《Cultivator In The Magus World》


 Chapter 1. A new world

    Chapter 1


    An explosion of sound slammed into his ears and drilled into his skull. Searing pain followed almost instantaneously. Gravity began to shift from one second to another. Up was down down was up. Light blinded his eyes and even closed his eyelids had no effect in abating the scorching light from assaulting his eyes.


    Time seemed to drag for all of eternity. How long had he been in this state? Even he did not know. This time of pain and confussion that could have been a second or ten years for all he knew ended abruptly. Darkness consumed him.


    His first sense to come back to him was smell. Grass , dirt and smoke was all he could smell. Was that blood he smelled as well?


    The second sense to avail itself was taste. The good news was he knew where the scent of blood came from. His own mouth! He must have bit his tongue. A fact proven by the taste of copper in his mouth and the pain in his tongue that seemed to throb and radiate down his tongue.


    As his sense of touch revealed itself a feeling of weakness and pain spread throughout his entire body. His hearing quickly followed and he could hear the sound of wind and the rustling of leaves. The sounds where jagged. Too loud. As if magnified through his ears.


    He opened his eyes he closed them again immediately. Bright sunlight stabbed his eyes. Everything was far too bright. Inwardly he cursed. "What the fuck is happening to me?"


    He made a second attempt at opening his eyes and was met with limited success. He was able to squint his eyes and make out a vast and blue sky. In the corner of his eyes he could see the branches of a tree. It was a beautiful sight to his eyes. Especially since it proved he wasn''t dead....... or maybe he was.


    He attempted to think deeper. "Isn''t it supposed to be night? And even if I had been passed out for a long time, WHERE THE HELL IS MY ROOF!" These questions and more raced through his head as he lay on the ground facing the sky not moving.


    The clouds in the sky lazily passed by. Almost mocking him. He even saw a shape that looked like a dog. "Wasn''t I in my room meditating?"


    A coughing/gagging sound awoke him from his thoughts. "Someone else is here!" He thought. The gagging sound was soon followed by the sound of someone puking their guts out and the panicked scream of a woman... or was it a girl? He didnt know.


    Pain radiated up his neck and into his skull as he lifted his head but soon it faded away as his muscles and skeleton relaxed. He hadn''t even realized his body had been so tense that it was causing his pain.


    All around him was long grass about 2 feet long, but the small area he lay in was clear. It didn''t look to have been clear for long as the place he lay seemed scorched and burnt.


    A whiff of smoke curled from several strands of grass around him, but under him was completely scoured clean. As he attempted to regain his feet he now understood why someone was puking.


    He felt like a drunk seasick man. His balance was all wrong. As his bile threatened to shoot out his mouth, he used an effort of will to force it down.


    The girl was still screaming....... It grated at him and if he wasn''t close to screaming in panic half a dozen times in the last minutes as well, he would have probably shouted at her to shut the hell up! What surprised him was someone did shout at her.


    A ragged and hoarse voice yelled "stop screaming damn It!". The voice was mature, but not old. Maybe late 20s early 30s but it was deep with plenty of bass. The voice contained venom.


    The screaming abruptly ended followed by a whimper. He felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. She was obviously scared out of her mind.


    As his feet seemed to regain their strength, he rose from the tall grass , he instantly noticed another man also rising from the grass. A big man. 6'' 4" at least. He was sheathed in muscle. His shirt was I''ll fitting for such a large man and strained to hold the massive man''s frame.


    He was Caucasian with blond hair and blue eyes. He had a brick jaw and shoulders like a bear. The man noticed him as well. He glared at him with what seemed rage and suspicion.


    Ignoring the man he looked around and noticed a woman''s head , shoulders and torso sticking out of the grass eyes wide with panic. She was about 15 feet away from him. Her glossy black hair was wild as she whipped her head around looking for what he assumed where answers to her own internal questions. She looked to not believe what was happening. She had beautiful light brown almost golden colored eyes.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The bear of a man spoke up glaring at him the entire time. "Where are we? What the fucking shit fuck is happening?" .......... admiring the man''s swearing and coming to the conclusion it was this man who shouted at the woman earlier he thought "Was that a question for me?" He took a second to look the man up and down and said "who am I supposed to ask?"


    He shot a look at the giant that meant to convey he thought the man was an idiot. The giant didn''t know how to react to that. He stood there for a second and then his face grew red. "Is this giant going to attack me?" He thought but showed little concern.


    As the giant seemed ready to take offence another voice interuptted the situation. " let''s not panic. Let''s figure out what''s going on and not fight. " the voice was hearty gentle and aged.


    This proved true as he looked over to see a black man with light colored skin tone who couldn''t have been younger than 50. Balding and on the fat side but with kind eyes the old man looked at both the giant and him. He had his hands up in a patting the air gesture that said "calm down". Oddly enough it worked on the giant.


    More people where regaining their feet now. Six in total including himself. There where three men and two women standing with him at what was the edge of a forest and the beginning of a grass land.


    Both women where attractive but one was a young caucasian girl no more then 20 years old with strawberry blonde hair, while the other was a mature Indian or Pakistani woman in a woman''s business suit. She looked to be about 30 years old with a figure that was full to bursting. While the young girl was pretty and youthfull the older woman was sexy and mature. Both would have been considered beautiful anywhere they went.


    The last man in this group was a young arab boy about the same age as the girl who had probably been the one who screamed earlier. The young man had glasses and wore what seemed to be a prep students clothes. He had almost delicate features that probably made him very popular in whatever school he was enrolled at.


    He was wiping at the edge of his mouth with a handkerchief in a refinned manner and looked to be sick. He came to the conclusion this boy was the one who puked earlier.


    Everyone in this little group was eying each other and weighing their suspicions. "Lets all calm down and figure out what''s going on." Said the old man. As the old man opened his mouth to continue a roar that that split the air stopped the old man cold.


    It was unlike anything he had ever heard before and he felt a chill creep up his spine. There was something unearthly about it. As he tried to find the source of the terrible roar it became apparent very quick where it came from.


    High above the forest in the glaring light of the setting sun was a shadow. As it moved out of the light of the sun and revealed itself the entire group took a collective gasp.


    "That can''t be right." mumbled the old man. The old man repeated the phrase multiple times losing volume as he spiraled into disbelief and denial. He was struck at the sight in a profound way. He didn''t blame the old man at all. It took every fiber of his willpower keep his jaw from dropping so hard it would break.


    Above the forest flew a creature with a massive wingspan of at least 20 meters. Clad in red scales and massive horns the creature circled in the air above the forest.


    It had massive claws and four legs all layered with the large red scales that reflected the light in a way that made them look like precious rubies. It released another terrifying roar and then issued a stream of fire from it''s mouth that was more like liquid light then fire. The light of the sun dimmed for a second in the presence of this liquid hellfire.


    It was a dragon.


    "WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE!" Yelled the giant. Looking up at the massive beast in pure terror. "Who the hell am I supposed to ask?" he thought once again but he couldn''t even be bothered to look at the giant let alone engage him with an answer.


    All that he had in his eyes was that massive red dragon. As the dragon circled around it came closer to the edge of the forest where they where.


    "Quick into the woods! Hide under the trees! We can''t let that thing see us!" Shouted the young Arab.


    No one questioned his judgment as everyone scrambled to be the first to the perceived safety of the forest. The last to arrive where the two women. The young girl seemed out of breath but the older woman was not winded at all. She was running very oddly.


    "Why is she so slow?" He thought. Looking down he noticed the woman was wearing high heels. "Oh".


    Another roar tore him from his thoughts. Everyone shrank into themselves at the sound and made attempts at concealment. As time passed the roaring beast drifted further and further away. It''s roars becomeing more and more distant.


    Still no one made a sound besides the young girl who whimpered from time to time. He looked over at the young girl and pitied her. She was consumed with terror and looked ready to lose her mind.


    After what seemed an age the young man spoke up while pushing his glasses higher. "I think it''s gone.". "yeah... what the he''ll was that?" Replied the giant. "Isn''t it obvious?" A voice calmly replied.


    Everyone looked at the one who spoke in unison. "Its obviously a dragon.. Isn''t it?"


    He was a young man in his mid to early 20s. He had dark brown hair almost black with brown green eyes that seemed resolute and steady. He must have done a sport of some type as he had a fit body.


    He wasn''t tall but was not short either. His face was slightly handsome but nothing special. He had a maturity and poise that set him apart from the rest if the group though. He was half Caucasian and half Asian with light colored skin.


    "Dragons aren''t real and who the hell are you anyways?!" Said the giant his first response seemingly always anger.


    Everyone was interested in the answer and perked their ears. "Me? I''m Jason Wu. Nice to meet you. And yes that is obviously a dragon. Haven''t you ever read a book?" He replied shooting another look that said "dumbass".


    Jason''s earlier panic had wore off and his grandfather''s training was starting to kick in. Calm and composed he looked at the giant.


    The giant was at a loss for words for a while then opened his mouth and yelled in a deep roar "WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE?!!!" After a second Jason seemed to grin and say "you keep asking me that question.... so I''ll repeat. Who am I supposed to ask?"

 Chapter 2 Cowering In The Night / Introductions

    Chapter 2


    As Jason looked back at this small group of strangers the young Arab man broke into a chuckle. The giant of a man glared at him cutting his chuckle short but he showed little fear. The giants eyes swiviled back to Jason with his customary glare. The old man cut in saying "Its nice to meet you Jason. My name is Bob. Bob Lacker. Let''s introduce ourselves before anything else." The old man was gifted at conflict resolution it seemed. Probably a byproduct of his age.


    The young Arab boy spoke up. "My name is Samire Amari. It looks like we are all in this together so let''s try to be calm and work together." His voice was like water. Clear and precise. He showed little emotion and looked to be a deep thinker. He had an aura around him that seemed to say he doesn''t panic easily. Almost unaffected by what was happening. Almost. The Indian or Pakistani woman spoke next. "My name is Prisha Batra." No further words where forthcoming. "My name is Angela Weaver does anyone know what''s going on?" Noone gave an aswer and simply looked at the scared girl. The gaint seemed to have a glint in his eyes that spoke of lust as he looked the young girl up and down but only Jason noticed. Lastly the giant broke his eyesight from the young girl and said "My name is Derek Johnson. Seeing as no one knows where we are or what''s happening we should make someone the leader of our group. I think it should be me as I''m obviously the strongest." His words and demeaner where steeped in arrogance.


    Samire looked at the giant "Why would strength matter for a leader. We should choose based on judgment and intelligence." He said while pushing his glasses up. The old man Bob chimed in. "We barely know each other yet and it''s still too early to speak about leaders. We should be trying to figure out where we are and look for rescue right now. We shouldn''t be competing for leadership." Derek gave his possibly perminant glare to the old man. The old man stood his ground with commendable grace. He looked back at the giant with steel in his eyes but no aggression. The old man was unaffected by Darek''s rage. Jason found himself liking the old guy already. Darek kept the glare and said "you better watch your words old man. You should just hope we don''t leave you behind." Jason looked around the group. Samire was unaffected by Darek''s threats to the old man not caring in the slightest and while Angela seemed afraid, the mature woman Prisha stared at the back of Darek''s head, her gaze containing daggers. She disliked Darek as much as Jason it seemed. Jason hid his dislike better though.


