“You’ve completed your Spherical Core?” Sen couldn’t help but blurt out, a touch of awe in his voice.

Josh felt the same but managed to keep quiet and simply stare like a wide-eyed fish.

Gusti was, by everything Josh knew about Cultivation, a powerhouse in his own right. With only a single Earth Attunement, Josh and Sen were two mice standing next to a bull elephant. But Gusti was also... just a regular guy—willing to joke and shoot the breeze with them. Josh never wanted to forget his roots or his humanity. He couldn’t help but hope that should he ever find himself shouldering similar or even greater levels of personal power, he would be able to follow Gusti’s example.

Sen tilted his head to Josh. ~You and I both, brother.~

The Orangutan Affin smiled and nodded. “Listen. You two obviously know as much about the Mortal Striation of Cultivation as you do feeding bovinas...” A sly smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “Whatever way you got to this point you have been stumbling in the dark and I can tell you need pointers on basic understanding of what it means to be a Cultivator. Gusti’s features grew contemplative and he looked at them while he considered his words. After a moment of what seemed like an internal debate an inner power seemed to over take his simple demeanor and he seemed to in some way represent the forces of the universe.

Josh and Sen both stood up a little straighter at the subtle but definite change in Gusti’s …presence? ...aura? …vibe? It continued as the Orangutan Affin spoke words that rang with universal truth. “The most important thing I can tell you about Cultivation, and how we start our own young ones with ‘There is always a Heaven above the heavens’. This lesson bears on the infinite. Anyone walking a path of power must understand its grave warning before seeking strength. You must move through life with the humility and wisdom of that understanding.”

The Orangutan's words seemed to echo quietly off of the nearing wall of the Peacekeeper’s office.

Josh’s brows drew together in concentration, Gusti was certainly telling them something important but Josh was less than certain he was getting the full meaning of exactly what.

Gusti seemed to understand that his teaching had fallen on deaf ears. The otherworldly component of his presence fell away as he leveled his chin and narrowed his eyes at them becoming their plain spoken friend again, “...What I mean is ‘There’s always gonna be a bigger fish fellas. You need never to forget that– and be sure you always act accordingly.”

That, Josh understood.

Realization spread across Sen’s face as well. “Are you sure you’re a farmer and not a philosopher?” The top-knotted Cultivator asked.

Gusti’s belly rolled with laughter. “Quite, my friend. Quite. Though even as a farmer I would caution you to not underestimate the philosophy of the elder’s calloused hand.” He lifted his free long fingered hand with mock menace in Sen’s direction even as he laughed good naturedly.

They came to the closed door of his office, and Gusti called,“Josh, grab that door for me?”

Josh turned the handle, and it opened to a cool but warmly lit office. A simple desk sat against the wall on the right side, and two metal cells lined the far wall. Each stood partially open. Gusti pivoted the eleven-foot-long, stiff-as-a-board Mr. Snake on the palm of his hand while slipping through the door without dropping him.

“Sen, hold open the cell at the end of the wall there, if you wouldn’t mind.” Gusti pointed at the larger of two cells along the far wall of his office. He then propped the rigid body diagonally from the bottom of the front-left corner to the back of the top-right. There was just enough space to get him in with only a little wedging of his head against the upper bars. Gusti nodded once in satisfaction at having gauged it correctly.

He then dusted his hands and smiled as he pointed at Mr. Snake. “Okay... Allow me a practical example of my previous words. Take this Naga here who possesses two Attunements, Earth and Fire. I bet he was the biggest fish in the little pond that he came from. With his current strength, he could have easily dominated his homeworld and been treated like a king. With the way he acted towards Cahya, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had. His Karma ties and bindings are likely of one who takes advantage of those weaker than him. Though, because he likely wasn’t adversely affected by those actions at the time, he thought he could and should continue to act that way. People such as this often believe it is their right—the right of the strong. It is a paradox of power: Life of the fist is often ended by the fist.” The orange peacekeeper glanced over toward him and Sen knowingly, as if checking to see if they were paying attention. Josh and Sen nodded back, and he continued. “For a prime example, look no further than this ‘powerful’ creature before you—this likely king of his past kingdom.” Gusti rolled his eyes in what was almost sympathy then continued. “Another paradox of power is that if you possess strength and demonstrate that you are both willing and able to use it—you often will not have to. This is the tyranny of humble Might.”

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Gusti turned back to Mr. Snake. “Now, this mighty being comes out from his kingdom into the slightly larger world of the Sundai Clan and what is the first thing that happens to him? He gets handed a street whooping by a middle-aged shopkeeper! Let me ask you. Do you believe that the good Cahya will need to use such force again to correct our mighty example? I can see by your faces that you begin to understand. Cahya has demonstrated her power and her willingness to use it and thus—she no longer needs to. That, too—is strength. It is not, however, the only lesson to be learned here.

He gestured toward Mr. Snake. “Nagal is known to me, I met on the road coming into town just like I met you. His Karma likely led him to Cahya and appears to have begun collecting on his debt of Balance. If so, then it is a Balancing only in part, mind you, through what has happened today. You see... he’s now a little fish in a big pond. If he had acted with the understanding that there was always going to be a bigger fish, it is doubtful that his Karma would have put him in such a predicament. I can tell you, no one in town will assist him for the next six weeks as we await the Blessed One’s race. Unless he has a place to stay and is well-stocked with supplies, he will have a pretty tough row to hoe.

