Poor Cultivation (The Slayer of Heaven Book 1): A LitRPG Wuxia Series

by Alan Bard

  “Nothing.” Joe shook his head.

  The stones were big and frightening. I didn’t want to go there.

  As I hesitated, my nose caught a scent. I had no idea what a goat smelled like—I had heard somewhere that they smelled bad—but my gut insisted that it was right. A putrid stench of fur wafted in the wind. It was like a tangled web, visible only to me. The threads ran down the valley, twining into tight knots and stretching.

  “There!” I pointed at a huge boulder that towered above the others. “They ate lichen, climbed up a steep slope, lay down in a small cave, and are sure that they’re safe.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I can smell them,” I lied, without any intention of sharing my ability with them.

  “Yeah, I smell something, too.” Eli grimaced. “Have you hunted before?”

  I left the question unanswered.

  “The plan is to follow them. Joe, you climb the rock, you’re good at it, and you can do it quietly. Take off your shoes, take the crossbow, and climb up on that boulder there, so that they don’t catch your scent.”

  “They’ll be gone before I get to the boulder...”

  “Trust me. No harm in trying.”

  Joe waved his hand.

  “Whatever.”

  “What about us?” Eli asked. He was all over Jelena, who was ignoring him.

  So that they didn’t feel completely useless, I came up with a task for them.

  “You stay here and guard us from the wolves.”

  “You’re coming with me?” Joe turned to me. I nodded and followed him.

  I needed to be there.

  The lichen felt spongy under our feet, like moss, which was good—we walked noiselessly. I caught the smell and tried to sense the animals. I reached out to the goat shelter in my mind and... and suddenly felt as if I had walked into an oven.

  Me is satisfied and calm. Ears catch every sound when eyes are closed. Next to me is a warmth. Just like me. Safe.

  Me is in danger! Smell death! Death here... Me run!

  I began meddling with the animal’s thoughts, convincing it that it wasn’t death that was approaching, but a sick wolf, clumsy and harmless. Convinced, the goat calmed down. By this time, Joe had reached the boulder and started to climb it. I made the animals think that what they were hearing was just pebbles rolling and that there was nothing to be afraid of.

  My head started to ache and I felt sleepy, but I kept the herd under control. Joe finally got to the goats and shot one—the silence was broken by a sharp cry, and the back of my head was pierced with such pain that I fell to my knees. My vision blurred, and I lost control over everything.

  I couldn’t see anything except for the lines of text flashing before my eyes.

  Attention! Deformation has been detected!

  Degree of Deformation: 8%

  The familiar silhouette appeared, Core and Contour glowing with faint brown streaks. When I looked closely, I noticed that the Core had slightly darkened. I mentally tried to do something about it, but there was no result. I tried to awaken anger, rage, to feed on its energy, but I got zilch. It was as if the brown streaks were resisting.

  I heard Joe exclaim that he had acquired food. A moment later, a goat with a cut throat fell at my feet.

  [Young Wild Goat]

  Edible

  Energy Value: 16,856 kcal

  Joe! I need Joe. He must have an artifact that’ll save me from this.

  I waited until he came down to ask him about it. “Back in the cave, that geezer scratched me with the knife, but the system waited until now to tell me that I have Deformation. I need that stone, mineral, whatever it is.”

  Joe’s mouth opened slightly, and his eyes widened.

  “Fuck! Why didn’t you say anything before? I didn’t take more with me. I didn’t think we’d need them at all. We have more at the base. If you want to live, we need to hurry. We can’t let you reach fifty percent. Eli! Rio!” he shouted. “Get over here, I need your help with the carcass!”

  Nick, you fool! Looks like we’re screwed now, Alpha sneered, his silhouette sitting in an armchair in the back of my mind.

  Chapter 19

  DEATH

  Why the hell did I come here to hunt fucking goats?

  Joe nodded at me when the others came running.

  “Look, guys, Nick was injured by that vampire... mutant... thing. He has a growing Deformation.”

  “So? Just give him that stone,” Rio suggested, not looking worried.

