Chapter 107: Talk No Jutsu 2
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Chapter 107: Talk No Jutsu 2
You cant be serious, Bella said.
I absolutely am, Jade replied, crossing her arms. This is the only way I can know for sure that youre telling the truth. Its my duty as a Shikari to seek justice. Since theres no way for me know for sure one way or another if youre telling the truth, I have to follow my gut and that means finding out myself.
Whats to stop you from just telling the Shikari where we are? Bella asked, matching Jades pose. How can we trust you?
Youre claiming that youre the ones wronged, right? So you arent doing anything bad.
Right, Chance said slowly.
Then youve got nothing to worry about if I tag along, Jade said, as if it was so logical that she couldnt even comprehend why they wouldnt have understood it. Whats the drawback here?
Bella stared at Jade. Did you hear a single word I said? You could somehow report back to the Shikari or otherwise try to hinder us.
Ill give my word that I wont. Jade stared expectantly at them. What? Is that not enough?
I mean Chance glanced at Bella, then chewed his lower lip. He really didnt know much about Jade at all, but she seemed very honest from what little he did know.
Im not sure if adding her to the group is the wisest decision, but having more people would make traveling safer, and Id really rather not have to fight Jade. But can we really just trust her like that? I dont want to get killed because the Shikari show up while Bella and I are asleep.
Even if youre telling the truth, how do we know that the Shikari cant somehow track you? Bella asked. Its entirely possible.
Do you really think they care enough about a Knight Rank to waste all the effort of tracking me? Jade asked with a laugh. I dont have any trackers on me. Im sure theyd love to retroactively do it, but then theyd be able to do the exact same thing to the two of you. Maybe they are. Either way, it wouldnt change anything.
Bella pressed her lips together, but she didnt respond immediately. After several seconds of silence, she glanced at Chance.
What do you think?
You mean youre okay with it? Chance asked, blinking. Dont take this the wrong way, but I kind of figured
That Id be the one whod say no, Bella said with a wry smile. Yeah, I normally would. But she deserves a chance to see what the Shikari really are.
Oh. Bella sees a bit of herself in Jade. I dont think the situation Jade is in is nearly that bad, but I think I see the resemblance. Well, that leaves the decision to me. Jade hasnt done anything that would make me believe shes got an ulterior motive, so Ill give her the benefit of the doubt. Thats the right thing to do.
Would you mind if I take a look at your Karma? Chance asked Jade. I wont force you to say yes, but it would help put our worries at ease.
You need my permission to do that?The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.
Well, no. But its pretty impolite. Itll basically let me look into important events in your past, Chance said. Id only do it without asking if you were an enemy or I thought you were plotting against us.
Jade chewed her lower lip for a moment, then nodded. Okay. I can agree to that. I guess its only fair.
Chance didnt wait for her to change her mind. He peered into the strands of Karma surrounding Jade with his third eye, watching the visions within them flitter by. He started with the largest ones, skipping past the most one that tied her to Lin.
Over the course of the next few minutes, Chance quickly got a pretty good understanding of Jades past. He saw multiple glimpses of Gibson within them some seemed directly tied to him, while others he was simply just present. Surprisingly, that comforted Chance. Gibson hadnt been the nicest man, but hed felt like he hadnt been a bad person.
The visions in Jades Karmic strands seemed to repeat themselves over and over. Most of them were fighting either against other people or against monsters. Chance watched Jade as she threw herself against Soothounds, Imps, and a variety of other monsters within Gleams streets.
Sometimes she won, and other times she lost and had to retreat. She had almost no Karmic threats that were just normal interactions with other people. It felt like she was always in some sort of fight and, more notably, she was nearly always alone.
Aside from the smallest, mostly unimportant, threads, the only big ones tying her to other people were those to Gibson and Shae. Chance watched as Shae shoved Jade into a teleportation circle, using her to test it and make sure it was safe before stepping onto it himself.
His expression darkened.
What? Jade asked.
Nothing. Your mentor was a real piece of work, though.
Gibson?
No, Shae. Was he not the one assigned to you? Chance asked.
Jade shook her head. No. I ran into Shae while on this job. Why? What did he do?
Just wait a moment, Chance replied, glancing around the treeline. He reached into his chest, activating his aura vision. Several seconds passed. Then, at the edges of the trees, he saw a splotch of brown. There!
I see them as well, Bella said.
As do I, Jade added. Whats the plan? Wait until they run onto the circle and run on to join them?
