Path of the Berserker

Yu Li shielded her eyes from the glare of the morning sun as it crested over the horizon.

She was gathered within the market square along with the rest of the community, woken up early by Jian Yi. People had turned out dressed in their finest attire as Jian Yi had requested and she was addressing the crowd from atop a table, the documents Chun had sent in her hands.

The day had finally come.

The day Yu Li had dreaded for over a month.

The apology to Hein.

Just the thought of him brought an uneasiness to her spirit.

But for some reason there was more hope in her heart than dread.

And despite herself, she had to give Jian Yi some credit for that.

She was explaining that thanks to Chun they were all part of a new sect now…the Terran Sect, and that they had protection under the law. It was hard to tell if people understood what that exactly meant. Even Yu Li didn’t fully understand, but by the way Jian Yi was speaking, a steady confidence was building within the crowd.

“I know what I’m telling you goes against everything we’ve been told,” Jian Yi was saying. “That being a Terran means you must humble yourself and serve even the lowest of our merciful Yee saviors. But today we will not simply bow down. We must show our strength. We must show that we stand united under the law. That we are indeed members of the true Terran Sect.”

There was a small round of cheers from the crowd, but Yu Li could tell there was still some uncertainty as well. The reason for that was quickly revealed when a woman yelled out from the crowd.

“Where’s Chun?”

That sparked a chorus of murmurs.

Jian Yi handled it expertly though, not showing a hint of uncertainty in her tone.

“Young Master Hein will arrive at noon for the start of the duel,” she said. “And rest assured, Chun shall be here also.”

* * *

I thrusted Threja’s sword back into the ground, having moved it to the small clearing directly in front of the massive bunker doors. It lined up perfectly with the seam between them, creating a monument of sorts.

It was a bit ceremonial, with the entire populace gathered before me as Kelsey and Susan stood by my side. It was morning now, the translation of the manual taking a bit longer than I had anticipated. But Kelsey stayed up as long as she could, going to midnight before eventually falling asleep.

Susan took over after that, transcribing the final few chapters before I too eventually gave in to sleep having finally completed the task. That was about five hours ago and now I was an hour past my departure time. I wanted nothing more than to get underway, but I had to spend a few minutes more to ensure this most necessary step took place.

“Alright, folks, this is it,” I said, addressing the group that Susan had pulled together. “I know we all just met, but today I must leave you and return to the city.”

That got murmurs of confusion from the crowd.

“What do you mean leave?” Richards said, hostility in his tone. “You ride in here, mess up a whole bunch of stuff and then ride off into the sunset?”

“I wouldn’t call feeding us for a week messing stuff up,” Kelsey quipped.

Richards opened his mouth to retort, but he couldn’t seem to find any words to combat the girl’s logic.

I smiled then, with [Struggler’s Resolve] trying to ease the tension. “It’s okay, guys. I understand. And trust me, if I didn’t have to go I wouldn’t, but my path leads me away from you for a while. I will return, but I’m not going to leave you empty handed.”

I rested my palm on the hilt of Threja’s blade. “This sword is a holy relic of an ascended god. It exudes power that you can’t sense, but it’s right now forming a protective barrier around this entire area for a quarter mile in each direction.”

“What?” someone said, sparking more chatter.

“It’s true,” Kelsey said. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes. The monsters that come at night can’t get through it. We’re all safe here now. We can leave the bunker and live outside. Up on the surface.”

That got even more gasps of amazement.

“That’s not all,” Susan said. “He has also given us this.”

She then produced the manuscript which she had bound into a cover, which had a simple handwritten title in English: Cultivation Fundamentals. She held it up for everyone to see and as expected people didn’t seem to quite know what to make of it.

“Again,” I said. “I wish I had more time to explain all this, but within that book are the instructions on how to cultivate. By my estimation, one in twenty will have the aptitude to detect and learn the ability to cultivate Qi. But even if you can’t, I encourage all of you to learn and understand it. The knowledge within that manual is the very foundation of power.”

I then paused to sense the unkindled souls within the crowd.

Even more than before perhaps.

Forty to fifty now.

