Cultivating Chaos 2

by William D. Arand

  Thinking on that, Ash couldn’t quite believe it, but he couldn’t fault the logic either. It made sense if you lined it up like that.

  “Defended how?” Ash asked, wondering if they could actually find some wandering masters down here from the sect who could help them if they managed to find the vaults.

  “I don’t know. It’s… not something Bao Jade, or any of the Jade Masters, ever really spoke of. The Jade Masters are separate from the sect in a way. Almost like a council,” Na explained.

  And probably who the Deng family was ultimately after. As well as the Inner Sect.

  This is all one master play to kill Bao Jade and take over the sect, then sell it off.

  The Jade Masters would be lumped in with all those that needed to die for this to happen.

  “Does… does this help us at all?” Ash asked.

  “I don’t know. Probably not,” lamented Na.

  “We just—” muttered Chunhua, not moving from where she laid. “We just need to keep going. Press forward until we feel we’re safe. Then I can cut upward. I’m an Elemental sorceress after all. This is nothing to me. And I’m awake now. Just… still resting.”

  Ash hadn’t even noticed that she’d woken up. He’d been too busy staring at Na in the dark.

  Oh, right.

  She can command anything and everything externally to her. This… this isn’t half as bad as I feared.

  “That’s… the problem though,” Na said after a second. “Can you feel anything here? At all? Ever since we jumped into the crevice, I haven’t been able to sense anything. In fact…”

  Na’s voice trailed off as she held up her hands.

  Her fingers slowly closed, then opened. Then she flexed them outward.

  Nothing happened.

  “I can’t even access my abilities. Can you, Chunhua?” Na asked.

  Lifting her head, Chunhua looked around, as if finally noticing everything was quite dark.

  “I can’t sense anything, no,” muttered the sorceress. Sitting upright, she made a small hand motion, flicking her wrist to one side.

  Once more, nothing happened when it apparently should have.

  “And… I can’t… I can’t access my abilities either. Nothing… works,” Chunhua said, her hand moving back and forth several more times.

  Ash thought about that. He still couldn’t access Locke, but he hadn’t been able to since he hit his head.

  Everything else was still working for him. He could access it as easily as he could elsewhere.

  “I have no problems accessing anything,” Ash offered. Holding his hand up he did a very simple Spring Step to open and close his hand rapidly. There was a pop as his knuckles popped. “And I can sense everything, as well. Well… the distance is certainly a lot less than it was, but I can sense things.”

  Though maybe that explains why I can see in the dark, as well. It’s almost as if they’re cut away from their Dantians.

  Wait… is it because I have two Dantians open?

  Maybe. That’s the only difference between them and me, right?

  Realizing he’d been expecting a response again, Ash felt a sudden, deep ache inside himself.

  Taking hold of that feeling, he contemplated it. Turned it around and examined it. Over and over. Thought about Locke and what he meant to Ash.

  In that moment, he realized what it was. He and Locke had their differences, fought, bickered, and annoyed one another. But Locke was also the one person who would know everything Ash did, could offer advice, and was completely interested and invested in Ash’s survival and growth.

  “Alright,” Ash murmured. “Since we can’t make a new light, we’ll just use me.”

  Getting to his feet, he brushed off his backside.

  “Chunhua, get behind me and grab my shoulders. Na, grab her shoulders,” Ash said. “I’ll be our eyes and lead us to wherever this goes. And while we’re going, you can try and teach me to cast a light globe, Chunhua. I doubt I’ll be an average student, or even a bad one. Probably a miserable one. But if I can learn to cast that light spell… well… we’ll all be better off.”

  Gathering the bedrolls, forming the line, and then marching off into the darkness of the caves, the three began their journey.

  It wasn’t as if they could sit around forever until the food in the Hall ran out.

  Though that did pose a different question for Ash.

  Did he refuse to give food to Tai and Ehrinis to save it for himself, Chunhua, and Na, or did he keep feeding them, until he couldn’t.

