Path of the Berserker

Master Hei Dong released a tired sigh as he watched Gui Zu embrace Yu Li at the entrance to the courtyard. In all his years never would he have imagined for such a thing to take place in his very home.

Yet here they were at sundown, Gui Zu a former outer disciple and Yu Li a simple, native Terran girl residing within his estate within the imperial city.

They meant next to nothing to him in his former life.

But now they were family.

Part of him could still barely get his mind around the concept.

His wife Rhi Dong however had no such hang ups and embraced the both of them as they arrived and then immediately relieved them of little Su Ling who went with her nainai to play in the gardens. The former fire bird member Ju Gong looked on with a smile from the gate as did several other refugees from the Native Terran District who were busying themselves tidying up the courtyard before dusk.

He released another sigh, and a voice came from behind him.

“You could at least pretend you are not perturbed by their presence.”

Fia stepped next to him on the veranda that overlooked the courtyard.

She let out a chuckle and wrapped her arms around him before kissing him on the temple. “Thank you again for this, baba.”

He released another sigh, more exaggerated this time and lighthearted. “You’re worse than your mother when it comes to getting things out of me, I swear.”

Fia giggled.

“Honestly though, Fia,” Hei Dong said. “How long will these people stay here? We cannot afford this long term.”

“Just until Jian Yi makes the appeal to the Princess,” Fia said. “I’m sure Her Majesty would not allow the law these silly Bird Sisters have put in place to stand.”

Hei Dong chortled mirthlessly. “I fear she may allow much more than that, daughter. Or at least the Warden will and the Princess will simply defer to the Warden’s decision. I knew the Lady Silver Tear was a cold woman, but her cruelty knows no bounds. I’m sure if your mother wasn’t crippled already, she would be targeting her as well myself and you.”

Fia stayed quiet at that and they both looked out at the sunset now fading in the distance.

“How bad are things, father?” Fia asked in a serious tone. “Truthfully.”

Hei Dong almost didn’t want to answer.

It wasn’t Fia’s place to worry about the financial concerns of the family.

But his normal confidant, his dear wife, seemed to be concerned only with their grandchild now. It was as if Rhi Dong had regressed in mind as well as spirit, preferring the role of nainai to that of the fierce warrior woman and protective wife she used to be.

In that sense, Fia was more so the lady of the house now.

And as Fia was beginning to now make decisions that affected the household, it was perhaps time she bore some of the burden as well. In knowledge at the very least.

“The finances won’t last more than two months more,” Hei Dong said, a lump forming in his throat. “The warden has blocked me in the marketplace. No one will buy my wears and the expenses keep mounting, especially now.”

“The Warden has blocked you from selling?” Fia asked, her eyes wide with concern. “How has she done this?”

“She has reduced me to a lower caste. We all have been. No one of social standing would dare do business with me now. Not even in the auction. No one will bid.”

Fia frowned. “Father. Let us help. The Terran sect has resources. Jian Yi is leader now while Max is away. I’m sure she would aid us if we only—”

“No,” Hei Dong said, his skin bristling. “I cannot accept such charity.”

“At least accept it for housing Gui Zu and the others.”

That thought was tempting, but the idea that he had to stoop so low made his stomach ill.

“I must find another means of income,” he said.

“What do you mean? You are the best artisan crafter in the province and an even better Warden. We need only survive until Max’s return. He will set all this right. I know he will.”

Hei Dong snorted. “In three years’ time? We won’t survive that long.”

And not to mention he is the cause of all of this, he wanted to add, but he spared Fia the words. She knew the same well enough and it wouldn’t help to drive home the fact.

She could not change the reality of the situation any more than he could.

“What if you found other buyers to sell to?” Fia asked.

“Like whom?”

“Perhaps in another province?”

“The expense of travel only would make that unfeasible. And my shame will follow me regardless.”

Fia went quiet again, but her eyes shifted back and forth in thought.

Then suddenly they lit up. “You can sell them to the Furious Lightning Sect.”

“Who?”

