Faceless 74321

‘’Look at that.’’

The thick vortex of darkness stretching hundreds of kilometres in circumference stalls in its inevitable progress as something nibbles at its outer edge unravelling it.

‘’What is that, a storm?’’

‘’No, too close to the ground and feels slightly off but look there at the human facing it.’’

‘’I see it, it’s barely putting a dent on it though. I estimate it would take something like 300 daylight cycles of continually chipping at it before its at its centre, why do you find that interesting?’’

‘’The human, it’s wearing a bronze-saphire warrior-servant initiation kilt.’’

"That is interesting, think it a slave belonging to one of the lords?’’

‘’No, check the sensor array, the kilt isn’t attuned.’’

‘’But that would mean...,’’

‘’Yes, that native took down a sapphire ranked warrior-servant trainee.’’

‘’I thought the local inhabitants were fodder for the warrior servants.’’

‘’They are, most are.’’

‘’Think we should check it out?’’

‘’We are only to scout and report back, besides, the human won’t survive long in that torrent. Look.’’

‘’The centre of the black cloud is changing direction.’’

‘’Yes, its focusing its attention on the disturbance and something powerful stirs within its centre.’’

‘’Think we should report back on this?’’

‘’You go, that cloud phenomena could be a good source for putrid cultivation. Mantra Zinzi may be interested in studying it, I’ll stay and watch.’’

‘’Right, be back in a jiffy.’’

The Faceless scout flies off leaving the head scout drifting in the skies watching everything, flying predators watching it in turn. The Faceless have been flying these skies the past several cycles scouting all the lands the bantu-jin are to claim as their own, cataloguing resources and reporting back to the lords anything of interest.

This is an interesting world, a vigin world. One untainted by chi and the philosophies of cultivators. What would my home have been like had there been no cultivators to worry about, had everyone started off at the same level with the same opportunities? Something like this most probably. A paradise of opportunity and potential but weak to the realities of the greater world.

Hmmm..., stealing a potential recruit from the clutches of the Hawu is exactly the kind of thing my benefactor would require of me, and if a recruit of mine actually amounts to something I may even gain enough status and resources to warrant help breaking into the 3rd Cultivation Continent, Chi Transformation.

It is decided.

The Silver ranked Faceless shoots through the air flying down at the conflict below, banking hard he sweeps in and out without spending much time exposed to the dark cloud of filth. He notices the two other humans trailing within the other’s wake, hmm, I can’t let his companions die if I want to endear myself to him.

No one notices until he is upon them tackling the axe wielder on its backswing sweeping the other two flying through the murk at speed.

[BAM!]

The Faceless crashes into the ground hard, the axe wielder having retaliated by means the Faceless couldn’t catch.

Impressive for a human not even in the 9th stage of body tempering to down me.

Faceless 74123 gets up slowly, the axe wielder taking hard ragged breathes teeth bared in a bloody grin, eyes pin-picks of madness but it doesn’t attack.

Now out of the cloud it just stands there breathe misting from its mouth, both hands on the black shaft of the uneeri feeling axe sparkling silver now under the light of the sun.

The black cloud wails and twirls as though in search of its prey, as though in unending torment, the sound psychically attacking everything within the vicinity. The other humans remain sprawled about the dusty ground, bones broken from the sudden impacts of both their short flight and crash on the hard stone of the rocky plain.

‘’You better move further away if you don’t want that thing to sniff you out again,’’ Faceless 74123 says indicating to the cloud again bloating towards them trusting the translator to do its work.

The axe wielder stares, unmoving besides standing in a ready attack stance breathing deeply with focused hate piercing with its sharp gaze. There is a feral air to the warrior that has the faceless doubting the mental viability of this warrior.

‘’You wear a warrior-slave’s kilt of the bronze rank, you took it from one of the Dregachi. Mortal warriors that serve the Bantu-jin as fodder-slaves until they prove themselves in combat as talents worthy of joining the Faceless ranks.’’