    Jason was using all of these subtle social ques to gauge the people in this small group just as his grandfather taught him. The giant Darek was trouble in his eyes. Men like that where always trouble. The old man Bob was quickly gaining respect in Jason''s eyes. The young man Samire couldn''t be evaluated just yet. Angela seemed afraid of everything and probably useless but he reserved judgment. For now. Pasha was another like the old man that Jason believed might be helpful in their present situation.


    Darek spoke again. "We have to start a fire. We need to signal for rescue." Samire cut in "are you stupid? If we start a fire It might attract that beast." He had zero emotion in his words. "At least he is level headed." Thought Jason. Darek shouted "don''t call me stupid you mother fucker!" Taking two large steps forward he attempted to menace the young man. In unison Bob and Jason stepped between the two cutting off Darek''s advance. "Lets not fight" repeated the old man Bob. Doing his patting the air gesture again. Darek thought about his odds versus two young men and one old and decided against violence for now but the anger in his eyes stayed there. "The dragon is gone. And we need rescue. We should start a fire." Repeated Darek. Jason spoke with a calm voice. "Rescue isn''t very likely." Darek glared at him. "How do you know that?! Stop speaking out your ass!" Jason''s only answer was to point up. Everyone followed his finger with their eyes and looked up. "Dear god!" Said Bob. The others quickly realized why.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    In the slowly darkening but not yet dark sky hung two moons. One smaller and one larger. "What the fuck?" Darek mumbled. A shakiness in his vioce. "We are not on earth anymore obviously and rescue is a pipe dream as I see it." Jason concluded in a tone that spoke of dark humor. "Th...Thats impossible." Angela spoke her voice seeming to break and stutter. Her denial further enforced as she burried her face in her hands and began crying. Noone cared about her crying as their sight stayed locked on those two moons. "So what should we do now?" Prisha spoke up. She was the first to break sight of the moons and regain sanity. She looked at Jason then the old man Bob followed by Samire. Samire cleared his throat and said "we need shelter and water. Those are the first things to do in any survival situation. Food can come later." Jason nodded his head in approval. "Yeah my grandfather said a man can survive weeks without food but water and shelter are absolute necessities." Prisha also nodded her head in agreement with Samire and Jasons words. "So that''s the plan then?" She asked. Bob thought for a second and showed agreement. Darek seemed mad at being left out of decision making and Angela was still crying.


    "Its getting dark. We can''t wander the woods in the dark especially because we don''t know what''s in there. So let''s camp here for the night." Jason looked around the group. "Any disagreement?" Noone disagreed with his word. "Alright lets find some concealed area to rest and let''s try to be silent. We don''t want to attract any predators." Everyone once again either agreed with him or stayed silent. They spread out to look for concealment and a place to rest but Darek stayed put. Angela stayed for a second as well but then looked at the massive brute Darek with fear in her eyes and attached herself to the side of Prisha like a lost puppy who found her owner.


    Shortly after Samire could be heard in a low yell. "Over here. There is an opening in the center of this group of bushes." Jason walked over and checked it out. "It will do. It''s getting dark fast." A scream in the distance shattered the silence of the quickly darkening sky. Everyone froze. "What was th..." Angela started to speak but was cut off as more screeches and screams and roars followed closely behind the first. The sounds came from a good distance off but that fact did nothing to soothe the small group. Angela shot into the cover of the bushes and started qwivering. The rest of the group joined her in short order. All eyes where wide in fear save one set. Prisha noticed Jason glaring out into the darkness with vigilance. She had an approving look in her eyes. The old man Bob noticed as well.


    Prisha and Angela where together on one side of the small cramped clearing with jason and bob close by. Angela clung to Prisha her head buried in Prisha chest. She was obviously terrified. Samire had his own spot a little further away and seemed to be regaining calm quickly. Darek was left alone as far from the group as can be in the small clearing that couldn''t have been more then 10 or 12 feet wide at most. He did not seem pleased that everyone avoided him. He stared at the two women of the group. Jason could see the lust in his eyes and inwardly cursed. "Damn he is really going to be trouble."


    The screams roars and screeches continued through the night. The sounds where varied and wierd. They could hear clicks and odd sounds as well. The only comparison to some of the sounds Jason could make was the sounds raptors made when communicating in the jarrasic park movies. "Please don''t let there be dinosaurs." Jason thought without much hope. Noone was sleeping tonight. That is except Angela who passed out from fear at one point or another. "Good. Some rest might do her well." Said Bob. "She isn''t taking this well." "Noone is taking this well" stated Prisha. Nobody disagreed. The Night dragged on. It felt like an eternity but eventually light began to gather in the sky in one direction. Day was coming. Jason welcomed the light. The roars and screams that came and went as they punctuated the night forest had come to a halt about an hour before sunrise.


    As the sky further brightened Jason looked up into the sky growing blue and thought "A new world..... Why am I excited? I must be losing my mind." The truth was somewhere deep inside the shock and terror of it all was exciting to Jason. Not to say if he had a choice he would choose to be here over sleeping in his bed but the possibilities of this new world both scared and exited him. He felt a fire burn in his gut and his instincts came alive.


    "What''s waiting for me out there?" Jason thought.

 Chapter 3 Searching For Water / First Core

    Chapter 3


    As the group clawed their way out of the brush dragging twigs and leaves with them they peered all around. Angela asked "is it clear?" "Seems so." answered Jason. He looked around and continued "we need water. Without it we will all be dead within four or five days." The group nodded in agreement. "Should we split up and look around?" Asked Bob. Angela whimpered at the thought and began shaking her head in panic clinging to Prisha who patted and stroked her head like one would a small child. "No we should stick together. We can''t guarantee one of us won''t be attacked while seperated." Responded Jason. Angela was relieved as the thought of being alone nearly scared her to death. Everyone nodded in agreement save Darek who tried to hide the disappointment at not separating as well as he could as his eyes lingered on the small girl. "Does anyone know ways to find water?" Asked Prisha looking around the group.


    Jason had some ideas but he wanted to hear if anyone else knew better then him. Samire spoke. "I''m not sure but the grasslands are not a good place to look. If we do find any water it''s likely to be stagnant and if we are caught out in the open there will be no place to hide. I think heading towards the mountain is our best bet. Water runs down hill. We could find a stream. Look at the mountain. There is a valley running down towards us. It''s a likely spot for a stream." Angela looked aghast and started shaking again. "But we have to go deeper into the forest to get there! There are monsters in there!" Prisha soothed her again and told her "there could be monsters anywhere for all we know. Any step we take could be dangerous so it''s best to at least go where there is likely to be water right?" Angela thought for a moment and then nodded with hesitation.


    "She does raise a point though." Samire pointed out. The group gave him a questioning look so he continued. "Where there is water there is prey and predators. If we find water we might be finding danger too." Darek inserted himself into the talk and said "if you''re all going to be a bunch of cowards you might as well die right here anyways. We need water. This is why we need a strong leader. If anything happens out there I can protect us. Especially the women. They need to be protected." He puffed his chest out as he said this and eyed the two ladies reaction.


    Jason knew his intentions immediately. "He''s trying to impress women right now? What a fucking idiot." He kept those words to himself only thinking them. Angela seemed slightly swayed by the words thinking to herself that if anyone could protect her it would be this massive bear of a man. She was naive in her thought and had not noticed the lewd glares the man was shooting her way since he met them. Prisha on the other hand knew Darek was up to no good. "Even if you are strong there is no guarantee that physical strength will mean a thing. Could your muscles help you fight that dragon from yesterday?" Darek wanted to say something in return but knew for a fact that dragon would have eaten him like a half bite snack in a second flat so he simply said "maybe not the dragon but not everything here will be as terrifying as that was." Once again showing his muscles in what he thought was a subtle gesture. "Why is this bitch opposing me right now? I''ll teach her a lesson later." He thought.


    Jason raised his voice slightly and glared his own glare at Darek while saying "We don''t need a leader. We need cooperation. If you can''t cooperate then maybe you should leave." Jason hoped Darek would take him up on it but was disappointed when Darek said "as if. You would like that wouldn''t you cherry boy?!" He left others to guess his meaning while he glared at Jason. Samire spoke up. "We need weapons." "Where are we supposed to find weapons?" Asked Prisha. "We can make them." he answered. "We can fashion spears out of branches." Darek snorted and replied "hey smarty pants how are we supposed to sharpen them?" Samire showed irritation at Darek''s comment and continued "we can run them against rocks to sharpen them. All we have to do is find a rock sticking out of the ground with a sharp edge or even a hand sized one to use as a knife."


    The rest of the group showed appreciation at the idea of having weapons and their spirits lifted ever so slightly. "Or we could just use this." Spoke Jason pulling out a somewhat sizable pocket knife whose blade was at least 5 inches long. Its seemed very old and had an odd shape. "Why do you have that?!" Asked Darek suddenly happy he hadn''t tried to attack Jason or pulled any tricks so far. "I live in a pretty pretty bad neighborhood and having something to scare off punks and thugs is usefull. Its was a gift from my grandfather but that doesnt matter. Let''s get started. Time is important." Everyone nodded in approval and began searching in a small area around themselves for branches. "Dont use branches that are dead or fallen. They will break easily." Commented Samire. After a few minutes branches where gathered and it was easy work for Jason to sharpen them. His odd knife seemed to cut wood like butter. Angela , Prisha and the old man had a hard time breaking branches off trees thick enough to be used so Jason helped them.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Darek wanted to sharpen his own spear with Jason''s knife but Jason wasn''t stupid and just glared at Darek when he asked for the knife. Darek gave up quickly. "At least I have a spear now." he thought. "Better then nothing." As the group where finally armed they set out with Darek at the front as he tried his best to impress the two women. Jason was surprised for a second before he thought. "The dumb beast thinks with his penis. Good! Let him be the one to run into trouble first." Samire and the old man followed behind him and then there was the two women. Jason took the rear as he deemed it the second most dangerous spot in the group.


    As they walked Prisha started wincing and groaning and walked in a manner that showed she was in pain. As Jason began to notice this Prisha bent down took off her heels and used a rock sticking out of the ground to break off the heels of her shoes. "Smart woman" Jason thought internally. He smiled at her when she noticed him watching and she smiled back. It would not fix the problem of her having horrible shoes completely but it would help. He walked closer to her and said "if your feet get bad I can carry you. If you destroy your feet and can''t walk at all it will be bad for the entire group." Prisha nodded and said "thank you" a blush creeping onto her face at the thought of being carried by this young man. The sad part was she would probably have to take him up on his offer before long. She already had blisters forming on her feet. "Damn it why did I wear heels yesterday!?" Kicking herself mentally she continued on.


