The Path of the Strongest Mortal, page 20
He pointed at his forehead, which made An’na reflexively touch hers. Her fingertips traced an unusual scar.
“What’s this?” she asked with genuine surprise. “I don’t remember them putting this on me... Did I pass out?”
“It’s a tracking mark. As soon as you remove or break the collar, it’ll activate and inform the guards that there’s a slave on the run. If you try to remove it with ki, your head will explode.”
“You’re lying!”
Without wasting time, Kai swore an oath to prove to her that he was telling the truth.
“But... Then...” she muttered, looking around in confusion. “Why would you let me go?”
“Let’s just say that this is my way of saying thank you. You taught me a lot.”
“Really?” An’na frowned. “All right. Here’s the deal. You set me free and I’ll tell you why I’m here. I swear I won’t run. Don’t try anything funny though. Without the collar, I’ll surely defeat you!”
Kai rolled his eyes.
“I’ll take your word for it,” he said, deciding to trust his gut. She didn’t seem like she was lying anyway. “Do you know how to remove the mark?”
She shook her head.
“As your owner, I can do it with a special technique,” he lied. He had no intention of going to those who could do it legally. It’d take too much time. “I only need to touch it...”
He reached out with his hand to touch her forehead but she took a step back.
“Stop!” she blurted out, remembering what he had done to her at the end of the fight.
Kai froze, hand outstretched, and looked at her in bewilderment.
“What’s wrong?”
An’na swallowed hard and shook her head.
“Nothing. Remove the mark,” she said, suppressing her panic.
“All right... Stand still.” Touching her forehead, he subdued the mark’s energy and dispelled the technique. “It’s gone,” he said, watching as the mark faded away.
An’na’s collar opened with a click and fell to the ground, remotely unlocked by the key that Kai had taken from the elf.
“That’s all, you’re free.”
After touching her forehead and then her neck, An’na smiled happily.
“So, why are you here?”
The girl looked over at him and smirked.
“You know that now I’m stronger than you,” she said and revealed her powerful aura as proof. It was far superior to his as she was a whole stage above him.
“Do you want to attack me?”
An’na frowned. A few seconds later, she hid her aura.
“Tsk... You’re boring... Why aren’t you scared?” Kai remained silent, which made her heave a heavy sigh. “Fine, I’ll tell you. I couldn’t break the collar of my previous owner. He immediately realized that an ordinary one wouldn’t work on me, so he used a much stronger one. I couldn’t choose freedom because the oath I made allowed me to do it only if I won first place. Me being here is your fault. When the tournament was over, my owner decided to stay in the city for a while, and I, in turn, was forced to stay in an inn. Since I couldn’t break the collar, he didn’t bother with security and I escaped. When I was finally able to break the collar, I fled the city. For some reason my owner didn’t try to locate me with his aura... yet.”
“As if he’d dare do that near Starks, who’s on his way to the Divine Stage.” Rune’Tan chuckled.
“I was afraid to go through the fort myself, so I joined a caravan. They seemed like good folk at first... But then they put a collar on me while I was sleeping and sold me! The bastards!”
“You were sleeping?”
“Yeah, why?” An’na asked and tilted her head.
“Nothing. Forget it... What happened next?”
“Um... Well... Then I got here. They didn’t know that I could break the collar with the Will of the Sword, so they used a regular one on me. Though, breaking it next to them or the trader was dangerous so I decided to wait until someone bought me. I was planning on running away when the time was right. And then you appeared.”
“I see.” Kai nodded.
“And what are you doing here? A promise is a promise!”
“Me? I’m getting ready to go to the Cloud Abode.”
“Really? Can I go with you? You can take four more guests with you if you have the mark. I could be of use!”
How does she know all this? Kai wondered but he didn’t let it show.
“Why would I take you with me?” he asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Why not?” she retorted, confused. “I’d be of use, as I said...”
“Lemme paraphrase that... Why should I take you with me?”
An’na pondered the question for a little while.
“You’re a swordsman, aren’t you? Yeah? Well, in that case, I can make a Particle of Wisdom for you!”
“I can buy those.”
“But I’ve mastered the Forces of Fusion and Sword!” she retorted, all proud, and lifted her chin.
“Hm, a Particle with such Forces would cost much more than an ordinary one... That’s true... However, it’s still cheaper than the Cloud Challenge test.”
An’na smiled slyly.
“What if there was an imprint of the Will of the Sword in the Particle, which would not only increase the speed of contemplating the Force of Fusion but also bring the cultivator closer to creating their own Will of the Sword?”
“Take an oath,” Kai replied after a pause. “Swear that you’ll make a Particle of the highest quality. In return, I’ll swear that I’ll take you with me.”
“Deal!” An’na held out her hand. “Just give me about ten Azure Crystals. I have nothing to make the Particle from.”
Kai responded to her handshake with a grin.
I had to be a little sneaky about it, but deceiving her turned out to be easy... he thought. I did intend to make her the fourth member of our team but this is even better... Well, now all that remains is to find the owner of the mark...
***
“I give up! I give up, older brother!” Kai shouted as he collided with a wall. “Ow... That was good... Thank you for this fight!” Getting up, he bowed to the Exorcist that was sparring with him.
