Chapter 57
Balancing the Scales
Thump-da-ump.
Frank was being herded.
It took him a while to understand what exactly was happening, but slowly over time he felt the constant shifting of minor vibrations on the ground. Vibrations that let him know that he no longer had to worry about the pack of zealot hunters.
Instead, now Frank had to deal with the fact that he was being directed, or maybe followed was the better term.
Yes, for now he would go with being followed.
This mentality made the most sense to Frank, and fit in with what he had been taught about monster packs. He had somehow entered the monsters’ area of control and they were now following him out.
Which was good, for following meant that as long as he was not hostile and didn’t make any overt signs of aggression, he would likely be set free.
That said, the rest of Frank’s training also kicked in at this point as well.
Identifying shelter, natural choke points, and above all trying to determine the adversary.
When Frank was being chased by the other cultivators it was easy to spot them and their actions. They moved with an cunning and grace, in fact had it not been for his recently enhanced earth cultivation techniques that taught him how to recognize the dissonance of ground fluctuations, Frank was certain he wouldn’t have been aware of the presence of the stalking pack of predators at all.
The fact that it was a pack, and not just a lone hunter was something that took Frank a while to work out as well.
There were minor signs now that he knew to look for something.
Signs like the slashing of trees done at near eye level. Markings that after recognition could only be caused by bladed weapons or extremely sharp claws of a cultivating monster. Particularly as the claw marks were only made in the bark of corrupted hickory trees.
Given the fact that there were no humans out here, and definitely not any humans wishing to be failed lumber jacks, the alternative of these being creature marking points flared to life within Frank’s mind.
The fact that there were multiple sets of markings that Frank saw, sets that were created by monsters with either larger claws or stronger slashes proved that there was a pack of monsters around.
Looking up, Frank saw markings higher up the trees that showed that this ritualistic marking of trees ever few years had been going on for a while.
Only once Frank saw the markings, did he realize that he was likely in the lair of a pack of hunters, for there were no reason why herbivores would need claws that sharp just to mark territory.
These were claw markings too, as opposed to markings made by antlers or other defensive features that many of the corrupted herbivore species had evolved to having recently. As the markings were too symmetrical and closely linked to be anything other than a clawed appendage being dragged across the near iron bark of the trees.
Also, it seemed that there was a purposeful challenge to the trees that were used for marking, as all of the weaker trees, like the various maple trees and even the pine trees were avoided. This avoidance of weaker trees was partly why Frank now found himself so deep within the territory of the pack hunters.
Had they always been here? Were they able to keep out the other species of these parts? If so, what were they?
For his part Frank didn’t run.
Running now would be foolish, as he was already tired. While he had been using most of this time to replenish the energy he lost while running, he also used this time to practice his silent striding. Using his powers minimally, Frank mentally made as little impact on the world around him as possible.
Frank hoped that this minimal use of energy would make it that much harder for the other cultivators to find him, if they ever decided to continue looking for him.
No, he knew they would look for him.
That or if they got out, he had no doubts that they would spread lies about him and what he did here.
For now, Frank would only focus on finding his way to the prison, and then making his way to the secret door that he had been shown residing behind the prison.
Oddly enough, despite having never set foot within this area, Frank somehow felt confident that he was going the right direction.
If he closed his eyes, Frank could swear that he almost felt a tiny dot within his mind shifting with his body, the way a compass would always point north. The same could be said for here, all except the mental marker would always point in a westerly direction.
Mentally, Frank went over the checklist for survival of a cultivator of his realm.
Water within five days.
Food within ten days.
Fully cultivate your core within fourteen days.
While he did feel that he was slightly tired and his mouth was a little dry, he knew it was nothing compared to what awaited him if he waited too long.
This was why even now, Frank was going through a plan to find resources that could be used to prolong his survival.
Given that a pack of animals had not only taken refuge here, but had seemingly claimed the land as their own spoke to the fact that there was water nearby. Even the most ancient of cultivation monsters needed to drink occasionally.
Given how many different variations of claws marks Frank found, he assumed that there had to be many different members of the pack, each at different cultivation strengths or plateaus. Meaning that the source of water for this area would likely be larger than in other areas.
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This meant that Frank had to think about his plan for survival, risk going to the watering hole, where the monsters that claimed this land clearly would go to occasionally or take his chances that he could find a water source within the next four days.
With such consequences on the line Frank decided to get closer to the markings to see if he could find any additional features.
