[RSM] Chapter 42. Prisoner's Dilemma (Patreon)

Tundra walked through the door of the Sect’s elders meeting room, which promptly shut as he passed. It was a fairly small place, but ornately decorated with the exploits of past and present sect masters and elders. He always hoped he would add this hall of achievements. 

“Welcome back, Sect Master.” The three present said in unison. “How was your trip?”

“It went decently well. We’ve returned with a good haul.”

“We heard.” Jashen waited, and Tundra sat on his designated seat. But they all knew he had more to say. Jon got to work and began preparing tea for everyone present.

“We’ve been invited to the White Striped Tiger’s Tournament for disciples.” Tundra said first. Again, something they already knew. 

There was a pot of hot tea, it was steaming. Jon waited for a bit, then picked it up and poured a cup for himself. Jon then poured and filled everyone’s cup with tea. 

Tundra sat, and waited. The three elders waited too. Whatever they had to say could wait after the tea was served.  

“So, the Zuja tried to infect the Princess.” Tundra said, and then immediately picked up his still hot cup of tea. The three followed to pick up their own cups of tea out of sheer habit, and then all stopped at the same time.

“And?” Jashen was first to blurt out. 

“It probably failed.” Tundra answered, and then gently blew the hot tea. He then took a small sip. It was strangely tangy. “Is this one of the presents we got?” 

“Yes. A Thousand Dew Tea from the Nurkfields Highlands. We thought we’d try it since you came back from a long journey.” Jon added. Jon loved tea, and loved brewing fine teas while reading scripture. Tundra heard of some teas that could improve concentration, and he internally made a note to explore the various types of tea. Maybe there’s some that could even improve his children’s talents. “But please, don’t let the tea distract us from the earlier topic. So, how deep do they go?”

“Very.” Tundra said, the second sip was a little less hot. “They had agents within the Crimson Lotus Spire.” 

“An elder?” Severian wondered. 

“A core disciple. But I think he’s expendable.” Tundra said with a sigh. There were likely others within the Palace, but he wasn’t sure who. The minister clearly was compromised, or perhaps just corrupt. 

“They seem to have a lot deeper reserves than you make them out to be.” Jashen placed his own teacup back on the ornate wooden table. It was an old table, so old that it came from an earlier generation of sect masters. 

“I’m afraid so. But let us not worry about that. Our haul is good, and so, we need to get all of you up to the sixth. Who’d like to go first?” 

Severian nodded, and Tundra could feel him at the peak of the fifth realm. With the right pills, he should be ready. “Me. I am ready.” 

“Good. You two?”

“Not yet. A little more for me to go. I’d have to drop by at Lakeshore.” Jashen said. “But I believe it should be fairly uneventful. With you in the seventh realm, they would think carefully lest you rip their ancestral roots out.” 

Tundra chuckled. “Do I have such a fearsome reputation?”

“You do.” Jashen smirked. “We should use it well. I believe our prisoner’s starting to feel a little worried about her position.”

Tundra glanced at Jon, and Jon just shook his head. “It is not time. The tea is still hot, and the taste is still not yet fully expressed.” 

The regressor sect master sat, and took another sip of the tea. There was a strong, earthy, grassy taste to the tea, with a hint of sourness. There were probably finer notes he missed. But he wouldn’t force his friend. If he isn’t ready, then so be it. “Very well. Then I will get started on Severian’s pills, and we will guard him during his breakthrough. It should take a month or so.”

Severian answered with conviction. “Ready when you are.”

“Got it.” Tundra answered even though he too, had a ton of questions. He wondered how Severian thought about his entire conduct over at the Scarlet Lightning City and the developments with the Scarlet Thunder Sect, but he looked at the certainty in Severian’s face, and knew he shouldn’t ask those questions now.

There was no point seeding confusion and doubt when a breakthrough was so near. Many cultivators enter secluded cultivation prior to any breakthrough for the very purpose of clearing their minds and quieting their hearts. 

It would have to wait. 