“Max’s Martial Sect, the remnants of the Fire Birds. Kel Zhi is in control of them now and it would be legal to sell weapons to her as a martial sect. She will buy at market rates and then—”

“It’s still a form of charity. I won’t accept it.”

Fia fumed at him with lowered brows. “Will you allow me to finish?”

He sighed again. “Fine…go on.”

“It won’t be a form of charity. Kel Zhi will resell your wares on the auction. It’s a way around the Warden blocking you. Not charity.”

Her idea held some merit, but…

“Surely they will know they are mine.”

“Yes,” Fia said. “Exactly. Which is why they will sell quickly if they are not being sold by you. Everyone still knows you make the best quality weapons and artifacts. To buy them secondhand would be a boon to anyone.”

Hei Dong pondered it for a moment.

This truly was his daughter, skilled in cunning as well as martial arts.

Still, the idea was not without risk of failure.

“There is a chance this still will not work,” he said.

Fia shrugged. “But a chance worth taking, no?”

Hei Dong pondered it a moment more. If he could move two pieces a month it would be enough to sustain the household. Something he could scarcely do now. But if Fia’s plan could work…

“Alright. How would we go about this?” he asked.

Fia looked to the horizon. “Kel Zhi will likely be at the handler station now with Lee. If I go quickly, I can catch her before she heads back to the Native Housing District.”

“With who?”

“Not important. I will go to see her now to make the arrangements. Just make the weapons available and leave the rest to me.”

With that Fia left, leaping into the sky with qinggong.

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Hei Dong watched her vault over the wall of the courtyard with a mixture of pride and humility. The latter for himself and the former for his daughter.

So far have I fallen, he thought.

But at least he had a daughter he could rely upon to make things right.

And hopefully a future son-in-law who would do the same.

But as for now.

His future would lie the in hands of one known as Kel Zhi.

* * *

Kelsey cultivated the diffuse Frenzy in her body and stored it within her Dantian. It was what she had come to practice nightly when the Bloodmoon rose. Part of her wished she could go beyond the barrier and expose herself to the Dark Frenzy directly like she had done with Max in the past to cultivate her spiritual aspect the same way he had, but such was impossible now.

For one, she would be polluting her Flame and would not have the convenience of Venja to cleanse herself and two, without a second Flame to guide her in the darkness, she could easily fall prey to I’xol’ukz and the madness it would inspire within her.

Now, she had to settle for the subtle ire the moon stirred within her own soul to produce a faint stream of Frenzy to cultivate from. Still, she was pleased with how much progress she and Max had made in honing her spiritual techniques once she had reached the Core Realm six months ago.

In the time before he had left, she and Max had trained to achieve the [Soul Shield] technique and now she could even manifest [Spectral Weapon] and [Spectral Armor] while within the spiritual realm of her own mind.

There, she had finally gotten to meet Venja in the flesh, so to speak.

Her first glimpse of her was awe inspiring.

A splitting image of the legendary Big Sis.

Or so Max described.

That alone was reward enough for the agony of facing the full effects of the Bloodmoon each night and fighting the hordes of demons and madness that came with it. For over five months she and Max had gotten into a routine of helping each other train through Bloodmoon exposure, facing the eyeball ridden tentacles of the dark god of Frenzy each night.

She was nowhere near mastery level like Max, but she could withstand the Bloodmoon for over a minute now using [Soul Shield]. She craved honing her skills further but for the last month or so since Max’s departure, Kelsey had to settle for this meager form of cultivation instead. Relying on the ire the Bloodmoon inspired within her own soul as it triggered the spiritual root of her Dao. The moon’s oppression and the demons it inflicted upon their world filled her heart with contempt as she stared up at it. Anger for all the people dear to her that it had slain through its minions.

Even those by her own hand.

It mocked her.

Radiating its loathsome taint to cover the world in dread and fear.

The moon seemed even brighter than normal and Kelsey swore she could almost sense the tendrils of Dark Frenzy spewing from it. Or perhaps it was only in her imagination or residual trauma from subjecting herself to the dark influence of the moon for weeks on end.

