Savage Webs, page 6
part #2 of Apocalypse Cultivation Series
Not for the first time, Jake wondered if Nag Geru was actually even a prisoner. Maybe he worked for Lady Brima.
Nag Geru was a middle-aged man with a long mustache and bushy eyebrows. He wore a little paper hat with embroidered thread in it that never seemed to get dirty. In fact, the man was always clean in general. He looked more like an orthodox cultivator than the members of the Enlightened Jail Army ever did.
As usual, as Jake approached, Nag Geru was seated in a lotus position, drinking tea out of his signature cup, decorated with blue flowers. “Ah young Jake. Your claws look extra sharp today! What can this one do for you on this auspicious, if somewhat rainy day?”
Nag Geru always spoke this way. Jake decided not to point out the obvious that they were all underground and living in tunnels. “Hello, Nag Geru. I would like to exchange ration chits for monster cores.”
“Ah, so our usual vehicle of interactions. How many?”
“I have twenty-one this time.” Jake had briefly considered waiting long enough to turn in his milk stone for more ration chits, but this should be enough and he was pressed for time.
“Very good. Very good.” The unusually clean man began digging through his belongings, most of them inside bags on the ground.
Jake watched him with interest. Sometimes he caught sight of rare or expensive treasures in the bags. It was obvious Nag Geru had a lot of wealth, especially for being in the middle of a prison. And while nobody knew exactly how strong Nag Geru’s cultivation level was, he was at least a Reforged Body cultivator.
Attaining a Reforged Body actually literally reforged an immortal’s body. Exterior physical changes could include becoming taller or shorter, muscular or more lean, and a number of others. Some cultivators even grew an extra appendage, or got an aura of some kind. These more flashy changes were usually shared by large sects or followers of a great Dao. But one thing all Reforged cultivators were marked with was Reforged eyes.
Now Jake knew what to look for.
Mortals–regular people– couldn’t always see the marks, but anyone on the path of cultivation could spot them immediately with a little know-how, even through closed eyelids. In Nag Geru’s case, the man’s eyes bore a shimmering green rune of whorls, with its deepest portion being near the edge.
Another ability all Reforged Body cultivators shared was the ability to transform. For most, this meant their minor physical changes would become greater, more pronounced. But some immortals could completely transform. Reforged Body transformations varied as wildly as the physical changes did.
Jake wasn’t sure why cultivators in the Murim world called all other cultivators “immortals,” since except for at the very highest levels of cultivation, everyone still eventually died of old age. But he’d been talking to these people for almost a decade now and he was used to the terminology.
Finally, Nag Geru handed over a bag full of monster cores. Jake didn’t bother to count. Nag Geru was one of the very, very few people in this prison he trusted, at least with trades like this. The man smiled knowingly at him as Jake bowed and began to back up. By the time Jake was turning, Nag Geru had returned to his tea.
Jake made the monster cores disappear into his dirty robes. He made for the exit on the opposite side of Jailtown he’d come in from, trying to avoid everyone he could. Luckily, his carefully crafted reputation helped a lot.
He thought he was going to actually make it without any problems until an unseen force shoved him to one side, almost making him lose his balance.
A familiar voice, one he really didn’t want to hear, boomed, “Where is your manservant, Jake? Are you carrying your own things these days?”
Shit, what now? He settled his features, making his face like stone. Then he turned and said, “That felt suspiciously close to an attack, Han Ten.”
The big, leonine leader of the Han Ten Group, stood near the fork of hallways with two of his cronies. “Oh no! Good thing it was Han Wan here, not me. But either way, what are you going to do about it?”
God dammit, I really don’t need this shit right now, thought Jake. He rested his hand on the pommel of his wooden sword and drew his upper lip back from his fangs. There hadn’t been many opportunities to study his reflection in the Web Burrows, but he’d still had some time to practice making various intimidating expressions.
He knew it wasn’t going to work on Han Ten, though. The man slowly approached, his cronies at his side.
