“Is it morning yet?” he mumbled for the hundredth time as he pulled the blinds of his window, searching for the morning sun.

You never realize how long the night is, unless you are unable to sleep. Ren had paced around the small room so many times, he swore he could make out his foot indentations on the wooden floors. He had tried everything, from counting the threads on his blanket to re-scanning his room for electronic bugs and traps.

He scoffed in embarrassment at the thought. Good thing his pals from the Creche PD 800 series were not here to witness his slip up. Knowing those bastards, the moment a weakness was perceived, he would have to spend months on hyper-vigilance against the inevitable nanoblade attack to his core. An annoyingly familiar feeling of weakness washed over Ren and he paused, letting the window blinds fall back into place.

He swiped the notification away and continued his room search for the umpteenth time. Of course he did not expect to find any modern spying devices in this world. Now spy-holes, false-doors, poisons, toxins and good old throat-slitting were completely feasible options.

He had no reason to suspect Algor and his Temple folks, but paranoia had always been a fun tool in Ren’s survival kit. The added benefit for this round of searching was that it would keep him busy for the next half an hour or so, just in time for the morning sun to fully crest the horizon.

A quick internal scan showed him that most of the damaged sensors from the previous day had already been regenerated. The fine cracks in his bones from his fight with the alpha direwolves had also been completely fixed. The only area still marked in the red was his damaged core.

Its contents were still fully shielded from the rest of his body, but within the multifaceted core, the compartment housing the nuclear plant was now leaking low levels of radiation to the surrounding chambers. All in all, he was still on track with his initial estimates so he decided to get on with his day.

Once he was done with his search, he re-assembled the room, returning it to its previous pristine state. By the time he was done, the first rays of the sun had begun peeking in through his windows making him extremely giddy to start his morning routine.

First, he performed his usual limbering stretches. After getting warmed up, he moved on to performing ten thousand pushups, and then squats. Now he just needed to run a few miles to complete his routine. Stopping by the mirror, he stared at his reflection, reluctantly impressed with the way the foreign clothes looked on him.

Kala had made good on her promise the previous night, leaving him a loose-fitting tunic with intricate embroidering, as well as a pair of comfortable cotton pants. Both articles of clothing were in a deep gray, and came with a solid red belt, with no slashes on it.

“I wonder if she’s awake,” he mused, as he adjusted the tunic around him.

Deciding not to disturb the Acolyte, Ren left his room, closing the thick oaken door behind him. Making his way down the stairs, he exchanged nods of greetings with other building residents he passed along the way. In moments, he reached the ground floor and made his way past the open doors. The moment he stepped outside, he took a deep breath, savoring the brisk morning air with its intoxicating mix of incense and fresh flowers.

He watched as the golden rays of the rising sun bounced beautifully off the brass colored Temple roofs, while distant sounds of hymns and chants floated through the air. The combination of both, together with the distant chime of a bell, gave a sense of tranquility to the early morning. Ren simply savored the moment. It had been years since he stepped foot in a Temple and he was genuinely surprised at how much he enjoyed the serenity. In the midst of his impromptu self-reflection, he overheard a conversation that piqued his interest.

“Did you hear? Acolyte Vaught just gained another tier. She is now Essence Tier 8!” a youth dressed in leather said enthusiastically.

“What? Really?!” his companion scowled, adjusting the longsword strapped to his back. “That should have been me, Raymond. I wonder how many Qi Priests she had to pleasure, to gain that much essence?”

“Jealousy looks bad on you Dross,” Raymond rebuked, as he adjusted the shield on his arm. “It’s possible she just has Heaven’s luck.”

Dross arched a brow, looking at his friend in disgust, before shaking his head. “I honestly don’t know how you survived so far being so naive,” he coughed disgustingly, before spitting a thick glob of phlegm on the streets. “If you want anything in life, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to get it.”

“Greetings, fellow warriors,” Ren interrupted, walking up to the two Acolytes. They both turned to him and he bowed slightly, before continuing his introduction.

“My name is Ren and I am here with Acolyte Algor on some business. He is off attending to some personal matters, but while he is away, I was hoping you could point me to an area where I can do some exercises. Maybe a sparring center, if possible.”

“Tier 6 Acolyte Algor?” Dross asked in surprise upon seeing Ren’s nod. “Hmph, that old man and his bleeding heart. Sorry, can’t help you” Dross said with a grunt.