The warrior says nothing, blood pooling and congealing like a living fluid to cover the open wounds covering more than half its torso protectively.

‘’The Bantu-jin are a warrior race that takes promising martial mortals as slaves to train and use as weapons against each other in feuds and wars. You would make a great prize having such a stalwart physique and being a fighter of your obvious calibre, some will be here soon in hopes to claim you.’’

‘’Who- are- you?’’

The words come out with difficulty between breaths, an effort maybe because of excession but seemly because of barely grasped control.

‘’I am Faceless 74123 of the Silver rank serving the Hawu Bantu-jin until my next breakthrough. Who are you?’’

Steam hisses out of of the warrior's mouth as it clenches its teeth gazing with unsatisfied hate at the dark cloud billowing away only a kilometre to its right in confused anguished wails.

‘’I am Sachihiro of the Barbarian Tribes.’’

‘’Sachihiro the Barbarian,’’ Faceless 74123 acknowledges rising into the air slowly in a casual display of flight.

‘’It is not wise to separate a Barbarian from its prey,’’ the axeman, Sachihiro says squinting his eyes tightening his grip on his shaft with an aura of imminent threat.

‘’It is not wise to bite on more than you can swallow Barbarian. Leave this place Sachihiro the Barbarian, leave the kilt you wear also, otherwise you will be found and made into what I am.’’

The Faceless shoots off, flying high disappearing in the glare of the higher skies.

*

Zero Six-Six

Pfffh, ‘’an Amarok. Can you believe these backwards ignorants expect me to deal with an evolved Amarok on my own, the insanity! That thing has to be at the 6th stage of 3rd Continent, or at least or close to breaking through into it. Also why it is so hungry probably, it would need a lot of resources to sustain it through a break-through.’’

Zero shakes his head in stupefied acceptance, considering how he would go about it if it were possible.

‘’Even if I could deal with this they wouldn’t even understand the magnitude of the favour I’d have done them.’’

But if they could get him one of those weapons that store techniques they’d have more than paid back anything he could ever do for them.

‘’The chi traces my array is picking up, the tracks, the absence of anything with even a level 1 manna signature for kilometres all around. Definitely an Amarok ready to evolve, or something very similar but I can’t think of anything else back home that hunts like this.''

Nappa remains quiet, a step behind his lord looking at everything with a frown of deadly discontent.

‘’What are you sulking about anyway?’’ Zero finally asks; tired of the brooding aura barely controlled by his companion.

‘’May I speak freely Lord Bantu-jin.’’

‘’Speak Napa you bore me with your sulking.’’

‘’It is no use for me to be your warrior-servant if you do not call for me when facing worthy foes.’’

‘’You’re sulking because I left you behind when I had the meeting, really Napa do you think yourself needed here?’’

‘’My purpose is to deal with lord Bantu-jin Lutha-‘’

‘’Zero Six-Six.’’

‘’Lord Zero Six-Six’s nuisances so he doesn’t have to deal with these poltroon scum beneath his notice.’’

‘’Piss it with the lording now, call me Zero. Test it on your lips.’’

‘’...Zero.’’

‘’Very good Napa very good. This is an opportunity for me Napa don’t you see? They are stuck dealing with an Amarok ready to nest or evolve and have no idea what to do about it. Can you hear how quiet it is in this forest, how empty those two settlements we passed? The monster must have been gorging itself on the natives, the powers here must be beside themselves with panic.’’

There is manic ecstatic energy about Zero as he considers the possibility of being invaluable here. All his adult life he has dreamt and crushed his dream of ever being a cultivator, ever mending his destroyed Core and now a possible alternative could be closely within reach. If only it wasn’t a 3rd Continent Amarok standing between him and the eternal gratitude of the local inhabitants.

‘’Of course, they’ve already tried to deal with it and failed, I mean they had that gate left open for the pride mutts so they definitely can’t deal with an evolved Amarok. I can probably ask them for anything I want and get it if I deal with this for them. The possibilities are limited only by my imagination Napa.’’

