by Dante King
A trio of soldiers stood around the entrance to the fort, half-lounging in the shade of a barbican. Their robes were of the same forest green shade as Hazel’s outfit, the tails swaying in the wind. Over top of the fabric, they wore pieces of armor, painted a similar shade of green to that of their robes.
They let Hazel approach without incident. When they realized she had two newcomers behind her, they sprang into action, hands on their weapons.
“Halt!” the lead guard called, holding up a gauntleted fist. “Hazel, who are these people?”
Hazel gave us a desultory glance over her shoulder, then turned back to the guards. “Cultivators. I found them wandering around the Verdant Ruins, and decided to bring them back to Guildmaster Ji.”
The lead guard gave a start. “Rogue cultivators in our Mana Zone?” He shared a look with his comrades, each of whom fingered the hilts of their weapons nervously, looking us up and down. “You led these intruders directly to our base?”
Hazel crossed her arms beneath her breasts, giving the trio an irritated look. “They have a story for Guildmaster Ji. Besides, you’re supposed to be on patrol, aren’t you? As far as Ji is concerned, one of you is responsible for letting a cultivator pass into our Mana Zone.” She stood on tiptoe, sizing the men up one at a time. “Which one of you was supposed to be out in the forest?”
None of them wanted to admit to it. With a shame-faced expression, the man’s hand fell away from his weapon. “Bring them inside,” he growled, turning hard eyes onto me and Anna. “You’re responsible for them, Hazel. Any trouble they cause will be your fault.”
“We’ll let Guildmaster Ji decide that,” Hazel said, flipping her hair over one shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll love to hear how two cultivators managed to slip through our oh-so-tight security. Come along, you two. We have business with the boss.”
Anna and I walked through the gate, beneath the watchful eyes of the soldiers. The other side of the vestibule opened up into a small village, smoke rising from thatched-roof houses. Off in the distance, I heard the clank of a blacksmith working, the cheers of children chasing chickens, the murmur of gossip. It was a nice, cozy seeming place—the kind of quiet town where I could see Anna and I taking a long vacation. Maybe work on our sex magic at the same time…
We’d barely entered the town proper when Hazel stopped dead in her tracks. A barrel-chested man with a long goatee made his way down the main thoroughfare, heading in our direction with a purpose. Despite the friendly smile plastered to his face, something unkind glittered behind his eyes. A giant curved sword hung loosely at his side—the big brother to Hazel’s slender dao blade.
As he came closer, Hazel dropped to one knee in the street. No one seemed surprised in the least by this, which I took to mean that this guy was the leader of the town. Which also meant I knew exactly who he had to be.
“Guildmaster Ji, I presume?” I asked, holding out a hand.
The man stared at my outstretched palm as if I’d just spit in his face. After a moment, his eyes traveled down to Hazel on her knees. “Report,” he said flatly.
Shit, I thought. What a snub. This guy’s an asshole for sure.
If Hazel thought anything of such rude treatment, she didn’t let it show on her face. “Guildmaster Ji. I found this Early Core Formation cultivator in the Verdant Ruins Mana Zone. Together, we brought down a Marsh Croc and camped inside of the lookout near the river. He claims to have been brought here by a man named Eliezer, the Peak Supreme God.” She paused for a moment. “He also claims to belong to Clan Hyde.”
Curiously, Hazel didn’t mention anything about Dual Cultivation. I couldn’t help but wonder why.
Guildmaster Ji nodded curtly at her. “Thank you, Late Mana Gateway Cultivator Hazel. I will deal with this.”
Huh, I wondered, watching Hazel rise to her feet and scurry away. I guess they like to refer to cultivators by their full title here. Somehow, I got the impression that wasn’t common practice—rather, Guildmaster Ji liked reminding his subordinates how much more powerful he was than them. It seemed to match his character.
Without so much as a sideways glance at Anna, Guildmaster Ji stepped forward and sized me up. This close, I could see the cords of muscle standing out in the man’s arms and legs. He was a burly dude, to be sure, but he could definitely scrap. Even without magic on his side, I’d have hated to run into him in a bar fight or a dark alley.