But now she couldn’t even travel back to the bunker to check on her mother because of this stupid law that was passed. She still didn’t understand the dynamics fully, but she had to stay vigil over the Terran sect now that Gui Zu and Zu Tien couldn’t stand guard. That brought on a new sense of contempt within her soul in the form of Max’s Dao, the oppression of the empire itself.

The two forms of hatred—that of the moon and that of empire combined in her heart to stir her Flame with even more fervor. A fountain of Frenzy spewed forth and she cultivated it quickly to stretch the growing capacity of her Dantian.

“Hey, you okay there, babe?”

The gentle and lighthearted tone broke her out of her thoughts and Kelsey looked across the handler station to see Lee smiling at her. Just the sight of him diffused her ire and she wondered for a moment whether his presence was a good thing or not for her cultivation.

She smiled back at him, blushing. “Nothing. Just lost in my own head.”

“You looked damn pissed off at that moon. What it do to you?”

Lee grinned as he tossed a backpack he’d been fiddling with into a pile and then joined her at the back of the handler station, draping his arm over her shoulder. She nuzzled into him and enjoyed a warmth of different kind now filling her soul.

“You don’t want to know,” she said truthfully.

Lee merely laughed and kissed her sweetly on the cheek.

She hadn’t told Lee about her cultivation method fully, only that she was learning from Max and easy going as he was, that was enough for Lee to accept all kinds of things from her. She’d gotten a handler pass and Lee would cover for her while she hunted monsters and spirit beasts in the wild, but she hadn’t been able to do that since the change in law.

Now the only fighting she did came in the form of the odd cultivator who was stupid enough to come poking around in Max’s absence. The rest of the time was just spent waiting at the gate and looking out for trouble. Which meant she couldn’t spend as much time with Lee.

Which meant meeting with him after work like this was important.

“Hard day?” she asked.

“Eh, not too bad,” Lee said. “Everyone got in safe and sound. That’s the main thing.”

She nodded.

Most of the handlers had already cleared out for the day, leaving only Lee to pack up along with the Imperial Guards who were busy tallying taxes. Kelsey was just about to suggest they grab a bite to eat in the square when a voice called out to them from behind.

“Lee! Kel Zhi!”

They both turned to see Fia touching down on the ground behind them.

She was bathed in sweat and out of breath, like she’d just run a marathon.

“Lady Fia?” Lee said with surprise. “Heck you doing out here so late?”

“And did you actually qinggong here?” Kelsey asked. “What happened to the flying car?”

“The flying what?”

“Skiff,” Kelsey correcting herself.

“Oh, well… we had to sell it. Expenses. Which is what brings me here actually,” Fia said.

Kelsey and Lee both looked to one another confused.

“We need to talk,” Fia said. “I have a big favor to ask.”

* * *

Kelsey had to ask Fia to slow down several times as she explained what she needed.

While her knowledge of Yee had grown near exponentially over the last few months, even to the point of being able to read the scrips from Venja’s blade herself, Kelsey still could not make sense of Fia’s somewhat formal tones at times which went completely over her head.

“Okay, let me see if I understand,” Kelsey said. “I approve the bank payments to your dad, from the Furious Lightning Sect and then wait a couple of weeks and resell the weapons at the auction?”

“Yes,” she said. “But perhaps waiting a month would be better. And don’t sell everything at once.”

“You know I could help a bit,” Lee said. “I could put ‘em out on display and mention that it’s Kel Zhi’s private collection or something. Generate some interest.”

Fia’s eye lit up brightly. “That’s a great idea, Lee! Thank you.”

“Things really this bad, Fia?” Kesley asked.

She didn’t respond right away but the fall of her countenance said it all. Kelsey was about to tell her never mind when loud cry suddenly split the air.

“Alarm! Sound the alarm!”

They all paused and looked to see the Imperial Guard screaming towards them through cupped hands. Both Kelsey and Fia froze, but Lee responded immediately and ran to the corner of the handler station and began pulling on a rope. A bell tolled and after a few more swings from Lee another bell echoed it in the distance and the process quickly repeated itself.

