Savage Webs, page 9
part #2 of Apocalypse Cultivation Series
By this point, he’d had a decade of time to think about and work through the way he’d been tricked into Morrigan’s service. At first, he’d been a little pissed about it despite working through the logical reasons it might work out for him. But after time, he’d truly accepted that she’d given him everything he wanted and then some. Three thousand years was a long time, but he was reminded of all the time he’d spent meditating in his first challenge room. That extra time he’d gotten to adjust to his new body and abilities had helped a lot. So in the Web Burrows, he’d ultimately decided that he’d still gotten the better part of the deal, but he had to pay better attention while dealing with her from now on.
Besides, powerful cultivators lived for a really long time and sometimes could go a hundred years just sleeping in a cave. At least that was what Master Zi always said.
“Apologies, Lady, that question was rather obvious. However, please let me explain.” After she made a waving motion to continue, Jake said, “I have reasoned that before attaining a Reforged Body, I will likely get much more power or a better base for future advancement if the…monster body part of me has ascended to a stronger or smarter variant. My theory is that…”
Morrigan interrupted him. “You are most likely right about that. But you still haven’t told me why you called me. My reaction to this will largely depend on that. I am bound to answer your audience requests, but I chose to do so quickly this time because Rishlay told me to expect it and also suggested I may find your proposal interesting.”
He swallowed. “Right. Well, I am about to break out of the Web Burrows, but I found a Challenge Portal before I made my attempt. The challenge ended up being a labyrinth populated with several biomes full of different monsters, or demon beasts, whatever. I was able to find a large number of lycanthropes–low-level werewolves. That netted me some monster cores after killing an entire tribe of them. I also got a bunch of Ilimu monster cores after killing like a few hundred of them. Just an entire town of mages that could turn into snakes and lizards and all wanted to eat me.” He frowned.
“Then before I was about to use some of the werewolf cores to cultivate higher, upward, I realized I had a decent number of cores from shape changing monsters. So I went back to the information you gave me before, the stuff you put in my head. Nothing in there actually listed Shadow Ghoul, like I am now, but I was still able to figure out something interesting for my potential future. Now I want to alter the evolution path I was aiming for before.”
“Oh?” The goddess pursed her lips and her eyebrows and her eyes grew distant for a moment. “Ah, I think I see what you are trying to do. Interesting. So you seek to create a branching evolution, eh? You want to be able to shift between two different monster species before actually creating a Reforged Body.”
Jake nodded. “Or if that fails, at least have the possibility of developing a third transformation when I get a Reforged Body, yes.”
Morrigan took a sip of whatever was in her glass. “If any other cultivator has tried this before, I am not aware of it. Even demon beasts. The creatures that can shape shift already just attain a new race. But you have a human soul.”
Jake’s voice was more confident now. “Now that I’ve been in the Murim world for longer, I have seen a few Reforged Body cultivators. They usually have some sort of physical change, a Dao Tell, but they can transform.”
“Not all, but yes.” Morrigan made an expectant and amused expression. “So what are you asking, exactly?”
Jake met her eyes and suppressed a shudder. As physically beautiful as The Morrigan was, looking her directly in the eye made him feel like his soul had been dunked in ice water. He said, “I need to go back to Earth, to where I came from.”
“Why?”
“Because I need vampire monster cores, and I need them fast. There are vampiric demon beasts in the Murim world, but I don’t know where they are, and they might be too powerful for me to handle. Meanwhile, there are probably plenty of them back in Georgia.
“I’m getting close to the peak of the Gold stage of body refinement, and I have enough monster cores I can probably get there now if I really wanted to. It’ll just take time. But I need to truly understand my Dao in order to actually reforge my body, and I don’t want to try until I stack the odds in my favor. I think changing my monster race will help with that.”
Morrigan tapped one long, painted nail on the arm of her throne. “Now I understand why you spoke to Rishlay. There is a difference in time between the dimension of your home planet and the Murim world. And you are also in a Faceted Assessment Room, correct?”
“Yes, Lady.”
“Why didn’t you leave the Assessment Room before contacting me?”
Jake grinned. “Because if I went to earth normally, by the time I got back to the Murim world, like, years would have passed. I did the math. The conversion is like eight or nine years in the Murim world pass in one day on Earth. But if I’m in the middle of a challenge room, er, Assessment Room, where I come back to the moment I enter after I’m done…” He let his voice trail off. When the goddess didn’t say anything in response, just studied him, he added, “I should slingshot back to the moment I entered the challenge room, right? Rishlay said it should work that way.”
Morrigan’s tapping grew faster and she seemed to be thinking. She said, “Your understanding of the relationship of time between two completely separate realities is fundamentally flawed. However, even though your understanding of the mechanics behind your plan is incorrect, it is, in fact, correct. Rishlay did not lie, but obviously did not exactly educate you on how timelines and separate realities relate, if at all.”
“But it would work.” Jake didn’t phrase it as a question.
“Yes, it would work. Why not waste time in the Murim world if I’d let you come back to your world within the default flow of time, though?”
