The following morning, he was woken up to an insistent banging on the door to the room. Jumping out of bed, nearly getting tangled up in the sheets, Evan realized that he was so comfortable he had overslept.
On today of all days, he had expected to wake earlier, not later. Today was the day he stepped upon the path to greatness and immortality – the day he became a cultivator!
He called out, informing whoever at the door he was awake and getting dressed. They yelled back that he should head outside afterwards, they were waiting for him. Evan could hear them walk off after that.
In a frenzy he donned his clothes, having taken them off the night before in order to preserve their cleanliness – it was rare that his clothes felt as clean as they did, and today was a big day. Some people at the orphanage would never take even the small step he would today.
At that he was reminded that he was only taking this step today because he had basically signed his own death warrant. That thought sapped away much of his excitement, but not all of it. He was still determined to succeed, and the transformation he would undergo today happened only once.
Having a clearer head and away from the panic-inspiring David, he realized that even if his odds of making it home were low, it was unlikely he would perish anytime soon. After all, they still had to train him. Despite David’s earlier remarks, he wasn’t someone who could simply be handed a weapon or cultivation and pushed out into the battlefield – crafting could appear simple, but between the inscriptions and the specifics of how his intent worked, it was a complicated affair that took a lifetime to even approach mastery, not to mention what they might get up to off world.
Because of this, it would be surprising if they sent him somewhere dangerous in the beginning – as he was now, there was very little he could do between his lack of training and small imbuement power.
Voidships were a good example of this – far beyond even traditional spaceships, they worked on the same principles he would soon be learning, just orders of magnitude more complex and powerful. He could imagine it took a true master of formations to be qualified to even do maintenance on such a vehicle. Someone like him would do more harm than good.
Remembering the attendant’s words yesterday, he had a long way to go even if his intent “bandwidth” was pretty good thanks to his talent.
Rushing out the door, he scrambled down the stairs getting some unfriendly looks on the way, no doubt annoyed with his actions so early in the morning. As he stepped outside The Rare Tusk, he was greeted by an imposing man who looked a little bored until he spotted Evan. Then he just looked angry.
“Get inside the coach, boy. Everyone’s been waiting for you.” His voice was gruff, and despite looking to only be in his thirties had the same cadence to it as an elder scolding a child. As he climbed inside, the words the man had said reached him. Everyone?
As in, there were others staying at the inn? David had mentioned he was the first, but he had shown up early. Others surely would have arrived throughout the day, even if The Rare Tusk was for the more talented or in his case, those enlisting. Maybe both?
Sure enough, inside the coach sat three others – two guys and one girl. They were all his age – everyone interested would get tested as soon as they could, and they wouldn’t test you for free if you looked much older than 18. All of them looked to him as one, but only one of the guys looked impatient.
Before anyone else could speak, the girl spoke up. “Hey, nice to meet you. Don’t worry about being last, Alex here,” The guy sitting next to her, who he presumed was Alex, started to speak but she raised her voice slightly and he let the words die in his throat. “Would have slept in himself if I hadn’t woken him up. You’re getting some Substance today too, right? Are you excited?” Her voice was sweet but also had the confidence of someone used to getting their way, tinged with excitement.
If he was being honest, he was excited, the cost of becoming a cultivator be damned.
“Yeah, I can’t wait.” He noticed from the way they were dressed, and their general demeanor – that is, their openness – that they were from the third section. All of them seemed excited, even the other guy who had seemed annoyed with him – but that was all. It was a life-changing event for them, as it was for everyone, but in all likelihood it was just a matter of time for them instead of the elevation of status it would be for him.
That was what it meant to live in the third section; it meant that your parents, whoever they were, likely already had at least one Collapse to their name, and would help their children to get theirs. Were any of them but him destined for service? They would probably have debts, training for craftsmen wasn’t cheap after all.
Another question arose – if they weren’t joining the military, did that mean they were all staying at The Rare Tusk by virtue of their talent alone? That was what David had led him to believe.
“My name is Alaina, and this is Alex.” Alaina looked askance at the other man. A heartbeat passed as he deliberated before responding.
“I’m Luke Moss.” That was the first time someone had given him their last name in a long time. Most people had them, but presenting your last name was more formal than idle conversation usually warranted.
“I’m Evan. It’s nice to meet you too; and yes, I’m excited. I didn’t realize there was anyone else in the inn who had passed their test – what are you guys’ training for, and are you guys receiving training from Starspire?” He felt that was a subtle enough way of asking if they were entering the service without revealing he himself was.
It was embarrassing how bad a contract he had signed without knowing it.
In the future, I’ll have to play it off that I’m just that confident, and not a naïve idiot.
As he waited for them to answer, if they answered at all – it was somewhat personal – he settled in inside the coach as they got moving. It wasn’t very big – only big enough for about the four people inside to sit comfortably, with two in the front and back, completed by the doors on either side. Such a design was standard, he was coming to find.
