Path of the Berserker

I looked back and forth between the two letters in my hands and sighed.

Both were stamped with the Imperial Seal of the High Council.

Both were invitations.

And both were compulsory—at least, according to Ling Wei and Fia.

“I still don’t understand why we need to go to this,” I said raising the first letter in my hand, an invitation to some stupid ball. I raised the second letter, which was an Imperial order to report for my training and orientation as a Liberator. “This I get. This I signed up for. I don’t want to do it, but I understand why I’ve got to.” I raised the first letter again. “This I don’t.”

Fia and Ling Wei stood on the opposite side of my ornate desk, hands on their hips in exasperated frustration. They weren’t the only ones in my royal office, I had decided to call it. Hein and Blue Rose were leaning against the wall, sighing in exasperated frustration as well, but for reasons I could not only understand, but agree with.

We were all halfway to the Omni Gate, about to head off to Genisha, when Ling Wei called us back to address an urgent matter that had just arrived. The matter being the two invitations in my hands. I was set to meet with King Theos within the Golden City in half a year’s time. The invitation to the Ball was a couple of days before that.

“Max, this is a rare opportunity,” Fia said, snatching the first letter from me. “Here let me read it. Maybe you’re not understanding some of the characters.”

“I can read it just fi—”

“‘To the Duke and Duchess of Terra, in recognition of your recent sovereignty, the esteemed Imperial High Council cordially invites you, and all sovereigns with eligible male suitors, to the debutant Ball of Third Princess Odellia, 432^nd Heir to the throne.’ ”

Shit…I thought. I admittedly hadn’t read half the crap she’d just said, but that still didn’t make the event any more appealing to me.

“Eligible male suitors?”

“It’s the princess’s debut,” Ling Wei said. “She is seeking suitors to wed.”

“But I’m clearly already married. What the hell they inviting me for? I don’t want a second wife.”

“It’s not for you, you chun!” Hein said, throwing his hands in the air frustrated. “They’re talking about Bryce. Now just agree to go to the damn thing and let’s get back to the Omni Gate.”

“Huh?” I looked back to Fia. “What’s he talking about. Bryce is a baby.”

“That’s not the point!” Fia said waving the letter in my face. “This invitation has invited all eligible male suitors.”

“He’s eligible as a one year old?”

“It has happened in the past,” Ling Wei said. “And with your reputation I would imagine it’s not beyond the realm of possibility for many to wish to secure a match with your son.”

“As an infant?” My mind was reeling. “That’s sick!”

“They of course would not marry till he would come of age, but strategically it would be a good move for any princess or noblewoman.”

“That’s still sick!”

“Relax, Max,” Fia said. “We’re not letting that happen and you’re still missing the point.”

“I sure am. What the hell is the point?”

“That he is being recognized officially as being eligible. Do you understand what that means?”

“Not really,” I admitted.

“It means he is officially being recognized as our firstborn through matrimony. He would no longer be considered a bastard.”

“He’s not a bastard!”

“Technically he is,” Ling Wei said. “No offense, of course. I am just speaking legally.”

I let out a sigh. “Fia, why do you even care? The whole point of me becoming a Duke and having our own domain was so that we didn’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks.”

“He’s got a point there,” Blue Rose said with a shrug. But then Fia grilled her with a dagger-eyed stare and she immediately straightened, her eyes going wide. “But it’s completely up to you, I say, Fia. You’re the mother.”

“Damn right, I am,” Fia said. “And no way in hell am I turning down an opportunity to have my child officially recognized as a legitimate heir within Yee society.”

I used my [Struggler’s Resolve] to resist the urge to sigh again.

Her mind was made up and while I couldn’t care less about it, clearly it mattered the world to her. Something tugged at the back of my mind and I recalled the letter she had written to me when I was first headed off to Du Gok Bhong. The one she made me wait to read until I was already underway. I recalled the anguish in her words as she made her confession to me, her sorrow at making the choice to risk making our child a bastard out of wedlock by getting pregnant before we were married.

I understood her need to have this legitimacy a little more then. It was something she had always been concerned about. And while I couldn’t give a shit about all this crap, she was still beholden to things like honor, face and Yee society in general, it seemed. And honestly, so was I to a degree.

Ah, what the hell, I thought.

It was just going to be a boring party full of snooty aristocrats watching a bunch of kids dance or something. And I damn well outranked most of them now anyway, so how bad could it be?

I got up and walked around my desk and then took Fia’s hands into mine. “Alright, hon. Because I know this means a lot to you, we’ll definitely go.”

Her eyes lit up as she bounced on her toes excitedly. “I’ll start looking for my dress. And a set of robes for Bryce!”

“Perfect,” Hein said. “Now can we get going please?”

Fia shot her brother another dagger-filled stare. “You just make sure he’s not late to the ball.” She then smiled up at me and gave me a kiss. “I’ll pick out something nice for you as well. We’ll all match. You’re going to love it!”

I used [Struggler’s Resolve] again to plaster on a smile.

