Any bodies we come across? All mine. Any items we come across? All mine. Dude doesn’t ask for money, doesn’t search for jewellery, just waits for me to grab things, and we go.
Eventually Noisy Dog and Hidden Smile show up, the later not bothering to fake a smile anymore. If anything his task of ruining the sect coming to an end seems to piss him off. Did he like lying to people on a regular basis? Why isn’t he doing it to Noisy Dog? I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a death wish, which explains him not fucking with Widow’s Sigh, but why’s he suddenly leaving me alone?
It only takes a few hours of wandering the grounds to clear out almost all sign of habitation, including the non-cultivators the Sect and Clan were using as a labor force. There’s supposedly a town nearby where some of the people who worked but weren’t part of the sect because “we’re powerless but we like to pretend” runs the show.
I swear Rich River Loam seemed way more competent. He pulled everyone together, got money for poisons, got poisons, had an actual business based on his ability to supply Eager Heart, so how did this all happen?
“Oy, the Red Spider Silk Clan lord seemed capable enough, how did things get this way?” I finally ask, waving around my spoon. I don’t know how they could go so long without breaks, but I’ve been idly eating while I walk, and I’m a huge fan of dumplings and noodles for some reason.
“He was good with business and accounting, not running a sect,” Hidden Smile scoffs at me. “There’s a difference!”
“And what’s your problem with me?” I ask, ‘cause he’s answering, so why not?
“This sect was dead until a year ago, and who’s fault do you think that is?” he turns to me, all loose neck and attitude, his head bobbing and swinging around with all the angry girlfriend sass.
Oh! He was killing the sect and they hit a windfall in the term of all my shiz. That’s not my fault!
“Dude, I got robbed. I came here to get my shit back,” I frown back at him. I didn’t call him pretty, and I didn’t say I loved him, so why’s he coming at me like it’s personal?
“We could use you in the same job later, but we’ll have a lot of work to do,” Widow’s Sigh says. Why’s it sound like he’s singing a sad song in a speaking tone? “For now we’ll leave the place as is. The spirits here will fester with the lack of a burial.”
Oops. Wait. My spirits aren’t festering. They’re thriving and getting ready for the afterlife. I’m glad I don’t actually sweat.
“You two head back,” Widow’s Sigh says to the murder hobos. “I’ll take this one to the Challenge hall.”
“Yes,” they both bow their heads, sharp nods, hands down at their sides, turn, and walk off a few steps.
“Now then... What shall we call you?” Widow’s Sigh turns the full weight of his regard on me, and I’m hit with a sense of déjà vu.
I get to watch as Noisy Dog, not Hidden Smile, does his arm flaily thing again, this time throwing a script paper that burns up with blue flame, a script circle forming beneath it. He shouts, the circle glowing brightly before cutting into the ground, a vertical portal opening above it, and I still don’t know what people see. This one is just a white ovoid to me, but those two walk right into it.
After a moment the portal disappears. Widow’s Sigh makes a quiet sound as he turns back to me, and I think he’s annoyed by how flashy or loud that was. Oh! The ground! We’re not supposed to leave any traces.
“I was called Rainbow During the Full Eclipse in Green Rivers,” I remind him. If Hidden Smile’s been doing reports, I kinda hope he reported everything. “Eclipsed Rainbow for short.”
“Well, then, let’s start with that. Eclipsed Rainbow,” Widow’s Sigh breathes, and it feels like he’s searing the name on my fackin’ soul. “I’m not sure I understand. Are you male or female?”
“Doesn’t matter to me,” I shrug. I finished my soup so I pull out a fried pastry filled with savory bean paste and cheese.
Not sure how I’ve got a bean and cheese chimichanga made with fried dumpling skin, cooked seasoned ground mushrooms or earth beans, cheese made from a milk substitute of milled seaweed and nuts, saturated, ground down, and strained, or why it works, but I’m for it.
“Well then, Eclipsed Rainbow,” Widow’s Sigh casually throws a script paper onto the circle that Noisy Dog left behind, and I barely notice the one fluttering to the ground at our feet. There’s a bright light and we’re standing in a graveyard instead of a stone courtyard, and there are some very funky, very emaciated, people slowly turning to regard us with glowing eyes. “Welcome to the Hidden Graveyard. Survive, find your way out, and be counted among our number.”
“Wait, so the Challenge is killing corpses in a graveyard?” I ask slowly. I’ve done this before... Kinda.
“Prove your strength.”
There’s another flash of light, and I’m alone. With corpses. That are moving around. And they look like they want my chimichanga.