***

“How was the trip? Did anything happen?” Elly asked as Celestia entered the dining hall. The two sat together during the evening dinner, and the two wives gathered to share the details. Celestia wasn’t a particularly gossipy type, but when Elly asked, Celestia felt obliged to answer. 

It was an exhausting thing, but Elly seemed interested to know every single bit, on both their mutual husband, and also about Edison. 

The sixth wife sensed Edison’s restlessness. He felt out of place. He lacked skill. Confidence. Life experience. This was her husband trying to give him some. Growth. 

Just like Tundra, Elly too, hoped some of those memories and words managed to stick in his mind. 

She saw hope and worry in Elly’s eyes. The concern a mother had for their son who went away for a trip, and now wanted to know everything. 

Celestia knew she would be like that some day. One day, if she did have children with Tundra, it would be her turn to fret and worry. Even now, she was already concerned about her other step-children and step-grandchildren. What more if she had one that came from her own flesh? 

She reached over and touched Elly’s hand. It was warm. “It’ll be alright. Edison- I think we should give him time to think. I think he’s slowly getting it.”

Elly looked back at Celestia and nodded. “I’d give him time. I’ve given him a lot of time. I only fear that Tundra would not give him the time he needs. Tundra, he’s frustrated with our kids and wants results. If Edison’s stagnant while his other siblings progress, it may not end well.” 

Celestia didn’t know what to say. Much of what could happen is in Edison’s hands. She said her piece, and there was a point not to repeat what was already said often. 

So, she held Elly’s hand, and gave a small, gentle squeeze. “It should be fine.”

Elly turned and gave her a worried smile. Her heart was elsewhere, concerned, but unable to help. “Thank you.”

Dinner was over, and Celestia stretched once she returned home. 

It was nice to be back in her room once more. Each of the wives had their own private rooms, their own little ‘abode’ and ‘retreat’. It was an expectation common throughout the world, though she was aware that most mortal families often didn’t have such luxuries. 

She closed her eyes, and picked out her sword. She called on her energy, and entered into a trance. Practice. 

The sword flows. 

The movement wasn’t as smooth as she liked. There were parts when her energy felt insufficient to pull off some of the steps required by the technique.

Will Edison be alright?  

She shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to think about it. Practice. She thought about how Tundra taught and guided Julia as an alchemist.

That made sense. Julia probably learned more in those two weeks than a year of studying alchemy text. 

Ah, her mind wandered again. It was quite hard to quiet down all these stray thoughts. 

She closed her eyes, and willed her mind to silence. Her sword flowed again. 

Her mind wandered once more, and thought about her coming session with Core Disciple Julia. She hoped she didn’t perform too badly. 

She cursed. 

She should get one of those mind clarity pills for herself.

***

One year and six months after regression

It’s been more than a year since he regressed back in time. 

Tundra spent weeks in the workshop to prepare the pills for his elders. 

Severian’s primary element was Earth, but he did have two sub specializations where the Earth Element energy was condensed into stronger stone and rock, and also the other direction where he went for Sand and the flowing earth. 

The pills made from the materials of the Imperial Palace would deliver a large dose of pure earth element energy, but to truly help his fellow Elder, he needed to also convert some of that Earth Element energy into it’s secondary forms. 

So it took longer than normal, but after the past few weeks, the pills were ready. 

“Come, let’s go.” The two of them met. Jon would have to stand guard over the Verdant Snow Sect, but Tundra expected it’ll be alright. 

Severian looked up at the sun, and then into the faraway hills. 

Tundra gave him a reassuring look, and tapped Severian on the shoulder. “You’ve got this, brother.”

Severian laughed, there was a hint of nervousness in it. Then, he answered with confidence. “Of course I do.” He sat on a quiet hill far enough from the Verdant Snow, and prepared all the things he needed. 

“Well. It’s all yours from here.” Tundra said, and then moved to leave him on the hill. 

“If you could do it, I can too.” Severian nodded, as he patted his chest.

His three elders were talented. Not geniuses, but still talented enough that their progress up to their current point has been smooth. Even the form of their cultivation was good. They had good instincts. 

