'Okay, that was sort of interesting.' Martin had a look of astonishment on his face accidentally but the Mistress took it as a sign of gratitude and respect.
"Don't daydream, it's important to keep an eye on his progress." Mistress Wrey pulled a single pill from the bottle and put it into a small wooden box.
He didn't say anything, Isek had piles of fruit, Martin was just unwilling to explain resources.
Isek's body had grown warm, it was a typical sign of either infection or healing. Martin probed Isek, he could feel the pill breaking down in his system. Even though the fruit was brimming with energy, alone, it might have required considerably more to provoke a healing response.
Regeneration was completely different than traditional healing methods. Healers were rare was it was, however in the absence of healers, pills or salves, even amputation were the majority methods. Antibiotics and Pharmacology were almost foreign in concept, Martin didn't even see proper soap in his many days of being in the Sect.
"I have no reason to doubt the Mistress's hard work. Thank you, Mistress." Martin didn't know what was necessary, he could only wait with the others. Before he could do that comfortably, he gave his thanks and bowed respectfully. He still felt like he was at a loss and suspected in some way but there was nothing he could do about that either.
Patriarch Blimare saw Martin struggling with something inside and he looked genuinely worried when he was looking at Isek. It eased the Patriarch's tension and he spoke calmly, "No need, it was the Mistress who chose this talent to join our sect. Since you are his Brother, his Twin at that, you should join us as well." The Patriarch's tone was firm.
Martin didn't object, he was already wearing the uniform and as an excuse, it suited him perfectly. He would be able to move around unabated and study without problems, in theory.
Feeling like he had achieved victory in a way, Martin bowed to the Patriarch. "Disciple greets Patriarch."
"Oh? You act quickly. Very well." Patriarch Blimare passed a token to Martin. "You will have to qualify but I doubt that will be difficult."
Suddenly, Martin felt overwhelmed. He would have to perform in front of others the same way that Isek had done. He was going to be exposed as a nobody and it was all his own fault. He gulped and his mouth went dry.
"Don't regret your decision, I can feel Isek's body repairing faster than before. With the refinement complete, the healers can refocus their efforts." Mistress Wrey took her hand off of Isek's wrist and sat down. "I'm curious to see the results of this medicine. The essence was much more saturated than it should have been. Your luck in finding medicine seems to be rather good."
"I wouldn't say that either of us are lucky, there were months that went by when we both thought we might die." Martin kept playing his role and tried to remain as honest as possible in the process.
"I don't understand why you can use his storage ring, maybe it had something to do with you're being his twin but I've never heard of something like that in the past." Patriarch Blimare had a suspicion but he couldn't stand quiet.
Martin cringed, he didn't have answers. Looking down, he gave the patriarch all the information he needed. Instead of lying, he remained quiet.
"It's good to have secrets but it's important that you know which ones to keep and which ones require sharing." Patriarch Blimare seemed to see through everything, all he had to do was trust his disciple to tell him if it was necessary.
Speaking nonsense would do nothing, it was much wiser not to lie.
"It's nearly time, Mistress Wrey." The healers were running dry on energy and one of them was about to collapse.
"Rest. I'll watch over him for another half hour." Saeden came in from outside, he sent his energy into the healer that was still standing and planted his feet.
'Will this be enough?' Martin was about to say something but the Mistress popped a pill between Isek's lips and then flicked another into Martin's.
"The energy of the first pill will take a while for the body to process naturally, go home and absorb what you can. When you're done, follow the Patriarch's orders and don't disappoint me. I have some matters, I will be leaving first." Mistress Wrey handed Martin the bottle of pills and left.
"When he wakes up, have one of the guards come find me, I have questions." Patriarch Blimare followed the Mistress out.
Saeden stepped aside for the two of them and remained in the Tent.
With everyone except Saeden and the healer gone, Martin sighed inside then whispered to himself in a corner. "System, What's Isek's status?"
[Calculating]
[Analysis Complete]
[Host Status Update: (Disabled) 35% Organs Failure, Bones Broken 60%, Internal Bleeding, Concision, Comatose, Unstable) ]
Martin grimaced, that was like someone knocking on death's door and he couldn't understand how the AI was able to cope, the Coma was probably helping mask the pain he was feeling but with so many broken bones it was hard to tell how long it would take to recover by just the system's announcement alone.