Alaina was the first to speak – she seemed the most comfortable with other people. “I’m studying alchemy. One of my great-grandparents was an alchemist and left behind some textbooks, so after I get some training with Starspire I can use those.”
Alex, seeing Alaina share so thoroughly, winced but shared his chosen field. “I’m studying alchemy as well.”
“I chose arrays – I like the wide-scale and powerful effects of formations but don’t like how static they are.” Surprisingly, Luke was more open than he’d expected.
“I myself chose formations. There’s just something about formations that leaves me in wonder.” Since Luke gave his reason, he’d do the same since he originally asked. It only seemed fair.
It appeared that nobody else was willing to outright state who would be doing their training or where they were headed, save for Alaina, who seemed rather proud of her heritage. He couldn’t blame her, but already he had gotten the impression that any form of training or knowledge about a profession was incredibly valuable – he had asked about the debt he would take on should he not join the military, and it wasn’t cheap. To admit the presence of the books so openly, even inside the well-patrolled third section, struck him as a little foolhardy.
He wouldn’t have known if the debt they quoted him was massively inflated, but it wasn’t something he had ever heard from the craftsmen he sought advice from, and while he was oblivious to the value of those things, he was sure there was plenty of people who wouldn’t be, even in the fourth section. He was unlucky to be lacking a typical education or advice from parents he didn’t have, but that didn’t describe everyone – there was no need for Starspire to risk it on a small-fry like him.
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Along the way to their destination Alaina tried to strike up a conversation several times, but each time it died off after a few brief responses from himself and Luke. Neither of them seemed to be in a chatty mood, despite the undercurrent of excitement that lingered. It made him wonder about Luke’s circumstances.
Eventually, after some time, the coach came to a stop and the doors were opened. Before him, just off the main road, sat the building that would change their lives forever. It wasn’t unique, far from it, but even still it was a sight to behold.
Simultaneously it seemed to scream wealth and danger in equal amounts. It featured high stone walls, and although he could not see anyone, he was sure there were powerful cultivators within. Those same walls were adorned in murals depicting cultivation, awash with bright colors that looked brand new despite their age. Past the gate – yes, a gate – he could make out a central courtyard filled with beautiful green plants, some clearly magical. It was essentially a miniature fortress inside the city.
As the gate opened – quite quickly, and silently at that – he was sure that if he had the time to close his eyes and sense his soul, the entire structure would be absolutely swimming in Substance. There was surely a way to hide intent or Substance, so he was sure it wouldn’t look equally covered in formations, but he was also sure it was deeply tied together by many imbuements of great strength.
The reason for this incredible defense was simple – this was where people came to cultivate Substance, meaning that not only was incredible wealth always present in the building, ripe for the taking in a very literal sense, but also that said wealth was locked away in private chambers that only contained a single person, who could very well be a mortal taking in Substance for the first time.
Cultivation was a private affair, and many did not wish for anyone to know the exact composition of their soul, so the privacy of each chamber would be guaranteed.
All of these factors meant that cultivation chambers were excellent targets for infiltration, assassination, and theft. Simultaneously, they were places that were only used by those with serious wealth in their hands, creating the scene placed before Evan.
A place that he himself was making use of. Seeing such a sight and knowing that he was a part of that exclusive club that made use of it, sent a surge of giddiness through him. Today was a day he would never forget.
The four of them exited the coach and were escorted through the open, inviting gate by the same man as before. The courtyard within was beautiful, the plants positively radiating vitality and a sense of growth. Some of them even glowed, and if he was educated on the matters of magical plants he might have even spotted a few.
Wandering the courtyard he spotted a few other individuals, many older and here of their own accord. Some of them had the same vigilance to them he had spotted on seasoned hunters or soldiers, while others were more carefree – either those simply born to the privilege of becoming a cultivator or an experienced craftsman used to the fruit of their labors.
He wondered whether any of them were like him, craftsmen who had joined the military but finished their service. Would he possess that same vigilance one day soon, always on the lookout for danger?
They lingered in the courtyard for a few minutes until a woman entered and upon spotting them walked over. She was faster than a mortal, but not by much. Handing over a few slips of paper to their guide – four, it looked like – she turned back around and left the courtyard.
“Alright, I have your room numbers here. Each of you step and give me your full name. One at a time. Afterwards you are to immediately head there, use the signs for directions. Inside the chamber you will find a button and lever. The button will call for a meal but will only work if the lever is up.” He waited a moment for us all to take that in.
“Once you pull the lever the room will be emptied of all possible unbound Substance. Do this first or you will pollute your soul. Afterwards you can begin to open the Substance containers you paid for, which for you lot are already inside.” Seeing we had no problems or questions with that, he continued.