“Do not mind him,” Raymond said, playfully shoving Dross. “He is usually the grumpiest early in the morning. It's just your misfortune to meet us this early.” He smiled at Ren and held out a hand.

“I am Tier 6 Acolyte Raymond. That grouch over there is Tier 7 Acolyte Dross,” he continued, receiving an unimpressed look from Dross. “We are actually on our way to Mosswood’s training hall. It is usually reserved for Temple Acolytes and Priests but we can make an exemption since you will be coming with us.”

“Thanks a lot, Tier 6 Acolyte Raymond!”

Raymond waved his thanks away and kept on walking. “You can call me Acolyte Raymond. Or just Raymond. I do not particularly mind.”

Ren nodded and kept pace with the Acolytes. He glanced at Dross but the grumpy man was quiet and did not seem interested in making small talk so Ren focused on Raymond.

“So, Raymond. Why do you have Tiers in your title?” Ren asked curiously.

“Well, all Acolytes of Greendale’s Luminous Temple are below the Qi cultivation stage. Seniority among the Acolytes is determined by the Acolyte’s cultivation tier within the Essence gathering stage. So we add our cultivation tier when greeting each other as an added honorific for our rank.”

“Ah thanks, that makes things clear,” Ren nodded, playing with the hairs on his dagger out of habit.

He appreciated the structure within the ranks of the Temple members. This would also help reduce individuals getting higher rank without the cultivation strength to back it up. Although, based on what he had overheard from Dross’s earlier conversation, some nepotism still remained. It was somewhat comforting that human tendencies remained the same here, as it was on Earth. Ren smirked to himself at the amusing thought.

While he was lost in his thoughts, Raymond eyed him warily, watching as Ren fiddled with his weird knife. A look of revulsion flashed through his face as he glanced at the multitude of mismatched hair strands woven around the golden weapon’s hilt. He couldn’t be sure, but those hairs looked remarkably human to his eyes.

The implication worried him quite a bit, so he shot a worried look at Dross to see what he thought of it. The grumpy man just shrugged his shoulders in response, and continued his childish habit of kicking random stones as they made their way on the increasingly busy street. He cursed under his breath. It looked like if he wanted answers, it would be up to him to figure it out.

“So umm, Ren. Your dagger…” Raymond began carefully. “...it looks very well made.”

“Really? You think so?” Ren’s eyes shone with excitement at the compliment.

“Yes. The blade is tapered perfectly. I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me it was made by a Master Blacksmith. Must have cost you a fortune.”

“Nah, I rescued this beauty from a life of torture,” Ren replied flustered, drawing the blade out of its scabbard and caressing it vigorously. He smiled at the blade but something about his smile made Raymond shiver. The corners of his lips stretched past what was normal, showing more gum and teeth than was natural.

“Ok …” Raymond said slowly. “What about the hairs on the hilt?”

“Oh? Those were gifts.” The smile on Ren’s face grew wider, his mood brightening as he reveled in the memory of obtaining his gorgeous blade. After idly flipping and catching the blade a couple of times, he placed it back in its scabbard.

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Raymond stared at Ren as they walked, waiting for him to clarify or provide more information, but the man just whistled a tune to himself as they made their way to the training hall. At least he was whistling and not smiling. Raymond shivered once more and needed a way to distract his thoughts from that creepy memory. Luckily, Dross spoke up, finally joining the conversation.

“So, can you fight with that toothpick you have strapped to your waist?” he sneered looking at the short sword strapped to Ren’s other hip. “That thing is little better than the daggers you have strapped all over. Those are weapons for women. Or cowards!”

“Dross!” Raymond interrupted. “Apologies, Ren. Like I said; He’s not a morning person.”

Ren waved Raymond off, shaking his head. “No need for apologies. To answer your question Dross, I am actually new to using this style of weapon. I would be grateful if you could exchange pointers with me when we get to the training hall.”

“Sure. I can use you to warm up. What Tier are you anyway?” Dross frowned looking at Ren seriously for the first time. He had not noticed it before, but he realized that he could not feel any aura from the man.

“I am not sure. I was recently injured outside the walls and lost most of my memories. That is what Algor is helping me with today.” Ren replied as they stopped in front of an ornate hall.

“Are you sure you should be fighting then?” Raymond asked with concern while Dross began climbing up the short stairs to the front door of the hall.

“I should be fine. But to be safe, can you fight me without channeling your essence?” Ren asked Dross who simply turned at the door’s threshold and shrugged his wide shoulders.