  “Thank you, Captain Obvious, but I had only two. The rest are at the base.”

  “So we need to get back as quickly as possible?” Eli asked, holding his club before him.

  “That’s right.” Joe nodded. “But we won’t leave without food. Take the carcass, we need to bleed it.”

  I didn’t like his idea; we had no clue how much time I had left before Deformation hit 51 percent. I tried to reassure myself that it was too early to panic. A cancer patient probably felt something similar: something alien and deadly was swelling inside my body.

  “I should probably go.”

  “It’s my fault!” Jelena took a step forward and hugged me as if I were already on the verge of death.

  “Enough of that!” Joe said, his voice harsh. “Have you thought about who’ll help you if you get sick on the way? Some of the nocturnal creatures here can eat you alive. We’ll be done in a few minutes, and we’ll go together. Hold the goat’s legs so that the blood flows quicker.” He took the knife, and a second later dark blood oozed from the cut. After a while, the flow of blood stopped, and the carcass was slung over Eli’s shoulders.

  “Let’s hurry. Bro, can you hold on for two hours?”

  “I’ll try not to die. I kinda like being alive.”

  Jelena gave a nervous chuckle. Joe smiled sourly.

  As I took a step forward, my vision cracked like a mirror and became filled with a brown haze. I couldn’t see a damn thing.

  Degree of Deformation: 10%

  No more than ten minutes had passed since the last message. At this rate, this thing was growing at twelve percent an hour. In two hours, it would be at thirty-four percent.

  I had time.

  I would be all right.

  I hoped.

  I closed my eyes and shook my head, mentally trying to disperse the haze. I saw the silhouette again; Contour was just a bit banged up, and the Core was a bit cloudy. Breathing deeply, eyes still closed, I concentrated on the Core, imagining flames burning away the haze. Unfortunately, this didn’t work out—the flames licked the mist like a kitten licked its fur.

  “What’s the matter, Nick?” Jelena asked. I felt her hand touch my chest.

  I opened my eyes. The world was no longer cracked, but there was a dark cloud in front of me, making it difficult to see. To everyone else I seemed fine, so I just shook my head.

  “Let’s go. We have no time to waste.”

  Joe looked up and led the way. In a matter of minutes, the setting sun disappeared behind the mountains. A shadow cut diagonally across the valley.

  “Let’s run for a bit.” Joe turned to us and grinned. “Let’s both help Nick and train for a bit!”

  For the first half-mile, I thought I was fine, but then I felt a sharp pain in my head, like someone had jammed a needle into my temple. But I didn’t let that stop me. Panting, I continued running.

  Degree of Deformation: 15%

  Is its growth constant? I wondered. To hell with that, either I get lucky or I don’t.

  One thing was for sure: another 36 freaking percent and the process would be irreversible.

  My anger was dulling the pain, which flared up with every sudden movement, but never became as sharp as it had been at the beginning. It was tolerable. I was no longer impressed by the approaching gloom, or by the stones that looked like frozen giants. The only thing I cared about was getting to the base in time.

  We started to climb the hill. It was steep and jolty, so I had to cl
ing to roots as I climbed. My vision was still being obscured by the haze, so I had to turn my head to see ahead. I was right behind Joe; Eli was behind me; and Jelena and Rio were behind him.

  Another wave of pain washed over me. This time it was as if someone was tearing at my chest. I clung to the roots, looking for a place to lie down. Feeling like I was about to lose consciousness, I curled up in the fetal position.

  Degree of Deformation: 20%

  Why is it so fast?!

  If it continues like this...

  I couldn’t stop shaking. People were talking, but I could barely hear them. It was as if someone had stuffed cotton balls inside my ears. I forced myself to open my eyes, but even the pale moonlight proved too harsh for my sensitive vision. The pain didn’t go away, but it did ease up. I somehow managed to climb the hill and run after Joe.

  “Are you sure you can handle it?” he asked, turning as he ran.

  “I am!”

  I’ll run as long as I can. I’ll crawl if I have to. What other choice do I have?

