Amazon Apocalypse 5: Chapter 60

The teleport went smoothly, and we arrived in the open air rather than empty space. A B-Grade cultivator was standing near the teleportation array when we arrived. Her job could likely best be described as guarding, but the elegant veiled woman reading from an ornate scroll as she relaxed in a chair with a sunshade overhead seemed as far from a guard as I could imagine.

“Hi, we’re looking for the Goddess in Jade?” I asked.

Mimiko soon backed me up with something more closely resembling a formal greeting.

“Greetings, honored elder. This humble disciple is Mimiko. I am a rogue cultivator, and this is my dao companion, Carter of the house of Smith. Though he is an adherent of the System, his ties to the Eternal Spring Sect run deep, and he is here by invitation. I place my faith in the reputation of the Eternal Spring Sect and trust nothing untoward will befall us during our visit.”

The cultivator shut her scroll with a flick of her wrist, making a sound akin to a book slamming shut. Then she stood, and I realized how tall she was.

She would have stood side by side with Cyra at nearly seven feet when I first met her. Except where Cyra had been athletic, amazonian muscle, this woman was voluptuous and elegant.

“This humble disciple greets the honored guest of elder sister Jade. Your safety is assured.” The woman bowed in my direction, completely ignoring Mimiko. “Your retainer is less assured. Please ensure she does not stray from your side. The Eternal Spring Sect is conducting sensitive military operations in this area.”

I gave the woman an awkward bow in return, though it was half-hearted and ill-practiced. I glanced at Mimiko, who was doing the same as me, but bowing far lower. She didn’t seem put off by the cold shoulder she’d just received, but did accept the offer to cling tightly to my side.

“I’m Carter, by the way. I didn’t get your name,” I said, introducing myself to the tall veiled woman. What I could see of her face revealed she was a beauty beyond compare, but that was true of many high-rank cultivators thanks to not having a System capping their charisma stat. Despite her flawless features, the sheer coldness in her features put me off, and I wrapped an unconscious arm around Mimiko.

“This humble outer disciple is named Hyacinth. I will escort you to senior sister Jade,” the veiled woman said.

Our route from there was a short one, no doubt intended to leak as little sensitive information as possible about the Eternal Spring Sect’s encampment while pretending not to. I saw a few other Eternal Spring Sect cultivators, most of whom were as tall as Hyacinth. The trees we passed were also enormous, like they had been stretched out just as much as the people. I shot Mimiko a curious look.

“Spring brings with it new growth. In this land of eternal spring, all things continue to grow beyond their normal limits. The Eternal Spring Sect is famous for stretching even meager talents far beyond their normal limits,” Mimiko whispered.

I nodded along, content in the explanation that everyone was tall because of cultivator nonsense mysticism. Most likely, they had some sort of physical enhancement spell, but couldn’t figure out why it was making people taller. Rather than fixing the side-effect, they declared it a feature.

I saw only the narrow corridors between buildings erected of lacquered wood, green tiles, and paper window shades. I could see a few flying pagodas hovering in the sky as well.

Between what little I could see and the much more formal and regal atmosphere of the Eternal Spring Sect’s surroundings, I got the impression that this was a much more civilized sect than the Black Beast Sect I was used to dealing with. Mimiko told me that the Black Beast Sect was generally a quantity-over-quality operation, where the strongest rose above the rest through ruthlessness and lucky encounters. In contrast, the Eternal Spring Sect was much more careful in nurturing their disciples.

“It is said only one in ten thousand cultivators is fortune enough to enter the Eternal Spring Sect as an outer servant, let alone a disciple. You are truly fortune, Elder Hyacinth,” Mimiko said to our escort.

Hyacinth walked on, undisturbed by Mimiko’s flattery. It was like she hadn’t heard it at all.

“So few? Your sect must be picky with its recruits,” I said, curious if she would respond to me.

“Indeed. I was truly fortunate to be selected when I was but a girl. The sect has been my life for as long as I can remember. It is that way for most of us, though sometimes powerful rogue cultivators or other outsiders may join in their later years after they have proven their worth,” Hyacinth explained.

I flashed Mimiko an apologetic smile. Clearly, Hyacinth didn’t think much of Mimiko. Maybe that was cultivator tradition or the difference in power level, but I’d have to play go-between.

We didn’t have time for much more small talk before we came across a tall pagoda resembling a wizard’s tower but with a more spiritual theme. There was more an eye for beauty than functionality, and it showed in the flowing curves of the architecture. The wood the building was made of seemed like it had been grown in place. Around us, pink rose blossoms fell from cherry trees trapped in spring.

