Gleam - Chapter 159 (Patreon)

It took them a while to fill Zeguma in on everything that they knew about the Shikari. They didn’t leave much out aside from Yamish and the extent of Chance’s relation to him. If Zaguma noticed, he didn’t mention anything about it. He likely knew enough about Karma to keep clear of it.

Once they’d finished, Zeguma adjusted his position to sit with his legs crossed and his arms resting upon his knees. He let his eyes drift shut and remained silent for several minutes. None of them so much as dared to make a noise before he moved once more.

“I have contemplated your issue,” Zeguma said. “I would make it clear that I am no Karma cultivator. I do not know the commands of the universe, nor can I read the undercurrents of fate.”

“That’s fine. I don’t think the universe is too pleased with me right now anyway,” Chance said. “This might be a good time to do a little thinking without its aid.”

Zeguma let out a soft chuckle. “Your abilities will not forsake you because you have stood up for your beliefs. On the contrary, they will only grow stronger. I would suggest against directly consulting the universe again anytime soon, but you are no less of a Karma cultivator now than you were before. In some ways, you are more.”

A weight that Chance hadn’t even properly had time to register yet lifted off his shoulders and he let out a relieved sigh. “I — oh. That’s good. Part of me wondered if I would lose my luck powers because I pissed the universe off.”

“You will not. Your Essence is yours. The universe can communicate with you should you allow it, but that is all.” Zeguma interlaced his fingers and rested his palms in his lap. “But, while that may be good news, the rest of the news you brought today is not.”

“Is there someone we can go to about this?” Wren asked.

“Someone? Yes. There is always someone.” Zeguma gave Wren a lazy smile, but it quickly fell away from his face as his features grew serious and he blew out a breath. “But the Shikari may not be the ones. I can read pattern far better than most, and all signs point to your fears being correct. They have been heavily infiltrated.”

“How heavily?” Yeo asked.

“I do not know. I cannot read the future. There are members of it that are more likely to be against Gleam than others, but anything more than that is unknown to me. I will seek answers, but they may not come fast.”

That wasn’t what Chance had been hoping to hear. Knowing that Zeguma was on their side was heartening, but nothing about Acen and his cursed marble made him think that acting slowly was going to turn out well for them at the end of the day.

“Is there anything you can tell us about… well, anything?” Chance tried. Zeguma read his expression like an open book.

“There is always something. Should you root out who the traitors within the Shikari are, I can lend you my aid. It is unlikely you will be able to locate all of them whilst the source of the problem still exists.”

“You mean Acen?” Bella asked.

“He is a symptom, I suspect,” Zeguma said with a shake of his head.

“The marble,” Chance concluded. He hadn’t forgotten the vile item for so much as an instant ever since he’d first seen it. “And whoever gave Acen the marble. When we ran into him, it didn’t seem like Acen was fully in control, but he wasn’t completely lost. If he’d been the one that actually made that marble, I doubt he would have been content to run from us.”

“That’s a good point,” Yeo said. His face grew a shade paler and he did a double take. “Are you telling me we’ve got to deal with a marble powerful enough to somehow pit us against a Lifereaver and a bunch of Essence Eaters as well as whoever made it? Without help?”

“I did not say you had to act without help.” Zeguma raised a hand to forstall any more questions. “But please remember that my advice is truly not from one who knows the flow of the universe. I attempt to provide what guidance I can, but nothing I say is set in stone.”

“Right. But… the marble.” Yeo gestured to himself, then to the others. “How are we supposed to deal with that? We’re a bunch of Rank 3s. We’re all going to get ourselves killed. Chance’s powers can only bullshit him so far, and I’m not nearly cool enough to carry all of us to victory.”

“That is not true.”

“Aw, thanks.”

“I suspect you may have drawn connections from the wrong portion of my sentence.” The corner of Zeguma’s mouth quirked up in a grin. “I did not refer to your coolness.”

Yeo sank back into his chair. “You were agreeing with the part where we’re all going to die? Well, that’s just lovely.”

“Also incorrect.” Zeguma turned to the couch that Chance and Bella sat on. “You are not all Rank 3. Not exactly.”

Chance blinked in confusion, then looked to Bella. She hadn’t advanced anytime as of late as far as he was aware. If she had, she would have mentioned something before the fight with the Lifereaver.

Does he mean me?

“The lightning,” Bella muttered. “Are you saying getting hit with Tribulation Lightning pushed Chance up to Baron Rank?”