  I felt a tickle in my throat. I felt both sick and thirsty. Oddly enough, the network didn’t warn me about either calorie or fluid intake.

  My vision went dark. I stumbled and fell.

  Degree of Deformation: 23%

  I heard Jelena tell the others not to get me off the ground. She probably knew what she was talking about, having become a healer and all.

  Darkness overcame me.

  After a while, the nausea and pain settled down and I was able to think again. I struggled to my feet, and looked around. I couldn’t figure out where I was. I wasn’t even sure how much time had passed.

  It took me a moment to realize that there were only four of us.

  “Where’s Joe?” I asked in a dry voice.

  “He ran to the camp to get a stone.”

  “Nick, can you walk?” Eli asked.

  Rio came over and put a hand on my shoulder.

  “Lean on me. Let’s go.”

  We’re fucked! said a cold voice.

  There was nothing I could do. Things were just getting worse. The haze seemed to have spread, narrowing my field of view even more.

  Jelena came up to me, clutching something in her hand.

  “Take it. I picked up some Siderítis, it might help.”

  She put a few velvety, silvery leaves in my mouth.

  “Chew. Don’t swallow, even if tastes bad.”

  The herb had a nasty aftertaste, but it did take care of the headache.

  “How much farther?” My voice was dry and flat. “How long has it been since Joe left?”

  “Hang in there, Nicky,” Rio said evasively. “Joe will meet us halfway. Without him, we stand no—”

  A roaring laughter drowned out his voice. Whoever was howling like a banshee was approaching us.

  Jelena froze. “What the hell was that?”

  I pulled out my knife. Eli took his club and tossed it from one hand to another. The laughter rang out again, chilling us to our very cores. Terrified, we huddled together.

  Despite my weakened state, I recalled Joe mentioning the Wolves and their unusual laughter. I also remembered him mentioning that they had long, sharp fangs.

  I’ll never make it at this rate... We’re wasting precious time!

  Eli cursed under his breath. We were surrounded by rocks that had rolled down from the mountains—it was a good place to get ambushed. I was wondering if the Wolves would dare attack a large group of humans. Joe said that these beasts were smart and cunning.

  “What if they didn’t notice us?” Jelena whispered.

  “They did,” Rio said, turning his head around. “We have a carcass. They’ve probably smelled the blood. No doubt, they’re waiting for the right moment.”

  “Fuck!” Eli exclaimed and tried to throw the goat away, but I stopped him.

  “It’s already too late. If they attack, drop it. They just might get distracted and leave us alone.”

  Either the Siderítis helped, or the howling sobered me up; only the haze reminded me that my time was running out.

  We walked, covering each other, weapons at the ready. The sky grew darker, and rain began to fall. We felt watched. I could hear a faint rumble—either stones were rolling down from the mountains, or the Wolves were gaining in on us.

  Eli led the way.

  Degree of Deformation: 29%

  At some point, I felt like someone poured molten metal into my head. The heat was flowing along the Contour. Tears ran down my cheeks. I wanted to split my skull open just to make it stop. I dropped to my knees and shut my eyes as tightly as I could. My ears felt like they had been stuffed with cotton again. The silhouette appeared in front of my eyes. It was blinking red and its Contour was half-brown. The Core resembled a rotten yolk.

  I came back to reality. I could barely see my friends in the dark. We were in a large clearing. Four Wolves were slowly advancing toward us. I wondered why they called them wolves when they had the head of a bear. Their steps were soft. They were larger than a wolf, but smaller than a bear. It was too dark to see more details.

  Somehow, I knew that they sensed our fear. Feeling dizzy, I picked up the knife and stood up.

  “Protect Jelena and Nick,” Rio ordered. “Predators always go for the weak and sick first.”

  Eli chuckled. “You really are a walking encyclopedia! All I was taught was that ignorance truly is a bliss.”

  “You know that that’s bullshit, right?” Rio whispered with a thin smile on his lips. “My knowledge will save your ass.”

  Eli grinned and turned. “How fast can you run, Nick?” he asked, whispering.

