Jakes story 2, ch 6

*Over nine years ago, on the same day Jake had come to the Murim world*

Right after using his bat mount’s special ability, he appeared in the air between two large hills, not quite mountains.  He didn’t know how far he’d teleported away, but this was definitely a different-looking area.

After he was able to think clearly, he felt through his link with the clay bat that it was exhausted.  It gave a few flaps of its big grey wings, then before Jake could even react, it grew smaller and disappeared into his storage.

Jake fell.   “This wasn’t in the item description!” he yelled.

Even though he wasn’t as high up as he’d been back on Earth over Macon, landing was still gonna leave a mark.  He only had a few seconds to think about what to do as wind began to scream past his years.

Before he landed, Jake settled on a plan to flash step directly upwards before hitting the ground, then do it as many times as he needed to, making each one’s distance shorter.  It would take every shred of his concentration if he had any hope.  He thought it was a good plan, or at least as good as he could come up with on the fly.  Maybe he’d even survive getting dropped off his bat.  He knew that realistically he was still going to likely be hurt by the fall.

The next second, he saw a flash of green light and felt a massive wave of disorientation.  He had his eyes open but couldn’t see anything.  Then he tried to feel around him, not sure where he was.  It felt like the world just got turned upside down.

When he could finally put two thoughts together, he wondered what in the heck had just happened, and more importantly, where he was.  A soft light surrounded him, but it was strange, muted, and had a reddish hue.  The large chamber he was in was covered in gold and satin.  He thought it might be something like a lavishly decorated meeting room.  Some of the effect was a little ruined when he caught glimpses of a rough stone ceiling and between some of the banners.

“Welcome to my humble abode.”

Jake swallowed and turned slowly.  He swallowed again as his abused senses slowly caught up to current events.  I’m so fucked, he thought a bit sadly.  He’d tried his best, but even though he couldn’t even begin to measure the power of the being before him, he knew it had to be way past his ability to understand.

Half in shadow, the speaker smiled.  She was a human woman from the waist up, but from the waist down she had the body of a giant spider.

“I have taken the liberty of removing everything from your possession but your clothing, such as it is, and put it all in your storage ring in your dantian.  Very clever of you to hide such a precious item where you did.  Of course, if it were inferior in any way, you might have destroyed yourself.  The fact you were able to do so had nothing to do with your own skill or power, for sure.”

Jake didn’t say anything.  He stood completely, absolutely still.  The feeling he was getting right now was different than when he’d seen the projections of gods back on earth, even Morrigan.  Of course, The Morrigan was a god, and was likely not trying to bowl him over every time he met her. Still, Jake had experienced anything quite like what he was feeling now.

The sensation was like he imagined being really deep underwater might feel, like a pressure on every inch of his body.  It felt like he weighed three times what he really did.  It took an effort of will to stay standing.

What’s worse was, he was pretty sure she was not trying to exude pressure on him.  This was just her normal aura.

“Excuse me, may I ask who you are and how to address you?”  Jake was terrified, but his old mage training asserted itself.  This approach had worked for him before, maybe it’d work again.  Also, staring at powerful entities, or probably also cultivators for that matter, was usually not a good idea.  Either acknowledge or ignore them, but never just stare.

“Oh?  Polite.  That’s good. But I can clearly tell you are not used to speaking this language.  Interesting.” She took a pull from an extremely long, thin quellazaire made of metal.  The cigarette on its end produced a lazy line of smoke the corkscrewed into the air.  When she exhaled, her smoke didn’t disturb the line coming from her cigarette.

Jake knew he was way out of his depth on this one.  Whoever this woman was, she could likely crush him with a thought, and she was also physically here with him.  This was not a sending, or a hologram, or a projection.  Making everything worse was how he was still disoriented and had no idea how he’d even wound up here.

