Chapter 54

A Major Battle

Rattle-rattle-clap.

Frank felt the links of his chains sliding out the open door of the helicopter. Each link a sign of how much closer he was not only to falling to his own death, but how much additional weight would be added to his body as he made his way to the ground. Only to then be crushed to death by the unrelenting chains.

Chains that should be impossible for a cultivator to manipulate energy through.

Except for Frank, the manacles only made it easier to channel energy, at least negatively charged energy. Which is what Frank used when he simultaneously unlocked half the bindings on his body. One from his arm and one from his leg and then quickly resealed them shut over the arm of the Major.

The Major who had made it a show and spectacle to get rid of deserters.

Frank understood the tactic, kill a kid who was suspected of being a deserter in front of regular troops. Then when the other soldiers saw battle and thought about running, they would know that their fates would be similar if anyone even suspected them of trying to shirk their duties.

In all, Frank could understand the sentiment.

No one liked deserters. Particularly cultivators who had received massive amounts of training and even got an accommodation medal for previous actions.

This was why Frank, understood that something was going to happen, and why he made contingency plans.

Especially after he realized that the survival packs that all of the cultivators who rode with him wore, were in fact parachutes. That was why Frank formed the plan he did.

When he was about to be thrown overboard, Frank attached his manacles to the lead cultivator. Not just the lead cultivator, but the one with possibly the most expensive looking parachute. Or at least the parachute that was in the most pristine of conditions.

Thump.

There was a moment when the chains that bound Frank lurched to a stop. For a moment, there was a pause, a slight resistance.

In that moment, Frank wondered what would happen if the cultivator somehow managed to hang on? To resist his full weight aided by gravity and inertia. The cultivator was powerful, that much was clear. But was he strong enough to resist the full weight and pull of Frank’s dangling body?

Would he be able to hang on long enough for the others to get out the keys and unshackle him? Or worse, have the helicopter lower until he was eventually torn apart by tall trees and large rocks that were appearing all over the place.

These were the thoughts that went through Frank’s mind in that one second of resistance.

Fortunately, the next second proved that Frank’s fears were unfounded. That the cultivator was not strong enough, or at least not aware enough of the impending danger around him to notice the chains that had been bound to him. Likely thinking that they were lingering reminders of when Frank’s chains were momentarily draped over the Major’s arm.

Then before his one-man executioner had a chance to realize what was happening, he too found himself pulled out from the helicopter.

The only difference between the major and Frank was that the major himself had a parachute that was tightly strapped to his body, while all Frank had was chains that connected him to a person with a parachute attached.

“You ….AHHH!” The major yelled the moment he realized what was happening. His words cut short by the biting wind and by the sudden cold air that overtook him and his suddenly interrupted cultivation.

Through the chain, Frank could feel the way the negative energy was fighting with, blocking, pulling, and ultimately stopping the flow of energy within the Major’s body.

The pair fell through the air for a three count, an immortality in cultivator time. Finally after the three count, the self protective nature of the cultivator took over, as he reached up and pulled the first release for his chute.

Poof.

The parachute went off, billowing upward, but quickly failed to unravel as it was pulled too fast, likely by having to carry double the weight as it was originally intended to carry.

Frank watched in horror as the plan he had put so much time into billowed upwards, only to never be able to reach its full potential.

While the parachute did ultimately slow both of their descents, it wasn’t enough to avoid the suddenly approaching ground, or the sudden impact that Frank felt as his back cracked against the hard rocks that lay under him.

Thud-thud-clump.

Frank felt his body crash violently to the ground, back first. Then he felt his body rise up, only to be slammed again, and finally able to land mostly for a third time.

In that second everything hurt, as his hardened bones cracked and vibrated with violent pain as he landed.

Everything ached.

Worse, there was movement as his right arm and left leg were violently picked up and dragged away by the still drifting Major who was being pulled slightly away.

Thud, clump, crash.

The major landed just feet away the parachute gliding and being pulled into the nearby tree.

Crackle-pop.

Though Frank could tell from just the sounds of the second landing that the Major’s landing had been worse.

A quick glance showed how bones around the wrist and ankle area were broken.

With Frank’s Energy Sight, he could see the way the negatively charged energy was already now seeping into the wounds and corroding away bones, blood, and more.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Up here, in the wild lands, even the dirt and trees were corrupted, meaning that just being exposed to the dirt normally was caustic to a normal cultivator.

Seeing the direct impact of such statements being displayed, Frank finally agreed with the messages that had been said in warning.

There was a momentary calm, as Frank mentally focused on the world around him. Parts of his back were broken, his ribs were cracked in multiple places, and he was fairly certain that he had internal injuries.