“They will emit Substance faster the more you open them, and if you pull the lever back up and call for a meal, it is likely that opening the chamber will allow some Substance still present to escape or allow for foreign Substance to enter the chamber. Pulling the lever down empties the room of all unbound Substance, so don’t call for a meal until you’ve cultivated all the present Substance.” He stopped speaking for a moment, giving us each a stern glare before continuing.
“Once you enter the chamber and seal it, the responsibility has left our hands. Keep that in mind before you do something stupid. Step forward.” Having already gotten into an orderly line – there were only four of us after all – we each stepped forward to receive our room numbers.
Evan learned the last names of everyone present, and received strange glances when they realized he didn’t have one himself. Their full names were Alaina Wright, Alex Callahan, and of course Luke Moss. His room number received, he headed for the stairs. He wasn’t sure if that was a privilege.
Along the way he noticed several guards, along with some mortals carrying meals. All of this – the building itself, the courtyard, the special chambers, the security, and the food – must cost a pretty penny. Was it so worthwhile? For some high-profile people he could understand, but the average successful soldier or hunter? It didn’t make sense to him. Surely there were less expensive options if you just wanted the chamber itself, and didn’t scream wealth.
He was hungry, having slept through breakfast that morning, and he didn’t want to start his journey to immortality and success on an empty stomach, so before he even shut the chamber, he pressed the button that would call for a meal. He smiled – that was convenient.
Now that moment was upon him, he felt a little nervous. There was no reason for it – it wasn’t like the test, where he could fail – everything with a soul could cultivate, and while the speed at which one could do so varied from person to person, it wasn’t to such a large degree that anyone could be said to be unable to do so at all – at most, it would take a little more time, and even that would be increased as the size of one’s soul increased from cultivation.
No, he was nervous because nothing seemed real. He had worked since he was a young child for this moment, but a part of him just couldn’t seem to accept that things had worked out, even if his future was filled with peril and uncertainty. Any moment he would wake up and it would all be a dream, or something would happen and take everything away.
Glancing at the Substance container, it looked extravagant. It was shaped like an oversized and bulky bottle, with a nozzle at the top of it that featured a valve he could turn. Its surface was smooth and colorful but for the many markings that adorned it, various inscriptions that would keep the Substance inside from escaping. He didn’t know what inscriptions should really look like in any imbuement, but from the splashes of color it had an artistic flourish to it that most imbued objects lacked.
The container struck a harsh contrast with the chamber itself, with its utilitarian feel and featured only plain stone walls, one of the dullest environments he had ever seen. It was likely meant to be that way, in order to facilitate the meditation required for cultivation. Only inscriptions adorned them.
It could also just be that as far as cultivation chambers go, the one he had been given was cheap. Even still the chamber was impressive, the inscriptions he could see a dizzying mass of curves, lines, and points.
Things such as this room were what impressed him enough to take formations as his field. To most, these lines served no purpose other than as a reminder that whatever they appeared upon was likely imbued. To craftsmen, and those who worked with formations in particular, these inscriptions held a portion of the secrets of an imbuement – like words on a page. He had always wished to learn that language, and soon, he would have the opportunity to.
A short amount of time passed, the minutes seeming to stretch out infinitely as his impatience built to start cultivating. He knew that he would be in this room for some time – at least a week, he would guess. It depended on how diligent he was in absorbing the Substance, and how long he could remain in the meditative trance required.
Deep in thought, he realized the purpose of the courtyard – it was for winding down, staying relaxed and clear-headed between cultivation sessions, a vibrant place that could temporarily replace the dull surroundings of the cultivation chamber.
Extravagant.
Just as he was beginning to brainstorm with what he had read the previous night, a middle-aged man appeared at the threshold to the chamber, a – hopefully – warm meal sitting on a trolley the man had brought. He looked a little winded.
The man ran off after receiving his thanks, and he ate in peace, enjoying the quiet. It was something he had thought of often since the test, but once again, he decided that he could get used to this. He was slightly uncomfortable with how… highly others had thought of him since he passed test. With individuals like the guide from yesterday and the servant from just now, they acted with a deference towards him that was completely foreign.
Others, such as Alaina, Alex, Luke, and David, had treated him as an equal – while not completely foreign, the only ones who thought of him as equals were the other orphans, especially considering he was always trying to get into the good graces of the craftsmen he managed to catch the attention of, in the hopes of some advice, or even an apprenticeship if the stars aligned.
It all felt very strange, but he enjoyed it despite the discomfort. Growing up he had learnt that confidence and self-worth were important, but now it felt as though the idea was being impressed on him rather than him trying to impress it on others.
Finishing his meal, careful not to make a mess, he left the dishes and trash just outside the chamber before pressing the lever and allowing the chamber to seal itself.
It was time for Evan to take the final step of his life as a mortal and the first step towards immortality.