Depthless Hunger

Kai leapt from the water with the taste of monster blood in his mouth. Not to the ship, not yet, simply arcing through the sky for the joy of it.

Combining Thunderbird's Wings and Sahagin's Soul let him swim faster than ever before, especially since both techniques had been refined. There wasn't a strict need to protect their vessel during the trip, since the monsters weren't particularly dense, but he wanted to hunt for potential new abilities. Even though he hadn't discovered anything strong enough yet, he was enjoying just eating different monsters. The time on Darkmist Island hadn't gotten old, but the monsters had.

After running down and eating one more of the fastest fish, Kai launched himself back to the deck of the ship. It was the last gift they had from the elves - far smaller than the large vessel that had taken them from Rosemount, but just about the right size for the three of them. The main deck itself was mostly clear, more a platform for combat than a deck, while the controls and interior rooms were housed in the single deck below.

Currently Zae Zin Nim was nowhere to be seen, but Omilaena leaned against one railing to stare over the ocean. Kai shook off most of the water and walked over to stand beside her.

"Did we veer west?" Kai asked. "I lose track this far out, but you seemed to shift while I was swimming."

"Yeah, Zin Nim has a new plan." Omilaena tapped her foot on the deck as if to indicate their wife below. "Cloudspire is still a long way off, but she didn't want to approach any shipping lanes. I think we're all going to talk about it later."

"But it sounds like we're arcing around to the western side of the continent? I suppose that makes sense. Her father and that whole sect are in the eastern side, right?"

"I don't think they're actually on the eastern coast, just in that general region. But yes, the idea is to keep away from them until we're strong enough to take on Sky Souls."

Kai leaned down against the railing, which wasn't really built for someone his height. The waters stretched out as far as the eye could see, even with his enhanced eyes. "What happens if we just keep going west? Do we hit the Blood Current again?"

"We'd have to go a long way, effectively past the whole continent." Omilaena leaned down beside him and bumped her hip up against his. "My understanding is that monsters get more dangerous west of the known world, but I don't know if that's just because some of them are coming from the Blood Current or something different. I haven't been this far out either."

"Think we could go back for more training?"

"I'm not sure we're ready for that yet. Maybe after Zin Nim gets the breakthrough she needs."

They lapsed into silence, because the challenges ahead of them were a common stopping point and there was no solution beyond what they were already doing. Zae Zin Nim's father and the Brightwind sect stood as formidable obstacles, there was the monster incursion after that, and of course the god-like beings unknowably far beyond...

But there was no point thinking about that, especially when Kai thought the nearest hurdles were much more attainable. The biggest thing limiting their overall strength was the fact that Zae Zin Nim was pushing up against the 999 Power barrier, which limited both her cultivation and her Class. If she could break through, she had several powerful advancements ahead of her. The new continent would also offer Omilaena an entirely new source of poisons and knowledge.

As for himself, Kai was confident he could find a way forward so long as he was with the two of them. They'd both gone out of their way to help him advance in the past and he was glad to support them now. Besides, even if Cloudspire was a different sort of environment, he was sure he could find something to eat and increase his strength.

"Husband, wife." Zae Zin Nim emerged from the stairs at the back of the ship and gave them a serious nod. "I wish to speak of our plan for Cloudspire."

"You're finally done playing with your map?" Omilaena asked.

"We have several potential routes. I only wish to offer my advice, then we must choose one together."

Kai headed across the deck to join her. Thankfully the Beggar King's Robes shed water almost immediately, and the wind had dried out his hair. He needed to duck as he headed down the stairs, which were definitely not made for someone his height, and the blazing ocean sun was replaced with the cool light of qi lanterns.

The first chamber was partially filled with supplies and the remainder was their sitting room. Kai put his back to one of the large boxes as he sat down beside their little table, where they'd shared meals and more. Zae Zin Nim took a position beside him and began to pull a map from a narrow case, but Omilaena slid up beside her before she could finish.

"Do we really need to discuss business now?" Omilaena asked, one hand sneaking down to Zae Zin Nim's thigh. "Cloudspire is still a long way off, why don't we relax and-"

Stolen story; please report.

"There will be time for that later." Zae Zin Nim grabbed Omilaena's hand and moved it away, though only to her waist. "We need to understand the geography and form a plan, before things go wrong."

"Shouldn't we try to make a plan where things don't go wrong?"

"Things always go wrong with you two."

Given his usual luck, Kai was fully in agreement. He'd seen their maps before, but now he eagerly looked more carefully as Zae Zin Nim smoothed the map over the table. Unlike Deadwaste or Rosemount, Cloudspire was a massive block of a continent. Roughly diamond shaped, with a mountainous region in the center and four points extending in each cardinal direction.

"You're from here, right?" Omilaena tapped the eastern side. "I don't see the Brightwind sect listed."

"Do not underestimate Cloudspire!" Zae Zin Nim drew herself up. "The Eastern Plains are a vast region, filled with hundreds of sects, even entire kingdoms."