The woman moved a bit closer.  Jake had to suppress a shudder.  The woman’s spider body twitched, the legs moving even as her human torso stayed still. The effect was unsettling.  Jake had seen a lot of monsters in his life, but nothing quite like this.  As a mage he’d learned about monsters called jorōgumo, but he’d never actually seen one.  And he certainly had never met one with this kind of power.

She took another puff of her cigarette, exhaled thoughtfully, and pursed her lips.  “Ah!  You have so many titles!  But instead of explaining things, they only…oh, no wait.  A champion?  That does explain a few things, but not everything.”

Jake felt a chill.  She can see titles too?  Can every-fucking-body see titles? What the fuck?  He didn’t say anything out loud.

“You seem like you want to say something, but you’re scared shitless.  Probably wise, but if I wanted to just dispose of you, we wouldn’t be talking.  You can call me Lady Brima.”

“Thank you, Lady Brima.”

“What are you thanking me for?  I might still destroy you.” She smirked and took a short puff of her cigarette.  When she blew the smoke this time, it sparkled.

Jake wasn’t as phased anymore.  His nerves were rapidly seadying.  He still didn’t know who this woman was or what her intentions were.  The fact she was attached to a big assed spider body wasn’t exactly encouraging, admittedly.  He said, “It was still thoughtful to introduce yourself without your asking.  Lady Brima, are you a god?”

She chuckled.  “No, I am not a god.  I am a cultivator in the Seeking Enlightenment phase.  I can sense an arrogant lizard’s energy on you.  I know him, unfortunately.  So I am in the same stage as the lizard, but more advanced than him.  Is he your master?”  She didn’t give any time to answer.  “Doesn’t matter.  He’s gone, I can feel it now.  I don’t even care how you came to be near that old hermit.  You are here now and you are mine now.”

What this spider woman just said blew Jake’s mind.  He’d never even heard of the “Seeking Enlightenment” cultivation phase before.  What the hell is that?  The most advanced he’d ever heard of, ever, was Meridian Refinement!  Jake didn’t say anything, just stayed motionless.

“So quiet.  Are you perhaps still wondering how I can see your titles?”

Jake tried not to show any reaction, but he was sure he’d failed. He doubted that this woman missed anything, especially if she was more powerful than Master Zi.

“Actually, Lady Brima, now that you have told me your cultivation level, I’m not really too shocked.”

“Oh?”  Her voice dripped with amusement.  “Perhaps you are even telling the truth.  Now then, let me explain what happens next.  You are very lucky.  Not only are you interesting, you are being backed by a power greater than myself and I have no wish for more enemies.  But retribution only applies if I destroy you.  In a few moments, you are going to the Web Burrows, my little private prison.”

She gestured and Jake noticed for the first time that something had been hovering at the corner of his vision.  He immediately recognized the Living Clay Bat.  “You can keep this.”  When she pointed, the deactivated bat disappeared into his Endless Storage Ring in his dantian.  “I will let you keep the ring, too.  That is quite a treasure, you know.  Telling anyone else that you have it would be foolish.”  She smiled.  “You might want to keep it to yourself that you met me, too.  Others you will meet soon…have not been so fortunate.”

Jake had to dare a question.  Nothing made sense.  He’d obviously been intercepted either when he was teleporting or right after he’d appeared again, but he couldn’t figure out his captor’s motivation.  She seemed…detached.  Clinical.   “Lady  Brima, why are you doing this?”

“Everything I do, I do for the same reason any of the strong do anything.  I felt like it.”  Her grin was predatory and added to the unsettling feeling her rustling spider legs caused.  “Remember that.  Oh, and don’t bother trying to access your storage ring again.  It has been sealed.  There will also be other changes on your body in the Web Burrows.  I am sure you will discover them in time, though.  Thank you in advance for your mining effort.”  She put one arm over her midsection and took a puff of her cigarette.

As Jake faded away, she waved goodbye.  “Do try to stay alive.  You never know where life might lead you.”  She blew another cloud of smoke that formed a laughing face.