Gleam [Karma Cultivator Isekai] - Chapter 81: Jade

Chance opened the door and stepped inside, nearly walking straight into Bella. They both hopped back, and Chance’s Essence kicked in at the last second to keep him from dropping both of the bread bowls in his hands.

“Chance! I thought something happened. You should tell me if you’re…” Bella trailed off as her eyes gravitated toward the food in Chance’s hands. “Oh.”

“I got you one,” Chance said, offering her one of the bowls. “They’re really good. I hope they aren’t too cold, though. It was a bit of a walk, but I got hungry.”

“Never mind. All is forgiven. And it’s still warm,” Bella said, spooning a mouthful of stew into her mouth. Chance followed her lead and the two quickly devoured the plain but delicious meal.

Chance wiped the corners of his lips with the last chunk of bread before popping it into his mouth and letting out a satisfied sigh.

“I’m not sure if there’s anything quite as good as getting a meal after cultivating. I don’t think my body has gotten the message that I don’t need to eat while cultivating.”

Bella nodded empathetically. “I swear everything tastes better right after cultivating. It was really kind of you to go get food for both of us. I think I might have cried a little if you’d only come back with one bowl.”

“Yeah, that would have been pretty lame,” Chance said with a chuckle. “How’d cultivating go on your end?”

“As well as I could expect.” Bella shrugged and waggled a hand back and forth in the air. “Progress, but nothing special. What about you?”

“It’s kind of weird. You know your vision, right?”

Bella tilted her head to the side and gave him a small nod.

“Does it ever feel… empty? Not wrong per say, but almost like you’re missing a bit of it or not doing it justice when you picture it.”

Bella frowned and considered his question for a few moments. She shook her head. “Sorry, but not really. The moment I start thinking about my vision, it comes to my mind perfectly. I’m not an artist, but I could probably draw an exact rendition of it if I wanted to. It feels like something to strive toward. Perfect, almost. There doesn’t feel like anything’s wrong with it.”

Chance grimaced and drummed his fingers on his knees. “Damn.”

“Did something happen with yours?”

“Nothing happened, but I realized it felt as if my memory of the vision just wasn’t as good as the real thing. I wonder if I’m missing something.”

“Normally I’d suggest that you might have too much impurity in your body, but that’s clearly not the case.” Bella chuckled and fell silent for a moment. Her eyes caught on the empty vial of pills that Chance had given her while they were cultivating and she paused, shifting her gaze to the side. “Oh, I forgot to thank you for the cultivation aids. Again. Thanks.”

Chance grabbed his case of pills and popped it open, spinning it around to show Bella all the vials stuffed within it. They rattled at the motion, bouncing around with all the gold he’d stuffed in alongside them.

“I’ve got more than I can use. The low level aids are basically completely worthless now, and even the mid level ones are starting to become less useful,” Chance said. He tapped the golden Enlightenment pill that Pete had insisted he not give away. “I’m pretty sure this and the upper end of the pills I got at the tournament are the only ones that’ll actually help me.”

Bella shook her head in bemused disbelief. “I can’t tell if I’m jealous or thankful that I’m not you. If you keep going through pills at this rate, you’re never going to be a very rich man.”

Chance grunted. His parents faces drifted through his mind, but they were blurry and distant. As much as he hated it, their exact appearance had been fading ever since they’d died. Even the sound of their voices felt distance.

“Yeah. I’m going to need to figure out what I’m going to do about trying to find them,” Chance said, closing his case of pills and rising from his bed. “Spending that much money is a pretty big risk. I don’t know if it’s one I can afford.”

“We could pool our resources,” Bella offered. “I don’t have much right now, but we can probably earn a pretty good bit of gold while we wait for the Shikari to stop hunting us.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

Bella raised an eyebrow and stared at him down the bridge of her nose. “Seriously?”

He cleared his throat. “Okay. Thanks.”

“Much better. At least it gives us a goal to strive toward, and we can still spend money on cultivation stuff whenever we need it. Why don’t we go check out what jobs we can do? If they’re all as easy as that bird mission, I think we might be able to earn a pretty fair bit of money.”

Chance grinned. “That sounds good to me.”

The two headed out of the room, locking the door behind them, and made their way back toward the nearest guard outpost to find more missions to complete.

***

Jade shifted her weight, bringing her broadsword to bear just before the massive Soothound slammed into her. She staggered back with a curse, barely managing to redirect the huge monster into the wall.

It struck the stone with a loud crunch, but she already knew the blow would do little more than stun it. Jade drew on her Essence, empowering her sword with the purifying light of the sun. The blade lit a brilliant golden glow and she brought it down on the monster’s back, cleaving it in two.

The Soothound screeched in pain, pulling itself toward her with its front legs even as its back half pitched back and crashed to the ground. Before the light in its filthy eyes could fade, Jade plunged her holy blade into the monster’s skull, putting it out of its misery.

