krysal down on our heads, it would wreck their economy and their defense against the monster hordes."


    "You care about that, but should I?"


    "Well, I care. And the Frontier elite said that they''d owe us a favor if we helped, isn''t that worth something?"


    "I suppose it is." Zae Zin Nim''s face softened slightly. "And I suppose I wouldn''t truly do that, if you care about these people for some reason. But do think about an ending. We don''t plan to stay here forever, it''s just a good foothold to carry us further up."


    "If we find out there''s some cruel and ugly merchant hording crystals, I wouldn''t mind stealing all of his."


    "Of course you wouldn''t." She rolled her eyes as she turned to him, then paused slightly with her gaze flickering over him. "Don''t let them make you weak, but do let them clean you up. This works for you."


    And then, with no indication if she was aware that she was taunting him, Zae Zin Nim walked away into the shadows. Kai did his best not to watch her go and swallowed.


    She was right, of course. If he wasn''t careful, the Krysal City States could be a plush prison. To obtain real power, he needed to stay alert and chart a path forward. No matter whether it was through monsters and battles or through feasts and gold.

 Chapter 125: New Shrouds and New Directions

    Meeting Zae Zin Nim had fired Kai up, and not in the obvious way. Now that he viewed their time in Romastir as a temporary part of his training, he was motivated to try to extract every single iota of power he could from it. Maybe he wasn''t making much progress investigating the Krysal City States, but he could definitely become stronger.


    Now that he was accustomed to his work guarding the crystals, it barely took any of his attention and he was able to focus on training. His cultivation was advancing swimmingly, since he could just buy crystals any time he needed more qi. The only thing that suffered slightly was Physique work, since it was hard to fit into his schedule and he needed to be presentable for crystallier engagements.


    After several more days, Krainuun met him one evening with an anxious expression. The man had set up a portable table with a number of items on it, but wriggled in Kai''s path. It looked as though he was equally desperate to slow him down and to avoid bothering him.


    "I have acquired a wide number of manuals on shrouding techniques, my lord." Krainuun lowered his head and peered at him nervously. "I hope that they will be to your satisfaction, and in some small way make up for my regrettable error earlier."


    "What matters is that you''re trying," Kai started to say, but he quickly realized that he didn''t need to reassure the servant. All the materials he saw on the low table appeared to be exactly what he needed.


    Almost forgetting about the other man, Kai sat down and began looking through them. There were entire books on the theory of shrouding, but also short papers describing practical training methods and scrolls identifying specific techniques. Any one of those would have been enough for him to start putting the pieces together, and the combination should give him his pick.


    "This is great." Kai belatedly remembered that Krainuun was watching him and practically glistening with nervous sweat. "Exactly what I needed, thank you."


    "It is no trouble at all, my lord. I hope that this has erased some part of my failure."


    "Far from it, you''ve proved that I can rely on you." Kai did his best to give a reassuring smile, then abruptly considered another thought. While he had access to someone who would work for him, he might as well attempt long shots that would take far too much time on his own. "Are you willing to try something more challenging?"


    "Anything, my lord!"


    "I won''t be upset if you can''t find anything, but I need you to research materials on monsters based on very limited information. I... once had a monster core from an unknown beast. It most likely appeared during an incursion, and it probably attacked the region of Rayakan - whatever it was, it was powerful enough that its core was stored in a family vault. If you can find a monster expert, tell them it had an exceptionally high level of what they call ''distortion'' at the Frontier."


    "And is that... all you know?" Krainuun cringed as he spoke, but the request seemed to drive him to anxiety levels Kai hadn''t known were possible.


    Could he really say anything else? Kai couldn''t very well tell him about the feel of the power inside him or what it had tasted like. It was probably useless to say that he''d stolen it from the Corinin clan vault. But it was powerful and mysterious enough that he thought it was worth the attempt. Bulling through the mystery on intuition alone hadn''t gotten him anywhere.


    "I''m afraid that''s all I know," Kai said. "Again, I don''t expect you to find an answer, but it would be miraculous if you could. If you can''t do that, bring me some basic information about monsters endemic to Krysal, and any particularly powerful ones."


    "I shall do my best, my lord." Krainuun bowed his way out of the room and vanished.


    Kai forgot about him almost immediately as he looked over the information on shrouds. Forget the money, the ability to have so much information at his fingertips was the real luxury of being a crystallier. Maybe that would be the real limit on their time in Romastir: he''d move on when he''d mastered what they could teach him, then go somewhere else to advance his Physique and other skills.


    He rapidly gained an understanding of shrouds based on the books discussing the theory. All shrouds attempted to distort the point where spiritual senses touched a human soul and resolved it into comprehensible symbols. The weakest simply blurred the soul, as if the viewer was still a beginner struggling with their spiritual senses, while the strongest produced a layer of distortion.


    There were shrouds designed to mislead and shrouds that hid a person entirely, some that tried to deceive and others that flatly denied access. The only thing he couldn''t find was discussion of shrouds that could utterly fool the senses, the way Anaelina had hidden her nature as a Silver Demon. None of the deceptive classes he read about came close to that.


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    Best to hope that she''d run off to Rosemount and he''d never see her again.


    According to the theory, no shroud was impervious to penetration. However, because observing another person''s soul already required exerting oneself, defense was considered stronger than offense and most shrouds were effective except against overwhelming opponents. The details made him wonder if someone with unfathomable power could shroud a person from themselves, but it was just an idle theory he found no evidence for.


    In any case, the flatly blocking shrouds seemed to be the easiest to make powerful because they were so direct. Kai thought that was the best choice for him, especially given that he also hoped to hide his soul via cultivation. Then he would have two layers of cover - they might not trick someone who saw him eat a monster whole, but not much could help with that.


    After analyzing the pros and cons of various options, Kai went with something called a Hunter''s Shroud. Even though it wasn''t particularly stealthy, it was commonly used by monster hunters who didn''t want to broadcast their soul. It seemed strong and it would attract no particular attention, which was exactly what he needed.


    Despite the difficulty of the assignment, Kai was actually looking forward to seeing if Krainuun could return with any information about monsters. Unfortunately, before he could learn the answer, Lord Unklian insisted on a more dangerous assignment. Apparently Kai needed to escort a critical shipment of crystals all the way to another city called New Laeneria.


    The trip was going to throw off his plans, but Kai found himself eager to go. Luxury became suffocating after a while and he wanted to get into the wilderness again. Since he wouldn''t need to meet with important figures or any other crystalliers, he didn''t need to keep himself presentable and could train his Physique harder again.


    And, if he was truly honest with himself, he was desperately hungry for monsters.


    When the time came to pack, Kai pulled together all his old equipment and had to fight off Krainuun, who tried to give him every imaginable gift even while cringing. He had too much already and wished that he had one of those spatial storage devices that Zae Zin Nim complained about lacking sometimes. The solution in Krysal seemed to be to hire servants, and he didn''t want to do that.


    There was unfortunately no time to say goodbye to anyone, so he headed out to the caravan alone. Immediately he realized that this trip was going to be more serious. Instead of another ordinary wooden wagon, the first vehicle was self-powered by qi, covered in crystal armor plating, and had several seats for soldiers to ride in guard position. No one had suggested the trip was particularly dangerous on its own, they were just concerned about being attacked.


    No other crystalliers or anyone else he knew was going along, so Kai sat on top of the first wagon and cultivated for the first part of the journey. It didn''t take him long to get bored - he didn''t understand how Zae Zin Nim could stay focused for so long. Since information might be as important as strength, depending on the type of the attack, Kai decided to talk to the others.


    Once he paid more attention to the workers, he realized that they were truly anxious. He thought it might have been his presence, except that several of them looked familiar and they should have known him from his previous work guarding the crystals. It was definitely something else.


    "So what is everyone worried about?" Kai asked as he slid down the front of the armored wagon to talk to the driver.


    "My lord!" The driver very nearly leapt out the other side. "I know you''re Goralian, my lord, but we don''t do things this way here... I''m sorry, I shouldn''t be contradicting you."


    "This isn''t about customs, it''s about security." Kai leaned in and fixed the man with a hard gaze. "You know I''m a foreigner, so you should know that means I''m not up on every detail. If I don''t understand why everyone is so anxious, I may not be able to protect you."


    "Oh, I''m sure you will be more than capable of protecting us during the journey, my lord. There are monsters about, but now that the incursion is past, a crystallier should be more than enough."


    "Then what''s the problem?"


    "It''s that damned city... errr, our destination, my lord. You really haven''t heard about New Laeneria?"


    "Assume I know nothing."


    "Well, the city states change hands from time to time. Different merchants gain control of trade, different crystalliers top the rankings, it doesn''t change our lives much. But things took a bad turn when a strange foreign woman took over New Laeneria. They call her Omilaena the Maneater. According to the stories, when she drains men of their seed, she also drains their lives."


    The driver had been anxious at first, but unlike Krainuun, he seemed to relax pretty quickly. He didn''t even flinch when Kai shot him a wry glance. "That sounds like a good campfire story, but you haven''t sold me on the threat here. Unless you''re so impressed with yourselves that you think she''ll come for you specifically."


    "Some say that it''s worth it!" The driver chuckled and shook his head. "No, I jumped right to the scandalous part. They say Omilaena decapitated half the nobles in the city and is playing terrible games with the other half. She hasn''t preyed on the workers, but the city isn''t safe anymore. Bandits and gangs and other terrible problems are sprouting up all over the city."


    "And so we''re concerned that this crystal trade won''t go as planned."


    "Right, right. Any other city, we''d welcome the trip as a break from the routine, maybe a chance to see distant relatives. But we don''t know what to expect in New Laeneria. Even if the Maneater doesn''t come for us herself, we could still lose our lives."


    Kai nodded thoughtfully and pressed the man for more information. The driver was willing to share for some time before he seemed to remember himself and clammed up. Workers in Krysal really didn''t like to talk to their "betters," apparently.


    Instead he stared forward, toward New Laeneria and the unknown threats it contained.

 Chapter 126: Entering Unbalanced Streets

    Kai sprinted through the wastes, chasing down the scent of blood. He could feel it before he could see it, almost like he could see on the other side of the rocks. Instead of going around he leapt directly to the top and found himself staring down at what the locals called a Diresnake.


    It was a serpent as thick around as his waist and considerably longer than a person, lurking on the other side of the stones, waiting in ambush. Kai raised a hand, ready to tear it apart with a claw.


    The Diresnake turned, far faster than he had expected, and struck out.


    All he could do was grab the sides of its flared head, holding it back from biting his face. Its weight drove him off the rock and to the ground, where the Diresnake continued snapping at him. He held it back easily until its tongue flicked out, and to his surprise the barbed tip cut through his cheek.


    Most humans would have been at a disadvantage in that situation, but Kai wasn''t most humans. Kai opened his mouth, felt his soul gape open, and then closed down around the Direserpent''s head. The bite erased the top of the monster and the corpse began twisting and thrashing on the ground.


    "Ugh." Kai wiped his mouth as he stood up and stepped away from the body. The cut on his cheek might have been poisoned, but Aquagorgon''s Health was already purging it, just like it healed the cut itself. He had more than enough strength and stamina to deal with minor injuries.


    If anything, his weakness was probably speed: a supernaturally fast monster could still outpace him. Could he absorb the Direserpent''s striking speed somehow? But it also had a dangerous bite and it might be wiser to merge the essence with Isulfr''s Bite. Making a monster serve as both passive strength and a technique seemed impossible so far. As he began eating the body, Kai looked inward to be sure of what he absorbed.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 133


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 90% (22)


    Physique Level: E-2 (86)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    Bestial Traits: 11/6 - !!!


    Monstrous Hunger - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - V (epsilon)


    Aquagorgon''s Health - V (epsilon)


    Gomodo''s Stamina - V (epsilon)


    Isulfr''s Bite - III (gamma)


    Tyrant''s Claw - II (beta)


    Direclam''s Shell - I (alpha)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Direserpent (???)


    Behemoth''s Heart (???)


    ??? (???)


    >


    Just as he''d hoped, he''d absorbed the Direserpent''s essence entirely and he could probably shape what he drew from it. This one didn''t feel as powerful to him, certainly not compared to the behemoth from the battle at Monskon City, but it was another ability to experiment on.


    During their journey to New Laeneria he''d needed to save the caravan from monsters on several occasions. Each time he''d taken an opportunity to slip away and eat one, but all of them had been too weak and were immediately absorbed into his soul as fuel. It had taken the Direserpent, which had honestly been out of his way, to finally absorb a new potential ability.


    Normally he might have enjoyed the meal longer, but Kai didn''t want to let anyone attack the caravan while he was out hunting. He finished eating, made sure that he was presentable, and then took the tail back as a trophy. On second thought, he used a single finger of Tyrant''s Claw to cut off the end of the tail so it looked like a cleaner cut instead of a bite mark. The workers mostly seemed to like him, so no sense giving them something else to be scared about.


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    As had become second nature, he drank a Class potion before returning, just in case anything had slipped through. The workers at the caravan wouldn''t notice, but someone at their destination might.


    On his way back, Kai found himself whistling. Being out in the wastelands and eating a few monsters had done him a world of good. Just eating monster flesh had eased the hunger inside him, the swelling full sensations weren''t so bad anymore, and something about the hunt helped him ignore the physical loneliness.


    He felt focused... which was exactly what he needed to be, if New Laeneria was as dangerous as promised.


    "You got the monster, boss?" One of the workers stood atop the front wagon and waved to him.


    "No problem." Kai held up the severed tail. "Any problems here?"


    "All clear. But you''d better stick with us for this next part."


    They advanced more slowly as they entered the borders of the new city state. After all the rumors, Kai had expected it to be a burning expanse of ruined fields, but everything looked normal. There were fewer soldiers on the periphery and not quite as many workers bustling around, a bit more like life in Goralia. Nothing obviously wrong, though he reminded himself that problems could lurk beneath the surface.


    It was only once they drew closer to the city walls that he started to feel the tension. There were people watching them from the sides of the road, many of them carrying weapons. Strangely he didn''t see very many who were well-dressed or in crisp uniforms, instead just Krysali citizens swathed in mismatched cloths. Maybe a different culture, or maybe a sign that something was wrong.


    No one stopped them from entering through the main gate, which appeared to stand open without guards. As they entered the street, he was surprised to see that it looked just as clean as Romastir, maybe cleaner. Yet there were no festive banners, no dancing in the streets. It seemed like a few people had been going about their business, but they rapidly cleared out when they saw the caravan.


    "Is this normal?" Kai whispered to the driver. The man shook his head.


    "This place used to have tons of soldiers. They used to skim off the top, but this... this is worse. No idea what to expect."


    "Hold for now. I''ll investigate but stay close." Kai jumped off the armored wagon and began examining the street as carefully as he could.


    The buildings were taller than in Romastir, several stories high on both sides, and made of a sober bluish stone. He could sense ordinary citizens moving around in them, many moving away from the caravan. No one particularly strong and he didn''t notice any shrouds. There were stronger forces moving at a distance, but they weren''t converging on the location or anything suspicious.


    As much as he wanted to rely on his senses, Kai thought that he should try something much more obvious: just asking. The people in the street were moving away from him, but Kai spotted an old man who couldn''t move fast enough and stepped into his way.


    "Excuse me, grandfather. May I ask you a few questions?" Kai asked.


    "Of course." The old man immediately lowered his head. "How can I serve you?"


    "We''re from Romastir, delivering a shipment of supplies. What''s going on in New Laeneria?"


    "You haven''t heard? Lady Omilaena took control of the city."


    "I heard that it''s descended into chaos. This doesn''t look like chaos."


    "Well..." The old man looked extremely uncomfortable, but couldn''t escape. "It isn''t so bad. The soldiers have all moved further out, so they can''t harass us. Most neighborhoods defend themselves now. We manage, day to day, but I worry about if monsters attack."


    Kai tried to push for more information, but it was clear the old man was frightened and Kai didn''t want to terrorize the citizens. When it became clear that there was no critical information to be had, Kai thanked the old man and returned to the wagons.


    They began to move again, heading deeper into the city toward the mansion where the buyer supposedly lived. The people on the streets cleared out as they continued and the workers began to look more and more nervous. Kai stayed alert for any change, but could only sense random citizens in the buildings around them... until a more powerful force streaked closer.


    "Alright, that''s far enough!" A woman carrying an ornate crystal spear that looked far more expensive than everything she was wearing combined jumped into the street in front of them. "Stay right there!"


    The caravan halted and Kai automatically examined her with his spiritual sight.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 74


    Disordered Crystals: 1090 (7)


    Physique Level: F-4 (38)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    Crystallier Spear: 20


    >


    She had 54 natural Power, which was a lot for someone who wasn''t a warrior trained from birth. As he''d expected, her spear seemed much stronger than she would normally possess, adding an additional 20. The strangest thing was that she didn''t seem to be a crystal cultivator, instead possessing "Disordered Crystals" that granted her much less power. Stolen instead of properly cultivated, perhaps?


    As a whole, he guessed that she was the leader of a gang, probably the strongest they could put forward. She could probably have taken many hunters, but she definitely wasn''t capable of fighting him... or a crystallier.


    "Don''t move!" The woman thrust her spear in his direction and he saw desperation in her movement. He''d only half-finished his work on a shroud, so she probably identified him as a crystallier. But if she knew that it would be a pitched fight, why pick it? Something didn''t add up.


    "We''re not moving." Kai raised his hands as if he was harmless and gave her a pleasant smile, though he had a Tyrant''s Claw ready. "All we want to do is deliver this shipment of crystals."


    "That''s exactly what we can''t let you do. I know you''re a crystallier, and you''re probably thinking that you can tear off my head and use it as a ball." The bandit woman gestured with her off hand and the buildings around them began shifting. "But we prepared for this. Every one of those archers is drawing an anti-crystallier arrow, capable of piercing even your defenses."


    Kai cursed himself as he realized that they were surrounded. Most of the archers were weak, so he''d barely noticed their presence. But judging from the gleaming tips of those arrows, the threat was very real and they were surrounded.

 Chapter 127: Three Greetings in New Laeneria

    In the moment the ambush appeared, Kai very nearly attacked. It would have been so easy to unleash a Tyrant''s Claw that would have probably destroyed half the street. What stopped him wasn''t the fact that he''d reveal himself, since the locals might not even be able to tell the difference, it was all the workers in the caravan with him. He''d gotten to know them reasonably well on the trip and he didn''t want to see them riddled with arrows.


    That hesitation gave him time to think a little more. If the bandit woman and her gang had been out for blood, they could have attacked without announcing themselves and had a better chance of success. The quality of the ambush suggested they weren''t complete fools, so their motives couldn''t be pure bloodshed.


    "Easy there, no one needs to get killed." Kai kept his hands up and forced a smile. "So this is a robbery, is that it?"


    "Where are you taking those crystals?" the woman demanded. She didn''t thrust her spear in his direction, though, which was an improvement.


    "They were ordered by a merchant who lives here. I understand his estate is over that way." Kai gestured with his head, keeping his movements contained.


    "We can''t let you deliver those. All of you back away, no sudden movements, and you can leave in peace. We don''t want to hurt anyone."


    "It isn''t that simple. All of us here were hired to move these crystals... if we just abandon them, do you think we''ll get off without punishment? Word will get out, one way or another. You look like normal workers, no different from us, so can''t we come to some agreement?"


    At first he thought that his words might be getting through to her, and many of the archers were shifting nervously. He noticed that most were training their arrows on him instead of the drivers, which he supposed was progress. But as he kept arguing, the woman abruptly spat in disgust.


    "Don''t lie to us, crystallier. This is all to defend your own kind." She raised her spear in his direction. "If anyone reports them, it would be you. Step away from the wagons."


    Were they planning to execute him? Kai was less concerned about the arrows than about the implication of her words, but an ambush wasn''t exactly the best time for a complex discussion. He''d brought up the idea of the workers being punished mostly as an excuse, trying to appeal to the humanity of bandits he suspected were just desperate people. She treated punishment like it was an expected outcome, which was troubling.


    Without warning an arrow streaked toward his head. Kai barely managed to catch it and saw a crystalline arrowhead vibrating just beside his chest.


    Everyone held their breath and he realized that he had only a split second to decide. The arrow had come from an upper window, where a slightly older woman looked on in horror. She had a few Physique Levels, but she didn''t have the strength to maintain her bow at full draw. It had most likely been an accident... an accident that would be followed by a storm of arrows if he didn''t act.


    "We aren''t here to fight anyone." Kai casually tossed the arrow at the leader''s feet. "I can''t pretend to understand your exact problems. Maybe you''re starving, maybe you''re threatened. But all we want is to make our delivery and go back home. Is it really worth starting a fight you aren''t sure you can win?"


    The woman''s spear wavered, then lowered. She stared at him for several long heartbeats, then sighed. "Alright, stand down."


    All around them, archers lowered their bows, most of them looking relieved. The workers on the caravan still looked tense, though, and Kai wasn''t about to relax after the attempted ambush. As most of the gang melted away, the spearwoman stared at him.


    Kai leapt off the wagon to land in front of her. "What''s all this about?"


    "I wouldn''t expect you to understand," she said. "But you''re right, we don''t want to fight you."


    "Don''t write me off so quickly. Explain. Why did you want to steal the crystals?"


    "It has nothing to do with that." The woman''s face twisted in disgust. "Go finish your work. You won''t be attacked again."


    "Wait." Kai grabbed the shaft of her spear before she could run away and held her in place. "Look at me, I''m not Krysali. I don''t know what''s going on. Why won''t you even try to explain?"


    "The new order has been good to us," she said cautiously. "Lady Omilaena might be responsible, but when the merchants and nobles strike back, they won''t care about that. They''re going to punish all of us. And then everything we''ve worked for, defending our own homes, will be taken away."


    "So you actually think things are better now?"


    "Of course they are. Lady Omilaena is very kind."


    While she spoke, the leader of the group continually looked to the sides nervously. Kai thought her words rang hollow: she was terrified, presumably that Omilaena would cut down anyone who defied her. Yet she had no hope that forces from the other city states would help her, and she was probably right about that. They would just go to reclaim their territory and their assets, not caring about any smaller lives caught in the conflict between powers.


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    Kai sighed and let go of the spear. He wanted to ask her further questions, but she was obviously too afraid to give honest answers. As soon as her spear was free, the woman leapt backward and disappeared into the winding city streets.


    With a gesture to the caravan, Kai set them back on their course down the main thoroughfare. They moved more quickly now, hoping to reduce their total amount of time in the city. It seemed like as good a plan as any.


    Along the way to the mansion, Kai pondered whether he had alternatives. In the short term, he needed to stay alert in case other gangs didn''t care about the agreement, so it was difficult to think. Yet all of this seemed wrong and he knew that he was missing something. This assignment had taken him much closer to the heart of the rot in Krysal, if he could just understand the patterns underneath the attack.


    He was too tense to figure anything out, especially once they neared their mansion destination. Once he got closer, he realized that it was a fortified position. Walls that had once been crystal-studded stone had been partially stripped of their ornaments and armored. Soldiers patrolled the walls, far more orderly and better armed than the gang outside. Clearly, the mansion was a house under siege by the gangs of the city.


    Fortunately, there was no fraught conflict at the gate. The soldiers seemed relieved to see them, barely confirmed their papers after seeing his crystallier seal, and then ushered them inside.


    Within the walls, Kai saw that an estate that had once been spacious was filled with various families. Most of them were better-dressed than he expected, with the bright colors he associated with Krysal. Presumably they had fled here as the city fell to ruin. They didn''t look as pleased as the soldiers, mostly staying in their own buildings, so he had no time to interrogate them.


    "Finally!" A tall man emerged from one of the inner gates with his hands on his hips. "I asked Lord Unklian for this shipment ages ago, what took so long?"


    "I believe it was being prepared to your specifications, my lord," Kai said. He had absolutely no idea if that was true, it just seemed like the right thing to say. The tall man must be the merchant Traegyur, who was their contact.


    "I certainly hope so! I paid an exorbitant amount for this!" Once the merchant got closer, however, he smiled broadly and put his hands on Kai''s shoulders. "You must be quite the crystallier, to escort a shipment through such dangerous territory. Come inside, let me give you a proper welcome and thanks for your work."


    The workers around the caravan still looked anxious, so Kai resisted being pulled inward. They seemed to be treated fairly, however, and began helping the soldiers unload the wagons. Once he was satisfied that they were safe, Kai followed the merchant into the mansion.


    As soon as they stepped inside, all trace of the chaotic city vanished. Servants immediately attended him and took his shoes, then ushered him down a lavish hallway. Every wall was covered in ornate hangings or paintings, as well as the expected crystals. Unlike Romastir, many of the walls appeared to be made of a thin paper that you could almost see through, allowing them to slide smoothly. Kai could only guess that they must be cool in the summer.


    They were escorted into a sitting room and presented mixed wine, then all the servants cleared out. Kai was still too tense to drink, so he only pretended while he focused on Traegyur.


    "Just what''s going on in this city?" he asked.


    "Oh, it''s horrible, horrible." Traegyur drank deeply as if to fortify himself. "You heard about the killings? It''s ordinary enough for crystalliers to shed a little blood fighting each other, but this is like nothing I''ve ever seen. This Omilaena woman is terrible, a she-demon from Rosemount."


    "I heard that she executed all the nobles, but she hasn''t come for you?"


    "She pretends to have a sense of justice, in order to keep the masses on her side, but it''s all pretexts and justifications. As soon as she has an excuse to kill someone, she seizes their assets. It''s a good plan, if horrifying: she can throw the people some scraps to keep them happy and take the rest for herself. But under her control New Laeneria has fallen to ruins. No one is safe, and even those I can protect here are terrified for their lives."


    "So this shipment..." Kai glanced over his shoulder as he felt the qi being released from the wagons. "These are crystals to be used as weapons, right? To defend yourselves?"


    "Exactly so! I should have known a crystallier would have a stronger understanding than just any warrior." Traegyur took another gulp from his cup and then waved toward Kai. "Please, drink! Enjoy yourself while you have a moment''s peace."


    Kai took a sip to mollify the merchant, but he was more interested in information. "We only have confused rumors in Romastir. What is Omilaena doing here?"


    "The worst part is that no one really knows. She has been seizing noblemen for some sort of terrible sexual rituals, but we have no idea of her true ends. Oh, but they say that she''s strong! Terrifyingly strong. I don''t know if it''s from her rituals or something else, but she was able to kill several crystalliers at once when they tried to move against her."


    All of that sounded uncomfortably familiar. Kai took another drink of his wine as he thought back to Anaelina. He knew that Rosemount was a big continent, but the details matched too well: a warrior capable of draining power from others who used sex as a weapon...


    "Tell me, does she have long silver hair?"


    "Silverrr?" Traegyur slurred the word and blinked a bit drunkenly. "No, she has blue hair. One of those infernal foreign colors. Arrre the others investigating her? Is more help on the way?"


    So it wasn''t Anaelina unless she had changed her appearance, which was a slight relief. Maybe just a similar name instead of a fake one. As Kai took a drink, he realized that something was wrong. The taste was just a bit off, which he''d assumed was another weird spiced wine. Now he could feel something churn in his stomach and realized the truth.


    Poison. If not for his Physique, he might have already succumbed.


    "You poisoned me?" Kai burst to his feet, grabbing Traegyur by the front of his wrap. But the merchant only stared at him blurrily and mumbled something incomprehensible.


    "Oh, it wasn''t his poison."


    The calm female voice made Kai whirl to the side. He couldn''t sense anything through the paper wall, but from his new position he could just barely see a silhouette. Someone was sitting on the other side, listening to the conversation.


    "Interesting that you haven''t succumbed. Maybe this will be fun."

 Chapter 128: Omilaena the Maneater

    Kai dropped the merchant to the floor and struck the paper wall, tearing it with surprising ease. Immediately he found himself face to face with Omilaena the Maneater, the woman who had conquered New Laeneria.


    He was first relieved that she wasn''t Anaelina in disguise, which shouldn''t have been a relief given everything this woman had done, not least just poisoning them.


    Omilaena was a slender woman wearing a decidedly non-Krysali dress. It was slit up the side, and since she sat so calmly in her chair, that revealed her long legs. She was curvy but nowhere near as exaggerated as Anaelina, and her skin was golden brown instead of pale. Most strikingly her hair was bright blue, the sort of color he''d only seen from the Elemental Nations. She wore it cut at about chin length with two longer points at her front bangs.


    "I''m not quite sure what to make of this." Omilaena tapped her fingers along the armrest of her chair in sequence and he saw that her fingernails were sharp and painted the same shade of blue as her hair. "That poison really should have been enough to subdue someone with E-ranked Physique. Unless you''re obscuring something different under that half-shroud of yours?"


    His shroud training was still incomplete, but that combined with his most recent Class potion and the oddity of his soul in the first place must have confused her. Kai was more worried about the fact that she had access to poisons strong enough to harm E-ranked Physique. Just how strong was she?


    When he tried to view her with spiritual sight, he was wholly blocked by a shroud. Omilaena sensed it and smiled, then rose to her feet. As she did so, chakra swelled up within her and Kai involuntarily took a step back. It was more than he''d ever sensed in Anaelina... she was closer to Zae Zin Nim''s current strength.


    "There''s no reason to look so suspicious." She stalked closer, her legs flashing through the slits in her dress. "Why can''t we just be civilized about this?"


    Kai took a step back. "Is it civilized to poison people?"


    "Certainly more than bashing their heads in." Omilaena pushed Traegyur''s body, which was still breathing shallowly, out of his chair and then sat down on it casually. She picked up another glass of wine and took a drink. "Come now, do you need to look that scared? You think just because I''m a powerful woman I''m going to come over there and ravage you? Is that what you would do in my place?"


    "Don''t spout that nonsense." Kai held his position and scowled. "I met a Silver Demon from Rosemount who drained people just like that. So far you''ve taken over a city and tried to poison me, so it''s disgusting for you to pretend to have the moral high ground."


    To his surprise, Omilaena laughed freely. "Well, you''re not such a thug after all! Maybe my opinion of crystalliers has fallen a little too low. But I feel ridiculous with you looming over me like that... unless you plan to attack me now, do sit down."


    There didn''t seem to be many options. He could feel many others within shouting range, but even the soldiers would be nothing more than fodder for her. If she really wanted to talk... maybe talking was the best option. Kai reluctantly sat, though he kept his hands away from the table.


    "So you met a Silver Demon, did you?" Omilaena examined him curiously. "Not impossible, but unlikely. I doubt that my word is worth much to you, but I assure you, I am not a Silver Demon. Quite familiar with their methods, since they''re common in my old home on Rosemount. Well, not common, but it''s one of the paths some aspire to."


    "So you deny all the stories?"


    "I''m sure you''ve heard all kinds of scandalous things about me. But even Silver Demons don''t actually need to use sex, it''s just a method some of them choose. I don''t want to talk about that, though, I want to talk about you and this shipment of weapons."


    "I recognize we''ve blundered into your war," Kai said, then gestured toward the wagons outside, "but don''t harm the workers. They weren''t responsible for this, they just want to do their jobs and go home."


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    "Curious." Omilaena observed him with cold eyes, an unnatural blue the color of her hair, and her fingernails rapped out a rhythm against the top of the table. "What''s in it for you?"


    "For me? I''m just trying to keep them alive. That''s my job, after all."


    "No, not really."


    "What does that mean?" Since she seemed open to discussion, Kai leaned forward and jabbed a finger at her. "I don''t care about the rumors of sex rituals or whatever, I care about the fact that you''re ruining the lives of all the people here. And for what, money? Your own power? Your advancement shouldn''t come at the cost of so many lives."


    Omilaena''s lips, which he''d just noticed were covered in blue lipstick, twisted into a smirk. "Ooh, big justice man, standing up for the poor and downtrodden. Maybe you should figure out what''s actually going on before you start preaching about morality."


    Kai had half-risen out of his seat, but now sat down and stared directly back at her. "Fine then. Tell me what''s going on, if it''s so important."


    "But I''m not here to lecture you. If you''re not going to throw your life away attacking me, I have no interest in fighting you. I''m going to seize all these crystal weapons that were sent to undermine me, then send you all back home. No harm to your little worker friends. Isn''t that what you care about oh so much?"


    "It isn''t that simple. We were supposed to receive payment for the shipment, and if we go back without it, they''ll be accused of negligence at best, active collaboration at worst. You talk like you''re superior, but this is no better than banditry."


    "Hmm." Omilaena let out a throaty chuckle and then shook her head. "Very well, here''s what we''ll do. I''ll find the payment that this fool-" She kicked Traegyur''s body. "-set aside for you. All of you can take that back home without complaining. Hell, tell them that everything is great here, why not?"


    "Really?" Kai stared at her, wondering if this was all just a prelude to an attack. Yet she seemed serious instead of aggressive - if anything, Omilaena seemed a little bored by the conversation.


    "Yes, really. Grab one of these servants and get them to figure it out."


    To his surprise, it went exactly the way she proposed. The servants in the mansion appeared terrified, but when Kai asked about the payment they delivered him a box. It appeared to contain a number of papers, certificates that he didn''t fully understand but could apparently be exchanged for gold. That was what Unklian had sent him to get, so his mission was actually accomplished.


    Convinced that he must be missing something, Kai glanced back out at the courtyard, expecting to see all the workers slaughtered. Instead he found them with the emptied caravan turned around. They were waiting anxiously and eager to go, but unharmed. It seemed like the soldiers outside didn''t even know what had happened to their master.


    When he stepped back inside, he saw Omilaena through the partially open door. She laid Traegyur lying on the table and pierced one fingernail into his forehead. Even as Kai watched, he saw black veins extend through the man''s body and his breath began to rattle.


    There was no expression on her face. Not malice, not cruelty, not Anaelina''s gleeful evil. Omilaena looked only mildly curious, and that was terrifying.


    Kai took a deep breath and considered fighting her. Maybe not here and now, but he could retreat, gather allies, and try to take her down. If she was really ruling over the city in terror, then someone needed to stop her. Despite what she said, she was clearly killing all her enemies ruthlessly and efficiently. People like that couldn''t be trusted.


    What stopped him wasn''t the odds of victory or his estimate of her strength, it was the fact that Kai was no longer certain. He didn''t like what he''d seen of her, but he wasn''t going to blindly fight for Unklian, or the crystalliers, or anyone else in Krysal. Given everything he''d seen, he had no way of knowing if that would actually improve anyone''s lives.


    At the end of the day, he wasn''t sure if he was on the right side.


    He turned away and returned to the caravans before Omilaena could decide differently. When he gestured for them to go, the men looked at him nervously.


    "Really?" the driver asked. "It''s done?"


    "It''s done, but this place is dangerous." Kai leapt onto the back of the wagon and sat down. "Let''s go before anything goes wrong."


    Miraculously, they were allowed to leave the city without any further problems. Now that their wagons were completely empty, none of the gangs paid much attention to them on their way out. Along the way, Kai examined all the buildings and tried to determine what he was missing.


    It was objectively true that the people of New Laeneria seemed worse off. The crystalliers might be a bit decadent, but they presided over an effective system that left the people of Romastir happy and relatively carefree. He didn''t see any way that Omilaena''s conquering a city could be a good thing... and yet he still felt as though he was missing something.


    An aggressive part of him was still irritated at walking away from the fight, but it faded as they left the city. The fact was, he wasn''t Krysali and he didn''t understand the situation. Acting without proper knowledge would be as foolish as running into the wastelands without preparations, as the nobles sharpened far more subtle claws than monsters.


    Kai glanced back over his shoulder and wondered when he would know what to do.

 Chapter 129: Monster Core Specialists

    Returning to the luxury of Romastir only put Kai more on the edge, but the training lulled him into a false sense of security. The harder he worked, both on his shroud and his cultivation, the easier it was to avoid thinking about the deeper problems. He knew how to gain power, so in a way working hard was easier than trying to understand the problems of Krysal.


    After getting worried about how to explain what happened to Lord Unklian, his meeting with the merchant had been a non-event. Kai had decided to be mostly honest, assuming that information would get out, and explained that they''d delivered the crystals but they weren''t safe and might be seized by Omilaena. Unklian hadn''t cared, since he''d received his full payment, and actually threw in a bonus of a thousand Golden Eagles for a job well done.


    A thousand Eagles, just as a bonus. Kai wasn''t entirely comfortable with that, but he definitely took it.


    The highlight of his return, surprisingly, was when Krainuun arrived the next day. For once the small man seemed pleased with himself, in addition to desperately eager to appease. He only bowed twice while entering the room, then popped upright.


    "You gave me an exceedingly difficult task, my lord, but I believe I have been successful." Krainuun beamed from ear to ear. "Romastir does not specialize in monsters, but we are highly interested in anything that can be derived from them. Ordinarily, monster products and cores are toxic and have limited use, so the exceptions are a smaller field. I began with the idea of monster cores that would be worth storing and discovered a specialized vendor."


    That request felt like it came from ages ago, but Kai warmed to it almost immediately. Even if it didn''t work out, Krainuun had clearly put serious work into solving the mystery. Anything that got him closer to an answer about the mysterious core was a bonus he hadn''t been expecting.


    "Unfortunately, it does require you to leave the mansion during your free hours." As Krainuun spoke his expression fell almost comically low. "A great many luxuries can be brought to crystalliers, but the most powerful merchants have their own affairs."


    "That''s no problem." Kai set aside the book on shrouds he''d been reading and jumped up. "Can we go now?"


    "At once, my lord!"


    He was escorted to one of the fancy flying carriages, but only part of their journey was through the skies of Romastir. As soon as they went down into the streets, Kai began examining every alleyway, looking for signs of something he missed. And yet, as far as he could tell, the people of Romastir were simply much better off than citizens of Goralia.


    In Monskon City there would have been a few beggars, wannabe hunters with injuries, and people just scraping by. Yet throughout the city, even those without expensive cloth wraps looked happy and well-fed, the workers were all well-dressed, and he saw no absolute poverty. Even if the system had some excesses, it seemed to be working well and he couldn''t justify how Omilaena had overturned it.


    Krainuun sat on the opposite side of the carriage, attentive to his every expression. Maybe he should take this opportunity to ask him a few questions outside the mansion.


    "Hey, Krainuun." Kai saw the man jolt and tried to soothe him with a smile. "Do you like your job?"


    "It is a pleasure to work for you, my lord!"


    "No, I mean working for Lord Unklian. Was it your dream to be a servant?"


    The little man looked back at him, for a moment actually unreadable. Kai couldn''t tell if there was anything behind those glittering dark eyes or if the man was just calculating what Kai wanted to hear. When Krainuun finally spoke, it was impossible to tell.


    "I am very fortunate, my lord. I am a skilled servant and I am accordingly paid very well, more than many lesser workers. It has taken me an immense amount of effort to reach this position."


    "I''m just trying to understand Krysal." Kai looked away, into the clean alleyways. "If you had wanted to become a merchant or a crystallier, could you have tried for that instead? In Goralia, so much is decided by what Class you receive. Everything here seems to come down to money, and I don''t know what to make of it."


    "My lord..." Krainuun settled back, put his hands over his rounded belly, and gave him a very small smile. "In Goralia they value freedom above all else, but this is not Goralia. Each Krysali city state is a finely-tuned machine. Everyone must do their part by giving their best gifts, and they are rewarded accordingly. I would be a very poor crystallier, and I have no head for business, so this is the place where I am most useful."


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    "And what about those who have less to give? What happens to them?"


    "Some rise above others, of course. Some merchants thrive, others decline. But if the machine runs efficiently, everyone can still receive a good life."


    It was a nice ideal, and not so far off the sort of society Kai approved of, yet he could feel the rotten core somewhere close. Yet if Krysal had some dark underside, where were they hiding it? Maybe he had to admit that they really did run things better than Goralia.


    Soon after they arrived at a narrow building that stood alone, illuminated by eerie green crystals. It had no sign except a golden monster skull that hung over the large double doors. There were guards, each of them with over 80 Power, so this was clearly no small-time institution. Krainuun hastened to open the carriage door for him and he was ushered inside.


    Despite the creepy lighting, Kai immediately felt more comfortable than before: he saw people carrying monster hunter equipment, men and women with injuries, and weapons that reminded him of home. Krysal might not focus on monster hunting, but it was still a major city, so he shouldn''t be surprised they had some specialists.


    "Ah yes, our foreign crystallier." A lean man with a face covered in claw scars smiled, one scar by his lip twisting the expression. He stood behind a polished counter that held a variety of crystallized monster cores and gestured for him to approach. "Your servant put to us an exceedingly vague challenge. But the fact that this mystery core of yours had direct value provided a clue."


    "I assume it could be used for potions or something," Kai said. He looked over all the cores and saw that they were all reasonably large, and some of them strange, but none looked particularly familiar.


    "Not an unreasonable assumption, but pill creation is one of the base uses that gives cores their value. Any core that would be secured in a vault must have a more specialized purpose, likely involving advancement. Combined with the other details, we were able to make some guesses."


    The scarred man stepped away with a bow, passing through a curtain to the back side of the shop, and returned not long after with a heavy box. He set it down on the counter, opened it with a flourish, and gestured for Kai to look inside.


    "These represent the monster cores with enduring value which could conceivably have been in the Rayakan region. If you do not find your target among them, that proves nothing, of course, but I do not think you will do better anywhere in Romastir."


    Kai had to stop himself from salivating. He almost considered just eating the entire box, crystals and all. Even if he couldn''t paper over the conflict with money, no one nearby could stop him.


    But then again, he didn''t gain power by mindlessly accumulating new monster essences. The fact that he''d gone to this much trouble to figure out the stolen essence emphasized the need to earn them himself. He already had more than he could use, and quality was clearly more important than quantity. So he got his hunger in check and instead looked over the box more soberly.


    Several cores were powerful, a few still had a sense of distortion around them... but one immediately felt familiar. He recognized that blue shade of flesh and the strangeness of it. The one he''d eaten in Rayakan had been larger and more twisted by the Frontier, but this was definitely the same type of monster.


    "This one," Kai said. "What can you tell me about it?"


    "Ah, a curious choice. That monster core was acquired from a creature called a Shademonger that has only been seen during incursions. It is relatively unique in that it relies less on brute force than on corrupting the soul. Accordingly, its core can be used for purposes that are equally rare."


    "Such as?"


    "It is rare enough that we have only rumors." The scarred assistant shook his head. "It can be distilled into a potion that is one of an extremely few substances anywhere in the world that can increase a warrior''s Soul Level. But it can also be converted into equipment that defends the spirit, or perhaps even into a spiritual weapon."


    "This is definitely it." Kai smiled as he focused on the monstrous essence inside him. Now that he knew what it was, he only needed to read more about Shademongers and he could figure out how to use it. With so many of his other abilities being physical, this could be an important balance.


    "Would you like to buy it, my lord?"


    "What? Oh, I''m afraid not." Kai stepped back from the counter. "I''ll pay for the information, if need be."


    The attendant appeared disappointed, but in the end they negotiated a small price for a few papers about Shademongers. Kai considered buying some other cores before realizing that was wrong. None of them spoke to his deepest hunger. He needed monster cores ripped from opponents, not these sterile cores left behind. If he relied too much on cores he didn''t earn himself, he had a feeling that he would begin to weaken.


    On the way out, Krainuun kept just at his sleeve, looking anxious. Kai realized that the servant had done extraordinarily well with such a vague assignment, more than he should have expected. Once they stepped inside the carriage again, Kai smiled at him.


    "Well, Krainuun, I''m impressed you actually figured it out. I didn''t give you much to go on."


    "I live to please." Krainuun smiled broadly as if he really did live for that.


    "Do they keep live monsters anywhere in Romastir?" Kai asked. "For materials, or monster fighting arenas, anything like that?"


    Immediately Krainuun''s expression fell. "Terribly sorry, my lord, but I do not believe so. We are not primarily a monster hunting city, you must understand. There are a few institutions like this one, and we gather a great deal of knowledge, but the nobles would never stand for such a thing."


    "That''s fine, don''t worry about it. Can you gather information about dangerous monsters in the region? Anything that has a large bounty, but also anything that''s noted to be particularly unique or dangerous."


    "I will assemble everything I can, my lord!"


    "Thanks."


    Kai turned away from him to stare out the window again. It was a small step, but he had one more resource inside him. He didn''t know what he would need to do to unravel the problem of Krysal, but once he figured it out, he would have the power to back up his beliefs.

 Chapter 130: Checking in and Moving On

    Kai next met Zae Zin Nim on the day they were paid. They hadn''t planned it exactly, but apparently for security reasons the payments were disbursed by multiple merchants on the same day. After stopping by the Crystallier Headquarters, Kai found himself carrying another bag of gold. Even considering the fat Eagles and a crystal-studded coin worth even more, it was a hefty bag.


    On his way out, he was surprised to see Ailag and Naellia sauntering out with payments of their own. Naellia looked irritated at him for some reason, but Ailag waved cheerfully.


    "Kai, there you are! Up for a night on the town?"


    "Is there some event?" Kai asked.


    "Getting paid is an event!" Ailag moved closer, ignoring Naellia''s glare to lean on Kai''s shoulder. "You think you''ve seen the best Romastir has to offer? Not even close. The luxuries you''ve been given are nothing compared to what can be bought deeper in the city."


    "I''d better not, I have a lot of catching up to do." Kai extricated himself from the other man''s arm just in time to see Zae Zin Nim walking from another entrance. "I''ll see you later."


    "Oh, is ''catching up'' what you call it?" Ailag leered after him, but Naellia elbowed him in the ribs and he cut off spluttering.


    Even though it sounded like wasting time, Kai reflected that going together with the young crystalliers might actually be a useful way of gathering information. In their place, he probably would have spent all his money on more qi crystals. What indulgences attracted the most powerful fighters in the city could well be instructive.


    For now, though, he was much more eager to talk to Zae Zin Nim. She had walked off to the side of the plaza and stood underneath a crystal lantern. On his approach, he couldn''t help but run his spiritual sight over her soul.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 371


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 8% (253)


    Coldfire Corona: 12 (22)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    At least she hadn''t exploded forward and left him behind, but that wasn''t much comfort after the enormous jump to the Nascent Foundation stage. Zae Zin Nim noticed and glanced back at him over her shoulder.


    "That''s the disadvantage of true cultivation," she said. "Your Classes rise so smoothly, and crystalliers can always increment more crystals, but our power moves in massive jumps."


    "I was actually thinking you''d still made real progress," Kai said as he came to stand alongside her. "Except on your Physique."


    "Normally I wouldn''t spend any more time on it, after reaching E rank with the Body Refinement stage. However... I am willing to reconsider whether or not that is truly the path for me."


    "How have you been doing?"


    "I''m bored. I want to go to Yulthens."


    Kai had been planning to stand side by side, but now had to look over at her. "Really? Surrounded by the kind of luxury you''ve been missing since you came and you get bored?"


    "I want luxury and challenges." Zae Zin Nim folded her arms and looked away. "I''ve investigated the crystalliers and many of them bought their way to 100 Power. Just like the cheapest cheats to skip cultivation stages, it will catch up to them in the end. They aren''t our equals."


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    "I''m not so sure. They have a lot of kinds of shrouds here. I think they''re hiding something, or maybe they use empowered weapons when they''re in real battles."


    "Both are possible, but I do not believe either is true."


    "Guess we won''t find out unless we fight them," Kai said with a shrug. "So why Yulthens?"


    "It is the most prestigious city state in Krysal, and naturally the most powerful. It also sits on a river that passes directly to the coast, which means it might have access to Cloudspire resources. I need pure qi to advance, you need it to break through properly... it should be our next destination."


    "I''m open to it, but are you suggesting we just leave?"


    "No, we need to achieve three different things first." Zae Zin Nim raised a slender scarred finger. "First, you need to complete your shroud so we don''t run into trouble. Looks like you''re close. Second, we need to arrange and win some duels. If we do this right, we''ll be passed along to more powerful sects with commendations for our work. Instead of going back to nothing, we can gain even more benefits."


    "Wait, when did you figure all this out?"


    "I have been speaking with Uarania about their customs. I believe she is frightened that she will lose her number two position to me, so she''s motivated to give us a path onward. We just need a month or two of dutiful work, then we can arrange formal duels to prove our strength."


    "I guess that could work." Kai folded his arms and considered it. "Alright, we can try that. But you said three things, what was the third?"


    "We need to acquire flying transportation." Zae Zin Nim scowled out over the city. "It is a very long way to Yulthens and I refuse to walk or travel in their inferior carriages. If we buy our own vehicle, we can cultivate the entire way."


    "Heh, I guess it''s your money."


    "And you? What have you been doing?"


    Kai explained about his trip to New Laeneria and watched Zae Zin Nim''s eyes slowly widen in surprise. She didn''t seem interested in the plight of the locals, but she was curious about how the crystalliers and other forces of the city had been defeated. He wished that he''d had her along, because she could have asked some pointed questions that might have revealed more of the truth.


    "It would be interesting to fight this Omilaena woman," she said. "It seems that she''s single-handedly driven one of these city states to its knees, which I suspected could only be done by a sufficiently strong cultivator."


    "I''m not sure we want to go against her, because I doubt she''s the sort of person to fight fair."


    "Even so, it would be instructive. It is always possible, as you believe, that the Krysali are hiding more secrets. It would not do to overestimate them."


    "What worries me is someone with hundreds of thousands of crystals," Kai said. "Their strength seems to give diminishing returns, but I know some of those merchants deal with prices in the millions of Eagles. If they poured enough resources into a crystallier they could crush me, and I doubt I could keep up with the new investments."


    "Perhaps. Let''s see your progress."


    "You haven''t already checked?"


    "No, your new shroud, though incomplete, is functioning." Zae Zin Nim poked him in the side. "Show me."


    He reluctantly eased off on his new mental techniques and looked at his soul at the same time she did.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 135


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 95% (24)


    Physique Level: E-2 (86)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    Bestial Traits: 11/6 - !!!


    Monstrous Hunger - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - V (epsilon)


    Aquagorgon''s Health - V (epsilon)


    Gomodo''s Stamina - V (epsilon)


    Isulfr''s Bite - III (gamma)


    Tyrant''s Claw - II (beta)


    Direclam''s Shell - I (alpha)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Direserpent (???)


    Shademonger (???)


    Behemoth''s Heart (???)


    >


    It was more or less what it had been before, except for his continual small improvements and the new monstrous powers. Kai sighed and shook his head. "I''m training as hard as I can, but I feel like I''ve hit a wall."


    "This isn''t a wall, you''ve just finished climbing a cliff." Zae Zin Nim favored him with a slight smile. "Remember that both of us made significant breakthroughs during the battle at your city. You cannot expect to sustain such rapid progress forever."


    "I know, I just..."


    "And I don''t see you kicking back and indulging, I see you gathering resources for the next step. Just months ago, you barely understood your strange abilities and they were filled with unknowns. Now you''ve begun to grapple with them. Not sprinting down a dark and dangerous path is a sign of wisdom, not cowardice."


    "I suppose so." It was rare that she was encouraging, so Kai actually found his spirits a little lifted.


    "Besides, you''re closer to a breakthrough than me. Once you finish the Qi Condensation stage, you will be significantly stronger." Zae Zin Nim shook her head sharply. "But don''t blunder into it. You need pure qi if you want to be a proper cultivator. Well... you''ll never be exactly that, but you still need the power."


    "Thanks, Zae Zin Nim." He felt a little too formal using her full name, but she nodded in response as if slightly satisfied. Kai looked out over the city again, pondering how much longer they might be there. "So we finish our current work to prepare for the duels?"


    "Then we leave this place, yes."


    Standing side by side, he felt like they could do it. He''d been cultivating for months with little to show for it, in fact ever since before Rayakan. But despite fate blocking his path at every turn, he was finally about to reach the point where cultivation could become a significant part of his strength. Combined with the progress he''d made on his monstrous abilities, he felt prepared after all.


    And since he was feeling good for once, he was sure that something had to go wrong.

 Chapter 131: A Perfectly Polite Party

    Another week passed simply enough, and Kai was glad because it gave him more time to train. He finished mastering his shroud well enough that the other crystalliers couldn''t sense anything about him and drained qi crystals until he reached 99%, then right up to the breaking point. Sometimes he felt like his body was surging with energy, ready to go over the edge, but he held himself back.


    With no emergencies on the horizon, the crystalliers appeared to be relaxing. Half of the group was going to deal with a monster problem while the other half stayed back and had another feast. Zae Zin Nim decided that she wanted to go with Uarania to set up their duels, leaving him with the rest at another party.


    Kai let himself be dressed properly for it, since Krainuun had been so helpful and it seemed to matter to him. He''d been nicely dressed and clean-shaven most of the time, since he''d come to Romastir. As usual he''d neglected such elements in favor of raw power, but his social appearance was also relevant to his goals.


    Or at least that was what he told himself while he burned time at the feast.


    "This idea of formal duels is ridiculous," Ailag was telling him while they ate beside one of the tables. "The two of you have barely arrived, there''s no sense in disrupting the rankings so early."


    "What happens if more crystalliers arrive?" Kai asked.


    "You expect that to happen soon? No, the two of you showing up together was already enough surprises for the whole year."


    "But why couldn''t there be more? Why not take some of the strongest fighters from the hunters and give them enough crystals to cultivate? Even if the gold to crystal ratio gets worse, it should still be possible, for the funds of an entire city."


    Ailag snorted. "You really think some random brawler would become a crystallier if given enough money? No, more likely they''d waste it on booze."


    Kai coughed and pointed at the glass in Ailag''s hand. The other man scowled and continued more aggressively.


    "What I mean, and what you Goralians can''t seem to understand, is that there are different classes of people. Everyone working in their place, hasn''t anyone told you that? That''s how Krysal works, and we work a hell of a lot better than you. Everyone earns what they''re worth, and the fact is that only a few of them have what it takes to be a crystallier."


    The smart thing to do would be to let Ailag rant. Maybe find someone better to talk to: Naellia was lingering nearby with a sour expression and Norgoan stood on the other side of the table. Kai had had a few drinks, but he was nowhere near drunk enough to start arguing with someone about that sort of thing. In his experience no one''s mind was ever changed and it just wasn''t worth it.


    "Let''s face it," Ailag went on, "we are what fate makes us. People are born in their proper place and there''s no sense trying to undo the natural order."


    "And what did you do to earn your position?" Kai spat out the words before he thought better of it, then it was too late. But ever since Zae Zin Nim had told him about most the crystalliers buying their way, he couldn''t let it go. "How much of your crystal cultivation is nothing but your father''s money?"


    "Don''t be a fool! I cultivated every bit of that qi, crystal by crystal. You think I haven''t worked hard to get here? Do you know how many challengers I''ve beaten to get this far?"


    "You''ve worked, but have you worked half as much as the average crystal miner? Your idea of hard work seems to be drinking most days and occasionally cultivating when you get around to it."


    Ailag flushed so much it was visible even on his dusky skin. He tossed aside his wineglass and jabbed Kai in the chest. "Take that back, foreigner. The fact that you spend all day sweating and stinking doesn''t make you better than me."


    Kai''s head was still buzzing, not at all from the alcohol. He knew that getting into an argument was stupid and things were getting out of hand, but he didn''t want to stop. And why should he? There were no rules against a fight between crystalliers and it would let him find out if they really were holding secrets in reserve.


    And it would feel so good to wipe that smug look off Ailag''s face.


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    "Now see here, no roughhousing." Norgoan turned toward them like an adult rebuking children. "Kai, you don''t know Krysal and I can see how you came to the wrong conclusion, but-"


    "How many of your parents were workers?" Since he was drawing all the attention, Kai raised his voice and just addressed everyone in the garden. "Of all the crystalliers in the city, how many of them weren''t born into the upper classes? One or two, maybe? You say everyone is where they belong, but how the fuck do you know? You never even gave them a chance!"


    Ailag grabbed the front of his tunic and Kai turned to him, intending to stare him down. To his surprise, the crystallier lifted him into the air and smashed him into the feast food. Kai found himself on his back amid shards of plates with food squelching underneath him.


    "I''m sick of that attitude!" Ailag snarled. He struck Kai across the face as he kept speaking. "We let you into our city, treat you like royalty, and you just keep throwing this superiority at us?"


    He struck out again and Kai marveled that it didn''t really hurt. Ailag hadn''t summoned any crystal weaponry and his Physique itself wasn''t that strong, even with his cultivation behind it. If Kai used his full power, he might be able to end it in a single claw or bite.


    "If you think you''re so much stronger, then prove it!" Ailag punched him again from the other side. "We don''t need a duel, I can show you right here!"


    Another punch knocking his head in the other direction. Kai calmly observed that the others at the party were watching, only a few afraid and mostly mildly amused, as if this was entertainment. In that moment, Kai decided that he was going to fight purely with his human abilities. It would be the true test of whether or not he''d completed his shroud and other training.


    When the next punch came, Kai caught the man''s fist. Ailag had a moment to look startled before Kai lunged up and headbutted him in the face.


    The crowd gasped as the crystallier fell back and Kai flipped back to his feet. His clothes were ruined, but he didn''t care, he felt alive. Across from him, Ailag stumbled to his feet. He concentrated on his crystal core and began forming armor, but his skills had been developed in duels and shows, not actual life and death combat.


    Before he could finish forming a weapon, Kai kicked him in the chest and sent him tumbling across the garden.


    As Ailag got back to his feet, succeeding in gathering a weapon this time, Kai looked at him with his spiritual sight again.


    <


    Name: Ailag of Romastir


    Total Power: 116


    Crystal Cultivation: 2304 (72)


    Physique Level: F-5 (40)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    He wasn''t impressed. Kai might not have made as much progress as he wanted, but Ailag had only cultivated a few crystals and increased his Power by a single measly point. Zae Zin Nim had been right, these crystalliers were the children of privilege, like Fhazi with more money behind them. Whatever else crystal cultivation accomplished, it allowed for a society built on inequality.


    "You haven''t earned a damn thing in your life." Kai thrust a finger across the garden, forcing everyone''s attention. "I''m a nobody. If you can''t even beat me, then your fancy system isn''t worth much."


    Ailag let out a cry and leapt at him, this time using his full cultivation. That brought his speed up to dangerous levels, and Kai had to admit that he wasn''t massively superior when it came to raw human power. But he was absolutely better when it came to combat experience and keeping a level head.


    It had been easy to bait Ailag and make him charge in an obvious way. When he rushed forward, Kai kicked a bowl of fallen meat into the air at his opponent''s face. Ailag bashed it away with his crystalline sword, which left him wide open.


    Kai grabbed his arm and slammed him to the ground. He raised one leg to stomp down at him and end the fight before it could get started, only to be blocked by a crystal gauntlet.


    "That''s enough!" Norgoan stepped into his path, almost fully covered by crystal armor that was spreading over everything but his face. "Ailag, apologize for being a brat. Kai, apologize for all these accusations against Romastir."


    "Why should I?" Kai took a step back and smirked for the crowd. "You haven''t proven them untrue, you haven''t even argued them. I''m starting to think that you''re all convinced of your superiority for no reason at all."


    He knew he was going too far, but finally yelling these things in someone''s face was an addictive rush. Norgoan''s eyes hardened and then the crystals closed over his head. That was all the warning Kai got before one of the gauntlets flew at his face.


    If it had come down to power and speed alone, Kai might have been struck. But he had been sparring against Zae Zin Nim and others more powerful than him for a long time, so he wasn''t taken off guard when an opponent was unexpectedly dangerous. He turned aside the blow with one hand, then drove his other fist into the armor''s elbow. Though he didn''t break through, crystals shattered at the impact and Norgoan looked down in surprise.


    "You..." His voice faded, then returned as a growl. "You''re a brat with no idea of the scale of the world. If you need an object lesson to understand, I''ll give you one right now!"


    Kai mostly ignored his shouting and instead tried to examine him with spiritual sight. Unfortunately, it looked like the top crystallier was using a shroud, a strong enough one that could obscure his soul even in battle, likely until he used everything. Since he couldn''t get a clear look and hadn''t managed to penetrate the armor yet, Kai dodged backward as Norgoan took a swing at him.


    Ailag was back on his feet and stabbing a sword at him again, but Kai easily jumped to the other side of the garden. He turned back to face the two of them and raised his hands to either side.


    Whatever he''d planned to say didn''t matter, because at that moment a crystal knife bit into his side.

 Chapter 132: Three Crystalliers vs One Barbarian

    Kai grimaced in pain and instinctively grabbed for the hand holding the knife, but he missed. Naellia took a step back and smirked at him.


    "You too?" Kai asked. "What did I do to offend you?"


    "Rejecting me. Thinking you''re better than everyone else. Ruining a lovely evening." Naellia manifested a second knife in her other hand and flipped both into stabbing position. "Take your pick."


    He had barely even remembered the rejection, and definitely hadn''t considered it as part of the social balance. As usual, he wasn''t very good at the political part of things. Which meant... maybe all of this was for the best. Trying to subtly learn more wasn''t getting him anywhere, so he might as well make everyone angry, start a brawl, and see what they revealed about themselves.


    Naellia stabbed at him again, but Kai lunged in, intending to bind her arms. She flitted back with surprising speed and he realized that there were crystals glowing just underneath her feet. Instead of touching the ground, she skated just above it, floating on her own crystals. Whatever the technique was, it made her dangerously fast.


    As he felt the trickle of blood move down his side, Kai reconsidered whether or not this had been a stupid idea. Ailag, Naellia, Norgoan... he''d started a fight against three crystalliers with over 100 Power. Kai knew he was a decent fighter, but without his monstrous abilities the odds were definitely overwhelmingly against him. The smart thing to do would be to apologize and surrender.


    But no. Kai not only stepped forward, he refused to let Aquagorgon''s Health heal the small wound in his side. He''d fight them all as a human and see how far he could go.


    "I can tell you want to beat me down," Kai said with confidence he didn''t feel. "Put me in my place. Well, come on, then! If Krysal is so superior, show me!"


    Immediately Naellia snarled and threw one of her knives at him, but Kai was gone. He instead struck at Ailag, binding the man''s sword arm before he could use his range. Ailag looked shocked for a moment, then pushed back. With all his qi burning, he was definitely strong, strong enough that Kai couldn''t easily overpower him.


    Not that he''d ever planned to. When Naellia threw another knife at his back, Kai jerked their scuffle to the side so that Ailag was the one in its path. The crystallier grimaced in pain when the knife hit his stomach and Kai was gratified to see Naellia''s eyes widen in shock.


    A moment later he was driven back by crystalline fists. Norgoan had chosen his moment well, dealing blow after crushing blow that would leave serious bruises if Kai met them. But he wasn''t proud, not three-on-one: all he wanted was to win.


    When the next fist came, Kai grabbed it with both hands, binding the crystal arm in place. Of course that left him vulnerable, and Norgoan immediately reached out to grab his arms. That left them locked in place in a struggle of raw strength that Kai knew he was eventually going to lose. Direboar''s Strength growled within his soul, but he forced it to stay in check. Victory wasn''t killing the three crystalliers, it was proving he was master of his new abilities.


    Ailag and Naellia rushed at his back, this time coordinating their strikes so they wouldn''t interfere with one another. If they''d actually reached him, the knife and sword could have ended the fight right then. Maybe even killed him, judging from their expressions.


    Instead, Kai leapt into the air. He was still locked with Norgoan, and going airborne should have left him at the stronger man''s mercy. But when he disappeared upward the others charged in: Naellia barely halted in time and Ailag''s sword plunged on, shattering against Norgoan''s breastplate.


    The impact took the older crystallier entirely off guard and he lost his grip. Instead of controlling their grapple, he hesitated, which let Kai strengthen his grip and pull the man down as he arced overhead. The massive armor slammed into the ground like a falling tree.


    That left Norgoan temporarily stunned and Ailag knocked backward. Kai grinned and lunged for Naellia, but she fled, disappearing into the trees.


    Maybe that was fear, maybe just a tactical retreat. Kai wasn''t about to chase after her, since she was more familiar with the territory. Instead he used the moment of peace to pick up a jar of jam and a plate from the destroyed table.


    "Enough tricks!" Norgoan managed to get back on his feet and gestured imperiously. "Krysal is a system, so let''s show him that system. Stop going for solo attacks, take him down together!"


    Ailag created a new sword and Naellia returned from the forest, forming two more points in a triangle around him. That was what Kai had been afraid of: against three opponents with careful coordination, he couldn''t overcome the gap in collective Power. But he wasn''t out of tricks just yet, so he waited while the three stalked around him.


    When they started to close in, Kai pretended to rush at Ailag. Immediately the other two intended to attack his exposed back, but that was what he had been waiting for. Kai reversed direction, hurling the plate against Naellia''s next thrown knife, and then smashed the jar of jam in Norgoan''s face.


    The crystal armor stumbled back, pawing at its eyes. Kai had been wondering if the armor had any special senses or special cleaning techniques: judging from how Norgoan seemed to have been blinded by the helm covered in jam, apparently not.


    Since the others were still off balance, Kai followed up, kicking the armored man onto his back. He leapt on top and began punching down at his chest, over and over. His studies of crystal cultivation showed that they each had a special core, the equivalent of a dantian in other systems. Breaking or damaging one was a sure way to take someone out of a fight, so he wanted to look like he was planning to do just that.


    Of course the other two came for him from behind. They were coordinated again, but not fast enough. Kai kicked off the crystal armor and sent himself sliding on his back through the mess of the table. It was an undignified maneuver, but he was pleased by the shock he saw on the crystalliers'' faces as he slid between and beneath them.


    Slamming both hands against the ground, Kai vaulted back to his feet and closed on Ailag. The man was too startled to get his sword up in time and Kai managed to grapple that arm, then slammed him in the throat.


    Pain ripped across the back of his calves.


    Kai stumbled away, each step sending twinges shooting up his legs. His blow to the neck had injured Ailag, but he''d finally been too slow: Naellia had gotten behind him and slashed at his joints. It was a smart move, since he couldn''t face them without his full mobility.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The battle might have ended then... but Naellia wasn''t used to fighting someone with advanced Physique. Kai would have been completely disabled before, but at E rank he was only injured. He whirled on her while she was rising to stab him in the back and smashed her across the face, sending her and her knives tumbling back through the garden.


    All three of his opponents were temporarily down, but Kai was wobbling too much to finish them. Pushing so hard had been a mistake: he could ignore an injury like this with his full strength, but as a human this sort of attrition would finish him.


    Instead of fighting further, Kai staggered away from the garden, around the side of one of the trees. He saw several bystanders gawking at him, cursed as he realized they would ruin the plan, and forced himself on until he had a hedge between himself and the rest of the feast.


    As soon as he was out of sight, Kai used his shroud. It was no invisibility trick, but he was confident that his opponents had all been focused on his mana. Kai suppressed it as much as he could and crawled underneath the hedge, ignoring the prickling against his wounds.


    He was more injured than he thought: bruises from the melee with Norgoan, small cuts while binding Ailag''s sword arm, bleeding points when Naellia had grazed him with a throw and he hadn''t noticed. All of the injuries were superficial, so he''d been right to push past them, but they were adding up. He didn''t know how much longer he could go.


    "This way!" someone said. "Around the hedge!"


    Kai shook his head ruefully: he hadn''t counted on the others at the party trying to betray his location. It was good that he hadn''t opted for a stealth technique amid the trees, because they would have prevented it from working. But for once luck went his way, because he saw Naellia''s crystals skimming along the ground as she rounded the hedge to finish him.


    His hands burst out of the hedge and grabbed her ankles.


    Naellia cried out and went over directly onto her face, then he leapt over her. She managed to stab him once, her dagger going deep into his side, but then he struck her right over the heart. The blow knocked her into the air and cracked several of the crystals she was wearing, then she fell and lay groaning.


    He had fully expected to be attacked then and he only had a few ideas left. Yet to his surprise, Kai was allowed to regain his balance. Ailag was still on the ground, clutching at his throat and swallowing pills given him by one of the bystanders. Did that mean he had forfeited, or would he attack again anyway? The blow to the throat must have done more damage than Kai expected.


    "Enough!"


    At the same moment Kai heard the shout, he was struck by a beam of qi. He fell a step back and one of his legs nearly buckled as his injuries cried out. Somehow he pushed through it, desperate to find the source of the attack.


    Norgoan had not only returned to his feet, his armor had expanded so much that he was at least two feet taller. There were defensive spikes over his helm as well, presumably to ward off any future jam attacks. The idea almost made Kai laugh, but the pain caused by that qi beam had been too serious for him to find it funny.


    "You think you can beat us with these tricks?" Norgoan brought his fists together and emitted another ray of pure qi that knocked Kai back another step.


    "I have so far," Kai called back. "Look at all those spikes... are you so afraid of some jam?"


    Norgoan let out a cry and his next qi beam came even faster. This one broke Kai''s flesh and he felt something burning within him - his Physique made his skin far tougher than normal, but he''d found its limits. Such a blow directly to his torso could be lethal and he was surprised he didn''t feel worse.


    Then Kai felt a sinking sense of disappointment. It wasn''t that he had shrugged off the attack: Aquagorgon''s Health had automatically begun healing him, refusing to allow him to die. He was glad to know that his instincts would keep him alive, but that meant he''d failed to beat them purely as a human.


    As Norgoan prepared to launch another beam of qi, Kai considered just ending it. Everyone was staring at his soul and no one seemed to think he was a monster, so he was hiding it so far. Could he push further and use Tyrant''s Claw? That would be enough to finish the battle and it could easily be explained away as a technique.


    He stared toward the first-ranked crystallier in the city and realized that now, in the middle of battle, his shroud was no longer effective.


    <


    Name: Norgoan of Romastir


    Total Power: 168


    Crystal Cultivation: 6730 (108)


    Physique Level: F-7 (44)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    Was that all? Norgoan had talked such a big game, but he wasn''t all that much stronger than Kai. Strong enough to be the leader of a city, yes, but Zae Zin Nim was right: they were stronger than this place. Even if Kai was beaten down in the end, it was obvious to everyone who had watched him fight three crystalliers at once that he had won.


    And yet that wasn''t enough for him. He hadn''t just wanted to win, he''d wanted to beat them using only his human powers for a real challenge.


    Even if he hadn''t managed that, Kai refused to consciously draw on the rest of his abilities. He''d find another way to end this... and as Norgoan prepared to launch another qi beam, Kai realized what he needed to do.


    Kai raised his hand and launched a burst of his own qi.


    It wasn''t much, just a pale imitation of the techniques that Zae Zin Nim used. But after everyone had watched him brawl through the entire fight, he heard several gasps. Norgoan was either too surprised or too slow in his armor to dodge it and the qi struck his faceplate.


    "Alright, I''ll play too." Kai grinned and began to walk forward with his hand raised. "You know I''ve been cultivating with your crystals, right? I''m not very good, but I''m working on it."


    "Pathetic!" Norgoan shot another beam at him, but he was getting predictable. Kai managed to dodge aside and sent out another little burst of his own.


    "I got this far with just a handful of crystals, you know." Kai smirked as he kept walking forward. "How many have you been fed?"


    Another burst, and again he managed to dodge, getting closer. His attacks weren''t doing much damage, but Norgoan flinched slightly with each one and he was getting desperate.


    "At the current rate, you''ve spent over 200,000 Goralian Eagles on your power, haven''t you?" Kai was operating almost entirely by bluffing now, but it was working. "If that isn''t enough to beat some barbarian from Goralia, then are you really so superior?"


    Norgoan gathered himself with a growl and attacked again. Even though his qi was more reckless now, Kai was too close to dodge perfectly. One of the qi beams struck him, and it definitely hurt, but he forced himself to keep going without healing.


    "Is that all?" Kai grinned as if the beam hadn''t even hurt him. "Is that all?"


    For just a moment Norgoan quailed, and in that moment Kai struck. He leapt the remaining distance between them and slammed his shoulder directly into the massive armored breastplate. It didn''t crack this time, but Norgoan was off balance and he tipped over. When he slammed back to the ground, Kai landed on his chest and stood triumphant.


    Barely on his feet, and maybe not actually triumphant, but he knew what everyone would see. Maybe it would give one of them something to think about.


    No one else attacked and Kai wavered a little. He began to second-guess this crazy idea and wonder about the consequences when he heard a mild voice from the side.


    "Well, I guess there''s no need for duels after all." Uarania stood at the side of the garden with all the other crystalliers in tow, including Zae Zin Nim. The older woman was pretending to be mildly amused, but he could see the fear in her eyes. She had been afraid that the new arrivals would take her comfortable position and she had been right.


    "We''re moving to Yulthens," Zae Zin Nim announced as she walked across the garden calmly. She leaned down beside Norgoan and removed his helmet in a gentle movement that actually involved tearing off the qi crystals. "I trust that you will approve and make everything go smoothly."


    "Go." Norgoan was bleeding from one eye and his lips, and he tried to spit the blood at Kai. "You think you proved something with all this? Everyone saw you for what you really are!"


    "And what is that?" Kai asked.


    "A thug decorated with a few crystals. Now go, get out of my sight."


    As he stepped away, Kai smiled to himself and finally allowed his monstrous essence to flow within him. Despite all the eyes on him, no one was accusing him of being a monster. It wasn''t the victory that he''d originally planned, but he''d take it.


    Once they were a few paces away from the others, Zae Zin Nim turned back to him. "Congratulations, but..." Her smile flipped as she looked him over. "I leave you alone for one day and you manage to turn into a deranged, filthy barbarian again?"


    "Apparently so," Kai said with a smile. "But this filthy barbarian just got us to Yulthens ahead of schedule."


    Zae Zin Nim did her best to hide her smile and had to turn away. "I suppose filthy barbarians have their strong points."

 Chapter 133: Off to Yulthens

    Despite the fact that it concluded with a brawl, Kai''s time in Romastir resolved mundanely. He spoke briefly to Unklian, who was disappointed to see him go but paid him for the fraction of the next month he''d worked. That left Kai with twenty seven thousand Goralian Eagles, which was still a mind-boggling number to him.


    Or it would have been, if he hadn''t known that Zae Zin Nim planned to spend nearly all of her Eagles just on transportation.


    The most emotional part of leaving was actually Krainuun. When Kai announced that he was leaving the servant broke into tears. Before Kai could figure out what to do, Krainuun rushed away and returned desperately rearranging a pile of papers.


    "I did everything I could to complete your last request, my lord." Krainuun bowed and shoved the papers in his direction. "These are all the reports of dangerous monsters between Romastir and Yulthens. I hope they are useful to you."


    "I''m grateful, but..." Kai flipped through the papers, noting reports, drawings, and even maps. "Since I''m leaving, you don''t work for me anymore. Why go to this much effort?"


    "You have been the most wonderful lord I''ve ever served." Krainuun wiped a tear from the corner of his eye with one sleeve. "How could I not do my very best for you?"


    "Seriously, is there some sort of custom that I''ve been failing because I don''t know? Am I supposed to pay you extra or something?"


    "How could you think that, my lord? No, no, Lord Unklian provides for all my needs. It is a pleasure - a wonderful pleasure! - to serve the crystalliers who defend our city, and it has been a great joy to serve you."


    Krainuun turned away, practically blubbering, and Kai awkwardly patted him on the back and left. Yet at the end, right after his question, Kai thought that he''d seen something else in the man''s eyes. Was it his imagination, or had he never really known the servant at all? The question bothered him on his way out, but gradually slipped away as he contemplated the journey yet to come.


    The plan had been to meet Zae Zin Nim out by the edge of the city. He ended up seeing her vessel first, because it definitely stood out amid the ordinary wagons and even the floating carriages. It looked like it was composed of a single massive diamond that hovered over the ground, forming a seven-pointed star at the base with slanted walls around the edges. The frontal point was fully shielded while each of the other spikes contained enough space for a person and the central area was large enough for their tent.


    Zae Zin Nim stood underneath it with a self-satisfied smile. "No more walking," she said when he approached. "Let''s go."


    "How much did this cost?" Kai asked as he jumped onto the side. It barely rocked at all, which impressed him.


    "I didn''t use a single Eagle that belongs to you, so it shouldn''t matter." She alighted beside him and the crystal didn''t wobble even slightly. "This has everything we should need to travel, moves at reasonable speeds, and most importantly can fly on its own so we don''t need to mind it all the time."


    "Well then. I suppose we should start the journey?"


    "Yes. I have learned how to control the system, so you deal with the other practical concerns."


    When the diamond started to move, it was so subtle that Kai barely even noticed except for the landscape shifting around him. As he investigated the vessel, however, he realized that they were accelerating to speeds faster than he could run. Perhaps it would be worth the cost after all.


    The flying diamond star was larger than a carriage, but not so large that there was really much to explore. One point of it seemed to have been reserved for food and other supplies, so Kai added his purchases to them. It had cost a little to pull a few things together, but the amounts seemed trivial when he was being paid by the thousand. Another point had clearly been taken by Zae Zin Nim for her personal effects and she had left the opposite point for him. One of the others might be for preparing food, so he set up the water and fire stones in case they needed them later.


    As far as Kai could tell, the only weakness of the crystal vessel was that the walls were low and slanted, more like a chariot than a carriage except for the driver''s point. Truthfully, after so long in Romastir, he relished the wind on his face. If they needed to get out of the wind they could always sit down in one of the points or maybe even set up their magic tent in the center.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    They streaked over the fields of Romastir and soon enough there were few other vehicles or cultivators in the sky with them. Zae Zin Nim left her seat and sat cross-legged by the front, so Kai went to sit opposite her. The journey had begun.


    "Even at these speeds, it will take us over a week to reach Yulthens," she said. "Unlike before, we can more efficiently use this time to cultivate."


    "I agree with that, but I want to take some time to hunt." Kai pulled the papers back out of his pack and gestured with them. "I have some specific reports. In addition to consuming more monsters, I want to let those abilities free a little. I''ve spent enough time mastering suppressing them."


    "We will plan on two weeks." Zae Zin Nim nodded decisively. "It is just as well. You proved yourself capable of maintaining the illusion, but we will be facing more dangerous opponents in Yulthens. Everything about your cultivation must be immaculate."


    So they began right away, before the fields of Romastir were even out of sight. Even though Kai had been reasonably confident in his cultivation and shroud, Zae Zin Nim had many small objections. He didn''t mind at all, since it was clear that she wanted to help him perfect his art.


    Several days into the journey, Kai spotted smoke on the horizon. He had intended to argue for taking a detour, but to his surprise Zae Zin Nim didn''t even object - maybe her allowance for two weeks made her less uptight about the schedule. When they drew closer, he saw the ruins of a small town still smoldering.


    "I didn''t know they had towns outside the city states." Kai spoke softly as he looked over the side, out of respect for the dead. He didn''t see any people, but the blackened shapes beside some houses were unmistakable.


    "Sometimes the Krysali leave to try to establish new cities," Zae Zin Nim said. "The crystalliers spoke of this, mostly scornfully. Apparently the success rate is not high."


    "Well, it looks to me like this one was destroyed by monsters. Maybe..." Kai shuffled through his papers, looking for one of the reports he remembered. "Here it is. There''s no reward, because it stays away from cities, but there are reports of something called an Infernotoad attacking travelers. The Frontier elite mentioned this one too. Could we...?"


    "It produces flame? This is good, you need less brute force abilities."


    Apparently that was all it took: Zae Zin Nim diverted further from their path and they began to investigate the region.


    Whatever an Infernotoad was, there wasn''t much information about it in Krainuun''s reports. Kai was willing to bet that it hopped, which meant it probably wouldn''t leave too much of a trail. They certainly didn''t run into anything so obvious as a line of slime, and though they ran into a caravan that reported being attacked, there was no obvious series of destroyed villages.


    After Kai sat down to think about it, he guessed that the monster was probably ranging in a specific area. They weren''t exactly animals and didn''t need to feed, but they still operated in regions appropriate to them. Toads were amphibious, so he guessed that they should look for somewhere with more water. Krysal wasn''t so verdant away from the city states, which reduced the area they needed to search.


    When they finally discovered their target, it was obvious: a small pond appeared to be boiling. The Infernotoad was a squat, ugly creature the size of a wagon, seated in the middle. Its warty skin was covered in spikes and streaked red and orange, as if to advertise just what it could do.


    <


    Monster: Infernotoad


    Threat: V (Epsilon)


    >


    And if there was any doubt, it opened its mouth, released a deafening croak, and launched a flaming boulder at them.


    Zae Zin Nim immediately shot a beam of qi at the projectile, shattering it... but the pieces kept coming. Since it had emerged from the monster''s mouth, Kai had assumed that it wasn''t a physical boulder and must be a spiritual technique. Even if it was, the effect was durable enough that they now had a field of rubble tumbling toward them.


    Before his companion could spend more qi on a larger burst, Kai drew on Tyrant''s Claw in a different way than usual. Instead of using it for raw destructive power, Kai tightened his fingers and swung his hand to the side.


    The massive claw energy swept away the flaming rubble in a single swipe.


    Kai leapt off the side of the crystal and hurtled downward, toward his target. It belched out another flaming boulder but Kai met it head on with his fist. Flame and stone shattered around him and he could feel a few burns, but Kai wasn''t holding back anymore. He laughed as he plunged through the storm.


    Not far to the Infernotoad now. It inflated the sac beneath its mouth, which glowed bright red as it gathered more energy than ever before. But this time Kai was close enough: he pulled back an arm and swung the most powerful Tyrant''s Claw he could manage.


    His attack cleaved directly through the emerging boulder and flattened the rubble. It had enough power left that it slashed through the Infernotoad''s body, killing it instantly.


    Kai had been planning to finish it off with a bite and didn''t let his victory stop him: he landed atop the body and opened his monstrous jaws to take an enormous bite. The monster''s flesh tasted hot, both spicy and literally burning. He swallowed it and straightened, sighing in satisfaction.


    "Congratulations, you killed a big toad." Zae Zin Nim floated down beside the lake, observing him from the diamond star.


    "Alright, admittedly it wasn''t an epic battle." Kai settled down to consider just how much he needed to eat to absorb the essence. "But there aren''t monsters that can challenge us lurking around every corner. Claw Tyrants don''t grow on trees, you know."


    "I haven''t seen any monsters that grow on trees."


    "You know what I meant."


    Once Kai had finished, he wiped his mouth and jumped back up to the crystal. The Infernotoad wouldn''t transform his combat style, but he thought it could be an important piece of his future advancement. Even if the other monsters weren''t as powerful, each was another step forward.


    He had a whole collection of targets to hunt and the entire journey to Yulthens ahead of him.

 Chapter 134: Final Savage Moments

    As the horde of monstrous wolves rushed closer, Kai took a deep breath. Far deeper than he should have been able to, his lungs swelling and swelling until he felt as though his chest should have been inflating. His body might have shifted slightly, but thankfully he didn''t bloat up like the Infernotoad.


    The flaming mass of stone definitely worked, though.


    Kai finished expelling it and watched as his technique obliterated the majority of the pack. Even after practice, he couldn''t expel quite as large or focused of a boulder, but it was good enough. Only a few of the three-mouthed wolves survived, and they quickly turned tail to run.


    Before they got more than a few steps, Zae Zin Nim killed them with precise qi bolts. She was sitting on the side of the diamond star, which glided slowly behind them. Now that the horde was destroyed, she tucked her hands back into her sleeves and examined him.


    "That was reasonably effective. You can''t concentrate it further?"


    "I don''t think I''m going to be able to." Kai sighed and walked closer to the burned wolf pack. "I have some ability to shape the monstrous essence, but it''s just like working a material, not creating something new. So I can''t bend the abilities into anything I want."


    He bent down, snapped his teeth together, and swallowed one of the twisted wolves whole. It definitely tasted good, but he immediately knew that it wasn''t powerful enough to become a whole essence inside him. Which was a shame, because he''d been hoping that their three jaws could merge with Isulfr''s Bite to enhance it. So far in his experiments, no monster ranked as a beta-level threat or below could grant him an ability. At least he could take a head as a trophy to join the others that proved they''d been effectively monster hunting.


    On their journey to Yulthens they had detoured to kill several monsters, but the only one that had been strong enough was a creature called a Goreram. Its hide had been so durable that his Tyrant''s Claw actually hadn''t been enough to kill it and he''d needed to coordinate with Zae Zin Nim to trap and then cut apart the monster.


    That was about what he expected, and he mentally thanked Krainuun for providing all the information. Kai was more frustrated by his experiments with shifting abilities. It had taken an enormous amount of mental effort to shift his monstrous nature and use the Infernotoad''s power and now, after all the testing, he was just going to shift back.


    He jumped into the back of the diamond star and focused internally. It was nothing like cultivation or mana exercises, but he naturally took those poses to concentrate. While he sat motionless, his spirit struggled to move the power inside him. It felt as if the monster statues he saw in his soul, normally so easy to move, had suddenly become impossibly heavy and he could only scrape them along the ground an inch at a time.


    "That doesn''t feel like cultivation," Zae Zin Nim said over her shoulder. "Are you switching monster abilities back?"


    "Right," Kai said without stopping his work. "Tyrant''s Claw is too strong to be replaced and it''s reasonably long range. I don''t want to give up Isulfr''s Bite because it''s all that gets through armor sometimes. It''s probably smartest to feed the Infernotoad to some other monster to strengthen a better ability."


    "Preferably something from your hands. Only monsters and cultivators disturbingly obsessed with snakes use abilities from their mouths."


    "Well, the biting isn''t going to stop, so I''ll take what I can get."


    She had been directing the star to fly onward, but now Zae Zin Nim turned back to him. "It seems to be taking some time to shift abilities."


    "And I don''t think it''s getting faster." Kai grimaced as he tried to throw his whole soul into moving the Tyrant''s Claw statue back into place. "I don''t think I''ll be able to switch abilities rapidly in the middle of battle, and I''m not sure I should do it randomly. Sometimes it feels like I still have no idea what I''m doing."


    "I don''t see it that way at all. A few months ago, you had barely begun to accept your monstrous powers. Now you can evaluate them, shift them, and even merge them. Most people take years or decades to develop a new path of cultivation. Considering that you''re delving into unknown territory, you''re making remarkable progress."


    Unqualified praise didn''t come from her often, so Kai opened his eyes and smiled. "Thanks. You''re right, I just can''t help but think about the powers we''re up against."


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    "Nothing to be done about that." Zae Zin Nim sighed and turned back to the driver''s controls.


    During their journey Kai had been making attempts to merge and otherwise control his monster essences. His goal had been to finally merge together all of his passive defensive abilities into one powerful monster, but he''d come up short. Oh, he could have done it, but he was dead certain that it would have resulted in an ability that was weaker than he needed.


    If he had a different breath ability, however, he was confident that the Infernotoad would feed into it effectively. The problem was getting one. Kai had never seen a dragon personally or even heard a credible hunter''s tale about one, but he knew that they factually existed and were allegedly more common away from the Frontier.


    Even if it was a wildly idealistic dream, part of him hoped that he could eat a dragon and then breathe pure flame.


    The other good news was that he no longer felt bloated, even carrying so many different essences inside him. Holding them as unformed potential, which he''d only mastered more recently, made things easier, and his training on controlling the abilities helped. He was afraid it might be hard to increase the number available to him, but for the time being, he had complete flexibility in developing his monstrous powers.


    One little doubt twisted in his mind: he hadn''t been able to raise the threat rating of any of his monstrous abilities much recently. It was at least possible that the overcrowding was inhibiting them in some way. As soon as he figured out the next step that wouldn''t undo any of his work, he''d be testing that theory further.


    Finally he managed to shift the power within him. Kai had been avoiding looking directly at his soul, but they were getting near Yulthens, so it was probably time to evaluate himself.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 139


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 99% (25)


    Physique Level: E-3 (89)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    Monstrous Hunger - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - V (epsilon)


    Aquagorgon''s Health - V (epsilon)


    Gomodo''s Stamina - V (epsilon)


    Isulfr''s Bite - IV (delta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - III (gamma)


    -


    Direclam''s Shell - I (alpha)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Infernotoad''s Burst - II (beta)


    Direserpent (???)


    Goreram (???)


    Shademonger (???)


    Behemoth''s Heart (???)


    >


    The more comfortable he became with his power, the less he saw his soul as incoherent symbols and the more it spoke to him plainly. He''d managed to mentally divide his monsters between those he actively used and those that slept, and after he''d done so the warning symbols had faded away. Either having everything organized made him feel more in control or his control made his spiritual sight more organized, but either way he felt like he was coming to grips with his power.


    Otherwise, his Physique had improved again and he''d advanced to the very peak of the Qi Condensation stage. Zae Zin Nim told him that the next step would be the equivalent of a Physique upgrade in terms of how well qi suffused his body, but he needed to be extremely picky about how he broke through or his growth would be stunted.


    For better or for worse, this was the power he''d enter Yulthens with.


    Everyone said that Yulthens was the greatest city in Krysal, and the top locations almost always drew the strongest warriors disproportionately. Kai had been too strong for Romastir, but he doubted he''d have such an advantage in Yulthens. With just his human abilities, he''d probably be an average crystallier, and he didn''t want to risk using too many monstrous abilities until he''d advanced a stage in cultivation as cover.


    "This was good."


    Zae Zin Nim spoke so abruptly that he almost jumped. She wasn''t looking back at him, just staring forward as they flew closer to the city. Even as she kept speaking, she didn''t shift her head, so her hair formed a wall between them


    "We should try to stay together here," she said quietly. "And pick better jobs so we don''t have to waste time with fools."


    "I can agree with that." Kai smiled even though she couldn''t see him. "Yeah, let''s work together while we''re here. We''ll be outnumbered, after all."


    "Good." Zae Zin Nim didn''t say another word, and it wasn''t long after when Yulthens finally came into view.


    Up to that point Kai had been imagining it as a slightly larger version of Romastir, or maybe like Rayakan with a bunch of crystals. But the city was easily twice the size of Romastir and half again as tall, and where Rayakan had been dominated by its river, Yulthens had outgrown it. The river only passed through the lowest quarter of the city, which was bristling with docks, and the other side rose higher and higher, like two or three cities combined into one.


    Even flying on their diamond star wasn''t high enough to get a complete view of the city, so Kai just drank everything in as they approached. The little forts and farming stations in the region around the walls were as large as some of the buildings in Romastir, and they were all dwarfed by the massive outer wall.


    That wall, formed of something like dark red quartz, looked like it could break a monster incursion on its own. Yet unlike almost all the city walls Kai had seen, this one was covered in balconies, walkways, even what looked like entire buildings grown onto the side. It definitely wouldn''t repel an assault... but it didn''t need to.


    At least three massive crystals hovered over the walls and he guessed there were two more out of sight on the other side. Each was as clear as diamond and glowed with pure qi. He could see guards stationed on the carved tops, no doubt capable of directing an enormous quantity of power against any enemies of the city.


    Kai glanced over at Zae Zin Nim, wondering if she would say that such sights were common on Cloudspire. But even she was silent as they flew into Yulthens.

 Chapter 135: The Greatest City in Krysal

    No one came to greet them at the gates of Yulthens. Their sapphire crystallier badges got them in with no trouble, but they saw no sign of being scouted as they explored. Most likely the greatest city in Krysal thought that it was too good to get worked up over visitors with 100 Power.


    Though the cloth wraps, the awnings, and the streets looked similar to Romastir, Kai immediately noticed differences. The most obvious were the floating crystals: they shimmered above store openings and some were even carried by children on strings, like toys. There were differences in colors and hats, of course, but it was the floating crystals that defined the city for him.


    "Looks like no one is going to come fight us." Zae Zin Nim stared over the city without expression, so it was hard to tell whether she was pleased or displeased about that. "We need to investigate our best opportunities in the city."


    "Not to mention things like lodging, and where we keep the ship," Kai pointed out.


    "Bah, eventually. I want to know if they sell proper qi from Cloudspire and how much it will cost."


    "Then I guess it might make sense to split up, right after saying we''d stay together." Kai grinned as he stepped up to the side of the diamond star. "I''m going to sell our monster cores and check any Goralian connections, you figure out the Cloudspire situation, and we''ll meet up... maybe at that big crystal spire by noon?"


    "Good enough." Zae Zin Nim nodded and then directed the crystal craft away.


    She was moving at high speed, but that didn''t keep him from stepping over the side and dropping to the street. From so far up he hit reasonably hard, but the sturdy paving stones didn''t crack. He hadn''t really been worried about his legs, of course.


    As much as Kai wanted to explore the entire city and see if it was hiding more poverty than Romastir, he had higher priorities. They needed to come to grips with what they faced in Yulthens and what kind of power it could offer. That meant focusing his efforts.


    After getting out of what appeared to be a wealthy district of walled gardens, Kai found a mercantile quarter with shops everywhere. He asked around about Goralian resources and monsters, and had little luck at first until he started showing his crystallier badge. As soon as shop owners saw that, they seemed more than happy to direct him toward the right shops, if they didn''t try to get his business themselves. Seeing all their trade, Kai was reminded that the tens of thousands of Goralian Eagles burning a hole in his pocket were not normal.


    With their help, he found his way to a street that appeared to have more "foreign" shops. There were many places advertising mana from Goralia, and several shops and even a restaurant catering to people from the Elemental Nations. He only spotted a single shop claiming to sell Irunian metal, and he strongly suspected it was just steel with some mana thrown in.


    The Goralian shops, however, appeared to be the real thing. Kai ignored the majority of them and instead searched for a place called the Elite Guild, which was the best according to the shopkeepers. When he spotted it, he realized that it actually looked like a miniature Hunters Guild from back home, with its little fortified walls. Here they were just artifice, but he had to admit that they attracted his attention.


    Once inside, he didn''t see as many Goralians as he expected, but there were monster trophies everywhere. Furs, horns, bones, and claws on every wall, across both the first floor and the half-floor above. Even if the people inside were crystal cultivators, they were dressed more like hunters.


    A place this big had multiple counters, so Kai found the one that seemed to manage the monster cores and stood at the back of the line. His plan had been to wait and maybe listen in on the conversations around him. He didn''t get to wait for more than a few minutes before someone interrupted him.


    "Wait a minute, are you a crystallier?" A Krysali man wearing heavy chain mail moved up beside him. "Why are you waiting in line?"


    "Do crystalliers get to go first?" Kai asked. He realized that he hadn''t been using his shroud - he really needed to get back into the habit, after so long with just Zae Zin Nim.


    "You must be new here! Of course you get better treatment." The man put an arm around Kai''s shoulders and pulled him out of the line. "You won''t find better prices than at the Elite Guild, but you don''t want to wait in this line. Right this way."


    Kai let himself be escorted past the front desks to a back area, where more veterans lounged around. He didn''t see anything like a bar, but a surly middle-aged woman was arranging drinks. The man wearing chain mail rapidly ordered something for Kai, then snapped his fingers. A servant rushed up, bowing deeply.


    "Take these cores and bring back what they''re worth. The very best price." The Krysali in chain mail waved at Kai''s sack of monster cores as if they were nothing but a minor errand. "Hurry now, get them sold! Now you... sit back and enjoy yourself."


    "Thanks." It was rougher hospitality, but Kai was more comfortable with that anyway. He took a sip of his drink and found it to be beer with a bit of an odd aftertaste.


    "Now, what brings a Goralian crystallier all the way to Yulthens?" the Krysali asked.


    "Just traveling," Kai said. He wanted to be friendly with this man, since he needed new connections, but there were people giving them strange looks. Had he inadvertently made friends with a local pariah? "Made some money in Romastir and they sent me here."


    "Really now? How much do you have? If it''s enough, I can get you some enhancement potions that will blow you away. You''ll shoot up levels overnight, believe me. Yulthens is the greatest-"


    "Enough!" The voice rang through the room, overwhelming all other conversations. Kai looked toward the source and saw an enormous man walking toward them.


    Kai was tall, but this man had to be a full head taller. Shaggy hair in Goralian brown hung around his head and formed a large beard. His rippling muscles were covered only by armor around his stomach and thighs, then an enormous Direboar hide that wrapped around his shoulders and formed a helm with the beast''s tusks and face. Mana and qi burned within him, equally potent, but Kai didn''t see any crystals except one on his belt.


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    More importantly, the man was dragging the servant and the bag of monster cores.


    "I told you what I''d do if you tried this again." The enormous man growled out every word like he was grinding stones.


    At that moment the Krysali wearing chain mail leapt from his seat and tried to run out the back door. Before he got two steps, the Goralian man let out a shout that made the air itself ripple. Whatever it did, the man in chain mail crumpled.


    "You''re trash, and in this case stupid trash." The hulking Goralian tossed the servant onto the ground beside the Krysali and then pointed at Kai. "You plan to steal from crystalliers and you don''t even do your research? If he just came from Romastir, he isn''t some rich boy with a merchant''s money."


    "Wait, I didn''t..." The Krysali thief was struggling backward, his eyes widening.


    "Story is he was sent here after fighting three different crystalliers at once. That poison didn''t do shit to him - hell, he probably didn''t even notice it."


    Now that it was painfully obvious what had happened, Kai felt more than a little embarrassed. To cover for it, he drained the entire beer in one breath and then tossed the empty mug onto the table. It was true that the poison would be immediately digested, but he still felt foolish almost falling for a con. No one seemed to be mocking him, though... most of the glances looked a little worried.


    The massive Goralian threw the con artist and his accomplice "servant" to guards, then dropped the sack of monster cores onto the table. He fell into the opposite chair the next second, making the wood groan as it struggled with his weight.


    "Bring me the usual!" He waved at the workers, then laughed. "Hell, find his poison and add it in!"


    "I appreciate your help," Kai said once the attention turned away from them. "I guess I really am a country rube in some ways."


    "Naw, naw, in my experience people who spend their time fighting monsters tend to forget how shitty other humans can be." The man laughed and thrust out a hand. "Name''s Tareth Nordulind, by the way! I wasn''t going to go meet you, but I guess this is fate."


    "I hope not." Kai grinned and clasped Tareth''s wrist, Goralian style. He suspected that Tareth was playing up his foreignness with the boar hide and the rest, but it still reminded him of home.


    "We have too many con artists like this one here. See, crystalliers come to Yulthens, thinking they have enough crystals to become famous and strike it big. Makes them easy targets, even though it''s a dangerous con. I''m sure you would have made it through, but they would have cheated you for these cores."


    "Thanks for the help. Where should I take these, by the way?"


    "Oh, you were in the right place the first time! Crystalliers do get to cut in lines, though, so don''t worry about that. Actually, don''t worry about it at all."


    Tareth struck his fist against the table twice and somehow summoned one of the other workers. He said a few words and gestured toward the sack of monster cores. Kai spent a while wondering if he was falling for exactly the same trick again and this was some kind of ridiculously convoluted scheme. Soon he dismissed that as silly and instead used his spiritual sight on Tareth.


    <


    Name: Tareth Nordulind


    Total Power: 395


    Spellword Class: 93 (103)


    Crystal Cultivation: 21,924 (151)


    Physique Level: E-4 (92)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    >


    For the first time in months, Kai felt truly intimidated at another person''s soul. Tareth was enormously powerful, and worst of all he looked like a stronger version of Kai. Massive Physique, higher Soul Level, and even a powerful Class. At first Kai had read it as "Spellsword" but he realized that it actually said "Spellword," which was even more ominous.


    Zae Zin Nim had always said that Kai''s full strength was about double his Power... even with that, he didn''t think this was a fight he could win.


    "Like what you see?" Tareth turned back to him and his smile was all teeth.


    "Are you, uh... is this the level of crystalliers in Yulthens?"


    Tareth burst out laughing. "Gave you a fright, didn''t I? No, no, I''m pretty strong here. I reckon the top crystalliers in Yulthens are some of the strongest warriors outside of the Frontier, anywhere on Deadwaste. Well, maybe some of the Elemental Nations have experts, and there are a few real elites tucked away in Goralia."


    "How strong is pretty strong?" Kai asked. "In Romastir they had everyone ranked."


    "We''re not so picky here, maintaining a ranked list gets too complicated. There are... oh, I don''t know, about a hundred crystalliers in the city. Quite a few of them are just playing with mommy''s money or daddy''s crystals, and you look like you wouldn''t have a problem with them."


    "And the best?"


    "The top twenty five in Yulthens are known as the Ruby Crystalliers, and they''re not weak." Tareth leaned forward and gave another one of those grins. "You''re looking at one of the top five, the Diamond Crystalliers. And you can decide for yourself whether or not we''re worthy of the name."


    They drank for a while and Tareth insisted on ordering food. Mostly talk of home and the incursion, since Tareth apparently didn''t trust much news from Goralia. During the conversation the workers of the Elite Guild gave him 1200 Goralian Eagles for his cores, which struck him as more than they were worth, as well as documentation to make it easy for him to work with them on future monster hunts.


    Once he''d inhaled his food, Tareth pushed himself up. "Good to have more Goralians around!" He clapped Kai on the shoulders with meaty hands. "Most crystalliers don''t last here, but I hope you will."


    "You have any advice for me?" Kai asked.


    "You''ll have to figure it out for yourself, but... if you want a safe path, join up with the city institutions, like I did. If you want to make money fast, join up with one of the big merchants. You risk getting drawn into the schemes, but you''ll get a pretty penny." Tareth grinned at him one more time as he turned away. "Hope you make something of yourself, young man! The whole city isn''t as tricky as this, but you need to step lightly."


    Quite a few people stared at Kai as he left and he wondered just what kind of reputation he was building. Possibly as a mark, but Tareth had drawn attention to his previous fight. Just sharing a meal with Tareth might start rumors, because he doubted that he deserved it by his merits alone. Clearly he would need to increase his power substantially if he wanted to compete in Yulthens.


    The entire event had taken more time than he expected, so he needed to rush back to meet Zae Zin Nim. He found her sitting on the side of their diamond star, which hovered over the chosen landmark. When he arrived and jumped up beside her, she gave him a brief glance.


    "For the record, I did find a place to store this, but it seems only peasants walk around the city."


    "And we wouldn''t want to be peasants." Kai dropped down into a seated position and stared out over the city. "I have a bit of a story to tell, but what about you? Success?"


    "They do have proper qi here, including pills and elixirs. I can get what I need, but you have a more difficult path." Zae Zin Nim regarded him somberly. "We could purchase the minimum viable supplies for your breakthrough for 5000 Goralian Eagles. You could buy the purest qi and have a strong breakthrough for 20,000."


    "Why do I feel like you''re going to suggest something more? What would a perfect breakthrough cost?"


    "100,000. It is a great sum, but this is the foundation of your future strength."


    "Then I guess 100,000 it is."


    Kai shook his head and stared out over the city. Once that sum would have been unfathomable to him, but his life barely resembled the one he''d once expected. Here he was, sitting beside a cultivator and staring out over the city of Yulthens.


    It stretched beneath them, bathed in crimson and gold and possibilities.

 Chapter 136: Seeking a Merchant Patron

    The next day they decided to start off immediately by inquiring with the top merchants. Zae Zin Nim was adamant that they should start with one of the wealthiest, a man named Suortril who apparently controlled trade from Cloudspire. Since Kai had no strong opinions and could use a bargain on cultivation resources, he went along with her.


    Fortunately, it turned out to be easy to get an invitation: there might be a hundred crystalliers in the city, but in a city with hundreds of thousands of people, that still made them a valuable asset. To Kai''s surprise they actually headed directly to the merchant''s palace, which was in the wealthiest district that still overlooked the river.


    He was less surprised to find that it was a literal palace, made out of crystals. Most of the wealthy might prefer understatement, but clearly not Suortril. There was so much glimmering and shining that it all kind of blurred together and Kai wasn''t even impressed anymore. They were instructed to land in a circular area studded with crystal spire that looked like an arena of some sort, without any stands.


    They weren''t the only ones, either: two others joined them, equally surprised. One was a man with flowing Elemental Nations hair and a flawless shroud. The other was a younger Krysali woman with a weak shroud that left the impression she had around 100 Power.


    If this was a negotiation tactic, then it was probably intended to show them that they weren''t unique and drive down their value. Kai pondered if there was any way to strike back while they waited, which was probably another power play. He was just beginning to wonder if it was a test when a crystal chair glided into the room bearing their host.


    Lord Suortril turned out to be a middle-aged man with tailored clothes that flattered his trim figure, an immaculate thin beard, and eyes like a pair of gold coins. He gave the impression of moving briskly despite the fact that he wasn''t walking at all, just hovering on a levitating chair.


    "Thank you all for coming," Suortril said smoothly. "I don''t like to waste my time, so I won''t waste yours. Every crystallier who works for me will be paid wages second to none, increasing if you can attain Ruby or Diamond rank. But if you want that position, there are no games or tests. Show me your souls."


    The merchant didn''t feel like a warrior and Kai didn''t sense any kind of shroud from him. He still hesitated, in case he was facing someone who might be able to see through to the truth, but if all his work wasn''t good enough yet, it never would be. Kai lowered his shroud and tried to surreptitiously look at the others.


    "You, I''m interested in." Suortril extended a ring-laden finger at Zae Zin Nim first, then shifted toward the Krysali woman. "You, get out."


    "But I-"


    "Out."


    She fumed for a moment before turning and leaving, without Kai even getting a glimpse of her soul. Suortril didn''t give her the slightest glance as he shifted to Kai. "You... not interested, sorry. And finally you, attack me."


    Kai blinked at being rejected so quickly, especially since the merchant had already moved on. The man from the Elemental Nations looked surprised as well. "Attack you?"


    "It''s not hard to understand, is it?"


    "But it''s a test. I''ve heard you have defenses, and they must work against the elements."


    Suortril gave him a thin smile. "Smarter than you look. Alright, talk to my staff and we might be able to arrange some sort of provisional assignment to see your mettle. Everyone else out, I want to talk to the cultivator."


    "The two of us are traveling together," Zae Zin Nim said with a gesture toward Kai.


    "If you want to fund his lifestyle, you''re welcome to, but I''m not interested in hiring him."


    Now that he''d gotten over his surprise, Kai was irritated at being brushed aside so quickly. There might be stronger crystalliers in the city, but he wasn''t weak. "Why ask him to attack?" Kai asked. "I doubt it was just to test how hot-headed he was, it must have been to gather some sort of data."


    "Do you think you can punch above your weight?" Suortril glanced at him again and shrugged. "Then attack me and see."


    This time wasn''t a test, he was sure. Kai carefully drew on Tyrant''s Claw, though he concentrated it into a single line of force that would look more like a human attack. He lunged forward and swung with all the power he had, assuming that some power or other crystallier would emerge to block him.


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    Instead he collided with something that rang like a bell and an instant later was flat on his back. Kai blinked in shock and struggled to see what had happened.


    A nearly invisible prism shimmered around Suortril, made of qi and yet nothing like any qi technique he''d seen. It felt more like a crystal itself had been given spiritual form. Whatever it was, it had utterly blocked his attack and even thrown some of the force back at him.


    "Raw physical force is not useful to me." Suortril leaned forward in his chair to frown down at Kai. "You''re wondering if I''m a cultivator, but you''re wrong. I don''t fight, that''s what I hire fighters for."


    His smug condemnation made Kai want to punch his face in, but attacking without knowing more would be foolish. There didn''t seem to be any other power in the air, not consistent with the idea that someone else had defended him. The only thing he could deduce was that a crystal on one of Suortril''s rings seemed to be glowing. Could there be defensive wards that strong?


    "I''ll leave you to sort yourself out," the merchant said as his chair rotated away. "Now, cultivator, come with me if you''re interested in being employed by the household."


    "Of course." Zae Zin Nim bowed and followed him without a look back at Kai.


    For several seconds he just stared in shock. Having his attack blocked hadn''t really made him angry, he was just puzzled and curious. The idea of Zae Zin Nim abandoning him the very first moment it was convenient triggered something in him that he didn''t know existed.


    He stormed out of the mansion and returned to their diamond star, then paced around it. Most likely Zae Zin Nim hadn''t actually abandoned him - he knew her, they had gone through too much together. But that anxiety was surprisingly close to the surface. Life had spat in his face and told him he was worthless so many times, the idea of someone he cared about turning on him hit deep.


    In his storm of emotions it felt longer than it really was, but it wasn''t long before Zae Zin Nim returned. "Alright, time to go."


    "You didn''t take the offer?" Kai asked.


    "I was just getting more information from him." Zae Zin Nim spoke as if it was obvious, as if she would have been surprised if he''d thought otherwise. "Come on, get in."


    More relieved than he wanted to admit, Kai jumped in beside her. "So what did you learn?"


    "Suortril was offering twenty five thousand Goralian Eagles per month. He''s probably the wealthiest merchant in Yulthens, but he isn''t secure in the military side of his position. I couldn''t get him to reveal too much information, but I think he''s worried about his rival. Apparently she has hired a cultivator - a real one from Cloudspire - who he''s afraid will upset the balance."


    "Huh. Who''s his rival?"


    "A woman named Riuklina." Zae Zin Nim smiled back at him. "Want to go ask her next?"


    As they flew across the city, into the grandest and highest quarter, Zae Zin Nim shared everything else she''d learned. It seemed that there were three prominent merchants who each employed one of the Diamond Crystalliers in an uneasy balance. That left one independent agent and one who worked for the city - actually the man Kai had met the previous day.


    Riuklina was another prominent merchant from old money. When she signed her name as "Riuklina of Yulthens" it actually meant that her family had helped found the city. But apparently she was open-minded enough to have hired a foreign cultivator and try to encroach on businesses that had long been controlled by other families.


    Yet when they reached their destination, it turned out that Riuklina wouldn''t speak to them herself. She sent out some employee of her house who explained that they had a standard contract for crystalliers. Everyone was paid ten thousand per month and they were expected to engage in regular military action putting down "uprising" - what that meant wasn''t clear.


    There was no need for them to discuss this offer. If anything, Zae Zin Nim was so insulted by being offered less than her last position that Kai had to pull her away before she slapped someone hard enough to kill them. For his part, Kai was a lot more concerned about exactly how she was using crystalliers.


    It would have to be a question for another time, because now Zae Zin Nim was determined to find a patron that day, no matter the cost.


    With a little investigation, culminating in the local Crystallier Headquarters, they learned the identity of the third merchant who hired a Diamond Crystallier. They inquired and got a prompt response that the merchant was busy and they could potentially make an appointment the following week. Zae Zin Nim was further incensed, while Kai made sure to figure out a date, just in case everything else went wrong.


    "This is ridiculous," she said on the way back to their inn. "We deserve more than this."


    "We don''t need to go for the highest offer," Kai said. "There are a lot of worthwhile challenges in Yulthens. It might make sense to take a lower offer that gives us free time to pursue them."


    "Ideally, we should find both. If we can''t do better than Romastir, I will be insulted."


    They had planned to eat and then figure out their next move, but when they returned to the fancy inn, a servant greeted them by the door.


    "My lady, my lord, a message for you." He bowed low and handed them a gray card. It contained only a few lines of flowing text Kai couldn''t read from that angle. "This is the official card of an estimable merchant interested in your services. She would very much like to meet you."


    Zae Zin Nim took the card and scowled at it. For his part, Kai wasn''t sure what to think, but given their first attempts, he thought they should take the offer seriously. He looked over her shoulder and read the card properly.


    Dowager Orillia of Philaster


    Patron of the Crystallier Cooperative


    44 Citrine Lane


    Whoever Dowager Orillia was, she''d apparently heard of them and thought it was worth reaching out. Maybe he''d get an answer on what kind of reputation they''d built sooner rather than later.

 Chapter 137: The Dowager Orillia

    Since Zae Zin Nim wanted to freshen up before they left, Kai had a moment to stretch and prepare. He decided to take that time to learn a little more about who they were going to meet, since the first meetings hadn''t gone particularly well. Guessing that the servants at an inn this fancy would be as servile as Krainuun, Kai just found the valet assigned to them and asked.


    "Dowager Orillia was actually a crystallier in her youth," the woman told him. "By all accounts, she was a relatively average fighter, with neither the raw talent nor the family money to reach the higher ranks. But she caught the eye of a wealthy merchant, and their talents combined found them success here. When he died, he willed her all his family''s money, so she is a somewhat prominent figure in the city."


    "And this Crystallier Cooperative?" Kai asked. "What''s that about?"


    "One of many bonded organizations within the city, my lord. Perhaps you should ask her yourself, but I understand that it provides aid to some crystalliers. Some consider it a sad charity case while others are more positive, I am certainly not capable of judging myself."


    "That''s useful, thank you." Kai considered asking her more, but realized the woman was just a random inn employee. Knowing the local figures and gossip didn''t mean that she could offer him tips about meeting someone important.


    The description did make it sound like they were rapidly going down the rankings of power in the city, which he was sure would upset Zae Zin Nim. For his part, Kai wasn''t quite sure what to think. Even though it was stupid, part of him respected that she''d sent them an invitation instead of pretending to be too superior to need them.


    When Zae Zin Nim reemerged he realized that she had again covered her scars with make-up - sometimes he forgot about them because he wasn''t thinking about it. He doubted that any potential employers would care, but then again, she might have been doing it for herself.


    This time they headed to the eastern quarter of the city, a relatively wealthy but subdued district. No enormous crystal palaces in sight. Some of the complexes he saw looked a little worn down from the air, as if their owners had their best days behind them, but their destination itself was a very well kept little estate. Just several relatively modest buildings, though still expensive compared to what Kai had grown up with.


    There wasn''t space for their diamond star, so they had to leave it outside. An older gentleman in a fraying wrap welcomed them in and gestured for them to enter the main doors themselves. There they discovered Dowager Orillia herself, seated on one side of a table.


    "Please do sit down, dear. Have some wine."


    "Thank you." Kai smiled and took a polite sip. It was odd to be receiving the majority of the attention for once, with Zae Zin Nim just hovering along behind him.


    Using the drink as cover, Kai examined their host more carefully. Orillia looked like she must be eighty years or older, and wore strange layers of wraps that must be out of fashion. Long white hair was piled up on her head and pinned in place with elaborate crystal combs. As she took a sip of her own wine, he noticed that her fingernails were painted a pearly white.


    He used the lightest possible brush of his spiritual sight to get a sense for her. It seemed like she still had some Physique, which was likely why she looked so well-preserved for her age, and he thought he sensed a decent Soul Level. But she must have given away or sold many of her crystals, because her total Power was definitely below 100 now.


    "I heard that Suortril was unkind to you," Orillia said with a somber shake of her head. "He was such an unpleasant boy, it''s tragic that he''s such an important merchant now."


    Kai defaulted to his polite smile. "He wasn''t interested in us, but you are?"


    "Oh yes, I''ve been wanting to meet you. Strong Goralian stock, yet you have no Class at all, not even the sort of Irregular Class you might expect. That suggests to me that you were granted something unworkable, yet you managed to set it aside and even make something of yourself. To me, that suggests remarkable strength of character."


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    Even though it was obviously flattery, Kai found himself impressed by the old woman. Informants might have told her details about him, but deducing that about his Class was remarkably astute. Before he could think of what to say, Orillia moved on.


    "I have somewhat of a philosophy, you see. I know it''s unfashionable for an old woman to have a philosophy, but here we are." She set down her glass of wine and regarded him seriously. "We say that the best come out on top, but that isn''t really true. Half the crystalliers in the city have no talent except their parents'' money. If they want to help their children, well and good, but it isn''t right that they push down talented people from the lower classes to do it."


    "So is this a sort of charity?" Kai asked. He was starting to like the old woman and didn''t want to let himself get suckered by an act.


    "Not at all! Consider it striking a blow against the indolent rich. I heard about what you did in Romastir!" Orillia made several energetic jabs in the air, surprisingly fast for a woman her age. "Oh, I wish I could have seen you give them what for!"


    Kai chuckled and hoped it didn''t come off condescending. "Thank you. I have no love for people like that myself, but I have to ask, what are you offering?"


    "I can pay you 12,000 Goralian eagles per month. Not as much as some, but I only ask that you help out with some projects and training younger warriors. What I do absolutely insist on is that you make an accounting of how you spend that money. I have no problem investing in the future of our next generation, but I will not waste my money on scoundrels."


    That could be a reasonable philosophy... or it could mean that he''d have an old woman snooping in all his business and treating him like an irresponsible child. Even though it was the first offer he''d gotten, Kai found himself reconsidering. This might be the easy path, not one that would challenge him. Then again, the possibility of having more free time for his own training was tempting...


    "What about me?" Zae Zin Nim asked. She had been listening politely during the conversation and now leaned forward.


    "No thank you."


    "No thank you?"


    "I want to help those who life has frowned upon," Orillia said primly. "You look as though you''ve been praised from birth, weaned on magical pills, and favored at every turn. So I say, no thank you."


    "You dare speak that way to me?" Zae Zin Nim''s hands cracked the armrests of her chair and she sat forward, eyes blazing.


    Orillia glared right back. It wasn''t bravado - Kai could tell the old woman knew her strength and must know her opponent was stronger than her, probably even stronger than her prime. And yet she stared back as if she was disappointed that Zae Zin Nim would act so uncouth.


    The moment crackled with tension... and they just kept staring. It looked like they would glare one another to death, so Kai coughed and spoke up.


    "You''re right that she was born to a powerful sect," he said, "but then she ran into a blockage and they threw her away. She came to Deadwaste and she helped me when no one else would. And if you''re looking at souls, look at her Class. She grew up being told that her home''s cultivation was superior to every other power, but she was willing to see differently."


    At the end of his little speech Kai began to worry that he''d taken entirely the wrong tactic. Orillia was regarding him with piercing eyes that no longer looked so grandmotherly. Worse was Zae Zin Nim, who was hiding almost all the expression on her face except her eyes, which were wider than normal as she stared at him. He couldn''t tell what she was feeling and he wasn''t sure that she knew either.


    "Oh my!" Orillia abruptly chuckled and broke the tension. "You have some fire in you, I see. Well, it''s good to travel and meet different people when you''re young. And I won''t deny that it would help us, to have someone who Suortril was so desperate to hire."


    "You''re changing your mind?" Zae Zin Nim asked guardedly.


    "I must flatly tell you that I cannot pay you what you would be worth elsewhere. But if you really want to stay with your friend here, I can pay you 10,000 Eagles per month for the same conditions."


    At first Kai thought that Zae Zin Nim was going to be angry, but to his surprise she simply nodded and sat back. Had it actually moved that fast? He had just been investigating his options and now they were acting like the decision had been made.


    "Can we have a moment to discuss?" Kai asked.


    "Oh, of course, my boy. Take your time. Take some wine! Life shouldn''t be rushed through."


    Kai took Zae Zin Nim instead of some wine and they stepped out of the sitting room. He had expected her to reveal some hidden emotion, but instead she seemed subdued and thoughtful. They stared at one another for a while before he spoke up.


    "You''re okay with this?"


    "A year ago, I would have said her philosophy was disgusting and misguided." Zae Zin Nim''s lips twisted into a strange frown. "I am willing to see where this goes. Instead of getting involved with the merchants, we accept the old woman''s money and cultivate as much as possible. We can always reconsider once we have a stronger base of power."


    "Alright then." Kai breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that it was settled. He''d been leaning toward accepting Dowager Orillia''s offer, so if Zae Zin Nim had somehow come around to that position, then the matter was settled.


    It wasn''t the path they''d expected to take, but when had the expected path ever worked for him?

 Chapter 138: Working Toward One Hundred Thousand

    In stories winning came down to passion and believing in yourself really hard. In reality, it often seemed to come down to math.


    According to Zae Zin Nim, it would cost him 100,000 Goralian Eagles for a perfect breakthrough in his cultivation. He had just over twenty eight of those thousands, so at his current salary from Orillia, it would take him six months to achieve that amount.


    He''d mark his progress by how much faster he could pull it off.


    Normally his first thought would have been monster hunting, but their hunting on the journey to Yulthens proved that was a poor tactic. All their monster cores had only been worth a little over a thousand and they''d likely thinned the nearby hunt options. Clearly Yulthens didn''t value monsters enough for that option to be viable, which meant they needed to look elsewhere.


    Investigating the city revealed that they did have options. There was a massive arena known as Yulthens Stadium where important fights took place, including battles for rank and duels that decided contractual conflicts. He hoped to fight there one day, but just any old crystallier couldn''t compete there without a good reason. The more likely option appeared to be a place called the Crystallier Arena, which was just off the local Headquarters, where crystalliers frequently spent time and sparred with one another for status or money. Zae Zin Nim had actively voiced her desire to go there.


    They didn''t have time just yet because they needed to fulfill their obligations to Orillia. She had a wide variety of younger wards who needed training, so Kai took up Physique and combat classes while Zae Zin Nim reluctantly helped them with their cultivation.


    Technically that could have been an entire career, like the veteran hunters who had helped train Kai. Yet he found himself strangely distant from his charges. He was only five to ten years older than the students but he felt like he was an entirely different creature from the bright-eyed and optimistic children he taught. It was possible that their idealism wasn''t even wrong, since they''d likely have better luck in life than he had, but it created distance.


    He did his best to remember all their names and help them out with problems without showing that he was glad for it to be over. The most useful part of the process was learning more about how crystalliers trained, specifically their strengths and limitations. It seemed like they really had nothing to offer when it came to Physique, which surprised him, since even Irunian techniques had taught him more.


    Maybe some regions just weren''t suited to Physique training, just like some nations had more mana and others had more qi. He wasn''t sure that actually worked out and considered the theory while he worked. The rest of his time he spent planning out his own training or brainstorming ideas to get the money he needed for his qi transformation.


    Once he''d finished his obligations he headed out into the city again. Since Zae Zin Nim wanted to use their diamond star at all times, he went out on foot, getting a stronger feel for the city. Yulthens wasn''t the sort of place where thieves would slit your throat in certain neighborhoods, but it did have the constant risk of offending some noble or running into crystalliers looking for trouble.


    His conclusion while training had been that he needed to focus on the merchants: he would probably get a certain amount of winnings through combat, just by being a crystallier, so it would be more productive to seek out other options.


    The most important hub for trade was called Mercantile Central, just like in Romastir, but crystalliers apparently weren''t generally allowed inside. Many of the merchants seemed to have the same attitude Suortril expressed: fighters were just a cost or asset, to be dealt with alongside their main business. But in a city the size of Yulthens, he had plenty of other options.


    While walking in the docks district, Kai saw a surprising number of goods from Cloudspire. Silks distinct from the Krysali wraps, qi pills, and various spices that made the air itself burn. Unfortunately it looked like the shipping operations had all the muscle they needed, either cultivators or crystalliers. He didn''t see anyone at the Nascent Foundation stage, but there were several at Body Refinement, which on its own put them at crystallier level.


    Past the docks Kai finally found his break: a trading post that dealt in smaller merchants trading outside the city and in the Yulthens region. These weren''t the huge merchants who could afford crystalliers, they were just trying to hire trained guards. Kai thought he was the only crystallier present, though others might be using a shroud like he was.


    Unfortunately, many of the assignments just weren''t worth his time. Now that he had advanced so far, it wasn''t worth it to guard a caravan for a few hundred Goralian Eagles. Eventually he found a yellowed paper that suggested a larger prize and went to pursue the request.


    "You sure you can handle this?" The scruffy middle-aged merchant who had posted it looked him over. "We tried a climbing crew and couldn''t get it. Even hired a flying carriage, but we couldn''t get enough leverage. I think this one will require someone with the full power of flight, and that don''t come cheap."


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    "Why don''t you explain the trouble better?" Kai waved the paper. "This doesn''t really explain the details. You lost a shipment of crystals somehow?"


    "Not the crystals themselves, the qi. You see, we were clearing an old crystal mine - marginal profits, you understand. But there was this big crystal of the wrong type and it sucked up all the qi. Now we can''t break off the qi or get it out, and a lot of our profits are tied up in that thing."


    "Your crystal miners aren''t used to this sort of problem?"


    The merchant looked at him like he''d said something bizarre. "We aren''t doing the mining, son. This is an old mine that''s finished operations a while back. We were just trying to extract the last value when we ran into all this trouble."


    "Well, let me take a look." Kai smiled and set down the paper. "I might be able to do something."


    On the way out none of the workers seemed to want to talk to him, other than saying that other crystal cultivators had tried and failed. That was just as well, since it gave him time for more cultivation of his own. Their wagon went further from the city than he''d expected, into one of the outer farming regions.


    "There are no more mines this close," the merchant explained. "They were all exhausted years ago. Just as well, since it caused trouble to have the workers so close."


    Kai wasn''t exactly sure what he meant, but there were definitely no workers these days except those they''d brought along with them. The mine itself was more like an empty pit, everything of value torn from it. They headed down one shaft and Kai felt it long before he saw it: a concentration of qi much more potent than anything else nearby.


    The walls themselves were made of low quality quartz, the kind that wasn''t even used for building construction. He saw a few fragments of other sorts of crystals, presumably not valuable enough to gather up. Their only goal was the major crystal, and as soon as he saw the situation he understood the problem.


    Up a wider shaft that didn''t connect to the surface directly, the qi crystal glowed brightly. It was a massive one, firmly embedded in the surrounding stone. The sides of the shaft were rather slick stone, which would make them difficult to climb. Kai experimentally threw a rock at the crystal, but it didn''t budge even slightly.


    "Others already tried that, son, or throwing attacks up at it." The merchant shook his head. "The crystal sucked up too much qi, so it resists weak attacks. And if you break it, that defeats the point. If that was your best shot, this will have been a big waste of time."


    "Give me a moment." Kai sat down and began his preparations.


    Time to try something he''d never imagined would be useful: the Wallcrawler''s Feet ability he''d been scorning for a long time. He replaced Isulfr''s Bite with the new essence, then experimentally touched the side of the mine shaft. Just as he''d hoped, his hand stuck to the surface like it could grip every little crack. The ability was very weak, but most of the weak ones seemed to be easy to use.


    Kai took off his boots and then began climbing his way up the side of the shaft. The merchants and his workers went from laughing to staring wide-eyed as he climbed further and further up the slick surface. When Kai finally reached the crystal, which proved to be larger than he was, he figured out the extent of it and found a suitably narrow point in the stone that bound it in place.


    "You''re going to want to get clear," he called down the shaft.


    "You plan to work it loose?" The merchant''s voice was oddly tinny from down below. "How long is that going to take?"


    "A few seconds! Like I said, you want to get out of the way."


    Once they had moved, Kai took one hand off the crystal and prepared a Tyrant''s Claw. This shouldn''t be his full power and a wild attack might do more harm than good. Fortunately, everything he''d been doing to master his monstrous abilities made that easier, so after a short time focusing, he launched a single precise attack into the rock.


    Stones exploded, many of the fragments bouncing harmlessly off his body. More importantly, his blow utterly destroyed the quartz above the qi crystal. It plummeted down the shaft and he realized that it was going to bounce off the side, potentially damaging the crystal. Kai threw himself down after it, his hands forming claws as they ran along the shaft to get underneath. Just before they reached the bottom he managed to catch the crystal on his shoulders and blunt the impact with his knees.


    Which meant a lot of miners were staring at him as he calmly set the crystal down beside him.


    "This is what you need, right?" Kai patted the side of the crystal. "Might have lost a little qi, but no real harm done."


    "That, uh... that will definitely do it." The merchant managed to tear his eyes away from the crystal to look at him. "This will be worth more than I expected. We can more than recoup our losses with this. Damn, this has been a problem for months and you just... here, let me pay you those Eagles..."


    While the miners got to work, the merchant paid Kai the two thousand Eagles that had been posted. Considering that Kai had gotten the crystal out in better shape than expected, faster than expected, he had been hoping to get a bonus, but he supposed he shouldn''t expect merchants to be anything other than tightfisted. It was still a great amount of money for a day''s work.


    The man offered Kai similar work, which Kai politely refused once he realized it would be for ordinary day wages. On his way out, he pushed Wallcrawler''s Feet back out of his core soul. It might be a weak ability, but he was pleased to have used it once.


    He even contemplated building up a wide variety of different monstrous abilities that might be useful in various situations. It was easy to imagine that path... and probably wrong. What he needed first and foremost was power. Without Tyrant''s Claw having developed so far, his other abilities wouldn''t have been adequate to finish the job.


    Two thousand more Eagles. 2% of his goal. It wasn''t much, and he wasn''t likely to find such good options every day, but it was more than he''d had that morning.


    Hopefully a sign of things to come. Or, once Kai thought about his track record, he hoped that it wasn''t a sign that his luck was about to turn again.

 Chapter 139: Facing Another Cultivator

    During their first week in the city Kai had gone off to engage in random activities, because of course he couldn''t contain himself. Zae Zin Nim had been a bit annoyed by his tendencies at first, but now she thought of them as a fond oddity. It just seemed to be in his nature to seek out miscellaneous adventure, and considering that he usually came out of it with some more power and resources, she wasn''t going to complain.


    For her part, she remained focused. She was a cultivator, which meant she was a combat specialist. Her fastest path forward was always going to involve battle.


    The fact that there were fights going on in the Crystallier Arena every single day had originally impressed her, but her opinion had rapidly waned. All too many of the crystalliers there were young fools who simply wanted to waste time with their friends or show off. Even the matches were often more about ego and status than skill.


    Anyone could challenge anyone, and there was some money to be made, but Zae Zin Nim judged that it largely wasn''t worth it for her. The only reason she had come with Kai was that she had an agreement to fight a Ruby Crystallier. That match could well be interesting and potentially even grant her the Ruby rank when she won, which would open more of the city for her.


    Those thoughts were pushed aside when she realized that someone was yelling at Kai. He''d been leaving the ring after another victory when some woman jumped out at him.


    "Another match, right now, no rest!" She put up her fists and built crystalline gloves over them. "You''ll pay!"


    "If you put up double the usual, sure." Kai rolled his shoulders and backed up to return to the ring. "What am I paying for?"


    "I am Airgini of Romastir! You disgraced my brother! Get over here and I''ll wipe that smirk off your face!"


    Oh, it was some relative of the crystallier he''d beaten before. So far it didn''t seem like Krysal had too many extended blood vendettas - the merchants let the crystalliers fight each other, but put their foot down if the conflicts got in the way of business. Hopefully the woman would get her anger out and then they could put it behind them.


    If it kept escalating, they could just kill the family later.


    Zae Zin Nim watched the fight because Kai was in it, even though it wasn''t particularly interesting. Kai danced around his opponent, letting her land a few blows that did no good while striking back directly against her crystal cultivation. Once she would have disapproved of the fact that he didn''t end it immediately, but now she appreciated how he prolonged the match without making it clear that he was toying with his opponent.


    He wasn''t testing the limits of his power, just training his fundamentals. When she saw a step backward, she knew that it could have been a massive leap with his full strength. His ineffective sideways swipe was exactly the same motion that could have sent a claw through his opponent and half the stands. Since he wanted people to continue challenging him, it wouldn''t do to crush them, and he found a way not to waste that time.


    What was she going to do with him, in the long term? On Cloudspire or even Rosemount, he would be advancing more rapidly, yet she feared what that might do to him. As much as she wanted to believe in what she knew of him, part of her couldn''t help but imagine him turning into her father and so many other arrogant cultivators.


    And if Kai became like them, with his monstrous potential...


    They did need to leave eventually. Her short term plan was to keep helping his advancement until he could go toe-to-toe against any Nascent Foundation cultivator, which would be enough that going to Cloudspire wouldn''t be suicidal. In that time she hoped to be able to break through to the next stage herself, and combined they would have enough leverage to seize real power.


    Meanwhile, Kai seemed to be very concerned about details in Krysal. Hopefully he could get all of that out of his system while training and then they could leave. Until then, at least it was serving as an adequate environment to continue her cultivation.


    Finally Kai ended it, using a little more of his power to slam his opponent into the arena floor. He wiped himself off with a towel as he walked back to their seat and sat down beside her. "How long until your match?" he asked.


    "She was supposed to be here already," Zae Zin Nim said, "but seeing as she is a Ruby Crystallier and I am a newcomer, I believe I have to wait."


    "You think she won''t come? It seems like there isn''t much benefit to her, just risk."


    "I put up five thousand Eagles on the fight. I believe that will motivate her."


    The next two people to fight one another were a young man and woman who had very unusual styles that seemed to be derived from dancing. Zae Zin Nim was mildly interested until she realized that they were just flirting with one another. All that spinning around and brushing one another... ridiculous.


    That was another problem with the arena: young crystalliers who came just to play around.


    Despite her best efforts to ignore it, the flirting made Zae Zin Nim uncomfortably conscious of Kai beside her. She should have been disgusted by his sweat, but she''d grown accustomed to the masculine scent. He always seemed so respectful, she had no idea how he thought of her. That made her all too aware of her mangled skin - as a young woman everyone had always praised how flawless it was, which had been more an annoyance than anything, and now that she might want someone to notice, she was ruined.


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    "Hanelay Cloudspire!" Someone across the arena stepped forward between matches and called out her false name. "I would like to challenge you to a match."


    For once a distraction was welcome. Zae Zin Nim didn''t move before investigating the man''s soul.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 101


    Crystal Cultivation: 1520 (56)


    Physique Level: F-3 (36)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    Barely a crystallier. However, he appeared respectful and winning would earn a small amount of money, so she stepped out to face him. The man gave a reasonable imitation of a proper bow and then launched a qi attack.


    This one didn''t use any crystal weapons or armor, instead emitting qi more like a proper cultivator. Zae Zin Nim met him technique to technique. She wouldn''t draw out the fight like Kai, but it seemed that her opponent simply wanted to test his qi against a superior opponent. Because she could respect that, she defeated him with several well-placed palm strikes instead of humiliating him.


    As she walked back to her seat, Zae Zin Nim reflected that this was a real change. Seeing so many people on Deadwaste, no lazier or worse than those from home, gave her a great deal to think about.


    Before she could talk to Kai further, he was called out to fight another battle. Because his Power rating appeared relatively low and he was holding back, it was easy for him to keep inviting challenges. At least she could watch his technique in the process.


    Instead, however, Zae Zin Nim found her attention drawn to the side. Finally, the Ruby Crystallier she had wanted to challenge had arrived. It was a mousy Krysali woman who nonetheless had over 200 Power. That should have been positive, yet there was something...


    Not her, the man who stood behind her.


    Instantly Zae Zin Nim sat bolt upright. Even though the man was fully shrouding his soul, she could tell that he was a Cloudspire native and a strong cultivator, likely at the Nascent Foundation stage. Worst of all, there was something familiar about his look. Could he possibly be from the Brightwind sect, sent to track her down?


    It was utter lunacy, or so she told herself over and over again, yet it was hard to shake the feeling. This man reminded her of home and there was always a chance that he knew her sect. Her best hopes were the fact that she hadn''t been widely famous when she left and the fact that this man had hopefully been living on Deadwaste for a long time. If this had anything to do with her father...


    Kai finished his match and she immediately rose to her feet. He noticed something was wrong and gave a concerned look as she passed, but she remained fixated on the new arrival.


    The Ruby Crystallier stepped closer, the other cultivator still on her heels. Zae Zin Nim forced herself to appear calm and watched her real opponent as the other woman stepped into the ring. Yet it still felt like a setup: instead of fighting, the woman gave an apologetic bow.


    "Forgive me, but my superior has asked to fight you instead. The wager is nullified, so please exchange techniques with him."


    With that, the woman stepped back and Zae Zin Nim found herself facing a much more dangerous opponent.


    All the Krysali watching probably didn''t think so, since he was a short man wearing simple robes. None of the muscles or fancy weapons or crystals that they usually respected. In fact, it seemed like he was a pure cultivator, with no crystal cultivation at all. Every sign looked bad even before the man spoke.


    "My name is Ren Ziq Quen," the man said smoothly, "and I serve as Diamond Crystallier for the noble Lady Riuklina."


    "Honored to meet you," Zae Zin Nim said, bowing by default. This man should be at the same stage as her, and yet...


    "I understand that Lord Suortril tried to hire you, thinking that you could neutralize me and help him defeat his rival." Ren Ziq Quen finally lowered his shroud as he prepared his qi. "Shall we see how that would have gone?"


    She numbly examined his soul and saw that it was worse than she thought.


    <


    Name: Ren Ziq Quen


    Total Power: 462


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 19% (257)


    Divine Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    Transcendent Divine Body (+100)


    >


    Her first guess had been that Ren Ziq Quen had adopted one of the powers of Deadwaste, and her second was that he was an unusual sort of body cultivator. Instead, she saw that he had the Transcendent Divine Body from one of the hidden sects. She''d only heard rumors of how it required specific ancestry, long training, and years of abstinence from all vices.


    In return it granted strength, and she was horrified to see that it was valued at 100 Power. Compared to that, her Coldfire Corona felt like a feeble defense. The only imaginable way that she could possibly fight him would be to break through to the Earth Soul stage, and that was too far beyond her to be realistic.


    And then the worst of all: the Transcendent Divine sect operated near Brightwind sect territory. Cloudspire was such a large continent that she wasn''t worried about cultivators recognizing her, but this man was only a stone''s throw away from home.


    "I believe that is a foregone conclusion." Zae Zin Nim bowed deeply and tried to suppress any nervous movements. "Is a demonstration of the obvious truly necessary? I will consider my five thousand forfeit if you would prefer."


    "I''m not here for the money." Ren Ziq Quen gave her a narrow smile of superiority. "I''m here to make our circumstances clear."


    "They are very clear." She bowed once more and then retreated. As soon as she did, Ren Ziq Quen and his Ruby Crystallier companion departed smugly.


    Once she was back in her seat, Zae Zin Nim allowed herself to shiver a little. It had only been a close call, nothing truly disastrous, but it was an ugly reminder. Kai looked over at her in concern, and when she didn''t offer anything, he spoke up quietly.


    "You didn''t want to try fighting him? He was stronger, sure, but it might have been interesting."


    "It would have been futile." Zae Zin Nim shook her head slowly. "He can do everything I can, but the Transcendent Divine Body makes him wholly superior. That was what he wanted to make clear."


    "You''re sure?" Kai looked like he wanted to argue, but he could tell when she didn''t want to talk and kept his mouth shut.


    This was bad. She had thought about her time on Deadwaste first as a purgatory, then an opportunity to recover and rebuild herself. Now she was painfully reminded of all the realities of home.


    If her father knew she was alive, would he send people for her? Would he be angry, or worse, want to use her as a pawn again? For once in her life, Zae Zin Nim was grateful that her scars ruined her appearance.

 Chapter 140: Placing Bets on the Greatest in the Nation

    The incident with the other cultivator left Zae Zin Nim disturbed for almost a week, even though she refused to admit it. Instead of going with him anywhere she spent all her time cultivating, despite the fact that she seemed to believe that reaching the next stage in the near future was impossible. Since the encounter had troubled her so much, he hadn''t pressed.


    Kai wasn''t going to let her stew in her room the entire time, though, and finally found something that could draw her out: a duel between two of the Diamond Crystalliers.


    So far he had met two of them, and he''d been secretly hoping to see one of them in action. Instead, the way it fell out was that the match was between two of the others. He told himself that was actually positive as well, if he wanted to get a strong sense for the Diamond Crystalliers: this would mean he''d seen all but one. Considering they were the strongest people in all of Krysal, that was something worth understanding.


    A duel of this importance took place in the Yulthens Stadium and Kai was shocked by the size of the crowds trying to get into the lower seats. They were able to glide directly over to a higher entrance for flying vehicles, then discovered that they got in free as crystalliers.


    From a glance down, it looked like everyone was paying at least an Eagle to get inside. Were the workers that rich, or was demand for the fight really that high? Either way, he imagined that whoever ran it was making a lot of money.


    "This way." Zae Zin Nim gestured to a staircase and they headed toward one of the boxes. Between his size and her qi, everyone got out of their way, so they ended up seated far faster than he''d expected.


    That left them with unexpected time before the match. Ordinarily that would have been positive, but Zae Zin Nim still seemed moody after her encounter. Kai considered a few possible topics of conversation before deciding that it wasn''t worth it.


    "Care to place a bet, my lord? My lady?" A thin man wearing a sash with the Stadium''s emblems appeared nearby, walking along the handrail of the boxes with the confidence of someone with high Physique.


    "You''re asking us to hand you money?" Kai asked.


    "Oh no, my lord, not for crystalliers. If you place a bet, we trust that you will be good for the amount either way."


    At first Kai thought that gambling on such an event was foolish, then he immediately reconsidered. He still needed to reach 100,000 Eagles and this was another potential option. It certainly could be easier than fighting so many people for small sums. Then again, he knew that the arena had to profit from the betting, so he shouldn''t do it idly.


    There was another official in a nearby box, where Kai heard two young men placing bets and arguing about which of the combatants was most attractive. However uninformed his guess was, Kai figured it had to be better than the dumb money. He looked around Yulthens Stadium to try to find the Diamond Crystalliers.


    "Are we allowed to examine them first?" he asked.


    "If you''re capable of it, my lord." The official smiled and handed him a sheet of paper. "But we do have a record of their souls in case that would be useful to you."


    According to the paper, it was a narrow contest between a woman named Traelisia of the Earthquake, who was representing Suortril, and one named Vyorrine Nermtrian, who represented one of his rivals. The fight itself was over a matter of trade rights, but Kai set that aside and considered what was said about them. Both allegedly had Power ratings just a little below 400, but with different compositions.


    Even though he was looking at the stated numbers, he still scanned the arena for signs. Eventually he found one: an immensely powerful soul just on the other side of a wall. Clearly preparing for a battle, making no effort to hide her power, so he managed to get a clear view.


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    <


    Name: Traelisia of the Earthquake


    Total Power: 390


    Earthborn: Twiceshook (243)


    Crystal Cultivation: 533 (31)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    Aside from the universal Physique and Soul Levels, Traelisia''s power appeared to come entirely from her Elemental Nations abilities. There was one curious difference: the sheet of paper listed nothing else, but in her soul he saw that she had cultivated a fairly small number of crystals. He wondered if she had abandoned that path, or if she was a new arrival increasing her power with crystal cultivation.


    Now that he had located one of them, Kai had to find the other contestant. He searched around on the opposite side, trying to get through the haze of symbols from all the crowd, especially the crystalliers in nearby boxes. It was futile until Zae Zin Nim nudged his arm.


    "Over there." She inclined her head to the opposite side of the arena. When he checked more carefully, he felt another powerful soul.


    <


    Name: Vyorrine Nermtrian


    Total Power: 386


    Flamecaster Class: 40 (50)


    Waterborn: Firstswept (89)


    Path of Steel: Steel 2 (40)


    Crystal Cultivation: 2551 (72)


    Physique Level: E-2 (86)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    >


    The result was one of the largest collections of symbols he''d ever seen, outside of his own monstrous soul. It looked as though the woman known as Vyorrine Nermtrian had somehow managed to collect powers from all four Frontier nations, which was an impressive feat. If any of them had been equal to the top fighters he''d seen, she would have been the clear favorite, but each was only of moderate strength.


    Well, each individual piece was strong enough to make her a veteran in most cities, but they were moderate on this elite level.


    "What are the odds?" Kai asked the official, who was waiting patiently.


    "Right here, my lord." The man showed him another paper.


    It listed a number of different matches, but the fight between the Diamond Crystalliers was by far the largest portion. Unsurprisingly, given the similar Power ratings it gave them close to even odds but with Traelisia slightly favored. More interested in the art of it than the money, Kai glanced over at Zae Zin Nim, who shrugged.


    "Normally I would bet on the higher overall rating, but 4 Power is nothing at this level," she said.


    "So you think it''s even?" Kai asked.


    "Within reason, but I definitely give the advantage to Traelisia. She has one immensely developed skill, almost equal to a Nascent Foundation cultivator. I think that will prove superior to a hodgepodge of different abilities."


    "You don''t think that flexibility and surprise count for anything?"


    "They''ll break against the more advanced ability."


    "Maybe you''re right, but I don''t want to believe it." Kai turned back to the official with a smile. "Alright, I''ll bet on Vyorrine."


    "Wonderful!" The official whipped out a pad and smiled broadly. "How much does my lord want to bet? One thousand? Five thousand?"


    Honestly, he''d been planning to bet a few hundred, more for fun than anything. Maybe he was being impetuous, but Kai decided to simply go with his instincts. He put down one thousand Eagles and hoped that he wouldn''t regret it.


    "And for the lady?"


    "Nothing for you." Zae Zin Nim glanced in Kai''s direction with a thoughtful look. "But as a personal bet, if you''re right, I will help you break through your current stage."


    "Aren''t you already doing that?" Kai asked.


    "Hush, it''s the principle of the thing."


    Not long after that, he felt the two powerful souls begin to move. Traelisia emerged on the arena floor first, to raucous applause. She was a woman with earth-brown skin and hair that looked dark until it pulsed a faint red. Instead of Elemental Nations robes, she wore the usual wraps from Krysal. Quite a few of them, which suggested that she didn''t plan to do much maneuvering.


    On her way out, Suortril descended down to meet her, still floating on his crystal chair. It was impossible to hear what he said, and honestly he might just be reminding everyone that he owned a Diamond Crystallier. After a short conversation he glided away, and as if on cue the door on the other side of the arena opened.


    Vyorrine stalked out and Kai shifted forward in surprise. Despite her name she didn''t look very Goralian, more like a mix of Irunian and Krysali. Whatever her origin, she wore a black tunic that showed off heavily scarred arms. Her belt was absolutely loaded with different items, from a sword to a crystal to strange crimson rods.


    Her own sponsor moved to speak to her - just walking - and then retreated. That left the two Diamond Crystalliers in the arena and the crowds, which had been irrepressible before that point, finally quieted.


    For a long time the two stood in complete silence, watching one another. Maybe they were exchanging unspoken promises, maybe they were just letting the tension stretch. On some unspoken signal they both leapt forward and the battle began.

 Chapter 141: Diamond Crystallier vs Diamond Crystallier

    At first when the two Diamond Crystalliers met, Kai was taken aback. Instead of using the abilities he expected, they were fighting hand to hand, exchanging what looked like ordinary blows. Actually, as the melee went on, he felt their movements were too elaborate and acrobatic.


    Was this entire fight a farce? Just a formality between merchants, or a scheme to manipulate the city? Kai came up with dozens of potential conspiracies as he watched the two women fighting at clearly less than their full potential.


    Suddenly they both landed a blow simultaneously and they slid back across the arena in opposite directions. In that moment something shifted and Kai leaned forward unconsciously.


    Both combatants had changed. Traelisia stopped dancing around and rooted herself in place near the center of the arena. A large piece of marble began to melt from the floor, the same as the stone of the Colosseum but brimming with mana. On the outside of the ring, Vyorrine drew her sword quickly and efficiently, with no more of her theatrical flipping.


    The beginning had been building the crowd up, but now both sides were serious.


    When Vyorrine attacked, she lunged across the arena with blinding speed. Her thrust would have impaled the vast majority of opponents, but somehow the marble block intercepted it. She dodged around it and struck from the side, but the stone moved with startling speed to deflect. Undeterred, Vyorrine began an aggressive assault, determined to break through her opponent''s defenses.


    Just when it seemed like they''d fallen into a pattern, Vyorrine seemed to flicker in two places at once. Many of the audience members might not have been able to understand what happened, but Kai followed the movement: she first emitted a vast fireball from one direction, then flashed to the other and attacked with her sword.


    Traelisia automatically moved her marble defense to deflect the sword and realized the timing of the fireball a moment later. She raised her free arm, moving physically for the first time since the fight became serious, and seemed to take the explosion head on. Only when the smoke faded could Kai see that the side of her body was now covered in a thin layer of stone.


    That conflict set the tone for the next stage of the battle. Vyorrine didn''t try to use surprise anymore, just probed weaknesses with fire and blade.


    "Are fights between high stage cultivators like this?" Kai asked quietly, without taking his eyes away.


    "Not really," Zae Zin Nim breathed back. "We generally blast directly and let the superior technique or stronger qi win."


    "What if someone has enough Physique to resist it?"


    "Don''t be absurd. Qi will still burn them."


    "At E rank, maybe, but what about higher stages?"


    Before she could answer, the combat took another sharp turn. In another dashing attack that looked just the same as every other, Vyorrine abruptly revealed a piece of liquid metal in her off-hand. It arced around the side of the marble block and shattered the layer of stone armor, cutting a bloody line across Traelisia''s side.


    "Irunian?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "I thin-"


    Kai was cut off by a rumble as stone exploded from the base of the arena, forming from nothing. Traelisia clasped her hands and it closed around the two of them, binding them both within a dome. He could feel a vicious fight going on within, but nothing was visible and the crowd began to boo.


    The two fighters didn''t hesitate in the slightest, wholly focused on one another.


    Abruptly Vyorrine shattered out one side and skidded across the arena floor. She was bleeding from one leg and seemed to have lost her Irunian weapon, but she wasn''t mortally wounded. The earth collapsed down into mana, revealing her opponent taking deep breaths but still standing.


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    Traelisia began to launch spheres of earth, one after another. Vyorrine danced between them while holding her hands together, building up some new power. Kai realized that it was another elemental power at the same moment it was unleashed: a razor blade of water lashed out, slicing through the marble block to strike the other woman.


    Except that the response was devastating. Earthen pillars erupted in rapid sequence, the first destroying the water blade and the following pillars pursuing Vyorrine. She tried to fight back with a sphere of water, only for it to be broken by another pillar that sent her tumbling back across the arena, off her feet for the first time.


    If Traelisia had been at full power, she could have ended it then, but she was still recovering. It looked like the water blade had gotten closer than he thought and actually drawn some blood. Both women took a moment to recover while the crowds roared.


    "A master versus a dilettante." Zae Zin Nim shook her head. "Trying to use that water ability was a mistake. She only gained a moment of surprise and then her opponent punished her with pure superiority."


    "Just a little bit faster and she might have ended the fight then."


    "If she''d focused on her core abilities, she might have been that little bit faster."


    The fight ramped up rapidly after that. Vyorrine built up fire in one hand and water in the other, then combined the two in a technique that created a vicious storm of steam. For a moment it looked like Traelisia might have been overwhelmed, but she emerged wearing a full suit of stone armor and building more power around her.


    More marble plates began to form, generated by the earth ability to shield her from all sides. Vyorrine began to leap around the arena, aiming for one hole after another, combining fire and steam and bursts of qi. It should have been an overwhelming assault, yet her opponent deflected every attack... and she was still summoning more marble defenses.


    Maintaining that many must be draining her or she wouldn''t have waited to use them, yet Kai doubted that an elite would needlessly exhaust herself. The fight was definitely taking a toll on Vyorrine, who didn''t look like she could run much longer. Low on mana and qi, eventually she wouldn''t be able to keep up that pace and then it would probably end badly for her.


    It looked like he was going to lose his bet, but Kai watched closely out of respect for both fighters.


    Finally Vyorrine faltered. She was leaping in midair when stone formed around her leg and caught her in place. Several of the marble defenses immediately shot out, moving to crush her from different sides. The woman in the center took a deep breath as if in acceptance.


    And then exhaled.


    Raw golden power exploded from her lips, fire so intense it resembled a solid cone more than a breath. The onrush of flame made one of the marble defenses explode and the rest struck Traelisia, sending her flying across the arena.


    Vyorrine dropped to the ground, coughing violently and limping on the leg that had been trapped. But Traelisia lay unmoving on her back while, all around the arena, her stone constructs crumbled to the ground. The victor was clear and the crowds exploded to previously unseen levels of frenzy.


    In all the chaos, Kai was mostly interested in getting a better look at the victorious woman, because something had changed in her soul.


    <


    Name: Vyorrine Nermtrian


    Total Power: 406


    Flamecaster Class: 40 (50)


    Waterborn: Firstswept (89)


    Path of Steel: Steel 2 (40)


    Crystal Cultivation: 2551 (72)


    Physique Level: E-2 (86)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Golden Dragon Breath (+20)


    >


    His best guess was that she had used a partial shroud to hide her last ability, or perhaps the dragon breath operated differently, more like magical equipment. He had only seen similar symbols a few times, with Frontier elites and the foreign cultivator. Whatever those represented, they clearly had the power to tip the usual balance of abilities.


    "Huh." Zae Zin Nim sat back with a slight frown. "I was wrong, but I must point out that she won while having a superior Power rating."


    "Everybody will be calling her the winner, but it was a close thing," Kai said with a smile. "I''m just glad to have seen it. You''re not going to tell me this wasn''t one of the best fights you''ve seen?"


    "One of the most elaborate, perhaps. But this is hardly the most powerful battle I have witnessed. Every single conflict between Earth Soul cultivators utilized more strength."


    "Well, those wouldn''t be the strongest either. That would be the fight we saw between everyone who fought over the abyss in the Frontier."


    "That... is true." Zae Zin Nim paused like she was going to say something, then kept her mouth closed. She looked unusually contemplative and it didn''t seem like the right time to point out that he''d won the bet.


    On his way out, though, Kai managed to find one of the Yulthens Stadium officials and had his formal bet acknowledged. There was no con or trick this time, he was given prize money of 2200 Goralian Eagles. Judging from all the angry faces he saw around him, many had been betting in the other direction and the arena probably made plenty of money.


    For his part, Kai didn''t really care. Just watching such a good fight was exhilarating, but there was more to it than that. For most of those watching, a fight like that was a once in a lifetime experience.


    For him, it was the level he intended to be fighting at in the future.

 Chapter 142: The Rush for the Golden Dragon

    Kai wanted to find out more about the golden fire ability that had been used during the match and immediately ran into a problem: everyone wanted to know more. Because he had observed the fight and used advanced spiritual sight on the participants, he actually knew more than most. There were endless rumors, many of them insane, and all kinds of cons based on telling the secret or even teaching the technique itself.


    After the third person revealed their information to be useless to him, Kai decided to change goals.


    Since he''d seen four out of the five Diamond Crystalliers, he was curious to investigate the last. Unfortunately his investigations there weren''t much better, as most of the Diamonds didn''t make themselves available. Other than Tareth Nordulind, who was regularly doing business in the Elite Guild, he hadn''t seen any of them again. All he knew was that the fifth Diamond was a crystal cultivator who allegedly worked independently for various city institutions.


    Even though he was training and cultivating every single day, Kai felt like he was stagnating. His cultivation was blocked by access to money, his Physique Level limited by the weak techniques of the region, and his Soul Level unmoving no matter how many duels he fought.


    Those duels should actually have been a good point of comparison. He knew that he''d made more progress in the past few months than most warriors, even many crystalliers, made in years. But his goal had never been to compete with the nobles of Yulthens, he aspired to climb far higher. To do that, he needed to find a way to blow past all his current rivals.


    Since that wasn''t a simple matter of working really hard or stumbling onto opportunities, Kai was at a loss.


    When Dowager Orillia called for him to attend her, he was annoyed at first because he wanted every minute for figuring out a new path, or at least more training. By the time he cleaned himself off and went to her waiting room, however, he''d changed his mind. She was both his employer and his patron, so she could well have new opportunities for him.


    "I know you''ve been asking after the dragon breath lady ever since last week." Orillia spoke without looking up, her fingers flying as she cross-stitched a pattern into a long cloth. "Well, the truth is out, and it will be rather some trouble. I thought you might be able to help, and maybe you''ll get what you want."


    "Wait, the truth is out?" Kai quickly pulled up a chair nearby to listen. "You mean information about it was already known?"


    "This isn''t something new so much as something old come back around. But please, let me explain the full situation and you''ll see why it''s a problem."


    Kai obediently sat to listen. Orillia had never been a disruptive patron before this, so he was definitely willing to hear her out.


    "According to reliable records, there is a flight of dragons that visits Krysal once every hundred years. We don''t know where they come from... maybe Cloudspire, maybe Rosemount, maybe even Lostwreck. There are various theories about exactly why they migrate here, but that''s not important right now. The problem is the effect they''re going to have."


    Orillia sighed and set down her cross-stitching before meeting his gaze. "I don''t know exactly how that girl got ahead of the flight, but now everyone will learn about them. Soon enough people will find the records and then thousands will begin rushing to try to copy her and converge on the likely sites. The dragon flight has never attacked us, but this rush will cause chaos."


    "Because they''ll provoke the dragons?" Kai asked.


    "Not likely. There are never many, and they''ll probably avoid people when possible. But that doesn''t matter, not now that the rumor is out. People are going to throw away fortunes on this, stab one another, all manner of trouble. It will be like a crystal rush... are you familiar with those?"


    "I don''t think so."


    "Basically, a rumor spreads that there might be new crystal mines in a region. Many people rush out to find them, but realistically most waste their time and any actual mines are controlled by larger forces." Orillia settled back and sighed again. "And so the only people who actually make money are the ones selling equipment to the crystal chasers. Make sense now?"


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    "So this is going to be a dragon chase," Kai said. "I understand that, but I still don''t understand why everyone would rush out, or what you expect me to do."


    "I want to send you out first to represent my little Crystallier Cooperative. No one will actually be in charge, but someone who can keep order could do a lot of good. Stop monsters that would kill foolish explorers, force merchants to be honest, keep crystalliers from throwing their weight around, that sort of thing."


    "I could try, but you know I''m nowhere near as strong as the best."


    "Oh, but the best won''t be out there. Not when this is considered a fool''s errand." Orillia beamed at him. "Not that I mean you''re a fool. Our goal won''t be to gain some special magic, just to control the chaos. I think we can do a lot of good, especially helping all those poor soldiers."


    "Wait, soldiers? You mean fighters working for the merchants?"


    "No, soldiers working for the city. They normally need to keep the mines in check, but they''ll be thrown into this. Without help, there''s no telling how many will die in the desert."


    There were even more questions opening up and Kai wasn''t sure which to approach first. He settled on one that was perhaps least important, but stuck in his mind. "They need to ''keep the mines in check''? What does that mean?"


    Orillia shook her head slowly. "It''s sad, but criminals and other disruptive elements of society have to work in the worst mines. The soldiers keep them in line to make sure that the crystals keep flowing. Not the proudest tradition of Krysal, I know, but that''s the way of things. Anyway, the soldiers who guard them aren''t much better off and they always get thrown at problems the city doesn''t want to deal with, so I want you to help them."


    "Working in the mines is a punishment?"


    "Oh yes, I''m afraid so." Orillia smiled sadly at him. "You know, that heart of yours reminds me of my husband sometimes. Is that a bad thing for an old woman to say? But that''s why I asked you about this: I want someone who really cares for the lowly and unlucky, those who will take risks for a little power."


    "That''s another question." Kai sat back in his chair. "If you want me to do this, I actually need to know: what power? I mean both what the dragon hunters believe they''ll get and what they actually could."


    "Ho ho, clever boy. There are a thousand rumors, but a few of the most dramatic ones are actually true. According to the records, the golden dragons sometimes bless those who are brave enough to meet them. Of those, one in a hundred will become something called Dragontouched, which improves their Physique. One in a thousand will receive the dragon''s breath, like Vyorrine did. And they say that one in ten thousand will receive a dragon''s heart, which will transform them forever."


    His eyebrows rose as she spoke and he quickly wished they had any further to rise. "And that''s actually true?"


    "The dragon breath part certainly seems to be. So you can see why every desperate soldier, every young warrior, and even many crystalliers will be rushing out to try to find them."


    "I''m not sure that I''ll be able to help much." If he was perfectly honest with himself, Kai was already pondering if it would be possible for him to find one of the golden dragons, but he suspected that she already knew that.


    "I don''t expect you to change everything, but if you provide some muscle for my allies in the Crystallier Cooperative, you can help." Orillia picked up her cloth and returned to work. "I told you what you can do, and you can guess what you might gain, but there''s a threat you might not be imagining."


    "Aside from the dragons and backstabbers?"


    "Suortril is getting angrier lately. He couldn''t find a cultivator like he wanted, his champion was defeated publicly, and he''s come out on the wrong side of certain business dealings. None of that changes the fact that Suortril is a very powerful man, and he''ll be looking to restore his reputation. Reliable sources say that he''ll be involved in the dragon hunt from all angles, including sending a Ruby Crystallier."


    "This sounds like it will be chaos." Kai rubbed his forehead, trying to imagine how all the factors would come together. Yet the potential upside...


    "Oh, I don''t think it will be as adventurous as you think. Lots of stopping fights, maybe some monster hunting. But of course there is the slight possibility that someone like you might actually meet a golden dragon, and how much would that be worth?"


    "Enough. I need to discuss it, but I''m interested."


    Orillia blinked at him, then beamed. "That''s wonderful! I was actually planning to sweeten the deal. If you work together with the merchants I tell you, they''ll be paying you on top of what I already do. I know this will be a lot of hard, sweaty work, but I think it would be worth it for you. Make a decision, chop chop!"


    Kai nodded to her and went to go speak to Zae Zin Nim. She wasn''t interested in going along, entirely focused on her cultivation, and she said they sounded like the wrong kind of dragon for her. With that settled, it took surprisingly little time for Kai to make his plans and prepare to set out.


    On the day he was actually going to leave, Orillia came to say farewell last. She pulled at his shoulder for him to bend down, then spoke into his ear. "I don''t want you to start a fight, but if Suortril''s crystallier gives you an excuse... pop him good for me!" She pulled back with twinkling eyes and then gave him a little push. "Go on now! Have fun with the dragon hunters!"


    And so Kai left the city, headed for the deserts of Yulthens, and just perhaps dragons.

 Chapter 143: Policing the Desert

    One week into the alleged dragon hunt and Kai was beginning to understand why it wasn''t as exciting as he''d been hoping. Closer to civilization, there were endless crowds milling around, planning to go seek dragons but mostly hoping to get lucky. Out in the desert, it was a lot of sand broken by the occasional problem.


    So far the work had been difficult without being challenging, at least in the sense he understood. Every day he faced challenges, whether it was hunting down bandits, arguing with merchants, or just preventing idiots from running out into the desert without sufficient water. The job required endless judgment calls, so he understood why Orillia had wanted someone she trusted, but it wasn''t the sort of ordeal that would break through any of his blockages.


    Yet the money made it worth it, or so he hoped. He''d just recently received his first monthly paycheck from Orillia, a full 12,000 Goralian Eagles. But during that month, he''d earned 2000 from the mine job, 1500 from other work, 2200 from his bet, and just over 3000 from duel winnings.


    All told, he''d earned 21,000 Eagles, taking him up to 49,000. Closer, but still far from what he needed to buy perfect qi. That was what made all the sand and sweat worth it.


    If he did his job properly, by the end of a month he''d earn a full 15,000 from merchants in addition to his usual from Orillia. It was almost enough for him to hope that the dragon frenzy would continue for even longer, since it would only take a couple more months for him to reach the total he needed.


    Of course, he''d be willing to give it all up for the alleged gifts of the dragons.


    Whether or not any were nearby was still an open question, since there were always rumors from someone who might have imagined scales when they only saw the sun, or just gotten heatstroke. During his training Kai had been pushing his spiritual senses to their absolute limit and he hadn''t felt anything that seemed powerful enough to be a dragon.


    As he judged it, the majority of the people there had zero chance of ever encountering one of the golden dragons. What Orillia had said about it being a fool''s errand where only merchants made money made sense, yet again. Yet he wasn''t certain if his chances were much better, despite the fact that he was growing more accustomed to the desert than most there.


    For that matter, he wasn''t sure what he would do if he encountered one. He hoped for a blessing... but he also wondered if dragons counted as monsters.


    Just when Kai was thinking he might get some training time for the day, he spotted a group of soldiers heading out into the dunes. They''d tried to disguise themselves with different wraps, but he recognized them by their weapons by now. None of them thought to replace the generic crystal spear points that Yulthens granted them, so they were always easy to pick out.


    He bounded up the side of one dune and leapt into the air, briefly sailing over the desert. The soldiers saw him when he got near and tried to scramble, but he was already landing and sending sand flying in all directions.


    "Shit, it''s him!" one of them yell. "Get back, get back!"


    "Alright, that''s enough." Kai grabbed the most panicky soldier by the back of his armor and lifted him into the air. "I''ll stop you all if I have to."


    The others hesitated, then slunk back, a bit like guilty students. Kai dropped the soldier he was holding beside the others and frowned at them.


    "Come on, you have to understand." One of the soldiers clasped his hands together in a pleading posture. "Receiving a dragon''s blessing could be our ticket out of the army. We could actually make something of ourselves in Yulthens, maybe even become crystalliers!"


    "I understand, but you won''t find one." Kai dropped his shroud as he gestured to himself. "Go on, look at my soul. Do you think that if I had the location of any dragons I wouldn''t have already taken advantage?"


    That made the soldiers stare at him and shift nervously. Some of them were eyeballing him with rough spiritual senses while he suspected others were just pretending. Kai had been impressed by the average level in Krysal until he''d met the normal soldiers, who generally had 10-20 Power from a mix of mediocre sources. He definitely wouldn''t bet on them over Goralian hunters.


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    "You really just here to help out?" one of the soldiers asked suspiciously.


    "Look, I''m not saying that I''d say no to a dragon." Kai flashed them all a smile and got a few in return. "But I haven''t seen a single one. So I''m telling you: do your jobs, don''t harass anyone, get home safe. I''ve had to drag a couple corpses out of the desert and I''ve only been here a week."


    "Are there really dragons at all?" someone else asked.


    At first Kai had said he''d seen the breath technique himself, but that had only attracted more attention and made people waste his time with questions. Now he just shrugged as if it might all be a rumor. It seemed like he''d gotten through to this bunch of soldiers, because they began trudging back toward the camps.


    Before they all left, Kai tapped one of the older men on the shoulder. He was a middle-aged man who was still fit, with 30 Power and what Kai thought was an officer''s insignia on his spear. Hopefully he might be more useful than the others Kai had spoken to.


    "I understand all of you got taken off the mines?" Kai asked.


    "That''s about right." The officer shifted back and forth as if he wanted to be anywhere else. "You know how it is."


    "No, I really don''t. No one wants to talk about it. But unless you want me to start watching you soldiers like a hawk, you should explain things properly." Kai actually didn''t intend to abuse his authority, in part because he didn''t want to waste the time. The threat still had the intended effect and the officer squirmed for a while before answering.


    "Krysal runs on qi crystals, but mining them is brutal work, no one wants to do it. So those workers are the lowest rung of society, and frankly we''re not much better. Better not to talk about it. I''m telling you, when I go home, I tell my folks I''m stationed in another city. There''s too much shame in being that low in society, you know how it is."


    "Yeah, I guess I do know that." Kai examined the officer carefully, trying to figure out if he was lying. But he didn''t really have any motivation to, so Kai let the man go and then continued his patrol.


    Was that really all it was? Kai understood being looked at like trash, but the lot of the workers didn''t seem too bad to him. All the ones he''d seen in the cities had been well-dressed and happy enough. After so long worrying that he was missing something, maybe it all boiled down to the Krysali being absurdly obsessed with status.


    Just when Kai began to think the day would end without anything going wrong, he spotted a crystal vessel glinting in the sky. It was one of the few similar to the diamond star Zae Zin Nim had bought, all crystal points. Most of the arrivals were poor and caught rides in wagons, while the crystalliers generally used comfortable carriages. Anyone in a ship like that was probably representing a serious participant in the dragon hunt.


    At minimum he should go introduce himself, and at worst he''d have to fight again. If his assignment here accomplished nothing else, he was getting experience fighting opponents stronger than wealthy crystalliers.


    Before he could chase it down, he spotted someone move off the side. A man plummeted down straight toward him and Kai had to dodge backwards to avoid his arrival, but the man didn''t follow up with an attack. He was heavier than the average Krysali, wider than he was tall with at least a dozen chains of crystals around his neck.


    "You''re that Kai of Clanless, right?" The man grated out the words like he''d been drinking all the sand around them.


    "Close enough," Kai said. "You''re here for me?"


    "In a way. The name''s Graetri." The man gave him an unpleasant smile. "So just why are you here instead of one of the other camps? Do you know something we don''t?"


    "If you tracked me here, then you know I represent the Crystallier Cooperative. All Dowager Orillia wants to do is help."


    "Maybe she does, but you want power. So why here?"


    Kai folded his arms and stared back. "I don''t see why I should answer that, especially since I don''t even know who you represent."


    "That''s right, you''ve barely been here. I''m one of Lord Suortril''s Ruby Crystalliers." Graetri jabbed a thumb at his own chest. "Officially he sent me to keep order, but we both know we''re here for the dragons. Don''t think I asked because I''m not confident. I''ll go through you if I have to."


    So the competition had finally arrived. Kai pretended to shrug while glancing at the man''s soul.


    <


    Name: Graetri of Yulthens


    Total Power: 258


    Crystal Cultivation: 96,553 (198)


    Physique Level: F-7 (44)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    With a Power rating over 250, Graetri was no joke, especially if he held the Ruby rank. He had the single largest number of crystals Kai had ever seen, nearly a hundred thousand. There was no way he could have afforded that on his own, which meant that Suortril must have invested serious money into him.


    Graetri bared his teeth as he examined Kai right back. Obviously the human side of his soul would look substantially weaker, but Kai knew that even using his monstrous abilities, this wasn''t an opponent he could take lightly.


    That just meant he had a target in range, so Kai bared his teeth too. Things had just gotten interesting.

 Chapter 144: The Last Dragon in the Desert

    Kai and Graetri fought a proxy battle over the desert for over a month. They never once exchanged blows, for all that they threatened from time to time. Instead they fought over merchants, soldiers, and above all the investigation of dragons.


    When the first golden dragon had been spotted, Kai had been relieved that it wasn''t all a false errand after all. After so long, he was beginning to wonder. From a distance Kai had only seen it arcing overhead, a golden serpent larger than any monster he''d ever seen except the behemoth. It had been strangely beautiful, even before considering its golden scales, and he''d been glad to see it even if he couldn''t take advantage.


    An eagle-eyed merchant and his crystallier had been the fastest, flying out over the desert to intercept. According to the rumors in camp, their results had been poor: one soldier became Dragontouched and some of the others said they felt blessed. The crystallier had received nothing and she''d tried to attack the dragon, which promptly flew away. They''d been driven out of the camp by all the other hopefuls the next day.


    Training, working, and fighting had finally accomplished what all the Krysali exercises couldn''t: Kai had gained a Physique level. He wished that he''d been able to do it sooner, but then again he''d always known the E rank would be more difficult and his Physique was already on par with many of the strongest fighters in Krysal.


    Alternatively, he might have been pushed over the edge by the poison attempts. More than a few people had tried to target him because the Crystallier Cooperative got in their way exploiting the others, and their attempts took the form of poison after he trounced the first. He''d been getting better at detecting poison by taste alone, but none of them had done anything. No poisons in Krysal seemed dangerous enough to get through his monstrous abilities except whatever poison Omilaena used.


    He''d killed plenty of monsters during his work, but only one had been strong enough to form an essence in his soul. A monster they called a Pitbeast lived beneath the sand and let people fall into a sandy pit before eating them alive. It had taken several victims before Kai managed to kill it, though its surprisingly vicious attacks had actually drawn real blood.


    That incident had made him realize that all his work wasn''t in vain, or just a mark on a ledger. More people than he had expected, from civilians to soldiers, had come to offer something for his injuries as thanks for his help. They probably all thought he was trying to be stoic when in fact he needed to hide the fact that Aquagorgon''s Health was regenerating the wounds faster than a human could.


    His greatest frustration was that he hadn''t been able to merge his monstrous abilities effectively. It wasn''t solely that his attempts didn''t feel right, he thought he was running up against some sort of barrier. More than anything it reminded him of when he had been hitting the 99 Power limit to his soul.


    It had taken a special pill to break that barrier, and he doubted there were any equivalent pills for monsters.


    There hadn''t been any dragons seen for a week and people were beginning to trickle away as the realities of the search set in. When Kai received his next pay, he tried to tell himself that the money alone was worth it. He had a total of 74,000 Eagles now, which put him within a stone''s throw of his goal. It was no draconic blessing, but it was a more practical step toward his goal than betting everything on fate. Many of the crystalliers he''d met had burned significant parts of their fortunes on the futile chase.


    Then, just as many were beginning to pull away for good, a dragon descended on the dunes.


    After so long in the desert Kai had learned how to estimate sizes despite the endless dunes, and this one was big. Probably the biggest dragon they''d seen during the entire hunt, even larger than some of the wild stories he thought had been invented. Even hidden by rolling dunes he could still see the wings glittering like golden sails.


    This time there was no one else in the way, and no one else was prepared. An opportunity had finally fallen into his lap. Kai dropped the wagon he had been carrying and launched himself into the desert.


    "Not so fast!"


    As soon as Kai heard the shout, qi bolts began bombarding the sands around him. He ran faster instead of trying to dodge, then managed to shoot a glance over his shoulder. As expected, Graetri was flying after him atop one of the smaller crystals, releasing attack after attack.


    After getting in each other''s way so many times over the past month, the fight was overdue. Since the qi was still shooting after him, and the bolts were getting more accurate, Kai decided that this was the time. On the next dune he kicked off the sand, leaping into the air.


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    Graetri grinned and prepared to unleash an attack... Kai''s claw was faster.


    The Tyrant''s Claw cut through the next qi bolts and sliced the crystal into four pieces. Graetri managed to dodge, since he was deceptively agile for his size, but that left him without a vessel. They both dropped to the sands, Graetri slamming into the slope and Kai managing to skate down the side of the dune to keep running after the dragon.


    He could still see the dragon''s wings ahead. Closer, but not so far. Behind him there were a couple of other crystal ships, but they weren''t moving as fast as he could run. That meant he should get there first, so long as-


    Someone tackled him from behind and Kai hit the sand. He could feel Graetri on his back, pummeling at his neck and head. Kai had to draw deep on Direboar''s Strength to buck him off, but the other man didn''t fall far. They both scrambled to their feet, ready to fight.


    Given the second to think, Kai realized that this conflict was pointless. The past golden dragons hadn''t flown away after blessing one person and in fact fighting might potentially spook it. But he couldn''t just say that now, not from a position of weakness.


    The dragon was more important than any rivalry. Kai realized that he needed to end this quick.


    Graetri''s crystal necklaces began to glow and he launched a larger qi technique. Kai snapped his teeth and swallowed the attack whole before it could get moving. Then, while his opponent was still stunned, he swung a Tyrant''s Claw overhead, directly at his opponent''s side.


    And stopped inches from his skin.


    "There''s no reason for us to fight," Kai said evenly. "We''ve outpaced everyone else anyway. Why not just let both of us try for a blessing?"


    "You''ll just chase the dragon off." Graetri was eyeing him suspiciously, but he wasn''t generating any more qi techniques.


    "You can go first, if you insist. Are you really willing to gamble what might be our last chance on a stupid fight?"


    After a long stare, Graetri finally stood down. He then took off over the sands as if he intended to run there first. Kai could have outrun him but he decided to stay a step behind, both to prove his good intentions and to avoid further attacks from behind. Graetri''s men were still following after too slowly to catch up, so it might come down to the two of them.


    They slowed when they reached the top of a dune and saw the dragon sitting below. Its body was curled up but its wings spread wide, glowing as if they were absorbing something from the land. Kai was tempted to investigate in detail, and he was especially curious what his spiritual sight would tell him about the dragon''s soul, but he didn''t want to risk making it leave. There was no sense taking chances, even if other seekers claimed that the dragons were generally calm and never aggressive.


    When they started edging their way down the side of the dune, the dragon opened one burning golden eye to watch them. Graetri scowled at Kai suspiciously, so he rolled his eyes and made an elaborate bow to gesture the other man forward.


    "Oh great dragon, please grant me your blessing!" Graetri moved forward, raising his hands over his head as if praising the beast. It watched him without showing any sign of caring.


    Kai stood back and held his breath. All the information he''d been given, both from Orillia and other seekers, suggested that the dragons didn''t understand their language and didn''t want praise. Whatever their blessings were, they were something the dragons did naturally, possibly in response to the smell or spirit of the person approaching them. Or it might truly be pure luck, as some claimed.


    The dragon lifted its neck slowly, stretching somewhat like a cat. It moved closer to Graetri without any real haste, bumped a carriage-sized head against his chest, and then sniffed him.


    Golden flame glowed within the beast''s mouth, and for a moment Kai thought that a dragon was going to attack for the first time, but then power began to suffuse Graetri.


    He laughed and stared down at himself as a golden glow merged with his soul. Everyone else had said the dragons had mysterious powers, but seeing up close Kai could identify it: this was chakra. It was wilder and more fiery than what he''d seen when he fought Anaelina, but he recognized the power. Did that mean the dragons were from Rosemount? The revelation only made Kai more eager to see what he could gain, because he hoped to balance mana, qi, and chakra eventually.


    "Dragontouched?" Graetri stared down at his hands in satisfaction. "But I can''t access... come on, dragon, won''t you grant me the breath?"


    It let out a slow breath and lowered its head as if no longer interested.


    "Fine then... get out of here, you!"


    In a display of pure insanity, Graetri powered up his crystal necklaces and launched a technique into the dragon''s side. The qi splashed off its scales and the dragon growled. But instead of moving angrily, it only pushed its head forward, thumping Graetri on the chest and knocking him further away.


    Kai grabbed the man''s shoulder and tossed him further back. "You absolute bastard. What do you have to gain by trying to stop me?"


    "A gain for opponents is a loss for you." Graetri shrugged off his hand and smirked. "Lord Suortril is going to ask me to fight you eventually, I''m sure of it. But go on, even if you get a dragon ability I''ll still crush you."


    As much as Kai wanted to hit him for the betrayal, that wouldn''t be any smarter than it had been before. He glared at the other man and then smoothed his expression before he began walking toward the dragon.


    It opened its eyes again, watching him. Once more Kai felt a flicker of anxiety, especially since he still didn''t know just how powerful the dragon was, but he restrained himself. Perhaps it was the fighting, but the beast appeared a bit antsier, rising and twisting its neck as he got close.


    The enormous head shifted closer, the dragon sniffed him... and it let out a roar.


    Before Kai could react, the vast wings flapped and chakra surged. The dragon pushed itself into the air, faster than such an enormous creature should have been able to move, and in an instant it was flapping overhead. Kai found himself staring up into eyes that burned golden white, for a moment transfixed.


    Then the dragon opened its jaws and the flames poured out.

 Chapter 145: Building Against Fate

    For one beautiful second, Kai thought that the flames were filling his soul, then he realized that he was burning alive. The dragon was unleashing a torrent of flame while simultaneously roaring, trying to burn him into a crisp. If not for his Physique he would have already been dead.


    The raw power bound him in place, so Kai roared back. Instincts deeper than any human intuition told him that he couldn''t win this fight, that he was going to burn to a crisp, but he wasn''t going to go down accepting his fate.


    Kai felt his mouth opening even wider and something dark yawned within his soul. He tried to summon forth Isulfr''s Bite even though he was out of range and instead felt a maw open, trying to consume the golden flames. They were burning him from the inside out but he kept roaring back his defiance.


    Suddenly he was lying on his back and he was no longer on fire. He could smell his own flesh cooking, but he was alive. The dragon was flying further into the sky, pumping its wings rapidly.


    After that rejection, Kai had no reason to hold back. He extended his spiritual sight after the dragon.


    <


    Monster: Elder Golden Dragon


    Threat: XII (Mu)


    >


    "Fuck you, dragon." The words hurt his scorched lips. "I''ll eat you one day."


    It didn''t respond, simply continued dwindling into a golden speck.


    Kai wanted nothing more than to lie there and hurt. The burns to his skin were bad, agonizing in a way he hadn''t experienced before, but it felt like his soul itself had been scorched. He didn''t need to observe himself to know that he hadn''t been granted any magic dragon ability. Either the monster had sensed his real soul or it had just rejected him the way fate always rejected him.


    Abruptly he realized that he was at risk of being killed off by Graetri and jerked upright.


    Some of his skin tore away and sand dug into his wound, but Kai ignored the pain, searching for a threat. Nothing nearby. When he staggered to the top of a dune, he saw that Graetri and all his minions were running at full speed, probably having fled as soon as the dragon attacked. Which was actually the smart thing to do.


    After wavering on his feet for a while longer, Kai slumped back down. He knew he''d live, but Aquagorgon''s Health was straining itself to regenerate the deep injuries and he wouldn''t be at his best for a while. And yet, despite all the pain, he felt strangely clean. As though all the flames had burned away his distractions and concerns.


    Kai sat down carefully, his stance not meditation or cultivation or anything else, just a position where the burns were tolerable. It all seemed clearer now. When had fate ever granted him an easy blessing? If he was going to acquire an advantage, he''d need to build it himself, and that meant examining his soul.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 153


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 99% (25)


    Physique Level: E-4 (92)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Monstrous Hunger - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - V (epsilon)


    Aquagorgon''s Health - V (epsilon)


    Gomodo''s Stamina - V (epsilon)


    Isulfr''s Bite - IV (delta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - III (gamma)


    -


    Direclam''s Shell - I (alpha)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Infernotoad''s Burst - II (beta)


    Direserpent (???)


    Goreram (???)


    Pitbeast (???)


    Shademonger (???)


    Behemoth''s Heart (???)


    >


    Surviving the dragon''s breath had at last increased his Soul Level, and it made him feel surprisingly light. It wasn''t just luck that he had endured, it had been the combined strength of his journey to that point. In a strange way his soul felt more free, and the monsters inside felt restless.


    It was time. He could merge them together into something new.


    Kai had come to the firm conclusion that he needed to feed the monstrous essences to one another, and that there should be one monster that served as the primary. It had to be one of the strongest, which meant there were really only two options: Behemoth''s Heart and the Shademonger. He dismissed Wallcrawler''s Feet as too weak to be useful and set aside Infernotoad''s Burst for a later technique, which left him with four monsters.


    After a little thought, he decided that it had to be the behemoth. It had been one of the most difficult battles of his life, fought to defend the city where he''d been born. He didn''t think the monstrous essences were ruled by wishy-washy emotions, but starting with the ability he''d earned through blood and hunger felt right.


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    That monster had been immensely powerful and he felt certain that it could serve for his defensive abilities, the question was which. Could he feed it Gomodo''s Stamina? Kai began to move the statues within his soul and realized that he could, but it would be the wrong decision.


    The behemoth was much hungrier than that. He needed more.


    In that case, his first step would be to prepare his other abilities, to bring them to their peak before merging them. Kai experimented with Gomodo''s Stamina and immediately realized that the Goreram was compatible. Its thick hide and apparently inexhaustible charges were a good match. His stamina essence grew more powerful, but also heavier within his soul.


    If he was merging different monsters into one excellent defensive technique, why not go further? Kai had never been able to make Direclam''s Shell work for him and doubted that he was going to grow a shell. But that defensive power could definitely fuel another... he should feed it to Gomodo''s Stamina to transform it into an even better technique.


    Yet when Kai made the attempt, the monstrous essence resisted. It felt full and sated, and only a supreme effort of will managed to force it through.


    That was another lesson that he''d needed to learn stumbling in the dark: there was a limit to how much he could feed the essences together. Then it likely wouldn''t be possible to just eat a bunch of moderately strong monsters and keep merging their powers. He needed to be smart and selective.


    Kai took a break to focus on his physical body. He definitely didn''t feel well, and his burns looked hideous, but his body wasn''t in agony anymore. Most likely it would be premature to do anything with Aquagorgon''s Health, so he decided to just continue working on the theory.


    Perhaps his ideal would be to merge all of his physical abilities into the behemoth essence. He wasn''t sure what he would call it: not "Behemoth''s Hide" or anything similar, he wanted an ability that would enhance his body in every way.


    Clearly, the smart move was to merge the greatly enhanced Gomodo''s Stamina with Aquagorgon''s Health. Not wanting to risk that just yet, Kai instead turned his attention to Direboar''s Strength. That was certainly a strong contender for physical enhancement. Yet when he started pushing the monstrous essence together, everything felt off-kilter, unbalanced.


    It took a combination of mana exercises and cultivation meditation for him to discern what was wrong. Gomodo''s Stamina was a heavy combination while Direboar''s Strength was just a single monster''s essence, so they wouldn''t balance properly. That was another rule that would have been very convenient to have someone tell him, or for his spiritual sight to make explicit.


    He could work with it, though. Kai focused on his most recent monstrous essence and shaped it into a technique his soul labeled as Pitbeast''s Assault. Not just physical strength, but the vicious attacking power. Direboar''s Strength ate it eagerly and he could feel its base power rising. Now it felt similar enough to Gomodo''s Stamina that he thought he could merge the two.


    Could he combine three into one? When Kai experimented, very gingerly moving the power so as to avoid a premature fusion, he felt like it could work. Actually, he thought that three might be ideal for a truly powerful new ability. Two would be a little inadequate for a monster as hungry as the behemoth, while four seemed completely impossible when he tried an experiment.


    His wounds had yet to fully regenerate and wouldn''t for some time, but he was past the point of risking his life. Kai was still in a fugue state and didn''t want to let go, so he kept working.


    According to what he''d just learned, he''d need to strengthen Aquagorgon''s Health for it to balance the other two abilities. Unfortunately, he didn''t have many options left. He could feed it Wallcrawler''s Feet, but he immediately knew that the essence would just be digested for a minor boost, not a true upgrade.


    After a while, Kai decided to use Direserpent''s Speed. He wanted his monstrous strength to enhance his speed, after all, and that was a primarily physical ability. Worrying a little about his regeneration, he carefully fed Direserpent''s Speed into Aquagorgon''s Health.


    Immediately something churned in Kai''s stomach. It had worked, but the result wasn''t quite stable. So there were limits on how far he could push the monstrous essence. The behemoth''s power was enough to sustain both capacities, but the Aquagorgon wasn''t. Unless he merged them all together soon, he might end up with an ability that was weaker than it could have been.


    That meant he had no more time for contemplation or experimentation. Kai gathered up the full power of Direboar''s Strength, Aquagorgon''s Health, and Gomodo''s Stamina, and pushed them together...


    And realized that was wrong.


    Kai fell onto his hands, panting for breath. His soul felt heavier now and he was running a fever. Everything was coming to a head and he was risking a disaster, but the hunger that had guided him to this point was telling him that the combination wouldn''t work.


    Desperately diving into his soul, Kai examined the essence, searching for a rationale. It came to him soon enough: Direboar''s Strength had been an offensive ability from the very beginning, whereas all the others were passive and defensive. He could create an ability that merged many kinds of defense and regeneration, but an ability that tried to combine every single aspect of his body was too big, too unwieldy.


    Yet he wanted three essences or the end result wouldn''t reach its full potential. What was left? Kai very nearly considered throwing in the Wallcrawler, just to have something to use before his soul fell apart. It would have worked, he was sure of that, and the result wouldn''t have been too much weaker.


    Just when he was about to do it, Kai remembered the battle above the abyss.


    He had witnessed warriors of unfathomable power, wielding abilities he didn''t understand over a battle that dwarfed him. They utterly outclassed not just him, but the Diamond Crystalliers and the Frontier elites and everyone from the other continents. If he wanted to face them one day, Kai needed real power, not a compromise.


    Coming to that conclusion was well and good, but determination didn''t solve his problem and he was still running out of time. Kai desperately looked over his soul, even considering trying to use one of his techniques like his bite or claw.


    Then he felt something else: the Shademonger''s essence twisted eagerly. It wasn''t a monster he had fought himself, but it still distorted the world just the way the Frontier did.


    Abruptly he realized that was his solution. He focused and the essence transformed into Shademonger''s Spirit. Monstrous power from his soul began to merge into his flesh, just like his mana and qi had reinforced his body. It didn''t make him physically tougher, it enhanced his body to be more resistant to spiritual attacks.


    Shademonger''s Spirit was strong enough to equal the other two merged essences, but he was running out of time. Kai could feel the edges of his soul beginning to fray, as if the monsters were planning to tear themselves free. Worse, the behemoth had gone from being hungry to not sure it could consume the rest, but he forced himself onward before it was too late.


    Aquagorgon''s Health, won in battle with allies dying around him...


    Gomodo''s Stamina, striking down the beast as it rose over and over again...


    Shademonger''s Spirit, twisting with the raw unnatural power of the Frontier...


    Kai forced them all together and then blacked out.


    .


    ..


    .


    When he came to, Kai realized that his body felt fine. The sun had shifted lower in the sky, so he must have slept for a while. Everyone had presumably thought he was incinerated by the dragon and left him behind, which suited him fine.


    His work flooded back to him all at once and he desperately looked inside his soul, certain that he''d find it an absolute wreck. Instead he felt something throbbing in his chest, a new power deeply integrated with his body. Had it worked?


    During his experimentation, Kai had wondered whether or not he''d be able to name the new ability or whether his spiritual sight would label it according to its true nature. Now there was no question. Behemoth''s Heart pulsed within him, pumping monstrous power through his body.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 153


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 99% (25)


    Physique Level: E-4 (92)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Monstrous Hunger - VIII (theta)


    Behemoth''s Heart - I (alpha)


    Direboar''s Strength - V (epsilon)


    Isulfr''s Bite - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IV (delta)


    (Void)


    -


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Infernotoad''s Burst - II (beta)


    >


    The resulting ability was only ranked alpha, but he could immediately tell that its potential outstripped all the others. Even now, at the very first rank, it was regenerating his body faster than Aquagorgon''s Health had at the fifth. He couldn''t wait to test its raw power.


    Deep within him, the hunger burned hotter than the dragon''s flame.

 Chapter 146: From Golden Flame to Golden Coin

    With the dragon craze finally dying down, Kai returned home by carriage. He hadn''t received a dragon''s blessing, but Behemoth''s Heart pumped within his chest and that was more satisfying. Along the way back he finally let himself relax and take time to contemplate his next steps.


    Technically, he should have been thinking about his cultivation. With his latest payments he had almost 76,000 Goralian Eagles, which felt so close to his goal but was frustratingly far. One or two months of work, depending on how much extra he could earn. That would definitely be the next step forward, but it was hard to focus on slow cultivation when so much was happening in the monstrous side of his soul.


    The combination of multiple abilities had left a space for another - the emptiness had been manifestly obvious to him. He''d filled it with Infernotoad''s Burst, just in case he needed a long range skill, but that was just a stopgap. It felt better to have his monstrous capacities fully filled, though he wasn''t sure if it was actually stronger or it was just a subjective feeling.


    As he saw it, he had two paths ahead of him. Either he would find a monster with a stronger ability and feed the Infernotoad to it, or he would consume something with a strong passive ability and replace it. He leaned toward the latter, except that he wasn''t sure how they would interact. It was possible that placing some minor strengthening ability alongside something as incredible as Behemoth''s Heart would just accomplish nothing. Either way, he intended to make his decisions based on long term growth instead of short term advancement.


    With so many abilities merged into one, Wallcrawler''s Feet stood alone in his reserve. He almost felt bad for the mostly useless little ability, but he definitely wasn''t getting rid of it. His experience had just proved that he needed all the resources he could get and he never knew what might be useful.


    Most likely it would be some time before he made such a massive fusion again, but Kai resolved to be better prepared. As much time as he''d taken to figure out the rules of his power, there was more to learn and he couldn''t afford to make missteps.


    More than the new strength pumping in his chest, Kai was proud of having overcome the technical challenge. When random chance had given him monstrous capacities, it had given him a power that could backfire incredibly easily. Caution and preparation were all that kept him from disaster and he needed to remember that. It seemed unlikely that he was ever going to run into someone who could give him the answers, so he''d have to keep forging ahead himself.


    As Kai finally came into sight of Yulthens again, he realized that he was deeply hungry. It was difficult to sort through all the sensations sometimes. He no longer had an excess of monstrous essence inside him, but every ability felt oddly bloated, like it was straining against its bounds. Whenever he thought about monsters he felt another surge of hunger, yet he also felt strangely satisfied, like he''d just finished a good meal.


    And as always, the deepest hunger wanted to eat more, no matter what.


    Despite his training on the way back, he hadn''t upgraded Behemoth''s Heart, and he wasn''t sure if it was because such a powerful ability advanced more slowly or because of the limits of his soul. Either way, he felt like he was overdue for some focus on human abilities. He was looking forward to spending time with Zae Zin Nim again after the lonely desert, and he even missed fighting random crystalliers.


    Yulthens looked no different than before, as if the city was too vast to be affected by any trivial events that changed the lives of others. He noticed that some of the children in the streets were flying golden dragon kites alongside their floating crystals, but that was the only trace.


    Life went on.


    When he returned to Orillia''s estate he realized for the first time that he was still filthy. He''d urged the carriage to hurry all the way back and there hadn''t been time to clean up. Normally he wouldn''t have cared, but he''d grown accustomed to the traditions of Yulthens.


    Before he could sneak away, Orillia emerged from her front door at a brisk walk. "Kai, there you are! I wanted to tell you about how well you''ve done, but first priority: discussing a new problem that has come up. There is-" She drew closer to him and wrinkled her nose. "Never mind. First priority: cleaning you up. Second priority: explaining about the new problem."


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    "Does it have something to do with the dragon hunt?" Kai asked. "I did the best I could."


    "And you''ve done some real good, my boy, you have. But the world doesn''t revolve around you and there have been developments in your absence." Orillia cast her gaze over her estate. "Your companion has been busy... I''ll have to go get her to discuss this. But you, you need to bathe. Chop chop!"


    When Kai entered the main building he was set upon by several servants who clucked and prodded him toward the baths. All of Orillia''s servants were older, had been with the family for a long time, and were nearly as opinionated as their lady. They escorted him to a bathing chamber with a recessed pool that he hadn''t even known existed.


    It seemed like they intended to strip and scrub him themselves, but Kai put his foot down there. Instead he got the majority of the grime off with a simple bucket and then, at their insistence, slipped into the main pool. The water was scented and delightfully pleasant against his skin. Even though his burns had all healed, he still felt the burning sensation sometimes, so he luxuriated in the water.


    Kai sighed and let himself sink deeper into the pool. How long had it been since he''d really taken a break instead of rushing from objective to objective?


    Back in Monskon City, he had carefully managed his training and rest time to optimize both effort and growth during rest periods. Now his rest periods were determined by obligations that got in the way and he felt like he needed to spend every other second working. Of course, it had been easier to relax when he''d been with Juray. Damn, he missed her.


    "-time for the auction?" The voice filtered to him from outside the bathing chamber and he instantly recognized Zae Zin Nim.


    "I see no reason to wait," Orillia answered, getting closer. "The early miner gets the crystal."


    Technically he should probably have scrambled to dry off and put on clothes, but Kai''s body felt as though it had melted into the water. They would have to wait for him outside, at least for a few more minutes. Whatever was going on, it couldn''t be a life or death matter or Orillia wouldn''t have sent him to the bath. They could wait.


    Or not wait. The two women walked directly into the bathing chamber.


    Zae Zin Nim froze in mid-stride, let out a strangled squeak, and pivoted to turn her back. She looked as though she wanted to flee, but Orillia was coming right behind her and blocked the way.


    "You didn''t tell me this was a bathing chamber!" Zae Zin Nim hissed.


    "There''s no time for niceties." Orillia rapped her on the shoulder. "Besides, it''s nothing you haven''t seen a hundred times before."


    "That is most certainly not true!"


    His first impulse was to cover himself, but Kai realized that they were between both the towel and the steam room where he hoped his clean clothes were placed. Orillia marched directly up to the side of the pool as if she didn''t even notice he was naked. For her part, Zae Zin Nim had her back firmly turned and squirmed like she wanted to slink out of the room.


    "First a little catch-up for you," Orillia said sharply. "The crystalliers have been all aflutter about golden dragons, but the merchants of the city have bigger problems. There was an incident in one of the mines, a terrible disaster, and crystal shipments have slowed. We''re up to forty two Eagles per crystal, and if that keeps up Krysali society will grind to a halt."


    "So that''s the crisis?" Kai asked. He didn''t feel confident sitting there naked, but his voice actually sounded casual.


    "No, no, that was weeks ago! There have been all kinds of problems and fights I''ll skip over. What matters is that somehow Suortril has gotten his hands on a lot of items from overseas. They have qi that would be valuable in the best of times, so their value right now is skyrocketing."


    "They''re from Cloudspire," Zae Zin Nim said. She definitely didn''t sound comfortable and was clearly forcing herself. "I haven''t had the chance to investigate them, but they''re high quality."


    "To make matters worse, he''s set up an auction!" Orillia threw up her hands as if this was self-evidently absurd. "Auctions are trouble, mark my words. That boy... Suortril wants to extract every last crystal from this, mark my words."


    Kai raised an eyebrow. "That doesn''t sound like a crisis."


    "Then you don''t know auctions. Oh, there shouldn''t be any blood shed this time, but it will be trouble."


    "What exactly do you need us for?"


    "There will be people coming from all over Krysal, so bodyguards will be strictly necessary." Orillia sighed and shook her head. "Not everywhere is as civilized as Yulthens, you understand. Anyway, I need dear Hanelay here to confirm the value of auction items that aren''t familiar to me, so I''ll need you playing bodyguard. Now chop chop, let''s go!"


    Fortunately they didn''t need to go right that minute, despite her protestations. The two women left, allowing him to dress in peace. Kai examined his hair in a mirror and shaved as he considered the next steps. Speaking to the servants, he was able to learn more details.


    Apparently the grand auction in Mercantile Central was scheduled for next week, but there were numerous smaller auctions and sales beforehand. Orillia had many students and allies who she wanted to help and every single one of them needed a bodyguard, which was why she needed him immediately. She clucked about lost opportunities and urged him to move faster.


    Out of the literal dragon fire and into the claws of merchants. Kai definitely knew which one he preferred.

 Chapter 147: The Great Yulthens Auction House

    Despite everything Orillia said, auctions turned out to be boring. Oh, the merchants yelled at one another and gasped at bids, but it was all just merchant infighting. There weren''t even that many cultivation items, with many of the lots being dedicated to other items of value that apparently threw themselves in with the new trade from Cloudspire.


    So far he had only fought two crystalliers to defend Orillia''s allies and foiled one poisoning. He''d been immune to weak poisons for a while, but now that he was getting a taste for it he was actually a good bodyguard. It was just boring work.


    The silver lining, or in this case gold lining, was that he was being paid extra. Some of Orillia''s allies were poor souls she wanted to help, but others were merchants with coin to spare. Every single one of them gave him a day wage and some even gave him extra tips if they liked him. Others might have considered it undignified, but Kai didn''t care: every coin was a step closer to 100,000 Goralian Eagles, which made all of them just stepping stones on his path upward.


    Zae Zin Nim disliked the work and also seemed uncomfortable for reasons she wouldn''t explain to him. She said that she was keeping her eyes open for perfect qi materials and would have Orillia buy them for the best possible price. So they''d be acquired soon and then Kai would just need to come up with the money to square the deal.


    He''d earned almost 10,000 additional Eagles by the night of the grand auction. There were no special arrangements for that night: both of them would be accompanying Orillia to Mercantile Central. It proved to be a sprawling complex of which the massive dome of the auction house was but a tiny part. On the way he''d thought the elaborate gold-brocaded tunic had been too much, but now he felt under-dressed. Zae Zin Nim had opted for Krysali wrappings instead of any of her nicer robes.


    After all the pomp and circumstance, they found their place on a balcony in a massive circular chamber viewing a central stage. Kai was more interested in the other balconies, and especially the crystalliers they contained, than the random shows of wealth being displayed. Their balcony was comfortable but far from the largest, which were reserved for the top rows. He didn''t see any kind of main floor where ordinary people could even stand.


    "You two will stay here until I purchase something," Orillia told them. "Then you''ll go down to acquire it securely. Don''t worry about me here, nobody would attack me in front of everyone."


    "Understood," Kai said. "And until then?"


    "I''m sure you two will end up talking to each other anyway, so just do it quietly so I can bid." She swatted them affectionately with a long stick that must be her bidding cue and then shuffled into her seat.


    In this case she was right. Kai glanced over at Zae Zin Nim, then they took seats to the side of the balcony, where they could theoretically defend against attacks both from other positions and the door behind them. That wasn''t probable, though, so he began searching for the most powerful figures in the city and the Diamond Crystalliers that went along with them.


    He felt Vyorrine Nermtrian first - she didn''t look exactly smug, but she was wearing a long scarf that shimmered with golden dragon symbols. She sat casually just behind her patron, who was cloaked entirely in heavy robes and a hat with a veil.


    After her, Kai looked for her opponent. Soon enough he spotted Traelisia of the Earthquake, who glowered from the lowest seat in her balcony. She was only one of several who sat around the edges, theoretically defending Suortril. He scorned the plush chairs in the balcony, still hovering on his crystal seat. Kai had to wonder if he had a way to shit in the thing.


    Looking around the region with the most powerful merchants led him to another Diamond Crystallier: Ren Ziq Quen sat beside Riuklina, looking rather bored by the whole affair. That was three, but seeing another cultivator made him think of Zae Zin Nim, who still looked anxious.


    "Do you know something about an attack?" he asked.


    "No, I''m searching for the new cultivators." Zae Zin Nim pressed her lips together as if she planned to say nothing else, then spoke more quietly. "They allegedly come from a different part of Cloudspire. I haven''t seen anyone I know, but I haven''t seen most of the new group. They came in a flying ship that could have been from home."


    "And if you do recognize something, that''s... bad? Good?"


    "Bad." She said nothing else and continued glowering around the room.


    As the auctions started, Kai managed to find Tareth Nordulind, though it was almost by soul alone. He''d exchanged his Direboar pelt for respectable Krysali wraps and even tamed his hair into a single tail, looking shockingly respectable. Unlike the others, he was standing on the ground floor with a group of city officials. They didn''t appear to be coordinating anything related to the auction, just watching for trouble.


    The auction was boring until they finally announced an item of real power: some sort of artifact from Rosemount that was rumored to be a legendary weapon. It proved to be a spear elaborately carved from wood, but Kai was more interested in the man who was carrying it. None of the other items being auctioned had a guard attached to them.


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    He was a middle-aged Krysali man, wrapped in cloths that were expensive but not that uncommon. Yet there was definitely an aura of power around him that couldn''t be entirely hidden by his shroud. It was a relatively weak one, almost a formality, but Kai didn''t try to pierce it, instead trying to discern the man''s power. No weapons, no crystals...


    Until the man smiled and revealed that his teeth had been entirely replaced with crystals.


    "Who is that?" Kai asked. Zae Zin Nim shrugged and pointed back.


    "Ask her."


    "Hmm?" Orillia pulled up a pair of spectacles as if she hadn''t noticed, then shook her head. "Oh, that''s Boreas of Kartiis. He''s an independent Diamond Crystallier, so Mercantile Central usually hires him for security. The sort of security that can never be bought off, you understand."


    Finally, the last of the five. Kai pushed harder to examine the man''s soul and the shroud gave way surprisingly easily.


    <


    Name: Boreas of Kartiis


    Total Power: 422


    Crystal Cultivation: 1,002,084 (351)


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    Immediately Kai realized that the shroud was just a courtesy: Boreas wanted everyone to know his strength. He didn''t have a single ability except crystal cultivation, but he had apparently absorbed the insane number of over one million crystals.


    Kai let out a low whistle. "That''s strong."


    "Crystal cultivation seems to suffer from rapidly diminishing returns," Zae Zin Nim said disapprovingly. "He''s concentrated one million crystals and that''s his Power? Stronger than a Nascent Foundation cultivator, admittedly, but how many crystals would it take to equal an Earth Soul cultivator?"


    "He could be stronger with another source of power, but it doesn''t look like he''s even tried. I wonder if that''s some sort of message."


    "How much money would that require, anyway?"


    "With a number that big, there''s almost no math," Kai said with a shrug. "At a low crystal exchange rate, it might mean twenty or thirty million Goralian Eagles, but at a high rate it could be fifty or sixty. Either way, that''s an enormous investment."


    While they were talking, the bidding ended with Suortril the victor. He smiled as if that was only to be expected and gestured for Traelisia to go get his purchase. The auction moved on, but Kai found himself staring at the merchant instead of the relatively mundane vials of qi being sold next.


    "How do you think Suortril defends himself?" Kai asked. Zae Zin Nim glanced toward him briefly and then shook her head.


    "I''ve been told that his prism is invincible and activates instantly, not according to his will. It can''t be truly invincible, but allegedly it does resist qi. I haven''t heard of an artifact that can do that."


    "We''re sure that he''s just a merchant, not a fighter?"


    "Everyone says that he scorns personal cultivation. It is likely true."


    "Let me see..." Kai focused his eyes, wondering if the prism that had so easily knocked him back would repel his spiritual sight. To his surprise, he got through surprisingly easily, it was more trouble sorting past all the symbols from others.


    <


    Name: Suortril of Yulthens


    Total Power: 31


    Physique Level: F-0 (30)


    Soul Level: 1 (1)


    >


    It had been a long time since Kai had seen someone with such a simple soul. Suortril had nothing except a Physique of F-0, which struck him as exactly the amount of training necessary for his body to be infused with mana or qi. There wasn''t even the slightest hint that he had so much as tried to seek any other form of power.


    "He must be really confident in that prism," Kai muttered. "And now he has another weapon."


    "He isn''t so invincible," Zae Zin Nim said. "The prism wouldn''t protect him against poison."


    "I feel like someone who spends this much money would have bought something against poison."


    While they discussed potential ways to get around Suortril''s prism or otherwise kill him, the auction continued. Kai had been hoping that the items necessary for his breakthrough would come up, but there was no sign of them, so he paid less and less attention.


    The merchants all gasped at various points, but something about the shock distracted him. Kai looked again, followed the turning heads, and saw why they were staring: Omilaena sat in one of the middle balconies, looking smug as a cat with a bird in its mouth.


    "Who''s that?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "The woman who took over New Laeneria." Kai looked around and saw more than a few angry faces. "It''s fair play, and not really different from what many of them have done, but she''s getting in the way of their business and so they don''t like her."


    "Huh." After examining the other woman for a long while, Zae Zin Nim sat back. "Bold."


    There was likely more going on under the surface, but Kai didn''t understand all sides of the issue. He idly wondered what had happened with Unklian and whether there had been any consequences of his deception.


    Their musings were interrupted when Orillia actually wanted to bid on something: a selection of mana potions that allegedly helped kick-start crystal cultivation with fewer crystals. She swung her bidding stick like a sword each time, as if she could intimidate her rivals into giving up. Since the largest bidders weren''t interested, she managed to claim the whole set.


    "Now be careful with those!" Orillia admonished them as they got to their feet. "You bring them straight back here and don''t take your eyes off them."


    "We will," Kai promised. "But if the qi materials I need come up, please-"


    "I know, I know. You''ve been very helpful, so I''ll definitely buy them. But I need those potions for my students, so go pick them up - chop chop!"


    They walked through the back floors to the vaults on the lower level, where the actual exchanges were made. Kai saw plenty of soldiers, but they were allowed in just by showing their crystallier badges and that struck him as a flaw in security. In any case, once inside the perimeter they needed to weave through back corridors to find their room.


    In the back Kai saw more servants as well as soldiers and crystalliers. He caught a glimpse of some cultivator robes and looked in mild interest, then suddenly Zae Zin Nim grabbed his arm as if she wanted to tear it off.


    "Hide me." Her eyes were wider than he''d ever seen, so Kai immediately grabbed her and ducked into a side corridor.


    The maneuver had her practically pinned to the wall against his chest, which should have been embarrassing, but something was deeply wrong. Kai waited until the corridor behind them cleared and then pulled back. He''d expected to find Zae Zin Nim blushing or squirming, but her eyes burned with something he hadn''t seen before.


    "I know them," she said softly. "They''re from the Brightwind sect. My father must have sent them for me."

 Chapter 148: Fleeing From Family

    "Wait, wait, your father?" Kai helped Zae Zin Nim through the back corridors while trying to remember everything she''d said. She''d told him about her family in the past, but it had been a long time ago. "Are you sure it''s not a coincidence and they''re just trading with Yulthens?"


    "If they did, it''s true that I wouldn''t have known," she shook her head sharply, "but it cannot be chance. He knows I went to Deadwaste. Sending a group like this after me would be exactly his usual methods."


    "But I recall that he didn''t care about you anymore, since you were blocked. Why change his mind now? Why send them here?"


    "For why... if he had all his experts watching Deadwaste for any reason, they would have noticed my qi when I broke through and deduced it was me. As for the exact location... I can only hope that is a coincidence and he is searching across the continent. If they specifically know I''m here, then this situation is much worse."


    Though Zae Zin Nim gave the sense of being razor focused, Kai was certain that was her way of covering over fear. He''d seen her facing what appeared to be certain death and she hadn''t been like this. Just how much of a hold did her father have over her?


    "I guess I won''t question that any more," Kai said, "but you have to explain if you want me to help. Why order me to hide you?"


    "Because I have to assume they''re using specialized techniques to locate me." She reached a corner, peered around the side, then gestured for him to follow. "They must have a way to filter out crystal cultivation, given the location. Your soul is one of the few things that would completely obscure mine, or so I hope."


    "I''m glad to help you with this, but what next? We need to pick up the bid and you don''t want to be visible. How do we actually proceed?"


    After a fraught discussion, Zae Zin Nim hid in a back room and tried to completely erase her presence. She said she could remain hidden while still, but needed him to come back and get her. So Kai had to leave to pick up Orillia''s potions and deal with the rest of their business.


    He had to avoid staring at every single cultivator he passed. They didn''t so much as glance at him.


    On the way back he planned how he was going to explain the incident to Orillia. But when he arrived, he found that the auction house was in an uproar. He hastened to the dowager''s side, trying to glean anything useful from the chaotic voices around them.


    "What took you so long?" Orillia pulled him down into the chair beside her and lowered her voice. "They claim there''s been a theft of some of the items. Not mine, thankfully. Also, I purchased those resources you wanted, and I would have sent you off for them if you''d come back in time. Stay here for now."


    "Is the auction canceled?" Kai asked.


    "With profit to be made? Of course not! But everyone will be quite restive from now on."


    The bidding on the remaining lots was tense and sometimes angry. Kai noticed that some of the balconies were empty, including Suortril''s and Omilaena''s. He worried about Zae Zin Nim the entire time and was relieved when the last item was finally purchased.


    Orillia didn''t complain in the slightest as they left, suddenly the very picture of focus and efficiency. The two of them descended into the holding area, where he found that security had increased. Not due to more soldiers or auction house officials, but crystalliers and other enforcers from various merchants. Without him, Orillia likely would have been pushed aside, and without her, Kai would have needed to talk his way through more problems.


    One group was unavoidable: a small bunch of cultivators wearing foreign silk robes. Several of them glanced oddly at his soul, presumably surprised by his cultivation, but they never looked twice. If they were anything like Zae Zin Nim had been at first, they probably dismissed everyone on Deadwaste as weak fools who could only cobble together a little power.


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    He used the opportunity to get a better look at their souls without attracting attention.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 334


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 5% (250)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    All their souls were so similar, the cultivators seemed like copies of one another. Every single one was at the Nascent Foundation stage, with exactly the same Physique Level. Now he understood why Zae Zin Nim had looked at cultivation stage and nothing else.


    Still, it was a bit intimidating that her family - the Brightwind sect apparently - could marshal forces like this just for a search party. On one hand it made sense that they wouldn''t send anyone weaker, since they knew Zae Zin Nim was at Nascent Foundation, but it was still a display of Cloudspire''s strength. These servants were in range of the top crystalliers. He could only hope that they didn''t have an Earth Soul cultivator with them or the imbalance would be even worse.


    Eventually they picked up all their items, including his qi - that concern felt very distant at the moment. As they moved out to their carriage, Orillia leaned closer to him.


    "And where is Hanelay?" she asked.


    "Trapped in the back rooms by the chaos." Kai knew that answer might not work perfectly, but it was all he had on short notice. "Is there a side entrance, anywhere she could slip out?"


    "To the northwest." Orillia didn''t ask a single question, just gave him directions. Kai thanked her and then plunged back into the confused frenzy.


    After a very tense walk back, he found Zae Zin Nim where she''d hidden. She was kneeling behind a stack of supplies, but she was there. As soon as he arrived she sprang up and stuck close, her eyes flickering around the exits.


    "I think the cultivators pursuing me have left," she said quietly. "But they''ll be alert for any incidents. What''s going on out there?"


    "Some kind of theft, presumably the kind they were worried about with all this security." Kai put an arm around her shoulders as if she was injured or disoriented, and to his surprise Zae Zin Nim not only didn''t flinch, she remained fiercely focused. "I have an exit for us, but we can''t move too fast or we''ll attract attention."


    "That''s fine."


    They moved in silence for a while, dodging others rushing after their personal problems. Kai wanted to ask Zae Zin Nim more details about her family, but it felt like mentioning the issue might speak their enemies into existence. Instead they pretended to be on important business as they left the corridors of the auction house and walked into the courtyard. From there it was a short distance to a small gate that stood open with only a few moving nearby.


    "Hey!"


    They''d been so close to the exit, about to walk free. Kai considered just sprinting the remaining distance, but rushing would only draw more suspicion down on them. He turned around casually, as if only surprised to be yelled at. As he did so, Zae Zin Nim shifted to stay at his back, maybe to defend him but also to keep herself obscured.


    "Why are you skulking around here?" The person who had shouted turned out to be Graetri - Kai hadn''t recognized his voice, but he definitely recognized the face. His rival from the desert looked even more surprised. "Wait, Kai? How the fuck are you still alive?"


    "The dragon didn''t quite finish me off," Kai said casually. "Got lucky, I guess. Listen, we need to get our purchases back, so we''ll just be on our way."


    "Not so fast." Graetri drew himself up and his eyes narrowed. "Someone has stolen something extremely valuable from Lord Suortril. We have no idea how they got in and out... but it occurs to me that a crystallier could probably walk out with the supplies."


    "You don''t think everyone else thought of that?" Kai spread his arms to either side as if he was just frustrated by the entire thing. "Search us if you have to! But we need to get everything back to security before the thief strikes again, so hurry up with it."


    For a moment it looked like his bluster worked. Graetri frowned but started to step back, as it was obvious that neither of them was carrying anything large. Then something in his face shifted. Kai couldn''t put a name to the exact change, but he saw a glint of malice.


    "Kai! This is what the dragon wouldn''t give you!" Graetri sent a spike of crystal flying at him, but it was bright gold. Kai knew that it must be connected to his Dragontouched ability, the problem was that he didn''t know how much it would empower the attack.


    There was no time: Kai struck the shard with an overhand swing, smashing it to the concrete. The impact cut his hand, but did no further damage. Graetri stared for a moment, then glowered at him. Since no further attacks were incoming, Kai merely scowled back, then finally left the auction grounds with Zae Zin Nim in tow.


    "If you''re going to fight him, do it soon," she said flatly. "We''re going to have to deal with a lot worse."

 Chapter 149: Negotiating for the Next Battle

    Once they had gotten back to Orillia''s estate, things should have calmed down, but Zae Zin Nim radiated constant tension. Kai made sure that Orillia had everything she needed and the supplies were secured, then he headed back to their chambers. When he sat down opposite Zae Zin Nim his intention must have been obvious, because she took a deep breath and spoke quietly.


    "I am even more certain that they were looking for me. They may have been sent to sell goods as a secondary objective, but they''ll pursue if they notice me." She closed her eyes and clasped her hands in her lap carefully. "I may be able to cultivate if I''m far enough away from them. But we can''t be too careful."


    "Let''s assume you''re right about their goals," Kai said. "What exactly are you expecting to happen? You think if they notice you they''ll drag you back home in chains?"


    "I believe they will try. My father may have underestimated me, sending cultivators at my same stage, or we may have chanced on a weaker group. But if they realize I''m here, they''ll do everything they can to detain me, or worse contact my father. This cannot be allowed to happen."


    "So you say, but why won''t you tell me what you''re so afraid of?"


    "It is not fear, it is rational concern." Her breaths were coming faster, though. Kai took a deep breath and thought through his next words carefully.


    "Zae Zin Nim. Have I ever been anything but an ally to you?" He leaned forward, trying to capture her gaze. "I want to help. Tell me what''s going on."


    She stared back at him for a time, sighed, and answered slowly. "I already told you the truth. My father treats everyone as a tool, and if he gets his hands on me, I''ll become a pawn for him again. The longer I''ve been away, the more I feel I can''t go back... not until I''m strong enough to fight him."


    "Alright, I understand that. As I said, I want to help. But what do you intend to do, leave the city to dodge them?"


    "If we can. But first you have to understand: they don''t care about the things you do. They''ll kill anyone who gets in their way, even without knowing about me. You have to be prepared to kill them, which means breaking through to-"


    "Wait. Isn''t fighting them already a bad scenario? Even if we win, your father will notice that the people he sent out to Yulthens didn''t come back, then he''ll send stronger cultivators."


    "Yes, but that would buy us a long time compared to being discovered." Zae Zin Nim met his gaze fiercely. "We have to be prepared for all possibilities. That''s why you need to reach the Body Refinement stage. Forget about the money. I''ll pay the rest, or we can steal it, or whatever is necessary. Right now we need power."


    "What about you?"


    "All I can do is cultivate and hope that I can reach the Earth Soul stage before my father sends more of his servants."


    Kai was about to argue otherwise when there was a knock on the door. Both of them leapt, ready to fight, and only later realized there was no dangerous opponent. Just one of Orillia''s servants, who poked her head in to look at them.


    "Very sorry to disturb you, my lord, my lady, but there''s something of a problem. A very large barbarian man wants to talk to you and he seems rather impatient."


    After everything else, that threw them completely. They glanced at one another, then followed the servant out to the main courtyard of Orillia''s estate. Zae Zin Nim remained back, as if convinced that her father''s agents would be waiting around every corner.


    Instead, Tareth Nordulind was waiting for them. He''d put his Direboar hide on over his expensive tunic, which was a strange look for him, but the hard expression in his eyes made it impossible to laugh.


    "Are the two of you willing to contribute to the defense of Yulthens?" he asked.


    "That''s an aggressive start," Kai said. "Why would you come to us first, out of everyone you could ask?"


    "Well, you see, the theft at the auction was worse than anyone guessed. An item was stolen, but fuck me if that wasn''t a distraction. Our guests from Cloudspire are claiming that valuable resources were stolen from them while everyone was busy, and they''re not happy about it. By ''not happy'' I mean they''re threatening to kill city leaders unless the criminals are brought to them for punishment."


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    "That still didn''t answer the question. We aren''t suspects, are we?"


    "What? No. Well, one of Suortril''s crystalliers claimed you were suspicious, but the merchants are throwing around all kinds of false accusations." Tareth readjusted his boar-hide uncomfortably. "The truth is that we need someone to calm down all these foreign cultivators. Obviously I asked Ren Ziq Quen first, but he said he was from a different sect and they didn''t mix. So... you''re the only other Cloudspire cultivator I know who''s around the same level."


    "I fear that I cannot be of service to you." Zae Zin Nim gave a smooth bow, as polite and calm as if she hadn''t been planning war minutes earlier. "I fear my sect is actually a rival of your visitors'', so my presence would only cause further trouble."


    "Damn. I guess that would have been too easy."


    Kai was impressed with how quickly Zae Zin Nim had deflected. He''d been wondering if she was determined to fight it out, but she was too smart to throw them into battle carelessly. If that had been all, it would have ended smoothly enough, but then Tareth turned to look at Kai.


    "What about you? Would you be willing to take a serious risk? You''d be well-compensated, but..."


    "What kind of risk?" Kai asked. "I''m not from Cloudspire, I don''t know anything about this."


    "If we can''t pacify the foreigners, then our next bet is to actually find the thief." Tareth folded his arms across his chest and his tunic strained with the movement. "Here''s the problem: all the merchants are blaming one another. I can''t get a single commitment from anyone tied to them, and that''s most of the city. But I need crystalliers - decent ones, mind you - for a potential bad job."


    "You mean you think you know something about who was responsible?"


    "Everybody in charge thinks so, anyway. But this isn''t about tonight. Tonight we have to stop fights and get the merchants under control and calm down those damn cultivators. I just wanted to know if you''d be willing to risk your life for this. You''d be well-compensated by the city, tens of thousands."


    It was another abrupt shift in a night that had included too many, but Kai forced himself to adjust. "What exactly would it involve?" he asked. "We''re obviously dealing with problems of our own."


    Tareth shrugged his massive shoulders. "It depends. Most likely we''ll need to investigate the foreigners and their ship, because that''s where the theft happened. But then the bad part: we''ll probably be breaking into one of the guest estates. All our visitors are imprisoned in the city until the theft gets figured out, ya see. We''re going to break into one to find proof, and we''ll probably find a fight too."


    It seemed like unnecessary trouble to Kai, but he saw that Zae Zin Nim was looking at him insistently. Why would she want to encourage this? Perhaps it had to do with investigating the ship from Cloudspire, or it was part of her scheme to fight the cultivators, or something else he couldn''t predict. Whatever the reason, Kai had his own concerns.


    "I''m willing to help," he said, "but right now I''m not much stronger than your average crystallier. If you pay me the money now, I can complete some important training. With that, I should be able to help you."


    "What?" Tareth stared at him several seconds, then laughed and began rooting around in his pack. "Fuck it, I don''t care. Consider this a down payment on your service to the city. But you better turn this into some real power, and you''d better be willing to put your life on the line when the time comes."


    Eventually he found what he was looking for and put together a pouch of gold, which he hurled at Kai''s chest. Not as an act of aggression, just using his full strength without thinking. Kai automatically caught it with one hand and was surprised at how Behemoth''s Heart absorbed the impact.


    "Five days, six at most." Tareth waved a hand behind him. "Be ready."


    He left the estate in a single bound and was off into the night. That left Kai standing there with Zae Zin Nim, even less sure what to make of everything. It felt like the pouch was surprisingly heavy... when he counted out the coins, he was sure that it contained at least 20,000 Eagles.


    Was that really how his work would end? Then again, if this all proved as dangerous as expected, he''d be glad to break through as soon as possible.


    "I don''t know anything about the theft," Zae Zin Nim said thoughtfully. "Most likely it''s unrelated. But if whatever was stolen was this important, they''ll turn the city upside-down looking for it. That''s exactly what we need to avoid. If you do this, you might be able to confirm what they know and direct them away."


    "I guess that''s the ideal outcome." Kai left unsaid that he really doubted everything would go so easily.


    "Now, forget all of that. We need to go to the old woman right now and get those resources for you. It''s well past time you became a real cultivator."


    After so much work to build up 100,000 Goralian Eagles, it ended up as a bizarre mess. With the early payment, Kai had a total of 107,000, and apparently Orillia had actually bought it for 96,000. Rather an anticlimax, but he preferred that to selling his shoes for the final coins and rushing to cultivate at the last second.


    Actually, given how the night had gone, Orillia would probably have not been a stickler for the details. Kai still felt better having paid for his advancement properly. For all the work it had taken, he now had access to the finest qi resources that money could buy, even on Cloudspire.


    He''d been struggling to cultivate ever since Zae Zin Nim had introduced him to the idea, back before he''d even understood his powers. Now that he was finally here, ready for his first breakthrough, it was no longer his salvation, just another step on his path. Potentially an important step, but only enough to sate his hunger for a while longer.


    Given everything bearing down on them, it wasn''t a second too soon.

 Chapter 150: The End of Qi Condensation

    "I''m sorry that I cannot join you." Zae Zin Nim apologized, then to his shock got down on her knees in the courtyard and put her forehead to the ground. There was no one but the two of them, but he was still stunned to see her lower herself like that. "You were there for me when my cultivation was blocked and I most needed allies. But I can only guide you this far."


    "Is that why you''ve gone over everything so many times?" Kai asked. "I don''t get why you wouldn''t watch."


    "When you break through to the next stage of cultivation, especially with such pure qi, you will attract the attention of the Brightwind cultivators. If they see me, things will turn very bad. But if they see you alone, using similar techniques, it will put them on a false trail and help me hide in the future. Again, I apologize for doing this when I should be helping you on your path."


    "Hey, hey... you don''t need to apologize." Kai bent down uncomfortably and touched her shoulder, trying to draw her up. "We work together, right? You''ve taken me so much further than I thought I could go, I''m glad to do this to help you."


    She rose to her feet and pushed his hand away, but her fingers seemed to linger on his wrist. "I... remember that you need to push through at the absolute limit." She pulled her arm back and set her face in a defensive scowl. "If you let the qi ebb, your breakthrough will be weakened. At worst, you''ll be weaker than every other Body Refinement cultivator. But even a small flaw could make it impossible to reach the next stage."


    "I know, we''ve covered it enough." Kai smiled and let her review the facts one more time before he finally departed.


    Reaching the first major stage of cultivation had been so long in coming that Kai had been half-convinced that something terrible would happen to stop him. There were more than enough opportunities for something to go wrong: the search for the thieves, the Cloudspire delegates causing trouble, even Graetri demanding a duel.


    None of those were enough to prevent him from walking out of Yulthens and preparing himself. The guards searched him thoroughly and suspiciously, but it didn''t turn into any blood vendetta and he was eventually allowed through.


    All the details he''d gone over with Zae Zin Nim were easy in theory, difficult in practice. He''d completely prepared the dantian inside him, now he just needed to fill it with qi to the absolute bursting point. If he pushed further, all the qi would be condensed into a more powerful form that would then reinforce his body.


    This was supposed to be a science, not some matter of luck, so there should be no way for fate to ruin everything for him. Kai didn''t let himself get confident regardless.


    Once he was outside and alone, he sat down and spread out the items that had cost him so much time and effort. The most valuable were three qi pills: one white, one red, and one black. Far outside the norm, they had a nearly clear pill derived from some monster. There was also a vial of liquid that was the qi equivalent of a potion, plus some generic pills in case he needed more qi than he had available. Zae Zin Nim was very insistent that he not use any of the muddied or crystallized qi from the local environment, only the pure type.


    Kai took a deep breath and focused himself. First the white pill... an enormous flood of qi cascaded through his body, far stronger and more potent than anything he''d ever experienced before. Was this really what qi felt like on Cloudspire? It was harder just to deal with the shock than to actually gather it.


    Soon his dantian was filled, but that was when the first complication arose. Zae Zin Nim had told him that there might be interference with his mana, which was the part of the process that held the greatest risk, because there weren''t good paths for mixing the two types of energy. If he started to feel pain or the qi destabilized, he needed to abort before he deviated dangerously.


    His mana surged, responding to the energy, but that intense power was the exact opposite of the calm he needed. Kai held his dantian firm in one part of his mind while focusing on his mana, willing it back down. He managed to pull it off surprisingly quickly, his mana pulling away from the dantian and instead suffusing the rest of his spirit.


    Next the red pill... as soon as he swallowed, he felt his dantian begin to tremble. Not like it was going to break, instead attaining some sort of higher energy state. That was supposed to happen too, but it meant that he was now on a timer.


    Qi gathered, mana quelled, dantian prepared - he could make the attempt provided that nothing was wrong. Kai checked his Physique and Soul, but they were both irrelevant to the Qi Condensation stage and fortunately he saw no problems at all.


    Except that there wasn''t as much qi as there should have been. Kai frowned and checked his technique, wondering if he''d been inadvertently losing it. But no, his control was solid, the only problem was that some was missing. He''d never experienced so much before, so he hadn''t noticed when some of it slipped away somehow.


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    When he realized the problem he felt the bottom drop out of his stomach: something deep within him was consuming the qi. Not all of it, but a steady drain into the monstrous side of his soul. Zae Zin Nim had said that his monstrous powers would not exist in an ordinary cultivator, and hoped the monstrous essence would remain uninvolved. One of the reasons he''d needed to spend so much was to have contingency plans in case it didn''t play along. Apparently it wasn''t going to.


    Kai took one of the extra qi pills, which temporarily topped him up. Only enough for a moment... he could try to turn off the drain, but he was so hungry...


    Instead he put several of the pills in his mouth at once, followed with the clear monster pill, and washed them down with the potion. As his body exploded with a frankly dangerous amount of qi, he directed half of it into the consuming maw and the other half to his dantian.


    It swelled and for a moment he thought it would shatter, then all at once the qi began to shift. Every drop of it became denser and more powerful, a process that swirled through his dantian and transformed everything. As soon as it was done the power surged on, spreading through his body. Even though he was already suffused with mana, his body drank in the qi as well.


    That left him sitting alone, burning with energy. Kai blinked several times, wondering if that could be all. He''d nearly failed a couple times, but compared to being attacked by a dragon, breaking through his cultivation had been downright serene.


    Someone was watching him. His spiritual senses were far sharper than before and he immediately identified the source: one of the cultivators from Cloudspire was hovering over the city, standing on some kind of flying sword. The man looked at him briefly, seemed to shake his head, then he vanished back underneath the crimson wall.


    Another problem out of the way. Kai finally allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief and checked his soul.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 228


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 0% (100)


    Physique Level: E-4 (92)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Monstrous Hunger - VIII (theta)


    Behemoth''s Heart - I (alpha)


    Direboar''s Strength - V (epsilon)


    Isulfr''s Bite - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IV (delta)


    Infernotoad''s Burst - II (beta)


    -


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    >


    After the long grinding path, cultivation was finally paying off for him. The raw boost had raised his Power rating above 200, but more importantly he felt as though his soul was in some way enlarged. When he tried to draw on more monstrous essence, it didn''t quite work, yet all of the abilities within him felt free, as if eager to grow.


    Breakthrough accomplished, Kai headed back into Yulthens. His achievement was critical to him, but the city at large didn''t care, so he just had to endure the search again, slip through the crowds, and get back to the estate. He had barely arrived before Zae Zin Nim came to greet him with a small smile on her face.


    "Congratulations, Kai. You can truly be called a cultivator now."


    "I didn''t screw anything up?" he asked. "I followed all your instructions, but I don''t know about evaluating meridians and all of the complicated stuff that makes one different from another."


    "I cannot find fault with your advancement." She nodded in satisfaction. "This will be useful for me, as I should be able to cultivate more easily without being discovered, but it should be even more useful to you. Even if you use your full abilities, others are unlikely to understand your real nature... unless you physically go all... monstery."


    "You''d actually say ''monstrous'' there."


    "I choose to say monstery."


    Over the next two days, they dedicated themselves almost wholly to training. Zae Zin Nim remained focused on her cultivation, despite the gap between her and the next stage, and Kai decided that it wasn''t his place to argue about her strategy. For his part, he divided his time between strengthening and control.


    One of his primary concerns was using his monstrous abilities while appearing completely human. He could pull it off with everything except Isulfr''s Bite, and Infernotoad''s Burst simply looked weird. But there were people from the Elemental Nations running around with flame-like or wind-like hair, so it wasn''t the weirdest thing seen in Krysal. So long as his soul remained intact, he looked like a cultivator with some sort of foreign technique.


    Simply using those abilities was beginning to strengthen them, he could tell. Just sparring with Zae Zin Nim made Behemoth''s Heart raise a level and he could physically feel a difference in how durable his skin was when he was struck by an attack. Direboar''s Strength seemed to rise along with it, as if they reinforced one another, and his other abilities felt primed to grow further.


    They discussed the issue and their theory was that while his cultivation and Physique had slowed, the monstrous powers had grown to the limits of his soul. Eventually they began to stagnate, which was just when he began breaking through on cultivation and Soul Level.


    Mastering this power would take a lot of careful work, but Kai was eager to try.


    The frenzy in the city subsided from chaos to sullen resentment as the lockdown persisted. People still filled the streets, sometimes more than usual given the disruption to business, but normal life felt suspended. Aside from the top crystalliers and merchants, most seemed willing to accept it. Kai was beginning to hope that the thief would be found and punished, or an agreement would be reached, or the threat of violence would otherwise dissolve as cooler heads prevailed.


    He hoped that right up until the point Tareth landed in the courtyard.


    "We have a problem." The enormous man rolled his shoulders and gestured at Kai. "Several of the merchants plan to break out and they''ll annihilate the city guard. If we can''t stop them, there''s no hope of investigating the theft. Consider this your test, boy. Time to see if you''re worth it."

 Chapter 151: Crystalliers vs Monstrous Abilities

    Leaving on the assignment turned out to be a little more awkward than that, because apparently Tareth had been hoping that Zae Zin Nim would come along. Kai couldn''t blame him: she looked like she was nearly at the level of the Diamond Crystalliers, while he had only just broken 200 Power. But Zae Zin Nim was still paranoid about the Brightwind cultivators finding her and wouldn''t budge, so Kai went alone and considered it a chance to prove himself.


    In a city where almost everyone floated on crystals, Tareth just ran through the streets. This didn''t seem to stop him from talking in the slightest, so he told Kai about the situation along the way.


    "We''re not out to kill anybody. These are honorable merchants and crystalliers who have allies, and those allies will cause serious trouble if we maim them. But they''re pissed and I don''t think they''ll be holding back with us, which is why I needed strong fighters."


    "How many are we talking?" Kai asked.


    "It''s an alliance of three different merchants, so they''ll have at least that many crystalliers, maybe more." Tareth managed to shrug even while thumping down the street. "That isn''t the worst of it. We also have to make absolutely sure not to anger the foreigners. They''re causing trouble and snooping around, but Suortril is trying to toady up to them, so he''s backing everything they say."


    Most likely they could back themselves up with raw power, but Kai understood the balance. But he already had experience with this sort of fight in Romastir, and this time he wouldn''t be using solely his human power. This was his chance to prove himself so that Tareth would take him along on the most dangerous mission.


    Their path proved to be an arc through Yulthens that picked up two more fighters who Tareth seemed to trust. One was an old woman covered in scars, with a Power rating around 180, but Kai saw her high Soul Level and assumed she was skilled. The second was a young man only a few years older than him, with a little over 200 Power mostly in crystal cultivation.


    That made four of them, which was a formidable force including the Diamond Crystallier. Still, as they ran toward the city gates, Kai wondered how they would fare against the Brightwind cultivators. He was hopeful that he could hold his own now, but he wasn''t confident in his two new allies.


    When they got close, Kai saw that the problem was actually visible in the sky above: a flying ship was attempting to cross over the city wall. One of the five great crystals had it bound in place with some sort of qi ray, but there were crystal cultivators on board trying to disrupt that ray enough to pass.


    "Alright, this is it." Tareth threw several levitating crystals at the others, which pulled their group high into the sky alongside the ship. Kai managed well enough, then followed the others in jumping onto the deck.


    And immediately realized that they were outnumbered.


    He only saw a few merchants and sailors on the deck, but there were at least eight crystalliers. All of them were relatively weak, close to ratings of 100 Power, but they represented a significant percentage of the total crystalliers in the city. As soon as they saw Tareth, they began manifesting crystal weapons and armor.


    "All of you are in violation of Yulthens law!" Tareth spoke in a normal voice, yet it seemed to dominate all other sounds. "If you haven''t stolen anything, you have nothing to fear. But if we don''t maintain the lockdown long enough to find the real thief, there will be serious consequences and everyone will suffer."


    "We''re suffering now!" one of the crystalliers shouted. "This wait will ruin us!"


    "You should bring that up with Mercantile Central. Trying to break out is an act of war."


    "Don''t bother talking." One of the older crystalliers made a wild gesture to the others. "They''re here to bring us all in. We fight for our freedom or we fall here!"


    The crystalliers stopped struggling against the crystal and stepped forward as one. They would certainly be a threat in formation like that, but as they marshaled their strength, Tareth took a deep breath and then shouted.


    "Enough!"


    His shout tore through the air as a visible shockwave. All the crystalliers took a step back, two fell over, and several weapons being formed exploded into a shower of crystals. While they were all stunned, Tareth leapt into the center of the group. When his foot hit the ground, the stomp released another shockwave that drove the group apart.


    Damn. Kai joined him to try to subdue the group, but he was impressed. Apparently that was what the Spellword class could do, or at least a very powerful version of it.


    One of the weaker crystalliers, a young woman who had a lot of crystals but almost no Physique, was Kai''s first target. He grabbed her weapon while she was stunned and threw it off the side of the ship. When she tried to punch him, he easily caught her wrist and twisted her down onto the deck.


    Before he could finish things, a hail of qi struck his side, drawing small cuts all along his torso. Kai glanced to the source and realized he''d made a tactical error: instead of attacking a lone crystallier, he should have thrown himself into those who were still grouped up, because they were the bigger problem. His allies were struggling to contain the others, which meant that he was open to more attacks.


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    The problem was that defeating someone without killing them was more challenging. It looked like the old woman was managing to keep two crystalliers fully engaged by dodging around them, but the young man was struggling just to overcome one. Tareth was shouting down several, which left more to gang up on Kai.


    Instead of trying to pin her to the ground, Kai lifted the crystallier he was fighting into the air and hurled her at the rest. One went down in a tumble and the others stopped launching qi attacks, which gave him time to close the distance.


    Kai saw that one opponent had a necklace carrying his crystal core and reached out to grab it. As soon as he did so, qi began to rush from the core, trying to fight him back, but actually tearing it away had never been Kai''s plan. He ignored the minor cuts and just pulled the necklace closer at the same time he swung forward. His headbutt dropped the crystallier to the deck.


    Meanwhile, Tareth had turned back to keep his other allies from being overwhelmed. That left a whole group recovering from his shout, working together on something new. Qi was flowing between them, gathering into some sort of large crystal hand in the air overhead.


    So Kai swung a Tyrant''s Claw through it. The formation shattered and rained down over the city below, while all the crystalliers who had been forming it turned toward him in shock.


    Before Kai could attack them, he sensed someone rushing at his side. The man was stealthy, but ever since breaking through, Kai had been highly attuned to energy, especially qi. He turned in time to see another crystallier lunging with crystal armor forming around him.


    This one was admittedly fast - his armor formed before Kai could strike his weakness - and it didn''t seem like he was a lazy crystallier coasting on purchased crystals. Kai caught the man''s punch by the wrist, then grabbed his other hand.


    That left the two of them straining in the center of the deck. Kai''s opponent continued building up his armor, increasing his strength by the second... but Kai didn''t budge. He was almost as surprised as the others. Even though his opponent was using a huge amount of qi to expand his armor, Kai could feel Direboar''s Strength rising in response. Now that his body was doubly reinforced by mana and qi, he couldn''t be overpowered by someone who was just applying a lot of energy.


    Of course, being locked in place meant that he inspired a storm of qi attacks from the other free crystalliers. Kai had been planning to simply endure them and regenerate the small wounds, only to find that they were dissipating against his skin.


    At first he thought that these attackers were simply weaker, then he realized that Behemoth''s Heart had strengthened itself to a gamma-rank threat. As he pushed his opponent back, Kai began to laugh.


    It wasn''t that he had developed an insane adaptation ability, only that all his work was paying off. In order to create Behemoth''s Heart, he had consumed monsters with powerful defensive abilities, including a spiritual aura from the Shademonger. Long ago he''d gained enough strength to avoid being torn apart by Class abilities and now that defense had evolved enough to shrug off weak attacks entirely.


    Kai swept his armored opponent''s leg and drove him to the deck of the ship, then turned on the others. He didn''t bother to dodge or block, he just started wading through all their qi attacks. They stared in horror and shot out more beams, but they only slowed him a little. Some of them tickled and his skin was getting warmer - that was all.


    "Down!" Tareth unleashed another bellow that crossed the deck like a physical force. Kai winced slightly as it pierced his ears, but it was worse for everyone else.


    Already worn and intimidated, the crystalliers went down like sacks of grain. Some were unconscious and others just looked petrified, but they weren''t a threat. Kai turned back to check on the others and compliment Tareth, only to find the Diamond Crystallier looking at him oddly.


    "I admit I underestimated you," Tareth said in a low voice. Abruptly he laughed and clapped Kai on the shoulder. "You said your work would pay off and I guess it sure did! More than earned that advanced pay, haha!"


    "Do we have this taken care of?" Kai asked. It looked like the old woman was wrestling down one last opponent while their fourth teammate sat nursing wounds.


    "We''ll throw them in a cell and let the merchants worry about the consequences. The important thing is that their attempt was broken. Now anyone else thinking about trying the same thing will think again instead of starting a rush out of the city."


    "But the next threat is going to be worse, isn''t it?"


    Tareth stared down at him, all laughter gone, and after a moment of thought leaned in and spoke more quietly. "They''re almost certain who the real thief is now, and it''s going to be bad. Soon enough leadership is going to send us in, and when they do I''ll definitely want you fighting with me."


    "What exactly is it?" Kai glanced toward the fallen crystalliers, then back. "I know it''s supposed to be a secret, but if you tell me I can try to prepare."


    "And I guess we''ve seen how good your preparations are." This barely pulled a chuckle from Tareth, though. "Don''t tell anyone, but... they say Omilaena the Maneater stole from both the foreigners and Suortril. Some are calling for her head, and if they have their way, this is going to be bloody."


    "We''re really going to fight Omilaena?" Kai winced as he remembered their encounter. "I haven''t fought her, but she''s the most powerful poison user I''ve ever seen. I''m not sure anyone in Yulthens can fight her on equal terms, so you''d better find some powerful allies."


    "You think Diamond Crystalliers aren''t used to fighting stronger opponents? In any case, we don''t have a choice. If we don''t move against her, someone less competent will and it will turn bloody."


    That was definitely bad, practically war between cities. After telling Tareth everything he could guess about Omilaena''s fighting style, Kai stepped away and considered the problem while the defeated crystalliers were all bound and led away. It sounded like mercantile and political agendas were all tangled together, plus the Brightwind cultivators were involved and out for blood. He couldn''t do much about that, only hope his own power was sufficient. As risky as it was to go fight her, without him he thought they stood no chance.


    During the fight, Kai judged his performance a little below Tareth''s. Obviously the older man had more human strength, but Kai thought that he might be able to approach some of the Diamond Crystalliers if he could develop his monstrous strength to equal levels.


    The problem was, if they were going up against Omilaena, that might not be enough.

 Chapter 152: Surrounding the Thief

    "Oh, and look for any crowns," Zae Zin Nim said. "There are certain magical artifacts that can enhance your ability to sense qi."


    Kai sighed and nodded, yet again. "It''s starting to sound like just about everything can be enhanced. Do I just need to write down every object I see?"


    "We prefer to integrate our enhancements into our clothing on Cloudspire instead of using bulky equipment." Her lips twisted in frustration. "But if you draw too much attention, they might think you''re the thief, and trust me, they''ll try to kill you. There''s still a small chance that they aren''t searching for me, so we can''t risk causing a conflict that would draw attention."


    "I''ll do my best, but remember, we''re not even going to meet the cultivators. This is just about bringing in Omilaena."


    "I wouldn''t trust them not to get involved. Be careful, Kai."


    They had already been over this conversation, just with slightly different details. Zae Zin Nim had no intention of getting anywhere near a conflict that would draw the sect''s attention, so she seemed to convert all her energy into worry. She''d given him an endless list of potential attack vectors, magical items, and qi techniques the cultivators might use if things went bad.


    The whole process managed to make him both more and less anxious at the same time. On one hand, she gave him specific preparations to think about, but on the other, her worry about the upcoming fight was starting to infect him.


    Nothing had changed over the previous two days: Omilaena was almost certainly the thief and she had fortified herself within an estate. Tareth had just sent the message that they would be making the attack that very night. Even though almost no one knew the truth, the city itself seemed to be holding its breath.


    In a strange way Kai was too hungry to eat that night, desperate for something more substantial than food. He said farewell to Zae Zin Nim with a few final warnings, then went to join the others in the strike force. Tareth had yet to arrive, but Kai saw the old woman and young crystallier from the previous fight, as well as a few others, mostly young and relatively weak.


    Not long after, Graetri walked in to join them. He glanced at Kai, then looked again with a sharper gaze. Even though Kai was using his shroud, he suspected that his new strength shone through on an instinctual level. It looked like Graetri was about to argue with him, but at that moment Tareth arrived.


    "Omilaena the Maneater has holed up in an estate near the docks district," he explained. "She was seen investigating the city earlier, but after being headed off by merchant forces seems to have fortified her position. We''re going to go in peacefully, in hopes that she''ll cooperate, but you should assume it will end in a fight."


    "How strong is she?" one of the new crystalliers asked.


    "Unknown, but assume Diamond Crystallier. The good news is that she kicked out all servants yesterday, so there should be no one else in the estate to get in the way. Use your strongest techniques, and so long as you don''t hurt anyone else, it doesn''t matter how much damage you do."


    "What''s she trying to do?" Kai asked. "Surely she knows that she''s surrounded, is she just planning to fight her way out?"


    "We can''t say for sure." Tareth rolled his shoulders as he took off his tunic and pulled on his Direboar pelt. "Most likely she thought she could get away with it, but she overstepped when she stole from the foreigners. They have her pinned down in the city, so it''s just a matter of bringing her in before she tries anything desperate."


    "Do you have anything to work against her poisons?"


    "Do you think there are universal anti-toxins that magically work against everything? She''s presumably using chakra-based poison from Rosemount, so they''ll be difficult to counteract. I''ve prepared techniques to resist or avoid being impacted by the poisons and I''ve urged everyone else here to do the same. It should be enough unless she''s beyond Diamond rank."


    The others asked more questions, mostly about her abilities, and not much was known except that she used poison. They all finished their preparations and then headed out, walking down the street as a group. Most of the others looked confident, which only made Kai tenser.


    As they walked along the river, he saw that the docks seemed unusually deserted. He thought that would only alert Omilaena about the attack, but then again, maybe she already knew and it was worth having bystanders cleared away. Without the bustle of activity, he had a chance to look at the ships. There were vast wooden galleons, various crystal vessels, and more different kinds of sails than he had known existed. But what drew his attention was the ship from Cloudspire.


    It floated over the river as if it didn''t want to be associated with the vulgar boats beneath. He couldn''t tell what it was made of, other than that the smoothly flowing lines of the vessel glistened like lacquer. The shape resembled some cross between a fish and a bird, elegant and sinuous. Qi flowed through metal ridges along the sides, so subtle that it made the various crystal mechanisms beneath look clumsy.


    Elegant as it was, Kai was more worried about the potential occupants. He couldn''t sense any cultivators inside the ship, but he had to assume they were capable of erasing their presences since Zae Zin Nim could. With any luck they wouldn''t get involved with the attack... but if they did, he needed to find out exactly why they were here and how much they knew.


    Soon their group turned away from the docks themselves, instead approaching the wealthier district just beyond. There were entire estates available for visitors to rent, another display of Krysali wealth, and Omilaena was allegedly waiting in one of them.


    The estate was utterly silent, even the trees in the courtyard not daring to drop leaves. Tareth led the group, muttering under his breath while approaching the doors, and they opened themselves silently. Most of the buildings were completely dark, which only directed them to the single lit room that glowed ominously.


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    When Tareth opened the last door, some sort of steam or mist emanated from within. A table had been set with food and drinks, but only one person sat on the other side: Omilaena was waiting for them. She was wearing a different dress than before, this one a bright blue to match her hair. As they stared at her, she took a long breath from a thin pipe she held in one hand, then exhaled more of the smoke.


    "Welcome, welcome," she said in her throaty voice. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"


    "I want to believe this was a mistake that got out of hand." Tareth walked in but didn''t sit, instead looming over her from the other side of the table. "Just planning a little malfeasance and went too far. If you give back what the foreigners want, we can still end this with a conversation instead of violence."


    "I''m sure we can come to an agreement. Why don''t you all sit down and enjoy yourselves while we talk it over?"


    "Do you think we''re fools?"


    "Well, one can hope." Omilaena executed a languorous shrug that seemed to roll through her body all the way down to her legs, which stretched and flashed in the slit of her dress. "See, I''m not so sure I believe your offer. Seems to me that it''d be safest to just leave the city, and I''d hate to have to go through you fine specimens of masculinity. And femininity, of course, I don''t discriminate."


    "We aren''t here to play games." Tareth rolled his shoulders and gestured to the others, who started to edge to the sides to encircle her. "If you aren''t willing to cooperate, we''ll have to take you in by force."


    "Let''s not be too hasty now. It''s true that I took an item or two from the auction house, but if you think I stole from the Cloudspire group, you''re mistaken. Here, let me show you."


    Omilaena reached beneath the table and then tossed an arc of coins into the air. One of them flew at each of the fighters surrounding her, and a few automatically reached up to catch them. Before they could arrive, Tareth let out a shout and the coins were blasted backwards. Most embedded themselves in the walls and one nearly hit Omilaena, who dipped her head to the side.


    She sighed and took another long drag on her pipe. "You think I''d even poison the coins?" More smoke wafted from her blue-painted lips with each word, then those lips curled in a smile. "Of course I did. I actually didn''t even poison the food, since that would be too obvious. There was a contact poison on the door, and I am dying to know if you suspected or just wanted to play around with your ability."


    "I''ve had enough of this," Tareth snarled. "Take her!"


    When he took another step forward, Omilaena abruptly kicked the underside of the table, sending the entire thing flipping through the air toward them. Tareth let out a shout and the table exploded away from him, but that meant the two halves and all its contents crashed into the others. Some defended themselves with crystal armor, while others were struck and fell back.


    Kai saw the whole attack coming and ducked underneath. But as he did so, he noticed Omilaena''s expression and hesitated.


    No more coy smile, no half-lidded eyes, no posture designed to exaggerate her charms... Omilaena looked ready to kill. Her eyes flickered over everyone as if analyzing them down to the smallest scrap of flesh and finding them wanting.


    Her free hand flickered and Kai barely even saw the steel fly from her sleeve. She had thrown the coins to make them think they knew her speed and now she unleashed the real thing. There was no time for anything else as Kai desperately swiped in front of him.


    He knocked a needle to the floor, where it rang against the stone, but it had barely started to rebound when a second needle hurtled at him. Somehow he managed to deflect it with the other hand, which was when he felt a pain in his arm and realized that she''d gotten him with the third needle.


    "The smoke is only half a poison." Omilaena blew out a long stream of smoke and Kai realized that she hadn''t puffed on the pipe in her hand first. "Completely harmless in and of itself, so brute defenses tend to ignore it, but when combined with the poison on the needles..."


    The surprise attack had worked - all around the room, the crystalliers were groaning if they weren''t already slumping to the ground. One or two had managed to block the first needle and simply been hit by another, like he had. Kai felt an ache spreading through his arm and struggled to move. His heart was pumping wildly, but it seemed like he couldn''t shrug off this poison so easily.


    Even Tareth seemed to have been pushed to his knees, with a dozen needles in his chest. Omilaena walked toward him slowly, her high heels keeping her above the mess from the table and her hips rolling from side to side.


    "I''m going to leave most of you here, but I need one or two toys to play with on the ride back." Omilaena put one long fingernail to her mouth as if thinking. "Hmm, who will I choose...?"


    Abruptly Tareth leapt to his feet, his fist flying for her head. As he moved, the needles fell away from his chest, glittering with a thin layer of crystal. Had he intentionally taken the attack and coated them with qi? Kai hadn''t known that was even possible.


    The punch missed as Omilaena glided backward, all business again. But a moment later Tareth let out another shout and a shockwave radiated in all directions, sending Omilaena skidding backward.


    Everyone else could only watch as the two of them began to fight. Kai didn''t feel like the poison was overwhelming, yet his head was rushing and his spiritual sight was blurred. He wasn''t sure what was happening, he only knew that his heart was hammering against his chest like it wanted to break out.


    Omilaena was fast, scarily fast, and it didn''t feel like mana-fueled charging or qi-fueled grace. Instead she seemed to move by her own rules, pivoting and twisting in fractions of a second. She stayed ahead of Tareth''s attacks and then, when he opened his mouth, darted in and slashed his throat with one hand.


    He stumbled back, clutching the injury. His Physique had prevented a fatal wound, but Kai could see black veins expanding from the cut. They began to spread over the rest of his body... and then Tareth began to hum. The sound seemed to resonate through the floor and the black veins retreated and faded.


    "Did you just shout away the poison?" Omilaena laughed as if honestly delighted and then kicked off her heels. "Everyone else is critical of Deadwaste, but I find your abilities so much more charming than cultivators. Alright, let''s fight."


    With his head spinning, Kai was having trouble following the details, but he thought that Tareth was losing the battle. Not immediately, just slowly and surely. If only he could pull himself together, he might be able to tip the balance, but the throbbing was filling his head...


    And then suddenly it was gone. Kai nearly wobbled and forced himself to remain frozen in place to pretend that the poison was still overwhelming him. He realized that Behemoth''s Heart hadn''t been strong enough to simply resist such a dangerous poison, but it had somehow pushed the toxins through his system. He was covered in sweat and his heart was still beating in a frenzy, but he could move again.


    More importantly, Kai used his spiritual sight on Omilaena.


    <


    Name: Omilaena


    Total Power: 627


    Heart of Poison: Level 54 (216)


    Lethal Artisan: Garnet Rank (175)


    Physique: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    After so long dealing with crystalliers and other familiar powers, Kai was almost taken aback to see symbols that were completely new to him. Whatever "Heart of Poison" and "Lethal Artisan" meant, the Power ratings didn''t lie, and her D-rank Physique was downright troubling. Omilaena was one of the strongest people he''d ever met outside the Frontier.


    He had one chance for a surprise attack, but he wasn''t sure it would be enough.

 Chapter 153: Yulthens vs Rosemount

    The battle between Omilaena and Tareth moved aggressively around the room, but Kai thought she had the edge. She was primarily using her pipe as a blunt weapon, somehow reinforcing it with chakra so that it could equal his blows. As strong as Tareth''s Spellword Class was, she seemed to be adapting, taking fewer impacts from his shockwaves with each exchange.


    Eventually Tareth let out a shout, shattering the air all around him. Omilaena leapt out of range... toward Kai.


    He''d been thinking about how to use his moment of surprise, so he was ready. Kai threw a weak Tyrant''s Claw with his left hand, and as expected Omilaena dodged even though she had her back to him. But she dodged predictably and he grabbed her arm with his right hand, binding her in place.


    "Tareth, now!" Kai knew he couldn''t hold her long, but he hoped it would be enough to turn the fight.


    During his planning he''d considered dozens of responses from Omilaena, ranging from grappling to stabbing to emitting more poisonous smoke. He hadn''t ever imagined that she would instead back up into him, bumping her ass into his crotch.


    "I remember you." She smiled over her shoulder. "Mmm, you got stronger, but h-"


    She was trying to distract him, but Kai was fully in combat mode and wouldn''t be lead astray by a pretty face or pretty anything else. After the brief surprise, he clawed at her throat, intending to make her pay for toying with him.


    Somehow she raised her pipe in the way, knocking aside his fingers before he could complete the technique. At that moment Tareth completed his technique and let out another shout that looked like it would strike them both, but Omilaena threw herself backward faster than Kai could have reacted.


    He realized that he''d been smashed partially into the wall. Omilaena was still grinding back against him, despite having just hip-slammed him across the room. "What''s interesting is that I know that poison should have fully paralyzed you, but you managed to process it somehow," she said mildly. "Curious."


    When he began preparing a Tyrant''s Claw at full power, she laughed and stabbed him in the shoulder with another needle. He staggered, struggling to resist the poison, while she flipped across the room to resume her battle with Tareth.


    "Get out of here!" The Diamond Crystallier was bleeding from more wounds than Kai had expected and waved roughly in his direction. "Take the others, save them before she uses them as hostages."


    "Oh, but I haven''t threatened them once!" Omilaena clapped her hands on the sides of her face. "Would you like me to start?"


    Dragging out all the poisoned fighters seemed impossible and Kai refused to be dismissed so easily. He let Behemoth''s Heart beat against the poison while concentrating all his monstrous power in his other arm. When he finally unleashed a Tyrant''s Claw, they both took notice.


    The technique failed to connect, but it tore through one of the walls of the room. Tareth paused and glanced back at Kai, as if reconsidering again. Omilaena landed in the corridor outside the room, examining the severed end of her pipe. Then she laughed and ran away from them - no more sauntering, she was fast.


    "Dammit!" Tareth lunged after her and Kai was right behind him. "We can''t let her get away. Go left, cut her off at the docks."


    Kai pivoted left, smashing through a door he didn''t have time to open. He kept his stride out of the estate, even as he saw Omilaena leap to the wall with Tareth behind her. His best bet was to go a little southwest, position himself somewhere she couldn''t easily circle around him.


    Tareth managed to redirect her into Kai, who met her with another Tyrant''s Claw. Omilaena managed to evade it, but she no longer looked so playful. They had her pinned on a narrow street with only a few options for escape. Kai was most concerned that she would start attacking the walls and the citizens who might be within, but so far she hadn''t really caused any collateral damage. He decided that he wouldn''t be the first and tried to focus his power.


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    The fighting continued in an intense melee and Kai started to think that they might be able to bind her in place. Even if none of the crystalliers could resist the poison, surely someone else had noticed them by now. Every second they kept her from getting closer to the docks was a second that reinforcements came closer, which would mean their victory.


    She still managed to push them and Kai realized that he had no idea what her final goal was. The Cloudspire ship was blocked from their sight by tall buildings and she didn''t seem to be heading for the largest ships. Yet the little city boats he saw behind him didn''t seem like they could possibly be escape vehicles.


    Before Kai could figure out the plan, someone interrupted.


    "You think your poison can stop a Dragontouched?" Graetri emerged from another street, panting but glaring. "Take this!"


    He took a deep breath and all his necklaces began to glow golden, almost as if he had actually gained a draconic technique. While he was still inhaling, Omilaena hurled a small pouch directly into his mouth. Graetri choked and clawed at his lips before suddenly keeling over with his eyes rolling back in his head.


    "Dammit!" Tareth cast a glance over at him. "I said-"


    In his moment of distraction, Omilaena displayed a burst of speed beyond anything she''d shown before. She had crossed the distance in a heartbeat, stabbing a needle into each of his shoulders. Tareth opened his mouth to shout, but she grabbed his head and leaned in, almost as if she was going to kiss him.


    Normally Tareth would have stopped her, but the battle must have worn him down too much. Omilaena exhaled a thick stream of smoke directly into his lungs and the massive man started to slump. She caught him over her shoulder, not even slightly troubled by his weight, and then leapt off the dock.


    Kai followed, expecting Omilaena to fall into the water, and instead saw her land on a strange flat ship that he hadn''t been able to see from his previous angle. Unlike the fishing boats and creaky little ships, this one was made of sleek wood studded with crystals. Had she planned to lead the fight here in the first place? But if she had a getaway vehicle, why would she wait for them to come attack her?


    He should have attacked then, while she was setting down Tareth, but the missing pieces made Kai pause too long. Omilaena leapt off the boat at him without warning, this time sinking some sort of syringe into his chest. Kai swiped at it, but all his power seemed disrupted, flowing too loosely.


    "Don''t worry, I''m not going to kill you." Omilaena leaned closer and smiled. "I just need you to rest for a while."


    His vision began to swim as he struggled to avoid falling and sank to one knee. Something still didn''t add up, especially as he saw Omilaena return to the boat and set up something near the front. It began to move and continued accelerating, even when she jumped back to the dock. She hopped out of it and touched something at her side, which made a glimmering crystal appear over the top of the boat.


    Even though Kai still didn''t understand, he opened his mouth to call some sort of warning. Before he could, he saw Omilaena flashing toward him and smelled sweet smoke.


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai awoke from a deep sleep, unbelievably relaxed. He didn''t remember the last time he had slept so well, but it put him in a content mood. As if he wanted nothing more than to settle back and go to sleep... no. No, his memories started to filter back and he forced himself to open his eyes.


    There was a roof jolting overhead, and the motions were consistent with a carriage. Yet when he managed to overcome the lethargy and look to the side, he saw that he was in a surprisingly large room. He was tied to one of several tables, each of which contained a bound crystallier. That alone would have been worrisome enough, but she was there.


    Omilaena stood over one of the bodies and something about her had changed. She was still wearing the elegant dress, only a little cut up from the battle. That showed off curves that should have been attractive, yet she wasn''t standing to emphasize them.


    "You again." She glanced toward him and to his surprise she was wearing goggles, which other than being blue-tinted completely clashed with the rest of her look. "You feeling alright?"


    "Not... dead...?" He could feel that Behemoth''s Heart was restoring him quickly, but guessed it was better to pretend to be weak for now.


    "Oh, I wouldn''t benefit from killing any of you, at least not in battle." Omilaena walked toward his bed with a syringe in hand. "All the same, I''m going to need you to stay calm, because you could disrupt the plan now."


    "We''re going overland." Kai had to swallow some sort of gunk in his throat, but he was more alert now that he put it together. "You sent the ship off as a decoy, then circled back."


    "And not stupid, either! There are tunnels out of the city that they didn''t know about, so those were always the escape route, but I needed something to throw the cultivators off my tail. And it doesn''t hurt to get so much fresh material."


    "That''s what we are to you? Material?"


    Omilaena pulled off her goggles to prop them on her forehead, then gave him a narrow smile. "Maybe the others, but you... well, that''s what we''re going to find out soon enough."

 Chapter 154: An Experimental Seduction

    Kai strained against his bonds as Omilaena leaned closer, truly testing their strength for the first time. He''d pulled a little when he first awoke, still loose from the poison, and now tried with real strength. Unfortunately, they had definitely been created to hold someone like him... he thought he might be able to break free with his full monstrous strength, but he needed to save the attempt for the right moment.


    "Right now we''re still dangerously close to the city," she told him cheerfully. "We can''t move too fast or risk breaking cover, which means I have time to burn."


    She was clearly toying with him, so he refused to give her the satisfaction of a response.


    "This entire process has been so very stressful for me, I wanted to work off some of that." Omilaena suddenly stepped up onto the table beside him, crouched against his thigh. "You''ve impressed me twice now, and I like that."


    She slid one leg across his body, straddling his hips. He was painfully aware of how thin her dress felt above his pants and his body responded automatically. Omilaena chuckled and put a hand on his chest as she began to rock back and forth.


    "You aren''t going to complain, are you? So very focused and respectful, but you''re still a man and I know what you want." Omilaena leaned forward, teasing her breasts against his chest until her face was just below his. "Come now, won''t you let me feel your real - mmm - strength?"


    "Do what you want with me," Kai said flatly. "But let the others go. They were just trying to defend their city, they shouldn''t suffer f-"


    "Fuck, you''re depressing." Abruptly all of the seductive expression vanished. Omilaena pushed against his chest, not as a sexual maneuver but just lifting herself up and off him. "You take all the fun out of things."


    Kai stared at her. "That''s fun to you? Last time we met you went on about how you didn''t-"


    "Different situations." She waved his words away with one hand. "Seducing a young barbarian full of himself? Sure, of course. I could have been all, ''oh no, you''re too masculine for me'' and then just when you thought you had the upper hand... but now I''m just sad. Were you going to go on about how you''ll endure this for the sake of your wife and innocent children?"


    Her emotional shift had been so abrupt that Kai could only stare at her suspiciously. Normally he would have wondered if she was mad, so emotionally unstable that she was dangerous, but there seemed to be something different. Omilaena moved just a little too fast, as if she had to wait impatiently between each precise movement.


    "I actually do find you interesting. Most in your position are really full of themselves." Omilaena regarded him curiously. "You did better than I predicted during the fight, too. If you''re going to be so stiff, don''t worry. I won''t touch you and I''ll let you go once it''s time. But cooperate along the way or I''m going to get bored."


    "You already know what I want," Kai said. "Just leave everyone alive."


    "So you don''t care about the thefts? Why risk your life here?"


    He wasn''t sure how to answer that without giving away Zae Zin Nim''s secrets, and he thought Omilaena was the last person he should ever reveal anything to. If she really had stolen from both the Brightwind cultivators and the largest merchants in Yulthens, then she had an enormous amount of leverage. When Kai refused to answer she cocked her head slightly.


    "Hmm, still suspicious?" Omilaena asked. "I promise, I''ll let you go if you entertain me. Leaving someone growing so quickly alive might be a risk, but what''s life without a little fun?"


    "What do you want me to say?" Kai shrugged within his bonds, loosening them a little more. "I know almost nothing about you, and asking anything would just look like I was pressing for information. If you''re telling the truth about letting me go, then that means it must benefit you in some way."


    "Ah, you''re smarter than you look!" Omilaena reached out to pat him on the chest as if mildly amused.


    A moment later she frowned and put her hand back. There was nothing seductive this time: her hand felt like steel as it pressed against his heart. She muttered to herself in a language he didn''t understand, then pulled down her goggles to examine him. Chakra passed through him, almost like a spiritual sense except strangely twisted.


    "That''s curious." Omilaena pulled up her goggles to examine his chest more carefully. "I don''t know what that is and I''m actually conflicted. I was telling the truth about liking you, but now the logical thing to do would be to dissect you. Well, I''ll try to make it painless."


    She shifted closer and a syringe appeared in one hand. Kai growled and broke one arm free, managing to grab her wrist. His hand was much larger than her arm, but the bones in her wrist might as well have been steel.


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    "Are we really going to do this?" she asked, staring at him pitilessly.


    "You want entertainment?" Using his full strength, Kai was able to push her arm back. "Tell me why. What''s so important that you have to use people as materials?"


    "Oh, it''s the same old story. Everyone thinks they''re seeking power, but what we need is knowledge. I don''t want to inherit some skill left to me by distant ancestors, I want to understand. Everyone here... I don''t mean Deadwaste, it''s true of Cloudspire and Rosemount and me... we''re all fumbling with incomplete knowledge when there are far greater powers out there."


    "Believe me, I know."


    Omilaena smirked. "I really doubt you do. This world is broader than-"


    "Powers like the ones that attacked the Frontier, right? I was there."


    Her smirk vanished, along with all attempt to resist him. An instant later she managed to pull out of his grip, watching him with an intense gaze he hadn''t seen before. "Are you lying to me? That seems absurd on the face of it - you should have been destroyed instantly - but I don''t know why you''d try such a lie."


    "It''s the truth." Kai broke his other arm free and slid off the table on the other side, still watching her carefully. "I saw something I shouldn''t have and the Frontier elites teleported me back before I could die."


    "And what exactly did you see?"


    "Warriors with power I couldn''t explain. There was a man with Physique that seemed nearly invincible, someone who I think dropped the moon on us, a bunch of techniques I couldn''t understand... everything was in some kind of special phase, wholly superior to..."


    He trailed off as he realized Omilaena was staring at him, starry eyed. She took a step back and shook her head. "Holy shit, you''re telling the truth. I felt the battle, but you actually witnessed it?"


    "Yeah." Kai rubbed his wrists, no longer so certain things would end in a fight. "Does that matter?"


    "For most of my life, everyone has told me I was crazy, that I was seeking phantoms. But I knew there was more power out there that all their ancient traditions couldn''t explain, and with that battle, I got proof."


    "So that''s why you wanted to dissect me? You think I have some secret you can use?"


    Omilaena waved her hand idly and he noted that the syringe had vanished. "That was the plan, but now it seems like I should definitely keep you alive. Is there anything I can do to get your real cooperation?"


    "You think I have a lot of trust for you right now?"


    "That is the trouble with using such forceful methods. Fuck." Omilaena sighed and leaned back against the table behind her. Once again, the seductress was gone and she looked merely disgruntled. "I''ve done this to myself before, too. Alright, look. My plan was to drop all of you when I needed a distraction, and I promise I won''t harm anyone on the way. If I do that, will you cooperate and answer a few questions?"


    "You''ll stop threatening if I cooperate? That''s a shitty deal." Kai looked her in the eye and refused to budge. "If you''re sincere about this, I want some answers too."


    "Fine, fine. About what?"


    "When we met before, you implied I had no idea what was going on in Krysal and mocked me for it. Well, by now I hope you believe I''m actually trying to do the right thing. What''s wrong with that?"


    "Oh the funny part is just that you''re working for the worst of the lot." Omilaena lifted one leg and ground her heel into the ground. "Pretending to be all moral while you live on top of the poor suckers mining your crystals."


    "The workers?" Kai blinked as he tried to absorb that information. "I''ve seen them, they aren''t badly treated."


    "Either you''re a coldhearted bastard or you mean the workers in the cities. Those aren''t the ones I''m talking about. There are others who live underground in the caves, worked to the bone, never even seeing the light of day."


    "What? Impossible."


    "Are you serious right now?" Omilaena almost laughed, then narrowed her eyes. "You are. You don''t seem like an idiot, but how do you not understand? Every society in history has been built on the backs of its lowest classes, Krysal is just more absolute about the division."


    What she said seemed like absolute madness, so he just held the idea at a distance while he interrogated her. "I''ve been here for months and no one so much as mentions it?"


    "I''m sure they did, but you didn''t understand. What kind of utopia are you from?"


    "I''m from Goralia. It''s-"


    "Right, I recognize the phenotype, but I''ve never been." Omilaena snapped her fingers together. "Your home is roughly equitable - sort of a caste system based on Class, but you pretend people are equal. They don''t do that here. The entire time you''ve been in Krysal, you''ve been living among the richest of the rich, the ones who want to pretend they deserve it. That''s why I mocked you earlier."


    "That''s a lot to accept." Kai rubbed his eyes as he tried to square the idea with everything he''d experienced. "How do th-"


    "Hold on, I think I''ve been more than fair. I answered your questions, now I have some."


    She went on to ask him about what he''d seen in the Frontier. Since she had cooperated so far, Kai did his best to recount the battle, including every god-like warrior etched into his memory. Every time she asked more precise questions, even after he explained that his spiritual sight had been blinded. It seemed she had been telling the truth about being interested in the base mechanics of power.


    "That''s enough from my side," Kai said, even though he wasn''t sure how much more he had left to share. "So what are you doing in New Laeneria? Do you actually care about the lower workers, or do you just use them as a rhetorical weapon?"


    "Look, I''m not here to raise up the afflicted or overthrow society." Omilaena shrugged with one shoulder. "But sure, I killed the most oppressive crystalliers, took their shit, and gave the workers a chance to figure things out for themselves. That''s enough to get me labeled a ''Maneater'' of course."


    "And your actions had nothing to do with it, I''m sure."


    "Alright, maybe I''m a little to blame too. But I definitely haven''t been experimenting on the poor saps. For one, they don''t have enough power for me to learn anything."


    "Is that why you stole things from the auction?" Kai asked. "You''re seeking a higher form of power, so you needed pure forms of power to experiment on?"


    "See, I knew I was right to like you." Omilaena was about to say something else, but then her smile vanished. With a startlingly quick movement she moved to the back of the room and pressed her hand against the wood.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Fuck, we''re being followed." Omilaena glanced back at him over her shoulder. "I guess you''re serving as a distraction sooner than I thought. Those cultivators found us."

 Chapter 155: Zae Zin Nim and the Brightwind Sect

    Normally Zae Zin Nim trusted Kai to take care of himself. Even if he was idealistic to the point of naivety, he was strong and he could be trusted to fight or kill when necessary. But now he was dealing with Omilaena, who she didn''t trust, and sect cultivators, who would be more ruthless than he could understand.


    Technically she was supposed to be cultivating, but her focus repeatedly wavered. She wished she could just kill everyone sent by the Brightwind sect, but she needed more time...


    Eventually she couldn''t take it any longer. Zae Zin Nim erased her presence as well as she could while moving and headed out into the city. She used the crystal ship immediately, because it hid her features and would look like every other Krysali ship. Once inside, she rose higher over the city and examined the lower districts for any sign of trouble.


    From above, she couldn''t tell anything about any potential battles. She didn''t see any flagrant use of qi and didn''t feel Kai, which was about all she could do from a distance. The ship from home hovered ominously over the river... until it started to move.


    Her attention immediately focused on it, imagining what her father''s servants might be doing. She realized that there was a Krysali floating up to them - it had to be Suortril, using his little hovering chair. From a distance she couldn''t hear what they were talking about, but several minutes later the ship rose and headed directly for the city wall.


    Instead of being happy to see them leave, Zae Zin Nim felt her stomach clench.


    She flew after the Brightwind ship, trying to pretend like she was just on a normal errand. They paused briefly at the wall and Suortril gave some signal to the guards by the large defensive crystal, then they were allowed to pass through. This was no departure... they might be pursuing the thief, which could mean further complications... and Kai.


    When she accelerated toward the wall, the guards looked nervous and confused. They didn''t try to stop her, perhaps assuming that she was with the other ship. Just as well, since she didn''t want to waste energy fighting her way out.


    Once outside the city, she could just see the Brightwind ship ahead of her. They were using heavy amounts of qi, both from Cloudspire and crystals. It all seemed to be directed forward, scanning for something. The idea of those scanning techniques turning around and being aimed at her made Zae Zin Nim grimace, but it was clear that this was an absolutely essential development and she couldn''t afford to ignore it. Whatever they were looking to find could be pivotal.


    Eventually they seemed to hone in on a specific target, a squat and oddly large wagon trundling away from the city. It didn''t seem unusual until she realized that it blended into the landscape because it was shielded, which was immensely suspicious in and of itself.


    As soon as they got within range, one of the Brightwind cultivators leapt out of the ship and raced forward, riding a flying sword. She was gathering qi for an attack when the wagon suddenly exploded in a column of dark blue smoke.


    Instantly Zae Zin Nim''s attention split in several directions. If she hadn''t done so much meditation she likely wouldn''t have been able to keep up, as she thought the other cultivators couldn''t. On a physical level, the wagon scattered debris and unconscious bodies all across the road. By far the most obvious change on a spiritual level was the appearance of a great chest with the Brightwind logo that glowed with qi. Hidden by the more dramatic events, she just barely sensed something shoot out of the smoke at great speed and vanish.


    It wasn''t as obvious, but Zae Zin Nim realized that Kai had fallen out of the wagon and her heart leapt. He looked injured and drained, as if he had survived a great battle. Alone among all the bodies, he seemed to be enduring the smoke. She wished she had a way to grab him and retreat, but he was much too close to the others, hidden only by smoke, and she couldn''t risk being seen.


    No one else seemed to care about either Kai or the fast object, as they were all fixated on the chest. The cultivator riding her sword swept down with a triumphant cry. She examined the chest for a moment and then undid the lock on the front.


    Pitch-black smoke belched from within.


    The cultivator stumbled back, clutching at her throat, but it was already deep within her system. She had only an ordinary Physique, so she didn''t have a chance. Even before the poison finished spreading through her system she was crumpling to the ground and she was dead not long after.


    That death sent the rest into a rage. All three of the remaining cultivators leapt out of their ship, descending on the wreckage. Some went to their fallen comrade and others summoned a wind to push away the black poison smoke. Since they were looking in all directions, Zae Zin Nim parked the crystal vessel on the ground hidden by a rocky outcropping and then peered around the corner.


    All of them were arguing with one another, and Suortril had descended on his chair to join the discussion. If she centered herself and drew on her qi, she could just hear their words. It sounded as though the chest that should have contained their stolen goods had been filled with poison, which led to many rounds of recrimination. Accusations were being thrown right and left, some blaming one another and others blaming Suortril for negligence.


    Abruptly one of the cultivators lashed out, unleashing an enormous burst of qi. To Zae Zin Nim''s surprise, it splattered off the glimmering prism - just how strong was that defense?


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    "See here, calm yourselves," Suortril said, as if he hadn''t just been attacked. "You asked me to bring you the thief, and haven''t we caught them? You wanted someone to punish - he''s right here."


    Zae Zin Nim swallowed as she realized what was about to happen: they all turned on Kai.


    His strength had grown immensely and he would have been able to fight them at his best, but he was drained and all three remaining cultivators descended on him. Worse, he was cooperating, as if he could talk his way out of this. As if they would listen to reason.


    "Wait, the thief is getting away!" he tried to shout over them. "We were tracking her... Lord Suortril, you should know that the city was investigating!"


    "I know of no such thing," Suortril responded coldly. "One or two accomplices may have escaped, but we have you right here beside the desecrated chest. Tell me, friends, do you want justice?"


    "This will barely begin to remedy the insult," one of the cultivators said. "This is your failing and your cultivator... do what you should have done and make it right."


    Two of the others forced Kai to his knees and he started to struggle as he realized what was going to happen, but the odds were against him. Suortril paused only briefly, then reached into what appeared to be a spatial ring and pulled forth a long wooden lance. He extended it carefully, directly toward Kai''s chest.


    The smart thing to do would be to flee and let it happen. Two years ago, she would have abandoned him in an instant. But now, even though she knew it would cost her, Zae Zin Nim leapt out to stop them.


    "Wait!" She stopped just in front of the group, her full qi fully visible. Instantly the cultivators all turned toward her with wide eyes, forgetting about Kai completely. Suortril frowned at her, but he lowered the lance.


    "Mistress Zae Zin Nim!" One of the cultivators stepped forward and bowed. "Your father heard that you have overcome your difficulties and reached the Nascent Foundation stage. He would be glad to welcome you back to the Brightwind Pagoda."


    "I''m willing to go back," she said as she walked closer, "but let us forget about this little matter. Are any of the people of Deadwaste worth our time?"


    "Of course, you are our primary mission." The cultivator bowed again, but when his head rose, his smile had hardened. "Unfortunately, there were those minor incidents when you left before. Your father is very concerned that you should return to him without causing trouble. We''ll have to seal you in order to ensure your cooperation."


    "I understand. Do what must be done."


    They were walking away from Kai now, having practically forgotten about him. He was back on his feet and he looked like he wanted to jump to her defense, so she shot him a desperate glance. Even if he didn''t understand, he held back, letting them surround her.


    "Tell me," Zae Zin Nim asked, "how can I help my father and our sect?"


    "There''s been trouble with the Coiling Island sect," one of them told her as he began the sealing technique. "One of their greatest young masters is in need of a bride, so you may be able to make peace."


    "Of course." She closed her eyes and waited for what would come next.


    The sealing qi closed around her, aiming to sink into her meridians and block off her cultivation. It evaporated in blue flames as the Coldfire Corona lit up around her and the cultivators flinched back, surprised by the unfamiliar technique.


    Zae Zin Nim struck one of them in the forehead, killing him instantly.


    She was surprised how easy it had been. Despite all his qi, he had been unprepared and crumpled at her strike. The others immediately struck at her, shooting out great blasts of qi, and she dodged around them. They had power but they struck her as oddly clumsy and it was easy to counterattack, dealing several injuries in the first exchange.


    Suortril sat back, watching in annoyance, while Kai was preparing himself to join the battle. When he launched one of his claws directly at her, Zae Zin Nim was ready and flipped overhead.


    Both cultivators survived, since they had raised their full qi defenses, but the claw sent them staggering. Between Zae Zin Nim and Kai, they should have been able to finish it. But as soon as they realized they didn''t have the advantage the cultivators retreated, and one yelled to the other.


    "Tell the patriarch! He must know what happened here!"


    One of the cultivators leapt upward, back to their ship. Zae Zin Nim tried to intercept him with a qi bolt, but it was deflected. The remaining cultivator on the ground rushed forward, spending his qi on such a ferocious assault that she was locked in place. With every exchanged blow, the ship accelerated further, turning away to leave the continent for good.


    "Kai, you have to!" Zae Zin Nim saw him watching her and screamed out the words. He understood and, with only a moment''s hesitation, leapt away after the ship.


    For several moments Zae Zin Nim was locked in the melee. They were both at the same stage and now, without the benefit of surprise, she couldn''t kill him quickly enough. But over his shoulder, she could just see Kai crouching down and then emitting a massive flaming sphere.


    It struck the ship, which exploded in all directions. She wished she could celebrate, but at that moment the cultivator realized that he was alone and he fled.


    Only one left. Zae Zin Nim pursued him into the craggy landscape between cities, not letting him escape. He was doing his best to erase his presence and failing, since his heart was pounding. For all that Kai''s emotionality had infected her at times, in that moment she felt nothing but certainty. This cultivator threatened her entire life and she would end him.


    After a chase into the wasteland, she finally struck his leg with a qi bolt. When he fell to the ground she was on him in an instant, pinning his chest with one foot.


    "Tell me what my father is doing and I''ll let you live," she said. "Does he know I''m here?"


    "No, no!" The cultivator began to plead with empty emotion, wanting nothing more than to save his own life. "He knew you had broken through on Deadwaste, but not where. So he sent us to every port where we had connections to begin the search."


    "How many?"


    "I don''t know! I think there was one more in... in Krysal. Several in the other nations. We had a few paltry resources, the sort of thing that the barbarians drool over, but that was just to help the search."


    "Then why care about the theft?"


    "Because those resources were for you!" The man gave her an obsequious smile and bobbed his head like a peasant servant. "The patriarch was concerned that your cultivation might have deviated, so he had a plan to help restore you."


    "I see." Zae Zin Nim considered whether or not she needed any more information from the man, then killed him with a palm strike.


    As she turned back, she allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. Yes, she had just started a terrible countdown, because in time her father would realize that one group wasn''t returning and make assumptions. But it would take quite some time, so the threat was no longer hanging over her head. Hopefully when she finally had no choice but to confront her father, he would no longer have the power to control her life.


    It should have been over... but Kai was nowhere to be seen. As Zae Zin Nim searched desperately for any trace of him or the merchant, she realized that their troubles were far from over.

 Chapter 156: The Consequences of Good Deeds

    For a very brief time, Kai had hoped that the conflict might end without violence. But when he saw the behavior of the cultivators, he understood that they were playing by Zae Zin Nim''s rules now. There would be no quarter given and begging for it would only lead to mockery before death.


    When Zae Zin Nim cried out to him, begging for him to help, he knew what had to be done. More than anything, she wanted to stop her sect from informing her father. It might only buy them time, but it was better than the alternative... and it was her request, so he sprinted after the fleeing ship. She had come out of hiding to save him and he couldn''t do any less for her.


    The flying ship would have outpaced him over time, but Kai threw the remainder of his stamina into catching up. As soon as he was within range, he began drawing on Infernotoad''s Burst. Not knowing how well-defended the ship was, he poured in every ounce of strength he had left.


    It was more than enough: the vessel exploded in all directions and the cultivator''s soul evaporated.


    He fell back into a seated position to catch his breath. The battle against Omilaena, then her poisons, then the cultivators, then the chase... Behemoth''s Heart could keep him moving through it all, but his body ached viciously. Worse, he had drained his reserves so thoroughly and those would take time to be restored. At least they had eliminated all their opponents, assuming Zae Zin Nim would win her fight.


    "You killed them all, then?" Suortril hovered up beside him, his face absolutely blank.


    "That''s all of them." Kai wanted to shout out that Suortril didn''t have anyone to betray him to anymore and managed to hold his tongue. He was at his weakest and couldn''t afford the risk.


    "This is nothing but trouble, but nothing new," Suortril said, not particularly looking at him.


    Was he planning to act like the betrayal hadn''t happened? Shifting sides that easily? Kai wanted to attack him, but knew the merchant''s defense would make that useless. No, his best move would be to undermine Suortril in front of the other merchants. Explaining his betrayal probably wouldn''t mean anything to them, but maybe he could turn the trouble with Cloudspire against him...


    Yet the way Suortril was hovering there with his arrogant sneer, not even touched by the dust. Kai knew he should probably wait for Zae Zin Nim, but he couldn''t leave it alone.


    "I have to ask you a question." Kai ignored the pain and turned to face the merchant. "Is it true that there''s a class of people forced to work in the mines their entire lives?"


    Suortril stared at him, then gave an odd little smile. "Outsiders accuse us of that, but it isn''t so simple. Some societies punish criminals by imprisoning them, others execute them... we send them away to work off their debt to society. A few are harmed, but you''ve seen the results. Can you deny that Krysal offers a better life to its citizens?"


    Kai wanted to argue exactly that, but he was exhausted and it was true that he didn''t have all the information. Suortril turned away from him to examine the wreckage. "As per usual, crystalliers are so inconvenient. It doesn''t matter what land they come from or what they call themselves, they''re always ruining well-laid plans with their impulsiveness. Shame that they''re a necessary part of our world."


    "Well, this is done for now. We got all four of the Brightwind cultivators."


    "You misunderstand me."


    Pain shot through Kai''s shoulder and he was flung to the ground. He managed to twist to his back just in time to feel the wooden lance land on his chest and push him down. Terrible energy he couldn''t identify flowed out of it, and in his current condition, there was nothing he could do to resist.


    "I could have just executed you and appeased them," Suortril said mildly. "But you''ve ruined one of my most profitable business relationships. Now I''m afraid I''ll have to do worse."


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    "You don''t have to do anything." Kai managed to grab the spear with both hands, but it was clearly another artifact and it resisted him. "You think that if you kill me, that will appease whoever comes next? It was all a setup in the first place and you know it."


    "This has nothing to do with that. Oh, I''ll need to deal with their superiors in time, and that will be a headache. Clearly you had nothing to do with the theft, but you did kill my contacts. Do you have any idea how much trouble I had to go through to build a business relationship with Cloudspire? All ruined thanks to your personal nonsense."


    Kai opened his mouth, planning to bite the spear, when another wave of energy rushed into him. This time it made his entire body convulse and he threw his head back with a choked scream. Suortril smiled narrowly and pushed the spear a little harder into his chest.


    "You might think you''re the hero of some adventure, but you''re just an inconvenience." The merchant shook his head slowly. "All you''ve accomplished is producing a very negative line in my ledger. That''s going to annoy me for years to come, so... you should suffer those years as well."


    With the last of his strength, Kai managed a claw... and it glanced off the glimmering prism.


    Suortril reached into one of his cloth wraps and withdrew something that looked like a glowing blue coal. When he dropped it onto Kai''s chest, the pain intensified. All his soul was locking up, the monsters within him roaring, as the coal began to sink inside him.


    "I''ll admit, this part is personal. I love seeing warriors realize that their strength means nothing in the end." Suortril leaned forward and his eyes lit up, glittering like coins. "What you''re feeling is an expensive little item from Rosemount. It passes through your soul and destroys everything you''ve created, bit by bit. Tragically I can''t use it on just anyone, since your souls usually defend themselves, but thankfully your type often exhausts themselves."


    "I fought..." Kai gagged on blood and struggled to get out the next words. "For Yulthens..."


    "You think I care about Yulthens? It''s just an arena, just a resource. Your type is always fighting for these wild causes, not understanding anything of the real stakes." Suddenly Suortril''s smile widened. "You complained about the workers in the mines? That''s a suitable end for you, better than death. If you''re so concerned about them, you can go see yourself."


    The lance came down, and combined with the blue coal, Kai screamed out in agony. He could feel the power from the lance tearing through his body now, ripping apart his muscles. Suortril wasn''t strong or even particularly dexterous, but all he needed to do was wave the lance and it shredded Kai.


    "In my time, I''ve had a little practice with disabling crystalliers permanently. After this, you''ll never cultivate again. Just walking will be agony, much less fighting. Every moment of suffering, every agonizing step, I want you to think of me and remember how meaningless you are."


    Though the words continued, Kai couldn''t hear them over his own screams. Eventually the pain became too great, yet the darkness contained no mercy.


    .


    ..


    .


    For the first time in months, Kai dreamed of running through the wasteland. He was filled with that endless hunger, as if he wanted to eat the world. After drifting in those sensations for a time, his mind started to return. Zae Zin Nim had needed his help...


    Despite the monstrous vision, he didn''t think there was another incursion beginning. He was feeling a quieter and more subtle call within him, an echo of his fundamental monstrous essence. If he could work through it, he might be able to figure out something, because he had forgotten...


    Suortril.


    And agony.


    The memories flooded back and Kai wanted to leap up, but he seemed entirely disconnected from his body. Once the vision faded he was drifting in pure darkness. He remembered the terrible damage that had been done to him and wondered how he could possibly have survived, or whether anything was left.


    Since trying to push back to consciousness was useless, Kai began searching the darkness. He heard the thump faintly at first, then louder. Behemoth''s Heart... his heart. Its power was pumping out, apparently disappearing into shadows, but it had to be going somewhere. Even if he couldn''t feel his body, there were still strong connections.


    Gradually he began to feel pain, and he welcomed it because he could locate it in his body. He still couldn''t open his eyes, but sensations were returning... a hard surface under his back, hot still air around him, the light weight of a blanket.


    When he tried to flex the muscles of his body, he could feel them respond. He ached a little, but they weren''t torn apart as they should have been. Kai smiled as he realized that Suortril had made a fatal mistake: he treated all warriors as the same and had no idea that Kai would regenerate. His soul was intact as well, feral with monstrous energy. The agonizing coal had been swallowed whole.


    Now, if he could just get himself up...


    "Well fuck me, is he moving?"


    "How is he alive?"


    "Bring water! No, wait, maybe a spear!"


    "That can''t be the same man, can it?"


    Kai finally sat up and opened his eyes. No nasty surprises greeted him: his body and soul were intact. But he found himself sitting on a ragged blanket in the middle of a dark cavern. All around him, Krysali men and women clad in rags stared back at him.

 Chapter 157: The Truth of the Crystal Mines

    At first Kai wondered where the light was coming from, since he didn''t see any lanterns, then he realized that the walls themselves glowed softly. They were a dark gray, like the cloudiest quartz, but they were emanating light at such a low level he almost didn''t perceive it.


    That light allowed him to see the miserable people clustered around him. They certainly looked Krysali when it came to their dusky skin and straight hair, but instead of fine wraps, they had filthy rags hanging off their bones. He hadn''t realized just how healthy and well-formed most Krysali were until he saw this group, which ranged from skeletal to the wiry bodies of laborers.


    "He could be a crystallier," one of the women whispered to another. "Some kind of test."


    "But that injured?" the other said. "He should be dead."


    "How do we know? They could have a magic potion to fake it."


    When Kai tried to speak his throat hurt and he had to cough before continuing. "I''m not a crystallier," he told them. "Where is this place?"


    They drew back at his voice and shuffled nervously, then an old man spoke up. "They call these the N District mines."


    "I... don''t know what that means. Are you near any city state I might know?"


    "We''re not part of no city, boy. And now neither are you."


    Many of those watching began moving away, now that they''d confirmed there wouldn''t be any dramatic surprises. Kai flexed his body and grimaced as he felt the aches through his muscles. He might be intact, but it was going to take a while to fully recover. When he tried to sit up, a middle-aged woman pushed his shoulder - with surprising strength - to keep him down.


    "You just stay there and rest up. Take this." She shoved a rough bowl filled with hot liquid into his hands. "Damn hard to get anything into your mouth while you were asleep, so eat up."


    The liquid seemed thin and didn''t smell particularly good, but Kai''s stomach rumbled as soon as he smelled the fatty scent. There was no spoon, so he raised the bowl to his lips and began drinking it directly. While he drank, the woman kept talking.


    "The others may not give you their names because they don''t trust you yet, but I will. I''m Nanny Troggup, and you''d better remember it. We may not have fancy laws down here like the cities. But folks still need to eat, and I''m the only one who makes sure it happens."


    "Thank you." Kai pulled the bowl away long enough to ask a question. "Are all of you really imprisoned down here? I was in Krysal for months and I had no idea..."


    "That''s the long and short of it. Is what it is." Nanny Troggup shrugged her heavy shoulders. "Some of these folks have never been out, but I used to be a washerwoman in Philaster. Couldn''t keep up and got sent down here."


    "They told me that criminals got sent to the mines. I guess I shouldn''t have believed them..."


    "Oh, that happens from time to time. A real bad show for the rest of us, believe me, but they stay away from these parts. Most us were either in here from the beginning or just fell on hard times. You don''t keep everyone healthy and happy up there without sending a few below."


    Kai finished the bowl and swallowed a few slimy lumps at the bottom, trying not to think about what they might be. A little food only made him more hungry, and he could have eaten ten of the bowls, but it didn''t look like there was any more coming.


    While he finished, Nanny Troggup kept chattering to him. She seemed to be cutting up some sort of hard root with a stone knife, struggling with each cut. Not because of weakness - her arms were corded with thin muscle - but because the root she was cutting seemed to be barely edible. Half of what she said was just complaining about her aches and pains, or how her son didn''t visit her much, or how hard it was to find someone who could do repair work.


    Her words left Kai filled with rage and shame.


    He''d thought of himself as worldly, capable of traveling to a new nation and adapting, even joining their higher ranks. Maybe his Goralian ideas left him naive, but he''d never even imagined that Krysal would have a system so atrocious. Just how many people were trapped underground in dimly lit mines? Now all the crystals he''d seen, from the sides of airships to the toys of children, seemed much less bright and pure.


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    Part of him wanted to get up right that second, run out of the caves and fight his way through anyone who tried to stop him. Kai forced himself to slow down and think, since it was making assumptions that had led him to overlook these people in the first place. Before he took action, he needed to understand what was going on.


    The one thing he could control was himself, so Kai started with another look at his soul.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 228 (110)


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 1% (100)


    Physique Level: E-4 (92)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Monstrous Hunger - VIII (theta)


    Behemoth''s Heart - III (gamma)


    Direboar''s Strength - VI (zeta)


    Isulfr''s Bite - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IV (delta)


    Infernotoad''s Burst - III (gamma)


    -


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    >


    For the first time he''d ever seen, his Total Power was rated with a lower number, as if it was worth less. What Suortril had done to him had been designed to destroy him irreparably, so it made sense that he couldn''t recover from the damage instantly. He was relatively certain that his strength hadn''t been permanently reduced, he was just temporarily weaker.


    Based on how he felt, Kai guessed that he might actually be down to the level of a normal crystallier, at least minus his monstrous abilities. Behemoth''s Heart was still pumping steadily inside him, working toward full recovery. Perhaps it would be best not to draw on those abilities too hard.


    That gave him a time frame: Kai resolved to learn and prepare until his strength was fully restored.


    Eventually Nanny Troggup had other work to do and moved away after exhorting him to rest. Kai waited until she was out of sight and then stood up. This part of the cave appeared to be for the sick and dying, and he saw several others sleeping on rags nearby. One woman hacked a nasty cough while another man might just be starving.


    If he had any healing skills, Kai might have done something for them. He''d never heard of any healing monsters, and he had no choice but to move on.


    Outside the infirmary, if it could be called that, the caverns spread in many directions. Everything he saw looked residential, with miserable people sitting in place or going about their business wearily. The walls were all the same cloudy stone, but he saw more jagged pieces and areas that showed clear signs of human tools. It looked like some of them were working at chopping away one wall to form a new house.


    Presumably they lived in this depleted part of the mine. Kai confirmed that theory as he searched further and discovered other corridors that hadn''t been smoothed, still jagged with crystals. None of them looked like the qi crystals he''d seen, however, not even in the depleted mine where he''d taken a job. When he experimentally broke off one it proved resistant, as if the mess of stone and quartz on top of it interfered. Now that he thought about it, the Krysali had said something about crystals needing refining.


    How many of them could there be in the mines? He''d already seen hundreds of miserable workers and he''d barely begun to explore.


    As he wandered through the tunnels, getting his bearings, Kai wondered about what was going on outside. Zae Zin Nim should hopefully be safe for a while, since they had finished off the cultivators, but what would she think about his absence? He feared that Suortril might have tried to attack her before reassuring himself that she hadn''t been drained and could have fought back.


    If she knew his location, she would find some way to come for him and life might go in a very different direction. Kai decided that he would operate on the assumption that he''d vanished. Suortril might be petty and cruel, but he wasn''t stupid enough to leave an obvious trail.


    Most of the people Kai passed looked at him suspiciously, for good reason. He was much taller and more muscular than they were, though many of the workers looked strong. When Kai began to examine their souls, he immediately noticed something odd. Instead of trying to look at everyone, he focused on a single worker picking away at a wall.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 53


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    The man had a surprisingly high level of Physique for someone who wasn''t a trained warrior. When Kai examined the others methodically, he was surprised to find that practically all the workers were in the F ranks. His best theory was that the physical labor involved in their work served as training, but that would have to be tested.


    A teenage girl, barely an adolescent, trotted through the room carrying a box. She looked spindly but when he checked her soul he got a shock.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 38


    Physique Level: F-2 (34)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    She had a Power rating of 38, which was more appropriate for an adult. For that matter, it was easy to forget when he was facing warriors regularly, but those who didn''t engage in combat rarely had any Soul Levels. Everyone he saw was rated at 2 or 3, which matched some older hunters.


    Yet, no matter how many people he looked at, he didn''t see a single speck of crystal cultivation. Not one had a Class or any other kind of gift. The workers appeared to be monsters of Physique and yet he wasn''t sure how much it helped them. They weren''t trained fighters and, despite the Power ratings, he didn''t think he would bet on them against Goralian hunters with similar ratings.


    If the Krysali underclass had immense strength, they would have already had a successful uprising, so something must be limiting them. Maybe this was just the level of strength required to mine crystals, or maybe there was another piece of the puzzle he hadn''t uncovered yet.


    Despite everything that had happened, Kai smiled grimly. Time to learn the truth.

 Chapter 158: The Aftermath of the Cultivators

    Though Zae Zin Nim had scoured the countryside and investigated the local institutions as a precaution, she had never for a moment believed that Kai would simply turn up. No, that would have been too easy. Ever since she had seen the Brightwind cultivators and known her father was looking for her, life had been cursed. That curse had fallen on Kai, who had enough ill luck of his own, and something was definitely wrong.


    Her return wasn''t difficult, as her crystal ship had thankfully been undamaged. When she finished searching the outlying lands and returned to the city wall, she was surprised to find that they were no longer enforcing the barrier. The roads were absolutely clogged with merchants returning to their business, so she retreated to less hectic territory.


    Orillia''s estate was as quiet and run-down as always. Its peace was almost an insult. Zae Zin Nim ignored it and went to go speak to the old woman, brushing past the servants who tried to stop her.


    "Oh, there you are!" Orillia was drinking from a large cup of wine and moved to pour another one for her. "Why don''t you have a drink? We could all use one, these days."


    "No, thank you. Has there been any sign of Kai?"


    "Last I heard, he was off with that Diamond Crystallier. Did you hear? Their mission was a dreadful mess, everyone is all abuzz about it."


    She had already seen the final results, but Zae Zin Nim realized that information about the previous events might offer some sort of clue. "Please tell me what happened."


    "They say Omilaena was the thief all along, and she''d been condemned by the other nobles. But when they went to imprison her, she gave them the slip! She put the crystallier and something they were tracking onto a ship and sent it to break the blockade. When they finally destroyed it - thankfully they didn''t kill the Diamond Crystallier - they realized she''d slipped away."


    "I already know this. She left via land and the cultivators followed her?"


    "Well, look at you!" Orillia tutted and took another sip of her drink. "Yes, apparently Suortril suspected something. They managed to catch up and rescue all the crystalliers she''d captured, but there was no sign of her. We''re still not sure what happened, but oohwee, Suortril is an angry little boy."


    There was no point telling the old woman that Kai had been there and getting her further involved. Zae Zin Nim had learned enough about what the general population knew, which only established that she needed information from those who had been involved. The fact that the Diamond Crystallier was still alive was the clue she needed.


    Thankfully the old woman knew when someone didn''t want to make small talk, so she gave Zae Zin Nim a location and let her go. Apparently the Diamond Crystallier had returned to the Elite Guild for recovery. Zae Zin Nim was familiar with the location because Kai went there at times, but had never visited herself.


    When she walked in she immediately felt like she''d been transported back to Goralia. Not many cultivators around, not even the crystal type she''d come to tolerate. Once that would have disgusted her and now she wasn''t sure what she felt. All that mattered was that they might have information.


    "Can we help you?" A tall man stepped into her way when she tried to walk back, but he only had around 60 Power and could not impede her.


    "I am here to speak to Tareth Nordulind." When the hunter tried to stop her, Zae Zin Nim tapped him with a palm strike that froze him in place.


    Several other hunters noticed and started to move on her, but before it broke into a fight, a voice boomed from the back. "I know this one! Let her through."


    They reluctantly pulled back and Zae Zin Nim was allowed into a back room. Tareth lay in a massive bed that could fit the Diamond Crystallier''s over-sized body. It looked as though he had a number of conventional wounds that were currently healing, but there were also black veins across his body that suggested his greatest struggle was with poison. Deadwaste was in the dark ages when it came to poison and alchemy, so there was no telling how long it would take.


    "Wish we could have had you in the fight," Tareth said. "With you there, we might have taken her down."


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "What happened to Kai?" Zae Zin Nim saw a chair by the bed and pushed it aside so she could stand. Some of the hunters were watching her suspiciously, so she leaned a hand on the headboard of the bed to look less hostile.


    "Omilaena tried to disable everyone with poison and he was the only one who managed to shrug it off. Well, and that Graetri kid, who was more harm than help. Anyway, your friend was damn strong, so I want to help you, but I was knocked unconscious before I saw the end."


    "Tell me what you do know."


    "I was the decoy and she took all the other crystalliers with her on her secret route. No reason to think that she didn''t take Kai too. During the fight she was being really friendly with him, if you understand my meaning. The rumors about her being a Maneater could well be true, and since she seemed so interested-"


    The headboard cracked under Zae Zin Nim''s fingers. Several hunters flinched, but Tareth only glanced at it.


    "Sorry to tell you, but that''s what I saw." Tareth examined her thoughtfully. "You doing alright?"


    "I am perfectly fine," Zae Zin Nim said. "Did you notice anything else?"


    While Tareth told her a few more details - notably useful information on Omilaena''s fighting style - Zae Zin Nim stewed over the evidence. She was absolutely certain that she had seen the real Kai, and reasonably confident that Omilaena had disappeared in the smoke. Was it possible that she had circled back to steal Kai while he was weakened? It would have been a risk, but Kai would have been far more useful to her than any of the other crystalliers, so she might have taken it.


    The thought of that woman having Kai in her grip... Zae Zin Nim resolutely stopped thinking about it and focused on what she could control.


    Once she had extracted all the necessary information, Zae Zin Nim thanked the Diamond Crystallier and left. She didn''t get out of the Elite Guild before there was a commotion at the front door and she saw a familiar face floating in on a crystal chair.


    "I heard you were here," Suortril said with a concerned expression. "Have you found any sign of Kai?"


    "No. I was coming to talk to you next." Zae Zin Nim scrutinized the man''s face, looking for a tell.


    "I assumed as much and came to help. It''s really a great pity, because everything would have gone worse without him there. All I can tell you is that the two of you split up to go after the last foreigners, so I helped rescue the other crystalliers. Neither of you came back before I left, and I only recently learned that Kai disappeared entirely."


    His words were smooth, charming, and wrong. Zae Zin Nim couldn''t identify any exact flaw in his story, but she knew a snake when she saw one. Even if he was telling the complete truth, she knew he didn''t care about Kai, only his own profits.


    "Hopefully the rest of this mess is behind us," Suortril said, "but I feel bad that I couldn''t do more. I was thinking of putting together a search party. If you were to come help organize it, we would have a better chance of finding him. What do you say, come back to my estate and discuss it?"


    "No, thank you." Zae Zin Nim bowed, and through her hair she thought she saw the slightest crack in Suortril''s calm expression. "I have urgent business of my own."


    "Of course, of course. I''ll tell you if we learn anything."


    She wanted to take his head off as a matter of principle, but instead she left the group politely. Attacking was useless, because Suortril was still defended by his prism, and she realized there was actually a worse threat. He was the only person in the city who had heard what the Brightwind cultivators said... if he put together her political situation, he could try to blackmail her.


    So far he was pretending to be her friend and hadn''t threatened, so there was no sense in escalating. He didn''t seem like a fool, so she assumed he knew that contacting a patriarch on Cloudspire would have great consequences. But it was still one more potential threat hanging over her head.


    When Zae Zin Nim returned to the estate, she went straight to her room and began to cultivate. Now that the sect was gone, there was no sense in holding back. Regardless of whether she could find Kai, she would need all the strength she could manage.


    Cloudspire should be out of the equation for the near future, which allowed her to focus on the rest. Suortril was a potential threat and might need to be killed, depending on how he behaved. Omilaena could be the one holding Kai and might cause other trouble. But so long as she dealt with the remaining consequences, she would be safe from her father.


    .


    ..


    .


    A man in tattered silk robes limped down the length of his small boat, checking the device yet again. He hated these infernal crystal motors, with their muddied qi and inexplicable workings. It couldn''t seem to go any faster and he was afraid that adding more of his own qi would only destroy the mechanism. That would put him adrift at sea and at even greater risk of dehydration.


    When he had been assigned to go along with the others, he had been dismayed. With four Nascent Foundation cultivators, someone like him, who had only just mastered the Qi Condensation stage, would be treated as a mere servant. The entire journey, from the abuse of the others to the pathetic environment of Deadwaste, had been miserable.


    And now it could be his path to advancing and changing his fate.


    Some barbaric technique had destroyed their ship and killed everyone else on board. Only he, strong enough to use his qi to survive but not strong enough to attract attention, had survived. He''d woken up in the wasteland and immediately understood what had happened. Stealing a local boat had been a formality, and crossing the ocean like this would take a long time, but now he knew there was treasure at the end of the road.


    He was the only survivor, so he would reap the reward for telling grand patriarch Zae Clen Ban about his daughter.

 Chapter 159: Meeting the Lower Krysali

    Each time anyone struck the crystal walls, they risked serious injury. Certain planes of the crystal were tougher than others, so their pickaxe might bounce off at a dangerous angle, or the area might shatter and send shards of crystal into their legs. Every day there were injuries from just such accidents, and down here without proper medical care, they could lead to losing a limb.


    Because there weren''t enough tools to go around, and no one trusted him anyway, Kai worked in the partially cleared tunnels and broke apart the fragmented rocks with his bare hands. He was surprised that they could actually cut his skin, despite all his Physique and Behemoth''s Heart. The constant minor injuries from qi-bearing stones might explain part of why everyone in the mines was so tough, but it wasn''t enough to fully justify it.


    Several other workers had told him not to do exactly what he was doing, but Kai''s wounds regenerated and it worked as training. After a day, they''d stopped warning him.


    The local Krysali had tons of equipment and tools made out of stone, but fibers were at a premium, so he didn''t have a basket to gather what he broke. Instead Kai just scooped up an armful and carried it from the spiky side shaft into one of the central chambers of the mine. There he dropped them onto a table that had been carved directly from the floor.


    "Will these do?" he asked the woman at the table.


    "They''ll do." She began whisking them off the table into the large basket by the side, apparently counting them. In the beginning he''d been paranoid about being cheated, but apparently everything worked on the honor system and he''d always been given food in exchange for his work.


    It was hard to know what to make of the woman herself. She wouldn''t give him a name and he wasn''t sure how old she was, because the workers had prematurely aged faces and hands from the mines. Unlike most, she wore her dark hair longer in a loose tail and seemed to keep it glossy. Though a bit unhealthily skinny, she was more muscular than many of the women there, which was borne out by her soul.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 95


    Physique Level: E-2 (86)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    She and most of the other strongest miners had E-rank Physique. Kai was absolutely certain they couldn''t achieve that from their labor alone, but no one trusted him enough to impart any secrets. A few times he''d noticed groups of younger people training in the side corridors, only to have them stop and glare at him.


    "You''re doing well," the woman said begrudgingly. "You need to be more careful with the floors when you break off crystals. Don''t leave edges."


    "Edges?" Kai asked.


    "Come on then, crystallier, let me show you." She rose and walked into the corridor.


    "Hey, I''m not a crystallier."


    She ignored him and crouched down to poke at the floor. "You see this? Somebody broke off crystals and left this edge. If you fall on that, you''ll get cut. We don''t let kids in here, but something like this could kill somebody."


    "Alright, I''ll keep it in mind." Kai stomped on the edge and felt the crystal break under his foot. It hurt a little, but he managed to stomp it flat soon enough.


    "Don''t hurt anyone, crystallier." The woman frowned at him but couldn''t find fault with anything else, so she moved back to her post. Soon afterward she hefted the massive basket of crystals over one shoulder and headed toward the higher floors.


    As far as Kai understood the system, the workers had almost nothing edible native to the mines. They had to trade crystals with soldiers stationed at the entrance in order to receive food and water, and they didn''t always get enough. There was no help if someone became injured or sick and instead they relied on a system of favors, helping out others when things were good in order to have the favor returned later. So long as they kept the mine operating, it seemed to keep them alive.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    He''d asked what happened when they couldn''t find enough crystals and got grimaces in response. The gold to crystal ratio might make some crystalliers whine and some merchants fear for their portfolios, but down here it was a matter of life and death.


    So far he hadn''t tried to venture closer to the entrance. Everyone said that it was dangerous to incite the soldiers, and in his case there was always the chance that Suortril had ordered them to look for him. Besides, he had work to do. Since it seemed clear that Zae Zin Nim didn''t know where he was, he needed to learn as much as he could about the mines.


    "There''s our new guest!" A middle-aged man followed him down the tunnel, waving cheerfully. Kai automatically checked his soul as a precaution.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 99


    Physique Level: E-4 (92)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    Like many of the stronger workers, the man had high Physique Levels, but the numbers didn''t add up. Kai had been puzzled until he realized that many of the workers must be running up against the 99 Power barrier. Down in the mines there weren''t exactly very many opportunities to break through and he suspected that the Krysali were glad to keep it that way.


    "I wanted to welcome you with a feast of honey-glazed meat, mulled wine, and jamba dates," the man said, then cracked a smile. "The problem is that we''ve never had any of those things, and I made up ''jamba dates'' just now."


    "You just made up a food?" Kai asked.


    "Yup. Sounds delicious, doesn''t it? By the way, I''m Maggle." The man jerked his head in the nod they did instead of bowing here.


    Because he was one of the few who had introduced himself, Kai took a good look at Maggle. He was too skinny, but his ragged shirt revealed that he had some real muscle. His hair had once been dark but was now fleeing back across his scalp. Though he was carrying a pickaxe, Kai wasn''t really concerned about him using it as a weapon.


    "You already know I''m Kai. What can I do for you, Maggle?"


    "Truth be told, I was hoping to mooch off you because you work so hard." Maggle wrapped an arm around his neck cheerfully, then pulled back. "Shit, man, how''d you get so huge? What do they feed you up there?"


    "Jamba dates."


    Maggle cracked a huge grin, then suddenly sobered. "That doesn''t sound like a real thing. Why would you just tell lies like that?"


    Despite what he''d said, Maggle worked about as hard as anyone Kai had seen in the mines. They all moved economically, as if they didn''t have energy to spare. Even with his old Gomodo''s Stamina, much less Behemoth''s Heart, Kai could keep working like this almost forever, so he looked frenetic compared to the other workers.


    The one part of Maggle that did move quickly was his mouth. He talked about anything and everything while they worked, and Kai absorbed his implications for a while before deciding that he needed more specific information.


    "I noticed that all of you have strong Physique," Kai said, "but y-"


    "I knew I saw you looking at me! Now, no offense, but I-"


    "Would I be the first person to tell you to shut up?"


    Once more Maggle grinned. "Alright, what is it?"


    "All of you work with these crystals every single day, but I haven''t seen a single bit of crystal cultivation since I got here. Even if they don''t teach you - obviously they wouldn''t - you could have figured some of it out. So what''s the situation?"


    "You must be new to Krysal, huh? These are crystals in their raw form, you can''t cultivate with them." Maggle rapped his knuckles on the wall, then winced and pulled them back. "You try to work with dirty crystals, they''ll muck everything up. Besides, even if you did pull it off, if the guards ever noticed, they might execute you for trying to revolt."


    Kai glanced at the walls again, slightly surprised. He was fully capable of pulling the minimal qi out of the walls and had been doing so every night as he went to sleep. Then again, he had years of mental training at home and had been personally trained by a cultivator from Cloudspire. These poor souls under threat of starvation and execution had none of those advantages.


    A long time ago, he''d whined that Goralia had given him nothing. Now that he saw people who truly had almost nothing, he felt guilty about all the training and support he''d received.


    "The way I hear it," Maggle went on, "you have to send the crystals off to some sort of terrible acid mine to get them all shined up. But they don''t let us touch that part of the process, because if we got real crystals we''d be a threat to them. Hell, I only know about the acid mines because an old timer from outside told us that''s how it works."


    "I haven''t been near the soldiers," Kai said. "Do people ever try to break out?"


    "From time to time, but the tunnels are traps. All kinds of nasty options for them to kill us. And if it really came down to it, they could just block off all the entrances and let us all starve. I don''t know if it''s ever really happened, but people talk. Everybody has a friend of a cousin who saw it happen, but you should trust them about as much as you trust me, haha!"


    "There are no other exits to the mine? We seem to have enough air."


    "The way I understand it, the crystals make cracks that get us air." Maggle slouched back against the wall and idly tapped the ceiling with his pickaxe. "Now, you may be thinking, ''Maggle, you handsome devil, why don''t we just mine upwards?'' Well, it''s been tried, but that''s a good way to have the mine cave in on ya."


    "How far down do the tunnels go?"


    "That''s a tough one. Definitely several levels from the safe zone, but then eventually you get all sorts of creepy crawlies."


    "There are monsters here?" Kai pulled back from his work. He''d been warned many times that it was dangerous to go to the lower levels, but he''d never heard anyone mention monsters.


    "Oh, sure. Hell if I know where they come from, they seem to just crawl out of nature''s ass. Sometimes they even attack, and that can get bad. The soldiers will come in if enough of us die and they can''t get their crystals, but I''ve only seen them come to help twice in my life."


    Kai turned back to his work with a grin on his face. His days as a crystal miner might be behind him, because he knew exactly where he was going next.

 Chapter 160: Rockbat Soup

    As soon as Kai heard about the monsters in the lower levels, mining crystals started to feel like a chore. His goal wasn''t to join the workers, it was to help them, and he could help them far more by dealing with their monster problem. The only thing that kept him from going straight down at the first opportunity was that he wanted to do it right.


    When he delivered all the crystals from his work, the young woman frowned at him again. "Good work, crystallier."


    "I''m not a crys-"


    "You look like one to me." She turned away and continued her work.


    With a new goal in mind, Kai didn''t really care about why she was so prickly. He could even understand: with his power and training, life in the mines wasn''t as miserable for him as it was for everyone else. Given the lives they''d led, they had no reason to believe that someone from above would go out of his way to help them for nothing in return.


    It was time to begin changing that.


    Killing monsters might help him personally, but it was only a minor solution. So he first went and found Nanny Troggup, in the cavern that served as a kitchen, trying to stretch out the stew for that night. She nodded amiably enough when he approached.


    "Can you get down that box for me?" she asked.


    "Sure, but I wanted to ask something else." Kai barely had to stretch to reach the box atop a pile of old crates, then set it down beside her. "I''m going to go kill some of the monsters below. Do you know how to cook monster to make it edible?"


    "Aye, we''ve had to do it in bad times. I won''t deny, it will help, but they won''t like it."


    "I have a few ideas. But let me get them first."


    He''d been afraid that the Krysali would be afraid of eating monsters, but he should have known better given their desperation. With that settled, he headed down the lower levels of the mine. Sometimes they had cut open what seemed like stable mineshafts, but other times he found himself squeezing through a crack or nervously testing a creaky ladder.


    It took him longer to reach the bottom than he had expected, and he kept encountering new clusters of workers. They seemed to organize in smaller groups while sometimes cooperating with others. As he traveled, he revised his estimate of their total numbers from thousands to tens of thousands, maybe more. No wonder they had so many crystals on the surface.


    There were no exact floors, since every path twisted and rose, but he roughly estimated them. Three floors down, he saw only hard men and women with at least some training. Five floors down, he rarely saw anyone else, just a few desperate fighters taking a risk to find more crystals. He went down to the seventh and took a deep breath.


    Finally he could smell the monsters through the general musty scent of the mine. Kai began walking through the corridors, ready to be attacked at any moment. He couldn''t help but note that the walls seemed dimmer here, or perhaps it was just that there were more intact crystals remaining. If he could actually clear a floor, they''d have an easier task pursuing these than breaking open new passages.


    When the first monster dropped out of a crack in the ceiling, Kai wasn''t still looking forward. It would have latched onto his head, but it seemed to be moving slowly, as if through deep water. He''d changed so much, he had plenty of time to examine the monster: all dark ropey flesh, claws, and fangs. He was almost amused when he examined its spirit.


    <


    Monster: Rockbat


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Threat: II (Beta)


    >


    Just a beta ranked threat. Kai caught the creature with one hand and snapped its neck. It was a bit thin, but he was sure the workers could extract everything useful from it. For that matter, it was covered in thin fur, and if they could put aside their bias against monsters, that be better than their current rags.


    Could monsters like this really be a problem for them? Kai realized that it was a bit odd... with so many workers having higher Physiques, a creature like this was a risk, but it should have been manageable. In his experience the workers weren''t weaker than expected even when they lacked combat experience.


    Another monster leapt from a nearby crevice, this one aiming for his leg. Kai kicked it against the wall but didn''t crush it, intending to examine the creature for a threat. It opened his mouth as if crying out and he thought he could hear something keening just at the edge of his hearing...


    And then he heard the flapping.


    It was coming closer and closer, growing like an avalanche. In the distance he saw the lights of the crystal walls flicker and then go out as they were entirely obscured by flapping wings.


    Kai took a deep breath and released Infernotoad''s Blast down the corridor. When it cleared, he was left with a floor covered in the already cooking bodies of the monsters.


    "I''ve missed this." Kai smiled to himself, then grinned into the darkness. "You want to hunt me, monsters? Then hunt me!"


    .


    ..


    .


    A couple of hours later, Kai dragged an enormous number of monsters back to the main levels. He''d encountered several other types in the caverns, but few had been a true threat to him. Once he''d even waded directly into a storm of the Rockbats, letting them try to claw at him while he snapped his teeth together and consumed them one at a time.


    His stomach was full for the first time since he''d been sent into the mines. That was satisfying, but he''d be happier when it was true for everyone else.


    At first he got stares from everyone, then some workers began to edge forward to look at the monsters. A few started to grab one before pulling back as if afraid of what he might do. When Kai turned toward them they flinched, and he understood why they might be afraid, given that he''d just displayed how dangerous he was.


    "Well, look at that!" Maggle walked in and whistled at the monster bodies. "I knew I let out a real ripe one on the lower levels, but I didn''t realize my farts could kill monsters!"


    "Maggle, good to see you." Kai clapped him on the shoulder. "Tell people they can take one if they want, but they''re not safe to eat. I''m planning to take them all to Nanny Troggup to cook them properly."


    "You got a mouth, don''t it work?"


    "Not as well as yours."


    Maggle laughed and went to talk to the onlookers, who already appeared a little encouraged. Kai took several of the monsters past them to the old woman. She already knew her work, but he showed her how the meat could be cooked without charring it entirely. The trouble was the fire, since resources were scarce, but Kai used the slightest whisper of the Infernotoad essence to build a more intense one.


    Soon enough the workers began converging to prepare the monsters. He''d expected more complaining, but they all seemed grateful. Maybe Nanny Troggup had managed to hide the nasty smell - Kai had no idea personally, because monsters still smelled and tasted great to him. In the end it seemed like they were only willing to convert a small percentage of their diet to monster flesh, fearing illness, but it was a source of food that hadn''t existed that morning.


    For the most part Kai refused food, claiming he''d already eaten, but he accepted a few earnestly offered bites. He realized that his strength had recovered more than in an entire week of work... he needed to take more trips down below and eat as many monsters as possible.


    "What do you want for all this?" Nanny Troggup asked him from over her pot. "Everybody should give their fair share, but this is a lot more than fair."


    "I just want some decent tools," Kai said. "It was a pain dragging them all here."


    The surrounding workers laughed even though he hadn''t intended to be funny. It was the mood of the place, an infectious energy spreading through the tunnels. Even other groups were drawn in, and to his surprise the workers shared more with them.


    Most likely if he kept this up, he''d attract attention from the workers who weren''t so friendly. He''d heard occasional stories about the criminals thrown into the mines, and though they hadn''t shown themselves, he figured it was only a matter of time. Before he could decide exactly how to prepare for that, he heard a quiet voice behind him.


    "Not bad, crystallier." It was the woman who managed the crystal collection, but she was smiling as she spoke.


    "I''m not..." Kai took a deep breath and met her gaze. "I guess I was a crystallier. Life seemed pretty easy on the surface, before I knew about all this. But I''m not anymore, am I?"


    "Maybe not." She examined him oddly and her smile broadened. "My name is Nirka."


    "Kai, but you already knew that."


    "Well, Kai, if you''re really here to help, then maybe we''ll be working more together. Are you willing to try something more ambitious?"


    Kai grinned. "I''ve been waiting for someone to ask."

 Chapter 161: The Physique of the Underclass

    After months in the Krysali cities, Kai had felt as though he was still a foreigner. Accepted for his strength, but always on the outside, always just a guest in their society. It was something that had slowly grown in his awareness the longer he stayed.


    After less than a single month in the mines, Kai felt like he was their hero.


    That wasn''t exactly the same as being accepted as one of them, but he''d take it. The workers no longer treated him with suspicion and actually provided useful information when he asked about the lower levels. Even though he''d tried to help with the mining on occasion, everyone seemed happy with his contribution taking care of the monsters and insisted that he keep at it.


    Both the extra time and the extra trust meant that he could take a personal step forward. One day while eating with Maggle and Nirka, he decided to bring up the issue of Physique.


    "I won''t make any excuses," Kai said, "I really want to know what training you''re doing to increase Physique so much. I''m used to being the one focused on it, but there are a lot of workers in here tougher than me."


    "Get it from our parents!" Maggle rubbed his jaw with exaggerated pride. "Along with my dashing good looks, of course."


    "We can show you." Nirka smiled just slightly at him. "You''re risking your life to help us, so it''s the least we can do."


    "Assuming you can keep up, city boy!"


    When they took him to one of the back caverns and began teaching him the exercises, Kai could more than keep up. Yet their Physique training techniques were the first new ones he''d encountered in a long time and he found them fascinating. Instead of extended strength or endurance training, they involved short bursts of effort. Some of the more advanced techniques involved striking the body directly against the cavern walls, which he suspected absorbed some of the qi indirectly.


    So that it wouldn''t seem one-sided, Kai taught them some of the training routines he''d learned over the years. To his surprise, they didn''t work well. Maggle thought they were too exhausting, and though Nirka was interested, he realized that she was too undernourished. Goralian training presumed that someone was getting a healthy diet and absorbing mana on a regular basis.


    "This is great," Kai said after their first day of training. He could have kept going, but he judged that would look too suspicious. "And all of you are doing this?"


    "Gotta keep up in the mines." Maggle shrugged broadly. "Some other places have different tricks and we share, when we get a chance."


    "Not that it matters." Nirka lowered her head. "Everyone is stuck at 99 anyway."


    "She''s talking about crazy numbers she sees in her head, ya gotta understand. Some people can-"


    "I''m familiar," Kai cut him off. "I''ve noticed that no one ever gets above a Power rating of 99, but I assumed that was because of the limit barrier."


    "This is all we''re worth," Nirka said bitterly. "It doesn''t matter if you train up to E-8, even E-9, this is our limit. I didn''t want to believe it, but the only people I''ve ever seen get past it are those from outside, like you, or the criminals."


    "Wait, do you mean they''re telling you that the limit is your fault?"


    Nirka looked up at him sharply. She was mostly friendly these days, but occasionally he saw glimpses of the curt woman he''d known when she didn''t trust him.


    "Not our fault, ''xactly." Maggle shrugged. "But they say different folks have different worths. Some get to be crystalliers really easily, others hit their limits early. Just our lot in life... or so they say."


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    "They''re lying." Kai ran his hands through his hair as he considered how to explain it. "Everyone hits a limit at 99 Power, that''s just how souls start out. I wasn''t even in E rank when I ran into it. I didn''t get through because I''m better than anybody else, I had to go find a specific pill."


    "Really?" Nirka leaned closer, eyes widening. "It''s the same for the crystalliers, too? They aren''t better than us, they just bought something to let them break through?"


    The unfortunate truth was that he wasn''t sure: after he had broken through to 100 himself, Kai hadn''t thought about the barrier much. So for all the time he''d spent in Krysal, he hadn''t actually learned how crystalliers broke the barrier. Given their general attitudes and the wealth available to them, he felt confident assuming that they had the resources for it.


    "I don''t know the details in Krysal," Kai was forced to say. "But I remember being stuck... when I finally broke through, I had a lot more strength available to me. Many of your strongest are running up against the size of their soul, so if I could get the resources..."


    He trailed off as he realized they were both looking at him. "You got some tunnel out you haven''t told us about?" Maggle asked. "Because that''d be real mean of ya."


    "No, it''s not like that. But if I do manage to get out, I''m not going to forget about you."


    "Was your story really true?" Nirka watched him with a neutral expression. "Did you get thrown in here, or did some enemy send you?"


    "I swear, I''m here solely for myself." Kai wasn''t sure what he could do to convince them other than look them in the eye. "I got into trouble with a merchant and he tried to cripple me before sending me here to live out my life in misery."


    "So you''re out for revenge?"


    "Maybe, but I got into this trouble not understanding everything first. And like I said, even if I managed to get out, I can''t forget what I''ve seen here."


    The topic lapsed, too large for them to consider. Kai realized that while the workers were happy to curse the soldiers who tormented them and the crystalliers they imagined living off their work, their suffering limited them. They had never seen anyone get out and life only got worse for them. He imagined they must feel as cursed by fate as he did, except they had no hope of a path forward.


    If he tried to lead a rebellion against the soldiers, would they follow him? They treated him like a hero, but Kai wasn''t sure they would go that far. More importantly, they''d probably be right not to do it. The soldiers who blocked them in the mine were just one part of a much larger system. Wildly attacking one small part of the system while ignoring the rest was a recipe for disaster.


    After months of struggling for the slightest gain in Physique, Kai was surprised when his level increased in just three days. It didn''t feel like he was hitting a wall, either: the training they offered was completely different than anything he''d tried before and he had room to keep growing. After another day of work, Kai checked his soul and was pleased by what he saw.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 231 (147)


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 2% (100)


    Physique Level: E-5 (95)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Monstrous Hunger - VIII (theta)


    Behemoth''s Heart - IV (delta)


    Direboar''s Strength - VI (zeta)


    Isulfr''s Bite - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IV (delta)


    Infernotoad''s Burst - IV (delta)


    -


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Beastbat''s Wing - I (alpha)


    >


    Not only was his full strength rapidly returning, with his gains in Physique, he would be stronger than when he started. Unfortunately he hadn''t found much in the way of useful monsters, just a stronger version of the Rockbats that had offered a weak ability. Growing wings didn''t seem like something his powers could manage, but maybe he could feed it to another flying ability in the future.


    Pleased by his progress, Kai threw himself into training and monster hunting. He didn''t make progress quite as quickly, but he had never expected the path to E-9 to be a walk in the park. Just the fact that he was moving toward it slowly and steadily made him happy.


    After a week of training, he was surprised to see Nirka slip into the room. He always trained longer than the other workers, so he was usually alone at this time. At first he wondered if something was wrong or she was skeptical of him, but she came to sit down nearby.


    "I know one exception to the rule," she said.


    "What rule?" Kai had been balancing in a handstand and now flipped back to his feet.


    "Everybody says that you can''t go past E-9, and it''s pointless because you can''t pass 99 Power anyway. But there''s an old man who did it." She regarded him somberly. "He doesn''t live in our community, he''s several blocks over. And those are dangerous, so I didn''t want to mention it. But if you gain this power, you really will help us, won''t you?"


    "I''ll try." Kai took her hand and smiled. "If you can introduce me to him, I''d be grateful. This could be more than just strengthening me, there should be a way to help everyone advance."


    Nirka squirmed uncomfortably, perhaps still not fully trusting him, but when he let go of her hand she smiled. "Tell me when you''re ready to go."

 Chapter 162: The Edge of the Crystal

    Making so much progress, Kai was tempted to just keep training, but he knew that was the wrong path. The world wasn''t so kind as to just sit and wait for him to get stronger, it would be barreling forward. Suortril might be beginning another scheme, the conflict with Omilaena might have developed, and he could only hope that Zae Zin Nim was safe.


    Advancing meant a careful balance of caution and decisiveness. And right now, he thought he needed to see the rest of the mines and find this mysterious old man.


    When he told Nirka he was ready, she showed up an hour later with a packed bag. None of the workers owned very much, but she had food and water for the journey. After a moment being surprised that she hadn''t just given him directions, Kai decided that he didn''t mind having her along.


    They only told Nanny Troggup and Maggle about their plans, since there wasn''t exactly a central authority in the mines. Then they ventured out, down a wide and exhausted tunnel that Kai had previously ignored. It grew smaller and less well-kept until abruptly Nirka looked around and gave a nod.


    "Around this point," she said, "we''re officially outside our circle. Most people beyond will probably be friendly, but you can''t assume."


    "What marks this point?" Kai asked, looking in vain for any hidden signs.


    "The boundary is a bit arbitrary. But each entrance to the mine has different soldiers, and they keep a different count. If you send in crystals far from where you live, who''s to say you''ll get the food they send back? So everyone clusters around the tunnels beneath each entrance."


    Along the way Kai learned that there were apparently four entrances to this mine, thus four clusters. He wanted to ask Nirka if this was common for mines, but she wouldn''t know and it would only frustrate her. She was good company on the walk, even if it wasn''t very far between the different circles.


    When they started seeing people again, they looked just as miserable as all the others to Kai. A few greeted Nirka by name and most looked at Kai suspiciously. They didn''t actually need to talk to any of them, just venture into the lower tunnels, so Kai was beginning to think that they might get through easily.


    Right around the time the gang came into view.


    The group was four men and two women, swaggering like they owned the mine. Kai judged them a little better fed than the rest of the workers, and some of them wore scarves that, though ragged, were silk. Instead of the fine white scars that came from crystal gathering, he saw multiple ugly lines that had obviously been caused by a human blade. Clearly they''d lived outside the mines before being sent here, which meant...


    "Criminals," Nirka whispered to him, as if there was any doubt. "They usually let you pass if-"


    "Who do we have here?" Some of the men leered at Nirka, but the leader was looking up at Kai. "You definitely aren''t from around here. Mercenary in a city, am I right? What did you do, fuck the wrong merchant''s wife?"


    "I wish," Kai said with a faked laugh. "Somebody else stole money and the others stabbed me in the back."


    "Is that so? Well, no consequences for stealing down here, if you''re big enough."


    The gang looked so confident, Kai wondered what they could be hiding. He assumed that even with his shroud, they could guess that he was strong. He carefully examined the leader to see if they were hiding some sort of weapon.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 49


    Crystal Cultivation: 13 (2)


    Physique Level: F-4 (38)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    By Kai''s judgment, the group had nothing to be arrogant about. They were all about the same, just thugs with slightly higher Physique than average thanks to working in the mines. The only curious thing was that they all had a small amount of crystal cultivation, but he didn''t see how the tiny amount of power that offered would make a difference.


    "You could do a lot better for yourself over here," one of the gang members said. "They''re too much of a family on that side, don''t understand they''re in goddamn prison. But here, a man who''s strong enough gets rewarded."


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    "Let me get the lay of the land first," Kai said. He started to walk past the group, but as they did, one of them reached out to grab Nirka''s arm.


    "Hold on a minute there, let me get a look at you..."


    "Let go!" Nirka lashed out, punching the man in the chest. With her Physique, the blow made him stumble, but he responded by snarling and lunging with a knife.


    In the instant he slashed out, Kai saw crystals shine along the edge of his blade. He realized that it must be a simple application of crystal cultivation, something so basic that he''d never even seen it among crystalliers.


    What was a mildly interesting ability to him was terrifying to Nikra. She let out a cry of pain as the crystal knife cut a gash across her forearm and then she fell back, all the fight draining out of her.


    The bandit started to snarl something when Kai''s fist hit his jaw. No doubt it was broken, but Kai simply turned away from him toward the others. For a moment the gang looked surprised, then they drew weapons. Their leader had a spear, its stone tip glistening with crystal, and Kai decided to finish things right then.


    He let the spear stab him in the chest and watched as the crystals shattered against his skin.


    "Seen enough?" Kai gently took the broken end of the spear and pulled it away from the man, then broke it without effort. "Stay away from both of us or I''ll kill you all."


    In the end the gang was just a group of petty bullies, so they fled instantly, not even helping their companion with a broken jaw. Kai monitored him until he left, then turned back to Nirka. The fight had been trivial for him, but she had been traumatized and he wasn''t sure he understood.


    "How?" she asked, staring at his shoulder. "That should have cut you..."


    "I''m tougher than that," Kai said. "Let me see your arm... do their weapons always cut this badly?"


    "They managed to cultivate a few crystals," Nirka said bitterly. "Not from here, of course. Some of them had the crystals before, or they managed to bribe a guard or something. But we can''t stand up to that, the crystal powers are too strong."


    As soon as she said that, Kai put together the rest. Working in the mines produced considerable strength from Physique, but the result wasn''t equal to fully rounded training. Whatever the exact reasons, their Physique was uniquely vulnerable to crystal weapons... and no doubt all crystal weapons. The Krysali who lived above had little fear of an uprising because no doubt their soldiers could easily put it down by taking advantage of the weakness.