Kai knew that his usual behavior wouldn’t put him in good graces with the sect’s students, so he had to pretend to be a lost and weak newbie and suck up to his seniors. As much as he hated doing it, this helped him to persuade Ailenx, a student of the first circle, to train with him.
Looking at Kai rub his sore back and butt, Ailenx snorted.
How did he even get into the first circle? He’s a weakling! What were the elders thinking? he wondered and took off the mask that was covering his face. “In that case, I’m leaving,”
“Thank you!” Kai said and bowed again.
When Ailenx left, his face assumed its usual emotionless expression.
“Did you do it?”
“Ailenx Umbert... What an interesting guy... Yes, yes, I did everything as you asked.”
“So, is he our guy?”
“He is.”
Kai smiled to himself as he headed for the door.
There was no need to search anymore. Which was great, as the marks would be activated tomorrow.
***
“If she had come on time,” Shacks complained, glaring at An’na, “we wouldn’t have to rush now. Shit! If we don’t make it... If we don’t make it, all of our hard work goes down the shitter!”
Kai, Malvur, and An’na tensed up and exchanged glances.
“Nah, I’m just kidding.” Shacks snickered, noticing their worried expressions. “The airship is fast; we’ll be there in no time.”
“Ah, I see, you’re the jester of the group...” An’na said.
Shacks smiled in response.
“At least I’m punctual.”
“Oh, give it a rest already! We’re on our way!” An’na exclaimed. She didn’t care if Shacks was teasing, his behavior was downright annoying. “I already apologized. It’s not my fault that I sleep long. You could’ve given me a heads up, and not just send a message through an artifact three hours before the meeting.”
“And since when do Exorcists need rest?” Shacks asked. “Or are you just catching up on your beauty sleep? It ain’t helping, by the way.”
“Oh, shut up!”
Since Kai had sworn that he’d take An’na with him, he couldn’t just leave her to sleep no matter how much Shacks insisted. So, Kai had to practically break into An’na’s room and get her so that they wouldn’t miss the entire thing. As Rune’Tan explained, her sleep wasn’t actually sleep, but the consequence of the technique imposed on her soul that made her slumber for ten hours once a week if she didn’t resist it. During this time, her mind continued to work, analyzing all the information she had received. Simply put, thanks to the sleep her mental age continued to grow.
The downside to this was that once she was asleep, there was no waking her up until the ten hours were over. So Kai had to carry the sleeping beauty in his arms to the airship.
“Oh, wouldya look at that... We’re almost there!” Shacks reported a few minutes later. “Almost an hour and a half early, too!”
“Oh, you bastard!” An’na exclaimed. “Youuu...” She clenched her fists. “Heavens help me, if you continue acting like this, I’ll kick you in the face so hard you’ll be shitting your teeth for a week!”
“I’d love to see you try!” Shacks laughed in response.
***
Ailenx and four other members of the Shattering Strike Sect settled in a comfortable carriage, the interior of which had been increased by special artifacts. It moved not with the help of tamed mounts, but a special artifact powered by the energy of Azure Crystals.
The patriarch of the sect was with them, as well as his apprentice and two elders.
“We’re almost there. If you could, activate the mark and confirm the coordinates,” the patriarch spoke, looking at the map.
“Of course, Lord Straux...” He did as he was told and pointed at the map. “It’s right here.”
“Excellent.” The patriarch nodded with a smile. “Then let’s hurry. It’s better to arrive early.”
Three hours later, the carriage came to a halt. Once all of its passengers got off, the patriarch returned it to his Ring and ordered them to continue on foot.
The forest was vast and full of danger so grandmaster Straux had taken it upon himself to spread his aura as wide as he could in order to protect his colleagues and students. Fortunately, they made it through without any problems.
“This is the place,” Ailenx said as soon as they exited the forest. “The portal should appear here.”
“Then we shall set up camp here and wait. We still have a week.”
Six days flew by in an instant. On the night of the seventh, yellow flashes began to flicker above the surface of the lake, forming a portal.
“Elyonx, come see this,” Straux said to one of the elders.
The old elf walked across the water, approaching the yellow oval. Putting his hand on it, he tried to push, but nothing happened.
“It won’t let me in. I feel like I could damage it if I pushed harder,” he reported. “I can’t track where it leads either. Whatever created this portal... It holds a lot of power.”
“Let’s have a student take a look at it.”
They called over one of the young Elementalists who confirmed the elder’s words.
“In that case, Ailenx, I give you and your team my blessing. Good luck with the Cloud Challenge!” Straux exclaimed and motioned the group to enter the portal.
The five of them joined hands so that Ailenx was in the center. As they approached the portal, the mark on the elf’s hand lit up, allowing them to enter.
***
The moment they stepped out of the portal, they were secured in place with invisible fetters and slave collars appeared on their necks. They immediately knocked out everyone except Ailenx.
“What’s going on here?” the elf asked, his voice shaking. “Who are you?”
“Don’t you recognize me, older brother?” Kai asked with a hint of a smile.
