OUTCAST: Chapter 159 Brenna: The Earth (Patreon)

Chapter 159

Brenna

The Earth

Frustration, that was the word and motivation that pushed Brenna onward. He had done it again, left her behind. Then he nearly left her completely. The fact that Lykan was a prodigy was indisputable. Yet, all he did was seem to leave Brenna behind in the dust.

Dust, such an idea. The spot where earth and air meet and form a union. One that most never appreciate, yet it was all Brenna had. Dust, she was small and unsubstantial in the grand scheme of things. She was only a burden to Lykan, that much was apparent. Still, she needed him, wanted him.

While there was always more left to do, to catch up, she had been so close. Then the undisputed mastery that Lykan seemed to possess, the ability to gain insights into the world from his own personal self-reflections.  He was so infuriating. On the one hand he knew himself so well that he could easily interpret profound world meanings by his mere existence. Then on the other, he seemed to completely miss how important he was to her. How she was completely empty without him.

That need for him, that was why she pushed herself so far right now. They were both grieving in their own way. Lykan was meditating overhead, letting his new insights into his cultivation method sink in.

Brenna felt the loss of Kosha profoundly. For Kosha’s absence affected not only her, but Lykan as well. Also, their interactions since her departure have felt hollow. She knew that Lykan had chosen this place due to how close it was to where the boy took Kosha. While she wasn’t sure how far his new connection to the wind was, she could tell that he seemed to follow in a distinct path, until finally choosing this area to settle down for the night.

She didn’t need to ask, but he nodded anyways, a sign through their bond that her suspicions were correct. He had chosen to rest here because he could see Kosha. He could see if she needed help, and he would be there within a heartbeat to protect her if needed.

That was why he asked for time to cultivate and strengthen his understanding of what cultivating was. He had given a brief description of what cultivating was, at least as it pertained to him. He understood the nature of Air, and made it so his core was like air.

Brenna was like the earth, and therefore the exact opposite. While theoretically none of what Lykan used to gain his cultivation should help her. She couldn’t help but think there were a few core components that needed to be focused on. First, she needed to understand what earth was. This was where she was currently at in her frustration. But she also had the road map for everything else that Lykan had presented.

In addition to understanding earth, she would need to find a way to embody the very elemental nature of earth within herself. Then from there, perpetually call forth the energy in a way that would infuse her body and constantly strengthen her core, while simultaneously allowing for continual growth and improvement.

Lykan said he did this by creating a void at the center of his core, then letting his qi circulate the way air would. Then all the ambient qi, that he absorbed from the world around him, would be infused slowly into his core. From there the energy would be condensed using centripetal force of the ever flowing current of power within Lykan to condense down the energy until it became denser and denser.

The only problem was, how could she do something similar with earth? Earth was nothing like air, in fact in many respects it was the exact opposite. In fact, even the notes of dust had nothing to do with cultivation, no inspiration could be gained from such an idea.

But there was something that she thought of. Something that made her think she might have an idea that can be used. The idea of using force and energy to make the qi around her denser had some appeal. She knew that only under extreme heat and pressure could some of the rarest minerals and materials be forged. That was the process of the earth, slow methodical, and unrelenting.

She thought she had been onto something with her diamond shaped core, a core that Lykan could not copy. At the time Brenna almost wondered if part of his unwillingness to develop such a diamond shaped core was because he was jealous, he didn’t create it on his own. Of course, she saw him work and try at doing the very same thing when they stopped to practice for the evenings. The only problem was, he could not exert the inward force needed. With his new understanding of Air cultivation, this made sense.

The only problem was Brenna seemed to be stuck. Yes, she had developed a different type of core, one that could very likely be improved upon. But that was not a cultivation method and cultivation seemed to be the next evolutionary step in the way of Qi.

Fear hindered her progression, she knew that. Knew that the fear of her holding Lykan back from his mission, from his calling was too much. That should she be a burden to Lykan, then she herself would have him move on without her. Yet, she wasn’t there yet. She still had a chance to catch up. But she needed to figure out a way to get the earth to cultivate with her. Or rather, she needed to get the earth to cultivate for her.

The only problem is, how does the earth move? The air moves, water rolls in wave, fires flicker as their inclinations take them, but the earth does move. Or when it does, things have gone exceptionally poorly. That said, there was something there.

But the more she thought about it, the earth didn’t move, but it did allow energy to pass through. The earth would allow for certain energy waves to speed through and bounce back. While others bounced like a band with the tension suddenly released. All of these showed the ways that the earth moved, but in these cases the earth itself wasn’t supposed to move, but rather only moved when it was forced to do so.