    Would telling Nirka any of that right now help her? She was still staring at him like he was magic, and he suspected that a lecture about Physique would seem unbelievable. He instead tore off part of his tunic and helped her wrap her bleeding arm.


    "They don''t have as many advantages as they want you to think," he told her. "The biggest threat is that they have weapons and the willingness to use them. You''re strong, but you''d be a lot stronger with some combat training."


    "Combat training?" Nirka''s eyes widened. "Some of us have tried, but..."


    "We need to find this old man in dangerous territory, right? Might as well help you defend yourself while we''re traveling."


    "I... thank you." Nirka looked away, and though it was hard to tell between her dusky skin and the low light, he thought she was blushing. "We should go this way, hopefully we won''t run into any more of them."


    Like the first community he knew, the second circle seemed to be divided between central living tunnels and deeper levels with increasing risk. Yet as they passed below the inhabited regions, he realized that these were much larger. He must have entered at one of the newer entrances, while this was the oldest and deepest part of the mine.


    As they traveled, Kai gave Nirka some basic combat training. It was unusual, because she had the physical conditioning of a veteran hunter but not a fraction of the instincts. She was a quick learner, though, and seemed to gain confidence as he showed her the exercise.


    "I''m doing alright, aren''t I?" she asked after several days of searching. They sat in their makeshift camp, the only two human beings within sight. "If the criminals came back... could I do something?"


    "You could probably beat them if you had a long enough stick," Kai told her. "If they don''t cut you, their advantage is worthless, and that''s really all they have. Anyone who saw you outside would assume you had the upper hand."


    "But some of them have throwing knives..."


    "Throwing knives are harder to use than you''d think, especially if you haven''t trained with them. I''m not telling you to throw yourself at the whole gang right now, but don''t let them intimidate you."


    "You probably think I''m silly, but I get scared fighting anyone who''s been outside." Nirka smiled bitterly at herself. "All I''ve seen are a bunch of mine tunnels. People who have traveled the world under the open sky, actually got to use the crystals I can only mine... it feels like we''re different species."


    "You''ve never been out?" Kai asked. He''d logically known that it must be the case for some, but he hadn''t actually been certain. The idea that Nirka had been born in these tunnels, had never once caught a glimpse of the sky, and would ordinarily die in them...


    "Yes, I was born here." She lowered her head and closed her eyes. "Many of us are. Some of the others tell stories about the outside, but it''s all just fantasy to us. We''re born into this and everyone who says otherwise... it''s hard to believe they''re not lying."


    She was a little older than him, but she looked very young in that moment. Kai took a deep breath trying to figure out what to say, and stumbled forward with his best effort. "There''s something a little like that, where I come from. Everybody gets a Class when they become an adult. If you get a strong one, you become someone important. If you get a weak one, everything starts closing on you. They told me I would never amount to anything."


    "But... you overcame all that, didn''t you?"


    "I did, but not without help." Kai smiled at her, then saw how flustered she was getting and changed the topic. "How deep do we have to go to find this old man?"


    "I met him at about this floor." Nirka turned away and brushed her hair to hide her face. "He travels higher from time to time because he needs to trade for some supplies. Nobody knows how far down he goes, because nobody else is strong enough to go down there."


    "How long does he go between visits?"


    "About a month or two, I think."


    "That''s too long." Kai stood up and cracked his knuckles. "Let''s go down there after him."

 Chapter 163: Kindling a Blue Flame

    When she cultivated, Zae Zin Nim was supposed to completely clear her mind and focus on nothing but her qi. Perhaps Kai had infected her, but that wasn''t as easy anymore. Instead she continued cultivating, still at reasonable efficiency, while her mind churned on other topics.


    First strategy, of course. Advancing her cultivation at a reasonable speed meant gaining access to qi, which meant taking assorted risks. Many in the city were interested in engaging with her, each potentially a beneficial relationship or a trap that would waste her time. She didn''t feel any guilt about losing her focus to consider such matters.


    But after that, Zae Zin Nim found her mind wandering to less comfortable topics. The threat of being taken back to her father in chains had thrown her life into sharp relief. She knew what she didn''t want, but what was she truly seeking?


    Past the moment of tension she could see that returning would have been an option. She could have accepted the seal, then resisted the other processes meant to contain her. If successful, she would have been back on Cloudspire in the middle of many valuable resources, where she could potentially have broken out and taken everything she needed. Even if she couldn''t have convinced her father, she could have leveraged that into a stronger position against him.


    Even if, against all odds, she had defeated her father, would she have been happy? A long time ago, being at the head of a top sect had struck her as the greatest possible achievement in life. Now that seemed a bit simple-minded to her, because the world contained so much more. She wanted to build a life for herself that had nothing to do with him, even his systems.


    Yet she didn''t find herself any more enamored with Krysal or the rest of Deadwaste. Kai was the only worthwhile thing she had found there, and he cared about all this for some reason. So she was locked into this conflict, at least until she could find him and convince him otherwise.


    "Hanelay?" One of the servants poked her head into the room nervously. "Lady Orillia would like to see you now. She says it''s important."


    "Very well." Zae Zin Nim set aside her confused thoughts and slow cultivation, and went to go deal with whatever the newest problem was.


    When she reached the central building, the old woman looked less spunky than usual. She drew a shawl closer around her shoulders over her other wraps and gestured for Zae Zin Nim to approach and sit in the chair right beside her.


    "I fear the conflict is getting worse," Orillia told her. "The profit the city earned from the auction is running out, and everyone is getting desperate. Loss of trade with Cloudspire doesn''t hit everyone, but it hits some very hard, and they''ll lash out at others."


    "What do you want me to do about it?" Zae Zin Nim asked. She had a suspicion that she was too blunt, but didn''t care.


    "Everyone will react in their own ways, and that''s what I need to know. It could be anything from new trade agreements to fighting over mines to - heaven forbid - going to war with another city. Even a day of forewarning could mean the difference between riding the wave of change and drowning."


    "I can try, but I don''t understand what I can do."


    "Go to Mercantile Central and see where the top merchants have placed their Diamond Crystalliers. Or the Rubies, if you can track them. You''re the only one I know strong enough for them to respect, they might give you some information."


    "Very well." Zae Zin Nim bowed to Orillia and padded out to her crystal ship.


    As she traveled to Mercantile Central, she resented this errand less than some others. It still frustrated her to be doing the bidding of others and working with all these petty little systems. She wasn''t like Kai, who found satisfaction in earning his way upward. In her opinion it would have been better to do what that Omilaena woman did and just steal what she wanted.


    That thought led her back to Kai and the idea of him being in that woman''s clutches. She had demanded Orillia send scouts and messengers, but there was no indication of his existence. Omilaena had apparently returned to New Laeneria and was staying quiet, which was no answer at all. Only the fact that it might be an entirely false trail kept Zae Zin Nim from rushing off after him.


    At the same time, it was clear that Kai wasn''t going to simply return to Yulthens, not if he hadn''t made it back so far. She had no idea where to look for him, which was doubly frustrating. So perhaps she had nothing better to do than cultivate and build up her resources.


    Mercantile Central was one of the few buildings in Krysal that actually succeeded in being grand on the scale of Cloudspire instead of merely looking gaudy. Zae Zin Nim didn''t mind visiting it, except for the people. Soon she was going to be surrounded by merchants and other unpleasant types, even though her goal was the Diamond Crystalliers.


    The trading floor was a chaotic frenzy, so she circled around it without attempting to decrypt all the mercantile jabbering within. Then she noted her first target: Boreas of Kartiis was making a public appearance, which was itself unusual, and standing guard over some sort of great crystal chest. If they were hiring him, then the merchants and auction house must still be afraid that more would be stolen.


    Boreas looked directly at her and revealed his teeth in something that was almost, but not quite, a smile. Zae Zin Nim bowed in response as if it had been a gesture of respect.


    She moved on to avoid instigating any trouble. Nothing leapt out at her until she found a number of business chambers, each closed off for private dealings in quiet, sound-proof rooms. Vyorrine Nermtrian leaned against the wall outside one, looking bored. She still wore her ostentatious golden dragon cape, which she flipped aside when Zae Zin Nim approached.


    "Move along, cultivator. Everyone is antsy about your kind lately."


    "I am not here to cause trouble, only serve as guard," Zae Zin Nim said. "It''s dull."


    "Heh, well, I can understand that." Vyorrine jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at the door beside them. "My boss is in there negotiating some sort of deal I can''t make heads or tails of. Something about ''futures contracts'' that only come into play if the gold to crystal ratio goes high enough. That might sound like I''m giving away secrets, but apparently the numbers could make the deal good, bad, or nothing at all. I don''t worry about it so long as I get paid."


    The gambit had worked: Zae Zin Nim had strongly suspected that the Diamond Crystallier was being used as a guard for new ventures. "I do not even try to understand this. On Cloudspire, we don''t allow the merchants to be in charge of so much."


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    "Maybe it''d be better that way, maybe not." They stood there in silence for a while before Vyorrine spoke up again. "You should probably be careful. They say Lord Suortril is on the warpath, and there''s always a chance he''ll try to target you."


    "Is he here now?"


    "Nah, he''s staying out of Mercantile Central. Nobody has seen Traelisia much these days either. Rumor has it that after his string of losses, he''s aiming for something big. He doesn''t have enough allies to fight another city, but maybe he could capture a mine or something."


    "I see." Zae Zin Nim looked around the chambers, wondering if that information would be relevant. "And what about his rivals? Your ''boss'' of course, but... that Riuklina woman as well."


    "As far as I know, Lady Riuklina is all over the place. Probably trying to undercut Suortril somehow." Vyorrine shook her head. "I stay out of that sort of thing. It tends to be overall destructive: maybe someone makes a profit, but I end up with fewer chances to earn money or power. Won''t tell you what to do, but I''d steer clear if I was in your position."


    "Thank you, I will keep that in mind."


    After remaining for a while longer, Zae Zin Nim left the private rooms to investigate the lower levels. At least she had learned useful information from Vyorrine. Once the other woman would have struck her as weak, trying to mash together many different arts into a real system, but perhaps this was mistaken. She had won the duel, and she had found a strength of her own not beholden to any one source.


    It seemed that Zae Zin Nim had discovered a comprehensible picture as well: the merchants of Yulthens were going to war. Perhaps that war would be fought solely with gold and parchment, but perhaps they would summon their strongest crystalliers to do battle as well. Learning more about where that might lead was a worthy mission after all.


    Beneath the main floor there were various storage rooms holding goods in transit. Zae Zin Nim''s plan had been to examine the qi she found there and determine exactly how much Cloudspire trade had been lost, and potentially who still had connections. Before she could go far, someone stepped into her path.


    Ren Ziq Quen stared down at her, then shook his head. "Run back home, little cultivator."


    "Am I not permitted to be here?" she asked, barely maintaining a pretense of calm.


    "There aren''t any rules about it, but I think I get to make the rules now." Ren Ziq Quen smiled unpleasantly. "I know you''re meddling, on behalf of the old woman or someone else, and I can''t permit that. So run off, unless you''re more confident than you were last time."


    Zae Zin Nim didn''t allow herself to flinch, instead examining his soul.


    <


    Name: Ren Ziq Quen


    Total Power: 462


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 20% (257)


    Divine Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    Transcendent Divine Body (+100)


    >


    He was no stronger than before, but unfortunately that was enough. She couldn''t overcome the advantage granted by the Transcendent Divine Body, just as the Brightwind cultivators had been at a disadvantage against her Blackblood Physique.


    Ren Ziq Quen didn''t bother to use his spiritual sight, as if she wasn''t worth it. After a moment, Zae Zin Nim turned and left.


    That encounter left her troubled, and Zae Zin Nim thought about it the entire time that she returned to the estate and gave her report to Orillia. She was a fool, thinking about fighting her father when there were threats on Deadwaste she couldn''t overcome. If she couldn''t defeat Ren Ziq Quen, then she wouldn''t stand a chance against an Earth Soul cultivator, and it would be suicide to stand against her father.


    Three cliffs loomed high in front of her, each taller than the next.


    She threw herself into cultivation, and it worked for a time, but soon she had to admit that her progress was too slow. Unless she discovered a massive amount of pure qi - which was growing scarce in the city - or found a natural source - which seemed unlikely on Deadwaste - then she couldn''t simply cultivate her way out of this problem.


    It was the same struggle she had been facing her entire time in Krysal, so Zae Zin Nim looked at her soul forlornly.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 384


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 11% (254)


    Coldfire Corona: 15 (25)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    She wasn''t strong enough to face her greatest opponents, and truthfully she probably couldn''t defeat the Diamond Crystalliers. It was no comfort that they were the strongest people in the entire nation, and some of the strongest on all Deadwaste. Life didn''t care about fairness, and if she couldn''t overcome these challenges then she didn''t deserve to advance further.


    Usually she stared at her cultivation and despaired. But that moment, for the first time in many days, Zae Zin Nim felt a flicker of hope.


    Thinking about this as a pure cultivator was entirely the wrong approach. She had once thought that she should advance with nothing except qi, but her view of the world had expanded. Meeting warriors like Kai or Vyorrine proved that it was possible to take other paths. Even Ren Ziq Quen wasn''t truly pure: it was a polite social fiction that the Transcendent Divine Body was a core part of his cultivation when in fact it was an additional benefit, no different from the draconic blessings.


    So, with her new approach, what did she have? By far the most obvious option was that she shouldn''t neglect her Physique, the way practically all cultivators and crystalliers did after they reached E rank. She could make progress on her own and find new techniques if it slowed.


    Zae Zin Nim sprang into a handstand and held herself there, all her qi tense. No reason to delay even a moment.


    While upside down, she reflected that she had been neglecting the Coldfire Corona as well. She had been viewing it as simply a necessary step to unblock her cultivation, but she no longer looked down on Classes so much. Despite her neglect, it had been slowly growing with use, faithfully supporting her in several situations where she should otherwise have died.


    How far could she develop it? Judging from the strongest Classes she had seen, at full strength it could bridge the gap between her and stronger cultivators, but she knew that most never got that high. She would begin with the mana meditation that Kai taught her and then seek out other sources.


    For days Zae Zin Nim threw herself into her new strategy, and she was pleased with her progress. The fact that it took a little time away from pure cultivation was no flaw, it was a rational decision to move her forward. Her goal had never been "being a great cultivator", it had always been power in the pure sense.


    One day the door opened and she turned in her handstand to glower at the servant. To her surprise, it was Orillia herself stepping in. The old woman clucked in surprise at what she saw.


    "Turn yourself right side up, dear, we need to talk." Orillia looked more nervous than ever before, so Zae Zin Nim acquiesced and flipped to her feet.


    "What is it?"


    "There''s an absolutely terrible rumor about Suortril. It has to do with inter-city crystal trade and how it affects the conversion ratio... okay, okay, I can see what you think of that!" Orillia patted her on the shoulder. "I never liked all those details when I was your age, either."


    "If you came to me, you must think I can do something," Zae Zin Nim said. "Explain that part."


    "Basically... each city wants to be independent, but for more profitability, they''re all connected. A problem with one starts to affect the others, which is why we''re Krysal instead of a bunch of random cities. Some are claiming that there''s a problem out east, toward the Frontier. The cities there have been propping themselves up, pretending everything is fine, but that might be falling apart. If it does, the trouble will roll westward, and it could be big by the time it reaches Yulthens."


    "What sort of trouble?"


    "Merchant problems, loans falling through, all kinds of tedious details. But there must be a reason at the base of it. Rumors are that Suortril is so worried that he went out there himself, with his Diamond Crystallier and half his aides." Orillia shook her head slowly. "Early information about this could be critical. You''re the only person I have who could get there and back in time to learn anything useful."


    "So you want me to go investigate." Zae Zin Nim would have refused a week ago, but with no Kai showing himself, perhaps it was for the best to keep pushing herself.


    "Please do, but be careful. This could be anything from a mistake to a rampaging monster to a disaster that will cripple us. If there''s enough gold on the line, Suortril will be playing for keeps."


    Zae Zin Nim nodded and began making her preparations. To her surprise, she felt no resentment. Sometimes it was easier to take what she needed, but sometimes alliances were their own kind of power. Violence and theft were only tools, and she would use whatever tools she could grasp.

 Chapter 164: Searching for the Old Man

    After two weeks of searching, Kai hadn''t found the alleged old man, but he didn''t even care. Exploring the deepest of the tunnels was the most fun he''d had since he''d been thrown into the mines.


    In the vast central caverns, there were large empty chambers that contained a wider variety of monsters, which had been good for his training and recovery. None of them had been true challenges for him, but he saw them through fresh eyes through Nirka. Even though she had fought monsters in the past, she had never been on her own against them like this. Surviving some pitched battles had done wonders for her confidence.


    That confidence led her to train more, which they did whenever they took a break or built a fire to attract their target. Nirka absolutely hated monster meat, but since they didn''t have much else available she was willing to eat it, and he thought it was doing her some good. When she tried his exercises again, they worked a little better, despite her limitations.


    At the moment she balanced on one leg, wobbling a little while trying to hold all her power taut. He''d been trying to teach her some mana exercises, since he thought that the workers were absorbing qi the same way hunters absorbed mana. Limited success so far, though not due to lack of effort on her part.


    "That''s good, but tighten your core." Kai reached around to touch her waist, then showed her the proper part of her stomach to clench. "For mana we focus higher, but the dantian that stores qi is supposed to be around here, so go lower."


    "I... I''ll t-try." Nirka wobbled again and he realized that she was flushing because of his hand. He drew back to make clear that he wasn''t trying anything and let her get back to training.


    It was bizarre to feel like he was the more experienced one, since he still felt young. His first real relationship had been with Juray, who had definitely taken the lead. He wasn''t sure whether Nirka was actually interested in him or whether she was just uncomfortable. The food and training made her look less skeletal, and he had to admit that it looked good on her.


    Wrenching his mind back to respectable thoughts, Kai examined only her soul.


    <


    Name: Nirka of N District


    Total Power: 99


    Physique Level: E-3 (89)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    She had grown significantly, even if she was blocked by the 99 Power limit. He thought it would stop her from making any major breakthroughs, but meanwhile the potential seemed to build up behind the barrier. Would it be possible to break it with raw strength, or could she injure herself? Finding a way to break through needed to be high priority, which was just more motivation to find the old man.


    After their break they headed into a deeper part of the mines. This section sprawled in too many directions for them to simply go further and further down, so they were trying different branches while still returning to the hubs from time to time.


    He didn''t like the look of this section: instead of solid stone everywhere, the floor dropped away at many points into smaller crevices. Some looked as though they had been mined, others were natural cracks. A few still had crystals studding the sides, which could shred someone''s leg if they weren''t careful. As they traveled he saw even bigger holes, none of them with any ladders or ropes. Perhaps the porous structure was why this section of the mine had been abandoned.


    When they entered a larger chamber, Kai slowed to a halt. In front of them gaped an enormous pit, larger than any opening he''d seen elsewhere in the mine. What was worse was that the walls didn''t glow softly like the rest. Either it was a different sort of stone or something had sucked away the qi, but either way, it resulted in a shadowy pit with no visible bottom.


    "Kai!" Nirka leapt back, raising the crystal knives she''d made for herself. "What is that?"


    He looked up and saw that there was a strange gray blob rolling down one of the tunnels toward them. Unlike many of the monsters, it had no presence at all... at least until he saw it and felt the hunger stir within him. His spiritual sight immediately gathered a little information from it.


    <


    Monster: Crystal Slime


    Threat: IV (Delta)


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    >


    This one was a delta-ranked threat, the first that was actually interesting to him in a while. It kept rolling slowly forward, as if it hadn''t noticed them, but he doubted that was true. Kai gestured for Nirka to back away and spoke softly.


    "Now that you''ve gotten a look at this one, what do you think?"


    "I should avoid it." She gripped her knives tighter and pulled them back beside her chest. "It''s too strong."


    "That''s right, but what if you had to fight it?" Kai asked.


    "Projectiles, or try to block it off. Don''t get close."


    "Good. I''m not sure about it myself, so let me experiment."


    During their conversation it had gotten much closer and now he could see that its surface bubbled slightly and there were sharp crystals floating within. Letting that thing get close would definitely be a bad idea.


    Before it could go further, Kai swept one finger in the weakest Tyrant''s Claw he could manage. The energy still split the slime in half... as its body gave way around the attack, as if no harm had been done. It surged forward, both halves lashing out. Kai dodged back, sparing a glance at Nirka and grateful that she had moved to a safer distance while keeping her back to the wall.


    His distraction made him miss the flecks of goo that the slime hurled in its sharp movement. One of them hit his shoulder and Kai saw it eat through his tunic before burning against his chest. Not enough to get through his Physique, but he wouldn''t want to be engulfed by the thing.


    Now he had a strategic problem: how was he going to defeat the slime without looking like a monster? The way Infernotoad''s Burst altered his chest looked too inhuman, and he doubted that other forms of simple force would be effective. In that case...


    When it leapt at him again, Kai drew on his ordinary cultivation. He wasn''t skilled with qi techniques like Zae Zin Nim, but he had learned all the basics during the Qi Condensation stage. Just drawing up qi around him made the slime flinch back, then he launched a bolt at it. To his surprise, the slime''s body shrank away, opening up a hole in the center for the qi to pass through.


    Using several more of the weak qi technique, Kai pushed it back with threats on all sides. The monster was boiling now, shifting in different directions as if furious. It was going to do something... abruptly the solution came to him. He needed to lean into his monstrous abilities and mask them.


    Kai raised his hands in front of him with the palms facing, his fingers curled like teeth. Then he lunged closer and clapped them together like jaws, and in that moment drew on Isulfr''s Bite. The power snapped out and consumed the slime, leaving him with a mouth of goo and crystal shards. Fortunately, consuming the monster''s essence and the majority of its body seemed to kill it, so the rest slumped limp to the floor.


    Had Nirka noticed anything amiss? He glanced back at her and saw she was watching in amazement.


    "Wow... was that a crystallier technique?" she asked.


    "The opposite," Kai told her with a smile. "You can''t do that with qi, or at least I don''t think you can. That was a technique from my homeland."


    "What would you have done without that?"


    "It might have been tougher, but we''d have options. It seemed to ignore force, but I suspect it wouldn''t ignore fire. We could also have tried throwing water at it to dilute its body, though obviously that would waste a lot of water."


    "You were experimenting with it, weren''t you?" Nirka crouched closer and poked at the flattening ooze with her knife. "First with force, then qi. I doubt I could think that clearly in the middle of a fight."


    "It takes time to learn, but you''ll get there." Kai crouched down beside her and decided that this was a chance to explain a little without acting like a teacher. "This monster is a good example of how strength isn''t just a single number. A physical warrior would probably have trouble and a cultivator could only drive it away, but someone with a different set of skills might have beaten it with far less than my power. There are always strengths and weaknesses."


    "And we have a lot of weaknesses." Nirka glanced up at him with a quick smile. "That''s what you''re teaching, right? Everyone in the mines has only one kind of Physique, so we have vulnerabilities, but it''d be possible to leverage our strengths."


    "Exactly. With enough work, y-"


    "Wrong." The voice echoed down the corridor, interrupting their conversation, and they both leapt to their feet.


    A figure emerged from one of the other tunnels, made into a silhouette by the brighter crystalline walls behind him. Whoever he was, he was marching toward them. As he got closer, Kai made out an old Krysali man, completely bald with dark spots across his scalp. The wrinkles on his face suggested he was extremely old, but his body was tightly muscular. He wore nothing but silk pants that were shredded along the bottoms, once ornate and now ragged.


    "Everyone likes to tell themselves that," the old man said with a sneer. "But it''s a lie, a comforting lie. Some types of power are just worth more than others, and sometimes the world is just against you. I''ve been here for years and it''s all useless."


    "We''ve been looking for you," Kai said. He remained alert, but extended his hands in a friendly gesture. "Maybe we can argue about the finer details of power over a meal?"


    "Somebody else who thinks I''ll lead a revolution, huh? No. You''re naive fools who can''t back up those ideals of yours."


    While they spoke, Kai examined the old man carefully.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 281


    Crystal Cultivation: Void (0)


    Physique Level: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 9 (81)


    >


    A Power rating of 281 was nothing to sneeze at, but the distribution was odd. His crystal cultivation was void, as if the potential had been completely destroyed. On the other hand, he was only the second person Kai had ever seen with a D-rank Physique, and his Soul Level was intimidating.


    "Felt that." The old man scowled at Kai. "I got a good look at you too, because that shroud can''t stop me. You''re tough, kid, but if you got sent down here, you''ve failed. Might as well accept that this is your life now."


    "I refuse to accept that. If I prove you''re wrong, will you listen to us?"


    "You won''t prove a thing." The man dropped into a fighting crouch and raised his fists.


    Kai got into position opposite him, hastily considering his own options and looking at his own soul. His recovery had advanced to 171 Power... if Zae Zin Nim''s doubling theory about his monstrous strength was correct, he should have the edge, but Behemoth''s Heart was still busy restoring his full power. He had never tested himself like this.


    Time to find out, then.

 Chapter 165: A Conversation of Fists

    At first Kai thought about it like any other fight: dodging and striking and maneuvering. It would have been a challenging one, because the old man was as tough as his Physique suggested and the dark pit was a dangerous environmental threat. But, after Kai fought enough to realize that he wouldn''t be overwhelmed, he realized that he was thinking about this wrong.


    His goal wasn''t to win, he needed to convince the old man, and that made the fight a conversation. It was an extension of what he''d just told Nirka about viewing combat analytically, except this time he was the one who needed to be more strategic.


    When his opponent fought like a brawler, Kai responded like a brawler, trading blow for blow. The old man grew frustrated that Kai could keep up with him and shifted his stance, using tight, focused strikes like a crystallier. As soon as he did, Kai shifted to match. Realizing that he was being played, the old man gritted his teeth and tried something else, a flowing style Kai hadn''t seen before.


    Whatever it was, Kai could adjust to it. For all that his monstrous powers felt independent at times, they were truly a part of him, so they cooperated. Behemoth''s Heart stopped restoring his strength and instead added its full power to the battle. It didn''t just make him stronger and tougher, he was faster and more agile, blocking the flowing strikes at each step.


    Using Tyrant''s Claw or Isulfr''s Bite, Kai could have ended the battle then. But he didn''t want to hurt the old man, and without those techniques, he couldn''t get the upper hand. So instead he kept neutralizing his opponent, making his movements into an argument.


    Kai had said that different abilities could be leveraged against each other, while the old man had argued that it all came down to power in the end. But all the old man really had was his massive Physique and experience, while Kai could draw from multiple sources. So he flagrantly used all of those, refusing to match strength to strength and proving his point by keeping his opponent off balance.


    Eventually the old man charged at him, trying to tackle him across the chest. Kai met him dead on, their arms grappling as they quickly reached a deadlock. Both strained against one another, teeth gritted, feet scrabbling to maintain purchase, sweat rolling down their faces.


    Could he win a direct confrontation? Kai was confident in his monstrous abilities, but the amount of strength that came with a Physique of D-0 was impressive. He never got to find out the answer, because abruptly the old man laughed and let go.


    As soon as he did, Kai stopped pushing. The final punctuation on his argument.


    "Alright, you''ve made your point." The old man rubbed a sore spot on his arm where Kai had struck him. "My name is Kraetius, formerly of Yulthens. You''re the first person coming to find me who I''m actually going to listen to, so you''d better make this worth my while."


    Kai glanced over at Nirka, who had been watching raptly but now nodded for him to go on. This was what they had been working for, after all. Still, he pretended to catch his breath in order to consider his next strategy: the conversation could be viewed as a fight, after all.


    With a name like "Kraetius" the old man was likely from the upper classes, as that definitely wasn''t the sort of name they gave in the mines. His crystal cultivation being nullified suggested that this was a punishment, and the level of Physique he''d obtained made it a sure bet that he had been highly trained before. That all led to the conclusion that he was a former crystallier, or at least something similar.


    "Why are you down here?" Kai asked.


    "That''s my business," Kraetius answered. "Why are you?"


    "I got on the wrong side of the wrong merchant. I don''t plan to stay... but I''m wondering why someone as strong as you is still here. With your strength, you could easily fight your way through the guards. Why not?"


    "Because that would get me nowhere. Like I told you, what matters in the end is power, and I just don''t have enough." The old man gestured to his body. "Oh, I''ve trained. I learned their Physique tricks and got tougher, looks like you have too. But it took me two decades to break from E-9 to D-0. Now look at me... strongest man in the mines, but do you think I could fight even one Diamond Crystallier? Do they still have ranks like that?"


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "They do." Kai had guessed it might be something like this and didn''t suggest any easy way forward. "So I''m guessing your story is something like mine."


    "You could say that. For years I thought I could break out and get revenge. Now that I see how futile it is... I don''t know. I keep moving on because I don''t know how to do anything else."


    Convincing him to help could be difficult. Before Kai could figure out his next move, Nirka stepped forward. "Kraetius, you have to help us! We''re all training, but we''re blocked by the 99 Power barrier. If you help us past it, we''ll give you anything we have."


    "You think that''s all it takes, huh?" Kratius''s lip curled in a sneer. "You have no idea what you''re up against, child. Even if every worker in the mine broke through, they aren''t going to be able to fight Diamond Crystalliers."


    "That''s their business, isn''t it?" Kai asked. "Look, think about it this way: if you don''t help us, we''ll keep following you. You''ve seen that you can''t just beat me. No matter what you try to do, no matter where you travel in the mines, I''ll be bothering you. Now, would you prefer that, or would you prefer to spend a little time helping the workers?"


    Kraetius stared at him a moment, barked a laugh, then raised his hands in surrender. "You win, I''ll go with you. It would be less boring than wandering these same tunnels. Where are we headed?"


    "One thing first." Kai gestured down at the dark pit still yawning beside him. "If you''ve been down here for this long, where does that go?"


    "Right to the bottom." Kraetius stared at it somberly. "I suggest you stay away from it, kid. There''s a monster down there... even I couldn''t beat it. We''re lucky that it doesn''t usually go higher, or they''d probably have shut down the entire mine."


    That was an essential detail, but Kai knew this wasn''t the time to press. All three of them turned away and headed back toward the upper levels. Along the way, Nirka shifted closer to the old man and watched him skeptically.


    "You''re really going to help us? Not just mock us?"


    "I think you''re fools," Kraetius said, "but I respect your gumption. I''ll train you and see if you''re worth anything."


    "Then you can help us past the barrier?" Nirka''s eyes danced and the old man groaned.


    "Don''t get ahead of yourself now. I don''t give out secrets like that so easily. Listen, you scout while I talk to your friend and we''ll work out an exact deal."


    Nirka moved ahead with new energy, keeping her hands on her daggers. Something about the exchange struck Kai as off, so he lingered back and waited for the old man to match pace. They spoke in voices low enough that she couldn''t hear, without resorting to suspicious whispers.


    "I hate to disappoint you," Kraetius said, "but there''s no trick. It took me twenty long years to break through to D rank and I don''t know another way."


    "I met a woman from Rosemount at D rank," Kai objected.


    "No, that just proves my point. You thinking I''m all arrogant about Krysali nobles being the best? Seen too much of the world for that. Just like we''re stronger than the worker class, Rosemount is just plain stronger than us. There''s no point trying to overturn that order. Learn that lesson faster than I did."


    "That isn''t the deal. What they want is just to get past 99 Power."


    "Yeah, well, I''m afraid the news there is even worse." Kraetius scratched at his chin, where some stubble was just beginning to form. "Hate to disappoint you, but there''s no trick. I broke that limit while I was a crystallier."


    It wasn''t good news, but Kai was always braced for bad news these days. "How did you do it, though?"


    "Oh, almost everybody uses this substance called moonmelt. They derive it from the crystal refinement process, in the acid mines. There aren''t a lot of ways to get through the barrier, so I''d guess that''s still the least expensive. And it might as well be on the actual moon, for all the good it does us."


    "Not necessarily. If someone got out, they could bring this moonmelt stuff back to the workers."


    "If I was younger, I''d be worried about you." Kraetius regarded him with narrow eyes. "Well, it''s your funeral."


    "Would it be all that difficult? If I can get past the soldiers here, I can get past the soldiers guarding the acid mines."


    "Eh? Maybe things have changed since my day, but they never had soldiers doing the work out there. The acid fumes are too toxic, it''s even worse for you than the crystal mines. Used to be they said getting sent to the mines was hell, getting sent to the acid pits was double hell."


    Maybe the system had changed in recent years, but Kai''s mind immediately leapt to a different solution. Despite the old man''s words, he thought their search had uncovered exactly what he needed. There was a solution, a path beyond not just a power barrier but the entire system. He just needed to find his way back to it.


    As they walked back toward the upper levels, Kai glanced at his own soul.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 235 (172)


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 3% (101)


    Physique Level: E-6 (98)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Monstrous Hunger - VIII (theta)


    Behemoth''s Heart - IV (delta)


    Direboar''s Strength - VI (zeta)


    Isulfr''s Bite - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IV (delta)


    Infernotoad''s Burst - IV (delta)


    -


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Beastbat''s Wing - I (alpha)


    Crystal Slime - I (alpha)


    >


    He had been more focused on strengthening himself than simple recovery, aiming toward his final potential. Now that he had a new goal, the timelines might need to shift again.


    The old man thought that fighting back was completely futile. This time, it wasn''t going to be so easy to convince him.

 Chapter 166: Training the Underclass

    To Kai''s surprise, both Kraetius and the workers took to training quickly enough. For the workers, they saw the benefits of the training to reduce their aches and pains, not to mention the promise of not being torn apart by the crystals while working. For Kraetius, Kai suspected the old man was glad to be able to boss people around and have others looking up to him.


    Everything had gone smoothly in the week since they returned. At first Kai had trained with Kraetius, picking up a bunch of new Physique ideas even if he didn''t manage to break through another level. His participation had drawn more crowds of workers, all with the idea that they could become like him.


    That wasn''t going to happen, but Kai wasn''t going to ruin the illusion if it brought them some hope.


    Then again... as he looked around the training chamber, Kai wondered if it wasn''t actually an illusion. He saw more of them wearing monster leathers these days, and if they weren''t exactly fine clothing, they were definitely better than the rags he''d seen at the start. And they were all looking better-fed, thanks to Nanny Troggup''s new scheming.


    She certainly wasn''t participating in the training, but she had been caught up in the new spirit too. As their work with monster leathers improved, she''d set up trading arrangements with the other nearby communities. Those bought them enough food to improve the thin stews and gruels they usually ate, and she had set up a new kitchen beside the training room, cheerfully giving out extra rations for those who worked hardest.


    Nirka had taken to the training more than anyone, constantly pestering Kraetius for extra lessons. She seemed shyer with Kai, but wanted to spar with him from time to time. Despite the fact that her strength was still limited at 99, she was definitely more dangerous because she knew how to use it now.


    As warm as that whole environment was, Kai slipped away from it and went into the mines alone. Sometimes he explored to eat monsters, but this time he had his own agenda. Even if he wasn''t ready to leave just yet, he needed to set other plans in motion for when he was ready.


    Maggle met him in one of the smaller corridors, serious for once. "I think I''ve put it together," he said. "Here, let me try to show you."


    They bent down and Maggle began drawing a rough map in the crystal dust. It was impossible to know the exact details of the surface, but Kai had asked Maggle to ask around with everyone who had been taken in from the outside. Now they had a rough sense for the different entrances and the communities around them, and hopefully...


    "I think this is the one." Maggle jabbed his finger beside one tunnel line. "There''s a good crevice right here. It''s as tight as my asshole, but it leads upward. And if we have all the details right, it would put you out here, away from the soldiers."


    "It''s worth a try," Kai said. "Thanks, Maggle."


    "No trouble. You want me to come along and help out?"


    "The risk of collapse is pretty high, so you should probably hold back."


    "Thank goodness. I was just asking to look polite, I don''t want to do any work." Maggle grinned at him and then slouched off to go join the others.


    It didn''t take long to reach the point that had been indicated, now that he had a strong mental map of the mines. Sure enough, in an old abandoned section devoid of crystals, he discovered a crevice in the ceiling. Looking at exactly the right angle revealed a glowing channel, not bright enough to be worth mining but extending consistently upward.


    First Kai experimented with a pickaxe, but progress was slow. After confirming the ceiling wasn''t going to collapse entirely, he tightened his fingers into a knife position and then stabbed a Tyrant''s Claw directly upward.


    His power punched deep into the stone, sending fragments in all directions. There was a soft rumble and rocks cascaded down over him, forcing him to shield his eyes. A little bit harder and he might have accidentally buried himself... but the crevice overhead had widened.


    This could be the path out. Kai looked around at the rubble as he considered what was actually standing in his way now. Even though he still needed to recover his full strength, power was no obstacle at all. Dealing with all the rocks getting in the way might actually be the larger problem, considering that he didn''t want everyone to know about the passage to the surface.


    That was something he''d wrestled over in his mind. As much as Kai wanted to free the workers from the mines, if they tried to fight their way out, even if they beat the soldiers, that wouldn''t truly help them. He knew there had been other worker uprisings, some of them probably well-planned, and Krysali society was good at putting them down. Showing them a way out too soon would just be leading them to their deaths.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    So his plan for now was simple and open-ended. Break out, meet with Zae Zin Nim again, and figure out what to do next. If nothing else, he could head for the acid pits and take enough moonmelt to transform the workers into something like an army.


    Kai kept striking his way upward, proving the viability of the idea, before he got sick of pushing away the rubble. Once he refined the process, he could dig his way out, it would just take time. For the time being, he took a break to walk around the outer tunnels and consider his exact strategy.


    He didn''t go very far before he sensed several people moving closer to their borders. In the absence of monsters, many of them already eaten, his hunger had been increasingly directed toward people. There was no chance he would actually act on it, he just used the hunger as an enhancement to his other spiritual senses. In this case, he went to investigate even though it was likely just workers returning from trade.


    To his surprise, he saw three of the criminals he''d fought during his previous trip. They were carrying more weapons this time and looked ready to kill. It would have been suicide if they were throwing themselves against him... but Kai realized that they were actually targeting Nirka.


    She exercised at the edge of their territory, pulling herself up via one of the stone ladders. Sweat was rolling down her shoulders, but when she saw the criminals approach she levered herself up to the same floor and readied her knives.


    "All alone, no barbarian to protect you." One of the criminals grinned at her. "Don''t be stupid now."


    "What do you want?" Nirka asked sharply. Kai was glad to see her edge toward the supplies by the side of the corridor, just slowly enough they wouldn''t be threatened.


    "All this shit you''re doing... it''s getting in our way. So we thought we might send a message."


    "Oh? Let me know and I''ll pass it along."


    "Stop talking to the bitch," one of the criminals snarled. "Let''s just take her and finish this."


    Three against one was rough odds and Kai''s first impulse was to step around the corner and take them out. But Nirka had been working so hard... he held back, watching as her spine stiffened but she didn''t back down. The three criminals were spreading out now, one of them drawing a lighter knife to throw.


    One of Nirka''s knives hit him in the chest first. Not a perfect throw that killed him instantly or anything, but a knife in the chest wasn''t something you ignored. While that criminal groaned and cursed, and the others flinched briefly, Nirka moved the remaining distance and picked up one of metal bars they used in construction.


    It wasn''t much of a weapon, but it had a far longer reach than the improvised daggers and blades the criminals carried. They tried to hack at it, revealing that the thin crystal edges they could create on their weapons weren''t good against much besides flesh. When she saw that her weapon wouldn''t be cut apart, Nirka became more confident, jabbing at faces, stomachs, and crotches.


    Kai smiled as he saw that her fundamentals were solid. Not masterful, but she didn''t need to be: every time one of them advanced she jabbed at him, and if they didn''t move she started threatening them. Now that she was fully utilizing her Physique, she was able to put significant strength into her blows. Soon the criminals were bruised and one lay on the ground clutching his eyes.


    "Fuck this, run!" one shouted at the other, then they abandoned their last companion.


    He staggered up to his feet, wildly grabbing for his blade. Nirka didn''t let him get it, swinging the bar in a broad arc that obviously held years of anger. It knocked him heels over head and would probably have killed him if he hadn''t built up his Physique as well. She hesitated then, pole raised as if considering whether to finish him off, and eventually let him run.


    Then she set the pole down beside her and leaned against it for a while, grinning to herself. Kai walked out beside her and her eyes widened.


    "Kai! Was this some sort of test?"


    "Pure coincidence," he reassured her. "Both that they attacked you and that I was here."


    "Thanks for letting me fight them." Nirka stared down at the bar in her hands. "I wasn''t sure everything I learned against monsters would work, but it really did. If they''d gotten close, they could have cut me, though."


    "Yes, but that''s a long term problem. Your work is paying off."


    "You''re the best." She hesitated, then suddenly danced forward and leaned up to kiss his cheek. After that it looked like she planned to run down the corridor.


    "Wait." Kai saw her shiver at his call, so when she turned back he smiled. "Maggle and I have been working on something. I think you deserve to see it."


    He led her to the back passage and showed her the crevice upward. She seemed overjoyed, so he started to explain his thoughts about overall strategy, but she promptly cut him off with a raised hand.


    "I''ve been managing crystal gathering a long time, Kai. I can think long term." Her smile hadn''t entirely faded, though. "I understand, we can''t just run. Even if I could get out, it would be leaving everyone else behind, and they''d probably starve."


    "But I wanted you to have the option," he said, "if you wanted. You, Maggle, even Nanny Troggup... I can trust you not to cause problems, so it''s not my right to say when you can be free. I have to go first, to make sure it''s safe, but after that it''s your decision."


    "This may be prison to you, but it''s all I''ve ever known. We''re not in a hurry to go, not when life is finally turning around for us."


    "I promise this won''t be the end of it. I need to find my allies, but I''ll be back."


    "You know, I really believe that." Nirka stepped closer, suddenly awkward, then forced a grin and ruffled his hair. "Guess you''re not such a bad crystallier after all."


    She ran off and this time he let her go. Eventually he would need to tell the others, as well as set up some kind of arrangement with Maggle to make sure it stayed secret. But for now, he needed to work... both on the tunnel and on himself.

 Chapter 167: First Glimpse of the Sky

    In the end it took over a week to dig the tunnel, despite the fact that Tyrant''s Claw could easily destroy the crystal walls. He needed a stable path out, not a collapsed column of rocks. For all that people claimed power was all that mattered - whether it was Kraetius or Zae Zin Nim - it couldn''t solve every problem.


    Now he had a crevice that had almost reached the surface. Kai could even see sunlight filtering down from above and had to restrain himself from breaking through the last layer. The problem was that they were only reasonably sure this exit was far from the mine guards, not completely certain. Kai had spent long hours wedged between the tunnel walls, training his Physique while listening carefully with every sense for anyone nearby.


    What else did he need before he left? He didn''t want to leave the workers in a bad situation, but it honestly seemed like they didn''t need him so much anymore. Kraetius still grumbled that they would all get themselves killed, but he was taking to the training. Maggle and Nanny Troggup could handle all the organizing, and the workers were getting better at fighting.


    His personal progress had been satisfying as well. Even with his Physique advancement slowing, after several weeks of intensive training with everyone he had still managed to raise it another level. As he prepared to climb the tunnel again, Kai glanced at his soul.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 238 (193)


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 4% (101)


    Physique Level: E-7 (101)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Monstrous Hunger - VIII (theta)


    Behemoth''s Heart - IV (delta)


    Direboar''s Strength - VI (zeta)


    Isulfr''s Bite - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IV (delta)


    Infernotoad''s Burst - IV (delta)


    -


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Beastbat''s Wing - I (alpha)


    Crystal Slime - I (alpha)


    >


    By an odd coincidence, both his cultivation and his Physique contributed exactly the same: 101 Power. He felt a bit of pride that either one of those sources could make him a crystallier on its own. It wasn''t equal to some of the powerhouses he''d seen, but combined with his monstrous abilities, he felt confident that he could take on any of the Diamond Crystalliers and at least make a good showing.


    The only problem was that his recovery slowed due to the aggressive training schedule. Sometimes at night he still woke up with slight aches, as if there were briers deep in his muscles. On a daily basis he didn''t feel even slightly limited, but he suspected that if he fought opponents closer to his level, he''d realize he wasn''t quite back to full strength.


    That was a problem to worry about later, though. Kai leapt up into the crevice, clapped his hands against the sides, and began crab-walking his way toward the surface. Keeping the tunnel difficult to navigate both saved time on construction and served as an extra layer of defense keeping anyone from stumbling on the exit and accidentally betraying the entire operation.


    At the top, Kai decided that he was done waiting. After one last check outside, he summoned a Tyrant''s Claw and then stabbed for the sunlight.


    His blow sent rock cascading down over him, this time joined by dirt. Kai had to spit some of it out and found himself grinning. They''d reached the surface. He forced his way upward, tearing away the remaining obstacles with his bare hands and finally heaving himself over the edge.


    The exit was even better than they had hoped, coming out in a small cluster of trees beside a rocky outcropping. When he examined the horizon, he saw several other craggy hills that supposedly clustered around the mine entrance. From the reports of others, it was an open pit with everything the soldiers needed in a miniature town. There were so many objects in the line of sight between them that it would probably be safe to bring a whole army through the tunnel. Technically he could have begun right that minute.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    But first, he could afford a moment to enjoy himself.


    Kai flopped onto his back and took a deep breath. Finally, after over two months in the mines, he could breathe fresh air and feel the sun again. He hadn''t realized just how much he''d missed them until he finally got them back.


    Yet he couldn''t relax in the sun for long before a sense of impending doom set in. Prior to actually getting out, he''d had an excuse for training and preparing. Now there was absolutely nothing stopping him from running to go find Zae Zin Nim or trying to take revenge on Suortril. It was even possible that she was in danger and needed him, though he had to assume that she could take care of herself.


    Strategic patience was much harder when he actually had a choice about it.


    Abandoning the idea of rest, Kai went to scout the area thoroughly. Just as had been reported, the soldiers were relatively contained around the mining pits. The vast majority of their security was focused inward, keeping the workers from ever escaping, with only a few patrols outside in case the other city states attacked. Even if they did, the enemy would only seize the resources, not damage their defenses, since everyone profited from keeping the workers underground.


    That thought killed any remaining joy and Kai tightened his hands into fists. This wasn''t just training or strategy to them, it was a matter of their very survival. It would be absurdly short-sighted of him to just take revenge on Suortril. Better to force the merchant to watch his entire system crumble.


    Attempting anything like that was still premature. Kai moved around some rocks and a fallen log so that the crevice wasn''t visible from a distance, despite how obscure the whole area was. They could develop an even better disguise later, once they made other plans. He needed to get back down there and return to training, find a way to get back his last bits of strength, and prepare the workers for what came next.


    When he slipped down the tunnel, focused on plans, he ran into Nirka at the bottom. She started to open her mouth, then her eyes widened slightly as she saw the results on his face.


    "You got through?" she breathed.


    "Yeah." Kai managed to put away his scowl and smiled at her. "It looks completely safe."


    "Can I go up? I don''t have any reason to, I just..."


    "Of course."


    He needed to help her a bit with the tunnel up, but she quickly worked her way skyward along with him. When Nirka finally poked her head above the top, she stopped and stared for so long that he nudged her from below. She crawled out, her face torn between gaping and grinning.


    "This is grass?" Nirka ran her hands over it. "So soft... when I heard people talk about it, I guess I was thinking something more like moss."


    "You step out in a forest and what you care about most is the grass?" Kai grinned at her and she just shook her head.


    "I almost don''t want to look up, there''s too much... I can''t believe how bright it is!"


    "It gets darker at night, though. I wonder if it will take you a while to get used to that cycle."


    "And that must be - ow! - the sun. I wish I could just stare into it and absorb the light."


    The world above was awe-inspiring and she reveled in child-like glee, but Nirka wasn''t a child. Eventually she insisted on seeing the soldiers and began planning what could be done. When she saw their numbers, and trusted his words about the more powerful crystalliers in the cities, she understood why they couldn''t escape prematurely. None of that could wipe the grin off her face.


    "Can we stay a while longer?" she asked as they walked back to the crevice entrance. "My eyes would thank me, getting back down there, but I want to just enjoy it for a while."


    "Sure." Kai led her to a softer part of the grass and sat down with his back to a broad stone.


    Nirka sat down beside him and leaned back with a sigh. For a while she just rested there, absorbing the peace of the forest, but then she shifted to lean against his arm. He blinked in surprise, wondering if she wanted him to move. When he looked down at her, though, he saw her gaze locked on him.


    "Until I saw the soldiers, I didn''t realize how pale and scrawny we all are." She slid a hand to the muscles of his chest, as if afraid the touch would burn her. "Do you think so? You''ve been so kind to everyone, but are we just filthy workers you need to escape?"


    "No, of course not." Since she was pushing closer, Kai slid an arm around her shoulders. "I told you back when we met, I feel like I have more in common with all of you than with the crystalliers."


    "You still seem more like a crystallier to me." Nirka smirked and swung a leg over his. "I know you have to leave eventually. And I believe you when you say you''ll come back, I really do. Is it wrong to want more than that? I want to remember you while you''re gone."


    "Are you sure?" Kai asked. He started to say more, but she leaned up to kiss him.


    "In the mines we have to take pleasure where we can. You''ve given me so much, I want... I want..."


    For a moment Kai hesitated, and strangely his thoughts floated to Zae Zin Nim. Yet despite how long they''d been traveling together, she had never once expressed interest in him. Even after her body had recovered, she kept him at a distance. He realized that he felt a pang of disappointment, but there was no sense pining after her if she only wanted him as an ally.


    What mattered was that he was here with Nirka, right now.


    So he reached down to grab her hips, using his superior strength to lift her into his lap. Nirka laughed in surprise, then they both laughed together.


    .


    ..


    .


    In the afterglow they lay together, ragged clothes tangled around their feet. Nirka could practically use his chest as a bed and she wriggled into a more comfortable position against him. Relaxation suffusing his entire body, Kai yawned and stretched his arms far overhead.


    During the stretch he realized that he didn''t feel any pain within his muscles.


    It pulled him out of the warm glow a little, but Kai immediately checked his soul. His power had recovered - just a little, but more than he got from a full night of sleep or other stretches he thought he was resting. He had been pushing himself so hard, he''d lost touch with his body''s need for recovery. Now, spending time with Nirka and not thinking about anything except their intertwined bodies, he had truly allowed himself to recover.


    There would be so much else to do later, including battles and potentially even war and revolution. But for now, Kai wrapped his arms around her and relaxed back against the warm stone.

 Chapter 168: The Void Witness

    One very restful week later, Kai was ready. When he examined his soul, the symbols said that he was literally one point away from fully recovered and he no longer felt the slightest pain while moving. Yet he wasn''t going to trust either one of those, not before he potentially put himself up against the most dangerous people in the entire nation.


    No, he had in mind a real test.


    "I''m telling you, this is a mistake." Kraetius kept pace as they headed down the tunnels, gesturing with both hands. "I freely admit you''re strong, and you can punch above your weight, but there''s no way that you can fight that thing."


    "If you want to convince me," Kai said, "at least give me some more information about it."


    "There''s not much I can say. First time I saw it, the thing killed people at a distance just by looking at them. The second time, I was stronger and thought I had a chance, but it froze me in place. Something like that is the worst possible match for fighters like us."


    "Oh, so you do accept varying match-ups now."


    "Kai, listen to me." Kraetius grabbed him by the arm and spun him around to face him. "You''ve accomplished amazing things here. Actually got me hoping again. You could easily break out on your own. Don''t throw it all away fighting some monster that isn''t even in your way."


    "I''m sorry, but I have to do this." The words sounded meaningless to Kai, but they were the only excuse he could voice.


    Truthfully, there was no strategic reason for him to attack the monster in the deepest mine, aside from the potential monstrous essence. But he needed it on a deeper level. He had been fighting weak opponents for too long, he wanted a challenge. If he could prove to himself, on a physical level, that he was back to 100%, then he''d be ready to leave and tackle all his other problems.


    While the two of them were arguing, a small group of criminals emerged into the room. "Well, well," the first said, "who do we have here?"


    Kai and Kraetius looked up at them.


    "Oh, shit. You''re the old... and that''s Kai Clanless!" The criminal gave a queasy smile, eyes locked on them, and began clumsily slapping at his allies to back away. "Excuse us, we don''t mean to bother you."


    "I''ll set them straight." Kraetius turned away but then glanced back over his shoulder. "I hope I see you again, Kai. But I probably won''t."


    Despite the warning, as Kai climbed down to the next level, his mood was buoyant. He''d been preparing for a long time, and that time was almost over. There were so many different concerns, so many details to balance... but down there, he''d face nothing but the pure necessities of battle.


    When he reached the darkened pit, the smiles evaporated and he shifted to considering tactics. Kraetius had given him next to no information about the monster before, and even now only referenced two of its abilities. A monster capable of using different abilities was definitely a concern, likely a high level threat, so he needed to be cautious.


    He first peered over the edge and tossed a stone into the darkness. When there was no response, he slipped over the side. The walls were slick, almost polished crystal, but his hands extended into claws and he kept his grip. That hadn''t been the plan, but if his E-rank Physique was further adapting to his monstrous soul, he wasn''t complaining.


    Down at the bottom of the hole, the walls were still drained of qi, but it wasn''t as pitch black as it seemed from above. Instead the light filtered down, more like starlight. He saw that one side of the pit opened up wider, into a cavern that extended further than he could see.


    Fortunately he was prepared for that. There wasn''t much need for torches inside the mine, but Kai had brought some of the brightest crystal ores with him. As he walked he threw them to the sides, gradually illuminating the chamber. The floor was rough and spiked, as if there hadn''t been much time for mining. He remembered Nirka reprimanding him about not smoothing those down and smiled as he thought back to the previous night.


    And that was when he saw the abomination and all other thoughts fled his mind.


    At first it looked like some sort of monstrous worm, dark muscled bands ending in jaws. Yet those jaws were shaped strangely, splitting into four strips - almost like the Isulfr he''d fought long ago. Unlike that monster, each of these pieces had a large eye with a slitted iris, all four eyes staring at him.


    Grotesque as it was, Kai took a split second to wonder if it was actually some other intelligent species, trapped down in the mine along with the rest of them, and he extended his spiritual sight:


    <


    Monster: Void Witness


    Threat: VI (Zeta)


    >


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.Nope, pure monster. A Void Witness, ranked Zeta. Fighting such a serious threat was going to be a challenge, but that was exactly what he had been hoping for.


    The monster twisted, one jaw peeled away from the others, and a bright red eye fixated on him... and suddenly the air was on fire.


    Kai grunted in pain as the flames licked at his skin. They weren''t being emitted from the monster''s jaws, it was more like everywhere the eye looked, flames simply leapt into being. It reminded him more of Elemental Nations powers than a Class or anything else he''d seen.


    After all his Physique work, the flames hurt him but they weren''t crippling. Instead of falling back, he began to push forward, directly into the being''s gaze. He knew he could dodge to the side, hopefully outside of its range, but intended to save that for later. First he closed in, step by careful step.


    When he got close, Kai began to use a Tyrant''s Claw... and suddenly the blue eye was staring at him.


    The flames vanished, but he found himself bound in place. Kai struggled to move his arm and finish the technique, but the most he could do was flex his muscles a little and clench his teeth. So long as that blue eye was looking at him, he was locked in position. If he threw himself into it he might be able to move a little, but it wouldn''t last.


    As the eye remained fixated on him, the Void Witness rose overhead, its other three jaws opening. They could open surprisingly wide, as if they intended to swallow him head-first. As they drew closer and closer, Kai gathered his strength and waited for his moment.


    Just as the upper jaws moved, he summoned all his strength and resisted the freezing effect enough to spit in the monster''s eye. It flinched back and he swung. His plan had been to cleave it in half with a Tyrant''s Claw, but his entire spirit was disrupted and the most he could manage was a physical punch.


    That was enough to throw the monster back, writhing its worm-like body on the ground. It snapped back to face him swiftly, again freezing him in place with the blue eye.


    Except it only held that for a second before twisting around. Next he saw a yellow eye and pure agony shot through his body. Kai cried out and fell back, only his extensive experience with pain allowing him to jump instead of fall. The monster tried to track him and the pain continued, until he grabbed several more of his glowing stones and hurled them at the eye.


    They ended on opposite sides of the cavern, watching one another carefully. Clearly the Void Witness had started with its normal strategy and then stopped playing around. That yellow eye had not only caused direct pain, he felt as though it was trying to erode him on a spiritual level that his Physique couldn''t block. A normal person would likely have died instantly. This thing was dangerous: its attacks were potent and he didn''t like how he still hadn''t seen what the fourth eye did.


    His only advantage was that it seemed to take a moment for the eye to fixate on him. If he had been gifted with insane speed, he might have been able to dance around it, never being touched, but Kai wasn''t much faster than the monster. Time to switch tactics.


    Kai charged and was immediately frozen by the blue eye, like he expected. As the monster twisted to attack him with the yellow eye, during the moment of transition Kai leapt to the side. All four of its eyes desperately tried to track him, just catching up when his hand swung.


    The Tyrant''s Claw slashed across the long body and threw the Void Witness backwards. He''d hoped that he could finish it off with that blow, but the monster was too tough for that. While it was still wriggling, Kai swung another claw in its direction.


    A white iris burned in the darkness and his claw disappeared. Kai blinked in surprise and got a jolt of yellow pain for his moment of distraction. Only once he retreated to a safer distance did he managed to pull together the presence of mind to decide that it must have neutralized the technique somehow. He wanted to see if it could do the same with qi, then decided he needed to keep that ability secret.


    Instead of rushing at the Void Witness, Kai moved to one of the walls and struck it with his full strength. That dislodged a number of stones, including small boulders. He tried hefting one at the monster and it had to twist out of the way, but it was too agile, always ready to fix an eye on him.


    Next he hefted the largest boulder and ran in holding it in front of him. He could practically feel the gaze descend on him, and the boulder suddenly became difficult to move, like it was stuck to the air. That left him close to the monster, protected on the other side of the boulder.


    Not protected - Kai felt agony wrack his body again as the yellow eye hit him. He couldn''t see it, but apparently it could see him.


    Immediately Kai punched the boulder as hard as he could. It flew out, striking the monster in all four eyes. He lunged in, his mouth opening wide, ready to end it...


    His jaws locked in place. He could feel that his mouth was shifting, a spiritual maw opening to consume the Void Witness, but all his force of will failed to close his jaws. Even when he drew back and tried to throw everything he had at it, he couldn''t finish the bite.


    Instead he formed a qi bolt in his hand and sent it toward the eye.


    This time the Void Witness reacted instantly, neutralizing the qi before it struck, but Kai closed the remaining distance almost as fast as the qi. The white eye had only an instant to stare at him before he grabbed the jaw with both hands and braced himself with one foot. Even as the others tried to twist to fixate on him, he tore one of the jaws free.


    Agony shot through his body and Kai was sent tumbling back across the chamber. He hurt all over, but as he rose to his feet, he held aloft the severed jaw. The white eye was still staring at him, powerless, right up until the point that he raised it over his mouth and snapped up the entire thing.


    "That was a good start," Kai said, "but just an appetizer. I want the rest."


    Of course the Void Witness said nothing, only staring at him with its remaining three eyes. It fixed the yellow eye on him and Kai struggled through the pain, curling one hand into a claw. The monster switched to the blue eye and he shuddered to a halt, but from a distance it couldn''t bind him completely.


    Abruptly the worm twisted, burning through its power at an incredible rate. Kai suddenly felt all three eyes fixate on him: fire, pain, and binding closed on him from all sides. But it was too late: Behemoth''s Heart was surging in his chest, beating back the effects for just long enough.


    Kai''s hand swung down. The Void Witness didn''t survive this one.


    Afterward Kai slumped to one knee, catching his breath and recovering from the battle. For a moment he worried that the yellow eye might have been undermining him, rolling back his recovery, but in fact it was the opposite. The last trace of injury had disappeared and he saw only his true strength within his soul.


    He eagerly moved forward and began consuming the monster''s essence. As he chewed over its power, he realized that he wouldn''t be able to replicate its strange four-eyed ability - just as well, since he didn''t want to start growing extra eyes or making them change color or anything. Instead, he would have to find some way to distill a single ability from it, which could prove difficult.


    At that moment, he didn''t even care. It was the most delicious meal he''d had in months.

 Chapter 169: Four Steps Out of the Mines

    Kraetius didn''t know why he was waiting for the fool. He''d seen the terrible power of that thing - the best anyone could hope for was that Kai managed to survive and get back without permanent injury. Maybe it was just sentimentality. After so long training alone in the mines, being with all the workers had softened him up more than he wanted to admit.


    It was hard to know what to think about all of them. When he''d been thrown into the mines, decades ago, he had been disgusted by everything about them. Their rags, their oily hair, their stupid names. Even though he''d never really become friends with any of them, as his training failed year after year, he''d begrudgingly come to realize that they weren''t as lazy and shiftless as everyone else claimed.


    Still, he couldn''t imagine any of them actually ruling Krysal. They''d do just as bad a job as if the laziest crystalliers relying on their wealth took over. While training them, Kraetius had to admit that they had some good qualities, but were they leaders?


    This Kai boy, on the other hand... there was something about him. Not just the way he was inexplicably stronger than he should have been, but the strategic way he moved through everything. When he tried to help the workers he''d actually accomplished something.


    Which was why it was such a shame that he''d thrown his life away.


    Just when Kraetius was about to leave his post, he saw a claw reach up over the side of the pit. He flinched, preparing himself for some new monster, then realized that his eyes had played tricks on him. Kai hauled himself over the side, covered in blood but grinning like he''d just come out of the bedroom instead of a monster''s lair.


    "I can''t believe..." Kraetius stared at the other man as he rose to his full height. "Did you just defeat the strongest monster in the mine on your own?"


    "I don''t know, is there a stronger one?" Kai flexed the fingers of one hand and winced. "I might look okay, but that thing put me through my paces. I definitely need a rest after that."


    "But after that..." Kraetius swallowed. "You really plan to change things, don''t you?"


    "Haven''t I said as much?"


    Of course he had. But now, for the first time, Kraetius found himself wondering if he might actually do it.


    .


    ..


    .


    Nirka sat on his sturdy thighs, resting against his chest as the sweat cooled on her back. Kai was always so kind and gentle, it was easy to forget just how strong he was. When he had come back from the monster hunt victorious, she had practically leapt on him and been shocked by how easily he took charge. Something had given his desire a new intensity, whether it was risking his life or finishing the hunt.


    Or maybe he was just as aware as she was that this was their last night together.


    She didn''t think that he had told anyone else, since he didn''t want to attract too much attention. In fact, she thought that their night together was probably the only time anyone celebrated with him. But she had always known that he was going to leave as soon as he was ready, and as much as she hoped she''d see him again, she knew nothing was certain.


    "I''m going to miss this," she said quietly. Once she would have flushed at the implication, but there was a casual intimacy between them now. "I mean being able to rest with someone. Not being afraid or having to do anything. Just existing."


    "So will I." His hands came to rest at the small of her waist. "Keep yourself safe. I know you can, but I''ll still worry."


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "Then come back soon. I''ll be waiting."


    It was a lovely moment, and Nirka''s eyes began to slide closed. Before they could, she felt him stir against her leg. When his hands began creeping down her hips, her eyes popped back open.


    "Again?" she asked. "Don''t you need to sleep?"


    "Just want to get it all out of my system before leaving you." He bent down to kiss her neck and his stubble tickled her. Nirka leaned into him even though she was already exhausted.


    For all that she had pretended to be experienced, and so seriously told him that they "had to take pleasure where they can," her experiences had been limited. One time that had been pleasant and two that had ended embarrassingly for her partner. She didn''t think men were supposed to be insatiable like this and wondered if this could have anything to do with Physique. No doubt he''d love to talk about it.


    "Kai, I''m tired." She pulled away but then planted a kiss on his lips to take the sting off. "And you don''t have to act like we''re married. I know this isn''t forever. You can be with other people while you''re gone."


    "You''re right. I''m sure there will be plenty of attractive young crystalliers to-"


    "You wouldn''t dare!" Nirka playfully swatted at his chest.


    "Well, I don''t think I''m going to find another worker as lovely as you, so I guess I''m stuck." Kai kissed her forehead fondly and then wrapped her in his arms.


    As much as she wanted to sink into that embrace, she knew that he didn''t want to talk about it. Maybe he was right and there really was some future for them. For now, she was happy to sink into the warm fantasy and not think for a while.


    .


    ..


    .


    Maggle wasn''t sure how he felt about the sky. Sure, it could be real pretty. But having all that blue just looming up there, nothing holding it up, he couldn''t escape the feeling that it would fall down on him at any second. And the way it changed color, always when you weren''t looking, made it seem like it couldn''t be trusted.


    The air, though... well, he''d smelled a lot worse.


    Just as he was enjoying himself, Kai motherfucking Clanless showed up from the crevice. He''d known it would happen sooner or later, just hadn''t really expected sooner. Maggle waved a hand from his position.


    "Hey there. You look like a fox leaving the henhouse, at least I think you do. I''m pretty unclear on what foxes are and why they care about henhouses, so maybe you''d better tell me."


    "I''ll miss you, Maggle." Kai chuckled as he walked by. "Keep everyone from getting into trouble, you hear?"


    "Oh, sure thing. We need everybody to get into trouble later, not now." Maggle chewed on the side of his mouth for a while, trying to decide whether it was better to leave things unasked. "And what happens later? You come back here, dunk us all in acid or whatever, then we have an army... what then?"


    "I''m not sure. Do you know the history of uprisings in Krysal?"


    "Can''t say that I do. Probably couldn''t give you the history of scratching my own ass."


    "I don''t know either." Kai stared off as if he could see all the soldiers around the mine. "I think I need to find out more about the true shape of the nation."


    That was the rough thing with Kai, you could never tell what was going on in his head. Maggle liked to think he was pretty good at that sort of thing, generally. But with Kai, he could be staring off into the distance and there was no telling what he was thinking. Maybe he was plotting the overthrow of the army, maybe he was thinking about training, maybe he was just thinking he''d like a nice piece of steak.


    Maybe he was thinking that somebody might make a nice piece of steak. Sometimes there was a glint in his eyes that Maggle kept quiet about.


    "Just wanted to know you''re thinking of it," Maggle said, then belched. "You know I don''t have a thought in my head beyond what I''m gonna eat next. If it was up to me, we''d all try to go into a city, pretending to be long lost cousins. I don''t think it''d work very well."


    "Yeah, I''d imagine it wouldn''t. There will be losers in society no matter what."


    So he was thinking about it. Better than not thinking, hopefully. "Well, good luck," Maggle said. "Don''t go getting yourself killed out there."


    "I''ll do my best." Kai turned away and soon he was gone, lost under that damn sky.


    .


    ..


    .


    Now that Kai had said farewell to everyone, he headed back into the above-ground Krysal with more than he''d left it. Decent clothes scrounged from all the prisoners, food from Nanny Troggup, and some leads about where he needed to go next.


    And he had more power than when he''d entered, by any standard.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 238


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 4% (101)


    Physique Level: E-7 (101)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Monstrous Hunger - VIII (theta)


    Behemoth''s Heart - IV (delta)


    Direboar''s Strength - VI (zeta)


    Isulfr''s Bite - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IV (delta)


    Infernotoad''s Burst - IV (delta)


    -


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Beastbat''s Wing - I (alpha)


    Crystal Slime - I (alpha)


    Void Witness (???)


    >


    It was time for another trip into Krysal, this time with his eyes wide open. They''d all asked him questions and he wasn''t sure he had the answers, just yet.


    But first, it was time to find Zae Zin Nim.

 Chapter 170: The Grim Truth Along the Frontier

    Thanks to her judicious purchase of the crystal ship, Zae Zin Nim''s trip across Krysal was in no way wasted time. She had taken small but highly significant steps forward in every aspect of her cultivation. If anything, she was slightly disappointed not to have any reason for detours, but without Kai there was no reason to spend time anywhere else.


    Most of the other cities where she stopped for supplies were disappointing compared to Yulthens. They had more of the same crystals and certainly no resources from Cloudspire. Some had decent cultivators or interesting industries, but many others were more like Romastir, with their lazy crystalliers relying on boosting themselves to 100 Power via wealth.


    Zae Zin Nim had thought they were pathetic before, and now that she was hungry to advance even beyond the cultivation she knew, they seemed even more so.


    The cities grew scarcer as she got closer to the Frontier, more similar to Goralia and the forts she remembered. In the distance she imagined that she could see the Frontier wall, holding back some unknowable threat, but it was still beyond even her enhanced eyesight. Clearly these places were the lesser cities compared to Yulthens and the rest of the western coast.


    When she approached another city, planning just to stop for supplies, Zae Zin Nim realized that something was different. The wagons she saw on the surrounding roads were overwhelmingly moving away instead of in all directions. Closer, she could see that the city''s outer wall had been destroyed in multiple places. No one stopped her from flying overhead and she saw that a third of the city appeared to have burned to the ground, while the rest looked in poor shape.


    "We don''t want any trouble!" A crystallier flew toward her on a long diamond, a middle-aged man with a weary expression. "If you try to attack, you''ll regret it."


    Instead of wasting her time, Zae Zin Nim simply revealed the depth of her cultivation and the man flinched.


    "My lady, we really don''t want any trouble. What could you take from us?"


    "I''m not here for you," she told him. "Exactly what happened here? Tell me and I will not trouble you."


    "It''s been like this for months. The incursion... it was so much nastier than it''s ever been before. There were huge monsters that destroyed the wall, and after that it just got worse. Half our crystalliers died bringing them down and the rest couldn''t keep up with the horde. We''ve only just regained control, and as you can see, that isn''t enough to restore confidence in the city. Are you... here to help?"


    "I am not here for that either." She arranged her hands in her robes and looked over the city thoughtfully. "Did you receive the worst of the incursion, or are other cities like this?"


    "At first, I thought that we were the only ones who failed." The crystallier hovered closer and lowered his voice, even though they were the only ones in the air. "But I finally got letters from my cousins, and the other cities are struggling too. I think everyone is pretending that they''re fine, but we all have a long, hard path to rebuilding."


    As far as Zae Zin Nim could see, the city had received a mortal wound and was just in denial while it was bleeding out. The people of Krysal wanted luxury and profitable trade, not a broken and burned city. She didn''t like these mercantile problems, but tried to compare it to a sect that was losing its reputation, its patriarch rumored dead and its secrets no longer valued.


    Sometimes the idea of a thing could be more dangerous than the thing itself. The city might have survived, but there were vultures circling.


    She was not, however, one of them. Even though Zae Zin Nim realized that she could probably have "conquered" the city and taken whatever she wanted, there was no profit in that. That would waste her time and make her no better than lazy cultivators who spent their time bullying others instead of advancing upward. So she bade the crystallier a polite farewell and continued on her way.


    As she toured the edge of the Frontier, she discovered the same story in several locations. It seemed that, despite all their boasting, the Krysali had not endured the incursion better than all the other nations. So much for their efficiency.


    Zae Zin Nim felt no particular emotions about this discovery, she simply wondered what Orillia would think and how this would affect the conflict between the Diamond Crystalliers. If anything, she was disappointed there wasn''t some incursion monster rampaging. Kai could have eaten it, plus that would have been a much simpler problem to deal with than this systemic collapse.


    Based on what Orillia had said, problems like this would cascade westward through Krysal. That was about as far as Zae Zin Nim cared to think about all the details. Her travel might not be getting in the way of her continued training, but it wasn''t offering her a leg up, either.


    The next question was whether she should continue to the Frontier itself. Further east she didn''t see many travelers at all and the land grew harsher. In theory there might be useful information there, but honestly she wanted to talk to the cultivators at the Frontier. It was insane to think that anyone on Deadwaste could actually fight an Earth Soul cultivator and she wondered if they could offer her training or insight.


    Then again, from their perspective her power might be too straightforward and focused. She doubted that they would treat her as respectfully as all the weak crystalliers did.


    What led her to a conclusion was the fact that she could feel several strong powers to the east. They were still too blurry for her to discern them precisely, but something was going on. It wouldn''t take so long for her to detour, so she decided that at minimum she would investigate it.


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    As she drew closer, she used her enhanced senses to examine the Frontier wall. It was one of the few things on Deadwaste to impress her, and it impressed her even more now that she was at the Nascent Foundation stage. Oh, the walls might be mundane gray, but they held inexplicable amounts of power. At her new stage, she could see that they had immense binding potential, all directed inward. In the battle between god-like cultivators, they had proved their value.


    Unfortunately, the wall was broken in several places. The holes were being repaired, but though the new stone looked sturdy, it didn''t have the same densely-packed power. She understood why the nations around the Frontier were worried about the next incursion.


    When she approached the small group near the walls, Zae Zin Nim realized that she had been right to investigate. There were several powerful warriors on one side, likely all from the Frontier... and they were speaking to Suortril. The merchant had Traelisia along with him, and the Diamond Crystallier looked on edge.


    Before she could arrive, the Frontier cultivators departed eastward over the wall. That left Zae Zin Nim facing Suortril and his delegation, who were now all focusing on her.


    "Word of this can''t leak yet," Suortril said flatly to his Diamond Crystallier. "Take her out."


    "Fine." Traelisia raised her hand and spheres of earth hurtled through the air.


    "Not the ship!" Zae Zin Nim leapt in the way of the techniques and slapped them aside. That meant she had no way to sustain herself, but the crystal ship backed away while she drew everyone else''s attention. Hopefully they would focus on her from now on.


    "You shouldn''t have meddled here." Suortril stared at her with a look of scorn of the type she usually reserved for filthy peasants. "This has nothing to do with you. Just who are you working for? Did one of the others hire you?"


    "I neither know nor care about this," Zae Zin Nim told them. Many of the merchants and aides were fleeing, leaving only Suortril and Traelisia. "Are you trying to hide something? Surely you don''t believe that you can cover up so much for long."


    "This isn''t a conspiracy, this is about timing. A few days'' early information can mean the difference between ruin and fortune. But I wouldn''t expect someone like you to understand that." Suortril gestured curtly to Traelisia. "Finish her."


    There was only a second to view her opponent, between when her shroud came down and her technique struck.


    <


    Name: Traelisia of the Earthquake


    Total Power: 408


    Earthborn: Twiceshaken (243)


    Crystal Cultivation: 982 (49)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    Zae Zin Nim had been advancing steadily, but unfortunately the Diamond Crystallier hadn''t been idle either. Most of her new strength had come from crystal cultivation, which showed its good side by providing a surprising boost in raw Power.


    Even though she was disadvantaged, Zae Zin Nim thought that the fight might come down to how well her cultivation could stand up to the powers of the Elemental Nations. She had always assumed they were magical brutes, with their magic hair throwing energy in all directions and their primitive four element system. This was a bad time to find out.


    Those thoughts flew through her mind instantly, then a spike of earth jutted out of the ground. It was sharp enough that it could have impaled even her enhanced body and appeared with startling speed. Zae Zin Nim managed to evade it and countered with a qi assault, but her qi splattered off the stone armor that formed over her opponent.


    The brief encounter left her shaken. Whatever the Elemental Nations were doing, it wasn''t weak cultivation or using mana to generate the elements. They were tapping into something deep, strong enough that she was afraid her cultivation couldn''t stand up to a direct confrontation.


    She dodged around the next attacks, waiting for her moment, then countered with a spear of qi. Her plan had been to punch through the thin armor before her opponent ramped up, hopefully injuring or even ending the fight before it became serious.


    Suortril stepped into the way. Both warriors looked surprised, but the prism that lit up around him deflected the attack just like it had everything else.


    Then, in her moment of surprise, Zae Zin Nim felt earth close around her feet. She looked down in horror to see that the stones had bound her lower legs. They were closing in to crush her and it took a surge of qi to keep her legs intact. But that couldn''t possibly be enough to stop the spikes that she could see forming around her. Unless she found a solution or someone helped her, this looked bad...


    A muscular form leapt in from the side, shattering all the nearby stone. Zae Zin Nim''s heart leapt as she looked at the broad back...


    And realized that it wasn''t Kai. Tareth Nordulind let out a shout that drove back the next earthen spikes.


    "You''re really still trying to keep this suppressed, Suortril?" The bulky non-Kai man shook his head, sending his Direboar pelt wobbling. "It''s too late for that. Everyone will be learning about their investments soon enough."


    "Soon, but soon enough?" Suortril shrugged, then made a subtle gesture.


    The earth shifted again, but this time Traelisia was only moving a plate of stone underneath the merchants, carrying them west. She looked angry at having been interrupted... and also grateful that she didn''t have to fight Tareth and Zae Zin Nim together.


    Once they had gone out of range, Tareth turned back to her. "Well. Never expected to see you out here."


    "Nor did I," Zae Zin Nim said, though truthfully she had barely thought about him at all once she was no longer assigned to look for Diamond Crystalliers. "I''m here on behalf of the Crystallier Cooperative. What are you doing here?"


    "Investigating reports, probably the same as you. And it''s a lot worse than they said." He gestured out over the damaged landscape. "I warned them about this and they mocked me for it. Krysal is all about efficiency, but that means cutting everything to the bone. A policy of no redundancies seems good when you''re looking at profits, and bad when you need backup."


    "You''re saying that their defenses were weak to the incursion."


    "They''re not idiots, they always allocated resources carefully. But when the system failed, it failed catastrophically, because each failure put more pressure on the next system, which couldn''t take the load. By my count half the cities along the Frontier are dead, and the problems will be spreading inward for a generation."


    Normally Zae Zin Nim didn''t care about Tareth, but she was glad she had someone to worry about the details for her. "The city asked you to investigate that? I was only here to learn why Suortril came."


    "Near as I can figure, this blows a hole in the bottom of some of his businesses." Tareth scratched at his jaw, a bit like Kai but much rougher. "See, it''s not just about the facts. The merchants back home, they''re making calculations based on what they think the future profits will be. If they learn just how much trade from the east will weaken, the damage will hit instantly."


    "Is that unreasonable?"


    "Don''t know about that. But I''m saying that the loss of crystals and goods will take a while to actually affect Yulthens, which is why most don''t know the full truth. Problem is, everyone will scramble to get ahead of it, which will turn into a panic, which could crater the markets. Everybody will be lashing out, trying to prepare."


    "I understand, then." Zae Zin Nim regarded him somberly. "I believe I have the information I came for. What about you?"


    "Probably got it, more or less." Tareth glanced up at the crystal ship, still hovering behind her. "I don''t think we can beat Suortril back, but want to try?"

 Chapter 171: Returning to a Different City

    Moving across Krysal, especially on foot, meant that Kai had less time for Physique training. It was a bit of an adjustment, after all his time exercising in the mines, and he thought he could understand Zae Zin Nim''s desire for a vehicle a little better. But another part of him welcomed the chance to experiment with everything he''d been suppressing among the workers.


    One of his first orders of business had been to reconsider his monstrous abilities. Infernotoad''s Burst had served him well enough, but he pushed it outside the circle of his core abilities. Spitting fiery boulders was never going be a defining element of his strength, really only useful because he didn''t have other long range abilities. Those he could acquire via other means, even just qi techniques, so he wanted to reserve his limited monster slots for something better.


    For now, that was definitely the Void Witness. Its essence had solidified a little when he tried to draw on it and now showed up as "Void Gaze" in his spiritual sight. When he ran into a few monsters he tried to use it on them, and they seemed to shiver and retreat, but it wasn''t overwhelming. Most likely this ability would need to strengthen considerably before becoming useful, and he doubted he would be able to simply neutralize attacks the way the Void Witness had.


    Still, he preferred it to a simple ranged attack or another passive benefit. In the long term, he was going to need to figure out how to balance those abilities. Monstrous Hunger was essential, and Behemoth''s Heart was far too powerful to ever push away. But was Direboar''s Strength and then three monstrous techniques a good balance?


    Most likely the practical path to greater power would be to develop those abilities, then find something to feed into Direboar''s Strength. Though, once he thought about it, he realized that he had been treating the human side of his soul primarily as a defense.


    When fate had cursed him with no useful abilities in every system he knew of, he''d primarily focused on making himself tougher. Those powers weren''t entirely blocked off, though, and he could eventually develop more offensive abilities. Qi had been useful to him on multiple occasions, so maybe with Zae Zin Nim''s training he could learn more dangerous techniques.


    There was no clear blueprint for him going forward, since he was forging a new path. Nothing he could do but keep climbing.


    He didn''t get long to develop his abilities before he oriented himself: he was within a few days'' travel of Yulthens, which made sense. The city state controlled a fairly large region, but the further out a resource was from their base of power, the less control they had over it, and the greater likelihood that another city could take it. Presumably each city state had access to at least one crystal mine and one acid pit, to produce a viable source of crystal cultivation. That might even be the reason for most of the cities'' locations.


    Being so near Yulthens meant that he didn''t have time to train or set up his plans, though. There was no excuse for not engaging again immediately.


    As he ran toward Yulthens, he thought he figured out the fundamental logic of Krysal in a way that he hadn''t before. For most people, the nation was only the cities and the roads that led between them, but those were actually only a small percentage of the total land. Viewed from above, he suspected that the major roads would divide Krysal into large blocks.


    Some of those contained farmland or other parts of a city state, but they also contained the mines he''d missed before. Connected to the rest of the nation only by trade roads, conveniently out of the way for everyone who wanted to enjoy the wealth of the nation without thinking about how it had been created.


    Before he could come up with anything even close to a solution, he arrived back at Yulthens. Kai didn''t want to announce his presence, in case Suortril was monitoring for him. Fortunately it wasn''t too difficult to sneak his way inside, since the city was obviously disrupted. Once inside with his soul hidden by a shroud, he blended in with the confused crowds and made his way back to Orillia''s estate.


    One of the older servants saw him at the gate and drew back in shock. Kai put a finger to his lips and just smiled. At least he could probably trust everyone there to keep his secret, since Suortril had no friends in the Crystallier Cooperative.


    He found Dowager Orillia herself in her sitting room, drinking from a mug of wine. She leapt to her feet when she saw him, hesitated a moment, then rushed over and began pulling on his face.


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    "Kai? That''s really you?"


    "As far as I know." He gently took her wrists and pulled them away from his face. "I''ve had a rough time of it lately, but-"


    "I can see that! Look at you, practically in rags." Orillia moved away and snapped her fingers for one of her servants. "I''ll have someone draw up a bath and get proper clothes for you right way."


    "Thank you, but nothing too fancy. Suortril might be looking for me."


    That got her attention. The kindly old woman faded away and Orillia sat down with a shrewd look on her face. "Clearly we need to talk."


    "We definitely do." Kai sat opposite her and took a deep breath. She had been a good patron in the entire time he''d known her, which was exactly why this had to happen. "Did you know that the crystal mines are filled with workers who never see the light of day?"


    "Well... of course someone has to mine the crystals." Orillia shifted uncomfortably in her seat and lowered her gaze. "It''s a difficult life, but surely it isn''t unfair, is it? Not just anyone goes there. Only the people who couldn''t contribute in other ways, or who committed crimes."


    Kai watched her, noting every shift in expression. Was she, in her own way, as naive as he had been? He could imagine that she might have spent her entire life never visiting the mines, but she wasn''t a stupid woman, she must have considered that the mines caused great suffering. Maybe it was just easier not to think about, when there were so many other concerns in the city.


    "Nobody has ever tried a different system?" Kai asked. "Why not pay the workers more?"


    "Of course you could try that. Some have." Orillia turned to stare out the window. "But they were always muscled out by others. If you pay more at the very base of the system, the gold to crystal ratio rises. Every crystal byproduct gets more expensive, everyone raises rates, and even unrelated items increase out of reach of all but the wealthiest. A small change at the bottom is magnified all the way to the top."


    "And what happens if the crystals stop coming?"


    She stiffened in her seat. "I''ve seen it, once or twice. It never ends well for anyone."


    For a moment Kai considered just how he should judge her. Orillia might be sitting on top of a system that brutally oppressed all the mine workers, but she was ultimately a well-meaning old soul. More importantly, he needed her. He no longer had the patience for training young crystalliers, but the system she had created to lift up some could possibly be changed to lift up the workers beneath them.


    "We can talk about this more later." Kai eased back in his seat and closed his eyes. "Where''s Z - Hanelay?"


    "I''m afraid I sent her off to the Frontier. There''s been ever so much going on while you were gone. She''s been gone for days, but it wasn''t supposed to be dangerous, so she should be on her way back now. Once she returns we''ll have a better idea just what we''re facing."


    "And what does it look like we''re facing?"


    "War between the great merchants over Yulthens." Orillia sighed and took a long drink. "When things change, merchants go bankrupt, and when they start losing everything, that means they start putting everything on the line. I think the days of Diamond and Ruby Crystalliers dueling each other in friendly matches might be coming to an end."


    Kai wanted to ask more about that, but his head was still filled with the fundamental problems. He said farewell to Orillia and went out to explore. The servants had put together a surprisingly sensible outfit for him: mostly Krysali wraps, with a scarf and hat that would help him blend in. Apparently they had some experience with helping people spy.


    He wasn''t exactly looking for secrets, just considering Yulthens with a new eye. No wonder they could afford so many crystals, if they were paying a minimum in food and water to mine them. The extraordinary wealth of Krysal no longer seemed so impressive.


    But what was the solution? He knew he had to do something, he just wasn''t sure what was even possible.


    The fact that the Krysal City States were fundamentally divided might be the key. After all, Omilaena had taken over a city and, while it had caused disruptions, it hadn''t fundamentally destroyed the system. Maybe he could help the workers escape their mine and build a city of their own. Except that it would always be at a disadvantage compared to other cities, unless they were willing to mistreat their base workers just as much.


    Could he find some other advantage that would let them hold their own? That thought quickly spiraled nowhere, because there were too many variables. Instead he began thinking about what a city fundamentally needed.


    Slaves might be efficient in some senses, but they required maintaining a standing army. The soldiers were considered mundane and unimportant compared to the crystalliers, but there were a lot of them. Arming and paying them had to cost a lot, not least because they had to be well-compensated so they didn''t think of stealing crystals for themselves, or banding together with the mine workers. In a sense all of that was an inefficiency limiting their military strength.


    But there were so many variables he still didn''t know. He needed to understand how the farmers and city workers fitted into the system, how the balance of power between different city states worked. The merchants weren''t useless either and someone needed to move goods between regions. So many potential complications.


    A long time ago, he had been told that he was worthless, that his lot in life was to be a mediocre hunter. Even then he had been allowed to try, to pursue a decent life for himself. The idea of being born into darkness, relegated to a permanent slave without even the chance to be anything else...


    Kai Clanless stared up at the crystalline city towering overhead, still beautiful despite everything. If it really came down to it, he was willing to see it all come crashing down.

 Chapter 172: Two Paths Nearly Touching

    Kai ate dinner, but he felt guilty about it.


    Even though he didn''t eat at any of the most expensive restaurants, every single meal would have been an unfathomable feast to the workers in the mines. In an ideal world, everyone should have been able to eat like he did. But he didn''t live in an ideal world, and he couldn''t stop thinking about how this luxury was based on the enslavement of so many people.


    What else could he do, though? Sometimes he actually considered running out into the wastelands to eat monsters, since at least they would taste clean. But in a city the size of Yulthens, with a broad civilized area around it, that would have taken all day. And it wasn''t as though anyone in the mines would actually be helped by him refusing to accept food.


    So he ate as quickly as possible and told himself that it was just fuel on his way to figuring out a solution. It wasn''t a solution, but it was all he had.


    Just returning with full knowledge of how Krysal worked had proved to be all he needed to unlock the truth. There was no complex conspiracy, just a society that preferred not to think about how it truly operated. Now that he knew, he could ask the right questions and slowly uncover more. The only limitation was that he needed to avoid the mercantile areas or anyone who might recognize him, so he investigated more in the lower class parts of the city.


    Now he understood why the lowest workers seemed so well-fed and well-clothed: they''d never been the lowest rung of society in the first place. They had a much stronger grasp of how things worked than the crystalliers or nobles, though, and they were willing to talk about it. If they got into enough debt and their family couldn''t bail them out, they might all be condemned to work in the mines.


    Everyone implied that only happened to criminals, drunkards, and layabouts, but they seemed too anxious about the idea for him to believe that.


    He also figured out how the mines were owned, which had been bothering him, and in the end it was surprisingly simple: membership in the merchants guild meant partial ownership. Everyone who could buy guild membership also bought a fraction of the mine''s profits, which was part of what united them all as a city. Changes in the ratio of gold to crystals actually benefited some merchants, while it could ruin those who needed to purchase them for their work, which was why they were always at each other''s throats.


    Even the merchants weren''t sitting as easily on top of society as he''d thought. There was a massive difference between the average merchant who owned a wagon or two and the nobles like Suortril, as wide as the gulf between soldier and crystallier. He had yet to figure out if there was any way he could use that.


    Suortril himself remained absent. Kai had tried to investigate more at the beginning before deciding that he needed to leave that to Zae Zin Nim.


    Eventually Kai learned the knowledge he''d been seeking all along: the location of the acid pits. Yulthens had access to no fewer than three massive crystal mines, but only a single acid pit that processed everything. It was closer to the city and a partial secret, since its supply lines were absolutely critical. Once he knew that it was hidden in the plateaus near the desert, however, he was sure he could find it.


    And that gave him a problem. Until he knew where to go next, Kai could justify staying in Yulthens and training. Now his memories of all the workers were a hot iron pressing him onward.


    A part of him longed to stay - not because of the luxury that had become uncomfortable, but because he wanted to see Zae Zin Nim again. Allegedly she should be returning at any time, and sometimes he worried that something had gone wrong and he should go looking for her. But with literally all of Krysal to search, his chances of finding her were near zero, no doubt the same reason she hadn''t found him while he was imprisoned.


    That left him training, which he somehow managed to feel guilty about. Of course training was necessary, because he had a dozen good reasons to need more power. But he could train literally anywhere, including the acid pits, so it felt wrong to remain in the city when he could be pressing forward.


    Day after day passed, and the tension increased... until Zae Zin Nim flew into the estate.


    It happened just like that. He''d half-convinced himself that she was dead, or had been captured by her father''s servants, or would require a long ordeal to find again. Instead she simply flew back. She stared at him as well, as if he was some sort of apparition that she''d never imagined would appear.


    "Kai," she said faintly. "You''re back."


    "So are you."


    "This is good." For a moment he thought that she was going to greet him that stiffly, but abruptly she leapt and hugged him. "I worried."


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    "So did I." Kai wrapped his arms around her and squeezed, and for a moment all was right with the world.


    After that moment, however, the hug became awkward in several ways. Zae Zin Nim was so much shorter than him that with her arms around his neck her feet were dangling. She also hadn''t angled or otherwise shielded herself, so her breasts were pressing against his chest. That had been easier not to think about before his steady relationship with Nirka, but now... well, he was very glad that the height difference meant their hips didn''t align.


    He felt another pang of disappointment as he realized the actual distance between them. His relief at seeing her had been so strong, he felt such a bond - why couldn''t it be more than that? But if Zae Zin Nim wasn''t interested in him as anything more than a friend, it was better to accept that and not push her.


    "Where were you?" Zae Zin Nim abruptly hopped back and glowered, though he thought it was an affectionate glower. "What could make you fall off the face of the earth for so long?"


    "Well, that''s a bit of a story..."


    Kai tried to give her just the basics about the crystal mines, leaving out Nirka and monster hunting and random details, and it still took too long. They moved from the courtyard to their inner rooms and Orillia had food brought to them without making a comment. In turn, Zae Zin Nim explained about the balance of power between the merchants and what she had discovered at the Frontier.


    He was surprised that she didn''t seem angrier about the truth of the crystal mines, then realized that he shouldn''t be. Societies on Cloudspire sounded like they were not only oppressive, they were proud of being oppressive. It was probably progress that she wasn''t automatically on the side of the crystalliers.


    "So." Zae Zin Nim sat back once they were finally done. It was late in the night, but neither of them was remotely tired. "You feel bad about the miners and want to help them."


    "I''d argue it''s a little more than that," Kai said, "but yes."


    "What do you think you can do, kill the merchants and stick your friends on top? You''d need to do a lot more training to be capable of that."


    "It''s true that it doesn''t seem like we can do anything directly, but I''m not content with that. I couldn''t do enough to change Goralian society..." His mind wandered back to the Tonjin brothers, condemned to be servants from birth, and wondered if he''d managed to help them at all. "Things are different here. We''re stronger, we have more resources, and the system is more fragile."


    "So you want to do something about it. Do you have a plan?"


    "Not exactly. I need more information about how it all works, especially the acid pits."


    "I see." Zae Zin Nim settled deeper into her chair, then gave one curt nod. "Very well, I suppose we can do this. The Diamond Crystalliers are the best opponents to sharpen our skills anyway, and we can still profit from the resources of Krysal."


    "I''m surprised you agreed so easily."


    "Frankly, putting peasants in charge sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. But the merchants aren''t much better than peasants anyway."


    Kai chuckled and decided that he''d accept that. "What will you be doing, then? Presumably Orillia can use what you learned about the Frontier against Suortril, but will that really help us?"


    "I don''t think there''s much I can do there. All the most powerful merchants are guarded by Diamond Crystalliers, and they''ll get in my way if I try to investigate further. I''m willing to help with your peasant idea, but it has to be something that will allow me to cultivate."


    "Got it!" Kai snapped his fingers as he realized that it was simpler than he''d been thinking. "Omilaena mentioned that she''d executed the nobles in her city and overturned society. You should travel there and learn how it went: the problems, the way the merchants struck back, everything. It will be dangerous, of course, but you said we need opponents to sharpen our edges, and Omilaena is one of the worst."


    "That is an acceptably good idea." Zae Zin Nim nodded sharply, but then her movements became a little less stiff. "But do we have to begin on this immediately? The peasants have been oppressed for centuries, surely a few more days wouldn''t do them harm?"


    He had to admit that he didn''t want to leave again either. After considering it for a while, Kai decided that he didn''t need a justification. As much as he wanted to help everyone, that didn''t mean surrendering his entire life. And right at that moment, what he wanted most in his life was to spend time with Zae Zin Nim.


    They worked together over the coming days and he remembered just how much he enjoyed her presence. Whether it was training, investigating, or just being in the same room together, he was glad to have her at his side. Normally she liked her moments of solitude, but she stuck close to him as well.


    One of their first priorities was training, and it would have been their priority even without the urgency. Zae Zin Nim had a great many questions about Physique and Class training and he was delighted to see that she had begun advancing on those fronts again. In theory she could make excellent progress that would take her far closer to their opponents.


    She had ideas for him as well, including a theory about why his cultivation had stalled. Though she had a few suggestions, she thought that his body was consuming an unnatural amount of the qi he was trying to cultivate. The Body Refinement stage was normally all about improving the body, but he''d started with an E-0 Physique, so he was already off her path. His monstrous side was hungry as well, slowing his progress further.


    The only positive news was that because he prioritized feeding that hunger, he had instinctively adopted cultivation techniques that grew his monstrous side equally. That part, at least, was not at any risk of unbalancing him in either direction.


    Their week together was wonderful, but eventually the guilt returned. Kai knew that if he wanted a life like this, he needed to work for it. That meant not only training, but taking on greater challenges. Sometimes that was something as simple as a monster or rival and sometimes that meant the structure of Krysal itself.


    So, before the inevitable parting grew too painful, they agreed to move on. Zae Zin Nim disappeared over the horizon toward New Laeneria and Kai started running toward the acid pits.

 Chapter 173: Into the Acid Pits

    Reaching the acid pits required very little time, the problem was getting in. Kai had been expecting something similar to the mines, with some kind of underground complex produced by the acid. Instead the acid sat in great pools between the plateaus, and in some places he even saw waterfalls of it - acidfalls? - eroding down the stone. He speculated that the acid must be under pressure from some underground system, but that wasn''t the difficult part.


    Unlike the mines, with easily controlled entrances, the region containing the acid was fenced in, with soldiers patrolling one side and stake pits on the others. They wore unusual armor made of glass instead of crystal, presumably to defend against the acid. It looked like at various points there had been vast earthworks to push the acid into a more easily contained area that was locked up tight.


    For the prisoners, anyway. Kai could easily have avoided the guards and jumped in, but that was where the trouble started.


    Because the sides were open, the soldiers had plenty of opportunity to watch the prisoners. There were definitely areas deeper within the plateaus where they couldn''t watch, but the space was limited. To stay inside for any length of time, Kai would either need total cooperation or to blend in with the prisoners, and blending in looked impossible.


    From a nearby plateau he could see the prisoners, even in some detail if he focused his qi. They wore simple green or white clothing that would be flattered to be called robes - they were more like lumpy smocks. The base quality wasn''t terrible, but most had many holes eaten in them. All the workers he saw looked Krysali enough, which was only the first reason he couldn''t blend in.


    The bigger problem was that all of them seemed to be sick. They weren''t as bone thin as the mine workers, and instead of ropy muscle they had softer bodies. But all of them had ashy skin and he saw many coughing painfully throughout the day. There was a glassiness to their eyes that completed the look, which was visible at a glance. With his height, muscle, and obvious good health, Kai would stick out like a sore thumb.


    As Kai watched their daily routine, he discovered that it was more complicated than he thought. At least once a week - he hadn''t been there long enough to confirm - the inhabitants shuffled into lines closer to the fences. Those who had been dutifully distributing the processed crystals received some sort of drink from the soldiers. Whatever the dark purple liquid was, it seemed to improve their health for a time.


    So it seemed clear that the acid pit workers were destroying their health in their work while being strung along with medicine that also kept them strictly controlled. The question was what he was going to do about it.


    It was strange approaching one of these prisons from the opposite side. In the mines, he had come to know the other workers before he had a clue about the tunnels or guards or even where they were. Now the exact location and security were easy to discover, but he stood far outside the culture he saw below.


    The work itself was the first thing he''d figured out. Soldiers brought great wagons loaded with crystal ore up to one of the entrances, one that met a slope. They pitched the crystal rocks directly over the side, where they tumbled down into a pile. From there, the workers picked them up by hand and took them to the acid, which ate away the useless part of the ore. There was some trick to that part that he couldn''t figure out from a distance.


    No sign of moonmelt, whatever that was. He hadn''t been able to learn much more while he was in Yulthens.


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    And so, despite forcing himself to leave Zae Zin Nim, Kai found himself waiting again. For a day or two he could justify scouting the location and figuring out their routine, but eventually he felt stalled. He was just training out by the acid pits, hoping that some solution would happen by.


    Eventually Kai figured out that he could climb to the top of one of the plateaus and get a better view, without being seen by the soldiers. The climb itself would have been near impossible for most. For a moment he thought he was going to get some use out of his poor Wallcrawler''s Feet ability, but it actually proved easy enough to jump to the top.


    From there he could see more of the acid workers'' unpleasant existences. They had far more water than the mine workers, found in streams that weren''t filled with acid, but much rougher lives. Within the central area they had some privacy, and he saw every aspect of life continuing, the problem was that the acid was clearly taking a toll on their health. Once he got closer he could smell something like a sharp soap, and he suspected that it was terrible to breathe. Pregnant women stayed in a small higher cave they had apparently carved, trying to keep them away from the acid fumes.


    Many of the soldiers seemed to be trained in spiritual sight, so Kai was cautious at first. Once he confirmed they weren''t monitoring the area with expert abilities, he opened his spiritual eyes and took a look at the workers'' souls.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 003


    Physique Level: G-0 (2)


    Soul Level: 1 (1)


    >


    Most of them looked as grim as he''d expect from their outward appearances. He didn''t see a single worker who had Physique above G rank, and only the newer workers had any higher ranks at all. As far as he could tell, working with the acid actively degraded their Physique as it destroyed their bodies.


    That process continued until they had nothing left, just a void, which he hadn''t known was possible. The curious thing was that the veteran workers also began to develop something else, something he had never seen before.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 016


    Acid Cultivation: 117 (12)


    Physique Level: Void (0)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    For example, one old man had an "Acid Cultivation" rating of 117, which granted him a modest amount of power. He didn''t show any signs of using it, or of being aware of it, yet it was plain as day in his soul. Clearly their work was more than physically washing the crystals in acid, which could have been done better with nets or other mechanisms.


    Finally, looking at their souls revealed another secret about the mysterious moonmelt byproduct. Everyone in the acid pits, except the very newest arrivals, had their Power rating listed with a leading zero, as if they had already broken the 99 Power barrier. He couldn''t imagine that the Krysali overseers wanted that, so it must be inextricable from their work.


    Over time, Kai found himself watching one boy in particular. He wasn''t sure about his age - probably older than he looked, since everyone in the acid pits seemed stunted. Most of the time he wandered off on his own, sitting beside acid pools and staring into them. If not for a doting woman who could have been a sister or cousin, he probably would have starved.


    What was strange was that sometimes he would reach out and touch the acid, with no apparent harm to his fingers. Everyone else stayed far away from it and was injured if they accidentally touched it. The boy''s soul was still not fully formed, yet Kai strongly suspected that he had begun to develop acid cultivation at an early age.


    It was while pondering these various problems that Kai saw the accident start to happen. The acidfall that poured out of one cliff face had been flowing for a long time, feeding the pool that the boy sat nearby. But that day, something was different. The top of the acidfall spluttered and spat... and then the side of the cliff began to give way.


    Weakened by the acid over so much time, a cascade of rocks tumbled down the side. They would have crushed the boy if Kai hadn''t leapt into action, throwing himself off the side of the cliff the instant he understood what was about to happen. He scooped up the boy and leapt aside, skidding to a halt before they tumbled into the next acid pool.


    The last rocks fell. The acidfall burbled in a new stable position. And Kai realized that every single worker in the acid pits was now staring at him.

 Chapter 174: Acid Physique

    The moment seemed frozen in time. Nothing but the soft sounds of the acid as everyone stared at Kai. He realized that he was completely surrounded, not that the workers were any physical threat to him. And yet, if he had ruined things from the start...


    Abruptly the boy began squirming. Kai set him down and the boy patted his leg before wandering off. His sister cried out "Gundle!" and scooped him up, though he didn''t seem much happier in her arms. But the disruption finally broke the stalemate and some of the workers began to breathe again.


    "Who are you?" one of the older men asked. "You don''t look like a soldier."


    "I''m not," Kai said. "I''m here to help."


    Just saying that was taking a risk, because there was a very real chance that he couldn''t trust the workers. Unlike in the mines, they interacted with the soldiers on a regular basis. And as much as he doubted they loved their captors, there were so many ways the guards could exert pressure that one of the workers might turn him in.


    But he had already jumped in and blown his cover, and if he couldn''t inspire some hope in them there was no point doing any of this. So Kai stood tall and hoped he looked suitably heroic.


    "Are you from one of the other cities?" a middle-aged woman asked. "They''ve never sent somebody to us before. You can just fight the soldiers, we''ll keep working."


    "No, I''m not from any city." Kai raised his hands to show he wasn''t holding a weapon. "I''m not going to do anything to make your lives harder. I''m Goralian, so I don''t fully understand life here. If you let me stay for a while, I''ll try to do whatever I can to help you."


    He''d thought that might be a challenge... but he saw smiles and nods from most of the workers. Many started moving in closer, asking all kinds of questions about the outside world. Before it could get too far out of hand, one of the oldest women in camp spoke up.


    "Mark my words, this will be a trap," she said. "It''ll turn out that they sent him in to see if we were loyal. Just ignore him and keep working, that''s the only way through."


    "If that''s what you think, I doubt I can convince you." Kai spoke less to her than to everyone else watching. "But let me prove myself. So long as the guards don''t notice me, I''ll do whatever I can."


    "Hmph." The old woman turned away, but she was the only one.


    Everyone else mobbed Kai and he did his best to keep up. They flooded him with names and he didn''t have a chance to remembering most of them. For the most part, it seemed as though they were just happy to meet someone from the outside world. Unlike the mines, which held tens of thousands of workers throughout its tunnels, the acid pits had at most a thousand inhabitants, so they had a smaller community.


    Some of them had direct requests, so Kai started with those to get off on a good foot. Rocks falling from the cliffs around them were apparently a common problem, though they didn''t usually threaten lives like that. Because so many of the workers were severely weakened, they struggled to move any rock too large to budge with simple tools and teamwork. Most of their tools were glass, useful for acid and not much else.


    None of the stones were any trouble for him to simply pick up and move. That led to more cheering, then a round of shushing from the older workers. Kai doubted that they would be heard from this distance, not over all the acid burbling, but he thought that was the smart decision. Best not to attract attention.


    When he got a free moment, he bent down beside one of the acid pools. He gingerly stuck one finger in, then swept his hand under the surface. It was definitely trying to burn him, but his skin resisted and he didn''t think that it was doing any damage to his Physique. Likewise, each breath tingled and he could feel Behemoth''s Heart beating overtime to fight back the toxic fumes.


    That was what he had been hoping, since the idea of a substance that could destroy any Physique was both troubling and improbable. Instead the acid was more like an attack that slowly undermined the body, and his defenses were enough to resist it. Still, he wouldn''t want to live there.


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    Eventually the enthusiasm died down a bit, since they all had work to do. Kai managed to find a group of harder men and women who gathered to ask real questions. They might all be weak, but he could see the determination in their eyes.


    "I''m not going to make any false promises," Kai told them. "I want to help, but I need to understand first."


    "Why are you doing this?" someone asked from the back of the crowd.


    "Because I was at the bottom once and nobody helped me." He felt bad about dismissing the people who had actually helped him, but he thought it was a better explanation than some fancy ethics they wouldn''t believe. "Now, the way I understand it, you get the raw crystal ore and you need to pass it through the acid in order to create refined crystals. Do I have the gist of it?"


    "It''s harder than that!" One of them began going into the details of the more full process and he listened carefully.


    "I''ve seen how much of a toll it takes on you," Kai said. "Is that part of the process, or does it just come from living here?"


    He got mixed opinions on that, even some arguments among the workers. They all agreed that being extremely careful with the acid could avoid the worst consequences, but that it was only delaying the inevitable. Apparently there was a well-known descent of symptoms starting with light coughing and ending in death.


    "When does that happen in relation to dropping below G-0?" he asked. For the first time he got only blank stares. "I mean in your spiritual sight. You might see it slightly differently, but it sh-"


    "Is that a crystallier ability?" one of the workers asked. "We don''t know anything about that. They won''t send anybody here if they know about that sort of thing. It''d be too dangerous."


    "Because they could cultivate all the qi crystals? I''d been meaning to ask about that."


    "The soldiers can do that sort of thing, but we can''t. I knew an old lady once, she tried to figure it out and they killed her. If you do anything to mess with the crystals, they punish you."


    "Don''t worry, I don''t plan to." It had occurred to him that they processed a small fortune in qi crystals on a regular basis, but interfering with that process in any way would immediately set off a chain of nasty events. "Now, what about that drink they give you?"


    "Oh, that''s how they control us," one of the younger men told him. "Without drinking that, your lungs start bleeding earlier. Even if we run away and manage to get out, we''ll just die."


    "Can I try some of it, please? I have some experience with potions."


    It turned out that one of the old men had hoarded away a cup of the purple liquid and brought it forth. Kai flicked it with his tongue, then took a sip. He wasn''t experienced enough to analyze the ingredients, but working with Juray had given him some basic knowledge of potions, and he trusted his monstrous abilities to be able to determine its fundamental nature.


    The potion was what they claimed it was. He''d been harboring a little theory that the potion itself might be causing the damage in order to trap them all there, but that was definitely wrong. It seemed to be a mix of healing and Physique enhancing effects that kept them alive longer. Other than being unusual for Krysal, which generally used pills, there was nothing remarkable about it.


    As a whole, he thought he''d gained a better understanding of their position. They were kept intentionally ignorant of their situation, none of them able to use spiritual sight or the slightest cultivation. Because of that, none of them could answer any questions about the "acid cultivation" he saw in their souls, other than noting that only the oldest hands at the work had it. Most likely the crystal refinement process actually included a qi component that they were using unknowingly.


    He decided not to ask them anything about moonmelt. In part because he couldn''t be confident this would work out and in part because he didn''t want to appear like he just wanted something from them. If the workers in the acid pits had actually welcomed him, he shouldn''t take advantage of that welcome.


    Eventually the interest in him died down. As he looked over the acid pits, Kai wondered exactly what his next step should be. The idea of just grabbing a bunch of moonmelt seemed to be out, but he couldn''t exactly lead a group of people this sickly out of their prison. He''d have to figure out a plan and run it past the most experienced in the group.


    Instead of actually taking action toward that end, Kai found himself looking toward the boy again. Gundle, apparently. He had returned to an acid pool, though his sister was watching from a distance in case he risked himself again. Kai ended up walking over beside him.


    "What you''re doing there is interesting," he said. He brushed his hand through the pool as well and the boy blinked in surprise.


    "You''re tough," Gundle''s voice trembled, but he sounded excited. "It doesn''t touch you."


    "That''s because I''ve trained outside, but it doesn''t touch you either."


    "No, it does. It touches all of us." Gundle stuck a finger into the pool and stirred it around. "But you can touch back. The others can do it, I don''t know why they don''t understand."


    Perhaps this acid cultivation was an art that had never been fully explored. At minimum, Kai was curious where it might go. He bent down lower to the child, trying not to loom so much, and smiled. "Why don''t you show me?"

 Chapter 175: Acid Cultivation

    Despite Kai''s deep skepticism that something would go horribly wrong or it would all turn out to be a trap, the acid pits community truly was as welcoming as it seemed. They seemed almost pathetically grateful to have someone from the outside who was willing to help. He didn''t need to give them any promises about big plans for the future, just easing their pain was enough.


    Everyone cooperated with maintaining his secret. So long as he stayed in the central pits area, between several of the acid plateaus, he wouldn''t be seen by the soldiers. He was able to do work that most of them couldn''t, so they gladly shared their food and set up a place for him to sleep in one of the shallow caverns.


    Once again, he was reminded that strength and efficacy weren''t exactly the same. If he''d ever studied herbalism or alchemy, he might have been able to do extraordinary things that would revolutionize their way of life. Since he mostly had combat strength, his options were more limited.


    He took some time to learn about the crystal refinement process and the craft that went into it. As he''d suspected, they weren''t simply "washing off" the crystals or anything so simple, they were actually using small amounts of qi to transform the crystals from raw ore to gems perfectly aligned to store qi. No wonder Krysal was filled with such perfect gemstones.


    It seemed like the acid pit workers handled almost every part of the process except the final cutting. That step he''d already learned about in the city: once the raw materials had been created at rock bottom prices, merchants took the crystals and cut them into their final shapes. Some of them required real expertise to craft crystals for specific purposes, but others disgusted him because they were adding an enormous markup to the price for essentially just a little manual labor prettying up the crystals.


    While he helped the workers however he could, Kai resumed his training with a new challenge: the acid pits themselves. The acid might not be damaging his Physique, but it was definitely a different test than he''d ever faced before. It started when Kai retrieved a tool that had been dropped into a pit, then he decided to settle into one and meditate under the surface.


    At first the workers had been aghast, since the acid was so harmful to them, then they gradually accepted that he was different. After that, he started to have the opposite problem. His skin and hair could resist the acid, but he had to take off his clothes first. Even when he tried to train in a remote part of the acid pits, he often saw women peeking and giggling.


    Well, if it made their brutal lives a bit less miserable...


    "That''s funny." Gundle was sitting beside the pool one day when Kai had to emerge to take a breath. "Your body is weird."


    "It''s not weird, it''s reinforced." Since the pool was waist height, Kai stood up and extended one hand. "Your spiritual sight is getting better... can you see how the qi is embedded in my body?"


    "I don''t think..." Suddenly the boy''s eyes widened. "There''s something else too!"


    Another surprising jump. Kai hid his surprise and just smiled. "That''s another form of energy called mana. You don''t have as much of it in Krysal, but it''s reinforcing me too."


    "Do you need that part? What happens if somebody with enough qi jumps in?"


    "I don''t know either. Have you ever seen one of the soldiers fall into a pit?"


    "Nu-uh." Gundle sat and chewed over the fact.


    Kai still wasn''t sure just how old Gundle was and the boy himself didn''t know. Likely a year or two before becoming a teenager, just stunted by growing up in the acid pits. Gundle was extremely sharp but child-like in other ways. There were fewer children born in the acid pits due to the physical toll, so he didn''t have many children close to his own age to play with.


    "I think I use qi too," Gundle announced as if it was a great revelation. "I''ve got some of it in me."


    "I think so too, Gundle." Kai walked over to the edge of the pit. "What do you think about that?"


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    "It''s not the same as what the guards use. I can feel the acid and it responds to me, but I don''t think I''d want it in me. That''d be bad."


    "Yes, that seems likely."


    His Physique training was done for the day, so it was time to get out of the pool. Kai looked around and saw only one person watching him: Gundle''s sister. Unlike the others, she was watching to make sure that he didn''t harm her brother. So Kai left the pool far from the boy, shook himself off like an animal, and then tied a cloth around his waist.


    "You can come out now," he called to her. "I can stay away from the boy if you prefer."


    She stared a while longer, then moved closer. Gundle smiled at her but kept experimenting with the acid in front of him. After a quick hug, she stepped closer to Kai.


    "It''s good that he has someone who will talk to him," the woman said quietly, then bit her lip. "It''s just that... well, I was afraid you might be..."


    "No." Kai frowned and locked her gaze. "I would never do something like that, I''m not that sort of person."


    "And what sort of person are you?"


    Kai sighed and ran his hands through his hair. At least the acid left him clean all the time. "Look, why don''t we start off with introductions? I''m Kai Clanless, ''Clanless'' because my people thought I was worthless and threw me out. I already know your brother, but will you introduce yourself?"


    "My name is Yurwa," she said quietly, "and he isn''t my brother. Gundle is my son."


    He stared between them, suddenly reevaluating the physical resemblances. They both had straight brown hair, green eyes, and round faces. Gundle was simply a bit pudgy, while on Yurwa the extra weight became curves that almost shocked him after his time in the mines. She had ragged acid burns across the side of her neck and over one arm, which weren''t enough to distract him from her beauty. But she looked so young... counting backwards from Gundle''s assumed age suggested a troublingly early pregnancy.


    "What are you trying to accomplish with all this?" Yurwa looked up into his eyes, and he saw determination there behind her sisterly - motherly - concern. "Always asking about crystals and cultivation. I won''t lie, if I had the power to burn the soldiers alive, I would do it. But they''d just send more, and you''ve seen how weak we are. They''d destroy us."


    "Were you born here?" Kai asked. "Or were you sent here?"


    "I was born in the pits. I only know what the soldiers or other prisoners have said."


    "The entire nation of Krysal is built on the back of your suffering. I don''t know what I can do about it, but I know that''s wrong. I''m still... trying to figure everything out."


    Yurwa smiled gently. "I didn''t really believe it at first, but I suppose that''s who you are. But you want something from us too, don''t you?"


    In a heartbeat her gentle motherly expression had gained a sharper edge. Kai realized that, just like her son, she was faster than she looked. He still hadn''t been pushing on moonmelt, since he wanted to secure his alliance with the pit workers. But now that he was confronted on it, there was no point trying to lie.


    "That''s true," Kai said. "I was told you develop a substance called moonmelt here. The workers in the crystal mines are tough, but they''re being kept down by the lack of it. I hoped that if-"


    "You want to help the soldiers?" Yurwa''s eyebrows tightened angrily.


    "What? Of course not, how did you... why would you think it would go to them?"


    "They''ve always told us that the soldiers mined the raw crystal ore because we were too weak."


    The whole story came out rapidly then, and was confirmed by the others: most of the workers believed that the crystal mines were controlled by the cities. Some of those who had been outside suspected otherwise, but others almost refused to believe it. Only Yurwa picked up the truth quickly and turned it over in her mind. She sat with Gundle in her lap, apparently combing his hair in a motherly fashion, and he wondered just what was running through those green eyes.


    Another piece to the strange puzzle. Krysal kept the two halves of the crystal refinement process separated, not only by distance but by lies. It wasn''t an absolute system, just like most of the citizens in the cities knew about the workers and found some way to justify it. Anyone who learned the truth about the system and tried to do something about it could be crushed by the overwhelming power that system produced.


    Since the secret was out, Kai asked about the moonmelt and quickly got an answer. Apparently during the acid-cleaning process, some heavier parts of the ore that sloughed off had value. The byproduct was dense with qi and toxic on its own, but when refined became moonmelt pills, which easily broke the 99 Power barrier.


    The problem was that gathering enough to refine into a pill was a slow process, resulting in less than one per week. Because the soldiers knew how much should be produced, there was no chance to steal any of them without retribution. That could be a problem, but not an unexpected one. Kai had never planned to just ram his way through things, he needed to find a real solution.


    Only one thing wasn''t going well: monsters. Kai had really been hoping that there would be a monster problem within the acid pits, because he could deal with it and help the workers in many ways, just like the mines. But apparently the pits themselves were clear, and the rare monsters in the wastelands around were handled by the soldiers.


    Since his usual plan of "find monsters, eat monsters" wouldn''t work, Kai was going to need to stretch himself. Or... perhaps it was time to go hunting again.

 Chapter 176: A Feast Between Two Women

    Along the way to New Laeneria, Zae Zin Nim repeatedly heard about how the city state was going to hell. Some said that all the merchants had been executed, others were just terrified that the peasants had taken over. As far as she could tell, their primary concern was that the city was no longer conducting trade in luxury items. It had been one of the greatest cities in the nation based on its fine metalwork.


    When she began flying over the outer fields she didn''t notice anything particularly different. No soldiers guarding the workers in the fields, fewer crystals, not so many trade wagons. It all struck her as more or less normal for Deadwaste, though.


    Maybe overturning the ruling class didn''t matter that much. She wouldn''t have cared at all, except she couldn''t help but wonder what would happen if some peasant killed her father and took his place.


    The respectable politics of the Krysal City States meant that for a long time, Zae Zin Nim hadn''t needed to be worried about anyone stealing or messing with her crystal ship. Now, facing an overrun state with an uncertain future, she had that problem again. She hid the ship as well as she could, atop a craggy hill that would be difficult for a non-cultivator to climb, then headed into the city on foot.


    She had never seen New Laeneria, either before Omilaena took it or previously, and could only go by Kai''s reports. Other than the fact that there wasn''t violence and bloodshed in the streets, she wasn''t sure what she was supposed to be noticing and reporting. The world went on without its current rulers... was that really a remarkable observation?


    Visiting the city at all was a risk, considering that Omilaena was allegedly stronger than the usual weaklings on Deadwaste. She''d twice had the advantage over Kai, but she also hadn''t been able to overwhelm him, so her strength was likely not far above the Diamond Crystalliers. From the reports it sounded like she was heavily dependent on overcoming cultivation with poisons, which Zae Zin Nim suspected she could avoid.


    Before she got very far into the city, a group of uniformed people moved to surround her. Archers on the nearby rooftops, a woman wielding a spear in front, and several people bearing crystal shields from the sides. They looked serious but had yet to attack, so Zae Zin Nim didn''t kill them.


    Actually... perhaps the more important thing was they were all wearing uniforms. She recognized the armor of the soldiers or guards, while the crystalliers occasionally had a few clothing items in common. These had none of the above.


    In any case, only the woman with the spear was anything like a threat.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 138


    Crystal Cultivation: 1109 (52)


    Physique Level: F-5 (40)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    Elite Crystallier Spear: 30


    >


    A considerable percentage of her strength lay in the qi-charged spear she held ready. Ordinarily Zae Zin Nim didn''t respect those who relied so heavily on tools, but she had to admit that the woman had over 100 Power in her own strength, and that was considerable for the region. Doubly so given that she didn''t seem to have been born into the upper classes.


    "We don''t need crystalliers here," the spearwoman said. "Just turn around and head back."


    "I am not a crystallier," Zae Zin Nim told them. She raised a hand to cut off the woman''s protests. "I''ve entered their systems because it''s more convenient, but I don''t care about them. Do you know the Krysal City States are crumbling from the east?"


    "We know." The spearwoman shifted uncomfortably, uncertain where the conversation was going. "And we''re glad to see the cities get what''s coming to them, but this will hurt everyone else too."


    "The merchants will lash out soon, if they haven''t already. You don''t need to be worried about me, you need to worry about when they decide that attacking you is the best way to restore their confidence in their own system."


    After several glances around the street, the woman shifted back. "Why are you here, then?"


    "I want to speak to Omilaena." Zae Zin Nim slid her arms into her sleeves to further deescalate. "This doesn''t need to have anything to do with you, unless she''s in charge."


    "She leads the city officially, but she lets us control almost everything day to day. You don''t seem like the others the merchants have sent to attack her."


    "I am not. Will you tell me where she is?"


    "Up in the highest estate." The spearwoman stepped out of the street and pointed upward with her crystal spear. "It''s the one with the skulls. If you were telling the truth, please conduct your business and leave in peace."


    Zae Zin Nim nodded and walked onward. That had actually been easier than just killing people in her way, and they had given her more information. Most likely she would learn more directly from Omilaena, but Kai would want to know that the information had been confirmed by someone else. If Kai wanted to talk to every peasant about their hopes and dreams, he would have to do that part himself.


    No one else bothered her as she made her way to the tall fortified estate, which indeed had several skulls impaled on the spikes of the fence. All rather old at this point. There was no one guarding the entrance, so Zae Zin Nim simply hopped over the gate and continued inward.


    When she approached the large doors at the front, one opened and Omilaena emerged. Just like that, wearing a more practical dress than before as well as a pair of goggles around her neck. She crossed her arms and adopted a skeptical expression.


    "I recognize you from Yulthens. If you''re here on behalf of their merchant caste, or you want to fight about the thefts, let''s get this over with."


    "I do not care about what you stole." Zae Zin Nim shifted her feet slightly, in case it ended in a fight. "However, I do care that you captured and threatened Kai Clanless."


    "Oh, come on, I didn''t do him any permanent harm." Omilaena waved a hand irritably. "The fact that you know that means that he''s clearly fine. You picked him up without trouble, right? I saw you chasing after everyone else."


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    It had been much more difficult than that, but Zae Zin Nim realized that this was not the time or place to vent her frustrations. If Omilaena was truly open to conversation, that was the better option. "No, that is not why I''m here. We want to know what you are doing in New Laeneria, and what you plan to do if war comes to Krysal."


    "That sounds like something Kai would care about." In a blink Omilaena was standing much closer, still not holding a weapon and yet threatening with her sharp gaze alone. "Why are you here?"


    "I..." Zae Zin Nim considered many potential answers and decided to go with the truth. "I need power to accomplish my goals on Cloudspire. I will help with this to assist Kai, but I don''t particularly care what happens in Deadwaste."


    Omilaena''s seriousness transformed into a wry grin. "Same, honestly. Listen, I think we can help each other. I''ll give you information about New Laeneria and the surrounding region as a bonus, if we can come to an agreement to help each other."


    "How?"


    "I''d like a sample of that mana you''re using, the one that''s been integrated into your cultivation somehow. Don''t worry, you can hand it over with no danger to your precious cultivation. And in return... I still have some of the pure qi that I stole from the foreigners."


    "I see." Zae Zin Nim tried to keep her face still. Such rich sources of qi were exactly what she needed to accelerate her cultivation, the very thing she had struggled to steal or earn for a long time. Best not to appear too desperate, though. "That might be a suitable trade."


    "Come on in, then."


    They entered the estate, which had clearly seen better days. Aside from the aftermath of several battles, there was a layer of dust over most surfaces. Omilaena didn''t seem to notice and just walked rapidly through the halls to a strange room. It had once been some sort of showcase, with statues and paintings and carved crystals. Half of those had been shoved aside to make room for a table filled with strange contraptions.


    "You can place your mana in here." Omilaena tapped one of the devices that looked like a lantern. "I''ll go get your qi meanwhile."


    Suddenly alone, Zae Zin Nim inspected the device for traps. When she extended some of her qi, the lantern thing tried to gather it in, but not effectively enough to be used as a defense. After some time, she figured out how to shake the qi out of the device and instead summoned a blue flame. Her Coldfire Corona was easier to access than ever thanks to her training, so she trapped a flame inside and closed the lid.


    There it seemed to be fueled by the device and burned steadily. Zae Zin Nim watched it, wondering if this could be used against her. It was possible that the information might open up some weakness, but she thought that was an acceptable risk for the chance to win much more.


    "Here you go." Omilaena entered the room and tossed her a small wooden box. "Check it if you have to."


    The box appeared to contain several qi pills, truly potent ones from Cloudspire. Zae Zin Nim couldn''t help but smile, then closed the box and bowed to the other woman. "Thank you for treating fairly with me."


    "If you want to leave, I''ll consider that a fair deal. But if you want the information I promised... why not stay and have something to eat?"


    .


    ..


    .


    "Something to eat" turned out to be a feast. Somehow Omilaena orchestrated a large number of peasants, along with cooks and other nervous-looking servants of the estate. She called in random people from the street and invited them to eat at a long table in the grand hall. Their raucous celebration was quite displeasing.


    However, Zae Zin Nim was allowed to sit at the very head of the grand hall, in a raised area separated from the rest by silk curtains. It was only herself and Omilaena there, not even any servants. The woman from Rosemount set one last dish on the table, then dropped down beside it.


    "Dig in," she suggested. "It''s not like home, but you won''t get better anywhere in Deadwaste."


    Zae Zin Nim regarded the food suspiciously.


    "Still thinking about poison? Well, suit yourself if you want to stay hungry."


    "Why are you doing this?" Zae Zin Nim asked. She gestured out toward the peasants feasting on the other side of the curtain. "I thought you said you only cared about power."


    "I do, and I''m not going to fight their war for them. But not every decision is instrumental to my personal growth, so how do I make them? I figure I might as well help those who deserve it. You''ve met a lot of crystalliers, do you really want to work with them?"


    "Are you helping these people? There will be retribution, and they may not be prepared."


    "And then they''ll see if their power was enough." Omilaena slipped a knife from out of nowhere and used it to deliver a piece of fruit into her mouth nonchalantly. "If they hadn''t wanted to fight, they could have run away or refused the weapons. I''m no angel here."


    Angels were a superstitious belief from Rosemount that Zae Zin Nim only vaguely understood, so she set that aside. It seemed as though the other woman''s ideals were clear enough. Since they still had some time at the feast, she might as well attempt to get more information.


    "Suortril was very angry," Zae Zin Nim said. "I have fought him, but his prism technique appears to be invulnerable."


    "I don''t mind telling you about that." Omilaena stopped with a sausage speared on her knife, then gestured with it. "As near as I can tell, it blocks all mana, qi, and blunt force. He must have paid a fortune for it. But he never tried to confront me, and there''s evidence that he''s nervous about chakra. You can''t create such a powerful defense without openings, so I think a sufficiently different sort of power could pass right through."


    "Would you like that?"


    "I''d love to see the smug look wiped off his face but, bluntly, I''m not going to put my life on the line for it. Those Diamond Crystalliers combined are a threat to anyone on the continent, even us."


    The two of them continued speaking and Zae Zin Nim was shocked at how much she enjoyed it. After so long in Deadwaste, dealing with barbarians and fools, it was amazing to converse with someone from a civilized continent. She even ate some of the food, which proved to be delicious and not at all poisoned.


    Unfortunately, as the evening went on, Omilaena became increasingly drunk. She wandered out into the main area and began carousing with three attractive young men. Zae Zin Nim did not approve of carousing, so she retreated to an unused bedchamber to cultivate.


    There, she waited until she felt Omilaena''s chakras fade into slumber. She crept to the doorway and listened to the woman''s steady breathing as she decided what to do next. Originally she had been considering leaving, but Omilaena had proved to be a vulgar woman who slept with peasants for her own gratification.


    Of course there was a risk in attempting to take something, but Zae Zin Nim was beset by risks on all sides. Her father had sent entire teams of Nascent Foundation cultivators to hunt her down, or perhaps even some at the Earth Soul stage. This time she had made it through, but only at the loss of Kai, who had needed to survive entirely on his own wit and strength.


    That was what finally made the decision for her: she couldn''t let herself slow down, not when Kai needed her help.


    And so she crept out of her room, past the remaining revelers, and descended beneath the estates. She had carefully noted the direction Omilaena went to retrieve the pure qi and it was a simple matter to discover the path. Aside from a locked door, which was easily forced, there was nothing stopping her from entering what had clearly been the noble''s storage room.


    Most of it was filled with useless gold, paintings, and other random objects. Sitting within a cleared area, however, lay a Brightwind security chest. Just viewing its lacquered surface made Zae Zin Nim''s heart race. This chest contained countless valuable items, many times the qi she had been given, and weapons she could use against her father.


    There was a lock, but it wasn''t set. Zae Zin Nim frowned and used a bit of qi to open the lid, anticipating another trap. It disturbed something and she saw that there was a faint powder around the rim... some sort of poison? She carefully wiped it away with a cloth and then began sorting through the items, noting the most valuable, when she felt a presence behind her.


    "Shame," Omilaena said calmly. "I thought you actually liked me."


    Instead of responding, Zae Zin Nim grabbed the most valuable box of pills and leapt away. Yet her motions seemed strangely sluggish, uncoordinated. The other woman was fast and precise, no sign of drunkenness at all, and injected her in the neck with a syringe.


    "But you were busy..." Zae Zin Nim heard her words slurring and struggled to retain consciousness. "You... poisoned the food... after all...?"


    "The food wasn''t poisoned and the powder on the chest was a distraction, the real vector was covering the items inside. And I''m too busy to fuck every pretty face." Omilaena rubbed her neck ruefully, then twisted it with a loud crack. "Well, I guess this works too."

 Chapter 177: Trying to Build on Nothing

    A boy named Gundle, a slave barely considered to be worth the expenses of his own life, turned out to be a genius.


    Given his history, Kai wasn''t generally on good terms with "geniuses" who found that the powers of the world came easily to them. Yet Gundle was so small, and the hacking cough wracked his body so painfully... the fact that he took to acid cultivation like a fish to water didn''t feel unfair.


    Even with his limited spiritual sight, Gundle had been making progress on his own, basically recreating all kinds of cultivation techniques from base principles. With real spiritual senses and Kai''s training, he had been leaping forward on a daily basis. For a while he had been upset that Kai had advanced forms of skills he''d been developing himself, then he''d gotten excited about what he could do with all his new capabilities.


    The boy needed a real teacher, someone who understood the theory on a deeper level than Kai. He didn''t have the talent or the disposition for that sort of training. One more problem he''d need to figure out.


    Whatever acid cultivation truly was, Kai didn''t think that it was unknown to the soldiers guarding the acid pits. They wore different armor than the mine guards, dark green silks holding together glass plates. They might protect against the acid pits as a simple precaution, but Kai strongly suspected they were also there to help them put down any uprisings. In this, at least, Krysal was brutally efficient.


    After giving Gundle some more exercises for the day, Kai sneaked back out of the acid pits. He''d been traveling the surrounding countryside for days now, hunting down monsters adapted to the local environment. Unfortunately, he hadn''t run into even a single one ranked as a gamma threat or above, so he had yet to develop any new abilities.


    As he hunted alongside a rocky cliff, he could sense the crawlers moving overhead. Kai pretended not to notice, let them get closer, then braced himself as they launched streams of acid from their mouths.


    When he''d started hunting, the orange acid they spat out had burned him painfully. But he''d been doing Physique training in acid pools for a full month, plus fighting the acid spitters, and now the streams splattered off him harmlessly. Kai smiled and threw himself into the air toward the monsters.


    The first one he ate whole to satisfy his hunger, consuming it in a single snap of his teeth. He made sure to track down some of the others and kill them with his bare hands so that he would have something to share with the workers. They didn''t seem to mind eating monsters or perhaps even notice the foul taste, and he wondered if their taste buds had been ruined by the constant acid fumes.


    Once he ate the last of the monsters, Kai focused as hard as he could on the new monstrous essence inside him. He''d been trying his best to preserve the essence instead of digesting it, forcing the little fragments together into something stronger. Now, after another day of hunting, he thought he was finally close...


    <


    Acidspitter''s Jet - I (alpha)


    >


    Symbols finally formed a new name in his soul - the ability felt extremely weak, but at least it was there. All his experimentation and hunting had been worth something.


    As he''d gained increasing familiarity with his monstrous abilities, Kai had begun to learn the rules. He could use monstrous essence more flexibly or precisely, but there were always material limits. It was impossible to pull power out of thin air or turn a monster into something it wasn''t. Forcing minor monsters together into a single ability had been possible, but it would always be weak. He''d come to think of it as similar to cooking: a chef could do a lot with ingredients, but not fundamentally alter them or create meals from nothing.


    Still, this was a step forward. Kai reached into his pack and pulled out the glass jar that they''d given him. Using his new acid spitting ability, he sort of drooled orange acid into the jar. Not elegant, and definitely disgusting, but the point was that he could pretend he''d extracted it normally. That was at least one goal accomplished.


    Kai didn''t let his enthusiasm get the better of him and still sneaked back into the acid pits. There were always guards and prisoners interacting at the edges, so he needed to be cautious. But soon enough he was back at the center with his prizes. After dropping off the monster corpses, he went to show off the acid.


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    "Alright, let''s see this." One of the old men accepted the jar and began working with some crystal ore. He plied his acid cultivation for a while before shaking his head. "I''m afraid this won''t work, son. Wrong type of acid."


    "Damn." Kai rubbed his eyes, trying to console himself with the fact that he''d at least better understood his monstrous abilities. That was a lot of work for no breakthrough.


    "If I can ask, what the heck were you trying to do with all this, anyway?"


    "Part of the reason the miners are trapped is that they can''t use any of the unrefined crystals they mine. I hoped I could bring the acid to them."


    "Oh!" The old man''s eyes lit up and several workers nearby turned to look. As word about the crystal miners spread, most in the acid pits had embraced them as fellow workers. "It''s a good idea, son, but I don''t see how it could be managed. Can''t exactly carry the acid around, and you dirty it up pretty quickly if you''re doing a lot of crystals. That''s why we need the new flows."


    "Well, it was a thought. I''ll start on my next idea." Kai smiled at them as if he had an inexhaustible supply of plans and picked up the jar of acid before heading to the shallow caves.


    The fact that the acid hadn''t worked was honestly a major blow to his plans. He''d been hoping to return to the mines with moonmelt and acid, enough to transform the workers into a small army. Without that plan, all he was left with was a jumble of potential ideas up against the might of Krysal. To remind himself that it hadn''t all been useless, Kai glanced at his soul again.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 242


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 6% (102)


    Physique Level: E-8 (104)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Monstrous Hunger - VIII (theta)


    Behemoth''s Heart - V (epsilon)


    Direboar''s Strength - VI (zeta)


    Isulfr''s Bite - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IV (delta)


    Acidspitter''s Jet - I (alpha)


    -


    Void Gaze - II (beta)


    Infernotoad''s Burst - IV (delta)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Beastbat''s Wing - I (alpha)


    Crystal Slime - I (alpha)


    >


    All his acid training had brought his Physique up to E-8, a level that would have been astonishing to him just a year ago. It was definitely slowing down, though, and he didn''t know of any other hidden techniques or new training methods. That always led his mind to Kraetius, and how the old man said that it had taken him two decades to break through into D rank. Kai couldn''t afford to wait that long, but just being really determined wouldn''t get him anywhere.


    He didn''t come up with any solutions before he got back to the shallow caverns. His primary home was on the upper level, since he could just jump into the entrance easier than the workers could climb, but he first walked into one of the lower ones.


    Gundle sat on the floor, having completed all the exercises Kai gave him and started on something new. Kai knelt down beside him and set down the jar of acid.


    "I''ve got something for you, Gundle. What do you think of this?"


    "It''s acid." Gundle''s eyes lit up and he reached out for it.


    "I''d be careful," Kai said, gently touching his hand. "This is a different type."


    "And what does that mean? How''s it different?"


    "I don''t know, but I was hoping you could tell me."


    The boy beamed, then furrowed his brow and began to examine it. "There''s no qi in it. But it still feels strong. I can... I can make it move away, but I can''t really control it. It''s like... a different sort... but hmm... I don''t know..."


    He began mumbling to himself as he considered the jar, falling into a deep trance of concentration that he wouldn''t be budged from for hours. Part of it was just learning the difference between human and monstrous powers, but Kai didn''t explain and just watched fondly. Let the boy enjoy figuring it out for himself.


    As he started to rise, he saw that Yurwa was watching from the doorway to the back room, also smiling fondly. She gestured silently for him to come closer, not that Gundle could have been disturbed by anything short of an earthquake, so Kai padded back to her.


    "Look at you..." Yurwa plucked at his shirt and shook her head. "Just what have you been doing?"


    "Hunting more monsters." Kai hadn''t realized how ragged this shirt had become until she mentioned it.


    "Always working so hard... do you ever take a break? Here, let me take care of this."


    Kai pulled off his shirt without thinking about it, but as he handed it over he realized that Yurwa was looking at him. He had always thought she didn''t care, unlike the other women who flirted from time to time. Now he saw a slower but deeper desire in her eyes. As she took the shirt, her hands brushed his, then one began to run up the side of his arm.


    "Yurwa, I''m sorry." Kai took her hand and kissed it gently, but then let go.


    "I thought..." She took a deep breath as she stared at him. "I thought there was something there."


    "Maybe there is, but there''s someone else... I would feel guilty." His thoughts drifted to Nirka. She had never demanded exclusivity, but he''d feel bad.


    Not that he didn''t want to. The way Yurwa''s tunic hung over her body, he could imagine how soft she would be, how readily she would draw him back into her bedroom. It had been a long time since the mines and he ached, but it wouldn''t feel right.


    "Well, at least I know it''s not me." Yurwa''s eyes tracked his gaze and she smiled somewhat sadly. "You''re a good man, Kai Clanless. Whoever she is, she''s a lucky woman."


    "No, she''s terribly unlucky. Just like you are." Kai pulled himself together and tried to think like the hero they thought he was. "I really am here to change that, not for my own benefit. So I''m sorry, but..."


    "I understand. Let me take care of the shirt for you." She turned away and vanished into the deeper cavern.


    Kai took a deep breath and headed out, shaking his head violently as he left. Most likely he was going to be kicking himself for the decision that night, but he hoped it had been the right one. The problem was figuring out how to fight a system that had been working since long before he arrived...


    On his way out, he passed Gundle again. The boy stared down at the acid with rapt attention, and Kai realized that perhaps he''d started something after all.

 Chapter 178: From Acid to Crystal

    After several more days, Kai decided that he needed to take a lesson from Zae Zin Nim. If he stayed in the acid pits until he found some magic way to help everyone, he''d end up wasting his time and not actually helping anyone. He needed to cut his losses and move on aggressively to find another source of power.


    When he told the workers he would need to leave, many of them were sad, but not as much as he expected. Kai began to wonder how many of them truly believed he would change anything about their lives and how many were just glad to have something to distract from the misery of their existence. In any case, they had kept his secret this far and he didn''t think they''d betray it after he left.


    As he was making his final preparations, he was surprised to see an old woman hobble up. Not just any old woman, the one who had been skeptical of him on the first day and glowered ever since. Now she had a stern expression on her face and she thrust out a fist.


    "Take it," she said.


    "Take what?" Kai placed his palm underneath her fist curiously and she dropped a small greenish-white sphere into his hand. His eyes widened as he recognized one of the moonmelt pills.


    "You''ve been helping out so much, we managed to make one extra. The soldiers won''t know."


    "That''s generous of you, but-"


    "I want you to know that we''ll fight too." The old woman reached out and grabbed his wrist tightly, trying to pull him lower so she could look him in the eyes. "We aren''t sitting here waiting for someone to rescue us. We''ll give our lives if it means freedom. We''ll-"


    She cut off in violent, hacking coughs. Kai instinctively took her shoulder to keep her from crumpling over and she didn''t shrug off his hands. Once she had recovered, she wiped the blood off her hand and looked at him again.


    "I''ve seen children and grandchildren lost to these pits. I''m telling you, no more. I may not be worth much, but I''ll give everything I have. You just need to give us a chance."


    "I''ll try to find that chance." Kai closed his hand around the moonmelt pill. "You''ve just given me another weapon to use against them."


    The old woman nodded grimly, then gestured as if telling him to get on with it. Kai headed deeper into the acid pits, thinking about the next step. He didn''t want to play favorites, but in the mines he''d relied on Nirka and Maggle because he could trust them. Here, he needed to try something a little different.


    When Yurwa saw him she gave a polite smile, as she always did these days. Gundle looked up at him and beamed, unaware of any past tension. But they both saw the seriousness of his expression as he came to stand in front of them.


    "You''re leaving?" Yurwa asked. It wasn''t really a question.


    "I am, but I want to take you with me."


    Gundle stared as if he didn''t understand, while Yurwa''s eyes narrowed. "Why?"


    "Your son is brilliant, but he needs someone to teach him." Kai took a deep breath as he considered the riskiest step in the plan. "I know someone in Yulthens who could take you both in. This isn''t charity: I need you to work as hard as you''ve ever worked to improve your acid cultivation. Do everything you couldn''t here because the soldiers would catch you."


    "That''s..." Yurwa abruptly nodded. "How can we refuse? Just give me time to pack our things."


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    It took sadly little time. Meanwhile Gundle wandered nearby, asking questions about Yulthens and what kind of acid it had. Both of them had spent their entire lives in the acid pits and he had to wonder what they would think when they saw the city.


    Since all the patrols were familiar by now, it was easy for Kai to take them both outside the acid pits. He could probably have taken everyone out a few at a time - it would have taken hundreds of trips, but it would have been possible in theory. But as soon as the refined crystals stopped coming, Yulthens would know something was wrong and then the full force of their institutions would close in.


    Once out in the empty fields, Kai set off at what he thought was a reasonable pace. He soon realized that would never work. Gundle''s thin legs had never needed to do this much walking, and Yurwa was soon coughing painfully. Their bodies had been too damaged by the acid pits for them to make a journey like this, not in a reasonable amount of time.


    So Kai picked them both up to run with them. Gundle was a scrawny kid, so it was easy to carry him, Kai just had to keep track of his squirming. Yurwa was cooperative and so much worse. Running effectively meant his hand under her hips and her curves pressed against his side. Part of Kai was very, very angry with himself for not taking her up on her earlier offer.


    During the trip he tried to explain to them about life in the city and what they would need to do. Unlike many of the others, he thought these two were mentally flexible enough to adapt. The journey to Yulthens was hard in several ways, but it ended soon enough.


    Getting them into the city proved easier than he expected, now that the merchants were running in every direction in their own conflicts. He realized another advantage about the way Krysali society ignored its dirty secrets: almost no one had any idea what workers from the acid pits looked like. With new clothes they blended in easily enough and he got them back to Orillia''s estate.


    That part might actually be the greatest threat. Kai told the other two to wait and went in to talk to her himself.


    "There you are again!" Orillia clucked her tongue. "Always coming and going. I hope you aren''t expecting another month''s payment? You''re a nice boy, but I can''t afford to fund someone who runs around as much as you do."


    "No, I have something else to ask," Kai said. "I brought a mother and son who have great potential that has never been realized. They need your help more than anyone else you''re teaching. If the Crystallier Cooperative should help anyone, th-"


    "Brought them from where?" the old woman asked sharply.


    "Does that matter?"


    "It might. They aren''t criminals, are they?" But as soon as the question left her mouth, Orillia sighed and shook her head. "Oh, never mind, just bring them in. I''m a good judge of character, I''ll decide for myself."


    Kai held his breath as he went to get them, since this moment could be more dangerous than the acid pits or any of the monsters he''d fought recently. If Orillia decided that she cared more about the city than the people in need, he was going to have a major problem. He worried about it right up until the moment when Yurwa and Gundle stepped inside.


    "Just what has this boy been eating?" Orillia rushed to her knees beside him, poking and prodding. "So scrawny, it isn''t right!"


    "I gave him the best I could," Yurwa said stiffly.


    "I''m sure you did - you''re not looking too well yourself, young woman. Well, that ends now, I''ll feed you right. And that odd smell... I can''t imagine what sort of strange journey Kai took you on, but I''m sure you need a bath after all that. I''ll get one fetched, just wait."


    As she bustled over them, Kai watched her and tried to summon up his deepest cynicism. Was it possible that she would pretend to be affectionate and then betray them as soon as he was gone? He knew Orillia was smart enough to guess where they might be from, but in the end he didn''t think she could be that duplicitous. Even if she worked with the crystalliers, her dislike for the noble classes was real.


    Once Yurwa and Gundle were settled, Kai made sure to draw her aside. Her grandmotherly aspect faded as she stared into his eyes.


    "I assume you''re running off again?" Orillia asked him. Another question that wasn''t much of one.


    "Make sure the boy gets proper cultivation training," Kai told her, "and they both probably need restorative potions."


    "Is it... really so bad out there?"


    "It''s worse." Kai stared into her eyes until the old woman lowered her gaze.


    "I''ll help them, don''t you worry. Everyone is already used to me taking in urchins, so they won''t think a thing. I''ve seen more than a few injuries in my time, so I already have some ideas, and I know who in the Crystallier Cooperative can be trusted. But where are you off to next?"


    "Actually, you''re going to tell me. I need a vehicle and all of Yulthens'' information about rival city states."

 Chapter 179: Experimenting on Cultivators

    Zae Zin Nim awoke from dreams that she was being dismembered to find herself in a dark room. She could barely make out a few crystal-reinforced windows at the tops of the walls, letting in what looked like moonlight. The architecture struck her as the lord''s estate, but she had never seen this room.


    There was no way to determine how she had gotten to this position, so Zae Zin Nim attempted to leave. She only got two steps before a wall of blue light flared to life and pushed her back. There was a dark metal circle set into the floor around her.


    After a moment of panic, she set about trying to escape. The energy extended both above her and through the floor, so the simple options were blocked. It wasn''t qi or mana but chakra, a wild emotional energy that she couldn''t control. Her father had once warned her that chakra from Rosemount could be dangerous, even if it wasn''t as refined as qi.


    No way out, and no sign of her captor. Zae Zin Nim wondered how things would have gone if she had not attempted to steal anything, but there was no sense regretting her decisions. Instead she knelt down and began to cultivate.


    .


    ..


    .


    For a time she saw no opportunities to escape and simply waited within her prison. Eventually Omilaena walked into the room, propping a pair of blue goggles up on her head.


    "I''m disappointed that you decided to steal from me," she said, "but honestly I can respect it. I don''t plan to kill you or anything, but we''ll be asking the questions a little bit differently now."


    Zae Zin Nim stared back at her silently, letting her eyes promise that she would say nothing.


    "What I''ve been able to derive from your samples is honestly fascinating. It seems to me like you had several different factors that independently slowed down your cultivation in return for a higher potential maximum. Was that your plan, or the path of your sect? The combination seems so extreme that it''s hard to believe someone would make the attempt."


    It was deeply troubling that the cruel woman had been able to figure out so much on her own, and Zae Zin Nim worried about what might have been done to her while she was unconscious. Still, she said nothing, even when Omilaena sighed at her.


    "I''m not trying to interrogate you, just talking out loud. This might relate to one of my pet theories." She shifted her weight onto one hip and tapped her lips with one fingernail. "I think all the paths, even the most refined and polished, are missing something. I''m not so sure that a clean path in which there are never any surprises or blockages is actually a good thing, as in I think it''s worse for your long term growth. But this is devilishly hard to prove."


    Despite herself, Zae Zin Nim listened to the theory. It was definitely contrary to everything she knew, which suggested that blockages occurred only when cultivators used inferior arts, or that they suggested fundamental crudity of method. Yet when she compared the sleek cultivators who had followed every rule of the sect to some of the people she had met...


    "You''re an exception to the rule, actually. People from other continents who come to Deadwaste tend to stagnate and perform a little worse than you''d expect, as if their power couldn''t adapt."


    "Of course they stagnate," Zae Zin Nim said. "This continent has almost no power." Then she shut her mouth, but Omilaena had already smiled at her.


    "There, you see? Nothing bad is going to happen if you talk." Omilaena walked closer to the barrier, pacing around the side. "What you said is true, but there''s a counter-argument: people who start on Deadwaste and manage not to die instantly when they go to other continents tend to do better than you''d predict. I''m not convinced that all this striving in weak environments is actually a waste."


    Zae Zin Nim sat silently, refusing to give in again.


    "Of course, I wouldn''t expect someone from Cloudspire to understand. You have everything figured out, don''t you? Not like the poor clumsy-"


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    "What do you want?" Zae Zin Nim demanded. "Don''t torture me like this."


    "Fine, let me be brief: I need to take a small amount of your blood while you''re conscious. The sample I took before isn''t working for my theory." Omilaena revealed an empty syringe. "Now, this won''t hurt much and it won''t harm you permanently, but I''m guessing that you won''t be cooperative, will you?"


    Zae Zin Nim rose into a combat stance and waited.


    "Oh, alright then."


    When the barrier imprisoning her dropped, Zae Zin Nim leapt for one of the exits, only to be blocked by a wall of smoke. It was some subtle chakra trap, something her cultivation wasn''t capable of foreseeing. She recoiled and tried to move in the other direction, too slow. Omilaena grazed her with a fingernail and something began spreading through her arm.


    "You see, normally cultivators are extremely weak to poisons intense enough to get through their base qi reinforcement," Omilaena remarked calmly, as if they were still just chatting. "You''re resistant in a way I didn''t expect, so I''d love to know more."


    There must still have been poison in her system, because Zae Zin Nim couldn''t fully draw from her dantian. And, if she was perfectly honest with herself, she didn''t think she could beat this opponent. Omilaena pretended to be cocky, and maybe she truly was, but her arrogance was a thin facade over a ruthless intellect.


    Just when Zae Zin Nim thought she had connected with a palm strike, she felt something hard under the other woman''s clothes. It blocked her qi just long enough for a needle to graze her neck, then suddenly there was a hand gripping her robe.


    Omilaena twisted her outer robe, pulling it half off in order to bind her arms behind her. Zae Zin Nim tried to struggle, but the poisons were accumulating in her system and she couldn''t fight back. She felt a sting in her arm and could only watch as her blood was drawn into the syringe.


    "There." Omilaena stepped away, with both her blood and outer robe in hand. "We could have done that non-violently and it would have had the same result. But I suppose cultivators have to be difficult. If it would make you feel better, feel free to tell me that you''ve lost face and that you''ll murder my entire family."


    "Why should I work with you?" Zae Zin Nim asked bitterly. "You enjoy hurting me."


    "That''s not true at all. I''d much rather we be friends." Omilaena glanced down at her, then raised an eyebrow. "Actually, now that you have that shapeless outer robe off... I would not mind being more than friends. You do your best to hide your body but damn."


    Zae Zin Nim gasped and shrank back, drawing her hands closer to her body. Her inner robe covered her completely, but it was thinner and she suddenly felt it revealed too much. Over the course of her life many disgusting men had stared at her... this was the first time she had felt such lascivious attention from another woman.


    "The question is those scars..." Omilaena tapped her finger against the side of the dark syringe. "Too regular to be all gained in battle. It would be a shame if you caused them yourself, because you''d be gorgeous without them. Or is this another weird illness? I swear, some of you walk out in the rain once and suddenly you''re tragically dying."


    "Please stop that. Leave me alone."


    "Oh, why are you being so obstinate? What do you think I''m going to do to you?"


    "Violate me to use my yin energy in some experiment." Zae Zin Nim glared at the other woman without holding back an ounce of her hatred. "Use me for your advancement. That''s all you care about, isn''t it?"


    All at once the other woman''s face went from playful to an utterly blank mask. After a pause, Omilaena dropped her outer robe so that it covered her, then stepped back. Before the circle of metal bound her again, Omilaena tossed a bright orb onto the floor.


    "No, that isn''t all I care about," she said, surprisingly gently. "I won''t compromise, but I''m sorry for this. Take the qi as a small token of apology."


    With that she swept out of the room. Zae Zin Nim stared after her for a while, then looked down toward the pill. It didn''t seem to be poisoned, just more pure qi from Cloudspire. After a long time glaring after the other woman, Zae Zin Nim picked it up and returned to work.


    .


    ..


    .


    "This is fascinating," Omilaena said one day by way of introduction. "These cultivation-locked Physiques you have are real works of art, not something I can duplicate. Are you going to tell me about it, or are you going to be difficult again?"


    "It is the Blackblood Physique," Zae Zin Nim said flatly. She didn''t want to give the other woman satisfaction, but cooperation was easier.


    "Well, that''s remarkably restrained! I''m surprised it wasn''t named the Heavenly Divine Thunder Supreme Obsidian Blood."


    "If it had been from Rosemount, you''d call it the... the Purple Butt Physique."


    Omilaena stared at her, for a moment completely thrown out of her usual cool manner, then she laughed. "Well, it seems you know something of my home continent! I suppose chakra techniques don''t seem very interesting, when instead you could spend years sitting in a cave."


    "It''s better than all your techniques that seem to involve sleeping with as many people as possible."


    "Now that''s not fair. There are only a few types like that, and you''re the ones always going on about yin and yang dual cultivation."


    "You just act like that for fun, then?" Zae Zin Nim asked seriously.


    "There''s a tongue on you after all." Omilaena grinned back at her. "Settle down, I don''t have anything serious in mind for today..."


    They were not friends. Zae Zin Nim knew that they never would be. But for now she would smile, and cultivate, and wait for her opportunity.

 Chapter 180: Hunting Acidlances

    The location of acid pits was a guarded secret, but given their immense importance to the economy, they could never be truly secure locations. With a starting point from Orillia and a ship that could fly reasonably high, it wasn''t so difficult to find another one.


    While still overhead, Kai actually thought he could sense a bit of unusual qi. Not like a cultivator or crystallier, more like the acid powers that Gundle had been working on. That instinct proved to be correct as he flew closer. There, in the middle of a wasteland not far from the city of Philaster, he found a second acid pit.


    Apparently acid pits appropriate for crystal refinement were rare enough that every city state had to make do with what they had, some even forced to trade with other nearby cities. Philaster had drawn a mediocre hand, with an acidic chasm uncomfortably far from the city walls.


    Kai thought he was familiar with the acid pits by now, but he spent a while cultivating and watching, and he was glad that he did. The mechanisms of this pit were entirely different than the one he''d seen. Workers lived at the top, not choking on acid fumes but always under lock and key except when they were being lowered down the sides. Soldiers maintained various ladders, ropes, and work platforms, lowering and raising them to allow the workers to descend the risky acidfalls.


    There they worked on the crystal refinement, which was different as well. Instead of a wide work area, they moved the crystals up in discrete stages. It seemed like there was a hierarchy even within the pit, with the lowest workers laboring within the heaviest fumes before passing their work up to higher levels that polished in relative safety. If the pits near Yulthens had been like this, Kai''s experience would have gone very differently.


    But he wasn''t here for them. Kai set the small crystal ship to float off to a safe distance, then leapt directly over the side.


    He plummeted through the air toward the pit, no more than a flicker to most of those watching. But from his perspective, flashing past the camp at the surface and then into the acid falls, it took more time. Hopefully this tip had been good and he wasn''t chasing legends.


    The city of Philaster had been suffering from increasing costs for crystals, and everyone thought they knew the reason. Most likely, the real reason was the cascading wave of economic slumps from the Frontier, but they preferred another explanation: the monster in the pits. It was one of the only cities where people mentioned the acid pits, because apparently there had long been a monster living inside them. Some even said it was the source of the acid and gave their crystals unusual ferocity.


    If that turned out to be a legend, he was going to have an irritating climb back up.


    First came the small problem of the bottom of the pit rushing up toward him. Kai extended his hand and felt his fingers stretch into claws, then his power extended even further. He tore great rents in the side of the cliff, sending more acid spilling in several directions, as he slowed down his descent.


    At the end he dropped into a pool of acid, but Kai wasn''t particularly worried about that. He pushed off the ground and leapt out before his clothes could burn away. It seemed like he''d only lost his shoes, which was an acceptable price to pay for monster essence.


    No workers were visible anywhere near the bottom of the pit, which sprawled in all directions compared to the controlled shaft above. Kai glanced up, shielding his eyes against the sun glaring directly down, and didn''t see anything paying him much attention. The bottom was a tumbled mix of weak ground and acidic flows, so if anyone had seen him fall they must have assumed he was dead. That left him free to explore the caverns at the base.


    The light rapidly faded, so he relied on his hunger: he could definitely smell monster flesh in the air. Kai headed further in, avoiding the acidic pools only because he didn''t know how deep they were. As he moved further into the shadows, he tried to pinpoint the exact location.


    He couldn''t master his monstrous senses before his qi senses took over: there was something rising from one of the acid pools underneath. It was being stealthy by normal standards, barely causing a ripple in the burbling acid, but he had pinpointed it and turned to look before it could attack.


    <


    Monster: Acidlance


    Threat: III (Gamma)


    >


    Kai had never seen a creature exactly like it: the lower body emerging from the acid was segmented and spiky, similar to a crustacean, but the upper half curved into a sinuous head that arched forward. Beady little yellow eyes fixed on him, the only recognizable part of the strange head. Instead of jaws, where it should have had a mouth the front half of the face shrank down into a sort of tube pointed in his direction.


    The monster reared back slightly, and with no more warning than that, it launched a jet of acid at him. This one was far more potent than the acidspitters he''d eaten before, hitting his chest hard enough to knock him back. But it used exactly the same kind of acid as in the other pits, so Kai grinned and lunged forward.


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    With one snap of his jaws, he''d eaten the acidlance. It must have been a threat for its offensive power, because its defense couldn''t stand up to him even briefly. The taste was definitely strange, a mix of acid and seafood. Kai was chewing on it when he felt another acidlance rise from the pits.


    This one he ate before it could even attack him. Their essence had some durability, but he wasn''t quite satisfied. Once, a Gamma-level threat had been enough to persist in his soul and provide a useful ability. He wasn''t sure if these were worth less or if his hunger was growing more intense.


    Something emerged from one of the larger pools, yellow eyes fixed on him. Kai realized that the tube at the front was larger and raised his arms to either side.


    "Take the shot, then!"


    Acid exploded from the creature''s mouth in a jet that crossed the distance in an instant. Kai had no time to think, and even his combat instincts were barely enough to start him moving. The jet of acid hit his shoulder and pierced through, sending him tumbling back through the acid pools.


    The sheer speed and power of the jet took him aback. Since the acid itself was less of a threat than the impact, Kai pushed off the ground, turning his tumble into a somersault that threw him into one of the other pools. Under the acid, temporarily shielded from harm, he took stock.


    Taking that blow to the shoulder had disabled his right arm and it would take a while for Behemoth''s Heart to fully heal it. This was going to be a challenge, but he grinned and tasted the acid between his teeth. Finally.


    When Kai emerged from the pool, he ducked down the next second as a jet of acid cracked over the air where his head had been. He poked his head up again, this time focusing on the larger monster. As he''d hoped it couldn''t unleash acid jets constantly, so he had a moment to look at it. This one looked like a larger and spikier version of the others, and his spiritual sight confirmed it.


    <


    Monster: Acidlance Queen


    Threat: V (Epsilon)


    >


    "Alright then, Acidlance Queen." Kai pulled himself out of the pool and took a bow with his good arm. "Let''s see what you can do."


    Of course the monster didn''t respond, since it was a mass of pure hunger and malice. As soon as it was able, it shot another jet of acid and he had to dodge aside. Then he ran in, leaping over the other pools and streams to close the distance.


    Another jet of acid shot out and he only barely threw himself aside. Apparently it had been able to shoot acid at a faster pace and it had intentionally waited. Maybe this one was cunning enough to try to trick him, or maybe it just held back until its life was threatened. Either way, getting close to it was going to be difficult.


    Kai swung his hand and launched a Tyrant''s Claw across the acid pit. To his surprise, the Acidlance Queen dropped back into the pool and didn''t appear again. He hesitated a moment, then began advancing closer. No monster he knew would simply run away, so it would come up again. Unless...


    When he heard the monster rising from a pool behind him, Kai whirled and struck out again. His Tyrant''s Claw crossed the distance first, but the Acidlance Queen still released a jet. The attack actually punctured the force of his claw and nicked his shoulder, drawing another line of blood.


    His Tyrant''s Claw was too wide to be destroyed, though, and the rest of it had still connected with the monster. It sagged back, bleeding from several wounds. Kai shrugged aside his own injuries and began closing the distance, watching the tube closely for the slightest hint of a counterattack. So far the queen lay still, sides heaving as if mortally injured.


    Just as he drew close, he realized too late that the bubbles in the other pools had changed. Several smaller acidlances popped up, unleashing a coordinated assault. Their lances couldn''t injure him like the queen''s could, but they pummeled him backward at the same moment that the queen reared up again, summoning forth an even more powerful jet of acid.


    The power was rising, ready to shoot directly through his chest, and all Kai could do was glare at it. Even if he caught his footing, dodging at this range would be nearly impossible.


    Acid leapt from the monster''s spout... and suddenly froze in the air. It dropped a second later and Kai stared at the showering acid in surprise.


    He realized what had happened in the heartbeat that followed: after the failure of the acid spitter essence, he had returned Void Gaze to his active monster essence. Now, after so long struggling with it, the ability had finally worked for him.


    After only a moment of hesitation, the Acidlance Queen reoriented itself and prepared another jet of acid. Kai kept moving in, fixing his gaze on the attack, ready for it to emerge.


    Acid punctured his thigh and Kai crashed to the side. The smaller ones were still pummeling him with jets of acid while the queen prepared for a killing blow. He should have known better than to try to use a monstrous ability that he hadn''t thoroughly trained with in the midst of a battle as intense as this.


    There was no time to get up, but Kai raised his hand and clenched a Tyrant''s Claw around one of the smaller monsters. With the slightest flick of his wrist he threw it at the queen, knocking its head to the side and sending the next jet of acid off course. While it was stunned, Kai pushed himself up and lunged to another small acidlance, consuming it with an Isulfr''s Bite.


    So far he''d taken wounds to the shoulder, arm, and leg. The holes in his shoulder and leg would take a little longer, but Behemoth''s Heart was regenerating the rest, especially after he sated his hunger on the other monsters. The Acidlance Queen was also reeling, pushing past its injuries to try to finish him. This might all come down to who could recover faster.


    Kai swung a Tyrant''s Claw before it could spit at him again, forcing it to hide under the acid. But this time, he was ready. While it swam in the acid lake beneath the surface, he pretended to be focused on consuming the smaller monsters that couldn''t run fast enough. Those did help him recover, or at least made him feel better, but the entire time he was focused on the queen moving underneath.


    The Acidlance Queen started to emerge and Kai was already in the air.


    Its head drew back.


    He sailed closer.


    The acid welled up in its mouth.


    And Kai''s teeth clicked shut.


    When he landed he skidded into the edge of the pool, his mouth gushing acid and blood. It felt as though he had tried to swallow the explosive jet and it had definitely hurt. But the headless body of the queen pitched to the side and slumped over the edge of the pool.


    As Kai felt the new essence settle within him, he grinned. The Krysali system was thoroughly protected, with numerous countermeasures to all conventional attempts to challenge it. But now, with this new monster hungering inside him, he had something they''d never anticipated.

 Chapter 181: From Disobedience to Resistance

    As Kai flew back to the N District mines, he found himself filled with emotions he couldn''t quite name. It was like returning home and realizing he had no home at the same time. Ever since he had understood that Monskon City was no longer his home, he hadn''t had a single place that was truly his. And he wasn''t sure he needed a place, but he did want someone to come home to.


    His friends in the mine were among the strongest relationships he had at the moment, which led to the pang in his heart. Kai replaced such thoughts with practical concerns. He moved lower and made sure not to kick up dust as he got nearer, so the soldiers wouldn''t notice him.


    In the end it seemed like he didn''t need to be worried: he arrived at the forest entrance without any trouble. His enhanced senses easily picked up several workers guarding, all of them tense when they saw the crystal vehicle. When he hopped out and moved toward them, however, they emerged with weapons lowered. He recognized some of them from the veteran miners while others were new to him.


    "Kai motherfucking Clanless." Maggle sat up from behind a rock where he had apparently been napping. "Let me guess, you missed my ugly mug so much that you just had to come back."


    "Maggle!" Kai grabbed him in a bear hug and lifted him off the ground. "Definitely missed you, ugly mug and all. How have things been?"


    "Fine, fine." The honest display of affection seemed to discomfort Maggle and he moved away, fiddling with his tunic until he liked the position. "As you can see, we have more kids coming to stand guard. We kept the secret as long as we could, but they needed something to keep their spirits up."


    "Don''t you have problems with people wanting to leave?"


    "Honestly, I think most are scared. In here, our lives are getting better and better. Out there, we don''t know who we''ll be facing, but they''ll probably be soldiers with big fucking crystals."


    "You know, I''m honestly looking forward to being back in the caves again." Kai walked to the edge of the crevice and looked down with a smile on his face. "Alright, let''s go."


    Most of the guards remained, but he and Maggle walked back to the central caverns. Along the way, Kai was surprised by how many of the workers greeted him. His absence hadn''t made his reputation fade any, apparently. But Maggle kept pushing past them, telling ever more absurd stories about why Kai had to hurry to get back.


    When they finally got back to the home caverns, Kai was surprised to see Nanny Troggup and Kraetius sitting together on one of the stone tables. She had her hand on his knee and Kai blinked a few times. Well, old people had needs too, and maybe they started being more interested in wrinkles as they got older.


    Kraetius drew back sharply while Nanny Troggup just cackled. "We''ve been busy while you were gone, Kai!"


    "Please, no." Maggle dropped down onto his knees and flattened his palms together. "I am begging you, don''t give us the disgusting details."


    "Enough of this nonsense." Kraetius shoved past him to look Kai up and down. "You got stronger again. That''s impressive, but you''re no Diamond Crystallier yet. Did you accomplish anything else?"


    "Multiple things." Kai smiled at him, then stepped to Nanny Troggup and retrieved a small sack of pills from his bag. "These are healing pills directly from Yulthens. I''m sorry I couldn''t bring more, but they should help in the infirmary."


    "Healing is well and good," she said, "but what about spices? We could u-"


    Kai whipped out several cloves next. "Already thought of that."


    "What about me?" Maggle asked. "Don''t you have any wonderful presents for me? I must say, receiving presents is one of my favorite hobbies."


    "I have a gift that everyone can use, I hope." Kai was about to say more, but at that moment he heard footsteps slapping over the stone behind them.


    He turned just in time to see Nirka reach the doorway. She stared at him for several heartbeats, then moved in and kissed him on the lips. Afterward she saw Kraetius and shifted away, as if she was going to be less personal, but Kai snaked a hand around her waist and pulled her to his side.


    "Actually, this is everyone I want to see," Kai said. "Let''s sit down and we can talk about the details. I hope I have what you need."


    They all found a place with more comfortable seating - someone had sewn extra monster hides into thin cushions, so they actually had options. He explained that there were entire other communities of workers struggling in the acid pits. From there he explained to the circle that he''d developed a special technique that would allow him to produce acid to refine the crystals. He left out all the details about the Acidlance Queen and implied that it was a mana-requiring technique. The problem was that it didn''t get them all of the way to their goal.


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    All through the conversation, he kept Nirka close by. He ached to grab her and take her somewhere private, but they all justifiably wanted to hear about plans for the future. She was only stiff for a little while before she returned to their relaxed intimacy from before, and that went a long way toward easing his need.


    Once Kai was done, they were silent for a while before Kraetius harrumphed. "I''ve never heard of such a thing, but I suppose I have to believe you. If you can produce the acid, I should be able to get them all to crystal cultivation."


    "That''s the part I was worried about," Kai said. "I thought about bringing someone from the acid pits, but it would have been difficult. I think your Physique should be strong enough to resist acid damage, but finishing the process will be tricky."


    "We''ll figure it out eventually, but that doesn''t matter." Kraetius folded his muscled arms across his chest. "None of this will do them any good if they''re stuck at the 99 Power barrier. And I don''t see you carrying an entire sack of moonmelt pills."


    "That''s true, but..." Kai swept his arm out of his sack and revealed the greenish white pill. "The acid pit workers are willing to cooperate with you, if you can help them. Consider this a token of their good will."


    Personally he wanted to give it to Nirka, but he decided that playing favorites would be setting the wrong example. Instead he gave it to Kraetius and told him that it should be awarded to the person who could use it best. As it happened, all Kai''s concerns were meaningless, because Kraetius gave it to Nirka anyway.


    She was about to throw it into her mouth when Kai caught her hand. "It might be a dramatic shift," he told her, "so you want to do it when you''re prepared."


    "Why stop the poor girl?" Nanny Troggup asked. "Is there really anything more to discuss?"


    He had plenty of long term plans in mind, but Kai could see that he''d already given them a lot to think about. So he accepted that they could cover the rest later and the group split up. Maggle asked him to go get a drink, since apparently some of the workers had begun distilling alcohol, but Kai glanced toward Nirka and Maggle shuffled off laughing.


    They returned to her chamber without parting. Once there, Nirka sat down on her rags and took the moonmelt pill in both hands. She looked toward him, but it felt almost wrong to speak in that moment. He simply nodded to her, so she swallowed it.


    The transformation wasn''t dramatic at first. In theory, the moonmelt pill would expand the boundaries of her soul gently, without any great pain or flashing power. His first clue was when Nirka took a sharp breath, then he saw all her muscles convulse. Qi spilled out of her core, as if it had been dammed up for too long, and flooded through her body.


    She looked better than he''d left her and had definitely been continuing her training. As the pill completed its work, Kai got confirmation of that with his spiritual sight.


    <


    Name: Nirka of N District


    Total Power: 108


    Physique Level: E-4 (92)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    A part of him was surprised she hadn''t advanced further, but then again advancing a whole Physique level while already at E rank was actually impressive for most. That raised her to a total of 108 Power, which was really just the first step.


    For a moment she sat there, chest heaving as she caught her breath. Then she grinned at him and jumped up. "This is incredible! I feel so... it''s like I''ve been dragging rocks until now!"


    "Congratulations," Kai said, "you''re officially a crystallier."


    "Don''t even joke!" She pretended to slap him, but half-way through the motion her hand got caught on his jaw. Nirka held it there, drawing his face down toward her. "I want you so badly... is that another side effect?"


    "No, but why should that stop us?" Kai lifted her into the air and she laughed and wrapped her legs around him with new strength.


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai stretched next to a happily exhausted Nirka. All the stress that had been building up, of so many different varieties, was finally gone. He could almost have gone to sleep right then, but a monstrous heart was still beating in his chest, driving him on.


    So he gently eased away from Nirka and laid his tunic over her. She murmured once in her sleep and then curled into the tunic. Once she was settled, Kai headed deeper into the mines.


    He passed more workers than before on his way down, since it seemed like they''d expanded operations. It took a while before he found a completely abandoned area that was suitable. There was a large cavern with what looked like a partially dug tunnel that had been abandoned at some point in the past. Kai examined it for a while, then prepared himself for something much less pleasant.


    Drawing up the Acidlance Queen''s essence within him, Kai began spewing acid into the pit. He''d practiced a little with it and still couldn''t expel it at such violent speeds, which actually suited him fine. Instead he just filled up the pool until he couldn''t expel any more acid.


    As he''d hoped, the qi-infused walls could resist the acid. Most likely they would end up reacting over time and develop a thin layer of crystal, not refined enough to be useful for qi but durable enough to contain the acid. If he filled it all the way, the workers would have their own location to refine the crystals, which could change everything.


    Someone was approaching from behind. Kai reacted automatically as if it was a threat before sensing that it was Kraetius and reassuring himself that his monstrous ability couldn''t have been detected. It would be strange, but not suspicious, since no one could connect such random dots.


    "So you really did it." Kraetius walked to the edge of the pool and stared over the acid. "At this point, I know better than to ask."


    "I''m going to be relying on you for this, Kraetius." Kai came to stand beside him. "Even if they figure out the refining process, they need someone to teach them crystal cultivation. It won''t bother you, seeing them do what was taken away from you?"


    "If it means getting revenge on the people who put me here, I''ll take it."


    "Then you''ll train them. This is going to be more than you''ve done before. You need to make Nirka and Maggle and the other stronger workers into the equivalent of crystalliers, and you need to turn the rest into an army."


    "I do this, I do that." Kraetius turned to him and frowned. "I admit, you did the impossible part, but you''re talking like you''ll be leaving again."


    "I''m afraid I have to." When he said the words, Kai knew that it was true. He could justify spending another day or two with Nirka, filling the acid pit and helping them learn the refinement process, but he''d need to move on. "There''s too much going on right now."


    "If you say so. Hope I don''t end up wishing I''d stayed down in the tunnels."

 Chapter 182: Endless Paths Falling Away

    Traveling through the Krysal City States was at once easier and harder. In a small gem ship, with better qi control than he''d had at the start, he could skim over the land effortlessly. But now he found himself constantly drawn in every direction, longing to wander off his dedicated route.


    Anything could be waiting for him in any of the surrounding cities, potentially an ally or enemy or the power he needed to move forward. He knew for a fact that he was passing up thousands of people living in crystal mines or acid pits. If he stopped, he might be able to help some of them, but slowing down would mean that he couldn''t pursue his plans to help all of them.


    He stopped by Yulthens to check in on Orillia, Gundle, and Yurwa, for supplies and to confirm that nothing had gone wrong. Thankfully Gundle seemed to be thriving, Orillia had adopted the pair of them, and Yurwa was in much better health. They could have held him for days, but he limited the length of the visit and headed back out.


    His next journey was across most of Krysal, which would make the decisions even worse.


    Zae Zin Nim had yet to return from New Laeneria, and since he didn''t expect her to linger, that was troubling. It didn''t bother him to spend the time going to find her. She was a friend, and even at his most cynical she was his strongest ally with the most potential for growth. But spending time on travel and cultivation meant he couldn''t spend it anywhere he passed.


    Sometimes that got under his skin in a way he hadn''t expected. Maggle, Nanny Troggup, especially Nirka... he wouldn''t have met any of them if Suortril hadn''t decided to dump him into the nearest mine. If he''d been in the acid pits, or run into trouble in another city, he could have ended up with an entirely different group of relationships and his future would look very different. There might not be a Kraetius to help, but then again, he might have gained some advantage he didn''t know he was missing now.


    Eventually he found himself surprisingly philosophical about it. Living life at all meant choosing one path over another and giving up the paths left behind. He didn''t feel any less for Nirka just because it had been chance that brought them together, so he could only value and protect what he had.


    If Zae Zin Nim turned out to be perfectly fine, though, he''d still feel a bit guilty.


    During his training and cultivation he continued to climb the mountains he faced, especially in Physique. He had learned how valuable those could be and wouldn''t abandon his work, but in the short term his advancement was most likely to come from his monstrous abilities. At the moment he was switching between Void Gaze and Acidic Lance while hunting monsters and he realized that he didn''t like shuffling around his monster essence so often.


    Eventually, for the second time in his life, Kai arrived at New Laeneria. As he entered the main street by the very same gate, he pondered just how much had changed.


    One thing hadn''t: he was ambushed by a group of local guards, though this time his senses picked up all their locations in the surrounding buildings. There was even the same woman bearing a spear at the head of the group. Except this time he had a lot more context and a few things began to seem obvious...


    "Alright, that''s far enough! Stay right there." She pointed her spear in his direction. "We don''t want anything to do with crystalliers. Whatever your masters sent you for, y-"


    "You''re from the acid pits, aren''t you?" Kai asked.


    The question made the woman freeze up, staring at him. He couldn''t sort through the anger, shame, and surprise in her expression and so he pushed on. His question had completely interrupted her usual script, but that could easily turn against him.


    "It''s the skin at the corners of the eyes," he went on. "I noticed that everyone who was born there has a slight yellowing, something you don''t get just from working with the acid. I''m impressed you managed to raise your Physique into the F ranks, given the toll the acid takes on people."


    "Don''t pretend you understand us." The woman struck the base of her spear against the street with a snarl, but that meant she stopped pointing it at him.


    "You''re right, I don''t fully understand. I spent months imprisoned in one of the crystal mines, but I can''t pretend to be one of them. That doesn''t mean I can''t help, though."


    "I saw you here earlier."


    "That time, I was working as a crystallier and didn''t understand what I was doing." Kai smiled and shrugged. "We came to an agreement then, so why not now?"


    After some hurried whispering, the ambush attempt dissolved. Most of the people involved didn''t actually move far, suggesting that this was their designated ambush point. It probably worked well for merchants and arrogant crystalliers who strolled right down the main thoroughfare, but it wouldn''t serve them very well in the attack.


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    Only the woman remained, walking up to him using her spear like a cane. "What do you want?"


    "My name is Kai Clanless. You want to give me yours?"


    "I''m Crysrinnia."


    He narrowed his eyes, wondering if he could presume. "That''s funny, it''s a very noble Krysali name. But then again, I''m not sure how the others I met chose their names and it might be different in different pits."


    "That doesn''t matter and it''s none of your business." She gripped her spear tighter as she stared at him. "We accept that you might not be our enemy, but that doesn''t mean we trust you. Why exactly are you here?"


    "I think we want some of the same things. Elsewhere in Krysal, I''ve given a crystal mine access to acid and moonmelt, and I''m trying to get proper support for the acid pits. I can''t tell you exactly where, because I can''t trust you either, but does any of that sound familiar?"


    "You think you can turn them into armies? The merchants will cut them apart."


    "No individual piece will be enough to make a difference." Kai gestured around at the former ambush. "You''ve obviously trained yourself and stolen some crystal weapons, but you have to know that you couldn''t stand up to an invasion either. And the worse things get, the more everyone will be tempted to start one."


    After staring at him for a long moment, the spearwoman sighed as if defeated and gestured for him to follow. They moved away from the grand central street to one that had a little more life on it, workers bustling and children playing. With more experience, he saw that only some were the pampered workers of the cities while others had faint crystal scars all over their arms.


    A cheerful man ushered them to a table and brought them some fresh bread, but he sensed the atmosphere and backed away after that. Crysrinnia set her spear down carefully beside her, then flattened her hands on the table.


    "You''re right, we''ll lose if they attack us. I think it''s only fear of Omilaena that keeps them at bay. The primary owners of the acid mine where I was born tried to mount an assault, but she killed them. Some believe she''s our savior, but I think she''ll leave when we need her most."


    "You''re probably right about that." Kai took a bite of the bread - heavier than he was used to, but satisfying. "How is she as a ruler, by the way?"


    "Better than a crystallier or merchant. As far as I can tell, she mostly wants to be left alone." Crysrinnia bit her lower lip and looked over her shoulder. "But I''m worried that once she runs out of nobles, she''ll start making some of us disappear too."


    Kai wanted to ask more about that, especially since it could be his lead on Zae Zin Nim, but couldn''t ignore the opportunity directly in his path. "We should talk about how you can stand on your own. The workers I know have training, and maybe some cultivation, but they''re lacking equipment. Looks like you might be the opposite, so maybe you can work together."


    "Under you?"


    "No, it would be up to them. But I''m the only one who can move through Krysal easily right now."


    "Frankly we need all the allies we can get. I guess it''s no loss to tell you that we''re not even as strong as we look." Crysrinnia reached into a pouch at her side and pulled out a gleaming arrow. "I call these anti-crystallier arrows, but they''re just crystal arrowheads with some qi. They''ll punch through a thin layer of crystal armor, sure. Problem is there''s nothing stopping a crystallier from dodging or burning it out of the air. We can''t win if it comes down to a real war."


    "Maybe." Kai took the arrow and turned it over in his hands. "But if it was shot by someone with E-rank Physique from a good bow, I bet many couldn''t dodge it."


    "You mean the workers from the crystal mines. They''re strong, but vulnerable to crystal cultivation."


    "Only because their Physique is unbalanced. That can be fixed."


    Crysrinnia gave him a second look, as if reconsidering. "You''re serious about this. Alright, if you''re so serious: why do you think we can win? You''ve seen the strongest crystalliers in a way that the people here haven''t. Are you telling me that a little tactics and equipment can beat one of their top enforcers?"


    "Bluntly, no." Kai dropped the crystal arrow onto the table. "To win you''re going to need some champions, there''s no way around that. But if you can find them... there are a lot more of you than there are of them. The average noble with a little cultivation isn''t a Diamond Crystallier from Yulthens. You can compete against them, and that could decide a war."


    "Provided we don''t starve." Crysrinnia gestured at the bread going cold. "We have enough here, but supplies are honestly a problem. I thought if we had all the workers, we could get the work done. Turns out the merchants were good for something after all, and coordination has been an issue."


    "This whole movement does need more organization, and honestly I''m not the person for that." His mind went back to Razzagah Lantrian, as if it was remotely practical to go all the way to Goralia to bring him. "I''m not saying I have all the solutions. But if you''re willing to talk, maybe we can exchange some of them."


    "You''re not who I took you for. Maybe this will work after all."


    Before they could say anything else, a runner approached them. He stopped by the table, puffing for breath. "Message... from the... Maneater..."


    Crysrinnia winced. "I''m sorry, but we automatically informed her about your arrival when we saw you. She almost never cares, so I''m not sure why..."


    "Here..." The messenger pulled his hands of his knees long enough to raise a piece of ornate folded paper. Kai vaguely recognized the form of the invitation, like the ones crystalliers gave out for parties. After considering the possibility of poison, he opened it and discovered a single line message.


    I''m ever so eager to continue what we started in Yulthens. Won''t you drop by?


    - Omilaena the Notorious Maneater


    Kai groaned and started to stand up. "I guess I should go," he said, "but before I do: did a cultivator pass through here? It would have been a short woman with black hair."


    "Yes, she did." Crysrinnia winced again. "She went into the estate and never came back."


    Then his path had taken him to the right place after all. Kai started running toward the estate at the top of the city.

 Chapter 183: Reintroduced to the Maneater

    On his first visit to New Laeneria, Kai had seen fortified noble estates with fearful merchants hiding behind their walls. Now there didn''t seem to be so many merchants left, but the buildings were even more fortified and he saw workers patrolling the walls.


    There was no time for any of that. Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena waited ahead and he had no idea what he was going to find.


    No one greeted him when he entered the last estate until he walked into the main hall. Omilaena sat on the other side of a small table with a book in her lap, but she set it aside when he entered. She had changed into another dress, a purple that he assumed flattered her blue hair and nails. All that really mattered to him right now was the calculating look in her eyes.


    "I''m not going to offer anything, since I assume you wouldn''t trust me." She spread her hands on the table and leaned forward. "But I hope we can have a civil conversation. I think we''d have a lot to talk about."


    "Where''s Hanelay?" he asked.


    "Oh, she was here, and I''m afraid we didn''t get along, but you don''t need to be worried. She''s fine."


    That wasn''t an answer, but he wasn''t sure how much of one he could get. Since he still didn''t like his chances against Omilaena, Kai walked up to the other side of the table and waited.


    "I expected to hear about your achievements in Yulthens, but you seemed to drop off the map." Omilaena tapped her fingernails against the table thoughtfully. "And then you show up, stronger again. It''s the steadiness of the jumps that''s scary, really. Cultivators and many others have large jumps in power, but it''s like there''s something underneath you, pushing you up..."


    "Don''t condescend. You''re still stronger." Kai folded his arms and frowned at her. "Since we talked, I found out that I was on the wrong side after all. Maybe we''re not enemies. But I can''t really trust you unless you start being more direct."


    "But I''ve always been direct when it comes to power. You see, the problem is that you start running into walls eventually. Everyone acts like they understand the whole picture, like some paths are dead ends and others are paths to true power, but sometimes I think they''re all dead ends. I want a way past that."


    "So do I, but I''m not willing to trample everyone in my way to get it."


    "And it makes you wonder if you''ll always be behind the ones willing to, doesn''t it?" Omilaena gave him a sad smile and opened her mouth to say more, but at that moment a shout interrupted them both.


    "Kai!"


    It was Zae Zin Nim''s voice, magnified immensely. The sound carried an echo of her qi, like she had thrown her power into it. Judging from the way the shockwave hit him, Kai could guess at the source, at least one level beneath him toward the center of the estate.


    "Didn''t know she could do that." Omilaena sat back and frowned. "Guess I should have invested in more qi shielding."


    Kai wasn''t listening. He drew on his full strength as he ran, and as soon as he reached a wooden floor, he kicked directly through it. In the first basement he felt a bit closer to the source of qi. There was something making it hard to pinpoint anything, like some sort of external shroud, but he could still track by other means.


    As he raced forward, hearing gave way to hunger. The hunger within him still had her scent, the raw feel of her beneath any qi or mana. He closed in on it, leaping down a set of stairs and smashing through a fortified door.


    After that he ran into a much heavier door that actually threw him back. Kai rubbed his shoulder and examined the barrier, which was some sort of chakra instead of more familiar fortifications. He swung a Tyrant''s Claw across the metal and to his surprise it failed to tear through. This one was designed to keep out a determined attempt.


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    Not him. Kai leaned forward, his mouth opening wider as the hunger grew within him. He bit down on the power itself, consuming the chakra that tried to stand in his way. His bite chopped through the center of the door and it swung open limply.


    Zae Zin Nim was on the other side. Trapped within some sort of metal circle, her hands pressed against the side as she stared toward him.


    With no telling how much time they had, Kai leapt to her without a word. He was trying to figure out the best way to break through the chakra barrier in the circle when she gestured hurriedly toward the bottom. There was some sort of mechanism there, designed to be opened with chakra. But it wasn''t a true lock, just a switch, so with the right combination of mana and qi he managed to wrestle it open.


    The barrier came down and Zae Zin Nim fell into his arms. She didn''t feel weak - in fact it seemed like she had been cultivating - but she trembled slightly.


    "Kai, you can''t trust her. She''s... she''s horrible, she..."


    "She''s a bit offended." Omilaena strolled into the room behind them. "Come on, we''ve all tried to murder each other, can''t we be friends?"


    "You keep talking like you''re the reasonable one," Kai said. He wanted to keep holding Zae Zin Nim, but he needed to let go so she could prepare for the fight. "But you''ve shown you''ll do anything to reach your goals, and that our goals don''t align. Why should we listen to you?"


    "Usually it''s easiest just to take what you want, but sometimes it comes back to bite you." Omilaena rubbed her eyes with one hand. "Seems like you want to fight. After I beat you, I''m just going to calm you down and keep you somewhere until we can talk this out."


    Kai glanced over at Zae Zin Nim and knew that she wasn''t going to talk. They nodded to one another, then began circling to take their opponent from different angles.


    For all that they''d improved, Omilaena still moved like lightning and unleashed a hail of needles. Kai barely had the presence of mind to see Zae Zin Nim whirling to deflect them, because he could only just stay ahead himself. He managed to knock several aside before two needles struck his shoulders and delivered their poison.


    As he sagged down to one knee, Omilaena closed the distance. But since they''d last fought, Behemoth''s Heart had become far stronger. Kai managed to digest the poison and swept a Tyrant''s Claw upward, directly into her path.


    Omilaena spun in the air, twisting in between two of the claws. Before she could reach him, however, Zae Zin Nim intercepted her with a palm to the side. The blow sent her skidding across the room, breaking through a table of equipment and hitting the other wall.


    She had more needles in both hands, but Kai moved first. This time he swung his Tyrant''s Claw from up close, where she couldn''t possibly dodge. Zae Zin Nim was running from the opposite side, ready to converge on her. For the first time he''d seen, Omilaena actually looked sorely pressed.


    But not beaten. She raised a forearm and took the claw head on: it made her stagger, but some sort of defensive aura kept it from tearing through her. Even as she did so, she turned her head to the side and blew a cloud of smoke directly into Zae Zin Nim.


    Who sailed through it, surrounded by her Coldfire Corona. Omilaena had only a moment to look startled before she was desperately defending herself against a flurry of palm strikes, qi and mana flowing together perfectly.


    Kai spat out a mouth filled with acid. The jet pierced Omilaena''s leg and she cried out in pain, then Zae Zin Nim landed a palm directly on her stomach. When she fell back, this time she didn''t remain on her feet.


    "Alright, alright." Omilaena coughed painfully and rubbed her leg. "I have a little more in me, but I can see the way this is going. If I surrender to you, will you keep me alive?"


    The moment after the battle might be the greatest risk, if they stopped being aligned. But when Kai looked over at Zae Zin Nim, she didn''t look as vengeful as he expected. Instead she sorted through one of the destroyed tables and came up with a pair of shackles studded with crystals.


    "Put these on her. Then we can talk."


    While Zae Zin Nim watched with qi techniques ready, Kai took the shackles and advanced. Omilaena obediently raised her arms, a mockingly innocent smile on her lips. He pulled her arms around behind her back and shackled her arms as tightly as he could. One of the bands went around her wrists and another could be fitted around her forearms, keeping her highly restricted.


    It seemed like the shackles would suppress power, but their crystals could only hold so much qi. Kai wouldn''t have trusted them against a strong crystallier and doubted that they could hold Omilaena if she was at her best. Weakened and injured... maybe.


    "I said I wanted to work together when I had the upper hand," Omilaena told them. "Now you''ve gotten stronger and you''re on top. Will you believe me now?"


    "Nothing has changed from before," Kai told her. "What reason do we actually have to work together and why would we trust you?"


    "I can''t expect you to. But it does seem like you''re trying to fight the most powerful people in the entire nation and you''re short on allies. One thing you can believe is that I''m not invested in the fundamental systems of Krysal, and how many people can you say that for?" Omilaena turned a bright smile between them. "Can you afford not to listen?"


    It was unpleasant logic, but likely correct. Kai locked eyes with Zae Zin Nim and saw her come to the same conclusion. Maybe this time the conversation would end differently.

 Chapter 184: Beyond the Limits of the World

    If they were really going to be interrogating Omilaena, they needed to do it securely. While Kai checked for any traps or other preparations, Zae Zin Nim searched her thoroughly. While his back was turned, he heard Omilaena gasp theatrically.


    "You''re taking such liberties!" Omilaena said with mock indignity. "Here I thought I could trust a fellow woman, but you''re taking advantage of me!"


    "Shut up," Zae Zin Nim said conversationally. "Are these all the needles you''re carrying?"


    "There are some more strapped to my thigh. Nope, inner thigh. Mmm, higher."


    Kai decided to keep his back turned.


    It looked as though the room was part vault and part laboratory. Some pieces of it reminded him of Juray''s work table while others were completely unfamiliar. Glass containers everywhere, ranging from jars to elaborate curving tubes. Bandages and other medical supplies. Pages of notes on the tables, all written in a language he couldn''t read.


    He also found a pair of the blue goggles that Omilaena had worn at various points. They glistened in his spiritual sight, as if they held some power, but he couldn''t quite figure it out. His experience with Rosemount had been limited, but it seemed like its inhabitants, and Omilaena in particular, could apply their power to more varied devices.


    Maybe there would be some overlap with the Irunians, if he could ever get them to talk. Too bad Tusquo was on the opposite side of the continent.


    "I think that''s everything," Zae Zin Nim said. "Can you deal with the wound?"


    "Sure." Kai turned back and saw that she had confiscated a number of weapons, including poison needles, a slender knife, and a syringe. Less than he''d expected, and not exactly the same syringe he remembered from before. An upgrade, or a trick?


    In any case, he needed to bandage Omilaena''s thigh where his jet of acid had gone through it. Most people might have been torn apart, but given her D-rank Physique it only left an ugly hole. She seemed to have resisted the acid as well, though that seemed to be something different. Her blood looked more bluish than he expected.


    Kai used the bandages from the table to take care of the injury. Omilaena let him finish most of his work, then gave an exaggerated moan. "Ooh, don''t stop."


    "Can you not?" he asked.


    "Come on, turnabout is fair play. Now that you''ve finally taken control, don''t you want to have your way with me? You can both join in, I don''t care."


    He finished his work and pulled back. "No thanks."


    "Yeah, that''s probably smart. Poison vagina."


    "Wait, what?"


    "What?" Omilaena smiled back like she hadn''t said anything.


    "Enough nonsense." Zae Zin Nim stepped up beside him and glared down at the other woman. "You said you only cared about strength and talked a big game about working together. If you can''t show some of that, we should just kill you and stop wasting our time."


    Omilaena sighed and dropped the playful act. She made a gesture for help, so Kai eased her into the nearest chair. Once she sat down, she shifted to take weight off her injured thigh and then spoke in a lower voice.


    "You both know something about the threat of overwhelming power. Kai, you''ve seen more powerful fighters show up time and time again. Girl who is definitely lying about her name, I think your life has been dominated by it." She raised her head to look them in the eyes. "I think that all of us are at risk. There are people out there who are as far above Cloudspire as it is above Deadwaste. We live in the shadow of the very real possibility that one of them could show up and end everything we know."


    "I told you about what I saw at the Frontier," Kai said. "We''re open to believing that."


    "Ah, but people who stand at the top of societies aren''t so happy to hear it. Rejecting the conventional paths can be isolating, and if you push hard enough, it starts to turn you into a pariah. And, as interesting as your experience was, I have believed in this for much longer."


    "Why?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "It goes back almost to my childhood - no, that''s not a joke. When I was a young woman, I saw a ship fall from the sky. It was like nothing I''d ever seen before." Omilaena''s eyes became unfocused and for the first time Kai wondered if she was truly unguarded. "I can''t describe the mind-boggling level of technology. But the man at the helm was even worse. He was half-dead, entire limbs gone, and he was still overwhelming. There''s no point explaining the local situation, because he killed all his attackers. I''m not sure they even got him in the end, he might have bled out on his own."


    "So you think that there are more people like that out there?"


    "I''m sure of it, and it''s worse than that. I crept into the wreckage of the ship, hoping to find some power that could help me get ahead in life. Well, I found knowledge instead, and that was worse. Kai, would you be so kind as to go over to that table? You should find a number of papers..."


    He went to find the ones she indicated, shuffling aside the simple notes until he found a few diagrams that immediately jumped out to him. One looked like a drawing of the human body, except with strange lines drawn on it. Another was a sketch of a strange tangle of rings that meant nothing to him.


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    "Yes, those." Omilaena nodded with her head to the first. "What do those look like to you?"


    "They''re meridians." Zae Zin Nim hesitated, then frowned. "Except they aren''t quite..."


    "They''re different from any I''ve ever seen. The rest of the book was incomprehensible to me, just symbols I never figured out. But the drawings of bodies... they seemed to imply things that shouldn''t be possible."


    "Why assume they''re human?" Kai asked. "This could just apply to whatever type of being builds those ships."


    "I don''t have the drawings here, but there were others, including different species I''d never seen before. No, it seemed like they truly had knowledge that we didn''t." Omilaena was silent for a time, then nodded to him. "Now there should have been a drawing... yes, that. The real thing was destroyed when the ship exploded and I only copied it down. In the ship, each point where the rings connected was a glowing sphere of power.


    "You see how there are seven points? I could immediately tell that each one represented something different. One of them felt like chakra. In retrospect, I think two of the others were qi and mana... but none of them were quite right. I theorize that two of them related to Physique and Soul. And there were two others I couldn''t name and still can''t explain."


    "So it''s some sort of map of power?" Kai looked over the drawing, trying to derive any meaning from it. "Like they''re all connected, and this object is using them together, or saying something about how they''re connected."


    "That''s exactly what I thought, and I''m afraid that I haven''t found a true answer." Omilaena slumped back into her chair. "But the further I travel, the more I''m convinced that the ''pure'' paths we know are wrong. There''s greater power to be found in fusion and synergy, and there are people out there holding that power. I have to find out what all this means."


    Her words left him with a strange sense of unease. Ever since the Frontier, he''d known that there were impossibly powerful people in the world and that some of them had abilities he couldn''t understand. Yet the god-like beings he saw then hadn''t all been using multiple powers, they had specialized. No wonder Omilaena had been so interested in the specific details he remembered.


    "Do you understand now?" she asked them. "I can''t just aim for the top of the world, the top of the world is too low. For years I thought I might be misguided, then I felt that power and knew that I''d been right. We''re all one cosmic coincidence away from being swept aside like flecks of dust."


    Kai wasn''t sure what to say to a speech like that. Before he could pull his thoughts together, Zae Zin Nim spoke up quietly. "That''s why you wanted samples from me. More of your synergy."


    "I can''t rely on another ship to crash and give me answers, can I? Fate already gave me one lucky break and I''m probably not getting another. The powers and systems everyone knows are just toys. I want the real thing."


    It might have seemed insane if not for what he''d seen. Accepting that, however, didn''t allow him to truly understand her. He could try to comprehend how that fear of an overwhelming foe might have driven her, but he wasn''t sure he saw how it looked to her. Could all her actions have been driven by that nihilistic impulse?


    Having said her piece, Omilaena sagged back in her chair. For a moment she looked human, not the dreaded Maneater of New Laeneria. He couldn''t be certain that this was true either. Even though it was compatible with what she''d said and done, he wouldn''t put it past her to be manipulating them in some far longer game, or even just led by a highly intelligent madness.


    "It makes sense." He was so startled to hear Zae Zin Nim''s tone that he swiveled toward her. She stood with her eyes drifting over the ceiling, not really seeing anything. "The Insanities."


    "The Insanities," Omilaena agreed. "Isn''t this interpretation a more coherent world?"


    "I''m not sure. It would be nicer to think the world simply contained wonders that can''t be explained."


    Kai glanced back and forth between them. "This makes absolutely no sense to me. Is this another one of those things that everybody else knows but don''t exist on Deadwaste?"


    "If I''m right," Omilaena said with a bitter smile, "we''re all Deadwaste. But yes, you''d have no way of hearing about them. Basically, the Insanities are a small group of phenomena that can''t be explained by any known power. Not simply mysterious, not without full explanations, utterly impossible. Some call them the Eight Insanities, others give different numbers, but the endpoint is the same."


    "I''ve seen a lot of crazy things. You''re going to have to give me a better idea than that."


    "One is called the Slumbering Colossus. It''s sleeping on a mountain in Rosemount and, as far as anyone can tell, it''s completely invulnerable. Fire, chakra, qi, poison injected into its mouth... none of it has any effect. Nations have gathered all their strongest and not put a scratch on it. All the attempts are idiotic, in my opinion, because if anyone did manage to wake it up, how would we stop it?"


    "Damn." It was just a few sentences, but now Kai was imagining the mountain-sized monster. "How do we know it''s actually alive?"


    "It has been breathing slowly for centuries, and its heart beats once per day. Before you ask, spiritual sight can''t determine anything about it, which is true of almost all the Insanities. People theorize that it''s a monster, not a dragon or an intelligent being, but I don''t know what they''re basing that conclusion on."


    "They aren''t all like that," Zae Zin Nim said. "One of the greatest sects on Cloudspire possesses something called the Impossible Elixir. A single drop of it makes someone immortal, and not just any kind of immortality: eternal youth with perfect health. Of course, it''s so valuable it hasn''t been used in centuries. They claim that a great alchemist in their past created it, but it''s so far beyond anything anyone has ever accomplished..."


    "And there are eight of these?" Kai asked. "Or around that, anyway?"


    "Some are historical." Omilaena leaned forward, warming to the subject. "Did you know there used to be a fourth continent? A disease called the Whispering Death arrived one day and killed everyone. Now, plague is common enough, but this was unstoppable. Immortals, cultivators, monks with perfect health, monsters... everything died. A thousand years later, we still call the continent Lostwreck and everyone refuses to go near its shores."


    "What happens if two meet? Say... an immortal made by the Impossible Elixir and the Whispering Death?"


    The two women looked at one another, and at least this time it didn''t seem like he was asking a remedial question. Zae Zin Nim shook her head slowly. "I wasn''t sure if Lostwreck was actually real before now. There are always rumors of some other continent."


    Omilaena responded more enthusiastically. "It''s never been tested. None of the Insanities is a weapon, and any that are controlled are far too valuable to risk."


    "Got it." Kai knuckled his eyes as his view of the world changed again. "So the battle on the Frontier... that''s in the Insanity category too, right?"


    "It is as far as I''m concerned, but that''s not the important part." Omilaena looked between them carefully. "I don''t believe these are singular, inexplicable phenomena. They''re hints of the truly great powers, the ones you saw fight. Compared to that stage, nothing we do matters. Not at all."


    Kai didn''t agree, in theory or in practice. Even if there were far greater powers out there, he still needed to do what he could to help the people in front of him. There were things he needed to do, from catching up with Zae Zin Nim to interrogating Omilaena to waging a war for Krysal. Soon enough he''d get to work on all of them.


    But for now, in the silence of the dying conversation, he spent a while just feeling very small.

 Chapter 185: Qi and Mana and Chakra

    Life took so many unexpected turns. Once, Zae Zin Nim had known exactly how her future was going to progress, down to the year she would achieve each cultivation stage. Then had come the blockages, Deadwaste, Kai, and so much else... and now Omilaena.


    They had taken over the estate for now, to give themselves time to recover and regroup. Zae Zin Nim had seized the resources that she had formerly tried to steal, which were now hers by right. Unfortunately there weren''t many left, but she had plenty of pure qi from home to fuel her cultivation. That made her feel slightly better about the entire experience.


    It was when she went down into the basement that she became less certain. Omilaena waited there, obediently trapped in the chakra prison yet still dangerous.


    "What is this?" Zae Zin Nim asked, holding up a yellow rock from the vault.


    "That''s a chakra stone." Omilaena peered at it for the briefest of moments, then shrugged. "I could tell you more, but it wouldn''t matter. Having trouble tapping it, huh?"


    "Tell me the secret. Or is it some Rosemount mystery I couldn''t comprehend?"


    "Oh, you could get it, even without my help. You''re a pretty good cultivator. But I really don''t recommend grabbing just any old source of chakra you can find. More than qi or mana, it''s absolutely essential that what you absorb is aligned with your body."


    That sounded like a mix of bullshit and what she already knew. Zae Zin Nim stared down at the colored rock and frowned. "So it''s similar to a qi crystal?"


    "In a simple sense, as an object that stores energy, sure." Omilaena stepped closer to the boundary, eyes alight. "In the technical sense, not at all. Qi crystals are just temporary storage containers, not that exciting in the end. When chakra is stored in an object, the energy alters the matter permanently. The process is fascinating and I''m not sure I understand it fully yet."


    "You said the crystals here aren''t interesting... then why come to Krysal?"


    "I had such high hopes for this place." The other woman sagged against the energy wall. "Their crystal cores are like little external dantians, it''s fascinating. I really thought that studying them would be the breakthrough I needed, but it wouldn''t actually benefit me. The soul only has so many capacities, you know, and you shouldn''t fill them with weak powers."


    "I am aware." Zae Zin Nim raised one hand and let some qi flow from it, tinged with blue mana fire. "That''s why you wanted to experiment on how I use mana."


    "Yes, you have one of the best fusions I''ve seen. In your case, it''s like you''ve learned to draw mana into your cultivation, yet you also gained some mana-like characteristics without polluting your qi. I can''t duplicate it, but it was instructive."


    "Why did you have to come here to experiment? You should have plenty of qi on Rosemount."


    "Ah, but it isn''t that simple." Omilaena wagged a finger. "The structure that develops depends on all types of power in a region, not just the existence of one. Haven''t you ever wondered why you don''t have Classes on Cloudspire and you had to come all the way out here to develop one?"


    Zae Zin Nim blinked as she considered that idea. She had always been taught that they could have such powers, they were simply inferior to cultivation. Now...


    "Areas with lots of mana but not much qi turn out differently than regions where both coexist. It makes cultivators angry, but what you view as ''pure'' cultivation is actually the form that exists only when there are reasonably high levels of all three types of energy."


    "I was told it made the qi richer, but..." Zae Zin Nim frowned as she considered it. "But I was always taught to avoid drawing on the chakra or mana."


    "And thus you became a cultivator, but your body was still shaped by the environment with all three. I''m telling you, the natural laws that govern all of this are trickier than we understand, and I''m not sure I''ve grasped all the nuances yet."


    "If I shouldn''t use this chakra rock, what do you recommend?"


    "Since fusion worked for you once, you should pursue it again." Omilaena looked her up and down, mostly professional but still causing a little shiver. "If you went to Rosemount, you could probably find a chakra-based art that''s compatible. Then you could draw it into your cultivation. If you did, the result could really be extraordinarily powerful."


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    It was a ridiculous plan for the far future, yet she actually found herself considering it. "And you?"


    "Crystal cultivation didn''t work, but it taught me a great deal about utilizing qi as a tool. I just need to find the right method. Or maybe I should wander into Goralia and try to awaken a Class, since it seemed to work out well for you. The Krysali don''t respect them much, but they may be underestimating Classes."


    Despite her initial misgivings, Zae Zin Nim was beginning to accept that Omilaena could be a good resource for them. Perhaps not a trustworthy resource, but a knowledgeable one. The question was how to extract actionable plans from her without surrendering too many of their own advantages.


    "So..." Omilaena leaned on the chakra barrier with one arm, pressing right up against it. "I was impressed by how well you and Kai fought together. You had to adapt on the fly after being apart, too. That''s the kind of coordination that can only be attained by lovers."


    "Wh-what?" Zae Zin Nim stiffened and stared at the other woman, then realized she was being mocked again. "That is not appropriate!"


    "Are you telling me I''m wrong? I''m shocked! But the two of you are so close..."


    "We are companions. We have fought together. You know this and you are lying."


    "But is that all you are?" Omilaena raised her eyebrows and managed to make that simple expression lascivious. "You were so worried about dual cultivation, why not just settle it? Hmm, but that''s quite a height difference... could the two of you even kiss in the middle of things?"


    "I do not have to listen to this." Zae Zin Nim turned on her heel and left the room, trying to push aside the images filling her head.


    And yet, as much as Omilaena infuriated her, Zae Zin Nim found the other woman hard to forget. Where she could only view her sex as weakness, Omilaena easily used it as a weapon. Her figure was very feminine in a way that felt balanced, not exaggerated. She wore those dresses with the long slits all the way up to the side, not as if she was trying to entice men, but as if she was utterly in control of herself. That composure was something Zae Zin Nim wished she could master.


    She came up the stairs and nearly ran directly into Kai''s chest in her distraction. Zae Zin Nim released an awkward gasp and retreated as quickly as possible.


    "Sorry," Kai said, "was just looking for you. Is now a good time to talk?"


    "We can," Zae Zin Nim answered. "I was merely interrogating Omilaena."


    "She''s been helpful, hasn''t she?"


    "So it seems."


    "I wanted to float the idea of working together with her more." Kai spoke hesitantly, as if expecting an argument. "We need to make a decision soon, and-"


    "That is acceptable." Zae Zin Nim nodded briefly.


    "Are you sure? I thought, after she captured you, that you might hold it against her."


    "I do, but that does not preclude us working together. I think she would be useful to us." She raised a finger. "For one, she is a far more obvious target than we are. She was already considered a menace after taking this city, and the theft at the auction only worsened her reputation. So long as she is active, we have a ready-made distraction."


    "Good, I was thinking the same thing." Kai smiled in relief. "Plus, she''s one of the only people who Suortril hates even more than us. She might betray us, but she can''t really betray us to most of our enemies because they''d never trust her."


    "Then you do want to go to war against the crystalliers."


    "Well... yeah, I guess that''s what I''m thinking."


    "I don''t care," Zae Zin Nim said, "but how do you expect that to end? If the Krysali all kill one another, they won''t be ready for the next monster incursion. And isn''t that what matters most to you?"


    "Matters most? I don''t..." Kai abruptly shook his head. "In any case, you''re right. Ideally this would happen as a slow, quiet revolution. We keep arming the workers, in both the mines and the pits. Make them strong enough that it''s not economical to keep them imprisoned anymore. It might hurt some profit margins, but they''ll have to adapt if the change is already so far gone that it can''t be easily rolled back. War hurts their profits too, after all."


    "The top merchants have too much invested. You don''t think they''ll go peacefully, do you?"


    "No." Kai met her gaze and she saw the monstrous hunger in him then. "Even if everything goes well, the most powerful people in Krysal will send out their crystalliers. If not checked, they''ll slaughter the workers to try to turn back the tide and break their spirits. We need to be prepared to fight Diamond Crystalliers."


    "Good. I agree." Zae Zin Nim hesitated, then gave him a slight bow. "I doubt I will be much use helping the peasants, but when we face our elite foes, I will fight at your side."


    "And I''ll be glad to have you there. But we need others too, including..."


    "Let Omilaena stay in her prison a while longer. She has been misbehaving." Zae Zin Nim stepped past him, irritated again. "I believe she will fight with us, but we should not plan on her remaining with us in the end. As soon as is convenient, she will abandon us."


    Kai was quiet for a while, his thoughts unknowable, but eventually he nodded. "You''re right. We can''t rely on her."


    So they had a plan: revolution to overthrow an entire country. Zae Zin Nim had studied some political methods, but they primarily relied on a cultivator with overwhelming personal strength who could decapitate the leadership structure and dictate from above. This kind of more complex war, with so many different forces, was not a conflict she was suited to.


    Still, through qi or mana or chakra, she would be ready. For the battles that day, and the day after, and beyond the horizon.

 Chapter 186: True and False Names

    After worrying so much about how he was going to get Zae Zin Nim to agree, she had just accepted his conclusion. Kai had gotten used to his life being difficult at every turn, so it felt strange when something went smoothly. Suddenly he had a goal and a path forward.


    The conversation with her had also refined his central purpose: even if he could go around rescuing every single worker from every single mine, that wasn''t his objective. He had been a hunter, he was still a warrior, and maybe he was a monster... his purpose was to fight. Gaining the strength to defeat the Diamond Crystalliers who would be standing in his way was a goal he could feel in his gut.


    Which didn''t mean he would be leaving behind the others that he assisted, just that they would keep moving forward. Now that things were decided, he went back into the city to look for the guards. It didn''t take him long to find the spearwoman, for once not trying to ambush anyone.


    Instead Crysrinnia sat in one of the outdoor cafes, which once would have been abuzz with nobles but now served as a simple kitchen. When he approached she looked up at him with a strange expression.


    "I thought... no, never mind." It clearly took some effort to find a smile, but then it didn''t seem so forced. "What is it?"


    "We''ve mostly come to terms with Omilaena," he told her. "She''ll be serving as figurehead, but as you''ve already figured out, we can''t count on her. Have you given more thought to what we discussed?"


    "I have a plan for coordinating with our own mines and pit. If you can get us more connections from others, we won''t refuse them. But can you get the shipments across Krysal?"


    "Not from the other side, but maybe. What''s stopping you?"


    "Honestly? Mostly Romastir." Crysrinnia sat back and gestured toward the city walls. "Too much of our trade has to go through them. We tried to ignore the main roads and go around, but navigating all the hills wasted too much time."


    "How are you getting any trade through at all?" Kai asked. "Even if the merchants want their profits, they have a lot of leverage against you."


    "The truth is that we have a connection on the inside." She leaned closer and lowered her voice. "I don''t know who it is or anything about them, but they have some power. Whoever they are, they sign letters as ''the Servant of Romastir.'' They''ve obscured shipments, warned us about crystalliers, and more. It seems they''re running some kind of operations against the crystalliers, under their own noses."


    "I guess that''s good, but why are you telling me this?"


    "After what you said, I think we need to work with them directly. As the others get desperate, more and more people are suggesting we attack Romastir, and we''re not ready. But if we could find the Servant of Romastir and convince them to join forces... maybe we wouldn''t need to attack at all."


    That would give them a target less dangerous than Yulthens, a city to test their new alliance and their plans. The more Kai thought about it, the better he liked the idea. Since it was the closest city to New Laeneria, it wouldn''t waste much time even if it turned out to be a fruitless chase.


    Kai learned everything Crysrinnia knew about the "Servant of Romastir," including the various signs and procedures for contact and hints about their identity. He was already familiar with the city and its defenders from his previous stay there, so they wouldn''t need to spend much time preparing. Once he had everything he needed, Kai thanked the spearwoman and headed out.


    "I thought about what you said." She spoke up abruptly, as if she hadn''t planned to. When he turned back, she went on in a lower voice. "About my name. Because you were right."


    "I''m sorry for pushing on that," Kai said. "It wasn''t my place to-"


    "No, I said you were right." She drew herself upright. "My real name isn''t Crysrinnia, that''s what I started calling myself when we took the city... and when I started acting like a crystallier. My real name is Cragrila."


    To be honest, Kai had barely thought about their conversation, since he had been so obsessed with saving Zae Zin Nim and then dealing with Omilaena. The idea that a few of his idle words had an effect on this woman''s life was sobering and discomforting. He wasn''t sure if he would make it better by adding more, but he couldn''t help himself.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "You could say that my name isn''t really Kai Clanless." He raised both hands with a shrug. "But I lost my family name a long time ago, and my adopted family threw me out. Are any of those more ''real'' than the other names? I''ve decided that I''m Kai Clanless now, so it''s who I am."


    "Maybe for you, but not me." Cragrila stood up and met his gaze with hard eyes. "Despite everything that''s happened to me, I still thought of the nobles as better. Superior, or at least more refined. That ends now. We keep our own names, we don''t have to chase theirs. I am Cragrila of H District."


    "Then I wish you luck with them." Kai reached out to shake her hand and, after a moment of hesitation, she clasped it firmly. "I look forward to fighting alongside you, Cragrila."


    She gripped his hand hard, then stood back. Kai gave her one more smile and then returned to the estate.


    There were various steps to be taken to prepare, but most of them didn''t involve their final decisions or destination. Zae Zin Nim had gone to retrieve the diamond star from hiding and was carefully ensuring that it was unharmed. He had already made sure they were supplied, supported by some of the workers in the city. So that left all the details, which meant...


    As a last step, he went to free Omilaena. He wasn''t sure whether Zae Zin Nim was being cautious or simply petty. Being stuck inside the chakra prison had certainly left her discomforted, not to mention that her dress was a bit rumpled. It managed to look good on her anyway, somehow.


    "Is this finally happening?" she asked. She pretended to be examining her fingernails, but he could tell she was eager. "You''re going to decide whether you want to ravage me or let me go?"


    "My companion wanted the former, but I talked her down." Kai activated the mechanism that turned off the prison and the chakra walls came down.


    Omilaena stood up and stretched with a long sigh. She absolutely made it into an unnecessary performance, thrusting out her chest as she had her arms overhead. But because she was actively taunting him, Kai didn''t look away, just blatantly stared. Now that she wasn''t threatening him or trying to murder anyone, he could admit that she looked fantastic.


    When she saw his gaze, Omilaena laughed and shot him a coy wink. "Alright, I won''t try that on you anymore. Unless...?"


    "We need to discuss strategy," he told her firmly. "But first I have a question... did you throw that fight against us?"


    "No." Omilaena folded her arms, seduction replaced by irritation. "Maybe things would have gone differently if I had used more lethal tactics or fought to the end, but I wasn''t toying with you. I underestimated your coordination and you got the upper hand. If you had decided to kill me, you would have had a good shot at it... surrendering was a very calculated risk."


    "Well, good. Unless that was just to massage my ego?"


    "I told you, I take power seriously. That''s my honest evaluation."


    Before their conversation could continue, Zae Zin Nim walked down the stairs. She glowered when she saw Omilaena, but just stuck her hands into her sleeves. "We''re ready to go. Do we have a destination?"


    "A destination and a plan," Kai told them both. "Omilaena, what do you think of taking on Romastir?"


    As it turned out, she''d considered it more than a little. One city had been enough for her experiments, but the merchants in Romastir had continually got in her way. Because Zae Zin Nim wasn''t opposed either, their plan was set. The only difficult part sounded like it might be keeping the bloodlust of the two women in check.


    Before they left the basement, Omilaena raised a single finger for them to halt.


    "Wait. If we''re really working together, I want to make a show of good faith." She flicked her wrist and suddenly there were several needles between her fingers. "I''m what''s called a Lethal Artisan. If you didn''t already guess, I can produce items from my own chakra. Not just anything, as I need a detailed diagram first. But I mostly fight with weapons I create myself."


    "So you just pretended to let me take your weapons." Zae Zin Nim narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "You think this will make us trust you more?"


    "I''m telling you now. I can produce needles, syringes, and most of my poisons. But if you ever meet any other Lethal Artisans, don''t expect them to have the same abilities, because we''re each unique."


    "What about the smoke?" Kai asked. "Same ability?"


    "No, that''s my other primary capacity: the Heart of Poison." Omilaena laid a hand flat over her heart. "There''s poison interwoven with my body on every level. I can secrete poison from my nails, and the smoke is a specific applied technique. By the way, this sort of power doesn''t advance the way yours does, I need new materials. If you ever run across any especially powerful or unique poisons, please let me drink them."


    Zae Zin Nim folded her arms and stared back. "Will you give us the antidotes to your poisons?"


    "I trust you," Omilaena said with a wink, "I don''t trust you that much."


    For his part, Kai was less suspicious. Maybe he didn''t trust Omilaena''s moral character, but he thought he knew what she truly wanted, and that was in some ways better. She had every motive to work together with him and it took an absurd set of assumptions to make this all into a long con.


    Back near the beginning of his time in Krysal, he''d been a crystallier venturing into the city of the feared Maneater. Now he was leaving the city with her in tow, for nearly opposite purposes. It felt like an insane change and his only disappointment was that he hadn''t figured it all out sooner.


    "Are we ready to go?" Omilaena asked as they walked toward the crystal vessel. When she reached up to the side, Zae Zin Nim swatted her hand away.


    "We are ready to go, but you don''t get to ride. Figure out your own way." That said, she grabbed Kai''s sleeve and leapt into the ship, trusting him to jump along with her. He played along and, once inside, gave Omilaena a shrug. She rolled her eyes and headed in the opposite direction. Soon they were all flying out toward Romastir.


    The last time he''d fought crystalliers in that city, it had been to test himself and earn his way to Yulthens. This time promised to be much bloodier.

 Chapter 187: Unmasking the Servant of Romastir

    "Let''s just fight them," Zae Zin Nim said flatly. "They only have about eight crystalliers, and none of them have close to 200 Power. That would be much faster."


    "We don''t know that for sure," Kai told her. "It''s been most of a year, plus as things get more dangerous they may have invested more money in their cultivation or new weapons."


    They hovered far above the city, at the very peak of the diamond star''s range. From there, using their qi senses, they could get a good feel for the city. Once Kai had learned about shrouds there, but not many seemed to be using them now. Maybe in dangerous times it was easier to remind everyone how strong you were.


    "You said that before, then you beat three of them with just your human half." Zae Zin Nim eyed him suspiciously. "Why don''t you want to use the direct approach? I know you''re not afraid of a fight, and you''ve been pushing us harder all this time."


    "But not with everything. It''s about this Servant of Romastir."


    "If he''s on our side, then he''ll see that we''ve won and come out to thank us. Problem solved, no time wasted."


    "That''s assuming we know everything, which we don''t." Kai clasped his hands together and met her eyes. "Please, Zae Zin Nim, let me try things the subtle way first. If it doesn''t come up with anything, we can still fight our way through."


    "Hmph, fine." She sat back and began to cultivate. "I don''t like all these schemes, but I can live with them. Did Omilaena put you up to this?"


    .


    ..


    .


    "Let''s just poison them," Omilaena said cheerfully. "Crystal cultivators are usually weak to poisons, and we can even make it look like an illness if you want."


    "If we just wanted to take the city, you could have done that yourself," Kai told her. "The goal is to make this another foundational step in changing Krysal."


    He''d met her just outside the city, where she''d caught up to them in a smaller crystal vessel. She didn''t seem at all put off by having to travel on her own or following his orders, but she definitely wanted to murder everyone. Now she lingered at the outskirts, tinkering with what he now knew was her Lethal Artisan ability.


    "I''m willing to wait, but only so long." Omilaena tapped her fingernails sharply along the side of her crystal vehicle. "I know you''re excited about lifting up the workers or whatever, but it''s only a matter of time before they make a mistake or act impulsively. You need to have made your move before that, or you''ll have stabbed yourself in the back."


    "You mocked me before for not knowing what was going on in Krysal. I''m just trying to make sure I don''t make a similar mistake."


    "If you insist." Omilaena waved him off and formed another syringe in one hand. "Just don''t open your heart so wide that all your blood falls out."


    .


    ..


    .


    On his own, Kai set about evaluating the military condition of Romastir. The city still struck him as primarily decadent, with no new fortifications or precautions for its inhabitants. In a battle between armies it might struggle, but they didn''t expect to face an army.


    Their crystalliers displayed their true preparedness. There were nine of them now, and they seemed to have built up their strength. Given the decreasing returns from crystal cultivation, he had still outpaced them and he didn''t anticipate that a direct fight would be too difficult. Even if he truly believed that caution was wise, that was more of an excuse to focus on the non-combat side of things.


    Cragrila had given him all the information they had about the Servant of Romastir, which mostly amounted to a few locations for dead drops or occasional meetings. If this person was cautious enough to operate in the middle of the city, they had to know what they were doing. Still, he had no choice but to follow the protocols and see if he couldn''t find this potential ally.


    He left a message in one of the stated locations, a loose paving stone by the side of an abandoned building. Because he wanted to get off on the right foot, and because he suspected that the location would be watched extremely carefully. His message had been basically honest: he was here representing Cragrila and New Laeneria, they had access to new allies from mines and pits, and they needed greater coordination. He left out the specific details in case this was all a long setup, somehow. Since he planned to go himself, if they were looking to arrest a weak worker, they''d get a surprise.


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    After waiting the designated amount of time, Kai went to the next location and looked for a message. Just as he''d hoped, there was a strip of paper with the appropriate counter-symbol at the top. It struck him as unusually brief and just told him to wait at a specific time and place to be contacted.


    With no other leads, and two women eager to attack the city, Kai decided to comply. The location proved to be a large restaurant on the lower end of the city. Still expensive, especially compared to the mines, but designed for local workers instead of crystalliers.


    Kai bought a rough cloak and tried to look small before waiting at the table they''d indicated. It put him in the center of an open courtyard, with tables all around him and also clear lines of sight from the second floor around the yard. That area could be filled with archers and other combatants, if they intended to attack him. If so, the best bet was probably to leap directly up... though they might have plans for flying crystals, so he needed a backup.


    He arrived over an hour early, just in case anything was being set up, and bought only a beer. As that hour passed, he spent the time carefully analyzing the spirits of everyone around him. Most were untrained or had small amounts of crystal cultivation, and the few shrouds he saw were primitive.


    It was possible that his contact couldn''t make it, but then again... what was the fundamental purpose of having him wait at a location he hadn''t known beforehand? Clearly to put power in the hands of the Servant of Romastir or his allies. But he''d been thinking about it like a warrior, expecting an ambush or another attack. If he thought like a spy, the far more likely explanation was that they wanted a chance to see him and decide whether or not to engage.


    So Kai devoted himself entirely to observation, both his qi sense and his monstrous hunger. Soon he grew accustomed to the workers at the restaurant, and he also filtered out the large groups that seemed to be at their tables all night. Technically one of them might be a spy, in which case they''d probably slip past him, but he guessed that the real spies chose this chaotic environment so they could slip in and out.


    There were several walkways and other attachments to the upper floors, making it easy for people to come and go. Kai focused especially on them, wondering if any felt suspicious. If the person coming to meet him was a completely untrained person, his special senses would do him no good, but he had a hunch...


    Someone entered the upper floor, a little stronger than the others but without any crystal cultivation. Kai shifted his spiritual sight, drawing on the lessons he''d learned trying not to "eyeball" fighters in the wilderness. Whoever they were, they were advancing toward the hand rail on the second floor.


    As they got closer, Kai pretended to brood over his drink while shooting glances around the first floor. Never close to the person approaching him, as if he didn''t suspect the second floor. But he extended his senses, as gently as possible. It was a woman, and her soul appeared almost completely normal, except for a strange blurred symbol...


    Acid cultivation.


    Kai hid his surprise by taking a drink. Not only was this person his contact, she had come from one of the acid pits. That definitely counted as evidence against this being an ambush.


    The woman moved along one side of the courtyard, even spoke to a few people, while observing him from the corner of her eyes. Kai kept up his act in case she didn''t want to be seen, because he was a lot more conspicuous than she was. He expected her to talk to him at best, maybe just leave a message with another location at worst.


    Instead, she turned and left the restaurant.


    He froze, considering his options. If this was a test, pursuing might be failure, but he thought that was the less probable option. Most likely, they had chosen this location in order to observe him, and she hadn''t liked what she''d seen. Even if they expected him to wait, Kai was tired of waiting: he got up to hunt.


    Even though the woman''s acid cultivation was weak, it was nearly unique in the city, so he was able to track her soul even with many walls in between them. Once outside the restaurant she began moving quickly, passing through the city toward the more expensive estates.


    This was definitely the trail of the Servant of Romastir now. The only question was whether the woman herself was the Servant, whether she was going to meet them, or just fleeing. He stayed back in case it was the meeting option, but kept her in his senses to interrogate her if necessary. Ideally, he would have a friendly meeting with their contacts, but Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena were right, they didn''t have time to play spycraft for days.


    When the woman moved into familiar territory, Kai was mildly surprised. It seemed she had some sort of mercantile license, to move freely here. In fact, she was getting closer to Unklian''s estate.


    Kai hadn''t thought about the first merchant who had purchased his services since leaving Romastir. It would be ridiculous if he turned out to be the Servant of Romastir the entire time. Then again, it might make sense: Unklian had sent him to New Laeneria with a shipment of crystal weapons. It was possible that he fully intended for them to be captured by the workers.


    The absurd theory started to seem more likely when the spy actually entered Unklian''s estate. Kai pursued her in, easily avoiding the familiar guard patrols. She wasn''t headed to the central buildings, though, instead one of the administrative rooms. It was night by this point, everything lit only by crystal-light, so there wouldn''t be many awake.


    When she finally stopped, Kai had crept so close he was on just the other side of the wall. The spy was meeting with someone who didn''t have any acid cultivation, in fact they either had an absolutely perfect shroud or they weren''t trained at all.


    "Well?" The other person spoke, a man''s voice, quiet and controlled.


    "I saw him and I didn''t like it. Definitely a crystallier."


    "Then we may have lost our allies in New Laeneria. Make preparations to cut our losses."


    Kai stepped into the room and said, "Not exactly." He''d been planning to confidently walk closer, apologize for tracking them, and explain the situation. Instead he found himself staring at the spy and the man she had gone to meet.


    It was Krainuun. Kai hadn''t seen the servant since Romastir and still remembered his servile blubbering. The man was as middle-aged and portly as he remembered, and he still looked like he might offer to polish Kai''s shoes with his tongue at any moment. Except that now, there was a flinty steel in his eyes.


    "Well," Krainuun said in a voice nothing like before, "this is unfortunate."

 Business Week: Books and Covers

    This is the intended cover for the second book. Kai is obvious, the skull represents an ability that hasn''t been seen yet but is the culmination of this book, and this is the first visual representation of Zae Zin Nim.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Higher resolution version available on Patreon.


    Now that this cover is public, I''ve also taken the time to divide the chapters into the separate books according to the official RR divisions. Polls start tomorrow.

 Business Week: Release Schedule Poll

    As mentioned previously, I''ve been releasing one chapter per day but I can''t anymore. The intent is to switch to five chapters per week, so I wanted to ask readers which days they most prefer. Vote for the options that apply to you - note there''s more than just the days of the week in order to get a better impression of the readership overall.


    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    This is also a good time to comment if it matters to you what time of day the story updates. Patreon updates are identical every day, while updates here vary to try to find new readers. I could reconsider this if it''s frustrating for enough readers.

 Business Week: Discord and Announcements

    First, see the above note regarding the new Discord server. I can''t say "by popular demand" but "by demand" is accurate. If you''re one of the people who has been requesting this, feel free to join up to chat about the story.


    You can still add your votes to the previous scheduling poll if you want, but winners in each category seem mostly established. I reserve my right to change the schedule in the future if I want, because the purpose of the poll was just to get a sense for what readers want. Chapters will resume on weekdays next week, meaning very soon. More info on this later, so feel free to keep voting.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

 Chapter 188: Negotiating Underneath Cities

    The female spy tried to run, but Kai caught her wrist gently and pulled her back. Krainuun still hadn''t moved from his position. His position wasn''t fear, it was focused calculation. If the servant had no strength of his own, he would know that running was pointless, so he made no effort.


    "I want to ask ''what the fuck?'' but I guess that''s not the priority." Kai took a deep breath and let go of the spy''s wrist. "My letter was honest. I''m here on behalf of the workers in New Laeneria."


    "You''ve managed to pierce our secrecy with strength," Krainuun said, "but that is hardly a reason to trust you. If you truly want to work together as you said, give me one."


    "Acid cultivation." Kai gestured toward the spy. "I saw it in the acid pits, but it can be used for more than crystal refinement. I think it can be made into an offensive skill, and I have others cultivating it right now. But we can''t win with strength alone, and based on what I''ve seen of your operation, you could use the strength side of things."


    "Hmm. It seems you''ve changed a little since we last met."


    "Me? What about you? If you''re really the Servant of Romastir, why do you debase yourself like that?"


    "Oh please, please, don''t punish me!" For a moment Krainuun was a cringing and pleading wreck, then the performance snapped off a moment later. Even knowing that it was an act, Kai thought the emotion felt real, if excessive. "It''s expedient," Krainuun went on coldly. "Crystalliers will punish lazy servants, and sometimes strike out against those who are too efficient, but someone who is deeply pathetic? Constant fawning is the only way to survive."


    "But you''re managing considerable amounts of power," Kai said. "Couldn''t you build up enough to defend yourself, at least?"


    The female spy shook her head. "It might seem that way to someone as strong as you, but think about us. It takes 150,000 Goralian Eagles to make a crystallier. That''s the crystals alone, so make it 250,000 once you consider training and other resources. All that would just make us into targets: it''s easier to avoid attention."


    "More like 175,000 Eagles at base now," Krainuun said mildly, "since the gold to crystal ratio keeps increasing. But yes, the time and cost required to create even a mediocre crystallier are prohibitive."


    Since it looked like things wouldn''t end in violence or chase, Kai moved into the room and found a seat. After a while, the female spy sat down near the far wall, as if still not sure what to think of him. Krainuun didn''t move except for his eyes, always tracking dispassionately. Time to make his case.


    "That''s true for someone with no training," Kai said, "but the workers in the mines have spent their entire lives building up their Physique. If you invest that much in them, the result would be formidable."


    "So that''s what you have in mind?" Krainuun slowly laced his hands over his belly. "You don''t think you can change Krysal by strength of arms alone?"


    "No, that''s why I''m here."


    Finally Krainuun''s mask broke and he smiled, very slightly. "Very well, let''s talk. When I acted as your servant, I saw that you weren''t like the Krysali, but I''ve seen too many seduced by luxury. And too many more who thought of themselves as different, as compassionate, but who chose their own interests when it was time to give up anything."


    In clipped, emotionless terms Krainuun described his situation. As a child he''d had relatives fall behind on debts and be sent away to the mines. He''d first blamed them and worked hard to become a skilled servant, then as he grew older started to think of the whole system as a trap. So he had become the Servant of Romastir, working behind the scenes at first to sneak messages to and from the nearby mines, then to arm revolutionaries.


    Now that he had a better picture of the situation, Kai understood why Krainuun would remain in his position. While serving under Lord Unklian, Krainuun had access to the mercantile heart of Romastir. He could reveal secrets, embezzle funds, and monitor all crystallier activity across Krysal.


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    For his part, Kai told a brief version of what he''d experienced. He didn''t try to emphasize that he''d been forced into the mines, just focused on the assets they''d built up. Eventually the spy left, while Krainuun remained and asked pointed questions. Not about specific locations or secrets - he seemed to want to know exactly what they had to work with.


    "It sounds like you''re already operating on the assumption that we''re working together," Kai said.


    "I assume that you will be charging forward, and it would be foolish not to account for that." Krainuun finally unlaced his hands and shifted forward in his chair. "You have a stronger understanding of the problem than I thought. Normally I''d worry that you planned to go fight the strongest crystalliers you could find and hope that solves everything."


    "Obviously it wouldn''t, but I admit I don''t see an easy path to a fully free Krysal."


    "A fully free Krysal? Why don''t we start a little less ambitious and consider which of the next potential steps won''t ruin us?"


    "Well, you know the resources we''re bringing. We could do anything up to Omilaena attacking the city and officially conquering it, but I assume that would provoke too much of a reaction."


    "Better to cause chaos and uncertainty, I think." Krainuun regarded him thoughtfully. "You will no doubt be analyzing this conflict in terms of power, but I''m evaluating it in terms of coin. Consider this: during times of peace, crystalliers are actually liabilities, wasting resources on debauchery and potentially even destroying them in their feuds. But if the merchants and nobles realize they are truly threatened, they will begin investing in them, and their strength will grow rapidly."


    "Yeah, I''ve been assuming we''d need to fight them stronger than this."


    "That''s where the gold to crystal ratio becomes relevant. No one merchant is powerful enough to seize all the resources for themselves, and that ratio actually reflects material reality. Currently it stands at 36 Goralian Eagles to one qi crystal. If that number were to decrease, it would mean more crystals in the hands of your enemies when they begin putting their fortunes toward war."


    "Huh." Kai hadn''t thought about it that way, but the principle was simple enough. "What can we do to increase the ratio?"


    "Loss of mines is the most obvious, but such blunt methods will immediately draw a response. I suggest slowdowns, within normal ranges but across the nation." Krainuun gave a thin smile, entirely different from anything he''d displayed before. "The disappearing crystals could even go to your new worker cultivators, so their loss is our gain."


    Krainuun outlined a plan that would apply to the mines he controlled, which wasn''t many at the moment but would still have an effect. Kai only worried about the details enough to understand the war and communicate the right plans to Nirka and the others. Important as the mercantile details might be, he knew where it would all end.


    "So we have Omilaena take down the crystalliers," Krainuun concluded, "but not conquer the city. I can agree with this plan. The merchants will take thousands of crystals out of circulation trying to restore their losses, and in the chaos I will be able to extend my reach."


    "We''ll avoid doing anything that extreme near Yulthens," Kai agreed, "at least until later. But that means being low on resources... are there any chances you can get us moonmelt pills? There aren''t really any coming out of the acid pits of New Laeneria, given what happened in their uprising."


    "I can begin embezzling them easily enough. But shipping them across the nation is too risky, given the number of checks involved. You could take some, but the rest should go to New Laeneria. I could also see about getting them to reopen their mines and pits under more humane conditions."


    "Do you think they actually will?"


    "If they believe they are facing a war for their freedom, some will." Krainuun nodded as if to himself. "This is a workable plan. There are hundreds of other details, not least finding a way to smuggle more supplies to your allies near Yulthens, but such details are why you came to me. Is there anything else to discuss, or should you begin your plans against the crystalliers?"


    "There''s one more thing." Kai didn''t want to act like an arrogant crystallier, but there was no way around it. "Who are the most powerful assets you have on the table? Anyone who could take on the Diamond Crystalliers in Yulthens?"


    "Admittedly, we are lacking in direct strength. That is why I have always worked in the shadows."


    "Then you''re looking right at a critical asset." Kai managed to get the line out smoothly and met the other man''s gaze without blinking. "Eventually the conflict will heat up, merchants will figure it out, or things will just go wrong. When that happens, you''re going to need me and the woman I was with before at our strongest."


    "And what do you suggest?"


    "Invest in us, the way the merchants will invest in their crystalliers. You know better than I do what can be taken from the nobles in this city."


    "You certainly could not use it worse than they have." Krainuun regarded him coolly. "I can find resources for the cultivator, but what about you? Crystals, weapons, Goralian potions?"


    "No," Kai said with a grin, "find me monsters."

 Chapter 189: Through Eyes of Poison

    Omilaena believed that most things in life required quick action. Seizing what you wanted, killing those in your path, rushing into danger. Technically other things required waiting, but she was better at slow experimentation and training than pure waiting. Sitting outside the city as if she couldn''t just fight her way in had been incredibly dull.


    Now, walking toward Mercantile Center with the other two, it felt worth the wait.


    Despite everything, she had a feeling they were the ones. Some barbarian from a Deadwaste backwater and a cultivator still in the early stages of a sect path. Many of her old rivals would have laughed at her, but they''d have been wrong. She needed to find people who had stumbled and gotten back to their feet to climb the mountain, not warriors who had drifted on winds of privilege and fortune.


    "Give them a chance," Kai said as they walked up the staircase to the Crystallier Headquarters. "I admit it''s not likely, but we should at least try to talk."


    "What are you going to do," Zae Zin Nim asked, "give them a lecture on economics and hope they decide to throw away everything and become peasants?"


    "Don''t insult the idea of negotiation with the most ridiculous version of it. They''re not villains, just superficial people who bought more power than they can handle."


    "Then we should treat them that way: sweep them aside and get on with everything."


    Kai, Kai, Kai... Omilaena smiled from her position behind them. Idealistic and a bit naive, but she liked that he didn''t let his guard down. He would absolutely give his opponents chances that he shouldn''t have, but he would be ready when the inevitable happened. It was that open-mindedness that had made him reconsider her, after all, so she couldn''t be too critical.


    They reached the top of the staircase and immediately saw one of their targets. Norgoan, the number one ranked crystallier in the city and no one of particular consequence. Unlike the absolute fools, he began building up crystal armor around his body the instant he saw them.


    "What are you doing back here?" he demanded. "You''re not welcome in Romastir."


    "The situation has changed," Kai told him, speaking to everyone in the plaza as if he could sway them. "Have you seen the way cities in the east are falling? You won''t be ready for the next monster incursion unless you get ready..."


    It might have worked, if there wasn''t another crystallier moving in the trees beside them. Omilaena didn''t turn her head, wondering if the others saw her. A young woman hovering on crystals, preparing a knife for a lethal blow. Naellia, the fourth ranked crystallier in the city - Omilaena''s research suggested she was basically a dilettante, but she''d purchased a much more powerful knife than records indicated. Or had someone buy it for her.


    Omilaena watched with mild interest as the woman burst from her hiding position. Kai''s reaction time was good, so even if he was taken off guard, he could twist and attack. He shifted immediately, not surprised at the attack, just disappointed.


    His companion was faster. "Hanelay" was clearly a sect-born cultivator with excellent training, refined by her new experiences on Deadwaste. She had not only been expecting an attack, she eagerly anticipated it and reacted with lethal intent. At the very last moment she shifted her palm strike to a non-lethal target and then flipped the crystallier to the ground to pin her in place.


    Generally Omilaena didn''t care for cultivators, but this one had grown on her. In her experience cultivators had no morals whatsoever except the law of power, which she could respect - what made them irritating was that so many of them would preach about their virtue while displaying a complete double standard. Hanelay didn''t pretend to be anything except self-interested, and she begrudgingly accepted that the usual "qi blast everyone in their family" strategy wasn''t always best.


    For a moment things hung on the edge. Norgoan was still finishing his armor, while Naellia was pinned to the ground. Kai turned back to them and sighed.


    "Alright, do what you''ve been wanting to do from the beginning."


    While Kai''s back was turned, Norgoan unleashed a beam of concentrated qi from his armor. But the thing about double-crossers was that they could be painfully predictable, and Kai had learned that lesson at least. He anticipated the attack completely and spun under it, nearing his opponent and then rising in an uppercut that knocked him into the air, crystal armor and all.


    Two other crystalliers - ranked sixth and eighth - had closed on the location and joined the battle. Technically Omilaena should have been helping, since this was all supposed to be her doing, but she found herself watching the pair instead.


    They really did work together beautifully. Always aware of the other''s position, shielding the other''s blind spots without relying on them, even coordinating attacks at times. Amateurs would try to stay back to back all the time or run around in unison, which simply couldn''t work in a high level battle, but they parted and returned smoothly as they fought.


    It was actually a shame they weren''t a couple. Omilaena licked her lips as she imagined what they would look like together. Just one of Kai''s hands could probably wrap around half the cultivator''s thigh, despite the short woman having a lot more curves than it looked like. She would be absolutely adorable, too, probably very vulnerable if someone could just get through her shell...


    "Die, Maneater!" A crystallier ran at her, swinging massive crystalline gauntlets.


    "Nah." Omilaena hit him in the neck with a needle and stepped aside as he slumped to the ground.


    Now that her little fantasy had been interrupted, Omilaena decided to actually contribute something. There was a young man standing on the highest level of the Crystallier Headquarters, holding a crystal bow. Ailag, the third ranked crystallier in the city, though she hadn''t known he used a bow. Maybe a new toy. He was gathering a lot of qi into a single arrow, and his attempt at a surprise attack would probably not be effective, but she might as well take care of it.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Omilaena leapt up to the top floor, just in front of his position. Startled, he let go of his arrow, but she snatched it out of the air and tossed it aside. "Hi there."


    "You''re th-the one from New Laeneria." Ailag should have been running or getting another arrow, but instead he stared at her. Very predictably, too: lips, tits, hips, legs.


    "And your city will be mine next." Omilaena lunged forward, sweeping his bow aside and pinning him to the wall with her body. "But I need a toy to warm my bed, and that old man is so boring... whoops, looks like Kai took care of him. Can you keep me entertained?"


    "You won''t kill me?"


    "Not if you - mmm - perform well enough. What do you say?"


    "I..." Ailag''s gaze shifted exactly where she expected. "I''ll show you what I''m made of. You won''t-"


    His lust turned into a stupor as she stabbed his neck with a needle. Omilaena turned away, absentmindedly letting his body fall. She''d lost her taste for those sorts of games, especially after finding the pair below. It just left her more frustrated, but she could find relief after they wrapped things up.


    "If we started this, we need to take them all out," Kai was saying in the plaza.


    "I sense the others nearby or in the arena," his companion said. "We can take them all out."


    "Be alert for Ailag. He has some sort of vendetta against me, so-"


    "I got him!" Omilaena jumped down at the perfect moment and gave them a little wave. "He had a bow or something, but not anymore. Are we ready to finish this?"


    They advanced into the Crystallier Headquarters, where everyone remaining either surrendered or was very swiftly put down. That was easier for the cultivator than Kai, who seemed to specialize in raw destructive power, but Omilaena was there to put everyone to sleep. They basically strolled through until they reached the private arena, where their last opponents waited.


    "So it''s come to this." Uarania, the second ranked crystallier in the city, stood ready for them. She might have looked like a sad old woman, but she had remarkably powerful crystal bangles on her arms.


    "You didn''t think you could beat me before," Hanelay said, "do you think that''s changed?"


    "You''re powerful, girl, but you don''t understand the strength of Krysal."


    Several fighters leapt from the sides and Omilaena wondered if they were metaphorically the strength of Krysal. If so, it definitely wouldn''t be enough. She decided to stay back and just admire their fighting a little longer.


    Too many powerful warriors she''d known performed poorly in easy fights, at least by her judgment. They took pleasure in slapping down weaker opponents, as if real strength was shown in annihilating someone who never had a chance against you. But her new favorite duo always fought efficiently, as if even this battle was a chance to refine their skills.


    Only Uarania was able to stand against them briefly, since her bangles emitted great bursts of power. Eventually Kai got closer and swept his hands together, extending energy that consumed her attack wholesale. What was interesting was that he didn''t need to move his hands like that, and she thought it was a feint, not a physical tic. Like he was hiding something, though she wasn''t sure what.


    In her time, Omilaena had seen many powers and she''d been able to match them all to the seven-pointed pattern she''d seen in the alien ship. Kai''s abilities could have been functionally imitated by other arts, but the source was different, the first time in her entire life that she''d seen something she couldn''t categorize.


    Oh, she was going to figure him out one day.


    Eventually they had all nine crystalliers defeated and sedated, completing their capture of the city. If only it was so easy to take out Yulthens, they could have swept through all of Krysal. That was exactly the reason that people from Rosemount and Cloudspire didn''t take this continent seriously... and, if her theory was correct, there were forces in the world that could do the same to all of them.


    The thought ruined her mood, as it always did. Omilaena behaved purely professionally as they dealt with all the other matters and officially seized the Crystallier Headquarters. She made sure to spend some time on the roof, laughing and yelling about how she was going to have fun with her new toys. You know, the usual, get the nobles riled up and the men all hot and bothered. Her heart wasn''t in it anymore.


    When she returned to their hiding spot lower in the city, the others were meeting with that little man, Krainuun. He actually seemed like one of the sharpest people she''d met in Krysal and she wished she''d figured out his identity earlier. Instead of trying to step away from her, as if it would do any good, he remained calm.


    "We''ll officially surrender to you," he said, "but then you''ll leave with your captives. I won''t have any information and we''ll let the merchants funding the Crystallier Headquarters make an official statement."


    "Works for me." Omilaena spun a needle around her fingers even though she wasn''t sure who she was trying to impress. Just looking for the old spark, probably.


    "What happens to the mines and pits now?" Kai asked. Of course he did.


    "Defenses will be increased," Krainuun said, "but without crystalliers, that will mean soldiers. I will lead that effort, and we''ll begin easing the suffering of the workers. We can justify it as a precaution given the recent attack. With enough time, we should be able to take control of them."


    "Wouldn''t everyone in the city notice?"


    "Of course we can''t equal the minimum prices of slave labor, but the merchants will be causing massive inflation trying to replace their crystalliers anyway. No one should notice, hopefully until it''s too late."


    Omilaena stepped in with a smile. "If they get too suspicious, I can always cause some more trouble and throw them off the trail."


    Kai smiled, his little cultivator frowned, and Krainuun cast her a cool glance. Regardless, she thought the plan would work smoothly enough. Everyone would be desperately grateful that Romastir had managed to survive the attack. Some might look toward her as a threat, but more would wonder if they couldn''t take over the undefended city and all its juicy trade.


    "The two of you need to leave as soon as possible to avoid revealing the lie," Krainuun said. "I did my best to fulfill your request - for the sake of the war this time, not as a service. Kai, these papers are everything I could gather on the most powerful known monsters in Krysal."


    While Kai looked over the papers with a gleam in his eyes, Krainuun turned to the other woman and handed her a wooden box. Omilaena caught just a glimpse of his false servility in the motion, the well-worn pattern of a subservient bow.


    "Hanelay, these are one of the most powerful defenses that the crystalliers had purchased in preparation for a war. I hope that they will be compatible with your cultivation. In theory, they are supposed to resist the power of weapons with external qi. You may have little need for them, but if Suortril or anyone else has purchased artifacts, they may be of use."


    "They will do." Hanelay opened the box to reveal a crystal bracelet, which she experimentally wrapped around her wrist. Not really her style, Omilaena thought, but you couldn''t always find powerful magical artifacts in your color.


    "What about me?" she asked with a fake simper. "Don''t I get a gift too?"


    Krainuun displayed absolutely no reaction, not even when she gave a flirty wink. Kai just stepped in between them and waved her off. "You get all nine crystalliers from Romastir. At market rates, that''s a lot more than anything we got. I suppose you''re going to torture them?"


    "Oh, they''re mostly redundant, so there''s no need for that. I can''t promise it will be particularly comfortable, though."


    And just like that, it was done. Not so different from how she had taken over New Laeneria, except that it had been faster and she''d had eye candy to watch. Omilaena was going to be disappointed when they split up, but the other two were still suspicious of her, especially when it came to the locations of their precious workers. If they followed the plan, she''d return home with the crystalliers and eventually meet up with them outside Yulthens.


    They were already leaving, on to their next challenge. She watched them go... Kai''s pants seemed to have tightened in the battle, revealing his nice butt, and when his companion was in a good mood she swayed her hips a little more than intended.


    Oh, she was definitely going to catch up with them.

 Chapter 190: Jealousy in the Mines

    The battle for Romastir had been easy, which actually left Zae Zin Nim strangely unsatisfied. There were opponents out there as far above her as she was above the weak crystalliers, and she needed to work to be ready for them. Kai seemed to feel the same, so they cultivated and trained aggressively as they flew back toward Yulthens.


    Before they actually entered the city, however, they needed to stop at the mines. It was her first visit and she was frankly repulsed, even after being prepared by Kai''s descriptions. These people literally lived in filth in a hole in the ground, eating disgusting food that was apparently an improvement on what they''d been eating before.


    And yet these were peasants she couldn''t blame for their position. It made her think about all the other peasants she''d dismissed in her life, and just how similar they might be.


    Clearly Kai was returning to friends, since he seemed to develop bonds wherever he went. Zae Zin Nim kept her distance and regarded them skeptically. Some of them were comparable to crystalliers, especially once past the 99 Power barrier and developing some cultivation. That didn''t mean she wanted anything to do with them, particularly the one named Maggle who kept making jokes. The strongest among them was clearly an old man named Kraetius, who struck her as someone whose cultivation had been broken and, despite all his training, had never really recovered.


    And Nirka... Nirka was the one who really got under her skin.


    Even though Zae Zin Nim wasn''t particularly experienced, it was obvious that this woman and Kai were in a relationship by the way they greeted one another. It galled her, more than she expected and perhaps more than it had a right to. What did it matter if she cared about Kai? She''d never made any kind of proposal and he had the right to do what he wanted.


    None of that helped, especially at night when she realized they slept together. Just what did he see in a woman like that? Even pettier, Nirka barely looked at Zae Zin Nim except to notice her scars. Like she wasn''t a threat or a rival, not even a concern.


    And perhaps she wasn''t. Zae Zin Nim had believed that she could wait until she reached the next stage and restored her former beauty, then ask Kai for something more. He had never philandered or ran around, so she''d thought she had time, and yet... and a woman like that!


    Zae Zin Nim glowered at the peasant woman and examined her soul again.


    <


    Name: Nirka of N District


    Total Power: 122


    Crystal Cultivation: 120 (11)


    Physique Level: E-5 (95)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    All she had was 122 Power, drawing from pathetically low amounts of crystals and a Physique that she had gained just by working in the mines. What could he see in her?


    Such jealous thoughts left Zae Zin Nim ashamed of herself. One of the reasons she cared about Kai was that he wasn''t looking for some dual cultivation bride to fight his battles for him or to enhance his advancement. He definitely didn''t collect women like trophies. So apparently the two must love one another in a way she didn''t see. Perhaps it was the struggling to build up from nothing.


    The crystal bracelet around her wrist almost burned more. Kai had given it to her without a duplicitous thought in his head, certainly not intending to lead her on. It was actually a thoughtful gift, useful in the coming conflict if not something she would keep forever, and more valuable than anything he''d given that worker girl. And yet the fact that he gave it platonically, thought of her as just an ally...


    She took a deep breath. Pushed the thoughts away. Petty jealousy was beneath her - she was a cultivator, not a lovesick girl.


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    An old woman the others called Nanny Troggup understood that she wanted to be alone and helped her find a cavern that was little-traveled. As Zae Zin Nim sat there and meditated, she returned to a semblance of peace. The crystal mines weren''t a bad place to cultivate. They were no sacred qi cave, but they were cool and quiet, and the sparse qi emanating from the walls helped her to focus.


    For the most part she had nothing to do, because she didn''t have an essential role until they reached the acid pits. But the change that rolled through the mines was impossible to ignore.


    Their arrival basically meant a wave of gifts, or rather, military resources. Aside from the potions and pills, Kai refilled the acid pits that allowed them to keep refining their own crystals. Even the food they''d smuggled in was military, because it helped the better-fed peasants get more benefit from Kai''s Physique exercises.


    Of course, by far the most valuable resource they brought was moonmelt pills. They only had ten in total, but that meant ten new crystallier-level workers. It didn''t take much, given how mid-E rank Physique already took a person close to that level. The new rush of power motivated all the others to work harder to earn the next pills, and others who had thought it was futile started training again.


    By Zae Zin Nim''s judgment, they should all care less about their Power rating and more about correcting their Physique. All their work with unrefined crystal ore left them vulnerable to cultivation of it, with plenty of strength but no durability. It was a bit like trying to cultivate with an improper base.


    Overall there was no denying that the mines had shifted from a bunch of laborers to a small army. And, while evaluating their strength, Zae Zin Nim realized what was really bothering her.


    The fact that Kai was basically arming the peasants for rebellion had been obvious from the beginning, and because she didn''t care about Krysal, she hadn''t been concerned. But the fact that he was giving away all his secrets, including his own Physique training, had gotten under her skin without her realizing it. He was doing the exact opposite of all the sects who hoarded their secrets, creating the very force they feared.


    Not solely because he wanted to help, but because he wasn''t threatened. Some of the fearsome sects in her memory began to seem smaller and less imposing. If their sacred cultivation techniques could be taken so easily, were they anything more than gimmicks?


    Her power had to be more than that. Zae Zin Nim continued her mixed training program, mixing cultivation with Physique and Class training. In the end, she was pleased with her results:


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 415


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 27% (260)


    Coldfire Corona: 31 (41)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-3 (89)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    She had more than 400 Power, putting her in the same range as the Diamond Crystalliers. Maybe not enough to defeat Ren Ziq Quen and his Transcendent Divine Body, but much closer. And yet it wasn''t enough to turn Kai''s head, or maybe gain anyone''s interest, or maybe she was being a foolish girl when she should have focused solely on her own growth...


    Zae Zin Nim cultivated with that uncomfortable thought until they finished their training in the mines and continued on to Yulthens. Unfortunately, they didn''t go alone: a decent number of workers left with them, all with various assignments. There were two other crystal mines in the region that needed to be liberated to increase their forces, after all. As far as she was concerned, Maggle''s purpose was to annoy her and Nirka''s purpose was to make her miserable.


    Their arrival in Yulthens was everything she had expected, in the worst way. Nirka gawked at everything and would have blown their cover if anyone had any sense. At least there was a real anger in her - a rage that wanted to tear down everything that had been built on top of her.


    Zae Zin Nim could respect that, even if it didn''t make things any easier.


    Once they returned to Orillia''s estate, Zae Zin Nim had a direct role to play in arming the peasants. She finally met the boy named Gundle, and was surprised to see that Kai hadn''t overstated the boy''s ability. He had an easy facility with qi that only appeared in a gifted few, except that it had been developed in toxic acid pits. She wondered if he would have been stronger if he had been raised in an ideal environment, or if that would have hindered what made him unique.


    The only negative point was that the child had tactlessly asked her about all her scars. Where she would once have punished him, she just said that she had been cut in battle, which made the boy''s eyes widen. He seemed so impressed that she was charmed despite herself. To a child the scars weren''t marring her beauty, they were just funny lines.


    In any case, their task was to develop the instinctual acid cultivation found in the pits into a combat ability. Her initial stance was skepticism, but anything was a weapon to an unarmed man, and acid did have intrinsic offensive power.


    She had expected to resent spending her time on it, and to her surprise came to enjoy it. Working on such a radically different power led her to reconsider her own and deepen her own cultivation. The ability wasn''t entirely pure qi, since it found its form within another substance, but that didn''t necessarily make it weak. There were lessons for her to learn as she tried to improve her Coldfire Corona.


    Two weeks doing nothing but training and working on her cultivation should have been ideal. There was nothing she needed more than that power. And yet, for the first time in her life, Zae Zin Nim wondered if that was really true.

 Chapter 191: One Month of Hunting

    As much as Kai enjoyed spending time with the others, he was glad to go out and fight monsters on his own again. Krainuun had more than come through, providing him a list of the most dangerous beasts anywhere in Krysal. Even if some had proved to be rumors or underwhelming, in two weeks he had made more progress with monstrous powers than he had in the past months.


    His first hunt had been perhaps the most interesting: a monster called a Direurchin that preyed along the western coast. It was covered in massive spikes that resisted qi and threatened any physical attack, so he understood why it would cause so much trouble. Those spikes hadn''t been enough to stop him from chewing his way through, and aside from the unpleasant taste he''d been unharmed. The ability couldn''t make him grow spikes, but he remained convinced that it could be used for defensive purposes.


    Next he had tracked down a roaming monster called a Lizarkyl, which had actually been a great fight. He was disappointed that the best essence he could derive from it was an ability called Lizarkyl''s Tail. It dealt a heavy impacting blow, but the problem was that using it required swinging his hips. There seemed to be no way to perform the technique without looking really stupid, and he certainly wasn''t going to replace a current technique with it.


    The third best find was another aquatic monster, though surprisingly in a central lake instead of the coast. It had been a fast beast called a Sahagin that hadn''t been too difficult to kill, but its essence had resolved into a skill called Sahagin''s Lungs. Learning to use it had been harder than the fight, and afterward it seemed to allow him to breathe underwater.


    All these were reasonably strong abilities that he hoped to fuse into others eventually, just not game changers. But he had been working his way up the list, feeding the weaker essences to stronger monsters within him, so the remaining two were his best bets.


    In the southern reaches of Krysal he found a crystal mine that had been entirely abandoned by the local city states due to the threat of the monster within. Allegedly it was called a Shadow of Death and little else was known about it. When Kai stood beside the mine entrance and saw the entire place cloaked in darkness, with shadows rising into the air like mist, he knew that was one hunt to leave for later. Not even Diamond Crystalliers had made an attempt, they''d just written off the entire mine. This one even the Frontier elite had warned him about.


    By contrast, the final monster had the highest kill count of any on the list. Some creature called a Myogenecon had apparently infested a region of bluffs in central Krysal after the previous incursion. It had killed a band of hunters sent after it, so crystalliers had been dispatched... and they had fallen as well. All told, more than two dozen crystalliers had died trying to kill it over the past eight years, more lured by the idea of winning glory by ending the legendary monster.


    They hadn''t bothered to keep track of the number of others killed by it.


    He''d stopped by the nearest city state to gather information, but it wasn''t very productive. All anyone could tell him was that the Myogenecon was tough, fast, and unbelievably strong. That didn''t suggest that much could be done to prepare.


    As he headed out to the bluffs, Kai looked over his soul, feeling that he was as prepared as he could be.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 243


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 9% (103)


    Physique Level: E-8 (104)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Monstrous Hunger - VIII (theta)


    Behemoth''s Heart - V (epsilon)


    Direboar''s Strength - VI (zeta)


    Isulfr''s Bite - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - V (epsilon)


    Acidic Lance - III (gamma)


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    -


    Infernotoad''s Burst - IV (delta)


    Void Gaze - II (beta)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - II (beta)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - II (beta)


    Sahagin''s Lungs - II (beta)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Beastbat''s Wing - I (alpha)


    Crystal Slime - I (alpha)


    Acidspitter''s Jet - I (alpha)


    >


    He was confident in his core monstrous power, which had increased while he feasted after his hunts. For now he decided to use Acidic Lance over his other abilities, since a long range skill might be useful against a monster that was merely tough. Aside from Infernotoad''s Burst, it was his most powerful secondary ability and he wanted to see how far it could grow.


    The region of bluffs was larger than he expected, so he expected to have to hunt the monster down. But he''d barely been walking for an hour when it came howling down from the trees of a nearby bluff, rushing directly toward him.


    <


    Monster: Myogenecon


    Threat: VII (Eta)


    >


    It looked like the skeleton of some sort of ape, the bones thick and stained with red. They were held together by bands of dark muscle that crossed the body in a mad patchwork. He didn''t see how they could work, but it was rushing him on all fours at great speed and it was rated as an Eta-rank threat, so he planned to take it seriously.


    Before it could arrive, Kai unleashed an Acidic Lance and struck the monster in the shoulder. To his surprise, it only stumbled briefly and kept coming, as if it didn''t care about the burning muscle tissue. In a flash it was on top of him, roaring and swinging.


    He saw the blow coming a mile away and blocked it with his forearm... and was thrown backward. Kai barely landed on his feet, his arm burning with pain. If there had been more time he would have wrung it out, but the Myogenecon was already coming after him again.


    This time he met it with a Tyrant''s Claw. That definitely stopped it for a moment, tearing deep gashes through the muscle. But they didn''t bleed, and the bones didn''t fall apart, and the monster just kept coming. For a second Kai thought he saw something shifting, but there was no time, it was on top of him again, pummeling with both fists.


    More prepared for its ferocity, Kai managed to slip around one blow and grab the monster''s arm. He''d planned to try to throw it to the ground, but the Myogenecon was faster: the other arm reached out to grab one of his. For a moment they strained, Direboar''s Strength giving everything it had, then Kai let out a cry of pain as his arm snapped.


    With his good arm he drove a Tyrant''s Claw directly into the heart of the monster. He followed up with Isulfr''s Bite, getting a mouthful of flesh and bone.


    And then his own teeth, as the Myogenecon punched him with bone-crunching force.


    As Kai tumbled back over the side of the bluff, he realized that this wasn''t going to be like the previous fights.


    .


    ..


    .


    In the end, he retreated.


    That was the more respectable way of saying that he ran. Kai had hunted many monsters, always finding a way to pull out a victory, but he realized that he couldn''t this time. Even getting away from the Myogenecon had been a challenge, since it pursued him aggressively and seemed to have a keen sense of smell despite having no nostrils on its face.


    Once he got to a safe place, he took a while to catch his breath and assess the situation. His arm was definitely broken and hurt to move, there were bruises from the blows, and he''d lost a lot of teeth. He couldn''t taste anything but blood, his own and the monster''s merging together.


    Behemoth''s Heart was pounding in his chest, struggling to regenerate the serious injuries. Kai let it continue working while his mind fought off fear to find a solution. How was he going to kill this thing?


    .


    ..


    .


    Since acid had been so ineffective, Kai switched to Infernotoad''s Burst, hoping that it would burn away the bones. He tried to keep his distance this time, hammering the Myogenecon with flaming stones when he could, then knocking it back with Tyrant''s Claw when it closed in.


    The strategy almost seemed to work, since its muscles were growing more blackened and he avoided injury. But the flaming stones came out slower and slower as his stamina wore out, while the Myogenecon seemed tireless. At first he thought that he was making progress, since he didn''t see any regeneration. Then he realized that it was growing new muscles, right over the top of the ones he''d burned.


    A single moment of distraction was enough for it to reach him, and once again he was under assault by the endless blows. Even when he stretched himself to his limits, drawing on his full strength, the monster hit harder. He cracked his head going over the side of a cliff, and when his vision wouldn''t stop swimming, he retreated into the forest.


    He told himself it was a calculated retreat, but it hunted him even more viciously than the first time and he barely made it out alive.


    .


    ..


    .


    For several days Kai kept his distance, partially to make sure his skull injury had recovered and partially to train. He''d pushed himself so hard going toe-to-toe with the Myogenecon that he was sure he was close. Soon enough he managed to reach Physique Level E-9 and felt his power grow.


    But it wouldn''t be enough. And D rank was apparently decades away.


    That evening Kai sat in his hiding spot, eating the last of the rations he''d brought and wondering if he was truly in over his depth. He definitely could have beaten it working together with Zae Zin Nim or others, and there was no shame in that. It was his plan for the Shadow of Death, after all. But it was rare that he could fight a monster this brutally and he didn''t want to just leave.


    Abruptly he realized that he was chewing on the wrong side of his mouth, yet it didn''t hurt. He reached in and realized that he had regrown the teeth he lost in the first battle. The ones that grew in were a little sharper than they should have been.


    No, he wouldn''t give up. Not yet.

 Chapter 192: Against the Myogenecon

    For his next attempt at the Myogenecon, Kai took a little longer to prepare. If brute force wouldn''t work, he would return to his roots as a hunter. He sneaked to the other side of the bluffs and set up a number of stake pits and tripwires. Those wouldn''t be enough, of course, but he planned a more sustained offensive.


    He sought the Acidlance Queen within him, then fed it the Acidspitter essence. That raised its power by a rank, and after some progress he could spit straight through the trunk of a tree.


    When he lured the Myogenecon to his traps, he was careful not to reveal any of his plan, just harrying it with ranged qi. He didn''t need to have bothered, because it just kept charging at him. It plunged straight into the largest of his pit traps, impaling itself multiple times on the stakes.


    And then it kept thrashing, empty eyes staring at him in blind range, or perhaps hunger.


    Kai spat one jet of acid, then another. It tore up one of the stakes with one hand and hurled it at him, very nearly connecting. He kept darting around the sides of the pit, covering the monster in more and more acid. Bones were beginning to come apart now as the acid ate away at the monster, he could almost see it falling apart...


    Suddenly the Myogenecon grabbed its own arm, tore it off, and struck Kai across the face with the surprisingly long range. His skull made another unpleasant cracking sound and he went down. For several seconds his mind was on fire, then it coalesced into a powerful heartbeat reverberating through him.


    If not for his trap, he would have died. Unfortunately, it wasn''t holding: the Myogenecon roared and new muscles began spreading over its bones. Not just restoring it, building it larger and stronger.


    This was the closest he had been. Kai let out a cry of rage and swung another Tyrant''s Claw, almost severing another bone. For several seconds he didn''t give ground, taking the punishing blows, pushing through the pain, and hitting back. They tore into one another and he almost tricked himself into believing it was an equal fight.


    But then the Myogenecon roared back and began to swing, its blows even more ferocious than before. When it tore apart the last stakes, he retreated again.


    .


    ..


    .


    With all his other techniques proving ineffective, Kai returned to Void Gaze. He''d grown more comfortable with it, even though he hadn''t been able to use it extensively. Since he didn''t want to risk testing such a spiritual ability against a lethal opponent, he first tested with stones and branches.


    Soon he could consistently freeze them in the air, keeping them in place so long as he kept his eyes locked. While he had Void Gaze active, he didn''t seem to need to blink. He could feel something in his eyes changing, but decided not to go near any of the pools to look. Its appearance didn''t matter, only its effect.


    When he next confronted the Myogenecon he watched it charge him and waited until a safe distance to activate Void Gaze. The monster stopped cold, its empty skull eyes managing to convey shock, and then let out a roar. His Tyrant''s Claw slashed straight across its chest and sent it tumbling backward.


    He refused to let up, freezing it on the ground before it could rise and then bringing a Tyrant''s Claw down overhead. The monster roared and managed to twist free as his eyes burned.


    It chased him up one of the hills and Kai retreated until he could freeze it again, then he struck at one arm repeatedly until he severed it. This time the monster didn''t try to use it as a weapon, just kept charging after him.


    By the time they reached the top of the hill, the Myogenecon was looking ragged. It still struck with ferocious strength, but it was coming apart. He realized that if he pinned it down and used Isulfr''s Bite, he could probably consume its essence. That would definitely be the safe decision, given how close it had come to killing him.


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    But he needed to do more than just win. Against his better judgment, Kai knocked the Myogenecon over the side of the bluff.


    .


    ..


    .


    Several days later, when the Myogenecon had recovered, Kai tried to fight it without Void Gaze and got a painful reminder just how strong it was. But he retreated and tried again, then again. Now that he had a fallback, he didn''t need to choose the most desperate tactics. It might have been his imagination, but the monster didn''t seem to be pursuing him as aggressively as before.


    Since he had run out of rations, Kai survived by taking bites out of the Myogenecon. The unnatural muscle tasted horrible, but they kept him moving. Sometimes it felt like he was running on pure hunger, not any natural laws at all.


    He chased after breakthroughs, either in his Physique or his monstrous abilities. Several of his monstrous powers grew, but Physique remained locked at E-9, no matter how many times he tried to strain against the Myogenecon''s raw strength.


    Then, to his surprise, his Soul Level came through for him. He couldn''t put his finger on the exact difference, not like cultivation or monstrous talents, yet when he shifted from Level 6 to Level 7 he could feel a difference. As if his body and soul were knitted together more closely, or as if the combat instincts that kept him alive had ingrained themselves deeper into his being.


    When he finally beat the Myogenecon, it wasn''t because of any other grand breakthroughs or brilliant strategies. It was everything. All the incremental improvements slowly added up, taking him from being overwhelmed by the monster to staying ahead of it. And once he started being able to fight it to a standstill, he could leverage his advantages and finally leave it broken in front of him.


    Just to make sure it wasn''t a fluke, he retreated and trained for several days. The next time the Myogenecon was more cautious and fought smarter, but Kai had been learning its tendencies. Once again, he brought it down and tore it apart with Tyrant''s Claws.


    The third time he allowed himself to brawl a little more, exchanging blow for blow instead of using his full skill and ability. He still had broken bones and bruises from the fight, but his opponent fell apart first. Kai retreated and let himself heal up, focusing on Behemoth''s Heart. Several more of his teeth had been lost, but they were already coming back in sharp.


    When he approached the fourth time, the Myogenecon ran from him.


    Kai chased it through the bluffs, and this time, when he brought it down, he let his mouth open wide and consume the monster''s essence. Immediately he felt the raw power course through him and actually laughed at the feeling. He kept eating until there was nothing left.


    Now that the battle was finally over, Kai sat down to figure out what came next. The new essence was obvious within him: Myogenecon''s Strength. That couldn''t be more redundant with Direboar''s Strength than if he''d tried to copy it. Clearly he needed to make a decision, the question was how this unknown monstrous path worked.


    His first thought was that the Myogenecon was the newer and stronger monster, so it should be primary. Yet when he considered feeding the Direboar to it... in his mental picture of his soul as an island, the Direboar statue felt so strong and firmly rooted. It was the very first monstrous power he''d gained and it had carried him all this way. Whereas the Myogenecon, for all that it had taught him while alive, was new essence that suggested more potential than refined strength.


    So instead he fed the Myogenecon to the Direboar. Immediately he felt Direboar''s Strength surge violently, almost as if it would explode, and he barely managed to contain it. His muscles actually clenched so tightly he was afraid they might tear, then the new strength soaked in. When it was done, he could feel that power smoothly flowing within him.


    Kai had looked at his soul dozens of times while he struggled against the Myogenecon, always struggling to find some solution. This time he allowed himself to feel a bit of pride.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 259


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 9% (103)


    Physique Level: E-9 (107)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Monstrous Hunger - IX (iota)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VI (zeta)


    Direboar''s Strength - IX (iota)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VI (zeta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - V (epsilon)


    Void Gaze - IV (delta)


    -


    Acidic Lance - IV (delta)


    Infernotoad''s Burst - V (epsilon)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - II (beta)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - II (beta)


    Sahagin''s Lungs - II (beta)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Beastbat''s Wing - I (alpha)


    Crystal Slime - I (alpha)


    >


    His new strength was clear just by the numbers, and he definitely felt it in his body. He almost wished that he had another Myogenecon to test his strength against, just for fun. Monstrous Hunger had also increased to Iota rank and he wasn''t sure exactly when that had happened.


    Suddenly his stomach rumbled and he wasn''t sure what kind of hunger it represented. Kai began running back to civilization, realizing just how much he wanted a normal meal. Living off the flesh of his opponent sounded great, but right now he''d kill for a fucking vegetable.

 Chapter 193: Cultivating Differences

    "Again." Zae Zin Nim raised the rock on a bit of her qi.


    "I can''t." Gundle rubbed his forehead with stained fingers. "My head hurts."


    "Consider it weakness leaving your body. Focus again. Draw your qi just beneath your stomach, take a deep breath, and try again."


    For all his whining, Gundle settled back into his task sooner than most children would. Unlike some geniuses Zae Zin Nim had known, he had no ego about his achievements and didn''t seem aware that his cultivation was more advanced than many young men twice his age. Unlike her, he also had no sense of pressure or crushing obligation to perform. Even when she reprimanded him, he didn''t fear her or think anything except that she was trying to help.


    Most likely that was due to his mother, who sat at the edge of the courtyard monitoring them. She was always there, as if afraid her boy would be stolen. Then again, she was quiet and she didn''t bother anyone, so Zae Zin Nim didn''t mind. Because they were so easy to work with, Zae Zin Nim had moved from her old chambers to a bedroom in the main house.


    "Take this!" Gundle let out a weak little cry and thrust his hand forward.


    Acid shot out and struck the rock she had been hovering. Not a bad shot, if far weaker than the acid spitting ability Kai had gained from a monster. And yet, just when Zae Zin Nim thought she had seen the extent of the ability, the acid collected in a sphere. She realized that the boy was holding it in a bubble, acid clinging to the stone and making it crumble away.


    Eventually nothing remained and the acid splattered to the ground. "It worked!" Gundle hopped several times, more like a child than someone who had just developed a lethal ability. "But I have to think real, real hard or it goes away."


    "You''re using qi to hold the acid in a shape, aren''t you?" Zae Zin Nim extended a little of her own and used it to pick up and coat another stone. "The idea is good, but what you want to do is change the fundamental nature of the acid."


    "How do I do that?"


    "You''re already drawing it up, making it move, powering it with your qi. This is just another step. You want to make it sticky, like it wants to grasp hold of what it hits."


    "I''ll try." Gundle screwed up his face and concentrated, as if she hadn''t just given him a task of monumental proportions.


    Most likely he would be able to manage it eventually, with her help. They wouldn''t develop any masterful technique polished to within a half step of perfection, but they could develop something potent enough to use in war. There was more potential there than she had thought when Kai first proposed the idea.


    While the boy worked, Zae Zin Nim examined his soul.


    <


    Name: Gundle of N District Pits


    Total Power: 009


    Acid Cultivation: 253 (6)


    Physique Level: G-0 (2)


    Soul Level: 1 (1)


    >


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    He had a remarkable Power rating for a boy, especially given his limitations, but she suspected that acid cultivation would suffer from diminishing returns, just like its crystal equivalent. And despite his enthusiasm, there was no question of him participating in any kind of violence. That would be like... well, like throwing a child into acid.


    "Excuse me." The boy''s mother spoke up quietly. "May I speak with you?"


    Zae Zin Nim moved to her, ready for the complaints about her son learning dangerous arts. Sometimes Zae Zin Nim couldn''t tolerate just being female, so motherly concerns might as well be on the moon. And yet, when she drew closer, she saw that the woman was holding a sphere of acid hovering between her hands.


    "Is this right?" she asked.


    "What exactly are you trying to do?" Zae Zin Nim peered down at the sphere of acid and was surprised that it seemed more potent than the rest.


    "I only thought... I''m sorry if I made a mistake..."


    "I didn''t say that, I asked a question."


    The woman swallowed, then coughed violently and lost control. She narrowly avoided the falling acid sphere, which rapidly hissed into the stone of the courtyard. Once she finished coughing, looking like a pathetic wreck, she managed to answer the question.


    "When we''re refining crystals, it''s possible to go too far," she said. "There''s a point where the ore is completely refined, but if you go beyond that the surfaces weaken, and they don''t absorb qi as well. When that happens, they punish us for it, so everyone learns to stop. I thought..."


    "You''re doing it intentionally." Zae Zin Nim sought about for crystal equipment to test on and found nothing except her bracelet. She would have to ask the old woman for testing materials later.


    "Could it work?" the woman asked. "In theory, could we make the acid strong enough to damage crystals?"


    Staring back at her, Zae Zin Nim realized that she had been too negative again. This mother had been listening to the lessons and must have been following along, because she had mastered the basics. Not only that, she was developing the ideas further - maybe not with her son''s brilliance, but with an adult''s mind and soul.


    "What did you say your name was?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "It''s Yurwa, my lady."


    <


    Name: Yurwa of N District Pits


    Total Power: 026


    Acid Cultivation: 242 (21)


    Physique Level: G-1 (4)


    Soul Level: 1 (1)


    >


    When Zae Zin Nim examined the woman''s soul, she found more power than she had expected. Her cultivation wasn''t as advanced as her son''s, but it also wasn''t limited by the boy''s immature soul. In an adult, acid cultivation was more potent than she had expected. Even that was unfair: Yurwa was dedicating herself to the work with remarkable focus given her weak constitution.


    Both of them would die in an instant against a real cultivator or any of their opponents. But for the first time, Zae Zin Nim felt as though that was unfair. They deserved to live on and see what they could make of this strange cultivation of theirs.


    "The idea can work," she said carefully, "but if you want to create an anti-crystal technique, you need to take a different approach. Remember that your opponents will be reinforced by qi..."


    .


    ..


    .


    A man in tattered silk robes stared at the horizon, wondering why it had changed colors. After so long in the endless blue, the green looked wrong, like an affront to the natural laws. He stared at it listlessly, his tongue flicking over dried lips.


    How long had he been drifting at sea like this? The days and nights all blurred into one another. After his supplies had run out, he''d struggled to survive on the fish he could catch with qi techniques, but the oceanic qi was difficult to grasp. If not for the occasional rainstorm, he would no doubt have died of dehydration long ago.


    Things had become truly desperate when the crystals powering the engine of the boat cracked, then finally broke. Worthless barbarian technology. As he''d drifted, occasionally using qi techniques to push him back toward home, he''d prayed to the ancestors to be found by an ally, then as he grew miserable, to be found by anyone at all.


    And now, just to mock him, there was that green line...


    The cultivator suddenly sat upright, his mind beginning to work again. Cloudspire! Glorious Cloudspire! In that moment he would have been immensely grateful for any land at all, but the sight of the shores of home made him weep.


    He lay on his boat as he drifted closer, just soaking up the qi in the air. Before his journey to Deadwaste, he would have considered this no energy at all, but now his soul yearned for it. This was like a feast, sending him into spiritual reveries he''d never imagined.


    When he hit the shore, the cultivator staggered for a while, drunk on the excess. But eventually he remembered his purpose, found his footing, and began heading inland.


    It was a long journey to the Brightwind sect, but he would find the patriarch and receive his reward.

 Chapter 194: Cultivating Jealousy

    Several days later, Kai returned from his monster hunting expedition. That meant he and Nirka were back together, which should have annoyed Zae Zin Nim, but to her surprise Kai didn''t spend much time with the other woman. Instead after he got cleaned up, he asked Orillia to set up a meal for just the three of them.


    While the old woman was there, they talked about their strategy in a limited sense. Orillia had apparently developed a fondness for Gundle and Yurwa and spoke of reforming the acid pits, as if this could be solved by simple negotiations. But her estate served as their base of operations, her money purchased healing pills for the workers, and the support of the Crystallier Cooperative was essential. They had to play at reform for a while longer.


    After Orillia left the two of them remained, talking like they used to when they traveled alone together. For a while they discussed strategy, but the conversation soon became more personal. Kai had eaten new monsters - she was the only one he could tell - and he was honestly interested in her development. When it came to advanced matters like the Coldfire Corona, he was one of the few who could really understand.


    As a whole, the meal was a reminder of how much she enjoyed spending time with Kai. Whatever else had happened, they were still allies. She left the meal and returned in a positive mood, feeling as though she had set petty feelings behind her.


    Then, that night, she discovered that her new room put her close to the one where Kai and Nirka slept. Or didn''t sleep.


    When she first heard what the two of them were doing, she lay in horror, trying not to think about it. She wasn''t completely naive about sex, but she associated it with long theatrical wails. Nirka''s moans were completely different. In fact, the way it sounded like she was enjoying herself made Zae Zin Nim wonder if any of the previous noises she''d heard had been authentic.


    She set her jaw and told herself that she was an adult and she didn''t care. But when it all continued she rolled over onto her side and wrapped her pillow around her head. How long was this going to go on, anyway? Weren''t these things supposed to end eventually?


    Even though she was trying to ignore it, her thoughts were perversely turning her focus toward her hearing. Before she could restrain herself, her qi-enhanced ears picked up far too many of Nirka''s gasps and moans. She could even hear the mattress shifting and the bed frame creaking. She couldn''t hear much from Kai except maybe a grunt that sounded very similar to his grunts during training, which didn''t seem right.


    Zae Zin Nim told herself she would just outlast it with willpower, and that was a mistake. With every second her thoughts turned darker and increasingly violent.


    Her own mother had told her about life in the patriarch''s harem, constantly vying for favor with the other wives. She had been trying to protect her daughter and yet she had only created an immense disgust for everything involved. The way they all squabbled, sabotaged one another''s cultivation, even tried to poison one another, all for her father''s approval. It was tragic and infuriating all at once.


    And yet those lessons could potentially serve her. Nirka wasn''t so strong, and still very vulnerable. An accident would be entirely believable.


    The thoughts slipped away, replaced by a different sort of shame and then a deep emptiness that left Zae Zin Nim far beyond embarrassment. Was her progress all that stood between her and those harem women, vulnerable to collapsing at any moment and leaving her no different? The very idea disgusted her and yet now, in the darkness, it seemed hard to deny.


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    All of it flowed into her worst fears for Kai. She wanted him to become powerful, not only because he was her ally but because she cared about his future. And yet she could imagine a terrible future in which he was an unequaled Sky Soul, seduced by all the trappings of power. The idea of him becoming like her father, the patriarch of yet another sect, instead of the man she cared about...


    No more. Zae Zin Nim pulled on her cloak and left the building, refusing to follow those thoughts any further or listen to anything whatsoever.


    Instead of using the crystal ship, she traveled through Yulthens on foot, floating from rooftop to rooftop. She had no particular destination in mind, she was simply enjoying the night time air, but she found herself wandering toward the wealthiest sections of the city. This was a different sort of decadence and maybe she could shed her thoughts there.


    Even at this time of night, merchants were engaging in their own battles. She meandered between them, not aiming for anything in particular. They were moving more qi crystals than she had seen in the past: unlike in the mines or pits, these were locked into matrices that kept them in multiples of ten. Not many had items from Cloudspire, which made her again grateful that she had managed to throw off her father''s pursuit for the near future.


    Before she could go far, she noticed a figure watching her. Boreas of Kartiis had his eyes fixed on her and she noticed for the first time that his irises were almost completely clear with an odd shine to them. When he saw her looking back his lips split to reveal those crystal teeth.


    Yet this meeting was different from before. Zae Zin Nim had continued advancing and now she was stronger than some of the Diamond Crystalliers, even by raw Power rating. When she approached, Boreas gave her an almost respectful nod.


    "Nice night." His voice was shockingly deep.


    "I was just taking a walk," she said, not sure if she needed an excuse.


    "I believe you. It didn''t look like you were paying much attention to the business." He looked over at her thoughtfully. "Most cultivators I''ve met don''t like me. They say my power came from a few coins."


    "So did theirs, most of the time."


    "Huh."


    They stood in silence for a while, watching the merchants scurry among their goods. There were a dozen little wars going on and Zae Zin Nim had neither the expertise nor the energy to figure out any of them. To her surprise, Boreas spoke up next.


    "You might have made the right choice, staying out of it."


    "Staying out?" she asked. "No one was inviting me."


    "They will, once things get rough." Boreas ran his tongue across his teeth, which shone particularly brightly. "It looks like Suortril and Riuklina will actually have it out. Real war between new money and the nobles. They''ve raised the ratio to fifty Eagles per crystal getting ready to fight each other."


    "I didn''t know. I guess I really have stayed out of it." Zae Zin Nim knew that her allies would want that information, but at the moment she couldn''t bring herself to care. That apathy actually seemed to draw more out of him.


    "Do they have owned cultivators, where you come from? People who are so powerful they can''t leave their patrons?"


    "I haven''t seen it. If someone becomes that powerful, they usually kill their masters and take over."


    "Huh."


    Zae Zin Nim looked over at him curiously. "You''re strong and you''re independent. What''s stopping you?"


    "You get embedded enough in a system, you start to depend on it." Boreas gestured over the stacks of gleaming crystals. "I could go anywhere in Krysal and be the strongest, but I want more. I''m not a slave of the merchants, I''m slaved to the engine they drive. Even if I took over an entire mine, it would take me a decade to take everything myself. I need the whole system feeding me to advance."


    "Why are you telling me this?"


    "No reason. You looked lost. I was tired."


    "Hmm." She remained silent for a time, wondering how she should feel. Before she could decide, or come up with a question that might gain more information for them, Boreas pushed himself off the crate he''d been leaning on and started to move away.


    "If I was you, I''d get out," he said over his shoulder. "This is just going to get worse."


    Then he left her there, in the night with no answers.

 Chapter 195: Acid and Ore

    As much as Kai had enjoyed traveling and training for the past months, they were overdue for a visit to the acid pits. Once they''d built up enough healing potions, and Zae Zin Nim said that Gundle was ready, they took their group of six out of Yulthens. The journey that had once required searching now felt like a short trip in the diamond star.


    In theory, they would meet Omilaena nearby at the appointed date. He hoped she wouldn''t arrive first and decide to pursue her own schemes.


    So far he thought their plan of subtly gearing up for the conflict had worked, in part thanks to Krainuun''s suggestions. Maggle and Nirka had made contact with the other mines while he was gone, providing them with training and moonmelt pills that won them over. Without him they were limited in some ways, but the mine workers embraced their own readily.


    Kai hadn''t really considered how much altering the gold to crystal ratio would inhibit their opponents'' ability to fund new crystalliers. The ratio was lower in Yulthens, because they were more insulated from the events in the east, but thanks to the crystal mines slowing work, it had risen several Eagles just while they were there.


    How long could that continue without being noticed? Because the mine workers had new sources of food and medicine, they could actually stop trading their crystal ore entirely. They tapered off their production and pretended to suffer for it in order to avoid attention, but it couldn''t last. A conspiracy with this many members, even isolated ones, would have to break eventually.


    When that happened, they''d have to be ready.


    He had fewer concerns about the acid pits because the community there was so tight knit. When they arrived he was welcomed as a hero again, and his companions with him. Everyone looked better, since they were no longer suffering from the worst acid, but not as good as Gundle and Yurwa.


    They eagerly accepted the healing potions, which might manage to take their Physique above rock bottom, and many dedicated themselves to the new techniques of acid cultivation. So in theory they could spend the next several weeks turning the pit workers into a combat-ready force.


    Gundle and Zae Zin Nim were in charge of developing the fundamental theory of acid cultivation. Yurwa wasn''t quite as fast as her son, but she proved to be a much better teacher: she could explain the concepts clearly, meeting the others with what they understood and helping them advance. Between the three of them, Kai felt like there wasn''t much for him to do.


    In theory, he was in charge of the unification of all the other work. Theory and cultivation weren''t much use if the user wasn''t prepared to use them in battle. And Kai was afraid that they weren''t close to ready. Most people in Krysal seemed to think that power alone was most important, but he continually thought that old fashioned training like they started with in Goralia was still essential.


    "Is everything alright?" Yurwa shuffled up beside him one day between lessons. "I''m trying to teach them as best I can."


    "You''re doing wonderfully," he told her with a smile. She looked away and blushed, and he realized that he needed to be a little more reserved now. "I''m just thinking that they need practice under real conditions. If not..."


    "What do you mean?" Yurwa regarded him seriously and he decided that he should be straight with her.


    "Right now they have offensive power, but they''d make themselves a target. I want to help everyone in the pits, not just use them as a tool. As they are now, I''m afraid they''d all be cut down by crystalliers in minutes, unless I was there to stop them."


    "This is still partially a game to them. A hope for the future, not preparation for real battle."


    She had a point. Kai considered how to change that, but hadn''t come to conclusions when Nirka approached, slipping past Yurwa to wrap an arm around his side. "Hey. Still training the acid cultivators?"


    "They have a lot of work to do." Kai slid an arm around Nirka''s shoulders and pulled her closer. "What about you, how has your training been going?"


    "I think I''m going to focus on what I''m already learning instead of branching out - plus Maggle won''t shut up about acid cultivation. I tried some of what you talked about, training in the acid, but it just burns me so much... I think I''m not ready."


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    "It''s wise not to push yourself too far." Kai squeezed her shoulder to take the edge off, since he was proud of her progression. Zae Zin Nim seemed dismissive of the workers'' progress, but he still remembered not long ago when he had the same strength they did. Each one of these advancements was significant to them, and it could mean their survival, provided they didn''t try to take on any elite opponents.


    "Kai was just saying that we''d be vulnerable to crystalliers," Yurwa said. She smiled at Nirka and it seemed authentic. "We''ll be relying on all of you to help defend us, since you''re so much stronger."


    "We''ll definitely put our bodies in the way." Nirka smiled and flexed an arm, but immediately grew somber. "I thought I''d had a rough life, but what I''ve seen here... I wish I could do more. We''ll form the front guard and you take out their crystal equipment."


    "I''m glad to hear it. But we''ll have to train more, or we''ll drop acid on you."


    When had Yurwa and Nirka become such good friends? Kai wasn''t sure, but he was glad that the mine and acid workers seemed to commiserate with one another. In any case, both women were now regarding him somberly.


    "What are our tactics?" Yurwa asked. "If we have the miners in front, acid cultivators in back, and you to intercept anyone stronger... isn''t that a good plan? Or do I not understand because I don''t have the experience?"


    "The problem is that we might not be able to stick to that strategy," Kai said. "We might not get to pick our battlefield, so any group could end up separated from the others. Things will probably go wrong, too, so we may have to fight on multiple fronts."


    "I think I understand, but how do we teach that?"


    "You know, maybe we need a demonstration. Tell all the acid cultivators to get ready - no, actually, tell some of the mine workers too. We''ll give them a real taste of fighting."


    Yurwa nodded and walked away, coughing only a little. Nirka remained against his side, so he glanced down at her.


    "Don''t you need to get the others?"


    "No, they know Yurwa now." Nirka smiled after her. "She''s a strong woman, in a different way than I understood at first."


    "I''m glad you''re getting along," Kai said. "I wasn''t sure how you''d feel about the acid pits."


    "They''re not pleasant, but better to live out here than in the decadent city." Nirka chuckled and shifted against him, sliding her hips against his thigh. "The one thing I really miss is that bed. They do their best to make the caverns home, but they''re just not as soft as-"


    "Ahem." Zae Zin Nim landed not far away, clearing her throat artificially. "Are you ready to proceed?"


    "With what?" Nirka asked. "We just told them to get organized."


    "By coincidence, I had come to a similar conclusion. I had planned to show them a demonstration of acid cultivation against conventional qi techniques. However, I think that Kai may be a... more visceral experience. Let''s go and show them that they aren''t warriors yet."


    So they headed out to the central pits and Kai let go of Nirka, since this wasn''t the time for flirting. He could tell that Zae Zin Nim was unhappy, but wasn''t sure why she had interrupted them so sharply. Normally he believed it was best to just talk, but she held her emotions very close to the chest, and sometimes he wondered if she was sure of them herself.


    The warriors from pits and mines had all gathered, waiting for him. Kai hadn''t planned to say anything in particular, he''d just been thinking about it as a training exercise. Now that he saw them all looking at him, and noticed Yurwa give him an encouraging nod, he realized that they needed him for more than strength.


    "You''ve all done well," Kai told them. "But there''s a difference between practicing techniques while everything is calm and using them in battle. Right now, I''d give you good odds against soldiers like the ones that keep you imprisoned. But you''re going to have to fight crystalliers, so I thought I''d give you some practice." He stepped out toward the center of the group and cracked his knuckles. "Think of me as a crystallier. Do your best to take me down."


    "We don''t want to hurt you," someone said from the back.


    Kai grinned. "Trust me, you won''t."


    What followed was the most extreme demonstration of strength versus skill that Kai had ever seen. Yes, many of the mine workers had over 100 Power, like they were veteran hunters, and the acid cultivators had incredibly dangerous abilities. But they weren''t trained to use them in combat and he set about demonstrating that as gently as he could.


    So he slipped around attacks, used his superior mobility to hit and run, turned them against one another. Some of the acid cultivators hit their own protectors, leading to curses and shouted apologies. But the laughter at their own incompetence started to fade as they realized how outmatched they were fighting just one opponent.


    Toward the end, Kai stopped using strategy and just showed them raw power: he marched forward, ignoring the acid splattering off his skin, grabbing the weapons thrust at him and tossing them away. By the time he knocked down the last group, he saw a hint of fear in their eyes.


    "This is why we aren''t attacking Yulthens today," Kai told them in the silence. "But finish your training, and we''ll attack when you''re ready."


    That got a cheer, as he managed to turn some of their fear into motivation. But the demonstration that had been intended to break their naivety had actually had more of an effect on him. As Kai stared around at all the smiling faces, he hoped that he wasn''t sending these people to their deaths.

 Chapter 196: The Poison Between Relationships

    Even though Omilaena had figured out the exact location of the acid pits near Yulthens, she obediently went to the planned meeting point instead. They''d been trying so hard with their spycraft, she might as well play along.


    Kai met her himself, and he was a sight for sore eyes after so long working with boring crystalliers. It looked like he''d been steadily training, and she absolutely loved the way his E-9 Physique strained within his body. Breaking through to the D rank was going to be difficult on Deadwaste, but at least he''d been pursuing entirely different paths than the ones she knew. Too bad they couldn''t discuss Physique and "physique" more intimately.


    "Right on time," he said with that easy grin. "How are things back east?"


    "Krainuun definitely knows what he''s doing," she told him, "which is good, because I don''t like handling those details. The group in New Laeneria is getting stronger, especially now that they''re spreading their resources around. They''re taking in some of the strongest workers from Romastir and giving them moonmelt pills."


    "How is Cragrila?"


    "I don''t know or care which one that is. Regardless, you can trust that most eyes will be on New Laeneria, so they''re doing their job as decoy. Krainuun is keeping everything quietly moving in our favor. But all of this means the other city states are being squeezed, and that means they squeeze their workers. It''s only a matter of time until something breaks."


    "Then we''ll have to hope their suffering is worth it." Kai sighed and waved for her to follow. "Come on, I''ll show you what we''ve been working on."


    Their work in the acid pits turned out to be more impressive than their spycraft. Omilaena was amused to find groups of aggressively training workers: not many well-rounded warriors among them, but they were a threat now. If they had wanted to fight their way through the thin line of soldiers around the pits, they could have done it easily.


    The "acid cultivation" they were developing reminded her a bit of the essence-based techniques she''d seen back on Rosemount. There was deep theory there, subtle differences between flames generated by energy and those summoned out of reality. She wished she had more people to talk to about them, but the only ones knowledgeable enough to understand were too busy with their own work.


    A woman named Yurwa was sharp enough to understand, if not educated enough. She was a remarkably attractive woman and Omilaena was surprised that no one had snapped her up yet. It was almost tempting to try something herself, but there was enough tension already. Kai was fucking one of the mine workers and his cultivator companion was jealous about it, which was obvious to anyone who wasn''t as emotionally dense as the two of them.


    Omilaena hadn''t planned to put in too much work, but she was a little impressed with how hard Yurwa was working and the types of techniques her son was trying. So she showed them a few useful tricks and actually put some thought into a method that would strengthen them.


    One night she sat alone atop one of the plateaus, focusing on generating a new substance within her syringe. Before she made progress, Kai leapt up to sit beside her. He waited, as if he didn''t want to interrupt, but she just waved him on.


    "What is it?"


    "I just wanted to check what you''re working on," he said. "At this stage, we need to decide how long we stay here and when we aim for other objectives."


    "Give me a few days to finish this." Omilaena flicked the syringe with one fingernail. "It should give them all a boost."


    "You haven''t told anyone about this. What are you working on?"


    Was he actually interested? Apparently he was. Omilaena settled back and gestured with the syringe. "There''s a saying that goes ''the dose makes the poison'' - the same substance can heal or kill depending on the concentration. Right now, this acid cultivation is very hard on the meridians of its users. You don''t know much about that, but it''s relevant to long term training. I''m developing an injection that should help with that."


    "I''ve heard about those from Hanelay." Kai settled into his seat and examined the syringe. "Is this safe?"


    "Oh, if you inject it into someone with no acid cultivation, or who''s too weak, it will eat them alive from the inside out." She frowned and flicked at the yellow liquid again, noting the chakra motes within. "Well, right now it will do that to anyone, but that''s what I need to fix."


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    "How does it work? I don''t know anything about abilities from Rosemount."


    "It would take too long to give you the full lecture about that. But think about it this way: just like you can reinforce your body with mana or qi, it''s possible to draw actual substances into yourself. They''re doing it with acid, which is obviously harmful. I should be able to develop a trial that, while it will hurt like hell, will leave their meridians just acidic enough to use that acid properly in the future."


    He nodded and it wasn''t just pretending, like some warriors did whenever theory came up. "How far can that go? Are there masters out there... made of fire or something?"


    "I don''t know about fire, but take steel as an example. There''s a path that produces what we call Steel Titans, who draw metal into themselves. Over time their skin becomes tougher, and the best can even become a sort of living metal. Now, steel isn''t the toughest of metals, but even their insides change, so they''re very resistant to some techniques like soft style martial arts."


    "That''s fascinating. And what about you, what does it take to gain a Heart of Poison?"


    "Well, that''s a bit of a story." Omilaena sighed heavily and lowered her eyes. "My father was a poison master, but he needed subjects. So he... used me to test his poisons. If I wanted to eat something sweet, he''d force me to drink poison first. If I wanted to play with my friends, he made me wear shoes with poison needles in them. No matter how much I cried or begged, he would tell me, ''Omilaena, you must make your heart into poison.'' When I was ten, he killed my beloved pet-"


    Kai listened to her seriously, face filled with compassion, until she pushed him too far. Then his eyes narrowed sharply. "You''re lying through your teeth, aren''t you?"


    "One hundred percent." She grinned at him until he grinned back. "I never knew my father, and I took up poisons because they''re lethal. Fighters are always complaining about how they''re not fair, but if they have more power than you, not one of them will hold back to make it a ''fair fight.'' "


    "But it does involve drawing poisons into yourself?" he asked.


    "Yes, it''s related to what I described earlier. I have two primary capacities, intentionally in two compatible categories. If you really care about the details, we can talk." She pulled a flask from her pack and handed it to him. "Share a drink?"


    "Should I?" Kai eyed it skeptically.


    "Oh, come on, do you think I''d poison you now, after all this?"


    She waited until he took a swig, then took a drink herself. They passed the alcohol back and forth as they discussed theory and advancement. Exactly as planned.


    For the most part, she thought his ideas for using the workers were reasonable. He understood that only some of them would develop enough combat skill to be true combatants, while the rest would have to serve as blocks of soldiers, but he also understood that such strategies would eventually fall apart. Clearly he''d had a difficult life, so he defaulted to building up as many strengths as possible, so he would be ready for whatever fate threw at him next.


    They only disagreed on one thing: Kai wanted to reduce the output of the acid pits very slowly, keeping Yulthens from realizing anything was wrong. She favored a much more aggressive approach, but decided that it was best not to talk to him about it. Better to just go around him.


    So Omilaena agreed, and kept talking, and only flirted a little bit. Once they were done, she left him and went to the other side of the acid pits. Their security was good enough that she couldn''t simply push through or do everything herself, but she might have an ally in this.


    She found "Hanelay" cultivating in one of the deeper caverns, coincidentally guarding the moonmelt pills and their other most valuable supplies. The other woman looked up at her with a neutral expression and Omilaena put a finger over her lips.


    "I had something I wanted to discuss, just the two of us." She crouched down and found the newest moonmelt pill, then rolled it across her palm. "Kai wants to keep sending these to Yulthens, even though that means they''ll be able to make more crystalliers."


    "It strengthens our enemy," the other woman said, "but our strength is growing faster. It may be worth it, to keep them in the dark for longer."


    "Yes, but I think we could do better." Omilaena reached into her pouch and revealed a pill in her other hand. They looked identical, but the cultivator immediately sat up straighter.


    "What is this?"


    "Just a little something I was working on back in New Laeneria. These should be virtually indistinguishable from moonmelt pills, and they''ll break the 99 Power barrier, but they''re tainted. The harm to the Physique and soul won''t be obvious at first, but it will add up the more a person cultivates."


    The other woman stared at her, expression unreadable. "You want to send these to Yulthens and keep the real ones for our side?"


    "I knew you''d catch on." Omilaena smiled at her, then closed her hands over both pills. "But we need someone to keep them straight and make the switch, and I''m not in a position to do that. Now, Kai would object to this plan, because it might harm some young people who just want to be crystalliers, but-"


    "We do it." The cultivator seemed slightly annoyed, but her gaze when she picked up the tainted pill was completely serious. "We won''t get through this war without collateral damage, and the enemy won''t hesitate. Get me the pills and I''ll make sure it''s done."


    Excellent. Omilaena considered pressing further before deciding that a light touch was better in this case. She could soften the other woman little by little, one metaphorical poison at a time.


    It took her another week to figure out her methodology. An old woman who had worked in the acid pits her entire life volunteered for the risky first injection, which was slightly charming in a way. But Omilaena had done her work carefully, so there was no harm done. She went on to inject Yurwa and all the other decent acid cultivators except Gundle, since his body couldn''t handle it.


    With that, they should be able to handle more acid. She had done her part in arming the peasants and was a bit tired of them.


    Fortunately, Kai planned to take her directly to the lair of one of the most dangerous monsters in the entire country. That should be fun.

 Chapter 197: The Shadow of Death

    Finally Kai returned to the unnaturally darkened mine that had stymied all Krysal. He was stronger, thanks to his ordeal against the Myogenecon, but more importantly this time he had Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena with him.


    The mine was still a pit of darkness wafting upward like smoke. Omilaena had moved closer to examine it while the others got ready to fight. At least that was the plan, but truthfully Kai didn''t know what else he could do to get ready. They were all healed and sharp, so they''d have to hope that would be enough. Zae Zin Nim seemed to be in a similar situation, just seated beside him meditating.


    "The qi is gone." She opened her eyes and frowned toward the darkness. "Normally the ore should have low levels of qi, but everything is empty, even the bigger crystals."


    "You think the monster is draining it?" Kai asked.


    "I am not sure. This effect is different from anything I''ve seen."


    At that moment Omilaena turned back to them, pulling her goggles up to her forehead. "I have a tiny sliver of good news holding up all the bad news," she said. "If we get a good hit on this ''Shadow of Death'', I think we can kill it. But it''s emitting that dark mist just as a byproduct of existing, meaning it can do worse. The darkness exists on a physical and spiritual level, so no normal defense is going to work against it."


    "Sounds dangerous." Kai turned to face her. "You think we shouldn''t try?"


    "I think it''s a lot of risk for little reward, but it isn''t suicide. Hopefully."


    Kai glanced down to Zae Zin Nim, but she was already getting back to her feet. No, this was their best chance. Maybe he could fight it months or years later, when the risk wasn''t so extreme, but there was no way to know. He might need to leave, or war could break out, or someone else could attack the mine. Besides, Omilaena didn''t know just how much power he might be able to gain from a monster like this.


    "So long as we can avoid being suffocated by the darkness," Kai said, "I say we do it now."


    "I have an idea for that." Omilaena took a small object out of her pocket - it looked like a bright green garlic clove - and rubbed it together with a stone. After several seconds she tossed the result down into the mine. It dwindled in the darkness until it struck the bottom, then it began to gush green smoke. "There. that should give us a safe space to fight."


    Since he trusted his defenses most, Kai jumped down into the area filled with green smoke. To his surprised it smelled like incense and wasn''t unpleasant. Omilaena joined him the next second, rubbing another clove. By the time Zae Zin Nim came down, she had set up an area with six green fires that burned with some alchemical energy, putting out enough green smoke to ward off the darkness.


    "Some of the smoke is mixing," Zae Zin Nim observed. "Is that going to be a problem?"


    Omilaena shrugged. "That depends on just how potent this is."


    If they were really fighting the thing that produced all this, they were taking a much bigger risk than a little experiment. Kai stepped out of the alchemical fires and took a shallow breath of the darkness. Immediately he stepped back on instinct. His throat and lungs felt ice cold, and Behemoth''s Heart was pumping intensely. He could survive touching the darkness, but it was absolutely not a wise idea.


    "It''s dangerous," Kai said, "but..."


    He trailed off as he realized that the women weren''t listening to him. Instead they stared in the opposite direction, focused on a new power emerging from one of the mine shafts. It looked like a shadow given dimension, dark even within all the smoke.


    <


    Monster: Shadow of Death


    Threat: ???


    >


    His spiritual senses struggled to fixate on it, and even then he couldn''t tell its threat level. Definitely high, but it was too late for second thoughts.


    Zae Zin Nim acted first, releasing a qi bolt directly into the darkness. It illuminated the shadowy mist for several paces and then flickered out, well before reaching the figure.


    Kai took a heartbeat longer gathering all his strength in a Tyrant''s Claw, then stepped to the edge of their space and unleashed it. The force pushed through the shadows, forcing the mist away... and when it reached the Shadow of Death it passed through, leaving no more than a ripple.


    "Was that an active defense?" Zae Zin Nim asked. But Omilaena was already acting.


    She threw a needle, which passed through the shadowy figure harmlessly. It was followed by three more needles, and just when Kai was about to ask her why she was wasting her strength, one of the needles glowed blue and spun. The shadows pulled away, melting into the darkness.


    "I don''t think it can be hurt by physical force," Omilaena said grimly. "Most likely any form of energy can harm it, but all of this darkness is that thing''s energy."


    Suddenly the Shadow of Death loomed to their left. Darkness billowed out of it, pushing back the green smoke and driving them back. As the shadows rolled over one of the alchemical fires, it spluttered out and the darkness increased. Kai realized that the mist was closing overhead, trapping them within an unnatural night.


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    When the shadow moved toward the next light, Zae Zin Nim leapt to attack it. This time her assault was more intense, qi flowing down her arm in a focused assault. The phantom slid away, but instead of retreating it sent out a roiling line of smoke.


    The Coldfire Corona lit up around Zae Zin Nim and she passed through unharmed. In a flash she''d closed the distance and prepared another qi technique.


    But the Shadow of Death was faster. From his distance, Kai could see that it shifted and unleashed more darkness the instant Zae Zin Nim dropped her corona. She had no time to react as the darkness flooded over her and he could just barely see her form slump.


    "Zae Z-" Kai cut off with a growl and threw himself into the darkness.


    This time he hurled his own mana and qi outward, not so much a technique as a desperate attempt to fend off the monster. His lungs were freezing by the time he scooped up Zae Zin Nim and leapt back to the area protected by green smoke.


    She lay still, her body already unnaturally cold, but he could sense the life in her. Omilaena hovered with brief concern before she stepped away. One hand slipped from her pouch and she lit up another green clove, waving it wildly at the edges to ward off the monster.


    "Messed up..." Zae Zin Nim coughed and weakly crawled into a sitting position. "I need... to purge it..."


    It looked like she was cultivating in the middle of battle, but he could feel the freezing darkness slipping out of her. Hopefully she would be fine, they just needed to defend her. He tried to move beside Omilaena while still staying close, in case the Shadow of Death went in for the kill.


    "It''s slippery," Omilaena said grimly. "If I had infinite resources, I''d try to flood the mine with these. But I''m running out, and these won''t last forever."


    "I have something I can try." Kai waited until the Shadow of Death tried to extinguish another of their defensive flames behind them, then whirled on it.


    As he did so, he drew on Void Gaze. Not simply the freezing he''d used in battle, its full spiritual power. He was relieved to see the dark mist pause, roiling back on itself instead of sliding in. The Shadow of Death hesitated... and then the top of the shadow twisted, as if it was looking toward him. He had a terrible sense that a dark hand was reaching out...


    Omilaena stepped in and blew a cloud of blue smoke. Unlike the green, the new cloud pushed hard into the darkness, as if moving according to her will. The poison wrapped around the Shadow of Death, pressing it on all sides. For a moment he could see the phantom as more than a vague presence, like a stick thin figure wrapped in shadows.


    That darkness faltered, then came roaring back with a vengeance. It poured out faster than before, utterly overwhelming Omilaena''s poison. She was still spent, having just expelled the cloud, and her movement backward was sluggish. In another moment the darkness would sweep over her.


    Kai grabbed her from behind and pulled her back, just before the darkness swept in. The movement required him to grab her around the hips and torso, and he was sure that in another context she would have teased him or leaned into it. Instead she stared out into the mist and tried to catch her breath.


    The Shadow of Death loomed over another alchemical fire and snuffed it out.


    "I''m immune to most poisons," Omilaena said, "but not that. My Physique can resist for a while, and you''re unnaturally resistant. We should put everything into one strike."


    "You mean accept absorbing some darkness and try to hit it?" Kai asked.


    "No, surround it. We can''t let it go, we need to suppress it or-"


    "Wait." Zae Zin Nim rose to her feet, an inner fire burning within her. "The Coldfire can resist the darkness completely, if not for long. I should strike the blow."


    He wanted to argue, but the Shadow of Death was drifting around their little island of green within the darkness. Wherever it passed, more shadows flowed, pressing their defenses inward.


    "I can give you a little boost, but you''ll have to trust me." Omilaena had drawn another syringe, this one filled with what felt like raw chakra. "There''s no time for arguing."


    "Will the monster flee?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "I can''t last for long."


    "It might. Kai, we need you to keep it in place. That''s going to be rough, but..."


    "Got it." Kai turned away from them and went to face the Shadow of Death.


    As soon as he reached the edge, he fixed his Void Gaze on the monster. It stared back eyelessly, darkness rising. Kai knew that he couldn''t match this thing''s raw spiritual power, and if he hadn''t included the Shademonger in Behemoth''s Heart, he wouldn''t have a chance. Even now, he could feel his legs getting cold as the darkness closed around him.


    There was so much smoke in the way, would Zae Zin Nim be able to do anything? Kai forced his jaws to open, drawing in a painful chill, then bit down. A massive chunk of the darkness disappeared, consumed by invisible jaws. It didn''t get far enough to reach the Shadow of Death, which loomed higher.


    Most of his body was numb now, and Kai could no longer see any light. He was operating on pure instinct when he lashed out, sending Tyrant''s Claws into the darkness. They dispersed the mist a little, never touching the enemy, which only looked more real as everything else faded. If this continued...


    Then he heard Zae Zin Nim give a soft gasp.


    The next moment she whirled forward, spinning within a tornado of blue flame. Her Coldfire Corona burned away the darkness and the Shadow of Death started to move back. Kai desperately returned his focus to Void Gaze, holding it in place just a moment longer.


    When Zae Zin Nim arrived, she slapped her palm against the ground. Blue fire exploded in all directions, briefly eclipsing the Shadow of Death. Something dark and flimsy fluttered to the ground as all around them the dark mist began to dissipate.


    No longer caring who saw, Kai leapt forward. His entire body was numb, but his monstrous instincts guided him to the slip of darkness. His hunger knew that was the core of the monster and he consumed it in a single ravenous bite.


    Immediately he realized that might have been a mistake and he had no idea how Omilaena would react. But when he turned back, he saw that Omilaena was looking toward Zae Zin Nim instead.


    "Well, now that we''re safe, Kai yelled something very interesting back there." Omilaena tapped a fingernail against her lips. "Now, ''Zae'' is a common name, but how many Zaes would attract the attention of the Brightwind sect?"


    "Don''t," Zae Zin Nim said thickly. "You kept your word, and I might not have been able to do this without your help. Don''t do this now."


    "Oh, very well, don''t let me finish." Omilaena threw up her hands. "I''ll keep your secret, because why wouldn''t I? Just don''t expect me to keep pretending you''re poor Hanelay Cloudspire."


    "I can live with that... I guess we all live."


    They remained quiet as they left the mine through the fading mists, but as they got back into the daylight, their mood lifted. There was something about just existing in the normal world after being in that shadowy hell that made Kai want to laugh. Omilaena became more playful and Zae Zin Nim even smiled sometimes instead of scowling.


    Since the monster had been their only objective, they piled into the diamond star to return. There was no argument about Omilaena having to walk this time. It looked like they''d have a pleasant trip back, so Kai examined his soul briefly.


    Monstrous Hunger had risen another rank and Direboar''s Strength had risen right along with it, as if it was still fueled by consuming the Myogenecon. For once one of his experiments with his soul had worked out properly the first time. He let himself laugh with the others and relax for a while, since things were looking up.


    Before they got back, a messenger met them in the air.


    "War," the worker gasped heavily. "The game is up. They know. The revolution has already begun."

 Chapter 198: Revolution Stumbling Forward

    "As near as we can determine," Krainuun said, "it began with a worker from New Laeneria who had family in Korostir."


    They were flying away from Romastir because they''d just picked up Krainuun, but Kai wasn''t completely sure where they were going. Hopefully that wasn''t symbolic of their entire response to the beginning of war. In any case, he thought that trusting the small bureaucrat was their best bet at a real counter. He''d told them to take three different ships, two being towed behind, so he must have something prepared.


    "Families imprisoned at separate locations are unusual," Krainuun continued, "because the nobles usually decide to punish an entire family in one clean sweep. But families are sometimes split between cities in the first place, which must have been the case here."


    "You''re rambling," Omilaena told him. She was the only one who still seemed calm, perhaps because nothing she cared about was at risk.


    "Yes, apologies. The point is that a worker in New Laeneria got some training, some cultivation, and some weapons. He then went to Korostir''s crystal mine, freed his family, and began an uprising. They were successful enough in taking out the soldiers, but the problem is that Krysal is highly experienced at putting down this sort of uprising."


    A premature start to the fighting, just like they''d feared from the beginning. So much effort at secrecy, keeping so many people in the mines or pits, only to have it all thrown away by someone he didn''t even know. Kai had to remind himself that it hadn''t all been wasted: they''d bought as much time to prepare as they could, so their own uprising wouldn''t end so poorly.


    "That much is known. I can only presume at this point that he was defeated by crystalliers and tortured." Krainuun shifted in his seat, uncomfortable not with the idea of torture but the implications. "Our information security is reasonably good. I do not believe there is any way that he could have known about me or your work near Yulthens, for example. But other city states will be moving, and they have one target in particular."


    "Me." Omilaena nodded as if she had expected it. "He would definitely have told them that New Laeneria was arming its workers for war, and that I hadn''t been seen recently. I presume they''re sending an army to take it back?"


    "Just so, I''m afraid."


    "Is that why we''re heading northeast?" Zae Zin Nim asked. She turned away from the controls of the diamond star for the first time. "We show ourselves and protect them, at the cost of revealing more?"


    "Actually, it''s more complicated than that." Krainuun coughed uncomfortably. "I assembled this information and contacted you as promptly as I could, but it may already be too late. That is the reason for the additional ships. I propose that only one of you continues to New Laeneria. Another will race to Yulthens to get ahead of the news, and one more will return with me to Romastir. We are traveling this way to save a small amount of time for the longer trips, but Romastir will also be under threat."


    Krainuun had gathered the information and made a good plan, but he sensibly left the final military decisions to the three of them. Kai wished that he could go to all three places at once, so he was glad the others had stronger opinions.


    "I want to remain in the shadows," Omilaena said, "let them worry about where I am. I''ll go back to Romastir and protect Krainuun in secret. Just returning to New Laeneria wouldn''t be enough to stop them, if they''ve really invested in war, so someone else might be able to do more."


    "I''m the only one who could return to Yulthens publicly." Zae Zin Nim gave a small shrug. "I''m willing to do it. I''ll check in with Orillia and gather our armies. But that leaves Kai to take care of the worst situation."


    "Do we know the size of the army going to New Laeneria?" Kai asked. "I can go, but I don''t know if I can take an entire city''s crystalliers, if the city''s average is too high."


    Krainuun shook his head. "Korostir is not one of our greatest cities, so their assembled forces are likely to be weak unless they found allies in other city states. Speed may be more important than strength at this pivotal time."


    Now that the decision was made, suddenly there was no more time. Kai leapt into one of the smaller ships and headed off, barely even waving goodbye. He''d have to trust the other cities to his allies and take on the army himself.


    For all the haste, now there was nothing he could do but wait while he flew to New Laeneria. Krysal boasted about how superior it was to Goralia, but they didn''t make use of portal magic. While on the trip the only productive thing he could do was cultivate, so Kai focused his mana and qi as if a little more would make a difference at this stage.


    But he knew that the die had been cast. Heroic efforts now would matter less than the slow work of the past year.


    When he drew closer to New Laeneria, he saw the smoke first. Entire fields were on fire, and the small farming communities he''d seen several times now had almost all been flattened. What reason would the merchants have to do this, since it would only cut into the profits of the city they hoped to reconquer? Was it punishing the workers who rose up, or did the logic of armies become inevitably destructive once they finally went to war?


    Guards blocked all the gates into the city, but Kai leapt over easily enough since their discipline was scattered. He considered rushing in and attacking, as if he had arrived at the last possible second. No, he needed to choose his moment carefully.


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    The city itself didn''t look quite like what he expected. Not many dead workers in the streets - not many workers at all, actually. Some ordinary civilians huddled in fear as soldiers marched through the streets, but Korostir didn''t have enough of an army to control the entire city. The threat they could project was substantially larger than their ability to back it up.


    Actually, it looked like they were planning to loot the city and run. In several locations he saw heavily guarded wagons loading supplies, weapons, or crystals. Perhaps the merchants who had funded the attack only expected to hold the city long enough to take everything of value they could carry.


    Except that, as Kai explored, he realized that there was a large gathering near the central city square. There were angry and fearful citizens, held back by a line of soldiers. He spotted several crystalliers standing guard, shifting anxiously as if waiting for something. When Kai saw the stage that had been set up, he realized that it was probably intended for executions.


    He might not have arrived at the last second, but if he had come a few hours later...


    While searching, Kai finally spotted a man he recognized from the workers. Kai didn''t bother with secrecy, just grabbed him in an alleyway. At first the man struggled and tried to shout into his hand, then when he recognized Kai he slowed down.


    "Kai?" The man leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. "You have to... they''re going to kill her... soon..."


    "If you''re talking about the executions in the square, I''ll try to stop them," Kai reassured the man. "But you have to tell me what happened. How did they destroy your army so fast?"


    "Because we didn''t fight them! When Cragrila heard we''d been betrayed, she knew the defense was hopeless. She had the bulk of the trained forces leave, carrying the moonmelt and most of the weapons with them. She stayed with a few others to hold the army''s attention. They fought as well as they could, of course, but it was always hopeless."


    "And so they''re going to be executed to send a message." Kai grabbed the man''s shoulders and pulled him upright. "I can stop the executions, but I need information."


    The worker hastily told him what was known about the plans: all the revolution''s leaders would be executed on the platform in the city square as a demonstration. They had archers standing in the surrounding buildings, ready to attack the crowds if they got out of hand. Kai wasn''t personally concerned about them, but they could end up killing the very people he intended to save.


    So, even though people were being dragged up onto the platform now, Kai instead circled around the crowd. He would have to hope they spoke for long enough for him to deal with the others. The only question was how quickly he could eliminate the archers.


    They were well past the point of holding back, but direct violence might not be the most effective. His best option was likely Void Gaze, though he didn''t know its full range or efficacy. Truthfully, he''d barely tested it at all on humans, except a little in training with Zae Zin Nim. Even as he climbed the stairs to get up behind the archers, he felt entirely unprepared, as if everything was about to unravel.


    Kai was on entirely the wrong track. So far, he had only activated Void Gaze against immensely powerful monsters, pushing it to its very limits. As he used it against the archers turning toward him, he realized how much of a difference it made.


    .


    ..


    .


    Cragrila had known that the uprising would probably end with her death, but she hadn''t imagined it like this. Truthfully, she''d imagined that she''d likely die to some crystallier she barely saw. Sometimes she fantasized about laying down her life for her people, but realistically she expected to die in a bloody street somewhere.


    Somehow she had become important enough that she was the one being executed to strike against all the others. What had happened to all the men and women who had inspired her to fight this far? So many had slipped away over the years, one way or another. And now she was the one that others would look up to, and she had no idea if her death would inspire them or destroy their hopes.


    Almost all the fighting had been futile. The one true thing she''d accomplished was accepting that the defense was untenable and saving the army, along with most of their crystallier-level fighters. Everything she did after that was just playing out her part... was that enough?


    They took their time dragging her up onto the platform because they were spouting nonsense about how this was what happened when the workers got out of place, it was their own fault, all the other bullshit. As a last petty act of defiance, she refused to listen. She had imagined herself shouting out final words of revolution, but in reality they had gagged her.


    When the words stopped and it came down to it, there was nothing she could do. One of the crystalliers who had defeated her sneered as he kicked the back of her knees. Her head hit the block hard and she could only stare up at the crystal axe rise overhead, seeming to pause at the top of its swing.


    Except it really had paused.


    Cragrila stared in confusion as she saw the axe, the executioner, and everyone else frozen in place. The man''s muscles trembled, as if he was straining against an invisible force. From her position all she could do was watch.


    Kai Clanless landed like a mountain. There was no trace of the crystallier she''d seen before - he moved like a wild beast.


    She could only see his back, but everyone standing in front of him flinched as if they''d been struck by a shockwave. Crystalliers froze, soldiers trembled, and one of the merchants pissed himself. When Kai started to turn away they fell over themselves, some struggling to get away and others simply collapsing together.


    Then he turned in her direction and she understood.


    His eyes burned with what she could only imagine were the fires of hell. He wasn''t even looking directly at her and it felt like she stood in front of a blast furnace. A raw force seemed to seize her entire soul, locking her in place so violently it threatened to tear her apart. She was nothing but prey, waiting to be consumed.


    When he eliminated the executioner, Cragrila gasped in relief, less because her life had been saved than because she was no longer in the path of his gaze. But she saw that three of the crystalliers seemed to have pushed through his technique - it had to have been a technique - and were now moving to surround him.


    They were good fighters, the same three who had defeated her and her allies. Kai had saved her, she had to help him. Cragrila struggled to push past her injuries, but could barely manage to lift the executioner''s axe.


    It didn''t matter. Kai demolished the three crystalliers with power she had never seen in him before. He had always struck her as a bit of a gentle giant, the type who wanted to talk things out or would jump in the way of arrows to save a child. Now she witnessed a ferocity that slaughtered all three of the crystalliers, and then he was standing in front of her.


    Thankfully his eyes were normal again. She wanted to believe that she had imagined what she saw before but couldn''t convince herself.


    "Sorry I''m late," Kai said calmly as he lifted her to her feet. "You took the first hit, but because of that we can hit back."


    "I... I think..." She wavered and had to lean on his arm. "The army got out, I hope. I thought... they can free others, maybe..."


    "You should rest," he told her. "You survived the first battle, but the war is starting now."

 Chapter 199: The Workers Rise Up

    No matter how many times Zae Zin Nim told herself that life was strange, she came back to that thought. The person she had been a few years ago could never have imagined being here.


    Traveling across Krysal had given her plenty of time to think about exactly what all this meant. Technically she was cultivating, but she couldn''t prevent her mind from considering that she was now leading a peasant uprising. What had seemed absurd when it was just one of Kai''s plans was now a concrete reality that would soon be etched in blood.


    After the grim news, she had expected Yulthens to be going to war, but the population seemed to be pretending that everything was normal. Perhaps an uprising or two really were normal, given how little anyone had been concerned about them before.


    She did notice a few differences on her way in. All five of the great crystals floating above the city wall were fully charged with qi, as if in preparation for a battle. There were guards atop the walls as well, keeping things as secure as they had been in the wake of the auction theft. It had been wise to go on her own, as Kai or Omilaena might not have been able to sneak inside now that security was being taken seriously.


    Within the city in theory she needed to listen and find out what the nobles and merchants were saying, but Zae Zin Nim had no patience for such things. Instead she went directly to the old estate and found Orillia, who seemed unconcerned.


    "You''ve been gone too long, dear," she said between sips of her wine. "These days Suortril and Riuklina are at each other''s throats over everything. If they hear about any uprisings, they''ll just wonder how it will harm their rival."


    "Then what''s being done about the mines and pits?"


    "Oh, I understand they''ve sent some men out there to check, but will they find anything?" Orillia frowned at her. "You did relocate Yurwa and her lovely boy somewhere safe, didn''t you? Were there others there you intended to take out?"


    If armies had apparently been dispatched so recently, Zae Zin Nim had no more time for chatting and mulled wine. She rose to her feet, gave a perfunctory bow, and headed out the door. Just at the exit, she stopped and turned back.


    "Orillia, these uprisings are not likely to end soon." She looked directly into the old woman''s eyes. "Do you want to stay here? We could take you somewhere more safe."


    "Please! I''ve lived in Yulthens all my life and the Crystallier Cooperative needs me, I''m not about to stop now." Orillia punched the air twice and grinned. "If they think they can bother me about a little charity, I''ll just pop them a good one. There''s fire in this old woman yet, ha!"


    "Very well. We may not see one another again for some time, so fare well."


    With nothing else to say, Zae Zin Nim returned to the crystal ship at top speed. Visiting Yulthens first might have been a mistake, given that the merchants were moving on all locations simultaneously. Now she faced a decision about whether she would go to support the crystal mines or the acid pits. All would have little to no warning from Krainuun''s messengers, and she was the only backup in range.


    As soon as she left the city, she turned hard for the acid pits. It wasn''t a strategic decision: the fact was that Gundle and Yurwa were still there, and she cared more about them than anyone at the crystal mines. Given how much progress they had made in their cultivation, it would be deeply unfair for them to be cut down in some little revolution.


    Fortunately, she was able to catch up to the army before it arrived at the acid pits. They had sent a relatively small group of soldiers as well as two crystalliers, neither of them even Ruby ranked. It seemed that Yulthens didn''t yet realize just how serious the situation was, and was just checking on the city''s assets.


    While the army marched closer, Zae Zin Nim considered her options. She could have flown down and killed them, likely without too much risk to herself. But would that help any of their other objectives? The workers needed real combat experience, and this might be their only chance to experience a relatively limited battle. Besides, it was always possible that the crystalliers would check in lazily and then go home, buying them even more time.


    With so many more soldiers, Zae Zin Nim didn''t see any way to sneak inside and speak with the others. All she could do was meditate and confirm that she could sense the familiar qi of those she knew. Meanwhile, the crystalliers set up at one of the fences and began demanding to see the workers one by one.


    Apparently they were going to be thorough this time. Zae Zin Nim watched carefully, expecting them to discover one of those who had developed acid cultivation. Instead, after dismissing several of the most sickly workers, they chose an attractive young woman to pull aside.


    She screamed as she was pulled away, and something bubbled over within the acid pits. An old woman raised her hands first and the acid underneath her rose into the air. It flew in a glistening arc, almost beautiful until it struck the soldiers in the face and they began to scream as well.


    All at once everyone in the pits was crying out, throwing their own acid into the fray. The initial assault was absolutely devastating to the soldiers, who were lax and generally not wearing much of their glass armor. Even those who did couldn''t stand for long against the improved acid cultivation. If they had only intended to break out, it would have been over then.


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    But the two crystalliers rose to their feet and drew their crystal weapons.


    The first was a thin man who easily leapt over the front lines, using a crystal to redirect himself in midair. Many of the acid cultivators tried to target him, but he was much too agile. Their arcing sprays of acid often ended up falling on the soldiers in back, not that he cared. He was just moving toward the acid cultivators, raising two crystal swords, ready to cut through them...


    If allowed to attack, he would cut through them like a scythe. Zae Zin Nim stood up, prepared to intercept him, when suddenly a brown streak leapt from one of the upper caverns.


    Nirka met the crystallier with her spear in hand, stabbing through his shoulder. He tried to strike back, faster than her, but she could just barely keep up and she was much tougher. When he lost a sword and summoned a knife instead, it failed to cut deep. Zae Zin Nim begrudgingly acknowledged that Nirka was playing her role well.


    Things were going much worse on the other side of the battle. The other crystallier moved slower, surrounding himself with a full suit of crystal armor. With his qi coursing through it, none of the acid could truly harm him.


    Yurwa appeared behind the others, who were shooting acid wildly, and focused on a sphere between her hands. It flitted out and struck the crystallier in the chest, knocking him back a step and eating into his chest armor. Given time, it might have killed him, but he patiently summoned more crystal, repairing the damage and moving forward.


    It was too early. Zae Zin Nim thought that Yurwa''s technique was far superior to the blunt crystal armor, she simply hadn''t had the time to refine it. And now she faced her death with grim acceptance, keeping her son behind her as he tried to use his limited cultivation.


    Somehow Zae Zin Nim''s palm struck the crystallier''s chest.


    She hadn''t consciously decided to move. It was almost like watching someone else as she stared at her hand and saw the crystals exploding in all directions. It created a beautiful cascade as the crystallier fell backward, stunned by her blow. He tried to get to his feet, but now all the acid cultivators had turned on him, and he no longer had his armor to protect him.


    Meanwhile, Nirka was struggling against the other crystallier. She had strength, but her opponent had been dueling for years and she was still all rough edges. Zae Zin Nim hesitated - it would be so easy to be a little slow, allow an accident to happen. Then she would never need to think about Nirka again. But in the end she made her way back across the battlefield, because the barbarian woman''s death would make Kai sad, and she wouldn''t do that to him.


    Thoroughly locked with Nirka, the crystallier had no hope when Zae Zin Nim''s palm struck his back.


    "Thanks." Nirka swayed on her feet before wiping at one of her shallow cuts. "I''ll... I''ll do better next time."


    "See that you do," Zae Zin Nim said. "But for now, track the soldiers. None can escape to warn the others."


    With her help intercepting runners, the acid workers finished off all of the soldiers. They didn''t need to be told to take all the usable equipment and dissolve the bodies in the acid, which Zae Zin Nim quite approved of. She let them celebrate a little, since they had come closer to winning the battle on their own than they had expected, but Yurwa and many of the others knew that they had no time for joy.


    Soon they had stripped the camp entirely: the next group to arrive from Yulthens would find no soldiers, no workers, nothing except an empty acid pit. Hopefully that would baffle them for a while longer and prolong the timeline. If they wanted refined crystals, they could do the work themselves.


    "Are the mines okay?" Yurwa asked as she struggled into the crystal ship. "We could never have survived without their help, but..."


    "I wasn''t able to go there," Zae Zin Nim said, "but we''re going now. Prepare yourself for the worst."


    The main body of acid cultivators headed out on foot away from the acid pits, traveling to hide themselves at an agreed-upon location. After confirming that they weren''t followed or leaving an obvious trail, Zae Zin Nim left them behind to go investigate the crystal mines. She took Yurwa and Gundle along, to keep them safe, and Nirka because the woman insisted.


    As it happened, her pessimism was unwarranted. The mine workers were all celebrating in the rocks outside the mine, drinking and eating through the soldiers'' rations. They panicked and scrambled when they saw the crystal ship, but when Zae Zin Nim emerged she was greeted with a chorus of cheers.


    "You''re late to the party," Maggle told her in a long drawl. "We took care of them crystalliers on our own."


    "You didn''t have trouble with them?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Naw, not at all. We spent so long fighting Kai, we was a bit worried, but these guys were chumps compared to him. Ain''t that right?" Maggle waved his beer mug to the workers around them and they cheered again. When he stepped closer to her, however, his smile went stiff. "The truth is that we lost several. I said I was worth three o'' them, but the truth is I''m barely worth one. But they had no idea what they were getting into, and we could mob them with people at about their strength."


    It was a nightmare scenario for many cultivators: peasants strong enough that they couldn''t be killed instantly, overwhelming with their sheer numbers. In this case, it had apparently worked to their advantage. She would still have made the decision if things had turned out differently, but Zae Zin Nim felt that she had chosen rightly by assisting the acid pits.


    "The celebration has gone on long enough," she told Maggle. "Even assuming you didn''t let anyone escape, Yulthens will send more. The other two mines will be under attack soon and we''ll have to hurry to reach them. Things are even worse in the east."


    "We did okay this time," he protested, "and we got some experience. Next time we''ll do better."


    "Next time, they will send a Diamond Crystallier."


    She let that threat stand, and after a short pause Maggle went around to begin convincing the workers that they needed to move on. Zae Zin Nim wanted nothing to do with that, so she retreated and considered their next plans.


    Though she used the Diamond Crystalliers as a threat, and they were her primary focus, she didn''t think it would end with them. The real threat, she realized, was the merchants who had made those warriors. None of this was a game to them, and as soon as they realized how much was at stake, they would respond with a brutal efficiency that put crystalliers to shame.


    Once the mine workers got their act together, she directed them to meet up with the other groups. Combined with the other mines and pits, they were a formidable force, and now that they had been bloodied, they would only fight more ferociously. Even if individually they ranged from insignificant to average, as a unit they represented more power than anyone in the cities would anticipate.


    And so Zae Zin Nim led an army of peasants into the countryside. Life was strange.

 Chapter 200: Planning a War

    Sitting in Romastir, Omilaena was beginning to suspect that everyone else was having all the fun.


    Oh, there had been an assassination attempt or two and a few little squabbles. Just crystalliers, no attempts to use poison or anything interesting, so she had made them disappear without a trace. Give the others something to wonder about. Everything else was mundane; Krainuun seemed to be enjoying his planning and numbers but there was nothing for her to sink her teeth into.


