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“Hey, it’s okay,” I said. “She came out here to save me in the dead of night with the place filled with demons. Compared to that, I think it’s pretty safe right now, don’t you?”

Kelsey beamed a confident smile in response, her Flame agreeing.

Susan and Jim accepted it reluctantly and allowed her to hang around while we made final preparations to depart. I investigated what was left of the wagon. Broken cages were all that remained of the animals and most of the food had been saturated with demon blood, although I didn’t see any corpses. Perhaps they’d already been eaten by spirit beasts or cannibalized by the demons themselves.

I did manage to find a couple vials of healing salve and one sack of rice that was uncontaminated. I hung onto the salve and presented the rice to Jim.

“I’d brought a lot more than this,” I said. “But this is all that made it. I can bring back more on my next trip.”

Jim eyed the sack of rice like it was filled with plutonium. His brow creased as he pointed to the Yee characters written on the bag. “What’s that say?”

“Says rice,” I said, unable to hold back the ‘eye-roll’ in my tone. “One Shi…that’s about 150 pounds.”

He had me open it up and after seemingly satisfied that it was indeed what I said it was, ordered a couple of his men to secure it in the food storage below. I couldn’t help but think of how much effort I’d gone through to only have one sack of rice make it through. If that idiot Richards had opened the door, we could have possibly saved everything I’d bought.

The thought stirred anger as I stared at him.

Dumbass, I thought.

He was looking peaked, like he wanted to throw up, which I could only imagine was due to the brief ‘talking to’ that Jim had given him by pulling him to the side a few minutes ago. Now, Jim and his men were checking over their tactical gear near the edge of the perimeter. Combat helmets, Kevlar body armor and assault rifles. Stuff that wouldn’t make any difference if we ran into anything substantial, but it looked good I supposed.

“Stay safe out there, Max,” Kelsey said, giving me a fist bump as we readied to depart. “I wish these idiots would just let me come.”

“Next time,” I said giving her a smile.

“Hey, were you serious about me being powerful?” Kelsey asked. “Like the most powerful person besides you?”

The sincerity in her tone was heartwarming. I had no idea what I was supposed to do to mentor another Berserker. Or even if I could or should. The only example I had was Threja’s brief conversation with me before she left to ascend.

One thing was certain though.

If Kelsey or anyone else who became kindled was to ever blend into Yee society one day, I needed to keep their Berserker path a secret the same as mine. Kelsey wouldn’t know the difference of course, but when the day finally came to keep my promise to her and take her to the city, she couldn’t be spouting shuras and invoking Frenzy willy-nilly.

I knelt down to look her in the eye. “You’ve changed but you perhaps don’t realize it yet. You are special, Kelsey. Special like me.”

Her eyes grew wide at that. “What? Seriously?”

I chuckled and then spoke in a tone reminiscent of Threja. “Thou art indeed a kindled Flame, a frenzied spirit, tempered by struggle and sorrow, fueled by rage and pain…”

Kelsey blinked jerking backwards. Her Flame flared, becoming brighter, almost as if the verse had unlocked something inside of her, incrementing a notch. She then shook her head disorientated, like awaking from a dream.

“What the heck was that?” she said. “Was that a poem?”

I laughed inwardly. That was exactly what I’d said.

“It’s truth,” I told her. “More will come later. I promise. When I return with the sword.”

I stood then and turned, leaving her stupefied for a moment, but as I walked away, she called out to me again.

“Hey, Max!”

“Yeah?”

“Were you just bullshitting Jim about me being useful to you earlier? Or can I really help you?”

“You can,” I said, looking over my shoulder at her. “But Jim’s in charge now. We need to respect his authority.”

She grimaced in a way that reminded me of [Struggler’s Resolve].

“You said that in the new world, only the strongest rule. Isn’t that you right now?”

I chuckled again and looked over at Jim, still mustering his men. “Jim’s from the old world, and I’m still trying to figure out how to mesh the two. But don’t worry. I should be fine.”