"How long until he's recovered?" Martin asked quietly.
[Insufficient Data, Please Wait.]
[Scanning]
[Host body will recover 25% function in approximately two months at current rate.]
[Host Mental Status Unknown]
[Evidence of Trauma in Host Consciousness]
[Damage Unknown, Insufficient Data]
Martin swallowed the pill that the Mistress had given him and returned to Isek's side. It was important to give him every fighting chance, Martin's very survival depended on it. "When you figure out what I can do to make this faster, please let me know."
[Authorizing, Unable to authenticate.]
[Host Disabled, Emergency Protocol R777 Enabled.]
[HUD Data Relay adjusted]
[Syncing..]
Isek's vital data run in the corner of Martin's vision. "What does this mean?"
[Vitals Relayed]
[Preparing Spell 'JiDsY8Ns23ng']
[Activating]
A bright colored spell circle spun out from below Martin's feet and another below Isek.
[Host Status Link Established, Range: 30km]
"You're good to your Brother, putting a tracking mark in him was wise." Saeden complimented Martin but he was still unsure how Martin knew how to apply it.
"Ah, yes. I cannot bare to lose him. It would be the death of me." Martin joked lightly but he was serious.
Isek was still out cold but the medicine seemed to be working, Martin had a feeling like it was going to take time. He stayed until Saeden was relieved by the Healers and then Martin followed him out.
"Will they continually try healing him or will they eventually stop?" It was a valid question, Martin didn't know what would happen if the Coma took a very long time. A lot of people from Earth that were in extended comas had mental problems when they woke up, he didn't want to delay Isek's awakening and chance it.
"They are tasked with this and except for a direct order to stop, they will continue, even at risk to themselves." Saeden kept walking while he explained.
"I see." Martin understood and stopped talking, it was a ten minute walk back to the room. The night was quiet and there were not a lot of noises, despite the festivities of the nights before.
Saeden came inside and saw the condition of the living quarters. "Show me your cultivation. There is no way your brother allowed you to sit idly by, no doubt you've studied the basics."
Overjoyed that someone would give him pointers, Martin sat down and started to meditate, the energy flowed around him. After absorbing some energy, he pulled out of the cultivation technique, stood up and looked over at Saeden. "So.. how was it?"
Martin wanted to know just as badly and there were even times the system would give him hints at his progress but Saeden was from this world, he understood the principles of Cultivation at least as much as the system in it's current state.
"It's obvious that you've familarized yourself with the contents but in truth ..you're a bit slow and your absorption rate is horrible but you're on the right path. When you go through the entry examinations, we'll understand the scope of your power. The Patriarch wants you to qualify for your position in the sect but that shouldn't be a problem. When you're ready, head down to the Training Grounds and show an instructor your token."
"That simple?" Martin questioned the methods for selection, 'Isek already went through them but if all that's required was a token..' Suddenly, Martin seemed to understand a little more about the phrase, Power Dictates Everything.
"It's not complicated, just refrain from challenging people and if you're anything like your brother, you'll be fine." Saeden waved as he turned away.
"Oh.. wait wait." Martin stopped him and passed him one of the pills. "I know that I can't feed all of these to Isek but I don't have anything else to thank you with. Take this."
"It's not a problem." Saeden took the pill away into his storage ring and didn't bat an eyelid at the exchange. Whether it was a bribe or simply a gesture of good will, resources were hard to come by.
Martin rushed inside and sat down. He was frustrated that he felt so inept. There were some things he was prepared for, or at least, he believed himself to have been capable of before his reincarnation; but ever since he'd become a clone, he understood more and more that he knew very little, even in terms of survival.
He pulled out the Blimare Heritage Basics scroll and gave it another look. It never hurt to look to refresh his memory, he wasn't like the AI and capable of instant recall. Martin studied it as best that he could, rolled it up and then shut his eyes.
Cultivating meant losing the distractions from outside. If he wasn't within the confines of the isolation barrier that covered the building, he might be distracted by the slightest thud in the distance. For cultivators, especially new ones, concentration meant everything and a break in concentration was a threat against everything at the same time.
Backlashes in cultivation were common, it was probably why isolation barriers were created in the first place. A loss of focus at a pinnacle moment could cost their very life and every stage was more pressing, tribulations, even ambushes could take their lives.