    From the news that came in from around Krysal, it seemed that most were unclear on whether or not this was simply a slightly larger uprising or something that should move them from the status quo. All secrecy around New Laeneria had been annihilated. Everyone knew it was in open rebellion and the only question was whether or not the Maneater herself was involved. People came to a remarkable number of conclusions considering they didn''t even have the information yet.


    It seemed as though most people still believed Romastir was a vulnerable city state, not part of any conspiracy. That was just about the only place where secrecy still held. Their unfortunate worker who had set everything off hadn''t been alone, and there were other reports of uprisings, either being immediately crushed or getting out of hand.


    So far, the gold to crystal ratio simply ticked up, as if this was just business as usual.


    Omilaena received the first news she actually cared about when Kai showed up at the city. Apparently one of the workers had sacrificed herself to save the army, then he had jumped in to save her. The army itself was kept in one of the mines outside Romastir, since Krainuun rightly insisted that they didn''t have operational control within the city. Their confidence had definitely taken a knock, even though many were glad to be alive.


    Having Kai back should have entertained her, but he was too serious at the moment. Organizing the army or training them at times, then engaging in his own training at others, even though all reports suggested he''d had no trouble. She liked his enthusiasm, even if she couldn''t do anything with it.


    The silence from Yulthens grew more and more ominous before Zae Zin Nim arrived and reported that all four of their sub-armies had been successfully extracted. They now had far more workers than they could support, even with the supplies that Krainuun had been stockpiling. Either being discovered or spiraling into chaos was inevitable, which meant they needed a new plan.


    Oh joy, meetings. The fun had finally come to her.


    .


    ..


    .


    When he''d been a child, Kai had imagined being part of a war council. It would have been before a monster incursion, of course, not against other humans. In the past he had been a child, then an exile during the most unusual incursion of his life.


    Now he was actually sitting at a council. There was a map, but no little pieces to represent forces. Allies around the table, but instead of hunters they included an administrator, a cultivator, and a poisoner. Instead of a single enemy rushing from the north, violence broke out in a dozen different ways in a dozen different places.


    And the casualties would be human on both sides.


    All those thoughts kept him silent as Krainuun spoke. The former servant''s approach seemed eminently reasonable: he didn''t waste time on platitudes, didn''t pretend their situation was anything other than it was, and didn''t act like he could lead. Krainuun didn''t try to make military decisions but also wasn''t servile: he acted like their equal, leaning into his strengths and deferring to theirs.


    "If they had another year for cultivation, they would be more dangerous," Zae Zin Nim said. "But they don''t have a year. It''s bad now, and will get worse if Yulthens decides to make public that their workers are gone. Based on what Orillia said, they''re only keeping it secret because it would weaken them with the other cities."


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    "We can''t even last that long," Omilaena said. "The army from New Laeneria is restless, after running away from a fight. They''ll fuck something up first."


    "They will eat through our supplies even sooner." Krainuun placed his hands on the table and met their gazes, one at a time. "It seems to me that they need a victory that will sustain them, both metaphorically and materially. If you have no immediate military goals, I would like to propose an attack."


    "Go ahead, why not?" Omilaena waved a hand lazily.


    "We should attack the city of Slaerta."


    His finger stabbed down at a point in the map, which would have been much more dramatic if that meant anything to Kai. Slaerta was just another name to him. Relatively central to Krysal, with plenty of interconnecting roads, but not as large as some other cities. If he understood the icons correctly, it had a crystal mine but no acid pit.


    Kai roused himself to focus on the war ahead. "Why Slaerta?" he asked. "I''ve never heard of it."


    "That''s not surprising, because Slaerta is not among Krysal''s foremost cities. Its ego about its crystalliers far outstrips its actual importance." Krainuun tapped his finger on the city as he spoke. "But it provides something critical: a safe target. You see, when Slaerta suffered an economic depression some years back, it altered its social order. City workers, who normally viewed themselves as above the serfs in the mines, were pressed into virtual slavery."


    He said that as if it should make the point obvious, but Zae Zin Nim only blinked at him in perfect neutrality and Omilaena didn''t look like she was paying attention. Kai thought he understood, but gestured for Krainuun to continue just in case.


    "If we attack Slaerta, almost the entire population would greet us as liberators. The workers in other cities wouldn''t turn against us, because they sympathize with the people we''re freeing. Because the city isn''t economically critical, we wouldn''t incite immediate retaliation from other powers. Winning a victory would improve morale and unite our separated armies. That is why I believe this to be the logical next step."


    "The other cities really wouldn''t attack?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "Even if they are familiar with failed uprisings and presume this will go the same way, surely they must see the threat."


    "Yes, but consider it from a mercantile perspective." Krainuun eased back into his seat and flattened his hands on the table. "Sitting out of the fighting can be excellent for the bottom line. War is expensive and it tends to destroy valuable resources. With the gold to crystal ratio increasing, and some crystalliers dead, they won''t want to risk their assets unless they''re convinced that it''s necessary."


    "What about that food problem?" Omilaena had been sitting back, staring toward the ceiling like she was daydreaming, but now she spoke sharply. "We''re concentrating a lot of people in one place, doesn''t that still run into supply issues?"


    "An army can sustain itself so long as it presses into new territory, and if Slaerta is seized, our dwindling resources will not be obvious for quite some time. Anywhere we go, there will be supply issues, but in Slaerta we would buy ourselves as much time as we can reasonably expect."


    Zae Zin Nim abruptly stood up. "This seems reasonable. We''ve talked enough, let''s act."


    No one else objected, so her conclusion apparently decided it for the rest of them. Zae Zin Nim headed out on business of her own while Omilaena sat back, still gazing through the ceiling. Kai was about to leave when he saw Krainuun roll up the map and move away. Instead of returning to his training, which would be more of what he had been doing since he arrived, he followed the former servant.


    "Deescalation will only work temporarily," he said. "Maybe taking Slaerta will give the others pause, but it will also give everyone who decides to act a target. You don''t think we can delay forever and find a new status quo, do you?"


    "It has been done before, but... no." Krainuun regarded him coolly. "And is that what you want, Kai? A return to peace as soon as possible?"


    "Not exactly." Kai rolled his shoulders as he thought about it. "What I want is a better, fairer Krysal. Just bidding for peace now would mean going back to the old system. But if the revolution builds up enough strength, there will come a point when the merchants want to sue for peace. When that happens, what will you want?"


    The dark eyes glittered at him emotionlessly. "You''re asking if I seek retribution? Some definitely will, and we will see great bloodshed before this is over. But I do not seek a revolution that takes vengeance on every target and then starves in the ashes."


    "Did you think that''s what we wanted?"


    "It was a possibility. I have known many crystalliers in my time. They want to defeat an opponent, declare victory, and move on, with no concern for what they leave behind."


    "I don''t know what I''ll leave behind, but I''m concerned about it." Kai had meant it as a joke, but the words felt leaden.


    It was inevitable now. They had set off a revolution in Krysal that would change the nation, for better or for worse. He was certain that it would take him against Suortril and the Diamond Crystalliers, which was a battle he had been preparing for over months. But it would also set him against vast systems, and he had no idea how that battle would end.

 Chapter 201: The Battle for Slaerta

    Witnessing a battle between armies was strange for Zae Zin Nim. In her experience, most conflicts had been decided by duels between cultivators, which struck her as tidier. Maybe formations would be used at times, but not pitched battles like this. She had to admit that most sects on Cloudspire wouldn''t have a counter for such an assault, aside from overwhelming power, she just didn''t approve of it.


    But this army was hers, in a strange sense, so she hovered over it and watched as the battle began. Flying on a smaller crystal so that she wouldn''t risk the crystal ship. She felt irrationally protective of the acid cultivators, who were trying to construct a new path with very limited resources.


    This time they had proper protection, a formation of a different sort. The front lines were composed of mine workers and soldiers from New Laeneria, who had less Physique but carried crystal shields that could repel small amounts of qi. Their opponents were much less organized, just a jumble of soldiers who had failed to become crystalliers. With no organized protection against the acid, they quickly fell back toward the walls of the city.


    Slaerta itself was a squat, bland little city, even by the standards of Deadwaste. Not as militarized as Goralian cities, not as elegant as somewhere like Yulthens. Even its walls struck her as the color of urine, not improved by the crystal gilding along the edges. She wouldn''t mourn it.


    When their ramshackle army had appeared on the horizon, Slaerta had sent out an army to meet it on the field, confident they would end it then. They''d even brought chains, as if they expected to bring back captives. The initial exchanges had gone poorly for them and they''d begun retreating, which meant it was only a matter of time until the crystalliers came out.


    She spotted the first of them atop the city wall. The woman thumped her chest, crystal ringing against crystal, and then jumped down into the battle below. She wasn''t a concern: Kai was fighting at the vanguard and swiped her out of the air with one of his claws. The armor survived the blow, but Kai leapt after her and could handle things.


    A greater concern was a man who slipped over the wall. He was summoning crystals, but not as weapons or armor, more like the floating crystals that Iroaki had used. By her judgment he was a bit stronger than Iroaki, but Zae Zin Nim was far stronger than she had been back then.


    The crystals all began to glow at once, preparing to fire beams of qi into her army. Zae Zin Nim acted first, unleashing a storm of qi bolts that tracked to his position. She struck every one of his crystals, knocking many to the ground, but new crystal plates flickered into being to intercept the others. No direct hits, and now he was looking at her.


    With a single qi-powered leap the crystallier took to the air, then he began controlling crystals in his clothes to fly. It was a reasonably good technique, but misguided. Focusing on her treated this as another duel between crystalliers when it fact it was a broader battle.


    While she dueled with her opponent, Zae Zin Nim was able to continue monitoring the battle below. Gundle was of course not with them, but Yurwa was at risk on occasion and Zae Zin Nim released a qi technique or two to keep pressure off her. Eventually the remaining crystalliers tried to form a wall, holding off the enemy to allow the army to retreat within the walls. It was perhaps a wise strategy under other circumstances and Kai seemed to be holding back, letting them burn resources to defend the retreat.


    Then, just after the great gates slammed closed, Kai leapt forward and struck them. She wasn''t sure if he couldn''t penetrate the qi-reinforced gates in one blow or if he held back, but his technique left them cracked and swinging. Instead of striking again, Kai leapt to the walls and fought crystalliers and defenders there, forcing them to defend themselves instead of focusing on the attackers.


    Below, acid and qi pummeled the gates, widening the cracks. When the gates finally fell, the peasant army let out a great cheer and began charging in after the horrified retreating army.


    A crystal whizzed just beside her waist, drawing a line of blood and tearing her robe.


    Zae Zin Nim frowned down, less concerned by the minor injury than the fact that her robe had been ruined. There weren''t many Krysali clothes she liked, since they favored wraps over robes, and even if this one was repaired it would never be the same.


    Still, she had underestimated her opponent. Zae Zin Nim located the flying crystallier, who was building up yet more flying crystals, and gave him a slight bow. This was more her domain anyway.


    .


    ..


    .


    The nobles of Slaerta met in their highest chambers, nervously wincing as they listened to the crashes and shouting growing outside. Unlike most cities, the leaders styled themselves as crystalliers, all bearing weapons or crystal crowns. Some even had false scars to complete the look. That lie was made clear by the fact that they weren''t on the battlefield now.


    At first, much of their discussion had been about whether or not it was unreasonable to send away their own guard to the front lines. They had been more worried about the potential of assassination attempts by enemy crystalliers, or maybe even one another. As the battle worsened, and especially when the gate went down, they grew desperate.


    "Enough!" One of the highest nobles rose to his feet and slammed both fists down on the table to quiet the arguments. "This isn''t about profit anymore, this is a battle for the soul of Slaerta. We bring out everything. Give our guards all the gathered qi, flood the streets, and bring out the great crystal."


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    "The great crystal?" Many murmured, but only one voiced the objection. "It''s too late, most of their army is inside the walls. At best we would damage our own defenses, at worst we''d damage our own property."


    "Better to cut the rot out than let the body die with weak half measures! We should fire the great crystal directly on the lower districts. Some peasants will die along with the enemy army, but we can afford to lose some of them. If we don''t act now, we may lose them all."


    Many of the nobles argued, but more were agreeing, and they began telling their servants to give the orders. None of them seemed to notice the mist floating through the room, and one woman who coughed must have thought it was normal smoke from the city. Omilaena continued reclining on one of the rafters, blowing a thin stream of poison from her mouth.


    "I refuse!"


    The cry caught her attention more than the squabbling. She looked over in time to see a servant throw down his platter and stab one of the nobles with a serving knife. His body trembled, but his eyes looked focused as he stared at them.


    "You''ve kept us down for long enough!" he shouted. "I won''t turn a weapon on our own people!"


    It was brave and extraordinarily stupid. The nobles might be playing at being real warriors, but with their crystal cultivation and weaponry, they could crush an untrained man like a bug. He drew all their attention as they saw a problem they could handle with their own hands.


    "Ladies and gentlemen." Omilaena flipped off her rafter and landed in a plume of blue smoke. Suddenly they began to realize just how dark the room had grown, but there was no escape. "You''ve been lovely hosts, but I think our evening is at an end."


    While they began to keel over, Omilaena whisked the servants out of the room. The one who had tried to stab his oppressors had gotten massive lungfuls of the poison, so she pricked his neck with an antidote needle that should keep him alive. Instead of just pushing him to safety, she dragged him to one of the windows to look out over the city.


    "Looks like you aren''t the only one," she said as they watched the chaos spread below.


    "They''re... they''re rising up?" His vision wasn''t as good as hers, but even he could see that some of the mobs carrying crystal torches were coming from inside the city.


    "That or they saw the way the battle was going. Are your people going to have a problem working with people from the crystal mines and acid pits?"


    "That''s who''s saving us? The... the uprising from New Laeneria?" The servant''s eyes shifted anxiously, wondering if they were just under new leadership. "We... when the nobles turned on us, we realized we were wrong. They sent anyone to the mines for no reason. They... they..."


    "Take heart." Omilaena patted him on the shoulder. "Things are going to change."


    Exactly how, she left unsaid. No doubt they were going to have a serious problem with the higher classes of the city trying to pass themselves off as workers, which would lead to sabotage. Not to mention the wave of violent retribution that would come as the result of their victory. There would be a lot of work to do in the shadows while Kai played the hero and handled the bright cheerful side of everything.


    But for now, Omilaena watched their triumph spread through the city.


    .


    ..


    .


    Even though Kai told himself that what mattered was the victory, protecting the army that trusted in him, he was a little bit disappointed. The strongest crystalliers in Slaerta weren''t that strong, not by the standards of Yulthens. Technically that was the point, since they''d chosen this target in part to harden their army for more dangerous opponents.


    There was still a hunger deep within him that was dissatisfied. It had wanted a fight.


    To keep himself focused he treated it as a tactical problem, leading the army without fighting the battle for them. Sometimes, even when he was in the middle of a brawl with an opponent, he worried about that. Was it his right to decide who lived and died like this?


    The most efficient way to take the city would definitely have been for him to go alone, handling everything himself with his strongest allies. There were many benefits to a more restrained approach, from giving their army combat experience to rallying the workers within the city. In theory, this was the prudent path that would lead to fewer deaths in the end.


    And yet... he was strong enough to turn the tide, but not to protect everyone in such a chaotic battle. He saw people he recognized from the mines and pits die, and that was ultimately because of his decision. All he could do was pray it was the right choice and keep fighting.


    As a purely cynical strategy, he needed to make sure that their strongest warriors stayed alive. He kept an eye on Nirka, Cragrila, and Maggle, but to his surprise they didn''t need much help. With Zae Zin Nim handling the air, they were free to focus on smaller battles. Having multiple workers supporting one another meant that crystalliers couldn''t gang up on them, which meant their underlying strength shone through.


    Kraetius was in fine form, truly fighting for the first time since Kai had originally met him. The old man apparently had some kind of vendetta against Slaerta, not as serious as his problems with Yulthens but enough that he threw himself into the battle. He alone could probably have carried much of the battle, so it was a rout.


    As the shouting and screaming gave way to cheers, Kai was more stunned by the victory than he had been by the battle. They had won... and the people were celebrating? He saw workers dancing in the streets, not from the pits or mines, just locals from Slaerta. While he was trying to gather their army back together to avoid losses in street fighting, there were local women throwing crystal dust out of windows to celebrate.


    Kai didn''t let himself get pulled in, focusing on finishing the battle. He struggled with a lurking fear that something would go horribly wrong, that he would lose someone in the fight. But it looked as though they had made it through: Maggle had received a wound that didn''t stop him from complaining loudly, Nirka was being treated for a qi burn, and Cragrila appeared to have made it through with no serious injuries.


    When the locals rose up, most of the remaining army surrendered. Kraetius was eliminating remaining pockets of resistance and there was still scattered fighting on a few streets, but it was over. Fearing ugly deaths in a revolution, the nobles were surrendering to whoever they could.


    They''d certainly make enemies by taking Slaerta, but the vast majority of people he saw were overjoyed. Of course, that had been the plan, the very reason Krainuun had sent them here. It still felt wrong.


    A group of men had begun dancing, a wild celebration that expanded almost as fast as the battle. Some women spun along the dance, occasionally planting exuberant kisses on the triumphant army. They seemed to kiss everyone as liberators, male or female, but when they saw Kai he was mobbed by the entire group, ambushed by kisses on all sides.


    Abruptly he realized what felt wrong: this was what he had never received from Monskon City. He had wanted to dedicate his life to defending his people, and thanks to his exile, he had never received any recognition. Even the battle at Monskon City, which should have been a triumph by any standard, had been marred by the revelation of his monstrous nature.


    But here, no one knew his history. They only knew him as a liberator. As Kai accepted the battle was actually over, he let himself smile.

 Chapter 202: Trouble in the Wake of Victory

    Kai wasn''t frustrated by a single day of celebration, especially because he knew that none of the others would regenerate as fast as he did. Nirka was still recovering from her qi burn and a stomach wound that got infected, but when he checked on her the local healers were taking good care of her. After the feast that night, most got back to work, rebuilding defenses and reorganizing the city.


    When the celebrations resumed, however, they began to grate on Kai. This was the first act of a revolution, not the final victory. Admittedly, there was something alluring about getting cheers when he went anywhere, but it got old. He tried to tell himself that many of these people were experiencing real freedom for the first time and they deserved to enjoy it.


    Aside from some trouble and sabotage, merging with the city workers hadn''t been a problem. The majority of the anger from the mines and pits seemed focused on those at the very top. He didn''t know if that would continue in a different city, but he''d have to hope so, because they couldn''t afford to fight the entire rest of the Krysali population.


    He''d taken and secured one of the empty estates - not one of the palaces at the top of the city, since he didn''t want to set up himself as the new ruler, but it was still comfortable. When he went back after another day, he found Zae Zin Nim packing the diamond star.


    "I do not appreciate this atmosphere," she told him flatly. "I''m going to help some of the others restore the local crystal mine. At least you can cultivate in peace there. Come by to provide acid later so they can resume refining crystals."


    "Do you think we should be worried about the army?" Kai asked. "We don''t know how quickly the merchants will decide when to retaliate."


    "Most of them are fine." Zae Zin Nim stopped packing to turn and look to him. "You instilled a sense of training in the workers, but they can''t train all the time. Remember that they don''t have your stamina."


    "I guess that''s true. Maybe I''m pushing too hard."


    "I didn''t say that. As I said, I do not appreciate this and I am leaving."


    Not having her around would be a disappointment, but Kai wasn''t going to argue with her. Unlike Omilaena, who was basking in the adulation, Zae Zin Nim clearly hated it. Everyone had seen her flying over the battle, so she received an enormous amount of attention from interested parties. Many of them, upon seeing the severity of her scars, had become uncomfortable. That was more than just an ego hit, he thought it really hurt her.


    If she''d been a Goralian woman, he thought he could have encouraged her. But Zae Zin Nim kept her feelings held close and hated being condescended to. Maybe the best he could do was respect her distance and let her go cultivate in the mines.


    Kai worked out his own frustrations in training, then that evening he headed out into the city. He broke up one fight, mostly just by arriving, and checked in on their defenses. There was a merchant strung up against the wall, exposed to the sun, and Kai had him taken down and secured in prison. He''d already seen enough mob justice - they had to prove they were building a new Krysal. Maybe they got it, maybe they didn''t, but the workers responsible listened to him.


    As the sun set, he headed back before he could get pulled into any celebrations. On his way, he ran across Maggle slouching down the street, with his arms around a woman on each side. One dressed like a local and one had crystal mine scars.


    "Really?" Kai asked.


    "Hey, like they say, when in Slaerta, do what the Slaertans do!" Maggle nuzzled into the left woman''s neck and she giggled.


    "Do they say that?"


    "No, but they should." Maggle straightened up and grinned at him. "And look, I''m bringing the different classes of worker together! I''m basically a diplomat. We''ve got to ensure good cooperation between all sides, you know? Close, close collaboration."


    "If you insist." Kai tried to laugh it off, but Maggle turned after him.


    "You need to get laid again and loosen up. You''re Kai motherfucking Clanless, you''d have plenty of volunteers. We all only have so much time... might as well enjoy it."


    As he continued back, reaching the guard house, Kai was surprised to see Cragrila in one of the alcoves, kissing a man. She said something to him, too low to hear, and then slipped away to talk to Kai.


    "You don''t have to join in the celebration," she said, "but don''t go around glowering at everyone."


    "Am I? Sorry." Kai rubbed his eyes and tried to ease off. "I''m just thinking about what''s going to happen next."


    "Everyone else is doing the same thing, or they''re trying desperately not to think about it." Cragrila put a hand on his shoulder - not inviting, a gesture between warriors. "Many of these people saw their friends die. They''re starting to believe they might win their freedom, but they know that many of them will give their lives in the process. They''re taking what joy they can from life."


    "Maybe you''re right."


    "No one can mount an attack on us this quickly, but when they come, you''ll want morale to be high. A little more training might make a difference for someone like you, and you''ll see me in the training yard tomorrow, but doing nothing except work will make you brittle."


    "Fine, fine." Kai accepted that everyone was going to press him on this and moved on.


    As he saw Cragrila return to her lover, he didn''t begrudge her a little happiness. Maybe he was just frustrated because Nirka was still injured. For now, he''d either just go to sleep or train until he was too tired to do anything else.


    When he returned to his room, he was surprised to see Yurwa seated in a chair in a nearby hallway. She smiled shyly when he approached.


    "Everything okay, Yurwa? Nothing wrong with Gundle?"


    "Nanny Troggup is taking care of him." Yurwa sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I love him more than anything, of course, and I''m proud of him... but sometimes I feel like I''m nothing but his mother."


    "You shouldn''t." Kai wasn''t sure what sort of encouragement he should offer, but he tried to give her an uplifting smile. "Zae Zin Nim is very impressed with your cultivation, and she doesn''t impress easily. You just fought a battle to save an entire city, I saw you throwing acid with the best of them."


    "Well, thank you." Yurwa''s smile was very strange, but she gestured for him to sit.


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    Kai chatted with her for a while, since she was a good conversationalist and could take his mind off all the frustrations. He actually managed to relax, right up until the moment her hand touched his wrist, then slid up his forearm.


    "Everyone in the city is supposed to be an ally, but I''m still lonely. Kai, will-"


    "I can''t." He pulled away and was surprised to see her flinch.


    "Is it the acid burns after all?" Yurwa curled in on herself, wrapping one hand around the broad scar on her neck as if she could hide it. "You would think it wouldn''t matter, since life has been so cruel to all of us. But there are so many women who-"


    "That isn''t it." Kai was absolutely sure he wasn''t an expert on women, but he knew better than to let her continue like that. He gently took her hand and planted a kiss on the scarred back. "Yurwa, you''re absolutely beautiful. I''d never turn you down if it was like that. But I''m committed to Nirka."


    Her eyes widened and she looked unusually surprised. Hadn''t they already covered that issue, or was it some feminine issue he was too dense to understand? In any case, she patted his hand on hers, then pulled back. "You''ve always been too kind, Kai. I''ll see you later."


    Kai nodded and stood there like he was a responsible adult with unrivaled willpower, then once she was out of range cursed at himself. Yurwa had changed into a Krysali dress that was much more flattering than the smocks they wore in the acid pits and she had looked amazing. It had taken a supreme act of will to turn her down and he still regretted it, some parts of him more than others.


    Fuck it, Nirka had been with the healers a long time, maybe she was restored enough. Better than trying to sleep like this. Kai reversed direction and loped across the city to the medical area.


    The crystals had been dimmed for the night and he saw more than a few couples nearby even there. Every time he''d visited, Nirka had been in a room on the second floor. Even if the wound on her stomach hadn''t healed, maybe she''d be willing to be more flexible, because he''d been teased too much to keep holding back.


    Then he stepped into the room and saw Nirka on top of one of the young healers. Their clothes were still on, but she was kissing him on the bed and there was no question of misunderstanding. He was a thin man with pale hair who Kai remembered working as her primary healer. Anger coursed through Kai so white hot that he almost didn''t even feel it until he realized that he''d taken a step forward and started to raise one hand.


    "Shit!" The young man saw Kai and immediately tried to scramble away. This was made harder by the fact that Nirka was straddling him, and she pinned him down with one hand.


    "Stay." She looked over at Kai and frowned. "Why are you angry? Didn''t I tell you we weren''t exclusive?"


    "I guess you did." Kai stared at them, trying not to let Void Gaze loose. She was right, and that just pissed him off more. All the soft emotions he''d been carrying for so long were turned into kindling for a rage he couldn''t even let burn. "If I didn''t think about it that way, it''s on me."


    "Kai, wait." Nirka leapt up and went after him, catching his arm before he could get out the door. "It isn''t about choosing him over you, I''d choose you every time. But you''re always running off, and I know what you''re doing out there. He was kind and-"


    "I didn''t. Not once."


    Nirka stared at him as if she didn''t quite believe it, then let go of his arm. "Is this a possessive thing to you, then?"


    "It just isn''t what I thought it was." Kai rubbed his eyes and turned away as his rage burned down to much more painful embers. "Have fun."


    She didn''t stop him the second time and he stormed out of the healing center. As furious as he was, he was still hard, like his own body was mocking him. Kai''s mind was awash in mixed thoughts, wanting to hate her and feeling like he was wrong for feeling that way. All those were swept aside when Omilaena slipped out of the shadows and wrapped an arm around his neck.


    "Want me to poison her?" she asked, raising both eyebrows.


    "Omilaena? Are you stalking me?"


    "I am," she said shamelessly. "So... poison?"


    "No, that wouldn''t be right. She said it was like this and I guess I just never imagined she actually would..." Kai shook his head and jabbed Omilaena away with his elbow, since her body against his was not helping with the situation. "Don''t poison anyone."


    "Suit yourself. So, you wanna fuck?"


    "Didn''t you say something about a poison vagina?"


    "Nonsense, I would never be so vulgar. Don''t be disgusting, Kai." Omilaena leaned up to speak softly into his ear. "That offer wasn''t a joke. I have needs too, but I''m not letting these people touch me. It doesn''t need to be anything more than a little relief."


    Her lips against his ear were slightly cool and left a tingling, as if her blue lipstick was a special compound. That unavoidably brought other thoughts to mind, which Kai had to beat back with a mental stick. And then, frustrated as he was, he really considered the offer.


    There was no question that in his opinion Omilaena was one of the best-looking women in the entire city, by any standard. But the truth was that he didn''t really trust her. To fight at his back in battle, yes, but not in bed. Even if she was sincere, there was a cruel edge to her that made him uncomfortable.


    "You really are a soft old romantic, aren''t you?" Omilaena must have seen his answer in his eyes, because she unpeeled herself from his side. Her teasing expression was replaced with a matter-of-fact stare. "Well, then you''d better go catch up to Yurwa. She wasn''t moving fast, you can get her."


    "Are you serious?" Kai glanced back toward the estate, then reconsidered. "She wouldn''t... uh, feel like she was a second choice?"


    "Kai. Kai, Kai, Kai... the poor woman got someone to take care of her son and come all this way. I promise you that she didn''t do that because she wants someone to tell her she''s the only girl in the world. She''s as horny as you are."


    Normally, taking romantic advice from Omilaena seemed like a terrible idea. For this one moment, however, he thought that she was being serious. Maybe she was actually right. If he stayed on his own, the confused emotions would just keep flaring up, so he needed to flood them with something healthier. When he started to move away, Omilaena slapped his ass.


    "Alright, go get her!"


    He ran back to the estate, trying not to get his hopes up. It seemed like everyone else had gone to bed, alone or all too often with someone else. But he found Yurwa sitting out in one of the courtyards, staring skyward. She gave him a sad smile when she saw him, then her expression shifted when she saw his gaze.


    "Earlier I made a mistake. I''m sorry if I hurt you."


    "I thought she didn''t understand the relationship the same way you did." Yurwa stared up at him, still a bit uncertain. "You don''t have to, and I don''t want to get in the way of-"


    "Earlier, when I said you were beautiful, I meant it." Kai reached down and touched the side of her face. She shivered and leaned into his hand. "Do you want me to prove it?"


    .


    ..


    .


    Deep in the night Kai lay in bed, awake but no longer restless. Yurwa curled up against his side, her affection now unrestrained. He gently rubbed her back and she murmured in her sleep before she nestled her face against his chest.


    In the beginning he''d been filled with anger and frustration, but those had quickly been left behind. Yurwa was gentle and, despite her poor constitution, enthusiastic. By the end he felt like all of the negative feelings had drained away.


    Had the others been right and he''d just needed to get laid? The celebrations of everyone else no longer seemed so frustrating and he no longer felt so angry at Nirka. Then again, his current mood was probably not the right state to make strategic or relationship decisions either.


    He relaxed like that for some time, he had no idea how long... and then he heard a tapping. When he saw Omilaena lean her head in the window, he sat up and very nearly woke Yurwa. Glowering, Kai got out of bed without waking her, wrapped a fallen sheet around his waist, and stormed out to confront Omilaena. She had the window open somehow and stood on the balcony outside, but when he opened his mouth she sealed it with her finger.


    "I''m a stalker, not a voyeur. Well, I''d happily be a voyeur, but I was respectful of your sweet lovey dovey nonsense." Omilaena snapped her wrist and revealed a small crystal, densely carved, different from what he''d seen before. "I just got this message crystal from Krainuun. These things are very expensive, so he wouldn''t have sent it for no reason."


    "How does - no, never mind." Kai pushed aside other concerns to focus on what mattered. He''d be a hypocrite if he couldn''t focus on the war now. "It''s a message? What does it say?"


    "See for yourself." Omilaena slipped a little qi into the crystal and suddenly it seemed to blossom into an image.


    When Kai looked down into the crystal, it was like staring into another room. Not like he was peering through a pinhole, but as if the crystal had unfolded in his mind. It was hard to understand, but he pushed that aside because he saw Krainuun on the other side, speaking grimly.


    "I wish I could congratulate you on your victory, but there isn''t time for that." Krainuun leaned forward, staring directly into the crystal. "The revolution was, shall we say, too successful. War just opened up on three new fronts. We can''t afford to spread our armies thin, but if you''re willing to take a risk... well, just listen..."

 Chapter 203: A Different Sort of Crystallier

    Kai raced across Krysal to another city he hadn''t heard of before in a desperate effort to hold everything together. This one was called Teraklis and, in theory, he might be able to make a difference on his own.


    Merchants had responded to the fall of Slaerta with the reserve that Krainuun had predicted, but none of them had anticipated how many workers would react. The cities that kept their crystal mines and acid pits completely blockaded from the outside world were congratulating themselves on their foresight, because wherever the workers heard the news, discontent boiled over. This could lead to problems from many angles: drawing other cities into war, creating doomed uprisings, and making Slaerta into even more of a target.


    They had decided to gamble that their previous logic was correct and no city state could marshal their forces to attack Slaerta in the short term. That gamble allowed them to split up and tackle multiple situations that might otherwise cause trouble.


    Each of them chose a problem particularly suited to them. Omilaena had gone to a city where a single merchant was funding a private army, no doubt planning an assassination. Cragrila had gone to meet one particularly violent group of workers killing anyone not born in the mines. Zae Zin Nim had not wanted to get involved, so she stayed back and trained their forces.


    And Kai went off on his own to Teraklis, where apparently a group of workers had barricaded themselves in their crystal mine and began making demands of their city state.


    Frankly, their plan sounded suicidal to him. Surely their opponents would run a cost-benefit analysis and decide to just let them all die, or even help along the process. It didn''t seem like they had the leverage to have any effect, but Krainuun believed that their work stoppage was important enough to destabilize the region, so Kai was going to do all he could.


    Teraklis was found in a more mountainous region of Krysal, just beside the northern deserts. The land itself looked unusually rich, but the city was built half-way into a mountain. As he approached, Kai realized that the crystal mines were built deep into those mountains and suddenly a lot more of the intelligence Krainuun had given him made sense. There were no fewer than five different mines at various points on the mountain, just beside the city.


    Instead of bothering with the city itself, Kai flew to the mines to see if anyone was still alive. To his surprise, the army appeared to have created a perimeter around the mine entrances instead of attacking directly. Maybe this situation was more complex than it looked.


    His plan had been to fight any crystalliers causing the trouble, and there were two crystalliers there, but that no longer seemed like a good idea. After looking for any violence, or clues that he might have missed, Kai flew his crystal down to the no man''s land between the mines and the army.


    "No further!" One of the crystalliers, a middle-aged man, raised his hands as soon as Kai arrived. "Please, this is a delicate situation, we don''t need your interference."


    "And what exactly is this delicate situation?" Kai asked. As he walked toward the group, he saw the crystalliers brace and many of the soldiers retreat.


    "We know who you are." The other crystallier this time, a middle-aged woman. "If you try to destroy our city, we''ll fight you to the death."


    "I have no intention of destroying the city. I just want to stop you from destroying them."


    The two crystalliers glanced at one another, then the man stepped forward. "We see you''re a foreigner and don''t know our ways. But Teraklis isn''t like the cities you know. We pay our workers. They may not like that pay, but they have no right to weaken the city like this."


    "Do they have a right to leave?" Kai asked.


    Again, the two hesitated. Kai had been accustomed to dealing with weak crystalliers who had purchased a little over 100 Power in crystal cultivation, who had dueling experience but weren''t hardened killers. These two struck him as a little different. Older, definitely, and perhaps wiser. A glance at the man''s soul confirmed that they were stronger, too.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 201


    Crystal Cultivation: 16,200 (141)


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Physique Level: F-7 (44)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    The man had cultivated well over ten thousand crystals, which put him well beyond the usual lazy elites, and his total Power rating was over 200. Kai let his gaze slide on to the woman, determined not to take the situation lightly.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 199


    Crystal Cultivation: 13,500 (132)


    Physique Level: F-6 (42)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    Nearly as strong. Both of them were unquestionably dangerous, and if they knew how to fight together, they could be a formidable combination. Kai dropped his shroud so they could see his strength: stronger than either of them alone, but less than them together - at least as far as they could tell. Hopefully that would give them pause, but if not, his monstrous soul would tip the balance.


    "We want to stay out of this," the man eventually said after a terse discussion. "Teraklis has always focused on mining and stuck to itself. Our strength is the quality of our crystals, not force of arms. Are you going to bring down the fairest system in Krysal because it isn''t good enough for you?"


    "I don''t know," Kai said slowly. "Seems like I should probably ask the people inside the mine about it."


    "Enough!" A heavyset woman moved from behind the lines of the soldiers and poked at the crystalliers. Her soul revealed a small amount of crystal cultivation and little other strength, presumably a merchant. "This man has taken down entire city states! Stop talking to him and just kill him!"


    Kai glanced at the two crystalliers. "Seems like you aren''t the ones making the decisions here."


    "We serve Teraklis," the man said grimly. Crystal armor began to gather around his hands and feet.


    "Sorry about this." The woman summoned a crystal lance, which appeared in a fraction of an instant unlike most of the slow manifestations.


    They came at him together, attacking in quick succession. Kai fought carefully, first to gauge their mettle and then for the fun of it. Usually he was the one fighting together with someone else, like when he and Zae Zin Nim cooperated against another opponent. Being on the other side, against opponents who actually knew what they were doing, was an interesting experience.


    To get away from the others, Kai let them drive him away from the mines up the side of the mountain. Then, when he started fighting more seriously, he realized that he hadn''t been just allowing the retreat. They were good, individually and especially together.


    Killing them would probably be doable, but did he really want that? The problem was that he wasn''t sure he could pacify them if he wasn''t fighting with his full strength. Even though they''d gotten away from the merchant who had ordered them, they hadn''t let up.


    "Do we have to do this?" Kai asked as he dodged away from their strikes. "You could have executed some workers as examples and forced them back to work, but you didn''t."


    "We don''t do that here," the man hissed. "The merchants want to, and it''s people like you that are making it happen! If not for the uprisings, we could have negotiated."


    "Is it really a negotiation, or do you have a blade to their necks?"


    Before Kai could say anything else, the woman came at him from the side, displaying a speed technique she hadn''t used before that point. Kai didn''t think he could block or catch it using normal skills, not given their martial skill. Instead he fixed on her and activated Void Gaze.


    She stumbled, her lance falling. Compared to the impact it had on most crystalliers, she recovered fairly quickly, but not fast enough. Kai''s hand was already swinging overhead in a Tyrant''s Claw. Disabling one of them would give him the leverage to argue directly.


    Before he could strike, the man leapt in to grab the woman and pull her out of the way. He probably should have attacked Kai instead, but it was an emotional reaction. Something about the way they gripped one another made Kai certain they were husband and wife. The husband knew his wife''s strength was comparable to his own, but in the moment she was threatened, they weren''t crystalliers, they were just human.


    Instead of swinging down, Kai wrapped the Tyrant''s Claw around the two of them and just held them in place. They probably could have broken out, given their combined strength, but something in his eyes made them hesitate... and it wasn''t Void Gaze.


    "This doesn''t have to end in death," Kai told them. "But can you look me in the eyes and tell me that the workers will be able to negotiate fairly?"


    "We serve the city," the wife started to say, but the husband shook his head.


    "I think we have to tell him. This is our only chance." The husband turned to face Kai and spoke seriously. "We weren''t lying to you. Our workers are better off than most. But as the gold to crystal ratio increases, none of that profit goes to them. They''re demanding a share, which would make them almost equal to the merchants."


    "They''re split down the middle," the wife added. "Some think they should just pay and avoid the uprisings seen in other cities, others insist that''s the path to revolution."


    "And where do you two come out?" Kai asked. He let his Tyrant''s Claw ease enough for them to stand, but kept it ready.


    "I told you, we serve Teraklis." The wife stared at him, not in hatred, just grim fatalism. "We''re still in debt to the council for all the coin they invested in us."


    "In theory it''s virtuous to help the workers," the husband added, "but if you''re asking us to betray our honor and join the revolution, we must refuse. What can we do to change systems like this?"


    Kai glanced between them, thinking quickly. He didn''t have much information, but thanks to Krainuun''s briefing he had more than in past situations. His weakness was that he wouldn''t stay and the merchants would try to play him for a fool. But maybe, if he played his cards right, he could use that backstabbing against them.


    "Here''s what you can do," Kai said. "Tell the council that I''ll leave without fighting anyone, if I can talk to the workers and confirm what you said. Tell them I''m just here to oversee negotiations. But first..."

 Chapter 204: A City Falls Without a Blow Struck

    With a violent barbarian standing in the background, negotiations proceeded with surprising ease. Kai had met with representatives from the mines, who indeed seemed much better off than the slaves in most other city states. The workers didn''t love the merchant nobles, but they were afraid of what the revolutionary army might do if it arrived and didn''t want him to overthrow the city.


    They were more amenable to the real plan.


    In theory, both sides agreed on a new contract, in which the mine workers would be granted a percentage of rising profits, better working conditions, and certain guaranteed rights. In exchange, they agreed to reduce wages when the profits ratio fell and offer no support to the revolutionary armies moving across Krysal.


    Both sides negotiated intensely, yet they kept glancing toward Kai. They knew that any contract came down to enforcement and they were wondering if he understood that.


    When it was finally done, Kai made a short speech about how they should all get along and left. On the way out he saw the crystallier couple again, watching nervously. It looked like they wanted to speak to him, and they had their own conversation solely in exchanged glances before the wife spoke up.


    "Do you really think this will work? The deal will fall apart as soon as you leave."


    "They seemed to negotiate seriously in there," Kai said. "Do you think the terms are unfair?"


    "They''ll never stick with fair terms," the husband told him. "And if they associate you with them, they''ll just be more motivated to renege on the deal."


    "Workers are already being executed across Krysal and when I arrived you were blockading them in their mines. I think that ship has sailed."


    He could tell that the crystallier couple thought he was naive, but they couldn''t deny his point about rising tensions. In any case, Kai pretended to have no second thoughts and joined in the official celebration marking the agreement. The soldiers retreated, the workers began working again, and both sides sharpened their knives.


    For his part, Kai stuck around as the merchants of the city attempted to distract him with luxury. Many vied to host him, some explicitly offered him deals, and a few attempted to throw women at him, then men. Kai refused every offer from the nobility, even though he no longer viewed himself as committed - he and Yurwa had spoken plainly about that.


    There were some very grateful women working in the mines, however. Kai had cynically planned to make a point of refusing all offers from the lower classes, but he actually found himself fond of some of them. Unlike the workers he''d known near Yulthens, here the workers hadn''t been choking on brutality their entire lives. They had hopes for the future and even believed that they could be real citizens of Teraklis, if only they could gain enough leverage.


    So what he''d planned as a diversion ended up as a couple of actual dalliances with the women there. They both knew it was only temporary and there was a sort of freedom in that. It might lack the warmth of his relationship with Juray, but there was passion and relief. He almost dragged things out with them because he was enjoying himself, but he had to follow the plan.


    And so he spent less time in the mines, pretending to grow bored and be drawn in by the luxury. With every passing day he let himself ignore the workers. He no longer mentioned the contract or asked if it was being followed to the letter.


    Eventually he left, and they all thanked him for his help. Then, less than a day after he officially departed, the merchants broke their agreement and began imprisoning workers who had been part of the negotiations.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    That was when Kai returned and started the avalanche.


    He had debated how best to make his statement: Infernotoad''s Burst had the appeal of a massive flaming boulder, or he could have used acid for more visible damage. In the end he decided that an avalanche was already dramatic enough and just used his bare hands, since that allowed for better control of the falling rocks. By the time it was over, two of the primary mines had been absolutely buried without a soul being harmed.


    All of the merchants gathered to discuss the matter, as he had known they would. The crystallier couple stood guard at the doors, but when Kai walked up to them they stepped aside. He strolled into the chamber and slammed his copy of the contract down on the table in front of all the merchant nobles.


    "This is the enforcement mechanism." Kai didn''t shout, in fact he lowered his voice as he spoke into the stunned silence. "I''ve just collapsed two of your mines, which the workers predict will take months to excavate. That hurts both sides, but the workers are willing to pay that price for a fair deal."


    "This is absurd." It was the woman who had called for his death before, so Kai gave her a savage grin that cut off whatever she had been about to say.


    "Didn''t you all shake hands and agree that you''d made fair terms? If you ever decide to break the contract again, I will be back. Each time, another mine goes down, until I level the entire mountain if need be. Now, think hard about whether or not the terms you negotiated are really so bad."


    All around the room, the merchants stared at him and swallowed. No doubt the stories about the revolution, both real and rumored, were running through their minds.


    "You think I''m a barbarian who relies on brute force." Kai shrugged. "I am. Just remember that you''re no different: you thought you could break your deal because you have the power here. If you want to take that path, you''d better make damn sure you actually have the upper hand."


    He spun on his heel and left the room in silence. It wouldn''t last forever, he knew that, but for one moment he''d put the fear of hell into the council.


    When he started to walk away, the crystallier couple followed him. He stopped at the gate out and turned back to them, waiting expectantly.


    "They might fear you for now," the husband said, "but for how long? If you ever die, or leave, your ''enforcement mechanism'' will vanish. What then?"


    "Isn''t that up to you?" Kai looked between the two of them. "You''re the hammer that they use to break any resistance. You said you owe them debts, but who enforces those contracts?"


    "We are citizens of Teraklis. We don''t want to see it destroyed."


    "Then see that you actually work together instead of attacking one another. Trust me, the conflict you have here is nothing compared to the cities where crystallier heads are going on spikes. A wise man once told me that war is an expensive business. Think about how much your city might benefit from avoiding the violence to come."


    The pair glanced at one another, then the wife spoke up quietly. "When you arrived, we didn''t really believe that you wanted anything but violence. They said you wanted to destroy Krysal."


    "Does Krysal mean just the merchants, or all Krysali?" Kai smiled at the two of them. "I''m glad we didn''t have to kill each other. Despite what I said, most likely I won''t be back. Actually enforcing the peace will be up to you."


    With those words he turned and left them. He could tell that they were still a little skeptical and thought he was too much of an idealist. Well, Kai was perfectly willing to look naive in order to keep the last part of the plan a secret a little longer.


    He had truly destroyed the entrance to two crystal mines, but not before extensive work within the tunnels. His dalliances in the mines, though they had been fun, had been a front to allow him to spend more time there. With his help, the miners had broken through from one of the other mines and now had total access to the allegedly closed mines.


    Not only that, they had as much acid as he had been able to expel. They were already familiar with acid cultivation, because they had to import it from other city states, so they had begun to manufacture their own crystal weapons.


    Truthfully, these workers didn''t seem nearly as angry as the others, and they did seem to have a better position in life. They had actually urged him not to kill the merchants or fight the crystalliers, just help them gain enough leverage to stay at the bargaining table. Now they had the threat of his return on their side, and even after that threat was gone, they would have greatly increased strength. And maybe, if he had made any difference, the crystalliers wouldn''t be so eager to attack.


    It was far more than he could have imagined doing a year ago, but it wasn''t much. Kai left the city of Teraklis and hoped that it would make it through the spreading revolution intact. If he''d taken one city state out of the war, that was more than he could have accomplished with force alone.

 Chapter 205: Cultivator vs Cultivator

    The revolution crumbled beneath her, descending from lofty ideals to chaotic panic. Zae Zin Nim watched from atop a flying crystal, struggling to reconcile her mission objectives with her disgust.


    Workers in the acid pits from another miserable city state had decided to join the revolution, but they hadn''t put in the work to be remotely equal to the forces opposing them. They barely had any acid cultivators worthy of the name and had tried to fight with buckets of acid and even rocks. If they had been crushed, they wouldn''t have disturbed her work, but somehow they had managed to escape and begin an unorganized exodus, demanding help from the revolution.


    Now they fled through the space between cities, dealing damage to farmland with their acid containers, scattering, sometimes even trampling over one another. This was more the sort of thing she had expected from a peasant revolution and it was a miracle there wasn''t more of it.


    Or perhaps not a miracle. Obviously there were cultivators like Yurwa and Gundle who deserved more than life gave them, or servants like Krainuun who were as crafty as any merchant. She had never believed that all peasants truly deserved their position. But it was equally foolish to imagine they were all noble oppressed souls, superior to their oppressors. Just as many of them were as stupid and as venal and unthinking as any sect that hoarded their advantages in young masters.


    After locating the worker uprising, Zae Zin Nim identified the army pursuing them. Just another force from another city state, probably with a few crystalliers who, if she was lucky, would be strong enough to help her hone her edge.


    "Move southwest," she called to the workers, amplifying her voice with qi. Some of them even managed to obey while others just saw someone flying on a crystal and ran around like headless chickens. Well, they would have to pull up their pants and manage on their own.


    Instead she arced downward, placing herself between the two forces. Zae Zin Nim gathered her qi, giving the soldiers time to do the sensible thing and retreat, which of course they didn''t. She had no qualms about unleashing her technique: dozens of qi bolts arced out, flying around their limited armor to strike vital points. An entire wave of soldiers went down.


    Yet the others kept coming. A group bearing crystal shields marched forward to try to blunt her attacks - they couldn''t resist a true cultivator for long, but they did have some efficacy, and there had been more and more of them since the merchants became serious about the war. Others split around the point where she fought, beginning to loose arrows at the retreating acid cultivators.


    They should have just surrendered to her instead of throwing their lives away, but they would probably achieve their goals. None of them could hold a candle to her individually, yet instead of surrendering sensibly they pushed onward. She wondered if the peasants and weaker sects on Cloudspire could do the same, if they didn''t cower in fear whenever a superior cultivator appeared. It was a grim thought.


    Just when she was beginning to suspect they had no crystalliers, she felt a whisper of pure qi within the enemy ranks. If not for her extensive cultivation, she might have missed it and been struck.


    Instead she had just enough time to prepare herself, deflecting the qi technique rushing at her and then the palm strike that followed. For a moment she saw only the rushing robes between them, then they retreated and her opponent became clear.


    Ren Ziq Quen. The Diamond Crystallier gave her a mocking bow before attacking again.


    Immediately she was forced on the defensive, forgetting about supporting the retreating army and struggling just to keep herself alive. Her opponent''s Transcendent Divine Body allowed him to fly even at the Nascent Foundation stage, making him far more agile than she was, imitating his true power with a pathetic little crystal. Even if their qi was similar in strength, she could never overcome that disadvantage.


    Eventually the inevitable happened: she was too focused on defending herself and a qi strike hit her crystal. Zae Zin Nim tumbled out of the air, barely catching herself as she slid backward after the retreating army.


    The sensible thing to do would be to retreat. She wasn''t fighting for her own sect or nation, not even for anyone she knew. Throwing herself against an opponent like this before she was ready was completely senseless.


    "Get up!" someone called.


    "You can get him!" came another voice.


    For a moment she was infuriated by the workers, but then streams of acid arched overhead. Two of the acid cultivators had tried to attack Ren Ziq Quen, even though it was completely futile. Their acid melted in the air before it even touched his body, evaporating in his aura.


    But in their foolish attack, she saw a flicker of Kai''s determination. Zae Zin Nim drew herself upright and gathered all the qi in her dantian. She would not simply surrender, even if she was outmatched. Not here and not now.


    When she unleashed her next qi technique she let out a cry, which was not very refined but pushed her to her limits. Ren Ziq Quen looked at her scornfully and spun in place, easily slapping aside her qi bolts. But she had never intended to strike him, and as she had predicted he didn''t care about the soldiers around him. The qi devastated the nearby soldiers, widening the gap between the army and the acid cultivators.


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    Thankfully they had the sense to keep retreating so her stand wasn''t useless. Zae Zin Nim examined her opponent, hoping that she would not suffer for this mistake.


    <


    Name: Ren Ziq Quen


    Total Power: 463


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 23% (258)


    Divine Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    Transcendent Divine Body (+100)


    >


    Ren Ziq Quen was just as strong as she remembered... which for the first time didn''t seem so intimidating. His cultivation hadn''t advanced far since they last met as he rested on his laurels. Unfortunately, his strength was more than enough when she compared her own.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 430


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 34% (262)


    Coldfire Corona: 33 (43)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-3 (89)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    The gap between them might have narrowed, but it was still substantial. Her first instinct to retreat had been tactically correct, especially because she wasn''t sure she could overcome the advantages of the Transcendent Divine Body.


    But no. She had committed to this path and she wouldn''t flinch from it. Kai wouldn''t.


    They met between them, eschewing qi techniques for pure martial arts. She managed to keep up with him blow for blow, but soon their palms met. When their inner force collided, he remained in place while she skidded back.


    "Why fight with them?" Ren Ziq Quen asked, with a dismissive nod toward the retreating workers. "Not that the nobles on this continent are much better than peasants themselves, but what can these miserable workers ever do for you?"


    "Why is someone with your advantages here?" Zae Zin Nim countered. "You could be a prince on Cloudspire, why slum on Deadwaste?"


    "Don''t presume you understand my plans."


    She should have kept him talking, because the soldiers were keeping their distance and every second allowed the workers to retreat further. Tactics like this felt unfamiliar to her, compared to honest battle. Unfortunately, she couldn''t think of anything else to delay him.


    Ren Ziq Quen attacked again, as ferociously as before, but Zae Zin Nim had time to think during their battle. If she was going to win, she needed to take him off guard. By far her best chance of that was using the Coldfire Corona, the question was choosing her moment.


    In a battle where she was outmatched, it was difficult to set up such a perfect opportunity. She barely stayed ahead of him until one arrived by chance: he unleashed a qi technique at point blank range, sure that it would drive her back.


    Zae Zin Nim plunged into it, surrounded by her blue flames. Even then, she wasn''t fast enough by speed alone. But her opponent was taken aback by the sudden rush of mana and he hesitated the critical fraction of a second it took her palm to strike his chest.


    This time he was the one who skidded backward. Ren Ziq Quen dropped to one knee and looked down at his chest in shock... but he wasn''t bleeding. He should have been coughing blood. If that strike hadn''t been enough to overcome the Transcendent Divine Body, she had a problem.


    When she stepped in to press her advantage, a beam of qi struck her from the side. Zae Zin Nim cried out and staggered, desperately looking for the source. Not a crystallier: there was a noble officer in the army aiming some sort of weapon at her.


    It wasn''t enough to cripple her, but it bound her in place, and Ren Ziq Quen had already recovered. She didn''t see a way through...


    Then the crystal bracelet on her wrist shone. As it cracked, a ripple of qi completely wiped out the beam from the weapon and even made Ren Ziq Quen take a step back. Zae Zin Nim leapt away from them as quickly as she could, before the effect dissipated.


    She had managed to get clear, but the bracelet was spent. Worse, she had just shown her opponent her greatest secret weapon, and Ren Ziq Quen was not so foolish as to be tricked again. Fighting before had been a justifiable decision, but her struggle had allowed the workers to retreat much further. Continuing to fight in the face of opposition like this was no longer sensible.


    Zae Zin Nim retreated after them, nervously looking over her shoulder. Ren Ziq Quen could have caught up, but instead he only maintained distance, calling after her.


    "Was that your last gimmick? Nothing else to show me?"


    "I would have had you if the peasant hadn''t stepped in," she called back.


    "Your trick gave you the upper hand, but that''s all you have, isn''t it? Now that it''s spent, you know which of us is the superior cultivator."


    Despite her tone, Zae Zin Nim''s confidence had broken. She didn''t see any path to winning another fight between them, and worse, the army wasn''t giving up just because they had fallen behind. Were any of their allies close enough to assist? Suddenly she wished she had paid closer attention to the details of the war that had seemed so trivial before.


    A blue form dropped out of the sky, unleashing a hail of needles in the process. Ren Ziq Quen retreated in midair, deflecting them gracefully. But Omilaena was already breathing out, expelling a wall of poison to hold back the army.


    When Omilaena came to follow their forces, the others didn''t pursue. Zae Zin Nim bowed to the other woman. "For the first time, I''m happy to see you."


    "Come on, I expected more gratitude than that." Omilaena spoke playfully, but her eyes watched the enemy with cold precision. "He''s a tough one, though. Too bad I couldn''t get here in time to help you finish him while he was weak."


    "What was a Diamond Crystallier doing out here? I thought Yulthens was uninvolved."


    "That''s a new development you didn''t know about. The top merchants of Yulthens are taking a page out of our book and sending the Diamonds to fight. Basically, they''re trying to turn the other cities into vassals. That cultivator works for... Riuklina, right? She probably has this whole army working for her against Suortril now."


    "I am more concerned about fighting such an opponent again." Zae Zin Nim frowned down at her damaged robes. "I do not think I can manage in the short term. What about the injection of chakra you gave me against that monster?"


    "I can give you more, but not randomly." Omilaena spun a syringe into existence and flipped it in her hand. "It isn''t just a magical liquid, it''s a sophisticated technique, so it loses efficacy rapidly. If I was present at the battle, I could give you a boost, but if I was there, we might as well fight him together."


    Zae Zin Nim nodded glumly. It could still be a viable strategy if they were locked in a battle with several Diamond Crystalliers, but that was unlikely, especially if the merchants of Yulthens were still engaged in battle with one another.


    Technically they had won this encounter, allowing the ragged little army to escape. But as they retreated, it felt like another defeat.

 Chapter 206: The Ratio of War

    "And the average gold to crystal ratio," Krainuun said, "has risen to almost ninety Eagles per crystal."


    "Wait, ninety?" Kai had been nodding through their conversation, but that threw him entirely. "Everyone was talking like fifty was unreasonable before."


    "Ah, but those were peacetime ratios. Even if Krysal isn''t engaged in full war, we are seeing wartime values. We''ve seen this before during particularly bad incursions, conflict with neighbors, or warfare that severely damaged crystal refinement."


    "But getting to those levels during a time like this is unusual, right?"


    Krainuun rationed himself a very small smile. "Yes, it is extraordinary. A ratio of ninety means that creating a crystallier requires almost half a million Goralian Eagles, which is prohibitive for lesser merchants. More importantly, it destabilizes various markets. If the ratio increases to one hundred, a great many opponents will be severely discomforted. Consider that a goal for now."


    Even if that part was more interesting to Krainuun, and maybe more important for the war, Kai was stuck on the base price. The ratio was just a number, but it had a tangible effect on the war. All his opponents who thought they could simply buy their way to strength now had only a third of the power to show for their money. Every day they kept Krysal spinning in this state was a day their position strengthened relative to their opponents.


    "Should I have acted differently in Teraklis, then?" Kai asked. "They produce so many high quality crystals, they have to be pulling the ratio down."


    "We have more than one objective, of course." Krainuun sat back into his usual position with his hands over his belly. "It is essential that the revolution appear like a dozen different conflicts: Omilaena conquering for herself in one place, an uprising in a second, mere disruption in a third. Leaving Teraklis as a stable city state is not a bad outcome, and given their treatment of workers, a more palatable compromise than some."


    That was the way it always was with Krainuun: everything weighed on golden scales, never tilting entirely in one direction or another. It was certainly preferable to the black and white thinking Kai saw elsewhere, and honestly that he slipped into himself from time to time. He wondered, when it was all over, whether anyone would know about Krainuun''s role in everything.


    "Well, that sounds like we''ve covered everything." Kai slapped his knees and pushed himself to his feet. "Oh, but one thing: do you have more of those communications crystals? It would be great to be able to stay in contact with Zae Zin Nim. We could push ourselves harder, knowing we can always call back our strongest if needed."


    "I fear they are rather too expensive for that," Krainuun told him. "Beyond expensive, they are rare. With trade disrupted, they will become rarer still."


    "Damn. I''ll have to think of something else, then."


    As the slow revolution continued, Kai had begun thinking of himself as the martial counterpart to Krainuun. The little former servant made sure that their supply lines ran efficiently, while Kai handled their military efficiency. Not simply the increasing strength of their forces, but how effectively he could utilize himself and their other elite fighters.


    And yes, that meant giving time for rest and relaxation. Kai had begun sending large portions of their army out on assignment, to deal with one crisis or another, or just to help workers who couldn''t handle their new freedom. That meant when they returned to Slaerta they viewed themselves as on leave, which meant the city''s celebratory atmosphere had continued.


    Most of the time he was back he avoided the estate where the revolutionary leaders stayed and instead lived with Yurwa. That let him monitor Gundle''s cultivation innovations and help her continued training. Yes, there was an element of physical gratification, but even when she was too exhausted by her work, he loved just falling sleep alongside someone who cared about him.


    That relaxation let him train even more intensely. His Physique remained at the E-9 barrier, but his monstrous skills were strengthening even without using them in combat, most rising a rank. There was time to experiment with his mostly unused skills, like Direurchin''s Spikes or Sahagin''s Lungs. Behemoth''s Heart surprised him by raising another rank even though he didn''t think he was pushing his body particularly hard. Even his cultivation, which was slowly progressing through the long Body Refinement stage, seemed easier.


    As he worked, he watched the gold to crystal ratio - not because it was the most essential piece of the war, but because it was the only part of a murky conflict that could be given a hard number. He watched it rise above ninety, even peaking at ninety-three... then go back down.


    It turned out that one of the cities had discovered that they had killed the Shadow of Death and launched a daring invasion across city state lines to capture it and gain a fresh source of crystals. Kai went out to break up their mining operations before they could do more damage.


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    Krainuun had told him to go and disrupt them in his official capacity, but instead Kai sneaked inside and terrorized the soldiers in his monstrous form. He wished that he could fully transform himself, but even though his body reacted to his abilities at E rank, it couldn''t make him look completely inhuman. Instead he waged a campaign of terror using the Acidlance Queen, Infernotoad, and Void Gaze abilities.


    Once the soldiers retreated, spreading word that the mine was infested with other dangerous monsters, Kai led a group of his own soldiers there. They were separated from the others, but given the number of armies turning toward Slaerta, that might be safer. In the isolated mine they could train and refine more crystals for the rest of the army.


    With the new source eliminated, the gold to crystal ratio swung back and reached a stable ninety-two.


    When Kai returned from all that work, feeling accomplished but backed up, he was dismayed to find that Yurwa had left for intensive cultivation training with Zae Zin Nim. So he finally took up some of the other women in Slaerta up on their offers.


    It was exciting at first, having women practically worshiping him, but the appeal began to fade. They weren''t really with him, just a heroic image of him. By contrast, nights with Yurwa had gotten better and better as they became closer and learned one another''s bodies. Maybe he was just too romantically inclined, but he started to view it as physical relief and nothing more. Some of the other men seemed to be jealous and yet he usually just felt empty.


    Before Yurwa returned, he was sent off to a brutal conflict in another city state that consumed almost an entire month. The city had a unique position: their crystal mines and acid pits were side by side, allowing them to refine qi crystals with little risk or inefficiency. But their system played the two sides against one another, leading to a deep hatred between acid and crystal workers. They seemed to despise one another more than the nobles who kept them imprisoned, so they were constant trouble. Kai couldn''t just find enemy crystalliers and fight them, he found himself battling Physique specialists and acid cultivators too.


    The only satisfying part of the entire ordeal was watching the gold to crystal ratio creep upward. With the efficient combo disrupted, it passed ninety-five and many in Krysal began to sweat.


    When he returned to Slaerta, he found the entire city celebrating. Apparently his work, combined with a recent uprising led by Cragrila, had broken the resolve of some cities. Some merchants had reached out to Slaerta, asking to purchase crystals from them because they were so desperate. Everyone seemed to view this as a victory and for the first time he heard talk of gold to crystal ratios in the streets.


    He avoided most of the celebrations, just wanting to head back and sleep. To his surprise, he found both Yurwa and Nirka waiting in his bedroom.


    "We could never have gotten this far without you," Nirka told him with a smile. "The revolution seems like it could actually succeed. You deserve a reward, don''t you think?"


    Instead of looking at her, Kai glanced toward Yurwa, who was shifting nervously. "Do you want this, or did Nirka put you up to it?"


    "I didn''t, but... I missed you." She gave him a sheepish smile, as if she was a little embarrassed about the whole situation.


    "Look, I''m sorry." Nirka got off the bed to stand in front of him, but she soon lowered her gaze. "I didn''t realize you''d be so upset. It seemed like you were so pissed, words would never work, so I thought... maybe this would make it up to you."


    Kai considered for a moment, then shook his head. "I was in an orgy once. It wasn''t as fun as you''d think."


    "Then what? You''re just never going to forgive me?"


    "It''s not about forgiveness, just..." Kai glanced between them, then leaned down to whisper in Yurwa''s ear. She nodded and he planted a kiss on his cheek before she left the room. Nirka blinked in surprise and looked back to him. "Alright, let''s work this out."


    Normally Kai didn''t think it particularly mattered what words people used for sex, but now he understood the difference. He wasn''t ashamed to call what he and Yurwa did together making love, because it was tender and affectate. When he and Nirka came together, it was definitely fucking. Rough and demanding, and it would have been violent if not for their Physique protecting them.


    Gratifying, though. He felt like he worked out his sense of betrayal, and if he wouldn''t ever feel the same warm bond toward her again, he didn''t hate her. Her muscular body looked beautiful, lying sated and unconscious beside him.


    Still... once she was asleep he tucked her in, then went to go join Yurwa.


    That new equilibrium remained stable as another week passed. Mostly Kai felt satisfied, but sometimes at night he felt like he was missing something. He wanted someone who wanted to be with him forever, and he knew that this wouldn''t last.


    If he approached Zae Zin Nim, would she agree? She was gone so often, he wasn''t sure she even knew, but he suspected she would disapprove of his behavior. Her shame about her torn body was so strong, he wasn''t sure she would believe him if he said he didn''t care. In any case, pushing on the subject would feel a bit like he was taking advantage of her. She had been so combative while she was still half-dead, then mellowed once she regained some strength. Maybe, once she could feel like she was beautiful...


    Despite the fact that Kai was mostly just training, not in the field, the gold to crystal ratio rose further. Ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight... it stalled there, so close to the three digit mark. It had to be superstition, since there was nothing special about that point unlike Power ratings, but the merchants seemed obsessed with it. Or maybe they were doing their best to manipulate the number to avoid the shock of three digits.


    Eventually Kai decided that they needed to break the deadlock, even if it meant a risky move. He went to visit Krainuun to discuss the possibilities, only to find the former servant sitting morosely.


    "Is everything alright?" Kai asked, rushing to take a seat. "What went wrong this time? Another uprising failed?"


    "The revolution is fine, but there''s been a development I never anticipated." Krainuun spoke faintly, then handed him a thin strip of paper. "We''ve received a message from the Frontier elites, for you personally. They don''t seem happy."

 Chapter 207: A Meeting with the Elites

    Growing up, the Frontier elites had always been Kai''s greatest goal in life. They were truly the best, standing far above the strongest in any individual nation. More importantly, they were the front line against the monsters of the Frontier, keeping humanity safe. The idea of joining them had been like a dream that could barely be grasped.


    Since then, he had come a little closer. He''d met several of them, even been saved by their teleportation technique, and technically helped them fight the incursion. But being summoned east to meet with them still twisted his stomach into knots.


    As he flew out, he found other tensions building inside him. Was he going to miss the gold to crystal ratio going critical? Would Slaerta finally be attacked? Would retaliation come in some form he couldn''t imagine? Yet the further east he flew, the less he could think about any of those issues as the upcoming meeting swelled to consume everything.


    Their meeting place was a minor fort that turned out to be a destroyed ruin, presumably due to monster attacks. He was more interested in the woman who was waiting there - it was the same Irunian woman he had met when he was first entering Krysal and he instinctively checked her soul.


    She had a veil that he couldn''t pierce, but when she sensed his spiritual sight she withdrew it irritably.


    <


    Name: Sheiri Kagskan


    Total Power: 638


    Path of Steel: Truesteel 9 (108)


    Windborn: Twiceblown (283)


    Physique Level: E-6 (98)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Emergent Class: Whistling Steel (+100)


    >


    There was no question that she was stronger than him, even with his monstrous abilities. But the gap was much smaller now, and for the first time he was actually superior to a Frontier elite in a single category. Of course, for her Physique was a secondary ability, while it was a major core of his strength. And he remembered that Enalanis of Magma had been even stronger.


    Climbing closer to the level of the Frontier elites actually increased his admiration for them. They didn''t chase after power wildly, they each had a sensible balance of powerful capabilities. Most notably, those he''d seen had an "Emergent Class" that he guessed was some sort of synergy between them. In all his travels he had yet to meet anyone else who knew the same secrets.


    Kai belatedly realized that all of that was probably less important than the fact that she looked pissed at him.


    "What have you done?" she demanded. "You say you want to help in Krysal, then you start a goddamned war?"


    "You told me there was a rot in the heart of Krysal!" Yelling at an elite was probably a bad idea, but Kai angrily gestured back over the land. "I''m just trying to help. What did you expect me to do?"


    "I didn''t expect you to start killing crystalliers! They''re the backbone of the Krysali defense during incursions and it sounds like you''re taking them out right and left."


    "It sounds bad if you put it that way, but how many of them actually help? How many crystalliers fought in the last incursion?"


    The woman took a deep breath and the anger disappeared from her face, or perhaps just hid behind an Irunian mask. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and spoke in a lower voice. "Truthfully... when I said that, I expected you to go into Krysal, see the decadence, and realize that not all problems could be so easily solved. But it seems like you''re determined to solve it anyway."


    "You know how many people are suffering, right? People live and die in mines as slaves, without ever seeing sunlight." Kai took a breath of his own and tried to deescalate with her. "I don''t know if any of this will actually help them in the end, but I''m sure as hell going to try."


    "I''m not here to attack you. I understand your good intentions. But consider how this looks from our perspective. Krysal is weakening economically, which means they send us less support. The city states are burning a huge amount of their strength on internal warfare, and we have no guarantee that all these workers you''re training will actually support us in the incursion."


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    "Krysal might be weakened now, but what about the long term? They''ll eventually figure out a new system and there will be new crystal cultivators, but now they''ll be supported by other fighters who have been kept suppressed. We have seven years to rebu-"


    "Six."


    "What?" Kai understood what she said, it just took him aback. He''d been through so much, from monster hunts to living in the cities to the revolution, that of course it had been a long time. But he''d been focused on all of that, not thinking about how the clock was ticking down...


    "Closer to five and a half, actually." Sheiri rubbed the bridge of her nose again. "That''s why everyone is angry. The next incursion is going to be bad, and it would be difficult even if we spent all seven years preparing for it. We can''t afford all of this."


    The amount of time still left him feeling strangely adrift, but Kai forced himself back to form another argument. "I know about the damage to the wall, and I saw what happened. Can you honestly tell me that any conventional methods will be sufficient to deal with all that?"


    "I... no." For the first time, the Frontier elite looked a little lost too. "You aren''t the only one arguing the same thing. Your old friend, Gunjin - he''s been banging the same drum for a year, saying that wild gambles are better than certain death following the old paths."


    "What about the other continents? If we could receive just a little support from Cloudspire or Rosemount..."


    "We never will. It''s been tried in the past, with limited results. Their strongest aren''t willing to live here, and they don''t take the threat seriously."


    "Do none of them have to deal with monsters in the same way?"


    "Not as intensely, and before you ask, we''re not sure why." Sheiri hesitated with an odd frown on her face. "One of our scouting efforts between incursions said there''s actually something similar on Rosemount. But their forces that fight off incursions are so effective that the rest don''t think they''re a real concern, and they didn''t see any strange invaders when we did."


    They stood in silence for a while. Kai now felt less like he''d been called in to account for causing trouble and more like they were both standing on the precipice of the same problem. Being reminded of the time remaining had thrown him off and he couldn''t find the same confidence as before.


    "I want to be one of your wild gambles," he said. "I''ll come back for the incursion, I promise. But I don''t know if I can... it''s been over a year and I''m still so far from you..."


    Sheiri laughed, then saw his face and laughed harder. It all ended abruptly with an unreadable grin. "Are you mad, boy? You entered Krysal a year and a half ago at about the strength of a crystallier and now you''re fighting some of the most powerful people on the continent. That''s insane growth."


    He wanted to be encouraged, but... "Is it enough? I''ve seen more people from the other continents now, and they''re overwhelming. If I went over there, I wouldn''t be remarkable anymore."


    "That isn''t true. You''d face opponents with similar strength due to the vastly higher environmental energy, but if you''re expecting them to be your superiors in every way, your opinion of them is too high."


    "Then it might work? Going over there to train, then bringing that strength back to Deadwaste?"


    "It can be done, but we don''t attempt it often." Sheiri shook her head slowly. "The risks are high. Getting poisoned by cultivators with mana-destroying alchemy, or having some idiot kill you because his chakra is just too intense. Most who leave Deadwaste don''t come back... those who manage to survive the transition tend to stay because the luxuries there are too tempting. We''ve lost a few good elites that way."


    Kai wanted to insist that wouldn''t happen to him, but he was getting ahead of himself. Before even thinking about continents, he needed to prove he was equal to all the challenges he faced in Krysal. So instead of throwing out the first arguments that came to his tongue, he took a moment to gather himself and then took a different approach.


    "If you want Krysal to be prepared for the next incursion," he said, "then help me. Make sure that this gamble pays off by helping the revolution succeed."


    "Our neutrality is absolute. If we start getting involved in other conflicts, we''ll never be able to keep the alliance of Frontier nations together. It''s hard enough to extract support from them as it is."


    "I don''t expect you to fight, but you can still do something. Surely you have crystal cultivators at the Frontier, could they offer their secrets? And you must have information about the deeper workings of Krysal. Just a little information in the right ear..."


    "Training is unquestionably military support and off the table." Sheiri paused, regarding him with narrow eyes. "However... I can share a few rumors. The merchants will try to send contacts to the Elemental Nations, to buy mercenaries and resources, but they''re wasting their time. There are other problems in the north. But Goralia... let''s just say that Goralian potions are undervalued in Krysali markets."


    "Is that all?" Kai asked. "I know you''re going out of your way to help, but you expect me to be able to decode hints about economic movements?"


    "It isn''t buried deep, so find someone who can. You have a chance at this, but remember this isn''t a battle with just two sides, there are a dozen. The odds will change wildly." The Frontier elite began summoning wind around her. "I came here thinking you were a fool, but now... good luck."


    She streaked away on a jet of wind and he was soon alone again. Kai shifted his weight and stared into the sky as he considered what came next.


    Maybe he''d made good progress so far, but he couldn''t be satisfied with that. He needed to be strong enough to take on the Diamond Crystalliers. He had to advance until he could go to Cloudspire and help Zae Zin Nim deal with her father. He wanted to gain the strength to fight the incursion and push back the threat to his old home. And then, if he somehow survived all of that, he could reach toward the god-like beings he''d seen over the abyss.


    But first he turned and headed back to the Krysal City States to finish what he''d started.

 Chapter 208: Steady Steps Toward the Inevitable

    Kai returned to Slaerta with new enthusiasm for his training. He might not be able to control the many variables involved in the revolution, but he would put everything he had into the one thing that relied entirely on him.


    There was no more time for any celebrations or any of the workers trying to flirt with him. His reserves had been thoroughly restored and it was time to push himself to the limits again. When he needed a break he just returned to Yurwa or Nirka and it was honestly easier to stay with familiar faces.


    Because cultivation led to incremental gains and he was unlikely to increase his Soul Level soon, Kai focused the majority of his work on his Physique and his monstrous abilities. He''d eaten Krysal out of all its strongest monsters, apparently, but he could strengthen the powers already inside him. Training Physique felt like running head-first into a cliff, but he kept pushing himself, because he couldn''t wait decades to break through.


    One day he returned to Yurwa''s house, sore and exhausted from his training, and was surprised to find Zae Zin Nim there. She was helping Gundle juggle several different spheres of acid, which made him laugh. He didn''t laugh often, so it was good to see. Yurwa sat nearby, quietly cultivating acid between her hands and she gave him a welcoming smile.


    "When did you get back?" Kai asked.


    "Yesterday," Zae Zin Nim told him. "Krainuun thinks something is wrong, but won''t talk about it. Probably going to talk to you."


    "Do you think I need to go over there?"


    "Probably not. He''ll insist later."


    With Yurwa busy training and Zae Zin Nim present, clearly nothing was going to happen, but Kai stayed with them anyway. As he did, he found himself laughing along with Gundle - how long had it been since he''d laughed? Just spending time with them did a lot for his weariness, even if his body was still sore.


    As they worked, he saw the difference between himself and Zae Zin Nim. He could cultivate qi, reinforce his body, and even use a minor technique or two. It was like he beat enemies over the head with a big metal stick, while she had trained her entire life with a sword. Her control of qi was so precise and fluid that she could easily adapt her knowledge to the acid cultivation, which he didn''t even take on. Even if the two of them reached the same stage of cultivation at some point, they wouldn''t truly be the same.


    Eventually Kai left them, seeking Nirka. Most likely she would be at the training yards, with Maggle and the others formerly from the N District Mines. As the revolution grew bloodier and they lost allies, more and more of them avoided the celebrations and focused on training. Now that they''d fought more crystalliers, even though they''d often won, they understood what they faced against real experts.


    Before he could find her, Kai was surprised to run across Omilaena. She sat in a corner, apparently extracting her own blood with a syringe. After examining it and tapping the side a few times, her eyes abruptly flickered over to him.


    "What now?"


    "Nothing, I was here for someone else." Kai glanced at her soul briefly and was reminded of a fact he hadn''t considered in a while. "We should talk about Physique. I see you work on a lot of things, but not really physically training. Did you get to D rank because the chakra on Rosemount is just that strong, or are you doing squats when nobody is looking?"


    "Well, I''m glad you think my ass looks like I do squats, but no." Omilaena arched her hand and the syringe disappeared into thin air. "There are certain techniques I can use as a Lethal Artisan - you could think of them as superior versions of your Physique-enhancing potions. Those got me to D-0, but I''m actually stuck there. To progress, I''ll probably need to do a lot of remedial training, and not on Deadwaste due to the low energy levels."


    "I''ve barely done any of that sort of thing. Any chance those same techniques could help me break through?"


    Omilaena''s eyes swept up and down his body. "Maybe. They''re most effective on myself, but... maybe. But if you want to do it without harming your growth, you need to be at the absolute peak of E rank first. Keep training and I''ll extract some blood from you later."


    Kai ended up staying with her, discussing potential options for advancement, and forgot all about relaxing. It seemed like Omilaena would need to draw blood from him when he was pushing himself to his absolute limit, something about the mana saturating his body. He wasn''t sure he was ready yet, and she agreed, so he resolved to keep pushing himself. At least now he had a plausible goal instead of ramming directly into the blockage with willpower alone.


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    As he trained, he watched the gold to crystal ratio increase and wobble around the critical point. Frustratingly, it seemed like there would be no single break. In some cities it had passed beyond one hundred Eagles, while others varied in the nineties. There was nothing they could do but press on, defend the workers they could, and wait for the merchants to break. The damage to the economy meant the common people in the cities were no longer living in luxury, and their new restlessness threatened them from another angle.


    Finding new ways to train his Physique proved difficult, as he''d already spent time in the crystal mines and acid pits. Most of the others were making progress by exchanging techniques with other groups, but he''d already trained with all of them.


    The solution came, surprisingly, from Yurwa. She had been trying a different form of acid cultivation and Zae Zin Nim said that she could create acid that was fundamentally more dangerous, not just loaded with qi. Once he heard about it and convinced her, Kai and Yurwa went to one of the abandoned courtyards to test it out.


    "Okay... try this..." Yurwa raised her hands and sent out a sphere of acid.


    It splattered off his shirt. "Is that the best you can do?" Kai asked, before realizing that might sound offensive. But Yurwa just looked a little flustered.


    "It''s hard to tell what will hurt someone and what won''t... the miners are weak to crystal weapons, and... but you know this." Her eyes hardened and the acid forming between her hands began to glisten strangely. "I won''t hold back this time."


    The sphere struck his chest and instantly ate through the cheap shirt, then sizzled into his chest. Kai winced and rubbed at the evaporating liquid. "Ow."


    "Are... are you just humoring me? That didn''t burn you at all!"


    "But it hurt." Kai rubbed at the skin, which looked a little discolored. "I haven''t been really hurt by acid in a long time, and I think my skin is weakened. Keep going."


    Yurwa dutifully summoned another sphere and launched it at him. Kai grimaced as it struck his chest and burned worse than before. Behemoth''s Heart could probably regenerate him faster than the acid could burn, but he held it back and focused on pure Physique. At last, he had a sustained threat that could continue while exercising.


    He''d come to think of Yurwa as fragile and easily exhausted, but she kept lobbing acid spheres at him without slowing. Her aim started to get a little worse as she wavered, some of the spheres hitting his stomach and dripping down. Then he noticed a slight smile on her face.


    "Wait, are you missing on purpose?" he asked.


    "Why would I do that?" Her eyes went wide with innocence at the same moment she threw an acid sphere directly at his crotch.


    Laughing, Kai kicked it with his bare foot. The acid splattered backward, and though it burned a few holes in her robe, it couldn''t harm her skin anymore. Yurwa laughed and skipped to the side, spraying him with more acid, which he tried to ward off and back toward her.


    Before their clothes were too tattered, Krainuun appeared in the yard. Judging from his expression, the fun was over.


    "Is everything alright?" Kai asked. The former servant shook his head and his adam''s apple trembled.


    "I didn''t think... I misjudged the merchants"


    "What are you talking about?"


    "The merchants in Yulthens." Krainuun straightened and adopted a serious expression, but Kai could tell that it was an extremely thin mask. "They were truly fighting one another in the past, but they kept it up as a front after they started working together. They''ve been recruiting other city states to work as a unified front, and now... look at this."


    He revealed a sheet of paper, the sort that would be posted in a town square. Kai quickly read it over and saw that it called on everyone in Krysal to crush the uprisings. It wouldn''t have been so worrying except that Krainuun looked shaken. If he thought Yulthens had made enough preparations to threaten them, he was probably right.


    "They''ve sent this everywhere," Krainuun told them, "and they''ll soon build a coalition. But there''s something more. Something they only sent here." He pulled a small object out of his pocket and his control trembled briefly, sending something shining toward the floor.


    Kai snapped down to catch the message crystal and held it up to his eye. He glanced at Krainuun, who only shook his head sadly. There was nothing else to do, so Kai activated it and let his gaze fall into the expanding vision. It was an ornate chamber, one of the highest offices in Yulthens. Suortril sat at a desk with his fingers steepled in front of him.


    "This is a message to the rebels who think they can undermine Krysal," the merchant said calmly, "and especially to the one called Kai Clanless. I''m astonished you survived, but I can piece the story together. However you did the impossible, you decided to throw your lot in with the workers. No doubt you thought this was your path to revenge against me."


    Suortril reached down behind the desk and pulled up a severed head. Orillia''s face had sagged and bloated, but it was still unmistakable. All the old woman''s vitality was gone, leaving nothing but a wrinkled object.


    "Everyone who supported this rebellion will suffer the consequences. You think you can defeat Krysal by fighting a few crystalliers, but you''re about to find out how much you''ve miscalculated. Krysal is going to war, and it won''t stop until there is no trace of you." Suortril leaned forward, no emotion visible except in his hand tensing against the desk. "Then you''ll be nothing but an inconvenient line on a ledger and everything will go on just the way it always has. Think about that while we come for you."

 Chapter 209: Spiraling Toward a Decisive Victory

    Very few in the city saw the message with the severed head, but the reaction was still horror. The celebrations gave way to an ugly mix of bravado, anger, and fear. Kai hoped their morale raising had been enough, because it had just been dealt a serious blow.


    For him, shock had given way to hollowness. He remembered his rage about Fhazi or Nirka''s infidelity and now felt childish - those petty injustices were nothing compared to the murder of a kind old woman who hadn''t even been a threat. If Suortril had been in front of him, Kai would have torn his throat out, but the merchant was untouchable for the moment. So he did his best to push aside grief and focus on strategy.


    The worst fact against them was that the merchants hadn''t sent the message to announce they were going to take action, they were letting everyone know it had already begun. Before sending out the message, the combined forces led by Yulthens had reclaimed several cities near the coast and set up a line of defenses. Within the retaken territory, remaining uprisings were being brutally crushed and workers forced to produce with their families'' lives as the incentive.


    The consequence of their swift action was a degree of paralysis. Allies all across Krysal were begging for help, and because their forces were gathered from so many places, every faction wanted to go save their homes. Debates apparently raged as different troops, allied in victory, argued about taking action on their own.


    Many of the discussions occurred in what had once been a debate hall for the nobles of Slaerta. Krainuun had asked Kai to go intercede and stop the fighting, so he went to do what he could. When he entered, the tumult of angry voices subsided as they focused on him, leaving only a few still bickering.


    "Everybody keep your britches on!" Maggle shouted over those remaining and got the room calmed down. "Kai''s got something to say." He leaned in closer to whisper. "The britches are really sagging, sorry to say. If you can''t do something, the ugly bits will be showing soon, and I reckon they''ll whack us straight in ''em."


    "Uh... thanks, Maggle." Kai turned to the rapt audience, for once wishing he''d studied more rhetoric back home. He cleared his throat and did what he could as he addressed the group. "The merchants have always kept us divided, and they want to divide us now! They had to gather to stop us, but we can''t stop them alone. Can we debate how to move together, or are we still broken slaves?"


    Some cheered, some shouted "No!", and others began talking. Kai took a seat on one side of the room, hoping that he had reined in the discussion enough for them to have a real debate. In his opinion there were only a few good options, but if the leaders of all the main forces weren''t on board, then their army would scatter the first time it faced a loss.


    "All our trouble is because of the combined army." Nirka stood up to speak over the buzz and managed to draw everyone''s attention. "Draw together! We can meet them in battle and finish this!"


    "That''s what they want." Cragrila leaned in from the opposite side of the room, sitting with the New Laeneria coalition. "They may be reliant on their strongest crystalliers, but we need our strongest too. This is a feint to draw us out."


    "A feint that''s piercing our hearts! We can''t ignore them, so if you say we can''t attack, what do we do?"


    "I said we don''t attack where they want. Don''t let them draw us into a trap."


    It looked like the two of them could argue back and forth for a while. Kai edged to the side and found Zae Zin Nim sitting with a grim expression on her face. He started to say something to her, to explain that she needed to get involved, but she spoke first.


    "I could have forced her," Zae Zin Nim said quietly. "She didn''t want to leave Yulthens, and I let her stay. That was another error."


    She wasn''t thinking about the strategy at all, then. Kai put a hand on her shoulder and for once she didn''t move away. "Orillia always made her own choices," he told her. "She shouldn''t have had to pay the price, but that''s war. There''s nothing we can do for her now."


    "We can kill them all."


    "Not yet, we can''t. You need to speak up and keep them from making an unforced error."


    After a brief whispered conversation, Zae Zin Nim left her rage enough to understand. She gave him a brief nod, then spoke up and used her qi to amplify her voice over the crowd.


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    "I faced an artifact nearly capable of killing me," she said, "and we can be certain that the merchants have purchased others. They will have these with their primary army, ready to use against us. They have sacrificed everything up to this point in order to know our measure and prepare a counterattack."


    Her logical argument had a sobering effect on the council, and at least Nirka and Cragrila stopped arguing about a direct frontal attack on the enemy army. But the objection many voiced, and Kai agreed with, was that their opponents would always use that leverage, no matter what they chose to do. There was no easy solution to a war this expansive.


    Though Kai tried to focus on the arguments, he always came back to the fact that their opponents were free to attack anywhere in Krysal, while the workers needed to defend every community. Considering it that way, there was one obvious way to tip the scales. And get revenge for Orillia.


    "They''re willing to sacrifice city states," Kai called out, "but there''s one place they''ll never sacrifice: Yulthens itself. The merchants of Yulthens didn''t organize this counterattack to destroy us, it was to save their wealth and position. If we threaten those things, we can force them to a battle at a specific time and place."


    Another chorus of objections and arguments. Cragrila was the one to make her voice heard: "Can we get behind their defensive lines? When they took back cities, they built a buffer around themselves."


    "That''s one of the questions we need to answer. Why don''t you take a force to test their defenses? And we have an army from the sea crystal mines... find out whether they''re prepared for an attack over water. Remember, they may have a single powerful army, but they''re surrounded by enemies. Their army needs to be fed, and there are endless chances to sabotage their supply lines."


    Those suggestions finally got the group moving, some of them discussing more productive actions. Nirka slipped closer to him and smiled tightly as she spoke.


    "You''re giving everyone something to do, right?"


    "That''s right," Kai told her. "Go talk to your contacts. Don''t let anyone rush off to attack alone, give them some way to help without throwing their lives away."


    "Got it. Anybody who can''t complete a real mission can at least help with the mining."


    As the revolutionaries began to debate their next steps in smaller groups, Kai retreated from the room with Zae Zin Nim. They only got a few steps out before they saw Omilaena leaning on a nearby wall, smoking a long pipe. She breathed out a thin line of smoke, then sucked it all back in when she took a breath before speaking.


    "That might help, but you know they can''t win this alone." She looked between the two of them with an icy gaze. "What are we going to do about the core of the merchants'' forces?"


    "I''ve been thinking about that too," Kai said. "At best, our forces might be able to blunt and spread out their army, but they''ll never let themselves separate and be picked off. So I say we have until they stall to prepare. Then we need to take them out from the top."


    "I agree with the plan in theory," Zae Zin Nim said, "but we will be outnumbered. Can we become meaningfully stronger in the time remaining to us? Reaching the Earth Soul stage is not possible for me."


    "The Frontier elite told me something about Goralian potions and I''ve been trying to make progress with Krainuun there. Haven''t figured out everything yet. Omilaena, you have the expertise there, could I convince you to run southeast to meet a Goralian merchant?"


    She shrugged and sucked on the end of her pipe. "If you say so."


    "Zae Zin Nim, you can gather everyone with inside knowledge of Yulthens and their defenses. We''ll need to do something about the five great crystals above the city wall or they''ll break up our attack. I don''t have a plan for how we advance enough to stop them, but I trust you''ll come up with something."


    Her only response was to nod grimly.


    "Even if we''re running out of time to train, I think I should push forward." Kai rubbed the back of his neck, which still ached from his most recent training. "I''m the closest to a breakthrough, in Physique. That''s the best edge I have to offer."


    "One on one, we could take them," Omilaena said. "It''s hard to say if all the merchants can really work together, especially their top crystalliers."


    "I wouldn''t bet on being able to separate them. This is their entire way of life at stake here. When things get this serious, people have a way of choosing their own interests over rivalries."


    Speaking to his closest allies, Kai felt almost as though they could come to terms with this war. It seemed possible, if not easy. But before they could separate, Krainuun entered the hall. For a brief moment he looked around as if lost, then he shifted closer to them and spoke in a low voice.


    "Philaster is lost."


    "What?" Kai struggled to remember the map. "Did we have forces there?"


    "Not us, but one of the largest other uprisings. I had hoped to ally with them." Krainuun gathered himself and spoke in a flat reporting voice. "They took their forces directly against the army from Yulthens and all reports suggest they were annihilated. Suortril has gathered all five Diamond Crystalliers, many of the Ruby Crystalliers, and others from nearby cities who are Ruby-tier."


    They received the news in silence. It was just another step along the path they already knew, but it was still a grim one. Orillia''s murder had only been the beginning.


    Up to this point, they had been able to win battles because they could field multiple warriors at the level of average crystalliers and overwhelm them with numbers. But in terms of elites, the Diamond Crystalliers outnumbered them, and they would be well-supported by Rubies. Kai believed in the strength of people like Nirka or Maggle, but would he bring them into a fight like that?


    In the end, it might be up to him. A monstrous power growled within him, deeply pleased, but it was the only part looking forward to what was to come.

 Chapter 210: Final Considerations, Final Offers

    Kai balanced in a handstand, then slowly pressed himself to the ground. Vertical push-ups weren''t even really training for him anymore, he could just think more clearly while physically exerting himself. Given the barriers to his Physique, thinking might do more good than training.


    He completed one slow push-up with his first name: Ren Ziq Quen. The foreign cultivator seemed to be entirely loyal to Yulthens and Zae Zin Nim was convinced of his ferocity. She had tried to tell Kai everything she could about his techniques, strongly implying that it would be better for him to take that battle. Probably their single strongest opponent, and trouble no matter what strategy they used.


    Another push-up: Tareth Nordulind. Kai was disappointed that the Goralian hunter hadn''t hesitated in putting down uprisings, and even though they''d fought side by side, might not hesitate to fight them. He still wanted to try to negotiate with the man, if he could get him alone. If not, Omilaena had developed even stronger poisons after their previous fight.


    Vyorrine Nermtrian: expert at all trades, master of none. The sheer breadth of different abilities she could bring to bear, not least the Golden Dragon Breath, made her a hard opponent to match. Given that his defenses were strongest, Kai suspected he would probably be the one to fight her, if there wasn''t a choice. Maybe this time the golden flame wouldn''t do so much damage.


    Four out of five now: Traelisia of the Earthquake. Her earth powers from the Elemental Nations were enormous and more flexible than they appeared. Despite that, she had shown so many of her abilities during the exhibition match that she was vulnerable. Zae Zin Nim seemed to have thought about their matchup and wanted to target her out of all the Diamond Crystalliers.


    That left Boreas of Kartiis. Enforcer of the merchants, carrying an insane amount of wealth inside him. The fact that no one knew exactly what he could do made him dangerous. He absolutely needed to be kept away from all the crystal mine workers, as their Physiques might still contain a weakness to power like his. Only Omilaena seemed like a safe match-up against him.


    And Suortril - always Suortril. When Kai thought about the merchant smugly holding up Orillia''s head, the rage burned through him all over again, but rage couldn''t win this fight. He needed to strategize against his opponent''s resources.


    Any one of those fights, or any combination of them, Kai could imagine a path to victory. The Diamond Crystalliers who had stood so far above him at the top of Krysal were in range now and he wasn''t even concerned about some of them.


    Yet they weren''t fighting just the top five, they fought the entire system. Each of them would be supported by Ruby Crystalliers, who couldn''t be written off as simple crystal cultivators. He had fought some of them during his time in Yulthens, but he wasn''t intimately familiar with the group. Yet there were too many to effectively gather intelligence on them... being assaulted by unknown powers could turn the tide on any potential fight.


    Finally, he couldn''t let his hunger for revenge against Suortril blind him to the fact that the merchants were also a powerful force. They would have resources prepared, and Suortril himself seemed impervious within his prism. Kai was fairly sure it wouldn''t protect him from simply being buried, but he stood behind an entire army that wouldn''t allow that to happen.


    One more push-up, just to clear his mind. For a moment, no other thoughts, then he turned inward.


    Monstrous Hunger was still the core of his power and he didn''t want to risk removing it. Behemoth''s Heart and Direboar''s Strength were immensely powerful and probably couldn''t be removed even if he tried. Despite all his experimentation with other techniques, he thought that Isulfr''s Bite and Tyrant''s Claw couldn''t be beaten for straightforward effectiveness.


    Which left him one decision, not easily changed in battle. Void Gaze seemed like the obvious choice, since it didn''t duplicate any of his other monstrous abilities. Yet in a battle like this, Kai wasn''t sure that he could count on it. A gaze that served to defeat weaker opponents might not be able to stop elites.


    If not that, what? The essence he''d consumed from the Shadow of Death was by far the most powerful, yet he still couldn''t force it into a usable form. Acidic Lance and Infernotoad''s Burst were his most familiar ranged options, yet he felt like he needed to do better. He had barely managed to merge diverse essence into Behemoth''s Heart, could he do it with varying techniques? Trying felt risky, yet going into the battle without a new ability was a different sort of risk. Kai experimented with the idea while exercising in the hopes that he could fuse them together in the end if necessary.


    He couldn''t find an answer, not so simply. Kai kept training, hoping that something would come to him.


    .


    ..


    .


    While the others fought for their lives or their freedom, Omilaena went shopping. She wasn''t complaining about the quirk of their plans, she just found it amusing.


    Krainuun had moved significant resources from the revolution for her use, and Kai had arranged for her to meet with Goralian merchants near the border. For a warrior he knew surprisingly much about potions, which she''d have to ask him about later. Until then, she was actually engaged by a task for once, because it had the potential to benefit her even more than the revolution.


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    Apparently they were throwing enough money around to attract some significant players, because the trading outpost was crawling with potion merchants. Since there were all types, Omilaena had changed into a more daring dress. Some were sober professionals and some were women who didn''t swing that way, but there were others who would ogle her cleavage when they thought she wasn''t looking and let her pull one over on them.


    "And this is a Class Potion," her current merchant was saying. A professional and probably more of a legs man, she guessed. "It grants a rush of mana that temporarily grants you the abilities of a Class!"


    "Not the full abilities, I''m guessing?" Omilaena asked. "How would you know how to control them?"


    "Very astute, madam. That is just the problem, which is why the most effective Class Potions are those that grant simple physical boosts."


    Potentially useful, but judging from the mana levels, not enough to tip the balance. Omilaena sorted through the whole collection for the sake of being thorough, then paused as she felt one. So familiar... "What is this?"


    "Ah, that represents a Class called Acidmaster! Very rare, we only have mana donated from a single master in far southern Goralia. I''m afraid the price will be rather higher, and the Power rating quite small, so-"


    "That''s fine, I''ll take it." Omilaena paid the price and eagerly examined the potion.


    The value was never in using a single potion, of course, but in replicating it. Her abilities were strongest with poisons, due to the synergies, but as a Lethal Artisan she could create other substances. She could use the Class Potion as a base model, then develop the process.


    In theory, she should be able to inject pure mana into some of the acid cultivators. The power should, in theory, be drawn straight through the channels they normally used for qi. That would be an edge that no one expected. Not a battle-winning edge, but useful nonetheless.


    "Does madam need anything else?" the man asked.


    "Got any poisons?"


    "Normally we would not sell such things, but out here on the border, the rules are a little laxer. If you''ll look this way, we''ll start with Vile Nightshade, which-"


    "Don''t need the tour for this part." Omilaena dismissed the largely trivial poisons and plucked out one that looked new. "I''ve been a good customer this far, are you going to try to cheat me and make me negotiate a reasonable price?"


    "You''ve cleared out some very old stock, madam. A fair price it is."


    "Great." Omilaena popped the cork out of the flask and sipped the poison. As the merchant stared in horror, she swished it around in her mouth to get a good taste, then downed the rest.


    The Goralian poison was slightly different than anything she''d consumed before, so she could feel it joining her Heart of Poison. Their poison arts weren''t very advanced here: all the poisons she had drunk so far had only increased her Level by one, and she didn''t expect it to rise again. Still, when was she going to get another chance to drink Goralian poisons?


    Nothing she''d found so far was the critical difference they needed. And how much good would a few exceptional potions do, unless they could help Kai or Zae Zin Nim break through? She persisted more out of stubbornness than anything else.


    She was walking beside another stall, a mediocre one that likely hadn''t even come for her sake, when she suddenly paused. There was something about the dull potions there, a defensive sort of mana. Omilaena turned on her heel and smiled at the woman running the stall.


    "And what is this?"


    "Ironskin potion." The woman blinked at her, as if uncertain if she was being made fun of. "They''re a bit expensive, but common. Makes the skin tougher. It only adds a couple to your Power rating, though, so most strong folks don''t bother with them. More for workers, or new monster hunters."


    "I''ll pay triple if you give me a complete ingredients list." Omilaena quickly memorized the information, then began making plans as she left the baffled herbalist.


    The Ironskin potion was hardly groundbreaking on its own, but the simple reinforcing mana was admirable. As she considered the formula, Omilaena became convinced this was what the warrior from the Frontier had been hinting to Kai. In a stronger form, the Ironskin potion would be resistant to qi and extremely resistant to crystals. So many crystalliers depended heavily on cutting with those edges, and without that slicing power, they were basically waving around pretty sticks.


    As she purchased stronger materials from the specialist merchants, Omilaena pondered just how strong the formula could become. She definitely wouldn''t depend on it against a real opponent who understood their abilities. But there were so many others who just followed the most obvious paths of crystal cultivation...


    "A special gift for you, madam." The merchant who extended his hands was staring at her, but Omilaena abruptly felt as though something had changed. What he was holding in his hands was a message crystal.


    "Thank you." She pretended nothing was wrong, but slipped around the corner before activating the crystal to see the message.


    Immediately an ornately furnished palace room sprawled in her mind''s eye. An older woman sat in it, staring toward the crystal with real venom in her gaze. Omilaena didn''t care much for merchants, but she recognized Riuklina, the second most influential power in all Yulthens.


    "Omilaena the Maneater. You''ve caused us a great deal of trouble, and I don''t understand why you''d make connections to Goralia. Planning to leave, I hope." Riuklina leaned forward in her seat. "But if you''re coming back, if you intend to help these miserable peasants, then I want to ask you to reconsider. It''s clear that you''re seeking something, I presume materials to enhance your Rosemount abilities."


    "Clever girl," Omilaena murmured under her breath.


    "You don''t need to join us or fight on our side. If you step out of the way and let us handle our own business, you will be amply rewarded. I have certain poisons from Rosemount, hidden in a secret location, that I think you very much want. And if some workers to experiment on would sweeten the deal, you''ll have your pick once we''re victorious.


    "You strike me as a woman who knows what she wants, and you deserve better than these fools. Consider my offer... I think we''ll talk soon enough."


    "Well, that''s interesting." There was more work to do, but instead Omilaena stared at the crystal for a very long time.


    .


    ..


    .


    A man in tattered silk robes walked toward the Brightwind Pagoda on leaden legs. Seeing the glory of his sect, he wished that there had been time to find better robes, but he couldn''t afford to give up his secret. If someone else knew about the patriarch''s daughter, they might kill him and take the knowledge back themselves.


    His journey felt so long, it seemed impossible that he was back home. At first the guards stopped him from entering the inner sect, since he was just at the Nascent Foundation stage. But when he finally revealed what he knew, he was escorted into the grand chambers where the patriarch sat.


    Patriarch Zae Clen Ban wasn''t holding court at the moment, only cultivating, and he fixed his eyes on the man when he entered. "What is it?"


    "My lord... your daughter... I found her..." All at once, his mouth was as dry as it had been on the ocean.


    "Finally!" The patriarch leapt to his feet. "One of our lines has reeled in a catch after all. You there! Gather some sect members, those who have reached the Earth Soul stage and have binding techniques. This time, there can be no accidents with my daughter..."

 Chapter 211: The Very Limit of E-Rank

    The worst part of being the "hero of the revolution" was that Kai saw nothing but defeats.


    Intellectually he knew that wasn''t true. There were more successful uprisings every day, some city states had capitulated in full cooperation, Cragrila had defeated a Ruby Crystallier in battle, Maggle had stolen half a supply line. As the war raged across Krysal, there were plenty of locations where they held their own or even advanced.


    He heard about all those events, but if things were going well, he wasn''t there. Instead Kai was thrown into disaster after disaster, trying to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Often there wasn''t even the possibility of real victory, the most he could do was hold back the tide of others'' mistakes.


    Once he''d ended up near the main Yulthens army and had all five Diamond Crystalliers against him, which had felt like the most hopeless fight he''d experienced since the abyss. He could imagine growing strong enough to fight them all, but he wasn''t there yet, and he couldn''t even reveal his strongest abilities or he''d weaken their chances in the final battle. That battle had been brutal and it had taken Behemoth''s Heart a full day to restore him.


    Sometimes he was even called in to stop disasters caused by their own side. When the merchants had chosen brutality, many of the revolutionaries had done the same. In one city that had been mostly peaceful before, they''d executed all the nobles and then moved on to anyone they suspected of collaborating. He''d had to turn Void Gaze on his own side to keep them all from killing each other, and even now that part of the army was a backstabbing mess.


    He had no idea what the gold to crystal ratio was anymore. It would have been nice to go back to the days when that was their primary metric of success.


    How long had it been? A month of full war, always pushing himself to the limit? The days and the blood all blurred together. The death of Orillia still ached, but he realized that every death he saw around him meant just as much to someone else.


    Kai fought his way down a street in a city he didn''t even remember the name of. He didn''t know any of these people. All he knew was that the soldiers would go house to house killing people if he didn''t stop them, so he kept fighting.


    When the enemy started to run out, he slowed to a halt, his hands still clenched in half-claws, looking for the next opponent. If not here, he''d be sent somewhere else. Instead he found himself facing Zae Zin Nim, which his brain struggled to comprehend at first. It wasn''t normal for them to be in the same place at once, shouldn''t it be a crystallier instead?


    "Kai, it''s time." She stepped closer and touched his arm, her expression somewhere between compassion and sorrow. "You can stop."


    "But I... I..."


    "Come this way. We have a path into Yulthens, so the time of crises is over." As she led him back toward their camp, she spoke of the war in broader terms he''d almost forgotten. "The enemy army has been drawn out, so we''re going to strike their base."


    "I thought they were too cautious for that," Kai said as his strategic brain began to move again. "We were going to have a diversionary strike on another city..."


    "You''ve been fighting so long, you served as a diversion on your own. Suortril really wants to kill you and he''s diverted a whole squad of his Rubies. Our weaker forces are going to strike one of the defensive cities, act like we''re planning to punch our way through their defensive wall, while our fastest will go strike Yulthens itself."


    Now the plans were coming back to him, the reasons that he tried so hard and seemed to earn so little. Just seizing Yulthens wasn''t enough for victory, since Suortril and the Diamond Crystalliers could always take it back. But their second major concern was the resources of the merchants, so if they could take down or even seize the great crystals at the city wall, that could reverse their positions.


    When he reached the camp he didn''t see anyone he recognized until Zae Zin Nim encouraged him into a dark tent. There he saw Omilaena, sitting in a chair with wisps of smoke escaping her lips. This time it didn''t look like poison, or at least a poison he knew. She stood up and regarded him coolly.


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    "Yes, I think this will do. You''ve pushed to the edge, in training and in combat." Omilaena pressed a hand to the muscles of his stomach and for once her touch didn''t seem flirtatious. "I can begin the process to reach D rank, and we should start soon, because it can''t be interrupted or sped up. Zin Nim?"


    Zae Zin Nim nodded sourly and stepped out of the tent. Now it was just the two of them, or really, just himself and the challenge ahead of him. This was the last breakthrough within range that might make a difference in the final battle.


    Without a word, Omilaena guided him to a seated position, withdrew a syringe of blood from his neck, then began working a technique over it. He saw her chakra swirling around the blood, more emotional and chaotic than mana, and it turned bright red. She then injected it back into him, straight into his chest, and heat began to spread throughout his body.


    "That''s just to prepare your Physique, to put you into a heightened state so you draw the maximum benefit from the transition." Omilaena stepped in front of him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "When you''re ready, I''m going to inject you with a certain sort of poison, mixed with an even balance of qi, mana, and chakra. Your body will react to overcome them, and if you don''t die, in the process your Physique will reach D-0."


    "I''m ready," Kai said. His blood burned like he had a dragon inside him, but he felt good.


    "Not so fast." Omilaena raised a syringe and began filling it with blue liquid. "The exact quantity is important. An untrained person would be killed by a single drop. A crystallier would probably be brought to their limit by less than a finger''s height of poison. For you, I''m going to fill at least one full syringe, but it needs to be precisely calibrated."


    "Based on what?" The heat was growing even further now and Behemoth''s Heart was roaring.


    "Everything. I''ve measured every aspect of your soul, of course. Your weight is relevant, even the length of your hair. You want to take the absolute limit your body can handle and not a drop less." Her unnatural blue eyes met his. "Now, knowing that, is there anything else you want to tell me?"


    Kai took a deep breath, then he actually told her. Everything from being coated in monster blood to awakening his powers to his newest developments. Omilaena''s eyebrows rose throughout, but she didn''t say a word until he finished. When he let her see the monstrous side of his soul, she shook her head slowly.


    "Damn, I had it wrong. This is insane, Kai. You recall the advanced theory about all the different forms of human power? This isn''t any of them: they treated monstrous power as completely antithetical to humanity. I don''t know how you''ve managed this balance, but it''s the first thing I''ve seen that wasn''t encompassed by that system."


    "What does that mean?" he asked, wondering if fate was about to ruin him again. "Will it work?"


    "If you hadn''t told me the truth, this could have gone wrong. I''ll be in new territory here, but fortunately for you, I''m a genius. Now, I want you to focus on this monster heart of yours, because I need a sample."


    So he tried to draw on the full power of Behemoth''s Heart while Omilaena plunged a second syringe into his chest. He felt something leave him and almost snarled, his instincts screaming to attack her before she could steal his power. Somehow he managed to rein them in and waited while Omilaena worked. She injected him with a second syringe of his own blood and the heat within him ramped higher.


    "This will work." Abruptly she spun back to him, holding a syringe in both hands. "One for each side. In theory your body will manage to survive both and fuse the halves together, but that part is on you, your will to live, and your ability to master your new power. Even if we had a year, there would always be a risk, because we have no one else to run a dry test. Are you ready?"


    Kai stared into her eyes, knowing that he was making himself vulnerable to a very dangerous woman. Finally he nodded. "Do it."


    Both syringes plunged into his neck and Kai screamed.


    .


    ..


    .


    Zae Zin Nim had disliked everything about this plan, but she had no choice except to acknowledge that they needed the edge. She couldn''t face Ren Ziq Quen, and for Kai to face him alongside Ruby Crystalliers, he needed more strength. Advancing his Physique was the only logical path.


    After fighting alongside Omilaena throughout the revolution, Zae Zin Nim couldn''t say that she exactly trusted the other woman. To fight at her back, certainly. But the greatest tests were often not in battle, and Zae Zin Nim wasn''t certain what would happen if Omilaena had her own interests tested.


    Now their army raced across Krysal, ready for the final strike. Kai lay on a crystal litter, still writhing and groaning. He''d bitten through several different mouth guards with teeth that were much sharper than she remembered. His body was twisting and she could feel his Physique changing, but it was impossible to tell if he was reaching the next stage or dying.


    "He''ll be fine," Omilaena said. The other woman had a strange little smile on her face. "With most you have to worry about them losing the will to live or faltering, but with him, it was just a matter of science."


    "You''re absolutely sure?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Nothing this experimental is completely certain, but the rest is up to him."


    In any case, there was nothing else to say. There was nothing else to do. Zae Zin Nim had played every card she had been dealt, Krainuun had put all the revolution''s assets into play, and Kai was locked in a battle with himself. Everything that had led them up to this point would bring them to revenge or to defeat.


    Ahead, the bloody walls of Yulthens loomed.

 Chapter 212: The Battle for the Five Great Crystals

    The initial stages of the battle would be determined by control of the five great crystals that hovered over the walls of Yulthens. Krainuun had detailed their capacities, from paralyzing beams to great destructive blasts, as well as how to control them. Powerful cultivators had been pouring qi into them for days, so they could easily turn the tide of the battle.


    Zae Zin Nim raced ahead of the main army, her lightness technique taking her many paces with each step. Their true strike force had been spotted, which meant that the Diamond Crystalliers would be turning back to face them. Unless they could seize the crystals first, they would be crushed between the two forces. Preventing that was her first task.


    She flitted up the wall of the city, running directly toward the crystal to the west of the central gates. Its body stood between her and the crystal on the westernmost point, above the harbor, which meant that she was fully vulnerable to the eastern gate crystal at her back. Omilaena was supposed to deal with that one, and she would have to be trusted to do her job.


    No one struck Zae Zin Nim from behind, but the forces controlling the great crystal were panicking at her approach. They sent a surge down through the crystal that should have overwhelmed her, at minimum pushing her back to the ground.


    Instead she drew her Coldfire Corona around her and sailed through unopposed. In a flash she reached the top of the crystal and attacked. The soldiers she swept off the edge with simple qi techniques, while she reserved a palm strike for the crystallier at the helm. They all fell to the city below, screaming, which left her free to seize control.


    Multi-colored crystal devices controlled the great crystal, not so unfamiliar thanks to her regular piloting of the crystal ship. With a simple touch and a bit of qi, she could pivot and fire the great crystal. The potency of its qi actually impressed her: even if only for a time, someone in this position could wield the power of an Earth Soul Cultivator. It was essential that they gained control before their opponents arrived.


    One of the lesser functions of the great crystal was a lens that massively enhanced her sight, allowing her to target even distant opponents. She used it first to check the crystal east of the gates and saw that Omilaena stood atop it with dead guards all around her.


    With those two seized, there were no crystals with an easy shot to defend the main gates. Their main army continued to advance and Zae Zin Nim used the lens to identify their stronger fighters: Yurwa, Cragrila, and Kraetius. They would be essential for taking the city and dealing with the Ruby Crystalliers who would otherwise render the battle unwinnable.


    There were defenders, of course, but they were outmatched. Yurwa and the other acid cultivators unleashed a great sphere of acid that made the gate dissolve and Zae Zin Nim felt a little pride. Omilaena was throwing poisoned needles from her vantage point, weakening strong defenders. With support, Cragrila was able to push in with few losses. Only Kraetius wasn''t pulling his weight: the old man was oddly hesitant despite his Physique.


    Three crystals remained controlled by the city. Two on the far northern side, hopefully to be taken in the later part of the plan, and the one by the harbor. She turned the lens in that direction, looking for their second secret force. While everyone was distracted at the main gates, workers from the mines were swimming to close the harbor gates and take a third crystal. It had been Maggle''s idea, and Nirka was along with him.


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    Zae Zin Nim shifted from there to the waters outside, just in case the merchants had any secrets out there. There was a fast-moving crystal ship carrying some sort of weapon, so she released a burst of qi from her weapon. Just as it was supposed to, the blast sank the ship and sent it under the waves. One more threat down.


    She stiffened as she felt qi in the distance.


    Grabbing the controls so hard she almost cut her hands on the crystals, she began using the lens to sweep across the ocean. It couldn''t be... it was too soon. She hoped for another explanation, since she had struggled so hard to avoid this very situation.


    But there was a Brightwind ship skimming across the ocean toward her.


    Somehow, her father had figured out exactly what had happened far earlier than she expected. This time, he had sent Earth Soul cultivators. If they arrived, they would utterly shatter the battle plans, likely killing both sides until they got to her.


    Without even thinking about what she was doing, Zae Zin Nim pivoted the great crystal and fired. She emptied every single glimmer of the stored qi in seconds, unleashing a beam of destruction that tore apart the ship and briefly lit up the entire city.


    In the silence afterward, she could hear her own panting breaths. A quiet part of her said that she''d made a tactical error, that the great crystal had been needed to defend the city. All she could do was stare out at the ocean, waiting for the inevitable.


    .


    ..


    .


    Well, that was a problem. Omilaena had been thinking that everything was going too smoothly, but she hadn''t anticipated Zae Zin Nim just going crazy and emptying one of their best assets at the start of the battle.


    When the Diamond Crystalliers arrived, which was inevitable and sooner than they''d hoped, they were likely going to take back at least some of the great crystals. The merchants had made that much clear, which was why they weren''t so concerned about a surprise attack. Without the western gate crystal, it would be hard to hold them off and keep them bound outside the walls, as had been the original plan.


    Time to improvise. Omilaena saw that the northeastern crystal was pivoting toward them, as if it intended to take shots at the main army. They were still vulnerable outside the gates, not yet protected by the city.


    So Omilaena turned her own crystal and unleashed its freezing beam on the northeastern defenses. It retaliated and the qi burned between them so hot that the top of the city wall melted in places. The intensity couldn''t hurt her, but the feedback loop was rapidly draining both crystals of their charge.


    There, now three of them were taken off the battlefield and it would come down to personal strength.


    That left two of them: one in the high northwest and one by the harbor. Nobles and merchants within the city seemed to have retreated to the northwestern crystal as a defensive point, which was going to be difficult to take. Of course, if things went the way Krainuun had planned, they would hole up for too long and the rest of the city would be taken.


    If things went according to plan, which already seemed improbable even without the secrets Omilaena knew.


    Only one battle for a crystal left, the one over the docks. Without the great crystal''s lens, Omilaena couldn''t pick out their swimming force or see what progress they had made. They would certainly have a much rougher fight ahead of them than they had been promised in the initial plan.


    All around the city beneath her, their army was beginning to clash with the Ruby Crystalliers who had been left behind to defend Yulthens. Technically she could have jumped in to help them, but Omilaena conserved her strength. She wasn''t going to exhaust herself and risk death, not for the people she saw fighting below.


    A low growl rumbled beneath the battlefield. Maybe it was just her imagination, spurred by the new monstrous power she felt at the heart of their army.


    Kai was awake and everything was just as she''d hoped.


    So many plans, ranging from delicate to brutal, clever and violent and duplicitous. Layered over one another in countless ways that no architect of the battle could possibly anticipate. Omilaena smiled as she waited to see how they would all play out.

 Chapter 213: No Battle Plan Survives

    Lots of people repeated "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy" and Nirka had always hated the phrase. What the fuck did they expect? Did they really think that a plan laid out on a bunch of maps in a room somewhere would actually play out in the real world?


    She hadn''t been surprised when the revolution turned ugly, not when the oppressors turned to violence and not when things went wrong. Those who understood what she did had always been ready for a brutal war to take back their freedom. It was going to be rough, things would go wrong, and she was prepared for all of that.


    Now, as she watched the great crystal rain shards down on her allies, she understood the saying.


    It wasn''t that anyone was that naive about battle plans, it was a reminder not to overreach. And, like a fool, she had ignored the warning and volunteered for this attempt to seize the harbor. In her mind, it hadn''t been a complex plan, just another way of sneaking around the enemy and hitting them where it hurt. And if the battle plan had survived, everything would have been perfect.


    Instead, they desperately tried to hide behind stones as their force was cut down. Nirka didn''t even know what exactly had gone wrong, but for some reason the great crystals at the gate weren''t providing them cover. Maybe the merchant oppressors had guessed about their plan, maybe they had inside information, maybe the crystals were all just more defended than they had expected.


    Whatever the reason, it had all gone to hell.


    Maggle was doing his best to ward off a Ruby Crystallier who would tear through their other forces. She should have been joining him, but Nirka realized that the plan was out the window. That crystallier was only a temporary objective - unless someone took down the crystal, they were all at risk.


    Just as she''d feared, a ray of power slammed down into the combat area. Maggle was bound in place, and he would have died if his opponent hadn''t been pinned as well. But it would be a bad idea to bet that they couldn''t narrow the beam later, and if they could, he was dead.


    Nirka climbed up the side of one of the harbor walls, getting steadily closer to the great crystal. It wasn''t unleashing any of the crystal shards at her, and there was only the one freezing beam. The crystallier at the top didn''t feel so strong, so she just needed to get up there. She''d have to trust Maggle to handle himself, but taking out the great crystal was the only way for them to survive after the battle plan had fallen apart.


    She reached her vantage point, readied her spear, and leapt.


    And a second beam of qi caught her, binding her in place in midair.


    The battle on the ground was still raging out of control, too chaotic for anyone to target her. It looked like the man using the great crystal was pushed to his limits, even if he had the presence of mind to freeze her too. That left Nirka screaming and thrashing, struggling to overcome the beam and failing.


    Was it really going to end like this? She''d relied too much on the plan in the attack, but if they''d planned more she might have known that the crystal could split its attention in two directions. If she hung in the air and watched her allies be cut apart while she was helpless...


    Then someone swept across the docks and the battle changed in an instant. Kai ran faster than she had ever seen him move before, his eyes burning with an unnatural light. The soldiers in front of him collapsed, some even falling into the harbor. Yet despite the ferocity of his steps pounding against the stones, he was precise, taking out the enemies with a focus on their archers without harming any of the workers. Just in the first few seconds of his arrival, the tide had turned.


    Kai sprinted into the freezing beam and it didn''t seem to touch him. The qi shook the remnants of his shirt but couldn''t slow him. Instead of attacking the Ruby Crystallier directly, he clapped his hands together as he passed in the bite technique she had seen occasionally. It tore off the woman''s arm and she screamed as she struggled to resist the qi beam enough to grasp the injury.


    By that point Kai was already past, grabbing Maggle and taking him out of the beam. He kept his head about him, and as soon as he was free he began throwing knives at the other crystalliers. Nirka couldn''t think so clearly, she was just staring at Kai in awe.


    Especially as he shifted in her direction, crouched down, and then leapt.


    In a second he caught her with one arm and pulled her out of the beam. Nirka found herself pinned against him, flattened against his chest by one muscular arm. The ease with which he rescued her, the confidence with which he grabbed her... Nirka could feel her heart pounding and it wasn''t from the battle.


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    When they landed, the crystallier immediately turned to unleash a blast at them. Kai struck it out of the air with another of his strange techniques, defending her. No, not just defending her... he deflected the qi into the enemy forces below, further scattering them.


    Nirka gritted her teeth, determined not to be an emotional girl. Kai might have rescued her, but she was still holding her spear. She pulled back and hurled it at the top of the crystal.


    The crystallier barely managed to catch it and the force pushed him away from the controls. In an instant, the great crystal stopped striking the battle below and the tide turned further in their favor. But she had barely finished her throw when Kai scooped her up again, this time leaping them both to the top of the crystal.


    Once there, for a brief glorious moment she fought at his side. Between the two of them, the crystallier didn''t stand a chance and was soon hurled into the harbor with her spear through his chest. But then it was over and Nirka knew that she couldn''t keep up with Kai. He had inspired her to be more, and for a brief time she had thought she might actually run alongside him, but she''d come up short.


    "We have the harbor crystal, despite everything," Kai said. He put a hand on her shoulder, and it was just the gesture of a fellow revolutionary, but that hand felt so strong...


    "What happened to the plan?" she asked.


    "I have no idea, I just saw this was the biggest crisis when I woke up." Kai released her shoulder and looked out over the city. "No matter what went wrong, the enemy army is still coming. Defend this point and use the great crystal however seems best."


    Then he was gone, leaping over the side with no concern for the long fall to the city below. Nirka stared after him for a time, then pulled herself together. She found a usable spear on the floor and took the crystallier''s sword to jam into her belt. When they tried to take the great crystal back, she would do her part or die trying.


    Despite the early chaos, it seemed like things had turned in their favor. The three crystals that were the greatest threat to them had all been captured or neutralized. From her position, it looked like the nobles only controlled one of the great crystals and didn''t dare to attack. Workers were pouring into the city, beating down soldiers completely unprepared for their strength.


    But no plan survived contact with the enemy. Nirka didn''t want to find out what that would mean.


    .


    ..


    .


    After hours of agony, Kai felt euphoric.


    The change had been nothing like when he broke through to E rank, which had been past due and required reconciling himself with his monstrous nature. When Omilaena had injected him with two different liquids, he had expected them to collide within him in some sort of battle for dominance.


    But no, there had been no question that both sides were him. As they fought against the poisons and transformed his body, they merged even closer together. It had felt like he was trapped in painful darkness for days, so when he had woken up, he was almost shocked to hear the battle going on. All their plans for it felt like memories from a past life.


    At times he''d been frustrated with the barrier to D-rank Physique, standing firm despite all his training and ordeals. It didn''t seem fair that it could be so unattainable on Deadwaste, that he trained for months without acquiring any new power. But now that he''d broken through, it felt entirely worth it.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 354


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 21% (105)


    Physique Level: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Monstrous Hunger - X (kappa)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - X (kappa)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VI (zeta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - VI (zeta)


    Void Gaze - V (epsilon)


    -


    Shadow of Death (???)


    Acidic Lance - V (epsilon)


    Infernotoad''s Burst - VI (zeta)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - III (gamma)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - III (gamma)


    Sahagin''s Lungs - III (gamma)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Beastbat''s Wing - I (alpha)


    Crystal Slime - I (alpha)


    >


    Just as it had been for the others, the jump to D-rank Physique had been enormous. When the top crystalliers saw him now, even just seeing his human side, they''d hesitate. He didn''t think his body had changed again, except maybe getting a little taller and more muscular, but he could feel the increased potential for monstrous transformation and held back to avoid scaring his allies.


    His monstrous hunger roared within him, as if awakened by the breakthrough. He knew there was more potential to reach for, just as soon as he had the space for training. That seemed unlikely, in the midst of the battle, and even more unlikely due to the energy rushing through his veins.


    Overwhelming even the power in his soul was the sense that he was more himself. Everything about Kai seemed to have been heightened, from his sight and hearing to the feeling of the wind against his skin when he leapt. His base drives were even worse: he wanted to fight an army, laugh at the top of his lungs, duel a mortal enemy to the death, eat a horde of monsters and then a feast after that. When he''d rescued Nirka there had been a part of him that wanted to pin her against a wall and take her right in the middle of battle.


    It took consistent willpower to keep himself focused on the fighting, because he knew he was far from invincible. There was still so much that could go wrong, and the odds would only keep piling up against them the longer the battle went on. He loped to the center of the city, looking for their main army and their objectives.


    In an ideal world, they would have broken into the city, seized all five great crystals, and conquered Mercantile Central before Suortril''s army arrived. The army had definitely broken, but the crystals were a scattered mess, and Mercantile Central... it looked like the merchant headquarters were defended by a great wall of crystal that was shrugging off the attacks being launched against it. He ran there to add his strength to the others, but as he ran he leapt high enough to look over the city walls.


    In the distance, he could see Suortril''s army advancing, and all the Diamond Crystalliers with them. They were running out of time.

 Chapter 214: Crystal Defenses Crumbling

    Kai fully analyzed the siege of Mercantile Central as he sprinted his way over the Yulthens rooftops. It looked like some sort of special defenses had been activated over all the main entrances, where the army camped. In theory many of them could have broken through the other walls, but the opposite side of the building was in range of the last great crystal controlled by the nobles. Staying right next to the building actually shielded the army from its attacks.


    He considered leaving that to them and seizing the crystal instead. Unfortunately, it looked like this one had multiple Ruby Crystalliers guarding it, and they were prepared for an attack just like his. This was a time for decisive action, not recklessness. Better to help them break the internal siege.


    A number of acid cultivators were throwing techniques against the crystal barrier while being defended by others. The crystal wall seemed capable of opening and closing small windows, through which crystalliers launched attacks. Trying to break through one of those was an option, but again, their defenses seemed to have been well-designed now that they had recovered from their initial shock.


    Still, the windows were offense and weak points all in one. As he leapt off the last building, Kai swept both arms across his body, launching two massive Tyrant''s Claws against the defenses. Crystalline sparks lit up all across the wall and the attackers flinched back, no longer so willing to open their windows. He ended his leap skidding onto the plaza where the other leaders met.


    "Damn," Cragrila said when she turned to him. "You should save your strength for the Diamonds."


    "I don''t need to," he said. He''d been able to keep fighting for a long time even after absorbing Gomodo''s Stamina, which had become vastly stronger in Behemoth''s Heart, then fused together with his new Physique. Explaining any of that would have been awkward, but it seemed like they believed him.


    "Can you keep them off of us? We have a plan to break through, it''s just a vulnerable one."


    "Got it." Kai moved to the front of the lines and raked another claw across the crystal wall. The barrier was definitely effective against force, if not as apparently invulnerable as Suortril''s prism.


    Every time one of the opponents tried to start an attack, Kai covered their position with another claw. A Ruby Crystallier had gathered a lot of qi and he grinned at her, which made her draw back. As he kept them pinned down, Kai considered how best he should get around these sorts of defenses.


    Meanwhile, the army was preparing their own attack. It looked like a group of acid cultivators getting together on a larger technique, though they seemed to be struggling. Yurwa was among them, frowning the way she did when she thought things were being managed poorly, but was too meek to interrupt. He was considering stepping in to advocate for her when someone else shouted over the noise of the battle.


    "I can help, I can help!" Gundle tried to squirm past one of the soldiers, who held the boy by his shoulder. "My mother is out there, let me help!"


    "You shouldn''t be here," Cragrila said as she knelt down in front of him. "This is too dangerous for you."


    "I should be able to risk my life for freedom too! I''m an adult now!" Seeing the spindly boy declare that so passionately was more tragic than anything, and Cragrila hesitated before giving the order. Kai stepped in first to interrupt.


    "I''ll shield them," he promised. "Let him help or he''ll just run into trouble."


    Cragrila cursed under her breath, but gestured for it to be done. Kai stepped in front of the group, as if daring any of the defenders inside to attack the child standing behind him. Even the nobles of Yulthens didn''t have the stomach for that... though they might regret their choice.


    "Are you sure about this?" Yurwa wrapped her arms around her son from behind, but not to shield him: she was examining his cultivation. "This barrier is stronger than anything you''ve seen before."


    "Look, like this, like this! We can break it!"


    "Hmm, we can try."


    Kai was busy keeping the defenders pinned down, but in brief glimpses he saw another sphere of acid building in front of Yurwa and Gundle. No, it was more like a point of acid, with power washing out from the center and renewing the exterior surface. Clearly a new technique, but would it be enough?


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    "This is where I come in." Omilaena appeared like a whisper on legs, and even Kai''s newly enhanced senses hadn''t been aware of her. She knelt down beside the two and patted Yurwa''s shoulder. "This is going to hurt, then it will feel good."


    He heard Yurwa gasp and looked back in time to see the syringe empty the last of what looked like acid into her veins. But the sphere she was building almost doubled in size, and Gundle laughed gleefully. The power built higher and the defenders started looking away from Kai, but it was too late.


    When the sphere hit the crystal wall it didn''t immediately splatter. Instead it drove against the defenses, new waves of acid rushing from the center to wash over the crystal. The sphere seemed to sink in, slowly at first and then faster as the crystal gave way. Fragments falling from above only seemed to fuel the process, then the sphere began hissing into the stone of the building itself.


    Everyone inside Mercantile Central began attacking the technique, but they were too late. Kai struck it from behind with another claw, making the sphere explode into a deadly splatter. The defenders fell back, the attackers cheered, and the rush to claim the building began.


    "You''ve done well, but you need to retreat." Cragrila tried to smile at the boy, but her look at his mother was worried. They all knew what was coming next, and as clever as Gundle was, his potential could be easily snuffed out by any crystallier who got to him.


    Now that the attack was in the hands of the army, Kai let himself take a step back and consider again. With the crystal barrier having failed, the group inside didn''t seem like they could stand up to them. Hopefully they''d be able to fight their way into Mercantile Central and then fortify the building again, so they would have some defense when the enemy arrived. Theoretically, they wanted to deny their opponents any opportunity to rest while letting Cragrila and the others fight selectively.


    Omilaena stood silently, tapping the syringe against her thigh, a drop of acid dripping from the needle. She glanced up when he approached but didn''t say anything.


    "Where''s Zae Zin Nim?"


    "She went off the plan," Omilaena told him. "Not sure why. But she''s still by the city gates."


    "Then she''ll get hit first. Hope she''s ready." Kai shielded his eyes from the sun out of habit and looked back toward the city gates. He didn''t need his eyes to notice the raw power surging toward them.


    The Diamond Crystalliers had arrived.


    .


    ..


    .


    It had all seemed so elegant, at the beginning. Zae Zin Nim didn''t trust the soldiers to stick to any plan, but Kai and Omilaena could be relied upon. Between all their resources, they should have been able to maneuver their opponents into match-ups where they had a chance.


    Then she''d seen the Brightwind cultivators and all her plans had drained from her mind.


    She still hadn''t located them in the distant ocean when power hitting the city walls finally drew her attention back. All five Diamond Crystalliers, just as they had expected. With a single shout, Tareth knocked all the defending peasants off their feet, even atop the walls, which made it effortless for Traelisia to fly past them toward the crystal at the docks.


    Whoever was controlling the great crystal tried to fight her off, but wouldn''t last for long. At this point, Zae Zin Nim was supposed to provide covering fire from the other side, or stop the attackers from entering the city. She would have, if she hadn''t drained all the qi from the crystal.


    It would have been strategically wise to intercept some of the enemy, keep them from slaughtering the peasant revolutionaries. But she didn''t have time, because he was coming.


    Ren Ziq Quen flew up toward her directly, a mocking smile on his face. He knew that she couldn''t win and that she had spent her advantage of the great crystal. Kai wasn''t in range and Omilaena could be anywhere, so she had no support as she faced the very battle she had desperately wanted to avoid.


    "Here we are again." He used his qi to slip the words across the battlefield to her, then she faced the same ferocious qi techniques.


    She jumped off the side of the crystal and they fought their way across the side of the city walls, their lightness techniques almost equally matched. Little different than before, except this time he was carefully watching for her to try her Coldfire Corona. It wouldn''t work this time, and without that her advantages were dwindling.


    Just tying him up was useful, she tried to tell herself. So long as Ren Ziq Quen was chasing her, he couldn''t fight the army or team up on any of her allies. But she couldn''t account for all of the enemy, so she was at serious risk of being ambushed herself.


    And all of it seemed so pointless. If the Earth Soul cultivators arrived...


    Before either of them could get the upper hand, a deep horn sounded over the city. She would have thought it was an actual horn if not for the qi she felt along with it. Even Ren Ziq Quen seemed surprised, and they briefly alighted on the city wall to look toward the source.


    Boreas of Kartiis stood atop one of the dead crystals, pouring his power into it. The horn-like sound emanated from the crystal, growing louder as it shone brighter. She had studied the Diamond Crystalliers closely and no one had the slightest idea that he could do something like that. Maybe no one else understood the depth of power that came from so many qi crystals.


    Then the crystal began raining death down over the streets, Boreas added his power to the assault, and the walls began to come apart. All Zae Zin Nim could do was retreat as a superior cultivator pursued her.

 Chapter 215: A Long Forgotten Rivalry

    Kai ran through the city, struggling with his instincts. Zae Zin Nim was sorely outnumbered at the gates, Nirka and Maggle were under heavy assault, and the main army was barely entrenched at Mercantile Central. He wanted to go help any or all of them, but at this stage the battle was joined and he had to trust in the strength of his allies.


    Instead he ran into the city to take on one of the Diamond Crystalliers.


    If they had all stayed together, the revolutionaries would have had to concentrate their forces too, leading to an extremely chaotic battle. Kai hadn''t been able to predict how such a thing would end, but Krainuun''s analysis suggested that it wouldn''t happen. Even if the merchants were all technically working together, when Yulthens was under threat, they would look after their own interests.


    As soon as the walls were retaken, Vyorrine had raced inward. She had two Ruby Crystalliers running after her, one who looked a bit Goralian and the other a vaguely familiar squat Krysali. So, in addition to all of Vyorrine''s powers, he might have to deal with crystal cultivation and Class abilities.


    "Got your back!" Kraetius suddenly appeared beside him. He looked more anxious than he should have, given that the two of them were less vulnerable than most, but he was a good ally to have on hand. Kai nodded to him and they sprinted across the city on their D rank Physiques.


    They intercepted Vyorrine in the middle of a street. There had been parks and statues there once, but they were abandoned, a few floating crystals bumping forlornly against the walls. Vyorrine''s eyes flickered around the street, as if considering whether or not she could get around them, and then she dropped into a combat stance.


    Neither one of them was shrouding or holding back, not now, so he got a clear look at her soul.


    <


    Name: Vyorrine Nermtrian


    Total Power: 417


    Flamecaster Class: 43 (53)


    Waterborn: Firstswept (91)


    Path of Steel: Steel 2 (40)


    Crystal Cultivation: 2806 (75)


    Physique Level: E-3 (89)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Golden Dragon Breath (+20)


    >


    She''d grown stronger since her exhibition match, which was to be expected for the top of the entire nation. The bigger danger than her incremental improvements was the possibility that she was using her subtle shroud to hide some new ability she''d acquired since then. Others in the revolution were more worried about other Diamonds, but by his judgment Vyorrine was the most unpredictable of them.


    At the same time she was analyzing him, and what she saw didn''t lead her to attack. As someone who specialized in hiding skills at the highest level, it was possible that she saw some hint of deeper power within him, which would give her pause. She was definitely narrowing her eyes like she didn''t want this fight.


    "Kai!" The squat Krysali man muscled forward with a shout. "Every time I think you''re dead, you crawl back to taunt me again. But you went too far this time, trying to destroy everything. Your luck comes to an end now!"


    For just a moment, Kai had no idea who it was. He looked closer and some part of his mind must have remembered, because the name appeared in symbols of the man''s soul.


    <


    Name: Graetri of Yulthens


    Total Power: 271


    Crystal Cultivation: 99,480 (199)


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    Dragontouched (+10)


    >


    It had been a long time since he''d seen Graetri, and he hadn''t really thought about him much. Apparently that had not been the case for the Ruby Crystallier. He''d grown a little stronger since they''d last met, but hadn''t been able to cultivate many crystals - another consequence of the gold to crystal ratio.


    "Last time we fought side by side," Kai said cautiously. "I''m not here to destroy, I-"


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    "Now you''re fighting alongside the Maneater we were trying to kill! Anything you say will just be another goddamn lie!"


    Graetri launched himself forward, his crystal necklaces burning with qi. The other Ruby Crystallier leapt into action as well, but Kraetius caught him in midair and they grappled in the other direction. That unfortunately left Vyorrine free to wait for her moment.


    There was no point holding back, not against some rival he barely remembered. Kai swung his arm overhead and flattened his opponent with a Tyrant''s Claw. The impact sent the man into the street and splintered some of his crystals, but he got up the next second... and met Kai''s kick to his face.


    Somehow Graetri didn''t collapse and instead grabbed his foot. More crystals continued to grow around them both, trying to pin him in place. Graetri''s eyes began to glow golden as he prepared a new technique.


    "Did you forget I was Dragontouched?" The other man let out a laugh. "You can''t-"


    Kai exerted the full capacity of Direboar''s Strength. Fueled by the Myogenecon and enhanced by his new Physique, he shattered the crystals so effortlessly that he ended up striking his opponent with more force than he intended. Most of the necklaces shattered, followed by several of the man''s bones, and the Ruby Crystallier tumbled off the side.


    Then the golden flames engulfed Kai from behind.


    It was the greatest risk they had been considering from the beginning: the Diamond Crystalliers would be difficult to defeat on their own, and with strong allies they could deal crippling strikes. But it was no accident that he''d tried to track Vyorrine first, because he''d anticipated exactly this.


    She was still breathing out the golden flames when Kai walked out of the inferno. The fires had burned away the remnants of his shirt, but they only heated his skin. He''d survived much worse from the golden dragon, and Behemoth''s Heart had been working ever since then, strengthening him.


    "A real golden dragon tried that too," Kai said calmly. "That isn''t going to work anymore."


    "Shit." Vyorrine drew her sword while shooting a glance toward Kraetius and the other Ruby Crystallier still fighting. "I thought I was rising fast, but you..."


    "Who exactly are you fighting for?" Kai asked. He spread his arms to either side to encompass the city. "You''ve seen the revolution spread across the entire nation. How long do you think your employers are going to keep fulfilling their promises?"


    "Hah, and you think your band of peasants can do better?"


    "I''m not trying to convince you to join, just think about whether this is worth the fight. How long will the merchants of Yulthens take to recover from this? Are you willing to risk your life just to help them rebuild?" Kai loosened his knees and tightened his fingers into claws. "If you decide you''re going to try to kill me, you''d better do it now, because this will be your only chance."


    Vyorrine stared at him a long moment, then suddenly sheathed her sword. "You don''t plan to hunt me down?"


    "If you abandon the merchants now, everyone will consider you one of them. Aren''t there other powers you could be seeking somewhere else?"


    "Well... I guess crystal cultivation is getting old." Vyorrine glanced over the city, shrugged as if to herself, and then leapt into the wind.


    Kai tracked her, just in case she was lying to circle back, but it seemed like he''d gotten through to her. With so many fighters attracted by nothing but money, he''d hoped that he could reach at least one. He''d planned a lot of other arguments, then the very first one had worked. Apparently Vyorrine didn''t need much convincing to focus on her own interests.


    With her gone, Kai took out Graetri for good and then went to help Kraetius end his fight. The old man looked oddly uncomfortable, his eyes staring not quite at Kai but past him.


    "Is something wrong?" Kai asked.


    The old man flinched, then raised a finger to point toward the wall.


    "What?" Kai turned in time to see something gleam bright red.


    Suortril stood atop the city wall with three Ruby Crystalliers at his side. It took all three of them to power the device he was using, which was some sort of ruby the size of a boulder. Mystical symbols had been etched across it, glowing brighter red than the ruby itself as the process was completed. From so far away, there was nothing Kai could do.


    Clearly it was a weapon, but Kai didn''t see what he intended to do with it. He was uncertain right up until the point when Suortril made a gesture and the ruby was launched into Yulthens.


    In that instant, Kai understood two things. First: when the ruby hit, the qi inside would cause immense devastation, likely enough to destroy any part of the army in range. Second: Suortril was entirely conscious of striking at his own city. He was willing to destroy anything to win this fight, because he believed that literally everything in his world was at stake.


    The ruby sailed overhead, deceptively slowly, and he realized that it was going to hit Mercantile Central. Yurwa, Cragrila, and all the others would vanish in a flash of red light.


    Kai ran to intercept it, first raising a hand and then lowering it. No, striking the ruby would probably set it off, and even in the air it could hurt everyone. That meant he really only had one weapon available to him.


    When Kai activated Void Gaze, his will shot out from him to bind the ruby... and the weapon struck back. Kai stumbled back a step, his feet digging into the street. The weapon was filled with so much qi and malicious energy, and it couldn''t be intimidated. Void Gaze slowed it down, but it was still moving. In fact, with its slowed pace it seemed to be arcing down toward him.


    He drew on his monstrous power as deeply as he could, focusing on Void Gaze like never before. By the end Kai was roaring, but the ruby came to a halt in the air. Its momentum was spent, but nothing was holding it up but Void Gaze.


    Kai had never needed to blink while using it, but now his eyes itched.


    As the seconds stretched on, the malicious energy of the ruby kept burning, as if eager to explode.


    Around him, others were starting to notice. It was only a matter of time before they found the courage to hit him with ranged attacks and try to shake his concentration.


    Before it could happen, a black form flitted from the side. Zae Zin Nim arced through the air, directly toward the ruby bomb. She was being pursued by the enemy cultivator, but this wasn''t a gambit to save herself. When she reached the ruby she dealt a palm strike that stopped just before the surface. The force of her qi pushed the ruby back in the other direction, sailing toward the wall and the merchant army.


    She danced on, staying barely ahead of her opponent, but Kai could only stare at the impact.


    For a moment, a sunset exploded at the edge of the city. The blinding crimson was followed by a shockwave that knocked over many of the soldiers and practically blinded others. Kai narrowed his eyes and refused to look away, watching as the qi from the ruby expanded and destroyed the walls of Krysal as well as a major portion of the enemy army.


    When it faded, however, leaving the air itself glowing red, there was one figure still in the center. Suortril straightened within his prism and brushed away some dust distastefully.


    The battle was against the Diamond Crystalliers, yes, and they couldn''t win without confronting them one way or another. But this was a reminder of something Kai had forgotten: they were fighting Suortril and all of Krysal.

 Chapter 216: Different Last Stands

    As the city trembled around her, Yurwa told herself that she would stand until the end, at least.


    She had a clear view of what she was and wasn''t capable of. Her role in the battle was to destroy crystal shielding when possible and remain behind defensive lines when it wasn''t. Acid cultivation could provide ranged support, but fighting alone would be suicidal. She didn''t think she was a hero, her goal was to help Kai and Zae Zin Nim and all the others put their full strength toward the fight.


    If necessary, she had two very meager fallback options. They had all been given something called "Ironskin potions" which she was told would help defend her against crystal attacks. She personally had received a second syringe of acid from Omilaena, who told her that it could provide a boost. The rush of power that had helped her break into Mercantile Central had been almost addictive, but she held back in case the injection could matter more later.


    And yet there were so many flying over the battle, either jumping or levitating on crystals, who could take her apart with their bare hands. It made everything she had built in her soul seem small.


    <


    Name: Yurwa of N District Pits


    Total Power: 058


    Acid Cultivation: 487 (39)


    Physique Level: G-5 (10)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    She didn''t think she was naive, but she had been proud of the power she''d developed. It was enough to fight the soldiers who had terrorized her and her son for their entire lives, even if they laid hands on her. Kai had said he was impressed, and he wouldn''t lie to make her feel better. But in a battle like this...


    It had been a small comfort when the great crystals failed, since at least that wasn''t another form of death hanging over their heads. She had groaned along with everyone else when she saw Boreas restore one of the crystals. Unlike some, who rushed off to try to take it back, she had known it was a fool''s errand. Even though Boreas had flown off, the crystallier he left behind was enough to stop all of them, with the great crystal.


    When the crystal turned toward her and her little group of acid cultivators, she did what she could. Yurwa injected herself with the syringe and, as the power rushed through her, formed a great arc of acid. The great crystal began emitting shards designed to shred bodies, as she''d seen before, but they dissolved in her acid shield.


    She didn''t know how long she would hold, but she''d protect the others if she could. Every second she held, more of the army escaped into the buildings along the street. Then she heard something to the southwest and realized that the great crystal by the harbor was also moving. Except this time, she didn''t think it was controlled by her allies.


    Even though she felt threatened, it didn''t begin striking at her. She was far too unimportant for that. Instead it began unleashing blasts into the city, trying to destroy the revolutionary army. But those blasts were getting closer, and they would annihilate her acid shield even if she could expand it in both directions. She could try to run, but there was nowhere to go.


    So she stood tall. If she died, it wouldn''t be as a cringing worker, she would make them strike her down as a revolutionary. Even if they didn''t notice snuffing out her life, that was worth something. Her son might live to accomplish something more.


    Just as the explosions neared, a line of light blazed across the city. Yurwa looked up in surprise, almost blinded, and saw that the crystal just beside her had turned. It was locked against the harbor crystal, neutralizing both of them. Had her allies somehow taken it after all? But no, she had seen them fall when they rushed toward it, how could any of them have survived?


    "This way!" Someone shouted at her from near the base. One of her other allies, one of those she had allowed to escape with her acid shield. Yurwa blinked, still not understanding.


    "Yurwa, come with us. You held long enough." Someone took her by the shoulder and tried to guide her back. There were people who looked like crystalliers, yet they were fighting on their side.


    "What happened?" She barely got out the sentence before coughing. The pain in her throat always returned whenever the tension rose enough.


    "Some of the people of the city rose up against them!" Another worker gestured toward the crystal wildly. "Apparently the merchants killed some old woman named Orillia. She''s been helping people for years, and the whole Crystallier Cooperative banded together to help. They seized the crystal and they have defenses, we just need to get there!"


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    It wasn''t so many paces now until they could enter the fortified tower. She wasn''t sure if it was truly safer indoors, considering the number of buildings that had been destroyed, but at least she wasn''t vulnerable to anyone who might swoop by.


    But then a new power landed at the end of the street and Yurwa knew that all of them combined weren''t enough.


    A man in robes that reminded her of Zae Zin Nim waved a hand and the great crystal lurched violently, all its power distorting. Yes, she remembered him from the meetings: Ren Ziq Quen, one of the Diamond Crystalliers. His power made her feel even more insignificant.


    He hadn''t even noticed her, but he was still probably going to kill her. The man walked forward, targeting the great crystal and all the fighters who had seen it. She was just in the way and would soon die to one of his attacks, as if she hadn''t even been present.


    "That''s far enough." Zae Zin Nim landed in the street in front of him.


    "Really?" Ren Ziq Quen struck the crystal one more time, disabling it, and turned toward her. "This is just going to end the way it always does."


    "No. Not this time."


    .


    ..


    .


    A group of allies had attempted to bombard Suortril with various attacks, to no avail. Kai watched briefly before he decided that the merchant was the wrong target. Suortril was most dangerous in the systems and plans he set up, and those were spread all across the city.


    But where could he do the most good? For the first time since the start of the battle Kai wasn''t rushing from emergency to emergency, so he took a moment to take stock.


    Their core army was faring better than anyone would have imagined. The Ironskin potions that Omilaena had mass-produced were doing an excellent job protecting them from the minor crystal attacks that normally cut down uprisings. Of course they did little good against Ruby and Diamond level crystalliers, but those fighters were largely occupied.


    Most of the crystals floated without energy, but one of theirs was under assault and the nobles were still holed up in the northernmost tower. That was probably the place to start. He didn''t see a way to pursue any of their contingency plans, so he might as well fight visibly and take pressure off the others.


    "Kai!" Kraetius stomped to a halt beside him, panting as if he''d barely caught up. "One of the main merchants has split off, we have a chance to catch her alone!"


    "Who?" Kai was already following him as they moved higher into the city. "How many defenses?"


    "It''s a woman named Riuklina. She definitely has several Ruby Crystalliers, possibly more. That''s why I went to get you. We can stop her before she prepares more weapons, but we have to move fast. There''s no telling when their forces will catch up."


    They vaulted higher into the city and Kai marveled at how flimsy the estates looked now. A year ago, he had moved through these same streets, seeking a noble patron for the sake of money. Now he was leading a revolution and gold was only worth what it had bought before the fighting started.


    "Where are we headed?" Omilaena appeared beside them with an unreadable expression on her face. Kraetius jumped and almost retaliated before controlling himself.


    "We''re taking out the number two merchant in the city," Kai told her.


    "Sounds good, I''ll come along."


    As they drew closer to the largest and oldest estates, Kraetius looked increasingly nervous. Eventually he edged closer to Kai and spoke in a low voice.


    "I didn''t want to believe it, but some were saying that Omilaena isn''t on our side anymore. That she was bought out." The old man looked back to her, eyes slightly too wide. "Maybe it''s a lie, but you should be careful, just in case."


    Kai nodded and gestured for him to be quiet, since there was too much of a risk of Omilaena hearing them. Would she really sell them out now, after all this? Then again, he could imagine that all of this was just a long negotiation, forcing the merchants to agree to some terms he couldn''t comprehend. She did seem unusually untouched, as if she hadn''t been participating much in the battle.


    When they reached Riuklina''s estate there was a single Ruby Crystallier guarding the entrance. Between the three of them, they knocked out the man almost instantly and then they pushed inside. Kai was alert for sources of power, wondering if the noble had any weapons as dangerous as Suortril''s, when suddenly a voice emanated from the side.


    "That''s far enough."


    The power in the voice made his body lock up for just a moment. Kai growled and pushed past it as Behemoth''s Heart resisted the effect. When he could turn again, he stepped into a side courtyard and knew exactly what he was going to see.


    Riuklina sat in a balcony within her estate, apparently calm and waving herself with a fan. There was a circle of glowing qi crystals humming around her and generating a nearly transparent barrier. She had two Ruby Crystalliers standing nearby as guards, but Kai barely even looked at them.


    Tareth Nordulind stood in the center of the courtyard, waiting.


    "I''m sorry, Kai." The power of Tareth''s Spellword Class pressed against them and Kraetius fell back a step to one knee. "I thought you were a good kid. I wish that you hadn''t joined them."


    "How can you go along with this?" Kai''s words sounded feeble compared to the magical tones, but he made himself keep talking because he wanted to believe he could reach Tareth. "If you''ve fought in this war, you know they treated their workers like slaves. I didn''t come here to destroy things, but how else will anything change?"


    "It''s all black and white to you, isn''t it?" Tareth removed the great Direboar pelt from his shoulders and tossed it aside. "This isn''t like a battle against monsters, where everyone is on the same side. This is the Krysali way of life. You''re just an invader."


    "Aren''t the uprisings just the Krysali way of life too? This is just an extension of that."


    "Oh, enough chatter!" Riuklina waved her fan at everyone in the courtyard below. "Kill him already!"


    Tareth drew in a breath, far faster than Kai had ever seen before. He had been planning on running forward and striking his opponent before the Class powers could take effect. Two steps closer and Tareth let out a roar that seemed to go on and on, shaking the courtyard.


    Kai met it with Void Gaze and the two techniques clashed. The Diamond Crystallier was too strong to be stopped by it, but Kai wouldn''t be bowed by his Class either. They locked in place, voice against gaze, as their powers raged against one another.


    Then something sharp plunged deep into Kai''s back.

 Chapter 217: Truth in Smoke

    The crystal knife must have been an expensive masterwork, because it cut deep into Kai''s back. He cried out in pain and swung backward... narrowly missing Kraetius.


    "Bah." The old man drew another knife and advanced on him. "Almost had you."


    "Why?" Kai only managed the word before Tareth''s next shout hit him from the side, binding him in place.


    "I couldn''t stomach the sight of these peasants tearing down Krysal and dancing on the rubble." Kraetius spat. "Half of them are dead anyway, and I took out the rest during the fighting. But Riuklina can restore my crystal cultivation, let me take my proper position again. After everything I had to endure, I''ll be the strongest Diamond this city has ever seen."


    While another shout staggered Kai, the two Ruby Crystalliers leapt forward and grabbed his arms. Once they had him bound in place, Kraetius stepped forward with his knife raised.


    "And all I had to do was betray you. I''d say it''s worth the price."


    His hand came down, and Kai''s teeth snapped closed.


    Isulfr''s Bite consumed both the dagger and Kraetius''s hand. The old man staggered backward, crying out in pain, and the Ruby Crystalliers stared in horror. Kai chewed on the mouthful... the crystals stuck in his teeth, but the troubling part was how good D-rank flesh tasted.


    "Take him!" Riuklina screamed. "All of you!"


    "Down!" Tareth cried the word and Kai was forced to his knees. Once the Ruby Crystalliers recovered they began kicking at him, battering at his body from all sides. They weren''t his equal, but with so many blows, even his Physique would begin to bruise.


    When one of the crystalliers started to form an axe, Kai forced past the pain to act. He locked Tareth in place for a second with a Void Gaze, then spun on the others. One Ruby was knocked across the courtyard with a kick to the chest, while a Tyrant''s Claw tore through the armor of the other and left him bloody.


    "I said everyone!"


    When Riuklina shouted, blue smoke flooded into the courtyard. Kai had just the barest second to look up and see Omilaena, standing on the balcony alongside the merchant. She met his gaze briefly, but the smoke pouring from her lips was overwhelming and soon the entire courtyard was so filled with smoke that it was impossible to see.


    "Did you need to do that?" Riuklina complained.


    "You saw how he fights," Omilaena said, "I''m not getting close. Besides, it won''t kill Tareth. And do you really care about the Ruby Crystalliers?"


    "Oh, I suppose they can be replaced."


    Though the poison smoke was so omnipresent that he couldn''t avoid breathing it in, Kai felt... surprisingly fine. At first he thought his D-rank Physique was enough to resist, but Omilaena was the very one who had given it to him. Then he thought that she might have underestimated his monstrous soul, but he had told her so much...


    There was no time to think about that. Kai prowled through the smoke, hunting the others on pure hunger. One of the Ruby Crystalliers was already dying of poison, so Kai just cut him down. The other had formed a crystal mask over her face, but it did nothing to protect from Kai''s bite.


    He wanted to find Kraetius and kill him for his betrayal, but realized that might be a mistake. Tareth was no longer standing where he had been when the smoke poured out and there was no trace of his soul. Either he had some way to navigate without sight or his instincts were just that good. Either way, Kai couldn''t assume that he could keep hunting safely. The poison might not be harming him, but the knife in the back, the point-blank Spellword shouts, and all the blows had taken their toll.


    Finally the smoke began to dissipate. Kai braced himself, straining his eyes to make out the courtyard the first instant he could. Kraetius sat on one side, still cradling his stump. Tareth had retreated on the other, his lungs swelling with power.


    But the most important thing was the balcony, where Riuklina was peering into the smoke. When she began to see them, she leapt to her feet.


    "How did h-" Omilaena slit her throat mid-word.


    The noblewoman stared in shock, clutched at the gushing blood, and slowly sank against the railing. Behind her, Omilaena pulled back the thin knife and flipped it around her fingers before making it vanish. Then she looked down and smiled.


    "She tried to make me a deal," Omilaena explained, "but she doesn''t really understand. I''m not going to turn on you when I can just take what I want anyway."


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    "You couldn''t-" Kai cut off to tug the crystal knife out of his back and threw it down, then stomped it in half. "You couldn''t have said something before I got literally stabbed in the back?"


    "You''re a terrible liar, Kai, you couldn''t have kept the secret. Riuklina had defenses almost as good as Suortril, so I needed her to reveal an opening. But I actually didn''t know about Kraetius. If I''d known she paid him off too, I would have arranged a little accident."


    He didn''t love that Omilaena had made all those decisions without him, but he could respect the end result. If Riuklina had contacted her, she must have tempted her with everything that Krysal had to offer. And despite the fact that their revolution was outnumbered, Omilaena hadn''t betrayed him.


    "Well, this didn''t turn out how I''d hoped." Tareth sighed and rolled his shoulders. He was still filled with mana and qi, but all the poison smoke he''d breathed seemed to be slowing him down. "That offer of changing my mind still open?"


    "I doubt it," Kai said heavily. "Why''d you bet everything on the merchants? Didn''t it bother you that people were being treated like animals?"


    "It''s the same everywhere you go, kid. In Goralia they say everyone''s equal, but in practice your Class determines your tier in life except for the wealthy. They need the people with inferior Classes to really believe they''re inferior, or the hierarchy of power falls apart. Can you honestly tell me that isn''t how it is?"


    "Maybe." Kai rolled his shoulders in the same way the taller man had. "That doesn''t mean we shouldn''t try to make things better."


    "Wish I had your optimism. Now, we''ve chatted enough, so stop!" Tareth shouted the last word, striking the entire courtyard with a binding effect even stronger than before.


    He leapt to retreat from the estate entirely, but Omilaena caught his leg in midair and hurled him back down. The same instant he hit the ground Kai tackled him into one of the walls, a Tyrant''s Claw slashing.


    Tareth Nordulind proved himself a true warrior at the end, despite being outnumbered. It should have been a victory, taking out another Diamond Crystallier. But every movement in the battle felt sorrowful to Kai, because it meant the loss of what might have been. When they''d first met, or when they''d fought Omilaena together, he''d hoped they might become friends and allies in the future. Instead they tried to kill one another, not out of hatred but because they''d fallen on opposite sides.


    With the odds in their favor, Kai pressing and Omilaena wearing him down with poison, the outcome was inevitable. The only point where there was real risk was when Kraetius suddenly leapt back into the fight. He might have gotten his knife in time if Omilaena hadn''t thrown a needle at him. After Kai cut across his chest, he didn''t rise again.


    Eventually Kai drove Tareth to exhaustion, and when he opened his mouth to shout again, one of Omilaena''s needles went through his neck. Then a second and a third. No crystal defenses this time. He didn''t cry out in pain, just released a slow sigh. The massive man slowly reached up to pull out the weapons, looked at them briefly, then let them drop to the ground.


    "Twenty years ago..." His voice was still strong despite the holes in his neck and he turned toward Kai sadly. "If we''d met twenty years ago, maybe things would have been different."


    Then he sagged to the ground and collapsed. For a moment the courtyard was silent.


    If consuming flesh was solely about power, it would make sense to eat Tareth, but Kai''s hunger turned him around. Kraetius was still alive, trying to crawl away with his good hand. Maybe it was the man''s Physique or maybe just the fact that he had betrayed him. Either way, Kai stalked after him, then watched the man''s fear as he stared into the monstrous maw before it ended his life.


    A moment later Kai wavered, coming back to himself. He had been so controlled, no one suspecting his real power despite fighting in front of them, yet now he''d done something like that in a fugue state. Right in front of Omilaena, too.


    When he turned back to her, she gave a polite little clap. "Very monstrous, good work."


    "Just one thing I don''t get." Kai swayed to his feet and wiped off his mouth, trying to put the taste behind him. "What was your plan with the poison? If it was my Physique, wouldn''t Kraetius have been immune too? Or did you inject me with something special?"


    "No, no, your Physique injections were exactly what I said, designed to maximize the benefit." Omilaena stepped forward and began playfully tapping her fingernails against his chest. "I''ve been dosing you with small quantities of poison ever since we agreed to work together. It''s much more convenient to have allies immune to my most common poisons, as you just saw."


    "And Zae Zin Nim?"


    "She''s so touchy and suspicious I haven''t managed it yet."


    Kai was about to say more when an explosion shook the ground. Some chaos was expected in a battle, but this was unusually large. He jumped to the roof of the estate, Omilaena just behind him, to get a good look.


    The explosion had come from the docks, where half the ships were now burning with a green fire that wasn''t put out by the water. He could just see a small group of his allies down there, spotting Maggle but no Nirka. They were hemmed in between the flames, the water, and now a vast spiky wall of earth.


    Traelisia stood in the path of their only way out, moving in slowly to finish them off. Even though he was too far away to arrive in time, Kai began to run toward them.


    Maggle swayed forward, drinking from what looked like a jug of beer. Without warning he hurled it at Traelisia, who knocked it out of the air with a spike of earth without even looking at it. Yet as the jug broke, acid splattered from within, striking her earth barrier. At practically the same instant, Maggle spewed the acid he''d held in his mouth at the same time he hurled a burst of qi.


    The bolts of acidic qi shot out, a more dangerous assault than Kai would have ever believed Maggle was capable of. He didn''t know if it would be enough against a Diamond Crystallier and he didn''t get to find out, because at that moment Suortril stepped from behind the earth.


    Acid, qi, and earth all broke against the prism around him.


    That was the last thing Kai saw before he dropped to one knee. The knife wound and all the other injuries were finally catching up to him, and he''d pushed himself to the limit fighting Tareth. It was going to take him a while to catch his breath... and when he did, he had no idea what he was going to do about Suortril.

 Chapter 218: Crystalliers to the Brink

    If it had been Ren Ziq Quen alone, Zae Zin Nim would have done her best to fight him to the bitter end. Seeing Yurwa and the others retreating to the tower, about to be crushed by the stone, had finally driven her to take a stand. She had to give this fight everything she had.


    But they had only fought for a few minutes before Boreas appeared, floating on crystals that appeared to be embedded in his body. His qi might be derived from crystals, and he made no attempt to coordinate with Ren Ziq Quen, but he was as powerful as his title suggested. Between the two of them Zae Zin Nim could only retreat. She desperately wanted to get to safety, yet if she actually escaped them, they would only turn around and attack her allies.


    Now that the primary armies had been broken and scattered, maybe she had a chance to use one of their plans. Her determination to stop them didn''t extend to throwing her life away for no reason. So Zae Zin Nim retreated to the Yulthens Stadium, which was a hollow shell of itself without the audience.


    There she could feel the pieces of the plan in place... but there was no time to think about that. Ren Ziq Quen and Boreas had arrived, both rotating around the outside of the arena and waiting for her to flee. This time she didn''t make any move to escape and simply bowed toward the other cultivator.


    "Ren Ziq Quen, I formally challenge you," she said. "If you believe you are truly superior to me, then prove it in a fair duel."


    "You proved you were inferior when you allied with peasants," he responded, "and you forfeited your right to a fair duel at the same time."


    "This isn''t a game." Boreas clenched one fist, which began to glow brightly as he prepared another technique. "This is a war between crystalliers."


    Except that it wasn''t, not solely. If they had been paying more attention, they would have noticed the weak qi presences around the arena, but they were Diamond Crystalliers and peasants were beneath them. All their attention was on her, the true threat to their dominance.


    So when the revolutionaries rose from the boxes and emerged on balconies, they were unprepared. Arrows swept into the arena like a wave, tipped with anti-crystallier spikes and acid spheres and monster fangs. Ren Ziq Quen immediately moved in an anti-projectile routine that sent them spinning away, but Boreas wasn''t quite so fast.


    Even though he put up defenses, these arrows were designed to punch through them. Several embedded themselves in his body and he staggered, the light within him dimming. Zae Zin Nim added her power to that of the peasants, hurling her own qi techniques to deflect his and drive him back. Another arrow struck, this one through his arm.


    Boreas roared out and for a moment his body glowed so bright she could see a crystalline skeleton alight within him. He shot directly upward, tearing through the storm of arrows. It was a display of immense power... and he was fleeing. Retreating from a bunch of peasants who even now kept releasing arrows after him.


    A palm swept toward Zae Zin Nim''s chest.


    She barely knocked it aside, but Ren Ziq Quen was too fast and already deep into his striking technique. The third blow clipped her arm and the fourth sent her flying backward, through one of the arena walls. When Zae Zin Nim staggered back to her feet, she had to wipe blood from her mouth.


    Ren Ziq Quen walked in over the rubble, tearing an arrow out of his robe. "You wanted a duel? Looks like you''ll get one after all, and see exactly how little you''re worth."


    .


    ..


    .


    Suortril was a puzzle, hard to crack and increasingly frustrating. Back in Yulthens the first time, Omilaena had assumed that she would find some easy way to slip through that prism. Now she still hadn''t found a clear weakness and it was becoming increasingly relevant.


    He disdained to actually fight, but his presence along with Traelisia was a serious hindrance. Any time he stepped in the way of attacks he nullified them completely, while the Diamond Crystallier could easily direct her techniques around him. Their combination was shredding the ranks of the army on the docks, and even the tougher workers wouldn''t last long.


    Kai was still recovering, so Omilaena took it upon herself to find the prism''s weakness. She started with the oldest theory and began gathering as much raw chakra as she could in a single needle. Then she unleashed it from partway across the city and watched it streak toward Suortril.


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    At the last second, a plate of stone jutted from the ground to defend him. As her needle dropped to the ground, Suortril made a rough gesture to Traelisia, who began building a fortress of stone around him. He hovered in that stupid little crystal chair on the inside of a throne made from stone.


    So he feared chakra, at least. Before Omilaena could try again, Suortril twisted one of his rings and a ripple passed through the city. She wasn''t sure what it meant until she felt something respond from the arena to her east.


    Boreas exploded from out of Yulthens Stadium, burning with more crystal cultivation than she''d ever seen before. He arched in the air and streaked straight toward her, not to mention Kai. She had only a brief moment to react and decided that this was not the time to hold back.


    "Energy, Kai!" She was already in the air to draw the fight away from him, but she called back. "Not force, you need energy that isn''t mana or qi!"


    Then the streak of hot white light collided with her and Omilaena was pushed back through the air. It took all she had just to deflect his attack with a shield she had generated, but he was burning straight through it. Since she couldn''t fly, Omilaena kicked off him to retreat to the nearest rooftop.


    Only an instant later Boreas recovered and began circling around her, all the crystals in his body still bonfires of qi. She found the rhythm of his movements and hurled a needle to intercept him, but it was torn out of the air by the qi emanating from him.


    "You''re going to make this interesting, huh?" Omilaena spun a syringe in both hands and tried to figure out how she''d solve this one.


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai limped toward the docks, willing Behemoth''s Heart to heal his leg faster. He had been in better condition before he needed to fight a couple Ruby Crystalliers to help Maggle and his allies escape. But Nirka was still down there, apparently critically injured, and she was being slowly hemmed in by the combination of Suortril and Traelisia.


    When he''d had others with him, it had seemed like a winnable fight. But Zae Zin Nim was nowhere to be seen and Omilaena had been forced to engage with Boreas, so now he was the only one. Kai drank the one potion he had stored, wishing that it could knit him back together faster.


    At his best, he might be able to take on Traelisia. Even a little weakened, he thought his odds were good if he kept track of her Elemental Nations skills and leveraged his own advantages. But with Suortril there, nullifying so many attacks with his damn prism, it seemed impossible. The merchant looked smug about it too, floating within his stone defenses.


    What could break through that prism? If he had full access to the chakra that now flowed inside him, maybe he could pierce it, but all of that went to fuel raw force. Void Gaze seemed most likely to ignore the prism, but Kai didn''t think that would actually disable Suortril, and as soon as he acted, Traelisia would be counterattacking. Infernotoad''s Burst had fire, but the prism would no doubt stop the boulder. Acidic Lance would have seemed a bit more promising, except that acid cultivation had already proved useless.


    He knew from experience that Tyrant''s Claw wouldn''t work, but what about Isulfr''s Bite? It had always been his strongest technique, capable of piercing armor and even consuming raw power. The limited range seemed to make it surge from the very heart of his power, the most potent attack he could manage.


    If he got close enough, he could try it. The problem was getting there.


    As soon as Behemoth''s Heart had basically restored his body, Kai began sprinting down the city toward the docks. Traelisia noted his approach and immediately identified him as the largest threat: she withdrew most of her attacks from the struggling army and instead began throwing spike after spike of stone at him.


    Kai spun aside from some, leapt off others, slid between more, and made his way closer. The distance between them was vanishing fast, and Traelisia desperately tried to throw up a wall of stone. He hit the side with his foot and ran up it, launching himself into the air and closing in on Suortril.


    Silver flames drove him backwards.


    The next thing Kai knew, he''d slammed backward into the pavement. Stone leapt up to bind him in place but he clawed it aside, getting back to his feet barely in time to be hit by another gout of flame. It burned, almost as badly as when he had been struck by the golden dragon. Behemoth''s Heart was pounding wildly, but it couldn''t possibly build up his defenses in time for this battle.


    "Is that all?" As the flames faded they revealed Suortril, stroking an ornate silver carving of a dragon''s head. "When I heard you barely survived one dragon, I thought I''d find another. This sort of power isn''t that difficult to buy, you know."


    When Kai tried to dodge, stone closed around his legs. Traelisia unleashed several more spikes to impale him and he managed to knock them aside, but meanwhile the stone around his legs began crushing. If he hadn''t reached D rank Physique, his legs might already have been broken. But desperately trying to defend himself in place, he couldn''t possibly escape the next gout of silver flame.


    It faded and Suortril shook his head at him while the dragon head recharged. "Still alive, but not for long. This is going to end exactly the way it did before. You could have saved us all the trouble by dying instead of bothering with this tiresome determination."


    "No!" Nirka leapt from the water with a cry, her spear thrusting at Traelisia.


    She didn''t have a chance in hell of actually killing the Diamond Crystallier, but her abrupt attack took Traelisia''s attention away from the fight. A moment later Cragrila leapt from above, her spear punching through Suotril''s stone - and glancing off his prism. The spearwoman redirected, trying to drive Traelisia back. As her stone attacks ceased, Kai was left staring just at Suortril and the silver dragon carving, invulnerable inside that glittering prism.


    It seemed hopeless... and then, all at once, he realized that he had been thinking too small.

 Chapter 219: Breathing Over the Edge

    The pain was distant, ephemeral. Kai''s mind focused entirely on the monstrous power within him and the answer that it contained.


    When he''d come to Yulthens, he''d hoped to acquire dragon''s breath, but fate had spurned him again. He had fought past it and sought his own power, but in doing so he''d abandoned that original goal. Dragon flame was a monstrous power, different from mana or qi, and that was why the silver flames hurt him so much despite all his defenses.


    Another stream of it poured over him. New pain, irrelevant.


    Infernotoad''s Burst and Acidic Lance were the same sorts of skills, pure monstrous energy, but they manifested as tangible force. The boulder would break and the acid would splatter. He needed to render them spiritual, incorporeal. His monstrous power wasn''t so flexible, but if he could feed the essence to something else... what did he even have?


    Nirka cried out in pain and he saw that a spike of stone had driven through her leg. He could feel the urge to protect her, but he was still bound by stone and battered by flame. The only way to defend was to attack.


    Kai threw himself even deeper into his soul, trying to complete his work in the eternal moments that existed within. Within his island, the Shadow of Death loomed ephemeral at the edges, still difficult for him to grasp. Well, he would grasp it now. He had consumed that power and it would bend to his will, would join his soul.


    Another gout of flame, another cry of pain. Irrelevant.


    The Shadow of Death was almost pure phantom, too difficult for his corporeal being to grasp. But as he fed the Infernotoad and Acidlance Queen into it, the darkness gained a more specific form. It responded to his will and became something he could grasp. No... something he could breathe in. Within his soul, Kai took a deep breath and felt his mouth fill with the fusing essence.


    He opened his mouth in the real world and emitted pure destruction.


    Shadows roiled from his mouth, churning like smoke and yet moving through the air in a fraction of a second. When they struck the stone defenses, they burst outward into a cloud that revealed flashes of acidic yellow and infernal red. The darkness carried a power that churned against the stone defenses for only a moment before it burst through, shattering the stone.


    Traelisia was thrown backward, all her stones crumbling around her. She barely managed to land, one of her arms severely burned. After a glance at Kai, she turned and ran, pursued by Cragrila, but he wasn''t looking at them.


    "Come back here, y..." Suortril cut off and turned back to look.


    Kai strode forward, tasting the darkness and acid and flame as wisps of his new breath escaped from his mouth. Expelling the dark breath had felt visceral unlike any skill that came before it, like he was releasing something from the depths of his being. The dark cloud roiled around Suortril, and though his prism was alight, wisps of shadow passed through its edges.


    "You told me I was just an item in your ledger," Kai said as he walked closer. "You were wrong. You''re just a step on my path."


    "Now see-" Suortril unleashed another burst of silver flame, but Kai''s darkness flooded around them. For a few moments the silver fires flickered in the darkness, then they snuffed out and the darkness rolled on, over the merchant.


    For a moment he heard a scream of pain, then the sound was suffocated. The merchant''s body twisted and thrashed as it burned, but no sound escaped the dark cloud.


    When Kai''s breath faded, nothing remained where once there had been an earthen throne, a crystal chair, and the greatest merchant in Yulthens.


    Despite his victory Kai immediately turned, ready for Traelisia or someone else to attack him. No one did. In fact, all eyes in the harbor were fixed directly on him in fear. He searched for Nirka, ready to help her wounds and hoping she had survived.


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    He found her, but she stared at him in horror.


    Seeing himself reflected in her eyes, Kai felt something deep within him churn. The hunger was rising and the dark breath floating from his mouth eclipsed his vision until he could see nothing.


    .


    ..


    .


    Zae Zin Nim stood her ground, and fought, and lost.


    Not immediately. She had cultivated her entire life, pursuing the most difficult paths and even mastering the Blackblood Physique. Her training had spanned two continents, and her Coldfire Corona could defend her against the fatal strikes. But step by step, she was losing.


    Ren Ziq Quen was a perfect cultivator, having followed every step in his transcendent path from birth. He didn''t let his arrogance lead to mistakes, didn''t rush in to attack, didn''t let her set up any more ambushes. Instead he took her apart, one soft strike at a time. Obviously he was enjoying proving her inferiority with each and every exchanged technique.


    Ultimately, she didn''t think she could overcome the gap in power between them. Even if her principles had been correct, she didn''t have the power to back them up. Her options were dwindling and she grew increasingly desperate as the fight continued.


    One of her few advantages was superior Physique, though the Transcendent Divine Body more than made up for that on his end. She decided that she needed to attempt it anyway, taking an injury in order to interrupt his strategy of slowly bringing her closer to inevitable defeat.


    They fought one another with windmilling strikes, always redirecting the other''s force gracefully. She let it continue for several beats and then thrust out her palm, as if she believed she could land the blow. He immediately met it with his own palm strike, which easily pushed hers back and would carry through directly into her body.


    Instead she moved with it, flipping backwards. Her feet hit him in the chin and he staggered backward. Zae Zin Nim managed to land on her feet and skidded back, wringing her arm. Even the brief match of palm against palm left her arm in pain.


    When the other cultivator frowned and spat out a bit of blood, she knew that she had failed. She had weakened him and dealt various injuries, but every exchange cost her more. No matter what leverage she tried to gain, her opponent''s superiority reigned supreme.


    "You''re a suitable champion for these miserable peasants," Ren Ziq Quen told her. "Strong enough to believe you''re something, but just an imitation in the end. Just like this doomed uprising, you''re a pathetic patchwork of different abilities, failing to match up to true power."


    It felt true... but it wasn''t. Zae Zin Nim looked into her own soul and realized that she was and had always been a cultivator. The trouble was that she hadn''t understood what the word meant: it was broader and stranger and more wonderful than she had ever imagined before.


    She had been clinging to the abilities that she''d already mastered, trying to follow the one true path that would only lead to her father. Foolish. A technique didn''t have to be drawn into her fundamental cultivation for it to be valuable. After all, hadn''t she spent months teaching the acid cultivators who were believed to be the lowest scum of Krysal?


    Zae Zin Nim carefully lowered her stance and drew her qi into her palm. She met her opponent''s gaze and didn''t look away, didn''t blink, didn''t flinch.


    "Want to go out with a bit of dignity?" Ren Ziq Quen smirked but dropped into the opposite stance and prepared another of his techniques. "I''ll let you be killed by true brilliance, then."


    They leapt forward, palm striking palm, qi fighting qi. Of course she was thrown backward, overwhelmed by his superior force just as she had been in every previous exchange.


    This time, Ren Ziq Quen cried out in pain as the acid she had ejected from her palm clung to his arm. He struck at it with a qi technique that dissipated against the burning acid, then began screaming and striking the acid off his burning arm.


    She summoned her final strength and leapt at him. He retaliated, but he was unused to such intense pain and his qi technique was scattered. Her Coldfire Corona absorbed the strikes and then she had reached him, her palm slamming into his chest. As his heart thrashed violently, she drew up the rest of her qi and struck him directly in the stomach, driving both qi and mana into his dantian.


    Ren Ziq Quen''s meridians tore themselves apart, unable to handle the surge of power. His heart was collapsing and blood poured from his mouth, but those were only markers of the fact that it was over. He slumped to the ground with glassy eyes.


    After several heartbeats of silence, Zae Zin Nim dropped to her knees. She had exhausted so much of her strength in that attack that she wasn''t sure she could have managed even one more palm strike. Maybe it had been excessive, but with luck the battle was nearly over. If only she could find a way to escape the Brightwind cultivators before they arrived...


    At that moment, she heard a roar. Zae Zin Nim looked up and saw a monster of darkness and fire ascend above the city.

 Chapter 220: The Heart of Poison vs The Heart of Crystal

    Omilaena''s fight with Boreas had danced above the roofs of Yulthens as they tested one another. Her opponent had proved shockingly flexible and overflowed with seemingly endless qi, allowing him to make use of what would normally be desperation tactics over and over again. She had evaded injury by a careful ranged strategy, wearing him down one poison needle at a time.


    Both of them paused as a new force shook the city.


    Kai burst through a nearby building and she immediately knew that something was wrong. Others were screaming about the blazing eyes or the burning darkness that flowed from his mouth, but her concern went deeper. He had always maintained a balance of monstrous strength and thoughtful calculation - that calculation was completely gone. In his eyes she saw only rage, and hunger... and perhaps pain.


    At first she feared he might have lost his humanity completely and become a monster indiscriminately attacking both sides. But even if he didn''t seem himself, he plowed through a group of soldiers and ignored the trembling revolutionaries nearby. His leaps cracked the fine streets of Yulthens as he made his way north, and she realized that he was aiming for the noble tower and the last great crystal.


    A few Ruby Crystalliers guarding it tried to hurl attacks at him, but Kai obliterated them with a strange dark breath. It was almost beautiful, the clouds flowing with great speed unlike her own smoke. When they struck their target, they caused great destruction, but they also arced into complex whorls. Red and yellow glowed within, as if the cloud was a portal to a darker world.


    In one more leap, Kai jumped on top of the crystal. By the time he threw the controlling nobles over the edge, he definitely had everyone''s attention. Kai bent down... and then, with a sharp sound like teeth closing, the top portion of the crystal disappeared. Was he eating the crystal? It became obvious to everyone else when he took another bite and this time massive teeth marks appeared across the side.


    This development caused a wave of horror through the city, and not only on the opposing side. But Boreas seemed to have taken the measure of this new development and turned back to her with glimmering eyes.


    She wasn''t there. Omilaena leapt from behind and jabbed a needle into his neck.


    An explosion of power threw her back, and only a wave of her own defensive chakra kept her from being severely injured. She hoped that she had gotten her poison deep into his veins, but when she looked down at her syringe, she saw that it had been completely filled with qi crystals. Damn, the man seemed to be able to do practically anything with them.


    The surprise attack during the distraction had been her best bet. Without that, she wasn''t sure she had an elegant way of ending the fight. She glanced at her opponent''s soul, just to make sure.


    <


    Name: Boreas of Kartiis


    Total Power: 424


    Crystal Cultivation: 1,019,337 (353)


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    He noticed her spiritual sight and shook his head. "Did you know they poured more than two million Goralian Eagles into me? Thanks to that damn ratio, this was all it bought me."


    "I don''t know," Omilaena said, "it seems like the real problem is diminishing returns with crystal cultivation."


    "But it''s enough, isn''t it?" Boreas flashed his crystal teeth. "You should be stronger, but you''re struggling."


    "Just trying to finish things without getting crystal dust all over my hands."


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    But the truth was that he was mostly right. She had used all her tricks and he had found counters to all of them. His crystal cultivation might not impress those from Cloudspire, but it was far more flexible than any sect cultivator she''d ever fought.


    If she didn''t beat him, who would? Not Zae Zin Nim, who was almost entirely exhausted. Probably not Kai, raging around the battlefield and eating fortifications. And certainly not all the revolutionaries, who stood so far beneath the peak of crystal cultivation they might as well be irrelevant.


    Boreas unleashed another technique, a ring of rotating crystals with razor sharp edges. Omilaena jumped to a lower roof, but he summoned a second ring with an angle to bisect her. No matter how she moved, he kept building new defensive rings until he floated in a swarm of crystal death. All she could do was retreat, because she couldn''t find a solution to his challenge.


    Beneath her, she could still feel the aftermath of the battle subsiding. Lives would be saved and lost in these moments, even if they didn''t decide the battle. She saw Nirka and Maggle supporting one another, both torn by many injuries. She saw Cragrila desperately fighting against Traelisia, outmatched but defending the people behind her. She saw ordinary workers hurling stones and pans at the remaining merchant soldiers in order to defend their homes.


    And something deep within Omilaena, something that had slept for a long time, began to stir.


    For too long she had been experimenting and playing on Deadwaste, searching for an intellectual solution to the limits of her power. Given how much stronger she was than most of the people who tried to fight her, it was easy to treat it all like a game.


    But it wasn''t a game to Kai or Zae Zin Nim, who were struggling higher even though they had no idea how high the mountains reached. Omilaena didn''t know either, but she wanted to find out.


    So she abandoned her clever tricks and elegant solutions and threw herself into the whirlwind of crystal. She wouldn''t win this with a smug smile and an untouched dress. This was the time to put everything on the line and see if she still had what it took to be a warrior.


    Dozens of crystals were slashing against her body, but she had reached D rank Physique and wouldn''t fall so easily. Omilaena drew on Lethal Artisan to create a pot, which was normally used for alchemy and now served as a blunt shield. The crystals, which all moved in the same circle, flew directly into it. They battered against her chakra, but she held firm and an entire circle of crystal knives crammed together within the pot.


    His qi, which was dedicated to the flowing circles, wobbled at the disruption. In the momentary fluctuation, Omilaena released a jet of pure poison from one hand. It passed through the momentary gap in the crystal and struck him in the face.


    Boreas roared and burned his power hotter, trying to push out her poison. She arrived and tried to slash at his neck with her fingernail, but crystal armor leapt up to block her. Since that didn''t work, she lifted the pot in her other hand and whacked him over the head with it.


    "Enough!" Boreas managed to grab her wrists as she scratched at him and pushed her back. "This is beneath you. I thought y-"


    Omilaena headbutted him. A crystalline edge split open her skin, but his head rocked back, blood gushing from his nose. They fell toward the roof and Omilaena leapt on top of him, not to tease or seduce but to beat the shit out of him.


    Her hands rained down, cutting poisonous gashes all around his neck. His endless qi surged, yet again, and crystal armor leapt up. One of her long fingernails tore off and blood trailed from her finger... Omilaena made that hand into a fist and slammed it directly into his face.


    Then, at the end, just when her fury faded, she slammed a syringe into his neck. No crystal defenses this time, no more burning qi. As it flowed into him, she saw Boreas''s eyes widen in shock.


    "That''s right, it''s just a paralytic, not a lethal poison." Omilaena created another syringe and injected this one into his heart. "You''re hoarding over a million crystals inside you, so I''d bet that just about every single worker down there had a hand in making at least one of them. Seems like they should get to take them back, huh?"


    His lips moved as he tried to object, but the paralytic was finally taking hold. Omilaena staggered to her feet and looked over herself, exhausted and bleeding and far from elegant.


    Worth it.


    Around her, it seemed like the battle had finally been won. She saw Traelisia finally brought down, not by any superior opponent but by a huge force of Physique-armored and potion-enhanced workers trampling over her earthen fortifications.


    There were a few pockets of resistance left, but she didn''t have the strength to go help with them. Still, everyone could see that the tide had turned. The greatest merchants and Diamond Crystalliers of Yulthens had been defeated within their own city and the nation would never be the same again.


    Time to check on the people she cared about. Kai was finishing his meal of the great crystal and there was no way of telling what was going on in his head. Maybe he had been driven insane, maybe he was just hungry for pointy rocks. Zae Zin Nim sat with a group of acid cultivators, sipping tea. Omilaena counted a few of the others before she got bored and moved on.


    Just when it seemed like things had ended well, Omilaena felt a flicker of qi in the distance, moving over the ocean.


    "Fuck." She continued cursing under her breath as she reversed direction and raced down the city streets. Her plans for an exit strategy needed to be greatly accelerated or they were all in trouble.

 Chapter 221: Arrivals and Departures

    When the furious hunger was finally sated, Kai had returned to himself. No more burning eyes or dark breath flooding from his mouth... even his teeth seemed to have returned to normal when he ran his tongue over them. His shirt and half his pants had been shredded, but that was his usual condition after a battle.


    Yet his memories of the past time were cloudy, as if choked by the very darkness he''d been breathing. He didn''t think that he''d hurt anyone on his side, but he had many memories of revolutionaries screaming in terror and fleeing from him.


    Gingerly, suddenly feeling his wounds, Kai made his way back down. Now that the enemy had been broken, the defensive base at Mercantile Central was being turned into a headquarters. He saw Zae Zin Nim there with the acid cultivators and felt relief that she had survived. Omilaena was nowhere to be seen, which worried him, but she was the least likely of anyone in the battle to actually risk her life. Maybe he could ask once he arrived.


    His approach caused some to cheer, like the old days, but he saw more fearful stares. He headed toward Zae Zin Nim, who noted him first and gave a polite nod. She sat alongside many others, including Yurwa and Gundle, and it warmed his heart to see mother and son sitting together.


    When Yurwa saw him, for just a moment, she pulled Gundle closer to her.


    It was a fraction of a second, and her face was immediately filled with anguish after, but Kai had seen it clearly. She had seen him and she had been afraid. That cut straight to the heart, hurting worse than any injury he''d experienced in the battle. He turned away from the celebration immediately.


    "Kai, wait." Yurwa caught up to him and reached out to touch his arm, then pulled back. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean..."


    "You saw me during the battle." It wasn''t really a question, it was all clear. "Did I hurt anyone?"


    "Not us, but you tore apart some soldiers. It was just... in my mind, I know that you''re the same man who played so gently with my son, but there''s another part of me that feels something and can''t..."


    "I understand." Kai put a hand on her shoulder and she didn''t flinch, but he could still feel the gap between them. "Did Gundle see?"


    "No, he was safe. And I don''t want you to leave, I just... I need some time."


    "Of course."


    Kai turned down another street, wanting to get far away from all humanity, but his luck turned against him in a way that was simply petty. A group of revolutionaries limped up the street toward Mercantile Central, with Nirka and Maggle at the lead. All their laughter and good cheer turned a little bit hollow when they saw him, even though a few clapped him on the shoulder.


    "Damn." Nirka tried to play it off, but he remembered the look in her eyes. "What did you do to yourself?"


    "It took an ordeal for me to break through to D rank Physique," he said, and immediately hated the lie.


    "Well, try to stop that in the future. Scared the absolute shit out of me."


    She moved on, and he knew that she wasn''t going to look back. Maggle lingered a little longer, taking a drink from his jug. He frowned and poured out some of the beer as if he wasn''t sure it was acid. After muttering to himself a while, he slouched closer.


    "Real scary stuff, boss. You get to be a Scary As Fuck Crystallier."


    "You don''t seem so upset," Kai said.


    "Maybe Nirka thinks you''re a big cuddly oaf, or maybe she''s just thinking with her lady parts." Maggle locked eyes with him for just a moment. "Me, you know I like to think with my lower parts, but I''ve always seen a bit of that beast in you. Might be better if others didn''t."


    "What''s your point?"


    "Right now, you''re still Kai motherfucking Clanless, hero of the revolution. Only our top fighters saw what you did, the rest of the army has no idea. If you stick around or scare anyone else, well, that might change. But I think if you aren''t around, those memories might start to fade a little. They''ll just remember the heroic barbarian who fought for them all the way to the battle of Yulthens."


    "You''re saying I should go." Of course he was, but repeating the words made them a little more real to Kai.


    "It''s actually all my clever plan!" Maggle rubbed his chin and waggled his eyebrows. "With you gone, maybe there will be some women for the rest of us. If you''re gone, you can''t make the hot ones fall in love with you. Or eat them. Uh, I meant that in the bad way. The big chompy teeth way."


    "Thanks, Maggle. Can always count on you for thoughtful reflection."


    "Oh, you bet. Come back any time you need me to tell you what to do."


    After that Kai managed to retreat to solitude and catch his breath. Within an hour, Behemoth''s Heart had mostly restored his body, but he still felt emptied. Developing the dark breath technique had pressed him to his limit, then every time he''d used it he felt like he was breathing it from the depths of his being. As fast as his monstrous energy restored itself, it had limits and he''d found them.


    With enough reflection, he thought he understood what had happened. For almost his entire time in Krysal, even when he had developed his monstrous powers, he had kept them suppressed. Always pretending to be fully human, disguising his monstrous techniques, and so on. That had caused the hunger to build up within him, and when he''d needed to tap so deep into his soul, it had all come pouring out. In the future he probably needed to find a balance. Maybe just one more lesson to learn on his unknown path... though he wondered how much this one had cost him.


    By the end of the hour, their primary force also arrived at Yulthens. Apparently they had won their diversionary battle with relatively few losses, since Suortril had only been briefly distracted before ordering most of his forces to head to Yulthens. This group had taken far fewer casualties, so their arrival livened up the city. They had the resources to heal those who could still be saved and more importantly the morale from what felt like an easy victory.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Kai stuck to the back streets so he didn''t ruin the mood.


    There was one person he had to see, unavoidably. Krainuun had already set up a little office in Mercantile Central within minutes of his arrival, and when Kai entered, the former servant just nodded to him. Of course he wouldn''t be afraid of any rumors about Kai''s nature. Kai liked to think that if Krainuun had seen him fully transformed, he would have just made a little note in his ledger.


    "When we first met," Krainuun said, "I worried that you might kill me in a rage and wondered if I might be able to use you against the upper classes. I never imagined it would come this far."


    "Did you? Use me, I mean."


    "Only in the sense that all of us were assets in this war. For all that I sought a revolution, I could never have achieved one without you and your friends. This victory is more yours than mine."


    Kai sat down heavily on a chair opposite him. "Doesn''t feel like it. What happens now? There are a lot of excess crystals lying around given all the violence, but when those are done, life has to start up again."


    "Most likely? We will move through a period of giddy exuberance, then we will begin recreating the old systems. Someone has to work in the crystal mines and acid pits, after all." Krainuun saw his expression and gave a very small smile. "You wanted to be realistic, didn''t you?"


    "Guess I''d hoped we were fighting for a little more than that."


    "I think we did. For my entire life Krysal has been ignoring the fact that its great wealth was built on the backs of a slave class. Uprisings were ineffective enough that they could be ignored. But after this, no matter who ends up in power, they''ll remember what happened. The new society we build may not be perfect, but I don''t think anyone will dare to make the same mistakes."


    "I''ll take it." Kai sat there for a while longer, then slowly got to his feet. "Can I ask you a favor?"


    "Of course."


    "Help the Frontier. Get ready for the next incursion. I don''t want to see all of you come this far only to be eaten by a bunch of monsters."


    Krainuun sat back and laced his fingers over his belly. "Do you think that''s a likely outcome?"


    "If things go like last time?" Kai met the man''s gaze and let him see the certainty there. "Let''s just say I think you need to be ready."


    "I will keep that in mind, Kai Clanless. Good luck."


    From anyone else, the words might have seemed bloodless, but Kai figured that from Krainuun, those were better than a promise. He didn''t know how the Frontier elites would judge what he''d done, but he hoped that Krysal would prove him right.


    There were too many people in Mercantile Central when he just wanted to be alone. Kai retreated to one of the abandoned streets and found Zae Zin Nim walking beside him. That was about as good as being alone, especially as she regarded him calmly.


    "I suppose you saw too," he said. "Guess I don''t have it under control yet."


    "You were very powerful in that state." Zae Zin Nim frowned slightly. "But you keep getting bigger. I thought I had made my opinion clear about this matter."


    Kai laughed and hoped to see her laugh too. But before he could say anything, a shiver ran through her body. Zae Zin Nim whirled, suddenly staring toward the ocean with horror.


    "No... I had almost hoped they died, but they must have been waiting..."


    "What is it?" Even as he asked the question, Kai looked out in the same direction.


    Then he saw them, a line of six cultivators flying through the air. They looked nearly identical to him, men and women in formal Cloudspire robes, but when he looked at their souls he knew what they were.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 646


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 10% (502)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    >


    Fully rested and at his best, he might have wanted to fight the Earth Soul cultivators. But they were flying toward an exhausted city with the most powerful cultivation he''d ever seen - and there were six of them. Even if they tried to fight, he was sure this enemy would have no compunction about killing anyone who got in their way. The victorious revolutionaries of Krysal might find themselves yet more victims.


    "Are we leaving, or what?" Omilaena suddenly appeared beside them. She''d changed into a new dress and was grinning.


    "It doesn''t matter," Zae Zin Nim said. "They must have waited to thoroughly analyze my soul. No matter how I try to run, they''ll follow me."


    "That''s the idea, isn''t it? If we slipped away they''d kill everyone here looking for you, and that would make Kai sad. Come on, this way."


    Kai had no idea what she meant until they reached the river and he saw a large crystal vessel waiting. The sight of it finally stirred Zae Zin Nim from her depression. "Wait, the crystal ship. I want..."


    "Don''t worry, I stowed it below. We have what we need, so long as we can get out."


    As soon as they were on deck, the ship began slicing through the water. Within seconds of passing out of the docks area, the cultivators all noticed, their heads turning as one. They put on bursts of speed and their swords sliced through the air.


    For several moments it seemed like their escape might fail despite everything. The cultivators used relatively simple techniques, just qi bolts and flames, but each attack burned with immense power. Zae Zin Nim did her best to intercept them with her Coldfire Corona, Kai breathed out darkness through a scorched throat, and Omilaena surged them ever onward.


    Eventually they broke out onto the open ocean and put some distance between themselves and the cultivators. Once they could finally catch their breath, Kai looked out over the back of the ship toward the six retreating figures.


    "Are they going to keep coming after us?"


    "Unquestionably." Zae Zin Nim sat down heavily on the deck. "My father would execute them for failing. They may stop to acquire a ship or try to find another way to catch up, but they will pursue us to the ends of the earth."


    "Then that''s a question for Omilaena." Kai swung back to the other woman and found her managing the controls at the back of the boat. "Just where are we going? Was this all a part of some plan?"


    "I planned absolutely none of this, but I''ll take it." Omilaena grinned at them and then stepped away from the controls as they sped onward. "No, I think we need to go to Rosemount. Anywhere on Cloudspire, Zae Zin Nim''s father will pull strings to pursue her. But on my home turf, there are chakra techniques they don''t know about. I think we can make them lose the scent, with enough work."


    Zae Zin Nim shook her head as if she thought that was foolish optimism. They skimmed over the waves for a time in silence and he realized that they had left most of the sounds of land behind. He could see Krysal dwindling on the horizon behind them... no, all of Deadwaste, the continent where he had lived his entire life, was disappearing.


    "Does that breath technique of yours have a name?" Omilaena asked into the silence.


    "It''s not quite formed in my soul yet," he answered honestly. "I wasn''t sure. I was thinking about ''Baleful Breath'' but I don''t know about the double B letters..."


    "That''s better than giving it a Cloudspire name. They''d probably call it the Heavenly Acid Fire Darkness Cloud Technique."


    Zae Zin Nim roused herself enough to scowl at Omilaena. "Don''t let her influence you. If you follow Rosemount traditions, it will be named Big Monkey''s Burp or... or something equally foolish."


    Kai laughed and moved to the prow of the ship, looking forward. He knew it would be a long journey, but he liked to imagine he could see the continent already ahead of him. There he might find a new path forward, new secrets that could take him closer to the impossible peaks he''d seen.


    "You know, you might be top dog in Krysal," Omilaena said, "but that will change in Rosemount. The base level of chakra there... Zae Zin Nim won''t be able to protect you, and I won''t be an elite. We''d be starting from the bottom."


    He grinned. "Looking forward to it."

 Chapter 222: Interludes Beta (END OF ARC)

    As the trees blew ever more violently, Jaminob reluctantly approached with his cutter held high. He would most likely be fine unless he awakened one of the true chakra-bearing trees. Those could squash humans like bugs, but they only roamed in the deepest bowels of the forest.


    He wasn''t sure why the divine forests had become more dangerous, he only knew that they had been getting worse for his entire life. They were the heart of the Flaeren Dominion''s power, but also a terrible risk for the entire nation. Some of the older workers said it was their duty to keep the forests in check to protect all Rosemount. Some of the younger ones claimed that the new threats would make the Dominion strong enough to take on the other great powers. All Jaminob knew was that it was the only job he could get.


    Carefully he ventured deeper into the woods, deeper than humans usually dared to go. He didn''t have strength like a lamia, scales like a lizardkin, an aura like an elf, or the superior force of the elemental races. When he looked at his own soul, it looked rather paltry.


    <


    Name: Jaminob


    Total Power: 176


    Fist of Blue Wood: Amber Rank (75)


    Physique: E-4 (92)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    His Fist of Blue Wood technique would only work against weaker monsters, and the bladed trees had already scratched through his E-rank Physique. But he forged deeper, using his cutter to sever the worst of the twisted fruit.


    So far they''d all been dangerous and all he could do was push them into pits to decompose. Each one was part of his job, but he''d never be rewarded for simply doing that. It took him an hour to find what he''d finally hoped: an intact and untainted divine fruit. He could just see it atop an upper branch, glowing with its own power.


    Jaminob carefully trimmed some of the branches in his way and just managed to snare the fruit. When it fell into his hands he could scarcely believe it: chakra coursed through the fruit, practically pushing against his fingers. He felt the intense impulse to take a bite even though it would probably be fatal - possibly immediately, or later if they discovered a mere human laborer had stolen one of the great divine fruits.


    To remove the temptation he wrapped it in the cloth he prepared for this purpose - finer than any of his clothes - and rushed it back out of the woods. Thankfully nothing attacked him along his path, and no one interrupted to try to steal what he''d found.


    When he reached the work camp at the edge of the forest, however, he was surprised to find that it was packing up. What was wrong? Why would they leave so soon? Jaminob moved nervously around the edges, unsure what was changing but not wanting to pursue.


    Then an enormous armored hand reached over his shoulder and plucked the cloth from his hands. Jaminob tried to pull it back before he recognized that he was facing one of his superiors and immediately dropped to one knee. Once there, he tried not to stare at the massive suit of chakra armor, twice his height even if he had been standing.


    Not only was this a real warrior, it was Tormundon the Bloodclad! Practically a living legend! A warrior as powerful as him could directly serve a great power like the Windlord... or slay Jaminob where he stood.


    "A completely unblemished divine fruit," Tormundon said while handling it surprisingly delicately for his size. "There are not so many still doing their duty in these times."


    "I try, my lord," Jaminob stammered.


    "Good work. Fist of Blue Wood, is it? Here, a little something for your dedication."


    Tormundon turned away, but as he did so he reached into a spatial device in his gauntlet and pulled out a small chip of dark blue bark. He tossed it over his shoulder and Jaminob scrambled to catch it. As soon as he gripped the bark, he began soaking in the raw chakra and almost laughed.


    <


    Name: Jaminob


    Total Power: 201


    Fist of Blue Wood: Garnet Rank (100)


    Physique: E-4 (92)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    The chip had granted him 25 Power, raising him to Garnet Rank and over 200 in total. Now the other workers wouldn''t look down on him, and he could even dream about being a guard in one of the cities. And yet, as he looked at the giant retreating from the forest, Jaminob couldn''t help but look at his soul as well.


    <


    Name: Tormundon the Bloodclad


    Total Power: 1061


    Heart of Steel: Emerald Rank (525)


    Scarmiglione''s Steel: Level 5 (125)


    Physique: D-6 (230)


    Soul Level: 9 (81)


    Bloodclad Armor (+100)


    >


    Tormundon the Bloodclad had 1061 Power. Jaminob just stared at the symbols for a while, then despite all caution, he found himself speaking up.


    "Excuse me, Tormundon... why is someone like you out here in the forests?"


    "You didn''t hear?" The giant armor turned back to glance at him. "The Flaeren Dominion is preparing for war. Rosemount is about to get a lot more interesting."


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    .


    ..


    .


    The wagon creaked as it flew, but it hadn''t failed them so far, so Juray tried not to worry about it. She often glanced around in wonder, realizing that she was further south than she had ever been in her life. That would be true day after day, until they reached the border of Goralia and eventually turned back. Her little potions escorted all the way from Monskon City felt even smaller the more she saw.


    "Basically, the theory says that any system can''t stay away from a well-functioning state for long," Razz was saying. The young merchant had been strange to her at first, but she''d taken to him. "If it was functioning poorly, another force would exert pressure to change it. Poorly functioning systems will disappear eventually, because they''ll be replaced by better ones."


    "It''s hard to argue with that logic," Juray said. "But how do you know what part of the cycle you''re in? That logic could justify propping up a bad system."


    "Well, that''s a fair point. Everybody is ultimately arguing about what''s best, after all."


    Juray smiled to make it clear she wasn''t trying to fight. "I just worry about those sorts of arguments. Everyone agrees that ''better things are better,'' so I worry they only justify what a person wants to believe."


    "Hey, it isn''t that simple." Razz shifted toward her seriously. "I don''t see it as justifying, I see it as a call to understand. If a system is the way it is, there must be a reason. It isn''t necessarily a good reason, but there must be one. Before anyone thinks they know best and changes something, it''s wise to understand why it was that way in the first place."


    "I can understand that, it''s just another argument that can be... used by..." Juray trailed off as she spotted something different on the horizon: not another hill or town, this was a moving force.


    Razz pressed his lips together and nodded, as if to confirm her unspoken suspicion. The floating vehicle ahead of them was occupied by non-humans, meaning they''d gone far enough south to meet with their contacts. In theory, these were important allies to all Goralia, even if tensions between the fighters had increased in recent years.


    Could merchants and humble herbalists help mend that gap? Juray supposed that she was about to find out, one way or another.


    .


    ..


    .


    The golden linen sheets slid deliciously over Anaelina''s body as she stretched in the bed. She''d forgotten just how good it felt - even the fabric on Rosemount was far superior to the finest she''d been able to find on Deadwaste. This was a better match for her and she knew that anyone who saw her curves wrapped in the sheets would be overcome with lust.


    Beside her lay the husk of her newest victim, looking much less picturesque. Anaelina sighed and kicked the half-corpse out of the bed before getting up herself, wrapping the sheet around her. She could absorb so much more strength here, but after boosting herself by around 100 Power, her gains had begun to slow. Perhaps she would need to change strategies soon.


    Against her will, Anaelina found herself thinking about the barbarian she usually kept out of her thoughts. She had absorbed a lot of power on Deadwaste, but it was his Class that had taken her over the edge. With that boost to her physical training, she''d gained enough strength to be able to compete on Rosemount.


    As she walked out to the merchant''s balcony, Anaelina tried not to think about Kai anymore. The link between their souls had been permanently severed, but he still occupied an irritating space in her mind. Somehow he had survived and grown so much... she wondered just how much he had grown since then? Surely his power would have become even more delicious, if she could just find a way to drain it. Part of her hoped she''d never see him again and another part of her lusted for another encounter.


    Perhaps she needed to seek a new ability. She had advanced far along her current path and perhaps she could reach for another... the Commonwealth of Traebor was a rich land, and occupied by even more demonic arts users than she remembered. Currently she couldn''t touch the strongest, but with the right ability, even the strongest warriors would be vulnerable to her...


    Someone landed on a nearby roof and Anaelina whirled to face them. Depending on their vulnerabilities, she could either drop the sheet seductively or fight them naked. Instead she found herself facing a true demon, red eyes boring into hers, and she froze.


    "So you''re the little ''Silver Demon'' seducing our merchants," the demon said. "We need to talk."


    .


    ..


    .


    All his life, Tusquo Agyama had served the nation of Irun. It had not always been an easy path, but he had been rewarded for his efforts, both in raw power and in a growing sense of pride. Even though his home was considered weak among the Frontier nations, he only valued it more the more he understood.


    Now, kneeling in front of a silver pool on what should have been one of the most honored days of his life, he wished that he knew less.


    "It''s all true," the Irunian elder said, as if she had seen others with the same reaction. "This is the heart of our strength. This is all we have."


    "And I assume that previous generations have already done everything possible to try to restore our past glory?" Tusquo said. Several ideas had come to mind when he heard about their problem, yet if he thought of them immediately, then surely others would have as well.


    "All have been futile. And now you bear this secret as well."


    "Are all nations like this? Just clinging to a greater legacy as it fades, generation after generation?"


    "Who can say?" the elder asked. "The other Frontier nations may not face the same crisis, but in a sense that may be true for everyone. Our world is diminishing, circling a great abyss we do not understand."


    Tusquo didn''t understand either, but he sat there with his fists on his knees to think. Unless something drastic changed, Irun would be destroyed in the next incursion. He didn''t know if he could be the one to change the course of history, but if not him, then who?


    .


    ..


    .


    A bubble of pure quintessence hung in the space between worlds, neither physical nor spiritual, denying all interaction with reality around it. Phantoms of experiences passed over the surface like a pearlescent sheen. Inside floated only a field of abstract shapes and a single person who appeared to be a young woman and was in fact far older.


    She held an object that was at once a pyramid and cube, twisting its vertices thoughtfully. Her work continued right up until the moment that a statue of chocolate appeared within the unreal space. It thumped and shook a few times, then broke as someone began eating their way out from the inside.


    "It is I, Koleiman the Magnificent!" The old man had to stop to finish the chocolate filling his mouth.


    "No, it isn''t," the woman said, getting to her feet wearily to inspect a column of power along the edge of her sphere. "You broke off a fragment of your soul and injected it in here. Not sure how."


    "Ah, but what truly is Koleiman the Magnificent? I contend that anything with similar jaw-dropping magnificence, no matter how small a fragment, is truly Koleiman!"


    The woman ignored him, instead shifting to inspect a long silver cord that hadn''t existed a moment earlier.


    "Come on, Thrice... may I call you Thrice? I like how you have a title, but ''the Fool'' is so self-deprecating, not majestic at all."


    She set down the cord and it dissolved into the amorphous side of her sphere, then bent down to inspect a piece of the chocolate.


    "Hey now, Thrice, there''s no need for that," Koleiman said. "I just wanted to ask you a few questions about that practically dead little corner of Detriton. You know, the abyss where everybody fought. I wondered why you set up a repelling barrier of fate."


    For the first time Thrice stopped her work and glanced up at him. "Huh."


    "Wait, that wasn''t you? Oh no, then I''ve just given you information for nothing..."


    "Nah, nice try." She turned away from him and began inspecting one of the constantly mutating shapes around the exterior.


    "You don''t know that I was trying to get you involved!" Koleiman said cheerfully. "I might have been using reverse-psychology to make you think I wanted you involved. I might be using reverse-reverse-psychology to make you get involved anyway. I might be trying to lock you in analysis paralysis. I might be feinting to distract you from my real plans."


    She was back to ignoring him, taking out one object after another to inspect them.


    "Don''t be like this, Thrice. Aren''t we both tricksters standing against the big boring powers? They might have gotten the abyss if not for you. Why shouldn''t we be allies in this?"


    "Here it is." Thrice suddenly stood holding one object that trembled differently than the others and met the eyes of the strange man. "We aren''t the same, Koleiman. You want to analyze and then control everything. I only want to understand myself."


    Then she crushed the shape in one hand and a ripple passed through the sphere. Koleiman had an instant to curse and start to move before he was consumed in a twinkling light. Thrice hunted for any fragments of him remaining, then purged her sphere of his influence.


    The chocolate remained and had to be removed by hand. As Thrice eliminated it, she began to frown.

 Chapter 223: Into the Blue Expanse

    The ship bounced across the ocean''s surface, its crystalline prow smashing into waves as they pushed it harder, faster than it should have been safe to ride. And Kai, moving before he could think about what he was doing, leapt over the side into the crashing waves.


    Three things hit him in quick succession.


    First he felt the impact of the water''s surface, then once he plunged underneath, the metal cable around his waist tugged him backward. The cable was all that kept him from being left behind, because they were still racing at top speed away from their pursuers. Not that there was any time to think about that: the third thing he felt after jumping off the side was the monster closing around him.


    The monstrous eel that had been trying to drain the crystals on their hull now latched on to him. First coils that tried to drain his mana, then large teeth on his shoulder that tried to drain his blood. Behemoth''s Heart was able to defend him from both, but underwater being pulled at high speed, he didn''t have many good options.


    Of course, Kai had kept Isulfr''s Bite with him, just in case the monster was a real threat, but based on the strength of this one, that would be too easy a solution. Unless he improved his underwater combat, he''d have a serious problem when they ran into the larger threats.


    For a start Kai headbutted the eel, but the motion was too slowed in the water. It slithered back, wrapping around his arm instead - which was a mistake. Kai unleashed Tyrant''s Claw, chopping apart the eel without even needing to move his arm. Now he let his teeth snap out, consuming the pieces whole before they could be left behind.


    Barely a meal... he needed to eat the four other eels that were now speeding toward him.


    They were fast enough to race ahead of the ship, so being dragged behind it made him an easy target. Two of them moved to intercept while the other two circled around behind him. Kai tried to swing his hand forward and stop the attack before it started, but underwater Tyrant''s Claw failed to make enough headway. Once it was slowed down, the eels easily slipped around it.


    He managed to turn around, grabbing one of the eels before it could reach his back. The other three got through and struck as one. Their stingers managed to penetrate his skin and he immediately felt the poison injected into his body. It might have been lethal, if not for Behemoth''s Heart and all the poisons he''d subjected his body to. Kai squeezed his hand, crushing one of the eels, but then another eel wrapped around his face.


    Before that point, he''d been breathing using Sahagin''s Lungs, one of his less powerful monstrous abilities. With his mouth completely covered, he might actually suffocate. Most likely he wouldn''t get a chance, as all three eels were doing their best to drain him and gnawing on his neck.


    Instead of ending it with a single bite, Kai struggled to grab them or at least land a blow. He was too sluggish in the water and the eels were damn fast, so he ended up flailing. What did he have left? Kai had kept an empty slot in his soul where his new Baleful Breath went, since he wasn''t sure how well it would work underwater. In theory he could draw on one of the others... and all at once he had his solution.


    Kai drew on Direurchin''s Spikes and tried to manifest them. He couldn''t change his body that quickly, but spikes of mana emerged from his back and neck. All three of the eels were partially speared by the mana and Kai made quick work of them after that.


    Since the threat had passed, Kai relaxed and let himself be dragged by the cable while he chewed over the eels. His sense for aquatic monsters was still being refined, but as soon as he got a taste everything always became clear.


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    <


    Monster: Necrotic Eel


    Threat: III (Gamma)


    >


    The eels had only been Gamma-ranked threats, but eating five of them was enough that he retained their essence in his soul. They might even be the piece he needed, though he''d been disappointed before. Since the ocean concealed many threats and they might have to fight the cultivators over water, he wanted to consume enough to be effective underwater.


    That was trickier than it seemed, because aside from Monstrous Hunger, he could only maintain five monstrous abilities at once. Despite all his advancements, new slots in his soul appeared to be one of the most challenging to acquire. He didn''t want to give up Behemoth''s Heart, and Direboar''s Strength was the only way he could effectively swim at such speeds, so that was already two down. He needed Sahagin''s Lungs to breathe underwater, which forced him to temporarily give up Isulfr''s Bite to have one free slot. Today it had been Direurchin''s Spikes, and that had worked well enough, but he needed something better.


    Ideally, he wanted to be able to merge all his aquatic abilities into one, which he could keep for the appropriate time. He was still figuring out the details of his powers, though, and strong underwater monsters didn''t show up every day, so he was reluctant to begin feeding them to one another. Then again, there was no path to mastery but experimentation...


    Their ship turned sharply and Kai''s momentum kept him swinging out to the side before being tugged after it. The movement took him closer to a school of shimmering fish, glowing with their own mana lights. They seemed to be just animals, not monsters, because he saw little with his spiritual senses.


    Still, they were about the size of his torso, so they were a good target. Kai put all his strength into a flutter kick, pushing him briefly to the side. Before he was pulled back, he thrust out with a Tyrant''s Claw and speared three of the fish. At point blank range it was enough to impale them, and he managed to curl the technique around them so they wouldn''t be pulled away.


    Now that he had dinner for everyone, Kai grabbed the cable dragging him and began working his way up. With only one hand it was a bit of a struggle, fighting against the currents caused by their speed to climb back toward the deck.


    When his head broke the water he took a deep breath, an instinct that had never gone away despite being able to breathe underwater. Once Kai got out of the current he let himself breathe a sigh of relief: his defenses might make the rushing currents harmless, but he always forgot how much they battered him until he got back out.


    He heaved himself over the side of their ship and deposited the dead fish there, then untied the cable from his waist. In the process he checked the mechanism extremely carefully, just in case it showed any damage or wear. Ostensibly it was used to dredge up things much heavier than him, but he wasn''t going to take the risk of something breaking and him being left behind.


    His mind returned to the cultivators, as it so often did. Even when he strained his eyes - which were substantially enhanced at D-rank Physique - he couldn''t see any sign of them. Zae Zin Nim claimed that they were still in pursuit, though, so they couldn''t relax.


    "The ship''s running better now that the eels aren''t latched onto the crystals." Omilaena stood at the front of the ship, still wearing one of her fancy dresses despite the circumstances. She glanced over her shoulder at the dead fish. "That''s lunch, I assume?"


    "I already ate," Kai said. "Want me to cook them?"


    "I''ll handle it. Take over here."


    A large disc embedded with crystals was built into the front of their ship. It could be used to steer, but more importantly it allowed someone to flood the engine with their own power. When Omilaena let go, their speed began to drop rapidly, so Kai hastened to grab it and began feeding his own qi into the engine.


    "Where''s Zae Zin Nim?" he asked.


    "Cultivating inside, where else?" Omilaena rolled a glimmer of metal across her fingers and it became a needle much larger than the usual, which she used to spear through the fish like a spit. As she spoke, she lit an alchemical flame in the hardened pit to cook them. "We really need to have her take more turns. I have chakra to spare, and you seem to be able to go all day, but she needs to pull her weight."


    "Isn''t that what she''s trying to do? Those Earth Soul cultivators will be a big problem if they catch us, but if she manages to break through to the same stage..."


    "I''m telling you, we aren''t going to fight them now. Unless we screw this up, we can reach Rosemount and give them the slip."


    "I guess I need to ask about that." Kai was gripping the wheel and driving them forward, but he had no idea where they were going. Nothing but ocean in all directions. "I felt you pivot earlier. That makes our heading... north? Isn''t there nothing much to the north but ocean?"


    "Oh, it''s a very specific part of the ocean." Omilaena gave him a self-satisfied grin. "The easy part of the trip is over. We''re headed straight for the Blood Current."

 Chapter 224: Charting a Course Between Continents

    Constantly pouring qi into the ship was a decent sort of training, but after enough hours at the wheel, Kai eventually got bored. He wasn''t going to break any major barriers with just endurance training, especially since Behemoth''s Heart seemed to keep him from getting tired. If they wanted to face all the opponents coming for them, they needed far greater power.


    Not that his other training was making great strides. Even after two weeks at sea, not to mention the battle over Yulthens, Kai had yet to gain a single Physique level. In fact, he''d never even seen someone get above rank D-0. Omilaena said the energy was just too weak here and that he should be able to make progress once they reached Rosemount, but he couldn''t afford to sit around until then.


    All the explosive growth in the human side of his soul, especially that D-rank boost, meant that his monstrous side was eager to grow. He estimated that his effective strength was less than double his human side, so less than 700 Power. But developing that meant finding monsters, which wasn''t guaranteed.


    "Why are we veering west?" Zae Zin Nim emerged from the cabin of the ship glowering, then glowered even more when the sun hit her face.


    "Omilaena has a plan," Kai said with a shrug. "I was planning to ask you about it. Done cultivating?"


    "I''ve hit my limits for now." She turned away from him to glower at Omilaena instead. "What on earth are we doing? I thought the plan was to circle east to Rosemount."


    Omilaena sat in the middle of the deck behind them, doing some sort of experiment with one of her syringes. She and Zae Zin Nim had rehashed their exact plan multiple times, frequently revisiting the decision of whether it made more sense to move to Cloudspire instead of Rosemount. This time, however, it seemed like Omilaena was in a different sort of mood.


    "That was before your father''s minions started slowing down." Omilaena tapped her syringe against her lips thoughtfully. "They have a better ship and more qi, so we shouldn''t be able to outpace them much. Unless they''re giving up, which seems improbable, I suspect they''re trying to contact someone else to intercept us."


    "The Brightwind sect has many vassals, so I suppose they could contact someone on the central ocean." Zae Zin Nim tucked her hands into her sleeves and adopted a more thoughtful sort of scowl. "But northwest will just trap or strand us."


    "We''re going to take the Blood Current and swing east."


    "Are you sure that''s worth the risk?"


    "I''ve done it before. Not in this direction, but we should be able to survive it. That will give us enough time to disappear into Rosemount and lose them for good."


    Kai had been listening quietly, as he did most days, but now he kept just one hand on the wheel and turned back to talk to them. "I have to say, I don''t think I really understand the geography here. I know, I know, people from Deadwaste don''t understand anything. But if we''re changing the plan, I feel like I need to have a better idea, in case something goes wrong."


    "You''re right." Omilaena stood up abruptly, which made her legs flash through the slit of her skirt. After so long on the same ship, Kai was used to it. "There''s actually a map in the captain''s cabin, so I can show you. Want to take over for a while, Zae Zin Nim?"


    She immediately revealed another of her diverse collection of scowls. "Bring the map out here. I don''t trust you to explain without supervision."


    It was a little unclear what she meant by that, since it could be rivalry between Cloudspire and Rosemount or something more personal. Technically there could have been sexual tension on the ship, but everyone had been so focused on escaping their pursuers, it didn''t come up. At least from his perspective... and Kai wasn''t confident he knew enough about women to be sure.


    In any case, it looked like Omilaena wasn''t going to argue and left to get the map. Zae Zin Nim came and took the wheel from him to continue guiding the ship. He got one of the cooked fish for her, though it had gone cold since she spent so long cultivating. She took it with her free hand and frowned.


    "Could you heat this? Use your breath."


    "You sure?" Kai spat out the tiniest tongue of Baleful Breath he could manage and even that singed the fish a bit. Made it plenty hot, though. "Omilaena says it messes with the taste."


    "I don''t mind." Zae Zin Nim took a bite of the fish and actually took a break from scowling when she looked at him. "Thank you."


    Having her behave like that was downright strange and Kai wasn''t sure quite what to do. He''d become more experienced with relationships in Krysal, but Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena could still make him feel tongue-tied and awkward sometimes. Before he could figure out how to proceed, Omilaena emerged with a map on a large Krysali scroll.


    "Take a look at this," she said as she unrolled it. "The world is effectively three large continents. We left Deadwaste going west, which would take us to Cloudspire. Then we headed northwest, as if we were planning to go north of the continent and then circle back."


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    "But we''re actually going the other way, to Rosemount." Kai saw that it was fully northeast of his home continent, quite a long ways away if he understood the distances. "What are these lines in the middle?"


    "There''s a triangle of trade between the three continents, though most of it is between Rosemount and Cloudspire."


    "What about the big ominous sign in the south?"


    "That''s Lostwreck." Omilaena tapped the symbol and shook her head. "Nobody sails too close to the lost continent due to fear of the Whispering Death. Some traffic between the nations of Deadwaste might hug the southern coast, but otherwise no one has a reason to travel the other oceans."


    "There are ice floes south of Lostwreck anyway," Zae Zin Nim put in. "The patriarch of a major sect once sent a delegation to find the south pole, hoping it had some sort of pure qi, but half of them died before they had to turn back."


    "Does anybody try to circumnavigate?" Kai asked. "Looks like if you went west from Cloudspire, you could hit Rosemount from the east."


    "Two reasons people don''t try anymore." Omilaena tapped the eastern edge of the map. "There''s nothing special or dangerous east of Deadwaste, just some random islands, but the ocean is huge. There are large areas where the water doesn''t have any energy and ships get becalmed. Everybody who tried to find an eastern passage either gave up when supplies ran low or disappeared."


    "What about the second reason?"


    "That''s the Blood Current." Next Omilaena traced a fingernail over a red line around the northwest of the map. "The ocean currents become dangerously fast and there are more powerful monsters. Most likely, the cultivators chasing us will assume we''ll have to turn around and they''ll cut us off. But instead we''ll ride the current..."


    "Straight east." Kai nodded as his eyes followed the red lines east toward Rosemount. "So I assume the current is fast enough that we''ll leave our pursuers behind?"


    "That''s the plan. This way we reach Rosemount early, we don''t spend too much time in the most occupied ocean, and we put some distance between us."


    "Assuming we don''t get eaten." Zae Zin Nim had finished her fish and was back to scowling, this time at Omilaena. "You''re sure you know the currents? Strong cultivators have been swept out and mobbed by monsters."


    "Admittedly, I haven''t done it in this direction." Omilaena raised her hands defensively, as if to ward off Zae Zin Nim''s glower. "But when I was younger I tried to go out and train in the Blood Current, so I have some experience. I was weaker then, and there are three of us. We can take a path that even all those Earth Soul cultivators won''t dare follow, then once we get to Rosemount, we can slip them. That''s what you ultimately want, right?"


    It seemed as though Zae Zin Nim was slightly appeased by this answer, so Kai wasn''t going to argue. Still, as he looked over the map of the world, it seemed a more ominous place than he''d known. Deadwaste wasn''t small by any means, but it felt relatively safe except for the incursions. Around it he saw ice floes, lethal currents filled with monsters, and an entire dead continent.


    "Is the Blood Current really that dangerous?" he asked.


    "It is." Zae Zin Nim turned away, focusing on the ocean ahead as she answered. "Have I told you about the Heaven''s Path Scale?"


    "Uh, a long time ago, I think. You haven''t really mentioned it in ages."


    "That''s because almost all of Deadwaste is on the second step in the scale. A few dead zones might be on the first step, and maybe your most intense regions edge into the third step."


    "Let me guess, everywhere on your continents are at least the third step?"


    "All the places people want to live, at least. Regions that would be unimaginably wealthy on Deadwaste are normal there. The only places strong enough to fight over are on the fourth or fifth step of the Heaven''s Path Scale." Zae Zin Nim didn''t look arrogant, though, she looked unsettled. Her gaze seemed to be locked beyond the horizon.


    "Just how many steps does this scale have?"


    "Seven. Cultivators argue about whether or not anywhere on Rosemount has enough energy to be rated as the sixth step. Originally I''d have said no, but I may have underestimated the uses of chakra."


    "How magnanimous!" Omilaena swept in, trying to wrap an arm around Zae Zin Nim''s shoulders and being evaded by an acrobatic spin. "There are the same debates on Rosemount, of course. We may not use the same scale, but everyone agrees the most powerful areas are few and far between."


    "So what about the seventh step?" Kai asked.


    "Technically it''s an ideal, a heaven of qi we can only aspire to create." Zae Zin Nim''s lips flattened and her gaze grew harder. "But the Blood Current... it might be more dangerous than even the most threatening places on Cloudspire. Cultivators who go there die, and if the qi was more accessible there, a lot more would probably try."


    And they were headed right into it. Of course, based on the path Omilaena had traced, they were just going to hit a fast-paced eastward current that should sweep them to Rosemount, and they could always retreat back south if it got too dangerous. But there was no question they were taking a risky path.


    Things wouldn''t get any easier once they reached Rosemount, though. The idea of an entire continent where every location had richer power than southern Goralia was astonishing to him and he wouldn''t have believed it if he hadn''t seen power from other continents himself. So taking the difficult path and training as much as they could was still the best option.


    As he stared down at the map, Kai found his thoughts wandering further afield, though. "It seems like our world contains a lot of ocean," he said, "and it isn''t fully explored. Are we sure there''s nothing else out there?"


    Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena glanced at one another, for once without any antagonism. Eventually the latter woman answered quietly. "There are always legends and rumors of a fifth continent. Maybe on the other side of the Blood Current, either blocked off by the monsters there or just so powerful they don''t bother visiting the rest of us. Once, I would have dismissed these as nonsense, but..."


    "Except for what we saw during the incursion." Kai swallowed as he thought back to the god-like warriors he''d seen there, still insanely far above him.


    "Right. People that strong have to come from somewhere."


    "If they came from the fifth continent," Zae Zin Nim said grimly, "then they''re strong enough to handle anything in the Blood Current. If."


    She left unsaid the potential implication: either there was a fifth continent insanely far beyond the peaks of Cloudspire and Rosemount, or their world was a wilder and stranger place than they knew. Technically that should have been an ominous thought, especially if these powers were related to the Frontier and the monster incursions that threatened to wipe his home continent off the map.


    Yet as they sped across the oceans, Kai found himself smiling eagerly. He needed to return to protect his home one day, but for now, he was glad to finally travel the world.

 Chapter 225: Approaching Crimson Tides

    In another week, Kai could see the Blood Current on the horizon. He''d expected the name was due to the threat or the lives lost there, but in the distance he could actually see the waves grow increasingly red. Neither Zae Zin Nim nor Omilaena knew why they were red, so they approached with increasing apprehension.


    But first, he needed to finish his preparations. Even though their goal was to never enter the water while riding the Blood Current, things could always go wrong and they needed a fallback. Since he was the only one who could breathe underwater, they''d be relying on him.


    So in addition to piloting the ship, he was stretching his senses to the limit. He tried to use everything: the gut impressions he''d trained in Goralia, a cultivator''s innate sense of qi, the deep hunger at the bottom of his soul. His awareness spread in all directions, seeking out any suitable targets. Normally he felt nothing but fish and the occasional underwater monster, so when he felt something actually powerful he perked up.


    "Do you feel that?" He spoke before thinking about who was on deck and had to look around - as was common lately, Zae Zin Nim was inside and Omilaena was doing something on the opposite side.


    "What?" She looked up with mild curiosity.


    "There''s a monster off our... uh, off that side." Kai gestured toward the source. "I think it might be worthwhile to eat, but it''s out of our way."


    Omilaena sprang up beside him in a moment, pinpointing what he was talking about. Soon after she placed her hand on the wheel and smiled. "We can afford a detour. We''re pushing ourselves so hard so that we have some leeway, after all."


    "The cultivators won''t think we''re struggling and close in?"


    "I''ll start wavering, like we might break either east or west. That''s probably a good idea anyway, to keep them off balance before we hit the Current."


    "Then I guess I''ll see if I can fight a monster from the Blood Current."


    "Oh, this isn''t." Omilaena chuckled. "This one feels like it''s just an open sea monster. If it was from the Blood Current, believe me, you''d know."


    Kai wasn''t sure what to make of one more warning, but that didn''t really matter now that his plan was approved. Omilaena took them on a westward path toward the monster, and though she said they had time, he didn''t want to waste any of it. The fight needed to be swift and effective, just enough to give him a sense for the monster before he consumed it.


    Tying the cable around his waist was the easy part. Figuring out which monstrous essence he would use was much harder. Aside from his central abilities, Kai decided to take Sahagin''s Lungs and the new capacity he was calling Necroeel''s Speed. That meant no empty slots, but he needed to test his underwater speed anyway.


    This monster wasn''t being particularly aggressive and it wasn''t likely to harm anyone, this far out in the ocean. Kai would never feel sorry for a monster, but he did reflect that he was hunting it for no reason except his own power. That didn''t stop him from jumping over the edge.


    Once underwater, he looked forward, where their ship was rapidly catching up to the beast. Now that he got a better look at it, he saw that it looked like a shark with four massive fins and a blade on its snout. That blade was no natural feature, instead it was a snarled blade designed to catch and tear flesh.


    Any guilt he might have felt disappeared when the monster whirled and tried to decapitate him with that blade.


    Kai raised his forearm in time to block and felt the impact jar through his body. Only a few points of the blade broke skin, but even underwater it managed to impart significant force. He lashed out in response, and since he lacked Tyrant''s Claw he just clubbed the monster in the side.


    His best punch to the gills made the monster flinch, but the water slowed his movements too much for it to be a finishing blow. Unlike so many of the agile underwater creatures, the bladed shark seemed to use brute force, so it arced around and swung a blow at his ribs.


    That strategy was a mistake.


    Even though he was sluggish underwater, Kai was able to trap the blade under his arm against his ribs. Once he had that grip, he delivered a blow straight into the shark''s head. He''d hoped to snap off the blade, but it was too tough for that. While it struggled he landed a second and third blow, then it finally tore its way free, thrashing in pain.


    He would have finished it off then... except in its thrashing, the shark sliced through his cable.


    The instant it broke, the currents caused by being dragged behind the ship vanished and the hull seemed to leap forward. He''d grown so used to seeing the underside of it stationary ahead of him, it was almost shocking to be reminded just how fast it moved. And how quickly it was leaving him behind. Kai was in the middle of a deadly ocean with the only ride in miles vanishing ahead of him.


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    There was no time to think about whether they''d abandon him - he needed to catch up. The shark was moving to attack him again and Kai didn''t waste any more time, swallowing its upper half in one bite. Immediately he felt the new essence within him.


    <


    Monster: Bladeshark


    Threat: V (Epsilon)


    >


    The Bladeshark had a solid amount of power, perfectly suited for movement underwater. Could he merge it with Necroeel''s Speed for a mixture of both? Speed and strength were both just force, after all, and both meant optimizing movements underwater. But he wanted to merge them with Sahagin''s Lungs, and he couldn''t work with that without losing his ability to breathe underwater.


    Kai had no hope of catching up to the ship, but he could easily swim his way back to the surface. The ship was already growing small on the horizon, so he needed to hurry or-


    Zae Zin Nim descended for him, piloting the diamond star. Their ship was more efficient for long term travel, so sometimes he almost forgot about the Krysali vessel. She arced low until the star stopped just above him and reached over the side, offering a hand.


    "You didn''t think we''d leave you behind, did you?" she asked.


    "I knew you wouldn''t," he said as he took her hand. Of course he knew that logically, but there was another part of him...


    "Well, there''s no need to hurry your advancement. You''re forging your own path and you shouldn''t rush. Take your time to develop a new aquatic ability."


    "You''re right. Thanks, Zae Zin Nim."


    She nodded and turned back to the controls as if there was nothing more to say. They lifted higher into the sky and then sped after the ship to catch up. No doubt the cultivators pursuing them could feel that, so he had to wonder what they would think. Hopefully it would make them seem even more uncertain before they made their decisive move.


    Meanwhile, she was right about the approach he needed to take. Kai began contemplating the monstrous essence he was carrying and continued even after they caught up to Omilaena, then over the next full day. It was a bit like solving a puzzle by touch alone. If he examined the monsters in his soul, he could get a feel for their exact shape - there was nothing subjective about it, each essence had different characteristics that he needed to manage carefully.


    One of his first decisions was accepting that trying to include Direurchin''s Spikes would be a mistake. It came from an aquatic monster, but it was defensive and involved changing his body, not its movement. If he crammed it together with the rest, the result would be wasted power.


    There was nothing stopping him from merging the abilities together, the problem was that there was nothing stopping him from making mistakes. Eventually he decided that his best bet was to create an ability around adapting to the water. Sahagin''s Lungs was the best candidate for that, so he started there and fed the other two abilities to it.


    Immediately he realized that Necroeel''s Speed was imbalanced, too light compared to the stronger Bladeshark. So Kai fed it one of the weakest monsters that had retained essence, something called a Bonefish. Once they were more balanced, he fused the two together with Sahagin''s Lungs.


    After so long thinking, the actual implementation was easy and he soon saw the result in his soul:


    <


    Sahagin''s Soul - III (gamma)


    >


    His new capacity, which he called Sahagin''s Soul, had started at the third rank. Clearly it wasn''t going to be an extraordinary ability like Behemoth''s Heart. But had he accomplished his goal? The monstrous ability felt right, not malformed, but the only way to truly know was testing.


    Kai tied the cable around his waist again and jumped over the side. At first he was being tugged underwater, pulled as always, and he could only thrash. But as he adjusted to the new ability, he began to swim.


    Even though his body undulated slightly, like a fish, he was swimming with more force than the motion could possibly generate. It was pure monstrous power accelerating him forward. For the first time Kai had experienced, the tension around his waist lessened. He could swim as fast as the ship, and if he really pushed himself, he could even exceed it.


    Grinning, Kai took a few swings underwater. The water no longer suffocated his movements, it seemed to part in front of him. He quickly realized that he couldn''t move exactly like in the air, because he still needed to work with the flowing currents, but he''d be far more lethal underwater now. If only there was a handy monster there to test his power on.


    Lacking any targets, Kai instead swung his hand in a Tyrant''s Claw to the depths. He''d just been hoping to unleash it a little quicker, but to his surprise the spiritual claw swept through the water faster as well. Sahagin''s Soul adapted him to the water better then he''d anticipated.


    Throwing himself into the swimming with reckless abandon, Kai got ahead of the ship, looped around, and then headed for the surface at top speed. Suddenly he was hurtling overhead in a spray of water, arcing over the ship. It must have looked impressive, and Kai would have been more impressed if he hadn''t been trying to land on the deck.


    On his second try he aimed his arc better and landed on the ship. He was grinning despite himself, just because the easy movements underwater were such a joy after struggling this far.


    "Good work," Zae Zin Nim said with a brief nod. Omilaena was not far away at the wheel and gave a nod of her own


    "That will help, but don''t get overconfident."


    "The monsters will get that much stronger?" Kai asked. He stepped to the front to look out at the waves, which were even redder than before. There was something out there, almost like a small island...


    "I think we''ve almost reached the Blood Current." Omilaena squinted ahead, then shook her head. "We''ll be in the dangerous region soon. We need to be ready."


    As they moved on, Kai got a clearer look at the object ahead, which loomed larger every second. He saw one long fin, covered in spiny hooks, and would have jumped if his monstrous instincts hadn''t been sure there was no life left. Once they got close, he finally understood that the main bulk was the body of the creature with large pieces torn out of it. It looked like a massive whale, covered in spines and hooks that hadn''t been enough for it to survive.


    Floating in the ocean, adding its blood to the tides, the dead beast marked the beginning of the Blood Current.

 Chapter 226: The Blood Current

    "Do we have no fruit stores left?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "I would have sworn on my cultivation that we had more."


    "We need to conserve them," Omilaena said as she forked more fish onto her plate. "Kai might be healthy just eating monsters, but we''ll get sick if we don''t balance our diets."


    "This is supposed to be preparation for a great risk. Is this not the time to break out the stores?"


    "Nope, have some more fish."


    The three of them were eating all of their food that might spoil before their entry into the Blood Current. Even though they were being chased, they had decided to take a full day of rest. So far it seemed that the Brightwind cultivators assumed they were about to give up and were simply preparing to swoop in on them. With luck, they''d be completely taken aback by their next move.


    For his part, Kai was the only one who felt completely full and satisfied. He''d helped cook the final big meal they''d put together, since he was apparently the best cook, but he didn''t really need it. Rest for him was more about getting some solid sleep, and in this case just lying back to relax. It was surprisingly pleasant to listen to Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena, because even though they sniped at one another, their words didn''t have the same venom as before.


    "I''m getting the dried fruit." Zae Zin Nim started to get to her feet, only to have them swept out from under her.


    "No you don''t," Omilaena snapped. "You''re completely useless when it comes to cooking, so you don''t get to decide the menu."


    Zae Zin Nim was knocked over, but landed on her hands and balanced there. "You can''t expect a cultivator to be a cooking expert," she said while upside-down. "Besides, Kai did almost all the work, you just threw in your weird spices and injections."


    "Which will do more for your health than the dried fruit. Sit down and eat."


    Alright, maybe there was still some venom there. But even though they were about to face a huge threat, Kai felt confident that the three of them could work together. If they couldn''t survive the Blood Current then it would be because reality simply bore down with too much raw power.


    After three days of sailing into the red waters, they were beginning to hit the truly risky currents that stopped even ships carrying powerful warriors. Allegedly, Omilaena could help them find the stable current that would take them east to Rosemount. The problem was that instead of skirting the red waters they''d be plunging straight into the worst of it.


    When he woke up the next day, the sunrise lit up the sky in a red to match the waves, which looked unreal around them. Omilaena was already up, examining the environment carefully. Kai walked up beside her and rolled his shoulders as he got ready for anything.


    "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning," he said. "I''ve heard people repeat that saying, but I don''t know what it means. Just a sailor''s superstitions?"


    "It''s accurate and involves the effect of clouds on the atmosphere." Omilaena shrugged languidly without looking up at him. "Of course, this is the Blood Current. Every morning is red here."


    It wasn''t long before Zae Zin Nim joined them. She wasn''t cultivating that day, instead she appeared ready with both qi and mana fully restored. After she confirmed that the Brightwind cultivators were beginning to edge west, it was time for them to go.


    When they moved forward, Kai could actually see the flow: the waves tore through the sea like a line as if some destiny carried them east. Omilaena gestured for them to get ready as she guided them closer, carefully turning their ship to the side to put them closer to parallel to the intense current.


    They hit the edge and it felt like something had grabbed the ship. No natural current could possibly have moved so quickly, as if the waves hammered at the bottom of their ship to pull them onward. The sudden lurching as their momentum changed nearly made Zae Zin Nim fall over and Kai had to stomp a foot against the deck to stop his slide.


    Suddenly they were moving faster than before, even faster than the ship''s top speed. Yet the current ahead was treacherous, filled with paths that were invisible until they were almost on top of them. When Omilaena jerked them right he realized that the flow turned north. If they''d fallen into that stream, they likely would have been swept into the deadly northern oceans, which looked like utter chaos compared to the road carrying them east.


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    "This is definitely a lot faster," Kai said. "And it''ll take us to Rosemount?"


    "We''ll have to break off mid-way to reach the western side of the continent." Omilaena spoke through gritted teeth as she wrestled the ship''s wheel and remained focused. "This will work really well until it doesn''t. Stay alert."


    For the first hour, as they made incredible progress, Kai almost began to wonder if she was just being unnecessarily cautious. Then, out of nowhere, one of the most powerful bursts of mana he''d ever felt shot over the horizon.


    The sphere of crimson light moved so quickly it was practically just a streak, already on top of them in the same moment he realized it. Kai reacted on instinct, summoning the strongest Tyrant''s Claw he could as he rushed to the side. Just before the attack collided with the side of the ship, he swept his claw upward to knock it toward the sky.


    To his shock, the impact jarred his entire arm and slammed him against the deck. Even all his strength was only just enough to deflect it: from his back he could see the streak shooting upward until it exploded into a shower of blood-like mana. He groaned and forced himself back to his feet in case another one was coming.


    "What was that?" Zae Zin Nim asked tensely. She perched at the back of the ship, desperately searching the horizon. "I can''t find the source."


    "Don''t bother. Our only hope is to outpace them." Omilaena gritted her teeth harder as she pushed them faster, even within the current. "That was probably just a warning shot or a lazy attempt to hit us. Most monsters here aren''t going to go out of their way to chase us."


    "But what if one does?"


    "Then we''ll adapt. We don''t need to be worried about the strongest monsters in the Blood Current so much as predators that either feed on humans or want our type of power in particular."


    It wasn''t a particularly cheerful thought. Kai watched carefully and only saw one more streak of red - this one was near the horizon, slamming down into the sea hard enough to cause an explosion. He thought he saw something vast twist underneath the waves, but whatever titanic battle was happening there, they left it behind as they sped eastward.


    They sailed smoothly until something massive appeared ahead of them, floating in the current at a slower pace. He wondered if it was an island, or even irrationally hoped they were getting close to Rosemount, but as it drew closer he saw the hooked tentacles.


    The kraken pulled itself higher to observe them and let out a roar from its cruel beak. A tentacle thicker than a tree trunk slammed toward the prow of the ship and Omilaena barely managed to deflect it with one hand. Another tentacle swept overhead and Zae Zin Nim attacked it with qi techniques, but even though her qi burned through its flesh, the tentacle was just so massive, it was barely slowing down...


    Kai didn''t help either one of them, assuming they could handle themselves. The threat of the kraken was probably that it had so many tentacles, and now that they were almost on it - there! Another tentacle was wrapping around the ship, threatening to snap it in half.


    He brought down a Tyrant''s Claw just to the level of the deck, slicing the tentacle into pieces to break its grip. The severed stump seemed to flail in pain, but it was actually an intentional motion.


    Abruptly the spiky side was slamming into him, trying to flatten him even as more tentacles approached. He grimaced and pushed back, exerting his full strength to overcome the tentacle. Once he got his feet under him he managed to throw it back into the ocean, but the kraken had far more tentacles and the head was looming over the ship. This was going to be a grueling battle.


    Something small tore through the kraken''s head.


    As the massive body sagged and the tentacles unfurled, Kai desperately searched for the source. He barely spotted it crashing back into the waves: a comparatively tiny fish, only the size of his chest. But it appeared to be chewing the kraken''s eye in sharp teeth, and as it swiveled around toward them, its eyes glowed with an intense power.


    Those eyes turned toward them, then it exploded through the water. It would have torn through the ship in an instant if Kai hadn''t hurled one of the pieces of the kraken''s tentacle at it.


    The crimson fish ate the entire segment in a single bite, even though the piece of the kraken was larger than its entire body. It was similar to his bite technique and Kai should have been eager to see if he could eat the fish... but he wasn''t sure they could stop it. He''d never felt monstrous power that intense and his spiritual sight failed to measure the creature''s threat.


    With its charge stopped, the monstrous fish instead leapt into the air to attack them. Zae Zin Nim met it head on, but her qi attacks scattered off its crimson scales. It might have killed her if her Coldfire Corona hadn''t lit up just in time. The fish struggled to penetrate, its sharp little teeth drawing closer and closer...


    Kai swept it off the deck with a claw and then hurled all the remaining pieces of the kraken after it. As the fish snapped up piece after piece, the current carried them further away. Finally he saw the fish turn away - not because it was anything like beaten, but because it was going back to the kraken''s corpse. He watched it dwindle into the distance, the small red fish consuming the kraken''s body.


    "The kraken was from the central ocean. That fish was the first local monster we''ve seen." Omilaena glanced over her shoulder with a vicious grin. "Welcome to the Blood Current."

 Chapter 227: Bloody Fragments in the Current

    What followed were some of the most grueling days of Kai''s life. Not the closest to death, not the tensest, not the roughest, but grueling. They needed to be constantly alert for threats that, when they came, arrived with deadly force. The bone-deep weariness made it easy to sleep, except that at any moment he might be woken up because his abilities were needed against the newest threat.


    Small fish like the crimson one that had effortlessly killed the kraken proved to be one of the most common threats. They were durable and vicious, but not particularly interested in the ship. Even though they could swim faster than the Blood Current, the flow still moved them at a high speed, so if he could deflect a charge or two, the fish would fall behind.


    His fear was one of them shooting up directly beneath the ship, puncturing the deck. Yet after seeing the threat level here, he didn''t dare get in the water to stand guard. Kai had Sahagin''s Soul prepared at all times, just in case.


    He hoped he''d never have to use it.


    .


    ..


    .


    One day a sapphire dragon swooped overhead and he prepared himself for a brutal fight, maybe even displaced revenge against the golden dragon that had spurned him, but they were completely ignored. Instead the dragon unleashed streams of blue flame that sank into the water, toward some unknown target. Something fired back with a stream of boiling water.


    For several chaotic moments they wove between the attacks of the two combatants, then they left the battle behind. Kai glanced over his shoulder, but didn''t see the resolution before the dragon was lost in the distance.


    .


    ..


    .


    Of course he tried to take bites of the monsters, hoping to gain a newly powerful ability, but it proved difficult. When he finally managed to take a bite from some sort of floating jellyfish, his stomach burned. He didn''t manage to retain any of its essence and only his monstrous hunger seemed to grow. As much as he wanted to eat more, it was just too early.


    .


    ..


    .


    During a quieter day, Zae Zin Nim did her best to search for the qi of their pursuers. Her techniques lured some sort of clump of ghostly monsters, but they burst the thing apart and it scattered into blobs that just stained their deck. Meanwhile, Zae Zin Nim reported that the cultivators had renewed the chase and tried to brave the Blood Current briefly, but in the end had been forced to retreat.


    Kai slept heavily that night.


    .


    ..


    .


    Several days later, the first accident occurred: one of the crimson fish was too fast and it swallowed Zae Zin Nim''s left arm from the elbow down. He and Omilaena managed to fight it off while she cried out in pain, and they treated the wound after, but the Blood Current was beginning to take its toll.


    .


    ..


    .


    The sun seemed to be swallowed in an eternal purple night that rendered the waves into shifting phantasms. Omilaena began injecting herself with something strange, Zae Zin Nim retreated to the cabin to nurse her wound, and Kai nervously looked for attacks that never came.


    .


    ..


    .


    Just when the phantasms faded, they were attacked by a water elemental. Omilaena died in an instant, crushed by one of the waves. No time to say goodbye, no last quip, she was simply dead. Zae Zin Nim managed to ward it off with her blue flames and Kai tried to turn them out of the Blood Current, but they were caught up in waves that swept them ever further onward, leaving the crushed body behind.


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    .


    ..


    .


    Soon water and sky seemed to twist around them, spinning endlessly. He couldn''t remember the last time he''d eaten, or even the last time he''d seen Zae Zin Nim. Kai grabbed the wheel and forced himself onward with nothing but sheer force of will.


    .


    ..


    .


    Suddenly Kai jerked awake, his teeth snapping down over monstrous flesh. It tasted putrid and for a moment he was utterly disoriented, but his instincts forced him up. He staggered out of the cabin and to his shock saw Omilaena, apparently sleeping but with several ghostly blobs covering her. Even though he was sure he must be dreaming, Kai rushed to her and slaughtered all the blobs, which made her stir slightly.


    Then he turned back and saw that Zae Zin Nim stood slumped against the wheel. She looked barely awake, barely alive, but she was holding off more of the blob-like creatures with feeble flickers of blue fire. And her arm was intact, like it had never been gone. That sight pushed Kai to help her, then destroy as many of the blobs as he could.


    Once Omilaena recovered, she figured out that the apparently dead blobs had in fact infected their minds and twisted their dreams into nightmares. Nothing he''d experienced over the past several days had been real, just the creatures trying to drain his soul. Zae Zin Nim had barely defended herself but Omilaena might have died if Kai hadn''t managed to adapt and break free of the nightmares.


    For the first time, they turned south and left the Blood Current. They all grimly stayed awake the entire time, fearing the last dark stains might still attack their minds.


    .


    ..


    .


    They took a day of rest in waters that were merely tinged red instead of crimson. Most of all, they needed to clean the ship and then sleep. Kai experienced nightmares, but they were only reflections of everything they''d survived, not an assault on his soul. Several aquatic monsters attacked them, but by contrast it was downright restful.


    .


    ..


    .


    Once they dared, they slipped back into the strongest part of the Blood Current and headed east. When they ran across the corpse of one of the crimson fish, Kai considered eating it but flinched back when he realized there was some deep festering corruption that had killed it.


    They wondered if they were going to face some terrible monster, but instead they observed a strange sort of algal bloom, glowing like emeralds within the red waves. It seemed to be killing and even corroding everything it touched. Before they ran into it, they flew the crystal star underneath the ship and lifted it into the air. After an exhausting day of carrying the entire ship, they got past the deadly algae and returned to the waves.


    Hopefully they''d never see anything like that again, but Kai constantly found himself imagining specks of green ahead.


    .


    ..


    .


    After a strangely peaceful day, their ship froze in place out of nowhere. Nothing physical seemed to be grasping them, but a spiritual force suffocated everything. Kai staggered to the side, and when he looked down he saw something glowing in the depths. Three blue eyes, staring like they could pierce his soul.


    They were getting bigger. Very slowly.


    Kai drew on Void Gaze and stared back, which immediately made his soul scream. He just barely managed to arrest whatever was in the depths and their ship leapt forward again, but the three eyes continued to track them. By the time they escaped its gaze, Kai was barely holding himself upright on the side of the ship and his eyes were bleeding.


    .


    ..


    .


    When at last Omilaena announced that they could leave the Blood Current to turn toward Rosemount, everyone was too exhausted to celebrate. They left the strongest current, still carrying so much speed that they skimmed across the lighter waves.


    It seemed like a relief until Kai realized that something was following them.


    Whatever was pursuing them looked like an amalgamation of starfish, each tip ending in a biting mouth, and it spun through the oceans like a wheel. It was definitely native to the Blood Current, but apparently it had decided that it was worth chasing them into calmer waters. There wasn''t likely to be anything in the central oceans that could threaten it, after all.


    Qi attacks at a distance didn''t seem to have any effect and it twisted aside from his Tyrant''s Claw. Eventually it reached them, latching onto the back half of the ship and pulling itself overhead as a hideous wave of new grasping arms and mouths.


    Kai immediately struck it with a Tyrant''s Claw, tearing three massive cuts through its body. To his shock, it regenerated swiftly and tried to sweep over him like a wave. Only Zae Zin Nim grabbing him and pulling him back prevented Kai from being swarmed by those mouths.


    It seemed to regenerate from everything they tried until Omilaena suddenly swept past them and hurled a glass sphere into one of the mouths. Immediately one of the starfish-like pieces twisted back, and she followed up by slamming a syringe into its side that seemed to make it shrivel up.


    Zae Zin Nim and Kai intercepted the monster''s attacks as Omilaena injected it repeatedly. As more of the creature shriveled up, it began to retreat off the back of the ship, then finally disengaged.


    Except one grasping arm caught Omilaena''s ankle and pulled her with it, into the red waves.


    No. It couldn''t happen again. Still feeling remnants of the nightmares, Kai hurled himself into the ocean.


    Sahagin''s Soul sent him shooting through the water after the monstrosity and he met it with a Tyrant''s Claw, the talons cutting just around Omilaena before it could draw her into its mass. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back, but they weren''t fast enough.


    The abomination was spreading in all directions, arms twisting as if to surround them, mouths gnashing closer. He tried to cut his way out, but it regenerated too quickly. Omilaena was limp in his arms, alive but apparently unconscious. When one of the mouths moved toward them, Kai swallowed it whole, but his mouth tasted like blood and he couldn''t hold the starfish off like that for long.


    If he''d still had Void Gaze in his soul, that might have worked, but he''d switched to Baleful Breath and there was no time to switch back. In desperation he breathed out anyway, and to his surprise, the dark cloud surged through the water. Not exactly flame or smoke, but a deeper spiritual destruction - it bloomed out behind them, hitting the monster and sending it flinching back.


    Kai sped away before he could see what happened. When he dared to look over his shoulder he saw the amalgamation limping back, burned but not dead. He would settle for that. After moving Omilaena into a better position, he built up speed and then leapt onto the deck.


    Once on the ship, they both collapsed. Omilaena coughed up water and sagged against his chest. It was a mark of how close to death that she''d come that she didn''t tease him or try to do anything sexual, she just lay there gasping.


    As they moved further away from the red waves, it seemed they were finally free of the greatest threats. Kai needed the most recovery despite not being injured, since he needed to digest the bites he''d taken from the monster. He lay on his back in the middle of the deck and neither of the women made any jokes about him being lazy, not after everything they''d been through.


    For a time the sky was an endless void of blue, but eventually he saw a speck flying overhead. A dragon at a great distance? Something worse? Kai groaned and struggled to sit up.


    "What is that?"


    "It''s a bird." Omilaena gave him an odd smile. "They range far from Rosemount, but not impossibly far. We''re within reach of civilization again."

 Chapter 228: The Waters Around Rosemount

    Once they escaped the Blood Current and all its unnatural threats, they sailed from red-tinged waters, to empty ocean, to a region where they actually saw other ships passing from time to time. They spotted a single ship built with what looked like Krysali crystals, as well as a flying galleon he thought was from the Elemental Nations.


    But the majority were entirely unfamiliar to him. Sleek ships with many triangular sails, filled with equally lithe crew leaping through the rigging. Vast ships shaped like whales that seemed to have living flesh covering their hulls. Flying vessels that didn''t look like the sleek cultivator ships, but instead like flowers or golden chalices. All passed on their own business, paying no attention to the relatively small ship heading toward Rosemount.


    Zae Zin Nim didn''t seem to care about where they were headed, only what they''d left behind. She spent a significant amount of time at the back of their ship, engaged in qi exercises more advanced than he knew. Eventually she seemed to have scanned enough, because she stood up, nodded to herself, and then turned to him.


    "We''ve left the Brightwind sect far behind," she told Kai. "They''ll know we went to Rosemount, of course, but even at their top speed, we should have weeks to blend in here."


    "Will they be able to track your qi?" Kai asked.


    "While they still can in theory, my qi will stand out much less on this continent. We must be more cautious not to draw attention to ourselves. Keep that in mind."


    "Got it." He had known that already, so he just shrugged, but Zae Zin Nim fixed him with a stern expression.


    "I mean it, Kai. If you see someone you sympathize with on Rosemount, don''t draw a bunch of attention to yourself helping them. If you see something you don''t think is right, you can''t go starting a fight with the ruling classes. And no starting any wars."


    Kai sighed. "Come on, do I really...?"


    Zae Zin Nim scowled as if she suspected him of feeding orphans right that moment.


    "We don''t have to keep a completely low profile." Omilaena had been left out of the conversation, but now wandered over to join them. "There are so many different people where we''re headed, we''ll blend in. By the time the Brightwind minions arrive, there won''t be any trace of us left."


    "But they''ll know we''re on Rosemount," Zae Zin Nim said.


    "Not necessarily. I intend to charter a ship headed back to Deadwaste and make sure we''re seen on it to set a false trail. Other than that, your main defense is getting enough chakra to hide your presence. Once we can hide from them, the entire world is our oyster."


    "How exactly are we going to do that?" Kai asked. "You''ve been short on the details."


    "That''s because we''ll need to improvise some of them." Omilaena leaned against the railing of the ship with an exaggerated sigh - after her grim focus on the Blood Current, her unnecessary sensuality had returned. "There are multiple potential paths to hide ourselves and I don''t know which will be most practical. It''s been years since I''ve been on the continent, after all."


    "You can''t give us more information than that?"


    "I was planning to explain everything just before we hit the shore. We''re still days out, after all. But... we''re going to hit a nation called Crescilor, on the western edge of Rosemount. It''s not a great power, but it trades with all the powers on the continent. That will be the perfect place to blend in, get our bearings, and figure out our next step."


    "You can deal with that yourself." Zae Zin Nim shook her head and then marched toward the cabin. "I may not be able to reach the end of the Nascent Foundation stage in time, but I will be returning to cultivation."


    She''d been spending a lot of time alone lately and Kai hoped that he hadn''t done something to offend her. It could also be the tension with the Brightwind sect chasing them, because as well as he knew Zae Zin Nim, he couldn''t always understand her moods. Omilaena only shrugged as if she didn''t care and they continued on their path southeast toward Rosemount.


    After the rush of the Blood Current, even their normal top speed felt slow. There was no particular rush, so they took their time to prepare for their arrival, since allegedly the continent could be so dangerous for those from outside it. Omilaena estimated that in total their ocean voyage would take around two months.


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    They still hadn''t caught sight of land, but the birds he''d seen were flying overhead more commonly now. Kai continued his training, but he also took a while just to absorb the new environment. Even here, over the ocean, there was a flood of energy. Mana as dense as any found in Goralia, plus chakra everywhere, concrete and bursting with life. Being in an environment like this would take some getting used to.


    Because he was on the lookout, he spotted the problem first: a ship was foundering in the water, with a second ship circling. Sailors were desperately trying to grab people from out of the wreck, some of them jumping easily between ships. He couldn''t see the threat, but there was a lot of blood in the churning water.


    He automatically leapt to the side, then hesitated. Not only had Zae Zin Nim warned him to lie low, this was a new continent and he had no idea what he was getting into. Better to look carefully first.


    It seemed like there was a horde of small fish, currently stripping one sailor to the bone. Occasionally they leapt out of the water at the others, forcing them back and inspiring further panic. There were multiple sailors trying to fight them off, all appearing trained and quite powerful by his estimation. He couldn''t examine them all without getting overwhelmed, so he started with a grizzled old woman who was fighting competently.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 127


    Heart of the Sea: Level 19 (76)


    Physique Level: F-6 (42)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    She had over 100 Power, mostly from her Heart of the Sea attribute. That would have been enough to make her a crystallier back in Krysal, but what struck him was that she didn''t seem like a dedicated warrior. Was this the level of power someone could attain just by living on Rosemount?


    Just when it looked like the old woman might be taken down by fish gnawing at her legs, a younger man swept in with qi attacks. Kai realized a moment later that the man wasn''t human: he had bronze skin and long pointed ears. More importantly, his spirit looked strong...


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 133


    Soul Cultivation: Spirit Condensation (31)


    Physique Level: F-3 (36)


    Soul Level: 4 (66)


    >


    Even though Kai noted the man''s total Power of 133, his eyes were pulled to the Soul Level. For the first time in his life, Kai saw someone whose soul didn''t match the patterns he''d seen in every single nation he''d ever traveled. Surely it had something to do with the man''s Soul Cultivation, but that would be a larger mystery to unravel later.


    Why were they struggling so much against the tiny fish? For a moment Kai thought there was a sea serpent too, then he realized that it was just another crewmember, wearing a similar bandanna over their scaly skin. Whoever they were, they were weaker than the others and would get torn apart unless someone did something.


    He finally managed to pinpoint one of the fish in his spiritual vision.


    <


    Monster: Rose Piranha


    Threat: Gamma (III)


    >


    It was a Gamma-ranked threat, which seemed trivial until Kai realized that every single individual in the swarm was an equal threat. The Direboar he''d fought years ago had been the same rank... could all those little fish hit with just as much power? As hard as it seemed to believe, in an energy-rich environment the monsters would grow much more powerful.


    "Oh, go help them," Omilaena said from the front. "I know you want to."


    "That won''t cause too much trouble?" he asked. But he was already preparing to jump over the side.


    "Sailors run into trouble with monsters and get help all the time. Just go."


    So Kai vaulted off the side of the ship and used Sahagin''s Soul to swim toward the failing ship. He hit the school of piranhas like a predator, scattering them, and grabbed one of the falling sailors to hurl him back up to the intact ship. After that, the other piranhas swarmed him and he sank underwater to draw them away from the sailors.


    He''d been prepared to endure their bites and regenerate the damage, but to his surprise the piranhas weren''t capable of penetrating his skin. Their sharp little teeth hurt, but he wasn''t bleeding. After so long fighting overwhelming or at least equal opponents, he''d forgotten how tough Behemoth''s Heart made him.


    Before they could tear up his clothes too much, Kai started biting back. He ate several fish per bite and gladly swallowed their essence: each individual monster was a bit meager, but spicy, as if they contained a different sort of energy. By the time he finished off the swarm he knew he had something new to work with, but first he needed to address the sailors.


    When he grabbed one last sailor and jumped her up onto the deck, the other sailors cheered. They began jabbering at him and he stared for a moment as he was struck by the different languages. None of them sounded even slightly like anything he knew.


    "Sorry, I don''t understand," he told them. "I''m from Deadwaste."


    "Oh, barbarian!" one of the sailors said with a thick accent. "Barbarian good."


    They couldn''t communicate well, but they seemed to take his rescue good-naturedly. Before he could object they shoved various things at him, from a bundle of fruit to a sack of heavy octagonal coins. He had no idea how much it was worth and only presumed they considered this a suitable payment for saving their lives.


    Not wanting to draw too much attention, Kai thanked them and then swam back to his ship. When he showed what they''d given to Omilaena, she just shrugged.


    "I guess that''s reasonable. But if we survive on Rosemount, we''re going to earn a hell of a lot more."


    Kai decided that was good enough and went to contemplate the new monstrous essence. Before he could make any progress, though, he was interrupted by a soft sound. When he looked up, he saw Omilaena looking forward with a strange expression.


    Rosemount was finally visible on the horizon.

 Chapter 229: Three Powers Against a New Continent

    Despite Kai''s fears that something would go wrong and prevent their arrival, it looked like nothing else would stand in their way. Rosemount covered the horizon now and there were ships moving all around them. Everyone had acted like the continent was a constant lethal threat, but the sailors just seemed to be going about their work, no matter what species they were. He didn''t see how any new disasters could stop them, even with his terrible luck.


    They could actually have arrived already by docking at Crescilor City, the capital of the trade nation, but Omilaena had said it would be too risky. Instead they sailed further south, aiming to reach the coast at a gentler port. Since he had no expertise, Kai accepted her judgments about all that.


    Even though their gambit to brave the Blood Current had worked, it had taken a heavy toll on their ship. They were completely out of backup crystals for the engines and the hull was too damaged to survive another long voyage. It sounded as though they planned to sell it for whatever scrap it was worth and use the diamond star from Krysal. If Omilaena was right about being able to hide their presence, it shouldn''t let them be tracked if they were careful.


    Technically he should have been more anxious to be setting foot on a new continent. He''d heard so many warnings: overconfident warriors who had died instantly or successful warriors who had been seduced by a life of luxury. Kai couldn''t let either happen. He needed to grow strong enough to help Zae Zin Nim and to stop the next apocalyptic monster incursion, that was all.


    Still, he could only get there by constantly pushing himself. Kai glanced at his own soul and hoped that it would be enough.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 354


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 21% (105)


    Physique Level: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Monstrous Hunger - X (kappa)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - X (kappa)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VI (zeta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - VI (zeta)


    Baleful Breath - II (beta)


    -


    Void Gaze - V (epsilon)


    Sahagin''s Soul - IV (delta)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - III (gamma)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - III (gamma)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - I (alpha)


    Beastbat''s Wing - I (alpha)


    Crystal Slime - I (alpha)


    Dreamleech - I (alpha)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - II (beta)


    >


    Roughly 350 Power in the human side of his soul, and if he continued bringing his monstrous side to full strength, he should be able to fight at an effective 700.


    At a glance he would look the weakest of the three of them, and he wasn''t sure how weak he actually was. The encounter with the sailors had reassured him that the gap in power wasn''t anything absurd, like babies on Rosemount being far stronger than him. But the strength that had allowed him to fight the Diamond Crystalliers wasn''t so special here, so he''d need to be cautious.


    In the middle of feeling weak, Kai''s mind suddenly reeled as he realized how insane that was. Just a few years ago, he''d been a young man pitying himself for not advancing fast enough because destiny kept spitting in his face. Now that he knew the standards of the world, the tiny amount of power he''d been struggling for back in Monskon City seemed like nothing.


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    If he could send a message back in time and tell himself what would happen, would he even believe it? The idea that he was sailing on a Krysali ship to another continent, accompanied by a cultivator from Cloudspire and a poisoner from Rosemount, would have sounded like madness. How had his life changed so much, so quickly?


    And yet that wasn''t the thought that really disturbed him. If he didn''t die, as everyone repeatedly told him he would, where would he be in several more years?


    .


    ..


    .


    There had been a time when cultivation had been everything to her. Then it had been a horror, then a relief, then so many other things on her path to recovery. Yet now, as Zae Zin Nim swallowed another qi pill and attempted to cultivate the power within, it felt like nothing more than treading water.


    She needed to make as much progress as she could now, using all the pure qi they''d taken or earned from Krysal. There was qi on Rosemount, but she was concerned about it being contaminated with chakra. If she wanted to properly advance and absorb the Blackblood Physique, everything needed to be perfect. In theory, when she broke through the Nascent Foundation stage to Earth Soul, she would be able to restore her body in full...


    Somehow her thoughts had already wandered. Zae Zin Nim reprimanded herself and tried to return to the pure focus of cultivation.


    Yet she couldn''t help but think about everything she was missing in her weakness. This long trip over the ocean should have been perfect to talk to Kai and express all her true feelings. But with Omilaena there, leering at every moment, it just felt too awkward. Besides, she was still so hideously scarred, it wouldn''t be right to attempt such a thing. Yes, she could reconsider once she was restored.


    Except it might be too late by then. In Krysal she had learned that she wasn''t the only one who could see Kai''s charms. Now they were about to enter a new continent where anything could happen, and she couldn''t ask him to sit and wait for a ruined woman.


    Those thoughts should have been unworthy of her, but she didn''t feel worthy as a cultivator either. When the two of them had met, she had been by far the stronger. Yet now... Zae Zin Nim took a break from cultivation to examine her soul.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 466


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 41% (266)


    Coldfire Corona: 46 (56)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-5 (95)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    >


    Having more than 450 Power made her strong by most standards, especially given the new power of her Coldfire Corona. Yet it wasn''t enough now. Kai might have looked weaker than her at a glance, but with his monstrous power he was actually substantially stronger. Omilaena was stronger any way you measured it and likely to grow even more powerful on Rosemount.


    Somehow she had become the weak link, even as they protected her from the cultivators her father had sent. How long before they realized and left her behind? Kai might be so kind as to be naive, but he was walking a difficult path. If he kept moving forward, he would soon leave her behind.


    Except he wouldn''t. She wouldn''t allow it. Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath and with renewed focus cleared her mind of all distracting thoughts. She was first and foremost a cultivator, and she would not let herself fall behind.


    .


    ..


    .


    They''d be setting foot on Rosemount by the end of the day. Once, that would have filled Omilaena with either dread or relief. Now, she wasn''t sure what to think.


    Years ago, she had left her home continent because she recognized that she was up against a wall. To attain the heights of power that she knew existed beyond the highest peaks, she needed more leverage to climb higher. Without the strength to force her way into the top ranks, and especially not to enter the most important libraries, she couldn''t find what she needed.


    Instead she had fled to Deadwaste, the destination of the lazy and the desperate alike. She understood how it could be easy to be lulled into a false sense of ease there, since even her middling strength was far more powerful than so many of their strongest.


    Instead, it filled her with a sense of dread that made her push her experiments even harder.


    Just as she was stronger than the inhabitants of Deadwaste by virtue of where she''d been born, she knew there were those out there far more powerful than her. She''d even gotten proof of it, during the strange battle at the Frontier. In order to match such overwhelming power, it wasn''t enough to merely train, she needed a deeper understanding of the true powers of the world.


    Yet how much progress had she really made? Krysali cultivation had proved to be less fruitful than she had hoped, and though she''d advanced her primary abilities, it wasn''t enough to overcome that gulf. Compared to the swift progress of the others, she was practically stagnant.


    When Omilaena glanced at her own soul, she grimaced.


    <


    Name: Omilaena


    Total Power: 648


    Heart of Poison: Level 56 (224)


    Lethal Artisan: Garnet Rank (175)


    Physique: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    >


    Currently she stood at 648 Power, which was enough to be formidable but nowhere near the heights she needed to attain. How strong had she been when she first left Rosemount? She recalled having barely reached 500 and realizing that she was blocked. That meant a nearly 30% improvement... not trivial, but not much compared to cultivators whose power moved in huge leaps. Nothing compared to the growth of demonic arts, which she still hesitated to pursue.


    The truth was that the real advantage she''d gained wasn''t her own strength, it was her allies. Zae Zin Nim could grow into a useful ally, if she could be trusted, and Kai might hold one of the secrets she needed for true advancement. Having two people she could rely on was an advantage more important than any new power system.


    Assuming that she could rely on them. Omilaena had never wanted to depend on others and she still hated the idea now.


    But she didn''t have a choice. They''d arrived at Rosemount and there was no more time.

 Chapter 230: Roseport at Last

    Kai was used to being called a barbarian and didn''t think anything about it - the nations of the Frontier had to respect Goralia, and Zae Zin Nim meant it affectionately. When the sailors had used the same term, it hadn''t really registered. But now, as they finally stood on Rosemount, he actually felt like one.


    The port was huge, even larger than Yulthens, but that wasn''t what floored him. There were people everywhere and less than half of them were human, instead a vast sea of different species from humanoids with purple skin to intelligent serpents to beings who looked like living flames. Kai had seen a few non-humans, since Goralia had non-human allies to the south, but this was something else. On Deadwaste he knew all the nations along with their cultures and systems of power, but here every one of the thousands upon thousands of people was a mystery.


    And apparently Roseport wasn''t even the largest shipping center on the continent. Crescilor City was larger up the coast, the other major nations each had a shipping port, and allegedly there was a bay that dwarfed them all.


    All the languages around him made him feel twice the barbarian. Sometimes it seemed like every group spoke in a completely different way. Omilaena spoke smoothly with all of them and Zae Zin Nim seemed to have learned a dominant trade language, but he was almost entirely lost. Once he heard two sailors having a boring argument about stacking boxes and he listened carefully just because it was the only thing he could understand.


    Unlike on his home continent, everyone was eyeballing everyone all the time. At least his spiritual sight didn''t seem to be inadequate, so he found himself staring at a dizzying number of different powers. Some looked similar to Omilaena''s, and some he could guess were similar to Classes or cultivation, but others simply baffled him.


    The air was alive with levels of energy that felt unnatural to him, everything mixing together. His body automatically absorbed the mana, and it was good enough at drawing qi, so he didn''t end up absorbing much chakra. Since it would allegedly take time to adjust, perhaps that was for the best.


    At least in terms of his own skill he wasn''t a pure barbarian: his shroud was doing an adequate job of avoiding attention. Physically he didn''t attract any interest except for his height, which only made him more grateful that he''d figured out how to hide his monstrous side. Everyone here would be accustomed to identifying intelligent species by spiritual sight.


    Since all he had to offer was strength, Kai mostly followed the women around and looked muscular. After careful analysis, he was at least able to determine that his strength wasn''t worthless here. Of course it would have been insane if literally everyone on Rosemount was more powerful than the strongest on Deadwaste.


    However, the difference was clear. Ordinary people who looked completely untrained would have Physiques in the F ranks, which was 30 or more Power on its own, and a dozen or two Power from abilities they seemed to have picked up, like a minor craftsman in Goralia. So there were ordinary people with as much strength as the Goralian veterans who had once been his goal. Average soldiers and guards regularly had 100 or more Power, enough to be a crystallier in Krysal.


    It was harder to judge the more powerful warriors because there were obviously fewer of them. During their early business he managed to spot three different people with 500 or more Power, equivalent to an Earth Soul cultivator. At least if the Brightwind sect caught up to them here, they wouldn''t be able to just dominate the city like they could Yulthens.


    So it seemed like the real threat was getting embroiled in a larger conflict. Fighters who could throw their weight around on Deadwaste were completely average here, so overconfidence or arrogance could easily get them killed. He''d have to be smarter than that until he could climb the scale on this new continent.


    "Here, help us with this." Omilaena was speaking to him in a language he understood, which was so startling it took him a second to leave his own thoughts. She was handing him one of their large sacks of Krysali crystals.


    Of course any of them had the strength to carry heavy objects, as well as most dock workers, but it was still awkward moving around a bunch of containers. Kai helped out as they unloaded their money and the supplies they didn''t need onto some sort of vast scale. A man with scaled skin was using it to judge their goods, one at a time.


    In addition to being a normal scale, there were gemstones on the central column and strange shifting symbols on each plate. Kai couldn''t figure out exactly how it worked, other than being based on chakra. This was the sort of magical device he hadn''t seen often on Deadwaste, maybe the sort of thing they could only create in Irun.


    "It''s imbued with chakra," Zae Zin Nim said quietly from his side. "They do a lot of that here. I think it''s checking that the material is pure, to be sure we''re not cheating him."


    "How can it do that?" Kai asked.


    "Don''t ask me about details. Chakra isn''t as precise as qi, it works more off emotions and intents. Some specialist must have imbued the scale with elements of purity and fairness."


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    "So it lets him know if we''re trying to cheat him, but how do we know if it''s the other way around?"


    Zae Zin Nim shrugged indifferently, uninterested in the practices of merchants. But Omilaena appeared to have finished her haggling and turned back to him, switching to familiar Goralian.


    "There are agencies here in Crescilor that set standards," she explained. "In a big port like this, you don''t have to worry about it too much. But Rosemount doesn''t have any continent-wide organizations, and nothing like your Frontier, so you''re right to be skeptical. Elsewhere you''ll find all kinds of clever ways to manipulate the systems."


    "You''ll have to explain more of that to me later," Kai said.


    "Eventually. Right now there''s too much to do."


    "Is it done?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "I want to get back on task."


    "We''ve sold everything except the ship and our functional supplies." Omilaena revealed a sack of golden coins. "This should be enough to get us started."


    As they negotiated space for the diamond star and other details, Kai examined the coins and figured out the monetary system. These were the same heavy golden discs with octagonal sides that he''d been given before. According to Omilaena, these were distributed by some place called the Commonwealth. Instead of having arbitrary values, higher value coins were imbued with more "gold essence" and so they were physically worth more.


    Still, in the end gold was gold. They had just over 100,000 Commonwealth Crests, which wasn''t so different from the value of 100,000 Goralian Eagles. And apparently that was just a start.


    Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim had been arguing about something at the docks in another language, but when he moved closer they switched back. Zae Zin Nim cast him a sour glance as she explained. "It''s costing us a thousand Crests per month just to store the crystal ship here, even though we''re not staying a full month, and it''s not even well-protected. That''s a waste."


    "But what''s the alternative?" Omilaena asked. "You''ve seen they don''t allow as much flying here, so we can''t just take it with us."


    "We need to purchase a proper spatial device. We''re on a real continent now, they should be available."


    Apparently Zae Zin Nim was willing to argue the point hard enough that Omilaena relented. They left the docks and headed into the city to find a proper market. Away from the docks there were fewer sailors but even more people, cramming the streets with species he''d never seen before. When the merchants got involved he was surrounded by a dazzling array of items and sometimes he wasn''t even sure which ones were food.


    Eventually they reached a higher class market, filled with items that he could recognize as power-enhancing, even if he had no idea of their origins. They passed through strings of beads to enter a shop and Kai was surprised when the temperature went from sweltering to pleasantly cool. There were fewer people here and the owner immediately approached.


    Zae Zin Nim began to barter with him in the trade language and for a while Kai was fascinated. The shop owner showed them what looked like an ordinary satchel, then pulled an entire spear out of it. Kai had seen a few spatial items like that back in Goralia, but they were usually just a few times bigger than the satchel itself.


    They moved on to elaborate silver bangles and the merchant pulled jewelry and other items out of the extra-spatial storage, the items appearing as if by magic. That was definitely more than Kai had ever seen before. Yet Zae Zin Nim didn''t seem satisfied.


    She was still haggling, so Kai''s attention waned. He looked around at the other customers in the shop, taking the chance to observe without seeming too strange. At first he thought that most of them were human, then he realized that some of the lithe bronze-skinned people had pointed ears, like the sailor he''d seen in the bay. Up close they weren''t nearly as human as he thought, so he''d have to ask about that later.


    Eventually Zae Zin Nim returned to them with a renewed scowl. "Proper spatial devices start at a quarter million Crests," she explained. "It''s not worth buying garbage. What''s our actual plan to escape my father''s sect?"


    "We have multiple options," Omilaena said. "I''ve asked around and we''re not going to find enough power here in Crescilor. Well, they probably trade it, but we''d pay a premium. It makes more sense to keep moving and get something stronger from the source."


    "And what is that?"


    "It might make the most sense to head east to the Commonwealth. Let''s go talk to some contacts, that will get us on the right track."


    Kai couldn''t weigh in on such matters, so he only nodded. He wanted to ask Omilaena about some of what he''d seen, but she seemed preoccupied. They left the mercantile quarter of the city and entered more official streets, some of them covered in colorful petals that released pleasant smells when crushed underfoot. It was actually enough to overwhelm the stink of the city.


    There were signs here, in multiple different languages that all just looked like squiggles to him. Was he going to have to spend a long time learning new languages or just be ignorant forever? None of them seemed to be what Omilaena wanted until they reached a large gold and white building that made her smile.


    "Here we go, Commonwealth embassy. We should find what we need here."


    Unlike many of the other buildings on the street, there were no guards on this one. Few people overall, actually, which struck him as strange as they walked inside. It looked as though there were desks that should have handled various kinds of business, but almost all of them were empty. The few workers he saw moved around quietly, as if nervous.


    Then Kai saw a man who immediately made a chill run up his spine. Though he looked close to human, there was something distinctly different about his power. Pale skin contrasted sharply with his black uniform, and when he turned around, his eyes burned like hot coals. He saw them and smiled, revealing a mouth filled with pointed teeth.


    Kai stopped himself from physically reacting, because he didn''t want to start a fight, but his spiritual sense had already passed over the man.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 833


    Crimson Demon: Garnet Rank (137)


    Demonic Cultivation: Earth Soul (445)


    Physique: D-3 (215)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    The man, or perhaps demon, gave them a sinister smile until Omilaena stopped the group. She smiled back, then gestured for them to turn around and kept smiling until they left the building. As soon as they were outside, the smile vanished.


    "Well shit," Omilaena said. "So much for the easy path."

 Chapter 231: Demons and Demonic Arts

    Once they got a safe distance away, Omilaena immediately went to talk to some locals without much explanation. Since it seemed to be important, Kai didn''t object, but he was getting tired of being pulled around not understanding. While they waited, he glanced over to Zae Zin Nim.


    "Do you know what that was about?"


    "Not the politics, but the man..." She frowned and he thought he could see real anxiety behind her expression. "He was a demon. Not a user of demonic arts, the actual thing."


    "I''m not sure what that really means. You have demons on Cloudspire too?"


    "They''re a rare species and they fight one another too much to ever form nations or anything more than small sects. I can''t stress enough just how dangerous they are. All the demonic arts can be used to drain power from other people, but true demons can do it naturally. They might look human, but they''re predators that prey on other intelligent races."


    Kai glanced back toward the Commonwealth building despite himself. "Are you saying that he might have attacked us in the middle of Roseport?"


    "Probably not, but you can never be sure." Zae Zin Nim gave a little shiver. "I might be protected by the fact that I''m still at the Nascent Foundation stage. Right now he can''t drain as much power from me, but if I was at the Earth Soul stage I''d be a primary target."


    "I can understand how anyone who drains power is dangerous," Kai said. And he definitely knew, with strong memories of Anaelina. "But isn''t he the weakest Earth Soul we''ve seen? All the cultivators your father sent had at least 500 Power... unless your sect''s cultivation is just stronger?"


    "Demons are usually a bit weaker than you''d expect for their stage - the scary thing is just how fast they advance, since they steal cultivation. And unlike most, they aren''t truly capped by an imperfect breakthrough because they can just keep draining."


    Now he understood the immediate reaction, though he still wasn''t sure why the appearance of one demon ruined Omilaena''s plans. While they waited for her to finish her investigations, he thought back to Anaelina. Her name had a similar sound to Omilaena, especially compared to all the exotic languages he''d heard since coming to Rosemount. There might be a connection, even though they used different sorts of power.


    "His soul said ''Crimson Demon''," Kai said. "Is that his inherent nature, or...?"


    "No, that''s a demonic art. A human or any other species can in theory learn them, if they''re willing to pay the price, they just won''t be able to learn as much." Zae Zin Nim cast him a somber glance. "You''re thinking about Anaelina, aren''t you? She had Silver Demon arts, which means she drains essence. I''m pretty sure Crimson Demons drain power through blood."


    "How many dif-"


    "Before you ask, I don''t know all the different demonic arts. It''s enough to know you shouldn''t trust any of them. That was what you were going to ask, right?"


    "Yeah, you got me there," Kai said with a grin. "I''ll ask Omilaena."


    "Of course you will." Zae Zin Nim rolled her eyes, but then shifted to a thoughtful look. "You might actually have less to fear. Back in Rayakan, Anaelina tried to drain you and failed, so you may be resistant. I still wouldn''t suggest getting in their way, because they can just kill you with raw power."


    "Believe me, I''m really not here to start any fights. Scary power or not, we don''t actually know if they''re our enemies or even doing anything wrong."


    Zae Zin Nim shot him a glance as if this was an absurd thing to say, and he supposed it made sense from her perspective. Nothing would be scarier to a cultivator than someone who could steal their cultivation. But from his perspective, most cultivators seemed to live off the blood of others, at least metaphorically, and societies like Krysal were just as exploitative. He wasn''t going to write off anyone just because of the power they had been born with.


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    Not that he was going to go back and hug the demon, though.


    They only had to wait a while longer before Omilaena emerged from an embassy building and gestured for them to follow. Her expression was less worried now, more frustrated. Hopefully she''d gained the knowledge they needed to choose their next step.


    "Here''s the situation," she said as they walked down the street. "The easiest option would have been to head into the Commonwealth. There we could have found a way to hide Zae Zin Nim''s cultivation completely, plus it''s the ideal place for us to gain more power. Now that its leadership has changed, we''re going to have to find another way."


    "I mainly know the abilities of Rosemount," Zae Zin Nim said, "I don''t pay attention to all your random wars. Which place is this?"


    "This is partially for Kai''s benefit, but what you need to understand about Rosemount is that nations rise and fall about as fast as minor sects on Cloudspire. There aren''t many powers that endure for generations, especially if they relied on the strength of a single powerful leader."


    "That''s why I don''t pay attention to your squabbling."


    "But this is an exception. The Commonwealth of Traebor has existed for over a thousand years, longer than many of your sects." Omilaena gestured vaguely, as if she was thinking of summoning something but resisting. "Its secret is developing robust systems that conquerors want to take over instead of destroy. For example, they mint all the Crests, which are the most widespread currency on the continent. Leadership has changed hands multiple times, but the Commonwealth endures."


    Finally Kai could put enough together to join the conversation. "I''m guessing that the demon we saw represented new leadership and the Commonwealth isn''t so safe anymore?"


    "That''s right. Rumor is that a demon of incredible strength took over, and he''s attracted some others. They aren''t going to burn the country down, but people like us who have power they might want to drain can''t travel there safely."


    "But power can easily become a shield," Zae Zin Nim said. "If we gain enough strength, they wouldn''t dare attack us."


    "We might be able to fight the minions, but their leader?" Omilaena shook her head. "If he''s as dangerous as others are reporting, he''s equal to the Empress or the Windlord. That''s well above our reach for now."


    They were talking about the most powerful people on the continent, and potentially much of the world, but of course Omilaena said "for now" when discussing their strength. It made Kai smile, even though he knew they needed to stay practical. In the short term, their path to power wouldn''t be through taking such insane risks.


    "I don''t know these figures you''re referencing," he said. "I assume they''re the great powers of Rosemount?"


    "There''s no time to give you an entire lecture on continental politics. We need to decide our next strategy." Omilaena glanced down at Zae Zin Nim, as if to make it clear that the conversation was going to be mainly in between them. "We''re weeks ahead of the sect cultivators, so how nervous are you feeling? We need to think long term, but how long term?"


    "That depends." Zae Zin Nim seemed to be considering the matter carefully. "I do need a way to hide my presence, but I don''t want to run away forever. I also need enough strength to go back and confront my father. Is the Commonwealth the best place for us to take those steps?"


    "I don''t know the entire continent, but it''s the best one I know. Of course, I also have goals I''d really like to reach there, so I have my own interests. It''s a question of opportunity cost. For example, we could travel to the Flaeren Dominion and acquire artifacts that could hide you completely. But that would require all our time and resources for a long while, so it would mean giving up on options back on this side of the continent."


    Zae Zin Nim sighed but didn''t say anything while Omilaena still glanced back toward the Commonwealth building occasionally. He wondered just what she wanted there and whether or not she would be honest if he asked. Despite how far they''d walked, it didn''t seem like they''d made any progress on their central problem.


    "Are there any foundational steps we can take?" he asked. "I mean things we can do to improve our position no matter which path we choose. That would give us time to gather more information, then we can make our decision with more power behind us."


    "I need more qi," Zae Zin Nim said reluctantly, "assuming we can find pure qi here. I don''t want to break through to Earth Soul while they might notice, but I do need to reach that stage regardless of how I hide my presence."


    "There are a lot of resources I couldn''t use before I left for Deadwaste, so I can stay busy." Omilaena shrugged but then grinned at him. "You''re actually the one with the most obvious step to take. Right now, you reinforce your body and amplify your other abilities with mana and qi. If you want to fight here, you need to get used to chakra."


    "Then isn''t that our answer?" Kai glanced between the two women and then cracked his knuckles. "We''re on a new continent, but our goal hasn''t changed. Time to get to work."

 Chapter 232: The Great Powers of Rosemount

    Since they would be staying in Roseport for at least a short time, they needed to find suitable lodging. After the chaos of the ocean voyage, both women insisted that they could afford some luxury and Kai wasn''t going to argue with them. They went to an inn that seemed to be reasonably nice, and perhaps more importantly, had very high security.


    They hadn''t discussed their exact room arrangements, which he hadn''t realized could be a problem. When Omilaena requested a single room, the woman running the inn raised her eyebrows. Kai couldn''t understand what she said in response, but he definitely understood the tone of Zae Zin Nim''s awkward stammering response. She was denying anything, despite the innkeeper not seeming particularly scandalized.


    As far as Kai knew, cultures on Rosemount were generally more relaxed about sex than on Deadwaste, and far more so than Cloudspire. It seemed a bit absurd to him, as the three of them had spent months together on the ship. There was no need for tension, they just worked together.


    When they reached their room, which was luxurious despite the small size, it seemed like other concerns took over. "I can''t wait to finally be clean," Zae Zin Nim said. "Getting a room with a bath was entirely worth it. I''m going first."


    "You think you want this more than me?" Omilaena examined her own fingernails with a look of disgust. "I''m basically a filthy beggar. I will fight you for this."


    "Clearly you''re used to filth. I''m going first."


    "Why don''t we just go together, then?" Omilaena wiggled her eyebrows and tried to slip her arm around Zae Zin Nim''s waist, only for the other woman to grab her arm and try to throw her.


    Omilaena slipped out of it and danced back, apparently planning to enter the bathing chamber by force.


    "Let chance decide!" Zae Zin Nim announced, and hurled one of their golden coins into the other woman''s path. Omilaena just laughed and deflected it, sending it straight back at the shorter woman''s face. The two of them struck back and forth, sending the coin flying with force that threatened to bend the metal.


    However their contest worked, Omilaena seemed to win. She flounced into the bathing chamber while Zae Zin Nim went off to sulk and cultivate. All of that seemed fine to Kai, not a serious conflict, except that it left his sense of focus in tatters. Now all he could think about was the fact that both of them would be bathing just one wall away.


    How long had it been since he''d been intimate with anyone? Technically, it had been the night before the final battle in Yulthens, but since then there had been ordeals of all kinds, from braving the Blood Current to the quieter stress of losing his relationships with Nirka and Yurwa. He''d spent that entire time in combat mode, running on pure monstrous hunger. Lurching back in the other direction all at once made him feel like a horny youth.


    It was more than just physical, though. He no longer yearned for Juray in quite the same way, and hoped that she had moved on, but he missed coming home to someone. Or even having anywhere to come home to.


    To control his thoughts by force, Kai decided to cultivate as well. He''d been so focused on monstrous essence and physical training that his cultivation could use work. Even if he was far behind Zae Zin Nim, he would need that power along with all his others if they wanted to compete in this new environment. There was no point thinking about that nonsense when they had so far to go.


    His concentration held until Omilaena finished cleaning up and emerged in a robe. It was fairly thick and covered her torso, but the way it cinched tight at the waist and didn''t even reach her knees... he did his best to return to cultivation and ignore both women.


    "I decided not to torment you," Omilaena said, "and I refreshed the water. You''ll have to heat it, but the chakra burner is easy to use. Enjoy yourself."


    "Thank you," Zae Zin Nim said stiffly, then entered the bathroom.


    Kai kept his back turned. It was just obvious that they''d want to clean up and he was used to fighting in dirty conditions. He could go last and simply not think about what they were doing until then. Back to cultivation... cultivation... cultivation...


    "Look who''s being a proper gentleman." Omilaena leaned on his shoulder and he could feel the heat of her body practically touching his back. This didn''t help at all. "I guess I should have invited you to join me."


    "Weren''t you lecturing me about how seriously I needed to take Rosemount?" he asked sharply.


    "You really need a way to unwind. Come to think of it, we were on the same ship so long... you must be under a lot of pressure unless you were - ahem - taking care of business under the water. Or maybe you met some sexy aquatic monsters?"


    Her statement just raised the same question about her and he was fairly sure that was her trap. Kai swatted her hand and spun around to face her, not letting her intimidate him. She might be wearing a short robe with her hips cocked to one side, but he knew Omilaena well enough to know that he could puncture all her teasing.


    "If we''re really going to split up, I need more information," he told her in his most serious voice. "I thought you''d told us enough about Rosemount, but now... I don''t recognize a tenth of the different factions we see in the city. Can you run through all the details again for me?"


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    "Ah, but Rosemount is a more complex continent than Deadwaste. The energies are so rich here, they produce countless types of power. I couldn''t list them all for you if we had a year, in part because I don''t know them all myself. The factions and little kingdoms especially just keep changing."


    "At least tell me enough so I don''t do something stupid."


    "If you insist." Omilaena sighed and flopped back onto the bed. For once he didn''t think she was flaunting herself, the problem was in his own head, so he averted his eyes. "I already told you the basics about the laws here - self-defense applies to everything unless you attack someone really important. If you do, retreat to one of our backup points north of the city. If someone attacks you, fight back unless they''re head of a major faction."


    "But that''s exactly the sort of thing I don''t know."


    "Basically, Rosemount has three major powers and two persistent ones. Crescilor manages to control a lot of trade, and we already talked about the Commonwealth. Neither had a great power, at least until the demons arrived."


    "Are the major powers the ones with the strongest warriors you talked about?"


    "That''s right. The Flaeren Dominion in the far east is ruled by the Windlord and hopefully you won''t have to deal with them any time soon. Then there''s the Coiled Empire on the big peninsula, with its immortal Empress. And the Elven Wilds have, you guessed it, elves."


    "Elves?" He blinked in surprise. The word sounded slightly familiar, now that it came up, but he wasn''t sure.


    "Oh, you''ve seen them." Omilaena propped herself up on one elbow and looked at him as if slightly surprised. "They have the pointy ears. Even though they look pretty similar to humans, they''re a completely different species overall. There are other types on Cloudspire, and I thought in the very east of Deadwaste, but I guess you haven''t run into them. The ones here live in a huge desert called the Elven Wilds. They have multiple factions, but together they''re a major power."


    Now he knew who she meant: a large percentage of the people he''d thought were human at first were actually the bronze-skinned elves. That skin made sense if they lived in a desert, he supposed. Now that he thought about it, their skin was similar to Omilaena''s golden brown. Her ears looked normal... most likely it was just a coincidence, because of course people came in all sorts of different colors.


    "Anyway, the Windlord, the Empress, and the Elven Elders," Omilaena ticked off each one on slender fingers, "each have some sort of massive advantage that renders them unstoppable, called god abilities. Don''t ask me to explain those in full, because if I understood I''d be a lot closer to true power. The three of them have more to lose than to gain fighting each other, so they generally don''t. They say the demon who took over the Commonwealth can stand on the same playing field, so that''s four supreme warriors or great powers."


    "I guess we should learn more about them, but..." Kai shook his head. "People here aren''t stupid. Presumably there are whole factions trying to figure out their secrets."


    "You''re right about that, but you have your eyes on the right targets. If we have a chance to get closer to any of those factions, that could potentially take us in the right direction."


    Now at least he had a view of the continent in his head. Still an over-simplified view, but it was better than just imagining a vast island of jungles and monsters.


    When it was his turn to bathe, Kai cleaned up quickly and put on new clothes that weren''t so torn apart. He''d expected his thoughts to wander in the bath, but he''d reverted to old hungers for power. There would be time to think about personal issues when they''d escaped their current problems. In some senses, despite all the strength he''d gained, he was still a young hunter who needed to establish his life.


    He remembered that he should have asked about the "Soul Cultivation" he''d seen, especially by some of the elves. Anything that broke the apparent rules of power had to be important. But when he emerged, everyone was too tired to talk, as it had been a long day even without any combat. Kai slept on the floor while the other two took opposite sides of the bed.


    In the morning, he was surprised to sleep in as he almost never did. Both women were already awake and fully dressed. Now that they had their bearings, it was time to begin investigating what Roseport had to offer.


    "Three branches to this plan," Omilaena told them smoothly. "I''m going to explore sources of chakra and local politics, get the lay of the land. Zae Zin Nim, you''re heading north to the qi quarter. You should buy the resources you actually need, but also be seen trying to charter a ship back to Cloudspire."


    "Should I use my real identity?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "No, let''s make your father''s minions work a little for it. There will be enough suspicious details trying to set a false trail, so let''s not make ourselves too obvious."


    "What do I do?" Kai asked. "I don''t suppose there''s a Goralian quarter?"


    "It''s all Deadwaste here," Omilaena said with a shrug. "But yes, you''ll be headed south. There''s a poorer region of Roseport that deals in materials from Deadwaste and even has some immigrants. They''d definitely react poorly to the two of us, so you going alone might get through to them."


    "But do they have anything we need?"


    "That''s what you''re going to find out."


    They split up, finally going in separate directions after so long sailing together. Part of Kai enjoyed walking through the city at a more leisurely pace, just soaking in the new environment. Another part of him was deeply alienated, surrounded by people he didn''t know and languages he didn''t understand. In one sense he could take care of himself, but in another sense he was stumbling through a foreign land.


    Once he got further south he began to see a few people he recognized. They were mostly people with hair from the Elemental Nations, which made sense since that region was closest to Rosemount. He found a shop selling weapons from Irun, which actually went for surprisingly high prices. Judging from the conversation there, apparently Irunian steel was excellent for imbuing with chakra.


    There was nothing he actually needed there, but as Kai wandered into a sketchier part of the city, he discovered a stall actually selling Goralian potions. Just the sight of them warmed him and he spent longer there than necessary. He spent several thousand Crests on a thin pair of potions: one was allegedly a mix of mana and qi that he thought would be perfect for Zae Zin Nim, while the second was a physical development potion stronger than any he''d seen. Maybe not enough for D-rank Physique, but it was worth the experiment.


    Kai walked on, into smaller alleys, and his instincts started to warn him of something. Too late, he realized that he''d brought this on himself: he''d forgotten that thousands of Crests was an insane number for average people, even on Rosemount. By purchasing those so casually, he''d likely painted a target on his own back.


    "Welcome to Rosemount." A man slouched into the alley in front of him and there were several others coming from behind. There was no question what they were there to do. "You look new here, why don''t you let us show you around?"


    It was a bitter irony that he traveled across the world to this deadly continent, then the first people to attack him were his own kinsmen. But these thugs were a dozen times more powerful than any he''d ever seen before, and they were closing in around him.

 Chapter 233: Chakra-Engorged Thugs

    There were thugs blocking both sides of the alley and no one else in sight. It looked like two on each side... no, there was a fifth standing on top of the buildings. Kai had expected the gang to have either made their bid or attacked already, but they seemed to be moving oddly sluggishly. He used the time to examine them properly.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 215


    Fighter Class: 150 (160)


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    For the first time in years, his eyes blurred and he struggled to interpret all the symbols he saw. The lead thug looked like he had a Class with an impossibly high Level, yet something seemed wrong. Not only did it break what he thought were the limits for Classes, there was a fuzzy sigil he didn''t quite understand.


    Even though Kai had never trained in this specifically, he had a strong foundation in the concepts and he''d been practicing on chakra for a while, first with Omilaena and then throughout the city. He looked again, trying to tighten his spiritual sight and see more accurately.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 215


    Fighter Chakra-Engorged Class: 8 (160)


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    Now it made more sense: the thug didn''t have an insanely high Class, he had a lower number of "Chakra-Engorged" Levels that seemed to be worth more. Kai hadn''t seen many Goralians, but he guessed that this was a way to inflate the strength of a Class. Other than that, which was admittedly a hefty amount of Power, the thug didn''t seem that experienced.


    All of the others were roughly comparable, though some had more mana-based abilities and one had an Irunian Path. No particularly high Physique or Soul Levels, but they had enough overall Power to potentially harm him.


    Unless he could talk his way out of this, which seemed unlikely, it was going to turn into a fight. Behemoth''s Heart and Direboar''s Strength would no doubt serve him well, Void Gaze could be critical, and he''d had the presence of mind to remove Sahagin''s Soul once they got into the city. But Baleful Breath wasn''t going to be useful to him, not unless he wanted to potentially kill all the people in the buildings around them.


    "Why don''t you remove that prissy shroud?" the lead thug demanded. "Just stay there, don''t make any sudden moves, and you''ll get out of this alive."


    "You''re really robbing me?" Kai met the man''s gaze without flinching. "You should be ashamed of yourselves."


    "No profit in shame. Now, I''m serious, we''d rather not hurt you, so just surrender what you have quick and we''ll make this easy."


    Contrary to what the leader was saying, one of the thugs behind Kai was creeping closer with a rusted-looking spear. When the man moved in to stab him, Kai dodged just aside and trapped the shaft under his arm. In the same movement he whirled and struck the thug on the side of the head.


    The man staggered, but Kai realized he''d held his blow too much - apparently the man''s engorged Class was enough to protect him. Before the man could recover, Kai struck him over the head with the end of his own spear, dropping him to the street.


    Before he could turn back, hovering stone shards slammed into his shoulder and Kai grimaced as they actually bit deep. For just a moment, he was a younger man again, struggling to fight against opponents who had been granted overwhelming power by destiny.


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    But he wasn''t, not really. Kai dodged aside from the next stone shards and then caught an arrow out of the air. The man on the rooftop had an Archer Class and the arrow burned his hand, but Kai still managed to stop it. There was another Fighter coming for him, swinging an axe, and Kai turned to disable him.


    He wasn''t quite fast enough, not while distracted by so many shards and arrows. Somehow the axe got around his guard and cut into his side, drawing more blood. Kai let out a growl and swung back with brute force, knocking the man into the opposite wall. Unfortunately, when he tried to retreat the archer kept targeting him, and the thugs kept him hemmed into the alley.


    Only one of them down, which meant four left. Kai realized that this was the wrong time to hold back or test himself. They''d planned to kill him from the beginning.


    "Think about whether you want to do this," he said during the lull. "I''m not going to hold back anymore."


    "Take him, boys!" The leader cried out the order and the others all attacked at once.


    Arrows were flying from above and stone shards from his right. The axe wielder had recovered and was charging from the other side, just as fast as before.


    Kai ducked the stone projectiles and unleashed a concentrated Tyrant''s Claw as he twisted out of his duck. That tore through the arrows, but left him open to the axe wielder, who was inside his range and bringing his axe down.


    When Kai''s teeth snapped together, the upper half of the man''s body disappeared.


    He was taken aback and hesitated along with the others. His plan had been for a lethal bite, but he''d only expected to tear out the man''s throat. Instead his spiritual maw had extended so large that only the man''s legs and hips were left, falling to the floor. Kai''s mouth was filled with the taste of human flesh.


    In the silence, two body parts hit the ground. The archer on the roofs had been cut in half by the Tyrant''s Claw and the pieces fell over the side. Those wet thumps broke the others out of their trance and they let out shouts of anger and fear. Technically Kai could have retreated down the empty alley, but he charged toward the Fighter and Stonecaster.


    When the next stone fragments shot at him, Kai fixed Void Gaze on them. While they froze in the air, he ducked past the swinging Fighter and struck at his legs. The Stonecaster reacted in time, manifesting new shards, but this time Void Gaze froze both the man and his projectiles, up until Kai snapped up them both in one bite.


    To his surprise, the last thug had managed to deflect his blow with his heavy sword. Kai turned on him and the man took a step back, starting to stammer some sort of argument, but it was too late for that. When Kai swung another Tyrant''s Claw it battered down his weapon, leaving him vulnerable to a bite. It only took one.


    His mouth was filled with human flesh and Kai was still bleeding from his injuries, but there was no time to rest. He examined the alley and saw that no one was looking, though he heard noises behind some of the boarded windows.


    Before anyone arrived, Kai used Isulfr''s Bite to remove all the corpses. Hunger burned deep within him, but it had nothing to do with that, or so he told himself. It was simply a logical decision to remove the evidence - no witnesses, no arguments, hopefully no trouble. All that remained were some weapons, which he took, and bloodstains, which didn''t look out of place in the grim alley.


    Only after all that did he stop to catch his breath. Those injuries actually hurt, and he could imagine enough thugs like that getting a lucky hit on him. More than the demon, who was simply an elite, this brawl showed him the danger of Rosemount.


    These thugs had been amateurs, but absorbing the local chakra had given them enough brute power to be a threat. Inhabitants of Rosemount who weren''t incompetent, who refined their power, who had trained as hard as him... they would be far worse. He didn''t have a chance against the real threats on the continent until he managed to draw on the same strength. So far trying to draw in chakra had felt wrong and left his stomach a little sick, but he would master it eventually.


    Just when Kai was about to leave, he heard a creak and whirled. For just a moment he saw a snake monster on the other side of a shutter and almost attacked, but his human brain reined his monstrous instincts in.


    Not monsters, just two lizardmen. Or maybe a lizardwoman, if he was judging the strange scaly face right. She had been peering out and froze when she saw him... the remnants of Void Gaze fading in his eyes probably didn''t help.


    "We didn''t see anything," she said in heavily accented Goralian. "Nobody likes the gangs anyway. Please..."


    The second monster was actually the lizardwoman''s son, squirming in her arms like any other child, albeit with a few more scales. Kai started to smile at them and barely remembered to keep his lips closed, since he wasn''t sure how bloody his teeth were.


    "Just defending myself," he said.


    "Nobody will care, not here. We won''t say a word, but the gang will be on the lookout. You should go."


    Would they turn him in the second he looked away? Kai assumed that they meant well, but if the gangs threatened them, of course the lizardwoman wasn''t going to choose a stranger over her family. It didn''t really matter. Even if he had the stomach to eliminate all witnesses, that would only turn a brawl the authorities would ignore into a mass murder that would make everything worse.


    Belatedly he realized that his new clothes had been torn and bloodstained during the fight. They''d barely even lasted two days. Since they would just make him look more guilty, Kai decided to retreat as quickly as possible. He started to go back toward their hotel, then realized that he might be tailed. Normally he thought he could lose followers, but he had to assume that Rosemount would have more dangerous stealth or tracking techniques.


    So instead he headed out of the city, toward one of their rendezvous points. As he went, he wondered whether or not he should blame himself for this one. Should he have known the alleyway was dangerous, or could he have found a clever way around the fight?


    Or was fate ready to punish him again?

 Chapter 234: The Jungles of Rosemount

    "It''s definitely not ideal," Omilaena said. "The thugs weren''t wearing any kind of insignia?"


    Kai shook his head. "If you don''t see anything on the items I have here, it was eaten."


    "Probably just a gang, not a more significant group. This isn''t catastrophic, just... not ideal."


    He''d waited outside the city, going through his familiar exercise routine while alert for an attack. Omilaena had been the first one to arrive, wondering what had gone wrong when he didn''t come back on time. Apparently Zae Zin Nim had been even more eager to go charging into the city and only reluctantly restrained herself out of caution.


    At least the wait and Omilaena''s cautious approach had confirmed that he wasn''t still being tailed. People died fairly frequently in the bad end of the city, so his fight hadn''t caused any waves. Her estimate was that the fact that their attack team just disappeared would make the gang both more curious and more apprehensive about taking any actions.


    "So what do we do now?" Kai asked. "Did I screw this up for us?"


    "Honestly, I think we could take the whole gang. Might even be rewarded for it." Omilaena sighed and made a gesture of futility. "But this is exactly the sort of thing we shouldn''t do, if we''re trying to keep a low profile. At least since you got out and didn''t lead anyone to us, we should have good options, if you''re willing to rough it."


    "When have I done anything else? But I''m not sure what you mean."


    "I didn''t make progress on my own goals today, but I did learn something useful to you. We''re just going to use it sooner than I expected. Here, come this way. Zae Zin Nim can meet you later with some of the stuff you''ll need out here. Let me show you first."


    He followed her away from the outskirts of Roseport, into the depths of the continent. To the east of the city there was a large, well-paved road that seemed to receive a lot of traffic. Smaller villages spread from it as the city sprawled south... but it didn''t sprawl north. The jungle didn''t seem denser here than it was in other places, so he wasn''t sure quite why.


    "You haven''t figured it out?" Omilaena asked when she saw him looking around the jungle. "Here''s a hint: it isn''t that people can''t settle this part, it''s that they don''t want to."


    "Oh." When he sensed more carefully, he realized that while the overriding flow of chakra from the land was constant, mana and qi were dwindling. "It''s an area with limited energy, by Rosemount standards?"


    "Exactly. The chakra here is strong, but not strong enough to make up for what it''s lacking, so people move out and monsters move in. It''s a perfect place for you to adjust to chakra, plus maybe do some monster hunting. Assuming you''re careful, you should be able to survive out here."


    "And meanwhile you and Zae Zin Nim can make progress in the city. Makes sense."


    "You''re giving up the bath and the luxury and our lovely company for a while, but-"


    "But I deserve it, I know."


    Omilaena put a hand on his shoulder, for once not seductively. "That wasn''t what I meant, Kai. The strong eat the weak on Rosemount. If it hadn''t been this, someone else would have run into trouble. You did about as well as you could, it''s just bad luck that you''re the one who will have to suffer through the consequences."


    "I... thanks." Kai nodded to her, probably too curtly, and she withdrew her hand.


    She gave him more information about the jungle region and they set up plans to meet periodically. Maybe he was just trying to convince himself, but Kai could see the upsides. No more extremely awkward times at the inn, and this way he could focus on his training. He trusted the two of them to help him get what he needed from civilization, which freed him to take as much as he could from the wilds.


    Even though this was presumably one of Rosemount''s least dangerous jungles, he couldn''t relax. Within the first hour he ran into a pack of monstrous monkeys, not so different from those he''d been able to kill easily even as a novice hunter. But these had been soaked in potent chakra, so they were more of a threat. They hurled pointed seeds and rocks hard enough to bruise, and when one got close and managed to bite him, it left a nasty wound that would have been trouble if not for Behemoth''s Heart.


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    The monkeys weren''t powerful enough to satisfy his new hunger, but he ate the entire pack and managed to preserve some of their essence. If he kept this up, maybe he would finally build up enough monsters to do further experimentation. Tracking down the most powerful monsters had worked for him in Krysal, but it meant that he couldn''t take any destructive risks when it came time to work with his abilities.


    At the end of that day Zae Zin Nim found him at the site and handed over various supplies, in addition to some qi pills and a healing potion that she claimed had been lying around but he was fairly sure that she had actually purchased for him. He was grateful for most of the supplies, particularly the fire and water stones, not to mention a cleaning stone that would keep him from smelling too rank.


    He declined to take the magic tent, however. In a jungle he barely knew, it wouldn''t offer much protection and might get torn apart. Instead he went back to relying on old skills he hadn''t used in years, including some he''d trained before he''d even awakened his Class.


    Surviving out in the jungle was oddly nostalgic, despite the unfamiliar environment. It reminded him of the old survival trips Gunjin had taken his orphans on, teaching them all kinds of skills they might need. Back then he''d been sure that he''d come of age and uncover a grand Class that would define the rest of his life, so he needed to prepare every possible skill in order to prepare for what fate would grant him.


    Well, that had ultimately defined his life, just not in the way he''d expected. Now he had very different skills than he''d anticipated, and he was maybe even a different person, but he could still use these old skills. Even though he barely needed weapons anymore, he still fashioned some spears and set up a few pit traps, just to confirm the principles would work in a foreign jungle. As he regained his confidence, living in the jungle was almost relaxing.


    The first night, he was nearly suffocated to death by living vines.


    They''d been completely motionless during the day and he''d checked them enough he thought they were just chakra-dense plants. When they crept around him, they moved so slowly that his instincts hadn''t immediately woken him. Then his hunger kicked in and he jerked awake, thrashing against the vines that sprang around him, trying to drain his strength.


    Tyrant''s Claw and Isulfr''s Bite proved more than equal to them. Clearly the vines were ambush predators, subtle but not capable of dealing with his destructive force. Once he''d destroyed or eaten a significant number of them, the others retreated.


    Kai sat in the mess of his camp, too alert to sleep. The fibrous taste of the vines was still thick in his mouth, which made him reflect on the fundamental hunger. Despite all the trappings of a carnivore, the hunger wasn''t specifically interested in meat. It seemed to be hungry for everything, which he reflected was actually another strange aspect of it. Outside of the worst starvation, people usually hungered for something. Hunger was an urge that could be satisfied. Yet his hunger seemed to have no inclinations and no bottom, just an endless desire for more.


    Where had that hunger ultimately come from? Monstrous Hunger had been in his soul from the earliest time he could see those abilities, but he didn''t think it could have been there from the beginning. If he''d been born with it, surely it would have emerged earlier. Yet he couldn''t pin it to any specific event, not like his other early abilities.


    Though he could still see his abilities as statues within the island of his soul, Kai had thought he''d grown beyond that visualization. Now, in the middle of the dark and strange jungle, he returned to it and stood on the dark shores.


    The island was far more filled with statues this time, so many monsters he''d eaten scattered as statues of different sizes. Those he actually held active stood in a circle around the center of the island. It seemed like there was just black sand there, and yet when he approached, he felt as though something was trembling...


    Surely he couldn''t be afraid or unwilling to accept himself. Hadn''t he embraced his whole self as a unified being long ago in order to advance? So he forced himself to dig, seeking the vicious presence he''d felt in the center so long ago.


    It seemed to rush at him, roaring in endless hunger, but the sensation vanished a moment later. For just a moment, Kai thought he saw a new statue in the center: himself. Just himself, standing on a dark plinth. That vision of him had chaotic hair and wild eyes, but it wasn''t fundamentally different.


    When the image vanished a moment later, Kai drifted out of his internal vision, suddenly disaffected. So the Monstrous Hunger in his soul was just himself? That almost seemed like it was the same lesson: he wasn''t a human that had harnessed some monster essence, he had abandoned much of his human soul to become a sort of monster himself.


    That couldn''t have been the case from the beginning or every single adult would have identified it - he probably would have been killed in the crib. And after being rejected by fate so many times, Kai would have been dissatisfied if that first power had been granted to him by destiny. Yet he didn''t really have an answer, or at least not a satisfying one.


    Maybe on some level he''d chosen to become a monster, despite the fact that his entire life had been built around the mission of saving his home from the monster incursions. Kai sat in the darkness and wondered what that meant.

 Chapter 235: Bone and Fear

    It took Kai three full days just to get a general sense for part of the jungle, which didn''t come close to fully exploring it. There was a den surrounded by bones that he chose to avoid until later, as well as a large field of plants that seemed to be carnivorous. A river fed into a lake, which he avoided temporarily just in case it held anything particularly nasty.


    What he stayed farthest away from, however, was the signs of civilization to the northeast. As near as he could tell, there was some kind of poor community living in a fort on the other side of the second river. After the gang''s attack, not to mention all the trouble in Krysal, Kai didn''t want to deal with them. They seemed not to notice him, so he decided to leave them alone.


    Just surviving in the jungle could have been fun, but Kai couldn''t let himself ease up. Even while he was doing this, Zae Zin Nim''s pursuers were catching up. As much as she might want to deal with everything herself, she was counting on him to find a way forward.


    So Kai returned to the lake, despite his apprehensions at the dark water. He placed Sahagin''s Soul back in his primary abilities and then leapt in to take on the monsters the jungle had to offer. Within a few hours he''d been electrocuted by some sort of jellyfish and nearly bitten in half by a massive crocodile, but the monsters weren''t so strong they could snuff him out. If he kept his wits about him and used all his strength, he could come out the victor and retreat to his camp to recover.


    And, more importantly, to experiment. Most of the monsters in the jungle were clearly not powerful enough to become a permanent part of his soul, but they left enough essence for him to work with. Now it was finally time to attempt some things that he''d been avoiding for the sake of caution.


    First he confirmed a number of theories, mostly to the negative. He couldn''t just eat the same monster over and over to increase the strength of an ability, and feeding lesser abilities into others didn''t give him a cheap path to increasing them rapidly. There seemed to be a law of diminishing returns if he kept feeding abilities continually.


    Merging several equal abilities into Behemoth''s Heart had been the right path, then. He tried to feed the lesser aquatic monsters to each other and then merge them all into Sahagin''s Soul, but it only worked moderately well. Its rank had increased from delta to epsilon, but he wasn''t sure how much of that was just because of further training the ability.


    It wasn''t useless, however. The crocodile essence especially added some real force to Sahagin''s Soul, letting him hit harder and faster underwater. When he got back out of the pond, he actually felt sluggish, and not just because he was dripping wet.


    What he needed most was a mobility skill, or at least something that let him tap into more speed. He was fast by normal standards, pushed by his D-rank Physique and the secondary benefits of Behemoth''s Heart, but he was still slow compared to his fastest opponents. By testing he discovered that he could improve his speed even with a single weaker monster that had a fast essence. The problem was that he had so few slots, it was a waste to fill them with anything but an exceptional skill.


    He didn''t come to any solutions before his region of the jungle was disrupted by a thundering sound. It interrupted his meditation in between hunts and he looked up from his tree perch, surprised. Whatever it was, it didn''t match the jungle sounds he''d come to know.


    From his vantage point he could see it: a strange bulky creature that trundled forward on six legs like tree stumps. Its back and sides were covered in shaggy green fur, but the front of its head seemed to be made of almost solid bone. He could barely even see the eyes, gleaming in recessed sockets within the bone plate. A wide mouth was filled with flat teeth, but that didn''t stop the monster from swallowing some of the jungle animals whole.


    The sound was caused by it rushing forward, slamming through trees that got in its way. Intrigued by such a powerful monster, Kai tried to examined it closer.


    <


    Monster: ???


    Threat: VII (Eta)


    >


    He couldn''t discern enough about its nature, but it was an Eta-ranked threat, definitely worth his time. Since it didn''t have spikes, claws, or other obvious weapons, he decided to meet it strength for strength. Kai ran ahead to get into its path and then picked a good spot.


    Soon the beast charged at him... and Kai''s legs shook in fear.


    Its bone plate hit him with jarring force, sending him tumbling through the forest so rapidly he snapped through several trees. His chest ached like his heart itself had been bruised, and he was more than a little stunned, but what really shook him was that moment of fear.


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    Kai forced himself up on one hand, preparing to face the monster again. It was turning on him, a bit awkwardly and slowly before it could charge again. Nothing but a big hairy bull... and yet he felt another rush of fear.


    His monstrous essence wanted to roar back in defiance, but bravery or arrogance wouldn''t save him here. What helped him break through was a subtler observation: the legacy of the Shademonger was active, as if defending him from a mental or spiritual threat. After everything he''d faced, even a powerful monster shouldn''t inspire fear like this.


    Growling almost subconsciously, Kai got back up and forced himself to stare down the monster. Waves of fear struck him like an assault, and now that he could identify it as an attack, he could fight back. This monster seemed to be casting fear into his mind.


    When it charged again he leapt out of the way, and he wasn''t entirely sure if it was the fear or just caution. Whatever this power was, he absolutely needed to understand and defeat it. Unfortunately, it seemed to be a pure chakra ability and no amount of meditation or cultivation could overcome it. Even after Kai retreated, only distance made the foreign emotions disappear.


    Since Omilaena said that chakra was intuitive and emotional, Kai decided to try to gain understanding through combat. He''d been feeling a bit nauseous, likely due to all the chakra in the environment, so maybe he needed to push through that. Before the monster left the region, he went to confront it again.


    Focusing on intellect, he managed to construct a variety of traps and weapons, just as a test. Unfortunately, the monster''s eyes were too armored within their bone sockets and all his thrusts glanced off the plate. With his limbs still trembling slightly, it was all he could do to make an attempt and get out of the way. When he led it into a pit trap, the monster rolled forward and smashed the stakes with the heavy bone, then crawled back out. Log traps bounced off its fur and it was too strong to tangle its legs for long, so little worked.


    Repeated confrontations made it easier to cope with the unnatural fear, but he couldn''t overcome it directly. He discovered that one monstrous ability definitely worked: Void Gaze could freeze the monster''s charges in place. That would have been enough to let him kill and eat it, but he needed to gain more than that to feel like he''d really won.


    He was fairly confident that Baleful Breath would work as well, but he didn''t want to go that far. Not unless he didn''t have any other choice.


    Even aside from its mysterious fear, the monster had so much raw strength in its charge that he struggled to deal with it. Kai retreated and tried to contemplate the fundamentals of Physique. His body was reinforced with mana - that had been the primary benefit of reaching F-rank Physique a long time ago, after all. That meant his flesh was partially magical, a step toward a manifested attack. He had begun flowing qi through his body as well from his cultivation, which doubly reinforced it.


    Now he had chakra flowing through him, both from everything he ate and just breathing it in from the air. Was that clashing with the power he already had? He did feel a bit sick and unbalanced, but Omilaena had said he should be able to adapt. Maybe his body was seeking mana or qi and not properly absorbing all the chakra. Unfortunately, he didn''t know how to command it to do what it already did instinctively.


    That thought finally brought him back around to the unnatural fear. It was like the monster was hitting some human instinct directly, manipulating his mind instead of his soul. There were many techniques that attacked the mind, even if they weren''t common on Deadwaste. Whatever this one was, he was still struggling to build a defense against it.


    Once it had eaten many of the trees as well as some other monsters, the new beast began to wander north. Kai could try to herd it back to keep fighting it, but that was only moderately effective. If it was going to escape, should he keep trying to overcome the new ability or just eat it and hope that would grant him the capacity?


    Amid all his theoretical thoughts, Kai forgot about the strange little community in the north. It was only after he heard screams that he realized that the monster must be targeting them specifically. He raced through the jungle after it, not sure what he would find.


    A family of bronze-skinned elves had been sailing up the river, presumably to visit the community. Now they were desperately flailing as the monster wallowed into the water as if it intended to charge straight into them. The fear that always struck Kai seemed to control them completely, leaving nothing but panic as the monster drew closer and closer.


    Kai leapt at full speed and slammed his feet into the beast''s skull plate. Not trying to hurt it, just applying raw force. It sailed backward into the air, roaring and tumbling. Before it could fall, Kai froze it in midair with Void Gaze.


    His plan had been to build another trap while keeping an eye on it, which might have been absurd. Except while thinking about that, Kai realized that he hadn''t been feeling any fear. The sensation was still lurking in the air, trying to penetrate his mind, but it had been forced out by his urge to save the family. Maybe that was the real insight: he couldn''t neutralize or deny the unnatural emotion, only replace it with something else.


    Before he could enact any kind of plan, he heard a different sort of screams. The elves were all yelling at him now, and though he couldn''t understand a word they said, they were pointing toward the river. Were they still panicking, or...?


    Taking his gaze away from the beast canceled Void Gaze and it dropped back to the jungle. Before it could land and get its footing again, Kai met it with his strongest Tyrant''s Claw. It failed to penetrate the bone, but it did send the monster tumbling deep into the jungle, far enough that the aura of unnatural fear vanished.


    When he turned back, he saw that the family''s fear hadn''t gone, only shifted. They were terrified not for themselves, but someone else - there, a struggling body in the river. A child must have fallen in all the panic when the monster attacked.


    Kai instinctively dove into the river as soon as he understood and Sahagin''s Soul swept him faster than the current. Small carnivorous fish scattered at his approach and suddenly he had a small child in his arms. Kai leapt out of the river as soon as he had a firm grip, carrying the child to safety.


    Once on the bank, he saw that the elven family was staring at him, wondering at his intentions. Despite the fact that the greatest danger had passed, Kai stared back. Somehow he''d ended up caught in the problems of others again.

 Chapter 236: Jungle Elves

    For several seconds Kai just stared at the family of elves as they stared back at him. He realized that, even though he''d just saved their lives, they might not react positively to a strange man grabbing their kid. The child was still squirming in his arms and for an irrational moment he considered throwing the child over to the boat.


    Of course that was a bad idea; even here on Rosemount, children were fragile. Kai set the kid down - he really wasn''t sure if the young elf was a boy or girl - and backed away. The rest of the family was desperately rowing their damaged boat to shore.


    The kid looked up at him and babbled something in another language. Kai could only shake his head. "No idea what you''re saying, sorry."


    In response the child hugged his legs, which was message enough.


    If the encounter with the elves wasn''t going to turn against him, the monster could still be a problem. Kai glanced over his shoulder into the jungle, wondering if it would be returning. He''d knocked it pretty far and it hadn''t come crashing back, so hopefully not. Then again, if it decided to just leave and he never got a chance to overcome its powers, he''d be disappointed.


    The elven family had nearly reached the shore now and it didn''t look like they wanted to attack him, so he got a better look at the group. Three men, two women, and two other children, all similar enough in appearance that he guessed they were related.


    More importantly for his purposes, they had unusually high Power for a group that seemed to be in so much trouble. They all had F-rank Physique, even the children. Yet the odd thing was that he didn''t think they looked physically trained or in some cases all that strong... were elves inherently stronger? If so, he had to wonder just how strong a fully trained elf would be.


    When their boat hit the shore one of the women scooped up the child and subjected it to a mix of affection and reprimand. The others threw out an unknown language at him until they understood he didn''t understand, then one of the men spoke in halting Goralian.


    "Foreigner?"


    "Yes," Kai said with a nod. "Glad to help."


    "Come. We thank."


    Since refusing their offer might be rude and get him in more trouble, Kai helped them push the boat back into the river and then jumped in. Along the way the vast majority continued speaking in languages he didn''t understand and they occasionally thrust some cut fruit at him. He briefly considered if this was all a con and they would turn out to be cannibal elves or something, just luring him in to eat. That would about match his usual luck.


    Was it really cannibalism if elves ate humans? He supposed that he had no room to condemn anyone, given that he''d eaten the thugs who attacked him not long ago.


    "Soryip Jungvil," one of the elf boys said. He seemed unusually insistent, tapping his own chest, so he must be trying to communicate.


    "Kai," he responded, touching his own chest.


    "Kai briy?" The boy was frowning as if not entirely satisfied. Did he want a longer name? Well, in that case...


    "Kai Clanless." The title might not mean anything outside of Goralia, but it was true that he really was clanless in an ultimate sense.


    After some more awkward conversation, they made the rest of the trip safely and reached the camp he''d been avoiding for so long. From the outside it looked like a palisade built into some of the local trees, but when he was escorted inside he was surprised at how nice it was.


    All their buildings were beautifully carved and they seemed to have magical items for everything - even the smallest cooking pots were heated by magical stones. Hammocks hung in between trees were made of expensive silk. He wasn''t sure if the elves were wealthy vacationers or if this was just the way things were in Rosemount.


    "So you''re the foreigner who helped out!" When Kai heard a voice he understood, he instinctively turned toward the source.


    Three armed elves were approaching him and he immediately knew they were warriors. They might not be muscular, but there was real power in their lithe stances. Before he could think twice he''d already examined them with his spiritual sight.


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    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 341


    Soul Cultivation: Spirit Refinement (104)


    Physique: E-7 (101)


    Soul Level: 6 (136)


    >


    The leader was a little stronger than the others at 341 Power, but not by much. Their Soul Levels were all high, between five and seven, but the total Power granted by it was insane. He wanted to ask, and part of him wanted to fight them, but they seemed so refined he couldn''t bring himself to say anything. For a moment he almost understood how other species could consider themselves superior to humans.


    "We''re impressed," the lead elf said when they got close. "Not many humans could stand up to Banchlain."


    "Is that what the monster is called?" Kai asked. He tried to make a gesture to indicate the monster''s bone plate and immediately felt clumsy.


    "Banchlain is the bane of the jungle. We didn''t think it would roam here, or we would have taken care of it ourselves. Now come here, let us thank you."


    They didn''t pay him directly, but they did offer him a meal at one of their fires. One of the other warriors passed him a flask, gesturing toward it with an odd sort of smile. As soon as Kai touched the flask he felt the chakra surging within it and paused, wondering about the effect.


    "A bit of power for you." Only a few of the elves could speak Goralian, so they hung close to explain. "Powers from Deadwaste are thin, weak. Chakra strengthens them."


    That was a bit of an insult, but Kai felt too tongue-tied to refuse. He took a drink and nearly coughed up his lungs. Technically there was a sweet juice-like liquid in the flask, but it was radically different from what he''d experienced before: not the flame of mana or the cool flow of qi, but like someone had bottled a roaring battlecry.


    His ears were still ringing and his vision swam a little. Through all that, he could see that the elves were laughing - not entirely cruelly, but they did treat this as expected, as if they knew outsiders couldn''t handle the power.


    "Chakra wine is too much for humans," one of them laughed. Kai forced himself to take another drink and some of them laughed a little less.


    While the chakra rushed through his body, Kai realized that Behemoth''s Heart was pounding again, almost as much as during the fight. All at once he realized that he hadn''t relaxed since the attack. There was something strange... while the others laughed and joked, he analyzed the elves more carefully.


    They were all lithe and graceful, but it was more than that. Almost all the men were strikingly handsome and the women stunningly beautiful - and the degree of that beauty increased with their power. The strongest woman among the warriors, another at the "Soul Refinement" stage, struck him as jaw-droppingly beautiful. Yet she wasn''t, not exactly. She was fit with clear skin and good features, but many women could say the same.


    Abruptly he made the connection to the Banchlain: in both cases, Behemoth''s Heart had activated while emotions were forced on him. The Banchlain seemed to inspire fear as a predatory tactic and the elves naturally radiated a sense of beauty. It reminded him of the insanely beautiful cultivator he''d seen at the Frontier, though this was nothing but a faint shadow of her radiance.


    Once Kai realized that he was being influenced, everything shifted. He still felt that the elves were extraordinarily beautiful or even superior, but he held that reaction at a distance instead of accepting it as fact. This was just something else he''d have to overcome if he wanted to be able to compete on Rosemount.


    "We must repay you," the elven warrior said abruptly. "A place to stay? Even elves fear to travel this jungle, it is too dangerous for humans."


    "Thank you, but no." Kai pretended to lower his head. "All I want in payment is knowledge. Can you explain your soul cultivation to me?"


    Several of the elves drew back, including many he didn''t think understood him. The one who had been translating shook his head. "This is not something that can be taught. Elven souls are different from human souls."


    Maybe they were naturally superior, but Kai didn''t accept that conclusion. Their aura increased with their training, so it was clearly an aspect of their power, which made it no different from other abilities. One way or another, he''d figure it out.


    Eventually they negotiated that he could stop by the elven village and trade with them, which apparently they didn''t generally allow. It struck him as about fair for what he''d done, since anyone decent would have saved the family if they could. The warriors seemed to respect his strength to some degree, but they all said that he should stay back while they took care of the Banchlain.


    Since he didn''t want to disrespect them, Kai stayed back and watched their hunt, hoping to learn something. They definitely had greater knowledge of the local jungles, with clever ideas for pit and vine traps, not to mention mastery of local poisons. But their absolute confidence...


    When they finally confronted the Banchlain, he saw that it was a front. They had one major advantage over him: the monster''s aura of fear didn''t seem to affect them in the slightest. But their traps failed, their arrows stuck in the fur, and several of the elves were injured during the fighting. Kai jumped in to help and they drove it off, which they seemed to consider a victory.


    Once again they thanked him with chakra wine and this time Kai didn''t drink it there, robbing them of their fun. But everything he''d observed was shifting his thinking.


    Elves weren''t superhuman, the Banchlain wasn''t fearful, and Rosemount wasn''t wholly superior. It was all just power, not so different from what he already knew. The chakra wine was certainly overwhelming and his body was still a bit sick from all the ambient energy, but it wasn''t so different from children and young warriors adjusting to mana potions. It took time for the body to adapt to having so much power rushing through it.


    So Kai took another drink, no matter how overwhelming the chakra seemed or how much he coughed. This was just one more hurdle to overcome. He might not be a real monster hunter anymore, but he swore that he was going to hunt the Banchlain first.

 Chapter 237: Ranking the Qi Across Rosemount

    For once, Zae Zin Nim shouldn''t have been cultivating. She could get closer to the peak of Nascent Foundation any time she had adequate qi, so she should have been pursuing more urgent goals. Yet they slipped away from her so often that she ended up back here, focused on her dantian.


    Despite Omilaena''s occasional taunting implications, Zae Zin Nim had a clear plan that would take her beyond being a traditional Brightwind cultivator. She had learned that other practices, from acid cultivation to incorporating mana, didn''t pollute her cultivation, just enhanced it. Her Coldfire Corona spun around the qi in her dantian, even more stable than it had been when she broke through to this stage. So, obviously, she needed to find a way to draw chakra into her cultivation as well.


    Actually finding one had proved to be the challenge.


    In her studies she had always been taught that chakra was superior to mana, which was the least of the three sources of power. Her experiences were beginning to flip that lesson. Rosemount might be stronger than Deadwaste, but its source of strength was infuriating. The chakra she had taken so far had done nothing but increase her new capacity, since she had rejected all of it as inappropriate for her.


    Almost every single type of power she''d investigated had some sort of absurd requirement, like eating dozens of birds, or remaining constantly drunk, or channeling her own anger to use techniques. Half of them would do random things to her body for no reason, which would disrupt her healing and were usually distasteful to boot. It was hard to imagine any of them coexisting near her dantian without ruining all her attempts at cultivation. How could Kai stand figuring out everything blind?


    She made herself keep looking, except for the times she grew frustrated and went back to cultivating. After all, she only needed one truly good power. Her goal was to be a world-class cultivator, not a dilettante with a dozen trivial abilities. But so far she had come up dry, even with Omilaena being suspiciously helpful.


    Other than her father''s cultivators catching up to her, her greatest fear was that she needed to find a chakra art before her next breakthrough. Gaining mana at the Body Refinement stage had worked wonderfully for her and she wasn''t sure if she could repeat the process.


    Either way, she hoped she could finally break through and catch up to the others. She sincerely hoped that at the next stage the Blackblood Physique would finally be healed and begin granting her additional power. Not only would she be superior to the average Earth Soul cultivator, her beauty would be restored, and then...


    No, there was no point thinking about it. Not when there was so much still standing in her way.


    Once she finished a round of cultivation, Zae Zin Nim used her mana exercises to produce drops of liquid qi and mana, which she trapped in small jars. Back to work. This was a new idea she''d come up with while meditating and she hoped that it might be more productive than just talking to the so-called experts in Roseport.


    Zae Zin Nim headed out into the city, wishing she could use the crystal ship the entire time. Instead she had to navigate in between all the random people on the street. Now that she understood the basics of the city, she was tired of it. This type of civilization had luxuries, but not true opportunities.


    The city didn''t have very many arenas or other places for combat. Omilaena had said it was because they were more honest about their violence, Zae Zin Nim had called them a continent of thugs, and it had become a true argument. Things were easier when Kai had been there to smooth things over. She could only hope that he was adapting well to his jungle training and not suffering too much chakra adaptation sickness.


    At last Zae Zin Nim reached her destination: a great house specializing in qi. She purchased a few qi pills from Cloudspire, both because she needed them and to appeal to the proprietor. It seemed to be a lamia woman who slithered behind the counter, desiring to be helpful but staying unusually far back.


    "I need your expertise," Zae Zin Nim said as she set down her qi and mana samples on the counter. "I am looking for qi that would be highly compatible with either of these."


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    "You want my opinion?" the lamia asked. Zae Zin Nim blinked at her.


    "Yes?"


    "I''m just a little surprised. Visitors from Cloudspire usually don''t look favorably on my kind."


    That wasn''t surprising, now that she thought about it. Cultivators like her father thought of humans who had the wrong ancestry as vermin, so he wasn''t positive about non-humans when he thought about them at all. Some species who were refined and human-looking enough might get a pass, but a half-serpent lamia would have disgusted him.


    Zae Zin Nim couldn''t claim to be without bias herself. Some part of her still thought it was bizarre that the upper body of a normal middle-aged woman was connected to the lower body of a massive snake. But most of the snake part was behind the counter and it had no bearing on getting what she wanted. If it got her the power she needed, she would befriend a thousand snake people.


    "Can you help me or not?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "So you''re a cultivator at the Nascent Foundation stage, looking for a perfect source to break through?" The shop owner picked up the jar of qi and examined it carefully. "You could find moderately good sources in the Commonwealth. Probably enough to do things properly, if you have the skill."


    "I understand that region is dangerous these days."


    "True, true, and everything there is expensive. If you''re willing to do your own investigation, there are potent sources of qi in the Coiled Empire. There are pills there twice as concentrated as the ones you bought, grown straight from nature."


    The lamia had said ''there are'' instead of anything suggesting she identified with the lamia-run empire. Well, Crescilor was a strange mixed country, so this woman might have nothing to do with it. Still... "What are my other options?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "I''m not sure how you''d manage to get access, but they have very pure qi in the Elven Wilds. There''s a place called the Sapphire Wind Oasis that would be a particularly good match for this qi. That''s my best answer for you." The owner smiled awkwardly. "Those are your options if you want a local source of the highest level. Below those, you''re going to have to make some concessions."


