Another week passed simply enough, and Kai was glad because it gave him more time to train. He finished mastering his shroud well enough that the other crystalliers couldn't sense anything about him and drained qi crystals until he reached 99%, then right up to the breaking point. Sometimes he felt like his body was surging with energy, ready to go over the edge, but he held himself back.
With no emergencies on the horizon, the crystalliers appeared to be relaxing. Half of the group was going to deal with a monster problem while the other half stayed back and had another feast. Zae Zin Nim decided that she wanted to go with Uarania to set up their duels, leaving him with the rest at another party.
Kai let himself be dressed properly for it, since Krainuun had been so helpful and it seemed to matter to him. He'd been nicely dressed and clean-shaven most of the time, since he'd come to Romastir. As usual he'd neglected such elements in favor of raw power, but his social appearance was also relevant to his goals.
Or at least that was what he told himself while he burned time at the feast.
"This idea of formal duels is ridiculous," Ailag was telling him while they ate beside one of the tables. "The two of you have barely arrived, there's no sense in disrupting the rankings so early."
"What happens if more crystalliers arrive?" Kai asked.
"You expect that to happen soon? No, the two of you showing up together was already enough surprises for the whole year."
"But why couldn't there be more? Why not take some of the strongest fighters from the hunters and give them enough crystals to cultivate? Even if the gold to crystal ratio gets worse, it should still be possible, for the funds of an entire city."
Ailag snorted. "You really think some random brawler would become a crystallier if given enough money? No, more likely they'd waste it on booze."
Kai coughed and pointed at the glass in Ailag's hand. The other man scowled and continued more aggressively.
"What I mean, and what you Goralians can't seem to understand, is that there are different classes of people. Everyone working in their place, hasn't anyone told you that? That's how Krysal works, and we work a hell of a lot better than you. Everyone earns what they're worth, and the fact is that only a few of them have what it takes to be a crystallier."
The smart thing to do would be to let Ailag rant. Maybe find someone better to talk to: Naellia was lingering nearby with a sour expression and Norgoan stood on the other side of the table. Kai had had a few drinks, but he was nowhere near drunk enough to start arguing with someone about that sort of thing. In his experience no one's mind was ever changed and it just wasn't worth it.
"Let's face it," Ailag went on, "we are what fate makes us. People are born in their proper place and there's no sense trying to undo the natural order."
"And what did you do to earn your position?" Kai spat out the words before he thought better of it, then it was too late. But ever since Zae Zin Nim had told him about most the crystalliers buying their way, he couldn't let it go. "How much of your crystal cultivation is nothing but your father's money?"
"Don't be a fool! I cultivated every bit of that qi, crystal by crystal. You think I haven't worked hard to get here? Do you know how many challengers I've beaten to get this far?"
"You've worked, but have you worked half as much as the average crystal miner? Your idea of hard work seems to be drinking most days and occasionally cultivating when you get around to it."
Ailag flushed so much it was visible even on his dusky skin. He tossed aside his wineglass and jabbed Kai in the chest. "Take that back, foreigner. The fact that you spend all day sweating and stinking doesn't make you better than me."
Kai's head was still buzzing, not at all from the alcohol. He knew that getting into an argument was stupid and things were getting out of hand, but he didn't want to stop. And why should he? There were no rules against a fight between crystalliers and it would let him find out if they really were holding secrets in reserve.
And it would feel so good to wipe that smug look off Ailag's face.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"Now see here, no roughhousing." Norgoan turned toward them like an adult rebuking children. "Kai, you don't know Krysal and I can see how you came to the wrong conclusion, but-"
"How many of your parents were workers?" Since he was drawing all the attention, Kai raised his voice and just addressed everyone in the garden. "Of all the crystalliers in the city, how many of them weren't born into the upper classes? One or two, maybe? You say everyone is where they belong, but how the fuck do you know? You never even gave them a chance!"
Ailag grabbed the front of his tunic and Kai turned to him, intending to stare him down. To his surprise, the crystallier lifted him into the air and smashed him into the feast food. Kai found himself on his back amid shards of plates with food squelching underneath him.
"I'm sick of that attitude!" Ailag snarled. He struck Kai across the face as he kept speaking. "We let you into our city, treat you like royalty, and you just keep throwing this superiority at us?"
