Chapter 209: Making a Deal
Jack dashed through the mist, hoping he was moving in the right direction. Half his mind was occupied with sprinting at full tilt. The other half desperately tried to retrace the path. A third, smaller part was constantly thinking, fuckfuckfuckfuck.
There were objects in the mist. A boulder here, a plant there, a mound the other way. Little things that had been completely insignificant on the way in now served as waymarks for his memory to work off of. His field of sight, however, was pitiful. Barely nine feet ahead of himself. His only saving grace was his Dao perception, which had evolved along with his levels and could now scout the environment up to thirty feet around him, if he kept it constantly active. Which he did, despite its energy consumption, because what choice did he have?
Angry stomps and roars came from behind. Longsword and the ice witch, along with Vocrich, the dryad, Minerva, and most of her menagerie were after himonly the turtle had been left behind, as it was too slow.
Longsword could match Jack in combat by himself. Minerva was probably even stronger, and there were also the followers. This wasnt a fight he could handle.
Jack followed the path of the fist. It meant he was proud and unyielding, not that he enjoyed punching walls. Turning to fight now would just be Lord-assisted suicidebetter to take the pill, run away, breakthrough, then return to pay them back ten times over.
Besidesthere was no shame in running away from unfair battles. Especially when he had nothing to lose by running.
Fuck off, you bullies! he screamed inwardly, darting to the left as a large rock entered the range of his perception. His mind worked in overtime, trying to come up with a solution on top of all the other tasks it was currently juggling.
Many things had worked together to reach this point. He had revealed his previous trickstealing the Repeat Exploding Orbto Longsword. Dorman had omitted a critical part of the rules when explaining them. The Sage had given him the experience jewel and mispredicted the result of Jacks actions. When he finally got hold of the fruit, this death hunt was already bound to occur.
This was all very suspicious. Did the Sage and Dorman plan this? It sounded far-fetched, but with the Sages divination abilities, it was more than possible. The more he considered it, the more obvious it seemed that hed been set up. Howeverwhy? Why would they do this? What did they stand to gain?
Jack wrangled his brain and came up with nothing. He couldnt focus right now, either.
Fuck those guys, he concluded. If I survive, Ill fucking punch them in the face! At least they promised to protect Brockif that is even true.
However, survival was a bleak possibility. Just as Jack cut to the left, the dark outline of a blade slashed through the mist beside him, smashing into the stone and searing it in half. Longsword wasnt holding back at all. Even on Jacks Indomitable Body, those things would hurt.
The most annoying opponent, however, was Minervas Diamond-Winged Sparrow. It possessed extreme speed, far faster than Jack or any of his pursuers. It had already jumped at him twice, each time trying to tear some tendon or blind him. At least, it was weak, and Jack had the reflexes to punch it if it came from a bad angle. It was forced to lurk at the edges of his perception and wait for an opening.
A patch of ground before Jacks feet turned slightly darker. He instantly jumped up, dodging the shadow hand that sprouted from the ground to catch his ankle. As he was airborne, the sparrow swooped in, slashing a deep line on his cheek. He had turned his head at the last second, barely shielding his eyes.
Jack cursed under his breath. The sparrow disappeared in the mist, farther than he could perceive, and he landed smoothly, not breaking stride. The wound on his cheek closed, and the blood evaporated. His Indomitable Body and Dao Root of Lifethe Life Dropwere a killer combination.
Unfortunately, everything had a price. His regeneration allowed him to withstand the occasional attack, but it sapped at his stamina like crazy. He was panting already, and it hadnt been a minute since he started running. At this pace, hed run out of energy soonlet alone outrunning his pursuers.
I have to do something, he thought. Tossing the Dao Sprouting Pill into the mist came as an idea. It might distract them. However, that would mean losing the pill, the only reason why he was running to begin with.
The other idea was to activate the Life Drop and face everyone in epic combat. Unfortunately, even with the Life Drop, he would probably die against two Lords at the same time, let alone their followers. Maybe doing both things at oncethrowing the pill and then activating the Life Drop when fewer people were leftwould workbut it was such an ugly solution.
