Path of the Berserker

Fia bounced anxiously on her toes as she looked up at the night sky. She was back where Max had left her, on the topmost point of the Imperial city, the sky port that would soon welcome her Max home.

She could already see the traces of the imperial transport in the night sky and the skiff that would soon descend from it. Coming here to await the fortnightly transport arrival was something she had come to do on a regular basis. Each night would be one filled with both hope and disappointment when Max did not arrive.

Tonight however she had more than hope.

She had faith.

And friends.

Kel Zhi and Yu Li joined her on the platform, braving the strong winds that blew their robes wildly as if in a typhoon. Ever since Kel Zhi had told her of discovering Max and that he was close, she had been filled with excitement and anticipation.

Fia had pegged this night, the last transport arrival before her trial as when Max had to be coming home. With his return, he could challenge the Warden and put a swift end to all her nonsense and that of her nieces. There would be no trial for her then and more than that, they could even be wed before the baby was born.

Just the thought of it all happening made her lightheaded with joy.

Yet still, her nerves were on end. “Do you sense him yet, Kel Zhi?”

Kel Zhi chuckled. “I told you, it doesn’t work like that, Fia. It’s a Bloodmoon thing. I can’t sense it while under the dome.”

“Even under a full moon?” Yu Li asked.

“It’s not quite full yet,” Kel Zhi said. “Will be in a couple of days though.”

Yu Li furrowed her brow as she looked up at the starry sky. “Looks full to me.”

“Trust me, it’s not.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m kind of an expert on the thing, Yu Li.”

“It won’t matter anyway,” Fia said, cutting short the silly argument between the two of them. “Not if Max is on this skiff.”

She pointed for them to see and indeed there was a light glowing brighter and stronger in the distance. Her heart sped with eager anticipation and excitement. Just seeing him again would be an elation worthy of fainting, to hold him, a dream.

Yu Li chuckled. “Well, it would be just like Max to wait until the very last moment to show up and save the day.”

They all laughed at that.

As the skiff touched down, Fia rushed forward along with Kel Zhi and Yu Li.

The gang plank lowered, and the passengers within began to disembark. There were several imperial officials in beige and white robes, some cultivators from the core worlds, no doubt on excursion to explore the wilds in search of monster cores. But as the moments drew on and the stream of passengers drew to a close, her spirits sank.

No Max.

Fia’s heart fell through the floor as her soul melted. She ran towards the skiff to check the interior, but the pilot stopped her.

“Please is there anyone else inside?” she said. “Someone called Max.”

“That’s all the passengers for Jurin province,” the man said. “There’s no one else on board.”

Fia poked her head inside nonetheless and the pilot obliged her.

“See?” he said. “Now move back please, miss. We need to depart.”

She did so solemnly as her world once again came undone.

“I don’t understand,” she said. “I was sure he’d be here. He promised.”

Yu Li rested a set of hands on her shoulders. “Fear not Fia… all will be fine.”

Fia looked to Kel Zhi who seemed as confused as she was. “You did sense him, didn’t you, Kel Zhi?”

“I…” She paused a moment. “Yes, I’m sure of it. And he was close. Closer than ever.”

“What does this mean?” Fia asked.

“It means Max will be late is all,” Yu Li said no nonsense. “The original plan still stands. You’ve trained for your trial with the Bird Sisters, Fia. You can still defeat them on your own. And you still have two days to prepare.”

But those thoughts were the furthest from her mind at the moment.

Her stomach was sick and not just from the baby within in.

Max…where are you?

“You are certain, Kel Zhi?” she asked again. “You sensed him, right? Could you have been mistaken?”

It was the only thing that made sense.

Kel Zhi frowned. “I can only tell you what I experienced. It’s not an exact science, I admit. He felt close. Really close. But… maybe close was not as close as I thought. I’m sorry Fia. To have given you this false hope.”

“Speak no ill of it,” Yu Li said. “There is no fault here other than my brother’s normal tardiness. He wouldn’t be Max if he wasn’t late, after all. Am I right?”

She smiled and her levity brought about a quick laugh from all of them.

Fia was thankful to have such wonderful sisters-in-law.

She hugged them both. “Thank you, Yu Li and Kel Zhi.”

“Now enough moping,” Yu Li said. “The trial is in two night’s time. That gives you all of tomorrow to practice plus the morning after. A good night’s sleep is what is called for now.”

Fia chuckled. “Yes mother.”

Subtly she felt the baby stir within her.

A mother is what she would be soon.