    After about an hour of walking Prisha noticed Angela was breathing raggedy so she spoke up. "We should stop and rest for a bit. Angela is tired." The group looked at Angela and agreed. Especially Bob who wasn''t doing much better himself. Darek seemed pissed at the break but attempted to seem kind by agreeing. "Its should take another 3 hours to reach the mountain based on our current pace." Samire said. Once again pushing his glasses up in what was probably his go to gesture.


    As the group sat down where ever they could Jason started climbing a tree that seemed easy to climb that was also one that stuck above the others. Darek asked "What are you doing?" Acid in his tone. Jason didn''t answer as he continued climbing shaking his head at the fool. Samire chimed in. "He''s probably trying to see if there is anything around us." Darek grunted not impressed.


    As they waited for Jason to come back down Angela pulled an inhaler from her pocket and took a drag. The entire group noticed the action and looked at her. Worry showing in their face. Darek thought "great she''s dead wieght!" And didn''t hide his irritation. Noticing the others looks Angela said "Its not so bad I usually don''t need it it just helps a bit. I sear I won''t drag you guys down!" Worry was etched into her face. She was obviously very scared of being abandoned. Prisha looked her in the eyes. "Don''t worry I won''t leave you behind because of this. Look at my feet. I''m no better then you right now." Angela looked down and could see the redness and swelling of blisters around the rim of her shoes and felt pain for this sweet older woman who seemed to protect her. "Is it bad?" "No not yet I can keep going for now." Prisha responded.


    As Jason climbed back down everyone looked at him. "There''s a fire in that direction" he said while pointing in a direction to the right of the mountain. "It might be a camp fire but I''m not sure." Everyone''s eyes sparkled at the news. Where there is fire there are people. Where there are people there is food, water and shelter. "There is no proof that going to it would be safe. We don''t even know who or what started the fire but I think we should decide." Commented Jason.


    The entire group passed their gazes around and thought for a bit. Darek spoke up first. "I think we should go. We can''t be cowards. Maybe there are people there." Angela abstained from giving an opinion and stayed by Prisha''s side. Bob seemed to look at Jason and Samire for an answer. Samire spoke "we should give it a try. It''s worth the risk." Prisha nodded as well. Jason said "It''s decided then. Lets rest here for another 15 minutes or so then go.


    As everyone sat resting Jason closed his eyes and started meditating to regain his strength. Shortly after beginning his eyes shot open. There was a look of incredulity on his face that none of the others noticed. Calming his breathing he closed his eyes again. A minute or two passed and a smile slowly crept onto his face. Delight evident in his expression. He kept his thoughts to himself for now and continued meditating. Breathing in and out in an odd pattern his weariness from a night of no sleep and the hour walk seemed to evaporate. When Darek spoke up and said they should go in case the people at the fire move Jason opened his eyes that where absolutely filled with glee. He mouthed the words "first core" with disbelief. Noone heard him. As the group got up and continued walking Jason thought "thank you grandfather." And held the pocket knife to his forhead.


    Jasons steps seemed more confident now. Stronger somehow. The twigs that normally caught on everyone and dragged at their clothes he completely avoided. A smirk fought it''s way onto his face. "It should be about 20 minutes walk that way." He told the group. Everyone nodded. Hope growing in their chest at the thought of safety. After about 15 minutes they could smell burning wood and meat. Darek spoke then "food ! Cooked food! It has to be people! Hahaha" he picked up his pace. The rest followed suit.


    As they approached the smell they could hear the whinnies of horses and see smoke drifting through the forest. Darek was ecstatic. Laughing loudly and picking up his pace to a jog. "Wait you idiot!" Jason half yelled. But it was already too late.

 Chapter 4 First Contact

    Chapter 4


    An arrow lept from a bush 15 meters in front and to the left and planted itself in Bobs chest. Blood exploded out his back along with chunks of meat and bone. He stood shocked for a second staring at the massive arrow growing from his chest and then fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Angela screamed. Large figures jumped out of the bushes in front of Darek brandishing two sided war axes or heavy swords.


    Six men in total roared and charged, all of which rivaled Darek in size. The men where covered in dirt, scars and tattoos. Most of the men had large beards that were tangled and root like. As time seemed to slow Jason could even make out that one of the men had an eye like blue cracked glass or ice. A scar ran down the man''s face over that eye.


    Breaking his sight away from the unimportant blue glass eye of the man Jason saw Darek turn around and start sprinting the way they had come. Shoving Samire and the two girls out of his way like a coward. Darek had snot and tears running down his face as he screamed in terror.


    Jason side stepped the big man and let him pass. Jason dearly wanted to kill or maim Darek right now for his cowardice and idiocy that got them into this but he had more important things to do. As Darek passed him though Jason threw out a foot and tripped Darek. Sneering at the big fool Jason charged forward and covered the 2 girls.


    Jason pulled out his dagger and stood above the 2 girls like a guardian. He didn''t have time to pull them up and flee. The six men where almost on top of him.


    "This is the end." Jason thought. He could see it now. In his mind''s eye he was already dead. Six massive men were too much for him to take with a small dagger. He could already see multiple huge battle axes swinging in unison hacking right past his tiny blade or through it and splitting him down the center. Not to mention the archer. It just hadn''t happened yet.


    He took a split second to think of his grandfather who was his only remaining living family member and then he was prepared for death.... But it never came. He was amazed to find the six men stopped just short of him. They where out of reach and so was he for them. The men sneered at him.


    From behind him he heard the sound of Dareck''s voice yelp and what sounded like meat hitting meat and a gasp as air escaped someone mouth. He looked back while keeping his eye on the six smiling men in front of him and noticed Darek who had obviously regained his feet and continued his mad dash of cowardice writhing on the ground holding his abdomen trying to pull air into his lungs like a fish out if water.


    The man who stood above Darek with his fist still held out was obviously the one who had knocked the wind out of Darek. There was a smile on his face just like the other men but it was more refined. Almost friendly even. His large beard wasn''t a mess like the others. It was woven almost immaculately so. He had no tattoos.


    To Jason''s horror three more men stepped out from cover behind the man leveling massive bows at Jason. They where completely surrounded. "It''s all over" thought Jason.


    He could feel the handle of his grandfather''s dagger bitting into his hand as he had gripped it too hard. Sweat dripped down Jason''s forehead into his eyes but he didn''t blink. He just stared at the man with the neat woven beard and waited for his fight to the death.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Jason didn''t know wether it would be the arrows or an axe that would kill him but he swore to himself in that moment he wouldn''t go down without a fight. He roared the best roar he could, slashed his dagger in a threatening manner and waited for the end that was to come.


    Nothing happened. No axe split the air. No arrow found it''s home in his chest. Everyone just stood grinning at the small group. The man standing over Darek who seemed to be the leader as his armor was better then the other men''s and he was cleaner , started to chuckle.


    He pulled a beautiful long sword from it''s sheath at his waist and put it on Darek''s neck. Darek who had only just begun regaining his breath, froze. He eyed the blade and felt a shiver. He couldn''t tell if it was psychological or if the cold of the blade had simply transfered to his body.


    The man with the long sword stopped chuckling and leveled a gaze at Jason. "Nice battle roar boy!" The man began roaring in laughter anew. The rest of the men joined him in his revelry. The man kept laughing for 10 seconds before coming to a sudden halt. The rest of the men also suddenly stopped as if they where afraid to laugh when their leader wasn''t.


    "Drop the blade boy." The man said in a condescending tone. His eyes where locked on Jason. Jason did not trust these men and showed no likelihood of dropping his beloved dagger.


    The giant of a man with the woven beard seemed taken aback that Jason wouldn''t do as he was told. "Don''t you care about your friend?" The big man asked. "He''s no friend of mine" Jason answered back.


    The giant with the woven beard pondered that for a second. Seeming to come to a conclusion he raised his free hand and formed a claw in the air with it. Fire poured from empty air into the palm of the man''s hand. He stretched his hand out and pointed it at Jason.


    Jason was horrified at what he saw. Before he could even react or notice the men standing behind him had scrambled out of the way Jason felt an amazing heat on his left side. Blazing pain radiated from that side of his body. It took an effort of will to keep to his feet.


    KAAABBBOOOOMM


    Jason looked behind himself with horror at the tree the fireball that only grazed a few feet away from him hit and saw fire consume the trunk. To his further horror he heard a crunching creaking sound and the tree began to sway.


    CREEEAAAAKKKKK CRASSHHH


    The tree toppled over. The fire spreading up the now horizontal trunk and on to it''s upper branches. Jason eyed the tree. He was rooted in place. His hands began to tremble but he still held his dagger. He turned his head to look at the man again.


    The man''s comical smile had transformed into a sinister one while Jason was observing the effect of the fireball on the tree. "Will you drop it now?" He asked in a voice dripping with venom.


    "Will it change anything? You''re going to kill us all anyways." Jason stated with steel in his eyes that hadn''t quite leaked into his trembling voice and hands.


    "Boy if I wanted you dead you would be. Besides dead slaves don''t sell for much." The man said matter of factly. The man threw a contemptuous shrugg in for effect. "At least you get to keep your lives such as they are." He continued and then stopped As we waited for Jason''s reply seemingly in no hurry.


    Jason thought of his words. He knew he stood no chance against the man let alone his nine subordinates. His thoughts whirled in chaos. Finally comming to a conclusion Jason closed his eyes for the briefest of seconds and lightly said "I''m sorry grandfather." The dagger slipped from his hand.


    "Good choice boy." The man said. He tilted his head at one of his men and flicked it at Jason in a way that said "go get him". The man with the woven beard continued standing nonchalantly as the man he indicated took large strides towards Jason.


    Jason did nothing but stand there as the man approached. As the giant dirty man raised his fist and it began accelerating towards Jason''s face Jason closed his eyes.


    An explosion of pain and light seemed to assault his face. He heard a ringing and then he saw nor heard a thing. Darkeness consumed him for the second time in two days.

 Chapter 5 Voices In The Dark

    Chapter 5


    He floated in inky blackness. At first Jason thought he was blind but when he raised his hand he could see it. In fact he could see his entire body. He just couldn''t see anything else. He couldn''t hear anything as well. He shouted but .... nothing.


    He was shocked and worried about his current condition. It was unreal and vivid. Every crease in his hand was perfectly represented. Every pore and hair was perfectly detailed. He pinched himself and was surprised when he actually felt pain. It was not hot or cold in this world of darkness.


    He floated there in that abyss for who knows how long. After what seemed a millennium he started to hear whispering at the edge of his hearing. Unfurling from the fetal position he was in he tried to strain his ears to hear the voice.


    Over time the voice grew louder and louder. He knew who the owner of that voice was. How could he not? It was the voice of the man who raised him. It was his grandfather. As his grandfather''s voice grew louder and louder he could make out the words.


    Shocked Jason realized what his grandfather was saying. "Four mortal element cores. Fire, water, earth and wind. You are the fire. You are the water. You are the earth and you are the wind. The four mortal elements form a dan core. The first step to immortality."


