Path of the Berserker

I ENTERED THE utter darkness of that space within spaces and my view to the outside world began shrinking to but a pinpoint within my mind’s eye. I could just barely make out the details within it as it shrunk. Kelsey was still yelling at me in slow motion and the black tar that was I’xol’ukz was still slowly taking solid form. I had bought more time by entering the spirit realm, but I had to make the most of it.

Moving swiftly, I sought out the Struggler within my Second Soul.

He stood back-to-back with the Demon. The twelve-foot-tall, red-skinned monster grinned at me with enticement, but I steered clear of him to enter the blue-hued Struggler that now mirrored my physical image perfectly within my soul.

I breathed with new life as I entered my [Spectral Body] and then spent a few more seconds cycling my Frenzy to summon my [Spectral Weapons] and [Spectral Armor]. My Axe and Glaive formed within my hands and across my body, the lowkey sparks of a permanent [Iron Lightning] took form.

I was ready.

I stalked through the darkness sensing for the gate.

The presence of Dark Frenzy was already thick in the spiritual air, but I sensed something else here as well.

Frenzy…tons of it.

A blue glow in the darkness drew me to it and when I got close enough, I saw it was a roaring second Flame.

I smiled like a proud big brother. She perhaps didn’t even realize she had ascended, but there in the roaring depths of her Flame was a small yellow crystal the size of a grain of rice. The fledgling beginnings of her solid core.

I took a few moments to cultivate the abundance of Frenzy she was producing, thankful again for her presence and support. My Dantian was perhaps at just a quarter full now after slogging through the demons. The [Bloodlust] of killing so many weak creatures could only do so much to maintain and replenish the Frenzy within me, but Kelsey’s spiritual root was like a pipeline to the [Frenzied Flame] itself, producing far too much for her to cultivate alone.

I took advantage of the excess, quickly replenishing myself to full in just a few seconds. I was amazed at the speed at which things could happen in the spiritual realm. To do that would have taken at least a few hours in the real world, just like when Kelsey and I had taken that two-hour breather before entering the bunker.

But now I was ready to face my enemy head on.

The thought of being this powerful and unrestrained bolstered my confidence and I set off to find the gate and I’xol’ukz. Using Kelsey’s Flame as a marker, I pressed on into the darkness.

It didn’t take me long to sense it.

The Dark Frenzy grew stronger as I plowed on and a glowing purple hue appeared in the distance. I looked back for the blue of Kelsey’s Flame and it looked miles away already. The familiar inverted triangle shape of the gate then appeared, emerging from the darkness. It seemed smaller than in reality, perhaps a third of its size, or perhaps there was no true sense of scale in this place at all. It was also made of what looked like a glowing purple steel instead of flesh and bone and from the three corners were attached thick chains that extended behind it for about twenty feet before disappearing into nothingness.

What the hell…?

I engaged [Soul Shield] as I approached, the pressure of the Dark Frenzy increasing. I avoided looking directly into the front of the gate that was now glowing with a purplish luminescence, but from within it I could already see three or four large tentacles spewing outwards.

I paused, trying to make sense of what I was seeing.

Clearly that was the spiritual counterpart of the gate with I’xol’ukz trying to push through it, but what were those chains? They were taut as if under great tension and angled lightly downward as if being tethered to something far below. Something in the darkness unseen. Or perhaps something that was beyond the extent that my spiritual awareness or comprehension.

Ah to hell with figuring it out, I thought. The only thing I needed to do was destroy it.

I cycled my frenzy, charging both my weapons with [Lightning].

I rushed forward aiming at the tentacles, leaping into the air for an overhead strike.

“[Three Log Chop]!”

The bloodshot eyes covering the tentacles widened in unison as I descended, and a horrid shriek filled the air as they shook with violence. The sound resonated painfully within my spirit and my [Soul Shield] technique glowed to rebuff the attack, but the Frenzy within my core depleted rapidly to fuel the resistance of the Dark Frenzy assault. I proceeded undaunted, my double-bladed attack cleaving deep into one of the tentacles before cutting it clean in two.