    In the end, it seemed like her best bet was still to buy Cloudspire qi while on the coast, perhaps in Crescilor City. The problem was that it could be expensive, easily several hundred thousand Crests. At least Zae Zin Nim got several names of specific establishments that she could trust to maintain the highest quality.


    "Now, about this mana, I''m not so sure." The lamia frowned at the glass as she turned it over in her palm. "You''ll find plenty of mana, but not quite like this."


    "I am... open to alternative methods." Zae Zin Nim decided that there was no harm in revealing a little information, especially since this woman had proved knowledgeable. "Like most, I am seeking more power. Not of any type, only compatible with mine."


    "Well, if you can move across the continent as much as you seem to be planning, you could get out to the Flaeren Dominion. They can build immensely powerful equipment there, using chakra to embed mana into the materials. Maybe even qi too, for all I know. The stuff is expensive, but if you have an understanding of mana, you could use it without disrupting your cultivation."


    That was a useful piece of information, if not immediately actionable. "I will keep that in mind. Anything else?"


    "If you''re seeking chakra cultivation compatible with yours, you might be able to buy something from the Commonwealth." The owner lowered her voice. "They have ancient specialties involving yin and yang, and several forms of dual cultivation. Even a sacred site called the Kama Al-"


    "That is quite enough," Zae Zin Nim said. "That is not what I am seeking."


    "Alright, alright." The lamia''s tail twitched slightly, but she managed to keep a smile off her face and Zae Zin Nim held back her rage. "I don''t know if it would be appropriate, or how you could learn more, but you might be able to learn something from elven soul cultivation."


    "Yes, tell me more about that."


    Eventually Zae Zin Nim left the building with no true solution but a significantly larger number of leads. The problem was that so many of them required her to travel across the continent or enter dangerous territory. In her current state she couldn''t survive and would need to depend on her allies again. She could trust Kai, but would Omilaena see all this as a debt?


    On her way back she resisted the urge to seek her pursuers again. Searching too aggressively with her qi could actually draw attention to her, which was the exact opposite of what she wanted. Several days ago she had investigated as subtly as she could and discovered that the Brightwind cultivators were hiding their presence on the ocean. They were surely still following her, but she had no idea if they were weeks or days away. While she struggled to find the power she needed, they could show up at any time to drag her back in chains.


    These thoughts raised her anxiety until she was twitchy and paranoid by the time she returned to the inn. Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath, feeling the presence waiting for her. Probably just Omilaena instead of an assassin, but there were far too many chakra users here, so she couldn''t be sure. She opened the door very carefully, just a crack.


    "There you are!" Omilaena practically shoved her face through it. "We''ve been entirely too civilized so far. Want to go steal something?"

 Chapter 238: The Lowliest Elf

    After another week, neither Kai nor the elves had successfully killed the Banchlain. The process made them increasingly frustrated, but he was a little more optimistic every day. It was a strange feeling.


    Every day he was getting better, both due to his own training and observing the elven hunters. He still felt nauseous at times and the chakra wine still overwhelmed him, but he thought he was making some headway. It was like instead of having a natural dantian, he needed to build the capacity with chakra, so he was making progress even if none of it stuck with him. He was also accumulating more weak monster essence, which would be very useful when he finally ate the Banchlain.


    Hopefully it would be enough to help the others, when they ran out of time.


    With the elven hunters doing their best, he stopped worrying about defending others and focused on his training. So one day, when he saw the Banchlain charging at someone, he almost didn''t act. Yet he realized that the hunters had been on the other side of the jungle, not anywhere near... was this a traveler from somewhere else?


    By now he had a feel for elves, but this one was standing directly in the path of the Banchlain as it charged. Too weak to resist the aura of fear? Kai was already running in to defend whoever it was. He leapt past the ragged cloaked figure and struck the Banchlain in a flying kick with both legs.


    Normally he''d love to test his strength against it again, but he didn''t want to risk the civilian. When he looked back he saw an elven woman who seemed to be shocked to see him. There was something odd about her, less radiant than the other elves. But there was no time for that, he needed to ward off the Banchlain.


    After another clash, the Banchlain tromped away to seek easier prey. He still couldn''t entirely shrug off its fear effect, but he was getting better at resisting it and fighting anyway. As soon as he thought they were secure, Kai turned back.


    "Are you alright?" he asked. "Sorry, I know you probably can''t understand me, but-"


    "I can understand you." The elven woman was perhaps the homeliest elf he''d seen, which felt cruel given that she wasn''t ugly, but her hair had no luster and there was something lifeless about her skin.


    "Are you alright?"


    "I am now, thanks to you." She smiled at him, clearly relieved. "My name is Ceryyn."


    She had a nice enough smile, but with other elves it would have been stunning. Kai investigated her soul and finally got his answer.


    <


    Name: Ceryyn


    Total Power: 37


    Soul Cultivation: Spirit Condensation (4)


    Physique Level: F-0 (30)


    Soul Level: 1 (3)


    >


    Ceryyn was the weakest elf he''d met so far, especially when it came to her soul cultivation. Maybe this was what elves were like when they didn''t have an unnatural aura of beauty around them. Of course, if she lived among elves she had to be painfully aware of that, so Kai did his best to ignore the sense of her dullness and just help her.


    "Can I help you go anywhere?" he asked. "Are you headed to the elven village or back to Roseport?"


    "I''m actually traveling from Crescilor City." Ceryyn was staring at him very strangely, possibly suspicious of his intentions but also a bit baffled. "I have no way of paying you for your assistance."


    "Don''t worry about that. I help out the local village and in turn they help a confused human like me survive. So which way are you headed?"


    "I would be grateful if you could escort me to the village, then." Another of those broad smiles, which he was beginning to find charming despite her plainness. Maybe elven souls that weren''t developed could force a negative impression? He really wished that he could just push aside all outside influences and see people for who they were.


    For a time they traveled in silence, just navigating the jungle. Ceryyn wasn''t unnaturally graceful like the other elves, but F-0 Physique still meant something and so she didn''t have trouble. He offered her a hand over some fallen logs and she took it with another smile.


    "So why are you traveling through such a dangerous jungle?" he asked.


    "I am doing business for some of my relatives," she answered. Her voice was rough and a bit unpleasant, but she spoke more clearly than almost anyone he''d met on Rosemount. Perhaps she was from one of the Deadwaste slums in the bigger city. "It is an elven matter."


    "Does that mean I shouldn''t ask about it? I''m afraid I haven''t met many elves and I don''t have a good understanding of your culture."


    Ceryyn laughed freely. "We don''t make it easy for outsiders. Elven family business isn''t secretive, just complex, so most aren''t interested." She regarded him thoughtfully and he realized she was sharper than she looked. "I''m impressed that a human could confront a Banchlain. Usually their aura of fear is overwhelming."


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    "It took me a long time to adapt," Kai said with a shrug. "I don''t suppose you could help me understand elven cultivation? I''d consider that more than sufficient payment."


    "Oh, I''m afraid I don''t know enough about that to help. But I''d love to learn more about you... are you from Deadwaste? I''ve only met humans from Cloudspire, so I''d like to ask you a few questions..."


    She proved to be inquisitive and more knowledgeable about other locations than he''d expected, though she didn''t seem to know much about Deadwaste. He found himself wondering if she had some sort of condition that limited her soul cultivation. Maybe she was a merchant or some other role instead. On Rosemount, 37 Power was just average, so maybe this was what a non-combatant looked like.


    Before he could learn too much about her, they got back to the village. Ceryyn spoke to the elves in their own language and it looked like she was begging them for assistance. They gave her food and a place to stay, though not as nice as what he''d received. None of the elves seemed to mistreat or dislike her, and they helped her without apparent compensation, but there was a sort of indifference to her presence, as if she was beneath them.


    Did their society have some sort of hierarchy based on strength of soul? Since it seemed to affect beauty and everything else, perhaps that made some sense. Kai reminded himself that he didn''t know what was going on and shouldn''t get involved. Still, he was eager to talk to Ceryyn since they could actually communicate clearly.


    He found her at the edge of the village and sat down beside her. "You were being humble earlier, but even what''s common knowledge to you could help a poor barbarian from Deadwaste."


    "Oh, you shouldn''t be so hard on yourself," she said. "You seem nice."


    "I don''t know if this is offensive, so I''ll just ask. Does elven society have some sort of hierarchy based on souls?"


    "Not many are perceptive enough to see through the glamour." Ceryyn took a long drink from a cup of water, dull green eyes examining him over the side. He realized that she was analyzing him and he tried to look trustworthy. "First, do you understand what humans call Soul Levels? What they actually are, I mean."


    "I know the basics, but maybe I don''t actually understand."


    "Soul represents the essence of ourselves that can''t be isolated as any other form of power. It isn''t just experience of the world, it''s the deep instincts earned by a veteran. Various powers might be able to defend you against specific threats, but Soul is the fortitude that underlies those. When you combine Soul with chakra, which is so intertwined with personality and emotion, you elevate an entire person."


    Kai nodded along with her explanation and decided to speak up to show that he wasn''t completely ignorant. "So advancing Soul so much is what makes the elves seem otherworldly. Is it actually affecting others, or is it just a combination of all the subtle factors you were talking about?"


    "Normally, the effect is just the combination of everything that makes up normal charisma or force of personality. However..." Ceryyn gestured into the village toward some of the better trained warriors. "Developed that far, it is a true force. That''s why I''m impressed that you noticed. Usually humans are swept up in it."


    "Probably just lucky. But we never got back to my question: does your society have a hierarchy based on that?"


    "Don''t worry, I was just explaining so you wouldn''t misunderstand! Some say that elves are vain and grant rank based on beauty, but that''s mistaken. Those who have advanced furthest in our glamours are best at everything. It isn''t quite that the strongest and most beautiful rule, but all those who attain leadership will have developed their fundamental essence."


    He thought that over and wasn''t sure he liked it. In Krysal the upper classes believed they were superior and tried to enforce that with money and slavery. If so much of the elves was wrapped up in their power, their upper classes might truly be superior. They should all be morally equal, but if your leaders seemed like transcendent beings, it might be hard to develop beliefs about equality. This village of elves could easily be more welcoming and fairer than others.


    "Why are you seeking power so desperately?" Ceryyn asked him. "I hope I haven''t caused offense either, but you do seem... hungry. There are people seeking power everywhere, but it seems to mean something more to you."


    "It''s the Frontier I was talking about earlier," he told her. "The monster incursions could wipe out everyone on the continent, and we don''t even know why they happen." In a surprisingly short time he''d found himself comfortable with Ceryyn, so he went on. "There''s some sort of hole at the center and no one knows what it is. I don''t just want to fight the next incursion, I want the strength to go down there and find out the reasons."


    "Is it like the Inverted Oasis?" she asked.


    Kai blinked at her. "Remember that I have no idea what that is."


    "Oh, it''s a sort of hole in the Elven Wilds. I''ve never been there myself, but I understand that monsters come rushing out of it every few years. It was a real problem before we set up a special guard to take care of them."


    Kai''s heart leapt and he tried not to hope. "Is the area around this Inverted Oasis dead? Like the energy has been drained from it?"


    "I think so, yes. Hence the name." Ceryyn laughed when he couldn''t hide his eagerness. "Please contain yourself! I don''t know very much. It sounds like the same phenomenon, though, so maybe you could learn something to help your home."


    At that moment he wanted nothing more than to get directions from her and go tearing off north. But even if the Inverted Oasis wasn''t an entire continent away, locked somewhere in the Elven Wilds, that would be wrong. Zae Zin Nim''s problems were much more urgent than his and he still had years before the next incursion. Still, as soon as he met the others, he''d be arguing that they should head to the Elven Wilds next.


    Unlike the other elves, even the kind ones, Ceryyn didn''t seem to look down on him for being human. Maybe her own condition left her more humble... though he realized that he was making too many assumptions. He really should get to know her better. Beauty or power didn''t matter - she might be able to help if she was from Crescilor City.


    "Is it okay if I ask a personal question?" Kai waited for her to give a slight nod, then continued awkwardly. "Was your soul damaged in some way? It seems like it''s working against you, like the opposite of the others... uh, I hope that''s not offensive, but..."


    "I''m not offended." Ceryyn examined him again, her gaze piercing. "It isn''t an injury, merely my... condition. All elves can develop their glamours, but we have different potentials. And, by sad chance, I cannot truly develop mine. Therefore I must be useful to my family in other ways."


    Kai had never felt such an instant connection with someone. He''d met others with miserable lives, but no one else who had been struck down by fate so directly. When he smiled Ceryyn smiled back, but she looked almost apologetic.


    "Does that mean you''ve studied your chakra arts?" he asked. "I know I can''t do what elves do, but I''m still getting used to chakra, so anything would help..."


    "Maybe they''ll do you more good than they did me." She smiled at him again and her posture shifted. "I suppose you want to get started right away?"

 Chapter 239: Braving the Forge Tree

    Omilaena realized that she was a hypocrite. Oh, she gleefully accepted her hypocrisy in many contexts, but this one had sneaked up on her and it rankled just a bit.


    She had been persuading the other two that they needed to diversify their strength and take on new avenues, only to fail to do so herself. She still relied on Heart of Poison and Lethal Artisan, both skills she''d learned on her home continent. For all the poisons and reagents that she''d gained on Deadwaste, she still wasn''t using mana or qi as a primary source of power.


    In theory, she wanted to wait until she was ready, but the problem was that she would never be ready. There was just too much they still didn''t know about the world, so they had to forge some paths themselves. Kai and Zae Zin Nim were actually doing more to break new ground than she was, which was good for her experiments and bad for her ego.


    All of that would change if she could just reach the Great Library of Traebor. She was stronger than before and she''d done so much research, now she could truly use the forbidden resources. And just when she gained the capability, politics got in the way.


    She''d actually spent a significant portion of time checking on old contacts to better understand the situation. Unfortunately, the Commonwealth of Traebor was truly dangerous now, especially for people like them. Running in with fists swinging would be utterly foolish at their current strength. Which meant yet another barrier put up in front of her, another hurdle on her impossible path...


    Where was Zae Zin Nim, anyway? Omilaena began spinning a needle around her fingers, burning off nervous energy. Too many thoughts, not enough actions.


    There were other secondary goals she could hit on her way to the Great Library. Now that she had more experience, she wanted to visit the Insanities found on the continent. Maybe not the Slumbering Colossus, but the First Crest was a mystery no one had cracked. Just making the attempt might give her enough information to break through somewhere.


    By far the riskiest of her goals would be to confront the great powers of Rosemount. Four allegedly unstoppable forces, likely four different god abilities she needed to understand. The problem was that every single one of those powers was by definition a huge threat. The Windlord, the Empress, the Elven Elders, and now this new demon cultivator... she couldn''t come up with any vaguely plausible plans that would allow her to get close to them. It seemed like pure suicide.


    "I am ready," Zae Zin Nim said as she arrived. "But I hope this theft does not bring too much trouble."


    "I was being a bit hyperbolic. Come on, I''ll explain on the way." Omilaena gestured over her shoulder and they headed out of Roseport.


    "So what is a forge tree?" the other woman asked.


    "It''s an unnatural plant that only grows on Rosemount. When the tree blossoms, it emits flames in all directions, intense enough to kill most warriors. The blossoms themselves are made of something called rose steel, which is stronger than anything I can access."


    "So we go through the fire to get them? And we''re stealing from whoever owns the tree?"


    "Not exactly." Omilaena touched Zae Zin Nim''s shoulder to guide her down a side street and noted how the other woman twitched strangely. "There''s another twist: the forge tree burns hottest when it first blossoms, then slowly cools down. As it does, the rose steel hardens and gains more impurities."


    "Thus it''s best to take them when it''s most dangerous. I understand, but you still haven''t answered the question."


    "The completely cool rose steel is taken by the owner of the orchard. Before that point, there''s a tradition that anyone who can brave the flames can take what they can carry. We''re just going to take advantage of that tradition."


    Zae Zin Nim nodded. "That''s an acceptable risk. When did the tree blossom?"


    "Just today. This is the purest the rose steel will ever be." Omilaena lowered her voice and didn''t tease, since her advancement was in the other woman''s hands. "I admit I don''t have any solution that will allow someone to survive the forge tree. I''m relying on your coldfire for this."


    "I see."


    Since Cloudspire cultivators almost all behaved the same, no doubt the other woman was thinking about how this was an advantage for her. Well, this alliance would never work without some give and take. Omilaena explained a few of the other details as they left the city, but soon enough they had reached the orchard.


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    It was filled with glorious trees... and a blackened circle at the end of the row. The forge tree looked like a massive jujube with flames where a normal tree would have had leaves. Even from the other side of the orchard they could feel the heat, and by the time they got to the region of dying grass it felt like they were sticking their faces directly in a bonfire.


    "So the rose steel is those little gleaming buds?" Zae Zin Nim asked. She extended a hand and pulled it back with a frown. "There''s pressure from both heat and chakra. If I have to go in slowly, I may not be able to endure."


    "Don''t worry, I''m not asking you to do this alone." Omilaena manifested a syringe filled with her special qi mixture - at least she''d developed a few useful tricks on Deadwaste. "This should massively boost your mana temporarily. I think you can do it, but if you feel otherwise, I won''t force it."


    For a while they just stood in front of the blast furnace, staring at the forge tree. Many techniques had been tried to knock away one of the rose steel buds, but the power of the tree was so intense that the tricks didn''t work until later, when many warriors could survive. Omilaena had thought about options for a while and still thought this was their best choice.


    After some time, Zae Zin Nim seemed to nod to herself. She''d made her decision, which meant she was in. That was more of a relief than Omilaena had expected.


    "I will accept the injection," Zae Zin Nim said, "but it will likely still be difficult. Do you have any other plans?"


    "I do actually have an anti-fire cream." Omilaena whipped the dark jar out of her bag, but then smirked. "But I''d have to apply it all over your body. Would you like to do that? You look like you could relax a little..."


    "Don''t be absurd." Zae Zin Nim was flushing and looking away, which just made her look more vulnerable.


    "Are you only interested in men? Or do you just hate me in particular? You''re going to make me lose confidence in my charms, and I don''t think my ego co-"


    "Enough!" Zae Zin Nim huffed and turned further away, but she was far too flushed for a little embarrassment. Omilaena was pretty sure she was looking at a woman who had never really thought through her sexuality.


    Still, better not to tease her too much. She''d have to abandon all her joke ideas about whether Zae Zin Nim would prefer to receive an injection from Kai instead. Instead she finished their preparations, in particular a cable around the other woman''s waist that could be used to pull her back if she collapsed. Finally she raised the syringe and took care to get Zae Zin Nim''s permission before injecting the mana into her back, just beside her spine and into her heart.


    To her credit, the cultivator didn''t cry out at the pain and then immediately threw herself into the blaze. She only ran three steps before the heat of the forge tree brought her up short, reducing her to slow, painful steps. The flames were licking over her body, more spiritual than physical, and they would have given her horrible burns if the blue flames hadn''t lit up to protect her.


    As Zae Zin Nim staggered on, Omilaena watched her with more worry than she''d expected. It had been a long time since she really cared about someone as more than a tool. If it came to the worst, she''d throw herself in to get Zae Zin Nim back out.


    Until then, she had no choice but to watch. Each step was an ordeal of willpower for Zae Zin Nim, but for Omilaena it was just a calculation. She knew how long her injection would last and she had strong estimates for the other woman''s mana reservoirs. Would it be enough? It might be interesting if qi could be exchanged for mana, as chakra could sometimes imitate other energy, but the idea came far too late and there was no time, anyway.


    When Zae Zin Nim reached the tree trunk, she swayed on her feet in the flames for a moment, then seemed to draw up her last strength. She reached up and began severing the buds with qi, then catching them in her hands. The rose gold would have burned through her flesh if more flames hadn''t lit up, cradling them over her cupped palms.


    Then she was stumbling back, this time moving with the blasting heat of the forge tree. When she stumbled Omilaena acted faster, pulling on the cable and jerking her aright. Finally Zae Zin Nim fell out of the burned zone, the rose steel falling from her hands.


    Omilaena had planned to catch that first but found herself catching the exhausted woman instead. When she had Zae Zin Nim secure in one arm, Omilaena extended her other hand to snap up all the hissing rose steel. It had barely gained any impurities in the time in the air, and the coldfire gambit had let them be harvested well before their usual time.


    They were still lethally hot, but that meant nothing to Omilaena. She drew in the chakra-forged metal with her skills as a Lethal Artisan, absorbing the fundamental design of the pure rose steel. It wouldn''t be easy to create any of it herself, but she had a good supply and the design could be a foundation for so much future advancement.


    "Was that... adequate?" Zae Zin Nim asked wearily.


    "It was, you did brilliantly." Omilaena smiled down at her, not smirking this time. "I''ll get you back to the inn and draw you a hot bath."


    "No. Cool."


    "Ha, I suppose so."


    "Wait." Zae Zin Nim reached up and gripped the front of her dress with surprising strength despite her exhaustion. "Can you give me Physique injections like you did Kai? It would need to match my Blackblood technique. I... don''t know if I can advance enough alone."


    It was just begging for teasing, but Omilaena was touched by the vulnerable request. "I was just waiting for you to ask. We can start working on it once you''re better."


    Zae Zin Nim nodded, then seemed to frown. She struggled as if to get out of Omilaena''s arms, then slumped back with a sigh. "Did you do all this to tease me? Did you... do something to make me compliant?"


    "Not at all." Omilaena brushed some of her hair out of her face. "You''ve been purifying all traces of chakra before they reach your spirit, but now you got so much exposure you''ll need to recover. So all you''re feeling is exhaustion from a job well done."


    "Hmph. You''d better not... take advantage..."


    Omilaena smiled again, but it was too late, the other woman was asleep.

 Chapter 240: Chakra and the Human Body

    Kai sat in the middle of the deadly jungle, no longer fearing its threats. His strength hadn''t advanced massively, but his knowledge of the region had improved so much that he was comfortable there now. Only the Banchlain, still harassing the elves, could actually threaten him, and it was nowhere to be found.


    After eating so many new monsters, his soul felt painfully full. Still hungry, just also full. He intended to eliminate a lot of that essence by experimenting with feeding monsters to one another, which he combined with his physical training and chakra exercises. Gradually, a bit of consumed essence at a time, he was coming to greater mastery of his monstrous nature.


    His conclusion was that it followed a number of logical principles. The strongest abilities in terms of raw power were pure ones, simple attributes like Direboar''s Strength. If he fed other monsters to that capacity, their other attributes would be lost and only the strength would join. He could do the opposite, if he forced it, but the result would be muddled and weak.


    On the other end of the spectrum, trying to jam together random monster essence created an ability that did almost nothing. Practically as bad as his old Laborer Class, making him just marginally tougher but having little real effect.


    However, combined abilities could have far greater efficacy, even if they weren''t quite as strong as a focused ability, so the tricky part was finding the sweet spot. He thought that Behemoth''s Heart had been about perfect. His strongest abilities would come from powerful monsters merged together around a single coherent theme.


    All of the experimentation proved that his instincts were mostly right, in the same way his muscles could feel a harmful position. He wasn''t developing his monstrous abilities completely blind, otherwise he probably would have killed himself. Unfortunately, those instincts weren''t strong enough to magically lead him to insane abilities, so he needed to keep developing them.


    Understanding was great, but it wasn''t the raw power he needed, and the monsters he had left weren''t enough to form a top tier ability. Nothing that could compete with all the current techniques vying for the limited space in his soul. Kai sighed and headed back to the village.


    The atmosphere there had taken a hit and he soon understood why: one of the hunters had been severely injured in the most recent attempt on the Banchlain. It made him feel a bit guilty that he hadn''t used his full power to kill it, but then again, his entire life was making cost-benefit analyses about what training would do the most good in the end. When the warriors brushed him aside in their frustration that didn''t add much guilt either.


    He found Ceryyn at one edge of the village, helping them grind some sort of grain. She didn''t seem to be particularly good at it, but they made her work for continued support. When she saw him, she set down the pestle and smiled.


    "You look frustrated," she said. "You want to train again?"


    "Yeah." Kai dropped off the meat he''d gathered - the elves refused to eat monsters, so it was only the animals he could catch - and they headed into the jungle.


    There she made him do simple exercises while trying to manage the chakra flowing through the environment. They were even as simple as push-ups, the problem was finding the exact chakra that matched his body. After he worked for a while, she stepped onto his back and he grunted as he continued doing push-ups. She wasn''t that heavy so he didn''t really notice.


    "Harder," Ceryyn said sharply. "Miserable humans can never compete with elves unless they train harder!"


    "Are you - nnh - trying to make me angry?" Kai twisted his head to look at her on his back and she smiled back sheepishly.


    "Yes, but I suppose I''m not very good at it. You''re still trying to master the power. This isn''t mana to be controlled, or qi to be accepted in complete calm. Chakra is hot, you need to meet it with the same force."


    That was easy to say, but her lessons hadn''t helped so far. Kai''s mind was still on his monstrous experiments as he trained and he realized that might be the key. He''d already tried to use chakra with emotions like anger or happiness, to no effect, and Ceryyn said that should normally work. Some of the warriors who watched had thrown out comments he strongly suspected were unkind.


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    Maybe things really were different for him due to his monstrous nature. There had been changes in his cultivation, after all, even if Zae Zin Nim''s advice mostly applied.


    Thinking about it that way, it was almost easy. Chakra didn''t require emotion, it could be anything visceral and raw. Instead of searching for any emotion, Kai drew on raw hunger. He didn''t draw in the chakra around him, he consumed it. It didn''t flow through his body, it pumped along with his heartbeat as if he was in the middle of a fight.


    Something shifted and he felt the power explode within him. Ceryyn gave a slight gasp and hopped off his back. "Keep going, keep going!"


    Kai did another push-up, but that was too little. He didn''t overthink anything, just threw all his new power down his arms against the ground as if to attack it. After a few false starts, everything finally clicked. The next time he threw himself into the air, flipping backward before landing heavily.


    There was no one around to watch, not even any of the elves who had mocked him. Ceryyn stood nearby, beaming. But Kai didn''t care about that, he was eager to look at his soul.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 359


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 23% (105)


    Physique Level: D-1 (205)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Loose Chakra: 25 (0)


    Monstrous Hunger - X (kappa)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - X (kappa)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VII (eta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - VIII (theta)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    -


    Baleful Breath - III (gamma)


    Sahagin''s Soul - VI (zeta)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - IV (delta)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - IV (delta)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - II (beta)


    Beastbat''s Wing - II (alpha)


    Crystal Slime - I (beta)


    Dreamleech - I (alpha)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - II (beta)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Garudaling - II (beta)


    Diremonkey - I (alpha)


    Deathvine - I (alpha)


    >


    At long last, his Physique had advanced from D-0 to D-1. It seemed each step in the D rank was worth 5 Power, which was valuable on its own, but more importantly he''d broken through a new barrier. All the slight nausea from the chakra was completely gone and he could feel that his body had actually retained some chakra that matched his strength.


    This wasn''t the same as developing a brand new ability based on chakra, of course, and he would need to train more to master this power. But now, for the first time, his body was reinforced by mana, qi, and chakra together. Rosemount had chewed up and spat out so many warriors from Deadwaste, but he''d broken its teeth.


    "Very good!" Ceryyn looked truly pleased for him, without any apparent bitterness. Maybe he was just getting used to her, but he was no longer put off by the aura of her stunted soul. "I''ve seen cultivators have far more trouble with that. You have an open mind."


    "I had a good teacher." Yet though Kai wanted to flex his new strength, he found himself looking at the elven woman instead. "Should you have stayed here this long to help me? You have your family business to deal with."


    "Oh, all of that was already derailed. Don''t worry, I''m not really sacrificing anything."


    He was fairly sure that she wasn''t telling him something, and after Krainuun he knew better than to underestimate merchants. Even if Ceryyn had a soul without potential, she understood so much about the region that she was definitely experienced, maybe even a spy. Someone whose soul made them seem so drab could potentially be a great one.


    In any case, it wasn''t his place to pry. ''Thanks for all your help," Kai said. "What''s next?"


    "I think we may need to go back. There''s trouble brewing." She tilted her head just slightly toward the village as if she could hear something. Kai wasn''t sure if the elves'' long ears made them hear any better, but he couldn''t detect anything wrong.


    When they got back, he saw that there was some kind of argument, none of it in languages he could understand. But it seemed like some of the weaker elves were furious with the hunters and he heard the name "Banchlain" several times. Some of the others were preparing chakra potions and sharpening their weapons. Perhaps they''d come to a breaking point with the monster.


    "They''re going to try to hunt it to the death," Ceryyn said quietly. "But even if they win, it will be at great cost."


    "Isn''t there anyone they can ask?" Kai looked across the grim faces. "They''re always going on about elves helping one another."


    "It doesn''t seem like help came. So what are you going to do?"


    "Good question." Kai turned to her and lowered his voice. "Would I offend them by killing it myself? I don''t want to insult them or anything, but I don''t know how well I can fight together with them. They''ll just insist I''m too clumsy and will get in their way."


    "In your place, I would kill it," Ceryyn told him. "But can you?"


    "I think so. Now that I have a better grasp on chakra, give me one more lesson about resisting that aura of fear, then I can try."


    She started to object, but this time Kai wouldn''t listen. He''d seen her paralyzed in fear of the Banchlain and wouldn''t risk her life even if she could help. Despite his progress, this was still Rosemount and he needed to take the fight deadly seriously.


    Still, his hunger rose as he thought about finally eating the Banchlain.

 Chapter 241: True Power Revealed

    This had to be the time. The Banchlain had been a threat for weeks, but now unless he killed it, many of the elves were going to die. No matter if luck went against him or the monster revealed new abilities, he needed to finish the fight.


    Kai treated it as his first serious monster hunt on the continent. Since the previous pit traps had been inadequate, he dug a substantially larger one with some different stakes based on what he''d seen the elven hunters try. He kept the river to his west so he could retreat there if necessary, but had also placed a series of vine traps to the east to slow the Banchlain down and potentially trigger openings. A number of spears were carefully placed in the nearby trees, just in case he got a chance to pierce the eyes.


    His own body was the tip of the spear, though. After spending so long adapting to chakra and the fear effect, he wanted to take the monster on himself. Once he''d done as much damage as he could, he would fall back to his traps, then if really necessary he would use Baleful Breath.


    As soon as he got its attention, the monster lowered its skull plate and charged again. Despite being hunted by so many, it still viewed itself as the top predator and didn''t hesitate. Kai set his feet and focused on making Direboar''s Strength and Behemoth''s Heart reinforce one another.


    When his fist met the thick plate of bone, the impact shot back through them both. And to Kai''s shock, the Banchlain''s bone plate cracked.


    The impact drove his feet back through the dirt and hurt his arm, but it destroyed the Banchlain. Blood wept from out of the deep cracks and it slumped forward. Still alive, but one eye had been crushed by the damaged bone and the other looked dull.


    He could have finished it then if he hadn''t been so surprised. Kai didn''t let himself stay stunned long, though, and stuck with his commitment to end things quickly. After forming a Tyrant''s Claw around one extended hand he swept it down, biting deep into the Banchlain''s back to sever its spine.


    A scream made the air itself tremble and raw horror flooded down Kai''s throat. He had overestimated the monster''s strength, but he''d been right about it having a weapon remaining. The waves of fear were more intense than he''d ever felt before, sweeping through his new chakra defenses like they weren''t even there. Raw animal panic should have overtaken him.


    Instead, Kai took a step forward. It was just an aura, not a real emotion. He clung to the cold predator inside him and fueled it with chakra. The forced emotions fell away and he took another step closer to the dying Banchlain even as it continued to scream.


    Finally he closed his teeth and bit out the monster''s core. At last the scream ended. Kai wavered as he took a step back, both from the end of the flooding emotions and from the taste. The Banchlain essence within him was definitely powerful and could easily be integrated into an offensive or defensive technique. Based on his experiments, he thought it would be a waste to try to integrate it with one of his best skills, but at least now he had a truly potent ingredient.


    Kai looked around the jungle, not quite believing that it was over already. He''d made all those traps for no reason. Now that he looked, he saw that all the plants nearby were flattened, trees had lost their leaves, and insects had died in midair. That scream must have been so powerful it impacted the physical world too.


    At least he hadn''t attracted any watchers who might have been taken aback by his techniques. Kai used Tyrant''s Claw to cut up the body more: first to hide his bite mark, then to sever the skull plate so he would have something to show the elves. Most likely they wouldn''t be that grateful, but he thought if he was humble enough they would give him some more sources of chakra and they could all part on good terms.


    Then he realized that there was someone watching after all, nearly invisible.


    Ceryyn stood just outside the edge of the flattened area, watching with her strangely dull eyes. It was clear that she understood what she''d seen, though, and she had probably been watching for a while. When he turned back to her, she smiled and clapped her hands together.


    "I didn''t think you could do it yourself, but you did!" She began walking into the flattened circle without apparent fear. "How did you consume its essence at the end? It''s nothing like a demon... is that a common ability on Deadwaste? I guess that would make sense, if you have to deal with all those incursions."


    His first instinct was to lie, since she''d given him such an easy excuse. Yet given everything, he couldn''t help but feel that she knew the answer and was baiting him. Honesty would be a mistake, even here, but he didn''t want to lie to her.


    "It''s not a common ability," Kai said. "And I''d appreciate if you didn''t talk about it."


    "But why? It''s so impressive!" She beamed at him, her smile as dull as before, and yet...


    "I have to eat the monster''s bodies to consume any essence. That tends to make people think of demons or monsters or other things I''d rather not be associated with."


    "I suppose so." Ceryyn stopped a few paces away from him, tilting her head from side to side as if considering him. It definitely seemed like she was building up to a question, but before she could say anything else, there was a disruption in the trees.


    The warriors of the elven village stumbled into the new clearing, moving in a formation that was disrupted by their abrupt arrival. Only a few glanced at Ceryyn, all investigated the dead Banchlain, and many then focused on Kai.


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    "This our hunt!" Most of them were talking in their own language, but one accused him in Goralian. "What scheme?"


    "I just wanted to help," Kai said, raising his hands to show he meant no aggression. Could even this turn against him?


    "Not human hunt! Not for-"


    A clear word broke through all other voices. Kai couldn''t understand it, but the sound was so melodious and rich it took his breath away. No one else spoke and they all turned to one side, toward the source of the beautiful sound.


    Ceryyn stood unmasked, radiating splendor. She''d become the most beautiful woman he''d ever seen, with hair gleaming like the sun and emerald eyes that pierced through to his soul. Just a smile from her would have been enough to make his life complete... the elves were all falling to their knees, as everyone should before this glorious manifestation of divinity...


    No. No, it was just a trick, no different from the monster''s aura of fear. Kai tried to see through the glamour, but it wasn''t an illusion, just an aura that augmented everything about Ceryyn so much that his soul wanted to kneel in response. He refused to let it and instead examined her as an opponent.


    <


    Name: Ceryyn


    Total Power: 819


    Soul Cultivation: Earth Glamour (451)


    Physique Level: E-8 (104)


    Soul Level: 8 (264)


    >


    Fighting her would certainly be a challenge, but he didn''t think there was any need for that. None of Ceryyn''s lies had been harmful and she''d been helpful to him... if anything, she seemed to be undercover on elvish business.


    She started to speak in the elvish language, then suddenly stopped and said "Actually, wait" in Goralian. Reaching into her cloak, she withdrew a silver bangle, plain but bright. When she placed it over her wrist many of the elves cringed, but all she did was activate spatial magic and pull out a small piece of fruit. Deep purple and filled with chakra, but just a fruit.


    "Eat this," she told Kai with a smile that was almost exactly like the one he remembered from the dulled Ceryyn. "It''s payment for your work, and an apology for the deception. Trust me, you''ll like it."


    As soon as he took the fruit, she turned away and returned to elvish. Whatever she was saying, it sounded like she was giving the others some sort of lecture. Kai was more focused on the fruit, which pulsed softly in his palm. He didn''t think it made any sense for her to go to all this trouble just to deceive or poison him, so he took a cautious bite.


    Instantly his mind was overwhelmed by waves of sensations he could barely name. It started with a rush of chakra, harder and grittier than the energy in the jungle. Somehow it transformed into words, endless words, and a sense of relief as if he had reached out and met an old friend. Barely even thinking about it, he was eating the entire rest of the fruit. Each bite sent new sensations into his mind and for a moment he felt like his mind was going to crack.


    "-came among you as a beggar, and you did only the minimum due to your kin."


    He stared at Ceryyn, wondering when she had switched to Goralian. No, she was actually speaking the same language as before, yet somehow he heard it, as clearly as if the words were in his native tongue. Suddenly he remembered how clearly she spoke compared to the other elves and realized that she must be using a similar power.


    "You have not been judged wanting," Ceryyn continued severely, "but your hospitality leaves much to be desired. Our communities are no better than the least of us or we are no better than the other races that constantly war with one another."


    "We''re so sorry, Lady Sandflower." One of the hunters spoke back, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Please forgive us."


    "All will be forgiven if you remember your sisters and brothers who have fallen by the wayside. But I require something else of you." Ceryyn reached into her spatial bangle again and handed them a scroll written on golden parchment. "The Council of Elders requires all of this intelligence. If you lack something, scout until you have it. Now go."


    The elven hunters shifted in many directions: the man who accepted the scroll let out a low groan, some of the others begged forgiveness again, two leapt up as if to obey her that moment. Soon enough all of the hunters were gone and it was just the two of them in the clearing.


    "Well!" Ceryyn clapped her hands together cheerfully and all at once her aura vanished. She still looked jaw-droppingly beautiful, with none of the dampened presence that had previously made her seem plain, but her mere existence no longer seemed glorious.


    Underneath all her grace, though, he thought that she was a little nervous. She''d been using a shroud that made her look like the weakest of elves and it had never slipped. No doubt she had done this before, and he could imagine how differently people treated her.


    "What kind of fruit was that?" Kai said, then blinked at himself. "Am I speaking your language somehow? You can grow fruit this incredible in the Elven Wilds?"


    "I wish." Ceryyn pouted a little, and though the expression now struck him as much cuter, more importantly it reminded him of her old self. "Alltongue Fruits only grow in the Flaeren Dominion and no one has ever figured out how they do it."


    "That''s an incredible gift. Why give it to-"


    "It''s not perfect, unfortunately. It will work best on Rosemount, but some strange languages on Cloudspire might be muddled, and you won''t be able to make out a word of any dead languages."


    "Wait, you mean it lets me read languages too?"


    "The fruit expands the fundamentals of language in your mind so that you should be able to communicate with anyone." Ceryyn tapped her forehead cheerfully.


    "All the time?" Kai asked. "If I don''t want people to understand me, or if there are two languages-"


    "There will be time for you to master all the subtleties later." Ceryyn reached up to grab his arm and pull him away, then hesitated. She beamed a moment later. "Oh good, you didn''t collapse or do anything awkward! There aren''t many people who can stand up to an Earth-tier Glamour."


    Since the elves seemed to use the same hierarchy as cultivators... "Damn, are there Sky-tier Glamours?"


    "Those are the Elders!" Ceryyn shook her head. "I can''t hold a candle to them - I''m moderately good, but not that good, which is why I''m out here working with our distant kin. I didn''t lie much to you, by the way. I really do feel we have something in common, trying to leave everywhere we go better for our presence."


    That seemed like an extremely generous interpretation of anything Kai had said. And yet, while Ceryyn seemed cheerful or even bubbly, in her work she must have seen viciousness and evil, so it wasn''t as if she was naive. He supposed that she had judged him right, in the end. The question was how he had judged her and where this was going.


    "So why were you really here?" he asked.


    "Truthfully, it wasn''t to test this village. And it wasn''t to hunt the Banchlain either - I was just going to kill it while I was in the neighborhood before you came along and distracted me." Ceryyn''s smile faded and she fixed her eyes on him. "The truth is, the Council needs help from outsiders. The Alltongue Fruit was a gift, but I hope you''ll consider helping me with something else, more profitable but far more risky..."

 Chapter 242: Negotiating an Elven Alliance

    As much as Kai was interested in Ceryyn''s offer, he wasn''t about to stumble into Rosemount politics when he was still an outsider. So after getting the basics, he signaled to the others to meet in the jungle. Thankfully, Zae Zin Nim said there was no sign of her pursuers and Omilaena seemed ready to move on.


    They waited together on the southern edge of the jungle for Ceryyn to contact them. It hadn''t been all that long since they''d been separated, but as soon as they were reunited, Kai realized how much he''d missed them. It seemed like they''d all made their own incremental progress without any major breakthroughs.


    "I suppose slow advancement is to be expected," Kai eventually said. "We tried to put everything on the table at the battle for Yulthens, so we need to build up again before we''ll be taking any new leaps."


    "I am still approaching the Earth Soul stage," Zae Zin Nim said. "But proper cultivation requires time."


    "You took a new leap, though." Omilaena spoke up next, but there was something strange...


    "Wait, what language are you speaking now?" Kai asked. "I understood you fine, but I barely noticed. I guess that could actually be a weakness, if I can''t notice the details of what language people are speaking."


    "Nah, powers like the Alltongue Fruit are common enough for world travelers." Omilaena seemed to have switched languages again as she shook her head with a smile. "Damn, this one is better than I thought. Maybe they really have grasped some of their Insanity over in the Flaeren Dominion."


    "Wait, an Insanity? Nobody told me about that."


    "The Glorious Tree." Zae Zin Nim spoke up as if it was familiar to her. "It''s one of the three Insanities on Rosemount. Allegedly a single tree grows with fruit that should grant power, but it''s so intense that everyone who has ever tried to taste it has died."


    Omilaena nodded along and then jumped in. "Of course their leaders always claim to have eaten it, but as far as I know it''s always a lie. They''ve tried to plant the seeds or study the tree, with mixed success. I was being a little facetious about the Alltongue Fruit, but it''s true that their natural power has improved since I was here."


    Another Insanity. An object of unfathomable power that was a legend to most people, but for the three of them was just a symbol of a higher world. Kai was certain that the god-like beings who fought in the Frontier could eat the fruit, and for all he knew had been eating it since birth.


    Before they could wander too far off topic, Ceryyn arrived. She wasn''t radiating her aura at the moment, but she still looked astonishingly beautiful and moved with unnatural grace. Both his companions noticed and realized immediately, though they reacted differently: Zae Zin Nim shifted back uncomfortably and Omilaena licked her lips.


    For his part, Kai wished that he could completely nullify the reaction and just see people for who they were. He was still better at intellectual analysis than the emotional chakra defenses. There was an instinct telling him that Ceryyn made the other two women look drab by comparison that his mind flatly refused to accept. Of course, they were here to talk politics and it would be best if he could get rid of all such thoughts.


    "I didn''t think you''d have such strong friends!" Ceryyn said cheerfully. "We need the help, but I can''t say we trust them as much as you. Will you vouch for them?"


    "With my life," Kai said. Ceryyn seemed a little surprised at his immediate reaction, but nodded and continued.


    "Let me begin with what''s commonly known. The Commonwealth''s newest owners are an immensely powerful demon and his followers. They aren''t plundering the Commonwealth itself, but they are pushing against its neighbors more than in the past. There was open war on the border with the Coiled Empire, a while back."


    "Do you have a map?" Omilaena asked. "Here, let me help our barbarian friend."


    She unrolled a map, which Ceryyn accepted graciously and somehow made hover in the air between them. Now Kai could see the nation of Crescilor curving along the western side of the continent, as well as the Commonwealth and other regions he knew. There were a surprising number of small nations, including lots of kingdoms, but he ignored those so as not to confuse the issue.


    It looked like the Commonwealth sat near the center west of the continent, lined by a vast mountain range to the north and east. That mountain range spanning the continent separated the Commonwealth of Traebor, the Elven Wilds, and the Flaeren Dominion, with the Coiled Empire dominating a southern peninsula. Every other kingdom was clearly carving out space in the shadow of those giants.


    "The Council of Elders wasn''t particularly concerned by local squabbles, until the demons started preying on trade routes." Ceryyn tapped a finger on the mountain range between the Commonwealth and the Elven Wilds. "We like to think of ourselves as self-sufficient, but of course we appreciate trade from across Rosemount. Normally such trade is allowed to pass unmolested, but in this case..."


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    "Demonic cultivators wouldn''t care about that." Zae Zin Nim nodded as if this was expected. "They''ll take what they want, and if it comes to war they can''t fight, they''ll just leave."


    "Exactly. Now, the Council wasn''t too worried, because the elves can protect their own. But recently the demons have begun making use of strange devices that inhibit elven glamours. You can imagine how much this weakens our agents, and if they''re just testing new technology, they could potentially use the finished weapon to invade the Elven Wilds."


    Kai could definitely see how that was a problem, since the elves relied on their glamours as a base power no matter what else they used. People like Ceryyn were no doubt used to others resisting or disrupting their glamour, but lesser warriors like those who might guard trade could be completely disabled. As he put together the political situation, Ceryyn confirmed his suspicions.


    "Normally we stick to ourselves, saying that there are enough tribes of elves to tackle any situation." Ceryyn sighed and waved her hand across the Elven Wilds. "And we do have some groups that don''t use glamours, but using them would look like an act of war, and they''d be spread thin anyway. So some of our lords and ladies, like me, have been sent to try to find allies."


    "And what do you expect us to do against demons?" Omilaena asked.


    "Of course we wouldn''t throw you against them. The Council is planning to build a great school with the strongest potential allies from across the continent. You''d be given training and chakra to strengthen yourselves, while also being prepared to act as our agents against the demons. It would be-"


    "Definitely not."


    The hard refusal made Ceryyn blink in surprise, then she deployed a weaponized pout. Kai felt something tug at his heart, as if it was wrong of him to deny her anything. Omilaena folded her arms and stared back, not giving an inch even though she wasn''t immune to the glamour.


    "This school might be good for your Council," she said, "but we don''t have time for it. You''ve seen our strength, haven''t you? We have too many of our own priorities to let ourselves become vassals in your new program."


    "This is a great honor!" Ceryyn objected. "We wouldn''t be exploiting you, you''d be given benefits that few outsiders ever receive. If you distinguished yourselves, you could even receive a boon from the Council itself."


    "What kind of boon?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "If I wanted to cultivate at the Sapphire Wind Oasis, would that be allowed?"


    Ceryyn blinked in surprise, but nodded. "I cannot say that everything in the Elven Wilds would be open to you, but it''s possible. The qi there is very pure, and it does slowly renew itself. It would be in our best interest to strengthen our allies, after all."


    Omilaena was still shaking her head. "I won''t deny the benefits, but you''d be making us enemies of the Commonwealth. What you don''t know is that we have multiple reasons we need to travel there. The Elven Wilds contain great riches, yes, but not everything we need."


    That seemed to be a bit insulting to Ceryyn, but Kai thought she didn''t understand their ambition. They needed to find the perfect sources of power from the entire continent, not to mention a way to deal with the Brightwind cultivators still pursuing them. Of course it would be a mistake to reveal anything about that, since it was a weakness that could be exploited.


    "Is there anything else we could do to help?" Kai asked. "For example a more secretive mission. The three of us as a team can manage more than you think."


    "I suppose it can be considered." Ceryyn looked over the three of them and then took several steps back. "I will speak to my seniors. But if you want us to invest in you as a team, you need to make your decision about what you can offer."


    She retreated some distance away and pulled something from her spatial bangle that she spoke into. The words were tantalizingly understandable to Kai, but he recognized that he shouldn''t eavesdrop. Besides, it seemed like the three of them had their own issues to debate.


    "I''m surprised you''re willing to consider this school offer," Omilaena said. "A school is an open environment where your qi would be noticed and analyzed. Your father''s minions would eventually hear about you, even if you''d completely hidden your power."


    "And I need to advance to fight them," Zae Zin Nim said. "We can''t waste any more time on the coast, not when they could arrive at any time. This oasis is one of the best possible sources for qi. We can get access to it and then leave."


    "You don''t want to upset the elves - they have long memories. We shouldn''t do this unless we''re really committed to it. I don''t think we should get involved at all."


    "Is that your real analysis, or do you just intend to go to the Commonwealth and get everything you want there?"


    "You''re talking like it''s a scheme, but I''ve always made that clear. We can''t work toward all our objectives at once." Omilaena turned away in irritation, and then to Kai''s surprise, Zae Zin Nim did too. They weren''t fuming, they were both looking toward him.


    Were they depending on him to break the tie? Up to this point, their goals had been closely aligned from Krysal through the Blood Current. They''d never really established how more complex decisions would work. He supposed that voting was at least a fair way to handle things. Yet it seemed like more than that... these two actually respected him and were willing to listen.


    "I do think we should work with the elves," Kai said slowly. "Because there''s something else I haven''t told you: Ceryyn told me about a place called the Inverted Oasis that sounds just like the Frontier. I can''t pass up that opportunity to learn more."


    "A wise choice." Zae Zin Nim nodded, but he wasn''t finished.


    "But I agree that we don''t want to get involved with their school and their war. Surely we can take on a single task without ruining our chances in the Commonwealth? I think it''s worth the risk, for what they could pay us."


    The compromise didn''t exactly satisfy either of them, but they both seemed to accept his logic. Ceryyn hovered not far away and it seemed she had been listening, because she spoke up as soon as they went silent.


    "We''re willing to offer you a more dangerous mission," she told them. "There''s a target that elven cultivators can''t touch. If you go, you''d be going without support, and we''d deny all involvement if you''re captured. But if you succeed, each one of you would be granted a boon."


    So the Council of Elders was throwing them into a dangerous situation to maintain plausible deniability. It was a callous move, but at least honest. If they could manage to pull off the mission, those boons could potentially change their fortunes on Rosemount: a breakthrough for Zae Zin Nim, something for Omilaena, and he could finally learn more about the Frontier...


    They glanced at one another, then they nodded. Time to commit.

 Chapter 243: Beginning a Clandestine Mission

    After the early agreement there were negotiations, arguments, and briefings, but the core of their decision had been made in the jungle. As far as Kai understood, they were going to strike at a pass between the Commonwealth and the Elven Wilds, taking down a small fortress and capturing the strange anti-glamour technology.


    That task would almost certainly put them up against a true demon.


    So far the others didn''t seem overly concerned, despite how much caution they''d expressed around demons. Well, perhaps that wasn''t strange, considering that they had previously taken on an entire ruling class and gotten involved in a revolution. People with ambitions like theirs couldn''t exactly shy away from challenges.


    Both returned to Roseport to gather all their supplies before meeting the elves. That gave him a short time in the jungle, which he could have used to visit the elven village, but everything was strange now that they knew Ceryyn favored him. Instead Kai just went back to their meeting point and found Zae Zin Nim cultivating.


    "Aren''t you worried about being discovered?" he asked her. "If things go wrong, I mean."


    "Of course death is a possibility," she said without ceasing her cultivation. "But if we''re discovered and still succeed, it will throw off the Brightwind sect. They''ll have reports of me both in Roseport and in the north, which will split their efforts."


    "That''s what you''re expecting? Then why did you negotiate for them helping us disappear?"


    "We still can''t fight the whole group of Earth Soul cultivators, so we need to plan for all outcomes. Now I am mostly worried that they might arrive in Roseport and destroy the crystal ship. It is a shame that we could not recover it. We need spatial storage of some kind."


    Clearly, Zae Zin Nim had moved past fear of death to fear of losing her ability to fly. Since she was busy, Kai didn''t bother her too much. Omilaena arrived not long after, still wearing her blue crystal goggles. It had been a long time since he''d seen those.


    "What were you looking at?" he asked.


    She blinked, seemed to remember she was wearing the goggles, and then shifted them up to her forehead. "I wanted to examine the teleportation totem they gave us." She slipped it out of her pack and tossed it to him. "It seems like it will do what they claim. If we can get what we need and kill the witnesses, that will whisk us out of the Commonwealth cleanly."


    "You mean that it won''t work unless we achieve our goals?"


    "Nothing like that. But we''d better achieve those goals if we want to pull this off."


    The totem itself appeared to be a short rod of sandstone, elaborately carved with elven faces that melted in and out of flowing lines that looked like wind. When Ceryyn had given it to them, she''d explained that breaking it would teleport them out. It was physically durable and took a surge of chakra to break, which meant that only Kai and Omilaena could use it... and he wasn''t confident about his own chakra mastery, not in the middle of combat.


    Omilaena was right: they needed to win a definitive victory here.


    Abruptly there was a surge of mana through the wind. He turned just in time to see the air ripple like a curtain and two elves appeared in a surge of wind. The first was Ceryyn and her companion was likely a lord of similar strength, judging by how irrationally handsome he seemed. It was hard to tell which of them had handled the teleportation, maybe both given the distance.


    It was surreal to think they were going to leap across the continent. In Goralia portals had been rare and valuable, even over short distances, and they barely existed at all in Krysal. Here in Rosemount they didn''t seem to have any trouble with it, despite having more chakra than mana. Then again, it took a high class elf to take them this far, so distance was still a major factor.


    "I hope you''re all ready!" Ceryyn beamed at their group, though her expression was more muted than usual. "We have no current intelligence aside from the fact that the anti-glamour artifact is still in effect. Today is our best chance to strike without running into one of the demons, but it''s still a chance."


    "Why is this pass so important to them?" Omilaena asked. "There can''t be that many demons in the entire Commonwealth."


    "Approximately thirty. As far as we can tell from what''s being stolen, the trade in this pass is related to someone''s personal quest for power. We wouldn''t dare strike at a location that was critical to all the demons or the whole Commonwealth. But enough about that! It''s time for us to go."


    They all moved closer to the other elf, who gathered up his mana and then suddenly twisted the world into a knot. After a moment of disorientation, Kai found himself standing on a rocky plain with crags all around. Everyone was visible and nothing looked wrong, so it seemed the elves were still on the level.


    Their escort dropped to one knee and grimaced, though, as if the trip had been unexpectedly taxing. "Oh dear, I guess this is far as we can take you." Ceryyn gestured for them to check the area and then bent down to check on her companion.


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    The others were better suited for in-depth investigations, so Kai just caught his bearings. He found himself gaping at the size of the mountains, some of them spearing through clouds in the distance. They were actually in a lower-lying area, since there was a navigable pass in between two of the nearby peaks. According to the plan, they would have entered in no-man''s-land, not exactly the Commonwealth or the Elven Wilds. From this position he couldn''t see much of either.


    "Please take care of yourself." Ceryyn had crept beside him with elven subtlety and he almost jumped. She leaned closer, staring into his eyes seriously and apparently unaware of her own eyes'' captivating qualities. "I wanted you to come back to prepare more, but I understand why you wanted to do this. I just hope the risk pays off for you."


    "I''ll do my best," Kai said. Since she couldn''t see his full strength, he understood why she''d be worried. "Does it look like everything is as planned?"


    "You''ll have to move further south, but yes." She turned back to the others and shifted to a more cheerful tone. "The good news is that the interference shouldn''t stop you from escaping. If you have to leave before you can find the anti-glamour, we''ll consider our debts balanced. Better that than being captured and having information tortured out of you."


    "How cheerful," Omilaena said. She''d made her goggles disappear and replaced them with a set of needles and syringes.


    "Whoops, sorry. Good luck!" Ceryyn waved as the mana flowed around them, then she and her companion vanished. It was just the three of them in hostile territory.


    They journeyed south into the mountains, silent and cautious at first. Normally there would be more people traveling between nations, but the thefts by the demons had reduced traffic. Kai tried to keep watch for anyone observing them and found himself repeatedly distracted by the environment.


    Everything around them was rich with chakra, by his standards. Gemstones regularly glittered from out of the mountain walls, apparently not valuable enough for anyone to mine them. There were exotic plants everywhere, from glowing trees to flowers growing straight out of rocks. On several occasions he saw rocks drifting through the air. On Deadwaste all of these things would be treasures controlled by a major faction, but here they were just the environment.


    When it became clearer that they wouldn''t be immediately intercepted, they dared to talk again. Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim both discussed shrouds and avoiding attention, while Kai could only hope that his Krysali shroud was enough because he didn''t have options.


    "These mountains are huge," Kai said during a lull in the conversation. "I don''t think there are any this big on Deadwaste."


    "It''s the largest mountain range in Rosemount," Omilaena told him. "At the center where all the forces meet is the single highest point in the world."


    "Highest overall, maybe," Zae Zin Nim said. "Cloudspire has more lone mountains, some of which are higher from base to summit."


    "Do you think Kai was asking about that?"


    "All I said was ''mountains big''." Kai shrugged. "Be glad I''m not grunting and shouting about the giant rocks."


    They smiled, but not for long, because the further south they went, the more the danger increased. Apparently only elves could sense the anti-glamour, which meant on their own they would need to guess. Omilaena suggested that she had methods to analyze the chakra while Zae Zin Nim wasn''t sure whether that might draw attention to them.


    It occurred to Kai that he should develop a monstrous ability specifically to act as an ambush predator - he would get more use out of that than for example Sahagin''s Soul. Most likely there were monstrous cats and other such predators in the mountains, but they weren''t attacked by anything. It would have been inconvenient for their mission, which was why he almost hoped that fate would throw something his way.


    Eventually they spotted it: a blocky fort that seemed to have been grown from one of the mountains. That alone was impressive, but there was no time to think about that. A massive black obelisk had been jammed directly into the top and even Kai could feel that it was radiating some sort of chakra. When Omilaena lowered her goggles, she only said what they were all thinking.


    "That''s our target." She kept looking around the region with a frown. "The fort could house a lot of troops, but I don''t see any. Scared off by the demon?"


    "Commonwealth troops should be more professional than that," Zae Zin Nim said. "Aren''t they used to working for conquerors?"


    "Hard to say. That obelisk looks durable, but I''d bet Kai can sever it. Should we rush in, take it, and teleport out? The longer we stay, the greater the risk."


    "We don''t know who might be watching and what they could learn from the teleportation," Kai pointed out.


    "Sure, but that could be true at any point. There are lots of vantage points in these mountains."


    "Kai is right," Zae Zin Nim said. "There could be more obelisks or other things we can''t see. The elves won''t be satisfied unless we investigate properly and we''ll just have to take the risk."


    As they slipped into a silvery forest and crept closer, it seemed like the risk might have been overstated. Even as they approached the fort, none of them could detect any signs of life. There were the burned remains of several wagons lying at one side of the fort, but the ashes looked old.


    Eventually they had no choice but to approach the fort itself, despite the lack of cover. No one shouted or attacked them. The outer wall, which had been grown in the shape of massive teeth, was no obstacle for them. They managed to get all the way to the obelisk, which was even more obviously added later now that they could see the damage to the structure. Someone, likely one of the demons, had just smashed it directly into the fort. No wonder the soldiers had retreated.


    "Looks like this is the only part." Omilaena removed her goggles and propped them up on her forehead. "If we have time, maybe we should extract the whole thing and take it with us."


    "Can we teleport something that large?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    Something at the edge of Kai''s vision triggered his instincts and he acted without thinking. He was slashing a Tyrant''s Claw to intercept the movement without hesitation, and it was good he didn''t wait, because even his quick attack barely arrived in time.


    His claw collided with a shabby bundle that tore over the ground at high speed. It should have torn the bundle-like creature apart in one blow, but to Kai''s surprise it was only knocked back off the edge of the fort. There were others moving around them, hesitating now that their targets were alert.


    "Who are you supposed to be?"


    The cold voice drew all their attention to the side of the mountain near the fort, where a man all in black approached. His eyes glowed with demonic power and as he walked, his footsteps seemed to vibrate through the ground. Something was rattling, joining together...


    Kai used his spiritual senses to examine the demon more carefully - he was only able to read the words "Bone Artisan" before the demon attacked.

 Chapter 244: Fighting a Bone Artisan

    The demon lunged straight at Kai, so damn fast that there wasn''t even time to fully manifest a Tyrant''s Claw. Instead he dodged to the side, buying just enough time to form one. He''d planned to swing it horizontally to catch his opponent, but the demon had already broken away.


    He attacked Zae Zin Nim next and she desperately turned aside his swift blows. The demon thrust his hands forward in knife position, confident as if he expected them to pierce any barrier, so her smooth martial arts were a better defense. Kai prepared another Claw but hesitated as he tried to find his moment. What was the demon''s fundamental strategy? Perhaps he was trying to take out the weakest members first, before they could use their numbers to their advantage.


    And he was buying time: a massive beast formed from bone leapt at Kai from the side, swinging three limbs of different lengths. Instead of trying to deflect the unpredictable attack combo, Kai hit the beast with a Tyrant''s Claw that sent it flying backward.


    Meanwhile Omilaena had finally acted, launching a series of needles at the demon''s back. He managed to ward them off even while fighting Zae Zin Nim, keeping them both at bay simultaneously. Kai couldn''t attack without risking one of them, so he took the moment to examine the demon properly.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 847


    White Demon: Spinel Rank (201)


    Bone Artisan: Topaz Rank (410)


    Physique: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    There were no obvious weaknesses in the demon''s spirit, except perhaps a slightly low Soul Level. Perhaps that came with the territory, when you drained your power from others. But that wouldn''t matter, given how more beasts were shambling from around the fort toward them. Not beasts... constructs made of bone, presumably created by the demon''s Bone Artisan abilities.


    Something lightning-fast flickered past Kai and he felt a pain in his leg. It was that speedy little construct and it could have taken out his leg, if not for Behemoth''s Heart. As near as he could tell it was already skittering on the opposite side of the fort, so Kai just kept an eye on it and leapt into battle.


    Not against the demon, which was already chaotic enough, but instead against the approaching constructs. While in midair he unleashed a thin stream of Baleful Breath that created a cloud of death across one side of the battlefield, and even the bone constructs didn''t enter that lightly. Then he crashed down with a Tyrant''s Claw, tearing apart one of the weaker constructs. Another swung at him and he managed to kick it in the chest, knocking it away from the melee.


    The time he''d bought them nearly paid off. Omilaena closed in, wielding a syringe, and the demon naturally prioritized her as the greater threat. But he underestimated Zae Zin Nim, who finally connected with a palm.


    Her qi rang like a bell and a shockwave of blue fire expanded from the point of impact. The demon skidded all the way back across the top of the fortress... his arms crossed in front of him. He looked a little singed, but he lowered his arms and grinned.


    "Not as weak as you look," he said in a ghastly voice. "But why are you here?"


    "You''ve killed enough merchants," Omilaena said sharply, as if she was really angry. "Leave the pass alone unless you want to face more of us."


    "You don''t understand your position. It doesn''t matter what you want, I''m going to turn your bones into constructs. But if you tell me who sent you, I''ll be merciful and take the bones after you''re dead."


    They didn''t answer that, even as the red eyes shifted between them. When he didn''t get a response the demon didn''t seem upset, he simply chuckled and prepared to attack again.


    Constructs that had been shuffling closer now leapt to attack Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim, who were forced to focus on defending themselves. Before the demon could take advantage of their distraction, Kai leapt in to attack directly.


    Instead of beginning with his strongest Tyrant''s Claw, Kai gathered power in his right hand while he formed a weaker claw with his left. The first claw impacted the demon''s upraised arm and he blocked it, only budging a little. Clearly thinking that Kai was exactly as strong as his human soul looked, the demon only hurled a bone dagger at him while paying more attention to Omilaena.


    Then Kai''s strongest Tyrant''s Claw slammed down, flattening the bone dagger and cutting into the demon himself. And his strongest claw did cut, tearing through the dark uniform and drawing bright purple blood. Kai pulled back for a third claw-


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    A fist struck his chest and Kai felt spikes of bone biting deep into him. The pain was far more intense than he''d expected and his next attack faltered. Before he could recover, the demon struck him with another spiked fist.


    Kai smashed through a fortress wall and tumbled out the other side. His jaw had been nearly broken and he could feel two lines of blood from the gashes... no, that wasn''t the worst of it. Something spiky was growing in his chest, trying to shred him from within...


    He realized that the bone fragments had remained in his chest and tore at them. His claw knocked the growing spikes to the ground, but he was bleeding even more now. Even with Behemoth''s Heart, he needed a moment to recover.


    Trying to attack head on had been reckless and aggressive. Despite all his precautions, he hadn''t taken the true powers of Rosemount seriously enough and he could have died if not for his companions. But it didn''t change anything: he''d been fighting opponents with superior offensive power ever since he''d first awakened a Class. If his power couldn''t take him through this, strategy would have to make up the gap.


    His attack had at least bought the others time: Zae Zin Nim had demolished many of the constructs with palm strikes, while Omilaena seemed to have found some sort of reagent that melted them. Most of the weak constructs had been destroyed, but that left one shambling bear-like monster, a four-legged beast with scythes for limbs, and lightning fast constructs lurking around the edges. Even Omilaena seemed to have trouble keeping up with that one.


    This would have been a good opportunity to use Void Gaze, but he''d prepared Baleful Breath instead. Kai tried to reach inside himself despite the chaos of the battle and had to dodge a bone knife not long after. Had the demon sensed what he was doing? No, that couldn''t be... the demon was simply strong enough to threaten all three of them at once.


    Besides, the other two clearly needed his help. There would be no time to shift his soul in a battle this intense, so he''d need to plan based on the abilities he currently had.


    Zae Zin Nim was being threatened by the scythe beast, which couldn''t be easily defended against with humanoid martial arts, and the bear-like beast was proving resistant to Omilaena''s acid. Clearly the demon was figuring out their weaknesses, and if this was allowed to continue they''d lose. Kai took a deep breath, then charged directly at him.


    Even though he used a Tyrant''s Claw as a feint, he still swung with all he had. The demon deflected it with a plate of bone growing over his wrist and turned on him, grinning with sharp teeth. But Kai''s next swing was targeted at their feet.


    Half the roof of the fortress was destroyed, which launched him in a different direction. The demon dropped, only irritated and inconvenienced by the fall, but that was enough. Kai''s new path made him intersect with Omilaena, who he grabbed around the waist and pulled away from the battle.


    "What are you doing?" she demanded.


    "I''m not strong or fast enough to fight the demon in melee." Kai met her gaze and saw her anger vanish against his confession. "Let me take on the big construct. Keep him tied down."


    "Fine." They both leapt back toward the roof of the fort.


    In their brief absence Zae Zin Nim had managed to get away from the scythe beast and the demon was only just emerging, so it looked like they had a chance. But while Kai was still in the air, the fast construct unleashed a fragment of bone... no, there were several.


    Multiple constructs unleashed projectiles against Zae Zin Nim, who needed her full attention just to deflect half of them. The rest slipped past her hands and were caught by her aura of blue flames. For a moment it seemed she''d stopped all of them... until the last bone shard managed to break through and hit her stomach. Zae Zin Nim looked down in surprise and stumbled back.


    As much as Kai wanted to run to her, he stuck to the plan. Omilaena was already leaping in to stop the demon''s attempt to finish her, so Kai met the largest construct head on.


    His first Tyrant''s Claw tore off one arm but wasn''t enough to take it out. The bear-like construct hit back with shocking force. Kai managed to halt his stagger and struck back, brawling with the beast. He might not be able to fight the construct''s master, but he could eliminate this threat to Omilaena.


    When he finally got close, he used Isulfr''s Bite to tear off its upper half. The result tasted like bone and clearly didn''t have any monstrous essence he could use. Just in case, Kai kicked the rest of the body off the side of the fortress.


    Meanwhile, it looked like Zae Zin Nim had managed to burn out the shard in her stomach. She was holding the injury and grimacing, but she''d be capable of fighting. Omilaena and the demon were blurring in a storm of projectiles and eventually Omilaena had no choice but to retreat before the onslaught.


    "This is more trouble than I thought." The demon frowned and manifested several slivers of bone in his hand. "My brothers and sisters will be interested in this."


    He tossed the bone slivers off the side of the fortress. When they hit the ground they began to unfold, more bone forming out of pure chakra. These weren''t combat constructs, just small bird-like skeletons. Some of them began to run and others rose into the air. They were all headed south, toward the Commonwealth and presumably the other demons.


    "Stop them!" Kai shouted. Zae Zin Nim moved next, unleashing a flurry of qi bolts.


    She managed to destroy all the fragile constructs... and the demon grinned as he leapt. Faster than Kai had seen him move before, he grabbed Zae Zin Nim around the neck. Fragments of bone began to pierce her skin and she cried out as her energy began to drain from her body.


    Kai couldn''t stop himself this time, he was already running. At the last second he realized that the demon was no doubt trying to inspire a wild charge from a greater threat. Instead of aiming for a direct blow or saving Zae Zin Nim, Kai twisted at the last second, dodging a strike and instead hitting the demon''s arm holding her.


    He thought he just glimpsed Zae Zin Nim tumbling away, then the demon''s hand was on his throat. Kai pretended to be drained for just a second, just long enough... uncertainty entered the demon''s eyes as he realized that he couldn''t drain him. In that second Kai''s teeth snapped closed.


    His plan had been to take off the demon''s head, but it jerked back and his spiritual teeth grated against something too tough to easily eat. In the end Kai was left with a mouthful of flesh unlike anything he''d tasted before, with purple blood running down his teeth. The demon fell back, a major chunk of his arm removed, for the first time truly shocked.


    Shock turned to rage and the demon was on him faster than he could react. The first blow smashed him through the fortress wall and against the mountain, but the demon followed up this time. Kai tried to fight back, but the next blow hammered a bone shard into his arm. Shard after shard after shard, Kai was impaled to the rock.

 Chapter 245: Struggling with Coordination

    No matter how Kai struggled, he couldn''t find an edge against the onslaught. When he tried to attack, the demon impaled his arm with another bone spike, and when he tried to move away, the next spike hit his leg. Behemoth''s Heart was desperately just trying to stop all of the shards of bone inside his body as they tried to tear him apart.


    Strength and determination wouldn''t be enough to get him out of this one. He couldn''t think of a plan, either. It was hard to think of anything through the pain.


    In his bloody vision, Omilaena seemed to glide out of nowhere. Her knife nearly cut the demon''s throat and he barely blocked her strike with his forearm. But her real intent had been a syringe that plunged deep into its back. The demon whirled and probably would have struck her, but the bite Kai had taken out of his arm slowed him down.


    For a moment his vision went black and he struggled to regain focus. When he could see again, the demon had retreated, but he heard a scream of pain and rage. Omilaena hadn''t followed up, instead crouching over Kai and pouring something into all his injuries. It burned, but the acid felt better than the bone shards.


    "Took me a little while," she said with a grim smile. "We need to keep coordinating."


    "Right. Meet with Zae Zin Nim."


    Kai got to his feet unsteadily. There were no more bone shards and his body was fighting-fit, but Behemoth''s Heart couldn''t repair this much damage within the time frame of a fight. He''d have to be cautious and choose his next moments carefully.


    Through all their fighting the fortress had been largely demolished - the black obelisk stood slanted from a pile of rubble. Zae Zin Nim was retreating down the side of the mountain, pressed by the scythe beast and barely able to defend against more ranged bone shards.


    Omilaena and Kai leapt in together, defending her and driving back the largest construct. With their backs to one another, they were able to fend off all the projectiles. Though Omilaena tried to hit one of the ranged constructs with a needle, they seemed to be too fast. The little constructs were skittering through the trees in the valley now, emerging just long enough to launch their shards.


    Some distance away, the demon grimaced and tore the syringe out of his back. Whatever effect it had on him, his veins stood out bright purple but he seemed to be ready to fight again. They didn''t have much time.


    "He''s counting on his constructs to provide support," Omilaena said. "Kai, you take care of them."


    "How?" he asked.


    "Overwhelming force." Then there was no more time to talk, because the demon attacked along with all of his remaining constructs.


    Omilaena grabbed both Kai and Zae Zin Nim and hurled them away before she began to retreat. At first Kai thought it was just a delaying tactic, then while in the air, he realized the truth. Zae Zin Nim had moved to the demon''s flank, away from the scythe beast, and Omilaena was ready to intercept. Both were entirely vulnerable on the forest side, where the fast constructs were ready to launch more projectiles.


    They were counting on him to cover them. Kai unleashed Baleful Breath at its full strength, not aiming for any specific target. The rush of smoke and fire hit the forest and flooded in all directions. Trees turned to ash, the earth shook, and every last one of the ranged constructs was consumed.


    For a moment even the demon hesitated, looking toward the destroyed valley. While he was distracted, Omilaena came down hard on the scythe beast''s back, breaking its spine. After a moment, the demon shifted in to fight at melee range.


    Kai landed on the side of the mountain and turned back, looking for his opening. He understood the demon''s tactic: he realized that Kai wouldn''t risk injuring his allies and so remained at close range. Even without constructs, the demon was doing a good job fighting them. Zae Zin Nim was slower due to her stomach injury and Omilaena had taken more than a few cuts during the fighting. None of the demon''s injuries slowed him much, so he was pressing both of them back.


    So Kai went to join them, just to buy time for another plan. Unfortunately, the demon was no fool, and clearly experienced with fighting multiple opponents. He danced between them, playing their positions against one another, forcing them to hold back to avoid harming one another.


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    In a fight like this, Kai felt especially handicapped, since his strongest techniques would risk the others. Could he retreat and hope they could make an opening? But just the two of them with their injuries were struggling, and their opponent would surely be expecting something like that.


    "Look out!" Omilaena cried. She leapt atop the pile of rubble and exhaled an enormous cloud of blue smoke. Kai and Zae Zin Nim instinctively retreated, even though it was her familiar poisonous smoke.


    Her warning gave the demon plenty of time to dodge aside, and Omilaena wasn''t stupid enough to do something so senseless. Then he probably knew what she was doing... but Zae Zin Nim was struggling. The smoke separated their group and the demon isolated her, trying to drive her back into the poison.


    Kai couldn''t jump in, not when the demon had proved so good at intercepting such attacks. Instead he''d have to trust that Zae Zin Nim was smart enough to be playing along. Kai retreated around the other side of the poison cloud.


    Through the smoke he could see Omilaena jumping in, just in time to save Zae Zin Nim. But the demon fought confidently next to the poison, doing his best to force Zae Zin Nim into it. They wheeled around the edges, wisps of smoke spreading around them in the melee as the demon slowly gained control.


    Kai emerged from the smoke, deceptively slowly until his Tyrant''s Claw hit the demon in the back. This time it bit deep, knocking the demon forward with a cry of pain.


    That wouldn''t have been enough, on its own, but the other two struck almost instantly. Omilaena plunged a syringe into his neck and Zae Zin Nim struck his heart with her palm. For a moment the demon swayed between the three of them, then its bone gauntlets crumbled to ash and he fell to one side.


    They dropped the next second. Zae Zin Nim went down to her knees, panting for breath and favoring her stomach. Kai just sat back, propped up on his arms. He was still mostly inside the poison cloud, but it just tasted sort of sweet. The demon hadn''t known that they''d built up an immunity to Omilaena''s poison, which had been the plan all along.


    "Glad you caught on," Omilaena said. She was bleeding into her dress all over, but she seemed to recover first. "We should use that trick in the future, a bit more subtly."


    "Just our... movements..." Zae Zin Nim was still catching her breath. "...more effective..."


    "And you did a great job pretending to be driven back."


    "Wasn''t entirely... pretending..."


    Now that his body wasn''t being strained to its limits, the thumping of Behemoth''s Heart was healing him rapidly. Kai didn''t want to fight any serious opponents soon, or even a moderately strong monster, but he was able to get to his feet without too much pain.


    "What do we do with the body?" he asked. "Do the elves want it, or is it useful for anything?"


    "I say you eat it," Omilaena said.


    "Is that okay?"


    Zae Zin Nim sighed and turned away. "I''m not looking anymore, go ahead."


    So Kai bent down and snapped up the demon''s body with Isulfr''s Bite. It wasn''t a monster, so he expected nothing, yet he felt some sort of power flowing in his mouth. Certainly no magical ability, but was something shifting? He was puzzled until he looked at his soul.


    Monstrous Hunger had been stuck at kappa rank for a long time. Now it had finally increased.


    Did his hunger apply to other people as well? In a sense that was obvious, since monsters wanted to eat everything. He''d certainly eaten various animals and even people without gaining any power. Maybe it was just a side effect of his monstrous soul that he''d need to keep in check... or maybe it was something else. There was still so much he didn''t know, after all.


    While they recovered, Omilaena had moved back to the pile of rubble. She struggled to budge the obelisk until Kai came to help. Even though she was quite strong with D-rank Physique, it was hard to move a stone object that long and unwieldy. Eventually they got the dark obelisk separated from the rubble of the fortress.


    "I was going to suggest we do some random damage to make the theft less obvious," Kai said, then looked around the valley sheepishly. "Guess that''s not necessary anymore."


    "Actually, we can still follow that plan." Omilaena bent down beside the obelisk and drew a line around the side with one finger. "The important components of this with the anti-glamour chakra are all in the upper part. I think the rest is just a support structure."


    "Got it." Kai smashed the lower half of the stone pillar and then, while Omilaena carefully picked up the important part, scattered the rubble around the valley. When he was done, he thought it looked like something had just destroyed the entire fort, not specifically come to steal part of it.


    Zae Zin Nim had returned to her feet and was apparently just staring down the valley. When he got close, she turned back to him with a somber expression.


    "I don''t sense anyone watching," she said, "but there''s some kind of outpost further south. They might have sensed the battle. We should go."


    "No reason to delay, right?" Omilaena swept up beside them, the elven totem in hand. "Anything else we''re missing?"


    "No. I believe our mission was successful."


    "Then here we go." She broke the totem in half and magical winds closed around them.


    The moment of disorientation, as if the world was folding in on itself, was just the same as before, so Kai recovered even faster. Yet the world that blurred into sight was nothing like what he expected, not the jungles or the mountains. There was a line of mountains to the south, but otherwise he saw only sand.


    Nothing but desert on all sides.

 Chapter 246: The Boons of the Elves

    For a while they all just stood there in the endless sand. After the intense battle, hearing nothing but the sound of wind should have been relaxing. Yet the fact that they were in the middle of nowhere didn''t bode well.


    "These are the Elven Wilds," Omilaena said eventually. "Probably somewhere on the western side, which is heavily sandy due to the rain shadow and the rest of the continent. Other than that, I''m not sure."


    "Didn''t you inspect the totem beforehand?" Zae Zin Nim took the stone fragments, which were now devoid of chakra, then threw them down in disgust.


    "I confirmed it was real and wouldn''t do anything fatal, but I don''t know how to check if they''ll send us to a random location."


    "They wouldn''t really do that, would they?" Kai asked. "That wouldn''t make any sense, even if they were planning to betray us."


    The others didn''t really have an answer to that. It seemed obvious that, since nothing was happening in this random patch of desert, they should move to another one, but there was no real way to decide. They could head south toward the mountains, he supposed.


    Abruptly something burst out of the sand several paces away. Kai readied his aching body for a fight, but it was only Ceryyn, wearing voluminous sand-colored robes.


    "You''re early!" she proclaimed. "Did something go wrong?"


    "We got the thing." Omilaena lifted the top of the obelisk and Ceryyn immediately winced back.


    "Ooh, it''s still active. Can you please turn that off? There should be some sort of chakra mechanism..."


    Between the two of them, they took guesses at how the obelisk worked until Omilaena severed something on the side. Abruptly the chakra within shifted in a way Kai struggled to put his finger on: more like a magical stone than a crystal carrying active qi. In any case, the effect seemed to have been interrupted, because Ceryyn looked as lovely as usual as she approached.


    "You have no idea how much this will help us." She smiled brightly at all three of them. "We''ll still be going forward with our school program, but our allies won''t be ready for a mission like this for months at least. Broad weapons like this obelisk almost always sacrifice something to achieve such a strong effect, so we just need to find the weaknesses and we''ll gain an edge against the demons."


    "Why are we out in the desert?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "In part because it''s easiest to get a totem that will take you back here. But you''ve all clearly worked hard, don''t you want to get the boons we promised you?"


    "I wanted to go back to Roseport. We need to retrieve our ship and set a false trail."


    "Well, we can work on all that afterward. We''ll throw in some teleportation for free." Ceryyn skipped backward, wagging a finger. "But like I said, you''re early! Please wait just a little longer and then we''ll show you in."


    She hopped up into the air, then plunged into an area of sand that was apparently identical to all the rest. Whatever it was, she disappeared into it with just a slight ripple of sand. Kai hadn''t heard about elven glamours involving actual illusions like this, but it did seem implicit in the word. While he knelt down and tried to figure it out, the others already seemed to have moved on.


    "We''re going to be meeting a lot of them, aren''t we?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "Elders, I mean."


    "These aren''t the Elders elders," Omilaena said. "Not the Council that rules the Elven Wilds, I mean."


    "But they''ll be soul cultivators of a similar level, won''t they? Is there anything that can be done about those glamours?"


    "It''s tricky, because such a large part of it is changing themselves in a way that''s appealing, not direct mental manipulation. But there are options..." Omilaena went on to explain how some cultivation exercises could be useful, and she seemed to be injecting herself with a dark liquid. Since she didn''t have any suggestions for Kai, he decided that he''d stick with what had worked so far.


    They didn''t have to wait terribly long before they heard a grinding sound underneath the sand and something trembled. Soon one of the dunes began to tumble and Kai realized that something underneath was shifting. As they shifted away from the movement for the sake of caution, they ended up putting themselves in a good position to see the entrance open.


    A vast circle opened in the desert, revealing a stone staircase spiraling into darkness. It should have been overwhelmed by sand, but all the grains he saw were whisked away in an unnatural wind. Even before the process was complete, Ceryyn bounced up the stairs waving a hand.


    "You can come down now! We''re all ready to greet you!"


    They followed her into the staircase, which spiraled tightly for a time before opening up into a broader cavern. Kai had expected to be claustrophobic, but the chamber was surprisingly high and brightly lit. He recognized a few magical torches that he''d seen in the elven village, but the elves in the jungle only had one or two, whereas dozens lined these halls.


    There were passages leading in many directions, some of which sounded much more occupied, but Ceryyn took them past all those through a larger door. They only saw a handful of other elves and got a sense of a larger city beneath the sands before she took them down another stair to a massive hall. This one ended in a large door that had to be their destination.


    "See you there!" Ceryyn ran forward and somehow made ducking into a side entrance look graceful. They continued down the hallway, wondering whether or not to follow. Once they got close, the large doors rumbled open and they stepped into an even larger chamber.


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    Sunlight shone down and he could see a circle of sky above, but his attention was drawn to the sandfall. Huge volumes of sand poured over one half of the hole above, producing a great curving wall of sand. The sunlight struck it just right so that it glowed golden, while wind magic whisked stray grains away and kept the chamber grandiose instead of a sandstorm.


    The door led them across a raised walkway to the broad dais sitting just in front of the sand waterfall. Five elves sat on five thrones, looking as grand as if they had been born there. They were so striking that it took Kai a while to realized that the one on the far left was Ceryyn. She was wearing a fancy golden robe now, but otherwise she hadn''t changed.


    All five leaders must be lords and ladies, which meant they were Earth Glamour cultivators. Kai''s mind insisted that he should be swept away by how glorious they were, but he managed to focus on the raw power there. Assuming they could do more than look pretty, this group was a pretty close match to the Earth Soul cultivators chasing Zae Zin Nim.


    And the Council of Elders was supposed to be even more powerful...


    "Welcome to Sandflower City," the central elf said. He was a handsome man of indeterminate age with the strongest jaw Kai had ever seen on an elf. "You have done our people a great service."


    "I''m glad our alliance has been fruitful." Omilaena set the obelisk down in front of them, then retreated with an elaborate bow. It must have been an elven gesture, because several of the leaders inclined their heads in response.


    "For completing this service, each of you may ask one boon of us. Do not mistake our generosity: this is not a greater boon that would command all our powers. But we know a little of your paths, and you may ask anything reasonable of us."


    The three of them glanced at one another without any of them stepping forward. In theory this was the moment that would determine whether or not it was all worth it. After the silence stretched, Ceryyn cleared her throat and leaned forward.


    "Kai Clanless, why do you not start?" She was trying to speak as formally as the others and not getting it quite right, but her glamour made it seem charming. Since she was pushing things along, Kai stepped forward to address the five elders.


    "I want to visit the Inverted Oasis and learn everything you know of it," Kai said. The elders stared back at him as if surprised, so he put his hands together in supplication and lowered his head. "My home faces similar monster incursions that threaten to destroy us. I need to learn your solutions."


    "The request is reasonable and perhaps even admirable." The leader of the five shifted in his seat, leaning his head against a fist. "But the Inverted Guard is independent and answers to no council. We can make a request, with no promises of a response. This would be an unworthy boon. What else do you desire?"


    That had been all Kai wanted and the entire reason he''d argued for them to fight for the elves. Asking for something like money or chakra potions would just seem stupid. Kai glanced at Ceryyn, who gave an imperceptible shrug, and then back at his allies. When he saw Zae Zin Nim''s discomfort, abruptly he realized this might be an opportunity to solve another one of their problems.


    "What about a spatial storage item?" he asked.


    "It could be done." One of the council members who hadn''t spoken up yet, an older elf woman, finally raised her voice. "What kind?"


    "Something appropriate for combat. Beyond that... an item worthy of our task and your generosity." Kai wasn''t completely sure how this polite game was played, but that seemed like the right thing to say. The elders all nodded solemnly, so it seemed to be done.


    Before Ceryyn could nudge them along again, Zae Zin Nim stepped forward. She bowed in the Cloudspire fashion and then spoke clearly.


    "I desire access to the Sapphire Wind Oasis, to cultivate until I achieve a breakthrough."


    "To attain the Earth Soul stage?" The man who spoke up looked even younger than Ceryyn, though it was hard to tell with elves. "Never let it be said that we are miserly. You will have your choice of any source of qi within the Elven Wilds until you achieve the next stage."


    Zae Zin Nim bowed her thanks and stepped back. She looked completely serious until she moved back to where he was standing, and when their eyes met he thought he caught a hint of a smile. Her frustration with how the elves were handling things was definitely gone.


    Now it was Omilaena''s turn, so she strolled forward to greet the elders. She rolled her hips unnecessarily as she walked, as if trying to exude her own aura of sexuality, and the bizarre thing was that it almost seemed to work. Even Kai''s animal brain thought she looked just as good as all the elves with their glamours.


    "For my boon," Omilaena said grandly, "I would like a garment woven by the Primal Loom."


    Her request caused immediate consternation amongst the elves. The eldest, a man with a long white beard but an unlined face, leaned forward to speak. "And how do you know of this?"


    "Come now, I''ve heard you boast about you''ve made your own Insanity. I''m skeptical, but I''d love to see for myself."


    "That is not an appropriate boon." The leader of the five made a rough gesture for silence. "The Primal Loom is one of our most valuable artifacts, weaving the threads of fate into objects of great power. You have done us a favor, not earned a life debt. Ask for something else."


    "I''m sorry I asked too much." Omilaena shook her head slowly. "But I understand. May I have an Ethereal Lotus, then?"


    Once again, her request seemed to throw the elves back, though a few discussed this one in lower voices. Again the leader cut them off. "Only a few lotuses bloom every year," he said. "This is too grandiose a request. Ask again. Ask wisely."


    "Oh, very well. May I have some pure manticore venom?"


    "For your Heart of Poison?" Ceryyn asked. "We can get you more than just that! Never let it be said that we''re not generous. We will gladly help you with poisons, if you use them in our defense."


    "I couldn''t ask for more." Omilaena smiled broadly and swept another bow.


    "All of your boons will be prepared shortly," the leader told them with a wave of his hand. "Until then, you are welcome in Sandflower City. Perhaps in the future we will be able to work together again."


    That was a clear dismissal, so they retreated back out through the great doors, which closed behind them. Back in the hall, Omilaena stretched her arms over her head cheerfully while Zae Zin Nim frowned.


    "I got what I wanted," she said, "but I hope it doesn''t come with strings attached. Clearly they want us to keep working with them."


    "I don''t mind," Omilaena grinned as she spoke, "if they keep giving us more boons."


    "Were those first two requests bluffs?" Kai asked.


    "Absolutely. Don''t get me wrong, I''d have been overjoyed if they actually gave me something from the Primal Loom, since it allegedly creates the strongest clothes on the continent. But the actual plan was to make them more generous when I asked for poisons."


    Zae Zin Nim shifted nervously. "We shouldn''t let them make us wait too long. We need to get back to Roseport and wrap up everything there."


    "I wouldn''t be too worried. With teleportation, we can get through even if the Brightwind sect has arrived."


    If that was true, then they had finally achieved their first major objective. Technically they still needed to find a way to hide Zae Zin Nim''s qi completely, but that seemed entirely possible now that they had more allies. All of the loose ends they were chasing, all the possibilities for power, all the challenges that still faced them...


    The continent of Rosemount had finally opened up for them.

 Chapter 247: Spatial Rings and Spatial Arrangements

    The ring glittered silver on Kai''s right hand.


    He twisted his wrist again, staring into that shimmering metal and trying to find the hidden dimension he knew lay inside. Unlike bags and similar spatial items, he couldn''t just reach inside to get items. Instead he needed to gain a sense for the ring''s connection to its pocket dimension and how to access it. There were several ways, he just needed to...


    Abruptly it worked: when Kai moved his wrist he was suddenly holding the elvish sword that he''d placed within the ring. He repeated the process and it vanished again. The movement to and from the ring was a bit too slow to use for trickery in combat, but quite fast for all other purposes. It was getting easier and easier to use it, too.


    Once he had that down, Kai used the other method to access the space. Instead of summoning an item he''d placed in the ring directly, he looked into the extra-dimensional space. In his mind''s eye he could see an expansive golden chamber, which had astonished him the first time he saw it. The previous spatial item he''d used was Juray''s bag, which was just about the size of five bags put together. Inside the ring lay a chamber large enough to house the diamond star, which would make Zae Zin Nim quite happy. This spatial ring should be more than he ever needed unless he tried to start his own shipping business or something else absurd.


    He''d been prepared to train for days, but he''d mastered the ring before the others even got back from Roseport. Perhaps his mental training made him suited for it or perhaps this one was just easy to use. The elves had seemed to spare no expense in fulfilling their boon.


    Kai raised his hand and looked at the ring again. From a distance it looked like a plain silver ring, but it had been carved with intricate symbols that looked like a cross between smoke and jaws. He wasn''t sure if Ceryyn had made them carve it that way, but he liked the result. More practically, the metal wasn''t true silver, but something far more durable. It might not stand up to a massive attack, but it wasn''t going to break if scratched in combat.


    "Hello!" Ceryyn''s head appeared around the side of the door as she peered at him. "Figuring it out?"


    "I think so." Kai made a piece of fruit appear and disappear. "Thanks for helping us."


    "No, no, we should thank you. That demon artifact is more potent than we expected. If they''re using such resources, this could become a real problem, so it''s good that we started learning about it early."


    They stood together for a few seconds, the awkwardness increasing. He''d gotten along fine with Ceryyn when they''d been in the elven village, but now they were in her home city, where apparently she was one of the five strongest people. Even though she seemed to be the same person, there was obviously so much of herself she hadn''t discussed. Then again, he had some secrets of his own...


    "I hope we''ve persuaded you and your friends to stay." Ceryyn tucked some of her hair back behind her ear, where it seemed likely to stay given the length. "I honestly believe the Council needs more foreign allies. We''ve been looking inward for too long and the other powers are still advancing."


    "Assuming that the others get back safe, we''re planning to stay," Kai told her. "At minimum, Zae Zin Nim will need months to cultivate to the next stage."


    "But what about you and Omilaena?"


    "We have plenty of other work to do. Too much, really."


    "Why are you pushing so hard? Because of the pursuers she''s worried about?"


    Kai hesitated before responding, because those weren''t his secrets to tell. Zae Zin Nim had already been forced to share more than she wanted to so that the elves could help her avoid the Brightwind sect. He decided to stick to himself.


    "We all have goals we can''t get close to reaching," he said. "For me it''s about saving my home. We still have five years until the next incursion, but if it''s as bad as the last one, my current strength won''t be enough."


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    "I understand." Ceryyn patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. "I want to be on the Council of Elders one day, but it''s not a path you can rush in a year or two. It can be strange in the interim, can''t it? You have to keep running forward even if you can''t see your destination."


    "Yeah. That''s... a good way to put it." Kai smiled back at her and he didn''t think it was just her glamour.


    "I feel so lucky I met you," Ceryyn said quietly. "Not just because of the obelisk mission. There are a lot of people who think humans are inferior, and it''s hard to get through to them. But... I hope..."


    Before she could finish her sentence, the air in the nearest room distorted with an audible clap. Kai had been expecting the group to return in his current room, from which they''d left, so he had to walk over. When he stepped through the door he immediately saw the reason they''d returned to the larger room: Zae Zin Nim was sitting in the diamond star, which looked intact. Omilaena perched on one side, while the elven teleporter crouched in the back. The man looked exhausted from transporting something so large.


    "Don''t worry," Omilaena told them, "it worked perfectly. We chartered an elven ship to Cloudspire and departed on it. Once we were out to sea, we all teleported back."


    "There was no sign of the Brightwind sect." Zae Zin Nim stood up in the back of the diamond star. Her expression was neutral, but Kai thought he saw some satisfaction underneath. "We may have saved more time taking the Blood Current than we thought."


    "Oh, wonderful!" Ceryyn clapped her hands. "You don''t have to worry about cultivators getting any information from the ship crew. They''ll definitely uncover that you left, but they wouldn''t dare attack or torture our agents. Not when they think they have an answer. Does this mean you''re free?"


    Omilaena shrugged. "She''s not free until we hide her qi completely. But this is a good step."


    "I would like to go to the Sapphire Wind Oasis now," Zae Zin Nim said.


    "Easy, easy!" Ceryyn waved her hands. "It''s your boon, so you''ll definitely get your time there, but you don''t need to rush so much!"


    It looked like Zae Zin Nim disagreed, but she wasn''t going to argue about it. Instead she approached Kai and looked up at him. Something about the way she walked over made it clear that she wanted a more private conversation, so Omilaena moved off with Ceryyn to discuss their travel plans.


    "Have you been working with the spatial ring?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "I think I have the trick," Kai said with a shrug.


    "Then please place the crystal ship inside, unless you think you might break it. We will be traveling in dangerous territory and I do not want it to be damaged."


    "I''m pretty sure the elves would give us a new one."


    "I have seen the flying vehicles on Rosemount and they are disagreeable. We should keep this one."


    Once he was close to the diamond star, Kai raised his left hand and concentrated on the ring. In theory a large object was no different from a small one, but he might focus on the wrong part and break something. On second thought, maybe it was a mistake to try this on Zae Zin Nim''s favorite ship now...


    Too late, it swept into his ring. Kai glanced into the extra-dimensional space and was relieved to see that the diamond star sat in the center of the golden chamber. The process had been easy enough that he was sure he could take it back out again as necessary. At the moment the elves were hosting them, but when they went into the desert he''d be glad they had a vehicle.


    "Do you feel relieved?" Kai asked quietly. Zae Zin Nim didn''t respond at all at first, like she hadn''t heard, but eventually she nodded.


    "This is better than being chased. But by sending so many cultivators, my father has made it clear that he is willing to spend great resources to imprison me again. The more strength I gain, the more willing he''ll be to spend more." She looked up at him with dark eyes. "This won''t end until we confront him directly, and my father is a power on par with the greatest on Rosemount. I think you understand how great the threat is."


    "I understood before, when he was even further above us. My answer hasn''t changed."


    "Good." She smiled slightly and turned away with her hair covering her face. Kai wasn''t sure what he was supposed to say to that. It was a nice moment, and maybe that was all it needed to be. Sometimes he wondered just what she wanted and whether or not he was misreading her signals.


    Before the silence could stretch too long, Omilaena approached them alone. "Ceryyn is arranging rooms for us tonight," she said. "Reading between the lines, I think the elves are heavily invested in getting us to keep working for them. Not invested enough to give us any great boons, but it might be worth exploiting."


    "I thought you didn''t want to get entrenched here," Zae Zin Nim said, all business again.


    "My old logic still stands, but apparently there''s a possibility they could send us on an undercover mission into the Commonwealth. If that works out, we could both get what we want."


    "Assuming we survive," Kai pointed out. "With demons running the Commonwealth, we can''t just waltz in. Even if they don''t suspect anything, they could target us just for power. Traveling there would only be safe until it really, really wasn''t."


    "Which is why we need to get stronger." As she spoke, Omilaena manifested a new needle and flipped it around her fingers, flashing a reddish silver. "Zae Zin Nim has a clear path forward, but it will take a while, so we''d better work hard to make sure she doesn''t surpass us."


    Kai grinned and cracked his knuckles. "When have we ever been afraid of hard work?"

 Chapter 248: The Sapphire Wind Oasis

    At last they had reached the Sapphire Wind Oasis. Finally. Teleportation should have made everything easier, yet it only made Zae Zin Nim more impatient. Elven rituals and other distractions were only a small addition compared to a long trip, but when they could be at their destination in seconds, such diversions were intolerable. People getting in their way were just infuriating.


    Most of the distance had been crossed in an instant - the Sapphire Wind Oasis lay in the far north of the Elven Wilds. Instead of a pure desert, this region was a scrubland with a variety of plants, most notably cacti with lotuses floating above them. Best of all, she could feel the qi in the air, overwhelming even the chakra for once.


    Now only one final line of elves stood in their way, blocking their path to the oasis. It was actually a large region with multiple lakes and she hadn''t pinpointed the pool of qi yet. The elves in their path couldn''t even speak trade languages, or pretended not to, and so only Kai had been able to negotiate.


    Finally one of their leaders emerged - another Earth Glamour stage elf. He looked over them with a barely restrained sneer.


    "We have heard from Sandflower and the cultivator will be allowed inside as thanks for their service to elfkind." His gaze fell on the other two. "But your companions have no right to enter our innermost sanctums. We have preserved these oases for generations and will not have them contaminated by human filth."


    "You''re refusing my companions?" Zae Zin Nim started to take a step forward, but Kai touched her shoulder and held her back.


    "There''s no point fighting them over it. We''re not going to suffer out here, and you need that qi."


    She stared at him, wondering at his mind. Sometimes he seemed to have no ego at all, but this was more than that. If the elves had demanded that he kneel and beg, he probably would have done it for her sake. Better not to make him humiliate himself, because he was right about how much she needed this.


    "Then I will go cultivate with them." Zae Zin Nim bowed to her companions before she went to join the elves. "I will see you tonight."


    "We don''t want your kind tramping through our borders every day," the elf snapped.


    "Then I will cultivate until I can hold no more."


    As she separated from the others Zae Zin Nim remained tense, wondering if there would be some abrupt betrayal. Even though she didn''t particularly like Ceryyn, she would have preferred to have a familiar elf there instead of these hostile warriors. But no attack occurred, even when she was escorted into the community surrounding the oasis.


    This faction of elves - called the Cryswind - didn''t seem to maintain glamours of pure beauty, instead radiating auras of superiority. She had to admit that they were graceful, even moderately trained elves in their markets and tents moving as elegantly as advanced cultivators. Many also used qi and chakra together without the slightest apparent difficulty, which was reflected in their strength.


    Even though she knew it was the glamours, Zae Zin Nim couldn''t escape the tension knotting in her stomach. Part of the problem was that their sneering superiority was so familiar, just like the attitudes of many in the Brightwind sect. Except in some ways the elves had stronger claims to supremacy, if even their peasants were this strong and graceful. The problem with arrogance was the lurking fear that someone else might be capable of treating you the same way.


    She focused on cultivation and fought back with her own pride. Maybe she wasn''t superior to these elves right now, especially with her torn and scarred body. But she would be.


    "This way, cultivator." The leader directed her away from the lakes and tents to a cluster of bright blue trees. As soon as she felt the qi contained within, she knew that she''d arrived.


    When she stepped between the entrance trees, the sounds of the oasis community seemed to fall away. There was a clearing in the center of the blue forest, a canopy of branches stretching above enough that the only sunlight to enter was rendered blue. The entire space, from the carefully kept grass to the pool at the center, was a cerulean dream.


    "You may cultivate all the qi that you can," the elf told her sternly. "But do not drink the water or pollute this space. We will arrange accommodations just outside for when you reach your limits."


    "Thank you," Zae Zin Nim said. She had planned to stay silent to match their hostility, but real gratitude was welling up in her. This was what she needed.


    Thankfully, their xenophobia meant that they left her almost immediately. Zae Zin Nim folded her legs at the side of the pond and let the peace of the oasis settle into her before she began. The qi was so rich here, the richest she''d experienced ever since she left Cloudspire.


    For so long, her advancement had been held back by its absence, but now she could finally catch up. Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath and began to cultivate.


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    .


    ..


    .


    Of course the elves were arrogant and insulting, but Kai was used to everyone looking down on him by now. Compared to Ceryyn and the other Sandflower elves, the Cryswind faction seemed far more xenophobic. If they were all dicks like this, he didn''t want to spend time with them anyway.


    Roughing it in the Wilds outside would be no problem, especially since this region was more hospitable than the nearly waterless desert further south. Thanks to his new spatial ring, it was easy to pull out their magical tent and other supplies, so he wouldn''t even be very inconvenienced. All the details should be taken care of soon and then he could begin searching for ways to train. Assuming that some new problem wouldn''t show up, anyway.


    "So we''re forbidden from the oasis." Omilaena''s upper body emerged from the tent and she pulled the flaps around her as if cold. "And I''m so lonely... however are we going to pass the time?"


    Kai seriously considered pulling something out of the spatial ring to throw at her. He hadn''t considered that Omilaena''s teasing might be one of the problems, but it was true that they only had one tent. After everything they''d been through, he didn''t think she''d poison him in his sleep, but he didn''t feel comfortable with her in a small space like that.


    "Don''t you have your own training to do?" Kai asked. "If I understand your power at all, you still haven''t integrated that new metal, and you just got all those new poisons."


    "Is training all you can think about?" Omilaena pretended to pout before she gave a brief grin. "But you''re right, I have a lot of work to do. Not quite as intensive as cultivation, but it takes time to advance. What about you?"


    "I was thinking I might cultivate too, but since they won''t let me in... honestly, I was thinking I should examine the whole region and see if there isn''t anything I can hunt."


    "The elves might not like that, but we are here as guests. So long as you don''t violate any major laws, they can''t do much to you without degrading themselves."


    "I guess I''ll scout the area, then."


    Kai jogged out into the wilds and marveled at how fast even a casual pace took him over the land. He''d spent so much time flying in Krysal that he hadn''t realized just how much stronger his body was now. Of course, he was still slow and clumsy compared to the demons or elves. Maybe this was a good time to begin working on a mobility technique.


    Before he could investigate the whole region, much less find any monsters, he was intercepted by the elf leader who had confronted him before. Kai had listened in on the elvish conversation earlier and knew the man''s name was Heruul Cryswind. Just in case this meeting turned into a conflict, he examined the man''s soul.


    <


    Name: Heruul Cryswind


    Total Power: 848


    Soul Cultivation: Earth Glamour (392)


    Elven Cultivation: Body Refinement (100)


    Physique Level: E-9 (107)


    Soul Level: 7 (249)


    >


    Somehow he had two forms of cultivation, both the usual elven glamours and another at the Body Refinement stage. Examining more carefully, Kai was fairly sure that the glamour was some sort of pure chakra cultivation, while the second was pure qi. That was fascinating and he wanted to ask more, but based on the elf''s expression, this wasn''t the time.


    "We cannot forbid you from our lands," Heruul said, "but we do not want you prowling around."


    "I meant no offense." Since smiling hadn''t worked earlier, Kai tried formality. "I want to be useful while I''m here, so-"


    "There is nothing we need from you. Stay in your camp, if you must stay at all."


    Kai sighed and pressed on. "I''m a monster hunter by profession. Surely there are inconvenient monsters that you wouldn''t mind letting someone else exterminate."


    "We need nothing from outsiders. Our hunters sharpen their knives on hunts, from the lowliest monsters to the noble unicorn hunts." Heruul arched a finely-groomed eyebrow at him. "If you truly believe yourself worthy to be a hunter, then you must pass our tests. Come this way."


    Most likely this wasn''t actually an honest invitation, but it was a better angle than Kai had seen so far. He followed Heruul east, away from the main oasis to a pond of brackish water. This one seemed to have numerous thin trees growing out of it, but the strange part was that a huge swath of them had been chopped to stumps of the same height.


    There were more young elves there, some relaxing around the sides of the pond while others sparred atop the tree trunks. So it was some sort of stability exercise? They made it look easy, but he saw how the thin trunks bent under their weight.


    "Clear the area!" Heruul only had to gesture once and all the elves vacated the pond. He leapt forward gracefully and alighted on a single foot atop one bending trunk. "This human wants to hunt with us. Why don''t we let him undertake our test for new hunters?"


    Kai had expected laughter, but the elves appeared surprisingly somber. They were all watching him expectantly, so he took a breath and stepped out to the nearest trunk.


    It wavered under his weight even more than he expected and he nearly lost his balance. Kai pitched to one side and barely caught himself on another trunk. There were a few titters from the audience, quickly silenced. Some of them actually seemed a little surprised that he hadn''t fallen directly into the pond. He''d do his best to exceed their expectations.


    Now that he was above it, the water smelled worse than he expected. Kai tried to ignore that and focused on Heruul Cryswind.


    "Do you have the grace and poise to spar here?" the elf asked. "We shall see. Attack me."


    After giving a polite bow, Kai took a step from one trunk to another. It was different from moving on normal ground, but he was getting the hang of it. When Heruul danced forward and swept at his legs, Kai was able to dodge without disgracing himself. His back foot missed the next trunk and he barely managed to redirect it to the side of another, then engaged his core and pulled himself upright.


    Heruul frowned in surprise and advanced more aggressively. Kai moved first, before his opponent could control the rhythm, and actually forced him back.


    Then Heruul moved in a stunningly fast maneuver, flipping over Kai and grabbing his shoulders in the process. Before he could even react, Kai found himself thrown off the trunks. As he spluttered out of the filthy water he heard the laughter: rolling waves of mockery, as if they had all been waiting for this moment and now relished his humiliation. Heruul balanced on one foot, smug in his superiority.


    Kai pulled himself back up in a single vaulting motion and grinned. "Again."

 Chapter 249: Cultivating Poison and Steel

    Sometimes life surprised her, but not this time: Omilaena could see how all this was going to go.


    She had been working on her own training when she heard the next splash, followed by laughter. When she looked up she saw that Kai was pulling himself back up to balance on the reeds again. The Cryswind elves were doing their best to mock him, but their laughter rang a bit hollower now.


    Oh, she could see exactly how it would go. Kai seemed to be throwing himself into it wholeheartedly, even viewing Heruul Cryswind as a rival of sorts, and she wondered if he really didn''t see. There was an odd humility to him, perhaps a sense of his own unworthiness beaten into him by his culture''s caste system. Perhaps he really didn''t expect to win. Or perhaps he didn''t think about that at all, reserving his entire mind for the training.


    After one week at the oasis, he was already moving confidently across the reeds while sparring. What he didn''t see, and the elves were avoiding thinking about, was that some of their weaker members no longer tried to challenge him - because they''d lose. And this was without Kai revealing any of his monstrous abilities.


    Instead they sent out their stronger fighters to knock him into the water again and clung to their sense of superiority. Omilaena had seen countless groups like these, smugly confident and remaining stagnant. Whereas Kai was truly superior to them, driving ever upward until he surpassed them.


    How long would it take... two months? Omilaena made a bet with herself that it would be sooner, but then returned her focus back to her own training.


    She uncovered one of the jars she''d been given by the Sandflower elves and inhaled the green smoke within. It was a muscle relaxant that could be used for healing at low doses and became lethal in larger quantities. Many thought the Heart of Poison was a limited ability, but truthfully all poisons varied by the dose. So long as she took care to fully understand each poison as she absorbed them, she could gain full usage of their traits.


    The Heart of Poison throbbed harder within her.


    Soon she set aside the relaxant, which was basically just warm-up for her. Her real test that day was a vial with a sealed stopper. The poison within was colorless, odorless, and almost invisible. As soon as she opened it, the gas tried to escape, so potent that it could have made everyone in the surrounding area sick.


    Omilaena inhaled first, with her soul along with her lungs. The Heart of Poison reached out to grasp the poison with her chakra, guiding it according to her will. She drew it all into her lungs and then absorbed it into her heart. A few wisps escaped and she spent some time in meditation, reaching out to reel them back in, which was also an essential part of the art.


    On a previous day Kai had asked her more about how her abilities worked and she''d needed to think through her explanation. In some ways, a Heart ability was very similar to cultivation, in that it built up a core of power. The first difference was that it required chakra imbued in physical matter, which was just a difference of substrate, but the more subtle difference was the skill factor. Qi cultivation involved more specific techniques and couldn''t be done by intuition, then the formula flipped: all qi could be used in similar ways, while chakra cultivation required more precise skills in deployment.


    Another splash. More laughter. Kai hauling himself up again. Omilaena didn''t let it distract her, because she knew that path.


    Once she felt confident in her mastery of the new poisons, Omilaena withdrew a manticore stinger from her bag. She held it in her cupped hands, preparing herself. The Heart of Poison could incorporate chakra-based poisons effortlessly and theoretically absorb poisons of any kind. Conventional wisdom was that monstrous poisons were an exception, since they were based on monstrous powers instead of human energy. No doubt the elves thought she intended to extract the manticore venom and simply manipulate it, as most poisoners did.


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    Instead she pricked her finger and fought the venom as it reached her veins. She grimaced in pain, but held on and tried to grasp the power.


    Even if it used a different source of energy, manticore venom was still fundamentally a material. It had to be accessible to her or the world was incoherent. Yet it seemed to resist her, burning down her finger, trying to consume her from the inside out.


    Eventually Omilaena overcame it, but she wasn''t sure if she''d truly absorbed any of the venom or just pushed it out with her normal abilities. It wouldn''t be so easy. Kai had already proved there could be one exception to the division between human and monstrous powers, so she''d hoped she could find another. Clearly it wasn''t something that could be found with a little willpower.


    For the time being the Heart of Poison was at its limit - that was another difference, now that she considered it. Zae Zin Nim was sitting in her qi oasis, cultivating in a very smooth path upward to the limit of her stage. Chakra usually moved in larger jumps but then required recovery time. Ultimately she didn''t think the paces could be directly compared, because both depended on sources of power.


    Time to switch to training herself as a Lethal Artisan. There wasn''t much scholarship at this oasis, so she wasn''t going to be outlining any new creations, but she could still work with the rose steel.


    Her primary ordeal with it had been absorbing the metal at the beginning, when it had still been nearly molten. Advancing after that point was a much more calculated process involving careful artistry and practice.


    It had been a while since she''d worked on her fundamentals, because they''d been more than enough for so long. But fighting against the demon, she''d been frustrated by the limits of her weapons. The bone knives had overcome her needles too easily and it had taken all her strength to get any real penetration with her syringes. Clearly, she needed to get back to work.


    Instead of sitting beside the pond, where Kai was still competing with the elves, Omilaena got up to walk. No one bothered her anymore, now that they were mostly used to the new humans. That made it easier for her to bend the rules.


    If she''d wanted to infiltrate or spy on the oasis, she could have done it easily, but Omilaena didn''t really care about that. Instead she examined the exterior, in particular merchants and other trading groups. Sadly, they didn''t have any chakra strong enough to help her - this was a primarily qi-rich area, after all. But she did notice details: this faction wasn''t self-sufficient and they lacked forging capabilities.


    That day was finally her chance, as she saw a buckle binding the cargo of a wagon snap. Poorly forged from impure steel, she guessed, and weakened by stress over time. A buckle was a humble start, but she could use that as a point of leverage.


    "May I help you with that?" Omilaena asked in the local language. One of the traders looked at her as if a bit surprised a non-elf was speaking to him, but then grunted.


    "You can fix this?"


    "I can do better than that." She examined the buckle, then produced a copy of pure steel. When the trader got it placed onto his strap, he shook his head as if baffled.


    "I''ll be damned. That''s good work." He immediately narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you want for it?"


    "For a buckle? Nothing, take it. What I need is a challenge, something they can''t make here. I understand you have complex water filters, for example."


    "Oh, aye. The elders don''t like getting metal from outsiders, so it''s always a problem. Listen, we can''t do this officially, but I''ll ask around..."


    As expected, the average elves weren''t quite so xenophobic, not even in the Cryswind factions. Even if they accepted the order of their society, on a subconscious level they knew the strongest elves were lording over them. There would be weaknesses she could leverage to move forward.


    The buckle was worth less than a full Crest, which was basically nothing. But the next day, Omilaena was contacted by an elf who asked her to repair a knife and the one she made for him was so superior he gave her fifteen Crests for it. Her power wasn''t suitable for creating large weapons, so she had to refuse a few requests, but three days later she created an elaborate water filter that was worth almost a thousand Crests.


    Selling metal might build up their funds again, but more importantly, testing herself on elaborate new projects would improve her skills. Yes, Omilaena could see exactly how all this would go.

 Chapter 250: Advancing at the Oasis

    Long after the other elves had gone back to the oasis to rest for the evening, Kai continued training atop the thin trunks. Without the need to spar with anyone, he could actually try different methods. At the moment he was doing a handstand atop two trunks and trying to raise his bodyweight. The weight itself was easy, but the flimsy foundation required him to use stabilizing muscles like never before.


    So far he was training his Physique but the majority of his progress was just gaining experience fighting on such unstable ground. The thing was, that seemed to be exactly the same advantage the elves had. Other than Heruul Cryswind, who was truly stronger than him, they weren''t actually that strong or fast. Yet they always seemed to step right, as if they''d been fighting on this exact battlefield their entire lives.


    It brought him back to the exact question of what Soul Level meant. So far on his journey it had been treated as a weak power by most, while the elves claimed it was something humans only possessed as a cheap imitation. He thought Omilaena might be interested in the theory, but she seemed so busy.


    "Still training, huh?" Ceryyn waved from the side of the pond, then gracefully leapt out to join him. "I really admire your tenacity."


    "Ready to spar?" he asked.


    "If you are!"


    She had been coming to check on them more often than not. From her he''d learned that the unicorn hunts the local elves spoke about were actually a critical part of their culture. The Cryswinds had made a mistake by allowing him to take the sparring test, because otherwise he''d never be allowed to join. Of course, he had to actually win against their best in order to take part.


    The greater benefit Ceryyn offered was an honest sparring partner. She danced across the trunks, forcing him to push his mobility to the limits. Occasionally he still fell, but she never knocked him in as mockery. Taking her time to train with him was extremely generous of her.


    He tried to keep that in mind, because fighting Ceryyn was frustrating. No matter what he tried it didn''t seem to take her off guard, as if she''d already seen it before. It wasn''t that she was that much faster than him, she was just already where she needed to be first. When he actually attacked with his full strength, it wasn''t that she had invincible defenses, she just resisted with unusual tenacity.


    Was this what it felt like for other people to fight him? For most of his life Kai had been punching up against stronger opponents, with his Soul Level being one of his few advantages.


    And apparently elves had an in-born advantage that let them attain levels of soul he could never dream of reaching. It should have upset him, but it didn''t - the world was filled with people who had been given unfair advantages over him. Getting a chance to fight someone with this advantage was just refining his edge further.


    "Whoa there, you''re looking a bit serious." Ceryyn balanced on one of the central trunks with a strange smile. "I''m not upsetting you, am I?"


    "No, I''m just thinking about the others." Kai sighed and pulled at his tunic, which was still soaking wet. He realized belatedly that he should clean up before Zae Zin Nim visited again or she''d probably think he smelled filthy.


    "This faction isn''t particularly friendly. Sorry they''re being so unkind."


    "It''s not your fault."


    For a moment he stared at Ceryyn, wondering just what she was getting out of all this. Her initial exploration had been justified, given how they had been able to retrieve the obelisk, but there was no more reason for her to spend time with him. She seemed to like him, but she seemed to like everyone and it was hard to tell if there was anything more behind her actions.


    "Uh..." Kai cleared his throat and did his best not to sound too earnest. "What do you think about all their claims? Are elves really superior to h-"


    "Of course not!" Ceryyn exclaimed.


    "Let me finish. I can see the patterns and there''s no way my training could ever make my soul equal to someone who''s been soul cultivating. Even the humans with the highest Soul Levels I''ve seen don''t have the sort of presence even moderately trained elves have."


    "Some elves are dismissive, but I''m not." Ceryyn leaned forward on her perch, somehow maintaining balance as she examined him. "I think there''s a nice sort of aura to experienced humans and other races. It''s like... with someone who knows themselves and their world, there''s a solid confidence there."


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    "Huh." Kai thought that over while trying not be drawn into her bright emerald eyes. "But it''s easy for us to get out of our zones of confidence. Elven grace seems to apply to everything."


    She shifted back and sighed. "That''s not true. If someone is surprised - really surprised - you''ll see them be not graceful at all. It''s just that most threats, and most maneuvers in combat, are really pretty predictable."


    "Well, let''s see if I can''t surprise you this time." Kai grinned and she smiled back.


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai was training with Ceryyn now. Omilaena could definitely see where that was going.


    She continued applying manticore venom to herself while she watched the two training. He could be unbelievably dense when it came to women - maybe not as awkward as he''d been when she first teased him, since he''d gained some experience in Krysal, but still dense. Ceryyn was throwing countless signals and he smashed right through them instead of taking her up on any offer.


    In her experience, men went in two directions. Some believed that any woman who so much as smiled at them was clearly burning with lust, while others assumed that even the most overt approaches were just being kind. Kai wasn''t so oblivious that he didn''t notice at all, he just managed to convince himself to ignore all the subtext.


    How long would it be until they started a relationship? She wished she had someone to bet with, but of course Zae Zin Nim would be irritated if she wasn''t cultivating so much that she hadn''t noticed either. Come to think of it, the other woman was about as oblivious to emotions.


    By her judgment, Kai was mostly happy with his life, since he loved to focus on training, but he was lonely. What he needed was less the physical than the emotional connection, so he''d seek blindly until he blundered into it. Zae Zin Nim being gone so often left him uncertain, since he truly enjoyed her company, and Omilaena wasn''t good at giving that sort of comfort.


    She looked away irritably and considered her own progress. If only there was more. Her experiments with manticore venom had strengthened her Heart of Poison, even if it seemed like she''d never be able to fully grasp monstrous poisons. Over the course of the past month she''d done steadily more work for the elves and earned over 50,000 Crests. And that just wasn''t enough, not for her goals.


    Omilaena set the manticore stinger aside and looked at her soul.


    <


    Name: Omilaena


    Total Power: 701


    Heart of Poison: Level 63 (252)


    Lethal Artisan: Spinel Rank (200)


    Physique: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    >


    She''d finally passed 700 Power, but that didn''t mean anything when she was stagnating in so many other areas. The rose steel had finally raised her to a Spinel ranked Lethal Artisan, but there would be no more progress there. At most she would eke out another level or two for her Heart of Poison. Her Physique had been stuck at D-0 ever since she''d boosted herself there with injections.


    A little power and some money for a month of work... no, it wasn''t enough. Zae Zin Nim was drinking in oceans of qi and driving herself closer to a true breakthrough, and even Kai was advancing.


    Ceryyn left eventually and he began training alone, engaging in brutal exercises throwing his body against the rocks. Now that she looked closely, she realized that he''d raised his Physique to D-2 from all his training. Another notch to his power and the balance training managed to make his bulky muscles look more graceful.


    Perhaps that was her answer. Physique... but also being willing to ask for help.


    She walked closer to where Kai was grunting and sweating, then swallowed. Fine, she didn''t have a choice. He had already finished his set and was shifting to look at her, so she might as well.


    "Can you train me in Physique?" she asked. No jokes or innuendo this time.


    "I suppose I could. But you''re barely beneath me, and you were the one who helped me get this far, so I''m not sure I have anything to offer. You think otherwise?" Now that Kai was on familiar ground like training, he was back to his usual sharp self.


    "I got this far via chakra absorption exercises and injecting myself with strength-building compounds." Omilaena sighed and rubbed her shoulder. "But truthfully, I''ve never loved physical training, so I''ve neglected it. You have a lot of physical and mana-based exercises I''ve never tried, so they could be what I need to actually make progress."


    "Sure thing." Kai grinned and leapt to his feet.


    What followed was one of the worst weeks of Omilaena''s life - she honestly preferred the terror and exhaustion of the Blood Current to pushing her body this hard. Kai''s training methods exhausted her energy so that she couldn''t rely on chakra-fueled movements and her body was clearly unused to enduring this much grueling effort, not to mention the mental grit required to force herself into the exercises over and over.


    But she was deadly serious about pushing her limits, so she needed to do this type of training as well. Kai actually helped in another way she hadn''t expected: one of the things that turned her away from physical exercise was how crushingly boring she found it, but he explained the theory to keep her occupied. It wasn''t just a matter of pouring energy into her muscles, she could flex mana or chakra in the exact shape as her body, power and matter mirroring one another.


    It was enjoyable enough that she would have propositioned him again if her body didn''t ache all over. Besides, there were enough relationship messes already and she needed to focus on power. So they truly just trained together as the time passed.


    Until one day Ceryyn showed up at an unusual time with only a shadow of her usual smile. Kai looked at her in surprise, already on his feet as if ready to act. Omilaena just lay on the ground and groaned.


    "Oh, it''s nothing bad," Ceryyn said and waved her hands. "But we just got word back from the Inverted Oasis. They didn''t accept you, but they want to meet."

 Chapter 251: Approaching the Inverted Oasis

    The rhythms of training had lulled Kai into a false sense of complacency, tricking him into thinking that he had time. But of course he didn''t. Even if Zae Zin Nim was finally free of her pursuers, they had so many problems tumbling down toward them...


    It was just as well that Ceryyn couldn''t arrange to take them immediately, because he needed to clean up. If the elves who guarded the Inverted Oasis were anywhere near as uptight as the others, he needed to make a good first impression. So he bathed thoroughly, shaved, and put on the nicest clothes that fit him. Hopefully this trip wouldn''t ruin them.


    Before they left he informed Zae Zin Nim, just in case. She wanted to go with him, but seemed very impatient to finish her cultivation, which didn''t surprise him. He was more taken aback when he went to go meet Ceryyn and found Omilaena there as well. She had cleaned up much better than him.


    "I might as well come along," she said with a shrug. "Without you, I''ll start slacking off in my training again."


    "I suppose we don''t know how long it will be." Kai smiled at her, then turned to the elves. "Ready to go?"


    This time the distortion seemed even more dramatic than before, since they were crossing almost the entire continent. The Inverted Oasis sat on the eastern end of the Elven Wilds, up against the mountains. That was about all he knew about it and he could only hope that he would know a lot more by the end of the day.


    On the other side, he discovered yet another new face to the Wilds: rocky bluffs without any sand or plants in sight. The ground was ruptured in multiple places, with jagged rocks thrusting skyward or threatening ankles. He didn''t feel any of the distortion like he remembered from the Frontier, but it was definitely the least hospitable place he''d seen on Rosemount so far.


    "Someone should notice us eventually!" Ceryyn peered around, then spotted someone he couldn''t see. "Ah, there we are! We don''t know what they''ll say, so I''ll stick around to help if I can." Still, she held back, meaning she and the other elves faded into the background and left them to face the wasteland alone.


    He spotted someone approaching an instant before an immense burst of power took them closer. It looked like they would smash into the ground like a meteor, yet somehow at the last second the figure landed lightly. This one was an elf with similar skin to the others, but he had hair the color of blood.


    Not to mention, when the man moved enough for his cloak to part, Kai realized it was the most muscular elf he''d ever seen. Yet all that muscle still looked unnaturally graceful, more like a statue of a god than a person. The elf must have some sort of shroud, because he was completely impervious to Kai''s spiritual sight.


    "I understand you want to visit the Inverted Oasis," the elf said in a surprisingly soft voice. "We don''t get that request often, much less from outsiders."


    "I intend to be completely open with you from the beginning," Kai said. He stepped closer with his arms raised on either side. "Are you familiar with the Frontier on Deadwaste?"


    "No. Our work is here."


    "It''s a distorted wasteland where monsters roam. And every seven years, more or less, monsters flood from the center and threaten to consume everything. We call them monster incursions, and they threaten to destroy the entire continent. Does that sound familiar to you?"


    The elf watched him coolly, giving no indication of his thoughts. "We experience a similar pattern. But why are you here?"


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    "I want to learn from you. I don''t need your strength and I don''t want to take anything. Just looking at this place could help us solve our problem on Deadwaste."


    "There is nothing to be solved. The Inverted Oasis is a void of power that spawns monsters. They can be stopped by sufficient strength. If your own is insufficient, we cannot help you."


    "That''s why you could help us." Kai could hear the desperation in his own voice and it wasn''t faked. "You seem to have solved your problem completely, whereas it''s apocalyptic for us. Just studying what you do might give me some insight that could save Deadwaste."


    The man continued to watch him, then started to shake his head. When he opened his mouth, Kai spoke first.


    "What about the center? At the exact center of the Frontier, there''s an enormous pit, a perfect circle. Do you have one too? Do you know what''s at the bottom?"


    Finally he seemed to get through to the elf, who might not have believed him until that moment. The man - who Kai couldn''t help but think of as a Frontier elite - sighed and gestured to a side. One of his pieces of jewelry must have been a spatial device, because a long stone column popped into the air beside them.


    "Step aboard," the elf said. "You can observe our operations, but no more."


    Kai thanked him and stepped onto the column. He expected it to transform into some sort of vehicle, but the elf just leapt up onto it and balanced. Good thing he''d been doing so much stability training lately. Omilaena jumped on behind him and they both wavered as the strange vehicle rose into the air.


    In seconds they were high over the land, Ceryyn and the others tiny underneath them. Yet the mountain range still loomed high overhead, disappearing into the clouds even at the far end of the range. Kai pulled his eyes away and tried to investigate this foreign Frontier for anything he might use.


    The most obvious difference was that there was no wall, no clear border between the Inverted Oasis and the rest of the continent. Yet from this high up, Kai almost thought that he could see a shading difference in the land. It was obvious in the bluffs, where life appeared again far enough to the north. When he looked into the mountains he saw a strange sort of reverse tree line: there were no trees in the lower reaches and then they resumed higher up.


    Looking at all of that evidence, he saw roughly a circle of dead space. Once he made out the overall shape spread across the mountains, he only had to find the center... then he spotted it, a dead forest tucked into a valley. It looked as though the trees had all been frozen into black glass and he couldn''t see anything within.


    They were flying toward a set of buildings perhaps a mile away from the dead forest and the center. He couldn''t see what was going on in the complex well, but he could feel the power even from here. Elites training and cultivating, preparing to continue their endless battle. Given the raw strength he felt, they definitely seemed like they could handle a monster incursion.


    But not the apocalyptic incursion he''d witnessed. Not the beings who had come to fight over it.


    "As you can see, we have no tricks," the elite told him. "We struggle to maintain sufficient strength mostly due to Council politics. An incursion would do much more harm to the eastern Wilds than the west, so support is always uneven."


    "What do you know about the incursions?" Kai asked.


    The elf didn''t answer. They were floating lower, as if aiming for a spot in between the black forest and the compound.


    "How often are your monster waves?" Omilaena asked. He''d almost forgotten she was there in his focus on the area.


    "Approximately every three years," the elite said. "Our numbers dwindle between waves, then we build up again as the next approaches. Perhaps this could be useful to your people."


    Clearly, the Inverted Oasis wasn''t the sort of existential threat that the Frontier was. For a moment Kai wondered if Rosemount was just that much more powerful, which wasn''t impossible since he''d seen so many people as strong as the Frontier elites. Maybe this was the equivalent of a rat infestation, just a nuisance in most parts of the world that his home was too pathetic to fight.


    But he couldn''t let it end like that and couldn''t accept such empty answers. "What about the center?" he asked. "Can I see it?"


    "Very well." The elite elf sighed as if surrendering and turned his vessel toward the dead forest. As they drew close he stepped off, so Kai did the same. The outer trees were oddly silent, devoid of all life but also frozen as if time had stopped. Instead of the sensation of the world twisting, here it almost felt as though there was no world at all.


    Eventually he spotted it: a vast pit stretching between the trees. He could see the smooth wall on the opposite side, disappearing into darkness. Before anyone could stop him, Kai hurried forward and looked over the edge.

 Chapter 252: Solutions for the Frontier

    Nothing. Kai stared down into the abyss, hoping for some answers, and the darkness strangled his vision.


    Had he really expected anything different? A naive part of him had hoped that he''d seen answers in plain sight and a fearful part had worried he would die in the same way the southern Goralians had died when they faced the abyss. Yet this was just a hole, without even a single monster in sight. Now that he looked at it soberly, he realized that this one was substantially smaller than the abyss in the Frontier. The emptiness of the wasteland had thrown off his impression of its size.


    "Does this satisfy you?" the elite asked. "I suppose I must ask, out of curiosity, whether you have such a thing in Deadwaste."


    "Yes." Kai took a deep breath and put his back to the pit. "Thank you for showing me. I know you have no reason to help, but I have to keep asking questions for the sake of my people."


    "Ask."


    "Have you ever explored down there? What''s at the bottom?"


    The elite frowned immediately and his whispering voice gained a dangerous edge. "If you intend to propose such a thing, strangle those hopes. During incursions, the abyss emits dangerous anti-life energy that can harm even experienced warriors. Between them, venturing lower only stirs up the monsters and potentially hastens the next incursion."


    "So you have tried." Kai instinctively took a step toward the elite before realizing that he was pushing too hard. "We''ve never dared enter the abyss on our continent. What did you find?"


    "Nothing of value. More monsters the further down we went, and darkness. It is widely believed this shaft connects to a pit in the bowels of the earth where monsters breed. Because they are under control, it is unnecessary to incite them further."


    "Have you ever tried to seal the entrance?"


    "It has been attempted in past generations, but records state that during incursions, the monstrous energy tears through the seal. Some believe this only builds up the anti-life power and makes the incursions worse, so further attempts were stopped."


    That was at least a bit of new information. Kai took a deep breath and decided he had no choice but to ask. "I know you said exploring riles up the monsters, but I-"


    Without warning the elite elf shifted and for the first time in his life Kai felt his spiritual sight being wrenched open.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 1162


    Soul Cultivation: Earth Glamour (436)


    Barbariccia''s Gale: Level 9 (225)


    Physique Level: D-4 (220)


    Soul Level: 9 (281)


    >


    The elite''s power burned into his eyes. This elf was the first person Kai had been able to read with more than a thousand Power, a total of 1162. He had an Earth Glamour at the core of his power, but it didn''t project beauty or superiority, just pure lethal intent. Every other part of his soul was formidable as well, from his Physique to a strange Class-like power.


    "Do you see?" Suddenly the elite was whispering again and his power was cloaked. "You are a child chasing a lion. If you cannot face even one of the Inverted Guard, it is foolish of you to dream of delving into these mysteries."


    "You''re right. I meant no offense." Kai took a deep breath but didn''t back away. "My home isn''t as powerful and we''re struggling against the threat. I can''t go back empty-handed."


    "If you want a boon from us, you must earn it. We may control the incursions, but as I told you, we are frequently neglected by the Council. If you truly have a similar phenomenon in your home, bring us something that will help our task. Then we could perhaps be brothers in arms. Until then, you are a beggar offering nothing."


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    The resounding rebuke finally forced Kai back. This elf wasn''t insulting him like the others, he seemed to be a strong warrior working at a thankless position. Demanding too much from him would be like draining resources from the Frontier. Even if Kai thought he could press for more, he didn''t have the strength to enforce what he wanted.


    Was it possible to offer them something first? Deadwaste did have the Frontier wall, which wasn''t understood but might have something. In any case, Kai gave the elite elf a bow.


    "Our defenses are less than yours, but we do have an ancient construct. I will do my best to bring back something of use to you, then perhaps we can truly work together."


    "Perhaps." The elite pushed them out of the woods by force of will and gestured for them to return to their allies. After lingering long enough to be sure they wouldn''t backtrack, he disappeared into the sky.


    For a while Kai just walked in silence. He wasn''t as gutted as he expected: this had been a valuable experience. The Frontier wasn''t an inexplicable unique phenomenon anymore. Just seeing another example made the problem feel more tractable somehow.


    "Disappointed?" Omilaena asked. Kai could only shrug.


    "It would be unfair to expect them to help us for nothing. I''m just glad to know there''s another one."


    "You didn''t ask about the last incursion, but I can tell you that there''s never been anything like what happened at the Frontier. Everyone on Rosemount would have known about it, for one. The cycles of incursions also don''t line up."


    "Good point." Kai shook off some of the strange atmosphere and looked over at her sharply. "Do you have any theories about why so many powerful warriors would show up when they never did before?"


    "I can hazard guesses." Omilaena was spinning a needle between her fingers the way she often did while in thought. "We know monsters come out of the pits, and I don''t buy the idea there''s some big monster nest underground. Monsters are formed from a sort of anti-life, so they don''t breed."


    "Then what? They''re created?"


    "No one knows exactly, but there are ideas about them being caused by one thing or another. Basically just guesses." She stopped spinning her needle and raised it along with one finger. "But monsters don''t break fundamental laws: they don''t create something from nothing. There must be some sort of anti-life energy in the pits. And if it''s a type of energy, there''s probably someone who can exploit it. Based on what you said about the battle, it sounded like everyone wanted something in the pit."


    "But if that''s true, why did they just leave? Any one of them could easily have conquered all of Deadwaste - no, probably the whole world."


    "Maybe the power is only ''ripe'' at certain times, following some sort of cycle. The way they all showed up at once suggests that they didn''t know about it beforehand. So maybe they fought one another to a standstill until it was too late."


    "Then..." Kai''s sentence faltered as he realized there were no new answers. It was possible that the apocalyptic incursion was a one time event that would never happen again, and the fact that no great powers had stuck around could even be used as evidence for that theory.


    Yet he couldn''t believe it. That would be the equivalent of sticking his fingers in his ears and hoping that all his problems would go away. His former mentor Gunjin had been theorizing about cycles, and even though he''d been mistaken, he had evidence there could be more destructive future incursions. This was no excuse to get complacent.


    "You''re thinking that the next incursion probably won''t be quite as bad, right?" Omilaena asked. "But the one after that might be?"


    "Yeah, I guess you read me exactly." Kai laughed awkwardly. Anywhere within sight of those dead black trees felt like an inappropriate place to laugh. "There''s still so much we don''t know. I wish we''d been able to get more information from them."


    "We learned more than you think. Have you noted how weak the chakra is here?"


    Kai was accustomed to thin energy, so he hadn''t really thought about it. But when he considered carefully, he could feel how the power was growing denser even in the distance they had been walking. That was an obvious enough observation, but perhaps...


    "I think those abysses drain power," Omilaena said, "and perhaps convert it into anti-life. Understand I''m basically talking out my ass here. Nobody has a fully developed theory for monsters and the only evidence I have is the draining effect."


    "No, I think you''re on to something. Go on."


    "Well, it seems to me that if the abyss on Deadwaste is so deep, it might explain why the continent is so weak. You''ve had your mana draining into a hole for as long as anyone can remember. Generally speaking chakra gets weaker in the northeast of Rosemount and the Inverted Oasis just might be the reason."


    "That would be critical if it''s true." Kai hesitated as he looked forward, wishing they had further to walk before meeting the others. "Do you think there''s one per continent? Ever heard about a similar abyss on Cloudspire?"


    "You''d have to ask Zin Nim, but I don''t think so." Omilaena shrugged, a bit like her old self again. "The idea of one per continent really depends on why they exist, and we''d just be making up stories there. I can see why you''re not exactly satisfied."


    "No, this is good." He took a deep breath and forced himself to smile. "At some point in the future we''ll have to go back to Deadwaste. Sooner than the next incursion, I mean. We might be able to get some answers or assets from them that we can bring back here to buy a real alliance."


    "Maybe we should bring them something, though? Something to give us a stronger bargaining position, I mean."


    Kai nodded, immediately realizing that she was right. The Frontier elites would be grateful if he could bring them power from Rosemount and he''d finally be doing something to help defend his home. Maybe between the two abysses they could find some solution.


    Then again, it would be premature to leave Rosemount already. There were the elves and the demons and Zae Zin Nim''s father and so many other problems. Sometimes it felt like he needed to solve the entire world if he wanted to solve anything. He had an extremely long path ahead of him.


    But perhaps that was for the best. Kai knew with cold certainty that if he''d tried to explore the abyss behind him now, he would have died.

 Chapter 253: Looking Beyond the Earth Soul Stage

    Once, reaching the Earth Soul stage would have been an incredible accomplishment, the point where she could begin earning her freedom. Now, even as Zae Zin Nim devoted herself to cultivation, she wondered if it was enough.


    Reaching Earth Soul would only put her on par with her father''s top cultivators as well as a great many threats on Rosemount. In theory the Blackblood Physique would finally show its true worth once she recovered but she feared that she was missing something. It had already failed to restore her beauty as quickly as she expected during her last advancement. Was it possible that she was fundamentally missing a step to unlock its power?


    Aside from that, she had still failed to find a source of chakra that could equal her cultivation - none of the abilities she''d heard about particularly appealed. That was fine, unless she needed to incorporate chakra early. In that case, she would need to wait until she reached Sky Soul... though she hoped to reach it one day, that would clearly be far in her future.


    The closer she got to the peak of the Nascent Foundation stage, the more she felt like she was speeding toward a cliff instead of approaching a destination. When an elf entered the grove she was actually relieved at the interruption.


    "Excuse me, cultivator. We have news."


    "What is it?" Zae Zin Nim had found that these elves weren''t as stiff as she had expected, once you got to know them. Her steady cultivation and respectful treatment of the qi in their oasis seemed to have won them over.


    "Our kin in Crescilor have reported that there are cultivators from the Brightwind sect searching the nation."


    "Did you tell them to search specifically for that?"


    "No, we only asked them for news of Cloudspire." The elf bowed respectfully as he backed out. "Never fear, very few know of your location here. Oases in the Elven Wilds host enough foreign cultivators that your presence will not be news."


    "Thank you." Zae Zin Nim had been more concerned about them spreading information that could be traced back to her, but the elves seemed to have their act together. Even though their factions fought with one another, she liked how they took care of their own across the continent.


    Unfortunately, the interruption only strengthened all of her worries. There was no point rushing to Earth Soul if she only caused a blockage for herself when she needed to reach Sky Soul. It wasn''t exactly a fire deviation, but it could inhibit her progress nonetheless.


    Perhaps she should no longer shoulder this burden alone. Zae Zin Nim was accustomed to cultivating for weeks at a time, but it had been easier when she was working in a sect with only rivals on all sides. She missed spending time with Kai, and even Omilaena''s presence. The other woman was probably the one that she needed to speak to, if she was going to come to any conclusions beyond the cultivation that she''d grown up with.


    When Zae Zin Nim emerged from the grove she was surprised to find that it was dark because light and qi all blurred together during her work. The oasis community was beautiful at night, glowing with all the elven lanterns. No one disturbed her as she walked out, though she avoided Heruul Cryswind and his cronies.


    Her companions were still making their own camp outside the elven community. At a glance, it looked like Omilaena used the magical tent and Kai slept in the crystal ship, which was at least an appropriate division. At the moment Kai was training alone at the reed pond, which was unsurprising.


    What shocked her was that Omilaena was training physically in a rocky area not far away. For the first time Zae Zin Nim had seen, the other woman wasn''t wearing an elegant dress. Instead she wore... basically a gray sack. It bounced around shapelessly as she did an aggressive routine that involved rushing between several different exercises with no rest in between: leaping atop a boulder, jumping back down, doing a squat, flipping into a push-up. Sweat streamed down her body and clearly soaked the material, so perhaps she wore this to avoid ruining one of her dresses.


    Zae Zin Nim waited quietly until the other woman finally collapsed onto her back, panting for breath. "Are you finished? May we speak?"


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    "Give me... a second..." Omilaena looked as though she was near death.


    "I take it that you are using Kai''s training methods. I assume you haven''t tried similar before?"


    "Not in way too long..." When Omilaena got to her feet she groaned like the dead, but she staggered away from the pond to a rest area nearer the ship and then dropped down to a seated position. "What are you here to ask?"


    "I wanted to ask a question about my cultivation. If I continue at my current pace, I will be able to advance in under a month, which would be ahead of schedule. However..." Her thoughts frayed on her lips and she found herself starting at the other woman, which was a mistake.


    Now that Omilaena wasn''t moving, the sack-like fabric clung to every curve of her sweaty body. Zae Zin Nim was accustomed to how the other woman projected sexuality with elegant dresses and seductive movements, but seeing her in such a raw state surprised her. Omilaena had a classic hourglass figure that she couldn''t help but compare... Zae Zin Nim often felt like she was top-heavy and vulgar, while the other woman was maturely proportionate, and her legs... Zae Zin Nim felt like she couldn''t have nice legs, not at her height.


    Zae Zin Nim blushed and looked away before she could be teased, but either Omilaena was too exhausted to notice or she wasn''t paying attention.


    "You think you should try another step first?" Omilaena asked. "If you''re thinking of advancing Physique during this stage, I think it would be too early for you to do that. E-9 would be ideal."


    "No, it isn''t that," Zae Zin Nim said. "I''m wondering if I need to take on more chakra before I advance. I want to integrate all three powers into my cultivation and I''ve made so little progress..."


    "Are you worried that not doing it now would block you later?"


    "That''s what I hoped to ask you! But if you don''t know... I also worry about slowing down. Both of you are waiting for me while I spend so long cultivating. I could finish at the Sapphire Wind Oasis without trouble, but if I try to search for something else, it could take even longer..."


    "Don''t worry about that part." Omilaena smiled at her, a bit like her usual self again. "We''re all in this for the long haul, right? Cultivation breakthroughs don''t come every day; you want to do this properly."


    "But how will I know? What if what I''ve been taught is actually a false path compared to the greater powers in the world?"


    "That''s a question we can never truly answer. We just do all the research we can and then keep moving forward. If it''s any comfort, I''m still sticking to my theory that some struggles on the path will strengthen you more than a smooth ''perfect'' path upward."


    They sat in silence for a time. It was true that there were no simple solutions. Before Zae Zin Nim could find any answers, the other woman spoke again.


    "You could try this." Omilaena rummaged in her satchel and pulled out a small vial filled with golden chakra. "I bought a little of this for my own experiments but this is a worthy experiment too. Taste this and see if it reacts negatively to your cultivation."


    "Very well." Zae Zin Nim took the vial and was surprised at how sweaty the other woman''s fingers were - Kai was really pushing her training hard. She took a drink and felt the chakra course through her.


    Unlike most chakra she''d tried, which raged with strong emotions, this was almost peaceful. It definitely pulsed with some sort of natural power, pregnant with potential. Yet it seemed to resonate with her body instead of mixing with her qi or mana. Not like a Physique-boosting elixir, more like it was trying to bring out some other potential she couldn''t quite pin down...


    "It slipped away," Zae Zin Nim eventually said. "Was that a failure?"


    "Not unless you think it reacted poorly. Did it?"


    "No, it seemed agreeable. What is it?"


    "We might not be able to find a chakra ability perfectly suited to you, but we can raise your chakra potential." Omilaena took the vial back and rolled it over her fingers, more sluggishly than usual. "Think of it like gathering qi in preparation for cultivation. Your body can adjust to absorbing chakra and build up a store of it over time. Currently it will be completely useless to you, but in the future you''ll be able to unlock that work."


    "Oh." Zae Zin Nim considered the idea, liking it more with every passing moment. "Do you think I could use this to adjust my cultivation further? I could advance in the presence of chakra without needing to integrate it like I did before."


    "You''re the cultivation expert, but I think it might be worth trying."


    "Yes, it is. But if I do this... the Sapphire Wind Oasis might not be the appropriate place. I would need somewhere with more... actually, I suppose I''m not sure what I need. I would need to gather chakra and see how it affects my qi."


    "Remember that you have all the qi in the Elven Wilds open to you," Omilaena said. "Ceryyn has been inviting us back to Sandflower City for a break and we''ve been turning her down. We could use that as an opportunity to consult some experts and figure out where you want to advance."


    This seemed like an excellent plan and Zae Zin Nim''s hopes were restored. She wanted to thank the other woman, but it felt awkward after their usual sparring. Before she could figure out her words, Kai approached them. He was sweating as well, which forced vulgar thoughts into her mind about the other two sweating together...


    Omilaena might have noticed, or perhaps she didn''t. In any case, she just smiled lazily at Kai as she spoke. "If you want to stop playing around and earn your right to that unicorn hunt, now would be the time. We might be leaving the oasis soon."

 Chapter 254: Final Trials on the Reeds

    It was just as well that Zae Zin Nim wanted to move on, because Kai wasn''t sure how much more he could learn from the elves here. The balance training had been useful, but his Physique hadn''t increased again and he didn''t think that it would. To achieve a real breakthrough, he needed to eat something new.


    Even though it had started as a mild interest, a way to stay busy in between training, he was now invested in joining the unicorn hunt. So far he had yet to see a single unicorn, so it wasn''t likely that he could find one even if he decided to defy the elves and go out on his own. In theory, according to Ceryyn, if he was allowed to join the great hunt then he could probably manage to catch one.


    Except he wasn''t sure exactly what would happen if he managed to eat a unicorn. No one spoke about them as monsters and he didn''t have any experience with them directly. That was actually a good question to ask Omilaena...


    He caught her as she came out of the tent, once more elegantly dressed and with her chin-length hair perfect. Clearly she was going somewhere, presumably to continue with whatever she''d been working on with Zae Zin Nim. But she paused and smiled at him, so hopefully there was time.


    "Is a unicorn a monster?" he asked.


    "I couldn''t tell you," she answered with a shrug. "I can tell you they''re not as kind or good as some of the stories I''ve read."


    "But lots of non-monsters are nasty, including people." Kai sighed and shook his head. "Is there a hard line between monsters and aggressive animals? I''m not sure if the Alltongue Fruit is working properly or not, but the elves don''t seem to make any distinction."


    "Oh, there''s a hard distinction alright. Monsters don''t have souls and use wholly different sorts of power, whereas animals use chakra, qi, or mana to build their essence."


    "Then they''re actually... closer to people?"


    Omilaena raised an eyebrow. "It''s not something people like to talk about, but that''s right. You might not see it, depending on your methods, but it''s reasonable to speak about animals as having a Physique Level, arguably sometimes even Soul Levels. There are semi-intelligent monkeys in the Coiled Empire that can do a primitive form of cultivation. As you''d guess, the people in charge use that as a sign that humans are also lesser life forms."


    "So there''s really no hard line?" Kai thought it was cruel to harm animals for no reason, but it was necessary to raise them for food in Goralia, so he didn''t weep over them. "You already mentioned the lamias... I''m guessing that demons think of other races as just animals too?"


    "If they care about justifying themselves at all."


    "Then this unicorn might not be so useful for me after all..."


    "I wouldn''t say that, because the meat of most animals that can use chakra is strengthening. The elves just want the unicorns for their horns, but you might be able to get more." Omilaena stepped in closer and patted his arm. "But like I said... I''d pass their test soon, if you can. I don''t think Zae Zin Nim will want to stay here much longer."


    Kai wanted to ask her exactly what she meant by that, but she was already moving off. The two women met up with Ceryyn, then all three of them disappeared. Back to Sandflower City, presumably, to help Zae Zin Nim figure out her next step.


    Well, he had work to do too. If he wanted to prove everything he''d done was more than training for himself, he needed to actually pass the test.


    Since it was still early in the day, Kai walked down to the pond and waited for the others. He could have jumped up onto the thin trunks, but he already had enough experience with those. Instead he examined his own soul to see what he had to work with.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 380


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 26% (106)


    Physique Level: D-2 (210)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Loose Chakra: 52 (0)


    Monstrous Hunger - XI (iota)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - XI (iota)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VII (eta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - VIII (theta)


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    -


    Baleful Breath - III (gamma)


    Sahagin''s Soul - VI (zeta)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - IV (delta)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - IV (delta)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - II (beta)


    Beastbat''s Wing - II (alpha)


    Crystal Slime - I (beta)


    Dreamleech - I (alpha)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - II (beta)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Garudaling - II (beta)


    Diremonkey - I (alpha)


    Deathvine - I (alpha)


    >


    His training had improved his Physique, he''d cultivated a little more, and best of all he''d managed to increase his Soul Level, which he was sure was helping him keep up with the elves. Still, he didn''t see a way to win this contest with raw power. If he wanted to win against opponents who had such advantages, he needed strategy. After contemplating the pond for a time, Kai realized that Sahagin''s Soul might be useful to him after all.


    The elven hunters started showing up a while later and they didn''t mock him anymore, not when he''d knocked so many of them into the pond. Today Heruul was with them, and he must have seen something in Kai''s gaze, because he walked over to stare down at him.


    "Are you here to humiliate yourself again, human?"


    "I think I''ve done pretty well at the balance test," Kai said as he got to his feet. "But you''ve never actually told me the terms. If I want to join in the unicorn hunt, how often do I have to win?"


    Heruul hesitated for just a moment, then scoffed. "The traditional trial is three matches against comparable opponents, but under real conditions. No more laughing and falling into the water. If you fall this time, you will be removed."


    "Deal." Kai jumped into the center of the pond and balanced on one foot. "Who''s first?"


    One of the younger elves, a hot-headed man with a Nascent Glamour, jumped into the pond. Kai thought he saw Heruul open his mouth to object, since he probably would have sent out someone else, but it was too late. They couldn''t go back on the terms now that they''d stated them.


    It wasn''t really an unfair contest anymore. The elves might move with unnatural grace, but Kai had developed the natural equivalent. He avoided his opponent''s attempts to knock him off his feet, then finally ducked underneath a swing and kicked the other man''s legs. The elf fell into the water with an angry splutter.


    Though it was tempting to mock them, Kai just straightened up and waited for his next challenger. Even if he forced them to agree to their own terms, it was best not to antagonize them beyond the anger they''d already feel losing to a human. For his second challenger there were no hasty choices, instead Heruul spoke to the others before sending up an elven woman.


    She had an Earth Glamour and over 600 Power, so she was no slouch. Instead of trying to attack him physically, she unveiled her full glamour, revealing herself as a glorious goddess.


    Except that Kai had been exposed to elves for a long time now and he was getting used to their glamours. After all his training with Ceryyn, that couldn''t even make him waver. He lunged forward to the next trunk, hoping to take his opponent off guard and end things quickly, but she was too skilled and danced back.


    It wasn''t just a retreat, either: instead of attacking physically, she unleashed a burst of wind at him. It had been a while since he fought a wind user, which reminded him of Inafay. The elven woman was far more powerful, but she wasn''t necessarily more skilled when it came to summoning and launching the bursts of wind, so he stayed ahead of her.


    Her next gust of wind seemed to be directed wrong and Kai hesitated. When he started to move, the elven woman used a faster gust to chop apart the next foothold he had planned. Kai desperately stretched out his leg to catch another trunk, wobbled almost to the splits position, and then sprang back to safety.


    She attacked more aggressively, both at chest level and at his footing. Kai had no choice but to jump into the air, which moved him on a predictable path. He saw the elven woman smirk and target his destination.


    Kai acted first: he launched a single cut from a Tyrant''s Claw and sliced the woman''s foothold in half. It happened so fast she had only a moment to look shocked before she dropped into the water.


    "Two out of three," Kai said once he had his footing again. "Is using techniques allowed?"


    "Anything that makes your opponent fall into the water." Heruul scowled as he stepped onto the pond. Even though his steps seemed heavy, he didn''t waver slightly on the uneven footing.


    "But falling in means losing your footing, right? Not just touching the water?" Best to establish that early in case they tried to play dirty.


    "You already know what losing means, human. You''ve felt it often enough." Heruul stretched his shoulders as he prepared to attack, drawing up his full glamour with vicious intent. "The fact that Lady Ceryyn took pity on you doesn''t change what you are. Your soul has barely changed in all this time you''ve been struggling against us."


    Kai didn''t bother to answer, just wobbled back and forth on his perch.


    When Heruul attacked he didn''t use any tricks, just unshakable elven grace. It was more effective than anything Kai had faced, endless efficient movements designed to force him back and leave no openings. That would never work in a fight, where there would be other variables, but this wasn''t the foolishness of someone who only knew artificial duels. Heruul understood exactly the terms of the engagement and chose the best strategy.


    Of course Kai tried his level best, kicking and dodging amid the bending platforms. Ultimately he couldn''t beat an elf this strong at their own game, so he had to fall back. Soon he was standing on one of the last of the trunks, his leg shifting backward to the empty water. Heruul stepped in, ready to knock him down if he regained his balance.


    So Kai didn''t try.


    Instead, in the moment his boot touched the water, he drew on Sahagin''s Soul. His boot barely dipped beneath the water before he used it to throw himself forward and that leg kicked his opponent in the chest. Heruul shot backward, splashing into the brackish water before plowing into the mud on one bank. Covered in muck, his glamour of superiority finally faltered.


    Kai regained his balance and stood there as if waiting for their judgment. Technically they might have argued that he''d bent the rules at the end, just like he could have argued that using wind magic was cheating. None of that really mattered in a game like this. The fundamental argument was that elves were superior to humans, and Heruul couldn''t argue that from his current position.


    "You have the right to participate." Heruul rose to his feet and shook his head. "That does not mean you have the capacity. Don''t come crying when you miss the hunt or come back with nothing."


    So they might still try to dodge out of giving him access, but for once Kai wasn''t worried. Now that he had permission, he could get Ceryyn''s support, and soon he''d have a much stronger Zae Zin Nim. He didn''t know when the time would come, but he''d be ready to hunt a unicorn.

 Chapter 255: Chakra and Immortality

    Omilaena formed another needle and then melted it into shape, finishing off the new poison filter. It wouldn''t help someone against her, of course, but it would be useful for most alchemists. And more importantly, it was going to earn her a lot of money.


    She''d been able to complete more expensive projects in Sandflower City, then made even more money when they teleported south to a major trading point. Several years ago she could never command this much attention, but all her experience on Deadwaste - not to mention her increased power - made her an artisan in high demand. With just a week of work she''d earned another 100,000 Crests, though they would be spending all that shortly.


    Once the payment was complete, Omilaena stepped back and stretched her aching neck. The trading point buzzed all around her with merchants from Crescilor, the Commonwealth, and the Elven Wilds. She wasn''t sure whether it was irony, karma, or a meaningless coincidence that this trading point was alive partially due to their work. Without them killing the demon in the pass, trade would have been hampered.


    "Are you finished?" Zae Zin Nim was standing not far away, nearly invisible. Omilaena blinked as she realized how focused she had been - she couldn''t afford lapses in concentration like that.


    "That should be enough," she said. "You''re done too?"


    "Yes, I believe I know what I''d like to attempt next."


    The two of them headed into the bustling crowds with Zae Zin Nim leading the way. She''d gained a lot of insight into her chakra potential, but they had yet to make a final decision. In theory, this crossroads of chakra would be the ideal place for them to find what she needed.


    Now that they were relatively safe, they didn''t walk very far: just to the point where the Krysali vessel was parked. They''d dressed it up with some elven cloth, but that was likely overkill. A single Krysali vessel would never be detected in the chaos of Rosemount even if the Brightwind sect was looking this far north. Once they were inside and lifted over the hubbub of the crowd, Zae Zin Nim seemed to relax.


    "I still have one question," she said quietly. "Many of the chakra sources I''ve investigated are offering immortality, but that can''t be true. They seem more like health tonics or Physique potions, only extending life instead of gaining true immortality."


    "We use the word differently here," Omilaena explained. "How much does cultivation extend your life again?"


    "It depends on the path. Those using inferior cultivation techniques may not extend their lives at all, or even shorten their lives if they burn their own essence."


    "Generalize. Or answer for your path specifically."


    Zae Zin Nim shifted strangely, as if even this information was a precious secret, but eventually she answered. "It''s generally said that peasants live perhaps sixty years. Beginning the path of cultivation could add a decade or two to their lives. Someone who completes the Body Refinement stage before they grow too old is said to gain a hundred years of healthy life."


    "That sounds like it just extends life too."


    "But it''s reaching toward immortality! At the Earth Soul stage, your essence itself becomes enduring and you could live for two or three centuries. Sky Soul cultivators can easily live for more than five hundred. And only that foundation prepares you to take the final purification elixirs that allow you to live forever."


    "Did you know that there are trees on Rosemount over a thousand years old?" Omilaena immediately raised a finger to intercept the response. "This honestly isn''t continental rivalry. You''ve stumbled onto one of my favorite research topics. I think there are two paths you can take towards immortality: either you try to stretch your life out to infinity, or you focus on an eternal now."


    Previously Zae Zin Nim had been ready to argue, but now she hesitated with a thoughtful frown. "I understand what you mean about stretching out your life. Those who take immortality elixirs without the proper foundation tend to have their lives thinned out, growing less and less vital. But what is an ''eternal now''?"


    "You don''t need to attain spiritual transcendence to achieve immortality," Omilaena said, "you just need to stay young forever. There are actually some animals that never seem to grow old, and they inspired many paths of chakra. If your body never slows or tires, what''s to stop it from living forever?"


    "I thought... those were mere superstitions. We have tales about fools on Rosemount eating griffin hearts or tiger, umm, parts... and thinking it will grant them immortality or virility."


    "Oh, there are definitely lots of superstitions out there, or methods that simply aren''t good enough. You see a lot of warriors on Rosemount live decades longer than normal just due to being in excellent health, without ever seeking immortality. But if someone can perfect the process, then they''ll remain young forever, and that''s probably easier than trying to reverse aging via cultivation."


    They''d sailed over much of the trading post and should have reached their destination. Zae Zin Nim seemed to be taking them in an arc, perhaps prolonging the conversation. She looked thoughtful and eventually spoke in a quieter voice.


    "You said this was a research topic... do you think there is more that could be obtained? Beyond the ways we currently understand immortality, I mean."


    "Absolutely." Omilaena sat forward, trying not to let her eagerness show too much. "I think not all immortality is created equal. For example, some demi-immortals in the Coiled Empire have strong regeneration, but they grow sicker with each century - something about their own immortality is poisoning them. I think immortality via qi can fail in the opposite direction: cultivators stop changing at all, which halts their dying but also limits their growth."


    "There are warnings about that in some of the secret scrolls," Zae Zin Nim said. "A powerful enough process might grant immortality, but if taken too soon, your cultivation will struggle to advance."


    "Exactly! Now, people can avoid this problem on both sides: chakra warriors who stay perfectly youthful or cultivators who don''t stagnate. But I think some degree of balance is required."


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "So this wasn''t a digression after all. You''re saying that I need to find chakra that will enhance my vitality in a way compatible with immortality via cultivation. Chosen properly, chakra could be an even stronger foundation for immortality."


    That was easier said than done, but Zae Zin Nim seemed more confident now that she understood. Omilaena had a massive number of other ideas, including elaborate theories that there must be different fundamental types of immortality. There would be time for those later, as it looked like her companion was eager to take the next step.


    Heh, time for those later. If they got anywhere near immortality, there would be plenty more time.


    When they landed beside an expensive Commonwealth tent, the guards stepped aside to allow them entrance. Their strength wasn''t so astonishing here that they could sweep aside all the others, but the guards could tell at a glance that they were worthy of the establishment. Omilaena could feel the chakras pulsing within even before they stepped inside.


    An associate led them to a place to sit while they waited and served them tea which itself had a small amount of chakra. It seemed the mistress of the tent was consulting with another client, a beastkin haggling for some sort of extremely rare elixir. Zae Zin Nim barely seemed to pay attention to him and hadn''t really touched her tea, still looking thoughtful.


    "Is there any way to attain immortality via mana?" she asked.


    "Not to my knowledge, but shouldn''t it be possible in theory?" Omilaena couldn''t help but grin. "I''d love to find out what that would look like and whether it could be integrated into the other methods."


    "Do you think we could harm our future growth by moving too quickly now?"


    "We''re not exactly grasping immortality just yet, don''t get ahead of yourself. Chakra is a good place to start, because it doesn''t commit you to anything but improving your own vitality. Even if it turns out that the best methods don''t mix types of energy, being in perfect health won''t hurt you."


    Before they could discuss any further, the owner of the tent came to join them. She had the soul of an older woman but the face of a teenager, which Omilaena supposed was an advertisement for her business. It wouldn''t do to sell vitality chakra as an old crone, after all.


    "Well, this should be a pleasure! They call me Mistress Blaeria, but please don''t be so formal." She started to sit on nothing opposite them and a servant rushed in to place a chair behind her. "I get a lot of old women asking for potions that will restore their youth or fertility, which is difficult to impossible. And a lot of old men asking for virility, which is possible but not really worthy of my talents. The two of you seem like you have more refined requests."


    "We''re seeking a refined source of chakra compatible with qi cultivation." Omilaena went on to explain all the details she''d discovered and Mistress Blaeria nodded along, clearly following the technical aspects.


    "We should definitely be able to help you, the question is what exactly you seek." She shifted toward Zae Zin Nim, her face a picture of professionalism. "What is your primary focus? There are chakras that could restore your complexion, for example, but they would req-"


    "No, I seek power." Zae Zin Nim didn''t sound defensive, just resolved. "This is a temporary condition in my Physique that will be resolved when my cultivation advances. I need chakra that will not interfere with that process."


    "Well, that does make things a little more difficult!" Mistress Blaeria settled back and thought for a time. "Synergy with such advanced techniques might be beyond my expertise, but we can certainly find something that doesn''t interfere. The most logical path would be to choose chakra that enhances the more carnal aspects of your body."


    Zae Zin Nim frowned. "What do you mean?"


    "Forgive me the indelicate question, but are you two virgins?"


    Omilaena drawled "Of course not" at the same time Zae Zin Nim squeaked "Of course!" and they both immediately stared at one another. Mistress Blaeria chuckled politely and waved the matter aside with an elegant gesture.


    "Either is perfectly fine for our purposes, I just need to understand the current state of your essence. Now, I have a few more questions and then I can begin showing you the finest chakra available anywhere on Rosemount..."


    At the end of a long session, she actually backed up her promises. The two of them left the tent each carrying a box of materials well-suited to them. It had emptied out most of the funds Omilaena had earned, but what was she doing all that work for if not power? Clearly things weren''t over, however, because Zae Zin Nim looked slightly discontent. She remained silent until they''d returned to the Krysali vessel and began flying back to their meeting point with the elves.


    "I''m certain this will strengthen me, but I want to be sure I understand." Zae Zin Nim lifted up one of the heavenly peaches she''d purchased, its nearly clear skin trembling even under her gentle touch. "To put this in Cloudspire terms, I think this will greatly enhance my yin energy. Is that right?"


    "More or less."


    "I''ve always known that if I didn''t advance enough, my father might marry me off to a cultivator who wanted to... harvest that energy. This might help me in the short term, but will it increase the risk in the long term?"


    Omilaena already had a potential plan for that, but it was far too early to throw out such ideas. Instead she stuck to accurate theory: "What Cloudspire calls dual cultivation, Rosemount calls tantric arts. And no, they don''t have to be draining to either party."


    "I wondered, especially given what I heard about Silver Demons..."


    "That''s an offensive skill that drains power through sex, but it doesn''t have to be that way. Remember, right now you''re just enhancing your vitality in all respects. If you do things right, later on you''ll be able to purify what you call yin energy into power that can''t be stolen."


    "Good." Zae Zin Nim nodded to herself, surprisingly relieved by the words, and then took a bite of the peach. Immediately its chakra began pouring down her throat, flowing into her body to enhance it.


    "Careful, careful." Omilaena set the Krysali vessel to continue flying and shifted closer to the other woman. "Just eating the peach will strengthen your body, but you should have built up enough capacity to capture the chakra. Don''t try to grasp it, let it resonate. Eventually it will settle beneath your stomach."


    "In my dantian?"


    "No... lower." Omilaena had been planning to show her physically, to tease Zae Zin Nim a little more, but the fact that the other woman had actually trusted her... no, patience. "You don''t want the two powers to mix. Think of it like the bedrock beneath your sea of qi..."


    By the time they arrived, Zae Zin Nim had mastered the process. Even though she had the usual cultivator''s stiff thinking, she had shockingly strong fundamentals. Yes, this would work well. She wasn''t wrong about the risks, but Omilaena thought they could all pay off.


    When they reached the destination, Ceryyn broke from the other elves to wave at them. "There you are! Did you get what you wanted?"


    "That should be everything we need," Omilaena said, patting her box. "Are your teleporters ready to go back?"


    "They are, but I wanted to... extend you an invitation first." Ceryyn stopped in front of them and twirled her skirt almost shyly. "I hoped you might stay in Sandflower City a while instead of just passing through. Yes, it''s because I want you to help persuade some allies about our plans for the school, but I hope that it could benefit you too."


    "Is Kai invited too?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Hmm? Of course!"


    "Then it''s just as well we stay. I need to take you up on your offer to use any source of qi in the Elven Wilds, because I want to advance in a different place."


    "Wonderful! Let''s head back and we can discuss the details..."


    Omilaena followed the others as they got ready to teleport, just keeping track of the details with part of her mind while she thought about plans. Once again, Zae Zin Nim had showed willingness to take a risk in order to attain a greater power than she would have on her original path. That was exactly the sort of ambition Omilaena wanted in a long term companion.


    The question of whether they could actually walk together in the long term had much less to do with theory. When it came to that, all her power and expertise were useless.

 Chapter 256: A Seductive Proposition

    As comfortable as Kai was outside civilization, he didn''t mind spending some time in Sandflower City again. For one, he just wanted to explore, since he felt like he''d gotten so little time there on their first visit. So long as he was in Lady Ceryyn''s company, the elves wouldn''t refuse him anywhere, though he suspected he''d get a worse reception on his own.


    Currently Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena were using their time more productively, engaged in some sort of chakra cultivation that would allegedly prepare Zae Zin Nim for an improved advancement. They didn''t need his help, so he wasn''t sure of the details. For his part, Kai took the time to get more information about the legendary beast hunts in the Elven Wilds.


    Apparently unicorns were the most prized prey, but other animals were disturbed by the hunts as well. He was particularly interested in a sort of winged horse called a pegasus, presuming he could consume any of its essence. While he was in the city, he took the opportunity to eat some meals made from chakra-using animals, practicing trying to absorb some of its power. So far he''d only gained as much as what other trained warriors could absorb, but his monstrous hunger reacted strongly.


    With the others busy, most of his travel had been in the company of Ceryyn. Kai wasn''t so dense that he couldn''t see that she was expressing some interest, but he had no idea what that meant. Since she was an elven lady, was she trying to begin an elaborate courtship process? Was eating anything with her a suggestive act?


    He had no idea, but Kai was pretty sure that there would be a lot of elves glaring at him if he touched her, so he stuck with being friendly. Politics were complicated enough with all the different elven factions and their opinions on foreign allies. Of course, there were moments he was tempted to just give in to the glamour that made her seem like a goddess...


    The quarters they had been given were three separate bedrooms that linked in a hallway with a central sitting room that was itself larger than most of the places he''d lived. As soon as Kai got into that first room he saw that Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena were working there again, and Omilaena waved at him.


    "We need more chakra," she said with an impatient gesture. "You''re just in time."


    "Sure." Kai activated his spatial ring and summoned the boxes of their supplies. As they took what they needed, he decided to finally voice this question. "Why have me hold them? If you kept them here, you wouldn''t have to wait on me."


    "Your spatial ring will keep them frozen and prevent any chakra from leaking or weakening." As she explained, Zae Zin Nim found what she wanted and then handed the box back to him. "Besides, our resources are safest in your spatial ring."


    "Unless he accidentally starts another war," Omilaena said. "Or runs into a sad-looking orphan and gives everything away."


    Zae Zin Nim actually let out a brief laugh and Kai stared - since when were the two of them getting along like this? He didn''t mind the joke at his expense, of course. If anything, he was just glad they still made him a central part of things even as Rosemount let them leap ahead in power.


    "So do you know where we''re going next?" Kai asked.


    "I am sorry, but we must still decide." Zae Zin Nim lowered her head as if it was a real apology. "Most likely I will choose a location with higher density qi, which will require more time to ascend. But I believe the result will be worth it. Please be patient."


    He blinked again, wondering at her shift in attitude. "It''s completely fine, really. Remember how long I took in Yulthens, trying to earn enough money to buy qi? And that was just the Qi Condensation stage, you''re facing a much bigger gap."


    "You''re both too impatient," Omilaena said as she sat back with a flask of chakra. "Anyone can guzzle a bunch of energy and get to around 500 Power or so. By taking her time, Zae Zin Nim is going to vault straight over the early limits, and we all know how strong Kai really is."


    "Maybe, but I''m going to need to find a new source soon. I''m a long way from the next stage of cultivation and none of my training is going to give me a jump as big as the two of you."


    They worked together for a while and Kai went back to conventional cultivation. Even if the next stage was far off, he''d seen just how powerful those leaps in strength could be. There might come a time when he needed that power and he couldn''t afford to sit and cultivate for months.


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    In the underground city there weren''t natural signals of the time of day, but the elven lanterns shifted to cooler colors to represent night. Of course, the three of them would normally train much later than that. They were interrupted by a messenger at their door, who handed Kai a fancy silver card and then left.


    It appeared to be written in elaborate elven calligraphy, but thanks to the Alltongue Fruit he read it immediately:


    Kai Clanless,


    I have greatly enjoyed spending time with you over the past days, and indeed coming to know you over the past months. If you desire, please meet me in my quarters tonight.


    Lady Ceryyn Sandflower


    All he could do was stare down at the letter in shock. That couldn''t mean what it looked like... could it? He was still staring when Omilaena snatched the letter out of his hands and read it over, then she let out a low whistle.


    "Wow, I guess she got tired of dropping hints." Omilaena raised her eyebrows at him. "I''d do it in your place. I hear elves with powerful glamours are absolutely amazing in bed."


    "But... this... uh, isn''t that a political problem?"


    "Elves take marriage pretty seriously, but lovers? Just one of the benefits of being powerful and insanely beautiful."


    "I don''t... I mean, I like her, but..." Kai''s words stumbled to a halt as he saw that Zae Zin Nim had taken the letter.


    And was staring at him with barely-disguised fury.


    .


    ..


    .


    "Honestly," Kai said, "I''m surprised as you. I didn''t-"


    "Go," Zae Zin Nim told him flatly. "Obviously you like her, and she''s a close ally."


    Omilaena could see exactly where this was going. The two of them could be cute at times, struggling to tackle their own feelings, but this was going to turn ugly. In theory they could have discussed it like adults... if only they had the emotional intelligence for that.


    Normally she wouldn''t have wanted to get involved, but being a part of a team meant sacrifices. Some more extreme than others.


    Zae Zin Nim plastered on a smile and returned to her room, while Kai just sat down with the invitation. Omilaena sighed and trusted him not to rush while she pursued the other woman. She caught up just as Zae Zin Nim entered and was about to slam the door.


    "Go away," Zae Zin Nim snapped, "or go join them. I don''t care."


    When she tried to close the door, Omilaena caught it. For now she was still much stronger than the other woman, so she pushed into the room by force. Zae Zin Nim raised her other hand to slap her and Omilaena caught her wrist before the blow could land.


    "You do care." Omilaena pulled the other woman closer, forcing them to lock eyes. "You''re in love with him, aren''t you?"


    "What?" Zae Zin Nim gasped and tried to pull back. "How did you know?"


    Omilaena managed not to heave a sigh only through heroic effort. "It''s obvious. You''re just so tightly wrapped up in your own problems that you can''t admit it."


    Finally Zae Zin Nim''s body relaxed and she pulled back, hiding her face with her hair. "I... I admit I care for him... but Deadwaste is so different... and my body is ruined... and I''ve said nothing for so long, he obviously thinks I''m not interested..."


    "Just stick with the first part. If you say nothing and then get angry with him over it, that''s your fault."


    "But... but..."


    "Alright, look." Omilaena shifted behind her and began pushing her out the door. "You don''t have to make any grand declarations of love. But if you can''t go in there and say something honest, I will strip you naked and throw you in Kai''s general direction. Then we''ll see how honest you are."


    Amazingly, it worked. Zae Zin Nim began moving under her own power and walked back to the central room, where Kai was looking even more uncomfortable than before. She hesitated as soon as she saw him and almost retreated, but then marched forward and dropped down to bow opposite him.


    "Please don''t."


    "What?" Kai blinked at her. "Uh... you mean..."


    "If you truly love Ceryyn and want to spend your life with her, then that''s okay," Zae Zin Nim said, her eyes still lowered. "But if not... I don''t want to see you go. I know that I''m just your ally and this is none of my affair and I have nothing to offer and I don''t even know what I feel sometimes but I had to s-"


    "Okay."


    Zae Zin Nim looked up in shock and even Omilaena regarded Kai with surprise. He had spoken so directly, and she could see the nervousness in his posture, but his gaze was steady. As if it really was that simple for him.


    "I care what you think," Kai said earnestly. "Most likely I''ll be traveling with the two of you for a long time and we''ll leave a lot of others behind. Your opinion matters more to me than a lover."


    He knelt down opposite Zae Zin Nim and started to extend a hand toward her, but she pulled back and clutched her heart. "I don''t know how I feel yet," she said too rapidly. "I know that''s not fair to you. Just... just let me regain my old self. It''s not long now."


    "Of course." Kai smiled at her gently. Zae Zin Nim flushed and then ran off down the hallway - this time Omilaena let her go. In her absence Kai just sat as if stunned, then slowly shook his head. "Uh, did I screw that up?"


    "You could have done worse," Omilaena said with a shrug. "Honestly, you two are ridiculous. Just fuck already."


    "That seems to be your go-to solution." Kai sighed and waved the silver invitation. "What do I do with this? Am I going to start a feud by refusing?"


    "You just need to be considerate... so yes, you''d probably start a feud on your own. What we''re going to do is reply with a similar letter declining without insulting..."


    As Omilaena helped Kai navigate elven politics and romance, she wondered what the hell she was doing. In a thousand years of planning she never would have imagined that her path upward would have involved helping two kids stumble toward what looked to be a sickeningly sweet confession.


    This had better all be worth it.

 Chapter 257: The Bludshard Elves and the Deep Vital Pool

    Eventually Kai decided that it was easier not to think about it. There were a lot of emotions involved and it had been a long time for him, but he was a warrior first and foremost. He didn''t need to think about what Zae Zin Nim implied or how strange it was to have Omilaena hovering around them, nudging them closer. What mattered was taking the right next step forward.


    Thankfully Ceryyn wasn''t insulted by his response, and in fact when they next met she seemed determined to be extra friendly as if to make that clear. Things were easier now that there wasn''t any ambiguity between them and they could just work together. He actually enjoyed the next week they spent in Sandflower City as they made final decisions about Zae Zin Nim''s advancement.


    It was going to take them to the far north of the Elven Expanse, a community that was apparently one of the coldest places on the continent. Not only was the qi perfectly suited to her new plan, it wasn''t far from where the unicorn hunt was supposed to begin.


    The only problem was that Ceryyn didn''t have strong political influence there. She could get them to the right place, and Zae Zin Nim''s boon was supposed to allow them access, but the rest was up to them. So they had no choice but to hope that they could navigate the new politics involved.


    "Everyone ready?" Omilaena was waiting at the departure point, wearing a fur cloak that would have looked warm except that it didn''t cover her cleavage or thighs. Kai had no idea if she was being provocative or if his head was just in the wrong space. No, focus.


    "Got our supplies." He raised the hand with their spatial ring, already packed with everything they might need and even a teleportation totem to take them back to Sandflower City. "I didn''t buy any cold weather gear, is it that cold there?"


    "A big hairy guy like you should be fine."


    Zae Zin Nim had been working on getting her own cloak wrapped around her, then nodded seriously. "I''m ready. Is there anything we should know about getting on the right side of this faction of elves?"


    "I''ve never been this far north or met the Bludshard faction. But they should be expecting you, and we can camp out again if necessary. The important thing is that you finish cultivating and break through properly."


    "Then we''re ready to go."


    Ceryyn hadn''t come to see them off this time, so they just had to wait on the teleporter elves to take them. It was a small group that seemed uninterested in them and just wanted to get them from one point to another. On the other side, the teleportation winds were swept away by a freezing cold gust that practically slapped him in the face.


    Their next goal was called the Deep Vital Pool, so Kai had been expecting another oasis of some sort. Instead they stood on an icy waste, not snowy but with frost covering the hardy plants. The area looked strikingly flat except for a rocky hill that must be their destination. Far north as they allegedly were, he couldn''t see anything more than a possible hint of ocean against the horizon. As they walked, Kai kept expecting elves to jump out to meet them, but no one appeared. An ambush instead?


    The Cryswind faction had never been exactly welcoming, but they''d gotten used to the strange humans on their borders. After competing with enough of them at the balance trials, Kai thought he''d earned grudging respect if not any friendship. Now they were going to have to start all over with a new faction - he wished that Zae Zin Nim could finish soon, but apparently her new cultivation plan would take longer.


    No one stopped them until they got to the rocky hill, where they found a carved entrance to what appeared to be a cave. Just inside it, an elf sat balanced on the hind legs of a chair with a floppy blue hat over his face. A skinny man even for an elf, covered in loose patched robes that hung on his skeleton. When they approached he seemed to wake up and pulled the hat away.


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    "Aww shit, was that today?" The man waved vaguely in their direction. "Welcome or whatever."


    All three stared at him. "Is this the Deep Vital Pool?" Zae Zin Nim asked carefully.


    "It''s the right place, if that''s what you''re asking. These are just the Bludshard tunnels, the pool is way deeper. But you''re the one that made the Council happy, right? Feel free to cultivate down there so long as you don''t bother anyone."


    "Can we come too?" Kai asked at the entrance.


    "Why not?" The elf stared at him, then shrugged. "Not a lot of humans here, but everybody will get over it. Why so uptight?"


    "Uh... some of the other factions have been a bit hostile toward humans."


    "Naw, Bludshards don''t care about that. Come along now, I shouldn''t be away from my post or they''ll yell at me. I mean, not too much, but it''s better to take these things seriously and it can be a real hassle."


    They headed deeper into the tunnels and Kai remained tense despite himself. Along the way they saw a few other elves, who looked much the same as the others he''d met except for their relaxed postures and expressions. Most were better-dressed than the patched guard, though largely in loose robes and scarves. Despite what he said about hurrying, the guard stopped to talk with one of them for a couple minutes as if they had all the time in the world.


    Could it really be that easy?


    .


    ..


    .


    Apparently it was actually that easy.


    Ordinarily Zae Zin Nim might have been insulted by how apathetic the elves seemed, but after enduring the arrogant attitudes of some of the Cryswind elites, the laid-back atmosphere in the Bludshard tunnels was a relief. It seemed like nothing would stop them from reaching their destination, barring sudden treachery.


    As they walked lower in the brightly lit tunnels she saw more security, which was no surprise: the Deep Vital Pool was a powerful source of qi, so they couldn''t treat it carelessly. Some of the elves seemed to scan her, checking for anything harmful, then they allowed her in. She stepped into a chamber with a perfect dome for a ceiling and immediately breathed in the qi.


    The name must come from the pooled qi, because she didn''t see a physical pool. Instead the center of the chamber was covered in delicate white flowers that emanated exactly the power she''d sampled when making her decision. This peaceful qi was compatible with all her cultivation so far, but it would also boost the chakra growing within her and prepare her for future steps. Even the minimal mana felt compatible with the icy flames of her Coldfire Corona, so she couldn''t imagine a more perfect location for her advancement.


    "This will do." Zae Zin Nim turned back to her allies and bowed to them before she could distract herself. "Please wait for me."


    They realized she wanted to be alone, so they headed out without any long farewells. The elves left too, barely even offering any rules, so she was entirely alone with her cultivation.


    And her thoughts, but Zae Zin Nim did her best to suppress those. She had no time to behave like a mindless junior and squeal over her emotions. What mattered was that Kai had expressed his commitment and would wait for her. Once she had restored herself, then she could think about the future. Her emotions weren''t as clear as she had hoped... no, no more of those. Only cultivation.


    She began by examining her own soul in hard numbers.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 482


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 89% (273)


    Coldfire Corona: 49 (59)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-7 (101)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Yin Chakra: 20 (0)


    >


    She had advanced a little since coming to Rosemount, if not as much as the others. Most of her time had been spent on her cultivation, which only granted a little more power but would soon take a significant leap. Her Physique had grown throughout their trials and her Coldfire Corona continued to steadily support her. Seeing it reminded her why it was worth it to delay her advancement a little if it meant achieving something greater.


    Her new Yin Chakra fit perfectly alongside her cultivation, even if it didn''t contribute anything to her power. In theory once she advanced, it would begin to join with her and open up new possibilities. Then she would be an Earth Soul stronger than any of her father''s minions, and perhaps one day she could even stand up to him herself...


    But there was no time for negative emotions, either. Zae Zin Nim set them aside and became a pure cultivator.

 Chapter 258: The Thunderbird

    At first, Kai had been convinced that the Bludshard elves must be hiding some horrible secret. They''d all turn out to be cannibals, or they transformed into monsters every month, or they were hiding some slave caste. If not for the steady presence of Zae Zin Nim''s qi, he would have been checking on her regularly. Days passed and his anxieties gradually eased.


    As far as he could tell, these elves were honestly relaxed.


    Once he''d adjusted to that fact, it was clear that he needed to be more aggressive. Zae Zin Nim was pushing toward a major jump and Omilaena had plenty of progress to make with physical training, so he needed to keep up. Given barriers in his human soul, that meant developing his monstrous side to keep up - the Banchlain was an excellent essence, but he couldn''t figure out how to use it. After so long trying elven arts, he decided that he wanted to go back to basics and went to ask the guards about monster problems.


    "I mean, you can hunt them if you want." The guard they had first met was one of the regulars, commonly napping in the outer corridors with his hat over his face. At the moment he shuffled with his hands in his pockets. "But we mostly handle things for ourselves here, so there''s not a lot."


    "Not even with the Inverted Oasis to the east?"


    "That''s half-way across the continent. Anything makes it this far, we have a problem."


    "Back in Deadwaste, sometimes stronger monsters escaped and kept causing problems," Kai said. "Is the Inverted Guard so strong that never happens?"


    "Oh. Oh, huh." Abruptly the guard turned on him with a curious expression. "If you''re that serious, I guess there''s one old problem. Now, I haven''t gotten a perfect look at your soul, but it seems like trying to fight this one would be suicide for you. That''s your business, but I''d feel a bit bad sending you out to get yourself killed."


    "I wouldn''t have to hunt it alone. Please tell me."


    "Well, a few years back there was a big flying monster we''ve taken to calling the Thunderbird..." The guard told him about the monster and some of the others joined in, sharing a scattered but overall coherent story.


    Generally the incursions were so contained that the rest of the continent didn''t even notice, but two incursions past the Thunderbird had emerged. It could fly unbelievably fast, and could ascend so high that no vessel on Rosemount could follow it. When it moved further inland it had been threatened by some of the great powers, so it prowled the coast killing where it could.


    As far as he could tell, the Thunderbird was a major threat just peripheral enough that no one could justify the hunt. It had only killed a few people locally over the years, but even a few lost loved ones were tragic for those impacted. None of the elves thought he had a chance, but those that didn''t warn him off told him everything they knew about its hunting patterns.


    So he gathered supplies, checked in on the others, and then trekked out north. The tundra grew icier, but as he drew closer to the ocean he also saw more dark blue plants that persisted despite the cold, flowing with their own subtle chakra. It took him a day just to reach the right region, then several more days to stumble across the monster.


    A shadow in the air, a surge of hunger, then it was gone.


    Kai could barely put together what happened afterward based on his memories. He thought that the Thunderbird had noticed him and briefly hovered nearby, but it had chosen not to attack him. Either it was worried or he wasn''t a large enough target.


    He trained throughout the region for a while, hoping it would attack again, and came up empty-handed. Since passive hunting had failed, Kai took to finding elves who couldn''t afford teleportation and traveling with them, alert for any sign of the monster.


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    As the days passed, sometimes it felt useless, but Kai reminded himself that this was the best challenge he had available. It would help the elves, the monster could strengthen him, and he might even impress the elites at the Inverted Oasis. Training on the road wasn''t less effective than training back in the caves, but this had a large potential upside. The elves were a bit suspicious at first before deciding that getting a strange foreign bodyguard for free was a good deal.


    It finally happened on a day much like any other, without any sense of danger or omens. Kai was just meditating and watching the skies when he saw the monster streaking down towards them.


    <


    Monster: Thunderbird


    Threat: X (Kappa)


    >


    For a moment he stared entranced. The Thunderbird was pitch black except for the tips of its wings, which glowed blue and white like lightning. Three long feathers trailed from its head and lightning crackled between them. As it swept closer, Kai realized that it was far larger than a house, with claws that could pick up an entire wagon and a beak that could cut a man in half.


    But his staring wasn''t entirely just a gut instinct, and he wasn''t prey: Kai activated Void Gaze.


    The Thunderbird hung in the air and the elves began to flee in panic. Even frozen in diving position the monster was fearsome, a shadow looming in the sky, death on wings. It glared down directly at him, as if it knew he was responsible, and its eyes flashed...


    Only combat instincts made Kai close his eyes and leap away. Lightning smashed into the ground where he''d stood, scattering rock in all directions. There were more bolts coming, wrecking the surrounding countryside. Unfrozen, the Thunderbird flapped toward him, raining destruction across the landscape. It didn''t need to release the thunderbolts from itself, it could apparently summon them anywhere in a large radius.


    Kai swung a Tyrant''s Claw, but he didn''t even get close - the Thunderbird changed direction in midair as if it controlled the wind itself. He was trying to figure out how to fight it when its wings snapped with a sound like thunder and it vanished up into the sky.


    At first Kai thought that it was retreating, so he helped the elves gather together and urged them to get to safety. He began heading south away from them, searching for the shadow overhead again. If the Thunderbird was cowardly he probably didn''t have a chance at chasing it down, given its insane speed, and he wasn''t sure if an ambush would work again.


    He shouldn''t have worried: the Thunderbird attacked again less than a day later.


    This time there was another flickering shadow, a lightning bolt hurled from nowhere, and then a booming sound. Kai only barely dodged it, and from that point on he could never rest. Even as he headed south, the Thunderbird attacked him regularly. Sometimes it would be minutes, other times many hours, but it never let him rest. As far as he could tell, it had no need for sleep.


    Well, he had Behemoth''s Heart driving him, so Kai wouldn''t rest either. Over time he managed to adjust to the Thunderbird''s striking patterns: even if he couldn''t match its raw speed, he was adjusting to fighting something that fast. He''d never succeeded in pinning it with Void Gaze again, but sometimes he thought he got close. Once after the attack he even saw a metallic feather float down, crackling with lightning.


    After that it didn''t return for a day and he wondered whether it had changed its mind. If he''d spent two weeks hunting a single monster for nothing, he would have been frustrated... but he needn''t have worried.


    When he next saw the Thunderbird it was flying in the distance, far slower than before. A line of black clouds followed it, roaring with unnatural power, lightning bolts arcing within. Even though he couldn''t feel the power with his human senses, with monstrous sympathy he could feel how the Thunderbird was drawing the storm along with it.


    As soon as it was in range he focused Void Gaze on it, but the Thunderbird dropped back faster, disappearing into the clouds. Pushed by unnatural forces, the storm swept toward him and lightning began to rain down in a line of pure destruction. Even though he sprinted to the side he was still caught in the edge of it and blown off his feet.


    On his back Kai groaned as he realized one of the bolts must have hit him: it had passed through his shoulder and burned off half his shirt. He''d endured worse than that, so he would be fine, but if he had taken the destructive storm head on...


    This was a hunt he wasn''t going to finish alone. Kai adopted stealth tactics and headed back as quickly as he could. A day later he barged into the tunnels, ignoring elves until he found Omilaena in the middle of her training. She was wearing her shabby sack-like clothing, so he just grabbed the front of it and lifted her into the air.


    "What''s gotten into you?" she asked.


    "Come this way," Kai told her. "Help me get lunch."

 Chapter 259: Thunderous Plans and Schemes

    Their first attempt failed, of course, because even Omilaena wasn''t used to fighting a monster so insanely fast. On their second attempt she had planned a trap that launched a metal spear into the air to intercept its path, but the Thunderbird managed to change directions with unnatural agility. After that it began turning a broad circle, drawing up an unnatural storm that covered the area in freezing rain.


    Kai had been discouraged, but Omilaena surprised him by constructing a shelter from various supplies she''d purchased, created herself, or asked him to remove from the spatial ring. The result wasn''t luxurious, but it was topped by a long rod that connected a metal wire into the ground. When the Thunderbird tried to attack with more bolts of lightning, they were channeled away - harmless unless you were standing too close.


    It responded with even more rain, which drove them inside. Kai wondered if it would eventually just attack physically and did his best to remain alert at every moment. For her part, Omilaena sat back and contemplated more traps.


    "You know," Kai said on one evening when they were trapped inside by the driving rain, "you could still train while we wait."


    "I''m thinking," Omilaena said without opening her eyes.


    "Can you not think and exert yourself at the same time?"


    She grumbled but got to her feet. He showed her some old exercises adapted from mana training, which involved her standing on one leg and focusing. They were more about control and balance than stamina, so she wouldn''t be exhausting herself in case they were attacked. It was still an exercise that grew more difficult the longer it lasted, so eventually she was sweating again, just trying to maintain her posture.


    "This is undignified," she muttered. "I''m sweating like a pig and my joints insist this is the dumbest thing I''ve ever put them through. I''m practically an ape, grunting and heaving large objects."


    "It''s no worse than I do," Kai said. "Are you constantly grimacing at me as a filthy ape?"


    "Men are allowed to be sweaty. Women have to smell like roses and taste like clear spring water at all times."


    "Well, you don''t smell like roses right now, and I''m betting you don''t taste like spring water."


    "Why don''t you try it?" Omilaena grinned at him and he grinned back.


    Since the Thunderbird seemed to be maintaining its distance while keeping the pressure on them, it was a good time for them to prepare for their next encounter. He didn''t think that any of Omilaena''s traps were going to be fast enough to hit it, but her presence could be invaluable if they actually engaged.


    Omilaena continued forcing herself to train, grumbling the entire time, until abruptly she stopped. First her words, then her movements - she was still for several seconds and then burst into a flurry of motion grabbing her supplies. It looked like she was constructing something different from the spears she''d attempted to launch earlier, involving a glass sphere.


    "What are y-" Kai cut off when she raised a finger, still in the middle of her frenzy. "Alright, I can wait."


    Eventually Omilaena finished her glass container, a sphere with a special aperture in place of a stopper. She took a deep breath and then exhaled into the small hole, filling the glass with her poisonous blue smoke. When she drew back, none of the smoke escaped, allowing her to exhale again and make the smoke even denser. By the time she held it up triumphantly, the glass was a solid churning blue.


    "If you drop that," Kai said, "I''m guessing we''re going to have a bad time."


    "You''re immune, but it wouldn''t be pleasant." She hefted the glass with little apparent concern. "I noticed that the Thunderbird slows down when it isn''t on the attack. The problem is that it can change direction at will, so normal projectiles are ineffective."


    "Smoke would be even slower... but you intend to lead it, don''t you?"


    "Exactly! We can''t intercept it on those circling flights, but if this explodes ahead of it, one entire direction will be blocked off. No matter how fast it reverses direction, it will be targetable for a brief period."


    "I can heft it that high, but I don''t know the flight pat-"


    "I''ll worry about that," Omilaena interrupted him. "You just be ready to take advantage of that moment."


    They got some rest and waited for the next day before executing the plan. The storm was beginning to let up, so there was some sunlight again, and relief from the pounding rain. That also meant the Thunderbird was likely to come back to renew its attack - they''d be ready when it was.


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    It seemed like the plan went perfectly at first. When the Thunderbird began circling them, drumming up a new storm, Omilaena hurled the glass sphere into its path. The glass glinted as it sailed upward, then suddenly exploded into a toxic blue cloud. Instantly the Thunderbird spread its wings wide to stop before it sailed into the cloud.


    Kai thought he unleashed his best Tyrant''s Claw in that moment, in fact he would have said he was slightly early. But the Thunderbird reversed directions even faster than he had expected and his attack only barely scraped one wing, knocking several feathers to the ground before the Thunderbird disappeared in a thunderclap burst of its wings.


    The storm didn''t return... but now there was a poisonous cloud mixing in with the others. "Is that going to be a problem?" Kai asked.


    "The rain would definitely not be healthy, but there aren''t many people around here anyway." Omilaena turned back to him and shook her head. "That was my best shot. If we''re going to win this, I think you need to be fundamentally faster. I can''t improve enough in time, but you might be able to."


    "I guess that''s one of the reasons I''ve been building up all this monstrous essence," Kai said. "Back to planning."


    This time it was his turn to analyze and plan while Omilaena made sure the Thunderbird couldn''t ambush them and ran interference when necessary. She was heading out into the wilds for some reason and he decided not to worry about it. Whatever plans she developed, she would need his support.


    Now he needed a speed skill more than ever, but he hadn''t found anything perfect for the purpose. Ironically, the fact that the Thunderbird was probably the best candidate was also the reason they couldn''t kill it. He considered everything carefully, wondering if he should crunch some monsters down to only their speed essence. The Banchlain had been pretty fast... no, that would be too wasteful. This was a time to build up assets, not cash them in.


    While moving aside Sahagin''s Soul, Kai realized that might be his answer. Not a pure speed skill, not yet, but instead an ability for aerial maneuverability. That way it wouldn''t be a pure experiment, it could actually help him in the future.


    Once he thought that way, there were several obvious choices. He''d been holding Beastbat''s Wing ever since the Krysali mines, occasionally trying but never able to actually grow wings. In the elven jungles he''d killed an eagle-like creature called a Garudaling that also had some sort of flying skill. In theory he could combine those two, but they were unequal.


    He needed to sacrifice something else... Kai eventually picked the Diremonkey essence. They weren''t flying, but they did leap from tree to tree at great speed. When he fed that to the Beastbat essence it surged with new power, enough that he was able to fuse the two skills.


    <


    Garuda''s Wing - II (beta)


    >


    The resulting fusion definitely worked, even if it wasn''t overly powerful. Kai pushed it into his soul, wishing that he''d grow wings but knowing he wouldn''t. When he jumped he felt oddly light and his shoulder blades itched, but that was all.


    Meanwhile, Omilaena seemed to have retrieved the Thunderbird feathers that had fallen after his grazing blow and was working them into some sort of weapon. She looked up from her work with mild curiosity as he began jumping around. It was getting easier... with every jump he could go further, flip a little more smoothly, even twist himself in different directions.


    "I have marginal good news," she said, "because these feathers are suitable for projectiles. But they won''t do any good without a way to strike... alright, what are you doing now?"


    "Working on an aerial skill." Kai landed and bounced on the balls of his feet. He felt almost like he could lift into the air under his own power. "I developed it from winged monsters, but it''s not enough to make me able to fly. I was hoping to grow wings."


    "You need more sympathetic resonance between your body and the monstrous abilities."


    "What''s that now?"


    "You aren''t just summoning monstrous power, your body is the monster." Omilaena got up and grasped his arm, running her fingers down his wrist. "For example, when you use that claw skill, you''re using your equivalent of a claw. That resonance makes the ability easy to use and powerful."


    "Then why is it three claws instead of five?"


    "You make one claw when you need to, so you could probably make five. I suspect three is just a good balance of range and power, but shut up about that." She walked behind him, touching his shoulder blades. "There are little spikes here. Based on what you told me, when you reached E-rank Physique, your body adapted to become more monstrous. It''s trying to shift to match your abilities, but it can''t wildly transform you."


    "I''ve seen it happen with my teeth, too." Kai sighed and rubbed at his back, which was still itching. "I hoped that would improve when I reached D-rank. If I somehow reach C-rank Physique, will I become a shape-shifter?"


    "Physique generally produces permanent changes and you wouldn''t want to waste it on something like wings. If you want to shift regularly, you probably need an ability for it. There are chakra abilities along those lines, but I can''t say whether any of them are actually strong enough for you."


    "I should start with seeing how much I can do with this." Kai hopped away from her, easily jumping several times his height and spinning across the wastes before landing smoothly.


    This ability was definitely useful, even if not as powerful as his others. It could probably help him win a fight in the air, and with enough enhancement it might even allow him to properly fly. The more Kai worked on it, the more confident he grew in the sky. In less than an hour of training, the ability felt much stronger and he checked in his spiritual sight.


    <


    Garuda''s Wing - III (gamma)


    >


    A rank upgrade from Beta to Gamma already! If he kept at it - but then the symbols of his spiritual sight exploded as he realized that something was streaking at him.


    While he was still in mid-air, the Thunderbird attacked at full speed. Using his new agility he barely ducked underneath the snapping beak, and one of the claws raked his back. It would have torn him open if not for Behemoth''s Heart, and the impact still sent him spinning through the air.


    There was no time to react, but he knew the Thunderbird would be coming around to attack him again, if it wasn''t already summoning bolts of lightning. Kai drew in a deep breath and then his vision went black.

 Chapter 260: Consuming Another Sort of Wings

    Over the course of his life Kai had lost count of the number of times he''d fallen unconscious and woken up injured, so he wasn''t surprised to feel pain in darkness. This time felt a little different, though. As he put together that he hadn''t been killed by the Thunderbird, he also felt something soft under his head.


    When he finally wrenched his eyes open, he was staring up at Omilaena. His head must be in her lap and she was in the middle of applying some sort of liquid to his neck. It burned in the way healing ointment often burned, so he didn''t struggle.


    "Let me guess," he said with a groan. "I killed the Thunderbird and I was so happy I fainted?"


    "Well, let me put it this way. You did a pretty good job considering it was your first day in the air." She gave him a weary smile and then handed him a potion. "This should help a little. Fighting a monster like this in its own environment is rough."


    "I don''t see how we can force it into a different environment, though, not without such overwhelming power that we wouldn''t need the advantage. I could definitely kill it if we knocked it into the water, but how would that work?"


    There was no real answer, so he fell silent and drank the potion as ordered. He felt a bit battered, but he''d clearly gotten through alive, and between Behemoth''s Heart and Omilaena''s treatment he didn''t feel too bad. As he recovered, he found himself increasingly distracted by just how soft her thighs were. Usually he associated Omilaena''s fingers with poison and violent movements, but they could be surprisingly gentle.


    "Thanks for saving me," he said belatedly. "Where, uh... we''re in some kind of crevice?"


    "The Thunderbird got more aggressive after the close call, so I dragged you here. Thanks to your spatial ring, we didn''t lose much in the way of supplies, and we''re better defended now."


    "But no easy way to beat this thing."


    "Actually, I have an idea. But you should finish recovering first."


    She finally eased him off her lap and the pillow that replaced her was much less pleasant. Less distracting, though. Kai closed his eyes and focused on Behemoth''s Heart pushing toward his recovery. He''d survived a direct confrontation with the Thunderbird, so it wasn''t overwhelmingly strong, just fast. If they could get the right edge, he could gain that speed for himself.


    "Why are you still doing this?"


    Omilaena''s question threw him off and he opened his eyes curiously. After being relatively open lately, she was back to making her face a mask. Where Zae Zin Nim usually presented her natural face, Omilaena wore blue lipstick and eyeshadow except when she was training. There was always a layer of separation between her and the rest of the world.


    "You don''t mean fighting the Thunderbird," he said flatly.


    "Yes and no. There''s not any doom rushing down toward us right now, so why push so hard?" Her eyes regarded him without expression. "And don''t give me that nonsense about just wanting to fight monster incursions."


    "Why is that nonsense? It''s what I trained my entire life for. And I almost have answers, at the Inverted Oasis."


    "You''re really going to spend your entire life defending the people who rejected you?"


    Kai sat up with a slight grunt of pain, wanting to meet her gaze directly. "Do you really mean that? That''s children''s logic. A few petty people got me exiled, but that doesn''t mean all the rest deserve to die. The monsters would kill everyone, guilty and innocent, and probably eat the entire continent. Think about all the workers we freed in Krysal... if I can''t find a solution to the incursions, they''ll all die too."


    "Actually, Krysal is a good example of what I''m asking." Those blue eyes were still regarding him icily. "It sounds like you had no idea that people were enslaved, you just wandered into Krysal with the vague idea that you could become stronger."


    "I can''t fix the entire world and I don''t know everything. I''m still going to try to help whatever''s in front of me."


    "And is that your final goal? Wander the world, righting wrongs and slaying monsters?"


    "I... guess not." Kai rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. "Like I said, I can''t fix everything. Maybe I''m just a dumb monkey in the end, like the demons or elves say. There are a lot of people I care about across Deadwaste. I want to help them because I care about them. Maybe there are other people who have it even worse, but I''ve never met them."


    "Hm." Omilaena tilted her head to one side, her hair falling with the motion as she regarded him. "With most I''d ask if they''d stop working if they could have a comfortable enough life, but I guess that''s not true for you."


    "Hey, I''m not saying never. If the incursions were the worst things I had to face... I''d probably be happy becoming a Frontier elite, getting married, and protecting a family along with the continent. But given what we saw... there are things more powerful out there, beings that could snuff us all out like bugs, and it''s all tied in with the abyss and the incursions somehow. Even if I''m not really a hunter anymore, I have to figure this out. If I don''t, none of this has any meaning."


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    "That''s a grandiose goal, but its only effect on your actions will be that you always seek power. Are you just a demon with delusions of charity?"


    "I mean, you can break everything down to nothing eventually. Maybe I do like the training and the power. Maybe I''d enjoy becoming strong enough to come back and save everyone. Ultimately it doesn''t really matter how I morally justify my own actions - everyone justifies themselves. I''ll keep doing what I think is best. Let the people I impact judge me."


    She nodded quietly, a bit of her iciness fading. Kai didn''t particularly like being interrogated like this, so he decided to throw it back at her.


    "And what about you? Is it all nothing but the big threat to you?"


    "You''ve seen what kind of world we live in," Omilaena said with an odd smile. "The strong eat the weak, and the only way to gain any real choice is to become strong yourself. I''ve seen the scale of the world, so everyone I''ve ever known is weak. I don''t have a choice."


    "But what would you do otherwise? What would you want if you weren''t trapped in that dilemma?"


    "That dilemma is our entire world. Nothing else exists."


    He wasn''t sure how to reply to that and fell silent, focusing on recovery. The conversation hadn''t made him any happier, but Omilaena seemed to have shifted slightly, as if she''d gotten what she wanted. Sometimes, despite everything they''d shared together, it was very difficult to read her. There was a small part of him that still wondered if everything was an extremely long ruse that would somehow end with her gaining an advantage and running off.


    After sleeping briefly, he woke to Omilaena in an entirely different mood. She had a stack of things for him to put into the spatial ring and seemed eager to go.


    "Unless you have something up your sleeve, we need more assets," she said. "I have an idea, but we need to check back in with the elves."


    "Uh, sure." Kai stood up and joined her as they crept out of the Thunderbird''s domain. It took one more shot at them, but another cloud of poison gas warded it off enough for them to break free.


    Once they returned to the Bludshard caverns, Kai was briefly concerned that they''d bring the Thunderbird after them and disrupt Zae Zin Nim. It didn''t seem like Omilaena planned to stay for long, though. For once the usual guard wasn''t on duty, instead further back in the caverns. Given how he was half-dressed it seemed like he''d been in the middle of something, but he came out yawning and unconcerned.


    "I need that favor, Yonto," Omilaena said.


    "Yonto?" Kai asked, but not softly enough.


    "That''s me. Yonto Bludshard." The elf started to wave his hand and seemed to give up half-way through. "A favor is a favor. What changed your mind?"


    While they discussed details Kai took another look at the elf. If he used the same family name as the entire community, that must mean he was one of their lords...


    <


    Name: Yonto Bludshard


    Total Power: 865


    Soul Cultivation: Earth Glamour (387)


    Cagnazzo''s Tide: Level 5 (125)


    Physique Level: E-8 (104)


    Soul Level: 7 (249)


    >


    It looked like he had the strength to match the title, with 865 Power. Kai honestly wasn''t sure if he had been hiding it before that point or if he had just slipped through... was it possible for an elven glamour to push aside attention? He didn''t like the idea that he''d entirely missed something important, especially because Omilaena had clearly noticed.


    "Can''t do unicorns," Yonto said, "but we can find some pegasi out of season. Will that do?"


    "I think it might." Omilaena glanced back at Kai. "That was one of your targets in the hunts, right?"


    "Right." Kai forced himself to focus again and squared his shoulders. "We can hunt one?"


    "Oh, sure. Come along now..." Yonto grabbed a shirt and yawned before abruptly teleporting them.


    As the wind faded, Kai realized they were standing in a valley, much more verdant than the rest of the Elven Wilds he''d seen. Most of the green of the plants gave way to stranger purple colors, though. There was quite a bit of chakra in the environment, but Kai''s attention barely remained on it, because at that moment a creature burst from the foliage on one side and soared through the air.


    It looked like an elegant white horse with massive wings, sending out ripples of chakra every time it flapped. As he watched, it arced over the valley and then disappeared into the trees on the other side. He didn''t see another one, but he could feel life all through the region.


    "I''ll be back in a couple weeks, I guess." Yonto yawned again, mumbled something like "Good luck" and then disappeared.


    "Did you use a favor for my sake?" Kai asked. Omilaena just shrugged and gestured.


    "This is a less lethal challenge than taking a new ability up against the Thunderbird. Go give it a try, or these two weeks will be rough."


    He nodded and focused on Garuda''s Wing, which was still active. It didn''t take him long to jump into the valley, at first just testing himself in a safer environment, then hunting for the pegasi. Eventually he stumbled onto one that was calmly chewing on some grass until he got close.


    His first leap nearly caught its wings, but their force buffeted him backward. Kai hit the ground and rebounded, using his new ability to throw himself back into the air after it. Once again he nearly caught the flying horse until it kicked back at him. Even though he blocked the kick with his forearm, the impact reversed his momentum and tossed him back to the hillside.


    No matter how hard he drew on Garuda''s Wing, he couldn''t stop his wild flight until he plowed through a tree and into the hillside. He grimaced, more in irritation than pain, and slowly pulled himself out. By the time he did, Omilaena was standing beside him.


    "Does this seem like the right level of challenge?" she asked.


    "Yeah. Give me some time and I can catch it." Kai rolled his shoulders and bounced on his feet again, willing the lightness all through his body.


    "Our conversation from the other day..." Omilaena wasn''t looking directly at him and spoke in a quieter voice. "I want to find people going all the way to the top. Perhaps I haven''t fully understood what that means... but that doesn''t matter. Go out there and do what you do best."


    He wasn''t sure how to take her ponderous statements and she didn''t seem to want to dwell on them either, so he forced a grin. "Throw myself at barriers and pound them down with my face?"


    Omilaena glanced back with a savage grin. "Climb over obstacles."

 Chapter 261: Hunting Pegasi

    After several days of hunting, Kai realized that the pegasi were two things: beautiful and stupid. He''d felt just a little bit of guilt hunting down such an elegant animal, at first. After long enough he saw them shit everywhere, endlessly eat grass, and once a male tried to mount a female and missed entirely, falling onto its wings and rolling down the entire valley. Not so much guilt anymore.


    Then again, what had he expected? That animals like these spent all their time majestically soaring and posing? Life didn''t consist of moments like that. He wondered if it was similar to elven glamours, making their every little action seem elegant.


    Kai reconsidered that theory more seriously and examined his newest quarry.


    <


    Beast: Pegasus (young)


    Total Power: 67


    Pegasus Essence: 53


    Soul Level: 2 (14)


    >


    His spiritual sense made the beast look half-way to a full soul, completely unlike the normal animals that he''d glanced at before. No Physique Levels in this case, just a certain amount of essence chakra and a Soul Level. The fact that it had soul power, and more than would be expected just like an elf, was actually support for his theory.


    It was easy to see how some of the species on Rosemount could be scornful of humans. Even stupid animals could gain refined souls beyond them. Not that any of it was going to save the pegasi from him.


    During the day he practiced Garuda''s Wing, taking it to Delta rank quickly as he became faster and more agile. Still not enough to catch the pegasi, who were born for the sky, but he was getting closer. Yonto had given them two weeks, implying that was the minimum amount of time he expected the hunt to take.


    For meals and evenings Kai went back to camp with Omilaena, who was busy with training of her own. She''d finally raised her Physique to D-1, which he thought meant she was catching up on the sorts of training she''d neglected. It had seemed to encourage her and he wondered how fast she would improve if she stuck with it.


    After two more days, Kai managed to catch a young pegasus with a slightly malformed wing. He let it go, deciding that was unworthy of him. If he was really going to eat one of these for its essence, it needed to be an exemplary one. Since they had clearly visible souls, that was easy to determine.


    He managed to almost catch several healthy adults before he finally saw it: the largest and brightest pegasus he''d seen so far.


    <


    Beast: Splendid Pegasus


    Total Power: 228


    Pegasus Essence: 112


    Soul Level: 4 (116)


    >


    It was the most powerful by far, with over 100 Power in pure essence and a soul that outshone all the others, even comparable to an elven glamour. Of course he didn''t get even close, but Kai kept throwing himself into the task.


    Six days in, with Garuda''s Wing at Epsilon rank, he finally managed to catch his first full-grown pegasus. He struggled with it for a while, and hunger growled deep within him, but in the end he let it go. Even if he knew how to absorb the power of sacred beasts, he didn''t think he''d gain much just eating them all. The vast majority of his power would come from the single strongest meal.


    Now that he was making so much progress, in the evenings he spent more time with Omilaena, trying to follow her lessons on sacred beast flesh. He actually felt like he was making some progress, even if he didn''t have the knack. When she requested it he caught and cleanly killed a normal pegasus - there was some chakra in the meat, but it was only a tiny boost. Omilaena didn''t seem concerned and urged him to keep working, so he didn''t hesitate.


    Catching an old pegasus with tattered wings proved surprisingly difficult, because it was a wily old beast that pushed his abilities to the limit. Kai couldn''t yet fly, but he could arc his path through the air enough that it was the next best thing. Still, he wasn''t able to catch the old pegasus until he raised Garuda''s Wing to Zeta rank. It felt like it was more difficult to increase after that, just like his abilities at Kappa hit a wall.


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    Nine days in he was starting to get discouraged, coming close to the strongest pegasus and failing time and time again. He was tempted to just use one of his offensive techniques, but that would defeat the point. A little more chakra did him no good compared to a true improvement in his abilities.


    Ten days in, after plowing into the mountainside again, Kai was about to give up. He made himself try again by sheer force of will.


    Eleven days in, everything clicked. It was like there were a dozen smaller skills that he was just slightly substandard in, then they all began to improve. He went from feeling clumsy chasing the largest pegasus to pursuing it doggedly to finally bringing it down in the center of the valley.


    He pinned it down with one foot and stared as the creature''s visible eye rolled wildly. Should he let it go and try again? Yet he didn''t feel like he had anything more to learn from it... this had been a good challenge, but the power would be more useful against the Thunderbird.


    "Three days early," Omilaena said as she landed beside him. "Good work."


    "Should I eat it now?" Kai asked. "I''m not sure I''m ready. Sacred beasts still feel too different."


    "I''ve been working on something of my own that should help." She bent down beside the pegasus and injected something into its thick neck. Something odd shimmered over its body, as if light was flowing all through its veins. The beast shivered... and then went still, abruptly dead.


    "Was that supposed to happen?"


    "I wasn''t sure if it would die, but that was most likely." Omilaena tapped her empty syringe. "That was refined monstrous essence. Normally the stuff is lethal to all life... except you, apparently. But it should have changed enough that I think you should try eating it."


    Even though it was just an animal, Kai found himself nodding to the corpse as if in respect. He considered trying to do a formal ritual with the body and decided it was best to just use Isulfr''s Bite. There was no sense in hiding what he was ultimately doing.


    When he swallowed the first massive bite, he felt the power explode within him. The taste felt right somehow, different than before. It wasn''t a monster, but his hunger wanted to consume it. And this time, as he finished the sacred beast, he could feel its power filling him.


    <


    Pegasus''s Grace - III (gamma)


    >


    The "Pegasus''s Grace" ability was moderately useful on his own, but it would be even stronger after training and fusion with Garuda''s Wing. He wanted to try it out immediately, only to feel light-headed when he lifted into the air. Seemed like it would take him a little while to digest the new power.


    Since they were ahead of schedule, Kai let his monstrous hunger worry about the details and assisted Omilaena for the rest of the day. She''d helped him so much, the least he could do was guide her Physique training. Most of the time there was little he could do, since she picked up everything quickly, but she did have trouble with some of the mana-based exercises.


    "Tighten your core," he told her. "Imagine a fist clenching your lower stomach. The mine workers had trouble with this too; I don''t know why it''s so counter-intuitive for cultivator types."


    "Alright, now you''re just insulting me," Omilaena said through gritted teeth. "Do you have to get angry for this to work?"


    "You don''t need emotion for mana exercises. And if it''s any comfort, you''ve mastered in a week what took most of the workers months."


    "Great. I''m equal to several people who smash rocks for a living."


    "Tighter and lower," Kai told her.


    "Dammit, just get over here and show me!" Omilaena sounded honestly irritated, so Kai stepped up behind her. He realized that he was going to be touching her body, but she seemed so focused on training, he decided to approach this with the same energy.


    That lasted until he actually touched her, his fingers pressing just below her navel. Her clothing was so soaked that there was practically nothing between his hands and her skin. Somehow that touch stripped away all his focus. If she''d backed up against him, as she''d done when they were enemies, she would have felt the effect she was having on him. He should have pulled his hand away but he didn''t, especially when Omilaena looked over her shoulder at him.


    "We have nothing to do but train and wait," she said softly. "What''s the harm?"


    "I... no." Kai pulled his hand away. "I promised Zae Zin Nim I''d wait for her. I don''t know what that means, but... it wouldn''t feel right."


    "Of course. I understand."


    Omilaena''s smile was slightly sad, but she didn''t make a bigger deal of it. And soon after he left, trying to get the touch out of his mind, she mastered the exercise. Maybe it was really that easy for her and he was the only horny kid here.


    .


    ..


    .


    Motherfucker.


    While Kai flounced around the sky, Omilaena trained furiously. She''d had him, she was sure of it. Unlike the first encounters when he hadn''t trusted her and his brain had overridden his instincts, this time she thought they actually connected. And now it was some stupid fucking moral code.


    The worst part of it was that it was all her fault, playing matchmaker between him and Zae Zin Nim. He was being a stupid romantic again, saying he was "waiting for her" even though she barely had her own emotions figured out. Dammit, the two of them were going to awkwardly flirt for years before eventually having fumbling sex and she was going to have to watch all of it.


    She managed to suppress her frustration with discipline and focused on her training. As an added exercise, she tried to deploy her spiritual sight against Kai as he continued working on aerial maneuvers. It was still impossible for her to see his full soul as he saw it, but by examining him like a monster, she could get flickering impressions.


    According to those, she could feel his threat rising steadily during their last days in the valley. His new pegasus ability rose from Gamma to Delta to Epsilon and he grew correspondingly more graceful. The real leap was when, on the very last day, he began using two abilities at once.


    When Yonto showed up again, he seemed a little surprised that they''d completed their hunt. Then again, it was difficult to tell with him. In any case, he didn''t have any complaints about taking them back - since there was no news from Zae Zin Nim, he teleported them directly to the northern plains.


    Omilaena rolled her shoulders and realized that she''d picked up the habit from Kai. It seemed to unwind the knots in her muscles somehow, even though she wasn''t likely to fight. Her major part in this was over and she could only see if the results of her experiment were successful.


    "Ready?" she asked.


    Kai grinned and leapt into the air. The sky was clear at first, then in the distance she saw the dark clouds beginning to grow.

 Chapter 262: One Final Gambit, One Final Hunt

    Kai''s first clash with the Thunderbird after his training very nearly ended the entire hunt: the monster assumed he was still sluggish in the air and attacked with too much confidence. He wasn''t going to hold anything back, not against an opponent like this, so he began with Baleful Breath at nearly point blank range.


    That should have been enough, but the Thunderbird was just a notch faster and more alert than he''d expected. Even though the darkness roiled forward quickly, the monster pulled back faster, and the thunderclap of its wings actually slowed the expansion of his deadly smoke. The Thunderbird''s eyes flashed and it summoned more lightning against him as they clashed in the air.


    So in the end he wasn''t able to bring it down by surprise, but he''d get another chance. For the next two days the Thunderbird remained at a distance, not afraid and simply waiting for the perfect opportunity. Occasionally it summoned another storm at them, but Omilaena had improved her lightning rods and they were generally safe. It was too bad they hadn''t figured out a good way to use those in combat against the supremely fast monster.


    As he prepared himself, Kai realized that one of his most important strategic decisions was which abilities to use. So he examined his full soul again, even though he had been overwhelmingly focused on gaining new monstrous abilities recently.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 381


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 31% (107)


    Physique Level: D-2 (210)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Loose Chakra: 68 (0)


    Monstrous Hunger - XI (lambda)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - XI (lambda)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VII (eta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - VIII (theta)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    -


    Baleful Breath - IV (delta)


    Sahagin''s Soul - VI (zeta)


    Garuda''s Wing - VI (zeta)


    Pegasus''s Grace - V (epsilon)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - IV (delta)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - IV (delta)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - II (beta)


    Crystal Slime - I (beta)


    Dreamleech - I (alpha)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - II (beta)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Deathvine - I (alpha)


    Banchlain - IV (delta)


    >


    Fusing Garuda''s Wing and Pegasus''s Grace felt wrong and he reserved that as a desperation choice if all else failed, but that meant he had little flexibility. Void Gaze was most effective but couldn''t end things on its own, then Baleful Breath and Tyrant''s Claw each had their weaknesses.


    In the end he decided to leave Void Gaze behind and use both mobility traits at once. He had to wait another day before he got his chance, then at last the Thunderbird rumbled toward them again.


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    This time he actually tried to fly against it, arcing up into the sky in a single leap. It flew toward him and he raised a hand, only for it to arc away. The Thunderbird managed to flit around to his back like a shadow on wings, but he twisted smoothly in midair, ready to attack again, and it darted away.


    He knew that he couldn''t compete in the air with pure speed... but he wasn''t getting torn apart, either. The Thunderbird didn''t attack too recklessly, no doubt being wary of Void Gaze. Omilaena harried it with spears tipped with its own feathers, preventing it from building up too much speed while he dropped back to the ground.


    When he next leapt forward, a lightning bolt seared just in front of him, singing some of his hair. He was almost completely blind, but he could still feel the Thunderbird with raw hunger. It had hesitated, surprised he pushed through, so he finally had his chance.


    He launched a Tyrant''s Claw at the same time he began exhaling Baleful Breath. The Thunderbird dodged the claw, of course, darting to the side, which took it into the path of his breath. So close, smoke coiling around its wings... when it beat its wings in another thunderclap he knew it would move too fast for him to see, so he moved on instinct. It shot upward, but his head swung up first, expelling the cloud of destructive smoke overhead.


    Finally he landed a direct hit. The Thunderbird roared out in pain as his breath impacted its chest, and for a moment as he fell he thought it was over. But it managed another flap of its wings - not as strong as before, but enough to escape being consumed by the breath entirely. Kai crashed to the ground, spent, and watched the Thunderbird limp away into the storm.


    "Almost had it," Omilaena said as she stepped up beside him.


    "We''ll get it next time," he told her.


    But there wasn''t a next time. The Thunderbird appeared to have more intelligence than the average monster, because it didn''t return to fight him. Two days later it attacked other elves to the east, and for several days they tried to pursue it, but even in its weakened state they couldn''t catch up and hunt it down so easily. For a time Kai thought that all of his efforts had been completely in vain.


    If only he''d chosen a slightly different set of skills, or been a little faster, or fused his aerial skills... none of that mattered now, since the Thunderbird wouldn''t attack him again. He could try to hide within another caravan, but it was attacking cautiously while its wounds healed. Just when he was about to give up, he was surprised to see Yonto strolling out onto the plan.


    "Gotta say, you impressed us," he said slowly. "Not many humans have that sort of... stick-to-it-itiveness. And all for our sake... well, we can''t let you keep going alone."


    "You''re going to help fight?" Kai asked. He should have been happy, but he was more worried they might prevent him from eating the monster.


    "Naw, we don''t have many strong enough. But we can definitely attack the birdy. I''ll get all the hunters together and we''ll push it north. The trick will probably only work once, so this is your last chance."


    Omilaena didn''t have a better plan, so they agreed. Both of them teleported north to a hiding place while the elves finally deployed their forces against the Thunderbird. Kai hoped that the Inverted Guard might join in too, but that seemed to be too much to hope for. So long as it worked out, this would be enough.


    Everything would come down to him in the end, so Kai considered his strategy extremely carefully. In the end, he went with a different set of abilities than he''d originally planned.


    <


    Monstrous Hunger - XI (lambda)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VII (eta)


    Garuda''s Wing - VI (zeta)


    Pegasus''s Grace - V (epsilon)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VII (eta)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    >


    He still hadn''t fused his aerial skills, getting full use out of each. Instead he gave up Direboar''s Strength for the first time in ages to free an extra slot. No Tyrant''s Claw or Baleful Breath, since the Thunderbird was now familiar with them... just Void Gaze to stop it, and Isulfr''s Bite to hopefully end things for good.


    When the Thunderbird appeared on the horizon, Kai took a deep breath and rose to his feet. There were no elves in range and Omilaena was ready... there was nothing else they could do to prepare. The monster still seemed somewhat injured, but it was regenerating too. It had to be now.


    Kai leapt from hiding silently, flying through the air with all the speed his abilities could manage. He nearly reached the Thunderbird, activating Void Gaze, but it managed another thunderclap with its wings, hammering him back down into the ground.


    But even as he fell, Kai didn''t close his eyes or flinch. Even when his back smashed into the ground, he kept the Thunderbird locked in place.


    That was just long enough for one of Omilaena''s spears to strike it. This one had a syringe at the tip, injecting the monster with her best poison. It screeched in pain and unleashed a more devastating lightning storm than ever before.


    The explosion of light broke Kai''s concentration and Void Gaze, but he''d recovered enough to get to his feet and leap again. This time he didn''t try to freeze the entire monster, just caught one wing and pinned it in place, which made its path swing violently to one side. It moved with the motion and whirled on him, beak opening...


    And it froze. Kai continued hurtling forward and for the first time struck the Thunderbird directly. His fingers burned as they gripped the feathers, but they instinctively dug in, curling into claws. He opened his mouth, feeling his maw stretch, and tried to bite down.


    Lightning struck him first, not just from above but flowing from the Thunderbird''s body. The raw pain of it froze him in place, and by the time the second bolt hit, his world was spinning. There was so much electricity coursing through him that he could barely concentrate on his abilities and the Thunderbird opened its beak to kill him...


    Somehow he managed to summon Void Gaze again. He clutched the Thunderbird''s feathers as it fell backward through the air, neither of them capable of moving. His eyes locked it into place as they plummeted, while its eyes flashed and sent bolt after bolt of lightning into him. A hideous stench increased around him as first his clothing and then his flesh burned.


    Kai tasted blood in his mouth, but it was his own. As they plummeted to earth in an apocalyptic storm of thunder and lightning, he struggled to close his jaws.

 Chapter 263: Choices, Limits, and Thresholds

    At first Kai felt nothing but disorientation. All of his senses seemed to be missing... except for one. He could still feel the hunger surging within him, as ravenous as always. And yet it was part of him, and it wasn''t mindless even if it was always hungry. When he reached out to it, he saw a new piece of his own soul.


    <


    Thunderbird (???)


    >


    So he had done it. Those symbols floating in his mind''s eyes were what he needed to pull himself together, and everything else came with it. Behemoth''s Heart was beating furiously, but it seemed to be healing his scorched flesh. In fact, that final experience had finally tipped him over the edge to Physique D-3. He couldn''t have been unconscious long, based on the smoke he saw rising around him.


    When he sat up he saw that he''d fallen on top of the Thunderbird in the center of a blackened crater. A huge bite had been taken from its chest, including the monster core that he''d consumed. Other than that, it looked surprisingly intact: the feathers spread over the stone, still crackling with lightning. He felt like laughing in victory, but his throat hurt too much.


    "Came down to the wire, didn''t it?" Omilaena walked onto the corpse, stepping gingerly on the crackling feathers.


    "But we made it. And I couldn''t have done it without you." Kai hopped up and grinned. "I didn''t have to sacrifice any long term power, so I should be able to use the Thunderbird to its fullest potential. That''s still an open question, since I need mobility more than flight, but now I can-"


    "That''s nice and all, but are you going to put on some clothes?"


    Kai looked down and realized that the lightning had thoroughly blasted off... pretty much everything. His regeneration had restored his body, but nothing else, and he instinctively moved to cover himself while Omilaena chuckled.


    "I mean, I''m not complaining." She exaggeratedly lowered her head to stare. "Very nice. But it might make the wrong impression on the elves."


    "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Kai reached into his spatial ring, which was one of the only intact items on his body, and summoned a piece of cloth. Once he wrapped it around his waist and tied it he looked more like a conquering barbarian than a naked madman.


    "Do you just have a bunch of cloth in your spatial ring?"


    "I mean, this is a recurring problem with my powers."


    "If you find yourself so frequently naked you develop a system, I think the problem has more to do with you." Omilaena chuckled, but there wasn''t any mockery in it. She put her hand on one hip, not seductively but just easing a weary body into a more comfortable position. "Are we finally done for a little while?"


    "For a while." Kai sighed and rubbed his aching jaw. "I''ve probably been pushing too hard. If I don''t rest I get less efficient, but learning that lesson never seems to stick."


    "It seems to me that you''re not suited to just doing nothing. You need to relax to something, not away from something."


    Kai stared at Omilaena for a moment, surprised to hear something like that from her. Maybe she was right. Even if he''d grown to like training, he didn''t want to spend his entire life doing it, but the problem was that he needed something more than just kicking back and resting. Of course, realizing that didn''t help much when all he had to do was train.


    Still... at the moment, he stood atop the corpse of the Thunderbird. It had been his quarry for a long time, and even longer for the elves. He could feel the new power pulsing within him, filled with potential.


    For today, at least, it would be easy to relax.


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    .


    ..


    .


    Omilaena''s work only continued after the battle, because she needed to harvest the body of the Thunderbird. Kai had apparently taken all of the meat that he needed, unfortunately including the monster core that could have been immensely valuable. That still left all of the electric feathers, which had to be taken apart carefully for future usage.


    She spent a while puzzling over the beak and the claws, which were tough but not extraordinary. No poisons or venoms and not so durable that they could be used as armor. Most likely the best usage would be to melt them down for use as reagents - someone with a stronger background in potions or chakra alchemy would know more.


    Soon enough the Bludshard elves showed up, hesitant at first and then celebratory. Some of them began playing instruments and dancing while, thankfully, others came to help her with her work. She insisted on keeping some of the feathers for her own experiments, but let the elves have all the rest.


    "Hell of a thing," Yonto said mildly when he showed up. "Even the Council wouldn''t help us with the Thunderbird."


    "We''re just glad to help," Kai started to say, but Omilaena covered his mouth before he could go too far.


    "We''re glad to help with your hunt," she said, "but if this has earned us a boon..."


    "Yeah, sure." Yonto shrugged. "We''re not much for boon-granting up here, but-"


    "Do you have access to the Primal Loom? We could use a-"


    "Naw." It was his turn to interrupt her and Yonto shrugged in a way that suggested the matter was closed. "We don''t get involved with that sort of thing. I think we''ll just pay you, for the trouble and for all the resources from the body. Somebody better at numbers will get it figured out."


    When they returned to the caverns, they were paid over one million Crests. Omilaena stared at the chakra-dense coins as they were shoveled into Kai''s spatial ring - she''d been thinking of this as an investment in Kai, but it had actually been a good use of her time from a purely monetary perspective. Now they had enough money to buy a hell of a lot of resources, maybe even some of the strongest.


    Not the very highest tier, of course. The most powerful items on Rosemount couldn''t be bought.


    The celebratory mood followed them back to the caverns, where the Bludshard elves seemed glad for the opportunity to cut loose. They broke out some new wine, far superior to anything they''d served before, and set up a feast. She and Kai were at the center of it, which she navigated more easily than he did.


    As the night moved on, some of the elves started going off in little clusters. Seemed like the Bludshards weren''t much for monogamy, or prudery, or in some cases public decency. Kai wasn''t quite the uptight boy he''d once been, but when three extremely attractive elven women approached him, he turned them down and moved off for more privacy. She recognized his smile as the false one he wore when he wasn''t comfortable and pursued.


    "No teasing tonight," Kai said quietly.


    "I won''t." She came to stand beside him and didn''t push his boundaries. "Most would call you crazy for turning them down, though. I would have taken them up on it."


    "Not really my thing."


    "Are you serious? That''s what a lot of men dream about."


    Kai shrugged and she almost thought that he was going to push her away, but eventually he spoke up in an odd tone. "Back in Rayakan, there... I guess that''s not important. I had a chance and it just made me feel... it wasn''t what I wanted. And in Krysal, none of that... I don''t know, it wasn''t really satisfying. I''m a man, sure, but not an animal."


    Omilaena had hoped to get closer to him but wasn''t sure what she could say to that, so she just stood with him, not judging. Internally, she wondered whether it was his nature or something else that made him so stupidly loyal. Refusing to be unfaithful to a committed partner was one thing, but he was going abstinent because of a weird half-promise to a virgin girl who needed to get her own head on straight. If the two of them launched into a long, awkward courtship she was going to vomit.


    She wished someone would care that much about her, but she''d probably never earn it.


    Once they separated, Omilaena rejoined the festivities and took the opportunity to drink as much free chakra wine as possible. By stretching her Heart of Poison to apply to alcohol she could filter out the effects and just absorb the chakra without getting drunk. It still made her feel loose and confident, relaxed after so much time in the wilderness.


    As the evening wore on, a trio of elves approached her: two strikingly handsome men and a woman who was just her type. And Omilaena turned them down. Not as clumsily as Kai, but she did. What the hell was wrong with her?


    .


    ..


    .


    Zae Zin Nim could barely see the number in her soul - it said 100%, but the meager symbols were overwhelmed by the sense of fullness. She had cultivated so much qi over so much time, it felt simultaneously overdue and impossible that she should be this close.


    How long had she been cultivating in the Deep Vital Pool? Just a little over two months, she thought, but the time all blurred together. For her it was a meditative experience, but she knew that other things had been going on, from hunts to local politics to celebrations. She felt a moment of fear that Kai and Omilaena had simply left her and smothered it, because she had no time for emotions now.


    Instead she focused on the mechanics of the last details, making sure everything was in place, both in the chamber and in her soul. Then she notified the guards and locked the door from the inside. After one more circuit around the chamber, settling her spirit, she sat down in the center.


    It was finally time to advance.

 Chapter 264: A Different Sort of Earth Soul

    In theory, all Zae Zin Nim needed to do was advance to Earth Soul and attain her full potential. But in theory, so many aspects of her life should have been simple. The chosen daughter of a powerful sect should never have been cursed, forced to flee to Deadwaste, and taken on such a strange path.


    Yet that path had brought her here. It was the path of her cultivation, ultimately the one she had chosen instead of the one that had been handed to her.


    One last time she looked over everything she''d gathered. Even though she had all the qi she needed from the Deep Vital Pool, she prepared several qi pills from Cloudspire for balance. Then a vial of pure yin chakra, the last of her special purchased resources. A mirror for afterward. And finally a mana potion from the trading camp, just in case.


    Her three sources of power floated within her soul in the formation she''d chosen: her dantian a peaceful sphere of qi, the mana of the Coldfire Corona burning in a ring around it, and her new chakra bubbling underneath both in a thick disc. She tried to master all her emotions and willed it to remain in place while she advanced.


    She began to cultivate again and the qi in her dantian swelled, committing her to this path. Only success or horrible deviation left to her now.


    For so long the Nascent Foundation stage had been building the metaphorical foundation to her true power. Now, as her qi overflowed, it began to become denser, saturating her dantian and perfecting it so that she could cultivate even the strongest qi. She had done everything perfectly, so the process advanced smoothly, cleanly, closer and closer...


    Except that her body was still covered in scars, and they began to itch. The damage of the Blackblood Physique should all have been restored during the Body Refinement stage. Even though it didn''t seem to harm her health or her cultivation, had she already deviated? It wasn''t a violent fire deviation that would destroy her, but could she have ruined her chances?


    Zae Zin Nim desperately swallowed a qi pill before she could lose her focus. The familiar power replaced the qi she''d lost in her hesitation and her dantian continued to perfect itself - but her emotional instability made the chakra begin to boil.


    Its power rose like steam, striking her dantian. In theory it could have empowered her further, which was exactly what she had been hoping, but this was the worst possible time. The disturbance from the chakra could leave a crack in her foundation that would forever handicap her. She cursed Omilaena for allowing her to take the risk, which only made the chakra even more unstable.


    Somehow it was mana that saved her. The Coldfire Corona continued to burn around her dantian, stable and unequivocally hers. Zae Zin Nim meditated on those blue flames until her peace returned, then took stock.


    She hadn''t ruined the Nascent Foundation stage, just slowed herself down. Zae Zin Nim drew in more qi from the environment, getting closer to perfection. Her chakra was still riled up, however, and she no longer wanted to expel it. No, it was doing what she had wanted, strengthening the rest of her. Instead of rejecting her new path she leaned in, drinking the yin qi.


    Something strange was coursing through her scars. She had expected them to slough away like other impurities, but they seemed to be pulling inside her. That wasn''t supposed to... no, that didn''t matter now. Zae Zin Nim ignored her physical appearance entirely and focused on her power.


    Her chakra bubbled, her mana burned, and her qi finally broke through to the next stage.


    The peace of it overwhelmed her, both the relief that it was over and the aching purity of her new qi. No disturbances in her other power or pains in her body, yes, it was done. She kept her eyes closed and examined her own soul.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 761


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 0% (500)


    Coldfire Corona: 51 (61)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-7 (101)


    Blackblood Shadow (+50)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Yin Chakra: 50 (0)


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    >


    At last she was an Earth Soul cultivator, and one with the maximum potential: 500 Power. Her Coldfire Corona remained stably supporting her and her chakra was integrated beneath her dantian, even if it didn''t grant her any strength yet. In a stroke she''d gone from being the weakest member of their group to the strongest.


    Yet as she looked, doubts began to creep in. As far as she knew, the Blackblood Physique should have been absorbed entirely into her cultivation, making her stronger than even a perfect Earth Soul Cultivator. Instead it remained, with a "Blackblood Shadow" granting her 50 additional Power. That was like nothing she''d ever read and she feared that she was mishandling it somehow.


    Zae Zin Nim finally opened her eyes. It turned out she hadn''t needed the mana potion after all, but now she desperately needed the mirror. Her fingers trembled, but she finally raised it enough to look at herself.


    She was whole. All of the hideous scars were gone, leaving her skin as pure and pale as white jade. After so long feeling like a wretch, she was the great beauty she had once been... no, she was more. Rising through two entire stages of cultivation had perfected her body further, making her everything she wanted to be.


    For some reason the Blackblood Physique remained within her instead of dissolving. That did leave her a little uncertain, and her soul looked a bit disorderly to her spiritual senses, but she decided to embrace it for now. She had improved herself without causing harm and she could study the rest later.


    All at once contemplating herself alone wasn''t enough and she desperately wanted to share her advancement with others. For months her time in the qi pools and caverns hadn''t been lonely, yet now she felt isolated. She rose to her feet and marveled at how gracefully she moved despite being motionless for so long. Some of what the elves achieved artificially with their glamours she had incorporated into her very being through her advancement.


    When she unlocked the door, one of the guard elves glanced at her in surprise. "Hey, good job."


    "Please excuse me," Zae Zin Nim said, barely restraining her impatience with people she didn''t know. "Where are my companions right now?"


    "How should I know? Up, probably."


    She brushed past the guards to go find the others, stretching her senses throughout the tunnels. Not nearby, but that was unsurprising. Now that she had reached Earth Soul she felt so much more subtle, and the cavern had contained her advancement, so she was free to search without fear of her father''s cultivators. She''d find them soon enough.


    What did she want to happen once she found her allies, though? A part of her wanted Kai to stare at her in awe, then she immediately changed her mind - she didn''t want to him to be like other men seeing her as nothing but a beautiful jade object to possess. Yet she did want him to see her new beauty. If he just looked at her like nothing happened, that would feel wrong in a completely different way. After all the peace of cultivation, her emotions were a chaotic mess.


    No one stopped her on her way out and she returned all the way to the entrance tunnel without finding her allies. Presumably they were training further away, then. She was still trying to decide when the guard by the tunnel entrance pulled his hat off his face.


    "Looking for your friends?" he asked.


    "Yes." Zae Zin Nim whirled back and gave him a slight bow. "Where are they?"


    "You didn''t hear? Naw, of course you didn''t. They went off to the unicorn hunt."


    "I see." For a moment she was furious, but she swallowed the unworthy emotion. It had taken her longer than expected, so of course they had continued moving forward.


    "You want to follow them?" The elf rocked to his feet in a single smooth movement. "I don''t know where they are exactly, because the hunt moves all over the Wilds, but I could take you to the central pavilion."


    "Yes." She was about to ask more when the elf used his teleportation technique already, throwing them across Rosemount.


    With her new Earth Soul senses the process wasn''t so mysterious: she could feel the qi of the world rippling around them. The fabric of reality twisted to take them south and west, but not far, still within the Elven Wilds. She felt the large mass of people before they arrived, with stronger lights moving around beyond them, presumably in the hunt.


    The desert around them was more alive than many she''d seen, with light blue cacti spotting the rolling dunes. But the majority of her vision was filled with a vast pavilion that had been recently erected. Elves from dozens of different factions milled about inside and outside, some cultivating or trading while others merely spoke to one another.


    Her attention was drawn to the top of the pavilion, where elves were using either spyglasses or their own vision to examine the area around them. Presumably that was where they watched the hunt - her guide gestured toward it, then wandered off on his own business.


    As Zae Zin Nim walked through the crowd, she felt as though every eye was on her. Her skin would have stood out in any crowd, but amid all the golden elves she was practically luminous. Normally their glamours would have made her feel worse, as if her own skin was inferior, but now she walked with her head held high.


    When she climbed one of the staircases to the top, everyone was mostly focused on the hunters in the desert around them. Omilaena turned away from the others to glance at her, blinked once, then ran her eyes up and down.


    "Damn," Omilaena said. "Guess I don''t need to ask if you advanced."


    Zae Zin Nim knew she was probably blushing, but it didn''t feel as embarrassing as she''d feared. "I''m sorry it took me this long," she said. "The hunts have already started?"


    "It doesn''t really matter, because they won''t let either of us participate anyway. I guess we should have been throwing ourselves into puddles of dirty water." Omilaena rolled her eyes and gestured for Zae Zin Nim to follow her across the roof to a better vantage point.


    "So Kai is currently hunting out there?"


    "That''s right. Right now we''re just the most powerful cheerleading squad."


    While it was a bit disappointing, Zae Zin Nim couldn''t remain discouraged for long, not when she had come so far. They could figure out everything else after they had advanced, together. For now, she looked out into the desert to find Kai.

 Chapter 265: The Great Unicorn Hunt

    After so long training and preparing, not to mention battling the Thunderbird, the unicorn hunt was a bit disappointing. Most of Kai''s competitors weren''t that much stronger than him, and their grace over the desert wasn''t more than he could manage with his new abilities. Despite all the preparations he and Omilaena had made, he probably didn''t need to go all out.


    The unicorns, though... they were going to make all the work worth it.


    Those he''d glimpsed were among the strongest sacred beasts he''d ever seen, with strong Soul Levels and above all speed. The Thunderbird might have have them beat in raw velocity, but that was aerial maneuvering and the unicorns were graceful in an entirely different way. If he managed to eat one, he would definitely gain a power that wouldn''t be ashamed to be fused with the Thunderbird.


    After so much work consuming that monster, its essence still sat in his soul, not entirely formed into an ability. In a way that felt odd, but it was only appropriate: he wasn''t going to waste essence so valuable on some trivial ability he would only use temporarily or in certain situations. If he did everything right, this would finally remove one of his greatest remaining weaknesses.


    Technically there were many other parts of the great hunt, because unicorns were extremely rare. There were flights of pegasi migrating across the continent, for example, but he was thoroughly uninterested in them after all his previous training. His hunger insisted that he should chase and eat more of them, even if it wouldn''t do any good, and had to be suppressed.


    One of the most important parts, which he hadn''t understood until the hunts truly began, was actually wild horses. Apparently the elves were widely known for the quality of their horses, which they continually improved by careful breeding. Kai could easily run faster than even fine horses, but there were some that surged with chakra who could run at blinding speeds. Fast enough he even considered trying to eat one.


    One group of those passed him and several riders turned sharply, blowing sand and dust in his direction. "You see how futile this is?" It was Heruul Cryswind, atop one of the slender desert steeds. "It doesn''t matter if you forced your way in, you can''t compete wi-"


    "Have you caught a unicorn yet?" Kai asked with a blank smile. The elf scowled down at him and looked like he wanted to act, but anything other than light competition was frowned upon during the hunt.


    "These are only the first days! The unicorns will not be run ragged until later, which you would know if you properly studied our ways."


    "I''m sorry, there''s still so much to learn." Kai had found that constant politeness worked better than trying to beat the elves with sheer arrogance.


    Heruul and his whole group rushed off over the desert after their newest quarry. There was no way they were going to be successful, not now. Not only were the unicorns faster than all but the best horses, they were clever and agile. He''d seen one group spend a lot of resources to get a net around one, but it cut its way free with a nasty edged horn and escaped.


    As far as he could tell, there were several different strategies among the elves who tried for the greatest prizes like the unicorns. Some devoted themselves to stealth and built traps in areas where the unicorns passed. Kai didn''t think he could compete with local experts and none of them had been successful yet anyway. Others tried to wear down the unicorns, slowly exhausting them over the course of days until they could be penned in.


    For his part, Kai was hoping to purely outrace them. He actually had a lot of supplies stored in his spatial ring, from ordinary trap-making materials to a syringe with an adrenaline boost from Omilaena. So far he hadn''t needed them. A unicorn provoked serious competition, but it was no Thunderbird.


    Eventually the sun hit the horizon and Kai decided that he''d tried enough for the day, so he loped back toward the pavilion. The third major strategy was trying to hunt the unicorns at night while they slept and he thought that method would be cheating for him. Instead he headed back to rest and prepare himself for a new attempt the next day.


    Usually returning was nothing special, since he just touched base with Omilaena during her own work. Today, however, he saw that she was talking with another woman, which surprised him briefly until he saw that it was Zae Zin Nim.


    Holy shit, it was Zae Zin Nim.


    For a second he stopped dead, unsure how to react. He''d grown so used to seeing her covered in thick black scars that it was surreal to see her with unblemished skin. Of course she looked good, and it meant that she had finally broken through, but how would she want him to react? Somehow he''d expected to have warning when she advanced so he could think through everything. Oh shit, oh shit, they''d noticed him, he didn''t have any more time...


    His natural instincts made him smile as he approached and he hoped that wasn''t a mistake. "You advanced," he said quietly. "Are you feeling better?"


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    "Yes, I finally am." Zae Zin Nim seemed quietly pleased, perhaps just with her own progress - she''d certainly taken a huge leap in power. "The Blackblood Physique should have dissolved, however, and I''m not sure why I still see it in my soul."


    "Well, you aren''t exactly on the same path any more. But the important thing is that you feel like yourself again. No more lingering problems?"


    "No, none. Thank you for all your help getting this far."


    She was smiling back at him but not saying anything. Kai was afraid his smile would look stupid or creepy but he couldn''t stop. It occurred to him that maybe emphasizing the change would be putting pressure on her, based on what she''d said earlier about waiting for her. This difference might change everything for her, whereas for him Zae Zin Nim was still just his companion. Navigating this new situation could be a challenge...


    "You two gonna fuck, or what?" Omilaena stood just to the side, eyes twitching irritably between them. Zae Zin Nim blushed and turned on her angrily.


    "Don''t be vulgar!"


    "Hey, you''re the ones pinning adult conversations on advancement."


    "We don''t have to talk about any of that now," Kai said. "You''re strong enough to fight your father''s cultivators now, right? If you can build that chakra into something that hides you, then you''ll have achieved all your goals on Rosemount. I don''t know if we can get to the Commonwealth for Omilaena, but we can leave if y-"


    "No." Zae Zin Nim raised one hand and shook her head. "You have supported me this far... both of you have... and it''s my turn to support you. Finish your unicorn hunt first. I can wait."


    Once they got over the awkwardness, it was easy to talk again, and it was good to have the three of them truly back together instead of separated by their training. They didn''t talk about anything personal, just discussed their plans after the hunt. Allegedly the elven school had already started up, though Omilaena was adamant that it wouldn''t be worth their time. Overall, it was just good to be back with the two women again, even if his feelings were still a bit confused.


    Kai''s night was filled with strange dreams, but the next morning he ran into the Elven Wilds with new motivation.


    .


    ..


    .


    Normally Zae Zin Nim would not have been happy to sit and watch like an ornamental maiden while a man competed in a competition, but this was Kai and that was different. His human soul hadn''t changed massively, but his monstrous soul had clearly grown to fill the new space granted by his D-rank Physique. He was faster and more graceful, especially in the air.


    While they watched, Omilaena explained what they had done, in particular the fight against the Thunderbird. Zae Zin Nim wished that she could have joined them, even though it had turned out well in the end. For the first time she realized that cultivation would actually take her away from the people she cared about. At least they were both people who dedicated themselves to advancement as well.


    Both. Zae Zin Nim frowned and decided not to think about that. She could sort out her emotions later, since they would finally have peace after the unicorn hunt.


    There was a single exciting event back at the pavilion itself, because one elven faction formed a massive hunting party and tried to herd a unicorn back toward a trap. It managed to leap over the line of cavalry, then bounded up the side of the pavilion itself, sending viewers scattering in all directions.


    Zae Zin Nim didn''t move, staring at the unexpectedly grotesque beast. It was only majestic the way some predatory beasts were majestic, with its sleek mane and flashing hair. But when she looked into its eyes she saw only an ugly animal there, and the twisted horn was surprisingly brutish even without the blood running down the side.


    Too late she realized that she was the only one who hadn''t moved. The unicorn lowered its head as if it intended to impale her and began to charge. She instinctively raised her hands, prepared to ward off the blow. If the unicorn came to her, she would not back down.


    Abruptly it blew air out its nose and wheeled about, rushing off in another direction. She lowered her hands carefully, puzzled. Other hunters were running after it, and Omilaena tried to capture it for her experiments, but they stopped her because she wasn''t part of the hunt. The interruption seemed to be the most exciting event of the day for most watchers, but it just left Zae Zin Nim a bit troubled.


    "You didn''t even flinch," a nearby elven woman said. "Would you have tried to fight it?"


    "I would have killed it," Zae Zin Nim answered confidently. "I thought unicorns were purer, more elegant creatures than that."


    "Pure?" One of the elf''s friends snickered. "I don''t know what kind of unicorns you have on Cloudspire, but I doubt they''re any different. What do you think that big horn symbolizes? Why do you think they''re attracted to virgins?"


    "Actually..." The first elven woman''s face broke into a mocking smile. "Is that why it ran away?"


    Staring between the two of them, Zae Zin Nim realized what she had been missing. "Surely unicorns aren''t as... as base as that..."


    "She''s blushing! With that skin it couldn''t be more obvious..."


    "Hey." Omilaena suddenly slouched between the two elven women, wrapping her arms around their waists. "Just because you gave it up to the first randy unicorn you saw doesn''t mean you should mock others."


    "You''re projecting." One of the elven women laughed in surprise, but the other glared at Omilaena. "I''ve seen how women like you can be in other lands, always-"


    "I''m not the one watching the men chase after big thrusting horns..." Omilaena was practically groping the other woman now, in a way Zae Zin Nim made sure not to watch, and kept whispering directly into her ear, in a way she made sure not to hear.


    Whatever had been said and done, the two elven women retreated, flushed and laughing. By contrast Omilaena still looked completely cool, without a trace of lust in her. Zae Zin Nim had known a few women like that, using their sexuality as a weapon instead of a vulnerability. She told herself that it wasn''t really vulgar, just a technique.


    "Thank you," Zae Zin Nim said quietly.


    "No problem." Omilaena came to stand beside her.


    "Let''s... help Kai kill these things."


    "I''m not sure if that''s technically cheating," Omilaena said with a lazy smile, "but I''m game either way."

 Chapter 266: Hunting New Opportunities

    Kai wasn''t ultimately clear on the fundamental limits on the elven hunt, other than it had something to do with migration patterns. Based on information the women gathered, the event seemed to peter out as the valuable hunts ended. So even if they hadn''t been impatient to move on, there was no reason to delay.


    He no longer returned to the pavilion and instead ventured further out into the Elven Wilds. That might have been risky normally, but he had Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena in the diamond star overhead, gathering information and occasionally guiding him. It was a little unclear whether or not the elves approved of this, but since he was only competing for the hardest targets and leaving the majority alone, it seemed to pass without condemnation.


    Still, this alone wouldn''t be enough to catch a unicorn. After another close call, Kai sat down, crossed his legs, and began considering his monstrous abilities again. Aerial speed alone wasn''t enough, since the unicorns stayed close to the ground, and it was clearly premature to use the Thunderbird.


    However... he didn''t need to fully crystallize its power to draw on it, at least not in theory. Kai took a deep breath and cautiously drew the Thunderbird essence into the center of his soul island. It didn''t appear like a statue in his mind''s eye and he didn''t feel the same rush of power... but there was something present, locking into his soul.


    When Kai got up again, he could feel a generalized power rushing into him. The Thunderbird''s essence could potentially be involved with speed, flight, thunder, lightning, and probably more. Right now it was just potential stored in his soul, so it only slightly boosted him in small ways. After some testing, he was fairly confident that he would never be able to draw out monstrous essence in "pure" form that granted him tons of abilities at once.


    In a sense, that was a relief. If it had been possible, then he''d have kicked himself for not getting more abilities from the Void Witness. But instead everything still operated according to the rules he knew: his soul only had a limited capacity for discrete abilities.


    That didn''t mean that he couldn''t test out the essence in new ways. Kai ran into the wastelands again, getting a feel for the slight edge to his new speed. This wasn''t an effective form of power, but it was a good way to figure out the exact shape of new essence.


    Occasionally Kai chased some of the wild horses, just to test his new speed. The Thunderbird was definitely a potent source of that, the question was how much he could work it into a general mobility skill. He felt fairly certain that it would be a huge mistake to try to draw on the thunder or lightning aspects - maybe if he''d had a lightning Class, or other abilities that invoked the elements, but right now it was just too unrelated to the rest of his power.


    As he ran, Kai realized the real potential: not his own speed, but his perceptions. The fastest elven horses had been blurs before, but now he could see their legs pumping as they ran, even feel the chakra that flowed through their bodies. Of course it made sense that the Thunderbird needed to be able to perceive quickly, if it could move so fast.


    If he''d just blundered forward and gone with a generic speed ability, he might have missed that entirely. Kai grinned and threw himself into the hunt.


    .


    ..


    .


    Teleportation was a civilized way to travel, but Zae Zin Nim still preferred to fly. Kai could run around on the ground if he wanted, as a condition of participating in the hunt, but she was glad to float overhead. They had been warned that they couldn''t act directly in the hunt, which was tacit approval of their new strategy.


    At the moment they''d lost sight of him, however. If they constantly hovered just overhead it would scare some of the animals, plus they needed to scout. Zae Zin Nim searched around the edges of the craft, trying to locate his qi again. He might not have stealth abilities, but he could hide himself when need be.


    "Over there," Omilaena said after a moment. She propped her goggles back up on her head. "Looks like he''s chasing another unicorn, so we should keep our distance."


    "Could we fly ahead and try to herd them?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "We''d better not. They didn''t rule that out, but it would probably be stretching the spirit of the law."


    They floated for a time, but Zae Zin Nim found herself staring at the other woman''s goggles. She nearly reached up to grab them before remembering herself and hesitating. "May I see those?"


    "Sure, but they won''t be that useful to you." Omilaena handed them over and Zae Zin Nim carefully put them over her eyes, which cast the world in strange sapphire shades.


    At first they seemed completely useless, not even magnifying anything like she''d imagined. Naturally they would protect her eyes, but not as much as her Physique and other techniques could. Presumably the other features were more complex and she just couldn''t figure them out.


    "You have to reach here and..." Omilaena started to lean across her and could easily have taken advantage of the position, but instead she only tapped on the side of the goggles. "It''s chakra-based. Previously I would have said you couldn''t use it, but now that you have some chakra built up in your soul... try to flow just a little chakra through the mechanism."


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    Zae Zin Nim tried futilely at first, then drew on her frustration to make the chakra move. The reaction was almost immediate, the world in her vision suddenly expanding. It let her see further away except when she saw part of their ship, which was violently disorienting. She didn''t want to turn around and have the goggles be filled with Omilaena, so she just tried to get the magnification under control.


    "That''s right, dial it back... I made them for myself, not really for general use, so they''re particular to me. There''s no reason that anyone else with chakra can''t use them, though."


    "You could make a lot of money selling these," Zae Zin Nim said. As she adjusted, she began to search the surrounding territory for Kai.


    "Only relatively. As an artisan it''s easy to get trapped in drudgery, being basically just a skill slave. Not a literal one, I mean, but you get caught up in business and never get out. I could make thousands of Crests, maybe tens of thousands, but not a million Crests like we earned for the Thunderbird."


    "Merchant problems." Zae Zin Nim pulled off the goggles and immediately understood why it was so easy to prop them on her forehead. "Cultivators never touch that sort of thing for the same reason. But given what I''ve seen here, I can understand why there''s more overlap."


    "You see people go the other way, too. If a merchant sells enough chakra-imbued materials, they might try to gain power themselves, and they can even be successful."


    Zae Zin Nim hesitated, wondering if Omilaena was getting close to saying anything about her past. She had seemed to just pop into existence in Krysal and Zae Zin Nim hadn''t particularly thought about her life before that moment. Omilaena had never mentioned a family or a homeland or anything before... was there a reason for that, or had she simply wanted to leave it all behind?


    "Wait, over there!" Omilaena grabbed her shoulder and pointed into the distance. "Is that another one?"


    It would have made more sense to hand over the goggles, but Zae Zin Nim instinctively tugged them down and struggled with the chakra controls. Back to the hunt.


    .


    ..


    .


    The more Kai grew accustomed to the Thunderbird essence, the more sure he was that he didn''t want to waste it. If he fed enough powerful abilities into it that matched elements of its power, he could create an ability matching Behemoth''s Heart that would stick with him for the long term. One of those would definitely be a unicorn, so he needed to catch one without the benefits of speed.


    With his allies scouting overhead, he was able to make attempts more frequently than the others. He''d tested some trap methods and the unicorns always seemed too wary of them, so he rejected those. There was no point going overboard with something like the adrenaline injection.


    Instead he stayed simple: he found a powerful unicorn that was running next to a river and crept as close as he could. He''d seen other unicorns struggle to leap rivers that large, but they could, then mocked the hunters from the other side. Hopefully he could make that work for him.


    He couldn''t get very close before the unicorn sensed him and jerked its head upward. Like the others, it regarded him briefly as if considering whether to kill him, then it cantered away. That was when Kai started running as fast as he could.


    His path kept the unicorn between himself and the river, so that it couldn''t veer away without shortening the distance between them. Every time he tried to push it further in, it twisted away, but it lost a little ground each time. Soon, soon...


    Eventually it leapt, clearing the river in a single bound. The unicorn landed on the other side and tossed its head, snorting as if in mockery.


    Kai leapt after it and his aerial abilities sent him soaring over the river. The unicorn saw and turned before he landed, but he willed himself back to the ground faster with wing-like currents. As soon as his feet hit the rock he began pounding over the ground as fast as he could, pushing himself forward with all the stamina he had left.


    Just when he thought he couldn''t run any further, the unicorn''s unnatural grace finally failed. It was just a brief stumble, barely a pause to most runners, but it was enough. Kai caught up and leapt onto the beast''s back. Though it tried to buck him off, that was woefully inadequate for this predator: Kai had already whipped the syringe from his spatial ring and injected the monstrous essence.


    The unicorn fell and plowed into the ground, horn-first. He waited nearby until he felt its flesh begin to shift, then finally opened his jaws to consume it. Instead of struggling to consume the sacred beast meat, it was actually easy. Too easy, as if his hunger was growing. It could easily grow out of control if he didn''t keep an eye on it, but for now he felt the new essence in his soul.


    <


    Unicorn (???)


    >


    Another powerful essence with some flexibility, though he knew that he would definitely be using this one for its speed instead of any other attribute. This was what he had been working toward from the beginning they entered the Elven Wilds, even if he hadn''t originally been planning to work on a mobility skill. With that accomplished, he felt like he could leave in peace.


    If they were leaving. The other two flew the diamond star down beside him, so they''d have much to talk about.


    "Congratulations," Omilaena said lightly. "All that throwing yourself into a puddle was worth it, huh?"


    "Maybe so." Kai wiped his mouth, but there wasn''t much else to do because he''d eaten the entire unicorn, horn and all. "Uh... do we need to go back to the pavilion?"


    "That depends on how our cultivator friend feels. Are you sick of elves yet?"


    "They have been fair to us," Zae Zin Nim said. "They let me use their qi for months and we''re only closer allies thanks to what you did with the Thunderbird. We shouldn''t just leave without saying goodbye."


    "I can get behind saying goodbye, but we need to discuss what we do next. Rosemount is more than just the Elven Wilds."


    Kai hopped into the diamond star and they discussed their plans as they flew back. He sort of expected Heruul or someone else to attack them, but everything seemed to be on the level. Some elves might not like their presence, but they''d gone through the proper channels. The Bludshard faction even seemed complimentary, which he supposed wasn''t surprising.


    Once they got back to the tunnels they decided to take at least a day to think about it. Zae Zin Nim appeared energized by her advancement and wanted both of them to cultivate as well using elven sources. It seemed more tempting when thinking about her huge boost in power than when thinking about all the cultivation that had been required to reach that point.


    The next day they sat down to discuss their plans for real in one of the central caverns. It seemed like they had an invitation to visit the school, plus a new invitation from the Bludshard elves to stay longer. There wasn''t much word about the Commonwealth or the demons governing it. Omilaena pitched crazier ideas, like going around the eastern ocean to visit the Flaeren Dominion.


    Before they could come to any conclusion, they heard the rush of teleportation winds and then sounds of alarm. The guards in the caverns were usually so calm, all three of them were on their feet immediately. It didn''t feel like an attack, but someone was running toward them at high speed.


    Ceryyn stumbled into the room, one of her arms hanging limply and covered in blood. "Please," she sobbed out, "help..."

 Chapter 267: The Disaster at the Elven School

    Elven healers eventually reached Ceryyn and tried to help her, but she was absolutely adamant that she wouldn''t rest until she''d spoken with them. Eventually the Bludshard elves managed to get her to lie down and tended to her mangled arm, which soothed her enough to explain in calmer terms. Kai stood with the other two, anxiety building during the wait.


    "They hit our school," Ceryyn said sorrowfully. "I don''t even... how did they learn about it? Who would betray us?"


    "Who attacked?" Kai asked. Even though their relationship had never advanced, he still knelt down beside her protectively. "Demons from the Commonwealth?"


    "The Commonwealth, yes. Demons, no." She winced as the healers adjusted her arm, then sighed heavily. "I don''t know why, but I think they''re doing the same thing we are. They sent in proxies who aren''t technically affiliated with them, pretending it was a feud. But the destruction..."


    "How many died?" Omilaena asked.


    "A few students. One of our elders sacrificed his life to protect others, and I almost lost my arm. The damage isn''t as serious as the blow to our plans. They know what we''re trying to do and they''re willing to hit back. Who will ally with the elves now?"


    "But you came here asking for our help. What do you think we can do?"


    Ceryyn winced and pushed the healers away so she could sit up and appeal to them, her eyes shining mournfully. "I may be responsible for this. Perhaps I trusted too easily, recruited too carelessly. But you three helped, before any of this. Can I beg your help again?"


    "That entirely depends on what you need us to do," Zae Zin Nim said. "We can''t fight all the demons in the Commonwealth."


    "No, nothing like that. We need non-elves to infiltrate the Commonwealth and find out what they''re doing... or at least why. Everyone thought the demons were happy there and just got greedy. This... this is something much worse. I know the risk is great, but if you can help our nation this way, you''ll earn a boon not just from me, but from the entire Council of Elders."


    They immediately glanced at one another, most of the thoughts passing between them wordlessly. When they''d first arrived in Rosemount, they''d abandoned the idea of going to the Commonwealth even as private citizens. Even assuming that no word had leaked about their attack, they might be targets for the demons just due to their strength.


    Then again, they''d changed since their arrival. Kai was stronger across the board, Omilaena had improved her primary abilities, and Zae Zin Nim had gone from a weak link to their linchpin. Going in was a huge risk, but they needed to take risks to advance. Since a lesser boon from the elves had benefited them so much, how much could a greater boon change things?


    "We haven''t agreed to anything yet," Kai said carefully, "but what exactly would we need to do?"


    "It would have to be discussed with the Council," Ceryyn said weakly. "You don''t need to decide now, but please, just give us a little hope..."


    They agreed to at least hear out the elves, so Ceryyn finally let the healers take care of her. Whatever had torn up her arm had also severely drained her chakra, though probably a demonic art instead of a true demon. It looked like it would take weeks for her to recover her full strength, but she insisted that she and the others would make final decisions soon.


    On their own, the three of them discussed how they should approach the problem. Aside from the risks and benefits he''d considered, the others were concerned about how the political imbalance might impact the whole continent. There wasn''t even much sniping between the two of them, though Zae Zin Nim looked increasingly suspicious until she finally spoke up.


    "You''re not telling us something," she said. "Don''t withhold now, Omilaena, not when you almost look trustworthy from the right angle. What''s your real reason for wanting to go the Commonwealth?"


    "It''s just personal gain, I swear it." Omilaena raised one hand as if making a formal statement. "Admittedly, if times were better I would probably push harder. But what I want most of all is access to the Great Library of Traebor."


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    "Isn''t that just scholarly texts? I''ve heard of it, but it doesn''t have any techniques or martial art manuals. That''s how it maintains neutrality."


    "It doesn''t need them. I''m convinced, utterly convinced, that it contains information on the fundamental workings of the world. Previously I wasn''t strong enough to access much of the library, and what I found was ambiguous. But it nudged me in the right direction with Krysal, and it matches everything I know about greater powers. I think, if I have the time, pure knowledge will benefit us more than just gathering energy."


    "What would it take?" Kai asked. "Aside from being in the middle of dangerous territory, the library denies access somehow?"


    "The keepers of the library are very particular about who they allow access." Omilaena sighed and slumped back. "And given the chaotic history of the Commonwealth, can you blame them? But that''s honestly my primary objective on the entire continent. All the theoretical questions we''ve been asking might have answers, either found in ancient texts or developed from the information there."


    "And is that all?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "I mean, the Commonwealth is huge, of course there are other benefits. For example, their capital city is supposedly entirely powered by a single tiny artifact."


    "One of the Insanities. The First Crest."


    "That''s right." Omilaena smiled a little again. "I have no idea how something that small can apparently generate infinite energy, but I want to take a look at it. From what I''ve heard it''s impervious to sabotage, so they let anyone go look, as a show of strength. Even if we can''t figure out how it works, I think that''s still worth seeing."


    "What about chakra arts?" Kai asked. "Zae Zin Nim and I have been building up chakra, but haven''t found a way to really use it yet."


    "The Commonwealth is the crossroads of all Rosemount, so of course there''s a good chance there. All I have is possibilities, just like all the previous ideas I''ve offered you. If you''ve trusted me this far, can''t you trust me when I say I think this is in our best interest?"


    Zae Zin Nim glanced at Kai and he wasn''t sure he fully understood the uncertainty he saw in her eyes. The relationship between the two women had certainly advanced since the times they hated one another, but he wasn''t sure what had changed - maybe Zae Zin Nim wasn''t sure either. In the end they both nodded and she spoke.


    "I believe it could benefit us. The question is whether the risk is worth the reward."


    Soon enough, when they met with Council representatives, they found out more about their potential mission. The elves would teleport them far to the south, into the Coiled Empire, and then they would travel normally into the Commonwealth. Apparently there was a treaty with the Empire that was keeping things stable, so they could cross the border without difficulty.


    For a moment it looked like Zae Zin Nim would refuse, because there had been reports that the Brightwind sect was searching for her in the Coiled Empire. But it was an entire nation spread across a massive peninsula, and she had advanced invisibly while adding chakra. In the end she was convinced that she could slip through without being found, since the cultivators were mostly focusing on the coasts.


    Things got trickier when it came to their exact tasks. The elves originally wanted them to carry totems that would allow elves to teleport forces into the Commonwealth, but Omilaena had flatly refused on the grounds that it would betray them if they were ever searched or scanned. For the same reason she refused to carry direct communication methods.


    That meant they were essentially being thrown into the Commonwealth on their own, which might have helped the negotiations. For the Council of Elders, sending in some random allies was a low risk, medium reward gamble. Kai judged their own risks far higher, but at least this would give them new opportunities.


    It took them a few days to prepare, including some time to rest so they went in at full strength. During that time Kai repeatedly wondered if this was the opportunity to discuss everything with Zae Zin Nim. She had wanted him to wait for her, and he''d thought that meant... surely she wouldn''t have said she cared about him if she didn''t mean something more? They definitely seemed so comfortable together, it was hard to believe there was something broken between them.


    Then again, perhaps it simply wasn''t the time. Tensions were rising across the continent and they were about to go into grave danger. He knew that if an incursion was about to start he wouldn''t want to talk about relationships. Just being with the two of them was an improvement, perhaps even enough for now.


    In the end the elves added an additional wrinkle: Heruul and the entire Cryswind faction disavowed Kai and insisted that he leave. He didn''t think that they''d be stupid enough to tell them about the plan, so it must just be manipulations to give them a cover story. Since he''d never had a formal relationship with the Bludshards, and Sandflower City declared itself neutral, technically he had no more right to be in the Elven Wilds. If anyone looked into his previous activities, he wouldn''t look like a likely spy.


    If anyone researched more than a little... well, in that case something was probably very wrong.


    When they all gathered together to teleport across the continent, both his allies seemed positive about the development. In their mind, this was the perfect compromise: they were getting to explore the Commonwealth while also potentially putting the elves in their debt. Most of their time was spent discussing the potential power to be found within the great nation.


    Kai wasn''t sure he agreed it was such a perfect compromise. They were heading directly into a tense situation that could easily turn into a war, and unlike in Krysal, they weren''t even close to the top.

 Chapter 268: Through the Coiled Empire

    Once the elves left them, Kai was again stranded in a completely unknown foreign land. He couldn''t have called the Elven Wilds home, but the wastes were at least familiar. Now they were allegedly in the northern part of the the Coiled Empire, which was a riot of colors. Trees with red and purple foliage seemed common, almost like it would have been for autumn at home, but there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the color here.


    They''d left the elves behind completely to make their early preparations, mainly erasing every single trace of their association. For Kai that had just been buying some different basic clothing, but it was more difficult for the women, so he''d also gotten the diamond ship overhauled again so it looked more lamia than elven.


    Now that he was finished with that, he was waiting around, trying to get his bearings. There were tons of lamias, of course, since it was the Coiled Empire, but this far north there were all kinds, even elves. Their group didn''t stick out much and he saw more than a few goods from Deadwaste, especially the Elemental Nations. In fact, there was an old lamia man cooking over an eternal elemental flame just down the street.


    What struck him more was that the powers were so different. He''d grown used to all elves being beautiful and graceful, so there was a part of his brain that thought everyone was plain-looking. That seemed unfair of him, so Kai used his spiritual sight instead, on a young lamia man.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 106


    Lamia Class: 20 (20)


    Physique: E-4 (82)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    Even this young lamia, who looked like he was in decent shape but not a trained warrior, had a Physique in E-rank. On top of that, some sort of "Lamia Class" that also seemed to enhance durability. As far as he could tell, lamias simply gained Physique faster than other races, though it seemed to be offset by weaker powers of other types. Still, that would be an enormous advantage if it ever came to war, or even just violence in everyday life.


    To contrast, he picked the strongest lamia he could find, a scarred middle-aged one missing half her tail. She seemed more on par for lamias who had actually trained:


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 350


    Ifrit''s Breath Class: 6 (30)


    Lamia Class: 70 (70)


    Physique: D-5 (225)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    Her Physique was D-5, and he was surprised for a moment before he realized it was only to be expected that someone would surpass his Physique here. Against guards like these, he would obviously still bet on himself, but he wondered just how strong they could become. Allegedly the Empress of the entire empire was a great power on Rosemount because her defenses were so high that she had never even bled.


    It made him think back to the blue-skinned warrior at the Frontier. Had he been an exemplary Physique user, or were there unfathomable powers beyond that?


    The other mix of powers still puzzled him a little, since it seemed novel but less diverse than he''d seen elsewhere. Everybody seemed to be carrying Classes, but they didn''t look like Classes on Deadwaste. He felt certain that he was missing something, and the symbols swam a little in his eyes... in the end, he couldn''t figure out what the discrepancy was, though.


    Instead he looked to a street performer with tree-like hair, someone wearing a native wrap but not a lamia. He had enough power to be putting on a fancy show, lofting multi-colored balls in complex patterns, so perhaps he was more representative.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 218


    Eagle''s Rainbow Class: 23 (115)


    Physique: E-8 (94)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    Another random person who could have been a strong crystallier in Krysal, though he was used to that by now. More interesting was the man''s "Rainbow" power, which didn''t sound like any Class Kai had ever heard of. It granted him an enormous amount of Power, though, so it must be effective enough. None of these people were using "chakra-engorged" Classes, so he had to wonder if this was a local variation.


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    "Sorry to make you wait."


    Thanks to the Alltongue Fruit Kai could follow the babble of different languages around him, but the familiar voice was still a relief. He turned to meet Zae Zin Nim, ready to tell her that it was no problem, and the words dried up in his throat.


    His uncharitable impression of the crowds didn''t apply to his companions: they might not be using glamours, but they still looked incredible. Zae Zin Nim had foregone her usual to wear red robes that left her arms and lower legs bare - that should have been nothing, but it was so strange for her that it distracted him. Omilaena was still wearing a tight blouse, of course, and had apparently given up her usual slits up the thigh for pants inlaid with some sort of blue metal that made them strikingly form-fitting.


    Kai wasn''t staring, though, he just smiled. Distracting as it was to realize his closest allies were these women, he was mainly just glad to see them. They smiled back, and Omilaena looked over his outfit with a raised eyebrow that suggested she found it interesting too.


    "I, uh, just bought something ordinary." Kai glanced down at the pants and long tunic with coiling patterns, which seemed to be the local style.


    "It suits you," Omilaena said. "Try to go at least a few days without ruining it."


    "Are we ready to go north?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "I would like to be off."


    "You don''t want to explore the Coiled Empire at least a little first?"


    "Perhaps later. For now... well, you know what we must do."


    He gestured for them to follow him and they leapt into the diamond star. Since there didn''t seem to be any prohibitions against flying vehicles here, the only thing slowing them down was navigating around all the other flying objects in the sky. Unlike before, he found himself getting frustrated by how slowly it moved compared to his own flight.


    "We should cross the border in three days at this rate," Omilaena said. "We can show our ''trade goods'' from the spatial ring if necessary, but most likely no one will stop us. The Commonwealth has always been successful via its policy of openness. Of course, they don''t exactly police much else, so we''ll have to fend for ourselves."


    "Just like it''s always been." Kai shrugged and settled back in to the flight, but he found himself glancing to the side at a lamia woman who was flying through the air.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 339


    Sapphire Skylance Class: 13 (65)


    Lamia Class: 43 (43)


    Physique: D-3 (215)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    "That woman has some sort of ''Sapphire Skylance'' Class?" he suggested. "But she also has a Lamia Class, and I didn''t think you could have two. I''m not sure I understand how the local powers work."


    "Are you sure it''s a Class?" Omilaena leaned on his shoulder but didn''t press against him unnecessarily. "Look a little more carefully. You''re seeing her in Goralian terms, which isn''t quite accurate."


    "I''m not sure what you expect me to see." Kai didn''t want to stare at the lamia as they passed her, so he just glanced back at Omilaena.


    "You''re expecting to see personal powers as Classes, but you''re overgeneralizing. Think about it - can there really be such as thing as a Lamia Class that the entire species has?"


    "I guess... I might see it as a Class because it seems like a unique ability." He frowned and tried to reconsider. "I guess it''s more like a natural characteristic, similar to elven soul cultivation? Huh... there was a dryad woman I met a really long time ago and I guess I read her soul wrong."


    "What about the Sapphire Skylance ability?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "That looks like a Class even to me. It''s definitely not cultivation."


    "I think it''s an elemental ability," Omilaena said. "Similar to the Elemental Nations, so you should be used to this."


    Kai considered what they''d discussed and took one last look at the lamia woman. This time, his spiritual sight came in much crisper as he understood his misapprehensions.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 339


    Sapphire Skylance: Stage 13 (65)


    Lamia Essence: 43 (43)


    Physique: D-3 (215)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    His impression of her strength, both in quantity and quality, had been correct, but now he saw more truly. With his new knowledge her Sapphire Skylance ability resolved as something different, a power organized in stages, and her Lamia "Class" was listed as "Essence". That seemed more correct to him, but he wondered if he was still missing details.


    "I dislike all these distinctions," Zae Zin Nim said with a scowl. "Yes, on Cloudspire we may wrap up too many abilities in our cultivation, but at least they''re organized. What''s the real difference?"


    "If I had perfect answers to that, I''d be a lot stronger." Omilaena sighed and dropped back in her seat. "According to the diagram in the alien ship, there are several fundamentally different types of power, the problem is differentiating them. Elements, Essence, and what you call Class... they can all do very similar things, and they''re all intrinsic to a person, but they''re somehow different."


    "I suppose they don''t involve cultivating. Growing by gathering power, I mean."


    "But it''s more complicated than that. My abilities are based on the Essence principle and they can grow by incorporating new sources. The energy isn''t fungible, which is a difference, but why should that be so important on a fundamental level? The fact that we don''t see people jumping between different power systems is proof that the difference matters, but I don''t know why."


    Kai didn''t have any answers, but his thoughts immediately turned practical. "Are these sorts of powers conflicting, or complementary?"


    "That''s exactly the question!" Omilaena snapped her fingers and pointed at him. "I believe it''s the latter, but haven''t proved it. It''s a shame that neither of you is a fundamentally elemental fighter, or I could do some interesting experiments that I think would make you much stronger."


    "You mean aligning the different powers," Zae Zin Nim said carefully. "If a person had a flame-based Class, but also a flame based... elemental power... they would be more powerful than the sum of their parts?"


    "I''m pretty sure they do that at the Frontier," Kai said. "I don''t know that it''s always exactly the same element, but they get benefits for combining the different abilities. Admittedly, they don''t seem elite compared to here, but they''re working with a lot less power. They have pieces of their soul I don''t ever see here."


    Omilaena sighed and slouched back even further. "Welcome to my world. Would the ideal balance be one of every single type of power, or would they crowd one another out? Can they all coexist, or do they need to be merged or balanced? As far as I can tell, we don''t have answers to that anywhere on Rosemount or Cloudspire, but there are people in the world for whom this stuff is essential."


    Another reminder of the threat they faced beyond even their current crisis. The conversation turned to happier topics, particularly potential benefits they might find in the Commonwealth, but part of his mood remained somber. As if he was just waiting for something to go wrong.


    There were no more divine beings from the sky, but well before they reached the border, they saw a demon. It was a woman standing atop a spiked hill, staring at all the travelers with her burning red eyes. He wasn''t sure if it was his imagination, but it seemed like her gaze followed them longer than all the others.

 Chapter 269: The Citizens of the Commonwealth

    Kai knew that he didn''t have much experience as a world traveler, so he thought he might be ignorant, but he couldn''t help but compare the Commonwealth of Traebor to the Krysal city states. A week into their explorations, he was beginning to see how he was both right and wrong.


    Both were nations dominated by pure personal interest, without much of a sense of patriotism. On the other hand, Krysali were generally more loyal to their city state, whereas the Commonwealth seemed to be proud of its shared heritage. Merchants literally ruled in Krysal, whereas in the Commonwealth they were just a significant power. There was more overlap between merchants and warriors - he didn''t think he was going to run into many like Suortril who despised cultivators.


    Another major difference was geographic: Krysal sat at the edge of Deadwaste, whereas the Commonwealth was right in the middle of Rosemount. It had a dizzying number of different races and cultures, more than he could keep track of. Sometimes it felt like he saw literally everything but elves.


    And demons, ironically. Despite all the politics and rumors about demons taking over, so far he''d seen more demons outside the Commonwealth than within it. They were apparently an extremely elite group, so they were rarely seen by normal citizens. For most, life went on as it always had, simply one conqueror replaced by another.


    Once their trio had confirmed they weren''t going to be immediately assaulted by demons, they dared to split up. Even though they had enough money to last them a lifetime, when they reached a major city they pretended to be looking for work. People of their strength were likely there only to work or to gain power, after all, so they needed to play the role.


    Separated from the others, Kai was glad to actually disappear into a crowd again. With just under 400 Power visible in his human soul, he was stronger than average but hardly exceptional. He didn''t want to make the same mistakes he had in Krysal, so he wandered the streets and tried to hear from the lowest workers of the city.


    Many of them seemed to congregate in a strange sort of restaurant, with a large terrarium that had orange lizards skittering around in it. After paying, customers would snatch up the lizards and eat them raw. His first instinct was to think it was cruel, but he was a newcomer, so Kai paid and sat.


    "Not many humans here." A man with scaled skin and sharp teeth leaned closer. "You a connoisseur?"


    "Won''t even pretend to be," Kai said with a guarded smile. "I''m new to the Commonwealth and still trying to figure everything out. What are these things?"


    "Delicious, is what they are. Go on, catch one."


    The lizardkin stared with an odd expression, and some others nearby were chuckling, so he guessed that it was a test. They all had under 100 Power, which wasn''t much for Rosemount. Kai decided that he might as well play along: he shot out a hand, grabbed a lizard, and bit it in half. After everything he''d eaten, he wasn''t going to be squeamish about something like this.


    "Not bad." The man nodded slowly. "Should have known a cultivator would be fast enough. Try one of the blue ones. They''re the best."


    "Thanks for the tip." Kai had to look around before he spotted a smaller bluish lizard hiding between some rocks. He finished off his first and then reached out to snag the blue one, popping the entire thing into his mouth.


    Immediately he felt a slight heat on his tongue that grew stronger instead of weaker, and he hesitated. He was fairly sure that the lizard was supposed to be hot, probably too hot for humans, especially the way the lizardkin were watching him. Maybe the majority of humans would have been shocked, but his mouth was a semi-magical entity that regularly ate entire monsters whole and spewed death flames.


    "Whew!" Kai pounded on his chest and let out a belch. "Shouldn''t have eaten it all at once."


    "Ha! Most smoothskins would be crying right now!" The worker shoved a cup of something white and milky at him. "Take this, on me. It''ll help."


    Kai took a drink and it tasted a bit like pond scum, but he could see how it could be soothing. He pretended to nurse it to avoid eating any more lizards, less because they were disgusting or too hot and more because they were unsatisfying.


    "You''re a tough cultivator," the man said eventually. "Life can''t be so hard that you''re looking for work with teamsters like us."


    "Not as a teamster, maybe," Kai said even though he had no idea what that was, "but surely you need guards? Commonwealth seems like a pretty dangerous place these days."


    "Oh, it''s not so bad. The demons don''t care about most of us, so life goes on."


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Had a cousin who disappeared," another of the lizardkin said with a grimace. "They took the entire caravan. Just gone."


    "You sure he didn''t get drunk and wander off?" Plenty of the others laughed, but not all. They didn''t look like a terrified population, but they weren''t exactly carefree.


    "If you ask me," one of the lizardkin opined between bites, "leadership needs new blood every so often. You gotta admit, the demons cut through all the red tape. Officials try to give them trouble, they get thrown off a cliff. Makes things easier, doesn''t it?"


    Many of the others laughed and the closest lizardkin struck Kai on the back. "What about you, human? What do you think?"


    "I think I shouldn''t eat the blue ones," Kai said, to scattered laughter. But there was still attention on him, so he shook his head. "I just got here, I don''t even know how long the demons have been in charge."


    As it turned out, the workers weren''t sure either, or at least not sure enough that they couldn''t argue about it. It seemed like the demon sect had probably taken over about five years ago, with some infiltration or conflicts before that. Kai had a hard time wrapping his head around a complete change in leadership being such a minor detail for them, but apparently that was life in the Commonwealth.


    "You ask me," one of the lizardkin said, "life was better until about two years ago. When they started working with the CTG, that''s when things got rough."


    "Merchants always team up with ''em," another said gruffly. "Inevitable."


    "But it means we get squeezed from both sides."


    Kai pretended he knew what was going on until he figured out that "CTG" referred to an organization called the Commonwealth Trade Guild. Apparently they were a group of merchants that usually served the leaders while also moderating their worst tendencies. Two years ago the demons had somehow gotten their hooks into the organization and began using it to gain more control, though workers like these had no idea how it had happened.


    Apparently one of the most popular rumors was that a major merchant had been seduced by some sort of courtesan - the workers used a lot of slang, but the Alltongue Fruit consistently gave Kai the gist of what they were saying. Ceryyn had given him a better gift than he''d known and he felt a surge of responsibility to pay her back.


    Soon enough the workers started to drink, so Kai joined them and got as much information as he could. They might not have shared any critical secrets about the nation, but he got a much stronger sense for the culture. By the time the others were passed out or staggering home, he pretended to be unable to take any more and slumped out of the restaurant.


    Once he was lost in the crowds again, he squared his shoulders and refocused. It wasn''t much, but it was a start. He headed back to their meeting point and discovered that Omilaena was already waiting there.


    "From your breath, you''ve been staying with lizardkin." She wrinkled her nose and pulled back. "Was it worth it?"


    "I know more than I did before," Kai said. "Apparently the demons took over about five years ago."


    "Kai, everyone knows that. I could have told you that just based on when I left for Deadwaste."


    "Alright, but have you heard about the CTG?" He went on to tell her about those rumors and Omilaena seemed more interested. Apparently the CTG was one of the major organizations keeping the Commonwealth stable. The demons were hardly the first rulers to have taken control of it, but it was a mark of how they were becoming entrenched instead of merely looting the nation.


    "The artisan guilds in this place are nothing special," Omilaena told him, "but they''re a good bellwether for the others. And it seems like most of them are accepting it, or even say the demons are better than average. They aren''t going to drain chakra artisans, and apparently they don''t micromanage."


    "What does all of this mean for the elves?" Kai asked.


    "We won''t know until we talk to some. They''re thin on the ground here."


    It looked like she was about to say more, but at that moment Zae Zin Nim approached them. She looked distraught and had a large cloth wrapped around her shoulders that she hadn''t worn before, so Kai instinctively started to get to his feet. When she approached she sat down heavily and drew him down with her, though.


    "This place is horrid," she muttered. "I have received two marriage proposals, three offers of dual cultivation, a dozen vulgar suggestions, and more rude comments than I care to remember."


    "You trying to make me jealous?" Omilaena asked lazily.


    "It is obscene. They should be put to death, or at least someone should put out their eyes." Kai wasn''t sure whether or not Zae Zin Nim was joking, but after sitting with them and hearing about their investigations she calmed down and spoke in a quiet voice. "There are no cultivators here, so I couldn''t gather much information. I did learn that apparently there were only thirty pure demons in the entire Commonwealth, when they were at their strongest."


    "That''s enough. How many do they have using demonic arts under them?"


    "Unclear. But it doesn''t matter, because their leader is allegedly unstoppable."


    "Right." Omilaena winced and looked skyward. "Matiavel the Destroyer, right? Most of the people I spoke to didn''t want to speak his name, so I haven''t been able to gather much information about him. I''d say all the rumors were just legend-building except that the other great powers seem to respect him."


    "He is taken quite seriously by chakra cultivators." Zae Zin Nim regarded them somberly. "They told me about a man known as the Great Shield of Traebor, some sort of armored warrior who was the mightiest in their capital. When he went to fight Matiavel, the demon allegedly killed him with a single magical flame. Defensive auras, lamias with chakra scales, warriors specializing in regeneration... all of them died the first time they were struck."


    Kai swallowed at the seriousness in her tone. "Is that... plausible? Omilaena, you don''t think it''s just trying to build his reputation?"


    "Some call them god abilities, and they''re rare, but they''re real." Omilaena met his gaze and shook her head slowly. "My best theory is that they aren''t just overwhelming power - there''s something deeper there. But I was never strong enough to investigate before."


    And based on the stories, they might not be strong enough now. After starting to feel relaxed in the Commonwealth, Kai wondered yet again if they were in over their heads.

 Chapter 270: Investigations Great and Small

    "It''s been difficult." The elven couple sat morosely, the man with an arm wrapped around his wife but fearful himself. "A lot of our family has moved west to Crescilor," she continued, "but we have our roots here. And we can''t just abandon our shop..."


    They had finally found some elves willing to talk in the next city, so all three of them stood in the small shop. These two weren''t fighters of any kind, just tinsmiths with glamours that barely made them stick out. Omilaena had been taking the lead, sitting opposite them and feigning compassion.


    "Would they even target someone like you?" Omilaena asked.


    "Oh, it''s not the demons." The husband shook his head. "The problems only got bad when the Council of Elders started blocking trade, and it turned into a feud. That''s when everybody started looking at us differently, even our neighbors."


    "Nobody here wants war," the wife added. "There''s always fighting, but actual wars between factions? That''s bad for everyone."


    Omilaena continued asking them soft questions, occasionally offering a supportive touch. It was remarkable how much she could change, and it wasn''t just the shawl making her outfit more modest. Everything from her posture to the lines of her face changed as she gathered information from the elves. By the time they said their farewells, the couple seemed to believe she was their friend.


    "So no pogroms against elves," Zae Zin Nim said as they left. "Just pressure."


    "Racial warfare is uncommon on a continent as mixed as Rosemount," Omilaena said with a shrug, "but a lot of people are always suspicious of the elves, off on their own up in the north. So this is building on old prejudices, if weak ones."


    Kai hadn''t had much to say during the conversation, but he had to voice a concern that had been niggling at him. "Are we sure the elves aren''t responsible?"


    Omilaena put a hand to her mouth in mock horror. "Such bigotry! Kai, I expected better from-"


    "Obviously I mean their leaders. All we have to go on is their word that the demons were targeting caravans, but can we be sure they didn''t take the first aggressive actions? Technically they only attacked the school after we had already hit them and killed one of the true demons."


    "Culpability doesn''t matter," Zae Zin Nim said. "The Commonwealth has been developing and deploying anti-glamour artifacts. If your neighbor starts stockpiling weapons or cultivating for war, their justifications aren''t relevant to what''s coming."


    "We''re entirely in agreement for once," Omilaena said. "The Council of Elders isn''t innocent - they''re a major power and that always comes with dirty hands. But evidence suggests that the demons are the aggressors in this case."


    "Just wanted to check." Kai glanced around the street, looking for a place large enough to take out the diamond star without smashing something. "Where to next?"


    "I think we''ve spoken with enough elves. Take us west - there are some chakra artists I need to talk to."


    Once he found space, Kai pulled the diamond star from his spatial ring and they all leapt inside. Since he''d grown dissatisfied with driving, Zae Zin Nim took over. As they floated over the city, his mind kept going back to the same question.


    "So why focus on the elves?" he asked. "I understand the Commonwealth isn''t concerned about its western border, but why wouldn''t it be more worried about the Coiled Empire or Flaeren Dominion? Didn''t they have a whole battle with the lamias?"


    "I''m not sure it''s elves specifically," Zae Zin Nim said quietly. "I''ve heard about the demons targeting others who have similar auras or glamours."


    "So it''s about power? But of all the threats in the world, why that one?"


    Omilaena had been surprisingly silent but now spoke with abrupt confidence. "I don''t know enough about god abilities, but I''ve seen people like that before and I know they''re always anxious. Think about Matiavel - he has an ability that seems to kill instantly, so he knows how fragile people are. He''s probably deeply concerned about powers that might be able to counter his."


    "But glamours?" Kai shot a glance at her. "It''s not like you can become too pretty to kill."


    "You haven''t seen a Sky-tier glamour, and their strongest must be even more impressive. I think if someone had a powerful enough presence, they might be able to stop him from using his technique, and that would make him vulnerable. Yes, there are other threats in the great powers. But I presume the elves are either the one he''s worried about or the one he believes he can master first."


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    It was at least a plausible theory. Part of Kai was discomforted at the idea that one of the most powerful people in Rosemount - and thus one of the most powerful in the world - could still be fearful. At home the threat of the incursions had always been constant... viewing other people as your greatest threat was an entirely different way of seeing the world.


    "Here we are." Omilaena abruptly kicked her legs and twisted to sit on the side of the diamond star. "I''ll jump down here and you can pick me up tomorrow."


    "Tomorrow?" Kai asked. "You''re going to spend that long with these chakra artisans?"


    "I think I might be able to track down the key ingredients involved in these obelisks, but I''ll need to spend a while proving myself and earning trust. You two can gather intelligence if you want. We might be getting close, though."


    Without another word Omilaena slipped over the side and plummeted below. There was a large block-like building that seemed to have hundreds of workers moving in the yards around it. Four massive cauldrons belched out smoke of different colors, covering the neighborhood in a haze. They pulled away before they flew into the smoke and retreated to clearer air.


    "Do you have any ideas?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Uh... not really. We''re not exactly spies."


    "I noticed that this city has an arena. There are no events as important as the match we watched in Yulthens, but I thought it might be interesting. I want to go, but if I go alone..."


    "Sure, that''s a good idea." Kai sat forward with a smile and began looking for the arena. He hadn''t found very many opportunities to see combat in the Commonwealth and it would be good to be prepared for what he might face.


    Unlike the grand stadium at Yulthens, this arena was clearly a much less important institution: it looked like a big pit dug out of the city, with platforms along the sides to watch the battles in the center. There wasn''t much seating, more just places to stand. As a whole it seemed more dedicated to skilled fighters than general audiences, which suited him just fine.


    They flew down to a cleared area nearby and as soon as they were out, Kai pulled the diamond star back into his spatial ring. Now that it was so easy to store, Zae Zin Nim wanted to use it all the time, and he had to admit it was handy. Given that he wasn''t going to master the Thunderbird essence any time soon, it wasn''t like he would be flying on his own.


    Nobody stopped them or asked for payment - several guards with around 400 Power eyeballed them, and their evident strength seemed to be invitation enough. As they walked to the pit Zae Zin Nim drew attention from the crowds, desire from the men and jealousy from the women... and some jealousy in men and desire from women. She was scowling, but on her new features the expression still looked beautiful and didn''t seem to ward anyone off.


    They didn''t let up until she moved closer to him. Now Kai got some looks of jealousy or irritation, but the focus faded from both as they approached the arena. This group was mostly composed of warriors, after all, and they were here for the fights. Still...


    "Shouldn''t you be used to this?" he whispered to her in Goralian. "From before, I mean."


    "No one in any respectable sect would dare," Zae Zin Nim answered bitterly. "Rosemount is a vulgar continent without respect."


    He was glad that he was able to help her, even if it made things a little awkward. At least some of the people must assume they were a couple, which he would have thought would make her uncomfortable. And that in turn made him wonder... no, it was easier to focus on the fights. That was why they were here, wasn''t it? They made their way to one of the areas with seats and took their places to watch.


    The current fight was a man who looked like he was made of stone against a massive lamia, resulting in a brutal slugging match. Both of them could take a lot of punishment and seemed uninterested in other defenses, which meant it was a match of stamina. Even though they had 500 Power each, Kai wasn''t particularly impressed because almost all of it came from powerful Rosemount chakra. They wouldn''t have been impressive if they''d been born on Deadwaste.


    Once the match ended, with the lamia collapsing but the stone man partially broken, they were pulled out and replaced by new combatants. These were a little more impressive, with some sort of chakra-based cultivator against someone called a Brutal Artisan who created weapons similar to Omilaena, if blunter. He watched curiously until the chakra cultivator managed to win with an explosive palm technique.


    "That''s almost pure yang energy." Zae Zin Nim had only made minor dismissive or analytical comments during the previous matches, but now she sounded more engaged, so he glanced over at her.


    "You''ve used that term before, but I''m not sure I understand what it means."


    "Yang energy is masculine." Her hair hid her face as she looked away. "Is that someone from Deadwaste?"


    She wasn''t distracting him, she was right: the next competitor was a burly man from the Elemental Nations who had rocky lumps of hair. When Kai examined his spirit, his strength appeared to be primarily from "Chakra-engorged Stone" - unlike the thugs that had tried to attack Kai, he seemed to make it work, because he had over 600 Power.


    His opponent was a moderately muscular man whose power seemed to stem from D-rank Physique and an ability called Savage Heart. He only had 450 Power, so the match seemed like it would be uneven. The man from the Elemental Nations was far from weak, building up armor of chakra-strengthened stone and then pressing the advantage. All his opponent could do was retreat and it seemed like the match was settled.


    Until the smaller man''s Power exploded. His right arm twisted as it transformed into a monster''s claw that slashed through the air, releasing claws of power that tore through his opponent. Many in the audience cried out in surprise, but Kai was on his feet first, staring in shock at the monstrous claw.

 Chapter 271: Claw Against Claw

    The match technically continued, but Kai was still trapped in that first moment, trying to understand what he had witnessed. There was no question that the man''s arm had transformed into a monstrous limb and for just a moment Kai was convinced that he''d met someone like him. Gradually he accepted that this power was based in chakra, and yet...


    "Kai, sit down." Zae Zin Nim tugged at his side. "You''re unreasonably tall; you''re blocking everyone''s view."


    Her words brought him back to himself and he sat down with apologies to those around them. Just staring wouldn''t do him any good - he needed to investigate. That would start with looking at the man''s soul much more carefully.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 451


    Savage Heart: 21 (215)


    Physique: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    At a glance the man looked like an ordinary enough fighter, power still divided between Physique and the Savage Heart ability. Yet he was showing greater strength... Kai searched in vain for a hint of a monstrous soul and found nothing. When he consulted his Monstrous Hunger ability, the man felt more like a person or sacred beast than another monster. There was something strange with the symbols of his soul, however, that he couldn''t quite figure out.


    "Does he...?" Kai didn''t finish his question to Zae Zin Nim, but she understood.


    "I was going to ask you that. Do you see...?" She didn''t say it, even in Goralian.


    "I don''t, not at all. But there''s something odd about his strength."


    "He''s compressed some of his power into another form." When Zae Zin Nim saw he didn''t understand, she continued. "It''s a viable technique, even if it''s rarely used on Cloudspire. Why not use your full strength from the beginning, after all? You shouldn''t look at his soul naively, examine the transformed part carefully..."


    Under her guidance, Kai adjusted his spiritual sight and finally resolved some of the strangeness. Now the man''s stated strength was a better match for what Kai observed. There was a new line in his soul called "Savage Form" that seemed to offer a boost. Similar to special equipment, yet somehow part of him.


    As the fight continued, the Savage Form grew in strength. The man''s other arm transformed as well, and his feet shifted to great paws like a predatory cat. It seemed like he might transform entirely, but then his opponent''s rocky defenses collapsed and the match was over. In the final moments as the strange man reverted, Kai thought he caught a glimpse of his true strength.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 651


    Savage Heart: 21 (215)


    Savage Form (+200)


    Physique: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    If Kai understood correctly, the man''s special form added a total of 200 Power to his overall strength. That was impressive, if not unheard of, so the question was why. Was it easier to gain this sort of power? Could it only emerge temporarily due to limitations? Or did he simply transform for the convenience of having a normal human body?


    And above all, was he actually tapping into monstrous powers?


    "I..." Kai didn''t finish saying it and just looked at Zae Zin Nim.


    "You have to go talk to him, right?" Her dark eyes stared back at him, understanding completely. "Go. I''ll follow but not interrupt unless necessary."


    With the match won, the man was collecting some winnings and walking away. It looked like only a few thousand Crests, which was basically meaningless compared to what his ability might mean. Kai pushed past all the other assembled fighters to follow him. The man was moving rapidly, taking him out into the city streets before Kai caught up.


    "Alright, that''s enough." The man stopped and glared over his shoulder. "If you''re an assassin, you''re an idiot. If you''re a fan, get in line."


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    "I''m just a traveler," Kai said. "Please, can you tell me more about your ability?"


    "What, you''ve never heard of the Savage Creed?" The man scoffed. "Yeah, looks like you''re from Deadwaste now that I get a look at you. Listen, kid, mana will never be strong enough for this. Either build up some chakra or go home. Either way, don''t waste my time."


    Words were clearly useless and the chance might slip through his fingers. This "Savage Creed" must be well-known on Rosemount, but it was rare enough that this was the first time he''d encountered it in almost a year of travel. This might be his only opportunity to learn about a power so close to his...


    So Kai bent his fingers into a claw. He took his time forming the Tyrant''s Claw, making it clear he was demonstrating instead of trying a surprise attack, and saw the other man''s eyes widen.


    When Kai swung the claw, the man struck back, his arm transforming again and unleashing an opposing technique. Their claws smashed together in the center of the street, the mere force of it creating a shockwave and tearing some of the banners off nearby buildings.


    Kai hadn''t used his full strength and now found himself pushed backward, so he gritted his teeth and tried to force his arm forward. Yet his opponent wasn''t still controlling his technique in the same way, it was more like when Kai launched a Tyrant''s Claw as a projectile attack. He barely realized in time and called it off, just as his opponent''s chakra dissolved in the air.


    "Gods damn." The man put his hands on his hips and stared. "Somebody on Deadwaste tried to recreate the Savage Creed?"


    "It might not be exactly the same, but I want to learn from you." Kai lowered his hands and tried a smile, but the other man only scowled.


    "I''m impressed, but our power is more than techniques imitating beasts. It transforms the entire body, and I don''t mean just when we change. I''m stronger, faster, bet-"


    "Hit me." Kai raised his hands to either side to bare his chest. "If you can take me down in one hit, you can walk away. But if I endure it, I want to talk to you."


    For several seconds they stared at one another in silence. Kai could feel Zae Zin Nim hovering in the shadows, not exactly approving and ready to leap in. It was true that it was a risk inviting attack like this, because an opponent this strong could really injure him. He was trusting Behemoth''s Heart to put him back together if it came to that.


    Abruptly the other man laughed. "Alright, I''ll admit you have guts. The name is Atavan, by the way."


    Atavan thrust out a hand and Kai shook it. When their hands touched, the other man transformed his arm again and squeezed with his new monstrous limb. Kai winced, but his hand wouldn''t come apart that easily, so he squeezed back.


    "Not bad." Atavan eventually let go and his arm reverted to normal. "Feels like you''re building up a little chakra too. That won''t be enough, though. What makes the Savage Heart rare is that not everyone has the spirit for it. Requires a specific combination of personality, guts, and chakra."


    "I know you have your own business," Kai said, "but I have to know more. At least tell me where I can learn about the ability."


    "If you haven''t even heard of the Savage Creed, you''re so new to Rosemount that there might not be much point."


    Zae Zin Nim padded up beside him now that the fighting had ended. "You''re some sort of sect based on mirroring the strength of sacred beasts?"


    "Not a sect, little lady." Atavan looked her up and down with a savage grin, but then backed up when he saw her glare. "We''re no organization, just a group of people following the same path. It isn''t just inspiration from animals like you''re probably thinking back home. We eat what we want, take what we want, fight whenever we want."


    "Then if I beat you," Kai asked evenly, "you have to listen to me?"


    "Hey now, no need for that." Atavan shook his head as if he was just amused by Kai''s challenge, and looking at the difference in their strength it did seem foolish. And yet when they locked eyes, the other man was the one to hesitate.


    "Give me somewhere to start."


    "Guess I can''t argue with that." Atavan gripped the fur band on his wrist, which turned out to be a spatial storage item. He pulled out a necklace strung with what looked like monster teeth and snapped one off, then tossed it at Kai. "That''s my mark. Shows we fought and I respected you. It won''t get you everything you want, but if you try to pursue the Savage Creed with that, they won''t laugh in your face."


    "Thanks." Kai gripped it in his palm, still considering. "Where do I find them?"


    "Not so many around here, and we don''t usually get along with big cities. But if you head east of Traeton, you''ll find us hunting in the wilderness. Maybe not the strongest of us, but the ones willing to raise cubs. That''s where you''d want to start."


    Kai''s instinct was to thank the man again, but he actually wanted more than that. He couldn''t leave the ultimate question open. "How many different beasts can you draw from? Is it one for each person, or multiple?"


    "We all form our own beasts." Atavan raised his hand and partially transformed it. "Claws of a greatwolf, muscle of a divine ox, that sort of thing. You''re off to a good start, kid, but the beasts you have in Deadwaste won''t cut it. That''s why you''re failing to transform."


    "Can you draw power from monsters?"


    "Eh?" Atavan stared at him a second, then laughed. "You don''t even know that? Sublime beasts are made of the same stuff as us, monsters are the opposite. The only thing they''re good for is sharpening your claws."


    "I see. Thank you." Kai gave the man a nod and let him go, then stared down at the fang in his hand.


    He wasn''t sure how he felt now, or what he was supposed to feel. Would it have been a relief to find an entire tribe of people who had the same monstrous powers as him? Or would it have been a disappointment to learn that there was nothing unique about him and the abilities he''d struggled against fate for were common here? Kai wasn''t sure he felt either emotion, just a vast sense of distance.


    "You''re interested." Zae Zin Nim shifted closer to him, looking into his face curiously, and he realized that he felt no distance from her.


    "Yeah, I think I have to pursue this," he said. "It''s a perfect use for chakra and it might help me use my other abilities better."


    "Normally I would say this transformation business is an error, but for you it might be the right choice." She gave a brief nod, as if finding out about a faction of transforming beast people was just another item on their schedule.


    In a strange way that made him feel better. This wasn''t transformative, despite the literal transformations, just another target for him to strive toward. Given the long path he had to walk, that would have to be enough.


    With that resolved, they had the day free to either go back to the arena or head somewhere else. Kai was just beginning to relax when Omilaena suddenly appeared beside them.


    "Things are worse than I thought," she said. "I don''t know what you two just got involved in, but we have to move. Our window of opportunity for this mission is closing."

 Chapter 272: Consuming for a Heist

    Over the next day they rushed out of the city while Omilaena explained what she''d discovered. Kai didn''t understand the details of the reagents and materials she''d used to come to her conclusion, which she threw out excessively in her haste, but the basic idea was clear enough: she''d found where the demons were manufacturing their anti-glamour obelisks.


    "And this shipment is the big one," Omilaena said from the driver''s seat of the diamond star. She still hadn''t explained exactly where they were going other than further north. "Maybe the last one before the demons try to take action. Their security will probably never have more flaws than now."


    "So what do we do?" Kai asked. "Destroy the work?"


    "Are you insane? That would put us in the middle of the Commonwealth with a bunch of demons and maybe even Matiavel himself coming after us." Omilaena trapped her fingernails against the crystals sharply. "No. Ideally we''d get a sample, but we already brought back the previous one and they''d probably notice. Diagrams would be good. Shipment routes and other plans. If we give them all that information, we''ll have more than earned the Council''s boon."


    "How much time do we have?" Zae Zin Nim had seemed oddly displeased for some time, but she was completely focused now that they approached their destination.


    "Until things get violent? Hard to say. Until our window closes? Days, not weeks. It sounded like they were getting ready to move."


    There weren''t many other details they could discuss until they got close, which wasn''t long. Most of the Commonwealth countryside was hills, fields, and forests, so the cleared region stuck out like a sore thumb. Parts of it reminded him of the box-like building with the smoke-belching cauldrons, but this one had a large spiked wall surrounding it. Before getting any closer Omilaena pulled the craft away, keeping them barely in range with their enhanced senses.


    "They''re making the obelisks in there," Omilaena said. "Unfortunately, it looks like it''s sealed up pretty tight."


    "I see qi-absorbing materials," Zae Zin Nim said. "They''d be hard to break at all, and likely impossible to do quietly."


    "And of course their chakra defenses are durable. No sneaking in easily."


    Both women turned toward Kai, who could only shrug. "I''m not really an expert at this sort of thing, but I can feel mana running through the foundations of that wall. Should we assume they covered all their bases?"


    "Elemental powers wouldn''t work; I think those towers will draw in energy." Omilaena rapped her fingernails in a rapid rhythm as she thought. "Looks like their security mainly exists to prevent theft or slow down an attack. I didn''t get information on personal security, but we can assume they have people strong enough to back up all this."


    "Then stealth is our only option?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "I fear as a cultivator I have never had much use for stealth."


    "I''m sure they''d block all the obvious techniques. Which just leaves..."


    They were both looking at him again and he knew he didn''t have any expertise to offer, then he realized what they meant. "Me?" Kai gestured vaguely at himself. "How many times have you joked about me being a big barbarian smashing through everything?"


    "What you are is someone using abilities that fall outside what anyone is expecting." Omilaena smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "They might have a few defenses for a monster attack, but they''re definitely not expecting an intelligent monster to try and sneak in."


    "But I don''t have any stealth techniques."


    "That doesn''t sound like a problem to me, just a mandate."


    .


    ..


    .


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.The first thing they did was fly into a nearby forest and locate the first stealthy monster they could find: a predatory cat with fur that blended into the shadows. It was just a gamma-ranked threat, so Kai killed and ate it almost immediately. That left him to figure out the essence while the others rushed off to see what they could find.


    He could incorporate the stealthy essence into his soul easily enough, but it didn''t actually make him any stealthier. If he used it long enough, would his skin become mottled in the same way? Creeping around made him feel vaguely ridiculous, especially because he couldn''t find any other useful monsters.


    At first he''d thought that he could hunt monsters throughout the Commonwealth while steadily building up his skills with stealth, but he''d run across surprisingly few. The fact that monsters technically existed everywhere didn''t mean they were ubiquitous, especially ones as strong as he needed. It seemed like the Commonwealth had its own territory largely under control, so he worried that the others wouldn''t be able to find much.


    It was perhaps an irony that Deadwaste, so poor in every other category, could be considered rich in monsters. He briefly even considered that might be the reason he''d been able to develop monstrous powers, but he rejected the idea quickly - if that was the case, the ability would have appeared many more times. The only takeaway was that he couldn''t always count on being able to hunt monsters to advance.


    When Omilaena returned in the diamond star it looked like she came empty-handed and he worried that the plan wasn''t going to work, but then she handed him a monster core trapped in crystal.


    "This is from something called a Mutefang," she explained. "It''s a giant snake that moves and strikes completely silently. You might not have the scales, but I''m willing to bet you can make it work."


    "I''ll certainly try." Kai considered whether to crack the crystal and then just swallowed the entire thing. "How''d you get this so quickly?"


    "I bought it, of course. We''re fairly rich and we''re in the middle of the crossroads of the whole continent."


    Kai never felt as connected to monstrous abilities he hadn''t eaten himself, but that fact didn''t eliminate the essence the core contained. He realized that some of what he''d lost in the past probably had to do with not fully understanding its attributes. Thanks to all his work with the Thunderbird essence, he was getting better at feeling out the nature of a beast.


    The Mutefang had been an excellent choice by Omilaena, so he switched to testing it. With surprising ease the basics of its essence worked, allowing him to walk almost silently. If he stepped directly on a branch it still cracked, though, so he had to be cautious and brush up on his hunting techniques.


    "This is the best I can find." Zae Zin Nim caught up to him, dragging something in some sort of net. When she opened the net, a human-length slime flopped out and a hideous stench rose. Its body appeared to be made of nearly clear slime, and it was hard to feel with his spiritual senses, but he felt like he could detect it by smell alone.


    "That is foul," he said as it inched away.


    "Eat the slime, Kai."


    He swallowed it in two bites, but even his endless hunger couldn''t make it taste good.


    On the second day they brought back fewer monsters with less useful essence. Kai realized that a large part of their success might depend on him and his training, and he was glad that he''d spent so long mastering the processes involved with monstrous fusion. Trying to rush everything now without that experience could have been disastrous.


    Some of the other abilities only sort of worked, many of them highly dependent on monster bodies. His thoughts wandered back to the Savage Heart and its capacity to transform... if he learned it, could he change himself and use more abilities effectively? It would have been incredibly convenient if Atavan had just taught him the technique, but instead fate just mocked him with the knowledge that there was a solution beyond his reach.


    Eventually he found a workable balance and fused the monsters with one another, then finally into the serpent essence until he developed an ability he called Mutefang''s Stealth. It began at Gamma rank and he managed to increase it to Delta with training - he wasn''t invisible, but he was a lot stealthier than he had been without monstrous support.


    On the third day his allies were clearly scraping the bottom of the barrel. Most of the monster cores they brought were only suitable for feeding into his new ability, which he eventually managed to increase to Epsilon. Unfortunately, he thought that had more to do with the ability''s potential being limited than his growth being exceptional. If he ever took more time to develop a true stealth skill, this one would probably just be fodder for the main components.


    When they hit the fourth day and all returned with few options, Kai was ready to say they''d done as much as they could. They crept as close as they dared on foot to examine the obelisk construction site, and Omilaena seemed to be able to guess a surprising amount about its layout. He wanted to ask her about that, but this wasn''t the time.


    As for the plan itself, it was nothing elaborate: he''d have to hope that his stealth ability was good enough to slip through all the energy defenses. The location was lightly guarded beyond that, presumably to avoid leaks or sabotage, so he just needed to evade the defenders and gather everything he could. It seemed understandable, if not easy.


    And then, while they were still discussing the details, they saw a demon walk out onto the roof. Her purple eyes glittered even from a distance, scanning everything around her. Zae Zin Nim let out a small sigh and sat back as if she''d given up.


    "Is that a demon or a demonic arts user?" Kai asked. "I didn''t sense anyone like that earlier."


    "Definitely a true demon," Omilaena said, "which means Matiavel sent one of his thirty to handle this."


    "Do we hope she leaves again?"


    "There''s no time. You might as well sleep early today, Kai... we''ll have to do it tonight."

 Chapter 273: Infiltrating the Obelisk Facility

    They''d made plans to wake him at the appropriate time, but Kai woke in the darkness, strangely alert. It wasn''t yet time for their attack, so he had a moment to reflect.


    Ideally he would have wanted another week to practice with his stealth skill, or a whole month to find better monster essence. Hell, while he was at it he wanted a decade to become strong enough to fight everyone in his path. All he had was his current strength, so he made sure Mutefang''s Stealth was ready, swapped Tyrant''s Claw for Void Gaze, and then finally rose.


    <


    Monstrous Hunger - XI (lambda)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - XI (lambda)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VII (eta)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    Mutefang''s Stealth - V (epsilon)


    >


    They were awake, of course, and waiting for him. But at this point there wasn''t much to say.


    "We''ll be around north," Omilaena told him. "If you get there by any means, we''ll extract you."


    "Good luck," Zae Zin Nim said.


    He nodded to them both and then walked into the shadows of the forest.


    All trees had been cleared around the obelisk facility, but he''d take any cover he could get. At least now when he moved through the forest he did so perfectly silently, half due to experience and half due to his new stealth. By the time he reached the edge of the forest and looked out toward the wall, he was fairly sure he couldn''t have been detected.


    Now the challenge they couldn''t test or train for: Kai took a deep breath and then sprinted out of cover. He kept low to the ground and tried to wrap himself in monstrous essence, but there was nothing else he could do.


    When he reached the wall he still hadn''t heard any alarms or shouts of intruders. There were guards atop several towers, the lights of their lanterns obvious and their spiritual senses clumsy by his standards. Next he needed to get over the wall, without touching it... when Kai saw enough attention turn away, he took the wall in a single leap.


    He landed lightly on the other side, not as agile as he would have been with an aerial skill but competently. All his time practicing that must have paid off. More importantly, he had passed through all the defensive fields without a flicker. His human soul was buried deep within himself, revealing only a nearly-invisible monster. If anyone looked at him that moment, they would see nothing but a threat.


    There was nothing important just inside the wall, but there were so many different buildings and stacks of supplies that the next step was easy. First Kai needed to enter the warehouse where they suspected the obelisks themselves were carried, so the only difficulty was the door. When he found it unlocked he was so suspicious he almost backtracked, but eventually he edged inside.


    Despite the deep blackness of the warehouse, he had surprisingly little trouble seeing, especially given the power contained within. It had been suppressed from the outside, but now he could feel dozens of anti-glamour obelisks. They didn''t harm him, so he just counted the entire inventory carefully as he passed through. Over two dozen obelisks like they''d destroyed, but also at least forty smaller blocks of stone that felt similar. The elves would definitely want to know all this was coming their way.


    Just in case he''d appeared at the edge of any guard''s vision, Kai slipped out the other side of the warehouse instead of retracing his steps. His instinct was still to steal or destroy the obelisks, but intelligence was more important than power here.


    One target down, but he wasn''t sure how many more remained. At minimum he needed to get inside the blocky building beside the warehouse, which was presumably where the obelisks were created. There were also a few smaller buildings, if he didn''t find anything important enough there.


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    Crouched outside the door, Kai searched inside... and found people. Lots of people. He froze, for a moment expecting an ambush, then he realized that it couldn''t be. None of the presences he sensed felt like warriors, and in his cautious spiritual senses they all had less than 100 Power. These were just workers, and their mere existence might be useful information.


    He slipped inside and hesitated as he realized that the workers weren''t lined up in beds - they were all chained to work desks. Thick manacles bound each one into their position and they all wore collars filled with some kind of dangerous chakra. Even if he couldn''t sense their ill health and hear some whimpering in their sleep, it was obvious that they were slaves.


    Kai remained just inside the door, counting the slaves to force his anger back down.


    Of course it was no surprise to think that demons would enslave people, but they hadn''t built this location. The growths and erosion on the walls suggested that the structure was reasonably old, and though Kai couldn''t judge metal as easily, he didn''t think the hooks that the chains attached to were a new addition. Better not to think about that for now.


    He crept around the edges, looking for any offices that might have paperwork or special materials. Almost everything was the way Omilaena had guessed it was, so all he was doing was confirming. She definitely knew more than she let on, but the tension strangled all thought.


    Still undetected, but he''d only gained general information. Nothing critical in the warehouse or main facility. Kai crept to the door and waited until he didn''t feel any presences close. He thought he was getting away with his movements, but every time he passed through a door he must be increasing the risk. One more building. They must keep the records in one of the offices beside the slaves.


    When Kai stepped outside, he felt a dark presence overhead. He immediately pulled back into the shadows, even before he saw the demon atop the roof. She was invisible except for her purple gaze, which flowed over the facility.


    Had she noticed him? No, he''d be captured already. But she might have noted that something was wrong. After several deep breaths, her gaze moved on, so Kai decided to stick to the plan.


    Inside the next building, Kai finally found the office he''d wanted. No one was awake at the moment, but they had ledgers and messages scattered across their desks. Kai crept between them, using his night vision to read the contents and memorize what he could.


    It was there, in an empty office, that he made his worst mistake. All of his training had been in the forest, so it was all too easy to accidentally brush against a quill sticking away from one desk. He turned back and saw it tip over, the ink pot tumbling toward the floor outside his reach...


    And froze in place as he activated Void Gaze.


    Kai didn''t dare breathe. He refused to allow himself to blink as he stepped back and took the frozen ink pot and quill out of the air. There was no way of knowing exactly what angle it had been sitting at, but he put it back as best he could and moved on more cautiously.


    Finally he found what they needed: information about shipments. It sounded like the obelisks were all being taken to two different locations. Some to the northern border, which made sense, but others to a city called Traeton - right, the Commonwealth capital. As far as he knew there weren''t a meaningful number of elves in Traeton, so the action seemed senseless unless it was paranoia.


    Part of him was tempted to just take as much as possible and shove it all in his spatial ring, since others might be able to learn more. Kai reminded himself that would only invalidate so much of the intelligence he''d gained and finally crept out. Time to leave.


    When he stepped out the door, Kai felt a presence overhead.


    He froze again, realizing that the demon was standing on the roof of the office. For several long seconds he didn''t breathe, tried not to exist at all, and eventually she leapt away to the roof of the main facility. That would give her a good vantage point of all the spaces between other buildings, so Kai dove for cover. Once on the other side of some supplies, he crept between them and the wall, toward the northern side.


    They must not know he was there for sure, because the guards were still following their usual patterns. But the demon was prowling strangely, more alert than before. He needed to get out now, because discovery was becoming inevitable.


    Just as he was waiting for his moment, chakra pulsed from the demon. He could see the purple ripple flowing over all the buildings, across the ground, toward him...


    Kai leapt over the wall. He passed in darkness, and for a moment he thought he''d made it, then he felt one of his feet grow very cold.


    When Kai landed he stared in horror: the foot he''d leapt off with was coated in purple chakra.


    "Intruders!" The demon''s voice thundered through the night. "Spread out!"


    Kai sprinted to the nearest trees, so close to the point he needed to escape and yet so far. Worse, the chakra was still attached to his foot, growing heavier and colder. When he tried to brush it off, it was ineffective, and when he threw off his boot the chakra was bound to his skin as well.


    The demon had marked him. If she didn''t already know where he was, she probably would soon.


    Kai bent down and tried to use his hunger to consume the chakra somehow, but it was a technique and not so easily destroyed. He could feel it throbbing now, and the chakra was spreading, and there was an answering throbbing... as he stared at his foot, Kai realized that he had one choice left and opened his jaws wide.

 Chapter 274: The End of Intelligence Operations

    For a time Kai''s world was a blur of pain and shock. When his own teeth had bitten his foot he hadn''t expected it to hurt so much, but it was as if he''d bitten his own soul. Only force of will kept him from crying out. He was barely able to focus enough to grab his boot and wobble upright. Maybe he was leaving blood behind him, but he couldn''t be sure.


    Somehow he had summoned the diamond star and collapsed onto it near the controls. It began to float north, much slower than he would have wanted. In theory the trees blocked him from sight of the demon and the guards, but his vision was swimming and he couldn''t be sure. Had he turned around? Was he going in the wrong direction? His body felt ready to fight an army but not to actually think.


    "There you are, and-" Omilaena cut off as she saw his leg. "What the f-"


    "Bit it off," he mumbled. "Tracking."


    "Shit. Kai, do you trust me?"


    He slurred out something in response, but Omilaena was grabbing his shoulder and shaking him.


    "Kai, listen. Behemoth''s Heart is keeping you awake and it will resist anything I try to do, but you need to be unconscious, now. Focus it on your leg and don''t resist."


    It didn''t fully make sense to him, but he nodded. Something sharp pierced his skin and then he didn''t really feel anything anymore.


    .


    ..


    .


    Usually Kai recovered slowly, but when he next woke he felt completely healed. Refreshed, even. It was only when he tried to move his leg that he felt the pain and grimaced. Immediately Omilaena''s hands caught his shoulder and pushed him back.


    "You''re okay. It''s okay."


    He was lying on a comfortable bed in a small room. There was sky outside and it was daytime, but otherwise he couldn''t tell anything about where they were. Well, the sheets around him looked like the usual golden Commonwealth weave. Omilaena sat beside him with a smile on her face.


    "That was absolutely insane," she said, "but it was the right decision. That chakra would have marked you permanently and the demons could have tracked us anywhere we went."


    "You know the technique?" His voice was a little rough, but otherwise he felt fine. Except his foot... "Why didn''t you warn me?"


    "I had no idea about the technique going in, I only figured it out while helping you." She shook her head. "You bit off the majority of the chakra and it disappeared into whatever void you have for a soul, but you didn''t get every last trace. Knocking you unconscious with a flood of chakra slowed it down long enough to get away for good."


    "Zae...?"


    "Is fine, just not here. She went ahead to make contact... which is assuming that you''ll have valuable information for us when we can talk to the elves."


    "Yeah." Kai answered automatically but was more curious about his foot. He pushed the sheets aside and saw that he had one, but it looked strange. Too pink, unweathered, scarless. It still hurt a little when he tried to flex the sole of his foot. "I''m surprised this isn''t fully healed."


    "What''s that, you''re upset that you haven''t regenerated a body part already?" Omilaena rolled her eyes. "Actually, you probably would have, but as far as I could tell, your regeneration focused on getting rid of the foreign chakra first. It''s unusually smart for a recovery technique."


    "Mm." Kai settled back to rest and Omilaena snapped her fingers.


    "You can''t sleep yet, we need everything you learned while infiltrating or your sacrifice was useless."


    He told her everything that had happened, regaining focus as he slipped back into the details. Apparently from their end they had been able to tell when the demon came alert and began hunting for an intruder, and had even debated trying to cause a distraction, but in the end had been helpless to do anything but help him after he made it out.


    As for the information, Omilaena nodded casually when it came to the numbers and types of obelisks, made no reaction at all about the slaves, and seemed deeply interested about the split shipment. Her theory was the demons wanted to incite some type of attack on the Commonwealth instead of being seen as the aggressor, but the details began to seem very fuzzy and immaterial.


    Kai settled back and focused on recovery.


    .


    ..


    .


    By the time Zae Zin Nim arrived, Kai was wide awake and back to physical training. Fortunately his new foot seemed to have regrown as strong as the previous, though it was still tender. He integrated some stomping and jumping exercises to his usual Physique routine to help it get back into shape. On one hand, he didn''t want to ever consume part of himself again, but on the other, it was apparently a viable option.


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    She had gone ahead to one of the agreed-upon locations where she could make contact with elven agents. They hadn''t exchanged information at that time and only set a different location for the meeting. Since they didn''t want to stay in one place too long, they left the inn where he''d recovered and traveled deeper into the Commonwealth.


    It seemed like they''d made it through with no sacrifices except for his foot. When it came time to meet the next contact, Zae Zin Nim went alone again for the sake of secrecy while they just watched. Kai and Omilaena hovered in the diamond star, waiting for her return.


    Since she was trapped there, Kai decided that it was time to bring up the subject again.


    "I was surprised to see the obelisks being made by slaves." He spoke as casually as he could, but he saw the glint in Omilaena''s eyes.


    "Good job not ruining your cover trying to free them," she said.


    "Everything about it looked old, not like something the demons set up. Does the Commonwealth trade in slaves?"


    "Yes, all the time." Omilaena gave him an odd shrug. "You''re going to have to accept that you can''t do anything about it this time, Kai. This slavery isn''t as brutal as it was in Krysal, so many slaves are better off than free workers."


    "Are you just saying that because you''re from the Commonwealth?"


    "Give me more credit than tha-"


    "Or because you have direct experience?" Kai had been speaking indifferently but now he turned and met her eyes, refusing to look away. She''d lied about her history to him at least once before. This time he didn''t want to let her slip the question with a joke or a wild story.


    She didn''t squirm, but her eyes looked heavier than before. She didn''t answer.


    "If you really don''t want to say anything, I won''t make you," Kai told her. "But it seemed like you were intimately familiar with how the slave house was set up. And the people I felt in there had artisan abilities that didn''t seem so unfamiliar."


    "Fine." Omilaena slouched back in her seat. "I was born a slave here and they used me as a chakra-imbuer. Some of the fancy chakra machines you''ve seen come from experts, but plenty are made by drudges pouring themselves into objects over and over. Just don''t make a big deal about it, like it defines me. It''s not a secret I hold back for real friends or any nonsense like that, it''s something I''d rather put behind me."


    "You can stop if you prefer, I just want to understand you. So you were forced to work in places like that?"


    "As I got older I moved up from pure chakra work to being what they call an Iron Artisan. Not a very strong ability. But we worked with some toxic industrial materials and I managed to absorb them instead of dying like so many did."


    "The Heart of Poison."


    "Exactly." Omilaena smirked a bit more like her usual self. "And I made some satisfying use of it, but I don''t need to tell those stories. I clawed a path up any way I could and transformed my old skills to become a Lethal Artisan. Then skip years of training, realizing I couldn''t compete against the best, a trip to Deadwaste, and you basically know the story from there."


    "Thank you for telling me." Kai turned that over in his mind for a while before he spoke up again. "Did you want to change things and lack the power, or did you leave the other slaves behind?"


    Omilaena tapped her chest mockingly. "I''m not hiding a heart of gold in here - my soul is pretty clear about that. I helped a few escape, but honestly, slaves aren''t all innocent little victims. They''re as vicious and petty as everyone else. I won''t weep if something bad happens to slavers, but I''m not going to put my life on the line for strangers like you do."


    "I think I understand."


    "My question earlier wasn''t just trying to deflect. Are you going to make a big fuss trying to overturn the Commonwealth?"


    "Even if I had the power, I don''t know enough." Kai shrugged and gave a sheepish grin. "But since you''re being all open and personal with me-"


    "Asshole."


    "Can I ask where you''re from? I haven''t seen a lot of people in the Commonwealth who look like you."


    "That''s actually another story, another one that isn''t important about knowing who I am." Omilaena stared out over the landscape, eyes unfocusing. "One of the previous lords here used his slaves for a massive breeding program, hoping to create superior species. It didn''t work and his efforts mostly vanished. But most likely my ancestry is part elven, part human."


    So the color of her skin wasn''t a coincidence after all. Kai couldn''t help but glance at her ears and almost wondered if they were a bit more pointed than he thought, but it was hard to be sure. In any case, she didn''t want to emphasize it, so he looked away.


    "I''ll never bring it up again if you say so."


    "No, it''s... probably for the best that you know." She shrugged languidly. "It could be relevant for my Physique, or eventually for my advancement. If we''re going to keep working together, it''s good to understand each other."


    But did they? Kai decided not to press Omilaena any further, since she''d already bent further than she wanted. They spent most of their remaining time training until Zae Zin Nim finally returned the next day.


    "The elven informant teleported back," she reported. "He was pleased with the information, but we won''t know how the Council feels now. Basically we have a choice of staying here to keep working or returning to argue for our boons."


    "Nonsense!" Omilaena sat up straight, far more animated than normal. "We''ve spent almost two months traveling deep into the center of the Commonwealth and our cover hasn''t been blown yet. It would be a shame to turn back now, when we could profit so much here."


    "Then you still want to keep working for the Council?"


    "Not exactly. If we happen across something that''s useful to them, we could trade for it, but I say from here on we work for ourselves."


    Zae Zin Nim considered for a time and then nodded. "I''m still concerned about demons targeting me for my cultivation, but anywhere else on the continent there would be the threat of my father''s sect. If we can acquire chakra arts here, that could be even more beneficial than returning to the Elven Wilds."


    "Then it sounds like we''re agreed." Kai grinned and sat forward.


    "What''s gotten into you?" Omilaena asked.


    "I never told you? I want my chakra art to be something called the Savage Creed, and I heard they''re further north. I suppose you know it?"


    "Oh, sure. They''re difficult to work with, but there''s no question their abilities are strong. Could be a good match for you. Cultivation to hide your soul, Savage Heart to explain your body, both reinforcing your real abilities. Sounds like the makings of a strong synergy."


    "If we are agreed," Zae Zin Nim said while glancing between them, "then where do we go next?"


    "Straight to the capital!" Omilaena grasped the controls of the diamond star eagerly. "Traeton is one of the largest cities on the continent. It''s a good place to start everything else, but it''s also home to one of the Eight Insanities. If we''re going to do this, we might as well go all in!"


    Kai found himself grinning in response and even Zae Zin Nim smiled as they accelerated. Deeper into the heart of the Commonwealth, and yes, deeper into the territory controlled by the demons. Matiavel the Destroyer himself, one of the most powerful people on Rosemount, would be waiting in the capital.


    But where else was there to go but forward?

 Chapter 275: Forward is the Easiest Direction

    Technically there were still multiple deadlines looming over them. The demons were plotting war, Zae Zin Nim''s father was hunting for her, and the monster incursion was less than five years away. Technically he needed to push as hard as he could to try to gain the strength to stand up against the unfathomably powerful warriors he''d seen at the Frontier.


    But it was a long way to the capital and they didn''t need to rush there. For almost a month, Kai felt like a normal human being.


    Of course, in this company that meant a lot of training, including stopping at times to purchase materials or test themselves. They still had over a million Crests from the Thunderbird and Omilaena''s work, so they could afford to buy reasonably expensive chakra that matched their styles. But it felt like a vacation, because instead of rushing toward an advancement they desperately needed, they were free to round out some of their abilities that had been neglected.


    Zae Zin Nim continued to cultivate at times, but she began putting more work into her Coldfire Corona again and he offered all the help he could, even though she had far passed the point he''d reached with Classes. He also continued to train Omilaena in Physique, though she spent less time on it because she was trying to consolidate her gains as a Lethal Artisan.


    Both of them in turn helped him develop his qi and chakra. He worked up to nearly 100 in free-floating chakra, and though it wasn''t worth anything yet, Omilaena said it would be a good basis for the Savage Heart or any other chakra art he pursued. Zae Zin Nim helped him get back on track with cultivation and he made real progress in the Body Refinement stage.


    That progress came with little new power, however, and that led to a much longer conversation about cultivation. He finally confirmed his theories about how limited paths would have less Power at a given stage and then struggle to advance again. Growth while on a plateau apparently varied slightly by path, but wasn''t a concern. Apparently she expected that to be doubly true for him, since his monstrous nature kept consuming cultivated qi in order to strengthen him.


    Only his Physique seemed to be stuck, still at D-3. But with so many other potential paths, he didn''t mind so much. Hopefully now that they were exploring the Commonwealth he would find new techniques instead of spending all his time grinding upward.


    When he was occupied the two women were plenty busy, on their own and with one another. Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim seemed to be spending a lot of time discussing Physique, helping on one hand and advising on the other. Zae Zin Nim had some sort of concern about her Blackblood Physique not being completely resolved and something to do with yin energy. It all seemed very personal, so he didn''t eavesdrop.


    Even when they weren''t training, whether it was eating, traveling, or resting, it was a pleasure to be with the two of them. Despite all the deadlines driving him forward, part of Kai wished they could just keep going on like this forever. Even given all the hard work, it felt like the easiest path.


    One night they stopped underneath a beautiful sky gleaming with stars and took a while to enjoy it. Omilaena had gone down to build a fire and prepare something special for dinner, leaving Kai with Zae Zin Nim in the diamond star, just relaxing under the sky. There was no need to say anything, since the silences had grown comfortable, but after a time she spoke up.


    "I''m sorry I couldn''t help you against the demon," she said quietly. "I have all this power as an Earth Soul, but I still haven''t... I used to think power was its own reward. Now I feel... unless I can use it to help someone who matters to me..."


    "It''s alright, you have nothing to apologize for." Kai gave her a reassuring smile, which she eventually returned, and they enjoyed the stars for a while longer.


    Then, all at once, Kai realized that he was being an idiot. It was just like when he''d been a teenager and hadn''t understood that a fellow hunter trainee was interested in him until days later, except this time he was years older and should have known better.


    Back when Zae Zin Nim had invited him to the arena, he''d taken her justifications at face value. He should have seen the obvious: that was her shy way of asking him to go somewhere to spend time with her.


    After her dramatic statement that she cared about him, back in the Elven Wilds, he had been waiting for her to follow up and been a little disappointed that she hadn''t. Now he saw how mistaken he was. He was used to forthright Goralian women, and honestly he''d let them initiate in most cases. But Zae Zin Nim was from Cloudspire, which had some very strong views on gender roles, so of course she was never going to do that.


    Was she sitting over there, waiting for him to move things forward? Resting beneath the stars was a romantic location, and she might even have made an attempt with her apology. Part of him still couldn''t believe a woman would be interested in him, but this was Zae Zin Nim, he knew her too well to fall into that old trap.


