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Chapter 263: Entering Hell
🕑 Added 2023-09-18 17:36:01 +0000 UTCHey, I have great news! Not story related, but personal. I finally presented my thesis, which means I've got my Master's in Data Science! I've had it ready for a year, actually, but finding the examination committee was a major pain in the butt.
That means I have nothing to disturb me from writing an awesome arc. I'm really excited for this, so enjoy!
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The Eternal Gate was as dead as Derion, the poison planet, except in a different way.
As soon as Jack arrived, he noticed the absence of wind. The air was thin here, making breathing difficult, and there was no sound to be heard. No squawking of animals, no birds flying overhead, no activity in the barren, flat landscape. There were few plants, mostly colored a grayish green that made them seem half-dead.
This blanket of silence fell heavy over the planet, influencing the people who stayed here. Nobody spoke much. All Jack saw was a village of teleporters surrounded by silent camps of waiting people. Again, it reminded him of Derion, though this place looked less like the Wild West and more like a graveyard without tombstones.
“Is there a reason why teleportation hubs are placed on dead planets?” he inquired, leaning closer to Shol to whisper.
“They tend to upset the local economy. Plus, the existence of so many high-Grade cultivators is unsafe for the population. Placing these hubs in dead planets makes them much easier to manage, and it also makes use of otherwise useless space.”
“I see.”
The presence of the Animal Kingdom was strong here. Guards were everywhere, all sorts of half-animal half-people hybrids with hard glares and steel weapons. There were even several D-Grades present, including a half-cat woman at the late D-Grade. Undoubtedly, there were even peak D-Grades or even C-Grades here, so close to the epicenter of the Animal Kingdom’s influence, but they remained hidden.
All those immortals threw Jack dirty glares, noticing his disguise, but Shol’s presence was enough of a guarantee to let him slide.
“State your business,” a middle D-Grade guard ordered, singling them out from the crowd.
“A business meeting,” Shol replied simply. The guard stared, waiting for Shol to elaborate. He did not. Eventually, the guard grunted and stepped aside, letting them pass into the planet. “Your details have been taken,” he informed them. “You have permission to remain here for three days. If you require more—”
“That’s plenty,” Shol cut him off, walking away under the guard’s glare. Jack followed quickly.
“Is it really?” he asked.
“You’ll see.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “You take after Master. She said the same cryptic shit too.”
“If you must know, we will only be here for a few minute,” Shol retorted calmly. “However, you should speak about your master with a little more respect.”
“Oh no, I like surprises. I’m just saying.”
“Then you should perhaps say less and think more.”
“And you should take it a little easier. We’re far from home now. A little joke here and there helps us stay sharp.”
Shol grunted non-committedly. Jack followed him into the camp next to the teleportation hub, where entire crowds of cultivators awaited their turn. Some stayed in tents, others in their starships, and some, the most confident ones, simply sat down cross-legged and meditated.
Very few of the people present belonged to the Animal Kingdom, and Jack could easily imagine why; the Kingdom’s cultivators took priority in teleportation. As did D-Grades, as evidenced by the fact that everyone here was at the E-Grade. Jack and Shol themselves had received no buzzer or ticket to indicate their turn in line. They could teleport whenever they wanted to.
“I understand the concept,” Jack commented, “but I have to admit that this blatant favoritism kinda rubs me the wrong way.”
“It’s efficient,” Shol responded.
“Then why don’t you use it?”
“Because it rubs us the wrong way. But it’s efficient.”
Jack laughed. “Do you follow the Dao of the Contrarian?”
“I’m just speaking the truth,” Shol replied, then sighed. “Sorry. Being here has put me on edge.”
Jack narrowed his eyes. “Hmm. Do you think we’ll be discovered?”
“...No.”
“Shol?”
“I don’t think so. There is a chance. But I don’t think so.”
“Alright. I trust you.”
“As you should. I didn’t come here to be doubted by some kid that’s still wet behind the ears.”
“That kid has really hard knuckles, too. Wanna see?”