He struck out again and Kai marveled that it didn't really hurt. Ailag hadn't summoned any crystal weaponry and his Physique itself wasn't that strong, even with his cultivation behind it. If Kai used his full power, he might be able to end it in a single claw or bite.
"If you think you're so much stronger, then prove it!" Ailag punched him again from the other side. "We don't need a duel, I can show you right here!"
Another punch knocking his head in the other direction. Kai calmly observed that the others at the party were watching, only a few afraid and mostly mildly amused, as if this was entertainment. In that moment, Kai decided that he was going to fight purely with his human abilities. It would be the true test of whether or not he'd completed his shroud and other training.
When the next punch came, Kai caught the man's fist. Ailag had a moment to look startled before Kai lunged up and headbutted him in the face.
The crowd gasped as the crystallier fell back and Kai flipped back to his feet. His clothes were ruined, but he didn't care, he felt alive. Across from him, Ailag stumbled to his feet. He concentrated on his crystal core and began forming armor, but his skills had been developed in duels and shows, not actual life and death combat.
Before he could finish forming a weapon, Kai kicked him in the chest and sent him tumbling across the garden.
As Ailag got back to his feet, succeeding in gathering a weapon this time, Kai looked at him with his spiritual sight again.
<
Name: Ailag of Romastir
Total Power: 116
Crystal Cultivation: 2304 (72)
Physique Level: F-5 (40)
Soul Level: 2 (4)
>
He wasn't impressed. Kai might not have made as much progress as he wanted, but Ailag had only cultivated a few crystals and increased his Power by a single measly point. Zae Zin Nim had been right, these crystalliers were the children of privilege, like Fhazi with more money behind them. Whatever else crystal cultivation accomplished, it allowed for a society built on inequality.
"You haven't earned a damn thing in your life." Kai thrust a finger across the garden, forcing everyone's attention. "I'm a nobody. If you can't even beat me, then your fancy system isn't worth much."
Ailag let out a cry and leapt at him, this time using his full cultivation. That brought his speed up to dangerous levels, and Kai had to admit that he wasn't massively superior when it came to raw human power. But he was absolutely better when it came to combat experience and keeping a level head.
It had been easy to bait Ailag and make him charge in an obvious way. When he rushed forward, Kai kicked a bowl of fallen meat into the air at his opponent's face. Ailag bashed it away with his crystalline sword, which left him wide open.
Kai grabbed his arm and slammed him to the ground. He raised one leg to stomp down at him and end the fight before it could get started, only to be blocked by a crystal gauntlet.
"That's enough!" Norgoan stepped into his path, almost fully covered by crystal armor that was spreading over everything but his face. "Ailag, apologize for being a brat. Kai, apologize for all these accusations against Romastir."
"Why should I?" Kai took a step back and smirked for the crowd. "You haven't proven them untrue, you haven't even argued them. I'm starting to think that you're all convinced of your superiority for no reason at all."
He knew he was going too far, but finally yelling these things in someone's face was an addictive rush. Norgoan's eyes hardened and then the crystals closed over his head. That was all the warning Kai got before one of the gauntlets flew at his face.
If it had come down to power and speed alone, Kai might have been struck. But he had been sparring against Zae Zin Nim and others more powerful than him for a long time, so he wasn't taken off guard when an opponent was unexpectedly dangerous. He turned aside the blow with one hand, then drove his other fist into the armor's elbow. Though he didn't break through, crystals shattered at the impact and Norgoan looked down in surprise.
"You..." His voice faded, then returned as a growl. "You're a brat with no idea of the scale of the world. If you need an object lesson to understand, I'll give you one right now!"
Kai mostly ignored his shouting and instead tried to examine him with spiritual sight. Unfortunately, it looked like the top crystallier was using a shroud, a strong enough one that could obscure his soul even in battle, likely until he used everything. Since he couldn't get a clear look and hadn't managed to penetrate the armor yet, Kai dodged backward as Norgoan took a swing at him.
Ailag was back on his feet and stabbing a sword at him again, but Kai easily jumped to the other side of the garden. He turned back to face the two of them and raised his hands to either side.
Whatever he'd planned to say didn't matter, because at that moment a crystal knife bit into his side.