Chance grinned as the splotch grew brighter and eventually emerged from the trees. No, we wont need to do that.
Would you look at that, Bella said with a mixture of dry humor and relief. We got lucky.
Quinn! Chance said, raising his voice just enough to let it carry and raising his hand in greeting.
Quinn, who had already begun descending the valley to make for the transportation circle, sprung nearly ten feet into the air in surprise. She flailed for a moment, then righted herself and landed on a pillar of stone that shot out from the ground to catch her. Staring at them in surprise, Quinn hopped back to the ground and approached them warily. Chance and the others headed over to meet her.
Whats going on? Quinn asked, coming to a stop as they drew closer. Why are you waiting here?
For a pretty similar reason to you, Chance admitted, rubbing the back of his head. We cant head back to the area we originally came from.
You all came from the same spot?
Chance nodded. Jade just joined us, but yes. She just came a little bit after we did. Did everything go okay with the crystal?
A smile passed over Quinns lips. Yes. Thank you. You did me two pretty big favors there.
Technically, Im not sure how much I did, Chance admitted. But Im glad things worked out. Nobody deserved to be treated the way Nimea was treating you.
What happened? Jade asked.
Another time, Bella said, shaking her head.
Did you want to join us in waiting? Chance asked. Were hoping someone will come by and we can snag their jump back home.
Even if Quinn wasnt totally forthright about everything, I dont feel like she was actively malicious. Probably.
Actually, I was planning to use the portal back to my home sect, Quinn said. Her eyes darkened. Im not done with them, and I have friends that were in similar situations to me.
Chances shoulders tensed.
Theyre keeping more slaves?
Slaves? Jade asked in surprise. The Scholar Cities have banned slavery. What jurisdiction are you under?
Quinn snorted. As if the Scholar Cities send patrols out that far into the wilds. Im in was in the Brackern Sect.
How strong is it? Chance asked slowly.
Its a small sect, Quinn replied, glancing over her shoulder as a distant explosion echoed through the valley. Nimea was the daughter of a sect elder. Im not going to try to take all of them out. Im not that strong. But I can definitely free some of the others.
Well, I think we found our portal out, Bella said, rolling her neck.
Quinn took a step back. What? You mean
Chance nodded. Well help, provided you arent lying. Its the right thing to do.
Ill help as well. Jades features were stormy. And Ill be following up with the Shikari when I return to Gleam as to why this was allowed to happen.
Quinn swallowed heavily. Why? Why do you care?
Its a sad world where you need a reason to care about others, Chance said. Are they going to say anything when you show up without Nimea?
Not if youre all with me, Quinn said slowly. I was planning on just running when I arrived, since I doubt theyll be expecting anyone to return this soon. But, if Ive got Rank Three cultivators with me, they might actually have to think twice before doing anything. The sect isnt big enough to challenge all of you without figuring out who your backers are.
Then we have a plan, Chance said, a smile crossing his lips. With all that had happened in the Ancient Realm, he was happy to have something straight forward to do. And, judging by how he felt his Essence trembling in anticipation, he got the feeling that it agreed with him.
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Chapter 107: Talk No Jutsu 2
You cant be serious, Bella said.
I absolutely am, Jade replied, crossing her arms. This is the only way I can know for sure that youre telling the truth. Its my duty as a Shikari to seek justice. Since theres no way for me know for sure one way or another if youre telling the truth, I have to follow my gut and that means finding out myself.
Whats to stop you from just telling the Shikari where we are? Bella asked, matching Jades pose. How can we trust you?
Youre claiming that youre the ones wronged, right? So you arent doing anything bad.
Right, Chance said slowly.
Then youve got nothing to worry about if I tag along, Jade said, as if it was so logical that she couldnt even comprehend why they wouldnt have understood it. Whats the drawback here?
Bella stared at Jade. Did you hear a single word I said? You could somehow report back to the Shikari or otherwise try to hinder us.
Ill give my word that I wont. Jade stared expectantly at them. What? Is that not enough?
I mean Chance glanced at Bella, then chewed his lower lip. He really didnt know much about Jade at all, but she seemed very honest from what little he did know.
Im not sure if adding her to the group is the wisest decision, but having more people would make traveling safer, and Id really rather not have to fight Jade. But can we really just trust her like that? I dont want to get killed because the Shikari show up while Bella and I are asleep.
Even if youre telling the truth, how do we know that the Shikari cant somehow track you? Bella asked. Its entirely possible.