-I’m not sharing my food or my flesh,- I chitter, quickly finishing my chimichanga. -And it was delicious!- I shout at them. They hiss back and I blink at them in confusion. -*Anyone got anything to say?*-
Just shambling corpses slow motion dinosaur stomping or low gravity walking over to me. I can’t tell if it’s night or just overcast, although there are an ass-ton of dark clouds overhead. I snort, moving to walk between them, and I scream as they both lunge at me. Bony digits dig into me as working jaws try to tear into me.
-Not food!- I screech tearing limbs loose as I pull away. -Hold on.-
I brace myself, tensing and letting them gnash their teeth and dig their bones into my flesh. They’re ruining my robes, but these guys hit like I’m back in Rising Sun deep country, not like city folks.
-I don’t know if I’m supposed to do the life draining thing or eat you and hope you don’t keep moving or just smash you until you guys take a nap,- I admit before it occurs to me that maybe there’s a trick to it. -Or is this like a puzzle type deal?-
I sigh, cocking back my fist, and Ultrabooping the fleshy stick figure in front of me with a quick rabbit punch to the nose. If they were a cultivator they’d kick my ass. If they were an undead cultivator, they would kick my ass. Hell, some peasants are probably untrained and naturally talented enough to wrangle me, but even I can admit these things are cheap puppets. They’re aware enough, you can feel the frustration of some of them, but this is the starter zone for a cult dealing in angst and anger of ghosts.
I stand there being masticated and massaged, -- pretty sure this is like a deep tissue massage, but I don’t have deep tissues for them to access, -- the eyes of the ghost go from cheap yellow LED light bulb, steady and bright as fack, to cheap candle, flickering and dim. I can see smokeless smoke coming from their body, their form explosively deconstructing, limbs popping off like they’re set on a timer and I didn’t put the damned thing together fast enough. Then, when all the pieces are lying on the ground, and the lights finally go out, the smoke picks up.
-Yoink,- I bank the pieces for stock.
I mean study. Later study... of what appears to be dry-aged stock bones. There’s still a lot of meat on them, and they kinda smell like fermented garlic. It might not be that bad.
[New Ability Unlocked]
[Ghost Pot]
[New Skill Learned]
[Vengeful Ghost Sect Breathing Technique]
[3 -Resentment Gained]
[-5 Karma]
[Enemy Defeated]
[Broken Servant]
[Karma +50 Gained]
[Ghost Pot +1 (+100/-218)]
[10 -Resentment Gained]
[Karma +5 x218 Gained]
[3 x218 -Resentment Gained]
[Karma +50 x100 Gained]
[20 x100 +Resentment Gained]
[Resentment: +2000/-667]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,831,227/23,900,355]
[Current Qi: 1,905,620/957,945,100]
[Current Karma: 95,607,507/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,579,451]
[HP: 9,579,451]
[Mortal Wallet: 12E,692K,180P,697R,179Da,258De,2605k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,10680St]
Spirit Manipulation
Achievement 50+
Beyond the Void
Achievement 100+
Soul Bound
Achievement 50+
I --. What? I drop to my knees in my void. I’d only transferred, why am I --? I fall on my face, stretched out, unable to move, unable to blink, but I’m --.
A pair of sandaled feet, bare shins, and the hems of some basic bish burlap ass pants wanders into my vision before the most piss poor generic peasant I could imagine pops a squat, – his pants are still up, thank gods – and stairs down at me with his hair in a messy twist.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“Hello, fuck face.”
The casual disrespect in my own void has got to stop. I try to Will him out but find myself sitting at a study table in my library. The space is lit with a Tenebrous Orb in what looks like a thick matte wire woven basket. Very stylish, but what the fuck?
“Okay, so there’s a few things you need to know,” the fuck face that called me a fuck face sits across from me, elbows on the table, fingers interlaced, slumping like he owns the place. “Vengeful Ghost Flame is a spirit manipulation sect, with a smaller corpse manipulation faction. They can steal and bind spirits, usually unwillingly, and their Vengeful Ghost Flames don’t just char the flesh, they destroy the spirit.
“Long story short, blue fire burns channels and makes corpses just meat. The corpse manipulators can infuse all that dead meat with a spirit, and we get to wear corpses like discarded robes! Doesn’t even have to be related to us by sect, blood, taste in rice flavorings,” the man shakes his head, his hands opening up briefly before he laces his fingers again. “I’m a Servant Familiar. I have to serve you. I don’t get a choice. I do get to choose how well I do.
