Depthless Hunger

Chapter 84: Rebuilding Estates and Souls

The first step in Razz's plan turned out to be an unusual one: remodeling the ruined Lantrian estate. It had seemed like a complete waste of time at first, but Kai soon began to understand. Instead of hiding in a walled complex in Rayakan, the old Lantrian estate stood outside amid the farms. Still within a short distance of the city, but far enough away to send a message, especially when Razz had his clan officials give out gifts of food to all the villagers who helped with the construction.

Kai and Zae Zin Nim were both technically helping by serving as guards, but few duties were actually required of them. They spent all their time training, which also served as intimidation to potential opponents. A few workers had scoffed while watching them cultivate, saying they were just sitting around, but their experiments destroying boulders had silenced all critics.

Meanwhile, the workers were really a social defense: with everyone working together in clear view of the city, the Corinin clan couldn't strike against them. From what Razz told them, they had basically retreated to their own estates and parties. Those weren't just indulgences, though: they were making alliances and gathering forces for another confrontation. Everyone, even the villagers, seemed to know that the Lantrian clan was reborn and challenging the Corinins.

But none of it changed Kai's fundamental goal: training because his life depended on it.

As soon as a private courtyard had been cleared to train, they began to test the new ability Zae Zin Nim had uncovered while fighting the Gomodo. If it had been Kai, he would have begun experimenting immediately. She preferred to retreat inward and thoroughly examine the spiritual nature of the art before applying it practically.

When they did finally face one another to test, she certainly looked ready. "Please attack me." She slid her arms within her sleeves and stood flat-footed.

"Full power?" he asked, making a claw gesture.

"Not yet. Begin slowly."

The workers had left some practice swords and other equipment, so Kai grabbed one of them. A bit unwieldy, but it would do. He decided not to do anything fancy: he just swung it horizontally at her side. Just when he expected the wood to impact flesh, the practice sword froze in place. Not as if it had impacted something strong, as if there was nowhere to go. Blue flames outlined her arm around the point of impact.

"Hmm." Kai pulled back and struck overhead. This time he was more prepared and watched as the flames manifested from her body and intercepted his strike. There was a barely audible sound he struggled to describe, like a whoosh of flames crossed with a clear bell. "That's fast. You want me to try to hit before it can activate?"

"I'm not sure it matters." Zae Zin Nim closed her eyes and turned away from him. "Try again."

Just in case she was planning a trick, Kai shifted to the side and swung from an unexpected angle as quietly as possible. The practice sword stopped against the side of her head, just like before. She turned to look at him over it, mildly amused.

"Nice try. It isn't automatic, because it takes conscious effort, but after that I believe the aura is reactive. It activates when you connect and no sooner."

"That's pretty convenient," Kai said. "So basically it doesn't matter how much faster someone is than you, the aura will block it."

"Not exactly." Her lips twisted in disapproval, apparently at herself. "The amount of time it takes to prepare is longer than I'd like, so I'll be very vulnerable to being taken off guard before battle. At least it's instinctive, like all your skills. Let's try something else."

They spent a while testing the limits of her new ability. When he took swings at her while she was running, his blows rang off her body without slowing her momentum at all. He could stop her if he actively stood in her way, but even trying to tackle her from the side left him slipping off, his body numb from her chilling flames. It seemed that, for brief moments, she was nearly impervious.

That said, he immediately discovered a potential weakness in the technique's use. When he struck twice in quick succession, sometimes the second strike got through, particularly if it was unexpected. Zae Zin Nim muttered to herself in her own language and improved significantly, though she clearly thought that she needed more practice.

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Eventually it was time for the strength test. This time she didn't stand calmly, instead bracing her feet and crossing her arms in front of her chest. She looked like a bundle of twigs that would snap at the slightest force, but Kai prepared to use a full claw.

"You ready?" he asked. She only nodded.