At this, Shol finally cracked a smile. “Save your bravado for fifty levels later. Right now, you’re one explosive slap away from becoming paste.”
“And you are very outspoken for a sidekick.”
Shol chuckled. Both were men of action; such light-hearted jousts made their blood boil, lifting their spirits.
“We’re here,” Shol finally said, approaching a starship parked between a red and a green tent. It was needle-shaped, as were most of them, but it was large, easily three times the size of the Trampling Ram. In fact, this ship towered so high over its surroundings that Jack had spotted it the moment they arrived at this planet.
A crew of feshkurs were frantically unloading large crates and stacking them in front of the ship, while a woman wearing a tattered brown cape oversaw them. Jack scanned her.
Feshkur, Level 156
Faction: Animal Kingdom (B-Grade)
Title: Fourth Ring Conqueror
The rest of the feshkurs also belonged to the Animal Kingdom, though they were at the E-Grade.
Unexpectedly, Shol walked right past the starship and its working feshkurs without a second glance. Jack didn’t halt his steps, following his former master until they were several tents away.
“You didn’t mean that ship?” he asked.
“We must be discreet,” Shol said. “Just wait.”
They kept walking to the very end of the camp, several miles away. There, Shol removed a cube from somewhere in his robes and threw it on the ground, where it formed into a red tent. “In,” he said, and both entered.
On the inside, the tent was completely empty, leaving enough free space for two people to be comfortable.
Which, in the end, didn’t really matter.
As soon as the flap closed behind them, Shol took a deep, tired breath. Jack felt his exhaustion. “From this moment on,” said the monk, “we’re operating illegally. If we are captured, we cannot implicate the Exploding Sun. Therefore…” Another breath, trembling and even deeper. “System, I would like to leave the Exploding Sun faction. Yes, I am sure.”
Jack’s eyes widened. He knew this was coming, but Shol had been a deacon of the faction for centuries. It was his home. His origin. He had status and history there. To see him leave the faction so decisively and risk his life just to help Jack…
It was touching.
“Thank you,” he said. “I really appreciate what you are doing for me. I will not forget about it.”
If Shol was hurt, he did not show it. “Just leave the faction as well so we can be on our way.”
Jack nodded. “System, I would like to leave the Exploding Sun faction.”
Leaving the Exploding Sun Faction. This action cannot be reverted without a Faction representative’s approval. Are you sure?
“Yes, I am sure.”
And just like that, he was out of the Exploding Sun again. He still remained part of the Bare Fist Brotherhood—he was its leader, so he couldn’t leave even if he wanted to—but it felt like an oddly final decision. As did all of them.
Right as he was done, he spotted Shol clenching his orange cape and burning it until there was only ash. This time, his eyes were misty, but his hand was steady, and he showed no weakness. “Give me yours as well,” he said. “These capes signify our allegiance. We no longer have a right to wear them.”
Jack silently handed over his cape, letting Shol burn it to ashes.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I am always okay.”
Shol then grabbed Jack’s shoulder, split the curtain of space, and stepped through it. Jack did not resist. Next thing he knew, they were in a cramped office surrounded by jet black walls and a window overlooking the camp. Opposite them sat the feshkur woman from before, her arms crossed before her chest.
“Took you long enough,” she said with a frown.
“Come on, Vegna,” Shol replied, letting go of Jack and opening his arms wide. The moisture in his eyes was gone. “Is that any way to greet an old friend?”
Her frown morphed into a smile as she stood and walked at Shol, wrapping him in a tight hug. She was taller than him, if significantly slimmer. “I missed you, Shol. How have you been?” she asked.
“Tired…but now, thanks to my star disciple here, I’m about to liven up my old bones again.” He pulled away, smiling with strain and pointing at Jack. “This is Jack.”
“Jack Rust,” she said, eyeing him up and down. She reached out for a handshake. “I’ve seen your wanted poster. You have some illustrious achievements, don’t you?”
“Some idiots keep challenging me,” Jack replied, shaking her hand. “Can’t help but beat them up.”
