Pinky both loved and hated the fact that Zane almost never asked questions. She had told him about her kitsune heritage and he hadn't batted an eye. Which meant either he was the most laid back human she had ever met, or the young man had zero idea what kitsune were.
The idea of a cultivator knowingly spending time with one of her kind was unheard of. Kitsune passively drained the essence of those around them. That, combined with their natural tendency to cause mischief, was usually enough to make them unwelcome wherever they went.
The synergy between her class and heritage was a strong one. It also had some unexpected drawbacks. Namely, that if she indulged in too much intimate activity it could harm or kill her partner. But Zane was strong, he could take whatever she dished out.
She went over to give him a peck on the cheek. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her. “Whew! I don't know about you, but I'm wiped out,” he said.
Pinky rubbed his back with the palm of her hand. “You put in good work today. Why don't you go lay down so I can give you a massage? My class gives me some nice bonuses.”
Zane grinned. “Oh wow! That would be awesome! I can't remember the last time I got a massage.”
The courtesan grabbed a bottle of cooking oil and led Zane upstairs. There's more than one way to grind experience, she thought.
***
After working every single day for weeks on end, they decided to take a well deserved break from the restaurant.
Unfortunately, Zane's idea of relaxation was working on one of his many projects. Pinky watched as he set up a complicated piece of glassware.
“Do I want to know what that thing does?” she asked. It looked like the bastard offspring of a hookah and an alchemist’s still.
“Probably not,” he replied, remembering how she had reacted to his attempted consumption of the cores he had extracted.
Zane had a theory that it might be possible to extract the essence from cores while leaving most of the impurities behind. The young man was no scientist, but he knew his way around a chemistry lab. It was amazing the lengths a young idiot would go to in order to get a decent buzz going.
His first test was simple. If he heated up a core, what would happen? As he suspected, the hotter the core got, the more impurities were released. The impurities looked like flecks of black oil. They coated the wild essence, stealing its shine.
Zane was surprised to find out that he couldn't use his cultivation techniques to separate the two substances. They were bonded together. He knew that there were pill furnaces that could separate and refine essence, but he had no idea how they worked.
He tried heating the tainted essence directly, but it stubbornly resisted his attempts to purify it. So far he had learned that the best way to extract essence from a core was to use low heat. Higher temperatures would release too many impurities.
His next experiment was to add one of the apothecary’s pills to a pot of water and bring it to a boil. He tossed in one of the cores, and waited.
The hot water worked its magic, releasing both regular and tainted essence from the core. essence wasn't water soluble, it didn't break down or dilute. Instead, it rose to the surface. To Zane's absolute glee, the impurities stayed with the treated water, turning it a murky black.
Somehow the herbs were acting as a catalyst, breaking down the tainted essence. He considered this to be an absolute success. The herbs were expensive, but he now had a quick and efficient way to extract essence from any cores he might find.
Zane looked at his custom spirit bong. It was time to rip a fat one, for science.
***
Pinky noticed a strange burnt smell in the air when she returned from grocery shopping. The cultivator was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a pleasant look on his face. Dumpling wore an equally pleased expression, her little kitten face turned up in a smile.
She wrinkled her nose and sneezed, causing Zane to snap out of his trance. He looked at the spirit bong as if he were seeing it for the first time. “Woah, this thing sure packs a punch!”
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Dumpling tried to get up, wobbled a few times, then fell back asleep. She purred contentedly in Zane's lap.
“I think I finally have enough essence to buy the upgrades I want,” he declared. The young man would have bought the new abilities sooner, but ever since he came to the city he had been hemorrhaging essence. He would go to sleep with six points worth and wake up with five.
After his extended session with the cores, he was finally ready. Zane connected to the Mesh and went over his options. The cultivator stared at a new option he hadn't seen before.
Death Siphon: Extract essence from creatures that you kill. Draw on your core to do damage to a creature's core directly. Cost: 10 essence Points
Rend: Do extra cutting damage with all attacks. Draw on your core to increase damage even further. Cost: 10 essence Points
At first he was confused as to why he was getting new abilities to spend his essence on. Then Zane saw his Purity meter, it had dropped considerably.
