"Morning, Renzôtö! I love your new look. Simply stunning."
Lorenzö, clutching a handful of unkempt hair, grunted in response.
"Oh, party too hard last night? Come to think of it, I did hear you and Lance whispering sweet nothings around midnight …"
As Lorenzö's tired eyelids shot open, Karma continued, "Wait a second! You mentioned a fiancé—"
"I like women!"
"Hm? Bigoted, are we?"
"I ... was just stating my personal preferences."
"I don't understand; I thought Lance was male?"
After a silent exchange, Karma bellowed a hearty laugh. Wiping away tears, he mentioned casually, "By the way, to reward your excellent service, I've decided to give you the day off."
"I really shouldn't—"
"I'm sorry, I don't think you heard me correctly."
His tone dropping to a grating timbre, Karma repeated, "I. Have. Decided. To. Give. You. The. Day. Off."
Smilingly, he added, "Capiche?"
Lorenzö nodded submissively, provoking Karma's glare.
"Capisco ..."
**
Karma surreptitiously rounded a corner, white-bronze ouroboroi flickering intermittently within his gaze.
The Selenium Clan's network far surpassed a mere Lorenzö; their numbers crawled over the Solaris Trading Capital's every nook and cranny, keeping the entire city under a watchful eye.
Fake tourist two paces southward, two sentries patrolling tangent to the fountain, passive divine sense around blocks east and west.
Karma dashed through a negligible opening, heading northward. His circuitous route zigzagged through alleyways, open windows, and unsuspecting passersby as if trapped in an unseen labyrinth.
**
A pulse of pale gold notified Karma of his successful escape, eliciting a relieved breath. Leaning on the trunk of a towering sequoia, his ragged pants lasted an incense stick's worth of time before finally subsiding.
All that just to get through the front door. Should I really execute my plan? It's looking more and more like a suicide run.
Karma sank into hesitation. In truth, his previous schemes were minor tricks compared to his current objective.
This time, a confrontation isn't one possibility out of many but an inevitability. The real uncertainty lies in whether I have the wherewithal to escape intact.
Karma's features contorted in indecision.
"But I really want to flex my new ability. Plus, my cultivation bottleneck has reached a point where quantity is useless. I need potency."
Hmm.
Complexion lighting up with inspiration, he inwardly rejoiced: I don't need to commit to anything now. Instead, I'll adopt a 'wait and see' attitude.
Karma grinned, waving excitedly at an oriole flying past, a mantis struggling in its beak.
"What a cutie."
**
Hidden in a crown of dark green leaves, Karma idly swung his legs, a thick branch jutting out from beneath. With fingernails chipping at a soft, reddish bark, a faraway look adorned Karma's features.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The mid-morning sun never fails to captivate me. Day after day, it embarks on an inexorable ascent to the apex, declaring itself above and everything else below.
His unfocused pupils refracted a heavenly palette as they dispersed, capitulating to Ouroboros's perennial supremacy.
Spiraling golden white threads bloomed around Karma's figure, reminiscent of a celestial basilisk baring its fangs. The luminescent horde wove through space and time in an unstoppable hunt, trivially bypassing the meager blockades erected by mortal hands.
The campaign was shortlived: a war waged upon unworthy adversaries. Even when their ranks infiltrated the enemy stronghold, their prey remained unaware.
Radiating derision, they pounced.
**
In the hallowed interior of a distant valley, an emotionless man with sparse grey hair studied a detailed map, its yellowed surface illuminated by an adjacent lantern.
Miniature ghost medallions sporting unique designs marked various landmarks. Most areas held one or two, whereas others—like the Solaris Trading Capital—had more than a dozen.
"Now that the Selenium merchandise is secured, Muffled Cry is available for re-assignment," rang a hoarse voice.
An aged, callused hand steadily retrieved an emblem depicting a soundless scream, placing it elsewhere with a clack.
Fwoosh.
The lantern's flames spontaneously extinguished, plunging the cavern into darkness. Then, an amorphous voice permeated the surroundings, its origin ever-changing.