“Spoken like a true feshkur. Your species should be proud.” She grinned. “If you’re going to punch a hole into the Animal Kingdom’s side, I’d be glad to play a part.”
“But aren’t you part of the Kingdom?”
“So what? I work for them, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re assholes. And I’m allergic to assholes.”
Shol coughed in his hand. Jack didn’t comment; instead, he asked, “So, what’s the plan?”
“You’ll hide in one of these boxes,” Vegna explained. “They contain food to be shipped to Hell—mostly meat. They’ll be scanned, of course, but we’ve warded them to shield you from the guards’ Dao perception. Adding on the fact that you’re practically made of meat yourself…and you’ll be fine.”
“I’m not just meat. I also have an active core of condensed Dao inside me.”
“Didn’t you hear me mention wards?”
“Alright. I trust you.”
“Vegna is an old friend of mine, and very trustworthy,” Shol stepped in. “Also, I’ve financed these wards myself. I can assure you they’re the best money can buy.”
“Then, I trust you twice.”
“Since you’re here, there is no reason to delay,” Vegna said. “The longer we stay, the greater the chances something will go wrong.”
“Right. Let’s go,” Shol approved.
The fehskur captain led them to the hold, where a few crew members saluted them quietly. “I trust my crew with my life,” she assured them. “Your secret is safe with them.”
Jack didn’t mind. Trust was transferable. He trusted Shol, who trusted Vegna, who trusted her crew. Therefore, he also trusted her crew—albeit slightly less.
The food crates were as tall as Jack and equally wide. Spreading his perception, he sensed all sorts of materials inside, from salted meat to compressed vegetables. Shol was the first to climb into one. The moment he did, his presence vanished. The food was still there, completely undisturbed, but Shol wasn’t.
“Wow,” Jack exclaimed, turning to Vegna. “How does this work?”
“The crates are warded to emit the Dao footprint of meat and vegetables. Those aren’t their actual contents—though, in this case, they happen to be. No matter who is inside, their presence is blocked at the crate walls.”
“Huh. Neat,” Jack replied, while considering all the uses people could have for wards like these. “But if these wards exist, aren’t there checks against them?”
“Of course, but they’re cumbersome, so they aren’t used all the time. People want to sneak out of Hell, not in. For you, there are just random checks every once in a while, but if you happen to fall in that case, we can just blame our bad luck.”
“What if someone opens the crate?”
“Please. Do you think these guards have nothing better to do than open crates when sweeping their perception once is enough? Not to mention that I’m a trusted provider.”
Jack took a second glance at her. “Thank you,” he said honestly. “For staking your reputation to help us.”
“No need for thanks. Just punch them hard. That should be enough.” She gave him a wide, toothy smile. “Plus, if things go well, nobody will even know I was involved. You can destroy the wards as you exit the crates.”
“I will certainly do that.”
“Great. Jump in.”
Jack randomly chose the crate next to Shol’s and climbed inside. To his horror, the moment he opened the lid, he saw it was filled with fish—though from the outside, it still felt like meat and vegetables.
Taking a deep breath, Jack snuck in and closed the lid behind him. It didn’t smell too bad.
He could still spread his perception outside the crate, which was useful. Unfortunately, since he couldn’t sense Shol, he couldn’t speak to him telepathically.
Left with nothing else to do, Jack simply watched as his crate was eventually unloaded. The crew placed it on the ground, where another batch of feshkurs grabbed the crates and moved them all the way to the teleporter hub, stacking them onto one of the largest teleporters.
Jack saw the guards glance at the crates, but nothing weird showed on their faces. To them, this was routine. As soon as the feshkurs had unloaded the last crate of this batch—Shol’s—one of the guards pressed a button, and Jack was once again launched through space.
The teleportation was extremely smooth this time; the usual spatial pressure, which was the reason why F-Grades couldn’t use inter-planet teleporters, was completely absent. It made sense. If a Level 49 strongman couldn’t take the pressure, no crate could.
Soon after, Jack landed in Hell.
Wow, he thought. That was so uneventful.
And, of course, things went awry almost immediately.