His brows furrowed, and a strange wave of warmth rolled over me. It felt like something crawled up and down my back, like tiny insects running over my skin. I tried to scratch between my shoulder blades, but the maddening itch refused to give. When I looked back at Guildmaster Ji, flames burned in his dark eyes.
“Yes,” the Guildmaster said, his voice supernaturally deep. It almost sounded like someone with a megaphone speaking over a crowd, but turned down low enough not to shatter eardrums. “You have formed a Core. I can see that. But only recently... very recently.”
The itch probed deeper. Now it felt like those insects crawled beneath my skin, rather than on top of it. Even my teeth itched—it was utterly maddening. I grit my teeth. When would this feeling stop?
Suddenly, a touch of surprise entered Guildmaster Ji’s eyes. The flames in those dark orbs danced as he cocked his head slightly to the side. “Your Core has been constructed with unconventional methods,” he hissed, his eyes narrowing. “Tell me, young man—have you been using the forbidden technique of Demon Cultivation? Did my pupil Hazel introduce you to those black arts?”
“What?” I’d never even heard of Demon Cultivation. It wasn’t one of the five methods of cultivation Hazel had lectured me about. Unless it was another name for the forbidden fifth one—but that had just been harvesting Cores from other cultivators. No demons involved.
“Do not think to lie to me,” Ji growled. His hand strayed to the sword at his side.
“I only just met Hazel, sir. Me and Anna—that’s my girlfriend, there.” I jerked a thumb toward Anna, but Guildmaster Ji’s gaze didn’t turn. Those dark eyes continued staring at me, trying to bore holes through the back of my skull. “We ran into her in the woods, just like she said. The only things she’s introduced me to are a bunch of monsters. Oh, and she taught me how to dissect a squirrel.”
Confusion shone in Guildmaster Ji’s face. “Dissect a squirrel?”
Hazel coughed. “Early Core Formation Cultivator Eric had never harvested a Beast Core before,” she whispered, keeping her head bowed submissively as she spoke. I noted her using my full title, as if she wanted to remind Guildmaster Ji of how puny my power was compared to his. “I showed him how to extract a Core from a Nipper.”
The Guildmaster scoffed. “Never harvested a Core…! Tell me, Hazel, why did you give this whelp a Beast Core in the first place?”
Hazel looked as if she wanted to throw up. “He saved my life, sir,” she said, staring down at the ground. “I felt I owed it to him to split the proceeds of our battle.”
Guildmaster Ji spit onto the ground in front of Hazel. She winced, letting out a whining little squeal, her arms trembling. Why was she so afraid of this guy? He treated her like dirt—like she was less than dirt. Suddenly, I understood why Hazel was so abrasive to newcomers. If I had to deal with men like this every day, I’d be prickly, too.
“She shared the Cores,” Guildmaster Ji said, shaking his head ruefully. He turned his attention back to me. “You bear the mark of a Saint Realm or higher Cultivator—that much is perfectly clear from a single look at you. However, I very much doubt you’ve truly met with the Peak Supreme God. You are not worth the time of a being as powerful as Eliezer.” He frowned. “Nevertheless, I do not wish to incur the wrath of whoever has placed their seal upon you.”
I let out a sigh of relief. For a moment, I’d been sure he was going to draw that sword and try to take those Beast Cores back from me. Even with Anna singing in my hands, begging for bloodlust, I had no illusions that I’d be able to take someone as powerful as Guildma
ster Ji in a straight fight.
Ji took a step forward, getting right in my face. It would have been more imposing if he’d been taller than me, but even in his boots, he and I were of roughly equal height.
“Know this,” he hissed, dropping his voice low enough that only me, Anna, and Hazel could hear. “You will replenish yourselves within my walls, as is the ancient custom. And once you have fed and rested, the two of you will be on your way. If you cross my path again, I will have justification for ending your life. Understand?”
“Perfectly,” I said, refusing to be intimidated. “Anna and I thank you for your hospitality. Perhaps Hazel could show us to our quarters…”
A slow, sadistic smile spread across Guildmaster Ji’s face. “Well now,” he snarled, chuckling darkly. “It’s funny you should mention that. I have a little problem I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to deal with—and thanks to you, I now have sufficient reason to do so.”