“You can try to punish me, if you want, but think very hard on where you found me,” he says quietly while making an uncomfortable amount of intense eye contact and I know he knows I will castrate him if he tries what he looks like he’s gonna try. “I can help you figure out the ins and outs of this sect, and they are a sect, not a cult, there’s no bonding and making others work for me togetherness. You are strong and useful or you’re garbage to be taken out or repurposed.
“Now,” he pauses, resting just the tips of his fingers on top of the table, looking down with an unfocused expression before making non-hate rapey eye contact. “I’m willing to help you, and do my best not just malicious compliance or blatantly misunderstanding your requests, if you allow me the same autonomy as the other spirits here.”
I blink at him, remember that my Library is in my inner me and finally look around to see several people not so subtly watching us, heads facing us even if they’re standing facing bookshelves and scroll racks with open volumes in their hands. When some of them notice my shift in attention they pretend to read, suddenly finish their reading, -- replacing the materials and power walking away like the book was so good they had to finish it, to hells with that shit they’ve been holding for hours, -- or they just pretend to browse the shelves for a few seconds before continuing to spy out of the corner of their eye.
“Tch!” I roll my eyes and notice fuck face patiently waiting for me to refocus.
“I’ll be your servant if you allow me peace,” he reiterates. “Deal?” he asks, holding out his hand.
I snort and climb to my feet, walking away.
“What do I care what you’re doing if you’re not actively fighting me? Make yourself useful and don’t be a dick or get eaten! How is that not simple? Why should we make a deal?” I snap as I walk towards the Library exit. “Aunty?” I shout, making my way down the stairs. “Who made those dumplings? What else do they make? Can I get more here?”
“Aya! You don’t realize you have a Familiar? Put him to work!” Aunty admonishes me, sucking her teeth and whapping me with her lightweight silk kerchief.
“What Familiar? I stilled his corpse, what do I owe him?” I just want more good food. “I know I can will whatever I want, but I want to know what I should think about when I do it. Those dumplings were delicious! That broth was amazing. The whole meal! Who did that?”
“She’s trying to tell you that they’re too busy earning positive karma to cater to you,” fuck face says, walking past with hands in hidden pockets in his pants. “I’ll show you a good place. We’ll talk while you eat.”
“Hmm, he better make himself useful! We’re not here to do his work!” Aunty shouts while exclusively glaring at fuck face. I don’t even know if she’s talking to me or about me. “You make sure he doesn’t slack off. He’s your servant. Don’t be too lenient with him! You have a lot of work to do, and he exists to help you.
“Hmph!” she sashays off, angrily pouting. Mustn’t frown! Wouldn’t want wrinkles. “A Familiar demanding compensation? What a joke!”
“Oh, shit. He’s me...” I blink as I realize the implications.
Familiar. Servant with no rights? Can earn his freedom?
I just got a slave...
[Name: Kisandera, “Sandy”, Eclipsed Rainbow]
[Affiliation(s): Thousand Valleys, Seven Moons, Companion of the Sacred Phoenix Sovereign, Inner Void Productions, Wimble Sunrise, Scarlet Silk Society, Hunter’s Association, Vengeful Ghost Flame Sect]
[Race: Celestial Void Moth Queen[Shattered] (Saint)] 🦋
[Current Form: Hunan]
[Current Realm: Shimmering(Tier 5)]
[Current Karma: 95,607,507/107,275,977]
[Master: Shimmering Steel]
[Familiar: Fuck Face (Ghostly Servant)]
[Max Will: 9,579,451]
[Ghost Pot: +100/-218]
[Resentment: +2000/-667]
[HP: 9,579,451]
[Mortal Wallet: 12E,692K,180P,697R,179Da,255De,2605k]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,831,227/23,901,876]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1325Di,126Co,10680St]
[Current Qi: 1,905,620/957,945,100]
Awkward.
“Ah...” I quickly catch up to Fuck Face, -- I didn’t know I was naming him! He started it! -- head bowed in embarrassment. “Is there anyway I can rename you...?”
“If I get enough Karma I’ll be able to earn a new name,” he shrugs, quickly racing up the steps to one of the inns and heading inside.
My face smooths as my bullshit detector screams at me. He’s gonna get me a load of Bug Drop, isn’t he.
“I called you fuck face, I tried to intimidate you, I’m not going to take any shit from you, and you’re worried about a no named servant with a name no one knows?” he snorts, grimacing or cringing, I’m not sure which. “We’re not the same. I have knowledge you didn’t. I know how to earn karma, and I’m going to. Sit. Eat.”
He sits down while gesturing for me to sit at a table that is quickly being loaded with delicious things. Braised meats, stewed meats, all kinds of fried greens. Garlic, onion, glazes, little dishes of seasoning, different pots of sauces. Wines, breads, battered and fried items, and I’m stuffing my face, aren’t I?
