There was nothing wrong with me. While I held Rubix in my hand and felt his qi rush into me, I felt normal. It was me, and it wasn’t getting worse. However, after some consideration, it was apparent that I had been moody.

Black flames danced in my hand, hungry to ravage the world and desperate to break free. Then the soothing power of Rubix swept those thoughts away, and I wanted to plant an orchard.

My lips smacked as I searched for the last of the meaty and sweet flavor left behind by the purple fruit. It tasted like a steak smothered in raspberry sauce but had the texture of slow-roasted ribs.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get more fruit quickly. The driders arrogantly danced just above the branches of the tree, exposing their breasts.

A part of me wanted to burn the tree down for the hell of it. Instead, Rubix suggested we should start an orchard. The tree would produce strong qi-infused wood that could be used to handles, wagons, and houses. I had to admit that it sounded great farming my own ingredients sounded like the thing to do.

“Douse the fire; it's time to find a spirit worthy of you,” Emily said with a sour finality.

“I already have one of those. We’re here to find a spirit pleasing to the sensibilities of sheep.” I said and regretted my words.

Emily rounded on me, gun drawn. “Watch your blasphemous tongue, or I’ll cut it out. You’re just as useful to us silent.” Emily said.

The barrel of the revolver pressed against my cheek, and I saw only fanaticism and cold calculation behind it. She had made a mistake, but I couldn’t determine when. Emily quickly holstered her firearm.

The cold, calculating side of her won out. “You’ll find others less inclined to humor your choice of words than myself. So you should keep quiet lest you break our cover.” Emily said.

Interesting, she had been quick but not faster than Ula had been. Would my battle form be enough this time? Killing her here would free me to run, or was Logan Amon too close. The qi from Rubix helped me focus even as I knew Emily needed to die ASAP.

The woman turned her back and exposed her tight leather-clad rear, barely covered by her overly large cloak. Beneath her modest Interrogator robe, she dressed like a ninja assassin. I could tell she wasn’t just a young blonde but a fit one at that. Emily’s green eyes were set aglow from her coalesced qi, exposing the cold, calculating monster that merged with her. The speed she already displayed made me wonder if she’d shown everything or if this was only the tip of the iceberg.

I had already stored up ten times the amount of qi I used back then. Rubix seemed to have drawn closer to me as well.

An urge to rip Emily’s clothes off, toss her revolver to the side and fuck the fanaticism came over me. Rubix struggled to fight it, instead suggesting that I find common ground with her. A part of me snorted at the idea. Common ground when I could simply take what I wanted was ridiculous. Rubix warbled, and I got the message. Trying would cost me nothing; plan B could just as easily go into effect.

“If you were in my shoes, what spirit would you choose?” Emily turned to stare at my bare feet before raising an eyebrow.

“Let the Prophet’s will be done. All faithful, including the lost lambs, were assigned a spirit upon birth; their names were written in the book of manifestation. Whether a spirit is here for you in this forest or elsewhere is not up to me to decide. Your spirit may have found flesh to inhabit and became a monster to be slain.” Emily said with a smirk.

“So, you believe in destiny. How interesting, well then, what are you even doing out here? Shouldn’t I find my spirit one way or another?” I asked.

“I’m here to ensure you don’t run away or burn down the forest,” Emily said and shut her eyes before turning in a random direction. “Come, there is a gathering of spirits this way; if we hurry, you’ll have many to choose from.”

The interrogator led me swiftly through the forest, never disturbing even a blade of grass. Spirits appeared all around us, shaped like women with hair of multicolored moss and bark for skin. Fairies of all shapes and sizes flew fighting and bickering while one group carried a human baby. When I pointed, Emily shook her head.

We moved at a sedate pace while ghostly deer pranced over rivers and streams, black dogs appeared and vanished, and a single green dragon flew around the trees and swooped down to devour lesser spirits. I saw classical ghosts standing as pale reflections of humans with empty eyes, broken rotted creatures appeared trudging over rocks and through open water, and red eyed humanoids floated and bared their fangs with pride. Emily pulled me against a tree when t puffs of smoke twisted among the trees as living smog, a monstrous lion of fiery red and gold stepped over fallen logs leaving scorch marks in its path, and a swarm of locust spirits buzzed down from above. As we stealthily moved closer to the destination, I saw humanoid spirits with angel wings, spirits of fire and ash, and a single mint-haired spirit with heterochromatic eyes of silver and gold. The spirits had gathered around a raven-haired spirit who appeared completely human if not for his three eyes and black wings.

“Feel out with your spiritual sense for one that compliments your own. But don’t be intrusive; we don’t want to anger the spirit lord at the center. So don’t bother trying to bond with him.” Emily said.