I had no idea what he could possibly be talking about. In fact, I wanted to get out of this man’s presence as soon as possible. There was something deeply unpleasant about Guildmaster Ji—even my Core could feel it. The mass inside of me vibrated at a different frequency when he was near, like a guard dog growling at a potential threat. I didn’t like him one bit.
Guildmaster Ji turned to Hazel. “Rise,” he commanded, his voice going as sharp as the knife Hazel used to slice defeated monsters open.
Hazel staggered to her feet, like someone anticipating a blow.
I wanted to tell her to give Guildmaster Ji the finger—assure her that we’d take her with us when we left this place. Even with her icy exterior in place, that strange inner emotion she had for Anna and me might win out. But this didn’t seem to be the time nor place for it, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Late Mana Gateway Cultivator Hazel.” Guildmaster Ji’s voice brimmed with pleasure. “You have consorted with Cultivators from outside of our guild, providing them with Cores and other forms of aid. You have therefore dishonored the Hollow Frog. For that, you must be punished.”
Hazel stiffened. Although she kept a straight face, tears welled in the corners of her eyes.
“Hey, wait a minute,” I protested. “She was just helping some travelers in need! She didn’t do anything wrong—”
Flames erupted from Guildmaster Ji’s eyes. He lifted his hands, and I saw more tongues of liquid fire dancing between his fingertips. The air thickened with Mana, a sadistic grin spreading across Guildmaster Ji’s shark-like face. His goatee quivered with barely suppressed laughter as he charged his spell.
Then he struck. Flames shot from his hands, engulfing Hazel’s body. The blonde warrior’s cry rose above the village, a horrible shriek of pure, unalloyed agony. It looked like someone had poured napalm all over her skin and set it alight. Strangely, the flames coursed over her body but left no burns behind—her skin remained smooth and unblemished, even as she screamed.
He knows how to hurt someone without leaving a mark, I thought, thinking of every TV show where an abuser would put a heavy object in a sock to mask the bruises. That sick fuck!
Before I could stop myself, I leapt at the Cultivator. I didn’t bother commanding Anna to transform into her scythe form—it wouldn’t have made up the difference in our power levels, and whatever this punishment was would probably be done by the time I could use Anna as a weapon. I wasn’t thinking rationally. I just acted.
I jumped onto the Guildmaster’s back, trying to get an arm around his neck. Maybe if I choked him out, I could disrupt the spell. His head turned a fraction of an inch, putting me on the edge of his peripheral vision, then his hand struck out. His punch felt like being hit in the side by a truck, tossing me to the ground.
As I struggled to rise, I saw Hazel writhing in the flames. Finally, she could take no more and collapsed to the ground, rolling back and forth across the bare earth as the fire scorched her. Black smoke rose from her uniform, sending a plume into the air that everyone in the village could see. Everyone inside the Hollow Frog Guild knew that Hazel was being punished, and they were just letting it happen!
After what must have felt like an eternity for poor Hazel, the flames died. She lay curled up in a ball on the ground, whimpering and sobbing. The sight of her in such a posture broke my heart, and filled me with so much anger I wanted to scream.
“You son of a bitch!” I roared, finding my feet. “How dare you!”
Guildmaster Ji seemed amused. “How dare I? I am the Master here, whelp.”
The edges of my vision went red. “I’ll make you pay for this,” I snarled, meaning it with all my heart. “Hazel didn’t even know me before yesterday—she didn’t deserve to have this done to her! I don’t know what vendetta you’ve got against her, but you used me as a reason to hurt her. For that, I’m going to kill you!”
Guildmaster Ji’s eyebrows rose. “Excellent,” he said, sounding in good humor for the first time since I’d met him. “I look forward to it.”
A servant brought a beautiful white roan horse into the street, leading it by the reins. Guildmaster Ji snatched the bridle away roughly from the servant, mounting the animal with a grunt. “Open the gates!”
There was no need—the guards already had the front gates open. Guildmaster Ji rode out of the village, leaving the still-smoking Hazel lying on the ground in a heap before him. Like she was nothing but trash that had yet to be picked up and thrown away.
“Fucking hell,” I said, dropping to my knees next to the girl. Hazel had stopped crying—she just looked off into the distance, staring at absolutely nothing. Her eyes were disturbingly blank, and for a moment, I shrank away. Then I remembered what I was doing and pulled her into my arms.