“Hmph, whatever. Probably better this way. Don’t want to deal with Algor’s whining if I damage you accidentally,” he said, eyeing Ren’s frame and finding him underwhelming. He proceeded into Mosswood’s training hall with Ren and Raymond trailing behind.

Once inside the building, the trio walked up to the front desk, greeting the Acolyte on duty. Dross showed his badge and requested a Tier 7 training room. He received a token and began walking past the desk.

“He’s with us,” Raymond called to the Acolyte, while pointing at Ren.

Ren was looking around in amazement. They had walked into one of the rooms in the building after Dross pressed his token on the plaque by the door. He was not sure what he expected once the door opened, but a wall of black shadow was not something he would have thought about.

Both Dross and Raymond smirked when they noticed his hesitation at the door. Without wasting a moment, they both walked into the room, letting the shadows swallow them whole. Ren’s initial instincts caused him to pause for a second, but he pushed through and followed behind them. He reappeared on the other side almost immediately and found himself in the middle of a huge fenced-in courtyard. He looked up and saw 2 suns in the sky but everything else looked like he was in a normal courtyard.

Ren spun around to look at the door he came from. He saw the familiar wall of black shadows. However, from this side of the training ‘room’, it was attached to a grand building, in whose courtyard they currently stood.

“How is this possible?” Ren asked his companions, as he walked around the training courtyard. He picked up some sand from the floor and let it slip through his fingers.

“Some of the training rooms are in pocket dimensions that have been bound to the training hall’s rooms. You get used to it.” Raymond said as he walked to a corner of the courtyard and sat on the benches.

Dross just walked to the center of the courtyard and crossed his arms while staring at Ren. Taking this as his cue, Ren also walked to the center and crouched into a loose fighting stance opposite Dross.

“You can make the first mo–” Dross began, but Ren was already shooting towards him.

Dross’s eyes widened at the sudden attack and he moved to unfold his arms, but Ren was already within striking distance. Ren ducked to his right and threw a heavy punch into Dross’s ribs. The air blew out of Dross’s lungs, but his years of experience helped him ignore the pain and drive his left elbow towards Ren’s unprotected neck.

Ren blocked the blow with his left forearm, letting the momentum push him downwards into a crouched spin, as he sent a swift reverse kick towards Dross’s knees. The Acolyte jumped backwards avoiding the take down attempt, and stomped forward, pushing Ren away. But rather than flying away, Ren stabbed a dagger into the ground, arresting his movement and throwing dust into the air. Grabbing a handful of the loose soil, Ren burst forward, tossing the soil into Dross’s eyes as he angled his dagger for a body shot.

Still, errant sand wasn’t enough to disrupt Dross’s battle awareness. He raised a palm to shield his squinted eyes, and slapped at the wrist holding the approaching dagger. It took all of Ren’s strength to keep hold of the dagger, as he continued forward, driving a devastating uppercut into Dross’s chin. It sounded like a thunderclap boomed throughout the training courtyard as Dross grunted, taking a few steps backward.

“I see you fight dirty as well.” Dross spat out some blood then grinned. “Good. Because you’ll need it. I am not even using my essence but that only tickled.” He sneered, as he drew his Longsword from his back.

“Really?” Ren asked eagerly, then bowed slightly to Dross. “Thanks for the tip!” he said as he pulled the short sword out of its scabbard. He tossed the scabbard away as it would be more hindrance than help for the coming fight.

He really was not holding back on his punches just now. He had been aiming to blow Dross’s head off with that uppercut. However, the man was fine. His suspicion about essence passively strengthening the human physique was confirmed. He was still collecting data, but the preliminary findings were fascinating. He had to get his hands on some essence as soon as possible.

Ren shot forward, sword in hand, trying to utilize his minute advantage. With the information he had gathered, he knew that a prolonged fight would benefit the burly Acolyte, so he needed to act fast. The courtyard was soon filled with the screeches of metal hitting metal as Ren sent out a flurry of probing strikes, but Dross blocked most of them with ease.

After a few dozen exchanges, Dross slowly took control of the fight and began to counter attack more frequently. He sent a powerful overhead swing, aiming to strike Ren with the full force of the blade. Ren sidestepped the telegraphed attack and responded with a quick thrust of his short sword. Dross swung his blade, using the crossguard to divert the thrust. He tried trapping Ren’s sword and disarming him with a twist of his wrists, but Ren saw through his plans and quickly disengaged.