“For another group still,” I still. “There will be an even further form of advancement possible, if fate would have it. For that reason alone I am honor bound to return to you. Trust me when I say this. There is more power within you few here that you don’t yet understand. But know, that now more than ever, I believe taking this entire planet back is possible.”

That sparked even more embers to stir, but I left it at that.

“When will you return?” the woman, June, asked.

I chuckled. “A good question. The answer is as soon as possible, but as for when that will be exactly…fate only knows.”

I couldn’t sound more cryptic, I realized, but that was the truth of the matter.

I still had to get 200 miles across the wild and then face Hein, but more than that, I had Hong Feng to deal with. He knew my secret. And as soon as I showed back up alive, I’d be as good as dead again.

That meant I needed to take care of him while I still held an advantage.

Sudden death from the grave had a nice ring to it.

The thought only spurred me on to depart.

“That’s it,” I said, addressing the crowd again. “I wish you all well until I return. Oh… and one last thing.” I looked to Richards. “Remember who’s still in charge until your boss gets back.”

Richards smirked. “Yeah… we’ll see once you’re gone.”

The Demon twitched within me. “Need I remind you of the law of strength again?” I pointed at Threja’s blade. “This sword represents me and my power. And while you remain under its protection you remain under my rule. So, until your real boss gets back, I’ve made Susan your leader.” I looked out into the crowd. “Any complaints about that?”

A few people shrugged, but most shook their heads. Even his fellow soldiers looked away sheepishly as Richards turned a shade redder, anger boiling inside of him.

“That’s settled,” I said. “I’ll see you all when I return.”

The crowd dispersed slowly but Kelsey and Susan remained at my side. A few of the community members approached me and thanked me for what I’d done, but even as much as I had done thus far, felt like it was way too little. It made me wonder if I could balance this juggling act of managing two Terran communities while also trying to advance my cultivation to take down a 14-millennium-old empire.

You’ve got to eat an elephant one bite at a time, I reminded myself.

I glanced at Richards as he walked away, tail between his legs.

“You going to be able to manage him,” I asked, looking to Susan.

The doctor shrugged. “He’ll be alright.”

“Not really what I meant,” I said.

If it were up to me, I’d maybe send Richards out on a final mission into the wild, but I wouldn’t even suggest making a call like that to Susan. These people would have their own dynamics to sort out and a push like that from me would be a step too far. But it was worth the risk to put someone with actual brains in control, even temporarily.

All the more reason to hurry back, I thought.

I set my sights on the horizon, judging the time by the position of the sun.

I had to get moving.

“Thanks for everything,” I said, turning to Susan and Kelsey. “Both of you.”

Susan nodded and shook my hand. “You’re the strangest most wonderful thing to come through here in 12 years, Max. Hurry back.”

“I will.”

I then gave Kelsey a smile. “See you soon, yeah?”

She smirked playfully.

“I’m going to hold you to that,” she said, giving me a fist pump. “And one more thing…”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t forget your promise.”

* * *

Leaving the bunker and Threja’s sword behind felt like a sin.

But it was necessary now.

I headed north towards a small hill and once atop it paused to study my surroundings. I picked up my bearings using my handler skills, determining north by north-west was roughly the direction I needed to head.

Susan had given me a faded army green tee shirt to wear, which now clung to my skin far too snugly. But it wouldn’t survive what I was about to do. Removing it, I channeled my inner Flame and engaged [Mark of the Beast].

Blood flowed from my mouth as my feral traits took hold, canines sharpening and lengthening as my limbs grew longer with snaps and pops of bone. The transformation went quicker than normal and seemed to hurt less too. Perhaps it was a result of finally entering the Core Realm, but I felt more energized than I ever had before.

I surged with solid Frenzy and sent a blue lightning bolt into the sky, giving my new-found tribe a final farewell with a volley of echoing thunder.

I’ll be back, I told them as I settled onto all fours and prepared to run eight marathons in the time it took to normally run one. It sounded impossible, but nothing was impossible for a Berserker when the [Odds were Against Him].

The thought summoned fresh Frenzy from my Flame and I used it to channel strength and endurance to my limbs. Releasing a savage howl, I sprung into the forest and ran faster than I’d ever run before.

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