  It wasn’t a question he wanted to really think on for too long. Because no matter what answer he picked, it’d be wrong.

  ***

  “I can see something,” Chunhua said. “I can see something, right? I’m not imagining it?”

  “I see it, too. It’s not light, it’s… it’s green?” Na said, her tone sounding almost incredulous.

  Lifting his eyes up from the rocky ground he was traveling across, Ash looked ahead. Distantly, he could see a turn in the passageway, but nothing out of the ordinary.

  Looking back at the broken and crumbling rock that tended to shift beneath his boots, Ash continued onward.

  “No idea. Can’t tell. Trying to keep us on a decent path,” Ash muttered.

  “You’re doing fine,” Chunhua said, then squeezed his shoulders with her hands. “It’s up ahead. It’s not light. It’s like a reflection.”

  Trusting Chunhua to her word, Ash just kept moving. Right up until he hit a point in the path where the floor dropped an inch in height at a strange jagged line.

  Cuts and gouges in the stone looked man-made and somewhat haphazard.

  Then the whole thing became quite smooth. The entirety of the floor having been ground down to a stable, flat surface.

  “It’s man-made,” Ash said, still moving forward toward the turn up ahead.

  “What is? Oh, the ground. It’s so flat,” Na said, as she apparently came down over the same lip in the ground.

  “If… if it’s man-made… are we getting closer to the sect?” Chunhua asked quietly.

  “That or the Jade Vault,” countered Na.

  Glancing to the ceiling, Ash saw it wasn’t worked like the floor, but the walls up ahead at the turn definitely appeared smooth.

  “If we’re approaching either… we’re in an abandoned part of whatever it may be,” said Ash. “They started work, and then ended it. Never completing it. Let’s hope we’re not in some abandoned mine shaft with no way up.”

  “No mine shaft would block us from our abilities, Master Sheng,” Na argued. “This is the Jade Vault. I’m certain of it.”

  Saying nothing to that, Ash kept moving.

  As he got closer to the turn, he could finally see what the girls had. It was indeed a green light, partially reflected from the wall.

  It was so soft in color and glow that he’d just looked right over it. The light had blended in with his vision itself and become just part of the background.

  Going around the turn and following it, Ash found himself entering an open area. The very walls themselves were covered in a brilliant green material. From the floor to the ceiling, nothing but a green shimmering surface.

  “It’s jade,” Chunhua said as she stepped out from behind Ash. “It’s… all jade. We’re in the Jade Vaults.”

  “Yes, Master Sheng has once more demonstrated his role as a Fated One,” Na murmured. “To find something hidden from all, except those who swear their very lives to the sect. And he finds it as a place of refuge.”

  “We’ll see about that. We’re not out of this yet. I mean, we’re not even sure that—”

  “Welcome to the third test, Jade Disciple,” said a disembodied voice.

  Grimacing, Ash nodded his head slightly. He was expecting something to happen. Na had said there were defenses. On top of that, only people who swore themselves to the sect were allowed in.

  That’d mean there were things to protect.

  And protecting
treasures with that level of secrecy meant the defenses wouldn’t be fun to deal with.

  “Please prepare for the third trial of combat. You may utilize your Jade-abilities only,” said the voice. “You have ten minutes to prepare.”

  Great.

  Thirty-Five

  “Yeah. No. Not doing that,” Ash said with a shake of his head. “Not bothering with any of that. No idea if this is a trial where failure means death or just a do-over.”

  Looking around the room, Ash was determined to find the way out.

  “I… what can we do?” Chunhua murmured. “I can’t even feel my Qi Sea anymore. Everything is… it’s all behind a wall.”

  “Master Sheng, I cannot feel anything either. It’s as if I were a citizen,” Na said.

  They both sounded quite nervous. Nervous and scared.

  It’s likely that neither one of them ever had to live as a citizen. They probably both opened their Dantian quite early.