I’xol’ukz shrieked again and I was rewarded with a fresh dose of rage and pain.

I cultivated them quickly, speeding the replenishment of my reserves, but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the drain from my [Soul Shield] technique. Faster than I could see, one of the other tentacles struck me from behind, sending me crashing forwards towards the opening of the gate and the numerous smaller tentacles trying to push their way outside.

The force of the hit was enough to feel it through my [Spectral Armor] but that paled in comparison to what my eyes could now see. My [Soul Shield] went into overdrive as it sought to protect me from the blast of Dark Frenzy and images trying to construct themselves within my mind.

I could see into the gate now and like a memory forgotten, I recalled seeing the same thing when I looked into the smaller one back at the second base before. The interior of the triangle was like looking through a window and into a deep purplish sky. The chains that I could see from the outside could be seen from the inside also, but they didn’t disappear and instead extended downwards towards a glowing red orb that radiated with immense Dark Frenzy and hate far below.

I used all of my [Indifference] and [Struggler’s Resolve] to not simply scream and instead maintained my focus on the giant tentacle monster latching onto the chains and trying to force its way outside.

“Get the hell back in there!” I cried as my Fury ignited. “Want to turn my whole world into a death zone? Threaten to extinguish the last of my race? I’ll show you what humankind does when its back is against the wall!”

I lashed out in a flurry of martial attacks, unleashing my combined Glaive and Axe forms with [Lightning Arc Strikes]. The creature bellowed and wailed as I severed its tentacles indiscriminately, pushing myself to the limit as my Dantian drained to just below a third.

Holy shit, that was fast!

I wouldn’t be able to last long at this rate.

I had to kill this thing before my Frenzy ran out and it simply overwhelmed me.

I bellowed with desperation as my tank drained to a quarter, but still the tentacles came.

The eyes raked raw against my second soul, feeling like a sandpaper over my skin.

~Oh, Cursed Flame. Where is thy Strength?~

The creature bellowed with a deep laughter within my mind.

~Know thou not that ye rage in vain? The power of the ancients is eternal and infinite. Come and tire thyself. Let me consume thy husk that thou hast well prepared for me.~

Son of a bitch…I thought. Was this its plan all along?

To lure me here in a weakened state and then simply take me over?

I refused to believe it.

To accept it.

But as my Dantian edged towards less than a quarter, I faced a new reality I hadn’t considered before. If I’xol’ukz possessed me as strong as I now was, it would be game over for not just everyone in the bunker but the whole damn planet.

I raged against the possibility, my time running low, but the tentacles just kept coming.

I needed help.

“Kelsey!” I cried and in my mind’s eyes I used my [Mental Quickness] to break my consciousness into two. In one I kept my focus on fighting the demon god, in the other I searched for the small window of my consciousness buried somewhere deep in my soul. Within a second, I found it and used all my will to peer into it.

Kelsey was far away from me, hacking at a tentacle that had found its way to her, curving backwards from the massive triangle in the real world. I focused on manipulating my mouth only, not wanting to pull myself out of the spirit world completely.

“Kelsey!” I shouted again and myself seated in lotus position in third person did the same.

Kelsey reacted by turning her head and suffered a slap from the tentacle that sent her sailing as a result.

Damn it!

She recovered quickly however and flew back at it with a rage and ferocity that cut it into several pieces before it finally withdrew. She then rushed to me.

“Max, are you alright? What’s happening?”

“Lend me… your strength,” I said, struggling to get the words out while also fending off the dozen or so tentacles now swarming me. “Need your… Flame! On the inside!”

“How?”

“Touch me! Will your Flame to find mine.”

Kelsey turned her head towards the gate. “This better work, cause that thing is forming pretty quick.”

She closed her eyes and suddenly I sensed a roaring furnace of Frenzy behind me.