Ding!

My eyes twitched at the sudden interruption.

Bond with a humanoid spirit

Reward: A Secret

This game loved to piss me off. Who cares about a damn secret? I’ll get a humanoid spirit because it's what I’m here to do. Hiding among the triad would also make things easier for me.

I began to focus on Rubix. He showed me what to do to extend my senses. After a few failed attempts, I set up a foundation of understanding and stretched my qi sense out. My first choice was the closest one, a red eyes spirit with raven black hair who liked to show off her fangs. I had no idea what she’d give me, but I tapped on her anyway.

The second I knocked, she showed me a world drenched in blood where all enemies were ripped open and fed upon until all veins ran dry. Bats of every shape and size took the night, and the sun was no more. Nights grew ever colder as a world of the night took hold. I roared and burned the world created in our union with black flames until only ashes remained. Emily grabbed my shoulder as I glared at the shocked spirit with murder in my eyes.

“Well, at least the meeting hasn’t been interrupted; try the next one,” Emily suggested.

“Perhaps I should burn them all to weed out the weak,” I muttered.

Emily chuckled a little at that, much to my surprise. I thought she hadn’t laughed since she was born. She was dower enough.

“A sentiment I share but try to choose one less distasteful,” Emily said.

I blinked and realized it was her fanaticism shining through instead of the cold machine. These spirits were clearly humanoid but probably not up to standards. So, it was a trap they wanted to give me only the most passible of spirits. It would be enough for me to be passed off as a useful henchman but not enough to hide in a crowd.

I wanted to escape these people and do my own thing. Logan and Emily would have to die or think I died in the fight with Ula. A plan half formed in my mind as I stretched out for one of the flaming apes.

Just touching the ape felt wrong. We were utterly incompatible, and I pulled back. Something about its flames didn’t feel right. So, I focused on my next target, an angel. It was a long shot, but maybe it would work.

When I touched the creature, I felt a dream of utopia, a life of sacrifice for the greater good, and so much disgusting hypocrisy and hate. It hated the spirits around it for their impurity and would destroy them all if it had the power.

Then I saw the mint-haired spirit with the silver and gold eyes. A stream of spiritual energy touched mine, and I felt an instant connection. I felt it look through Rubix and me. While it was more powerful than me for now, it seemed willing to understand our feelings. I pushed against the spirit and felt it struggle against the bond.

Just because we were similar didn’t mean it wanted to bond with me. That was too damn bad. Rubix pushed more power into me, and I dropped the hammer onto the spirit. My black flames lashed out, and the spirit seemed unaffected. I pulled on my combat form and felt my spirit strengthen even as the pain set in.

Our battle took my mind into an imaginary world crafted by the clash of our qi. The spirit pushed me into illusions of fire and chaos, pits deep in the earth, and into the nests of driders. In my armored state, even in the spiritual, I burned and fought. Then I saw the spirit and flew after it. Where the spirit was concerned, physics didn’t matter. I fought through ogres, dragons, and giants as I battled my way to it.

I saw a mint-haired girl through a screen of static. She and her fire and ice spirits had been bound and hoisted onto a fire. At first, her spirits resisted until they covered her with oil. The memory was fuzzy, but it was the core of the spirit. She merged with her spirits out of desperation to escape the pain, but she wasn’t ready. So they burned and became a new spirit.

The vision shifted, and I appeared at that moment in time. Black flames ate the crowd surrounding the girl as I took her from the post holding her blackened body. I held her to my chest as she looked up at me with one golden eye and one silver. She pointed, and I turned around to see the triad on her executioners. My hand stretched out, and I called down the fire.

“I will never forgive them.” Two other pyres were already burned out; the corpses had long since blackened beyond recognition.

I stared down at the ashes of those faithful. They could burn for all I cared, but I wouldn’t act until I had the whole picture. Still, the bond between myself and the mint-haired spirit formed.

“My name is Glory, and I’ll join with you.” Glory said.

The bond formed, and I could feel new QI push into me. Even the pain of my battle form lessoned with more energy to feed into it.

“Now we can finally get out of this damn forest and go to the village,” Emily said.

Rubix and the mint-haired Glory pushed qi into me at an incredible rate; my battle form felt incredible. When I dropped it, I only felt slight dizziness and stumbled a little.

The Spirit Lord stared at us then simply nodded as if taking a member of his court was the most normal thing in the world. Perhaps it was.

“What’s my next step?” I asked. Rubix continued to flood me with rational qi. Without it, I’d have already used my increased power to strip this woman.

“Now we’re going to train you until you run out of qi, then do it again,” Emily said with a sadistic grin.

Ding!

Reward: You are not alone.