Chapter 25
1
John spent his allotted time alternating between long study sessions of Lunar Radiance while at home and long practice sessions while in the Garden. He had paid woefully little attention to the scroll since receiving it, preferring to learn by doing. Now that he was giving it his attention, he realized how foolish his lapse in dedication was.
There were hidden nuances and secrets hinted at all throughout the scroll. John discovered as he went through it that it did not have nearly so much detail or complexity as Third Eye of Callysta. It was mostly because the latter was so extraordinarily intricate. But John also suspected that Lunar Radiance might have been akin to a single branch of a greater cultivation.
That wasn’t to say it was lacking in any way. John had already accomplished incredible feats with it. He just had the feeling that it had more potential than even the scroll let on.
His progress in the two days before his self-imposed time limit was up gave him hope for the future. He had been practicing the components of Lunar Radiance for months at that point. His goal was to make a breakthrough within the next month.
The thought reminded him of his sister, who would be turning fourteen before his deadline. She had just over two years before she would need to enter the Garden for herself. The idea gave John a sense of dread he couldn’t seem to ease.
It was only a couple hours before the timer ran out, which meant Jules and Liz were both probably waiting for him in the Garden. He decided not to wait until the last minute; having plenty he wanted to accomplish. When he faded into existence within his new base, he was unsurprised to find his two friends waiting for him.
“John! You’re early,” was Jules’s greeting.
“Took you long enough,” was Liz’s customary salutation.
“Hey guys,” John said, smiling at both of them.
“Nice house!” Jules said.
“Thanks, I won it in a contest,” John said.
“That’s so awesome. You own a whole base!”
“I kind of own a couple now. But this one is the most impressive for sure. Wait until I tell you all the cool shit it can do,” John said.
“Yeah, your dad was telling me you had something awesome to show me.” Jules said.
“I do. A couple things really.”
“Well get on with it,” Liz said.
“So polite, as always, Liz.” John said.
He motioned them to the transition pad and gave them both permission to access the vault. Then he faded away as he traveled there himself. His two companions looked at each other curiously before following.
On the other side, Jules and Liz were just as mesmerized as John had been when he beheld the vault. Jules gasped in astonishment. Liz just looked around silently, clearly impressed and a little intimidated by the lava all around them.
“Welcome to my vault. This is where all my spoils go as owner of the base. I don’t have much to fill it now but I figured,” John trailed off as he looked at Jules.
“You’re willing to let me keep all the guild genes here?” Jules asked.
“Of course. You’re working harder than I thought possible. I can’t imagine where you’re storing all the genes now. This will give you a safe place to keep them all. And I figured we could make Obsidian our base of operations for the guild.”
“That sounds amazing. We can dispatch members to other bases as needed to fulfill contracts.”
“Exactly. And that’s not all this base offers either. But we can get to that later. For now, I think you two should have a couple genes as a welcome gift.”
“What kind of genes?” Liz asked.
“What kind do you need?” John asked.
“I’m working on my Advanced genes now. With all the genes the guild brings in, that’s all I need,” Jules said.
“I am near the peak of Advanced,” Liz added.
“So advanced genes for both of you?” John asked.
“You have Advanced genes to just give away?” Jules asked.
“Sure. What am I going to do with them?”
John led them across his large vault floor to the small mound of genes nestled at the other end. He began picking out various genes for the pair, limiting himself to the Advanced tier. Both of his friends knew of Wizened genes of course, but John didn’t want to seem too patronizing in handing them such powerful resources for free.
Not that they didn’t deserve the boost. He would have gladly given them both the means to fill their Wizened count without a second thought. But people rarely accepted such charity.
Liz, for one, would never allow him to hand her so much. A couple Advanced genes were one thing, but he knew she would be insulted if he tried to take the act of progression from her. She was like him in that way.
Jules on the other hand would have felt entirely too guilty if John insisted on giving him so much at once. John resigned himself to smaller acts of kindness over more time. He could still provide what his friend needed to advance, but without the heavy guilt added.