As soon as she pulled the sword free, the ward she’d established flickered and faded away. Jade flicked the sickly blood from her sword and slid it back into the sheathe at her side with a sigh.

“Well done,” Captain Gibson said, giving her a curt nod. “One of your fastest hunts yet, Jade. And that was a fairly large Soothound too.”

“It’s a Soothound, Captain,” Jade said, desperately trying and failing to keep the sarcasm from slipping into her words. “It could be the size of a house and it would still be a Soothound. They’re weak monsters. I’ve been Knight ranked for months now. Why won’t you let me take any jobs?”

Gibson narrowed his eyes. “Because you are not prepared. You left your team immediately after you were given permission to.”

“That’s the point!” Jade said, exasperated. “We made it to Knight rank, and then we were allowed to go off our separate ways. That’s what we did.”

“The point was to build a team that you could rely on,” Gibson said, rapping her on the forehead with the back of his hand. “Somehow, you took that as ‘ditch your friends at the first opportunity and go off on your own’. Hence, you get to enjoy my personal tutelage.”

“Why do you even care?” Jade demanded. “You’ve never bothered me before. Come on, Captain. There’s something else here. I’m not stupid.”

Gibson let out a heavy sigh. He glance over his shoulder, toward the bustling street behind the alley they stood in, then back at her. She held his gaze until he shook his head.

“There’s nothing else. I may not seem like I care, but I am responsible for ensuring that every single Shikari under my protection is up to standard. I have simply been ensuring that you are.”

“I have passed every single job you have given me with flying colors. There is nothing to question.”

Gibson grunted. “So you have. Perhaps there are simply no suitable quests for a single Knight ranked Shikari. Have you considered that? They may only be being posted for people with groups large enough to ensure victory.”

Jade crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. Gibson had been hounding her ever since she’d ditched her deadweight team a few weeks ago, and there was no doubt in her mind that she’d somehow done something to piss him off. The problem was, she had absolutely no idea what it was. Gibson had barely ever shown interest in her before. He’d had a reputation for being a good Captain, but never anything this… obsessive.

“Right,” Jade said slowly. “Then you won’t mind me taking on an open quest that’s put up for everyone?”

“And what would that be?”

“That group of traitors that turned on the Shikari. You can’t tell me you haven’t heard about it. That would be a blatant lie.”

Gibson’s eyes darkened. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t take the quest.”

“You can’t be serious,” Jade said. “They’re barely Squires, but they killed several Shikari in surprise attacks. They deserve death, Gibson. If we leave monsters like that around, can you imagine what will happen to Gleam? It’s our duty to purge them.”

Gibson’s lips pressed thin and his hands tightened at his sides. He remained silent for several moments, then opened his mouth. An instant later, he closed it, whatever words that had been set for his lips dying before they left his mind.

“Did you know them or something?” Jade asked.

“I know all the Shikari that work under me.”

“And?”

“There is no and,” Gibson said flatly.

Jade threw her hands up, no longer able to contain herself. “Then there’s absolutely no reason for me not to take this. They’re getting farther from Gleam every day, but I’m sure there have to be some reports on where they’re headed. I can cut at least one of them off and deal with the problem.”

Gibson raised an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten they defeated a Knight ranked Shikari? Multiple?”

“They were caught off guard. I won’t be.”

Gibson let out a heavy sigh. “This is what I’m talking about. You need more training. Go find your team and ask–”

Jade shook her head before Gibson could finish. “No. With all due respect, Captain, your role is to protect the city and ensure we’re trained. I have been trained, and this is protecting the city. I’m doing the job. After that, I’ll have enough weight behind my name to actually take on some real jobs.”

They locked eyes, neither willing to look away first. Finally, after several grating seconds, Gibson broke their gaze and waved his hand in a clear dismissal.

“Do what you will. You said it yourself. I can’t control you.”

“Thank you, sir.” Jade gave Gibson a sharp salute, then strode out of the alley, excitement building in her stomach. Her Essence shared in the feeling. This was what she was truly meant to do. Protecting the citizens of Gleam from those that would prey on them.

Just one distasteful job, and Jade would make a name for herself and better the world while she was at it. She set course for a Shikari Base to officially take the job on and find out what information they’d already gathered about the fugitives.

Gibson watched her go, his shoulders slumping slightly. He glanced over his shoulder into the dark alleys of Gleam, then rubbed his forehead and straightened back up, striding out of the alley and heading down the road in the other direction.

Both of them were oblivious to the thin strand of karma that materialized on Jade’s back, invisible to all but those who cultivated it. The strand rose up through the tight, busy streets of Gleam. It passed through the towering buildings and flickering signs, traveling deep into the forgotten reaches where only monsters and fools dared to walk, where it coiled around one of Yamish’s fingers. A slow smile spread across his face as he felt the tremor run down the strand.

“Your next challenge of many approaches, my apprentice,” Yamish said. “I wonder, will this be the one to break you?”