-*What am I supposed to do besides spend all my time and energy making foods since I can't just go out and eat people?*- I grouse. I should probably just drain the Qi and essence out of things, then process the bodies like regular foodstuffs.
"For a bank bug you're awfully active," Crimson Star mumbles, side-eyeing me. Shots fired?
-*I know. It sucks,*- I agree trying to work up the nerve to leave after I paid. I might not be back in time for the event. -*You were told. My development was built towards generating materials. Yes, I ate many treasures, but I produced so many more. I don't like being unproductive, but I'm not letting anyone else work me to death.*-
I stare at him, trying to be super obvious that he's included in this "anyone", and he nods still avoiding direct eye contact. His peripheral vision must be amazing. I do a full groom and pull another string of Denii from the silk around my head. Do what now? I remember this happening before, but I thought it was White Silk hiding stuff on me, trying to figure out how to use me as a bank.
[+20 Denii]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,27K,180P,154R,179Da,155De +20,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10506St]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,27K,180P,154R,179Da,175De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10506St]
Weird... I pause then stare at Crimson Star for a few breaths, watch as he pretends he doesn't notice, but keeps his head angled just so, and then go back to grooming. If he's trying to use me as a bank that was a fee. An office fee for your application, and your application just got denied, bish! Seriously. I talk, I move on my own, I rant alot, and people still try to treat me like I'm some mindless tool to be used. A treasure from the gods just for them. Wonder how they feel when I bug out? No pun intended.
"The officials do searches of the competitors to make sure they don't have any contraband," Crimson Star says after who knows how long.
I really need to figure out the clock thing. Didn't the Smorgas-Board have a calendar for the time sensitive quests? Why'd I forget about that? Can I make a clock? How much would a calendar cost to maintain and auto tab? Are there time keeping artifacts?
-*How do you keep track of time?*- Everyone seems to know, but is he using his bank or an artifact--.
No. Not all cultivators are created equal. Maybe he hasn't even unlocked a private bank? Maybe he has to use spatial storage. He rolls his eyes, holding up an empty hand, palm out to me then jerks his hand down, a watch dangling from his fingers as he puts his hand back up. A watch. Like a modern timepiece of gears and cogs and hands and what the fuck, did he get dragged here, too?
-*I went to take a nap on my 15 minute break and when I woke up I was being manhandled into a cage! How'd you get here?*- I can't keep still. I'm running around like an idiot trying to catch sight of the watch, but he put it away. -*Where'd you get the watch? Did you bring it with you or make it? What all can it do?*-
"I bought it from a strange man when I was helping on a Hunt as a kid," Crimson Star admits casually with absolutely no shame! This motherfucker! "It was over 8 years ago... Before I was sold to Lord Heavenly Golden Fist." He shrugs like he didn't just punk the shit outta me. "I thought it was impressive then, and it's even more impressive now. What did you think it was?"
-*I am so mad right now...*- I admit.
I think I can feel something pulsing through me. Is that my heartbeat or Qi? I don't feel sick, but I really need to stab something. Not with all my legs, just the forelegs. I look down at them, seeing them stabby looking, extended, sharpened, slightly red, and needing to be embedded in something.
Someone sounds a horn in the distance, possibly back towards the encampment, but I can't tell for sure. Crimson Star frowns, full on frowns, and looks back towards the gathering of competitors.
"That's the signal that the hunt is starting," he says, sprinting, scooping me up, then racing back. "We still have a day!"
We get back to the camp and it looks dead. There are people there, the older people not participants, just members of their respective groups I guess, but the energy level is down. I guess 'cause prep is over? There are still young people here, and, as Crimson Star storms up to the registration table, -- I guess it's just for the whole event? Do we turn in our catches here too? --. That's a good point. I think you get more points from live captures than corpses. So many wasted minds...
"Lord Golden Beginnings has stated that he wants a challenge. He's agreed to let the other contestants get a headstart to show how amazing he is when he wins," the smug bastard smirks and I know he took a bribe.
There are probably people still coming who don't know the competition started probably counting on the extra day to rest up. Fucker.
"Guess you got your wish," Crimson Star says before racing through the camp to laughter and jeers.
Holy shit these people suck. Yay, I get to hunt? I still don't know what the range of the hunting grounds are.
-*Is this competition in a spatial zone or in a specific area?*-
"The entire mountains," Crimson Star barks, still sprinting. "Over 100 kilometers, that includes in the mountains, and underneath."