The two of them accepted his gift of Advanced genes with graciousness. Jules took five Advanced genes while Liz only needed three in order to reach her total. Jules thanked John profusely, happy to be one step closer to the peak.
“You guys are worth it. Wait until I tell you what else the base can do. Come on. Let’s head back to the room.” John said.
“There’s more?” Jules asked.
“Much more. But that reminds me. I gave you permission to access the vault. Both of you. Anything you want to keep here will be safe. Go ahead and move all the guild spoils here at your convenience.”
“Thank you,” Jules said.
“Don’t mention it. Thank you for all the help. How is my dad working out?”
“Oh, Jack? He’s great. Thanks for sending him my way. Though I’m not sure why he would want to help with the books. Even I get burnt out with all the organization.”
“I think he just wants to be useful some way other than killing. Thanks for giving him something to do. Now, are you guys ready to see the real prize of this base?” John asked as they made it back to the transition pad.
2
“You have got to be kidding,” Said Jules in astonishment as John showed him the travel controls.
As predicted, Jules had nearly become unhinged in his excitement. John could see the gears in his head turning at rapid speed. He listened with rapt focus as John explained how it all worked.
“And that’s pretty much it. I think we should move the base from here before too long. There are some loose ends that might cause some trouble if they found their way here.”
“Where should we go first?” Jules asked.
“I’ll leave that up to you. I assume you have some kind of plan for the process?”
“I can make one, sure. You’ll have to resolve whatever this is before we can go though,” Jules said, pointing.
“Roam perk disabled while any active challenges exist”
John cursed, but it wasn’t an insurmountable task. He already planned on resolving the challenge before the time limit expired. This was just some added incentive.
“I’ll take care of it. You should take the extra time to start organizing our vault and bringing everything here. We will be ready to leave within the next day. Does that work for you?” John asked.
“Yeah I can work with that. There are a couple people I want to bring over to help with the logistics if that’s okay.” Jules said.
“If you trust them, I trust you. They won’t be getting any base permissions though. You’ll have to meet them at the pads near the gate.”
“That’s fine.”
After John left Jules to begin whatever extraordinary plans he had already concocted, he had Liz choose a room of her own and they went inside. She gave him an inquisitive look, but her customary smirk was missing. She looked almost nervous.
“I’ve been working on my cultivation paths a lot the last couple days. Mostly my spirit, but I think I’ve made a discovery with my mind path.”
“A discovery?” Liz asked.
“Yes. You told me to figure out how you can use the fruits we stole. I’m not certain, but I think I may be onto something.”
“I’m listening,” she said.
John took the bag from his back and pulled a fruit out. It was the size of a coconut and had the coloration of something between a mango and a pomegranate. Warm orange blended with a deep maroon color to create a unique shade where the colors met.
“Take this,” John said.
Liz took the fruit and examined it like she was trying to solve a puzzle. She squeezed it in her hands, seeming disappointed in the lack of weakness it showed. She didn’t try to bite it as John had his first time holding one.
“What do I do?” She asked.
John spoke in a hushed voice. Not that anyone could overhear him. He simply felt the situation called for a bit of suspense.
“If you can connect with it, this fruit will give you Divine genes,” he said.
“Divine genes?” Liz asked in disbelief.
“Yes. It was the only way Suné was able to save me. I would have died almost instantly if I hadn’t already gained a few when the cactus got me.”
“I knew it. It was the only thing that made sense. You really found a way to gain Divine genes?”
“I did. But it’s only because my Mind Cultivation allows it. I don’t think I can use the same method for anyone else. But luckily, I have options.”
“So, what is the plan?” Liz asked.
“First, you should know what’s going to happen should you succeed,” John said.
Then he described the overwhelming sensation of Divine genes entering the body. He tried to accurately convey just how insignificant everything up until then had been in comparison. He knew words fell short of the experience, however.
“What I’m going to try is called Neutralization. As the name suggests, I’m going to attempt to bring the fruit to a state of neutrality. Hopefully then, you’ll be able to soak it in.” John explained.