Please return home before that, Max, she whispered the prayer inwardly. I will fight for all three of us until then.

* * *

“Come on, move you lying ass bastard… before I change my mind about restoring my name and just leave you to starve down here.”

I said the words with a combination of [Fear the Flame] and [Struggler’s Resolve] and Jei Su Long responded with a scowl on his face but with a river of fear running through his soul. I’d mostly ignored him for the last two weeks, leaving him in the charge of Song De.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“I’d likely have better chances than what you are planning to do, Iron Bull,” he said with disdain. “Everything you touch turns to shit.”

I shook my head at him.

What an incredible asshole.

But it made the next part much easier.

“Gag him and bag him,” I said, and Blue Rose gladly obliged, pinning Jei Su Long to the ground with her knee while she hogtied him. She shoved a dirty cloth in his mouth next and then threw one of their empty backpacks over his head.

“That should hopefully keep him from going insane,” she said, once she had finished. She then looked to Song De. “You ready?”

The man nodded and Blue Rose placed Jei Su Long, wiggling and screaming, onto his back. She then placed an empty backpack over his head as well. It was literally the blind leading the blind, but in this case it was necessary.

Song De hadn’t progressed nearly as much as the rest of them when it came to his spiritual fortitude. That put his risk of going mad from just the sight of the Star Born demons that much greater.

Blue Rose tied a rope between him and Wing Pho, who himself wore a blindfold, but one he could easily slip on and off himself depending on how crazy things got. Wing Pho would act as their combined handler, leading Song De while at the same time acting as a back up for me when it came to the barrier. Granted his would probably only be useful when night finally fell.

But now, with dawn approaching, the moment of truth was nearly at hand.

“It’s nearly time,” I said. “Last-minute preparations before we set off for the tunnel.”

Each of us checked over our gear.

For me, it was perhaps more sentimental than it was to the others. This cave had become my home for over a month. A refuge on a Hell World. It was something yet unheard of. Yet to me, it was something I had forged into reality.

Or something the Frenzied Flame had.

Perhaps we were closer to becoming one in the same now.

I was still nearly naked, but that didn’t bother me any.

It showed off my new scars and tapped fully into the bad-assery of my Dao.

Armor was for pussies.

It did come in handy for hanging my weapons and all, but thankfully I wouldn’t be needing even that utility anymore. Diving into my mind’s eye, I summoned my inner world and found myself once again on Fia and I’s lakeside beach.

The Sacred Soul cultivation manual was nestled atop a rock.

It was the first artifact I had successfully managed to store inside my Inner World. Next to it was the second, the slim metal tube of my art supplies gifted to me by Chief Yora. I took a moment to examine the artwork within.

In the last month I had cataloged over twenty new species of demons, Star Born and Bloodmoon alike, including a depiction of the spider woman Deep Dweller G’hru’julah. I had managed to fathom the whispers of some of the other demons’ true names as well.

The scorpion demons I had come to enjoy were known as Rh’ulgrk. I affectionately named them ‘Land Lobsters’ as the common name. I had tried to store some of the legs within my inner world as well as an emergency food supply, but it didn’t seem to work with biological material, dead or alive. Or perhaps it was something I couldn’t quite master as yet.

What I was proud of mastering, however, was shoved, pointy end first, in the sand beside the rock.

My two weapons.

My Axe and Phalanx Glaive.

Before I took hold of them to manifest them in the real world, I flipped through the cultivation manual one last time. I turned to the page with the various ranks of the Sacred Soul Realm to see just where I was now in terms of my progression.

Sacred Soul Realm	1st	Sacred Soul Formation
	2nd	Sacred Soul Refinement
	3rd	Sacred Soul Inhabitation
	4th	Sacred Soul Evocation
	5th	Sacred Soul Projection
	6th	Inner World Creation
	7th	Inner World Refinement
	8th	Inner World Projection
	9th	Sacred Soul Manifestation

I had clearly mastered Sacred Soul Evocation and Projection now. My ability to defeat G’hru’julah while in my [Sacred Soul Projection] form was evidence of that. And my ability to inhabit my Inner World with real life artifacts was proof of my progression within the 7th Tier of Inner World Refinement.

I guessed that was where I was now.

A 7th Tier Sacred Soul Realm Cultivator.

I probably still had a way to go in terms of Inner World Refinement and then even more to be able to project my Inner World as an 8th Tier Sacred Soul Realm Cultivator, but I had been progressing steadily. Not to mention all the Spiritual training and Frenzy I had been cultivating through my daily exposure to the Cursed Star.