Frank used the moment to focus on his own situation.

Click-clatter.

The first thing that Frank did after his mind was able to focus long enough on cultivating was, he released the manacles that were still bound to him.

With the manacles off, it became even easier for Frank to sprawl out his body on the ground and use his widened form to absorb as much ambient energy as possible.

Soothing earth energy filled his body. Energy that Frank used to instantly help supplement his natural healing and recovery.

Even the negatively charged life energy particles seemed to come to Frank easily, as he felt his body knitting together muscles and fusing with his bones to create stronger and sturdier platforms to stand and walk on.

In a matter of moments Frank was able to get up to a sitting position.

Finally able to breathe without undue pain, Frank felt himself breathing heavily. Fortunately, his double cultivation system was able to pull in energy twice as quickly as before and circulate it around his body.

This was why Frank was the first to be able to get to his feet.

Clumsily he staggered up and then made his way over to the wounded major.

For his part, the Major proved to be tougher and more resilient than Frank had imagined. For even now the old cultivator was violently pulling the one remaining manacle on his ankle, having been able to tear the one free of his left hand.

“GRAHHH!!” The major cried out as he violently tugged at the chains that even touching seemed to burn his hands and cause undue pain.

Still watching the man move, Frank could only feel respect for the old cultivator.

Seeing the amount of pain and perseverance that the old cultivator had showed the level of focus that was needed to make the upper ranks.

Frank could help.

Right now, it would take nothing for him to go over, remove the manacles from the cultivator, heal him up, and then try to head out on his way.

That is what the old Frank would have done.

Those were the actions that someone who desperately wanted to get back into society would do.

Frank moved with the manacles that he had detached from his body. His intent clear, either help fully remove the bindings from the major, or bind him up long enough to give him a healthy head start.

Schuka-schuka-schuka.

Overhead, Frank could hear the helicopter flying on ahead, the driver apparently unaware that the major accidentally plummeted to his doom along with Frank.

This meant that Frank had to make up his mind quickly.

He knew that if the helicopter came back, and the rest of the team found him, then there was no chance that he would make it to the prison safely.

“Get back!” The major yelled, his voice filled with venom and military grit. Grit that was impossible to replicate, unless you had actually served. There was a deep profound sense of order and power in those words that would have sent chills down Frank’s spine. Would have, had he not been experiencing the absolute best trainers and instructors using that same form of discipline on him for the better part of a month.

Chitter.

As he screamed, the sound of wild beasts could be heard.

No doubt the smell of fresh blood was a huge attraction, then follow that up with the screaming of the Major and every creature for a few hundred meters around knew exactly where the wounded prey was located.

“You think I would kill you?” Frank asked.

At that the Major just glared at Frank for a moment.

“What you expect me to believe you are just carrying those chains for no reason?” The Major asked.

Hearing that Frank could only nod. He had planned on using the manacles, but only to bind the major long enough to heal him completely and pull the sources of corruption from his body.

“Fair enough.” Frank said, looking down at the manacles and then back at the major.

Even with the one manacle removed from his injured right arm, the arm that had been strangling Frank moments ago, the arm looked bad. While the major had managed to seemingly align the bones into place, it would take a while for healing to happen, particularly as negatively charged dirt particles separated the bone fragments.

From this distance, Frank could tell that healing would be taxing, and if not treated immediately the Major very well could lose the hand entirely, if not more.

While the injured ankle was better off than the wrist, that just meant that the Major would have to injure himself more to work his larger feet and boots out from beneath the last remaining shackle.

Seeing the sad state that the Major was in, Frank just dropped the shackle on the ground and held up his hands in a defensive gesture.

“What going to leave me to die here?” The Major spat as he gritted his teeth in an even harder attempt to wiggle his foot free.

Whoop-fwoop-whoop.

At that, the sound of the helicopter that had been traveling onward finally began making sounds like it was turning about and coming back.

Realizing that if Frank was going to do anything, he needed to act quickly, before reinforcements arrived and decided to finish what the Major had tried, Frank paused.

In that moment, he thought about everything. Everything from what he wanted to be, to who he wanted to be as a person.

Right now, it would be so easy to kill the Major, to squash him like a bug.

Shuffle.

Then just as he thought that, the nearby bushes and foliage began to rustle as multiple large creatures began making their way to investigate the area.

“I’m going to leave now. I’d suggest you stay behind and don’t follow.” Frank finally stated.

“You think you can stop us from tracking you down and killing you like the wild dog you are?” The Major replied violently, as a wild look filled his eyes.

Seeing the look Frank just stared coldly back, counting the different ways he could kill the major right here and now. Not just with death energy, or negatively charged life energy, but with earthen spikes, poisoned earthen spikes to a single use cultivator, and other methods that were equally as painful.

