Year 3: Deeper into Darkness

Previous Log:Year 2

Greetings once again venerable and exalted elders, I thank you for your kind words and advice. Things are bad. To say they have gotten worse would not be an understatement, though it has not been without hope. Deeper into the caves we have gone and deeper into the caves we have been pursued. At each turn, at each leg of our journey heaven has tested our resolve to continue on.

Of the twelve disciples I have brought down into these wretched depths only eight of them have survived. Three of I believe I had not yet mentioned in these logs though Mi Qin has unfortunately passed. The past year has proved a harsh teacher though the progress I have seen within my students in this time has been phenomenal. This I believe is due to a combination of the Qi rich environment, as well as the immense pressure on them to test, train, and improve their skills. While the deaths of their fellow disciples have disturbed them I believe it has also strengthened their resolve to Survive.

The original two members of Heaven's Chosen Dimwits have I believed left, though other junior members of their sect have plunged these depths to pursue us. These sect juniors have had more luck in tracking us down and from what I have gathered in our encounters they find the idea that we’re hiding down here to be hilarious and their master promised them something if they managed to kill us, take our souls, and then refine them in some profane ritual. I’m fairly certain though that the latter parts are more optional though it is often hard to tell when demonic cultists begin their profane rambling. It’s honestly best not to listen too closely to such things. 

So far during this past year we have run into them seven times. The first two passed without much incident as I think they were not prepared, and did not know those tunnels as well as we did. The Third and fourth time I had to fight them long enough to buy time while the children escaped. It is my shame to say that during each of these two encounters one of the children was slain though their bodies were so thoroughly destroyed in the fighting that they could not have possibly harvested their souls. The fifth and seventh encounters were similar to the first where we simply managed to evacuate after a brief skirmish though those were less due to heavens grace and more so diligent drilling and practice when it comes to coordinated escapes.

The sixth encounter was the worst of them. Three juniors from those dogs found us while four of my disciples including myself were sleeping. The two older dispels along with my mortal assistants kept watch. Through some trickery I have not fully worked out they managed to enter the main chamber before being detected. What ensued for a brief instant was chaos as the limbs of my mortal assistant went flying. His name was Hun Jin Li for whom to this day I have had nothing but respect for, and wish him more luck in his next life. He was scattered across the ground as the demonic cultivators tore him to pieces with his sword. 

Before I continue it should be noted that at this point in the year after taking the advice the elder provided me and praying diligently to which ever gods would listen at each and every meal(the passage of days and what time it is has become hard to track) I managed to come across and devour the heart of a great fanged salamander. While I do not know how I knew that this would work I cut the chunks of tainted flesh from my body and by the grace of heaven and the gods not only did I not die but it appears I have gained the ability to slowly regenerate lost tissue.

I woke to their mockery of his memory with terrible vengeance in my heart. That hatred in my heart soon turned to action as I engaged all three of them at once. These juniors seemed to have busied themselves deciding how to best dispatch or capture the children as they did not seem to notice my rapid approach. I planted a Rushing Wind Heavenly Tiger’s Strike directly to the face of the demonic junior closest to me, cracking his skull, and sending him tumbling backwards at a speed that stunned the remaining two. While this strike had nearly killed the wretch I made the miscalculation of using so much force in that blow that I fractured several bones in my own hand.

It was but a second later that the other two juniors leapt into action with their cursed blades hacking and slashing. I dodged trying to engage them only enough to keep them focused on me though I was punished when one of them In an attempt to try and distract me broke off and used their black dragon's flame attack where they spew flaming black liquid towards my disciples. One of whom died almost immediately and the other Mi Qin for whom I had much hope for died two days later. With resolute focus all their gambit had bought them was even more of my hatred.

With terrible anger I pursued vengeance against that junior, and I did not care what injuries he inflicted upon me. Once, twice, thrice, he struck out at me and while I moved to keep the blows from being fatal I took a wound for each blow and closed the short distance between us punching the air out of his lungs and beating him. I allowed him neither the chance to rest nor escape, accepting the injuries that were to come as his partner tried to force me to retreat as well as potentially ruining my own hand by relentlessly pumpling him with the broken fist. I tore that pitiful piece of worthless trash apart piece by piece. I managed to end the exchange by crushing the fool's neck though in doing so left myself open and received a stab wound to the chest.

In my injured state, and with the children having evacuated I put up a defiant front as the remaining cultivator examined me. After a moment he decided to withdraw with his injured comrade. At this time I began the steady march to our next planned hiding spot and when I reached that place I collapsed. What followed were painful days both physical and emotional as we had to say goodbye to more of those we had cherished as well as carving out bits of corrupted flesh from my body, and tend to the ruin that was my right hand. To this day I think I have only gotten most of what was tainted out of my chest as even with our resilient physiology attempting to remove bits and pieces from your chest cavity is incredibly dangerous.

I have truly grown to hate them. They have taken my home, my sect, and most of our riches but still yet they are not satisfied. No. They seem committed to not stop until they have taken everything. As they have pursued us, what we have been able to carry along has shrunk to a few essential tools, manuals, and only the most essential and easily carried treasures. Each time we set camp we have to hide most of it with the intention that anything that can not be carried off in what has often been a mad dash towards safety has had to be abandoned. This has been the cost of survival for us and the fact that this does nothing but amuse them fills me with hatred. Before now demonic cultivators had just been theoretical to me, something akin to a fairytale or natural disaster. How foolish I was.

The children like myself have grown hateful and determined to grow strong enough to avenge their fallen brothers and sisters. To record their names for the log they are Wei Sung(14m), Chun Li(12f), Chi Li(11f), Hue Xen(10m), Xi Shin(9m), Zhoa Yang(8m), Wei Chen(7f) and Bob(6m). The original elder who replied to my log I believe was correct in asserting that Bob seems to possess the most talent with the group as He along Wei Sung and Chun Li have finished their foundations and have begun in earnest to learn the finer points of the Flying Tigers Fist. How ironic that it is deep within the earth that they are learning such an art though it is still my conviction it will prove invaluable regardless. 

Zhoa Yang still has a year or so before I think he will finish his foundation and the others I believe will take more time. Their bodies are growing strong and infused with more Qi each day but for children of only slightly above average talent I am afraid their progression can only advance so quickly. Hue Xen in particular I believe is of middling talent and if it were not for his diligence in his training and the sacrifices he has had to endure I would have considered moving him to a strict caretaker role.

It is with my students that I have the most important questions to pose to you most honored and exalted elders. If you would see it fit to graciously share your wisdom I would like to know how I should be prioritizing the training of my disciples. The three that completed their foundation and Zhou Yang will likely be the most useful both now and I think in the long term but I don’t necessarily wish to ignore the others as if this continues for a long time their development in the sacred arts could matter and having even one more competent fighter could make the difference.  

Wei Sung has also asked to let him fight by my side when the next raid happens. I do not believe he is ready yet. He would be strong for a mortal but he is still on his first steps and does not yet have one tenth of my speed, strength, and battle experience. How should I go about making him understand that it is not his place to be on the battlefield and that his job is to look after the others? He is a young man swelling with pride, hate, and ambition and he wants to try and take on people who could kill him almost effortlessly. Any and all replies would be accepted with much gratitude. If you have specific questions, I should be able to answer them before this artifact loses its connection to the realms until the dawn of the next coming year.