“I can’t wait, babe.”

* * *

Hein, Blue Rose and I passed through the Omni Gate and finally exited into the golden rays of the capital city of Yee Guo. Hein took the lead, wasting no time getting us a skiff down to the surface and set our course for the local Omni Gate that would take us to Planet Genisha.

Hein and Blue Rose were chatting away, discussing details of his plan. I was only half listening, my mind still focused on the disruption those letters had caused. I wasn’t looking forward to the ball at all, but even less so for the event that would come after that.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

My so-called orientation with King Theos.

I had no idea what to expect, other than the guy was an asshole that casually committed genocide on a regular. I prayed I wouldn’t be pulled into anything like that again. I considered maybe getting Ling Wei to write to the council to request an agenda or something.

Yeah, maybe that could work, I thought. Or maybe—

“Hey, you paying attention?”

Hein’s question stirred me out of my thoughts, and I stared back at him blankly. “No sorry. What did you say?”

Hein sighed. “I said are you going to be able to keep your damn cool while we’re there?”

I harrumphed. “Of course. What are you even talking about?”

“You sure? Cause there are no behemoths to slay down there. There’s a planetary law that bans all martial conflicts. Not even tournaments are held there.”

“What?”

“The artisans take their craft seriously,” Blue Rose said and then she added with a bit of chagrin. “One more reason my mother and I were considered outsiders.”

“Look, I’m a Duke now. I’m not going to just start slapping people around.”

“You always say that but…”

I shook my head at him. “You’re taking the lead on this anyway, man. I’m just here as a show of force.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

“I meant that figuratively.”

Although I did notice that people were giving me all kinds of weird looks as I stepped through the crowds. Most bowed when up close and smiled, but further out I noticed people actively going out of their way to avoid me. Their emotional states were different to what I had experienced before as well. Far more Fear than Lemonade. I wondered if my reputation for being the Bloody Duke had gotten only worse somehow.

That gave me a bit of pause about the whole ball thing now.

What other lies had Lunalah’s bitch of a mother spread about me?

That thought sparked the tinderbox smoldering within the heart of my Frenzied Flame. The injustice of what the empress had done, to pin Lunalah’s genocide on me, was a wrong I still needed to right. And not to mention the act itself. Anger seethed the more I focused on it. I’d been so busy the last year that I hadn’t had time to even think about revenge. But this went beyond just that now. More than personal, it was principle that sought justice for [Everyone’s Pain] and loss.

I cultivated the Frenzy triggered from the technique along with the fear seething from the masses around me. It was a loathsome feeling. To be feared for a lie, but I wasn’t above taking advantage of a free lunch, no matter the source. If ascension was in my future, whether I wanted to or not, I had to at least meet the criteria for it first.

That meant cultivating wherever and however I could.

After my last battle on the Hell Worlds, I figured I had to be close to the mid-point of my progression through the Lesser Deity Realm now. It would take normal cultivators decades to achieve what I had done in a single year through endless battles, facing mind bending horrors and the shear will to fight beyond death itself. To achieve the same in that amount of time they would either have to resort to demonic cultivation or ingest tons of spirit stones and priceless elixirs like the ones Planet Genisha was known for.

That brought me full circle to why we were here.

To cut a deal somehow and convince thousands of artisan brewers to leave their planet and come to mine.

“So, what’s the plan once we get there?” I said. “Who’s this guy we’re supposed to meet?”

Hein glared at me like he wanted to slap me. “You sure you didn’t lose more of your brains on T’huet? What the hell do you think Blue Rose and I have been talking about this whole time?”

He was right. I really wasn’t paying attention at all. The growing aura of fear from the people around me had triggered an avalanche of apprehension. But I couldn’t worry about that now. This mission was as much about getting a win for Blue Rose as it was for me. More for her really and I couldn’t lose sight of that either.

“Sorry,” I said again. “A lot on my mind. Now who was it? One of your dad’s old friends right, Blue?”

“Not a friend. A mentor. He was someone who taught my father decades ago. Master Hao Cheng. He’s meeting us at the gate.”

“It took a lot to set this up,” Hein said. “The Yi Fae family run half the planet. He’s no longer a part of the business so he’s willing to help.”

“How exactly?” I asked.

“He has connections to the artisan clans,” Hein said as we approached the Omni Gate and a queue that looked a quarter mile long. “I figure that will be our best strategy. To give Blue a shot to talk directly to their leadership and the crafter’s directly.”

I nodded. “Sounds good.”

“We just can’t make any noise,” Blue Rose said. “I don’t want my uncle knowing I’m here. At least not yet. Not until we make a deal.”

As if triggered by her own statement, Blue Rose tightened the hood of her robes that was already covering her head. Hein too wore muted attire with non-descript robes that gave no hint of his military rank or background. They encouraged me to do the same and although I had obliged, wearing the simple set of blue robes I had acquired from my time with the Muraboshi Clan, they clearly didn’t do anything to mask my identity from the masses.