-*Where does it start?*- Smooth. Like the sheer distance isn't a massive fucking turnoff.
A handful of critters in tens of thousands of meters from the top of the tallest mountain to the deepest pin in the deepest valley. Fuck~ all the way off.
"There," he nods towards a barrier of rope and paper talismans, jumping over it as he gets to it.
The world feels saturated as we cross the barrier, the air distorting slightly, or it could just be that we're in the wrong fucking mountains. This place isn't lush, but it's green. Just a basic, peaceful, grassy forest with grassy mountains in the background.
-*Did someone transfer us to the wrong area?*- Revenge for sabotaging their nets? I didn't tell anyone what we did.
"It's a simple barrier," Crimson Star looks at me long enough to look down at me metaphorically. "They infuse the area with Qi and essence to make the hunt challenging. The animals were pulled from their respective environments, and dumped all together, they'll need help to stand a chance.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
"We're starting in the shaded caverns," he continues before I can continue my last minute interrogation. Why didn't I ask all this while we were waiting? "It's supposed to be the best spot for starting hunters."
-*For us to encounter lions?*- He said the lions liked caves and the tigers like elevation, right?
He skids to a stop, pale and shaking, sweat pouring down his face. His palm is wet inside my silk. Not a fan. I pull loose and he falls to the ground, sitting hard, knees bent, hands braced on the ground behind him as he just stares off into the distance.
-*Did they say safest or best?*- I think he honestly thought he'd be safe in an underground maze. Well, if people are going after tigers, deer, and that golden rabbit, the open areas and vertical slopes are where it's out. -*Get up. Take me to these caverns.*-
"Can you make a pit in your void? Trap it and bury it?" He turns to me, super intense, and I don't know why he's crawling at me or if he even knows he's doing it.
-*I can trap it in my void, yes,*- I say, telling him what he wants to hear. If we're holed up in my bank it'll give me time to try to soul-tap the critter. -*We can work on it from there.*-
Wait. No. I don't feel good. Is this indigestion? Nah, my heart hurts. Fack. Did I eat broham's soul? It didn't feel like much, but I know a lot more now. Fack. I need to find Silent Howl. Shouldn't I get Qi and shit from --. I'm not about to whine about not getting juiced up from eating souls --. I definitely ate Coal's Bright Flame's soul. Like I climbed all up in there. Wasn't just his energy, I got his memories.
Pretty sure if I can get hunted down for eating the wrong people being able to straight up eat people's souls is gonna get me lynched. And then the greedy bastards howling for my death are gonna try to make tools out of my corpse to do the same thing. Fuck, cultivators suck.
"Alright." He's still pale and shaky, and I really don't like the way his eyes are wide and shining. Did he bite his tongue? "Let's do this."
-*Or not. You don't look so good?*- I don't feel safe. Dude looks snapped.
I need to learn how to dodge people or develope a reflex to sip-a-soul, I get got way too easily, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to do this. He's not even close to the full sprint he was doing before, but he is building up speed. I stare at him as he screams, getting back up to full speed and then just running in an uncontrolled sprint, screaming his fucking head off. Yeah, no, this isn't going well, and we're still not to the shaded caverns.
He runs out of steam at the rocky base of a mountain, within sight of a cave mouth, collapsing to his knees, out of breath, just panting. This shitsack is going to get us killed. I trot away, keeping an eye out for anything potentially spirit beasty either coming after me or the loud, easy target, weakened and panicky and now laying on the ground.
-*In what world or space was it a good idea to wear yourself out and collapse in a hunting ground?*- This mother... I can try to soul suck whatever eats him while he's distracting it.
"You're here," he waves my concern off, flat on his back, panting, eyes closed. This bish.
-*And I'm not a fighter. I'm a bank bug,*- I remind him. He's not rich enough to shout "protect me!" and throw his wallet, and actually have it work.
He stops breathing and I'm left wondering if they have to be alive for me to suck their soul before he sits up, dusts himself off, then stares coolly into the distance. Now I'm left staring blankly wondering if he really did recover that quickly or if he's about to fake it until he gets us both killed. I don't ask because I don't want to know.
I try to stare him down, hoping to dissuade him from picking me up and he walks straight at me. Not working. I don't wanna turn and run, that doesn't work, apparently I gave up mobility for more bank manipulation.