"How large are those kingdoms, though? You have some powerful sects, but they don't tend to hold empires, not like Rosemount."

"I don't know any of this," Kai said before the two could bicker. It was good-natured, now after their honeymoon, but it was still easiest to cut through it. "Omilaena, you'll just have to suffer a remedial lesson while I get caught up."

"She needs to set aside her misunderstandings as well." Zae Zin Nim sniffed, then smoothed the edges of the map again as she gathered herself. "We divide Cloudspire into four vast regions. They do not appear on a map, but they are important cultural groups and you will hear them many times. The Eastern Plains are known best on other continents, simply because they are closer."

Kai stared over the region, trying to imagine it from everything Zae Zin Nim had told him. It was easy to bring to mind the houses, and she had spoken at length about the lakes and rice paddies of home, but the people all just looked like robed cultivators in his head. Presumably there had to be more diversity, even if the Brightwind cultivators he'd fought came from the same mold.

"Second to the east in prestige is the Northern Expanse," Zae Zin Nim circled a finger around a large portion of the north. "It is the largest by area, though their sects are not as populous. The Northern Expanse does not welcome outsiders, and in any case it is far from our current location."

"They have a good reputation on Rosemount, though," Omilaena said. "I'd like to get there one day."

"It is not likely to be in the near future. Next we have the Southern Rivers, which are rich in natural resources. I have never set foot there, but many powerful ingredients used by alchemists across the continent originate there. We might want to venture there eventually, for Omilaena's sake."

"Does that mean we're interested in the west?" Kai asked. He bent down over the table to get a better look at the western quadrant, wishing they had a better map. This one was filled with names that meant nothing to him and gave no information at all about the substance of the place.

"That is correct. The Western Wilds are a savage but powerful region, so I believe that we should land there despite the length of the trip." Zae Zin Nim finally pulled her hands away from the map and folded them in her lap. "I believe our first priority should be to hide ourselves, so that my father cannot locate and attack me. On Cloudspire he might well send the full force of the Brightwind sect after us - the sect has a great jade ship that can teleport - and we cannot fight them all as we are now."

"I told you, the Pure Yin Shroud should hide you," Omilaena said with a pat on Zae Zin Nim's leg. "Your father isn't omnipotent."

"No, but he does have spies, and the three of us are an unusual group. When we arrive, we will no doubt attract attention somehow, and I do not want rumors of us to immediately attract his attention. I will blend in, but the two of you..."

"You have Rosemount natives on the continent, though, at least in the northeast. Won't I stand out more if we start in the west?"

"I think you can avoid attention, if you do not... behave as you usually do... so I am more worried about Kai." Zae Zin Nim turned to him and her head had to tilt back to look up at him. "You will stand out on Cloudspire even before you turn into a monster or attempt to overthrow a government."

Kai raised his hands in mock defensiveness. "Hey, I can try to lay low, but I don't think I can make myself any smaller. My powers can only add more mass."

"That is another reason I wish to start in the Western Wilds. There are many tribes there, ranging from prestigious to barbaric, and you could perhaps just pass as one of them. You already have many years of cultivation and no Class, so if you acquire a spiritual disguise, it will seem more likely that you are a western cultivator instead of someone from Deadwaste."

"So we just need some clothes and a new shroud," Omilaena said, glancing at him across Zae Zin Nim. "Kai actually isn't bad with shrouds, for a barbarian, so that shouldn't be too hard."

"Yes, that is my hope." Zae Zin Nim nodded seriously, but there was a hint of a satisfied smile in the corners of her eyes. He'd missed those hints, before they'd spent so much time together after their marriage. "Instead of being a highly conspicuous group, we can appear to be three cultivators from different regions. Perhaps not common, but not something that would alert my father."

"Subterfuge is just a means to an end," Kai pointed out. "We're here to gain power, right? Can you find what you need in the Western Wilds?"

"I believe so." The smile vanished and Zae Zin Nim's dark eyes focused on the map. "The Western Wilds have a savage reputation, but they are not weak. Their most powerful sects and tribes will definitely have treasures to break the 999 Power barrier, it is simply a matter of finding one appropriate to me."

"Sounds good. So we sail around the western side of Cloudspire, then find a place to land?"

"Yes. You will already be able to speak the language perfectly thanks to the Alltongue Fruit, so I only need to teach you a more local shroud. When we arrive, I think we should split up briefly, in case my father has spies in all major ports. But then we can all meet here at the Blueblade Sect's headquarters, or if there is interference, the Heavenly Sands Tribe..."

It seemed like Zae Zin Nim had been thinking about this for a long time, because she had multiple layers of contingency plans. Kai did his best to remember all the new names and get a stronger sense for the geography so that he could keep up and adapt if necessary.

For most of his life, nothing had gone according to plan and things had gotten ugly fast. Despite the warm feelings flowing through them, he doubted this would be an exception... but he'd be ready.