    "I had a good time at the arena with you," he said eventually. The way she perked up strongly supported his theory. "Sorry that I basically ran out to chase the Savage Heart warrior."


    "No, I completely understand. It could be very important for your cultivation."


    "If we travel through another city with an arena, do you want to go again?"


    "I would like that." Zae Zin Nim smiled shyly. "I was dismissive in Yulthens, but I enjoyed watching the fight with you. People on Cloudspire tend to just focus on who''s the most powerful, but you always try to have interesting things to say."


    "Good." The pause stretched, but Kai didn''t leave it there. "People on Cloudspire do a lot of things differently, so I''m sure I''ve made some mistakes."


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "That''s okay. I know you''re a barbarian." She said it with enough affection that there was no doubt what she meant. Kai smiled briefly, but then he turned to face her fully.


    "Zae Zin Nim... you said that you cared for me, and you asked me to wait for you to reach Earth Soul. Did I misunderstand what you meant by that? I know you''ve had a lot of cultivators chase after you, so if it sounds like I''m-"


    "No!" Zae Zin Nim seemed startled by her own outburst and shrank back. "No, I... you understood. I want to... to spend my life with you. But it''s just so difficult to know what that means."


    "How is it difficult?" Kai reached out to take her hand and she shivered a little, but didn''t pull away.


    "If we were back at home, marriage would mean getting approval from my father. That obviously can''t happen now. To be honest... I always thought I wouldn''t have a choice. There would be an arranged marriage, or some cultivator would push me down, or... so I''m not sure what to do. You''re so different from... in a good way, I mean. Sorry, am I babbling?"


    Kai shook his head and tried to keep himself from grinning too much. She was obviously struggling with a lot of emotions, but the fact that she was thinking about things in terms of marriage finally resolved that confusion. It hadn''t been a mistake to bring all of this up. Zae Zin Nim wouldn''t meet his gaze, but her hand squeezed his tightly.


    "We don''t have to decide right now if you don''t want," he told her. "Even if we''re relaxed now, we''re actually in a lot of danger in the Commonwealth, and there might be a war coming."


    "That''s true. It seems a... terrible time for personal matters."


    "But I''m glad we''re finally talking this out. We''ve spent a long time traveling together but not really talking, haven''t we?"


    She nodded vigorously. "I''m terrible with this sort of thing. I''m glad we talked too."


    "Then..." Kai turned to face her fully and put his other hand over hers. Her dainty fingers disappeared within his hands, yet he still felt their softness. "May I kiss you?"


    "Oh..." Zae Zin Nim blushed and he thought she might flee, but then she closed her eyes and leaned forward, closer to him. She stayed there, clearly waiting.


    So he leaned forward and finally kissed her. At first her lips were frozen, almost as if in shock, then she began to kiss back. Clumsily but eagerly, and her other hand reached up to grasp his wrist. She started to lean closer... and then suddenly pulled back.


    "I... that was my first kiss." She reached up to touch her lips. "I''m happy, but I''m also... I don''t know what to say..."


    "We don''t have to say anything." Kai gently stroked her hand but otherwise kept his distance.


    "It''s just... for years and years everyone shouted at me that this sort of thing was vulgar and crude, and only filthy women could ever... I want to, but I''m also scared..."


    "We don''t need to move so quickly."


    Zae Zin Nim grabbed his hand with both of hers and drew it up between them, very seriously. "But I don''t want you to grow impatient with me! I know you''re a man, and men have needs. I told you not to go with Lady Ceryyn and offered nothing. I''m afraid if I keep being so fearful, you''ll get bored and... and..."


    "Never." Kai gently kissed the back of her hand and then let go. "You want to become an immortal, right?"


    "Of course." She blinked at him, her embarrassment interrupted by what was to her a very simple question.


    "I never expected anything like that, but I guess I''m on the same path. If we''re really going to live for an eternity... why rush?"


    "Oh..." For a moment her eyes seemed to melt, then Zae Zin Nim pulled back and was her more reserved self again. "Thank you, Kai. You don''t know how happy I am now. But I... I need more time to think..."


    "Always." He smiled at her one more time, then she leapt over the side and disappeared with a whisper of robes.


    Had he just initiated a relationship conversation and not fucked everything up? Kai thought he had and decided to chalk it up to luck or good fortune. On the other hand, maybe that was a terrible idea, given what fate tended to do to him.


    He wasn''t exactly overwhelmed with emotion like Zae Zin Nim, just relief, but he was left with a lot of restless energy. For so long he''d thought that she wasn''t interested and felt guilty about any personal thoughts. Now he had much less justification to shove them away. With her he''d been entirely romantic, but on his own the wait felt like it would be painful.


    To distract himself he took the diamond star back down to the ground. Zae Zin Nim appeared to have gone off on her own, so it was just Omilaena finishing the meal. She was rapping her fingernails against the spit and humming something, but when he drew close she stopped.


    "This is far less romantic," she said, "but I want you to know I''m in the ring too."


    "What?" Kai spluttered out the word even though he understood. Just when life was seeming simpler again, he got hit with this? "I''m not going to fu-"


    "It isn''t like that, not this time." Omilaena stepped closer, almost touching his chest, but there was no seduction in her eyes in that moment. "I''ve been alone for so long, I never thought someone would travel the same path. But I want us to stay together, with everything that means."


    "You heard our conversation and this is the tack you decide to take?"


    "You''ve already rejected me physically multiple times, and would you believe me if I whispered honey words?" Omilaena tilted her head to one side, but her examination looked desperate instead of clinical. "Let me say this: I want our lives to be the same. Our interests would be the same, no manipulating one another. I think there''s part of my heart still alive enough to really love, and I want to offer you everything I have left. That''s all I have."


    Kai groaned and ran his hands through his hair. "And you decide to spring this on me now?"


    "What, would you prefer I wait until the two of you advance to holding hands in public?"


    "You''re serious about this, aren''t you?"


    "Deadly." Omilaena''s eyes still hadn''t shifted even slightly, but now she turned to put one hand on her hip. "I''m not a fragile flower whose emotions will be crushed if you refuse. If I''ve burned this bridge or you want nothing else to do with me, you can just tell me to fuck off."


    He opened his mouth but found he couldn''t say anything. His first reaction was to cling to all the warm emotions with Zae Zin Nim, since the two of them had been traveling together for so long. That sort of romance was certainly what he''d often been seeking with others. And yet Omilaena had been with them for a long time too, supporting even when she had no need for them.


    For all that she could tease and deceive, he didn''t think that the loneliness he saw in her was false. To his surprise, he had a strong urge to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. Omilaena wouldn''t be comforted by romantic words, but she did need comfort. And yet...


    "Let''s not do this now," Kai said. "I just... there''s always the chance we could all die tomorrow, and everything is a mess." Maybe once they were out of the chaos, everything would seem clearer.


    "If you insist." Omilaena shrugged and turned away, though he saw something else in her eyes.


    After struggling with so many questions, Kai put them out of his mind and just moved forward. Other than Zae Zin Nim smiling at him more often, their journey continued as if none of it had happened. Yet he couldn''t pretend that it hadn''t, that his heart wasn''t twisted into knots.


    And so he just kept going forward, looking to neither side.

 Chapter 276: The Insane First Crest

    After a week of travel Kai was beginning to wonder when they''d reach Traeton, but Omilaena just kept saying that he''d know. The Commonwealth looked basically the same so far, if a bit wealthier with even fewer wild spaces, so he wasn''t sure what she meant.


    Then he saw Traeton, and he knew.


    It was actually in the evening, when the sun was setting and visibility continually declining. He was watching the sunset and deciding how long they should keep traveling... when the sun just didn''t set. At first he wondered if his sense of time was thrown off, then the glow only continued to increase and shift whiter as they drew close.


    In the distance, the capital of Traeton looked like it was on fire with pure white lights. He''d seen cities that could spend tons of money lighting themselves with crystals or magic lanterns, but this was something unreal. The lights spanned so high, over so many buildings, that the city must be taller than any he''d ever seen. Even when they slept that night, the lights of the city continued burning through the darkness.


    As they drew closer, they saw even more of the city''s wealth - not gold and crystal like in Yulthens, but overwhelming abundance. Even ordinary people traveled on floating platforms and lived in massive homes. Zae Zin Nim put on a serious expression but she seemed a little intimidated as well. Eventually he had to ask.


    "Alright, how does Traeton actually work?" Kai asked. "I know you said it has an Insanity, but... what?"


    "It''s called the First Crest," Omilaena told him with a grin. "I''ve never seen it personally, but I think we might be strong enough now. No slave mines here, nobody toiling for all this power - all of that comes from the Insanity itself."


    "I can believe in a magic object that grants infinite power. I can''t believe they don''t have slaves or toiling."


    "Oh, I didn''t say it was all equal. Everyone in Traeton has luxuries you wouldn''t find elsewhere, but you also find the poorer folks crammed into buildings to try to take advantage. Not many slaves, though. They only exist for the egos of the wealthy, because everything else is easier to do by magic."


    That idea, thrown off casually, was actually what stuck with Kai most as they traveled closer. Could abundance do more to change society than any number of revolutions? How much of the inequality and even the pettiness in Goralia had been because their region was so starved of mana? The problem was that he wasn''t sure if he was looking at a potential solution or just the shape of reality.


    When they flew into the city, they didn''t have to spend many Crests on a small and secure inn. Even the modest place they''d chosen was filled with heated floors, lights controlled by chakra switches, and instantly hot water. The amenities were offered for free with a normal room, far more impressive than luxuries he''d needed to save up for or even steal.


    All of the power seemed to arrive through a single bright cable that flowed from the center of the city... Kai was too interested in seeing the Insanity to relax or talk to anyone. Apparently Zae Zin Nim felt the same way, so after a brief rest they all headed toward the center.


    Once in the air again, Omilaena began an impromptu tour. "We''re skipping the Great Library and the seat of government because you''re not allowed to fly near those. But on our left you''ll see the wealthiest district - it''s built to the west of the center, because the First Crest itself could be a target of attacks."


    "I thought it was invulnerable," Zae Zin Nim said.


    "The Crest is, but the chakra cables distributing all the power aren''t. Anyone who wants to cripple the city will attack there first." Omilaena gestured out east as they took a broad circle to avoid more floating platforms. "The First Crest powers a perfect circle around it, but the city bulges past the powered region in two directions. The east is the roughest because the wilderness out there is a chakra-poor environment."


    When they flew lower, Kai noted that there were large crowds but fewer people from the Commonwealth. Instead he saw elves, lamia, lizardkin, Dominion uniforms, and more. They seemed to be streaming inward toward the center and he realized that they must be tourists, here to see one of the wonders of the world.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Well, for once he was happy to be a tourist. A guard on a floating lotus intercepted them, ordering them to land and get in line. He and the other guards wore gold and white armor, and carried an average of 500 Power. When he realized Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim''s strength, he directed them not to the line with the majority of the tourists, but a raised street that seemed to contain only warriors.


    There were at least a dozen of the guards, all powerful. Since they must be getting eyeballed by everyone in the area, Kai decided to scan one of them.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 534


    Yang Knight: 11 (220)


    Physique: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    First Crest Armor (50)


    >


    Despite their common armor, the guards weren''t all identical. They had uniformly high Physique and Soul Levels, but otherwise they drew their power from entirely different sources: multiple "Yang Knights", some elemental powers from the Coiled Empire, and more. He looked in vain for any Savage Hearts, but didn''t see any of those.


    "That''s the Crestguard," Omilaena whispered when she saw him looking. "Not the strongest people in the Commonwealth, obviously, but they have one of the highest average strengths of any organization on the entire continent. In theory they''re completely neutral, dedicated to preventing the city''s power from being disturbed."


    "And in reality?" he asked.


    "Obviously an organization with so much strength has influence. I don''t know their current position under the demons."


    From the raised walkway it was much easier to finally reach the center, and when they got in sight, Kai was a little surprised. A grand dome soared over the center, covered in elaborate paintings, but the core of the city itself was surprisingly simple. It was actually recessed into the ground, like a pit with far more elaborate furnishings.


    Given how bright the city was, he had expected the First Crest to be blinding. Instead, at the very center, he saw a simple white disc. It lay on disarmingly normal stone, the one part of the whole complex that wasn''t gilded or ornamented. Yet countless cables snaked away from the base, coursing enough power to fuel the entire city.


    Some of the visitors seemed to find it awe-inspiring, while others wept with near-religious reverence. But a few, like Kai, felt just a faint sense of disappointment.


    "Is it just me," Zae Zin Nim asked, "or does that look like a coin?"


    "They say that the Commonwealth Crests are based on it." Omilaena flipped a coin out of her pack to her fingers. "Of course, they also claim that the First Crest is the symbol of the Commonwealth and a sign that the fates have blessed it to endure forever, so you shouldn''t take everything they say seriously."


    Kai pulled out a coin of his own and compared. The modern Crests had octagonal corners, unlike the perfectly circular symbol at the center. Perhaps more importantly, he didn''t see any markings whatsoever on the First Crest, unlike the carved symbol and head on the coin.


    "It seems more like they stumbled across something they couldn''t explain and built their nation around it," he said. Omilaena smirked and flicked the coin away.


    "Most likely. In addition to being invulnerable, the First Crest has never been moved - the Crestguard is just here to protect the cables, not the object itself. They probably would have preferred to build their capital somewhere else, but they''re stuck here because there''s an Insanity here."


    "Do we know if Matiavel has tried to destroy it?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "It would be stupid of him to try," Omilaena said, "but I don''t think it would work. God abilities have been seen before; people have trained for them. The Insanities are beyond everything."


    "So you don''t think the Primal Loom that you''re so obsessed with should be counted as one of them?"


    "It creates some of the most powerful clothing in the world, but it''s not inexplicable. The ''Insanity Loom'' would create clothes that made someone completely invincible, or cured all wounds, or something else ridiculous."


    And there were allegedly eight of these Insanities throughout the world, or at least throughout history. Kai wondered at just how vast the world was, and if the unknowns stretched even vaster still. Could it be as simple as another continent beyond the Blood Current? The idea of a tiny piece of metal that could power an entire city forever... that was unfathomably far beyond the world he understood.


    Well, now they had seen one of them. As they retreated, Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena discussed whether they should try to see the others on Rosemount: the Slumbering Colossus in the center of the mountain range and the Glorious Tree to the far east. He thought it was more idle hypotheticals on their part than real planning, though.


    Then again, it wasn''t just an impossible dream. If they didn''t falter on the insane path upward that they''d set for themselves, they wouldn''t just see the Eight Insanities. They''d surpass them.


    Because he wasn''t directly involved with the conversation, Kai was more alert as the crowds shifted around them. He felt something else toward their back, a subtle presence that nonetheless carried a dangerous hunger. Before he could call out a warning, it approached their back, so he whirled to intercept.


    A thin man wearing a gray tunic and large glasses had been reaching out toward Omilaena''s back. Kai caught his wrist, but even though he could feel the bones in the other man''s arm, it held immense strength. The man glanced at him with pure gray eyes and Kai realized that he was using a demonic art.


    By now the others had turned around, ready to fight in the middle of the city if necessary. The man smiled thinly and pulled his hand back.


    "I''m surprised to see you again, Omilaena. You should have known better than to come here."

 Chapter 277: Demons and Their Prey

    "Troulon." Omilaena regarded him with an icy expression. "I''m surprised you aren''t dead."


    "Demonic rule has actually been quite beneficial for me." The man called Troulon readjusted the cuff on one of his sleeves, as if Kai touching it had been distasteful. "But we aren''t here to discuss my life. The question is why, after being banned from the Great Library, you decide to return."


    "Clearly I''m just showing my friends the sights." Omilaena smiled mockingly while she gestured to them, and in the process a needle glittered between her fingers. She was taking this so seriously, Kai got a better look at the man''s soul.


    <


    Name: Troulon


    Total Power: 732


    Gray Demon: Topaz Rank (450)


    Paper Artisan: Garnet Rank (175)


    Physique: E-6 (98)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    He had over 700 Power, stemming primarily from his Gray Demon ability, and he was also something called a Paper Artisan. Judging from his soul and the conversation, he wasn''t a pure demon himself, just using a demonic art. Strangely, his Physique and Soul were relatively low, as if he wasn''t primarily a fighter. They could presumably beat him together, but he didn''t seem stupid, so he must have allies.


    If he was working with the demons, of course he did: the entire city was filled with them.


    "Thanks to the new leadership, I can be more proactive," Troulon said with a thin smile. "If you truly don''t mean any harm, then I''m afraid I must ask you to come with me."


    "If it''s all the same to you, I''d rather not."


    The two of them moved with blinding speed at the same instant. Kai could barely follow the movements, but he thought that a piece of paper slipped out of Troulon''s sleeve and sliced like a knife. Omilaena deflected it with her needle and the steel bent at the impact. Their movements were so subtle that the people around them didn''t even seem to have noticed that a fight had started.


    Kai would ruin that secrecy with his explosive techniques, but he didn''t want to leave Omilaena to fight alone. In the instant he hesitated, Zae Zin Nim acted more gracefully. Her hand reached out toward the man''s next slash, almost like a mere friendly gesture.


    When the razor sharp paper met her palm, blue flames flickered out. Kai expected them to consume the paper instantly, but it seemed to resist, only the outermost layer catching fire. The demon user still took a step back, shook off the flames with a frown, and then hesitated.


    "You aren''t traveling alone anymore." The statement seemed obvious on the face of it, but Omilaena nodded seriously as if it had more meaning to the two of them.


    "And I''m not here to cause any trouble," she said. "I have no more interest in the Great Library. Didn''t you always care about the letter of the law? I''m not in violation of anything, whereas you''re starting a fight in the middle of critical infrastructure."


    "This isn''t the Commonwealth you fled." Troulon was readjusting his sleeve again. The motion seemed restrained and civilized... and Kai had no idea whether or not it was a prelude to more violence. He wished that he''d been using the Thunderbird essence, but he didn''t dare make changes to his soul in a situation as fraught as this one.


    Before the conversation could continue, someone else landed on the walkway. Lightly and gracefully, yet with a sense of power that made Kai nearly take a step back. It was a pure demon, a lithe woman taller than everyone there but him. She wore the black uniform of most of the others and she tilted her head to the side as she regarded them.


    "Troulon... what have you found?"


    "This is a Library matter, Lilaetiel." Troulon adjusted his sleeve again, but this time Kai was fairly certain that he was nervous.


    "But such a delicious morsel... you can take the other one, I want her." Lilaetiel twisted to the side, head first and then body following almost like she was a puppet. Her gaze was fixed directly on Zae Zin Nim, whose eyes widened as she understood.


    As Kai examined the new demon''s soul, he realized that this was what they''d feared.


    <


    Name: Lilaetiel


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    Total Power: 908


    Gold Demon: Spinel Rank (207)


    Demonic Cultivation: Earth Soul (465)


    Physique: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    Lilaetiel was a demonic cultivator at the Earth Soul stage, which meant that Zae Zin Nim was her preferred prey. And with 908 Power, she might be able to take what she wanted. She didn''t possess any of the beauty of a cultivator or elven glamour, just predatory grace.


    Worse, Kai could feel other demons closing in on them.


    "We need to take this to adjudication, Lilaetiel." Troulon used her name again almost like a mantra. She didn''t seem to be listening, her breaths coming faster as she stared at Zae Zin Nim.


    When the demon took a step forward, Kai acted first. He tried a punch and she knocked it aside with contemptuous ease, then grabbed his neck without even looking at him. But Kai hadn''t used a serious attack intentionally, because what they needed more than power was an opening.


    The hand on his neck was trying to crush or drain him, but it failed on both counts. Lilaetiel''s head twitched toward him, puzzled, and in that moment Zae Zin Nim struck her with a palm.


    Somehow the demoness blocked the attack, but the ripple of blue flames still sent her skidding back. Now she and Troulon stood side by side opposite them and the crowds were beginning to scatter as they realized what was happening. The Crestguard stood unmoving around the pit, nearby warriors seemed glad to escape, and other demons were arriving.


    He had no idea whether that was their salvation or their destruction. Zae Zin Nim''s martial arts stance had frozen into pure tension, while Omilaena stood deceptively relaxed. Neither of them had fled, so he gathered up his own strength, ready to reveal his monstrous soul if necessary.


    Several more demons surrounded them and Kai could tell they were strong, but there was no time to examine them carefully. Troulon spoke first, turning toward the most powerful. The demon was using a shroud, but Kai could tell that he had over 1000 Power.


    "Lilaetiel is out of control again," Troulon said dryly. "We can''t attack every traveler, especially not those from Cloudspire. We have more and more guests these days."


    "That is the demonic way." The leader spoke in a lifeless voice as his red eyes swept over them. "But these appear to be dangerous guests. Are you claiming one of them?"


    "I... do not." Troulon''s eyes flickered briefly to Omilaena. "I suggest we move to adjudication to avoid further problems."


    "Very well. This way." The leader of the demons turned away from the others and the entire group began to move through the city.


    After a short distance along the raised walkway, the leader snapped his fingers and a white slab of marble floated up underneath him. The other demons stepped off as well onto additional slabs. After a glance at the others, Kai''s group all crowded onto a single slab, which began flying them across the city. This was better than being surrounded, though they still had demons around them and couldn''t control their path.


    "That was a demonic cultivator," Zae Zin Nim said grimly. "What''s stopping her from attacking me?"


    "They don''t always follow rules, but they do have them." Omilaena shook her head. "If we get the right adjudication that will be some defense."


    "Who''s this Troulon?" Kai asked. "How do you know each other?"


    "He''s one of the scholars at the Great Library. He used to be a simple, thoughtful man... he was a Paper Artisan more because he loved books than because he loved combat. But it looks like he decided to join the demons and he somehow thrived under them."


    "And is that going to be a problem?"


    Omilaena glanced toward him and shrugged. "Focus on the adjudication. Demons fear one another more than they fear their prey, so they love to get in one another''s way. I didn''t expect us to attract attention so soon, but this is our best hope at getting through."


    Before she could explain anything else, the floating marble slabs arrived at their destination. There was a great gold and white building in the center of the government district, lit with a massive number of glowing spheres as if showing off their abundance. Yet there was something strange about it... unlike the rest of the city, there was no one moving around the building.


    When they landed in a courtyard, the demons rushed them inward, not giving them any time to look at a grand hall with paintings of the Commonwealth displayed on the sides. Instead they pushed inward to a large chamber with a circular floor and hundreds of seats, enough to house a large council.


    There wasn''t any council now. A few demons lounged around in the seats, and their escorts joined them. It was a strange sort of audience, with just a few predators scattered around the hundreds of chairs. They didn''t seem to particularly respect the grand chamber, it was just a room to them.


    Except for a single larger seat opposite the entrance. It had once been a grand throne, but it sat blackened and twisted. Kai felt an intuition that it must have been struck by Matiavel the Destroyer... even though it sat empty, the demons stayed away from the seat.


    "Lilaetiel is stalking cultivators again," one of the demons threw out casually. "Will you get over it? You''re not getting to Sky Soul like this."


    "I didn''t start it! He did!" Lilaetiel had been been twitching in her seat and now thrust a finger at Troulon. He was sitting in one of the lower seats around them, nowhere near as confident as the true demons. When attention turned toward him, he rose and bowed rigidly.


    "I was dealing with a matter related to the Great Library," Troulon said. "I apologize for wasting your time with it. I could have resolved things quietly myself."


    "You wanted to take her brains!"


    "I''m getting sick of this." A shorter demoness with her feet up on the chair in front of her glared at everyone involved. "Just mark them all as off-limits and be done with it. This is a huge waste of time compared to our real problems."


    "I agree." The nameless leader of the group sat near the blackened chair, and when he spoke up the others at least looked in his direction. "I saw their abilities and it would be more trouble than it''s worth. Let them go. The cultivator is off-limits, Lilaetiel."


    She let out a shriek and tore one of the chairs from its moorings, then hurled it hard enough that it shattered against the opposite wall. A few of the other demons laughed or sighed as she stalked out. Kai kept his eyes on her and noted that she stared at Zae Zin Nim all the way out. Demonic law seemed like a very thin protection against someone like that.


    "Then are we done?" Troulon asked the others. "I can handle the details so y-"


    "Wait." A deeper voice growled from the side and Kai saw a massive demon get to his feet.


    This one was about as tall as he was and heavily muscled. He wore the same sleek pants as the others, but his loose shirt bared his chest. Also unusually for a demon, he had a large beard of straight black hair. When his eyes passed over the group, they settled on Kai.


    "The others are strong enough," he grated, "but not that one. That one is just prey. I want him."

 Chapter 278: Prey and Not Prey

    Kai''s instincts blazed and he nearly attacked in the moment he was isolated, but he restrained himself. He understood how the demons might think him weak, since half his strength was invisible to them. A straight brawl was hopeless, however, even with Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena at his side. Somehow he had to navigate these demonic politics.


    The leader sighed and leaned his head onto one hand. "Gorutiel has made a claim. Does anyone want to challenge it?"


    "Eh." One of the demons made a non-committal noise and several others just shrugged.


    "Then let him make an attempt." The leader waved a hand as if deciding Kai''s fate was unbelievably dull. "Find some sort of arena, if you must."


    "Why waste all that time?" Gorutiel grinned and leapt down to the floor. "There''s a nice big room right over there!"


    Kai saw the demon move but wasn''t quite fast enough to react: a foot struck him in the chest and sent him flying backward. He crashed through the doors leading to the council chamber and then skidded back into the hallway. The blow hadn''t hurt as much as he expected, but it might have only been intended to move him.


    As the demon stalked into the grand hall, Kai finally got enough time to read his soul.


    <


    Name: Gorutiel


    Total Power: 994


    Crimson Demon: Topaz Rank (395)


    Demonic Cultivation: Nascent Foundation (220)


    Physique: C-3 (315)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    >


    What did that tell him? Gorutiel seemed like a physical powerhouse and was the first C-rank Physique Kai had analyzed in any detail. On top of that, he relied less on Demonic Cultivation than the others, as if he used qi primarily for support, the way Kai did. His Soul Level was higher than average for demons, which suggested he had plenty of combat experience and wouldn''t rely on strength alone.


    That left him with the man''s central ability as a Crimson Demon, which formed the plurality of his strength. It would definitely grant raw physical power, but what else? Kai wasn''t familiar with all types of demons, but if they primarily absorbed the power of others, and this one drained it via blood... the demon could end up being more flexible than he looked.


    For his part Kai had his usual monstrous abilities, Tyrant''s Claw, and Void Gaze. They would have to do, because he was out of time.


    "Come on, make this fun for me!" Gorutiel roared out the words and then leapt at him.


    Kai wasn''t sure about the man''s abilities, but the pure physical attack was definitely not taking him seriously. He didn''t use any abilities at first either, waiting for his moment. While he was still focused, Kai deflected the first punch and struck back, hitting the demon''s shoulder.


    The follow-up came fast and jarred Kai''s skull more painfully than he''d felt since trying to fight the Myogenecon. But he''d fought through pain before, so even as his head snapped back, he was setting his feet. When his opponent tried to follow up, Kai hit him with an uppercut with all his strength.


    It managed to rock the demon back, but Gorutiel was too tough to be taken out even by a direct hit. He recovered with a bloody grin, both arms swinging together...


    In that moment, when the demon was confident he had victory, Kai thrust forward his other hand with the strongest Tyrant''s Claw he could.


    Spiritual claws exploded out, stabbing into his opponent''s chest. They couldn''t tear through someone so powerful, but they cut deep. Kai was tempted to push his advantage or use Void Gaze, but he held back. His opponent had such a large advantage, he needed to strike at the perfect moments. The three wounds were bleeding profusely, but they only slowed Gorutiel down temporarily.


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    Could he count on help from the others? Looking past his demonic opponent, Kai could see Zae Zin Nim watching anxiously and Omilaena arguing with one of the others. They would probably jump in if his life was at stake, but then all the demons would join in, and...


    "Let''s see how you handle this!" Gorutiel jabbed at the air a few times and a vast scythe of blood arched above his fist. When he took a real swing, Kai barely leapt back in time, even with the forewarning.


    There was a second scythe arcing toward him, which he met with his own Tyrant''s Claw. Kai had expected another swing, then to his surprise he saw the blood leave the demon''s fist and slash toward him on its own. It cut deep into his upper arm and Kai staggered back. His opponent was already lunging in, having formed more blood scythes, sweeping down on him.


    It had to be now. Kai used Void Gaze, not on his opponent but on his blood scythes. As they froze in place, Gorutiel shot ahead of them, stunned just long enough for Kai to stab out with another Tyrant''s Claw. This time his opponent twisted, dodging two of the claws, but the third went deep.


    Kai leapt back and focused Void Gaze on the demon himself. Gorutiel was bleeding profusely now, so every second he bled out increased Kai''s advantage. Yet as he watched, Gorutiel first rolled his shoulders, then cracked his neck, then took a step forward.


    "You had the right idea the first time." Gorutiel grinned savagely and took another step. "That can''t hold me."


    Kai''s eye sockets were aching already from the effort. If his opponent was an average person they would have been weakening, but C-rank Physique would give Gorutiel massive endurance and demons were probably inherently tough. This looked bad...


    Gorutiel crossed the distance between them and struck again, without his scythes. It had to be just a distraction, so Kai deflected the heavy punch, waiting for the real attack. Yet the other hand struck out, hitting the injury on his upper arm. The demon pulled back, holding his hand over his mouth and letting Kai''s blood dribble into his mouth.


    "That''s good... yet something''s not quite right..."


    Again the demon grabbed him, trying to stab fingers into his injury. This time Kai was ready and his teeth snapped closed. Isulfr''s Bite wasn''t strong enough to take off the demon''s arm, but a chunk of it vanished and the demon roared in pain.


    His response was too fast. Powerful hands grabbed Kai by the shoulders and... just lifted him into the air.


    "That''s fucking great!" Gorutiel was grinning now, shaking him violently. "You''re so much tougher than you look, how the fuck are you doing that?"


    "Uh... it''s a technique similar to the Savage Heart." Kai certainly wasn''t going to relax, not with a predatory demon right in front of him, but his focus on the battle had been thoroughly shaken.


    "Those transforming savages! Ha, I get it. How old are you, kid?"


    "Uh... about twenty-three?"


    Gorutiel lifted him by the shoulders again and shook him in the direction of the watching demons. "Look at this fucking kid! Got some real balls on him! Never mind what I said, put him off-limits."


    "Are you serious?" It was the short demoness again, glaring at them as she walked out of the room. "It''s your business, I guess. Stop wasting our time."


    Most of the others seemed to be leaving, except for some who just stayed in the large council chamber to talk or sleep. Troulon still lurked nearby, watching Omilaena, and could potentially be the larger threat. In fact, the polite man could be a bigger problem than the demon who had savagely attacked.


    Without warning, Gorutiel pulled Kai into a headlock - and then began knuckling his head. "Twenty-three! I wasn''t as strong as you until I was forty."


    "Uh, thanks?" Kai twisted out of the headlock and took a step back. The demon didn''t seem concerned by all his bleeding injuries, and thanks to Behemoth''s Heart, Kai could ignore them too. "So just like that, I''m not prey anymore?"


    "You bet! I won''t eat you... the others might, though!" Gorutiel laughed heartily. "But I want to make a deal. You know those Savage Creed fighters?"


    "Not well enough," Kai said. "I was traveling this way to talk to them and improve my own skills."


    "Ballsy, I like it! Wish you were part of the Creed, but I can work with this. I''ve always wanted to eat one of them, but they won''t let me get close enough. They might trust a human, though. Can you help me get closer? If you agree, I''ll actually protect all three of you. Security, so long as you''re here."


    It seemed like a real offer, if a poisonous one. Kai glanced back to his allies, who looked like they wanted to move closer but were staying quiet. Zae Zin Nim watched in silent distress, while Omilaena was staring as if trying to get information from him. He had no idea what to say to either of them. Having a demon as an ally might help them avoid getting attacked again, but would it mean consigning an innocent Savage Heart user to death? Then again, would refusing just make him an enemy again?


    "Thanks for the offer," Kai said. "Let me talk to my alli-"


    "No, decide! If the answer isn''t from your gut, it''s not worth anything!" Gorutiel stared at him with those unnatural red eyes. He didn''t look deceptive, just eager.


    Normally Kai wanted his word to be his bond, but right now he was dealing with a powerful and predatory species. The question wasn''t the final consequences of each decision, it was how much the immediate results would help them. Put that way, the right choice was obvious.


    "Alright, agreed."


    "Hah!" Gorutiel grabbed his hand and shook it violently.


    Kai smiled back and hoped he hadn''t just made a mistake.

 Chapter 279: Demonic Terms of Entry

    Even though they were standing in the halls of demonic power, most of the demons had left. What remained wasn''t even a symbol, it was just an empty shell: the demons'' rule over the Commonwealth had always been based on their personal overwhelming strength. The grand hall felt surreal as Kai walked through it to talk to his allies.


    "This could be worse," Omilaena said as soon as he arrived. "By far the best result would have been to be ignored entirely, but Troulon ruined that by recognizing me. Nothing is ever secure, with demons, but having their official sanction is as close as we can get."


    "Did you hear what he said?" Kai asked. "I was afraid it might make things worse for us, but I didn''t think that refusing would be a good idea..."


    "No, no, this is good. Having one of the stronger demons actually speaking for us is decent protection. You will have to actually work with him, though, and there''s a chance he''s just fattening you up to eat later."


    That had occurred to Kai too, but he doubted that was the case. Gorutiel was so strong he had no reason to use deception, and he certainly seemed straightforward. "Am I going to have to help kill a Savage Heart user, though?"


    "Just find a bad one and kill him," Zae Zin Nim said. "I don''t think we can trust the demons at all. That other one is probably going to attack me first chance she gets."


    "Oh yeah, Lilaetiel is definitely going to be a problem." Omilaena glanced back toward the emptying council chamber. "If we cut and run now, we could probably get out cleanly. Gain a little more strength on the way out of the Commonwealth and then go somewhere else. But that''s the easier option. The real power is right here, alongside the real risks."


    "That''s easy for you to say. You don''t have a demon drooling over your cultivation."


    "Did you see Troulon''s ability? He''s a Gray Demon now, and that means he eats minds. There''s a chance he still has some camaraderie left in him, but I bet he wants to eat me. We''re strong enough that all of us are potential targets. The question is whether the risk is worth it."


    "Let''s not make a final decision now," Kai suggested. "It''s been a long day and we''ve all been fighting. We can decide what to do after we sleep on it."


    It was hard to argue with such a suggestion, so they followed Kai outside and flew away in the diamond star. The city of Traeton was every bit as bright as it had been before, but now Kai''s attention was drawn to all the stark shadows cast by the lights. In some places there were almost none, but in between concentrations of lights the shadows cut across buildings like black knives.


    Even though he''d suggested they sleep first, when they returned to the inn none of them felt restful. The room was as luxurious as before, it just no longer seemed so cozy or secure. Eventually they all ended up in the sitting chairs, not yet speaking but all knowing what they had to decide.


    "What if Kai takes on the risk?" Omilaena eventually asked. "I''m asking both of you that, by the way."


    Kai shrugged. "My risk is working with Gorutiel? If he''s so interested in the Savage Creed, it sounds like he would have been a problem no matter how I try to get to them. I think it''s better to take the danger head on instead of letting it flank you."


    "Good. You''ll probably be safe due to him - except from him, of course - so the question is us. I think we could stick together and accomplish our objectives in tandem. I need information and Zae Zin Nim needs chakra... we can get both together. The two of us are strong enough that no single rogue demon can take us down, at least not quickly."


    Zae Zin Nim frowned in response. "That sounds good in theory, but I don''t trust your old friend. He could be planning something much worse."


    "I agree we can''t ignore him," Omilaena said. "Maybe Kai is right: face the danger head on. I''ll go speak with him directly. If he''s determined to be a problem, then yes, my plan might be unwise. But we shouldn''t retreat unless it''s strategic, and I think this is the time to advance."


    After a long pause, Zae Zin Nim turned to Kai. "You''re taking the largest risk, going alone with a demon. What do you think?"


    "I..." He hadn''t planned on this being all his decision, and after agreeing on his own he had sort of been assuming he''d stepped too far. But everywhere in the world seemed to include numerous risks, and this might be their best chance at the Commonwealth. "I think we should stay, at least unless something goes wrong. Given the way things are going in the north, this may be the least dangerous the Commonwealth will be in years."


    To his surprise they both nodded in response, as if there wasn''t going to be any more debate. Was it really that simple? As many threats as loomed around them, Kai was surprisingly warmed that they would trust him like that. Hopefully their trust was justified.


    .


    ..


    .


    After so many years Omilaena returned to the Great Library of Traebor, this time with two allies flanking her. She was stronger, but not so strong that she could force her way in, so it was time to see if building alliances was enough to gain her the power she needed.


    The Great Library was one of the only dark buildings in the city of Traeton. Aside from the gardens at the entrance, which were almost blindingly illuminated, the library itself was shielded from exterior light. From the outside she could still recognize all of the domes, each containing different subject matter. The thick buttressed walls did an excellent job absorbing sound, making the interior one of the few respites in a chaotic city.


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    Or a good place to murder someone, she supposed.


    When they entered the foyer, a pleasant-looking woman at the front desk regarded them nervously. "Hello. The library is only open to-"


    "Wait."


    Troulon appeared on the upper balcony level and slipped over the side to land on the marble floor. The receptionist wasn''t surprised by his leap, just relieved that she could edge away and not have to deal with the strange warriors who had just walked in. While she retreated, Troulon stalked toward them. He still wore those thick lenses, but the gray of his eyes behind them managed to make them menacing.


    "I thought I made myself clear earlier," Troulon said. "Unless you intend to fight your way inside, steal books, and flee the country, this is an extremely foolish idea."


    "That''s what you said verbally," Omilaena told him with exaggerated carelessness. "But what you ''made clear'' was that the old order doesn''t apply anymore. Did you work your way to being in charge of the Great Library through all the ordinary channels? Somehow I don''t think you did. So why should I still be banned?"


    "Don''t test me, Omi. You''re still stronger, but we both know that personal power only goes so far."


    "It isn''t like that at all." She stepped closer, almost brushing his chest and spoke quietly into his ear. "I saw the pecking order in that chamber. Are you really telling me that you''re doing fine on your own? You can afford to just turn down help?"


    He took a shuddering breath that surprised her - there was a part of him that wanted to attack her right then. But in the end she''d judged Troulon correctly and he sighed. "We can at least talk. Have your friends stand down and stop glaring threats at everyone."


    They moved several shelves deeper into the library, where the reflected light from the outside was absorbed in dark wood and leather spines. While they settled into comfortable chairs beside a reading table, Kai and Zae Zin Nim looked at books nearby, relaxed but ready to jump in if necessary. Troulon didn''t offer her anything to drink, because that would just be insulting to them both.


    "You''re here to get the books you never could before," he said as a start to the conversation. "Don''t even try to convince me otherwise."


    "Wouldn''t dream of it." Omilaena tapped her fingernails on the table just slightly off rhythm to distract him. "What about you, Troulon? You saw a chance to jump some ranks by eating people and you just couldn''t resist? I never realized you were that ambitious."


    "It wasn''t like that." Troulon sagged back in his chair and ran hands through his thinning hair. "These demons worry me, Omi. The Great Library has survived hundreds of conquerors, but they might burn it down if they thought it would benefit them. Someone had to stand up and advocate for the records. If I hadn''t joined... there''s no telling what might have happened."


    "They seem a fractious bunch. Sure you can wrangle them yourself?"


    "Wrangle? Of course not. But I don''t think letting you get involved will help."


    "What obligation do you have to them that would be helped by keeping me out? We''re going to be here, whether you like it or not. At least let me know the political balance."


    "That''s... confidential information."


    "Come on, Troulon. What do you think I am, a spy for an enemy nation?" Omilaena put a hand to her chest, emphasizing her cleavage, and saw his eyes flicker down just briefly. "When have I ever given a shit about any of that sort of thing?"


    "Heh, I suppose that''s true." Troulon shook his head slowly. "I honestly never thought I''d see you again. I figured you''d die in Deadwaste."


    "I had a more or less similar thought."


    "You really aren''t searching for anything to undermine the current order?"


    "Just my old theories about power." Omilaena shifted her smile a notch toward self-deprecation. "They might be crackpot, but I think I''ve gained enough experience for some real scholarship."


    Troulon watched her for a while, still cautious. When he finally spoke he didn''t address her direct request, but he did turn to politics. Diversions were convenient when you were equally fine with either path.


    "It''s all based on Matiavel, of course," he said. "He''s everything the rumors say, definitely equal to the other great powers. But personally, he doesn''t care about anything but his own strength. The only policies he ever intervenes on have to do with how to... you remember the treatise about extremely powerful forces?"


    "Optimization-based mutually assured destruction, sure."


    "Right. He doesn''t get involved or work with the rest, so I couldn''t tell you exactly what he wants or what he''s trying to do."


    She actually knew more than him about this, then, but Omilaena smiled as if that was useful information. Instead of tapping her fingernails against the table, she began tracing back and forth instead.


    "There are several weaker factions, including the scholars led by me," Troulon continued. "For example, a delegation that handles Flaeren Dominion affairs. And there are some independents like Gorutiel, who just have their pet projects and don''t get involved."


    "So who are the real players?"


    "The artisan unions are as critical as always. There are multiple demons working with them, including Lilaetiel strangely enough. She''s pushing them toward something, I''m not sure what. Then of course the Commonwealth Trade Guild is a major power. It was neutral until recently, when new leadership started moving in an increasingly extractive direction."


    That was all valuable intelligence, both for keeping herself alive and potentially trading to the elves. But Omilaena didn''t want to look too interested, so she smirked and returned to her other interest. "None of them sound particularly dedicated to keeping one innocent woman out of the library."


    "Innocent?" Troulon barked a laugh. "Look, I''m willing to consider it, but not for free. I need your help preserving the library and dealing with some of the other demons. I know you don''t care about the books in the same way I do, but if you put in some time, I''ll bend the rules for you to get what you want."


    "Deal." Omilaena extended her hand and patted his arm. Once again he gave a shiver and she lowered her voice. "What''s it like, being a Gray Demon?"


    "Normally it''s worth it." He rubbed his forehead and turned away. "I''m sharper now, and I can remember so much. With normal people there''s no trouble controlling it. But then I saw you again and... don''t worry, I''ll remain controlled. Demonic draining processes are horribly inefficient, anyway."


    "That''s so kind of you!" She beamed as if he wasn''t discussing killing and eating her.


    They negotiated the basics of their deal, which would require her to support the library in return for books. Considering that she needed to do a lot of preliminary research in order to find the obscure texts she needed, it wouldn''t slow her down much. The much greater problem was keeping herself and her allies intact during the search.


    As she walked back to the others, Omilaena glanced back at her old comrade one more time. He''d been a quiet, disciplined man. If even he struggled to contain his demonic ability...


    One of her plans had been to acquire a demonic art herself, since she could think of several that would potentially work together with her skills. But after seeing Troulon so vulnerable to his own appetites, she''d changed her mind. Even if her mental control was better, she couldn''t afford a weakness like that. Which meant that one of her main plans to advance was closed and she needed knowledge more than ever.


    When she returned to the others she saw them watching her coolly. She''d just made a deal with a demon, after all, and even though Kai had done the same not long ago, he knew it wasn''t the same. Zae Zin Nim was always hard to read, but there was suspicion in those dark eyes. If she needed to make compromises here, she risked pushing both of them further away...


    Kai smirked. "Omi?"


    "It''s obviously an old nickname," Omilaena snapped, but she had to swallow a smile. "If you use it, I will poison you."


    "You''re pretty likely to do that anyway."


    One thing, at least, had gone well. But as Omilaena looked over her shoulder at the Great Library retreating behind them, she wondered just how much blood lay between her and her goal.

 Chapter 280: Chasing Down the Savage Creed

    When Kai left the capital to head into the eastern wilderness, he was glad for multiple reasons. "Civilization" no longer felt so safe now that he''d met the demons on the prowl, he was impatient to move forward, and he was getting restless anyway. He wasn''t built to sit around inns, not when he could be hunting through open fields.


    His only concern was that he had to leave Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena behind. Of course they could take care of themselves, and his cooperation with Gorutiel was actually helping shield them from other demons, but it still rankled. Until they achieved the breakthroughs they''d been struggling toward, they were all vulnerable.


    Given the scale of power on Rosemount, they''d still be vulnerable afterward. But at least the odds wouldn''t be so stacked against them.


    So far, after several days in the wilderness, he hadn''t run across a single follower of the Savage Creed. He wasn''t really surprised, since if they were so easy to find then Gorutiel would already have eaten one. What bothered him more was that he''d seen so few monsters. Somehow he''d reverted to his default assumptions and forgotten that the Commonwealth wasn''t overrun.


    Even though he thought about this space as wilderness, it was just wild, not barren. In fact, back in Goralia soil like this would have been considered good farmland, and the chakra itself would have made it valuable territory. The result was that there was plenty of foliage and he rarely got a perfect line of sight. It would have been convenient to have the diamond star, but he thought the others had more need for it. So he had to wander, searching with his raw senses.


    When he finally stumbled across a monster it was almost random. Kai rounded a corner and saw a squat beast that looked like a mouth on two legs. It might have had stealth abilities, because he hadn''t noticed it, but the enormous jaws certainly suggested attacking power. Since it had sensed him and started to turn, he attacked quickly to injure it before it could draw on any abilities.


    His Tyrant''s Claw split it into slices of meat. Kai stared in surprise as they slumped to the ground.


    Since he was particularly hungry for monsters, he bent down and swallowed the remnants in one bite, but it only told him what he already knew.


    <


    Monster: Mouthbeast


    Threat: II (Beta)


    >


    It was a Beta-ranked monster, which was basically nothing to him now. Even if he ate a hundred of them, their essence wouldn''t be worth anything. Kai was so disappointed that it wrecked his mood for the rest of the day.


    Because there was so much ground to cover, he shifted in an aerial ability and the Thunderbird essence just to move faster. As another day passed without anything worthwhile to hunt, he began to think about ways to finalize the Thunderbird essence even though he thought it was premature. He realized that the real threat of boredom wasn''t the lack of progress, it was the potential that it might push him to advance too quickly.


    But the next day he finally spotted it: a bull half the size of a house, with shining golden horns that flowed with chakra. Golden hooves sparked as they struck the ground, then it bowled over a much smaller monster until it was trampled to death. At first Kai was just impressed by the sublime beast until he thought to examine its spirit:


    <


    Beast: Golden Bull


    Total Power: 192


    Gold Essence: 88


    Physique: E-5 (95)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    It had an impressive 192 Power, and unlike the pegasi, it actually had a Physique ranking. Kai didn''t have any injections from Omilaena, because he had thought there would be more monsters than sacred beasts, but he was damn hungry. He might as well eat the bull and see if he could absorb its essence.


    When he walked closer the golden bull noticed him and turned, snorting and stamping its hoof again. Kai grinned and set his feet, ready to grasp those horns when it charged. The golden bull hesitated... and then it suddenly turned and ran in the opposite direction.


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    "Hey!" Kai growled and rushed after it, aiming to run it down. The bull was fast for such a large beast, but not compared to him. All that slowed him down was how it ducked and weaved around the rocks and trees filling the countryside.


    So when a rock next got in his way, Kai ran off the side to hurl himself into the air. For a moment he sailed overhead, catching up to the golden bull - and then he saw the arrow.


    Kai instinctively grabbed it out of the air, but the arrow was filled with chakra. The raw force of it jerked him backwards and he slammed into the ground. He sprang back up with the arrow in hand, turning toward the source and ready for another attack.


    "That''s my prey." A man emerged carrying a bow almost as large as he was. He was lean and had a massive mane of hair that brought to mind a lion. All his clothing was rough, as if it had been stitched from animal hides. After all the golden linen in the Commonwealth, Kai found it pleasantly nostalgic, almost like a touch of home.


    "I didn''t see you there," Kai said simply. "Is there an etiquette for hunting here?"


    "We hunt what we want, when we want. But the strong hunt and the weak do not."


    Checking his overconfidence, Kai glanced at the man''s soul and saw that he had around 350 Power. More importantly, he had the Savage Heart ability - his true power might be higher, but Kai mainly cared because he''d finally reached his target.


    "You follow the Savage Creed, don''t you?" Kai asked. "I''ve been looking for you."


    "Run back to the city or I''ll shoot you again."


    "Wait." Kai pulled the fang he''d received from the last Savage Creed follower from his spatial ring and thrust it into the air. "The last time I met one of you, he gave me this and sent me here. I need to learn from you."


    For the first time the hunter looked a little uncertain, but then he sneered. "Then one of us must have grown weak, or maybe he got drunk and you took it off him. I''ll let you go, but don''t come back. This is my hunt."


    With that, the man turned away and began running after the golden bull. After their conversation, it had run further away... but not far enough.


    Kai drew on his full speed and nearly flew across the wilderness, outpacing first the hunter and then the golden bull. His body strained with the effort to push himself to the limit, but his hunger was growling to finally be chasing down quarry. When he got close he took a final leap and let his aerial abilities take over, guiding him to the golden bull''s head.


    When he grasped the horns he braced himself for some sort of counterattack, but the bull seemed shocked. Its horns contained dense chakra but nothing particularly lethal. Kai kept moving over its head and as soon as his feet hit the ground, he used his leverage to lift the bull overhead and slam it into the ground.


    Not dead, though it would have been easy to kill, just stunned. Kai waited by the body until the hunter caught up. This time the man''s expression was much less contemptuous and he didn''t carry his bow with an arrow nocked. When Kai took a step toward him, the man actually lowered it.


    "Doesn''t the Savage Creed involve taking what you want?" Kai gestured toward the golden bull''s heaving sides. "I''ll take everything you hunt unless you send me somewhere else."


    "I''m no teacher, especially for barbarians."


    Apparently Kai was still a barbarian even to a man wearing animal hides. He didn''t back down, though, and he saw the hunter relent.


    "Some of us meet further northeast when there''s a full moon. Take this." The hunter removed a fang from somewhere in his tunic and tossed it over. "They''re the ones who might train you, but there''s no guarantee they''ll accept. Strength alone isn''t enough for the Savage Heart. You need to have the spirit for it, and most don''t."


    "Thanks," Kai said. He was sorely tempted to follow the Savage Creed by eating the golden bull anyway, but there was no reason to antagonize potential allies. Besides, it wasn''t that strong.


    He left the hunter behind, though when he glanced over his shoulder he saw that the man was kicking the golden bull back up instead of killing it. Either he wanted the chase itself, there was some sort of honor for sacred beasts, or he was just stubborn. In any case, it wasn''t Kai''s problem anymore.


    As he moved, Kai pulled both fangs out of his spatial ring and compared them. They were slightly different shapes and ringed with different shades of paint. Part of him wondered if he could just kill some animal with similar fangs to make his own tokens, but that probably wouldn''t work. He could feel different chakra in each, and given how personal chakra could be, they were likely unique.


    One fang had only earned him a bare minimum of respect, but presumably two would be better. Kai could keep finding and challenging hunters, if it eventually got him the power he needed.


    That night Kai was setting up for rest when he suddenly felt a dark presence. Gorutiel loomed nearby, more dangerous than any predator in the wilderness, and for a moment Kai thought he might attack.


    "You need more fangs?" he asked. After thrusting a hand into some sort of spatial bag, he thrust it out with a fang necklace covered in blood. "I accidentally killed one of them and took this. Seems like they use them as ranks or something."


    "Are you watching me?" Kai asked.


    "Nah, can''t do that. But I decided to show up and I saw you at the end there."


    "Well, I think we''d better not cheat, just in case the chakra can detect it somehow." Kai showed the two fangs he''d earned. "I have two and I''ll earn more. I don''t think I can reach the Savage Heart in a-"


    "Don''t worry about it!" Gorutiel took a lunging step closer and slapped him on the shoulder. "You don''t get any satisfying prey in a day or two. I could run back and eat that guy, but it''d be pointless. Nothing like that fills me anymore."


    For a moment Kai wondered if he actually had more in common with demons than humans. This didn''t seem like the time to ask, though. Gorutiel might be grinning, but his eyes gleamed with ominous light. His patience might not last forever, and when it ran out, the cheerfulness might vanish just as suddenly.


    "Do you need anything, then?" Kai asked.


    "Just checking in." Gorutiel gave him a sharp-toothed grin and then disappeared into a cloud of dark smoke. Did they have a teleporter ally, or could he do that too?


    After that Kai was again alone in the wilderness, and technically another major step closer to gaining the Savage Heart. But that solitude was no longer so comforting.

 Chapter 281: Meeting the Savage Creed Elders

    Now that he had a target, Kai made much faster progress. There wasn''t much in this wilderness that could stop him outside of other people, since the greatest challenge seemed to be actually tracking the sacred beasts. A few like the golden bull were obvious, but others were quick and subtle. Over the next week he saw another Savage Creed user, but she didn''t let him get close.


    As he traveled far to the northeast he began to worry that he''d missed the meeting point, especially since a full moon was coming up in days. Then he finally spotted a circle of stones, each standing five times his height, and realized this had to be the place. Massive symbols had been drawn roughly on the sides, as if by an ancient claw. If the Savage Creed members were going to meet anywhere, he wasn''t surprised that it was a place like this.


    Since the moon wasn''t quite full yet, Kai camped nearby and returned to his usual training. Since he hadn''t been pushed to his limits recently, it was easy to slip into an obsessive routine that maximized every single minute of the day. Physique training with breaks spent cultivating, chakra absorption balanced by working on the Thunderbird essence. It wasn''t quite perfect, he felt like he was missing something, but at least he was making progress.


    Then the others started to appear. Just two others at first, keeping their distance, but he noticed their Savage Heart abilities even at range. Since they hadn''t really started to gather and made no moves toward him, Kai continued his routine and waited.


    It was a powerful bunch, especially assuming they hid a significant portion of their power within special transformations. Only about 30% women, though, which was more unbalanced than usual. Even the demons had more women. Kai wasn''t sure if he was actually making a meaningful observation or if it had just been way too long since he''d been with anyone.


    Many of the older and stronger members had Power around 400 or 500, which was probably even higher when they showed their transformations. But a surprising number were younger, with only 200 or so Power and low Soul Levels. Kai was completely confident he was stronger than them, even using only his human abilities. Many of them seemed to be trainees, wearing necklaces that held between one and three fangs - the older members didn''t seem to wear theirs.


    Eventually, the day before the full moon, two of them approached him. A man even more muscular than Kai with shaggy black hair and a woman whose stitched leathers revealed the most cut abs Kai had ever seen on a woman.


    "This is no place for outsiders," the woman told him sternly. "Leave."


    "I''m here to stop being an outsider." Kai had strung the two fangs he''d earned on a cord and held it aloft. "I want to learn the Savage Heart."


    "But not follow the Savage Creed?" The man snarled at him, his face actually distorting with an animal jaw momentarily. "We have no room for your kind."


    "You want me to lie to you? I didn''t think this was a creed for conformists. I''m here for power, and if you won''t cooperate, I''ll try to take it."


    That made the woman chuckle. "You have to know you''re outmatched, but I admire your spunk. My name is Tyorcut. I teach many of the younger hunters. You''ve started to prove yourself, but you have further to go."


    "He isn''t cut out for it." The man scowled at his partner and then reluctantly introduced himself. "I''m Krugbash, head of this circle. You can show yourself tonight and howl at the moon."


    "I''m Kai," he said. "Those names are new to me."


    "We choose our own when we choose our new lives. No more chatter. Tonight you''ll prove yourself or you won''t."


    Kai had to wonder if he''d literally meant howling at the moon or whether it was some local metaphor. The Alltongue Fruit handled translation perfectly, but it couldn''t remove all ambiguity. As the two of them left to go join others in the circle of stones, Kai examined their souls.


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    <


    Name: Krugbash


    Total Power: 428


    Savage Heart: 19 (192)


    Physique: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    <


    Name: Tyorcut


    Total Power: 522


    Savage Heart: 16 (165)


    Fierce Yoni: Amber Rank (98)


    Physique: D-2 (210)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    >


    He was surprised to see that Tyorcut had 522 power while Krugbash only had 428, since he''d said he was some sort of leader. Assuming their savage forms added around 200, they were both formidable, but he supposed it was possible that as a Savage Heart specialist his form would add even more. Yet his Soul Level was lower... Kai decided there was no sense trying to figure out all the details when in theory they could be training him soon.


    After the sun set the moon shone far brighter than the previous night, so intensely that the standing stones cast ghostly shadows. Some of the Savage Creed followers gathered together, but the strongest leapt to the top of the stones - ten of them, perhaps ten leaders. They seemed to be communing in some way and Kai wasn''t sure if he was interrupting some sort of ritual, but he still walked out into the circle.


    "We have a guest who seeks to join the Savage Creed!" Krugbash shouted over the others, who settled down and looked toward Kai. "You believe you have what it takes to kindle a Savage Heart?"


    "I do," Kai said. Instead of looking at the leader, he turned slowly, meeting the gaze of all the men and women who stared at him. "I''ve traveled across two continents to meet you." That was stretching the truth, but he was getting the sense that the Savage Creed was vulnerable to flattery.


    "Then show us your spirit! Draw on the beast inside you and howl at the moon!"


    Kai hesitated, wondering if they were mocking him. In a way it would be a relief if this savage barbarian routine was just a pretense and they''d all relax after the initial ruse. Yet the leaders raised their heads and begin to howl, some of them even shifting their heads into wolf-like forms. They were definitely using their chakra in a way he hadn''t felt before and he had no idea how to copy it.


    Still, he could only do his best. Kai threw back his head and howled.


    In that moment he felt something tremble inside his spirit, his chakra reacting in a new way. Usually chakra was imbued in physical materials, but now he felt as if he was absorbing something from the moonlight itself. When it ended he was trembling in anticipation... and yet a part of him knew what he was going to hear.


    "Nice try." Krugbash sneered down at him from atop his pillar. "You aren''t chosen of the moon, you don''t have the ferocity, and you''re infected by the weakness of civilization. Run back home, boy."


    Years ago Kai would have been crushed, but by now he was an old hand at being denied by fate. He raised the two fangs he''d earned for them all to see. "I don''t care. I see you have younger members no stronger than me, still in training. If you believe I don''t have what it takes, prove it. Throw the same challenges at me and see if I fail."


    His rebuttal seemed to earn a few nods from those watching, though there was some resentment from the younger Savage Creed followers. Kai lowered his fist but not his gaze, willing Krugbash to deny him. The other man sneered, but he did answer.


    "You have no idea what you''re facing. To obtain a true Savage Heart, you need to climb the Death Bluff without chakra, hunt the twelve great beasts, survive a mortal blow, perfect the savage roar, and kindle your heart. We''ll send you back home whimpering."


    "Survive a mortal blow?" Kai raised an eyebrow. "That sounds like a cheap trick to me. If I survive, it obviously wasn''t a mortal blow. Is that the sort of cheap trick you play here?"


    That got a few laughs from those around the stones. Krugbash growled and leapt down to stand opposite him. He obviously wanted to loom, but Kai was too tall and didn''t back up.


    "Do not mock us!" Krugbash raised a fist. "The challenge means to endure a blow from a true Savage Heart, without defense. If you don''t have the courage to-"


    "Then do it. Right now."


    Kai had just been intending to rile the other man up, but Krugbash actually struck immediately. As his fist flew forward, it twisted into the jaws of a snake, which were going straight for his throat. It looked like he was really going for a killing blow, not something that any of the young trainees around them could have survived. But even the lashing snake seemed to be moving a bit slowly to Kai and he decided to take the blow.


    The fangs punched deep into his flesh and it seemed like Krugbash tried to tear out his throat. Kai jerked away from the final movement, avoiding the tearing motion. His throat was in bad shape and there was blood spurting from his neck where the artery had been cut.


    Kai reached up and put his hand over the spurts of blood. He stood there, willing Behemoth''s Heart to focus on recovery, without ever breaking the other man''s gaze. Krugbash looked a bit shocked, and based on the murmuring the blow had been too brutal. Some of them started to move toward him curiously, so he needed to act.


    His throat was still too damaged to speak easily, but his artery had healed over. Kai removed his hand, covered in his own blood, and extended it to Krugbash. The Savage Heart leader stared for several heartbeats, then snarled and hurled a fang at him.


    To buy time, Kai carefully strung the fang with the other two and then raised all three over his head.


    "I don''t care what you say about my spirit," he told them. "I''ll be back next month."

 Chapter 282: Deep Study of Dual Cultivation

    Libraries had never been Zae Zin Nim''s natural habitat. Of course the Brightwind Sect had a huge archive, including many techniques in addition to histories, volumes of poetry, and family records. But those were for scribes and junior members, not her. When she needed something, someone of less importance would go fetch it for her.


    Thus when she''d found out that she''d be primarily confined to the library in Traeton, she hadn''t been pleased. The logic that they needed to stay together was sound, certainly, so she figured she''d find a corner and simply cultivate the entire time.


    To her surprise, reading proved to be remarkably absorbing. Now that there wasn''t a highly polished path set before her, she needed to learn so much more. The cultivation texts in Rosemount might not be as sophisticated as those from home, but she found a great many that made her reflect on the fundamentals of her own practice. There were, perhaps, some details that she had not fully considered.


    Most of her reading, however, involved looking forward to new advancements in arts she didn''t fully understand. She was cultivating an increasing amount of yin chakra that had yet to actually join her power, just waiting for the proper rituals and outlet. Choosing that could be as important as choosing her original path, and since she hadn''t actually chosen that...


    Rosemount certainly had expertise on chakra, and the Commonwealth appeared to have extra focus on pure chakra arts. The trouble, to be blunt, was how lewd so many of the different abilities were. For Zae Zin Nim, dual cultivation was not a matter to be discussed freely, just like all matters of the bedroom. Yet here they wrote entire books on it complete with pictures that made her heat up if she looked at them for too long. Which she did not.


    Just as with qi, chakra artists understood the duality of male and female, yang and yin. For her entire life she had been building up that femininity, which meant she carried an abundance of yin energy. That might benefit her in many ways, but it had to be preserved carefully.


    There were actually shocking techniques she''d never considered. She read about something called the "Eternal Yin" where a woman renounced her sexuality and it became impossible for her to ever lose yin energy. Instead she became something that was feminine and yet not really a woman, a being that retreated further from humanity as she advanced. There was also an Eternal Yang, though she struggled to believe that men would ever choose such a thing.


    When she had been younger and terrified of men who wanted to possess her, that option might have appealed to her. Now, however, she finally had a man that she wanted to share her life with. In theory they could dual cultivate, sharing yin and yang so that both benefited, but it required special techniques. And now she had no choice but to learn.


    What had always terrified her was having a partner who took everything and gave nothing, using her as a human cauldron to generate yin energy. The perverse thing about cultivating her femininity - and it did seem perverse now that she thought about it - was that the further she advanced the more of a target she made herself. For a woman like her, every man was a potential demon.


    She was relieved to read that mutually beneficial dual cultivation wasn''t difficult. Indeed it was closer to the default, though apparently doing it efficiently was challenging. The details of qi flow were fascinating and the physical details were mortifying, but she needed to understand both for the future.


    According to most of the books on Rosemount, which contradicted what she''d been taught, virginity itself was less important than the first sharing of yin or yang. Apparently the initial release of that stored energy could be explosive, far more powerful than ordinary dual cultivation. That meant that she and Kai couldn''t simply give in to carnal feelings, they needed to prepare and do everything properly.


    Figuring out what exactly that meant was more of a challenge. She had been told what a dutiful girl should do, but especially now that she had so much yin chakra along with her qi, she thought that other techniques could be even more potent. The trouble was that there were just so many.


    Of course she didn''t spend all her time on such matters. In part because there was so much else she needed to do, and in part because she refused to let the librarians or anyone else catch her reading such obscene material. However, she did find it strangely relieving to open this box that for so long had been labeled as humiliating and inappropriate.


    Weeks into her research, she stumbled across a dual cultivation technique that was so preposterous it left her spluttering. There was no choice anymore - she had to ask.


    Zae Zin Nim clutched the book to her stomach so it wasn''t obvious and returned to Omilaena. She always stayed within range of the other woman just in case one of the demons decided to attack. That could be troublesome at times, as Omilaena moved all around the library in strange patterns. Then again, it had also brought her to many sections she would never have found on her own.


    For a moment she hesitated, watching Omilaena and wondering what the other woman was trying to research. Half of her time seemed to be doing work for the library, but she was also using it to track down something more esoteric. It didn''t seem like there was any single book that would contain the answer, it was more like a truth scattered across many.


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    "What are you researching?" Zae Zin Nim asked. When she looked over Omilaena''s shoulder, the book contained a diagram of the human body, but unlike all the shameful drawings Zae Zin Nim had seen recently, this one was clearly solely anatomical.


    "I''m trying to figure out Physique." Omilaena was so deep in her thoughts that she didn''t even look up. "The diagram I found, and most systems of the world, have Physique as a separate source of power. But virtually everything overlaps with it - even the most spiritual cultivation changes the body."


    "Is that surprising? We can hardly take action without having some effect on our bodies."


    "But what''s the fundamental Physique that''s distinct from it all? Every power or skill in the world includes techniques, but no one claims that ''Technique'' is a meaningful category on its own." Omilaena finally sat back and rubbed her eyes. "It might be fruitless. I want to believe that if I can understand this piece, I can distinguish the other categories too, but there''s no guarantee I''m right."


    "I see."


    "Alright, I can see you want to ask something. What is it?"


    "Do..." Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath and then opened the book to the page she''d seen. "Do m-men really enjoy this s-sort of thing?"


    Omilaena stared at her for a second, and it looked like she was going to laugh, but she swallowed her reaction with some effort. "Some do. I see you''re getting into the dual cultivation books."


    "It is prudent and necessary because of my yin chakra." Zae Zin Nim looked one more time and then closed the book so she didn''t have to think about such things. "I''ve stored up so much yin energy, this is a great opportunity for me. I need to use it carefully."


    "You''re aware of other options?"


    "Like the Eternal Yin or subsuming the energy myself? Yes, but that is... is not what I seek."


    It was always difficult to read Omilaena''s face. At first it had been because she lied so constantly and easily, but things had shifted between them. There were hidden depths in the other woman''s eyes, as if she was always holding something back. Could she not understand these sorts of vulnerable emotions? At least she wasn''t mocking or teasing too much.


    "Useful or fun as all that might be," Omilaena said with a slight smile, "it''s a distraction. You intend to fuse your gathered chakra and all your yin energy into a new capacity. That''s a good choice. But what do you want to gain from that capacity?"


    "Strength." She was surprised at how immediately she answered, but she had come up with her answer amid all of the more salacious reading. "I know soft martial arts that are most effective at damaging internal organs, but we have met many opponents who are resistant. I can already strike at a distance with qi, and my mana defends me, so I want chakra to make me stronger up close."


    "That''s tactically sound, too." Omilaena lunged so fast that Zae Zin Nim almost flinched, but she was just grabbing a book from a high shelf. Her expression was less ambiguous now, more engaged. "Look at this for an example. In the Coiled Empire they have a ritual where a lamia advances from ''girl'' to ''woman'' and it results in a large increase in strength. I doubt you''ll want that one, but it''s an example."


    "I see." It seemed to be from a very different culture, but at least this ritual wasn''t so explicit.


    "If your goal is strength, you could try using yang to reinforce yin. That might sound like nonsense, but take a look at this..."


    Zae Zin Nim naively took the book and promptly gasped. The diagram had not two but three people. "That... it... it isn''t dual cultivation if there aren''t two people!"


    Omilaena raised an eyebrow. "That''s why we call them tantric arts, and even some on Cloudspire refer to shared or partner cultivation for the same reason. I see you haven''t gotten too far into the books."


    Trying to get her blush under control, Zae Zin Nim shrank back. Omilaena was smiling a little at her expense, but something in her eyes was strange. At least it wasn''t predatory... it occurred to Zae Zin Nim that Omilaena had completely stopped that sort of teasing after she''d shared her fear of being used as a human cauldron. That was kinder and more understanding than she had expected.


    "If you want to be all virginal and monogamous, we could always aim big." Omilaena flipped through another book and then showed her a page that was, surprisingly, not anything inappropriate. "This place is called the Kama Altar. One of the great artifacts of the Commonwealth, built to work with yin and yang energy. If you have enough preparation, you could get the strength you want here."


    According to the text, this altar might be exactly what she needed. It would require her to provide the chakra training, but the result would be vastly amplified. And it seemed to help both partners, so Kai would also benefit. This thought pulled her back to everything else she''d seen and Zae Zin Nim forcefully shoved those thoughts away.


    Instead she looked at Omilaena and, after much hesitation, decided to ask the question that had been on her mind. "Why are you so dismissive of love and... all of that? Didn''t you ever want to give your yin gift to someone you loved?"


    "I was a girl when it was taken from me." Omilaena''s voice wasn''t emotional, wasn''t flat, wasn''t anything - she might as well have remarked that it was raining. "Not an exploitative cultivation situation like you fear, just because I was a slave and I didn''t have a choice. Some people might think that means I don''t have value, but frankly I''m skeptical of theirs."


    "Oh..." Zae Zin Nim wondered briefly if this could be another lie, but she didn''t want to believe that Omilaena would lie about something like that. "I don''t know what to say. I''m sorry."


    "Eh." Even though Omilaena shrugged, now Zae Zin Nim was fairly sure that it was an affectation. There was deeper pain in her, not simply this but more than she''d only brushed up against. "It''s in the past. Just maybe ease off on the usual Cloudspire talk, alright?"


    "I don''t... I don''t think you''re any lesser because of what happened to you, Omilaena. I hated you at first, but I... actually like you now. I''m glad we met you."


    The words seemed heavier than they should have been for reasons she couldn''t put into words. Zae Zin Nim stared at the other woman, wondering if she''d said the right thing. So many things in the world were so much more complex than she''d believed. This was all more than she wanted to deal with, but just like all the threats against them, they couldn''t retreat.


    "I''m glad too." Omilaena''s mask suddenly disappeared, or perhaps was replaced, by a more usual grin. "Now, if you want to talk about chakra cultivation, why don''t we make some real plans?"

 Chapter 283: Hunting Moon Scorpions

    Kai''s muscles screamed as he forced his hand upward, gripping the next protruding rock. The climb should have been easy, but the beast hides wrapped around his limbs choked off his spiritual strength. Chakra, qi, and even mana were useless to him as he struggled up the side of the Death Bluff.


    Even though he was used to working his body hard, when he finally reached over the top and pulled himself up, relief flooded through him. He crawled to a better position and dropped onto his back, his chest heaving as he recovered.


    An older woman crouched down beside him, regarding him thoughtfully. Her name was Firtrim and she seemed to be the Savage Creed''s Physique specialist, with an impressive C-5 rank. She was also one of the only ones he actually liked, so he hoped that his climb had been good enough. This was the third time she''d sent him up the side of the Death Bluff in the past month.


    "You pass, of course." Firtrim dropped a fang with dark purple paint onto his chest. "Honestly, you should have passed the first time."


    "I wondered about that." Kai picked up the fang and forced himself to sit up even though his torso muscles groaned in complaint.


    "Krugbash told us to truly challenge you. I don''t have to obey him, but when you got up the Bluff on your first try, I wondered just how far you could be pushed. But there''s nothing more you can learn from me now."


    "Are you sure? Your Physique is so much higher than mine..."


    "Nothing but decades spent feeding my Savage Heart." Firtrim shook her head. "Focus on your other tasks."


    "Alright." He began stringing the fang onto his cord with all the others. "It''s almost the next full moon... if I don''t complete them all, will Krugbash block me from learning more?"


    Firtrim laughed. "Our acolytes are considered fast if they earn one fang per month. Most of them take at least five years to complete all the challenges, and there are some carrying Savage Hearts who never finished them all." She laughed again and jumped off the edge of the bluff.


    Currently Kai''s cord had eight fangs: he''d blown through the Death Bluff and the "Savage Roar" had proved to be similar to mana exercises he already knew. At every step along the way, he''d proved himself and won new fangs. So far he''d hunted eleven out of the twelve great beasts, which had taken more of his time since he needed to learn their patterns.


    That left the last great beast, which seemed to only be hunted at certain times... and the heart kindling. Kai thought that Krugbash was blocking him there, because no one would give him all the information about the heart ability. It sounded like that was actually the last step to obtaining the Savage Heart power.


    Only two days left until the next full moon, so it all came down to whether or not he could hunt the last of the great beasts. Fortunately, the next day he managed to spot a clustering of the trainees, as some of the older hunters had suggested would happen. He caught up to them in time to see Tyorcut arrive and speak to the group.


    "The moon scorpions are dangerous prey," she told them, "and the most venomous of the twelve great beasts. They can be lured out near any full moon, but we perform the rituals only rarely. If you fail now, this is your last chance for three months."


    The acolytes moved closer together, most watching hungrily. There was a dynamic he didn''t fully understand, but it shouldn''t matter for hunting these moon scorpions. He had spoken to some of the other trainees and not particularly connected with any of them. Even though they were about his age, many actually several years older, they might as well be from a different world.


    "If you successfully kill one, you''ll be a step closer to a Savage Heart. If you''re stung, you will definitely die. If you manage to perform excellently... maybe you''ll get a reward from me." She said this last one with a smile and many of the trainees roared.


    They were all boisterous and arrogant, but they didn''t seem particularly strong to Kai. The majority of them just had power glutted on the chakra of Rosemount, not much in the way of experience. Surprisingly low Soul Levels for people supposedly surviving out in the wilderness. He wondered if it was just some quirk of fate that this group had developed a power he needed so much.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    As the moon rose that night, older hunters began beating great drums and the young group spread out over a massive field. It looked simply lumpy to Kai before he realized that he was seeing the entrances to some sort of hive or at least tunnel. Could all of those contain scorpions? If so, the hunt would be almost insultingly easy, just a fight.


    The moon scorpions proved rarer than that and the hunters spread out over the field until not many were ever in sight at the same time. Kai once spotted a light blue scorpion emerge in the distance, but several hunters set upon it. They actually fought with one another first, which resulted in one of them being struck by the stinger.


    There was a younger man coming after him, so Kai turned back to him. "If you''re thinking of doing the same thing, think again."


    "It''s not like that!" The young man quickly lowered his spear. "I just want to watch how you hunt. You''ve hunted the other sublime beasts so quickly, faster than anyone... I think I can learn something."


    "Where I come from, there are more monsters than magical beasts," Kai said. He wasn''t sure if the other man was telling the truth, but it didn''t hurt to be open. "Some of the same skills apply, but not all."


    "I won''t steal your kill. I promise."


    They moved together over the knolls and pits. Kai explained a few tricks, but he couldn''t exactly admit that he was navigating by monstrous hunger. Most of the scorpions seemed to be deeper in the tunnels, but as they moved forward, he felt a couple crawl out to their left. Instead of saying anything, he pretended not to notice, just to see if his companion would say anything.


    "Th-there!" The younger man thrust out his spear. "Two of them!"


    "It feels like there are even more moving up," Kai told him, since he''d been honest. "Stay back and don''t touch anything. The ground is unstable here."


    Kai prowled toward the moon scorpions, which scuttled in his direction as soon as they saw him. Unlike ordinary animals, these sacred beasts were half his size and attacked immediately. He met the first one with a Tyrant''s Claw, tearing it apart and leaving only a stinger to take back as a trophy.


    The second rushed in to sting him, but Kai grabbed the stinger out of the air. He decided that he didn''t care if anyone was watching and consumed the scorpion with Isulfr''s Bite. Its essence surged within him... but burned away, consumed. That was closer than he''d ever gotten with a sacred beast before, but it seemed he couldn''t quite absorb their essence without help from Omilaena.


    When he heard a cry behind him, he figured that someone had seen him and been horrified. But when he turned, he saw the younger man was stumbling away from several more scorpions. The idiot had broken open one of the hives and they were swarming out. Before Kai could get to him, one of the stingers stabbed him in the thigh and he went down, already unconscious.


    A dark figure landed nearby, splattering two scorpions with both feet. Kai stared in surprise as he saw it was Gorutiel, who picked up another scorpion by its stinger before tossing it aside in disgust.


    "What are you doing here?" Kai asked.


    "Just checking in. Figured I''d help." Gorutiel bent down beside the poisoned hunter, his eyes burning brightly.


    "Wait a minute. He helped me, and he''s still young, you don''t want to eat-"


    "Nah, not doing that." Gorutiel reached out and gripped the place where the young man had been stung with a claw-like hand. The flesh twitched and a dark liquid tore out of it, then the rest seemed to heal over. "He should be fine, unless he''s weak."


    "Why jump in to help him?" Kai asked. "Or is it just raising livestock to you?"


    Gorutiel stayed crouched and grinned up at him. "Is that what you think of us? Well, it''s basically true for some. But I don''t buy into all that superiority nonsense. Life is meant to be fought, and the fights are more fun when things are fair. The kid didn''t try to stab you in the back, so I figure he deserves a second chance."


    That hadn''t been what Kai had expected. Normally he didn''t want to press a demon, particularly one that might be intending to eat him, but he decided to ask. "There are Savage Hearts all around now. Why don''t you eat one of them?"


    "You have one in mind?" Gorutiel lunged upward, eyes bright again, and Kai had to resist taking a step back.


    "Uh... I figured you were just going to attack."


    "None of them I''ve seen are tough enough to be worth a real fight. No, I''m curious what you''ll do. Do you have the guts to sacrifice one of them?"


    Kai swallowed. "Is that what this is about?"


    "We need more demonic arts users with balls. Real balls, not just running around eating whatever they want." Gorutiel shifted back as if a little disappointed. "You''re still hesitating, or maybe you just want the power. Fine. I''m still keeping the others from attacking your women. But if you don''t bring me someone soon... well, let''s just say I''ll get bored."


    The demon vanished in black smoke. Apparently this had been about more than the Savage Heart - they were trying to recruit him. Kai stared at the place where he''d stood for a while before sighing and going to help the young hunter. Seemed like he would survive the injury, since the poison had been removed.


    The next night Kai returned to the standing stones with nine fangs and all but the last challenge complete. He didn''t make any arguments or even say a word, he just thrust the cord of fangs over his head. Krugbash glowered at him, but he couldn''t stop the others from welcoming Kai to the Savage Creed.

 Chapter 284: Yoni and Lingam

    During his month of training, Kai had expected that the politics would be the hard part and actually awakening the Savage Heart would be easy. To his surprise, it was the first time he truly faltered in this wilderness. The Savage Creed members urged him to smoke strange plants, saying that he would have dreams of his "spirit beast," or to go meditate in caves to find clarity.


    None of it worked for him.


    He was used to cultivation and mana exercises, which were mental or spiritual, but now he was learning a real chakra art. It wasn''t like what Omilaena had taught him, identifying the right type of chakra and gathering it within himself. Instead he had to eat the flesh of beasts and somehow absorb its "anger," or drink blood and stir his "ancestral memories" of hunting.


    As far as he could tell - he checked with Firtrim and the others he trusted - all of these methods were offered in complete sincerity. Krugbash continued to block him at every turn, but the Savage Creed members didn''t really listen to authority, so he couldn''t stop everything.


    Maybe Kai was just unsuited to this sort of chakra training. That would be a bitter irony, after he went to so much effort to acquire it. But he''d been bad at things before and he''d always pushed on, so he wasn''t willing to give up. It just bothered him that after two weeks he''d made so little progress. It had been over a year since he''d arrived on Rosemount now, and while he was substantially stronger, he hadn''t made the sort of leaps that the others had.


    At the moment Kai was supposedly meditating in one of the caverns, with paintings of beasts all around him. It wasn''t working. To cool his irritation, Kai turned his spiritual senses inward instead.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 393


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 46% (109)


    Physique Level: D-4 (220)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Loose Chakra: 210 (0)


    Monstrous Hunger - XI (lambda)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VIII (theta)


    Direboar''s Strength - XI (lambda)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VIII (theta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IX (iota)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    -


    Baleful Breath - IV (delta)


    Sahagin''s Soul - VII (eta)


    Garuda''s Wing - VII (eta)


    Pegasus''s Grace - VI (zeta)


    Mutefang''s Stealth - IX (iota)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - V (epsilon)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - V (epsilon)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - III (gamma)


    Crystal Slime - I (beta)


    Dreamleech - I (alpha)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - II (beta)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Deathvine - I (alpha)


    Banchlain - V (epsilon)


    Thunderbird (???)


    Unicorn (???)


    >


    There were some silver linings. The Savage Heart methods of training Physique had resumed his progress there, carrying him to D-4. Yet his human strength was still stuck underneath 400 Power, a barrier that irritated him more the longer it lasted.


    Things were a bit more encouraging on the monstrous side of his soul, because something within him did resonate with the Savage Heart techniques. After so long complacent at the same level, Behemoth''s Heart had finally increased to Theta rank. He''d also boosted Isulfr''s Bite while trying to consume sacred beasts, and Tyrant''s Claw had risen while testing himself against the claws of the others.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    In fact, he counted more than ten boosts among his lesser monsters. He''d switched in abilities like Garuda''s Wing or even Sahagin''s Soul for some hunts and they had risen accordingly. Mutefang''s Stealth had leapt all the way up to Iota rank, though he had a feeling that it would top out soon. The most important boost was actually the Banchlain, which he still hadn''t fully fused, because he sometimes used its essence for increased strength.


    Most likely he was facing the reverse of his old problem: his monstrous abilities had caught up to his human capacities and now they were the ones straining against their limits. Which was exactly why he''d put so much effort into pursuing the Savage Heart.


    The one major improvement that had impressed the Savage Creed members was that his chakra had absolutely exploded up past 200. He couldn''t expect all of that to boost his power once he mastered the ability, but the others spoke as if a sizable percentage of it would. In theory that was everything he needed, he just had to push through somehow.


    Shadows passed in front of the entrance to the cave and Kai opened his eyes, just in case it was an ambush. But no, it was only Tyorcut. Maybe it was all the animalistic rituals, but he had a harder time ignoring her than usual. Those hides stretched taut over her chest and hips, and the abs in between... he couldn''t help but imagining them trembling in pleasure. He forced his eyes to stay on hers, but she smirked as if she''d noticed.


    "Still no luck?" she asked as she walked closer.


    "Not yet," he said. "Maybe I''m not cut out for chakra."


    "You''re too much in your head, trying to do everything with willpower." Tyorcut flicked his forehead. "Chakra isn''t wispy energy you play around with in your mind, it''s what you do. You have to feel it, deep in the gut."


    "I''m trying."


    "No, you don''t get it. I''m saying you need to stop ''trying'' and actually do something." She crouched down opposite him and he saw that her smile had changed. It wasn''t just his imagination or wishful thinking, she was leaning toward him. "You''re actually a better follower of the Savage Creed than half of the men here. You came here and seized what you wanted. But your lingam is all out of balance."


    "Lingam?" Kai was tempted to back up, but she put a hand on his knee to lean even closer.


    "You don''t know the word, but you know what I mean. Male and female, lingam and yoni. Yours is strong, but you''re holding back. You eat what you want, take what you want... but you don''t fuck who you want."


    Kai swallowed, suddenly aware of the scent of her, wild and yet still feminine. He forced himself to think logically and remembered that a significant part of Tyorcut''s power came from a "Fierce Yoni" ability. It must be one of the sex-based powers that he''d heard existed in the Commonwealth.


    "Don''t get me wrong, I''m asking because I want it." Tyorcut smiled broader, almost touching his face now. "But it''s not an excuse. You need relief, and your lingam could be powerful if properly used. There are plenty of Savage Hearts that awaken through sex and yours might be one of them."


    His body was tempted to take her offer, but his mind recoiled. That would be violating the promise he made to Zae Zin Nim, and he wouldn''t do that even for immense power. The idea even made him feel bizarrely disloyal to Omilaena - she''d definitely encourage him to do it, but he remembered the strange vulnerability she''d shown when she made her offer.


    On the other hand, he couldn''t afford to keep upsetting members of the Savage Creed. Firtrim was practically the only one who liked him and Krugbash would stop him if he got enough leverage. So Kai took Tyorcut''s shoulders and moved her away from him.


    "You know I want to," he told her. "But I''ve always trained with discipline, not indulgence."


    "Then you need to branch out." She sighed and backed away. "But there''s strength in restraint, too. Sex is a battle between men and women, and you need to be able to control your essence. How about this? I''ll teach you a lingam discipline technique. If you can actually resist, you''ll boost your strength. And if you give in... well, I don''t think you''ll be disappointed."


    Kai''s curiosity got the better of him, or maybe his discipline wasn''t as strong as he thought. Tyorcut pulled out a wineskin and poured some sort of chakra-dense liquid into it. When he took a drink, it seemed to shoot straight to his groin, making him rock-hard in a second. She laughed and reached down to grip his crotch.


    "Either you explode and you lose your energy, or you manage to overcome the trial. I can tell you which is more fun."


    "Shouldn''t have challenged me." Kai tried to grin, but it was more of a grimace. "I''m definitely not giving in now."


    "You say that, but how long can you last?" Tyorcut chuckled and finally moved away, swaying her hips as she left the cavern.


    The chakra was coursing through him, visceral and raw. He had to admit that it completely destroyed his usual habits of over-thinking the power, since all he could focus on was his body. His chakra was growing, and more importantly it was awakening something like none of the other Savage Heart exercises. For the first time he could feel a beast within him - it was a horny beast, but a beast nonetheless.


    Over the next several days Tyorcut continued to taunt him, throwing various nearly-sexual exercises at him. Kai was actually curious about all this yoni and lingam theory, and all the potential power contained in these rituals, but he refused to go further. He might be disciplined, but he was only human and he knew if he crossed a certain line, he''d give in.


    Eventually he managed to overcome the challenge and absorb the chakra. Tyorcut seemed both irritated and intrigued, as if she hadn''t actually expected his success. She told him that she''d be back with a new technique and then finally left him alone.


    "Are you a damn fool?" Krugbash stormed in not long after she''d left, face flushed red. "What, do you prefer men? Or are you some kind of dickless monk?"


    "Why are you here?" Kai asked.


    "To tell you to leave. If you won''t even do the most natural rituals, you''ll never awaken a Savage Heart. I can''t throw you out, but I''m telling you that you''re wasting everyone''s time." Krugbash abruptly snapped forward, trying to kick Kai in the chin.


    He instinctively caught the blow and pushed the other man back. "You want to fight?" Kai leapt to his feet and flexed his fingers into claws. "I have a lot of frustration to work off."


    "Just go back to the city. Fool." Krugbash snarled and stormed out of the cavern.


    On his own again, Kai had to take several deep breaths to calm himself. It had been another petty attempt at intimidation, which never bothered him except that he worried they might escalate into a murder attempt. But what Krugbash had actually said might be right: it was time to go back to the city and meet up with the others again.

 Chapter 285: Intersections in Traeton

    "Where are all the transcriptions?" Troulon asked.


    "Western office," Omilaena told him. "Why are the manuscripts I wanted being held by random merchants?"


    "The Great Library can''t continue without support from them. Did you organize the section on mana?"


    "Better than you had it before. Who are these merchants funding the library and taking books? They never gave a shit about it before."


    "They''re all trying to impress some demon leading them around by the nose." Troulon gave a loose shrug and broke from their usual question exchange. "You should stop asking questions about the merchants and just be glad they''ve mostly left the capital, Omi. No matter how bad you think it is to work with me, I assure you they''d be worse."


    Technically Omilaena had already gained all the information she''d earned with her work, but she decided to press a little further. "Why would they leave the capital?"


    "Not all of them, of course. First there was some sort of threat in the north, as if they were afraid the elves would attack. When that didn''t pan out, they''re trying to set up an international meeting to negotiate new terms. You''ll get your manuscripts back then, but it might be smarter to get out first. If too many foreign representatives come, Matiavel will get antsy."


    "You think this will get big enough that another great power will show up?"


    Troulon waved a finger at her. "You''ve already gotten more information than I promised. We''ll discuss our next projects tomorrow, but no more business today."


    She nodded amiably, since she''d gotten what she needed. In addition to more information on the ancient sources she wanted, she had these hints about some kind of international meeting. Other sources of information would be much better than Troulon for learning more about that.


    Her senses expanded over the library, confirming that nothing was awry. Zae Zin Nim was still cultivating in one of the little nooks, there was no one particularly powerful inside... except for a new presence, a black hunger moving through the entrance.


    "If you''ve finished all your work," Troulon was saying, "I wondered if we could go into the city and-"


    "Something just came up." Omilaena pushed herself to her feet in the same motion she piled her books together. "We''ll pick this up tomorrow."


    She suspected what he''d been about to ask, but she worked with Troulon practically every day and now had higher priorities. Moving quickly enough, she managed to arrive at the entrance before there could be any confusion or argument.


    Kai stood in the foyer, speaking politely with the librarian in front despite looking like he''d just killed something and flattened it into clothes. She wasn''t surprised that he was shaggy and unshaven, but she wasn''t sure how he''d gotten into such rags so quickly. Hadn''t even bothered to change on his way in, despite having more clothes in his spatial ring, and probably wasn''t thinking about it.


    "There you are." He smiled when he saw her and the expression warmed her more than she wanted to admit.


    "Took you long enough," she said as she approached. "Gorutiel mentioned that you were doing fine, but I expected you to visit earlier."


    "I wanted to, but there was never a good time." Kai shifted his weight and she noted a strange restlessness in his movements that wasn''t usually present. As they moved back into the library, he spoke in a lower voice. "Can you make me another one of those syringes? I want to eat some of the animals out there."


    "I could, but we should probably do it just before you go back."


    "Won''t the power stay unchanged in the spatial ring?"


    "You might be able to avoid food spoiling or minor degradation, but the spatial ring can''t freeze time. Otherwise there''d be so many ways to exploit it that those would be the main use, not storage."


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "Huh. Where''s Zae Zin Nim?"


    "In one of her long cultivation sessions, but I''m sure she''d interrupt it for you."


    "No need, I''ll be here for a day or two." Kai went on to tell her about his work with the Savage Creed, clearly leaving out some details.


    When he started asking questions about yoni and lingam theory she finally understood his restlessness. Poor boy was horribly backed up, but being all honorable. She decided not to tease him about it and just answered his questions. He was concerned about some sort of power imbalance, or the Savage Heart being fundamentally incompatible with him, but she was able to put those fears to rest.


    "I think you still need to find the right trigger," Omilaena concluded. "The chakra in your body is stable, it just needs to respond to something. And no, it''s probably not what she''s suggesting."


    "I figured as much, but I''m glad to hear you say it." Kai began glancing around again.


    "You sure you don''t want me to go get Zae Zin Nim?"


    "No. Actually, I want to talk to Gorutiel."


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai headed to the Commonwealth government seat for the second time in his life, hoping that this visit would go better. He actually took the time to ride on the marble slabs and enjoy it more this time. During the day Traeton was abuzz with more activity than lights, including ubiquitous floating transportation that would have been expensive anywhere else.


    When he got to the grand hall he didn''t see many demons, but Omilaena''s information had been correct. He didn''t get inside the council chamber before Gorutiel bounded out of a side corridor.


    "What''s wrong? Not giving up, are you?"


    "I have a target for you," Kai said. "Are you willing to cooperate with something more complicated?"


    The demon''s eyes blazed eagerly. "What do you have in mind?"


    Minutes later Kai walked back out, a bit baffled - that had either been much easier than he expected or he was about to get into a lot of trouble. In any case, he''d concluded his most important business in the capital but he still wanted to meet up with Zae Zin Nim before he went back out into the wilderness.


    When he got back to the library, Zae Zin Nim was waiting for him. He ended up repeating a lot of what he''d said about the Savage Creed members and realized that he should have just explained it once to both of them. Then again, he wouldn''t have wanted to discuss some of those details with Zae Zin Nim. She was squirming more than usual for no apparent reason, so discussion of lingam rituals might have made her explode.


    Once they persuaded Omilaena that she could rest since the two of them were together, they walked deeper into the library. After they were far enough way, Kai waited for a pause in the conversation and then spoke in a lower voice.


    "I want to look up something. Do you know the library well enough to find the history section?"


    "It isn''t divided quite like that," Zae Zin Nim said, "but I understand the basics. What do you want to look up?"


    "Recent history of the Commonwealth. Say twenty or thirty years ago."


    "All of that is in a section about the last stable government before the demons. This way..."


    They found the right section and Kai was again glad for the Alltongue Fruit. He could tell that the books were in many different languages if he focused, but otherwise it was easy to read all of them. Zae Zin Nim hovered nearby curiously until he found what he wanted: reports on a cross-breeding program that had taken place in the Commonwealth back then.


    "That''s obviously barbaric," she said once she''d seen it, "but why are you looking into that?"


    "A while back Omilaena claimed to have been part of a program like that," Kai said. "I just... wanted to be sure she wasn''t making up something. But of course she could have told lies based on actual events, so that doesn''t prove anything."


    "Wait." Zae Zin Nim took the book from him and began reading about artisans and slavery during that period. After some time, she sat back and shook her head. "I don''t think she''s lying."


    "You''re sure about that?"


    "I can''t prove it, but I think so."


    That was some comfort, and honestly he wanted to believe it. He could understand Omilaena a little if he traced her history from being an exploited slave, clawing her way upward with almost no allies. It sounded as though she''d shared some of the same stories with Zae Zin Nim. Most likely Omilaena would always do what she believed was in her best interest, but he hoped their interests were aligned.


    "Do you have to go back right away?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "I don''t really have a good excuse, but... I don''t want you to go just yet."


    He smiled back at her. "I can stay a while yet."


    .


    ..


    .


    Now that Kai was gone, Zae Zin Nim was back to her usual routine in the library. She missed him, but in some ways this was easier. They had kissed while he lingered with her and it had been such a strange experience: she wanted to melt into him and yet all the dual cultivation books she''d been reading kept leaping to mind. She wanted to be with him, but she wasn''t sure about all that.


    When Omilaena came back she was more muted than usual, and Zae Zin Nim felt even more confident in her earlier conclusion. The other woman was lonely, without anyone she could really trust following the same path as her. If Zae Zin Nim and Kai paired up, what would happen to her? Would she turn furious and strike back, like the vengeful women in the Brightwind harem?


    That seemed like a terrible outcome and Zae Zin Nim didn''t want to think about it anymore. She still needed to make more progress in her chakra training before she would be forced to make a decision. Hopefully it would be enough.

 Chapter 286: Facing Down the Savage Heart

    Kai had been concerned about finding the right timing, but he got an opportunity almost immediately after leaving the city. Krugbash was traveling off on his own, hunting some sort of sacred beast. Time to finally pay his dues and eliminate a problem in the same stroke.


    "Alright." Kai turned back to the demon beside him and braced himself. "Make it realistic."


    "You bet!" Gorutiel created a blood scythe and tore through his stomach.


    "Not... that realistic..." Kai staggered back, only his hands preventing his guts from spilling out. Fuck, that hurt. Since he wasn''t in the middle of battle he wasn''t prepared for the pain and couldn''t push through in the same way.


    Still, it was what he wanted. He stumbled away, toward Krugbash''s path. The injury wasn''t quite as bad as it looked, and Behemoth''s Heart was already beating to heal him, but it was easy to pretend to be half-dead. When he got close, Krugbash saw him and stared.


    "Help..." Kai took another step and then dropped to one knee, grimacing.


    "What happened to you?" Krugbash took a step closer, looking around the area to see if anyone was watching.


    "I need help..."


    "Looks like you didn''t really learn the Savage Creed." Krugbash grinned down at him and transformed one arm into a serpent''s maw again. "Like I always said, you''re soft. I''d like to take my time making this painful, but maybe I''d better just finish it."


    In theory, that was the moment Gorutiel was supposed to step in. But there was no sign of the demon and no one to stop Krugbash from attacking.


    Kai grabbed the man''s wrist before it could strike his neck, but the serpent''s head twisted, burying fangs into his arm. He just barely managed to push back to his feet, and in that time Krugbash transformed his other arm into a claw and swiped down. It was the most Kai could do to block it with his forearm, and the claws cut to the bone.


    They staggered a moment, both locked in place. Krugbash moved first, kicking Kai in his injured stomach. He fell back, almost giving way... but he hadn''t been working this long on his monstrous abilities for nothing.


    When Kai''s leg swept up, a Tyrant''s Claw exploded from his foot. It tore through his boot and ripped three slashes through his opponent''s chest.


    That nearly took out Krugbash, but then he let out a roar and transformed fully, fur sprouting over his body. Two arms lashed out as serpents, binding Kai''s arms in place before he could defend. Krugbash grew nearly a foot and his face distorted into jaws, massive fangs glistening before they opened in another roar. Kai could barely keep his balance and didn''t have another trick, but he roared back.


    Hands clapped around Krugbash''s head, crushing it. Kai recoiled from the gore and winced as the fangs tore their way out of his arms.


    Gorutiel stood behind the Savage Heart user, cheerfully wiping off his hands. "That was great!"


    "Why''d you wait so long?" Kai demanded. The pain had been off his mind during the battle, but now all those fang-stabs were aching something fierce. Presumably some sort of venom that Behemoth''s Heart had to work to purge.


    "Come on, where''s the fun if you don''t work for it?" Gorutiel stepped close and clapped him on the back. "I love seeing you in combat, man! You seem so weak, then damn!"


    There was no sense arguing with the demon when he was like this. Kai retreated a step and focused on recovery while Gorutiel bent down next to the corpse. The demon stiffened his fingers and then stabbed them into the fur-covered back. He drew something out of the body, blood red and pulsing with chakra, and pulled it toward his face. Gorutiel''s eyes were always red, but now they glowed enough to illuminate his entire face in hellish tones.


    When he swallowed the crimson mass, for a moment his body seemed to glow and then all the light vanished into the darkness. Gorutiel let out a long, low chuckle as if he''d just heard a joke that was growing on him. He shifted his weight back and forth, rolling his shoulders, and let out a low hiss.


    Despite himself, Kai set his feet and prepared to fight if necessary.


    "Ahhh, that was worth it." Gorutiel hadn''t even seemed to notice Kai''s discomfort and was grinning broadly. In front of Kai''s eyes, the demon''s power rose another point closer to a thousand. "The Savage Heart isn''t all that, but it makes for some good prey."


    "So you got what you wanted? I filled my end of the deal?" Kai asked.


    "Sure, whatever." Gorutiel''s expression shifted to more of a smirk. "What about you, are you satisfied? You couldn''t bring yourself to just kill an enemy in cold blood, so you had to let him try to kill you first? That''s pretty funny, man. Ballsy, but funny."


    "Yeah, I''ve been mocked before. I had to give him a chance, no matter how stupid you think it was."


    "Nah! A man''s gotta have a code, even if it''s ''fuck codes, I''ll do what I want!'' At least you''ve got the guts to back it up."


    "So glad to get your approval." Kai was feeling physically better, which always lifted his spirits as well. But there was one major problem left. "I hope the fact that you got what you wanted won''t mean the whole deal is off."


    "Might as well. Anything that pisses Lilaetiel off is worth doing." Gorutiel folded his arms lazily, as satisfied as a well-fed predator. Or perhaps there was no simile, that was literally what he was. "You going to stick around here? I''d bet you could do a lot more with the Savage Heart than this idiot."


    "You''re the only one who thinks that way. I still can''t push through."


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    "If you ask me, you need to forget about all their nonsense. Spirit animal this and sacred beast that. You''ve got a lot more in common with a demon. It''d be great if you were one, actually. Could treat you like a little brother instead of getting hungry."


    "Demons don''t eat each other?"


    "Of course they do!" Gorutiel laughed. "So much worse than humans, who never kill one another, right?"


    Despite himself, Kai laughed too. He would never have guessed it at the beginning, but he actually liked the demon - certainly more than Krugbash or most of the other Savage Creed followers. And he actually made a good point: humans could be monstrous on their own. Someone like Kai, whose soul was separated even from demons, wasn''t going to judge everyone so quickly.


    "Well, I already pointed out that you''re moving faster than I did at your age," Gorutiel said, "so fuck what I say. Keep doing what you''re doing. But don''t let these animal heads get you on the wrong track, alright? You gotta be yourself in the end."


    He disappeared into dark smoke, leaving Kai contemplating his words. Back when he''d first tried to adapt to chakra on Rosemount, he''d needed to ignore the normal paths and pursue something more personal to him. An advanced ability like the Savage Heart couldn''t be equally simple... could it?


    .


    ..


    .


    Three days later, Kai was ready to test his theory. In the time it''d taken him to fully heal, he''d planned out his next attempt, and now he was fully gorged on the meat of sacred beasts. Chakra was pumping through him, trying to ignite into a Savage Heart just like it had before.


    But this time, Kai didn''t reach for any natural emotions. Chakra was intuitive and embodied, which he''d been taking wrong. He''d never planned to imitate sacred beasts or adhere to some stupid code. This had always been a means to an end.


    So Kai reached for the hunger in his soul and drew it over to the other side.


    Instantly his body convulsed painfully. He''d frequently used his mana and other human energies to fuel his monstrous abilities, but he''d never done the reverse before. It felt wrong at first, then suddenly right: as if he''d tied his soul into a tangle that, when pulled, swiftly condensed into a tight knot.


    A sound emerged from his soul, not a howl but a monstrous growl. He could feel the new power inside him, but his pulse was pounding too much to focus on it. Instead of another heartbeat, he still felt Behemoth''s Heart inside him, but its sound rushed in his ears so violently it threatened to overwhelm his mind.


    Suddenly he had to eat something. Kai tore off into the wilderness, hunting for his prey. One of the twelve sacred beasts was called a bloodprong. Just a month ago, it had been his most difficult quarry, but now he pinpointed one almost immediately.


    As he ran it down, Kai could feel that something was shifting in his legs. Every time his feet hit the earth, other muscles flickered around his legs, as if there was more power driving him on. It wasn''t a full transformation and it didn''t tear his pants apart, it was more like the transformations from the Savage Heart users. Not exactly the same, because it was drawing out monstrous power, but it finally worked.


    When he ran down the bloodprong he was almost disappointed how easy it was. Instead of just pinning it, he reached out his arm and swung a Tyrant''s Claw to finish it instantly.


    To his shock, in that moment his hand became a true claw. He saw the gnarled black flesh of a monster, ending in taloned fingers that reminded him of the Claw Tyrant, but it was more than that. His joints were more like the Rockspider that he had fused into that ability, and there were other pieces that seemed to be unique. The transformation disappeared a moment later, but the sight was seared into his mind.


    Kai was so distracted that he completely forgot about his prey. Fortunately, it was currently falling in dead pieces.


    He lunged down beside it and nearly tore into it with his real teeth before regaining control. The Savage Heart ability was definitely influencing his mind while he used it and he needed to keep an eye on that. As an exercise in control, Kai restrained his hunger and carefully injected the bloodprong with Omilaena''s syringe before he ate his fill.


    Now that he was sated, Kai''s mind felt still again. He turned his spiritual sight inward and looked at his soul for the first time since the change.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 436


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 47% (109)


    Savage Heart: 4 (43)


    Physique Level: D-4 (220)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Monstrous Hunger - XI (lambda)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VIII (theta)


    Direboar''s Strength - XI (lambda)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VIII (theta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IX (iota)


    Thunderbird (???)


    -


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    Baleful Breath - IV (delta)


    Sahagin''s Soul - VII (eta)


    Garuda''s Wing - VII (eta)


    Pegasus''s Grace - VI (zeta)


    Mutefang''s Stealth - IX (iota)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - V (epsilon)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - V (epsilon)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - III (gamma)


    Crystal Slime - I (beta)


    Dreamleech - I (alpha)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - II (beta)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Deathvine - I (alpha)


    Banchlain - V (epsilon)


    Unicorn (???)


    Bloodprong (???)


    >


    The new strength was his largest jump in Power in months, putting him well over 400, but what mattered even more was the potential. With this he could use his monstrous abilities more effectively, and even more importantly it granted access to new growth. His human soul had opened up new space for monstrous abilities, which would only help the Savage Heart grow, which would just give him even more options.


    "You actually did it." Tyorcut jogged up beside him, eyes wide. "Did I see your body already shifting?"


    "Is it not supposed to?" Kai asked. Even trying to focus on his hunger, he wasn''t able to shift his hands stably - either it had to be in combat or he needed more practice.


    "Usually people develop the Savage Heart first, then once it''s built up enough strength they start to change." She shook her head. "But you came to us with more knowledge of beasts than most. You''re finally one of us for real now. Feel like celebrating?"


    "I feel like training. How long will it take me to fully transform?"


    "That''s the most powerful ability of Savage Heart! You''re not going to master it for years. Besides, the more you transform, the more your bestial mind is in control. You need to build up more control first."


    Kai grinned and he thought his teeth changed just a little. "Try me."


    Over the next weeks he tested his new abilities to the limit, slowly gaining confidence along with strength. The transformation increased the intensity of all his abilities, but he couldn''t manage a stable shift yet. Maybe that was for the best, because he wasn''t entirely sure how his mind would change once he managed it.


    Tyorcut seemed to believe that he''d be overcome with desire if he did, because she kept pressing him with her lingam exercises. No matter how many chakra aphrodisiacs she fed him, however, he stayed firm. Kai wasn''t good with flirting or women in general, but "don''t have sex" was an attainable goal.


    He was far more interested in his own training. When he was alone, he tried to draw on the Thunderbird essence and see if he couldn''t grow wings. Sometimes he thought he saw a flicker of something, and he would burst into the air as if he''d caught a draft, but it never lasted.


    Clearly he needed to finally formalize the Thunderbird essence into an ability, but Kai was glad he''d waited. Now that he understood just how flexible his body could be, he could use more of its power. It was going to take a lot of work, but it would be worth it. Given two more months training in the wilderness, he thought he could raise the Savage Heart''s power substantially and fuse his final Thunderbird ability.


    He didn''t have two months. Two days after Kai made his long term training plans, Ceryyn appeared in front of him surrounded by teleportation winds.


    "Kai!" She was panting for breath, but forced herself on. "You have to... come back now... or your friends are going to die!

 Chapter 287: The Meeting of Continental Powers

    During the several months Omilaena had been in the capital, she''d been contacted by the Council of Elders only twice. Both times surreptitiously, via elves traveling to the library on real business and quietly asking questions about the demonic movements. They were no longer depending on her as a major source of information, which suited her just fine because she had higher personal priorities. Better not to be at the beck and call of any government.


    But they did still technically have a connection to the Elven Wilds, as she was reminded when she got a summons directly to the embassy.


    "Why would they do this?" Zae Zin Nim asked as the two of them flew across Traeton. "I thought the entire point of our mission was that they could disavow any connection to us."


    "The situation must have changed," Omilaena said, meaning that they were getting desperate.


    "What could have such an impact? Is this conference so important?"


    "I know you like to focus on cultivation, but you need to poke your head out sometimes. This is a meeting between the greatest nations on Rosemount and it could shape the continent for a generation."


    "I can understand politics," Zae Zin Nim said, hiding her sulk. "Tell me about what''s going on, then. Is that why there are so many troops moving around the city?"


    "You''ve sensed that, huh?" Omilaena gestured forward at the political district that was their destination. "Crescilor and the Elven Wilds have sent representatives, though not large groups. All the small nations will be joining in too, but their forces are expected to be negligible."


    "Which leaves... the Flaeren Dominion and the Coiled Empire."


    "Those are the major players, yes. Actually, let me show you."


    The Krysali vessel shifted course to sweep over the eastern edge of the city. She automatically thought that Kai was training in the far northeast, but he would be far from sight - the relevant part was the large tents set up southeast of the city. The symbol of the Flaeren Dominion was clearly emblazoned on all of them, obvious even to outsiders. Anyone with spiritual sight could sense that they''d brought hundreds of warriors.


    "That''s a small army." Zae Zin Nim''s voice had grown much softer. "How can they justify invading the Commonwealth like this?"


    "They say it''s for the protection of their delegates, due to the demons, but of course that''s partially an excuse." Omilaena made a vague gesture to the south. "The Coiled Empire actually worries everyone more, because they didn''t send anyone at all."


    "Refusing to participate in the conference, either implying disinterest in peace or mistrust."


    "Right, plus the Empress isn''t coming in person. Since Matiavel is hosting the meeting, the Windlord will be attending, and the Council of Elders is sending a representative, refusing to join makes her seem arrogant or weak. Either is a bad sign."


    "So... the Flaeren Dominion army and all the political factors are making the elves nervous?"


    "Actually, it could be the Commonwealth itself. Don''t forget about them." Omilaena arced north of the city, where the gold and white forces were assembling. "The demons don''t usually interact with the main army, but one does exist. Apparently under the new leadership, the Commonwealth Trade Guild has been investing in the military. The army is supposedly here to keep order, but no one really trusts them."


    "A complex situation." Zae Zin Nim sat quietly for a time. "I hoped that our help would prevent all of these distractions."


    "We might have helped prevent an immediate war, but everyone is still on opposite sides. This could be a step toward a new treaty or the beginning of conflict. I assume that some problem related to all this is why the elves decided to call us in."


    Technically Omilaena could have flown them to the elven embassy quicker than that, but she thought it was worthwhile to have Zae Zin Nim fully aware of the situation. Though she thought of many details as beneath her, she could be sharp when she focused. If this situation proved as complex as it looked, political awareness might be more important than strength.


    When they arrived at the elven embassy, which was like a block of flowing sandstone dropped into the center of the pale city, they were escorted in immediately. Barely anyone even spoke to them until they reached an inner room, where Ceryyn was sipping from a cup. As soon as she saw them, she rose to her feet and beamed.


    "My old friends! It''s so lovely to see you again!"


    She seemed earnestly overjoyed to see them, her glamour radiating with unintentional strength. Ceryyn seemed to be completely heterosexual, but Omilaena definitely wasn''t and she had to resist the automatic pull. If this became complex enough she might need to use an injection - only the risk of things becoming even more complex prevented her.


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    "I''m sorry to call on you again like this." Ceryyn''s face fell as if she really was mortified and Omilaena had to wonder whether it was an act or she hid her emotions so little. "You were a great help to the Council of Elders before, and you had avoided any consequences to yourselves. We had hoped to allow you your freedom until you could come to receive your boons."


    "What happens if the demons label us as spies?" Omilaena demanded.


    "I don''t think they could associate you with previous events. As critical as your information was, the Council of Elders ultimately based their decision on many factors in the north. If you haven''t already heard, we think the Commonwealth was hoping to incite us into acting first, then counter-attacking. We fear that this conference might be much the same."


    "What are they actually discussing?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Oh, all the usual politics between nations. The difference is that some want to declare more neutrality for merchants, in particular the CTG. That would give them an edge to spread the Commonwealth''s control over many smaller nations."


    "And you want to stop that?"


    "Stop that? I''m not so ambitious." Ceryyn blinked at them in surprise. "I''m just an elder of one city, not a member of the Council. No, my primary worry now is that the demons may be repurposing all the anti-glamour obelisks they failed to use against us before. This could potentially be a trap to try to assassinate some of our strongest."


    Omilaena hadn''t been considering such blunt tactics, but it definitely matched the modus operandi of some of the demons. Still... "We know some about them, but surely you have your own experts."


    "Not any who would be allowed easy entrance to the most important buildings. That''s why I need you. Umm, is Kai here?"


    "He''s training outside the city."


    "That''s very unfortunate, but time is of the essence." Ceryyn fidgeted in her seat, eyes locked on some distant point outside the window. "I need keen eyes more than strong arms right now. The CTG wants some of our elders to meet them in a supposedly neutral location near the seat of government. I will be going to make arrangements... I hoped that you could come with me as representatives of the Great Library and investigate for hidden obelisks."


    "You realize this will burn us." Omilaena sat forward, piercing the glamour to focus on the elven woman. "Anyone who investigates will eventually speculate that we might be involved."


    "I''m aware that we''re imposing greatly on you. But the Council of Elders has officially said that if you assist us in this conference, the rewards you''re already owed will be elevated to greater boons. That means everything in our power, including access to the Primal Loom."


    Immediately Omilaena''s mental calculus shifted, though not as clearly as Zae Zin Nim''s flat glance seemed to suggest. Yes, the Primal Loom could give them a unique boost to their power, but it was ultimately only a little strength. Her research at the Great Library was finally so close to results that she even knew which books she needed to search. The knowledge she found there could ultimately be the path to far greater power.


    "I suppose we need to discuss it?" Zae Zin Nim said hesitantly. Omilaena shook her head.


    "Not unless you have reservations," she said. "We go separately at different times, but we''ll investigate the building for you."


    "Oh, thank you!" Ceryyn leapt up and nearly clasped her hands. "Perhaps you should go first, and I will join you at the scheduled time. That way there will be less apparent collusion between us. We really would love it if there is no need to fear and you can continue here, but the risks..."


    Omilaena just nodded. She wasn''t as convinced that it would go so smoothly, but if the great powers were really getting together, the details might get crushed in the process. If they got what they wanted, some spying, murder, and sabotage would all be water under the bridge.


    She and Zae Zin Nim flew across the city to the government district. They''d been avoiding it ever since the dangerous first visit and there was no reason to believe that it would be any less risky now. Some demons might be on their best behavior, but that wouldn''t apply to those like Lilaetiel. At least there would be numerous other powers there who could balance things out.


    Unless the demons really were planning an assassination. Though Omilaena judged that improbable, it wasn''t outside the realm of possibility. If she had been an elven elder, she would have wanted to be especially sure as well.


    When they arrived and Omilaena showed the guards her identification, they were allowed inside the great glass building. It was already burning bright even though it was mid-day, as if prepared for the meetings to extend long into the night. The two of them began investigating the meeting rooms, looking both for any spiritual disturbances and any signs of recent construction or remodeling. But everything looked quite old to her except for a few new decorations.


    "I''m not sure I could detect the obelisks if they were hidden," Zae Zin Nim whispered. "Their effect is subtle, and even at Earth Soul, I cannot perceive everything."


    "Just do the best you can. I think other clues will be more important." Omilaena was primarily watching the demons and identifying them. She only saw two pure demons, neither of them someone she knew as a regular feature at the capital or anyone Troulon mentioned. That fact, and the demonic arts users who seemed in greater abundance, were strong signs that this meeting was being governed by the CTG.


    If that was true, then it was a mark against the assassination theory. As far as she knew, the obelisks had been produced primarily by the artisan faction, which was no longer on good terms with the CTG and their new leadership. Still, it was best if they investigated the building thoroughly.


    An unusual number of shrouds in one of the meeting rooms ahead pulled Omilaena from her analysis. Clearly there were important members already present, preparing for the meetings. That alone was expected, but Omilaena felt a deep sense of disquiet. Not like a presence she knew, but there was something familiar...


    When they reached one of the conference rooms, Omilaena had a split second''s glimpse through the door and she saw her. A voluptuous woman in a flowing dress, with silver hair and silver eyes. More importantly, the shroud around her soul couldn''t hide the fact that she was a Silver Demon.


    Omilaena moved instantly, grabbing Zae Zin Nim around the waist and mouth. She pulled the other woman deeper into the hall, hiding them both in a dark corner. It surprised her that Zae Zin Nim didn''t struggle at all and actually seemed calm despite being grabbed like that.


    "What is it?" she asked as soon as the hand was removed.


    "Isn''t that the Silver Demon you told me about?" Omilaena asked.


    Zae Zin Nim moved forward carefully, then shrank back with a quiet gasp. "That''s Anaelina. Why is she here?"

 Chapter 288: Old Enemies, New Friends

    Before the worst revelation, Zae Zin Nim had been shocked for a moment when Omilaena had grabbed her. The other woman''s touch had been so forceful, yet it didn''t seem like she was reverting to her old self. Her hands had felt tense yet confident, touching her only because it was urgently necessary. And then she had explained, which washed away that petty discomfort.


    Now they fled the building, hoping that they hadn''t been seen and their presence would go ignored. Why was Anaelina here? Zae Zin Nim hadn''t seen her since the battle at Rayakan, where she had hoped that Kai had scared the Silver Demon off for good. Maybe he had... which meant she had gone back home to Rosemount, gotten involved with this demonic sect, and now stood in their way.


    They''d spent an entire year on Rosemount staying ahead of her father''s cultivators, avoiding too many entanglements, slipping around bad luck... and now it seemed fate had caught up to them.


    Just when Zae Zin Nim began to think they would escape the building, she felt the cool presence behind her. There were guards standing beside the doors, nothing special but enough to slow them down. They jerked to attention like puppets and shifted to bar the door.


    "I thought I tasted someone familiar!" Anaelina approached them, still showing her sweet mask, but Zae Zin Nim remembered her tearing through everyone in her path for the fun of it. "Oh, it''s little Hanelay Cloudspire... but that''s not your real name, is it? I see you''ve found a new friend - won''t you introduce us?"


    Zae Zin Nim turned back slowly, keeping her hands ready at her sides. They could easily have killed their way through the next door, but that would only guarantee a worst case scenario. She didn''t know the exact location of all the demons she''d seen before, so they could attack from any side.


    "You don''t look very happy to see me." Anaelina pretended to pout as she walked forward, still displaying herself wantonly. "But I''m actually glad to see you. All my struggles in Deadwaste were what earned me enough strength to rise here instead of being crushed."


    "You''ll forgive me for being less enthusiastic." Zae Zin Nim gave the smallest possible bow, not taking her eyes off the demonic art user. "If you really feel any gratitude, let us go about our business in peace."


    "But what about that boy with you? Please don''t tell me that he died, I''d be ever so disappointed."


    Instead of answering, Zae Zin Nim pressed her spiritual sight until she pierced through to Anaelina''s soul and saw that it had unfortunately grown more complex.


    <


    Name: Anaelina


    Total Power: 530


    Silver Demon: Spinel Rank (215)


    Corrupt Yin Core: Level 32 (128)


    Physique: E-7 (101)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Devouring Yin (+50)


    >


    The fact that she was sitting at 530 Power meant that her strength had leapt immensely... but not as much as Zae Zin Nim and her allies had improved. Unless one of her new abilities, which admittedly looked rather ominous, contained some secret trap, they should be able to defeat her. The problem was that Anaelina was apparently a member of the Commonwealth Trade Guild, perhaps even the leader.


    So fighting her meant fighting all the demons. She had several supporters with over 700 Power in the building and could summon more in minutes.


    "Now I''m starting to feel insulted." Anaelina tilted her head back and her eyes shifted from merely pale to shining silver. "You don''t want to talk?"


    "There you are!"


    The new voice interrupted the conversation a moment before a wall of glamours hit them all. Ceryyn entered the hallway from another entrance with a coterie of elves behind her. They had definitely restrained themselves until the moment of their entrance and it had an impact: many of the guards actively stared and one was almost drooling.


    But Anaelina only looked at them coolly, unaffected. She also didn''t look even slightly dimmed in the presence of the glamours, which was highly unusual. Her new abilities referred to corrupt yin, which might mean that her powers had gained a new lascivious edge.


    "The Council of Elders is so curious about all these new proposals!" Ceryyn beamed as if she''d seen a long lost friend and skipped directly to Anaelina. "You''ve really changed things with the trade guild. I do hope you look favorably on your northern neighbors?"


    "You''re early." Anaelina stared back at her as if there was no question what she was doing. "Is something not to your liking?"


    "Oh, not at all, but I do hope we can discuss some of the details..." Ceryyn moved to fully intercept Anaelina, still beaming. For just a moment she looked back at them and her smile vanished. She could only buy them so much time.


    In the wake of Anaelina and all the elves, the guards at the door were utterly vulnerable to anything vaguely female. Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena passed them easily, then leapt into the crystal ship. This was certainly a negative development, but what could they actually do?


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    "We''re going to assume the worst," Omilaena said. "Alone, she''s just one of your old enemies, but all of this is entangled. We need to prepare to retreat entirely."


    "What about Kai?"


    "We''ll have to get him one way or another, but we don''t have time for that now. Here, take this." Still driving, Omilaena removed her satchel and handed it over. "It''s a spatial item, albeit a small and specialized one. I need you to go back to the library and grab our supplies and all the books I need. Here, you drive and I''ll make you a list."


    "Wouldn''t it make more sense for you to get the books?" Zae Zin Nim asked. Things were moving too fast for her now - she wished she had an opponent to fight, except that would almost certainly mean that things had gone wrong.


    "I probably won''t be able to. We also need to tell Ceryyn what we learned - either one of us can handle that. You''re going to have to trust me to handle myself and give you an opening. Then we''ll meet in the east and head out to grab Kai."


    They arranged the rest of the details hastily and eventually Zae Zin Nim was given a surprisingly large list of books along with the satchel. None of that aspect of the plan made any sense to her until they split up as they neared the library. Omilaena made her get out, then went on herself.


    As soon as Omilaena landed, there were demonic arts users and even a true demon approaching her. She raised her hands mildly as if uninterested in fighting, even though she was ready to kill at any moment. The Gray Demon Troulon walked out to talk to her and it seemed like he was going to take her into some sort of custody.


    Had Anaelina moved that quickly? Were the demons finally turning on them? There was no time to worry about that, because all Zae Zin Nim could do now was execute the plan. She''d feel better once she had Kai with her again, plus Omilaena if she was honest with herself.


    It took her half the day to sneak into the servants'' entrance to the Great Library, then until the next morning to creep through the stacks and find everything they needed. She had been there for months, so she had scattered minor pieces of her life across various nooks. But the majority of her time was spent hunting down the books that Omilaena had requested. They all seemed to be old and obscure texts that weren''t explicitly about power, just poetry or myth that might offer hints.


    Even with the experience she''d gained in the library, it took her some time. When Zae Zin Nim emerged there was still no sign of Omilaena, which made her nervous. The crystal ship sat outside the library, now bound in a restrictive field. That didn''t bode well, but she would stick to the plan and leave everything to Omilaena.


    After heading to the meeting point in the east and waiting for some time, Zae Zin Nim decided that it fell to her to inform the elves. She''d done the same after their infiltration of the obelisk facility, so she still remembered some of the procedures. Zae Zin Nim wrote a letter of their findings in the code and left it at the embassy, hoping that would be enough.


    Did that even matter anymore? She didn''t want to believe that their personal issues could cause a larger problem, but it was also grim to think that the conflicts between great powers could lead to war without their actions having any effect. In any case, there was still no sign of Ceryyn, so she had to return to the meeting point.


    It was nearing noon when Omilaena suddenly arrived on the crystal ship and gestured for her to get in. She hopped into her seat, puzzled. "What happened?"


    "Troulon tried to take me into protective custody," Omilaena explained as she headed east. "He''s convinced that the great powers are just using this meeting as a pretext to kill each other and he wanted me to be safe. This is exactly the sort of thing I was worried about. There will be countless knock-on effects we can''t anticipate."


    "How did you escape?"


    "Seduced him a bit and then fingernail poison." Omilaena waved her fingers, though there wasn''t much playfulness left in her. "Never mind that. What have we heard from our Silver Demon friend?"


    "Nothing." Zae Zin Nim could only shrug. "As far as I know, the meetings are still going on there. The elves at the embassy seemed calm and said she was just conducting business."


    "Not likely. Anaelina has had an entire day to react to our presence. Maybe she decided to ignore us over the meeting matter, but we can''t count on that. Besides, I''ve burned our bridges with Troulon. I say we grab Kai and avoid this mess entirely. We need to-"


    "Cultivator!" The voice roared around them and Zae Zin Nim whipped her head to the side, already knowing who she would see.


    Lilaetiel crouched atop a nearby building, her eyes burning bright. She tossed a square piece of marble into the air and then jumped on it, beginning to fly after them. Her demonic cultivation fueled her ride to such speeds that she was on them in seconds, before Zae Zin Nim was prepared. The demon was reaching out already, her hands extending into qi-draining claws...


    Zae Zin Nim struck the air with a palm strike, releasing a ripple of blue fire. It sent the demon tumbling backward, but Lilaetiel barely managed to catch her marble ride with one hand. Both plummeted before the demoness regained control, hopped back on, and continued pursuit.


    The distance between them didn''t close so fast now, so Zae Zin Nim hurled qi techniques at her opponent, barely caring about the city around them - the demoness was too strong to take lightly or worry about collateral damage. Lilaetiel continued to grin at her, no matter how much Zae Zin Nim forced her back, not even when she managed to strike her with a few qi attacks. They pushed the demoness back but seemed to be absorbed into her spirit, then she licked her lips and continued pursuing.


    Abruptly the crystal ship twisted to the side, sliding in between two of the buildings. Zae Zin Nim fell and barely caught herself on the side. While she dangled, she saw Lilaetiel fail to slip between the buildings and instead crash into the side of one. When they reverted to upright she pulled herself back up, glaring at Omilaena.


    "Was that really necessary?"


    "Who told her about us?" The other woman looked even tenser than before. "Was it just a coincidence that she saw you?"


    "What else would it be?" Zae Zin Nim asked. But Omilaena didn''t say anything as they continued to escape the city, just compelled them to go faster.


    Lilaetiel continued to dog them the entire time, willing to take any risk to get a chance at stealing cultivation. Her pursuit ended up curving their path slightly south instead of north after Kai, which could be a problem.


    For a while it seemed like they had done it: they reached the end of the bright lights in the east. Beyond the reach of the First Crest''s power there was only a region of white marble yards where markets were sometimes held. No... actually there was the Flaeren Dominion''s army beyond that.


    Had that been Omilaena''s plan all along? The Flaeren Dominion was in theory a neutral party in all these conflicts and they were strong enough that even demons had to give them some respect. It might be off their course, but maybe the army tents were a new sort of safety.


    Then Zae Zin Nim realized that none of that mattered: there was a line of enemies stretched across the marble, blocking their path. Lilaetiel hadn''t been wildly attacking, she had been herding them. Anaelina stood waiting, yes, but even worse was the line of men and women in robes behind her:


    Brightwind cultivators.


    Their qi lashed out the next second, chains catching the crystal ship and pulling it to scrape against the white marble. Zae Zin Nim was thrown over the side and managed to flip to her feet in time to see a bright silver smile.


    "We didn''t get to finish our conversation earlier." Anaelina''s clothing shimmered silver, constricting to cover her as she prepared to do battle. "I have some new friends who are very eager to meet you."

 Chapter 289: Different Kinds of Formations

    Despite the amount of time that had passed, despite how far she had advanced, when Zae Zin Nim saw her father''s cultivators she shivered. All six of them had reached the Earth Soul stage and they were important pillars of the sect. She even recognized one of them, an older man who had always been a stern disciplinarian. There had been a time when he bowed to her and called her "Little Mistress."


    He wasn''t bowing now.


    "It was clever of you to run off where they wouldn''t follow," Anaelina was saying. "When the Brightwind sect began asking around, offering substantial rewards, something sounded familiar but I couldn''t do anything about it."


    "You mean this was really a coincidence?" Omilaena asked.


    "More like the inevitable. You got lucky for over a year, slipping past everyone, but it looks like your luck has run out."


    The warriors from Rosemount were talking to one another, but all the cultivators ignored them. Zae Zin Nim stared back at the six, ready to move at any time and yet not wanting to start the violence. If they had been caught a year ago, the fight would have been hopeless, whereas now they had a chance. Technically her plan had worked, but it still felt too early...


    "Mistress Zae Zin Nim." It wasn''t the man she knew, instead a younger one who stepped out of the group with hard eyes. "Your father is pleased by your advancement, but your tantrums are growing beyond his ability to forgive. Come with us and you can be restored to your rightful place."


    "In order to be married to a young master from the Coiling Island sect?" Zae Zin Nim swept her eyes over the group, looking for weaknesses. "Or has he lost interest?"


    "On the contrary, your willfulness has only attracted his attention. Now, lower your defenses and drop to your knees. We heard what happened to the last group and will not allow such to happen again."


    Zae Zin Nim lowered herself into a fighting stance.


    "This is for your own good." The older man frowned in her direction. "It is impressive that you overcame your blockage, but on your own you''ve misstepped. The Blackblood Physique was meant to cleanse your body and then be removed, leaving you completely pure. Instead you''ve retained it... the time left to correct this error is drawing shorter every day."


    It was like he could see her deepest fears. She knew she was strong, stronger than any of these Earth Soul cultivators individually, but had she gained that strength by sacrificing her future? Only discipline allowed her to smooth her mind, preparing for their first movement.


    Omilaena was glancing toward her, looking for a cue at how to proceed. Yet Zae Zin Nim didn''t know how to answer her.


    "No, no, no!" Lilaetiel skidded into the marble plaza, arms and legs scrabbling like a beast. "She''s mine! You can''t just sell her to these fools!"


    "Lilaetiel, wait." For the first time Anaelina looked less confident and she raised a hand. "These are delicate negotiations with a powerful sect on Cloudspire, you need t-"


    Lilaetiel snarled, leapt forward, and unleashed all the violence in the plaza at once.


    The Brightwind sect cultivators moved as one, spreading out into a formation that reinforced their qi. It seemed like they were moving to surround Zae Zin Nim, and they might have succeeded if Omilaena hadn''t moved first: she unleashed a burst of needles, disrupting their formation and scattering them.


    Her movement inspired Zae Zin Nim into action and she sent qi attacks at all the cultivators, knocking them further apart. For just a moment she maintained the upper hand, then she felt a horrible presence looming. Only combat-won instincts allowed her to duck and she saw Lilaetiel''s claws pass just over her as the demon flew overhead.


    The demoness nearly ran into one of the Brightwind sect and tried to knock him aside, but the others in the formation struck her from behind. They hurled out glowing lines of qi to bind her in place, and for a moment it seemed like their combined might could pin even the demoness.


    Except the next line hit Zae Zin Nim. She gasped as she felt her qi start to freeze up, the beginning of a sealing technique. Another line lashed out at her and she caught this one, but even in her hand it tried to seal her meridians. The others were turning away from Lilaetiel, as if their plan had always been to bind her instead.


    They might have succeeded if not for Omilaena, who injected one of them from behind. The cultivator staggered, nearly overwhelmed by her poison... and Omilaena stumbled next, grimacing in pain.


    Zae Zin Nim realized too late that Anaelina had held back and waited for her moment. Now her claws tore into Omilaena''s back, driving her far from the battle. Her only ally was being forced away and everyone else wanted to claim her for themselves.


    This was the critical moment - she knew that and she knew that she needed to act. If Zae Zin Nim had one more second, she could have thrown off the qi binding and tried to turn the tide. But in that moment Lilaetiel attacked again. Her claws would have torn deep into Zae Zin Nim''s flesh if the Earth Soul cultivators hadn''t unleashed ranged techniques at her again, driving her off. The tip of one claw grazed Zae Zin Nim''s stomach and she felt not just her qi but her confidence leaking out of her.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Her robe parted and a thin line of blood formed on her skin. It was black. They were right, she''d failed to purge the Blackblood Physique.


    Another line of qi hit her, coming closer to binding her cultivation. She realized that she was just a foolish girl whose only value was being claimed by others. Her freedom had been nothing but a temporary outburst, but now she would be taken back and made subservient to her father and used and used and used...


    Zae Zin Nim desperately wanted someone to save her in that moment, even Omilaena. But there was no one, just the cultivators closing their formation. Another line of qi wrapped around her waist, joining with the blood. Just a few more and they would bind her entirely, leaving her nothing but a woman...


    A hot wind swept cross the plaza and a new power made the air tremble. When Zae Zin Nim heard a roar, she gasped and her heart leapt before she even saw him.


    .


    ..


    .


    Lady Ceryyn Sandflower respected the strength of her allies, of course. They had come remarkably far, for humans who had endured such trials and spent so much time on Deadwaste. But this was Rosemount and they were vulnerable here, so she had desperately used her last teleportation totem in order to bring Kai back to retrieve the others so they could all retreat.


    When she arrived, she saw what she had expected: Zae Zin Nim should have been able to fight back, but she was faltering emotionally. The majority of some sort of Cloudspire technique had closed around her, designed to seal off her power. Clearly, the first priority would be to rescue the cultivator.


    Kai entered the battle beside her, charging forward, and Ceryyn assumed he had the same intent. But when he let out a frankly horrifying roar, something in the air of the battlefield changed.


    Zae Zin Nim straightened for one moment, a new light in her eyes. Then a mantle of blue flame lit up around her, consuming the binding technique. The cultivators attempting to bind her reeled back, shocked by the sudden explosion of strength.


    The next moment Zae Zin Nim dropped to one knee, minimizing her profile. It looked like a mistake or an injury until Ceryyn understood: Kai had crossed the distance and joined the battle. He swung his arm and unleashed a massive spiritual claw that tore through the plaza. Two of the cultivators staggered, covered in blood, and even those who blocked it were pushed back.


    Somehow the lines of force had passed around Zae Zin Nim, leaving gashes through the marble on either side of her. She rose as if they''d planned it, pushing off her back foot and crossing the distance to one of the injured cultivators. When she struck his chest with a palm, blood began pouring from his mouth and eyes as he collapsed backward.


    "You!" A demonic arts user in silver saw Kai''s arrival and her eyes lit up in something between fear and fury. She leapt with a rush of silver power and he barely blocked the blow, the impact driving them across the plaza.


    Ceryyn took a deep breath and gathered the power of her soul, prepared to act. Now that Zae Zin Nim had been separated again, presumably her spirit would falter and she would desperately need help.


    Except she didn''t. Three uninjured cultivators closed on her, palms flying in strikes just like Zae Zin Nim''s own, and somehow she resisted them. She wasn''t much faster than them, simply more graceful and efficient, her flowing movements throwing back all six arms attempting to strike her. Ceryyn stared in shock at the change that had come over her.


    A true demoness lunged into the battle, attempting to take Zae Zin Nim from behind. This time Ceryyn was too slow, taken off guard by the raw speed. But Zae Zin Nim moved with almost equal speed, flipping back over the clawing strike and touching her palm to her opponent''s back. A sound like a bell rang over the battlefield and the demoness hurtled forward, colliding with one of the cultivators and sending them both tumbling to the ground.


    This maneuver left Zae Zin Nim vulnerable and Ceryyn prepared to act again, only to once again be too slow. The cultivator who was moving toward her back suddenly fell, pierced by several thrown needles. Omilaena rejoined the battle, bleeding but still moving smoothly. She and Zae Zin Nim moved back to back, and seconds later Kai lunged in to join them.


    The three didn''t even need to look at one another, they simply fell into a formation naturally. It was only three of them against seven remaining opponents, who ranged from nearly their strength to greater, and yet in that moment it seemed like they could win.


    Finally Ceryyn threw off her awe and forced herself to act: it wasn''t three of them on their side, she was the fourth. She intercepted one of the young male cultivators and unleashed all of the power she had been building up to that point.


    As a cultivator at the Earth Soul stage, he had some resistance to her aura, and his qi was very strange compared to the chakra she knew. And yet she could feel the fragility of his mind, the susceptibility to her power. He tried to marshal a defense at first, then he simply stared, then his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed.


    There were only six opponents now and their victory seemed ever likelier. Ceryyn remained at a distance from the three, since she didn''t want to interfere with their coordination. They moved together like elven veterans, preventing their opponents from exploiting their superior numbers and even managing to make the two demons interfere with one another. At a distance Ceryyn could only contribute bursts of chakra and the occasional weight of her presence to stagger one of the cultivators.


    Despite the brilliance of their coordination, they couldn''t entirely ignore so much power arrayed against them. The demoness who seemed to hunger for Zae Zin Nim''s cultivation drew back, gathered up her power, and then executed a vicious charge.


    Ceryyn realized that this was the moment she needed. When the demoness lunged at Zae Zin Nim''s back, Ceryyn leapt into her path. She collided with the dark power with all her soul and the two of them slid away across the marble.


    "Elven cultivation?" The demoness overhead gave her a bloody grin and then gripped her head with both hands. "I''ll take that too!"


    "Take it all," Ceryyn said, and unleashed the full glory of her soul.


    The demoness roared back in pain, her hands smoking. Ceryyn''s soul burned against her corruption, trying to burn it out entirely, driving her back... but not far enough.


    She had suspected it would come to this: even though her soul could resist a demon, that didn''t mean Ceryyn could stand up to someone with so much physical strength. The demoness tore a claw through her stomach and Ceryyn cried out in pain as her aura faltered. Next a slash crossed her face, tearing apart her beauty and leaving her open for the killing blow.


    Instead a bell rang just beside them and the demoness vanished in a second. Ceryyn looked up at Zae Zin Nim, hovering over her in concern, and smiled weakly as she realized their positions had been reversed. She had been the one to be rescued.


    "Are you alright?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "No, what''s our plan?"


    "Retreat to... the embassy..." Ceryyn managed to say. "Or the... northern point... emergency totem..."


    Despite her best counter, the demon had still tried to drain her cultivation. The combination of the physical injuries and that weariness overwhelmed her. Ceryyn fell into unconsciousness trying to warn them that the real threat was lurking so close...

 Chapter 290: A Real Warrior of Rosemount Arrives

    It was as if Zae Zin Nim had awakened again. Fear gave way to a savage joy as she fought alongside Kai and she pushed herself to greater heights, channeling all that she had learned and cultivated against her father''s sect. They wanted to take her back like some errant little girl, but she wasn''t that girl anymore.


    Whenever she looked at Kai she felt another surge of warmth. He had changed - his body seemed to be shifting, flickering with a monstrous shadow every time he attacked. Yet he was still the man she loved and she didn''t really care if he swept her up in those unnecessarily large hands or these new claws. Either way, she would be safe.


    Even Omilaena fighting alongside them didn''t disrupt their shared techniques, and in fact she maneuvered between them with surprising ease. In a strange way it felt right for her to be there, adding her piercing strikes to Zae Zin Nim''s flow and Kai''s ferocity.


    That should have been strange, but she didn''t let it distract her. They needed to defend Ceryyn, who was grievously injured, and that wasn''t easy with opponents like Lilaetiel around. At least the demoness seemed to have been seriously hampered by trying to absorb the elven glamour - she staggered with dimmed eyes, still feral but less aggressive.


    A horn sounded from the east and for a moment Zae Zin Nim was baffled. She saw troops marching toward them, wearing the lacquered armor of the Flaeren Dominion. Why were they attacking now? Were they threatened, or had this always been the plan?


    "We need to move!" Omilaena called. She was right, they needed to get north and escape like Ceryyn had hinted. Hopefully she meant there was a hidden totem, powerful enough to allow them to escape the Commonwealth altogether.


    Kai knelt down and threw Ceryyn over one shoulder to retreat north. Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena moved to defend him as they angled away from the advancing army, but the Brightwind cultivators weren''t about to give up. There were still four of them, pushing Zae Zin Nim to her limits deflecting all of their qi attacks.


    "Loose!" Someone shouted even over the sounds of the battle and Zae Zin Nim heard arrows take flight. She turned just in time to see one of them cutting through the air towards Kai''s back.


    She struck the side of the shaft with her palm and flinched. Her blow knocked the arrow away, but she felt a line of pain across her palm. Somehow the arrow had been imbued with an enormous amount of chakra, enough that it could be dangerous even to someone of her strength.


    And there were a lot more of them. She saw that the Flaeren Dominion was advancing a line of chakra-armored warriors with archers behind them. The vast majority of the arrows had been aimed at the demons... not just Anaelina and Lilaetiel, but more who were pouring out of the city. Whether this was coincidence or just taking advantage, it seemed both sides intended to do battle now.


    If they could have run north in that moment, they might have been able to escape the battle entirely. But her father''s cultivators remained in the way, still focused on capturing her no matter what wars broke out around them. There was no way to break through them quickly enough.


    "Loose!" In the time they were held there, the cry ran out again. This time the arrows soared like a flock of skeletal birds, briefly shading the plaza as they arced downward.


    Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath, ready to deflect as many as she could. She didn''t think she could stop them all and could only hope those that got through weren''t lethal.


    Except at that moment Kai unleashed his Void Gaze. He had much of the plaza in his sight, halting many of the fighters and freezing a set of arrows in place overhead. Zae Zin Nim was frozen as well, but she didn''t try to resist, just let herself be fixed by Kai''s burning gaze.


    He swept her and Omilaena along with him and arrows tumbled behind them as they passed out of his sight. They collectively leapt over the Brightwind line, which was too shaken to counter-attack just yet, and reached the other side. They should have been home free.


    Except that, on the northern edge of the plaza, she saw that the Commonwealth army was closing in. Golden armor, demonic arts users, and more... her personal battle was about to be swept away in a war that didn''t care in the slightest about any of them.


    .


    ..


    .


    In a fair fight, Omilaena would have bet on herself over any of the Brightwind cultivators. She would be doing her best to make the fight unfair in her favor, so she would also give herself good odds against almost all the demons who were joining the battle. But now that both the Commonwealth and Dominion armies had arrived, things were about to devolve into a chaotic melee where no one was safe.


    Kai had gotten them away from the heart of the fighting and those clouds of arrows, but they had to skirt around the Commonwealth army and there were demons everywhere now. She followed the others even though she doubted they could get out so cleanly.


    Clearly, this was more than a squabble or a vendetta. Both sides had brought their armies planning to fake peace and then wage war. She wasn''t even sure that their fight had been the spark that lit everything off: she could sense other battles in Traeton, including trying to strike the First Crest to disrupt power. The Flaeren Dominion army took significant time to prepare all their chakra armor, so they couldn''t march on a heartbeat and they must have been planning this.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Omilaena smirked as she realized that almost all of them might be irrelevant in the calculus of the war. It was even likely that Lilaetiel was the real target: she was one of only thirty true demons and one of the stronger among them, so taking her out while she was hunting might tip the balance.


    "Enough!" The Brightwind cultivators streaked overhead, leaping from flying swords to land in their path again. "Mistress, these barbarians are mad, please come back home with us!"


    "No." Zae Zin Nim prepared to fight again, but Omilaena was more concerned about how she had been tracked.


    Here on Rosemount they couldn''t pick out her qi so easily as on Deadwaste, but they had clearly been able to track her through the battle. Most likely if Zae Zin Nim awakened her chakra she would be able to hide from them for good. Barring that, they would need to use more intensive methods to escape this time.


    Kai glanced at her and tilted his head north, suggesting further retreat. Omilaena nodded in response and drew in a deep breath. While Zae Zin Nim was still wasting the enemy''s time arguing, Omilaena exhaled a vast cloud of poisonous smoke, forcing the Brightwind cultivators to retreat.


    Her group plunged through, aiming to disappear into the city. But they hadn''t gone far when a rope of qi lashed out, catching Zae Zin Nim''s ankle. She stumbled, and even though Omilaena severed the rope the next second, it slowed them down.


    "Did you think that would work?" One of the Brightwind cultivators strolled out of the poisonous cloud with a smirk. He and the others were surrounded by auras of shimmering qi. "We control the winds, harlot. Your tricks are useless against us."


    That was an unfortunate surprise, but Omilaena wasn''t worried... because Kai wasn''t with them. The Brightwind cultivators prepared more ropes of binding qi, ignoring the smoke they thought was harmless. They should have been paying more attention, because black smoke roiled in a maw within.


    When Kai exhaled, his Baleful Breath swept through the poison like a wall. It met the qi wind and rolled through implacably, flashing with red and yellow fragments of power. One of the cultivators was consumed instantly and the others retreated in panic, at least two severely burned. That might finally have crippled them, but they still had to escape the city.


    Now they''d finally earned themselves a straight path down one of the outer streets. Yet Omilaena saw there was another demon watching from a rooftop. Worse, it was one of the leaders, with over 1000 Power. He was looking directly at them and there was no telling whether or not he would decide they were worthy prey.


    Then an enormous suit of red and black armor launched itself against the side of the building. There was a man inside it, especially if this was who Omilaena guessed, but he was entirely invisible inside the lacquered metal. He swung a sword twice the size of an adult, slashing through the building in his attempt to cut the demon leader in half.


    Somehow the demon caught the sword by the edge, but it still drove him backward. As the two began fighting, Omilaena got a better look at the armored warrior and confirmed who it was...


    <


    Name: Tormundon the Bloodclad


    Total Power: 1071


    Heart of Steel: Emerald Rank (530)


    Scarmiglione''s Steel: Level 5 (125)


    Physique: D-7 (235)


    Soul Level: 9 (81)


    Bloodclad Armor (+100)


    >


    Tormundon the Bloodclad had been a well-known warrior of the Dominion when she had first fled Rosemount, and it seemed like he''d only grown more powerful in her absence. If the Dominion was adding warriors like him to the battlefield they were serious about this.


    Not enough soldiers to launch a full invasion, but enough real powers to try to decapitate the demonic leadership. That was a worst case scenario for them, especially as a successful retreat seemed less and less likely.


    .


    ..


    .


    So far Kai hadn''t taken any serious injuries, and Behemoth''s Heart prevented him from getting tired, but the battle was fatiguing him mentally. There were constant new threats from every side, with new powers, new abilities, and new motivations. If he''d been thrown into a battle like this when he first arrived in Rosemount, he would have been overwhelmed just by the chaos of it.


    Of course he was the best choice to carry Ceryyn, but fighting with one arm tied while defending her was limiting. He wished that he could throw her into his spatial ring, but that would be harmful. At least they seemed to have left Zae Zin Nim''s sect behind. When they finally reached a street corner of relative peace, they slowed to a halt by unspoken agreement.


    "Ceryyn said to go north," Zae Zin Nim said. "Teleportation is our best path out of this."


    "The battle isn''t much better in that direction." Omilaena manifested her goggles and looked ahead before wincing. "The path of least resistance would be northeast."


    "But we''re limited, and we lost the crystal ship..."


    "No, I got that." Kai gestured to his spatial ring. "I grabbed it during the fight at the plaza. But are you sure we want to be flying right now?"


    There were others in the air, especially Commonwealth soldiers flying on marble slabs, but they were going down all around them. The Flaeren Dominion seemed to have highly dangerous archers and there were people who could used ranged chakra everywhere. On the streets they were hidden from the main armies, but anyone in the sky made themselves a target.


    Zae Zin Nim sighed. "Alright, then we keep running north and hope-"


    "Stop right there!" A group of Commonwealth soldiers marched down the street toward them, led by a demonic arts user. "All of you are wanted by high command for questioning!"


    "You''re doing this now?" Omilaena asked contemptuously.


    "Stand down! If you resist, we will-"


    Kai sensed the massive force when it arrived, but not fast enough to do anything about it. An enormous armored warrior he''d seen before crashed down into the street and swung an over-sized blade that swept through all of the Commonwealth soldiers as if they were made of paper. He hadn''t even been targeting them, he just cleared them out like distractions.


    "Who the hell are you?" A voice rumbled from within the armor. There was no visor, just a carved face of an ogre. His armor seemed to be no cheap gimmick he had purchased, it was power he had clearly built up himself through several different abilities. Earlier he had attacked the leader of the demon council and Kai had figured they would be fighting for a while.


    Except his enormous blade was completely coated in purple blood. Had he actually won the battle?


    "Answer! I am Tormundon the Bloodclad, bane of all demons, but are you their enemies or their pawns?"


    Facing someone like that, it seemed obvious they should claim to be enemies. Was it possible that Tormundon knew about Kai''s alliance with Gorutiel, or how Omilaena had spent months working with Troulon? Answering with a lie might be even worse, because trying to fight someone like this could be a problem. That armor was likely to repel direct attacks, so unless they could get poison through its defenses, this would be a difficult fight.


    A flame lit in the chest of the giant armor, quiet and subtle. It almost seemed like it might be a new power until the man gave a choked gasp. The flame spread through his armor, red as blood. Tormundon the Bloodclad was consumed - body, armor, and soul - and then the flames faded away peacefully.


    Across the fading embers stood a slender demon. Slightly tall but not towering, fit but not muscular, striking but not handsome. He lowered two fingers and the red flames died away there as well. As Kai saw his soul and for the first time witnessed a real power of Rosemount, he realized that this could only be one man.


    Matiavel the Destroyer.

 Chapter 291: Power Brittle As Glass

    <


    Name: Matiavel the Destroyer


    Total Power: 1860


    Pureflame Demon: Diamond Rank (1000)


    Demonic Cultivation: Earth Soul (445)


    Physique: C-3 (315)


    Soul Level: 10 (100)


    >


    Heartbeats passed, agonizingly slowly, as Kai stared at the overwhelming strength in the man''s soul. If this was truly one of the great powers of Rosemount, then fighting him head on was suicide. Kai had depended on Behemoth''s Heart for a long time, but he had a feeling that if the crimson flame touched him, it wouldn''t matter. Nothing he had so far could stand up to one of these god abilities.


    Then their only hope was speed. Kai let go of Tyrant''s Claw and Baleful Breath, which he assumed would be useless, and tried to draw on the Thunderbird essence and Garuda''s Wing. Yet even as his mind raced between heartbeats, he couldn''t change his own soul quickly enough. The statues in his mind''s eye grated agonizingly slowly, inch by inch...


    "I think some of the others talked about you, but I don''t pay enough attention." Matiavel''s voice was surprisingly quiet, almost lost in the sounds of the battle around them. "This is troublesome."


    "Forgive us for disrupting your city." Zae Zin Nim stepped forward and gave a respectful bow. "I fear an internal conflict in my sect has spilled over into violence. But all I want is to return to Cloudspire, and my pursuers will follow me afterward and leave you undisturbed."


    It wasn''t a bad idea: humility and suggesting that they were uninvolved. Kai desperately strained to shift his soul as the demon''s eyes flickered over them. If anything he seemed apathetic... until his eyes fell on Ceryyn. Kai had adjusted to her weight and almost forgotten about her before that moment.


    "An elven elder." Matiavel sighed and began to raise his hand. "I don''t suppose this is a kidnapping... no, perhaps I might as well..."


    As the crimson flames began to blossom, the Thunderbird finally locked into place. Kai grabbed Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena and leapt to the side as fast as he could.


    His shoulder scraped across the street and he lost his grip on the others, who tumbled out over the stones. But behind where they had been standing, a building was silently burning away. Matiavel still had his hand raised in that direction, but his head had turned to follow the dive with little more than mild interest. If he came after them for real...


    In that moment Kai was caught between hope and despair. His theory had been right: Matiavel had unstoppable offensive force, but his speed wasn''t beyond belief. Unfortunately, he wasn''t slow, just apathetic. If he began using his full speed, then Kai wasn''t sure he could stay ahead of it.


    "Up!" Omilaena pushed him to his feet. Zae Zin Nim had already picked up Ceryyn, though she struggled under the elf''s weight. They would be staggering down the street, too slow to escape.


    But the battle had caught up to them now, Dominion and Commonwealth soldiers clashing on the streets. One of the more powerful Dominion warriors, a woman wielding a spear twice her height, charged at Matiavel.


    He didn''t even look at her, she just burned away in silent crimson flames.


    At first Kai thought that their escape was an act of mercy or perhaps just an unfathomably lucky stroke to balance out all the bad luck he''d experienced in his life. Then another force hit the battlefield and he understood that Matiavel''s movements weren''t sluggishness, they were caution.


    When it first happened Kai didn''t even understand what had occurred, he just saw a line of Commonwealth soldiers die. They slumped to the ground, bleeding from apparently small injuries, but they went almost unnoticed compared to the rush of flames around Matiavel.


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    The most powerful demon in the Commonwealth, one of the strongest forces on the continent, had thrown up a wild defense and then leapt back. Now he stood in a tense combat position, his eyes wide and flickering wildly around him. There was another instantaneous attack and more Commonwealth soldiers died, but once again Matiavel threw up a defense in time.


    Kai couldn''t see any of the actual movements, but his instincts told him that someone was moving unbelievably fast. He drew on the Thunderbird essence as hard as he could, willing himself to stretch the space between his heartbeats even further. His eyes ached and the world swam strangely blue, then for one moment he saw deeper.


    Dust blown across the street froze in place and all the combatants became statues. They weren''t moving slowly, they might as well have been a painting. And yet, amidst that frozen tableau, a single person moved.


    They wore a gray uniform with wide shoulders that reminded him of Dominion Armor, but theirs was composed of simple cloth. It had a high collar that obscured most of the face and a haze of gray-green smoke floated over the top half, so it was impossible to see their face or even guess at their gender. The body was slender and graceful, not that it mattered compared to the frankly insane level of speed.


    It had to be the Windlord, ruler of the entire Flaeren Dominion.


    Whoever they were, they moved through the statues, casually killing each with a well-placed blow. The twin daggers looked well-made and had edges burning with gray-green mana, but they weren''t powerful beyond belief. The problem was that no one could defend against an attack they couldn''t even see.


    The Windlord killed their way through a line of Commonwealth soldiers, leaving a trail of smoke and blood just beginning to fall in their wake. Based on what Kai had seen, this moment was so extended that they might as well have all died at once. When they reached a demon the Windlord paused briefly, dealing seven different cuts that severed limbs and cut open arteries, but the wounds had barely begun to bleed when the Windlord moved on.


    In that stretched moment Kai couldn''t really think, the Thunderbird essence was letting him see just briefly. So there was nothing he could do when his instincts used his spiritual sight.


    <


    Name: The Windlord


    Total Power: 1855


    Heart of Wind: Diamond Rank (1000)


    Wind Soul Robe: Emerald Rank (550)


    Physique: D-1 (205)


    Soul Level: 10 (100)


    >


    The Windlord''s head immediately shifted toward them. In that moment, Kai was fixed by a bright green eye blazing from out of the shroud of smoke. He wondered if he had just killed them all, because his body was as trapped as everyone else.


    Then the Windlord looked away and the moment was over.


    Another line of soldiers died, ending in another burst of flame from Matiavel. Kai realized that for these two great powers, everyone else on the battlefield basically didn''t even exist. If Matiavel relaxed his focus for even a moment, he could potentially take a lethal blow, but if the Windlord slipped up even once, they''d be consumed by the crimson flames.


    Even though it felt like far too much time had passed, Kai was still running down the street with the others. He shook his head sharply and tried to return to thinking normally. For a start he grabbed Ceryyn so that Zae Zin Nim could run more easily.


    The experience reminded him of the attack at the abyss, when they had moved within a rainbow aura that slowed down everything around them. This must be the "phases" that the Frontier elites had mentioned: the Windlord wasn''t really a god, they had just tapped into a greater power. It wasn''t impossibly far above him, he could even grasp it for a moment.


    That should have been encouraging, but Kai really wanted to get out of the city.


    He couldn''t help looking over his shoulder to try to catch glimpses of the battle. Because he kept looking back, he saw when a god emerged.


    At first it looked like a normal elven woman, but when she stepped onto the street where the great powers fought, she pulled back her hood. She wasn''t beautiful, she was... transcendent. Kai couldn''t even imagine feeling desire for such a being - it was humiliating for him to even be in her presence and he should have thrown himself to the ground and begged her forgiveness for existing.


    "Steady!" Omilaena grabbed Zae Zin Nim, who swayed on her feet as the aura washed over them. "Remember what this is."


    Of course: it was another aura. Kai couldn''t pierce it enough to see the elf''s power, but she wasn''t a goddess, just someone who had taken their soul cultivation to its logical extreme. She must have been the greatest of the Council of Elders, the Elven Wilds'' final resort.


    On the street behind them, soldiers on both sides threw down their weapons and wept. Matiavel and the Windlord didn''t bow, but they did hesitate, their attention suddenly fixed on the new arrival. If either of them could manage to attack, Kai assumed they could kill the elder, but her presence flooded out like a physical force and rendered attack impossible. The three stared at one another, all marshaling their powers and yet hesitating to attack.


    That made three of the great powers on one street. Kai simultaneously wished he could have seen the Empress of the Coiled Empire and was glad she wasn''t there, because a fourth might have killed everyone watching.


    Yet somehow he and the others were still running. They might not be the strongest on Rosemount, but their souls had been forged in countless trials against overwhelming opponents and they refused to give in. Maybe they couldn''t fight opponents like this yet, but they were walking the same path.


    Then the lights of the city began to give out. Kai thought that the First Crest might have been disconnected, but the core was still bright. No, the darkness began at the edges and advanced inward... and something at the center began to glow brighter, rivaling the sun.

 Chapter 292: Escaping Before the Final Beat

    Half the city had gone dark by the time they finally broke free of it. One second Kai was running between dead energy lines, then they disappeared into the final buildings and he was free. There were entrance plazas to the north of the city as well, but there were no armies here to fight over them.


    Ceryyn woke up enough to run along with them and provide direction. Apparently the battle had swept over one of the embassy safe points, but they could still reach the one in the north. He was glad they had that option, because after seeing the great powers do battle, he wasn''t confident that just getting outside the city would make them safe. Whenever he looked back and saw more lights vanishing into the central glow, he picked up the pace even more.


    "Just... up ahead..." Ceryyn was struggling a bit, but managed to keep up.


    "What are the lights doing?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "We don''t know... for sure... probably a... weapon..."


    So the Commonwealth had some sort of super-weapon drawing off the First Crest''s energy. If it performed anywhere near what he''d expect, that could be devastating, potentially equal to the great powers. That was one bit of military intelligence he was happy not to know.


    Finally they left the cleared plains around the city and Ceryyn pointed forward. There was some sort of outpost built in the elven style, but the windows had been smashed in. Ceryyn gasped when she opened the door and saw the cracked tables and scattered papers. An elven man lay on his back, groaning.


    "Should we assume the totem is gone?" Omilaena gasped.


    "It shouldn''t be!" Ceryyn insisted. "I don''t see too much looting... come help me check."


    Ceryyn herself helped up the elf while the others began to examine the paneling within the outpost. Apparently there were secret compartments for emergencies, but Ceryyn couldn''t be sure exactly where they were located, only the general mechanisms. Deciding he didn''t have the skills for that sort of thing, Kai remained just outside, on guard in case the Brightwind sect caught up with them again.


    Instead he saw something silver flash down the road. Anaelina grinned when she saw him.


    "Are you insane?" Kai demanded.


    "I''m less likely to die out here." She flitted across the distance between them, striking with a surprisingly heavy blow he blocked with a forearm. "Besides, this is personal."


    He tried to kick at her, but she danced back a step before executing a retaliatory kick. When they''d fought years ago, she had been so overwhelmingly powerful that she had been able to use pure physical strength in most fights. Now she struck at him with limbs that flashed silver and exploded with more force than they should have carried.


    Anaelina was definitely weaker than him in terms of absolute power, but Kai found himself pressed to keep her at bay. She didn''t underestimate him in the slightest, unlike so many others, and didn''t attempt to drain him again, unlike most demons. In fact, she seemed to still be fighting cautiously, no doubt anticipating his other techniques.


    Eventually she tried to stab her fingers into his shoulder and they couldn''t penetrate deeply. Kai managed to grab her arm and kept hold of it even when she jerked back. She struck at his stomach, but grappling with him was the wrong choice, because this way he could use his superior strength.


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    "Oooh, looks like you have me in your power," she simpered.


    Kai lunged forward to bite her.


    Her head shot down, ducking the spiritual jaws, and he only caught a mouthful of her hair. She reversed course the next moment, slamming the crown of her head against his face. He stumbled back and she pushed her advantage, driving him down to one knee.


    But even taken off guard, Kai still had his advantages. Drawing on the Savage Heart, he sent chakra into his feet, which swelled with monstrous muscle to push back. His hands were flickering into claws now, remaining more steady, and he pushed her back.


    "How?" Anaelina stared at him. "You were a worthless Deadwaste scrub, how are y-"


    He opened his mouth again to interrupt her and she moved faster, leaning in to kiss him. Something seemed to shoot straight through his skull, overwhelming his mind. His instinct was to resist as if it was an elven glamour, but his barriers did no good, the power seized hold of his thoughts.


    Suddenly he floated within a silver cloud, distant and dreamlike. Anaelina floated closer to him, clad only in silver light. He remembered fighting her but that seemed foolish compared to everything she offered. When she reached out to touch his cheek, his entire body jerked into her touch. It was like the aphrodisiacs of the Savage Heart except so much worse, jumping over his body to his mind.


    As soon as her softness touched him, he was nearly overwhelmed. All he wanted was to sink his hands into her flesh and give in, to enjoy everything she offered. When he tried to fight back, his desire twisted into something darker and uglier. Even though he hurled her down against the cloud, he could still see that silvery smile...


    The Savage Heart was pounding now - not helping him, it was making things worse. Kai pushed away all animal instincts, then all his human thoughts. Nothing but monstrous essence, hungry for destruction and nothing else.


    Kai staggered backward, his eyes aching in the normal light after the soft silver. Anaelina stumbled backward too, but she was grinning.


    "Not so invulnerable after all," she purred. "So much pent-up desire, so much uncertainty... if that''s your best, you''re basically offering yourself up to me..."


    "Get away from him, strumpet!" Zae Zin Nim emerged from the house, hurling qi attack after qi attack. Anaelina was forced to dodge backward, but she laughed as she spun out of range.


    "This way," Omilaena grabbed Kai''s arm and he shivered at the feminine touch. "Keep your head on straight and step back with us."


    "Wait, no..." Kai reached out a hand that was a claw. "She''s dangerous... we should take her out now."


    "I don''t think you can, not like this. And that weapon is getting too close to firing for comfort."


    Traeton in the distance was almost entirely dark except for the brilliant light that cast shadows all over the city. Suddenly Kai was weary beyond belief, as if his mind and soul had been stretched in too many directions over too short a time. He sighed and took a step back to where Ceryyn was waiting with an elven totem in hand.


    When Zae Zin Nim retreated as well, the totem snapped and suddenly it was over.


    They stood underneath the desert sky and he recognized the Elven Wilds - once they had been inhospitable, but now they inspired nothing but a sense of relief. More importantly, the pressure was gone. The combination of overwhelming opponents, constant focus, and steadily increasing energy had been battering on his skull so much he became numb to it until it was gone.


    Now he swayed on his feet, struggling with the remnants of what Anaelina had done to him. Even as a teenager he''d never felt such raw, unfocused lust. He didn''t look at any of his companions because he didn''t want to know what he''d think if he did.


    "We made it." Ceryyn breathed a long sigh of relief. "If I never experience anything like that ever again, I''ll thank the gods. Why don''t we get everyone patched up before we worry about the aftermath?"


    "You need to sleep it off," Omilaena said quietly from Kai''s elbow. She gestured with a syringe filled with blue liquid. "I could give you something to make that easier."


    "No, I''ll handle it." Kai squinched his eyes shut and tried not to focus on the sound of her voice. Unless he could overcome an attack like that in the future, he''d have a weakness that could be exploited by Anaelina or anyone using similar techniques.


    At first he focused on being constantly vigilant, alert for anyone chasing them via teleportation, or direct attacks on the Elven Wilds. When it became obvious that they had really escaped, it was harder to maintain precise thoughts, so he stumbled away from the others. As soon as he found a safe bed, he fell into sleep blessedly quickly.


    Except that his dreams were filled with silver clouds.

 Chapter 293: Phases of the Aftermath

    Even though theoretically she was safe now, Zae Zin Nim couldn''t relax in the elven city. The time away from the Brightwind sect, just with her close allies, had made her forget how Cloudspire politics could be. They had killed three of the cultivators, but her father still had more Earth Souls. At some point he might even come himself.


    All her studies about dual cultivation left her even more troubled by those thoughts. There was some young master in the Coiling Island sect who wanted to marry her without knowing a thing about her, likely having just seen a painting. Or it was possible that he hadn''t even seen that, he just knew her level of cultivation and wanted to exploit it. All the strange things she struggled to think about were turned into horrors when she imagined herself being forcibly married.


    Now she sat in an elven room, trying to convince herself it was safe. She was supposed to be cultivating, but she was just sitting with her legs crossed painfully tightly. There had been a pleasant release when she treated her wounds and took a moment to rest, but now the tension was rising again.


    "You okay?" Omilaena appeared in the doorway, leaning against one of the walls casually. "You took a while to get started back there."


    "I do not want to be taken back and imprisoned." Zae Zin Nim realized she was clenching her fingers against her knees. "That was a terrible battle. So many cultivators not that much weaker than us are dead now."


    "That''s why I say that gaining experience on Deadwaste isn''t a waste. There''s a difference between someone who has pumped themselves full of power and someone who earned it. Of course... neither does you much good against god abilities. Hard to comprehend, huh?"


    "No, I do not feel so."


    Omilaena perked up oddly. "What do you mean?"


    "We saw something similar at the abyss," Zae Zin Nim said. "I didn''t fully understand at the time, but the Frontier cultivators referred to something called phases. I believe the concept of superlative abilities is not unknown to them."


    "Huh. If that''s true, it would be the first time Deadwaste really had a leg up on something. Do you think we could get information from them?"


    "Potentially. I believe they owe us for what we did in Krysal."


    They lapsed into silence, but the interruption had helped Zae Zin Nim shift to new patterns of thinking. She had changed, even if she was still young in many ways. If she could continue to advance without the final hammer coming down, she would eventually be strong enough to stand up to her father.


    Or stronger. When Zae Zin Nim next closed her eyes, she managed to cultivate.


    .


    ..


    .


    Apparently even god abilities could be understood, but Omilaena wasn''t quite arrogant enough to think that she could unravel all their secrets just yet. Instead, she was much more interested in what Anaelina had used at the end of the battle.


    She had three unique components to her power: Silver Demon arts, a Corrupt Yin Core, and something called Devouring Yin. Silver Demons could drain power through sex and even other emotions, but that power generally manifested as raw speed and strength, not spiritual abilities, so that was unlikely to be the culprit. Omilaena had never heard of Devouring Yin and could only presume what it did based on the name.


    Which left the Corrupt Yin Core, which was more interesting. Omilaena had gotten her books back from Zae Zin Nim, but when they''d fled the Great Library she had prioritized the most obscure texts. Information on abilities in Rosemount was more common and thus perversely more difficult for her to look up at the moment.


    In the final moments, when Anaelina had kissed Kai, there had been a major shift in chakra. One assumed that it was a twisted use of yin energy, though Omilaena couldn''t determine that for certain from a distance. What she knew was that Kai slowed down, as if overwhelmed by a mental technique.


    Anaelina had moved first, but what she had intended to do was unclear. Maybe just tear out Kai''s throat, but maybe try to manipulate him. Her first attempted action would actually have been an essential clue to the purpose of her technique, so it was almost unfortunate that Kai had recovered so quickly. He''d been disoriented for a moment, suggesting that he had internally experienced more time than had passed in the real world.


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    Whatever it had been, it had done a number on Kai. Omilaena had only professional familiarity with sexual arts, but she could tell that it had sorely tested him. He didn''t quite have the disposition to be a warrior monk, so he was vulnerable to abilities that played on those drives.


    She was pretty sure that if she''d gone to him that night, she could have fucked the ability out of him and he would have been cured for good. But that would have ruined other things, so he had to suffer. In any case, by the time he woke up the next morning, it seemed to have passed.


    Theoretically they never needed to return to the Commonwealth, but Zae Zin Nim wanted to visit the Kama Altar and Kai clearly felt he had unfinished business. If they had to go back, perhaps it would be for the best if Omilaena was the one to take on the Silver Demon.


    So she made plans for that eventuality and wished that things could be different.


    .


    ..


    .


    Sleep had done Kai good, but when he woke up he found that the pressure was still looming over everyone. The entire Elven Wilds waited on news from the Commonwealth, since it could mean all kinds of disaster or even war. Rumors poured in along with refugees and members of the embassy, which had not been directly attacked but was still leveled.


    The real breakthrough came when the main delegation returned. It included the woman who had stood up to fight Matiavel and the Windlord - she was no longer projecting her glamour, but even at rest she looked flawlessly grandiose. Countless elves went to talk to her, including all the local elders, so Kai figured that he would wait for Ceryyn or someone else to tell him the news.


    Ceryyn was back to being cheerful, even though she was undergoing healing for her injuries during the battle. Kai was considering going back to talk to her when elven guards suddenly approached him.


    "The Elder wishes to see you. Please come with us."


    Kai blinked and he almost said "Me?" but that would be stupid. The idea of standing on the same battlefield with the top warriors had already been about his limit, so being invited directly was a surprise. He followed the guards through the elven city, which he still didn''t know well. When he arrived, he saw that Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena were already waiting in a sitting room - they didn''t seem to know any better than he did, but their presence was reassuring.


    "Please excuse me." The elven elder stepped into the room and gracefully settled into the largest chair opposite them. Even without her aura, up close she was stunning... or maybe he hadn''t entirely gotten through Anaelina''s technique yet.


    "I''m afraid we haven''t been introduced," Omilaena said.


    "My name is Graveylin. I am a senior member of the Council of Elders." She inclined her head to them graciously and her aura retreated. He couldn''t help but examine her soul.


    <


    Name: Elder Graveylin


    Total Power: 1708


    Soul Cultivation: Sky Glamour (958)


    Physique Level: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 10 (400)


    Radiant Mantle (+150)


    >


    She definitely noticed and her eyes merely alighted on him briefly, as if amused, before she continued speaking. "I confess, when I read a report about Lady Ceryyn recruiting foreigners and then using them as spies, I believed it to be a misstep. However, your role had an out-sized influence on the battle. If not for your investigations, I would not have been present to take the field and things might have ended very differently."


    "So it wasn''t a trap for you?" Kai asked. Her presence was intoxicating, so he tried to focus on logistics.


    "Indeed it was not. While the demons controlling the Commonwealth did have a significant focus on us, the conference was not intended as an assassination. According to our spies - ones much more deeply placed than you - the conference was actually intended in earnest by the demons in charge of the CTG, only to be sabotaged by other demonic factions. That is the weakness of demon sects, of course, always working against one another."


    "What actually happened?" Zae Zin Nim asked abruptly. She didn''t seem as cowed by the elven elder''s presence. "Nobody will just give us answers."


    "With the battle? Matiavel and the Windlord eventually concluded they couldn''t kill one another without unacceptable risks, so I was able to talk them down." Graveylin put a hand to her throat slowly. "And I must confess, it was a great relief. The apex of elven glamours is an excellent tool in negotiations, but has its limitations in direct combat."


    "So what will happen now?"


    "We''ve established a tense ceasefire. The Commonwealth and the Dominion are making concessions on their border in order to reduce tensions, and thankfully this means pulling away from the Elven Wilds. It is in our best interest to play along, or even to play mediator between the warring sides. In doing so, we might be able to avoid or at least delay further aggression on our southern border."


    "Why us?" Kai asked. "I''m glad we could help, but we''re not important enough to be directly involved."


    Graveylin cast him a smile that briefly made him feel like the center of the world. "Don''t insult yourself so. You have been of great service to the Council of Elders and we intend to bestow boons upon you. But that is what I wanted to discuss... because there is one faction that considers you, or at least one of you, to be the most important piece of all this."


    Zae Zin Nim shrank back as she understood. Kai wished that he could offer support and almost moved to touch her, but that probably wouldn''t help. They all understood and said nothing, so Graveylin continued in more serious tones.


    "We have been directly contacted by the Brightwind sect, demanding the extradition of one Zae Zin Nim. Now, given your service you are truly able to ask us for any boon, so if you want us to refuse, we will honor that request. It would, however, put a great deal of strain on our political capital. That was why I wanted to meet directly and ask in person."


    It came down to that. In theory with a single request they could have the support of a powerful nation against Zae Zin Nim''s father. Yet that would be asking a lot of one of their only allies at the moment when it would test them most. He had his opinions, but it wasn''t his decision.


    So he turned to Zae Zin Nim. She hesitated, looking to him, and he gave her an encouraging nod. After a deep breath, she answered.

 Chapter 294: Shopping for Political Capital

    After such a grueling battle, and confrontations with many of the most powerful beings in Rosemount, it felt surreal to go shopping. Kai wasn''t familiar with the elven capital, so he needed others to guide him around the stores they needed. The activity was far from trivial: if his plan worked, these resources they gathered could be more valuable to them than any of the others they''d purchased.


    He ran his fingers over a chakra-imbued sheath that was supposed to strengthen the sword it contained. Would this be compatible with Irunian steel? Despite his brief experience with the ability, he couldn''t say for sure. Since it only cost 10,000 Crests, he decided to buy it just in case.


    As he finished the transaction, he realized how insane that decision was. Not so long ago, 10,000 Crests would have been an unfathomable amount of money. But they still had over half of the million Crests they''d entered the Commonwealth with, so this was the time to spend them. Omilaena insisted they didn''t want to lose money on exchange fees, and in any case the most valuable currency they could take with them was power itself.


    "What about this?" Ceryyn popped up beside him, holding up a flower that looked like a flame. "Would it work for your Classes?"


    "It''s too chakra-based," Kai had to tell her. "We need either something compatible with mana, or something that will reinforce raw power."


    "Hmm, like the Elemental Nations?"


    "If you have any chakra they could take without training, that would be excellent."


    "Oh, then I know just the place!" She beamed again and gestured for him to follow. Their path jerked to the side as she returned the flame flower and then she led him deeper into the city market.


    As they walked he glanced over at her again, noting the scars across her face. Four white lines across her cheek, nose, and left eye. She still looked stunningly beautiful - he didn''t think that was just his bias - but he had expected her to come out of healing without any trace of her injury. Since she was rarely offended, he decided that he might as well ask.


    "Could they not heal your scars?" he asked. "I know demonic arts are draining, but I hadn''t expected them to be permanent."


    "They might have been able to, but our best healers are required for so much more. And..." Ceryyn smiled oddly as she ran her fingers over the scars. "I think I''m starting to like them. Anyone can control a glamour with perfect features, but it''s a bit more of a challenge like this. Do you like it?"


    "I''m the wrong person to ask. Scars are common where I come from."


    "Yes, and we''re so sorry to see you go back. But come this way and we''ll help you go back in style."


    Of course in the end they couldn''t stay in the Elven Wilds. Not only would it burn support with their allies, it wasn''t even guaranteed to prevent further attacks by the Brightwind sect. Zae Zin Nim had made that decision, then Kai''s argument had been more focused on their advancement: they''d already gained a great deal from the Elven Wilds and they needed to move on. No one would be expecting them to return to Deadwaste, but that might actually be where they could find out more about the phases of the god abilities.


    "What about these?" Ceryyn ushered him through a curtain of beads into a shop that was filled with various elixirs. They all seemed to be somewhere between liquid and pure elements. He tested one, checking if the chakra was too incompatible, and it felt like an elemental power to him.


    "This should be perfect for the Elemental Nations," he said with a smile. "Help me pick out a few for each element."


    In the end they spent over 80,000 Crests in that shop alone, which was a bit excessive for something he wasn''t completely certain would work. But Kai was reasonably confident in his analytical skills at this point, and the Frontier elites had far more knowledge that could probably make things work.


    After purchasing sources of power, Ceryyn clearly didn''t want things to be over yet and took him to buy supplies for their journey. Eventually, however, it had to end. Ceryyn gave him a surprise hug and then disappeared into the city. She hadn''t even properly said farewell, perhaps because she intended to see him again.


    This would actually be their last day, only a week after the decision had been made. Kai met up with the others, hoping to spend some final hours in the elven capital, but they were out of time. Guards came to escort them to the council - not merely the local leaders, but the senior Council of Elders itself.


    Even though half of this city was underground, like many elven cities, they were escorted upward to meet the Council. First they passed into the light and airy levels above the surface, then through an an entire level elevated above the rest. Finally they ascended a spiral and came out at the top... and found themselves standing in a garden floating in the sky.


    His first reaction was that it seemed shockingly restrained for the heads of the entire nation, but the subtle touches built up in his subconscious. The grass beneath their feet was as blue as the sky, emanating peaceful and cool chakra even through his boots. Flowers grew in weaving patterns around them, ranging from as pale as the moon to as dark as midnight. And somehow they all held a deep inner beauty that meant they didn''t pale even when compared to the elves who sat on their moss-grown thrones.


    Because this was definitely the Council of Elders for the entire Elven Wilds. Even without fully using their glamours, they put off an aura of transcendence. If he hadn''t adjusted so much to elven auras, the appearance of the full council might have been heart-stopping.


    The only one of them he recognized was Graveylin, who smiled encouragingly. It was a much older man who spoke first.


    "Three foreigners stood with us without need, continued to risk themselves when many of our own fled, and now forsake our protection for our benefit. It would be a deep shame if we did not send you forth with gifts worthy of our people."


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    "We already know what one of you will ask," another elder said with a glance toward Omilaena. "As negotiated through Lady Ceryyn Sandflower, you will be granted this honor as a single unit. Thus it is only fair that your other two boons also be granted to all three of you."


    They''d hoped that would happen, but hadn''t been sure. Kai glanced at the other two one more time, thinking back to their strategy. They didn''t know quite how much the elves could offer, so they needed to decide flexibly based on what was possible.


    "The three of us intend to journey to Deadwaste," Kai said as he stepped forward, "and we will be going separately to give you plausible deniability. But it would be far more efficient if we could teleport there, so for my boon, I ask if this is possible."


    "I''m afraid it isn''t," Graveylin told him sadly. "The distance itself would be nearly impossible, and the oceans interfere with our techniques. Is there anything else you can ask?"


    "In that case, I ask that you equip us for the journey we are about to undertake."


    He stated it humbly, not actually asking for as much as he could, because Omilaena and Ceryyn had been convinced that would shame the elves into helping. It seemed to work: the elders ordered forth an Alltongue Fruit for Omilaena, a spatial bracelet for Zae Zin Nim, and a chakra-enchanted cloak for Kai, in addition to supplies and more ordinary preparations. Kai was most pleased by the spatial bracelet - now all three of them had easier storage.


    Zae Zin Nim stepped forward next. "We will be leaving Rosemount to relieve political pressure on your people," she said carefully. "On Deadwaste, it will be more difficult for us to advance. Therefore I ask that you grant each of us a source of power to sustain us through the journey."


    That request proved a little more difficult to fulfill, but the Council of Elders seemed especially motivated to rise to the challenge. Zae Zin Nim received a crystal sphere that bound a great deal of qi, Kai received a dark plant that merged mana with chakra, and Omilaena received a sword that had been imbued with chakra over generations.


    Personally, Kai wasn''t as convinced as Zae Zin Nim that this would work. There was no way around the lower energy on Deadwaste, so his plan had been to get there and back as soon as possible to learn what they could from the Frontier elites. Still, he had to admit that the plant would be a new challenge and the others might be able to take advantage of their gifts well. And given how their luck went, it would be good to have a fallback option if they got stuck.


    Finally Omilaena stepped forward. "All of you know what I''m going to ask," she said with a graceful bow. "We want garments woven by the Primal Loom."


    "And you shall be the first outsiders in over a decade to receive such," the eldest said. "But if you truly want those garments to have their maximum potential, you must descend to make preparations. We hope that at the time they are complete, our domain will be welcoming to you once again."


    The Council of Elders said a few more words of thanks, but the ceremony was clearly over. As soon as they left the rooftop garden they moved at a faster rate, plummeting through the city. After Omilaena had stressed so much about how the Primal Loom could offer an advantage they couldn''t find anywhere else, he was curious to finally see it.


    The three of them descended to the secure level... and then kept descending. Cheerful elven lanterns gave way to eerie blue torches, then to ghostly lights that didn''t match anything he''d seen in the Elven Wilds. They were still descending, then they passed through a heavily guarded corridor and they finally entered the depths.


    A thin staircase spiraled around the exterior of a pit that seemed to descending into the bowls of the earth. For a moment Kai was reminded of the two abysses he''d seen, but this was clearly more natural than the unusually smooth pits. The darkness wasn''t supernatural either, and as they spiraled, the floating lights illuminated the bottom.


    There he found the mystical artifact that had been Omilaena''s obsession for so long: the Primal Loom. It arched in multiple directions, composed of bones and a strange dark substance he couldn''t identify that seemed almost alive. Kai was no textile expert, but he''d seen looms before and this didn''t look familiar. Instead of a boxy structure that could pass thread through it, the Primal Loom seemed to arch strings in incomprehensible patterns.


    But those strings... they glowed like no material he''d ever seen. The power wasn''t exactly mana, qi, or chakra, but an embodied essence that contained some of all three. Unlike many of the static pieces of equipment he''d seen, these threads seemed to resonate with his own power.


    "Welcome to the Primal Loom." An elven elder wearing a robe that covered his entire body greeted them as they arrived at the bottom. "Very few outsiders have ever set foot here. You should count yourselves honored to be granted the opportunity."


    "It''s a great honor simply to be in its presence." Omilaena''s expression looked completely sincere, even though he was sure she was salivating over the opportunity for power.


    "Once in your life, you may step into the Primal Loom and weave the threads of fate into a garment that will empower you. However, it cannot be woven from nothing, in particular if you desire the strongest results. For this reason, all three of you must leave some of your essence, to be gathered here for the moment of culmination."


    Another robed figure handed each of them a spindle made from dark metal. It looked ordinary enough except that one end was a gemstone and the other was extremely sharp.


    "Prepare your essence now," the lead figure told them. "You may give your blood, your chakra, whatever you wish. But beware, the more you give, the more preparatory time will be required."


    "We''re planning to let this cook for months," Omilaena told them from the side of her mouth. "Hold back if you have a strategic reason, but otherwise give everything."


    Kai wasn''t sure what to make of the whole process, so he decided to follow that advice. He pricked his finger on the sharp tip and the metal seemed to drink in a drop of his blood. Then he poured mana, qi, and chakra into the gemstone. At the end, just before he was done, he briefly made his hand transform into a claw and hoped that he had imparted some monstrous essence.


    The spindle didn''t crack, attack him, or shout that he was an abomination. That seemed like success to him.


    Meanwhile the others had also finished and handed their spindles to the elves. Zae Zin Nim had used primarily qi flowing from her cultivation, but with supporting elements of mana and chakra. It seemed like Omilaena had imparted a very balanced blend of all three and likely more. In any case, the elves made no judgments, merely took the spindles and carried them into the dark.


    There they began to spin in the air. Kai thought it was his imagination at first, but he saw a wispy energy form around his. It barely existed at all at first and slowly grew more concrete. Perhaps when they returned in many months, it would have become the magic thread they needed.


    "There is naught else we can do for you now," the hooded elder said. "We trust that fate will bring you back to the Primal Loom when the time is right."


    They ascended from the depths, respectfully silent at first but increasingly restless as they went higher. Kai was suddenly painfully aware that this would be their last time together for at least the two months required for the ocean voyage. It seemed like the others were aware of the same thing, because they all wanted to talk but the conversation came uncomfortably.


    Finally it was time to part again. In theory to reunite in Deadwaste, but life had rarely made things so easy for him. Kai was surprised when Zae Zin Nim reached up to hug him, but he was glad to return it, then hugged Omilaena as well.


    Because they teleported away, there was no long goodbye. On the other end of the strange winds, Kai was standing at a southern point of Rosemount with heavy ships off the coast. He''d been on the continent for over a year, but now it was finally time to go home.

 Chapter 295: A Voyage of Cultivation

    This was the third time in her life that Zae Zin Nim had crossed over the great ocean. First to Deadwaste, then with the others to Rosemount, and now back to Deadwaste. The second voyage, braving the Blood Current, had been by far the most dangerous and yet she found herself nostalgic for it.


    She journeyed on a sleek elven ship that cut through the waves, yet it would still take two months to cross the ocean. That would have been reasonable enough in the company of the others, but there had been no way to avoid Brightwind attention except to separate. As she was the most hunted, she went on the ship of elves sworn to secrecy, which was surprisingly lonely. All of the elven sailors were polite but distant, viewing her as a secret of state more than a person.


    In theory that was no trouble at all. This was merely a gift of two entire months where she could focus on cultivation, without even sacrificing time that she could have spent with the others. And yet when she looked at her own soul, she felt the gulf yawning above her.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 770


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 1% (500)


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Coldfire Corona: 57 (67)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-8 (104)


    Blackblood Shadow (+50)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Yin Chakra: 125 (0)


    >


    Even cultivating in the richest qi fields in all Cloudspire, it took years to reach the Sky Soul stage, and that was for the few who could attain it at all. There was simply no chance that she would reach it in the near future, and perhaps it would be completely impossible to reach Sky Soul before dealing with her father.


    As if to add insult to injury, their ship was hit by a massive storm and blown off course midway through the journey. The sailors worked hard to get them back on track, but said that they would be arriving at least a week later, and likely at a different port. Reaching their designated meeting point would be more difficult now.


    Once all that would have filled her with despair, but now she had allies and other sources of power. The task was challenging, not impossible. Her plan was to switch from qi to mana when she returned to Deadwaste, since she had let her Coldfire Corona slip behind again. Aside from a touch of guilt, that actually encouraged her, because she was sure that she could attain substantial growth.


    And of course, all her work cultivating chakra would pay off if she and Kai... it was easier not to think about that.


    Instead she focused on the sphere of qi she''d been given, which really was a remarkable gift. It contained so much qi that she could cultivate off it alone for many months. Compared to the immense challenge of the Sky Soul stage, that would not be enough, but it was more than she expected. And, now that she was thinking less as a cultivator, it occurred to her that the sphere itself might be a more useful gift than what it contained.


    But for now, she could only move forward. The waves lapped, the winds blew, and Zae Zin Nim cultivated.

 Chapter 296: A Voyage of Hunger

    According to the original plan, Kai had been supposed to spend the voyage working on the mana and chakra plant that he had been given by the elves. He''d eaten a few pieces of it and tried to digest the strange merged power, but after a few days it spent all its time sitting in his spatial ring.


    Because it was finally time to shape the Thunderbird essence. He had all the knowledge he needed, all the other monstrous powers, and no excuses. There were no urgent priorities or lethal threats. If he couldn''t develop a perfect ability from it now, he never would.


    All of his theoretical work had made him sure that he could create an ability that could fulfill several roles at once without sacrificing potential. He needed speed, of course, but he needed agility and mobility along with it. Ideally he also wanted something that would be compatible with his new Savage Heart abilities, even though he hadn''t fully mastered them, so he didn''t need to sacrifice the wings themselves. For that reason he decided to feed his aerial abilities into the new ability as well.


    During the voyage they occasionally encountered monsters, none of them a true challenge for him. Honestly, the lamia sailors he journeyed with could probably have handled things themselves. Kai told them not to raise a finger and ate everything himself, because he needed all the monstrous essence he could get.


    First he fixed the Thunderbird in his soul as Thunderbird''s Essence, an ability that was too broad to be powerful but didn''t sacrifice any future potential. He would refine it when he fed other monsters into it, which was his next task. Kai trained the abilities he''d been gathering over so many months until he was confident with all of them. Potential essence that had been unformed, especially from sacred beasts, became concrete abilities that he refined over the weeks.


    Finally he had what he considered a complete set:


    <


    Thunderbird''s Essence - IV (delta)


    Unicorn''s Speed - VIII (theta)


    Garuda''s Wing - VIII (theta)


    Pegasus''s Grace - VIII (theta)


    Bloodprong''s Charge - VIII (theta)


    >


    Based on his experience with Behemoth''s Heart it was probably overkill to increase all of the monstrous abilities to the same Theta tier, but he didn''t want anything to distract him. Unlike Behemoth''s Heart, which merged defensive skills in a natural way to defend his life, this time he needed to develop a more precisely tuned ability.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    When it was finally time, he told the sailors not to interrupt him for any reason and then focused on the monstrous essence. Everything had to be balanced. He fused Unicorn''s Speed with Garuda''s Wing, creating a blend that was part speed and part agility. Then he fused Bloodprong''s Charge with Pegasus''s Grace, another balance of speed and mobility. And then, both of those abilities trembling with potential, he fed them all to the Thunderbird.


    This time the change was quiet. When it was done he didn''t feel any different and for a moment he feared that he had somehow made all of the monstrous essence evaporate into nothing. But when he looked into his soul, he saw a single unified ability.


    <


    Thunderbird''s Wings - I (alpha)


    >


    There was no way to know its true potential until he used it, so Kai returned to the deck to test himself. Immediately he could tell that his reflexes had changed: the sailors around him seemed so much slower and clumsier than before. When someone dropped a cloth from atop the sails, Kai saw it twisting downward through the wind in glorious detail, reveling in every turn of the fabric.


    He leapt out to catch it, as light as the air. Kai dropped back to the deck, smiling, and after he handed the cloth back, he launched himself off the side of the ship.


    His first leap took him so far he left the ship behind and Kai laughed as he tore through the air. He could feel his back twisting, phantom wings trying to form as the power strained for its full potential. Once he developed the Savage Heart enough he might be able to attain true flight, but even this was a joyous breakthrough.


    As Kai began to arc down toward the ocean, he focused solely on reversing direction. For an instant he felt wings snap out behind him, a thunderclap sounded, and he was shooting in the opposite direction.


    The first time he hit the water he fell under, but Kai pushed up and tried again. In less than an hour he was able to skim over the surface of the water, almost as easy as running. He sprinted back to the ship, where the sailors were beginning to fear that they''d lost their most important passenger.


    During the remainder of the trip, Kai pushed his new ability to its limits. It only increased to Beta rank, yet he felt far more confident in his use of it. He was eager to see what it could become once he brought out its full potential. When he looked at his soul, he was satisfied with his progress.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 446


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 48% (109)


    Savage Heart: 5 (53)


    Physique Level: D-4 (220)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Monstrous Hunger - XI (lambda)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VIII (theta)


    Direboar''s Strength - XI (lambda)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VIII (theta)


    Sahagin''s Soul - VII (theta)


    Thunderbird''s Wings - II (beta)


    -


    Tyrant''s Claw - IX (iota)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    Baleful Breath - IV (delta)


    Mutefang''s Stealth - IX (iota)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - V (epsilon)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - V (epsilon)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - III (gamma)


    Crystal Slime - II (beta)


    Dreamleech - I (alpha)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - II (beta)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Deathvine - I (alpha)


    Banchlain - V (epsilon)


    >


    Maybe he should have been dissatisfied with the limits of his soul, because he now had a large number of powerful abilities competing for limited slots. Yet what he wanted most of all was the chance to use all of this against a real opponent.


    In theory, returning to Deadwaste should be an opportunity for reunions and advancement. But a part of him hungered for something more brutal.

 Chapter 297: A Voyage of Revelations

    Chapter 297: A Voyage of Revelations


    The elves had placed Omilaena on a heavy whaling vessel launched from the eastern end of the Elven Wilds. She could blend into the mixed crew without attracting any notice, hopefully completely disrupting the distinctive combination of their trio. Since she agreed with the strategy, she had no room to complain that the voyage would be stinky and unbelievably dull.


    At first everything had seemed to follow her predictions. The whalers were all hard-working types without much imagination, and if she was judging them prematurely, well, they didn''t give her much reason to look deeper. She had her books and the new sword, but she was honestly not optimistic about the potential of either.


    The chakra-imbued sword was the worst of the three boons, in her considered opinion. She could slowly melt it down with her Lethal Artisan abilities, which would strengthen them, but that was slow incremental progress. When she glanced at her own soul, her greatest recent gains had actually been from Kai''s Physique training.


    <


    Name: Omilaena


    Total Power: 730


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Heart of Poison: Level 64 (256)


    Lethal Artisan: Spinel Rank (210)


    Physique: D-3 (215)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    >


    As for the books... she had worked long and hard at the Great Library of Traebor, but didn''t truly believe that she''d been successful. If she and so many others had failed to discover the secrets of true power, why should she succeed now? When she retired to her chamber to read through all the books she''d stolen, it was less out of hope than because everything else was fatally boring.


    Seven systems, including three energies and endless mysteries. Sources both ancient and obscure discussed them in contradictory ways, offering only tantalizing hints.


    Then, while turning an ordinary page, it all snapped together in Omilaena''s mind. She had been thinking of chakra, qi, and mana as three of the primary sources of power and trying to fuse them, but that was backwards thinking. It was possible to fuse them because they were never fundamentally different, just different sources of energy. The fact that similar systems appeared on different continents wasn''t an ugly complication, it was actually the solution.


    If she reversed her thinking and considered the capacities separately... yes, it might work.


    Omilaena didn''t leave her cabin for the next day, forgetting to eat or sleep. As she reread ancient sources, for the first time she could understand them as part of a unified system instead of contradictory. She felt as though she was finally grasping a real truth of their reality.


    Occasionally she found herself laughing in isolation. If this was true, oh, Zae Zin Nim was going to be pissed. And it all actually connected to Kai''s monstrous soul in a way she hadn''t expected. As much of an abomination as he was, he followed the true laws of reality in a new way.


    In fact, her revelations were more likely to benefit the other two more than her. But as she studied fiercely, Omilaena didn''t really care.

 Chapter 298: Home Isnt Home

    When Kai finally landed on Deadwaste, the lamia ship left him alone and he suddenly realized that he wasn''t back home at all.


    To the civilizations on Rosemount or Cloudspire, Deadwaste was a backwater that they just thought about as a brown smudge on the edge of the map, a bunch of undistinguished barbarians. Yet it was actually a massive continent as large as either, filled with numerous different peoples.


    More importantly, Kai had never been to the Elemental Nations in his entire life. As he stepped onto the docks, he could recognize the powers he saw around him but not the cultures. Goralia was on the opposite side of the Frontier, completely unreachable, and he was basically alone in a foreign land. The Elemental Nations were just lines on a map to him. Landing in the Wind Union still put him unbelievably far from home.


    As he walked into the port city, he could at least embrace a few familiar aspects. Even if he didn''t recognize the buildings, which were strange winding structures topped with numerous flags and odd funnels to track the wind, the boards were ordinary wood. He might not grasp every detail about currents being relayed in the news, but he enjoyed the feel of mana in the air.


    After the chaotic powers of Rosemount, it was almost shocking to be surrounded by such a consistent population. Most people had little power, and those who did had wind elemental abilities, practically all the same. The foreigners he saw were mostly from Rosemount instead of other Frontier nations, and when they saw him they sometimes nodded, as if he was a fellow outsider.


    What threw him most was the massive drop in power. Not that he had really expected Deadwaste to inexplicably scale to challenge him, but he still wasn''t prepared. He would see muscular men with some scars who he would have evaluated as a threat in other circumstances, then check their souls...


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 14


    Physique Level: G-4 (10)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    They''d have 14 Power, maybe 10 or 20. He could still remember that stage of his life and how big a difference a few points from Physique made to him, but it was completely immaterial from his perspective now. Part of him understood why people from the other continents were so arrogant, though he tried to extinguish that part of himself.


    All the locals around him had the wispy wind-like hair he associated with the Elemental Nations, even if only a small number of them had the actual abilities. He had always known that there were fewer element users than hunters in Goralia, and it seemed like an even lower percentage than crystal cultivators in Krysal. That would have made more sense if their average strength had been higher.


    For example, when he looked at a woman in her forties with bright green hair brimming with mana...


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 62


    Windborn: Onceswept (41)


    Physique Level: G-5 (12)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    She only had 62 Power. That put her on par with the "veteran hunters" he''d grown up seeing, but now he knew that all of them had failed to make the jump to more difficult challenges, like the Frontier. The base level of power for Windborn abilities seemed to be higher, but most had only modest Soul Levels and G-rank Physiques.


    But Kai hoped that he''d learned better than to judge everyone by power alone. When he first got hungry, Kai looked around for a restaurant of some kind. The one he found didn''t cook mana foods or anything wind-inspired, it was just a shack that served noodles. He chose it over the others because it contained a large number of "Onceswept" fighters with Windborn powers and he hoped they might help him adjust to his new environment.


    "Hey, a Goralian!" The man behind the counter looked surprised to see him. "Don''t get many of you this far north!"


    "I''m doing some traveling," Kai said mildly. "What do you have?"


    "Not much in the way of Goralian food, I''m afraid."


    "I''ll take whatever''s standard here."


    "Might be spicier than you''re used to, haha!"


    In fact, the noodles proved to be milder than he''d grown used to on Rosemount, and Kai more than anyone wasn''t going to balk at unusual food. It was a bigger problem exchanging a Crest for local money, not because the port city was unused to Rosemount''s currency but because they struggled to split such a large coin. That had been one of the smaller ones he had in his spatial ring.


    Once he had his noodles, Kai sat in a corner and just listened to the conversations around him. One stereotype definitely seemed to be true: the Elemental Nations cared far more about conflicts among one another than they did about anyone else. All of the local politics were basically nonsense to him, a salad of names and clans and laws unfamiliar to him.


    Over time he gravitated toward a table of middle-aged men and women who were discussing continental politics. Those he could follow more easily: there were rumors of war between the Earth Union and the Water Union, the Fire Union was in decline, there''d been some sort of scandalous affair between high-ranking members of the Wind Union and Water Union.


    When some of them ambled off to get back to work, Kai moved to sit at the table. They frowned at him at first, since he was so much younger than they were, but they warmed when Kai bought them all a round of drinks. At less than a full Crest or Eagle, he barely even thought about the price.


    "I''ve never been in the Elemental Nations before," he told them, "and frankly it''s a lot trying to keep up. Anything I should know?"


    "Eh, we have no problem with Goralians," one of the women said. "You''re too far away for us to have any opinions, ha!"


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    "You feel differently about the Krysali or Irunians?"


    That question got a chorus of contradictory replies: while in their day-to-day lives they cared more about the other Unions, they definitely had opinions about the neighboring Frontier nations. The Wind Union actually didn''t share any borders with the others, so they seemed to view them as exotic lands that were extensions of the neighboring Unions.


    "Krysal got shook up again," one of the men was saying. "Some new leader on top, so the Fire Union can''t get qi crystals as fast anymore. That''s a real frustrating skill, but I like how it pisses off the Water Union."


    "There''s new leadership in Krysal?" Kai asked, suddenly tense.


    "Oh, sure. There was a revolution or something a few years back."


    "Do you mean the lower workers in Krysali society took down the merchants?"


    "Eh, something like that. They''ve been arguing about that sort of nonsense my entire life and I don''t see why they can''t just get along. Here, we stick together. Families stick to families, clans stick to clans, and ultimately Wind Union is Wind Union."


    Kai listened in bemusement as the group fed him a garbled version of the Krysali revolution. His first fear had been that a counter-revolution had happened while he was gone, but it sounded like the nation was stabilizing. He could have moved the conversation on, but he kept listening just to hear their opinions about Krysali decadence.


    They weren''t incorrect in terms of the inequality, just laughably wrong about the details. Despite all his time in Krysal, Kai had never known there was an entire class of servants whose sole job was to feed grapes into the mouths of crystalliers. He wasn''t sure if this group was particularly ignorant, or if the desert and mountains in between blocked too much information.


    "The softness is infecting the Fire Union, though," one of the men said gruffly. "They say one of their princes has eight children and only one of them gained any fire."


    "Good for us, isn''t it? Less trouble on the border."


    "But fire stirs wind, everybody knows that. We can''t let them get too lax."


    "What about the incursion?" Kai asked. "Has that caused any trouble?"


    "For the Earth Union, sure. But that''s always the case..."


    He''d technically known, but hadn''t really understood, that the Earth Union was the only part of the Elemental Nations with major exposure to the Frontier. They had long ago made an agreement, mediated by the Frontier elites, that all four unions would send warriors to combat the incursions. It sounded like they mostly fulfilled those obligations, but when monsters got through, only the south really suffered.


    "So the Earth Union is on the decline?" Kai asked, and blinked when they laughed at him.


    "That''s not how it works, son," one of them said. "Earth takes the hits, so they have to get stronger or shatter. They''re always a threat. Maybe not to us, because we don''t have a clear border, but to everybody else."


    "And they might be making an alliance with Irun," somebody else pointed out.


    "Bah, are we afraid of a little steel? What good will a bunch of sword-makers do?"


    "There are millions of Irunians who have never taken the elemental trial. If even some of them turn out to be Earthborn..."


    "It''s random, ain''t it?"


    "Nah, the Earth Union will cheat, always do."


    It seemed to Kai that this group had a very loose idea of how the elemental powers trials actually worked. Presumably they had all taken the test at some point in their lives and been found wanting - so they had something in common. He thought that the results were only partially influenced by genetics, however, meaning that people with different abilities regularly showed up in different clans. Back in hunter training he''d been taught that was one of the things that kept all the clans in the Elemental Nations bound together instead of truly dissolving into war.


    Eventually he felt like he''d discovered all the news he could understand from them. The Fire Union had been impacted by the revolution in Krysal and the Earth Union was engaged in suspicious negotiations with Irun. That left the Wind and Water Unions pretending to be above it all while bickering with one another.


    Kai decided that there was no point in spending much longer in this little port city. Their meeting point was further inland, where he hoped that he would find greater challenges. He headed off down the southern road.


    Given all the disturbances, it might be more difficult for them to meet up than he had expected. Zae Zin Nim was supposed to land furthest east, in the most obscure port so that she couldn''t be spotted by any Brightwind investigators, but she had a long road to travel. She''d insisted on taking the diamond star, so at least she''d be moving at a faster pace. Omilaena''s whaling vessel would come in later, then he''d simply hope that she caught up.


    For his part, Kai enjoyed being on the road again. He considered hitching a ride on some of the wagons he saw, only to realize that even the flying ones moved far slower than he could. Drawing on Thunderbird''s Wings he easily burned his way south, moving far faster than most.


    He could have made it in days if not for a distraction: a caravan was being attacked by monsters. Kai actually grinned when he realized what was happening, then rushed to go help. After the demons and politics of the Commonwealth, this would practically be a vacation.


    Much of the trouble seemed to be a cluster of grotesque bats that slipped around the wind bursts that the defenders tried to use against them. Kai hit them in midair, swallowing a couple whole before anyone noticed and then taking out the rest with a Tyrant''s Claw. When he came down, he flattened one of the other monsters with his impact alone, barely even paying attention to what it was.


    Things only got more difficult when he rushed past the caravan to defend the other side. Not because the monsters were stronger - they weren''t even close to a threat - but because of his own movement. When he burst forward with Thunderbird''s Wings, the shockwave and the rush of air that followed knocked over some of the caravan''s defenders.


    A few panicked and loosed arrows at him, but Kai easily snatched those out of the air. His new speed had been built to match chakra-infused bows and lightning-fast techniques - normal arrows might as well have been falling through honey.


    He moved more carefully with the rest to avoid knocking over more guards. Thankfully he''d built Thunderbird''s Wings as a flexible skill, so he could use less than his full explosive speed. As he ran, Kai killed a few twisted dogs, which made him nostalgic for the old days in the wasteland. Now just one enemy left, a heavy serpent-like beast fighting against an older warrior.


    Kai felt a moment of hunger... until he realized that the monster was just Gamma-ranked. Once that might have been a challenge for him, but not anymore. He could have killed it in one blow, but that might have humiliated the old man. Instead Kai slowed down and joined him, fighting off the serpent together.


    When Kai deflected a strike of its fangs, the veteran finally generated an intense-enough burst of wind to decapitate it. Many in the caravan cheered as the last monster went down, while the old man glanced at him. Thankfully Kai no longer had any concerns about his monstrous soul, but he looked back at the old man.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 96


    Windborn: Onceswept (48)


    Physique Level: F-2 (34)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    He had 96 Power, which wasn''t much by global terms, but Kai respected him. This old man had built up his Windborn abilities and Physique as well as he could, hampered by Deadwaste and other elements of his life. Maybe he had less potential, but it looked like he spent his life fighting off the monsters and keeping the people around him safe.


    The merchants of the caravan were grateful and offered Kai a reward, but it was such a small amount of money that he would feel bad about accepting. Instead he asked for a meal and ate with them that night. Many of them introduced themselves, but Kai struggled to pay much attention because he knew he would be moving on soon.


    Instead he got closer to the veteran and, when the others finally drifted away, got an opportunity to ask. Before he could, the old man spoke up.


    "You''re holding back, aren''t you?" The veteran stared at him cautiously. "Don''t deny it. I may not be able to see through that shroud of yours, but I can tell when a man''s holding back."


    "I didn''t want to take your kill," Kai said humbly. The old man promptly scoffed.


    "You don''t have to spare my feelings. I know that there''s a difference between folks like me and those who go on to bigger things. You, you probably have the potential for the Frontier. But me? I realized that wasn''t in the cards long ago."


    That hadn''t been how Kai anticipated the conversation going, but he decided to accept it. "I''m trying to challenge myself," he said. "Where do the real talents of the Wind Union gather?"


    "Well, ultimately they either become princes and princesses, or they go to the Frontier. But if you want a challenge... well, it depends. But I suggest you head southeast, there''s a competition called the Hundred Zephyr Rings that might interest you."


    The veteran went on to tell him about some of the other cities, but the first competition remained the most interesting. Kai spoke politely enough to the others and slept alongside the caravan that night, but his mind was on the Hundred Zephyr Rings the entire time. In the morning he would head southeast, to the competition and hopefully a real challenge.

 Chapter 299: The Hundred Zephyr Rings

    For his entire life, Aniogun had wanted nothing more than to compete in the Hundred Zephyr Rings. He didn''t think that he''d win, even though he''d dreamed of it. Usually over five hundred young men and women competed, so getting just one of the rings would have been an accomplishment.


    Especially because the competition was so uneven.


    There was no rule against collecting more than one of the rings, and it was considered a mark of pride for the nobles to collect two or three. Often the geniuses competed with one another and didn''t gather as many as they could, but some brilliant competitors could snap up five or more. There were even stories about a young woman who had won a full twelve rings. Thus typically out of hundreds of competitors, only sixty or seventy at most brought home any rings.


    Aniogun had failed the trial of elements, but as a son of the Wind Union he had the right to attempt the test. No matter how low the chances were, no matter how many people told him it was crazy. He''d been studying all the past tests and he''d built up his Physique to E-rank, so he hoped he had a chance to get just one.


    Just one Zephyr Ring. That would earn him the right to more resources. Even if he wasn''t Windborn, he could help the Wind Union with other strengths.


    As all the competitors gathered in the starting area outside the Windwoods, Aniogun took a place far to one side. This was both to avoid attention and for the sake of his strategy. If he rushed directly into the middle of the woods, he''d be knocked off the branches - without Windborn powers, he''d fall and be disqualified without earning anything. He had to play smart to have a chance.


    So he looked over the starting area, guessing at the strategies of everyone involved. The princelings, children of powerful Windborn, were in the center, ready to take on the whirlwind and prove their superior skills. The bravest competitors would dare to get close to the Ring Eater and snatch one from the trees around the ancient Delta-ranked monster.


    Others were harder to judge. Aniogun guessed that some of those at the edges had gained flight abilities and would be taking off overhead to grab the rings attached to the birds that flew over the Windwoods. There was a big Goralian barbarian, a column of muscle who looked like he''d smash through the first branches by weight alone.


    He couldn''t have a chance at the main contest... would he try to seize a ring by violence? Aniogun edged away from the grim-looking barbarian and nearly bumped into the exact people he didn''t want to meet.


    "What are you doing here?" Ierianul of Gales folded her arms and glared at him, and her flunkies began to threaten his flanks. "Didn''t you learn your lesson at the trials?"


    "I have a right to be here," Aniogun told her. "Same as everyone else."


    "Yeah, but do you have a chance? You don''t have the wind skills to complete any of the main challenges. Even if you try to rush out for the easy rings, you''re too slow."


    "I can still try."


    Aniogun headed further away from her, hoping that Ierianul and the other princelings wouldn''t push him to the ground right at the start. If he didn''t get eliminated by another human competitor, then he had a chance. Because Aniogun had been studying all the past tests and he thought he had a chance.


    There were always one or two rings at the periphery. There wasn''t any glory in reaching them, but they counted just as much as the others - he guessed they existed to reward keen eyesight and observation. If he could skirt the edge of the competition, then he could probably grab one ring and get another chance at life.


    Unfortunately, Ierianul was following him and smirking, as if she wanted to make sure he was eliminated. That forced him to keep edging away in the starting area, seeking another path. He couldn''t know the exact layout this year, but he knew there were always the whirlwinds, the Ring Eater, and the birds. If he guessed their locations, he could find the fastest path to the periphery.


    One of the older Windborn made a speech, but Aniogun was too excited to listen. So soon, he''d find out if what he''d done was enough...


    Finally: the wind chimes rang out, the gates were opened, and all five hundred competitors rushed into the Woodwinds.


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    Aniogun started on a thick branch but had to jump to a thinner one when he saw Ierianul pursuing him with a grin on her face. She could easily knock him over the side, grab one of the rings in the easiest trees, and still have time to get more for her flunkies.


    Except the easy rings were gone.


    All strategies went out the window as everyone realized that the competition had changed. The Goralian barbarian moved faster than the wind, snatching up ring after ring in a broad circle. All of the easiest rings near the start were already gone, and Ierianul let out a yelp as she realized her options were disappearing too. Only the challenging rings were left...and hopefully one on the periphery.


    Keeping his eyes on target proved to be a challenge, because the center of the Windwoods was utter chaos. Some of the competitors had begun to brave the delicate wind-generating trees, traditionally a test of balance that risked even Windborn being knocked below. The barbarian leapt over their heads, grabbed a ring in the process of a handspring, and moved on.


    Princelings confident in their elemental skills were navigating the whirlwinds around one of the largest trees, until the barbarian arrived. He hurled himself directly into the winds, piercing them with his sheer bulk, but instead of plummeting out the other side, he changed directions with a thunderclap. Each time he charged through the whirlwind, another ring disappeared.


    Realizing just how bad this competition could be, Aniogun forced himself to go faster. No ring, no ring... he didn''t think any hidden rings would be this close to the entrance, so he pushed himself onward more recklessly. He thought the leaders would place the periphery rings deeper into the trial area, requiring some skill to reach, but if he didn''t see it soon...


    Leaves exploded throughout the forest because the barbarian was leaping at birds now. He seemed to have grabbed most of their rings and then dropped down, toward the center. Aniogun couldn''t help but watch, somehow knowing that the barbarian wouldn''t be afraid of the Ring Eater.


    He wasn''t: the monstrous man attacked the Ring Eater and killed it in a few blows. Then he calmly picked up the rings around its lair, as if the Ring Eater had been a challenge instead of an obstacle that was supposed to ward off all but the bravest.


    Aniogun''s sides ached now but he forced himself onward. Finally he spotted it: a ring hung around a thin branch, near the edge of the competition area. Normally his plan would have worked perfectly, but the Windwoods were in disarray because the barbarian had torn through the competition. Aniogun had to leap over the head of a nearby Windborn who was hunting for rings, nearly turned his ankle landing on another branch, and scrambled closer.


    Even that might not be enough. The barbarian was now making a wide sweep around the edges of the woods, still not satisfied. And then... no! He was on the other side of the Windwoods, but he set his gaze on the very ring that Aniogun was racing toward.


    Pushing past what he''d thought were his limits, Aniogun ran even harder than before. It was so close, but he saw the hulking form closing in... Aniogun leapt and barely managed to snatch the ring, then staggered onto the branch.


    The barbarian loomed behind him, just a second too late. Clearly this beast of a man could take the ring by force - there were no rules to stop him, the other competitors wouldn''t lift a finger, and Aniogun was certainly helpless to do anything. He still clutched the ring to his chest, staring up into those eyes that almost seemed to burn.


    "Good luck," the barbarian said, and then turned away.


    At the end of the competition, Aniogun still clung to his single Zephyr Ring, unable to believe what had just happened. When they announced the results, it turned out that the barbarian had taken eighty of the Hundred Zephyr Rings, more than had ever happened in history. The elder Windborn were ready to overturn the results, but the barbarian had said for the rewards to be distributed amidst the others and then walked away.


    So Aniogun, with his single Zephyr Ring, had gained more than he''d known. It still didn''t make any sense to him, he just knew that he was the luckiest man in the world.


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai could definitely have taken all one hundred of the rings, but he''d quickly realized this wasn''t a real challenge for someone like him. His Thunderbird''s Wings ability would be better compared to masters in the Wind Union, not young men and women still developing their abilities. They couldn''t compete with his raw speed, so combined with his mobility he could outpace them all.


    Instead he made sure to take rings first from the arrogant Windborn who already had all the advantages they needed, and those trying to bully the weakest competitors. He''d "missed" some of them as well, so that the hardest working and most talented could claim a reward.


    And he''d pretended to lose the race to the young man at the end. He''d looked so young, even though their ages weren''t far apart - the cut-off for the Hundred Zephyr Rings was age twenty-five, so they all had to be close to his age. But that poor guy had looked so desperate and had worked harder than the others...


    So he got his ring. Hopefully he''d have an easier life than Kai had.


    The rewards of the competition weren''t anything too special, so Kai had gladly given them all to those who could actually use them. But he was fairly sure the competition wasn''t a bust, and as he walked away from the region he got confirmation of that.


    "That''s far enough, Goralian!" There was a group of adult Windborn coming after him, armed and armored. "We can''t have you meddling in our affairs!"


    "Is that so?" Kai turned back to them with a smile.

 Chapter 300: Consequences of Returning Home

    Kai had been in confrontations with authorities multiple times in his life, but this one might be unique. So many times his actions had been limited, or the authorities had enough strength to threaten him. Now, back on Deadwaste, they couldn''t actually stop him and he didn''t need to go through them.


    There were eight Windborn guards behind him, with Power ranging from 60 to 80. Honestly, he had been hoping for better than that. He''d expected to have a Frontier elite or someone related to them notice, take him aside, and reprimand him for entering a competition he was clearly too strong for. This group all wore similar livery, and based on the expression of their leader, they had pettier goals.


    "If you didn''t want me to participate," Kai said, "you shouldn''t have let me enter. I told them I met the age limit but was stronger than average."


    "They let you in because they assumed you were a foreigner in over his head!" One of the Windborn took a step out of the crowd, revealing armor and robes far more expensive than all the others. "The Gales clan can''t let you run roughshod in our territory."


    "This isn''t an official action, is it?" Kai glanced over the group carefully and noticed that many of them were looking nervous now that they got a good look at him.


    "That doesn''t matter! We''ll send you back to Goralia with your head bash-" The leader cut off as Kai struck him in the stomach. Not hard enough to seriously injure a man with his Physique, just enough to send him tumbling some distance away before falling unconscious.


    "Oh fuck," one of the others said. "I told you, he''s not normal. We shouldn''t have done this..."


    Kai raised both hands harmlessly. "Relax. To me you look like men who are just doing their jobs. Unless you want to fight me?"


    Many in the group shook their heads rapidly or backed away. Even those without good spiritual sight or common sense were beginning to understand that they were outmatched.


    "So why are you here?" Kai asked.


    "The contest was legal," one of the guards said nervously, "but the Gales clan is furious they lost face. Uh, that''s us. We''re not high-ranking Gales, but we work for them. We were all going to come and give you a thrashing to convince you to leave, but... uh..."


    "Just you?" Kai sighed. "I''m trying to make contact with larger forces."


    "You will," one of the others said. "Lady Gales was going to call in the Rosemount Brigade before she sent us instead. They, uh, they deal with the really big problems. Usually from Rosemount, but probably you too. Uh... assuming you... fight us..."


    "Hey, I don''t want you to be punished," Kai said. "I can deal some harmless blows so you can go back having done your jobs."


    "Not the armor!" One of the guards raised his hands defensively as if he expected Kai to attack him at exactly that moment. "We, uh, we pay for that ourselves..."


    "No problem." Kai patted the man on the shoulder before realizing that might come off as threatening. "What can you tell me about this Rosemount Brigade?"


    That question didn''t get an immediate answer until one of the older guards reluctantly spoke. "They''re our betters, honestly. And better than the Gales, too. The really strong Windborn join them, and there are others from the Frontier. All kinds of nations. They fight monsters, deal with serious problems, generally train to face the incursions."


    Then they sounded like exactly who needed to find him. Presumably they would be more reasonable, and with their help he could both find his allies quickly and make his way to the Frontier. Kai smiled and saw the guards flinch before he remembered the power dynamic here. He wouldn''t have been happy to see a cheerful barbarian either.


    "I don''t want to cause trouble," he told them. "You can say that you beat me up and drove me off if you want. But I want to talk to this Rosemount Brigade."


    "You... you''d better," one of the guards said. "We''d be punished if we didn''t at least try."


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    "Well, I''ll be cautious. But make sure they send the problem crew."


    Kai swept through the guards in a single thunderclap. He struck several of them with blows that wouldn''t cause serious injuries, marveling at how much easier it was now: holding back against opponents of his own level was a risk, but when he moved so much faster, it was easy to strike clinically. Soon the group was a little roughed up without being much worse for the wear.


    Then he headed south, along one of the main roads. He hadn''t wanted things to escalate this quickly, but if it got him to the Frontier elites sooner, it was worth it. As he walked, Kai entertained a dark fantasy where his decision to try the Hundred Zephyr Rings contest led to an endless blood vendetta that ruined his future plans.


    Not likely. Even if he''d started something bigger than he''d hoped, he''d already faced one petty faction with Fhazi and the Lantrian clan. If he couldn''t use his experience to get out of this one, then he hadn''t advanced in the ways that mattered.


    The next day, Kai left the main road and moved into undeveloped territory, just in case the Rosemount Brigade proved unreasonable. While the area wasn''t true wilderness, instead filled with bright grass and trees that blew in their own mana wind, it didn''t have any construction or agriculture. If he got attacked, he didn''t want to ruin some poor worker''s life.


    Before the day was over, Kai felt strong presences approaching. Not strong by the overwhelming standards he''d faced recently, but substantially higher than average for Deadwaste. It seemed like all of them had at least 200 Power and flowed on Windborn abilities... well, except for one, who was lagging further behind as they closed in on him.


    "Hey there!" Kai turned around and waved to the group. "You''re not on the Gales clan payroll too, are you?"


    "They said there was someone from Rosemount," a Windborn woman growled. "You feel like you have chakra... what are you doing here, knocking over children''s competitions?"


    "I didn''t realize how much stronger I''d be," Kai told them. "But now that you''re here, we should talk."


    As the group stared at him, Kai analyzed them more carefully. Not only were they reasonably strong, they looked experienced, with Soul Levels of 4 or higher. He estimated that they would absolutely annihilate a similar group of crystalliers - these were warriors training to fight incursions and survive the Frontier.


    Which was why it was so unfortunate that one of them was working himself up. It was a younger man, only a year or so older than Kai, who was slightly weaker than the group. He had been looking at Kai carefully, and he must not have liked what he saw, because he suddenly called out.


    "He''s lying! We have to take him down or he''ll tear us apart!"


    "Hey now," Kai started to say, but the man was already bursting forward with wind mana around his fists.


    Kai deflected the first punch and grabbed the front of the man''s armor. All he planned to do was toss the guy into the air, where presumably he could use his Windborn skills to avoid a fall and hopefully cool down. But as soon as he touched his opponent, one of the others acted with true speed.


    A bolt of lightning exploded across the distance between them and Kai only barely ducked aside. Even with his huge advantage in Power, before he''d developed Thunderbird''s Wings, that attack would have struck him.


    The one who had released it was a thin man with sharp features, a little older than him, with especially thick green hair flowing in its own wind. Even though Kai was supposed to be deescalating, he couldn''t help but take a look at the man''s soul.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 249


    Windborn: Twiceswept (144)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    Nearly 250 Power, most of it concentrated into his Windborn abilities. He had also attained the second stage - Twiceswept - and his technique seemed highly polished. Part of Kai wanted to hold back and fight him, for the sake of an interesting challenge, while another part realized how stupid that would be.


    His intentions must have leaked through to his eyes, because the other man struck again. A bolt of lightning seemed to flow along with his hand this time as he lunged forward, striking Kai''s chest with a knife hand. Lightning coursed into him and would have disabled or temporarily paralyzed most opponents, but Behemoth''s Heart beat through it.


    So Kai headbutted him, hard enough to knock him back into the ground. All of the others were drawing weapons or preparing now and Kai realized that he was just making things worse. He''d gotten too used to opponents he wanted to kill and was blundering through this. Maybe it would be best to just surrender?


    Except in that moment the final member of the group caught up to the others. Kai stopped and stared, more effectively stunned than by the bolt of lightning.


    It was Inafay. A few years older and wearing clothes in Wind Union colors, but definitely her. She gasped a few breaths as if she had been sprinting, but once she straightened she looked him dead in the eye.


    "Kai?"


    "Uh, this isn''t what it looks like..." he said awkwardly.


    "It looks like you wanted to get our attention and kept getting into fights."


    "Well, then it is what it looks like. Do we have to fight until one of us is unconscious this time?"


    Inafay grinned ruefully. "You''re never going to let me live that down, are you?" She turned back to the others and waved them off. "Stand down, everybody. I know this guy. This has all been a misunderstanding."


    Then she crossed the distance between them in a wind-powered leap and hugged him, even as the team stared at them.

 Chapter 301: Reuniting With an Old Friend

    Kai was accustomed to fate punishing him thoroughly every time he made a mistake, so he was still a bit stunned that everything had been resolved so quickly. Once Inafay vouched for him, none of the others attacked, and after he explained what had happened they even seemed to understand.


    "The princes are always trying to call us in for their vendettas," one of them explained. "They can''t manipulate the Frontier elite, but we haven''t joined them yet, so we''re fair game. You''re not the first innocent person we''ve been sent after."


    "Not innocent." An older member, likely in her thirties, spoke up. "What are you doing, dominating the Hundred Zephyr Rings like that?"


    "I honestly didn''t expect it to be so easy when I signed up," Kai said. "I''ve been on Rosemount for over a year and I went overboard."


    "Yeah, you look strong." Inafay folded her arms as she looked him over, then nodded. "Even hiding it, I can tell how much you''ve changed."


    Up to that point, he''d just been glad to see Inafay again after so long, but now he quickly checked her soul.


    <


    Name: Inafay Corinin


    Total Power: 233


    Windcutter Class: 82 (92)


    Windborn: Onceswept (19)


    Physique Level: E-2 (86)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    She had over 200 Power now, largely from how much she had advanced her Windcutter Class and her Physique, and it seemed that she''d awakened an elemental ability.


    And yet he found himself a little disappointed, as if some part of him had hoped that Inafay would have blown away his expectations. He immediately realized that was unfair of him. She had grown far beyond the point he would have reached if he had stayed in Monskon City, never met Zae Zin Nim or traveled to other continents. But she was also limited by the energy available on Deadwaste, so even someone with her potential and drive wouldn''t reach Rosemount levels of power.


    "So what are you doing here?" she asked.


    "I was going to ask you the same thing," Kai said. "And I think I have more reason. You weren''t the one exiled."


    "Oh, so much has happened. Monskon City went through some serious upheavals. There was practically a civil war in southern Goralia and a bunch of us were there. The Frontier elites officially scouted me, so I''m trying to train up to that level. That''s why I''m in the Elemental Nations, if you didn''t already notice the new ability. Oh, and I got engaged."


    "Engaged? Who?"


    "You, uh, headbutted him earlier."


    Kai winced and looked back to the Windborn he''d knocked down, wondering if he was about to start a new vendetta of sorts. "Sorry about that."


    "Not all your fault." The thin man just wiped a bit of blood from under his nose and shrugged. "When I saw you start to move, I decided to intercept. It wouldn''t take somebody like you long to kill someone. No hard feelings."


    "None taken. I''ve struck first a few times myself."


    "Great!" Inafay hopped between them, tugging Kai so they were standing face to face. "Oro, this is Kai Clanless. Kai, this is Orotaisin of Mistral. I didn''t ever really expect the two of you to meet, but I always figured you''d get along."


    Orotaisin nodded slowly. "Your reputation precedes you. Not all good, but who''s ever accomplished anything important without a mixed reputation?"


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    "I guess that might be true." Kai extended his hand and Orotaisin shook with a surprisingly loose grip, with no trace of the lightning-charged punching from earlier. "So, uh, how did you two meet?"


    "Forget that!" Inafay grabbed both their wrists as if to pull them away. "Kai, were you really involved with the revolution in Krysal? Information from there is so contradictory, I wasn''t sure what to think. I want all the details."


    "I can tell you once we have time, but first, do we need to worry about the Gales clan?"


    "Forget they exist. As much as I''d like to march in and declare you did nothing wrong, there''s no point being confrontational. We''ll say we took care of things, you''ll never have a reason to come back here, and you can stop wasting your time with all these petty conflicts."


    "We need to talk about some other things." Kai glanced back to the others briefly. He trusted Inafay, but he wasn''t sure about the others or her fiance. "I have two allies coming in to the Elemental Nations and we''re all trying to keep a low profile."


    "You''re doing a fantastic job of it."


    "I''m not the one anyone cares about. But really, can you help us coordinate?"


    "Give me enough information and I''d be happy to!"


    As they walked, Orotaisin ambled along beside them. He seemed a bit passive, almost sleepy, and Kai wondered just how the two of them worked together. Obviously they had similar abilities, but Kai didn''t think that relationships based on magical powers generally worked out. Then again, he suspected the Windborn man''s placid surface covered more dangerous waters... unless it was offensive to use a water metaphor for a Windborn.


    "So what about everyone else from Monskon City?" Kai asked. "I don''t suppose they''re here?"


    "Actually, you could go meet the Tonjin brothers!" Inafay perked up as if the idea had just occurred to her. "They''re currently training at the Frontier. You''re going to miss Juray, though. She had to head south to take care of some serious alchemy issues with Razz, so she''s an entire continent away. Unless you''re planning to stay a long time?"


    Even though he was meeting old friends, Kai was suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of loss. Their lives had all continued in his absence and he could never be a part of what had passed. It was possible that his small effect on the Tonjin brother''s lives was just a memory to them, given that they''d somehow made it to the Frontier.


    He wouldn''t have wanted to trade his experiences. Not the revolution in Krysal, not Zae Zin Nim, not Omilaena. Yet choosing all of that meant that other experiences had fallen by the wayside. Even if he became immortal, he couldn''t live every possible life.


    "That''s a very serious expression," Inafay said. "You''re not going to get all weepy on me, are you?"


    "Just missing everyone." Kai shook it off and took a deep breath. "What about Tusquo? Have you heard from him lately?"


    "Goralia has been working more with Irun, and I got over there once for training, but we haven''t seen him as much. It sounds like Irun has been struggling lately. Just an extension of their problems before, which he implied you already knew about. Apparently it''s getting worse now and they don''t know how long it can continue."


    "I was afraid of that. And all the problems in the Elemental Nations? Are they as bad as they sound?"


    "I don''t know about bad, but they''re definitely complicated." Inafay''s smile faded as she stared up at him. "It''s all so much more complex than it used to be. My training... that''s fun, it''s straightforward, I like it. But actually trying to defend the Frontier nations, to keep them together before the next incursion... I feel like I''m too young for all this."


    "I know what you mean." Kai grinned down at her to try to lighten the mood. "I''m afraid I''ve mostly gotten better at killing things, though. I hope you have a use for that?"


    "Oh, we definitely should."


    While they walked, Orotaisin had slipped further behind as if in his own world. Even though the Windborn in this group seemed to be basically good sorts, Kai was glad to be with just Inafay again. Terrible as he was with women, he could feel comfortable with her: she was a direct person and they''d discussed it directly. Hell, maybe he should ask her how to avoid screwing things up with Zae Zin Nim.


    But for now, he was glad to slip on the old friendship like familiar clothing. He wondered, if he had gone back to Monskon City, how easily he''d fall back into old mental patterns. Despite how much he thought he''d changed, there was probably more of his old self under the surface than he wanted to admit.


    "I didn''t get to see you fight for long," Inafay said quietly, "but it feels like you solved your problem? Because even if I vouch for you, if you show up looking like a monster, it will cause problems."


    "I think it''s settled." Kai pulled back his veil to let her see. "I have cultivation from Cloudspire that covers the soul aspect, and there''s a power called the Savage Heart on Rosemount that covers physical changes. So that''s one problem we shouldn''t have anymore."


    "Be careful or I''ll have to fight you again." Inafay grinned briefly, but then shook her head. "I''m impressed, Kai. Everybody has been buttering me up about my progress, but you blew way past me."


    "It isn''t all me," Kai told her. "The other continents really do have an unfair advantage. But we''ve brought some of that back to share with the Frontier elites, so I hope it will help. And... to be honest, we were hoping to get their help in exchange. There are some things that only they might understand."


    "I''m still in training, so I can''t promise the world, but I''ll do everything I can."


    "Thanks, Inafay."


    She reached up and squeezed his shoulder. "Still hard to believe you''re really back. But... am I right in thinking that it''s not for long?"


    "For a while," Kai said. "Not forever."

 Chapter 302: Opposing Landings, Opposing Receptions

    For the first entire week after arriving on Deadwaste, Zae Zin Nim had followed absolutely all operational security. She had worn old rags, avoided drawing attention to herself, switched from qi to mana, and even avoided flying. If the Brightwind sect was monitoring the coast, which she doubted, there was no way they could have detected her.


    From the perspective of a peasant, the Water Union was a dull place. Endless fisheries on the coast, managed pools inland, all for the sake of the economy. Waterborn wielding their elemental powers seemed to be as rare as cultivators, and even if they pretended to be the same as the others or even to serve the clan, the difference in power was obvious. That they weren''t a higher class was simply a polite fiction.


    Once she got further inland, Zae Zin Nim felt she had done enough. She pulled the crystal ship from her spatial bracelet and finally relaxed as she could fly again. In an ideal world, she would like a ship that flew itself, or at least servants, so she could focus on cultivation, but her mind had expanded enough that she could do mana exercises while she piloted. It was overall far more pleasant, though there were constant low clouds that left everything unpleasantly muggy.


    Within a day, she was attracting attention. Not the type she had feared, but... more similar than she expected.


    "It''s a lovely day, isn''t it?" A Waterborn man flew alongside her, held aloft by a floating sphere of water at his feet. "Nearly as lovely as you."


    Zae Zin Nim only stared at him, which didn''t dissuade him at all. Her appearance had been unchanged when she was walking around like a peasant, but no one had focused on her then. Now that she was flying in a foreign ship, which seemed uncommon, suddenly she was beset by young men offering her drinks. They weren''t as forward as people on Rosemount, but she still didn''t want their attention.


    "Why are you ignoring me?" The man''s desire was turning rotten now, and she was trying to decide how to address it when a different voice interrupted.


    "Leave the lady alone!"


    Even Zae Zin Nim stared when she saw a ship emerge from the low-hanging clouds. It was shaped like an ocean vessel, but the sides had been painted with images of flowing waves. The style was surprisingly restrained and the paint itself seemed to be mana-imbued, which was uncommon for Deadwaste. When the vessel descended beside them, a carpet of mist and fog rolled underneath it, stopping its swift movement smoothly.


    "You should know better than to trouble a foreign visitor." A slim young man jumped off the deck to confront the other Waterborn. With a few more reprimands he sent him packing, then turned to her. "Please forgive my countrymen. They''re not used to refined company."


    "They''re forgiven," Zae Zin Nim said. "But are you going to get in my way too?"


    "If you keep traveling in a ship like that, you''ll be interrupted constantly. Krysali vessels are rare here, and flashy. If you''re willing to suffer my company, I think I can take you to your destination far faster. Worthy as your ship might be, it isn''t suited to the Water Union."


    "Why would you do that?"


    "It''s no trouble at all." The man gave an elegant bow. "My name is Ivonailin of Tides, prince of the Water Union. It is my duty to tour our lands in any case, so anywhere you want to go, it likely wouldn''t even interfere with my duties. I assure you, if you have been traveling with this lot, you''ve only seen the worst of our nation. Won''t you consider the offer?"


    What Zae Zin Nim considered was whether he could be a threat to her. Fortunately he wasn''t using any shroud worthy of the name, so she could easily check his soul.


    <


    Name: Ivonailin of Tides


    Total Power: 109


    Waterborn: Oncedrowned (49)


    Physique Level: F-7 (44)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.Just 109 Power, though he seemed a little more experienced than the crystalliers she remembered. Ordinarily she would have been afraid of poisons or other underhanded trickery, but after so long enduring Omilaena, Zae Zin Nim was more confident about avoiding those. It was true that she was drawing attention, and his ship was faster...


    "Can you escort me further southwest?" she asked.


    "Of course I can. We can even store your sh-"


    "That isn''t necessary." Zae Zin Nim hopped up, drew it back into her bracelet, and landed where it had floated smoothly.


    "Well!" Ivonailin raised his eyebrows. "I see you''re well-prepared. The Water Union will have to show its most impressive hospitality so we don''t shame ourselves."


    He offered her a hand up to the ship and Zae Zin Nim stared at it for a moment. This Ivonailin was slim and good-looking, more like the cultivators she grew up eyeing, but she wasn''t interested. Best not to lead him on, because there was no telling what he might do.


    So she jumped her way up to the deck of the flying ship first, then gave the servants the name of the closest city to the Frontier elite outpost, just in case. For the first day she was tense, but when no one tried to stab her in the back she began to relax.


    Ivonailin''s ship truly was luxurious, not simply in its smooth flight but also in a cool mist that arced around the deck and kept out the oppressive heat. She was offered properly cushioned seats, food and drinks, and service like she hadn''t experienced since Krysal.


    On top of that, Ivonailin and his friend weren''t hiding any boorish tendencies. They treated her like a princess, which was a relief after the ribald suggestions she endured on Rosemount. Clearly they were romantically interested in her, and there seemed to be some sort of marriage conflict among the nobles of the Water Union, so the subject was always in the air. But this group seemed more likely to ask for her hand in marriage than propose anything inappropriate.


    And yet Zae Zin Nim still felt utterly alone. She stared deeper into the continent and hoped they''d arrive soon.


    .


    ..


    .


    According to the original plan, Omilaena had been meant to land somewhere between the Wind and Water Unions, then make her way overland to the meeting point. But storm and delays had already cost time and her sailors, unaware of the true plan, decided to put in to a different port.


    So screw the plan. Instead of beginning a long and tedious journey, Omilaena set out to find a faster route.


    Teleportation was possible on Deadwaste, but only via certain established portals. Only the Frontier guard and other powerful forces used them regularly, especially across large distances. She could use that to her advantage, detect lines of teleportation, and skip over the majority of the trip. If all went well, she could be waiting for Kai and Zae Zin Nim with arrangements already made.


    It took several days of no progress, which put her further behind, but eventually she deduced that one of the larger merchants was making unnatural amounts of merchandise disappear. She asked a few questions, dropped a little money and a few coy winks, and managed to learn about his portal access. After that it wasn''t so difficult for her to arrange a trip to the other side of the Water Union.


    Excellent - in one stroke she''d leapt ahead of the others. Kai had been planning to take the lead, but Omilaena had researched the Frontier guards in the past simply because they were one of the few threats to her on Deadwaste.


    She looked through the wavy Water Union buildings until she found one that was far more of a fortress, with powerful mana built into the foundation. That was likely the outpost that Kai wanted them to find. Not hard at all.


    Omilaena cheerfully went to the door and knocked. At first there was no response at all, but she pulled a chair out of her spatial bag and sat down theatrically. After she waited long enough, working on absorbing the new sword''s metal, the door creaked open.


    "The Frontier is neutral," a man told her from the crack. "Whatever you''re doing, we don''t want to be involved."


    "You misunderstand me!" Omilaena hopped back to her feet and put her hand on the door, not forcing it but just exerting her presence. She had been planning to lean forward and emphasize her cleavage, but when she saw the man on the other side she changed her mind.


    Surprisingly, the man was Goralian, though he was much slimmer than Kai. But there was a dangerous air about him, his mana felt powerful, and she couldn''t pierce his shroud. His hair was graying at the temples but his face was oddly lined, suggesting life extension of some kind. Omilaena had been a little skeptical of the Frontier "elites" but this man was not to be trifled with.


    "I want to join you," Omilaena told him. "I know the Frontier is dangerous, but I think I could-"


    "No." The door started to close and she had to exert her full strength to keep it open.


    "Really? You must be able to feel my power. I think, with training, I could compete at your Frontier."


    "You might be strong enough, but I don''t trust you," the man told her. "You bribed your way through the portals and you seem like you''re used to getting your way. There aren''t many from Rosemount who think we have anything to offer, but you aren''t the first to try to take from us."


    "Wait." Omilaena reached into her pack and pulled out one of the mana flowers from the elves. "I''m not coming as a beggar. I know you need powerful resources to deal with the incursions and I''ve brought many to trade."


    "Unless I miss my guess, you''re a poisons master. Trusting what you have to offer doesn''t seem so wise."


    Ordinarily he would have been completely correct, but this was one of the few times Omilaena wanted to treat fairly with someone. When the man''s eyes hardened she didn''t press further, so he closed the door in her face. He hadn''t even seen her do anything too suspicious, just noted her behavior and met her briefly and he already didn''t trust her.


    Omilaena glanced around the outpost, looking for weaknesses... and then realized that would only be justifying his mistrust. Maybe she really was fundamentally untrustworthy. Fuck.


    Well, she''d still arrived at their destination before the others. If she wasn''t allowed entrance, where to next?

 Chapter 303: Revisiting Relationships

    Technically Kai could have been traveling faster, but he couldn''t feel any guilt over taking a little more time. What was the point of training so much if he couldn''t build a life with friends? Just spending time with Inafay again had been a pleasure, and Orotaisin had proved interesting in a laid-back sort of way.


    The others of the team were more conventional Windborn, strong enough to aim for the Frontier and thus not as petty as the others he''d met. So far he hadn''t gotten to know them well at all, but they seemed like decent enough people. They were proud of their home nation while also understanding that the incursions were the greatest threat.


    Their travels were a bit strange, half efficient sprint and half race. All the Windborn had speed-based powers that meant they could travel faster than even most flying vessels - for once Inafay was the slow one, constantly straining her wind abilities to keep up. He would have been struggling if not for Thunderbird''s Wings.


    At first they''d just spoken about everything that had happened to them since they parted. Kai wasn''t sure what to say about Rosemount or the others, but was happy to finally talk over Krysal with someone else. Inafay seemed to believe that the changes were for the better and promised that he might even be able to communicate with people there eventually, if they met up with the Frontier elites.


    One day, a week into their trip, the two of them headed off to a smaller town to chat while the others checked in with local monster hunters. Apparently they needed to correspond with other teams and meet up with some other trainees. Inafay showed him a strange restaurant that served drinks that had air bubbles pumped into them somehow. It was sort of interesting, but he was more eager to talk alone.


    "So what is it?" Inafay asked between sips. "You seem like you have a lot on your mind."


    "I''m just trying to sort through some things," he said. "This may seem weird, but how did you and Orotaisin...?"


    "Yeah, it might seem strange. I never would have imagined it when I came here. See, the Frontier elites sent me to the Wind Union to awaken an elemental ability - you probably guessed that. What you probably don''t know is that the Elemental Nations can be... weird about family lines. They''re convinced that the right parents will produce more children with elemental powers. But that doesn''t always mean ''pure'' lines and they try to incorporate other people..."


    "So your Wind Class made you an extremely eligible marriage candidate?"


    "Yeah. I was going to say you can''t imagine, but maybe you can." Inafay winced as if the memories alone pained her. "It was flattering to get so much attention right up until I understood what they wanted. If you''d asked me a month into being here, I''d have told you that I''d never marry a Windborn in a million years."


    "But you changed your mind?"


    "Because Orotaisin was different. Nice, but he didn''t really pursue me. Eventually I found out that his parents had been pushing him to become a prince and lead their clan, a whole bunch of oppressive obligations." Inafay smiled fondly as she spoke about him, then smirked. "So it''s ironic: I''m exactly the sort of person his parents would want him to marry, but I took him away to join the Frontier elites."


    "Heh, I can imagine." Kai took a drink in order to order his thoughts, but nothing came together. "I''m glad you''re happy together."


    "It''s been a slow road, but I''m really glad I met him." Inafay''s eyes abruptly narrowed. "Now why exactly are you asking all this? You were never the most emotional sort of guy."


    "Well..." He had wanted to tell her about his own confused emotions and get her insight, but suddenly that felt foolish. Running back to one of his only female friends to ask how women worked. Yet he felt like they had something in common there, so he''d value her opinion, if he could just figure out what he actually wanted to ask...


    Shouldn''t it all be easy? Zae Zin Nim had expressed her feelings and they''d even kissed on a couple occasions, so she just needed to warm up a little. Yet Omilaena''s offer, which he should have been able to dismiss easily, wouldn''t leave his mind.


    Inafay stayed silent for once, letting him get his thoughts together. But before he could, they were interrupted by two large men looming beside their table.


    "You can''t sit here," one growled. Kai instinctively braced himself... and then saw that it was Raghi Tonjin.


    "Holy shit, Raghi and Lofgan!" Kai stood up and embraced the Tonjin brothers. They both thumped him on the back fiercely, as if trying to cause bruises, but they didn''t let go right away. Eventually he pulled back to smile at them.


    Both of them were as muscular as before, but they looked even less like twins. Raghi wore a pair of Irunian gauntlets on his belt and had several new scars, while Lofgan wore a Windborn tunic and let his hair grow out in a tousled mess. The two had clearly developed far beyond the time when they''d been thugs hired by the Lantrian clan.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Even though he was most glad just to see them again, Kai couldn''t help but check their souls.


    <


    Name: Raghi Tonjin


    Total Power: 147


    Scrapper Class: 23 (33)


    Physique Level: E-3 (89)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    <


    Name: Lofgan Tonjin


    Total Power: 122


    Whistlewind Class: 41 (51)


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    He felt a surge of pride at their progress, but wasn''t sure if that would be condescending. They could have been strong crystalliers, since he was sure their strength was backed up by real skill and experience. Right now, though, they were just old friends. The hard part was to figure out what to say to stop all the grinning and back-slapping.


    "I figured it would be a surprise," Inafay said with a sly smile. "These are the ones we were coming to meet."


    "We''re still in training at the Frontier," Raghi explained. "We''re not strong enough to be sent out on assignment yet."


    "But you''re getting there! Come on, pull up seats and we can all talk about old times. We''re the only people from Monskon City in fucking leagues."


    "I''m buying," Kai said, then gestured toward Raghi. "Still mulberry wine?"


    It turned out that while Raghi was just as committed to mulberry wine as his drink of choice, Lofgan had become obsessed with a strange sort of ale from the Earth Union. The restaurant had some in the basement, a little more expensive than the local stuff but still trivial for him. Kai brought a round and they all clustered around the table to talk.


    So they told him about clan politics in Monskon City and Kai repeated some stories about Krysal. The two definitely didn''t want to talk about the Lantrian clan, but he got the sense they had stayed long enough to collect their paychecks and then headed south. After a number of adventures they''d managed to gain enough strength to try to join the Frontier.


    "Usually they wouldn''t let us," Raghi explained. "They try to draw from the best of each city, those who surpass their generation. And we''re not that strong."


    "Yet," Lofgan put in quietly.


    "But with all this trouble after the incursion, they''re spread thin. So they set up a group to go mopping up monsters. We''re not the toughest, but we faced some real nightmares during the battle, so we managed. That was how we earned our training."


    "What does it actually take to join?" Kai asked. "It''s funny... I dreamed of joining the Frontier elites my entire life, but they don''t exactly post a requirements list."


    "That''s because they''re more concerned about character," Inafay said. "They need power, but if they recruit people who will try to exploit them and run, it will ruin the organization. So it''s usually a multi-step process, starting with just testing you unofficially. There''s no fancy entrance ceremony, you just keep working with them more and more closely until one day you find your place."


    "Which isn''t necessarily as an elite," Raghi said. "They need allies to keep everything together in the Frontier nations, and like Razz showed us, they need merchants and politicians even more. But if they trust you, they''re willing to offer a lot."


    "Is that why you''re here?" Lofgan asked.


    Kai hadn''t gotten to that yet, so he just nodded. "Yeah. That would be an even longer story, but I''m here to meet them. I have some things they might find useful and I hope they can help me advance."


    "Well, I''m sure they''d be happy to have you." Raghi clapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "You and Inafay are the type they''re really looking to recruit."


    Not long after that, the other Windborn returned and they all headed to the next town, passing from the southern tip of the Wind Union into the Water Union. Along the way Kai got the sense that the Tonjin brothers might want to talk to him alone, but they were always surrounded. As they got closer, he began to think more about the fact that he was about to reach his goal since returning.


    Even though it had been less than a month since he returned to Deadwaste, and only three months since they separated for the ocean voyage, Kai missed Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena almost as much as his old Goralian friends. He was a little behind schedule, so part of him hoped that they would be waiting for him, sipping their own drinks and demanding to know when they could get back to training.


    When they arrived at the outpost, Inafay introduced him to Talndim Bundrin, an older Frontier elite who apparently handled a lot of the training. He might have some gray in his hair, but he still looked like he was in the prime of his life and had the single strongest source of mana Kai had ever felt. As much as he wanted to ask about all that, he had higher priorities.


    "So why are you here?" Talndim asked him. "If you aren''t coming to sign up, there''s only so much we can do for each other."


    "I want to talk about phases of power," Kai said. "I know you have a deeper understanding of them, at least deeper than mine. I''ve pledged to come back for the next incursion, but for now I have a lot of resources for the Frontier to offer in exchange."


    "Phase training is complex, too difficult for most, and a bit of a state secret." Talndim tilted his head back and seemed to look into Kai''s soul. "But you look like a man who saw higher phases in person."


    "More than once."


    "You''re a son of Goralia and the others have all vouched for you, so I think we can work something out. If you can help us with a few issues, no one will object if we help you with yours. And if you do come back for the incursion... well, we''re going to need all the help we can get."


    "That''s great." Kai wanted to begin showing the resources from Rosemount, but he had to ask. "I have two companions with the rest of the resources who should be coming this way. One from Cloudspire and one from Rosemount. Is there any chance they''ve been here already?"


    Talndim gave a wry chuckle. "Not that long ago I met the most suspicious woman I''ve ever seen, trying to get in and making a similar offer. Sorry to say I told her off and she left."


    "Damn. Which way di-"


    "I say ''the most suspicious woman I''ve ever seen'' and you assume it''s your ally?"


    Yeah, that sounded like Omilaena. "I''ll vouch for her, but we have to find her first. Which way did she go?"


    It seemed that Omilaena had headed northeast into the Water Union, presumably to scout or try to intercept their routes. He was irritated that she hadn''t waited, but honestly more irritated that she wasn''t there. But for now, he traveled with Inafay and the Tonjin brothers, so he didn''t mind so much. Everything seemed to be improving until he saw Inafay''s expression.


    "Northeast, as in toward the Southern Water Palace?" she asked. "That''s where we need to go next."


    "So that''s a nice coincidence?" Kai asked, knowing it wouldn''t be.


    "Not at all. Our next assignment is to deal with the Prince of Tides before he can start a war."

 Chapter 304: Implications in the Rain

    After spending a few weeks on the Waterborn ship, Zae Zin Nim was beginning to understand the politics of the Water Union. She wished she didn''t.


    As far as she could tell, the basic principle of the Water Union was that everyone was having extramarital relationships with everyone else. They had marriages - they weren''t savages - yet they seemed to take it as a given that anyone who mattered would be sleeping around, as if fidelity was a quaint idea. She was accustomed to powerful cultivators actually doing this, but they usually at least pretended. Whereas here there was a prince who knew his wife was sleeping with someone Windborn and just seemed glad that she wasn''t annoying him, so he could conduct his own affairs.


    Ivonailin of Tides didn''t seem to participate in this, yet at times he troubled her even more. He had never once done anything inappropriate, and in fact his transportation was taking her through the Water Union much faster than she could have moved herself. Yet she knew he was interested in possessing her and slowly winding coils around her.


    If only she didn''t need to blend in and avoid conflict, she could have simply fought anyone in her path. Instead she needed to navigate a morass of social customs, many of them with inappropriate implications, and she found herself less than confident.


    Was it suggestive of her to accept a drink from a man? Her instinct was to refuse all gifts, but some of the Waterborn exchanged gifts freely. When they went through a storm, rain-repelling umbrellas were set up and there seemed to be implications sharing those, yet they were inconsistent. Were the Waterborn men offering to shield her making as much of a claim as it sounded to her?


    All of that was ultimately just an annoyance... the offers of power were not. Everyone who had a sense for her strength was eager to offer her a chance at elemental powers, and this truly seemed to have no strings attached. From what she had seen,the elemental abilities were reasonably powerful, so it might be worth pursuing. Only the risk that she might harm her future cultivation or incur a political debt led her to refuse.


    In order to avoid getting into trouble or sending the wrong signals, Zae Zin Nim did her best to remain distant. If she treated everyone, male or female, with the same cool politeness then she couldn''t be misconstrued as flirting with everyone.


    That meant that when there was driving rain, as there was that day, she sat alone under one of the umbrellas. She was doing her best to focus on cultivation when she heard some of the young Waterborn men making suggestive remarks about a woman, which was strange enough on its own, and even stranger they seemed to be looking over the side. Zae Zin Nim didn''t want to have anything to do with that, so she did her best to ignore them until she heard something else.


    "-from Rosemount, you think?"


    "Maybe Krysali?"


    "Doesn''t feel like qi to me."


    Despite her plans to stay aloof, Zae Zin Nim immediately leapt to her feet and braved the gaps between umbrellas to reach the side. From there she could see who they were looking at: definitely Omilaena. Her top was soaked, making it very inappropriate, and her pants were slick with the rain. And yet Zae Zin Nim could barely think about those things, she just raised a hand to get the other woman''s attention.


    "Mind if I come aboard?" Omilaena called over the storm. Several of the young men shouted encouragement, so she leapt up onto the deck. "Kind of you to take in a poor woman... wait a minute - Hanelay Cloudspire, is that you?"


    "What are you doing here?" Zae Zin Nim asked, as if it wasn''t obvious.


    "Just traveling through the Water Union."


    "Come this way. We should talk." Zae Zin Nim took Omilaena''s hand and pulled her away from the others, toward one of the remote umbrellas. If they stood in the correct position around the shaft, it would shield them completely.


    Clearly, this only increased the amount of attention on them. But if Omilaena was finally here to take her away, it might not matter - she could flee the Waterborn court and be done with them. It was a strange feeling, but Zae Zin Nim felt a sense of relief just being in the other woman''s presence.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Getting an entire ship of people waiting on you isn''t exactly being inconspicuous," Omilaena said, but even this was only gentle mocking.


    "I didn''t intend it," Zae Zin Nim told her. "I don''t understand this place''s customs at all, so I''m sure I''ve made mistakes. They have so many affairs here, I''m afraid I''ll proposition someone by sneezing. They probably think I''m a wanton woman."


    "Well, if you''re worried about that, we probably shouldn''t be standing under an umbrella like this."


    "What?" Zae Zin Nim started to draw away, but the rain blocked her. "What do you mean? And how do you know, have you been here before?"


    "Look around." Omilaena inclined her head toward the central deck. "There are families sitting under the larger umbrellas, and people gather at the umbrellas on the sides. The isolated umbrellas that make people stand together are obviously more romantic. Look at the couple over there, holding hands around it."


    Could it be such a simple pattern? Zae Zin Nim looked over the ship in frustration and found a counter-example. "No, look at those two men in the back. They''re standing under a lone umbrella."


    "And if they''re not fucking, I''ll eat a syringe. Which I can actually do, by the way."


    "I see. It''s... okay. We can stay here."


    "Can we now?" Omilaena raised an eyebrow and Zae Zin Nim flushed.


    "I don''t mean anything by it! I just want them to stop bothering me." She let herself a relax a little more and sighed. "I''ve been trying to signal that I wasn''t interested, but it isn''t working. I''m sure I must be misunderstanding some of their customs."


    "Or you''re just a beautiful woman acting remote and lonely. That''s basically all it takes."


    "Be that as it may! Are you here to help me get away?"


    "The good news is that you''re headed in the right direction and you''re only a week away from our goal," Omilaena told her. "The bad news is that I just came from there and Kai hadn''t arrived yet. Given that he should be relatively familiar with the territory, I don''t know what''s taking him so long."


    "He''s... he''s probably dedicating his life to helping somebody he just met."


    Omilaena chuckled. "Maybe so. I don''t think that getting to know the locals the way you have is a bad thing. Depending on whether or not the people at the Frontier cooperate, we may want to have them supporting us."


    "They''ve been offering to let me take a trial to awaken elemental abilities. Most likely they''d let you as well, only... do you think that could be harmful? Or, umm, seductive somehow?"


    "It''s probably not flirting, but it''s most likely a mistake." Omilaena''s expression transformed as a new spark emerged in her eyes. "I''ve reached a bit of a breakthrough in my research. The local system is only one way to reach an elemental capacity, and I think, this being Deadwaste, it''s not a particularly good one. Whether or not elemental abilities are good for us, we shouldn''t risk ourselves on such a gamble."


    Zae Zin Nim nodded to herself, glad she had made the right decision. "Kai said that he tried and was immediately told he failed."


    "And it burned out something in his soul. That might have worked in his case, but it''d be a bad idea for us. They trying to throw anything else at you?"


    "Nothing... ability-related."


    Before they could talk further, Ivonailin moved up behind them, his powers deflecting all the water that would ordinarily have landed on his head. He took a step inward, partially shielded by the same umbrella, and Zae Zin Nim had no idea whether or not that was suggestive. His expression seemed perfectly neutral, so she let Omilaena take control.


    "Welcome to my ship," he said. "I''m Ivonailin of Tides. Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"


    "Omilaena, and the pleasure''s all mine."


    "If you''re a friend of Hanelay, we''re glad to extend our hospitality to you. I can keep the rain off, so what do you say we give you a little tour of the ship and you can find some rooms?"


    Ivonailin started to move toward Zae Zin Nim, as if he was going to take her arm and escort her with them. Zae Zin Nim had no real defenses against this, outside of slapping or murder. But before he could arrive, Omilaena stepped in, taking his arm as if he''d been offering it to her.


    "I''d be grateful for the tour," she said with a bright smile. "Why don''t you show me around?"


    They went around the ship, speaking to the other Waterborn nobles and all the different clans. Omilaena seemed to be effortlessly charming, leading them on a little but also keeping them at a distance. Even dripping in the rain she managed a sort of grace that had nothing to do with cultivation. Zae Zin Nim wished it was possible to train such a power.


    "I know you wanted to go further south," Ivonailin said, "but could I convince you to come with us to the Southern Water Palace? The accommodations would be much more generous than here, and I think the court would like to meet you."


    "We''re looking for an ally," Zae Zin Nim said. "But... if he wasn''t south..."


    "The Southern Water Palace is the most important place in leagues, and if he isn''t there, we can find him. But I''d like to introduce both of you to my father. He''s trying to put together a little task force, and women of your power would be very well compensated."


    Diverging from the plan seemed like a bad idea, but they had already been blown far off course. If Omilaena said that Kai wasn''t at the meeting location, it wouldn''t hurt to hear the locals out. So Zae Zin Nim gave a slight nod when Omilaena glanced at her and otherwise let the other woman talk.


    "We''d be charmed."

 Chapter 305: Blitzing the Southern Water Palace

    The entire time they were on the Waterborn ship, Omilaena had to resist letting any of her amusement slip out. Zae Zin Nim was practically petrified by a little flirting and the politics of the bedroom. It was fortunate her time on Rosemount had been so focused, because she would have been horrified by some of the tribes in the Flaeren Dominion and the Carnal Court would probably have killed her outright.


    In a fairly short amount of time, and without much flirting of her own, Omilaena had grasped the basics of Water Union politics. Despite all their philandering, they took their tribes and especially their elemental abilities extremely seriously. If Omilaena stuck around, she was fairly sure that she''d rack up many propositions herself.


    Instead she focused on playing defense for Zae Zin Nim so the poor girl wasn''t completely scandalized or taken advantage of. It didn''t take very much, usually just her presence at the right times. Once when they were introduced to a large number of young men at once, Omilaena lightly touched the other woman on the back. Zae Zin Nim had stiffened a little, but when she saw how it warded off some attention she had relaxed and not pulled away.


    Soon enough they reached the Southern Water Palace, which was a rather grand affair of fountains and arches of water held aloft by pure elemental craft. Allegedly there were hidden pools where young Waterborn swam wearing very little and Omilaena wondered whether or not they''d be invited.


    When they touched down, however, Ivonailin seemed to have much more serious business in mind.


    "My father isn''t here yet," he said, "but he should be arriving by tonight. As I said, I think he''d very much love to meet you both."


    "And we''d be happy to meet him," Omilaena answered for them both. "But why won''t you tell us more about this strange invitation?"


    "It''s a state secret, so you''ll have to wait. But I can tell you that it has to do with the Earth Union grasping so much power lately."


    "You mean trying to ally with Irun?" Omilaena took in a quick breath, as if she cared about either place.


    "Trying to absorb them, if the rumors are true." Ivonailin stepped in closer and lowered his voice. "If they seek to start a war, we''ll be ready for them. The Earth Union is always hungry to acquire new talent, which is why we''re so eager to show you the benefits of staying with us."


    "Oh, then you''re already deep into politics. I don''t know if we can make any promises, but we''ll at least hear you out. Is there anywhere we can freshen up before tonight?"


    "You''ll have rooms prepared, of course. But if you want to step through that little gate, there should be another fountain you can use."


    Omilaena guided Zae Zin Nim over to it, just to give them a little peace and quiet. She could have spoken about any number of things, but it seemed like the cultivator wanted the moment alone. The little garden was peaceful enough, with a small fountain that arched like a flower. While Zae Zin Nim went to wash her face, Omilaena just examined her nails and waited.


    "Look out!" someone shouted.


    "Get together!"


    They both looked toward the shouting, then toward the largest source of energy: a mana-charged ship was visible in the sky. Quite some distance away currently, but flying toward the Southern Water Palace at great speed. Something about the mana reminded her of the Water Union, but the vehicle was made of lighter wood and surrounded by wind.


    "Brace yourselves!" Ivonailin rushed into the garden with a stern expression. "We don''t know who it is, but there''s a ship from the Wind Union coming in fast."


    "An attack?" Omilaena asked.


    "They wouldn''t start a war like this, but there could be a vendetta over the princess''s affair, or they could be here for a formal challenge. I''m sorry this had to happen now... it might be because my father is here. If you''ll come this way, you don''t need to worry about it."


    But Zae Zin Nim was ignoring him almost entirely, then began to walk out to the blue-bricked plaza where they''d landed. It looked like the Wind Union ship was gliding toward it, not in a particularly war-like fashion. That definitely wasn''t what caught her attention... when Omilaena focused her senses more, finally she understood.


    Either this was a hell of a coincidence, or politics were drawing them all to the same place.


    When the ship drew near, most stayed inside while several others jumped out to land on the plaza. They included a girl with spiky blond hair, a laid-back Windborn man... and Kai. As soon as Omilaena saw him land, she knew that he''d taken a step forward. His movements had always been reasonably fast, for such a bulky man, but now she saw a self-assurance and grace that hadn''t been there before.


    "What are you doing here?" Ivonailin demanded.


    "We''re here on behalf of the Frontier, looking for..." The girl in the lead trailed off and then smiled. "Wow, after missing each other over and over, guess we finally got lucky. Hey, Kai, aren''t those your...?"


    There was no real question, because Kai had already moved toward them rapidly. Omilaena wondered if he was going to hug them and just what the others would think, but it seemed he''d gained a shred of self-awareness. Instead he just grinned, Zae Zin Nim smiled back, and Omilaena absorbed some fraction of their happiness alongside them.


    "Sorry you had to come look for me," Zae Zin Nim said.


    "That storm really disrupted our plans, but it''s fine." Kai jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the others. "You know Inafay, but Omilaena doesn''t. She''s an old friend from Goralia, and now she''s working for the Frontier elites. If we just help her with one job here, we''re in."


    "Actually, you don''t even have to do that." Inafay approached them and shook her head apologetically. "Technically we have no right to ask for your help, and we can''t offer you much more than you''re already asking. But I''d be really grateful if you could help us resolve this, and it would help all the Frontier nations."


    Omilaena didn''t care about that at all, but she was willing to shrug and go along with it. As expected, Zae Zin Nim glanced at Kai and then nodded in agreement, before even hearing what they were going to do. Their little chat had angered Ivonailin, who broke into the conversation again.


    "You can have this reunion on your own property," he said. "The Frontier guard has already done enough damage. You''re not welcome here."


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    "Has your father made that official, then?" Inafay turned on the Waterborn prince with a new look in her eyes and his polite facade immediately vanished.


    "Not yet. But you can''t change his mind, so you might as well go home."


    "We''ll meet with him once he arrives, then. We value his contribution to the Frontier so much, we wanted to meet him in person to make clear that we don''t want to lose him. Unless you want to stand in the way of that?"


    Ivonailin''s lip curled, but apparently he wasn''t willing to stick his neck out that far. He glanced at Omilaena as if she''d betrayed him, then turned around to enter the palace. That left them looking back to Inafay, wondering what they had agreed to.


    "I don''t know if I can explain all the details," Inafay said, scratching the back of her head. "But basically, the Prince of Tides is saying that he''s going to stop sending any support to the Frontier. Now, that happens from time to time and clan to clan. But he''s building up a small army that he claims will defend the Water Union during the incursion. Unlike the Frontier elites, he''ll be able to use that army against his rivals. If he actually succeeds and withdraws support, the Earth Union will strike first, the Fire Union might withdraw too, and no one knows what the Wind Union will do. It''d be a bad time."


    "So what are we doing about it?" Kai asked.


    "We need to convince him that he doesn''t want to do this. As for how..."


    "His son isn''t very strong," Zae Zin Nim said, "and I doubt the father is much stronger. We should be able to kill them easily enough."


    "Kill! We''re trying to unify them, not-"


    "Poison, then?" Omilaena asked. "They''re pretty good with liquids here, but I should be able to get through if I can get information on their security."


    "What? No!" Inafay shook her head. "I was planning to try to reason with him first, and when he doesn''t agree, we''ll set up formal matches with his army. Comparing the sides, especially with the three of you, should convince him that he still needs to support the Frontier."


    That seemed like a needlessly tedious plan, but Inafay was insistent and Kai seemed to think it was reasonable, so Omilaena went along with it. Despite the frosty reception from the princes, their group was actually invited inward by several servants. They were led into a small reception room where Ivonailin and other nobility tried to convince them not to confront the prince.


    When the group closed a little, Omilaena instinctively touched Zae Zin Nim''s back. She didn''t flinch at all, but she turned aside and spoke in a low voice. "It''s okay, we don''t have to do that anymore. We''ll be done here soon."


    "Of course." Omilaena faked a smile and pulled her hand back.


    In her own way, she was just as much of a blind fool as Zae Zin Nim or Kai. She was smart enough to know how they thought, and should have been smart enough not to tease Zae Zin Nim back when they met. They would trust her in battle, but she would never get through those spiky outer defenses. Moving along with Zae Zin Nim and shielding her from the nobles had just been playing pretend for a little while.


    This revelation completely destroyed Omilaena''s mood and she had no more patience for the nobles. When she got a chance, she pulled Kai aside.


    "I think I''ve figured out something about your abilities," she told him. "I don''t have a grand unified theory, but the data fit you."


    "Oh yeah?" He smiled broadly at her, but there was still that distance in his eyes. "There wasn''t something in your books about powers like mine, was there?"


    "No, of course not. But it''s all more tied together than I thought. This probably isn''t the time or place, but trust me, you''ll like it."


    Kai''s smile warmed her for just a little while before they moved apart and she was alone again. What actually hurt most was seeing Kai and Inafay negotiating together. There was no sexual tension between them, but they honestly liked and trusted one another. They''d been separated for years only to instantly regain their bond once they reunited. Whereas if Omilaena was left behind, her power would be missed, but they''d probably breathe sighs of relief.


    She was in too sour of a mood to pay much attention to the rest of the politics, even though she probably could have helped on some of the details. The rumored infidelity between Waterborn and Earthborn nobles wasn''t just idle adultery, they were teasing potential conflicts. But it would probably come down to power in the end anyway.


    Eventually they were escorted into a grand hallway with great arcs of water leaping from pools on the opposite sides. The Prince of Tides, one of the most important people in the Water Union, sat on a blue marble throne. He had a shroud, but not a particularly good one.


    <


    Name: The Prince of Tides


    Total Power: 196


    Waterborn: Twicedrowned (132)


    Physique Level: F-9 (48)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    Just under 200 Power, most of it his Waterborn abilities - pathetic for a clan that spent so much time obsessed with breeding raw strength. It looked like he had collected a reasonably strong group who stood at his beck and call, ranging from Waterborn to a few Krysali mercenaries to one person from Rosemount using an ability called Cagnazzo''s Tide. All with not much above 200 Power except the foreign water user, who didn''t look experienced.


    Omilaena could give one thing to the Frontier guards: they''d sent a strong enough group. Inafay and her allies could have handled the fight on their own.


    "Great prince," Inafay began, "we hope that we can convince you to reconsider. The Seat of Tides has always been a strong ally of the Frontier, going back generations. If you leave the alliance, you will be leaving gaps that will harm your kin."


    "Gaps that already exist!" The Prince of Tides stared down at them in disgust. "We paid and paid and paid, we sent many of our strongest, and for what? When the incursion came, you allowed Frontier monsters to attack us, even all the way to the Water Union."


    "The last incursion was an unusually difficult one. I assure you, we grieve as much as anyone that so many monsters got through, but it was a widespread problem, not-"


    "We''ve had enough! You can see the force I''ve gathered. Can you deny that I''m more capable of defending my people than your vaunted ''elites''?"


    "Yes." Inafay squared her shoulders and looked him dead in the eye. "You don''t understand how dangerous the incursions can become. If it must come to this, see how your group compares to ours. We''re only trainees, but I think you''ll see the value of the Frontier alliance."


    "You certainly have some power." The Prince of Tides leaned his head against one fist and smiled darkly. "But is this all of you? The Frontier is always spread thin... they probably got together as many as they could, am I right? I see less than a dozen warriors... I have over thirty of my own elites at my side."


    "You may have numbers, but-"


    "If your forces are spread so thin that they can''t beat my numbers, what does your strength matter? That''s my proposal: duels until you beat them all, or you''ve just proved my point."


    This seemed to have passed Inafay''s expectations, because she shifted uncomfortably. No doubt she was considering the odds and thinking that they only made sense with the new allies she''d gained by luck. But she was underestimating the difference between this rabble and real warriors, so Omilaena stepped forward.


    "I''ll fight them all," she said.


    The Prince of Tides jerked up from his position. "You honestly think you can fight thirty duels in a row?"


    "I''ll fight all thirty at once." Omilaena spun needles around her fingers and dropped into position.


    The others might be clueless when it came to flirting, but they could recognize a cue when they heard one. Zae Zin Nim lowered her shroud, stunning the group with an Earth Soul cultivator''s presence and beauty. Kai also revealed his strength and she thought used just a touch of Void Gaze. Inafay and the others also caught on and dropped whatever shrouds they had, revealing themselves as a small army.


    "I..." The Prince of Tides stared at Omilaena for several long seconds, gaping like a fish. "I don''t..."


    "Don''t try to fight an incursion with this little army," Inafay said. "Send them to the Frontier for training. With your help, maybe next time there won''t be any more gaps in the line."


    He didn''t agree right away, but from the way the prince sagged back, Omilaena knew that his spirit had been broken. Even if he wasn''t much of a warrior, he had enough experience to know when he was utterly overwhelmed. His son looked just as astonished, staring at her and Zae Zin Nim with new eyes.


    Soon the others began to discuss details, so Omilaena backed away. She''d planned to withdraw entirely, but Inafay pursued her.


    "You had a hell of an impact," she said with a grin. "I really thought this was going to be a huge ordeal, an extended series of fights. You have to be Omilaena, right? Kai talked about you, but we haven''t really met."


    "Charmed," Omilaena said with an automatic smile. "I understand we''ll be headed to the Frontier after this?"


    "That''s right. And if this is what I can expect from you, I''m glad you''re here."


    Omilaena kept smiling until the younger woman moved away, then dropped the expression. At least she was good for something.

 Chapter 306: Calculating Monstrosity

    Finally, all three of them were reunited and moving in the right direction. Kai somewhat resented all the time they''d needed to sneak around and arrange indirect meetings, but that was the price they paid for being weaker than the Brightwind Sect. Hopefully, if they learned all he hoped at the Frontier, they''d be one step closer to competing directly.


    For now, it would take them another week to return to the Frontier outpost where they could hopefully begin their training immediately. He was able to accept this delay mainly because he had so much he wanted to say to everyone. Zae Zin Nim clearly missed him, he could always talk more with Inafay, and he wanted to spend some time with the Tonjin brothers.


    It was Omilaena, however, who attracted his attention first. No one else seemed to notice, so he wondered if he was just imagining things, but her behavior was withdrawn and muted.


    So one night, after he''d finished mana training with the others, he found her out at the end of the Wind Union ship. With the land dark beneath them and the stars above obscured by clouds, they seemed to be in their own little world of darkness. If they turned their backs to the others, it might as well be just the two of them.


    "You said you finally made a breakthrough?" he asked.


    "I did!" She spun around to face him and he thought her grin was real this time. "I could talk for ages about the broad theory, but the problem is I''m not completely sure I''m right. So let''s start from the angle I really hope I have: why can you use only six abilities?"


    "No idea. I figured that was just how it works, like how different Classes and abilities evolve at different times."


    "Nonsense. Those numbers, from levels to Power, all have some basis in reality. Your abilities are unusual, maybe unprecedented, but they must still have some connection to the rules of power. There are other systems that have limited abilities as well, though they usually work in slightly different ways. The power-bearers in the Coiled Empire learn one skill at each stage, for example."


    "Then why hasn''t mine changed?"


    "But it has!" Omilaena raised a finger sharply. "All abilities start with one ''place'' in the soul. Some only need one, like how cultivation stores everything in a dantian. But others, particularly ability-based powers, grow to occupy more places over time. I was reading a very old source when I read about an ability where the capacities increased every time the soul itself expands."


    "Like with the 99 Power barrier?" Kai asked. "I definitely felt my soul expand, but I didn''t think it made a huge difference for my monstrous abilities."


    "Ah, but were you struggling with a limited number of slots then?"


    "I suppose I had less than six back then. I only ate enough essence to overload after the incursion."


    "And you''re forgetting that there''s technically a 9 Power barrier, though the Goralian awakening ceremony vaults right over it." Omilaena began ticking off fingers. "So one ability to start with, a second at the 9 Power barrier, and a third at 99."


    "Where do the other three come from?"


    "Remember that you didn''t have any of this power until your soul collapsed and incorporated the monstrous essence - or at least that''s my theory. And what happened to you before then? You gave away your Irunian steel, you burned out your elemental capacity, and then you tore out your own Class."


    Kai grinned as she said it. He had no idea about the deeper theory, but the idea felt right to him. "I can buy that. When I woke up, the power I''d absorbed had seemed to fill up the empty space. I think it all adds up. So does that mean I''ll gain a seventh slot when I pass 999 Power?"


    "I''m confident you will, and that would be great validation for my theory." Omilaena''s smile finally faded and she sighed. "I know that seems like a far-off goal."


    "Yeah, you and Zae Zin Nim will be facing that problem first. How difficult is it to break through the 999 Power barrier, by the way?"


    "Probably impossible on Deadwaste. There are items that can do it on the other continents, but they''re rare even there. Hopefully we''ll be able to get appropriate ones before we hit that point."


    "If I got one now, do you think I''d gain a new ability slot immediately?"


    "Huh. Good question." Omilaena tapped a finger against her lips for a while as she thought. "With normal people, trying too early could cause serious harm. You might be able to do it... but the next barrier is a tougher one because there''s nothing universal like moonmelt pills. For example, Zae Zin Nim will almost certainly need a highly refined qi source that wouldn''t work for me. I actually have no idea what sort of power would work for you."


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    Something else to worry about in the future, though this one didn''t weigh too heavily on him. Thanks to the greater potential of his monstrous soul, he could keep up with his allies well beyond the point they broke through. If his human soul alone actually reached the 900s, he''d be a match for some of the strongest in the world.


    "The big question is how many abilities you can burn out," Omilaena said. "I''m pretty sure you can''t just try some minor type of magic to gain a new slot - it''s related to fundamental capacities. But what are the limits? For example, I''m quite confident you''d gain another slot if you burned out your ability to cultivate, but that wouldn''t be worth it."


    "Definitely not." Kai shook his head as he thought it over. "I wouldn''t want to lose whatever lets me use the Savage Heart, either. In fact, I think that''d be a hard decision to make. Not that I had a choice, but would an elemental power have been more useful to me than one more monster slot?"


    "There''s one big problem with my theory, one that might be good for you, or might mean I''m full of shit. I''m not sure the burned out parts of your soul are totally gone. For example, according to my theories, when you gave up your Class, you shouldn''t have been able to use mana anymore."


    "I didn''t have any trouble with that at all. Mana seems to flow directly into my other abilities."


    "Exactly. That''s one of the things that made me realize that it must be more complicated than just seven different types of energy." Omilaena gestured vaguely at the night sky. "Beyond a certain point I''m just blundering in the dark. We may not have enough power here to see the real shape of reality."


    "You see a lot further than I can." Kai put a hand on her shoulder and was surprised at how slender it felt. He knew how strong she was from personal experience, but in that moment Omilaena felt very vulnerable. Then the sensation was gone.


    "I''m pretty sure I can help already!" She tapped at his chest with one fingernail. "You''ve done a good job figuring out your powers, but I think you''ve made one big mistake: your ''Monstrous Hunger'' isn''t an ability."


    "What do you mean? Of course it is. It has a slot and a rank like all the rest."


    "But it doesn''t come from a specific monster, right? If I''m right, that''s a reflection of you, your monstrous capabilities. But it isn''t one of those abilities any more than the fundamental capacity to cultivate is a cultivation technique. Human souls were never designed for this, so you''ve been clinging to that connection, but I think you can let it go."


    "Get rid of it? No, that''s wrong." Kai looked into his own soul and shook his head. "It''s definitely part of me... but maybe you''re right, it''s a different part..."


    "Contradictory as it might seem, I think Monstrous Hunger is a human ability. When we discussed Physique and your other breakthroughs, it sounds like you''ve been increasingly embracing the connections. You don''t need it as a crutch anymore, you can use that capacity to its fullest."


    "If I''ve been just wasting a slot like an idiot, I''m going to kick myself."


    Omilaena grinned more like her usual self. "Give yourself a break; you''re mapping new territory here. And I don''t know that it will be easy. Everything you see in your soul reflects something real, so you can''t just tamper with it idly. But actually taking advantage of this idea will be up to you, so all I can say is be careful and good luck."


    "Better not say that last part. I don''t have a good track record with luck."


    As it turned out, the shift was even more difficult than he''d expected. It wasn''t simply a matter of making the decision, and when he tried to push the statues around in his soul visualization, it didn''t work. This was a connection between the sides of his soul, and he balanced a deep contradiction there.


    Even though it was coherent to think about his soul as having two different halves, he knew it was all him in the end. Abilities like the Savage Heart made that literal, and his Physique had been changing in a monstrous direction. The problem was applying all those lessons to himself, altering his soul instead of his body. It felt like trying to tie a tiny piece of string into a knot, the edges always slipping from his fingers.


    When he finally managed it, it wasn''t through some great revelation or show of willpower. He just thought about what Omilaena said, saw his soul for what it was, and the pieces finally clicked into place.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 460


    Monstrous Hunger - XI (lambda)


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 51% (110)


    Savage Heart: 6 (61)


    Physique Level: D-5 (225)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VIII (theta)


    Thunderbird''s Wings - III (gamma)


    Direboar''s Strength - XI (lambda)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VIII (theta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IX (iota)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    -


    Baleful Breath - IV (delta)


    Sahagin''s Soul - VIII (theta)


    Mutefang''s Stealth - IX (iota)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - V (epsilon)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - V (epsilon)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - III (gamma)


    Crystal Slime - II (beta)


    Dreamleech - I (alpha)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - II (beta)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Deathvine - I (alpha)


    Banchlain - V (epsilon)


    >


    Monstrous Hunger now sat just beneath his total Power, exactly where it belonged since it increased his soul. Its ranking still had some real weight in his mind too, perhaps a limit on all his other monstrous abilities... or perhaps a summation of his potential with them. Either way, the fundamental theory was correct: now that he no longer needed to use part of his power to tie his soul together, he had an extra slot available.


    He would still need to make his choices carefully, but he felt much less restricted now. He could keep Behemoth''s Heart and Thunderbird''s Wings active at all times and still play around with four other options. That would let him use Direboar''s Strength without limiting his flexibility, use one of his supplemental abilities, or just combine multiple techniques.


    This was a huge breakthrough and he wanted to thank Omilaena for it. But when he looked around for her again, she was gone.

 Chapter 307: Joining the Frontier Elite

    Technically Kai had been to the Frontier many times in his life and even spoken with the elites there. This time, however, he was coming to actually train with them. It wasn''t really the dream he''d had as a young man, just an echo of those aspirations. Even though he''d gained equal or potentially greater power on his own, they still held something he needed.


    He sincerely hoped that even his luck couldn''t throw any more obstacles in their way now. They had Inafay, who would back them up, and they were just coming off the completion of an important mission. Adding on top of that all the resources he had and he was fairly sure that the Frontier elites would be willing to listen. If the world matched their theorizing, they could gain at least one edge here that couldn''t be found even on Rosemount.


    They returned to the outpost and it wasn''t under assault or on fire, so he considered that a good start. The other trainees all chattered with one another, since many of them would be heading back south for further training. Kai walked back to see Talndim Bundrin and found the older man sitting in an armchair in the first room.


    "The son of Goralia returns," he said with a chuckle. "I heard about the Southern Water Palace. Glad to have one more prince back on board."


    "Do you think it will work?" Kai asked. "We basically overwhelmed him by force."


    "Force is right at the heart of things. If I had my way, I''d throw every leader in the Frontier nations right into an incursion, just so they understood. But they don''t ask me what to do about that sort of thing... maybe because I suggest throwing everyone into incursions, ha!"


    "I''m unclear on what you do in general. Do you work at the Frontier, or train people here?"


    "Usually I train the next generation, but we need all hands on deck when it comes time for an incursion. As for me..." Talndim sighed and rubbed his back as he got up. "Take a look at my soul and you''ll see that I didn''t quite make it as high as I''d hoped."


    Since the man removed one of those impenetrable elite shrouds, Kai eagerly took a look.


    <


    Name: Talndim Bundrin


    Total Power: 717


    Breakfist Advanced Class: 9 (327)


    Crystal Cultivation: 10,000 (125)


    Physique: E-7 (101)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Emergent Class: Shimmering Fist (+100)


    >


    What he saw didn''t look anything like failure: the man had over 700 Power and something called an "Advanced Class" that looked amazingly powerful. He''d never made the jump to D-rank Physique, which many elites couldn''t. Aside from that he had the same generally high strength Kai expected from Frontier Elites.


    "What''s an Advanced Class?" Kai asked.


    "Oh, haven''t seen one before? You remember Novice Classes, right? Well, just like they develop at level 9, a standard class that reaches 99 can evolve again. And when it does..." Talndim made a whistling noise while raising a finger. "You basically never see them outside of the Frontier. The amounts of training and mana required are just too much for Goralia. All the resources of the south combined wouldn''t be enough."


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    "That''s really impressive. I thought Classes were fundamentally weaker than some other abilities, but there''s massive potential in an Advanced Class..."


    "Yeah, well, I''m actually a failure. I made it over the Level 99 hump, but I basically slowed to a halt after that. So I spent most of my time helping out the new recruits, especially any Goralians with great potential."


    "What happens if you hit level 99 in an Advanced Class?"


    "Damn, son, you''re ambitious. The answer is that it doesn''t happen. Hardly anyone even gets to 50, and we don''t have anyone recorded higher than 80 in our whole history. Once we had some experts from Rosemount come in and they''re pretty sure that 99 is the absolute limit."


    Kai took another look at the man''s soul. "And it looks like you cultivated a decent number of qi crystals?"


    "Ha! I cultivate ten thousand of the things and you call that ''decent''?" Talndim waved a hand. "You were in Krysal, right? You''ve seen how there are diminishing returns. For individuals who want to maximize themselves, it makes sense to hoard as many as possible. But to maximize our overall strength, we have to spread ''em out. Basically everybody who has the time for a new skill gets ten thousand."


    "But not everyone?"


    "No point learning extra abilities you can barely use. We''re specialists - we''ve gotta specialize. You can actually cripple yourself running headlong into random abilities."


    "And what about this Emergent Class?" Kai asked. For the first time, the old man blinked at him as if a little surprised.


    "Eh? Your spiritual sight seems pretty good, but I''m not sure you''re seeing that right. Guess that''s something else we could talk about."


    While the others filed into the room, Kai tried to figure out what he''d gotten wrong. There was a personal element to reading the symbols, so it was possible to misinterpret them slightly. He''d done the same with "Lamia Essence" and so he guessed that his early training inclined him to read things as Classes if they were too ambiguous for him. The power appeared at the end of the Frontier elite''s soul, like some powerful warriors he''d seen from other continents, but he didn''t understand the principle.


    Now that everyone was inside, Kai and his allies began to make their offer. Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena revealed all the supplies they''d been carrying - they''d spent a significant portion of their money on this, nearly half a million Crests. Talndim started by nodding, then his eyes widened, and when they got to some of the qi materials he was staring in shock.


    "This is a hell of a lot," the old man said. "We''re not used to people who run off to other continents coming back."


    "I was serious when I said I''d help," Kai told him. "My city exiled me, but I still want to stop the incursions. If we give you all this, what will you do?"


    "Distribute them to those who can use them best, of course. We still have a few years until the incursion, so... should be enough to help some of us older folks break through, and raise some younger ones up to our level. This is a real gift, son."


    "Will you give them to Inafay and the Tonjin brothers?"


    Talndim cast him a strange glance. "We give everybody what they have the potential to really use. You can get away with a little nepotism away from the Frontier, but it just gets rougher here."


    "And I believe in their potential. If my power and this gift are worth anything, take that into account." Kai looked the old man in the eyes and made sure he got it. Most likely Inafay would receive plenty of the rewards, but he didn''t want the Tonjin brothers to be overlooked. Otherwise, he was willing to let the Frontier elites distribute everything as they saw fit.


    "And you''re really giving us all this?" Talndim looked over at Omilaena as he spoke. "No strings attached?"


    "All of this is for the sake of protecting the Frontier nations," Kai said. "But I hope that you''ll be grateful enough that you can teach us about phases of power. We''ve reached a level where sources of power like these won''t help us much anymore... but your knowledge might."


    "Ah."


    "Ah?" Zae Zin Nim spoke for the first time, scowling. "We have gone to great expense and effort for this."


    "Oh, I''m not cheating you. Honestly, I''m really impressed by all this, enough that I think we can make an exception." Talndim slowly cracked his neck in both directions. "The lecture takes a bit out of me, so I might as well just do it once. A couple of the young ones are almost ready... get Inafay and her special friend in here... no, we should do it outside. Less mess that way."


    Kai went to get everything organized, eager to finally receive some answers. The mystery of "phases" had been digging into his mind ever since the apocalyptic incursion. But on their way out, he heard Omilaena speak in a low voice.


    "Have you ever faced god abilities, old man? Are you sure these phases can stand up to them?"


    "They''re one and the same," Talndim said quietly. "It''s time you learned about real power."

 Chapter 308: The Real Truth of Phases

    The group gathered not just outside the outpost but outside the Windborn community. Kai thought about the region as wasteland even though it was far richer than what he knew in Goralia. In any case, it looked empty enough for a real demonstration of power.


    Talndim set up a half dozen boulders in a line, each about the size of a person. Kai could only watch, along with Zae Zin Nim, Omilaena, Inafay, Orotaisin, and the Tonjin brothers. It seemed like they were the only ones who would be participating in this lesson. Once he was done, Talndim hopped up onto the last of the boulders, sat on the edge, and brushed off his hands.


    "First off, forget this being some easy trick that will make you unstoppable right away," Talndim said. "That''s not why we keep it secret. It''s more like giving a sword to an infant. The baby isn''t any more dangerous, it just might hurt itself. Anyway, question: what is power?"


    Everyone looked back at him, taken off guard by the sudden switch in tone. Talndim chuckled and shook his head.


    "This ain''t philosophy here. You could say something like ''The ability to do shit'' or ''Who''s stronger than who.'' It''s all close enough. But if somebody gets a bigger and bigger sword, is it more powerful? Course not. That''s useless unless you can actually use it for something. The same applies to magic and all forms of power."


    "I don''t know," Inafay said. "If people are throwing fireballs at me, I''m going to avoid the bigger one."


    "Yeah, and a dagger is better than a toothpick. Scaling only matters up to a point." Talndim leaned back and scratched at his head. "Think about it this way. Imagine two strong guys, really strong. One of them can blow up a mountain, the other one can blow up two mountains. But if the second guy is trying to hit his opponent by blowing up two entire mountains, isn''t that kind of just... stupid? He''s not fighting a mountain, he''s fighting a guy. He should concentrate all of that power into a more focused technique."


    "You''re saying that phases exist to focus on powerful human opponents?" Kai asked.


    "Don''t get ahead of me now. Just talking about the basics here. Power is useless unless it''s applied, and that means focus. Precision. If you take two men with the same strength, the one who applies his strength better will win. Why would that change as power increases? People who just try to blow up bigger and bigger mountains are idiots who''d never survive a real fight."


    Even though they hadn''t gotten to the core of the issue, it made sense to Kai. The god-like beings he''d seen at the abyss had all been focused and prepared to fight equally god-like opponents. When the cultivator had needed to destroy what must have been a moon, she''d been able to do so easily, but she hadn''t thrown that type of power around needlessly.


    "Isn''t this still just a basic of combat?" Inafay asked. She raised both hands, one with a broad sphere of wind and another with a ring of wind that whistled ominously. "Everyone can focus their power to some degree or another. You use what''s more appropriate for the situation."


    "You''ve got the idea. Think of phases like compressing your power on a fundamental level." Talndim sighed and hopped off his boulder. "Maybe this is too much yammering. I got these boulders to do a demonstration, so watch closely."


    Their group shifted back as he stepped in front of the leftmost boulder and began winding up his shoulder. After a while, Talndim stepped up and punched it - the impact cracked a large chunk of the boulder and made it rock backwards.


    "See, that''s what happens when I give it a little tap," he said. "Now, let me put some more power into it." When he punched the second boulder, the cracks spread further and it fell onto its side. "You see, some of the power basically got lost knocking it over. That''s fine if you''re fighting boulders, but no person or monster is going to sit there like a dumb rock. Now let me concentrate the force, like Inafay said."


    Talndim raised his hand and began flexing his fingers - not due to punching boulders, just focusing his power. Kai could feel the mana concentrating, compressing down to a focused aura just larger than the man''s fist. When Talndim punched the third boulder, his fist tore into the stone effortlessly and he buried his arm into the boulder up to his elbow.


    "Ya see? That''d kill a person, but it''s..." He grunted as he struggled to extract his arm. "Can be a bit inconvenient. Specially against a monster, or if your opponent heals. What we want is a way to apply a higher level of power. Not to punch through, to obliterate. Now, I''m not a master at this, so you''ll have to bear with me."


    The Frontier elite shook some stone off his hand and then took a deep, slow breath. Kai could feel something shifting within Talndim as he stepped toward the next boulder. He was half-certain he could see the air shimmering around the other man''s arm and he wasn''t sure if it was his physical eyes, his spiritual vision, or something more instinctual. It felt like the man''s entire soul was setting its feet, getting into position, and preparing for one clean, perfect punch.


    When he struck the next boulder, the movement was deceptively slow. At the moment his knuckles hit the stone, the boulder exploded. It didn''t crack, didn''t tremble, didn''t fall - it just shattered into fragments that shredded through the trees and ground behind it. Anyone who hadn''t been paying attention before was now completely alert.


    "Was that the same punch?" Raghi demanded, on his feet. "If it was a different technique..."


    "Not a technique." Talndim winced and rubbed his upper arm as if he''d pulled a muscle. "You could blow up a rock from the inside out, sure, but that''s not what I did."


    "How did you focus your mana like that?" Orotaisin asked.


    "That''s the real trick of it. It''ll take you a while to learn all that."


    "What are the actual practical effects?" Omilaena asked her question more sharply than the others, and unlike those who were impressed, she waited with her arms folded. This broke up the excitement and they mostly settled back to listen.


    Talndim answered slowly while rubbing his shoulder. "Energy that''s been compressed on a fundamental level will tear through energy that isn''t. Now, nothing is a guaranteed kill no matter what, but if you use it properly, it will be. That punch would break through any armor, any Physique, you get the idea. We call that being ''up a phase,'' or similar language."


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    Kai glanced over at Zae Zin Nim, who nodded. They''d seen Matiavel the Destroyer consume all opponents with his subtle flames - it was a relief to know he was using a fundamental principle instead of just having some magic special technique. Of course, that didn''t make it any easier to deal with.


    "So how do you defend against it?" Inafay asked. "It wouldn''t make sense if the strongest fighters all killed each other in one hit. Could you... compress your defenses somehow?"


    "You''re getting it!" Talndim snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "What I demonstrated was called a ''power phase'' because I compressed my destructive power, but anything can be focused into a more powerful form. If you have enough, you could compress your defensive mana into a shield that lesser powers would never break. Defense phase."


    "And if your opponent is using a power phase?"


    "Then neither one of you has a decisive advantage."


    Omilaena no longer looked so skeptical, but she regarded the boulders thoughtfully. "How many types of phases are there?"


    "Depends on how you count." Talndim gave an odd shrug. "Power and defense, obviously. There''s also speed phases, which I wish I could show you but I can''t. Some of you who are fast enough may have noticed that if you really move, you create shockwaves and cause trouble. That''s not great, if you want focused movement, and pushing against all that air actually slows you down. But if you can focus whatever power you''re using for speed enough, you''ll slip around without slowing down, the fastest thing on the battlefield."


    As the Windlord had no doubt done. Kai''s mind automatically shifted on to the strongest elves... "What about presence, or soul?" he asked. "Can you concentrate power like that?"


    "I think you can compress anything up a phase, if you have the strength and can get a handle on it. The principle is always the same: if you have an excessive amount of power, there should be a way to focus it into a more effective form."


    Zae Zin Nim had been silent throughout the demonstration but now shook her head. "I am not sure this applies to all power. In cultivation, we steadily condense our qi at every stage."


    "Thanks for bringing up the next subject, young lady." Talndim grinned at her and then jumped up to one of the remaining boulders. "The most effective way of using phases is to completely compress your strength, but not everyone can do that. When you have some of the principles, but not the strength, we call those ''half-phases.'' For example, I have a half-phase for speed. I can''t move around faster than everybody, but I can see and track those that do."


    "So half-phases are like defenses against other phases?" Inafay suggested.


    "You could think about it that way. Or if you don''t want to be fancy, it''s just being ''pretty fast'' instead of ''insanely fast.'' But the idea is the same: knowing how to compress your power will unlock a lot of new options for you."


    "So cultivation uses half-phases?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "Or... third phases? Two-thirds phases?"


    "That''s my best theory," Talndim said with a grin. "You folks on Cloudspire tend to compress your qi and make yourselves just a little better at everything, all at once. Hope you won''t be offended when I say that''s not fundamental superiority, it''s just another path. We''re all trying to use the same laws of reality however seems smartest to us."


    The group was silent for a while, considering the consequences of this. Kai''s mind leapt to the great powers of Rosemount: each presumably dominated via mastery of one phase while trying to defend themselves against their opponents'' advantages. That would definitely match what he''d seen in the battle of Traeton, the question was whether he could master the same abilities himself.


    "So why isn''t this taught to everyone?" Orotaisin asked eventually. His question pulled the group''s focus back together.


    "Partially because people like keeping secrets." Talndim grinned at them. "But also because it''d be easy to hurt yourself or mess up your energy. Remember, this ain''t some gimmick. You can''t teach a novice a power phase and have him go around killing anyone with one punch. To compress your power, you need to have enough power to compress! It requires great strength and deep understanding of what you''re trying to phase, otherwise all the secret training in the world won''t do you any good."


    "But are we ready?" Inafay leapt to her feet and knocked her fists together, creating a small gust of wind. "I''d love to give it a try."


    "Hold on now, don''t jump too quick. Even if you understand the idea, you can''t just do it so easily. You need a lot of preparation, body and soul. Once you get far enough, we can teach you which phases you''re suited to and you can start working on them. For now... better test."


    Talndim made them all line up and then formed a fist, which was a little unsettling given what they''d just seen him do. But when he stepped up to Raghi Tonjin first, he just tapped his fist against the man''s forehead. After harrumphing in a way that gave absolutely no indication what he thought, he stepped over to Lofgan Tonjin and repeated the punch, then went down the line.


    Kai waited at the end and met the Frontier elite in the eyes, ready for the hit. The old man grinned before tapping him on the head. There was no explosion of power, no pain or shock... and yet Kai did feel a flicker of something similar to what he felt when he witnessed the Windlord.


    "About what I expected," he told them, then pointed at Inafay and Orotaisin. "You two are starting to build a foundation for a speed phase, but your spirits aren''t ready. And you Tonjin brothers - you''re going to have to decide which direction you go soon. So all four of you, your next step would be training with elites who are better at this than I am, getting used to the compression."


    They nodded with varying degrees of eagerness or acceptance. Talndim had already moved on, and he seemed to be moving up. When he stood in front of Omilaena he scratched at his chin before speaking.


    "Now you, your soul is ready to go multiple directions. I assume you''ve been exposed to higher phases before?"


    "A few times," Omilaena said mildly.


    "I''m sure you can get the trick of it, but your problem is that you need a stronger foundation of power to actually reach a higher phase. I think you already know how to work on that." Talndim moved on from her to look at Kai and Zae Zin Nim, then began shaking his head. "And the two of you... uh... well..."


    "What?" Kai demanded.


    "Something tore your souls wide open. Like you took a phased punch to the heart and survived. I''ve never seen anything quite like it and I''ve got no theories."


    Kai glanced over at Zae Zin Nim and saw that they were thinking the same thing: they''d both been encased in a strange rainbow phase and witnessed god-like beings fighting with these powers. If that wasn''t enough exposure to phases, nothing was.


    "It was probably due to the incursion," Kai said. "Now I''m glad for the lesson, but we were hoping for more than just a demonstration. Can you actually teach us to attain a higher phase?"


    "Won''t be easy, but it should be possible." Talndim took a step back to address the entire group, then kicked over one of the remaining boulders. "Forget about the big explody demonstrations for now! You need to start with basics. You''re already training yourselves, but you need to work on the compression techniques and prepare your souls to endure it. We can start on all that."


    Apparently Talndim intended to start the lessons that day, because he began pushing them around the field for different exercises. Kai considered his potential strategies while waiting for his turn, but when the Frontier elite came around to him, he found he could only focus on another question.


    "Are there higher phases?"


    Talndim sighed and scratched at his chin. "Maybe. In theory, if you had so much power that even after compressing it, things were overflowing... yeah, you might be able to compress it again. But as far as I know, no one has ever actually gotten that much power."


    Except that Kai had seen them. Power phases, speed phases, and likely far more as the god-like beings fought at the abyss. For the first time since that mind-boggling event, he felt as though he''d taken a step closer to them... or perhaps his entire journey so far had been preparing him for that step.

 Chapter 309: Balancing Training and Politics

    After the initial demonstration, the group spent only another week at the outpost before moving down to the Frontier wall and continuing their training. Despite everything he''d seen, Kai was still left with a sense of awe when he saw the enormous defensive wall that encircled the abyss. The eerie twisting sensation on the inside hadn''t been reduced at all either, despite all the auras and glamours and other powers he''d faced.


    The training itself felt like being broken back to the basics, relearning the simplest tasks like gathering and using mana, just at a higher level. Trainees were supposed to gather at least half of the available mana in the atmosphere, and veteran hunters aimed to get most of it, but now they targeted gathering 100%. Omilaena was applying herself to some sort of exposure therapy, training her soul to endure more concentrated power. Most difficult of all were the compression exercises themselves, which felt like trying to squeeze his head through the eye of a needle.


    "You''re not going to get this in a week," Talndim told them. "I know you''re all used to doing things in a fraction of the time and everyone hailing you as geniuses, but this is different. If you grasp anything about phases in under a year, that''s damn good."


    Zae Zin Nim seemed to be frustrated by her lack of progress, frequently grumbling about cultivation''s methods being superior before she made herself try again. For his part, Kai didn''t mind. He''d spent plenty of time smashing through barriers with his own face. At least this time he knew he was working toward the next step in obtaining true power.


    After another two weeks of training, Inafay and the Tonjin brothers began preparations to leave. Apparently there was a crisis in the Earth Union that the Frontier elites wanted them to take care of. Of course, they were on a different schedule: preparation for the incursion in about four years and joining the Frontier elites the incursion after that.


    Kai knew that he''d need to push himself even harder, yet he still wanted to go along. He gathered his closest allies, prepared for an argument but ready to make his case.


    "I know we could focus on our training here," he said, "but I think we should go with them. We still need to master a lot of fundamentals, and we can do those as easily traveling as-"


    "I''m fine with it," Zae Zin Nim said.


    "Wait... you are?"


    "Phases are just the next breakthrough, not the whole path to power. One of my goals on Deadwaste was to work on my mana. I want to observe Inafay and others, so traveling would benefit me."


    "That was easy. That just leaves..."


    Omilaena shrugged. "I can''t say I''m enamored with the dead wasteland in every direction here. Sure, let''s visit the Earth Union. Maybe by the time we''re done, we''ll have trained up enough they can teach us more of their secrets."


    Once they decision was made, there wasn''t much more for them to do. Kai had tried to send off messages to Krysal with Frontier elites traveling between nations, but hadn''t heard anything back yet. He really wished that he could go south to meet with Juray, Razz, and others, but couldn''t justify the time or portal energy. So there was nothing stopping him from heading off to the Earth Union.


    Apparently the plan had been to walk - or more accurately flying when it came to Windborn powers - but Zae Zin Nim insisted that they use the diamond star. It was a bit less roomy with all of them, and coincidentally they had the same number of people as points on the star: Kai, Zae Zin Nim, Omilaena, Raghi and Lofgan, Inafay, and Orotaisin. Someone would have needed to cram into the section that held the controls except that Inafay and Orotaisin shared the same point. Even though they didn''t do anything but sleep, this seemed to disconcert Zae Zin Nim.


    After they got underway, everyone settled into a routine. Kai cultivated for a while before he eventually caught Inafay''s attention. She moved into his section of the diamond star and sat down with her legs crossed opposite him.


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    "What''s up?" she asked.


    "I wanted to talk before we get to the Earth Union," Kai said. "Are you expecting that we''ll be able to stroll in, flex, and make things work out again?"


    "It''d be nice, wouldn''t it?" Inafay grinned but then shook her head. "No, we probably won''t be so lucky. In a way, this is actually a consequence of what we did before. The leaders in the Earth Union were responding to the military buildup in the north, so when the Prince of Tides agreed to stop, they had excess capacity. Unless we can do something, they might end up using it."


    "But we''re not just running in and fighting them."


    "No, we have to convince them to play along. We have one thing going for us: some of their leaders contacted the Frontier, instead of just doing whatever they wanted on their own. Unfortunately, the Princess of Quakes and the Prince of Pebbles haven''t generally been our biggest fans."


    Kai stared at her, not sure if she was being serious. "Is he really called the Prince of Pebbles? Are you telling me there''s a Pebbles clan running around the Earth Union?"


    "Nope! He named himself that and is, by all accounts, completely nuts." Inafay tapped her forehead. "But apparently he''s strong and smarter than he looks, because multiple clans follow him. I don''t fully understand Earth Union politics, but he''s a wild card. The fact that he''s working together with a conservative like the Princess of Quakes is a bad sign for us."


    "So we don''t really know what to expect."


    "I''m feeling pretty confident with the three of you along, though. I know you have to go back to Rosemount, but I''m hoping you can take care of some of these problems."


    He wanted to ask about the real problem with the Earth Union: their attempts to ally with or take over Irun. But Inafay had to go talk to the Tonjin brothers and he supposed that it was best to take on one problem at a time. Hopefully they would find a good reason to visit Irun before they had to go back to Rosemount, since he hoped it might be useful for Omilaena.


    The trip itself was smooth and enjoyable. Having so many people in the diamond star prevented private conversations, but the group developed its own camaraderie. Zae Zin Nim started out distant and began to warm up after talking to Inafay about mana exercises. Omilaena figured out that she could easily tease the Tonjin brothers and so regularly taunted them without causing any hard feelings. By the time they were flying over Earth Union territory, Kai felt like they were a decent team.


    Almost all of the region was composed of rock, but he quickly figured out that there was dead rock and living rock. Some areas had stone pillars brimming with mana along with various hardy plants while others were as desolate as the wastelands. They began to see Earthborn communities in the living areas, but there was no time to go meet them since they were on a deadline.


    Eventually they reached their destination: not a grand palace or city, but a place Inafay called the Adobe Retreat. There seemed to be a cluster of low buildings that were connected by long pillared walkways, thus forming a series of squares. In the center of each square was a surprisingly lush garden. He understood why leaders of the Earth Union might want to travel there to relax.


    Even from a distance, Kai could see that there were two different factions, each with their own set of tents and transportation. The much larger group in amber must be the princess, while the smaller multi-colored caravan represented the prince. By the time their group had landed, a delegation had come out to meet them. Kai couldn''t pick out the Prince of Pebbles, but saw a well-dressed group he assumed represented the Quakes clan.


    "Welcome to the Adobe Retreat," a severe-looking woman with gray streaks in her hair said. "Thank you for coming. I am the Princess of Quakes."


    "Pleased to meet you." Inafay took the lead and swept a bow. "We hope that we''ll be able to convince you that an alliance with the Frontier is the best way to keep the Earth Union prosperous and-"


    "Not so fast. We heard what happened with the Prince of Tides and we won''t let you push your will on us with force." The Princess of Quakes opened a glistening amber fan and began to wave herself, also hiding her lower face. "Remember that the Earth Union takes the brunt of each incursion. If you want our support, you need to prove that we can solve our problems better with you than without you."


    Inafay''s smile thinned. "We''re here to help, but remember, we''re training to defend you at the Frontier. We''re not little errand boys and messenger girls that you can send to do your dirty work."


    "Wouldn''t dream of it!" An old man with a shock of hair sticking upright suddenly moved closer and Kai realized that he must be the Prince of Pebbles. "Oh no, we have some real problems. And some challenges! Unless you want me to withdraw all my clans, I demand you face my challenges!"


    The Princess of Quakes narrowed her eyes above her fan, clearly frustrated. Kai wondered just what circumstances had forced these two to work together. It sounded like this was going to be a strange challenge.

 Chapter 310: The Challenges of the Earth Union

    When Inafay heard they were going to meet at the Adobe Retreat, she had hoped for a quick peaceful resolution and feared extended negotiations. Instead, the challenges had been nothing like she expected.


    The Prince of Pebbles had thrown out a list of random demands that ranged from "build a bridge" to "carry large stones in a circle." She had no idea what to make of any of them and they were mostly still hanging in the air. His only sensible request had been for someone to defeat a stubborn incursion monster - Kai had been dispatched to that task as their local expert.


    By contrast, the Princess of Quakes seemed less combative in person, despite her challenges being literally combat. Once the Prince of Pebbles had run off on his own errands, the rest of them retired to one of the outer chambers of the Adobe Retreat, which was more comfortable physically if not politically. Since many of the others weren''t comfortable with local politics, Inafay took the point position sitting in a chair opposite the princess.


    "So... three duels," Inafay said. "I''m not clear what you expect this to prove."


    "Everyone knows the Frontier elites have superior power," the Princess of Quakes said from behind her fan. "But we''re not trying to challenge you, just pursue our own agendas. If you want us to follow your guidance, you need to show that you can actually teach us something."


    It was a weak argument that only worked because of her position, so Inafay had to smile through it. "Fine then. What are your conditions?"


    "The Frontier''s advantage is that it can combine different powers. The first duel will be against one of our best, using only elemental powers."


    "That''s not a problem, Orotaisin can-"


    "Not someone from the Elemental Nations." The Princess of Quakes looked to be using her fan to hide a smirk. "An outsider new to them. Are you truly advancing our capabilities, or are you merely exploiting them for your own gain?"


    "I see." Inafay thought she probably had the best chance under such unfair terms. "And the second duel?"


    "Combat using no elemental powers or other abilities, only mana and martial skill. When all else is swept away, do you have the strength to stand firm?"


    That was going to be harder, but Inafay pretended to be confident and nodded. "Fine. Have you saved the worst for last?"


    "For the third duel... we want you to train one of our own." The Princess of Quakes no longer looked so smug and she lowered her gaze. "A princeling of one of my supporters is... less dutiful than he should be. He has a duel against a Waterborn next month and many are worried he''ll humiliate himself. If the Frontier elites truly mean to strengthen us, then they must prove they can strengthen him."


    At first Inafay was beyond irritated - she was happy to fight with a handicap as a test for herself, but training some idiot who didn''t care enough to try? Still, they were trying to actually persuade these people... and as they discussed the details of all three duels, she realized that the Princess of Quakes might not be their true enemy.


    The first two duels were with other clans, not the Quakes, and the third was clearly a favor to a political ally. As conservative as she seemed, the Princess of Quakes was only the leader of even more hard-line factions in the Earth Union. These conditional duels seemed less arbitrary if they were understood as ways of intimidating factions underneath a leader who actually wanted to cooperate. By applying such unfair restrictions, she looked like a hardliner while damaging her opponents.


    "Is that all?" Inafay asked once they were done. "No literal bridges you need us to build?"


    "The duels will be sufficient." The Princess of Quakes snapped her fan shut and rose to her feet. "Of course you are welcome to the hospitality of the Adobe Retreat while you are here. If you are truly our allies, we look forward to your progress."


    That meant the rest of them had the freedom of the whole retreat, which could actually be nice. It didn''t seem overly luxurious, but just having some time to themselves amid all the training would be a relief. Speaking of that... she was glad to see Orotaisin approach her.


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    "Making someone else win a duel..." He shook his head. "He could throw the fight and ruin things for us."


    "Not many young men could do that with their reputation at stake," Inafay said. "But I agree, that could be a problem. Probably better if a man approaches him first..."


    "Alright." Orotaisin slipped away into the Adobe Retreat before she could ask him anything else. Well, at least that was one less thing she needed to worry about.


    Most of the others had moved out, either to find rooms, take on other challenges, or prepare for the duels. Inafay sighed and took a while just to stretch in the garden. Fighting using solely her Windborn powers would actually be a significant challenge, since all her training so far had been dedicated to using both her elements and her Class in combination.


    She turned around and almost ran into Zae Zin Nim, who was waiting silently. Despite herself, Inafay took a step back. The foreign woman had helped defend Monskon City and Kai trusted her, but there was something about her that set Inafay on edge. Her eyes seemed very... murdery.


    "I can take one fight if you help me," Zae Zin Nim said.


    "Which one? I guess it would have to be the mana-only duel..." Inafay wished she could get a better look at the other woman''s soul. "How do you want me to help?"


    "I wish to develop my Class further. Kai has been helping me, but he left that path behind long ago. I need a specialist."


    "Well, I guess I''m the closest we have. Sure thing!"


    The short woman blinked. "I had expected you to request payment of some sort."


    "Nah, you''re helping me enough if you win the fight." Inafay grinned and gestured for Zae Zin Nim to follow her. "Come on, let''s find some place to train."


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai had been told that he was traveling south with the Prince of Pebbles to encounter some sort of unstoppable monster. He''d assumed that meant a servant, or maybe the Prince himself along with a delegation. Apparently it meant literally the old man himself and no one else, since he''d just hopped onto a rock and started flying.


    On the way out, the Prince of Pebbles laughed and began flying faster, as if he could outpace him. The old man was fast for someone with Power around 200, and had a very erratic flying pattern that forced Kai to constantly shift his pace. With Thunderbird''s Wings, however, he had plenty of time to figure out where the old man had gone and catch up. At first the Prince of Pebbles seemed irritated that he couldn''t shake Kai, but eventually he just laughed about it.


    A town rapidly approached, a medium-sized cluster of buildings built from large earthen blocks similar to the other Earth Union towns he''d seen. This one was abandoned, though - the only sign of former habitation was a broken-down wagon beside one of the outer buildings. As they drew nearer, he began to sense an uneasy aura.


    "This place fell in the incursion," the Prince of Pebbles told him, for once appropriately somber. "We intended to clean it out as we rebuilt... but the monster here is unstoppable."


    "So it has good defenses," Kai said. "How much of a threat is it otherwise?"


    "Oh, quite serious. It reaches out and touches minds, disabling people. You should beware."


    The Prince of Pebbles remained at the periphery while Kai investigated the abandoned town. It was honestly more a village, nowhere that many people would care about if not for the monster. He was beginning to wonder if it was some sort of ambush predator until abruptly he saw it.


    A bright yellow blob emerged from a house - no eyes, no mouth, nothing but a blob of slime. Kai frowned at it and took a step closer, and at that moment it started vibrating.


    Instantly his ears began to ring and his vision shook. It wasn''t simply a direct attack, he felt the world twisting the way it always did in the center of the Frontier. Despite all his power, if Kai hadn''t endured the phenomenon so many other times, he might still have been overwhelmed. As it was, Behemoth''s Heart could handle the damage and he pushed through the mental haze.


    He swung a hand overhead and used a single Tyrant''s Claw to chop the slime in half.


    And promptly found himself staring at two slimes.


    Both of them began to vibrate, distorting the world even more than before. That could get bad quickly, so it needed to be stopped. When Kai tried to step closer, the slimes increased the distortion intensity, actually knocking him back a pace. If he''d had Baleful Breath he thought it might have destroyed them, but it wasn''t in his active soul and it was hard to concentrate through the endless vibrations.


    Instead Kai plodded to a wall and gripped the heavy earthen slab. Applying his full strength, he managed to tear it off the rest of the house and swung it overhead, flattening both slimes.


    The vibrations stopped immediately and he breathed a sigh of relief. Except not long after, another yellow sphere popped up down the street.


    Before it could begin attacking or dividing again, Kai retraced his steps to the edge of town. The Prince of Pebbles was regarding him somberly, as if a little surprised, but now chuckled. "Not as weak as it looks, is it?"


    "So the whole town is infested?" Kai asked.


    "Oh no. There''s exactly one monster. No matter what anyone does to it, it just doesn''t die. Its vibrations actually killed some people, so I''m impressed you can just shrug them off. But can you kill it?"


    "I plan to do better than that," Kai said with a grin. The monsters of Deadwaste might be weaker than those on Rosemount, but living so near the abyss and its unfathomable power changed them in other ways. He couldn''t concentrate on the slime enough to get a ranking, but he felt certain this would be a worthy challenge of a different sort.


    Because for the first time in weeks his hunger was growing again.

 Chapter 311: Cultivating Mana with Qi

    Originally, Zae Zin Nim hadn''t cared about what happened to the Frontier nations at all, and even now she struggled to get excited about Earth Union politics. But over the course of time, as she became more entrenched, she started to think about it differently. Kai was willing to travel across the world in order to help her face her father, because their goals were united now. She could help him defend his home from the monster incursions.


    "Again!" Inafay called. "Faster!"


    The other woman used her elemental powers to launch a dozen targets into the air at random angles. Zae Zin Nim drew on her Coldfire Corona and used it like an imitation of qi attacks, picking off the targets one by one. She managed to burn them all before they hit the ground, but not before they reached the top of their arcs.


    "Your speed is great," Inafay said, "but you still hesitate a moment at the beginning. You don''t have to balance mana, you can just hurl it. Everything should be as easy as moving a finger."


    "I am accustomed to qi," Zae Zin Nim mumbled.


    "And I don''t know anything about that, I''m just trying to help you based on what I know."


    "It wasn''t a criticism. You are very skilled." Zae Zin Nim lowered herself into a fighting stance. "I want to spar again."


    They met in the center of the garden, Zae Zin Nim''s palm meeting the gust of wind the other woman hurled from her fist. Even though the Coldfire Corona completely negated the wind, she wasn''t able to pierce forward like she would with qi. Her opponent was already dancing to the side, wind whisking her feet from place to place, forcing Zae Zin Nim to switch to defense.


    Technically the purpose of their sparring was for both of them to learn to rely entirely on a solitary source of energy for their upcoming duels. It had stopped being that for Zae Zin Nim after a single day. Inafay might be weak by the scale of the world, but she was truly skilled. Perhaps not as skilled in hand-to-hand grappling as a martial artist, but her style was a very good match for her abilities and she used them effectively.


    Beyond her respect for the other woman, Zae Zin Nim was finding it to be excellent training for her mana. Even though she intended to use it combined with qi, relying on it alone deepened her understanding of the energy. Combined with all the exercises she was learning, her Class was growing by leaps and bounds.


    Eventually Zae Zin Nim''s superior speed allowed her to slip around another burst of wind and she thrust a hand forward. She stopped her palm an inch from Inafay''s face and the momentum blew her hair back. Inafay looked surprised for only a moment before she grinned.


    "Got me again." She sighed and tried to comb her hair into place with her fingers. "I hope you''re not keeping count."


    "If we were limited to the same strength, the fights would be much closer," Zae Zin Nim said.


    "Not that it''s an excuse, but I''m having a hell of a time using only the Windborn powers."


    "That''s unsurprising. Your abilities are excellently matched and differentiating them is not usually in your best interest."


    "That''s what I would have said, but I think I was wrong." Inafay shook both her hands and then summoned two miniature storms: one formed from her Class and one from Windborn powers. "Forcing myself to focus on just one has helped me improve, just like you switching from qi to mana. That might be something for the Frontier to think about more carefully."


    Observations like those were one of the reasons Zae Zin Nim was coming to respect Inafay. Mana was different than qi, not inferior, and Deadwaste had many people who used it thoughtfully. She needed to truly grasp all these lessons and use them to advance her own cultivation beyond what the Brightwind sect taught.


    "It''s getting late," Zae Zin Nim said when she noticed the sun. "But I have one more question, for my future training, if that is permissible."


    "Shoot."


    "What do you think is the ideal balance of exercises, meditation, and training? My inclination is to cultivate mana, as if it was qi, but clearly that is not the best path. There are cultivators who spend a decade preparing themselves alone and emerge with great power, but such a thing could not happen with mana."


    "Yeah, you''re right about that. I don''t know what to tell you except to keep mixing them instead of going too far in one direction."


    "I was... hoping you could develop a program of study for me."


    "I can''t do that. No one can." Inafay put a hand on her shoulder as if she didn''t even think anything about it. "Your mana is yours, so you need to figure that out. Just remember that it''s a cycle: prepare new mana, test it in combat, then consolidate what you gained. Lots of different methods can take you through that cycle, but only you know how long you should spend at each stage."


    Zae Zin Nim nodded, accepting this wisdom. When they both headed back for the evening she ate a quick meal and then focused on her mana as if it was cultivation. Perhaps the fact that mana training had to be specific to her could actually make her advancement smoother.


    Because she was a cultivator, she would cultivate first and foremost. It just required a change of perspective. Instead of viewing her mana as a ring around her dantian, she used the qi in her core like a furnace, heating up the mana. It blazed hotter, or perhaps colder, and she struggled to restrain it. Yes, this exercise would help her prepare more mana to be forged in the next day''s combat.


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    She had always intended to spend more time on the Coldfire Corona, but she was especially hungry for it after first seeing an Advanced Class. The difference between Level 99 of one stage and Level 0 of the next was significant, a cultivation-class advancement. Even if she would always view her cultivation as central, she no longer feared that her mana wouldn''t be able to keep up.


    Eventually she seemed to hit a... well, she wasn''t sure what to call it. With qi it would have been a blockage, or maybe a problem with her meridians. Her mana felt a bit tired, like she''d overworked it, but she had no idea if that meant she needed to stop or work even harder.


    This was a question to ask Inafay. Zae Zin Nim padded out of her quarters down one of the pillared walkways and was surprised to see that it was already night. The gardens were picturesque at night, of course, but what surprised her was how beautiful the bleak rocky landscape around them was when cast in moonlight and shadow.


    When she knocked on the other woman''s door, there was no answer. Zae Zin Nim frowned, briefly imagining some sort of emergency, then felt inside... empty. She turned back, considering the complex. No one in the gardens at this time of night, leaving everything quiet. Odd.


    Since her mind wasn''t ready to return to cultivation, Zae Zin Nim took the far route back, taking a full circuit around the garden square. It occurred to her that this was actually the men''s section, so she probably shouldn''t be there. Even the locals had more propriety than that, or at least made assumptions about what a woman might be doing there at night.


    That was when Zae Zin Nim saw Inafay emerge from one of the rooms. Instantly she noted several facts: her hair was mussed, her tunic wasn''t tucked into her belt, and she was barefoot. There was no question about what had happened... it seemed that she had emerged from her fiance''s room. Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath and reminded herself that this was Deadwaste.


    "Oh, hey." Inafay gave her a relaxed smile. "You''re up late."


    "I just wanted to ask you a question, but I see..." Zae Zin Nim''s eyes flickered to the door and she quickly looked away. "We can discuss it tomorrow."


    "Something wrong?"


    "It is nothing. I was merely surprised to see you here."


    "Bullshit. Obviously you disapprove." Inafay folded her arms and regarded her crossly.


    Zae Zin Nim froze as she realized this wasn''t Kai, who would either miss the cue or convince himself that he must not understand. The other woman was staring at her with a flat gaze that she really didn''t want, not after the two of them had built a friendship of a sort.


    "I... was raised differently," Zae Zin Nim said awkwardly. "On Cloudspire a man and a woman, even fiances... I don''t mean any offense. I have great respect for you, I know that you... I mean, this doesn''t change what I-"


    "Okay, this is makings things worse." Inafay took a step closer and shook her head. "Maybe that''s considered wrong where you come from, but Orotaisin and I love each other and we plan to spend the rest of our lives together. I don''t think a ceremony will change that either way."


    Recognizing that she ran a very real risk of coming off wrong, Zae Zin Nim stumbled forward. "That sounds admirable. There are many people on Cloudspire who marry without love, or for dual cultivation, or into harems. I have... I have no right to disapprove of the two of you. That was wrong of me."


    Inafay''s eyebrows rose. "Didn''t expect to get an apology from you. Look, you don''t need to do that. I understand people see these things in different ways."


    "How do... um, how do you see it?"


    "As far as I''m concerned, what matters is your commitment to one another." Inafay roamed to the side of the walkway and stared out into the moonlit wastes. "I know lots of people who get married and then cheat on each other, which strikes me as wrong. There are some people, especially in the Water Union, who marry but still have sex with other people. That feels weird to me, because I really want to love one person wholeheartedly, but if that''s what they both want... who am I to judge?"


    Zae Zin Nim went to stand beside the other woman. These ideas were a bit too much for her, especially all the recreational infidelity she''d seen in the Water Union. But the lovely words Inafay was saying about commitment... that was something she should respect and had only judged because of how she''d been raised. She wanted to apologize again but was sure it would come out wrong.


    "The two of you love each other, don''t you?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Yeah." Inafay glanced back toward the door with a fond smile. "I wasn''t really sure at first, because it crept up on me, but one day I realized I didn''t want to imagine my life without him."


    "Ah..."


    "But enough mushy talk. You had a mana question?"


    "We can resume tomorrow." Zae Zin Nim gave a quick bow. "Please excuse me."


    Her retreat seemed to amuse the other woman, but Zae Zin Nim had too many thoughts of her own to consider. Yet sometimes those thoughts were so confusing... she set them aside and focused on her cultivation.


    Even that had been disturbed, because now she couldn''t stop thinking about her chakra. She didn''t have many new sources of chakra here, but her yin energy was still growing steadily. It still embarrassed her a little to think about it, but she was building up all that energy for an eventual release with Kai. But more importantly for her growth, that chakra was inactive within her.


    For now she viewed it like a simmering pot, casting heat up into her qi and mana. That might improve her cultivation in time, but it had an immediate effect on her mana. She was able to continue working until her mind was empty and she was exhausted.


    The next day when she woke up, her mind was still trapped on the previous subjects. But after a night of sleep, she felt that she could master her embarrassment and think logically. Inafay was helping her so much and not receiving enough in return... as the more powerful cultivator, Zae Zin Nim was practically exploiting her. She thought about what she could do and tried to work up her courage for the idea.


    "You ready?" Inafay asked when they met in the training garden. "You feel like you''ve been meditating, so I imagine you want to start with sparring."


    "Actually, I want to suggest something else," Zae Zin Nim said. "As thanks for what you''ve taught me, I want to suggest a... a dual cultivation technique for you and your fiance."


    "Okay, honestly? I''ve heard you use that term but I have no idea what it means."


    "Dual cultivation is..." Zae Zin Nim gathered her courage and hoped she wasn''t blushing too much. "It''s techniques to share power via sex. Usually it''s about yin and yang, feminine and masculine. But it can also be more... a merging of essence. You and your fiance both have wind powers, so..."


    "Yeah, the whole reason Windborn are obsessive about this sort of thing is passing powers on to their children." Of course Inafay wasn''t embarrassed - she might be about Zae Zin Nim''s age, but in this way she was more mature. She put a hand on her hip and looked at her curiously. "You think we can share power between the two of us?"


    "Ordinarily I would have said no, but on Rosemount they have... many different techniques. I think that some might work... if that isn''t inappropriate."


    Inafay just grinned. "I''m listening."

 Chapter 312: Strength in the Earth Union

    Their task in the Earth Union was taking longer than expected, but Kai didn''t mind at all. While he tried to figure out the mystery of the blob-like monster he had plenty of time for training, both his normal work and the new Frontier compression exercises. Even after half a month he was still making great progress.


    The only thing that worried him was that politics might be getting worse on Rosemount in his absence. There was no way to contact them across continents, so the Elven Wilds might be invaded or the demons might be doing something terrible in the Commonwealth. He had a feeling that Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena would laugh at him if he expressed those concerns, but he didn''t care, he''d spent time with those people and didn''t want bad things to happen to them.


    So he reminded himself of the other reason his worries were stupid: right now he wasn''t strong enough to get involved in war at the highest level. If he wanted to make a difference, he needed both mastery of the phases and more power.


    Currently he was taking a break from the immortal blob in order to help the Tonjin brothers, who were taking on the Prince of Pebble''s bizarre request to carry stones. Kai was fairly sure it had something to do with manipulating the earth elements in the region, but whatever the real reason, the challenge involved feats of strength. And when it came to lifting heavy and unwieldy things, naturally that fell to the large men.


    All three of them ran while hefting one of the enormous stones, generally on their backs or over one shoulder. Kai was experimenting with holding it directly overhead, which was only stable if he used his Savage Heart to transform his hands into claws. He made great progress until the transformation slipped and his human-sized hand couldn''t stabilize the weight.


    It tumbled into the dust and he dropped back, cursing under his breath. The Tonjin brothers caught up with him, but instead of making fun they set down their own boulders beside him.


    "That seems pretty impressive already," Raghi said. "You sure you need to hold it like that?"


    "The skill is supposed to lead to sustained transformations." Kai flexed his fingers, trying to find the claw again. "I didn''t train with them long enough, so I''m still figuring it out."


    "Well, we''re glad to have you back. You''ve taught us a lot of Physique training methods."


    "I learn more pretty much everywhere I go, so I''m just sharing." Kai glanced at the quieter brother. "You doing okay, Lofgan?"


    "Just resting..." he said between breaths. "Not as strong... as you two..."


    "He''s being modest," Raghi said with a roll of his eyes. "Right now it looks like I''m stronger, but if he could ever get to E-rank Physique, he''d blow past me. He''s way better with Class training."


    "It''s nice not being treated as a thug here," Lofgan said quietly.


    "Of course, we both benefit from you being around, Kai. Makes us look like sleek intellectuals. How do you just keep getting taller?"


    "It''s not on purpose, I swear," Kai said. "Of course, learning the Savage Heart probably won''t help..."


    They lapsed into silence for a while. Not uncomfortable, but Kai felt as though there was more they hadn''t said. It seemed to him like the Tonjin brothers might not have fully overcome their inferiority complex: they''d advanced beyond everyone in Monskon City, but at the Frontier their fellow trainees were all exceptional. In an environment like that, they could easily feel like brutes.


    Kai wasn''t sure how to help anyone be exceptional, and in a way he might be making things worse with his Physique advice. But it was what he had to offer, and he wanted the Tonjin brothers to succeed, so he did what he could. Once they had caught their breath, Kai lifted his boulder again.


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    "Back to moving these, but this time you''re going to keep your elbows bent and only run mana through your biceps," he told them. "No joint reinforcement, just the main muscle. You''ll be feeling it in the stabilizing muscles soon, I guarantee it."


    Both brothers groaned, but they lifted their boulders and began staggering into the wasteland again. Kai managed to pull out his claws again and followed them. Wherever this went, he was just glad to spend time with them again.


    .


    ..


    .


    The bridge across the canyon swayed... and creaked... and held. A cheer went up among the workers and Omilaena allowed herself a little smile. She didn''t have the structural engineering skills, but she''d taken on the job anyway. It hadn''t taken long for her to figure out the weakest points and craft stronger components out of Rosemount metals.


    So now the bridge was complete and the Prince of Pebbles could stop whining. Despite his reputation, Omilaena suspected he was much smarter than he let on. This bridge connected two major parts of the Earth Union via a route that was normally crossed via flying vessels, so having a bridge would make trade more accessible.


    During the process she''d also made some connections with merchants in the Earth Union. She''d found some mildly useful poisons to drink and no worthwhile metals. In general the only thing they had to offer was money: she''d made several hundred thousand Goralian Eagles in the process.


    "Those are some damn strong knots," one of the workers said as he came up beside her. "You''re a miracle worker."


    "Just don''t wreck it," Omilaena told him lightly. "I can only make so many replacement parts."


    "Oh, but we need an excuse to get you back here! Come on, we finished the bridge, what do you say we celebrate? Come back to the tent and I''ll rock your world."


    "Buy me a drink and we''ll see what happens," Omilaena said with an exaggerated wink.


    Her banter with the workers was meaningless, since most of them didn''t think they had the slightest chance with her. They were just starved for female attention, even the joking kind. She didn''t mind giving it, since it was harmless and seemed to lift their spirits. Just a little affable flirting.


    Of course, there was always the chance that one of them would turn out to be not so affable after all, in which case someone would end up poisoned.


    Even though things stayed positive, Omilaena''s thoughts darkened. While she was out here, making bridges to appease the local idiots and earning a little money, Kai and Zae Zin Nim were pulling further and further ahead of her. And if she tried to flirt with them it would never end well.


    "You comin''?" the worker asked.


    "Can''t wait."


    .


    ..


    .


    Most of Kai''s time was spent either trying to kill the slime or helping the Tonjin brothers, so he didn''t make it back to the Adobe Retreat very often. The rooms there were probably more comfortable, but he was already relaxed enough in Deadwaste and didn''t want to take any time away from training.


    This time when he returned he was surprised to find Inafay and Zae Zin Nim training together. They seemed to be getting along, exploring some sort of strange synergy between their ability sets. He didn''t think that the Zae Zin Nim of years ago would ever have been open to training with a Class-user, but she actually seemed happy. There was some real progress after all.


    When he passed the training garden, Inafay bounded up with wind around her feet and slid over to him. "Everything alright, Kai?"


    "Just fine. You?"


    "Things are moving pretty fast now. We''re probably going to try to do the duels pretty soon, because one of them is scheduled for next week."


    "Ah." Kai tried to think back to the restrictions, since he hadn''t been paying attention to those. "Do you need me for one of the fights?"


    "Probably not, and they''d just accuse you of cheating anyway." Inafay gave an odd shrug. "I think we need to really convince them, not just win. But on that note, I hope you can get this monster figured out soon. We want the Prince of Pebbles completely happy with us when this happens."


    "It''s not overwhelmingly powerful, just... stubborn. I''ll see what I can do."


    "Thanks, Kai. This should work out."


    He nodded to her and headed back into the wasteland toward the abandoned town. The truth was that, while he had a few more ideas for the immortal slime, he''d actually failed to kill it. Or rather, he killed it repeatedly and it just kept coming back. Once when he''d tried to use Isulfr''s Bite to consume its essence directly it had run away, so he hoped that would work, but he was more interested in testing himself by experimenting on it.


    But that time was over. If they were almost done in the Earth Union, this might be his last chance.

 Chapter 313: The Immortal Slime

    Technically Kai was supposed to be thinking about how to kill the immortal slime, but mostly he sat at the edge of the abandoned town and ruminated. It was unusual to run into a monster that so totally resisted brute force - instead of being frustrated, he was more intrigued than anything.


    What captured his attention was the way that monsters at the Frontier were subtly different from others in a manner that seemed to stand outside the normal hierarchy. They distorted the world, twisting out of the way of some attacks and resisting others. When he''d been younger, that was just the way things were, but now he wondered if he couldn''t figure out the underlying principle.


    It was possible that they had some advantage that lay outside conventional power, or that they inherited something special from the abyss. He wondered if it had anything to do with phases and had spent a while trying to attain a power phase, but it was just too early. Despite all his training, phases were still beyond him.


    But they were running out of time, so he needed to find some way to kill the damn slime.


    Abruptly it popped up in his path, beginning to vibrate and shoot pain into his skull. Kai fixed it with Void Gaze, even though he knew that wouldn''t work: if he kept the slime pinned long enough, it eventually died on its own, burning up in his gaze. And then it popped up somewhere else as if nothing had happened. That had been one of his first attempts to eat it.


    Soon it burned away again, leaving him in peace. The vibration actually wasn''t too painful now, because Behemoth''s Heart had somewhat adapted his body to it. That had been one of his only areas of progress in an assignment that had otherwise been frustrating.


    Chopping the slime only produced more, which could rapidly become a threat. Blunt force had no effect unless he brought enough of it to bear, in which case the slime was crushed but reappeared later. Torching a whole region of the town with Baleful Breath had made the slime disappear for much longer and he''d almost started to hope when it popped back up again.


    For a day he''d attempted stranger solutions, such as trying to find some source in the town or lure it away. As far as he could tell, its persistence didn''t have any gimmick and it only lurked in the abandoned town because it felt like it. The thing just seemed to exist no matter what.


    Maybe the best answer was the simplest one: consuming the slime. Isulfr''s Bite had always been his most potent technique, piercing through defenses that resisted his other skills. The only question was how to get close enough.


    And once he thought about that, it wasn''t a particularly hard problem either - he hadn''t used Mutefang''s Stealth in a while, but it was still in his soul and it should be good enough for a slime. Kai got out of sight outside the town before drawing the ability into his soul, finding some shadows, and slipping inward.


    The greatest difficulty would actually be finding the slime, since he usually only spotted it when it showed up to attack him. As he moved, Kai was once again reminded that Mutefang''s Stealth was a weak ability, nothing like the strong fusion he''d created with Thunderbird''s Wings, or even Sahagin''s Soul. Still, it was the best he had, so he''d have to hope it was good enough.


    In the end he almost stumbled over the slime sitting in the entrance of a half-destroyed building. When it wasn''t attacking the blob didn''t vibrate, didn''t move, didn''t seem to do anything. What a strange monster. Kai focused on moving as stealthily as possible, crept closer, and opened his maw.


    One bite later, the slime was gone. Kai immediately felt its essence in his soul, but that didn''t necessarily mean anything. He removed Mutefang''s Stealth and looked around, waiting for another slime to pop up again.


    Nothing. Could it really be that easy? Apparently so, because he found its essence in his soul easily enough.


    <


    Immortal Slime (???)


    >


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    While the task had been easy for him, it would have been a real challenge for others, even Frontier-trained warriors. They were lucky that he''d come along, though he wondered whether the slime''s apparent immortality could have stood up to a destruction phase. It probably depended on whether it simply recovered from damage or whether it somehow recreated itself after being destroyed.


    Kai turned back toward the Adobe Retreat, considering his next move - and suddenly fell to one knee as something twisted inside him.


    His confusion only lasted for a moment because he knew the truth: the slime was vibrating inside his soul, trying to kill him from within. In all the years since his hunger had awakened, he''d never once consumed a monster and had it be anything other than inert essence. But the slime seemed to reassert itself, over and over, and apparently that could happen even inside his soul.


    What the hell could he do? Kai thrust away the essence, rejecting it and alleviating the pain... and it came back not long after.