    Jason had heard this all before. His grandfather had drilled this into his head since he was but a small child. He may not have taken the words seriously but in his love for his grandfather and at his grandfather''s persistence he dedicated the words to heart. But this was different. It was more then words. He could...... FEEL the meaning now. Understanding on many levels dawned on him.


    "The 3 Dan cores are lightning, light and darkness. Only an immortal can truly master these elements." His grandfather''s voice droned on. Information far beyond the simple words was streaming into his skull. It was a lot to take in. It strained him. But the worst had yet to come.


    His grandfather''s voice grew louder and louder. Seeming to shake him to the very fiber of his being. He felt pain. So much pain. Oddly enough there was some relief hidden in that pain. As if the pain was cleansing his soul and body.


    "Three Dan cores form a heavenly core. The two heavenly cores are life and death." His grandfather''s voice was no longer just loud and painfull. It shook the universe and Jason''s soul threatened to capsize under the weight of that voice. He felt like he could shatter or snap. Like the bow string drawn far too tight.


    "A master who forms 2 heavenly cores can be considered an immortal at the very peak of all creation......" His grandfather''s voice paused and silence reigned in the darkness. Jason felt sweet release from the pain and suffering but it didnt last long.


    A new voice overlapped his grandfather''s and began speaking with him. The voice was dreadful and terrifying. It was no human voice. The voice seemed to tear asunder all before it. It''s destructive force did not spare Jason as it screamed.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "But the heaven defying chaos dragon disdains all of creation. For creation is but food for it. The universe but a pebble. All shake at its passing. All bow before it. Make yourself the chaos dragon and consume all the cores to pass beyond immortality. Beyond life and death. Beyond all of existence." He had never heard this part before.


    The voices grew to a crescendo that Jason couldn''t take anymore. But suddenly the terrible voice was gone and all that was left was his grandfather voice. It spoke soft and gentle. "Become the chaos dragon. Form the chaos dragon core. Obtain your birthright. Pierce the heavens. Trample hell. Unlock your destiny.".......


    Another pause "I believe in you. I love you Jason." The final words where barely more then a whisper but they struck Jason the hardest. His heart seemed to burst and he felt like weeping his soul away.


    He screamed , his own voice finally ringing and breaking through the infinite darkness. "I love you too grandfather! I love you too! I will. I will become a chaos dragon. I will see you again" He could feel tears streaming down his face.


    Light burst from his chest. No it wasn''t light. It was something else. It was darkness too. It was life as well as death, lightning, fire, water, earth and wind. Jason suddenly realized what it was. It was the smallest tiniest little fragment of chaos. And even that small infinitesimal bit of chaos power blew away the darkness like it didnt even exist.


    Jason shot up from laying down. He was screaming. He was weeping pathetically. His lungs were in pain. His eyes stung. Tears streamed down his face. He sucked in a massive breath of air and finally the world was at peace.


    He could hear the wind and leaves and the birds calling out to one another. He could smell grass and trees and smoke. He could feel the wind. He could taste blood in his mouth. His senses where beyond what they ever were before. Acute and sharp.


    He looked around himself. He was in a metal cage. Iron wrapped his ankles and wrists. He noticed the rest of his group were in cages all around him. All their eyes open wide as can be. All eyes staring at him in shock.


    He looked outside the cage and noticed all of the slavers eyes where on him too."WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU BOY??!!"a man roared and kicked his cage. "Screaming like a God damned lunatic as you sleep! Are you crazy?" The gnarled bearded man scowled at him and then walked away.


    "What?!" Jason was confused for a second. "Was I dreaming? No. I wasn''t." Jason thought back on his memories of that black space. He remembered his grandfather''s voice and that terribleothervoice. "It was too vivid. It''s seared into my head. Not just the words. The techniques. The knowledge!" It was so much more then just the words spoken in that dreamlike plain of existence. Medical knowledge. Pills. Martial arts. Soul techniques. Arrays. It was all there.


    He knew now what he had to do. He had the knowledge but he hadn''t mastered it yet. He hadn''t made it his own. Just as you can explain how to ride a bike to a child. Until the child got on a bike and rode, the child could never begin to master that knowledge or the bike. Jason would have to master this knowledge one step at a time. He would have to master his own body and soul. Knowing what you should do is different then doing it. He knew what he must do now. He knew the path before him.


    He thought back on his days with his grandfather. "I''m the fool. Not my grandfather. Every word he said was true. It''s just that there was no heaven and earth power on earth. No qi. But this world overflows with it. I can feel it now so vividly. Thank you again grandfather."


    He looked around him and his sight rested on the woven bearded man''s figure. He was sitting by the camp fire spinning a dagger in his hands happily. Quite pleased with the small dagger. Not a care in the world. Jason''s eyes became cold. Almost murderous. It was his own dagger the man was playing with.


    "Have your fun for now. Play with my dagger all you want. One day I will take it back and make you eat it!" He made a solemn pledge in his heart as he glared at the man.


    He meant every word.

 Chapter 6 A Cultivator Bound In Iron

    Chapter 6


    After Jason made his oath he began to assess the situation. He had to put away his rage. It wouldn''t help him right now. He cleared his mind and started looking around. It was late in the day. He could see the sun was setting and it seemed to rest on the tops of the trees at the edge of the clearing. A red glow suffused the sky. If it was under different circumstances he would have thought the sight beautiful.


    He looked over to his right and noticed the cage closest to him contained Prisha. Her cage was less then three feet from his and if his hands were not bound and chained he could have reached through the bars of his cage and touch hers. She was looking at him through the bars of her own cage but her vision seemed clouded and dull. Hope had fled her eyes all together. Jason felt a pang of regret at that. "She had such bright and strong eyes before. They are still truly beautiful but now she seems like a lifeless mannequin." She lowered her gaze and stared at the bottom of her cage.


    "I''m sorry." He said. Her eyes shot up and she looked him straight in the eyes when he said that confusion evident in her gaze.


    "What?" She whispered , afraid of being heard and reprimanded for speaking.


    Jason repeated "I''m sorry. I should never have let us come here."


    Prisha understood. "Don''t blame yourself. You couldn''t have known. We all decided to come here. The blame isn''t on you." Jason felt a little reassured on hearing her words.


    "Don''t worry I''ll find a way out of this for us." Jason said as he begun to fidget and manipulate his manacles tugging and twisting them with force.


    "Don''t!" Pasha voice contained worry and panic but it was already too late.


    BZZZTTT


    Jason suddenly felt pain jump up his arms and travel through his chest and down his torso and into his legs. "Aaarrrghh" Jason tried screaming but even that was beyond him right then and It only came out as barely a gasp. It was like an electrical current was running up his arms.


    It was actually more thanlikean electrical currentas real arcs of electricity jumped from his shackles and entered his forearms and wrists. Jason floundered on the floor of his small cage banging into the sides of it as he flailed about. Some of the men in the camp seemed to gain pleasure at his pain and started laughing.


    As the current slowly died down Jason regained control of his body. "Don''t do that again." Jason told himself.


    Prisha asked in a whisper "Are you ok? The manacles shock you if you mess with them. If you are caught talking to each other or disobey they also shock you."


    Jason nodded his head and reassured her. "I''m fine just surprised." He said as he tried to steady his breathing and shake the numbness from his limbs. Jason came to the conclusion breaking or meddling with them is a no go for now. He wasn''t strong enough yet. Not nearly strong enough. His qi was weak and his fire element was almost non-existent.


    Jason thought about it and decided he might be able to break these manacles when he achieved second core. He could use the power of the water core to redirect the current away from his body while using the pure strength of body a second mortal core offered as well as an abundant amount of qi to break them possibly with the help of some extreme heat from his fire core. He couldn''t be sure though. He had no understanding of the principles these shackles worked by.


    "That''s a concern for later. I haven''t even fully formed the mortal fire core yet." Jason thought. Yes Jason hadn''t even formed his first core yet. Earlier when he was meditating and the rest of the group was resting he thought he had formed it but now he knew better. "I was such an idiot. I thought I did it but that was like claiming to draw the Mona Lisa when all you had done was draw a stick figure." He had only started forming his first core. It was like a tiny and fragile glass shell with a match in it. Compared to a real mortal fire core which was like an inferno sorounded by an almost impenetrable shell, it was both weak and easily broken. It offered very little help presently.


    "Damn" Jason cursed inwardly. "Are you alright?" Prisha asked a second time.


    Jason quirked his eyebrows and looked at her. "I told you I''m fine. The electrical current just caused a little pain. I''m fine now." Jason was confused why she was asking twice.


    Prisha shook her head and said "Not that..... you where screaming in your sleep before you woke up. I was worried. You sounded like you where in agony." Prisha''s eyes seemed to regain a semblance of strength and focus. Her concern for him looked to distract her from the horrible state they were all in.


    "Yeah I''m fine. It was just a bad nightmare. Thank you for asking...... You''re a kind person." Jason told Prisha as he smilled and winked at her. He wanted to keep his cultivation a secret and the best way to keep a secret was to tell noone. Two people can keep a secret only when one of them is dead. It''s not that he did not trust her but this secret was far too big to tell anyone. Especially someone he had only known for two days. He had no idea what the consequences would be exactly if his secret leaked but it wouldn''t be good. He knew that.


    Prisha nodded her head and a blush presented slightly on her cheek. It was hard to see such a light blush with her light caramel like skin tone but Jason noticed it. His eye sight was much better since his time in the dark space. He thought "she''s cute when she blushes." He felt a little joy in this horrible situation at provoking a blush out of the mature and stunning woman.


    Breaking his sight away from the beauty he looked around at the other cages. The rest of the group was present but seemed uninterested in talking or in fear of talking as they stared at the floor of their cages or glanced around in fear. All save one. Darek wasn''t in any of the cages around him. He wondered where the big fool was for a second before deciding he didn''t give a shit. "I hope he was killed."


    Before the ambush Jason would not have wished for the lustful arogant and stupid brute to die but the giant''s act of cowardice , shoving the women out of his way as he fled pushed Jason''s feelings for the gaint over the edge from extreme dislike and into the realm of hatred.


    Putting the hatred for the man aside he continued his observation. Everyone was present. Actually not really. Bob wasn''t. Jason thought of the old man. "He was a kind man." He couldn''t say much more about the man as he really barely knew him but he still felt a pang of regret at the kind old man''s passing. The old man reminded him of a chubby Morgan Freeman, with his steady and deep voice and calm demeaner. He seemed very wise beyond even HIS advanced years. The scene of the arrow piercing the man''s chest and spraying pieces of flesh, lung and bone out his back with a splash of blood circled in his head.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "I can''t think about that now. Stop getting distracted!" thought Jason and continued his observations. There were more cages then the ones his group were in around him. Dirty and ragged people filled most of them, manacles on all of their limbs. They seemed lifeless and devoid of hope.


