I’m certain that I did not end up winning any speed records by the time I reached the summit of the mountain. But, I hoped that I had the bloodiest ascent of any of the would-be disciples. My funds grew flush with XP, enough that I would start to feel comfortable spending it.

Unkempt terrain turned into a stone path that led the four of us to a flat peak.

“I’m tired,” Gunagala complained and yawned for dramatic effect. “Did you really have to kill every single one of them?”

“They should have learned to avoid me like they do to you,” I answered with a shrug.

“Yeah, but-“

“Never mind that. There it is, new guy, our sect,” Huī announced.

A sprawling wood and paper temple complex took up the entire peak. The artificial sun shone brightly down from the sky. The brilliant light illuminated the gold etching in the structures and made it shine like a palace for a God. A lone arch painted red sat at the entrance of the temple. Mana poured from the arch to form an invisible barrier like the one that protected Brunswick.

As we reached the arch, Grendel placed an unwanted hand on my shoulder.

“We must be physically touching you as we cross, otherwise, the gate will see you as an intruder,” the troll explained, seeing that I had jumped.

“Then you’ll get zapped like a fly,” Gunagala laughed.

We passed through without issue and moved through the temple complex proper. I looked into the openings of the early buildings to see demons sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed. Soft shimmering of mana wreathed their bodies.

After those initial meditation rooms, we reached a large open area of the temple. Off to the left, a demon with an elongated snake’s neck barked orders at a formation of demons in red robes. Every word was met with a nearly perfect synchronized response from the demon pupils. They repeated over and over again with militaristic precision; all the while, the snake continued to berate them in the tone of a drill instructor.

To the right, a handful of demons were engaging in light one on one sparring. They seemed to be practicing a specific type of attack as they took turns throwing the exact same punch at each other. The few who saw the proctors bowed in respect for their betters before returning to their training.

We went up a series of steps that took us up slightly higher on the mountain top. The buildings here seemed reserved for the higher up disciples and temple leaders. Golden etchings of tigers and dragons and cranes and all other manner of creature signified the difference between the purposes of each building; purposes I had yet to glean from looking at them.

Near the top of the steps rested another gate. I could not see any building or structure behind it, just bare rock and sky.

“This is where the master will be,” Grendel said. “He will test you and make the final deliberation as to whether or not you will be permitted into the sect.”

“How have I done so far?”

“We are not permitted to say, but I would recommend not worrying much,” Huī replied. “You’re already talented enough to skip the beginner level entirely. But, you didn’t hear that from me.”

Again, a hand went on my shoulder and I was taken through the gate to where the master was. The mana passed harmlessly over me and allowed me on the other side.

There was no hidden palace or shrine or any sort of structure here. All that existed was the very top of the mountain with unrestricted access over the world below. It felt like a location where a powerful being should reside. I could see the entire landscape. The smaller mountains that formed the range, the green valley we sprinted through to reach here, and, in the distance, a large black dome that suffocated the city of Styx.

Sitting atop the singular highest point on the mountain was a bald demon in orange robes meditating. I almost thought of them as a human; their size and stature were unmarred by transformation. But, their pale, flaking skin and stench of death hinted at a zombie of some sort.

“Master, we have brought you a new recruit, Terry,” Grendel announced. “I have brought him from Styx and have provided him with our own tests.”

“The results?” The master asked, not turning his head to look at us.

“He brought us decent alcohol quickly after we requested it,” Gunagala answered.

“He got second in the race to the mountain,” Huī answered.

“He killed every beast he met on the way up the mountain, including Nyomorult,” Grendel answered.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Impressive.”

The master rose from his meditation. A powerfully built frame rested under his robes. Meaty, oversized fists stuck out from his sleeves. He turned to face us. A piece of paper with a symbol that meant ‘curse’ was nailed into the center of his forehead, obscuring his eyes. The wind atop the mountain moved the paper, revealing his brown teeth and nose-less face.

He took a step towards me, inspecting my body closely through the paper. The reek of rot wafted into my nose and made me scowl involuntarily. He pressed a hand against my chest, passing it back and forth over my scales.

“Grendel, why have you brought me a demon with a false face?”

“We all have our reasons for hiding, Master,” Grendel answered, kneeling down before the zombie. “Terry had a potential that I didn’t feel comfortable letting go. I believe our sect with be richer with him in it.”

“I am not angry, Grendel,” the master laughed. “There are many reasons to wish to hide your face in Styx, none more reasonable than the embarrassment of being unable to leave Styx. You wished to hide from the snakes that skulk about the bird’s nest, eating the young before they have the time to grow into something beautiful. If we are to begin to trust each other, we cannot progress until you reveal your true self to me, reptile.”