Closing my connection to the outside world, I took full control of my [Spectral Body] again. I’d taken a thrashing while multi-tasking, but it didn’t matter. Kelsey’s bright blue Flame was now burning by my side, feeding me with fresh Frenzy to top up my Dantian.

I’xol’ukz bellowed with rage.

~Cursed Flame! Thou doth multiply thy ilk!~

“You’re one to talk, you damn monster!” I cursed it as my energy and resolve returned.

The power of Kelsey’s Flame was near boundless and the creature began to shy away from both it and my savage blows. I screamed as I pressed forward, pushing the tentacles back through the gate.

“That’s right! Run, you piece of shit!” I screamed with [Fear the Flame]. “Run!”

With a final screech the dark god slipped back through the gate and wriggled down the chains towards the glowing red orb.

“Max, it worked,” I could hear Kelsey’s voice from the outside. “The tentacles just died.”

I multi-tasked again. “It’s not over yet. Still need to destroy the gate. Stay with me.”

I backed up from the opening and summoned my Frenzy.

“[Lightning Splits the Towering Oak]!”

I annunciated the attack as I sped forward, covered in lightning.

My twin blades cut straight through the purple steel of the gate with a shriek of metal. A blast of Dark Frenzy erupted from the opening and the view to the world within disappeared. I smiled with elation.

We’d done it!

I was just about to tell Kelsey when the metal slowly began to twist and groan. It started to reform, mending itself just like its physical counterpart had done in the real world.

Shit!

As the shape fully took form, the window to the purple-hazed world reappeared.

“Damn it! What the hell, man?!”

“Max, what’s wrong?” Kelsey said and I realized I’d said it with enough emotion to move my lips on the outside.

“Just a second,” I said.

I aimed for one of the chains next, cutting through it with just as much ease as I did the frame. But just like with the frame itself, it only interrupted the gate for a moment before reforming again. I cut through each one with no effect and then all of them at the same time.

Nothing worked.

Whatever I did, they simply came back again.

I cursed aloud and drew Kelsey’s attention again.

“Max, what the hell is going on in there?!”

“I’m not sure,” I said finally and realized that the monster I’d just pushed back would soon regain enough strength to return. “But we need another game plan.”

* * *

Master Hei Dong stirred from his meditation for perhaps the fourth or fifth time, checking on the progress of the examination yet again. The silence within the courtroom was deafening, but no one dared to break it.

Or the Grand Sage’s concentration.

For what seemed like an eon, the Grand Sage had held the silver quill in his hand while also hovering a palm above Fia’s Dantian. Hei Dong didn’t appreciate how close his hands were to Fia’s personal space, but he wouldn’t dare question the procedure, especially as it would soon bring ultimate victory his way.

Rhi Dong sat quietly in meditation next to him, cultivating her Qi, but he could sense the disquiet in her spirit although she masked it well. The only one in the courtroom who openly expressed their discomfort was Lo Feng. The man fidgeted constantly, shaking his head and sighing with exasperation at the length of the process.

The sight made Hei Dong smile.

To watch one’s enemy squirm was a rare privilege, indeed.

Another ten minutes of silence went by before the Grand Sage finally spoke.

“Madam High Magistrate,” he said looking back towards the dais. “I have reached a conclusion.”

Yi Xhi Yen stirred from her own meditation, or perhaps even slumber as she abruptly opened her eyes. “Yes…Very well. May we have your verdict?”

“Indeed,” he said. “I will beg another few minutes of the court’s time to prepare my official conclusion.”

A chorus of sighs and groans rifled through the courtroom, most notably from Lo Feng.

Fia herself looked completely worn out, having sat completely still for nearly two hours straight. Hei Dong smiled and gave her a nod of approval. He was blessed by the fates indeed to have such a wonderful daughter. He prayed Hein would come to his senses and grow as responsible and dutiful in time.

