“Apologies, Moderator, but is it possible for my Master to pay the fee for killing Heart’s Disarray through you?” Little Corpse says, bowing with his hand clasped over his fist towards the mobile judge. Is he capable of more than just taking testimony?
“Apologies, but you’d have to pay the fee directly to the Ghost Sect,” he says, bowing slowly. When he straightens he looks at us very sternly. “It would be better if you could come to a peaceful resolution. With your abilities a private war would be detrimental to your peers and surroundings,” the clerk says before closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh.
Tch! I made a dramatic proclamation and everything.
[+1 Resentment Shard]
[Resentment Wallet: 200C.St.,113R.Sl.,123 +1 R.Sh.,12C.M.R.P.,0D.M.R.N.,10I.D.P.,2A.D.P]
[Ghost Pot: +1000/-0]
[Resentment: +7,223,820/-299,121]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,842,241/29,905,015]
[Current Qi: 58,040/957,945,100]
[Max Will: 23,939,304]
[HP: 23,939,304]
[Current Karma: 119,620,063/234,520,515]
[Resentment Wallet: 200C.St.,113R.Sl.,124R.Sh.,12C.M.R.P.,0D.M.R.N.,10I.D.P.,2A.D.P]
[Mortal Wallet: 12E,691K,180P,697R,179Da,258De,2605k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,9579St]
Little Corpse banks the Shard when Poor Pretty moves to pick it up.
“Tch!” Poor Pretty stands up while staring at me, a light glare that still feels impersonal. Am I really still just some random stranger to this psycho?
-Where is this Ghost Sect main branch...?- I say slowly, the world slowly crystallising. If he can move around the different branches as part of the main branch then I won’t lose any progress taking the time to get this resolved.
“Are you serious? This should be entertaining,” he starts off questioning me then murmurs to himself, holding his chin as he turns inward. He nods to himself, which is offensive given his last words, and then lifts his head to look at me. “Come. I will show you the difference between us.
“You are a bank bug? You will learn the gap between your skill and that of a real cultivator,” he tells me.
He pulls something from inside his upper robe, holding up a large elaborate badge shaped like a square rotated until the points were at the top, bottom, and sides. It’s black, gilded with gold, the size of his open hand, and has a long red tassel hanging from the bottom with a rope loop at the top. In comparison my elaborately etched oval badge seems both elegant and clean.
Tch! Wants to be the main character, strikes dramatic poses, and has a massive edge lord’s badge? How good is this main branch that they can give someone like him the power to create the Chains of Heavens and Hells? Or is he truly a genius with a run of bad luck?
“Prepare yourself!” he shouts. Little Corpse shifts, knees bending lightly as red arcs of energy strike the ground around Poor Pretty.
We watch for a bit to see a script circle come into being at his feet that doesn’t extend much past him. Little Corpse frowns, standing up and moving closer as the circle, all floating red and spinning slowly, very artistic, continues to slowly build. And we keep watching. The badge will arc a few times, and then a beam will dance to the ground, connected to the badge before pulling free and adding another part of the circle.
-Looks like it might only be good for one person. Five if everyone hugs,- I point out. It’s very flashy but very slow.
-It’s nearly finished,- Little Corpse sighs, standing up straight and packing in next to Poor Pretty, eyeing the height of his hand to make sure he’s below the badge in case that’s the ceiling for the transfer spell.
-Is it supposed to be this slow or is it charged with Resentment and he’s just really low?- I grumble. Not sure if it’s in the logs, but there’s no way this is supposed to be a quick transfer.
-It’s supposed to be faster, but his concentration is flagging. He’s spent so much time trying to get out of debt that he’d put off eating for a few days. If anything he might pass out before it completes,- Little Corpse informs me and I groan in annoyance. We’re standing here this whole time after his dramatic bull and it might not even work?
Hearing that Poor Pretty is about to pass out from hunger is making me hungry, but I don’t want to start eating just for the circle to finish and Little Corpse to have to do some crazy martial combat nonsense. Waiting this whole time, getting pecking, pulling out a bowl, and then losing it on top of everything else? Tch! And what if my precious dumplings don’t get banked in time and some random monster eats them?
I sigh and resign myself to wait just as I notice that we’re not in the expansive mountain compound. Nor are we in the Graveyards or the Fire Spirit Hell. Wherever we are there are massive trees nearly as wide as I am in my true form towering overhead.
Little Corpse goes into a light crouch, clutching me tightly as we both scan for threats. I don’t see anything except for Poor Pretty face planting, finally passing out, but Little Corpse doesn’t relax at all. I try squirming free, batting at his arm, but he just flinches and keeps scanning.