  Na’s for her family, and Chunhua because hers is an external power.

  “Rely on your martial arts and just remember, don’t get hit. You can’t block or receive a strike. You must dodge completely,” Ash said, as his eyes searched the walls.

  Except he didn’t see anything.

  In fact, when he turned around, he couldn’t even see the way they’d entered the room. It looked as smooth and solid as every other part of the room.

  Turning around in place, Ash reached out and put his hand to the wall. To the spot where he knew they’d come in from.

  Solid and unmoving under his fingertips, he felt only smooth green jade.

  Okay. So they lock you in here and then subject you to the test. Which means failure isn’t an option. At least not one they want you to consider.

  Frowning, Ash called up Spring Step and then shoved with his hand. Putting all the force he could into his palm.

  With a crackling detonation, the wall exploded outward. Jade fragments burst forth and bounced around the walls, ceiling and floor.

  “Get out,” Ash said, turning to look at Na and Chunhua. “I’ll try to find the other way into here. They couldn’t have come in the way we did. That’s just not possible.”

  “Agreed, the voice said this wasn’t the first trial, which means there were others before this,” Na said. Turning, she marched into the hallway they’d come in from. Her boots crunched and crushed the jade as she went.

  Chunhua followed behind her only a few seconds later.

  Alright. Uh.

  Now… now what?

  Chewing at his lip, Ash began to slowly move around the room. Laying his hand to the walls and then shoving with Spring Step.

  Nothing gave and nothing shifted. There was no change in anything at all.

  After having made two full passes around the room, there was a deep, dull gong sound.

  “Begin,” said the same voice from earlier.

  Spinning in place, Ash faced the center of the room.

  A massive lump began to take shape at the center of the room from the ground itself.

  It seemed to pull from the jade around it. The green mineral gained an almost liquid consistency before it formed into a pool from which the growing mound slowly rose.

  “Oh, fuck. What is that?” Ash grumbled, moving into a defensive posture. “I just… can’t I just catch a break?”

  Even as the pool of jade formed, he tried to hit it with Sneaky Peeky. Except nothing came back. Not a single bit of information.

  As if it didn’t exist in any way whatsoever.

  Growing taller and wider, the indistinct mass of liquid jade had gradually begun to shift and morph. It developed into a vaguely humanoid shape while continuing to increase in size at the same time.

  “It’s a golem!” called Na from the hallway. He could just barely see the top of her head as she peeked around the corner.

  “Great, any advice?” Ash asked in a growl. “Cause I don’t know how punching a giant jade golem is g—”

  Deciding that was the moment to finish molding itself, the jade giant moved its arms forward toward Ash.

  Activating Spring Step, Ash took a hopping step backward and put himself out of reach of the golem.

  “—n’t get hit!” Na clarified with extremely helpful advice.

  “Pretty sure that’s what I told you!” Ash shouted back to her and then shook his head. He focused his entire attention on the construct of jade in front of him.

  Gone was the liquid-like state it’d been in originally. Now it seemed to be formed of extremely hard jade. The arms of the golem were as thick around as Ash’s entire torso.

  “Anything else that might be more useful?” Ash yelled.

  “Don’t die,” Chunhua offered.

  Rolling his eyes, Ash clicked his teeth together and stared at the monstrosity before him.

  Okay… okay, so… this is a test for people to pass. It isn’t a defense or anything. It’s just—

  “Illegal abilities detected,” said the voice from earlier. “The trial is suspended.”

  Oh. Oh, does that mean that I can—

  The jade golem became bright green. A massive charge of Qi began forming on its left limb while the right one transformed into an elongated blade.

  Ah… shit. Now it’s just going to try and kill me.

  Charging forward, the golem rushed at him with far more speed than Ash expected it to have.

  Taking in a sharp breath, Ash yanked at his Dao. He’d deal with the tribulation as he had to, but right now he needed his momentum.

  And immediately.