But hopefully, looking like an artisan would garner some trust once we finally met with the artisan clans. And hell, I was one for real anyway. How many people could say they were actually a smith from Ri Ben, even if I was only an apprentice.

We spent another half hour waiting our turn in the queue, rubbing shoulders with all manner of people. Martial cultivators looking for their next fix. Money lenders laden with copper Wen and baskets of Silver Tael coins and traders with carts full of raw materials, like rare herbs and monster cores from far flung worlds like our own. Seeing that only emphasized the opportunity this could bring if we could pull it off.

When it came to our turn, we stepped through the Omni Gate and with a flash of colors found ourselves in the bright rays of a cloudless, mid-day sky. A lush landscape of forest and ancient mountains that instantly reminded me of Misato Village greeted us upon arrival, but that wasn’t all it seemed.

A loud gong sounded, accompanied by the blow of trumpets and other instruments. A contingent of what had to be over a hundred people, all dressed in imperial robes bowed before us and at the head of them was a man in ornate robes that prostrated himself along with two others.

Blue Rose let out a gasp next to me and I didn’t even have to look at her to guess who these people were. The man at the front pulled himself off the ground and approached me, all smiles.

“Duke Iron Bull,” he said with another unnecessary bow. “I am Governor Zhong, welcome to my humble planet. You are a most surprised but welcome guest indeed.”

I shot a questioning glanced at Hein, before laying on [Indifference] to mask my apprehension. I returned his bow. “I too am surprised, but grateful for this welcome. How did you know I was coming?”

Zhong, a middle-aged and portly man with a short beard and spectacles grinned. “News travels fast within the core worlds. I hope the greeting for one of your station was most satisfactory, even if a bit rushed.”

I nodded, playing it off. “Quite satisfactory.”

“No doubt you are here for cultivation supplements,” he said and then gestured to the two men with him. “Thus, I have summoned the very best to assist you. May I introduce President Chin Yi Fae of the famous Yi Fae clan, the Baron of Elixirs and his son and chief Artisan Chet Yi Fae.

Chin Yi Fae was tall and looked in his forties with a full head of blonde hair that was pulled into a stylish top knot. His eyes were perfect mirror images of Blue Rose’s own. Green with a touch of gray. His son favored him in both stature and build. Tall and skinny but with perfect hair and bright eyes. Chet Ti Fae looked closer to Blue Rose in age and as they approached, I could sense the fear growing within her.

“An absolute honor to meet you, Duke Iron Bull,” Chin said with a bow and his son Chet did the same. I was just about to answer him, when his eyes shifted to Blue Rose. I moved to distract him, expecting to see confusion or perhaps surprise on his face, but instead all I saw was a wide leer.

“And you have returned with my wayward niece it seems,” he said straitening himself, but not once removing his smile or his gaze. “I have heard the stories of your exploits with the Duke, and was wondering when you would finally find your way here, Lin. How happy that you have decided to join him on his inaugural visit to Genisha.”

I didn’t know what to expect from Blue Rose. A sharp retort? A burst of anger or rage? This was the man who had killed her father and her entire family. The rage was there, I could sense it, but on her face and in the depths of her soul was nothing but fear.

Blue Rose’s mouth hung open, but she didn’t say anything.

“Greetings cousin,” Chet Yi Fae said with a smile and bow. “How wonderful it will be for us to all catch up, no?”

A sharp spike of anger came next, but not from Blue Rose.

“We’re here strictly on business,” Hein said, stepping in front of Blue Rose. “Not sure there will be time for any family reunions.”

“I’m sorry,” Governor Zhong said. “And who may you be sir?”

“He’s my family,” I said with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “My brother-in-law… Lord Hein Dong of the Silver Leaf Clan and brother to my wife, the Duchess Silver Light.”

Both the governor and the Yi Fae’s scrambled to bow before him.

“Apologies,” Zhong said. “Welcome to Genisha, Lord Hein.”

Hein harrumphed at him nastily, a throwback to the snotty teen I first knew him to be. “I hope your planet lives up to its reputation. The Duke is a very busy man and he seeks only the best.”

“Lord Hein will be handling all the business for me,” I said.

“Then let us waste no time,” Chin Yi Fae said, ushering us forward with a wave of his arm. “I shall take you for a tour of our facilities and allow you to sample the best of our wares.”

“Lead on then,” I said with a nod.

As they took off ahead of us, I shared nervous glances with Hein and Blue Rose.

“What the hell do we do now?” Bue Rose said, her eyes wide with fear. “I don’t even see Master Hao.”

“Probably spooked when he saw all this show up,” Hein muttered. “Damn it all. Should have known you’d draw too much attention, Chun.”

“Relax,” I said. “We’ll use it to our advantage.”

“How?”

I blew out a sigh, not having an answer for him yet.

“Just go with the flow,” I said, straitening myself. And then, putting my trust in my Flame, I slapped Hein on the back. “Come on. We’ll figure something out.”