Reparations

After getting traumatized at lunch, I found a secluded spot that was still relatively clean and sat under a tree. I couldn't wait to leave, but I needed to speak with the Elders first since they were probably the only ones who knew where my home might be.Of course, I wasn't looking forward to getting blamed for the destruction of their sacred grounds, but I hoped we could come to a peaceful resolution. At worst I would just pay for the damage. How bad could it be?I quietly sighed and formed small sparks between my fingers. Why did manipulating Lightning have to be so difficult? I knew it was extremely useful when fighting biologicals since it would fry their nervous system, but any nearby obstacle could ruin the entire spell.Lightning liked to find its own path, and since it was pure energy, it needed something to guide it. Something other than air, since air was a really poor conductor. Gold, for example. Gold was a great conductor. And for Qi as well.Coincidence? Maybe. In any case, with enough of the mythical energy running through it, it would gradually turn to Mithril. The ultimate metal in magic conductivity.But what the hell was I going to do with that information? Shoot lightning along a Mithril wire? Even if I used gold, which was cheap, it just wouldn't work. Wires break easily, especially in a chaotic battle between Cultivators. Any stray spell would blow it to smithereens.De Danw used his sword as some sort of a lightning rod, as a guide, but that was too complicated, and besides, I wasn't a swordsman. I was a brawler if anything, or a pugilist at best.I already considered combining Lightning with my Telekinetic tethers but it didn't work. There had to be another trick to it.That's when I remembered the Lightning Jab manual I had safely stored away in my ring. I completely forgot about it. Maybe it contained the information I was looking for, maybe not. Well, it was not the right time to be reading anyway.I was really annoyed so many of Elder De's memories were lost. Maybe that was because he was in a higher Realm? It was certainly very challenging extracting them. I clicked my tongue in frustration.What else could I use instead of a wire? What were some conductors people used for electricity?Metals were a no-brainer, but once again, that was impractical. I had magic that rivaled artillery, making a teaser would be kind of stupid.[Lightning, Lightning…] I drummed with my fingers on my crossed arm. Natural lightning creates its own channels by ionizing air. It created plasma, the fourth state of matter. And then it all clicked.[Fire… But, of course!] I slapped my forehead in realization. Sometimes you indeed had the stuff you were looking for right in front of your eyes and you couldn't see it. I needed guiding plasma channels to use Lightning on my enemies effectively, and what was my Sun Ray if not a perfect ionized beam of energy?[Oh, my god… I can't believe I missed that.]I immediately put the theory into practice. My eyelashes became charged and began producing small sparks, and my eyes glowed at the same time, shooting a tiny beam into the ground beside me. Thin lightning bolts instantly slipped into the burned ground where my Sun Ray touched. It was seamless. No deviation at all.[It's that easy?! Seriously?] I was stunned. I racked my brain with the problem for so long when the solution was staring me in the face the entire time. I was honestly feeling more annoyed after figuring it out. It was too easy. Too simple of a solution.[Man, whatever… Now I need to come up with a new name for it.] I murmured to myself. [Lightning-Beam something… Thunderstrike? Blazing Lightning? Fiery Thu-]"Hey, Gerald." Daren tapped me on the shoulder, disrupting my train of thought.[What?]He pointed behind him with his thumb. "They are calling us. It's time."[Now?] I looked up and saw it was already past noon. Those old guys sure took their time. I nodded and then slowly stood up, making sure to pat my robes and get the dirt out.***The grand hall I was led to was a magnificent construction of white marble and gold, with crystals and- Just kidding. It was a large hut, made of gray dry-stacked stone with a wooden roof, somehow reminding me of the old Viking longhall building.It was nicer than the rest of the houses in the sect, decorated with fine animal rugh and fancy wooden furniture, but the smell…At least a few dozen incense sticks were burning inside with an intense herbal aroma, filling the room with a veil of smoke that tickled my nose and made my head feel weird.I counted eight Elders inside, sitting in a half-circle, behind a long, curved table. A few guards stood beside the entrance and a few servants behind the Elders, making it a total of about 20 people inside the building.My two guards came in as well, as did their leader from the night prior. He led our little group and cupped his fists and bowed as he stepped before the gathering of eight."Disciple Grok greets the Elders." He announced.I noticed, with relief, that the people inside the hall all looked much better than those fry-brained addicts outside. My guess was right in that case. Only those capable of resisting the pull of narcotics were able to become Elders."So this is the man that ruined our sacred grounds?" A female Elder, beyond middle-aged, judging by her looks, spoke first."It is him, your excellence." Grok confirmed and stepped aside as my two guards pushed me into the limelight."An outsider…" An older Elder murmured while stroking his gray beard. "We didn't get many in recent years.""And to destroy so brazenly, inside our borders! Elder Lea, do you not grow the Visionroot and Dreamvine in there? Are they alright?" Another added, posing the question to another younger female Elder.Elder Lea sighed and spoke, her voice flat and refined. "I'm afraid my plantation