I didn’t have to look at Grendel to know that it was time to reveal myself. It was not as if he knew that I was sent here to murder him. I pulled off the mask that Charles provided me and allowed my true form to return to the surface.

There was no outward reaction from the master, but I could hear yelling from beside me.

“Wait, I think I recognize that guy!” Gunagala shouted and pointed at me while looking at Huī. “Remember, the dude from the Zero Car?”

“Oh, you’re right,” Huī agreed. “I remember, the one who said ‘come get me, fuckers’ when they dropped a ten million XP bounty on his head. And look, the first thing that he did was hide. What was all that bluster for then?”

“The rest of you are forbidden to speak,” the master said in a calm voice.

Huī and Gunagala immediately dropped into a prostrated position. They buried their faces obediently into the stone and tried to not even make so much as a breath audible to the master’s ears.

“Do you know what I saw when I first looked at you?” The master asked. “I saw a notification that you are a traitor to the Aspect of Wrath and that, if I kill you, I can gain the ten million XP bounty and the blessing of the Aspect of Wrath. Do you know how rare it is for a branded enemy to be so small and insignificant? That, in itself, intrigues me. There is a kindred feeling about you, ebon warrior. Draw your weapon, I will at least give you the chance to do so.”

“They are already drawn,” I responded as I splayed my claws.

“Ah, a practitioner of hand to hand combat. No wonder you impressed my proctors so greatly, you were already one of our esteemed fellows. Tell me, is this decision by choice or by restriction?”

“It is both. I was given a restriction that made my preference stronger.”

The master’s demeanor shifted at my answer. The aura around them darkened with negative emotion. His hands balled into shaking fists and the clear sky darkened.

“Master…Master…your disciple, your favorite disciple wishes to know why you have bestowed your awesome power upon this whelp. I wouldn’t question your judgment or ever dream accusing you of anything untoward. But, why someone without any elegance whatsoever? With claws?”

The master muttered upwards to a different master in a bitter monologue that did not offer enough gaps for any of those questions to be answered. He yelled at the sky before calming slightly.

“I see. Then we are truly alike. I see you, traitor of Wrath, and I now know that you have maintained favor with my own Master. I must treat you as one of my own. But, your claws. I must know. Can you no longer form a fist?”

“I regretfully cannot.”

“Unacceptable. I must fix that immediately before you can shame me further.”

Before I could react, my wrist was arrested in the master’s vice-like grip. With two of his fingers, he pinched one of the claws on my right hand. Unbelieve pressure was applied to my claw as he pulled on my finger as well. White hot pain radiated from my finger and I wriggled to try to free myself.

“These are quite tough,” the master complimented. “I hope you don’t mind me using more strength.”

In a swift twist, he wrenched my finger, snapping it and shattering my claw. I grunted between clenched teeth as the metallic pieces clattered to the ground like a wind chime onto the rocks.

I could not take this without responding in kind. I needed to make the master bleed in kind. In a fit of rage, I bit down on the master’s shoulder. The dead flesh proved to be extremely resilient against my piercing teeth. I squeezed out a shot of acid that sizzled the flesh, but did not get any reaction from the master.

“It’s good that you fight back. It shows that you are someone of value,” he said with the same calmness as if he were bitten by a cat while playing with it. “But, I must lament at how terribly weak you are.”

One by one, the master destroyed the rest of my claws. I looked down at my shattered fingernails and clenched my fist. The jagged remnants of my claws dug in my palm, drawing a small amount of blood.

“I, on behalf of my Master, am obligated to give you a test to respect his wishes. But, I fear that you are not an ordinary disciple. So, I must give you an unordinary test. Tell everyone that I said hello.”

Before I realized it. A powerful punch blasted me in the shoulder, obliterating the joint and leaving my limb limp. Another strike crippled my other arm and left me without my favored weapons. Only a small amount of my health remained. Timers and status conditions populated my health bar with flashing lights.

I was overmatched and powerless. This master must be close, if not already, Level 50. Fuck a long term plan, this may take me the rest of the time I’m here. The ten million was surely going to leave me here. There was only one conclusion that I could draw from this situation, and it made my blood boil.

Had Charles set me up?

The master swiped their hand in a circle and summoned a Portal behind me. I felt the mana lick my flesh and the screams of the realm between piercing my ears.

“When you come back, please call me Senior Brother.”

He kicked me through the Portal, allowing for the orange tendrils of the realms to take me and carry me to an unknown location. I screamed in frustration along with all of the voices in this orange pocket dimension. But, unlike them, I had a destination. One that I intended to take my frustrations out on.

image [https://i.imgur.com/D5RpuxN.jpeg]

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