Kalzara
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Chapter 11: All I Want Is A Master!
🕑 Added 2023-09-29 01:44:23 +0000 UTCIn a dimly lit chamber, Zarius lay on a wooden bed, covered in white bandages that wrapped tightly around his body. His breaths were shallow and the slightest movement caused pain to course through his body.
"Elder Slifer and his pathetic disciples," he cursed, his voice raspy and weak. Memories flashed, the bald, plump servant demonstrating to the disciples how to inflict the most pain upon him. "And to think that fat oaf had the audacity to join them," he grimaced. It was one thing to get ambushed by fellow disciples but to be struck by a mere servant? Unacceptable.
Gritting his teeth, Zarius recalled his precious Heaven Rank Cultivation Method. The very treasure he had risked everything to steal, now gone, taken by Elder Slifer’s underlings.
His jaws tightened as he recalled the severity of his injuries. If not for Master’s Earth Grade healing pellet and those other pills, I’d probably be floating in the river of the afterlife.
He exhaled deeply, glancing at the bandages that crisscrossed his body. The potent medicines were working, and he could sense his strength slowly returning. Just a few more days, and I'll be back to my peak.
That old man might be out of my reach, but those disciples? They’ll pay dearly, Zarius's face darkened.
The faint creak of the door interrupted his vengeful thoughts. Looking up, Zarius caught sight of a young, lanky disciple with a perpetually confused expression entering the chamber.
Another one? Zarius thought, irked. "What do you want?" he snapped, recalling the horde of disciples trying to win his favor during his vulnerable state.
The newcomer, unperturbed by Zarius's cold reception, began placing talismans at each corner of the room, all the while maintaining that idiotic smile.
What is he up to? Zarius thought, his suspicion growing. "Hey! What are you doing here?"
The disciple turned to face Zarius, an oddly satisfied smirk on his face. “Now that the noise suppression talismans are up,” he began, muttering more to himself than anyone else, “no one will interrupt us.”
Zarius’s eyes widened in alarm. As the disciple moved closer, a sense of dread settled in. "Do you even know who I am?" Zarius blurted out, attempting to use his status to deter the strange disciple. "Stay away! My master, a Grand Elder, won't stand for this!"
The disciple, who was Dentos, let out a sigh. "Ah, 'master'," he murmured, a faraway look in his eyes. "How I wish I had a master. If I did, I wouldn't be doing... well, this."
Zarius, confused and now increasingly concerned, tried to pull away but his injuries held him back. Dentos firmly grabbed onto Zarius' arm. "The Heavens have been so unfair to me," Dentos lamented, as he oddly began to massage Zarius's fingers.
Suddenly, with a swift and eerie precision, he bent one of Zarius's fingers backward. The sharp pain made Zarius gasp, his face contorting in agony. But Dentos was relentless. As he moved to the next finger, breaking it with the same deliberate cruelty, Zarius let out a shrill cry, his eyes moistening with tears of pain and disbelief. Oh Heavens, why is this happening to me?!
"Missed my golden opportunity with Boss Morvran," Dentos mused, seemingly unfazed by the torment he was inflicting. With each word, another finger met its unfortunate fate, and Zarius's breath came in ragged pants, his body quivering. "But perhaps, if Boss Morvran learns of my... dedication, he'll put in a good word with Elder Slifer. And then, I'll have a master!"
"So... you're doing all this... just because you don't have a master?" Zarius, between screams, managed to ask.
Dentos nodded earnestly. "You see, it's just unbearable in this sect without one.”
"What happened to the other elders?" Zarius tried to distract him, hoping that someone would come check up on him.
Dentos started reminiscing about his various 'good deeds' to help the elders. A half-smile played on his face, as if he genuinely believed they were acts of kindness.
"You know," he began, "I once heard Elder Karna mention he had a sore back. Thinking this was my chance, I went to his chambers at midnight. I wanted to give him a massage. He, uh, didn’t appreciate my initiative. The new pond in the garden? That was me being blasted into the earth."
“…”
"Ah, then there was Elder Mira!" Dentos continued. "She always struck me as distant, perhaps a tad chilly. I reckoned a hug would do wonders. At a sect meeting, I went for it, hugging her from behind. She didn’t take it too well. It took three elders to pry her off. Trust me, it wasn’t the warm embrace I’d imagined."
How…How is this guy still alive after all this? Zarius blinked in disbelief.
Dentos looked down at Zarius's pained face. "See? It's really hard for me. No one appreciates my good intentions. That's why I have to impress Elder Slifer this way. Maybe then, finally, I'll have a master."
This guy is a calamity on two legs. Zarius thought to himself, As for Elder Slifer and his disciples—they're all lunatics. Forget revenge, I want nothing more than to never cross paths with them again!
With a last apologetic glance, Dentos murmured, "Sorry, this is just a necessary evil. You understand, right?"
Before Zarius could answer, Dentos continued with his bone-breaking, all in his misguided quest for a master.