sustained some damage. According to the reports by Disciple Grok over there…""Haha! Afraid you won't be able to snort any more of her magic powders, are you?" An Elder with a head full of black hair roared in laughter, slamming his fist on the table."Now is not the time, Ixiot! This is serious! And even if her entire supply is ruined, I'm not buying your Haze Orchids at those inflated prices!" The Elder pushed back, slamming the table and pointing a finger in anger."Hah! We'll see about that. After your supply runs low, you'll run to me like always, just you wait." Elder Ixiot said smugly and leaned back in his chair, motioning his servant to pour him a drink."Erm, forgive me, esteemed Elders…" Grok began and bowed down further. "There has been a mistake. I went to confirm the location of the destruction in the light of day and realized I had made a mistake. The crater is at the extreme east end, right at the border of Elder Lea's plantation.""Oh?" I heard an Elder perk up."East?!" Another almost screamed."Does that mean the Vissionroot and the Dreamvine are alright?"Grok nodded. "They did not sustain any damage. Forgive me for my wrong assumption.""Woo-hoo!""Wait!" Elder Ixiot slammed the table, nearly breaking it, and jumped upright. "What about my Orchids?! What happened to them!?"Grok bowed nearly to the ground, making himself smaller as silence descended on the great hall. "They were all destroyed. Not a single one was left. I checked, thoroughly."There was a crash as Elder Ixiot collapsed into his chair. "All gone…" He quietly whispered, his eyes glazed over. I suddenly got a really bad feeling."Years, decades of work…" He murmured. "All gone… Just like that." And then the spark ignited behind his eyes. I could see as the despair morphed into anger, and then into a fury. He took a deep breath, his eyes focused, and he sat straight, staring right at me. I could feel the Killing Intent oozing out of him.Yikes.Did I mention that he was at the Sixth Level of Spirit Realm? And considering he looked so young with that power meant he had to have his Talent at or above 55%. I was in trouble."You-!" Elder Ixiot growled."Now, now… I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose." An Elder snickered. It was the one that had beef with Elder Ixiot in the first place. I could see the rest holding back laughter as well. But that just made the big man angrier than he already was.[Esteemed Elders!] Before things could escalate, I decided to speak up. They all turned. I didn't care if I was breaching protocol or whatnot, I had to smooth over the situation or I was going to be killed before long. No way I could win against eight Spirit Realm Cultivators.[I'm truly sorry for ruining your sacred ground. It was an honest mistake…]"Mistake?! Your mother was a mistake!"I ignored Elder Ixiot's outburst and continued. [And it is a mistake I'm willing to pay for.]That shut him up, but only for a moment. Then he burst out laughing."Okay, okay… Sure, if you can pay me for all my losses, I'll consider this incident forgotten. But if you don't…" The meaning was clear. He planned to kill me. "Let's see… All the Orchids, the loss of seeds to replant… and the work put into cultivating the soil over the decades… 500… no, 1.000, no, no… 10.000 Spirit Stones!"He slammed his hand on the table and grinned, challenging me to dare take his offer.There were exclaims of shock and murmurs of how shameless he was coming from the other Elders. Some even said that if he wanted to kill he should just do that instead of this charade.None of them came to my side as he was obviously flaunting his power and influence. And I alone couldn't do anything to stop him.And all of that for a few hundred Spirit Stones. I would even pay it if he was honest. But instead, he put me in a tough position. I already had a plan to ruin him, and I would do it with his own words.[Fine. I'll pay.]Everybody shut up at once.[But first, I'd like to know if anyone knows in which general direction I could find my home. See, I got kind of lost.]"Where do you come from, child?" Elder Lea asked. She probably wanted to know who they were dealing with. I obliged.[I come from a Sect within the Ancient Ironbark Timberland.] I heard a few Elders suck in a lungful of smoke-filled air. So they knew of the place. Excellent. [I was sent on a mission by the Sect Master himself, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I got delayed and lost my way.]They knew I wasn't lying since they were all in a higher Realm than me. And that got their attention. Some would say, too much attention.[I would appreciate it if anyone could point me in the right direction, or maybe give me a map so I could get home. I would… be in your debt.] I bowed, cupped my fists, and looked at the Elders with the most serious expression I could muster."Well… I'm sure Elder Ixiot would be more than happy to help you with that." His opponent grinned. The Elder, on the other hand, frowned as if he had just eaten shit. He probably realized he was dealing with a superior Sect and was regretting his rash decisions.But he couldn't take back his words without looking like a fool and a liar. Everybody already knew, but nobody said anything. They allowed him to keep face and all that. Bloody bastards.While they were still all shaken by my words, it was time for the final nail in the coffin. I didn't like the Sect. I didn't like the Elders either. They could all burn in hell for all I cared. And I had to just sit back and watch, as they destroyed themselves.[Now, for my payment…] I reached into my sleeve and pulled out the Ferrite box. The murmurs stopped, and all eyes were on me once more.[I believe this should be sufficient.] I opened the box, slowly. [A Spirit Rejuvenation Pill.]I could hear gasps all around, and the old female Elder fainted.