The ape locked eyes with both Sen and Josh with his weighty gaze as he gestured back toward the snake creature. “If he fits the mold that I believe he does, then Cultivators such as him operate under a fundamental misunderstanding and it is this: They believe that the Path of One means that Cultivation is a road that you travel alone. Defying the heavens, they call it. They are wrong, though not fully. He will likely find his lonely Path difficult and fraught with danger while you two may discover the Karmic path of collective cooperation. Instead of the Path of One, perhaps it would have been better to call it the Path of Oneness. I believe there would have been much fewer misunderstandings, had that been the case. There are paradoxes within paradoxes on the Path. It is not about one being’s struggle against the world, though there is some powerful truth there as well. Cultivation is about encompassing that world within yourself—of becoming greater than your beginnings. Greatness is more than a fist, though the fist has its function. So be tyrannical in your humility.

“There is always going to be a bigger fish, a Heaven above the heavens. Live your life under this philosophy, and you will find the heart of Cultivation long before your contemporaries do... I assure you. The Cultivation world will follow this fundamental law until you follow the Blessed One into Transcendence. Tread quietly. Treat people with respect and you will likely get along a might bit better than this one.”

Sen nodded. ~This truth will continue even beyond Transcendence, brother.~

Josh smirked. ~ No surprises there.~

“One second, boys...” Gusti furrowed his brow, and his countenance took on a stern look as he raised his eyes to the naga’s frozen face. “Now, Nagal, I know you can hear me. You’ve got yourself your last chance... right here.” Gusti pointed to the floor with his right index finger then he continued. “The Blessed One obviously granted you access to this challenge, and I’m not going to stand in the way. But if you step out of line in my town again–”

Sen and Josh suddenly felt a feeling of immensity coming from Gusti’s Core—a terrible and frightening force of nature. It was as if a tornado had begun tearing up a neighbor’s house, and you didn’t know if yours was next. They both felt an almost overpowering urge to run, to be anywhere but there. Josh had only heard rumors of such a phenomenon from Senyak and others, but he was now sure that he was experiencing Gusti’s Killing Intent.

It would have been way too much for Sen and Josh to deal with if Gusti hadn’t been focusing that carnage-ridden Intent on the Naga. As a side note, Josh finally got to see Gusti’s Core and Cultivation. Instead of being Spherical, it was Tetrahedral. A pyramid spun on its vertical axis in his lower abdomen. It was pure white and blinding. His Essence roared through a vast network of Meridians. Josh couldn’t help but see that Gusti had far more Meridians, with much greater complexity of connections than either he or Sen had. His presence reminded Josh of how humans had described their encounters with angels.

Still blasting his Intent like a foghorn on a socked-in night, Gusti spoke to the Naga in a quiet voice that managed to fill the still room. “If that happens, you’ll be dealing with me... not a cautious craftswoman. Things won’t go so well for you from that point on. I have made myself abundantly clear. I won’t be repeating myself.”

The next instant, his presence was gone, and he was just... Gusti again—the four-foot-ten orange-haired orangutan with a slow, southern drawl. Behind the visage of the lovable kook that Josh had met slept the specter of slaughter and blood-soaked retribution.

Almost casually, Gusti spun on his heel and closed the door to the cell with his left foot as he walked by. The door clanged loudly as it locked into place. He waved Josh and Sen back through the entry to the main street and closed it behind himself.

On the street side, Gusti thinned his eyes and cocked his head to them. “Watch out for that one during the challenge. He’s got a mean streak to him a mile wide and twice as deep. Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t say he is walking an Adharmic Path quite yet. But if he lives long enough, he has all the markings of someone who will end up there. He’s also a bit of a handful for someone with only a single Attunement. That, however, is something I can help you fellas with, I suppose.” Looking up at Josh and Sen with a smile, he added, “Karma must have led us here... Let me tie some of the flowery philosophy I just spouted to some practicality.” Gusti led them to a bench on the wooden promenade that fronted both sides of the main street.

“Karma is a force that binds all Cultivation together. As I told you, acting with respect and consideration for all you meet will keep you in good Karmic standing. You cannot lead your physical body to perfect union with your spirit if your Karmic balance is not maintained. What I am telling you applies to Dharmic as well as Adharmic Cultivators... I can tell you both are walking Dharmic paths. Believe me, if you weren’t, we’d have had a very different conversation.” Gusti smiled wide, and his upper and lower canines gleamed in the setting glow of Baroo-7.

“Now, you both have treated me fairly and with respect, even before you knew that my relative Cultivation was higher than yours. In return, my Karmic duty is to treat you fairly and provide you with the same respect. To that end, allow me to honor my word and explain a little about Cultivation that will help you to further your growth. So, let’s try this.” Gusti pointed to Josh. “First, I saw you using your Earth-shield skill when you first came upon my farm. If I had to guess, it’s a new skill for you. Probably have only been doing it for less than six months or so. Am I right?”

Well... that’s true... if not highly accurate. However, at this point in their and Gusti’s relationship, Josh didn’t think going into his and Sen’s situation with their boons, the Clone, Josh’s particular tie to physical-matter iterations, and their Karmic Bond would be conversationally productive.

Josh glanced to Sen. ~Keep it close to the chest for now, brother?~

~Agreed.~