“Just like that?” Liz asked skeptically.
“I doubt it’ll be simple. I’ve never even tried to use this branch before,” he said.
“So, you’re experimenting on me?”
“More like, exploring the realm of possibilities together.”
“Okay, but if I get some kind of rash or something, I’m kicking your ass,” Liz promised.
“I’ll take the risk,” John laughed.
John had Liz concentrate on feeling some sort of connection to the fruit. She closed her eyes and held it closely in both hands. As she did so, John began reviewing everything he could remember about the use of Neutralization.
He had never put his focus on the branch before, so his knowledge was much less cohesive than his already limited grasp of Simulation. Nevertheless, he attempted to cycle through the correct mental process needed to activate the ability. Unfortunately, the branches after Simulation became much more complicated.
His sister had described Culmination and Neutralization as “twins in their necessity”. John hadn’t understood why before attempting to practice Neutralization. He quickly discovered that there was a new and imperative concept to master before he could hope to succeed.
Culmination was the practice of enhancing a target to the pinnacle of performance. As John understood it, after Simulation, Culmination could be used to grow and expand the potential of whatever he had chosen to simulate. However, that was not the extent nor the crucial aspect of the branch John needed to master.
The true boon, and also the true impediment to John’s efforts was the concept of projection. Instead of limiting the practice to the confines of his own body, John had to learn to project Culmination onto the world around him in order to assist the natural spirit of anything it interacted with.
It was the beginning of a closed system between Culmination and Neutralization. First he would need to learn to Culminate his own spirit. The process would give him the experience and insight needed when it came to applying the branch to a foreign spirit.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Next, he would need to learn to use Neutralization to balance his own spirit. In order to avoid conflict with any spirit he made contact with, he would need to suppress his own spirit. He had already unknowingly started the process while getting a grasp on Simulation.
It seemed with each branch there were crucial aspects of other branches to master before they could be fully utilized. It was what made Third Eye of Callysta so complicated to comprehend.
After learning to neutralize his own spirit, he could work on projecting himself onto the spirit of another in order to impress Culmination on it. It was the stage at which his cultivation stopped being entirely internal. The last step of the closed loop his sister talked about would be learning how to impress neutrality upon the spirit of another.
It was the act of suppressing a spirit entirely. It would be a contest of will against anything he sought to use it on. It required the understanding of both Culmination and Neutralization in order to utilize. That was the finish line he was currently trying to skip to.
The concepts involved were strongly connected to Spiritual Cultivation. Indeed, the practice had more than once made John think Third Eye of Callysta was really a Spirit path in disguise. If it hadn’t been for the constant complicated analysis required, he would have been convinced.
Still, the thought made him look at the situation differently. He thought of Lunar Radiance, how a ray of moonlight needed only touch his skin for the cultivation to do its magic. It almost seemed like moonlight was being projected onto the world around it. And only because John had the capability to draw upon it was it anything more than illumination to him.
Concepts and ideas clashed in his brain at the insight. He remembered trying to copy Suné’s lightning; how the energy had fizzled out when it came time to unleash it. He had thought it was due to lacking some aspect of the spiritual cultivation.
Perhaps that had been part of it. But the more necessary missing component was the ability to project the energy beyond his flesh. Perhaps his own spirit would be less difficult to spread.
As soon as he had the thought, John realized that he had already done so before. He hadn’t recognized it as such at the time, but he had learned to push his essence into his bow to create the spirit arrows it could fire. He needed to make his first breakthrough in Lunar Radiance.
He suspected spiritual projection was a universal component in applying one’s spirit cultivation. That was how Suné produced lightning to fry her foes from distance. She projected her spirit. If he could learn to properly harness the ability, he might make headway with the rest of his Mind path.
“Stop,” John said to Liz.
“Stop what? We haven’t done anything.”
“I’m sorry. There is something missing. I’ll keep working on it.”
“Wow. You sure know how to let a girl down,” Liz chastised.