I hoped.

I ruffled Kelsey’s hair like she was my kid sister, and she smacked my hand away playfully. “Hey, don’t mess with the do!”

“I’ll see you soon, Kelsey. When we get back, we’ll have a lot to discuss.”

* * *

The trek through the wild was mostly uphill, leading to the soldiers needing a break after about an hour or so. They were rugged, but I imagined being as weak and malnourished as they were, the hike was taking a lot out of them. I could only imagine what it must have been like making that hundred-odd mile journey through the tunnel.

Even out here though, I was surprised that Richards had made the effort to drag the sword this far. The thing had to weigh close to 400 pounds and even with five of them carrying it––assuming he had enlisted the help of all his men––it had to have been a massive chore.

It only served to heighten my disdain for the man. That had he gone through so much effort to sacrifice the safety of his people to regain control. Richards and his four subordinates were huddled in a group sipping water while Jim, Flores, and Harris surveyed the distant horizon that was dominated by a thick forest.

After we rested a while longer Jim finally spoke.

“How much further, Richards?” He barked the question more than asked it, causing Richards to snap to attention.

“Should be just over a mile, sir,” he answered. “Just over the next ridge.”

“Let’s get moving then,” he said. “The less time we spend out here in the open the better.”

We got back underway and after a few minutes I could finally sense it.

The faintest hint of pure Frenzy.

It was weak at first but grew stronger the more we travelled.

I still wasn’t sure exactly what it was.

It wasn’t a source of Frenzy that I could utilize, the same way I could Kelsey’s, more a harmonic resonance.

A frenzied tuning fork that vibrated with my soul.

The vibrations grew stronger as we approached the small ridge Richards had mentioned. We clambered up it and then stopped short once we reached the lip of a small canyon.

“Well, this is it,” Richards said, pointing into the canyon. “It’s down there.”

Stupid asshole, I thought. Would take him to go the extra mile and throw it off a damn cliff.

The cliff in question was about a hundred feet deep, less than fifty wide and extended for about a half mile each way––a sharp crevasse that reminded me of the landscape of the Reaper Flats. Just the thought of one of those things popping out right now had my Flame stirring.

Or sputtering as the case might be at present, producing more black smoke than Frenzy.

“I don’t see it,” one of Richards’ men said, peering into the crevasse. “It was right there wasn’t it?”

He pointed and all eyes turned to Richards.

“Well?” Jim said. “Is it down there or not?”

“I-I’m pretty sure it landed right there…”

They all began to look then, but all that could be seen was a muddy bottom void of any foliage or trees.

“It’s down there,” I said, stepping forward. “I can sense it.”

“Maybe it got buried?” Flores offered.

Just when the idea seemed plausible the truth emerged.

A hundred feet below, a hulking figure lumbered from out of the shadows at the edge of the crevasse. It looked at least 12 feet tall, walking upright like a man, but covered in thick black fur and that was silvered at the tips. I’d never seen anything like it in the wild before or even in my handler manuals.

But I didn’t need to. I knew exactly what this thing was.

“Is that a damn gorilla?” Harris said, straining his eyes.

“What’s a gorilla doing out here?” one of the other soldiers said.

“Probably escaped from a zoo,” Flores said, glancing down as well. “What’s in its hand? Is that the sword?”

Sure enough, dragging it behind like a massive club, the giant gorilla had Threja’s sword in its palm.

“Son of a bitch,” I swore.

Jim scoffed, folding his arms. “Well, this has clearly been a waste of time. I thought you said that sword repelled demons.”

“It does,” I said.

“Then why is that thing holding it?”

“Because it’s not a demon,” I said. “It’s a spirit beast. And an awakened one by the looks of it.”

