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Chapter 328: A Quiet Voyage in the Storm
🕑 Added 2024-08-02 17:00:04 +0000 UTCLess than a week into their voyage, the ship was struck by a vicious storm. The Waterborn sailing the ship were able to keep them on track, so the storm wouldn't slow them down beyond the usual difficulties of ocean voyages, but it did make the trip miserably wet.
Zae Zin Nim viewed it as a vindication of her decision to keep everyone together and just push across the ocean, instead of attempting more elaborate schemes, or trying to land somewhere unusual. As she viewed it, what they needed first was information, and what they needed second was teleportation to the ideal point. Until then, this was their last opportunity to train.
Throughout her life she had made many mistakes, perhaps even with the Blackblood Physique, but at least some things were turning out perfectly. The sphere of qi she'd received from the elves would be empty at nearly the exact time they reached Rosemount, thus proving that she had precisely paced all of her cultivation. She glanced at her soul in satisfaction.
<
Name: Zae Zin Nim
Total Power: 797
Cultivation: Earth Soul 4% (502)
Coldfire Corona: 79 (89)
Blackblood Physique Level: E-9 (107)
Blackblood Shadow (+50)
Soul Level: 7 (49)
Yin Chakra: 308 (0)
>
Even if she needed to wait on Physique and the Sky Soul stage was far away, she had made progress and prepared herself for even more advancement in the nearer future. At last, after so many setbacks, she felt like a genius cultivator again.
Her focus broke only once, when Kai entered the cabin after helping fight off a monster. His clothes were plastered to his body by the water, which was extremely distracting. Maybe it was all the yin energy she had been storing up, but her body burned with a desire that no storm could quench. She wanted to go to him, but it wasn't time yet.
Everything had to be perfect. Despite the difficult path her cultivation had taken, she could be a perfect maiden in the end. When everything was ready, then it would finally be time...
.
..
.
The voyage itself was easy, less dangerous than the Blood Current or even their second passage. Jumping into the waves to fight monsters was basically a break for him - all of Kai's problems started when he got back on board.
Constant waves and rain meant that everyone was soaked almost all the time. For the men that just meant their rough clothes hung heavily, but the female sailors were a distraction. Maybe it was all the talk of marriage or maybe it had just been too long for him, but Kai was struggling. Of course he didn't want a relationship with random sailors he didn't know, even though they were looking at him for some reason. The problem was that he had other options.
When she wasn't working in her cabin, Omilaena helped out on deck, ignoring the water. That meant she got as soaked as the rest of them, so her dress left little to the imagination. He could ignore it with willpower while he was working, the problem was those images returning when he needed to focus alone.
In Irun she had been worried that they'd leave her behind and he'd done his best to reassure her that they wouldn't. But if he and Zae Zin Nim ever did start a relationship, she would be the third wheel in an uncomfortable triad. Even if Zae Zin Nim didn't actively reject her, she would always be anxious, and honestly it felt wrong for him to think about Omilaena that way.
Except she wasn't flaunting herself... sometimes she sat on the side of the ship, looking so cold and alone that he wanted to wrap her in his arms. For the first time in her life she'd actually committed to other people, and they might be leaving her.
Eventually Kai decided that it was immature of him to keep waffling. He needed to be an adult and just commit. And yet when he spent time with Zae Zin Nim, she seemed impatient or short with him. Once they kissed and she was very sweet, he thought even hungry for more, yet she eventually pulled away. Their relationship was supposed to be moving closer together, yet he felt like she was drifting further away.
Because of all that uncertainty, he tried to spend as much time hunting and eating monsters as possible. He returned to using Sahagin's Soul and really tested the limits of the Savage Heart, which would temporarily create fins along his arms. When he stayed under the water for long enough, he thought he felt something gill-like emerging on his throat.
There weren't many direct challenges, so he tried using Thunderbird's Wings underwater to see just how fast he could go. Now that he had six available slots - thanks to Omilaena - he could try even more combinations. When he looked at his soul, he knew he was making good progress.
