Depthless Hunger

Even though she was supposed to be keeping watch, Zae Zin Nim couldn't help thinking about Kai. Was he getting into trouble? Had sending him to the Bloodcoral sect been the right choice? It seemed like a good place for him, but his luck was so awful, and he cared so much about random people, she was afraid he would somehow become embroiled in a problem.

There was no word, of course, so she and Omilaena had made their own landfall on Cloudspire and worked their way inward. Currently she sat atop a building in Blueblade City, governed by the sect of the same name. She'd chosen them as a neutral destination because their sect had a powerful Sky Soul, making them a rival to her father. They were also large enough that they welcomed merchants, dominating trade on the southwestern part of the continent with their alchemical skills.

Unfortunately, even though they had exchanged their Rosemount gold for solid Cloudspire taels, they had not been able to purchase anything that could allow her to break through the 999 Power barrier. There were rumors of such, but they were either limited to inner sects or restricted to auctions that wouldn't take place for many months. Omilaena was searching further while Zae Zin Nim cultivated.

At least she had been able to get pure Cloudspire qi again, so cultivation was a relief. She could even ignore the fact that Sky Soul was so far away as to be unattainable in the near future, or at least she could forget it most of the time. The important thing was that she was making progress again. The long plateaus of cultivation had their advantages up against a barrier like this.

"What has you moping?" Omilaena swung up onto the roof beside her and slid closer. "I thought you were glad to be back in the land of cultivators."

"I'm just... worried about Kai." It felt strange to say, but who could Zae Zin Nim tell if not her wife? "He isn't used to a place like this. Lots of sects don't treat peasants well and I'm afraid he'll get involved in something."

"From the looks of things, the peasants here know their place. Would they even listen to him if he tried to start a revolution?"

"No, but he might not know that."

"Give him a bit more credit, Zin Nim." Omilaena slid against her side and wrapped an arm around her waist. "And even if you don't trust his judgment, trust his strength. How many cultivators below Sky Soul do you think have a chance against him?"

Even though the comparison was rather obvious, the reminder did Zae Zin Nim some good and she nodded reluctantly. "That's true, but there are more of those than you think because they live so long. And they aren't all equal to my father, who has continued with heavenly cultivation, but they don't need to be. Anyone who has achieved Sky Soul is a threat to us."

"But just a threat, not overwhelming. Don't sell yourself short."

As Omilaena gave her another squeeze, Zae Zin Nim found herself nodding again. Her desperate journey to Deadwaste had proved far more beneficial than she had ever imagined: she had left with around 150 Power, broken and sick, and now she returned with nearly 1000. Her cultivation couldn't compare to a Sky Soul, true, but the Coldfire Corona and Pure Yin Shroud were worthy sources of power.

And beyond that... she had Kai and Omilaena.

"I've noticed the difference," Zae Zin Nim said quietly. "I could actually get information from the Blueblade sect now. Before, they would have ignored me unless they knew who I was, which would mean getting captured for ransom or worse. Now I'm actually treated seriously."

"Have you gotten the kind of lead you want, though?" Omilaena was still against her side but had shifted cooler, spinning a needle across her fingers as she often did while thinking.

"Admittedly, no. There are no important auctions soon enough, and I think it would be a mistake to try to join the Blueblade sect."

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"You don't think they could be used against your father?"

"They would never engage in such a war." Zae Zin Nim shook her head rapidly. "They're a powerful sect, but they don't have a Sky Soul equal to my father. And you have to remember it's a long way to the Eastern Plains; they wouldn't go that far for no reason. Just traveling so far would be an act of war with all the sects in between."

"Pity, but I expected that." Omilaena smirked and jostled her hip. "That's why I was going to suggest we forget this and go join the Pureflower sect."

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Zae Zin Nim jerked upright in surprise as the idea hit her. "That's what you've been scouting? I see the logic, but..."

"Why not? You've bought all the qi you need, and I've bought all the poisons and metals I can find in a city like this. Since we're separated from Kai, we should take advantage and join an all-female sect. They definitely wouldn't have an alliance with your father, right? Those would be the most powerful groups not likely to have spies, plus you don't have to worry about the usual things."

"Perhaps." Zae Zin Nim bit her lower lip as she considered. "I mislike their reputation. The Pureflower sect is powerful, but they are very traditional. I would be more confident joining the Frozen Lily sect, or even the Divine Amazon tribe."