[Piercing Shot Successful]
[Successful Uses 77/100]
[Qi -30]
[Karma -5]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,831,774/23,765,728]
[Current Qi: 236,362/957,945,100]
[Current Karma: 95,062,912/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,579,451]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,27K,180P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10506St]
Dust, dirt, and rocks go flying, something me-sized releases a squeal that causes me to flinch that somehow doesn't distract my stomach, the shot lands and I pull myself, the ugly gopher, and Crimson Star into my bank.
-*Come on!*- I shout, the ugly gopher righting itself. -*Is that a giant --?*-
I don't get to finish asking about the unicorn rabbit before it nails me in the middle of my face with its horn.
-*Mother --!*- I don't get to finish my curse as it stomps me, jumps away and comes back to stab me again. -*Fucker!*-
I'm screaming and cursing while this fat rabbit ping-pongs all over the place, nailing me with kicks from clawed fore- and hindlegs, and headbutts with that goddamn horn, not doing any damage but disorienting as all hells as it knocks me around. I can't turn enough to see him, but I hear Crimson Star laughing. I'm getting thumped by someone's failed science experiment.
I don't know if it notices it's not doing any damage, but it latches onto one of my wings, getting an enraged shriek outta me, and then starts --. Holy shit it is a rabbit. It's bunny-kicking the shit outta me. Or trying. I'm just getting jostled a lot, but at least it's staying still. I try to straw it and learn that it snapped or destroyed my line. On purpose or accident?
[Piercing Shot Successful]
[Successful Uses 78/100]
[Qi -30]
[Karma -5]
[Feeding Successful]
[Successful Uses 50/100]
[Qi +1000]
[Karma +10]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,831,774/23,765,729]
[Current Qi: 237,332/957,945,100]
[Current Karma: 95,062,917/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,579,451]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,27K,180P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10506St]
The rabbit squeals, falls dead, and looks mildly desiccated. I let go of it, turn to Crimson Star, the bastard on his side, curled, gripping his ribs, fucking crying, the ground around him looking trampled, and he hasn't taken a single step to help me. He sat, watched, laughed, just hooting and hollering in his hilarity while I was getting stomped. I'm not hurt, I'm dirty and touselled, but he didn't know that. He couldn't have. I grab the corpse, walk over to him, and slap him with the corpse, making sure the horn drags across his face.
"Hey!" he shouts, furious, hilarity gone as he sits up and glares at me, the scratch and the surrounding area touched by a green liquid sizzling.
He thrashes, flailing through his upper robes and pulling out one of the medicine bottles I'd seen people passing around at the camp. I take the bottle from his fumbling hands, and bank it. He stares at me, wide-eyed and twitching, jerking and staring at me as his full body twitch slows. He collapses backwards, not breathing, limbs spread out. I check on him, wondering if he's just paralyzed--. Nope. No heartbeat. He dead. Unless this is a full paralysis cultivators can recover from.
I turn back to the rabbit, -- hare, one-horned hare vit the venom und ze death from ze tendency to find out --, and try to figure out how to slurp da soul. I focus on it, silk still attached, swear it's still breathing, its nose twitching, and try to absorb the memory of the bunny with this feeling.
Devour
Guess it worked. I know more about mountain herbs, what to look for in a mate, and how to eat so I'm highly venomous but not toxic so I don't kill a mate. It worked. I move to Crimson Star --
[Piercing Shot Successful]
[Successful Uses 79/100]
[Qi -30]
[Karma -5]
[Current Condensed Qi: 1,831,774/23,765,730]
[Current Qi: 237,802/957,945,100]
[Current Karma: 95,062,922/107,275,977]
[Max Will: 9,579,451]
[Mortal Wallet: 10E,27K,180P,154R,179Da,155De,105k]
[Spirit Wallet: 0Dr,0Ph,0Th,1199Di,126Co,10506St]
-- nail him with a bit of silk, then look for who he feels like to me. Nerves, cold sweat, stiff, afraid of embarrassing himself. He's a try hard? He doesn't want to look stupid so he pretends to be cool --? Yeah, no, fake it 'til you make it. Got it. Yeah, that's him.
But what will I learn from consuming him? I'd rather do an experiment. The pills weren't poison? Were they an antidote? I drag his body, by the thread, across my yard, up the steps into and through the house to the bedroom I don't use, my guest room. I will a sleeping mat, throw him on it, then leave. If he recovers I'll learn something. If he doesn't, and I accidentally absorb him, I tried to let him recover. Truly, it's up to him.
What a bullshit throwaway cultivator thing to say and think.