Jake had been expecting the question. Morrigan had likely already made up her mind, but sometimes she spoke like a teacher. He replied, “Because that’s not my job. You tricked me, or at least, I could see it that way. But you also gave me exactly what I asked for in our contract. I need to hold up my end now. The points I get are from doing great or notable things, not tricking my way through loopholes. Nothing good will come of me dodging responsibilities, not least of which because it’s a big world out there full of scary people, and the scariest all seem to be able to read my Titles.” He shrugged. “It’s the same reason I’m trying to get stronger in the Murim world too. There is no better backup plan to being able to go directly through the problem. Right now, I’m too weak for that, but I want to change that.”
“Well spoken,” said The Morrigan softly. Some of the crow decorations in her throne turned to look at Jake before returning to their earlier position. The goddess abruptly stood, and Jake did as well. Then, when Morrigan began to walk, Jake followed her.
She said, “You realize that if I agree to do this thing for you, it will be the only time I help you with your Reforged Body. The actual transition, which can be difficult, will be up to you.”
“Yes, Lady. I figured as much.”
“Also, your time on Earth will have a limit. You will have a total of five days. At the end of the five days, you must be present in the same location you arrived back in, or very bad things will happen. Time and space will be stretched. Stretching is fine, but past a certain point of stress, things can break. Time and space breaking is bad. I’m sure you can understand.”
“Bad for me or bad for everyone?”
“Both.” The goddess smiled without humor. “Truly, it would be far, far easier for me to just directly assist you with achieving a Reforged Body. However, you are correct that this request technically falls within the realm of what I agreed to help with. Not only that, I am not sure that anything quite like what you are attempting to do has been done before. It is rare for me to come across unexpected things like this. Rare and exciting.”
“And if I succeed, as your champion, it will reflect positively on you.” Jake smiled.
“Indeed.” The goddess stopped next to a pool so dark, it was like staring into space. “If this is the path you truly choose to walk, then all you must do is step into the pool. The rest will be obvious. Is this your choice?”
“Yes.”
“Then know this. Time back in your world is about ten days after your battle with Tlaloc.”
“Anything else I should know?” asked Jake.
“Yes.” Morrigan turned and began to walk away. “Any of my kin with champions nearby will be aware that a champion has arrived from another plane. Your enemies will likely be on alert. They will search for you and may even come in numbers.”
“Lovely,” muttered Jake. He glanced back one more time at the retreated goddess, shrugged, and jumped in the water.
Chapter 15
Jake didn’t remember losing consciousness, but he woke up on the ground. Asphalt was pressing into his cheek. He looked around, getting his bearings, and verified he was definitely back on Earth. It seemed he’d popped into existence in front of a fast food chicken restaurant. There was a four-lane road a stone’s throw away with a few broken-down cars.
“I didn’t actually tell her where to put me, did I?” he wondered out loud.
Jake judged the time was dusk and sundown wasn’t too far away. That at least was working in his favor. Sitting in the parking lot was making him feel awfully exposed, so he got up and moved behind the restaurant. There was a little wooded area further back, so he moved himself there and sat down again, hopefully where some trigger-happy local wouldn’t start shooting at him.
Of course, he wasn’t really expecting anything like that to happen anytime soon. The area was awfully quiet. All he could hear was a vehicle or two in the distance. That made sense. This was two weeks after the apocalypse. By now, all the survivors in America with guns would have figured out that they should start conserving their ammo.
Jake pursed his lips and tapped a finger against one knee. He had an absolute ton of stuff in his storage ring since he hadn’t touched any of it in a decade. For that matter, he was planning to add to it while he was back on Earth. Being back after a decade felt interesting. He’d been expecting to…feel more about it. But instead, it was almost like seeing an old friend, the best kind where years could pass, but the friendship was instantly as strong as ever after meeting again.
He was home, and it just was.
His original plan to just escape the Web Burrows back in the Murim world had grown far more complicated, but this was an amazing opportunity. He didn’t plan to waste it.
Jake sighed, stood, and did a quick inventory. After some careful thought, he decided to travel with some weapons. He’d been a monster for so long, and prisoners in the Web Burrows were all so weird, he’d almost forgotten how people on Earth would probably react when they saw him.
Some of the shit he was going to be wearing likely wouldn’t help.
Jake actually thought about changing into fresh Earth clothes, but shrugged. “Fuck it,” he said out loud. His worn cultivator robes had worked fine for the last few years. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The seamstress in the Web Burrows still thought he was fucking crazy for having her sew pockets into his cultivator outfit, but pockets were a must, especially back when he hadn’t had his storage ring.
He still had the Deep Heavens Solstice Society Midnight Cloak, and that stayed on. Jake also took an AK pistol out of his storage ring and slung it on one shoulder. It was hard to argue against the power 7.62x39, even out of a shorter barrel. He didn’t really see himself needing any longer range guns.
Withdrawing his custom saber, the special one that Morrigan had changed, made him grin. His reasons for not using it before getting trapped in the Web Burrows seemed silly now. This was his first time properly examining it too.
Let’s see what three thousand years bought, he thought.
Blooming Honor, Destruction Flower of the Eternal Nightmare
Originally a sword crafted for Major Terry Swafford by a mortal, master sword smith, this weapon has been reborn in divine flame.
