Sunwhisper could still feel the spider’s hunger, and so he knew that one of the brother's was still alive. As soon as Wen Lambo gave his assent, Sunwhisper hopped to the side of the spider that had bitten the square faced cultivator. It was on its back, and its legs were curled, but mana still flowed in its meridians. He lifted it in his arms and took it from the courtyard.
The initiates parted to let him pass.
(So…you think this is over?)
{No. I have a feeling that our business with the Azai is just beginning. But let us survive the night, and then see where tomorrow brings.}
(All this over the girl. I’m beginning to doubt myself for hitching a ride on your chassis.)
{There were no other available mechanoborgs. }
(You can say that again.)
{There were no other available mechanoborgs.}
(Man…it is really hard to tell with you sometimes.)
Karasu flew down to meet them once they entered the main thoroughfare, and then flew up again when she saw the spider he was hugging to his chest. She made her disapproval known with a lengthy series of caws and coughs, circling them from above as he walked down the central road of Silk Flower Town.
<<<>>>
Challenge Completed – The Azai Compound
You have left the clan chapter house behind, but carry new questions with you. Who are the Zaibatsu, and why was Wen Lambo so afraid of them? The escape was not without its costs. Your identity as Sunwa Jin is now associated not only with crimes against the Azai, but with the otherwise unknown techniques that you used to break out. An investigation is certain to follow.
<<<>>>
It was the middle of the night, and only a few guardsmen were about, but they did not dare question a two-star cultivator who was obviously on an important errand. No alarms were ringing, they had no reason to assume he was not above their reproach.
Sunwhisper mentally examined the ties he had made with River of Agony and Hand of the Gentle Sage. Not long after he left the Azai compound, the man who had been so terribly wounded by Starscream and the spiders finally expired, and their connection winked out. Wen Lambo would be feeling much better, but that did not mean he would chase after Sunwhisper immediately.
Wen Lambo had made certain assumptions that had brought him to the choice to let Sunwhisper go, and in the absence of new information, there wouldn’t be any reason to change those assumptions, even if he no longer felt as if he was about to die. Sunwhisper had no idea what Wen Lambo believed, but he knew that fleeing from the town at speed would only attract attention. As long as he was not being chased, he would not act like a fugitive.
Janna and Hago were ahead of him only by a matter of hours, and the energy of the spirit fruit was still circulating in his meridians, and that of his passenger.
(So what’s the plan, anyway? Should we stab a chipmunk on the way, and transfer its pain to Hago?)
{That shouldn’t be necessary, I am severing my ties to everyone in Silk Flower Town, it would be a waste of mana to maintain them. Hago will have his own pain to deal with if it comes to a duel.}
(If? You just broke out of his home base and embarrassed his superior, how is this going to end with anything other than a fistfight? Not that I’m complaining, I would love a taste of that core. It was too bad we couldn’t dig into that Wen Lambo guy.)
{He could have killed us with a single blow. Getting away before he realized I was bluffing was all that mattered.}
(Not all, you’re carrying another sacred beast. Please tell me this is going to be a midnight snack situation.)
Since imbibing the spirit fruit, Sunwhisper’s rabid hunger had subsided. Even the spider’s ravenous appetite was no match for pure mana, at least for a little while. He hardly thought about killing and eating anyone as he made his way out of Silk Flower Town. The gate was closed due to the late hour, but he presented the jade token he was wearing around his neck and the wardens let him through.
Apparently, the mark of the Azai clan carried significant weight in the town hierarchy. It was yet another good reason to never go back.
(So tell me, now that you have your stars, what was the point of all this?)
{Changing our names is not an issue. I am a two-star cultivator backed by the authority of the Starfox Guild, we can make our own way in the world now. From what I have seen, power is the only real authority in Hollow, and now we have the benefit of that authority without having to prove it at every turn.}
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
(Maybe, but the guy who put those marks on you was a five-star. So being a two-star cultivator doesn’t seem like as much authority as it did when you were in Fringe Town.)