3
John accepted Liz’s berating comments without complaint as he moved to the access panel in her room. She followed him there, continuing her complaining the whole while. Only when she saw what he was doing did she pause.
“What now?” She asked.
“Someone wants to fight,” John said.
“Who? I wanna fight,” Liz said, sounding like she had been left out of something.
“Easy, killer. I didn’t ask to fight. I’ve been challenged for control of Obsidian Base.”
“Oh, so because you’re the owner, you get to fight everyone that comes along starting trouble?”
“Would you rather fight for me?” John asked with a laugh.
“Wait, really?” Liz asked.
“I have the option to send a champion in my place. But you do realize we lose the base if you lose right?”
“What? You don’t believe in me?” Liz asked in an offended tone.
“I don’t know anything about the challenger. They could be better than both of us.”
“Maybe better than you. My modesty needs some work. Come on, let me do it,” Liz pleaded.
“I hope you’re as good as you are confident,” John said.
He made the selection to appoint a champion, but there was a problem.
“You have to become a devoted follower before you can be a champion,” John told her.
“How do I do that?” She asked.
John shrugged. He hadn’t asked his father how he had become devoted. Perhaps there was a specific action she had to take first.
“You’re a follower just by joining the base. I’m not sure about anything beyond that. I’ll have to ask my dad.”
“No need. I’ve got it covered,” said Liz as her eyes refocused.
“Liz has become a devoted follower!”
John smiled and returned to the panel. He chose Liz as his champion and confirmed the challenge. Upon doing so, he got a new notification.
“A challenge has been accepted by your champion! Competitors will now be transferred to the challenger’s arena! All occupants of Obsidian Base currently in residence shall be asked to bear witness! Transitioning all parties now!”
John felt himself shift forcibly from one location to another as he listened to the words. When his vision had cleared, he was resting on an ornate seat in the front row of a set of circular stands overlooking an arena below. He blinked away the confusion as he beheld Liz below, facing her competition.
Vulsa Tetrival was not what John had expected. That wasn’t to say that John had any specific expectations. But what he saw was beyond anything he could have foreseen.
He or she or they vaguely resembled what could generously be called humanoid. It stood on two legs, though leaning forward precipitously so that what John took for arms rested only a few inches from the ground. A long and thick tail seemed to correct the imbalance. It looked ready to sprint in Liz’s direction.
In place of skin was some type of chitin exoskeleton. A smooth jade color, it somehow looked both durable and flexible. John noticed serrated areas on its arms that gave it the appearance of a mantis with only two legs.
Its head was something akin to an insect, though not one John was familiar with. That coupled with its missing legs disqualified it from the classification, though he had no idea what to consider it instead. Two bulbous black eyes stared coldly at Liz as the seconds ticked by.
For her part, Liz simply stood motionless, taking in her foe. She didn’t look the slightest bit nervous, and John knew she was trying to gauge the threat Vulsa posed. John too inspected the strange challenger for signs of its ability.
As for weapons, John could only see the blade like arms. If whatever species Vulsa was originated in the Garden, that could be all it had in the way of offense. If it was an outside race like humans, it likely had at least one Soul to summon.
Having no way to tell for sure, John continued to study Vulsa’s outward appearance. The more he observed, the more convinced he became that the strange challenger was highly invested in speed. Analyzation showed him the details he would otherwise have needed to guess about.
Vulsa’s legs were thick and sturdy. He could see even from his distance the increased definition of its otherwise thin form. That told John that it did a lot of traveling by foot.
He also noticed that its tail never stopped moving. It swayed back and forth purposefully. John could tell that it would not be easily unbalanced.
Liz stared no less penetratingly at Vulsa than John. Wether she could discern as much as he did was a question he wished he had an answer to. While they both stared at the strange foe, it did something that neither he nor Liz had expected.
John watched in growing astonishment as the bug-like creature produced a small orb from somewhere within its chitin skin. His eyes grew wide as it tossed the orb to hover between itself and Liz. It was a communication orb.