Chapter 9
“Don’t mind Han Wan, Jake,” said Han Ten. “And, Han Wan, you should be kinder to our friend Jake here, who will eventually be one of our close brothers.”
Jake narrowed his eyes. Han Ten had been harassing him to join their gang for the last five years. They’d tried bullying, bribery, pretty much everything but open threats. It seemed now threats were on the table. Prior to this, one reason Jake had tried to play it safe while dealing with these people was the inescapable nature of Jailtown. They knew where he lived, and he didn’t have a gang to protect him…which of course was the point of the threats right now.
He wished he could have just avoided Jailtown entirely, but the easy access to more monster cores by trading with Nag Geru had been too convenient. The fact Jake could just eat the demon beasts roaming around the darkness meant he had much less dependence on Jailtown than most other prisoners.
“So you’re still trying to get me to join your little group of misfits, huh?” Jake gave Han Ten a cool look and glanced at the bestial man’s lackeys. Han Wan, the one who’d supposedly hit him with a ki shove, was a demonic cultivator with sharp teeth, red eyes, and open sores all over his body that faintly glowed in the dark. He was not a Reforged Body cultivator; he did this to himself with his cultivation methods.
The other immortal went by the name Six Shadows. He was an unorthodox cultivator. As close as Jake could tell, orthodox cultivators were the folks with clean robes who preached justice and peace but could be absolute bastards in reality. Unorthodox cultivators were more similar to orthodox cultivators than the demonic sects, but had looser structure, little regard for morality, and even less regard for appearances. Six Shadows always wore a dark, shapeless cape with a hood and green energy trailed his feet like dust.
Han Ten crossed his arms. “Let us speak plainly, you and I. You know that this is a fight you can’t win, Jake. Nobody knows what kind of cultivation you practice, but you are definitely not orthodox, not looking like that. Even if you were, the Enlightened Jail Army doesn’t want you. So far, you have proven your competency and capability, but will that always be enough? Perhaps your safety is not a concern. What about that weakling creature you let near you, ‘Slim?’ Or others?”
Jake genuinely wasn’t sure whether the big man was trying to provoke him or not. Others might assume that Jake cared much more about Slim than he really did, which was cold, but true. Before coming to the Murim world, Jake would definitely never have questioned the intent of Han Ten’s remarks. But now that he’d acclimated, he understood that the Han Ten Group leader might actually be trying to be friendly and serious in his own assholish way.
As all of this flashed through his mind, he was actually surprised to discover he was wrong about something, though. The threat against Slim actually had started to piss him off.
Irritation and pure southern American mule-headed stubbornness started to bubble up in Jake, all riding on a wave of senioritis. He was going to be gone in a day or two, one way or another. What did he give a shit about inter-gang politics in this shithole prison town?
He didn’t have much longer to wait, but Jake was tired of laying low. Maybe he could afford to burn some bridges. Internally, he winced. Deep down, he knew jumping the gun was dumb, but he could already tell he’d made up his mind and he just couldn’t seem to help himself for some reason. Not only that, as he glared at Han Ten with his outward feline appearance, probably from Reforged Body changes, he finally realized something important.
Holy shit, that’s right! I look like a fucking monster, just like this guy! They probably all think I’m some sort of wigged-out Reforged Body cultivator!
Jake matched Han Ten’s toothy grin with one of his own. “Look here, asshole. I’m sick of your shit. Tired of you harassing me all the time. Maybe you think you’re hot shit in this podunk prison, but you’re just, what, a First Foundation Pillar, barely even a Reforged Body?
“Let me make this super, super fucking clear to you, you frog in a well piece of garbage. I don’t want to join your merry band of retards, and I will destroy anyone who fucks with me. That means directly or indirectly. I’m in a bad mood, and if you keep pushing this shit, I’ll rip off your dick and a shove it down your throat.”
By this point, the little confrontation had gathered an audience. Prisoners stood around in strategic shadows or looking around corners. Even the Enlightened Jail Army people were hanging back.