I actually hadn’t given it much thought myself, but it was obvious now the barrier the sword produced and that of the pagoda were not exactly the same. The Pure Frenzy repelled the demons for sure and would keep them away at night. But against a wandering spirit beast, clearly there was no protection, or at least from an awakened spirit beast anyway. Maybe against lesser spirit beasts it was still effective, but that was something I would have to test later.

The priorities shifted in my mind.

It was clear now why the city had a protective wall as well as the barrier.

The physical wall could keep lesser spirit beasts out, and unlike the demons, spirit beasts behaved like animals. They kept to their own habitats away from humans, until the Bloodmoon drove them mad each night and turned them into demons. But with a wall built around the perimeter of the bunker, the people out here could still thrive.

But none of that would matter if we didn’t get that sword back.

Even from this distance I could see the faint glow of the Shuras on its surface, the true reason that I needed it.

“Sounds like you’re talking nonsense to me, son,” Jim said. “A monster is a damn monster no matter what the hell it is. It’ll kill us all the same.”

“See,” Richards piped in quickly. “It’s just like I told you, colonel. That ain’t no magic sword. This space jap loving bastard just used it to control us. It can’t protect us from the demons. He’s just trying to take control of us again! Just like his people have the whole damn world!”

Anger flared within me as I fixed eyes on him. I was just about to snatch him by the collar when a soft voice came from behind.

“You’re full of shit, Richards, and you know it!”

We all spun to see Kelsey standing behind us, but I didn’t even need to see her to sense the burning of her Flame. Her hands were balled into firsts, her face a grimace of disdain.

“Kelsey, what the hell are you doing here?” Jim bellowed before anyone else could respond. “I did not authorize you to be here. You are in violation of my authority! Do you know what that means?”

Kelsey lifted her chin at him defiantly, reminding me of Jian Yi. “With all due respect, Jim. I appreciate all you’ve done for us, but the old world is over and you can’t lead us to where we need to go. Max is my leader now. And if he says he needs my help, then I’m going to be here for him, in any way I can.”

Silence fell like a death knell. No one spoke––everyone too perplexed by what Kelsey had just said. The Frenzy and lemonade pouring from her soul nourished my own Flame, but there was something more that I felt as well. Pride, both for her and me. Kelsey didn’t know any of the principles of being a Berserker yet, but still she was following the code to a tee. It was a revelation yet again that the Flame itself lighted our path.

The Shuras were only a guide.

“See,” Richards said breaking the silence. “He’s gone and turned one of our own against us already.”

I felt like punching him, but Jim spoke first.

“Kelsey, for the sake of your age I’m going to let this slide.” He stooped down to her height, but his voice was stern and grave. “But what you just said is considered treasonous, understand? You know what happens to traitors, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” Kelsey said. “They’re executed. By your hand.”

“That’s right,” Jim said, matter-of-fact. “Now you wouldn’t want to force me to have to do that to you, would you?”

Kelsey’s face remained fixed and firm, her heart racing, but I could sense the defiance in her Flame.

“I say she’s done enough to warrant killing her anyway,” Richards muttered.

Rage flew through gut as my Flame flared.

I flash-stepped to him in a burst of Frenzy, yanking Richards right off his feet as I throttled his neck. I moved so fast, that everyone took a good two seconds to even realize what had happened. All save for Richards who was now turning beet red from lack of air as he flailed like a fish in my grasp.

“Now you listen to me,” I said with [Fear the Flame]. “You even think such a thing again and I’ll bury your ass right here and now, you got it?”

The clatter of rifles being cocked and trained on me fell on deaf ears.

I didn’t even look at them.

All I could focus on was Richards’ pathetic-looking face as he struggled to nod. The patter of liquid spilling off his boots filled the silence as he literally pissed himself, reacting to both my threat and my technique.

“Now you

listen clearly,” Jim said from behind me. “You unhand my sergeant right this instant. He is under my authority! Not yours. You got that? Put him down now!”

My Flame burned hot and red, fueled by rage and demonic taint.

What right did he have to bark orders at me?