<
Name: Kai Clanless
Total Power: 468
Monstrous Hunger - XI (kappa)
Cultivation: Body Refinement 53% (110)
Savage Heart: 6 (69)
Physique Level: D-5 (225)
Soul Level: 8 (64)
Behemoth's Heart - VIII (theta)
Thunderbird's Wings - III (gamma)
Direboar's Strength - XI (kappa)
Isulfr's Bite - VIII (theta)
Tyrant's Claw - IX (iota)
Void Gaze - VI (zeta)
-
Baleful Breath - IV (delta)
Sahagin's Soul - IX (iota)
Mutefang's Stealth - X (kappa)
Lizarkyl's Tail - V (epsilon)
Direurchin's Spikes - V (epsilon)
Wallcrawler's Feet - III (gamma)
Abominalgum - I (alpha)
Rose Piranha - II (beta)
Bloodtrap - III (gamma)
Banchlain - V (epsilon)
Slime's Immortality - I (alpha)
>
He'd already jumped over the largest barrier by grasping phases, so what he needed was to just keep advancing a bit at a time. If only everything else was that easy.
.
..
.
Sometimes Omilaena seriously considered just grabbing Kai and Zae Zin Nim and pushing them together until they fucking talked to one another. Even being shut out would be better than their thick-headed sexual tension. And yet she remained at a distance, as if that would make a difference.
What did she really expect? That she would eventually give them enough power-enhancing injections that they would suddenly change personalities and announce that they loved her? Not likely.
She could analyze them well enough and guessed what would happen. Zae Zin Nim would keep Kai at a distance due to her growing desire, which would hurt him a little, but he would endure because that was the sort of man he was. When Zae Zin Nim finally reached the Kama Altar, which she'd set all of her advancement hopes on, she would try to move things forward a bit clumsily. Kai would be surprised, but of course he'd forgive, and what man would reject a woman like her?
So technically the demons in the Commonwealth were the only thing preventing the inevitable from happening sooner. Omilaena occasionally chuckled over that. Not happily.
Instead of worrying about emotions, Omilaena focused entirely on her research. Since her books were at too much risk from the water, she concentrated on the attributes of her abilities and their balance, which proved to be exactly the approach she'd needed.
In her favor was the fact that there was so much overlap between her abilities - they were practically demanding to merge together. Against her was that same overlap: she'd already maintained a tight portfolio of abilities that grew tighter when she developed the Path of Venomsteel. She kept coming up with combinations whose redundancy was obvious just from their names: Heartvenom, Poison Artisan, Steelheart. Those were fantasies, not a meaningful combination of power.
What she needed was a fundamental that connected to all of them. She considered trying a combination of just two, but everything was so entangled in her soul that it seemed a lost cause, so it was time to experiment with three.
The question was how to properly fuse them, because she was sure she needed another ingredient. Her first attempts were all with Physique and she spent over a week drawing her own blood and rejecting every attempt. Perhaps it was the new Class energy or perhaps the fact that Heart of Poison was Elemental, but it just didn't work. After trying countless variations, she suddenly realized that she was approaching things from the wrong angle. Physique might be the dominant form of combinations on Deadwaste, but she'd seen another combination on Rosemount - elves and their soul cultivation.
Instead of Physique, she tried to use her Soul as the unifying principle, and something immediately emerged: an Azure Heart.
<
Name: Omilaena
Total Power: 850
Heart of Poison: Level 65 (260)
Lethal Artisan: Spinel Rank (220)
Path of Venomsteel: Step 3 (45)
Physique: D-5 (225)
Soul Level: 7 (49)
Azure Core (+50)
>
Omilaena smiled as the new power settled into place. She'd managed to build a spiritual foundation underneath all her other abilities, representing her fundamental self. Maybe the color wasn't essential, but it felt right. This was a synergy equal to anything she'd seen from the Frontier elites.
Now she finally had the combination she needed that could carry her forward. Things would get even better when they returned to Rosemount, especially because the Primal Loom should be done with its mystical work. She had been skeptical at first, but they would be returning to the conflict transformed.
She just hoped it would be enough.
Comments
Cognosticon
Good catch, got them fixed on my end.
rerderrum
Direboar's Strength - XI (kappa) and Monstrous Hunger - XI (kappa) should be (lambda).
Traellium
We need a 4th member so Omi has someone lol.
Cognosticon
Should be Core, Heart is my mistake.
Cognosticon
Yes, it's intentional. They're conflict-avoidant.
Kronos
Tftc! Is it Azure Heart or Azure Core? You’ve got both in there lol
Cognosticon
Thanks for the catch.