The Grand Sage spent a few moments inscribing something on a sheet of parchment and then with a wave of his palm, marked the document with a seal using his Qi. It was a simple act, but one that was worth over 10,000 spirit stones.

The seal of a Grand Sage.

Nigh irrefutable.

Especially within the courts.

Anticipation and exhilaration filled Hei Dong as the Grand Sage passed the parchment to Yi Xhi Yen. The High Magistrate then glanced over it several times before looking back at Zin Tai.

“You are certain of your conclusion, Grand Master Sage?”

Zin Tai furrowed his brow almost as if insulted.

“With over 99% percent certainty,” he said. “As documented.”

Yi Xhi Yen cleared her throat. “Very well. All rise!”

The courtroom did so and a tremor of uncertainty ran down Hei Dong’s spine as he read the stiffness of the High Magistrate’s body language. She avoided eye contact, reading from the document without raising her head.

“I now read into the court’s hearing, the sealed conclusion of the Grand Sage Zin Tai,” she said. “In the matter of the silver quill in question being determined as produced by the accused cultivator, known as Fia Dong, titled Lady Silver Light of the Silver Leaf Clan, the Grand Sage has reached the following conclusion with 99.3% certainty.” She paused to look at Fia. “Lady Silver Light, according to the Grand Sage’s determination…this quill was produced by you.”

Hei Dong’s blood ran cold as the earth fell out from under him.

A shrill cry filled the air as Rhi Dong screamed.

“That’s not possible!” Fia cried. “It’s not mine!!”

Chaos erupted in the courtroom with Lo Feng letting out a surprised laugh.

“Father, that is not mine!” Fia said again, her eyes welling with tears as her voice cracked. “I swear to the heavens! I had nothing to do with this!”

Rhi Dong began to weep. “What’s happened? How have they done this to us?!”

Hei Dong’s mind raced to make sense of it all.

How indeed had this happened?

Did Lo Feng somehow bribe the Grand Sage?

Surely such a thing was not possible.

He looked over at Lo Feng as the man celebrated, looking as shocked by the outcome as he was.

Had the quills been switched?

Had the High Magistrate betrayed him?

“Order! Order!” Yi Xhi Yen banged her gavel. “These proceedings are not over! Everyone be seated!”

“Your honor I demand a re-evaluation!” Hei Dong said.

Yi Xhi Yen glanced at him sternly. “Master Hei Dong, you would dare question the competence of a Grand Sage? A Grand Sage you yourself commissioned on your own behalf?”

Hei Dong looked to Zin Tai, but he could neither see nor sense any malice in the man. He looked perplexed by the reactions of the court as well. He stepped forward with a dour frown.

“May I address the court, your honor?” he said.

Yi Xhi Yen nodded.

“For clarity and full transparency,” Zin Tai said. “I conducted the evaluation over five times to determine certainty. And, as with any court matter, I have no knowledge of the case details beforehand to remain completely agnostic in my evaluation.” He then bowed. “I do apologize if my determination has been disappointing to either party, but I stand by the credibility of my determination.”

“As do I,” Yi Xhi Yen said. “Master Hei Dong, based upon this new evidence and that of the eye-witness report, I must conclude that your daughter was indeed involved in this incident.”

Rhi Dong gasped. “It’s not true! Someone in this court is lying!”

“Order!” Yi Xhi Yen shouted. “Please refrain from such outbursts or I shall hold you in contempt, Lady Silver Moon!”

Fia then stood from the chair and prostrated herself before the Magistrate. “Your honor, I beg you a humble request. Please!”

Yi Xhi Yen shook her head, exasperated. “What is it, Lady Silver Light?”

“Please, can I beg permission to handle the quill for myself?”

The court quieted at that.

Yi Xhi Yen looked to Zin Tai as if for confirmation and the Grand Sage nodded.

“I can see no harm in it, your honor.”

“I shall permit it then. Go on.”