What right did any of them have?

None of them posed a threat. I could kill them all in an instant if I wanted to.

So why didn’t I?

The thought steeped, the Demon growing more and more ravenous within me.

And then suddenly it hit me.

This was how cultivators saw the world.

Meaningless mortals clamoring for significance in the face of greatness and true power.

It was the same mindset that allowed them to slaughter billions of my people.

People like my parents and sister.

People like the ones pointing their guns at me now.

I glanced at Kelsey, her Flame flickering with anticipation of what I might be about to do. As a Berserker, I could only guess that her thoughts might be mirroring my own.

To kill them all and be done with it.

But I had to curb myself.

Gently the Struggler came in to lift the Demon’s hand from the controls. I had to demonstrate to Kelsey that being a true Berserker was far more than just giving into your rage. Sometimes you had to suffer in silence, in order to stay true to the path. A suffering that could save your very soul.

I released my grip on Richards and let him fall to the ground, sputtering and coughing in a pool of his own piss. I glared at him as I flexed my Flame with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “Don’t think it was Jim’s orders that spared you, Richards. Or any of you for that matter. I follow a higher path and thankfully protecting you is all part of the deal.”

I sensed the fear kick up a notch from all of them, all save for Jim who reacted with a sudden spike of anger.

“What the hell did you just say?” He choked up on his rifle, aiming it at my head. “That’s it. I’ve had enough of this damn clown show. Both of you, get your hands on your heads and get down on your kn—”

His words cut short as an earsplitting roar ripped the air.

The huge shadow of the gorilla soared above us, flying out of the crevasse.

Time froze as the thing reared back with Threja’s sword cocked in its giant hand.

I reacted in an instant, shifting to the side and snatching Kelsey out of the way. A couple of the soldiers reacted as well, but one of Richards’ men froze as the giant monster loomed above him.

He screamed with primal terror as the massive blade fell, cutting both his scream and his life short, splitting him in two. The giant ape landed on what was left of him, crushing his body into the ground. Screams of panic mixed with bursts of automatic gunfire as all hell broke loose.

The Awakened Ape roared, beating its chest with one hand in a display of dominance, the other holding Threja’s bloodied sword high in the air. The monster barely winced as the rifle rounds hit it, looking more irritated than anything else. It swatted at its fur as if they were bee stings, driving home the fact that this had to be an Awakened C or B-class Spirit Beast.

“Fall back!” Jim cried. “Fall back!”

I stood my ground, unslinging my axe as the challenge of facing the beast stirred my Flame. It was still burning crimson red, choked with darkness, but I didn’t care. Frenzy or no Frenzy I was going to kill this thing no matter what.

“You’ve got my big sister’s sword,” I said with [Fear the Flame]. “And I’m taking it back.”

The beast thumped its chest at me, howling in response.

Were I in peak form, killing this thing would be a cakewalk.

But without Frenzy to fuel my techniques, surely the [Odds were Against Me].

Evoking the technique barely supplied me with anything, further weakening my chances. But I wasn’t alone. Glancing to my side I saw Kelsey standing there, fear raging like a waterfall within her, but instantly flashing into Frenzy as it touched her candle-sized Flame.

I smiled inwardly as the giant ape fixed on the both of us.

“Get out of there, Kelsey!” Jim screamed from behind us. “Run!”

She didn’t move.

The Flame had already seen fit to guide Kelsey to my side.

And by my side she remained.

From out of her backpack, she withdrew a long pipe wrench. The same she had used to kill that demon.

“Just tell me what to do, Max,” she whispered, nerves filling her young voice, despite the fearlessness in her soul.

Part of me feared for her life but another was filled only with pride.

“Prepare yourself, Kelsey…” I squared up on the beast, which had now raised the sword high above its head in a show of aggression, chest billowing as it let out a thunderous roar. “You’re about to discover what you truly are. Welcome to your first step, on the Path of the Berserker.”