"Hello, Dante, leader of the Spectral Coup. I've come to confer."
Dante remained undaunted at the stranger's entry, his posture ramrod straight.
"And with whom do I speak?"
"An ally."
"That is unclear."
"To you, perhaps."
Silence.
"What have you come to discuss?"
"A transaction."
"Of?"
"The location and seizure of a Selenium Clan hidden vault."
"The price?"
"Your success."
A tinge of mirth coated Dante's response, "My soldiers are not dogs."
"I do not deal with the incapable."
"And I, the unreliable."
Silence.
"Our time nears its end. There exists more than you eyeing Frederick's kingdom, and they are no less rancorous."
"I accept your bargain, but on one condition: Why?"
A nebulous guffaw gyrated Dante's perception.
"An ant seeking knowledge, unknowingly drawing ire from the boot above."
The voice started to fade.
"Humorous. I don't mind sharing; see the silly pieces strewn about your gameboard? You're on mine!"
Dante subconsciously glanced at his map, finding a glowing, crimson "X" plastered on an unlabeled ravine.
Between fits of laughter, the unfathomable interloper left one final remark.
"You move at sunset."
...
Dante sat unmoving, leveling a stoic glare toward the unnamed ravine. Beside him, the lantern once more lit the area, casting his grim facade in dancing shadows.
**
Karma's ocular anatomy reverted to normal.
Too exhausted to think, both of spiritual energy and mental strength, he lay there supported solely by the verdant tree at his flank.
...
Brrrrrm.
Karma lazily peered downward, a single word escaping his lips.
"Hungry."
**
Karma's recovery spanned all the way until noon.
I need a nap. Unfortunately, my preparations are far from complete.
Sighing, Karma climbed down from his perch, giving his former resting spot a thankful pat.
Searching through the forest, it wasn't long before he discovered his target: an overturned log of wood. His finger lit up, summoning a blade of azure, thus initiating a round of amateurish carving.
"An eyehole, here, another one there. Oop, can't forget the nose; I need to breathe in this thing, after all."
How big is my nose again?
"Truly, a masterclass in the art of woodworking."
...
His clumsy efforts eventually netted him a passable wooden mask.
"Now, how to avoid it falling off my face?"
...
Another incredible display of finesse later, a rope composed of lime green stalks looped through holes at opposite ends of the mask.
"Perfect! Hah, aren't I a genius? No one will notice my mask isn't white since it'll be hidden by the night!"
Donning the mask, Karma added, "Well ... unless they use divine sense. Or have a light source. Or moonlight shines on me."
Okay, other than a few rare exceptions, completely infallible. Mostly.
"Alrighty. Now that my disguise is essentially perfect, all that remains is scouting the field of battle."
**
Many hours later, an orange-red hue streaked across the skies above, twinkling stars shining faintly in the backdrop.
Karma, once again hoisted in the awning of a tree, surveyed numerous points scattered around a desolate ravine. At first glance, nothing appeared amiss, but his periodic flashes of augmented vision uncovered that which was concealed—or, more precisely, who.
I expected a squad of eight or nine ... Isn't this a bit much? A raid of thirty cultivators isn't what I'd call a "covert operation."
Karma nervously adjusted his mask, somewhat conflicted.
There's still time to back out. I would only be wasting a day at most; nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Suddenly, a self-deprecating smile spread across his face.
The word "cowardly" doesn't quite belong among the vocabulary of a primordial. If I retreat now, Ouroboros'll probably pay me a visit later tonight ... I'd rather he not.
Karma's affirmed resolve coincided with a muffled boom. A massive array blinked into visibility: a rainbow-colored pentagram with sequences of abstruse symbols drifting across its three-dimensional framework.
As abruptly as it appeared, the impressive phenomenon exploded into specks of light, dissipating throughout the region.
Guess that's my cue to get moving. I hope I make away with a bountiful harvest; better yet, l hope I live to see many more.