-I can’t see!-
Oh? I look around and notice that everything is fairly dark with lots of black trunks and blue air, my vision extremely limited, and I’m reminded of first opening my eyes.
-It’s not just dark. There’s something going on here,- I inform Little Corpse. -Tch! It can’t be helped. Wake up Poor Pretty and feed him something basic. Did the bears have any more of that rough bread?-
-Rats, and we were going to try to use it as fertilizer or cooking bricks,- Little Corpse says, his light frown deepening. -I don’t think that will help him recover faster.-
-Tch! He’s a real cultivator! He should be able to live off of cycled Qi alone, huh?!- I snap. Already having to waste food on this asshole, and Little Corpse thinks “rat” bread is too cruel?
That’s the point! Why would we waste good food on someone we’re going to kill? Tch! Or he’s going to die. What are the threats here? No, scratch that. Why treat him better than he’s earned? He’s earned waking up to find out we tied him up and he has to lead us to the Sect on a leash!
-See if we don’t keep him as a pet! An annoying dog that we use to punish people. Let him bark and annoy our enemies!-
Is that the trick? Only have pets that you’re not worried about losing? Or is it make sure you have Familiars powerful enough to survive?
I sigh, lifting and lowering my wings while Little Corpse awkwardly squats and flails.
-Tch! Just meditate until your eyes adjust! Treat it like you told me the Graveyards worked! We’re blind? We need to see? See if you can’t adapt or you’ll die!- I snap.
I narrow my eyes at Poor Pretty. Rat bread is too cruel? Hmm. What about buns? Not stuffed, no sauce or dip or broth! Just plain buns! Not the soft ones! The ones that are only so so...
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
I take great enjoyment forging small hard buns and then giving them to our guide by pelting him in the head. I miss more than I make it, but it’s no matter. In the meantime Little Corpse is chanting mantras and cycling fast as his Mysterious Wealthy Sexy Benefactor-given Core can.
While he’s trying to stabilize his breathing, -- I can ruin his foundation by breaking his concentration? Why’s he using such a dangerous cycling technique! --I sigh because Mister “Do you know who my Sect is?” still hasn’t woken up. I check my Logs to see that we’re not alone and Little Corpse might have been concerned about the people looking on and wondering if we’re an easy target or a threat to avoid.
I turn to look at the nearest tree and wonder if they’re hollow or not. ‘Bout to find out. I skitter over while Little Corpse simultaneously tries to stabilise his breathing and curse me for moving out of easy defense range, and then have a little nibble.
Crackers. As in saltines. The tree crunches like rice cake and tastes like saltines. Comfort trees. Too bad I don’t have any cheese, soup, or an upset tummy, but they are edible.
Today I learned that, as a lesser god of Devouring, if I take a bite out of something and it’s big I can take a me sized chunk out of it while getting the full flavor. So I could have found out what the Fire hells stone tasted like and still dug the tunnel. Tch!
The more I eat the more I want to eat more molten earth and fire resentment. The Fire hell water was like a thick chicken broth and here I am with a year’s supply of saltines. They could go well together. I sigh, get out a cup of tea, refresh my palate, and get back to work carving into the tree.
I’m thinking tree house. Storage at the bottom, stairs leading up a little to an open area where we can meet guests, then up again to a work room, and bedroom at the top. Might chew out windows, dunno, will have to wait to see how I feel later. If I do go the window route Little Corpse can meditate in peace with a view of Poor Pretty outside to make sure he doesn’t get up to anything when he wakes up.
Once I get the bottom floor carved out I go back outside and drag Little Corpse inside. I position him slightly under the steps so that he has cover, ignoring him telling me I can move him to my Void and then just dump him out instead of scooting him around everywhere, and then try to decide how to set up a door.
We never did get our Mascot freebies. Tch! Wards would have been useful to have. I’d go back to the mountain Grounds to see if I could get them without Little Corpse having to be there, but I don’t know where he negotiated for free stuff or with whom.
-Keep studying!- I snap when Little Corpse’s Qi changes as he tries to leave meditation.
And I thought it sucked when I fell asleep and woke up days later. I don’t have to fight to wake up to stop cycling. I just breathe and it works.
Little Corpse grunts and I turn to see if Name Drop is up to see he’s not only awake, he’s eating the buns that I threw at him. So he doesn’t consider sub-branch Disciples as worth his consideration, but he’ll eat food off the floor?
Seeing him eat reminds me that I’m hungry, so I shift until I’m walking on four legs with my upper body mostly hunan. I give myself a soft head-sized steamed bun stuffed with tangy pickled veggies and go in while approaching him. He doesn’t acknowledge me until I plop down and keep eating. I bring out another cup of tea, wash down my food, and keep eating. I need to make more of these, they’re delicious and fun to eat.