His original intention had been to buy another upgrade to his Chef Tools ability, or to possibly boost his agility. But those two new abilities were pretty sweet.
Death Siphon would allow him to top up his essence during a fight, letting him keep moving and killing almost indefinitely. Rend would allow him to increase his damage, but he wasn’t sure how useful it would be to him. He had been one-shotting everyone he came up against. But the way it was phrased made him wonder if there might be something more to the ability.
Rend added extra cutting damage to all attacks. His punches and kicks would become lethal weapons. But it was made somewhat redundant by his ability to summon knives from thin air.
In the end, he chose Death Siphon. Zane didn't need it right now. But it was one of those abilities that could mean the difference between life and death in a real fight.
Dumpling woke up and made a selection of her own. Zane had helped the spirit beast level up by making her chase a feather tied to a string. Then he had blown vapor in her face that was rich with essence. Truly the Awakener was wise beyond his years.
She selected her first ability, and felt the power settle around her like a mantle. Dumpling would Rend the unbelievers and anyone else who dared threaten her Master. The little spirit beast flexed, causing needle sharp claws to extend. Dumpling purred with pleasure, she could hunt with big sister Daisy now.
***
Lord Bajade Grasa listened as his servants reported that, yet again, their attempts to locate his son's killer had failed. It wasn't their fault though, not that he would tell them that.
His sorcerers were telling him one thing, while eye witness accounts directly contradicted them. The sorcerers said that Sin had been killed by a kobold. His surviving men said it had been a young man in red wearing a dragon mask.
The only conclusion Lord Grasa could reach was that his son’s death had not been by chance. Someone was using magic to deliberately obfuscate what had happened. That meant he had powerful enemies seeking his family’s doom.
A representative of the Rock Mountain Mollusk sect shifted uneasily in her chair as she gave her report. Lily wasn't happy with the recent turn of events either. “Of the three groups of disciples we sent up the mountain to investigate, two have disappeared.”
“So what? People are always vanishing in the God Hand mountains. Send more,” Lord Grasa demanded.
“With all due respect, my lord. The costs we have accumulated far outweigh any payments we have received as part of our contract.”
The lord sighed. Lily was asking for more money. “Very well. I will allow some additional funds to be extended to you. But, should your sect fail to locate the killer, I'll expect full repayment.”
The cultivator stiffened. “That's not how things are done.”
“Yes, I am aware of how things are usually done. You cultivators get your way while us lower leveled individuals bow and scrape. And I'm very sure you would like things to continue as they have been.” He smiled like a mountain cat. “But I am also aware of the shift in power that has been occuring. That's the reason your sect has been engaging in mercenary work.”
She froze, examining the lord to try and figure out how much he actually knew. It was true, over the last few generations the number of truly powerful new cultivators had decreased. And with the natural attrition brought on by fights and mishaps while ascending, the sects were somewhat diminished.
“Is there a point to your words? Or were you simply making a bold and unfounded statement?” she asked.
“I was merely pointing out that cultivation isn't what it used to be. As the gap between common adventurers and cultivators grows more narrow, I find myself wondering if your kind has much of a future at all.” The lord shrugged his wide shoulders. “Now, with this so-called rogue cultivator cutting through your junior disciples like winter wheat, that can't be good for your sect's reputation. I expect you would want to make an example out of him.”
Lily gritted her teeth. He was right. The loss of a client as well as two groups of disciples had stung. The other sects were already making jokes about their perceived shortcomings.
Lord Grasa let her simmer for a moment. There was a reason why he had been able to tame the Tyr Lowlands. He was adaptable, not stuck up and rigid like the others. If he could not get vengeance for his youngest son, Lord Grasa would settle for destroying the sect that had failed to protect him.
The woman stilled the roiling emotions inside of her. The sect would not send anyone truly capable after the rogue cultivator, no matter how she pleaded her case. Instead, they would continue to throw useless junior disciples at the problem.
Lily locked her purple eyes on the lord. “Release the funds, and I will go personally to track down and destroy the perpetrator.”
“And the sect will agree to reimburse me, should you fail?” Lord Grasa pressed.
“Of course,” the cultivator assured him.