He would keep it as a last resort. Maybe they had far less stamina than him, or they would turn back, afraid of losing their way in the mist. In the end, the more he kept running, the more people would run out of stamina and stop chasing, leaving him fewer cultivators to face when he inevitably turned and fought them. With any luck they would already be exhausted from the previous battle.
Suddenly, two stacks of cages appeared in Jacks perception. His eyes widened. He instantly dived between them, coming across a maze with walls of stacked steel cages. All sorts of beasts slumbered inside them. The moment he set foot in the maze, his stomps woke them up, and they began to rise and howl, awakening their neighbors as a chain reaction that spread across the maze.
Jack remembered this place. It was a trap theyd run into on the way. Back then, they had found a way through it by being deathly silent and having the two guides divine the best path forward. Now, neither of those options were available. Jack had no option but to stomp through.
On one hand, he remembered the way. The maze wasnt particularly large, and it was full of easy waymarksthe caged beasts. On the other, there were King beasts loose in the maze. One of those might appear in his way, since theyd all wake up soon.
Jack stomped into the maze, darted around the first corner, and instantly heard his pursuers enter as well. The beasts were making a cacophony that had no equal. Howls, chirps, screams, roars, growls; all sorts of animals were contained here. It was a wondrous placeand also one that deeply pained Jacks heart, seeing all these wonderful animals trapped.
Unfortunately, both the previous time and now, he lacked the ability to do anything about it. He promised to return if he ever found the opportunity.
One corridor gave way to another. The cages bled together. Jack was just running, doing his best to follow the safe path.
Before he knew it, he was out, thanking all the stars in the sky that no King beast had come to face him. His pursuers werent as lucky. A colossal roar split the mist and threatened to burst Jacks eardrums. Sounds of combat came from behind him, followed by the screams and shouts of cultivators.
Jack breathed a sigh of relief. For once, he had gotten lucky. Perhaps the beast would slow them down enough for him to escape.
Before he even finished the thought, another roar came through the mist, this one laced with deep pain and fear. They had already beaten it.
Jack set to running again, cursing his luck. At least hed earned a second. His feet thundered against the soil. The surroundings zoomed by. His breath came in uneven rasps. The sparrow stalked him still, attacking whenever it saw a fraction of an opening.
Once, Jacks backfist clipped its wings, but all he achieved was to make it slightly more careful.
Blades still flew at him occasionally, shadows tried to entrap him, ice tubes grew at him whenever he made sharp turns. The hippos roar shook the entire garden. Lady Minerva was eerily silent.
Between dodging all these attacks, remembering the way, and maintaining top speed, Jacks mind was stretched to its limit. Only the Dao Root of Indomitable Will kept him alive, maintaining his focus razor-sharp. In contrast, his pursuers only had to follow him.
What if I veer off the right path!? Jack wondered in a moment of panic, only to beat down the idea. He had witnessed the deadliness of Trial Garden first-hand. This wasnt a place for E-Grades. Any random trap might end him before he even had the chance to scream.
But I have to do something!
The seconds flowed on. Before he knew it, Jack had already sprinted the distance it had taken them days to walk. Most traps were already resolved, thankfully, so he could just walk right through them. Unfortunately, there wasnt anything he could activate to hinder his pursuers.
Suddenly, as he charged forth, something new invaded his perception. Nohis psyche. It was a deep distaste, a disgusting, gut-wrenching feeling of wrongness. It was so strong and sudden that it almost made him trip.
What the hell is that!? he wondered. It took him a second to remember. He knew this feeling. He had experienced it only a couple days ago, when they ran into that trapped devil. Back then, hed noticed that he seemed to be the only person feeling this waywhich made sense, given that it originated from his Life Drop, for some reason. Hed also noticed that the feeling persisted for a long time, serving as a sort of compass to the devils location.
After the devil, the Sage had taken them through a path so needlessly convoluted that nobody could retrace it, returning them to the right path. He had done the same as they approached. As a result, nobody besides the two guides could find the devil again, even if they knew he was somewhere nearby.
But Jack could. For whatever reason, he had a devil compass inside him.
He eyed the mound before him. The way to the gardens entrance lay to the left. However, his devil compass led him to the right.
He veered right, diving head-first into the mist. Devils were bad news. However, right now, he needed a miracle.