Liz seemed to startle at the action, but she only waited for the other to speak. John also waited in silence, the implications flying through his mind at the development. After a few seconds, Vulsa spoke.
It was a strange chittering sound. Something between a squeak and a series of clicks. When it came out of the orb though, the voice was as human and perceptible as John could have asked, though it was monotonous.
“Greetings. Are you John?”
Liz seemed offended at the question. Then John saw her recognize the differences between herself and her opponent. In the end, she spoke evenly in reply.
“No. But I do speak for him in this fight.”
“I am Vulsa Tetrival. I have challenged-”
“I know who you are, dude,” Liz said before the translation was complete.
“Very well. I would like to speak with John before we begin,” Vulsa said.
“That’s not really up to me. But I can pass along the message after you lose,” Liz said confidently.
“He is here now. He is watching our match, is he not?” Vulsa asked, not to be dissuaded.
“I don’t really know. I’m new to the whole champion thing. What do you need to say to John?” Liz asked.
“I wish to ask for asylum,” Vulsa said.
“You know, challenging the leader of a base for ownership is a funny way to ask for help. Why should he give you a place here?”
“Because I have information that could be valuable to him,” it said.
“Where did you get the orb? I know the Garden doesn’t give them to just anyone.”
“I stole it. From my master,” Vulsa said evenly.
“Yet another great reason to take you in,” Liz said sardonically.
“Allow me to explain,” Vulsa said.
“I’m not interested. Let’s just get on with it,” Liz said in an annoyed tone.
“Very well human,” Vulsa said.
4
Vulsa launched forward faster than most could react. In almost no time at all, the bug-like creature was slashing down at its opponent. Liz, however, was not most people.
She met the charge with a summoned dagger. Its jagged blade locked with the first swipe of Vulsa’s serrated limb. Vulsa, seeming to expect this, used the deadlock to attack with their free arm.
Unfortunately for Vulsa, Liz was far from helpless. In a blink, she had dismissed the dagger. The absence of pressure against Vulsa’s first arm immediately unbalanced them.
Liz took a step back as she dismissed the dagger, and Vulsa’s newly freed arm swiped involuntarily through the air between them. This completely neutralized the actual attack the bug had been planning with its other arm as all of its weight was redirected to keep it from falling. Liz didn’t simply allow Vulsa to recover though.
As she took her calculated step back, the dagger appeared in her hand once more. With a brutally efficient swipe of the blade, she scored the jade-colored chitin of Vulsa’s body. A thin trickle of purple ichor seeped from the wound.
Only a few seconds into the fight, Vulsa seemed to be heavily regretting their decision. Despite the speed they had, Liz was not to be trifled with. John was impressed by the calm calculative nature she displayed when dealing with her opponent.
It wasn’t often that Liz deigned to do more than rip things apart with her ursine transformation. That was why he was so impressed. John had become so used to the proclivity that he hadn’t given her the credit he knew she deserved.
In truth, Liz probably had the highest advancement of any human he knew apart from himself. The genes she had consumed were more than just tally marks on a board. They translated to speed, dexterity, strength, and most importantly, mental acuity.
She demonstrated this nicely as she repeatedly predicted the manner in which Vulsa would attack. Again and again, she either dodged, blocked, or parried the frenzied slashing of her opponent. Her predictions were so accurate that John narrowed his eyes at her as he watched.
Something was off about her, but he couldn’t place it. She was moving in such an unpredictable manner, John doubted even he could have found an opening. It was an unusual display.
He watched as Liz stepped forward, seemingly into the trap laid by Vulsa. As her foe made its move though, Liz leaned and twisted her body impossibly to avoid the diagonal slash Vulsa had aimed at her. Instead of cleaving her body in two as expected, Vulsa was once again exposed to a counterattack.
With her foresight, it seemed Liz could have ended the fight at any time. Instead of fatally wounding the chitin covered creature, however, Liz was toying with them. As she had every other time she bested the bug, Liz simply left a warning cut across its thick exterior.