AnythingAtAll
I forgot to mention this in the previous chapter, but was it intentional that Gunjin and Kai never acknowledged what went down in Monskon City? Not even really in their thoughts. I suppose it fits their characters and relationship, but I did find it strange. Gunjin even said they can "talk later" at one point.
AnythingAtAll
ZZN's last lines for her section felt much too familiar. We've seen the whole 'I'll wait for you' trope before, but the fact that her reasons is that she wants to be the 'perfect maiden' even now hit very close to home. I grew up in a super religious area, and those kinds of thoughts entertained so frankly is not just the realm of fantasy. It's very much alive and well even today. I can't count how many women I've met that present themselves as prim, proper virgin maidens even if that's not what they want simply because not being all three has been beaten into their head as an unforgivable sin. Especially the virgin part. It's infuriating how many religions - no, entire cultures - are still so weird about sex and virginity. It creates what's almost a mythology around it when it should really just be treated as a normal thing. ZZN is a fantasy character with a colorful personality that'd be out of place in our world. But the desire to be the 'perfect maiden?' That's real. That's no fantasy. The unwillingness of her culture - and ours - to be frank about sexuality is what creates unhealthy expectations of it. All this to say, I relate to ZZN more than I thought I would. I'm a man, and the expectations of a religious culture on men are very different, but fundamentally the same restrictive thing. Advancement-wise, I feel sorry for ZZN lol. It hasn't been that long since she broke through to Earth Soul and she's getting left behind again. She needs to consolidate her chakra soon. Her Class won't give her the gains she needs in the timeframe she has, Physique is not the focus of a cultivator like her, and cultivation is just really fucking slow. The only thing remaining is all her yin chakra. Actually, I still have no idea what they're meant to do or be once they're finally released. Funny how the most reticent about sexuality in the trio ended up with the most overtly sexual power. Even Omi's all about poisons, poisons, weapons. I'm guessing all the monster hunts are over, so it's time for Kai to prepare for his next major fusion. The obvious centerpiece here is the Banchlain, but I'd been wondering what exactly its fear-based powers can truly give Kai. Void Gaze already has similar functions and he simply has a visceral way of fighting. Void Gaze is the most intangible ability in his monstrous portfolio and it still has overtly physical effects. Does the Banchlain's skills really fit Kai? Then again, it comes from a place where chakra is dominant, which is the weirdest, most intangible energy form, so getting a chakra-adjacent monstrous skill sounds useful. Still, I've been entertaining Void Gaze being the centerpiece or some other unexpected monster. The Abominalgum sounds cool, but I think it belongs to Isulfr's Bite. Spikes and Tail are most likely building up to another defensive skill, so that can't be it either. I wonder if he'll get one last monster hunt in Rosemount to provide more essence that could balance the heavyweights in his portfolio. Wouldn't be the first time. The Shadow of Death was a last-minute hunt right before the revolution in Krysal, and Kai is no stranger to using fresh, new essences with older ones even for his major abilities. He used Bloodprong's Charge for fusing Thunderbird's Wings, and he only got that in the same chapter he did the fusion. Maybe it'll be the same thing with the next major one? Omi's gains have been absolutely impressive. I remember when she was lagging at around 750. Then I blink and suddenly she's in the 850s! Venomsteel is a potent source of power and I'm so excited to see what it can truly do. But the Azure Core is what really took me by surprise. I expected her to get a Hybrid Essence well into the war since it seems like a difficult concept to grasp, but she just goes and does it on the way home. I think I'll have to get used to that from now on. Her stagnant period is over. There's a *lot* of potential in the Path she created. I'm guessing the Kama Altar is where all of their feelings are going to spill out at once and they'll finally start communicating. It really is funny to me how Omi is guilty of the same immaturities she levies at Kai and ZZN. I want - no, need these three to bawl their eyes out when they finally reach each other. It's not just that they deserve to be happy with each other, I also just know that they can make this work. For all that they've been enemies, it feels like they've been close allies for twice that time. It's too early to say they're perfect for each other, but they absolutely fit together. Someone just needs to take the first step.
Kris Boxall
Thanks for the chapter! The three idiots need to talk to each other this is ridiculous. Also small thing, Omilaena’s numbers add up to 849 not 850