“It’s okay,” I said, rocking her gently back and forth. “It’s over now, Hazel. I’m going to get that son of a bitch back for what he did to you…”
In a moment, Anna was at Hazel’s side as well. The two of us held her between our bodies, unsure what else we could do to help. She still looked totally blank—as if the fire had left her body untouched but burnt her mind to a crisp. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I wondered if that wasn’t exactly what Guildmaster Ji had done. It felt like the kind of horror he’d inflict on someone.
The villagers watched us for a bit, then moved on. Apparently scenes like these were common enough to not warrant much of a commotion.
“Eric, what do we do?” Anna whispered after a few moments. “She’s totally out of it. Should we even stay here after that? Is it safe?”
I wasn’t sure. “We don’t have any other options,” I said, thinking it over. “I know this, though: we’ve got to get Hazel out of the street. She can’t just stay here.”
As if summoned by my thought, a cart made its way through the front gates. Pulled by two distempered looking oxen, a beautiful redhead sat in the driver’s seat. More than a few wrinkles lined her face, meaning she was probably a decade or so older than Anna and me, but she had a sultry smile and ample curves all the same. If they had sitcoms on this planet, she’d have been a shoe-in to play a fun, sexy Mom-type.
The cart pulled to a stop next to where we lay in the street, the oxen snorting as the wheels rumbled to a halt. “Can I help you with something?” the woman asked, leaning over the side. She wore a deep green dress, nearly the same shade as Hazel’s robes—but hers was cut low in the front to show off an almost obscene amount of cleavage. I couldn’t help but stare.
I looked up, still clutching Hazel. “It’s our friend,” I said, struggling to find the words. “She…”
I trailed off. The woman clucked her tongue, giving Hazel a sympathetic look. “Another public punishment, eh?” the redhead asked, her lips forming a tight little line. “Guildmaster Ji does love to put on a show. Well, you’d better get her into the cart. People are already starting to stare.”
With Anna’s help, we lifted Hazel into the back of the cart. It was nearly filled with dark, oaken barrels—there was just enough space left over to
lay her down against one of their taps. Anna and I climbed into the front, sitting on either side of the red-headed woman.
“Thank you,” I said, meaning it. “I’m Eric, and this is Anna. The woman in the back is Hazel.”
“I know who she is,” the redhead said sadly. She looked over her shoulder, as if wondering whether Hazel would remark on her circumstances. “Guildmaster Ji’s always had a hard-on for giving that one trouble. I should have known she’d wind up on his bad side sooner or later.” She shook her head, dismissing the thought. “My name’s Lyra,” she said, taking my hand and shaking it.
“Hi, Lyra,” I said, settling back against the bench as the cart began to move. Lyra steadied the reins against her wrists, guiding the oxen down the lane. “Where are we headed?”
“To the Hungry Herb Tavern,” she said, glancing back at the rows of barrels behind her. “I’m a brewer by trade—I own a small distillery over in the valley on the other side of this forest. I make my way over here every few months to sell beer and spirits to the Hollow Frog Guild. Keeps them nice and toasty in the winter, and cool and refreshed in the summer.” She grinned. “Beer’s funny that way, isn’t it?”
“It sure is,” I agreed. “Shit, I could really use a drink.”
Lyra looked me up and down. “After what you’ve been through, I bet you could,” she said with a chuckle. “Tell you what—you help me unload these barrels once we get to the Hungry Herb, I’ll give you all you can drink of my special Dao Lager in exchange. I’ll even buy you some dinner.”
I glanced over her shoulder at Anna. My girlfriend looked eager to take the older woman up on her offer.
“And my girl, too?” I asked. “We’ll both help—you can probably use as many hands as you can.”
Lyra started to laugh. “You drive a hard bargain, young man,” she said, putting a hand on my thigh. Her grin widened as she gave it a squeeze, as if she liked what she felt. “I think we can come to some kind of arrangement.”
Anna leaned over, plastering a smile to her face as she tried to make eye contact with Hazel in the back. “You hear that, Hazel? We’re going to get you some dinner. And a few drinks, besides! You’ll be feeling better in no time.”