Han Ten had a reputation but so did Jake. His appearance was unsettling to a lot of them too, he knew. He didn’t blame them.
Jake’s words still rang as nobody moved. Nobody had challenged Han Ten this openly in a long time and Jake knew his insults were a bit…spicier than the locals were probably used to.
Finally, Han Ten quietly asked, “Do you have a death wish, Jake?”
“I don’t know, do you? You keep making it clear you know where I live, but the same goes for you, you furry fuck.” Jake made an obscene hand and arm gesture. “I’m sick of your shit. From now on, every time you threaten me or harass me, I’m going to kill one of your little drones that follow you around.”
Living in the Murim world had changed Jake the same way his time in Ahriman’s domain had.
Silence fell again. Reality returned and Jake gritted his teeth. Maybe this had been boiling under the skin for years. Probably. This was terrible timing to throw down the gauntlet, though. At least he wasn’t entirely unprepared. Even though they were untested, he did have Veil Piercing Phoenix Eyes and Phoenix Piercing Talon. But he had one more trump card too.
Han Ten must have sensed something about that. He tensed a few times like he was going to give an order or even do something violent himself, but then visibly relaxed. “Fine, have it your way, Jake. I was willing to accept you despite your visage, mysterious past, and bad personality. But know this, entry to the Han Ten Group is forever closed to you! We will all consider you an enemy from this day forth!”
“Yeah, go fuck yourself. You’re already enemies with the other gangs anyway. I have stuff to do, so we need to end on this happy note. Nice chat. See you around.” Jake turned and waved, sauntering off to the exit he’d been heading to before. Despite his outwardly carefree actions, he had all his senses dialed up all the way, ready on a moment’s notice to use his trump card.
He was almost surprised when nothing happened. Han Ten continued to stare. Jake didn’t relax, though. As soon as he was completely out of sight, he picked up the pace. The odds of Han Ten sending someone after him or even coming himself were probably pretty high now. Jake had openly challenged him, made him lose face, and even done it in a way he’d lose even more face by immediately reacting.
“That was dumb, Jake,” he whispered to himself, but he couldn’t help smiling. He really hated bullies. His time in the Murim world so far had just made the feeling stronger too.
Now his time concerns had become a lot more pressing.
“Oh well, I don’t regret it,” he said to himself.
The confrontation had served to reboot his mind after his enlightenment experience. Now he was using thinking of ways to apply his new abilities in practical ways. After extending his senses to make sure he wasn’t being followed, at least not right now, he exhaled, centered himself, closed his eyes and reopened them while applying Veil Piercing Phoenix Eyes.
His steps faltered and he stopped. Even with his extremely low level of mastery, and even though he was barely touching the new Dao, he felt overwhelmed with information. It took a few minutes of slowly centering himself before he could truly see again. After he finally achieved a new, augmented form of sight, he turned it off. He was pretty sure he could get the sight back much more quickly if he tried again, and he’d seen enough.
Power was subtly laced through the rocky walls and ceilings like capillaries. This was truly Lady Brima’s domain. Now Jake was even more sure the Web Burrows were more than just a prison. The warden never showed herself, but she must know almost everything that happened in her domain.
Jake started moving again and thought about the Phoenix Piercing Talon. In some ways, the Phoenix Piercing Talon was even more mysterious than the Veil Piercing Phoenix eyes. Even with the surface level enlightenment he’d achieved, he knew there was more than one way to use it. One way was fairly straightforward, though.
He curled up his fingers, laying his single, long claw on each pinky finger against the inside of his wrist. Then he extended his pointer finger and concentrated.
Unlike Mercurial Lunar Dao Polishing, Phoenix Piercing Talon was not truly a technique, and Jake was not blocked from using it in the Web Burrows. Phoenix Piercing Talon should also be able to replicate some of the same effects as Lunar Dao Polishing. Should.