The outcome decided everything when trying to break through a cultivation barrier or bottleneck. Because of that fact alone, many cultivators chose carefully when looking for a place to breakthrough.
Martin was just starting, his mind was clear. For some reason, he felt like drifting into the Mindspace and he found himself in a clean and clear area. Light was present, it filled the area but the space was empty.
[Clone Mindspace Detected]
"What's this?" Martin spoke in the Mindspace, it echoed and his voice sounded deeper.
Walking through it, he looked for threads but they were no where to be seen. 'Wow, there is a lot of space in here.''
[Initiating Upload]
"Upload?" Martin's confusion about the Mindspace was interrupted, in just a flash, dozens of lines of code appeared to roll down his HUD and when everything came to a stop there was something taking shape in front of him.
[Upload Complete]
[Virtual System Installed]
[Authenticating]
[Phase Two Trainer Initiated]
"Phase 2? When did Phase one even start?!" Martin started to speak louder.
[Initializing Training Program]
The system created a electrical spark that brought Martin out of his cultivation.
[Resume Cultivation]
"You just brought me out!" Martin felt agreieved.
[Warning: Resume Cultivation]
"Stop right there. System, Explain!"
[Resume Cultivation]
Martin stood up and another shock to his system knocked him down to his knees.
[Resume Cultivation]
"Explain." Martin heaved, he had expected neither the first or even the second jolt.
[Warning: Repeated deviance from the training program will result in larger shocks to the system.]
[Warning: Resume Cultivation]
Martin wanted to yell, and to anyone who was looking in, it would seem like torture. He was unwilling to get shocked again, his goal was to cultivate and nothing would stand in his way. He was unexpectedly all on his own but it could end at any moment. There was no choice, he had to take things seriously. He sat down to cultivate and closed his mind.
Drifting into the Mindspace, Martin sat down and continued his cultivation. Just as he was about to settle in and start exploring his mind, a Shock came to his system once again.
[Resume Cultivation]
"This doesn't seem very fair." Martin wondered if it was the intention of the System to train his concentration level, or to drain his spirit. Either way, he was feeling drained and it was getting harder to psyche him into the mood.
[Warning: Resume Cultivation]
Martin snapped out of it and closed his eyes. Clearing his mind took a few moments longer than he would have liked but he managed to slip into his Mindspace.
Sitting down in the empty space, he repeated the scroll in his head and performed a few hand seals. Energy began to draw toward him. When it was coming closer, he flinched, thinking that the AI would interrupt him. When it didn't, he deviated and the energy ran wild, a minor explosion flashed in the mindspace and Martin was thrown out.
[Resume Cultivation]
Martin pounded his fist and closed his eyes. He heaved a heavy sigh and started to close his mind. The blast had made him throw up a mouthful of blood. 'I thought this was a clone body, why do I have to go through all of this?' Martin's thoughts ran wild for a moment but the system chirped with another warning and he sat up to try again.
Entering the Mindspace, Martin asked the system, "Please identify the next step you'd like me to perform."
[Continue]
Martin's face twitched. There was no way he would give in, he had lost his place in the world all because of a slip of the tongue and now, he was being bullied by a machine.
Closing his eyes, he drifted into the Mindspace and started over. Like clockwork, the AI kept interfering. It happened all day and into the night.
"I'm going to give Isek another pill, stop shocking me."
[Training Paused]
[Time Remaining, 20 minutes.]
Martin sighed and sprinted out of the room. He felt like was being conditioned or trained like a dog. But, even a dog would get a treat when he was successful.
When he arrived at the Patriarch's Villa, the Guards were more polite. The Doors opened and the Courtyard for the Tent was still guarded. Two days had passed since Isek had fallen into the Coma and those responsible had yet to be caught. Martin wondered how the search was going but he knew that questions would only make him look ungrateful.
Isek was still in a coma, Martin was the only one with the pills. The Healers were still working but their pace had fallen without help from the Mistress. Taking out the bottle, he set one into Isek's mouth and tilted his head.
[Scanning]
The System alert rolled down the HUD, it had been a while since the AI had given him one that he heard one that Martin wanted to hear. He pulled out the Saber in Isek's ring, it stung at his fingers. Almost dropping it, he quickly put it away.