  Connecting himself with the momentum, Ash had a momentary loss of control. His mind was in too much turmoil to manage to hang onto his Dao.

  It skipped away from him, even as he tried to sink his fingers into it.

  In the flash of time that he’d had a hold of it, he did see where the blade of the golem was coming.

  Straight for his chest.

  Jerking to one side even as the vision of the future fled, Ash reached out with his hands. With a deafening clang, the blade slammed into the wall behind where he’d been standing just a moment ago. Latching onto the blade with both hands, Ash utilized Spring Step. Pressing down hard with both hands, Ash poured Qi into the ability.

  Right up to the point where he felt he might break his arms and hands.

  With a ping that sounded like metal being snapped, the blade broke free from the limb.

  The weight of the thing surprised Ash, and he was forced to drop it to the ground for now in order to continue fighting. Unfortunately, the whole exchange left him off balance and caused him to go stumbling forward.

  A screeching roar from the golem tore at Ash’s eardrums. Like they’d been stabbed almost directly by the sound.

  Looking back at his opponent, Ash raised his hands and patted his left hand against his hip.

  The chain that was attached there had links the size of a large dog.

  Qi that felt oddly over-fashioned began to roll into him from the golem.

  More than enough to hold my Dao for a while.

  Digging back into his Dantian, he called it forth once more.

  Getting a better hold on it now, he quickly settled his thoughts and emotions. Smoothed them out until they were more akin to the surface of a calm lake.

  Regardless of what was going on beneath, he would wait and react to the situation.

  Stomping one giant foot down to the ground, the golem paused and then stood motionless.

  Jade began to pull away from the walls and the floor, turning to liquid and sliding across toward the golem.

  Great. Okay, so… fuck this. I can’t win.

  Not by fighting him.

  If he’s just going to flow like water and d—

  Before he could finish the thought, Ash snatched out with his Dao at the monster. At the very substance it was made of.

  After all, it was flowing right now, even though it could also become a solid.

  That meant it had a momentum all
its own. One that he could perhaps tap into and control.

  Or at the very least, destroy.

  Having already absorbed some of the Qi that this golem was created from made it all the easier for Ash. He could practically see the same Qi forming strands to pull more jade into itself.

  Those very same strands were filling out the entirety of the golem and holding it together.

  Bringing his hands together in a clapping motion, he ripped at all the jade in the room.

  If the golem wanted more jade to build itself up, who was Ash to argue?

  Especially when it suited his own purposes.

  Shattering and cracking like glass, the jade around the room broke free and rushed the golem. Slamming into it from every possible direction, it suddenly looked like a horror movie monster. Bits and pieces of broken, jagged shards covered its every surface.

  It’d also grown three times in size and practically couldn’t move anymore.

  In doing that, Ash had managed to reveal the exit he’d been looking for all along. An archway was visible in the far wall. He couldn’t see beyond it, but anything was better than where he was at the moment.

  “Time to go!” Ash shouted, turning to look toward Na and Chunhua.

  Both women fled the hallway and darted out into the room. Seeing the newly uncovered archway, they ran for it.

  Bending down, Ash collected the heavy jade blade, braced it over his shoulder, and ran after the girls.

  Behind him, he could feel the jade golem trying to break itself free. Except it was only being trapped by what it was.

  There was nothing to escape or get loose from.

  “What’d you do to it?” Na asked as she ran through the archway.

  “Stole its momentum!” Ash explained. It was the right answer and anything more than that was simply out of his control at the moment.

  Na and Chunhua winked out of existence as they kept running. As if they’d stepped behind a wall and were no longer visible to him.

  Right up until he apparently crossed over the same invisible demarcation point that they did.

  Standing in a much larger version of the room they’d just been in, Ash felt defeated. This room was also covered in jade and was quite empty, having not a thing in it.

  I guess I should have thought of that. This could end up just being one continuous run-on trial. Moving from room to room.