    Jason was surprised to find the camp was actually pretty large. Many more men were present here then than during the ambush. Jason''s hope for escape dwindled further at the sight. Jason started counting. " 1, 2, 3, ......" and stopped when he realized thier had to be at least 20 to 30 men he could see. And that was just what he could see. There where wagons spaced about everywhere. He counted 10 wagons. "For carrying their slaves no doubt." Thought Jason. Jason also realized all the men where white. So where all the slaves besides Samire , Prisha and himself. He didn''t know if that was a bad thing.


    "DAMN! How am I going to get out of this situation?" Jason''s mind raced but came up with no solution. "Power... I need more power." Jason knew that if he was strong enough he wouldn''t be where he was right now. "I need to cultivate and fast!" He was worried about the final destination of this cargo train of human lives. Just because they took their prisoners alive didn''t mean their fates would be any better than being dead. Jason had no idea what the fate of slaves was in this world.


    Seeing all he could and finding no more new information Jason decided to not waste time and begin polishing and forming his fire core. Each core would be a massive boost to his power. It did not only offer the use of the element power present within them. It also offered a large boost in physical strength and boosted his bodies defence and vitality. Every time a core was formed fully the elemental power inside would wash his body and purify it, strengthening and boosting his physical power.


    In all honesty it may have been possible to break the manacles by straining his limbs to the very limit with only his first core formed and a healthy amount of qi use, if it was not for that electric current. They were only made of iron. Not even good iron it seemed. Even with the first core formed and its advantages put to use with qi as well the current was too strong for him to handle.


    Electricity was unlike other elements. It jolted the body and mind. It also effected the soul. Jason doubted he could control his mind and body when shocked so powerfully even at the first core. His body would have to be much stronger to take that current and still be able to function properly. He would have to wash his marrow, bones, muscles, nerves and skin with elemental power and qi to make it possible.


    Jason closed his eyes. " I have to start somewhere." Jason thought and then cleared his mind. The world outside his own mind faded away. He could still hear what was happening around him but it was far off. Seemingly at the end of a long tunnel. He wasn''t completely unaware of his surroundings just very concentrated on his internal world. He pictured a pure black backdrop as his breathing began to calm and slow. His breathing was odd. It had a rythym to it. He felt every nook and cranny of his body with shocking precision.


    He had improved drasticly in his efforts at meditation since his last try. No doubt a byproduct of his time in that black space with the voices. He had a much better understanding of the technique now. The meditation technique was called Dragons Breath and when he truly master it his breathing could sound like that of a massive dragon. Dragons Breath was the technique to gather from the surroundings and spread qi throughout his body and guide it while the system of cores itself was the chaos dragon inheritance.


    On the black backdrop he saw the image of an almost imperceptible glasslike orb with a hint of a flame within. The contruct wasn''t even a real thing yet. It wasnt even formed in reality and hadnt found a home in his body or made a true connection to his soul. As he breathed in qi flowed into his lungs and washed over his skin , muscles , blood and bones. It strengthened them very slowly but surely. It improved his nerves and quickened thier reaction speed. He wouldn''t see any very large improvement all at once until the core was fully formed but the process reassured him.


    As time passed he took the energy that washed through his body and circulated it like a river.... ok more like a small stream. But one day it would be a river. A massive one! He brought the qi to a spot resting above his navel. And bathed the spot with the qi using the power of his mind and soul to guide and control it and began to truly form his fire core.


    The qi flowed through the area changing it slowly and started forming a fire core before traveling higher on his chest and forming a pool of qi. The qi that had flowed into his dantain had been purified. The qi in his dantain gathered and strengthened his dantain before another stream broke out of it and rejoined the cycle around his body.


    To boost the strength of his body in the moment and use non elemental techniques he would need to use the qi stored in his dantain that was truly one with him like a motor uses fuel. To use the elements in his techniques he would pass the qi from his dantain through the cores and the qi would blend with the elemental power. The elemental power was actually drawn from his surrounding as he drew in qi.


    In normal cultivation there would be no elemental cores. You would simply purify the qi of all external elemental power and impurities and put it in your dantain after circulation and washing the body. If you wanted to use elemental power in your techniques you needed an inherent bond with that element and the relevant element based cultivation method was needed. Under those circumstances the qi in your dantain would naturally have the properties of that element. That was one of the beauties of chaos dragon cultivation. All elements where at his fingertips. He just needed to form the cores.


    In normal cultivation there was no stages or levels either. Whoever had more qi in his dantain, better control of that qi and a stronger body, mind and soul would be the victor in a fight. Strategy also played a role as well as the purity of the qi and reaction speed in combat. Battle between cultivators wasn''t as simple as having more qi or being at some higher "level". It was not a game. There where no levels , ranks , realms or dividers between cultivators. Stength was strength. Skill was skill. Even a smart weak cultivator could kill an extremely strong stupid one in the right circumstances.


    As he continued this process the tiny fire core illusion in his mind grew more detailed and more powerful. The tiny flame growing in size and the almost non-existent shell growing larger and thickening. The process was slow. Almost agonizingly so but he kept at it. As the illusion grew stronger the location of the soon to be fire core inside his body above his navel changed as well. Ever so slowly.


    The entire process also had the added benefit of strengthening his soul and mind as well. His spirit and mind came into contact with the qi and element power while manipulating it causing them to be improved and sharpened. The contact itself did it as well as the strain put on them to do it. Like a muscle they could be exercised. They could also be improved through his experiences in the world.


    If a man spent a lot of effort on something and achieved it, his mind and spirit would grow stronger wouldn''t they? The concept was the same. If a man came to a realisation that improved his mentality it could offer a boost as well. Understanding your own soul would boost the power of your own soul too.


    He could already feel his spirit sense growing. It was almost like a radar but a radar was slower and less detailed. He could see every detail of anything around him right now even with his eyes closed.... even the insides of objects. Too bad the range was currently less than a few feet. But that was already amazing progress. He had only been at this for a few hours.


    His progress wouldn''t always be so smooth and easy though. The road of cultivation was harder the further you traveled. To progress in some areas you needed to be strong in others. Without a strong spirit and mind you couldn''t manipulate qi and element force properly. Without a strong body you could damage yourself trying to store too much qi. It was a process.


    When the cores shell envisioned in his head trippled in size and thickness and the flame seemed like it could actually burn something and not go out with a light breeze or sneeze he heard a bang and felt a tremble. He opened his eyes realising the sound and feeling was not internal but external. Someone had struck his cage. When he saw the person who had done it he was shocked.


    As he opened his eyes he nearly swallowed his tongue. Incredulity obvious on his face and with eyes wide Jason grit his teeth and snarled "What the fuck are you doing out of a cage?!"


    Darek smiled at him. Glee and a gloating pride was evident in his expression. He was wearing basic leather armor like every slaver/bandit in the group besides the leader and there was a sword at his hip.


    "The look on your face is priceless BOY!" He broke into hysterical laughter.

 Chapter 7 Travelers / Offered A Choice

    Chapter 7


    Jason fought back his rage as he glared daggers at the large man. Darek was unaffected by the fire like gaze. "You joined a group of slavers.... I guess I can''t be suprised. YouDOfit right in." Jason said caustic hatred evident in every syllable.


    "Hahahaha" Darek broke into laughter and when he finally stopped his raucous display he said "your words mean nothing to me now. YOU are nothing to me now." He started to giggle again.


    "You''re garbage. You''re a coward and your pathetic." Jason continued his verbal assault.


    As jason insulted him Darek raised his forefinger and wiggled it like one would to a naughty child. His other hand rose as well and Jason noticed a small object gripped lightly in the giants paw.


    Darek''s grin grew sinister as he pointed the object at Jason and a click was heard.


    BZZZTTTT


    Electricity once again leapt from the shackles and ran along his flesh and bones. It spread throughout his body and Jason floundered like a fish out of water. He gasped and shook. A low jittery moan escaped his mouth. Prisha looked on in horror as the torture continued.


    When Jason was shocked before it lasted no more then 3 to 4 seconds, but this time it was prolonged. It lasted 30 seconds before Prisha''s voice could be heard saying "STOP your going to kill him!"


    Darek smiled at her and leveled the small device at her as well. A click was heard and Prisha dropped to the floor of her cage as well. "Shut up bitch." Darek sneered and said. He was getting enjoyment out of this.


    Prisha''s punishment for speaking lasted the normal 3 or 4 seconds before stopping. She sucked in air and felt her limbs as they trembled. Her hair stood on end seemingly charged with static. She looked over at Jason who''s torture was ongoing and sorrow colored her gaze. "Please stop." Her voice was a whisper this time.


    Darek ignored her plea and watched Jason roll and crash into the sides of his cage. Jason thrashed and moaned with agony in his voice. A sound started growing that was akin to the sound a tazer makes and it grew louder and louder. The electric current grew stronger the longer the shackles power was activated.


    "Not so mouthy now huh? I really hated the look in your eyes before. Let''s see if you can maintain that look after I''m done with you!" Darek once again broke into laughter.


    Only after two minutes had passed and Jason no longer thrashed, only shivering and twitching as sweat, saliva and tears spilled down his face and stained his shirt collar did the electric current abate. Jason lay in his cell like a corpse. A twitch surfaced from time to time but no other reaction was seen.


    Prisha was weeping at this point. She barely knew the young man Jason at this point but he had done as best he could to protect her and he seemed very kind. She worried he was dying. She was relieved when a groan escaped Jason''s mouth and he began to stir.


    As Jason fought back from the edge of unconsciousness he felt pain in his body and mind. Every movement he made was torture but he moved nonetheless. He slowly extended a hand and grabbed one of the bars of his cell as he dragged himself to his feet.


    Prisha was stunned that Jason had it in him to stand at this point and she marveled at his willpower, but she could see the grin on Jason''s face and knew what was about to happen. She knew or at least guessed what jason was about to say. She wanted to warn Jason to shut up but it was not quick enough.


    "Is that all you got bitch?" Jason provoked in a hollow voice while flashing a toothy grin at Darek. It was a basic provocation without much grace, but it was all he was presently capable of in his current condition. His body and mind were numb.


    "Fucker! You want some more?!" Darek yelled as his face grew red with fury and disbelief. He raised his hand and the small device was pointed at Jason again. Samire and Angela winced as they watched from further off in their own cages.


    Prisha closed her tear stained eyes and began to pray for Jason. She couldn''t watch anymore.Why won''t he just stay down?she thought.Don''t make this worse!


    Jason steadied his body and mind and prepared for the pain, but a voice cut through the situation and said "stop messing around. If you kill him I won''t be pleased." The voice was almost gentle but that made it all the more terrible.


    Darek nearly jumped out of his skin upon hearing the voice and turned to address the man who had seemingly crept up behind him without notice. "Sorry boss. He pissed me off and I lost my cool. It won''t happen again!" His voice was obsequious. He wrung his hands in apparent fear of the man.


    It was the leader with the braided beard who lead this group of slaver/bandits. The man was calm as he stared at Darek. Darek shrunk under the man''s gaze not daring to make a sound.