‘’Yes lord... Zero. It’s just that I am of no use if you settle things yourself. All these creatures are beneath you.’’

‘’Ah Napa, I can see you say that with genuine conviction but it is not my way of doing things. I gained everything I gained amongst the mortals and sects back home because I was one of the few Bantu-jin to take them seriously. I built everything I had, all the gems and resources I accumulated, all the enchanters, explorers and alchemists I’ve sponsored. All over Valeria, all unable to mend my crippled Core.’’

‘’Forgive this one for his insolence lor-‘’

‘’Ahp ap ap.’’

‘’Zero. I don’t see how these sacks-of-meat can be of any use to lo-you. None here have any chi at all, everything here is so fragile I feel like a monster just walking through these woods and I haven’t even reached Initial Element,’’ he casually rips a tree in half with a swipe of clawing fingers.

‘’Yes there is no chi here but that just speaks to the purity of this world,’’ Zero takes a deep breath. ‘’Breath that in, breath in Napa breath.’’

Napa breathes deeply.

‘’Feel how easy that is, feel how refreshing? There is no thousand-year-old wind chi bogging down the air, there is no millennia-old light chi glazing on your eyes. Everything here is pure, yielding, easy and for me, that’s a leg up, one I intend to use to my full advantage honing my manna skills gearing up for my next evolution.

‘’Even if there is nothing of use to me the natives could provide just being here away from all the chi weighing me down is doing wonders for my development. Not many know this in Valeria but being a cultivator isn’t the only path to immortality, and soon I will be a level 7 manna evolved completing my path and finally being resilient to foreign chi.’’

He clenches his fist power brimming through him as he flexes his magic.

‘’So you see Napa, as much as I may have discovered a unique possibility of being able to use cultivation techniques without a working Core I haven’t placed all my hopes on that. This place is the best place for me to be.’’

‘’I bow to your wisdom Lord Zero, as always I will be by your side smashing all as your slave-servant until I achieve Initial Element.’’

‘’Warrior-servant Napa, warrior servant. I do not need nor want slaves, I have been in servitude to my family long enough to detest the practice. This is a new world Napa and as soon as you reach your element you’ll be able to get out of that ridiculous kilt.’’

‘’I wear my warrior-kilt with pride lord, I mean Zero. I stand at the peak of body tempering and my kilt colour proclaims my achievements, all thanks you Lord Zero,’’ he falls to his knees kowtowing deeply before getting up to follow Zero who didn’t stop in his stride.

‘’You need to stop calling me ‘lord’ and bowing to me Napa, I bought you for my own ends and keep you under contract because I don’t trust you. Frankly, your gratitude and concern for me creep me out in the extreme, do your own thing, explore, go kill something. Just don’t go too far, we still have a possible 3rd Continent hungry Amarok loose out here somewhere.’’

‘’Yes, Lord Zero. But I will stay close, I don’t want to miss anything.’’

‘’Whatever.’’

‘’By the way Lord Zero where are we going?’’

Psssh, ‘’think I’d get anywhere near that thing for vague promises from just one shady group of creatures in the woods? We are going to visit the rulers of all these empty settlements and we’re going to get paid for dealing with this Amarok problem for them, and closing that gate.’’

‘’Didn’t the other group already offer to pay you, Lord Zero?’’

‘’It would be a waste not to get paid by everyone that benefits from my actions.’’

‘’Lord Zero is wise beyond compare,’’ he bows respectfully.

‘’Stop sucking up and go look for people, we need to be off these lands before my cousins reach this far out.’’

‘’Yes lord,’’ Napa is off at a run.

‘’Ah, he’s like a child. A 140kg peak body tempered child that can rip through the architecture here like it’s made of origami, but a child nonetheless. Planes beyond, the natives here are so fucked by whats coming.’’