When Name Drop sees me drinking he holds out his hand for his own bowl of tea, making a point to turn his head away. I keep eating and just wait to see how long it takes for him to notice I don’t work for him. Doesn’t even try to say please.
-Am I your servant? Why should I give you anything. The buns are because you’re too pathetic to survive without them,- I snap when he turns to glare at me like I’m being rude.
“I’m your guest! You’re supposed to serve me!” he snaps, shaking his head as he looks away, his hand still out.
-*You are not my guest. You are an annoyance. Your rude entitlement blocks out the sun and moons. I’m making a point to humiliate you on your own terms. I am only here to kill you or did you not realize that yet?*-
The absolute balls on this bish. His expression twists, nose wrinkling, head rocking back as his face pulls back in a grimace, and then he’s got the sourest stink face I’ve ever seen. And keeps eating... At least he put that hand down.
When we do fight I’m gonna take his hands first.
When Name Drop finishes he immediately climbs to his feet, dusting off his hands and nodding to himself.
“Come,” Name Drop says, immediately walking off.
-Sit down before I take your legs,- I tell him, popping him in and out of my Void and back on the spot where he collapsed. -We’re not ready to leave yet,- I tell him as I go back to work on the tree house.
“You made shelter,” he says, walking to follow me.
-For myself. Build your own!- I snap before chewing out the stairs to the next level.
The fact that he stops and immediately starts looking around is very confusing. I think I’m watching him come to terms with his mortality in real time. He might think he’s hot shit in the sub-branches, but I guess he really was some random unknown in the main branch.
-I’m ready,- Little Corpse says, waking me from my nap. I think I went to rest my eyes after clearing out the second level.
-Is he still out there or did he take off?-
-He’s downstairs,- Little Corpse informs me.
Tch! That bitch! I told him he can’t come to my house!
-There were some strange wolves. They chased him but stopped when they got to the tree,- Little Corpse says.
Warding trees? Apparently the trees were cultivated and planted to feed on Resentment, naturally purifying the area. The fact that I’m casually eating and shaping one of these trees?
-Be mad at the idiot who told you I was simple!- I snap as Name Drop frowns at me in deep thought.
“It’s hard for most people to survive the trek to the Burning Shadows Sect grounds,” Name Drop informs us from his spot sitting cross-legged staring out the door. He’s got his palms braced against his legs, and I wonder if that’s to stop his hands from shaking. “The death of many powerful cultivators seeking fame and fortune have condensed into packs of devouring shadow wolves and festering rats.”
There are wolves and rats in the forest. Got it. Little Corpse lets out an aggrieved sigh and Name Drop side-eyes him before rolling his eyes in dismissal. He thinks my Servant is afraid of the wolves and mocks him after he ran his happy ass in here to stay safe? Fack, he’s irritating!
I go to see what he’s hiding from and barely make it all the way out of the tree before a pair of deep grey wolves sprints around the tree, heads down, eyes clear and focused. The fact that they don’t make a sound makes me look down. There’s no leaf litter. Wonder if they’d still be quiet even if there were dead leaves everywhere?
[Maul Successful]
[-10 Qi]
[+10 Karma]
[Ghost Pot: +1000/-0]
[Resentment: +7,239,270/-342,052]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1842436/29905277]
[Current Qi: 62180/2394034200]
[Max Will: 23940342]
[HP: 23940342]
[Current Karma: 119621108/234520515]
[-20 x2 HP]
-Ah, shit!- I shout as Name Drop barks out a single “ha” while taking a knee and pointing at me. -Is this funny, asshole?!-
I’d managed to tag one with a Gnashing of Teeth, but when I’d tried to tag the other one nothing had happened. The one that got got thrashed but the other had just kept coming. It’d latched onto me, the one that had been chewed up righting itself and racing over quickly to join in but missing a huge chunk of its side. There’s no blood, organs or bone, just a cutout of its mass that doesn’t appear to affect it in the least.
-Knock it off!- I scream, fighting between keeping my legs in and using them to block so that they don’t grab onto my wings.
[Judgement Successful]
[-100 +Regard]
[-250 Qi]
[+1000 Karma]
[Ghost Pot: +1000/-0]
[Resentment: +7,239,170/-342,052]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,842,436/29,905,527]
[Current Qi: 61,930/2,394,049,200]
[Max Will: 23,940,492]
[HP: 23,940,492]
[Current Karma: 119,622,108/234,520,515]
-That’s it! Everyone’s getting et!- I drop a mill cloud on myself knowing that I’ll survive because I survived the real thing and these aren’t half as powerful.