    "Do as I told you and bring them to my tent. Stop playing." The leader continued after giving Darek a mental blow with nothing but his eyes. He said nothing else and walked elegantly towards a tent that was larger then the other tents by a significant margin.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Darek wiped the cold sweat from his brow and got busy with the task at hand. "Alright the fun is over." He stated to noone in particular as he reached out and unlocked Jason''s cage as well as Prisha''s. He continued and opened the cages of Samire and Angela as well. "Don''t try anything funny." He said as he shook the device in his hands threateningly.


    The small group of people shuffled out of their cages and walked in front of Darek. Prisha flew to Jason''s side putting her arm under his armpit and wrapping it around his upper arm to help support him as they walked. She began to clean his face and neck of sweat , tears and saliva with her sleave. He leaned on her a bit and walked side by side with her. He could smell her scent. It carried a hint of sweat but it was still a womanly scent.


    Prisha put her mouth to his ear and whispered "That was stupid. Why did you provoke him then? He almost killed you. Hecouldhave killed you! If that man had not been there to stop him you wouldbe dead right now."


    Jason felt her warm breath wash over his ear and down his neck and felt a shiver. He flashed a roguish grin at her then whispered as he brought his lips to her ear and let them ever so slightly brush her earlobe "I never claimed to be smart." He chuckled a little.


    Prisha was bewildered by this man. She felt heat rise to her face and she lowered her gaze in embarrassment. "You really are a fool." She said as small unseen smile creeped onto her lovely face. She gipped his arm tighter.


    Jason felt a flash of joy at her reaction and thought.It seems provoking cute reactions from this woman is addictive.


    The small group of people arrived at the tent and entered when Darek pointed into it. Inside the tent the leader of this group of slavers sat on a chair, one leg resting on the knee of his other leg. He was calm and elegant as always. He radiated cool authority.


    As the group came to a stop before him the man looked at each person in turn without saying a word. His gaze suggested that none of their secrets where safe from his eyes. After his slow appraisal he spoke. "Where do you people come from?"


    Jason''s heart leapt into his throat. He knew this was no simple question. He looked at Darek and knew the big man had squealed their secrets into his new boss''s ears. If they tried lying it would do no good.


    Prisha spoke first. "We come from a distant land and we are just pass..." but her words where cut off as Jason spoke over her.


    "We are from another world, but you already know that don''t you?" He glared at Darek as he said this. "This pig squealed already right?" He finished.


    The bearded man nodded a smile on his face now. "Your right. Darek has already told me everything. If you had lied I would have punished you." There was an approving look in his eyes as he gazed upon Jason. "What you people are known as in this world is Travelers." There was a hint of joy in the man''s voice.


    The man continued his speech. "Travelers are not unheard of in this world but they are rare. VERY rare." His smile grew even more and spread across his face. He was obviously very happy. "Travelers sell for MUCH more then normal slaves" he giggled and continued "many times more in fact." It seems the groups capture was a fortune for the man.


    "Its not that your value is in your rarity, though that does play a role. It''s that travelers are almost universally gifted magi. Not many travelers show lack of skill in controlling mana. Some of our world''s greatest magus were travelers." The man was deep in delivering his speech as he stood and began gesticulating as he paced, a smile still on his face.


    "Please understand that doesn''t mean I will free you, but that does mean you get a choice." The man stopped before them and straightened his posture and looked in their eyes as he told them "You have two choices. One. Join me. Become a member of my mercenary band and obey me. I will put a slave coller on you which is more advanced then the shackles you wear and after 10 years I will remove it. At that point you will be free."


    Jason looked over at Darek when the leader spoke of slave collars and noticed something poking out of the bastards shirt collar. Jason knew that must be the slave collar. Darek had already accepted obviously.


    The leader was still speaking "You will wear a slave collar, but in effect you won''t be slaves. The collar is to ensure my own safety. I will treat you as I do any other member of this group and even show respect if you earn it, but obedience will be enforced."


    "How is that any different to slavery?" Jason spoke up.


    The man''s eyes fell on Jason. His displeasure obvious at the interruption. "Choose the second option and you will find out." The man said as a smile floated back onto his face.


    "Choice two," the man continued "is for me to sell you. I will sell you to the highest bidder. Their plans for you are not my concern. You would be their slave instead of mine and I can almost guarantee they won''t free you in 10 years as I would."


    His words were tempting but Jason remembered Bob''s fate. He remembered all those dirty and wretched people in the cages around him earlier. If he served this man he would have to commit atrocities for him. Inside he knew he could never do such things.


    "If you could just use slave collars on us why not control us and be done with It? Why offer a choice?" Jason asked confused and wondering what game the man was playing at.


    "As people new to this world I can understand why you wouldn''t know, but slave collars are not perfect. They can''t be removed without the masters help and they can kill, maim or cause pain for the one wearing it, but they can''t force the one wearing it to act. Your mind and soul are still your own while wearing one. If you can brave the pain you can disobey. The consequences are death, but for some that is a better fate."


    The man resumed his pacing. "I find it very troublesome and even dangerous to use pain and suffering alone to spur people forward. There are still ways for a slave to betray their master while wearing the collar and I would rather avoid that outcome. The collar isn''t omniscient and is only as good as the master holding the leash. It can sometimes turn into a situation like riding a tiger."


    The man came to a stop and said "in closing its YOUR choice. I will give you two days to make it. After the second day we will arrive in the city of Larrem. Larrem has one of the largest slave markets in the world and you will fetch very high prices there." He paused and shot a meaningful glance at Prisha and Angela before saying "women travelers particularly so."


    The group understood his words immediately. Prisha and Angela blanched at the thoughts the words provoked.


    The man finished by saying "Alright I''ve given you your choices. It''s up to you to decide now. Remember, two day is all you have. I''ll do you a favor" He then waved his hand in an imperial manner and gave Darek an order. "Put them in the larger cage together and without any other slaves so they can talk amongst themselves and decide."


    Everyone had complicated gazes as they shuffled out of the tent and entered a cage big enough to hold double their numbers under Dareks watchful gaze.


    Choices would have to made.

 Chapter 8 Third Option

    Chapter 8


    As the door to the cage shut, Angela dropped to the ground in the corner and hugged her knees. Her strawberry blonde hair spread like a fan as it hung over her arms and knees.


    Samire stood and leaned against the bars, crossing his arms and getting a far-off look in his eyes as he ran his tongue over his teeth in a way that made it seem he was chewing something.


    Prisha looked at the two for a second and then her eyes met Jason''s, a silent question in them. Jason shrugged his shoulders indicating he couldn''t give her the answers to the questions she hadn''t even asked.


    He spoke up addressing the group. "We have two days. We shouldn''t rush an answer, we should all think long and hard."


    Samire nodded. Angela didn''t respond, keeping her for head planted on her knees. Prisha showed concern for the girl but left her alone. "I never thought I would be a slave. Before this, all I had to worry about was teaching my students and keeping my parents happy." Prisha intoned, melancholy fighting to take over. "My life was all about checking tests and homework as well as dealing with my parents and their expectations."


    Jason flashed a wry smile and said "My grandfather was a handful as well. He was always drilling into my head our old family customs and traditions, but he loved me dearly and I him." Jason felt a stab of sadness thinking about his grandfather and hoped the old man was taking care of himself. His grandfather had a habit of forgetting his heart pills and Jason was always reminding him.


    "My parents were uptight. Everything I did had to be perfect growing up. Nothing was ever good enough. I miss them right now though." Samire joined the conversation that Jason and Prisha were trying to start.


    "Waaaaaahhhh I miss my parents!" Angela burst into tear and started wailing. Prisha came to her and started soothing the young girl and stroking her hair, but the waterworks still lasted a few minutes.


    Samire and Jason stood to one side of the cage at a loss for what to do. As mostly unknown men to the girl, they didn''t feel it appropriate to attempt to soothe the young lady.


    Samire and Jason looked at each other and embarrassed smiles appeared on their faces. "Maybe it wasn''t a good idea to talk about this" Jason said.


    Samire took another glance at the girl who had only just started calming down and nodded. He exhaled a burst of air and sat down.


    "Are we sure there isn''t a third option available?" He said looking around to make sure noone was listening to their conversation. He raised the shackles and looked at them closely. "Has anyone else noticed the strange etching on the metal wristbands of the shackles?"


    Jason had noticed them earlier but they were gibberish to him. Samire continued. "These etching must be how the shackles control and or store that magical electric current. I don''t see any wires or circuits or anything else like that. It''s magic of some sort. If we could understand these marking we might be able to break them and escape."


    "Or we could get ourselves killed messing with them." Jason cut in. "We don''t have a single piece of info to go on. We know nothing about magic or the power the people of this world use." He continued while shaking his head. He really couldn''t see a way out of this.


    Jason thought about his cultivation. He was sure he could break these bonds if he could break through and create his second core as well as amass enough qi. He wouldn''t really need that much. If he had a month he could possibly do it.


    He inwardly cursed the circumstances. He needed a month but only had two days. It was impossible. Cultivation wasn''t fast. Even in this world overflowing with qi he simply couldn''t integrate it fast enough.


    "Actually we do know one thing." Samire said breaking Jason from his thoughts.


    "What is that?" Jason cocked his head and gave Samire a questioning look.


    Samire jerked his head to the side seemingly indicating outside the cage. Jason followed his eyesight and saw Darek sitting at a campfire laughing and chatting with some of the bandits.


    Prisha had heard what Samire said as well and stood from her position where she stroked Angela''s back and hair to see what Samire was pointing out. "Darek? What about him? What does he have to do with the shackles?"


    "Not so much Darek. It''s what he possesses that I''m interested in." Samire showed a small evil grin as he said it.


    Jason was lost. He was curious what Darek could have that could help them in their current situation. Just as realization dawned on him Prisha tapped one closed fist on the open palm of her other hand in a gesture of sudden enlightenment and spoke.


    "That device! The one he used to activate the shackles before!" She blurted out.


    "Ssshhhh" Samire shushed her as her voice had grown too loud.


    Prisha seemed embarrassed and looked around to make sure noone heard. Seeing none of the bandits was near the cage or looking at them and all of the slaves still had their eyes glassed over staring at nothing she breathed out in relief. "Sorry" she voiced out in a tiny warble of a voice and hung her head.


    "Its fine" Jason said and gripped her shoulder. He then looked at Samire and continued on the topic. "Even if we somehow get that device we don''t know how to operate it."


    Samire nodded in agreement but still pushed on "It''s our only real option if we want our freedom though. If we get it, it may be our key to freedom. What''s the worst that can happen?"


    "They could kill us for trying to escape!" Angela spoke up at this point. She must have calmed down while they were talking because she was on her feet again.


    Prisha considered her words and nodded in agreement while Jason did as well. The three of them looked at Samire for his response.


    Samire shook his head and smiled. "They won''t kill us. We are far too valuable to them. We are rare Travellers. They won''t even harm us permanently if we are caught. That would lower our price."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Jason''s eyes shone. "He''s right. We are their payday. They can''t risk harming or killing us."


