Ren watched everything unfold with wide eyes. From the way the man was thrown backward by the ward, to the speed with which he was killed, everything had been very spectacular!
He had known that the wards were dangerous, but this? This was just so…beautiful. More so, unlike most Cultivators he had met so far, Ren had the unique ability to not only feel but to actually see energy flow within living objects. In this case, that ability allowed him to observe the lingering energy of the ward attack as it twisted and corrupted the cells of the unfortunate guard.
Billions of cells had their protective membranes torn apart, and the vital mitochondria underneath shriveled in real time. With domino-like effect, the neighboring cells also got affected and the cell death propagated itself throughout the man’s body. It was no wonder that with the rapid destabilization of numerous cells, organ failure occurred near instantaneously, as the ward’s punitive effects caused muscle and flesh to slough off his bones.
Excitement surged through Ren as his mind raced with ideas of utilizing the same energy principles to inflict cell-corrupting damage upon his opponents. Allocating a portion of his processing power to analyze this hypothesis, Ren calculated that he had a 12% chance of replicating the ward's effect.
The odds were so low due to the unique application of cell necrosis. As far as he was concerned, it was uncharted waters that had not undergone extensive testing and peer review so there was a significant risk of losing a limb if he tried to replicate the phenomenon.
‘Good thing I am ambidextrous,’ he snorted in morbid humor, unintentionally capturing Asher's attention.
In the fractions of a second it took for the nobleman to glance up, Ren internally swore annoyed with himself for getting carried away by his excitement. If Asher saw the amusement on his face, he knew it would be tough to come up with a convincing explanation to his mirth at this inopportune time.
Luckily, he had a solution to prevent that from happening. Part of his normal programming had a subroutine that mapped his facial expressions to the foremost thought in his consciousness. However, the brilliant engineers who worked on his software had put in a manual override that allowed him to manipulate his facial muscles in a case of emergency, to any desired expression he so wished.
So it was with great relief that he immediately sent the appropriate signals before Asher’s sight fully alighted on him. At the moment, the nobleman was seeing an expression of sorrow and sympathy on his face. A look of reluctant appreciation flashed through Asher’s face as he slightly nodded, before wrapping his hands around the grieving Vigdus, leading him away from his brother’s remains.
Observing this interaction, a flicker of an idea blossomed in the recesses of Ren's consciousness. Although the idea had yet to fully form, Ren trusted his instincts and understood that an opportunity lay before him. The incompleteness of the idea was just a minor detail he was sure he could figure out later on.
"Wait!" he exclaimed, seizing the moment before it slipped away.
Asher paused, glancing back at Ren with an arched brow. Neerus who had also been on his way back to the ward-breaking array also stopped in his tracks, eyeing Ren curiously.
“Amitabha, Seniors,” he greeted. In his bid to stall for time, Ren imitated Algor, the sly Acolyte who had been his first guide when he first arrived in Harosheth Forest.
“I would like to perform the Adventurers rite on our dearly departed, Magnus!” Ren continued.
Asher glanced at the red-eyed Vigdus whose shoulders continued to heave in silent grief. A slight look of disgust flashed through his face, before he quickly smothered it. Slowly shaking his head, he replied: “I do not think Magnus was religious…” To the grieving Vigdus, he asked, “Was he?”
“It matters not, honored Seniors,” Ren couldn’t let Vigdus answer, else he might lose his momentum. “He was a warrior, risking his life in this Fractured Realm. That is the true spirit of adventure. And he died doing what he loved.”
Sometimes, Ren surprised himself with the amount of nonsense he could spew with complete confidence. He was watching the pair keenly, and it didn’t look like the grieving Vigdus was in any mood to speak up. That was good for him. Now he just had to remember the words that the old coot had used to perform the rite in Harosheth forest.
A quick pull on his memory databases and he had rewatched the scene and retrieved the words needed. He smiled gently at Vigdus then began the process: “Does anyone want to say some kind words?”
Ren continued looking at Vigdus, and seeing no response from the man, he shifted his gaze over to the other two cultivators.
“Bah, don’t be looking at me, I barely knew the man! ” Nereus rubbed the back of his neck. “Plus, I ain't the religious type”
Giving one last pat on the back to the quiet Vigdus, Asher cleared his throat. “Magnus, Vigdus and I grew up together,” the Nobleman began. “He was one of a select few, whose loyalty I completely trusted. His loss will be deeply felt by all who knew him. ”Rest easy, Magnus”
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Ren nodded, his gesture indicating that the group should form a closed loop to conclude the rite. Nereus walked over confidently and immediately clasped his calloused hands around Ren's, displaying no hesitation. In stark contrast, Asher sneered at Ren's outstretched hands, as if they carried a contagious disease, his lips curling in disdain. It was only when Neerus cleared his throat lightly and gave Asher a pointed look in Vigdus's direction, reminding him of the somber circumstances, that the Nobleman relented.
Ren couldn't help but find amusement in the situation as Asher produced a delicate white handkerchief, using it as a barrier between their palms. With this precaution in place, the mustached man reluctantly allowed Ren to close the loop by joining their palms together.