“You?!” Ailenx exclaimed, surprised. “What are you doing here?! How did you get here?! And why aren’t you shackled as well?!”
“Test? Oh, no.” Kai shook his head. “This is a trap. I know you have the mark and I knew where it’d take you. The portal you entered was mine.”
Kai lied. He didn’t know where the real portal would be. To make this work, he had Rune’Tan plant a fake memory into Ailenx’s head when Kai had touched him during the sparring match, which made the elf see only what Rune’Tan wanted him to see. As for the portal, it was made using the artifact Kai had ordered from Notrix.
“Now what?” Ailenx asked calmly.
“We still have time to find the real portal. You’re our ticket into the Cloud Abode. I advise you to cooperate, it’ll be easier for everyone. Otherwise, we’ll have to—”
“Ahahaha!” Ailenx laughed, interrupting Kai. “Fine by me! If you want, I’ll even sign a spiritual contract. You didn’t trick me, idiot, you deceived the patriarch! Oh, you have no idea how glad I’m to see that I was wrong about you.”
The four of them froze in surprise. They didn’t think that Ailenx would be so willing to cooperate.
“So you agree? What about your friends? Where’s your pride? What about the sect?”
“You call these my friends?” The elf nodded at the unconscious students. “I spit on them, as well as on the sect! And my pride? Did you know that for the right to receive the mark, the patriarch forced me to sign a contract? The moment I become an Elementalist, I’m supposed to spend the next thirty years as an elder in the sect. It doesn’t matter if I pass the Cloud Abode test or not.”
“Then what are you so happy about?” An’na asked.
“You see, this contract is valid only if the patriarch takes me to the portal. Do you see why I’m all giddy?”
“I do.” Shacks grinned. “We saved you and screwed the patriarch over. Seems like it wasn’t us who outwitted everyone, but you who took advantage of us. Now get that damn mask off! Didn’t your mom teach you that it’s rude to hide your face when talking to someone?” he exclaimed and approached the elf.
Yanking the mask off his face, he revealed what was probably the prettiest face he had ever seen: pale skin, large green eyes, small nose, and plump lips.
“I... didn’t know you were a chick...”
“Call me that again and I’ll kick your ass!” he growled. “See, that’s exactly why I wear a mask, because of asshats like you.”
“Awh, too bad...” Shacks sighed in disappointment and put the mask back on Ailenx. “And I thought we’d have a cute girl in our group...”
“Oi!” An’na exclaimed. “What did you just say?!”
Shacks turned around and waved his hands.
“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you... It’s just that, y’know, you’re not really my type...”
“Oh, you’re a dead man!” An’na hissed, clenching her fists.
***
In the end, Ailenx signed a spiritual contract, after which they removed his collar. The rest of the students were left behind. Kai had set their collars so that they’d automatically open after a day.
Rune’Tan also removed the false memory, allowing Ailenx to finally see the portal’s real location. As soon as they found out the coordinates, they set off in the company of a dozen Elementalists that Kai had hired with the last bit of money he had to make sure that the final part of his plan wouldn’t be sabotaged at the last moment.
In seven hours, they reached the place where the portal was already waiting for them. Without hesitation, they joined hands, and the five of them walked through it, entering the Cloud Challenge.
Stepping out, they found themselves on a large alpine plateau, surrounded by a huge crowd of about a thousand cultivators. Out of them, about two hundred were bearers of the mark. The majority of them arrived at the very first hour and had already spent half a day here, waiting for the test to begin. It wasn’t until five hours later, when the last chosen one and his team appeared, that it finally began.
A ray of blinding blue light struck from the sky and hit a lonely rock, bringing with it a wave of terrifying power. Those who had Spirits in their souls also felt a slight pain as the specters tried to break free from their cages in order to join their older brother — the king.
An old man appeared on the lonely rock. His body and clothes looked as if they were woven from wind and clouds. He was Ayris, a Heavenly Spirit equal in strength to the Divine Stage cultivators, and the Guardian of the Cloud Abode.
EPILOGUE
An elf was making his way to a huge multi-story building — the Department of Investigation. He kept his aura hidden and walked past the several peak Exorcists that were keeping guard by the door. The lack of aura made the guards realize that the man in front of them wasn’t an ordinary citizen or cultivator, but at least an Elementalist.
Once they saw the golden badge glittering on his chest, everything fell into place.
“Greetings Investigator Cyron!” They saluted.
“At ease, men,” Marx said as he approached. “Is the head of the department in his office?”
“Yes, mister investigator,” the senior guard reported. “Should we inform him that you’re here?”
“I think he already knows,” he replied and entered the building. The elevator platform took him to the top floor and the office he was looking for.
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” a stern voice said.
“You called for me, Lord Eltrix?” Marx asked as he opened the door.
“I did, I did...” the old and tired Holy Lord muttered, not looking up from his papers. “Tell me, are you having fun on the border?”
“What are you driving at, chief?” Marx asked calmly.
“I got an offer for you from the intelligence department. They need you, or rather, your Blood Deception Technique. That’s why I called you. You can refuse and return to the border or accept and complete the task, and return to your post as an investigator. I’ll need your answer by the end of the day.”