“He is a step from it. The power is within him,” Zeguma confirmed. “Once he takes the time to settle down and meditate upon the changes to his body, he will advance. Only his own ability will determine how successful that advancement is.”

“Damn it,” Yeo grumbled under his breath as he crossed his arms. “Congrats, Chance. But now I’ve got to get hit by lightning as well so I can catch up with you. This isn’t fair. You really aren’t leaving anything for the rest of us.”

“It wasn’t intentional,” Chance protested. “I could ring the universe up and put you on the line if you want.”

Yeo coughed into a fist. “You know what? I think I’ll let you stick to that bit. I’ll just do an old-fashioned training montage. That sounds a lot more enjoyable and less likely to end with me pasted on the ground.”

Zeguma chuckled at Yeo’s antics, which was fortunate. If he’d found him annoying, they probably wouldn’t have had access to his help for much longer. Still, there was no need to press their luck.

“Will reaching Baron Rank let me actually deal with the marble?” Chance asked doubtfully.

“On its own? Unlikely,” Zeguma said. “It will give you a better shot, but an item with the strength to control the fate of a Lifereaver and bind it to yours is not going to be an easy one to overcome. But you have overlooked a key element in my guidance.”

“He means that we don’t have to work alone,” Wren filled in. “The Shikari as a whole may be infiltrated, but we can try to bring together people that we know ourselves. If we can confirm they’re safe, we could build up enough of a resistance to have a better chance against… well, whoever it is that we’ve found ourselves in hot water with.”

That was an optimistic sentiment, but Chance wasn’t sure how many people they knew that could actually sway the tides of battle against a force as strong as the one they had to deal with. A shiver ran down his spine.

Lin could probably do a lot. I’m not so sure I want to go asking him for help, though. Yamish could handle things as well… but asking him for help is a worst-case scenario. He isn’t going to do anything for free, and I know I’m not going to like the process when it comes time to pay up.

“Jade, maybe?” Yeo suggested.

Chance and Bella both sent him a look.

“What?” Yeo asked. “We talked for a while. She seems competent enough.”

“Jade is an option,” Bella said with a slow nod. “But unless something crazy has happened in recent time, she’s still a Rank 3. Is a group of Rank 3s really going to be able to do much?”

“We might be thinking about this wrong,” Chance said. “The marble is powerful, but it’s an item. It can’t do anything without Acen, and Acen is also a Rank 3. He’s going to be very strong, but if we can separate him from the marble, he’ll lose a lot of that power.”

A grin crawled across Yeo’s face and he pushed himself away from the back of the couch. “You’re right. We don’t have to be stronger than the marble or whoever made it. We just have to be strong enough to smack the stupid thing out of Acen’s hands.”

“The marble may not be completely powerless once it is separated from its wielder,” Zeguma warned. “But I believe this to be the best course of action as well. And, for that reason, it is important that I do not act directly.”

“What? Why?” Wren asked. “Master, if you came with us—”

“The ripple on fate would be too big,” Chance realized. “The marble would find it easier to pick up that something really significant was coming its way and would be able to warn Acen or react. But if we show up with a bunch of Rank 3s and a few Rank 4s…”

Zeguma smiled. “Surprise is a great weapon indeed. I will not act against the marble, but should its true owner rear their face in Gleam, I believe even one as blind to Karma such as I will be aware of it.”

That was a pretty clear way for Zeguma to confirm that he’d pop up if the fight was literally impossible for them to handle. They’d have to deal with Acen on their own. The situation might not have changed since they’d entered Zeguma’s house, but now there was a path forward.

“Thank you for your wisdom,” Chance said as he bowed his head in respect.

“I offered little. You talked most of it out yourself,” Zeguma said with a chuckle. He rose, and the rest of them did the same.

Bella, Yeo, and Wren all mirrored Chance’s gesture to Zeguma. He waved his hands and herded them toward the door, shooing them out until they were all in the garden outside once more.

“I would wish you luck,” Zeguma said, his eyes flicking to chance, “but I suspect you do not need wishes when you already have it in your grasp. And Wren — take care of yourself. Needless to say, you may utilize the full extent of your abilities.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Zeguma harrumphed. “What sort of Master would I be if I sent my student to face great danger whilst crippled?”

With that, he closed the door gently behind himself. For a moment, the group stood in silence. Then Yeo thrust a finger toward the main road.

“Let’s go find Jade, shall we?” Yeo grinned. “I bet she’s going to be thrilled about this.”