"Are either of those anywhere close to us?"

"Well... no. Both are very far, I only know of them because of their reputations across the continent. But perhaps in the future, after we meet up with Kai, we could go to the Northern Expanse and join the Frozen Lily sect. They wouldn't let Kai in, but he could stay close by without trouble."

"Maybe in the future, but let's do this one step at a time." Omilaena abruptly stopped spinning her needle, holding it in stabbing position. "From my research, the 'feminine arts' the Pureflower sect specializes in include poison. And they definitely have access to pills that will break your barrier, so we just need to be hot enough to earn them, right?"

"It's more complicated than that!" Zae Zin Nim insisted. Yet she realized that she was already coming around to Omilaena's argument. They would have more details to discuss, but by the end of the day she had no doubt that they would be leaving the city to approach the Pureflower sect.

A long time ago, she had dreamed of joining an all-female sect to escape, even though it was a foolish dream. They wouldn't shelter her from her father unless she was powerful enough to be useful to them, which she hadn't been. Now she was returning to that dream... but only to gain what she needed to fight her own battles.

.

..

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"As you noticed, I'm a foreigner," Kai said as he spun the spear around his hands experimentally. "I've never trained with your weapons."

"There's nothing to it," the leader said. "You just channel your qi through the coral, then... strike the metal!" He lashed out with good form, the hook at the end of his spear striking the metal plate.

Immediately the coral chunk soared upward, arcing almost to head-height for the cultivators, chest height for him. This was better than the average Kai had seen when watching, and judging from the whispers of approval, must have been a good strike. When it landed with a clang, the leader took a one-handed bow that was definitely not deferential.

"How do you think you can do, foreigner? How well can you actually use that strength?"

"I suppose we'll see." Kai hoped he was being sufficiently humble as he stepped beside the plate, his fingers running over the coral spear.

It felt like some kind of magical object, not exactly powerful but with some trick to it. Definitely designed for qi to the exclusion of mana or chakra, so it might not be easy to use. Even though he didn't use it directly very often, Kai had received qi training from Zae Zin Nim, so he should be able to figure things out.

While he'd been watching, he'd observed the technique the Bloodcoral cultivators used: they took a broad stance with the spear overhead, then drove it down into the plate just beside the coral. He could copy the stance effortlessly, the question was how much qi he could push through the dense coral. Well, nothing to do but try.

Kai thrust out and his spear struck home... yet the metal plate vibrated in a way he hadn't expected, blunting the qi instead of transferring it. The coral chunk only hopped a foot into the air before falling back down to scattered laughter. He felt a surge of irritation and considered wiping the floor with the group, but remembered how desperate Zae Zin Nim was to avoid attention and swallowed the frustration.

"It looks like you've studied the spear," the leader said, not smirking like any of the others, "but clearly your qi could use some work."

"I haven't mastered the techniques of the mighty Bloodcoral sect." Kai wasn't sure if that was too deferential or not deferential enough, but he barely cared because he was more interested in figuring out the technique. He couldn't exactly copy the spear technique, so perhaps...

"Clearly. If you need guidance, you should speak t-"

"Let me try something else." Kai flipped the spear in his hand so the blunt end pointed toward the metal plate. If the metal plate vibrated in response to qi, then he didn't need to copy their technique exactly, he just needed to make sure that the strength of his qi was transferred to the rock to send it upward.

"I wouldn't advise that. Without the proper technique, the qi will never reach th-"

Kai slammed the spear down like it was a staff and sent his qi flooding through the coral. Instantly the chunk shot skyward, clearing the wall in an instant and becoming a speck that hung in the air. All the assembled cultivators stared at it for a shocked second, then began retreating and covering their heads.

The chunk smashed into the ground beside the metal plate, completely shattering one of the courtyard tiles and sending fragments scattering. They bounced harmlessly off Kai's legs, but some of the cultivators retreated in panic.

"Clearly I need to learn better control," Kai said mildly. He considered bowing again until he saw the look in the eyes of the young leader... no, bowing would just look like mockery.

"Clearly barbarian strength has some advantages." The leader gave him a stern nod, perhaps with grudging respect, but his eyebrows were knitted like he wanted to glower. "Cor Li Xan was right to invite you to the Bloodcoral sect. Just take care that you use your strength in the right way."

"I will." Kai decided to bow this time, handed the spear back, and left the courtyard. He had no time to deal with petty little rivalries, not when he had so many more important goals...