  “How fast? I doubt that—”

  The Wolves leaped simultaneously, one from the back and one from the front. I rolled to the side, dodging, much to their frustration and annoyance. Not willing to give them a second chance to attack, Rio stepped in and stabbed the first in its side. Eli hit the second with the hilt of his club. There was a nasty crunch. Roaring in pain, the Wolf collapsed, dead. The third one rushed at me, and I tried to hit it. I raised my hand to strike its neck, but the mist covered my eyes. I suddenly felt weak. Having missed, I put my other hand out in front of me to protect my throat. For an instant, its jaws closed around it, but then Eli hit it, getting it off me.

  Degree of Deformation: 38%

  The last thing I heard before losing consciousness was Eli yelling, “Run, Nick! Run!”

  When I came to my senses and opened my eyes, I found myself trembling and unable to breathe. I could barely see. Either it was late or the damned haze had made me blind.

  Eli was carrying me on his shoulders. Panting, he kept saying the same thing over and over again.

  “Hold on, Nick! Don’t you dare die. Not on my watch, you stupid idiot!”

  “Thanks, man,” I whispered, barely moving my lips and asked him to put me down. My bloody hand hung lifelessly.

  Begrudgingly, he did as asked. I immediately reached for his shoulder to keep myself from falling over.

  I closed my eyes and saw... Alpha? Oddly enough, I was glad.

  Hello, Nicky. You look a bit frazzled. Aren’t you ashamed of almost dying like that? I’m getting tired of your helplessness, young man. Stop digging your grave. It’s still too early for that. Get your shit together and make things right!

  The silhouette appeared again. It was still red, with a cloudy Core and brownish-gold channels. It took almost everything that I had to ignite the fire inside of me.

  I can’t die like this. I refuse to let this... disease kill me. Hate. I need hate to guide me.

  I remembered Archie and Victoria. Fueled, the Core began to glow like a small sun. Again I tried to burn the haze, but to no avail. I felt strength slowly flow back into my trembling legs. I knew that it wouldn’t last long, though.

  “Let’s get out of here!” I said and ran forward.

  Unfortunately, we soon ran into a high and steep slope—there was no way that I could climb it in my condition.
r />   Joe, where the hell are you?

  Something flashed and thundered overhead as if in response to my question. We heard a roar and what seemed to be a female voice swearing.

  Degree of Deformation: 48%

  I fainted yet again; the last thing I did was wonder if Joe would make it in time.

  I felt like I was floating. Around me were vein-like threads. Something told me that it was better not to touch them.

  There were sounds coming from far away. They were distorted and muffled, but I could still make out some of the words.

  “Shit! Jeco, do something!”

  “Open his mouth! I’ll get some Siderítis.”

  “Look, a flashlight! Joe, Victoria, we’re here! Come quickly!”

  I was devoid of any feeling, emotion, or meaning. In my head, there was just a single thought: it would be nice if I got the stone in time. I tried to mentally reach out to it and feel its magic.

  I emerged from the haze. I saw a light in the distance. Joe started down the slope; however, he was still a long way from us.

  I was scared.

  Eli touched my face and smacked my shoulder.

  “Nicky, keep your eyes open. Hang in there, buddy!”

  He towered over me, face barely visible. Jelena stood next to him.

  “You need to chew some Siderítis,” she said, then put her hands on my forehead and squeezed. “I’ll try to hold this thing back. Chew!”

  I could hardly eat. Her palms radiated warmth and filled me with energy. I looked toward the light—Joe had reached the bottom of the slope and was running toward us.

  Come on, man, you can do it!

  Suddenly, Jelena stepped back. She looked startled.

  “It’s not working! Shit!” she whispered. “If Nick dies, I won’t forgive myself!”

  Rio seemed tired and on edge. He kept shifting his weight from one foot to another.

  Joe was getting closer. When his silhouette was clearly visible, an inscription appeared.

  Degree of Deformation: 66%

  Before I lost consciousness, it dawned on me that I had reached the point of no return.

  What’s going to happen now? Beta’s voice trailed off into vivid curses and then ceased.