{It is a beginning.}
Once they were out of Silk Flower Town, Sunwhisper found a secluded spot near the road to set down the spider and try to wake him. There wasn’t much gold fruit left, as he and Starscream had both been channeling it off and on for days, but there was plenty of silver, as Janna had only accepted one, so he placed a small piece in the spider’s maw.
Its mandibles responded by reflex, drawing the juicy spirit fruit into their orifice and allowing the spider to begin to digest it. The beast came awake soon after.
"Brother….my brother…"
"Wen Lambo killed him." Sunwhisper said. "I am sorry."
"Where am I? What is this?"
"I told you that if you came with me, you would be free." He still had two bricks marked with wards at his waist, but one of them had gone dark. "I keep my promises."
The spider had righted itself, and it made a series of unintelligible noises with its mouthparts and hairs before again approximating speech. ""What is your name…human that is not human?"
"Sunwhisper."
"Sunwhisper. I am Ogumo. Are we companions?"
"If you wish. I welcome anyone who would aid me in my quest."
"A quest…what is it?"
"To find the source of magic, and take it home to save my world."
"You have helped me…I will help you."
<<<>>>
Quest Update – The Source
The more you learn of this new world, the more impossible your mission seems. But the more allies you have, the more likely you are to succeed
You have gained a companion (Ogumo).
<<<>>>
Once they were on the road, Sunwhisper occupied a part of his mind by checking through his status screen to see what recent events had done for his skills. He’d saved up enough ranks that he could afford to push EQ and Ego both into their second star rating and still have a comfortable margin left over. Xanthous Ascendancy had truly spoiled him as far as his physical stats went, he didn’t feel much of a need to pump them at all for the moment. Whenever Starscream’s technique was active, their Strength and Dexterity scores were well into a two-star rating.
<<<>>>
Sunwhisper (Mechanoborg Ne Plus Ultra)
Strength: *3
Dexterity: *6
Constitution: *6
IQ: *6
EQ: **1
Ego: **1
Dao Rating: 3637 (900 unassigned.)
Cultivation Techniques — Path of the Honing Edge
Eight Mines Clutch of Lead *5
Eight Mines Honing Edge *2
Grandfather’s Cutting Elbow *1
Impurities Rejection *6
Impurities Attraction *1
Lead Grasshopper Stance *5
Copper Mantis Stance *1
Cultivation Techniques — Path of the Kingdom of Wild Hearts
Aura of the Bleeding Heart *2
Hand of the Gentle Sage *3
River of Agony *2
<<<>>>
Hand of the Gentle Sage was developing slightly faster than the other two techniques from that path, probably because he was continuously maintaining the links it created. It was too early to be sure, but it seemed that the higher his rank in that technique, the cheaper it was to use and the longer the range it would function at. River of Agony would become a more complete transfer as it leveled up, and his aura would become stronger as well.
Wen Lambo had hardly been a mental fortress. Sunwhisper was certain that he would face opponents in the future much more capable of disregarding his newfound abilities, all the more reason to train them as hard as he could.
They set out at a punishing pace, sustaining themselves with the mana they had absorbed from the Soma fruit in the hopes of overtaking Hago and Janna before they reached the site of Sunwhisper’s duel with Makoto.
It was true that Hago should have been satisfied with what was to be found there, but Sunwhisper was worried that his crimes would shortly be catching up with him. Even if Wen Lambo didn’t come after them himself, there would surely be others eager to settle a matter of clan honor.
Moreover, he did not know who else would be traveling by this road, the same path they had taken out of Fringe Village. So far, while the theft of the spirit fruit had apparently become known, no one had been sent in search of Karasu. Returning in the direction from which they had come was an invitation to ill fortune. It was impossible to keep ahead of his past while running backward.
He intended to find Janna, defeat Hago, and get as far away from the influence of the Soga and the Azai as he could. With those offended clans behind them, they would be free to train and advance as they saw fit, taking what they could from the Blessed Lands in the service of his ultimate mission. His compass still provided him with a direction, and it was pointing to what he now knew as the Middle Kingdom, but he knew it would be pointless to go there until he had become more powerful than any mechanoborg before him.
The hours and the road passed beneath his swiftly moving feet, and before long, Karasu was signaling that she had spotted their quarry ahead.