    Angela wasn''t sure, but Prisha nodded in agreement as well and in a voice seeming to regain some of her lost vigour said "It''s a chance. Better then any other option we have available right now. I think we should take the risk. How can we get it from Darek or one of the others?"


    Jason smirked. "That''s your job beauty." He looked her up and down as he said it admiring her gorgeous figure.


    Prisha showed a shocked look for a second and then she understood. A blush spread across her face and she was at a loss for word.


    Samire nodded and said. "Jason is right. We all saw how he looked at you two." He indicated with his hand towards Angela and Prisha as he said it. "You''re the bait. That big idiot obviously thinks with his dick. We need one of you to seduce him."


    Angela and Prisha looked at each other and both blushed. Prisha said "I''ll do it." Wanting to save Angela from the experience. "But I have no experience. I''ve never done ...... anything like that before. I don''t know if it will work."


    Angela chimed in. "No, I''ll do it."


    Samire Jason and Prisha were shocked. They never expected the young girl who seemed one moment from breaking mentally to step up at this moment.


    "What?" Angela asked with a fire in her eyes. Life seeped back into them at the thought of freedom. "Prisha is inexperienced dealing with men. Me on the other hand... no man can escape my charm." She flicked her hair and gave a naughty smile as the two men gulped at the seductive gesture.


    "In my school, I had a few dozen boys wrapped around my finger. I''m not very smart but seducing and manipulating... I''m the best at that. Just leave it to me." Angela was extremely confident in her ability.


    Samire, Jason and Prisha exchanged looks and then chuckled.


    Jason spoke up. "Even if we get it from him he will notice pretty quickly. And even if he doesn''t we are surrounded. Once we get out of the cage the others will notice us."


    Samire nodded. "We will have to do it at night while most of them are asleep. The cover of darkness will help as well."


    Jason suddenly noticed an issue. "The cage. How do we open that?"


    Prisha gave him the answer. "You were pretty out of it when it happened so you didn''t notice but Darek used that device to open the cages. He touched it to the locks and they opened."


    "Yes, that''s one reason why I''m confident that device can open the shackles." Samire stated.


    "So that''s the plan then? Angela will try to get the device off of Darek and will escape under the cover of night? It''s pretty risky. Are you all sure about this?" Jason asked.


    The group eyed each other then leveled their gazes back on Jason. They nodded in unison with steel in their eyes. No words were needed to understand their conviction. They all wanted freedom badly. The life of a slave was hell. That was especially true for women.


    "When we flee, we will need to escape into the forest. We have no food and water. We will need to get some. Also, we should do it tomorrow, not tonight. We need to get closer to that city Larrem. The closer we are the quicker we can get there after escaping. Plus a night and day of rest, food and water will do us good. Especially you Jason. You haven''t eaten or drank for almost two days. You were passed out earlier when they gave us bread and water."


    Samire seemed to think of everything. Jason was impressed with the young man. He had a quick mind.


    "We need to find out where they store their rations. If it''s possible to grab some on our way out we have to do it." Jason answered the concern.


    He should have been more thirsty and hungry than he was, but cultivation and drawing qi into his body helped delay the effects of dehydration and starvation. He actually felt great except for a dry throat.


    Samire nodded. Angela and Prisha were smiling now.


    "Don''t go getting giddy just yet. The plan hasn''t even begun. We are still shackled and the plan may fail entirely. We don''t know."


    To Jason''s pessimism, Prisha said "It''s still a hope and that is better then what we had before."


    Jason smiled at Prisha''s upbeat attitude. "Alright. How do you plan on luring Darek over Angela?"


    Angela smiled a mysterious smile. "Leave it to me. The big dumb ox will eat right out of my hand."


    The other three chuckled a bit. It seems she was more than just a little confident. They were glad she was not falling apart mentally any more. Especially Prisha. The burden of looking after the young girl had fallen to her. She worried about the girl a lot.


    "Let''s rest up and get some good sleep tonight. We will make our attempt tomorrow in the middle of the night. It will be our only chance. Don''t let a lack of sleep be the factor that brings the plan to ruin."


    The rest of them nodded at Jason''s words. They all sat or lay down in different parts of the cage.


    Jason closed his eyes and began cultivating with his legs crossed. He needed more strength to survive in this world.


    Time while cultivating always had an ethereal and odd feeling. He had thought he had only been cultivating an hour or so when he felt a nudge on his shoulder and opened his eyes to see Prisha holding out a water skin and two pieces of bread.


    "Here eat. You haven''t eaten anything for a long time. Drink some water as well."


    She sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around he legs.


    Jason was surprised to see that the sky was dark. The light of the multiple campfires the bandits had made flickered and caused shadows to dance.


    Jason accepted the bread and water. He took a deep drink of water. He had been more thirsty than he thought. As the water washed down his throat he felt cool relief.


    He started eating one of the loaves of bread before noticing she was not eating anything.


    "Where is your food?" He asked her.


    "I already ate."


    Jason eyed her and noticed her facial expression seemed odd. Then he understood.


    He held out one of the loaves of bread towards her.


    "Take it."


    "I already ate. I told you." She responded to his offer.


    Jason shook his head and grinned at her saying. "I''m not a fool. You can''t trick me. Take the food. I''m fine."


    She seemed unwilling so he continued. "If you don''t take it back I''ll spank you."


    That caught her attention as she grabbed the food and glared at him. "If you dare spank me I''ll crush your balls in your sleep."


    Jason was shocked at her words. He felt his family jewels shrink. "I was just joking I wouldn''t..."


    Before he could finish his words Prisha broke into a chuckle and smiled a wicked smile.


    "Don''t worry I''m just messing with you. You can''t be the only one allowed to tease people right?" A blush crept onto her face as she said the words though. She started eating the bread.


    Jason chuckled and made note not to underestimate the woman. He looked over at her as she nibbled on the bread and noticed her closeness. He could smell her scent. He marvelled at the smell of the beautiful woman.


    "You said something about students before. Are you a teacher?" He wanted to keep his mind off dirty thoughts so he started a conversation.


    At his question, Prisha looked over at him. "Yes. I taught in middle school. 6th grade actually. What about you? What did you do?"


    "I was a labourer. Nothing special. I couldn''t afford college growing up. I took the first job that would accept me and didn''t look back. I had to look after my grandfather. Did you like teaching?"


    "I loved it. It was always my dream to teach even as a child. Though my parents always said a woman belonged in the house. They were very traditional. I was always being sent on marriage meetings with any man they thought acceptable. It was infuriating."


    "I''m sure they meant well. My grandfather always forced his views on me too, but now that he isn''t here I miss him alot."


    "No parents?" Prisha asked with a gentle voice.


    "No, they died while I was still a baby. It''s just me and my grandfather. WAS me and my grandfather anyways." Pain flashed in Jason''s eyes at the thought of never seeing the old man again.


    Prisha understood the look. "I miss my parents too. What I miss most though is my students and teaching. It sucks to think I''ll probably never teach again."


    Jason shook his head at her and said "who ever said you won''t teach again?"


    Prisha was confused. "We don''t even know how to go back to earth. How am I supposed to teach again?"


    "There are probably children in this world aren''t there?" Jason nudged his shoulder against hers and grinned at her as he said it.


    A look of realization crossed Prisha''s face and she smiled as she thought about the possibility. A small bit of strain and pressure seemed to come off her shoulders at the thought. "You''re right."


    The two huddled together and ate the bread. Every once in a while passing the water skin back and forth. An ambiguous and warm atmosphere surrounded them.

 Chapter 9 Plan In Motion

    Chapter 9


    As the ruddy glow of day changed into the star-filled night Jason listened to the nightlife. He noticed the sound of night wasn''t that different from Earth''s. He could hear crickets and even spotted a few lightning bugs flitting between trees. He thought it odd two entirely different planets had some similar animals. He thought about that for a while then looked to the sky full of stars and the moons.


    He still couldn''t get used to there being two moons in the night sky. They felt dreamlike and unreal hanging in the sky as they did. They drove home the fact this wasn''t Earth.


    Jason wondered if he was in a coma and this was all a dream. He thought he might just suddenly wake up. He thought about the pain the shackles had given him. That pain felt VERY real. How could that have been a dream? He knew he had to accept it.


    He looked back down from the starry night sky and over at his companions. All of them had fallen asleep at this point.


    Prisha had fallen asleep leaning against a bar. She had a look of irritation on her face, seemingly not comfortable leaning against the metal. She had fallen asleep shortly after the meal.


    Angela was curled into the fetal position. She still showed her true feeling in her sleep. The young girl may have seemed to come alive at the thought of escape, but in her sleep she couldn''t hide her true feelings. The pretty young lass had fear etched into her face as she slept.


    Samire had his back to Jason and lay on his side. He was on the other side of the cage and Jason could see the rise and fall of his breathing. Jason''s night vision was better than most now, but he could still only see such detail up to 10 feet away.


    The fires had died down leaving only a few embers. The camp was mostly dark.


    Jason noticed a few shadows moving at the edge in the clearing. Night watch no doubt. He thought as he continued watching. He wanted to understand their habits better. He would need the info soon.


    As night dragged on and Jason thought he found a pattern and noticed their shifts he came to the conclusion it would be hard to break out of this camp unnoticed.


    It might become a chase. But how are we supposed to outrun them? He didn''t want to think about it but he had. He didn''t have much hope in their escape plan. He looked at Angela and Prisha. He remembered Angela having trouble keeping up on the hour walk from where they came to this world.


    He also looked at Prisha''s feet. She had removed her "shoes" to relieve her pain. Her feet had multiple bruised areas and blisters. He thought about her running in those shoes from these men. He didn''t want to think about it.


    He gave up thinking about their situation for now. They had to try. There was nothing to lose.


    He closed his eyes and resumed meditation. Meditation was the way to increase his cultivation speed and he had to master it. He was much better off now with the techniques from his inheritance etched into his mind, but he needed practice.


    He dove into that inner world and began operating the Dragon''s breath technique.


    In truth, Dragon''s Breath was always working. Even while doing something else, the technique drew in qi and natural power slowly polishing and growing his fire core and adding purified qi to his dantian. It was just slow. Meditation accelerated that process.


    While meditating he could also contemplate on his soul and mind. Slowly polishing the two as well. The soul was an important part of the human cultivator. Without its power he would have trouble controlling the qi he drew into his body. He wouldn''t able to use the power like an extension of himself. He would also have trouble gathering qi and natural power quickly and integrating it into the core, dantian and the stream that coursed through his body.


    He was in a world all his own. Outside influence did not distract him anymore. He did his best to use the Dragon''s breath technique to its utmost. He drew qi and natural power in faster. Slowly but surely the process picked up speed. Hours crept by.


    He could still tell he was falling short of perfection and by a large margin. The speed should be much greater than this. The stream was moving much faster now but the information he had in his head told him Dragon''s Breath was much greater than this. As he operated Dragon''s Breath he found it much harder to control as he sped things up.


