Chapter 88: Stronger

Chapter 88: Stronger

A swirl of Essence swept out around Chance as he arrived on a large stone circle beside Bella. The ground beneath his feet hummed with energy. A faint haze rose up from it, warping around their bodies. The stone was warm enough that the heat seeped through the bottoms of his shoes and into his feet.

The last of the Essence dissipated. A lush, grassy field stretched out around the stone circle. It was dotted with the ruins of dozens of stone buildings, many of which had been overtaken by nature and were little more than grassy lumps with specks of grey poking through.

Beyond the field rose hills and mountains, the tallest of which rose far into the air and scraped through the clouds. Islands floated amongst them, similar to the floating platforms in Gleam and yet, at the same time, completely different.

Instead of glowing bridges to connect them, many of the islands had rope bridges between them or the nearby mountains. Others had no apparent way to get onto them at all, and Chance spotted more than a few islands completely upside down, their grassy tops pointed down toward the earth.

Like the field, several of the islands had buildings upon them. One boasted an enormous castle that was taller than the island itself. It hung at a forty-five degree angle, with the only access to it being a twisting bridge that ran to it from a nearby island with what looked to be a guardhouse built into its side.

Several beams of brilliant blue light burned in the distance, rising up from the ground and piercing through the horizon. Essence rose off them in waves, rippling through the sky and making the clouds around them form to their patterns.

Chance turned in a circle, taking the sight in with wide eyes and an askew jaw. A crackle of Essence beside him snapped his attention back to his immediate location, and a woman wearing green robes appeared before him and Bella. She inclined her head ever so slightly and gave them a thin, restrained smile.

Welcome to the Azure Moon Realm, she said, brushing a strand of brown hair out of her face. Her gaze swept over both Chance and Bella, and the corner of her lip turned down ever so slightly. Your tokens identify you as members of the Dancing Cloud sect. Is this correct?

Yes, Chance said, still marveling at the islands. Why?

Safety measures, the woman replied. Welcome. I wont take up much more of your time. Please take note of the stone circle at your feet. This is one of the entry and exit points for the Azure Moon Realm. Ensure that you return to this or one of the other points before the Realm closes in a little less than three weeks. Failure to do this will result in you being trapped.

Bella opened her mouth, but the woman didnt give her a chance to ask the question shed been preparing.

The beams of light in the sky mark the other locations of exit and entry points.

Bellas mouth closed. The woman gave them a terse smile. She glanced over her shoulder, then shook her head and looked back at them.

Keep in mind that you are responsible for your safety when within the Realm, and that twenty percent of your earnings will be paid to your sect should you escape with your lives. Please take heed of any zones that you suspect house artifacts beyond your ability to claim. We will pay handsomely for their locations.

How are we supposed to know if an area has something too strong before we get it? Chance asked. I dont suppose theyre marked off somehow?

That got him a dry look.

If you survive, but just barely. There are too many ruins for the Azure Moon Coalition to properly investigate all of them, especially with how chaotic the Essence is here. Anything we marked down one day would be changed the next. Do you have any further questions?

Yeah. Bella pointed at the nearly upside-down castle in the sky. How do we get up there?

That, the woman replied, is not my concern. Return to an exit point should you have any information to relay to the Azure Moon Coalition, and please keep in mind that we do not care about any interpersonal conflicts that may occur. Limit your contact with us to exit requests or information about the location of artifacts.

With that, she vanished. Chance blinked, then waved a hand through the air where shed been standing. He turned to Bella, who looked just as baffled as he did.

Some sort of projection? Chance guessed. I dont think she was actually here.

Several moments passed. Chance shifted his stance and reached into his pouch, fiddling with one of the vials of healing pills hed purchased. Bella waited patiently until he spoke.

The monster I fought was intelligent. His name was Seleth, Chance said. He said he was attacking the town, but he was just waiting around for cultivators to show up.

Because cultivators have more Essence, Bella said with a nod. Thats pretty normal. Wait. You spoke with it?

Him, Chance corrected. He was honestly pretty amiable. I dont think Seleth wanted to kill people. He just didnt have a choice. It was the only thing he could do to survive.

What was Seleth again?

A giant crocodile monster.

Youre sympathizing with a giant crocodile that has probably killed hundreds of people?

Yeah.

Bella looked like she couldnt decide between being amused, baffled, or sympathetic. She settled for rubbing the bridge of her nose and shaking her head. Okay, I guess I should have seen that coming. So what happened?

I killed him.

You saved a lot of people, Bella pointed out.

Yeah, I know. I dont feel bad for killing him. Chance chewed his lower lip in thought, then sighed. Im not sure what the right words are. I think he wanted me to kill him. If the scenario happened again, I wouldnt change how I acted. But why did it have to be like that in the first place? Why can humans cultivate normally, but monsters cant?

Thats not a question for me, Bella admitted. I have no idea. I honestly never really thought about it. I dont think most try to reason with the monsters, since theyre too busy trying not to get killed.

Yeah, I figured. Chance stepped away from the wall and walked around the table. He stopped by the remains of an overgrown window and idly tugged at the vines covering it, peeling them back so he could peer through it. My problem is that I thought the universe had a concept of fairness. I mean, if Karma is a thing, it has to, right? But Im not seeing it. Monsters are forced to kill to grow stronger, and people like Vex can rise to strength without punishment. Why?

Bella walked over to peer through the window Chance had made. It wasnt particularly useful, given that there was a huge crack in the wall right beside it that gave the exact same view.

Maybe thats an answer youll find somewhere along your path. I certainly cant answer it myself.

Yeah, Chance said. I guess all I can do is get strong enough to try and fix things. Im sure theres a way that monsters really can get stronger without killing, and the ones that dont want to do harm should have that opportunity.

If there are enough monsters that would actually want to make that transition, it would be incredible. I cant even begin to imagine what that would change.

It doesnt have to be a lot, Chance said. Just one would be worth it. I guess thats too far in the future to worry about now, though. Weve only got a few weeks in here, so we should try to make the most of it. The Shikari will be on the hunt again when we get out.

Bella nodded. Lets go. Theres got to be a way to get to those floating islands somewhere up ahead.

They stepped through the large crack in the wall and set back off in the direction of the mountains. One way or another, they needed to get stronger.