Vulsa was beginning to look pretty rough after about the dozenth time Liz wounded them in this manner. They didn’t relent, however, and Liz was content to keep proving how outmatched Vulsa was. Stubborn as a mule, her foe refused to yield.
John watched with interest as Liz seemed to predict every move Vulsa made. As she stepped once again into what seemed like the worst position, John frowned in sudden realization. Vulsa received another thin wound for falling for the bait yet again.
John’s mind spun with possibilities as he observed the way Liz was moving on the field. The more he analyzed the match, the less it seemed like a match at all. Indeed, Vulsa was no more than a puppet dancing on the strings Liz had ensnared him with.
While Vulsa glimpsed openings by which to strike at Liz, the truth was almost the opposite. This was evidenced by the repeated cuts they had received. The more John watched, the more he realized that Liz was manipulating every action her opponent made.
“That’s mental cultivation,” John said to himself.
There was no other explanation for the phenomenon. She seemed to dissect exactly how Vulsa would react to her every move. He was amazed at the sheer effectiveness Liz displayed.
When she needed to maintain her advantage, she projected nothing but calm confidence. When she was trying to bait Vulsa, she somehow always exuded an air of weakness that her opponent couldn’t help but try to capitalize on. It was something akin to mind control, and John was all the more wary of crossing Liz.
“Stop,” Liz said suddenly.
She held up a hand as Vulsa tried once more to read her intentions. Just before they lunged at her, she got their attention. The bug came to an uneasy halt, arms still raised. The communication orb still bobbed around, ready to convey a message.
“Why are you here, Vulsa?” Liz asked.
“I came to challenge for control of-”
“Yeah, I got that already. But why?”
“Those were my instructions,” Vulsa said uncomfortably.
“So you follow orders blindly?”
“No. I… am unable to disobey.”
“Yet, you also stole from this master of yours. I’ve gotta say, you’re not really selling yourself here.” Liz said.
“Please, human. I-”
“My name is Liz,” she interrupted yet again.
“Very well. Liz, then. I have been sent here to die. I am not foolish. I can see that I am not your match.”
“But you continued to fight. Why?”
“Because that is the primary directive of all Kulthaq dispatched by my master.”
Liz sighed deeply.
“Damnit. This is some kind of gigantic, convoluted mess, isn’t it?”
“I am afraid so,” Vulsa said.
“Of course it is. I can’t just kick some ass without things going all weird, can I?” Liz asked.
“I… suppose not,” Vulsa answered cautiously.
“Well unfortunately, this all seems to be a bit above my pay grade. I’m not the one you have to explain everything to. And I’m a little lost as to how you might ask him directly,” Liz said.
But John was already going through his menu options. He scanned over the rules of a challenge and found something useful. He stood and made a gesture with his hand.
“Rendezvous,” he said.
“You have called a halt to the challenge! You have requested a meeting with your challenger! This is a diplomatic request and is not required to be accepted.”
“Attention, Vulsa Tetrival has accepted your Rendezvous!”
John was suddenly standing between Liz and Vulsa in the arena. He looked at Liz, who didn’t seem at all surprised that he had appeared. He gave her a nod of appreciation for her display.
“I see you found a way to butt in,” she chided.
“Gotta stay true to yourself,” John said before turning to Vulsa.
“Hello Vulsa Tetrival. I have many questions for you.”
5
“You are John?” Vulsa asked.
“I am. Let’s talk about why you’re here.” John said.
“My master sent me-”
“Stop,” John said.
Vulsa fell silent as John had commanded. They just looked at him with what John assumed was indifference. When he was sure he had the floor, John spoke again.
“I know you were sent to challenge me for ownership of Obsidian Base. I can also tell you don’t really want to be here. What I need is context. You said something about a primary directive. Tell me about that,” John said.
“The Kulthaq are a race native to the Garden. We are hatched by an alpha, who lays eggs in the bodies of adversaries. I was given life and brought up alongside thousands of others. When we reached maturity, we were dispatched to all corners of the Garden. Our goal is to become the owner of a base.”