“Spirits of …” Ren began and immediately slowed, unsure of how to proceed. The last time he had heard Algor perform the rite, they had been in Harosheth Forest and the man had appealed to the Forest’s spirits. Here, in a Fractured Realm, he was unsure of how to proceed.
A wry grin formed on Nereus' face as he noticed Ren’s hesitation. The man opened his mouth to speak but Ren cut him off, having decided to improvise a little.
“ –Vulcan,” he continued, deciding to just use the name of the group’s Kingdom. Seeing no outright rejection from the group, Ren continued. “Here lies a proud warrior, far from home. Take his remains and may his soul be free.”
To his immense surprise, the moment he finished speaking, the body was surrounded by fuzzy white light, very reminiscent of the first time he had witnessed the adventurer's rite. Ren had not expected it to work, seeing as he was not a true believer in the Temple’s teachings. However, this was a pleasant turn of events that would hopefully give more credence to his identity as a Temple Acolyte.
Keeping his visage sorrowful, Ren observed the rest of the group and was pleased to see their solemn eyes staring at the glowing remains. Alas, his elation was short lived, as the white light sputtered out and dissolved ten seconds later. The dissolving remains remained, without being absorbed by the rite. ‘Well, that was awkward!’ he thought to himself
Unsure of how to salvage the situation, Ren kept his eyes glued to the body, buying some time to concoct an acceptable explanation. To his relief, he heard Vigdus speak up.
“T-Thank …” the man swallowed down the pain threatening to drown him. “Thank you, Acolyte. For trying. It was a long shot so far away from home.”
Ren nodded. “I am sure he is at peace now.”
“Yes, yes,” Asher withdrew his hands from Ren’s grip, faster than a snapping turtle attacking prey. “Thank you Acolyte Ren.”
With a twist of his hands, the white handkerchief ignited in flames, rapidly reducing to ashes within a few breaths. In its place, Asher produced a flask adorned with jewels from his storage ring. As soon as he uncorked it, a rich and intoxicating aroma permeated the air, a testament to the liquor's quality and high alcohol content. The scent alone triggered a reaction in Ren's body, prompting his system to combat the minimal amount of liquor that had entered his bloodstream through the air.
"Oh?" Nereus perked up, his lips moistening with anticipation. "Now that's a proper sendoff! Didn't know you had it in you, Asher!" He beamed with enthusiasm.
Asher rolled his eyes, dismissing the pleading look from Nereus. Instead, he poured the expensive alcohol over his hands, drawing a disapproving gasp from the man. Vigorously rubbing his hands together, Asher repeated the process twice more before sealing the flask and returning it to his personal storage ring.
While this was happening, Ren had walked over to the downcast Vigdus, placing both hands on his shoulders and sharing a short mantra he had overhead during his time in the Temple District. He turned to walk back to his Stone table and stumbled as he bumped into Asher.
“GET OFF ME, YOU FILTHY ANIMAL!” the man bellowed, shoving Ren so hard, he flew into the surprised Vigdus behind him.
“Bloody Currents, Asher! Who left a seashell in ya porridge?!” Nereus reprimanded the moustached Noble. He flashed over to help Ren and Vigdus to their feet.
Asher sneered, refusing to answer and stomped his way back to the ward-breaking array which was still slowly working on disabling the barrier securing the [Blazing Armor]. Sparing a few seconds to make sure they both were ok, Nereus shook his head and headed back to his workstation beside the prickly Nobleman.
Ren hid his smile as he staggered towards the central stone table, swiping the dust off his clothes. Only he didn’t stop at the table, but made his way past it towards the main door. He tried to appear natural, his movements as subtle as a shadow's dance. With every step he took, his eyes darted between the three other occupants of the room.
He knew he had to remain inconspicuous, his intentions hidden beneath a facade of nonchalance. Nevertheless, he couldn’t resist slipping his hands into his sleeves and caressing the glass-like treasure, the corner of his lips twitching in pleasure. Very soon, he would be away from these blathering humans.
His eyes flickered to Asher arguing with Nereus in low whispers. The man was furiously disinfecting his hands, his lips curled in disgust. Every few seconds, he would bark something vile at the robed cultivator and continue ridding himself of perceived germs. Once his hands were sufficiently cleaned, he moved on to dusting his armor with a spare rag.
Ren was a few strides from the door, when his heart sank as Asher's gaze locked onto the vacant space where the Interspatial Necklace once rested. Time seemed to slow as the mustached man's eyes narrowed, suspicion clouding his face. With a sudden burst of realization, Asher's voice reverberated through the room, piercing the tense silence.
"The Necklace! It's gone!"
The very air in the room froze for a second, before all hell broke loose.
Ren's instincts kicked into overdrive as he propelled himself forward, his body instinctively contorting to evade Nereus' deadly Poleaxe that came swinging towards him with blinding speed. The man demonstrated impressive control over his massive weapon, as he arrested its momentum, mid-swing and redirected it into a deadly horizontal slash.
With a deft sidestep, Ren narrowly dodged the lethal arc of the weapon, feeling the rush of air against his skin as it passed inches from his body.
But the danger was far from over.