Jon, Severian, and Jashen were once his peers. Tundra became a Core Disciple before they did, he was, after all, older than them, but ultimately, they grew up together, all as disciples of the Verdant Snow Sect. At one point, when Severian was still young, he even hoped to be the next Sect Master. 

Alas, Tundra’s talent as a master alchemist was self-evident, and Severian wisely decided to withdraw. In some ways, it was Tundra’s good fortune that his rise to his present post was peaceful, and not fraught with conflict like some other sects.

The breakthrough to the sixth realm could take up to a month. The fastest Tundra had ever seen was about ten days, and that was by one of those generational geniuses, on top of the aid of some old lingering spirit. 

The clouds above began to swirl as the world sensed a breakthrough. As the soul expands to create more space, the heavens and earth have to yield to it’s expansion. The heavens and earth may not always yield peacefully, and so, tribulation. 

From Tundra’s location just a mountain away, he could sense his elders gradually rising energies. It was going well. He could feel it when Severian ate two more pills. The gathering of the realm’s spiritual energy surged. Earth. The ground trembled, and Tundra quickly inserted his own energies to reinforce the terrain. 

Earth energies were drawn from the surroundings, and with it, the tremors in the hills intensified. The ground shook as the earth’s energies flowed from the lands towards Severian, and energies swirled within Severin’s soul.

The soul gathered its energy to rebel against its constraints. 

Tundra knew of many analogies, most were useful to comprehend certain aspects of ‘ascension’. Again, analogies do not describe the whole truth, but merely give insight, so the cultivator could gain comprehension and understanding. 

He once heard from those in the south, they described the soul like an expandable rubber balloon that grows outward as it gathers energy. As the realm rises, the tensions of the material increases, and at the same time, pushback from the surroundings also increases. Overdo it, and the ball explodes. If not enough energy was used, the ball wouldn’t expand. 

Useful, but incomplete. 

Another useful analogy came from those along the shore and seas. They would say that rising up the realms is like building polders, to ‘create’ or ‘reclaim’ new land from the sea. The polders must be strong enough to resist the batterings of the sea. 

For Tundra personally, his soul swirled with the powers of metal, and his own personal favorite analogy of ascension came from glass work. 

During ascension, the soul is heated and temporarily enters a malleable, sensitive state. Then, the spirit’s contained energy expanded outwards, to push the molten material to create a larger space, and that new space formed the new usable spiritual realm for the cultivator. 

The expansion cannot be too fast. 

Unlike glass blowing which was a fairly quick process, the soul’s strength determined how quickly this expansion could go, and in the higher realms, the structure was far less stable, and that’s why they needed more time. 

Tundra could feel it when Severian’s earth energies started pushing against its current constraints. The spirit is vulnerable, and so some cultivators choose somewhere hidden so that their enemies couldn’t find them.

Others ask their friends to stand guard. It is an act of immense trust. 

The expansion began, and after a week, Severian downed some pills to maintain the expansion. Each higher realm required more energy, and thus, more pills to ensure that the cultivator didn’t run out of steam during this crucial expansion process. 

The earth rumbled. 

The mountain around them cracked. 

Tundra’s metallic energies weaved into the ground around them, and restrained the earth like inserting reinforced steel bars into the ground. 

The rumbling lessened. The skies growled. 

Severian ate a total of ten pills over the month. Each time Tundra could feel a sudden surge in the elder’s energy levels. 

One day about a month later, it all stopped. Then, Severian’s energies, now in a higher realm, pushed outward, a declaration that he succeeded. 

He would need a week or two to stabilize his cultivation. 

Just like the analogy of blowing glass, the worked glass needed to be allowed to cool. 

Just like the analogy of polders reclaiming land, the new land needed time before it could be worked on. 

“Well done.” Tundra said.  

Severian looked at him. “Was it ever in doubt? If you could do it, I could too.”

Tundra laughed, but remembered a time when some of his elders in the far future failed their own breakthroughs. Maybe it was just an improper form, or the amount of energy was insufficient, or just the shape of their cultivation. Failure was dangerous. It often resulted in a poisoning of the spiritual realm. In some cases, their cultivation crumbled. 

