Ch 9
“Where the hell have you been!”
I heard as I walked down the street a few blocks from my rented room.
“I have been spending some time getting used to the new weapon I picked up from your training center, preparing myself for what’s to come,” I told Tywin plainly. “You’re the man to say give me a day to confirm the information. Why? What is going on?”
“One of my men, a high B grade with a dark fusion ability which makes him very good at scouting, was found by one of their B grades you warned about with a perception ability. Their guys attacked my man, but luckily, he could get out and confirm the information you got for me.” Tywin stated. “The problem is now, the Golden Tigers are now on edge because they found someone near their hideout, so the job just got much more difficult.”
“Well… Shit. How in the hell was he found out with the warning I gave you?”
‘I wonder if that B grade is actually working for the Golden Tiger Company and was just never found out after their takedown in my previous life. I don’t remember any spies from Tenku being uncovered last time.’
Not that I voiced my thoughts aloud; Tywin is very protective of his men. Especially those high grade that he has worked with for a long time.
“So, what’s the plan now? I imagine that the plan to take off some of those higher grade members has probably gone out the window.”
“Yes, well, if we had found them, I would have wanted to attack any separated members during that storm. However, we did end up taking out several members who decided to take refuge from the sandstorm here in the city. Though the majority were just low grade, we took down two people leading the upper B grade squads, using the descriptions you had given us.”
“I suppose it is too late for that. So, what now? An all-out assault on their hideout? It will be more dangerous for everybody involved, but I don’t think that we can risk a move or any sort of retaliation for the takedown of those who were in the city at the time. Plus, they may retaliate by going after more civilians or low-grade groups. There is no telling with psychopaths like them.”
“Actually, they probably would do exactly that. However, if they did, they would have to know that it would be painting a much bigger target on their backs. Still, I can see them feeling cornered and going out to harvest as many points as possible.” I told him. This was followed by the question, “You left some people watching the exit of their place, right?”
“Yeah, we have got a few guys watching the only exit we can find for the fallen tower that’s been covered by the sand storms. Though if they want to get out, I imagine they could bust through the other side of the dune pretty easily; that’s why we have a few people circled around the whole dune it’s under, keeping an eye from a distance. Ready to alert me to any changes.”
“Since we were not able to hit them immediately when they were found out, let’s wait for like 3 a.m. and make our move.”
“Sounds like we are on the same page. I will have everyone from my group meet at the training arena.”
——-
After meeting with Tywin, I headed towards Gerty, the weapon smith shop. I hoped to see that my reclaimed armor had been resized to fit me.
It wasn’t supposed to be ready until tomorrow, and it was getting late, so I was hoping somebody would still be in the shop to finish it if it wasn’t done yet.
Making it to the outskirts of the city in a shop that was built inside of the massive mountains cavern, I knocked on the doorframe of the shop.
“Anyone in there?” I called into the shop while sticking my head into the doorframe, partially ignoring the closed shop sign. Hoping one of the workers I heard in the back of the shop would acknowledge me.
After hearing murmurs from the back of the shop, I recognized one of the apprentices whom I’d met before come out to speak to me.
“Hey, we are closed for the night. Come back tomorrow when we are actually open.” The stout, dark-skinned man told me. “You’re the guy that dropped off the brown, light armor to be resized, right?” He asked. “That is still on schedule. Come by in the morning, and it will be ready. And before you ask, we won’t have it ready before then. If we let you come for stuff while we are closed, then everyone will. So, like, for my own sanity, I can’t.”
‘Damnit, there is no way to tell who’s affiliating with the Tigers, so I can’t tell him I need that armor for a raid tonight. He may have some way to send them a warning. So, it would be better to be safe than sorry. There’s no way to know what I don’t have any information on.’
‘Plus, with my new weapon mastery skill, I should be able to hold my own.’
“I get it,” I told him. “See you in the morning.”
‘Well, there’s nothing else to do for the next several hours. I guess I’ll just head to the room and cultivate until it’s time to head out.’
Making it back to my rented room, I entered a trance-like state, and a tingling feeling permeated my entire body as I drew in the motes of energy that filled the layer. Flowing my qui throughout my meridians and enriching my body with the lightning aspect.
After two hours of cultivation, I finally entered and passed into the third of ten sub-realms of the second rank. Knowing how to ideally enter the meditative state needed for cultivation is truly a blessing that will allow me to quickly rise in power. Just a couple of days in, I’ve already risen to a point where I could probably promptly smack down my former self, who had spent ten years in the layers. I desperately miss my astral shell, a shell that is formed from your soul and cultivation combined. When entering a meditative cultivation-like state while in combat, your soul is able to form a shell to enhance and protect your body. Last time, it took reaching the 5th cultivation rank, the sky realm, before I created it. However, some geniuses with powerful souls in tune with their bodies formed their astral shells at the third rank. With my history, it may be possible for me, too as well.
