Path of the Berserker

Master Hei Dong sighed heavily as the small groups of cultivators milled about the courtyard of the Dong Family Estate with a mixture of haughtiness and indifference. He had transformed the place overnight, creating small pedestals by covering stools and tables with white cloth and then adorning them with some of his most prized collectables from the Dong Family arsenal.

Fine jian blades made of Aurorian-alloyed steel, spirit-stone-encrusted talismans and even armor pieces for more ceremonial events, decorated the landscape, turning his private home into a gallery of fine arts and martial craft. Hei Dong had advertised the open house as a charity event, giving his neighbors and friends a rare opportunity to obtain wares that would normally never be for sale.

Sadly, the charity in this case was for his very own family now.

He put on a smile as he helped an offworld cultivator assess the worth of a spear that had taken him nearly a year to forge. As a master smith it was easy to embellish the story of not only its creation, but the history of every specific ingredient that led to its composition, like its shaft being hewn from a 5000 year old demonic tree as to why it was worth so many spirit stones.

Sadly, she still didn’t buy it.

Curse my fate, he thought.

The process of selling his belongings was a painful one.

Ironic almost.

There were days not long ago when he would have longed to do just this. Return to his first love as an artisan cultivator and enjoy his days haggling with customers about the best price for his wares. But that was when his position as Vice Warden consumed his time with administration and bureaucratic toil. Going back to his roots had been a welcome escape or daydream from the everyday pressures of being the second in command of the entire province.

If his neighbors only knew that he needed every spirit stone of this sale just to maintain his household for another month, then he would suffer a loss of face even greater than what he had lost already. Even now, he could sense the subtle disdain they held for him when looking over his fine works. Had this been a year ago, the heights of royalty would have flocked to merely attend such an event and cherish the rare opportunity to bid on a weapon created by the renowned Vice Warden and Artisan, Master Hei Dong of the Silver Leaf Clan.

Now they scorned him, the rumors of his failure so worn through that even to mention them had fallen out of vogue. Hei Dong was now becoming something even worse than scorned and ridiculed.

He was becoming…insignificant.

The cheery call of his wife’s voice broke him out of his spiraling thoughts, and he looked up to see the simultaneous cause and cure for all his misfortune.

Max Chun.

The man dwarfed his daughter like a giant, his robes barely able to contain his hulking form. Just to look at him caused an ire of conflict to fill his soul. Chun’s power and skills as a martial cultivator were undeniable—his progression far more than should be possible for a man his age. Yet here he stood, a Terran native, barely two decades old who had defeated his longtime rival and enemy, Lo Feng. His martial prowess had caught the attention of not only his daughter, but even the princess herself.

The man was a prodigy.

Or so the rumor mill was churning about him.

He was a doubled-edged sword in that regard.

For Hei Dong anyway.

His infamy now added to Hei Dong’s own disgrace and obsolescence.

His actions had caused Hei Dong his position, yet they had also saved his wife and daughter from certain death. A daughter who now loved him. And in truth, there was not much Hei Dong could say against the man’s character. A handsome brute of simple ways and thoughts. A good balance to his daughter perhaps, who followed in his footsteps of wisdom and cunning.

Still, it now shamed him, that this man was now of greater status than he.

His wife Rhi Dong did not seem to mind or care.

Since the crippling of her Dantian, she seemed to have thrown herself into her new-found role as a grandmother. Hein’s illegitimate daughter Su Ling, who despite adding to his family’s growing shame, was now the apple of his wife’s eye and even his own at times.

So conflicted, he thought.

He should hate this man Max Chun for everything thing he had done to bring shame into his family. The petitioning of his daughter’s hand in marriage, the challenging of the Warden which had caused Hei Dong to lose his position and even the planting of that quill, which had caused Hei Dong to waste half his family’s fortune on a Grand Sage that did nothing except prove his daughter guilty.

The thought of it all caused more ire to build in his stomach.

Max Chun had caused everything.

Yet he did also save his family and destroy one of his greatest enemies.

More than that, Hei Dong himself could respect the man’s ambition and power. To boldly challenge the Legionnaire Academy was no small feat. And yet here he stood at the precipice, about to depart on a journey across the stars.

Perhaps fate would resolve his conflict by never having to see the man again, Hei Dong thought.

It was a wishful notion.