Do you really think they care enough about a Knight Rank to waste all the effort of tracking me? Jade asked with a laugh. I dont have any trackers on me. Im sure theyd love to retroactively do it, but then theyd be able to do the exact same thing to the two of you. Maybe they are. Either way, it wouldnt change anything.
Bella pressed her lips together, but she didnt respond immediately. After several seconds of silence, she glanced at Chance.
What do you think?
You mean youre okay with it? Chance asked, blinking. Dont take this the wrong way, but I kind of figured
That Id be the one whod say no, Bella said with a wry smile. Yeah, I normally would. But she deserves a chance to see what the Shikari really are.
Oh. Bella sees a bit of herself in Jade. I dont think the situation Jade is in is nearly that bad, but I think I see the resemblance. Well, that leaves the decision to me. Jade hasnt done anything that would make me believe shes got an ulterior motive, so Ill give her the benefit of the doubt. Thats the right thing to do.
Would you mind if I take a look at your Karma? Chance asked Jade. I wont force you to say yes, but it would help put our worries at ease.
You need my permission to do that?The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.
Well, no. But its pretty impolite. Itll basically let me look into important events in your past, Chance said. Id only do it without asking if you were an enemy or I thought you were plotting against us.
Jade chewed her lower lip for a moment, then nodded. Okay. I can agree to that. I guess its only fair.
Chance didnt wait for her to change her mind. He peered into the strands of Karma surrounding Jade with his third eye, watching the visions within them flitter by. He started with the largest ones, skipping past the most one that tied her to Lin.
Over the course of the next few minutes, Chance quickly got a pretty good understanding of Jades past. He saw multiple glimpses of Gibson within them some seemed directly tied to him, while others he was simply just present. Surprisingly, that comforted Chance. Gibson hadnt been the nicest man, but hed felt like he hadnt been a bad person.
The visions in Jades Karmic strands seemed to repeat themselves over and over. Most of them were fighting either against other people or against monsters. Chance watched Jade as she threw herself against Soothounds, Imps, and a variety of other monsters within Gleams streets.
Sometimes she won, and other times she lost and had to retreat. She had almost no Karmic threats that were just normal interactions with other people. It felt like she was always in some sort of fight and, more notably, she was nearly always alone.
Aside from the smallest, mostly unimportant, threads, the only big ones tying her to other people were those to Gibson and Shae. Chance watched as Shae shoved Jade into a teleportation circle, using her to test it and make sure it was safe before stepping onto it himself.
His expression darkened.
What? Jade asked.
Nothing. Your mentor was a real piece of work, though.
Gibson?
No, Shae. Was he not the one assigned to you? Chance asked.
Jade shook her head. No. I ran into Shae while on this job. Why? What did he do?
Just wait a moment, Chance replied, glancing around the treeline. He reached into his chest, activating his aura vision. Several seconds passed. Then, at the edges of the trees, he saw a splotch of brown. There!
I see them as well, Bella said.
As do I, Jade added. Whats the plan? Wait until they run onto the circle and run on to join them?
Chance grinned as the splotch grew brighter and eventually emerged from the trees. No, we wont need to do that.
Would you look at that, Bella said with a mixture of dry humor and relief. We got lucky.
Quinn! Chance said, raising his voice just enough to let it carry and raising his hand in greeting.
Quinn, who had already begun descending the valley to make for the transportation circle, sprung nearly ten feet into the air in surprise. She flailed for a moment, then righted herself and landed on a pillar of stone that shot out from the ground to catch her. Staring at them in surprise, Quinn hopped back to the ground and approached them warily. Chance and the others headed over to meet her.
Whats going on? Quinn asked, coming to a stop as they drew closer. Why are you waiting here?
For a pretty similar reason to you, Chance admitted, rubbing the back of his head. We cant head back to the area we originally came from.
You all came from the same spot?
Chance nodded. Jade just joined us, but yes. She just came a little bit after we did. Did everything go okay with the crystal?
A smile passed over Quinns lips. Yes. Thank you. You did me two pretty big favors there.
Technically, Im not sure how much I did, Chance admitted. But Im glad things worked out. Nobody deserved to be treated the way Nimea was treating you.
What happened? Jade asked.
Another time, Bella said, shaking her head.
Did you want to join us in waiting? Chance asked. Were hoping someone will come by and we can snag their jump back home.
Even if Quinn wasnt totally forthright about everything, I dont feel like she was actively malicious. Probably.