    He grimaced and clutched at his chest, but the pain didn''t really originate there. For once Behemoth''s Heart was silent, unable to resist such a spiritual threat. Maybe if he''d incorporated more monsters like the Shademonger... but there was no time to second-guess that, not when he had a threat deep inside his soul.


    Kai tasted blood and realized it was his own. There was something trickling from his nose and when he touched it his hand came away red. Now Behemoth''s Heart began working, restoring him physically, but it couldn''t erase the source of the problem and it couldn''t last forever. After forcefully swallowing his panic, Kai lowered himself into a meditation position to think.


    Inside his soul visualization he didn''t see any slime statue. That suggested that it was inside his soul, but he hadn''t truly consumed it. The immortal slime recovering from his bite attack made more sense than it inexplicably being able to harm him as monster essence, so he went with that theory. He had a foreign entity killing him from within, so what could he do about that?


    The slime definitely felt like it was part of his soul and he could manipulate it to some degree. There didn''t seem to be any willpower to push against, it just kept existing and vibrating. If rejecting it didn''t work, maybe he needed to try merging it.


    First Kai tried with one of the weakest essences he still had, a Deathvine from the jungles. He''d merge the two together into a useless random ability that he could hopefully purge. It seemed to work well enough and he ended up with a new ability called Immortal Vine.


    <


    Immortal Vine - I (alpha)


    >


    Useless as the result might be, it wasn''t harming him. Kai considered whether to feed it to another ability or reject it. The essence itself wasn''t powerful enough to be worth preserving, so perhaps it was best to-


    Pain shot through his body as the slime returned. It took longer this time, and the slime essence had been distorted by the merger, but it still recreated itself. Kai grimaced and felt blood trickling from one eye. How much longer could he survive this? His body could endure a lot, but the constant distortion was beginning to take a toll on his soul.


    Purging or destroying it was clearly useless, so his only other option was control. The Deathvine had created a small effect and he''d almost controlled it for a while, so maybe he needed essence that was more compatible. Except what did he have available? Kai returned to his old compatibility exercises, this time with efficiency borne of desperation.


    One jumped out at him immediately: the Crystal Slime he''d eaten back in the Krysali mines. He immediately sensed the compatibility, but would that be enough? Given how this slime returned, he couldn''t afford to fall short. Kai didn''t have any other slimes, but he realized that he did have another spiritual essence: the Dreamleech that had attacked in the Blood Current. Beyond that he only saw the Banchlain as an option, but that was too powerful an essence to sacrifice for this and he wasn''t even sure its aura of fear would help.


    Kai took a deep breath, which hurt more than he expected, and prepared the three traits. He had to grasp hold of the essence and control it. Willpower alone wouldn''t be enough, but if he used that edge to merge the slime with dead essence, hopefully the result wouldn''t be able to operate independently.


    He forced all three together and the monsters devoured one another. The pain ceased completely, but that didn''t mean much on its own. After so many false starts, Kai didn''t dare to hope, he just peered inside his visualization. Finally he saw a slime statue, apparently harmless and as under his control as all the rest. The essence had taken on a new form in his soul, too.


    <


    Slime''s Immortality - I (alpha)


    >


    Finally, after his body fully recovered, Kai began to accept that the slime wasn''t going to pop up again and kill him. That had been close, much closer than he expected for a random little blob. Despite all the power he''d gained, the Frontier was dangerous.


    As far as he could tell, the result did him no good at all. When he moved it into his soul he didn''t feel any stronger or more enduring and he couldn''t activate the same vibration ability. Most likely whatever other qualities the slime had possessed had been consumed when he forced it into a discrete ability. He considered eliminating the result, just in case, but in the end decided to keep it in his soul.


    When he finally got to his feet, he saw the Prince of Pebbles looking at him.


    "Holy shit, you did it."


    "Did you expect me to die?" Kai asked. "I could have used a warning."


    "I had no idea it was as bad as that." The Prince of Pebbles shrugged strangely, then grinned. "But good work! Now we have to hurry, or we''ll be late!"

 Chapter 314: The Final Duels in the Earth Union

    Technically these were some of the least important duels of Zae Zin Nim''s entire life, yet she found herself filled with tension. Yes, nothing in her life was at stake and the Frontier elites would probably keep training them even if they failed. But if she came back to Deadwaste after gaining so much power and couldn''t overcome a challenge like this... she wasn''t sure she could ever live that down.


    They conducted the duels in one of the nicest gardens, one with a smooth earthen slab prepared for fights. Various nobles of the Earth Union had come to watch, and according to Inafay their performance would be judged carefully. The only one Zae Zin Nim knew was the Princess of Quakes, sitting calmly on a throne-like chair. Another chair had been set out for the Prince of Pebbles, but he was nowhere to be seen.


    Some Earthborn was making a big speech, but Zae Zin Nim didn''t really care about him any more than she cared about every puffed up little sect. All that mattered was her own progress, and Inafay''s, and finishing their objectives here.


    The first battle was between Inafay and an Earthborn woman. Unlike most of the other Earthborn Zae Zin Nim had seen, she didn''t build stone armor or weapons, instead she skated around the arena as if the rock was ice. She might have been a serious problem for Inafay a month earlier.


    But for that entire training period, Inafay had been refining her elemental abilities. Even without the mana-limiting band she currently wore, she didn''t reach for her Class. Instead she took the match slowly and carefully, not letting her opponent hem her in. There were no flashy maneuvers or new techniques, just a display of raw elemental power. That was what the guests had wanted to see, after all.


    And in the end, Inafay ducked a rocky strike and released a spike of wind that knocked her opponent out of the ring. Zae Zin Nim gave her a nod.


    Next came the match Zae Zin Nim cared about least: some snotty brat who was... whatever they called young masters in the Elemental Nations. Apparently Orotaisin had been working with him, and he must have done some good, because the kid actually seemed to be taking his fight seriously. It was some sort of grudge match but he didn''t let his emotions get the better of him.


    Instead of paying attention to them, Zae Zin Nim found herself thinking about Inafay and Orotaisin. The two of them worked well together, with Inafay drawing attention at the lead while Orotaisin quietly acted out of sight. They had an easy companionship that she envied.


    And the two of them were dual cultivating because of her. She didn''t regret giving them the techniques from Rosemount, but she couldn''t get the images out of her head. Every time they were even slightly affectionate, such as when Inafay touched his arm after the match, she immediately thought about the whole thing again and paled.


    "Psst." Inafay glanced at her and nodded toward the stone. "Your turn next."


    "Yes." Zae Zin Nim pushed aside all other thoughts, accepted the band that suppressed her cultivation, and stepped out for the match. Nobody had been able to learn anything about her designated opponent, so she examined him as the leaders announced the match.


    Her opponent was a man with strange hair, part red and part blond. That suggested mixed Elemental Nations ancestry, which she thought didn''t usually breed true like that. They were supposed to be fighting with mana alone, though, so presumably he didn''t have elemental powers unless he was also handicapping himself. Currently she couldn''t get through his shroud, so she would have to guess.


    When the gong rang, Zae Zin Nim bowed to him and stepped forward. He clenched his fists, clearly using a hard style that was more than simple brawling. Mana reinforced his body, but nothing as impressive as Kai or other threats, so she should be able to take him.


    They clashed twice, exchanging careful blows - and then suddenly his fist was driving into her stomach. She barely managed to stumble out of his range, clutching the place he''d struck. He danced between his feet at a distance, smiling now, and she got a glimpse of his soul.


    <


    Name: ???


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Total Power: 373


    Earthfist Advanced Class: 2 (306)


    Physique: F-6 (42)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    This man was no idle prince, he had 373 Power, enough to make him a Diamond Crystallier! Presumably he was one of the stronger people in the Elemental Nations, so what was he doing in this duel against her? Worse, his power was overwhelmingly composed of a single Earthfist Class, which wouldn''t be limited for this fight.


    Without her cultivation, she had only some strength from her Class and Physique, just a little over 200 Power in total. The gap between them was huge, there was no way she could fight him.


    He noticed her hesitation and lunged in for the kill. Zae Zin Nim''s instinct was to retreat, yet somehow her movements followed her old patterns: she blocked his overconfident punch and drove a palm into his chest. With her limited power she didn''t manage to penetrate deep or damage internal organs, but he staggered back and frowned.


    "This is what the Frontier has to offer?" he asked, shifting in his weight in a little dance again. "I expected better."


    Zae Zin Nim wanted to tell him this wasn''t her true strength... no, the truth was that she wanted to tear off the sealing armband and crush him with overwhelming power. It was humiliating for this brute to be pretending to be superior to an Earth Soul cultivator.


    And yet, now that she saw this match from another angle, she realized that would be cowardice. She had learned that she was more than her cultivation when Kai had helped her against the Earth Souls from her father''s sect. Even if he wasn''t here, she couldn''t lose that lesson.


    Her opponent rushed at her, blows coming fast but heavy, each carrying the mana of his Class. She couldn''t equal him in raw power, but that didn''t mean she had no assets. Zae Zin Nim focused on her Coldfire Corona, preparing a subtle use equal to his own.


    When he struck again she blocked him at first, letting him drive her back with his aggressive blows. Eventually she missed a punch and it connected with her jaw... where a thin layer of blue flame lit up to intercept it. Just briefly, but it stopped him cold, and in the next instant her palm hit his chest again.


    "You use your Class, I''ll use mine," she told him. "Wasn''t this supposed to be about martial skill?"


    To his credit, he stopped drawing on his Earthfist Class. Nothing but raw mana flowed through his body as he stomped toward her. Less aggressive this time, instead a focused assault. She defended, then kept up, then realized that she had the advantage over him.


    He might be good, but she had long studied her sect''s martial arts and then refined them in countless lethal battles. Even if she was first a cultivator, she was also a martial artist. Zae Zin Nim smiled a little and prevented herself from becoming overconfident - she focused on the fundamentals and waited for her moment.


    Finally he overreached. She grabbed his wrist and threw him to the floor, and her palm flew down a second later. It halted just before his chest, not dealing the third strike that would have actually pierced through to his heart.


    The man stared up at her for several seconds, then sighed and raised his hands in defeat. Zae Zin Nim retreated and for the first time realized that people were cheering.


    "That''s three out of three matches to the Frontier," the Princess of Quakes announced over the noise. "There are no rewards, but I hope the lessons are clear enough. Now, unfortunately the Prince of Pebbles didn''t grace us with his presence, so-"


    "I''m here!" One of the doors burst open and the Prince of Pebbles made a grand entrance, riding on some sort of rock palanquin carried by several men. "These folks have been so accommodating, don''t you think?"


    Zae Zin Nim didn''t really care about them, she was more interested in the fact that Kai walked in after the others. When he gave her a smiling nod, she realized that he must have been watching her match while the Prince waited to make his entrance. That might once have made her flush, but she found herself just smiling and nodding back.


    "It seems matters are resolved after all," the Princess of Quakes said. "Will our guests step forward, please?"


    Even though she didn''t particularly want to, Zae Zin Nim recognized that she was an important part of the symbol of their victory. She joined the others as they gathered in front of the two thrones. For most of the Earthborn attending, it was just a ceremony, but Inafay and the Princess were eyeing one another seriously.


    "Have we made our point?" Inafay asked.


    "I think everyone here is much impressed," the Princess of Quakes said. "You''ll have your support."


    "And will you stop interfering with Irun? We need the Frontier nations in balance or we''ll never last until the next incursion."


    "That I can''t promise." The Princess''s face grew dark. "Our southeastern neighbor is weak. Even if I withdraw, there will only be others making the attempt. If you really care so much, don''t come to weaken us, go strengthen them."


    They were allowed to go not long after that, technically the conquering victors. Inafay seemed more intrigued by the final comment, and when she looked toward Kai, Zae Zin Nim realized what was going to happen.


    "I''d like to see Tusquo again," Kai said. "And isn''t a weak Irun a problem for everyone?"


    "It''s not our exact mission," Inafay said, "but it''s definitely the spirit of it."


    So they were all headed south again. Once Zae Zin Nim would have been disappointed, but after everything she had seen, she was actually curious. Of all the powers she''d seen on Deadwaste, only Irunian steel still puzzled her. That no longer seemed like a petty mystery, it might well be a step forward for them all.

 Chapter 315: Rumblings in Irun

    Kai had known many Irunians, and Irunian steel had played a major role in his life, but this was his first time actually visiting the country. As they headed southeast his first thought was that it wasn''t so different, which was mainly due to the exposure to the Frontier. There was allegedly a stretch of wasteland that served as a partial boundary between the Elemental Nations and Irun.


    At least the emptiness was itself a good sign that nothing bad was happening with the border, at least not visibly. They saw some traders, mostly leading dark little Irunian wagons, but no troops. Where the Elemental Nations always fought with one another, Irun tried to maintain good relationships with its allies.


    Once they were flying over the land itself, the earth seemed distinctly... gray. Dark earth, restrained trees, roads made from gray brick. Kai had known the Irunians were a serious people, but he didn''t think that even their landscapes would cooperate. There were occasional splotches of color, and the towns seemed to be built around shining metal pillars, but otherwise it fit the stereotype.


    "For those of you from off the continent," Inafay said, "Irun likes to handle its own problems, so do your best not to get involved. I mean, if you see monsters attacking people, it''s obviously fine to interfere. But otherwise... unless there are war crimes, we don''t get involved."


    "So what are we doing here at all?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "This is a Frontier nation too, we just need to do things right. The first big city is called Brasyan and we''ll meet up with contacts there. Hopefully from there we''ll be able to support them without ruffling any feathers."


    "Do Irunians have feathers?" Orotaisin asked.


    "If they do, they''re probably made out of steel."


    For the longer voyage they were using both the diamond star and the Windborn vessel, so it was a comfortable ride, if less united. At flying speeds it only took them another day to reach Brasyan, which was immediately obvious as a far larger city. Even the smallest Irunian villages had plenty of metal, but Brasyan''s buildings shone brightly as if they were all topped by steel.


    When their ships landed on the outskirts the inhabitants looked at them with more skepticism than Kai had expected, maybe even fear. No one stopped them from walking into Brasyan to find the Frontier outpost, though. Along the way, he was surprised that he didn''t see any foreigners at all, not even from the Elemental Nations. Irun was more ethnically insular than he''d thought.


    Soon enough they reached the outpost, which was more of a formal building than the previous ones he''d seen, more like an embassy than a fortress. When they entered he finally saw some more diversity, though everyone was wearing formal Irunian robes.


    "Thank you for coming." A severe Irunian woman met them at the back and nodded somberly. "You''re here on official Frontier business?"


    "We''re here in pursuit of official business," Inafay told her. "Is there anything we can do while we''re passing through?"


    "Irun has problems of its own, but they''re delicate. Best to leave things alone." The woman arranged a place for them to stay and then she and Inafay went into a back office to discuss further business. That left Kai shifting restlessly in the front room.


    "Problem?" Orotaisin appeared at his side. Inafay''s fiance didn''t talk to him much, but seemed to have quietly assumed that he inherited a friendship.


    "Not a problem," Kai said, then shrugged awkwardly. "There''s an Irunian man we used to know named Tusquo, back in-"


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "I know, Inafay has mentioned him."


    "I was hoping we''d run into him here. Maybe we''ll get a chance before we leave."


    Orotaisin gave him a wry smile. "You realize we could just send a message? Irun has a good courier system, so why leave it to chance?"


    Kai blinked as he realized that was obvious. The two of them headed out to find a messaging service and Kai had a quick letter etched onto a steel plate. He resisted the urge to explain everything that had happened and just told Tusquo that he was present and wanted to meet.


    Would that be enough? Technically they hadn''t known each other very long: they''d met during the Hunter Trials, journeyed together once, and fought together on a few more occasions. To him those events stood out, despite everything he''d experienced since then. If they hadn''t meant the same to Tusquo, he probably just wouldn''t hear from him.


    Because Irun was so generally safe, their group split up into clusters to explore the city. They didn''t explicitly discuss any of it, but Kai ended up leaving with Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena on instinct. That probably made sense, because Inafay and Orotaisin seemed to want to walk together and it might have felt odd to invite the Tonjin brothers. But honestly he''d just gone with the two women without thinking about it.


    As they walked, Kai instinctively glanced at the souls of everyone around him. Their average wasn''t bad for Deadwaste, and they generally had relatively high Physique levels, but he saw why Irun was flagging as a nation.


    Most of those who could fight had the Path of Iron ability, which was better suited for carefully making weapons than the highest tiers of combat. The highest he ever saw was "Iron 9" which granted only 45 Power. Occasionally he saw someone with the Path of Bronze, which seemed to max out at a pathetic 18 Power. At times he''d wondered if he''d made a mistake handing his potential power over to Tusquo, but seeing the comparison he was definitely glad now.


    "They''re limited," Zae Zin Nim said. Kai was about to shush her when he realized that she was speaking a foreign language and he only understood because of the Alltongue Fruit. "This power is a dead end."


    "That''s not fair," Kai said, instinctively speaking the same language. "They''re the best crafters on the continent."


    "And their steel is actually good. Better than you can find on Cloudspire before qi gets involved. Maybe even chakra..." Zae Zin Nim hesitated and looked over at Omilaena, who hadn''t seemed to be paying attention.


    "It''s odd." Omilaena inclined her head toward a shop that was selling weapons. "Can we take a closer look?"


    Irunian steel was expensive, but their ability to acquire funds had exploded since Kai was last here, so it wasn''t a problem to buy a sword for her to test - just a hundred Goralian Eagles. Omilaena used Lethal Artisan to melt it down and rolled the metal around in her palm curiously. After some time she shook her head.


    "The fundamental material is very strong, better than all but the strongest metals on Rosemount," she said. "But the problem is that it''s devoid of energy. Normally its inherent qualities would be improved by chakra, or here mana, but I''m not sensing any of that. It can''t equal a properly imbued weapon."


    "Is it worth absorbing?" Kai asked.


    "Already tried and I can''t. That''s an interesting property on its own, but being non-reactive to other forms of power could also be a weakness."


    "I think that''s the problem with Irun overall. Everyone wants their abilities, but they can''t defend an entire nation with them. If they didn''t control such a large block of the continent they''d be at risk of getting absorbed into someone else."


    "Sounds like they are anyway," Zae Zin Nim said, "if the Earth Union has anything to say about it."


    There was more to the Irunian city than Kai had expected. They had stands where young men and women sold little bronze flowers that were beautiful, if not useful. Heavy spiced sausages, dancing exhibitions, and craftwork competitions. Irunian cloth seemed highly durable and actually had nothing to do with their metals at all, it was just strong fabric.


    While on the outskirts of the city, Kai noticed a large caravan coming in. That alone wouldn''t be notable, but what stuck out to him was that they were guarded by a group of men and women wearing bright red hats and capes. They didn''t look Irunian either, much paler and with generally light hair. All the power he sensed from them seemed to be mana-based, but nothing he was familiar with.


    Ordinarily he would have thought they were just guards, but the Irunian caravan didn''t seem happy about their presence. As they arrived, the armed group took a large payment as well as a portion of the cargo before moving away. They didn''t disperse into the city, instead staying in tight well-armed groups. Based on how the Irunians all glared at them, that might have been for the best.


    "I haven''t seen those before," Zae Zin Nim said. "Where are they from?"


    Kai had been wracking his brain ever since he''d seen them, but he came up with nothing. "I... honestly don''t know."

 Chapter 316: New Mercenaries, Old Friends

    Zae Zin Nim gave Kai a strange look. "You don''t recognize them? I thought you knew every group on Deadwaste."


    "Most of the continent borders the Frontier, but not every part." Kai shook his head, still watching the red-caped fighters. "I honestly don''t know. Foreign mercenaries, maybe? I''m surprised Irun lets them operate here."


    "It''s strange to know more than you about Deadwaste." Omilaena cast him a glance and then shrugged. "Birtaegal is a smaller nation on the east of the continent. Their ships aren''t bad; they trade with the Coiled Empire and Flaeren Dominion."


    "They''re from Birtaegal? I''ve heard the name, but I guess they never get through Irun."


    "As far as I can tell, they wish they weren''t associated with the rest of Deadwaste."


    After examining them for a while, Zae Zin Nim just shook her head. "Are we going to find out there are a bunch of other places in Deadwaste I haven''t heard about?"


    "Uh, not too many," Kai said. "Way south of Goralia there''s a whole region we call the Southern Reach. They''re generally decent allies, but they don''t border the Frontier so they''ve never been as tied to all our problems."


    They watched the new group simply because they were the most striking part of the city, the first thing that stood out from the otherwise orderly patterns. The longer he watched, the less Kai liked what he saw. These guards, who he was increasingly sure were mercenaries, were raucous and disruptive. When they entered a restaurant, they threw down money and demanded to be served first, then harassed the servers who were helping them.


    Nothing they''d done was exactly a crime, and the Irunians seemed to tolerate their behavior, but it was beginning to get under Kai''s skin. He took a deeper glance at one of the average mercenaries.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 112


    Manalance: 21 (41)


    Physique Level: F-6 (42)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    Chakra Armor (+20)


    >


    Their primary ability was unfamiliar to him, something called "Manalance" that he hadn''t seen before. Otherwise they had decent Physique and Soul, plus some sort of chakra armor. All told, this random mercenary had a little over 100 Power, which made them unusually strong for Deadwaste.


    All the others seemed to be similarly strong. Kai searched for others and found them to be all similar until he examined a scarred woman bullying a street vendor into selling all his steel at a discount. Her armor had an insignia suggesting she was a leader and she had a soul to match.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 209


    Manasphere: 53 (73)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    Chakra Armor (+40)


    >


    She had similar abilities, except for a "Manasphere" Class-like power, but all of them were at a higher level. That put her at over 200 Power, making her one of the strongest people in the entire city if not for them. There might be some elite Irunians who could deal with her, but it wasn''t many.


    And when she felt his spiritual sight she turned toward him irritably.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Is there gonna be a problem here?" she demanded. She took a step toward them and lowered her hand to a dark red sphere at her belt.


    "Just watching you push a hard bargain," Kai said. He might not start a fight here, but he wasn''t going to approve.


    "Ha, they should be grateful. The whole place would be taken over if not for us." The mercenary took another step closer, eyeing their group. "You don''t look like you belong here. One of our jobs is to keep out the riffraff who don''t belong, so I suggest you move along."


    The merchant at the stall just looked terrified that violence would break out, so Kai backed down.


    "That''s right! Run away, coward!"


    Zae Zin Nim started to turn around and Kai caught her arm before she could. "It''s not worth it," he told her. "We''re not starting a fight over this."


    "He insulted you. All of us." Zae Zin Nim eventually relaxed her arm and moved along with him. "You''re just going to let her say that?"


    "They seem to be here legally, so we can''t just murder them."


    "We can''t be seen to murder them," Omilaena pointed out with a wink. "But we could take care of her pretty easily."


    "No murdering!" Kai insisted. "This isn''t our country and we don''t know what''s going on. Just acting out could do more harm than good."


    Over the next several days he felt like more of a coward, though. Every time they saw the mercenaries they seemed to be lording it over the Irunians, and if their presence was tolerated it was definitely not enjoyed. Inafay had heard something about Irun officially hiring mercenary companies from Birtaegal but didn''t know the details.


    For those days Kai just threw himself into irritable training. Even his own patience was about to boil over, egged on by his companions, when they were abruptly called in to the Frontier outpost. Kai went irritably, wondering what errand they''d be sent on this time.


    Except when he arrived, he met Tusquo Agyama. The man seemed to have aged more than the rest of them, his features set in hard lines. He was wearing a fancier Irunian outfit this time and there was chain mail glittering underneath his dark tunic. When he saw them, he smiled in what was the Irunian equivalent of joy.


    "This is quite a reunion," he said mildly. "I''m glad to see you again, Inafay, but Kai Clanless... I thought I might never see you again."


    "Sometimes I wasn''t sure myself." Kai stepped forward and they clasped wrists firmly. "I can''t believe this is the first time I''m visiting Irun."


    "You''re certainly welcome. I came as soon as I got your message." Tusquo gestured to the whole group and led them from the outpost toward a steel-domed building. "I only wish that we had better hospitality for you. I''m afraid that you''ve come at a bad time, as the Frontier elite know."


    "We tried to help out in the Earth Union," Inafay said. "I''m guessing that there are Irunians who wanted to ally with them, though."


    "There are always some who believe our situation is hopeless. Better to negotiate a subservient position than to stand alone and fall to somewhere far worse. But come along, in here."


    The domed structure seemed to be a governmental building, staffed with many Irunians dutifully moving between desks and records chambers. Tusquo took them all past the main rooms and apparently the staff at Brasyan knew him by sight, because they only glanced at him briefly before letting them pass.


    While they walked, Kai realized that he''d forgotten to examine the man''s soul.


    <


    Name: Tusquo Agyama of Irun


    Total Power: 191


    Manablade Class: 36 (46)


    Physique Level: F-9 (48)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Path of Steel: Steel 2 (61)


    >


    Tusquo had grown to almost 200 Power, helped above the standard Irunian limits by the Manablade Class he''d earned at the Hunter Trial so long ago. But his Path of Steel was actually the most impressive, because after being labeled "Iron" for so long it had actually advanced to Steel, granting over 60 Power on its own. Presumably the weapons and armor he could create now would be truly impressive.


    Yet compared to the mercenaries... if this was the Power of someone with a mature Path of Steel, Kai could see why Irun needed help. It was the same problem of low ceilings that had come up time and time again.


    "There''s a sitting room here," Tusquo said as he opened a door. "I want to hear about everything that''s happened to all of you, and make the acquaintance of the new faces."


    "I''d love that too," Inafay said, "but we''re also here on business. Why are there Birtaegalese mercenaries everywhere? Can they really just do whatever they want?"


    Tusquo''s expression darkened. "I''m afraid that''s the deal that''s been struck by the leaders of Irun. Without them, we would be struggling more with monsters in the wake of the incursion."


    "What? I thought the elites-"


    "The strongest have all been hunted, yes. I am referring to the simpler monsters who can still threaten merchants or travelers. There are risks associated with allowing so many mercenaries into Irun, but the risks of relying on the Elemental Nations or Goralia are higher."


    Even though they''d entered the sitting room, a small chamber with a few stools and chairs, none of them actually sat down.


    "We aren''t that bad," Raghi said. "Are we?"


    "I believe that many of you have the best of intentions." Tusquo gave a short bow to the Tonjin brothers. "But if Goralia offers protection, it will soon offer more, and we''ll become so entangled that we become a vassal state. Whereas the Birtaegalese mercenaries aren''t interested in anything except our money."


    "But the mercenaries are abusing their authority," Kai said. "I''m sure you''ve seen it for yourself."


    Tusquo shook his head. "It''s regrettable, but common. Many of them have become little better than bandits and should be eradicated from our nation. If you''ve seen this company abuse their power, we can document the cases and file an official report with the Irunian council, which will-"


    "Tusquo." Inafay sighed and then put her hands on his shoulders. "Tusquo, that will take forever. You have Frontier trainees here and we''re willing to do anything to help. Are you sure you want to use us to file reports?"


    The Irunian man looked around the group slowly, meeting their eyes one at a time, then the stiffness in his posture eased. "Well... I suppose we could... expedite the process..."

 Chapter 317: Against the Birtaegalese Mercenaries

    After years of training, Tusquo Agyama was a man with a sober awareness of his own limits. He was reasonably adept at the Path of Steel, not the best. Competent in Physique, not extraordinary. One of the more successful attempts to learn a Goralian Class, not a revolution. Well above the average warrior in Irun but well below the strongest on the continent.


    Going out to confront a predatory mercenary group completely alone seemed essentially suicidal.


    He actually wondered if they were overplaying their hand with this move, since even Birtaegalese mercenaries might suspect him. They considered themselves superior to Irunians but they were familiar enough with people hiding their power not to attack just anyone.


    So Inafay and her immediate allies stayed in Brasyan, doing highly visible work to help rebuild one of the broken walls. Tusquo missed their presence, because they were all worthy warriors who would have made the fight more equal. This corrupt mercenary band was essentially a small army, including a dozen servants, twenty warriors, fifteen veterans, and four elites.


    On his side, he had three people.


    When the mercenaries saw him coming, they stopped their carousing to look at him. One of the veterans hopped off a wagon they were looting to approach him.


    "Just a security operation," the man said. "Head on back. It isn''t safe out here."


    "I''m afraid I''m here on official business." Tusquo showed them his sigil of Irun. "In light of your recent actions, the city of Brasyan and the nation of Irun have decided to sever your contract. You are free to travel back to Birtaegal."


    "Hey, you can''t do that." One of the others lurched to her feet angrily. "We''ve saved your sorry hides. We fight for you, for a bunch of rubbish gold, and you just throw us out?"


    "I think the offer is more than generous, considering your actions." Tusquo revealed a slip of paper and began reading off it. "We''ve recorded one murder, four rapes, almost twenty cases of serious harassment, and countless incidents of theft. If not for your status as foreign guests, you would face the full wrath of Irunian law."


    "It''s not ''cause of our fucking status." The first mercenary drew his sword and waved it at Tusquo. "It''s ''cause you''re not strong enough to defend yourselves. Now, you can burn that paper and run back home or you''ll see the difference."


    "I can''t do that." Tusquo reached down to grip the handle of his sword. "This is your last opportunity to accept and salvage whatever little honor you have left."


    "Fuck that. You Irunians are so stupid, you think you can come out here and-"


    When the mercenary started to swing his sword, Tusquo acted faster. His sword left his sheath in an instant, cutting through the nearest mercenary while also releasing an arc of mana that struck the second. She staggered and Tusquo drew back, preparing for a follow-up attack.


    That was the last thing he did in the battle.


    Tusquo had seen Kai''s robed companion in the past, but she had entirely transformed. She struck the block of mercenaries ahead of him in a whirlwind of limbs. Her palms touched armor and yet somehow the mercenaries were knocked backward or fell bleeding. Tusquo had always been skeptical that a martial artist without defensive powers could face bladed weapons, but she easily turned them aside, even catching some with her whipping sleeves and tugging them out of her opponent''s hands.


    The foreign mercenaries weren''t fools, and those who were left pulled into a defensive formation of shields and blades, designed to chew through martial artists. But somehow Zae Zin Nim struck the first on the chest so hard that he flew backward, sending the entire group tumbling like a pile of sticks.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    One of the stronger mercenaries on the other side of the camp was drawing a bow, preparing mana for a ranged attack. Tusquo raised his sword, intending to create a mana arc to intercept his arrow. Before he could swing, a needle appeared through the mercenary''s throat and he collapsed gurgling.


    Kai''s second companion, the new one named Omilaena, whirled through the center of camp, hurling needles in all directions. Based on her clothing and behavior, Tusquo had presumed that she used some sexual art from Rosemount, but now she fought with blinding speed. A group of the more armored mercenaries tried to bunch together and turtle up, only for her to exhale a cloud of blue smoke that covered them entirely.


    Tusquo didn''t need to wait for the smoke to clear to know that group was done. He was astonished by the power displayed by the two women, but his mind still worked well enough for another thought: he wanted to see Kai.


    The Goralian barreled past him a moment later, plowing into a group of mercenaries and simply ignoring their blades futilely bouncing off his skin. It seemed unusually brutish until Tusquo realized that Kai was taking them out one at a time, always with blows to the head. He wasn''t sure why, but there was no time to ask.


    One of the elites had escaped the other two and now raised a sphere burning with mana. She cried out in anger and raised it toward Kai''s back while he was still in the middle of the melee.


    All Kai did was reach in her direction. A claw of dark force closed around the mercenary, crushing her mana as it lifted her off the ground.


    When Kai leapt the air seemed to explode behind him, knocking the mercenaries trying to attack him to the ground. In midair he flicked his hand and the claw of force hurled the elite to the ground, bowling over a group of archers.


    The remaining elites and veterans were retreating, trying to set up a new formation with one of the Irunian wagons at their flank. And then they just stopped. Tusquo was baffled until he saw Kai land, his eyes burning with an infernal light that somehow fixed the remaining mercenaries in place.


    With their formation broken, they only lasted a matter of seconds against Kai''s allies, who demolished them in a few movements. Even as he watched in awe, Tusquo distantly realized that they were being very precise. Not avoiding killing but avoiding damage, which seemed puzzling. He might have been able to figure it out if he hadn''t been astonished by power he''d never seen outside the top Frontier elites.


    In the wake of the battle a few pieces of armor clattered to the ground. Zae Zin Nim stuck her hands into her sleeves, her robes and hair falling perfectly back into place as if she hadn''t moved. Omilaena casually blew a thin stream of smoke toward one of the mercenaries still struggling. Kai dropped the mercenary he was holding and for just a moment his hand looked more like a claw.


    As the silence stretched, Tusquo returned his sword to its sheath.


    "I told you we should have just done this," Zae Zin Nim said. "Let''s go take out the others. We can let Inafay use them for practice."


    "How long do you think it would take us to clear out the country?" Omilaena asked.


    "Wait!" Tusquo forced himself to walk up to the imposing trio and gave a respectful bow. "Obviously we are all grateful for your help. But not every band of Birtaegalese mercenaries is as abusive as this one, and despite their predation, Irun does rely on their protection."


    "For all the good it does." Omilaena poked at one of the bodies with her foot.


    "Are you staying here forever? Unless you are, Irun requires something to replace their forces or we will be worse off than before, because we''ll also have burned our relationship with Birtaegal."


    Kai stepped away from the other two and looked at him with a little more understanding. "We left many of them alive," he said. "I hoped they could serve as an example. If Irun executes or exiles some of the worst offenders, that will send a message to the others."


    "It will scare some, but not enough, and they may take it out on the people." Tusquo shook his head. "Again, I cannot repay the debt we owe for this, but we need true solutions."


    Zae Zin Nim sighed as if mildly annoyed and then sat down on the wagon, apparently intending to sit out the conversation as well. Kai looked like he was struggling to think of what to say next, but it was his other companion who spoke up next. Omilaena had crouched down beside one of the fallen mercenaries and began stripping off her armor.


    "I don''t know about a solution," she said, "but we were thinking about that. See this armor? It''s chakra-imbued steel, not as good as yours in some respects but definitely tougher. Seems to me that you claimed all of this from criminals as an official state action, so it''s yours now."


    "We... we can''t go around wearing armor stolen from Birtaegalese mercenaries."


    "That was never the plan." Omilaena eyed the armor and then it began to melt, the ornamentation and ties falling away. Tusquo had no idea what that meant, but at that moment Kai stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder.


    "We didn''t come back to kill some mercenaries," Kai told him. "We''ve done more than just get a little stronger. I couldn''t help Irun before, but I can now."

 Chapter 318: Training a Brigade

    When Tusquo took them seriously and began assembling a brigade of Irunians, at first Kai thought he was completely unprepared. He was good at hunting monsters and fighting, not actually training anyone. And yet... that might be his younger self speaking.


    The truth was that he''d actually spent a lot of time training people in Krysal, taking the mine workers from slaves to a force that could fight crystalliers. True, they''d brought their enhanced Physique to the table, but the Irunians weren''t weak either. He had to believe that he could make a difference here or all his ideals about strengthening the Frontier nations were just nonsense.


    Eventually they had a group of one hundred gathered outside Brasyan. He hoped he wasn''t supposed to give a speech, but it seemed like Tusquo had that covered talking to everyone individually. When he was done, he walked up beside Kai and spoke in a lower voice.


    "This is who we have. Not our best, but the best we can spare. If you can make this group more capable of defending Irun, the nation will owe you a great debt."


    Kai nodded and looked over the group carefully. They all looked like similarly-uniformed Irunian men and women, and their spirits weren''t so different either.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 52


    Physique Level: F-4 (38)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    Path of Steel: Iron 2 (10)


    >


    The majority had around 50 Power, primarily stemming from Physique. A few were clearly more experienced, but that usually just meant a slightly higher Soul Level and a better Path of Steel, nothing that made them elites.


    And it wasn''t really their fault. The group was stronger on the fundamentals than many hunters or even some crystalliers, but they were held back by the central power of Irun. Obviously Kai couldn''t tell them that, but he had to find a way to improve their chances.


    His plan had been to launch into a training schedule, but Raghi and Lofgan walked up to stand beside him, which combined with Tusquo made things far too formal. Before he could get out of it, Raghi elbowed him in the side.


    "You need to say something," he whispered. "These people don''t know who you are. They need to believe you can actually help."


    "Ah... well..." Kai took a breath and looked out over the Irunians, trying not to choke. Tusquo nodded to him, as if he''d definitely been expected to prepare a speech. Well, they were here for training, and that was something he actually knew, so...


    "When I finished my basic training I had less than half your strength," Kai told the group. "I had no path forward, and it felt like I couldn''t make any progress with Physique. That was when Tusquo Agyama and some of your countrymen shared Irunian exercises with me. I''ve been traveling since then, but I''m back to return the favor."


    The Irunians didn''t cheer, but they did look encouraged. Tusquo gave him another nod and stepped away to deal with other parts of the plan.


    "We''ll be training alongside you," Kai continued. "These are Raghi and Lofgan Tonjin. They''re both training with the Frontier elites, but that doesn''t mean we can slack on Physique exercises. I''ll be expecting the absolute best from you, understand?"


    "Sir!" The Irunians answered as one and Kai almost stepped back in surprise, then instead he smiled. Maybe this could work.


    .


    ..


    .


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.Omilaena had no patience for dealing with all of the mercenary armor, so she was glad that the Irunians picked up the technique quickly. They might not have Artisan abilities, but they were quite adept with metals. She stood at the back of the room, tapping a syringe against her thigh as she considered alternate paths for development.


    Before she came to a conclusion, Tusquo entered the smithy and came to stand beside her. "Everything working?"


    "Oh, sure." Omilaena picked up the sample breastplate of dark gray steel and handed it to him. "Looks all Irunian now, doesn''t it? This will give a real boost to whoever wears it."


    "That''s better than nothing, but a few dozen pieces of armor can''t transform our forces."


    "A few dozen? That''s assuming we don''t have to purge more of the mercenaries." She grinned at him despite his Irunian stare in response. "There''s no need for this to be all or nothing. If we strengthen your forces, the need for Birtaegalese mercenaries will decrease and you can take action against the worst of them. The result will be a gradual transition."


    "I respect the logic, but it isn''t enough." Tusquo folded his arms as he stared over the workers. "We''ve always been fundamentally limited by the powers we inherited. How can we move forward without abandoning them?"


    "I had an idea for that too. Let me see you generate that steel."


    He frowned, but obeyed without further instructions. When he raised his palm, liquid steel began to slowly form within it. Hmm, that wasn''t quite true, it was more like it seeped from his pores before collecting into a visible sphere. Tusquo began to move and shape the steel, but Omilaena didn''t particularly care about that part.


    "So you excrete the metal?" She took the sphere from him and used her goggles to look closer. "Hmm, do you have a finite amount?"


    "No, once the steel joins our souls, we create it," Tusquo told her.


    "How? I don''t mean the techniques, I mean the details. You can''t just create something from nothing, there must be some cost."


    "Yes, of course. It''s difficult to create steel in an environment with weak mana, for example. It also tends to be exhausting, and you have to eat more if y-"


    "Aha!" Omilaena palmed the sphere and instead grabbed his arm. "I had a feeling it was going to be something like that. I need to take a sample from you - hold your arm steady."


    The Irunian man did so reluctantly and didn''t flinch when she extracted a syringe full of his blood. Hopefully this would work... Omilaena knew she was arrogant, but she was realistic enough to realize she couldn''t transform everything with just what she knew. Unless she could discover a fundamental principle that she could exploit, she might not be able to accomplish anything.


    She raised the blood to eye level and compared it to the sphere of metal. Within seconds, she began to chuckle and all the Irunian workers looked at her nervously.


    .


    ..


    .


    Zae Zin Nim had done more than enough training others in Krysal, so she was glad to join one of the other teams. She and Inafay had already corresponded with Tusquo to gather information about all the mercenaries in Irun. Many were professional enough, but others should be targeted. In order to give the government''s pronouncement real bite, they had to enforce their laws.


    "Alright, I''m ready," Inafay said as she stepped out of her room. "The elites took the Windborn ship back, so we-"


    "We will be using the Krysali ship," Zae Zin Nim insisted. "I have no intention of tramping all across this country."


    "I guess I won''t complain, but admit I get a bit impatient. That ship is slower than I am."


    "What are you going to do, carry me?"


    Inafay raised her eyebrows. "I could, but somehow I don''t think you''d find that dignified enough."


    "We will use the Krysali ship. That way we can talk and cultivate while we travel." Zae Zin Nim led them further away from the building and then pulled the ship from her spatial bracelet.


    "Now that I think about it, don''t cultivators fly?"


    "Flying vehicles are common on Cloudspire, but flying without assistance is only possible when your qi advances enough. You see, this is something we couldn''t discuss if we were shooting through the air with wind blowing all around us."


    Inafay laughed as she vaulted into the ship. "Fine, fine. Let''s just go."


    .


    ..


    .


    As the weeks passed, Kai worked the brigade as hard as he dared. Obviously it would take a long time to truly transform the Irunian soldiers, but the start made him feel optimistic. They might be weak in the sense of overall Power, but they were highly disciplined, basically ideal students. In between exercises they often spoke to one another, providing suggestions and support.


    He was still reminded of the gulfs between people. Even many soldiers who worked hard would never reach E-rank Physique, not on Deadwaste. But at their level of combat, scaling the F-ranks could still be the difference between being overwhelmed or winning, dying of an injury or surviving. With only 50 Power, each increment really mattered to them.


    It was also a perfect environment for him to focus on his own Physique training, which could serve as an example without slowing him down. He''d been neglecting the plant the elves had given him, but now he drew heavily on the mana and chakra blend in the root. His Physique, which had stagnated on Deadwaste, began to advance again.


    Even more importantly, the flowing chakra powered the Savage Heart as he continued to train it. To avoid scaring the Irunians, he focused on more subtle transformations such as increasing his muscle mass. Drawing on Direboar''s Strength directly proved to be harder than he expected.


    Instead of creating a flickering body part, using the Savage Heart this way made his body seem to swell with chakra. It worked so well that he was certain the Savage Creed followers would have taught him a similar exercise if he''d stayed on Rosemount. Once he mastered the sense for it, he was sure that his other transformations would also prove more stable.


    Would any of it be enough? The training might help these soldiers survive the next incursion, but nothing could stop the beings he''d seen before. Kai trained facing the Frontier, his gaze fixed on the sky over the abyss.

 Chapter 319: Developing a Revolutionary Physique

    "You''re sure you want to do this?"


    "I''m sure."


    Kai stood with Omilaena and Tusquo in one of the innermost chambers of the Irunian government building. Omilaena was in full research mode, with her goggles on and her syringes arranged. She had argued against using Tusquo for the first experiment, but he was adamant, even now.


    "If my opinion means anything," Omilaena said, "I wouldn''t start with you. We can test the principle on someone weaker with less to lose."


    "If it isn''t safe for me, it shouldn''t be injected into any Irunian." Tusquo removed his shirt and carefully set it aside in a folded square before he sat down in the center of the floor. "Are you ready to begin?"


    "Just a little longer."


    It had already taken quite a while, by Kai''s judgment. Omilaena had drawn blood from various Irunians, including those with G-rank and E-rank Physique, gradually refining her conclusions. The difficult part had been to develop the next step, an injection that would enhance them. Now it was ready - hopefully - for someone like Tusquo locked at rank F-9.


    "Maybe we should review the theory," Kai said. "Tusquo has to make some choices while advancing, after all."


    "I think the details will be too technical, but sure." Omilaena set aside her syringe and drew the strange diagram she used as a reference for her theories, then showed it for Tusquo. "There are seven different fundamental components of power. Everyone here treats the Irunian ability as something like a Class or an Elemental ability, but that''s not right: it''s Essence."


    Tusquo stared at the diagram blankly. "I don''t know what that means."


    "You aren''t summoning steel into existence, the steel is part of your nature. So it doesn''t grow like cultivation or many other abilities because you need to improve that essence, either by absorbing or enhancing. This isn''t unprecedented by any means. Demonic arts develop by absorbing essence from others, while species like lamias that have intrinsic essence grow theirs over time."


    "But your little injection will help us?"


    "It should. Think about it this way... Irunian steel isn''t strong because it has mana or chakra, it''s because its essence has been fundamentally enhanced. You could think of it as ''more steel than steel'' on a spiritual level."


    "We have been practicing the Path of Steel for many years," Tusquo said. "I would be... almost disappointed if you could uncover something new in just a month."


    "Here in Deadwaste, it seems like your only option is to grow your essence slowly. But you should be able to improve yourself by extracting and refining the steel before re-injecting it." Omilaena held up her syringe, which glistened with liquid Irunian steel. "If I''m right, this will force your body to adapt and improve itself. I''m sure it won''t kill you, but there are so many unknown variables, we need more data from someone on either side of an advancement. Which is why I suggest you wait."


    "No." Tusquo squared his shoulders. "I will be the test case."


    "Fine, if you insist. Give me a while longer to warm it up."


    Omilaena wandered away from them and began tapping at her syringe. She''d mentioned to Kai that this was more like chakra than mana, so she could add some of her own energy to push things along, but she was uncertain about the process. Hopefully she cared enough about Tusquo, or at least her own research, to get it right.


    For some time Tusquo sat completely stone-faced, but eventually he spoke softly, just to Kai. "You believe this is the best path forward?"


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "I think so." Kai realized that the other man was anxious, despite his expression. "She injected me too, to help me get to D-rank Physique. She might seem to take things casually, but she''s very serious about her work. Someone has to be the first to try, and I respect that you want to be that someone."


    "I can''t let you stay so far ahead." Tusquo looked up at him with sharp eyes. "Your Physique alone is stronger than me. Hopefully this will help us compete with everyone else."


    "Don''t focus on the broad political stuff. You should worry about your own body and Physique."


    "My body is Irun." Tusquo closed his eyes, apparently at peace with his decision.


    Eventually Omilaena turned back with a syringe filled with bright silver liquid. She got one final confirmation from Tusquo, then injected it into the largest vein on his arm. Despite everything Kai had said, for a moment Kai worried he''d see the other man suffer. But instead of harming him, the injection seemed to spread a new strength through him, first his arm and then the rest of his body.


    "I will... advance now..." Tusquo barely managed to grunt the words and then threw his head back, his body convulsing as he strained to reach the next stage in Physique.


    Kai had come along to provide support, but at this point he was pretty much useless. It all came down to Omilaena''s work and Tusquo''s own endurance. He seemed to be suffering a more painful advancement than normal, mana flaring throughout his body. Instead of just merging with his flesh to reinforce it, the energy seemed to be sinking into something deeper.


    "I''m right." Omilaena was muttering to herself with a small smile. "It''s not perfect, but I''m right. If ''Essence'' is a principle, it explains so much..."


    "So are chakra arts based on Essence?" Kai asked. "All these terms could get confusing."


    "Hush. I''ll figure out the terminology some other time, once I''m sure of the details."


    The process finally completed and Tusquo''s mana flared one more time. Then he sat up slowly and took a deep breath. It looked like he''d reached E-Rank Physique, but more importantly there was some deeper shift within him. Nothing Kai could see in his spiritual sight, yet his instincts told him it was there.


    "This isn''t quite enough." Tusquo folded his legs and concentrated. "The power I felt before... it''s only partially settled..."


    "I was afraid of that, but we can deal with it." Omilaena swept to his side and quickly extracted more of his blood - it now looked dark and almost silvery. After rapidly repeating her chakra processes, she injected it back into his other arm. Tusquo immediately took a massive breath.


    "Yes." He clenched his eyes and grimaced for several seconds, then when he opened his eyes, they had changed to a dark gray.


    "Holy shit, it worked." Omilaena took a step back and then began walking around him, admiring her work. "Unless you''re feeling poisoned or like you''re about to die, this is what we were going for."


    Tusquo rose to his feet and examined his arms as he flexed them. "I feel something new, both body and soul. It looks like... ''Ironpath Physique'' seems like the right label."


    As soon as he said the name, Kai interpreted the new symbols in the other man''s soul the same way.


    <


    Ironpath Physique (+10)


    >


    "I have a visceral understanding of it now." Tusquo generated a sphere of metal in his palm and then clenched the hand. "It doesn''t strengthen the Path of Steel, but the Path now strengthens me."


    "Looks like it," Kai said with a grin. "Congratulations."


    "Thank you. Thank you both. I will... require some time to contemplate this."


    They stepped away from him in order to let the Irunian test out his new Physique. Omilaena looked incredibly pleased with herself as they moved to the side of the room. She had been working without sleep recently, focused on her own obsession, so it was good to see her relaxed.


    "I''m glad the theory is sound," she said, "but I''d expected it to be stronger. Just 10 Power?"


    "That''s still significant," Kai countered. "Aside from any other benefits, that''s an improvement of... what, five or six percent?"


    "Look at you, doing math!" Omilaena checked her hip against his playfully. "I just don''t think this is the full potential. Perhaps it has to do with-"


    "It can be trained." Tusquo interrupted them, apparently having heard their whispered conversation. His smile was small, but shocking on his usually neutral features. "You said this Ironpath Physique is a natural part of our bodies... I''m confident it can be strengthened. I will not waste this gift."


    Omilaena waved him away. "Oh, you don''t have to thank me. It was a fun project and this is the first time I''ve really put theory like this to use."


    "Are there any other synergies we could take advantage of?"


    "I''m sure this is just the start. Really understanding what power means is the key to unlocking so much... but can I actually pull off anything now? This was probably easier than average, so no, this is all I can manage for the near future."


    "It could still be enough." Tusquo tightened his fist. "Enough for Irun."


    For him, that might be the answer for his own advancement and the future of his people. But even though Kai was happy for his friend, he found himself looking at Omilaena instead, just wondering what else they might unlock in the future.

 Chapter 320: Male and Female, Irunian Style

    After an enjoyable time cultivating and hunting mercenaries, Zae Zin Nim was irritated to be dragged back and forced to help, not just with the Irunian training, but with this strange exercise. All of the Irunian women in the group left to do water-based Physique training. She had thought it was something similar to yin development, but nothing seemed particularly feminine. Mostly they were just enjoying the water.


    "This is a strange cultural tradition," Zae Zin Nim said eventually. She sat with Inafay and Omilaena away from the river.


    "Irun cares about its sex divisions more than you think," Inafay said. "Their military is integrated, but for a lot of other things they split up."


    "Separating men and women is reasonable. It''s the associations with bathing that I don''t understand. Do the men not bathe? I sincerely hope that''s not the case."


    "Don''t even try to understand it," Omilaena said. "I''ve traveled so many places and seen so many strange beliefs and customs."


    They lapsed into silence for a while - the conversation hadn''t been flowing well ever since the groups separated. Omilaena seemed either bored or more disturbed. Instead of jumping into the water and teasing the Irunian women, she lurked sullenly behind them. Zae Zin Nim wasn''t sure whether it would help to bring it up and settled for saying nothing.


    "Alright, what about this?" Inafay turned back to them cheerfully. "I was thinking we should change the policy on Goralian potions. Giving them to healers will prioritize the worst injuries, but if we send one potion along with each of our new soldiers, they might get more use out of them and save themselves."


    "Depends on whether you have enough potions," Omilaena said listlessly. Zae Zin Nim only shrugged, since she didn''t care about such details.


    "Ugh, you two seem determined to be grumpy. We could take the chance to talk about something else... I''ve honestly been wanting to ask what you do with your hair, Zae Zin Nim, it''s so silky and it doesn''t seem to get tangled..."


    "If your cultivation advances enough, it will stay healthy," she explained. "At this stage I only need to brush it, and I understand that some at later stages don''t even need to do that."


    "Not fair. Mine is nothing but tangles after enough wind goes through it... Omilaena, how do you keep that cut so straight and-"


    "Chemically treated." Omilaena interrupted her and rubbed her bangs with two fingers. "There''s so much poison in my system that it comes out in my hair. Stays this way all the time."


    "You two are no fun." Inafay folded her arms and frowned at them until her expression suddenly became more mischievous. "You know, I heard that there''s one of the strongest Birtaegalese mercenaries in the entire country not far from here."


    Zae Zin Nim was on her feet immediately.


    .


    ..


    .


    Apparently for Irunians, masculinity involved going into the wilderness in all-male groups, chasing boars, and running around shirtless for some reason. Kai barely noticed the last part, since he was shirtless half the time anyway due to losing clothes in battle, but some others seemed less comfortable. Their group stood out from the soldiers: Tusquo was well-muscled, the Tonjin brothers were husky, and Orotaisin had a shockingly chiseled physique for his lean frame.


    At the moment, the majority of the Irunian soldiers were running after the boars in some sort of informal contest. Kai and Orotaisin stood under a tree to watch, since it would have been grossly unfair for either of them to participate.


    "It''s not always hereditary," Orotaisin was explaining. "If a prince''s son isn''t accepted by the clan, or doesn''t want the job, there are procedures for choosing a new prince. It makes some aspects of succession a lot easier and some a lot harder."


    "Does it have to be sons with princes?" Kai asked. "And daughters with princesses?"


    "Nah, I just said it that way. Any acknowledged children could inherit. Unless they figure things out among themselves, they have to fight it out. Politically... usually."


    "So do you have competitors for the... Mistral Seat? Seat of Mistral?"


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "Either is fine." Orotaisin stared into the sky, not really watching the boar chase. "I have a bastard sister, but she didn''t get any elemental powers. So all my parents'' expectations are on me. I hit all the targets when I was younger, before I figured out the expectations... just keep building. Success can be a nasty sort of burden."


    "I can imagine."


    "I guess you would imagine." Orotaisin glanced at him with an unreadable expression. "Should I not complain? I heard you''ve gotten pretty unlucky, so it must be annoying to hear princes whine about the powers they received."


    "I won''t get offended." Kai leaned back against the tree and thought about it for a while. "Everybody gets thrown into a life they didn''t choose, some better and some worse. I wouldn''t be irritated unless you assumed you deserved what you got by chance and didn''t want anything else."


    "Far from it."


    They lapsed into silence as the boar chase seemed to wrap up. He was glad they finally had time to talk together. Orotaisin was a hard man to get to know, always distant and polite. Now he thought he understood why Inafay had chosen him.


    "I stayed stuck for a while, actually." Orotaisin spoke up again abruptly. "Meeting Inafay changed my mind. Her clan is the closest thing to Goralian royalty and she has a lot of expectations riding on her... but she can just... fly away. Made me realize I could do the same."


    "So you''re not going to inherit the title?"


    "Not sure yet. I''m going to stick with the Frontier elites for a while, plus I''m not sure what Inafay will want to do next. If I wait long enough, my parents might set up another heir and the decision would just be made for me. I''m... okay with that."


    Before they could say more, the other three approached them. Raghi appeared to be putting Tusquo in a headlock and teasing him about winning the competition. Lofgan followed them and blinked at Kai and Orotaisin.


    "What were you talking about?" he asked.


    "Inafay," Orotaisin said with a shrug.


    "Ah, you''re a lucky man!" Raghi declared. "When are you two actually getting married? If you don''t hurry up, one of us might be the first to get married."


    "I''m married," Tusquo said, and the others immediately stared at him.


    "What?" Kai demanded. "I thought we caught up on everything and you didn''t mention you got married?"


    "It didn''t seem relevant. She''s in southern Goralia for training and she probably won''t get back in time to meet any of you."


    In other contexts that might have led to an awkward conversation about women, but with this group it died almost immediately. Tusquo and Orotaisin didn''t seem the type, Raghi had no one to play off of, and Kai wasn''t sure about Lofgan''s preferences. Instead they just talked about which boars they should bring back to cook and started to separate to set up camp.


    "I was going to invite you to the boar races," Tusquo said as they worked. "But it feels like they''d be a bit slow for you now."


    "I guess technically we met over boars," Kai said. "Are they an Irunian symbol?"


    "No, we just have a lot of them."


    The others split up to gather firewood - Kai could have started the fire himself, but decided that this must be masculine bonding or something. He was heading out to look for brushwood when he noticed Raghi following him, uncharacteristically hesitant.


    "I''m surprised you''re not training," the large man said quietly.


    "You have to rest sometimes to optimize your results." Kai smiled as if it had been mockery, but Raghi still looked serious.


    "Sometimes I... don''t know if I have the right drive in me. It''s funny... everybody talks about the 99 Power barrier, but that''s not the real dead end. Eventually you hit your own limits. For some people it''s around 50... I thought I was past that, but now..."


    "What''s this about? You''re making great progress!"


    "But for how long?" Raghi shook his head slowly. "Maybe I could get further, but... sometimes I wonder if I want to. Do I really want to keep pushing this hard my entire life? Some people are like Inafay, they vault over everything. And some are like you, they just push through no matter how bad it gets. But not everyone can do that."


    At first Kai though the other man needed encouragement, but now he thought there was something deeper at play. "Say you leave Frontier training... what do you do next?"


    "I''m not saying I want to quit being a hunter. But... I could go back to Monskon City, for example. I''m stronger than everyone there now, I could lead the Hunter''s Guild. We need people like that, right?"


    "Sure. But is that what you want, or just what you think you could do?"


    "Well..." Raghi shifted his bulk from side to side, not making eye contact. "Before coming here... Juray and I have been talking a lot. Sometimes, uh, I feel like I could see a future for us together. But I wanted to ask you if it was okay."


    "Are you asking for permission?" Kai gave the man a scornful look. "Our relationship was years ago. The only person you need to ask is Juray. Honestly, I was more worried she''d end up lonely."


    "A woman like her? Definitely not. I think she''s waiting for someone, I just... it''s hard to believe it could be me."


    "Hey, it could be. Good luck, man." Kai clapped Raghi on the shoulder. "So that''s what you really want, huh? Retiring to an easier position and someone to go home to?"


    "I want that, but..." Raghi extended one thick hand and slowly squeezed the air in a fist. "Sometimes I''m not sure I can. It''s obvious I''ll never be as good as you or the Frontier elites. So how long do I push?"


    Kai considered for a moment, not quite believing that someone was coming to him for life advice. But when he thought about the incursions and all he''d seen... "I can''t tell you what you should do with your life. But if you care about my advice, I say keep pushing for now. Ask Juray to marry you, build a life, but don''t cut yourself short yet."


    "Thanks, Kai." Raghi finally smiled again. "You believed in us when nobody else would. Including us. I guess we''ll see how far it can go."


    He went to join the others, slowly enough that Kai could have gone along with him. Instead Kai lingered away from the fire, watching the darkening sky.


    It was an odd feeling: he was by far the strongest person there, but all his old friends were getting married, building careers, settling into positions in life. He was still running across continents, pursuing training above all costs, and avoiding thinking about personal questions. Because he did have women he cared about, but his thoughts there were so confused.


    So he turned around and went back to grueling physical training. It was definitely easier.

 Chapter 321: Raid Brigade Upgrade

    If Kai had a year he could have accomplished more, but Irun didn''t have that much patience and he probably didn''t have that much time before consequences would find him again. So eventually, about two months after they''d started the training, he and Tusquo decided that the new Irunian raid group had completed their base training.


    When Kai looked over the group he was satisfied with what he''d accomplished. They were a tougher and more experienced group now: their Physiques had advanced, they''d strengthened their Paths, and they were wearing chakra armor that Inafay had looted. He glanced at their souls and saw the average picture very much changed:


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 90


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    Path of Steel: Iron 3 (15)


    Chakra Armor (+20)


    >


    The average soldier in the group now had 90 Power, up from 50. Zae Zin Nim had been privately dismissive of their progress, but he knew how much that near-doubling meant to the soldiers. Above all, he hoped the new potential would inspire them.


    His only concern was how many of them were getting close to the 99 Power barrier. He''d even considered trying to go to Krysal to arrange trade in moonmelt pills before Tusquo called it off. Many of the soldiers were likely close to their limits and Irun could figure out that problem for themselves if it came to that.


    Ten of the strongest had received harsher training, Kai and the Tonjin brothers pushing them as hard as they could:


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 171


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    Path of Steel: Iron 5 (25)


    Chakra Armor (+40)


    Ironpath Physique (+10)


    >


    They''d all broken through to E-rank Physique and Omilaena had refined her process for the Ironpath Physique, so their average was closer to 170 Power. There were stronger Birtaegalese mercenaries, but not many, and Irun could be proud of its new soldiers. A large number of Irunian officials had been present to examine the group and they seemed suitably impressed.


    Kai had been trying to figure out if he had anything to say in a speech, so he was glad when Tusquo took over. Irun knew that they owed this power to foreigners, but for now the ceremony was highly Irunian. Maybe eventually Kai would return and get to know the soldiers better, but there was another part of him who was ready to move on.


    Once the ceremony was over, the Irunians split up, again mostly to talk to one another, so Kai retreated further. He noticed Omilaena leaning against the wall outside, examining her fingernails. Her posture looked careless, but he thought he saw some combination of boredom, weariness, and melancholy.


    "Shouldn''t you be celebrating?" he asked. "We made some of them exercise a little more, but the fact that the Irunians are actually impressed is thanks to you."


    "Eh, the fun work for me was at the beginning." Omilaena waved a hand vaguely. "Then figuring out how the Irunians can do things for themselves was mildly interesting, then everything after that has been tedious busywork."


    "That bad?"


    "Irun is a depressing little country. Can''t wait to get out of this place."


    Kai considered her briefly, then went to lean on the wall beside her. "I don''t think you''re actually that dismissive. What''s actually bothering you?"


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    For a split second he saw Omilaena stare at him in surprise, then her face was guarded again. "You really want to push like that?" she asked.


    "I do."


    "Their situation really is depressing. Surrounded by allies who just want to make use of them, who only want them so long as they''re useful." Omilaena smiled wryly and tapped her chest. "I''m basically Irun in human form. I can help others, even boost a country, but me? I''m stagnating, falling further and further behind."


    "That''s really how you feel?" Kai stared at her, wondering how much he''d missed. "That''s ridiculous. It''s not that long ago that you were stronger than both of us and we were relying entirely on you."


    "Easy for you to say that. You''re advancing steadily again, and once your soul balances out, you''ll have close to 1000 Power. Zae Zin Nim has cued herself up for some massive leaps even before she gets anywhere close to Sky Soul. And meanwhile I''m barely even managing slow and steady."


    She sounded more bitter than he expected. Kai reached over to touch her shoulder and ended up stopping not far from her. "We wouldn''t just abandon you like that."


    "Oh, sure, but I''ll just be your-"


    "And we wouldn''t just use your for your talents, either. You''re one of the only other people who really understands the scale of the threat we''re facing. If things go as high as we think, our positions at one point in time are just temporary."


    "Thanks, Kai. I appreciate that."


    Omilaena''s smile looked authentic but he knew it was false. Not because he was a great reader of observer nature and definitely not because he knew anything about women, but just because he knew Omilaena. She wasn''t really encouraged, she only wanted to cut off the conversation. Ultimately she didn''t believe what he said and there was nothing he could say to convince her.


    Kai wandered back toward the courtyard, less focused than before. Most likely Omilaena believed that he would do whatever was in his best interest, just like she would do, or at least that was how she liked to think of herself. Any gesture he made now would be clumsy, but maybe a clumsy gesture was better than nothing.


    When he looked at the gathered Irunians, Kai took a second glance at Tusquo. In a way, his soul was also a major symbol of their progress.


    <


    Name: Tusquo Agyama of Irun


    Total Power: 267


    Manablade Class: 41 (51)


    Physique Level: E-2 (86)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Path of Steel: Steel 3 (69)


    Ironpath Physique (+25)


    >


    With 267 Power, Tusquo was the single strongest Irunian Kai had seen outside the Frontier. He was already at the level of a Ruby Crystallier, and once he''d had more time to train his Ironpath Physique or build new weapons, he could even compete with the Diamonds. With their help he should be able to lead Irun into the future.


    But Tusquo wasn''t a piece on a board, he was a friend. They''d made their alliance when they were barely twenty years old with less than 9 Power, struggling against weak boar monsters. That mattered more than their current position, and perhaps that was the right lever for this whole problem.


    When Kai waved, Tusquo separated from the others to talk to him. "What is it?"


    "I want to ask a favor," Kai said. "Not something easy, so listen before you agree. You''ve seen what Omilaena can do with metals, right? I know your liquid metal sources are declining, but I''m asking you: give her a chance at one of the pools. The strongest ones at the heart of Irun."


    "Strange that you should ask." Tusquo glanced back toward some of the Irunian leaders with an odd expression. "Some have been so impressed by her improvements to the Path of Steel that they''re debating inviting her to something even more important than the deep pools. Something I can''t even explain unless you''re sworn to secrecy."


    "You think she can help? Because I''m hoping for something that can help her."


    "It could do both, and if not, we can take her to another metal pool. After everything you''ve done for us, doing any less would be dishonorable."


    That was even better than Kai had expected, so he moved back to get Omilaena. He didn''t think the Irunians would betray them after so long, but he still picked up Zae Zin Nim to join them. Inafay heard they were going somewhere and wanted to join, but the Irunian leaders put their foot down. Apparently they were serious about the secrecy.


    Their entire group traveled to the Frontier outpost, then into a locked basement. In one of many empty doorways, one of them set up a portal. When they all stepped through, Kai was surprised that they came out in an empty wasteland... actually, only four of them: his allies and Tusquo. Tusquo only raised a hand for patience, and not long afterward a portal appeared in the air, inviting them on.


    "They''re serious about this," Zae Zin Nim muttered. Kai had been trying to track their general location, but he didn''t understand portals well enough to be certain. When they stepped through, they entered an underground hallway that could have been anywhere in Irun.


    "This is the most tightly controlled secret in Irun," Tusquo told them. "Even I wasn''t fully aware until just recently. I want to trust you, but first I need to have your word sworn on all that you hold dear that you won''t tell anyone about this. I need all of you to pledge your willingness to be responsible for all three of you."


    Kai wasn''t sure exactly what he held dear anymore, but he still pledged when it was his turn. Zae Zin Nim swore on her cultivation, which sounded suitably solemn, and Omilaena swore on her home. He doubted that any oath would hold her if she really chose otherwise, though. All he could do was bet heavily on the hope that he had actually understood her earlier. If not and she broke the trust, then Tusquo might never forgive him.


    Once they had sworn, they headed down the dark corridor. Mana lamps lit up as they drew close, illuminating the dark stones. It ended in a larger cavern that lit up all at once. At first Kai saw only the deep pool of liquid metal and thought it was another source of Irunian steel, then he noticed the shard.


    A thin piece of metal hovered above the pool, suspended by its own power. Even as they approached, a droplet of silver beaded on its side, made its way down, and dropped into the pool. That pool was far more intense than Kai remembered his trial being, and the fragment of metal was beyond anything he''d felt before. As if all the Irunian abilities he''d seen were just reflections of this.


    Tusquo gestured them inside. "Please do not touch anything. This is the shard of-"


    "Holy shit," Omilaena said. "It''s an Insanity!"

 Chapter 322: Iruns Deepest Secret

    "How can there be an Insanity on Deadwaste?" Zae Zin Nim asked. She stared at the shard of metal as if she expected it to attack or explode at any moment.


    "It''s called the True Metal." Omilaena began walking around it, her eyes alight again. "It appears in some legends, supposedly a piece of metal that fell from the sky and inspired everyone else to create metals in imitation. I''d have dismissed it as a myth except that there have been credible reports over the years about weapons formed from a metal that seemed impossibly strong and sharp."


    "Didn''t you say Irunian steel uses Essence to strengthen itself? It''s useful, it''s not an Insanity."


    "I do not know this term," Tusquo said, "but you may be right. Let me tell you about the secret history of Irun and you can judge for yourselves."


    They quickly assembled to listen. Kai had never even heard a whisper of this, which he supposed just meant it was a well-kept secret. Tusquo cleared his throat and then began.


    "The earliest tribes of Irun stumbled on this shard and discovered that, when exposed to mana, it created pools of liquid steel. It granted them abilities that became the Path of Steel, so they forged the tribes into a nation. Everywhere they took the shard, it created more pools. Never ending, never diminishing, it seemed to have infinite strength."


    "That sounds like an Insanity," Omilaena said. "But I assume it didn''t last."


    "Correct. After centuries, we began to notice a slight weakening. In the beginning it created endless powerful pools, almost more than could be managed. This abundance faded over time, then the pools became less potent. We saw fewer Truesteel results and Bronze appeared for the first time. Now, in just the last century, the number of pools themselves began to decline."


    "Far beyond anything we have, but not infinite," Zae Zin Nim said thoughtfully. "If the Insanities aren''t truly divine objects, then perhaps that makes sense. Is it possible that one day, the First Crest could simply... run out of power?"


    "If it does, the Commonwealth of Traebor is fucked," Omilaena said. "But don''t let us interrupt you, Tusquo. What did the past Irunians do?"


    "As they were sadly human, they often squabbled with one another and they wasted the years while Irun was still strong, when they could have prevented the decline." Tusquo shook his head sadly. "This is our dirty secret, one that could either make another power invade or turn us into a backwater. We trust you not to reveal it, but... we had hoped for more..."


    Omilaena swiftly moved to the center, examining first the pool and then the shard with her goggles. She took a syringeful of the liquid metal and toyed with it before pushing it back out. When she tried to do the same with the shard, it failed to penetrate. Even her needles and knives couldn''t put a scratch on the powerful metal.


    Eventually she stepped back and removed her goggles. "There''s nothing I can do to recharge or boost this. This is an honest-to-fuck Insanity, beyond anything I''ve seen. Even if you could extract the essence, I don''t think you could refine it, and the process would probably be a zero sum game when it''s in a piece of metal instead of a growing body. Sorry."


    "It would have been too much to hope," Tusquo said. "Is there nothing that can be done?"


    "Hypothetically I wonder if you could keep refining your own metal, then try to revert it back to this pool form... but I wouldn''t have a clue about how to start. No, I suggest you work on the Ironpath Physique, maybe invest in chakra from overseas. That''s your best chance."


    They were silent for a time, and Kai was frustrated that they''d come so far only to end at this wall. None of his powers were likely to be of any help. Just when he thought they had no choice but to retreat, Tusquo spoke again.


    "The pool directly beneath the shard is the only one that retains its strength. Usually, we only allow the truly exceptional to touch it, the geniuses of entire generations. But given what you''ve done for Irun... if you pledge to try to use that power to help us again, we''ll offer you a chance."


    "You mean at the Path of Steel?" Omilaena raised her eyebrows as if only mildly interested, but Kai could tell she was eager from the way she shifted her weight.


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    "Yes. Consider it a gift of thanks, and an investment for the future." Tusquo gestured down to the pool. "I believe you''re already familiar with the methods from all your research?"


    "Test of willpower, dive to the bottom, grab spheres of potential. Got it."


    "In that case... you may begin when you''re ready."


    Omilaena took a long, deep breath with her eyes closed. In her position, Kai would have spent a while meditating and maybe gotten a complete night of sleep. But that had never been her way - as soon as Omilaena''s eyes opened, she sprinted forward and performed a swan dive directly into the liquid metal.


    From the inside, the trial had been a long ordeal of willpower, struggling in the spiritual depths of the pool. Watching from the outside, he barely had time for a couple breaths before Omilaena popped out of the pool with a fist clenched around a metal sphere. Despite the brief absence, she looked as if she''d run for days.


    "Harder... than it looks..." She turned around and plunged back into the pool.


    They held their breath a little longer before Omilaena emerged again. Instead of breaking out triumphantly, she floated up to the surface on her back, her head tilted to one side and her eyes unfocused.


    "Can''t..." Her voice was little better than a whisper. "That''s... all I can..."


    "Come on!" Kai shouted. "I got three of them when I had nothing going for me!"


    Tusquo raised his hands. "You really shouldn''t... two is already the normal-"


    "Go on," Zae Zin Nim spat out. "Or are you too lazy to swim? I''d have already gotten four by now!"


    "Oh... you bitch..." Omilaena took a huge breath and then forced herself down again.


    The pool rippled as she disappeared, then the ripples slowly faded out. Tusquo put his face into his hand, but he didn''t seem worried. From what Kai remembered, the only real risk was the pool throwing a person out as it grew denser and denser. Still, as the silence stretched on and on, he began to grow concerned.


    Abruptly Omilaena burst out and half-collapsed, spilling three shining spheres from her arms. She lay there for a while, just gasping, until Kai moved closer and helped her up. When she clung to his body, for once he didn''t think she meant anything by it except that she was exhausted.


    "Very good," Tusquo said. He bent down beside the spheres floating atop the metal. "These are-"


    "No." Omilaena hadn''t fully recovered, but she spoke with surprising focus. She let go of Kai and pulled herself over, gathering up the spheres in her arms. "My path... is not... the Path of Steel. This is the source of something else."


    None of them were sure what to make of this pronouncement. On a spiritual level, it felt as though something within her cracked open. Yet not like a wound... it seemed to be intentional, as if Omilaena had torn open her own chest. Her chakra was mixing together with the bright spheres in her arms. Gradually the spheres seemed to dissolve, not into one another but into her body.


    When she was done, Omilaena raised a hand. It trembled just with the effort of keeping itself aloft, but liquid metal began to flow from her palm. Instead of the usual Irunian silver, this metal had a blue shimmer to it. After curling around her wrist, it solidified into a bracelet marked with three spheres.


    Then Omilaena collapsed - she just lay on her back for a while, grinning.


    Since she couldn''t talk, Kai examined her soul.


    <


    Name: Omilaena


    Total Power: 755


    Heart of Poison: Level 64 (256)


    Lethal Artisan: Spinel Rank (215)


    Path of Venomsteel: Step 1 (15)


    Physique: D-4 (220)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    >


    The leap in power wasn''t huge, but he immediately understood that it was what she had wanted: a true synergy. Hopefully that would help her develop all her powers, just like she''d helped the Irunians reinforce their own abilities.


    While Omilaena recovered they discussed the potential for Zae Zin Nim to enter the pool, but she felt strongly that this wouldn''t be compatible with her cultivation. It was definitely her decision, so Kai didn''t press. He didn''t feel any urge to try to take the test again, either. That part of his life was in the past, just a step on the path to where he stood now.


    When Omilaena got back to her feet she was still unsteady, so Kai went to help her. Zae Zin Nim had moved as well and she sagged in between the two of them as they made their way down the corridor. She didn''t say a word, but the way she gripped his arm was enough.


    "Again, you can''t speak to anyone about this," Tusquo warned them. "We hope that one day you''ll be able to return to Irun to reverse the worst of this, but if not, consider this a gift as thanks for your services to the nation."


    "We got it," Kai said.


    The portal at the end of the hall took them to a different random location within Irun, this time a bleak section of mountains. After another wait, a portal appeared to take them back to Brasyan. By the time they stepped through, Kai was more than a little disoriented. Some part of his body knew that they had leapt across great distances in a short time and it had more of an impact than elven teleportation.


    To his surprise, there were people waiting for them. Not more Irunians, but a group of Frontier elites. Most shocking of all, they were headed by his old mentor, Gunjin Granfian. He was still scarred from the incursion, but his back stood straighter.


    "Finally back," he said. "Are you done here? Been dutiful with your compression exercises?"


    "Yes, sir," Kai said, automatically falling back into old patterns.


    "Good. Now that you have a foundation, it''s time for your real training to begin."

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    Cognosticon here. As I promised yesterday, this is your post catching everyone up on current events and decisions taking place on Patreon.


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    As noted before, Patreon readers have finished the third arc. Complete resolution of the relationship drama, the wars, and most other plot threads currently in progress. If you join now you''ll get 40+ extra chapters.


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    Either way, the story continues for now. Thank you for reading.

 Chapter 323: Final Breath Before the Training Plunge

    Despite Gunjin''s impatience, even he couldn''t push them along that fast. Kai had time to say farewell to Tusquo, promising to return in time for the incursion and making the Irunian promise to actually introduce him to his wife next time. Technically there was nothing stopping them from visiting again while they were still on Deadwaste, but Kai wasn''t sure they''d have time for that.


    So, in the end, they left Tusquo in Irun and returned to the Frontier. Not an outpost or the exterior wall, the Frontier itself.


    Once there, they met the largest group of Frontier elites Kai had ever seen in one place. Most he didn''t recognize, but Talndim Bundrin was back and waved at them. He also saw Sheiri Kagskan, the one who had sent them into Krysal, and she seemed focused on him. One of the others puzzled him until he recognized Aeglien of Torleen, who he''d briefly met after the battle over the abyss. The others were a mix of Frontier nations except for a lamia who could only be from Rosemount.


    "This is as close to quiet as we''re likely to see," Gunjin told them all. "So the plan is to send the acolytes into training seclusion to take a major step upward before the next emergency. For those of you who are new, we don''t really manage a school here; everyone seeks the training they need most. So talk and get our plans in order."


    Kai wanted to talk to Gunjin directly, but his former mentor was busy conversing with the elites. He wasn''t a leader by any means, but they seemed to respect his role as a coordinator. Everyone else was splitting up, going with different elites for different purposes.


    The Tonjin brothers were apparently going away with the lamia, who stopped next to Omilaena first. "Strange to see someone else from Rosemount here. I''m Plinkesa!"


    "Yeah, there aren''t many of us here," Omilaena said.


    "I was the runt of my nest, so I came to Deadwaste to grow, but I... sort of fell in love with the place." Plinkesa twitched her tail in what might have been shame or amusement. "And those incursions... they can get bad. Bad as anything on Rosemount."


    "So I hear." Omilaena folded her arms and looked north. "Do you ever get news from home?"


    "Everyone is saying that the conflict in the Commonwealth is heating up again, and the Coiled Empire might get involved this time. But believe me, you don''t want to touch that, because this one will be ugly."


    Plinkesa took the Tonjin brothers away into another portal, creating a very strange trio. Omilaena glanced back at Kai, who could only shrug. They were missing events on Rosemount, but if they had stayed there, they would have missed everything they''d done on Deadwaste. In the absence of an immediate emergency, this was the power they desperately needed.


    It looked like Inafay and Orotaisin were going to leave next, going with an elite man who was clearly Windborn by ancestry. But she stopped to hug Kai first.


    "It''s not that long a goodbye!" she said. "We can''t use portals all the time, but we usually move around during training, so we''ll see each other."


    "Are you training phases?" Kai asked.


    "No, we still need to do more preparation. But we should be able to make a lot of progress with our core abilities. I doubt I can evolve to an Advanced Class yet, but I want to push closer."


    "We should discuss that at some point," Zae Zin Nim said. She cut off as Inafay hugged her too, and Kai was surprised that she didn''t flinch away. "There''s more we never got a chance to cover."


    "I''ll miss you too, Zae." Inafay pulled back and grinned at them. "Just don''t get involved in anything crazy and disappear before we can meet again, alright?"


    She headed back to the elite and waved, Orotaisin nodded slightly, and then they were gone. The group was growing smaller and more scattered. Kai turned to see if Gunjin was available again and found Sheiri Kagskan in his path. He wondered just what her life had been like... an Irunian woman who had found elemental powers and yet also traveled in Krysal.


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    "I owe you an apology," Sheiri said. "I thought you were an annoyance when I sent you to Krysal, and then I thought you were going to ruin things. And I underestimated you. Both your strength and your desire to help."


    "How is Krysal?" Kai asked. "I can''t justify going all the way over there, but I keep thinking about them."


    "It''s fine. Actually, your inquiry earlier got you some letters..." She raised a scroll and Kai nearly tore it out of her hands.


    The longest scroll was from Krainuun, who laid out everything with precise administrative detail. There were some personal notes, but the rest was informing him about the new administrative council. Apparently Krysal was a bit splintered, with various cities under different ruling systems, and their armies were still recovering from the revolution. The fact that he could discuss everything so calmly meant that the nation hadn''t fallen apart, though.


    He also discovered a number of shorter letters, some of them just requests for help. There was a kind but slightly awkward letter from Yurwa, who told him about how Gundle was growing up but skirted around the uncomfortable end to their relationship. Maggle had scrawled a letter about how he was learning to write and hated it, then ended up drawing a picture of a woman with features that were improbable to say the least.


    No letter from Nirka. Maybe that was just as well. Being with her felt like a lifetime ago.


    "You can read those as much as you want later," Sheiri said, though she''d waited a long time to interrupt him. "I need to head south, but I wanted to talk first."


    "Right." Kai shoved the letters into his spatial ring to focus on her. "What do you think? Will Krysal be prepared by the next incursion?"


    "There''s disagreement. It''s true we lost a lot of strength in the form of crystalliers, but I don''t see it that way. Many of them didn''t actually fight in incursions, and we''ve seen how the Krysali system can lead to cascading collapse. Instead we have a lot of former miners at basically crystallier level, with more every year. They''re having some trouble making higher elites, but their lines will be solid."


    "That''s great. I''ll have to trust you to keep taking care of them."


    Sheiri looked at him oddly and then smiled. "You realize that you''ve been to every Frontier nation now and left them all improved? You started a revolution in Krysal and now you''ve transformed how Irun builds its elites."


    "Uh... I guess I have." Kai shook his head. "But I only helped out a little in the Elemental Nations, and I barely saved one city in Goralia."


    "That''s more than many could say. And beyond that... you''ve come back from Rosemount, which most don''t. I honestly thought you wanted power over everything, but you''ve done so much... I apologize, and I hope we can work together in the future."


    She stuck out her hand and Kai shook it firmly before they parted. It was so strange... her Power of 633 had been insane when he first met her, but now he''d surpassed some of the elites. He hoped to become even stronger, but when the incursion came, he would be here, no matter what it took.


    Finally the group had almost completely scattered. Kai managed to isolate Gunjin, only for the older man to put a hand on his shoulder and shake his head.


    "We''ll talk later, Kai. For now, you need to focus on starting your training."


    Now the only non-elites left were Kai, Zae Zin Nim, and Omilaena - stronger than most elites, and yet still missing some of the most refined abilities they''d seen. Hopefully those would give them enough of an edge to make a difference on Rosemount.


    Talndim Bundrin stepped forward, hands in his pockets. "I''ve been checking and I think all three of you are ready to finish your phase training. But you''d better specialize. Like I said, this ain''t like the other training you''ve probably done. It''s a real qualitative difference."


    "I suggest all of you work toward a half-phase in speed," Gunjin said. "It won''t allow you to dominate the battlefield, but it''s attainable and it will keep opponents with a speed phase from killing you before you can react."


    "I''ve been giving this some thought." Omilaena stepped forward and raised a syringe to demonstrate. "Is there such a thing as a poison phase? Concentrating a poison so intensely that the result will pierce through other defenses?"


    "It''d be related to a power phase, but sure." Talndim shrugged. "We don''t have any poison specialists, exactly, but we have an old dryad who''s a master at concentrating healing. That could probably get you there."


    Attention shifted toward Zae Zin Nim, who looked skeptical. "I don''t know how well this concept applies to cultivation," she said. "I accept the principle that a speed half-phase would be useful, but beyond that it''s difficult to choose."


    "I had a thought there." Aeglien of Torleen hadn''t spoken before this point and now took a step closer. "Qi crystal cultivation isn''t quite the same, but there are similar principles. We can work on the principles and you can find your way to the right path for you."


    "Very well."


    That left only Kai, so all the eyes of the elites turned toward him. He wanted to grin and forced his expression to remain deadly serious, because he meant what he was about to say: "I want to do them all."

 Chapter 324: Reconsiderations of Body and Soul

    Zae Zin Nim made rapid progress each week, though all of that progress would have been impossible for her not so long ago. It wasn''t simply that she''d grown stronger and mastered the compression exercises... the more important change had been the opening of her mind.


    She still believed that Krysali cultivation was ultimately inadequate, but now she could accept that it had something to teach her. The fact that they had to develop their cultivation based on such thin qi meant that they had developed techniques that she could use. Some cultivators who claimed that their advantage was based on superior cultivation were likely exploiting the gap of phases, so she needed an edge of her own if she wanted to confront them.


    Aeglien of Torleen proved to be an interesting teacher, far superior to every Krysali cultivator she''d met before. He had a Goralian Class, but what impressed her more was that his crystals themselves seemed to be compressed. Many others built larger and larger armor of crystals, whereas he could form a thin layer so durable that it neutralized every single one of her qi attacks even though she should have been stronger.


    While studying the fundamentals of phases, she realized that she finally understood Suortril''s defensive prism that had caused them so much trouble: it could partially grasp a defensive phase. Such an object was nearly priceless, even if it had major weaknesses to chakra... and monstrous powers, as he''d learned before he died. But if she could compress her qi into a higher phase, she could have torn through the prism and avoided the whole war.


    The majority of every day was taken up by phase training, focusing on the principles so she could compress her qi more later. In much of the time that remained, she needed to rest and so only cultivated. But that still left a precious few hours for other developments.


    Most cultivators never advanced beyond E-rank Physique, unless they had a special path of body cultivation or used an elixir that purified their bodies even further. After seeing so many cultivators die, and even killing some of them herself, Zae Zin Nim had come to fully accept that this was a mistake. So, after so much difficult training outside her normal path, she had finally reached E-9 Physique.


    And there she stalled, up against a wall that even many Earth Soul cultivators couldn''t climb. Increasing her Physique rank would be the easiest power she could grasp, but there were so many unknowns about the Blackblood Physique. There none of the elites could help her, since they had little expertise with Cloudspire, so she seemed fated to languish.


    Except... Zae Zin Nim did have access to another sort of expert. When there was a break in their training, she arranged to meet up with Omilaena.


    Soon the two women met at another wasteland outpost and the elites left them alone to work. Omilaena had abandoned her usual dresses for loose pants and a shirt, and her goggles were hanging around her neck. This Omilaena always seemed so different from the seductress that Zae Zin Nim was left unsettled.


    "I wanted to discuss Physique," she said, without any other greeting. "I''m... behind you and Kai, and I want to reach D-rank. Now that I reached E-9, I think I''m ready for the injections we discussed earlier. But I''m worried that I''ll ruin my cultivation in some way."


    "Because of the Blackblood Physique?" Omilaena looked her over thoughtfully. "Of course that''s a Cloudspire technique, very cultivation-focused, so my expertise isn''t of much use."


    "But you just developed a specialized Physique for the Irunians! It appears in their souls as an additional benefit, just like the Blackblood Physique does for me."


    "Except that you think something isn''t quite right. I heard what your sect said... I don''t think you''d call me here if you just wanted reassurance, so I assume you think they''re correct?"


    "Or at least I fear they could be." Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath and recalled those old lessons. "The Blackblood Physique is supposed to be a cursed blessing, slowing down your advancement while purifying your body and meridians. I knew that I would leave behind the illness and scars, and eventually achieve deeper reserves of qi than other cultivators. But now, I fear that I have misused it. They said that the darkness was supposed to be purged from me entirely..."


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    "What have you already tried?" Omilaena asked. At least she wasn''t dismissing the issue out of hand.


    "Purifying the body is an essential step in cultivation. I think that I could purify out the dark blood, especially while advancing to D-rank... but that feels wrong too. I strongly believe that if I did that, I would sacrifice the 50 Power it grants me. Maybe that would give me greater power later, but I can''t be sure."


    "To be sure I understand, the Blackblood Physique is like a sort of temporary infection and you think it needs to be entirely eliminated once it''s done its work?"


    "That is how I understand it, and I fear that I have failed to do so."


    "I can at least try a few things." Omilaena created a syringe and waited for Zae Zin Nim to bare her arm.


    The tip was so sharp that she barely felt it, but she winced when she saw her blood look so dark. Because her skin had been perfected when she advanced to Earth Soul, it didn''t ruin her complexion, yet she''d seen the real color when she took injuries. It seemed so wrong, the opposite of the jade maiden she was supposed to be...


    "Nothing about this looks harmful to me." Omilaena examined the blood, with and without goggles. "The Irunians had a merger of the ''Essence'' principle with their Physique. You''re drawing off the ''Cultivation'' principle. Mergers of two different principles seem strong to me, even though I don''t understand all the effects. Why do you think it''s wrong?"


    "Well... I feel tainted." Zae Zin Nim rubbed one of her wrists and the delicate veins within. "Cultivation is supposed to be pure: you need perfect foundations in your dantian and body to ascend to immortality. Yet I... I don''t know..."


    Omilaena took off her goggles and tapped them against her thigh for several seconds before she seemed to come to a conclusion. "There''s something else I could test, but I''d have to touch you to do it."


    Zae Zin Nim''s eyes immediately narrowed. "You wouldn''t lie about that to play with me, would you?"


    "I might, but not now." Omilaena''s smile faltered before reaching its usual mocking form. "And not after everything we''ve discussed. But the way you''ve set up your soul, everything is so interconnected, so there isn''t an alternative."


    "In that case... very well. Do what you must."


    "Then try to relax." Omilaena walked around behind her and Zae Zin Nim had to resist the urge to turn defensively. The other woman touched her stomach, then slid her fingers down to where Zae Zin Nim always imagined her dantian. She gasped and shivered, frozen despite the fact that there was nothing sexual about the touch. Having someone so close to her like this, she couldn''t...


    Eventually Omilaena pulled away, leaving Zae Zin Nim strangely breathless. She reordered her thoughts, slid her hands into her sleeves, and pushed all distractions aside. "Well?"


    "I think the Blackblood Physique needs to develop in one of at least three ways," Omilaena said flatly. "I can''t tell you which one is best and we probably need more data from Cloudspire to know. This state isn''t doing you any harm, but trying to advance without making a decision might. You have to know yourself for this to work."


    "I need to... know myself? I suppose attaining greater understanding is a principle of cultivation."


    "You can''t become strong by feeling pretty about yourself, but you can ruin your Physique by not understanding or embracing what you need to. I know it''s probably not what you wanted to hear, but I think waiting on your Physique is the right long term decision. You should resolve all that yin chakra and learn more before advancing."


    "This isn''t bad news." Zae Zin Nim smiled at the other woman. "It is a relief to know I can set this aside for now. There''s so much else for me to focus on."


    "Glad I could help." Omilaena gave her an odd smile and then departed.


    So the matter was settled: she would develop her other abilities before she worried about the Blackblood Physique. Even though the most important training was in phases, Zae Zin Nim was eager for all the rest. When Aeglien rejoined her, she turned and gave him a bow.


    "Please also teach me the principles of attaining an Advanced Class," she requested.


    "You''re a ways off from that," Aeglien said. "You know the levels get slower and slower as you advance?"


    "Yes, but I am not likely to be on Deadwaste when I reach that point. I''ve come to respect these abilities and I need to understand them fully in order to advance."


    "Ordinarily I''d refuse, but your grasp of cultivation is extraordinary. Sure, I can teach you all the principles now. You''ll need to find enough mana later, and unlike earlier awakenings, it absolutely has to be the right sort of mana. There''s also a resonance problem, so..."


    Zae Zin Nim listened carefully to everything he said and memorized it for later. Despite the many difficulties facing her, she was feeling optimistic about the future.


    Even many top cultivators failed to advance beyond Earth Soul, because the road to Sky Soul was essentially a cliff. Now she had a pattern of stair-stepping advancements that would sustain her even during the long gap. She would finally tap into her chakra, then she would attain an Advanced Class, eventually she would purify the Blackblood Physique, and all of that would take her to Sky Soul.


    And then she might finally be free.

 Chapter 325: The Highest Level of Strategy

    Throughout his life, Kai had faced many obstacles and been rejected by fate many times. He''d managed to keep up with his peers only by dogged persistence, working harder and longer, always attempting more. Even through the struggles, that drive had always taken him higher and he''d pushed past his limits time and time again.


    Now, for the first time, he faced failure.


    Talndim and the other elites were impressed by his progress and told him that attaining every single phase had never been realistic. He didn''t want to give up, because he knew from Rosemount that it was possible for people to start at a higher level of power. Most likely the god-like beings he''d seen were born at higher phases and then grew from there. He''d never catch up to them if he didn''t push past all limits and achieve the impossible.


    Except he couldn''t. Not this time.


    Kai lay on his back after another failure, gasping for breath. Compressing his power was as difficult as the earliest mana exercises had been, except he had been able to learn those quickly enough. To attain a higher phase he needed total mastery of his own power, reflexive compression, and absolute focus. What he needed now wasn''t willpower, it was just more training time than he had available.


    All the elites supported him in his training, but he could tell that they were becoming frustrated as he kept throwing himself against the obstacles. No one had come to show him another path yet. While lying on his back, Kai suddenly saw Gunjin overhead, lean and gray and stretching into the sky from that angle.


    "Come along, Kai. You''re not my boy anymore, but I need you to see something."


    There was no reason to refuse. Kai pulled to his feet and joined Gunjin as he stepped into a portal. On the other side, Kai discovered that they stood atop the great wall, which he hadn''t visited directly since the incursion. This wasn''t a random section: to the east he saw two points where the wall had been broken and vast amounts of construction activity.


    One of the broken points had been filled by a wall that was wider at the base in order to reach equally high, and the second was under construction. The new wall looked sturdy but clearly didn''t have the spiritual strength of the original, so it would be a weak point. That made him curious about the pit being dug on the inner side of the completed wall.


    "What''s that?" Kai asked. "Killing point?"


    "Exactly." Gunjin stared down at the wall sourly. "We can''t equal the ancient builders, so we''re assuming that the monsters will break through. When they do, the pit will be waiting for them. It will be a riskier strategy than our usual, but it''s the only alternative we have."


    "That''s what you wanted to show me?"


    "I just wanted it to be clear how much we need help. Obviously the next incursion could be harmless or apocalyptic at either end of the curve, but my best guess is that it will be somewhere in the middle. And given our current limitations, that could be enough to kill everyone. I''d go so far as to say if we continue on the default path, we won''t contain the next one."


    "I''m doing the best I can." Kai rubbed his eyes and was taken aback at how good it felt to close them... he was just so exhausted. "If I get strong enough, I might be able to hold one of these points on my own. The question is how powerful the monsters will be."


    "Individual strength is important, but that''s not enough. Don''t underestimate just how long the Frontier wall is, and the battles only get more scattered after the initial wave. One person, no matter how powerful, will have a limited impact."


    Kai wasn''t so sure: he hoped to fly along the side with Thunderbird''s Wings and rain destruction with Baleful Breath. But his old mentor was treating him seriously again, so maybe it was best to press on that question.


    "Is it time to discuss real strategy now?" Kai asked. "I''m strong enough to fight with the elites. How do the incursions really work?"


    "Our strategies are still evolving, and not just as you see here." Gunjin turned from the construction projects to look inward. "In most incursions there''s at least one monster with nation-destroying strength that requires many elites to destroy. Occasionally there''s not, and we call those easy incursions. Those are usually fought within the Frontier where they''re limited... based on the last time, we question whether fighting near the abyss makes things worse."


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    "Because the outsiders fighting in the center seemed to intensify the waves of monsters? Couldn''t causality go the other way, and they came because things were going to be worse?"


    "It could be some of both, but we can''t assume things will go easier for us. In any case, there''s a much higher number of city-destroyers... monsters that, realistically, aren''t likely to be stopped by anyone outside of Frontier elites or a few exceptional powers like the Diamond Crystalliers. Last incursion we failed to intercept more of those than usual, so the cities around the periphery took a beating."


    Kai thought back to the behemoth and wondered how much stronger they got than that. Behemoth''s Heart thumped aggressively within him.


    "What''s left after all of that is the main horde, including some monsters that would be dangerous during ordinary times." Gunjin shook his head. "You see why we need different layers of fighters in our defenses. Against a lot of the strong monsters, the difference between 10 and 50 Power is immaterial. But we need enough hunters around 100 to take down the stronger remnants, and enough other hunters to keep the rest from hurting the defenseless."


    "Just how many people are usually involved in defending against an incursion?"


    "Hell if I know. There are some that work with us, then others that mount their own defenses, then even more get pulled in."


    "Alright, that''s fair." Kai looked over at his old mentor. "Can you at least tell me how many elites there are?"


    The old man closed his eyes and answered quietly. "About one hundred and ten. It used to be over one hundred and twenty, but the last incursion cost us. Not many Elites die of old age."


    That was actually impressive. Kai had met a lot of people on Rosemount who had 700 Power or more, but they weren''t generally united as single organizations. It was as if all of Deadwaste had gathered its best just to survive the incursions... and it was still a close thing. If there was just a way to tip the odds in their favor...


    "What happens if people from Rosemount or Cloudspire attack?" Kai asked. "They don''t generally have the knowledge of phases that you do, and I suspect you have some other tricks up your sleeve."


    "We couldn''t repel an enemy nation, but could manage against an organization. They tend to underestimate us even after they see our strength." Gunjin closed his eyes tightly. "It hasn''t happened in my lifetime, and based on the records I hope to never see it. The other continents can throw so many warriors at us, but the loss of each elite hurts us deeply."


    They stood in silence for a while, watching the construction. It seemed to be on track to complete well before the incursion, but now Kai understood how that couldn''t possibly be enough. He wished that he could run to the center of the Frontier and enter the abyss even though he knew it was still far beyond him.


    "What are you pushing for?" Gunjin asked.


    Kai stared at his mentor. "To become strong enough to stop the incursion, obviously."


    "I don''t believe that. You''ve seen how one phase can be dominant, even on other continents, yet you want them all. You''re seeking something more." Gunjin watched him with dark eyes. "No one seeks power for its own sake unless they''re mad. They might train for the love of training, or try to attain power so they can''t be harmed, or seek immortality as part of a perfect life. But power is fundamentally a means to an end, otherwise it wouldn''t be power."


    "What am I supposed to say, if you already rejected my answer?" Kai floundered for a while, staring out at the Frontier, and Gunjin simply waited. Eventually he figured out what he wanted to say next. "I guess I''ve realized there are different arcs to growth. You remember after the Hunter Trials? I was able to keep up with others by hard work, but now I realize..."


    "They were on a path to become moderately strong, veterans with perhaps 50 Power. Of course I remember. We need them, but we also need those advancing fast enough to join the elites. I would have said you were stuck in between, yet here you are."


    "Only because the arcs are so much steeper on Rosemount. There''s this organization, the Crestguard, with an average of 500 Power. And they''re just good, not exceptional. The further I climb, the higher the mountains seem to grow."


    "And how does this answer my question?"


    "Well..." Kai closed his eyes and immediately saw the god-like beings over the abyss. "I just witnessed people who were beyond even that, and I realized how strong they were. The incursions are more complex than we understood, and there''s something in the abyss, and everyone I care about could die so easily. I have to keep pushing myself or I''ll never be able to get even close."


    "Madness." Gunjin frowned sternly enough that Kai felt it even before he opened his eyes. "Trying to attain ''the ultimate power'' in the abstract is childish. If you keep your eyes on the horizon, you''ll never actually get there."


    "But you''ll get further than if you kept your eyes on the ground."


    "I''m saying that you need a goal in between." Gunjin reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "I can''t guide you anymore, Kai. You''ve gone further than I ever did. But listen to me: abstract striving can be weak, in the same sense that goals that can''t be measured are ineffective. Even you can''t take on everything at once, you need to set your next destination."


    "I..." Kai''s instinct was to argue, but he realized that his mentor was right. "Alright, I understand."


    He wasn''t being told to scale back his ambitions, only to focus. Mastering every phase might be a challenge he couldn''t overcome, but there was a long road between his current goals and his final ideals. Leaving the middle too ambiguous would only hurt him in the end.


    So... first one phase, then all the rest.

 Chapter 326: The Truth about Hybrid Classes

    For the most part, Omilaena found the phase training tedious. It wasn''t the sort of thing that could be skipped or improved with a genius breakthrough, it simply required hard work. Even though it was spiritual and involved the fundamental laws of reality, it was as irritating as Physique training.


    Normally she could entertain herself with her own thoughts, but the problem was opportunity cost. Her Path of Venomsteel had great potential she wanted to explore and she only grudgingly accepted that the Frontier guards were the only ones who could train her to face the god abilities. If only she had some technique that could split herself into multiple bodies or at least minds that could tackle everything at once.


    Her books had been waiting for so long, only checked occasionally when she needed to confirm something. She was fairly sure that there was more she hadn''t yet discovered, but she could read those at any time and this was a unique opportunity.


    Without interesting work to sublimate her desires into, Omilaena was getting more than a little frustrated. There were moments when she didn''t want power, she just wanted to fuck somebody attractive to sleep and then read in bed. But apparently she was behaving differently now, so she just kept training.


    Despite the fact that this was the most efficient path, she still welcomed interruptions that broke up the routine. It didn''t surprise her when Kai or Zae Zin Nim wanted to ask something, or trade suggestions about phase training, but she didn''t expect Inafay to show up at her tent.


    "I, uh, need your opinion on something." Inafay rarely looked so uncomfortable and she gestured to herself. "Something new showed up in my soul, and it''s not bad but I didn''t expect it."


    "Then I guess I''ll take a look." Omilaena glanced over the younger woman''s soul.


    <


    Name: Inafay Corinin


    Total Power: 305


    Windcutter Class: 87 (97)


    Windborn: Onceswept (52)


    Physique Level: E-4 (92)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Hybrid Essence: Highwinds (+15)


    >


    She''d continued to grow, but the new addition was definitely the "Hybrid Essence: Highwinds" that showed up at the end of the symbols of her soul. It looked similar to the Ironpath Physique or other similar benefits, but didn''t feel similar. In fact, it was more similar to the inexplicable hybrid powers that Frontier guards tended to possess.


    "This isn''t because of Frontier training?" Omilaena asked.


    "Don''t think so. Everything the elites have tasked us with lately has been normal."


    "Then have you changed anything else? Power doesn''t appear for no reason."


    "Uh..." Inafay dropped eye contact and shifted awkwardly. "Are you familiar with dual cultivation?"


    "Intimately familiar, you might say."


    "Oh, shut up. Ever since Zae Zin Nim taught us, Orotaisin and I have been... sharing essence. At first it just strengthened our abilities slightly. But then, out of nowhere..." Inafay shrugged, apparently over her discomfort. "That showed up."


    "Did he get anything?" Omilaena asked.


    "No. His Windborn powers have been growing faster, but I thought that was just because my abilities are more spread out. Do you have some idea? It seemed so much like what you did in Irun that I wanted to ask you first."


    "Why not ask the elites?"


    "Well... it strikes me as kind of similar to some of the abilities they have, but those are supposed to be stronger. When I asked about their hybrid Classes, they always said it was too early for me. Now I''m worried I triggered something prematurely and limited my growth."


    "I don''t think it''s that," Omilaena said. "But it also doesn''t seem physical, so I don''t think I can test your blood for anything. Let''s go talk to them about it."


    Omilaena had hoped for a quick answer, but when Talndim saw the details, he shook his head and summoned the others. In the end, despite all Inafay''s questions, he waited until both Kai and Zae Zin Nim had gathered together before explaining anything.


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    "Take a look at my soul," Talndim said. "It will depend on what spiritual sight techniques you''ve learned, but you''ll most likely see something at the end, distinct from my other abilities."


    Even though she knew what she was going to see, Omilaena dutifully checked again.


    <


    Name: Talndim Bundrin


    Total Power: 717


    Breakfist Advanced Class: 9 (327)


    Crystal Cultivation: 10,000 (125)


    Physique: E-7 (101)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Hybrid Essence: Shimmering Fist (+100)


    >


    "I''ve seen that before," Inafay said. "In the Irunians, too. But I''ve never seen anyone with more than one, that''s why I''m worried that I might have taken a wrong step."


    "There isn''t a hard limitation," Talndim reassured her. "What you''re seeing is a combination of two different powers, for me my Class and crystal cultivation. Usually this only develops once both powers are highly mature, but you seem to have started yours early. That''s why I thought we needed this lecture."


    "So no harm done?"


    "Probably not. But you need to understand how to develop it properly."


    Kai had been listening quietly but now spoke up. "Are these Emergent Classes just raw power, or do they grant new abilities?"


    Omilaena looked at him sharply as soon as he used the unfamiliar term. She saw both Talndim and Inafay labeled as "Hybrid Essence" but that might have been an imperfect understanding. It was definitely "hybrid" but the "essence" part was likely a hasty assumption due to her experience on Rosemount.


    "You see it as a Class, huh?" Talndim gestured vaguely in the air where he must see his own soul. "That''s not too far off in my case, but it''s not exactly right, either. If somebody was combining other powers, it might give you the wrong idea."


    "What about mine?" Zae Zin Nim asked. Omilaena was 99% sure she knew the answer but remained quiet.


    "That''s different, it''s cultivation and Physique together." Talndim turned back. "Now, to answer Kai''s question: it''s power at the core, think about it like a kind of synergy. But once you train it to its natural limits, real experts can develop a technique that uses both together. In my case, like you might guess, it''s a sort of crystal punch."


    Inafay was barely containing herself now, shifting from foot to foot as if eager to fly off. "So what about me? All my abilities are wind, so there''s not much difference."


    "Right now you''re using them to support one another. But eventually you might be able to figure out a technique that actually fuses both. Anyway, we need to teach you some basics about how to manage this, because some combinations don''t work properly, but you don''t need to worry."


    All the others seemed to have some more questions for Talndim, so they went to talk to him after he finished. The new insight was obvious enough, but it still gave Omilaena a new way to consider everything she knew, so she retreated from the main group.


    It seemed like these new sources of power represented true synergy between the fundamental components of power. Just how many could someone acquire? If every combination was viable and there were seven sources, then mathematically there should be twenty-one synergies total. But she wasn''t sure if the soul could sustain that many, and there was also a real possibility that a source couldn''t be used in more than one synergy.


    As she looked at her own soul, Omilaena realized that she had confused her own analysis by considering energy sources and the chakra methods of absorbing power. But now that she really analyzed it after so much time on Deadwaste, her Heart of Poison had more in common with the elemental powers of the north than with other chakra-based Essence techniques. She improved her poisons by drinking more, but she didn''t have a store of different poisons, she summoned each via her power.


    If that was true, it removed an apparent contradiction. Her Lethal Artisan ability was the real Essence-class power in her soul. When she had taken the Irunian trial, she had subconsciously known there was a conflict, so she had tried to absorb the power in a different form. In fact, she''d been trying to create a hybrid, just without the knowledge to do it properly.


    So what exactly was the Path of Venomsteel? It couldn''t be Essence-type if her theories about the soul were true. She supposed it might be more like a Class, or more like Physique if she took from that aspect of Irunian power. There were no tests to run to get these answers, because she was breaking new ground.


    Seven fundamental capacities: Physique and Soul for everyone, then Essence, Elemental, Class, Cultivation... and one more. There had been a seventh on all the diagrams she''d found, but the term was fiendishly hard to translate. Maybe something like "Supreme Control" or "Supreme Understanding" - whatever it was, she hadn''t ever encountered it in real life.


    Before she could resolve any of the conundrums, Omilaena realized that Inafay had separated from the others to follow her.


    "This is one of those secrets of power you''re trying to unlock, isn''t it?" Inafay asked. "The elites have figured out a good trick, but you''re trying to understand the deeper theory."


    "That''s right," Omilaena said with a shrug. No sense pretending she wasn''t ambitious.


    "I just wanted to ask if you think I should try to develop any other abilities or if I should focus. There''s an old debate about specialists vs generalists and this just makes it worse."


    "If I could answer that, my research would be much further along than it really is." Suddenly tired of lacking answers, Omilaena decided to make light of it. She reached over and touched the other woman''s bare midriff. "You know, you''d be the perfect test subject for me. There''s such purity to combining different wind abilities... we could try to fill you up with so many others."


    "I''m pretty sure I''m getting injected with Windborn essence on a regular basis," Inafay said with a smirk.


    Despite herself, Omilaena laughed. "I should have known I couldn''t tease you like I can the virgins."


    That got an odd look from Inafay. "Uh, Kai isn''t..."


    "Might as well be," Omilaena said with a shrug. "I thought all Goralians were uptight about that sort of thing before I met you. But I guess Kai is just..." Her gaze only lingered on him for a moment, but Inafay caught it and her eyes narrowed.


    "You know, you like to act like a temptress, but it doesn''t feel like your heart is in it."


    "It used to be easier, but..." Abruptly Omilaena had had too much, especially with Inafay looking at her pityingly. She scoffed and stalked away from the others so she could consider theory again.


    Omilaena was unlocking the secrets of reality while running away from emotions. Almost as bad as the virgins. She grimaced and focused on theory for the rest of her training.

 Chapter 327: Saying Farewell to the Anomalies

    Inafay had been happy to have Kai back, and she''d been glad to meet Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena. But there had always been part of her that knew it couldn''t last forever and that this massive advantage that had carried her so far had to disappear eventually. That day came sooner than she expected.


    For once there was no emergency or disaster to call them away: they simply finished their training. The elites were all impressed that these outsiders had learned so much of phases in three months'' time, but Kai seemed to be impatient. Now that they had mastered the basic principles, he seemed to think they didn''t have any more reason to stay on the continent. But with all the planning and organizing, she didn''t get a chance to really talk to him until they were standing on a pier at the northern coast. The Water Union docks extended north, then beyond them nothing but ocean.


    Twice before she''d watched him go helplessly, first when he was exiled and second after the incursion. This time she should feel reassured that he would come back, but it still felt very final. The two old friends stood quietly in the salty breeze for a time.


    "So... you''re all going on that ship?" Inafay asked lamely. It was a massive Water Union vessel, one of the few that could survive the deep waters. The deck was topped by three vast sails, balanced by the massive hull painted with wave patterns.


    "There was an argument for splitting up," Kai said, "but last time that separated us for too long. If we haven''t shaken the attention on us, we''re going to have problems anyway."


    "I forgot to ask, what phase did you master in the end?"


    "Well, I''m still paying for my overambitious start, so I just have half-phases in everything. I mastered the basics for all of them, so I can build them further to full phases, I just need more time and strength. Hopefully it''ll be enough for Rosemount."


    "I''m still not sure exactly what you''re going to do over there," Inafay said. She stared out over the water, trying to truly understand the complexity of another continent with all its own peoples and nations. "There''s a war or something?"


    "It''s more like I feel I still have responsibilities there. I''ve enjoyed being back, but I''ve finished my training now and I feel like I''ve done everything I can for the Frontier nations. So it''s time to go back, if that makes sense."


    "You sure build new loyalties quickly." Inafay tried to smile but it came out bittersweet. "I admit, I kind of want to go with you, so much that I talked to Orotaisin about it. But it sounds like Rosemount is really dangerous and there''s still so much I need to do here..."


    "You have responsibilities too." Kai settled one massive hand on her shoulder and turned a somber gaze on her. "I have this lingering fear I''ll end up trapped and won''t make it back in time for the incursion. But I''ll come back to help, no matter what I have to do."


    "I''ll hold you to that and see you then." Inafay first punched his chest, then just hugged him. He squeezed back before they let go, and when they parted it didn''t feel right to say anything else.


    It was strange to watch the trio making their preparations, since they were all using absurdly massive spatial storage items. They were preparing for a long journey without apparently carrying anything, yet occasionally entire boxes just disappeared into rings or bracelets. She wanted to throw out advice even though they knew more about ocean travel and were presumably ready. It just hurt that she couldn''t do anything else to help.


    Inafay wandered closer to the others, less confident with them and hoping they''d cross the distance or reach out. She''d gotten to know both women a little, but sometimes she wasn''t sure how deeply she knew them. There were a lot of scars and defensive shells around those two.


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    Zae Zin Nim separated from the others, took Inafay''s arm, and pulled her a little further away. "Goodbye, Inafay. Thank you for everything you taught me about mana."


    "You were a great student," Inafay said. "I have a feeling you''ll have an Advanced Class when we see each other again, so I''ll have to work hard to catch up."


    "I understand you want to defend your home, but you should come to Cloudspire sometime. You''d grow faster there."


    "Maybe, but this is my home. I''m committed here for now. But if you want to help, we had some more questions about advanced dual cultivation techniques..."


    Inafay tried to ask the questions as gingerly as possible, but they clearly still embarrassed Zae Zin Nim. Somehow the cultivator overcame her discomfort and gave reasonable answers that Inafay hoped would be useful for years to come. Occasionally the other woman''s dark eyes flickered to Orotaisin, but more often they turned toward Kai and then darted away as if burned.


    So it really was like that. Kai had said very little about the relationships within the trio and Inafay hadn''t been sure she was properly reading between the lines.


    "Umm..." Zae Zin Nim''s eyes darted over to him again. "I suppose it''s late to ask this, but... what are Goralian marriage customs like?"


    "Well!" Inafay raised her eyebrows but resisted the urge to tease. "The two people, and sometimes their clans, make a commitment to one another. Usually they exchange some sort of token, like rings, to show their unity. But how much celebration happens will depend entirely on how wealthy they are and how big a deal the match is."


    Zae Zin Nim nodded somberly as if these were martial arts secrets and then asked more detailed questions, which Inafay answered as well as she could. It got her thinking about her own eventual wedding, but she felt much more comfortable with that than the cultivator did.


    Did Zae Zin Nim have the courage to be more forward, and would Kai get the hint if she was? Inafay decided that she wasn''t going to get in the middle of such a challenging relationship, since they obviously had a lot to sort out. At least she''d been able to say her farewells and exchange some final answers, so it felt more appropriate to let them leave.


    "You better work hard." Omilaena appeared behind her suddenly, poking at her side. "You''ll give me great experimental data if you keep synergizing those abilities, so you need to be a good little experiment."


    "I''ll do my best!" Inafay executed an exaggerated salute. "My highest aspiration in life is to be a data point in someone else''s experiment."


    "Ha. But if everything goes well, by which I mean we don''t all die, I may be able to help you more next time. What we''ve been able to uncover so far may be just the beginning."


    "Given how nasty things are out there, I hope so."


    They lingered in the awkward space of people who only partially knew one another before Omilaena lowered her voice to continue. "This is a much more trivial question and I will poison you if you reveal I asked it, but do you know where Kai got his ideas about relationships? I know you have multiple marriages in Goralia, but he seems uptight."


    Inafay was sure her eyes had widened... so she had seen that look Omilaena gave during training. "Uh, I think that''s just how Kais are. I understand he had some sort of bad experience in Rayakan, but you''d be better off asking Zae Zin Nim about that."


    "Damn." Omilaena''s expression was completely serious again and she jabbed a finger at her. "Build those wind powers, though. We''ll pick this back up if we see each other again."


    "Sure," Inafay said with an awkward smile and then watched as the other woman went to join the others.


    How had Kai gotten himself in the middle of that mess? He was a decent-looking guy and he could be very kind, so she got it, but hadn''t the three of them been traveling together for years? She wondered how much of it was the danger, how much was Kai''s naivety, and how much was just the bizarre knot of emotions in that group. She wanted to help Kai, but what could she even say?


    He was helping some of the sailors load the ship, completely oblivious. Even though they''d already said their proper goodbyes, Inafay marched over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.


    "Good luck," she told him.


    "What''s this about?" Kai said, blinking cluelessly.


    "Trust me, you need it."


    Soon enough the three of them were off on their ship, cutting through the water toward continents unknown. Inafay watched them go and soon felt Orotaisin beside her, then he took her hand and they interlaced their fingers. She hadn''t really appreciated how lucky she was, finding someone who was so compatible with her, and squeezed his hand tighter.


    There would be far too much to do soon, training and politics and battles. But for now, they stood and watched the ship disappear into the ocean.

 Chapter 328: A Quiet Voyage in the Storm

    Less than a week into their voyage, the ship was struck by a vicious storm. The Waterborn sailing the ship were able to keep them on track, so the storm wouldn''t slow them down beyond the usual difficulties of ocean voyages, but it did make the trip miserably wet.


    Zae Zin Nim viewed it as a vindication of her decision to keep everyone together and just push across the ocean, instead of attempting more elaborate schemes, or trying to land somewhere unusual. As she viewed it, what they needed first was information, and what they needed second was teleportation to the ideal point. Until then, this was their last opportunity to train.


    Throughout her life she had made many mistakes, perhaps even with the Blackblood Physique, but at least some things were turning out perfectly. The sphere of qi she''d received from the elves would be empty at nearly the exact time they reached Rosemount, thus proving that she had precisely paced all of her cultivation. She glanced at her soul in satisfaction.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 797


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 4% (502)


    Coldfire Corona: 79 (89)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-9 (107)


    Blackblood Shadow (+50)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Yin Chakra: 308 (0)


    >


    Even if she needed to wait on Physique and the Sky Soul stage was far away, she had made progress and prepared herself for even more advancement in the nearer future. At last, after so many setbacks, she felt like a genius cultivator again.


    Her focus broke only once, when Kai entered the cabin after helping fight off a monster. His clothes were plastered to his body by the water, which was extremely distracting. Maybe it was all the yin energy she had been storing up, but her body burned with a desire that no storm could quench. She wanted to go to him, but it wasn''t time yet.


    Everything had to be perfect. Despite the difficult path her cultivation had taken, she could be a perfect maiden in the end. When everything was ready, then it would finally be time...


    .


    ..


    .


    The voyage itself was easy, less dangerous than the Blood Current or even their second passage. Jumping into the waves to fight monsters was basically a break for him - all of Kai''s problems started when he got back on board.


    Constant waves and rain meant that everyone was soaked almost all the time. For the men that just meant their rough clothes hung heavily, but the female sailors were a distraction. Maybe it was all the talk of marriage or maybe it had just been too long for him, but Kai was struggling. Of course he didn''t want a relationship with random sailors he didn''t know, even though they were looking at him for some reason. The problem was that he had other options.


    When she wasn''t working in her cabin, Omilaena helped out on deck, ignoring the water. That meant she got as soaked as the rest of them, so her dress left little to the imagination. He could ignore it with willpower while he was working, the problem was those images returning when he needed to focus alone.


    In Irun she had been worried that they''d leave her behind and he''d done his best to reassure her that they wouldn''t. But if he and Zae Zin Nim ever did start a relationship, she would be the third wheel in an uncomfortable triad. Even if Zae Zin Nim didn''t actively reject her, she would always be anxious, and honestly it felt wrong for him to think about Omilaena that way.


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    Except she wasn''t flaunting herself... sometimes she sat on the side of the ship, looking so cold and alone that he wanted to wrap her in his arms. For the first time in her life she''d actually committed to other people, and they might be leaving her.


    Eventually Kai decided that it was immature of him to keep waffling. He needed to be an adult and just commit. And yet when he spent time with Zae Zin Nim, she seemed impatient or short with him. Once they kissed and she was very sweet, he thought even hungry for more, yet she eventually pulled away. Their relationship was supposed to be moving closer together, yet he felt like she was drifting further away.


    Because of all that uncertainty, he tried to spend as much time hunting and eating monsters as possible. He returned to using Sahagin''s Soul and really tested the limits of the Savage Heart, which would temporarily create fins along his arms. When he stayed under the water for long enough, he thought he felt something gill-like emerging on his throat.


    There weren''t many direct challenges, so he tried using Thunderbird''s Wings underwater to see just how fast he could go. Now that he had six available slots - thanks to Omilaena - he could try even more combinations. When he looked at his soul, he knew he was making good progress.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 468


    Monstrous Hunger - XI (lamda)


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 53% (110)


    Savage Heart: 6 (69)


    Physique Level: D-5 (225)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VIII (theta)


    Thunderbird''s Wings - III (gamma)


    Direboar''s Strength - XI (kappa)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VIII (theta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IX (iota)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    -


    Baleful Breath - IV (delta)


    Sahagin''s Soul - IX (iota)


    Mutefang''s Stealth - X (kappa)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - V (epsilon)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - V (epsilon)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - III (gamma)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - II (beta)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Banchlain - V (epsilon)


    Slime''s Immortality - I (alpha)


    >


    He''d already jumped over the largest barrier by grasping phases, so what he needed was to just keep advancing a bit at a time. If only everything else was that easy.


    .


    ..


    .


    Sometimes Omilaena seriously considered just grabbing Kai and Zae Zin Nim and pushing them together until they fucking talked to one another. Even being shut out would be better than their thick-headed sexual tension. And yet she remained at a distance, as if that would make a difference.


    What did she really expect? That she would eventually give them enough power-enhancing injections that they would suddenly change personalities and announce that they loved her? Not likely.


    She could analyze them well enough and guessed what would happen. Zae Zin Nim would keep Kai at a distance due to her growing desire, which would hurt him a little, but he would endure because that was the sort of man he was. When Zae Zin Nim finally reached the Kama Altar, which she''d set all of her advancement hopes on, she would try to move things forward clumsily. Kai would be surprised, but of course he''d forgive, and what man would reject a woman like her?


    So technically the demons in the Commonwealth were the only thing preventing the inevitable from happening sooner. Omilaena occasionally chuckled over that. Not happily.


    Instead of worrying about emotions, Omilaena focused entirely on her research. Since her books were at too much risk from the water, she concentrated on the attributes of her abilities and their balance, which proved to be exactly the approach she''d needed.


    In her favor was the fact that there was so much overlap between her abilities - they were practically demanding to merge together. Against her was that same overlap: she''d already maintained a tight portfolio of abilities that grew tighter when she developed the Path of Venomsteel. She kept coming up with combinations whose redundancy was obvious just from their names: Heartvenom, Poison Artisan, Steelheart. Those were fantasies, not a meaningful combination of power.


    What she needed was a fundamental that connected to all of them. She considered trying a combination of just two, but everything was so entangled in her soul that it seemed a lost cause, so it was time to experiment with three.


    The question was how to properly fuse them, because she was sure she needed another ingredient. Her first attempts were all with Physique and she spent over a week drawing her own blood and rejecting every attempt. Perhaps it was the new Class energy or perhaps the fact that Heart of Poison was Elemental, but it just didn''t work. After trying countless variations, she suddenly realized that she was approaching things from the wrong angle. Physique might be the dominant form of combinations on Deadwaste, but she''d seen another combination on Rosemount - elves and their soul cultivation.


    Instead of Physique, she tried to use her Soul as the unifying principle, and something immediately emerged: an Azure Core.


    <


    Name: Omilaena


    Total Power: 849


    Heart of Poison: Level 65 (260)


    Lethal Artisan: Spinel Rank (220)


    Path of Venomsteel: Step 3 (45)


    Physique: D-5 (225)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Azure Core (+50)


    >


    Omilaena smiled as the new power settled into place. She''d managed to build a spiritual foundation underneath all her other abilities, representing her fundamental self. Maybe the color wasn''t essential, but it felt right. This was a synergy equal to anything she''d seen from the Frontier elites.


    Now she finally had the combination she needed that could carry her forward. Things would get even better when they returned to Rosemount, especially because the Primal Loom should be done with its mystical work. She had been skeptical at first, but they would be returning to the conflict transformed.


    She just hoped it would be enough.

 Chapter 329: Trouble in the Coiled Empire

    Technically Kai had been in the Coiled Empire before, but that had just been a stop on the way into the Commonwealth. This time they were landing on the end of the peninsula, in the largest city in the Empire. The large population potentially meant trouble, but it would also have an embassy for the Elven Wilds. The best plan they''d agreed upon was to catch up on Rosemount, contact old allies, and plan from there.


    The most obvious difference in the capital was that there were lamias everywhere, but that didn''t particularly surprise Kai anymore. It seemed like they wanted to put massive fancy domes on all their buildings, but otherwise it wasn''t so different from other major cities in Rosemount. Once his group got away from the docks they blended in with the chaotic mix of races.


    Zae Zin Nim wanted to use the diamond star to float above the crowds, but Omilaena insisted otherwise. Instead she took them to a street filled with rickshaws and picked one pulled by an unusually large lamia. As soon as they sat in back, she vigorously took them into the city.


    "Well, you''re a cute group!" The lamia looked back at them occasionally despite the speed at which she was slithering, smiling all the while. "You folks enjoying the city? Anything you''re looking to see?"


    After she spoke Zae Zin Nim''s eyes widened and she whispered an incredulous "Why is she talking to us?" to Omilaena, who shushed her.


    "This is why we''re here." Omilaena then raised her voice to an audible volume and cheerfully addressed the lamia. "We''re just visiting! But is it true what they say?"


    "Oh, I''m afraid so! Demons lurking all the way at the tail end of the Coiled Empire! I thought it was just rumors but my cousin works as a guard and he said they lost a whole company. But all that talk about the Empress being injured? Nonsense! People act like she was out here in public every day before, but obviously she''s got better things to do than rub scales with us."


    "That''s scary stuff," Omilaena said with exaggerated concern. "There aren''t actually demons around here in the city itself, are there?"


    "Gods, I hope not. Listen, if you want to be safe, it''s actually better to stay out of the government district. Lots of trouble there these days."


    "We have to go to the elven embassy, I''m afraid. But what else have you heard?"


    The lamia seemed eager to share gossip on any imaginable topic and Omilaena adroitly guided her to politics. As far as Kai could piece things together, the Commonwealth had officially disavowed a group of demons who attacked the Coiled Empire, but everyone believed they were actually there on an official mission. What alarmed everyone was that Matiavel had visited and there were rumors that he had fought the Empress, leaving her critically injured despite her legendary defenses. Kai was unclear on how much of this was pure rumor and whether the Empress would normally have made public appearances.


    By the time they reached the elven embassy, Kai felt like he had a basic grasp of the current political situation on Rosemount. At least until they left the rickshaw and walked in, only to find the building completely empty.


    "Could something have happened to the Council of Elders?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "I asked on the docks," Omilaena said, "and they''re still in conflict with the Commonwealth. I suppose they might have pulled back their ambassadors if the political situation became too dangerous."


    "Then what do we do? I haven''t seen a single elf in the city so far."


    "We may have to hire an independent teleporter. It''s expensive and wouldn''t be as private, but in theory we should be able to find someone in a city this large."


    Since the embassy seemed to be completely abandoned, the three of them turned around to go. Only to spot cloaked lamias rushing at them, and then suddenly magic took hold of them. It was completely different from elven winds, instead a coiling power that Kai had just started to resist before their whole group disappeared.


    They emerged in the wilderness with lamias surrounding them. Even during the attack Kai''s group had shifted to have their backs to one another and the teleportation hadn''t ruined their formation, so Kai formed claws and prepared for a fight. These lamias were reasonably strong, with Power of 500 or more, and he tried to examine one of them more closely...


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    Only to be interrupted by a lamia stepping forward and dropping his sword.


    "Forgive us for contacting you this way, but we needed a secure location." The others hadn''t disarmed themselves, but the leader approached with arms raised passively. "Please listen first."


    "Why did you ambush us?" Kai demanded.


    "It wasn''t our original plan. Listen to me... the demons struck the elven embassy last month and the elves evacuated their most valuable ambassadors. We''ve been watching it ever since, wondering if they would try again. But when we saw you come here... aren''t you the foreigners who used to work for the Council of Elders?"


    Kai let his arms relax, but he still wasn''t sure what to make of the situation. When he glanced to Omilaena, she spoke up for them. "Weren''t we officially disavowed?"


    "Maybe publicly, but word is that it was because of pressure from Cloudspire." The lamia shook his head. "Look, I''m not an expert in all of that. But this is a delicate situation and we had to approach you. We assume you came back to contact the elves?"


    "Does it matter what we answer?"


    "We can make contact despite the evacuation. However... we''d like to hire you first."


    "We aren''t mercenaries," Zae Zin Nim said flatly.


    "Please listen!" The lamia wasn''t sweating but he looked anxious and Kai wondered if his career was riding on this. "The Coiled Empire has always taken care of its own problems, but these demons are too good at evading us. We can''t keep allowing them to strike internally and we can''t catch them either. So we need you to help us the way you helped the elves."


    Even though Kai wasn''t aware of the full political situation, he thought this man was telling the truth. He looked to Omilaena in case there was an obvious political trap he was missing and she simply looked thoughtful. Zae Zin Nim shrugged, as if to say she didn''t care, but she also made an equivocal hand motion. Most likely the other two were thinking that if the Coiled Empire wasn''t trying to use them as pawns, it would be good to have another power on Rosemount in their debt.


    "We''re willing to listen," Omilaena said eventually. "What do you want us to do?"


    "The demons are trying to assassinate important members of the Empire, from lesser royalty to important merchants," the lamia said. "If you agree to help, we''ll arrange for a lower-ranked princess to try to evacuate with a believably small guard. You can follow them secretly and counter-ambush the demons when they strike."


    "That seems like a sound plan in theory, but are you so sure they''ll actually attack? We don''t have time to follow caravans for weeks until one finally get ambushed."


    "We may not be able to intercept the demons, but we have learned much about how they operate. If we set up a rich enough target for them, we''re sure they''ll attack. You won''t even have to wait long. But we need your pledge to keep this completely secret, because relying on outsiders would be a great shame for us."


    Zae Zin Nim slid her hands into her sleeves and considered. "And in return?"


    "Aside from our gratitude and transportation to the Elven Wilds or wherever you want to go... would a payment be enough? We could give you rich chakra sources to enhance your strength."


    "Hmm, what about the Coiled Vault?" Omilaena asked.


    The lamia drew himself up higher, which was impressive given how far he could rise on his tail. "We''re asking you to help us with a problem, not save the Empire! Be reasonable."


    They discussed it amongst themselves for a while, but the logic seemed clear enough to Kai. The lamias could clearly control access to the elves and it would be a huge problem to try to force their way through the Coiled Empire or sail somewhere else. Considering that there were few demons on the continent and they were consistently the aggressors, Kai didn''t see how they could be used against someone they wouldn''t be fighting anyway.


    So in the end they agreed and were escorted to another wilderness location. So far the lamia guards had learned that there were four attackers: three demonic arts users and one true demon. Allegedly the last was one of Matiavel''s disciples and rumored to be extremely dangerous, having killed an important member of the royal guard in a past conflict.


    It seemed like the lamias were nervous about confronting these demons and Kai wondered if they were trying to push off a deadly problem on them. Zae Zin Nim only seemed to care about whether the reward would be worth the time and effort involved. Omilaena remained quiet, examining the lamias and keeping her thoughts to herself.


    The ambush was set up within a couple days while the three of them were put up in a luxurious - but very remote - inn. Then it was finally time for them to head out and, theoretically, intercept a demon ambush.


    When they were finally sent out to the remote road, everything was as they''d been promised. There was a palanquin moving down the road from the city, with a half dozen guards of around 400 Power. Strong enough to protect against most threats, but basically just prey to the top demons. If the person in the palanquin was really such a tempting target, then maybe the counter-ambush would work.


    They followed the palanquin for half a day without anything happening. Omilaena watched it with an odd expression the entire time before she finally pulled Kai aside.


    "There''s something they''re not telling us," she said.


    "You think they''re setting us up?" Kai asked.


    "Likely not that." Omilaena pulled on her goggles and examined the palanquin again. "It''s remotely possible that they just need to have all their strongest warriors accounted for in order to lure out the demons. But that palanquin is far more fortified than it needs to be... I can sense one lamia inside, presumably the princess, but I can''t escape the feeling..."


    "Enough talk!" Zae Zin Nim leapt beside them and gestured brusquely. "The demons are here."


    In that moment Kai saw the demon strike force rush out of the hills, sweeping down on their target.

 Chapter 330: Lamia Counter-Ambush

    Their trio had been positioned close to the palanquin, but they couldn''t stick too close or they would have been suspicious to anyone watching. Unfortunately, they''d been further away when the demons attacked, so they wouldn''t be fast enough to intercept them even at top speed.


    That gave Kai time to examine the demons as they attacked the caravan guards. There were three demonic arts users with between 600 and 700 Power, then a true demon with more than 900. She wore the usual black uniform with an added purple cape that trailed behind her. They were all using effective shrouds, so he couldn''t pierce through to get more information.


    Yet there was something strange about their attack... instead of taking out the guards immediately, which they should have been able to do, they split up. A single demonic arts user began hurling chakra blades, as if trying to take on all six guards herself, while the others gathered together. Two of them generated a bow that looked like it was made of blood and the true demon built up a truly dangerous blood arrow that targeted the palanquin.


    It would have struck, and likely torn through, if one of the guard lamias hadn''t thrown herself in the way of the arrow. Her body was barely enough to deflect it from the palanquin and she fell dead.


    That conflict gave Kai and his allies time to arrive - Kai''s fears of a triple-cross were relieved when he saw the demons panic. They retreated from the guards and Kai very nearly caught them all with Baleful Breath.


    An instant later the true demon burst through it, her cape wrapped around her like a defensive aura. It was burning away, but it managed to defend her against his breath. He didn''t have time to react and she caught him in the chest with a long silver spear.


    He would have been grievously injured if Zae Zin Nim hadn''t stepped in, knocking the spear aside with one palm and threatening the demon with her other hand. The demon didn''t hesitate for a second, spinning the spear in a defensive motion as if prepared to fight them both. They could have taken her with Omilaena, but she seemed to be dealing with the demonic arts users.


    Kai fought with Zae Zin Nim and they managed to push the demoness back... yet he still felt a sense of disquiet. She was preparing something, gathering together energy for an attack he hadn''t seen yet. It occurred to him that none of her techniques against them had been similar to the initial blood arrow, which had felt more dangerous.


    When the demon suddenly manifested a blood spear to match the silver one, Kai realized what it was: a half-phase of her own. Not enough to be instantly lethal like Matiavel, but still extremely dangerous. Anyone, even without phase training, would recognize the threat and hold back.


    Unless they had just spent months training with defensive phases. Kai took the blood spear head on and saw the demon''s eyes widen in surprise when Kai blunted her blow. The spear shattered against his side and probably broke a rib, but it didn''t kill him and he saw the demoness flinch before reacting.


    Zae Zin Nim struck the next second with a palm to the stomach that sent the demoness hurtling backward. Kai pushed through the pain and they tried to finish her off, but the demoness was experienced enough to realize she didn''t have the advantage and retreated to a safe distance.


    As soon as he had a moment to think, Kai glanced over his shoulder. He''d expected Omilaena to have finished off the demonic arts users, but instead she was nowhere to be seen. The other three enemies were creating another joint bow technique, not as powerful as their leader''s but still dangerous. Before he could act, the bloody arrow streaked out and tore through the palanquin.


    A lamia leapt out of its path just in time. She was one of the largest Kai had seen and definitely powerful, except she had a hideous burn scar across her stomach and the upper part of her tail. None of that meant anything to Kai... but he saw Omilaena watching from a distance and she narrowed her eyes as if something had just been revealed.


    "Stop them!" The lamia cried out in a commanding voice and her surviving guards leapt to obey.


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    Since nothing he''d seen changed the basic dynamics of the fight, Kai leapt in to try to help the guards, since they didn''t have much of a chance. Omilaena got there first, injecting a demonic arts user with a syringe from behind. When she brought him down she looked up to Kai and Zae Zin Nim grimly.


    "We have to make this work," she hissed, then leapt off to intercept the true demon.


    Kai and Zae Zin Nim attacked the demonic arts users to drive them back. When they took down one in their first strikes, the other fled, racing down the road toward the wilderness.


    Except the massive lamia made a gesture first and three tails of earth tore from out of the ground. The first wrapped around the demonic arts user''s leg, a second punched through his chest, and a larger third wrapped around his entire body to crush him to death. Clearly this lamia was powerful, yet oddly hesitant...


    Suddenly two lamia bodies flew toward her, both decapitated. Despite Omilaena joining in, the true demon had killed off the guards and hurled them toward the lamia they were supposed to be defending. She fell back, coughing painfully as if from some illness. Kai instinctively moved toward her to intercept future attacks.


    As he got close, he realized just how large this lamia was. Her tail was much thicker than his chest and her entire body grown proportionately, so her human upper half was half again the size of an average woman. There was nothing about her clothing to mark her as different, but as soon as he got close, Kai realized that he was standing next to someone with real power.


    "Don''t worry about me," she said between coughs. "Kill the leader!"


    There was no sense trying to figure out all the details while there was still a fight going on. Kai and Zae Zin Nim leapt to help Omilaena, who was struggling against the lead demon. Once they joined together the tide turned and they began forcing the demoness back. Even outnumbered, she didn''t try to flee.


    Somehow the demoness managed to summon another blood spear, humming with a half-phase of destruction. Kai immediately put himself in front of the others, ready to take the blow. When the demoness saw that he''d already partially healed from the previous impact, she narrowed her eyes and hurled the spear like a javelin.


    He tried to intercept, but the weapon turned in midair, arcing around them toward the lamia. Kai was too slow to catch up, but Zae Zin Nim flitted in gracefully and kicked it away.


    Instantly the demoness was on him again, driving her silver spear toward his heart. Kai just managed to catch the haft, but she pushed forward - the barbs on the shaft of the spear cut his hands and the tip had started to pierce his chest. She wasn''t trying to use her half-phase technique anymore, just using raw strength to overpower him.


    Omilaena struck from the side, fingernails flashing as they cut the demon''s arm multiple times. She tried to pull away with her spear, but Kai manifested claws with the Savage Heart and held on. Using his claws the barbs couldn''t cut him, so the demoness had to abandon her weapon to escape.


    "Did you get her?" Kai asked as he broke the spear in half over one knee.. The wound in his chest ached and Behemoth''s Heart would need time to fully restore it.


    "Not quite." Omilaena grimly looked at the demoness, who had fallen back but wasn''t overwhelmed by the poison on her fingernails.


    "Didn''t you study poison phases?" Zae Zin Nim glided in with a frown.


    "Understanding the principle isn''t the same as doing it in a battle like this! Just don''t let her escape."


    It didn''t look like the demoness had any plans to escape: she''d used the moment''s break to form two blood spears, which she now spun around her with unnatural skill. When they moved to fight her, she proved extremely adept at fending off multiple opponents, especially because they couldn''t take her blood spears lightly.


    Still, she couldn''t overwhelm three opponents approaching her strength. Kai focused on using Tyrant''s Claw and Baleful Breath to keep her on the defensive, moving and potentially exposing weaknesses. Omilaena managed to hit her in the leg with a needle and the demoness shrugged it off, apparently not even noticing the minor injury.


    She should have taken it more seriously. This time Omilaena had successfully compressed her poison to a more powerful phase, so it was working through the demon''s body despite all her defenses. By the time she realized that it was harming her, it was too late.


    Kai ripped apart one of her spears with Tyrant''s Claw, opening her up to Zae Zin Nim''s palm strike. The demoness staggered back and fell to one knee. She might not have taken internal injuries, but Kai could feel her weaken as the poison continued spreading through her. When Kai finished her off it was almost a mercy.


    All of the lamia guards had died in the fight, leaving only the supposed princess they were supposed to be protecting. She hadn''t taken action or attempted to run, simply watching them from beside the destroyed palanquin. When they turned to her, she coughed another time and then spoke.


    "Please bring the demons'' bodies to me."


    "Why should we?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "There''s something here that you haven''t explained to us."


    "You have no idea." Omilaena moved ahead of them and then twirled in an over-elaborate bow that ended with both hands gesturing to the lamia. "You''re standing in the presence of the Empress of the Coiled Empire."

 Chapter 331: The Consequences of a Battle Between Great Powers

    The Empress stood proudly, her human upper body upright and her tail coiled around her, despite the obvious injuries. She had been coughing earlier but now remained serene, Kai assumed with pure willpower. When Omilaena walked up to her, the lamia looked down with grim eyes.


    "Empress Kormoullia, isn''t that right?" Omilaena smiled and ambled closer, enjoying her advantage. "I confess, I didn''t expect that we''d been hired to protect someone so important. How brave and selfless of you, taking the place of one of your princesses."


    "Do not mock me, human." Empress Kormoullia drew back further. "We may not have given you all the information, but we didn''t treat falsely with you."


    Was the Empress actually anxious? Kai had a hard time believing that they could threaten one of the four great powers of Rosemount, but in her current state she might be vulnerable. She had some sort of elaborate shroud, but when she was overcome by another coughing fit, Kai caught a glimpse of her soul.


    <


    Name: Empress Kormoullia


    Total Power: 1769


    Scarmiglione''s Pillar: Level 11 (275)


    Lamia Essence: 586 (586)


    Physique Level: A-1 (808)


    Soul Level: 10 (100)


    >


    With 1769 Power she was one of the strongest people he''d seen, yet he still sensed a hint of weakness. Unlike Matiavel and Windlord, she didn''t possess a single ability of overwhelming strength, instead depending on Lamia Essence and Physique combined. That last was particularly disappointing: her rank was A-1, yet it only granted her 808 Power. That was more than his entire soul, yes... but shouldn''t it have been more?


    "Relax, Empress." Omilaena stepped back and spoke marginally more respectfully. "We agreed because we want to help, but we can help more if you''re honest with us."


    "You did volunteer without any payment." Empress Kormoullia drew back into a more settled position and spoke in a regal voice. "I fear the rumors are true. Matiavel and I met regarding the conflict in the north, but he was more duplicitous than I''d believed. He''d hoped to kill me in an instant, like he killed all his other opponents, but he failed."


    She gestured to the burns across her body, which looked even worse up close. Kai presumed that the conflict had gone like the elites predicted: Matiavel used his destructive phase, Kormoullia used her defensive phase, and the result was a severe injury instead of instant death. Most people on the continent wouldn''t understand that, though, since they only knew these as god abilities.


    "I dealt him a serious injury too, but the greater blow is to his reputation." Empress Kormoullia shook her massive head slowly. "Neither of us can acknowledge the battle because it would mean that we failed. Matiavel left demons behind, hoping that they could finish me off, then he could claim that he killed me. I''m remaining hidden while I recover, then I can reveal I survived his attack."


    "So this was about positioning," Omilaena said. "You use unknown outsiders to fix your problem, send them off under false pretenses, and... claim to have won yourself, I assume?"


    "You assume correctly. Note that we dealt fairly with you: you would have been rewarded and sent on to the elves. The fact that you learned the truth does not need to interfere with our deal... I sincerely hope that you do not intend to attempt to blackmail me."


    Zae Zin Nim frowned as though she had been considering exactly that, but Omilaena waved the idea away with one hand and laughed. "Please! Your gratitude is worth more to us than a little petty blackmail. What can we do to help your ruse?"


    While Kai prepared the bodies of the guards who had given their lives for their Empress, Zae Zin Nim gathered the demonic arts users and Omilaena injected the demoness corpse with something to make the poison less obvious. Apparently the plan was for Kormoullia to use some sort of illusion to hide her injury and return to the city having personally defeated the demonic invaders. Omilaena offered her an injection that would make her look more revitalized and was firmly refused.


    Letting the Empress take credit didn''t bother Kai at all - that was just politics. He was more interested in the fact that they had now killed two of the true demons in the Commonwealth. Matiavel had arrived with thirty demons and he''d lost several in the battle in Traeton, but Kai and his allies were actually one of the major threats undermining his forces.


    Or maybe not: Matiavel the Destroyer intended to stand completely alone based on his own power. The others were just tools to secure a supreme position.


    Before they finished, more lamias were finally arriving via teleportation. Apparently they had tried to ambush the demon strike force that way before and failed, which was why they had been driven to desperation. Now they rushed to stand guard, and some moved to help the Empress, but she brushed them aside to focus on the three foreigners.


    "You''ve done the Coiled Empire a great service," Empress Kormoullia said. "Provided that you never speak of this to outsiders, we will owe you a debt. In time, we can take you to the elves. But for now, everything that happened here must remain a secret. Let us offer you a small reward to help you recover."


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    "We live to serve," Omilaena said with a grin. "What do you have to offer?"


    "You will be taken to the royal retreat for security. I see that all of you use chakra, in one form or another. We can grant you rich chakra as support... for the women, you will be allowed to bathe in the purifying chakra pools. We have less for you, follower of the Savage Creed, but we can provide a feast of sacred beast meat that should strengthen you."


    That was more than Kai had planned to get from the Coiled Empire, so he nodded agreeably. Truthfully, he could use the rest. Even though he''d survived the blows, focusing on a defensive half-phase had been more mentally draining than he expected. He definitely needed more practice before he even thought about getting near Matiavel again.


    When they were teleported to the royal retreat he remained tense at first, wondering if the lamias wouldn''t prefer to just eliminate a loose end. But they weren''t so weak that the forces of Rosemount could just terminate them anymore, so gradually he relaxed enough to let the women separate for their special bath.


    Time for a feast. Not his usual fare, but he was still hungry.


    .


    ..


    .


    After a night of rest, Zae Zin Nim was allowed to enter the royal pools. She had to first purify herself with water and chakra in an outer chamber, then she was given a snowy white robe and invited inside. The inner chamber was lowly lit, mostly by a glowing pool. It wasn''t qi, but she admired the mature yin energy.


    It would have been very peaceful if Omilaena hadn''t sauntered in from another door. She was wearing a white robe as well, but she''d managed to tighten hers around her waist and hips.


    "Apparently the royal women of the Coiled Empire come here when they have trouble conceiving." Omilaena moved nearby, almost touching her. "Somehow I don''t think either of us is interested in that right now, but the chakra should be good for you."


    "I will bathe later," Zae Zin Nim said. She turned around, but Omilaena moved to intercept her.


    "Come on, do you still trust me so little? I don''t know about your specific region, but I know you have open baths on Cloudspire. What''s wrong with two women bathing together?"


    "It''s not that I don''t trust you, it''s that I know you. And the types of things you want."


    Omilaena put a hand on her hip. "Oh, like you haven''t stared at me. You''re worse than Kai. But I''m not suggesting anything now, I just want to relax together."


    "That... would not be appropriate." Zae Zin Nim retreated to wait for her turn, ignoring the disappointed sigh behind her.


    That should have been an easy decision, and indeed she hadn''t hesitated, and yet... for once she didn''t feel like Omilaena was lurking as a predator. Maybe she really had just wanted to relax. But if it would be inappropriate to relax with Kai, it was just as inappropriate with someone like Omilaena.


    What she said was... was irrelevant. Zae Zin Nim retreated to cultivate and not think about the other woman until it was her turn.


    .


    ..


    .


    When they''d promised a feast for the Savage Heart, they hadn''t been kidding. Kai had wondered what kind of feast took an entire day until they set him down in front of a massive table filled with more meat than he''d ever seen in one place. Several dishes were arranged around the heads of massive creatures, but all the finer cuts he couldn''t even identify.


    There were no other chairs, so apparently he was eating alone. That felt a little lonely, but the women had their own work to do, so Kai tucked in. Instead he focused on the sacred beast meat... it was definitely full of chakra, but he couldn''t absorb any deeper essence. Then again, how likely was it that his hunger could extract anything from meat that had been so thoroughly prepared?


    The meal was both powerful and delicious, but he didn''t have much time to enjoy it. A lamia serving woman slithered in to replace one finished dish and shot him a smile that he thought was flirtatious. Several women of multiple species entered and began playing harp-like instruments, while a human woman stepped behind him and began massaging his shoulders.


    "No one else can know what you did," she whispered into his ear, "but we know you''ve done a great service to our Empress. The Coiled Empire thanks you."


    "Uh... you''re welcome." Kai kept eating and tried not to squirm at the skillful fingers kneading his back. It definitely felt like she was using some sort of chakra to relax him.


    "Mm, so tense. The chosen of the Empress have noted that you''re much stronger than you appear at first glance. We''ve always dismissed the Savage Creed as a lesser ability, but you show its true potential. If you''re willing to remain and teach some of our own warriors, you''d be well-rewarded."


    "You''re trying to recruit me?"


    "It would be a better life... and a challenging life." The masseuse''s fingers dug deeper, massaging away the aches from his injuries. "I can tell that wealth and luxury don''t move you, though you''d have them here. If you serve the Empress, you''d have all the power you want to see just how far you can grow. There are a number of the royal guards who want a shot at sparring with you."


    Kai continued eating, simultaneously comfortable and uncomfortable. He was tensing up under the woman''s obvious appeal and she was skilled enough to soothe away that tension. Unfortunately, he couldn''t deny that he was responding to the touch.


    "It''s your decision, of course. There''s no need to decide soon." She leaned closer to him, brushing against his back as she breathed over his shoulder. "But as a little taste... everyone here is here for you. Coils, legs, or both... it''s your choice."


    Immediately a vision leapt into his mind, but Kai recoiled from it. Too close to the loveless encounters he still remembered. And though all the women in the room were attractive, he hated the idea of them being thrown at him like rewards. They''d all pretend to care, and parts of him were stupid enough to be fooled, but in his heart he''d always know it was fake.


    The masseuse recognized his reaction and eased off, leaving him to eat in peace. Her offer made it very hard for Kai to enjoy the meal or the music, though.


    How much had he eaten? His stomach felt completely bottomless even though he''d eaten just fine on the ocean voyage and during the ambush preparations. Maybe he was eating to try to fill a hunger that couldn''t be sated... or to distract himself from a different sort of hunger.


    When the doors to the chamber opened Kai saw a beautiful elf and winced instinctively. Of course they were throwing more options at him. She was certainly good-looking, with classical elven features except for... a face lined with long silver scars?


    "Ceryyn." Kai stood up abruptly, scaring one of the serving lamias. "Thank fuck it''s you."


    "Uh, I''m glad to see you too." Ceryyn seemed a bit baffled at his reaction and completely oblivious to the atmosphere in the room. As she moved closer to him, he realized how anxious she was. "I came as soon as they told us, and I wish I''d known sooner."


    "What''s wrong?"


    "That depends. If you want to come back to the Wilds and receive your rewards from the Primal Loom, we''ll give you everything you''re owed. But if you''re willing to help us... we need it. Things are so much more complex than you know."

 Chapter 332: A Continent Tilting Toward Chaos

    Once Kai was reunited with his allies and standing in Sandflower City, he felt much more truly relaxed. He didn''t want to push and look suspicious, but as far as he could tell, Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena had been given an empowering bath with no strings attached. It was rare that anyone saw his potential compared to theirs... hopefully it wouldn''t happen like that in the future.


    It had been good to meet Ceryyn again, but she didn''t seem to be interested in what they''d done on Deadwaste aside from the fact that they were stronger. Conditions in the Elven Wilds had clearly deteriorated, so he understood why she would want to talk about their current problems.


    They''d been returned to their old rooms in the city and only had one day for recovery before Ceryyn met with them. Based on her expression, there was only time for business now.


    "Oh, so much has happened that I hardly know where to begin." Ceryyn shifted uncomfortably in her seat before apparently deciding. "You remember the school we had established? It was rebuilt and got under way... things might have been so different if you had been here, but... well..."


    "Pick one thing at a time," Zae Zin Nim said. "What happened?"


    "In one sense it was extremely successful. We built up allies who destroyed enormous numbers of obelisks, so the Commonwealth doesn''t have a strong defense. However... some groups also investigated the Flaeren Dominion to check on their developments. There was nothing malicious intended, I assure you! But... well..."


    "Fuck." Omilaena rubbed her eyes. "I''m guessing that they got caught and the Dominion blamed you?"


    "Unfortunately that''s true." Ceryyn sighed heavily. "If everyone was united against the demons in the Commonwealth, we could have held things stable, but now the Dominion is convinced we''re trying to take advantage of the chaos. As soon as we turned against one another, it gave the Commonwealth openings to be more aggressive.


    "Our embassy in the Coiled Empire was attacked, most likely to prevent us from building relationships with them. I understand that the Empress finally took out the demon attackers... do you think there''s any chance that she''d join us to fight Matiavel?"


    Kai glanced at the others and they silently acknowledged that this wasn''t the place to reveal the Coiled Empire''s secret, so he simply answered, "She doesn''t like him either, but I don''t think it''s likely."


    "Oh, then things are even worse." Ceryyn dropped back into her seat. "Right now the Commonwealth is pretending to be neutral, but they''re pursuing a policy of destabilization. Always pushing, unsettling everything, trying to get advantages. The worst is that they just stole a royal egg from the lizardkin queen - they aren''t a major power, but they''re a player between the Empire and the Dominion. If they cause chaos, both will be weakened."


    That was more politics than Kai could handle, so he said nothing. Zae Zin Nim had a more focused question: "You think this all comes down to Matiavel?"


    "That''s what the Council of Elders thinks. The Commonwealth has been ruled by lots of warlords, but they usually want wealth and power in a general sense. Matiavel cares only about his personal power and thus he''s willing to destroy anything to get it."


    "And what can we do about that?"


    "We certainly don''t expect you to fight Matiavel!" Ceryyn said. "But a group like yours could really help keep things stable... if you''re willing to go back to the Commonwealth. That''s risky for you, I know. At least there''s been no sign of that Cloudspire sect or any other foreign interference."


    But they''d be returning to demons who had chased after them not long ago. Kai doubted that Gorutiel would care, he might even find it funny, but Lilaetiel and Troulon might have stronger feelings. Then again, some of their goals were still in the Commonwealth...


    "What are you asking us to do?" Kai asked for all three of them.


    "Right now the Commonwealth is too peaceful," Ceryyn said, "which means Matiavel can turn all his resources toward dominating Crescilor or smaller powers. If any of the great powers interfere, he''ll retaliate, but standing by means he just keeps tightening his grip. We need someone to get in there and... disrupt things a little."


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    Omilaena snorted. "Won''t we be immediately tied to you?"


    "No one will know while you escape detection, and even after you''re identified, we can deny involvement. But ultimately... the Council of Elders is prepared to fight the Commonwealth if they retaliate. Someone has to fight the demons eventually. Let me also be perfect honest with you: because you have a history there, you could distract a lot of the demons. If they''re coming after you, that will hamper Matiavel''s efforts to destabilize everyone else."


    "Surely you don''t want us to go there just as a distraction," Kai said.


    "Of course not!" Ceryyn unrolled a map and set it on the table with a bit of her old cheerfulness. "You remember the lizardkin queen''s egg I mentioned? Our spies have discovered that it''s going to be exchanged exactly here. We don''t know who the demons are exchanging it with... not the lizardkin. That means it''s probably one of their enemies, or even a group they intend to frame for stealing it. We need someone to stop that exchange from happening."


    "You can''t do that yourselves?"


    "We were debating whether or not it was worth the risk when we heard you''d returned. Fortunately, it''s still a few weeks until the time of the exchange because the demons are involved in some sort of internal struggle. But you''d need to make the decision soon, because you need time to prepare and get into position."


    They all glanced at one another and Ceryyn quickly took her map and stood.


    "I know we''re asking a lot. I''ll give you time to discuss it."


    Once she had stepped out, the three of them moved closer together. Sitting like this to discuss strategy, Kai had absolutely no doubts about their goals or alliance. If only everything between the three of them was equally united.


    "It''s a hell of a risk," Omilaena began. "We''ll be in enemy territory and painting a target on our backs."


    "But not for Matiavel or other great powers," Zae Zin Nim pointed out. "We''re specifically trying to deal with the distractions."


    "Assuming that politics don''t escalate the way they did before. It''d be very easy to get pulled into a larger conflict and it might not go as well this time."


    "Even I wouldn''t argue we do this solely to help the elves," Kai said. "The question is: do we have good reasons to go back to the Commonwealth? I''d like more training with the Savage Creed, sure, but that doesn''t seem possible if we''re being pursued. I''m not saying I''m opposed to going, either, but will it be worth the risk?"


    "We need to go to the Kama Altar," Zae Zin Nim said insistently. "That will allow me to use the chakra I''ve spent so long building."


    "There are other altars and other options," Omilaena pointed out, strangely reserved. "But if you have your heart set on that, this might be our best chance. It''s not like we can get into the Commonwealth easily without allies to get us there."


    There seemed to be something odd between the two women and Kai wasn''t going to be the one to figure it out. "I''d support you if you wanted to go," he said. "But it doesn''t sound like we have a lot of time. What can we do to prepare?"


    "We absolutely need to visit the Primal Loom. That''s the single easiest boost available to us."


    "What about the Inverted Oasis?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "Do you want to go back and talk to them?"


    The question made him hesitate, since it brought up a lot of old thoughts. There had been no way to capture the techniques of the great wall to bring to the local elites, but he thought that the phase training might be enough to get their interest. Assuming they didn''t know about them, he could teach them the basics of power compression and earn their favor. The problem was just how long it might take...


    Eventually Kai sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "If we had more time, I''d love to go there, train with them, maybe even explore the abyss. But the truth is that we can''t guarantee we can impress them and I don''t know that we can justify taking the time. Things are getting pretty complex and it sounds like they''re only going to get worse."


    "Then I guess it''s settled." Omilaena stood up with an air of finality. "It''s best not to leave enemies alive behind us, anyway. We''ll do the elves'' dirty work and maybe finish off some of the demons at the same time. The risk is real, but if we make it out alive together we''ll be stronger for it."


    They went to find Ceryyn, but she turned out to be waiting nervously outside. When they told her they''d accepted, she hugged them all before running off to tell the local council. It only took the elves another day after that to confirm intelligence, make final arrangements, and brief them on the overall situation in the Commonwealth.


    Kai tried to memorize everything just in case he needed to make critical decisions or lead the group, but he was mostly depending on Omilaena to grasp all the nuances. He spent more time thinking about the elven glamours, particularly at Earth tier or higher. After all his training at the Frontier, he recognized that they were something called a "presence phase" that compressed soul forces into a form so powerful that it could be weaponized. His half-phase left him with a more neutral perspective: they were all attractive, but not transcendent.


    But no matter the details, there was one thing they knew they had to do before they left: visit the Primal Loom and gather the power that had been building there for nearly a year. Kai was wary of discovering what fate had in store for him, but his heart still sped up as they descended into the depths.

 Chapter 333: The Gifts of the Primal Loom

    The second journey down to the Primal Loom was much less ominous than the first, yet Kai still felt the weight of its presence. Insanity or not, the Loom represented an immense amount of power, the culmination of generations of work by the elves. He''d basically forgotten about it while on Deadwaste, but it had spent months preparing the essence they''d granted for some sort of new power.


    Whatever it was, Omilaena thought it was worth it. Of course, given how much they talked about the "threads of fate" Kai was fairly confident things wouldn''t go well for him. Maybe the Primal Loom would come alive and attack him so he could eat it.


    When they reached the bottom chamber, the same robed elder greeted them. "Welcome to the Primal Loom," he told them. "It is time to receive your gifts. There is no telling what the Loom might weave for you, but I guarantee that you will not find finer in the entire world."


    "No trouble with our essences?" Omilaena asked.


    "It has had more than enough time to grow. Please step this way."


    There were spindles floating in the air in one shadowy recess of the room - only six spindles including theirs, which meant that even the elves weren''t getting much clothing from the Primal Loom. Kai knew exactly which one was his: one of the spindles was radiating an ominous hunger. The threads surrounding it were an ugly black and gray mix, but when he picked it up the power hummed in his hand.


    "What''s this?" Omilaena gestured with her spindle, which was surrounded by odd blue rocky strings.


    "The Primal Loom can weave more than simple textiles," the elder said. "I cannot guess the exact result, but it is certain to be formed from a different material. Likely gemstones of some sort."


    "Hmm. I suppose that''s for the best."


    Meanwhile Zae Zin Nim had quietly picked up her spindle, which was surrounded by elegant white thread. She seemed pleased enough with it and Kai could feel the intense qi even from where he stood. The elder drew them all out of the recess to the center before speaking again. He stood with his back to the central dais and the Primal Loom stretching behind him.


    "Each of you must step into the loom, raise your spindle aloft, and let the threads of fate weave themselves." The elder gestured to an even older elf standing nearby. "We cannot assist in the process of creation, but the Weaver has spent a lifetime studying the Loom''s work. She will be able to tell you the capabilities of your results." The old woman bowed and then both elves gestured them to the center.


    They all looked at each other briefly before Omilaena nodded to Zae Zin Nim. She walked toward the Primal Loom, hesitated at the spiritual threads moving around its spines, and then stepped inside. Immediately Kai saw her eyes widen and the spindle in her hands began to glow. It spun rapidly, its energy spiraling into the air, twisting and forming something new.


    The spindle clattered to the ground because Zae Zin Nim had released it, instead reaching out toward the result. When her fingers touched the energy it fully resolved into a long pale cloth, white as pearl - or perhaps jade. Zae Zin Nim smiled and then tied it around her waist, where it seemed to fit perfectly with the ends hanging down in front of her. As soon as she pulled it tight, her qi surged more powerfully within her dantian.


    "The Primal Loom has brought forth the Heavenly Sash!" the old woman pronounced. "It purifies itself and its wearer, but I sense that its greatest strength lies in its qi. It will resonate strongly with your cultivation, growing along with you."


    Zae Zin Nim descended, looking over herself. "It''s an improvement of 10%," she marveled.


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    Could she actually mean that the sash multiplied her cultivation by 10%? If that remained constant, it was an incredible improvement. She likely would have worn something so powerful even if it was hideous, but it suited her remarkably well. It would match with simple clothing without being outshone by expensive robes. When she glanced toward him, Kai gave her an encouraging nod.


    "Then I guess it''s my turn next." Omilaena took her jeweled spindle into the Primal Loom and raised it overhead.


    This time the energy flowed more chaotically, seeming to coalesce into several different shapes. As it grew denser, Kai realized that the rocky string was actually sapphires, almost glowing with chakra as they took on new forms. Omilaena laughed and grabbed them out of the air, leaving him confused about what they actually were until she put them on.


    First there were two sapphire earrings, which Omilaena stabbed through her ears despite not having worn earrings earlier. A medium-sized form turned out to be a choker that fit around her neck perfectly. The largest fragment of the power he''d seen was a long necklace with a sapphire pendant that nestled in her cleavage. Omilaena looked extremely pleased even before the Weaver spoke up.


    "The Primal Loom has brought forth the Prana Jewels! They resonate with your Heart of Poison and will strengthen it, but its greatest potential lies in its nature. With these jewels, you will be able to absorb poisons of any strength, whether for alchemy or to cure the poisoned."


    "And they look lovely." Omilaena toyed with her new necklace as she stepped down, admiring the sapphires. "I was worried about how much of a sense of aesthetics a loom could have, but this will work just fine."


    Now it was his turn, so he had no choice but to step up and see what happened. Kai walked into the Primal Loom and almost gasped as he felt the spiritual strings run through him. It was as if something was reaching directly into his soul, yet it never touched his mind. He''d hoped there would be a moment where he could shape the result, but his spindle was already burning with power.


    Some sort of dark cloth was forming, but he couldn''t tell what it was. Kai let go of the empty spindle and reached out to grab the glowing result, then to his surprise the cloth seemed to wrap around his wrist. It pushed against his tunic, apparently consuming it as the new cloth traveled over his chest. The fabric grew around his body and for a moment he was convinced that it was going to try to suffocate him, but in the end it resolved as pants and shirt with a mantle over them.


    "This..." The Weaver looked taken aback for the first time, but she cleared her throat and continued. "The Primal Loom has brought forth the... Beggar King''s Rags. They will grant a small amount of Physique and conform to the wearer. Other than repairing themselves, they seem to have no other capabilities."


    "Stupid loom," Omilaena said.


    The elder regarded her severely. "The Primal Loom sees all of fate and decides-"


    "Clearly it has blind spots," Zae Zin Nim interrupted. She marched past the startled elder to look over Kai. "I suppose it could be worse."


    "Fate screwed up this time," Kai said with a smile. "These are damn comfortable, and did you hear about repairing themselves? I won''t have to spend half our budget on clothes."


    "That is what you expect men to do," Omilaena said with a roll of her eyes. "Always throwing away money on clothes."


    Zae Zin Nim considered and then nodded. "At least you won''t be unclothed. It''s suitable... for a barbarian."


    Kai smiled and went to join them. The elders seemed displeased by their irreverence and were eager to usher them away from the Primal Loom, and he wasn''t about to make trouble. He hadn''t been lying with his reaction, because he thought these would actually be convenient. It wasn''t just that they fit him perfectly, they seemed to shift along with his body, so he didn''t think they would be destroyed by the Savage Heart transformations.


    And there was one more benefit he couldn''t mention out loud: his Monstrous Hunger had been stuck at Lambda rank for ages, but the instant the cloth touched him, it had leapt up to Mu. It wasn''t a temporary upgrade, either, it was as if the cloth had unlocked new hunger within him.


    With their new garments wrapped around them, they were stronger than ever and ready to throw themselves into chaos. Kai had hoped to talk to Ceryyn one last time, but she seemed to be busy with other elven business. There was so much going on that their suicide run into the Commonwealth was only one piece of the overall picture.


    Once they had spatial items filled with the supplies they''d need, including enchanted cloaks for disguises and other stealth equipment given by the elves, there was little more reason to stick around. A teleporter asked them if they were ready one last time, they leapt across the continent, and then they were standing in the southeast of the Commonwealth.


    Enemies on every side. No backup in leagues. Nothing to do but fight.

 Chapter 334: Intercepting the Exchange

    For the first week, their travel went exactly as smoothly as the first time. Zae Zin Nim grumbled that they had to walk or catch rides, but they couldn''t justify drawing attention to themselves and needed to save the diamond star for emergencies. Even in its modified form, it might still be remembered by one of their many enemies.


    Until they acquired the lizardkin queen egg, they needed to keep as low a profile as possible. Zae Zin Nim had strongly pushed for them to reach the Kama Altar early, but it simply wasn''t possible to make it work given the distances they needed to cross. Instead they spent the time investigating the region again.


    The Commonwealth wasn''t quite as peaceful as it had been before, with fewer merchants and far less foreign trade. What worried him more were the new fortresses that seemed to be run by freshly-created demonic arts users. Unlike the true demons, who didn''t care about most people, these new predators were happy to prey on the civilians around them. It frustrated Kai to ignore so many injustices and he had to remind himself staying secret was his only way to make a difference.


    By the time of the supposed exchange, they were in range and had a strong sense for the region. At least there was no question of the exact location: the queen''s egg was being exchanged under the guise of a normal mercantile transaction, so they could see it being set up. If he hadn''t heard from the elven spies, he never would have known anything strange was going on.


    Well, maybe there was too much security. The exchange was happening in a small town, yet both sides had armored flying wagons. One was dressed entirely in white and gold Commonwealth armor that didn''t fit exactly right - presumably the buyers.


    On the other side he saw a group of demons, demonic arts users, and merchants from the CTG. He thought none of them were particularly strong or dangerous until he saw Anaelina among them. Damn, he just couldn''t get away from her. Kai considered trying to target her if it came to a fight, but he wasn''t sure if she''d prepared anything new to use against him.


    Meanwhile, Omilaena had been examining the buyers more carefully. Eventually she whispered "Damn" and lowered her goggles.


    "What is it?" he asked.


    "The ones posing as soldiers? They''re a faction from the Flaeren Dominion, or doing an amazing impression."


    "How can you tell?"


    "They''re wearing Commonwealth armor, but they have specialized Flaeren armor in their souls. It''s not just like cheap equipment you could steal, it''s an ability they build up over time." Omilaena waved the question aside. "That doesn''t matter. What''s worrying is that they shouldn''t be here buying the egg. Either they want to use it against the lizardkin or, worse, they want to defect from the Dominion and join them. Either would be just cause more chaos."


    "But what we need to do doesn''t change either way, right?" Kai asked. "We grab the egg and run."


    "Right, but wait until you know for sure where it is. The demons have a hundred identical spatial rings and I''m betting they''re all traps except the real one. The plan should work, but we need to hit at the last possible second. I''ll go get ready."


    Despite all the spycraft and preparation that had led them to this moment, the actual plan wasn''t complex. Basically smash and grab thuggery, just at a very high level. As soon as they had the spatial ring, they''d escape into the Commonwealth and lead everyone after them. That should definitely spread chaos, especially as both sides learned more about what happened.


    Ideally they were supposed to get the lizardkin queen''s egg back to her, but Kai didn''t think the elves actually cared about that as much. That was just grim politics, he guessed.


    Zae Zin Nim prepared the diamond star at a safe distance while Omilaena sneaked through the perimeter to plant her trap. Kai didn''t have another role in the preparations, so he watched closely as the two sides came together.


    From a distance he couldn''t hear what they said, but they seemed to be negotiating. The Dominion side started by putting forth a large number of Crests, then increased the number several times before placing them back in a spatial ring. That apparently wasn''t enough, because they added some chakra fruit and other items before the deal was finally struck.


    One of the many spatial rings on the other side was brought forward and a large egg removed from it. The Dominion side seemed very excited and used some sort of identification ability before returning it to the ring. That meant the deal was almost done and Kai worried that Omilaena had been too late.


    Then one of the wagons crashed to the ground, acid burning through its outer layer. Both sides jumped and accusations began flying between them. In the center, the negotiators started to withdraw the spatial rings to hide them amongst the decoys.


    Kai exploded over the ground at the maximum speed of Thunderbird''s Wings. He didn''t stop, he just opened his mouth and chomped down as he passed through. His mouth was immediately filled with hands and rings and he had to concentrate to avoid swallowing the metal. But that wasn''t his biggest problem.


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    There were armed warriors all around, and even as fast as he was going, they could react and began moving to intercept. That was where the others came in.


    The diamond star broke over the trees just after him, Omilaena piloting and Zae Zin Nim gathering herself. She had been concentrating her qi for a phased attack and now launched scattered qi techniques: not hundreds of bolts, thousands. They rained down over the exchange, killing a few instantly and sending others flying.


    Still in the grip of Thunderbird''s Wings, Kai burst off the ground so they''d meet at a point on the other side of the merchants. That part worked perfectly and Omilaena grabbed him out of the sky to pull him into the diamond star. Zae Zin Nim continued to provide covering fire and they quickly put the meeting point behind them.


    As they escaped Kai caught a glimpse of Anaelina, who stared at him with bright silver eyes. She seemed to be least prepared to give chase, however, so she soon disappeared.


    The only ones to react fast enough were a group of demonic arts users who jumped onto strips of cloth that raced after them at high speed. Kai wasn''t sure what they were: they just looked like wide ribbons to him. Whatever they were, they moved pretty fast, and the fighters atop them weren''t weak. Lots of them had more than 500 Power and couldn''t be stopped easily.


    So instead Kai focused on the strips of cloth and activated Void Gaze.


    All their pursuers pitched over their suddenly stationary vehicles and Zae Zin Nim pelted them with more qi attacks as they fell. When the enemy had entirely disappeared over the horizon, their group finally breathed sighed of relief. Once they reached an unoccupied region they landed to regroup and plan their next step.


    "Did we get it?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "I will be cross if we were tricked somehow."


    "I think," Kai said, then spat out the spatial rings into his hand.


    "Not so fast." Omilaena swept up beside them, swinging the elven cloaks over their heads. "Before anything else, we hide ourselves. I''m not sure we actually lost them, but we have to try."


    Once they were all cloaked and hidden in the nearest group of trees, it was time to investigate what they''d stolen. Kai pushed his spirit into the more important spatial ring first and found it mostly filled with soft and warm materials, some sort of support that allowed the egg to survive. When he pulled it out, Omilaena whistled.


    "That''s our target, all right." She ran her hand over the shell and then pushed it back toward him. "No reason to piss off the lizardkin, so you keep that safe."


    "What about the other one?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Let me see..." Kai looked into it and discovered a more ordinary spatial chamber. "It looks like about two million Crests... I don''t suppose we can take those?"


    "Why not?"


    "Since it was used to pay for a crime, someone will probably want to claim it," Omilaena said. "That''s not to say we can''t steal it, though. What about the rest? The really valuable stuff probably won''t be money."


    Kai began pulling out objects, mostly chakra fruits that were immediately dismissed. There was a whole set of roots and powders that Omilaena said were vitality-enhancers. Some sort of mortar and pestle that had been thoroughly imbued with chakra and went with the rest. There was a qi pill that Zae Zin Nim claimed automatically and some sort of poison that interested Omilaena. But nothing impressed his companions until he showed them a glass of golden liquid.


    It just looked like a potion to him, albeit one in a fancy curved flask with an unusually strong seal. But both of the others stared at it immediately.


    "What is that?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "It''s called the Ape Titan''s Ambrosia." Omilaena took the flask almost reverentially. "Chakra, qi, and mana in perfect balance. It can expand the soul beyond the 999 Power barrier, but what''s exceptional is that it''s not limited - it can help anyone break through."


    "If we stole something that valuable," Kai said as he put everything into his own spatial ring, "then we should get moving."


    They ditched the unnecessary rings in one direction and began walking due west, trying to put distance between themselves and the theft without drawing attention. Yet it seemed obvious that his companions hadn''t moved beyond thoughts of what they''d stolen. Both of them were still in the 800s, but they had to be thinking about the next steps. Given some of the major jumps they had ahead of them, the 999 Power barrier might be coming sooner than they thought.


    "I''m closer," Zae Zin Nim argued. "It only makes sense for me to take it."


    "Only with your Heavenly Sash, and I don''t think that counts," Omilaena said.


    "But we''re in the middle of Rosemount, with chakra on all sides. Where else am I going to find intense enough qi to break the barrier?"


    "Let''s not fight now," Kai told them. "Neither of you need it immediately, so can''t we wait?"


    Zae Zin Nim regarded him thoughtfully. "I suppose there''s an argument that you should take it. Both of us know sources of chakra or qi that can break the barrier - they''re rare, but they exist. Whereas we don''t know what you need. This might be your best chance."


    Kai considered the argument carefully and looked at the golden flask in his spatial ring. But in the end he shook his head. "My human side is still a long way from the barrier. If we can''t find this sort of thing more easily by the time I reach that point, we''re not advancing fast enough. We''ll save this for whichever of you needs it more."


    Neither seemed happy with that compromise - apparently their cooperation reached its limits before it came to extraordinarily rare advancement materials. Kai hoped that they''d be able to find more resources or come up with a better solution by the time it became relevant.


    For a day it seemed like they''d gotten away with their theft and had free rein in the Commonwealth. But then Zae Zin Nim sensed a pursuer on the horizon and their concerns focused down to their grim situation again.


    "I think I sense Anaelina with them," Zae Zin Nim said. "Could she still have a link to you, Kai?"


    "I severed that in Rayakan," he argued, "and she never tracked me again. What are the chances that they''re just spreading out to look everywhere?"


    "I doubt it," Omilaena said from behind her goggles. "They followed us - not our original path, not the decoy rings. I don''t see how they could have a tracker in anything we stole, but we have to assume they''re able to track us somehow."


    "Then what are we waiting for?" Zae Zin Nim had summoned the diamond star again and was already leaping into it. "No choice but to escape."


    They began to fly again, low to the ground and zigzagging in case their opponents hadn''t really identified them, but their pursuers kept pace. Eventually they had no choice but to push straight west as fast as they could... and the demons were still gaining on them.


    Of course it couldn''t be that easy. Kai grinned as he realized the elves were going to get way more chaos than they had asked for.

 Chapter 335: Demonic Sex and Violence

    After a day of intense flying over the Commonwealth, the three of them trading off to sleep, it became obvious that they would have to fight. Their opponents couldn''t quite catch up, but also couldn''t get ahead of them or herd them. As the dark ship grew larger behind them, they prepared to eliminate everyone tracking them.


    The first attack came from soldiers flying on those incredibly fast ribbons, and it seemed like they''d armored them against Void Gaze this time. They were still out of range... or so they thought. Kai hopped up to the side of the diamond star and used Thunderbird''s Wings instead.


    When he leapt off the diamond star, he hurtled toward their pursuers at his full speed. They would have seen him in the first attack, but they weren''t prepared for how quickly they''d close when they were flying toward one another. Kai himself might not have been able to adjust if not for his speed phase training - he might be far from the Windlord''s untouchable speed, but he could touch that realm.


    Thus the result was that he blew between the demonic arts users and left two of them falling in pieces. He hadn''t so much swung Tyrant''s Claws as held them to the sides and let speed take care of the rest.


    In midair he managed to change directions with a thunderclap, tackling another of the riders. On the way down he headbutted the man to disable him before they crashed through a tree. Several of the others circled to take him on, leaving fewer to chase after his allies.


    When he saw a flash of silver he reacted instinctively, intercepting with another Tyrant''s Claw. Anaelina fell back... but she''d blocked the claw. There was some kind of aura building up around her and he didn''t like it - Kai leapt directly up with a thunderclap.


    Anaelina wasn''t as fast, but at the apex of his jump she caught up. She was too close, her eyes were glowing, he could feel the clouds swirling in his mind...


    .


    ..


    .


    Omilaena glanced back when Kai leapt off the ship, but she''d have to trust him to handle himself, and he could definitely catch up. There were more pursuers and she tried to estimate the trajectory on a long range needle... her calculation was correct, but the flight ribbons were too agile.


    "Hold!" Zae Zin Nim shouted. Omilaena had just enough time to look back and see someone attacking from the ground ahead of them.


    The Krysali vessel spun wildly, dodging the hail of chakra arrows. They were briefly upside-down and Omilaena gripped the edge while looking below - it seemed there was some sort of new outpost set up. The demons must have finally gotten some minions ahead of them without being noticed.


    It seemed they might make it past for a moment, then one of the arrows punched through the crystalline bottom of the ship. Omilaena realized it was going to explode and all she could do was grab Zae Zin Nim and jump over the side. They plunged through the air and she felt the shockwave hit her back before they skidded to the ground.


    "No!" Zae Zin Nim struggled, reaching out toward the plummeting ship. "We have to..."


    Once they''d stopped, Zae Zin Nim rushed out to recover the damaged ship. She was reaching out with her spatial bracelet when the demonic arts users loosed more arrows: they didn''t target her, they attacked the ship. Arrow after arrow punched through the crystal, then they exploded in a vicious combination that tore apart every trace of the crystal.


    Zae Zin Nim stared at where it had been, wavering on her feet.


    There was no time for her to be stunned, not as Omilaena judged the fight. Kai was still further back, but a few of the flying ribbons had gotten past him. She breathed a cloud of poisonous smoke as high as she could, hoping it would ward them off, then turned back.


    And saw Zae Zin Nim running toward the soldiers who had destroyed the Krysali vessel.


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    "I''ll kill you!" she shouted. "I''ll kill your families! I''ll kill a hundred generations of-"


    She cut off as Omilaena pulled her back with a hand over her mouth. "You can''t murder the random soldiers, we need to move before the real fighters arrive."


    "But they destroyed the ship..." Zae Zin Nim was still reaching in their direction, but her struggles grew weaker as her rational mind took over from her rage.


    For a few heartbeats it looked like they could work together and retreat in a reasonable fashion. It might have worked if Kai and Anaelina hadn''t crashed into the battlefield the next second.


    Something was definitely wrong: Omilaena couldn''t untangle their chakra in an instant, but she knew Kai and something had been distorted. Anaelina was gripping his neck, preparing a more potent technique as she drove him to the ground. Omilaena managed to ward her off with needles as she ran in, then struck the other woman with a kick that sent her flying back.


    Zae Zin Nim had recovered and leapt after Anaelina, pushing their advantage. The two of them moved in a graceful flurry of blows and Omilaena was about to intervene when a hand grabbed her ankle.


    She started to stab before she realized it was Kai, then it was too late. He lunged up, grabbing her torso and pushing her back across the battlefield. They moved so quickly that when her back hit a tree it knocked the breath from her lungs. It hadn''t been an attack, though, he was pinning her between his body and the trunk.


    His lips captured her before she finished her gasp, and for a moment it was glorious. This was Kai as she''d never seen him, burning with desire, claiming her mouth even as a claw-like hand grasped her hips and pulled her against him. She could feel his dark hunger turning toward her and wanted the consummation of all their tension so much that her fingers loosened and she dropped her needle.


    This was what she wanted... but it wasn''t what he wanted, not like this.


    Omilaena grabbed the sides of his head and pushed it away. "Kai, think! Don''t let her control you!" He leaned in again, still trying to kiss her, but she injected him with a vial of poison. She''d given him near total immunity to her normal poisons by now, but the injection made that defensive ability of his kick into high gear. As his eyes returned to normal, he took a step back...


    "I didn''t... I wasn''t... Anaelina..."


    "It doesn''t matter." Omilaena didn''t dare touch him right then, but she looked him directly in the eyes. "You weren''t in control, but you are now. Do you think we can kill her here?"


    A little of his usual intelligence returned as his eyes flickered to the fight and their pursuers. "I shouldn''t fight her again. We need to go."


    "Then you need to do that. Only your ability can outpace them now - grab us and go."


    Kai obeyed faster than he otherwise might, throwing her over his shoulder. They lunged toward the others in a dizzying rush, then he''d grabbed Zae Zin Nim too. Omilaena had thought they were going fast before, but Kai sped up even more, streaking through the air like an arrow loosed from the most powerful bow in the world.


    He''d moved her before, as a strategic part of battle, and always been awkwardly respectful. There was something different now as his hand gripped her hips. Probably just the remnants of the technique that had been used on him... when he finally set them down an hour later, she was disappointed but not surprised.


    "Anaelina isn''t much stronger, but I''m weak to her techniques." Kai rubbed his forehead as if in pain. "I don''t know... maybe it''s the Savage Heart, maybe something else. I need... to think..."


    They let him go and Zae Zin Nim looked after him in confusion. At least it seemed like she hadn''t seen what had happened, since she''d been fighting Anaelina and many soldiers. When she turned back to Omilaena, she looked almost completely neutral.


    "Those bastards destroyed the ship," Zae Zin Nim said flatly. "I want to go back to get revenge, but... how are they tracking us?"


    "I see two options," Omilaena said. "Either they have a tracking device that we somehow missed, or some sort of technique that''s much more effective than we thought. Kai needs time to recover, so we should investigate again and make preparations before choosing our next direction."


    "Agreed. I don''t think any could follow, but they know our exact trajectory, so we won''t have long before they catch up."


    That was a reasonable plan, so they immediately set about working together. Omilaena thanked the gods that Zae Zin Nim hadn''t seen, otherwise things would have been much worse.


    .


    ..


    .


    In the end they concluded that there was no tracking artifact, especially because it was unreasonable to presume some magical technique that could somehow detect items inside spatial rings. Their best strategy was probably to stay low, use different elven cloaks, and take a completely different path. It seemed like they''d escaped their pursuers, at least for now.


    All of the work and tension had kept Zae Zin Nim focused. When she finally accepted they were safe, the images swarmed back into her mind. She couldn''t forget the sight of Kai grabbing Omilaena like that... she told herself that it was probably all Anaelina''s technique, but in that moment he''d wanted her.


    And more importantly, Omilaena had wanted him. It was more than just lust, because she''d carried that desire over so long without acting. She''d wanted it and she''d pushed him away.


    Zae Zin Nim could ignore Omilaena the Maneater, the succubus who toyed with men and had no real emotions. Better that Kai be kept safe from women like that. But this Omilaena...


    "We should assume they''ll keep following," Kai said as he returned. All the unnatural lust had left his face and he seemed wholly focused again. "So we need a new plan."

 Chapter 336: Glimpses of Chaos in the Commonwealth

    The artisan had been chained to her work desk for the past five years of her life, ever since she''d fallen into debt. She thought she was a skilled artisan, but materials were so expensive, and when two projects had fallen through in a row, she just hadn''t been able to keep up. And now, as a slave, it was obvious that she would never be able to make up her debt and just keep working forever.


    The loss of her freedom hurt, but being turned into a piece of a machine was worse. She would never be able to aspire to a better life, not doing the same tasks over and over for the demons. At least they seemed largely uninterested in her, a plain woman with only moderate talents.


    Sometimes she dreamed of creating something that could break her shackle and escaping, reaching her family in the south, but it was just a fantasy. Most likely she would work like this for the rest of her life, earning just enough to purchase a little more freedom for herself.


    Then one day she heard soldiers shouting outside the workshop door. First ordering everyone into battle, then screaming, then commanding a retreat. She and the others huddled in their places, desperately hoping that no one would start a fire that would kill them all by heat or even smoke. Whoever was attacking, they would soon have new owners and then it would be back to work.


    An enormous man with shaggy dark hair entered the chamber, dropping a soldier he''d been carrying in one hand. As he stepped toward her, she shivered and pulled away, for all the good it would do. She had been wrong about the worst: in the heat of the attack, the attackers might take whatever they wanted, even her. He was reaching for her...


    But the beast of a man simply tore open her shackle. When he moved back, she saw his eyes and they were surprisingly gentle.


    "Go," he told her quietly. "I can''t guarantee your freedom, but you have a new chance."


    "There..." She almost didn''t dare to say anything, since she might anger him, but he looked back to her as if he truly cared. "There''s a garrison to the north. They''ll just catch us."


    The man straightened and she saw the danger in him as his eyes shifted north. "That won''t be a problem."


    .


    ..


    .


    The guard was young, but he was proud of his position. He was one of only three who had access to the war vaults, a status granted only to the most trusted and loyal soldiers. Inside those vaults lay unimaginable riches, all manner of chakra-imbued assets from armor to poisons to fruit. It was a vital point, valuable enough that he''d even seen one of the demons once.


    Actually taking all those items was beyond the guard - they would probably kill him. But just fulfilling that position had been beneficial, doubling his pay and making his Power skyrocket from just under 200 all the way to 218. At his age, everyone could see that he was on his way up in the world.


    When he went to the bar, he was able to buy everyone drinks, they wanted to hear his stories, and the barmaids showed interest in him. But that day there was an absolutely gorgeous woman drinking there, outshining all the others combined. She wore a dress that hugged her body, and when she crossed her legs he saw a tantalizing flash of thigh through the slit on the side. The guard rushed to buy her a drink, and even though she''d been ignoring the others, she smiled at him.


    It turned out that she was a fighter herself, with 205 Power, and she was fascinated by his stories from the vault. She even asked to see, but she was obviously only teasing. As she listened raptly to his stories, he couldn''t stop himself from staring at her. That blue hair was gorgeous, but was all her hair blue? When he asked, she just giggled coyly.


    Somehow one drink led to another. The guard couldn''t seem to stop winning, making her laugh over and over, and she even accepted his arm around her waist. He was planning to grab between her legs, but his head was just so muggy...


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    When the guard awoke, the bar was empty except for soldiers. As they demanded information about the empty war vaults, he realized that his life might not be going so well after all.


    .


    ..


    .


    The merchant''s life had been going from bad to worse ever since that demoness took over the Commonwealth Trade Guild. Usually new conquerors left the CTG alone and only demanded a cut of its profits, which was just a cost of doing business. This one had designs, and they were causing trouble.


    Now everyone was saying that the elves had treacherously attacked the Commonwealth and so they were marching to war. Normally war was good for business, but not when it shut down all trade in the north. The merchant shuffled through his ledgers, searching for a way through this madness.


    Eventually he decided that the only choice was to supply the demons and hope that they would honor the contracts. He put together a large shipment of resources that cost him half his fortune, and hired suitable guards that cost him the other half. That included combat artisans, element-bearers, and even a young woman who was a cultivator from Cloudspire.


    If this didn''t work, he''d be ruined, but if it paid off maybe he could ingratiate himself to the new regime.


    At first the journey went well enough, his guards fighting off some bandits and a follower of the Savage Creed. The merchant began to grow confident that he''d made the right decision. Despite the danger of the Commonwealth these days, you could still do business if you had sufficiently strong guards.


    And then one woman went through all of them like the wind.


    The merchant had no experience with such things and couldn''t follow the movements, but he could tell that she made them look like clumsy children. When she fought his cultivator, it was obvious that the woman he''d hired was just a pale imitation of the real thing.


    Finally the woman stood in front of him and the merchant wondered if he was going to die. She hadn''t killed any of the guards, but he might be her target. But instead of attacking, she removed an enormous pile of Crests from a spatial bracelet and dumped them in front of him.


    "The Council of Elders is taking your shipment and offering this as compensation," she told him. "If you had kept traveling north, the demons would have taken everything you had and given you nothing. Think about who you do business with in the future."


    Then she was gone, leaving him with an empty caravan, stunned guards, and a massive amount of money. The merchant simply stared for a while, then began shoving the chakra-heavy coins into his spatial purse as fast as he could. This payment was generous... more than generous.


    Well, one sign of a good merchant was changing with the times...


    .


    ..


    .


    The groom sat miserable at his own wedding, awaiting horror and humiliation. He and his bride had planned everything out, even visiting the Kama Altar to bless their marriage. Both their families had gathered for the celebration and they had spent a great sum on Sacred Palm Wine, which was supposed to grant them good fortune.


    But while he had been courting his bride, the Commonwealth had changed. Some of the familiar thugs from outside town had joined the demons and gained powerful new demonic arts. The groom was not weak, but trying to fight them had only earned him a broken nose.


    Now they took over the wedding, mocking the families and preventing them from leaving. The Sacred Palm Wine they had all planned to share was passed around the former bandits as they celebrated their new good fortune. His bride sat trembling among them, knowing that they would soon be treating her the same way, but there was nothing anyone could do.


    Except, one by one, the bandits started to drop. They laughed at first, mocking their comrades who couldn''t hold their liquor, and then began to panic. By the time the last of them tried to draw his sword, he was gasping for breath as his throat blackened.


    Every single bandit who had drunk the Sacred Palm Wine was dead. As the groom went to his bride and they clung to one another, their families celebrated and proclaimed that the wine had granted them a miracle.


    It was a miracle, of a sort. But the groom poured the rest of the wine onto the ground.


    .


    ..


    .


    As the last wisps of Baleful Breath left Kai''s lips, he saw another fort destroyed. It was troublingly easy: one of the others boosted him into the air at a distance, then he timed Thunderbird''s Wings to end its rush just above a fort. When he slowed, briefly hanging in the air, he''d unleash a column of Baleful Breath.


    Most of the forts had strong outer walls and open courtyards in the center, which quickly became cauldrons of death. Some of them had been left as empty shells, wisps of death escaping from within, while others had burned to the ground before he left.


    In theory, this was the last one. They''d produced a swath of destruction across the center of the demon-controlled part of the Commonwealth, moving unpredictably but creating a clear pattern northwest, as if they intended to push all the way to the capital. Omilaena had set up one last poisoning further in that direction, so they were instead going to head northeast and slip out from under the demons while they set up traps and ambushes in their path.


    Hopefully that would buy them enough time to reach the Kama Altar like Zae Zin Nim wanted. That was supposed to unlock all the chakra she had been building up, though he wasn''t sure exactly how. She had been oddly quiet lately, focused on nothing but their arrival.


    Well, whatever the details, this was their last major goal in the Commonwealth. In theory things were about to get a lot simpler.

 Chapter 337: The Kama Altar At Last

    After so long skirting the wilder parts of the Commonwealth, Kai felt a bit uncomfortable moving back into civilization. Yes, the crowds on the roads gave them more cover, but it also risked the chance that they would be discovered. Their elven cloaks had hidden them for many days now, he just doubted they could last forever.


    On several occasions he''d used Thunderbird''s Wings to take them over a large area, since it was one of their best methods of movement that couldn''t be detected by any chakra art. It was draining, though, and carrying his allies was extremely distracting when he wasn''t half-mad with battle adrenaline. Now they settled in for a more careful pace as they neared their next destination, and one of their primary goals for so long.


    It took them five days to reach the Kama Altar, and as they got close, Kai began to wonder what this place actually was. Since it supposedly would unlock Zae Zin Nim''s chakra, he had assumed it would cater to warriors. All around them he saw... couples. Mostly young with a few old, many infatuated with a few pushed by families. Their warrior trio stuck out enough that he worried about drawing attention.


    Many of the couples seemed to be visiting for the sake of various shrines, inns, and other establishments centered around marriage. Only relatively few were headed toward the largest building, which was a circular tower topped with a yellow glass dome. Along the side he saw a number of symbols, one of which he actually recognized: the Savage Creed followers had shown him similar symbols while talking about "lingam" energy.


    What the hell were they walking into? He''d assumed that Zae Zin Nim was being so cagey because it was personal or feminine, but now he began to wonder...


    Some other couples attempted to approach the large building, only to turn away with fallen expressions at a circle of human-height posts surrounding it. He had no idea what to think of that until they approached and he felt an aura wash over him... it was like the elves'' glamours or the Banchlain aura of fear, but weaker. The three of them pushed through it easily, then they were away from the main crowds.


    There weren''t many others on the path to the building, which only meant more attention. Kai felt very self-conscious walking with two beautiful women in an environment like this. One young man stared long enough that his presumed bride slapped him and they began to argue.


    When they reached the door, they were stopped by a middle-aged man with a shaved head and a wrap that passed over one shoulder. Kai saw several others dressed in similar monk-like fashion, both men and women with one breast uncovered. He was so discomfited by the whole thing that he didn''t even stare, just focused on the man in their path.


    "You''ve traveled far to come to the Kama Altar," the monk said. "Its energy has been exhausted for the day, and will not be renewed until we have passed through the enveloping yoni of night and the rising lingam of dawn."


    "That''s fine," Zae Zin Nim said. "I need to use it tomorrow."


    "There are many others who seek the same thing. There is a pair ahead of you, but that is immaterial, we must understand just what y-"


    "Can we skip over them? There might not be much time."


    The monk stared at Zae Zin Nim, shot suspicious glances at the others, and then frowned at her. "The Kama Altar is ultimately a martial shrine, so there are challenge rituals, but these are not commonly used. It does not behoove you t-"


    "I''ll fight them. Where are they?"


    While Zae Zin Nim bullied the monk, Kai grabbed Omilaena''s shoulder and pulled her a step away. "What''s going on here?" he asked.


    "You haven''t talked about it?" Omilaena let out a low whistle. "And I was giving you time and everything. Oh, this is going to be a mess."


    "Zae Zin Nim has been acting weirdly. Can''t you at least give me a straight answer?"


    Omilaena''s expression and voice went flat. "The Kama Altar is one of the most powerful sites of sexual magic on Rosemount. Couples come here to conduct rituals, which are exactly what you think they are. The result strengthens both, or for the ordinary people, is just meant to grant a long and fruitful marriage."


    "Then..."


    "Yeah."


    Kai looked back to Zae Zin Nim and suddenly some of her behavior made more sense. But why wouldn''t she talk to him about it, and why was she pushing so hard? They seemed to have escaped their pursuers, so there was no need to force their way to the front of the line.


    What that meant brought him up short and Kai had to force himself to refocus. His thoughts were tumbling so rapidly he could barely put together a coherent idea, so when Zae Zin Nim impatiently gestured for them to follow, he went along after her. Everything had always moved so slowly between them and now it seemed to be moving much too fast.


    Stolen story; please report.


    The altar monk led them into the building, then away from a staircase that led up to some raised central chamber. Instead they entered a smaller room of polished marble where a couple waited: a muscular local man and a lithe lizardkin woman. They barely had to speak to the monk before marching up together.


    "You want to challenge us?" the man demanded. "Don''t be foolish, just wait your turn. I''m a Commonwealth Guard, Second Class."


    "And I am a master of the Divine Yoni," the woman added, "first in my clutch and wielder of the foreign yin."


    "We''ve been practicing together for years. If you and that oaf really think you can beat us combined, then step forward and-"


    Zae Zin Nim stepped across the room, striking both of them with a palm to the chest. It was a light blow for her, but they hurtled into the opposite wall. When the couple got to their feet unsteadily their confidence had vanished. They looked angry, but they weren''t about to attack Zae Zin Nim.


    "There''s really no need for this," the monk wheedled. "The altar has enough energy for several couples per day. If you simply wait and conduct your cleansing rituals, both couples will be able to get what they want."


    The other couple left the chamber, clearly irritated but not willing to push further. In their absence, the monk turned to them with a stern expression.


    "The Kama Altar accepts everyone who can pass through the barrier," he said, "and it is greater than any petty squabbles. At the same time, it does not do to disgrace this holy place. Calm yourselves and do not take these arguments into the morrow." With that, he departed and they were alone in the chamber.


    Silence reigned for some time. Zae Zin Nim turned around, pleased with herself until she saw his expression and suddenly looked very uncertain.


    "So this is why we''ve been rushing here?" Kai asked.


    "Of course," Zae Zin Nim said. "Isn''t this... what we agreed? That we would move slowly, until the proper time?"


    "I thought the proper time was when you felt emotionally ready, not when it would maximize our power."


    Zae Zin Nim stared back at him, briefly uncomprehending and then anxious. "I thought you would be happy. We waited so long for this."


    "You know I care about you, but..." Kai growled and ran his hands through his hair. "You expect me to go from running for our lives to this? If you really want to start a relationship, this is an important day... you should have told me what you were thinking."


    "I... I see that now. But you get to... don''t you want this?"


    Kai had no idea how to answer that. On one hand, of course he did, whether he should blame lingering effects from Anaelina or his own impulses. But this was also Zae Zin Nim at her most frustrating, pushing forward with everything without asking him. He''d expected them to slowly grow closer over years, not suddenly be thrown into something like this.


    "That''s really not very considerate of Kai''s feelings," Omilaena said. "You should know by now that he''s a romantic man."


    "You." Zae Zin Nim turned on her furiously. "You always knew what this was about, you even advised me, so why are you here?"


    "You know exactly what I want." Omilaena turned toward him, meeting his gaze and not looking away, not even blinking. "Kai, I''ve done my best not to turn this into a hormonal mess. By now you know who I am. I''ve played a lot of games, but I''ve always been honest with you when it matters."


    "Fuck," Kai said, then realized that was a terrible choice of profanity. He shoved the implication out of his head and rubbed his knuckles into his eyes. "I''m irritated that we didn''t talk this out, but maybe I only have myself to blame. If I''d been a man I''d have just been honest with you both from the beginning instead of stringing things on."


    "Kai..." Zae Zin Nim stared at him with sorrowful eyes. "Don''t you know what you want?"


    "I think what I wanted was for us to just keep traveling together. It was easier not to make decisions. Well, that part is on me."


    Silence returned. Kai raged with too many feelings, Zae Zin Nim looked miserable, and Omilaena leaned back against the wall with deep weariness.


    "No one can make a decision until tomorrow anyway," Kai said. "Squabbling is beneath us. I say we split up and think through things properly. In the morning we can talk and treat one another like we deserve."


    They nodded and separated into different chambers in the surrounding structure. There weren''t many around, other couples or monks, so Kai found a stone bed against one wall. It was hard and uncomfortable, which suited his current mood.


    Was he a naive fool for never thinking through his relationships properly? He could see how Zae Zin Nim might feel betrayed, since the path was so clear in her head. And Omilaena might be justified in feeling betrayed, since he hadn''t wanted to simply shut her down. Everything had been so comfortable and he''d wanted it to just continue.


    Now he didn''t have that choice, so... what did he want? He''d expected it to be an easy answer, since he''d been thinking about a relationship with Zae Zin Nim for so long, yet the idea of leaving Omilaena alone hurt. She''d have finally trusted and worked for something other than her own self-interest, only to be abandoned. He could easily imagine a life with Omilaena, but that would mean betraying Zae Zin Nim.


    Yet what alternative was there? He knew how strongly Zae Zin Nim felt about her father''s sleeping around, and Omilaena had been used many times before. They''d both been direct with him now, so he owed it to them to make a decision.


    Kai lay back on the stone, but didn''t find sleep or answers. It was a long, miserable night.


    .


    ..


    .


    Of course now, after it was too late, Zae Zin Nim could see how foolish she''d been. In a subconscious way she''d been treating Kai like a brute of a man, who would eagerly have sex with any beautiful woman who offered. But Kai had treated her so kindly when she''d been a hacking wreck, and he''d cared for her even before she restored her beauty.


    She''d been so focused on her end goal that she''d basically trampled on his feelings. In fact, she was basically using him: she''d been preparing her Yin Chakra for her own benefit, and to become the sort of woman she wanted to be. Despite how much she loved him, she''d taken him and his constant support for granted.


    Would it have been easier without Omilaena there? The other woman was certainly an obstacle, but without her, Zae Zin Nim might not have been able to voice her own feelings. She certainly wouldn''t have been able to develop everything that had brought her here. It all felt so unfair...


    Her mind blank, Zae Zin Nim walked across the hall to the next room. Omilaena sat on a stone bed, leaning against the wall and smoking a pipe. The smoke rolled weakly from her lips and her eyes were unfocused until she looked up at her.


    Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath. "We need to talk."

 Chapter 338: The Obvious Solution

    Kai''s eyes were open and he honestly wasn''t sure if he''d ever closed them. He didn''t feel exhausted - he was burning with nervous energy. Despite the terrible night spent thinking, his feelings were still a tangled mess. After talking nonsense about being a real man and making a decision, he had no idea what he was going to say.


    But he was out of time. The night sky was beginning to crack outside his window, so the altar would be charged soon. And despite the emotional aspect, he thought they did have to use it. They were likely still being hunted and their opponents were too dangerous for them to ignore an obvious advantage.


    During the night he hadn''t come up with any real solutions, but he did reflect on all the things he knew about Cloudspire and sexual magic, and as a result he thought he understood Zae Zin Nim better. She had long been terrified that her womanhood and virginity would be taken and harvested according to the methods of dual cultivation that still seemed strange to him. Her rush toward the Kama Altar had been her escape from all those fears, and a display of trust in him.


    And he could understand Omilaena. Always supporting them even as she watched their clumsy relationship growing closer, expecting them to drift away from her. She''d been direct about what she wanted, but she''d remained distant, as if she never expected him to choose her. The fatalism he''d seen in her eyes the previous night cut deep.


    Kai slowly got to his feet and walked across the altar chambers, more like approaching an execution than an event that was supposed to be happy.


    No one was in the room Zae Zin Nim had chosen. He blinked a few times, his mind not fully engaged, then he turned to find Omilaena''s room. When he reached the door and pulled aside the curtain, he just stared for a while.


    Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena were sitting together on the stone bed, kissing.


    He knew he must be staring and forced himself to back away. Of all the scenarios he''d imagined during the long night, that had never been one of them. But now that he considered it, wasn''t that just ignorant of him? The two of them had been traveling together nearly as long, and after their angry initial encounters, they''d become increasingly intimate. Omilaena could talk to Zae Zin Nim about these things and understand in a way that he never could.


    Maybe this was even for the best. Kai decided to walk away and not think about it for-


    "Kai, wait." Omilaena called out, and her voice snagged in his mind like a hook. "Come back here."


    When he reluctantly turned back, he found them both sitting apart now, watching him. "What? You made your choice, so-"


    "That''s not what''s happening," Omilaena said, and he saw a whisper of her old smirk. "We just wanted to be sure this would work."


    "Huh?" Kai stared at her, but her face betrayed nothing. Meanwhile, Zae Zin Nim was blushing and playing with her hands in her lap, and now she finally spoke up.


    "I... I grew up seeing my father''s harem and how terrible it was. I told myself that I would never be part of one, never let myself be used that way. But..." Her eyes shifted up to him carefully. "But maybe I could marry two people."


    Some part of his mind had known things might be leading there, but his thick-headed emotions still reeled. "What does that... can three people even get married?"


    "Who the fuck is going to stop us?" Omilaena asked, her smirk emerging fully. "Both of you are so stodgy about this sort of thing. Isn''t what matters that we care about each other? You said that you wanted us to keep traveling together. Well, I agree. And we can."


    "I really didn''t..." Kai shook his head and realized that he was smiling. This wasn''t a compromise, it was a solution. One he''d never imagined voicing himself, but if... "Yes. What I should be saying is ''yes''. Obviously if you''ll have me, I''d be an idiot not to."


    "Good." Zae Zin Nim nodded in satisfaction and he saw some of the tension ease out of her back.


    "This means we''re faithful to one another, right?" Kai felt like the question was awkward and vulnerable, but these were two of the only people in the world he was willing to show that vulnerability. "Because I had a bad experience... I don''t want to seem possessive, but I want this to be a commitment."


    "Of course!" Zae Zin Nim placed her hands on her knees somberly. "This is a solemn bond. None of us would break it... right?"


    She turned to look at Omilaena. Kai''s head swiveled other to her as well. The other woman sat back and clutched her heart. "Why are you looking at me? What had I ever done to make you think I might possibly-"


    "You!" Zae Zin Nim slapped at Omilaena''s arm. "No joking! You can''t go around behaving like before. If we''re getting married, I take those vows very, very seriously."


    "Not even any flirting?" Omilaena asked coyly. It was like their old teasing, but there was a new current underneath it. "What if the only way for us to gain an advantage is for me to flirt with someone?"


    Zae Zin Nim frowned, then said quietly, "If you don''t mean it, I guess it''s okay." Then her eyes shifted up to his, achingly sincere. "And you... you can''t change. I want all three of us to be happy together but you can''t turn into all the terrible men I''ve seen."


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "Of course not." Kai swept down onto one knee and took a hand from each woman, then kissed them together. "I know we''re all agreed, but where I come from you have to ask... will you marry me?"


    "Yes!" Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena answered at the same time, with very different tones but the same happiness. They were both smiling and he had the feeling he had the same stupid grin on his face.


    The moment broke when he grabbed them both and pulled them into an embrace, taking their feet off the ground. They hugged back and the three of them were wrapped together, finally at peace. For the first time, he didn''t feel guilty about enjoying their bodies next to his... but that also brought to mind a lot of other questions. Ones that were simultaneously exciting, nerve wracking, and confusing.


    "Uh..." Kai set them down, and reality set in at the same time. "What do we do now? Does the Kama Altar even work with three people?"


    Omilaena took a step back and sighed, but it wasn''t as heavy as before. "As much as I''d like to jump into bed with the two of you," she said, "I think that would be too much for poor virgin Zae Zin Nim."


    "Please be patient," Zae Zin Nim said with a stiff little bow. "I''ve been told all of this is indecent and vulgar my entire life. I''m not sure how I''m supposed to adjust now, but... I will need a little more time."


    "And to answer your question," Omilaena continued with a pat on her shoulder, "the Kama Altar and the intended rituals only work for couples. But we talked about this: I''ll stay back and trust you two not to forget about me. Once Zae Zin Nim has finally resolved all that incipient energy, we can figure out the rest without worrying about rituals and techniques."


    "Right. Good." Zae Zin Nim stared up at him, again uncertain. "Was this... enough time for your feelings? Because I... I think I really want this."


    Kai leaned in to kiss her, and though she squirmed a little, she didn''t pull away. "Take time to get ready and we''ll do everything properly," he told her quietly. She nodded eagerly and then rushed from the room.


    In her absence Kai felt his happiness give way to a bit of confusion. "Is there really some big ritual?" he asked Omilaena. "I hear about this dual cultivation stuff, but I don''t really know anything about it. I was hoping our first time would be more... you know, intimate."


    "Don''t worry, the preparation and the altar do almost all the work. Just don''t pick the wrong hole." Omilaena''s mocking tone vanished and she gripped his shoulder with a serious expression. "Kai, that girl knows nothing. She thinks she does, but she doesn''t. I''m trusting you to be gentle with her."


    "Would I hurt our wife?" he asked with his best imitation of her smirk. Omilaena''s expression relaxed and he leaned in to kiss her.


    Not a stolen kiss this time, not driven by any control or chakra technique. She kissed back fiercely, her teeth biting his lip and then her tongue exploring his mouth. Kai tried to kiss her hard enough that she wouldn''t fear that they''d abandon her and he wasn''t sure he was successful, but it felt amazing. Eventually she pulled back and handed him two small pills.


    "Final chakra preparation and a contraceptive, but nothing else," she said. "You''re probably going to get into your own head about the ritual parts, but the Kama Altar can''t influence you. Relax and... have fun, I guess. Fuck, that feels weird to say."


    There was a little more ritual than that: Kai cleaned himself in one of the pools and then put on a new robe. When he entered the central chamber, he had to climb up the steep stairs to what looked like a bed of white and gold cloth. It lay underneath the crystal dome, rendering the entire chamber in surreal colors as if this wasn''t real life.


    But then Zae Zin Nim climbed the opposite stairs, smiling at him, and it all felt very real.


    .


    ..


    .


    A long time ago in Krysal, Omilaena had imagined what it would be like to get Kai and Zae Zin Nim together. It would have been hot, but she realized now that it would have been hollow. She''d always dismissed those who went on about love, and she still wasn''t crazy with the soft emotions they were, yet now when she imagined all three of them together, the vision was transformed.


    Of course, she was stuck outside on her lonesome for now. She was sorely tempted to watch somehow, which she supposed wouldn''t technically be wrong, but they deserved their privacy. There would be time for everything else later.


    It still didn''t feel quite real.


    Omilaena wandered away from the central chambers to try to clear her mind. If she had been trying to reach this moment from the beginning, she had made an absurd number of mistakes with both of them. And yet somehow, even after getting a clear idea of the kind of person she was, they had accepted her.


    Actually checking in might be inappropriate, but she couldn''t help but notice the chakra. Zae Zin Nim had spent so much of her life building up yin energy, then feminine chakra, and now it was finally becoming what she''d always wanted. Kai hadn''t done the same training, except indirectly for the Savage Heart, but he seemed to be holding up his end with the yang side. They''d be fine in terms of power.


    To occupy her mind with thoughts other than the two of them fucking, Omilaena traced the chakra running through the entire building. It seemed to flow down the sides along load-bearing pillars, then up the central column to the Kama Altar itself. There was something unstable about it now and some of the monks were moving about uncertainly, so she went to look.


    The monks were peering around a heavily carved stone that was part of the altar''s foundation. When they saw her they went silent and the leader they''d met the previous night approached.


    "This is absurd!" he said. "They''re... they''re absorbing all the Kama Altar''s chakra! This isn''t supposed to happen!"


    "Heh, good for them." Omilaena put a hand on the man''s shoulder and guided him away. "My young friends have been waiting a very long time for this. Surely there''s no rule against taking what they can?"


    "Well, not as such, but the other couples..."


    "Can wait another day. Does the Kama Altar take donations? I wanted to give you a token of thanks, and a little apology for any trouble we may have caused."


    She left the monks with a generous donation, but that still left her with time to burn. The other two been going a long time and there had to be limits, since she had to imagine Kai would give Zae Zin Nim time to adjust. Oh, she could imagine it.


    Instead she wandered outside the altar''s building. The fresh air was bracing and she shook off the affectionate mood that had surrounded her ever since the confessions. Things might have gone well, but that didn''t remove the necessity of being logical and careful.


    As she pushed her senses out as far as she could, Omilaena formed her pipe again. There was no need for the affectation, and she was just breathing her own smoke, but it calmed her. She put it to her lips and almost took a breath, then fumbled it as her senses went too far.


    "Well, shit," Omilaena said.

 Chapter 339: Tangled Aftermath

    Zae Zin Nim gradually woke up lying against the man she loved. For a while she just lingered there, happy and pleasantly sore and warm.


    Thoughts returned after the sensations. Could the girl she had once been have ever imagined what her life would become? Married to a barbarian and also a woman somehow, using a chakra ritual on an altar in Rosemount while being pursued by demons. It would have sounded like a fantastical story or the ravings of a madman.


    Everything had been intimate and personal, but now she realized that a great burden had been lifted from her. She could still be threatened, like any woman, but she was no longer a yin virgin who vile men would want to pluck. Even though Kai hadn''t seemed to care about her virginity, she was still glad she had given it to him. And everything she had been gathering up for so long had been harvested by the two of them, yin and yang flowing together and producing immense new power.


    Settling into a comfortable position against his chest, Zae Zin Nim closed her eyes and instead examined her soul.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 951


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 4% (502)


    *Heavenly Sash: Cultivation +10% (50)


    Coldfire Corona: 84 (94)


    Pure Yin Shroud: Amber Rank (99)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-9 (107)


    Blackblood Shadow (+50)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    >


    Her soul was so much more complicated than a pure cultivator now, yet she didn''t feel tainted. Most importantly, all the yin chakra she had been gathering had been formed into the Pure Yin Shroud, which burned underneath her dantian peacefully. Qi, mana, and chakra in harmony, creating something new.


    The only surprise was that her Coldfire Corona had taken another leap, despite how slowly it had been advancing. Their union and the Kama Altar had been almost entirely focused on chakra, yet now that she thought about it, there had been a flow of mana as well. She almost giggled as she realized that Kai had filled her with mana. That was the sort of innuendo that Omilaena would think of.


    He hadn''t taken more than he had given, so she would receive most of the benefits from the Kama Altar. Suddenly she felt a surge of worry that she had been selfish - Kai had certainly needed to be patient with her and had prioritized her pleasure over his. If he had also lost out in power, or given more than he received...


    She pushed herself up enough to examine him, watching his soul as well as his massive chest rising and falling in slow breaths. Soon she breathed a sigh of relief. Kai had also benefited from the ritual, just as she had hoped. His cultivation had leapt more than she expected and she looked forward to the day he advanced through the Body Refinement stage.


    But for now, she didn''t need to think too much about the details. Zae Zin Nim touched his chest, hesitantly at first, then with a caress as she remembered that none of this was inappropriate anymore. Kai stirred and finally awoke. Once he blinked the sleep from his eyes, he smiled down at her.


    "I..." She couldn''t endure those gentle eyes anymore and instead hid her face against his chest. "I''m bad at saying this sort of thing, but... I love you, Kai... I love you so much."


    "I love you too." He said it so easily, so assuredly. His hand ran down her back to settle at the small of her waist and she no longer squirmed.


    "I want to... I want to do a lot of things, but... I also want to rest a little longer."


    "As long as you want." Kai kissed her cheek and held her closer. She sighed and drifted back into happy slumber.


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai held Zae Zin Nim until she was asleep again and then gently eased out from under her. He''d been relaxed in the afterglow for a long time, but now he was filled with restless energy. When he sat up on the edge of the altar, he was prepared to pick up the robe, but somehow the Beggar King''s Robes had eaten it and instead moved to wrap around his waist.


    By the time he stood up, they had shifted into a pair of pants. Not anything that would impress nobles, but the black and gray clothing was so comfortable. With a thought, he could make the cloth flow into a shirt as well, though he remained bare-chested for the time being. Once again, he felt like fate had taken a shot at him and missed: the Beggar King''s Robes were damn convenient.


    Nothing had been as complex or strange as he''d feared: they hadn''t needed any weird sex positions or chakra techniques. Zae Zin Nim had made a few references to the effects, but he had remained solely focused on the two of them. Now, for the first time, he actually examined the results, focusing on the changes in his soul.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


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    Total Power: 489


    Monstrous Hunger - XII (mu)


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 74% (116)


    Savage Heart: 7 (74)


    Physique Level: D-6 (230)


    Beggar King''s Robes: +1 (5)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VIII (theta)


    Thunderbird''s Wings - III (gamma)


    Direboar''s Strength - XII (mu)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VIII (theta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - IX (iota)


    Baleful Breath - IV (delta)


    -


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    Sahagin''s Soul - IX (iota)


    Mutefang''s Stealth - X (kappa)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - V (epsilon)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - V (epsilon)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - III (gamma)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - II (beta)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Banchlain - V (epsilon)


    Slime''s Immortality - I (alpha)


    >


    Amusingly, he''d gained a Physique Level - she had been wanting to boost her strength and apparently some of that had flowed into him as well. The Savage Heart had also grown, through he didn''t see how it couldn''t have, given all the chakra. But by far the largest jump had been in his cultivation - he''d gained more qi from her that morning than he had in a year of cultivation.


    The warmth faded as he realized that he understood her fears a little more now. There were apparently some men on her continent who chased virgins for these exact benefits, even though there were diminishing returns from dual cultivation.


    As he stared down at Zae Zin Nim''s form curled up in the sheets, the idea disgusted him. The two of them could see what benefits they might gain from dual cultivation, and he was curious what Omilaena might add, but he wanted to focus on their relationship. He was willing to bet that focused passion could outpace people who jumped from fling to fling.


    Even though they''d talked about everything, there was a part of him that was still apprehensive about Omilaena. All his best relationships had been one on one, and his past experiences... no, better not to think about that and get wrapped up in anxiety.


    Instead he could just go talk to Omilaena. Kai ambled down the stairs, the relaxation in his core suffusing the rest of him again. It had been a long and frustrating dry spell, but he was glad he''d waited. Better this than relationships that wouldn''t work out in the end.


    His leisurely pace lasted until Omilaena pushed through the door. There were monks ineffectually trying to hold her back, but he barely saw them compared to the urgent look in her eyes.


    "They found us again," she said. "Not sure how, but we don''t have a lot of time."


    "Shit." Kai grabbed two of the nearest monks and pulled them up to eye level. "There are demons coming here. Evacuate or people will die."


    "They... they wouldn''t..." The head monk stammered. "This place is an ancient heritage of Traebor, even the demons use it..."


    "Don''t count on that," Omilaena snapped. They both glanced toward Zae Zin Nim, but she seemed to have heard and was shifting in the sheets. Better to buy her time, so they headed out.


    By the time they left the Kama Altar building, the Beggar King''s Robes had shifted to fully clothe him. The interior had been warm, but the wind outside was bracing. Worse, he could just see a growing speck on the horizon that had a demonic aura. Omilaena stepped up beside him grimly.


    "You have any theories about how they''re tracking us?" he asked.


    "Theories, yes. Answers, no." Omilaena glanced over her shoulder toward the Altar. "It''s possible that we lost their trail and the release of chakra drew them now. You were releasing a lot. At least I hope you were. Given the amount of time you two-"


    "Is this really the time for that?"


    She grinned over at him. "From now on, it''s always the time. But really, I do think they have some other method of guessing at our location or they couldn''t have gotten here so fast."


    "Now that we''ve used the Altar, I''d like to just take them on." Kai looked around at all the couples and newlyweds in the area around the building. "This is a terrible place for a fight, though."


    "Let''s see how many fighters the demons have this time. We could lead them to a better location and then try to end things."


    "Of course, this is even further in the center of the Commonwealth. They can keep summoning reinforcements."


    "Let them come." Omilaena smiled at him and flipped a pair of needles around her hands. It wasn''t physically intimate, she didn''t even touch him, yet he felt united with her in a way he hadn''t before.


    Kai and Omilaena walked away from the main building to the clear space between it and the outer boundary. He''d hoped to potentially talk to the demons and burn more time, or even negotiate a more proper fighting location, but the demons attacked before they even arrived. They were flying in large palace-like vessels this time and he saw demonic arts users hurling fire and projectiles toward them.


    Omilaena unleashed a swarm of needles, deflecting the physical projectiles. Kai swung his hand in a Tyrant''s Claw that managed to sweep aside most of the fire and tore through one of the vessels. He launched himself toward the next with Thunderbird''s Wings, tearing through the entire thing and sailing even higher.


    From high in the air, he could see the entire battlefield more clearly. Civilians fleeing in terror as they realized what was happening, opponents scattering below from the fallen ships... and one more ship at a distance, holding back. Kai half-expected it to attack him at the apex of his jump, but it remained completely stationary.


    When he landed amid the others, he tore through one of the weaker soldiers. It looked like the demons had brought a small army with them, including a number who were actually strong. When the others saw how easily he''d defeated one of them, they fell back... clearing a path for their leaders.


    Anaelina had landed just outside the barrier around the building. When she stepped closer it seemed to repel her and she scowled. Several large men, each with over 600 Power, leapt at her command and charged into the stakes, battering them down. More concerningly, Kai saw a pure demon standing behind Anaelina. The demoness had a shroud that disguised her true power, but her veins pulsed with green chakra and she felt strong.


    "Oh Kai..." Anaelina''s eyes glowed brighter. "You look even more delectable than before..."


    It might have been intimidation, but Kai still set his feet in a cautious stance. Her new ability seemed to force lust into his mind, so it wasn''t a foregone conclusion that he could resist it even now. Fortunately he had Omilaena beside him, so she should be able to handle things, provided they could manage their opponents'' superior numbers.


    They all struck at once, Omilaena and the green demoness engaging with one another while Anaelina leapt at him. As soon as she was within range, the silver haze flowed into his mind and the desire began to rise... but there was something different, a clarity that had never been there before.


    As soon as she was within range, Kai lunged out. His bite barely missed her and his claws cut her leg, sending her tumbling back. Anaelina hit the ground hard, barely managing to get up and staring up at him.


    "Looks like you finally indulged... but do you really think that will save you?"


    Her technique hadn''t seemed to work so far, but he decided to remain cautious.


    When he opened his mouth to reply, the green-veined demoness moved with blinding speed. She crossed the distance between them, fingers extending into bright green claws - if not for his work on a speed half-phase, they would have torn into his throat. As it was, Kai barely dodged and felt her next strike tear through his robes and rake across his chest.


    Omilaena struck immediately, warding her off with a cloud of blue smoke... except something was wrong, the new demoness was pushing into it unconcerned. Was she a poison user as well?


    Kai realized that at the same time he felt the weakness in his limbs. Her raking claws had injected him with poison - Behemoth''s Heart was already purging it, but this poison was too potent to shrug off instantly. For several heartbeats he was going to be vulnerable.


    Something silver shimmered at his side and Kai barely dodged Anaelina. She''d gotten beside him and Omilaena was still fighting the poison-user in the cloud, so his only choice was to-


    "Don''t touch him, you bitch!" Zae Zin Nim tore through the wall of the building, sending bricks flying in all directions, and leapt at them in righteous fury.

 Chapter 340: New Strength Against the Demons

    Zae Zin Nim crossed the distance between them so quickly that Kai couldn''t take action to help. It also wasn''t necessary: she struck Anaelina with such fury that she was sent flying backwards, nearly falling into the poison cloud.


    The large warriors closed on her and Zae Zin Nim focused entirely on one of them, knocking aside his sword to hit him with a palm strike. It was strange for her to be so focused on one opponent, because the others were closing on her from behind, swinging their own weapons. Kai generated a Tyrant''s Claw and hesitated at the last second.


    When the weapons struck, they were blocked by the Coldfire Corona. But while Zae Zin Nim had used that defensive strategy many times in the past, what followed was completely different. She reached out to stab her hand into one of the bulky men, lifted him by his chest with one hand, and then plowed him directly into the others. They tried to gang up on her, but now that she had them grouped, she attacked them all with fierce blows. These were no longer just palm strikes to damage inner organs, he heard ribs snapping when she struck.


    So that was what the Pure Yin Shroud did.


    Since Zae Zin Nim could clearly take care of herself, Kai hurled his Tyrant''s Claw at some of the soldiers trying to flank them on the steps to the building. The resulting massacre would hopefully keep the rest from following, and also keep the monks out of their way. There weren''t many civilians left within the circle, so it was getting easier to fight.


    Instead of worrying about the other soldiers, who Zae Zin Nim was blowing through, Kai leapt to help Omilaena. Both she and the demoness had cut one another, but they both seemed able to resist the other''s poisons. When Kai swept in with another Tyrant''s Claw, the demoness was finally forced onto her back foot.


    They battled her a little further back before her veins glowed brighter green. The demoness tossed a number of emerald shards into the air and they began to spin around her, apparently controlled by her chakra. When Omilaena tried to throw a needle through the pattern, they shifted in order to deflect it.


    Then it was time for overwhelming force. Kai released a huge gout of Baleful Breath, intending to consume the demoness and all her emerald shards. But she flipped overhead with startling speed, spinning toward him even while he was still expelling the smoky flames. He tried to cut off and pull back, but he was a second too late and emerald shards cut him in multiple places.


    Each was coated in poison, or perhaps they were pure poison. Kai staggered back, focusing on Behemoth''s Heart to fight through it. He was growing more resistant to this poison, but this demon was extremely powerful, so it would still take time.


    Zae Zin Nim flowed past him first, unleashing a barrage of qi techniques against the demoness. Some were deflected, but several of the emerald shards began to crack. Even when Anaelina jumped in to attack, Zae Zin Nim didn''t slow in her assault, fighting both of them simultaneously without breaking a sweat.


    Several other demonic arts users who had fallen further from the building were coming into range, some of them decently strong. Kai leapt directly into them, swinging another Tyrant''s Claw. These were tough enough that it didn''t kill them outright, but he still pushed the group back. He saw two others get around him, apparently deciding that it was a higher priority to attack the others. Since he was still facing several, Kai had to focus on them and assume the others could handle themselves.


    The demonic arts users all struck together, properly coordinating their strikes. When Kai started to use Baleful Breath, they retreated rapidly to get out of range. He still nearly caught them by sweeping his head to the side, but these fighters were light on their feet. Worse, he''d inadvertently pushed some of them toward the other battle.


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    One of the strongest demonic arts users had Omilaena in a strangle-hold and appeared to be trying to break her neck. She had injected him with a syringe, but it wasn''t having enough effect. Worse, the other supporting fighters were all closing in on them now.


    Before Kai could act, Zae Zin Nim burst into another energetic flurry. She grabbed Anaelina and hurled her into the poison user, forcing her to rapidly shift to avoid impaling her own ally on emerald shards. In practically the same motion she kicked off one of the larger thug''s legs, breaking it, and threw herself into the next. Her shoulder, so tiny compared to the man''s bulk, still sent him flying. Somehow she''d also snatched his weapon from his hands and hurled it - the weapon spun just over Omilaena''s head to strike the man trying to choke her.


    Anaelina had recovered first and tried to strike from behind, but Kai hadn''t been idle. He intercepted her attack with a Tyrant''s Claw and finally landed a clean blow: Anaelina flew backward with several bloody lines torn across her side.


    For a moment all three of them were out of melee combat and close together. Zae Zin Nim swayed slightly on her feet and Omilaena quickly moved beside her to provide support.


    "This chakra ability is brand new," she said. "You shouldn''t be pushing it so hard."


    "This is our chance." Zae Zin Nim shrugged off her hands and focused on the enemies remaining. "We need to finish them off. No more running."


    She lunged forward, bashing her way through one of the remaining soldiers on her way to the fallen Anaelina. Kai joined her, ready to use Baleful Breath, but the poison demoness intercepted them both.


    This time she''d formed an even larger cloud of emerald shards around her, and as her veins throbbed the cloud expanded, forming a wall that shielded Anaelina as well as herself. Maintaining the cloud must be taking something out of her, but Kai wasn''t willing to bet that they could exhaust her.


    He tried another Tyrant''s Claw, only for the emerald shards to gather together, forming a defensive wall. It trembled underneath the force of his technique, but it held. Damn, this wasn''t going to be easy, and she could evade his breath. This would have been a good time for Void Gaze, if only he had it set in his soul. In a fight this fast there was definitely no time to change.


    When he looked back to Omilaena, he saw that she was finishing off the other soldiers. Thanks to Zae Zin Nim''s ferocious attack, they''d wiped out most of a demon army in a short time. But the floating palace beyond... Kai realized that it was flying closer, ready to unleash more streams of fire.


    Somehow he managed to hurl himself into the way in time, defending Omilaena with his own body. The flames were hot and loaded with chakra, but he''d survived worse. Kai growled and prepared his counter-attack, but the vessel was already flying on, as if he''d never been the target.


    While he fought, Zae Zin Nim continued to press the poison user relentlessly. Her qi attacks weren''t getting through the new swarm of emeralds, so she hurled herself forward. She burned through the storm, surrounded by blue flames and finally closing the distance to her opponent.


    The demoness lashed out with blinding speed, a black needle biting down. It punched through Zae Zin Nim''s defensive aura and she gasped... but she still thrust her palm forward. When it struck the demoness in the stomach, she spat up blood.


    But didn''t fall. Even as Kai ran at top speed to help, the demoness stabbed again, piercing Zae Zin Nim with another venomous needle. Such blows would have disabled her before, but now she kept fighting, first breaking the demon''s arm and then finally striking her in the head with a palm strike that made her collapse.


    At that moment the vessel tried to fire on the injured Zae Zin Nim and Kai was barely in time - instead of acting as a human shield, he tore off the front of the vessel with a Tyrant''s Claw. Too late, he saw a sleek gray form detach from the ship and drop to the ground.


    They were in no shape to fight back, but this wasn''t actually an attack. When the man picked up Anaelina and one of the surviving demonic arts users, Kai recognized him as Troulon from the Great Library. He stared back at them once, more afraid than angry, and then leapt up to the ship. It raced away, just ahead of Kai''s next attack.


    For the first time, despite all their reinforcements, the demons had actually retreated. Kai should have been glad, but then he heard a low cry from behind him.


    "Do you know how much poison you''ve taken?" Omilaena asked. "Why did you take that risk?"


    "You''ll save me, right?" Zae Zin Nim smiled weakly and then collapsed into their arms.

 Chapter 341: Rapidly Declining Conditions

    This was the worst possible environment to test her mastery of the Prana Jewels, but Omilaena had no choice. Zae Zin Nim was in terrible condition, already unconscious in Kai''s arms. Her soul had come off the Kama Altar strong, but she''d pushed her new ability far too hard too fast. That left her even more vulnerable to the poisons flowing through her body.


    "Have her drink this," she said, thrusting a vial at Kai. Then she knelt down beside the smaller woman and did her best to work.


    Omilaena slipped her necklace off and held it in one hand while she pulled out one of the black spikes in Zae Zin Nim''s shoulder. As soon as the spike was out, she pressed the sapphire pendant against the wound and tried to draw on the power resonating within her soul.


    Thankfully the basic principle worked immediately: all the poison in the injury was drawn into the pendant and absorbed in seconds. She could work with that later, but there was no time. Omilaena removed the second spike and repeated the procedure until she''d absorbed the majority of the toxicity.


    Unfortunately, more poison had already worked into Zae Zin Nim''s system and harmed her body. After hesitating the briefest of moments, Omilaena applied the pendant to the other woman''s neck, then her stomach where her robes had been cut open. That managed to extract a little more, but not as effectively. This wouldn''t be enough.


    "Is she going to be alright?" Kai asked anxiously.


    "She''ll live, the question is damage." Omilaena got a new idea and pulled off her choker, then placed it around Zae Zin Nim''s neck instead. The glittering blue band settled into place, slowing the absorption of poison within her body. That was the best she could do for now.


    "Is there anything else we can do?"


    "Not here." Omilaena glanced around at the shocked monks and terrified peasants... it was obvious they were done at the Kama Altar. They''d won a decisive victory, but the demons would be back. Probably even sooner than before now that they sensed weakness. "Alright, listen. You carry her and I''ll be on your back."


    After Kai cradled Zae Zin Nim to his chest, Omilaena wrapped her arms around his neck and hung from his back. He burst away with his new technique, tearing through the air so hard that the wind he formed stung her skin. This was a bit more dignified than being carried, and more importantly it would be gentler on Zae Zin Nim.


    A brutal run later, they were far away from the Kama Altar. Zae Zin Nim had gone to sleep and her condition hadn''t deteriorated, but it was still tenuous. When they reached a small forest, Kai pulled blankets out of his spatial ring and settled her down as gently as possible.


    "What do you need to help her?" he asked. "Wait, no - we need to figure out how they''re finding us first, so we know how much time we have."


    "Actually, I know the answer to that." Omilaena still remembered the look Troulon had shot at her, a mix of anger and betrayal. In a sense, that was one of many relationships she''d screwed up - had she behaved a little differently, he might have been a valuable ally for them.


    Somehow she actually had Kai and Zae Zin Nim on her side. She couldn''t lose them here.


    "So what is it?" Kai asked.


    "Troulon is a Gray Demon, so he feeds on minds. He wasn''t able to feed on mine, but we must have connected enough that he''s able to track me. It''s obviously not precise, but if they get any clues he can hone in on my essence."


    "Is there anything we can do to sever that?"


    "Unless I can replicate whatever you did with Anaelina, no. Not easily." Omilaena considered her options and came to the obvious conclusion. "One thing I can do is suppress myself and hide, which will work so long as I don''t have to fight. That would give me time to fully heal Zin Nim, but that means you''ll be on your own for a while."


    "Fine." Kai stood up, his eyes hard again. "Whatever you need."


    She didn''t deserve either of them. Omilaena rubbed the sapphire pendant, feeling the poison contained within and for once not thinking about the potential power. She''d save them, no matter what it took.


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    .


    ..


    .


    It took them several days to believe they''d completely hidden from the demons, then another two days to find an appropriate hiding spot. Eventually, far away from the main roads of the Commonwealth, Omilaena discovered a cavern filled with gentle chakra that she said would hide them both. It had soft beds of moss and a natural pool in the interior, so Kai hoped that it would be safe for them.


    Then he had to step away, because that was the best thing he could do for his wives. Sometimes it felt bizarre to think that way, but somehow that was the truth. They were having the worst honeymoon in the world, but the important thing was their commitment to one another.


    So Kai loped far from their location in order to make sure the demons didn''t track them down. Omilaena was fairly sure she could hide herself and only worried if Troulon had long periods of time to try to sense for her. So long as Kai was roaming the countryside, causing trouble, the demons would have no reason to go hunting in tiny random caves.


    Just to make sure he was noticed, Kai started by torching another demon fort. But the truth was that he had a limited appetite for that sort of thing: it was no challenge and it barely harmed the demons'' military capabilities. Once he managed to suppress his anxiety over Zae Zin Nim, he began to think about what strategies he could deploy against them.


    Eventually he happened across a group of merchants nervously crossing the uncontrolled space. Kai pretended to hire on as a guard, accepting the low rates they offered because the real coin he wanted was information. What he learned troubled him.


    Apparently war had broken out between the Commonwealth of Traebor and the Elven Wilds, completely locking up northern trade. There was no word on the reason and the merchants seemed to believe it was just more international politics, but Kai couldn''t help but wonder if he had been partially responsible. If the demons had recognized him, which they would have since Anaelina''s first encounter, then they might well have blamed the elves.


    That should have given him an additional sense of purpose - the more demons and other forces he was drawing away from the front lines, the more he was helping the elves. Yet it all felt so futile... would he or anyone else be better off at the end of a war like this?


    The merchants largely seemed to agree. They had no love for the demons and especially the new CTG under Anaelina, but they expected the elves to be even worse. Most of them seemed to just hope that it would all be over soon, one way or another. He didn''t tell them that based on what he knew, this war was likely to extend for a long time.


    After a week Kai was beginning to wonder if he should go back to check on Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena. Crossing the wilderness with the merchants wasn''t giving him any new information and there had been no sightings of demons. It was easy to make himself anxious and imagine that he had been ignored and the demons had pursued his wives instead.


    So when he saw the flying ships on the horizon, he was relieved in an odd sense. "Go!" Kai ordered all the merchants and their guards. "I''ll fight them here."


    They looked at him like he was mad, and a few of the guards even tried to convince him otherwise, but in the end there were demons bearing down on them and they weren''t going to stay to let themselves get killed. Kai began running at an easy pace to put some distance between them.


    The most important question was who was in the palace-like ship, which was difficult to see from the ground. He assumed they were smart enough to have noticed how his Thunderbird''s Wings ability worked and tried to develop countermeasures, so he didn''t throw himself toward it. Instead he just used his spiritual sight to inspect who he could.


    It felt like a half dozen weaker soldiers, well under 400 Power, but the three remaining people entirely outweighed that. The only one who wasn''t hiding his soul was Troulon - over 700 Power was nothing to be lightly dismissed. Yet the other two... they seemed to be stronger, and their shrouds felt familiar, but he couldn''t pinpoint exactly who they were.


    As it turned out, he didn''t need to. The palace-like ship descended toward him, not yet having attacked. Troulon bent over the side, adjusting one sleeve and inspecting him through his spectacles.


    "She''s not here," he announced. "You think you can defend them?"


    "I can try," Kai said, but his attention was on the other two.


    Gorutiel stood at the back with his arms folded, and when he saw Kai he shook his head as if disappointed. Some of the other fighters looked ready to attack, but he stayed back. Unfortunately, the same didn''t apply to the last demon.


    "Where?" Lilaetiel hurled herself out of the ship, trying to rake her qi claws through Kai.


    He dodged aside easily enough with his new speed, but underestimated just how fast she''d pivot. Those claws reached for his chest again and he barely managed to grasp her wrists. The demoness had immense strength, driven further by the madness in her eyes. Her claws grasped at the air as if trying to crawl toward him, but she wasn''t using her full strength.


    "I can smell her on you!" Lilaetiel hissed. "Where is she?"


    "You''ll find out when she kills you," Kai told the whole group. Then he leapt back, activated Thunderbird''s Wings, and shot away at top speed with the demons in hot pursuit.


    Surviving against the demonic hunt would be difficult, but the war in the north could be even more brutal, and Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena might have the most difficult challenge. All he could do was accomplish his part and hope it was enough.

 Chapter 342: Intimate Recovery

    Zae Zin Nim fought against a green flood, flailing her limbs to try to make headway and yet somehow never getting any closer. Kai hovered in the distance, swept up in the acidic waters, and she knew with inexplicable certainty that he needed her help. The waves were too strong, they battered her from every side, she hadn''t been breathing but suddenly she desperately needed to take a breath...


    Realizing that she was caught in a dream helped bring her back to reality and Zae Zin Nim carefully opened her eyes. She was looking at the ceiling of what seemed to be a cavern and heard nothing but quiet sounds of dripping water nearby. More importantly, her body didn''t hurt anymore, she just felt very tired. If she was awake, obviously she''d survived, but...


    "Kai?" she slurred out. Omilaena appeared beside her a moment later and smiled.


    "Glad to see you up," she said. "Kai is drawing them away from us, so focus on healing."


    "You got... the poison?"


    "I did, but I don''t advise doing that too often in the future. Maybe eventually I''ll be able to remove a poison instantly, but I''d need to know the Prana Jewels better and have a lot more personal strength."


    "Then..." Zae Zin Nim had some hair falling over her eye and wanted to brush it away, but she felt certain that if she tried to move her arms they would flop around like wet cloth.


    "No permanent harm done, don''t worry." Omilaena smoothed her hair away from her face and her touch felt surprisingly pleasant. "You aren''t suffering from the poison anymore, and you could fight if necessary. That said, I don''t recommend it. Give yourself time to fully recover, especially all that new chakra."


    "That''s frustrating. With qi advancements you don''t need additional time for the power to settle."


    "Yeah, well, with cultivation you aren''t generally giving up a major part of your own essence and transforming it into an entirely new ability. It''s a testament to your overall skill and stability that you were able to do as much as you did."


    "How am I physically?" Zae Zin Nim flopped an arm onto her stomach, but didn''t feel any sources of pain.


    "Healed faster than the poison. It seems like that Pure Yin Shroud has really made you durable - it''s not regeneration, but you''re in damn good health."


    With her initial questions answered, Zae Zin Nim lapsed back into silence and let herself rest. Sleep didn''t seem anywhere within reach, however. She was just sluggish, not weary. Maybe she could figure out how to cultivate in her present state, but she was still too unfocused.


    Omilaena worked beside her, measuring one liquid carefully into another to create some sort of concoction that emanated healing energy. It was so strange to look at her and think that they were married. Until they had actually kissed the night before the Kama Altar, Zae Zin Nim hadn''t been sure that it would work between them. Now it was as if her eyes had been opened: she''d always been told that women shouldn''t be interested in other women, so she had admired Omilaena without understanding the attraction. Instead of wanting to be like Omilaena, she wanted... wanted...


    The other woman saw her looking and smirked. Zae Zin Nim flushed a little, but didn''t try to pull away. Teasing and sensuality between them was permissible now, in theory... it would just take some getting used to. When she looked at the other woman, she felt...


    It wasn''t the same overwhelming flood of passion as with Kai, but Zae Zin Nim felt a surge of love for Omilaena. Where Zae Zin Nim had been inflexible and stuck in her own culture, Omilaena had been more open-minded than either of them. She had even helped Zae Zin Nim admit her feelings and been willing to step aside herself. So many of the women Zae Zin Nim had known had been bitter rivals, yet here she had someone she could truly trust...


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    "Are you ready to drink this?" Omilaena asked, bringing the vial closer. "It should help restore everything faster."


    "Too weak," Zae Zin Nim said. "Help me."


    After another little smirk, Omilaena took a drink of the concoction and then bent down to kiss her. Zae Zin Nim''s eyes widened, but she kissed back and felt the liquid trickling into her mouth. It rushed through her body, relaxing all her muscles before pooling in her dantian. When they parted, Zae Zin Nim was panting for breath softly.


    "You don''t... need to make excuses..." she said.


    "Good." Omilaena bent down and kissed her normally this time, and the kiss was surprisingly comfortable. Kai was bulky and hard and masculine, which was a little fearsome even if also exciting - kissing another woman felt more familiar, even if there was an edge of impropriety to it. By the time they were done, she felt much better.


    Eventually Zae Zin Nim sat up and accepted the healing vial to drink normally. She''d been changed into a thin robe, which alarmed her for a moment before she remembered there was nothing inappropriate about her spouses changing her clothes. Lascivious as she was, Omilaena wouldn''t have done anything to her while she was asleep. Both of them were together now, moving in the same direction...


    As she stared at the other woman, Zae Zin Nim reached her conclusion almost at the same moment she spoke it. "You can use the Ape Titan''s Ambrosia."


    "What?" Omilaena had been toying with a syringe and now stared at her uncertainly. "That doesn''t make any sense. You''re much closer to the 999 Power barrier."


    "But I got my last easy boost from Kai. It will take me a very long time to reach Sky Soul, evolve an Advanced Class, or figure out the Blackblood Physique."


    "Are you sure? We have no idea where we''ll be headed next, and resources like that aren''t lying around."


    "You have so many abilities that are ready for synergy or advancement, don''t you? The barrier could be slowing you down more than me. Besides..." Zae Zin Nim nodded as she grew more confident. "I want you to have it. We''re partners now, right? If you take this, you''ll use it to help me find a proper qi source... won''t you?"


    "Of course I will." Omilaena smiled at her, first warmly and then teasingly. "But if you really want to help my advancement, there''s something else you could do for me."


    "What''s that?"


    "We might not have the Kama Altar, but there are still some... techniques we could try. They''ll help me more than you, but after absorbing all that poison you took, I want to try something with my own poison. I promise that it won''t actually harm you, and we should build up your immunity to all my poisons anyway."


    "Oh... umm..." Zae Zin Nim lowered her eyes and tried not to squirm. She had only just finished learning how things worked with men, but this was a whole new world that she didn''t understand.


    "We don''t have to if you don''t want," Omilaena said, backing off so quickly that Zae Zin Nim''s heart ached for her. "But I thought... this is all so new to you, maybe you want more time to get used to us before it gets complicated."


    Actually, Zae Zin Nim was still a bit mystified about how relationships between women would even work and had been hoping that Kai could smooth things over. But Omilaena knew what she was doing, so perhaps... Zae Zin Nim nodded and hoped she didn''t seem too innocent.


    The pool in the cavern was murky at first, but Omilaena purified it with one of her elixirs. Even though the water was still dark, the cleanliness of it was obvious. They took off their robes, which was a bit embarrassing, but when they both slid underneath the surface it wasn''t so different from being in a bath.


    "Back here," Omilaena said, drawing her closer until Zae Zin Nim was resting her back against the other woman. That touch was strange and electric, but it didn''t feel wrong. Omilaena''s embrace wasn''t sexual at all, just comfortable. "This isn''t bad, is it?"


    "No... but... the poison?"


    "These combined powers of yours are a real furnace; it''s quite impressive. What I want is to help it adapt to my poison." One of Omilaena''s hands slid down to her stomach, holding her closer. "In the course of the poisoning, your dantian is going to process that poison. It could harm you ordinarily, but with my help it will strengthen you instead. And with luck, you''ll also refine the poison for me to use."


    "Like the Irunians!" Zae Zin Nim said, then flushed when Omilaena chuckled. Perhaps she''d been a little too enthusiastic, especially when they floated together so intimately.


    "Yes, it''s a similar principle. But... do you want this?"


    "I... I do... it''s just all so..."


    "If you''re more comfortable with chakra techniques, we can start there." Omilaena bent down to kiss the back of her neck and her hand slid a little lower. "Let me introduce you to a dual cultivation technique called Yin Resonance..."

 Chapter 343: Savage Demons, Savage Creed

    Despite all the time he''d spent being chased by demons through the Commonwealth, Kai found that he needed to adapt his strategies again now. Anaelina had been aggressive and personal, always pursuing him in hopes of getting her revenge or draining him. By contrast Troulon was careful and methodical, which was proving to be worse.


    What he''d painfully discovered was that Troulon was both bribing and threatening the local citizens to provide information about Kai, so he couldn''t trust anyone. He didn''t blame the citizens, who had difficult enough lives without demons breathing down their necks. It was simply one more option not available to him, forcing him to stay away from civilization and assume everyone was an informant.


    Even though Anaelina hadn''t reappeared - presumably still injured - Lilaetiel and Gorutiel were absolutely brutal enforcers. Kai might have taken a gamble on fighting one of them individually, but together would be suicide, even before Troulon or other forces got involved. He''d had several vicious encounters and never dealt more than minor injuries, while he would be in bad shape if not for Behemoth''s Heart.


    He was running through a desolate hilly area when he suddenly spotted someone atop a nearby hill. At first he sighed, assuming he would need to change course again, then he realized that their clothing was familiar. Not shimmering Commonwealth linens, just skins and furs.


    It had to be a follower of the Savage Creed. If anyone was resisting the demonic mandate, it would be them, and he''d wanted more training anyway. This could be a way to get more out of the grueling experience.


    As he drew closer he saw that it was a young woman, not particularly impressive with under 200 Power. She started to move away before she realized how fast he was going and understood that she couldn''t outpace him. Instead she drew a weapon from a spatial fur and braced herself.


    Kai abruptly realized what he must look like, charging directly at her in the middle of nowhere. Now that he was thinking properly, it was obvious that a young woman would be afraid in a situation like this, especially of someone like him. There was likely nothing he could do to completely ease her fears, but when he got closer he slowed down and approached with a smile.


    "Excuse me! You haven''t seen demons nearby, have you?"


    "Some flew east in a ship less than an hour ago," she told him tersely. It was hard to say if she was telling the truth or just trying to make him go away.


    "Sorry to run up to you like this, but I need some information." Kai reached into his spatial ring and pulled out the old necklace of fangs. "I''m a follower of the Savage Creed too."


    "You could have killed someone and taken it from him."


    "Fine, how about this?" Kai transformed the hand holding the fangs into a claw, but he could only maintain it for a few seconds before it faded. "Alright, I still have some work to do. But you look like you''ve started training, so you know that isn''t just a trick I picked up."


    Her axe finally lowered a little and she stared at him. "Are you really a follower of the Savage Creed?"


    "Maybe it would have been more accurate to say I use the Savage Heart. To be perfectly honest, I could take or leave your ideals."


    That finally earned him a grim little smile. "That''s very Savage Creed of you. But it''s just as well. They say we take what we want, and men of our order tend to want the same things."


    "What are you doing out here, then?" Kai asked. "I mean, you can ignore me if you want. All I really need from you is information about demons."


    "The same ones killing us?"


    "The what now?"


    The young Savage Creed woman shivered. "We had a community here, until one of the demons started hunting us. We even called an elder from further north, but she wasn''t enough. What I said about seeing them fly past was true, but... there''s another one who attacked us. I was the only one who got away, so I''m traveling to meet with others."


    After the young woman let her guard down they walked together toward her destination. It came out that her name was Vulrippa and she''d stayed with a small Savage Creed community before things turned bloody. She didn''t exactly open up about her thoughts, but he sensed that she wasn''t happy with the turn her life had taken - not just the demon attacks, well before that.


    It was clear that she didn''t trust him fully, and likely expected him to demand something from her. Kai wasn''t sure whether he should try to earn her trust or just leave her to her own plans. Before he could come to any conclusion, the decision was made for him.


    Gorutiel leapt over a nearby hill, eyes burning.


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    "Kai! I was beginning to think Lilaetiel got you."


    "Not yet." Kai pushed Vulrippa to a safer distance. He would have said that Gorutiel wouldn''t attack someone weak, but given what he''d just heard...


    "Gotta say, I''m disappointed you decided to fight us. I liked you, way back when, but you''re a real pain in our ass now." Gorutiel looked past him to the young woman. "Tell you what, in honor of our old times together, if you give me the girl I''ll let you go this time."


    "I thought you were better than that," Kai said.


    "Hah! That was just a test, glad to see you haven''t lost your balls. But I really need to try to kill you now."


    The demon raised a hand to the side, building up a massive scythe of blood. He didn''t aim for any fancy tactics this time, he just hurled it through the air so that it would hit both Kai and Vulrippa. No choice but to meet it head on.


    Kai unleashed his best Tyrant''s Claw, but when the two techniques impacted he was sent stumbling backward. Gorutiel was just too strong, despite all Kai''s progress. If they kept fighting it could turn ugly, because Kai had enough trouble on his own, much less trying to defend someone weaker.


    And yet... when he looked at the demon''s soul, an idea occurred to him.


    <


    Name: Gorutiel


    Total Power: 998


    Crimson Demon: Topaz Rank (399)


    Demonic Cultivation: Nascent Foundation (220)


    Physique: C-3 (315)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    >


    It had been well over a year since they last met, yet Gorutiel''s Power had only risen from 994 to 998. There was only one explanation for that: he couldn''t pass the 999 Power barrier.


    "You''re stuck, aren''t you?" Kai called before they could really start fighting. "That''s why you''re murdering the Savage Creed followers now. You''re trying to push through the barrier to a thousand."


    For a moment Gorutiel''s eyes narrowed in fury, then instead he paced to the side, blood still forming around his hands. "Guess you got it. Demonic arts hit barriers like this, where you need new power to move on up. Still haven''t gotten enough."


    "But you can''t be proud of yourself, attacking people you used to say weren''t worth hunting."


    "Are you trying to shame me, boy? Don''t test my patience."


    "No, I''m going to make an offer." Kai lowered his hands, though he kept Thunderbird''s Wings at the ready. "I have something called Ape Titan''s Ambrosia that can break through the 999 Power barrier. If I gave it to you, would you consider making a different sort of deal?"


    To his surprise, Gorutiel burst out laughing. "You trying to bribe me, boy? Damn, you still have balls. Absolutely not, I need to break through myself."


    "Then I guess we have to fight after all."


    "I''ve changed my mind." Gorutiel suddenly released his blood scythe and it splattered over the hillside. "Your growth is damn impressive and I still don''t have your number. But you know it''s not enough, not against me. I''ll let you go this time... if you can gain enough power from these Savage Losers to actually go toe-to-toe with me for one blow, then I''ll consider ignoring them."


    "I''d be stupid to disagree, right?" Kai pretended to shrug casually. Even though he thought Gorutiel was being earnest, it would be a mistake to underestimate a demon of his strength. It was entirely possible, maybe even likely, that Gorutiel wanted to eat him to break the barrier.


    "I''ll see you soon - you''d better be ready!" Gorutiel laughed again and then raced off over the hills, apparently making good on his promise.


    Just in case, Kai quickly traveled away from their current location. Vulrippa went along with him, now staring in shock. She had enough skill with spiritual sight to examine both their souls, so she must have known that Kai was punching above his weight. He did his best not to seem too rough and it brought down her defenses a little.


    The challenge itself could be a problem, though. Kai''s human soul currently had 491 Power, which meant his full potential was roughly 982. Still short of Gorutiel, and worse, he didn''t think he was actually that strong. He''d been advancing only his human soul for a while, so his monstrous side still needed to grow to catch up. A larger gap of 100 Power or so was a better fit for how Gorutiel''s scythe technique consistently knocked him back.


    So the obvious solution was to go hunt monsters... except the Commonwealth just didn''t have enough of them here. It was a shame that life didn''t put any convenient hunts in his way, but he seemed to be out of luck.


    When he asked Vulrippa about sacred beasts, she told him that they were getting scarce due to recent events. At least her help let him find the Savage Creed community much faster than he would have on his own. Since it seemed like Gorutiel had kept his promise, the other demons probably wouldn''t track him down soon, which bought him a little time to prepare.


    The Savage Creed community wasn''t anything special, without any particularly powerful members like Kai would have expected. This group seemed younger, without any fancy stones or established hierarchies. He was beginning to think that the trip had been pointless when he finally saw someone he recognized.


    "Kai Clanless." Tyorcut stared at him with an odd smile and put a fist on her hip. The movement made her abs ripple, which she''d clearly planned. "What the hell are you doing here?"


    "I was fighting demons when I ran into Vulrippa here," he told her. The younger woman glanced at them but quickly disappeared among her peers. "You''re the one who came to help?"


    "That was how it was supposed to work, but that demon is... a monster. I''m surprised you could survive him."


    "I''m coming up a little short too."


    "Well then." Tyorcut sauntered toward him as her smile warmed. "Perhaps it''s time for some more training? If you''re feeling more flexible than before, we could really help one another."


    Her attempt at seduction had tested him when they last met, but so much had changed in Kai''s life. Ignoring her attractiveness, he instead checked her soul.


    <


    Name: Tyorcut


    Total Power: 535


    Savage Heart: 17 (172)


    Fierce Yoni: Amber Rank (99)


    Physique: D-3 (215)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    >


    She''d become a little stronger in the years since they''d first met, but not much. Her Fierce Yoni skill was stuck at Amber - he now knew enough to be sure it was a sexual ability and speculate that she might be so aggressive because she thought he could help her advance. That only put up another obstacle to potential desire.


    Obviously he wasn''t going to betray his vows, but Kai was short on time and allies, so he smiled back. "Last time you thought I''d fail your tests of control. Want a rematch?"

 Chapter 344: Pet Names and Pet Projects

    Most likely the world was going to hell in a handbasket outside, but so long as Kai was fine, Omilaena didn''t really care. She was in the middle of a dozen different projects: refining new poisons, strengthening her Venomsteel, feeding that steel into Lethal Artisan. As every component of her soul synergized, she could feel her Azure Core strengthening, though it still needed another breakthrough of some sort.


    By contrast, Zae Zin Nim... cultivated. And focused on her healing, but mostly cultivated.


    "It''s going to take years and it can''t be rushed," Zae Zin Nim explained when asked. "I might as well make progress whenever I can so I''m ready later."


    "Yeah, but won''t you be dual cultivating all the time now?"


    "That... that isn''t the same! And there will be diminishing returns as we synchronize, so... it''s necessary..." She trailed off, squirming in her lotus position.


    Omilaena couldn''t help but smile. She found it endlessly amusing that Zae Zin Nim could be intimate with the two of them and still act like a maiden sometimes. But her discomfort might actually get in the way of the next step, so Omilaena decided to distract her.


    "So now that we''re married, do I get to call you Nim?"


    Zae Zin Nim sat up straighter. "That is... technically acceptable, but I think ''Zin Nim'' would really be more..."


    "You never gave Kai permission either," Omilaena said. "Please don''t tell me that you married him, gave him your virginity, fucked him all morning, and still insisted he call you by your full name the entire time."


    "Of course not! I want him to refer to me familiarly, it''s just... we were very busy."


    "I''m sure you were."


    "Not like that!" Zae Zin Nim looked flustered, but only briefly before she shook her head. "You like doing this to me, don''t you?"


    "I absolutely do," Omilaena said with a relaxed smile.


    "Do we call get to call you ''Omi'' now, huh?"


    "You''re not going to win that game with me, because you can feel free. But let''s see, if you''re uncomfortable with the way Cloudspire handles pet names, we should come up with our own... what do you think of ''Nimmy''?"


    Zae Zin Nim''s eyes widened. "Absolutely not."


    "Zinzi."


    "I... I see what you''re doing, and refuse to participate!"


    "Zimzin."


    The other woman''s eyes widened again, but she kept her lips pressed firmly together.


    "Ole Nimnim."


    Her lips tightened even further.


    "Widdle Nimmykins."


    "You will not!" Zae Zin Nim burst out.


    "I will, and your heart will be warmed by the intimacy!" Omilaena suddenly lunged forward and caught the other woman''s lips with her own. Zae Zin Nim gave a little squeak of surprise but then relaxed into it, which was so damn rewarding.


    Gods, sometimes she just wanted to eat the other woman up. Omilaena had never attached too much importance to words like "husband" or "wife" and yet somehow they mattered here. Ages ago, she''d admired the two of them and been tempted to just throw them into bed somehow. Now she understood that she never could have done that, not and found something as warm as this.


    And yet they still hadn''t been together, not all three of them. That thought broke through her amused lust and returned her focus to her projects. There was so much to do and she really couldn''t justify very much playing around via dual cultivation.


    "I assume you wanted to distract me for some reason?" Zae Zin Nim asked her coolly.


    "So you noticed... yes, we''re ready for the next step." Omilaena handed her a new vial of dark blue poison. "This one is more intense than before. You should be able to drink it without harm, but like before, try to refine it if possible."


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    "I should be able to. I''m glad it''s helping." The cultivator took the vial and immediately focused on what she did best.


    Meanwhile, Omilaena dove back into all her projects with renewed energy. When Zae Zin Nim had offered her the flask of Ape Titan''s Ambrosia, she had considered it a sweet gesture that would probably not be relevant. Yet after taking it, it felt like her soul had burst free of confines she hadn''t even been aware of. All of the different pieces of her soul, which had previously seemed to overlap and get in each others way, now flowed together perfectly, strengthening one another.


    Dual cultivation hadn''t been entirely a distraction, it had actually benefited them. Omilaena couldn''t offer much chakra compared to the Kama Altar, but Zae Zin Nim''s new chakra strengthened her Physique by a level. She really was massively strong now, even if she was so often passive.


    Their time together had also boosted the Path of Venomsteel, which had been rapidly growing in general. Both of them had developed a new capacity, which was always a great path to power, but where Zae Zin Nim had brought hers into existence in a mature Amber Rank form, Omilaena was gradually building up from the foundation as she adapted to the Irunian methods.


    "When will the Pure Yin Shroud improve?" Zae Zin Nim asked, as if reading her thoughts. "It''s still stuck at 99. I confess... I haven''t ever really had a full understanding of the Rosemount ranks. Obviously more valuable gemstones are better, but..."


    "I was going to suggest we dual cultivate again," Omilaena said, "but if you''d rather have a lecture..."


    "Omi! This is serious."


    "Heh, alright. The lowest rank is Quartz, but you usually only see that on weak abilities. The next rank, which is much more common, is Opal. Between all your preparation and the Kama Altar, you leapt over both of those to Amber Rank, which is where abilities begin to mature more slowly. You just need to edge a little bit higher and you could break through into Garnet."


    "And it''s like an advancement?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "Are there procedures or rituals that need to be followed?"


    "Generally speaking, you just need chakra of the appropriate type." Omilaena smiled over at her. "As much as I would like to tease you on that, you probably won''t advance via sex anymore, not unless you''re absorbing some chakra from us. I''m not sure exactly what you need, but likely strength chakra."


    "I see. So it''s not so different from cultivation?"


    "Not exactly. Basically, you''ll advance through the entire rank - maybe smoothly, maybe in skips and jumps - so long as you keep absorbing the appropriate types of chakra. But eventually you''ll hit the limit and the only way to advance will be to find more intense sources. So right now you need something to tip you over the edge to Garnet, but it won''t be a massive boost, it will just open up more advancement to you."


    "I understand." Zae Zin Nim nodded seriously. "What''s beyond that? Your ability is... Spinel Rank?"


    "That''s right. Lots of people stall out there, but it advances to Topaz, then Emerald, Sapphire, Ruby, and Diamond. You''ve seen Diamond Ranks actually, from great powers of Rosemount."


    "With 1000 Power, just like Sky Soul... do you think that''s a coincidence, or some sort of deeper rule? Maybe that''s the maximum that one power can obtain?"


    Omilaena shrugged because she didn''t want to tackle a topic that large. "It could be, or it could also be some other sort of limit. I''m afraid there may be dead ends with chakra arts too, but they''re less well known than with cultivation. Fortunately you don''t have to worry about those yet."


    Actually, Omilaena thought there might be something even more worrisome, she just wasn''t sure how to explain the technical details to Zae Zin Nim. Up to Topaz, each rank was broader than the last and seemed to involve a meaningful qualitative shift upwards. But then they became very even, and starting from Emerald she hadn''t been impressed. Oh, the users had more power than her, but not nearly the advantage she would have expected. It reminded her of some of Kai''s thoughts about high level Physique.


    All of that was a problem she would have to uncover later, though, because she had no clues on that front. Besides, between everything at the Great Library and on Deadwaste, she was actually making progress on the truths of reality for the first time in years.


    Speaking of which, it was time for her to take her next step. Omilaena focused fully on the Path of Venomsteel, using it to create a sphere of metal. Of course the technique was very similar to her Lethal Artisan creations, but this time she held all of those abilities back. Normally absorbing your own metal was a zero sum game that wasted time... this should be different.


    First her Heart of Poison, newly empowered, strengthened the venom in the mix, then it was empowered by her Azure Core, through the mechanism of the increased Path of Venomsteel. The result was a sphere of blue-silver metal that throbbed with potential. Omilaena took a deep breath, set aside all of those abilities, and absorbed the sphere into her neglected Lethal Artisan soul.


    Instantly she felt the shock to her system, pushing past all of the blockages. She chuckled as she felt the new power surge within her - she''d taken a major step within the Spinel Rank.


    Of course this method resulted in diminishing returns, each of her abilities boosting the other less and less until she had extracted all of the potential synergy. But as she was now, especially with the Ape Titan''s Ambrosia and Zae Zin Nim''s help, she could advance entirely within herself.


    <


    Name: Omilaena


    Total Power: 0958


    Heart of Poison: Level 73 (292)


    *Prana Jewels: Level +3 (12)


    Lethal Artisan: Spinel Rank (250)


    Path of Venomsteel: Step 5 (75)


    Physique: D-6 (230)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Azure Core (+50)


    >


    She looked at her soul with satisfaction, pleased by how she was approaching 1000 Power now as well. Only her Azure Core hadn''t improved, which was still an open question. Not that she didn''t have ideas... Omilaena got to her feet and brushed off her hands.


    "Are you feeling confident enough here?" she asked.


    Zae Zin Nim nodded. "I am much better, and no one has found us yet. Why?"


    "I''m thinking that Kai might need some help."


    There were a few final arrangements to make, but Omilaena soon left the cavern in a good mood. Yes, these were the ones she''d been waiting for.

 Chapter 345: The Absolute Limits of Control

    Kai''s time with the Savage Creed followers had been frustrating in multiple senses.


    There had been a part of him that had hoped he would show up, learn a few tricks about the Savage Heart, and instantly gain access to a full transformation. Instead, though everyone was impressed by how much he''d grown, it apparently just took a lot of time and practice.


    And tapping into his savage desires, of course. Kai still sided with Gorutiel against the Savage Creed: he was a monster, not a beast, and he wouldn''t succeed by following the same path. But he couldn''t say that, so the challenges continued.


    Now that he had a stronger understanding of what Zae Zin Nim called dual cultivation, Kai saw Tyorcut''s actions for what they were: less seduction than strategic pressure. Her Savage Yoni ability was sex-based, so presumably she was open to having sex with people for power and wanted him on some level. But there was absolutely nothing more than lust, and he wasn''t sure that was stronger than her desire to gain power from him.


    Every day she gave him a new chakra drink, which flowed into his spirit and increased the "lingam" energy he carried, which also meant his sex drive. In theory he could absorb it and strengthen himself a little, as he''d done the last time, but that was never the goal. Instead she wanted him to fail so that she could harvest all of it for herself.


    Now that he was a married man he wasn''t tempted in the same way... but he was still a man. Being determined not to do something did not make him immune, so he struggled to maintain physical control and resist the impulses. If she hadn''t also been advising him on the Savage Heart, he''d have been tempted to abandon her challenge and leave.


    Currently he sat in a gully wearing nothing but pants. Actually, it was the Beggar King''s Rags, but since Tyorcut had insisted he wear little, he had made them shrink. He was surrounded by bowls of incense that formed a haze around him that made it hard to think.


    "Your self-control is impressive, but why resist?" Tyorcut prowled behind him, occasionally brushing against his back so he could feel her heat. "Are you one of those fools afraid of losing your essence? Don''t be, you know your strength. Go on, take what you want."


    Fuck, he wanted Zae Zin Nim. Kai wanted to think back to their time at the Kama Altar, but in his current state that might make him lose control altogether.


    "What''s going on here?"


    With no warning whatsoever, Omilaena strolled into the gully. She was wearing a dress again and it looked absolutely amazing. Kai had been resisting so hard that seeing a woman who actually wanted him back nearly undid him entirely. Fortunately, her arrival seemed to disrupt things and Tyorcut stalked away, so he stood up to get out of the incense.


    "This has nothing to do with you," Tyorcut snarled.


    "Is that Kai Clanless?" Omilaena strolled toward him with a faked expression. "Damn, are you still refusing to give it up?"


    "You know him?" Tyorcut hesitated, looking between them.


    "Oh yeah. Haven''t seen him in years, but he''s always been a stubborn one. Isn''t that right?"


    Kai had no idea what she was trying to do or why she was lying. He currently wasn''t thinking very clearly at all, actually. The best he could do was growling, "Get away, temptress."


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    "Still so aggressive!" Omilaena raised her hands in mock fear. "You''re not going to get this one with bait like that, believe me."


    After considering for a time, Tyorcut shook her head sharply. "We won''t throw you out, stranger, but you''d better not interfere. Kai, we''ll pick this up tomorrow."


    They remained silent until she left, going back to the main Savage Creed community. Just in case they were being watched Kai resisted the urge to whirl on Omilaena, but he still fixed her with a gaze. "What are you doing here? Is Zae Zin Nim alright?"


    "Relax, she''s fine. Fully recovered within two weeks, and it should only take her about a month to bring the Pure Yin Shroud to its full strength."


    "Good. Then what are you doing here and why are you meddling?"


    "Can''t I have any fun?" Omilaena''s eyes danced, but he saw that she was being serious. "I wanted to come bring you back, of course, but I also had plans to strengthen both of us. And as soon as I saw this set-up, I changed those plans. Do you have a thing for being tempted by strange, dangerous women?"


    "Believe me, I don''t." Kai groaned and ran his hands through his hair. "I need more strength to fight Gorutiel and this is the fastest way to get it. If I understand all this right, she''s trying to take advantage of me?"


    "One hundred percent. There are more cases of men taking advantage, but it can go the other way in certain circumstances. It''s not exactly predatory, not like a Silver Demon who would take everything. But if I''m reading all this chakra right... you''d get a little fun and she''d get all the permanent benefits."


    "And what are you doing, then?"


    "Making it worse! I''m tempting her to use even more valuable resources, which I''m pretty sure she will. You''re going to be facing an ugly challenge here, but I believe in you." Omilaena turned and reached out, almost as if she was going to touch him, but pulled back as they might be watched. "Just hold on until the perfect moment. Then I promise you, I will blow your mind."


    Kai groaned, but if Omilaena was really his wife then he needed to trust her. So he went back to his training and did his best to ignore her manipulations. The next day Tyorcut brought him a powdered root that lit a fire deep in his belly, so it must be working. There was more chakra flowing in him than ever before.


    "I''ve never met a man with your self-control," Tyorcut said as she stalked around him. "But are you really this stubborn? Believe me, losing will be better than winning."


    "Not yet," Kai grunted. He saw Omilaena over a nearby hill, tapping her goggles and then looking toward Tyorcut.


    So he actually let his eyes wander over her, as if he was being overcome by lust. Tyorcut kept feeding him new resources and teasing him further, and it should have been more than he could take. The only thing that kept him under control was Omilaena, whether it was just a glimpse of her or a coy wink from a distance. Now he wasn''t being seduced, he and Omilaena were seducing Tyorcut together, convincing her to pour more resources into him.


    But how long could that go on? Kai thought he had decent willpower, but he was only human.


    One day as Tyorcut walked away, her fur robes swishing around her wide hips, he realized that he was really staring, not pretending. The Savage Heart ability was going wild and he felt more like an animal than a person. Surely, surely it had to be soon...


    "I get it." Omilaena appeared beside him and he was so taken off guard he jumped. "Nice figure, amazing abs. If there wasn''t so much at stake, I''d say fuck her."


    "You cannot be serious," Kai growled.


    "I mean, obviously I don''t want you to break poor Zae Zin Nim''s heart. I''m just saying I wouldn''t personally care. I get it."


    "None of this is helping. Go away unless-"


    "It''s time, I was just waiting for everyone to get out of sight." Omilaena turned to him, eyes playful but no longer teasing. "You have terrible luck with women wanting something from you, huh? But you know how long I''ve wanted you."


    She leaned up on the tips of her toes to kiss him, surprisingly chastely. Kai wanted to grab her, but if he started he wasn''t sure he could stop. "Then... what happens now?"


    "I''ll take the energy Tyorcut has put so many resources into. Don''t worry, after that I''ll pay you back, I guarantee it." Omilaena reached up to touch his chest gently. "Maybe you''d prefer to stop thinking about her? I''m pretty sure I can make you forget."


    "Wait... wait... a long time ago, you said something about a poison vagina?"


    Omilaena laughed. "Right, I did! I do have ways to weaponize sex, but this isn''t about that, despite all the preparation. Really, Kai... this can be about just the two of us."


    He finally grabbed her, pulling her off the ground into a kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and for a while their embrace was gentle and sweet.


    But not for very long.

 Chapter 346: Talking to Demons

    For a while they just lay there, catching their breath. Omilaena had always been skeptical of the idea that emotion was essential for sex, but she was glad to be wrong. She hadn''t just exorcised this old demon, she felt connected to Kai in a way she hadn''t before. It was hard to know what to do with all those emotions, so...


    "And now you know why they call me the Maneater," Omilaena said with an exaggerated wink.


    Kai smiled lazily at her. "I''m pretty sure that was because you killed people while acting seductively."


    "Hush! Don''t bring logic into innuendo!" She couldn''t play around for long, though, and ended up gently touching the side of his face. "Sorry about all the trouble. It was worth it, right?"


    "Worth it, but... is this going to be a regular thing?"


    "I would certainly hope so."


    "Not sex, I mean all the yin and lingam and ritual stuff." He actually looked a little uncertain, despite everything. Omilaena leaned in to kiss him.


    "No, don''t worry," she said between kisses. "There are limits to the benefits of all these rituals, just like any other source of power. Counting from the first time we met, I''ve spent a lot of time teasing you, haven''t I? Well, in the future, no more games."


    "Some games are okay." Kai grabbed her ass and pulled her against him in a way that he never would have before. She laughed and cuddled in. So much of what was normal to her was uncomfortable or aggressive to him, but hopefully that would change.


    She would have loved to stay there longer, if only the real world didn''t exist. If Tyorcut came back to find them like this they''d have a whole mess of new complications, plus it was always possible that the demons would finally target this location. So Omilaena couldn''t wait long before she propped herself up on his chest to speak.


    "Are you going to go confront Gorutiel?" she asked. "There''s no guarantee he''ll honor the deal, so it might not be wise to even take the risk."


    "I think I should." Kai sighed and draped an arm over his eyes. "But do you think I can? I''ve advanced a little, but is it enough?"


    "Hey, it looks like I brought you to over 500 Power. Even if your monstrous side hasn''t caught up, you''ve improved your claw technique, right? If he''s really the way you think he is, then you don''t have to win, you just have to prove yourself."


    "Maybe you''re right." He looked down at her and frowned. "How is your Physique D-8? That feels... just unfair."


    "Remember that I was slacking on my physical training before we came back to Rosemount. I owe all that advancement to you... in this case, I absorbed it literally." She gave him a wink and finally pulled away to tug on her clothes.


    There would hopefully be other relaxed moments like this, but she recognized that this one was over. If they''d chosen this path, they needed to make the attempt.


    She left Kai to negotiate his departure with Tyorcut and the other Savage Creed followers. No doubt she would be pissed, but she only had herself to blame and she wasn''t strong enough to take on Kai. Whether he could really fight Gorutiel, however, much less make it work out for them...


    No sense not trusting him. Omilaena headed out into the wasteland to make her own preparations, since this could be a delicate operation. Gorutiel was ready to challenge Kai again, but Troulon and Lilaetiel were also surveilling the area. If they intervened then things were likely to go in the wrong direction.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Omilaena headed out over the hills, making no effort to hide her presence. If what she suspected about Troulon was right, he''d find her soon enough. Would she be ready? She examined her soul and the new progress she''d made.


    <


    Name: Omilaena


    Total Power: 0993


    Heart of Poison: Level 73 (292)


    *Prana Jewels: Level +3 (12)


    Lethal Artisan: Spinel Rank (250)


    Path of Venomsteel: Step 5 (75)


    Physique: D-8 (240)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Azure Core (+75)


    >


    All of Kai''s heroic suffering had been worth it, at least for her. His lingam energy didn''t really support her primary poison and steel abilities, but it was exactly the rush of energy she needed to make her Azure Core evolve another step. Her Physique had also leapt more than she expected, from the combination of both Zae Zin Nim and Kai. She was close to 1000 Power and there was nothing stopping her from rolling directly past that threshold.


    So in theory it was enough, she just had to wait for them to find her. It look over a day, during which she had many chances to regret her decisions and their strategy, but eventually she saw the golden platform sweeping down toward her.


    Lilaetiel leapt down at her first, claws lashing. "I can smell her! You''re keeping all that delicious qi from-"


    Her poison breath took the demon in the face with so much force it made her head snap back. Omilaena wasn''t naive enough to think that she could take out a demon that quickly, but Lilaetiel wasn''t expecting someone who had the edge on her. Before she could recover from the poison, Omilaena kicked her in the stomach and sent her flying.


    Which mean there was just Troulon left, staring at her from his ship. His arms were folded behind his back, tight with rage. "Omilaena. I understand why you did what you did, but I can''t forgive it."


    "Troulon." She dipped a shallow bow. "Are we going to talk, or are we going to fight?"


    .


    ..


    .


    Part of Kai didn''t want to let go of Omilaena, afraid that she would be injured and taken from him just like Zae Zin Nim. Of course, that part was naive: given the threats facing them, she could actually be killed. Any of them could, and the risk only increased the longer they stayed in the Commonwealth.


    Which was why he was going out to confront Gorutiel, despite the fact that it might seem foolish. He needed to stop thinking about the conflict as good guys and bad guys - the demons might be predatory by nature, but Tyorcut had been just as manipulative and he didn''t think there were any depths to human depravity in general. Gorutiel was only on the opposing side because it was expedient, not because they were permanently opposed.


    Of course, his logic wouldn''t do him any good if he wasn''t actually powerful enough to follow it up. He was heavily relying on the recent boost in power to make up the difference, plus all of his recent combat had increased Thunderbird''s Wings to Delta rank, and Tyrant''s Claw had leapt two ranks all the way to Lambda. That would have to be enough.


    After he wandered for a while, he finally spotted his opponent: Gorutiel bounded over the hills toward him, grinning.


    "Holy shit, it''s just been a month! How do you keep doing this?"


    "You wouldn''t believe me if I told you," Kai said.


    "No, I insist." Gorutiel skidded to a halt and stood waiting.


    "Well... I got one of the Savage Creed followers to feed me chakra, trying to take advantage of me via dual cultivation, and then I turned her down."


    "Ha! You''ve got balls, kid. And they''re actually relevant in this case, haha!" Abruptly the demon''s laughter stopped. "But is it actually enough? Because I don''t really care how tricky you are, the question is if you can back up what you said."


    Instead of answering with words, Kai set his feet and raised his hand to one side. When his fingers formed into claws, they didn''t flicker away this time, actually holding the transformation steady. Gorutiel grinned and prepared his blood scythe, taking his time to make it even larger than before.


    Kai didn''t let him take the initiative. Instead he focused on his speed half-phase and executed three maneuvers at nearly the same instant: he burst forward with Thunderbird''s Wings, unleashed a Tyrant''s Claw, and reversed his momentum with a second burst. His claw flew away from him surrounded by the shockwaves from the thunderclaps.


    For a moment, fixed in his speed phase, Kai saw the forces flying toward one another, almost peaceful. Then they crashed together, his three waves striking in swift succession. The first shockwave was cut apart, and the two techniques blew each other apart, but the second shockwave sent the blood fragments flying backwards.


    So it was over in an instant. Kai waited, catching his breath. Gorutiel couldn''t deny that he''d matched him, but would he actually hold his end of the bargain?


    "Damn." Gorutiel lowered his hand slowly and shook his head. "Even if I didn''t like ya, it''d be wrong to kill you now when you''re still growing this much. You want me to leave the Savage Creed followers alone? Done."


    "Actually," Kai said, "I was hoping to suggest something different..."

 Chapter 347: The True Impact of Actions

    When Zae Zin Nim sensed three presences approaching the cave, she was on her feet in an instant. She had passed beyond the point of simple recovery and begun training with the Pure Yin Shroud, so she was confident that her cultivation was solid. Even if she was facing three demons, she wouldn''t surrender.


    She reached the mouth of the cavern first so as to have more options and identified Kai and Omilaena - that should have been a relief, but where was the third? Something was different about their body language, could they be manipulated? But when they saw her, they both smiled as if nothing was wrong and the expressions looked authentic. She remained just a little tense wondering if they could be pursued, even as most of her wanted to run up and embrace them.


    "We''re finally getting out of here," Kai told her. "At least I hope so. There''s still a chance it''s another trap."


    "Which is why we''re back here," Omilaena said. "We should be able to take things on together. That said, don''t attack."


    "Attack who?" Zae Zin Nim asked, even as she understood and saw the third person.


    The demon Gorutiel walked behind them, keeping his distance until he was announced. His eyes still burned like all true demons, but he seemed only mildly amused by the cave, not interested in attacking. She was more concerned about whether he was going to lead Lilaetiel to their location to steal her cultivation.


    "Nah," Gorutiel said as if he could read her thoughts, "it''s in my best interest to get you out of here. Lilaetiel is a rival and Troulon is a pain in the ass, so I don''t want them catching their prey. Besides, running around out here has been kind of a drag and I still haven''t broken through."


    "Gorutiel says that he knows about a group of captive elves." As he spoke, Kai moved to half-way between them, prepared for an attack even though she thought he actually trusted the demon. Good, he was learning. "In theory, if they''re freed, we can teleport out with them."


    "If it''s a trap, it''s an elaborate one," Omilaena added. "I fought the others and they should be well off track, so we have a free day to escape."


    "We assumed you''d be okay with that... but I wanted to discuss more. Gorutiel, why are you still working for Matiavel? Can we convince you t-"


    "Nah." Gorutiel folded his arms and shook his head vigorously. "None of us are exactly satisfied with Matiavel right now, given how he''s burning all these resources in a war for his own prey. But we''re not going to stab him in the back. You don''t do that to someone who can kill you with one technique."


    "Expected as much, but I had to try."


    "Ha! Like I said, kid, you''ve got balls. But I suggest you get out of here and don''t come back. This isn''t a place for someone like you."


    Since Zae Zin Nim had no objections, they all ran toward the supposed location of the elves. It was insufferable having to run, but she supposed that a flying vehicle might have drawn more attention to them. Gorutiel set an absolutely brutal pace that only Kai would ordinarily have been able to match - she was fortunate that she had the Pure Yin Shroud now, and Omilaena was lucky she had her recent Physique boosts.


    Provided that the demon wasn''t going to double-cross them, Zae Zin Nim had no trouble working with Gorutiel. At least the demons were honest about taking what they wanted. When they weren''t her direct enemies or trying to consume her cultivation, they weren''t so different from other cultivators. Kai seemed to have charmed this one by strange masculine arts.


    When they reached a larger than average demonic fort, Zae Zin Nim was braced for an attack, but there was no ambush waiting. Omilaena took out the guards with poison needles while Zae Zin Nim hopped to the roof and tore off an anti-glamour obelisk with her bare hands. The existence of that obelisk lent strong credence to the idea this was really a prison for elves. It seemed like Kai was searching inside, so she should know soon.


    Abruptly she realized that Gorutiel was watching her extremely closely with a grin. It made her uncomfortable, and yet... she didn''t see any lust there, not like she expected. Zae Zin Nim finished tearing off the last stone obelisk and threw it in his direction.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He headbutted it apart and grinned broader. "Usually cultivators are wispy little things, but you''re damn strong! And you''ve been running around under Lilaetiel''s nose... you''ve got balls, girl!"


    "I... I do not."


    "Metaphorical balls!"


    Before he could talk about "balls" anymore, which was deeply disgusting, Kai emerged from the prison. He supported two elves, one older and one injured, and there were several more coming behind them. Some had clearly been drained by demons recently, but they were mostly intact. They gasped and trembled when they emerged into the sunlight.


    "Well, that''s your ride out," Gorutiel said, "unless they killed the teleporter. That would be real inconvenient."


    "I..." One of the elves coughed painfully and then continued. "I can manage."


    "Great! Like I said, you get out of here. Things are just going to get worse."


    As they crowded around the teleporter, Zae Zin Nim examined the elves'' soul cultivation, just in case there was some final double-cross. Could someone have subverted or controlled the elves somehow? But her concerns were for nothing: in a rush of chakra wind, they were across the continent and finally out of the Commonwealth.


    Even though the Elven Wilds were largely desolate, Zae Zin Nim was glad to see them again. Their great gamble had been successful: she had reached the Kama Altar, and even though things hadn''t gone how she expected, this was for the best. Now they were free to leave Rosemount, if they wanted.


    Other elves rushed at them, cautious but mostly concerned with the prisoners. Considering that they arrived as rescuers, they were immediately well-received. Zae Zin Nim knew that she should get involved with the politics, but Kai and Omilaena seemed to have things under control.


    Kai got the lizardkin queen''s egg, which she had entirely forgotten about, out of the spatial ring and gave it to the elves. This caused even more consternation and they were rushed to the nearest city to connect with higher-ranked elves. She didn''t see Ceryyn or anyone else she knew, and it seemed the elves weren''t prepared for their arrival anyway.


    Zae Zin Nim was more interested in what she saw between the other two. Something subtle had shifted in their body language... Omilaena wasn''t hesitant around Kai anymore, and a few times he touched her waist familiarly. They had definitely been intimate.


    Years ago, Zae Zin Nim had struggled with black rage and jealousy when Nirka had been with Kai... and she was surprised to find none of that within her now. She was simply happy for them, and glad that Omilaena was more relaxed now. The only part that was uncomfortable was imagining the three of them together, which made her mind overwork and heat up. This was the first night they were all together since her injury... did that mean...?


    But they had been running and fighting demons for days, so they were all exhausted. All three of them retired to the same bedroom, but only to fall unconscious together. As Zae Zin Nim fell asleep, she reflected that either they were due for some happy days, or the leisurely days of being concerned about relationships were over.


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai woke to a knock on the door and leapt to his feet. For a second he thought he was only partially clothed, but the Beggar King''s Rags shifted into his normal clothes by the time he reached the outer door. Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim were safe, plus his sleepy mind belatedly remembered they were in an elven city now, not being chased by demons around the countryside.


    When he opened the door he saw Ceryyn on the other side, smiling. "I''m sorry, is it too early?"


    "No, but let''s be quiet." Kai slid out and closed the door gently behind him. "What is it?"


    "Nothing urgent, I just thought you would want updates. We returned the egg to the lizardkin and they were very grateful. We think they might help... but I don''t know if it can turn the tide." Ceryyn fidgeted and looked toward the door. "I know we''ve already asked so much of you, but do you think we can ask a little more?"


    "You can ask, but we''ll have to discuss it."


    "That''s what I was worried about," Ceryyn said. "You see... the war has gotten worse. I was hoping to take the three of you to the front to see the fighting. I don''t expect you to join in on our side, but we could desperately use your help if you''re willing to take on one last mission. There''s... well, I suppose I''ll just have to tell you the details later."


    Kai nodded his understanding. He gave Ceryyn an encouraging smile as she left to prepare, but the truth was that this could be a challenge. From his perspective, the elves had been honest with them, and even taken on the consequences of the war while they pushed into the Commonwealth and gained personal benefits. But he knew his wives wouldn''t see it that way: the elves had demanded a lot and only repaid some of it.


    If this was really war between the great powers of Rosemount, then the risks were higher than ever before. By the logic of pure personal interest, they had what they needed and it would be wisest to retreat and train to take advantage of their new abilities. He felt like he had a responsibility to the elves, but they would probably say to let them burn.


    When Kai stepped back into the bedroom and and looked at his sleeping wives, his heart swelled, but he realized that this might be the first true test of their bond.

 Chapter 348: A Final Elven Appeal

    Kai had hoped they would have at least a day to decompress and talk over everything, but the elves seemed to be impatient. They''d barely had time to eat before they were being called to the front and teleportation was being set up by that evening. Soon they were standing on the great Rosemount range between the Elven Wilds and the Commonwealth, overlooking the war as a sunset bled in the background.


    "This is the front," Ceryyn said, but her voice was almost drowned out by the chaos.


    At first Kai could only see the violence as forces threw themselves at one another in the pass below. He could make out the general sides, since it was bands of elves against the white and gold Commonwealth soldiers, but the constant deaths were overwhelming. Imagining that each one of the figures was a real person... it was too much, he had to retreat to colder logic.


    Looking at the war in terms of numbers and tactics was more comprehensible. The majority of the soldiers seemed to be trying to take and hold ground for their most powerful warriors to use as they fought one another. He saw a group of elves overtake a cluster of soldiers holding a hill, then have a demon land on it later. The demon tore through them, but that distraction cost time and a more equal warrior struck him with an arrow through the arm.


    The rank-and-file soldiers had 50 or so Power, which was a grim realization for someone from Monskon City. What struck him even more was that warriors with 200 or 300 Power weren''t heroes in a battle like this - he saw them going down left and right to stronger combatants. Kai knew he could play a larger role in a battle like this, but he would be facing so much competition...


    As he watched, a horn sounded over the valley, summoning a new charge. Elven cavalry swept forward on their desert-bred horses and the elves at the front actually built up a wave of chakra that swept aside their enemies. They slaughtered deep into the Commonwealth army... until a true demon with over 1000 Power arrived.


    He landed in front of the cavalry charge and swept his hand to the side. The arc of crimson power that left his hand was silent, but the screams it produced seemed to come straight from hell. Horses collapsed on every side, and even though the elves tried to leap away, their charge was faltering.


    A second horn sounded and suddenly pegasus cavalry broke from a hidden position in the trees. They didn''t try to charge directly, just swept parallel to the elven lines, unleashing javelins. The demon knocked a few aside contemptuously, but his allies were falling back. He could probably have taken on hundreds of the enemy himself, but thousands? After a final snarl the demon retreated along with the main body of forces and the elves cheered.


    It seemed like the battle was done for the day, both sides spent. Kai stared at the chaos left in its wake, almost oblivious to the others until Ceryyn spoke.


    "This battle was worse than many, but not the worst." Her voice held a deep sorrow. "You see what this is doing to us? Both the Wilds and the Commonwealth will bleed out much of their strength, only further destabilizing everything."


    "And what do you expect us to do about it?" Omilaena asked. "We might be able to help out in one battle, but we can''t win a war for you."


    "I know, and I''d never ask that of you. I believe we could end hostilities if not for... well, there are several problems." Ceryyn sighed and gestured to the south. "Matiavel himself is the source, but nothing can be done about him. But the larger problem is that our strongest elders can''t take to the battlefield except in limited engagements."


    Zae Zin Nim frowned. "Why not?"


    "Do you remember the great weapon used in the battle at the capital? The demons have seized control of the First Crest and threatened to use it at range. An elven glamour can''t stop such a weapon, and if they managed to take down an elder, our advantage would be destroyed."


    "That''s what you want us to do," Kai said as he realized. "Take down the weapon."


    "That''s right." Ceryyn clasped her hands in front of her as she appealed to the three of them. "The Council wants to send some of our other agents, but I''m convinced they''d fail and the demons would only increase the defenses. You three are the only ones who have consistently succeeded for us in the Commonwealth, and some of the only ones who know the capital. I know the risk is terrible, but if the weapon can be taken down, I believe that the war can be ended."Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Going to the capital would mean going right back into the clutches of the demons, including some of those who had been hunting them. Kai could imagine the arguments from his allies: they already had qi, chakra, and clothes from the Primal Loom, what else could the elves give them? Hit and run tactics were a manageable risk, but this would mean attacking a valuable target.


    Ceryyn had stepped away, staring over the side at the devastation below, which gave them space to talk. Kai turned to the two women, preparing his arguments.


    "I know that if we leave now, we can advance more," he told them, "but hear me out. This is the only chance we have to make the Council of Elders owe us a favor like this. We''ve stretched our training time to the absolute limit, so if we do any more, the war will be over. We need to... why are you looking at me like that?"


    Both women had strange smiles on their faces. They glanced at one another, then Zae Zin Nim spoke up with an odd expression. "We knew you couldn''t resist getting involved," she said, and he realized that her smile was fond. "You''re a stupidly loyal barbarian, but you''re our barbarian."


    "Besides," Omilaena added, "we haven''t been able to properly use our new abilities together. There are kinks to work out before we can really settle into training."


    Kai breathed a sigh of relief as he realized the argument he had feared wasn''t going to happen. He might be throwing himself into grave danger, but at least they''d be at his side willingly. When he grinned and started to move forward them, he was blocked by Ceryyn.


    "You''re agreeing?" She tightened her fists and smiled grimly. "Thank you, thank you so much! Let''s go back to Sandflower City right away, there''s so much to do..."


    And so began a final night of last second preparations. Kai''s body and mind were taut as a wire and he found himself oddly apprehensive that his wives would treat it as their last night together, but they all seemed focused on the mission. Maybe that was the right attitude: this wasn''t a suicide mission, just another challenge they would tackle together.


    Hopefully they were right.


    .


    ..


    .


    The first light from the dawn marked the dwindling hours before the mission would begin. Zae Zin Nim sat and cultivated, but her heart wasn''t in it. A little more cultivation wasn''t going to have any effect on the upcoming battle and she only did it as a promise to herself that they would keep climbing after this.


    Kai had taken the lead on mission information, learning about how the First Crest was connected to the capital city''s power and its great weapon. She could leave that to him. Omilaena had pressed for details and additional advantages, including a teleportation totem for them to retreat if things became too risky. Obviously she was better at those negotiations.


    That left military intelligence to Zae Zin Nim, so she had learned what the elves knew about the current conditions in the capital. Many of the demons were fighting on the front, but some remained back... unfortunately including Lilaetiel and many of the others they had been fighting. There was also the Crestguard, which would definitely stand in their way. Unfortunately they didn''t know the exact details of who else might be lurking in the capital.


    "Morning." Omilaena slipped her arms around her from behind and kissed her neck. "Last second cultivation?"


    "I just need to calm my mind," Zae Zin Nim said, relaxing into the other woman''s embrace. "We need to be at our best today. Did you get totems for all three of us?"


    "Unfortunately they only had one." Omilaena hefted the carved totem in one hand. "I think they were telling the truth: their weak totems can''t penetrate very far, only those carved by the Council of Elders. So we need to stick together if we want to retreat... do you want to carry it?"


    "No, I was only asking."


    "Well, I do have something for you."


    Zae Zin Nim blinked as she found herself staring at a syringe that glowed bright blue. She took it carefully, for a moment thinking she sensed her own qi, yet that wasn''t quite right. It actually felt more like Kai and Omilaena.


    "I wasn''t just teasing you about the necessity of dual cultivation," Omilaena said. "That''s a merger of our essence, if things happen the way you feared. It should give you a boost, and more importantly cloak your qi with our power."


    "This is a wonderful gift." Zae Zin Nim quickly put it in her spatial ring before it could lose potency. "Not to be greedy, but do you have more?"


    "You really shouldn''t inject more than one that potent, not if you want to stay sane. I did make one for Kai, out of pure carnal energy. Should give him an edge when he needs it."


    "And you?"


    Omilaena hesitated as if surprised, then shook her head. "I can produce a few effects by injecting myself, but nothing this dramatic. All the power I can extract from my own abilities, I''ve already extracted. I''ll have to hope all the boosts you two gave me are enough."


    Before Zae Zin Nim could decide what she wanted to say, Kai approached from behind. He grabbed them both in a hug and for a moment they were united, but it couldn''t last. When he set them down Ceryyn was already approaching.


    "Are you ready?" she asked.


    Even though her answer was certain, Zae Zin Nim hesitated. A properly ruthless cultivator would never take a risk like this. It might have been more beneficial for her to switch sides long ago, betray everything she knew about the elves for power from the demons. But if she had done that, she could never have had a life with Kai and Omilaena.


    Not long after Zae Zin Nim nodded, they hit the pale streets of Traeton as dawn broke over the capital. It was still lit brightly by the power flooding from the First Crest, power that could be transformed into a terrible weapon. As soon as Ceryyn vanished, it was only the three of them against terrible odds.


    Maybe this wasn''t what a true cultivator would do, but it was the choice Zae Zin Nim had made.

 Chapter 349: Beginning the Suicide Mission

    Using elven cloaks or disguises would have been foolish in the capital, so they had few stealth options, but they still did their best to penetrate the First Crest defenses without conflict. As they moved deeper into the city on the lower streets, Kai even caught himself hoping it might work out easily. Of course it wouldn''t: the best he would hope for was that they fought an intense but brief battle, destroyed the weapon, and got out.


    The First Crest sat in the center of the city, protected by its defensive dome and all the members of the Crestguard. They had the option of attacking directly and severing all the cables that powered the city as well as the weapon, but the elves thought that would be unwise and Kai agreed. The cables had been severed before and could be easily repaired - their real target needed to be the weapon itself, which was housed in a secure underground base near the Crest.


    After all the experience they had evading demons, perhaps it wasn''t a surprise that they got so close to the First Crest without being spotted or attacked. But it couldn''t last: the weapon itself was so well-defended that stealth was impossible.


    Last time they had visited as tourists, just to see one of the Insanities of the world. That Insanity might still be inexplicable to them, but the weapon it powered was within their reach. Kai squared his shoulders and prepared himself by checking his soul one last time.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 501


    Monstrous Hunger - XII (mu)


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 74% (116)


    Savage Heart: 8 (81)


    Physique Level: D-7 (235)


    Beggar King''s Robes: +1 (5)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VIII (theta)


    Thunderbird''s Wings - IV (delta)


    Direboar''s Strength - XII (mu)


    Tyrant''s Claw - XI (iota)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    Baleful Breath - V (epsilon)


    >


    He didn''t even look at the other monstrous essences in his soul, only the abilities he had chosen, because there likely wouldn''t be time to change. After careful consideration, he had chosen to take the unusual step of removing Isulfr''s Bite from his active soul - despite its power, he wasn''t likely to be facing any monsters here, and too many of their potential opponents could keep him at range.


    That left him with Behemoth''s Heart, Thunderbird''s Wings, and Direboar''s Strength as the core of his power, then access to Tyrant''s Claw, Void Gaze, and Baleful Breath. He was again grateful to Omilaena for helping him master his monstrous soul or he would have needed to make an even harder decision.


    Unlike the last time, there were no crowds gathering to come and gawk at the First Crest - it looked as though they were being held back by new barricades. Now that Kai knew what to look for, he noticed cables in the pillars holding up the dome, which would power the weapon when necessary. Tracing them back to the source, he eventually spotted the entrance hidden within the turns of the pit.


    Multiple Crestguards roamed the surrounding area, but only two stood near the door. He had to assume there were more inside. When Kai glanced at Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena, they didn''t need to say anything, they knew exactly what they needed to do.


    This was going to be rough. As a final preparation, Kai examined one of them again.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 509


    Yang Knight: 11 (210)


    Physique: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    First Crest Armor (50)


    >


    Now he understood them a little better: a "Yang Knight" was a Commonwealth ability that absorbed and strengthened masculine energy. But understanding didn''t really help, since they still had a solid 500 Power each, including strong Physique and Soul Levels. They had to treat this like the fight of their lives.


    They struck as one, almost completely silently. Omilaena''s needles pierced both guards at the door, and if that didn''t stop them, Zae Zin Nim''s palms to the chest did. Kai flashed directly between the two of them, into the dark corridors beyond, since the tip of the spear was the most threatened position.


    Four more Crestguards inside, alert enough to be readying weapons. Kai leapt with Thunderbird''s Wings even as he used Tyrant''s Claw, which staggered all four. He tore into one of them even as he looked to the side and used Void Gaze on one of the guard''s swords. The man tried to draw his weapon and struggled with it for a precious second.


    In that time, Kai had torn through the armor of the guard nearest him. The other two were advancing, so Kai hurled the body at one of them. When the last leapt forward, the man seemed oddly slow. It was easy to dodge his wild sword swing and unleash an upwards claw. It actually tore through the armor, sending the knight falling back bleeding.


    It had been over too quickly and Kai hesitated. Zae Zin Nim was dragging the other two into the chamber while Omilaena pressed something that made a marble door close behind them - they were closed in, but that would slow down reinforcements, and in theory they could teleport out.


    They stood in a long marble corridor that ended in a staircase going further down, toward where the weapon''s core must be. Beyond this point, their only knowledge of the interior was based on logical deductions about how such a weapon must work. Several more Crestguards were running up the stairs toward them, weapons already drawn.


    And yet, as the trio fought their way through, Kai realized that this wasn''t a desperate fight for their lives. His mind was strangely clear, able to wander even as he tore apart armor and slid around strikes. Instead of fighting for his life, Kai found himself contemplating the difference between the Crestguard and the other warriors he''d known, especially his friends from Deadwaste.


    If they had fought that day, there was no question the Crestguard would have won: they were experienced warriors with a lot of Power and years of training. But yet, as he actually fought them, Kai found himself a little bit disappointed. Their power was based on overwhelming chakra in a few major abilities and served mostly to make them a wall against weaker forces. They were completely lacking in the sophistication he saw in the Frontier elites... or his own allies.


    All three of them had fused their abilities and tempered them in the most difficult of battles. Even without the half-phase training they''d all mastered, they had an edge that the Crestguard couldn''t match.


    He even had time to look at the other two. Zae Zin Nim was a graceful blur, dark wheeling limbs landing precise palm strikes even as the Heavenly Sash traced her movements. Omilaena was death on legs, shifting from ranged needles to point-blank breaths of poison in perfect synchronization. He kept thinking about them as "allies" but that wasn''t true any more - how could it be possible that they were his wives?


    They fought their way down two floors before they heard an explosion behind them, and Kai realized that their easy path was over. He could feel new powers closing in, much closer to 1000. Even though the Crestguard weren''t top tier fighters, they had more than enough strength to be threats if they got a chance to attack, so their trio would be outnumbered. At least in tight corridors like this they could use their opponents against themselves.


    A demon hurtled into the room and stopped, hair swirling around her. "Finally!" Lilaetiel looked so unhinged that Kai almost didn''t recognize her until he heard her voice. The demoness saw Zae Zin Nim and let out a howl of pleasure.


    Dangerous as the demoness was, she couldn''t overcome the teamwork they''d polished for so long. When she tried to charge, Omilaena intercepted her with a hail of needles that pushed her back. There were Crestguards rushing in to provide backup, but Kai raked a Tyrant''s Claw across the room''s entrance and sent them stumbling back.


    Without warning, the wall to his right crumbled. Kai leapt back just before qi attacks began tearing through it, barely avoiding the surprise assault. There was another chamber beyond, but this was no ambush... there were demonic arts users releasing acid to destroy the walls. They must have realized the attack and tunneled through the side instead of following the main path.


    Worse, Troulon stood among them.


    The Gray Demon raised a hand and an object that looked like it was a large needle made of paper leapt from it with surprising speed. It shot toward Omilaena and she barely dodged, only for it to circle around to strike again. Omilaena managed to grab it with one hand, but the projectile kept pressing closer to her face, and Troulon was preparing another attack...


    They could overcome this. All he needed to do was disrupt the demons from their chosen prey - even if he couldn''t isolate them, just having them switch opponents would give them an edge.


    Except, just as Kai started to move, another shadow emerged from the destroyed wall. He barely leapt back in time to avoid the silver flash that nearly cut his throat.


    Anaelina skidded past him, dragging her claws in the stone to slow down. There was no trace of her former injury, and if anything she seemed more powerful. Her bright silver eyes were fixed on him and her grin widened.


    "No matter where you go, Kai, you always seem to find your way back to me."


    "This is the last time." Kai clenched his hands into claws and prepared himself. They''d escaped one another long enough, but he was sick of this thorn in his side: this was the time to end it.

 Chapter 350: Over the Cliff

    When she had first learned about the demons on Rosemount, Zae Zin Nim''s greatest fear had been a demon stealing her cultivation. It was a terrible form of violation, stealing away everything she''d worked so hard for. When Lilaetiel howled and leapt at her, she very nearly quailed.


    But she wasn''t the cultivator she had been when she first set foot on the continent. Her opponent''s wild strikes were chaotic and unpolished, with immense speed but little grace. Zae Zin Nim moved economically, deflecting them with the minimum of movements, staying ahead and preparing herself for the counter-strike. She would have one perfect moment...


    Lilaetiel reached out, claws attempting to grasp her head - Zae Zin Nim activated her Coldfire Corona in full, enveloping the demon''s hand in blue flames. The demoness screamed and reeled back, but Zae Zin Nim didn''t let her.


    Instead of a palm strike, which could be ineffective against someone with so much cultivation, Zae Zin Nim grabbed the demoness by the wrist. Then she drew up the full power of her Pure Yin Shroud and broke her arm at the elbow.


    With a scream of pain, Lilaetiel lashed out wildly, managing to cut Zae Zin Nim''s arm. She felt something leaking from the cut and forcibly closed off her meridians as she retreated. The demoness had been injured, but as she cradled her broken arm, there was a new light in her eyes. No more recklessness, just hunger. Slowly the demoness raised her good hand and her claws flickered with blue flame.


    "I figured out that mana ability," Lilaetiel said with a chuckle. "It''s not cultivation, but I''m happy to take it all too. Anything else for me?"


    "Just this." As she spoke, Zae Zin Nim flipped Omilaena''s syringe from her spatial bracelet and injected herself in the side. Power flooded through her body and her vision went black.


    .


    ..


    .


    Troulon had gotten better since their last encounter - she''d hoped to talk, but he seemed unwilling in the presence of true demons.


    Now he unleashed swarms of tiny paper birds from his sleeves that fluttered with subtle grace and then darted forward violently. Omilaena took them down with needles, but he could generate paper as fast as she generated steel. Despite her edge in strength, he could probably release more projectiles than she could.


    After dodging another set, Omilaena breathed a cloud of smoke to fill the broken corridor. She could still sense Troulon on the other side, preparing another attack as he spoke.


    "Surely by now you''ve noticed that my paper has been treated with an anti-corrosive agent? Your poisons have gotten nastier, but they won''t work. You''re not that foolish... what are you after?"


    Another swarm of birds burst through the poison, though these were less targeted. Omilaena formed a knife in one hand to cut them down while hurling needles with the other - not just at the paper birds, but also at the Crestguards on the other side of the smoke. She was the only thing keeping the majority of the Crestguard from reaching Zae Zin Nim and Kai.


    Since the poison cloud was no longer working in her favor, Omilaena sucked it back in. To her dismay, gray smoke replaced it, smelling like burning paper. Troulon had learned a new trick.


    "Ah, you''re intending to act as a choke point." Troulon''s voice floated eerily from somewhere within the smoke and she realized she could no longer sense his presence. "I never thought I''d see the day where you played support. But is that wise? Your friends are both in battles they''re hardly equipped to win."


    "What strategy are you attempting?" Omilaena asked into the smoky air. "I can understand bowing to the current leadership, but why fight their battles like this? Have you forgotten about the Great Library?"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "That''s why I''m doing all this!"


    Suddenly a much larger blade of paper slashed toward her - in the opposite direction from Troulon''s voice. Omilaena barely twisted in time, blocking it with a syringe. Yet the edge was still driving at her, pushing her back... she stabbed a needle into the side of the paper and smashed the entire creation into the wall until it crumpled.


    "The demons agreed, they were going to leave the Great Library alone." Troulon''s voice still echoed from nowhere. "But the Council of Elders and the Flaeren Dominion... they''ve decided the Commonwealth isn''t worth the risk. They want to burn it all down."


    "That''s a bold claim," Omilaena said cautiously. "Do you have any proof?"


    "Of course I have proof! Do you think me a fool? But-"


    When the wall crumbled behind Omilaena, she didn''t move fast enough. She instinctively launched a needle, which went through the eye of the acid-user and dropped her, but the two Crestguards rushed in and grabbed her arms. She took down one with a breath of poison and tried to turn on the other, but a third and fourth rushed out of the smoke and wrestled her down to her knees.


    Troulon walked out of the smoke, his eyes glistening with hunger. "I''m sorry, Omilaena, I wanted to talk this out with you. But I can''t resist anymore."


    A sharp blade formed around one hand and he slashed through her throat.


    .


    ..


    .


    How many times had he clashed with Anaelina now? Kai had lost count, but he could still remember the bitter and desperate youth he''d been when she promised him the world and tried to take everything from him. In a bizarre way, he had her to thank for his current position, because without her draining, he never would have abandoned his human soul enough to attain this power.


    Unlike some of his enemies, she didn''t generally seem angry to see him, just eager. As if she wanted to pick up where they left off, or as if she was a gourmet seeing a favorite dish. Sometimes she behaved as if trying to kill him was more of a passion than a vendetta.


    None of this prevented them from striking at one another with the intent to kill. Kai skidded back from the impact, unharmed by the lashing silver energy.


    They clashed violently, exchanging multiple blows before the Crestguards even got close. It wasn''t an even fight: Kai was stronger and he''d increased his edge against her. The problem was that Anaelina was fighting primarily with one hand, building up lust magic in the other. She didn''t actually intend to strike him with any of the violent blows, only distract him long enough to land a technique he couldn''t block.


    <


    Name: Anaelina


    Total Power: 781


    Silver Demon: Spinel Rank (255)


    Corrupt Yin Core: Level 43 (172)


    Physique: D-1 (205)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    Devouring Yin (+100)


    >


    Her soul had grown substantially since he''d last gotten a good look at it, suggesting she had fed well. Physique into D-rank, increased Silver Demon rank, and of course that Corrupt Yin Core...


    "You know, I have you to thank for this." Anaelina spoke up as she retreated from another of his claws. "Before I absorbed your Class, I was just prey on Rosemount. You gave me the edge I needed to become a predator instead. I''ve risen faster than any of the others, thanks to that delicious determination of yours."


    There was no point talking to her anymore. Since she had stopped moving so quickly, Kai fixed her with Void Gaze. Her seductive sway froze in place and she shivered - first in surprise and then in something more. Her eyes partially closed in pleasure, then suddenly shot wide open, radiating silver light.


    Anaelina was frozen in place, but Kai''s body stiffened at the same time. The technique wasn''t identical to Void Gaze, just her power reaching into his mind. If his allies had been present they could have taken her out, but they were too far away - only the Crestguards were approaching. The longer they stared at one another, the more the silver clouds invaded his mind...


    "You know, sometimes I wanted to offer you something more." Anaelina''s teeth flashed silver in the light from her eyes. "Once I gained power, I started to sympathize with you. But I knew you''d never believe me... pity, isn''t it?"


    Drawing up his willpower, Kai wrenched their gazes apart. While his eyes were still closed, he lashed out with a Tyrant''s Claw that filled the corridor between them. When he opened his eyes he saw that Anaelina hadn''t recovered as quickly and the energy tore through one arm, leaving it hanging.


    But before he could finish her off, Anaelina slid to the side, grabbing the first of the Crestguard with her free hand. As Kai took a deep breath, he saw her grasp the guard by the face. In seconds his body withered, all of his vitality draining into her.


    Kai filled the corridor with Baleful Breath, blocking them off from the rest of the Crestguards and hopefully burning Anaelina. He knew better. She emerged from the smoke, her formerly ruined arm placed before her, emitting a silver light that kept his breath at bay. It stuttered like it couldn''t last long, but she was already leaping at him again.


    Her hand lashed out, faster than he''d ever seen before, and he barely deflected it. Kai grabbed her throat with a claw and squeezed... but instead of crushing her, his touch was as soft as a lover''s. Those eyes shone terribly bright as her technique flowed through her throat down his arm, into his mind...

 Book 1: Official Amazon Launch

    The first book is now out on Amazon:


    https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0DML13DV1</a>


    This version is edited in various ways: some additional descriptions, some changed conversations, some normal typos, some continuity errors smoothed. I think it will be a better starting experience than the versions previously posted on Patreon or RoyalRoad.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    If you''ve enjoyed Depthless Hunger up to this point, please consider grabbing a copy and/or leaving a review or rating. This is basically the story''s second chance at finding an audience, so I''m hoping for the best.


    I will be doing some promotion throughout this weekend, but the intent is for the normal chapter schedule to resume next week without any interruption.

 Chapter 351: Armored by Bonds

    The silvery clouds tried to invade Kai''s mind, but he was no longer so vulnerable to Anaelina''s sexual manipulations. When she struck at his throat, he caught her arm. Now that he had her by the throat and wrist he slammed her back against the wall and pinned her there.


    "I can''t believe it..." Anaelina somehow purred the words through the claw around her throat. "How have you gotten so strong?"


    Her power was still coursing up both of his arms, trying to fill him with lust, but Kai was stronger than that now. He beat it back now, maintaining control of himself, and glowered at her. "Stop that."


    "Fine." Her power vanished and she went limp, entirely within his power. "Are you going to have your way with me now?"


    "I''m going to kill you."


    "You know, I was honest with you, all those years ago. I grew up with nothing, just like you. The only thing people like us will ever gain in life is what we seize for ourselves. So I hurt a few people... isn''t that true of Zae Zin Nim and especially Omilaena? Am I any worse than them?"


    "You''ve tried to use me from the beginning..." But Kai found his grip slackening on her neck.


    When she was free, Anaelina didn''t attack him. Instead she dropped to her knees, gripping his legs and pressing herself against him. "And I was wrong. Please, don''t kill me, let me serve you. I can help you drain those who were born with power and lord it over everyone else. I don''t understand how these abilities of yours can be so powerful, but I know I can help feed them, if you''ll accept me."


    He was skeptical at first, but when he grasped her head he felt her mind submit itself to him, and then suddenly she was under his control. Anaelina rose meekly and followed him as he ran down the last staircase to the core that powered the First Crest''s weapon. To test her submission, he ordered her to destroy it, and she did so willingly.


    Then he rushed back to the others. He saw Omilaena with her throat nearly cut and Anaelina actually leapt into the way, taking the injury on her own arm. Troulon was no match for their combined forces and they raced on. Zae Zin Nim had somehow survived a long battle against Lilaetiel without having her cultivation drained, so Kai grabbed her as they ran. As soon as he had everyone free, he snapped the elven totem and they were all whisked away.


    At first the others were skeptical of Anaelina, but she stripped naked and prostrated herself before them, begging to be allowed to serve. And in the end they accepted her, all of them coming together and-


    No.


    No, this wasn''t true.


    Kai realized he had one claw around Anaelina''s throat and another driven through her stomach. For a moment he was massively disoriented, as if he was unmoored in time, but the truth was that it had only been a second. Nothing that he had seen since he touched Anaelina''s throat had actually happened - he''d fallen into her illusion immediately.


    Except instead of being consumed by the fantasy, he''d driven his other claw into her stomach. He didn''t remember doing it or even intending it, but his arm was stained with her blood. Just red in the end, just human.


    "Heh." Blood bubbled from Anaelina''s lips as she spoke, but she still managed to smirk. "I really thought... that one would get you..."


    Her body was too durable for him to easily snap her neck, but he needed to make sure she was completely dead as fast as possible. Kai wished briefly that he had kept Isulfr''s Bite active, because if he swallowed her whole he could be sure there was no chance she came back again.


    "Don''t have the guts to finish it?" Anaelina''s eyes blazed silver again, and this time they weren''t carrying any fantasy. Instead he felt her power reach out into his soul, trying to draw out his strength, just the way she had back in Deadwaste.


    Except this time she was weaker and she was bleeding out. Kai resisted, then pushed back. He realized that Isulfr''s Bite had never been what allowed him to consume monsters - that had always been the Monstrous Hunger - it was just a technique that made the process easier. When the hunger yawned open within him, the flow reversed and her strength began to drain into him. She didn''t try to stop it, even as the glow in her eyes faded.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Did you ever mean any of it?" he asked.


    "The story was true," Anaelina said faintly. "And the fantasy... would have been fun..."


    Then her life force was gone. Kai drove her body to the ground and made damn sure that she was dead before he finally rose, panting for breath. He''d never done something like that and it left his mouth coated with a flavor he could only describe as silver.


    But there was no time to think about that. He briefly glanced upward, worrying that his allies were in as much trouble as they had been in the vision, and then turned away. They were fighting to buy time to destroy the weapon, so he needed to do that before anything else could go wrong.


    .


    ..


    .


    When Zae Zin Nim first injected herself, the rush was so intense that she feared she''d done something wrong. The world seemed to swirl in front of her, sometimes distorted purple and sometimes a pitch black that frightened her. And yet, when Lilaetiel attacked her again, her arm smoothly came up to deflect the qi claw.


    Omilaena had implied that the injection would offer some protection against being drained by a demon, but Zae Zin Nim had no idea about the limits of that protection and this wasn''t the time for testing. So when she dodged away from the next attack, she released an experimental qi technique against the demoness.


    Lilaetiel caught it and closed her hand around the energy... and frowned. She clearly wasn''t able to absorb it the way she had past techniques. Zae Zin Nim increased her offensive, unleashing attack after attack until the sides of the chamber had been cratered by her qi bolts. Occasionally she even managed to hit Lilaetiel and the strikes seemed to burn her.


    With a loud howl, the demoness retreated and raised her hands over her head. The qi claws grew far longer, unwieldy but terribly powerful. Zae Zin Nim was ready for the next charge and so was unprepared when the qi claws leapt across the room at her.


    Except she had seen Kai performing a similar technique many times before, and his claw was faster and heavier. Zae Zin Nim responded on instinct, bracing an arm in the way and also summoning her Coldfire Corona. She blocked the attack without budging an inch.


    Of course Lilaetiel was striking again, this time with a sideways swipe, but she had miscalculated. These new claws were stronger, but they were so large that they were clumsy, especially in such a large chamber. Zae Zin Nim spun above the next strike, bounced off the ceiling, and shot back down to the demon, ducking underneath the next claw swipe.


    Finally her palm impacted the demon''s stomach, qi and mana and chakra flowing together, and she felt it penetrate. Lilaetiel coughed up blood... but she wasn''t dead. The demoness reached out and pierced her claws into Zae Zin Nim''s heart to drain away her power.


    Or she tried. They were both surprised when the qi claws shattered before they penetrated Zae Zin Nim''s soul.


    Only now, as she saw it happen, did she understand what Omileana had done for her. There was a protective layer around her dantian, formed of Kai''s brute force and Omilaena''s poison. She had felt those same powers during their dual cultivation, and Omilaena had somehow tapped that same strength and given it back to her refined. So long as the injection lasted, all the cultivation that the demon wanted to consume was protected by a shroud of their love.


    Zae Zin Nim clapped her hands on either side of Lilaetiel''s head, striking with both a qi technique and raw force. The demoness somehow survived it, clawing weakly at her stomach, but Zae Zin Nim grabbed her head and slammed her into the wall, smashing until she stopped fighting.


    When it was done the demoness dropped and Zae Zin Nim swayed on her feet. She''d taken a few scratches that might have been disabling before, but with the Pure Yin Shroud she was still fit to keep fighting. The problem was, when she managed to turn around to look for the others, she faced a wall of smoke. Not just the blue poison that was familiar by now - strange black and gray shades. The smoke resonated with chakra and couldn''t be healthy.


    But her husband and wife were somewhere in there. Zae Zin Nim gathered her Coldfire Corona around her and plunged in.


    .


    ..


    .


    After so much trouble, Kai had expected some terrible challenge at the end of this path, but it seemed like all the Crestguard in their way had already run up to fight them. With no one else in his way and the others guarding his back, he leapt down the final stairs and found himself in the lowest chamber.


    There was no doubt about the core of the weapon: a vast column of white marble reached from floor to ceiling, covered in glowing symbols. Whatever they were, the Alltongue Fruit didn''t translate any of them. Cables snaked out of the ceiling from the First Crest and there were also much thicker metal pipes flowing from the bottom that arched back upwards. Even though the weapon wasn''t active, every single piece of it was loaded with chakra.


    No sense wasting time. Kai swung a Tyrant''s Claw against the central column and was surprised when it skated off with a flood of sparks. His claw severed one of the cables going in and damaged one of the metal pipes, though.


    Kai lunged to that one and hit it with a more focused Claw, tearing the metal apart. The elves hadn''t known the exact shape, but in the abstract the weapon had to take energy from the First Crest, alter its form, and then apply it as a blast. The pipes seemed like an essential component they couldn''t replace as quickly as the cables.


    As he raised his hand to destroy another one, Kai''s instincts screamed danger at him like never before. He leapt aside and saw a ghostly flame float where he had been standing before silently going out. Air swept through the chamber in the moment after.


    Someone had just teleported inside and attacked in the same moment. Kai turned and saw Matiavel the Destroyer raise his hand.

 Chapter 352: Apologies Between Old Friends

    The razor sharp paper blade scraped across Omilaena''s throat with a shriek of metal. Troulon''s eyes shifted from victory to surprise and he slowed when he should have pressed his attack.


    She couldn''t see it herself, but she knew what Troulon was staring at. A thin plate of venomsteel had poured out of the Prana Jewels, forming a defensive layer that covered her neck. Just building that made her head hurt, but it had saved her life. It was about the worst possible way to test a new application of an ability and she never wanted to do anything like it again.


    Her old friend hesitated, just for a second. He seemed to be struggling with the demonic hunger within him, enough to slow down his second strike.


    That was long enough. Omilaena couldn''t move her arms much while being held down, but she formed a syringe in one hand and stabbed it into the leg of one of the Crestguards holding her. At the same moment she turned her head to the side and breathed poison directly into the face of the guard on her other side. The one at her back started to bear down on her, but she brought her head back swiftly, breaking his nose.


    Troulon recovered from his surprise and struck with paper blades in both hands. She''d never planned to face them directly: Omilaena instead crouched down, letting the weight of the guard behind her fall onto her back and take the slashes. Then she launched herself up, hurling the body at her opponent.


    Only the poisoned Crestguard was dying, but the other two were in great pain and Troulon was stumbling backward. Omilaena rose to her feet and took a deep breath as she realized she''d made it through. How long had it been since she''d come so close to death? But instead of attacking Troulon while he was weak, she spoke up quietly.


    "What evidence do you have about burning the Great Library?"


    "Enough!" Troulon took a step back and shook out his sleeves, returning to his razor birds strategy - no choice but to deflect them and retreat away from the injured Crestguards. As she did, Omilaena exhaled poison onto the ground to take out the fallen guards or at least impede them.


    Something in Troulon''s hand was burning, creating more of the gray smoke than before. The haze spread out, filling the chamber and pressing against her own blue smoke. They circled one another, both surrounded in their smoke techniques. When Troulon unleashed a larger bird it floated forward on a line of smoke and she had to breath out more to press it aside. Every time she tried to close on him, he retreated into his own smoke while spreading more of it behind her. As they exchanged blows the remaining Crestguards fell, until it was just the two of them in the haze.


    "When the Dominion came to the city, they came with an army," Troulon said tersely in between attacks. "The Windlord was targeting Matiavel, but they sent others in to overload the power lines and destroy the city. I saw them marching to destroy the Great Library. It took a great weapon - this weapon - to destroy them before they could manage."


    "That''s consistent with what I know," Omilaena said, "but what proof do you have that the Council of Elders was involved?"


    Troulon growled and lunged at her, swinging another paper sword overhead. She blocked it with a long needle and held it there - not good strategy, but she needed to pull more answers out of him. For a moment they stood face to face with their weapons between them, and either could have used the proximity to attack, then he pulled back.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "I... I saw the records..." Troulon said uneasily. "The Elders are allied with the Flaeren Dominion... they want to destroy everything in the Commonwealth..."


    Omilaena shook her head. "It sounds like they want to destroy Matiavel and his support structures. Why would they target the Great Library specifically?"


    "I saw the plans!" Troulon lunged at her again, hands building into paper claws that swung in a wild attack. She grabbed his wrists before he could connect and pushed him back to the opposite wall. Much like she''d once done before, but this time there was no seduction involved.


    "And who vouched for them?" Omilaena demanded. "Did you take them off a spy yourself? Or did someone else here, someone with a vested interest, reveal the evidence to you?"


    One of Troulon''s birds, apparently fallen, suddenly slashed through the back of her thigh. Omilaena grunted in pain and started to go down - when Troulon struck at her with another blade, she only barely blocked it with a needle. The impact knocked her onto her back and she struggled to get up.


    But Troulon wasn''t attacking, instead wavering on his feet and staring at her. She saw both demonic hunger and curiosity in his eyes.


    "It... was Anaelina," he said slowly. "And the Trade Guild. They uncovered the evidence as part of the plot to choke off our trade."


    "Was it part of the plot? Or was that simply their way of keeping everyone unified?" Omilaena got to her feet cautiously, hands ready for whatever he tried next. "She''s the one who arranged the meeting in the capital, remember? I believe you about what the Flaeren Dominion tried to do, but clearly it was a reactionary choice, not their plan all along."


    "No, I..."


    For a moment she thought she''d gotten through to him, then she felt the gray hunger rise within him. Troulon''s eyes blazed and two more of his dead birds leapt to life, but as he leaned more on power instead of strategy, he became more predictable - Omilaena pinned one bird with a needle and stomped the other to the floor.


    "Listen to me, Troulon! I''ve been watching the elves for a long time - they want more control and a stronger presence in Rosemount, but they aren''t that destructive. Their elder was the one who stopped the battle between the great powers. If they had wanted to devastate the capital, they would have held back."


    "But the attacks... the war..."


    "The demons started them. You''re smarter than this, Troulon... stop and think!"


    His eyes went dead and he attacked again, even more recklessly than before. He formed a paper sword larger than the last, with even more power behind it, and if he had attacked in combination with more paper birds, she would have been hard-pressed to defend herself. But this was the wild charge of an animal; Omilaena deflected the sword, grabbed his wrist, and pinned him to the ground.


    "The only threat to the Great Library is war," she told him firmly, "and the demons are the cause of the war. I think you know this, on some level. Are you really so far gone?"


    All at once the strength went out of his limbs. The paper blade around his hand, once a deadly weapon, fluttered down as useless sheets. Troulon lay on his back and closed his eyes wearily.


    "You''re right," he breathed. "I kept my head until the CTG showed me the fake evidence. Anaelina has been pushing us all toward the war... it''s clear enough, I just didn''t want to see. I''ve... done things, Omi. Things I regret, things I couldn''t justify logically. I..."


    Omilaena helped him to his feet cautiously and he swayed. His eyes still glowed with that soft gray and she could feel the hunger rising in him. She took a step back and turned away, lowering her hands to her sides and beginning preparations.


    "I''m sorry, Omi," Troulon told her sadly. "I''m not strong enough. I thought I could overcome the urges logically, but the hunger won. I can''t... I can''t..."


    With a roar he rushed at her again, mouth open wide to reveal gray fangs. Omilaena spun just as she had anticipated, sinking the syringe in her hidden hand deep into his neck.


    "I''m sorry too," she said, then injected him.

 Chapter 353: The Battle over the Superweapon

    "What are you doing here?" Matiavel sounded more irritated than angry, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Have I seen you before?"


    "Possibly." Kai wasn''t about to take one of the great powers of Rosemount lightly - he''d already gotten out Omilaena''s syringe and now injected it into one arm. The power coursing through his veins couldn''t compare to the adrenaline from facing the demon standing calmly in the chamber.


    "Whatever that was, it isn''t going to work," Matiavel told him mildly. "You''re dead as soon as I decide you are, but if you tell me who sent you I''ll make it painless."


    "I''m more interested in knowing why you came here," Kai said. "Do you need the weapon that much?"


    Matiavel''s eyes narrowed and an instant later a flame shot across the chamber.


    Kai was already gone, Thunderbird''s Wings taking him to the opposite side. Even at such speeds, he wasn''t that far ahead of the deadly flame. His back was prickling but there was no time to think about that, because he already needed to dodge away from further attacks.


    Clearly Matiavel wasn''t a fool who would be astonished by someone dodging his attacks: he''d met many opponents who guessed that evasion was the only counter to his unstoppable flames. So he began shooting them more rapidly, guessing where Kai would move and sending flames ahead of him. In a matter of seconds Kai was nearly overwhelmed, barely staying ahead, unable to think, unable to plan.


    When he launched himself across the room again, he saw the flame in his path and knew he couldn''t reverse directions fast enough to avoid hitting it. He desperately tried to focus on a defensive half-phase like he''d been taught, hoping it would be enough for him to survive - except something abruptly jerked him to a halt.


    Enormous wings had sprouted from his back, crackling like the Thunderbird''s but formed from dark leathery skin. They weren''t just ornamental, either: as soon as they emerged, he felt them grasp the air and move him more quickly. When he next exploded across the room, he was ahead of Matiavel again, having gained himself a new edge.


    Suddenly he realized that this was Omilaena''s gift: she''d concentrated his emotions, hungers, and urges into the syringe. When he''d injected himself, his body coursed with all the raw sensations that the chakra required and he couldn''t properly control yet. The heart pounding in his chest was Behemoth''s Heart and he could feel his muscles shifting. He raised a hand to form a Tyrant''s Claw and it remained transformed, a dark twisted claw that merged into his arm.


    But Kai wasn''t naive enough to think that any boost would enable him to fight someone like Matiavel. When he swung, he didn''t target the demon, he slashed at the weapon column.


    For the first time he saw Matiavel actually exert himself, jumping into the path of the Tyrant''s Claw and blocking it with a wall of flame. Unfortunately, those flames were the same omni-destructive power as his usual attacks, so the claw broke apart against them.


    That hadn''t been the point, though: he now knew that Matiavel would take action to protect the weapon. Kai continued flashing around the room, actually ahead of the demon, and tried to bait him into attacking the column. Presumably his flames would have destroyed it entirely, but Matiavel wasn''t gullible enough to fall for that. Which meant that if Kai dodged around to the other side of the column, he actually had a shield against the unstoppable attack.


    Kai shot around the chamber, expelling Baleful Breath. Matiavel actually dodged back, which he wouldn''t have done if he was confident he could shrug it off. Unfortunately, he began lighting more flames that could burn away even the dark fog, though it took him some time.


    As insane as it seemed, Kai realized that this fight wasn''t suicidal. He couldn''t beat a great power of Rosemount one on one, but in these circumstances, fighting tactically, he could actually stay ahead of him. Matiavel seemed only irritated, as if a bug had evaded his swat, and presumably just wanted to connect with one single attack to finish things.


    When that happened, Kai hoped that his phase training would prevent him from dying instantly. But he wasn''t going to try it without cause.


    The longer Kai fought, the more he changed. He was certain he was taller than before and he leapt with monstrous legs, but his body didn''t feel alien to him. His claws and even his wings were part of him, familiar essence that he''d been using for so long, made manifest by the Savage Heart. Even his jaws were beginning to change, far more than they did from Physique alone.Stolen novel; please report.


    How long could Omilaena''s injection last? She hadn''t warned him about a time limit, so it must not be too brief, but logically the power had to be finite. If his new form gave out, he wasn''t sure he could keep up.


    "You realize that you''re a distraction." Matiavel stepped closer to the central column and placed a hand on one of the sigils.


    Something deep within the earth rumbled, like a vast gear shifting into place. The dark power cables from above began to glow and the entire central column trembled as it absorbed the power. Not only could he feel it coursing through the pipes, they began to vibrate wildly - even though he couldn''t see above, he had the feeling that some lights in the city had just gone out.


    Now he had two impending deadlines. Fuck.


    Clearly he needed an edge, because at the current rate the weapon would fire, he would run out of strength, and Matiavel would win. He was surprised at how strongly the emotions flowed through him: Ceryyn and all the other elves would be destroyed in brilliant light, their deserts would be invaded, and the demons would spread across Rosemount. That couldn''t happen.


    At first Kai tried to throw himself into the battle, attacking more frequently, trying to keep Matiavel on the defensive, hoping that he could get a technique through to the weapon. But the demon remained entirely calm, always deflecting his attacks and casting new flames ahead of him, getting dangerously close at times.


    If he could just return to his Frontier training... he''d achieved so many half-phases, he felt confident in his understanding. The power of Thunderbird''s wings was coursing through him, more powerful than before now that the wings had manifested. Maybe he had so much speed that he could compress it into a speed phase. He wouldn''t even need to attack Matiavel, he just needed to damage the column enough.


    For a moment Kai abandoned offense to focus on pure speed. He flashed around to the other side of the room, reversed direction in mid-air, and threw himself directly at the column. No ranged attacks this time, just an attack at point black range.


    Flames flickered around the sides of the column in curved lines, closing on him. Kai managed to halt his momentum with a thunderclap, but Matiavel had already pursued him, raising a hand directly in front of him - Kai thrust out a Tyrant''s Claw directly at it in desperation.


    The explosion embedded him in the wall with pain wracking his body. Of course it had been too much to hope that his claw would pierce or overwhelm the flame and strike Matiavel. But it looked like the demon''s attack had been neutralized and he''d needed to turn his full attention to defending the column. It was vibrating with power now and there was an uneven wobble in the pipes, presumably because of the ones that Kai had destroyed before, so Matiavel had to balance the flow.


    Suddenly Kai realized his solution. This wasn''t a fight he was ever going to win with brute force, not with phases or transformations or new abilities. But that didn''t mean he was helpless.


    Kai struggled to his feet and activated Void Gaze. Matiavel twitched briefly and then cast him a scornful glance.


    "Do you really think that''s going to work on someone like me? Don''t be a fool."


    "You aren''t attacking," Kai said through gritted teeth.


    "I admit I haven''t been able to squash you yet, but you aren''t a threat to me." Matiavel raised a hand, carefully and methodically, generating a new flame in front of it. "Keep trying and die, for all I care."


    But Kai hadn''t been trying to freeze Matiavel in place. Void Gaze also encompassed the central column and all parts of the weapon. He didn''t try to stop it, because presumably all of the raw chakra would resist the technique.


    No, he had been focused on the wildly vibrating pipes.


    Under his gaze they froze in place, no longer able to tremble along with the machine. There was no sign at first, since the column was actually quieter than before, but Kai felt the increased stress in his eyes as the vibrations became more violent. Just as Matiavel was about to attack him, several of the pipes tore loose and the column exploded with power.


    For a moment Kai was completely blind and he threw himself to the side assuming there would be retaliation. When rocks tumbled over his head and shoulders he feared that he''d been attacked, then he realized the truth.


    Interfering with the mechanisms of the weapon had caused it to misfire with some fraction of its full power and the attack had coursed directly upward. It had utterly annihilated the levels above, evaporating streets, and there was still a streak of power burning into the air. Kai could see the sky again, even parts of the city from within the pit that had just been blasted. Based on the location, he didn''t think that the explosion had destroyed the areas where his wives had been fighting.


    Then he realized that he needed to be worried about himself first: Matiavel stood in front of the column, surrounded by flames, and it looked like part of his sleeve had been burned off. Even he hadn''t been able to block such a massive attack at point blank range. He was using the burned hand to change something with the weapon... despite everything that had been damaged, it didn''t seem completely disabled.


    Matiavel turned to him and for the first time Kai saw real anger in his eyes.


    The inferno of attacks was even worse than before, forcing Kai to his very limits to dodge all of the flames. Since the roof had been torn open he used Thunderbird''s Wings to shoot upwards, only to nearly collide with a vast sphere of flame that Matiavel had summoned. His wings flapped and pulled him out of the way just before it dropped, and the shockwave of the explosion sent him tumbling.


    Kai crashed into the rubble around the new crater, struggling to get back on his feet. But Matiavel didn''t wait this time, there were already flames closing in from all sides.

 Chapter 354: Combined Might Against an Insanity Weapon

    At first Zae Zin Nim had blundered into the smoke, using only her qi senses to search for anyone else. The area had become more complex due to the destroyed walls and she thought that Omilaena had fought her way into side chambers, but it was impossible to tell where she was.


    Then everything around her exploded and she knew where at least one battle was.


    Zae Zin Nim ran through a door of what had been an underground chamber and into the empty air. A massive crater had been blasted out of the city, including partially underneath the First Crest. If there had been any Crestguards outside in the area, there was nothing left of them. Now she could clearly see the First Crest, cables leading to a column that must be a weapon. She flinched when she saw Matiavel there, fighting some sort of monster.


    No, that was her monster.


    Kai had transformed into an even larger monstrous form, but she could see something of him in his face despite the toothy jaws. The form was partially covered in the Beggar King''s Rags, which were proving their worth by growing along with his new form.


    But against one of the great powers, Kai was clearly at his limits. Zae Zin Nim saw him make an admirable attempt to evade the ferocious assault, but he was off balance. When the flames began to close in on him, Zae Zin Nim was ready to leap to his defense.


    For a split second she was hurtling toward the ghostly flames that killed anything, which was absolute madness. She had already gathered her qi, though, increasing its phase as far as she could. When she released a qi technique, surrounded with the Coldfire Corona, it managed to strike a single one of the demon''s flames and they neutralized one another.