But one that would devastate his daughter and perhaps even his wife now.

Hei Dong sighed.

Like it or not, this man of simultaneous destruction and salvation was joined to his family in more ways than one and Hei Dong would have to endure him for who knew how long now.

So conflicted, he thought again.

So conflicted.

* * *

As I approached Master Hei Dong, I could sense a mixture of hatred and lemonade within his soul. A rare combination and one that did anything but put me at ease as I stood face to face with the artisan cultivator who would one day become my father-in-law.

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Despite the anger inside him, his face maintained a perfect and practiced smile as Fia and I bowed before him.

“Greetings, father,” Fia said. “Max is on his way to the sky port now. He wanted to pay his respects.”

I stood stiffly and then performed a deep bow. “This One is honored to have been made part of your family, Master Hei Dong. I will do my best to return home a champion and to provide for your daughter a home befitting one such as her and akin to the one you yourself have created.”

I’d been working at that little speech all night, but it elicited nothing more than a polite smile from Master Hei Dong.

“I wish you well,” he said. “For my daughter’s sake.”

The words felt like ice, even though they were spoken with a smile.

It seemed to fool Fia and her mother though, who both grinned and nodded in return.

“You must come back swiftly,” Lady Silver Moon said. “My daughter would not do well to wait as long as I did to start a family.”

Fia blushed and laughed but didn’t disagree with her either.

Hei Dong let out a harrumph. “My lovely wife. Always getting ahead of herself.”

I laughed but was eager to change the topic of conversation.

“The sale seems to be going well,” I said looking about. “A lot of customers, it looks like.”

He shrugged. “It is a sale. Nothing more.”

An odd and uncomfortable silence fell as he said nothing else.

I didn’t know what else to say either.

“I’ll be happy to be rid of some of this junk,” Lady Silver moon said. “It’s cluttered our lives for far too long. Decades even.”

Her words broke the tension with a small laugh, but Fia had already told me why Master Hei Dong was holding the sale.

The family finances were not in good shape.

Again, mostly due to me.

I felt guilty as hell for Master Hei Dong losing his position by me challenging the Warden, but I didn’t know how to even broach the topic with him, or even if I should. It was clear his pride was wounded and pandering to him would probably only make him hate me more. My first taste of that came from when I had offered to share some of the gains from the Fire Bird’s coffers with him. Hei Dong had grown silent at the offer, but I could sense an anger burning within him.

He responded with a polite decline, but I knew I had offended him greatly.

Still, I didn’t want to come across as some insensitive asshole either, oblivious to his plight. I still didn’t know Master Hei Dong very well, but he was Fia’s father and she adored him. I needed to make some effort to foster a real relationship between us. I thought I’d slammed a home run with him, at first. He had accepted my proposal to marry Fia with little hesitation after I defeated Lo Feng, but now perhaps, after losing his position and with the luster of me saving his family wearing off, he was beginning to resent me.

Or so I feared.

“Things will get better when I return,” I said. “I’ll put everything right.”

I left it as open and nondescript as that, hoping to claim some responsibility for what I’d done.

“Oh?” he said. “Will you now?” He chuckled and placed his hands behind his back. “I suppose we shall see.”

The barrier between us felt like ice again, but I decided to let it drop.

I gave him a final bow and gave one to Fia’s mother as well.

She at least pulled me into an embrace.

“May the fates of the heavens be with you,” she said.

We finally departed giving them both a wave and headed out of the courtyard.

“Man,” I said once we were out of earshot. “Your dad really hates me.”

“What?” Fia said sounding surprised. “That’s not true. You impress him immensely, I’m sure of it.”

I glanced back to see Master Hei Dong still staring at me or perhaps glaring was more accurate.

“Well, you can’t sense his inner spirit like I can,” I said turning back around. “Trust me, there’s more hate than lemonade in there.”

“More hate than what?”

“Nevermind,” I said.

I really didn’t need to dwell on this negativity.

Not before leaving.

I had millions of miles to travel and unknown trials to face after that.

My last moments with Fia had to be ones I could cherish not lament over.

“Maybe you’re right,” I lied. “I guess I’m just reading into things.”

Fia smiled, happy again. “Let’s get you to the sky port. The skiff will be arriving soon.”