Thus, the act of movement by the earth, was contrary to what the earth actually needed. In those cases when the earth moved, it did so begrudgingly, then when no longer forced to act against its will, it reverted back to its natural position. But the whole art of cultivation was about movement, was about constantly drawing in the energy of the world and applying that pressure to form a more stable base.

In the end, that is what Brenna saw her role as, what she saw herself as being. She was the base, the foundation of her and Lykan’s relationship. While Lykan was the part up, that everyone saw, she was the foundation that Lykan could come back to when he began to doubt himself. That was why she needed to advance now, not just because she was a burden to Lykan if she couldn’t keep up. But because she couldn’t be the strong base that he needed, if she didn’t continue to improve.

This was so aggravating for her. It felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, then she realized that was it. Or rather she realized she was close to a revelation. While most people buckled or crumbled under the oppressive yoke of the weight of the world, she was different. She needed to be different. Rather than taking the weight of the world as a challenge, she needed to accept that weight, to accept the burden, the strain. That wasn’t the world trying to crush her, not that was the world accepting her for who she was, a future diamond in the rough. A diamond that had not completed its hardening processes. A diamond still in need of proper tempering. Rather than fight the pressure of the world, she decided to embrace the weight, like a thick blanket. Rather than feeling trapped, she let her mind relax as the world slowly embraced her.

The earth was loving, from it all life grew, had a place to come back to. The earth held the water, it held places for flames, it provided an ending point for air, so air could find its natural boundary. In that, the earth was the center of all. That is what Brenna herself wanted to be, to become.

She wanted to be so vital that she was never discarded or left behind. Her time at the temple had scarred her.  At that time, she felt so small, so insignificant, a pebble in the world. A pebble that was overlooked. In retrospect it was good that she was overlooked, that she had been held back as one of the few guards for the children. She would have been killed to a man. But she never wanted to feel so small as she did at that moment, never again.

But now, even looking back at that time in her past, there was pressure.  But there had never been a moment that was too much to shatter her resolve. Now, she needed to reforge that resolve, to fold it in on itself, and compact it. Then as if I a moment of clarity, her method of cultivation came to her.

Compaction. She needed to compact the forces of the world and harness them into a singular point, before letting the earth fold in and harden. Then let the weak and brittle edges flake off, only to be compacted inward again. Over and over, in a perpetual motion. The force of the internal compression would cause loose particles of qi to expand out, that would then begin the process of circling back in on her core. Everything went towards strengthening her core, her center. She was the rock, upon which everything else could depend on. So was it that her core was the center of herself, the place where she could go to make sure she was strong enough to stand up for what was going to come next. To be strong enough to stand up for what needed to come next.

With this process in mind, she did the method she mentally referred to as a full core compression method once. After that, she realized there was more, ways to improve, ways to not waste as much energy. She did the process again, and again. Each time she performed the feat, the process became easier and easier. Until finally she paused to catch her breath, only to find the process continuing without her.

That was the moment she was rewarded with her notification letting her know that she had succeeded in her task. Not when she forced herself to continue, but the moment she relaxed and let her body continue to do what it had already been doing to begin with.

Blessing Bestowed: Basic Earth Cultivation Method Obtained.

Basic Earth Cultivation Method Obtained. You have taken the first step to beginning true mastery of your chosen Element. By unlocking the Earth Cultivation Method, you have blocked all other elemental cultivation methods. You will also need to progress in your Earth cultivation mastery before new paths are able to be added. Results: +7 Strength, +5 Power, +3 Intelligence, +3 Awareness, and +1 Mobility. All earth-based attacks are increased by +10%. Increases earth-based detection methods by +15%. Defensive Skills and Abilities are increased by +20%.

With that one notification from the gods, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Rumble.

The earth hearing her content responded back with a gentle vibration. This was enough force to cause animals in the surrounding forests to panic and take flight if they could. But for Brenna, she knew the sound for what it was. This was the earth letting her know it was proud of her. The earth gently rocked her, in a supportive way, that only the earth could. It was a glorious feeling, and one that Brenna made sure to enjoy.

Letting out a long breath, she lay back on the ground. Letting her body gently breathe comforting breaths, as her body continued to cultivate and draw in the ambient qi of the world, all on its own.

She had made it, while she knew Lykan would never leave her behind. She had made it. She had proven to herself that she deserved to be right there, right by his side. Regardless of whatever evils might come, she would be there with him, the help ground him, when he needed help the most.

She decided not to boast or brag, but to see if Lykan would notice. With a contented smile, she lay on the earth, arms and legs spread wide, as she slowly took in the corrupting energy that was slowly changing the world. She had so much to say, but instead she realized that if she wanted to keep up with Lykan, then she needed to solidify her foundations.