Noticing the speed and precision Ren used in his fighting style, Dross tried to gain some distance by swinging his sword in a wide arc, hoping to catch the pesky Ren off guard. Seeing an opening, Ren ducked under the swing and delivered a quick slash at the Acolytes midsection, aiming to eviscerate the man. Only Dross’s caution prevented him from receiving a fatal wound as he twisted slightly, receiving a light slash instead. Dross grunted in annoyance at being injured. How was he being bested by this grunt?

Yelling in anger, Dross sent out a series of lightning quick horizontal and vertical slashes, forcing Ren to dodge to avoid being split by the bigger sword. Ren grinned, enjoying the intensity of the fight, as he parried a heavy strike with quivering hands. The screeching of the blades sliding against each other was followed by sparks flying in the air, as Ren’s sword received another deep chip in its blade.

Using all of his considerable strength, Ren pushed the Acolyte’s sword aside, and sent a blazing knee into his groin. He could see the fury in Dross’s eyes as he began doubling over. Ren followed up with a shoulder slam, pushing the heavier Dross away as he jumped backwards to avoid a counter attack.

Dross was fuming with humiliation at this point and discarded all thoughts on taking it easy on the welp. He channeled his Tier 7 essence into his channels and darted towards Ren, intent on ripping him apart. Ren’s eyes glowed with excitement as Dross practically appeared before him. After his experience in the Forest, he was expecting a significant increase in ability, once Dross decided to take the kid gloves off.

Ren threw himself backwards, somersaulting with inhuman speed away from Dross’s diagonal slash. The swing was so fast and powerful that it dug a deep groove in the packed dirt after Ren’s dodge. Dross rushed after Ren with murder in his eyes but a sudden pang of danger made him duck out of instinct, avoiding a black dagger whizzing through the air. Ren calculated his opponent’s next moves and tossed two more daggers in close succession.

Dross parried the first one, exposing his side to the second dagger. He grunted in pain and anger as the dagger sunk into his flesh. In his frustration, he momentarily used his speed technique [Dash], and moved faster than Ren could react. In fractions of a second, he reached Ren and smashed at his face with the hilt of his sword. The sound of metal deforming echoed through the courtyard as the sword hilt met reinforced nano polymers. Dross saw Raymond calling to him from the side but he had too much blood rushing through his head to care.

Dross followed the reeling Ren and backhanded him, sending the latter to the ground. Ren’s vision swam and his internal alarms notified him of severe damage to his face. Although he did not feel pain like most humans, Ren still felt the pain of this damage. The pain was more academic than mind twisting, so he was quick enough to command his body to prioritize his life support and repair systems before Dross sent a vicious kick into his head. Ren crashed to the ground and Dross pulled his sword backwards, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

“Stop!!! Dross you win!” Raymond shouted as he rushed towards Ren.

Dross hesitated, his sword hovering above Ren’s chest, as he breathed deeply, trying to calm down. Logic eventually won him back to sanity, so he put his sword away. He stared deeply into Ren’s eyes expecting to see relief or fear. What he saw however almost made him throw caution to the wind and stab the irritating welp in the head. Why did he look euphoric?

Raymond got to them at this point and Dross stepped away chanting a prayer to calm himself. He took another step, before tossing a small bag of low quality essence stones to the prone Ren.

“Have the healers look at that” he pointed to Ren’s bleeding face and turned away. His faith demanded he apologize for going against his word, but his pride would not let him.

With his back still turned to Ren, he pulled the bloody dagger sticking out of his side with a grunt, and tossed it on the ground. He then took a red potion from his belt and drank it all in one gulp before calling out to his friend: “I am done wasting time here. We still need to get some supplies from the market. Are you coming?”

Raymond looked between his friend and Ren. He shook his head and sighed: “Yes Dross, someone has to keep you out of trouble.”

“And apologies Ren. There is a lot of blood but your injuries do not look too serious. You can ask the Acolyte at the front desk and they can point you to the healers. Training injuries are common after all. Amitabha, Ren.”

With that, the Acolytes left the bleeding Ren on the courtyard floor, in the midst of his pooling blood. Ren however, began laughing hysterically. There was a pop as his jaw snapped back into place, and he stopped bleeding. This only disrupted his manic laughter for a second, but he resumed at an even louder volume. After a while, he sat up in the drying blood and caressed his golden Knife with a smile on his face. His eyes however were cold with determination.

“No matter what I have to do, or who has to die, I will become a cultivator”