As we headed for the upper levels of the Imperial City, I took one last glance back towards Master Hei Dong as he catered to the would-be buyers in his courtyard. A sad sight. He was a man broken. A man that I had broken. And I needed to make amends. It was clear I couldn’t have a conversation about it though. It was just something I would need to do.

I added one more item to my list of reasons I could not fail.

I needed to return victorious not just to become Warden and marry Fia.

I needed the power to restore the honor of Master Hei Dong as well.

* * *

The rays of the afternoon sun filtered down between the crisscrossing walkways of the upper city like beams of light from heaven. As Fia and I rode the lift skyward to the topmost part of the giant pagoda, I was treated to yet another fabulous view, that of the iceberg-sized crystal that was the true heart of the floating city.

The massive aetherite crystal hovered in the center of the various walkways, connected to the superstructure of the pagoda by them and other frameworks of stone and gleaming steel. The golden-hued crystal not only provided the protective barrier that kept the populous safe from the Bloodmoon, but also the energy to keep the entire city afloat and even propel it across space to the distant stars.

It was hard to believe but the entire city was actually a starship, similar to one that I would soon be travelling upon, presumably.

“It’s kind of crazy,” I said marveling at it. “In my world, only a lucky few ever experienced travelling in space. Now I’m about to go further than any Terran has ever been.”

Fia smiled. “It’s not something I would relish to do often. It took us close to two years to travel here from the core worlds.”

“Two years?”

I had no idea it’d taken so long, but I guess to move something so massive took time.

“It was stifling even for being in a city this large,” she said. “But fear not. I believe your transport will be much swifter.”

I chuckled. “I hope so.”

Nerves and excitement filled me the more I thought of it.

For five month’s I’d been preparing for this but now I was truly about to embark into the unknown. We reached the upper most level of the city and was greeted by nothing but wide-open sky. The Jurin City sky port lived up to every bit of its name in that regard. A strong and steady wind blew across the deck, throwing about our robes as we made our way across the flat surface where several skiffs were parked.

The one I was headed for was obvious, being three times the size of the others and covered by a translucent canopy the size of a bus. But as we got closer, I saw there was a small contingent of people waiting for me as well.

I recognized the sect immediately from their billowing black and silver robes. Members of the Silver Leaf clan, but when I got close enough to see their faces it caused both Fia and I to pause. The ageless face of the Warden herself, the Lady Silver Tear, deigned to crack a smile as we approached, but her presence wasn’t what truly surprised me.

Next to her were three women I recognized immediately, primarily because they all looked the same. They could pass for being sisters with Lady Silver Tear, with long silver hair and faces looking close to her in age, although truthfully they were but a fraction of the Lady Silver Tear’s 200 years.

“What the hell are the bird sister doing here?” Fia whispered to me, as confused as I was about their presence.

The three bird sisters, the Lady Silver Hawk, Silver Dove and Silver Sparrow were named so for obvious reasons, but also due to the fact that they were triplets who ruled the Iron Bracket tournament…or at least had been until I put an end to their reign six months ago.

Even now I could sense a building hate and anger inside the three of them, especially from the Lady Silver Hawk whom I had punished in the ring for trying to impersonate her younger sister Wi Shen.

Fia and I stopped short and performed dutiful bows to the four of them.

“Greetings Sect Leader,” Fia said falling to one knee. “This One did not expect to see you here.”

“I believe it is only fitting that I see my challenger off in good fortune,” Lady Silver Tear said, throwing a sideward glance at me. “I would not want to be accused of being fearful to face him upon his return.”

I gave her a halfhearted bow. “You’re too kind, Lady Silver Tear.”

“And dear cousins,” Fia said, turning to the bird sisters to give them a bow as well. “I see you have joined as well for some reason?”

“Why should they not be here?” the Lady silver Tear said. “Is it not their station to be by my side?”

Fia squinted her eyes confused and so did I.

The sisters leered at us while the Warden let out a laugh.

“Apologies,” she said. “This One forgets that she is still yet to make an official announcement. Be honored then that you are the of the very first to hear the news.”

“What news?” I asked.

“Allow me to introduce you to your father’s successors, Lady Silver Light,” the Warden said as my mind did a double take. “You may each now pay your respects. The Lady Silver Hawk, Silver Dove and Silver Sparrow are now your three new Vice Wardens of Jurin Province.”

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