    He continued increasing the speed anyways. The stream was like a path of shooting stars and light in his mind''s eye. It snaked around his body following odd paths. The paths were all predetermined by the dragon''s breath technique and Jason guided the stream along those paths.


    Faster and faster. Qi and natural energy flowed in at an ever-increasing pace.


    He watched in delight as his core formed faster. He had reached 15 percent completion. His punches and kicks could now carry some natural force. He could send some of his qi through the still not finished core and incorporate that energy into his strikes.


    He could start a fire with nothing but his hands right now. That wasn''t impressive but what if he used that power while punching someone''s face. The burns would be pretty horrible. Not to mention the force of his punch. The qi and fire energy would make his punches and kicks truly dangerous.


    The amount of fire element he could use much was not much though. The core was still fragile. Not much energy had accumulated in It. Forcing too much qi through it could damage it. Damaging the core could set him back. He would have to start reforming a new core. If he passed FAR too much through he could actually permanently be unable to form that core. Without all of his mortal cores he would never be able to even begin forming his dan cores.


    As Jason marvelled at his increased speed in forming the core and his intake of qi he suddenly felt pain in his chest. It was a sharp pain.


    He stopped pushing the dragon''s breath so hard and immediately slowed down, coming to a slow steady and natural pace.


    Jason knew what the pain meant. He was sick with worry. It was him rushing too much. He had deviated the stream from its path. He hadn''t meant to do it, but the speed of the stream had increased far too much. His concentration had slipped and his soul had trouble controlling the power.


    In a way, his qi had picked up inertia and power as its speed increased. Jason noticed an increase in power when this happened, but he felt his control of that power slip. The stream deviated and the qi stream passed through a part of his chest it was not supposed to.


    Jason used his spirit sense to investigate the damage when he got the stream back under control. It was as if the cells had aged. They seemed withered. He understood. The had bathed in too mucj qi and had been fried with pure life force. He felt a cold sweat.


    This could have been worse. I need to be damn carefull!


    He was very lucky. He had only deviated slightly and the damage would heal quickly. He knew that cultivators could kill themselves with their own power, but he had charged ahead anyway. The thought scared him. He knew it was a possibility but he didn''t think it could happen to him. Not so soon.


    Jason thought about it and realised where he went wrong.


    Thought you were a genius huh? Thought you were some badass right? Well you''re not. You''re just a normal guy. You''re the dumbass who got caught by slavers. Don''t overreach yourself fool.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Jason wanted to kick himself. He was getting sloppy. He was rushing and he was being stupid.


    He opened his eyes eyes and looked back up at the start sky. Resolve filled his eyes and he lowered his head. He closed his eyes once again and resumed operating Dragon''s breath.


    This time he took a moderate speed. He actually noticed that the purity of the qi added to his dantain was better now. He once again wanted to kick himself. He had been rushing so much he had even got sloppy purifying the qi. His qi stream had picked up impurities.


    Jason would have to spend extra time purifying his stream. It would slow him down.


    There was nothing he could do about it. He treated it as a lesson learned and began slowly purifying the stream and dantian. The process took half the night and wasted much time, but he was happy to finally have an almost pristine and pure dantian and qi stream.


    The impurities left were the ones he was too unskilled to remove just yet and where not because of his blunder. He couldn''t perfectly clean the qi he pulled in currently. He had to practice the dragon''s breath more and master it. He also needed to work on his soul''s ability to controll qi and natural power.


    After he had finished cleaning up his own mistake and begun operating the dragon''s breath without distraction for a few hours he felt a hand on his shoulder shaking him.


    Jason opened his eyes and found himself face to face with Samire. He smiled and held out bread and water to Jason.


    "You meditate a lot.... That is what you''re doing right?" Samire asked with an odd look on his face.


    Jason nodded. "My grandfather taught me. It''s pretty effective at calming the mind and resting the body."


    Samire pointed to the camp and noted "They are preparing to set out on the road. I wonder how they handle the cages."


    Samire''s answer came shortly. The group was ordered from the cage and then one of the bandits touched a part of the cage. To the shock of the small group the cage started folding in on itself. The effect was eerie.


    The group was brought to a carriage with an open top and told to board. In between the two rows of seats there was a bar. When getting on the carriage the chains of their shackles were passed around it. The bar was then locked and secured. Unless they could destroy the bar or remove their hand there would be no escape.


    The carriage bumped along all day. It only stopped for lunch where the bandits simply started a fire on the side of the road to heat food and left their prisoners on the carriage. Bread was thrown to the prisoners to eat with another waterskin.


    Jason quickly ate and closed his eyes to meditate again. He had not time. He only had one day to cultivate. He hoped he could form another 5 percent of his fire core today. If he could do that his confidence in escaping would increase. It was distracting to bump along the road like they where but at least it was better than nothing.


    As the day passed Jason avoided talking and doing much of anything besides meditating and internalizing a martial art his inheritance contained. It was one that could be trained at his current low level. He wouldn''t be able to use most of its mystical power just yet but the basics of the martial art didn''t require large amounts of power.


    Dragon''s Fist was a tricky martial art. Its strikes were tyrannical and fierce, seeming like meteors at times. Or the strikes could be like a serpent and they would wrap around and strike at odd locations and angles.


    The most fearsome part of the martial arts technique is the hidden claw.


    As he currently was, using the claw was dangerous. His body was not very strong yet. The stress of using the claw portion of the martial art "dragon''s fist" was too much for the joints in his hand.


    All of the power and force of the strike would be concentrated on his fingers and that was too much. He might break or shatter his figures as they currently were. He needed to wash his bones more before trying. He needed to train his body.


    As day turned to night the carriages came to a stop and the bandits began setting up camp. The slaves were put in cages again and the camp calmed for the night. These bandits seemed very experienced at setting up and breaking camp.


    After another meal, the camp began preparation for night watch shifts and sleep.


    Everyone looked at Angela and then their gazes looked to Darek who sat 15 feet away at a dying fire with a few bandits drinking. The man had a way with buttering people up Jason had to admit to himself. He watched as Darek slapped another man on the back and shook with low laughter.


    Jason hated the big man. He had been a problem from the very beginning. The big man was arrogant and aggressive.


    Jason took a second to wonder if Angela could do this. If they were discovered attempting to take the device from Darek the escape plan would end instantly.


    He put his worries away as the group all nodded to one another and the plan started. Everyone besides Angela took up sleeping positions and closed their eyes. If everyone in the group was watching like it was a big show Angela would have a hard time convincing Darek something shady wasn''t going on.


    After they all settled into their spots and began taking the slow rhythmic breaths of the sleeping Angela looked over to Darek and called him over carefully to receive as little attention from the other bandits as she could.


    As Darek noticed Angela beckoning to him he stood and approached. There was a wobble to the man''s gait and the he smelled like alcohol. Angela fought back a grin at the smell.


    "What do you want." Darek said with arrogance. "You want a piece of daddy here?" Darek thought his own words funny and laughed. He was past trying to be seen as the hero anymore.


    Angela showed an embarrassed look and lowered her head. She opened her mouth and said in a voice only audible to those very close to her. "Maybe."


    Darek stood in place for a second shock evident on his face. Then a slippery smile greased it''s way onto his face and he stepped forward.


    "Ooohhh is that so? What you couldn''t resist any more?" He seemed to be enjoying the exchange but even in his drunk state, he wasn''t buying the flip in Angela''s behavior. She had not ever shown hostility to him but she was part of this group of people and obviously this group didn''t like him. He was drunk but not sloppily so.


    Angela showed an expression of being called out on something and then stammered "No. Well yes. No. What I mean is." A blush furiously spread on her face. She was extremely adorable. She knew just what bottoms to push.


    Darek was stunned by the look. He stood in place for a full 5 seconds before a smile inched onto his face and he took one long step towards the cage and planted himself nearly against the bars.


    He looked Angela up and down before saying "What are you up to girly? You seducing me? Why?"


    Angela''s blush deepened and she seemed to have trouble speaking the words. She mumbled in a voice barely audible to Darek.


    "I need your protection." She seemed ashamed.


    Dareks eyes lit with ill-concealed glee. He leaned against the bars with a savage grin on his face.


    Angela stepped closer on her side and whispered in a voice noone else could hear besides Darek.


    "If I take the leaders deal I will be in a camp full of men. I will be in combat. I''m a woman." She phased and then continued. "I need a man to look after me. The two men here," she gestured to the 2 young men in the cage with her. "Won''t be enough to protect me." She seemed desperate.


    She lowered her head so that Darek couldn''t see her face. Her shoulders shook. She trembled like a kitten. She was absolutely adorable. She seemed weak and powerless. Her hand shook as it reached out and grabbed the edge of his armor.


    Darek swallowed back saliva and a foolish grin spread his lips. His posture relaxed even more and he said "So you need a big tough guy to protect you? What do I get in return? I''m sure the job is dangerous. Just think about it. I have to protect you from this camp full of vicious men? Very dangerous. Very dangerous indeed."


    His posture was sloppy and his words slurred a few times as he said it. He continued. "I wonder what these men would do to you if they could?"


    Angela''s shaking intensified. She looked up into Darek''s eyes and begged. "Please don''t let that happen. I can be useful. I can be good." She pasted herself against him from her side of the bars.


    Darek smile was demonic and oddly foolish as well. He reached through the bars and grabbed a handful of Angela''s ass. She trembled and seemed to panic for a split second before freezing in place.


    "You understand my meaning I''m sure. When you''re a good girl I''ll treat you well. Noone will harm you as long as I''m protecting you."


    Angela fought back the urge to spit on him and smiled at him. She started talking. "So when I join tomorrow you will protect me. I can be good. I can be a good girl. I know what to do. I think."


    The two people had been slowly getting closer to each other the entire time. They had started leaning against each other at one point. Darek seemed full of vigour and like a wolf about to pounce. While Angela seemed like a lamb sent for slaughter.


    This suited Darek''s sensibilities just fine. Darek began to whisper what he considered smooth talk into Angela''s ears as his hand which hadn''t left her butt, caressed her cheeks.


    The fabric of her jeans was thin and tight. She could feel his hands perfectly. She fought back the urge to puke. She was disgusted by this big man. He smelled like sweat and horse shit. His smile was greasy and disgusting, but she had to maintain the facade.


    She took a step back after a few minutes of Darek''s self-perceived "suave" pick up artistry and said "I have to sleep. Tomorrow morning come and get me. I''ll accept the boss''s deal. After that I''m your woman. That''s the deal. You have to treat me well." She blushed at her own words.


    Darek chuckled in a disgusting manner.


    "Hehe don''t worry I will take very good care of you." He emphasized the word very and chuckled again.


    Angela lay in the corner and curled up in a ball.


    Darek eyed her plump butt and drooled a bit. After a while he wiped his drool and wandered back to the camp fire.


    Back in the cage Angela smiled a wicked little smile as she gripped an object in her hand.


    The plan had started in earnest. If they were caught now everything would be over before it began. They had started down the path of no return.