He thought about the alchemist Laurian Frostmold. Hollowed. A shattered glass bottle leaked, and repairing it often involved taking a step back. 

“Of course.” 

There was no need to be a downer. 

***

News spread quickly, and the reputation of the Verdant Snow rose with it. Already, there were messengers at their doorstep, from nearby sects that now wanted to make friends. 

One such sect that changed their mind was the Blood Blade Sect. It was a letter that was fairly simple in its content. In short, the Blood Blade Sect declared they would no longer pursue their claims over the town of Lakeshore and the Lakeshore Barrens, and that they have officially cut ties with the Amberblade Family. 

As for the formation master, they threw her under the horse carriage. They’ve given up all claims and expelled her as a member of the Blood Blade Sect. 

Tundra took the letter, and then took it to the formation master. “Your sect has abandoned you.” 

Tundra took the letter, and gave it to the woman. She could shred it. She could destroy the letter. But whatever it is, her faith in her own sect was broken. 

She stared at it, unable to believe the document in her hands. The formation master probably wasn’t very old. She seemed no older than Celestia, probably 300 to 400 years old. Her experience of the world, especially what she knew while in a small sect like the Blood Blade Sect, is thus lacking. 

Tundra continued. “It is not uncommon. In battles between sects, I have seen many such demands made. A young master offended another young master, and the more powerful sect demanded the young master’s life. To preserve itself and prevent total war, the weaker sect agreed to their demands. It so happens that we are much stronger now. I have seen even Great Pretender Sects surrender their claims, and even offered a sacrificial lamb.”

The formation master was smart enough to know what Tundra meant, and so she closed her eyes. “Do it.”

“Really. Do you want to die?”

She sighed. “No.”

“I thought so.” Tundra laughed. “Do you think I’ll kill you now?” 

The formation master thought so. “Is that not what the letter meant? That this is my death sentence?”

“Not at all. You see, from my point of view, you are now a free, wandering cultivator. Your sect has just disowned you, so, I could just as easily offer you a role with us.” 

She froze, her brain clearly unable to process what Tundra just said. “Did I not attempt to kill you?”

“You failed.” Tundra said with a chuckle. “Besides, it is not as if you are walking freely. The price of life is labor. In fact, I might even release you from your restrictions if you prove that you can be trusted.”

She gulped. “What do you have in mind?”

“Simple. You’re a formation master in the fourth realm, and I reckon you have about a thousand years left in your life. So, you have plenty of time to earn your freedom.” 

“What does that involve?” 

“You will join us, and you will work. You will be given the outfit of an Inner Disciple, and we will continue to monitor you for the next twenty years. You will build smaller formations for us. At the end of it, if your work was satisfactory, I will set you free, or if you choose, you can continue to stay with us.”

“A prison sentence, then.”

Tundra laughed. “Well, Yes and no. Right now, I believe you have some value, so I’m trying to recruit a potentially talented formation master, instead of sending you to the heavenly immortals.”

“You do not fear I will betray you?”

“Well, the punishment for treason is death. A traitor, no matter how talented, is worthless.” Tundra smiled. “Besides, do you really want to collaborate with the Blood Blade Sect that’s just given you away?” 

“You have other enemies.” 

Tundra smiled at how quickly she was catching up to the realities of politics. “You are right. Perhaps I should reconsider my offer and rip your cultivation out of your spirit. Let you walk the living worlds as a mortal once more. That would be a fate worse than death. Or as I initially offered, death. Make your choice.” 

That made her pale up, and this time, she knelt before him. She stammered as she apologized. “I misspoke. I am prepared to serve, Sect Master.”

“Good. For now, you are permitted to go no further than the Verdant Leaf Town. A servant will bring you to your new room and deliver you your uniform. You will report to Elder Jon or Elder Jashen tomorrow. They will find duties suitable for someone of your talents.”

She bowed. “Yes.”

[A/N : TQ FOR READING]