David wanted to make a show of force more than he cared about the meager energy a single body of no particular talent contained. He punted it into the fountain and blood quickly began to cloud the water next to the body as it spread to permeate all throughout the fountain. Within about ten seconds the spout spewed a faintly-pink liquid. There was less contamination than David expected— the blood of this one must have been weak and diffuse even in its flesh container— but as the last remaining contents of the body leaked into the fountain and continued to darken its hue, David and Chen-Thai, who did not wish to watch this grotesque sight, had already turned to walk to an elevator shaft at the back of the lobby.

Chen-Thai opened a rough iron door, and flew up the shaft. David followed him to the uppermost floor, where Master Chen knocked three times, paused, four times, paused longer, and then six times on the smooth finish of an intricately carved gold wall. After about ten seconds an inset circle began to twist and pull back, eventually folding downward into the room, where the two men entered without touching it prior to landing on the polished tiles of silver that made up the floor.

In the room stood a massive mahogany table and a series of golden thrones, each encrusted with a large number of jewels and gemstones. Closest to the door was a small wooden bench, which Chen-Thai gestured at David to be seated in as he himself walked over to a position nearest the other end of the table in a throne encrusted with many emeralds.

David kicked the stool aside and stood. It flew toward a window which he expected to shatter, but it did not. Apparently the window was made of a material more resilient than glass, and as a result splinters of wood and a cloud of beige dust billowed out from it instead. A few men coughed but none protested, instead looking to the other end of the table where a massive gold and diamond throne stood, sparkling with the infinite radiance its occupant likewise contained in the eyes of those who looked to him now.

The man was of average height, slightly thin, with a long, gray but almost white beard that flowed below the table which he began to stroke as his eyebrow raised. His slightly tan, inset, and only somewhat wrinkled visage betrayed no information which David could ascertain, but his hair was tied into a bun that flowed softly backwards down his neck and his massively oversized white robes were folded neatly around him as he sat, compressed only at the waist where a large golden and leather belt held the outfit together. With this, David could be reasonably certain he fit the “wise old master” trope from asiatic fictions. Why earth-like customs and tropes would be present in this world was unclear, but the why did not matter when it came to possibly actionable information.

Finally, after a long pause that almost seemed to be posturing his position through a forced length of silence, Ultra-Grand-Supreme-Omega-Undefeated-Heavenly-Zenith-of-All-Creation-Absolute-Master Chad Anderson introduced himself and spoke.

“Chen-Thai, explain,” were his only brief and measured words.

Master Chen began to give an explanation of the sect’s decline to David, but the grand master interrupted him,

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“Not to him, to me. Explain to me why he’s here.”

“Apologies, grandmaster, he’s here because he caused The Scourge.”

“This one? Caused the Great Scourge?” the grandmaster eyed David with suspicion.

“Ah yes, I see now.”

“It’s subtle, but he hosts a great and terrible force. Why, then, should we doom ourselves when you promised us an artifact that would bring salvation?”

“I am sure the grandmaster can sense his potential and… the inevitably of his ascent. Our only options are to side with him and survive or delay the inevitable as we fight against enemies we cannot possibly hope to defeat.”

“Hold your tongue!” a frail woman who seemed no older than thirty shouted.

“You know we can’t win a two-sided war,” Master Chen quickly snapped back.

“You doubt our strength? You think him stronger than all of us?” a huge mountain of muscle with wrinkles beneath his eyes boomed out.

The grandmaster raised a hand and once again enforced silence. A minute passed before he spoke as nerves and tempers ran hot.

“Disregard the child, would we court disaster in exchange for survival?”

Hands rose and a chorus of “Aye” and “Nay” rang out slowly, but as time passed “Aye” overcame the naysayers.

“I agree, better to survive until tomorrow than die today.”

The young master David had threatened with death spoke up only now.

“This man threatened my life with no provocation. We would side with someone so brutish?”

A chorus of shouts rang out throughout the large and open chamber filled with nothing but a table and its occupants. The grandmaster did not object to this clamor, but David did.

“For what reason should a man stop walking when an ant obstructs his path?”

His voice overcame all the others, intentionally projected to be much louder than the rest combined.

“You don’t. The ant moves or is crushed. This ant who attempted to block my way is offended that I have only threatened his life? He should thank me for sparing him a moment to step aside.”

“He killed one of my men!” Zhang tried once again to object.

“An entourage of ants is surprised to be crushed when they themselves walk underneath a boot?”

“You swine, I’ll make you pay—”

“Enough,” the grandmaster said at last, finally looking to David and speaking to him directly,

“You have proven yourself hostile and yet we cannot last through this situation alone. If you will swear to me on your life that you will aid us in our time of need and bring us no harm either during this period or in the aftermath, I in turn will swear to the same that we shall augment your power until none can oppose you.”

“I swear as such.”

“As do I, then the oath is sealed.”

“But, but… damn you all.” young master Zhang shouted, standing to leave the chamber.

“I hope you all can make peace with this decision before it comes back to haunt you, but I for one will have no part in it!”

“Then goodbye,” Master Chen began, but the grandmaster continued,

“You have served us well.”