Actually, I was planning to use the portal back to my home sect, Quinn said. Her eyes darkened. Im not done with them, and I have friends that were in similar situations to me.
Chances shoulders tensed.
Theyre keeping more slaves?
Slaves? Jade asked in surprise. The Scholar Cities have banned slavery. What jurisdiction are you under?
Quinn snorted. As if the Scholar Cities send patrols out that far into the wilds. Im in was in the Brackern Sect.
How strong is it? Chance asked slowly.
Its a small sect, Quinn replied, glancing over her shoulder as a distant explosion echoed through the valley. Nimea was the daughter of a sect elder. Im not going to try to take all of them out. Im not that strong. But I can definitely free some of the others.
Well, I think we found our portal out, Bella said, rolling her neck.
Quinn took a step back. What? You mean
Chance nodded. Well help, provided you arent lying. Its the right thing to do.
Ill help as well. Jades features were stormy. And Ill be following up with the Shikari when I return to Gleam as to why this was allowed to happen.
Quinn swallowed heavily. Why? Why do you care?
Its a sad world where you need a reason to care about others, Chance said. Are they going to say anything when you show up without Nimea?
Not if youre all with me, Quinn said slowly. I was planning on just running when I arrived, since I doubt theyll be expecting anyone to return this soon. But, if Ive got Rank Three cultivators with me, they might actually have to think twice before doing anything. The sect isnt big enough to challenge all of you without figuring out who your backers are.
Then we have a plan, Chance said, a smile crossing his lips. With all that had happened in the Ancient Realm, he was happy to have something straight forward to do. And, judging by how he felt his Essence trembling in anticipation, he got the feeling that it agreed with him.
Chapter 107: Talk No Jutsu 2You cant be serious, Bella said.I absolutely am, Jade replied, crossing her arms. This is the only way I can know for sure that youre telling the truth. Its my duty as a Shikari to seek justice. Since theres no way for me know for sure one way or another if youre telling the truth, I have to follow my gut and that means finding out myself.Whats to stop you from just telling the Shikari where we are? Bella asked, matching Jades pose. How can we trust you?Youre claiming that youre the ones wronged, right? So you arent doing anything bad.Right, Chance said slowly.Then youve got nothing to worry about if I tag along, Jade said, as if it was so logical that she couldnt even comprehend why they wouldnt have understood it. Whats the drawback here?Bella stared at Jade. Did you hear a single word I said? You could somehow report back to the Shikari or otherwise try to hinder us.Ill give my word that I wont. Jade stared expectantly at them. What? Is that not enough?I mean Chance glanced at Bella, then chewed his lower lip. He really didnt know much about Jade at all, but she seemed very honest from what little he did know.Im not sure if adding her to the group is the wisest decision, but having more people would make traveling safer, and Id really rather not have to fight Jade. But can we really just trust her like that? I dont want to get killed because the Shikari show up while Bella and I are asleep. Even if youre telling the truth, how do we know that the Shikari cant somehow track you? Bella asked. Its entirely possible.Do you really think they care enough about a Knight Rank to waste all the effort of tracking me? Jade asked with a laugh. I dont have any trackers on me. Im sure theyd love to retroactively do it, but then theyd be able to do the exact same thing to the two of you. Maybe they are. Either way, it wouldnt change anything.Bella pressed her lips together, but she didnt respond immediately. After several seconds of silence, she glanced at Chance.What do you think?You mean youre okay with it? Chance asked, blinking. Dont take this the wrong way, but I kind of figuredThat Id be the one whod say no, Bella said with a wry smile. Yeah, I normally would. But she deserves a chance to see what the Shikari really are.Oh. Bella sees a bit of herself in Jade. I dont think the situation Jade is in is nearly that bad, but I think I see the resemblance. Well, that leaves the decision to me. Jade hasnt done anything that would make me believe shes got an ulterior motive, so Ill give her the benefit of the doubt. Thats the right thing to do. Would you mind if I take a look at your Karma? Chance asked Jade. I wont force you to say yes, but it would help put our worries at ease.You need my permission to do that?The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Nvl1n.Well, no. But its pretty impolite. Itll basically let me look into important events in your past, Chance said. Id only do it without asking if you were an enemy or I thought you were plotting against us.Jade chewed her lower lip for a moment, then nodded. Okay. I can agree to that. I guess its only fair.Chance didnt wait for her to change her mind. He peered into the strands of Karma surrounding Jade with his third eye, watching the visions within them flitter by. He started with the largest ones, skipping past