I check and see that I’m actively eating, and have been for a while. I was just staring at everything in awe, trying to see what was on all the plates, in all the pots and bowls, and I’ve been digging in. No wonder everything smelled and tasted so good in my head!
“I’m gonna start revoking permissions,” Fuck Face murmurs while eating at a more sedate pace, clearly enjoying the food and uncaring that I’m preparing to stab him in the head with my chopsticks.
He rolls his eyes and keeps eating, and I know he’s that main character who’s going to be getting revenge later. Really hope I’m off-world by then.
“I can’t give permissions, but I can revoke unnecessary ones.” He continues like he’s not going to get revenge later. He snorts, fighting a smile. “This’ll free up resources, your energy.
“You’re way past the point of needing to have physical items you’ve already mass produced or consumed. Stopping your farms will free up energy,” he sets his dishes down, elbows on the table, hands laced together in front of his face as he stares at me with a flat expression, chewing his last bite. “You can still have decorative plants that produce, but there’s no need for you to have full production. You stopped forced production, but we need to make sure you don’t start that up again with things you already know.
“You can cook! You’ve got tons of cooking experience from spirit tutoring! You just need to have materials available, and spending energy to use materials to craft items to use as materials...?”
“Ah!” I didn’t need to have the potatoes at the ready. This kinda explains how I was able to make so much other shit even without having the item available. “Wait, so I can do the stuff in the Library?” I cross my fingers at the thought of not having to practice any of that bullshit.
“Yes, but you can’t teach all of it,” Fuck Face hesitantly picks up their bowl before they continue eating. “You can teach the books you have unlocked in the Library.”
“Very helpful so far,” I acknowledge, nodding to his information, advice, and the food choices. “You said something about helping with Vengeful Ghost Flame stuff? Was it just to tell me don’t get burned?”
“No. Kill people. Collect spirits. You can’t get familiars from just killing people. The souls and flesh have to be prepared. I don’t know how they do that.”
We eat quietly for a few minutes before he continues. Someone may or may not be throwing me into the deep end to give me the best start or fuck me like insurance. Most people are dropped in a lightless tomb and have to find a candle or develope some form of alternate vision. There’s supposed to be a training manual with a breathing technique to ensure that the spirit and body are prepared to house other spirits without becoming possessed the way I had. I was dropped in a place with discarded servants, where, if I survived, I’d have some knowledge of the inner workings of how to practice producing Ghost Flame.
So instead of getting a breather and a safe corner to center myself until I’m ready to go out into the mean world, I get dropped into an area where I could Get Gud and make EZ Monie. Breathing Technique? Nope. Ghost Pot forged by collecting a pre-prepared servant? Check.
I was supposed to defeat one servant, get forced into a meditative state where the other servants couldn’t attack me, then defeat more to gain resentment, Vengeful Ghost Flame Sect’s currency, and spirits, which can be slowly consumed to temper my spirit and increase my Pot size, absorbed to harvest more resentment, or traded off for a stick of gum. No, seriously, apparently spirits are more valuable than resentment, but at low cultivation it’s better to trade them for tools to make it easier to cultivate them, question mark?
“But you don’t have to worry about that,” Fuck Face says, pointedly scanning the non-vengeful spirits just living their best afterlife.
“I need Resentment and these people are happy to be gaining post life, pre-cycle, positive karma,” I point out. After the initial Urmuhgurd sprint through the food, I’m finally just conscientiously eating it to enjoy it.
“Think of it as Regard. Earning negative Regard is easy,” he pauses to pointedly look up from under his eyebrows at me, and I burp, mouth open in defiance. I wasn’t born an asshole, and it took me a lot of hard work to get pushed this far! “Positive is harder,” he continues as he gets another ladle of dumpling soup. “These spirits working for you? Now that you have a Ghost Pot to interact with them you can turn them into servants or let them do what they’re doing. You can start farming positive Regard for every point of positive Karma they earn.
“But you’ll have to meditate on it. Or in this case, you’re meditating out there while eating in here,” he says with a casualness that does not match my sudden panic. “Relax~!” he loudly berates me, chewing as he watches me glare back at him. “You went into your void before you went into a meditative sleep. Your body is safe.”
I slump in relief. I remember. I couldn’t move and just slowly dropped, but I made it inside. Is that what that was? Why did I see him? I side-eyed glare at him, frowning and internally cursing when some of the empty dishes are removed and something that looks like fried sweet dough rolled in sugar is passed right between us and set on the table. If that shit wasn’t on purpose the timing was immaculate!