His Energy Sight showed that the creatures marked their territories thoroughly.
A quick scan of his body showed that Frank had not gotten close enough to the energy infused markings. That or if he had stepped in the odd markings, he managed to absorb the energy as part of his passive cultivation methods he was using.
Still, there were things that could be gleamed from just staring at the area.
For starters, it appeared that the creatures were bipedal, or had the ability to shift from two to four legs at will. Also, the strikes were able to go from side to side, denoting that the joints of the front legs of the creature had a wider range of movement than those of most quadrupeds.
There was also the fact that dark fur was everywhere.
While it could be a sign that the animals that were a primary food source for the creatures had fur, Frank did not think that was the case here, as the fur seemed to be thick and matted, coming off in densely woven clumps. Clumps that had old and dried residue within the hair.
Annoyingly, there was not much else to go off of, but what he found so far was enough to give him pause and let him know he did not want to meet any of the monsters present.
Silence.
The forest was silent, as if even the insects and birds knew not to draw attention to their location.
This was new as before the various creatures of the forest had no interest in remaining quiet, or unnoticed. As many of the insects, particularly the biting insects sought out Frank, at least until he learned to try to push his negatively charged energy towards the outer layer of his skin.
Once he learned to cycle in such a way that all external energy absorbed stayed in the outer layer with only a portion coming in to feed his body, that was when the insects of this area finally avoided him.
Oddly enough, the training that he had gotten in the SERE class on how to avoid the insects there did nothing for him, other than make him a giant sugary snack ready to be eaten.
That is when Frank realized the SERE training was designed to protect him in normal or positively charged areas, with insects that would be drawn to negative energy. At least that is what Frank now thought, though he would need to practice more.
Still the idea of insects and micro-organisms being attracted to alternate energy types was fascinating to Frank. In a way he almost imagined it being the equivalent of insects inherently knowing how to cultivate both forms of energy. Or at least their inherent want to learn to cultivate both forms of energy, but then losing that spark of insight the more their bodies begin to mutate and evolve from the energy.
At least that is what Frank was thinking and observing as he made his way quietly through the monster infested forest.
Badump-ump, patter.
Once again, the ground shook, nearly beyond Frank’s furthest senses, but still movement was there. The ground spoke of not one, but multiple creatures all of different sizes moving quickly now.
As they moved, the hair on the back of Frank’s neck began to rise.
Rather than panicking, Frank did the opposite. Forcing his mind and body to relax, he let his training take over, as he let his body blend into the ground below him.
There was no other word for it, one second he was up above ground, the next he felt his feet begin to sink into the ground.
Startled.
For a moment, Frank was frightened by the sudden immersion into the ground, which instantly broke his concentration and stopped his progress.
The moment he lost his concentration, he felt the weight of the earth bending in and crushing his bones.
With a start he could either fight his way free, and try to get away, or he could try to regain his focus once again and delve deeper.
Not wanting to continue running, and having momentarily felt the relaxing nature of the earth on his body, Frank once again forced his mind into the calm meditative state.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Closing his eyes, Frank felt the world shrink around him. Mentally he knew he was moving, slowly getting drawn into the ground, but so long as he focused, he could feel his body not quite meld with the earth. Instead, he was accepted. That was the best term, the fact that he was somehow accepted into the earth.
As he moved down, he felt deep below a pooling of positively charged energy just waiting.
That energy was just at the right depth to cause trouble for many of the corrupted plants to delve deeper. As their long roots sat at the border realm between the two polarities, the realm where positive and negative charges evened each other out.
Depth.
The realm of no charge, that was the area where Frank felt his body slowly being pulled to, until he finally stopped descending.
Cold cool soil and rocks braced his touch.
Down here, he could feel the particles of life needed to survive. He felt water, not much that was concentrated, but enough to prove that a true water source was nearby. There were also proteins down here.
Roots that had gone too far and become withered and were needed to be trimmed from the large trees overhead.
There wasn’t much here, and this was far from being a permanent home, but it was a place he could hide.
Thump-thud.
Overhead the stirring of multiple sets of feet landing and circling about could be heard and felt in the ground.
As long as Frank focused and concentrated on his cultivation, he could easily find balance.
Tightening.
There were also times when he lost focus for a moment, as he paused to try to listen to what the world overhead was telling him.
Somehow he felt more than heard the way the creatures who had been searching for Frank, right overhead paused and seemed to stand up as if to communicate like humans would.
Breathe in, breathe out.