Fear rose up inside Kelsey’s stomach, but her Flame quickly flash converted it into Frenzy.

She ran to Lee and measured her words with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “What’s going on?”

“Hell if I know,” Lee said. “But when one of those guys shout for the alarm you follow through and ask questions later.”

“Is it a surge?” Fia asked.

“Maybe, ain’t seen one of those for months,” Lee said.

Kelsey didn’t know what a surge was, but her instinct told her it could be only one thing. “The demons?”

Lee merely nodded and Kelsey was already sprinting towards where the guard had run from.

“Kel Zhi!” Lee and Fia shouted in unison, but her Flame was way ahead of them. Anxiety and anticipation filled her heart as the guards tried to stop her as well.

“Hey! Don’t go there! It’s dangerous!”

But as she ran past the entrance to the handler station and into open space beyond the boundary wall, she saw for herself what everyone was afraid of. There not fifty feet away was a scene she was more than accustomed to. A wall of demons thousands strong were clawing and clamoring against the invisible wall of the barrier, their shrieks and screams filling the night with terror.

Just the sight of them caused her Flame to erupt with Frenzy.

Every instinct was yelling for her to plow straight into them with abandon, but the Struggler kept her firmly in place. This was a common occurrence out in the wild, especially when the gate was still open, but to see this here?

Kelsey looked about for answers.

Thankfully Lee and Fia had followed her.

“This happens a lot?”

Kelsey could sense the fear in their hearts as the gawked at her like she was a mad woman.

“Kel Zhi, you need to get away from there!” Lee shouted. “One of those things could break through!”

Could they? The thought caused her to stare more intently at the red-skinned humanoids clawing to get at her. It was almost as if they were fixated on her in particular. She looked up at the moon and it did indeed look brighter, more intense.

And there was no question about it now.

She could faintly taste the Dark Frenzy in the air.

Was the barrier here weaker than what Venja produced perhaps?

“Kel Zhi come back!” Fia shouted.

The guards and enforcers shouted for her to do the same, but the fear in their souls prevented them from taking a further step.

“High tier cultivators are on their way,” Lee said. “They’ll take care of whatever breaks through.”

Kelsey grinned at him with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “What am I, dog shit? I live for this stuff. If anything breaks through, I’ll be killing it first.”

Her words caused a mixture of fear and lemonade to fill his soul.

“You scare the hell out of me, babe, but damn you’re hot when you do it.”

That actually caused her to blush and she let out a laugh to play it off. “Alright, I’ll step back.”

As she turned to walk back towards the handler shed, something faintly caught her ear.

Not words exactly.

A sentiment.

A thought.

Hatred and envy.

Kelsey turned about and far in the darkness, hundreds of feet away she could just make out the silhouette of something huge standing in the sea of demons before her. Something the size of a building. Multiple sets of red eyes shone in the darkness and for a moment she wondered if it was another awakened corpse demon like what she’d fought in the basement of the bunker. But this thing seemed more powerful than that.

Whatever it was.

Even from where she stood, she could sense the Dark Frenzy boiling off of it.

The challenge rose inside of her, generating Frenzy like a volcano. Kelsey flooded her Dantian and then pointed towards the creature with [Fear the Flame].

“Yeah, I see you,” she said in English. “I’Xol’Ukz better hope he picked the right one with you. Because now that I know you exist. I’m coming for your ass.”

She couldn’t see it exactly, but she could sense the thing respond with a leer.

More hatred.

Laughter.

“Kel Zhi?” Lee said, looking more fearful than ever now. “What did you just say? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Kelsey said in Yee again, but suddenly a new thought occurred.

If this was happening here, then what about back home?

“Let’s go,” Kelsey said. “Nothing is breaking through here tonight.”

“What?” Lee said. “How do you know?”

“Couse it would have done so already.”

Lee looked back at her dumbfounded and so did Fia.

Kelsey looked to her next.

“I’ll do the thing for your dad,” she said. “But after that I need to head back to the wild.”

“What?”

“You’ll have to protect the sect somehow, Fia. After tomorrow, I need to get back home.”

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