He swung at her from several paces away and three lines of blue fire lit up across her body. They lingered for several seconds, the ringing flame louder than before. Once they faded, Zae Zin Nim was unharmed and unmoved, but she let out a long sigh.

"We'd better not try that again." She drew back and rubbed her hands over her forearms. "My mana seems to drain away so quickly..."

"Well, it's better than dying, isn't it?"

"Yes, but if I could move proactively, there would be more efficient uses for it. I must think on this."

Since she seemed so subdued, Kai tried to smile encouragingly. "This is a pretty great ability, though. I was sure that you'd develop something that didn't just reinforce your other abilities. How do you feel overall?"

"Perhaps the word is... complete." Zae Zin Nim wreathed her arms in fire and examined them for a time, then offered a very small smile. "I believe this is what I was missing. It may yet develop, but the fundamentals are in place."

"Then is it time to try the scroll? I've been afraid it would get torn up or soaked or something."

She nodded and retrieved the enhancement scroll from her robes. Unrolling it seemed a bit uncomfortable for her, like she expected the scroll to work differently, but once she held it before her she looked confident. Her lips mouthed over the strange non-words that formed the enhancement. As she spoke, the text lit up with blue fire, then when she reached the end the entire scroll burned away and flowed into her.

Zae Zin Nim sighed again, this time in satisfaction. "Good. This is a better cultivation base, or at least that's what I'd call it. Now it's time to get to work."

She wasn't kidding. Over the next several days, she threw herself into Class training in a way she never had before and Kai was glad to match her intensity.

Every morning he began with intensive physical training, trying to push the limits of his Physique even further. The fact that he hadn't broken through to E-0 frustrated him, but he tried to use that as fuel to train even harder. Then once Zae Zin Nim had finished her morning meditation, they spent several hours sparring in different styles.

After a lunch break, during which he felt the absence of enhancement potions, it was time for their most grueling experimentation. Both pushed themselves with their new abilities, trying to polish their fundamental techniques. Manifesting the biting skill he had used to eat the Gomodo proved difficult, so Kai spent most of his time on his claw. He could activate it reliably now and was working on using it in more flexible ways.

Once he was physically exhausted it was time for a long session of cultivation, which was his least favorite part of the day. But training wouldn't really be training if it was all fun, so he threw himself into it. His goal there was less the power that the Qi Condensation stage offered than not having to drink Class potions all the time. He was getting sick of the flavor.

Ideally he would have liked the final portion of the day to be more practical training or monster hunting, but they lacked good options, so he settled for more physical exercise. Even though he was training his body as hard as he ever had, the next breakthrough remained elusive.

By contrast, Zae Zin Nim had finally connected with her Class. She broke through her Novice stage after a week and then sprinted up its new form for another week before her progress slowed. After that she redirected more of her time to cultivation, hoping to finally break through. He had to admit that she'd been stuck far longer than he was, but he still felt a little jealous when he examined her soul.

Name: Zae Zin Nim

Total Power: 178

Cultivation: Body Refinement 92% (100)

Coldfire Corona: 8 (18)

Blackblood Physique Level: F-7 (44)

Soul Level: 4 (16)

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So many things had come together for her that he was starting to feel like she was leaving him behind. And yet he couldn't even be angry with her, because she was the first person he'd ever met who worked just as hard as he did, every available minute.

Honestly, their breaks to eat were one of his favorite parts of the day. She might not have shared about her past freely, but Zae Zin Nim opened up in a way she hadn't before. Despite her dour mood, he was certain that she enjoyed that time as well.

He just didn't know where any of it was going. Since the moment he had met her, she had been suffering under multiple conditions and unable to think about anything but breaking through. It was easy to imagine that once she reached the next stage of cultivation she would transform and leave him behind forever. Maybe she would leave behind a gift that settled the scales in her opinion and then never think about him again.

It was easier not to think about that. Even grinding his will against the walls that stood in his path, Kai was enjoying his training and wished that it could continue for years.

Instead he got a month, then the letter arrived and all hell broke loose.