Chapter 1001: The Undercurrents of War(2)
The Fallen Mutations
The ones who call the [Abyssal Lands] their home are far and few in-between.
It’s dark, it’s damp, there is literally death and despair around every stalagmite, stalactite and random ass rocky island that makes up this horrible ocean of literal darkness.
However, the people of the Fallen Clan managed to do just that.
Through a combination of grit, cooperation and the occasional surface raid thanks to their home being a giant demonic scallop fortress, the Fallen Clan have managed to eke out a steady yet unstable way of life.
However…this instability wasn’t going to be the case for much longer.
Because several months ago, the lost War Elder Gao Ao Long was reunited with the Fallen.
A little after that, the War Elder introduced them all to an old “friend” who gave him the power of an ancient warrior that many considered to be a myth. Then immediately after that, the Fallen had been given not one, not two, but five additional warriors that all had the same reality defying capabilities. And all they had to do was to get some special…components…grafted on to them.
With all that said though, these newly minted warriors of the Fallen, the Grafted, were not quite yet ready to participate in any grand melees due to the grafted parts needing time to adjust.
Luckily for these new affronts against nature and life itself, they had teachers. Which meant that everyone else were going to suffer from the consequences of these developments.
But for the time, they were content to practice while on top of a giant scallop shell.
…
“Come on then! If you’re going to try and and gang up on me, coordinate yourselves a bit better!,” Gao Ao Long shouted at his latest two disciples as he used his grafted arm to knock away an attack. “If you’re going to keep peppering me with ranged attacks, have another go in for a melee.”
[RAAARGGGHH!]
[DIE!]
“Yes! Like that.”
At this moment in time, Gao Ao Long was sparring against Gao Su and Gao Kan, a pair of young Fallen Clan members who were chosen to be given the power of the Kaijin through… unorthodox means.
Regardless, as a result of this empowerment, Gao Su now had decisively deadly voice while Gao Kan could now rival even the tallest of oak trees in terms of sheer mass. Despite their newfound powers though and growing prowess in using them, Gao Su and Gao Kan were still getting their butts whooped by the War Elder.
As this was going on though, the other Grafted were figuring out their own ways of adjusting to their new capabilities.
For the first time in years, Elder Gao Dau could remember things beyond five seconds ago and had been exercising the capabilities of his now literal third eye. Which consisted of a mixture of solving a puzzle while picking a fight with the local hostile wildlife.
“Come on you vicious [Shadow Piranhas], at least try to hit me harder so I have trouble writing the solution.”
Sophita, due to being a slave up until now, had to be given a crash course in all things cultivation related. Surprisingly, she managed to digest all of the lessons in this accelerated program in record time and had even begun the process of learning some more formal aether arts. Granted, she spent also spent that time constantly polishing her literally flawless crystal skin…while muttering about her beloved half-brother and how she was gonna be his eternal consort.
“Soon my beloved, soon. I just need to buff out some more flaws and cut away the excess…,” she muttered while taking a diamond cutter to her nails.
As for the last member of the Grafted, Prince Alain, he was…simply meditating. Granted, his simple meditation was accompanied by an aura manifestation in the shape of several wings wrapping around his body like he was an angel.
While everyone else has been busting their ass off to become more attuned to their integrated “parts”, exercising them to the point of familiarity, Alain was able to sync up with his chosen parts to an almost uniform and perfect degree. With the absurd thing being that nobody knew why or how.
Well…nobody but Alain, [and his fated partner], that is.
…
‘So that’s who Buzza really is…how fascinating.’
[It is, isn’t it? Although, I can’t help but find his means of hiding to be a bit lazy.]
‘They often say, that the best way to tell a lie is to mix bits and pieces of the truth.’
[That’s true, but I’m a bigger fan of the idea that he who has the greatest might is right.]
‘An ideology I both abhor and adore…how do we get along?’
[Oh, that’s quite simple really…]
‘[We both wish to be the brightest star in the universe, that is all.]’
…
Above and away from all of this though, the Matriarch of the Fallen, Gao Shen Yuan, was keeping watch of her grafted warriors while the strange being calling himself Buzza stood by her.
Both were silent as they watched the warriors practiced, not saying a word until Buzza decided to break it.
“Are you zaztizfied with their performance?”
“Very much so, Buzza, but…I can’t help but to notice something.”
“Oh?”
“Aside from Alain, the rest of the Grafted are exhibiting behaviors that are…irregular from their own. So tell me, why is this the case?”
As if expecting this question, Buzza gave a pleased hum before answering. Not that the matriarch noticed.
“Well the reazon is quite zimple really. Their [Desires] aren’t fully aligned.” Buzza explained.
“[Desire]?”
“Kaijin are beingz of [Desire], much more so than most mortals and beasts. Unless one’s heart is stronger than the [Desire], or their own values align with them such as Alain, there tends to be…side effects.”
“Will this be a problem when I acquire my own ‘parts’?”
“Perhapzzz, perhapzzz not. It all depends on you after all.”
“Hmmm.”
Gao Shen Yuan was silent for a few more moments, before turning away from the training warriors and walking off. “My own heart is a thousand times stronger than those younglings down there. After all, I need to rival that inked bitch somehow.”
“Of courze…”
That was the one thing that Buzza loved to see when it came to humans.
How their desire to be better than their superiors, how [Envy] can be so… motivating.
[Ah…how wonderful it is to be envious…I wonder who she’s envious of though,] Buzza pondered.
Little did he know, he was going to find out in a matter of days.
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War Dog’s fate
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Shortly after the matter revolving around getting Zhen Feng up to speed in regards to empowering his alchemical capabilities, Matriarch Zhen Xun Tian and Imperial Alchemist Nun Hua opted to go out and see more of Stone Claw City.
The initial plan for the former though was to actually assist Zhen Feng in integrating his chosen type of [Beast Ice], but that turned out to be unnecessary, as it strangely merged with his formula little to no issues.
And so, with a sudden gain in free time, the two not-so-young women decided to go out on the town.
Well, Nun Hua just wanted to stay and study how Zhen Feng was able to integrate the [Beast Ice] so flawlessly, but Zhen Xun Tian insisted she came along with her.
Initially, she was against such banal and trivial activity. But on the course of their outing, she realized something.
That this was an opportunity to ask something that has been bothering Nun Hua ever since she learned more and more about the recent entanglements between Zhen Xun Tian and this newly recognized branch clan.
Namely…
<> Nun Hua repeated herself before elaborating. <
Zhen Xun Tian was surprisingly silent as she mulled over Nun Hua’s question.
The fact that she was taking this long to answer got Nun Hua worried for a second, but then she pivoted into thinking that she was probably gonna mess with her.
After all, Zhen Xun Tian had a reputation for not taking issues seriously.
Surprisingly though, she given a rather straightforward answer.
One that threw her for a loop and a half.
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