The bailiff handed Fia the quill and she examined it closely, running her fingers over its surface. Hei Dong watched helplessly, hoping and praying that something Fia might say or find upon the quill might vindicate her.

“Your honor, I object,” Lo Feng said. “This proves nothing. A Grand Sage has already made a determination. Are we to allow the accused to have an opinion of equal standing?”

Hei Dong was just about to retort to buy Fia more time when the girl suddenly burst into tears. She dropped the quill and hid her face in her palms, weeping.

What in the nine hells was going on?

“Fia,” he shouted. “Fia, compose yourself!”

But she was bawling near uncontrollably now, her soul chaotic, as if stricken with grief.

Hei Dong shook his head in disbelief as his wife began to weep as well.

What madness was this?

Nothing made sense.

Something had to be wrong.

“Your honor, I request a recess! Clearly there must be some anomaly with the administering of the exam—”

“There is no anomaly,” Fia suddenly said, and Hei Dong’s stomach fell through the floor.

“Daughter, keep quiet!” he shouted.

But she didn’t stop, her spirit coming undone as she sobbed again.

“The Grand Sage is correct…this quill…is mine.”

* * *

I stared at the gate with time running out.

It was still spewing Dark Frenzy and my [Soul Shield] technique was burning just as much Frenzy from my Dantian to keep me from going insane. I’d tried almost everything. Chopping the gate apart, chopping the chains.

Nothing worked.

“What’s going on, Max?” Kelsey said from the outside. “Speak to me!”

I edged towards the opening of the gate and dared to look directly inside.

My [Soul Shield] burned brighter as I peered into the depths of the purple-hued space beyond. I noted the chains appeared differently here—fully formed and converging at some unseen point on the red sphere far below. I gritted my teeth and took a swing at one of the chains from the inside. My axe struck with a flurry of sparks, breaking the chain apart. But then just as quickly, it reformed again.

Damn it…!

I stepped back and mulled the situation over some more.

If this was a door, then clearly I couldn’t close it from this side.

Something was keeping it open.

But what?

I peered into the purplish void again.

I noted how the chains all converged at an angle, like they were pinned or staked to something far below. I steeled myself as the craziest idea I’d ever had in my life took hold.

“Alright, Kelsey, I’m going to need you to charge me up to full,” I said and immediately began cultivating the excess Frenzy from her Flame. “I’m going to need as much Frenzy as I can carry.”

“What are you going to do?”

I still didn’t exactly know myself and explaining the details would take too long.

“I’m going through the gate,” I said. “I’ll find a way to close it from the other side.”

“What?!”

I ignored the half dozen questions that followed, focusing on speed-cultivating the free Frenzy and compressing it within my Dantian. In less than a minute, I’d done it, bringing myself back to full again.

I stood on the edge of the gate, staring into the void.

The void stared back at me and I grinned.

“To see the unseen is to glimpse infinity,” I said, quoting the shuras of the text. “Therefore, prepare thyself thusly. Strengthen thy Flame and mind and glimpse only what ye can withstand…”

I was about to test that limit now.

But for how long I’d last, I just didn’t know.

Or care.

I’d made a vow to destroy this gate, and I was going to jump the hell inside to find out how.

My Flame suddenly flared and burned a shade brighter, solidifying with my resolve.

“Stay close, Kelsey. I might need you again in a hurry.”

“I’m here,” she said.

“If you see that thing start to come out of the gate again it means I’ve failed.”

I paused and contemplated telling her to run if that happened, but to hell with that. Kelsey was a Berserker just like me and no way was I telling her to go back to fearing certain death again.

“It’ll be down to you to kill it after that.”

“Understood,” Kelsey said. “May the Flame guide us both, Big Bro.”

“Amen, Sis. See you on the flip side.”

I closed my vision to the outside world and peered over the edge again.

I prepared myself like a free diver taking a final breath, flushing my [Spectral Body] full of fresh Frenzy from Kelsey’s Flame before leaping through the gate and plunging into the depths of the unknown.