“Okay, that’s all very interesting, but again, you’re not telling me anything I haven’t figured out already.” John said.
“I was dispatched with a few hundred others to seek out a base to conquer. I came upon this base many weeks ago, but I lacked the ability to enter.”
“Why couldn’t you?” John asked.
“I do not know. My instincts told me I could not.”
“And you didn’t even try?” John asked.
“We natives of the Garden have many advantages that outsiders do not. But we are also limited in ways you are not.”
“Fascinating,” John said dully.
“When the leadership trial began, I was given the opportunity to join. I chose not to, however.”
“Why is that?” John asked.
“Because success meant certain death, while failure meant near certain death. There was no outcome likely to preserve my life.”
“But challenging me for ownership a few days later is your idea of self preservation? If you haven’t noticed, you’re kind of out of your league here.”
“I never intended to fight you. My wish was to speak with you. I need your help,” Vulsa said.
“If you didn’t want to fight, you could have requested a place in my base. Why didn’t you? The gates are open to anyone who is in need.”
“Because of the primary directive,” Vulsa said.
“And we’re back to that. Alright. Why don’t you tell me about this directive of yours.” John said.
“Kulthaq are born from the fallen enemies of our creator. Kulthaq Alphas instill certain instinctual desires in us. These are near unbreakable directives. Our primary directive is to conquer bases for the Alpha.”
“And that’s why you challenged me instead of asking to join?”
“Yes,” Vulsa said.
“Yet, you don’t strike me as particularly driven to fulfill this ‘primary directive’ you speak of. Why is that?”
“I have been traveling for many months. I have learned many things. One of which is a form of mental cultivation. Practicing it has given me more individual tendencies than others of my kind. I cannot free myself from our directives, but I no longer feel driven to fulfill them blindly.”
“And why wouldn’t you want to become the owner of a base? You mentioned certain death?”
“I did. We Kulthaq are nothing but tools to our Alpha. Any who return victorious from their task will simply be killed. Our goal is to spread the influence and power of the Alpha, nothing more.”
“So, you come back as the owner of a base and your master kills you to take it for themselves?”
“Precisely,” Vulsa said.
“Have they never heard of pretty please?” John asked incredulously.
“I… do not think so,” Vulsa answered clearly confused.
“Well I can’t blame you for seeking alternate career paths. But how do you expect me to help you?”
“For now, I need asylum. As long as I do not come to possess a base, I will not be compelled to return to my master.”
“It’s that simple?”
“No. There will always be the desire to conquer. That is why I need a powerful ally to keep me from losing control of my faculties.”
“And you want me to what? Babysit you?”
“I am unaware of this term. I wish to be imprisoned until I can free myself from the primary directive,” Vulsa said.
“And how do you intend to do that?” John asked.
“I do not know.”
John sighed. He had been hoping for an easy solution to whatever Vulsa was wrapped up in. He had suspected from the start that he would have to get his hands dirty, though.
“You want me to grant you access to Obsidian Base just to imprison you?”
“The terms of incarceration are yours to decide,” Vulsa said.
John thought about it for another moment. He didn’t think there was any danger in granting the request. After all, he had decided anyone who was in distress would be given asylum. He supposed Vulsa’s situation qualified.
“Very well,” John said.
“If you admit defeat, I will grant you access to Obsidian Base. If you wish it, you can be detained for your own safety. I make no promises, but I will also attempt to find a solution for your situation.”
“I accept your terms,” Vulsa said.
“Congratulations! Your champion has triumphed over challenger Vulsa Tetrival! Would you like to reward your champion?”
“Yes,” John said without even thinking about it.
“Your champion has been awarded two Wizened Genes from your vault!”
“Vulsa Tetrival is now a follower!”
John turned to Liz, who was no doubt receiving her own notifications. He watched her eyes light up with excitement and knew she had just received his reward. She looked up at him in time to see his expression morph into expectant disappointment.
“And when were you going to tell me you started practicing Mental Cultivation?” He asked.
What is this chapter called?