My Dantian had probably grown ten times in capacity since being down in the hole and the strength of my techniques had grown with it. I felt more confident than ever that I could make the voyage across Fhae I’ung.

Cursed Star Born demons and all.

“Max, are you coming or what?”

Through the window of my true vision, I saw Blue Rose staring at me with her hands on her hips. I smiled at her as I grabbed my Axe and Glaive out of the sand and then, pulling back to my true self, manifested them in a burst of lightning and sparks.

I enjoyed a quick dose of lemonade from her as I showed off my new ability.

True to self, though, Blue Rose let none of it show outwardly and merely shook her head. “Neat trick. Now can you get us across this planet and back home please?”

“My pleasure.”

After a final check, I secured my three canteens full of Blue Lemonade and took to the tunnel with [Lightning Walk]. My team followed close behind me, with Blue Rose at my side, followed by the Three-Blind-Mice trio of Wing Pho, Song De and Jei Su Long and the rear being pulled up by Wu Liang.

With the rays of pre-dawn in the air, I could already feel the effects of the Cursed Star taking hold as I neared the exit of the tunnel and looked out onto the Hellscape that was daytime Fhae I’ung.

I was used to it by now, but the moment of truth was here for my companions.

I engaged my [Sacred Soul Shield] and beckoned them forward.

The howling screeches of the demonic horde was a cacophony of violence. Teeth, bone, flesh and claws all intermingled in an alien mosaic of disturbing images. I beheld it as always, but then waited to see how Blue Rose and Wu Liang would react.

They stiffened, but didn’t flee or scream.

Wing Pho shuddered and slowly pulled down his blindfold. “I will hang on to the back of your robes, Blue Rose, if you don’t mind.”

She nodded back at him. “Whatever you need to do to get through.”

“Getting ‘through’ seems like it’s going to be the key here,” Wu Liang said sardonically while flexing his jaw. “Lead the way, Iron Bull.”

I cycled my Frenzy. “Stay close. I’ll clear a path.”

I charged into the fray with weapons drawn, sending [Frenzied Lightning] and black blood flying as I carved my way through the demonic horde. The monsters reacted to my [Sacred Soul Shield] like it was kryptonite, shrieking in pain and vehemence.

Their demonic thoughts pervaded my own.

~The Cursed Flame!~

~Repent! Repent!~

~Repent oh Cursed Flame!~

“Tell Grandpa he can piss off with that repent shit!” I shouted back at them with [Torment of the Frenzied Flame]. “We bow to no one!”

My technique sent a torrent of shrieks throughout the horde, some of them even clawing themselves to death, choosing oblivion over my words of extreme blasphemy. I caught Blue Rose staring back at me perplexed by my words as well, but she didn’t say anything.

Perhaps she knew well enough now not to question my insane methods.

I hacked and cleaved and threw lightning, pushing ever forward and taking to the air where I could. It was much harder than when we had to cross the surface at night. There we had gaps every now and then to fly, but under the Cursed Sun the horde was relentless.

A literal sea of demons unlike anything I had faced before.

But I dare not stop.

There was no turning back now and momentum was our only strength.

“Keep pushing!” I shouted to my companions with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “Stop and we die!”

I sensed their fear turn to determination as I tapped into the core of my Twin Dao.

I was doing my master’s work and my own.

Defiantly desecrating the legions of the Hell Worlds to get back home and right the wrongs of the Crooked Empire.

The thought made me smile.

28 hours of hard running across a demon infested Hell World under the broiling radiance of a Cursed Star…the [Odds were Against Me] indeed.

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We would Struggle.

But we would survive.

* * *

“Exalted one…carest thou not that the errant Husk doth traverse mine very entrails to carry out its misdeeds? What violations yet, must I suffer still while it transgresses unabashed?”

It sensed the Shame and Indignation within the Chainmaiden.

But It would not react so basely in kind.

Such was far below It.

~I instructed thee to endure yet its transgressions. Even now it doth seek to mock even the One True Flame to its face. What station have ye, compared to that of our almighty sire, to be offended so?~

The Chainmaiden shuddered with terror and bowed her head immediately. “Forgiveness, oh exalted one. This one shall remember its lowly place.”

It knew naught of forgiveness, but It would stay the Chainmaiden’s chastisement a moment more. It had need of her services yet.

~Have thee patience still. The Apex of thy strength grows nigh upon the chosen firmament. Through it, shalt mine Will be made known. Through it, shalt destruction come upon the domain of the foul Husk. And through it, shalt mine retribution finally be served in whole~

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