    She reached through that gap, grabbed Kai, and pulled him to safety. They leapt across the crater as the flames crashed together, eerily silent but terribly destructive. Another part of the city burned away into nothing.


    "You alright?" she asked as they regained their footing.


    Kai growled in response, but one of his claws settled on her shoulder in a way that made her certain he was still himself.


    If only the two of them together would be enough.


    "The weapon looks damaged," she thought out loud. "I don''t think we need to do more than that. Let''s get Omilaena and get out of here."


    Another growl in response - good enough. They moved back toward the destroyed levels, only to be stopped by a massive wall of fire. It wasn''t as intensely destructive as the ghostly tongues of flame, but she could feel the heat even from several paces away, so it could have only one source. Zae Zin Nim turned back, already certain who she would see.


    Matiavel floated in front of the weapon, hovering like a true cultivator. Up to that point he must have been conserving his energy in preparation for other opponents, because she felt his power pouring forth like never before. First in a dome of flame that defended the weapon, then in a wave of ghostly techniques that spread throughout the death zone between the walls of flame.


    Staying next to Kai was impossible - they were both stretched to their limits just evading the attacks. But even separated and dodging, even with the changes to his face, she saw that he was looking toward the weapon. It had been damaged enough that it couldn''t take much more...


    They managed to coordinate wordlessly: Kai unleashed a massive claw technique that forced Matiavel to take a moment to deflect it. That bought Zae Zin Nim time to release a qi technique of her own, a bolt that arced around the defensive fires. She didn''t think she could pierce the central walls of fire, but her target had been the lines of power that flowed from the Insanity to the weapon that tried to harness its power.


    Her attack worked and she saw the cords of power go dead... but the column hadn''t stopped rumbling. Even though so much had been destroyed, it was still pumping power through the pipes into a great chakra-imbued sphere, which was glowing with ever more ominous light.


    Apparently it had gathered enough power already. Maybe not for the fullest use of the weapon, but Zae Zin Nim didn''t want to see even a fraction of the power of an Insanity.


    When they tried again, Matiavel let out a cry and stomped one foot. All of his flame walls burned with new intensity, unleashing waves of heat and blossoming with new flames. The heat shockwave knocked Zae Zin Nim off her feet and while tumbling she saw one of the flame arcs catch Kai''s wing, sending him crashing into the side of the crater.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Both of them were down, slowed long enough to be vulnerable. No Omilaena in sight. Matiavel was already turning on them, fatal flames shooting toward both.


    In that moment she seemed to have all the time in the world to think and yet her legs were stuck in their position getting to her feet. Did she have any chance at a defensive phase, or was she going to die here? Could she really have overcome so much and fought this far, only to die because they went on a suicide mission for a bunch of ungrateful elves?


    As if the world itself answered her, at that moment Zae Zin Nim felt a glorious soul appear beside her. A graceful hand grasped her arm and pulled her away, then she was standing atop a nearby building.


    "Phew, that was close!" Ceryyn Sandflower pulled her upright and patted her on the arm. "No harm done, looks like! I''m sure glad I finally mastered teleportation, or this would have been nasty."


    On the opposite side of the crater, Kai had also been teleported to safety by another elf, not one she recognized. But more importantly, it seemed like the elves had actually taken the field. There was a graceful sandstone ship hovering over the city bearing more elven souls.


    If that wasn''t enough, Elder Graveylin stepped off the ship and descended like a goddess, her full presence suffocating the entire region. Several Commonwealth soldiers who had been rushing to join the fight fell unconscious immediately, and even Matiavel''s flames seemed to shudder and dim in her presence.


    But the demon himself didn''t look cowed. He placed a hand against the column of the weapon, and even though most of its power had been severed, it began to glow brighter. All around Zae Zin Nim, the rest of the city went dark as its power was forcibly drained until the sphere was the only light that remained.


    .


    ..


    .


    The explosion had knocked Omilaena off her feet and half-buried her in rubble, and even though her Physique had endured it, she needed time to claw her way out. When she finally pushed out into the open air, she saw that the weapon''s power storage chamber was still intact and Matiavel was floating in his full power, ready to incinerate everyone who stood in his path.


    Suddenly the totem she carried seemed very heavy. Attacking a great power with god abilities was absolutely insane - even staying on the battlefield was near suicidal. She should use the totem and flee, get out of his madhouse.


    Omilaena cast off the remnant of her old self and looked at the battlefield again. Kai and Zae Zin Nim were down there and they needed her help. She would take them all away if it meant saving their lives, but she would never, ever abandon them.


    They seemed to be hard-pressed, but would jumping down there truly help them? Working together, their coordination might be able to inconvenience Matiavel, but if they failed for even a moment... she could imagine the horror of watching a loved one die, and the rest of them would probably be consumed immediately after. No, they were only going to get through this via careful work.


    She knelt down and focused on herself, trying to refine her newest experiences. The absolute most she could hope was one opening, so it had to count.


    When the flame walls exploded and knocked the others down, for a terrible moment Omilaena feared that her hesitation might have killed them. But at that moment an elven vessel arrived, launching teleporters and then even an Elder. In an instant the tide of the battle turned.


    "Cease this at once!" Elder Graveylin commanded in a ringing voice. One of the surviving Commonwealth soldiers threw down his arms, but Matiavel sneered.


    "So you guessed that this weapon was for you? Come down here and you can experience it yourself."


    The two great powers seemed locked into a battle of wills, flames drifting on one side and being pushed back by soul presence. It seemed like they might be vulnerable, but when one of the elves tried to loose an arrow at Matiavel, it burst into flames before it got close to the demon.


    They wisely turned their attacks toward the weapon instead, releasing javelins and qi techniques against the flames that shielded it. While Matiavel was locked in place they pummeled it, Ceryyn and other elves unleashing their own techniques. The others had recovered, so Zae Zin Nim added a burning qi flame and Kai leapt closer and unleashed Baleful Breath. Even Omilaena jumped up and hurled a globe of acid into the flames to try to overwhelm them.


    For several seconds the flames flickered and it seemed like they might overcome Matiavel. But when he seemed to fall back, he instead stomped on the ground, and all his flames exploded again. Kai and others were thrown back violently and even the elven ship was swept back.


    Everyone was stunned except for a single elven archer. Omilaena hadn''t thought about him in a long time, but she recognized Yonto Bludshard, the amiable guard from the north. In the silent moment that the flames became explosions, he loosed his arrow.


    When it left his bow, the feather on the back crackled with thunder. It shot forward in that instant, piercing the weakened flames and smashing into the side of the weapon sphere.


    Immediately it erupted, further devastating the crater. Matiavel was partially caught in the blast, and though he emerged able to fight, he abruptly dropped to one knee.


    "That''s enough." Graveylin fully fixated her divine gaze on him, and in his unbalanced state, Matiavel couldn''t resist. He grimaced and tried to rise, fighting against her overwhelming presence.


    Omilaena breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that her desperate work might have been completely unneeded. But she''d made an extremely foolish miscalculation. This was the center of the demons'' power, and not all of Matiavel''s allies had been killed or disabled.


    A group of demons, too weak for her to have noticed them before, unleashed a weapon from a nearby building. It was nothing compared to the destroyed super-weapon, but several black columns sailed through the air toward the elven elder. The sigils on the side began to glow as their anti-glamour aura flowed over the city.


    Graveylin cried out and stumbled, clutching her head. And in that instant Matiavel rose, a triumphant smile on his lips and fire leaving his fingertips.

 Chapter 355: The Cowardice of the Greatest

    With all the destruction around him, Kai had been barely keeping up with a speed half-phase. That was the only reason he noticed immediately when the obelisks harmed Graveylin and had time to see Matiavel launch his attack. He was already moving on instinct, his own claw swinging as he desperately sought his own destruction phase.


    Even a fully powered Tyrant''s Claw, charged with all of his knowledge of phases, only managed to shunt the ominous flame aside. It sailed just past the elven elder, instead striking a building behind her and consuming it in silent flames.


    Matiavel''s eyes flickered to him in slight annoyance, but he wasn''t foolish enough to take his attention off the real threat. He was already preparing to launch another flame toward Graveylin to finish her off while the obelisks pinned her in place. It might have worked, too, if Omilaena hadn''t appeared at the side of the crater and unleashed a thicker column of smoke than he''d ever seen before.


    Powerful as he was, Matiavel was offensively focused, so he couldn''t simply ignore such potent poison. He dodged back and launched another flame, this one too quick for Kai to deflect. Only another Thunderbird arrow loosed by Yonto managed to knock it aside.


    Kai hadn''t been idle during that exchange: he''d leapt closer and unleashed Baleful Breath again. It poured from his new jaws, roiling over the entire bottom of the crater. Between the smoke and the fire, Matiavel had no choice but to evade again, leaping up to a large piece of rubble. For just a moment, they had one of the great powers of Rosemount on the back foot.


    One of the elves leapt from above, trying to take advantage of his distraction, and one of the whispering ghostly flames caught her and she burned without even a scream.


    When Matiavel counter-attacked it was catastrophic, unleashing flames against every single threat. Kai was best able to dodge with his wings carrying him into the air, but he saw the others barely leap aside. One of the flames got through to Graveylin and she managed to raise a hand, releasing a glorious light that caught the flame and managed to push it back. But as the tongue of flame faded, she dropped to one knee, clearly drained by the effort.


    Directly attacking wouldn''t work, and they couldn''t sustain this for long. Eventually one of Matiavel''s attacks would kill Graveylin and then they would be in trouble, if the elves didn''t flee altogether. Kai prowled closer, gathering strength and waiting for the perfect moment.


    He caught a glimpse of Zae Zin Nim, apparently fleeing from the crater. No, that didn''t make any sense... he realized a second before the others. The small cultivator leapt at the obelisks surrounding Graveylin and began tearing them apart with her bare hands. With each one that she smashed, the elven elder stood a little taller and her presence grew stronger.


    Not far away, the demons were trying to prepare another obelisk, but they never had a chance. Omilaena had moved to their location and struck them all with poison needles, neutralizing the risk of future attacks. It seemed that everything was turning in their favor, yet the demon in the center of the crater was still unbowed, treating his injuries as if they didn''t even exist.


    After fighting Matiavel for so long, Kai had begun to understand how he fought. When he began to move, Kai instinctively used Thunderbird''s Wings to hurl himself behind the largest rubble he could find.


    Seconds later a wave of pure destruction rolled out from the center of the crater, flowing over the city. Trees and grass were incinerated instantly, along with several unfortunate Commonwealth soldiers in its path. Kai saw elves and other forces retreating on all sides - even Graveylin and Zae Zin Nim had no choice but to fall back as the wave expanded.


    Finally it stopped, a great and terrible wall of flame that kept them all at a distance. Kai realized that he was one of the few, perhaps the only one, still near the central crater. Did it matter? Was this a final act of pain and desperation, or was there some sort of plan?


    Kai groaned when he saw Matiavel turn back to the heavily damaged weapon. The demon tore off the sphere at the top with raw muscle and then began to pour flame into it. Something within resonated with the flames, growing hotter. Whatever it was, it had to be stopped.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    So, despite his exhaustion and injuries, Kai stepped forward and hurled one more Tyrant''s Claw.


    It struck the demon in the back and he tipped forward. Not enough to disable him, but it actually drew lines of blood. Matiavel looked over his shoulder with a gaze of pure demonic hatred.


    "You insect."


    When the flames burst out, they came more intensely than ever before, or perhaps Kai was just exhausted. He had been pushing himself to the limit so long, using his maximum power and tapping into half-phases to keep up with this opponent. His transformation was faltering and he could feel his wings giving way, so it was only a matter of time. But every flame that Matiavel sent toward him was one that slowed him down and bought everyone else more time.


    A wall of flame lit up on one side, he staggered away from it, and his wings finally gave out and dissolved. Kai could barely land on his feet, desperately reaching for a phase, and the next ghostly flame floated directly into his chest.


    For just a moment, he felt the pure destruction consuming him...


    Then Kai staggered back, his entire body in agony. Skin was peeling off his face and his chest was a mess of charred skin. And yet... he was alive. Kai realized that his defensive phase had held, just enough to turn what should have been a completely fatal attack into a merely devastating one.


    It should have meant nothing. Kai was in too much pain to move again and his mind couldn''t pull together enough concentration for another phase. Everyone watching could see that Matiavel only needed to use another flame to finish him off.


    But what everyone saw was that Matiavel the Destroyer had struck and his opponent still lived.


    In that completely silent moment, two women swept toward the demon''s back. Omilaena arrived first, jamming her syringe deep into his flesh. Matiavel roared and struck her with a backhand, sending her tumbling across the crater. But Zae Zin Nim was just behind her, palm striking the end of the syringe and forcing the bright blue liquid deep into the demon''s veins.


    "Absurd!" Matiavel clenched his fists and all his veins seemed to glow white-hot for a moment. "You think poison will work on me?"


    He unleashed a flame toward Omilaena, but Kai had recovered enough to move. Thunderbird''s Wings burst him ahead of the attack with just enough time to scoop up Omilaena and pull her out of the way, but without the manifested wings they tumbled across the crater. Matiavel frowned and shifted enough to target them again... and faltered.


    "That isn''t just poison," Omilaena said weakly. "I''m using your same trick against you. How does it feel to be on the receiving end?"


    Matiavel reached back and pulled out the syringe, crushing it with one hand. The phase-compressed poison was clearly spreading through his body... but would that be enough? Zae Zin Nim rose to stand beside them, exhausted but raising her hands as if ready to defend them.


    Just when Kai began to get angry at Graveylin sitting and doing nothing, he found out why the elven elder had been absent. One of the walls of flame faltered as a massive power pressed through it. Not just the elven elder... the Windlord and the Empress were moving along with her. Everyone on the battlefield fell silent as three of the great powers on the continent approached the last.


    "They show up now that the danger is over," Zae Zin Nim said irritably. But too softly for anyone else to hear.


    "So it''s come to this." Matiavel stood surprisingly casually in the bottom of the crater as the others moved to surround him. "Time to do what you never had the courage to do before?"


    "You have been a thorn in Rosemount''s side for too long," Graveylin announced, her voice ringing out over the city. "Today is your end!"


    Even surrounded by three great powers, Matiavel went out like a demon, unleashing more walls of fire and a constellation of ghostly flames. But Graveylin''s presence was inhibiting him, so it was only a matter of time before one of the Windlord''s impossibly fast strikes cut through his arm. The Empress joined in, slamming an earthen tail over him, and from there the fight became a brutal execution.


    Almost everyone on the battlefield was watching in awe of the great powers, but Kai found himself walking away, toward the fallen dome. So much of the building had been destroyed that there was no trace of the First Crest''s altar. But of course it was unharmed: he found the white disc at the bottom of a new slope, partially covered in dirt.


    When he brushed it off, it really did look like a coin. Completely featureless, yet he couldn''t deny what it was. Kai bent down to try to pick it up and might as well have tried to uproot a mountain. The coin didn''t feel powerful to the touch, but it ignored him utterly as if it weighed more than the world.


    "That''s how the Insanities work," Omilaena said from not far away. She was watching him fondly, though.


    "You think they''ll have to rebuild everything to account for the new crater?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "What else? It''s not like they have a chance at moving it."


    "The Primal Loom proved more useful than we thought, though. Kai was burned over and over and he isn''t naked."


    "Yet," Omilaena said with a laugh.


    Kai hadn''t expected his efforts to work, and he would talk to his wives in a moment. Soon enough the others would be coming and he''d have to deal with the aftermath of the battle, including all the political implications. While he had a moment, he bent down and tried to bite the impossible coin.


    Just in case.

 Chapter 356: Last Angles on Rosemount

    Troulon woke up, which was something he hadn''t expected to ever do again. When that syringe had entered his neck, he had been sure that it was the end, and the human part of him had welcomed it.


    Except Omilaena had never intended to kill him. Somehow she had injected a different essence into his soul, disrupting his demonic arts. And while he had been unconscious, she had deadened that part of him. He wasn''t sure he could even reach those parts of himself anymore.


    So he was just a Paper Artisan again.


    During the chaotic end of the battle he had helped to evacuate, drawing people into the Great Library and hoping that it wouldn''t be destroyed as well. Somehow the battle had ended with Matiavel dead and the Commonwealth officially out of demonic hands. Now he sat on the front steps leading to the Great Library, expecting someone to be along to arrest or execute him at any moment now.


    One thing he hadn''t expected was a pure demon: Gorutiel strolled up to the front of the library with a grin on his face. "You want to get out of here, Troulon? I always thought you had balls for a bookworm, so you can come along if ya want."


    "What are you doing here?" Troulon asked. "Entering the city right now... that''s insane."


    "Oh, I''ve been here since the start." Gorutiel jabbed a thumb toward the devastated central regions. "I was actually going to jump in and help Matiavel, but... then I saw him trying to stomp a bunch of ants and failing. And I thought: who has real strength, the guy who kills everyone he sees, or the ones who go fight him anyway?"


    "Then you''re retreating. Taking away everyone who doesn''t want to face justice."


    "That''s right. Demons can adapt to just about anywhere. We don''t need to be in charge. So that brings me back to what I said: want to come?"


    "I''ll stay here," Troulon said. "Face justice for my crimes."


    "Ha, suit yourself! That''s stupid, if you ask me, but at least you''re standing for something."


    Troulon remained sitting on the steps, looking at the city, as the demon vanished in a burst of smoke. Despite all that had been destroyed, many of the buildings remained. He did believe in Traeton and the accumulated knowledge of generations that it represented, even if the hunger had made it difficult to see that for a long time.


    Omilaena didn''t approach from the front, he just felt her presence behind him. She stood silently for a while, both of them staring out over the city before he spoke.


    "You''ve changed," Troulon said. "You would have killed me before. Maybe you should have."


    "Do you want to die?" she asked.


    "I don''t know. I did before, but now... is the Gray Demon really gone?"


    "I''m not that powerful. But if you don''t feed it, you might be able to have a normal life again."


    "Assuming they don''t execute me."


    "I''ve heard they won''t," Omilaena said. "The Commonwealth is going to be ruled by a council of different factions from now on, at least until someone else takes over, and they aren''t out for blood. You''re going to be imprisoned for life as a collaborator, but only forced to work for the city. Most likely you and others who didn''t do anything flagrant will have their war crimes forgotten."


    Troulon sighed and took off his glasses. "They shouldn''t."


    "Then write them down." Omilaena sat down beside him, for just a second like the girl he''d grown up with. "There''s a lot of confusion about what happened, and Anaelina filled the CTG with countless lies. They need someone who lived through it to make sure everything is remembered."


    "You... really think I should do that?"


    "What else are you going to do?"


    Omilaena looked back at him once as she got up and cast him a parting smile. There had been a time when he''d hoped they could be at minimum colleagues and hopefully much more... Troulon watched her go and realized that time was over. She kept walking and didn''t look back.


    .


    ..


    .


    Technically Ceryyn should have been pleased by the outcome, especially because it benefited her: she had been the one pushing for these outsiders from the beginning, after all, so her star was ascendant. But it felt macabre to be profiting off the death of so many, so she did her best not to think about it.


    It had only been a single day since the battle and politics were already crowding in. She was immensely grateful that she had been able to spend much of that day with Kai and the others, especially because she could tell that they wanted to move on. They had been on Rosemount for a long time, pulled and pushed by various powers, and they were ready for a rest.


    Oh, if only she could have given them that rest in her home! But the truth was that the three foreigners made everyone uncomfortable, even before Cloudspire forces started paying attention to them again. So the only question was how long it would be before they left. When she heard that the Council of Elders was intending to push them out, Ceryyn had whispered suggestions into a few ears.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Once everything was organized again, the heroes of the battle met before the Council of Elders. Ceryyn was granted the highest of honors, alongside Yonto Bludshard - the laid-back man had come out of nowhere to surprise everyone with his arrow at an essential moment.


    He was surprisingly cute, now that she noticed him. Maybe after the honoring ceremony, she''d have to talk to him further? But that was a matter for the future, and there was still so much past to work through.


    After the other recognized heroes, her three new friends went to stand in front of the Council of Elders. They had been exhausted and in recovery after the battle, but now they looked almost like themselves again. Despite the overwhelming soul cultivation bearing down on them from all sides, they stood tall, as if they didn''t feel the immense presences around them.


    "The three of you have done more than we can repay," Elder Graveylin said, "including saving my life. Even if we opened all our vaults to you, it would not be enough."


    "We could make a good try of it," Omilaena said, prompting a few laughs even in the council chamber. Graveylin smiled politely before she made her face serene and continued.


    "But now you must understand that you have attracted a great deal of attention thanks to your role. Despite the destruction, many survived the Battle of Traeton, so your deeds were seen. In particular, Kai Clanless was seen to have survived Matiavel the Destroyer, and there are rumors it involved some sort of god technique. As you can imagine, the Empress of the Coiled Empire is not pleased."


    "We don''t want any more trouble," Kai said, in a heavy tone that immediately made everyone in the chamber believe it. "We just want to rest."


    It was just what Ceryyn had expected him to say. She bit her lip, hoping that what she had discussed would work.


    "For that very reason, we have considered a different sort of gift," Elder Graveylin said. "We would like to give you Darkmist Island."


    There were murmurs throughout the chamber, but Zae Zin Nim only looked up irritably. "What''s that?"


    "It is an island retreat far from the coast of Rosemount, its location known only to a few. The island is rich in chakra, qi, and mana, so it has considerable value. But most importantly, it is nearly impossible to find by ship, so perhaps you can find your rest there."


    Thankfully, the three of them agreed to accept the island as their reward. As they departed, Ceryyn managed to catch up and give them all her farewells, even embracing them as if it would be the last time.


    Of course, it wasn''t likely to be. Surely she''d see them again. But she had a feeling that by the time she did, everything would have changed.


    .


    ..


    .


    Heruul Cryswind was a hero of the great Commonwealth war, though he wasn''t being respected for it. Maybe he''d only fought in a few of the periphery battles, but that still made him a veteran. It wasn''t fair that others got so much attention, and it definitely wasn''t fair that he had to escort three pathetic humans onto one of the Elven Wilds'' finest luxury vessels.


    Except that they didn''t seem quite so pathetic as he remembered. The little cultivator had somehow lost her scars and gained a beauty that could challenge even the highest elves. The poisoner, for all her malice, exuded a feral charm that he couldn''t deny. But him...


    The one known as Kai Clanless had grown a little stronger, but no less brutish. He only had a little over 500 Power, with no grace or sophistication. When he''d stayed with their clan he''d thrown himself into filthy water over and over again as if it proved anything except his own vulgarity. Heruul knew that he was superior in every way.


    So why did he flinch when the man looked at him?


    They reached the dock, where the luxury vessel waited. Heruul comforted himself that even though it was luxurious, it was also basically an exile. Soon the three of them would be thrown out of Rosemount, cut off from the real heart of world politics.


    When it came time for them to board, Heruul couldn''t stand it any longer. After the women walked up the gangway, Heruul stepped in before the barbarian could ascend.


    "You''re not welcome in elven lands any longer, human." Heruul pushed him back just a little. "Go back to a continent more suited to your kind."


    Kai looked at him not with anger, but with a blank sort of unfamiliarity that was humiliating. "Yeah," he said wearily, "okay, I''ll remember that." And then he walked up the gangplank to disappear onto the ship.


    As they pulled away, Heruul had to watch them go. Some of his companions approached, almost as baffled as he was.


    "I don''t get those humans," one of them said. "One of those things is not like the others."


    "I heard they were all at the Battle of Traeton," another said.


    "The barbarian must have gotten lucky. You saw he''s just at Nascent Glamour strength or so, and it has to be all brute force."


    One of the women shifted oddly. "You don''t think... the three of them...?"


    "Absolutely not," Heruul said. "I saw them all when they passed through our territory. The barbarian is more like a servant, maybe a meat shield in combat. I have no idea why they still keep him around."


    The others laughed automatically, but the rush Heruul got from it felt hollow almost immediately.


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai lay back on the silk sheets, finally relaxed. This was the most luxurious ship cabin he''d ever set foot in, with a lush bed and magic lanterns, but none of that made him feel half as good as the women lying next to him.


    After getting so worked up about the idea of being with two women at once, he''d been worried over nothing. This wasn''t "two women"... it was Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena. There had been some details to work out, but he''d never been uncomfortable. And oh, it had been satisfying, and not just in the obvious ways. He felt as though the grandiose statements they''d made to one another at the Kama Altar had finally been made real.


    "So..." Omilaena shifted into a more comfortable position against his side. "We own an island now, apparently."


    "I''m skeptical about the quality of its qi," Zae Zin Nim said. After so long looking blissful, she was scowling a little, but seeing that expression lying against his chest only made him smile. "It may be potent, but I doubt it''s pure."


    "I hope it is," Kai said. "We need a lot more strength for everything we need to do next. Matiavel was a nightmare, and your father might be-"


    "Hush!" Omilaena reached up to put a finger over his lips. "We don''t need to talk about that now. In fact, I insist we don''t. The three of us have been so busy, we''ve only scratched the surface of what we can do with dual cultivation. So it''s literally the strategically best choice to run off and fuck our way to higher powers."


    "It isn''t really dual cultivation," Zae Zin Nim said with a slight frown. "The name isn''t quite appropriate."


    "Treble cultivation? Triune cultivation? Hell, let''s just call it threesome fuckery."


    "It doesn''t matter what we call it," Kai said, and squeezed them both closer. They immediately settled in against his chest and they lay together peacefully as the ship rocked its way onward.


    After so long spent on Rosemount, Kai thought that he was about twenty-five years old. The young man he had been at the Hunter Trials couldn''t possibly have imagined everything that would happen to him, from the adventures on other continents to the raw power that blew away those he thought were the experts. That boy would have thought the idea of two women like this being interested in him was a silly fantasy, not a loving relationship that meant the world to him. And so he returned to the same strange thought that had occurred to him when he arrived on Rosemount.


    If all this had happened in five years, where the hell would he be in five more?

 Chapter 357: Interludes Gamma

    The Verdant River sect was one of the most prestigious in all the Southern Rivers, acknowledged as one of the Great Rivers worthy of the name. It had vast holdings across the south, including great treasures, rich fields, and qi-rich forests.


    And yet, as their patriarch ventured to the great city, he did so as a supplicant.


    There was one unquestionably dominant power within the entire Southern Rivers region: the Masterful Crown clan. Their estates were yet larger, their power unchallenged, the Great Rivers nothing but their tributaries. The great palace atop the highest cliffs of Floodisle City was a paradise unto itself, towering over even the wealthiest districts, with its great balcony hall looking out over the entire city and even the entire region.


    When the patriarch entered, he was welcomed, of course. The patriarch of the Verdant River sect was an essential part of their strength, and one of the most powerful cultivators in the Southern Rivers. Yet he swallowed when it came time for him to present his report to the great Patriarch Yul of the Masterful Crown clan.


    "The Loam of the Gods is still the greatest Insanity on the continent," the Verdant River patriarch said, his voice very dry. "But we can only use it to create extraordinary qi pills at carefully prepared times of year. If you truly want more of the immortality elixir, I fear it will require a great deal of time..."


    "Yes, about that." Patriarch Yul waved his sleeve, encouraging another group forward. "My son has been examining your new elixir, even taken some himself, and is not impressed."


    "That''s right!" Yul Wei Ren, the heir to the entire Masterful Crown clan and thus all of the Southern Rivers, stepped forward and spat. "It tastes awful, for one. I''ve gotten a lot stronger with an immortal body, but cultivation is even more obnoxious than before. If this is the best the Loam of the Gods can do, is it really an Insanity? Doesn''t seem like much compared to the Impossible Elixir!"


    The patriarch of the Verdant River sect went pale and his pupils constricted. He was a Sky Soul, and a formidable one, but here in the heart of Masterful Clan power, if Patriarch Yul decided against him... it would not be a fortunate turn.


    "Forgive me for any foul taste, young master." The Verdant River patriarch bowed deeply. "If we had known someone as important as you was going to taste it, we would have made the immortality elixir more palatable."


    Patriarch Yul loved his son with indulgence and judgment in turn, having raised the young master into a spoiled terror in silk pants. The boy was incredibly weak, far beneath the Verdant River patriarch''s own heir, yet his position alone was enough that he would never want for anything or fear anyone. In fact, it looks like the patriarch of the once illustrious Deepriver sect was serving as his bodyguard. If Patriarch Yul sided with his son...


    "Bear with such minor trials, my son," Patriarch Yul said with a wave of his hand. "Previously we discussed increasing production... can you do so even further?"


    "We can try, Patriarch Yul." The Verdant River sect had already been trying their hardest just to hide the truth, but he had no choice but to spin the facts as best he could. "We have actually consulted with an expert from the Coiling Island sect, all the way from the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes. We should be able to improve the elixirs further, but of course, preserving the sacred potency of the Loam of the Gods is paramount."


    "Hmm, very well. Son! You will go with them and use our clan''s resources to increase production. They need someone they can trust more than these outsiders."


    "Father!" Yul Wei Ren leapt to his feet, for the first time realizing that his privileged existence might be interrupted by having to do real work. "I don''t-"


    "Go, I said! Return once you have proved yourself!"


    Patriarch Yul hurled a slip of jade, one that had been bathed in his incredible qi for many days. The power of teleportation was one of the reasons he was so feared... along with his clan''s great Masterful Crown technique, of course. When the jade ruptured on the ground, it unleashed a swirl of qi that would draw anyone in it away to a pre-decided point.


    That swirl encompassed Yul Wei Ren, his bodyguard, and a few of his servants. The patriarch of the Verdant River sect looked toward his leader and gave a nod, then stepped into the swirling qi. A long time ago, the two of them had fought together to secure their dominance in the Southern Rivers, but that time of camaraderie had passed. Now he served.


    In a twisting instant they emerged in the far south, not far from the Verdant River sect. The old man allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief: Patriarch Yul had not taken his son''s side, this time, and instead sent him off. Yul Wei Ren was likely to be a thorn in his side, but it was better than execution.


    Of course, both of them faced the same central truth. The Verdant River sect''s patriarch, one of the most powerful men in the Southern Rivers, looked toward the gardens where the Loam of the Gods waited and shivered.


    .


    ..


    .


    The Palace of the Rotten Queen was not a single place - she owned a thousand palaces, all of them nothing but real estate except when she was in residence. Rumormongers disagreed about whether she carried any of her ornaments along with her or whether each palace was filled with riches that remained cold and silent in her absence. If anyone had tried to raid one of her palaces and lived, they wisely kept their mouth shut.


    Warriors fought and even killed for invitations to attend the slightest event at the Palace of the Rotten Queen. Gaining her attention could lead to death or worse, but being on the periphery of her court could alter the course of one''s life. No one would dare attempt to falsify one of the invitations, which prevented the Rotten Queen''s aura from destroying arrivals.


    Except that day a woman without an invitation glided in, piercing through the aura, ignoring the weapons and other attacks firing on her.


    When the Final Maiden touched down in one of the landing courtyards, her presence instantly gripped everyone watching in a stranglehold. Those strong enough to resist were frozen by the idea that two of the most powerful cultivators ever to exist might soon be coming into conflict.


    "Must you do this?" the Final Maiden asked conversationally. Silence stretched in the courtyard before a low voice answered her.


    "Very well, then. You may come speak with me."


    So the Final Maiden walked past the guards and through the Rotten Queen''s outer garden. The paths were lined with statues, some carved by the finest craftsmen on a thousand worlds and others breathing in a living death. All were exquisite examples of the human form, with only a few examples of non-humanoid species, and many subgroups of humans not accounted for. Judging from the lurid positions many had been bent into, rumors of the Rotten Queen''s proclivities were true.


    At the end of the path lay the entrance to the Rotten Queen''s inner chamber, currently being vacated by her playthings. The interior was swathed in jade, gold, and fine silk, items so potent that their price would not have simply bankrupted the treasuries of some entire kingdoms, their mere presence would have destroyed them.


    The Final Maiden floated through until she hovered in front of the great throne upon which the Rotten Queen sat. The sovereign herself was even more ornamented than the rest of the chamber, from her clothes to her crown to her face that needed no cosmetics but was covered in them anyway.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    "Are you impressed?" the Rotten Queen asked with a languid wave of her hand. "I''ve never bothered to visit your little planet, so I don''t know if you''ve already acquired such things."


    "I lack some of this, but my world contains wealth unfamiliar to you." The Final Maiden spoke calmly despite the presence bearing down on her. "This is not a social visit. What do you know of the abyss that all notable powers fought over on Detriton?"


    "All the impetuous powers," the Rotten Queen said with a curl of her lips. "Those of us with more experience know that these rumors of great treasure in a Thin Zone are always myths. All that excitement over nothing."


    "It wasn''t a Thin Zone. The region was weaker than anywhere I''ve personally seen, but I believe it contained real souls."


    The Rotten Queen sighed and lowered her head onto one hand. "Be that as it may, the answer is unchanged. You''ll not find any real power sorting through that pile of junk. The only thing notable about Detriton is its unnatural size."


    "But not everyone has agreed, and the battle itself is evidence. Someone created an abyss far beyond the capabilities of its inhabitants."


    "Some of the ancestral founders of the Universal Empire were known to experiment on Detriton, but of course it was always a failure. No matter how deep you delve, you cannot elevate the world beyond the highest heavens. At most there might be an amusing P3, but it''s hardly worth the trouble."


    "I see, thank you." The Final Maiden executed a short bow. "If you have nothing else to say, I will ask the record-keepers of the Universal Empire."


    "You might as well stop now. This is all so unnecessarily energetic... once you''ve lived a million years or so, you''ll see the futility of it all. Touching the deepest abysses is an exercise for fools, and I had hoped you were not a fool." The Rotten Queen shook her head. "All this striving will lead to a harsh lesson, one day."


    "If you really feel so scornful, you''re welcome to teach me that lesson now."


    For a moment the palace of the Rotten Queen shuddered as one of the old powers gathered itself. But despite the full might of the palace and countless warriors within, the Final Maiden stood firm, watching the woman on the throne without blinking. In the end the Rotten Queen was the one to laugh and sink back.


    "I''m too old to waste time on such games. Good luck on your fruitless quest."


    The Final Maiden turned away and lifted into the night.


    .


    ..


    .


    On an ordinary day, the Brightwind Pagoda would be a place of deep reverence. Sky Souls tried to attain the highest heights of cultivation, servants lived on the whim of their betters, and conversation was only about dealings with the most powerful factions on all Cloudspire.


    Today, however, they discussed the patriarch''s daughter, and all his advisers feared for their lives.


    Patriarch Zae Clen Ban sat on his throne, for once dissatisfied by the treasure that had been passed down for generations. His fingers alternated between tapping on his armrests and squeezing them so hard that his knuckles went white.


    The Earth Souls who had been sent to recover his daughter had not been executed - not even the Brightwind sect could throw away such accomplished cultivators - but they were being tortured to punish them for their failure. Even though they had been taken away, their screams still lingered in the posture of the servants and the tone in the advisers'' voices.


    "So your daughter has reached the Earth Soul stage," one of the advisers repeated. Sticking to the least objectionable of facts. "She did an extraordinary job fighting those sent for her."


    "Somehow she attained 750 Power," another added. "She must have taken up other powers, yet without ruining her cultivation."


    "How can such a thing be? It is really beyond ordinary." A third joined in.


    "Yet surely she has limited her cultivation. Sky Soul will be beyond her."


    "Would it not take decades, even if she has not?"


    As they chattered, Zae Clen Ban said nothing. The advisers shifted nervously, trying to appear useful without saying anything that might anger the patriarch.


    "Could we send another squad of Earth Souls? One better prepared for her new strength."


    "Yet there are not many who could fight at that level."


    "What will we do, hire mercenaries from the Western Wilds? Brutes with tattoos across their chests?" This was said derisively, giving everyone leave to laugh. The patriarch did not, so the laughter died quickly.


    "What other methods might we use?"


    "It is said that the Masterful Crown clan has developed highly refined new arts that increase one''s strength remarkably."


    "Nonsense! More propaganda for their so-called Loam of the Gods!"


    "How much do we really need? She is unlikely to grow beyond 750, even if she has been stunted."


    "Indeed, indeed. There is an 80% chance she never grows beyond 800 Power."


    Zae Clen Ban shifted, frowning at the adviser, and the court shifted with him.


    "How can you say that about the patriarch''s daughter? Of course she will attain 800!"


    "She may have digressed in her path, but she will have retained her purity!"


    "It wouldn''t surprise me if she managed to reach 825 Power."


    "825? With her talents, why not 850?"


    "875, I say!"


    Finally the Brightwind patriarch rose to his feet and the advisers froze in place, fearing that they had gone too far. But when he extended his hand, it was only to silence them.


    "Whatever her growth," he said quietly, "if she wants to continue, she will have no choice but to return to Cloudspire. And when that happens, it is inevitable that we will learn of her location, and then there will be no more squads sent for her."


    <


    Name: Zae Clen Ban


    Total Power: 1856


    Cultivation: Sky Soul (1000)


    Heavenly Cultivation (325)


    Physique: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 9 (81)


    Brightwind Meridian Perfection (250)


    >


    When the patriarch of the sect unveiled his nearly 2000 Power, it swept through the Brightwind Pagoda like a wall. Some servants fainted, some cultivators coughed up mouthfuls of blood, and those who endured threw themselves to the ground in awe to listen to their patriarch''s words.


    "When my daughter returns," he said, "we will go in force and I will discipline her myself."


    .


    ..


    .


    It wasn''t often that the Frontier elites held a meeting like this, much less one directly next to the abyss. Their work was too distributed, across geography, time, power, and culture. A thousand different elements needed to work together in order for Deadwaste to survive an incursion, which meant a thousand different tasks.


    But they met at the edge now. Some distance away from the others, Gunjin Granfian crouched next to the pit, staring into nothingness.


    "We''re going to have trouble in Krysal," Sheiri Kagskan was saying. "Their main army will be substantially stronger than the last incursion, but we just don''t have the equivalent of crystalliers. We''ll need to send more of us to cover for them."


    "What happened to that acid cultivation?" someone asked from the back of the group.


    "It isn''t advancing quickly enough." Sheiri gave a shrug. "This is a new art, and it will take more than a decade to come into its own."


    "You''re remarkably cavalier about this," an elite in Krysali armor said, "considering that you caused the problem. We don''t have elites to spare in the west."


    "Distributing blame helps no one," Sheiri countered flatly. "These are the defenses and forces we have to work with."


    Handelrey Orgoron nodded in support. "And if we really must litigate the matter of Kai Clanless again, he did a remarkable amount to strengthen Irun when he last visited. They''ll have elites worthy of the name now... not enough to make up for Krysal, but we''ll be able to spread ourselves out in the east."


    Someone from the main crowd of the elites snorted. "They''ve fucked things up with Birtaegal, though. What happens if we go into the incursion with no mercenaries?"


    The matter was debated at length, and eventually one of the few Birtaegali elites was assigned to visit his home country and try to attract support. Most were skeptical about the value of mercenaries in any case, especially if things went wrong. Plans and counter-plans were made and debated about trying to recruit from other continents, as happened every cycle.


    Gunjin Granfian said nothing.


    "We do need other support." The new speaker was Gorndron of Granitecrest, not a master combatant but an essential administrator. "Due to our losses, we''re limited on communication abilities. Do we have any allies who would be willing to contribute such?"


    After some initial murmuring, one of the southern Goralians spoke up. "We had an ally named Nymidria who went to Cloudspire. The dryad community in the Southern Reach is still supportive of us, but they haven''t been able to contact her in years."


    This led to further murmuring, though not much: the elites were accustomed to allies disappearing or abandoning them. In the end, they knew they could only count on a few when the monsters emerged and threatened the entire continent.


    Enalanis of Magma stood near the edge of the group, between them and the abyss. As the conversation lapsed, he turned to speak to Gunjin. "What have you learned?"


    "I don''t know." Gunjin Granfian rose slowly, wearily. He turned to the assembled group and shook his head. "After the previous incursion damaged my theories, everything new is just a hypothesis that might be over-fitting the data. The only thing I can say with any confidence is that the upcoming incursion is likely to be unstable, in both timing and strength."


    "The incursion should be three years from today," Handelrey Orgoron said. "Is it possible that it could come substantially earlier?"


    "It could also be later, but are we willing to stake the continent on it?"


    "You also said strength." Enalanis of Magma watched his old friend with eyes like coals. "By the same token, we should not count on this being an unusually weak incursion. If it repeats the last one, none of our plans will matter and everyone will die. The truth is likely to be somewhere in between... but how can we plan for such a thing?"


    "I only know one thing." Gunjin looked away from the group toward the abyss. "This will not be a typical incursion."

 Chapter 368: End of the Honeymoon

    Six months of bliss. Kai struggled to believe it had really happened.


    As happy as he¡¯d been going off to Darkmist Island, part of him had been sure that it couldn¡¯t last. The island would turn out to be ruined, or they would be found and attacked, or more gods would descend to annihilate everything. It felt almost wrong that he, Zae Zin Nim, and Omilaena had been able to spend so much time living and training together.


    Kai sat on the highest point of the great caldera, enjoying the mists floating around him as he stared out into the ocean. The entire island was familiar now, the closest thing he¡¯d had to a real home in a long time. He briefly glanced over his shoulder toward the house, but then his gaze wandered back to the mist-wreathed waves around them.


    How long had it been since he¡¯d actually been happy in a world that seemed to make sense? There had been pleasant moments throughout the journey, yes, but actual peace... it probably hadn¡¯t been since before the Hunter Trials, when he¡¯d still had his entire life planned out.


    Instead he¡¯d taken an entirely different path. Parts of it were roughly the same: he still wanted to stop the monster incursions, the stakes were just higher now. Others were bafflingly different: being married to a cultivator from Cloudspire and a poisoner from Rosemount hadn¡¯t featured even in his wildest dreams.


    They¡¯d truly been happy together, this past half year. Oh, there had been arguments and some issues to work out in their relationships, but as a whole it had been heaven. He wouldn¡¯t complain about having to navigate some issues in a three-way relationship when he¡¯d known normal marriages with far more drama.


    He shielded his eyes with one hand, trying to peer through the mists for anyone who might be arriving. If they hadn¡¯t been attacked, he¡¯d expected that some obligation would come for them. The elves would demand their help, or Krysal would begin falling apart, or the monster incursion would come years early, or... something.


    Of course, it was possible that those things were happening. Living on Darkmist Island felt like being separated from the rest of the world.


    Despite having been driven so hard, and despite the threats still hanging overhead, Kai felt no guilt for taking this time for themselves. Even from a strictly power-focused perspective, this break had been the best for their growth. Unfortunately, that justification wouldn¡¯t be valid for much longer: their dual cultivation was synchronizing, so they couldn¡¯t gain much more strength that way. Darkmist Island had been useful for a while, but he had eaten all the native monsters, Omilaena was done with local resources, and Zae Zin Nim had cultivated as far as she could with the qi in their Immortal¡¯s Cave.


    Kai had been focused solely on training and resisted doing any real analysis of his own soul, but now he looked over it carefully.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 576


    Monstrous Hunger - XIII (nu)


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 91% (119)


    Savage Heart: 12 (126)


    Physique Level: D-9 (245)


    Beggar King''s Robes: +1 (5)


    Soul Level: 9 (81)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VIII (theta)


    Thunderbird''s Wings - V (epsilon)


    Direboar''s Strength - XIII (nu)


    Baleful Breath - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - XI (iota)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    -


    Isulfr''s Bite - VIII (theta)


    Sahagin''s Soul - IX (iota)


    Mutefang''s Stealth - X (kappa)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - V (epsilon)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - V (epsilon)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - III (gamma)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - II (beta)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Banchlain - V (epsilon)


    Slime''s Immortality - I (alpha)The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Silver Demon - I (alpha)


    Direcrab''s Claw - II (beta)


    Voidmaw''s Bite - I (alpha)


    >


    His Physique, Soul, and cultivation were all reaching blockages that he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be able to overcome here. Feeding off the chakra of his wives had made the Savage Heart increase by leaps and bounds, but he¡¯d gained all he could from them now. Curiously, his Monstrous Hunger had increased one step during the late stages of the honeymoon, quietly at some moment he hadn¡¯t noticed.


    Whatever challenge he took on next, this was all the power he had to throw against it.


    Kai pivoted around on his rocky seat, looking down the caldera into the island instead of toward the ocean. For a while, just a few peaceful minutes, he considered simply staying. This would have been a happy life, living together with his wives and just existing.


    But no. There was a drive inside him that demanded more, and not simply the threat of god-like beings returning to wipe out everything he knew. He still had obligations: not just to the nations on Deadwaste, but to Zae Zin Nim as well. During the past week she¡¯d been increasingly restless, as if without cultivation to tie her down she wasn¡¯t sure what to do with herself.


    So he stood up, stretched, and then threw himself back to the house. The luxurious stretch took almost as long as the trip, thanks to Thunderbird¡¯s Wings taking him across the island with a crack of thunder. He landed hard in the outer courtyard, which was thankfully durable enough to take warrior-fast movement, and walked into the house.


    Zae Zin Nim was going through a series of movements on the other side of the courtyard, polishing her martial arts but also trailing mana flames along with each sweep of her palms. He enjoyed watching her until she finished, placed her palms together, and completed the exercise.


    "You¡¯re beautiful," he told her as he approached. She still flushed a little, but she no longer looked uncomfortable with compliments and instead raised her arms toward him.


    "I fear I am not making progress in my Class, but I can still keep my skills sharp."


    "I¡¯m sure you will." Kai bent to kiss her and she wrapped her arms around his neck to grip tightly. When he straightened up her feet left the ground, but her body rested comfortably against his as she continued kissing.


    The touch that had once felt provocative was now intimately familiar, exciting in a much more comfortable way. When Kai eventually pulled back, he kept Zae Zin Nim in his arms to look at her. She put her hands against his chest, pushing back just a little, and must have seen something in his eyes.


    "What next?" she asked.


    "Let¡¯s go find Omilaena and talk about it."


    He set her back down and they went to look for Omilaena, but surprisingly she wasn¡¯t in any of her usual haunts like the chakra fruit orchard. Kai was just beginning to wonder if she¡¯d wandered even further from the island when he felt a venomous blue shadow slip into his senses from behind.


    "Hey there!" Omilaena whacked his butt and playfully squeezed. "What has you looking so serious?"


    "We all need to talk." Even while speaking seriously, Kai grabbed her hips and pulled her against him for a wet kiss. Her sexuality, which she had weaponized for so long, was now just a comfortable part of their relationship.


    Of course, he doubted that would continue so smoothly after they left the privacy of the island. Zae Zin Nim padded closer, undisturbed by their intimacy, but Kai strongly suspected that she would get more uncomfortable when anyone else was within sight. Hopefully the bonds they¡¯d strengthened during their honeymoon would carry them through any complications.


    For now, they all sat around a circular table in the dining room. He realized that they actually hadn¡¯t used it much, at least not together: he ate monsters, Zae Zin Nim usually had lunch in her cultivation cave, and Omilaena just ate wherever she was working. Actually sitting down together felt oddly formal, which he supposed wasn¡¯t inappropriate.


    "I hope I don¡¯t need to argue that we¡¯ve done all we can here," Kai said to start. His gaze shifted between them and he saw the same understanding in their eyes. "I¡¯d love to stay, but to keep growing I think we need to move on. Except... for the first time in ages, we don¡¯t have any problem bearing down on us. We can actually choose."


    "Do you want to go back to Deadwaste to check on anyone?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "We got to visit them before, so I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary. Ideally we¡¯d check on them a while before the next monster incursion, but we won¡¯t grow much there."


    "Technically we could go back to Rosemount." Omilaena glanced between them and arched a blue eyebrow. "But somehow I suspect that¡¯s not what you two are thinking."


    "There¡¯s more we could gain there, but for now..." Kai¡¯s gaze swung back to Zae Zin Nim. "The biggest obstacles to our growth are the barriers Zin Nim is hitting, and Cloudspire is the best place for her to resolve those. The question is whether we can go there safely."


    She nodded slowly, as if she had known this was coming. "I do think we need to go to Cloudspire. My father is powerful, but the continent is vast and his sect is only one of many, so his reach cannot control every corner. We may be able to slip past him."


    "I think we have two advantages," Omilaena said. "First, I¡¯ve been running tests, and your Pure Yin Shroud has completely hidden your qi now, so they can¡¯t track you like before. Second, the audacity: you¡¯ve been running so long, I doubt your father will expect you to come directly at him."


    "Yes, we may be able to escape him for a time. However..." Zae Zin Nim¡¯s dark eyes met Omilaena¡¯s somberly, then shifted to Kai. "A conflict is inevitable, and we are not ready as we are now. I understand it would be less risky to train until we could face him, but I believe that would take too long. Are you willing to go up against my father, and the entire Brightwind Sect if necessary?"


    "Of course." Kai reached out to grasp her hand. "That¡¯s what we signed up for, isn¡¯t it? Even before we got married. You won¡¯t be free until you¡¯ve taken care of this."


    "What he said." Omilaena gave her a surprisingly warm smile. "Besides, I¡¯ve always wanted to loot a major sect on Cloudspire."


    "Is the whole sect actually our enemy?" Kai asked. "I guess I haven¡¯t thought about it that way, but do they serve some critical purpose? Similar to the Frontier nations, or defending their home, or something like that. Would there be consequences to taking down the entire sect?"


    Zae Zin Nim blinked at him several times. "No, the Brightwind Sect only seeks its own power. I won¡¯t weep if they¡¯re destroyed, but there may be no need. They are only a threat because they follow my father, and they will follow whoever has power."


    "Well, good. We can play that by ear then. For now, everyone pack up your spatial items and get ready to-" Kai had stood to his feet, but Omilaena grabbed his shirt before he could go.


    "Not so fast," she said with a lascivious grin. "Let¡¯s go back to our room and break the bed first."


    "No!" Zae Zin Nim¡¯s sharp word drew their attention and she shrank back just a little, but her eyes remained determined. "I mean... because we will want to use it again. It is a good bed, we should not ruin it."


    Omilaena laughed and Kai chuckled before sweeping them both into an embrace. She was right, of course. Kai knew that by leaving the island, he was giving up the peaceful life here, but not forever. As long as they fought, they were fighting to regain this peace one day.

 Chapter 369: The Geography of Cloudspire

    Kai leapt from the water with the taste of monster blood in his mouth. Not to the ship, not yet, simply arcing through the sky for the joy of it.


    Combining Thunderbird''s Wings and Sahagin''s Soul let him swim faster than ever before, especially since both techniques had been refined. There wasn''t a strict need to protect their vessel during the trip, since the monsters weren''t particularly dense, but he wanted to hunt for potential new abilities. Even though he hadn''t discovered anything strong enough yet, he was enjoying just eating different monsters. The time on Darkmist Island hadn''t gotten old, but the monsters had.


    After running down and eating one more of the fastest fish, Kai launched himself back to the deck of the ship. It was the last gift they had from the elves - far smaller than the large vessel that had taken them from Rosemount, but just about the right size for the three of them. The main deck itself was mostly clear, more a platform for combat than a deck, while the controls and interior rooms were housed in the single deck below.


    Currently Zae Zin Nim was nowhere to be seen, but Omilaena leaned against one railing to stare over the ocean. Kai shook off most of the water and walked over to stand beside her.


    "Did we veer west?" Kai asked. "I lose track this far out, but you seemed to shift while I was swimming."


    "Yeah, Zin Nim has a new plan." Omilaena tapped her foot on the deck as if to indicate their wife below. "Cloudspire is still a long way off, but she didn''t want to approach any shipping lanes. I think we''re all going to talk about it later."


    "But it sounds like we''re arcing around to the western side of the continent? I suppose that makes sense. Her father and that whole sect are in the eastern side, right?"


    "I don''t think they''re actually on the eastern coast, just in that general region. But yes, the idea is to keep away from them until we''re strong enough to take on Sky Souls."


    Kai leaned down against the railing, which wasn''t really built for someone his height. The waters stretched out as far as the eye could see, even with his enhanced eyes. "What happens if we just keep going west? Do we hit the Blood Current again?"


    "We''d have to go a long way, effectively past the whole continent." Omilaena leaned down beside him and bumped her hip up against his. "My understanding is that monsters get more dangerous west of the known world, but I don''t know if that''s just because some of them are coming from the Blood Current or something different. I haven''t been this far out either."


    "Think we could go back for more training?"


    "I''m not sure we''re ready for that yet. Maybe after Zin Nim gets the breakthrough she needs."


    They lapsed into silence, because the challenges ahead of them were a common stopping point and there was no solution beyond what they were already doing. Zae Zin Nim''s father and the Brightwind sect stood as formidable obstacles, there was the monster incursion after that, and of course the god-like beings unknowably far beyond...


    But there was no point thinking about that, especially when Kai thought the nearest hurdles were much more attainable. The biggest thing limiting their overall strength was the fact that Zae Zin Nim was pushing up against the 999 Power barrier, which limited both her cultivation and her Class. If she could break through, she had several powerful advancements ahead of her. The new continent would also offer Omilaena an entirely new source of poisons and knowledge.


    As for himself, Kai was confident he could find a way forward so long as he was with the two of them. They''d both gone out of their way to help him advance in the past and he was glad to support them now. Besides, even if Cloudspire was a different sort of environment, he was sure he could find something to eat and increase his strength.


    "Husband, wife." Zae Zin Nim emerged from the stairs at the back of the ship and gave them a serious nod. "I wish to speak of our plan for Cloudspire."


    "You''re finally done playing with your map?" Omilaena asked.


    "We have several potential routes. I only wish to offer my advice, then we must choose one together."


    Kai headed across the deck to join her. Thankfully the Beggar King''s Robes shed water almost immediately, and the wind had dried out his hair. He needed to duck as he headed down the stairs, which were definitely not made for someone his height, and the blazing ocean sun was replaced with the cool light of qi lanterns.


    The first chamber was partially filled with supplies and the remainder was their sitting room. Kai put his back to one of the large boxes as he sat down beside their little table, where they''d shared meals and more. Zae Zin Nim took a position beside him and began to pull a map from a narrow case, but Omilaena slid up beside her before she could finish.


    "Do we really need to discuss business now?" Omilaena asked, one hand sneaking down to Zae Zin Nim''s thigh. "Cloudspire is still a long way off, why don''t we relax and-"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "There will be time for that later." Zae Zin Nim grabbed Omilaena''s hand and moved it away, though only to her waist. "We need to understand the geography and form a plan, before things go wrong."


    "Shouldn''t we try to make a plan where things don''t go wrong?"


    "Things always go wrong with you two."


    Given his usual luck, Kai was fully in agreement. He''d seen their maps before, but now he eagerly looked more carefully as Zae Zin Nim smoothed the map over the table. Unlike Deadwaste or Rosemount, Cloudspire was a massive block of a continent. Roughly diamond shaped, with a mountainous region in the center and four points extending in each cardinal direction.


    "You''re from here, right?" Omilaena tapped the eastern side. "I don''t see the Brightwind sect listed."


    "Do not underestimate Cloudspire!" Zae Zin Nim drew herself up. "The Eastern Plains are a vast region, filled with hundreds of sects, even entire kingdoms."


    "How large are those kingdoms, though? You have some powerful sects, but they don''t tend to hold empires, not like Rosemount."


    "I don''t know any of this," Kai said before the two could bicker. It was good-natured, now after their honeymoon, but it was still easiest to cut through it. "Omilaena, you''ll just have to suffer a remedial lesson while I get caught up."


    "She needs to set aside her misunderstandings as well." Zae Zin Nim sniffed, then smoothed the edges of the map again as she gathered herself. "We divide Cloudspire into four vast regions. They do not appear on a map, but they are important cultural groups and you will hear them many times. The Eastern Plains are known best on other continents, simply because they are closer."


    Kai stared over the region, trying to imagine it from everything Zae Zin Nim had told him. It was easy to bring to mind the houses, and she had spoken at length about the lakes and rice paddies of home, but the people all just looked like robed cultivators in his head. Presumably there had to be more diversity, even if the Brightwind cultivators he''d fought came from the same mold.


    "Second to the east in prestige is the Northern Expanse," Zae Zin Nim circled a finger around a large portion of the north. "It is the largest by area, though their sects are not as populous. The Northern Expanse does not welcome outsiders, and in any case it is far from our current location."


    "They have a good reputation on Rosemount, though," Omilaena said. "I''d like to get there one day."


    "It is not likely to be in the near future. Next we have the Southern Rivers, which are rich in natural resources. I have never set foot there, but many powerful ingredients used by alchemists across the continent originate there. We might want to venture there eventually, for Omilaena''s sake."


    "Does that mean we''re interested in the west?" Kai asked. He bent down over the table to get a better look at the western quadrant, wishing they had a better map. This one was filled with names that meant nothing to him and gave no information at all about the substance of the place.


    "That is correct. The Western Wilds are a savage but powerful region, so I believe that we should land there despite the length of the trip." Zae Zin Nim finally pulled her hands away from the map and folded them in her lap. "I believe our first priority should be to hide ourselves, so that my father cannot locate and attack me. On Cloudspire he might well send the full force of the Brightwind sect after us - the sect has a great jade ship that can teleport - and we cannot fight them all as we are now."


    "I told you, the Pure Yin Shroud should hide you," Omilaena said with a pat on Zae Zin Nim''s leg. "Your father isn''t omnipotent."


    "No, but he does have spies, and the three of us are an unusual group. When we arrive, we will no doubt attract attention somehow, and I do not want rumors of us to immediately attract his attention. I will blend in, but the two of you..."


    "You have Rosemount natives on the continent, though, at least in the northeast. Won''t I stand out more if we start in the west?"


    "I think you can avoid attention, if you do not... behave as you usually do... so I am more worried about Kai." Zae Zin Nim turned to him and her head had to tilt back to look up at him. "You will stand out on Cloudspire even before you turn into a monster or attempt to overthrow a government."


    Kai raised his hands in mock defensiveness. "Hey, I can try to lay low, but I don''t think I can make myself any smaller. My powers can only add more mass."


    "That is another reason I wish to start in the Western Wilds. There are many tribes there, ranging from prestigious to barbaric, and you could perhaps just pass as one of them. You already have many years of cultivation and no Class, so if you acquire a spiritual disguise, it will seem more likely that you are a western cultivator instead of someone from Deadwaste."


    "So we just need some clothes and a new shroud," Omilaena said, glancing at him across Zae Zin Nim. "Kai actually isn''t bad with shrouds, for a barbarian, so that shouldn''t be too hard."


    "Yes, that is my hope." Zae Zin Nim nodded seriously, but there was a hint of a satisfied smile in the corners of her eyes. He''d missed those hints, before they''d spent so much time together after their marriage. "Instead of being a highly conspicuous group, we can appear to be three cultivators from different regions. Perhaps not common, but not something that would alert my father."


    "Subterfuge is just a means to an end," Kai pointed out. "We''re here to gain power, right? Can you find what you need in the Western Wilds?"


    "I believe so." The smile vanished and Zae Zin Nim''s dark eyes focused on the map. "The Western Wilds have a savage reputation, but they are not weak. Their most powerful sects and tribes will definitely have treasures to break the 999 Power barrier, it is simply a matter of finding one appropriate to me."


    "Sounds good. So we sail around the western side of Cloudspire, then find a place to land?"


    "Yes. You will already be able to speak the language perfectly thanks to the Alltongue Fruit, so I only need to teach you a more local shroud. When we arrive, I think we should split up briefly, in case my father has spies in all major ports. But then we can all meet here at the Blueblade Sect''s headquarters, or if there is interference, the Heavenly Sands Tribe..."


    It seemed like Zae Zin Nim had been thinking about this for a long time, because she had multiple layers of contingency plans. Kai did his best to remember all the new names and get a stronger sense for the geography so that he could keep up and adapt if necessary.


    For most of his life, nothing had gone according to plan and things had gotten ugly fast. Despite the warm feelings flowing through them, he doubted this would be an exception... but he''d be ready.

 Chapter 370: An Introduction to the West Coast

    Miraculously, their journey to Cloudspire wasn''t sunk by a tsunami, attacked by a kraken, or struck down by the gods. Instead they made excellent time, using the final month of travel to train and prepare for their landing. It had only taken three, despite the longer trip around the side of the continent.


    At the moment, Kai was doing a hand-stand on the deck, trying to reinforce his body with qi alone. The exercise was a simple one, but Omilaena was piloting them at maximum speed, so the jostling of the boat tested his balance and core stability. It was mostly a way to focus and polish his Physique a little further, which was why Zae Zin Nim sat beside him.


    "What about the Jackal Clan?" she asked.


    "Big group, filled with cultivators spread across the Western Wilds and Northern Expanse." Kai lowered himself into a push-up as he tried to remember all the details she''d thrown at him. "Uh... they serve as mercenaries, or at least one of their branch clans does. Fighting them is fine, but they shouldn''t be killed without cause. Am I forgetting anything?"


    "No, that''s about all I know."


    "All you know?" Kai pivoted around to look at her, upside-down.


    "Do you think I memorized every detail of every sect on the continent? I can only teach you common knowledge." Zae Zin Nim folded her arms within her sleeves and shook her head. "The most important part is that you can''t go charging in, acting like this is Goralia, or you''ll get into trouble. I''m just trying to teach you enough of the culture that you''ll be fine if you have to go on your own."


    "That''s fair, I just hope I can remember it all. But actually..." Kai sprang up to balance on the railing of the ship instead. "What I''m wondering is... what''s in the middle of these four big regions? You didn''t treat them like a wasteland or a war zone, so what happens where they meet?"


    "It''s nothing like your Frontier, I''m afraid. The central part is smaller, called the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes."


    "Is it because it''s filled with mountains and lakes?"


    "Don''t you start too!" Zae Zin Nim flushed and looked toward Omilaena at the prow. "It is a neutral region: the qi there is powerful but wild, not suitable for habitation, so there are only a few sects native to there. Cultivators from all corners of Cloudspire go into it for materials at times, and yes, they battle at times. But that is very far away from us, so it will not be relevant."


    "Fair." Kai switched to balancing on one arm as he considered his questions. "What about the other borders between the regions? They can''t all have convenient wild zones, can they?"


    "Ah, no... definitely not. A vast river separates the Eastern Plains from the Southern Rivers, which makes warfare more difficult, but it still happens. The border with the Northern Expanse has actually shifted over time..."


    Zae Zin Nim continued to tell him about the conflict between regions, losing herself and speaking about all kinds of sects and other organizations he didn''t know. After being out of her element on Deadwaste and Rosemount, she was finally returning home, and she clearly knew the continent''s politics well given her role in her sect. He was glad to just listen to her, but had to be careful to remember as much as possible so he didn''t cause trouble.


    They didn''t run out of questions, but he eventually worked his qi as hard as he could for one session. As he flipped back to his feet, Kai was generally happy with his progress. His position in the Body Refinement stage wasn''t particularly impressive, yet it showed years of work, and his methods of adding qi to his physical movements couldn''t be learned in a month or two. He would seem like a brute cultivator without refined qi techniques, but a cultivator instead of an interloper from Deadwaste.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Maybe while they were on Cloudspire, he could finally break through to Nascent Foundation - he had been around 90% complete for so long. His main goal was to support Zae Zin Nim, but he had a great new opportunity for personal advancement as well. Once he broke through, maybe he could use his qi for more than just power.


    "Hey, what''s that?" Omilaena called from the front. Kai''s body tensed as he made his way to look, wondering if their easy days were about to end violently.


    When he focused his power, he was able to see something just at the limits of his vision. He could make out some sort of large oceanic beast, but the people fighting around it were just a haze of symbols he couldn''t properly read. They were definitely fighting the monster, and it was impossible to tell who was winning from so far away.


    That wasn''t so unusual: the western coast of Cloudspire wasn''t in view yet, but they were close enough they occasionally saw birds or other ships at a distance. This felt different. Omilaena wouldn''t have called them for no reason, and Zae Zin Nim rushed to the side to examine the battle.


    "Oh my!" She took a step back, shaking her head slightly.


    "Did things go wrong already?" Kai asked.


    "No, no... we actually have a great stroke of fortune for once." Zae Zin Nim turned to him and reached up to touch his shoulder. "Kai, you need to go. You remember what I told you about the Bloodcoral sect?"


    "I think I do. That''s them?"


    "They''re fighting a monster known as a Great Cetae. I don''t remember the details, but it''s a very dangerous hunt they only do at certain times of year. But they seem to be having trouble... if you go and help them, you could earn their favor. And they''re just the sort of barbarians you might blend in with. We aren''t likely to get another chance like this."


    Kai grimaced at the abrupt change, but he was ready to go and his hunger surged within him. "I won''t offend them by interfering?" he asked, just to be sure.


    "Just don''t claim the hunt for your own. If you save their lives, that will paper over any issues."


    "Then I''m off." But before he left, he bent down to kiss Zae Zin Nim, lightly at first and then more intensely as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He wished they had longer, but this would have to be enough until they met again.


    As he moved up to the front of the ship, Kai kissed Omilaena as well. She didn''t let it linger nearly as long, instead pulling back and slapping his butt. "Alright, go get into trouble," she said with a smirk. "Just not too much."


    He felt like he should say something more, but despite having been married for a year, Kai wasn''t smooth with everything. Still, he knew his wives loved him and he wouldn''t make or ruin the relationship with one little moment. Instead of worrying about it, Kai smiled at them one last time as he leapt over the side and dove into the water.


    It didn''t even feel cold this time, not with the adrenaline pumping through him. Kai kept Sahagin''s Soul set at all times while on the ocean, so he sliced through the water toward the battle. The first thing to resolve in his vision was the Great Cetae, which struck him as similar to a whale except for the six wing-like flippers along the side... and the vast maw of teeth.


    As he got closer, he saw a person impaled on some of the teeth. Definitely dead, and too ragged to tell whether they had been male or female. There were other bodies near the corpse, swimming through the water or sending out qi attacks from the air, and they all reminded him surprisingly much of Zae Zin Nim. All had dark hair and robes, though these were tied at the waist with blue ropes.


    Not long now... Kai used his last few moments to check on the souls of the cultivators, finding an average one.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 249


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 2% (207)


    Physique Level: F-6 (38)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    The man had reached the Nascent Foundation stage, yet it granted him less base power than the Brightwind sect cultivators Kai had seen. Zae Zin Nim had told him that would be the case, since many sects had arts that didn''t let them reach the peak of a given stage. All told, the man had roughly 250 power, which was not negligible, even if it was far beneath Kai now.


    There was no more time to analyze them or figure out the monster, because Kai was almost on them. Before he could arrive, the battle took a turn for the worse.


    The Great Cetae let out a roar that echoed through the water and attempted to plunge down to escape the qi bolts needling its skin. It got underwater, pulling several desperate cultivators along with it. Others sent out long chains of qi that struck the monster, trying to bind it in place or pull it up. Yet its strength managed to pull against all of them, dragging them almost into the waves.


    Then Kai arrived, hitting the monster''s side in a bloody streak.

 Chapter 371: Hunting the Great Cetae

    When Kai struck the monster his Tyrant''s Claw tore deep, unleashing streams of blood into the water, but he immediately realized that it wasn''t enough. The Great Cetae wasn''t armored, it was just massive, covered in so much blubber that his strike was only a minor wound, not crippling. He could see the beast''s body was covered in countless scars as if from massive jaws.


    Before he could strike again, the Cetae rolled in the water. As its wings turned, they seemed to generate great currents of water that hit like a wall, knocking Kai out of the ocean. He broke into the air in time to see that the roll had tugged some of the cultivators with qi chains down, slamming them into the water.


    The Cetae was already turning toward them, opening its maw...


    Most of the cultivators were standing on flying swords, or some were even hovering, but they weren''t acting. In fact, many of them seemed to be staring at him, surprised at his arrival.


    "Who are you?"


    "Savage cultivator..."


    "This is our hunt!"


    There was no time to negotiate with them, not when the Cetae was about to swallow some of the chain-bearers and completely destroy their formation. As Kai reached the apex of his arc, he activated Thunderbird''s Wings and streaked down, wings emerging for a split second as his right hand transformed into a claw. He brought a Tyrant''s Claw down on the Cetae''s back as he landed.


    This time, propelled by all his momentum, the power of his claw bit deep. Not deep enough to kill the beast, but it let out another echoing roar and thrashed underneath him. Kai raised his left hand with another Tyrant''s Claw prepared, but the monster rolled again and he had to dodge vast wheels of water that it turned using its power.


    A jump left him suspended in the air, and his instincts roared to attack and eat the monster again... but no, his goal wasn''t simple victory. Instead he used the moment to examine the cultivators more carefully. Some were still stunned while others had recovered - perhaps most importantly, there was a man a few years older than him who skipped across the water, pulling cultivators to safety and returning them to flying swords. Oddly, many of them had blood running down their jaws, suggesting some attack Kai hadn''t seen yet.


    Their formation hadn''t been entirely restored yet, so the Great Cetae wasn''t bound. It tried to swim downward again, dragging several of the cultivators bearing chains closer to the water. Some held firm but Kai spotted several who stumbled on their flying swords, staggering closer to the edges. Several spat out mouthfuls of blood in the process, as if they had internal injuries.


    That was his chance. Kai leapt over to one with a thunderclap, and while the clap made them reel, he reached around to grab the cultivator''s hands. He couldn''t grip the qi chain directly, but he could use their hands to grasp it, so Kai gripped tighter and then tugged backward.


    Adding his strength to the others helped them resist the Cetae''s pull. The cultivator Kai was helping looked alarmed, which was unsurprising given that Kai was a head taller than him and much stronger, but the other man managed to recover. Once he set his feet, he began to pull again.


    "Hold firm!" Kai ordered as he stepped away. He spotted another chain-bearer who had collapsed onto her flying sword, losing hold of her qi chain, and stepped off the edge of his current sword to leap to hers.


    In the air, he noticed that the man who had been saving cultivators earlier was doing the same, supporting an old man who was struggling to maintain his grip. As they moved, the leader nodded to Kai, and he nodded back, but there was no time for anything else.


    Landing on the next flying sword, Kai pulled the woman to her feet. "Can you fight?"


    "I just lost my grip!" she insisted angrily. She gathered her qi - frustratingly slowly compared to Zae Zin Nim - and then hurled a spear of qi downward.


    The qi technique pierced deep into the Great Cetae''s blubber and then unraveled into a chain that returned to her hands. All around the air, the other cultivators were recovering and throwing out their own chains. With their combined strength, the monster could only thrash as it was pulled up into the air. Yet despite all the blood from its wounds, it looked far from dead.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    More cultivators who had been flying at a distance closed in, and Kai noticed that they carried bright blue spears instead of wielding qi chains. They began to hurl them toward the Cetae, and the first one that hit unleashed a wave of damaging qi.


    Before a second could hit, the monster thrashed its wings again and the water around it swelled up into a shield. The spears that struck it lost their momentum and failed to penetrate - even the young man who seemed sharper than the others only threw hard enough to prick the outer blubber. They might have the Cetae bound, but this wouldn''t be enough.


    Kai noticed that many of them were still looking at him nervously, so he didn''t want to act too recklessly, yet he had to do something. After a second of thought, he drew up his qi into his right arm. He might not be able to make a refined palm strike like Zae Zin Nim, but he could put a lot of strength into a hit and let them fill in the blanks - the strength wasn''t the point, anyway.


    He leapt off the flying sword and then activated Thunderbird''s Wings when he approached the water shield. The thunderclap knocked away the water and he burst through, slapping the Cetae''s hide with his palm.


    It did nothing... but at that moment he activated Void Gaze.


    For a moment the Cetae froze in place: its thrashing stopped, the unnatural water fell back to the ocean, and its wings even dimmed.


    "What palm technique is that?"


    "The beast is limited!"


    "Attack, attack!"


    The cultivators began eagerly hurling their spears into the monster while it was undefended. Many of the projectiles got dangerously close to Kai and he even had to knock one aside with his hand... or rather claw, because his body was shifting automatically. The Savage Heart had grown much stronger, but he still hadn''t fully mastered it because the power flowed from his rawest emotions.


    The Great Cetae let out a roar of pain and he suspected it was mortally wounded, but in its final moments it unleashed the remainder of its power. Water shot from it in all directions in razor-sharp spears, several of which pierced Kai''s body. He was knocked into the air again, though not severely injured, and took the moment to take stock.


    His wounds were already healing thanks to Behemoth''s Heart, but he saw that many of the other cultivators were falling back or disabled. Even some who weren''t stabbed coughed up mouthfuls of blood, which seemed unusual, but there was no time to think about that. They wouldn''t be back in action immediately, so even if the Cetae couldn''t escape, things could easily turn bad.


    One of the cultivators had fallen off his sword into the water and the Cetae turned sluggishly toward the body, opening its maw. No one else seemed to be recovered enough to do anything, which meant there was only one choice: go back to one of his oldest tricks.


    Kai drew on the full power of Thunderbird''s Wings, and the shockwave actually knocked some of the cultivators out of the air, but it sent him downward at top speed. He hit the water with an explosion and grabbed the fallen cultivator, hurling him into the air. Then there was nothing except the maw of the Cetae closing around him.


    Instantly he was underwater with walls of teeth closing on him in both directions. Kai grunted and managed to catch them before he could be crushed. The teeth were razor sharp and bit into his back, but his arms and legs had instinctively developed an armored carapace that the teeth couldn''t penetrate. He grimaced and managed to push the teeth further apart, out of his back, which began to heal instantly.


    From the inside of the Cetae''s mouth, Kai had a muffled sense of the rest of the battle. Desperate bursts of qi, more javelins impacting, water surging in all directions. The monster''s dying thrashing could easily take out more of the cultivators and Kai needed them on his side, so he had to do more than just hold firm. Well, if he was already inside the monster...


    He shoved the jaws away and hurled himself deeper. As he reached the wall of the creature''s throat he opened his mouth and Isulfr''s Bite consumed a chunk of its flesh. Kai hurtled into the blood and gore, biting over and over again, seeking a core of power that he could feel with raw hunger.


    Several more bites tore a grisly path through the monster''s body until he consumed the fleshy monster core. It tasted like the monster''s blubber but even more savory, and Kai was eager to feel its full potential... but he was also eager to get out of the disgusting mess. He manifested a Tyrant''s Claw and tore his way upward until he burst through the monster''s side.


    Kai grinned savagely as he clawed back into the air and pulled to his feet atop the monster''s bulk. All around him, cultivators had been in the midst of celebration but now stared at him with a mixture of shock, disgust, and awe. Before he could say anything, he heard a cry of panic and then suddenly pain lanced through his side.


    He looked down in surprise and saw one of the blue spears piercing his body. It vibrated with qi that tried to harm him, but it wasn''t strong enough to do much damage. Figuring out the source was far more important... Kai turned and saw one of the youngest cultivators staring in shock, arm trembling. All around him, the others were drawing up in reprobation or anger.


    Just a stupid mistake, but it made the whole situation uglier. Kai groaned as he reached down to grip the spear in his side. Dealing with the cultivators might be more dangerous than the monster.

 Chapter 372: Meeting the Bloodcoral Sect

    Standing atop the floating body of a dead monster. Spear through his side, blood trickling down his leg. Anxious cultivators all around him, ready for violence.


    Everything would turn on this moment. So Kai gave them all his best grin.


    "Threw on instinct, huh?" He gripped the spear and pulled it out of his side without a grunt of pain, then held it up non-aggressively. "I don''t blame you. I could really use a bath after that."


    The tension broke and cultivators lowered their qi all around them. A few smiled at him, one swatted the young man who had thrown the spear, and some just pulled out magical artifacts to begin working on the body of the Great Cetae. Apparently he''d made the right choice based on what Zae Zin Nim had told him about Cloudspire''s cultures.


    Just in case there was still some aggression, Kai didn''t make any sudden movements. His side hurt just a little now that he wasn''t high on adrenaline, but a spear through his side was no longer a serious injury. Behemoth''s Heart was strong enough to resist the qi shockwaves, so now the hole was closing up quickly. Meanwhile he took a look at the spear in his hand and discovered that the bright blue color appeared to be because it had been carved, or perhaps grown, from coral. How strange.


    Once he was free, Kai dropped into the water to clean off all the blood and gore. When he popped out again, he saw that the cultivators had flown some sort of ship closer to the corpse: a large disc of stone. It was covered in markers that he didn''t know and weren''t translated by the Alltongue Fruit, so it was either an ancient language or some sort of symbolism.


    The other young man he''d noticed during the battle was standing atop the stone, apparently flying it with his qi alone, and gestured for him to approach. Kai leapt from the water, this time avoiding the shockwaves from Thunderbird''s Wings and instead gracefully arcing to land on the disc. He shed water everywhere, but it sluiced off the sides as if the vessel was built for such things.


    "Thank you for your assistance," the man said with a deep bow. Not exactly the way Zae Zin Nim bowed, but close enough. Kai mimicked his posture and bowed back.


    "I''m honored to assist in your hunt." Hopefully that was inoffensive enough.


    "It is the season for hunting the Great Cetae, but we underestimated how ancient and canny this beast was, so it got the better of us."


    "Ah, I understand now. I knew there must have been a surprise, or the Bloodcoral sect would never have needed assistance from a barbarian cultivator like myself."


    "Yes, that''s rather strange." The young man stroked his chin as he regarded Kai thoughtfully. "The others assumed you were from one of the smaller tribes, but I know that isn''t local chakra. You must be from Rosemount? We don''t get many foreigners on the western coast."


    Kai nodded and used his spiritual sight on the young man, just to keep things even. He was an Earth Soul to the other cultivators'' Nascent Foundation, so he must be someone important in the sect. Potentially extremely important, depending on how large they were, since only the strongest sects had a Sky Soul cultivator. Best to stay on his good side.


    "Why don''t you introduce yourself, foreigner? Why are you here?"


    The questions were starting to get a bit arrogant. Kai knew he was supposed to be polite, but he also couldn''t let others walk all over him. Zae Zin Nim hadn''t explained exactly what to do in a situation like this, but he''d been dealing with her prickly nature long enough that he might be able to guess. Something that asserted himself without making anyone lose face...


    "I''ll gladly give you my name," Kai said, "if you do me the same honor. I''ve only just arrived on your continent and I''ve yet to meet anyone."


    "Very well. My name is Cor Li Xan." The young man bowed to him again, an exact copy of the first bow. "I''m honored to serve as the youngest elder of the Bloodcoral sect, but I would also be honored to have your name."


    "I am Kai." At the last second he remember not to add "Clanless" because most people on Rosemount used single names. They might not know that here, but best to keep his story straight. Now that he knew this young man was actually someone important to the sect, he looked over his soul more carefully.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    <


    Name: Cor Li Xan


    Total Power: 496


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 6% (441)


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    Cor Li Xan was about thirty years old and definitely a cut above the other Bloodcoral cultivators. It was strange to see someone with a Physique Level of just F-8, but Kai understood how a little Power from Physique might seem unimportant compared to the hundreds of points from cultivation. All told he had just under 500 Power, which meant that even Kai''s human soul would look formidable to him.


    According to Zae Zin Nim, power alone counted for a lot on Cloudspire. Kai would have to hope that his strength smoothed over any gaps in his knowledge.


    "Thank you for not taking revenge on our young cultivator," Cor Li Xan continued once they had thoroughly examined one another. "It was an egregious lapse and he will be disciplined."


    "No trouble at all," Kai said, and tapped his healed side. "Besides, he was still in training, wasn''t he? It seems to me that someone with your strength must be leading this group in preparations."


    "No one who has reached the Nascent Foundation stage is ''in training''," Cor Li Xan said with a slight frown. But a moment later it was covered over with a smile. "But you''re right. Joining in a hunt against a Great Cetae is an important ritual for Bloodcoral cultivators as they become more important members of the sect."


    "I hope I haven''t caused any trouble by joining in, then."


    "Not at all. In fact, it would be a credit to your reputation... if you intend to travel in our direction, that is."


    That was definitely a question and a challenge in one statement. Kai resisted the urge to look back toward the others and instead simply shook his head. "As you noted, I am a foreigner here. What I seek is to improve my primitive cultivation, but if you are offering an exchange..."


    "We could indeed." Cor Li Xan abruptly grinned at him. "We''d welcome you, truthfully. The Bloodcoral sect is spread thin along the coast and could use new allies. If you''re willing to fight for us, we can pay you in advancement resources. It''s impressive you''ve come so far on your own, but if you want to be a cultivator, you need proper qi, not that Rosemount sludge."


    Kai wondered if he should pretend to be offended for Rosemount, then decided he didn''t care. "I know enough of Cloudspire to know your reputation, but not your current situation. What sort of fighters do you need?"


    "Come this way." Cor Li Xan made a broad gesture and the stone disc began to speed toward the coast. "You''ve seen the dangers here. The west coast is by far the most dangerous on Cloudspire, with monsters emerging from the deep oceans. Our strength as a sect is built on this challenge."


    "But you said you''re spread thin, keeping the monsters away from the continent?"


    "Ordinarily it would be no trouble, but we must also compete against other sects in the Western Wilds, as well as savage tribes, mercenaries, and armies from afar. The Western Wilds are the most prestigious region of Cloudspire, so exceptional strength is required to compete."


    "I see." Kai nodded as if he was thinking it over. "I do not know your ways, but if you would exchange qi for a strong arm, then I would be happy to fight for the Bloodcoral sect."


    "Excellent!" Cor Li Xan didn''t touch him, but his grin was practically a clap on the shoulders by Cloudspire standards. "For a start, your aerial technique is impressive, but no cultivator should need to travel around so violently. Let''s give you a proper means of transportation."


    Cor Li Xan reached into a bag that proved to be a spatial item, because he pulled a long sword from it, a foot wide and almost as tall as him. It seemed to be a flying sword, which Kai accepted respectfully. He briefly wondered if this was a scam, if giving him a relatively cheap sword was a way to brush off any payment for helping them with the Great Cetae. Yet Cor Li Xan didn''t seem to be trying anything on him and reached into his spatial sack again.


    "You saved the lives of many weaker cultivators," Cor Li Xan said, "so let me give you these qi pills they would have earned. If you can fight for us, this will be only the start. I also have some medicinal pills for you, and let me find you some Bloodcoral robes. Then again, we may not have any in your size..."


    Kai accepted the box, which reminded him of the one he''d found in Zae Zin Nim''s things so long ago. It was a small wooden case with two compartments, each of which had a few pills rolling around in it. Some were the "medicinal pills", which didn''t impress him much, but the qi pills were rather potent. He could definitely cultivate with those and get closer to the peak of the Body Refinement stage.


    "Ah, this will do for now." Cor Li Xan pulled out a red and blue cloak that matched those of all the other cultivators - not full robes, but an outer layer that would make Kai match. He wanted to grab it, but hesitated, his attention stretching out over the ocean.


    He could no longer feel Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena, and they hadn''t pursued, which meant they must have veered to land at a different point. This was exactly what they had planned, and he would still meet up with them later, but he found himself missing them. There''d been so little time to say goodbye and now his wives were off on their own journey.


    And he''d started his. Kai turned back and grasped the Bloodcoral cloak.

 Chapter 373: Bloodcoral Medallion

    Technically Kai was setting foot on Cloudspire for the first time, but that was nothing special: the coast was sand and rock, like everywhere else in the world. He was far more interested in the fact that he was being ushered directly to the Bloodcoral sect headquarters.


    All of the outer walls were made from rough yellowed rock he suspected was a type of coral, while the largest buildings seemed to have been forged from vast shells. The pearlescent walls gleaming in the sun were impressive... but he was mainly wondering what kind of monster or beast left shells that large. Another question to ask eventually, though for now he was keeping his mouth shut so he didn''t expose his full ignorance.


    "The others will show you around our headquarters," Cor Li Xan was saying, "but I wanted to formally introduce you. For a start, let me give you your command medallion. It doesn''t make you an inner disciple yet, but we wouldn''t insult a cultivator of your strength."


    Kai accepted the medallion, which was a circle of red coral polished to a shine and attached to a rope, as if to hang around his neck. He took it reverently, of course, but had no idea what he was really looking at. It must have shown in his face, because Cor Li Xan chuckled.


    "I take it you haven''t been a member of a sect before?"


    "Not really," Kai said. "You said this doesn''t make me an inner disciple?"


    "We work with many allies and mercenaries, so our sect doesn''t work the usual way." Cor Li Xan gestured out past the coral walls, where there were various untrained people moving carts of materials. "Someone who wants to join our sect starts as an outer disciple, which means they have to prove themselves. That filters out all those who don''t have any discipline. If they prove talented or trustworthy, they''re given a medallion like this, which marks them as a real member of the sect."


    "So I get one right away by virtue of my strength?" Kai examined the smooth surface and noticed that there were two triangular crystal marks along one edge, too precise to be as natural as the coral itself.


    "You''ve noticed the markers. All Body Refinement cultivators are given one for their cultivation base, Nascent Foundation cultivators receive three, and Earth Souls receive five. You become a true inner disciple, a real member of the sect, once you gain four of them. You started with one for your cultivation, and one for playing such a major role in the Great Cetae hunt."


    "So an Earth Soul could join immediately?"


    "Earth Souls are not common, even in the great cities. If one truly wanted to join with us, yes, they would immediately receive entrance." Cor Li Xan pulled out a medallion from under his shirt and held it up, revealing twelve crystalline marks evenly spaced around the edge. "The sect leaders have twelve, but if you want a comfortable life, the important threshold is eight marks. We have luxuries that would blow away anything you''ve seen on Rosemount."


    "I don''t have enough strength for comfort yet," Kai said in order to dodge that conversation. "Do the marks in between matter?"


    "Oh, they definitely do. This isn''t merely a rank, the medallion has powers of its own. Without the first mark, you can''t open the outer gates of the headquarters, for example, and have to wait for the inner disciples to permit you inside. But someone else can tell you about all the others."


    So it seemed that Kai was jumping over the line to enter the Bloodcoral sect, which part of him felt was unfair even though that was ridiculous. Even his human power could beat at least one of their Earth Souls, so it would be ridiculous for them not to give him more - most likely the low ranking was only because they didn''t fully trust him yet. It just felt strange, after being dismissed for so long, to actually be in demand by a powerful organization.


    Once the flying disc reached one of the inner courtyards, it seemed it was time for them to split up. Kai regretted having to leave Cor Li Xan, since he thought he liked the other man, but if he was staying there for a while, he might as well adjust.


    Most of the others who greeted him appeared to be lesser disciples, most of whom had only one to three marks on their medallions, none of them from cultivation. In general, Kai judged the sect to be a moderately powerful one, by the standards Zae Zin Nim had explained to him. He would need to learn more information about their military strength and resources to properly judge them.


    Surprisingly quickly, he was given a room and left alone. The room was clean and reasonably large, if uncomfortable compared to their home on Darkmist Island. Then again, anywhere would have been comfortable with Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim alongside him. Kai pushed aside thoughts of them and focused on his goals so he could keep up his side of the bargain.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    First priority was determining how much the sect had to offer. When Kai tried to ask the outer disciple stewards about information, they eventually handed him a jade slip with information written on it. Kai returned to his room and read over the ranks properly.


    Some of the rewards for gaining marks he dismissed immediately: for example, gaining permission to purchase medicinal pills meant nothing compared to Behemoth''s Heart. But others were useful - he only needed three marks to gain access to the Bloodcoral sect archives, which would have techniques like shrouds. So all he had to do was earn one more mark and he could get a local shroud, plus a lot more information. That was an easy enough goal, justifying Zae Zin Nim''s decision to send him out to help the hunt.


    Beyond the third mark... starting at the fourth mark, he would begin to receive cultivation resources from the sect in order to help him advance. They seemed to have access to a lot of qi, so if he earned full access he should be able to reach the peak of Body Refinement limited only by his own ability. At seven marks he earned permission to participate in local contests, and at nine he would be allowed to choose a treasure from their stores.


    So far he didn''t have any information about what he could do to earn marks, aside from advancing his cultivation. But based on how they structured the rewards, it seemed like the first four marks were judging if someone had any value to offer the sect, whereas after that they became about trust. No doubt the system would be adjusted to meet the sect''s goals.


    Kai slept hard that night, then observed and trained during his next day. The Bloodcoral cultivators seemed to overwhelmingly favor direct cultivation and martial arts, so his Physique training made him stick out like a sore thumb. Still, he was a head taller than anyone else and his power was obvious, so they didn''t bother him.


    Size aside, his clothing brought the most attention. The outer disciples all wore brown or gray clothes, similar to his rough garb, and his Bloodcoral cloak couldn''t hide the way his looked. All the inner disciples had matching red and blue robes and many gave him strange glances. There was nothing much he could do until... well, presumably until they made something in his size.


    After training, Kai cleaned himself off and went to get his clothes, only to discover the Beggar King''s Robes had wrapped themselves around the Bloodcoral cloak. "Wait, wait, no," Kai muttered, feeling absurd reprimanding some cloth.


    The magical cloth didn''t respond to him at all, because it was too late: when he pulled up the robes, they seemed to have entirely consumed the cloak he''d been given. Now he would look entirely like a barbarian... or so he thought, until the Beggar King''s Robes rippled in his hands. In a few seconds they had transformed into Bloodcoral sect robes.


    "I take it back," Kai said with a smile as he pulled them on. Perfect fit, as always. "Eat your heart out, Primal Loom."


    Cultivator robes didn''t exactly suit him, but at least the Beggar King''s Robes were always comfortable to move in. Presumably if he was in a difficult enough battle they would shift further, and of course if - or when - they got torn apart, the robes would regenerate. He wondered if he should thank the magic cloth, but now that they had eaten the foreign cloth, the Beggar King''s Robes seemed completely lifeless.


    The next day, Kai decided that he needed to be more proactive. Far too many of the sect members he saw seemed to be doing nothing but light training and cultivating, as if they intended to spend their entire lives in the Bloodcoral sect. This might be a good place for him now, but it would never be anything more than a temporary stepping stone, so he needed to find a way to jump up the ranks as quickly as possible.


    As he moved through the complex, his spirit searched for cultivators with actual strength while his eyes examined medallions. Not everyone wore theirs over their robes, and many in full Bloodcoral attire might not be wearing them at all, which was probably some cultural norm he didn''t understand. Irrelevant for now.


    His search was briefly interrupted when he noticed a group of Body Refinement cultivators all engaging in some kind of training he didn''t know. There was a bright red chunk of coral sitting on a metal plate, then one of the cultivators would strike the plate with their spear. The qi transferred from one to the other, launching the coral into the air. Clearly the goal was to launch it as high as possible, so he just tried to figure out the balance of qi control, Physique, and skill.


    "What are you looking at, tribesman?"


    One of the cultivators called out to him and Kai realized that he had been staring. He wasn''t sure what to do, so he bowed, since that seemed to be a catch-all response. "I''m sorry, I''m just not familiar with this training."


    "Training?" Another of the cultivators sneered. "This is basically just a game. Do you train by smashing things out in the wasteland?"


    The cultivator''s companion tugged at his robes, looking at Kai nervously. No doubt coming to the same conclusion that Kai had: these cultivators only had Power in the 100-150 range, so if they could see past his shroud at all, they must know that he could crush them all. Yet there was some scorn mixed in with the nervousness. They''d assumed that he was a barbarian from the wastelands, either because that was the logical assumption or just because he exuded barbarian energy somehow. Come to think of it, he''d forgotten to shave...


    "You want to try?" One of the cultivators, a young man slightly stronger than the others, held out a blue spear. "I warn you, this is a test of controlled power. Big muscles won''t do you any good here."


    That was a challenge, no matter what culture they were in. Kai stepped forward and grasped the spear.

 Chapter 374: Navigating the Sects of Cloudspire

    Even though she was supposed to be keeping watch, Zae Zin Nim couldn''t help thinking about Kai. Was he getting into trouble? Had sending him to the Bloodcoral sect been the right choice? It seemed like a good place for him, but his luck was so awful, and he cared so much about random people, she was afraid he would somehow become embroiled in a problem.


    There was no word, of course, so she and Omilaena had made their own landfall on Cloudspire and worked their way inward. Currently she sat atop a building in Blueblade City, governed by the sect of the same name. She''d chosen them as a neutral destination because their sect had a powerful Sky Soul, making them a rival to her father. They were also large enough that they welcomed merchants, dominating trade on the southwestern part of the continent with their alchemical skills.


    Unfortunately, even though they had exchanged their Rosemount gold for solid Cloudspire taels, they had not been able to purchase anything that could allow her to break through the 999 Power barrier. There were rumors of such, but they were either limited to inner sects or restricted to auctions that wouldn''t take place for many months. Omilaena was searching further while Zae Zin Nim cultivated.


    At least she had been able to get pure Cloudspire qi again, so cultivation was a relief. She could even ignore the fact that Sky Soul was so far away as to be unattainable in the near future, or at least she could forget it most of the time. The important thing was that she was making progress again. The long plateaus of cultivation had their advantages up against a barrier like this.


    "What has you moping?" Omilaena swung up onto the roof beside her and slid closer. "I thought you were glad to be back in the land of cultivators."


    "I''m just... worried about Kai." It felt strange to say, but who could Zae Zin Nim tell if not her wife? "He isn''t used to a place like this. Lots of sects don''t treat peasants well and I''m afraid he''ll get involved in something."


    "From the looks of things, the peasants here know their place. Would they even listen to him if he tried to start a revolution?"


    "No, but he might not know that."


    "Give him a bit more credit, Zin Nim." Omilaena slid against her side and wrapped an arm around her waist. "And even if you don''t trust his judgment, trust his strength. How many cultivators below Sky Soul do you think have a chance against him?"


    Even though the comparison was rather obvious, the reminder did Zae Zin Nim some good and she nodded reluctantly. "That''s true, but there are more of those than you think because they live so long. And they aren''t all equal to my father, who has continued with heavenly cultivation, but they don''t need to be. Anyone who has achieved Sky Soul is a threat to us."


    "But just a threat, not overwhelming. Don''t sell yourself short."


    As Omilaena gave her another squeeze, Zae Zin Nim found herself nodding again. Her desperate journey to Deadwaste had proved far more beneficial than she had ever imagined: she had left with around 150 Power, broken and sick, and now she returned with nearly 1000. Her cultivation couldn''t compare to a Sky Soul, true, but the Coldfire Corona and Pure Yin Shroud were worthy sources of power.


    And beyond that... she had Kai and Omilaena.


    "I''ve noticed the difference," Zae Zin Nim said quietly. "I could actually get information from the Blueblade sect now. Before, they would have ignored me unless they knew who I was, which would mean getting captured for ransom or worse. Now I''m actually treated seriously."


    "Have you gotten the kind of lead you want, though?" Omilaena was still against her side but had shifted cooler, spinning a needle across her fingers as she often did while thinking.


    "Admittedly, no. There are no important auctions soon enough, and I think it would be a mistake to try to join the Blueblade sect."


    "You don''t think they could be used against your father?"


    "They would never engage in such a war." Zae Zin Nim shook her head rapidly. "They''re a powerful sect, but they don''t have a Sky Soul equal to my father. And you have to remember it''s a long way to the Eastern Plains; they wouldn''t go that far for no reason. Just traveling so far would be an act of war with all the sects in between."


    "Pity, but I expected that." Omilaena smirked and jostled her hip. "That''s why I was going to suggest we forget this and go join the Pureflower sect."The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Zae Zin Nim jerked upright in surprise as the idea hit her. "That''s what you''ve been scouting? I see the logic, but..."


    "Why not? You''ve bought all the qi you need, and I''ve bought all the poisons and metals I can find in a city like this. Since we''re separated from Kai, we should take advantage and join an all-female sect. They definitely wouldn''t have an alliance with your father, right? Those would be the most powerful groups not likely to have spies, plus you don''t have to worry about the usual things."


    "Perhaps." Zae Zin Nim bit her lower lip as she considered. "I mislike their reputation. The Pureflower sect is powerful, but they are very traditional. I would be more confident joining the Frozen Lily sect, or even the Divine Amazon tribe."


    "Are either of those anywhere close to us?"


    "Well... no. Both are very far, I only know of them because of their reputations across the continent. But perhaps in the future, after we meet up with Kai, we could go to the Northern Expanse and join the Frozen Lily sect. They wouldn''t let Kai in, but he could stay close by without trouble."


    "Maybe in the future, but let''s do this one step at a time." Omilaena abruptly stopped spinning her needle, holding it in stabbing position. "From my research, the ''feminine arts'' the Pureflower sect specializes in include poison. And they definitely have access to pills that will break your barrier, so we just need to be hot enough to earn them, right?"


    "It''s more complicated than that!" Zae Zin Nim insisted. Yet she realized that she was already coming around to Omilaena''s argument. They would have more details to discuss, but by the end of the day she had no doubt that they would be leaving the city to approach the Pureflower sect.


    A long time ago, she had dreamed of joining an all-female sect to escape, even though it was a foolish dream. They wouldn''t shelter her from her father unless she was powerful enough to be useful to them, which she hadn''t been. Now she was returning to that dream... but only to gain what she needed to fight her own battles.


    .


    ..


    .


    "As you noticed, I''m a foreigner," Kai said as he spun the spear around his hands experimentally. "I''ve never trained with your weapons."


    "There''s nothing to it," the leader said. "You just channel your qi through the coral, then... strike the metal!" He lashed out with good form, the hook at the end of his spear striking the metal plate.


    Immediately the coral chunk soared upward, arcing almost to head-height for the cultivators, chest height for him. This was better than the average Kai had seen when watching, and judging from the whispers of approval, must have been a good strike. When it landed with a clang, the leader took a one-handed bow that was definitely not deferential.


    "How do you think you can do, foreigner? How well can you actually use that strength?"


    "I suppose we''ll see." Kai hoped he was being sufficiently humble as he stepped beside the plate, his fingers running over the coral spear.


    It felt like some kind of magical object, not exactly powerful but with some trick to it. Definitely designed for qi to the exclusion of mana or chakra, so it might not be easy to use. Even though he didn''t use it directly very often, Kai had received qi training from Zae Zin Nim, so he should be able to figure things out.


    While he''d been watching, he''d observed the technique the Bloodcoral cultivators used: they took a broad stance with the spear overhead, then drove it down into the plate just beside the coral. He could copy the stance effortlessly, the question was how much qi he could push through the dense coral. Well, nothing to do but try.


    Kai thrust out and his spear struck home... yet the metal plate vibrated in a way he hadn''t expected, blunting the qi instead of transferring it. The coral chunk only hopped a foot into the air before falling back down to scattered laughter. He felt a surge of irritation and considered wiping the floor with the group, but remembered how desperate Zae Zin Nim was to avoid attention and swallowed the frustration.


    "It looks like you''ve studied the spear," the leader said, not smirking like any of the others, "but clearly your qi could use some work."


    "I haven''t mastered the techniques of the mighty Bloodcoral sect." Kai wasn''t sure if that was too deferential or not deferential enough, but he barely cared because he was more interested in figuring out the technique. He couldn''t exactly copy the spear technique, so perhaps...


    "Clearly. If you need guidance, you should speak t-"


    "Let me try something else." Kai flipped the spear in his hand so the blunt end pointed toward the metal plate. If the metal plate vibrated in response to qi, then he didn''t need to copy their technique exactly, he just needed to make sure that the strength of his qi was transferred to the rock to send it upward.


    "I wouldn''t advise that. Without the proper technique, the qi will never reach th-"


    Kai slammed the spear down like it was a staff and sent his qi flooding through the coral. Instantly the chunk shot skyward, clearing the wall in an instant and becoming a speck that hung in the air. All the assembled cultivators stared at it for a shocked second, then began retreating and covering their heads.


    The chunk smashed into the ground beside the metal plate, completely shattering one of the courtyard tiles and sending fragments scattering. They bounced harmlessly off Kai''s legs, but some of the cultivators retreated in panic.


    "Clearly I need to learn better control," Kai said mildly. He considered bowing again until he saw the look in the eyes of the young leader... no, bowing would just look like mockery.


    "Clearly barbarian strength has some advantages." The leader gave him a stern nod, perhaps with grudging respect, but his eyebrows were knitted like he wanted to glower. "Cor Li Xan was right to invite you to the Bloodcoral sect. Just take care that you use your strength in the right way."


    "I will." Kai decided to bow this time, handed the spear back, and left the courtyard. He had no time to deal with petty little rivalries, not when he had so many more important goals...

 Chapter 375: Hunting Horns and Mission Marks

    Kai should not have been excited to see a wave of monsters flooding toward civilization, but truthfully he felt a thrill that was more than just hunger. This was why he''d started fighting in the first place: defending everyone against an undeniable menace. After the politicking within the Bloodcoral sect, he was glad to finally get out with them to battle against the ocean.


    When he saw the cultivators start to fall out of formation, Kai leapt off his rock and smashed down into the surf. His arrival flattened one of the sea urchin monsters, since their spines couldn''t pierce his skin, and he gripped one of them to use as a bludgeon against the others. In a heartbeat he had broken the assault and given the Bloodcoral cultivators time to regroup.


    Instead of retreating immediately, Kai skimmed through the water to take out several more of the torso-sized urchins. During his fighting on the beaches, he''d discovered that he could use Sahagin''s Soul if he was up to his knees in water, gliding across the battlefield easily, and he''d come to enjoy it.


    Eventually, however, he had to leap back to his vantage point. If he fought fully he could have ended the attack himself and the outer sect cultivators wouldn''t have gotten any training. The job he''d been sent out here for was to keep them alive, not to finish off the monsters himself. Since he''d already eaten enough of the local monsters to be certain they didn''t have any powerful essence, he wouldn''t go overboard.


    Back on his rock, Kai considered their overall strategy and compared it to the Frontier. They definitely had more redundancy, presumably because the ocean monsters weren''t as dangerous a threat as a monster incursion. Instead of all-out war, they tended to have competitions among factions within the sect, and some of the cultivators seemed to think that being sent out to fight monsters was a chore or punishment that just took time away from their cultivation.


    During the past month, Kai had gained a strong grasp of the Bloodcoral sect''s strength. The sect had a total of eight Earth Soul cultivators and several hundred at the Nascent Foundation stage, which meant they were mid-tier size for a sect. The truly powerful had at least one Sky Soul, but Earth Souls weren''t exactly common on Cloudspire.


    Which only made him realize how powerful the Brightwind sect was, to be able to send a whole squad of Earth Souls across the world to hunt Zae Zin Nim.


    The Bloodcoral sect didn''t patrol the entire western coast, instead jostling for territory with several other sects and a northern tribe that also managed sections. There was no treaty stopping sects from the interior from attacking them, but they seemed to consider the coastal sects more trouble than they were worth and just traded with the Bloodcoral cultivators and others for oceanic resources when necessary. Sects were sometimes wiped off the map, but it wasn''t happening every day like he''d sometimes gotten the impression.


    Just when Kai was beginning to wonder if he should just train on the battlefield, he heard cries of pain. He glanced across the waves, ignoring all of the relatively minor battles, and saw the source: several new monsters had emerged from the water. They weren''t much larger than the other urchins, only about chest height, but they glistened an ominous purple.


    <


    Monster: Spine Aura Urchin


    Threat: VII (Eta)


    >


    Kai recognized them as the "Spine Aura Urchins" they were supposed to hunt and evaluated them as Eta rank threats. Dangerous, but not dangerous enough to cause such cries. He saw the cultivators falling back and immediately understood the name: bloody cuts were appearing across their bodies as they fled the monsters. There was no visible aura, but everyone in a radius around the monsters was being dealt constant injuries.


    On top of that, many of the cultivators were spitting up mouthfuls of blood. He still didn''t understand the details, but that was something that just seemed to happen when cultivators were hit by powerful forces.


    No time to waste, then. Kai leapt out toward the place where the cultivators'' formation was buckling and landed on the urchin. This one was too tough to crush immediately, and to his surprise its aura actually cut through his defenses. Unfortunately for the monster, the shallow cuts were almost immediately healed by Behemoth''s Heart.


    He slashed down with a single finger of a Tyrant''s Claw, cleaving the urchin and its aura in half. Before the pieces could fall apart he lunged out, swallowing it all in a single Isulfr''s Bite.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    "Hey, no!"


    Kai recognized Cor Li Xan''s voice and saw the man waving at him. Had his bite set them off somehow? He''d thought that the Savage Heart was enough to hide his monstrous nature, but if this went wrong...


    "Get back! Let the horns take care of it!" Cor Li Xan pointed to the side, where their group''s Nascent Foundation cultivators were holding large conch shells. Even as Kai watched, they began to blow, and qi radiated out with the sound.


    "Sorry!" Kai leapt back to Cor Li Xan''s rock and shook his head. "I was too focused on trying to take them out."


    "No problem, you were just trying to save the other disciples. But we need to neutralize them so we can harvest the poison from the spines."


    Of course that had been a lie. Kai hadn''t forgotten about the horns at all, he just wanted to make sure he ate one of the rare monsters. It was moderately powerful, so he thought it was worth any friction with the Bloodcoral sect. Fortunately, his status as a barbarian gave him latitude for mistakes, or maybe that was just raw power.


    "So how do the horns work?" Kai asked as he watched the invisible auras battling. They seemed to be draining a lot of qi, judging from the exhaustion of the cultivators using them, but they suppressed the damaging auras around the urchins.


    "The conch horns are an ancient weapon of the Bloodcoral sect," Cor Li Xan not-exactly-explained. "When a perfect shell is found, it can be treated with qi arts in order to hunt the Spine Aura Urchin. That''s why the Bloodcoral sect is the only one that can extract the poison at the highest quality."


    "I see," Kai said, though he didn''t. That wasn''t the first time he''d received an explanation that didn''t give him any substantial information about something and he still wasn''t sure whether they didn''t know or just didn''t trust him. Whatever the case, the horns seemed to be doing their job.


    At least until the next of the urchins was taken down by a qi-filled spear. Those remaining suddenly began launching spines, some of which tore through the cultivators advancing on them and others tearing through the air. Kai easily knocked aside those coming in his direction, but he heard a cry of pain to his right.


    Two of the cultivators using the conchs were down, pierced by spines, and the aura was faltering. Cor Li Xan stood bolt upright and then grabbed his arm.


    "Go use that one, I''ll get the other!"


    Kai leapt to the nearest rock and grabbed the conch horn from the slumping cultivator''s hands, but he wasn''t sure what to do with it. This was where a proper explanation would have been helpful. Just blowing in the mouthpiece was unlikely to accomplish anything, but all the Bloodcoral artifacts from the medallions to their games involved pushing qi from the body, so presumably...


    When he let out his breath, power flooded through the horn. The other horns let out melodious notes, while his was a powerful blaring that threatened to overwhelm the other sounds. It seemed to work, though, and the dark urchins fell back.


    Combined with Cor Li Xan''s note, they managed to suppress the monsters again until they were killed, then the harvesting began. Kai pulled the horn from his lips and was surprised to find himself a bit drained. Physically he was untouched, of course, but the horn demanded qi and nothing else. Despite all his power, the qi in his dantian wasn''t as deep as his other stores of power.


    Still, it seemed to have been a successful hunt, again thanks to him. Higher stage cultivators generally didn''t dirty their hands, but Kai hopped off the rock to go pick up injured sect members and lift the spines. If he was viewed as a rough and strange foreigner, at least he could be a helpful one.


    Part of him wanted to keep the conch horn, just to experiment with it, but he returned it to one of the Nascent Foundation cultivators who stored them in a special spatial necklace shaped like a conch. Something to think about later, perhaps.


    "You''ve done more than enough," Cor Li Xan said as he came up beside him. "I would have needed to guide this entire hunt if you hadn''t been here. Tradition dictates that an Earth Soul should always be present for the end, of course."


    "It wasn''t really dangerous until today," Kai said with a shrug. "But I guess you need to be careful in case there are unexpectedly powerful monsters."


    "Yes, the average danger of the oceans is less threatening than its exceptions." Cor Li Xan shuffled closer to him and lowered his voice. "A word of advice: there is no need for you to dirty your hands with lesser tasks. Those are for outer disciples, not someone of your strength."


    Kai looked back at him, keeping his expression completely neutral. "I just want to be humble. I still feel like I''m on the outside myself."


    "Well, less so than before, after today."


    "What do you mean?"


    "This hunt has formally concluded. Here, let me take your medallion." Cor Li Xan took it from him and performed some strange ritual that made a third crystalline section emerge. "Thank you for your contributions. You''re also due a payment from the sect, so speak to the officials if-"


    "Could I have some of the poison?" Kai asked. "It looks like you can extract a lot of it, after all."


    Cor Li Xan''s eyes narrowed slightly. "Such poisons are tightly regulated. Why do you need it?"


    "Not to use. I actually want to test it on myself, to try to build immunity."


    "Yes, you do have impressive defenses. I''ll see it arranged."


    By the time they finished on the beach, Kai had been given a vial of pure urchin venom, which he put away in his spatial ring. The truth was that he was already basically immune, he just wanted it as a gift for Omilaena. An advancement gift for his wife was definitely worth more than a little money, since they had plenty and Omilaena could probably earn anything else they needed.


    Other than that venom and monstrous essence, the main thing he''d earned from his long hunt was a third mark on his Bloodcoral medallion. That was progress, but slower than he wanted. Regardless of whether he liked the Bloodcoral sect, he didn''t plan to spend months gradually earning their trust.


    There might be a riskier way to earn them... or this might be enough. With the third mark, Kai had earned the right to access the sect''s full archives. That would at minimum get him the new shroud he needed, and maybe far more.

 Chapter 376: Advancing in the Bloodcoral Sect

    With his three-marked medallion in hand, Kai strode into the Bloodcoral archives unchallenged. It proved to be nothing like the libraries from home except for the collections of texts: endless scrolls filled the cubbies around the walls, with no apparent organization. He didn''t even waste his time with it, just asked an outer disciple dressed like a scholar about his search.


    And to his surprise, it was easy. An hour later he had everything he needed.


    The sects on Cloudspire made everything so complicated that Kai had been sure he''d need to earn a Library Medallion and cultivate through the Book Foundation stage to get access, but they just handed him a scroll on shrouds. Just as he''d hoped, there were several Bloodcoral shrouds, some of which would even fit his purposes. They were overall inferior to those he''d learned on Krysal, many broadcasting cultivation stage, but they would still help him blend in.


    While reading, Kai experimented with his chosen technique until he had settled the new shroud over his soul. It would give way in battle, of course, but that would only reveal the Savage Heart as an explanation for his power. Now he had multiple layers of protection that would keep him from standing out on Cloudspire. Well, he might still stand out, but nothing about his soul would be suspicious.


    With a shroud in hand, Kai idly considered just leaving the Bloodcoral sect behind. He missed his wives and he didn''t want to butt heads with any more cultivators. But no, it hadn''t actually been that long and he had other objectives that would be easiest now that he''d earned some authority here.


    Besides, this sect was closer to the Frontier than anything else he''d seen in a long time. Their early stages squabbled, yes, but that was exactly the same on Deadwaste - his own life history was proof of how petty jealousies and nepotism could interfere with a broader objective. Surely at the higher levels of the Bloodcoral sect he would find their own elites and maybe unite with them to deal with the monster threat.


    Monsters, that was a good topic to research. Kai requested some other scrolls and looked for monsters to hunt, getting more mixed results.


    The greatest knowledge was about oceanic monsters, and all of those were firmly controlled by the Bloodcoral sect. Maybe he could hunt some of those if he earned enough marks on his medallion, but Kai would decide if that was worth it later. He had more luck with legends of monsters around the continent: there was something called the Shambling Mass in the Northern Expanse that sounded immensely powerful, rumors of dragons in the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes, and stories of great clawed beasts in the Southern Rivers.


    That last one might be the ideal next hunt. Kai found some maps, smaller but more detailed than Zae Zin Nim''s, and confirmed everything he knew about geography. He would need to travel southeast to reach the Blueblade sect and meet up with them, so if they had what they needed, they could keep traveling in that direction for the hunt.


    Having a plan for the future made Kai feel better about staying in the Bloodcoral sect, since it wasn''t forever. The shroud was just a short-term benefit, but he''d also earned himself a lot of qi. He''d been cultivating regularly while at the sect, but decided to focus on it as his next major objective. That was actually the next leap in power he was likely to achieve, at least on his human side.


    Kai spent the next several days focusing on his cultivation. He had been stuck in the 90% range of the Body Refinement stage for a long time, since his body soaked up qi like parched ground absorbed water. Yet on Cloudspire the qi was richer than it was anywhere on Deadwaste or even Rosemount, even before he started using the qi pills.


    Several days in, one of the library scholars informed him of special cultivation chambers located deeper into the Bloodcoral headquarters: apparently some of the large shell buildings were accessible. With three marks he couldn''t get access to the strongest ones, but he also didn''t need that much qi.


    Once he claimed a time slot, he walked into the chamber and found it to be a curved room inside the shell with pale white walls. It reminded him of the Immortal''s Cave on Darkmist Island, which Zae Zin Nim had enjoyed so much. The qi was thick in the air, thicker than he''d ever felt, so Kai sat down and began to gather it into his dantian.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Usually he disliked cultivation, but it seemed so easy here, he was actually enjoying it. There was just no comparison to the Krysal City States and for the first time he understood why Cloudspire cultivators were so scornful. He''d gone to an immense amount of work to buy qi for 100,000 Goralian Eagles... that qi might have been purer for his breakthrough, but it was notably weaker.


    Eventually, just at the edge, Kai stopped himself from trying to break through and examined his soul.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 593


    Monstrous Hunger - XIII (nu)


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 99% (121)


    Savage Heart: 14 (141)


    Physique Level: D-9 (245)


    Beggar King''s Robes: +1 (5)


    Soul Level: 9 (81)


    Behemoth''s Heart - VIII (theta)


    Thunderbird''s Wings - V (epsilon)


    Direboar''s Strength - XIII (nu)


    Baleful Breath - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - XI (iota)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    -


    Isulfr''s Bite - VIII (theta)


    Sahagin''s Soul - X (lambda)


    Mutefang''s Stealth - X (kappa)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - V (epsilon)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - V (epsilon)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - III (gamma)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - III (gamma)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Banchlain - V (epsilon)


    Slime''s Immortality - I (alpha)


    Silver Demon - I (alpha)


    Direcrab''s Claw - III (gamma)


    Voidmaw''s Bite - I (alpha)


    Great Cetae - II (beta)


    Spine Aura Urchin - I (alpha)


    >


    Since he''d arrived on Cloudspire, most of his growth had been in the Savage Heart and the monstrous side of his soul, but that was about to change. In theory, once he reached the Nascent Soul stage he would get a boost of over 100 Power, which would open up even more space for his monstrous abilities to grow.


    Yet he stopped short of breaking through. He could do it at any time, but he wanted to be absolutely sure that he did it properly to maximize his potential. That meant returning to Zae Zin Nim - the Bloodcoral sect had senior disciples who would help with that sort of thing, but Kai trusted his wife''s judgment over theirs. Thankfully, given that they didn''t have an emergency bearing down on them for once, he could afford to wait and do everything perfectly.


    Someone knocked on the door and coughed audibly. Kai realized that he had gone past his time and rose to his feet. When he walked out, he discovered a small crowd of cultivators, including a Nascent Foundation... and the young man who had challenged him in the competition earlier.


    "Stuck at the last step, eh?" the older cultivator asked. "Unfortunately, brute force often struggles to get through the Body Refinement stage."


    "Thank you for the pointer, senior." Kai gritted his teeth and bowed, thinking of Zae Zin Nim. They needed to avoid attention until they had the strength to fight their enemies, and he''d endure worse humiliations than a little mockery for her sake.


    Still, as he walked past the group, Kai struggled to keep his expression neutral. Sometimes he thought he could get along with the Bloodcoral cultivators and sometimes they were just irritating.


    After that, he went to go meet with Cor Li Xan. Technically someone of his rank wasn''t supposed to be able to just walk up to an Earth Soul, but they had enough of a bond that no one was going to stop him. The senior cultivator actually seemed to be finishing his own cultivation and smiled when he saw Kai approach.


    "You''ve been industrious these days," he said as he got to his feet. "I wish our outer disciples had half your focus. Are there any resources you need for your advancement? I can''t make promises, but the Bloodcoral sect invests in those who help us so much."


    "Thank you for the offer." Kai gave him a more sincere bow and smiled. "I''ve found most of what I need in the library, but I do have a question: do you have any pills that can break the 999 Power barrier?"


    To his surprise, Cor Li Xan immediately frowned. "Ambition is good, but that''s a bit too ambitious. You would need to reach Earth Soul to get close to that barrier."


    Kai opened his mouth to explain that it wasn''t for him, then decided against it. Talking about allies might raise suspicion, and he was starting to understand the way sects thought about the world: someone who infiltrated a sect to acquire such an item was probably doing it on behalf of a more powerful force. No, better to seem like a barbarian cultivator than to let any of them suspect that he was using the sect for his own advancement.


    Even if that seemed to be what half the disciples were doing.


    "Listen, my friend," Cor Li Xan said as he stepped closer, "such resources are rare here. Even an Earth Soul who has cultivated other powers will still be far from that limit - it''s so far along the path of cultivation that many don''t even know about it."


    "I guess that makes sense," Kai said. He hadn''t considered that only rare Sky Souls would need something like that, and held back from saying that such resources were more common on Rosemount. Their mix of powers seemed to make it easier for someone to creep up to 999 Power, but they lacked the enormous leaps that made Sky Soul cultivators so dangerous.


    "If you''re on the hunt for resources, I have another suggestion." Cor Li Xan hardly ever made physical contact, but he actually tapped his shoulder to direct him to the side. "The Bloodcoral sect will soon venture deeper into the Western Wilds to compete with other sects for power and reputation. What would you say to representing us?"

 Chapter 377: Joining an All Female Sect

    It wasn''t possible to simply fly to the Pureflower sect''s headquarters because a great magical formation would strike down anyone who tried to get close without permission. Instead Zae Zin Nim had sought their representatives, who were really more like outer sect members, and gone through several tests to determine whether they were worthy.


    That journey took them far northeast, almost to the end of the Western Wilds, where the land gradually flowed into gentle mountains. Now as they soared in a Pureflower vessel they flew over gorgeous forested peaks that almost reminded her of home, though the elevations here were more extreme than in the Eastern Plains.


    Finally she saw it: Pureflower Mountain speared upward, piercing the clouds and making all the mountains around it look like mere foothills. She had no idea how the lone mountain rose so high above the others, but it carried an awe-inspiring nobility around it. Exquisite white flowers and blossomed trees adorned the mountain and even seemed to bleed over into the hills around it, creating a clear bastion of beauty and purity.


    "Looks kind of like a dick," Omilaena said.


    "Omi!" Zae Zin Nim urgently gestured for her to hush while casting a nervous glance at the cultivator who was flying the vessel. "Don''t say such things."


    "You expect me to look at the giant phallic mountain thrusting up like that and not say something?"


    Zae Zin Nim shook her head. "This is ridiculous. If you think every object that is longer in one dimension is phallic, that is your problem."


    "Normally I''d say fair, but look." Omilaena reached out as if to cup the mountain''s base. "Those two big hills at the bottom could be the balls, and the sect at the top is glistening lik-"


    The vulgarity cut off when Zae Zin Nim covered the other woman''s mouth, but she could feel her wife smirking behind her hand. She knew it had been done just to tease her, because Omilaena always did that. Even if Zae Zin Nim wasn''t the biggest proponent of the Pureflower sect, speaking so crassly about it was absurd, especially since they needed to worry about causing offense.


    It was a testament to the sect''s beauty that as their ship soared higher, Zae Zin Nim managed to forget the crude imagery. There were several small villages - clean and well-maintained - wedged into the sides of the mountain, connected by carved steps shadowed by all the white flowers. Beyond them, the stone was a sheer cliff until the sect walls of pure white stone that crowned the top. This place was considered a paradise by many, both men and women... though for different reasons.


    "This is as far as I can take you." The cultivator flew down to the base village and gave them both a deep bow. "New candidates must walk their way to the top of the mountain under their own power. No one will trouble you on the path upward."


    They had landed on a relatively flat crag not far from the lowest steps up, so Zae Zin Nim headed in that direction. Once she wouldn''t have spared a second thought for the village, but now she found herself looking back at it. All the men in the village were actually eunuchs, she realized, and she wondered how that came to be.


    There had been a few eunuchs to serve her father''s harem and Zae Zin Nim had never really focused on them. Now she realized that they had given up something important, likely not by choice. Surely the Pureflower sect wouldn''t have done the same? Yet they didn''t permit men to venture anywhere close to their sect headquarters, so there had to be some solution.


    "This is ridiculous," Omilaena muttered under her breath. "How many steps are there? Is it going to be some big symbolic number like four thousand or something?"


    "I think not quite that many." Zae Zin Nim peered upward, trying to follow the winding steps. "You have an impressive Physique, so this should not be difficult for you."


    "Doesn''t mean I want to climb up so many fucking steps..."


    Truthfully, Zae Zin Nim was not particularly happy to have to walk up either, since flight was the proper mode of transportation for a cultivator. This final flight of stairs, however, had the air of a special sect ritual, so she was determined to do it properly. As the qi in the air grew denser with every step, she was sure that they would be examined or evaluated in some way.


    To her surprise, a woman descended down the side of the cliff. She wasn''t riding on a flying sword but floated on the air as if she was a flower petal herself. True greater flight... perhaps not as fast as the Brightwind sect''s technique, but far more graceful. The woman wore the spotless white robes of the Pureflower sect and a silver crown across her brow. She arrived with such gracious movements that Zae Zin Nim was left speechless and failed to even examine the woman''s soul.


    "Welcome to the Pureflower sect," the woman said in a melodious voice. "Ordinary candidates are required to walk up the stairs, but it is not every day that we have such exceptional volunteers. At the minimum, I hope you will enjoy our hospitality. Let us speak of your intentions as we ascend."


    The beautiful cultivator extended a hand and flower petals floated from her, swirling into a platform of a sort. Omilaena watched it skeptically until Zae Zin Nim stepped off the side of the stairs. She was caught less by the flower petals than the qi, but it carried her smoothly skyward.


    "Who do we have the honor of addressing?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "My name is Kir Mei Bai, and I am one of the Goddesses of the Pureflower sect. We may welcome you as sister this day, but I must again ask about your intentions."


    They glanced at one another, since they had been anticipating this moment. Zae Zin Nim didn''t trust herself to lie smoothly, so she gave the slightest nod to Omilaena. The other woman started out uncomfortable floating on the qi, but then leaned back and slid one leg over another, apparently entirely at peace reclining in the sky. Only the slight tension in her arm near her waist betrayed that she was alert and ready to retaliate if attacked.


    "As you can see," Omilaena said, "we are not ordinary disciple candidates. However, while we are visiting Cloudspire, we seek to associate with like-minded women, and we do require some resources. We hope that we can come to an arrangement that benefits us both."


    "Perhaps we can," Kir Mei Bai said with a perfectly polished smile. "There is no doubt that our sect would be blessed by the inclusion of cultivators of your strength."


    That comment finally made Zae Zin Nim focus again and she examined their host''s soul as subtly and graciously as possible.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    <


    Name: Kir Mei Bai


    Total Power: 1146


    Cultivation: Sky Soul (950)


    Divine Yin (+100)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    Kir Mei Bai was a truly extraordinary cultivator, having reached the Sky Soul stage with 950 Power, very near the absolute maximum of 1000. She might not equal the strongest cultivators on Cloudspire, but her Divine Yin qi boosted her by a further 100. There was no question that anyone on the continent would consider her a pinnacle of womanhood.


    And yet... Zae Zin Nim realized with a strange feeling that Omilaena was actually very nearly her equal. No wonder they had been treated with such deference when they arrived. Hopefully that meant they would be permitted entrance without any unnecessary hurdles.


    As they ascended, Kir Mei Bai directed the conversation to smaller topics, such as the weather and the best varieties of silk. Omilaena''s eyebrows twitched, which meant she was swallowing irritation, and Zae Zin Nim took over as she understood. This was meant to be idle conversation, one of the womanly arts, and she was much better suited to it than Omilaena. They spoke of everything and nothing as they ascended to the top of the mountain.


    When they finally alighted in the pristine outer courtyard, Kir Mei Bai invited them inward with an elegant gesture.


    "There is little doubt in my mind that you could be excellent representatives of the Pureflower sect," she told them. "However, we must uphold the highest standards in order to maintain our reputation. If you are willing to join us for a probationary period of no less than one month, you could join us. There is no question that you have the requisite strength and beauty, but our sect also requires moral character."


    "We would be honored to accept your hospitality," Zae Zin Nim answered with a low bow.


    "Then consider yourselves welcome." The Sky Soul smiled and then floated off to her own activities, leaving them to face a courtyard of sect members.


    Jealousy had been ground into Zae Zin Nim from birth, so her first instinct was to bristle. The competition here was remarkably fierce: every single cultivator she saw had perfect jade-like skin, the maidens serving them were brimming with the flower of youth, and the few old women she saw were perfectly well-preserved, decades of elegance and grace producing few lines on their faces.


    "Welcome!" Several of the cultivators greeted them as they swarmed around the new arrivals, trying to pull them inward. Zae Zin Nim hesitated on instinct, but when Omilaena brushed her arm she flowed along with the group. This was a familiar game, but she was an entirely different sort of player now.


    "We''ll get you fitted with robes immediately," one of the older women said, "but you also have to be ranked."


    "Ranked?" Omilaena asked.


    "We need to see your combat arts, of course, and test the purity of your qi. But we also rank every beauty within the sect, to inspire the younger cultivators. Don''t worry, the whole process has been highly refined over generations, so just relax."


    That made Zae Zin Nim the opposite of relaxed, but she let the group carry her along and into a great sect hall, which was exquisitely decorated with flower arrangements. Not a single fallen petal lay anywhere on the lush white carpets. Despite everything, Zae Zin Nim felt some of her tension drain away... luxury like this and no men in sight... perhaps this was how a female cultivator should live.


    The atmosphere of feminine camaraderie seeped into her until, by the time they reached the end of the hallway, Zae Zin Nim wasn''t even alarmed when she and Omilaena split up into separate dressing rooms. Only the elder sect members remained with her, gazing at her like stern aunties.


    "Disrobe," the oldest of them ordered. "We''ll fit you for new robes better than anything you''ve ever worn."


    Being fitted for clothes was no trouble and the old women looked the opposite of lascivious, so Zae Zin Nim obeyed. Yet as they measured her, she found the tension creeping back into her body. They weren''t simply measuring, they were clearly judging.


    "You have truly flawless skin," one of them said. "That is more rare than you know. They say the prettiest girl in every little village has flawless skin, but this is the genuine article, as pure as jade."


    "Bit of an unsightly blemish on the soul, though," another commented. "Legacy of a purification art?"


    "That can be removed once she breaks the next barrier... we rarely see raw potential like this."


    "Waist is good, but clearly too much in the chest." One of the old woman poked Zae Zin Nim and she barely restrained her yelp. "You might want to think about reducing that, girl. You have more Physique than is proper for a woman, but at this point you might as well achieve the next rank and make your body perfect at the same time."


    "Great potential, but... that expression." Another woman clucked and shook her head. "Whether you are deadly or gracious, your face should display only serenity. Glowering like that will achieve nothing."


    Zae Zin Nim did her best to stop scowling and endured the ordeal until they were done. One of them had an extraordinary magical ability that actually wove new silk around her. The old women looked aghast at the state of her travel clothes and took them off to be burned... except for the Heavenly Sash, which they all agreed could complement her Pureflower robes.


    When it was over, Zae Zin Nim was sure that her face was burning. Once, such an experience would have been absolutely humiliating, but now she found herself digging in her heels and denying the aunties'' words. It was absurd to talk about "perfect" proportions when men had so many different opinions, including those who wanted nothing female... or anything female. All that mattered was what Kai and Omilaena thought, not a bunch of old women.


    As Zae Zin Nim began to leave the room, the oldest woman stopped at the door once it was only the two of them. "The Pureflower sect ranks its beauties in three tiers," she explained. "Of course even the lowliest member of our sect is more elegant than any so-called ladies outside, so the Flowers of the lowest tier are all pictures of beauty. You, however, are so extraordinary that you will be granted the rank of Pureflower Fairy."


    "Thank you," Zae Zin Nim said automatically, even though her attention intensely focused on her words. "What about the final ranking?"


    "In the entire sect there are only a hundred Fairies... and there are only three Goddesses, so it is no shame. But if you ask me... you actually have the potential to become a Goddess, if you finish your cultivation and refine a few of your rough edges. Not like your companion."


    "What is wrong with my companion?" Zae Zin Nim asked, her voice flat.


    "Well... there''s no doubt she''s well-formed and self-possessed, but you must know she has too much of a predatory air. And that skin... no amount of advancement or purification will ever turn such darkness to light. Still, some diversity is good to offset the rest of us."


    Zae Zin Nim realized that she was tightening one hand into a fist, angrier than she had been when the old women had been prodding and judging her own body. How dare this bitch imply that Omilaena was less beautiful? Her skin wasn''t dark, it was an elegant golden shade. She wasn''t a peasant, she was...


    After a deep breath, Zae Zin Nim forced the tension out of her hand. Her face relaxed into a graceful, elegant smile, just like she''d been taught. When she''d agreed to join the Pureflower sect she had known that she would be dealing with this sort of thing, so she would endure it for the sake of her advancement. All the resources she''d seen promised that they could give her what she needed.


    Once she was finally left alone, Zae Zin Nim emerged into the hallway that split the rooms and found herself relatively alone. There were women waiting in the surrounding area, but they remained outside a perimeter, especially as the old woman swept out.


    When Omilaena emerged from her own dressing room, she was clothed in white robes that - contrary to whatever they said - offset her golden skin beautifully. They''d given her a blue sash to match her hair and the Prana Jewels, but the total effect was still to contain her usual seductiveness.


    "Handsy, aren''t they?" Omilaena pushed one hip to the side and propped her hand against it in a gesture that looked decidedly unladylike, especially in those robes. "Don''t worry, I resisted the urge to fight back."


    "Did they... say anything offensive?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Oh, they made no secret of what they thought about my skin and tried to use some sort of whitening cream on me. But apparently I''m still hot enough to be in the lower ranks of the Pureflower Fairies, so we are officially among the most attractive women on the continent."


    "That doesn''t matter." Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath and nodded to her wife. "We''re inside, so now we just need to find everything we need."

 Chapter 378: The Pits of Strength

    Even though Kai had ventured out from the Bloodcoral sect multiple times, that usually meant hunting monsters near the coast, so this was his first time venturing deep into the Western Wilds. At first he practiced using his flying sword, but eventually Cor Li Xan brought out his floating disc and gestured for him to fly over.


    "We''re about to visit the Pits of Strength," Cor Li Xan said once Kai landed on his disc. "It''s time to explain exactly what we''ll be doing here."


    "Why not tell me earlier?" Kai asked.


    "Because this is a great potential danger for the weaker members of the Bloodcoral sect. It is a chance to acquire power, yes, but the risks are high. In the past, we had many cultivators go out to enter the competitions, only to lose their lives. For that reason, we forbid anyone to join and keep the matter a secret. But today, if we are successful, we might change that."


    They had left the coasts behind and now flew over the supposed "wastes." Unlike the wasteland Kai knew, there was greenery all over the landscape: the trees had sharp ridges and many of the plants had bladed leaves, but spiky life was still life. The qi in the air felt chaotic, but it was still strong, and he could sense mana and chakra in the plants around him. He supposed that his standards had been distorted, because what would have been a paradise of power on Deadwaste was undesirable land on Cloudspire.


    "Don''t worry, our destination is stronger than this," Cor Li Xan said, misunderstanding his reaction. "In this region, power accumulates in great pits, where it can be harvested. Even qi can be found here, though it needs to be refined and purified for proper cultivators to use."


    Kai nodded and strained his senses forward to find these pits. "You called them pits of strength?"


    "No, I refer to the Pits of Strength. An immense collection of extraordinary pits, one of the top four most prestigious resources in the Western Wilds." Cor Li Xan shook his head. "Unfortunately, they are controlled by the Thundering Scorpion tribe, so they cannot be simply accessed by anyone."


    "And no one else can take over?"


    "Not exactly. The Thundering Scorpion tribe is formidable, but the Blueblade sect or the Manticore tribe are more powerful. If they tried to completely control the Pits of Strength, others would rise up to destroy them, so instead they merely profit off access. Anyone can challenge for the right to use the pits, so other sects can still gain access for their strongest while the Thundering Scorpion tribe builds more power than it otherwise could."


    "So the competitions are about gaining rights to the pits? You said that some Bloodcoral cultivators lost their lives."


    "Yes, many perished. They don''t officially endorse killing, but these are the Western Wilds - if someone loses their life, it is considered their own fault." Cor Li Xan paused and stared toward the horizon, as if considering his words carefully. "In order to access the Pits of Strength, we will need to confront Thundering Scorpion champions. I believe that you and I would be capable of it together."


    Kai glanced over at the cultivator, evaluating his strength again. "So their champions are Earth Souls? Why not bring one of the other Earth Souls from the Bloodcoral sect?"


    "The others feel the risk is too high. With you, however, I can prove them wrong."


    "Just the two of us?"


    "Ah, I forget how little you know." Cor Li Xan made a vague gesture forward. "The Thundering Scorpion tribe fights in pairs: the claw and the stinger. They require challengers to fight in pairs as well. The Bloodcoral sect should actually be well-suited to their challenges, because we have pairs of spear and chain, but they have the advantage over us and use it to continue exploiting the pits."


    Finally Kai got a real sense of what they were trying to accomplish. He would have preferred to be briefed before they started on the multi-day journey, but he was getting used to how Cloudspire cultivators liked their secrets. It did seem like Cor Li Xan had a good idea that would benefit them both, unless these champions proved much more challenging than Kai expected.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    They passed an unremarkable village filled with mud brick hovels before Kai felt the surge of power ahead of them. The greenery became larger and more vicious, capable of fending off the beasts he saw prowling around the edges. None of them dared get near the first real civilization he''d seen since leaving the coast, however: there was a wall and a town that could only be the Thundering Scorpion tribe.


    Kai was less interested in the buildings, which seemed very similar to the other Cloudspire architecture he''d seen, than the pits he could just glimpse beyond. The rocky wastes were filled with holes, as if some vast force had punctured it in many places. They varied in size, but the average seemed to be about five paces across and the height of three men... well, four men on Cloudspire.


    Before Kai could get a better look at the power contained within the pits, their flight was interrupted by two figures streaking through the air toward them. These could only be the champions: two burly men wearing purple robes, flying atop swords fashioned to look like scorpion tails.


    "The Bloodcoral sect is not welcome here!" the first man bellowed. "You lost your right to challenge the Pits of Strength!"


    "We have returned to fight for that right," Cor Li Xan answered calmly.


    "Is that so?" The challengers immediately looked them over and Kai felt spiritual attention closing on him, so he stared back.


    The two tribesmen looked very similar to him except one had his head completely shaved. To his surprise, they actually had shrouds he couldn''t pierce: most cultivators tended to broadcast their strength, but these were well-hidden. He estimated that the first champion had about 500 Power, while the bald one was closer to 550.


    Given that Cor Li Xan was at 496 with little hope for quick advancement, they were a substantial barrier, even for two Earth Souls from the Bloodcoral sect. It seemed like Kai wouldn''t have much trouble with them, and with his full power he could have fought both at once. Still, he would need to be careful not to start any blood feuds, and gaining access to the Pits of Strength was worth something on its own.


    "Then we go to fight now!" the bald man declared.


    "We have been journeying for days," Cor Li Xan objected, "surely you will extend us enough hospitality to rest?"


    "These are the Western Wilds! If you lack the strength, you have no right to any hospitality!"


    "Come this way," the other Thundering Scorpion tribesman said. "The challenge will take place in the great arena."


    All of them flew down toward the town and Kai tried to identify this arena. He wasn''t particularly worried, but one of the tribesmen flew off to apparently spread the word, so there was always the risk of ambush or entrapment. Before he could find it, Cor Li Xan stepped closer to him and spoke in a low voice.


    "I anticipated their feeble trick," Cor Li Xan said, "and it should not trouble us. I have conserved my qi along the journey, and I''ve seen you have great stamina. We should be able to beat them."


    "What are our tactics?" Kai asked. He wished that they could have fought together beforehand so they could coordinate better.


    "Regrettably, I cannot face the more powerful of their champions - he is the stinger. But I can fight the claw and keep him from interfering, so I am confident that together we can win. Then the Bloodcoral sect will be able to enter the Pits of Strength without facing the champions again, which will be a great boon for our sect."


    The arena itself proved to be a large square of stone with space for an audience, and to Kai''s surprise, an audience was quickly gathering. It was formed almost entirely of tribespeople - men and women wearing similar purple robes to the champions. They all seemed like cultivators to him, though there were many weak cultivators at the Qi Condensation stage compared to elsewhere.


    It seemed they were rushing directly to the duel, but Kai supposed he wouldn''t complain. What he needed to decide was whether or not he would try to handicap himself in order to have an actual challenge, or whether he should take it completely seriously. It was always possible that the Thundering Scorpion champions had special abilities they had yet to reveal, though in that case Cor Li Xan would have been taking a near-suicidal risk challenging them.


    A large gong hung beside the arena, which Kai guessed would start the match, but otherwise he wasn''t sure of the rules. Maybe it was better not to go overboard just so he didn''t accidentally break some unspoken rule. Yet a part of him was irritated by it all and wanted to just demolish both of the champions and go inspect the pits.


    His irritation continued until the bald man removed his outer robe, revealing a muscular upper body. It was covered in a large tattoo of a scorpion, dripping with purple venom, which only mildly interested Kai until he felt the surge of power. The other man''s shroud was beginning to lower, and as Kai examined his soul, he caught sight of something outside a normal cultivator''s power.


    <


    Scorpion Tattoo (+50)


    >


    The scorpion tattoo granted 50 Power, which explained why the bald champion was stronger than the average Earth Soul. But more importantly, the tattoo seemed to glow with mana. It was mixed with qi, of course, but it was undeniably a powerful formation of mana, the very first he''d seen on Cloudspire.


    Immediately Kai''s mind lit up with the possibilities. This was an entirely new path he''d never encountered before, potentially one that could help him advance in a new direction. The last time he''d been this excited, he had discovered the Savage Heart, which had unlocked chakra for him and helped redefine his combat.


    Kai leapt down to the arena, staring at his opponents hungrily.

 Chapter 379: The Thundering Scorpion Champions

    There were no judges or officials, just four fighters standing on the wind-swept stone. Kai doubted that there were any rules about falling out of bounds, so the contest was likely to be decided by strength alone. Cor Li Xan landed beside him and swallowed a qi pill to prepare for the battle, so Kai''s focus narrowed down to solely the combatants.


    As the shroud fell away, Kai took a proper look at his opponent''s soul.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 544


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 33% (398)


    Scorpion Tattoo (+50)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    The "stinger" of the champions was primarily a cultivator at the Earth Soul stage, with an additional boost from the scorpion tattoo and his E-0 Physique. He was a little weaker than Kai had estimated, but given that he was a champion and had unknown powers, Kai decided to take him completely seriously as an opponent.


    "That''s our champion!"


    "His Earth Soul cultivation base has nearly reached 400!"


    "I''ve never seen such an exquisite tattoo of power!"


    Kai blinked as the voices interrupted his focus. People in the crowd were blurting out comments on the battle for some reason, in rather loud voices. That would never have happened on Deadwaste and he kind of hoped they''d shut up, but they kept talking. Apparently this fight was a big deal to them.


    Soon the other champion removed his outer robe and his shroud at the same time.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 498


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 16% (321)


    Scorpion Tattoo (+50)


    Physique Level: E-2 (86)


    Heavenly Sands Tattoo (+25)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    His scorpion tattoo looked identical, and it granted the same 50 Power, but he was weaker overall because his cultivation was substantially lower despite being at Earth Soul - maybe that was one of the deviations Zae Zin Nim was always worried about. What was more interesting to Kai was that he had other tattoos, golden lines spiraling down his arms. They also had mana within them, but he felt more chakra and they seemed to boost his physical strength instead of his cultivation.


    "The Heavenly Sands tattoo!"


    "That''s the Heavenly Sands tattoo! How did he get it?"


    "If not for the injury to his cultivation base, he would be one of the most powerful champions!"


    "He may not be the most extraordinary, but he''s still in the tribe''s top four!"


    Everyone in the audience speaking up actually offered him a little information this time, because Kai had been wondering how an Earth Soul could be so weak. The Brightwind sect really did seem to have stronger cultivation techniques, given how they had so many Earth Souls at peak strength. They might not have had any additional powers, but the "purity" they sought clearly had strength.


    As Cor Li Xan raised a coral spear to fight, the audience''s attention seemed to turn toward him and Kai glanced at his soul again since he knew what was coming.


    <


    Name: Cor Li Xan


    Total Power: 497


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 8% (442)


    Physique Level: F-8 (46)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    The cultivator had barely advanced since they''d met, though the improvement in his qi represented a lot of cultivation time. Actually, the largest boost available to him would have been moving from F-rank Physique to E-rank. If he''d consulted Kai beforehand, Kai could have helped him reach the next rank and they could likely have won handily.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Such a powerful cultivation base! That''s the Bloodcoral sect!"


    "His Physique isn''t extraordinary, but it''s not ordinary either."


    "But without any resistance to poison, how will he compete with the champions?"


    That wasn''t exactly how Kai would have evaluated things, but he supposed the local crowds were a better judge of cultivators in general. Like Zae Zin Nim had told him, they definitely had different standards for Physique levels.


    Kai felt their attention turn on him and was grateful he''d spent so much time shielding his true power. Since he knew what was coming, he didn''t attempt to shroud himself and just let them see his human strength. He could even guess what they might see...


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 596


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 99% (121)


    Savage Heart: 14 (144)


    Physique Level: D-9 (245)


    Beggar King''s Robes: +1 (5)


    Soul Level: 9 (81)


    >


    "He''s only a Body Refinement cultivator! Is this some sort of joke?"


    "But such beastly Physique! Can muscles make up for lack of cultivation?"


    "What is that ''Savage Heart'' mess in his soul? Is that chakra?"


    "Could he be from the Manticore tribe?"


    "He seems to have spent years training his Soul Level. Barbarians must not realize that''s a dead end."


    "Can so many different powers possibly work together?"


    For a moment Kai felt the impulse to smash his opponents into the arena floor, but he suppressed it. It didn''t matter what a bunch of random idiots said, he just needed to win and reach his objectives. He resolved that he wouldn''t use Baleful Breath or any clearly monstrous power, just focused on refined strength.


    How long was the talking going to continue? Kai was beginning to wonder if they were going to argue instead of fight when someone rang the gong beside the arena, and in an instant the Thundering Scorpion champions lunged into action.


    The weaker man crouched forward and raised his hands to either side, purple qi rising around them in the shape of claws. Simultaneously the bald champion stepped behind him, one claw-like hand rising in front of his chest. It wasn''t merely a pose: flickering waves of qi bound them together, forming a scorpion formation that must boost their strength.


    "Someone will have to take the formation''s sting," Cor Li Xan said quietly. "I trust you to do that."


    "Fine." Kai formed a Tyrant''s Claw and swept it through the air toward the enemy champions.


    Immediately the crouching man moved to intercept it, and his qi managed to deflect the claw, but he staggered back and coughed up a mouthful of blood. There was no time to look at that, because the bald champion retaliated instantly. A bright purple qi bolt lashed out with stunning speed, striking Kai in the chest and actually piercing his skin.


    Immediately he felt poison surge through his body, but Behemoth''s Heart began to pump to resist it. After breathing Omilaena''s poisons for months, Kai''s body had largely adapted and he barely felt more than a twinge of pain. His opponent lunged at him, expecting him to be stunned or incapacitated, and Kai easily grabbed his lashing arm and hurled him to the ground.


    Even the simple throw smashed the cultivator into the stone slab, cracking it and sending blood shooting from his mouth. He unleashed several more bursts of purple qi and Kai knocked them aside - he prevented his body from shifting with the Savage Heart, but to his surprise the bursts didn''t even hurt his skin. They were definitely weaker than the first attack, perhaps because their formation was broken.


    As the champion leapt up, his hand returned to the scorpion-like stabbing position and he lashed out. Kai grabbed his wrist and they wrestled for a moment: at first Kai was overpowering him easily, then the cultivator began to surge his qi and managed to struggle back.


    "Such strength!" someone in the crowd called. "He''s as strong as an Earth Soul stage!"


    "But the poison entered his system! How long can he survive?"


    Kai gritted his teeth and ignored the commentary. He was more interested in evaluating the battle in terms of the phases he''d learned at the Frontier: qi tended to slip upward through the phases in a slightly different way, so this cultivator could be more dangerous than a similar warrior on Rosemount, but he definitely hadn''t mastered phases. His most polished attacks were a half-phase at best, and when he used his qi without preparation it felt weak to Kai.


    He hadn''t been using his full power in order to analyze his opponent, but the cultivator had used that time to prepare another technique. His arms were occupied in their struggle... and a scorpion tail of purple qi emerged from his back. It lashed out, the stinger striking Kai in the neck.


    Where it glanced off.


    For once the audience gasped instead of commenting, stunned, and Kai couldn''t help but grin. He had fought Matiavel the Destroyer and taken one of his attacks head on. If he focused himself and attained a half-phase, he could probably shrug off most of his opponent''s attacks. Despite the cries from the audience, this fight wasn''t even close.


    Since he didn''t want to win too quickly, he began trading blows with the bald champion, qi against muscle. The conflict required most of his attention, but he had enough left to examine the fight between Cor Li Xan and the other champion.


    It seemed that the Bloodcoral cultivator was struggling but holding his own. His coral spear was capable of meeting the scorpion qi blow for blow, the problem was that he was fighting too cautiously. Did the claw half of the pair have poison techniques as well? That would be the most likely explanation for the high levels of caution.


    Eventually the Thundering Scorpion champion unleashed a poison bolt, and Cor Li Xan was so focused on dodging it that he opened himself to one of the claw strikes. The qi hit him in the chest, drawing some blood from the cut and more from his mouth. It was a shallow blow that wouldn''t finish him, but he was definitely at a disadvantage.


    Time to act: Kai grabbed his opponent''s next strike and used his arm to hurl him into the other champion. Both crashed together across the arena, coughing up blood, but to his surprise they managed to spring off the surface and return to their feet in their scorpion formation.


    Too bad it wasn''t enough. Kai leapt forward with Thunderbird''s Wings, trying to focus all his speed. His half-phase of speed couldn''t make the battlefield freeze like the Windlord had, but it still made him the fastest thing in the arena by far. Before they could use their formation, Kai was between them, grabbing the bald champion by the neck and tugging him away from his partner.


    Kai lifted him off the ground and the cultivator desperately stabbed at his arms, his attempts at poison strikes sliding harmlessly off Kai''s skin. His partner turned, stabbing his claw technique into Kai''s back. He''d prepared his defenses in another half-phase, so the qi shattered apart against his back. It would have been easy to take him out as well, but instead Kai waited a little longer...


    Cor Li Xan acted, driving his spear through the claw champion''s shoulder. Kai took that as his cue to smash the stinger champion down into the arena floor.


    For a moment the arena was still and silent. The champions might have been able to fight a little longer, but their Physique was giving out and Kai could see the fear in their eyes: they knew it was hopeless. Cor Li Xan pulled back as well instead of pressing his advantage, immensely satisfied. Then it was finally over.


    "The champions were defeated!"


    "Impossible! How could the Bloodcoral sect have found such a powerful tribesman?"


    "This means the Bloodcoral sect can enter the Pits of Strength again!"


    He had almost forgotten about the crowds. Kai sighed and wiped some of the blood off his chest before the Beggar King''s Robes repaired themselves from the fight. In the future he''d be completely immune to the Thundering Scorpion tribe''s poisons, and even if they had substantially stronger versions, they wouldn''t likely be as effective.


    When he looked over at Cor Li Xan, the other cultivator nodded with pride. Then they''d won the fight... and Kai had gained access to the Pits of Strength.

 Chapter 380: Power Within the Pits

    In the two days after the duel, Kai eagerly explored the Pits of Strength and discovered the possibilities. He''d been concerned at first that there might be retaliation, but since he hadn''t killed or maimed the champions, his victory seemed to be respected. Most cultivators gave him a wide berth, so the biggest obstacle was actually getting people to talk to him.


    He trotted out toward the central area he hadn''t yet explored, barely glancing at the pits to either side because they weren''t worth it. The one to his right, for example, was filled with concentrated qi and only guarded by a pair of Body Refinement cultivators... the qi in it wasn''t worth the time it would take to beat them. The lesser pits might be useful for weaker cultivators, not those with direct access to a significant faction like the Bloodcoral sect.


    Once he got to the more powerful pits there were Thundering Scorpion guards nearby, but they were all lower stage cultivators than him - when they glared, he just stared back at them and they''d look away. Since he''d won access for the Bloodcoral sect there should be nothing stopping him from exploring anyway, so he didn''t think it could cause a problem.


    An intense source of mana caught his attention and he ran across the empty space to investigate the next pit. Narrower and deeper than most, with an intense source of mana burning at the bottom. It was good enough to have been a Class awakening pool for any city in Goralia, actually quite a powerful one. Such gathered sources of mana just developed naturally here.


    The only people nearby were a pair of cultivators floating on a hovering sword near the mana pool. A man had his upper robes off to bare his shoulder, while a woman dipped a needle into the mana and pressed it into his skin. Kai realized that he was seeing one of the mana tattoos being created and observed eagerly.


    Instantly the couple reacted, the woman smothering the mana on the needle and the man pulling up his robe as if embarrassed. Kai had gotten a good look at the work, though, and saw blurry symbols that seemed to be forming into "Heavenly Sands Tattoo" in the man''s soul.


    "You have no business here!" The man flew their sword up to the surface level, scowling fiercely, while the woman shifted to a sturdy needle that could be used as a weapon. That just reminded him of his wives - the needle was like Omilaena''s, and the scowl was a bit like Zae Zin Nim.


    "I''m not here to challenge for your pit," Kai said with a polite bow. "In fact, if you''re willing to give me some information about those tattoos, I''d be happy to help you challenge for another pit."


    "Cultivation tattoos are great secrets of sects and tribes," the woman insisted. "We will never give them up, even on pain of death."


    That seemed a bit extreme. The couple had both achieved Nascent Foundation, so they were strong enough to defend a powerful pit like this, but he could take them on and they probably knew it. Kai sighed and took a step back, just raising his hands.


    "I''m really not here to fight you," he said. "Are you sure we can''t work together?"


    "I don''t know what tribe you''re spying for, but they should send someone more subtle!" The man took another step forward to the edge of his flying sword.


    Since he didn''t want to start a fight for no reason, Kai headed on to scout the remaining pits. If he really needed access to that mana, he could just challenge them for it. Acquiring the knowledge of the cultivation tattoos would be the more powerful boost, so no sense in creating animosity. What he needed was to find a tribe that was more willing to cooperate with him, then see if he could earn their secrets without actually joining.


    As he explored the heart of the Pits of Strength, Kai noted a few valuable pits, but none leapt out at him until almost the end. He was turning around, arcing back toward the town, when suddenly he felt a pulse of power. It was subtle, not as overwhelming as the others, but it was the combination that struck him.


    A perfect balance of pure qi and cool mana.


    On instinct Kai started moving toward it, hungry for the power. Taking it himself would only provide a small boost, but it felt perfect for Zae Zin Nim. She needed a strong source of mana that would match her qi, and this seemed far closer than anything he''d seen before. Fixated on the source, Kai almost ran into the pair of burly tribesmen guarding it.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    When he got close, he immediately reconsidered. The two wore the purple robes of the Thundering Scorpion tribe and they were both Earth Souls - this pair was comparable to the champions, no doubt some of the strongest few people in the entire tribe. Clearly they understand the value of the pit just as well as he did.


    "Move along now," one of them said gruffly. "The Bloodcoral sect may have the right to be here, but you can''t just take what you want."


    "Is that pit being used?" Kai asked. "It doesn''t feel like anyone''s draining it."


    "We''re holding it in reserve. If you think you can take it for yourself, you''ll find out just how wrong you are."


    "Easy now." Kai saw that the two were edging into scorpion position and didn''t want to provoke them. "I''m not here to steal anything, just challenge fairly. There''s no rule against us challenging for this pit, is there?"


    "Only if you think you could beat us," the other tribal champion said.


    "Could one person challenge you both?"


    Immediately the tribal cultivators stiffened, eyes widening in anger. Kai realized that he was implicitly insulting them by even suggesting that one person could beat them both, even though he could. Everyone here was so touchy...


    "All challenges must be in pairs!" the first tribesman practically shouted.


    "Alright then, have a nice day." Kai decided not to turn his back on the pair, more to avoid angering them than because he was really worried, and instead backed away from the pit.


    Now that he''d explored all the possibilities, he had several targets. There were no Sky Souls in this part of the Western Wilds, so the greatest challenge he would face would be a pair of Earth Souls - all he needed to do was grab Cor Li Xan and they could take care of those. Presumably the Bloodcoral sect would want to claim some of the weaker pits for their other disciples, but Kai had no problem helping them win some challenges if it gained him access to such powerful resources.


    Cor Li Xan had pulled a grandiose tent out of his spatial item, easy to find due to its bright red and blue coloring. When Kai returned to it, however, he immediately got the sense that something was wrong. Not an attack, exactly, just a new presence within the tent and some instinct that something had changed...


    When he ducked his head enough to get inside, Kai saw that Cor Li Xan was speaking with another Bloodcoral cultivator. It was an older man, his hair white and receding but his body still strong. This should have been a relief, yet Kai only found himself more on edge... it was something about the way they immediately turned to look at him.


    "Is everything alright?" Cor Li Xan asked.


    "Just fine." Kai bowed to both of them, deeper to the old man. "I''ve found a pit I want to claim, and I think we can win a challenge without too much trouble if-"


    "Ah, that... is a bit of a problem." Cor Li Xan gave him a thin smile. "You see, we need to consider local politics carefully and not seize too much. You''ve done us a great service, but it''s time for you to return to the sect headquarters. We''ll handle things from here."


    Kai stiffened as he realized that he was being pushed out but didn''t want to believe it. "I helped you return to the Pits of Strength. Shouldn''t you support me now?"


    "We can only challenge once during every month," Cor Li Xan said with a shake of his head. "We need to be as confident as possible that we''ll win. Here, let me introduce you... this is Cor Yan Wei, my elder brother in the sect. He and I have the best chance to lay claim to the strongest pits."


    The old man lowered his shroud enough for Kai to get a glimpse of his soul.


    <


    Name: Cor Yan Wei


    Total Power: 621


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 41% (446)


    Bloodcoral Qi (+70)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    It was interesting that Cor Yan Wei had a new power called "Bloodcoral Qi" but Kai couldn''t analyze it, not while his mind was churning over what exactly had happened. There was a positive interpretation to this: without knowledge of his monstrous soul, Kai looked slightly weaker than the old man''s 621 power. Maybe they really did just want what was best for the sect.


    But Kai didn''t believe it, not for a second. It seemed more likely that Cor Li Xan had just used him for his poison resistance to defeat the champions and gain access. The limitations on challenges had intentionally not been explained to him beforehand, and perhaps that was the reason he had been given the information so late.


    "You''ll join us here soon enough," Cor Li Xan said with a smile. It didn''t even look false, like he didn''t consider this a betrayal, just the way of things. "We''ve been discussing our policies, and the rule will be that any Bloodcoral cultivator with at least five marks will be able to participate in the challenges."


    "Leaving me two short." Kai gripped his medallion by the band and held it up. He kept his voice calm, but the muscles in his arm flexed and the cultivators seemed to sense his tension.


    "No, of course you deserve a reward for your contribution." The old man reached out and touched Kai''s medallion, adding a fourth crystalline mark. "You could be a pillar of our sect, young man. But leave the delicate politics to your elders."


    "Of course." Kai doubted his smile looked very pleasant, but he smiled and stepped out.


    Back in the wastes he paced beside the tent, considering his options. The conventional choice would be to go back to the sect headquarters and earn his way to a fifth mark. Once he had that, he could grab almost anyone in the sect as a "partner" and win duels on his own. Unless they twisted the rules and insisted that both participants needed five marks.


    No, screw the conventional path. Kai didn''t care about the Bloodcoral sect except as a step to his real goals. He had what he needed, so it was time to meet up with the others and take what they wanted.

 Chapter 381: Advancement in the Pureflower Sect

    Fortunately, Omilaena was in the middle of a vicious battle.


    When she''d first arrived in the Pureflower sect, she''d been honestly worried that they were going to spend all their time pouring tea, picking flowers, and simpering around. Fortunately, the cultivators of the Pureflower sect also took the time to beat the crap out of each other. Elegantly.


    Omilaena stood on the far side of a marble court, hurling needles at her opponent and deflecting those cutting toward her - at least the cumbersome sleeves of these outfits were useful for sweeping projectiles out of the air. Her opponent was another young and beautiful Cloudspire cultivator: she was an Earth Soul and reasonably strong, but she was so generic. All of Zin Nim''s jade-white skin and none of her bite.


    The rules of the competition required them to stay at a distance and use projectiles alone, with victory being decided by the first blood drawn. It wasn''t very similar to a real battle, but the limitations prevented Omilaena from powering through the competition with her strength. In fact, as needle after needle was deflected, she was getting downright annoyed.


    Summoning large numbers of needles at once was useless, because the Pureflower cultivators had an immense number of spinning maneuvers that were actually quite effective at deflecting projectiles. No matter what combination Omilaena tried, there seemed to be a counter. If she couldn''t leap in and pin her opponent, perhaps some lateral thinking...


    After weaving aside from her opponent''s counterattack, Omilaena hurled an entire fistful of needles in one hand, and a single needle from the other. The first attack was deflected by a beautiful twirl, of course, and the second struck the floor.


    And rebounded into her opponent''s calf.


    "Aah!" The cultivator cried out, more in surprise than pain, and fell to treat the injury. Omilaena was declared the victor and servants immediately rushed to cover the injury with a qi-based cream.


    That cream was actually amazing, soothing pain and preventing scarring. Omilaena had grabbed a bunch and shoved it into her spatial satchel, plus she hoped to figure out the composition eventually. Right now, there were too many other priorities.


    "Congratulations on another victory." Kir Mei Bai floated closer and extended a hand, floating a gleaming white pill toward her. She didn''t usually hand out the rewards, but apparently she had taken a special interest this time.


    The prize for winning a match, and for many other competitions within the sect, was a Transcendent Complexion Pill. Omilaena had been scornful at first, but they were actually a powerful source of qi, and she thought it reinforced the Physique principle in a way that was more than just aesthetic. However, she had advanced far enough that she didn''t need to use them regularly.


    "Have you put more thought into your path?" Kir Mei Bai continued floating nearby, which was also unusual, so Omilaena gave her the archetypal bow.


    "I still have much to train," Omilaena said.


    "I noticed that you have been stockpiling your Transcendent Complexion Pills, though your skin doesn''t appear to have suffered." Kir Mei Bai shook her head slowly. "I had hoped that you were planning to trade them for a more unique source of qi. You really should choose a feminine specialty."


    "I think I''m doing fine."


    Kir Mei Bai gave a tinkling little laugh that should have been annoying, yet somehow it actually sounded authentic. She wasn''t as stuck-up as she seemed at first. "Don''t think I''m unaware that your strength is comparable to mine. But you know that you have even greater potential, and choosing a path here could greatly benefit you."


    "Huh." Omilaena reconsidered the cultivator. "I thought I''d chosen a clear path: poison is a feminine weapon, isn''t it?"


    "That is true, but it is not a path we take into ourselves or we would become toxic to others."


    Omilaena resisted the urge to smirk. "I''m not sure any of your paths are suited for me. I will never have the ''jade-like skin'' some pursue, and none of my power connects to flowers."


    "There is another potential path." Kir Mei Bai removed a hand from her long sleeve, revealing a pill that glowed with sapphire light. "Both warmth and coolness are feminine principles. You do not invite others in, nor comfort them, but you could easily become an icy maiden who generates an aura of unattainable distance."


    "I will consider your words," Omilaena said while not considering her words. She was satisfied by her combination of poison and metal, so she wasn''t going to pollute her sources of strength by adding in a conventional element.


    Making the offer seemed to be all Kir Mei Bai wanted, so she glided on to speak to other cultivators. Omilaena had won all her matches as quickly as possible, so now she could go observe the other fights. Some of them might be traditional and dull, but there were others that offered valuable intelligence.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    She''d finished in enough time to catch one of Zin Nim''s duels: she fought in a circular arena in front of a small audience, against another Earth Soul. Normally it shouldn''t have been a challenge at all, but Zin Nim seemed to be struggling, her movements stiffer than normal.


    Her opponent waved her hands and suddenly a blue horse made from flowing qi rushed forward, trampling all in its path. Omilaena had expected most cultivators to fight like Zin Nim, but a surprising number formed their qi into elaborate techniques. When Zin Nim spun aside from the horse she closed the distance, only for her opponent to generate a massive qi flower that extended its petals and sent Zin Nim skidding backward.


    There was still something odd about her movements, like she wasn''t following her natural instincts. Perhaps it was because of the audience, perhaps something else. Omilaena was getting a bit bored and instead just ogled Zin Nim. The robes were flattering, but she really looked better in black, with the Heavenly Sash contrasting with the rest of her outfit instead of layering white on white.


    The match continued, Zin Nim failing to show her superiority, until her opponent made a mistake that wasn''t obvious at first. She unleashed a great wall of qi that swept across the arena, but instead of dodging awkwardly, Zin Nim struck it head on: she flashed forward in an instant, her hand slapping the wall. All the qi exploded and Zae Zin Nim burst through it, her other palm striking her opponent''s chest.


    Immediately the other cultivator coughed up blood and collapsed - not a lethal wound, but the single palm strike seemed to have actually taken her out. Zin Nim was brutal when she got a solid strike... yet she didn''t seem happy, even as she bowed to everyone watching and accepted her reward.


    "Congratulations," Omilaena said as they met in the hallway. "What was wrong with you that fight?"


    "I am... trying to adapt my style." Zin Nim scowled in a familiar fashion before her face smoothed into a mask of beautiful serenity. "These matches are only partially about victory: it is also important to be more graceful than your opponent. There are considerable rewards, for those who can combine beauty and strength."


    Omilaena snorted. "I''m not surprised. That seems harder to do, compared to throwing magic horses at people. I am surprised how many cultivators here never get their hands dirty and never even seem to use martial arts."


    "They are different paths. My... home sect has arts primarily focused on perfecting cultivation in the body. Our qi is more intense, and as you saw, I can easily sweep aside or pierce weak qi techniques. But it seems in all the combat since I was first trained I have... become more brutal and less elegant."


    "If you ask me, all that matters is effectiveness, but I understand we have to play the local game."


    "Yes, I suppose..."


    "Why not just make some qi animals of your own?" Omilaena asked. "Your control is excellent, so just copy their techniques."


    Zin Nim shifted uncomfortably as they walked. "I could form shapes with qi, but it would not be a polished technique in the same way. And I worry about diluting the martial arts I have perfected up to this point. This place is only a step in our path, after all."


    "You could use a refined technique, though. Fundamental skills are well and good, but polishing them into techniques can be useful. You''re actually missing full techniques, in my opinion."


    "Oh?" Zin Nim looked at her, sharply but not angrily. She was actually listening, which was still a marvel.


    Omilaena waited until they left the common area and entered the flowered private quarters. Usually they were filled with cultivators speaking to one another and attending to their beauty regimens, but during the matches they were mostly empty. Fortunately, individual rooms could be made very private, which was nice when they wanted to spend some time together.


    When Omilaena turned to take the other woman''s arm, however, she actually wasn''t coming on to her. Instead she extended her hand into her usual palm strike position and traced her fingers down her arm.


    "All the force and qi flow together to your palm," Omilaena explained, "and you expel qi at the point of impact. Why not expel qi before that, in a ranged technique? That would be a more ''elegant'' technique for them, wouldn''t it?"


    "If I just release a qi attack, that will waste the movement." Zin Nim shook her head, but she was listening.


    "I wasn''t suggesting a normal burst of qi, I mean a new technique. Why not extend your entire hand? Project it into the world, I mean."


    "Hmm. I am... not accustomed to using my qi that way."


    "Maybe you should create a hybrid." Omilaena released a trail of qi with one hand and traced mana down her arm with the other. "You''ve already used the Coldfire Corona to strengthen other attacks, so why not extend that? Let your qi provide the force and momentum, then project your mana. Mana is good at projecting, anyway."


    "Oh!" Zin Nim''s eyes lit up and she began to experiment. As stubborn as she could be, when a foreign concept finally clicked with her, she would accept it quickly. That had been a repeated lesson during their honeymoon, which brought a smirk to Omilaena''s face.


    The two of them cooperated to develop a new technique, experimenting with different balances of mana and qi. Both sides came easily to Zin Nim, and she had used her mana for palm strikes before, but projecting a polished technique was more difficult. It turned out that all the fancy details on the magical animal attacks weren''t just ornamentation, they strengthened the technique.


    When they''d made enough progress for the day, Zin Nim took her arm and drew her aside. It wasn''t for personal reasons, though, not when her narrow eyes were still set so fiercely.


    "I also have... a suggestion for you," Zin Nim said quietly.


    "Yes?"


    "You should take care to win more elegantly, but I think you already understand that. What I wanted to suggest was that you take on one of the sect''s qi paths. I know they might not seem much like you, but I think you could benefit."


    "The problem is that I don''t think conventional cultivation is right for me," Omilaena said. "I know, I can''t ignore a force as powerful as qi, but I haven''t found the right art yet."


    "I was thinking that you should... also try a merger." Zin Nim nodded as if to herself. "Yes, it could work. I know you rejected the path of the ''cold maiden'' but that path doesn''t have to be pure ice. There are ways you could take that power and merge it with what you already possess."


    Omilaena had ignored that advice from Kir Mei Bai, but from Zin Nim... "Alright," she said, "I''m listening."

 Chapter 382: From City to Sect to Tribe

    Before he reached the Blueblade sect, Kai stopped using Thunderbird''s Wings and instead jumped onto his flying sword. It traveled much slower than going under his own power, but this way he would look like a normal cultivator, plus he could use a moment to catch his breath and reflect after the week streaking across the Western Wilds.


    The Blueblade "sect" proved to own an entire city, which explained why Zae Zin Nim had chosen it as their first meeting point. The city walls and most of the upper class buildings were all made from blue slate, but otherwise it struck him as remarkably similar to the other buildings he''d seen on Cloudspire. Maybe he could ask about why that was after they met up again.


    Or so he hoped... but with every inn or major landmark he checked without finding his wives, that hope began to wane.


    Eventually he entered one of their locations for messages: a large teahouse. Not only was it owned by the Blueblade sect, it had to rub it in everyone''s faces with sword-shaped chimes covering the ceiling. The wind was allowed to flow freely through the open rooms, creating a constant symphony of random chiming. Seemed like it would be murderous, if a wind ever blew the swords down.


    More importantly, this teahouse was a neutral location that could allow parties to securely exchange messages. When Kai approached and gave the staff the secret code they''d agreed on, he finally got a response: there was a message for him. Two, actually, written on familiar paper that they''d all received back on Rosemount. Using that paper for messages instead of anything from Cloudspire was an added layer of security in case anyone tried to leave a false message.


    First was a straightforward message from Zae Zin Nim, explaining that they had gone to the Pureflower sect. She apologized preemptively if it interfered with his plans and suggested more locations they could meet once they were done with their training.


    Second, Omilaena had left him a very detailed description of what she planned to do with them once they reunited.


    For a while Kai sat and drank his tea. Either it was completely tasteless or he didn''t have the heart to taste anything. After so long dealing with the Bloodcoral sect, he had been looking forward to spending time with Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena.


    People walked through the streets below and his gaze slipped over them, seeing almost nothing. His eyes eventually caught on a blue medallion hanging around the neck of a cultivator: clearly the local equivalent of the coral medallion around his own neck. It seemed to have multiple swords on it, no doubt reflecting an exact rank.


    It sank in that thousands of people would spend their whole lives in this city that he could barely focus on. There were entire lifetimes here, slowly cultivating, earning ranks in the sect, and engaging in their own politics. But that wasn''t going to be his life, any more than he could be a cultivator in the Bloodcoral sect or a hunter in Goralia.


    One day he might choose a second name other than "Clanless" but it felt very appropriate in that moment.


    Kai drank the rest of his tea in one swallow as he made his decision. He hadn''t come this far by aiming small or staying in one place, so he wouldn''t stop now or just go chasing after his wives. If he pursued his own advancement, their paths would definitely cross again.


    So he left a message of his own, then headed out into the Western Wilds.


    .


    ..


    .


    On his way back to the Bloodcoral sect, he reflected that his disillusionment had been entirely his own fault. He''d seen the sect''s cultivators fighting the oceanic monsters and slotted them into his old patterns of hunters on the Frontier, but their situation was entirely different.


    They did annoy him in some ways: the squabbling, the backbiting, the factions. But the truth was that was just the expected result when they faced a threat that was limited, not existential. The monsters from the oceans were more an opportunity for advancement to be earned than an apocalyptic enemy, so of course they were treated accordingly. It was on him if he expected anything different.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Still, they weren''t fundamentally bad people, and his time in the sect hadn''t been wasted. In addition to all the qi he had stored up, ready for advancement, he had access to more resources than before. When Kai arrived back at the sect, his medallion lowered the defensive shields and opened the inner gates, letting him stroll inside.


    Some of the young cultivators tried to get his attention, maybe mocking in some way, but whatever they said sounded insubstantial to him. Instead he went directly to the main complex, where his four-marked medallion allowed him entrance to new services.


    Since he still had more than enough money, he purchased a few supplies, as well as all the poisons they had in stock that could be purchased by inner disciples, and their corresponding antidotes just in case. More importantly, he bought one of their conch horns for Omilaena to take apart later, as well as several of their coral spears. That meant he could carry away the majority of their unique assets to his destination.


    After that, he headed into the archives and asked for information on the local tribes. That took a little longer, even though he wanted to treat it as just one more item on his list of tasks. He didn''t have a native understanding of Cloudspire, after all, and he needed to do his research properly.


    The "cultivation tattoos" he''d seen were by far the most interesting power he''d found since arriving, and since they seemed compatible with other systems, he had to research them. But if he was going to do that, he might as well aim for the best. A tribe like the Thundering Scorpions might be a regional power, but they couldn''t compete on the level he needed. If he ever needed poison, he had Omilaena for that, so they would just waste his time.


    Instead, Kai researched the most powerful factions in the Western Wilds that used cultivation tattoos. Though smaller sects came and went, the largest usually had immortals to lead them, so they tended to stick around longer. The scrolls listed four groups as most prestigious: the Heavenly Sands tribe, the Sandcrush sect, the Manticore tribe, and a branch of the Blueblade sect known as the Bluemarked tribe.


    Based on the description of their arts, the Heavenly Sands tribe was known to have the purest qi while the Manticore tribe allegedly had the most powerful tattoos. Kai didn''t particularly care about qi purity, and in fact he suspected that prioritizing purity over other factors might be a bad idea for anyone who wasn''t a straight cultivator. Which meant his targets were set on the Manticore tribe.


    According to the scrolls, the Manticore tribe was massive and contained four sub-tribes: Manticore Head, Manticore Claw, Manticore Tail, and Manticore Quill. They allegedly once had multiple Sky Soul cultivators and all that kept them from being a top tier faction was that no individual was truly exceptional among the strongest on Cloudspire. The scrolls implied that their cultivation was limited by their use of lesser arts, but Kai didn''t really trust the Bloodcoral resources to be unbiased on that subject. Zae Zin Nim was a much better cultivator than any of them, and she had come around to balancing different systems of power.


    With his research complete, Kai didn''t need anything else from the Bloodcoral sect. On his way out, he was briefly drawn toward the house of assignments or the boards of monster hunts, only to remind himself that he had outgrown them.


    It took him a week to find anyone, since the Western Wilds had vast empty distances between outposts of civilization. During that time he mostly trained his monstrous abilities, pushing Thunderbird''s Wings even harder for long term travel. He couldn''t consistently use a speed half-phase, but he managed to increase the ability from epsilon to zeta rank. His fundamental phase training from the Frontier was solid, so attaining something like a god ability was just about building up enough power to compress.


    Eventually he knew he must be in Manticore territory, because the flat lands gave way to the arcing rock formations he''d read about. They began with simple pillars and gradually became more twisted as he flew, from arches to spirals to strange fracturing formations that seemed to be a different shape from every angle. None of the scrolls had explained why such a powerful tribe lived in an apparently inhospitable region and he found himself wondering just what it might be.


    Until, out of nowhere, he finally felt real qi. There were cultivators fighting up ahead... Kai eagerly pulled his sword from out of his spatial ring and stuck it under his feet, though he was basically just skimming across the air with the momentum from Thunderbird''s Wings.


    Soon he flashed past a corpse, a man with a manticore tattoo all across his back. It still glowed with mana, but the man was dead, the rest of his skin blue and shriveled. Whatever had felled him must have been up ahead, where all the Manticore tribe cultivators were doing battle.


    For a moment, Kai thought that he could repeat his entrance with the Bloodcoral sect: arrive in time to help the tribe survive their hunt and earn their trust. But as his eyes searched the battlefield, he didn''t find any monsters, only the same bronze robes, manticore tattoos, and explosive qi techniques. No one retreated, they fought until they died against foes that he couldn''t perceive until he unraveled the chaos and accepted that there was no invisible adversary.


    The Manticore tribesmen weren''t fighting an enemy, they were fighting each other.

 Chapter 383: Between the Manticore Factions

    Kai stood atop a small outcrop, trying to get a handle on what he was seeing. This was definitely no training exercise: he saw blood flying right and left, stinger techniques piercing through chests, heads being torn off. Savage strength combined with relatively low Physique made the battle incredibly grisly, with an intensity that couldn''t possibly be sustained for long.


    Both sides definitely seemed to be Manticore tribe as well, at least as far as he could tell. Kai examined their souls and was generally impressed, especially since almost all of them had tattoos equal to those he''d seen in the Thundering Scorpion tribe. He noted one Nascent Foundation cultivator in particular, a burly man tearing his way through opponents.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 410


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 66% (239)


    Manticore Tattoo (+75)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    A bright red manticore tattoo stretched across the man''s back, glowing with mana as he fought. With a total of 410 Power, and 75 of it from his tattoo, that seemed important. Kai was looking for an Earth Soul, since he thought he could feel a stronger source of qi he couldn''t pinpoint, when he suddenly felt something rushing toward him.


    One of the tribesmen from one side or other was running at him, roaring. Kai immediately drew on a half-phase of speed, earning himself a few extra seconds to think.


    Was it possible that they all had gone mad? Anyone who just attacked a random stranger seemed unstable at minimum. Yet there were several others coming with the lead tribesman and they showed no signs of hesitation. He considered trying to shout something at them, but if there was no quarter asked or given within the Manticore tribe, why would they listen to him? No, this wasn''t the time for diplomacy.


    Kai let the man get close, then unleashed Void Gaze. The man froze in place and coughed up a mouthful of blood, which made it easy for Kai to kick him in the chest. He tumbled across the wastes, bowling over the others who had been following him.


    "Who the hell are you?"


    The voice roared out a moment before a man leapt from a nearby outcropping to land in front of Kai. He was only half a head shorter than him, definitely the largest man he''d seen on Cloudspire so far. His upper body rippled with muscle, every bit of it scar-covered except for a manticore tattoo that spread across his back and upper arms, which somehow was untouched.


    Kai instinctively glanced at the man''s soul...


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 710


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 18% (424)


    Manticore Tattoo (+125)


    Physique Level: E-4 (88)


    Beasthide Tattoo (+50)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    And discovered that he was an Earth Soul, with a Manticore tattoo worth a full 100 Power. Definitely strong for an Earth Soul, and perhaps more importantly, his total was higher than Kai''s human side, so he wasn''t likely to stop.


    "Mercenary, huh?" The tribesman thrust out a hand and a qi technique shaped like a stinger lashed out. It crossed the distance between them with a flicker and Kai had to bash it aside.


    "Wait, I was just passing through," Kai said. "I have nothing to do with th-"


    "This isn''t the time for weak words!" The tribesman struck his fists together, like a parody of the usual Cloudspire bow. "You''re in our territory, that makes you part of this fight!"This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Then he let out a roar and charged.


    In his last moment before his half-phase faltered, Kai let out his breath. He was tired of holding back and he had no reason to do so now, since it wasn''t likely that this tribe could be connected to Zae Zin Nim''s father in any way. If they respected strength, he''d give them strength.


    Kai unleashed a Tyrant''s Claw with his full power behind it, both human and monster. The massive claw tore through the man''s qi attack instantly and slammed into his chest, knocking him backward. To his credit, the blow didn''t make him cough up his lungs like some cultivators, but a gash opened across his chest.


    In a single flap of Thunderbird''s Wings, Kai tore across the field to catch up to him, grabbing his neck in one hand. The man had only a second to look surprised before Kai smashed him to the ground, then kicked off his chest with a second activation of Thunderbird''s Wings. The blow and the shockwave combined to smash him into the ground and Kai flipped backward to land beside him.


    He''d left the man alive, but he had another Tyrant''s Claw ready. There was definitely attention on him now, many in the battle stopping to examine the new threat. The leader coughed a little and began to struggle to sit up.


    "Damn..." The man shook his head. "How did the Claw faction hire someone like you?"


    "They didn''t hire me," Kai said calmly. "I really have nothing to do with this. But if you want me to be involved that badly, I can kill you now."


    "Hah!" Despite his injuries the man let out a laugh. "You''re stronger than I gave y-"


    "We didn''t hire him," another voice interrupted, "but we will."


    The man immediately tensed, far more than he had when Kai had been threatening his life. Several Manticore tribesmen arrived from the other side, led by a woman wearing robes armored with bronze plates. Kai instinctively glanced at her soul...


    <


    Manticore Shroud


    >


    And discovered only a "Manticore Shroud" blocking him. But she sensed his spiritual sight and dropped the shroud just long enough to give him a glimpse.


    "My name is Ahn Xi Feida," she said, "and I will pay you 100,000 golden taels to kill him."


    <


    Name: Ahn Xi Feida


    Total Power: 735


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 1% (419)


    Manticore Tattoo (+125)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Serpentskin Tattoo (+50)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Reaper Tattoo (+25)


    >


    She was another Earth Soul, and though her robes hid all of her tattoos, he could see three of them in her soul granting a significant amount of power. Her Power was only 25 higher than the man''s, which at their level wouldn''t be enough to determine the battle for certain. Most likely her offer was genuine, trying to recruit an unexpected foreigner to eliminate a rival.


    As powerful as these tattoos seemed to be... so far the Manticore tribe seemed like a bunch of lunatics. Whatever their war was, Kai wasn''t going to throw himself into the middle of it without any knowledge of the situation.


    "I told you I was just passing through," he said. "I want no part in this."


    "Wait, 250,000 taels!" the woman called after him as he turned to go. "Help us and you''ll be richly rewarded!"


    The man laughed and shook his head. "You always were about money first, Feida. This one doesn''t want a few coins. You want power, don''t you? I don''t know how you''re that strong, but you must have accumulated many abilities. Win this battle for us and we''ll reveal the secrets of the tribe''s tattoos to you."


    "Any faction can grant that!" Feida insisted. "But consider this: do you want to join the group that attacked you without provocation, or the group trying to pay you?"


    Sand exploded in all directions as Kai leapt toward them with a thunderclap. In an instant he loomed over the two leaders, who took involuntary steps back. They might not fully understand his soul, but they each possessed instincts refined in battle and they had seen his strength in the brief fight. These definitely weren''t close-minded cultivators who would see his Body Refinement stage and think him weak.


    "I came to the Manticore tribe because I heard they were the strongest in the Western Wilds," he said, quietly enough to force them to listen closely. "Instead I find you killing each other. Why should I have anything to do with this?"


    "Not the tribe''s finest moment!" the man said with a barking laugh. The woman glared daggers at him and some of the men with her seemed to be reaching for their weapons, like they planned to continue the battle right there.


    "Are you a fool?" she hissed at the other tribesman. "This is the reason you can''t be trusted with our future!"


    "Oh, as if this would have happened without you." Abruptly the man lowered his hands. "What do you say, Feida? Truce for now?"


    She stared at him for a moment, then turned to Kai and gave a brief bow. "We''ve seen that you can kill, stranger, and that you can hold back. Can you end the remaining fights while keeping our cultivators alive? If so, I''ll pay you even more than I offered before."


    "Don''t listen to her, she''s a snake. I mean, do stop them if you can." The man gestured over his shoulder. "We can talk properly after I''ve recovered."


    Kai''s entrance had interrupted roughly half the battle, but the fighting had been spread between too many rocky outcroppings for all the tribesmen to see it. There were still cultivators fighting and dying across the wasteland, and apparently the two sides weren''t so viciously opposed that they couldn''t come to a truce. They might all be insane... but he did want their power, one way or another.


    "Fine." Kai leapt past the two leaders and burst to the other half of the battlefield.


    At first he swept Void Gaze across the fighters, but he stopped when many of them began to vomit blood and collapse. He landed hard enough to spray sand and knock some of the others aside, then launched a Tyrant''s Claw down the center of the battlefield as slowly as he could. Even trying to give them time to dodge, one of the tribesmen was clipped and injured, but most leapt away in opposite directions.


    With a few more techniques, Kai managed to separate the two sides. He was ready to keep fighting, but now that the tribal cultivators were in opposite camps, the bloodlust seemed to fade. Or maybe they were just afraid of him, since none dared get close. Hurled qi techniques gave way to hurled insults and the two factions retreated in opposite directions across the wastelands.


    All except for the leaders, who now watched him from opposite sides. Kai felt like he''d taken a step forward, yet he still wasn''t sure what he was getting himself into.

 Chapter 384: Two Manticore Factions

    Now that the battle was over, the Manticore tribesmen didn''t seem inclined to start murdering one another again. Kai spent a while cultivating atop one of the stone outcroppings, just watching both sides while they prepared, but they had retreated to treat their wounds and otherwise recover from the battle. Other than burying the bodies, they didn''t seem particularly concerned with their losses.


    Eventually the large tribesman from earlier approached, with only a bandage over one of his injuries. The Manticore tribe must have been decent at healing, even though they weren''t known for it. After catching Kai''s gaze, the man bounded forward to stand beside him.


    "Never introduced myself before," he said with a quick bow. "My name is Ahn Rit Kulha, head of the Tail faction."


    "One of the main branches." Kai nodded as he glanced to either side. "Is this the whole branch? Does that make you one of the four strongest people in the tribe?"


    "Hah! We aren''t quite as strong as we used to be, but we haven''t fallen that far. No, this is only a part of the Tail faction. I''m our strongest Earth Soul, but we have half a dozen more with the other groups. I suppose we need to talk about all that."


    "You implied the tribe is in decline?"


    "Enough talk out here in the cold." Ahn Rit Kulha gestured toward the tents, which were beginning to light up as the sun set. "We''ve prepared a whole feast for you, so come back and enjoy first."


    It seemed like even tribes that were called barbarians by others had a sense of hospitality. When Kai entered the largest tent alongside the faction leader, he was surprised to find that it wasn''t slabs of meat in every direction. Clearly that was his bias: instead the tables were covered with hundreds of different dishes.


    They proved to be similar to those he''d eaten elsewhere in Cloudspire, though they were much spicier on average. Some of them looked to see if he would be surprised, but Kai could eat essentially anything by that point and didn''t flinch. Mostly, he was just glad that there wasn''t any shellfish, which had been a daily food in the Bloodcoral sect.


    Once they''d eaten most of the food, Ahn Rit Kulha sat back with a satisfied sigh. "Never let it be said we can''t put on a good feast, even out here. Are you from the Western Wilds? I didn''t think there were any tribes that grew that big."


    "I''m actually from the Bloodcoral sect." Kai fished his medallion from under his shirt and held it out in case he needed proof. "I''m not here on behalf of them, though, I''m just pursuing my own cultivation."


    "Bloodcoral sect, eh? Met a few of them, and they''re not bad. I don''t mind saying that I don''t usually think much of the coastal cultivators, but the Bloodcorals are strong enough. What brings you all the way out east? Is our reputation really that prestigious?"


    "Ahn Rit K-"


    "Call me Kulha. These are the real Western Wilds, not the cities! No sense standing on ceremony out here."


    "Fine, Kulha. I''m glad you want to talk, but I need to understand." Kai looked across the table at the other man, ignoring all the remaining dishes. "What''s going on with the Manticore tribe?"


    "Well, that''s a story." Kulha sat back and shook his head. "Our patriarch is a Sky Soul, and a strong one. But he pursued strength instead of immortality, and then in his later years... never quite attained immortality. He''s getting old now... that was supposed to be a secret, but it''s widely known now."


    "So without your leader, the tribe has a problem."


    "Oh, problems. Tons of them. Some factions are striking off on their own, or trying to join other tribes while they still have leverage. We have ancillary tribes who aren''t obeying us anymore. And... well, like you saw, we''re fighting each other." Kulha clenched a fist around the edge of the table. "If someone could unite the factions, they might pull most of the Manticore tribe together. But with every failure, we bleed each other out."


    At least he finally had a proper explanation, though Kai wasn''t sure he approved. Asking about the tribe''s willingness to kill its own didn''t sound like the right line of questioning, especially since there were other cultivators listening from nearby tables.


    "So you want me to kill your rival," Kai said. "You''ll promise me everything you have, because you want to unite the tribe under your banner, but you don''t actually have control of all the tribe''s resources."


    "So you understand." Kulha shrugged and gestured at the table. "I don''t suppose the feast was so impressive that you''re willing to agree right now?"


    "No, I''m going to accept Feida''s invitation next. Make your offer now."


    "Damn. I knew it would probably end up there, but I hoped..."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "I have one more question," Kai said. "Why did you start this fight now? Why attack her faction?"


    "Because she''s the biggest threat." Kulha clenched his fist again. "We need a strong Manticore tribe, united under good leadership. Given time to herself, Feida will draw in other factions. I knew I''d need to fight her eventually, so I wanted to do it now, before the battle would destroy the entire tribe."


    Kai analyzed his face, trying to see if there was anything else lurking underneath. The motivations seemed simple, but focused, intentional. As vicious as the battle had been, it wasn''t more violent than he regularly saw from cultivators, they were simply in unusually difficult circumstances.


    As Kai left the tent, Kulha moved along with him. When they were alone, lit by the last sliver of the setting sun, the cultivator moved closer. "No doubt Feida will promise you everything, but you can''t trust her. Let me tell you one thing she can''t match: the Tail faction has far more women. They''re not all darkened by the sun, either, we have some real beauties. Whatever you prefer, I guarantee we can do better for you."


    There were several possible directions there, so Kai only blinked and said, "I''m married."


    "Damn, is your wife that fearsome?" Kulha laughed and slapped his shoulder. "I hope she''s worth it, then. If you change your mind, just remember, we can do better for you than gold coins and empty promises."


    It would have taken only a second to cross the distance between camps with Thunderbird''s Wings, but Kai walked to give himself time to cool down and think. He didn''t want to draw conclusions without hearing both sides, so he tried to avoid filling in too many details. Because he''d managed to impress them enough, and they thought he was a local, they probably wouldn''t lie about the biggest things.


    When he arrived at the Claw faction tents, Kai was surprised to find himself greeted by an entire line of women. Unlike the female cultivators he''d seen fighting, who wore either rough brown robes or breast-bindings that bared their tattoos, these were dressed in silk robes. They all waved him inward with feathered fans and broad smiles.


    Inside, he discovered no feasting hall: Feida was waiting for him alone. There was a table filled with dishes, very similar to those he''d seen, and she gestured to it ruefully.


    "We prepared a feast," she said, "but I heard you''ve already eaten. A shame, because the Claw faction has more prestigious dis-"


    "No, I could eat again." Kai sat down opposite her and began digging in. He didn''t need more food, really, but his hunger was bottomless and he figured that interrupting her plans would put her on the back foot.


    It seemed that Feida had left her battle robes behind, because she was dressed in a far more daring outfit. Her arms were completely bare, revealing elegantly curving serpent tattoos that flowed up her shoulders and then disappeared into her cleavage, bringing obvious thoughts to mind. He knew that she had a manticore tattoo from her soul, so one had to wonder where it was.


    Not too many years ago, Kai would have been severely distracted by her attempt at seduction, but he felt fully armored against that sort of thing now. Mostly, it just made him remember how much he missed Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena. He still couldn''t help but notice, but he wasn''t going to stare like an adolescent, and his mind was perfectly clear as he began consuming the dishes in front of him.


    "Such impressive hunger," Feida purred. "A man of your strength must have all sorts of hungers..."


    "Kulha tried that too," Kai said between bites. "I''m married."


    "So?" Feida stopped the seductress act and just stared at him as if her eyes could drill into his skin. "You somehow have the strength of a Sky Soul, and anyone with that much power can take whatever they want."


    "Does no one on this continent have a happy marriage?" Kai set down his chopsticks and met her stare without blinking. "I''m not going to pick either faction based on what luxuries they can offer. What I want is power, and I''m not convinced that either of your little factions can actually help me gain the Manticore tribe''s full strength."


    For a painfully long moment the tribeswoman just stared at him. Kai met her gaze for several heartbeats before he went back to eating.


    "Very well." Feida made an expression that might have been a smile or a grimace and her tone shifted again. "It''s true that we don''t have access to the entire tribe''s resources, but we''re the only people who are likely to get them. The other faction leaders are fools, nepotists, or mindless warlords. We have the legitimacy and resources to potentially seize control."


    "And so that''s why...?"


    "Yes, I attacked Kulha to decapitate the enemy. He may be a bore, but he has strong cultivators and loyalty across the tribe. If I''d won, his cultivators would have followed me, then I''d have two of the four factions under my control. Now things are more complicated."


    "Would it really have been so easy?" Kai asked. "Your followers seemed so willing to kill one another, it''s hard to imagine them having much loyalty to anyone."


    "That''s life in the Western Wilds." Feida shook her head. "This is no tiny tribe or family sect, where everyone has strong bonds. The Manticore tribe has conquered or absorbed so many tribes over the years, most barely know one another. They follow strength, and if the Manticore tribe can''t give them that strength, they''ll go somewhere else."


    "Well, consider me one of them. Why should I get involved?"


    "You weren''t swayed by coin, you won''t be swayed by flesh... what do you want, a manticore tattoo across your back? Most cultivators consider it an inferior power, despite its strength."


    "I want all the information about how they''re created, and the resources to do so. I''ll figure out the rest."


    Feida sat back and considered him for long, silent seconds before she eventually spoke. "You know you have the advantage over us here, because you could beat any of our champions. If you intend to go back and forth from feast to feast, you could easily bid us up beyond what we can bear. We may be important faction leaders, but Kulha and I have limited resources."


    Kai set down his chopsticks again and pushed back. "Then who has what I want?"


    "Wait. The Manticore Head faction is heading toward disaster, and the Manticore Quill faction cannot be trusted. Let me tell you a truth that the others won''t... we can''t offer you a cultivation tattoo, not now. The experts of the tribe, and the mana ink they need to work, are split across too many factions."


    He smiled and didn''t say anything. Feida sighed and rubbed her eyes.


    "I see where this is going. If you think you can make yourself leader of the Manticore tribe, you might be able to kill your way there, but you could never command the loyalty of-"


    "I don''t want to be leader," Kai said, "I just want the end result. Can you offer that, or should I walk out and leave you to your war?"

 Chapter 385: Pureflower Moments

    Zae Zin Nim sat in the audience, watching Omilaena and thinking it was almost unfair how fast the other woman had advanced in a month.


    Instead of belching out smoke, Omilaena let it waft from her lips, so subtly that it almost seemed to emanate from her soul instead. She moved in smooth pirouettes, her robes trailing through the blue smoke and drawing out tendrils, as if painting the air itself. Even though her opponent was doing her best to defeat her smoke with fan strikes, Omilaena spiraled around her attacks as if they were just part of the dance, spreading her web of poison further.


    Eventually the other woman collapsed, gasping for breath as the poison began to overwhelm her. This was actually mild for Omilaena, just enough to cause weariness and light-headedness. As soon as her opponent surrendered, Omilaena ended her dance with a sweeping bow to the audience, which applauded.


    All it had taken was a little talk and Omilaena had grasped all the principles of grace and beauty that Zae Zin Nim had tried to explain. She had developed to match the Pureflower sect so much faster... and yet Zae Zin Nim didn''t feel any jealousy.


    It was hard to feel anything like that, watching her wife so beautifully wreathed in blue smoke. Zae Zin Nim realized that old habits were reasserting themselves, here in competition with so many women. But Omilaena was the one person she wasn''t in competition with, at least not truly, not viciously. At most her wife would tease her about not advancing quickly enough with her new palm technique.


    As she walked out to congratulate her wife, Zae Zin Nim flexed her hands at her side.


    .


    ..


    .


    They lay together in a soft meadow hidden within one of the clefts of Pureflower mountain, surrounded by pale white flowers that glowed from the light reflecting inside. Omilaena stretched languorously, enjoying the feel of both Zin Nim and the flower petals. As usual, the other woman gripped her tighter, trying to use her as a pillow.


    Technically they had been supposed to go throughout the mountain, harvesting certain rare flowers required by the sect alchemists. They had finished quickly, then taken the opportunity to spend some time together and now lay entangled, no doubt looking like pure maidens... despite how how hard they''d been fucking. Omilaena smirked and bent down to kiss the other woman''s hair.


    "We... have to go back..." Zin Nim stirred slightly but showed little sign of actually moving. "They''ll suspect..."


    "It''s not like we''re the only ones," Omilaena whispered into her neck. "You get this many women together, it''s not like they can all be sexless jade statues."


    "But still..." Despite her words, Zin Nim relaxed against her a while longer before they gathered up their robes and headed back.


    Even though they returned with more flowers than average, it had also taken them much longer, so they received a few glances. Omilaena restrained her smirk but couldn''t resist putting some extra sway in her hips. The women here might not be allured by it - mostly - but they endlessly compared one another, so they would notice.


    On their way back, Zin Nim was still hanging on to her arm. They passed Kir Mei Bai in the hallway and her gaze fell on them, then she hesitated.


    "Are the two of you together?" she asked quietly.


    Zin Nim immediately shrank back as if she expected to be punished, so Omilaena nodded before she could try to lie. "Yes."


    "There''s no harm in such things, I only needed to know."


    "You didn''t expect when we arrived together?" Omilaena asked. "The two of us have always detested men, so we needed to find a place free from them."


    "That might be easier, in some ways." Kir Mei Bai shook her head with a melancholy expression and floated past them.


    Once they were alone again, Zin Nim was staring into the side of her head and rushed them back to the private quarters. As soon as the door was closed, Zin Nim frowned at her.


    "You misrepresented us."


    Omilaena shrugged. "What does it matter? Talking about ''other people'' would only complicate things."


    "I suppose." Zin Nim closed her eyes for several heartbeats, then nodded. "That makes sense. I''m just not used to... lying about myself so directly like that."


    "It''s a lot easier that way. Plus, half of the women here are preparing to eventually marry some man, so they have all kinds of special classes: yin preparation, poetry reading, dual cultivation, skills for waiting on a husband."


    Though Zin Nim paled, she nodded again with greater determination. "We do not need such things."


    Omilaena grinned. "That''s one way to put it."


    .


    ..


    .


    When Zae Zin Nim thrust out her palm, a hand of blue fire extended from her. It wasn''t the first time she had accomplished such a thing, but it was the first time she had tried it in direct combat and she held her breath as it collided with her opponent''s technique.


    Her blue palm was far smaller than the vibrant green steed, but her qi struck its chest and the magical technique shattered. Only after the qi horse was collapsing into fragments of energy did her palm flicker out. It hadn''t reached her opponent, but it had gotten close... Zae Zin Nim raised one palm in front of her chest and focused her qi.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Before she could strike, her opponent began circling her arms in a much larger technique. Her qi flowed together like a loom weaving in three dimensions, forming an emerald dragon the size of her body. Zae Zin Nim held back her palm, changing her plans, and tried to draw deeper on her mana.


    She had struggled to accomplish this in practice with Omilaena, since there were conflicts between qi and mana techniques. The Coldfire Corona was endlessly cooperative, always following her instincts, but it couldn''t merge easily with her usual qi patterns. Zae Zin Nim thrust out her palm again and this time the fiery hand was about twice the size of her real life hand.


    The dragon opened its maw and unleashed flames: a qi technique possessing a secondary technique was impressive... but it wasn''t enough. Her palm swept through the flames, flickering like the Coldfire Corona did when defending her, and then collided with the dragon technique.


    Both exploded at once, leaving nothing but scattered qi. Before her opponent could form another, Zae Zin Nim thrust out her hand one last time: the last qi palm hit the young woman in the face and knocked her from her position, officially ending the match.


    Others cheered and commented, but Zae Zin Nim paid them no mind - the only reaction in the audience she cared about was Omilaena giving her a slight nod. That had been an improvement, but she thought that she could enhance her new technique even further. She needed to increase the Coldfire Corona''s level, for a start, and it would expand as qi and mana worked together more effectively.


    "You have skill."


    The voice surprised her, and Zae Zin Nim looked up to see her opponent bowing to her. She honestly hadn''t been paying attention to the other woman except as an obstacle, but that dragon technique had been impressive... Zae Zin Nim searched her memory and eventually came up with the other woman''s name.


    <


    Name: Shen Yu Yei


    Total Power: 521


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 8% (432)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    Shen Yu Yei was a younger cultivator who was officially one of the Pureflower Fairies, and Zae Zin Nim realized that she had seen her around several times. She was skilled, if not particularly dangerous. Out of respect for her ability, Zae Zin Nim bowed to her.


    "So do you. I was impressed by the dragon."


    "I reveal the greatest technique of my family and you''re impressed?" Shen Yu Yei stared at her a moment, then sniffed and turned away. "Next time you won''t win so easily. Mana techniques have too many limitations."


    It seemed that this young woman thought of her as a rival, or perhaps just a threat. That was nothing new for Zae Zin Nim, since she had had a target on her back ever since she reached puberty. Still, the return of such dynamics left her unsettled, and she ended up staring at the arena much longer than she intended.


    .


    ..


    .


    Their time in the Pureflower sect had rapidly gained them what would have been great wealth for most, but Omilaena had higher standards. Just accumulating ice-aspected qi wasn''t enough for her, she needed a breakthrough solution. Though Zin Nim was still focused on breaking the 999 Power barrier, gathering Physique manuals, and getting closer to her goal, they would need to talk about that soon.


    The latest reward they had earned was time in the Purity Sauna, a chamber deep within the mountain that was overflowing with hot qi. It allegedly assisted cultivation, strengthened Physique, and helped the skin - though Omilaena was beginning to think that everything the Pureflower sect did claimed to help the skin. All of that was well and good, but more importantly entering the sauna meant changing into wispy robes that didn''t conceal much.


    Omilaena was perfectly happy with that and considered stealing one for later use. She had a feeling that Zin Nim wouldn''t be so comfortable, however... there she was, her arms wrapped around her ribs, her eyes darting, managing to look like a scared mouse despite all her power.


    She looked absolutely delicious in her own robe and Omilaena was sorely tempted to take advantage. When Zin Nim saw her, she hurried over and latched onto her side, and somehow Omilaena ended up putting a protective arm around her shoulders. People had trusted Omilaena that much in the past, but it had always been a setup to exploit them... it was strange to realize that Zin Nim''s trust was actually justified.


    "These outfits are indecent," Zin Nim muttered to her.


    "They''re traditional," Omilaena said as she guided her to one of the sauna rooms. "Besides, we''re all women here."


    "That isn''t much comfort and you know it." As they passed other cultivators, Zin Nim''s eyes flickered to them and her lips twisted. She didn''t manage to get anything out before they found their room and sank into seats.


    Even though she didn''t intend to cultivate there, Omilaena gladly relaxed and let the heat sink into her body. These qi-based treatments were definitely compatible with her power, so why did she resist taking on cultivation directly? She didn''t think it was a psychological hangup: there was some fundamental principle she was on the edge of discovering.


    There was definitely a difference between power that merely absorbed all three forms of energy, such as Physique, and those that used them more selectively. Some paths were unquestionably mutually exclusive, and some hit dead ends sooner than others, so the trouble was choosing correctly. She enjoyed soaking into the heat, hoping the solution would come to her.


    "I guess I''ve always looked at other women," Zin Nim said abruptly, barely audible. "I just didn''t understand what I was feeling. I thought it was... jealousy or admiration. But after meeting you, I... I guess I realized this was possible."


    "So what you''re saying is that you''re lusting after other women?" Omilaena asked, over Zin Nim''s squeak. "How terrible! Betrayed by my heartless wife, whose desires can nev-"


    "Omi!" Zin Nim shoved her over on the bench. "I was trying to be grateful!"


    "I know you were." Omilaena leaned closer and caressed her damp hair. "It''s been wonderful seeing you blossom like this and find out who you really are."


    Zin Nim''s flush had nothing to do with the heat, and her glower faded as she eased closer. It was too hot to have sex, but they melted down into the steam together.


    .


    ..


    .


    A long time ago, Zae Zin Nim had only possessed a small number of medicinal pills that rattled around a mostly empty box. Now hers was overflowing with Transcendent Complexion Pills, enough to trade for practically any resource in the sect. She had reached and even surpassed her goal in joining, yet she found herself having doubts.


    At night, long after the others had gone to sleep, she found herself staring at one of the pills. The Pureflower sect had potent qi, yes, but it wasn''t exactly what she needed anymore. She had acquired several Physique manuals that might help her unravel the secrets of the Blackblood Physique, yet that wasn''t her most pressing need.


    Eventually she pulled on her outer robe and padded over to Omilaena''s room. Her wife was unsurprisingly still awake, her goggles over her eyes as she tried to melt down one of the pills. That was improper alchemy... at least for Cloudspire. Perhaps such things could be done, with Rosemount techniques.


    "You need something?" Omilaena asked.


    "What are you doing?" Zae Zin Nim came to stand behind her, examining the ruined pill.


    "If I swallow the ice pills, they''ll try to add an ice element to my body, and I think that will just conflict with everything else. But their raw power should be useful, if I can find the right form. Something that matches instead of clashing." She took off her goggles and propped them on her forehead. "What''s wrong?"


    "I have enough pills to purchase the Heavenly Maiden Pill, but... I''m not sure it''s right for me."


    "For one, you''re decidedly not a maiden."


    "I''m being serious." Zae Zin Nim shoved her, but couldn''t find any real anger. "The Heavenly Maiden Pill would break the 999 Power barrier, but it won''t do anything more than that. It''s more for a cultivator bride than... a cultivator who can stand on her own."


    "So you''re aiming higher?" Omilaena regarded her thoughtfully. "You''ve been stuck beneath a thousand for a long time, so there''s an argument for breaking it as quickly as possible. You think you can accomplish more? We''ve gone to a lot of effort to get access to this sect''s resources."


    "I know, but I think maybe I should pick a different goal. They have many rare and powerful techniques... even some that might be used for dual cultivation."


    Omilaena grinned, but visibly restrained herself from making any jokes. "I don''t think you can break the barrier that way, but you might be able to set up something interesting. What were you thinking?"


    Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath and explained.

 Chapter 386: Culling the Bandit Tribes

    As the bandit tribesmen poured out of the hills, Kai waited for the inevitable. He lurked within a caravan of weaker cultivators, his bulk hidden by a shapeless Manticore tribe robe. They were a weaker splinter faction, returning to regroup with the others... and thus apparently an easy target.


    It looked like the attacking group was one of the minor tribes he''d read about in the Bloodcoral archives: they were too small to exert their power on a region, so they hid in the Western Wilds and preyed upon the weak. This group allegedly overdosed on tattoos, weakening their overall potential but making them stronger than average cultivators of their stage. Unfortunately for them, this focus on raw strength usually meant they weren''t subtle enough to see through shrouds, and didn''t notice him waiting.


    Given the reports of their atrocities, Kai had no qualms with what he was about to do.


    When the bandits reached the side of the caravan, Kai vaulted into the air and unleashed a Tyrant''s Claw. It tore a rift along the side of the group, tearing some of the enemy in half and knocking the others away. He landed on top of one, smashing the man into the ground, and then put his fist through a woman''s stomach before she could stab him. His hand came out the other side as a claw.


    He stepped away and Thunderbird''s Wings let out a shockwave that knocked over several of the weaker bandits. After a month of fighting against weaker cultivators, Kai had realized there was a clear separation between stages when it came to his techniques like Thunderbird''s Wings or Void Gaze: Qi Condensation cultivators would be instantly disabled or killed, Body Refinement cultivators would cough up blood, and Nascent Foundation cultivators would be stunned.


    Speaking of which, there was a group of bandits that had circled around them to attack the caravan. Kai fixed them all with Void Gaze, doing his best not to hit the caravan''s defenders as well. He could have finished them off, but better to let the Manticore tribesmen get involved in the fight so they could keep their pride.


    While they fought, Kai moved in the other direction, continuing the slaughter.


    After his Tyrant''s Claw tore through one of the Nascent Foundation cultivators, the others finally broke, screaming and fleeing in the other direction. Kai launched after them, eyes burning, jaw extending into a maw. Part of him wanted to consume them whole, but he resisted the hunger since he wouldn''t gain anything from it.


    Instead he simply cut them down, then moved in a broad circle to eliminate the others who had fled. A few Manticore cultivators had been injured and one killed, but otherwise they had eliminated the enemy with few losses. While they cheered and roared to the heavens, Kai bent down to begin collecting the spoils.


    He didn''t bother with all of the weaker bandits, just focused on the corpses that had been Nascent Foundation stage. None of them had any spatial items, since they weren''t commonplace even on Cloudspire, but they did have various defended pouches.


    Soon enough Kai found what he wanted: vials of mana ink. Most were disappointingly weak, suitable only for Qi Condensation or Body Refinement stage tattoos - these bandits really were the dregs of the Western Wilds. A few, however, had vials of much more intense mana ink. Kai pocketed all of these, along with the few qi pills he thought were worthwhile. All the rest he would give to the Manticore tribesmen, since they could use the reinforcement.


    So far, during all the fighting between the tribes, he had accumulated a fair amount of mana ink. Many different intensities, different elements, different colors... not enough for a tattoo, but perhaps the raw materials for a real advancement. To get there, he needed more specialists, and probably support from the Claw and Tail factions.


    The splinter group finished their cheering and looked toward him nervously. Kai gestured south and they got moving again, so he loped along beside them. Since the ambush had been triggered there was no point hiding anymore, and they weren''t likely to try to talk to him. In the beginning he''d tried to get to know some members of the Manticore tribe better, but they were generally too intimidated.


    He wasn''t interested in playing guard, so Kai was glad when in under an hour he saw a familiar group moving toward them. This was the main Claw faction, which had been patrolling to the south so that the bandits would feel bold enough to attack.


    When the two groups met, there was shouting and embracing, even tears shed. Despite what had been said about the tribe being a chaotic mix, these sides seemed to be family. Kai had no part in that and instead searched the nearby rocky formations for the person he knew would be watching.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Soon he spotted Ahn Xi Feida standing atop a twisted stone arch and a single jump took him to stand beside her.


    "Happy now?" Kai asked.


    "This was a useful victory, but no, I''m not happy." Feida regarded him coolly from within her hood. "You can''t keep fighting bandit tribes forever. To win this conflict, we''ll need to take on other factions of the Manticore tribe. There''s no chance you''re afraid of them, so I don''t understand why you keep avoiding them."


    So it was that obvious. Kai doubted they would understand or care about his thoughts, so he shrugged. "It seems senseless to kill each other. Even if you unify the whole tribe, you need all the Earth Souls you can get. If we fight a major faction, both sides end up weaker."


    "The tribes respect strength in cultivation, but they also require strength of character. You need to be ruthless here. If we don''t fight them, we''ll never unite and things will get worse."


    "So you''ve said, but how, exactly?"


    "The Manticore Quill faction has noticed that you''re helping us gather our strength." Feida shifted her weight and stared down at her reunited factions. "Right now I''m not sure they''ve noticed the truce between Claw and Tail factions, but they might guess soon. The Quill faction has always been an uneasy ally, so they''d be happy to kill us all and go off on their own."


    Kai sighed and accepted that she was probably right when it came to local matters. "Keep an eye on them and continue gathering strength. Now that you''re a more united faction, surely some of the other splinters will gather under you."


    "Some will, but not all."


    They remained there a while longer, Feida examining him with an unreadable expression. Their alliance had been unquestioned, based on power and necessity, but it had never been comfortable. He wasn''t sure whether the heads of the factions were actually correct, or whether they were just willing to weaken the Manticore tribe as a whole if it meant they stayed on top of the heap.


    Kai finished making plans with Feida and then leapt off the rock arch. He fully indulged in Thunderbird''s Wings, letting monstrous wings break from his back and send him streaking over the Western Wilds. Once he got away from the tribes, he flew low to the ground, darting back and forth between the rock spires, and for a while the raw exercise of speed left him happy.


    The truth was that Feida was right about his strategy, though. He''d been looking for easy wins, ways to strengthen the Claw and Tail factions without weakening the other splinters. That couldn''t last forever, which meant there would be more senseless battles coming up. And, given how their agreement had gone so far, he would be expected to lead the charge.


    Claw and Tail had agreed on a hidden truce, both still intending to fight one another later but focusing on other enemies first. Kai''s hope was that, after working together long enough, they would eventually see sense and reunite, deciding leadership by something more sensible like a duel. It was clearly too much to hope that he could end the Manticore tribe''s civil war without some useless bloodshed, because that just wasn''t how cultivator tribes behaved.


    By the time Kai had reached the Tail faction, he was mostly resolved. Their camp had become a small tent city, as Kai had intimidated or lured other Tail factions to join together. They were much stronger than they had been at the start, but this was likely the easy part.


    He discovered Ahn Rit Kulha seated outside the largest tent, one leg stuck out in front of him on a cushion. There were several Manticore tribe members leaning over it, pushing needles into his skin, but Kai didn''t see any ink entering his skin and the color looked unchanged. Curious.


    "You''re back!" Kulha waved for him to approach. "Done helping the Claw faction?"


    "For now." Kai gestured down to the work. "I thought you didn''t have the right ink for a new tattoo."


    "This is just the preparation. They need to work on my meridians, or the mana in a new tattoo will interfere and cause harm. I don''t know all the details, but that''s how it always goes."


    That was another useful fact that might be necessary when Kai prepared his own tattoo. However, he couldn''t help but think that this was also an internal power struggle: Feida was stronger primarily because she had a third tattoo, so if Kulha could find a compatible one, he might regain the edge. Neither was a threat to Kai personally, but if they killed one another, it would ruin his plans for the Manticore tribe.


    "If you''re preparing," Kai said, "you must expect to get new mana ink soon."


    "Exactly right." Kulha sat back and nodded. "While you were gone, we''ve gotten important news: the Manticore Head faction is splitting apart. One side is uniting around the old Sky Soul patriarch, but the others are striking off on their own."


    "They all are."


    "Ah, but this is different. There''s a sizable group that''s taken a lot of tattoo specialists, mana ink, and other supplies. They''re planning to abandon us altogether and go approach a larger sect. They could buy their freedom with their expertise and resources, becoming just a branch sect."


    Kai felt his blood cool as he understood where this was going. "And you want to stop them."


    "We have to." Kulha raised his hand, stretching his fingers toward the horizon. "If the factions stop believing in the Manticore tribe, they''ll break into nothing. If they sell our secrets, we''ll never regain our former strength." His hand clenched into a fist. "We need to make an example of them."


    Creating a brutal example for the other factions, as well as seizing control of valuable resources. It seemed like senseless violence, but Kai didn''t see an alternative and this would take him much closer to his ultimate goal. He certainly wasn''t going to change the Western Wilds tribes in a month or two.


    Fine, then. Time to make an example.

 Chapter 387: Encountering a Cultivators Domain

    Kai moved through the blood and carnage, death on every side, and felt nothing.


    It hadn''t been straight murder, at least. The Tail faction had stopped the Manticore Head breakaway party and demanded that they return to the tribe on pain of death... and the breakaway group had immediately launched an assault. And so Kulha got the fight he wanted.


    A cultivator rushed at Kai, not moving particularly fast even before considering half-phases, so Kai had plenty of time to examine him.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 219


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 51% (93)


    Manticore Tattoo (+75)


    Physique Level: F-6 (42)


    Soul Level: 3 (9)


    >


    It sort of made sense to Kai: the man had been a mediocre Body Refinement cultivator with 144 total Power, then he''d gotten a high quality tattoo that added 75 more, so he must feel bursting with power. It still seemed like insanity to Kai, because the man should have known better. A single Nascent Foundation cultivator from the Brightwind sect could have beaten him - Kai was starting to understand the strength of their focus on pure cultivation.


    When the attacker got close, Kai dodged the man''s sword and smacked him on the side of the head. The man smashed into the ground, coughing up an alarming amount of blood. Others who had been charging toward Kai suddenly decided they wanted to find better targets.


    It might not be murder, but this battle was a slaughter. The Tail faction had been stronger in the first place and Kai''s actions had only strengthened them. Like Kulha had said, this was to be an example to all the other factions: leaving the tribe meant death.


    Kai could splatter most of the fighters who came at him, which made the battle simply boring. He was beginning to consider leaving to let them handle it when he felt a new force arrive: an actually potent source of qi. An old woman landed on the battlefield not far from him, sending out a shockwave in all directions. Other cultivators from the Tail faction retreated and the Head separatists fell back in awe.


    "That''s the Head faction matriarch!"


    "She''s the strongest cultivator in the breakaway faction!"


    "She actually came here herself!"


    Despite the threat in front of him, Kai couldn''t help but shoot a glance at the cultivators staring at them. It seemed like this conflict was important enough for them to stop fighting and watch. That was just annoying... but he needed to focus on the woman in front of him.


    She was an old woman with a straight back, sun-darkened skin, and hard eyes. Unlike most Manticore tribe cultivators, she wore elegant silk robes embroidered with bright red eye patterns. Even stranger, her robes left her arms bare, yet they were covered in tattoos of such vibrant color that it seemed almost like the embroidery of her robe extended onto her skin.


    <


    Name: Manticore Head Faction Matriarch


    Total Power: 716


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 3% (400)


    Manticore Tattoo (+100)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Vicious Presence Tattoo (+100)


    >


    Her essence was even more impressive, with an Earth Soul foundation strengthened by two different mana tattoos for a total of 716 Power. The most interesting was something called a Vicious Presence Tattoo, which he''d never seen before.


    "This is the outsider uniting factions?" The woman looked at him skeptically. "You don''t seem strong enough to convince Feida or Kulha."


    "You have to see how this battle is going," Kai said, gesturing to the slaughter around them. "Just surrender and submit to us. End this slaughter."


    "We will never surrender. Now die!"


    She raised a hand and a qi technique leapt forth, a massive set of jaws almost the size of Kai''s body. He broke it apart with a Tyrant''s Claw and was impressed by the strength of her qi, but only relatively: if he fought using his full strength, he could obviously kill her, as he could kill most other Earth Souls.


    In that moment, Kai decided that he was going to win the fight by keeping her alive. This battle might be necessary, but he wouldn''t kill such a strong cultivator just for an example. If she could be convinced, by his strength or any other means, then she would be a major asset for their side. He wasn''t sure what earned the "matriarch" title but he might as well collect more leaders.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    So Kai began with Void Gaze. The effect swept past her, making all the other tribesmen in range tremble or cough up blood... but the Earth Soul remained unaffected.


    "So it''s true, you have some sort of crude presence." She sniffed and gestured with one of her brilliantly-colored arms. "True cultivators can create much stronger effects than that."


    Light poured from her body, lighting the battlefield in a lurid display of red and purple. Kai felt it wash over him and actually took a step back - there was real force there, a power not quite like anything he''d felt before. It wasn''t enough to seriously harm him, but he saw several Tail faction cultivators coughing up blood.


    "That''s the Vicious Presence!"


    "Such a power wouldn''t be disrespected, even in the Eastern Plains!"


    "It''s second to none in the Head faction!"


    When Kai glared at the commenters in irritation, he forgot that he was still using Void Gaze and a host of cultivators were sent reeling. He ignored them and looked back to the woman, who continued to resist the effect. Her unique tattoo sat next to her Soul Level, and it definitely felt more spiritual... this presence must be one of the higher techniques Zae Zin Nim had mentioned.


    Despite everything, Kai grinned. The matriarch might not be a threat to him overall, but here was an actual challenge. He leapt toward her and she seemed startled, as if she''d expected her presence alone to freeze him in place. Despite her shock, she managed to summon another jaw-shaped qi technique.


    Kai dodged around this one with Thunderbird''s Wings, creating two shockwaves as he flew in one direction, then redirected himself back in the other. Unlike most cultivators, this woman seemed able to resist them, perhaps another effect of her presence. He really wanted to figure this out.


    Once he got close, Kai transformed his hand into a claw and thrust forward in an obvious, blunt attack. As expected, she was able to knock it aside with one arm, which was the moment he used his full speed: Kai''s other claw lashed out, slicing through the tattoo on her arm.


    The presence radiating off her immediately weakened, but it didn''t diminish entirely. He stared down at her, eyes burning with Void Gaze, and she managed to resist. Yes, the power was definitely coming from her soul, with the tattoos only boosting its strength. What was strange was that this presence seemed entirely based in qi, like it was a natural cultivation power. He needed to ask Zae Zin Nim for more details.


    "Stop fighting," Kai said in a low voice. "What are you accomplishing?"


    "You intend to kill us all!" The woman hissed it in a low voice and tried to launch another qi attack at close range with her good arm, but Kai grabbed her wrist and held it in place.


    "We don''t need to kill you, just surrender and-"


    "Never!" She struck her own stomach with her injured arm and spat up blood. Kai was surprised for a moment, which distracted him enough that he didn''t realize the truth: she had damaged her own dantian. All the qi she had built up as an Earth Soul twisted violently.


    Her body exploded a moment later and Kai actually staggered back a step: sacrificing her life had produced a burst of power that she never could have attained normally. Trails of qi had been burned across his arm and torso... but they were already healing.


    Such a senseless waste. Kai stared down at the blood splatter that was all that remained of the woman.


    At least the battle had accomplished one thing: all the breakaway cultivators who saw their champion die fell into a panic, either surrendering or fleeing. Those who fled were cut down by the Tail faction, and thankfully the surrenders were accepted. Surely they had enough bodies for the example they wanted and further slaughter was pointless.


    As the battle concluded, Kai looked over the battlefield and again felt nothing. Cultivators scattered around him, murmuring about his bloodlust, but the truth was that he was just tired. Even though they had successfully stopped the breakaway tribe, and presumably seized their resources, it seemed so unnecessary.


    He needed to accept the truth that this was just a bloody civil war within the tribe, not any noble cause. Part of Kai had wanted to believe that he was doing the right thing by stabilizing the Manticore tribe and returning peace to the region, but he couldn''t convince himself with that anymore. Their conflict wasn''t noble, it was just more squabbling over power. And he was doing the same thing, supporting two factions in order to consolidate strength and gain the power he wanted.


    "A great victory!" Kulha appeared beside him, bleeding from several wounds that would no doubt add new scars to his body. "No faction will dare try to sell off the Manticore tribe''s secrets again!"


    "Did you get the tattoo experts?" Kai asked flatly.


    "Yes, they surrendered once they saw the battle was lost. Come this way, we actually have a proposal for you."


    The victors were setting up several tents and Kai was ushered to the largest. When he stepped inside, he couldn''t see the toll of the battle anymore, though he could still smell it. Kai put aside moral qualms and focused on the people who had been gathered there: they looked like tattoo specialists and they were carrying a significant number of resources. He could feel the qi and mana radiating off them, filled with potential.


    "Take a look at this." Kulha gestured to a young woman and she opened a scroll, revealing a drawing of a manticore. "This is our design for the Great Manticore Tattoo, which is given only to the strongest of the tribe. Thanks to this victory, we have all the mana ink we need to create it, and we''d like to give it to you."


    Part of Kai hungered for the power, but he recognized the political maneuver: taking the tribal tattoo like this would bind him to the faction and mark him as one of them. Perhaps Kulha was trying to set him up as a leader, and most likely this was another internal game, against Feida or his other rivals. Kai wanted the power, but he wasn''t playing that game.


    "How much strength would it give me?" he asked.


    "The first tattoo would grant 100 Power," an elderly tattoo artist said, "but it could be expanded. With a back the size of yours, we might increase it to double that."


    Some of the other cultivators gasped, but Kai was unmoved. Yes, 200 Power was a considerable amount, but he was preparing to face the true powers of the world, who had closer to 2000. He couldn''t afford to ink something like this into his skin when he didn''t know its full potential or compatibility with the rest of his power.


    "That isn''t strong enough." As soon as he spoke, Kai realized that he was implicitly insulting the entire tribe by dismissing their techniques.


    That was exactly the sort of thing Zae Zin Nim had warned him not to do to avoid starting any feuds... and yet it didn''t seem to matter. The cultivators only stared at him in amazement, or retreated while bowing, or apologized. Some of the tattoo artists were even assuring him that they would come up with something even stronger.


    Right, because he had power he could throw his weight around. A cultivator''s pride was such a flimsy thing.


    "Keep the most powerful mana ink," Kai told Kulha as they stepped out of the tent. "I don''t need a tattoo yet, but I''ll take that as my payment."


    "Of course." Kulha examined him with narrow eyes. "You must know that Feida is going to try to recruit you next. So long as you''re just working with us as a mercenary, the tribe can''t trust in your strength."


    "I''ll join you once you can present me with a powerful enough tattoo." The lie emerged from his lips without a second thought and he had seen too much bloodshed that day to feel guilty about it. "I''ll fight your battles for you, but I''m not changing my opinion: if you want to keep the Manticore tribe together, you need to unite the Tail and Claw factions."


    "We might, if we had a strong enough leader."


    It was possible, Kai realized as he walked away. If he became the leader of the Manticore tribe, he could force Feida and Kulha to cooperate under him, and potentially even unite the other factions with raw power instead of slaughter. There was an entire potential life spiraling out ahead of him where he could live and die on Cloudspire.


    But that wasn''t his life. No, he needed to reunite with companions who were aiming much higher.

 Chapter 388: Poisons and Accusations

    The qi resisted as it was forced down into liquid form and Omilaena imagined spiritual screams. It wanted to be an ephemeral energy flowing through all life, not something as tangible as chakra, but she forced it into a concrete state. Qi was intrinsically linked to pills, medicinal and otherwise, so she was confident that it could take a different sort of physical form.


    At last she held up a syringe filled with blue liquid, the work of over a day of pseudo-cultivation. It throbbed with power in her fingers, familiar and yet alien at once.


    This was the culmination of all her training in the Pureflower sect, even though she couldn''t use it. She hadn''t yet decided on a name: she considered calling it "liquid ice," which amused her because that should just be water. This, however, was pure ice qi that happened to take liquid form, and in theory could be her next step forward.


    If she injected it now, her body would surge with temporary power, but that would be all. She could already create reasonably strong injections, so that would be a waste of resources. All her work in the sect had only earned her a few ice pills of this quality, after all, so she needed to find a permanent method of application.


    Omilaena sighed and placed the syringe safely in her spatial satchel, then examined her soul for inspiration.


    <


    Name: Omilaena


    Total Power: 1129


    Heart of Poison: Level 76 (304)


    *Prana Jewels: Level +4 (16)


    Lethal Artisan: Spinel Rank (280)


    Path of Venomsteel: Step 8 (120)


    Physique: D-9 (245)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Azure Core (+100)


    >


    She''d been neglecting her Lethal Artisan skills lately, but the strength gained from all the new poisons she''d found on Cloudspire had been worth it. Heart of Poison and Path of Venomsteel had grown nicely in sync, making her again glad they had gone off to spend time in Irun. Eventually she''d find a way to break through to the next Physique rank, and once she did that, advancements in Soul Level and Azure Core couldn''t be far behind.


    If she could just manage to incorporate qi into her overall strength, she would have everything she needed. But the more research she did on the "icy maiden" techniques, the more she became convinced that she would need either a new model or a radically deeper understanding of power. Cultivators were too fond of binding up all their power in a single element, and she''d already done that herself.


    Random people at her door were always a guarantee of a ruined mood... doubly so when they began casting out chains of qi to bind her in place. Omilaena grimaced as the qi lashed around her, trying to fix her soul in a static state.


    Her first instinct was to attack: the Pureflower cultivators foolishly bunched together, making them vulnerable to a single cloud of poison, and she could use needles on the others out of range. Yet as Omilaena started to tear away from the qi chains, she hesitated. For the first time in her life, she had actually invested in an organization and she shouldn''t destroy everything they''d built, for Zin Nim''s sake if not her own.


    The problem was, if this group worked up to a full binding formation, they could actually inhibit her and she''d be in danger. Years ago Omilaena had taken a chance like that with Kai and Zin Nim, and she wasn''t willing to take that chance with the Pureflower sect.


    "Do not resist!" one of them shouted, and the others stumbled over one another as they spoke.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "Why did you poison Mei Bai?"


    "If she dies, we''ll take years killing you!"


    "You have to be punished!"


    "Come with us!"


    It seemed the Pureflower sect was not well-prepared for arresting their own members and this was some sort of impromptu squad. As Omilaena blinked in surprise, the binding formation closed around her - she had been accused of poisoning a lot of people in her life, but this was the first time she hadn''t done it. Was it possible that she had poisoned their leader accidentally? She rejected that possibility almost immediately, because if she was subconsciously emitting poison, the Sky Soul wouldn''t have been the first one to succumb. There would have been "fair maidens" dropping left and right.


    "This is my first time hearing she was sick," Omilaena said as the cultivators dragged her across the sect. If she relaxed in the chains, it was actually almost comfortable. "In fact, I thought she was gone on some sort of trip. What happened?"


    "Don''t lie!" One of the cultivators tried to slap her, but Omilaena leaned her head out of the way. Some of the others looked a little unsettled by her questions.


    "Why are you accusing me?" Omilaena continued. "There are poisons everywhere, including in our own sect, so why am I the likely culprit?"


    It seemed like they didn''t actually have much evidence, but that didn''t stop them from rushing Omilaena to the large central chamber of the main building. It was all white marble, because of course it was, but on the interior there was a silver depression with an imprisoning technique built into the metal, into which she was shoved. One side of the room was filled by a line of Pureflower elders; their reclining postures suggested serenity, but their eyes shot venom that could have done the job on its own.


    "You have been accused of poisoning Goddess Kir Mei Bai," one of the elderly women said. "How do you plead?"


    "Not guilty." Omilaena rubbed her neck and flexed her ankles, just in case someone decided to take justice into her own hands. "What reason do you have to suspect me? Kir Mei Bai handles poisons regularly and interacts with everyone in the sect."


    Some of the elders glanced at one another before one of them spoke. "Mei Bai represented our sect at a meeting in the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes, and she was at the peak of health and beauty during that time. But now she has fallen deathly ill, stricken by such a severe poison that we needed to use one of our greatest treasures to preserve her life."


    "A cultivator as powerful as Mei Bai could not be laid low by one of our own poisons," another elder said. "Full immunity may not be possible, but she had built resistance to many. This can only be a foreign poison, and you are the only one with poisons dangerous enough to harm her."


    This was familiar territory for Omilaena, since being a poisoner made her an easy target for accusations, after all. Yet the novelty of actually being innocent made her usual methods a little trickier. "You''re making a mistake and accusing an innocent woman," Omilaena said. "I''m one of the few people who might be able to assist you in saving her."


    That set off an immediate murmuring among the elders. Abruptly a young woman appeared in a side door, thrusting an accusing finger. "I told you! She failed to fell the Goddess the first time, and now she wants to finish her off!"


    "I take it you''re my accuser?" Omilaena glanced at the cultivator and gradually recognized she wasn''t just another jade-like maiden: that was Shen Yu Yei, who had some sort of one-sided rivalry with Zin Nim. It was easy to remember her because she would always fume when she lost. On that note, Omilaena wondered why Zin Nim was absent and was irked the other woman wouldn''t help defend her.


    "I know it was you!" Shen Yu Yei waved her finger at Omilaena again. "You refused to join today''s cultivation session, and that evening she took sick and nearly died!"


    "I didn''t cultivate with the rest of you because I was working on training of my own. Again, I wasn''t aware that she had returned, so do you even have evidence we met in time to poison her?"


    "You could have! You had all the time in the world to use your foul poisons!"


    It seemed that this line of argument wasn''t convincing the elders and the audience as much as it had at the beginning, however. When Omilaena had been carried into the judgment chamber, the cultivators around her had been glaring hatred. Now some of them were looking at Shen Yu Yei skeptically, or staring toward the elders for guidance.


    "It seems to me that she doesn''t have much of a case." Omilaena folded her arms and addressed the elders directly. "You don''t have means, timing, or motive. I''m telling you, this false accusation is wasting time while your matria-"


    "Silence." One of the elders waved a hand and qi pressed down across the silver depression, smothering sound around Omilaena. "You may not be guilty, but we will certainly not presume your innocence. While you are under suspicion, you will receive no information about the poisoning."


    The silencing technique certainly made her job harder. Omilaena knew it wouldn''t do any good to rage and so remained there, staring at the surrounding cultivators. She didn''t think even people on Cloudspire would execute someone randomly, but if their beloved "Goddess" died, they might be looking out for retribution. Hopefully all her lessons about looking serene and graceful would convince them.


    Then a pair of figures entered one of the side doors and a flurry of gasps and commentary rippled through the chamber. Omilaena barely looked at the older cultivator, all her attention focusing on Zin Nim: she looked deathly pale, with bloodshot eyes. Not as if anyone here had attacked her... as if she''d been poisoned.


    Omilaena stepped up to the edge of the binding technique, ready to tear through it. All that stopped her was Zin Nim shaking her head slightly.


    "I have evidence to present!" the old woman announced.

 Chapter 389: A Trial of Poison

    "I have evidence to present!" The other cultivator supported Zin Nim to one of the speaking positions, a platform across from Shen Yu Yei, while the old woman spoke. "The poisoner''s companion volunteered, of her own will, to endure some of the poison that our goddess is struggling against."


    "You let her near?" Shen Yu Yei clenched both fists furiously. "They''re working together, can''t you see that?"


    "Then why would she help Mei Bai? More importantly, why would the poison do such harm to her?"


    That wasn''t as effective an argument as it should have been, judging from all the murmurs and conversations. Some of those listening understood what they were trying to say while others were baffled, and many rejected the argument instinctively. Zin Nim coughed several times, then spoke up in a somewhat scratchy voice.


    "I am immune to all my companion''s poisons," she explained. "The fact that a drop of this poison harmed me is proof that she could not have done it."


    "And we''re supposed to take your word on that?" Shen Yu Yei demanded. "She could easily have kept a deadly poison in reserve... why should you be immune to all of them?"


    "As the elders can confirm, my companion uses poison as part of her fundamental essence. I am immune so... so that we can be intimate." Zin Nim was blushing, but kept her back straight. "No poison she created could possibly harm me so much."


    The revelation sent shocked whispers all throughout the chamber and Omilaena smiled despite herself. Truthfully, the logic wasn''t airtight, but Zin Nim''s personal confession seemed to have an impact. Given how sloppy the case against her was, maybe that would be enough. More importantly, it was cute that she would admit they were together when it came down to it.


    "I have artifacts that work against poison!" Omilaena called over the noise and silencing spell. "I can demonstrate them in front of all of you, and if you accept, I can try to use them to cure Goddess Kir Mei Bai."


    Even though Shen Yu Yei spluttered about it all being an act, this argument seemed to resonate with the audience. Omilaena was allowed outside the imprisoning technique, though closely monitored, and walked over to Zin Nim. After touching her cheek gently, she pulled out the Prana Jewel pendant and touched it to her forehead to try to draw out the poison.


    Her technique still wasn''t perfect, but it was enough: Zin Nim immediately breathed more easily, the blood vessels in her eyes became less inflamed, and the disturbance in her qi vanished. This demonstration had such an impact that Omilaena quickly raised her hands to the audience to capture their reaction.


    "I can''t guarantee I can do the same for the Goddess," she said, "but let me try. I can work to heal her while you find the real culprit."


    Some still yelled out accusations, but the elders seemed to have been convinced. They gestured to some of the sect''s strongest cultivators, who formed ranks and escorted Omilaena from the judgment chamber. Their route took them away from the main living area, across a bridge between mountain peaks to a heavily shielded area where Omilaena had never been before.


    After several heavy doors, they were finally allowed inside a small unlit room. Kir Mei Bai lay in the center of a large bed, shivering as she tossed and turned. Her eyes were closed, as if she slept, but her face was sunken and it was clear the poison had taken a toll on her. Two cultivators sat nearby, one attempting qi healing techniques while another crafted a medicinal pill.


    "She could well have died," the first said grimly, "but we fed her a Divine Remedy Pill. This is a great treasure that can only be taken three times in your life, and it only stabilized her for sixty days. The trouble is that the poison continually creates more of itself, growing stronger over time."


    "How much did I help?" Zin Nim asked.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "You took a drop of the poison into yourself, but it gained her at most a day. I fear most members of our sect would be killed by a single drop, and those who can endure it would quickly be worn down."


    The truth was that Omilaena was in over her head: diagnosing an unknown poison was a challenge in the best of circumstances, much less bizarre Cloudspire poisons that didn''t follow natural laws. Fortunately, the Prana Jewels also worked outside her normal arts, so they would be a better start than nothing.


    "May I approach?" Omilaena asked. When they gave approval, she bent down beside Kir Mei Ban and gently touched her forehead with the pendant.


    Even though the effect was much less pronounced than with Zin Nim, it produced gasps. Omilaena could feel a source of vicious qi that she presumed was the poison itself, and it definitely lessened... but not enough. Soon the Prana Jewels were saturated, unable to drain any more poison until they purified themselves.


    "That may have bought her another week!" One of the healers looked toward her with tears in her eyes. "How often can you use that artifact?"


    "Not enough." Omilaena sat back and groaned as she thought about the math. "Whatever this poison is, it was designed to work on a Sky Soul, so it must be incredibly powerful. I would need to know more about its exact nature, or to strengthen the jewels somehow. I could help as much as I can, but it won''t be enough."


    Faces around the room fell and Omilaena did her best to copy their expressions as if she was heartbroken about this, instead of just relieved. Getting locked down here would have been a huge pain. Before the healers could speak up again, one of the elders coughed into her fist and spoke up.


    "There''s something else more important: who was the real culprit?"


    "I don''t know what this special meeting was," Omilaena said, "but it sounds like an important political event. If someone wanted to poison her then, they wouldn''t use something that worked immediately and risk reprisal. They might have used something that would appear later... did Mei Bai do anything unusual before she fell ill?"


    "Oh!" That got several murmurs and one of the healers nodded. "Yes, she rested after her trip, then she went to cultivate for the first time, just before she fell ill. The poison may have been lurking in her meridians, and was activated when she circulated her qi. Truly, you are a master of poison."


    That had honestly been a lucky guess, but it was about time that something went her way. Omilaena nodded as if she had expected this. "I''m afraid I don''t know enough about your poisons to know what this may be, but I suspected that was the case. Given time, I might be able to drain more of the poison from her..."


    "You don''t have much time. She has at most sixty-five days remaining, and we could use two more Divine Remedy Pills to earn her another four months... by taking occasional drops we might be able to extend that another month or two, but that is our absolute limit."


    After mostly remaining in the background, the elders surged forward again, as if they needed to take control of the situation. One of the old woman grabbed Omilaena''s shoulders and pulled her to her feet with surprising strength.


    "We task you with finding a cure," she declared in a ringing voice. "If you wish to confirm your innocence, help us save the Goddess. We will contact everyone we can, but poisons used against Sky Souls are dangerous and extraordinary indeed. The Pureflower sect is depending on you."


    Omilaena bowed respectfully and was soon escorted out of the chamber. She remained silent on their way back to their quarters, just supporting Zin Nim - there was so much to say, but none of it could be said while they were under heavy watch. They didn''t have a chance to speak until they had been escorted all the way outside the walls, to a Pureflower vessel.


    "You didn''t do it, right?" Zin Nim asked quietly.


    "Of course not." Omilaena rubbed her hair teasingly. "All your arguments were sound, and they didn''t have much of a case. I wish I could say I''m surprised they targeted me, but I''m not."


    "It was that bitch Shen Yu Yei." Zin Nim scowled skyward. "I should have realized that she was jealous of me... but it doesn''t matter now. Do you think you can cure the Goddess?"


    "Truth is, that''s going to be a problem."


    Zin Nim turned to her with wide eyes, as if betrayed. She had so much faith in her...


    "Look, there are a lot of things about Cloudspire poisons that I don''t fully understand," Omilaena explained. "They tend to come and go, which doesn''t match natural poisons. There''s a major qi element that causes it to generate more of itself. I don''t even understand why this Divine Remedy Pill can only be used three times in a lifetime."


    "It must have a limit..." But Zin Nim was smart enough to understand a tautology, unlike some of the people Omilaena had known, so she frowned and paused. "I suppose there must be some principle behind it."


    "I think our best chance is to strengthen the Prana Jewels. I''ll need examples of other powerful poisons, so maybe I can learn something at the same time. It sounds like we have a time limit of a few months, so I think we have a shot at saving her. But if we can''t..."


    Omilaena looked over her shoulder at the pristine sect walls and didn''t finish her sentence. It was unnecessary: given what had just happened, if they couldn''t find a cure, they probably shouldn''t come back at all.

 Chapter 390: Negotiating with the Quill Faction

    After a month of war amidst the Manticore tribe, Kai felt as though he was on the cusp of everything, yet unable to take any next step. He had more than enough mana ink and specialists to form a cultivation tattoo, once he had the proper design, and his power strained up against all other blockages. Many factions had united under him, but the tribe remained scattered.


    All of that was likely to change as they approached the Manticore Quill faction.


    Unlike the previous pitched battles, this faction actually waited for them under a canopy stretched between three stone pillars. Feida and Kulha expected negotiations to be completely pointless, just a formality, but Kai hoped that they might actually form an alliance. The Quill tribesmen had unified more than most other factions, so if they could cooperate with the Claw and Tail factions, they would actually have a solid majority of the entire Manticore tribe.


    Of course, that also made them a potentially formidable enemy. There were three Earth Souls waiting for them under the canopy, with a larger number of tribal elders. Unlike the random splinter groups that charged around trying to exploit the collapse, this faction fully intended to rule the tribe.


    "Glad to see you''ve survived these trying times!" The lead Earth Soul was an old man who gestured for them to sit in the chairs opposite the Quill faction coalition. "If you rejoin the Manticore tribe, we can regain our former strength."


    "We still fight on behalf of the tribe," Kulha said, pointedly not sitting in the chair. "What right do you have to order us?"


    "We have control of the patriarch''s vaults," another of the Earth Souls announced. "The Manticore tribe can only survive if we unify and create a new Sky Soul to succeed the patriarch. Sit and join us, or you will perish!"


    "Let''s all calm down a bit." Kai swung a leg over the chair, since it was rather short, and dropped into it. Everyone on both sides stared at him. "What exactly do you expect to gain by fighting each other?"


    After an uncomfortable pause, the Earth Soul elder spoke up. "The Manticore tribe has become large and heavy, bloated with cultivators who lack the will to survive. Those who endure this time of trial will become a leaner tribe that can again shake all of the Western Wilds. But we must be led by those who hold the patriarch''s true legacy."


    "Don''t play such foolish games," Feida spat. "You seized the legacy, and it can be taken back."


    "Perhaps, but not by you. We have hired a Sky Soul, a Jackal tribe mercenary, to protect the vaults. No one will seize control of the patriarch''s position unless they go through the proper channels."


    That announcement stunned everyone else for a moment and Kai glanced over his shoulders to see how Feida and Kulha reacted. He hadn''t been aware that it was possible to hire a Sky Soul, but they looked surprised, not astonished. Apparently it could be done... but the mercenary cultivator couldn''t be a top tier Sky Soul, which meant Kai would still bet on himself.


    "How dare you bring outsiders into this?" Kulha demanded.


    "You brought in your mercenary first!" one of the elders shot back.


    "None of you answered my question." Kai held up a hand, and to his surprise, the group actually quieted to listen. "If you''re willing to bring in outsiders, why not work with your fellow Manticore tribesmen? Gather all your resources, and these factions will be unstoppable. Your strongest can have proper duels to decide who gets the patriarch''s resources and they can lead the united tribe."


    For several seconds they stared at him, and Kai wondered if he might actually have gotten through, then one of the Earth Souls let out a cold snort. "Are you a child? This is a battle of life and death! None of us are willing to surrender the future of the tribe to such games."


    "Aren''t you all risking the future of the tribe by weakening yourselves?"


    Try as Kai might, it was clear that he wasn''t going to get through to them. In fact, this meeting seemed to be a mere formality, a prelude to the bloodshed to come. Except if the three major factions fought against one another, the losses would cripple the tribe.


    As they accused and shouted, Kai considered what he wanted to gain. The patriarch''s vaults likely contained all the last materials he needed, and maybe even others he hadn''t considered. Anything that helped cultivators get closer to Sky Soul would be useful to Zae Zin Nim, at minimum. But it seemed like there was no way to the vault except through the Manticore Quill faction.


    Eventually the negotiations failed and the factions split up to return and prepare for battle. Kai rose to leave with them when one of the Quill cultivators stepped closer and spoke in a low voice.


    "You have great strength," the man said, "but you are using it for the wrong cause. Stop following Claw and Tail, join us instead."Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "And what do you have to offer?" Kai asked.


    "Victory. Stay with them and you are sure to die in their lost cause. If you care so much for peace, join us and they will see how hopeless it is. However... if you do join us, we will let you take one item from the patriarch''s vaults. That should be useful to any cultivator, no matter how foreign they may be."


    "And if I''m interested?"


    "Say nothing to them, but meet us here at midnight. This is the last time we will give you this offer: remain with them and we will treat you as an enemy."


    Kai stared at the man for a long time, then rose to his feet without responding. He walked away from the canopy, feeling all the eyes on his back. It was still several hours until sundown, so he had plenty of time to think it over. Yet there didn''t seem to be much to think about... by the time Kai returned to the other factions, he was fairly certain he knew what would happen.


    Even though they''d come together for this meeting, the Claw and Tail factions still camped separately, watching one another warily. Was it possible that they''d actually end up fighting one another before the end? Kai thought they''d been increasingly working together over the past month, but maybe they were right about the Manticore tribe being too fractured.


    Soon Feida appeared beside him, glaring toward the Quill encampment. "I heard everything they said," she hissed. "It has to be a trap. They''d never actually trust you, not after you''ve spent so long fighting for us."


    "That''s just what you''d say if you were afraid they''d recruit me, isn''t it?" Kai smiled mildly and Feida let out an exasperated breath.


    "They''re right about one thing: this won''t end in friendship," she said. "There are too many vendettas inside the tribe that require blood to quench. Going to meet them like this, trying to form an easy alliance, is just naive. Stick with us and we can take the patriarch''s legacy for ourselves."


    "The Quill faction specializes in poisons, right?"


    "And of course they''d try to poison you." Feida frowned at him, eyes searching over his face. "Just what are you up to? You may be stronger than any of them individually, but they might have lied about their Sky Soul mercenary being at the vault. And even you can''t fight their full forces at once, not if they poison you."


    "Bring me all the information you have the poisons they use and their antidotes." Kai smiled thinly, since it wasn''t really a request.


    "Are you serious? You still plan to meet with them?"


    "That''s right. Don''t try to follow me, or they might not come." Kai sat down and stared toward the camp as he began thinking through the options. "Oh, and bring me some food."


    .


    ..


    .


    When the Quill faction came to the meeting point at midnight, they discovered Kai already seated there, cheerfully eating. He''d used his spatial ring to place an entire table filled with dishes where the canopy had once been, then lit a few torches to give the whole scene a cheery glow. He waved to them cheerfully.


    "Come, sit down, have a meal! It''s late, but why not drink to a new alliance?"


    "You''ve considered our offer?" The Quill cultivators approached warily, staying at a distance and certainly not touching the food.


    "Come and eat, I insist." Kai gestured emphatically. "Do you want me to think you don''t trust me? Not a very good start to our relationship."


    It was clear that they didn''t trust him: they''d brought only Earth Souls to the meeting. In fact, it was more than the three elders from before - there were no fewer than eight Earth Souls in their group. Most likely they were there to attack him, but Kai continued eating as if he had no concerns at all.


    "Very well." The elder gave a clearly false smile and sat down opposite him, while the others spread out. Only some sat down in the chairs he''d provided while the others stood at careful distances. At the moment they were looking outward, as if to guard the meeting, but if they turned around they would enclose him. Kai struggled to keep his tension from showing and smiled broadly.


    "Good! Now, let''s drink to a new alliance!"


    They raised their glasses opposite him, but only pretended to drink when Kai did.


    "Alright, last chance." Kai set down his empty glass with a sigh and leaned back lazily in his chair, almost tilting over backwards. "If you really want to work with me, we need to talk about an alliance. If you''re sincere about this, we sh-"


    "So you really are a child." The elder sneered and shook his head. "The Western Wilds are a ruthless place, boy. There is no time for such weakness or-"


    As he tilted further back, Kai exhaled Baleful Breath over the cultivators behind him.


    The deadly cloud encompassed one of them entirely, consuming the woman until her screams of pain died. Two others managed to leap from the edges, severely burned, and staggered away. That still left seven Earth Souls surrounding him, all overcoming their shock and getting ready to fight.


    "Now!" The elder let out a cry and qi lit up between the Earth Souls as their formation came to light.


    Immediately power slammed down over Kai, trying to flatten him to the ground. He actually had to use his full power to struggle upright, his feet shifting to claws as dark monstrous muscle rose up his legs. Eventually he managed to regain his feet and saw the Manticore Quill formation surrounding him, maintaining the imprisoning technique while preparing new attacks.


    "So you aren''t entirely a fool," the elder said, "but you never should have come here. This is what it means to do battle in the Western... wait..."


    Even as he spoke, the man and woman at his sides began to waver, then blood trickled from the woman''s mouth and she clutched her side.


    "The poison was in the chairs," Kai told them calmly. "Each had poisoned spines from the dark urchins that attack the western coast. It''s one of the most deadly poisons that the Bloodcoral sect knows." He reached into his spatial ring and then revealed a thin vial of blue liquid. "I brought the antidote, just in case you were serious about talking."


    Two of the Earth Souls who had sat down were beginning to falter and the binding formation weakened as they stumbled. The elder was looking a bit queasy as well, though that could have been from the failure of their ambush as much as the poison. Kai turned away from him, moving in a slow circle to look at all the Earth Souls.


    As soon as his back was turned, the poisoned man lunged forward, grasping for the antidote vial. Kai grabbed his arm and hurled him to the ground before slamming his foot into his back.


    "I said if you were serious about talking." When Kai smiled at the group, he could feel his mouth spreading wider with monstrous teeth. "It''s a little late for that."

 Chapter 391: Angles on a Barbarian

    They had started with eight Earth Souls. A mighty force, including all the strongest cultivators in the Manticore Quill faction. And now...


    The Quill patriarch had thought their decision was absurd, ridiculous overkill against a foreigner who was clearly foolish and naive. Yes, all reports indicated that he had shrouded his true power, which was close to a Sky Soul, but rough mixtures of barbarian power tended to fail against polished formations. Just bringing enough for a formation should have been secure enough, since the target was most likely to believe their story and fall victim to their poison.


    Then in just a brief time, their invincible force had been reduced to just two untouched cultivators: the others were all burned, poisoned, or even dead. They tried to maintain the formation, but the qi shattered as the target began to move.


    Truthfully, the binding formation failed in part because the Quill patriarch lost his will, not just due to the losses. Because, as he saw the others crumple with poison, he realized that they had actually failed much earlier. The barbarian had known they wouldn''t give a real offer from the first and had planned accordingly. If they had actually approached him, could they have made an alliance?


    Too late. Instead the Quill patriarch watched as their coalition was torn apart.


    For a moment he thought they had a chance: there were attacks striking the barbarian from all sides and the head of the poison faction stabbed her poison needles into his back, over and over. Yet as the barbarian stomped away, the Quill patriarch realized that he was intentionally taking the attacks. The poison didn''t seem to slow him down, and when she darted in for a heavier dose, his hand closed around her head.


    One of the wild tribe champions, a powerful man the Quill patriarch had barely dueled to a draw, was literally ripped in half. The barbarian wasn''t using a weapon, but his body seemed to transform into one, mutating into something monstrous with every step.


    When the hellish smoke emerged again, the patriarch barely managed to evade in time and saw one of his closest companions consumed. In a second they were nothing but a figure in the dark cloud, thrashing wildly as the sparks of fire and lightning consumed them until they crumbled to ash, leaving only the roiling darkness.


    As the field thinned, the Quill patriarch unleashed an enormous qi attack, a swarm of spirit manticores that should have trampled everything. One of the injured Earth Souls was clipped by one and sent to the ground in a bloody spiral. And yet the barbarian charged through it, the spectral beasts exploding before they could touch him.


    The attack came so swiftly that it didn''t seem like it could possibly be human speed: the Quill patriarch was somehow on his back, pain radiating through his body. An enormous hand gripped his neck, but it was the face overhead that made him freeze in terror. As the barbarian opened his jaws, they seemed to yawn wide into emptiness...


    .


    ..


    .


    Even as Ahn Xi Feida projected confidence for her followers and ordered them to attack, she wondered just what she was going to do.


    The foreign barbarian had been their best hope of unifying the tribe and he had just gone to his death. He seemed to resist poison, so the Quill faction wouldn''t take him down without casualties, but how many Earth Souls could he hope to defeat? She made her projections based on the idea that the Quill faction would be reduced by half at most, which put them in a grim position.


    Since they were losing their greatest asset, she needed to use him one last time. The Quill faction needed to overextend themselves that night, deploying nearly all their Earth Souls in one place. So, as soon as she realized what was going to happen, she commanded her soldiers to rush out and assault the enemy camp in the night.


    Now she watched as they tore through, setting fire to tents and killing cultivators wherever they could. But despite the element of surprise, the Quill faction was still a prestigious part of the Manticore tribe, and far too many of their cultivators were ready to fight. Worse, they had many of the poison-using sub-tribes, who deployed traps and other poison techniques to take a heavy toll on her attack force.


    Some of the Nascent Foundations chased down fleeing cultivators, only to run directly into an explosion of green smoke. Feida pulled a cloth over her mouth as she leapt toward them, then burst through the poison. She could avoid breathing it long enough to grab her allies and pull them free of the cloud, but they were coughing and clutching their throats, unable to fight even if they lived.


    Those poisons were going to be a problem. The barbarian had asked about them, but the fool hadn''t taken even one antidote. Had he intentionally gone to his death to leave them this chance? Feida took out one of their few antidotes and administered it to the strongest cultivator she''d rescued.


    As she looked around, she saw that the battle had mostly ended... and Kulha was nowhere to be seen. She had really expected him to take the same action as she did, if he didn''t go to help the barbarian. Was he smarter than she''d given him credit for? The most ruthless tactic would have been to hold back and let her take the risk, leaving his own troops uninjured to face the rest of the Quill faction. Not a battle she would have wanted to attempt, but Kulha was nothing if not confident.


    The other variable was this Jackal mercenary - having a Sky Soul in the mix could throw off all her plans. If he was actually deployed here, that would be a huge problem, but she guessed that he would truly remain to guard the vault. That was the Quill faction''s strongest point of leverage, after all, and their main claim to legitimacy.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    When Feida sensed a power closing on the battlefield, she thought that she was wrong after all and the Sky Soul was coming to exterminate them. She turned, a knife flickering to hand, only to see the barbarian.


    Kai landed like a meteor and for a moment she could only stare at those burning eyes. He tried to hide his bulk with loose robes, but in that moment they only wrapped around the solid pillar of muscle. There wasn''t a trace of blood on him, not even an injury, yet he seemed to radiate an aura of pure death.


    "You..." Feida cleared her throat. "You escaped them?"


    "No, I killed them," Kai said. "Good idea, fighting the rest while their Earth Souls were distracted."


    "That''s not possible... didn''t they have eight?"


    "I thought you might say that." He reached into his spatial ring and cast several objects to the ground, which rolled several times before she realized they were severed heads. Feida had killed plenty in her time, even stuck some heads on pikes herself, but the sight of so many dead Earth Souls still shocked her. "I didn''t bring all eight," Kai said mildly, "but some of them didn''t have heads left."


    Feida took a step back, despite herself. Months ago, she had foolishly believed that this was a young man who could be seduced, one way or another, and that seemed insane now. He wasn''t a man, he was a beast, soft in the ways she expected cultivators to be hard and razor sharp in others.


    "I''m sorry for doubting you." Feida gave a low bow, desperately hoping that he wouldn''t strike at her bared neck. "I just... didn''t think it would be possible."


    "Why would I be angry? You gave me the information about their poison techniques like I asked." Kai continued to speak in gentle tones, but there was no gentleness in his eyes... he knew that she thought he was going to his death, and that she only planned to profit off it.


    "Do you... plan to fight the Sky Soul next?"


    "I think that would be premature. It looks like you''re going to take heavy losses here."


    "We''ll handle it. If there''s anything we can do for you..."


    "You know, I want to hunt an actual manticore." Kai gave her an odd smile. "The monster, or sacred beast, or whatever the tribe is named after. Do you think you can arrange that?"


    It would be difficult, because manticores were exceptionally rare these days, but Feida still nodded on instinct. When someone this powerful made a demand, all you could do was agree. She watched as he walked on, wondering what the hell she was going to do.


    .


    ..


    .


    Ahn Rit Kulha still couldn''t believe that everything had turned out like this. It just didn''t make any sense. The world hadn''t been normal for a long time, not since the Manticore patriarch fell ill, but it had become a bizarre nightmare ever since he had attacked that barbarian who wandered into their battle.


    While Kai had gone to face the Earth Souls, and Feida had taken her Claw faction to attack the unprotected camp, Kulha had risked everything. He''d rushed his strongest Tail cultivators past all the other groups, trying to locate and seize the patriarch''s legacy.


    In theory, it could have worked. It almost did.


    At first their surprise attack had been effective, smashing apart the defenders of the ancient wasteland outpost. But once they got past the outer walls, they had been met by not just the Jackal mercenary, but a contingent of other cultivators using strange foreign techniques. Kulha had been betting that everything about buying a Sky Soul was just a bluff, and he''d bet wrong.


    It had taken the most he could do just to survive, fleeing the patriarch''s vault carrying the bodies of his allies. He had put on a bold face with the others, claiming that the attack had always been intended to weaken the Manticore Quill faction. And it almost seemed true, because after losing their Earth Souls and suffering two vicious midnight attacks, they were retreating to safety and desperately focused on security.


    Soon enough, though, they would realize that with their mercenary allies, they still had a strong advantage. And when they did, he wasn''t sure that the Tail and Claw factions would be up to facing them.


    "That''s why we have to strike now," Feida was saying.


    All three of them walked through the aftermath, past the lines of injured and poisoned bodies from both their factions. Kulha still hated her, but right now making the barbarian see sense seemed a lot more important. Strangely enough, he actually agreed with her.


    "Hate to say it, but she''s right," Kulha said. "The Manticore Quill faction is weak now, off balance. We need to take them now, before they recover and strengthen their defenses any more."


    Kai shook his head. "Are you sure they''ll still fight? They lost most of their leadership in that battle, so they might be willing to surrender."


    "Those mercenaries were paid for a job, and they''re not going to give up their advantage."


    "He''s right." Feida shot him a sour glance, but they were clearly in agreement here. "The Jackal tribe has the most prestigious reputation among mercenaries, never changing sides for money. If they were purchased for this battle, they''ll fight until their contract runs out."


    "That means abandoning everyone here." Kai gestured at all the bodies. "Most of them weren''t poisoned too badly, and if we put all our efforts toward it, we could save most."


    Kulha could only grit his teeth in bafflement at the barbarian. It was impossible to say he was weak, but the man definitely needed hardening. This was a civil war in the Manticore tribe, so of course some casualties were to be expected. How could they convince him that trying to save lives would waste their only opportunity to strike?


    "Do you have a way to save them?'' Feida asked. Kulha had to admit that was a good argument.


    "No, but if I go back to your base at top speed, I sh-" Kai cut off in mid-word, his attention swiveling to the sky.


    At first Kulha didn''t feel anything, then he felt something approaching at terrifying speed. It was baffling at first until he made out the white vessel as it spiraled toward the ground and recognized it as a ship from one of the bigger sects in the south. Not all the way to the Southern Rivers, something different, an odd sect that had never been relevant...


    It was still on the tip of his tongue when two women emerged from the vessel and all of Kulha''s other thoughts were blown away.


    The first woman was sex on legs, and they were fucking impressive legs. He could see the golden brown skin flashing through the slit in her dress and it was impossible not to think about those legs wrapping around his waist. His eyes were drawn up and the rest of her didn''t disappoint, with a beautiful dress and an eye-catching pendant nestled between her breasts. Odd blue hair and darkish skin, but he could absolutely work with that.


    He didn''t notice the second woman at first, then he couldn''t stop noticing her. She wore all white, like a pure cultivator maiden from one of the prissy female sects. Perfect jade skin and modest robes, yet they couldn''t hide her massive tits. She looked like a perfect innocent maiden, just waiting to be dragged down into the filth.


    Kulha realized that they were actually quite strong and his lust took a sharp turn. They were definitely Earth Souls, maybe even higher, which made them a massive potential threat, yet there was something about a woman who could fight him... were they more mercenaries? He couldn''t think of any other reason that female sect members would be coming this far into the northern regions, so he braced himself for the worst.


    For a moment they looked absolutely deadly, the taller woman an icy killer and the shorter one with merciless narrow eyes. Then, to his shock, their expressions dissolved into happiness and they leapt into the barbarian''s arms.


    All Kulha could do was stare.

 Chapter 392: Tripartite Reunion

    For several long seconds Kai just squeezed Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena as hard as he could. Normal women might have been crushed, but they both hugged back: Zae Zin Nim''s face was buried in his chest and Omilaena wrapped an arm around his neck.


    There was absolutely a part of him that wanted to pick them both up and carry them somewhere private, but the majority of him just wanted to talk to them again. So much must have happened to them in the intervening months... Omilaena felt palpably stronger, and while Zae Zin Nim was still stuck at the barrier, she had clearly refined herself further. They must have gotten his message in Blueblade City and followed him, but he wanted to tell them about everything else that had happened.


    Unfortunately, because of those events, Kai had to set them both down and focus again. "I want to talk," he said, "but I''m afraid we need your help, Omilaena."


    "All the sad sacks outside?" She waved a hand around them and sighed. "You''re lucky that I need to practice using the Prana Jewels."


    She swayed out into the camp, though given her glance over her shoulder, he was pretty sure that she was wiggling her ass for his benefit. Meanwhile, Kai realized for the first time that Feida and Kulha were staring at him - he hadn''t given them a single second of thought since his wives arrived, but he couldn''t ignore them forever.


    "Now we have a poison specialist and another cultivator," Kai told them. "You might have been right about attacking quickly before, but now we have more options. Let''s save as many of both factions as we can and then figure out our next attack."


    "Are you sure?" Feida asked, eyeing them suspiciously. "Just who is this?"


    Kai ignored the second question and considered the first as he glanced to Zae Zin Nim. "Is there something else we need to be doing first?" She shook her head, so he glanced back to the Manticore tribal leaders and smiled. "We''re sticking around for the near future, then. We actually might need the materials in that vault more than you do, so we want to make this work."


    They stayed a little longer, discussing the remaining details, but the new arrivals had clearly disrupted all their arguments against them. The entire time they spoke, Zae Zin Nim hovered at his side, eyes staring at him intensely. An ignorant observer might have thought that she hated him, but he knew that was just fixation: she wanted to be closer, but wouldn''t do anything in public.


    Once all the business had been taken care of, Kai walked to the other side of the camp, away from the worst wounded. On the way he spotted Omilaena bending down over the worst poisoned cultivators, using a mixture of her Prana Jewels and injections to keep them alive. That was a solution to the problem he hadn''t been counting on, but it meant that the faction leaders couldn''t argue with him anymore. He''d missed how much Omilaena could do for him.


    Eventually they were a sufficient distance away and Kai started to look in his spatial ring for a tent, but Zae Zin Nim shook her head and instead gestured. The white vessel that must have been from the Pureflower sect floated after them and settled nearby. It was large enough that when they jumped to the deck and stepped into the cabin, they were hidden from the rest of the camp.


    Immediately Zae Zin Nim dove into his side and stuck there, as if she was magnetized. He smiled fondly and stroked her back as she took a while just gripping him tightly.


    "I missed you." Zae Zin Nim eventually pulled back slightly, but remained attached to him. "Just what have you been doing out here? I thought you just wanted the power they have."


    "One thing led to another," Kai said with a shrug. "I should explain all that when Omilaena is here. What have you been doing in the Pureflower sect?"


    She explained everything, from their training to internal politics to the poisoning accusation and their present mission. Kai just listened, drinking in her voice and enjoying her presence. He''d forgotten how much he enjoyed her razor edges, especially when she discussed power or rivals within the sect.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Since the ship''s interior had a cushioned seat, they migrated to it. Zae Zin Nim sat on his leg and leaned back against his chest, so he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close. Soon enough they would need to discuss business and make plans, but not yet.


    Just when Zae Zin Nim began to nuzzle against his chest, Omilaena kicked in the door. "Well, that was obnoxious. So many poisons, so few actually worthwhile." She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at him. "I hope you have better poisons for me."


    "Actually, I have a gift for both of you," Kai said.


    "Is it your dick?"


    Zae Zin Nim''s eyes widened. "Omi! Is that really necessary?"


    "What? You were thinking it."


    "I was not! Though..." Zae Zin Nim''s gaze slid away from them. "I have cultivated a specific sort of yin energy that would be useful to you, perhaps even what you need to advance through Body Refinement. We can discuss that as soon as-"


    "So you''re the one giving the fucks." Omilaena poked her chest teasingly. "Should have known you were the horniest one."


    Before Zae Zin Nim could object too much, Kai reached out and grabbed Omilaena''s hips, pulling her onto the seat with them. She immediately eased into a position, leaning across him to stroke Zae Zin Nim''s hair. Despite the bickering, they both immediately relaxed, and Kai would have been happy just to remain there for the whole night.


    "Your letter didn''t explain why you left the Bloodcoral sect," Zae Zin Nim eventually said.


    "I might go back, but I didn''t have time to slowly advance through their rules." Kai shrugged and tapped the medallion under his shirt. "They have these coral pieces with ranks and-"


    "Gimme." Omilaena reached up in front of his face, so he pulled the rope over his neck and handed it to her.


    "That actually brings me back to the gifts I mentioned before. There''s a place called the Pits of Strength with sources of mana, and I''m sure one will be right for you, Zin Nim. I also collected a lot of poisons for you, Omilaena. I hoped to find something for the 999 Power barrier, but breakthrough methods seem to be few and far between."


    Zae Zin Nim sighed against his chest. "I had options in the Pureflower sect, but they weren''t right for me. It''s frustrating, but I think I need to keep looking."


    "Well, there should be that sort of thing in the patriarch''s vault. That might be our next best bet."


    "Hey look." Omilaena shoved the Bloodcoral medallion up to him. "You just gained a rank."


    Kai took the disc back and blinked in surprise when he saw that it now had five crystalline marks. "How did you do that?"


    "What, did you think the process they used to add more was just inexplicable magic?" Omilaena pushed upright to demonstrate with the medallion. "I figured out that the coral reacts to qi in specific ways, transforming into a new state when you apply it intensely enough."


    "That''s interesting, but the rank is at least as much a matter of record as the actual medallion. Better turn it back."


    "I think I can figure that out too. But more importantly, there are internal techniques that check the medallion''s state. This probably lets you into a gate or something, right?"


    "One mark opens the main gate, yes." Kai looked at her skeptically. "Wait, are you saying...?"


    "Yeah, the capacity to open the gates is present in all the medallions, it just isn''t activated until it advances enough." Omilaena grinned as she began running her fingers over the surface. "Either they''re bad at this, or manipulating the medallions requires enough strength that you could just break in. I''ll get rid of the fifth mark, but do you want me to unlock all the other abilities?"


    "Can you do that without being noticed?"


    "I''m not sure, but I''ll figure it out."


    "Tell him about the poison." Zae Zin Nim had been listening quietly, but now spoke up.


    "Right, I assume Zin Nim told you about our problem in the Pureflower sect?" Omilaena waved the medallion as if to sweep away the issue. "That poison is nasty, and an antidote won''t be just lying around. I think my best chance is to strengthen the Prana Jewels enough to reduce it, which means using the jewels against stronger poisons. So no offense to you, but we''re here to test all the poisons in the wilds."


    "We also wanted to see you, though."


    Kai squeezed them both tighter. "I''m sure, and I''ll do everything I can to help. This is definitely the right place for poison: there''s the Bloodcoral sect, the Scorpion tribe, and at least half a dozen factions of the Manticore tribe..."


    He explained everything he''d learned and they quickly came up with a plan to deal with all their problems as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it seemed like it would require them to split up a bit, since even at their speeds it took time to cross an area as large as the Western Wilds. Soon enough, Omilaena would venture north to face the Quill faction poisons, while Kai and Zae Zin Nim headed south to deal with some old business at the Pits of Strength.


    But not just yet... they still had tonight.

 Chapter 393: Back to the Pits of Strength

    They had a variety of options for flying across the Western Wilds, some of them more respectable than others. The absolute fastest would have been for Kai to use Thunderbird''s Wings and carry Zae Zin Nim in his arms... he almost thought he could convince her to do it, but she didn''t want to be seen in an undignified position. Using flying swords was another clear option, either a pair or together on the same one, which had some of the same issues.


    Instead they used the Pureflower vessel, which was somewhat slower but made it easy to talk and prepare. Ships like this were common but considered slightly inferior: they were for non-cultivators, sect members who couldn''t fly on their own, or carrying supplies. That meant their vessel didn''t attract any particular attention.


    With the ship flying on its set path, they were free to sit in the cabin and cultivate. They''d talked for the first leg of the trip until they needed to take a break to train. He was surprised to note that Zae Zin Nim guzzled qi pills almost as fast as he did, since she was still trying to ascend the massive hill to Sky Soul. His own cultivation was just taking his Body Refinement stage to the very edge, according to the new principles she''d taught him.


    Now, however, he was done, and he thought Zae Zin Nim had almost finished her cultivation as well. He found himself staring, just drinking in the sight of her, and shook himself out of it to look at her soul instead.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 999 (limited)


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 33% (516)


    *Heavenly Sash: Cultivation +10% (51)


    Coldfire Corona: 97 (107)


    Pure Yin Shroud: Garnet Rank (199)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-9 (107)


    Blackblood Shadow (+50)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    >


    It really did seem like she was running up against her limits in every category, from Class to Physique to chakra arts. Her soul was practically overflowing, and earlier she had expressed frustration that this might be limiting major advancements in certain areas, like her Pure Yin Shroud.


    That made him feel a bit guilty that he hadn''t found anything to help her break the barrier, but again, their strategy was to avoid attention. If they could fly under the radar, she didn''t need the power desperately and could work toward a massive advancement.


    "I can feel you staring." Zae Zin Nim opened her eyes and returned his gaze. "It''s... it''s not bad, but your eyes are too warm."


    "Just glad to be back together again," he said.


    "I am too, though it''s unfortunate we had to leave Omilaena already." She sighed and her back sagged from its rigid cultivation position.


    "Don''t mope, come over here." Kai pulled her in his direction and she followed, sliding into his lap to lean against his chest. "I have to say, I understand your complaints about walking everywhere. This is definitely better."


    "Isn''t it?"


    Abruptly he realized that, despite how much they''d talked, there was something else he''d forgotten. "Oh, I''d been meaning to ask you. I met a cultivator who had some sort of ''Vicious Presence'' ability, not something I''d seen before. She was able to resist Void Gaze."


    "Yes, presence abilities are an advanced form of cultivation. I''ve mentioned them to you, but I... haven''t studied them extensively. The truth is that I was too inexperienced to understand the Brightwind arts for such things." Zae Zin Nim''s frown shifted inward and she began to curl up on herself.


    "Hey, hey." Kai wrapped his arms tighter around her. "We have lots of time to figure all that out, and you have abilities no one here would predict. What does it take to get a presence ability, anyway? I''ve only run into the one."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "It''s actually quite rare for an Earth Soul to have one, because they''re considered one of the three exceptional abilities. Anyone who has reached the Sky Soul stage is formidable, but they say there are three advancements beyond that: a presence, immortality, and heavenly cultivation."


    "Immortality is self-explanatory, but what''s heavenly cultivation?"


    "They say that it''s power gained at the peak, but..." Zae Zin Nim tilted her head back against his chest to look up at him. "Having seen some of it in the Pureflower sect, I think it''s actually secondary powers. Mana or chakra that has been thoroughly merged into your cultivation."


    "That makes sense, if Omilaena''s big theories are correct."


    "In any case, it is always impressive to have gained one of the three abilities before Sky Soul, but not necessarily ideal. For example, the methods of obtaining immortality before Sky Soul tend to be harmful, and might limit your cultivation permanently. I... don''t think that''s the right path for us anyway, not yet."


    "She also used some method to destroy her own dantian and she, uh, exploded."


    "Yes, that can be done if your qi is dense enough. Quite a desperate choice, but at times it is the... best option."


    Somehow the conversation kept turning in dark directions. Kai kissed the top of Zae Zin Nim''s head and distracted her by discussing new techniques, which was always a way to improve her mood. It seemed that she''d been working on something, yet for the first time he felt as though she was withholding information from him. After all the relaxed intimacy, it didn''t really worry him, but it was puzzling.


    Even traveling at higher speed, it took them two weeks to get back to the Pits of Strength. Part of Kai was convinced that his luck would turn against him and he''d find the pits all destroyed or drained, but they looked just the way he remembered them. Well, not quite... there was an area of red and blue tents that suggested the Bloodcoral sect had taken up residence.


    Before they could go there, their ship was intercepted by two Thundering Scorpion tribe champions on their curved flying swords. Unlike with the Bloodcoral sect, the champions only hovered in place outside, waiting for them to emerge, and when they did, the champions gave respectful bows.


    "We are honored to see the Pureflower sect here," the middle-aged woman said, "but the Pits of Strength are meant only for those who have earned the right."


    "Actually, I''m here on behalf of the Bloodcoral sect." Kai showed them his command medallion and they looked surprised, then nervous.


    "That is enough for us, but... I believe that the Bloodcoral sect requires a higher rank to challenge anyone for a pit. You would have to take that up with your own sect."


    "Don''t worry, we''ll handle it." Kai nodded to the champions and they returned to fly down to the camp.


    As soon as they were back inside, Zae Zin Nim scowled. "Why should we have to engage in minor sect politics? No one here can really stop us."


    "I don''t think it will take long," Kai said, rubbing her shoulder. "We want to stay on good terms with everyone so we don''t draw too much attention. If this goes the way I think, you might need a long time to focus on the mana pool, so you might as well do it peacefully."


    "I suppose. You... implied you have a plan?"


    Kai only smiled and gestured for her to exit.


    The four marks on his medallion meant that the guards outside the Bloodcoral sect''s camp didn''t challenge him, even with Zae Zin Nim at his side. Actually, if anything he just got looks of incredulity or admiration. He had to admit, the two of them walking together didn''t make a lot of sense, but they were strong enough that no one was going to challenge them.


    Power alone got them all the way to the central tent, where Kai discovered the old Earth Soul he''d met earlier. After fumbling for the name a while, he remembered that it was Cor Yan Wei - he''d been thrown out by Cor Li Xan in exchange for this old man, but with Zae Zin Nim at his side, Kai couldn''t find it in himself to particularly care.


    "How is the Bloodcoral sect doing at the pits?" Kai asked.


    "Well enough." The old man''s eyes shifted between them suspiciously, but he continued. "We have struggled to keep access to the pits of qi we need most. Now who is this?"


    "A new recruit, who as you can tell is an Earth Soul." Kai smiled thinly. "Now, unless you have changed the rules in my absence, she should receive five marks for joining, and I should receive a fifth for bringing such a strong cultivator. Is that correct, senior?"


    Cor Yan Wei begrudgingly gave Zae Zin Nim a coral medallion, and added a fifth mark to Kai''s. He paused and frowned slightly as he worked on Kai''s, perhaps noticing traces of Omilaena''s manipulations, but in the end he handed it back without comment. Just as Kai was ready to march out and get to work, however, the old man spoke up again.


    "If you''re thinking of challenging for the most powerful pits, that requires an inner sect member with seven marks or more." When they turned on him, Cor Yan Wei raised his hands defensively. "Too many have tried to challenge the local champions and failed, making us lose both face and opportunity. It is a necessary restriction."


    "We are not going to fail," Zae Zin Nim said flatly. "Let us go."


    "Young mistress, you have only just joined the Bloodcoral sect. Do you have so little respect for our laws?"


    She opened her mouth, likely to make it clear that she had none whatsoever, but Kai saw an easier path. He''d been holding that back in case something happened anyway. "I joined as a Body Refinement cultivator," he said, raising his medallion again, "and received one mark. But I''d receive two more if I advanced to Nascent Foundation, right?"


    Cor Yan Wei looked between them, then shook his head in defeat. "Yes, that is true."


    "Well then." Kai grinned back at Zae Zin Nim. "I think it''s finally time."

 Chapter 394: Nascent Foundation At Last

    It was really quite unreasonable that someone as talented as Kai had taken this long to leave the Body Refinement stage. Zae Zin Nim waited and watched, hoping that fate would not manage to ruin his advancement. It did so try to get in the way.


    Of course, he had been severely limited by the lack of quality qi on Deadwaste, and his unique nature absorbed much of the qi he cultivated. Even given all those considerations, she felt as though she should have been able to help him advance sooner than this, given his tenacity. On Cloudspire, where many considered cultivation alone, they considered him lower class as a mere Body Refinement stage, which led to many strange looks when they were together.


    Well... perhaps that wasn''t the only reason. No matter what stages of cultivation they reached, everyone would be surprised to see a jade maiden of Cloudspire with an enormous hairy barbarian. But there was nothing they could do about that, and nothing she really wanted to do.


    Zae Zin Nim sat on the opposite side of the airship cabin, watching closely as Kai sat down and swallowed the qi pills that had been prepared for him. Years ago in Deadwaste he had been so awkward in the cultivation position, but now he took the pose easily, placed his hands on his knees, and began to circulate his cultivation base.


    In theory, nothing would go wrong. But given how many irregularities there were in Kai''s soul, she could never be sure, so she remained alert to help if necessary.


    The biggest thing she had done to help him had been the night before, and Zae Zin Nim still flushed when she thought about it. Instead of purchasing a Heavenly Maiden Pill for herself, Zae Zin Nim had selected one of the Pureflower Sect''s rarest arts: a dual cultivation technique called the Great Unity Chalice. It was meant to be used to soothe raging or injured men, but its fundamental purpose was to solidify a cultivation base.


    Once, the idea of using such a technique would have horrified her, since it just turned her into a dutiful servant of another male cultivator. But she trusted Kai with her life, and he had slowed his own advancement in order to find this mana pit for her. So she was glad to use her own cultivation to strengthen his.


    As for the technique itself, it had been as intimate as usual, except that Kai began to change as the power interacted with his Savage Heart technique. His hands on her body had transformed into claws... and yet they had still been so gentle. Despite the unexpected change, everything had worked as intended, so in theory his dantian and body were fully attuned, ready to advance.


    Kai circulated the qi in his dantian as it welled up and began to flow through his body. It wasn''t like her transition from the Body Refinement stage, instead becoming far more aggressive and violent. His body began to change again, taking on monstrous traits, but it was all under control, so Zae Zin Nim held her breath and waited.


    His struggle had always been balancing the two sides of himself. He had long ago accepted both monstrous and human sides were one, as she understood it, but the fact remained that he still needed to keep aspects of himself in harmony with one another, a balanced whole instead of conflicting halves. All of that was made even more difficult by the Savage Heart, with its chakra-based strangeness and emotional reactions. She watched them waver, and his heart was pounding so powerfully it seemed to send shockwaves through the air, but Kai kept everything in check.


    Suddenly his eyes opened, burning like miniature suns, and all the new qi flooded through his body.


    It should never have moved so explosively, and Zae Zin Nim leapt up, afraid that he would undergo a fire deviation and harm himself. And yet it all seemed to be in balance: years of cultivation reinforcing his body were solidified into a new stage. All the chaos of his different arts and transformations reached a new level of stability.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    His body was strange and monstrous, but her eyes shifted to his familiar soul.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 743


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 0% (250)


    Savage Heart: 15 (157)


    Physique Level: D-9 (245)


    Beggar King''s Robes: +2 (10)


    Soul Level: 9 (81)


    >


    She was elated to see that he had reached a perfect Nascent Foundation stage, giving him a full 250 Power. It was the largest leap in his strength since they had come to Cloudspire, and more than that, it was proof that all their efforts and theories were valid: he could combine all these different aspects of himself into a unified whole.


    "It worked?" Kai rose to his feet, staring at his own hands, or rather claws.


    "It did!" Zae Zin Nim swept up to him and clasped one of his claws between her hands. "You have done excellently. I am... very proud of you."


    He gave her a strange smile, then pulled her into an embrace. His body shifted back to human form as he did so, but she felt wonderfully held either way. There was a hunger in his grip that sent a little thrill through her, but when Kai pulled back, his gaze was focused. This had never been their goal, after all, it was only a means to an end.


    "Now, I say we take down the champions right now, unless you think it would be too soon." His gaze flickered over her and she could tell he was looking at her soul. "Do you need to get something to break your limit before you try to absorb any mana? These pits take a while to build up again, so we don''t want to waste it."


    "I haven''t raised my Coldfire Corona to Level 99," she said, "and each level is slower than the last. If I have a strong source of mana, I can train here and treat it like cultivation. I will be reaching the absolute limit by the time you find something."


    "Then let''s go right now." Kai turned away and she had to half-run to follow his strides. It would be inappropriate outside, but part of her wished that he would just carry her, in his arms or even over his shoulder. "So you''re trusting Omilaena and me to find the right pill for you?"


    "Yes," she said, "that was the decision I made when I chose the Great Unity Chalice over the Heavenly Maiden Pill. Omilaena and I have spoken about what exactly I need at length, so I trust you to find the right method."


    "We''ll do our best, then."


    He said it as if he had something to prove, as if he hadn''t done all this for her sake. Zae Zin Nim shook her head and grabbed his arm, redirecting him from fighting the champions literally that moment. There was no sense in charging into the battle without preparation, even if they would likely have won anyway.


    Instead the two of them retreated to one side of the pits region and sparred with one another, making sure there were no irregularities in Kai''s new form. Everything worked exactly as they had hoped, all aspects of his body reinforcing one another, but it was good to realign themselves. They would need to fight as a pair against the local champions, after all.


    Soon she suspected that his raw new strength would want an outlet, and she would be happy to provide that for him. It wasn''t inappropriate to think such thoughts about her husband, but it still made her squirm, so she focused on their strategy.


    Since returning to Cloudspire with stronger spiritual senses, Zae Zin Nim had encountered or even fought more Sky Souls, so she had a better sense for the heights of power. In theory Kai''s full strength could have been double his visible Power, or almost 1500, but she estimated it to be somewhat under 1300. That supported their theory that his monstrous power would need to grow to match, though this advancement would make it easier for him to do that.


    At one time, 100 Power had been the entirety of her soul. A difference of 100 Power was still significant, but it was no longer a massive divide for them. If Kai could find one or two more breakthroughs...


    No one had ever explained the math to her directly, but she had spent her entire life absorbing it. A Sky Soul cultivator could have 1000 Power, which was enough for them to be the strongest in the vast majority of situations. But each increment of a hundred climbed higher into the heavens, with more and more cultivators falling behind.


    She hadn''t been able to see her father''s true power when she was young, but based on her battles in Rosemount, she feared that it would be at least 1800. That put him head and shoulders above even most strong Sky Souls, and still above their level. Amassing cultivators with 1000 Power would never be enough to beat him, but if she could break through, and if Omilaena advanced further...


    Could all that be enough? Her father wouldn''t be alone, and the Brightwind sect had other dangerous cultivators in its ranks. This was a major step forward, but it wasn''t enough.

 Chapter 395: Dueling for a Mana Pit

    Cracking blows echoed across the wasteland as Zae Zin Nim fought her husband.


    Their fists flew between them, and since Kai was holding back, they could trade blow for blow. Without him using his monstrous skills, Zae Zin Nim was still the better martial artist, so she eventually brushed aside his arm and struck his chest with her palm.


    Her blow struck true, but the explosion of qi pushed her back. Zae Zin Nim skidded back several paces, kicking up two lines of dust, staring at her palm in surprise the entire time.


    "Wow, completing the Body Refinement stage makes a difference." Kai brushed off his chest in wonder. "Do you think it''s going to take me even longer to finish the Nascent Foundation stage, though? At the rate I''m going, that feels like it might take forever."


    "It may be slower because your dantian and meridians are so thick," she answered, "but I do not think your body will be soaking up so much of your cultivation. Of course, the path to Earth Soul is even longer. You saw how long it took me, and I was fortunate in many factors."


    That was her true opinion, but Zae Zin Nim felt a flicker of an old fear as she spoke. If Kai did begin to cultivate at normal speed, combined with his other powers, he would surpass her completely. Surely, if that happened, he wouldn''t change. She knew him too well, as a cultivator and as a man, and traveling on Cloudspire hadn''t seemed to change him despite all the temptations. And yet...


    "Do you think you can reach Sky Soul?" Kai''s serious expression split in a grin that almost washed away her fears. "I mean, obviously you will eventually, but do you think you can reach it in a reasonable amount of time?"


    "Conventional wisdom is that ten years between Earth and Sky Souls is very fast." Zae Zin Nim spoke briskly, but that easy smile warmed her. Even now, in this moment of glory, he was thinking about her. "Many others have taken decades. It partially depends on how long we can remain hidden while finding intense sources of qi."


    "Then I think you''re right to focus on advancing with mana first. Better to be prepared, just in case things go wrong."


    Now that Kai had broken through, they headed out into the Pits of Strength to explore their options. Once Kai''s idea of qi had been weak and muddy, but his judgment had been refined by their travels: he was right about the power here being strong. She sensed good sources of qi, intense mana, even chakra. It seemed a bit undignified that the power lay in dirty pools in the rock, but she would endure worse to attain the power she needed.


    "Tell me if you want a different one," Kai was saying, "but the pool I had in mind is just ahead..."


    She felt it a moment later and her eyes lit up. Zae Zin Nim rushed to the edge of the rock and stared down into the pit, feeling the power call to her. Blue mana crackled in the base of the pool, burning with intense cold. Not quite like her own power, but close enough for her to absorb and advance.


    "This is perfect," she said, her eyes growing moist. "Thank you."


    "Get back!" The gruff voice interrupted them both and Zae Zin Nim spun rapidly to defend herself.


    There was a burly Western Wilds cultivator standing there with his arms folded, and in that moment another one landed beside him. "Don''t touch our pit," the second growled. They were both flexing their muscles and glowering, clearly trying to scare them away from the power.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Zae Zin Nim nearly laughed. The two of them only had around 500 Power and their Earth Souls were unimpressive, the sort that the Brightwind sect scorned as rushing to inferior power. If they thought their muscles alone were impressive, they were sorely outmatched by Kai looming at her side. There was no question that she could win the duel, though it still had to be done properly. Everything should have been easy... yet Zae Zin Nim found herself slightly anxious as she thought about the duel.


    Not the result, but what she intended to do during it.


    "We''re with the Bloodcoral sect," Kai said, showing his medallion. Zae Zin Nim reluctantly held hers up as well. "We''d like to challenge you for this mana pool."


    "That has to go through your sect." One of the cultivators frowned and looked at the other. "Don''t they have rules about that? Come back when you have official permission."


    "Get ready. We''ve been waiting for this a long time."


    Kai''s confidence in her was encouraging, yet that only increased her anxiety. They leapt onto his sword and flew back toward the Bloodcoral sect''s camp, which gave her the pleasant opportunity to lean against him. Everything about their relationship was so good, this had to be perfect. She hadn''t realized that she was putting so much weight onto this.


    What made Zae Zin Nim so nervous was that she hadn''t told Kai anything about her new palm technique, keeping it out of her stories of the Pureflower sect. It wasn''t a lie, really, she just wanted to surprise him. He was always changing and growing, she wanted to show him something that would impress him. The technique functioned, but it felt rough to her compared to the abilities refined by generations... she was so anxious that she was afraid it wouldn''t work at all.


    Fortunately, she didn''t need to make any serious decisions, she could just follow after Kai. When they reached the tents he introduced her to another Bloodcoral cultivator named Cor Li Xan. He was younger than the elder she''d met earlier and stared at her body, which dragged her back to the present. She wanted only Kai to stare at her.


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you," Cor Li Xan said with a low bow. "What is a beautiful flower like you doing with a barbarian like him?"


    "I am here to advance." Zae Zin Nim shoved the coral medallion in his face. "We have the requisite marks, correct?"


    "I understand you want to take on one of the most valuable pits, and that requires seven marks to-"


    "I just advanced to Nascent Foundation," Kai said, raising his medallion as well. "Can you take care of this for me? You said I should find someone else to fight with me, so I found someone. But it took a while, so we''re in a bit of a hurry."


    Cor Li Xan took a second glance at his soul, then reluctantly took his medallion and added two more crystal marks around the edge. That accomplished, there was nothing the cultivator could do to stop them. He joined up with the old man named Cor Yan Wei and they went to speak to the Scorpion tribe to arrange the duel.


    Words were spoken about the match, just buzzing in her ears. As she stepped onto the stone arena, Zae Zin Nim repeated the steps of her new technique in her head so many times she felt faint. The two champions from before were moving opposite her, boasting and posing for the eager crowd, and she barely paid attention to them.


    "Incredible! It looks like her skin has never seen sunlight!"


    "Is she one of the four most beautiful women in the Blueblade sect?"


    "Which one could she be? Are those Pureflower robes?"


    When the comments about her began, Zae Zin Nim was finally pulled from her own thoughts. There had been a time, long ago, when such comments were a bit gratifying. Now she was just angry that so many people were staring at her when she just cared about one. The Bloodcoral cultivators remained silent, watching more skeptically, as if wondering just who Kai had found.


    Well, she would show them all.


    A gong rang to start the match and Zae Zin Nim leapt forward with her full speed. Her opponent raised both fists, summoning twin scorpion tails the width of his own body, and arched them forward to stab her. Zae Zin Nim simply raised her palm and thrust it forward.


    The Coldfire Palm burst forth from her soul, qi and mana fusing perfectly. It exploded to the size of her entire body, a palm of blue flame that swept forward. It burned away both scorpion tails in an instant and struck the champion like a solid wall, sending him flying away from the arena in a trail of blood. When he hit the ground, the way he lay still, there was no question that the match was over.


    Everyone was staring at her: the other champion intimidated, the crowd silent for once, the Bloodcoral cultivators shocked. But what mattered was that Kai was watching her, eyes filled with admiration, and in that moment it was all worth it.

 Chapter 396: Toward the Manticore Vault

    Omilaena had always hated tribes.


    They went by different names, depending on whether you were on Rosemount, Cloudspire, or Deadwaste. Sometimes they were called sects, sometimes guilds, sometimes even stranger names, but they were all essentially tribes. Bands of people grouping together for their own benefit, pretending that they cared about some abstract concept and would support one another.


    "Thank you so much for doing this," Feida said. "It''s nice to have another tribeswoman."


    Case in point.


    As they walked into the tent, Omilaena kept a fake smile on her face, as if she really cared about the Manticore tribe. They all had the same name and same tattoos, but the way they tore one another apart was proof of just how little their kinship meant. Feida pretended they shared some bond due to their sex - sisterhood as just another tribe - but would have betrayed her instantly, if she could get away with it.


    "I''m surprised you want me to do this," Omilaena said as she set up the needles and mana ink. "I''ve only done a few tests."


    "Anyone with your strength obviously has the capacity." Feida pulled off her robes as she lay down on the table, exposing her back. "Besides, some of those old tattoo practitioners tend to.... take liberties."


    Omilaena was tempted to get handsy herself, just out of irritation, but restrained herself. She needed the full cooperation of the Manticore tribe, at least until she had everything she needed. So she just gave a sisterly smile, picked up her needles, and got to work.


    Tattoos spread across Feida''s back, more delicate than the male tattoos Omilaena had worked on - sometime she''d need to ask about whether that was personal preference or necessity. Mana didn''t tend to be gendered, but you could never tell. Her job for today was simple: expand the black tattoo on the woman''s back to connect with the serpents that stretched from her arms to torso.


    That was the other reason Omilaena was endlessly thinking about tribes and how much she hated them: she wasn''t really doing this for herself, but for Kai. The tribal factions wanted him to serve as a leader, and that seemed like the politically easiest choice, but he was skeptical about their cultivation tattoos. Rightly so, from what she''d seen so far, since they seemed limited in various ways.


    If she was here, working for the sake of others, did that mean she was just part of her own tribe? She''d become more bonded to Kai and Zae Zin Nim than she expected, and they had carried her when she was depressed and falling behind. But now she couldn''t help but fear being left behind again, growing complacent and stumbling into all the problems she''d worried about before.


    For several minutes Omilaena wiped her mind free of everything but the work. She gathered the mana into her needle, surrounded it with a layer of qi, then pushed it down into the skin. Bit by bit she drew an image into the other woman''s back, new whorls of color that merged her two tattoos.


    The work gave her some distance from her negative thoughts. Where had all of that come from? She had been entirely happy for months, even in the Pureflower sect. It made her think back to old fears that she was too ruined to remain in a stable relationship, even one that had been almost perfect so far. Would she really endure so long for those two, then throw it away?


    "If Kai joins the tribe," Feida spoke up, "will you join too?"


    "Can''t say." Omilaena pushed the next needle in more aggressively than necessary. "Would that force me to get a big manticore tattoo?"


    "It isn''t required, but it binds the tribe together. And the added power is nothing to scoff at."


    "So I''m coming to understand. Tell me more."


    This was just standard manipulation, pretending to be friendly to draw out more information. Omilaena was happy to do that, and focused on gaining intelligence for the rest of the tattooing session. She''d already mastered the basics, which any idiot could manage, and was rapidly gaining a stronger understanding of the fundamental principles.


    The difficulty, she thought, was that the cultivators themselves didn''t fully understand what they were doing. All cultivators inherited techniques from previous generations, but most comprehended them - the Manticore tribe was in decline, just copying what generations before them had done. Because the ink creation and tattooing processes could be done by rote, they didn''t need to fully understand in order to acquire power.


    When she finished the work, Feida went to a mirror to admire the new tattoos, while Omilaena took a look at the woman''s soul.


    <


    Name: Ahn Xi Feida


    Total Power: 749


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 1% (419)


    Manticore Tattoo (+125)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Serpentskin Tattoo (+60)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    Reaper Tattoo (+29)


    >


    Her expansion to the tattoos had added about 15 Power, or a 2% increase. That was simultaneously significant and nothing: more than Omilaena had yet accomplished with a tattoo, just insignificant compared to the level of power she needed. Still, it was a step forward.


    "This is excellent." Feida nodded to her as she pulled her robe back on. "You keep getting better at this."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Give me more ink and designs, and I''ll keep doing what I can. Anything for the tribe." Omilaena realized she''d gone a bit too far, and the sarcastic phrase rang clearly hollow, but Feida only shot her a brief glance. They would overlook everything when it came to power, here.


    "That was the last thing I needed," Feida said. "Do you think we''re ready to attack the vault, or do you need more preparation time?"


    "We''re ready as far as I''m concerned," Omilaena said. "Go contact Kulha if you want to set things up."


    "Let''s do it tonight, then. The longer the Quill faction sits at the patriarch''s vault, the more they''ll build up the defenses."


    As Omilaena removed all the tattoo supplies, she smirked to herself. Kai was the one who had wanted to put off the attack for the sake of the poisoned or injured tribe members. She''d helped them, since they were a military asset and it helped strengthen the Prana Jewels, but she didn''t care. Sooner was better as far as she was concerned.


    Her plan was to take a small group of stronger cultivators and take the vault, capturing its resources, before Zae Zin Nim could get back from her trip. Then Omilaena could give her a perfect pill to break through her barrier as a gift... she couldn''t let Kai show her up in the romantic gestures department, after all.


    Just as she started to walk out of the tent, Kulha walked in. "You ready?" he grunted.


    "I hope I am. Just how strong is this Sky Soul?"


    "Uh..." Like clockwork, Kulha''s eyes slid down to her chest. Omilaena pretended not to notice while shifting her posture to draw more of his attention. "Not bad. Has some other mercenaries with him, strange types."


    "Well, I''ll just have to trust you to handle those." Omilaena winked and sauntered away.


    Men like Kulha were so easy it almost wasn''t fun. Going back to old patterns was just reassuring, like a well-worn dress that fit her perfectly. She didn''t have many options for teasing lately: it was just flirtatious with Kai, and Zae Zin Nim wasn''t visually-oriented enough.


    Yet somehow, the actions didn''t fit quite as comfortably as they used to.


    By that evening, they had assembled a group of six: Feida, Kulha, and four other Earth Souls from factions they had absorbed. Not a bad squad, presuming that Omilaena could take on the Jackal mercenary. She presumed that she could, since a truly strong Sky Soul couldn''t be so easily purchased.


    Seven, if Omilaena herself was part of the group.


    She let the others run over the operation and just considered the group from a strategic perspective, with special attention to their tattoos. The strongest all had multiple mana tattoos, but she had yet to see a single person with two that enhanced the same attribute. It always began with a cultivation tattoo, then expanded into Physique or Soul. Was that pattern significant, or just a practice that they mindlessly replicated?


    "Ready?" Feida looked at her and Omilaena gave a sharp nod, as if she''d been paying attention. "Then we move out. Be ready for anything."


    They headed out into the night, making quick time toward the vault. As they went, Omilaena''s mind wandered in strange directions. She wondered if it would be possible to use the tattooing technique in other contexts, such as Deadwaste. Their mana was definitely too weak, but it might fit in their souls. Could she liquefy steel and use it to give Irunians tattoos?


    None of that helped her, really. Omilaena decided that the thoughts didn''t hurt because at least they were more interesting than the tribal business.


    Once they finally got within range of the vault, however, she focused. Her opponent was a Sky Soul, after all, and even if Omilaena had the edge in power she wasn''t guaranteed victory. Regardless of all her other thoughts, she needed to take this deadly seriously.


    The vault itself proved to be a small part of the patriarch''s outpost, which was a massive complex with three concentric walls. At the height of the Manticore tribe''s power, the place must have been bustling with activity, but now it was in disrepair and their group easily slipped over the first two walls.


    As soon as they reached the central region, Omilaena felt that something had changed. There were thin lines of qi... not wires, maybe threads? She raised a hand to the side to make all the others stop as she analyzed the situation.


    One of the Earth Souls kept bungling forward, tripping through one of the threads. He didn''t die, but Omilaena felt the qi snap and power lit up within the central building.


    "Fuck." Omilaena gestured to the others to back up. "You just warned them we''re coming."


    Kai and Zae Zin Nim definitely wouldn''t have made a mistake like that. Either she was too used to them or she was just bad at working in teams in general. Omilaena spun needles in both of her hands and waited for the inevitable.


    A head poked up from the central building and Omilaena hit him in the eye with her first needle. Just a Qi Condensation cultivator, basically a rounding error in a battle like this. She had barely pulled her hand back when the real threat struck.


    Ragged robes exploded from the house, streaking straight toward her. Omilaena dodged to the side on instinct and realized that there were threads of qi flying out from the figure, trying to catch her. She ducked aside and sliced through one of the threads that got too close, only for the thread to wrap around her knife, binding it.


    Too bad for him. Omilaena let go of the that knife in the same motion she formed another and hurled it directly at the cultivator''s face. He jerked backward, barely buying himself enough time to reach up and grab it out of the air. When his hand closed around the knife, however, he snapped it in half.


    There were other mercenaries emerging from the house, but all of Omilaena''s attention fell on the Sky Soul. As he stopped moving so rapidly, she realized that where most cultivators wore ornate silk robes, he wore a tattered cloak. He could definitely have afforded better, and it was so torn at the bottom edges that it seemed like a statement.


    "I am Jackal Thirteen," the man said. "Did they hire a mercenary to oppose me?"


    "Not a mercenary," Omilaena said with a shrug. This one wasn''t going to be deceived with a little cleavage, so she got a good look at his soul before he could shroud it again.


    <


    Name: Jackal Thirteen


    Total Power: 1253


    Cultivation: Sky Soul (910)


    Demonic Threads (+94)


    Physique Level: D-0 (200)


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    >


    With over 1250 power, this Jackal tribe mercenary actually had the edge over her, meaning she would need real strategy to punch up against him. Omilaena found herself smiling as she readied her knives for the fight.


    "Enough!" Before they could act again, a voice rang out over the courtyard. For some reason the Manticore tribesmen actually stopped their attack, turning to stare.


    An elderly man emerged from the front door of the complex, thin and wizened, but not bent. He wore Manticore tribe robes and an elaborate hairpiece that must have marked him as some sort of authority. His movements were stiff, at minimum severe arthritis, and his skin looked unhealthy in the low light.


    "Patriarch?" Feida took a step forward, eyes wide. "We heard you were near death."


    So this was the dying Manticore patriarch? His power was hidden by a strange sort of shroud, but he seemed in better health than reports had indicated. Was this more complicated than Omilaena had thought, or was she even on the wrong side, part of some rebel tribe? Not that she cared, but things had suddenly gotten more interesting.


    "Are you well, patriarch?" Feida took a step closer, trying to peer at his face in the shadows of the building.


    The old man coughed into one hand, a rough hacking sound. Something about the movement struck Omilaena as deeply wrong on a level she couldn''t pin down and she called "Look out!" on instinct.


    Too late. Feida started to move back, but the patriarch lunged out, his hand passing through her throat. It tore her flesh like wet paper and she dropped with a spray of blood. Only in the moment of the attack could Omilaena see the glinting of a new sort of threads, subtle lines of qi that led back to Jackal Thirteen. He grinned, and the other mercenaries all began to attack.


    In the moment she had left, Omilaena looked back to the patriarch, and this time managed to see his soul.


    "Well, shit," she said.

 Chapter 397: The Real Threat of the Jackal Mercenaries

    After Feida died, things turned ugly fast. In the initial brawl Omilaena took out one of the Jackal mercenaries, and two more died in the clash, but their side was cut in half. Now she fled back through the walls, dragging Kulha and another injured tribesman behind her.


    Jackal Thirteen drifted overhead, as light and deadly as a razor wire.


    Omilaena waited for him to gather his threads for a strike, then used her remaining trump card: she exhaled as large a cloud of poison overhead as possible, blanketing the sky over the courtyard. One of the mercenaries going over the wall fell into it, screaming, and Jackal Thirteen twisted away in midair to avoid the cloud. While she was hidden, Omilaena broke through the door of the next wall and dropped off her cargo.


    She couldn''t drag them to safety unless she thinned out the enemy a little more, so she pivoted instead of running. Omilaena exhaled another line of poison at the mercenaries following her, hopefully dropping more.


    Before she could grab the injured, a mercenary plunged through the smoke, unharmed. Omilaena leapt back in surprise, barely evading the sword he chopped in her direction over and over. Did he have some sort of immunity ability? No... this one wasn''t alive, it was just another puppet.


    She deflected the sword with a needle, then cut through the puppet''s throat. It slowed, though it wasn''t taken out, confirming that they weren''t invincible, just not exactly living. While it stumbled she also confirmed that it wasn''t one of the mercenaries she''d killed, but one that had been in the original group. At least Jackal Thirteen couldn''t create puppets like this instantly.


    The wall beside her exploded and the former Manticore tribe patriarch rushed at her. The symbols of his soul nearly overcame her as she was forced to leap back.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 1048


    Cultivation: Sky Soul (752)


    Manticore Tattoo (+200)


    Physique Level: E-8 (96)


    Soul Level: 0 (0)


    >


    A Sky Soul, even a weakened and puppeteered one, was nothing she could take lightly. Worse, the real threat was floating overhead again, releasing threads so sharp they cut through the stone behind her.


    Forget trying to save the injured. Omilaena might have risked her life for Kai or Zae Zin Nim, but she wasn''t getting herself killed for random tribesmen. She leapt back at full speed, dodging around more razor threads as she tried to escape the battlefield.


    Unfortunately, she couldn''t get away from Jackal Thirteen easily, and he seemed to be entirely ignoring the injured bodies. One or two of the Earth Souls had fled in other directions and they were being ignored as well. So he was smart enough to focus on her as the real threat, which meant the idiots didn''t even buy her any time. She didn''t exactly have backup at the camp, either, so the situation was turning from bad to worse...


    Omilaena was so focused on dodging the razor threads that she didn''t notice the nonlethal one until it wrapped around her ankle. She hacked it away instantly, but there were more rising from the ground, binding her legs. As soon as she stumbled, Jackal Thirteen caught up to her, threads flying from his ragged cloak to completely bind one of her arms in place.


    "You could have taken my arm." Omilaena frowned at the threads as she tried to cut her arm free.


    "I''d rather take it all." Jackal Thirteen landed opposite her, still wary.


    "Interesting technique you have there. You think you can turn me into one of your puppets?"


    "I''m not about to give you more information about it."


    He hurled a razor wire directly at her torso, forcing her to dodge. At the last moment the threads binding her arm twitched, slamming her into the ground. Omilaena managed to roll with the impact, but as soon as she was up again, her footing was jerked out from under her. Seemed like he planned to take her down piece by piece, and the other mercenaries were catching up now, surrounding her.


    "Is that why you did all this?" Omilaena asked. "This is your only chance to get high stage puppets?"


    "That''s part of it." Jackal Thirteen raised his hands, extending razor wires around the area. "But the rest won''t matter to you, not for long."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Just as Omilaena managed to sever the threads around her arm, more gripped around her ankles. They pushed against her skin, as if they were trying to worm their way in, but they couldn''t penetrate. Unfortunately, they seemed to have some sort of draining effect, because her energy was flowing out of her. That could get bad quickly.


    "There are others who will come for me, you know." Omilaena sounded weak even in her own ears. When had she ever relied on anyone else?


    "They''ll have to get here within a few days, or their only options will be to destroy you or join you under me."


    "So the process takes a few days, huh?"


    Jackal Thirteen looked mildly irritated, then shrugged. "As you''ll find out. It depends on the strength of the body and their will to resist."


    "Fascinating. Tell me more."


    One of the weaker mercenaries unleashed a qi attack, a large sphere of spectral water. Omilaena tried to duck underneath, only to be pulled upward by the threads. She clipped the edge and hit the ground, not terribly injured, but stunned enough that more threads began wrapping around her.


    Just when she began to consider how desperate she was, Omilaena heard something boom through the air. She caught just a glimpse of a figure blurring through the sky, then power raked the landscape, massive claws tearing apart the courtyard as well as shredding most of the threads.


    Kai landed, his eyes burning like the fires of hell, and Omilaena decided that she didn''t mind being saved just this once.


    .


    ..


    .


    If he''d arrived just an hour or two earlier, Kai thought he could have prevented the entire disaster, or even joined the attack and won it. Instead he''d found out too late that the Earth Souls had left, then burned a huge part of his energy moving at top speed toward the patriarch''s vault based on little more than a feeling.


    Turned out he''d been right to rush. Omilaena had some more fight in her, but she was outnumbered and drained, while her opponent was highly dangerous. The rest of the Jackal mercenaries appeared to be Nascent Foundation stage, so they weren''t an immediate concern, but the others that were being controlled...


    His claw technique hadn''t severed the spiritual threads that controlled the puppet-like figures, so they reacted first. One was an old man wearing Manticore tribe robes, and his physical blow actually pushed Kai back a step. Whatever his current condition, the old man had nearly the strength of a Sky Soul.


    One of the weaker puppets lunged at him, but Kai caught it with a kick and the puppet''s chest caved in. He pushed it aside just in time to deflect the next blow - the Manticore patriarch struck at him over and over, beating him back across the courtyard.


    The lead mercenary was holding back, watching him, and that was a fatal mistake. While Kai defended from the blows, he had time to analyze his opponent and Behemoth''s Heart was restoring the stamina he''d drained rushing to the battle at top speed. His first concern had been whether the patriarch was still alive, but though he had the appearance of life and looked mostly human in his spiritual sight, the body itself seemed too stiff, as if it had been embalmed.


    So Kai let himself remain on the defensive until the others were about to ambush him, then he finally unleashed Baleful Breath. He very nearly caught the Manticore patriarch''s body, but at the last second it jerked into the air unnaturally, pulled away by the spiritual threads.


    Kai swept his maw after them, exhaling death into the sky. He managed to catch one of the other Jackal tribe mercenaries, who fell out of the cloud as char, but the Sky Soul enemy made a strange whirling movement. Countless threads wrapped around him, and though the breath burned them away, when the embers faded, the enemy was retreating into the sky beyond with his puppets and remaining allies trailing after him.


    For a moment Kai considered going after them, but his back ached where wings should have formed. If they''d taken Omilaena he would have pushed himself, but now he held back instead of pursuing them into a potential ambush.


    "Thank fuck." Omilaena was struggling up from the ground and he rushed to help her. "I didn''t think we''d win that one."


    "I''m glad I got here in time," Kai said, "but was that actually a victory? A lot of people are dead, and it looks like he''s controlling the Manticore tribe''s patriarch."


    "Maybe we''d better call it a draw. I suppose it depends on how much is left in the vault." Despite her casual words, Omilaena leaned heavily against his side. It wasn''t just exhaustion, he thought he felt a sort of relief that she rarely expressed. He wanted to enjoy the feeling of her body, but if there was more to this weariness in her...


    "If something had happened to you, I-"


    "Oh, don''t get soft on me now."


    "Alright, fine. You''re lucky I didn''t stay another night with Zae Zin Nim, or I would have had to go rescue you."


    Omilaena snorted into his side. "Then I should be glad you weren''t horny enough to stay. Doubly glad because you''re presumably hornier now. Let''s go find somewhere private."


    "Seriously? Even for you..." Kai gently examined her injured arm and shook his head.


    "It''ll be restorative fucking, I promise."


    Instead he just threw her over his shoulder, which she accepted with a laugh. That might be the only way he could get her to rest instead of pushing herself harder, and meanwhile they had important business to handle. He''d notified the Manticore clan about what he was doing, but they wouldn''t be here for some time, if they dared to follow at all.


    First he checked on the other Manticore tribesmen and was glad to find that three Earth Souls were still alive, plus Kulha. The others had said that Feida went with them, but he found no sign of her or her body. When she realized who he was looking for, Omilaena went quiet, which was answer enough.


    Finally he entered the patriarch''s home, which appeared to have been vacated of all Manticore clan members. There were ordinary rooms on the first floor, but he was only interested in the alleged vault below. When he walked down the stairs, he discovered a short hallway with three heavily reinforced doors on each side and one at the end. Most were intact, but two had been forced open and their contents looted.


    "The Jackal tribe mercenaries either only wanted part of the vault, or they ran out of time to break open the others." Omilaena wrapped herself around his back to look better. "That''s a shame. We may be able to find some things for Zin Nim, but they probably took the best treasures."


    "I have the real treasure in my arms right now," Kai said with a wry grin.


    "Wow, that was awful. Shut up and put that mouth to better use."

 Chapter 398: The Future of the Manticore Tribe

    "Stay."


    Kai had just moved his legs off the side of the bed, ready to begin what was sure to be a trying day, when Omilaena''s hand gripped his arm. Not gently - her fingers dug into his muscles like claws. He looked back to find her sprawled across their bed, tempting not because she was trying to be seductive but because she wasn''t. This was Omilaena stripped of all pretense, urging him back.


    "If you go out there," she said, "all our problems will start. Just stay."


    "Our problems are going to mount up even if we ignore them." But despite his words, Kai shifted back onto the bed, propped himself over her on one arm and leaning down to kiss her. Omilaena tangled a hand in his hair and kept him there for a long, hungry kiss.


    "I''m glad you came back early. It was just a month, but I go off track without you two."


    "Off track?"


    "I started getting bitter, but it turns out I just really needed to get laid." Omilaena smirked and tried to pull him down again, so he let himself rest just a little longer.


    He didn''t think she had been entirely honest at the end, but that was how Omilaena usually was and he thought she''d be more open in time. Besides, he''d missed this too. More than physical needs, when he''d been traveling on his own he''d missed having someone just relax beside him. The entire world was brutal, and Cloudspire especially seemed to be filled with backstabbing, so simple companionship meant a lot.


    "Alright, fine." Omilaena groaned and twisted underneath him, but she still wasn''t trying to distract. "I know we need to get started, so run cover for me."


    Kai kissed her again and then got up. The Beggar King''s Robes slithered around his body automatically, comfortable in seconds, and transformed to Manticore tribe robes. He hadn''t realized that they had shifted to gray in private and wondered about that. Omilaena muttered something unflattering about his magic clothes and rolled herself into a bundle of sheets.


    When he stepped outside the sun hadn''t risen above the horizon, but the activity in the camp made him feel like he''d overslept. Clusters of Manticore tribesmen huddled together, whispering to one another. For every one who was doing some sort of useful work, three shuffled to no real purpose and six cultivated desperately.


    He wasn''t sure how much information had gotten out, and in fact still wasn''t sure what it meant for them. It was a victory, but far from a complete one.


    "There you are!" Kulha trotted over to him, but he had a bandage across his chest and favored his left leg. "This is looking bad. Maybe if Feida had lived..."


    "You aren''t happy?" Kai asked, harsher than he''d intended. "I thought that was what you wanted."


    "I might have been able to take over the Claw faction at the beginning, but now?" Kulha grimaced as he stared over the feverish camp. "They''re already whispering, and the splinters that lost Earth Souls are basically ready to flee. Unless we do something, they could scatter to the winds."


    "Isn''t our most dangerous opponent gone?"


    "Gone for now, but if I try to lie about that, it will just raise questions about the patriarch. And letting that information get out would be the worst possible choice for us. If they don''t have some sort of hope before they find out, we don''t have a chance."


    "What''s stopping us from seizing the patriarch''s house?" Kai asked. "We have one of the largest armies, and if you can keep the Claw faction, we have half the tribe. The Quill faction''s top cultivators are gone, so who''s left to stop you from declaring yourselves the official tribe?"


    "That mercenary could always come back, but worse, the Head faction seems to have stopped its infighting. They have a pretty good force too, enough to pull some of our cultivators away and scare off others." Kulha rubbed at his bandaged wound. "I''m telling you, if we don''t take action, the alliance is going to scatter."


    There didn''t seem to be a good solution as far as Kai could see. Over time the Tail and Claw factions had come closer together, but Kulha was right that they wouldn''t actually unify, not without Feida to lead them. Because it had been a secret night mission, there would always be rumors that Kulha had killed her. And with a Sky Soul mercenary around and the Head faction gathering, there was plenty of reason for doubt.


    It made him think back to the revolution in Krysal, but the social environment was completely different. In Krysal, the people had been fighting for more than their lives, striving for a cause they believed in. In Cloudspire, there was no reason for them not to prioritize themselves and just leave.


    "Has there been any sign of Jackal Thirteen?" Omilaena spoke as she emerged from the tent, calmly placing one of her earrings. Her eyes were sharp, her legs flashed in her skirt, and there was generally no trace of the vulnerability he''d seen earlier.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    "That''s the Sky Soul?" Kulha could only shake his head. "I set up a lot of guards, like Kai ordered, but no sign of them and no deaths. Maybe the mercenary... got what he wanted and left."


    "That''s possible, but we shouldn''t count on it."


    "You''re probably right. Some of the other Earth Souls are afraid he went to the Head faction and that''s why they''ve regrouped. That would certainly do it, and it''d put us in a bad position. Given... who he controls... he could wreck the tribe''s morale at will."


    Kai still didn''t see a solution, but to his surprise Omilaena took his arm to pull him aside. She raised a single finger to Kulha, and the Manticore leader nodded meekly. Once they were out of hearing range, Omilaena leaned closer to him.


    "How much do you care about the Manticore tribe?" she asked. "Have you gotten too attached?"


    "I''ve been fighting with them for months," Kai said. "You both mock me for this, but isn''t it just reasonable to form a bond with people like that?"


    "I''d kill them all if it would help you or Zin Nim."


    "I mean, I''d definitely choose you over them, without question." Kai scratched at his chin and realized that he needed to shave after all his traveling. "Forget about that part of it. You wouldn''t ask if you didn''t have something in mind, so what are you thinking?"


    "I see two options: we abandon them, or we go all in." Omilaena raised her hands one at a time. "I''m confident that we can get Zin Nim past 999 with the vault materials, so we don''t need this tribe for much else. We can just leave." She clenched one hand, then flexed the open one. "But if we stay, we make sure they''re a useful resource. That means keeping them from falling apart."


    "Can we actually do that?"


    "You need to use that big voice of yours and tell them that they have a future."


    "I really don''t think that sort of thing will play well on Cloudspire."


    "What I mean is that you need to show them they have power backing them." Omilaena poked his chest with one sharp fingernail. "You told me that they were practically trying to make you their leader before. Take off your shirt, show them a big manticore tattoo, and they''ll follow you. You''re looking for chances to take your shirt off anyway, right?"


    He barely even considered her joke, instead staring at her. "I thought the tattoo might be limiting, and it sounded like you agreed. Did you change your mind?"


    "No, I spent a month training with their tattoo artists." Omilaena flicked a needle into existence and began spinning it around her fingers. "I think the most likely problem isn''t a tattoo limiting you, it''d be your body consuming all the power. So what I could do is modify the methods they use and create a temporary manticore. It will look good, you can impress everyone with your shirt off, but in the future you can leave them behind."


    "Huh." Kai tilted his head back to think about it, but immediately realized there wasn''t much to think about. He trusted Omilaena was right about the power side of things, and in that case there was no real question. "Let''s do it."


    So Kai told Kulha to keep the tribe together while Omilaena went to gather supplies, then they met in one of the empty tents. Kai lay down on his stomach, and when Omilaena touched his back, her fingers were cool and clinical. Whatever had been going on with her before, she''d definitely been restored to the venomous woman he knew and loved.


    "First let me see how you react." She pressed a needle into his back and he was surprised that it barely hurt at all, in fact it was barely even noticeable. "That''s not great. Your body starts absorbing the mana almost instantly, so the tattoo would be faded within a week."


    "Can we just use more ink? I know the leaders sometimes strengthen their tattoos by adding more."


    "No, what I think I need to do is add chakra. In fact, I probably need to do that anyway, or you might end up wiping it out the first time you transform with the Savage Heart. In that case..." She continued muttering to herself, considering the variables and only occasionally asking him a question.


    Several experiments later, Omilaena seemed to be satisfied. She inked something across his back, then gestured for him to roll over. When Kai shifted onto his back she leapt up to straddle his stomach, and despite her smirk, her eyes were completely business-like.


    "Here''s the plan: I''m going to do a fancy tattoo across your chest, and it''s going to go deep. You''ll need to focus, or your body might heal it away. But in theory, I can create a stable mana formation. It will start weak, but it should be able to accumulate mana. I don''t want to give you a false impression this will result in a big powerup, but it will definitely do its job here."


    "How is that going to fit into my soul?" Kai asked.


    "We''ll have to find out. Now hold still."


    The process took over an hour, despite Omilaena''s swift fingers, and by the end she was sweating from the energy drain. Kai could feel the power spreading across his chest, though, similar to the Manticore tribe''s but subtly different. He realized that it was a bit like a Goralian Class and that Omilaena must have integrated what she''d learned on Deadwaste.


    She rubbed her forehead and sat down to recover, but she''d taken him far enough. As he prepared to leave, Kai looked down at the bright red manticore spreading across his chest. He''d never been one for tattoos, but he thought that Omilaena''s was better than the others, with greater detail that made the ferocity impressive instead of strange.


    As he stepped out of the tent, the Beggar King''s Robes obediently stayed around his waist, baring the new tattoo. Kai began walking into the camp and saw the news ripple out from him as the cultivators began to notice.


    When Kulha approached, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Kai reached out and grabbed his hand, shaking it firmly. That wasn''t the cultivator way, but he wasn''t here to be a cultivator, he was here to be their strange barbarian champion. Whatever they thought about him, they knew that he was strong, and the symbol across his chest was undeniable.


    "Are you a bunch of frightened juniors?" Kai shouted the question and drew the entire camp''s attention to him. "Are you going to flee to stronger sects? Disappear into the Western Wilds? Run and be picked off one by one? Or... are you the Manticore tribe?"


    It wasn''t much of a speech, but the cultivators responded with a roar of approval. Kai raised his hands, accepting their praise, even as he knew the colors across his chest wouldn''t last.

 Chapter 399: Treasures and Trash

    Being a tribal patriarch turned out to be both easier and more tiring than Kai had expected. He wasn''t an administrative leader, not by any means, and actually most of the organizational and even strategic decisions were made by others. Instead his job seemed to be composed of two duties: be powerful and dispense more power.


    "We''ve come to pledge fealty." The splinter group of Manticore tribesmen bowed to him, not just at the waist but dropping to their knees and lowering their foreheads to the ground. Kowtowing, Zae Zin Nim had called it.


    "Right, we expect you to do the best for the Manticore tribe." Kai waved them upward, then gestured to the servants - basically outer sect members - to bring forth another box. "For your loyalty, we''ll give you these qi pills. If you prove yourselves, you''ll be given more."


    The servants handed them the box, which the cultivators greedily examined. A moment later some snatched up their pills, others stared, and one of the leaders stared at him. "How... you are willing to give us such powerful pills?"


    "We have plenty." Kai waved them aside. "Next."


    "But how? Such alchemy is-"


    "Don''t waste the patriarch''s time!" Kulha stepped from the side of the tent, roaring at the top of his lungs. "We have wealth and secret methods you can''t dream of. Get out and prove yourselves worthy of them!"


    Once the group retreated with many more bows, Kai sighed and his shoulders sank. He was getting tired of going around bare-chested all the time to show his tattoo, and even more tired of dealing with the Manticore tribesmen. Maybe the bowing and scraping was gratifying to others, but not him.


    "Patriarch, we have some of what you requested." New voices as the next group was allowed inside.


    The next group held forth a lacquered box as an offering, like most of the others. Kai couldn''t just grab it himself, he had to wait for servants to carry it the several feet between them... but as it got closer, he realized that this one actually had useful resources. He hadn''t noticed at first, but one of the group was an Earth Soul.


    "These are all the foreign resources we have," the leader explained. "We have an Iron Maiden Pill, qi pills for a late stage Earth Soul, and a Northern Heavens Pill that will freeze the body of whoever takes it. If you need other-"


    "This will do." Kai accepted the box, then reached into his spatial ring and pulled out several of the trinkets he kept there. "As thanks, you''ll receive these pills, antidotes, and a liquid tattoo. Be careful not to use it until your hour of greatest need, because the power will not last."


    Actually, the "liquid tattoo" was just a syringe produced by Omilaena, but the Earth Soul cradled it like a gift from the heavens. Since they didn''t really use power like that here, such a boost was immensely valuable. Syringes had been his primary lever for convincing Earth Souls, both to join him and to bring them the resources he actually did need.


    As far as Omilaena was concerned, they were exploiting the Manticore tribe for all it was worth, but Kai thought about it as simple comparative advantage. He wasn''t being generous by giving out resources too weak for him to use anyway, so he gave away everything that couldn''t be used by him, Omilaena, or Zae Zin Nim. Given that the survival of the tribe was at stake, he figured it was pointless to be hoarding cultivation resources instead of strengthening the tribe.


    It seemed like there weren''t any other groups waiting, which was just as well. Kai pulled up the Beggar King''s Robes, which turned back into a comfortable cloak, and started to walk out. Before he could get all the way, Kulha shifted to walk beside him as they ducked through the tent flaps.


    "I still can''t believe it," the Manticore Tail leader said. "How can Omilaena produce so many powerful items? I know some of these pills are from the vault, but half of the resources you give are brand new."


    "She has secret ancestral arts from Rosemount," Kai said vaguely. They went crazy over secret arts here. "But you should thank her for devoting so much of her time to strengthening the Manticore tribe."


    "I absolutely do. We set up guards so that her tent would not be disturbed." Kulha stared out toward the tent set apart from the others and shook his head. "Now I understand why you always refused offers of women. Such strength and ability, and she seems like she''d be a wild animal in bed. Does sh-"


    "Do you need something?" Kai asked.


    The leader flinched back a step and bowed. "You''ve given out liquid tattoos to many of the smaller factions, but I wanted to ask for one myself. And, if it is possible, a permanent tattoo. I do not ask for one equal to yours, but..."


    "We need to focus on unifying the splinter groups first." As he spoke, however, Kai realized that he shouldn''t take Kulha for granted. Kai could lead via raw strength, but having a local expert was essential for multiple reasons. So he turned and put a hand on the other man''s shoulder. "If you want to earn your own tattoos, help me find a real manticore. Feida said it might be possible."


    "Possible, but hardly easy! Manticores are dangerous beasts that can threaten entire cities. Our ancestors named themselves after it to inspire the same ferocity. But that means there are not many alive, and they may be in territory we do not control..."This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Most likely Kai could just have said "I want one" or even just slapped Kulha and ordered him to obey. That would have been the normal patriarch thing to do. But he really wanted to hunt and eat a proper manticore, so he turned fully to the other man and lowered his voice.


    "You said the tribe needs to be unified, and they need a symbol," Kai said. "What better symbol than your namesake? The monster itself can be refined into new power, so it will prepare us to face our final enemies."


    "She can even do such a thing?" Kulha''s eyes widened.


    It was mildly annoying for him to assume that Omilaena was doing everything, but truthfully, she might actually be able to use parts of the corpse, so Kai only nodded.


    "Incredible. I thank the heavens every day that she blesses us with such bounty."


    .


    ..


    .


    Another failure. Omilaena cursed under her breath and dumped the trash pills into her bin for Manticore cultivators.


    Since Kai had decided to start swinging a big patriarchal dick around, she had access to the resources and specialists she hadn''t gotten before, which meant she needed to perfect her technique. She was no expert when it came to qi alchemy, but she could easily use chakra techniques to produce effective pills. For people with small and unimaginative powers, they were apparently impressive.


    Omilaena swept her worktable clean, assembled fresh materials, and began again. Mana refined from the local ink, powerful qi pills from the vault, and her own chakra... maybe the mana ink was the flawed component despite its power. She could test the theory, anyway.


    Her real goal in all this was to produce a pill that could let Zin Nim break through the 999 Power barrier. That would have been impossible even a few years ago, but now she understood the principle: such pills involved a significant amount of power - any kind - that was Soul aspected. She still understood that aspect of power relatively little, so she was reliant on advancement materials like those she had taken from the vault. But if she could retain that aspect, the power would deepen and strengthen the soul.


    The trouble was creating a balance perfect for Zin Nim. She''d rejected the Heavenly Maiden Pill, which was a formula refined over generations, so the only way Omilaena could compete was creating one specifically for her. A perfect mix of all energies and aspects... if she could just get it right.


    Technically she had other objectives, such as mastering cultivation tattoos and absorbing new poisons, but Omilaena was fixated on this. Years ago, Zae Zin Nim had sacrificed a perfect opportunity to break the 999 barrier for her sake, valuing their advancement as a group over her own. She had suffered for that, stuck at the barrier for so long, so Omilaena was determined to prove that it had been the right choice.


    Her next attempt was a half-success: she didn''t ruin any of the materials and the result was actually powerful. Good enough for cultivation... not good enough for Zin Nim. Omilaena sighed, melted the result down into trash pills, and leaned against her worktable for a while.


    Eventually she took off her goggles and dropped down into the chair behind her. She wouldn''t figure this out by brute force, so she needed new inspiration.


    At least Kai''s tattoo was working just as intended. So long as he didn''t accidentally eat the ink, it should slowly absorb mana over time and be useful for something. She kind of liked the savage effect on his appearance, and she had even more fun imagining how upset Zin Nim was going to be.


    She pulled a jar of mana ink from her spatial pouch and tossed it up in one hand, catching and tossing over and over. It was an interesting technique, binding power into a physical form. Definitely a hint of the Essence aspect, actually similar to the strange Krysali cultivation she''d spent so long studying. The principle was the same, using the physical aspect not as the central power, like in Irun, but to keep the power isolated from the rest...


    "Aha!" Omilaena sat upright and snatched the jar out of the air so hard she almost shattered it. She leapt to her feet and began working feverishly on a new project.


    The cultivator tribes used the Essence principle to contain mana and make it subservient to their qi, which explained so many of the details she hadn''t understood about the tattooing arts. They needed a physical material to anchor everything to the body, preventing any conflicts. Just doing that over and over again stretched their Physique to its limits, which was why they could only support so many tattoos, but the same principle...


    Omilaena cackled to herself as she worked. All that time she''d thought was wasted in Krysal was going to be useful after all.


    What she needed to do was combine the "containing" element of the tattoos with the "manifesting" element of crystal cultivation. Instead of just using her Essence capacity as a vehicle for other power, though, she would tie them directly together. That capacity was already filled by her Lethal Artisan capacity, but she could strengthen it with qi.


    And she had the perfect material. Omilaena brought out the ice qi that she''d been liquefying and examined it carefully. The qi was extremely powerful and suited enough to her, but the problem was that she didn''t want to just throw a new element into her soul. But if she contained that element, she should be able to combine it with Lethal Artisan...


    "Hey." Kai ducked into the tent behind her. "I got them to agree to-"


    "Not now!" Omilaena waved over her shoulder as she kept working.


    Thankfully, Kai just sat down with a look of mild amusement. She''d never really shown this side of herself to men before, other than those she was going to kill. Yet Kai didn''t seem even mildly put off, and he liked her just as much in tunic and goggles as in dresses.


    There was no time for those thoughts, though, not when there was work to do.


    Eventually her rush of inspiration ran out, a little before the finish line. Omilaena was completely certain that the principle would work, she just needed to figure out the process, such as creating ice ink and determining the exact mechanism. She could work that out later, when she was fresh. After staring over her table for a while, she turned back.


    Kai had been cultivating at the side of her tent, but opened one eye to look at her. "Done?"


    "For now." She flopped into his lap and went limp. "What did you want to talk about?"


    "We absorbed a new breakaway sect that actually knows about the location of a manticore. I''m going to go hunt it, and I wanted to ask whether you wanted to come along."


    Omilaena had been planning to lay around but now jerked upright again. "Really? That soon?"


    "It''s been a week."


    "I''ve been distracted. But no, you''re right, I need this." She got back up and rubbed her fingers over the Prana Jewels. They were somewhat stronger than before, thanks to all the new poisons she''d used them on, but not enough to heal Kir Mei Bai.


    How long had it been? She lost track of time while doing more interesting things, but she estimated that it had been almost two months since they left the Pureflower sect. So, assuming they used all their desperation pills, that meant Kir Mei Bai had three or four months left to live. A legendarily poisonous monster like a manticore might be just what she needed.


    "So you''re interested?" Kai asked.


    Omilaena grinned back at him. "It''s a hunt."

 Chapter 400: Hunting the Manticore

    The Western Wilds spread around them. As they traveled further north to hunt down the manticore, the rocky outcroppings lost their bizarre twisting shapes and became lower and flatter. Far more foliage began growing on them, until they were traveling through a diffuse forest. Strangest of all, the plants changed wildly by elevation, so a sea of green might have an island of bright gold trees, with spots of other colors spread across the crags.


    Supposedly this region was considered low quality because the powers were so mixed and muddy, but it seemed intense to Kai in comparison to Deadwaste. There was a lot of chakra, which no doubt interfered with their pristine qi traditions. That chakra couldn''t compare to Rosemount, however, with various mixed forces that he couldn''t identify.


    Kai realized that he had only been patriarch for about two weeks and he was already sick of it and glad to be back in the wilderness. He could never be a Goralian hunter, but he was definitely better suited to hunting than sect or tribe politics.


    Of course, unlike so much of his early life, he wasn''t alone anymore. Omilaena moved along behind him, sitting cross-legged on a flying sword so she could continue her experiments. These days they seemed to involve using her chakra to filter liquids, ranging from ink to ice.


    "We''re actually getting close to the area where the manticore was sighted," Kai told her. "Do you want to put those away so they don''t get broken?"


    "You''re assuming that it actually finds and attacks us quickly." Omilaena shrugged without looking up. "I''ll keep working until we run into trouble."


    "You remember what they t-"


    "Had it all memorized as soon as they told us. Don''t worry, I''ll leave things to you and only jump in if it seems necessary."


    Omilaena might feel completely confident, but Kai still ran through the information in his head. Manticores were said to be taller than the height of a man, which meant they would weigh far more. Their claws and teeth were dangerous, but what made them truly deadly was their tail, which could allegedly launch poisoned quills.


    The scrolls from the Manticore tribe said that the slightest touch of a manticore''s poison was instantly lethal, so the only way to hunt them was to have a Sky Soul who brought overwhelming force. There were records of a large formation of sixty-four cultivators suppressing one to be killed, for poison extraction, but Kai didn''t want to rely on the tribe for this.


    It turned out that Omilaena was right: they traveled for almost a day, only being occasionally attacked by trivial monsters. She teased him about it, but he didn''t mind. Honestly, he would have been happy to just travel with her, if they didn''t have deadlines bearing down on them. The Manticore tribe needed leadership, the leader of the Pureflower sect was dying, and Zae Zin Nim was waiting for them...


    And then Kai spotted something in the underbrush of the nearest hill. Its yellow mane was almost perfectly camouflaged by the bright leaves, but he caught a glimpse of its soul.


    <


    Monster: Manticore


    Threat: ???


    >


    While pretending not to notice, Kai rubbed his eyes and tried to refocus his mind. The manticore must have some sort of camouflage, because it was hard to pin down and the symbols in his spiritual sight wavered. He wanted to fixate on it and get a better look, but that would alert the monster that he had spotted its location.


    "You noticed?" Omilaena spoke conversationally, not looking in any particular direction.


    "Sure did." Kai began taking them at an angle, as if they would pass the forested hill. "I''m assuming it''s an ambush predator."


    "That''s how it looks to me. But are we sure it''s a monster?"


    "Obviously it is, unless you mean..."


    The difference between monsters and sacred beasts might be critical on Rosemount, but they didn''t have too many of either on Cloudspire. It seemed plausible that they referred to it casually as a monster while it was actually a sacred beast. When he had a chance to do so naturally, Kai caught another peek.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    <


    Beast: Manticore (???)


    Total Power: 441


    Manticore Essence: 320


    Venom Element: 117


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    Immediately the symbols cohered much better into something he could understand. The manticore was reasonably strong, but not as powerful as he''d hoped. There was no way to be sure if its essence would be strong enough, even if he was able to eat it. Lucky that he had Omilaena along, since her injections might make that possible.


    "You''re right," Kai said as he kept his gaze away. They were getting closer to the ambush point now. "No matter what, it''s worth killing as a symbol for the tribe. We just need to fly into its ambush."


    "I''ll stay out of it," Omilaena said, "but... be careful. I don''t like this."


    He wanted to ask her what she didn''t like, but at that moment the manticore leapt from its perch. It was completely silent until its claws were almost on him, then it let out an earsplitting roar as it slashed down.