Frank thought about all those ways to defend himself, but then stopped, realizing that killing the major wouldn’t solve anything. Yet, it might prevent a future hardship, but as for solving issues, it did nothing. That is why Frank calmly counted to five in his head, before giving a response.

“I don’t need to stop you, the dark sepsis that is already taking over your body will be more than enough to stop you. If you are smart, you will leave now and get your wounds treated. That said, I give you a week at most to track me down and try to find me before your body begins to breakdown from your poor cultivation base.” Frank stated.

“Poor cultivation?”

“Yeah, you are literally allergic to half of the world, thanks to the way you are cultivating.” Frank said, as he held up his hands and gestured to the corrupted area and woods that surrounded them.

Grrr!

The low rumbling growling sound of a mutated beast could be heard making its way through the woods.

Frank for his part just stood up to his full height and looked down at the menacing beast.

The monster was a weak pack hunter, one that was so weak that it often had to attack from ambush.

Mentally spreading out his senses, Frank could feel the other members of the pack moving into position around the two of them.

For a moment Frank thought about defending the Major.

Shink.

Then faster than Frank could even react, the Major pulled a blade he had apparently been palming this entire time and hurled it at the encroaching creature.

Frank looked on with wide-eyed disbelief as the giant wolflike creature that came up to Frank’s stomach suddenly had a hunting knife sunken in its eye socket.

Seeing the blade, it was clear that the Major had been preparing to use it on Frank, but instead used it on reflex to the ambush predator who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

Pausing, Frank realized that while he was calculating how to kill the Major, the Major had been preparing to do the same towards Frank. At that realization, Frank couldn’t help but have a strange kind of respect for the elder.

An elder who now clearly palmed a second throwing dagger in his good left hand.

Suddenly the strange and violent actions of moving the manacle made sense.

The major hadn’t been trying to free himself, not really. Instead, he had been trying to get the blades free from the back of his manacled right boot.

There was a moment of calm, as Frank watched the old, injured cultivator.

Frank watched as his muscles flexed and tightened.

It was at this moment that Frank realized two things. First the cultivator had been right handed, that much was clear from the way he one hand carried Frank out to meet his doom using only his overly powerful right arm. The second thing was that despite being right handed, he was still amazingly accurate with his left hand. Though he likely didn’t trust his accuracy as much with his left hand, at least not enough to ensure he would be lethal against a cultivator.

Seeing the look of desperation, and realizing that Frank now needed to leave the clearing quickly Frank did the only thing he could do.

Focusing his will, Frank focused on his newly acquired affinity for earth energy, and reached out his mind and connected with the corrupted earth that the major now sat on.

Corrupted earth that all but spoke of untapped power and potential. Feeling that ancient form of power, Frank imagined a stone spike erupting upwards from the ground and impaling the major.

RUMBLE!

The ground shook violently as energy and force displaced a cone of rock upwards into an through the joined legs of the Major.

“AHH!” The Major cried out.

In that moment, the exact second when the Major felt and was forced to react to the sudden appearance of a stone spike from the ground, that is when Frank bolted for the forest.

This was stupid, leaving an enemy behind. An enemy that would no doubt spread lies and falsehoods if he got back to civilization. That said, Frank knew that only the second training site was near the areas of the world still claimed by humanity. In his mind Frank still felt the slight beacon for the other locations and realized that the others were well beyond the boundaries of human civilization.

That was partly why Frank now took the moment to run. Especially seeing the look of desperation in the Major’s face. The way even now, he looked at Frank as if he was nothing more than a parasite to be cleansed.

Rustle.

More and more sounds of branches cracking and plants being forcefully moved echoed all around Frank.

For a moment he thought about changing his clothes, but instead went with a technique taught to him in SERE training. Using a bit of earth energy, Frank coated his back and body with a fine coating of dirt.

Frank managed to do this all while running.

Thanks to his training Frank could run and do multiple tasks for days on end. And that is just what he planned to do, in order to survive.

Rattat-tatta-tat.

As he continued to make his path northwest, Frank heard the sound of gunshots being fired. In his mind, Frank knew that to the be sound of the helicopter’s gunner spraying rounds and likely helping to keep the wildlife from the Major.

Realizing that the enemy reinforcements were close, Frank decided to run faster. Not holding out hope that the Major would do the right thing and leave to seek treatment.

For now, Frank decided to follow the mental map he had made of where and how to go.

That was of course until he heard the echoing voice within his mind speak out to him.

“Hello lover, do not worry about your friends, for we shall take care of them.”

And like that, Frank knew things were suddenly going to get a lot worse.