Jake focused in a new way, spinning his cultivation base as fast as he could through the suppression of the Web Burrows. He moved energy from his dantian to the top of his head, then let it descend down to his chest before moving it through his arm. His focus moved to his finger as he jabbed forward, stabbing it into the stone wall like it was made of foam. Resistance kicked in right before his finger stopped. A small cloud of dust and burning smell surrounded Jake.
He blinked and smiled. “Not bad for a first try,” he said.
Then after one more check to make sure he was alone, he decided to use a little bit of his precious energy to move faster. It was worth the risk since there was a good chance he would be followed.
This was his greatest trump card, the ace he’d kept secret and had saved his bacon several times over the last few years. Three years into his imprisonment, he’d found a new, deeper understanding for flash step. It wasn’t at the same level as the enlightenment of two pieces of a Great Phoenix Dao he’d just achieved, not even close. Flash step was just a technique, and a simple one at that.
But now, flash step was something more for Jake. He could flash step as naturally as breathing, like it was part of him. And for some reason, his access to this technique, even though it was a movement technique, was not blocked for him anymore.
Jake flash-stepped down a straight section of tunnel, trying to make back lost time. His usage of the ability barely burned any chi at all.
He wasn’t sure if his next gamble was going to pay off, but he’d been honest with himself a while ago. He needed to satisfy his curiosity of what he might find at his next destination. Also, if he didn’t try to take advantage of every oddity he’d discovered deep in the mines before leaving this place, he had a feeling he’d regret it.
Chapter 10
Jake reached his destination without any more problems. He was even able to avoid a group of demon beasts on the way.
This deep in the mine, he wasn’t worried too much about them, though.
He hefted the pick that he’d left leaning against the stony wall the last time he was there. After all this time, it was still in pretty good repair. Then he eyed the little Jake-sized tunnel he’d been working on for about two years now. Every inch he’d dug into the rock, the feeling of what he’d been digging toward had gotten stronger.
A challenge portal.
Before sensing this one, he would have never guessed that the Faceted had set up shop in the Murim world too. But there was no mistaking what he was feeling.
He set the head of the pick back down on the stony ground and paused to look at his Eternal Struggle Reward System screen. It hadn’t changed in a decade.
Jacob Hessian Mazzariello
Champion of The Morrigan
Origin world dimension rank 2, name: Earth
Current path to power: Cultivation (variation)
Current path level or rank: Fifth rank Gold Body Refinement
Renown points: 1
He knew he’d been at 0 renown points before being imprisoned. That meant either meeting Lady Brima or getting captured had given him a renown point. Time hadn’t cleared up any of his questions about that.
Over the years, he’d come close to using this single point. He could perhaps rationalize past the fact that using one point for a shot at loot wasn’t ideal–his chances of getting something good would be much lower with only one. His situation was still bad enough that he’d almost used the point, but the other reality always stopped him. He likely wouldn’t even be able to use anything he actually received.
Lady Brima had known what he was. Jake’s understanding was that all Champions had the ability to use renown points. And she’d already locked away his inventory. It was hard to believe she wouldn’t have prepared for a Champion getting new tools.
Better to save the point.
With a brief effort of will, he dismissed the screen. Then, with a grim expression, he moved closer to the new tunnel he’d been methodically digging out. The rock of the Web Burrows was so hard and prisoners were all so focused on conserving power that it had been slow going indeed.
For a proper mine tunnel, more than ten people could work together, and they’d generally angle toward natural caves that some of them might be able to sense. Jake had been working alone for short amounts at a time after sneaking away, needing to be careful not to break his pick, and he’d been digging directly toward the challenge portal.
His tunnel sloped down at about a thirty-degree angle and was now almost a hundred yards long. He was really, really close now.
As he walked down the tunnel, he reflected on how nerve-wracking it’d been to spend so much time on this project. If he’d been caught by demon beasts or hostile prisoners at the end of a hole with no way out, he’d have been fucked.