the most one that tied her to Lin.Over the course of the next few minutes, Chance quickly got a pretty good understanding of Jades past. He saw multiple glimpses of Gibson within them some seemed directly tied to him, while others he was simply just present. Surprisingly, that comforted Chance. Gibson hadnt been the nicest man, but hed felt like he hadnt been a bad person.The visions in Jades Karmic strands seemed to repeat themselves over and over. Most of them were fighting either against other people or against monsters. Chance watched Jade as she threw herself against Soothounds, Imps, and a variety of other monsters within Gleams streets.Sometimes she won, and other times she lost and had to retreat. She had almost no Karmic threats that were just normal interactions with other people. It felt like she was always in some sort of fight and, more notably, she was nearly always alone.Aside from the smallest, mostly unimportant, threads, the only big ones tying her to other people were those to Gibson and Shae. Chance watched as Shae shoved Jade into a teleportation circle, using her to test it and make sure it was safe before stepping onto it himself.His expression darkened.What? Jade asked.Nothing. Your mentor was a real piece of work, though.Gibson?No, Shae. Was he not the one assigned to you? Chance asked.Jade shook her head. No. I ran into Shae while on this job. Why? What did he do?Just wait a moment, Chance replied, glancing around the treeline. He reached into his chest, activating his aura vision. Several seconds passed. Then, at the edges of the trees, he saw a splotch of brown. There!I see them as well, Bella said.As do I, Jade added. Whats the plan? Wait until they run onto the circle and run on to join them?Chance grinned as the splotch grew brighter and eventually emerged from the trees. No, we wont need to do that.Would you look at that, Bella said with a mixture of dry humor and relief. We got lucky.Quinn! Chance said, raising his voice just enough to let it carry and raising his hand in greeting.Quinn, who had already begun descending the valley to make for the transportation circle, sprung nearly ten feet into the air in surprise. She flailed for a moment, then righted herself and landed on a pillar of stone that shot out from the ground to catch her. Staring at them in surprise, Quinn hopped back to the ground and approached them warily. Chance and the others headed over to meet her.Whats going on? Quinn asked, coming to a stop as they drew closer. Why are you waiting here?For a pretty similar reason to you, Chance admitted, rubbing the back of his head. We cant head back to the area we originally came from.You all came from the same spot?Chance nodded. Jade just joined us, but yes. She just came a little bit after we did. Did everything go okay with the crystal?A smile passed over Quinns lips. Yes. Thank you. You did me two pretty big favors there.Technically, Im not sure how much I did, Chance admitted. But Im glad things worked out. Nobody deserved to be treated the way Nimea was treating you.What happened? Jade asked.Another time, Bella said, shaking her head.Did you want to join us in waiting? Chance asked. Were hoping someone will come by and we can snag their jump back home.Even if Quinn wasnt totally forthright about everything, I dont feel like she was actively malicious. Probably.Actually, I was planning to use the portal back to my home sect, Quinn said. Her eyes darkened. Im not done with them, and I have friends that were in similar situations to me.Chances shoulders tensed.Theyre keeping more slaves?Slaves? Jade asked in surprise. The Scholar Cities have banned slavery. What jurisdiction are you under?Quinn snorted. As if the Scholar Cities send patrols out that far into the wilds. Im in was in the Brackern Sect.How strong is it? Chance asked slowly.Its a small sect, Quinn replied, glancing over her shoulder as a distant explosion echoed through the valley. Nimea was the daughter of a sect elder. Im not going to try to take all of them out. Im not that strong. But I can definitely free some of the others.Well, I think we found our portal out, Bella said, rolling her neck.Quinn took a step back. What? You meanChance nodded. Well help, provided you arent lying. Its the right thing to do.Ill help as well. Jades features were stormy. And Ill be following up with the Shikari when I return to Gleam as to why this was allowed to happen.Quinn swallowed heavily. Why? Why do you care?Its a sad world where you need a reason to care about others, Chance said. Are they going to say anything when you show up without Nimea?Not if youre all with me, Quinn said slowly. I was planning on just running when I arrived, since I doubt theyll be expecting anyone to return this soon. But, if Ive got Rank Three cultivators with me, they might actually have to think twice before doing anything. The sect isnt big enough to challenge all of you without figuring out who your backers are.Then we have a plan, Chance said, a smile crossing his lips. With all that had happened in the Ancient Realm, he was happy to have something straight forward to do. And, judging by how he felt his Essence trembling in anticipation, he got the feeling that it agreed with him.