    Kai unleashed Tyrant''s Claw at full strength, his claws impacting the beast before it could finish its pounce. The manticore flew backward with a trail of blood, smashing through two trees before impacting against the rocks at the bottom of the hill.


    It had managed to survive his attack, but it bled profusely across its belly and one leg. Since it was limping weakly, Kai got a better look at it: the monster had the body of a lion, with a red-gold mane around its head. He hadn''t noticed the wings at first, but now they flared to either side like a threat display. Most dangerous, a segmented tail arched up behind it, ending in a spiked ball that must be the quills and stinger.


    To his disappointment, the monster''s head only came up to his chest. The sources must have meant "man-height" for Cloudspire, which he always forgot about. Due to its bulk, the beast might still outweigh him, but it was obviously much weaker. The only risk was that its poison might be as deadly as reported.


    When Kai took a step forward, the beast let out a warning growl. It didn''t strike yet, surprisingly, not until he advanced again. Then the tail lashed out, hurling several of its quills. Kai had been ready with a half-phase, just in case, and grabbed two of the quills out of his path as he ran forward.


    His second blow hit the beast in the heavy shoulders, sinking deep. Even as it collapsed, the tail stabbed down at him like a scorpion, but he deflected it with a clawed hand, then finished off the manticore with a kick to the neck. Best to leave the head intact as a trophy.


    "So that''s all." Kai tossed the quills to Omilaena, who caught them curiously. "Is that poison as bad as they claimed?"


    "I don''t think so." She ran her tongue along the edge of the spine, frowned slightly, then tossed him the other one. "Poke yourself with that and see what happens."


    Kai stabbed the quill into his leg and to his surprise it snapped off. There was a surge of pain, more than he expected for poisons, but his leg didn''t even feel like it would be immobilized. Strong enough to be worth it for Omilaena, hopefully, but not a real threat.


    "Did they know anything about manticore breeding?" she asked.


    "They''re solitary as far as I know, so the tribes don''t know much." Kai bent down to cut out a chunk of the beast''s chest to test his beast absorption. "Why do you ask?"


    "Well, that would change what exactly we''re hunting. There''s..."


    "Wait." Kai had tried to chew on some of the meat, and his hunger wanted him to eat more, but he wasn''t getting any essence from it. "Can you give me one of those injections?"


    "Fine." Omilaena tossed him a syringe distractedly while she examined the body with a grim expression.


    After he cut another steak of manticore flesh, Kai injected it with her formula, then took a bite. Now it tasted as savory as before, with an edge of monster that let him absorb the power. He''d hoped that he could advance in this ability, after Rosemount, but there hadn''t been much time to practice.


    "Do you think I''m doing something wrong?" he asked.


    "Hmm?" Omilaena blinked up at him.


    "With eating sacred beasts. Or will I never be able to consume them without modification?"


    "Well, monsters will freely eat animals, sacred beasts, and people."


    "They don''t eat other monsters, though, which is how this all began."


    "It''s true, it''s not a one-to-one comparison." Whatever had been distracting her, Omilaena returned to him and spoke more sharply. "As best I can tell, monsters seem to be voids of power, so they''ll consume anything. But it doesn''t seem to satisfy them, so they''ll eat forever. You aren''t exactly the same, because you''re part human. That means you can absorb the power, but it limits what you can consume."


    Were the limits in his mind, or did his power actually need to grow first? The other puzzling factor was that he''d been able to absorb something from Anaelina before she died, yet he''d never been able to consume energy from humans or other intelligent races. His monstrous nature granted him immense power, yet there was still so much to discover...


    Then a roar shook the earth.


    Kai looked up in time to see another manticore bearing down on him. If he hadn''t trained a half-phase in speed it might have successfully attacked him, but he had a moment to absorb a crystal clear image. It was far larger than the first, much taller than him, its claws churning the earth with every step. Instead of a reddish gold mane, this one was bright crimson.


    <


    Beast: Adult Manticore


    Total Power: 1138


    Manticore Essence: 501


    Venom Element: 588


    Soul Level: 7 (49)


    >


    Worse, this one was far stronger than the first. Not as strong as him, but given the threat of its poison...


    The tail flicked upright, even faster than the beast itself. Kai moved on instinct, grabbing Omilaena and leaping to safety, even as the tail exploded with quills. They hammered through the area around them, shredding trees and punching deep into stone. Somehow he leapt to a safe distance through the storm and set Omilaena down.


    She was staring at him, eyes wider than normal. He thought she was surprised by the sudden attack until he felt the pain spread across his torso. When he looked back, he saw the quills embedded in his back. Flesh wounds, but he could feel the poison coursing through his body.


    Behemoth''s Heart began to thump powerfully in his chest, but for the first time he could remember, the heart seemed to be struggling.

 Chapter 401: Another Monstrous Echo

    As the manticore bore down on them, Kai actually swayed on his feet. He''d grown so used to Behemoth''s Heart taking care of small aches and pains that he was off balance at first. It swiped with one massive paw, only to be met by Omilaena hurling needles into the pad of its foot. The manticore pulled back with another roar, but the needles looked tiny compared to its bulk.


    "I don''t think poison is going to bring it down," Omilaena said. "You okay?"


    "I''ll manage." Kai regained his balance and, when the manticore lashed out with its tail, he was able to strike it aside.


    Given time, Behemoth''s Heart could neutralize the manticore''s poison, but until then he couldn''t count on it to regenerate any wounds. At least half a dozen quills had pierced his body, and combined the ache was starting to get to him. He could definitely fight, but for how long? This wasn''t the time to play around and try for a challenge.


    When the manticore raised its tail again, he saw that the quills seemed to have regenerated. Before it could attack, Kai created the strongest Tyrant''s Claw he could and swung his hand, aiming to decapitate the beast in the first strike.


    He might have a decisive power advantage, but he wasn''t quite fast enough: the manticore managed to twist aside and his claw only tore through its mane. That slowed it down enough that he and Omilaena had time to leap away before it unleashed the next wave of quills.


    When they landed in the forest, a decent distance away, he heard Omilaena grunt. There was a quill through the flesh of her calf and she stumbled a step. As soon as she saw his look, she shook her head.


    "The poison can''t kill me, but this isn''t going to be good."


    "Quick kill?" Kai asked. "Or retreat?"


    "Retreat and study the poison. Want to escape in a cloud?"


    Before he could answer, the manticore pursued them. It didn''t charge into the clearing where they stood, wary of his power, instead prowling through the shadows around them. The beast moved far more sinuously through the trees than anything that large should have been able to, and he could see the quills on its tail regrowing. Powerful as it was, the beast was fundamentally an ambush predator, so they couldn''t give it the advantage by waiting.


    But the manticore should have attacked more aggressively, because it was too late now. Kai breathed Baleful Breath toward it, forcing it to flee, and felt Omilaena releasing poison behind him. They spun around, back to back, and created a full circle of deadly smoke around them.


    As soon as the adult manticore was completely lost in the clouds, they plunged into the poison at max speed and Omilaena grabbed the small manticore corpse. For a time they simply ran, Omilaena pushing herself hard to keep up with Thunderbird''s Wings. It ended a considerable distance away when she collapsed to the forest floor, clutching her leg.


    Yet when she looked up at him, she grinned. "That thing was a challenge after all, huh?"


    "Yeah, I guess I underestimated it." Kai''s smile became a grimace as he pulled one of the quills out of his back. "We could probably have won, buying time until I recovered, but maybe it''s better to take it on without the ambush."


    "I could use more of its venom, anyway. Can''t get venom from a dead monster."


    "Except it''s not a monster. Did you suspect the first one might be a young manticore?"


    "I have no frame of reference for the species, but I figured if they''re sacred beasts, they must breed, which means-" Another manticore emerged from of the trees, silent as death.


    Kai saw it with brutal clarity as it raised its tail toward Omilaena''s back. This manticore was sleeker, with no mane and darker-colored quills on its tail. It was nearly as large as the first adult, though, and he had no doubt the quills would be just as deadly.


    He had no time to try to intercept its attack. Instead Kai leapt to the opposite side of Omilaena, Thunderbird''s Wings exploding from his back, and turned to wrap them around her. Quills struck his back and wings, some of them piercing, but none of them got through to her.


    It should have been over, but this manticore wasn''t done, unleashing another burst of quills. Kai grimaced and tried to achieve a defensive half-phase, making the quills break against his skin, but it couldn''t last. The wings were thin and never meant to be used as a shield, yet if they broke and Omilaena was hit by the full attack...


    He reached deeper into the Savage Heart, willing it to thicken his wings, create armor, anything that could endure the attack. As he went deeper into his soul, the ground seemed to give out from under him and he fell and fell and fell...If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    .


    ..


    .


    Omilaena had been completely unaware of the first attack, so Kai''s defense had been all that saved her. After that she forced herself back to her feet, ignoring the pain in her leg, and intended to grab him and pull him away from the ongoing quill assault.


    Then suddenly Kai''s eyes darkened, becoming abysses that contained hints of something worse. She had seen him partially transform before, but this was different: the monstrous flesh of his claws was running up his arms, the leathery skin of his wings spread across his back, and his mouth began to twist into something inhuman.


    He dropped onto all fours and then sprang at the female manticore with a terrible roar. It tried to unleash more quills, but they splintered off the new armor growing over his body. Kai hit the beast as a pure monster, slamming it into a nearby tree. They rolled together, tearing at one another, and he came out on the other side of the beast.


    Immediately his claws grabbed the tail and he pulled, first swinging the manticore to smash into the ground, then hacking at the base of the tail. As Omilaena watched in shock, he tore off the tail and spun it around, first savagely bludgeoning the beast and then thrusting the tail through its chest.


    Kai at his full strength might have been able to kill a manticore that fast, but he never would have done it that way. This was something different, something savage... as he turned from the corpse toward her, his soul flickered in her vision.


    <


    Monster: ???


    Threat: ???


    >


    No, that wasn''t right. This was still Kai, even if he was staring at her with monstrous hunger. She forced herself to look harder, to remember that this was the Savage Heart being fueled by his chakra. When she did, Omilaena managed to see his familiar soul, but something new leaped out at her.


    <


    Savage Form (+50)


    >


    Her eyes widened as she saw a Savage Form granting him additional strength. The Savage Heart users on Rosemount had been able to transform, revealing strength that was otherwise left hidden. She had presumed that because Kai''s power was purely monstrous, it was active at all times instead of being hidden, but apparently that theory was incorrect.


    "That''s pretty impressive," Omilaena started to say, but then Kai lunged for her.


    Given her injuries, she had no chance of getting out of the way. Kai had her gripped in his claws a second later, pushed up against a tree. A naive part of her felt a flutter of excitement, as she wouldn''t have minded a wild Kai ravishing her, but the cynical part saw that his eyes held only death.


    His jaws opened wide and she barely ducked underneath the bite. She formed and hurled needles directly at his face even as she twisted out of his grip. It almost wasn''t possible, but the needles ringing off his armored head distracted him enough for her to use her leverage and escape.


    She only got a few steps away before Kai was staring at her again, growling. Instead of trying to run, Omilaena raised her hands to either side. "Kai, it''s me. You''ve gone too deep into the Savage Heart, you need to come back."


    No reaction whatsoever. Omilaena felt a flicker of real fear and started to take a step back, but at that moment she heard another roar.


    The sound of the other manticore made Kai''s head swivel sharply, then twist. When he looked back, she saw that something human had returned to his gaze. He still looked like a monster, but when those burning pits fixed on her, there was a hint of recognition.


    "Omi... laena...?" Suddenly Kai''s monstrous armor began to dissolve and he collapsed.


    Despite what she''d just seen, Omilaena leapt forward to catch him before he could fall. He felt reassuringly heavy and human against her, but there was no time for that. She managed to pull his body far enough for her to grab the female manticore corpse, then she fled.


    Eventually she found a crevice between hills, too narrow for the male manticore to enter, and made camp there. For a time she heard the roars of pain and rage as it paced around the forest, but it didn''t seem able to sniff them out. Omilaena could understand its pain, in a distant way, but she cared far more about her own mate than some beast''s.


    As she prepared the Prana Jewels to treat Kai, Omilaena realized yet again that all her fears earlier had been for nothing. When she was on her own, the doubts seeped through her like venom, but as soon as she was with them again, she knew what she wanted.


    .


    ..


    .


    Kai remembered none of it. He had felt the pain, and the desperation trying to increase his defenses, then he had woken up. Everything in between was just an explanation he struggled to believe.


    When he first jerked awake he''d been intensely afraid for Omilaena, so much that he thrashed upright until she soothed him back down. She removed the last quills from his body, absorbed the poison as best she could, and let him recover. Her own leg had been bandaged and she treated it very gingerly.


    "I can''t believe I almost killed you," he said again. He''d said it at least twice since she''d explained.


    "Almost, but you didn''t. You just need to gain control." Omilaena touched his shoulder surprisingly gently as she cleaned off another wound.


    "Can I? The Savage Heart always preached about giving in to your wild impulses. If mine are monstrous, there might be nothing human inside them."


    "You''ve always told me that you''re a true mixture of the two. The fact that you can fall into that hunger for a while doesn''t mean it will always be in control." Omilaena drew back slightly and examined his soul for the trait that he''d never personally seen. "My best guess is that the strength you normally use is what you can tap into while under full control, but if you push a step further you gain a transformation."


    "I never felt anything like that before."


    "You never tried to use it that way, or the Savage Heart wasn''t strong enough, or maybe it has something to do with finishing the Body Refinement stage. Whatever the reason, this is something you''ll have to figure out."


    "Right." Kai rubbed his forehead for a while, then other thoughts began to push through the shock. "So what do we do now?"


    "Well, I have the bodies of the two manticores we killed." Omilaena pulled the smallest manticore head out of her sack to show him. "We could go back and declare the hunt a success."


    For a moment the silence stretched between them, as if what had happened had damaged something important... then he saw the slight twitch at the corner of her lips. Despite everything, Omilaena still trusted him and still wanted to do this.


    "Obviously not," Kai said. "Let''s get ready for a rematch."

 Chapter 402: Mixed Training at the Pits of Strength

    Technically, Zae Zin Nim was guarding her mana pool, but she wasn''t sure what would actually happen if she was challenged. The Thundering Scorpion tribe required everything to be done in pairs, due to their strange formation, and she was alone. Of course, she would bet on herself against any two of these inferior cultivators, but they might try to twist the rules against her, and she couldn''t fight them all at once.


    In theory she had the Bloodcoral sect to support her, and presumably they could grant her a second team member if it was necessary. She preferred not to think about them, so she focused on her training.


    The bottom of a narrow pit would be an excellent, if undignified, place to cultivate. Mana training was less sedate, so Zae Zin Nim found herself pacing around the mana pool so much that she practically wore her footsteps into the stone. She regularly absorbed small emanations of mana from the center, just to boost her progress slightly further, then she returned to training.


    Omilaena''s idea about merging her qi techniques with the Coldfire Corona had set off a new sequence of ideas for her. She moved through the formal positions of the Brightwind martial arts that she had learned from birth, but she made the mana fire roll along with her movements. Even though it was shockingly presumptuous to add new elements to such ancient formations, she felt as though she owned them even more than before.


    Once she finished with that, however, her next training was entirely derived from Kai. She walked up to one of the walls at the bottom of the pit, took a deep breath, and then slammed her palm against it.


    It was a brute force technique, as used by some hard martial artists, and her techniques all followed soft principles. Yet it felt right, from the way her mana traveled through her arm to the way the force leapt back into her palm. All of her old instructors would have been horrified, saying that she would ruin her flawless hands with calluses, but she trusted that her Physique would protect her.


    After one thousand strikes, she walked to the opposite wall and shifted to practicing her Coldfire Palm. The exact movements of qi and mana became easier and easier, until the two automatically formed into the technique. She had practiced most of her other techniques for years, yet this one had become natural in such a short time.


    By the time she was done, she had left a handprint in the wall taller than her.


    Zae Zin Nim had been so focused on her training that she was shocked to feel herself truly a little stronger than before. Most of the time when she felt stronger it was simply using her body more effectively, putting more of her available strength into the palm strikes. But this was a true difference, meaning that her Coldfire Corona had finally advanced, so she eagerly checked her soul.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 999 (limited)


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 39% (517)


    *Heavenly Sash: Cultivation +10% (51)


    Coldfire Corona: 99 (109)


    Pure Yin Shroud: Garnet Rank (199)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-9 (107)


    Blackblood Shadow (+50)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    >


    Most of her essence remained trapped behind the barrier, but she only had eyes for one line: the Coldfire Corona had reached Level 99. According to what Inafay and the Frontier elites had told her, this was the very limit of a basic class. Now all she needed was a sufficiently dense concentration of mana and she could break through into an Advanced Class, which would be unknown territory for her.


    She had a sufficient source of mana, because Kai was a dutiful husband, but if she attempted to use it right now, it would all be wasted against the 999 barrier. And so she waited yet longer, hoping that this would all be enough.


    "Pardon me." As if summoned by her idleness, Cor Li Xan at the edge of her pit. "Have you reconsidered? Your help would be much appreciated by the Bloodc-"


    "Alright." Zae Zin Nim lightly pushed off with her foot and soared back to the surface. Her eyes narrowed in the abrupt sunlight and she reluctantly focused on the man. "You want me to help fight with one of your cultivators?"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "With me, actually." Cor Li Xan looked surprised that she had accepted, but smiled broadly. "There''s a strong source of qi that we want to take from the Thundering Scorpion tribe, which I think would be just as useful to you as to me. Come this way."


    He stepped onto a flying sword and gestured for her to join him, but Zae Zin Nim pulled out her own to fly separately. They were just going back the usual arena where the high level duels took place, which was familiar to her by now. The Bloodcoral sect had asked for her help before and she''d accepted when she wasn''t too focused on her own training, because they were marginally less annoying than everyone else would be.


    Once she stepped into the dueling arena, she resolved to ignore everything, defeat her opponent with a single Coldfire Palm, and leave. Yet as the audience saw her, she couldn''t ignore their words.


    "It''s the Great Palm Maiden!"


    "Such incredible skin! How can she maintain that?"


    "Why is the Great Palm Maiden fighting again?"


    She had to admit that a petty fragment of herself still enjoyed hearing them praise her. Even if she had grown beyond the girl she had once been, she had been hideous and damned for so long, it felt good to be praised again. But "Great Palm Maiden" was a foolish name. At least it meant her new technique was having an impact, and if word of her spread, her father would never in a thousand years imagine she could be associated with such a name.


    "It''s Cor Li Xan! He hasn''t fought in over a month!"


    "The Bloodcoral sect has been challenging more aggressively."


    "He only fights with the Great Palm Maiden. Are they beloveds?"


    Zae Zin Nim''s eyes widened and she started to glare at the audience before remembering herself and ignoring them. How dare they make such an assumption about her? Cor Li Xan was moving into position, apparently ignoring her as he focused on their opponents. She remained irritated until the gong sounded and the match began.


    And then ended: one step, one palm, one defeated opponent.


    She nodded in satisfaction as they were declared the victors and granted access to another pit. No matter that her advancement was stuck, she could still refine herself. Once she finally developed her qi and mana properly, she hoped that her technique would be multiplied by all of this training.


    It should have been no surprise that Cor Li Xan flew after her when they went to the qi pit, because he had stated this was his goal from the beginning. She still found herself eyeing him suspiciously along the way. So far he had been only mildly annoying, never improper. Cloudspire could be counted on for a certain degree of propriety, especially compared to the constant lewdness of Rosemount.


    "They say this sort of qi is most useful for the middle stage of Earth Soul," Cor Li Xan told her. "I''m still in the early stage, but I have undergone special training to absorb intense qi."


    "Did you want to cultivate here?" Zae Zin Nim stepped away from the entrance politely.


    "There is enough for two cultivators or more. There is no reason to limit yourself."


    Ordinarily Zae Zin Nim would never enter a dark, confined, poorly visible place with a man, but this place was a rough camp. She valued the source of qi more than she worried about any discomfort... and she was very confident that she could kill Cor Li Xan if necessary.


    They both floated down into the pit, where the air was thick with qi. Surprisingly pure, for a place like this out in the Western Wilds. Zae Zin Nim sat down on one side of the room and Cor Li Xan sat on the opposite side. That was proper enough, so she would cultivate in peace for a day or so.


    She got an hour.


    "I''m impressed you could reach the middle stage of Earth Soul." He spoke up unnecessarily, smiling at her from across the room. "It seems you haven''t had access to strong sources of qi for some time."


    "I have managed." His use of language distracted her. Her father had always said that referring to "early", "middle", and "late" stages of qi was meaningless, preferring hard numbers, but she had read those terms over and over again in the oldest texts. It was an age-old tradition, in any case, just not one that was common in the Brightwind sect.


    "You deserve better than the life you''ve led. A flower such as you should be the beloved daughter of an entire sect."


    Zae Zin Nim''s eyes cracked open and she regarded him cynically. Her social instincts had been dulled by lax customs on other continents, because it only then occurred to her that someone might see them disappear into the pit and draw conclusions. They wouldn''t be logical conclusion, but the cultivators here loved to gossip.


    "What exactly are you saying?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Well, I..." Cor Li Xan coughed uncomfortably, but continued with an awkward smile. "You have been a valuable member of the Bloodcoral sect, but I know you are not fully committed to us. If you were willing to make a more permanent alliance, we could give you better resources. Perhaps, if you join with our family, we could even help you break through the 999 Power barrier."


    "If you have such resources, name your price."


    "It isn''t a matter of price..." He shifted awkwardly, no longer cultivating at all. "The Cor family is the strongest within the Bloodcoral sect. If you were to join with me, you would be the treasured daughter of the entire sect, and y-"


    He cut off when he saw the look in Zae Zin Nim''s eyes. For a moment she was furious - no one would ever have dared to ask her such a thing, not when she was the daughter of the Brightwind patriarch. She managed to swallow her anger, reminding herself that she was intentionally avoiding attention.


    "I am already married," Zae Zin Nim told him flatly. "Do not say such things again."


    "What? To... the barbarian?" Cor Li Xan stared at her as if he couldn''t believe it. "How did he coerce you into such a thing? Is it real? I mean, is the relationship... consummated?"


    Once that question would have left her blushing and ashamed, but Zae Zin Nim had needed to cope with Omilaena spouting all manner of vulgarity at all times. She still considered killing the man for the implied insult, but settled for glaring at him. Judging from the way he shrank back, it was enough.


    "My marriage is not your concern," she said. "Either leave this place or I will."


    He actually went, retreating with his metaphorical tail between his legs. Zae Zin Nim realized that, for the first time, she had actually been targeted by a man who meant to use her to climb higher, instead of exploiting her. When she was the chosen Brightwind daughter, no such men had been allowed near her.


    No, only her father''s chosen predators.


    Zae Zin Nim closed her eyes to return to cultivation, but it was difficult to focus. Her husband and wife could not return soon enough.

 Chapter 403: Precision Progress

    When Kai finally limped back to their secure base, his body was aching all over from the combination of poison, exertion, and injury. The manticore was surprisingly fast, and very determined whenever it got his scent, so it required full use of Thunderbird''s Wings to escape. He stepped inside and let out an expressive grunt.


    "Still having trouble with the poison, huh?" Omilaena walked up to stand in front of him with a friendly smile.


    "It''s rough." Kai tugged out a quill and grimaced. "Surely you''re not telling me this poison is no worse than others."


    "No, it''s definitely potent. Let me handle those." She removed one of the quills from his chest, surprisingly gently until she tugged it out. Then she extended her pendant to the injury, absorbing the remaining venom into the Prana Jewels.


    That was ordinary enough, since they were both working on this manticore venom. What wasn''t usual was that Omilaena bent down to the injury and sucked on it.


    "The fuck?" Kai pulled her head back. "You can''t actually suck out venom, that doesn''t work."


    "Who said anything about that?" Omilaena smirked, his blood shockingly bright against her blue lipstick. "What, you''re not feeling playful after getting pumped full of poison?"


    "Ugh, please just get the quills out."


    She cooperated without any more teasing, removing all the quills that had been embedded in him. Kai could take on the manticore in terms of strength or speed, but it was shockingly good at choosing the right time to unleash its quills, always a moment when he would struggle to dodge. Even though he could power through the poison now, he wouldn''t be satisfied until he could completely overcome the sacred beast.


    "The adult quills are surprisingly durable." Omilaena tested one of them by bending its length. "I thought they were designed to break at first, but the baby manticore''s must not have been fully grown."


    "Come on, don''t call it a baby."


    "The innocent infant manticore, which you brutally murdered in its mother''s arm-"


    Kai flicked her in the forehead. "If anything, they were teaching the younger one to hunt prey. But what were you saying?"


    "Just that I think these might be useful." Omilaena flipped around the quill and gestured to the tip. "These would make a moderately good arrow or dart, and if we could get ones with a full load of poison, that would be even better."


    "Would they actually be effective? Everyone uses such explosive techniques here, they might just blow away anything like that."


    "You can reinforce projectiles, like the elves on Rosemount. It probably wouldn''t be an overwhelming weapon, but given how lethal the venom is, it could make a difference. I''ll build some test weapons for the Manticore tribesmen, so we have more junk to impress them with."


    "Speaking as if I''ll win." Kai groaned and leaned back - his body was recovering rapidly, but he still felt heavy. "I mean, I probably will. But I don''t want to just crush this thing with overwhelming force, like the tribe recommended. I feel like I get more out of a monster, or a beast, if I understand it first. At minimum it helps me understand how to use its essence."


    "Oh, I thought you were just increasing your monstrous power to catch up to your human growth." Omilaena peered in his direction, then shook her head. "I still can''t see it. But since your cultivation advanced, your monstrous abilities have more room to grow, right?"


    "That''s true, but it''s not the main reason I''m doing this. Zae Zin Nim is waiting for us, and that woman in the Pureflower sect is dying. I wouldn''t spend more time here unless it was important, but manticore essence like this seems incredibly rare."


    "Well, if you want to get better, instead of merely stronger, you should look into specialization. Zae Zin Nim showed you her new mana-using attack?"


    Kai chuckled. "The Coldfire Palm, yes. She was very proud of it."


    "The key thing was that it was a specific, precise combination of abilities. Cultivators here can make all kinds of attacks with qi, from those little bursts to the fancy ones." Omilaena rolled her eyes. "Personally, I''m not convinced that the Crashing Divine Thunder Horses are any better than just blasting someone, but whatever. The point is that conscious, refined uses of power are better."


    "You''re saying that a specific balance of mana and qi in her technique is better than just forming qi into a giant hand and smacking someone with it."


    "Exactly. Now, your monstrous essence is highly differentiated, but to be honest, your other power is mixed. You seem to draw on chakra, qi, and mana in equal measure to fuel all those. Same with your Physique, which just runs on all three."This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "That''s worked best so far, though." Kai frowned as he thought back. "I thought Physique was strengthened by absorbing new kinds of power."


    "Physique, yes, but that''s a general characteristic. Techniques are more specialized by nature." Omilaena flicked her hand to reveal a syringe of intense blue qi. "This isn''t me lecturing you, it''s something I''m still figuring out myself. If I just ate a bunch of the ''ice qi'' they have in the Pureflower sect, it would probably just form a small, weak part of my soul. I intend to fuse it into something better."


    "Really?" Kai leaned forward, examining the syringe. "Is that what you''ve been working on?"


    "Among other things. Here, let me show you..."


    Omilaena explained all her ideas about theory, one form of energy trapping another. He still wasn''t entirely familiar with the seven "aspects" of power she spoke about, but the principle was easy enough. It sounded like she was planning to create a specialized tattoo that would strengthen her Lethal Artisan techniques.


    "But I''m still figuring out details," Omilaena concluded after explaining at length. "I don''t think the tattoo''s picture matters, but I want to be sure. And I haven''t quite decided on the location."


    "Isn''t that obvious?" Kai raised an eyebrow.


    "Oh, how naughty of you! I admit, having the tattoo somewhere private might be a nice surprise, but-"


    "I wasn''t flirting." Kai reached out to take her hand and ran his fingers over her skin. "You always create objects via Lethal Artisan in your hands, so I assumed you would form the tattoo across your fingers or wrist. Combine the power right at the source so it doesn''t have to run through your whole body. Or does it not work that way?"


    She blinked, then nodded. "That''s an obvious approach, but maybe obvious is best. Yes, perhaps I could even choose just one arm, so I retain flexibility..." With that, Omilaena pulled away from him, retreating into her own world to consider everything.


    For his part, Kai had work to do and an entirely new approach. He had been planning to ask her more questions, but since she was so preoccupied, he could figure it out for himself. Basically, instead of merging all his mana, qi, and chakra together, he needed to use it more selectively. There was a lot of that with advanced cultivation, specific meridians and other details, so he could try to expand the concept.


    For a start, he considered all of his monstrous essence that produced what he considered a discrete skill.


    <


    Behemoth''s Heart - IX (iota)


    Thunderbird''s Wings - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - XIII (nu)


    Baleful Breath - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - XI (iota)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    Isulfr''s Bite - VIII (theta)


    Sahagin''s Soul - X (kappa)


    Mutefang''s Stealth - X (kappa)


    >


    Some, like Sahagin''s Soul or Mutefang''s Stealth, he dismissed as utilities. Others like Direboar''s Strength or Thunderbird''s Wings passively formed the core of his strength. But there were some that were very much techniques: Tyrant''s Claw, Baleful Breath, Void Gaze, and Isulfr''s Bite.


    Could he somehow specialize one of them? That seemed difficult to impossible, given how they arose from within him. When he used something like Baleful Breath, it felt like he exhaled every sort of power that he possessed and he wasn''t sure he should change that if he could. Some of the others, maybe, but it was hard to be sure...


    Abruptly Kai sat up straighter as he realized that he had another option entirely. Behemoth''s Heart primarily strengthened his body, and the Savage Heart also caused his body to transform - they even had similar names. They were so similar, could he have something to gain by specialization? It felt like it might just weaken him, but he decided it was worth a try.


    When he closed his eyes, Kai focused on the two powers, trying to align them. His body had shifted slightly toward a monstrous form even before he gained either ability, then the Savage Heart directly transformed him. Perhaps Behemoth''s Heart could be his physical heart, without losing its spiritual components. Would it be strengthened if it was physically rooted inside him?


    Kai wasn''t sure how long his eyes were closed as he struggled with the details, but it felt like hours. Eventually he began to feel his heart beating, as powerful as usual, and it seemed to be swelling, as if there wasn''t enough space in his chest. Yet he felt stronger, even a bit healthier.


    Could it be that easy? Kai opened his eyes and looked down, though he didn''t see any changes. He might have to open up his chest to know for sure, and even with his healing he wasn''t inclined to tear out his heart for a look. Most likely what he''d done was only the beginning, an attempted habit that he would have to strengthen over time for it to take root. Still, he felt as though he''d made some real progress.


    When he looked up, he saw that Omilaena was looking over at him with a fond expression on her face. Unlike usual, she didn''t try to hide it.


    "It''s been a long time since we were together like this," she said softly. "Makes me think back to when we were hunting the Thunderbird."


    "Yeah, that was an even more dangerous one." Despite all the confusion and frustration he''d felt at that time, Kai found himself smiling at the memory. "Well, I suppose the main difference is that we''re stronger now."


    "I don''t know if I agree that''s the main difference." Omilaena was on him in a second, straddling his hips and pressing herself against him. "Back then, you were so stiff about it all, I had no choice but to tease you. But it all worked out in the end, didn''t it?"


    "You tell me." Kai caught her lips with his, and when his heartbeat sped up it had nothing to do with training.


    .


    ..


    .


    It took another week, but eventually they had extracted all the value they could from the manticore. The last several times Kai had encountered it, their battles had a desperate savagery. Omilaena''s leg had healed and she didn''t need any more poison, so it was time.


    Before Kai went out to end things, he focused on the Savage Heart within him. Let his body start to shift, but not all the way. Behemoth''s Heart beat within his soul, and he was fairly certain that the heart in his chest had changed as well. In theory, this would be the test of whether or not he actually had control of the power, whether or not he could fight on the razor''s edge.


    So it was time to go out against the manticore, one last time.

 Chapter 404: Tales of Tails

    For Kai, the fight must have been savagery, bloodshed, and hunger. Omilaena watched from the outside, coolly examining their latest experiment.


    Now that he was fully prepared, Kai flickered around the clearing, evading the manticore''s bursts of quills. When they had been spent, he went on the offensive and the manticore reeled onto its back legs to fight him. Even though the manticore was many times his size, the two of them clashed like equals and spun through the center. Massive claws only battered at Kai''s armored skin, while his claw skill tore great wounds in the beast''s side.


    As they fought, his body transformed subtly but steadily. The most obvious was the dark skin, like plates of armor growing over his body. His hands had transformed into claws from the first strike, but they were actually still growing. He was half a head taller than he had been at the beginning, and much heavier thanks to all the monstrous tissue.


    Would all of this produce a Physique breakthrough? Kai had been stuck at D-9 for a long time, past Omilaena''s ability to boost him further. Truthfully, high level Physique was still an unknown to her, and her experiences in the Coiled Empire hadn''t particularly impressed. There was something missing on a fundamental level, she just had no idea what.


    Zae Zin Nim would be the test case. She had a unique body that was heavily entangled with her cultivation, not to mention her culture and her own thoughts. That was going to be a nightmare to figure out, but hopefully also bring them to solutions that could work for all three. She had been collecting Physique manuals from every sect she encountered, so hopefully they would add up to some real insight.


    Omilaena realized that her mind was wandering while she watched her lover fight a vicious beast. But as the fight proceeded, Kai stopped flinching at the claw swipes, and his own claws dug deeper every time. He wasn''t even really fighting the manticore, he was fighting himself.


    Despite her thoughts, she was keeping an eye on his soul, waiting for the slightest flicker of a deeper transformation. But Kai showed no signs of losing control or falling into any technique, Savage Heart or monstrous. He had absolute mastery of himself... there was just something darker beyond if he gave up that mastery.


    It would have to be a mystery for another day, because just as the manticore raised its tail for another burst, Kai leapt at its neck. His unnatural maw bit deep into its flesh, and though the manticore struck at him with both paws and tried to smash him into the ground, it was rapidly losing blood. Eventually it collapsed, twitched one final time, and then lay still.


    As Kai stood atop the corpse, not roaring but practically radiating victorious energy, Omilaena examined his soul one more time.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 749


    Monstrous Hunger - XIII (nu)


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 3% (251)


    Savage Heart: 16 (162)


    Manticore Tattoo (null)


    Physique Level: D-9 (245)


    Beggar King''s Robes: +2 (10)


    Soul Level: 9 (81)


    >


    Not a single trace of his temporary transformation, but given his recent advancement, he had a total of 749 power. His monstrous side had grown even more during his battle with the manticore, so she estimated his effective total as almost 1500, which explained his absolute dominance. His maximum... well, that had changed, hadn''t it?


    That depended entirely on how much his Savage Form transformation had added to his strength. Presuming her mid-battle observation was accurate, which was a major assumption, and presuming that was only the human side, it was an additional 100 Power. Given that he lost control, that might actually be a liability at their level of combat.


    She''d noticed that repeatedly with Kai''s monstrous abilities: they had insane potential growth, but only on the other side of terrible pitfalls. If he actually developed a controllable form, it was very likely to keep growing in power, which would make his hypothetical maximum even more incredible. The problem was getting there with everyone alive.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Just as Omilaena prepared one of her monstrous essence injections, she realized that Kai was already bending down and taking a bite. It felt like he absorbed the essence, too: whatever else he had been through, his ability to consume was growing.


    "I tried to leave the quills intact for you." Kai wiped off his mouth as he kicked the tail. "I waited until it had regrown them and killed it before it could launch any."


    "Thanks." Omilaena played it off casually and went to go pull them out, but she was actually more pleased than she wanted to admit. His hesitation had been because he''d remembered her offhand comment and made sure to do things properly for her. She''d have to thank him for that later and she had a few ideas.


    "Do you think we should get back to the Manticore tribe?" he asked. "I hope they haven''t gotten themselves killed somehow."


    "If they can''t survive for a few weeks, they''re hopeless as a tribe. A sect can get pretty far just on the rumors of a patriarch still being active, so hopefully they should last." Omilaena removed the quills carefully and began storing them in dark cloth that would seal in the poison. "But yeah, we should get back. I can probably get the weapons ready for them before we return."


    "The other big thing we have is a symbol of victory." Kai severed the manticore''s neck and hefted the massive skull, frowning at it. "The stereotypical option would be to make the hide into a cape, with the head as a helmet. But it''s so big, that would just look stupid."


    "Especially on anyone shorter than you. But I like the idea of some sort of symbol, so we should put something together with the mane, spine, and fur. I might as well make one for myself too, while we''re at it."


    "Seems like a good plan. Give me some time to work on this essence." Kai sat down beside the corpse and focused internally.


    While he worked, Omilaena tried to ignore it and focused on her weapons. One of the most efficient uses would be to break off the unnecessary parts of the quill and use the venomous section as a blowdart or other projectile, but cultivators didn''t use weapons like that. She didn''t have any need for quill-based weapons herself, now that she had enough poison, so she needed to make something they would appreciate.


    Before she could come up with a solution, she found herself turning back to Kai. "Hey. What are you doing?"


    "Just digesting the manticore''s essence." Kai looked over at her as if slightly puzzled.


    "I know that, I just want to hear what you''re thinking." Omilaena walked over to where he sat and crouched in front of him. "We talk about our advancement so much, but when it comes to the monstrous side of things, you almost always decide on your own."


    "I guess... I could never tell anyone about it before." Her words seemed to surprise him, but after a while he nodded. "What I''ve figured out is that I need to concentrate the power into a specific form, at least to get the most benefit from it. For example, I could focus on the manticore''s physical strength, since it had a fair amount, but I think that would be a waste. Lots of monsters are strong and I already have strength-based essence."


    "But you can feed them to one another, right?"


    "Yes, but it seems less efficient. Besides, since we went to all this trouble, I want to get something unique out of it."


    "Could you take the tail or the quills? That seems like its most powerful characteristic... but would you grow a tail?"


    "Probably wouldn''t grow a tail," Kai said with a smile. "I actually ate something called a Lizarkyl, all the way back in Krysal. It had a tail technique that used my energy to project a tail-like strike, but I never really found a use for it."


    "Wait, really? How does that work?" Omilaena stared at him until he cooperated.


    After rooting around in his soul for a while, Kai stood up and walked to one of the nearest trees that hadn''t been overturned by the battle. He focused and power seemed to flow out behind him, as if he''d formed chakra into a thick, powerful length. Then he sort of... threw his hips to the side, and the power whipped into the tree, cracking it in half.


    Omilaena burst out laughing, so hard she had to hold her stomach before she was done.


    "You see?" Kai rolled his eyes as if irritated, but he couldn''t quite hide his smile. "It looks too stupid to use, and it''s just inconvenient. So I don''t think I''ll be getting a tail."


    "No, no, you need to use it," Omilaena insisted. "Tell Zin Nim you have a new technique, then show her. She won''t be able to stop staring, believe me."


    "Alright, alright. You''ve had your fun."


    "But really, wouldn''t a manticore tail be more useful? It could curl up behind you, and having an extra limb in a melee can be incredibly useful."


    "Probably, but is there any point doing poison? Because of, you know..." Kai gestured in her general direction. "If we need someone poisoned, you''re the woman for the job. Seems redundant to waste the essence on that."


    "That wasn''t what I was thinking at all." Omilaena pulled out one of the quills to demonstrate. "The poison was dangerous, yes, but what made it a threat was that the manticores had such effective projectiles. That''s something you don''t really have."


    "Tyrant''s Claw and Baleful Breath can already strike at range."


    "Which is fine when you want to destroy, oh, everything in the area. But we won''t always be in fights where you can cause such indiscriminate destruction, especially if we get involved in more complex conflicts. You need more options for a precision strike."


    Kai listened thoughtfully, then slowly nodded. "You have a good point. I''ll have to think about how to make that work, but it''s better than anything I was thinking of."


    "Great." Omilaena shot upright and returned to the corpse. "Now, let''s get everything we need and go confirm the Manticore tribe isn''t as dead as their namesake."


    "I''m surprised you''re so eager to get back."


    "Not at all. Once we''ve checked on them, we have something far more important to do."

 Chapter 405: Against the Very Limit

    The pit walls seemed to extend upward forever, to the surface that was just as far away as Sky Soul. Zae Zin Nim cultivated as intensely as she could, but at the Pits of Power it would take centuries to reach the next stage, if she reached it at all. Attaining Sky Soul required an enormous amount of qi and was difficult even for those with every advantage in the world.


    Yet that was what she needed, if she wanted to keep up with her spouses and eventually challenge her father. It didn''t seem like it would be possible for her to reach Sky Soul unless they were able to remain hidden for literal years, and none of it was relevant while she remained beneath the 999 Power barrier. All her abilities seemed to be filled to bursting, straining against the boundaries of her soul and yet unable to break through on their own.


    Just as she began to spiral into her own thoughts, she felt two people land outside her pit. Zae Zin Nim scrambled to her feet and leapt out, hoping...


    Cor Yan Wei and Cor Li Xan waited outside and Zae Zin Nim scowled at them. The younger man had avoided her ever since their previous conversation, even though she monopolized the qi pit, while the old man was the average elderly cultivator who had reached his limits. She did not want to see either of them.


    "Sorry to disturb you," Cor Yan Wei began, "but we have a bit of a problem. The Thundering Scorpion tribe has been conducting a war against a branch tribe, and they''ve just absorbed them, leading to a gain of several Earth Souls. They intend to tighten their control over the Pits of Strength."


    "And you wish me to engage in duels to defend the Bloodcoral position?" Zae Zin Nim nodded curtly. "Very well."


    "Actually, it is more complex than that. The Bloodcoral sect hopes to maintain our position here for generations, so we need to build an alliance. Your participation would be essential."


    Even though Zae Zin Nim''s expression darkened, they were truly insistent. Since this wasn''t the time to cause trouble, she went along with them as they met with the Thundering Scorpion tribe. It took them hours to make arrangements for the negotiations, which sounded as though they would be elaborate.


    First, there would be an event called a "Grand Scorpion Hunt" where everyone would be required to pass the tribe''s requirements. Then all tribes and sects would engage in several days of negotiations, culminating in a four round tournament that would determine who had access to the Pits in the future.


    Her attention wandered as she feared what was to come, her eyes drifting to the horizon... and then she saw the white ship that was her salvation.


    Ignoring the protests of the local cultivators, Zae Zin Nim leapt away to go and meet them. She wasn''t mistaken or deluded: she could feel her spouses in the Pureflower ship. Not even waiting for them to land, she leapt into the air in a graceful arc that would take her to the deck to greet them.


    Kai caught her out of the air and pulled her into an embrace, Omilaena enclosed her from behind, and finally all was right with the world again.


    .


    ..


    .


    It was cute seeing Zin Nim so clingy, even though it hadn''t been long. At first she was overwhelmingly affectionate, even weepy, but eventually her hunger for cultivation reasserted itself. Omilaena waited for her to frown and then turn toward her before revealing the pill.


    "This is the culmination of all my work." Omilaena handed over the bright blue pill grandly. "A mixture of chakra, qi, and mana, formulated specifically for you. If this one isn''t quite right, I have more resources, but we''re severely limited in boundary-breaking ingredients, so we need to-"


    "No, this is perfect." Zin Nim took a deep breath and closed the pill in her fist. "I want to break through, and soon. But we need to deal with a few other preparations first."


    "It seems like they''re in the middle of some sort of meeting? What''s that about?"


    So Zae Zin Nim explained the local politics, though it devolved into more complaining about petty sect annoyances. In any case, this all sounded like the sort of problem that they could simply ignore. Their entire justification for this time investment was getting Zin Nim the precise sort of mana she needed, so once she had absorbed enough for a breakthrough, the rest was irrelevant.


    They had migrated to the ship''s couch while they spoke, ending with everyone resting together. Kai had an arm around Zin Nim''s back and now rubbed it encouragingly.


    "So do you want to try right away?" he asked.


    "I want to, but I should be fully prepared." Zin Nim''s gaze shifted away and she seemed to decide something. "And I don''t just want to talk about myself. What happened for you?"


    Omilaena let Kai explain about the manticore hunt, just enjoying resting against the two of them. Once he finished all the exciting parts, which Zin Nim listened to somberly, it was Omilaena''s time to shine. She stepped away from them, reached into her spatial pouch, and pulled out the manticore cloak with a flourish.


    "Ta-dah! It''s no magical artifact, but the beast''s hide will turn away qi attacks lower than Earth Soul." Omilaena flipped it around. "And the interior has a silk lining so that it won''t be too uncomfortable. Of course, the real purpose is to look fancy."


    "To establish Kai''s leadership of the tribe?" Zin Nim asked.


    "Oh no, this one is mine. I have a rougher one for him." Omilaena revealed the second outfit, larger with a grand mane around the shoulders and manticore spikes rising up like a crown. "This is for the tribe patriarch, or matriarch if she has bad taste."


    "We wanted a symbol we could give away," Kai explained. "Once we have everything we need from the Manticore tribe, we can hand over leadership smoothly. But since there are multiple cloaks, it shouldn''t be as centralized as before."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "I see." Zin Nim nodded slowly. "So the two of you will be wearing them to establish that authority."


    "Not just us." Omilaena couldn''t quite hide her smirk as she pulled out the last outfit.


    "I am not wearing that."


    "You get to be the baby manticore!" Omilaena had made a final cloak in miniature size, with the manticore head formed into a helmet. She actually intended to make a larger version later, but she hadn''t been able to resist the urge to tease Zin Nim.


    "You actually made it?" Kai shook his head as he patted Zin Nim reassuringly. "I thought you were joking. No, you don''t have to wear it if you don''t want to, and actually this is all irrelevant. You have a lot of things to do, from breaking the barrier to getting an Advanced Class."


    "Yes, but..." Zin Nim ducked her head into his chest and spoke more softly. "I believe it would be best to break through first, then restore my energy before using the mana. That would be... best accomplished with... dual cultivation."


    Aww, look at their little Zin Nim initiating. Omilaena just grinned as Zin Nim swallowed the pill in preparation. Her power twisted, briefly being registered as 0999 even though her total should have been higher, presumably because her abilities had spent so long suppressed. It wasn''t just an excuse to get laid, she really did need to rebalance herself.


    Omilaena had been holding back, but to her surprise Zin Nim caught her arm and pulled her into a passionate kiss. She kissed back, of course, pressing the other woman up against Kai like he was a wall. Zin Nim was clearly hungry for both of them, switching between kissing and pulling at their clothes. Everything heated up... until Zin Nim pulled off Kai''s shirt.


    She drew back, eyes nearly bulging out of her head. "What is this?"


    "Oh, I forgot to mention that I''ve gained some mastery over mana tattoos," Omilaena said. "That''s to help solidify Kai''s position as the head of the tribe."


    "It''s hideous."


    "Don''t worry," Kai said as he gently took her shoulders, "the tattoo isn''t permanent. I''m going to absorb the mana later and it will disappear."


    "I... I see."


    "But I''m afraid that means he can''t just hide or remove it." Omilaena slid up behind Zin Nim teasingly as she spoke. "Does that ruin the mood? Changed your mind about dual cultivation after all?"


    Zin Nim screwed up her face, then shook her head sharply. "I will close my eyes."


    Omilaena couldn''t help but laugh, and when Kai did too, even Zin Nim joined them and they fell together happily.


    .


    ..


    .


    Even though Kai was glad to spend the night with all three of them together again, when he woke up in the morning, he found that he was most excited about Zae Zin Nim breaking through. Omilaena still sprawled across the bed, while Zae Zin Nim was nowhere to be seen. He hopped up, his robes automatically wrapping around his waist, and went to find her.


    She was meditating on the prow of the ship, preparing herself with all her power in balance. The warmth and need of last night were gone, leaving only the driven cultivator, but he loved that side of her too. When she opened her eyes to look at him, they didn''t say a word, because none were necessary.


    Once Omilaena was awake, the three of them flew out to the pit. There were no final disruptions or troubles, so it seemed that it would all finally work out. The pit of mana glowed at the bottom, full of potential.


    Zae Zin Nim plunged directly into it and disappeared beneath the blue surface.


    It had been years since Kai had awakened his own Class, throwing his life into chaos and somehow setting him on the path that had brought him here. He remembered it being a quick, fiery process. Classes were intense and personal, not like chakra or qi abilities. Even though he hadn''t received all the Frontier training about Advanced Classes, he presumed that it would be the same way. Was Zae Zin Nim struggling to break through?


    "Should it be taking this long?" Omilaena whispered to him.


    "I''m not sure," Kai said. "The first didn''t..."


    His voice trailed off as he saw that the level of mana in the pool was dropping.


    It was already down an inch from where it had begun, and even as he watched he saw it decline further. More and more of the rocky wall was revealed as the mana drained away. The light in the pit began to fade as well, until a brighter form emerged from the liquid mana. All of the light and power seemed to be concentrated in Zae Zin Nim, who crouched at the bottom of the pit.


    When the last drop was absorbed, there was no light except her flickering blue form. Then she streaked upwards in a column of flame. Kai leapt after her, back to the surface, afraid that something had somehow gone wrong, but when he caught up, he saw that her eyes were alight with joy.


    She was wreathed in blue flames, far more intense than before, that seemed to follow her every movement. Her dark eyes had bright blue pupils for a moment as she turned to him, revealing a rare full grin from her. All the power that had been restrained by the limits of her soul had blossomed, and the results were glorious.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 1364


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 41% (518)


    *Heavenly Sash: Cultivation +10% (52)


    Coldfire Corona: 1 (303)


    Pure Yin Shroud: Spinel Rank (220)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-9 (107)


    Blackblood Shadow (+100)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    >


    His look at her soul revealed that she had 1364 Power now, putting her undeniably in the ranks of Sky Souls. He saw that various powers had improved, such as her Pure Yin Shroud advancing to Spinel rank, but what surprised him was that her Coldfire Corona remained unchanged.


    Well, the name was unchanged. Its strength had exploded up to 303, and would be increasing in the future.


    "Congratulations," Kai told her simply.


    "Thank you." Zae Zin Nim bowed, even though that seemed oddly formal to him after everything that had passed between them.


    "Yeah, congrats." Omilaena shifted up beside her, raising an eyebrow. "Why isn''t it called Advanced Coldfire Corona now?"


    "I never had a ''Coldfire Class'', it has always been integrated into my cultivation." Zae Zin Nim seemed to look at her own soul and nodded in satisfaction. "This will do. It is already stronger than most forms of heavenly cultivation, and it will continue to grow."


    "Looks like the Blackblood Shadow improved as well. Maybe its strength was being limited by the limit in your soul?"


    That finally weakened Zae Zin Nim''s satisfaction a little. "I am... uncertain about that. Figuring out my Physique will be my next major challenge."


    Before Kai could encourage her, they were interrupted by several figures flying toward them. He noted several with Thundering Scorpion tribe tattoos, but they were led by Cor Li Xan. Where the Thundering Scorpion tribe champions mostly seemed alarmed that the entire mana pool had been drained dry, the Bloodcoral sect cultivator approached them.


    "You took all the mana?" he asked. "This pit may never recover!"


    "That is my right, is it not?" As Zae Zin Nim spoke, all ice again, Cor Li Xan seemed to realize the strength of the three people standing in front of him. Since the previous day, she had gone from seeming vaguely within reach of an Earth Soul cultivator to standing far beyond.


    "This is... the Bloodcoral sect needs your support in this conflict. It will be a difficult-"


    Zae Zin Nim took out her Bloodcoral medallion, raised it in front of her at arm''s length, then crushed it in her hand. As Cor Li Xan gaped, she took a step closer to him and spoke in a low voice.


    "You can pretend that we are still part of your sect if it helps your reputation, but if you ever assume we have any greater obligations or ties to you, you will regret it."


    "I..." Cor Li Xan suddenly backed up, bowing deeply. "My request was... just a misunderstanding. Thank you for all your contributions to the sect."


    Was that potentially seeding a future problem, or did they have so much power now that the Bloodcoral sect was irrelevant? Kai decided that he would leave that decision to Zae Zin Nim, since she was the local expert. She turned back to him as if she had already forgotten about the sect and the pits, her eyes now set forward.


    That was one loose end tied off. Time to return to the Manticore tribe.

 Chapter 406: The Manticore Tribe Prepares for War

    It took two weeks for them to return to the Manticore tribe''s region, but with all three of them reunited, Kai didn''t mind the trip at all. His training along the way was mostly for fun, while Zae Zin Nim actually advanced several levels with her Coldfire Corona. Just like with the early levels of other Class stages, releasing the pressure of the barrier seemed to make advancement easy again. And of course he wasn''t complaining about getting to spend private time with his wives.


    Once they returned, however, their break was over. Judging from how the tribes were marshaling, it was time for war.


    As they got close, he pulled on the manticore cloak to play his official role. Despite the clothes and the tattoo, Kai reflected that he felt relatively little affinity for the Manticore tribe, nothing like his commitment to the revolution in Krysal. This was just a war between cultivators: they wanted his strength, he wanted the power he could get from them, and that was all.


    Strangely, he hadn''t needed to convince Zae Zin Nim or Omilaena to stay in the conflict instead of just abandoning the tribe. He got the strong sense it had less to do with any good will and more to do with their desire to try out their new power on enemies.


    Still, when he leapt off the ship in his cloak, the response had an impact. Manticore tribesmen all over the camp shouted in amazement and many came to bow. Omilaena arrived in her own cloak, which awed them further, and when Kai pulled out the severed manticore head, they cheered and began to celebrate. Just by arriving, they had turned the morale of the entire camp.


    Zae Zin Nim remained with the ship, refusing to wear the last cloak.


    "We''re honored to have you back, Patriarch." Ahn Rit Kulha gave them a bow before approaching. "Our enemies are gathering, so it''s fortunate you''ve returned. But there i-"


    "I need access to every tattoo specialist you have," Omilaena said. "And all your mana ink."


    Kulha swallowed, but he obeyed with only a brief glance at Kai. Once Omilaena was off to finish up her own objective, however, he returned to Kai and gestured for him to separate from the others. Once they were alone in one of the command tents, he looked more nervous.


    "The balance is closer than I want to admit," Kulha said. "The Head faction has united with the remains of the Quill faction, and even recruited the Northern Iron sect from the Northern Expanse in return for promises of our tribe''s poisons. Their numbers have swelled day by day, and it is only a matter of time before they decide to attack us."


    "How do the armies compare?" Kai asked.


    "We have more cultivators overall, and far more alchemists and other specialists. Most of the weaker factions view us as the legitimate successors, thanks to you, and completing a manticore hunt will only increase our legitimacy. However..." Kulha coughed uncomfortably. "When it comes to strong cultivators, they have the edge. We have a dozen Earth Souls in total, where they have at least seventeen. And their Jackal mercenary has been spotted again, so they have a Sky Soul."


    "We have three."


    "Begging your forgiveness, but... strong as you and your women are, you aren''t actually Sky Souls. Reaching the peak of cultivation holds a lot of weight here."


    Kai nodded grimly, accepting that he couldn''t change Cloudspire. If it came to battle, he could definitely turn the tide, killing the enemy leaders and rapidly changing the balance. But that would be a pyrrhic victory that left the Manticore tribe a broken shell of itself. Omilaena might be satisfied with that, but he wanted to find a better solution...


    "I think we can change some of their minds," Kulha continued. "If some of the lesser factions meet you, they''ll switch sides. I just need to arrange meetings and we can slowly draw their support out from under them."


    "But you said that they were preparing to attack, so that might just trigger it." Kai waved the strategy away as he started to realize a better path. "If we go ourselves and kill off their Sky Soul, will the rest surrender?"


    "I... I''m afraid not, Patriarch. Some might give up or retreat, but others never will. The Quill faction will never align with the Tail faction, for example, the hatred runs too deep."


    "We need to look at those obstacles to total victory. The Jackal tribe mercenary, the Quill faction... who else is keeping the bulk of the other army from submitting to us?"


    "Well..." Kulha stared at him for a while, but seemed to adjust to his strategy and began considering it. "There''s a small elite faction calling itself Manticore Mane, that raises sacred beasts. Their strength is well-known, so they will rally the enemy. The Northern Iron sect is one of their strongest allies and will hold their weaker factions together. And... one of the leaders of the Manticore Head faction is a rogue member of the Ahn family, so half our followers would never accept an alliance while he lives."This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "That gives us five targets." Kai nodded as he realized that this could work. "When we do battle, we''ll take them out and force the rest to surrender."


    "But, Patriarch... we don''t know when they''ll attack, and they may not allow that strategy."


    "That''s why we''re going to attack first. Now bring me your toughest cultivators and let''s get started."


    .


    ..


    .


    The others both had specific preparations, but Zae Zin Nim was free to concentrate on her own power. That was just as well, because she was much less interested in the Manticore tribe than in all her new training.


    As she moved from one position to another in the new patterns she''d developed, she marveled at how much stronger her mana felt. The Coldfire Corona was truly potent now, whether or not she used it in her new palm technique. And the power felt so light, exploding skyward with every bit of training. It was tempting to focus entirely on her Class, but she reminded herself that the gains from cultivation would be greater, if much later. In however many years, when she finally reached Sky Soul, she would be glad she cultivated as well.


    In the middle of her training session, Omilaena slipped into the tent. She didn''t say anything in particular, just sat down in the corner and began to toy with some sort of ink, so Zae Zin Nim continued her routine. Perhaps her wife just needed a break from obnoxious tribesmen.


    When Zae Zin Nim finished her exercise, closing her hands together and drawing all her mana to a point, Omilaena looked up as if she had been waiting.


    "Have you finished tattooing the tribesmen?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Ugh, don''t remind me." Omilaena groaned and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "I''ve done one for each of the Earth Souls and I''m stopping there. Kulha keeps bugging me for another one, but I don''t want him staring down my dress the entire time. I swear, if Kai was the average Cloudspire man, he''d have slapped Kulha''s head off by now."


    "Why bother spending time on their tattoos?"


    "Because!" Omilaena cheerfully raised her hand and one of the tattooing needles formed in her fingers out of her own blue steel. "I finally have all the mastery I need to create a truly high level cultivation tattoo. I didn''t want to make any early learning mistakes on one of us, after all."


    "Ah, congratulations." Zae Zin Nim went to sit down beside her and examined the needle. "I hope that means you can remove Kai''s tattoo soon."


    "No, we still need the deception of him as patriarch. But actually, I was thinking of giving you one."


    "A tattoo? Never!"


    Omilaena chuckled and patted her arm. "Relax, I''m joking. I know you''re too protective of your perfect, jade-like skin. Didn''t expect you to be so disgusted by the idea of tattoos, though."


    "Well..." Zae Zin Nim stared down at her hands, trying to imagine such a thing on her body. "I... would be willing to accept it, if it was the only option to advance my Physique."


    "Not likely. Of course, to advance that way, we need to get more information about the Blackblood Physique in the first place. That would probably get us close to the Brightwind sect, so we probably can''t try that anytime soon."


    "We might have alternatives, especially now that I''ve broken through. The Manticore tribe doesn''t have many useful Physique manuals, but I''ve found a few. I''m willing to undergo any necessary experiments."


    "Glad to hear that."


    They fell silent and Zae Zin Nim belatedly realized that there was something else behind her wife''s discomfort. She had emphasized her disgust with the tattoos... and Zae Zin Nim gained an inkling of understanding. There was an insecurity to Omilaena that was easily hidden beneath all her provocation and bravado, but it had reared its head.


    "I''m not sure what I said wrong," Zae Zin Nim said, "but I don''t think any less of you."


    Omilaena gave her a strange smile. "Thank you for that."


    "What was bothering you earlier?"


    "If I put a tattoo onto myself, are you going to consider it repulsive?"


    "Oh!" Now that she understood, Zae Zin Nim regarded the other woman more thoughtfully. She could try to reassure her again, but maybe... "Is it going to be a giant lion monster across your chest?"


    "It could be vomiting one of my breasts." Omilaena snickered, then leaned back and put an arm around her shoulders, the former tension gone. "No, I was thinking of something subtle. I should be able to contain all that ice qi in ink, so it would be a subtle tattoo down my hand and wrist..."


    As she explained the pattern, tracing lines down her forearm, it actually sounded strangely beautiful to Zae Zin Nim. Of course a normal respectable woman of Cloudspire would never choose such a thing, but Omilaena had never been anything like respectable. More importantly, her methods sounded like a very effective way to put all her cultivation practice to actual use.


    When they were finished, Zae Zin Nim was eager to help her with the final steps, which would require a strange mix of cultivation and alchemy. As they settled down on the floor opposite one another, however, Omilaena was still watching her strangely.


    "You''re sure it won''t bother you?" she asked.


    "Of course not." Zae Zin Nim shook her head. "If I wanted normal spouses, I would not have married you and Kai. Should we get to work?"


    .


    ..


    .


    At last the Manticore tribe marched to war with Kai at the head. A local tribeswoman moved beside him, filling in for Omilaena, who had already slipped away to begin the plan. Zae Zin Nim was hidden further back, almost lost within tribal robes, as their trump card.


    It had taken them roughly a week to prepare, which was all the time he thought they could afford. Aside from the threat of the enemy factions attacking, the women only had a month or two to return to the Pureflower sect in time. It might not be an urgent deadline, but he had to account for just how large the Western Wilds were.


    Of course the new Manticore Guard needed years of training to be truly formidable, but they didn''t have that. So long as they didn''t kill themselves with their poisoned weapons, it would be good enough. What mattered was that Omilaena had finished her tattoo and Zae Zin Nim said she was ready, so it was time for them to end the war for good.


    They had an army at their back, but it wasn''t likely to matter, not this time. Unless they wanted to leave the entire tribe dead, he needed to win the battle on his own.

 Chapter 407: Decapitating the Enemy Army

    Because both sides of the Manticore tribe had so many scouts and spies, a true surprise attack on the army was impossible. Kai had still wanted them to attack early for several reasons: it let them choose the general site of the battle, it forced their opponents to mobilize desperately, and it distracted from Omilaena''s mission.


    Instead of attacking head on, where the fighting would be ugly for both sides, they traveled to the east. Slightly further, but from there they could attack the Quill faction first while the others mobilized to confront them. If all went well, they''d have eliminated enough of the enemy leadership that the opponent''s morale would begin to fail.


    When the armies came within sight of one another, Kai saw that they had mobilized more than predicted. He spotted the intended targets... but there were six Earth Souls rising up on flying swords, ahead of the weaker cultivators.


    They gathered together in a circular formation with all of them facing forward, then the circle began to rotate. All of the participants linked their qi and raised their hands in the same symbol as they began a combined technique. Power surged within the center of the circle, pulsing so brightly that it lit up the battlefield in lurid green, then the mass began to change shape.


    After twisting and throbbing, the qi transformed into a giant manticore shape. The technique broke away from the six Earth Souls who had created it, seeming to take on a life of its own, and surged toward the army.


    Kai met it head-on in midair.


    Just before they collided, he unleashed the strongest Baleful Breath he could. The manticore wasn''t swept away instantly, powered by the qi of six Earth Souls, and it tried to push through the dark clouds. But Kai kept blowing, exhaling longer than he ever had, painting the sky black with hellish clouds, until finally the manticore qi was smothered.


    All six Earth Souls coughed up blood as their formation was broken, some of them falling off their flying swords while others just sagged to the ground. A cry of horror went up from their tribe, while Kai''s factions waited expectantly.


    He raised his fist and let out a roar, harsher and more ragged than he''d planned. The tribe roared back and charged into battle, unleashing their techniques one after another. Some of the enemy cultivators stuck to their defensive positions, but others fled and some of their shields began to crumble.


    Still hovering in midair, Kai hoped being a symbol of their victory was enough. His throat was sore because he''d never drawn so deep on Baleful Breath before. He could crush any individual Earth Soul, but the combined power of six was no joke. If they had a more effective formation that could actually have added all their power together, they would have had a larger total than him. Fortunately, according to Zae Zin Nim, combined technique formations always involved some loss.


    So far there was no sign of his wife below, hidden somewhere within the army. She wasn''t yet showing her full strength, just like Kai wasn''t hurling techniques into the enemy army. He could have slaughtered dozens, but their goal was to dominate, not eradicate. Hopefully wiping out the symbol of their tribe while in his full regalia had gone a long way toward convincing them.


    A burst of qi shot toward him and Kai knocked it aside with a backhand. Some of the surviving Earth Souls were beginning to release techniques toward him from the ground, keeping their distance. It would have been easier to dodge, but Kai deflected them instead, drawing all the attacks that otherwise would have devastated weaker cultivators.


    "Northern Iron, forward!"


    The call was raised and a new group of cultivators burst out of the enemy army, riding their own flying swords close to the ground. Given their slate gray robes and shaved heads, he presumed they were the foreign sect. That was the first obstacle they''d planned for, and it proved a problem almost immediately.


    Though the Tail and Claw tribesmen hurled poison techniques, they mostly splashed off the Northern Iron cultivators. A few of them fell, their bodies tumbling behind, but the majority swept past the enemy lines and then plunged into his army. Kai raised his hand, ready to act if things turned bad...


    Before he needed to, the Manticore Guard moved forward. They all wore heavy cloaks modeled on his, and more importantly, they bore weapons tipped with manticore spines. At first they took some losses as the Northern Iron cultivators hurled qi on arrival, but when their weapons reached the enemy, they began falling left and right. Whatever defensive techniques the foreign sect used, they were no protection against manticore venom.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Seeing the Northern Iron sect fail sent a new wave of panic through the enemy. Kai stepped off the side of the sword and plummeted to the ground, casting Void Gaze over the line between the sides. His own side froze in place while the enemy collapsed, some spitting up blood. Everyone out of range began to flee and his own side let out bloodthirsty roars, but Kai raised his arm.


    "Ignore them!" he called. "Take down the Quill faction!"


    They obeyed, and as he released Void Gaze, they charged into the fray. The enemy defenses had broken, but they still needed to take out their most hated enemies to sate their bloodlust. Kai saw that many of the Quill faction were fleeing, despite their leader shouting at them.


    "Cowards!" the middle-aged woman called, from her safe position with an Earth Soul bodyguard. "Stand and fight!"


    Kai leapt over the heads of the army, ignoring the slow attacks aimed at him, and landed beside the Quill faction leader. He headbutted her guard into the ground, then grabbed her neck and held her aloft. All around him, the Manticore tribe roared in despair or victory.


    .


    ..


    .


    Omilaena could feel the slaughter beginning to the east, but that had nothing to do with her. She''d already spent enough time giving the tribe trash pills and random weapons, so they would have to handle the rest on their own. Her only interest was assassinating the enemy, and potentially finding a rematch.


    In the west, the enemy Manticore factions were still marshaling their resources, getting cultivators onto flying swords to join the battle. Omilaena ignored them, slipping through their ranks with a cloak and shroud to hide her. Her only target was one of their main targets, a member of the Ahn family who had gathered together the Manticore Head faction. The others thought that if he was eliminated, it would go a long way toward securing their victory.


    She discovered the target in the center of camp, matching his description: tall man with a paunch, just a Body Refinement cultivator with no special skills and a weak tattoo. Apparently he had a talent for politics instead, leading the other Ahn family members to hate his success. Well, he was as good as dead now.


    As she crept closer, Omilaena checked all sides for traps or counter-attackers, but she saw nothing but relatively weak Manticore tribesmen. Her growth might not have been as explosive as Zin Nim or Kai, but she had been growing steadily stronger ever since her arrival on Cloudspire. The guards had no chance of stopping her, didn''t even notice as she flickered past them.


    Her first needle went through the man''s neck, flooding his system with so much poison that it was just a matter of time. She held his thrashing body upright as everyone around her began to panic. On second thought, she put a second needle through his eye, both to make sure he died and to mark her kill.


    Some of the enemy guards fled, which was the sane decision, but others charged at her. Omilaena exhaled a cloud of weak poison, intending to knock them out so the tribal factions could decide their fate later. Judging from how many began bleeding from their eyes and mouths, it might not have been weak enough.


    Then, without warning, a figure burst from her poison, slamming a club into the ground where she had been standing a moment ago. Omilaena leapt back to a safe distance and turned her head toward the enemy she''d known was coming.


    "You''re slippery." Jackal Thirteen floated above the Manticore cultivators, who fled in the opposite direction hoping his presence would defend them. It actually would, since he was the only one Omilaena cared about.


    "Did you let me kill him?" she asked, spinning needles into both hands.


    "Not at all. It would have been in my best interest to keep the Ahn patriarch alive, so this is a bit disappointing." The mercenary smiled thinly and gestured, sending threads wafting across the field. "I''m going to have to kill you, regardless. You''ll make a good puppet."


    Before she could answer, two figures lunged at her. She recognized the dead Manticore patriarch, who she was technically supposed to recover for burial if possible, not that she much cared about that. But the other figure was Ahn Xi Feida, reanimated with the chalky skin of the other puppets.


    All three of them attacking pushed Omilaena to her limit, forcing her to retreat step by step. As she did, she analyzed the enemy puppets: their cultivation had degraded while their tattoos'' power seemed largely intact. Might that have been the reason why Jackal Thirteen had specifically come here?


    Eventually she was too slow and Jackal Thirteen caught her right arm with some of his threads. Omilaena intentionally responded too slowly, letting him wrap more around it, binding her in place. When he began preparing one of his razor threads, Omilaena finally revealed what she''d been holding back.


    Swirling blue lines on her left arm lit up as the ice qi there was unleashed and traveled to her fingers. When she created a knife there, it burned with frozen qi. She swung it through the threads cleanly, severing them in a single sweep, then she flicked her wrist and hurled the weapon at her opponent.


    He instinctively reacted by arcing threads in the way, but her ice knife sliced through them. The mercenary just barely twisted aside and the edge cut a line of blood across his shoulder.


    "That''s clever." Jackal Thirteen grunted as he held the wound, then grinned. "That will make you useful."


    Omilaena didn''t respond, just created two needles, one of poison and one of ice.

 Chapter 408: Death of Manticore Factions

    Enemies were falling on all sides, blood was spraying through the air, and allies roared in victory. Kai moved in the fray, dropping enemies on all sides... dissatisfied.


    He just didn''t share the bloodlust of the Manticore tribe cultivators, despite having endless monstrous hunger inside him, despite having literally eaten people. What he wanted was a challenge, and now that the Earth Souls had fallen, the enemy couldn''t offer it. Cultivators focused on the offensive, which gave them explosive power compared to many on Rosemount, but when they were outclassed, they practically exploded in gory messes.


    So he ended up fighting himself again, trying not just to win, but to win as the Manticore Patriarch. He drew on the Savage Heart, despite not needing it, to shift his appearance subtly. Those who saw him fight would have sworn that his face had transformed into that of a manticore.


    Instead of tearing through the enemy army on his own, Kai moved at the head of his own factions to drive the enemy lines back. He shielded them just by virtue of drawing qi techniques, letting his side hurl their own at the enemy. They were steadily wiping out the parts of the Quill faction that wouldn''t surrender or retreat, which only drove his followers to fight even harder.


    Fighting at the vanguard like he was, Kai was the center of the attention for most of the battlefield, at least until someone new arrived. He felt the attention shifting and techniques around him began to slow as the whispering started up.


    "It''s the Manticore Mane!"


    "The Mane is coming, I can hear their beasts!"


    "Where''s the patriarch?"


    Shouts from across the battlefield alerted Kai to exactly where things were happening. Their spies had placed the Manticore Mane''s special unit on the northern side of the territory, but it seemed that they had mobilized fast enough to join the battle. Not in time to save the others, unless perhaps they thought they could sweep in and save the day.


    Kai could see over the heads of most combatants, so he just needed to turn in the right direction to see them. The Manticore Mane tribesmen wore special robes with animal furs, not too different from his own, and they lashed qi whips in the air. Their lashing drove an army of beasts in front of them, from savage wolves to toothy lizards.


    It had a surprising impact on the Manticore tribe as many of them fell back from the snarling beasts. Some attempted to hurl qi techniques, but most were lashed out of the air by the whips of the handlers. When the beasts took injuries, they barely even slowed, driven on with berserk fury.


    This new front was all the way across the battlefield, which left Kai with few options. He could cross the distance with Thunderbird''s Wings, but the shockwaves would injure large numbers of cultivators on his own side. That was a limitation, now that he thought about it. He considered his new monstrous ability kept in reserve, but wasn''t sure using it here was the right choice.


    Then he saw a small figure vault off the back of one of the Manticore tribesmen and he realized he didn''t need to do anything.


    Zae Zin Nim looked small as her cloak fell away, just a slender woman suspended over the battlefield. Some didn''t even notice her, but Kai watched raptly. She placed her palms together in front of her at the apex of her jump, fusing qi and mana, then she thrust a palm toward the ground


    A wall of blue flame ignited as a Coldfire Palm the size of a mansion appeared beneath her, then descended on the battlefield. Beasts roared in terror and their handlers desperately whipped at the enormous palm, but their qi whips had no visible impact on the flames.


    As it descended, the earth shook, there was a great rush of wind, and when the flames disappeared the Manticore Mane''s beasts had become nothing more than ash.


    Some of the handlers had been incinerated along with them, but those who remained threw themselves to the ground to surrender. All the nearby tribesmen stared in awe, both sides shocked beyond the ability to speak, and Zae Zin Nim quietly landed on the ground again. Her feet didn''t even make an audible sound over the battlefield.


    Many of the tribesmen around her began to cheer, though they didn''t dare touch her. Zae Zin Nim seemed to ignore them entirely, instead looking in his direction. Kai smiled and nodded to her, and she nodded back.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    That was all the signal they needed to move forward. It was time to end things.


    .


    ..


    .


    Exterminating weaker cultivators didn''t particularly interest Zae Zin Nim, but she had been given one glorious opportunity to show her new ability. All her training with the Coldfire Palm had paid off when it allowed her to channel the new strength of an Advanced Class through the technique. Still too slow, and a bit draining, but it had been effective.


    Manticore tribe cultivators had surrendered or celebrated, but she had only been interested in her husband''s reaction. Now she leapt above the battlefield, hoping to do the same with her wife.


    At last she caught sight of them, dueling fiercely amid a circle of bodies. The Jackal tribe mercenary was more powerful than she had expected, and he seemed able to command multiple bodies at once, increasing his effective strength just like the demon they had once fought on Rosemount. His razor threads, however, were always met by Omilaena''s knife, which severed them with pure ice qi. As Zae Zin Nim leapt closer, she saw them clash once again and fly back in opposite directions.


    Her wife was glorious, spinning among all her opponents while hurling needles and spitting poison in elaborate formations, weaving a maze to restrict their movements and keep them from using their numbers against her. But the puppets appeared immune to her poison, so she was being pushed steadily back.


    Not for long. Zae Zin Nim took a deep breath and drew her mana up within her, preparing for her opening assault.


    Before she could arrive, the Jackal mercenary glanced in her direction. His gaze held there a moment, then flickered to the battle collapsing all around them. Then, without a word, he dropped to the ground and broke a jade slip in half.


    Instantly qi swirled around him, which she recognized as a teleportation technique. The puppets followed after him, all vanishing into the swirling qi before Zae Zin Nim could act. Omilaena hurled a needle after him that disappeared into the technique, but her second needle flitted through empty air and rang out against the opposite wall.


    So Zae Zin Nim arrived too late, landing beside her wife and sighing. "I am sorry I could not help."


    "That''s fine." Omilaena rubbed at a burn on her arm and winced. "I''m pretty sure he always planned to leave as soon as the battle got too dangerous."


    "It seems that the honor of the Jackal tribe is not as steadfast as reported."


    "He was stronger than reported, though. If that fight had continued, I don''t think I could have won."


    "But you knew that I would come for y-" Zae Zin Nim was interrupted by an enemy cultivator charging toward her with a roar. She struck his chest with her palm, sending him backward in a stream of blood, then turned back to her wife. "You knew I would come to help you."


    "That was the plan, wasn''t it?" Omilaena smiled over at her. "I did get the target, by the way, and it sounds like you were successful taking out the others. Does that mean the battle is over?"


    "Yes, the others just need to figure that out."


    .


    ..


    .


    During the battle, the Manticore tribe factions had slaughtered one another ruthlessly, but as the fighting ended, Kai was surprised that they didn''t pursue vendettas. Those who threw down their arms were spared, and many who turned on their allies were welcomed. It struck him as an insane way to run a tribe, but he didn''t have to deal with them for much longer.


    Kai strode out toward the final knot of resistance. They weren''t holding out due to their great strength so much as the fact that most of the army was beginning to move in other directions. But there was still a faction leader surrounded by his guards, so best to take care of it before more people on his side got themselves killed.


    "Don''t surrender!" the man was shouting. "These aren''t real Manticore tribesmen, they''re mongrel dogs! Did you forget what they did to the patriarch?"


    "They had nothing to do with the old patriarch''s death," Kai said as he approached and all eyes immediately turned toward him. "There''s no point fighting any longer. Throw down your arms and rejoin the tribe."


    "Here''s the proof!" The leader thrust out an accusing finger. "This beast of a man isn''t from our tribe, he''s some foreign cultivator who seized power!"


    There was no question that Kai stood out on the battlefield, but he also wore a manticore cloak and had a tribal tattoo across his chest. Kai didn''t even need to refute the accusation, he just let everyone decide for themselves. Some of the resisting group began to edge away from their leader, as if they saw what was coming.


    "Not a step further! I''ll kill you myself if you betray me now!"


    Walking any closer might trigger the guards to attack him, and Kai saw no reason to kill them. These were likely members of the original tribe, loyal to their family to a fault. As he saw it, the problem was the leader ranting and berating them, so...


    Before the battle, he had prepared the manticore''s essence into a new ability called Manticore''s Quill. It had been sitting in his soul, ready for the ideal moment. He''d planned to save it as a surprise against a real opponent, but since the Jackal mercenary had retreated, maybe this was the time.


    "These mongrels are madmen! They will bring the Manticore tribe to ruin, betray our traditions, leave us-" The man cut off as the quill went through his neck.


    The others still hadn''t realized, the technique had been so quick. Kai was surprised himself - he''d raised his hand, intending to slowly grow a stinger, but a quill-like spike had leapt from him almost instantly. As the others caught up with what had happened, they saw the leader had been killed with a manticore''s quill. None of them had fought one, but they had seen the symbol time and time again.


    Soon they turned back to him, and the surrendering cultivators all dropped to the ground to bow. Kai stood with his shoulders back, realizing that this would be the last time, and that that was a relief.

 Chapter 409: Departing the Manticore Tribe

    The Manticore tribe civil war was over. It should have been the happiest day of Ahn Rit Kulha''s life - all the factions led by his enemies were dead, Feida''s faction was cooperating with him, and he was one of the most prominent Earth Souls in the entire tribe. They had taken back their territory and the patriarch''s estate, so they had all the legitimacy he''d ever dreamed of.


    And sometimes he was happy. There had been dozens of toasts in his honor, factions were clamoring for his support, and he practically had women lining up by his tent. Since the foreign barbarian was going to leave, Kulha''s prestige in the tribe could only increase.


    That barbarian was the rot in the wood, undermining everything else.


    What was baffling was that Kai could have taken everything: all the honors Kulha wanted and things he hadn''t dared to dream. The man could be the patriarch of the entire clan, he could live in comfort for the rest of his days, he could have had a different woman in his bed every night. And he just didn''t seem to want any of it.


    Sometimes, when Kulha was being toasted as a new hero of the tribe, he told himself that the foreigner was just an idiot. Too stupid or weak of will to seize what all men should want. That was what he told himself, over and over, as he approached the isolated tent.


    As he walked up to the flap, he was startled when Kai stepped out. Bared to the waist, with only the strange cloth he always wore, the manticore of the tribe emblazoned across his chest. That should have meant his loyalty, yet he seemed larger than it, as if the tribe was nothing more than a piece of clothing he''d chosen to wear for a while.


    The tent flap fluttered closed, giving him just a tantalizing glimpse of the space beyond: the barbarian''s women were lying in bed, the seductive one lying like a temptress and the cultivator wrapped in silk sheets that only accentuated her curves. Utterly beyond any of the women in the Manticore tribe, in beauty or strength, and completely beyond his reach. That was another frustration... but Kai was stepping into his path now, cutting off the vision of heaven.


    "Everything alright?" Kai asked. He actually sounded like he meant it, like he would come help if anything had gone wrong.


    "You really should come give a speech or something." Kulha shifted his weight and glanced back toward the main tent. "This should be your moment of glory."


    "No, it''s yours. Go let them see you, if you want to stay in your position."


    "I really can''t convince you to stay?"


    Kai only shook his head.


    "Look." Kulha wanted to give him some incentive, but what did he have to offer? Maybe that bizarre naive streak of his... "Without you, the tribe will fall apart."


    "Given what happened to your patriarch, you were falling apart anyway. This is your second chance, so don''t waste it." Kai started to reach a hand toward him in a strange gesture, then pulled back. Instead he revealed the massive manticore cloak from his spatial ring. "This is yours now. Either find someone to wear it, or become worthy of it yourself."


    And so he just handed Kulha the authority that so many would have murdered their own kin over. In fact, in a metaphorical sense they''d recently done just that. Kulha accepted the cloak and discovered that it was surprisingly heavy. He wanted to say something else, but found himself turning and walking away.


    What he said hadn''t been true, really. Many tribes could survive without a Sky Soul, and the reputation of one could shield them for a long time, since patriarchs often went into seclusion to cultivate. Given the utter dominance Kai and his women had displayed, their reputation would be secure for a long time to come.


    Maybe the cultivator woman had explained all that to him. She was definitely no foreigner, with those dark eyes and perfect jade skin. Or it could have been the golden woman, who was as canny as she was vicious. Visions of those two haunted Kulha as he walked away.


    It wasn''t just the obvious, it was the fact that they seemed happy. They were both obscenely powerful, strong enough to rule a sect on their own, yet they stayed with this thuggish barbarian no matter what he had to offer. He knew, despite how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, that they would be loyal to him even if he didn''t have that strength. Kulha thought about the line beside his tent and knew that if he lost his position, they would all be gone in an instant.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The idea that someone would gain control of a tribe and then simply throw it away was pure madness, yet he had just been handed the evidence. As he walked back, the cloak felt heavier and heavier in his hands.


    .


    ..


    .


    When Kai closed the tent flap, he stayed there a moment, frowning at the fabric. He''d known this was coming, of course, because he had no plans to stay in the Manticore tribe his entire life. There wasn''t much he would miss, either. But it still bothered him to leave business behind.


    "Anything wrong?" Omilaena asked from the bed.


    "Just handing off some final details." Kai turned back to them and shook his head. "Do you think the Manticore tribe will collapse as soon as we leave?"


    "Not likely." Zae Zin Nim was curled up against one of the pillows, relaxed with her hair across her face, but her eyes fixed on him intensely. "They''ve gotten past the crisis point, and most of the sects that tried to take advantage of them were dealt with brutally. If they fall apart after this, that''s their own fault."


    "Kai, don''t waste time thinking about random idiots." Omilaena stuck out her tongue at him. "Get back over here and I''m sure we can find some way to distract you."


    Kai chuckled and crawled back into the bed, but all he wanted now was to rest with the two of them. It had been most of a year since they made their plans on Darkmist Island, and despite some complications, they actually got what they wanted: Zae Zin Nim had broken through, Omilaena had found a way to harness qi, and Kai had eaten new monsters in addition to his cultivation advancement.


    When he settled down on his back, Zae Zin Nim immediately attached herself to his side. Omilaena looked like she would be happy for more, but slid into a comfortable position with a loose smile. It might have been nice to fall asleep like that, but now his thoughts were moving forward.


    "Is there anything stopping us from exploring the rest of Cloudspire?" he asked. "We wanted to make sure our power couldn''t be easily identified, but we all have something to mask it now. And even if I attract attention, I have ties to the Western Wilds that sh-"


    "Too many ties." Zae Zin Nim frowned and poked the manticore tattoo on his chest. "Can we get rid of this?"


    "Not unless you want to cruelly hamper my experiments," Omilaena said. "It needs to absorb more mana before it can be properly harvested."


    "Bah."


    "What I mean to say," Kai continued, "is that we''ve finished our preparations, and we''re strong enough that Sky Souls aren''t a threat to us unless they''re among the best. There''s nothing tying us down. So can we go anywhere we want on the continent?"


    "Not yet." Zae Zin Nim slid her leg across his to gently kick Omilaena. "Omi, do you think you can eliminate Kir Mei Bai''s poison? If you can''t, we don''t have a lot of time before she dies."


    Omilaena made a gurgling noise and flopped onto her back. "The Prana Jewels are stronger now, and I have a lot more experience with local poisons, but can I get rid of a cultivator-targeting poison? I''d say it''s fifty-fifty. Safest option would be to just leave her to die, otherwise the whole sect could get offended somehow and come after us."


    "I think it would be better to try. Leaving minor sects behind is one thing, but the Pureflower sect is prominent in the whole region. Having their support could help us if... if we end up in conflict with my father."


    "But we don''t have to do that right away." Kai pulled her a little closer and rubbed her back. "We can focus on forging our own paths."


    "That is true. I would like to figure out my Physique next." Zae Zin Nim was silent for a time before she spoke up again. "We don''t necessarily need to go to the Eastern Plains to learn more. There are other sects with information on cultivation Physiques, especially in the Northern Expanse. I do want to visit the Frozen Lily sect one day."


    "We''re a lot closer to the south, though," Omilaena pointed out, "and that would mean leaving poor Kai outside in the cold. Is that what you want?"


    "Don''t think you can manipulate me so easily." Zae Zin Nim shifted into a more comfortable position and patted his chest, as if to reassure him, even as she continued to speak across him. "What are you so interested in, in the Southern Rivers?"


    "I''m not set on it, but I''d like to visit the Insanities on Cloudspire. The Impossible Elixir is hidden, so we can''t exactly find that, but the Loam of the Gods is in the south."


    "They don''t just let anybody walk up to that, though."


    "Remember that I don''t know about this stuff," Kai said. "You say there''s an Insanity in the Southern Rivers?"


    "Called the Loam of the Gods." Omilaena began to tap her fingernails against his chest and her eyes danced. "The joke is that they only have magic dirt, but it sounds incredible. Allegedly it can make trees grow in mere days, give alchemical ingredients ten times their normal strength, and more."


    Zae Zin Nim nodded. "The effects are so powerful that the sect that controls it is the strongest in the Southern Rivers, and important all across Cloudspire. That''s why I said it isn''t easy to reach, but I suppose it''s possible. Definitely more than the Impossible Elixir, and the Heaven Eater is dead, so there are just records of that one."


    So there were allegedly three Insanities on the continent, one of them historical. Kai wanted to ask more, but he knew there''d be plenty of time in the future. For now, he was just glad that their path didn''t lead them to splitting up any further.


    "Sounds like we can take care of things quickly," he said. "Just a few loose ends to wrap up, then we might as well head south."


    "Or maybe north," Zae Zin Nim said.


    Either way, Kai felt like it didn''t matter. For the first time in ages, he felt like everything would turn out alright.

 Chapter 410: Final Business in the Western Wilds

    They had to spend over a month essentially running errands, but it didn''t particularly bother Kai. Since they were using the Pureflower vessel, they could train easily while they traveled, and it was a pleasure just spending time together again without any major obligations hanging over them.


    Technically, their upcoming visit to the Pureflower sect could end disastrously, if Omilaena wasn''t able to save their matriarch. Part of him was still afraid that his bad luck would manage to ruin things, or that some detail they''d missed would come up, but those were small thoughts that were easy to squash. As they crossed off task after task, it seemed like they could actually leave a place cleanly for once.


    On their way out of Thundering Scorpion tribe territory, they made a few stops along the way. When they purchased supplies in a small village, Kai was surprised to hear people gossiping about the civil war in the tribe, and how the Manticore clan had a powerful new patriarch. They didn''t talk about it as if it was something directly relevant to them, more like the movements of people far above them.


    "I''m surprised no one even considered me," Kai said as they started flying again. "They had the supposed patriarch among them, and I got some looks, but no one thought I might be him."


    "You must understand, these are small sects," Zae Zin Nim told him. "Earth Souls are incredibly powerful to them, or one could be the patriarch of an entire family. The larger sects with Sky Souls are basically legends to them."


    "I guess I forget, because the qi here still feels strong to me."


    "Did you hear the rumors about the new patriarch?" Omilaena had been working on something of her own, but now sat down beside Zae Zin Nim. "They say he has two incredibly powerful wives, and now they''ve retreated to produce dozens of children for the next generation."


    "They did not say that." Zae Zin Nim flushed, but she didn''t retreat from Omilaena''s arm around her shoulders.


    "They really did, I''m not making it up."


    "Did they say it because you told them that?"


    Omilaena laughed freely. "No, this honestly isn''t from me. But succession is critical for these tribes - I mean, you saw how much chaos occurred because the Manticore patriarch didn''t have an heir. I just think it''s funny that we get to be part of the legend, even if mostly as baby factories."


    "I don''t find that funny at all." Zae Zin Nim cast her gaze toward Kai in some sort of appeal, and he wasn''t sure he understood it completely, but he went over to join them. If he sat down on the other side of Zae Zin Nim, he could put his arm around Omilaena''s shoulders and have their wife sandwiched between them.


    "Just remember that isn''t really us," Kai said. "Those are the people we pretended to be, to throw off the trail. We should be invisible, unless we somehow run into someone who actually knows us."


    "I don''t think that''s likely." Zae Zin Nim seemed to have calmed down and now examined the horizon in front of them. "The Brightwind sect doesn''t normally send important members to the Southern Rivers. The Heavenly Mountains and Lakes would be more of a risk."


    "I wonder if we''ll have countless imaginary descendants," Omilaena mused. "In ten or twenty years, we''ll pass into legend and the facts will be fuzzy. Anyone who wants to lead the Manticore tribe could claim to be your kids. Well, if they''re tall and muscular enough."


    "You really think details like that will last?" Kai asked.


    "I''m sure they will. Trivial stuff like who was right or what actually happened will get ignored. But ''that guy was tall''? Absolutely going to be remembered forever."


    As they flew further south, the rumors of the Manticore tribe faded out. People here cared more about the Blueblade sect or Heavenly Sands tribe, or others Kai hadn''t even heard of. It was a continual reminder that the Western Wilds were huge, much larger than the slice of them that he''d explored. Despite that, Kai felt as though he''d seen enough and he was eager to enter new territory... so long as he left everything in a good position.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    The others had been less enthused about the idea, but hadn''t objected when he wanted to visit the Pits of Strength. When they flew overhead, he saw that the blue and red Bloodcoral camp had grown even larger. More than that, it had shifted closer to the permanent Thundering Scorpion tribe buildings, with fewer walls between the two.


    Kai went alone this time, dropping down to the Bloodcoral camp and looking for their leadership. Technically his medallion only had five marks on it, but no one even considered challenging him. When he found Cor Li Xan, the other man seemed surprised to see him.


    "What do you want this time?" Cor Li Xan asked, without so much as a greeting.


    "I''m going to be traveling east to continue my cultivation," Kai told him - a plausible lie he and Omilaena had decided on, just in case anyone tried to track them. "But I wanted to leave you with a few gifts, as thanks for your help when I arrived on Cloudspire."


    He began pulling pills and poisons out of his spatial ring, just things that he didn''t need. As far as he was concerned, they were just cluttering up the space inside his spatial ring, but Cor Li Xan''s eyes widened and he took them gratefully. It was another reminder how far he''d come, and how lucky he was to have Omilaena''s talents.


    "I don''t know how long it will be before I return," Kai said, "but I wanted to make sure I left on good terms."


    "Of course, of course. Why wouldn''t you?"


    "I understand that my wife was... rather forceful when she left before. I hope there are no hard feelings."


    "Of course not! Nothing but a misunderstanding!" Cor Li Xan bowed low several times, as if desperate to appease him. "We understand that not everyone will remain with the Bloodcoral sect and our sacred comission on the coast. But in your time with us, you helped us gain a strong position here."


    "Is that so?" Before he left, Kai made himself chat a little and learned that the Thundering Scorpion tribe was intending to ally with the Bloodcoral sect in order to defend themselves against more organized sects. There were even going to be marriages between sides, something that made Cor Li Xan a bit disgruntled for some reason. Maybe just an unfortunate political marriage.


    In the end, Kai walked out of the Bloodcoral camp feeling like he''d left no enmity behind him. Another matter resolved, and despite what he said, there was a good chance he''d never come back. But what mattered to him was that he''d done what Zae Zin Nim wanted, not starting any vendettas. Memories of him would wash out among all the other rumors and no one attempting to trace them would actually be able to follow their path.


    After leaving the Pits of Strength, they pushed harder east, then north to reach the Pureflower sect. Omilaena and Zae Zin Nim spent more time together, discussing poisons and healing techniques as they prepared for their arrival. This was the one remaining variable in the Western Wilds that bothered him, but there was nothing he could do to help.


    Instead, he looked at the maps again and considered their potential paths. Going this far northeast put them close to the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes, and technically they could pass through there to anywhere on Cloudspire. It seemed that they were more likely to stick with their plan to continue to the Southern Rivers.


    If they shifted south and then east, they could arrive near the origin of the rivers that gave the entire region its name. Apparently they flowed so quickly in places that they outpaced even flying ships, so from there they could travel anywhere in the Southern Rivers. That seemed like a good enough plan to him.


    Once they actually got close to Pureflower Mountain, Kai stopped thinking about those plans and just stared. It was a beautiful region, and the mountain spire covered in pure white flowers really did look like a fragment of heaven on earth.


    "We''ll need to leave you in a surrounding village," Zae Zin Nim told him, lowering her head in apology. "You understand how such sects are."


    "I can imagine, anyway." Kai was about to say more, but at that moment Omilaena leaned in to interrupt them.


    "Not so fast!" She dramatically pulled a green pill from her bag and held it aloft. "I''ve finally perfected a chakra medicine, the Gender Swap Pill, which will turn Kai into a woman. That way he can join us and-"


    Zae Zin Nim snatched the pill out of her hands, then scowled. "This is a normal medicinal pill."


    "I know, but you believed for just a second, didn''t you?"


    They made final preparations and there wasn''t much Kai could do to help. In theory they had nothing to worry about, since the Pureflower sect was supposed to be an ally. Even if they couldn''t save the sect matriarch, none of the other women would have been able to do anything either. The problem was that if something did go wrong and suspicion turned on them again, he''d be too far away to help.


    As the ship floated toward the unattainable mountaintop, Kai watched it disappear. All he could do was trust his wives to handle this last business.

 Chapter 411: The Last Lifeline of the Pureflower Sect

    Technically, going to the Pureflower stronghold should have made Zae Zin Nim feel more safe, yet as they ascended away from Kai she only felt isolated. Leaving all men behind would have been a blessing in her youth, but now giving up Kai in exchange for a large number of women she couldn''t trust didn''t seem like a good trade. All she could do was stick close to Omilaena and believe in her ability.


    When they reached the top, despite being in a Pureflower sect ship, they were immediately scrutinized by several cultivators. They had both purified themselves beforehand, however, and all of Kai''s things were in his spatial ring, so they were permitted into the sect.


    "You''ve returned." One of the elders regarded them with a degree of incredulity.


    "You thought our word was worth so little?" Omilaena asked with a hurt expression, as if she hadn''t been arguing for them to leave just a month ago. "We cannot promise that we can cure Kir Mei Bai, but we will do our best. We... hope that she is well?"


    "She is not well, but she still lives. Come this way."


    They were ushered through the sect headquarters to the isolated building, which had been even more heavily fortified since their last visit. Zae Zin Nim noted that the atmosphere in the corridors was more muted, and many of the women she passed looked sorrowful. Once they got inside the innermost chamber, however, everything looked untouched.


    Only Kir Mei Bai herself had changed: she was paler and thinner, yet somehow still exquisitely beautiful, like a fragile flower. It made Zae Zin Nim think of her own illness, coughing up black bile while the ragged scars across her body bled all over her.


    "We''re reaching our limit," one of the alchemists said from the bedside. The woman looked half-dead herself. "She has taken two Divine Remedy Pills, so she can take only one more in her entire lifetime. We have also done our best to draw out drops of poison, but it grows more virulent with every attempt."


    "I will do what I can." Omilaena went to the bedside with a good impression of reverence, then touched the Prana Jewels to the matriarch''s forehead.


    The poisoned woman''s breathing became smoother almost immediately and she seemed to settle into a deeper sleep. The alchemists murmured excitedly, but Omilaena shook her head.


    "I cannot remove the poison in an instant. I''ll need more time."


    "Do you need me to endure a drop of the poison?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Thank you, but no." Omilaena touched her arm with a smile that looked like the first authentic expression she''d had in the sect. "Step outside and make sure we aren''t disturbed."


    That didn''t seem necessary, in the Pureflower stronghold, but maybe Omilaena needed more privacy to work. Zae Zin Nim stepped out into the hallway and awkwardly stood alongside the other guards. Even these guards were only Earth Souls, so she was actually the strongest of them, and would be the best defense if Omilaena really did need defending.


    Ten minutes later, however, the threat came from within the sect instead of outside it. Shen Yu Yei approached over the bridge and her face twisted in an unsightly expression when she came into sight. Truthfully, Zae Zin Nim had forgotten about the young woman and whatever she had been upset about. When Shen Yu Yei tried to move toward the door, however, Zae Zin Nim raised a palm.


    "The healing work requires solitude."


    "You expect us to trust you unsupervised?" Shen Yu Yei glowered at her and started to move forward, but Zae Zin Nim caught her arm.


    "I must ask you to stay outside." She kept her tone calm, but squeezed the other woman''s arm hard enough that she winced and backed up.


    "How can you trust them?" Shen Yu Yei looked to the other guards, who were shifting their weight nervously over the disturbance. "We still have no idea about the identity of the poisoner. They could have returned to finish the job."This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "Why wouldn''t we just stay away? You don''t seem to have made any progress curing the Goddess."


    That accusation made Shen Yu Yei retreat to sulk. She lingered on the bridge, as if she expected an opening to appear, so Zae Zin Nim remained alert in her path. Several other women showed up as well, whispering to one another, but they didn''t seem very likely to gather together to assault the door. And if they did, one Coldfire Palm across the bridge would stop them.


    As it turned out, Zae Zin Nim didn''t need to defend the doorway for much longer. Everyone turned when it creaked open, then gasps of surprise erupted when Kir Mei Bai emerged. She looked frail, but walked under her own power. Of course Omilaena had positioned herself at her side to support her, face a picture of concern.


    "The worst has passed," Kir Mei Bai said. She fell into a fit of coughing, but then straightened and regained a bit of her old elegance. "Please do not worry yourselves over me."


    Some of those watching started to surge toward her, with questions or concern, but the guards moved to block their path, insisting that the Goddess needed her rest. Omilaena jerked her head just slightly, so Zae Zin Nim followed them back, helping to support the matriarch as she returned inside. Once there, she settled weakly onto the bed to catch her breath.


    "The worst of the poison is out of her body," Omilaena said, "but we''re not out of the woods yet. As near as I can tell, some of it is still in her dantian. So if the original theory is correct, if she tries to cultivate again, the poison will harm her further."


    "I think that is correct." Kir Mei Bai''s voice was scratchier and less delicate than outside and she fell back against her pillows limply. "I am not sure if I will be able to purge the poison."


    "We can try some spiritual medicines," one of the alchemists suggested. "But I fear they may also cause risk."


    "Let me try to help too," Omilaena said. "You said that you only used two Divine Remedy Pills, which implies that you had a third available. Would you be willing to give it to me? I believe it may be possible to rid her of the poison for good, but I will need new materials."


    After a little conversation, the elders agreed and an ornate wooden box was delivered to Omilaena. She took it reverently, then glanced to Zae Zin Nim. "Can you help me with this? I fear that I need greater expertise when it comes to pure cultivation."


    "Of course." Zae Zin Nim joined her as they retreated from the matriarch''s room, though this time they turned away from the exit and found another room in the building. After glancing around for eavesdroppers, Zae Zin Nim leaned closer to eye Omilaena suspiciously. "Are you planning to steal this?"


    "How little you think of me!" Omilaena''s old teasing smirk returned. "No, I honestly think I might be able to cure her permanently, but the real issue is that I''m stuck on a new theory. You remember what I said about it being strange that there was a limit of three pills?"


    "Yes, but we barely discussed it."


    "Well, Kir Mei Bai''s soul changed since we last saw her, just a little. It gave me an idea, though not a fully formed one. I might be able to understand a little more about the fundamentals of power, and if I can, that might lead us to a solution."


    Which meant she was far more excited about the theory than about actually healing the matriarch, but that only made Zae Zin Nim smile. That would make Omilaena happy, and it never hurt to have a powerful sect in their debt.


    "So what do you need?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "Can I help?"


    "Mostly I need access to their resources, but you''re more familiar with Cloudspire medicine. If this works the way I''m guessing, the pill might take a bit of a toll on her, so we need some other ingredients to keep her strong." Omilaena cut off as the alchemists entered, bringing them a variety of different boxes, but could barely restrain herself until they left to keep speaking.


    "How did her soul change?" Zae Zin Nim asked before her wife could go off on a tangent.


    "It''s like this: when I first used the Prana Jewels, I was trying to drain poison out of every aspect of her power. Most of that is a big pool of cultivation, but there''s also her Physique, something called the Divine Yin, and so on."


    "That''s probably heavenly cultivation, only achievable by a Sky Soul. What about it?"


    "Well, there were other pieces, little fragments that didn''t seem relevant. But when I healed her this time, two of them were missing. Two pills taken, two fragments missing... maybe it''s just a coincidence, but that would make sense."


    "Oh." Zae Zin Nim stared in surprise as she considered it. All her life she had taken for granted that there were simply limits to certain pills or types of cultivation, but Omilaena was speaking about such rules on a deeper level. "Then... you''re saying that each time she takes a pill, she sustains herself by burning out a piece of her soul?"


    "And there are only three pieces to burn, right." Omilaena stared down at the little pill in her hands. "These aren''t massive capacities, not like cultivation or a chakra ability. But if I''m right, they represent something, I just need to figure out what. We can use the last pill to make sure that she''s fully healed."


    Which would also test her theory. While that was slightly underhanded, Zae Zin Nim had seen how ill the matriarch was, so extreme measures were justified. Besides, she wanted to find out the answers too. Since this was likely to go beyond her expertise, all she could do was offer support.


    "Do you think this is going to take a long time?" she asked.


    "Days, not weeks. If I can''t figure this out now, I won''t." Omilaena rolled the pill around her palm and grinned. "Time to get to work."

 Chapter 412: Burning Fragments of a Soul

    Since the Pureflower sect had given her access to all their medicinal resources, Omilaena had a truly excellent opportunity for thievery. And yet, despite that temptation, she was focused only on finding a solution. Cultivation resources seemed ephemeral compared to the real prize of understanding: a little qi would quickly become obsolete, but grasping another fundamental principle would mean a true step upward.


    After another session with the matriarch, this one much more careful, Omilaena had virtually confirmed her theory: the absent sparks of soul within her had corresponded to qi and chakra. There was still a flickering mote of mana, similar to those she remembered. That was immensely suggestive that Omilaena''s entire theory was right.


    There was a marginal chance, highly improbable, that Omilaena''s memory was inaccurate. She decided that she was okay with risking everything on this potential breakthrough.


    Based on that theory, she had modified the last Divine Remedy Pill by bathing it in mana. She didn''t have the skill to melt it down and reformulate it entirely, not with cultivation-style alchemy, but she could modify the effects with a new layer. Most of the rest would boil down to supportive medicine, but she honestly didn''t care about that.


    Omilaena sat alone in the workroom, staring at the pill in front of her.


    She knew that souls only contained a limited number of capacities, corresponding to the seven aspects of power she had read from the alien text. But that didn''t stop differences from appearing, such as the "Cultivation Aspect" being different with pure cultivation, Krysali crystals, and Manticore tribe tattoos. She didn''t think those were just minor variations, or additions that had no effect, there was some sort of fundamental property that differed.


    One thing she had learned from the Great Library of Traeton was that different forms of energy could fill different aspects. Though she hadn''t seen it, she was sure that it should be possible to cultivate using mana or chakra, even if that didn''t come naturally. Yet it couldn''t be as simple as "mana cultivation" being a different system, because all the ones she''d seen were based on qi.


    What still bothered her was that she wasn''t sure how to square that idea of seven capacities with all the different fusions and additions that she''d seen. The idea that these were simply using entire capacities to boost their power was incompatible with the evidence. And Kir Mei Bai had burned out an aspect of qi without harming her core cultivation, so it had to be two fundamentally different things.


    "These are the best they could do," Zin Nim said as she entered, and set a box down on the table beside her. Normally that might have been distracting, but Omilaena just jerked upright and grabbed her wrist.


    "Your Blackblood Physique... is it based on chakra, qi, or mana?"


    "All three, I think." Zin Nim didn''t seem alarmed, even with Omilaena laying hands on her like that.


    "Let me just test this." Omilaena needed better methods, but for now she extended her pendant and touched Zin Nim as if she was trying to test her for poison. Of course there was none, but... "Yes, yes! That works... but it can''t just be... there''s a difference between..."


    Omilaena whirled away to continue her work, muttering to herself, but the other woman didn''t retreat this time. She remained for a while, watching in bemusement, before speaking up. "I''m not following, Omi. What have you discovered?"


    "The Blackblood technique is better than others because your Physique is bigger than everyone else''s."


    "If I didn''t know better, I might think that was an insult."


    The joke briefly threw Omilaena off, but she was too far along to be distracted. "Don''t worry, you''re a perfect little jade doll," she said, patting Zin Nim''s cheek. "I mean bigger on a spiritual level. Some people only strengthen their bodies with one form of energy, but you use all three. It''s occupying a larger space in your soul... yes, and that explains why it increased when you raised the barrier!"


    "But is it that simple?" Zin Nim asked. "Kai became stronger when he trained with other forms of energy, but his Physique doesn''t have anything additional."


    "You can use energy to fuel you, but that doesn''t mean your method is fundamentally more powerful. Think of it like building something: normal training is just building upwards, but you''ve laid a larger foundation with the Blackblood Physique, so you''ll be stronger at the same height as someone else."


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    "Does that mean I''m giving up something else?"


    "I don''t know!" Omilaena announced cheerfully. "That''s what''s intoxicating about this. But I think most likely you''re just using more potential strength. The matriarch burned out little parts of her soul that she wasn''t using at all, not her main power. Maybe in the future that would prevent her from fusing two different abilities, or... well, I don''t understand enough about advanced cultivation. I''m still just barely putting this together..."


    What she wanted to do was study the issue furiously until she comprehended everything, but there were no more sources of information available to her. She thought her basic theory was solid: the soul had a limited set of available "slots," from primary capacities to supporting abilities. Those could be used to strengthen, as with fusion powers, but they could also be burned away for a powerful effect.


    She would never have been able to accomplish that on her own, but she already had a Divine Remedy Pill. So Omilaena worked to make it into more of a medicinal pill, with Zin Nim providing insight about dantians. In theory, she could modify the pill to purge the soul instead of the body, which should be enough.


    The words "in theory" came up a lot these days. If she was right, this was a step forward. If she was wrong... better not to think about it.


    With no resources for multiple tests, Omilaena could only make her best effort. The resulting pill would do no harm, she was sure enough of that, but it wouldn''t extend the matriarch''s life as much if she failed. Best not to fail, or lie her ass off if she did.


    Omilaena had to leave Zin Nim to enter the central room, since they were limiting access while the matriarch''s healing failed. Without the last pill to extend her life, her health was declining again. That meant they were trusting her, which was honestly a mistake, but it might work out for them in this instance.


    "Feed her this," Omilaena ordered one of the alchemists.


    "You... modified the Divine Remedy Pill?" the woman asked in horror.


    "Yes, it''s a Heavenly Panacea Orb now, which is three stages up, two meridians more refined, and far more prestigious. The main thing is that we need her to swallow this and then I''ll try to remove the last poison from her dantian."


    Thankfully, no one argued with her. They roused Kir Mei Bai enough to convince her to swallow the pill and the power immediately shot through her. The core of power below her navel - that could only be her dantian - surged and began to expel poison. Omilaena struck instantly, pressing the Prana Jewels against her stomach so hard they almost pierced her flesh.


    For a moment she was afraid that it would fail... but the trembling stopped, the loose poison was absorbed, and finally the core of cultivation seemed to be pure again.


    "I..." The matriarch stirred and stared down at herself. "I feel..."


    "Are you alright, Goddess?" one of the alchemists asked. There were elders pouring into the room now, all the old biddies rushing in to be part of it now that the danger was past.


    "I will see."


    Kir Mei Bai circulated her qi, fearfully at first, then more forcefully. The raw power overflowed from her, washing over the room, and Omilaena involuntarily took a step back. She thought she stood a pretty good chance of beating a cultivator of this strength, but a Sky Soul''s qi was nothing to be trifled with.


    "I am pure again." Kir Mei Bai was already looking more beautiful, since cultivator''s bodies were so intricately entangled with their qi. She turned to them and gave a dazzling smile. "I never imagined that my salvation would come from two of our newest sisters. It pains me to think that you were first accused of being responsible for this poison."


    "Are you willing to say that to the others?" Omilaena asked. "Because it strikes me as just a matter of time before someone accuses me of having poisoned you in order to cure you."


    "No, such a thing is impossible. I have felt your power... I will speak to ensure that such lies do not spread." Kir Mei Bai closed her eyes as her spiritual senses passed inward. "I have reflected on myself, in my wakeful moments, and I believe your theory was correct: my dantian was poisoned while I visited the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes, then the poison lay in wait until I circulated my qi."


    "Who would do such a thing?" Zin Nim asked.


    At first Omilaena thought she was just playing along, being a good little Pureflower Fairy concerned for her matriarch. As the elders around the room responded with discomfort, however, Omilaena realized that her concern was more pointed: this act had political ramifications for sect politics. That didn''t particularly interest her, especially compared to pure theory, but she would trust Zin Nim to handle that.


    Instead of an immediate response, Kir Mei Bai went to speak to some of the elders. After a whispered conversation, she returned to them, her smile turning sorrowful.


    "Your question is a serious one. Before this point, news of my illness was kept hidden to avoid a panic, so we have not been able to pursue the matter as fiercely as we otherwise might. We will need to make some discreet inquiries, and perhaps in the future we will know more."


    "Of course," Zin Nim said. "We are just grateful that we could serve you." She didn''t budge, though, so apparently this was the time to push for rewards.


    "We cannot make this matter public, but the truth is that I owe you my life." Kir Mei Bai stepped forward and took one of Omilaena''s hands in both of her own. "I wish to reward you, but I do not know what I can offer. You have already taken all the sect''s poisons, and our resources are most suited for cultivators."


    "You once suggested that I pursue the aspect of ice, which was wise counsel." Omilaena bowed respectfully and left out how much she had twisted that idea. "I was able to begin my path of cultivation with the qi I earned here, but I would like to take the next step."


    "Oh, an excellent decision. We will give you our strongest ice-aspected qi, and I will open the Ice Springs for you. Please just come this way..."

 Chapter 413: Cultivation at the Ice Springs

    By the next day, Omilaena was bloated with qi and soaking in the Ice Springs. They existed within another of the inner caverns of the mountain, behind three layers of sacred seals, but instead of a hot spring, the room radiated a freezing aura. The cavern''s walls had been laid with white marble and everything was ornamented in blue, as if to emphasize just how rare of an honor it was for someone to be allowed inside.


    None of that changed the fact that they were cold as fuck. Omilaena''s nipples were so hard she was afraid she''d jab somebody''s eyes out.


    Yet somehow, the experience had become less miserable the longer she soaked in the spring. At first she thought it was just her skin growing numb, but she gradually realized that the freezing qi of the room was sinking into her body. The more of it she absorbed, the stronger she became and the less she felt the cold. She really had been given a powerful gift, not that she wasn''t owed it for what she''d done.


    A cultivator would have been able to simply take a bath, but Omilaena forced the qi to flow through her body to concentrate in her arm. Moving it took effort, like scraping ice across her skin, until it reached the silvery tattoo on her wrist. As soon as the qi got close enough, it was sucked directly into the tattoo, which glowed almost constantly as it gained power.


    That was the best decision for her balance of power, but it was also just practical. The sect''s ice path seemed to involve the body itself becoming cold, and Omilaena had no interest in that. Ice pussy? No thank you. That sounded like a bad time for everyone.


    "Is it working?" Zin Nim emerged from the tunnel that led into the spring, regrettably still wearing all her clothes.


    "I think so," Omilaena said. "Why don''t you jump in too?"


    "No, I don''t think that would be appropriate for my path of cultivation." Zin Nim did sit down cross-legged on the marble beside her, though. "I just wanted to keep you company. And the atmosphere is strange out there, with all kinds of new rumors and politics."


    "Do you see any trouble with what I''m doing here? It definitely matches the balance of the rest, but cultivation is your domain."


    "Let me see." Zin Nim took her arm and frowned over the tattoo for a while. "Everything is still working as you planned, I think. It is so strange... I was taught that cultivation should only follow certain pure forms, yet you seem to be changing it."


    "Same thing you did with mana and Classes, right?"


    "Yes, perhaps. I''m just impressed that you aren''t losing any strength."


    "Am I?" Omilaena stretched her hand in front of her and examined the glowing ice tattoo. "I gained a boost at first, but it''s been stagnant since then. Even now, I''m absorbing all this qi and it''s just not getting stronger."


    "Wouldn''t it follow cultivation patterns, even if it doesn''t follow cultivation forms?" Zin Nim ignited a flame of her mana above her palm. "I made the ability more like cultivation, but the power still follows a Class''s pattern of development. So the fact that you have been on a plateau is not surprising."


    "Huh, good point. I''ll hope you''re right."


    The conversation lapsed into comfortable silence. Omilaena was almost completely relaxed in the ice spring now, nipples aside. Now that she reconsidered her tattoo as cultivating qi toward a breakthrough, the progress felt more productive. She had embedded so much qi via the ink, and the pool was so intense with it, maybe she was close.


    "All of us are changing." Zin Nim''s voice was barely audible and her gaze unfocused on the water. "For so long, I was focused on becoming who I wanted to be... now I am, and I''m not sure what will happen next. It... I mean..."


    Omilaena waited for her to come to a conclusion, but it seemed like Zin Nim wasn''t pondering, just sliding into a moody state. Hmm, how to take her out of it? Though the temptation to grab her and pull her into the pool for a bit of fun was nearly overwhelming, Omilaena thought that might actually be a step too far. Best to distract her.


    "If you''re worried about changes, Kai is the one to watch," she said. "We still haven''t found any answers about the Savage Heart transformation."


    "Are you worried?" Zin Nim asked. "After he attacked you, I mean."


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    "Afraid of him? No, not really. But it''s concerning for his development."


    "He... attacked me once too, a long time ago. He pushed deep into his essence and seemed to transform into a monster for a while."


    "Huh." Omilaena leaned back one the side of the pool, regarding the other woman. "I want to ask more, but there might not be anything to explain. Seems like he''s 100% in control under normal circumstances, but there are exceptions."


    "It isn''t like he''s struggling against it normally. These things only happen when he pushes the power too far, not when his willpower is weakened. I mean, we haven''t seen it when he''s wounded, or exhausted, or-"


    "Or horny."


    Zin Nim would once have blushed, but now just stared at her flatly. "I don''t think Kai would do that."


    "Sadly, you''re probably right. Didn''t even have a dick when he attacked me."


    "What?"


    "I mean, his body was transforming all over, and that black armor stuff just went over his crotch, like a solid surface." Omilaena pretended to perk up as if she''d just thought of something. "Hey, wait a minute! You said, after he broke through the Body Refinement stage, that his body was transforming while you two were together. Did his cock change too?"


    "That..." Zin Nim''s hard-won resistance was breaking down, because now she was flushing and staring. "That doesn''t make any sense!"


    "Why not? I mean, he can control it, so it''s not like he would-"


    "Each of the transformations is specifically related to monstrous essence! And monsters don''t breed, so they... so that could never happen."


    "Not unless we find a dick-themed monster." Omilaena tapped a fingernail against her lips thoughtfully. "A horse or donkey or something?"


    "He can''t get powers from animals!"


    "Yeah, but they seem to have dire versions of everything on Deadwaste. We could find a dire donkey or something. Dire donkey dick."


    Zin Nim was glowering and squirming now, but at least she wasn''t moping anymore. Omilaena decided that she''d teased enough and just reached up to pat her knee, using her non-freezing hand. Ah, she was too much fun.


    "You... just wanted to distract me, didn''t you?" Zin Nim asked.


    Omilaena leaned back to grin at her. "More or less. Regardless of the fundamental idea, that was all on the wrong track: sacred beasts reproduce normally and Kai can eat those now."


    "Wait, then half of that was nonsense! There aren''t... dire donkeys."


    "I know, I just wanted to say ''dire donkey dick.'' "


    Before Omilaena could decide on her next tactic, she felt a surge of freezing cold through her fingers. Yet the cold wasn''t painful, and in fact the rest of her body was burning with power. She stared down as she saw the tendrils of her tattoo glow with blue light.


    "Oh, it''s like a breakthrough!" Zin Nim completely abandoned all other thoughts and focused on her. "You might need to modify the traditions, but this is parallel to the end of qi condensation. Gather it all together, into a more concentrated form. Don''t let any qi spill out."


    Omilaena did her best, focusing all her willpower on the energy surging through her. Her tattoo was glowing brighter and brighter, and it just seemed like too much... how could she possibly contain it? She did her best to follow Zin Nim''s suggestions, but she also needed to adapt them to her own power. At least she had a basically endless supply of qi from the pool around her.


    Clenching her eyes, she focused on her Lethal Artisan abilities. They were the outlet for her ice qi, so she needed to integrate them. This eased the growing pain in her arm, but the power still seemed to be overflowing. Her Azure Core pulsed within her, keeping her steady, but without it she felt like the qi in her arm might have exploded violently.


    The difference was that she wasn''t gathering qi in a spiritual dantian, she used a physical focus in the form of the qi ink. Omilaena focused entirely on that and suddenly the pressure released as the power stopped overflowing through her hand and concentrated in the ink.


    As she watched, the icy tendrils grew. They thickened slightly, then began growing down her arm. At the beginning the tips had just touched her wrist, but they grew an inch further before they slowed and finally stopped. All the pressure was gone and her tattoo looked more vibrant than before.


    "You did it!" Zin Nim seemed honestly ecstatic for her, eagerly taking her hand. "It seems to be completely stable, and it''s as strong as a pure Body Refinement stage. Remarkable..."


    Feeling a bit wrung out, Omilaena slumped back against the side of the pool and examined her soul with satisfaction.


    <


    Name: Omilaena


    Total Power: 1301


    Heart of Poison: Level 83 (332)


    *Prana Jewels: Level +5 (20)


    Lethal Artisan: Spinel Rank (280)


    Ice Refinement (100)


    Path of Venomsteel: Step 9 (135)


    Physique: D-9 (245)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Azure Core (+125)


    >


    With the explosion of new power, she had passed 1300 total, putting her within reach of Zin Nim and Kai. At the moment she wasn''t even thinking about being left behind, though, she was just pleased that everything had worked out. Her theory was sound.


    "It says ''Ice Refinement'' for me," Zin Nim said, her usual frown returning. "That''s odd."


    "It''s just like you customized the Coldfire Corona for yourself." Omilaena hopped out of the pool and wrapped herself in a blue robe so she would look all official. "But does that mean it will follow the cultivation stages? What''s next... Ice Foundation? Nascent Ice?"


    "It''s far too early to think about that sort of thing!" Zin Nim touched her back affectionately, though, as they began walking out. "Do you think you should take more ice qi from them, before we go? So that you can keep cultivating your tattoo, I mean."


    "We might as well, but I''m pretty sure that won''t work. I built this tattoo out of their qi, so if I want to advance it any further, I''m going to need a more intense source."


    "So... we''re done with the Pureflower sect?"


    "Hell yeah we are. Let''s go find Kai."

 Chapter 414: Departing the Western Wilds

    By this point, Kai was starting to get anxious. He had known that it might take several days, he just couldn''t help but worry. They had rejected the idea of any sort of secret message system, because it would probably be detected by the paranoid sect, so he had no choice but to wait and work out his frustration in training. Sometimes he considered going to find them, but charging directly into an all-female sect was probably a bad idea.


    Just when he started to consider it anyway, for the tenth time, he felt a source of qi descending from the mountain top. Even from a distance he spotted Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena first, but they were being carried by someone else. He checked to make sure they weren''t being controlled or under duress and they looked calm, if a bit more neutral than normal.


    The woman between them was clearly a Sky Soul and she carried with her the inhumanly beautiful aura that he''d come to expect, but otherwise she looked the same as most women on Cloudspire to him. He saw that she was controlling the flower petals around them and quickly checked her strength.


    <


    Name: Kir Mei Bai


    Total Power: 1131


    Cultivation: Sky Soul (945)


    Divine Yin (+90)


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    >


    Based on the look of her soul, she must have been the matriarch of the sect, and once that was confirmed, she didn''t particularly concern him. Except for the fact that all three were coming straight toward him, which was strange.


    Hadn''t Omilaena said they were claiming to be lesbian lovers? She was currently fixing him with a sharp glance, so Kai acted on instinct and lowered his head as they arrived instead of greeting them like normal.


    "You may raise your head." The matriarch spoke smoothly as she landed, except her feet didn''t actually touch the ground, she just continued hovering on her own qi. "These two are being granted the blessing of the sect, including many supplies. Load them onto the ship."


    Kir Mei Bai touched a loose ribbon on her robes, which proved to be a spatial object, and revealed boxes of supplies. There was a ship descending after them, but it was simple blue, not the spotless white of the Pureflower vessel. Kai decided he wasn''t supposed to care about that and just moved to pick up the boxes and put them onto the ship. Of course he was just going to put them in his spatial ring later, but this kept him close enough to easily hear the conversation.


    "Thank you for taking such a dangerous assignment," the matriarch said to the other two women. "You must understand that while the Pureflower sect will be forever grateful for your assistance, we cannot officially acknowledge you."


    "I understand," Zae Zin Nim said with a bow. "Given what happened, you can''t trust any of your allies."


    "Where are we actually going?" Omilaena asked.


    "It seems there are so few I can trust, so I would like to send you to the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes." Kir Mei Bai waved her spatial ribbon again and summoned a scroll bound in gold. "I would like for you to investigate the Coiling Island sect and see if they could possibly have been behind the poison."


    Kai resisted the urge to look up, but he could practically feel Zae Zin Nim get more uncomfortable. He remembered that name, even if he''d never seen one of their cultivators, because they were connected to the Brightwind sect somehow.


    "I''m not sure that''s the best place for us," Omilaena said. "Are you investigating all of the sects who attended that meeting? Who else was there?"


    "But this was meant to be another reward for saving my life." Kir Mei Bai seemed honestly surprised. "The qi in the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes is more potent than any other region."


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    "Maybe in general, but not for us. Is there another option?"


    "Yes, we are sending hidden investigators to all major parties. The others were the Heavenly Sands sect, the Masterful Crown clan, the Brightwind sect, and Cruellathe sect. Perhaps y-"


    "I think we would be best suited to investigate the Masterful Crown sect," Zae Zin Nim said.


    "Is that so? Well, I suppose..."


    As he continued moving boxes, Kai smiled to himself. Omilaena had spoken up to deflect when Zae Zin Nim was uncomfortable, then she had returned the favor by selecting the Masterful Crown clan, which would take them to the Southern Rivers. It was nice to see them working together so smoothly.


    "Then I can only wish you the luck of the heavens," Kir Mei Bai said. "Though, I must say... your servant is remarkably well behaved. I cannot remember the last time I met a man who didn''t stare at me. His only concern seemed to be whether or not I was threatening you."


    "Yes, he is adequate," Zae Zin Nim said in a flat voice.


    Kai tried to resist looking over, since he probably wasn''t supposed to be able to hear them, but couldn''t resist sneaking a glimpse. Omilaena caught him doing it and her tongue flickered out almost invisibly. Somehow she managed to convey an entire minute of teasing into an instant''s expression.


    By the time the Pureflower matriarch left, Kai had loaded the ship. This one was much more drab than the white vessel, but it seemed to be well-made, and the interior was nicer than it looked from the outside. He wondered just what had led them to the point of being sent on a clandestine mission, aside from obviously saving the matriarch''s life.


    "Man the ship, servant!" Omilaena said imperiously. "If you are obedient and dutiful, perhaps later on I will allow you to rub my feet."


    "That is not appropriate," Zae Zin Nim said quietly. "We should not be cruel to Kai just because he needed to play that role."


    "Oh, it''s all in good fun. And we need to be completely respectable until we''re out of sight or we''ll ruin our cover. So no blowjobs on deck, which I assume you were going to do."


    "That is even less appropriate."


    While they spoke, Kai touched the controls and lifted the ship into the air, flying away from the rocky spire. He glanced back over his shoulder, keeping his face neutral. "Were you implying that I''m attracted to feet, Omi? I''ll give you a foot massage if you want, but not if you''re weird about it."


    Omilaena let out an unnecessary moan. "Oooh, I hope I didn''t cheat myself out of that foot massage, because I want one now. All the shoes in the Pureflower sect are stupidly tiny."


    "Small feet are considered more attractive," Zae Zin Nim threw in half-heartedly.


    "They''re considered fucking stupid, as far as I''m concerned."


    The mountain dwindled further on the horizon and the atmosphere relaxed, though they didn''t go back to normal. Kai stayed at the helm, Omilaena kept watch, and Zae Zin Nim disappeared into the cabin. After they''d been flying for a while longer, Omilaena sidled up to him.


    "Look at this." She stuck out her arm, revealing that her tattoo had grown.


    "That''s impressive," Kai said as he realized the power that lay within it. "The tattoo itself... did a cultivation breakthrough? I guess it''s still following the cultivation power curve, even if it''s been modified."


    "Basically, but here''s the best part." Omilaena stuck up her left hand, then her right. "Ice handjob on the left, poison handjob on the right. Neat, huh?"


    Kai snorted. "Staying abstinent in the sect must have really done a number on you, because usually you''re not this bad at seduction."


    "Hey, you came around to the poisoned pussy. But can you blame me for losing my touch? I''m a frumpy married woman now, so all I care about is popping out children."


    He laughed and almost kissed her, but held off in case they were still under scrutiny. There might be details regarding their mission or the sect that they needed to tell him as well. Honestly, he just wanted to ask them about everything that had happened. For its own sake, but also because he suspected that Omilaena had discovered something - she got weirdly frisky when she made a breakthrough.


    Soon Zae Zin Nim reemerged on the deck and she had changed back into her black robes, with the Heavenly Sash bright white around her waist. She looked good in a way he couldn''t put his finger on - he always thought she looked attractive, but now her eyes were narrow and focused in a way he loved.


    "We have a problem," she said flatly.


    "Oh?" Omilaena''s casual posture shifted into a ready stance.


    Kai turned to her sharply. "What is it?"


    Zae Zin Nim blinked at them in surprise. "Not that kind of problem. There''s no bedroom big enough for all of us. There are only two cramped bunks and a hammock in the hold."


    "We got spoiled by those huge Pureflower beds," Omilaena said with a sigh. "Can''t expect anything like that on a merchant ship like this. Ooh, Kai, you should have seen the ones in the sect. They''re supposedly for deep sleep and improving the complexion, but I know an orgy bed when I see one."


    "I''m sure we can figure something out," Kai said. "We''ll be in this ship for a while, right? We can rearrange things on the way, maybe even get someone in the Southern Rivers to do the work. That''s where we''re going, right?"


    "Yeah, just like we planned. Except now we have an additional mandate from the Pureflower sect."


    "No more talking about them." Zae Zin Nim moved forward and wrapped her arms around their waists, and that broke the stiff illusion they''d been maintaining. Kai laughed and wrapped his arms around the two women as the last tension finally drained away.


    The Western Wilds continued to dwindle behind them as they flew toward the Southern Rivers.

 Chapter 415: Entering the Southern Rivers

    The month of travel to the Southern Rivers was honestly a relief, not solely from the warfare but from being entangled with other people and organizations. They had to stop occasionally, but otherwise it was just the three of them, almost like their honeymoon on Darkmist Island again. That suggested sex, but the biggest factor for Kai was just their presence, the ability to talk and train together with the women he loved, without interruption.


    Not that there wasn''t sex. Before their marriage, he had been worried that dual cultivation was going to involve a lot of weird rituals, but mostly it just meant sharing their energy while being intimate. They''d maximized the value during their honeymoon, but now that they had all grown further, they could benefit again. For example, Zae Zin Nim could take qi from Omilaena for her own cultivation and the act didn''t require anything specific... as much as Omilaena might claim otherwise.


    That was only a small benefit, however, and they all had their own tasks to focus on. None of them had imminent breakthroughs except for Physique, which continued to loom over them in stalled form. For his part, Kai wanted to keep increasing his monstrous strength to match his human advancements. There weren''t any convenient monsters, but he could train his essence and try to strengthen it.


    He sat cross-legged by the front, sorting through all the monstrous essence in his soul. His new Manticore''s Quill ability was useful, but he hadn''t used it enough to raise it beyond beta rank. Just shooting at nothing hadn''t accomplished much aside from improving his aim, so maybe he needed live targets.


    While he navigated himself, the women were cultivating at the side of the ship. It seemed to be going fine until Omilaena groaned and flopped back onto the deck.


    "This is interminable. Cultivation is the worst."


    "I thought you said Physique training was the worst," Zae Zin Nim pointed out.


    "That is also the worst." Omilaena rolled over onto her side to address them both. "Your chosen methods are all so repetitive. Physical training insists that you have to lift a thousand rocks, cultivation is just sitting in a thousand caves."


    "Then... then chakra training is just engaging in a thousand acts of sex."


    "Well, look at you! But it would have been catchier if you''d said a thousand fucks."


    "Don''t be vulgar."


    "If you mean a thousand different people, that''d be a challenging path to power." Omilaena suddenly shot across the deck, wrapping herself around Zae Zin Nim''s back to embrace her from behind. "But if you mean a thousand times, well, I haven''t been counting, so why don''t we start at zero?"


    "You are insatiable." Zae Zin Nim squirmed in her arms, but she didn''t try to squirm away. And if she wasn''t cultivating at that moment, the more relaxed atmosphere seemed to have done her progress a lot of good.


    Kai smiled from his position but didn''t join in. If he''d told himself years ago that these two women would end up being so comfortable with one another, he never would have believed it. Zae Zin Nim even fought back with her own teasing on occasion, which delighted Omilaena every time. She stuck close to cultivator propriety in public, but it was great to see her stretching herself in private.


    If not for the threats hanging over them, he would have been happy to spend his life like this. But they needed to keep training, and to make progress they needed to gain new resources, so they continued into the Southern Rivers region.


    Though the Western Wilds hadn''t been as much of a desert as the reputation suggested, it was absolutely desolate compared to the Southern Rivers. As they crossed over the barrier the trees gathered into forests, a green sea that extended in all directions. After another day of travel, the forests were interrupted by a riot of color: rivers snaked through the trees, and all along its banks new plants blossomed in dozens of colors.


    "Not that one." Zae Zin Nim spoke as she came up behind him and clasped his arm to lean against. "I don''t remember all the names, but the westernmost rivers are slower and wilder. We want a civilized main channel that will take us to the heart of the region."


    "How soon do we see people?" Omilaena asked. "Not a lot out here except plants and normal animals."


    "There are many alchemical ingredients here, so I think parties go out to search for them. Normally this part is empty... I think the closest civilization would be straight east, to the Heavenly Waterfall sect. But they don''t like outsiders, and we have no reason to visit them."


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    As Kai broadly understood from the maps, the Southern Rivers covered the broad southern swath of Cloudspire. Despite the name, it wasn''t all covered in rivers: water flowed from the central mountains into various streams that combined into rivers that were truly massive and poured into the ocean. But along the way, there were countless forests, jungles, and other regions.


    Allegedly the southwestern and southeastern areas had different cultures, though he hadn''t been able to find out much about that. The Bloodcoral archives he''d read were mostly interested in coastal monsters and ships. But there was no point using them as guides when he had Zae Zin Nim with him.


    "So which direction do we head?" Kai asked. "I''ll cut southeast for now."


    "We need to find one of the faster western rivers, because they all merge together at a place named Floodisle City," Zae Zin Nim said. "It''s ruled by the Masterful Crown clan, so it should get us in the right neighborhood. That would also be a proper cultivator city... I''ve never visited, but I heard it was the most prestigious city in the Southern Rivers. You''ve seen a few impressive things, but Cloudspire has much better to offer."


    "Provided that we can pass." Omilaena come up on Zae Zin Nim''s other side and leaned on her head. "I imagine we''ll be under a lot more scrutiny here."


    "Yes, but it should not be a problem. Both of you have a strong, if unorthodox, cultivation base, so few would imagine the truth. And if anyone doubts Kai''s history, he can take off his shirt to show that horrible thing."


    "I approve of Kai taking off his shirt as a general solution to problems."


    "I must disagree, while that manticore exists."


    Once they reached a river that satisfied Zae Zin Nim, they lowered their ship down to the water. He wasn''t sure how it would work, since flying vessels were generally daintier than ocean-going ships, but it floated easily on the water. As promised, the current was surprisingly fast, so they began speeding south with no concerns except fallen trees or other obstacles.


    He actually wished that they would have a problem. A giant alligator, maybe, or some river bandits, or anything that would let him fight. When Omilaena called that they were under attack, Kai burst onto the deck, ready and eager.


    His gaze immediately fell on a school of bright fish swarming toward them. Most importantly, they registered as monsters in his vision.


    <


    Monster: Cloud Piranha


    Threat: III (Gamma)


    >


    Kai practically hurled himself over the edge and enjoyed the impact as he hit the water. Given their river path, he had Sahagin''s Soul prepared at all times, so as soon as he was partially submerged, he shot forward. The fish tried to swarm him and he actually laughed out loud into the water.


    It was fun, yes, but it was also over all too soon. Back when he''d first arrived on Rosemount he''d been able to fight a swarm of Rose Piranhas, and he was far stronger than he had been then. His speed was far greater, they couldn''t pierce his skin, and the only damage they did to his clothes was repaired by the Beggar King''s Robes.


    When Kai leapt back up on deck, he had a whole armful of dead piranhas in his arms. He''d eaten plenty under the water, tearing them in half or swallowing them whole, but the sight of monsters had awakened a different sort of hunger. Not the deepest one, just a nostalgia for the old flavors.


    "Really?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "We have plenty of supplies."


    "Yeah, but I feel like eating monsters," Kai said. "And I doubt they''ll let us do that sort of thing once we reach Floodisle City, so this is the time."


    He set up an old-fashioned fire beneath a spit, even used the fire stone he''d purchased back in Goralia - it was still sitting around in a corner of his spatial ring, unused. When the fire wasn''t quite enough for the qi-dense fish, he blew a little wisp of Baleful Breath to make sure they were done.


    The first one tasted surprisingly good and he closed his eyes as he savored it. There was nothing stopping him from eating the fish raw, but he liked the taste when they had all their toxins and corruptions burned away.


    To his surprise, Zae Zin Nim approached and sat down on his leg, then took a fish of her own. She nibbled on it at first, then finished the entire thing and nodded in satisfaction.


    "It may not be fine dining," she said, "but it is strangely satisfying. I remember when this was all we had to eat."


    "Right?" Kai wrapped one arm around her and held her closer while they both took another fish.


    Omilaena approached skeptically, sniffed at the fire, then gingerly took one. "I remember these being absolutely awful," she said as she bit into it. "Not fit for human consumption. But this... actually, this isn''t bad. I doubt you''ve become a masterful cook or anything, so I wonder what changed."


    "Could it be a fundamental shift?" Kai asked. "Maybe exposure to me made you more compatible with monstrous power, even if just a little."


    "I was going to say it''s because I''ve gotten so much practice eating one particular monster that I''ve gotten used to the taste."


    Zae Zin Nim threw a fish at her face, but Omilaena caught it out of the air with her teeth. She danced closer and sat on Kai''s other side, trying to feed Zae Zin Nim the fish with her mouth, which prompted protests at first and then laughter. Kai joined in and they enjoyed the crude but gratifying meal. If they could have continued like that, he would have been happy.


    But the next day they began to see other ships along the river, and great walls on the horizon. The sound of flowing water increased as multiple rivers came together into a great lake, with the city of Floodisle City rising high over it, larger than any Kai had ever seen.


    They had finally arrived and it was time for their preparations to be truly tested.

 Chapter 416: The Greatest City in the South

    Kai had thought they were almost on top of Floodisle City, but the city kept growing... and growing. He realized that it was far larger than he expected, built atop an island that was more like a mountain. All of the sloped roofs and tile construction he''d seen elsewhere on Cloudspire were taken even further here, sprawling not just across the island, but into multiple tiers that rose skyward.


    Even from a distance, he could tell that the upper regions were broken into different sect headquarters, each with their own colors and flags. The very top was a palace that seemed to have a grand balcony open to the sky in most directions, as if broadcasting its utter invulnerability.


    "People visit Floodisle City from all across the Southern Rivers," Zae Zin Nim explained, "and even from other parts of Cloudspire. The city is technically neutral, but in practice is controlled by the Masterful Crown clan."


    "Not sect?" Kai asked.


    "In this case, the clan is actually larger than any sect. They have so many branch families starting so many different organizations, they have entire sects working under them. Actually the four most prestigious sects in the region are called the Great Rivers and operate under them. Their patriarch is one of the few cultivators my father actually has some respect for, with a great reputation for teleportation and barriers."


    Omilaena slouched in beside them. "Are there any weird rules here? Will they start a blood feud if we don''t hop up and down three times before bowing?"


    "You have both proven yourselves reasonable enough on Cloudspire. Just don''t do anything offensive, and don''t upset anyone powerful." Zae Zin Nim hesitated a moment, then glanced at him. "And don''t attempt to start a peasant uprising or anything. It wouldn''t go well here."


    Kai threw up his hands. "You never let me have any fun."


    "I am serious, Kai. They care about loss of face here."


    "I know. But before we go here, you might as well warn me: are conditions going to be particularly bad or something?"


    "Actually, I do not think it is so bad." Zae Zin Nim seemed to consider this statement for a long moment, then nodded. "Of course those at the bottom of sects must serve, but everyone has a chance to become a cultivator one day. It is not a perfectly fair system, but it works. Let us leave it alone and only get what we need."


    For his part, Kai had mostly given up on meaningfully changing anything in Cloudspire. Well, unless Zae Zin Nim herself counted. If the city was truly oppressive that might bother him, but he wondered if the brutality could really be any worse than in the Manticore tribe. Maybe the same thing dressed up in fancier robes.


    As they drew closer, the chaos of movement around the city resolved into a flowing system. The majority of people entered via boat and barge, moving into the lower regions of the city like the tide. But there was a great wall that divided off the higher regions of the city, which had a great qi barrier and much higher security. There were Body Refinement cultivators standing guard, which was impressive given that the Qi Condensation stage would have been enough.


    He squinted and managed to look through the haze of symbols to isolate one specific guard, then another and another, finding most of them basically the same.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 84


    Cultivation: Body Refinement 0% (50)


    Physique: F-0 (30)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    These were the weakest cultivators he''d yet seen, with their Body Refinement stage being worth only half of the Brightwind sect''s. However, their total Power of 84 made them equal to a veteran hunter back home, and they were so far beyond untrained people that they were practically invincible. It was impressive that the city could muster ordinary guards at that level.


    "Their normal guards are at Body Refinement?" Kai glanced over at Zae Zin Nim. "Do they have that many resources, or am I missing something?"


    "An inferior form of it." Zae Zin Nim sniffed and shook her head. "They wouldn''t want to spend so much qi on the city guard, but the guard needs to be able to handle everyday people at the Qi Condensation stage."


    "So the city isn''t divided into cultivators and non-cultivators after all."


    "Someone with a weak form of Qi Condensation is barely a cultivator by local standards. No, the city is highly divided into different classes."


    "Figures." Omilaena nudged closer on Zae Zin Nim''s other side. "So what''s the plan? Are we trying to enter clandestinely as normal peasants, or do we go to the upper levels as cultivators?"


    "No one would ever look at us and believe we''re peasants, and our shrouds would give us away as accomplished cultivators." Zae Zin Nim shook her head and pointed higher, to a location above the wall. "Normal travel by flying vessels enters there. I see a larger port for visiting dignitaries, and the Masterful Crown clan has its own entrance, but we should avoid those. In a city this large, we are invisible enough as normal cultivators."


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    That seemed like a good enough plan to Kai, so he turned the ship and they entered Floodisle City by the upper entrance. Security was definitely tighter there and a man on a flying sword directed them to a specific port. There were places to store airships, but Kai didn''t trust the guards further than he could throw them - actually, that was pretty far, so he decided that he trusted them less than he could throw them.


    Depositing the ship into his spatial ring raised a few eyebrows, but it wasn''t unheard of here. It also didn''t get them out of following the procedures, as the guards directed them to the side. A great doorway separated the airship port from the rest of the city, and it seemed like they were going to have to wait in line. It was quite a long line, and the officials didn''t seem to be in a hurry.


    "This is absurd." Zae Zin Nim paced away from the line to one of the guards and scowled up at him. "We need to enter the city."


    The guard glanced at her, then looked again and stared. "I... right this way, my lady. You and your companions can be tested separately."


    They were taken to the side, entering a door that wasn''t visible from the direction of the port, and found themselves in a plain white room that reminded him of an Immortal''s Cave. There was a stronger cultivator waiting there, which just meant Nascent Foundation.


    "The city of Floodisle has wonders for any cultivator," he said grandly, "but only those with the necessary worth, as determined by your cultivation, prestige, and great deeds. For cultivators such as yourselves, who arrive with considerable strength, you can undergo testing and leap to higher ranks."


    "What tests are required?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Much can be determined simply by spiritual sight. But to show your true worth and potential, the test is to channel your strength into this, a Crown Lotus." The cultivator revealed a seed that was clearly filled with qi. "It will grow in response to your power, and the size and beauty of the result will grant you additional ranks. The art of growing such lotus flowers is highly valued here, so it is strongly advised, but cultivators such as yourselves are free to ignore it."


    Zae Zin Nim glanced over at them and gave the slightest shrug of her shoulders, so there didn''t seem to be anything suspicious or revealing about the test. Given that they''d come to the city for resources and access, they might as well start engaging with the local ranking system right away.


    Kai had a feeling he knew exactly how this was going to go and sighed in advance.


    "You first," Zae Zin Nim whispered to Omilaena. "The test will likely be biased toward me, so I want to see an example."


    "To maximize the highest rank among us?" Omilaena nodded appreciatively. "Good strategy."


    She stepped forward and received the first of the seeds, then held it in her palm as directed. After a pause, the seed began to glow in response to her energy. A tendril rose from the seed, then split into a flower. It was white at first but rippled to blue as it grew larger, spreading out new leaves that radiated chakra until the entire flower glowed in the air.


    "Impressive!" The cultivator touched a petal, winced, and then used his qi to pick it up instead. "Very unorthodox, but exquisitely beautiful. Combined with your strength, this grants you a rank of 11." He grandly presented her a piece of jade with an elaborate symbol on it.


    "What the fuck does that mean?" Omilaena asked as she took the jade slip.


    "Ah, but I forget you are ignorant of our ways. To be worthy to even work in the upper city, cultivators must have a rank between 1 and 5. More prestigious cultivators will have ranks between 6 and 10. Anything above 10 is extraordinary, so you should be very proud."


    "My heart is overflowing with pride," Omilaena said, her venom barely visible underneath her smile. As she stepped back, Kai decided to get it over with and moved forward.


    The next seed looked smaller and darker than the previous one and Kai was suspicious, but he didn''t really know anything about how the system worked. After he showed his Bloodcoral medallion, which was accepted with a sniff, all he could do was let his energy flow into his palm... as soon as he did so, the seed began to soak it up and grow on its own, so he didn''t need to do anything special.


    Yet as the shoot rose, Kai could already see that it was thinner and less pure. It blossomed into a flower, but the petals were limp and it looked on the verge of wilting. He gritted his teeth as he came face to face with fate again, but Kai wasn''t content to accept what it handed him.


    "A poor showing," the official said. "Given your raw strength and sect affiliation, you still have a rank of 3, but-"


    "Wait." Kai took a deep breath and focused on the flower before it stopped growing.


    If he channeled any of his monstrous power into the seed, he was pretty sure that it would die instantly. But he''d developed the Savage Heart so far and attuned it to that monstrous strength, so maybe he could use that. Without changing any of his body, Kai began to channel his transformation. He felt his heart throbbing with monstrous strength that surged down his blood vessels.


    The seed twitched and the flower darkened, but it wasn''t withering. As he watched, the stem throbbed and grew thicker, then thorns began to emerge, and finally the leaves became sharp and black. No one would call the result beautiful, but it no longer looked half-dead, and it continued to grow above his palm.


    "A grim but fearsome result. That may be worth a 4..." The cultivator stared in some combination of awe and disgust, then shook his head. "No, that is a rank 5. Take it and count yourself lucky."


    So Kai received a jade slip with a much smaller symbol than Omilaena''s. He noticed that the official didn''t want to touch his hand and pushed the dark lotus aside quickly. Kai just plastered a smile on his face and stepped back with the others.


    When Zae Zin Nim passed him he caught a hint of concern for him on her face, but then she focused on her own test. She took the seed gently and her power circulated, leaving aside her other strength and sending a stream of pure qi into her palm.


    The seed responded immediately, growing larger than before. Pure white petals gathered together, nearly glowing with pristine beauty, and when they unfolded into a lotus, the official gasped. By the time Zae Zin Nim was finished, the lotus floating over her hand glowed bright enough to cast the entire room in pale shades.


    "Truly extraordinary..." The official looked nearly breathless as he took the lotus from the air. "Are you a member of any sect, local or prestigious from afar?"


    "No," Zae Zin Nim said flatly.


    "Then I fear the rules limit what I can give you, but I am honored to grant a woman of your purity and beauty the rank of 14." The official bowed deeply as he handed over a final jade slip.


    "There''s nothing else we need to do to enter the city?"


    "No, please enter. With such an incredible ranking from the start, almost all of Floodisle City will be open to you, and you could easily ascend even higher as you engage with cultivators of our city."


    Zae Zin Nim promptly seemed to forget that the official existed and turned back to them, inclining her head slightly to join her. The official stared at them, mostly at the women but occasionally with a look of distaste and incredulity toward Kai, as if he couldn''t understand what he was seeing.


    Despite everything, it rankled just a little. As Kai passed through the gate, however, Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena each grabbed one of his arms, smiled, and led him into the city. Kai smiled in return, took one look back at the flabbergasted official, and then forgot about him entirely.

 Chapters 417-420

    Chapter 417: The Best Laid Plans of Cultivators and Men


    As far as Omilaena was concerned, the two people exploring alongside her were more interesting than the city itself. Floodisle City was big, sure, but it was another cultivator city with cultivator ranks and cultivator rules. These two would be beside her long after she''d harvested the city for whatever it was worth and left it behind.


    Zin Nim took to the city immediately, treating everything granted by her rank as a right. It was convenient, such as when she deduced that the flying rickshaws were free for anyone above the tenth rank, and sometimes fun, such as when a salesperson started to bother them and Zin Nim stared at him so intensely he looked like he almost pissed his pants. The only thing that left Omilaena a little unsettled was how much Zin Nim adapted to it, reminding her a little too much of the worst women in the Pureflower sect.


    By contrast, Kai was clearly out of his element, treated as an obstacle or servant. Omilaena didn''t have a single comforting instinct in her body, but she felt a bit bad for him, so she made sure to counteract that. She pressed up against his side more than necessary, whispered promises into his ear, and generally tried to make sure he was too horny to feel bad about anything.


    First they visited one of the cultivator markets, where they were immediately ushered to the higher class section. The Pureflower sect had given them plenty of qi pills among their supplies, but Omilaena purchased a few more items, just in case things went bad. She could use more metals as well, even if they weren''t particularly impressive.


    While Zin Nim examined local flying swords, which she said were superior, Omilaena sidled over to where Kai was looking through a stall of assorted items. She ducked under his arm and hung off him while he looked, pleased by how automatically he grabbed her hip.


    "What are you looking for?" she asked.


    "I was hoping they''d sell monster cores, but there isn''t a lot of that here," he said. "I asked earlier and they implied there was a wet market in the lower city, if anywhere. That''s probably not going to be good enough for me."


    "Not a lot of monster hunting in these parts." Omilaena patted his side apologetically.


    "Not a lot of imports in general. Not like Rosemount."


    "Well, Cloudspire has always had a stick up its ass about not needing anything from the other continents. I think you could make some chakra progress, though."


    "Really? I''ve seen some chakras, but they don''t seem to value it as much..."


    "You just need to use them a little more adventurously." Omilaena plucked a glass bottle from the stand, which was covered in warning symbols, and held it up for him. "See, this says that it will increase your power, but drive you mad and reduce your lifespan."


    "What a great deal."


    "No, but think about it. The ingredients can''t just have an arbitrary ''decreases lifespan'' quality - that''s silly. What it has is a material effect, likely flooding power through your body in a way that harms it. Which means that the negative effect is conditional - I''m willing to bet your Behemoth''s Heart can just consume most things like that without skipping a beat."


    "Huh." Kai nodded and began to look through the stands with new eyes. Simple as it was, Omilaena was glad to have someone who really listened and understood.


    Before she could decide how much to tease him, Zin Nim returned to them and gestured with a nod. "I''ve been given access to a store with highly restricted goods," she said. "Let''s go see if they have anything we need."


    The "store" was basically a tower, complete with its own guards, qi shielding, and balconies where cultivators sipped tea. Since that sort of ostentation usually meant strength on Cloudspire, Omilaena was curious to see what it held. She''d found absolutely no poisons so far and could only hope that those were kept in restricted areas.


    When they approached the door, the guards shuffled nervously, and a woman in an official''s robes looked them over. Omilaena was ready to show her jade slip, as she''d needed to do many times already, but the woman seemed focused on Kai.


    "The two of you may enter, but he cannot," the official said.


    "He is with us." Zin Nim delivered her usual glower, but the official''s sanctimoniousness was impervious.


    "We have certain requirements for our clientele, and I fear your servant does not meet them. We would welcome you and your companion, but we cannot allow you to disturb the other clients."


    Zin Nim looked like she was considering murdering the woman, while Kai just sighed. Definitely time for her to take action. Omilaena slipped between them, taking Zin Nim''s arm before she could kill anyone, and took over the conversation.


    "Of course, we understand." She bumped her ass against Kai and gave him a smirk over her shoulder, then escorted Zin Nim inside.


    Within, the air was immediately cooler and filled with qi. All the walls were covered in elegant hangings, but Omilaena was more interested in how the floors seemed to be divided into different levels based on rank. The first one started at rank 6 and the servants inside quickly hastened to urge them upward. It seemed like the second to last floor was rank 10, with a special rank 11+ floor beyond.


    The materials began feeling powerful enough starting on the 9th floor, so they stopped there. Omilaena immediately discovered where all the poisons were hiding and eagerly went to go investigate. She was surprised that Zin Nim went along with her, holding her arm affectionately.


    "Do the poisons need to be Sky Soul tier?" Zin Nim asked. "I''ll help you look."


    "I don''t just need intensity, my Heart of Poison can also grow with variety," Omilaena said, selecting one of the jars. "See, this isn''t so different from a Rosemount poison, despite its strength, but this one... some sort of meridian poison, is it?"


    "Yes, I think that would be different. Let us see..."


    That was reassuring in a way Omilaena hadn''t realized earlier: Zin Nim might be at home here, but she hadn''t reverted to her old self. She might look like a perfect cultivator maiden, but she would kill to defend either of them. Which was nice, even if Omilaena didn''t particularly need that right now.


    While they moved through the poisons, Omilaena also examined the other customers. There were some powerful Earth Souls, yes, but also women purchasing beauty products and men buying silk robes who didn''t seem to be cultivators. Unsurprising that the ranking system allowed for factors other than strength, though she took a perverse pleasure in going all the way to the top on power alone.


    After they made a few good purchases, they moved on to what Zin Nim was interested in... which seemed to be dual cultivation products, which were held in a screened off area. Omilaena slid up beside her, teasing half as much as she did with Kai, which was about all Zin Nim could take.


    "And just what are you looking for?"


    "It isn''t fair to leave him outside," Zin Nim said with determination. "I... want to make sure we get something for him. As recompense for the insults."


    "I don''t think we need to buy anything to thank him for putting up with us." Omilaena got a little bolder, her arm snaking around the other woman''s waist so her hand could flatten against her stomach. "Pretty sure the two of us can reward him just fine."


    "No, I want to find something." She held up a white jar and sniffed the contents. "I like the qi in this, but what is it? The smell is... do you eat it? That seems like it would be repulsive."


    Omilaena had to restrain her chuckle. "That''s a cream, dear. You don''t put it in your mouth, not unless you''re feeling adventurous."


    "I... I see..." Zin Nim flushed, but didn''t break until Omilaena slid her hand further down. "Omi! Don''t be vulgar!"


    "What? You weren''t complaining last night."


    "Enjoying m-marital congress is not vulgar! Displaying what should be private, for anyone to see... that is what is inappropriate."


    "Ah." Omilaena''s eyebrows rose as she understood something about the other woman for the first time.


    She was a possessive little thing, actually. Where Omilaena was happy to show off herself or others, Zin Nim wanted to keep it all to herself. Quite a cultivator''s attitude, now that she thought about it, but Omilaena just found herself fondly amused. Fine, she could play along with that game too.


    "Alright, I''ll behave myself and we''ll see what we can find..."


    .


    ..


    .


    Finally, after so many disasters and inconveniences, everything was going right. Zin Nim floated through the city like she was a lotus petal herself.


    The creams seemed like they would burn a hole in her spatial bracelet, even though they were cool to the touch, because she couldn''t help thinking about her plans for later. She knew that Kai didn''t have an ego like so many of the men she knew, but it just wasn''t fair. He should be able to stride the streets and have others cower before him, not be treated like a peasant. Later, she would make sure he understood how much she appreciated him.


    Her real surprise was Omilaena, who had behaved herself the entire day after their conversation. The other woman took so much delight in being improper, but the instant she had really understood, she changed. Zae Zin Nim intended to thank her wife for that later too.


    But for now, she was simply glad to have reached this point with both of them. They were back in civilization with proper credentials and no undue attention. Their goals in the Southern Rivers seemed distant priorities compared to just enjoying being together without any obligations.


    "I know where I want to go tonight," Zae Zin Nim told them as they rode another rickshaw. "With no disrespect to Kai''s cooking, you haven''t seen the true cuisine of the Southern Rivers. I''ve heard about a restaurant that''s supposed to be one of the four most prestigious in the city, which is not only delicious, but the food allegedly boosts your Physique. Maybe it won''t make a difference, but..."


    "But it''s worth a try," Kai said. "Why not?"


    Omilaena raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you know much about Southern Rivers cuisine? I thought this wasn''t your area."


    "I am still familiar with the customs of its strongest sects," Zae Zin Nim explained. "I may have had difficulties at home, but I ate the finest dishes from across Cloudspire. But even I never got the opportunity to go to a restaurant like this."


    So they headed out together, though first they changed Kai into a nicer robe... or rather, they fed a nicer robe to the Beggar King''s Robes, which was rather strange. Fortunately, there were more men in a restaurant like this seeking to enhance their Physique, so he didn''t stand out as much and wasn''t turned away. Which meant all three of them could enter and she could finally relax with her spouses.


    Since they had more than enough money, Zae Zin Nim paid for the most expensive table and the full course. They were escorted to the top of the entire restaurant and given a glorious balcony seat that was shielded from the rest of the city by tree boughs, instead offering a look at the beautiful gardens below. Once this sort of luxury had been her everyday life, and she had spent years scrounging in wastelands... all those travels had brought her these two partners, and with them the luxury was a joy instead of a prison.


    As the restaurant brought them dish after dish, they talked about everything and nothing. Eventually they would need to have a serious conversation about their next moves, but that didn''t hang over the evening because she knew that she would enjoy that too.


    Soon enough Zae Zin Nim had eaten all she could and sat back in satisfaction. Omilaena squeezed her thigh surreptitiously under the table, but it was just affectionate, not teasing. Meanwhile, Kai continued to consume an enormous quantity of food, since he could apparently eat anything. Either he had become more polite since they met or his manners no longer bothered her, because she was just glad to see him eating his fill.


    "Thank you for putting up with everything," Zae Zin Nim said. She leaned against his side and smiled up at him when he looked at her. "It''s ridiculous that they can''t see your value."


    "I expected it." Kai shrugged as he spoke, but she thought she was a bit of relief in his eyes. "People treated me strangely in the Bloodcoral sect, too. I knew once we got away from the Manticore tribe that I''d have to deal with this again."


    "You are... not what men are expected to be, here."


    "But we appreciate your qualities." Omilaena slid around the table to press against Kai''s other side, putting her hand on his inner thigh. Zae Zin Nim had thought she was being forward with her own maneuver and now flushed. It was under the table, though, and that was just who Omilaena was, so she decided not to complain when her wife had already been so accommodating.


    "You don''t need to do this, really." Kai squeezed Omilaena''s shoulders and planted a kiss on top of Zae Zin Nim''s head. "I''d do a lot worse for your sake than play servant for a while. I only care what you two think about me, and I''m not worried about that."


    Zae Zin Nim smiled and cuddled in beside him. She was trying to decide if it would be too forward to bring up what she had purchased, or if Omilaena would make fun of her for the clumsy attempt at seduction. Even that might not feel bad, not in their little group of three. For a few moments, she was purely happy.


    "Excuse me, this table is needed."


    The disruption shattered Zae Zin Nim''s illusion of perfection. She sat upright, ready to castigate the servant who now bowed in front of them for interrupting, but her instincts told her that something else was wrong. Too late, she saw a young man in cultivator''s robes walking toward them, with half a dozen young men in tow.


    "What the hell is this?" he demanded. "First I find out my favorite table is taken, then I find this?"


    "Apologies, my lord." The servant bowed desperately while being pushed out of the way. "They''ll be gone soon, I assure you, and then-"


    "What kind of place has this become?" the young master demanded. "I come here for a fine meal, not to see... some filthy ape groping two fine maidens."


    At first Zae Zin Nim had been searching the faces for someone she knew, fearing that it would be a Brightwind ally, but all of these faces were unfamiliar. None of them were anyone they had met during the city or had any vendetta with. Her scalp went cold as she realized that this had nothing to do with any of their actions, it was just bad luck.


    This couldn''t be chalked up to Kai''s cursed fate... this one was hers, for forgetting where she was.


    Chapter 418: The First Slap


    At first, Kai honestly wasn''t sure what to make of it. His gut reaction was to take things at face value: the young man had accused him of impropriety, which wasn''t fair at all since Omilaena was the only one groping. A second later he realized that of course the words were just a pretext and this was a matter of pride, or rather arrogance and entitlement.


    "Take your hands off them, you oaf." The young cultivator swaggered forward, staring down at him. "How dare a swarthy, low rank piece of filth like you touch two such maidens?"


    "Really not a maiden," Omilaena said wryly, but the cultivator barely glanced at her.


    "Dark you may be, but your beauty is worth more than this. Two women with ranks above 10 deserve far better! You should be read poetry by the noble sons of the city, not be the playthings of a clumsy brute."


    The strange thing was that Zae Zin Nim had tensed up under Kai''s arm. Normally he might have pulled it away, but she was leaning closer to him - not afraid, just apprehensive. Was there a layer of Cloudspire politics to this confrontation that he was missing? Could their opponent be far more dangerous than he appeared?


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 135


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 0% (100)


    Physique: F-2 (34)


    Soul Level: 1 (1)


    >


    Kai glanced at the man''s soul and wasn''t impressed. The leader of the group had only 135 Power at Nascent foundation, and his flunkies were all at the Body Refinement stage with under 100. Not just low stage cultivators, weak for their stage. This group couldn''t possibly be a physical threat to them.


    "Go away." Zae Zin Nim drew herself upright and scowled at the group. "He''s worth ten of you."


    "Ten?" Omilaena asked with a smirk. "Why exactly ten?"


    "Has he cast some sort of spell over you?" The cultivator sneered to his friends, who laughed in response. "Your beauty is unrivaled, deserving nothing less than the highest sons of this city. Truly, this oaf putting his arm around you is an offense to heavens and earth! Come with me and we''ll show you a far better evening than this barbarian."


    Zae Zin Nim''s eyes narrowed to slits and Kai wondered if she was going to murder the group at that moment. There was definitely lethal energy thrumming through her body, so Kai held back and let her take the lead. If she wanted to handle things herself, he would let her. His instinct was to think that their insults were just pathetic, so this shouldn''t end in violence, but if his wife took such insult...


    "My name is Kan Hul Ning, heir to the Shining River sect, branch of the Heavenly River sect, one of the four most prestigious Great Rivers under the Masterful Crown clan. I''ve already achieved rank 12 at the Nascent Foundation stage, so my rise has only begun. I assure you, come with me and you''ll not regret it."


    Oh, so he was just an idiot. Kai could believe that someone might have such an inflated opinion of themselves, but if this man was really impressed with his own cultivation he was a soft son of privilege - presumably that was why he hadn''t suspected that their shrouds hid far greater power than his entire group combined. It reminded him of Fhazi Lantrian, except here the young man''s clan might provide him with even more support.


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    "Are you too thick to hear my words?" Kan Hul Ning took a step forward, actually getting angry, his face turning red and unsightly. "Let go of them before I punish you for your impudence. You even touching such fine skin is like a toad eating swan meat!"


    His crowd of flunkies burst into laughter as if this was a brilliant insult. Kai was still just puzzled by the whole thing, not even offended. If either of his wives wanted him to do something, he''d be happy to slap sense into the group of bullies, but Zae Zin Nim was only vibrating murderously while Omilaena looked entertained. At that moment she leaned in, draping herself against his side.


    "It looks to me," Omilaena said in a purring voice, "like this barbarian has two women with him, while you''re spending the night with a bunch of men. So I think the question you need to be asking is... what does the toad have that you don''t?"


    The young man''s eyes practically bulged out of his head. One of his flunkies laughed briefly before being glared into silence, and the leader took a step forward, raising a fist. Kai was mostly entertained, wondering how Omilaena would handle things, but at that moment Zae Zin Nim poked his side with her elbow. When he glanced down, she stared back as if urging him to take action.


    "I see I misjudged you!" the cultivator blustered. "I never thought such a beautiful woman could be such a filthy slut. This-"


    "Enough," Kai said quietly. "We''re happy to leave and give you your table. But if you say another word about either of them, you''ll regret it."


    "Oh, so the barbarian can talk!" Kan Hul Ning turned on him, fists clenched at his sides. "You don''t get to leave now, not even if you kowtow a thousand times! Get up and fight me, toad. You''ll see just how little you''re worth compared to a proper cultivator!"


    "You really want to do this?"


    "I insist! Stand up and fight for your slut-"


    Instead, Kai activated Void Gaze.


    It hit the group like a shockwave, sending most of them tumbling to the ground and one crashing through the railing over the edge of the balcony. All of the cultivators coughed up mouthfuls of blood and their leader, who Kai focused on, vomited several mouthfuls as he struggled just to remain on his knees. The servant and everyone else within range of the highest table stared in shock.


    Kai didn''t particularly care about any of their reactions, just the women at his sides. Omilaena purred and rubbed up against him while Zae Zin Nim just gave a small nod, as if satisfied. Not what he would have done on his own, but if it made her happy...


    "You idiot," Kan Hul Ning said between spurts of blood, "do you have any idea who my father is?"


    "None whatsoever," Kai said. He rose to his feet, towering over the cultivator.


    "My father is Kan Gor Xen, first ranked inner sect disciple of the Heavenly River sect!"


    "I don''t know who that is either." Kai shrugged and glanced to Zae Zin Nim at his side. "Would he be a Sky Soul?"


    "Just an inner sect disciple?" Zae Zin Nim''s lip curled slightly. "He was so arrogant, I thought his father must at least be a sect patriarch. The Shining River sect is just a small faction under the Masterful Crown clan, and even one of the Great Rivers. They are no concern."


    Kan Hul Ning stared at them, eyes wide, and for the first time had nothing more to say. Those of his flunkies who weren''t unconscious were crawling away, deserting him already. Clearly he would be furious about this, though hopefully he would see that even bringing his father wouldn''t be enough to stop them. Maybe that was enough to end this, but just in case...


    "Would it be cleaner to kill him?" Kai asked.


    Zae Zin Nim shook her head. "Let his father get his son back, as a gift of mercy. Though given how his son behaves like a piece of trash, it might be an insult instead."


    "Then let''s just leave. We''ve eaten enough and there''s no reason to cause trouble for the restaurant."


    She blinked as if she hadn''t considered that, but nodded. No one stopped them as they walked out and Kai left a few extra taels as apology for the broken railing. The restaurant workers seemed more surprised by his gift than the controversy, as if this wasn''t the first time.


    Kai realized that Cloudspire really did work how Zae Zin Nim had always claimed: those with strength or connections threw their weight around with little regard for anyone else. Even Fhazi had been somewhat limited by his clan, granted privileges but not permitted to act with total impunity. If someone like him was given everything they wanted and allowed to act like a little prince, it made sense they''d turn into a superficial person.


    Once back in the street, the two women were both still at his sides. Zae Zin Nim seemed to be satisfied and affectionate, while Omilaena was outright groping him. Kai didn''t particularly care about stomping on bugs - or just looking at bugs, he supposed - but he was glad they seemed happy about the result. Unfortunately, they didn''t get far before Omilaena spoke up.


    "So do we actually need to worry?" she asked. "Will this escalate?"


    "We could fight the Shining River sect," Zae Zin Nim said, "but we need to investigate the Masterful Crown clan and there''s no point causing bad blood."


    "So what do you suggest?"


    "Engaging further would be pointless. Let''s just take care of our business and move on."


    Chapter 419: Floodisle City Investigations


    That kind of bullshit was one of the main reasons Omilaena hadn''t gone to Cloudspire.


    She was still thinking about it the next day as they split up to finish their business. It had ruined their night because Zin Nim was out of sorts, wanting intimacy in the non-euphemistic sense. Admittedly, Omilaena had come around to the creature comfort of relaxing together, but she had wanted to bang. Given what had happened, it should have been a nice palate cleanser.


    Seemed like a bad time to introduce Zin Nim to any of her personal fantasies, so Omilaena decided to just be responsible for now. They''d have more time together later.


    Now she had to go out on her own and gather critical information, just in case it was more prudent to leave Floodisle City. Omilaena had asked some discreet questions and eventually found her target: a house dedicated to cleansing poisons, not creating them. That was more likely to get her useful information about the poison used against the Pureflower matriarch than chasing directly after the potential culprit.


    Getting in had been easy, just a simple matter of a sob story, her rank, and a demonstration of a few antidotes. Now, however, she sat in a dingy waiting room amid cultivators from all across society. They were more diverse than most of the stratified institutions in the city, which was one of the reason she''d chosen it. The openness meant delays, unfortunately, and she couldn''t push to the front of the line without being a copy of the little prick from the previous night.


    When someone finally came to meet her, it was a little old lady, so hunched over she only came to Omilaena''s waist. She could still know her poisons, though, so Omilaena crossed her legs as properly as she could and lowered her head.


    "Thank you for meeting with me, grandmother."


    "You say your husband is sick?" The old woman peered at her through crude lenses. "You''re sure it''s poison?"


    "I have some small healing arts," Omilaena said as she pulled a vial from her spatial satchel. The poison in the matriarch''s body had been too intense to perfectly copy, but since she''d absorbed some, she could created a diluted version. "This is what I believe the poison to be, and I fear all my arts are insufficient."


    "Oh my." The healer examined the vial and shook her head. "This is no simple poison, girl, it reeks of qi. You might be better suited asking in the Western Wilds."


    "I have asked a few, but it is no use, alas."


    "How did he get this in him? This is a dantian poison, so it wouldn''t take with food or drink. You could take it via tainted qi, but no cultivator with eyes to see the Heavenly Mountains would fail to notice such a thing."


    "I know," Omilaena said even though that was brand new information. She looked down and sniffled. "He was poisoned while traveling and I feared that he... might have been unfaithful."


    "While that could be, I''m sure it''s not, dear." The old woman reached over and patted her leg. "Much more likely to be an attack striking the dantian directly and leaving behind poison, or perhaps qi in the atmosphere, if you could hide it among other things..."


    The old woman went on to list enough different methods that Omilaena could believe Kir Mei Bai got poisoned without knowing it. She disliked these spiritual Cloudspire poisons, since they circumvented the body''s usual defenses, but this was a good opportunity to learn more about them from an expert. Curing them was one thing, but with enough information she could duplicate them.


    And, she supposed, maybe solve the mystery that was their pretext for visiting the Southern Rivers.


    "Thank you so much," Omilaena gushed. "Do you know if any of the larger clans could help me acquire all these materials? I heard that the Masterful Crown clan had more than enough, but..."


    "You can''t approach the clan directly, definitely not. If you want poisons and antidotes, their specialists are the Purple River sect. It''s near the Loam, you know, so not easy traveling, but that should get you on your way. Probably near Verdant River sect headquarters to start - they''re ascendant lately, so they have more cities than the other Great Rivers."


    Omilaena thanked the old woman again as if those names meant anything to her. She had memorized the sounds, but wasn''t familiar enough with everything in the Southern Rivers region to actually know what that meant.


    Still, she had a lead. A potential source of the poison, yes, but more importantly the "Loam" was almost certainly the Loam of the Gods. Omilaena hummed as she considered finding another Insanity.


    .


    ..


    .


    When she was younger, Zae Zin Nim had slapped down many rivals who were rude to her, and even killed a few men who dared to take liberties. But she had done that as the genius daughter of the Brightwind sect, not an independent cultivator. She couldn''t assert her rights here without implicitly attacking the most powerful organizations in the entire regions.


    Now, she needed to investigate, both to find out whether or not there could be potential repercussions and to find a path forward.


    Strangely enough, that took her to one of the most elite feminine institutions in the city: the Deepest Jade Garden. No woman was allowed in unless she was at least rank 12 and there were apparently a great many other requirements. Omilaena would never be allowed into a place like this for reasons of decorum alone, but Zae Zin Nim drew on her old habits and passed with flying colors.


    Once inside, she was immediately the subject of much attention. Technically the Deepest Jade Garden existed for cultivation and trade, but it was also a source of gossip for the highest-class women of the city. As a surprising new arrival, Zae Zin Nim only needed to drop hints that she was receiving marriage proposals from the Masterful Crown clan to get a wealth of information.


    "Oh, that''s wonderful! You could be set for life!"


    "Be sure it''s really a part of the main clan, not a little branch. There are so many miserable little sects trying to cling to their prestige."


    "Though beware the patriarch. If you displease him, or his firstborn son, he might teleport you away to parts unknown."


    "Isn''t that just a rumor? Would even he do that?"


    "The great River sects are all as prestigious. Many of their cultivators even marry into the clan."


    "Is that so?" Recognizing her opportunity, Zae Zin Nim directed the conversation in that direction. "And which of the Great River sects is the most prestigious?"


    That got a wealth of intelligence - she could have gotten the same broad details from any peasant, but the women of the city had far more inside information. They had both sect leaders and wives of sect leaders among them, so while they were biased, they gave her insight she couldn''t get anywhere else. Soon a clear picture emerged.


    The Masterful Crown clan had dozens of minor allies, but four were considered the most prestigious and collectively called the Great River sects. There was disagreement over whether the Heavenly River sect or the Deepriver sect was the strongest, but both were venerable and respected. The women knew less about the Purple River sect, which was far to the south and more secretive. Finally, the Verdant River sect was rumored to be the current holder of the Loam of the Gods, and so one of the clan''s greatest sources of strength.


    It didn''t have much of a presence in Floodisle City, however, so it was considered a bit rural. The women agreed that it was only worth marrying someone from a far-off sect if the man was on his way up and could eventually be promoted to a higher position in the great city.


    As for the Shining River sect of the young master who had attacked them, it barely received the slightest attention.


    "What about the clan itself?" Zae Zin Nim asked. "I assume they have their own inner sects, aside from their close allies."


    "Don''t get too confident now!"


    "But such pure white skin," another woman murmured, "maybe she could..."


    "The most prestigious is the Grand Crown sect..."


    It seemed that the public face of the clan''s cultivators was the Grand Crown sect, where every woman was a legendary beauty and every man had a harem of concubines. The inversion, spoken about by whisper and implication, was called the Dark Crown sect. Both were considered highly formidable, equal to any major sect in the other lands, and based on their reach Zae Zin Nim could believe it.


    Even after she learned all the details she needed, she found herself lingering. Despite how much she had grown, it was flattering to have everyone marveling over her... even if she knew that much of it was truly just flattery.


    When the gossip and backstabbing became too much, Zae Zin Nim made her excuses and retreated, longing to reunite with her husband and wife.


    .


    ..


    .


    The plan had both women going to the most elite parts of the city, but Kai went in the opposite direction, back through the cultivator''s gate into the lower part of the city. There he managed to find work as a day laborer, mainly because he had at least double the weight of most of the workers in pure muscle. That led him to a job down by the riverside, moving all the goods required to feed such a large city.


    While he was there, he hoped to get a better sense for the common people of Floodisle City, the actual salt of the earth. But the great sects and clans were omnipresent in their lives as well, and it seemed the highest aspirations of many workers was to become servants of an important organization. Despite his occasional questions, Kai couldn''t figure out exactly how all these sects actually funded themselves, or what they contributed to anyone other than themselves.


    After most of a day, a Body Refinement cultivator came to ask for workers with some cultivation base to move more dangerous goods. Kai passed the test effortlessly, of course, and went to work in a sheltered cove separated from the main Floodisle ports.


    Unfortunately, there were no great secrets there, just more goods to unload. Yet as he moved the boxes, he felt as though some of them contained a familiar sort of qi. Most of the goods they handled were based on qi, of course, but something was odd about these. He considered just ignoring it, but he''d been working a full day and come across no significant leads, so he decided it was better to act.


    When he and another worker tried to pass on a narrow stair, Kai made sure they bumped into one another. Their boxes fell and Kai intentionally only caught one, letting the other crash against the stones and break apart.


    And then he stared.


    "Dammit!" One of the overseers advanced on them, cursing. "Clean all that up right now, and it''s coming out of your pay!"


    No one treated this as a revelation, just an annoyance, but Kai still rushed to kneel down and touch the purple crystals. For the first time on Cloudspire, he saw something from Deadwaste: these were qi crystals from Krysal.


    What the fuck?


    Chapter 420: Tracking the Source of the Crystals


    They reunited that night to share information, just finding a hotel where they could sit together instead of any grand institutions. Kai far preferred that, since all he really wanted was Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena without interruption. As they explained what they''d learned, however, he realized they could have a problem of split incentives.


    "Our best lead on the poison is the Purple River sect," Omilaena said, "but frankly I don''t think the chances are high that they were really the culprit. We might as well stay in Floodisle City city and take it for all it''s worth."


    "I won''t deny that we could gain a great deal here." Zae Zin Nim shifted uncomfortably, frowning at nothing in particular. "However, if we get on the wrong side of the Masterful Crown clan, they will cause trouble for us throughout the entire region. They could even draw the sort of attention that might get us noticed in the Eastern Plains."


    "Do you think we would, taking down one little silkpants idiot?"


    "No, but it could escalate. I have been investigating their strength, and the clan has many Sky Soul cultivators, so they could be a nuisance. I... don''t want us to have to join or ally with more sects here. We should be able to keep traveling together."


    "Aww, I knew you just couldn''t contain your lusts."


    While they spoke, Kai was staring out the window of their room, thinking about the anger on the young man''s face, Fhazi, and different paths taken in life. Eventually he turned back, glancing over both of them but focusing eventually on Zae Zin Nim.


    "Do you think there''s actually a significant risk?" he asked. "We can go if you insist, but I really want to track this down."


    "He was only important because of his connection to the Masterful Crown clan," Zae Zin Nim said. "Perhaps he will never dare to return to face you. Even if he does, and even if he can find you, at worst he will bring his father. We can remain, if you wish."


    "I''m in favor of staying," Omilaena said, "but is this actually decisive evidence? We haven''t seen a single pebble from Deadwaste, so why here, in the biggest city in the whole region?"


    "Analyze for yourself." Kai tossed the crystal he''d taken to her, but Omilaena only caught it with her pipe and set it aside.


    "Already did. Yes, it looks like the Krysali cultivation, but all my research suggests that there are common patterns. Anywhere you go in the world, if you combine the Cultivation aspect with the Essence aspect, you''re going to create crystals like this. Maybe they''re engaging in some experiment."


    Zae Zin Nim immediately shook her head. "Doubtful. Cloudspire may be wrong about some things, but I agree with the consensus: crystal cultivation is inferior in most respects."


    "Even the Frontier elites using it?"


    "I said most respects. But regardless, I have a very difficult time imagining any self-respecting cultivator, much less one from a major clan, building qi in crystals like this. The impulse to drain it into your dantian would be too strong, and they lack those crystal cores."


    "So what does that mean?" Kai asked. When neither woman answered, he continued on himself. "You say there''s a low chance someone here created the crystals themselves and I''ll accept your judgment on that. So does that imply that someone from Krysal is here?"


    "I know there is a small amount of trade between Krysal and the Eastern Plains." Zae Zin Nim chewed on her lip for a moment. "Compared to the size of the ocean, going around the southern side of the continent is not so far. It is not impossible, just very strange."


    "I know we have a lot of other things to look into, but I want to figure out what''s going on. So are we set?"


    He expected to have to persuade them, but to his surprise both women agreed immediately. Omilaena seemed a bit intrigued herself, while Zae Zin Nim was very solemn about anything she considered her duty. In any case, he was glad to have them on his side.


    .


    ..


    .


    After another day of work, Kai headed back to their room tired and irritable. Not physically tired, because his body was basically untouched by minor physical labor, but frustrated by the lack of progress he''d made and annoyed by the endless complaints of the workers. Half of them griped about not having wives and the other half griped about their wives.


    When they nudged him on the issue, he just grunted in vague agreement, since he didn''t think that they''d like to hear he was going back to two wives who loved him. Kai was looking forward to seeing them in general, and even more so when he saw them in serious conversation.


    "Find anything?" Omilaena asked.


    "Nothing." Kai dropped down into the chair in their room. "You look like you had more luck?"


    Zae Zin Nim nodded. "Yes, the channels of the city are more open to us due to our rank. I have a simple answer for you: some foreign materials are being purchased by the alchemists of the Grand Crown sect because the Verdant River sect has allegedly discovered a new path to immortality. However, most of the materials are believed to be methods to obscure their real formula."


    "And I have a more complex answer for you." Omilaena smirked as she leaned back. "I was trying to find out where the crystal shipment went, and it turns out... they leave the city to the south and they just disappear. This is gray market trade, if not black market."


    "The law is only what the Masterful Crown clan says that it is, here."


    "I was asking around in shady parts of the city and it turns out that region to the south is involved with slave trading. Slavery isn''t illegal here or anything, but it''s apparently kept in the shadows."


    "It is considered low class." Zae Zin Nim frowned to herself, almost as if she would go quiet, but then continued. "Large sects or clans typically have many outer sect disciples who can be used as servants, so direct slavery is used for... more unseemly work."


    "Alright!" Kai slapped his knees and got to his feet. "Let''s fight everyone in the city and free the slaves!"


    For a second they both stared at him, then Zae Zin Nim giggled and Omilaena relaxed back with another smirk. He sat back down and sighed.


    "In all seriousness, isn''t this worth investigating? If someone from the Masterful Crown clan did poison the Pureflower matriarch, they wouldn''t do it through official channels. It seems more plausible that they would use clandestine means. Figuring out how the underbelly of the city works could be helpful."


    "Honestly," Omilaena said, "I''m skeptical that they''re responsible. But there could be better poisons there, or a connection to the Purple River sect, so I''m in."


    "They might use the Dark Crown sect," Zae Zin Nim pointed out. "Hidden sects exist to perform actions that could not be done officially. However, I am also open to investigating."


    It was decided just that easily: they left Floodisle City the next day, flying away from the island to the south. The banks around the lake were still filled with farms, outposts, and other signs of the city, so Kai felt as though he''d barely left. As they got further away from the outskirts he began to feel as though they were investigating new territory again, though the region was an unpleasant swamp.


    Since clandestine meeting points didn''t exactly put out signs, they needed to investigate the whole area. Omilaena had gathered some information about the general operations, but not exact time schedules, which were negotiated between buyer and seller. Rumor had it that another shipment would be coming in, which still left them with countless miles of territory to scout.


    Kai was fully prepared to spend days on the search: they could trade off training or cultivating, so that just meant spending more time with his wives. There was no one to judge them out here, so in some ways it was better than the city. Zae Zin Nim groused about the lack of amenities at first before gradually softening up and enjoying herself, so the trip became increasingly pleasant.


    And so Kai was almost disappointed when they spotted something just two days in.


    "Is that a shroud?" Omilaena peered over one railing, so Kai moved to join her. The swamp was hazy with power that could be mistaken for symbols of spiritual sight at the wrong angle... but she was right, there was a shroud within the miasma.


    "Found by their shroud?" Kai glanced over at her. "I can''t sense anyone else, so would someone really use a shroud that''s actively counter-productive?"


    "The thing is, I can only make out one or two. There have to be more people, so my guess would be that most of them are invisible and they only have one or two making a mistake. It could be incompetence, or it could be something else..."


    "Let''s intercept them," Zae Zin Nim said.


    Kai walked over to where she was seated and bent down. "Can we? I assume they''ve already noticed us, since we''re a lot more obvious."


    "Only someone with teleportation or an advanced flight technique could escape us, and if they had those, they wouldn''t be traveling along the river. Let''s just go get them."


    Despite this strategy, they still flew down under the treeline, instead streaking along the river''s path. Soon enough they spotted them: the camouflaged caravan moved alongside the river, being pulled by some sort of sacred beast that swam within it. The beast itself was camouflaged to spiritual sight, so it was a clever method of transportation, but now that he got close, the ropes were obvious.


    As for the caravan itself, Kai could see that it contained a large number of cages carrying human beings. He couldn''t see well through the trees, so he didn''t recognize anyone... but he was sure that there were a few Krysali shrouds among them. The crystal cultivation shrouds were bulkier and stiffer than the native Cloudspire ones, so they stuck out enough to attract attention. What the hell was anyone from Deadwaste doing here?


    Before he could investigate further, a force burst out of the trees... not from the caravan, from the opposite side of the river. Kai whirled to that side of the deck, ready to fight, but the group of cultivators swept up beside them on a swarm of flying swords. A full dozen, at least one Earth Soul... he wasn''t sure what to make of it.


    "Are you really trying to traffic women?" The leader was a tall, handsome man who stared at Kai imperiously. "I honestly didn''t believe it and expected this to be a waste of time. But it seems you really are scum."


    "I don''t know who you are." Kai shrugged and kept his hands at his sides, readying Tyrant''s Claws.


    "But I know you, barbarian."


    Some of the cultivators in the group looked slightly familiar, but Kai didn''t have much time to look at them because his attention was drawn by the leader''s soul.


    <


    Name: ???


    Total Power: 821


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 90% (475)


    Physique: E-0 (80)


    Immortal Body (+150)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    Flowing Crown (+100)


    >


    The man had a total of 821 Power, which would be unremarkable except that he was only at Earth Soul. He was getting a huge percentage of his power from an Immortal Body and something called a Flying Crown... the conflict had just become a lot trickier.

 Chapters 421-424

    Chapter 421: Crowning Escalation


    "That''s him, that''s the one!" Kai recognized the man speaking: it was the idiot from the restaurant, hovering just behind the leader of this new group. "You see, he has those women ensorcelled somehow."


    "Difficult to believe," the leader said, "but what else could explain it?"


    "Are we doing this again?" Omilaena threw up her hands and turned away, which made the cultivators she was ignoring bristle.


    "Don''t make light of me!'' The leader took a step forward and cast his hand to the side, flapping his sleeve dramatically. "I am Kan Jin Kung, heir to the Heavenly River sect! Rank 16, beyond what can be attained by mere mortals! Whoever you are, whatever your methods, I will not allow you to enslave these women!"


    Kai blinked, then raised his hands to try to stop a pointless fight. "Alright, this is actually a misunderstanding. I''m not enslaving anyone, I''m here to stop the slavers down there."


    Kan Jin Kung glanced briefly toward the caravan, then sneered. "The slave trade may be crude, but it''s profitable so long as it stays within its bounds. We-"


    "Wait, you know?"


    "Of course. This group may be far beneath me, but they''re likely a subsidiary of a subsidiary of our sect." Kan Jin Kung thrust out a finger toward him. "But a vulgar man like you, kidnapping and enslaving such exceptional maidens? We cannot allow such beautiful flowers to be trampled into the mud!"


    All at once Kai''s understanding of the other man flipped on its head. He''d thought of this as a misunderstanding and hadn''t wanted to start a fight against an honorable cultivator, but now he understood that this man was just another princeling who considered himself above the entire world. There was no point talking to scum like that.


    "I''ve heard enough." Zae Zin Nim faced the group, fury behind her apparent calm. "You''ve cast aspersions on our-"


    "Whatever is going on, I''ll end it soon." Kan Jin Kung dismissed her with a wave of his hand... and then transformed.


    Power flooded from him, illuminating the entire jungle. It struck the spirit so forcefully that it tried to push Kai to his knees, and he struggled to resist and stare through it. A sapphire crown had lit up over Kan Jin Kung''s head, casting him in the brightest light of all, as if he was a god come to earth.


    But Kai had seen real gods, and he''d actually felt worse from the elves on Rosemount. Their soul auras were more all-encompassing, giving a sense that they were superior beings in every way. This was more like a narrow, weaponized version of that effect. Potent, but nothing that he hadn''t faced before. Given the power differential, Kai only needed to resist the effect for a second and he could gain the upper hand.


    "You resist?" Kan Jin Kung looked shocked for a moment, then drew himself straighter. "How dare you stand before a true immortal? Bow to me, or I will increase your torment tenfold!"


    Instead, Kai glanced over to the others to check on how they were doing. Omilaena was trembling in place, maintaining a defensive half-phase to resist the effect - she actually seemed to be having some trouble, so he should shield her if necessary. Zae Zin Nim looked calmer, frozen in place but circulating her qi as if moving toward something.


    "I''ll bind them," Kan Jin Kung said to his minions, "but they''re stronger than I expected, so I need you to act. Go on, I bestow my authority on you. Take the women away from him so we can use more potent attacks."


    Before they could move, Kai activated Void Gaze. Instantly the advancing cultivators coughed up blood, the weaker ones falling off their swords and the stronger shuddering in place. Yet for the first time, a cultivator managed to resist the technique: Kan Jin Kung stared back at him, sapphire crown blazing with light that shielded him.


    Their eyes seemed locked together, spirits battling directly as they fought for control of the area. Kai felt no physical pain, but the conflict was weakening his soul, and Behemoth''s Heart only restored a small amount of spiritual stamina. His greater overall power was giving him the upper hand, and blood soon trickled from the corner of his opponent''s mouth, but the man''s presence technique gave him so much leverage that he was holding on.


    "This... this is some sort of brute crown?" Kan Jin Kung stared at him in horror. "I never imagined that a savage could create such a thing. So that was how you did it... you didn''t control their minds, you enslaved their bodies with this carnal power."


    "Stop talking about your own fantasies," Omilaena grated out.


    "But no matter what has happened to you, rest assured that I will rescue you from this nightmare. A primitive technique cannot possibly stand up to one of the Masterful Crown clan''s greatest techniques!"


    It was doing just that, and Kai knew that he was gaining the upper hand due to the power differential. But his body felt locked in place, and the guards down in the slaving caravan had definitely noticed. They didn''t have high levels of cultivation, but if they starting attacking the ship, they would bring down his footing. Since all he could move was his soul, Kai considered his monstrous essence.


    <


    Behemoth''s Heart - IX (iota)


    Thunderbird''s Wings - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - XIII (nu)


    Baleful Breath - V (epsilon)


    Tyrant''s Claw - XI (iota)


    Void Gaze - VI (zeta)


    -


    Isulfr''s Bite - VIII (theta)


    Sahagin''s Soul - X (kappa)


    Mutefang''s Stealth - X (kappa)


    Manticore''s Quill - II (beta)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - V (epsilon)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - V (epsilon)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - III (gamma)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - III (gamma)


    Cloud Piranha - III (gamma)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Banchlain - V (epsilon)


    Slime''s Immortality - I (alpha)


    Silver Demon - I (alpha)


    Direcrab''s Claw - III (gamma)


    Voidmaw''s Bite - I (alpha)


    Great Cetae - II (beta)


    Spine Aura Urchin - I (alpha)


    >


    So many monsters, but how many of them were useful in this sort of purely spiritual fight? Kai''s mind slid down the pieces in his soul until suddenly he saw it... the Banchlain essence. The monster had been a formidable challenge back on Rosemount, but he had never found a way to work it into another ability. Aside from the mysterious essences he hadn''t truly deciphered, it was the most presence-like ability he had.


    While still staring down his opponent to lock him in place, Kai moved Tyrant''s Claw out of his soul and shifted in the unformed Banchlain essence. It wasn''t nearly as effective as it could be in refined form, but it still carried raw power. When he activated it, he felt the aura of raw fear rise up around him, mixing with the cultivator''s presence.


    Several of the cultivators who had remained standing collapsed, trailing blood as they fell into the river. Beneath them, cries of terror rose, and some of the caravan guards who had been preparing attacks coughed up blood.


    Only Kan Jin Kung remained, but his eyes went bloodshot and his body trembled. His crown technique gave him enough leverage to resist Kai''s strength, but it failed to stop the pure fear piercing his other defenses. He was still staring at Kai, but now he stared in terror.


    "This is just a gimmick." Kai had planned to speak calmly, but his voice came out as a deep growl. "You''re the only one forcing anyone to obey you."


    "This... this can''t be..." Kan Jin Kung took a step backward on his flying sword.


    "I''ve heard enough from you." Zae Zin Nim suddenly took a step forward. Her qi was circulating fiercely within her and he realized that it was some sort of counter-measure, the strange sort of combined half-phase that cultivators could use. She wasn''t moving easily, but she was the only one able to act in the zone locked between the spiritual techniques.


    Blue flames flickered around her and she leapt forward, thrusting out her arm. A Coldfire Palm rushed forward and Kan Jin Kung finally broke: his aura faltered and he shot upward, desperate to escape the palm that nearly eclipsed him.


    When the pressure against him disappeared, Kai took an unintentional step forward, as if he''d been pushing against a physical force that had just vanished. He blew a cloud of Baleful Breath above the enemy, intending to block his escape so that Zae Zin Nim could finish him off.


    To his surprise, the man''s body began to glow, becoming so incandescent that the edges of his robe washed out. He seemed to dissolve into bright light, which shot upward in a stream that passed through the cloud of Baleful Breath. It didn''t seem immune, it was just a purely spiritual entity that was untouched by anything in the physical world. In seconds the streak of light had vanished into the sky and all their opponents were gone.


    "What was that?" Kai rubbed his eyes, which ached more than he''d realized.


    "A higher flight technique." Zae Zin Nim folded her hands in her sleeve, clearly dissatisfied. "The greatest sects have more advanced abilities: some allow easy control in the air, such as the Pureflower sect''s, but the fastest look like that. The Brightwind sect has a similar technique, though I wasn''t strong enough to learn it."


    "No, I mean that crown. Was that one of those presence techniques?"


    "Presumably so." She went silent, staring out toward the horizon.


    Meanwhile, Omilaena seemed to recover and draped herself against Kai''s side. "That was a strong technique. Clearly I need to recover with your ''carnal power'' that has me so ensorcelled."


    Kai rubbed her back, since he thought there was some real uncertainty underneath the mocking words. "You okay?"


    "In the future I can prepare a spiritual injection, but this one caught me flatfooted. I can see why the Heavenly River sect is considered one of the strongest."


    "And we''ll probably have to face worse, if the ''Masterful Crown'' clan name is any indication." Kai groaned as he considered his own counter-measures. He definitely had options, but right now he felt spiritually bruised. All he wanted to do was grab Zae Zin Nim and relax together... and he couldn''t do that, because they couldn''t forget about the reason they''d done all this. "Let''s go check on those slaves."


    They descended to the jungle and the caravan, which had stopped in place when the presences began to hit. Burly guards had been pulling the wagons, but most of them had collapsed, mouths covered in bloody foam. The slaves inside the cages were trembling as well - Kai had tried not to harm them, but throwing out untested power like that had side effects.


    When Kai landed in front of them, most of the slaves whimpered and retreated to the corners of their cages. He checked he wasn''t using Banchlain''s Aura, and he wasn''t, but it didn''t matter: when they saw a man like him, they had every reason to fear. No words of comfort came to mind, especially because he wasn''t sure just how far this conflict would spread.


    Just when he began to be sick of the whole thing, he saw that one woman was staring directly at him. She had been driven to her knees by the power, but didn''t appear injured, and her eyes were clear. It wasn''t defiance... he saw a mix of surprise and... recognition?


    "Kai Clanless?" She slowly rose to her feet, and through the grime, rags, and long hair Kai finally recognized her.


    "Cragrila?" He hadn''t seen her since leaving Krysal. "What are you doing here?"


    "It sounds like we both have stories to tell. I doubt yours can be worse than mine."


    Chapter 422: News from an Old Revolution


    In the wake of the confrontation, Omilaena took over operations, directing them to take various measures to leave the area in case there was immediate retaliation. The slaves obeyed her instantly, and Zae Zin Nim was more than strong enough to disable the enemy cultivators. It seemed like they would be doing some interrogations.


    Kai suspected that Omilaena was doing all this to make up for the fact that she hadn''t been able to contribute to the battle. That crown technique was a nasty advantage, gimmick or not.


    But all of that activity meant that he wasn''t distracted by any of the details. His job was at once narrow and broad: he needed to talk to Cragrila and he needed to decide their overall direction. Investigating qi crystals was one thing, but now they were involved with larger problems. Small decisions now could make a vast difference in where they ended up.


    As soon as they had the critical details handled, Kai had found spare clothes in his spatial ring and given them to Cragrila. She had gone to wash in the river and only then returned to stand beside him. Her body and clothes were clean, but her eyes looked beaten down in a way he''d never seen before, even when she was a beleaguered rebel fighting against impossible odds.


    "Is Krysal alright?" he asked. "Did it...?"


    "What? No." For the first time he saw a shadow of a smile on her face, though a rueful one. "I mean, last I saw it we had our problems. Violent retribution against some families who used to be on top. The Frontier elites are concerned we won''t be able to field enough strong warriors as Krysal usually does, without the crystallier system. But it''s still intact."


    "Then I guess I should ask whether you''re alright."


    "Yes and no. Better now." Cragrila rubbed her eyes roughly. "I don''t want to talk about myself personally. Let me just tell you what happened."


    "Go ahead." Kai kicked one of the fallen trees into position and sat down on it. After a pause, Cragrila joined him and began to speak.


    "We were rebuilding trade relationships with Cloudspire, and it actually seemed to be going well at first. Some of the foreign cultivators were interested in buying qi crystals, which they never cared about before. I was involved because it was essential business. Krainuun said that a major part of our economy was passing resources into... no, never mind. That''s not relevant."


    "Do you know why the cultivators wanted them?"


    "They wouldn''t tell us such things." Cragrila deflated a little, leaning her arms on her knees. "That was the start of it, really. They paid lip service to respecting us, but they didn''t. Two of their sects got into a battle in Yulthens and a lot of civilians died. I... maybe we could have stopped them if we''d been stronger. We instituted new rules and traded away from the city, but that didn''t matter.


    "I don''t even know why it happened. Maybe someone got offended, or maybe something changed. Either way, one of the Cloudspire factions ended up attacking us directly. They were trying to capture us, but I saw good men and women who survived the entire revolution die. The rest of us they kidnapped and dragged back here to be slaves."


    It was a somber story and Kai felt like anything he could say would ring hollow. They''d fought together from before the revolution, though, so he didn''t need to soften anything. "How long ago was this?"


    "Maybe half a year ago, I think. They didn''t always let me sleep, so it runs together."


    Half a year ago... so all of this had taken place while he was in the Western Wilds. If it had happened while he was on Darkmist Island enjoying his honeymoon it would have been especially bitter, even though the timing didn''t matter in practical terms. The problem was that he wasn''t strong enough to solve most problems and couldn''t be everywhere at once.


    He wanted to ask about Krainuun and his policies, if Maggle was still carousing, and especially how Yurwa and Gundle were doing. Given the choice, he would even have asked about Nirka. But it all felt awkward when any of them could be dead and Cragrila wouldn''t know it.


    "I hate to ask," Kai said gently, "but what did they capture you for?"


    "Oh, there was some of the usual abuse, but I was spared." Cragrila gave a strange snort. "A woman in her thirties is too old here, apparently. No, they wanted us for our crystal cultivation. Even though they told us time and time again that it was inferior, they needed us to do something they couldn''t. I never fully understood it: we were working the crystals into the ground, grinding them up, doing all kinds of strange things."


    "We''ll want to know more about that later, as much as you can share."


    "And I will, eventually. I have information that could be useful to you?"


    "Why were you being sent to Floodisle City?"


    "Is that the capital city? They don''t tell us much." She shook her head. "All I know is that they were getting frustrated, because what they were trying wasn''t working. I think they were sending us to some sort of specialist, to try something different."


    "One last question: do you know who exactly was behind all this?"


    "The slavers and guards were from different places and changed. But the people in charge were all from something called the Verdant River sect."


    Another of the main forces underneath the Masterful Crown clan. Kai grimaced as he considered their encounter again in that light; Kan Jin Kung wasn''t simply pursuing a vendetta, he was involved in more complex inter-sect politics. Was the Verdant River sect sending the slaves to the Heavenly River sect? Or could their relationship be even more complex?


    While he was deep in his own thoughts, he was surprised to hear Cragrila let out a ragged sigh.


    "I... I thought I was strong." She put her head down in her hands again. "Not the strongest, but I''d climbed higher in the world. But everyone here is so unbelievably... even you, you''ve passed far beyond me. It''s just crushing to think that... that..."


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "They''re just crystalliers." Kai put his hand on her shoulder, and though she jumped in surprise, she didn''t shy away. "People here aren''t any better, they just have denser qi in the environment. You should never feel inferior to people too stupid to realize they haven''t earned what they have."


    She blinked in surprise, then straightened. "That''s... I don''t know how I feel about that, coming from you. But thanks." Cragrila pushed his hand away, not ungently, and nodded to him. "What now? Do you have a way home?"


    "Not directly." Omilaena stepped from between the trees and leaned on one in front of them, making no apology for listening in. "Are you willing to serve as an experimental subject for me?"


    "I don''t know how much I''ll be worth. They did all kinds of things, tried to fuse my crystal dantian to me... I don''t..."


    Kai had been so focused on her words that he hadn''t really considered her soul beyond an instinctive estimate of her strength, so now he looked more carefully.


    <


    Name: Cragrila


    Total Power: 318


    Crystal Cultivation: 9999 (125)


    Acid Cultivation: 1000 (50)


    Physique Level: E-9 (107)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    She had 318 Power, the majority of it coming from her crystal cultivation. It was obvious that she''d been training hard, because she''d taken her Physique all the way to E-9. Back when he had been stuck there, it had taken extraordinary training and then an injection from Omilaena for him to break through, so that was impressive. But most interesting...


    "Acid cultivation?" Kai asked. "Has that developed?"


    "They''re trying to make it the national ability of Krysal, though it''s only partially working." Cragrila shrugged. "I was never very good at it, I just tried because it was expected of me. Not that any of it did any good."


    "I wouldn''t say that." Omilaena was regarding her as well with a much more analytical gaze. "I won''t promise I can make you strong overnight, because I can''t. You''re not going to be able to compete with top cultivators. But given a chance to experiment directly with your abilities... I think I could accomplish more than I did last time."


    "Do whatever you want. I''m not good for much else here."


    At that moment Zae Zin Nim approached and nodded politely. "Everything is in order. We should move on as soon as we deal with the guards."


    "Kill them." Cragrila''s face twisted in an ugly expression.


    "Would you like to do so?"


    She nodded and went with Zae Zin Nim. Kai watched them go, then decided that it was none of his affair and looked back to Omilaena. The woman she had once been would never have offered comfort, and he doubted she would now, for anyone aside from him and Zae Zin Nim. Clearly she was thinking about something, but it was hard to read anything in her expression.


    "I''m not sure if anything will come of it," Omilaena said, "but I''d like to experiment. Something is off about all this. The fact that the local sects are investigating crystal cultivation reeks of desperation."


    "They sure didn''t seem desperate," Kai said.


    "Cultivators bluster when they''re outmatched. I''m not saying we should take them lightly - even if they have a major problem, a mortally wounded beast can still be lethal. But I think if we come up with a counter to that crown technique, we might be in a strong position to fight back."


    "I was thinking the same thing. But if that was how strong the technique is at Earth Soul, how much stronger would one of their leaders be?"


    Omilaena casually leaned on his shoulder. "Oh, you have no room to complain. If you put together a new monstrous presence ability, I''m sure that you''ll be able to absolutely crush theirs. It''s the two of us who have a problem. I''m confident I can formulate an injection that will increase resistance to such techniques, but it could get bad..."


    Before they could say anything else, the other two returned. Zae Zin Nim looked as untouched as usual while Cragrila had blood covering her arms up to her wrists. Both of them seemed unusually focused, however, and Zae Zin Nim cleared her throat for attention before she spoke.


    "I heard a rumor that the Masterful Crown''s sects had a new form of immortality, but didn''t really believe it before now. Their presence technique was dangerous, yes, but not unprecedented. What bothers me is how their immortality granted such a significant amount of strength. That is not normal, in my experience, and I have seen a reasonable number of immortals. Young Earth Souls like that don''t simply become immortal."


    "Could they have acquired the Impossible Elixir?" Omilaena asked. "That''s what it does, right?"


    "It is true that I have not met anyone made immortal by the Impossible Elixir." Zae Zin Nim hesitated a moment, then shook her head. "But I don''t believe it''s that, because Cragrila has more information for us. Go on, tell them."


    "Right." Cragrila squared her shoulders and made eye contact with Kai. "Whatever they were doing with us, it had something do with their immortality. They were burning countless human lives to try to create something - I actually had it easy, because they needed my abilities, but civilians and enemies they just killed wholesale to further their plans."


    "What plans?" Kai asked as he got to his feet. "How does this connect to crystal cultivation and the rest?"


    "I don''t know, but I can take you there."


    Chapter 423: Fear, Quills, and Immortality


    At first they headed south as cautiously as possible, but when retaliation didn''t come within a few days, Kai began to relax. Technically he might see beams of light in the sky at any moment, he''d just shifted to trying to be prepared for them instead of anticipating their arrival. The presence techniques were frustratingly strong levers, so he wanted to find a way to destroy their gimmick before the next time.


    The first question, which would fundamentally change the direction his training went, was what to do with the Banchlain essence. He had the option of merging it with Void Gaze, and considered it because space in his soul was tight, but in the end he discarded that path.


    Void Gaze wasn''t really a "presence technique" - it was an offensive ability that had worked to counter the attack on him. While he could add an element of terror to it, Void Gaze already froze and harmed people, so fear seemed redundant. What he needed to do was fully utilize the aura-like power of the Banchlain and combine it with similar powers to create a true presence technique equal to any cultivator''s.


    Unfortunately, monsters as powerful as the Banchlain weren''t easy to find even on Rosemount, and monsters were scarce in general on Cloudspire. Fortunately, he didn''t need abilities to be complex mergers for them to work: the Banchlain alone would be just fine.


    Training something that powerful on the ship would cause panic among the former slaves, at minimum, so Kai flew out into the swamp. He focused on extending his aura while he scouted and almost immediately got results.


    At first all the animals in the swamp let out cries and struggled to move away from him. He was astonished as just how many animals could fit into such a small area as they poured out of trees, bushes, and holes in the ground. It created a commotion that must be visible for a long way, so he used Thunderbird''s Wings to get far from the ship and caused his disruptions in more locations, just in case anyone was trying to follow their trail.


    Once he felt fully comfortable with the monstrous essence, he began to refine it within him, turning it into something compatible with himself. Since it was a spiritual technique, the Savage Heart didn''t activate at all and his body didn''t change, but he could feel something rippling within his soul as he finally concentrated the ability:


    <


    Banchlain''s Aura - VI (zeta)


    >


    When he reactivated the essence, now as a focused ability, it expanded from him like a wall. He saw several monkey-like creatures fall from the nearby trees and lay still on the ground. When he went to investigate, he discovered that their hearts had stopped.


    His next priority became precise control over the aura, because he didn''t want to kill random bystanders. After several days, he was fairly sure that the technique would never become a pinpoint attack - it was an aura, after all - but he could direct it in a general direction. First covering about 180 degree radius, then down to a 90 degree swath. By the time he did that, the rank had increased from Zeta to Eta.


    That was hopefully enough for it to function as a technique, and later on he could merge it with other aura-type essence. The precision problem actually distracted him, so he returned to the ship to contemplate it for a while. Might as well do some cultivation, since he''d been neglecting that since his breakthrough.


    He entered their private cabin and discovered that Zae Zin Nim was already there, sitting cross-legged on the bed and cultivating on her own. Usually she had a resting scowl when she did so, but now she looked pleased, even before he entered.


    "Didn''t expect you to be happy," Kai said as he sat down beside her. "We have hangers-on again, and you didn''t like Krysal."


    "They are unnecessary, but we are also getting rid of them as we travel," she answered.


    "Uh, do you mean...?"


    "Nothing like that. Some of the slaves are from surrounding villages or sects, so if they want to leave, Omilaena uses a poison that makes their memories fuzzy and we drop them off. Are you going to object?"


    "No, I''m just wondering why you''re so happy."


    "That is because of our fight with Kan Jin Kung." Zae Zin Nim opened one eye and saw him staring at her, so she went on to explain. "Yes, he surprised us with his technique. But he struck me as fundamentally only a slightly above average cultivator using powerful weapons. We are definitely superior, so with preparation we can take those away and use them ourselves."


    "You mean the crown technique?" Kai settled in to cultivate himself, wondering whether or not the technique would be redundant for him.


    "Yes, but this ''Immortal Body'' method is more valuable. I have been speaking to Cragrila, and it seems that this is accomplished via a series of elixirs. Immortality is very difficult to obtain without support, but this is a method we could potentially seize from them and use ourselves. Imagine each of us, not only immortal but with an immense addition to our strength."


    "It''d be a good boost, sure."


    "Not just a boost." Zae Zin Nim stopped cultivating and looked at him somberly. "If we become immortal, and each of us gains another significant advancement, we will be within range of the strongest Sky Souls on Cloudspire. So a war with the Heavenly River sect could potentially be a stepping stone to facing my father and the Brightwind sect."


    As she spoke, her serious expression softened until she was smiling by the end. Kai couldn''t help but be caught up in her enthusiasm and reached over to pat her knee. "So you''re not so worried about attracting attention anymore?"


    "We must still be cautious." Her expression immediately became serious again. "If we were to defeat one of the major sects beneath the Masterful Crown clan, it would shock the entire Southern Rivers region. If that happens, no matter how well-hidden our power may be, we would become famous figures and attract attention. This would not be like endless tribal warfare in the Western Wilds."


    Kai sighed as he thought about how many things were ahead of them yet. "It would be nice if it worked that way, but for now I''ll focus on making sure that the Heavenly River sect can''t ambush us with a presence technique again."


    "As will I. A presence technique of our own is a benefit no matter our plans."


    The conversation was strangely motivating, and after he had finished his cultivation, Kai left the cabin with new motivation. He doubted he could make breakthroughs on Banchlain''s Aura without new monstrous essence or a direct test against other presence techniques, so it was time to continue developing his monstrous abilities.


    For all the trouble he''d gone to in order to acquire Manticore''s Quill, he hadn''t had much opportunity to use it since. Kai began using it to hunt in the swamps and immediately discovered that the problem wouldn''t be power: when he released a quill from his body, it frequently punched all the way through his target. It was harder to gauge the poison''s intensity, though even larger animals seemed to die quickly - he''d have to ask Omilaena for a poison evaluation later.


    Meanwhile, the whole strategic point of the ability was precision, so Kai focused on that. To his surprise, the technique proved far more flexible than his previous, and he wasn''t sure if it was because of the monstrous essence or because his knowledge had changed.


    While he tried to shoot spines as quickly and precisely as possible, he discovered that they could take several different forms. If he used primarily qi, a spiritual quill shot from his body with blinding speed, but dissipated some time after connecting. When he used chakra, he immediately felt the resonance with the Savage Heart and his body began to shift, actually growing physical spines that launched from him - slower, but strong and durable. Using mana produced a result that wasn''t quite either, as if he summoned a semi-physical spike from his soul and hurled it directly.


    Could he use all three, or did he need to specialize and optimize one to the maximum possible strength? That was a question for later, he decided, as he wanted to focus on efficacy. Shooting quills felt deeply strange until he figured out that it was similar to shooting a fruit seed out of his mouth: increasing pressure, then a sudden release as the projectile launched. After some practice, he could hit any target he wanted anywhere around his body to within a few inches.


    By the time he was done, Manticore''s Quill had increased to Delta... and now he had a problem of the available space in his soul. Kai examined it, wishing that he could pass 1000 Power and earn another slot according to Omilaena''s theory.


    <


    Name: Kai Clanless


    Total Power: 756


    Monstrous Hunger - XIV (xi)


    Cultivation: Nascent Foundation 5% (251)


    Savage Heart: 16 (169)


    Manticore Tattoo (43%)


    Physique Level: D-9 (245)


    Beggar King''s Robes: +2 (10)


    Soul Level: 9 (81)


    Behemoth''s Heart - IX (iota)


    Thunderbird''s Wings - VII (eta)


    Direboar''s Strength - XIV (xi)


    Baleful Breath - VI (zeta)


    Tyrant''s Claw - XII (kappa)


    Void Gaze - VII (eta)


    -


    Isulfr''s Bite - VIII (theta)


    Sahagin''s Soul - X (kappa)


    Mutefang''s Stealth - X (kappa)


    Manticore''s Quill - IV (delta)


    Banchlain''s Aura - VI (zeta)


    Lizarkyl''s Tail - VI (zeta)


    Direurchin''s Spikes - V (epsilon)


    Wallcrawler''s Feet - III (gamma)


    Abominalgum - I (alpha)


    Rose Piranha - III (gamma)


    Cloud Piranha - III (gamma)


    Bloodtrap - III (gamma)


    Slime''s Immortality - I (alpha)


    Silver Demon - I (alpha)


    Direcrab''s Claw - III (gamma)


    Voidmaw''s Bite - I (alpha)


    Great Cetae - II (beta)


    Spine Aura Urchin - I (alpha)


    >


    Removing Void Gaze was clearly nonviable, given their opponents, and passive skills like Behemoth''s Heart or Thunderbird''s Wings were essential. But, once he thought about it, he decided that Direboar''s Strength might not be so essential anymore. He didn''t use it often in fights against cultivators and it had been stagnating anyway, compared to his other skills.


    So, in the end he made some strategic choices and ended up with a balance he was happy with:


    <


    Behemoth''s Heart - IX (iota)


    Thunderbird''s Wings - VII (eta)


    Void Gaze - VII (eta)


    Banchlain''s Aura - VI (zeta)


    Baleful Breath - VI (zeta)


    Manticore''s Quill - IV (delta)


    >


    Would it be enough? It depended on how much the cultivators retaliated, but in that moment, the idea just made him hungry.


    Chapter 424: Breaking Down Cultivation Variants


    Years after torturing crystalliers, Omilaena was starting to realize that her work hadn''t been wasted, just slightly misguided. Everything was more connected than she had believed, and even crystal cultivation was proving essential to true understanding.


    "Alright, crystals in one hand, acid in the other." Omilaena gestured at Cragrila impatiently. "Then I''m going to jab you in both arms."


    "Is that strictly necessary?" The revolutionary crystallier regarded her suspiciously, as if she''d never really considered her on their side despite everything. And maybe because Omilaena wasn''t very trustworthy.


    "It''s essential this time, I promise. Just a little blood from both sides."


    So Cragrila used her opposite types of cultivation on opposite sides of her body - it was nice to have a subject who cooperated so easily. As thanks Omilaena drew a syringe of blood from each arm as painlessly as possible, then gestured for the other woman to stop while she pulled on her goggles and examined the results.


    Normally blood contained an even mix of different energies in different forms: chakra fused to the blood itself, mana flowed alongside it in glowing particles, and qi was purely spiritual but left traces in cultivators. When a person used their power heavily, however, the entire body responded to the draw of power and their blood was temporarily infused with more energy. This was her next bid to see if she could resolve the mystery of two different cultivation systems.


    "Anything?" Cragrila asked.


    "Hold still and I''ll let you know."


    In theory, it shouldn''t be possible. A person''s soul had only one cultivation capacity, which was why someone like Zae Zin Nim just absorbed the qi out of crystals instead of developing crystal cultivation. The simultaneous presence of both crystal and acid cultivation was a real blow to that theory, and she both hated and loved it.


    Sure enough, the two vials of blood were different. That might not mean anything, since of course different types of abilities would draw power differently. She had been able to distinguish different Western Wilds tribes, even different tattoos, just by subtle differences in how they carried their qi.


    This difference didn''t seem particularly exciting, just more chakra in one vial. Except... now that she thought about it, such a blunt difference actually might mean more than a subtle change. Deadwaste was almost devoid of chakra, so the difference would have been almost impossible to see there, but now the two types of cultivation looked distinctly different to her.


    And if that was true, then it might all make sense...


    "Question." Omilaena set down the syringes eagerly and looked at Cragrila. "Do the new acid cultivators have the same health problems as the old ones?"


    "Well, not really, but that''s no surprise." Cragrila eyed her strangely. "They used to be given limited food and forced to live in pits filled with acid fumes, so it''s obvious that people will be in better health if they can practice the cultivation in a safer environment. Besides, we usually have them train Physique first so they won''t be harmed accidentally."


    "Wonderful. Hold on just a moment."


    "Wait, do you know something?"


    Omilaena ignored the old crystallier and instead went for a different, more alluring woman: she leaned out the door, saw Zin Nim still cultivating, and beckoned to her. Remarkably, the other woman came immediately, only looking up at her with a curious gaze.


    "I need to draw a little blood," Omilaena told her. "We could be on the verge of discovering something essential."


    "Very well." Zin Nim pushed back her sleeve to reveal one of those flawless white arms. Omilaena grasped her wrist, just the way she had enjoyed taking the other woman''s elegant arms and pinning them to the bed so many times, and Zin Nim flushed a little. But this time she didn''t tease, just quickly drew a vial of her blood.


    It was pitch black, as always, but for once she wasn''t interested in the Blackblood Physique. Instead she just looked for the signs of different forms of energy, analyzing not simply their presence but their exact levels. When she was finished, she pulled back and sighed in satisfaction.


    "Fascinating..." Omilaena drew a syringe of her own blood and examined it. "Yes, that makes sense..."


    "What?" Zin Nim glared at her, while Cragrila folded her arms and proved that she could manage a pretty decent glare of her own. Alright, maybe Omilaena had been showboating too much, but she was finally on to something.


    Maybe they should pull in Kai, but the discovery was too intriguing to wait, and fun enough to repeat. Omilaena put her hands behind her back and tried to verbalize the thoughts that had been exploding through her mind.


    "I''ve discovered why crystal cultivation is weaker than the cultivation you see on Cloudspire," Omilaena said, "and the reason is because they have fundamentally different shapes in the soul. But, ironically, the reason is that crystal cultivation is more pure than cultivation here."


    Zin Nim folded her arms as well. "Explain."


    "Cloudspire cultivators essentially use both mana and qi to fuel their cultivation, like they''re tinder to ignite their qi. Or you could think about it as being a more complete system of cultivation: the crystal variety is only using a single type of energy, whereas the cultivation arts here use all three."


    "So qi without other energy always turns into crystals?" Cragrila eyed her suspiciously as she spoke. "Would it take a different form if there was chakra, or whatever you''re talking about, there too?"


    "The crystals are a separate thing I''ll get to in a moment, but otherwise you''re right. Or I hope you are. Zin Nim, does this seem plausible?"


    "It is... known that advanced cultivation must make use of chakra and mana without letting them pollute the purity of your qi." Zin Nim was scowling at nothing in particular. "But I also have the Coldfire Corona and the Pure Yin Shroud... are those weaker because I''m splitting my energies?"


    "No, you remember what I said about the seven different aspects of power?"


    Zin Nim nodded while Cragrila just looked confused. She was getting more and more lost, and Omilaena noticed, she was just too excited to care.


    "Each of those aspects can draw on all three forms of energy," Omilaena explained. "Just like the strongest Physiques will be fueled by chakra, qi, and mana together, the strongest forms of cultivation will also use all three. Anything that''s lacking in one of those is, by necessity, weaker. Think of crystal cultivation as a blocked off part of the soul: it doesn''t have enough room to expand, so its power is limited and runs into a limit before other forms."


    "But the crystals are separate?" Cragrila asked.


    "Right. They aren''t just storage - the qi pills here might contain qi, or interact with qi, but they''re just materials that hold the energy. With crystal cultivation, the two forms are actually unified. I think that ''pure'' crystal cultivation alone would just be too weak to exist, or at least it wouldn''t be a real power system. So, for whatever reason, it bled over into the Essence aspect of the soul. That is, we have qi fueling both the Cultivation and Elemental aspects of the soul, and the result is crystal cultivation."


    Up to this point Zin Nim had been listening as if Omilaena was insulting her ancestors, but now real interest glimmered in her eyes. "Does that mean that other parts of their soul are going unused, and acid cultivation fills those parts?"


    "Exactly!" Omilaena gripped her arm eagerly. "The acid cultivation works more like chakra arts: they merge with the acid and make it a part of themselves. I guess it could be the Essence aspect too, but then it would be more like other chakra arts, where they need to absorb different types of acid to get stronger."


    "Then could someone have three different types of cultivation? A qi type, a chakra type, and a mana type? Would all three be severely limited?"


    "They would probably be limited in some ways - after all, in Rosemount or Cloudspire where there''s plenty of energy, you don''t see anyone creating partial systems like this. But there might be advantages, too: qi powers tend to create temporary effects, whereas crystal cultivation can produce permanent objects, because it''s only partially ''Cultivation'' and partially ''Essence.'' "


    "Could you do it intentionally, and make three forms of cultivation that had equal strength to pure cultivation?"


    "I think you''d see strange mergers trying that... hmm, I''d have to think about it. In any case, I''d guess that both crystal and acid cultivation already use some mana, because it''s most common on Deadwaste, so they couldn''t develop a third type. The soul is like this huge web of potentials that can be linked in various ways, but you can''t ultimately change the web."


    "So what does all that mean?" Cragrila had listened patiently enough, but now dragged Omilaena away from her beautiful theory to practicality.


    "Honestly, I''ll need more time to figure out applications." Omilaena could only shrug. "But there are possibilities, serious ones. I suspect that all abilities on Deadwaste aren''t using every aspect they potentially could, which is why they''re weaker. That''s probably the best people can do given limited energy, but they have more hypothetical potential. Right now I''m thinking about Physique... Zin Nim, can you explain why cultivators here spit up so much blood but you don''t?"


    "I... presumed it was because of my improved Physique." Zin Nim shifted uncomfortably as she considered the question.


    "No, I don''t think that''s it. Surely there must be advanced cultivation related to this... any advanced techniques using blood?"


    "Of course, but I''m not sure they''re relevant. When a cultivator grows strong enough, their blood is connected to their cultivation base, so of course-"


    "That. Yes, it makes sense." Omilaena rubbed her temples as she considered. "You two, hit each other."


    Cragrila stared flatly. "What? You mean sparring?"


    "No, I mean kill one another for my sadistic amusement. Of course just a testing blow."


    First Zin Nim struck Cragrila with a palm strike, holding back the vast majority of her strength so as not to kill the other woman, then they switched roles. As soon as Cragrila struck Zin Nim, it fit together. Everything went just as Omilaena had expected and she barely even needed her goggles in order to understand.


    "Excellent. I always thought that it didn''t make sense how so many injuries could produce mouthfuls of blood, and how those didn''t seem like lethal internal injuries in most cases, but it makes sense. Cultivators have partially fused body and soul, so they''re taking hostile energy as a physical blow. Might be messy, but it blunts the impact a bit, and no doubt there are the other sorts of techniques you mentioned. It''s just another way of organizing the Physique and Cultivation aspects of the soul."


    "Then what about the Blackblood Physique?" Zin Nim asked.


    Dozens of potential answers welled up in Omilaena''s throat, but for once she swallowed her speculation. For her this was a time to wildly consider possibilities, but this was Zin Nim''s entire history of her body and it meant a great deal to her.


    Instead of answering right away, Omilaena tapped her fingernails against her thigh while she considered what really mattered. "Have you ever seen people who went through the entire Blackblood Physique process?"


    "Yes, two."


    "And they didn''t have an additional component to their soul?"


    "I don''t think so. The purpose is to strengthen your primary cultivation, so the dark blood is meant to be purified away."


    "Then I''ll need to think about this. Sorry, Zin Nim, but it''s too early to do something this important with you." Omilaena whirled on Cragrila and pulled out another syringe with a grin. "You, on the other hand..."


    Cragrila just sighed and bared her arms. "I''ll trust that you know what you''re doing. What are you going to do to me?"


    "I''m going to drain your crystals, liquefy them, and inject them straight into your veins."


    "That sounds like it would hurt."


    "Oh, it definitely will. The pain of progress!"

 Chapters 425-428

    Chapter 425: The Great Verdant River Sect


    Dispersing the slaves slowed them down slightly, but Kai estimated that the distance they moved south in a month couldn''t have been completed much faster. The others must have made the same estimation, and considering that they needed time to train and prepare, they didn''t complain about his do-gooding. Though in the cases of the Cloudspire peasants, he wasn''t sure how much he had actually helped them.


    Now their ship only had a number of Krysali with them, and though Kai had been careful to remember their names, the fact remained that he only really knew Cragrila. The others had known him, of course, but far more people recognized him in Krysal than he could possibly know. Thankfully they treated him with that odd sort of veneration he remembered, so they didn''t expect him to be a close friend.


    Along the way, he continued to train his monstrous abilities. Back in the Western Wilds, Omilaena had urged him to specialize, and after trying that with Manticore''s Quill, he realized that it could work in many ways. When he used the full power of Thunderbird''s Wings, he released shockwaves that devastated weaker fighters, but he could fly without shockwaves using only one form of energy. With qi, he could hover more like a cultivator; with mana, he flew completely silently; and with chakra, his wings grew out and allowed easier direction shifts. If he could master all three, Thunderbird''s Wings would become more effective even if it wasn''t stronger in absolute power.


    The closer they got to the deep south, the more excited Zae Zin Nim became. She seemed certain that they could unlock the Masterful Crown clan''s new secret to immortality and he could only hope that she was right. Whatever else was true, the Verdant River sect was supposed to be a powerful one, so it wouldn''t be easy to simply steal their secrets.


    Omilaena was the one who was truly energetic, though, bouncing from experiment to experiment. For once she didn''t seem to need much from him, since her work was related to purely human attributes. She had described her revelations to him and he thought he understood the premise, but his monstrous soul was a massive unknown compared to all the rest. When she flounced up to him he had no idea which direction she might go with the encounter.


    "Kai, do you know if the Frontier elites ever integrate new types of energy to enhance their abilities?"


    "I don''t know more than you do," he told her. "If you didn''t get any specific information from them when we were there, you''re out of luck."


    "Damn. I''m just trying to figure out if every possible combination of soul parts is viable. Surely some must be better than others, right?" Omilaena leaned against him like he was a wall, less seducing than just distracted. "Some are obvious: the Essence and Element aspects are very close together, so they synergize. Some seem like nonsense: what would it mean to mix Physique and Soul? I need more data if I''m going to draw any real conclusions, because it''s all a bit too complex to be neat and tidy..."


    "What about Classes that use chakra?"


    "What? Tell me."


    "When we first went to Rosemount, there were some immigrants from Deadwaste who attacked me. They had Classes that were stronger than average and I saw them as ''Chakra-engorged Classes'' in my spiritual sight. None of them were particularly powerful though, and they didn''t have refined Class abilities."


    "Holy shit, I could kiss you." Omilaena grabbed the sides of his head, her eyes wide. "In fact, I might as well. This is exactly the sort of thing I need, weird offshoots that haven''t been polished by generations... so what exactly were they like?"


    Kai did his best to remember the minor details of a bunch of thugs he''d fought years ago. Even though it didn''t seem all that interesting to him, Omilaena soaked up the information, ending up plastered against him. By the time he''d finished, she was wiggling happily, and he still had no idea if she was going to fuck him or go run off to do an experiment.


    "Forget a kiss, that''s worth something more." Omilaena practically thrust her tongue into his mouth, but at that moment there was a shout from the prow of the ship.


    Omilaena barely seemed to notice, but Kai reluctantly peeled her off and went to go look. Cragrila stood at the front, staring forward, and now turned back to him with a grim expression. Despite her apparent determination, he saw that she looked a little pale.


    "We''re almost to the work site," she said. "I know there''s a major sect headquarters near here, and I could lead you to the hidden site, but I don''t know anything else about the geography. You''d better scout before we run into anyone else."


    "Where''s our resident expert?" Omilaena asked, now just leaning off him in a casual pose.


    Zae Zin Nim emerged to stand beside them, frowning at the landscape. "As far as I know, the Verdant River sect is primarily stationed just south of here, with agricultural land further south. The region must be heavily guarded, but I don''t know exactly how."


    "Then we''d better head down before we accidentally run into someone. Someone else should take a sword and see what they can notice."


    That was actually his role - Kai didn''t use it often, but Mutefang''s Stealth was their best spiritual hiding technique aside from shrouds. He pulled one of the flying swords out of his spatial ring and glanced to Zae Zin Nim, silently asking if she wanted to go along. To his surprise, she stepped up onto the sword, which put them side by side.


    "This is only so that I can be hidden by your ability," she said.


    Kai nodded. "Right."


    "If I wanted to be affectionate, I would just ask." Zae Zin Nim pulled his arms around her, so he hugged her back against his chest. "Now, let''s go scout."


    While the ship went under the tree cover along one of the smaller rivers, Kai took their flying sword toward the clouds. Usually that was boring, since it just made the sea of trees smaller, but this time he could see the differences in the landscape. They were clearly passing from one of the great wild areas of the Southern Rivers to real civilization again. Based on what he remembered from the map, there was another region of cities, sects, and villages from here to the coast.


    Abruptly he spotted something else: a line of unnatural green cutting through the forest. It was a wall of some sort, mixing in with the foliage at most angles and yet repelling the plants around it. Worse, there was a subtle layer of qi extending into the sky that would have blocked, or perhaps fried, anyone who tried to get over it.


    "What''s the barrier technique protecting?" Kai asked. "Surely they don''t have problems with the minor forest monsters."


    "It''s to keep people out, not monsters." Zae Zin Nim peered at it and then slowly nodded. "That isn''t just the Verdant River sect''s most secure location, it''s one of the most important for the entire Masterful Crown clan. The outer wall is a shield and illusion, and there will be several more layers, then in the very center must be the Loam of the Gods."


    "So they have one of the Insanities and they keep it down here?"


    "They don''t have a choice. In order to grow things in it, they need to keep the soil in its natural location and harvest it. I don''t know where the line between legend and reality is, because they like to promote rumors about just how much the Loam can accomplish. But I''m willing to bet that alchemy using plants grown here could be related to their new immortality technique."


    "What would that mean?" Kai mused. "Did they get better at using it, or is the Loam getting stronger?"


    "No one can say. But we may find out soon."


    Normally flying along with his wife would have been pleasant, but since they needed to scout and their journey was ending, Kai found himself too tense. Across all those barriers, there was a single object that could shift the fate of continents. He wanted to see it... however long it took them to actually get through those barriers.


    Of course they couldn''t break in directly, not without preparation, so instead they turned east parallel to the wall, following the ship hidden below. It was harder to spot now that Cragrila and the other Krysali had been taught a better shrouding technique, but they had the same general plan.


    Before they could fly back down, Kai saw another flying ship on the horizon. At first they both tensed, ready to fight if it had seen them, but the ship drifted peacefully west. It was emblazoned with the golden crown symbol of the Masterful Crown sect and it passed through the barrier with only a ripple of qi. Since there was nothing else in the sky, Kai continued watching it, looking for any hints that might help them infiltrate later.


    Instead, he saw the bottom of the ship open and dump corpses onto the land below.


    Hundreds of bodies tumbled out, so small and loose from a distance that he almost didn''t want to believe they could really be people. But he identified the forms and there was definitely no life left in them. The bloody mess fell toward the forest and then disappeared into the illusion, leaving no trace.


    "Why would they do that?" Kai asked.


    "I don''t know." Zae Zin Nim pushed back further into his embrace, staring at the barrier.


    When they caught up to the others, Kai was thinking about how to explain what they''d seen, then ended up saying nothing because the others seemed tense enough. Cragrila was pacing around the deck, gripping her new spear, and Omilaena leaned against one side. She was smoking with apparent ease, but he could smell the intensity of her poison.


    "So you figured that''s the Loam area?" she asked. "So did we. Cragrila says the main work camps are further east, and there should be other Krysali left alive there. Seems like there are transfers between the high and low security areas."


    "It''s still high security," Cragrila snapped, "the work camp just doesn''t have those giant barriers. But yeah, they transfer dirt from inside and make us work qi or crystals into it. Sometimes they take workers in, and they don''t come out. I can show you the guards and the outposts, but that''s all I know."


    "Since we can''t take on a barrier like that now, I figured we''d start with the camp. Get more intelligence there and decide on our next move. Any issues?"


    Kai shook his head, so they kept flying onward toward the source of the corpses.


    Chapter 426: Becoming a Monstrous Predator


    After the long journey south they had finally reached their destination: slaves, answers, and potentially even immortality were all within reach. The only problem now was that such things were never undefended, and even outside of the great barriers, each of the camps had a strong guard of cultivators. Cragrila had taken them close to the outer perimeter and showed them the different locations, which was where they planned now.


    "The work camps only produce raw materials," Cragrila told them, "which are brought into the barrier, or into the Verdant River sect''s headquarters. That''s all I know."


    "The raw materials probably aren''t worth much," Omilaena said. "They have reasonably strong groups of guards, but the rest is security by obscurity. I''m not sure it''s worth pursuing them directly."


    Zae Zin Nim nodded. "I agree. Based on the qi I sense, it seems likely that they''re developing materials for their immortality elixirs, but we don''t have a chance of recreating the formulas on our own."


    "Which means that there isn''t much to gain by attacking the outer camps."


    Both of them turned to look at Kai, who sighed and raised his hands. "Look, I know we''re too close to the sect headquarters. Even if we freed them all, they''d just be killed immediately. But you''re overlooking another advantage: information. Unless one of you has a way to break through those barriers, we need insider knowledge."


    That made them fall silent for a while, exchanging glances that conveyed far more information than he could read. Eventually Cragrila spoke up. "Not to pile on, but there''s another problem. The guards have special... necklaces, I guess you could call them?"


    "Command medallions," Zae Zin Nim said.


    "Right. Whatever they are, they have the ability to speak over distances. They can use those to call alarms - I saw some local cultivators try to break out and the guards were able to summon reinforcements immediately."


    "That does increase the difficulty. Headquarters will likely check in with the sect from time to time as well. Based on the shipments, it might be only once every few days, but even that means that if we take any action, we''re starting a timer until we face retaliation."


    Kai glanced around the group, swallowing his frustration. He accepted that the ideal option wasn''t always available to them, and he wasn''t going to blindly follow the ethical path if it would lead to disaster. But here, where he was far from an expert, he could easily imagine them ending up going down a selfish path that trampled over innocents. Much as he loved his wives, he knew that Zae Zin Nim and especially Omilaena didn''t have the same altruistic drive he did.


    "You know..." Omilaena had been sitting back, quietly smoking her pipe, but now she spoke up with smoke escaping her lips. "We could use this as misdirection. Don''t make it a direct attack on the Verdant River sect, just a problem that draws their attention."


    "How would that work?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "First, Cragrila, were the camps ever attacked by monsters or sacred beasts?"


    "Sometimes." The other woman stared back at her and her gaze shifted between them. "But this isn''t like Deadwaste and the monsters aren''t that strong. The cultivators always took care of them."


    "But it''s at least a possibility. We''ve been having Kai hide his monstrous side as much as possible... why not lean into it?" Omilaena turned to him with a venomous smile. "If you think you''re capable of it, you could go down to one of the outer camps. Take out the guards before they can send a warning and leave their bodies to be found later, savaged by beasts. Don''t let the prisoners see you, just kidnap the ones with useful information and let the others flee. Sound plausible?"


    "I suppose it could work." Zae Zin Nim looked somewhat disgruntled, but nodded reluctantly. "A powerful monster coming out of the jungle would be shocking, but not unprecedented. So long as Kai can actually pull it off..."


    "I''ll try." He closed his eyes and began shifting his essence within him. "I still have Mutefang''s Stealth, and I''ve been working on less explosive attacks. Pick the ideal target for me and I''ll try it."


    While the others debated the best choice of attack site, Kai sat down and focused on his monstrous side. Except that soon felt wrong... instead he crouched, posture more bestial than human. It felt a bit silly at first, then his body began to change with the Savage Heart. Claws and wings emerged first, and by the time black armored skin covered his body, he barely looked human.


    Cragrila stared at him, visibly suppressing discomfort. Unlike many members of the revolution, she hadn''t been terrified by his monstrous form, but growing up on Deadwaste with the constant threat of incursions, she definitely wasn''t comfortable with it. It seemed insane that he''d come this far, now that he thought about it.


    Fully indulging in this side of himself was a surprising relief, like he''d relaxed a muscle he didn''t know he''d been clenching. Given how he''d lost control back in Yulthens, and again with Omilaena, he couldn''t forget the lesson of letting his hunger out more often. Because the Savage Heart tapped into all his basest impulses, though, his mind was burning. He wanted to slaughter enemies, consume animals whole, grab his wives and take them back to the bedroom...


    None of those would help him now. While he transformed, they had chosen their target, so it was time.


    Kai moved to the edge of the ship on all fours and peered over the edge at the prison camp. He saw a cultivator in fine robes beating an old man who wasn''t working fast enough. Another body in rags lay dead and one of the other guards dragged it away, presumably to be transported along with the others.


    Anger wouldn''t help him either. Kai focused on the monstrous instincts and felt his mind cool to an engine of calculating hunger. When Omilaena walked beside him and put a hand on his shoulder, he didn''t feel any warmth.


    "Yeah, we think this one is the best possible distraction." She nodded to the camp, then turned back to him. "This could work out for us, but if you can''t pull this off, it will backfire. Be careful."


    He growled out a response that may or may not have included a word, then jumped off the side of the ship.


    When he hit the water, normally he would have been disgusted by the swampy murk, but in his current state it seemed to slide off him. He could even see fairly well when he opened his eyes, thanks to Sahagin''s Soul. Kai swam upriver, reaching the point where the work camp was beside the river, and examined it carefully.


    There was a small dock at one side, then walls extending into the jungle to enclose an area that seemed to be a farm for sacred herbs. Something to do with alchemy, more his wives'' domain than his. What mattered was that he identified all of the guards on flying swords above the walls, then an outpost outside - separate from the working area, so they didn''t fear being attacked in their sleep.


    All told he counted twenty guards, including eight at Nascent Foundation stage and two at Earth Soul stage. Half along the walls, some at the dock, one inside beating the slaves, and the rest in the guardhouse. The Verdant River sect was definitely a formidable one, able to send out Earth Souls solely to guard resources like this.


    But it really wasn''t going to matter.


    Two guards by the dock: Kai burst out of the water and caught one with each claw, then dragged them back into the river before they could even scream. If anyone glanced toward the splash, it was already too late. Underwater, he simply crushed them to death, denying his monstrous impulses a little longer.


    Next he eliminated the biggest variable: the cultivators biding time in the guardhouse, who might wander or emerge at any moment. Kai opened the door silently and took a deep breath, drawing on Manticore''s Quill. As they started to turn toward him, the venomous spikes burst from his body, impaling guard after guard.


    The last started to raise his medallion in panic, but Kai was already on top of him, consuming the medallion and his arm in the same bite. After so long not using Isulfr''s Bite, he was surprised by how intense the rush of blood was. He tore apart the rest of the bodies with tooth and claw, turning the inside of the guardhouse into a spectacle that no one would imagine had been caused by a person. None of them even had time to cough blood except dying gurgles, and many still had the dark quills embedded in their bodies.


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    Now he needed to take out the guards atop the walls, which was the most difficult task. They were spaced evenly around the work camp, presumably covering all angles and ready to sound a warning. Most likely they would first summon one another before sending an alarm to the main sect, or there would be too many false alarms, but he couldn''t guarantee that, so best to eliminate them all.


    Kai slipped into the forest and circled around the side, then climbed the wall. His claws easily sunk into the stone, taking him to the top just beneath where a cultivator floated. He watched the guard look left and right, waited until he was looking away, then leapt.


    One claw went around his mouth, the other went through his chest, then they both dropped back into the woods without a sound. The floating sword hovered a little longer on residual qi, then fell into the trees as well.


    Soon the others would notice their missing comrade, but Kai was already racing around the wall of the camp to the opposite side. He pushed Thunderbird''s Wings as hard as he could with mana alone, traveling completely silently, then leapt onto the wall. The cultivators were just now starting to look away from him toward the missing guard, more surprised and irritated than afraid.


    That was all he needed: Kai raced along one wall of the camp, tearing guards apart on his side while he launched Manticore Quills toward those on the opposite side. Every single guard fell dead except one he intentionally knocked out and separated from his medallion. The last was an Earth Soul, who Kai had left for last because he knew the man would take a moment to draw up his qi and prepare to fight instead of calling for help like a coward.


    It turned out that an Earth Soul''s qi tasted good.


    Only one guard remained, the last Earth Soul down in the camp beating the prisoners. The old man lay limp, but in his current state Kai felt no sadness or guilt, only hunger. Focused on his cruelty, the last cultivator only then started to realize what had happened.


    Kai charged directly through the camp wall, shattering the stone on all fours before he reared up in front of the man on his hind legs and tore the medallion off the cultivator''s chest. The man let out a cry of fear and launched qi attacks at point blank range, but he was no elite cultivator with any powerful techniques or tricks. Attacking with simply 500 Power was no longer much threat to Kai, and he stepped through the flames and grabbed the last guard around the head. A simple step carried him across the camp to smash him against the opposite wall.


    The prisoners, always fearful of punishment, were completely alert to what had just happened. Just in case that wasn''t enough, Kai unleashed a weak version of Banchlain''s aura. They all began to run from him in terror... conveniently, toward the hole he''d smashed in the wall.


    Of course the speed he''d used previously would have killed all of them, but Kai stalked behind them slowly to drive them into the forest. He ignored the locals and focused on the Krysali - he''d hoped for someone else he knew, but they were just random people with crystal cultivation. When he grabbed them he''d planned to knock them out, but they did him a favor by fainting in shock.


    Just when Kai started to think that he''d taken those he needed, he noticed a woman who remained in the area. Not out of bravery, instead she clung to a tree planted in one side of the camp. A moment later he blinked as he realized that his monstrous vision was rendering everyone as targets: the more important fact was that her skin was bright green.


    Could she be some sort of dryad? Kai hadn''t thought about dryads in years, since they didn''t usually get into the north of Goralia, but he''d met one during his Hunter Trials. The essential issue was that they didn''t have dryads on Cloudspire as far as he knew, only humans.


    Much as he''d wanted to rescue an old ally, this could be more important. After checking that all the other prisoners had fled, Kai walked toward her and tried to return to himself. As he did, he let his monstrous traits slough off into pure energy.


    The dryad was obviously still fearful for justifiable reasons, but she stared at him in a different sort of shock. "You''re... Goralian?"


    "That''s right." That seemed to confirm his suspicions, which was almost as much of a shock to him. "What are you doing here?"


    "You... you killed the guards, but you didn''t actually kill any prisoners." She ignored his question, her eyes flickering anxiously around the camp. "Is... is that a Class?"


    "Something like that." Kai did his best to look non-threatening, which probably wasn''t very good given what he''d just done and the bloody chaos behind him. He gestured toward the tree behind her. "I want to get you safely out of here before any others come, but are you tied to that tree?"


    "This one is just temporary, but I''ll suffer without a home tree."


    "Will it hurt you to move it?"


    She shivered and placed a hand against the tree trunk. "They already severed roots so many times transplanting me. Please, I can endure a little discomfort, just get me out of here. Who... who are you?"


    The ship descended behind him to hover in the center of the completely devastated camp and his allies jumped out to grab the rescued prisoners and the remaining unconscious cultivator. That meant a cultivator, a poisoner from Rosemount, and a crystallier, so the dryad''s eyes bulged further as she stared at them.


    Kai used claw-like hands to scratch the back of his neck. "That''s kind of hard to explain."


    Chapter 427: Dryads in the Southern Rivers


    It seemed like the risk had been worth it: Zae Zin Nim confirmed that no qi signals had gone out and Omilaena was interrogating the cultivator left alive for all he was worth. Hopefully Cragrila could help all the rescued captives get over their terror, but for his part Kai was mostly interested in one prisoner.


    Her name turned out to be Lifrinyne, and once he got her tree out of the work camp and into other soil she seemed much more composed. Unlike the only other dryad he''d met, she wasn''t physically combined with her tree, just bound to trees somehow. He decided not to ruin his reputation as a world traveler by asking how that worked and just assumed she was another species or ethnicity or something.


    "Is there anything you need?" he asked. "We''ll give you what we can, but we really need information. I know you were probably taken and don''t know much, but anything y-"


    "Oh, I wasn''t stolen from Deadwaste," she said off-hand, then looked around plaintively. "Can I have some water? Just... normal clean water, nothing special."


    At that moment Omilaena returned, handing over a water flask. Zae Zin Nim was just behind her and came to stand beside Kai, though she clearly wasn''t in an affectionate mood. They''d just started an attack against a formidable sect, after all, and they didn''t know how far it would escalate.


    Lifrinyne took a long drink, poured some of the water around the base of her temporary tree, then drank again. Once she quenched her thirst, however, she began to compose herself. Compared to the other prisoners, many of whom just begged to go home or struggled with trauma, she seemed unusually focused. While he waited, Kai examined her soul to guess a little more of her story.


    <


    Name: Lifrinyne


    Total Power: 58


    Dryad Essence: 14 (42)


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 20% (12)


    Soul Level: 2 (4)


    >


    Most of her strength came from Dryad Essence, which he''d once mistaken for a Class, similar to the lamias from Rosemount. It looked as though she had some local cultivation - just Qi Condensation, but learning how to cultivate and gathering that much took time, so she clearly wasn''t a new arrival.


    "I don''t really know much about our Goralian alliance," Lifrinyne said eventually. "Did you come specifically to investigate?"


    "I had no idea anyone from the Southern Reach was here until I saw you," Kai told her. "Why don''t you explain what''s going on?"


    "Then you don''t even know about Nymidria?"


    "Why don''t you start at the beginning?" Omilaena suggested.


    "Well... I think it started over a century ago." Lifrinyne took another drink of water as she gathered her thoughts. "A dryad named Nymidria was nearly legendary in the Southern Reach, was even considered to join the Frontier elites. Instead she decided to go to Cloudspire, since she felt some kinship to this place - Southern Rivers, Southern Reach, you might understand. Unlike most, she actually survived and in fact thrived.


    "It still isn''t common, but sometimes people from the Southern Reach come over to join her. There''s a small community of us and we''re valued by the local sects because we can grow some things they can''t. Once you get into qi-rich soil, it can potentially be excellent for your growth."


    "I''d like to ask more about that later," Omilaena said, "but we need to know more about the politics of the situation. Are these dryads a faction of a major sect?"


    "I think we''re treated as a sect of our own, but we''re closely allied with the Verdant River sect." Lifrinyne took another slow drink. "Please understand, I''m not an expert or highly ranked. I had just started to live there - I haven''t even met Nymidria myself. But while I was relocating, I was torn from my tree by those cultivators and taken to the work camp."


    "Surely that''s a violation of your alliance." Zae Zin Nim folded her arms in her sleeves and stared at the dryad. "How could such a thing be allowed? Does Nymidria not have the strength to protect her own?"


    "I think she doesn''t know. She''s strong... even for here, I think. Not the strongest, but enough that she''s respected, so... I''m not explaining this well. What I heard in the community is that relations have soured. The Verdant River sect used to be a close ally, but in recent years they''ve gotten more and more desperate. We heard rumors that they were capturing cultivators from enemy clans, but we never imagined they would touch one of us. If we can just get to Nymidria, surely she..."


    Given how brutal Cloudspire politics could be, Kai wasn''t willing to bet on the kindness of a dryad who had been living here for a century. He still gave an encouraging smile and nodded, since it actually might work in their plans, but first they needed more information.


    "How much do you know about Nymidria?" he asked. "Why here, and why this specific sect?"


    "As I understand it... she hoped to access the Loam of the Gods." Lifrinyne hesitated, as if expecting them to be surprised when she named an Insanity, but they only kept watching her. "If it can make herbs grow so quickly and so powerfully, what would happen to a dryad planted in such soil? But she''s never even gotten close. For decades they''ve implied promises and strung her along, but she''s never even seen the Loam."


    Kai could understand why the dryad leader might be willing to remain anyway, given the potential benefits. Most of the Insanities were either threats or so overwhelming that people couldn''t even interact with them, but if a dryad could gain the strength of such powerful soil, it could shake the continent. No doubt the Verdant River sect knew the same thing and had no intentions of ever allowing it.


    "Forget about that," Omilaena said, "what did they want with you in particular?"


    "I''m not really sure." Lifrinyne shook her head slowly. "They were always forcing me to grow strange fruit, or taking my bark, or conducting strange qi rituals. It all seemed to be to push power back into the soil, like they were trying to enrich it. They were making us work fields, but they didn''t seem to care about the results except to test them."


    "They''re experimenting." Zae Zin Nim nodded as if everything made sense now. "There''s some sort of alchemy problem they''re working on that requires new materials. So they''re grabbing qi crystals, dumping bodies, using dryads, anything they think might give them the materials they need."


    "Dumping bodies?" Lifrinyne stared between them anxiously and Kai put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He realized later that might be a mistake, but to his surprise she didn''t flinch away from it.


    "We''ve seen the sect do some terrible things," he told her, "which is why we took action. But now we need more information. Do you know anything about the barriers?"


    "I have no idea, but Nymidria would. She''s been scouting them for years, trying to find a way inside, so she knows more than anyone. I could introduce you to our community, I guarantee they would take you in. Nymidria herself is planted in the sect headquarters, but you might be able to get access. I''m sure if we tell her about what''s happened, she''ll take action."


    "Those seem like good options," Omilaena said, "but would we be spotted by cultivators?"


    Lifrinyne shrugged. "Some of them pass through the town built beside ours, but would they know your faces? Our community is secure, and there are many secret areas in the forests, so I''m sure you could find a place to stay."


    "We can''t go quite yet," Kai said. "There are still other work camps out there. I know we can''t free them all, but we might be able to pull this off once or twice more, and you never know what information we could uncover. It would be a good distraction for the sect if you plan to act against them directly, too."


    He expected some push-back, but the others took surprisingly little convincing, so they only had to discuss the details. Omilaena would investigate the dryad community, Zae Zin Nim would scout the Verdant River sect, and Kai would remain behind to strike again. They made him agree to wait until the sect started to react, in order to put them further off balance, and he didn''t mind: the time in between would give him a good opportunity to pick the best targets.


    When Kai had first suggested attacking one of the work camps he hadn''t been lying, exactly, but he hadn''t been confident that it would have great benefits for them. People like Cragrila were uncommon, after all, and indeed they hadn''t found any Krysali who would be even slightly useful. But the encounter with Lifrinyne had transformed their knowledge of the area and given them a new angle to attack the Verdant River sect.


    Most likely none of the other attacks would be anywhere near as significant. He''d kill a few cultivators, rescue a few people, and disrupt the enemy sect a little. That was enough, as far as he was concerned.


    As Kai returned to the jungle, the dark armor began to close over his body and he felt his teeth sharpen.


    Chapter 428: Unexpected Growth in Unexpected Places


    Several days later, Kai was ready to choose his next target. When no shipments came in from the destroyed work camp, the sect sent a group to investigate - the group only had one Earth Soul and they didn''t seem to take the threat particularly seriously until they saw the damage.


    Kai resisted the urge to shadow them, just in case they had someone extremely sensitive, and also decided not to attack the expedition. Taking out a few more cultivators wasn''t worth losing the appearance of random attacks. Instead, he waited until they started looking for the fleeing prisoners. The first one they found kowtowed immediately and babbled about being attacked by a monster, then to Kai''s surprise the scout group just killed him.


    So he picked a work camp on the opposite side of the region and attacked it. The first had been a proof of concept, so this time he was even more efficient. There was only one Earth Soul guarding this one, but he actually nearly grabbed his medallion before Kai froze him with Void Gaze.


    In that camp he discovered that male dryads existed and carried off the man''s tree. This dryad had a similar story to Lifrinyne, and mostly redundant information, so Kai just replanted him far enough away that he''d be picked up by the others. It might be useful to have multiple witnesses for the dryad matriarch, assuming that she was willing to listen.


    That left him with a more difficult decision. Taking out the second camp had been easy, and drawn all the attention away from the escaped prisoners to further attacks, but also meant the cultivators were reinforcing their numbers. A third attack would have less impact and greater risk of ruining the ruse. If the Verdant River sect ever suspected this was a calculated plan to undermine them instead of a random monster, the plan would lose much of its effectiveness.


    Still in full monstrous form, Kai lurked through the swamps, considering his remaining options. He didn''t want to push too far and risk everything, but would hate himself for not pushing far enough if he could have done more. In the end, he decided that he could justify one last attack: right in the center, against one of the largest camps.


    Maybe it would accomplish nothing, but he wouldn''t have given up and told himself it was prudence.


    There were no fewer than four Earth Souls this time, so he decided against trying to eliminate the entire camp cleanly. Instead he waited until night and attacked like a wild beast, targeting their military capacity instead of trying to free anyone. He lunged out of the shadows and struck wildly, a terror in the night that left the guards rushing about in chaos. Once the Earth Souls were dead, the rest had no real chance of containing what he''d started.


    This camp had something new: a small building with binding qi around it. Kai smashed through the door, just on principle, and discovered there was a group of prisoners who were apparently strong enough to require being imprisoned at night. Glancing over them he saw moderately high Power, so he tore through the barrier as if he intended to eat them.


    "The strong prisoners!" A cultivator flying overhead saw him and began pointing. "Stop the beast before it-" He cut off as one of Kai''s quills went through his neck, but there were more cultivators coming.


    By that point, however, the prisoners were ripping out of the ropes that had tied them, now that the binding technique was no longer limiting their strength. They clearly considered him the biggest threat, scrambling away, so Kai let out a roar to chase them off instead of doing anything lethal. Maybe they could cause more trouble for the guards and actually get away.


    Suddenly he realized that he knew one of them: the grim, scar-covered woman among the others was Nirka. He hadn''t seen her since he''d been forced to flee Yulthens.


    <


    Name: Nirka of N District


    Total Power: 182


    Crystal Cultivation: 1609 (57)


    Physique Level: E-7 (100)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    >


    His body acted on instinct, lunging out to grab her with one claw. She tried to fight back, stabbing him with some sort of improvised knife, but it broke against his armored skin. On his way out, Kai bit into another cultivator and carried the body in his teeth so that it would look like he was just carrying off food instead of rescuing someone.


    The cultivators chased him for a while, but as soon as he started using Thunderbird''s Wings he lost them in the jungle. By that point Nirka had gone still, more uncertain than combative. Once he got far enough away to be secure, Kai set her down and began to shift back to human form.


    "Calm down," he said in a half-growl. "It''s me."


    "You!" Her eyes went wide and he saw tears in them, then she lunged forward and beat his chest with her fists. "You scared me half to death like that! You couldn''t have said something?"


    "We need them to fear a monster, not a human enemy, so I couldn''t risk it. Is there anyone else back there I should try to rescue?"


    "We... we were planning to try to break out, even if they probably would have stopped us. Those Earth Souls are just too strong, but you... I think the others will survive... it looked like everyone was hunting for you."


    "And that''s the way we want it." Kai started to turn away, but to his surprise Nirka hurled herself at his chest.


    "I can''t believe it... I haven''t seen you since Yulthens..."


    He instinctively put his arms around her and felt her body shudder as she released emotions that she''d no doubt been keeping bottled up for a long time. Kai felt a bit uncomfortable holding an ex-lover like that, but she clearly needed the comfort.


    After this, he headed back to join up with the others. Last time he hadn''t been careful in his personal relationships, it had caused a lot of drama and likely limited the development of what had become his marriage. Clearly, he needed to choose his actions very carefully and not screw this up...


    .


    ..


    .


    At first Nirka had been stunned that Kai had abandoned Yulthens, though as the years passed and she saw the strength of Earth Soul cultivators, she understood why he''d needed to do so. He''d bought them years to build Krysal back up, even if it had gotten ugly again at the end, and she''d thanked him for it. When the people spoke about him fondly, she could smile along with them.


    Yet in her heart she had always wondered if he was dead, or if he somehow survived the hell of other continents, she had assumed that he would never come back. Meeting him here, in Cloudspire, like this... she never could have imagined it.


    On their way out of the region, she was shocked to see him slaughter another Earth Soul. It wasn''t the way he tore the man apart, since she had seen his savagery before, just the fact that he had done it so easily. Her spiritual sight struggled with the intensity of Cloudspire, yet she estimated he had approaching 800 Power... just how much higher was his true strength? He casually mentioned that he had killed five or six of that cultivation stage and considered it just a step in his ongoing war.


    That evening when they made camp he pulled an entire meal out of the strange ring on his finger, which was a feast after what she''d been fed. When it came time to sleep, he revealed two tents as well. She would have been offended if he''d made assumptions and shown only one, but that night she found herself lying awake thinking about their relationship.


    Throughout the next day she needed to ride on his back at times, given the speeds they moved, and Nirka rested against the wall of muscle. They moved shockingly quickly, leaving the swampy region behind and moving further south. In the distance there seemed to be an unending raincloud that was mysterious to her, but she didn''t want to think about that.


    Had their relationship been so bad, despite its rocky moments? After the grueling torment of the work camp, she desperately needed to feel someone, and it was that desperation that had brought them together in the crystal mines in the first place.


    That night she sat down next to him and brushed her thigh against his, and to her surprise, he shifted away. Even when she made more forward offers, he quietly deflected them. She knew he had slept around, after their relationship broke, so what had become of him? Surely he hadn''t become a celibate monk.


    The idea seemed impossible because there was an animal magnetism to him now, a strength she found even more attractive than before. He''d been bold when they first met, but he was even more confident in himself now. When he moved, especially in his monstrous form, she was sure there was a savage need within him, yet he continued to reject her.


    When she actually brought it up directly, he said something vague about being in a relationship, which almost sounded like a lie to her. Hadn''t he gotten over any residual anger toward her? She didn''t understand why he would reject her and make excuses as if to protect his ego. Whatever the reason, he maintained a wall of distance between them.


    It continued when they finally met up with Cragrila, since Kai only gave her a stiff nod. Then again, that was the energy Cragrila usually presented to the world. Nirka was having none of that and moved forward to embrace the other woman.


    "I''m so glad you''re still alive," she breathed.


    "They got you too, huh?" Cragrila eventually pulled her back, though she kept her close. "Have they kept raiding Krysal?"


    "No, there was just one last attack after you disappeared. The Frontier elites came to intercept the others, though they didn''t seem happy about it. They were winning, but a group of cultivators got around them and used one of those binding techniques on me and some others, and dragged us away with them."


    "Do you know how many are dead?"


    "I''m sorry, but I can''t be sure because I was taken." Nirka shook her head as she thought about everyone left behind. "Maggle and Krainuun were both fine when I last saw them. Yurwa and Gundle moved deep into the country after the attack where the cultivators captured you, so I think they''re safe. But that''s all I know."


    "We''ll get back to them one day, but not yet." Cragrila nodded toward Kai, who meditated some distance away, giving them space. "He''s saved as many Krysali as he can, and we''re gathering out in the forest, further east. You can join us if y-"


    "No. I know I''m not strong enough to fight the higher cultivators, but I want to help. You and Kai are making decisions about what to do next, right?"


    "I''m really just providing support. Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena are making the decisions."


    Nirka blinked, not having thought about either woman for years. Omilaena was the temptress who had joined the revolution and stayed on their side despite the fact that she seemed utterly untrustworthy - how had she kept her claws in Kai this long? Zae Zin Nim was the scarred cultivator, of course. She had as many scars as Nirka, but unlike the silver lines from crystal cuts, hers were ugly and black. Kai was still traveling in the same group after so long? She''d expected him to grow up some, given how long it had been.


    When they all reunited, however, Nirka was left astonished. Zae Zin Nim had been transformed, with untouched skin that made blindingly obvious how beautiful she was. Even more shocking, the three of them came together in an embrace that was far from chaste. Surely it couldn''t be...


    The cultivator woman glared at her over Kai''s shoulder and Nirka hastily redirected her gaze.


    That night when they made camp, Nirka felt awkward and off balance, so she decided to retire to her tent early. As she tried to fall asleep, she realized that the tent next to her was definitely occupied by all three of them. Having a very good time, based on the sounds. All three together? But... it sounded like... Nirka grimaced and wrapped her pillow around her head to try to drown it out.


    Now she realized that she had lost him forever, but more than that, she wondered how such a thing could have happened.

 Chapters 429-432

    Chapter 429: Revenge in the Night


    Reuniting always added an extra edge to their sex, even after a relatively short time apart. Omilaena was usually the insistent one, but that night Zin Nim seemed ravenously hungry for both of them. Even though Omilaena had a good guess as to why, she ignored such details and just enjoyed it until they all fell asleep together.


    In the middle of the night, she was woken by Zin Nim slipping from under Kai''s arm and out of their bed. Omilaena pretended to be asleep and watched Zin Nim smile fondly at the two of them, then pull on a robe and creep out the front of their tent.


    Well, that was interesting. Most of Omilaena wanted to just keep lying there, since Kai made a nice pillow, but she found herself yawning and stretching. Someone might get murdered, which was fine, but this murder might not benefit them, so she might as well get involved. She found a robe of her own and pursued into the cool night air.


    Instead of anything she''d imagined, Zin Nim was just seated at the heating crystal they used in place of a campfire. Less easy to detect, but nowhere near as atmospheric. Omilaena went to sit down beside her and the other woman immediately leaned into her, body still entirely relaxed. Hmm, so it was that way.


    "Funny coincidence, how Nirka ended up in the tent right next to us," Omilaena said.


    "It''s not so much of a coincidence," Zin Nim insisted, though she wouldn''t meet her gaze. "There aren''t that many tents."


    "Mmhmm, I''m sure. Given how you feel about her, I''m surprised you were so enthusiastic about our intimacy. Good on you, for completely putting aside past vendettas, not even thinking about her at all."


    "I was merely happy to see my spouses again."


    "Hey, I''m not complaining. Kai certainly wasn''t complaining." Omilaena leaned over Zin Nim and stroked her hair. "But if you can''t be open with me, when will you?"


    For a long time Zin Nim was silent, then she slowly nodded against her chest. "You already understand. It is just... a lingering sort of jealousy. I don''t like to think about the woman I could have been, in a different life, and she brought up all those old memories. You were... thinking I might go kill her, weren''t you?"


    "It crossed my mind."


    "I wouldn''t do that. But... when I was at my loneliest, she rubbed the fact that she was with Kai in my face. I''m still petty enough to return the favor."


    "A very dry sort of revenge," Omilaena said sagely. "Or it might be more accurate to say a very wet revenge."


    "Omi, no!" Zin Nim squirmed against her and looked around furtively, as if there would be someone else who might overhear and disapprove.


    The irony after their recent escapades entertained Omilaena and she couldn''t help but chuckle. She also held the other woman close and Zin Nim eventually relaxed against her again. Whatever the emotions and past memories involved, it had been good to be together again.


    "We already discussed our strategy tomorrow," Omilaena said, "but I thought we should chat a little more, just the two of us. Now seems as good a time as any."


    "Yes, I suppose. I already said everything I noticed about the Verdant River sect, though."


    "What do you think our odds are on just acquiring what we want by uncomplicated means? Stealing it or murdering everyone in the way, I mean."


    "I don''t know." Zin Nim shifted and looking over her shoulder into the darkness, as if she could see the enemy sect. "This is one of the most protected strongholds on Cloudspire, so they''ll operate on the assumption that everyone is considering those strategies. They won''t be expecting our abilities, but they''ll be expecting direct attempts."


    "So we stick with infiltration?"


    "Perhaps."


    "If you do get access to this new source of immortality," Omilaena said, "let me take a good look at it. I only have some knowledge about chakra-based immortality, so I might be able to learn a lot from their methods."


    "Do you think you could duplicate them?" Zin Nim''s eyes widened slightly.


    That wasn''t exactly what she had been thinking, so Omilaena hid her wince by stroking the other woman''s hair. "Probably not, since they seem to be going to so much effort to gather materials and experiment with different systems. And it seems like there''s a very strong chance that their method requires using the Loam of the Gods."


    "Most likely that''s why they have such defenses. Any sect or clan anywhere on Cloudspire would be eager to get their hands on a controlled Insanity."


    "Any sect, clan, or Omilaena. Omilaeanas like Insanities."


    Zin Nim nodded somberly. "I will do my utmost to get you access, if I can. We need to do more than simply match our opponents, we need to surpass them. Utterly."


    "Because of what you saw at the Frontier?"


    "Yes, that, but also... I don''t know what all we will face." Zin Nim shifted in discomfort, clearly easing anxieties. "I feel guilty that I still haven''t uncovered any way to develop my Physique. Both of you are stuck at the D rank, and I think if only I could help us learn more, you could advance beyond it."


    "For most of the world that''s considered the peak," Omilaena pointed out, "and advancing beyond that seems to have limited returns. But that''s why you were talking about surpassing everyone."


    "Exactly. The Brightwind sect taught me that there was no point to advancing beyond E rank, and I''ve seen they were clearly wrong. What else might they be wrong about? I know I''m behind you in some ways, but I want to be able to clear a path for you. The two of you have done so much to help me chart a path when I thought I had hit a dead end..."


    "Hush, you''re fine." Omilaena pulled her in closer and stroked her hair affectionately. "Considering how this immortality affects the body, that might help me understand more about it. Of course any Brightwind manuals about the Blackblood Physique would help too. You already found enough that I have a strong basis, I just need specifics."


    "Oh... it actually wasn''t a Brightwind technique, originally. We had access to it, yes, but it was a rare technique from the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes."


    "From there, then. The point is, with a little more information I think we might be able to take you over the edge. Be patient and don''t make any false steps."


    "It would be easier to be patient if we were all immortal." Zin Nim sighed heavily and finally relaxed against her chest. "For so long, I just wanted to escape my father. To live a free life, where I could make my own choices. Over the past few years, I''ve been able to do that, and I love you two so much, it''s wonderful, but... we need strength to defend that life. I have no idea how much we need."


    They lapsed into silence, because there were no real answers to questions like that. Omilaena wasn''t very comfortable with such sentimental declarations of love, and didn''t go that direction herself unless things were getting hot and heavy.


    Staying together with the two of them forever, though? She could live with that. There had been a time when she had worried about getting bored, but she''d come to realize there were real advantages to fucking partners who she trusted more and more over time. They were both excellent for her experiments, figuring out the road to power together, so she could imagine a future together. Putting any of that into words risked teasing Zin Nim when she didn''t mean to, so Omilaena kept her thoughts to herself.


    "Do you think the rain to the south will let up?" Zin Nim eventually asked. Clearly it was time to pull back from the heavy conversation, though Omilaena kept her close.


    "I expect it won''t, actually. There''s an element of chakra in those clouds, not like I''ve seen on Cloudspire before."


    "Do you think it''s the dryad matriarch, then? Nymidria?"


    "It could be, but more importantly, I think the rain clouds are collecting there so it rains forever. Maybe the dryads prefer it that way."


    "I see." Zin Nim''s glower could be felt against her body. "We need some kind of countermeasure, then. There are Brightwind techniques to keep off the rain, but they have no combat applications, so I never learned them. Getting wet in these robes would be very indecent."


    Omilaena chuckled and tweaked her side. "I wouldn''t mind seeing that, and I don''t think Kai would complain either." When the other woman started to speak, Omilaena intercepted her. "I know, I know, you''re saying that''s only for the two of us, right? Not for public view."


    Zin Nim nodded against her chest. "Good, you understand. But I... also understand you. There are... certain waterfalls where cultivators go to train. To the very north of the Southern Rivers, or around the edges of the Heavenly Mountains and lakes. Maybe we could... go there together."


    "Well, look at you! That sounds like an intriguing idea, so it''s too bad we''re heading further south. But speaking of, maybe we should get some sleep for tomorrow?"


    "Yes, perhaps we should." She didn''t seem inclined to move, though, still resting and staring into the light.


    "You know, if we sleep hard enough and wake up early, we can have fun waking up Kai, then we could try to wake up Nirka."


    At first Zin Nim blushed and squirmed, but then she pulled Omilaena back toward their tent.


    Chapter 430: Entering a Dryad Community


    Technically they were going to deal with much bigger problems as soon as they reached the dryad town, but Kai was mainly glad that he hadn''t screwed up his marriage. Surprisingly, Zae Zin Nim hadn''t been hostile toward Nirka, instead opting to ignore her, and Omilaena hadn''t poisoned anyone, so he called that a win. It definitely seemed like they were both trying to stake their claim on him, but after that morning, he wasn''t going to complain.


    Even the clouds ahead couldn''t dampen his mood. Lifrinyne had said it always rained over the dryad settlement and Omilaena had speculated about various elemental methods that could maintain the clouds, so it seemed they would be heading directly in. Finally he was within reach of answers, or even a way of stopping the sect that was enslaving so many people.


    "It should be safe to enter, but..." Lifrinyne paced around her tree from its position on the deck. "If they were kidnapping people months ago, it might have gotten worse."


    "How secure is the area normally?" Kai asked.


    "Before, I would have told you it was the only place I felt completely safe on Cloudspire. We provide useful materials to the Verdant River sect, so we should have been an untouchable ally. I hope that''s still generally true, and I''m sure the community will help us if we can get to them, but... maybe it would be best to be cautious."


    "Then I''ll start." Kai glanced over the others and, when no one challenged him, stepped over to the edge of the ship. "I''ll scope out the dryad community under stealth and make sure that everything is above-board, then we can move in."


    He jumped over the edge and had activated Mutefang''s Stealth before he hit the ground. From the air, the layout had been obvious: the heavily-defended area to the west, the sect''s main headquarters to the south, and the dryad community to the east. They had needed to stay quite far away to avoid attention, but he could cross the remaining distance easily enough.


    As he ran closer, he entered the heavy wall of rain. It rolled off his skin easily, but Zae Zin Nim was not going to be happy about this.


    Kai was actually looking forward to exploring a dryad community. Visiting the Southern Reach had never been a particular dream of his, but he knew that it was one of the tasks some hunters took on, since the dryads and other races on Deadwaste were their allies. Hypothetically, in another life he might even have traveled south to start a second career there.


    From a distance the walls of the community looked very different, since they were built from pure wood that had been artificially grown. As he got closer, however, he saw many familiar signs of Cloudspire architecture. The main entrance was an arch similar to the others he''d seen, and inside the walls there were plenty of completely normal buildings. At least there weren''t many guards and the defenses were weak, so he was able to slip inside.


    Immediately he noticed all the dryads on the streets, some anchored in the soil and others wandering further. Compared to that strange sight, the cultivators barely registered, but they were actually more important: there was a major human presence here. Most likely they were all members of the Verdant River sect, so any of them could be informants.


    Some of the humans he saw had strange bubbles around them that kept them from getting wet, presumably a local cultivation technique. Many of the others wore large cloaks that seemed to shed the water, and he saw quite a few bamboo umbrellas as well.


    The dryads, by contrast, seemed to ignore the rain altogether. That meant a lot of glistening green bodies, but the average dryad was just like anyone else, so not particularly alluring. After reuniting with his wives, Kai only looked at them long enough to confirm that they didn''t seem terrorized or under control of the sect.


    So they could enter, just carefully. After he finished his scouting, Kai purchased several of the cloaks for the others as well as one of the large umbrellas.


    When he returned, he found that Lifrinyne and the male dryad were talking, turning over potential plans. Everyone turned to look at him and he realized that he should have shaken off the water, but all he could do now was drip all over the deck while he explained the situation.


    "They must not have kidnapped too many others," Lifrinyne concluded once he was done. "I doubt the Verdant River sect remembers me in particular, but we should still be cautious."


    "Then how are we getting in?" Omilaena asked.


    "I should be able to use the dryad entrance, then I can get back to my primary tree. Just to be safe, the rest of you should use the main entrance. I can let you in from the other side, because by then everyone will have heard the story. After that, I promise you, the entire dryad community will be on your side."


    Their group split up along those lines and then the humans split further: Kai would enter with his wives, while Cragrila and Nirka stayed to guard the ship. Their best defense was keeping it hidden in the forest, anyway, so it was probably best to limit how many they brought inside.


    When they got to the edge of the rain, Kai revealed the umbrella from his spatial ring and gestured for them to get underneath it. Zae Zin Nim smiled and moved to his arm, but Kai unfortunately had to pull back.


    "We don''t want to look too much like a couple," he said, "and if all three of us are together, some cultivator will probably call me a toad eating swan meat again. Do... toads eat swans, actually?"


    "Toads aren''t very discerning," Omilaena said. "I think they probably eat whatever they can."


    Zae Zin Nim reluctantly let go and instead moved ahead so that Kai held the umbrella over the two of them from behind. "You''re going to get wet, though." She glanced back at him apologetically. "Sorry to make you do this."


    "Not a problem," Kai told her as they entered the endless rain. "I figure this way you can avoid the attention you don''t want, and that''s better for everyone. We can repeat it in other cities if we need to, if it keeps obnoxious cultivators away from us."


    So Kai played the hulking servant guarding two maidens as they entered the dryad community. Security was nowhere near as tight as in other places he''d seen, and they weren''t formally checked, but he did notice several cultivators sweeping their spiritual senses over the new arrivals. It was a good thing they''d taken so many spiritual precautions, and he could only hope that the dryads were right about their own path.


    By the time they made their way through the city, Kai was soaking wet, but they hadn''t run into any problems. He got a little attention due to his height, but the dryads who were bound to trees were often larger, so he didn''t tower over the crowds. After passing through many common streets, he spotted the dryad community ahead: instead of Cloudspire roofs, there was a region covered by heavy boughs that actually looked like they kept out the rain.


    When they approached, several dryad guards turned on them, but at that moment Lifrinyne appeared behind them, waving. She looked much brighter green than before, and though her soul hadn''t changed, she was visibly healthier.


    "Those are the ones!" she announced. "Let them in and keep this within the community."


    Her word seemed to be enough, because they were ushered inside without a second glance. Once underneath the canopy of leaves, Kai was surprised to find that it was completely dry. Certain areas of the dryad community were open to the rain, but those had recessed floors, leaving significant parts warm and pleasant. Within he saw far fewer humans, and none of them wore sect robes.


    "As soon as I put down roots I tried to communicate with Nymidria," Lifrinyne explained. "Unfortunately, there''s some sort of barrier that''s been set up recently. But the rest of us pooled our knowledge, so we should be able to tell you more."


    "Has anyone else been able to contact her?" Omilaena asked.


    "Not via root or seed, but some have visited her, yes. I''ll tell you all about that in a moment."


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    They followed her deeper into the community before she abruptly turned and stepped through a wooden arch. There was a courtyard outside with a single large tree in it, unremarkable aside from unusually bright green leaves. When Lifrinyne stepped up to it, however, her body seemed to relax against the bark and the two synchronized. The leaves overhead shifted and stiffened, forming a roof that kept off the rain.


    "This is your real tree?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "That''s right, it''s an essential part of me. Switching to another is like learning to walk with new legs." Lifrinyne gestured for them to approach and settled back comfortably. "The others have been worried about the Verdant River sect isolating Nymidria from the rest of us, but before now, they didn''t have any proof anything illicit was going on. We need to warn her."


    Kai folded his arms as he began considering the issue in terms of a problem that could be solved. "But it sounds like the usual channels are closed off, or you''d just send someone."


    "We need to get into the sect headquarters, but we''ll come to that. Apparently only three or four dryads have disappeared mysteriously, and one of those might be for unrelated reasons, so it seems that the sect isn''t kidnapping large numbers of us. Still, what they have done is a massive violation of our agreement, so it''s essential to speak with her."


    "Sounds like that could start a diplomatic incident," Omilaena said. "You sure you want to do that?"


    Lifrinyne shook her head and the boughs of her tree shook with her. "I don''t think it will come to that. As the others see it, the problem isn''t the sect itself, it''s a specific man: the heir to the entire Masterful Crown clan was teleported here last year and that was when everything turned worse for us. He was the one who cut off contact with the sect, the others think he''s isolating Nymidria, and he''s most likely the one who organized the work camps."


    "And why would he do all that?"


    "That''s one of the secrets we''ve uncovered: the Masterful Crown clan has discovered a new path to immortality, apparently a powerful one. That''s why they sent the heir of one of their strongest to supervise everything himself, and that''s why security is increasing. Apparently the method requires constantly using the Loam of the Gods, and also... it must be fed with human lives. I know it sounds shocking, but there is evidence of it."


    "We believe you," Kai said dryly, remembering the bodies being dropped out of the airship. "We have our own issues with the Masterful Crown clan, so we''re willing to help."


    "Oh, excellent." Lifrinyne took a deep breath and met his gaze. "We can get command medallions that will allow you to access the sect, but if one of us attempts to go meet Nymidria, we''ll be under extra scrutiny. That''s why we have no choice but to ask... can you infiltrate the sect headquarters?"


    Chapter 431: Infiltrating the Verdant River Sect


    Initially Omilaena thought that getting inside might be a challenge, maybe even a fun one, but the dryads had already set up half the steps. They weren''t breaking into the central chambers of the Verdant River sect, after all, just an outer courtyard that was technically a guest room for the dryad matriarch. The dryads could already have done it themselves, if they hadn''t needed humans with sufficient strength.


    They left the dryad community, finally getting out of the humidity, and took the public road toward the sect headquarters before turning away from the main path at the last second. There was a really rather pathetic village for outer disciples and other servants, which they just passed through on their way to their real target.


    Once they reached the sect''s outer walls, which were stone emblazoned with water symbolism and the Verdant River sect''s symbol, they met their first real barrier. Ordinarily Omilaena would have wanted to go over the top, but advance intelligence suggested that the sect had cultivators watching.


    There were people coming and going both on the ground and in the air, but those in the air tended to be cultivators with flying swords, so they were under more scrutiny. Fortunately, their group had stolen command medallions that would open the gates for them, so they could pretend to be minor sect members. With Kai playing servant and hiding them with his umbrella, they could pass as random women in the sect.


    Umbrellas seemed to be common even outside the rainy area, because heaven forbid a woman''s skin experience any sunlight. Omilaena rolled her eyes as they strolled straight past the guards.


    Inside, there were no dryads at all except for the matriarch herself. This was where it got trickier, because they needed to leave the areas where low level sect members were permitted. They had to trust Zin Nim for this part, guiding them like they were normal people until they had a chance to cut through a large garden.


    It was a pleasant enough place, filled with medicinal herbs, pale blue flowers, and ornamental trees, but unremarkable. Omilaena had seen much more interesting gardens on Rosemount, and honestly even on Deadwaste. Their only goal, however, was the gate on the opposite side, where the dryad matriarch allegedly waited.


    From a distance they could even see Nymidria''s upper boughs: strikingly blue leaves filled with qi waved over the top of the walls. There was a shroud preventing Omilaena from gathering much more information, but the dryad matriarch seemed like she was plenty powerful, at least equivalent to an average Sky Soul.


    "There are two entrances," Zin Nim said quietly, "and both are protected by qi barriers. I can tell already that these low rank medallions won''t open them. We could break through easily, of course, but that would alert the sect."


    "Seems like there are cultivators gathering by the western side." Kai''s head raised and he gave the impression that he was testing the air, even though he didn''t actually sniff. "Some inside, too. I think they''re talking to her."


    "Then we can try the other entrance. I may be able to bring down the barrier, given time."


    They slipped around some of the ornamental trees to an isolated corner of the garden, which indeed had a small door. Gardener or maintenance entrance, most likely. While Zin Nim knelt down beside the door to work on the qi barrier, Omilaena peered at her command medallion and tried to manipulate its inner workings, just in case the barrier proved impossible.


    This one was far better constructed than the Bloodcoral medallion she''d manipulated earlier, less due to fundamental superiority than better design. Instead of having all the potentials locked within it, she felt absences in the magic, where higher ranks would add something new. Still, she was far better at Cloudspire technology than she had been back then, so she tried to see if she could manipulate the spells.


    Kai wordlessly touched her shoulder, grip tight. She immediately glanced at him, saw his gaze shift, and followed it to the main garden.


    Fuck. There was a sect member stumbling there, laughing and swinging around a bottle of alcohol. Unlike the sober people, who were going about their business in the main areas, he looked like he needed an isolated spot for a particular sort of business.


    When he swayed into their corner of the garden, he was so focused on rearranging his robes, Omilaena wondered if they were really going to stay there and tensely watch the man piss in front of them. Before he got that far, unfortunately or thankfully depending on your perspective, he looked up and managed to focus on them.


    "Hey... what are you?" He frowned and began fumbling for his own medallion. "Nobody is supposed to be around... uh..."


    "You look like you''re having fun." Omilaena struck like a snake, pressing herself against the man in an instant. She''d considered using a needle or knife before deciding they shouldn''t leave a dead body, so she used a different weapon. "Can I have some?"


    "What are you...?" The drunk still looked puzzled, but that didn''t stop him from groping her ass. "This is... restricted..."


    "Then maybe you can show me around?" She gave him a coy smile and he leaned further into her. Finally registering what she said, the man thrust his booze toward her, but the smell was so rank Omilaena decided not to try that route at all.


    Instead she kissed him, releasing poison both through her lips and her breath. She nearly overdid it and killed him, but managed to emit just enough to knock him unconscious. As soon as she confirmed there was no one else around, Omilaena pulled him to the corner beside the door.


    "Sorry, Zin Nim," she whispered. "Strictly necessary seduction."


    "That is permissible," Zin Nim said without opening her eyes, "and wise. If we leave any trace, it might be assumed that he was responsible."


    Finally Omilaena could push the man off her and set him on his back, then after some thought poured some of his alcohol over his robes. Most likely he would think that she was some sort of dream, and even if not, she would be nothing more than a sexy body to a man like that. He would remember her tits and ass, not her face.


    Bizarrely, she actually felt a bit dirty. Not that she felt the slightest guilt about using her sexuality, but the feeling of pressing up against the man had been repulsive in a way she''d hadn''t experienced before. Somehow her body had become used to two very different people...


    To distract herself, Omilaena found the man''s command medallion underneath his robes and began experimenting with it. This one was slightly higher rank than the previous, judging from the wave symbols on the front, but it didn''t have any extra permissions. She spent a while analyzing the differences before Zin Nim finally made a soft noise of satisfaction and stood up.


    "The door is open," she said, "but I don''t know if we should enter."


    "Safer in there," Kai said. His eyes almost seemed to burn toward the wall, as if he could see through it... or at least sense prey on the other side. "We shouldn''t be visible inside, but if we stay here, more people might notice us."


    "I can only kiss and pile up so many bodies," Omilaena said. "Let''s go."


    They crept through the door, which was unlocked now that the qi barrier was gone, and entered a garden that was much more to Omilaena''s taste. Vines and trellises swarmed across the square courtyard, which was dominated by the dryad in the center. Omilaena had to resist looking at her in order to properly scout the area.


    It seemed that there were cultivators who had entered from the primary entrance and now stood in front of the tree. From a distance their words blurred together, but they referred to the dryad matriarch as "Nym Id Ria" as if she had a Cloudspire-styled name. They treated her like a Sky Soul, too, to be approached with deference. Some kind of negotiations over paying her in exchange for the growth of certain magical items, and Omilaena decided it wasn''t relevant.


    That left her free to look at Nymidria herself, who was a sight to behold. Her tree was ordinary enough, shaped like an oak tree except for its silver bark and blue leaves. But in the center, emerging from the trunk as if she was part of it, was a truly enormous woman - easily twice the height of an average person. She had silver skin that merged into her bark and blue hair that matched her leaves, far more striking than the average dryads seen around the village.


    The dryad matriarch wore a partial robe that left her shoulders bare and plunged to reveal a great deal of silvery cleavage. She shifted forward, regarding the cultivators who spoke to her, and in that moment Omilaena became certain that it was all a pretense. This was another woman using her sexuality as a weapon - her clothes weren''t comfortable, they were armor.


    Combining that display with the drunk, Omilaena found herself in a strange mood, needing some kind of outlet. She wanted to elbow Kai and make some joke about the dryad, but he was in predator mode, his gaze shifting sharply around the courtyard in case any of the cultivators noticed them. No chance of teasing him like this. Zin Nim, on the other hand...


    "What do you think?" Omilaena leaned against her to whisper.


    "Her shroud is impressive." Zin Nim glanced around them nervously, but answered. "I think she is still only an Earth Soul, but strong due to other powers."


    "I wasn''t thinking her shroud was the impressive part. Nice not to have the biggest tits in the room, huh?"


    Zin Nim''s eyes widened comically. She looked like she wanted to either make a noise or strike, but they couldn''t do either while they were hiding and so she just glared indignantly. Omilaena tried to pull the other woman into an embrace, but Zin Nim narrowed her eyes and retreated to Kai. Which would only smoosh the tits in question against his side, but maybe that was defended for her.


    That shroud was truly interesting, though... it struck her as a combination of the usual qi here and the mana skills she''d seen on Deadwaste, which meant it was likely custom-made. Omilaena wasn''t a shroud specialist, but she considered herself well above average with spiritual sight and had made significant advancements in her soul. Maybe she could pierce the shroud, with enough effort...


    Gradually she pushed her way through the canopy of power, finding the strength underneath, and then the dryad''s soul blossomed.


    <


    Name: Nymidria


    Total Power: 1370


    Physique Level: E-0 (80)


    Dryad Essence: 147 (648)


    Iron Bark (+100)


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 59% (506)


    Soul Level: 6 (36)


    >


    An impressive 1370 Power, primarily from her dryad essence and Earth Soul stage cultivation. But she also had an additional hybrid ability and...


    And she was watching them.


    Nymidria''s human-shaped body hadn''t moved, still speaking to the cultivators, but that was only a fraction of her total body. A knot on the back of the tree had opened, revealing an eye that stared right at her, spiritual sense battling spiritual sense.


    Omilaena swallowed and realized that she wasn''t quite as slick as she thought she was. Just how bad this turned out was up to fate, and she didn''t like that gamble.


    Chapter 432: The Dryad Matriarch


    The sudden attention of the dryad matriarch put Kai on edge and his instincts, so long indulged in monstrous form, very nearly pushed him to attack before he reined himself in. He didn''t have a complete grasp of Nymidria''s soul, but she was in the neighborhood of 1300 - he was confident he could defeat someone with that much strength, but not quickly and not quietly. If he struck first, the cultivators all throughout the sect would no doubt join in, which would tilt the odds terribly against him.


    So far there were no signs of attack from the tree... the eye disappeared under the bark and the spiritual pressure disappeared. Nymidria continued to speak to the cultivators in front of her as if nothing had happened. As he started to accept they wouldn''t immediately be thrown into combat, Kai felt Zae Zin Nim lower her arms and Omilaena evaporate her needles.


    Behind them, the door had been covered by vines.


    "Do we prepare, or do we act like chumps?" Omilaena asked.


    "We''re at a disadvantage here," Zae Zin Nim said in a low voice. The way they looked at one another, they weren''t going to come to a conclusion quickly.


    "We wait," Kai decided for them. "If she''s against us, the situation isn''t really becoming much worse. But if she''s on our side, then she''d be a critical ally that would change everything."


    That seemed to settle it, at least for now. Nymidria finished her negotiations with the sect cultivators, who all filed back out. Once they were gone, however, the doors closed behind them without letting in another group. Instead silence reigned in the garden, stretching until a leafy sigh emanated from the center.


    "Oh, just come out and talk," Nymidria said. "Those are solid shrouds, but I got a good enough look and I wouldn''t want to fight a group like yours. You wouldn''t have infiltrated if you planned a normal attack, and this doesn''t make much sense as an assassination attempt. So what do you want?"


    "You aren''t going to call your allies on us?" Zae Zin Nim was no longer actively preparing qi, but she kept her feet set in preparation.


    "That depends on who you are. Like I said, come and talk."


    They walked to the front of the tree, where Kai finally got a real look at the dryad after all the tension. She had been dressed more provocatively earlier, but the way she readjusted her robes made clear that was just a tactic. Even though Kai didn''t consider himself any kind of expert on feminine wiles, being married to Omilaena had given him a lot of experience with manipulation.


    Instead, they faced a woman who clearly had both power and political acumen. She was large and half a tree, but that wasn''t particularly relevant at the moment, so Kai just looked into those piercing silver eyes. Despite her lower strength, he thought that her spiritual senses were superior to theirs.


    "So what do you want?" Nymidria asked. "If you''re seeking immortality, I''m not involved. If you want magic fruit, those are just rumors, probably people getting confused about Rosemount."


    "We might have gotten this off on the wrong foot," Kai began, reaching into his spatial ring for the items they''d been given. "We aren''t here for ourselves, we''re here on behalf of the dryads in your community."


    He pretended like he wasn''t paying much attention, but secretly monitored her reaction. The fear he''d carried with him from the beginning was that Nymidria had "gone native" and no longer cared about her kin, or had even been involved with having them kidnapped. A powerful faction like the Masterful Crown clan could offer her a great deal more than a few dryads from Deadwaste, after all.


    But as he explained, he saw her expression change. There was a hint of skepticism, but mostly curiosity and concern. Nymidria leaned to the side, moving one of her boughs into position so she could use it as an armrest, and spoke quietly.


    "Yet they didn''t come themselves... why send outsiders?"


    "This may be difficult to believe," Kai said, "but the Verdant River sect has kidnapped at least two dryads and used them f-"


    "That''s not hard to believe at all."


    He blinked and stopped reaching for the items. The dryads had given them special leaves that were supposed to be some sort of proof of their imprisonment, but they seemed unnecessary. "What do you mean?"


    "The Verdant River sect is an ally, and they''re useful, but I don''t trust them." Nymidria''s gaze slid past them, over the walls surrounding her little garden. "I already know that they''re killing their own, so it''s not a surprise that they''d turn on my people. I want to speak to the afflicted, of course, but I knew this day would come eventually."


    "You''re trusting us too easily," Omilaena said. "It''s making me nervous."


    Nymidria let out a low chuckle that sounded earnest. "It''s certainly not because you look trustworthy, my dear. No, it''s because of your large friend. I haven''t seen a Goralian in years... unless I am very much mistaken. You don''t seem to have been much blessed by mana."


    "Not at all." Kai could only shrug, just glad that his nature was a benefit for once. "But like you, I''ve traveled."


    "So your soul proves. But in any case, a Goralian hunter is just the sort of person my dryads would trust, and also the sort who would... be willing to go out of their way to help others for no reason. Not something you''d see anyone do here, you understand."


    Zae Zin Nim shook her head. "We are also here for our own benefit. You said you had nothing to do with their new path to immortality, but that is what we seek."


    "Wouldn''t say no to the Loam of the Gods either," Omilaena drawled.


    Kai couldn''t suppress a concerned glance over at them, just displaying their self-interest so blatantly. Not that his own concern was false, but it didn''t seem like a good idea to start on that note instead of emphasizing what they could do for the dryads. Apparently his wives were right this time, because Nymidria nodded as if unsurprised.


    "The Verdant River sect is using me, but I''m using them as well. That''s the way of the world." Nymidria''s gaze slid over the three of them again, examining faces instead of souls this time. "If you had spoken to me three decades ago, I would have said I was still primarily loyal to them. But the current patriarch is not his father''s equal, and his son is a worthless little shit. So I''m not surprised that they''re causing further trouble."


    "We heard there was some trouble with a young master..." Zae Zin Nim prompted.


    "Yes, that would be Yul Wei Ren. Heir to the entire Masterful Crown clan, but he barely even cultivates beyond what his parents handed him. The patriarch sent him down here to manage their project, maybe hoping that he would grow up. Fortunately, he leaves almost everything up to servants, so the project hasn''t fallen apart, but he keeps demanding more security."


    Omilaena seemed to have relaxed entirely, now watching the dryad with a skeptical expression. "Is it really him, or is he being used as a hollow stamp to approve someone else''s policies?"


    "He receives instructions from the entire clan, so I don''t think he''s being manipulated locally. This immortality secret you''re seeking... so is everyone else." Nymidria waved a hand vaguely at the land outside the walls. "The Loam of the Gods is an Insanity, but because they had to use it sparingly, it has never been an overwhelming advantage for the clan. That was always the excuse they gave me, when I asked for even a bit of the sacred dirt. But in recent years they claim to have unlocked its powers, leading to all these new immortals."


    "And you really don''t know any more about that?"


    "I have my suspicions, but they''re keeping me far away from the details, just like they''re keeping me away from the Loam of the Gods. I long ago gave up on the idea that they would actually give me what I want, despite all their promises."


    "Then why keep working with them?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Sorry, but you can''t pull me away from them so easily," Nymidria said with a laugh. "The Masterful Crown clan is the most powerful force in all the Southern Rivers, and they have many things I need. Yes, it''s a concern that one of their schemes has taken other dryads, but if I apply pressure, they''ll bend. False apologies, to be sure, but they''ll execute some of those responsible."


    "Wait, surely we can come to an agreement." Kai stepped closer, looking up toward the dryad and not flinching at her bright gaze. "All of us are being kept out of the innermost areas, and we all need answers. Why not collaborate to actually get what we want?"


    "Oh, it could work in theory. If you could somehow get me the Loam of the Gods, I would throw aside the Verdant River sect and get you all the immortality elixir you need. But many have made such claims, over the years, and their bodies now feed the trees."


    "So you''re trying it yourself." Kai was going based on a gut instinct, but he saw the flicker of recognition in Nymidria''s eyes and then she nodded.


    "Indeed, I have gotten closer than they know. They take me less seriously because I''m stationary, as if trees don''t have roots. Yes, being in their garden limits me, but it also grants me access they would never allow anyone else. I am very close to breaking through the barriers... but exactly how close, I refuse to say, unless we are truly working together."


    "We want to get the Loam too," Omilaena said, "and we don''t need all of it. That seems like a pretty obvious collaboration."


    "Unfortunately, there is one rather large obstacle." Nymidria shifted back against her tree and folded her arms. "Yul Wei Ren controls the deepest barrier, which can only be used by his bloodline. And these days he uses it like a tyrant, only opening the barrier when he can get something from someone else. So long as he''s in charge, even combined we couldn''t steal everything we want."


    "Then we kill him." Zae Zin Nim struck a fist into her palm. "You said he wasn''t a real cultivator, so how hard can it be?"


    "Unfortunately, the patriarch of the entire Deepriver clan has been sent with him as his personal bodyguard. The man is truly powerful and, despite my best efforts, apparently incorruptible. Since he was given the order by the head of the Masterful Crown clan, he''ll give his life to protect his young master. The three of you seem like you might try to take him on anyway, but how much of the sect can you fight?"


    "Poison, then," Omilaena suggested.


    "Reasonable in theory, but have you forgotten that the Masterful Crown clan also controls the Purple River sect? They have him shielded with their best poison treasures, and all of his food is first tasted by slaves in any case." Nymidria shook her head. "No, I fear that they have removed such easy solutions. Yul Wei Ren himself is a fool, but his protectors are not."


    "You''re leading us somewhere, aren''t you?" Kai had been thinking over everything the dryad matriarch had said, and it increasingly seemed like she was herding the conversation toward a conclusion. "You already have a plan."


    "Why, whatever gave you th-"


    "So the only question is whether you''re using us to take the fall."


    Nymidria smiled broadly and shifted her branch so she could lean forward, focusing fully on him. "Astute, but too cynical. If I was seeking simple tools to use in a plan, I would have found them already. What you offer is someone who actually cares about my dryads, despite the protests of your companions. I think we could truly work together... on a plan to start, and in everything if we can steal the Loam."


    Kai folded his arms across his chest. "Well?"


    "The security is flawless, from a cultivation perspective, but every system that involves humans has security flaws built into it. To start, we will need to convince the young master to relax his defenses..."

 Chapters 433-436

    Chapter 433: Attacking From All Sides


    When they left the sect headquarters, Kai still wasn''t entirely sure what the plan was. He knew they''d come out with quite a few new benefits: new command medallions that would let them back in easily, various sect robes, and a communication seed to plant for the dryads.


    And hypothetically an agreement with the dryad matriarch.


    Whatever the plan was, Nymidria felt that she needed to play it by ear. In theory, they would work together on both sides to figure out the Verdant River sect''s defenses and then find a path through, either by force or by subterfuge. All of that sounded easier said than done, yet the others seemed pleased.


    "So do we trust her?" Kai eventually asked as they flew back. "I can''t read your reactions here."


    "I think she told us the truth, for whatever that''s worth." Omilaena shrugged. "Honestly, in most cases I trust people who have clear aligned goals over people who have fond feelings for me. You can trust motives more than vibes."


    "She understands the reality of Cloudspire," Zae Zin Nim said. "Sometimes peasants will die in conflicts, accidentally or otherwise, but there is nothing that can be done if you are facing greater powers. Nymidria is powerful, but cannot possibly face the combined forces of the Masterful Crown clan."


    "We can''t either, at least until we put some more work in. If we develop strong counters to their presence abilities, I bet we could slaughter a lot of them, and as we get stronger, the gap between us and their armies goes from an advantage to insurmountable."


    "That''s jumping forward a lot," Kai said. "I don''t like what they''ve done with the work camps, but do we gain anything by fighting them? Seems like they would just be replaced by someone else, even if we overthrew them."


    "You''re learning." Zae Zin Nim regarded him thoughtfully, then nodded. "I still think our highest goal should be to steal their immortality methods, and the Loam if possible. If we do that, we destroy the reason they''re going to such lengths."


    "There''s still something a bit odd about that, in my opinion," Omilaena said, and they discussed the details of the work camps and Loam from there.


    The wall of rain marked their return to the dryad community, but now that they had been acknowledged there was no need for any subterfuge. Instead they could enter via the dryad entrance, which proved to be a wall of roots that rumbled into a new position to form a gate for them. When they entered, there were immediately all kinds of dryads around them and Kai realized that for the community, the import of the meeting was very different.


    "Do not fear, your matriarch is safe." Zae Zin Nim jumped from the flying sword to address the crowd. "She is still entangled with the Verdant River sect, but she has given us a ''communication seed'' for you. Where would be the best place to plant it?"


    After some furious argument, apparently relating to internal politics, the dryads took them to a large clearing near where Lifrinyne had planted her tree. Zae Zin Nim handed over the silvery seed, which began to grow the instant it was placed in the soil. It soon transformed into a silvery flower that lay flat and emanated chakra in a column.


    That chakra coalesced into the illusory image of Nymidria, in full form as both humanoid and tree. Her image looked around and smiled, then the dryads around them immediately broke into sighs, thankfulness, and a babble of questions. When Nymidria raised a hand, they all quieted.


    "Thanks to these humans, I can speak to you again." She shook her head and boughs slowly. "I still must engage with the Verdant River sect, but from now on, I will extend my branches to shield you. If there is any further trouble, you need only contact me here. This connection is completely secure, and if I am occupied, the flower will simply be closed."


    "Lady Nymidria!" Lifrinyne''s humanoid body pushed through the crowd and bowed deeply. "There''s so much I need to tell you..."


    "Yes, I have heard what happened. But I would hear the story in your own words, and in particular the details of what power they are trying to force from our community..."


    Lifrinyne began to explain her time in the work camp, and the male dryad captive came to tell his story, so Kai retreated with the others. Seeing the community''s happiness, Kai felt like he''d done something good, but would it matter in the end? You didn''t build a better world just by chasing people''s happiness. The problem was that this situation was so entangled, he wasn''t sure about his level of involvement.


    It seemed that, amid the questions and reports, Nymidria ordered the dryads to give Kai and his allies the highest degree of hospitality. They were granted rooms in one of the dry corners of the community that had elaborate human beds with a natural canopy. Aside from some loose leaves on the floor, the chambers were clean and pleasant, so Kai could imagine spending more time there. They even had a private grove with qi emanating from it, some sort of arboreal equivalent of an Immortal''s Cave.


    Though Zae Zin Nim wanted to try cultivating there immediately, they didn''t have much time to settle into their rooms before they were called back. Most of the dryads had dispersed now, leaving only Nymidria, some guards, and the male dryad.


    "Lady Nymidria thinks the enemy has a weakness," he said, "but I''m not sure I understand all the details. It didn''t seem important to me when I was being used in the work camps."


    "This is more intuition than fact," Nymidria told them, "but I think the Verdant River sect seems oddly desperate. They''re trying to project strength, but in fact they''re covering for weakness. This isn''t so uncommon... many sects with a dying patriarch or some other fatal flaw will show great belligerence to scare off their enemies."


    "We''ve seen that before," Kai said, thinking of the Manticore tribe. "But what does that meant for the Verdant River sect? Their position should be strong, and they''re in favor with the Masterful Crown clan."


    "So it might seem in public, but what if it''s the reverse? The clan might have sent their young master as a punishment, or to fix something they consider broken. I will need to investigate this further, but it could well be the leverage we need to get inside the sealed area."


    "Where does that leave us?" Zae Zin Nim asked.


    "Until we take action, we want to continue peeling away their defenses and scattering their forces." Nymidria''s gaze shifted to Kai, and even though her illusory form was smaller, her eyes were still piercing. "My dryads told me about your false monster attacks to disrupt the enemy. This is our strongest initial weapon - more aggressive than I might have chosen, but I can tell you from the inside that you''ve thrown them into disarray. I think you should continue."


    Kai nodded. "That''s not a problem, but if I engage them directly too many times, they might start to suspect I''m not just a monster."


    "Don''t worry, I can gather information about their forces from within and tell you their weaknesses. They should be beside themselves... but I think we can do even more. One of you is a local cultivator, yes?"


    "Indeed." Zae Zin Nim gave a polite bow to the illusion. "How can I help? If I fight them directly, I will be identified."


    "Not necessarily. I can give you the characteristic technique of a smaller sect, one that the Masterful Crown clan nearly exterminated in the past in order to consolidate their power. You seem highly competent with qi techniques, so I am sure you can manage it. If you make an appearance using that technique, it will make entirely different factions begin to sweat."


    "Very well." Zae Zin Nim nodded slightly, but Kai could tell from the intensity of her gaze that she was eager. She''d already been working on resistances, so hopefully getting access to more techniques would be what she needed.


    "All of this will combine to make Yul Wei Ren increasingly desperate, but we need a finisher." Nymidria looked away from them to Omilaena and actually smiled, different from her motherly look with the dryads or her polite expressions earlier. "You''re the one that interests me most... you were able to pierce my shroud, and you have a very interesting spiritual component to your soul."


    "I''ve experimented with a few things," Omilaena said casually, but Kai could tell she was pleased.


    "The two of us should collaborate. I think we may be able to develop a spiritual disease, not so different from a poison, that we can use to infect the trees." Nymidria''s smile became more predatory. "The barriers block anyone from entering the secure area, but they don''t stop the smallest currents of nature. If the trees near the Loam of the Gods begin to die, they will treat it as an emergency, take down barriers to bring in experts. At that point, we''ll have scattered their forces, leaving them vulnerable to a strike."


    "Sounds like a workable, and more importantly interesting, plan."


    "Of course, I don''t know exactly how leadership will respond, so we''ll need to be flexible. For now we prepare, strike at their flanks, and lie in wait. At some point they''ll muster their resources to react to these problems, and that''s when they''ll open up a true weakness."


    It sounded like a valid plan and there was nothing more to say then. After they left Nymidria, the group retired to their new chambers, but there wasn''t much to discuss. Zae Zin Nim seemed to think that the dryads had justified their alliance, while Omilaena was clearly eager to work with another specialist on a technique that would make her more lethal.


    For his part, Kai was back to playing the monster role. He headed out of the community, restraining his hunger until he was out of sight, mostly obscured by the pouring rain. It went from pattering against his skin to breaking against it as dark armor closed over his body, and he found himself automatically shifting down to all fours.


    He still wished that there were more monsters on Cloudspire, but he was fine with hunting cultivators.


    Chapter 434: Delving into Spiritual Sight


    Technically Omilaena was engaged with developing their final trump card, but honestly she was barely using a fraction of her mind for that. Access to a major sect''s resources didn''t come every day, so she was mostly working on her own projects.


    Making the agreement with the dryad matriarch had gotten her a special command medallion that granted her more access, and surprisingly a sort of chakra illusion she hadn''t seen before. So long as Omilaena wore the necklace of silver leaves, she would look like a demure little Cloudfire woman. Her official identity was a new outer sect member who was a soil specialist and thus needed to help the dryads.


    That got her into the sect headquarters, and most importantly, she could access the archives. Omilaena was enjoying absorbing all the information, because it was proving more useful than expected. She had learned some interesting cultivation tricks back in the Pureflower sect, but they were so dedicated to purity and feminine arts that it had been somewhat redundant with she already knew.


    These archives, however, contained scrolls from a great many sects under the Masterful Crown clan. The Purple River scrolls had interesting thoughts on Cloudspire poisons, the theoretical counterpart to the practical experience she''d already earned. Lots of arboreal techniques from the Verdant River sect, physical manuals from the Deepriver sect, and flashy qi techniques from the Heavenly River sect. The only thing absent was information on presence techniques or the deepest secrets of the Masterful Crown clan.


    How long had it been, a week? Omilaena reluctantly spent a while figuring out the next step in applying her poisonous essence to a disease, then left the archives to return to the garden. At first she had been concerned about the illusion, but none of the cultivators gave her a second glance.


    "Took you a while," Nymidria said when she returned to the garden. "Having trouble?"


    "This is complex work," Omilaena told her. "Your use of chakra is distinctly different from how it''s done on Rosemount, so-"


    "There''s no need to lie to me. I know you''re going on tangents." Nymidria smiled lazily. "And I don''t blame you. Given access to a resource like this, what cultivator wouldn''t take advantage? Since the young masters will take a long time to notice any of our distractions, we''re not in a particular hurry."


    "Ah. If there''s no need to pretend..." Omilaena sat down in a chair and propped her legs up on the nearest tree. "I think I can do what you need, and it won''t be particularly difficult. The real issue is making the disease transfer from tree to tree, even over the barrier wall."


    "I can handle that. Believe me, I''ve been working on it for a while."


    "In that case, the only potential problem is if our disease isn''t strong enough to harm the sacred trees. I could tell the trees inside the barrier are qi-rich, practically medicinal herbs on their own, so surely the trees growing from the Loam of the Gods are even stronger. Not just any disease could touch them."


    "Actually, I''m not sure that''s true." Nymidria lounged against one of her branches and watched her idly. "The Verdant River sect has actually been extremely defensive in the past when it comes to arboreal diseases, suggesting that they have reason to be afraid. Maybe the Loam can make them grow fast and concentrated, but not necessarily immune to threats."


    "Mm, maybe. You''d be the one to know."


    They were silent for a time, Nymidria cultivating in her strange tree-like way while Omilaena considered all her different projects. If she didn''t have to fake working on the disease all the time, she could actually dedicate more time to figuring out some other details. The Deepriver Physique texts weren''t particularly shocking, but she might be able to figure out a little more for Zin Nim. Or, if the plan was to exploit her present resources...


    "That spiritual sight of yours is impressive." Omilaena took her feet off the tree and sat back up. "We''re used to people being terrible with shrouds here, and I don''t think you learned that on Deadwaste. So where does that come from?"


    "It''s my own creation, but I was inspired by some techniques from the Dark Crown sect." Nymidria didn''t seem upset by the tangent and looked over at her with interest. "Did you know that spiritual sight, as we use it, is actually unnatural?"


    "Not to get too philosophical, but unnatural in what sense? People who become strong enough all develop some spiritual senses, even if they don''t train them. Hell, some sacred beasts have something like spiritual sight."


    "Ah, but that''s the unnatural part. Yes, anyone with real power begins to sense the strength of others, but that isn''t the same as a refined spiritual sight. You''ve no doubt seen how some cultivators mostly just see someone''s cultivation stage, with only a vague sense for the rest of their power. Many cultivators can''t even see Soul Level at all."


    That last detail was actually fascinating, and Omilaena sat forward and began focusing fully on the conversation. She''d known that Nymidria was curious, otherwise she never would have left Deadwaste for another continent. But it was good to find that there was a scientific, systematic mind inside that tree... given some of their conversations, Omilaena had begun to hope.


    "This natural sight is different from the more precise version," Nymidria continued. "You could think of it as learning an entirely different way to see. People who are born in particularly energy-dense areas, or fed a lot of power from birth, can actually have more difficulty developing spiritual sight. It''s like they''ve already learned the broad instinctual methods and can''t re-teach themselves how to use their eyes."


    "I guess that accords with what some groups on Rosemount do," Omilaena said. She began tapping her fingernails against her thigh, barely aware that she was doing it. "So you''ve managed to exploit this fact to... sharpen your spiritual sight, somehow?"


    "Now you''re making me wish that I''d written things up properly. I could show you to the scrolls I mentioned earlier, the ones that inspired me. It''d be interesting to get your opinion, actually."


    "I''d like that."


    A day later, Omilaena had read an enormous number of scrolls and grasped the new techniques. It was as if power was light, incredibly easy to see but sometimes washing out details. Lazy warriors just roughly judged how bright the light was, while most methods of spiritual sight could resolve that light into the symbols that their mind then interpreted as different components of power.


    The revelation, which she had to thank Nymidria for, was that you could go even further. Filter out more of the brightness and refine your vision. For seeing through shrouds, it was just a bit like squinting, ignoring the light to peer beyond. Beyond that, however...


    Omilaena quickly realized that she wasn''t going to grasp that technique in a few days. It was one of those annoying abilities that was less about intellectual knowledge than building up spiritual muscles through repetition. Later on she''d force herself to go through with it, but for the time being she was working on a new pair of goggles. Not to see more, but to see deeper.


    When she finally pulled them on over her eyes, for a while she was almost blind and the world was rendered as murky blobs. All she could make out was Nymidria, who was fortunately her primary test subject. As she examined her, Omilaena saw not her obvious strength, but the soul underneath...


    <


    Name: Nymidria


    Physique: Arboreal Mortal (500 year lifespan)


    Soul: Mortal


    Supremacy: None


    Talent Capacity: Unawakened


    Elemental Capacity: Iron Bark


    Essence Capacity: Dryad


    Cultivation Capacity: Path of Cloudspire


    >


    The result was so much like Omilaena''s theories that for a moment she was afraid she was deluding herself, only seeing what she wanted to see. Using her spiritual sight like this, the symbols in reality were even vaguer and less formed, so there was some interpretation involved. But over time, she managed to convince herself that she really was seeing what she thought.


    Just like the alien source had said, there were seven different aspects of the soul, from the mysterious "Supremacy" to the obvious capacities for power. Nymidria had fully awakened her Essence and Cultivation capacities, whereas she wasn''t using her Talent capacity at all and the Iron Bark filled up her Elemental capacity.


    That suggested that she had developed the Iron Bark enhancement by continually refining some substance, either something related to bark or her own nature. That was clever, yet Omilaena felt like it wasn''t really optimal. She had seen many cultivators who had enhancements that didn''t fill up their Cultivation capacity, so there were multiple ways of doing this...


    "If you keep staring like that, I''m going to get self-conscious." Nymidria regarded her with a wry smile. "Looks like you finally figured it out, though you had to make a magical item to do it."


    "Just a tool." Omilaena took the goggles off dismissively. "That Iron Bark of yours is impressive. How did you do it?"


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "We can talk about that in great detail later, if you really want, but I''m more interested in talking about your Azure Core."


    "Ah, so you had an ulterior motive for all of this."


    "Of course." Nymidria gestured at the sect around them. "I came here to attain greater power, and for a time I thought cultivation would be my path upward. But when I realized they would never give me enough qi to reach Sky Soul, I searched further. I''ve had great success with finding new paths for the physical body... but the soul remains beyond me."


    "Seems like we both want an exchange." Omilaena laced her fingers together over her knee. "I should be direct with you and say that I developed my Azure Core relatively recently, based on new theory that doesn''t perfectly match yours. But this can likely be a fruitful relationship."


    "Good to hear. What does your new sight tell you about yourself? Any new insight there?"


    That was a good question. Omilaena put her goggles back on and tried to look at herself, only to see nothing but her familiar soul.


    <


    Name: Omilaena


    Total Power: 1326


    Heart of Poison: Level 85 (340)


    *Prana Jewels: Level +5 (20)


    Lethal Artisan: Spinel Rank (295)


    Ice Refinement (102)


    Path of Venomsteel: Step 9 (135)


    Physique: D-9 (245)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    Azure Core (+125)


    >


    No, that was her old habits taking precedence. Omilaena tried to push past that, through the raw light of her power, to the shadowy symbols underneath. The goggles weren''t quite enough, and she needed to lean on the new techniques she''d been learning, but eventually she made herself out.


    <


    Name: Omilaena


    Physique: Enhanced Mortal (200 year lifespan)


    Soul: Enhanced Mortal (250 year lifespan)


    Supremacy: None


    Talent Capacity: Path of Venomsteel


    Elemental Capacity: Heart of Poison


    Essence Capacity: Lethal Artisan


    Cultivation Capacity: Ice Refinement


    (Azure Core)


    (Prana Jewel Bond)


    >


    Her capacities were exactly what she had expected, and just as she''d hoped, she was perfectly balanced with all four in use. There were several fascinating new pieces to the puzzle, such as the longevity numbers she saw listed. Apparently her Physique and Soul were both still mortal, but she was on track to live for a couple centuries.


    Curiously, her soul was listed with a higher number than her body... what did that even mean? Nymidria had a high physical lifespan but a normal soul lifespan, so it couldn''t mean a person died as soon as either number was up. For now, Omilaena just interpreted it as how much the parts of their nature had been strengthened beyond normal mortals.


    Fuck, she really needed to use this technique on more people, especially immortals. It would be fun to use on Zin Nim, and Kai... actually, sight like this could be a concern for Kai. It didn''t seem like Nymidria had been able to see through to his monstrous soul or she would have made a bigger deal about it, but it was possible that someone else in the future might. They were very fortunate that he''d spent so much effort covering that side of himself with other powers.


    "Fascinating, isn''t it?" Nymidria was still watching her, with an odd smile on her face. "The cultivators think this is all foreign superstition, so you''re the first person to actually delve into this with me."


    "It''s definitely interesting," Omilaena said, "but I''m not sure it''s completely right. I think this is a true angle on the soul, but it can''t see everything. The real soul is even more complex, with other facets that aren''t fully captured by the seven aspects. For example, these jewels I''m wearing are a magical artifact and they have a bond with my soul."


    "Well then... sounds like we could have an interesting conversation."


    "Yes, yes I think we can..."


    Chapter 435: The Poverty of Young Masters


    Kai sliced through the forests, not leaving a single footprint, leaves sliding off his armor. He''d become far more effective in the forests, not so much because his strength had increased as because he was adapting to the setting. It had only been partially conscious, shifting his claws to better run over the roots or retracting horns, just a piecemeal adaptation to the environment.


    All of the outposts were heavily defended now, which was a victory in itself because it meant a lot of cultivators no longer defending the sect headquarters and walled garden. He regretted that he couldn''t strike at any more work camps, but with the recent chaos and threats of monsters, shipments of corpses seemed to have slowed to a halt anyway.


    Striking any given position wasn''t particularly difficult, so he made a challenge of it by focusing on pure precision and technique. He could easily defeat the average Earth Soul, and he could beat most using only equal Power, so how far could he push it? Punching up despite being able to slap down the enemy.


    Overall, his combat efficacy was increasing, between small improvements to his Savage Heart transformation and advances in fundamental technique. There was a hard limit, though, and he felt it in terms of his Physique. His armor was harder than it had been when he started, but it wouldn''t do much against someone with 500 more Power than him. Given the choice between these improvements in his own skill and a way to break through to C rank Physique, he would have chosen the latter.


    It had been a little over a week since he''d started raiding the Verdant River outposts and he thought he''d done about all he could. Best to return to the dryad community and see what the others had accomplished before he attacked too many others. But on the way back, Kai was surprised to notice a large procession entering the forests.


    Since this one was loaded with cultivators, he drew fully on Mutefang''s Stealth as he crept closer. There were scouts looking around, but they didn''t have a chance of seeing him as he lurked within the woods using only monstrous power, so he was able to close in on the center.


    At the core of the procession was a flying barge, somewhat modeled after the barges he''d seen peasants using in the river, but made from pure jade. The top was so large and filled with so many tables and couches it was practically a flying house. All of the guards hovered on flying swords around the vehicle, leaving it solely for the occupants themselves.


    Kai stopped as he realized that he was looking at some of their main targets.


    Yul Wei Ren was a young man, sitting on the largest couch and surrounded by admirers. He wore robes of pure gold and a grand hat that arched high above his head before dangling a number of chains, each of which ended in a gemstone with a different symbol. Kai recognized a few, so presumed they represented all the sects controlled by his clan. The man himself was thin with pasty white skin and a smug smile.


    When Kai examined his soul, he knew what to expect and was still surprised.


    <


    Name: Yul Wei Ren


    Total Power: 141


    Cultivation: Qi Condensation 2% (10)


    Physique: F-0 (30)


    Immortal Body (+100)


    Soul Level: 1 (1)


    >


    The overwhelming majority of the young master''s strength came from the immortal elixirs he''d gotten from his family, and his F-0 Physique was likely due to special pills that could instantly take him there. In other words, the young man was stronger than the majority of veteran hunters despite having done no training at all.


    Would a veteran Goralian with less Power have been able to beat him? That was a trickier question, Kai thought. The hunter would use their power far better, but what should have been grievous injuries to Yul Wei Ren would be reduced to minor cuts, and even an untrained person with 100 Power could hurt someone if they got a good grip on them. Maybe a ranged fighter could, but not necessarily a melee hunter, especially one who was unprepared for the difference in strength.


    Before Kai could consider the idea further, a great chorus of cheers came from the barge. Everyone seemed to be toasting Yul Wei Ren, who waved away their praise with obvious pleasure before rising to his feet.


    "Everyone, everyone, please! The monster hunt has barely begun, and we have so far to go. Let us make our families proud, yes?"


    "Well said, young master!" several of the others chorused.


    "Now, I have a little incentive." Yul Wei Ren gave them all a wink and the audience leaned closer to him. "Just a little competition between the Great Rivers. The sect that kills the largest number of beasts while on our excursion will receive 100,000 golden taels from my personal fortune."


    "Amazing!"


    "Young master is so generous!"


    "My father couldn''t spend a tenth as much!"


    "And for the person who kills the dark monster that has been bothering out outposts..." Yul Wei Ren drew out the silence, making them wait, then finished grandly: "A single magical item from the Grand Crown''s collection!"


    "Incredible!"


    "The Grand Crown vaults are without limit!"


    "Truly, young master''s generosity has no equal!"


    The group began to celebrate, laughing and drinking with one another as the barge floated on, directly past the monster they were all hunting.


    Kai watched them from hiding for a while, then shook his head and began to keep pace. They certainly didn''t seem to be getting anywhere very quickly, but he guessed that this was just the first leg of the trip, designed primarily for pleasure. Given that he had his target within sight, he suddenly considered that it might be best to forget the plan and just attack now.


    First, however, he scrutinized the crowd on the barge. The majority were simple servants with no cultivation bases whatsoever, and the guards were largely at Body Refinement. As for the young nobles, they ranged from Qi Condensation to Nascent Foundation, but only a few looked like actually decent cultivators.


    He estimated that the nobles were more than 75% men, yet there were more women because most of the servants were female, plus most of the male nobles had women at their sides - sect members or paid prostitutes, judging by their faked enthusiasm. The noblewomen were easy to pick out because they wore robes that covered them fully and hairstyles as elaborate as the other noble heirs, unlike the paid women who showed more skin and kept their hair loose.


    No, not quite: there was one young woman dressed like them who was actually an Earth Soul. None of the nobles were pawing at her and her eyes looked too alert for a servant. That was at least one hidden guard who would strike if anyone tried to attack the nobles.


    A few of the noble heirs actually looked familiar, and Kai recognized Kan Jin Kung from their clash outside Floodisle City.


    <


    Name: Kan Jin Kung


    Total Power: 823


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 95% (477)


    Physique: E-0 (80)


    Immortal Body (+150)


    Soul Level: 4 (16)


    Flowing Crown (+100)


    >


    It didn''t seem like he''d grown much stronger, and since Kai was confident that Banchlain''s Aura could defeat his presence ability, a rematch would be effortless. Yet he wasn''t about to leap into battle just yet, because Kai realized that some of the others were actually formidable.


    One young master wore rich mauve robes and was only referred to by the others as the Poison Prince, so Kai guessed that he was an important heir to the Purple River sect. He was one of the only Sky Souls in the group, though he had less strength when it came to immortality and his presence ability:


    <


    Name: Poison Prince


    Total Power: 963


    Cultivation: Sky Soul (800)


    Physique: F-4 (38)


    Immortal Body (+50)


    Soul Level: 5 (25)


    Poison Crown (+50)


    >


    He had a woman in his lap, but he wasn''t paying any attention to her, and when he wasn''t toasting or joking with the others, he looked irritated. Kai wondered if he was only present to curry favor and earn more immortality elixir, because from what Zae Zin Nim had shared with him, playing politics in sects could be as important as cultivation.


    "Grandpa Wanwan!"


    Yul Wei Ren started the call and the others joined him, laughing and shouting. Kai was puzzled for a moment before abruptly a streak of light shot from the sky and froze in place in front of the barge in a human form that continued to hover in the air.


    It was an old man, with wizened skin but a straight back, wearing dark blue robes. Despite his age, he had a full head of white hair and a long white beard. Though not particularly tall, the breadth of his chest was visible even underneath the robes - the man was immensely strong. He looked like a mountain in the air, only his robes and beard fluttering around an immovable core.


    Kai absolutely had to check the man''s soul, but he did so extremely carefully.


    <


    Name: Grandpa Wan?


    Total Power: 1531


    Cultivation: Sky Soul (950)


    Heavenly Cultivation (+100)


    Physique: C-0 (300)


    Deepriver Meridians (+100)


    Soul Level: 9 (81)


    >


    The old man was a formidable Sky Soul, near the theoretical limit, and he was supported by a strong Soul Level and something called Deepriver Meridians. Most astonishingly, his Physique was actually in the C rank, the first Kai had seen on Cloudspire. Overall, the man had a nobility to him that far outmatched the young cultivators on the barge below.


    "Grandpa Wanwan, how long until we find some monsters?" Yul Wei Ren waved at him with the wine cup in his hand, then belched. "Weren''t you supposed to lead us to them?"


    "The monsters are no doubt fleeing from young master''s presence." The old man spoke stiffly, with more cold servility than any of the fawning servants. There was an implicit condemnation of the barge''s noisy revelry, but it was wasted on Yul Wei Ren.


    "This will get boring if there''s nothing to hunt! Find us something!"


    "Very well, young master."


    Immediately Kai froze in place, realizing that a real expert was about to scan the area. He felt the spiritual sight sweep over him, but he had instinctively moved low to the ground in a predatory crouch and Mutefang''s Stealth seemed to protect him. After a brief time, the elderly man pointed to the southeast.


    "There is a formidable beast worthy of a hunt several leagues in that direction."


    "Several leagues?" Yul Wei Ren threw his wine cup in disgust, shattering it. "Not good enough, Grandpa Wanwan! Find us something more fun... what about those monkeys? With the red horns, and they squeal when you tear them out? Find us some of those!"


    "Very well, young master." The old man - whatever his true name was, "Wanwan" was a diminutive nickname he clearly suffered - dissolved into light and streaked away over the forest, scouting it rapidly.


    "Incredible, young master!" one of the hangers-on cooed.


    "Even the patriarch of the Deepriver sect is at your command!"


    The others continued in the same vein, but Kai was most interested in the fact that the old man was actually a sect patriarch. At 1500 Power he was definitely a higher tier Sky Soul... and yet he was obeying these young idiots like a servant.


    All of the servants and young nobles were marveling at the power of the Masterful Crown clan, but Kai was filled with a sense of disgust. Not simply at their behavior, but at the utter empty-mindedness that believed inherited wealth or cheap power had actual value. Because through all the faked emotions on display in the barge, the envy and admiration he saw were very real.


    For several minutes as he stalked the barge, Kai considered just attacking the group, killing off the heirs of multiple sects in the region and wiping the slate clean. He wasn''t sure if he could defeat the entire group, given the number of Earth Souls on top of the Sky Souls, and the old man could no doubt fly back quickly. But if he started off by using Manticore''s Quill, he could definitely kill a lot of them.


    Aside from that angry fantasy, he seriously considered just assassinating Yul Wei Ren with a single quill from a distance. The problem was that it wouldn''t solve their problem: the young master didn''t have any power himself, and if he was replaced it might be with someone more competent.


    That was the problem with all of them: why should Kai believe that the second or third sons of these families would be any better, if they produced first sons like this? Surely there were more reasonable people in their sects who might lead things better, because to think otherwise defied reason, but he didn''t know who they were and a few assassinations wouldn''t bring those people into power. He''d make himself feel better getting his claws bloody, but nothing would change.


    And so Kai fell back, letting the barge fly off on its fruitless expeditions. Most there might have felt envy, but he felt none whatsoever. After watching a while longer, Kai turned and loped away.


    He didn''t have any answers, but he did have targets.


    Chapter 436: A Quiet, Rainy Courtyard


    Even though Zae Zin Nim had been skeptical about the dryad village at first, especially how there was dirt everywhere, she had become accustomed to it. The walkways were all hard-packed, not filthy, and the rooms were well-maintained. With the many trees absorbing all the moisture, the sound of the rain within the shady rooms was surprisingly calming.


    More importantly, the room they had given her for cultivation was highly appropriate. The qi was concentrated enough to actually be worth gathering into her dantian, so she was inching toward Sky Soul again.


    It would not be attained soon, likely not in time for the battle, but for once that was not a cause for despair. Zae Zin Nim had not been forsaking her Coldfire Corona, not this time. Not only had she continued her mana exercises, she had used it frequently for her Coldfire Palm, so her level had been steadily rising. It had practically flown up to Level 20 and was still rising after that at a not unreasonable pace. Her Pure Yin Shroud had been growing as well, which really took the edge off the long cultivation plateau.


    <


    Name: Zae Zin Nim


    Total Power: 1460


    Cultivation: Earth Soul 56% (521)


    *Heavenly Sash: Cultivation +10% (52)


    Coldfire Corona: 27 (381)


    Pure Yin Shroud: Spinel Rank (235)


    Blackblood Physique Level: E-9 (107)


    Blackblood Shadow (+100)


    Soul Level: 8 (64)


    >


    With a total of 1460 Power, she wasn''t equal to the strongest Sky Souls, and would definitely be inferior to her father one-on-one, but she was formidable. If only she could resolve her Blackblood Physique, she would be even more competitive, and when one day she reached Sky Soul, she would be one of the strongest cultivators on all Cloudspire.


    The difficulty was reaching that point without encountering lethal opponents or undergoing some sort of terrible deviation. These days she felt largely comfortable with the former, but the latter was always a specter haunting her...


    Aside from her own advancement, she had been dutiful in preparing for the overall plan. She had studied the techniques given her and also explored some of the local sect politics. The Masterful Crown clan was obviously the dominant power, and the four Great Rivers were their most prestigious branches, but there were countless smaller sects and organizations.


    Fewer than there had been a generation ago, however. When she consulted with the oldest dryads or the records, she discovered that many sects had been annihilated over time, and not all were replaced. It was very easy to believe that a surviving member of one of these might have endured, and playing one of those would be her role when the time came.


    In order to prepare for it, Zae Zin Nim had mastered a technique called the Rushing Wave Palm. It wasn''t actually very impressive, in her opinion, but the qi flow and pose for it was very elaborate, so few would believe she had just learned it for the sake of a ruse.


    So far there had been no opportunity to use it, as she was still waiting on the signal from others. Kai was out hunting, Omilaena was training with the dryad matriarch, and the others generally left her alone. She missed them, but since she had so much time, she would cultivate as much as she could. Then she could have more time for her spouses when they did return.


    As if summoned by her thoughts, she felt Kai''s presence appear in the dryad village and nearly leapt up to go greet him. Would have done so, if she hadn''t been at a critical point in her cultivation. She could hear him shaking off the water in one of the transition areas, then walking into their private rooms.


    When she caught sight of him, she could tell that something was wrong just by how he walked. There were no injuries on his body, and no pain in his eyes, yet she could see the frustration in his movements. Not carnal frustration, either, something deeper that he wanted to release with brutal violence. As soon as he saw that she was in the middle of cultivation, however, his expression softened. He walked over to her, kissed the top of her head, then disappeared into their rooms.


    It took real discipline not to rush her remaining cultivation, but the instant she was done, Zae Zin Nim hopped up to go to him. She found that he lay in one of the hammocks set up in a side room, staring out into the rainy courtyard. With the thick cloud cover and no lights in that room, he was cast in bluish shadows and looked peaceful despite his earlier frustration.


    "Is everything alright?" she asked as she walked up beside the hammock.


    "I ran into our targets," Kai said quietly. "Yul Wei Ren and other young heirs of the sects. They seem... very full of themselves."


    "Yes, such young masters can be frustrating."


    "What''s annoying is that they... no, there''s no point complaining about it. Come over here, Zin Nim. I could use your company."


    She was happy to oblige, but trying to get into the hammock proved unwieldy. It would have made her feel clumsy, not at all like the accomplished cultivator she was, but soon Kai helped by scooping her up in one arm. Once she was balanced, she straddled his chest and lay against him. His arm automatically moved to hold her back and she would have been happy to fall asleep like that.


    Instead she remained awake, comfortable against her husband''s chest as they rocked gently in the hammock. No bright lights shone on them, the air was pleasantly cool compared to his warmth, and the sound of rain soothed her. She could feel Kai relaxing underneath her, his spirit restored by this intimacy.


    When she had been younger she had been taught so many lessons about how to handle a man, mostly to do with massaging his ego, managing his needs, and calming his anger. She had always hated those feminine arts and gravitated toward lethal skills, but now... she felt extremely feminine, caring for her husband wordlessly. Later on they would shift to a different sort of intimacy, but there was no demand and no rush, and it would be no obligation.


    "I''m so lucky to have you," Kai said quietly.


    "I was just thinking I was the lucky one." Zae Zin Nim felt a new warmth and pressed against him. "But we aren''t just lucky, we chose one another. This is how it should be."


    "In an ideal world, anyway. But my other thoughts are a bit less romantic... you won''t be offended?"


    "Not at all." She found a new position and patted his chest. "Just talking with you is nice. What were you thinking about?"


    "So there are four ''Great River'' sects that are most prestigious. All their names have the same format, except one... the Deepriver sect. Does that mean anything, or is it just random?"


    "Usually, the combined names are older sects with more ancient traditions. That is not true in every case, and there are some old sects that cling to stiffer names as a matter of respect. But it is accurate here: the Deepriver sect was once a powerful self-sufficient sect, before the Masterful Crown clan became dominant. They were eventually forced to become a branch of the clan, but the legacy remains."


    "Yeah, that makes sense." He went on to tell her about his encounter, and though it wasn''t the most romantic conversation, she enjoyed just listening to him, plus it was important to find out just which sect heirs were present and what resources they''d brought.


    He usually had a strange perspective on things, though, viewing so many systems she took for granted in a different way. Even though many things about Deadwaste still seemed absurd to her, she could admit that perhaps there were some things to learn from them. The value of Classes, for example, or how Kai treated her. So what he said next was downright dismaying.


    "I thought Jin Kung was being ridiculous at the restaurant, but he was actually making a pretty safe assumption." Kai rubbed his eyes with the hand that wasn''t holding her. "Normally when you see a man with two women like that, you can assume what''s going on. I must have looked just like all those men, just-"


    "No!" Zae Zin Nim put a hand over his mouth. "I''ve met so many young masters like that and there''s no comparison. They want a woman who will love them for no reason, gaze at them fondly, laugh at their jokes, and have no life of their own. If Kan Jin Kung couldn''t tell that we were truly enjoying your company it was because he can''t tell when they spend time with him."


    "Easy, Zin Nim, I wasn''t trying to-"


    "Listen, Kai, this is important to me." She pushed herself up off his chest to look him directly in the eyes. "When you speak all kinds of ideals, even if I think they''re unreasonable, I know you really believe them. But when he accused you, he was just using ideals as a pretext. Even if he thought he was defending us, he never cared about us as people. He wasn''t angry because he thought you controlled us, he was jealous because he didn''t own us."


    "I appreciate you defending me, but you don''t need to go that far." Kai gently touched the side of her face and gave her an odd smile. "I just... realized I didn''t truly believe Cloudspire was like this. It''s easy to assume that the way you learned things is the only way things can be."


    "That is true. But we are also guilty of the same thing, here."


    "And it just took me a while to figure that out."


    "I just want..." Zae Zin Nim reached up to touch his hand against her face. "I wanted to be clear. I haven''t always been good to you - I struck you when we first met, distrusting your intentions. So I want you to know how much I trust you now."


    "Thank you, Zin Nim. I understand you don''t say that easily."


    "And I... know that sometimes I must seem strange to you. But I don''t disgust you, right? I can tell what utter contempt you have for them, and I don''t want to think you could ever..."


    His eyes widened as he understood what she was trying to say, then Kai crushed her to his chest. "Never. We''ve had some things to figure out, and we''ll probably have more in the future, but I''ve always respected you. Now that I''ve seen more of Cloudspire, I''m all the more amazed you turned out the way you did."


    "Good." Zae Zin Nim wriggled into a more comfortable position, at last at ease. One of the first lessons she had been taught was to never be needy, never express any emotions like that, but here she could speak even her silly worries.


    The atmosphere of the empty courtyard was still lovely, but the conversation had replaced her contemplativeness with a restless energy. While staying in his embrace, she wriggled lower so that she was straddling his hips instead. There, she got a clear sign that he definitely wasn''t disgusted by her, in a less moral sense this time. It was so strange to actually be glad that a man was reacting to her, and so freeing.


    "You don''t own me," Zae Zin Nim told him softly, "but you do have me. Want me to help you forget all about those fools?"


    Kai chuckled, and his hands slid down her back to rest on her hips, and for a time all was right in the world.