He sensed the hesitation of his pursuers. They remembered the right path, too, and they knew hed wandered off. They also remembered that theyd met the devil somewhere around here. Undoubtedly, a thousand thoughts went through their minds, but Jack couldnt hear them. If all went well, they would just drop the chase.
They followed him. He could hear their footsteps and shouts, sense their attacks and evade them. Everyone remained on his tail. They wanted that pill too damn much.
Jack felt the deep repulsion grow stronger. His strides shortened as he crossed unfamiliar terrain. The path theyd taken to reach the devil had been needlessly convolutedit was actually much closer than anyone might assume. The only risk right now was the possible existence of traps in the straight line between Jack and the devil, but the distance wasnt too great, and the gardens traps werent too densely packed.
Suddenly, a presence appeared in Jacks mind. It simply hovered there, as if watching him from a distance. Jacks spine tingled. Thankfully, he knew how to speak telepathically, as long as the other person opened the connection. I will release you! In return, help me escape my pursuers, and never try to harm me, my friends, or my family in any way! Im giving you a good deal here, so dont try to cheat!
This last sentence was the best Jack could do. In his present state, coming up with a waterproof contract was simply impossible.
Manic laughter rang in his mind, along with a deep, seething voice. DEAL!
The mist opened before him. Suddenly, he saw a twenty-foot-wide circle of magical symbols, with the air shimmering above them and a devil trapped in their midst. It remained an ugly, repulsive creature. Spikes ran down its spine, horns grew on its head, and its hands ended in long, sharp claws.
For a brief moment, Jack wondered whether he was fucking up. Unfortunately, he had no other choice. It was either this or dying to Longsword. He just had to pray.
He punched the air, shooting a stream of Dao at the magic symbols on the ground. It wasnt a Meteor Punch, just a weak Dao expulsion, like the ones he used to move in space.
The symbols shook. The shimmering air shone purple, then evaporated like a burnt sheet. The devil stared at Jack like he couldnt believe this. IM FREE! he roared. Dark power rose around him like a tide. Jack felt like he was suffocating. The System may have called the devil a King E-Grade creature, but its power was stronger than anything Jack could currently muster. He realized that, if the devil attacked him, he might not survive more than three hits.
But it wouldntright?
The devil jumped at Jack. He ducked, cursed, and prepared to defend. The devils leap turned into flight. It shot over Jacks head, into the mist behind him. Jacks eyes shone as he followed the devil. If it attacked his pursuers, he could help it finish them off.
Screams rang from the mist before he even came within range. An explosion of energy cleared the surrounding mist. Jack saw Longsword recovering from being sent flying, the hippo lying on the ground with a deep, lethal-looking gash across its belly, and Minerva running away. The ice witch was nowhere to be seenperhaps shed turned back, too exhausted to contribute to the chase.
Of course, the difference in power between this devil and the Lords wasnt as great as it seemedthey had just been ambushed and too slow to react.
In the blink of an eye, the devil appeared before Vocrich and cut off his head. There was nothing the vampire could do. He simply died, all his shadows melting into thin air.
Vocrich! Minerva shouted.
The devil didnt spare Vocrichs body a second glance. Ut kept going, reaching the dryad that hid behind the vampire. Die, you cursed life-wielder! it shouted, pinning the dryad to the ground. As she screamed, the devil dug both hands into her chest and tore her in half like a pillow. Blood and entrails flew everywhere. The dryad, despite all her healing powers, died instantly.
Jack froze momentarily at the brutality.
There, I helped, the devil said, pulling back its hands. Its savagery seemed spent on the dryad, and it now sported a wide smile. Have fun, kids. Thanks for freeing me!
Then, with a final shout of mad joy, it flew into the mists and disappeared. It was heading in the opposite direction from the garden entrance.
Jack remained frozen, this time in surprise. He glanced at Longsword, who was glaring back full of hatred. You are dead, he said, voice dripping hatred.
Shit, said Jack. So much for freeing the devil.
Thankfully, this assault had scattered the pursuers, giving Jack a clean view of the way he had come from. Without a second thought, he started running again, and everyone chased with renewed hatred, leaving the bodies of Vocrich and the dryad, along with the hemorrhaging hippo, to rot in the mist.
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