Personally touched and invested by Morrigan, goddess of war, fate, and shadow.
Remade for Jacob Hessian Mazzariello. Imprinted on by Jacob Hessian Mazzariello, and will burn any being that seeks to wield it.
Indestructible by any power short of Transcendent.
Can be summoned by Jacob Hessian Mazzariello anywhere.
Limited ability to pierce supernatural barriers.
Supernatural cutting ability.
Imparts soul damage.
Growth type
Ego Weapon
“Wow!” said Jake. His eyes were wide as he examined his sword. “Holy fucking shit!” he breathed. Jake could hardly believe his eyes. The sword made all the potential rewards he’d seen so far in the Eternal Struggle Reward System seem like trash. This was the kind of weapon someone could use to kill…practically anything. At least with enough skill behind it.
He’d also never actually seen an ego weapon in person, but he’d heard of them before. They were sentient tools, powered by and possessing a soul of their own. This one was even more interesting, a growth-type of sorts. Jake tightened his hand on the grip and almost instantly felt another presence in the back of his mind. Something humming, or purring like a cat.
The sword seemed to like him. That was good. The alternative might be lethal. It seemed to be communicating with him too. No words, just feelings he could understand. It was sending greetings.
Jake reverently slid the saber back in its scabbard. “Ten years, and I had this in my storage the entire time.” He shook his head. When he’d first gotten to the Web Burrows, he’d been weak enough it might not make a difference, but now? Suddenly, the odds of succeeding with his escape when he got back just went through the roof.
At least he thought so. Hopefully.
He found a baldric in his storage to use to wear the sword. The crude, carved sword he’d been using for years lay on the ground and Jake regarded it for a while. He almost put it into storage, but decided to just wear it through his belt like he had been. Even with all the crap hanging off of him, he could still move easily, and he nodded. With that, he thought he was ready.
Jake hadn’t forgotten about his Living Clay Bat. This time around, he wouldn’t be running around like a dog, trying to meet some ridiculous time limit. If he wanted to, he should be able to ride in style.
But first, he wanted to get his bearings.
It felt good to be properly armed again.
Night was falling quickly. Even though Jake wanted to walk around on foot before traveling, he decided to use the Clay Bat to figure out which direction to go in. Summoning the bat from his storage ring was easy, and after it was out, he just examined it for a minute. The last time he’d seen the bat, it’d been to immediately teleport and then he hadn’t seen it again.
The bat was big, but not as enormous as Jake remembered. Of course, he’d half seen it before while streaming out of a hole in the ground, as everything was half formed, so he’d known his memory might be suspect.
It stared right back at him as he examined it. If Jake had to describe it simply, he’d say it looked like a winged golem in the shape of a giant bat, like one of those flying foxes in the Philippines. The bat’s eyes glowed in the failing light.
Cultivators back in the Murim world usually just used things like this as tools and didn’t really give a shit if they got broken or destroyed, but the bat had probably saved Jake’s life before.
“Do you have a name?” asked Jake. The bat didn’t move, just continued to look at him. “If you understand what I am saying, nod once,” he said. The bat nodded. “Do you want a name? Nod if you understand but don’t care. Nod twice for yes.”
The bat nodded once and just stared again.
Jake shrugged. “Well, I feel like naming you. So for a bat with no personality, I’ll give you a name full of personality. From now on, you are Bartok.”
He’d half expected some sort of surge in his chi after naming the bat, or some other sign that something mystical had happened, but nothing changed. Jake chuckled to himself. “Might as well give my sword a nickname too. “Blooming Honor, Destruction Flower of the Eternal Nightmare, huh? I guess I’ll call you Bloom.”
The entire world seemed to vibrate. Jake’s energy ran wild, circulating about ten times faster than normal. It felt like the earth was shaking. The feeling only lasted a moment, but when it stopped, Jake had to pick himself off the ground.
“Well, that happened,” Jake muttered. Then he hopped on his bat Bartok and instructed him to fly directly upward. “Who needs drones when you have a clay bat, huh?” Jake laughed at his own joke. A moment later, with a little bit of worry, he wondered if all the time he’d spent in the Web Burrows might have harmed his sanity a little.
“I’m a fucking monster. If that didn’t make me go loco, I’m not sure why digging in a prison would.” Jake nodded but decided to stop talking to himself. It was tempting fate.
Once he was high enough to see the surrounding area, he realized that a highway was not far to the west. It looked like there was a Walmart to the northwest, businesses and hotels to the south, and residential areas to the east.
There was also a Golden Arches to the west. He’d already seen people gathering at them before, when he’d been traveling across Georgia. Maybe enough people had seen or heard of his advice here, wherever here was, that he could find people at this one too.
“Wherever here is,” he said out loud. It felt like his entire existence on Earth after he’d died seemed to revolve around figuring out where the hell he was.
On that note, at least he was fairly certain that The Morrigan had put him somewhere decent. If she’d screwed him over and zapped him to Montana or something, that wouldn’t exactly be helping him. He was likely somewhere in Georgia. Now he just had to figure out where.
Jake had Bartok lower him back to the ground and sent the bat back into his storage ring.