The most famous early genius was Lou Kung, a martial artist from Nepal who formed an astral shell consisting of a fiery serpent. That serpent would enhance him physically, speeding his attacks considerably while enhancing his fire aspect qui to a much greater intensity while coating his body in a layer of astral scales. Lou Kung created that astral shell at the peak of the third rank and was a massive force to be reckoned with. Up until that point, none had achieved an astral shell until the fifth rank of cultivation all the way in the third layer.
With that sub rank achieved, let’s call it a day and head to the meeting point.
——-
Slowly wandering through the city of Avalon, blindly winding through the streets and under the dim green light produced by the flickering jade green crystals. They were purchased from the shop, called crystal flame lanterns, and they sold for 500 points a piece.
Finally, I found myself in the arena Tenku owned, where Tywin said to meet before the raid. I arrived before two in the morning and was met by a few people at the door.
There was a tall, lanky man who clearly had a werewolf bloodline, almost certainly a lesser one. Along with him was a woman with dark skin and black hair in tight braids, wearing a set of lightweight lamellar armor made from chimera parts, carrying a short spear with a big spade-tipped head.
“We’re closed for the day,” said the tall man with the dark hairy forearms ended in claw-tipped hands. While he placed a hand on his hip near the pommel of his sword.
“I’m here to meet with Tywin; send someone to ask him,” I told the duo. “Ask about Leonidas.”
Calling out further inside, he relayed my question, which got me the confirmation that I needed to enter after several minutes of waiting.
I was met by someone who was to take me over to Tywin, who ended up being set up to the side of the large oval arena that Tenku uses as its sparing grounds.
When I walked into the tent Tywin had set up, I saw the strongest people Tenku had to spare. Most were leaning over a large wooden table, seemingly arguing about the strategy of how things were going to happen.
I recognized several of the people in the room. With a few exceptions, they are all at least at the peak of B grade. The third strongest in this region’s organization, Kent Migs, who should be a bit into the beginning of A grade at this point in time, was situated near Tywin. Kent, a water practitioner alone, was able to throw out high-powered jets of water or surround people in it to drown them. He usually worked along with a Jotun woman who had an ice aspected cultivation ability and was able to synergize with his water ability, freezing the enemies solid while covered in Kent’s orbs of water.
“Well, if it isn’t my favorite masked man,” the massive, A grade man, Tywin, called out to me as he looked up from the table towards my direction.
“So, what’s the plan for tonight?” I asked the group of men and women.
“Who in the hell is this guy? He isn’t a major player in this city or a member; I know that for sure,” one of the men called out.
“I am the guy that got you all of the information on the Golden Tigers so we can rid the region of them permanently,” I told him.
“What, so you were a member and ratted out them out to us? That’s what I have been saying, Tywin. How can we trust any of this?” the short man with a gruff-looking face and large forearms belted out.
“Look, if you do not want to be a part of this, then don’t. I already made a shop oath with the boss man over here, and he has independently confirmed much of the information I told him. I promise that I have absolutely nothing to do with the Golden Tigers, and part of my oath confirms that, in my opinion, this is nothing but good for your alliance. I just don’t want to share all of my abilities with the world for my own safety.” I explained with a firm tone.
Tywin nodded at my words to the man, and the only response that I got from him was a grunt, but the man did not leave, so I took that as an acceptance of the truth of my words.
“We have the manpower for it, so both of the plans of action that we have on the table are rushing in fast and hard. Our tanks pushing the way while supported from the rear. What we have been debating about is whether to push with everyone we have got or split our forces and leave a contingent on the outside, in case they blast through in an attempt to escape instead of facing us head-on and defending their base.”
“There are a couple reasons it should be a split team, inside we probably won’t have enough room for our full contingent of men, and if they escape, we will have to do this all over again, all the while they can murder and rape and while taking points to get stronger, making a second attempt all that much harder. We should probably have most of the powerhouses form an elite team, rush in, supported by ranged C grades. Kent and a few other B grades and the remaining C grades should lie in wait on the opposite side of their base in case they bust out. They should be enough to temporarily slow them until we could hit them from behind.”
“I’m fine with playing the goalkeeper,” said Kent.
“I still feel like we should all try and make a push in together, “said a man off to the side.
‘I wonder who that one is; I don’t recognize him,’ I thought.
“Well, if you hadn’t fucked everything up by doing your own thing and instead listening to the advice given, you would never have been caught confirming the information in the first place! Then we wouldn’t have had to make this risky move, going for their home turf!” A new man shouted at him.
‘Ah, that must be the one that messed Tywin and I’s plan from the beginning. Letting them know that we were on to them. This guy is making it more difficult to see him as innocent with each action,” I thought. ‘He is probably one of the main people to push this alternate plan so they could sneak out the back while we went blazing into the front. I need to keep an eye on him.’