For a moment, Frank wondered how he could breathe down here. How his lungs weren’t instantly filled with dirt, how he was able to even find oxygen this far down.
Yet, the more he let his mind relax to these questions, the more he saw the answers. He was both breathing and not breathing at the same time. The metabolic process that Frank had become used to was now being partially sustained from the earth that he now found himself in.
For its part, the earth was glad to get rid of the dense barrier that had begun to form between the two polarities. Almost as if Frank had been asked to come here and restore the natural balance. That or make it so it didn’t feel like the two polarities were developing an armistice of energy.
With Frank being here, he was able to circulate both realms of energy. Taking in both positive and negatively charged earth energy and use it to fuel his body. The excess energy was also being used now to help draw in excess moisture that can only be found deep underground near natural water sources. He also found his body taking in air from the tiny pockets that resided around and delivering his excess carbon to the plants.
Carbon that the plants ate up almost immediately given its charged flavor.
The plants like insects seemed keen on at least learning to draw in the oppositely charged energy. Only the dense layer of neutral energy seemed to stop their growth as the plants seemed ill equipped to deal with that.
Frank himself felt that he was stuck, or that he would be unable to leave until he finally absorbed enough of the energy down here to make both polarities content. Or maybe it was to make it so the earth that now housed, fed, and protected Frank was happy and would therefore let Frank go.
As long as Frank didn’t stress, or fight his situation he felt he could stay right here balancing the way one would while treading water in a pool. So long as you kept doing the same repetitive motion to keep yourself afloat you were fine, there were no issues. The minute you stopped, lost focus, or got tired, that was when you were violently awoken with the need to continue paddling.
Frank did find it odd that he now found himself equating his current situation to his one time at the underground pool. Yet, he couldn’t help but draw parallels, despite the opposite element being used.
Time seemed to be odd down here as well.
There were no real ways to tell of time passing, everything moved slowly, especially after the pattering of steps overhead eventually died out.
In the back of his mind, Frank understood this for the accomplishment that it was meant to be. He had become one with the earth. He had been in need of assistance and the earth beckoned him and blanketed him when he needed the protection the most.
This wasn’t all his training, for he knew that the training with the pillar and then again with the chamber that he had been teleported to, that was only the first step.
Now he was at the second step, or maybe the second movement in the process.
Knowledge of how positive and negative energy needed to work in harmony filled his mind, while also showing that they would forever struggle to coexist with the other. This realm of neutrality was a prime example of the constant struggle, but there was more here too. For here the ground at least seemed to accept the importance of the other, at a base level the earth here knew what society had a hard time accepting.
The longer he stayed, the more he could see how both forms of energy needed to move, to shift. He could tell that both energies needed to be pushed in order to condense and be reforged stronger.
Crackle.
Finally, as the layers of abundant and compressed energies finally eroded away from Frank’s cultivation, the more he felt a sudden shift in power.
Lerch.
Frank felt his body rise up, being boosted by a jettison spike of positively charged earth energy. Simultaneously, he felt half of his body pulled down by an inverse spike of negatively charged earth energy. Having just a moment to choose, Frank chose the positive polarity, if for no other reason than it was going up. Or at least the direction that Frank now associated with up.
Breathing.
Frank found his body having to change its cultivation tendency. When he first entered the ground, he was easily accepted due to having a dense outer layer of negative energy at his outer layer. However during his cultivation below, he apparently switched to a balanced approach of using both energies evenly.
Now, Frank found himself once again forced to choose a polarity and stick with it, going with positively charged outer layer, so he could blend in with the rising spike of energy.
Fwoosh!
A spike of pure earthen force erupted from the ground, the same was an attack from a Titan level cultivator would appear. However this was not the result of a Titan level cultivator, but instead the exertion of equal and opposite forces pushing against each other for so many years that the instant the pressure was loosened at one spot, the energy from below pounced upwards, while the energy from up top pounced downward.
The result was a complete flipping of polarity of the area, as Frank found himself looking out from a giant earth pillar that suddenly appeared and began to expand all around Frank.
A perfect pillar of positively charged earth energy that was quickly being cut off and surrounded by a ring of negatively charged energy.
This was huge, likely the discovery of a lifetime.
Frank realized he was close to being able to solve everything with this one discovery.
But his thoughts were cut short as he felt and then heard the galloping of dozens of large creatures charging forward to see what exactly happened to cause a giant spike of earth to randomly appear in what was clearly monster pack territory.