“Anything I need to know before meeting with the Goddess in Jade?” I asked.

“Far fewer concerns than most. Senior Sister Jade is famous for her good humor and warm heart. Do not abuse either and you will be well treated as her guest.”

“Warn me if I’m missing something or if I'm breaking some social taboo,” I whispered in Mimiko’s ear.

She nodded, still clinging tight to my arm.

Outer Disciple Hyacinth swung the doors open, and I stepped inside with Mimiko following close behind.

We were led up a set of winding stairs that seemed to lead nowhere, like the entire center of the tower was a pointless spiral staircase leading up. The thing was huge, like it was built for a giant, and I felt like a child ascending the enormous stairs. Hyacinth at least looked closer to normal, given her tall stature, but Mimiko and I were very undersized.

Eventually, we came across an enormous door, behind which could only be the Goddess in Jade.

“Elder Sister Jade, I’m here with your guest and his retainer,” Hyacinth said.

“Wonderful, bring him in,” said a strange-yet-familiar voice. It was undoubtedly the same voice spoken with through the statue, though this one held real life behind it.

“And his retainer?” Hyacinth asked, acknowledging Mimiko’s existence for the first time since our arrival.

“If he has trusted her enough to come this far, then I shall trust her too. Bring her in as well.”

The door opened, and I saw the Goddess in Jade for the first time. Upon seeing her, I immediately realized why religions formed around her so readily. If I was a dark age Omikyr knight and saw the woman lounging before me, I would have instantly nodded my head and agreed I was looking at a goddess, regardless of any previous beliefs.

The Goddess in Jade was even taller than Hyacinth. I couldn’t tell from the way she sat, but she looked nearly twice my own height, putting even Cyra at her tallest to shame. I’d always thought the jade statue of her in the shrine had been exaggerated to make her larger than life, but if anything, it had been too small.

I’d once thought Mimiko looked similar to what the Goddess in Jade would look like in the flesh, and on a superficial level they had the same inky hair, almond eyes, and refined feminine features, but that was where the resemblance ended.

The Goddess in Jade was a veritable giantess. And most shocking of all, her enormous stature was one of the last things I noticed.

Her eyes were striking jade, simultaneously warm and full of keen intelligence that could lay bare my most treasured secrets. Her lips were red, plump, and inviting, so every word they spoke seemed divine. And her skin had a golden radiance that illuminated the room around us. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I felt a radiant warmth filling the entire chamber centered on her, and my very soul felt like it was being drawn in her direction.

My feet took a few unconscious steps forward, and for all the world I wanted to bury my face in her enormous chest and spend weeks, months, or years just lying there warmer and more comfortable than I’d ever been since leaving my mother’s womb.

Through an act of tremendous will, I gathered such thoughts and snuffed them out. I blinked, and it was like a fog had been lifted from my eyes.

The Goddess in Jade was still every bit as beautiful as she had been a moment ago, but now my heart pounded with anxious fear rather than infatuation.

For a long time, I’d gotten used to the idea of my Charisma stat overwhelming others around me. Now, here I was, experiencing the opposite end of the spectrum.

“Senior Sister Jade, you’re not wearing your veil,” Hyacinth said. She sounded nervous as she glanced at me.

“Calm, disciple Hyacinth. I was merely curious how quickly my young friend would regain his senses. And from the looks of things, it was only a few moments. Isn’t that right, Carter?”

I nodded, slowly at first, then more vigorously as speech returned to me.

“I... take it those veils reduce the effects of having such high Charisma?” I asked.

“You are a smart one. Yes, the veils reduce the danger our beauty poses to guests. Many outsiders have died when they meet one of the famous heavenly beauties of the Eternal Spring Sect. I’m told it’s got something to do with all the blood leaving their heads at once. The less effective merely turn into hypnotized drones. I knew you would be alright, but I needed to test you and ensure neither would happen to you should one of my sisters interfere in my affairs. Now your heart is hardened to our tricks, and you will respond more readily to future external influence.”

I turned to Mimiko, whose eyes were dazed and distant. Her jaw hung open as she stared at the Goddess in Jade, and she seemed entirely unconscious.

“Is she going to be alright?” I asked worriedly.

“She will be fine when we’re done here. The effect isn’t nearly as terrible on women as it is on men. It’s why the Eternal Spring Sect favors female cultivators, with few exceptions. She may even benefit from this encounter. Most nascent soul cultivators lack opportunities to hone their mental fortitude like this against someone of my level. Perhaps the System will give you a title when you return to its embrace.”

The Goddess in Jade cast me a warm smile, and again I could see why Sir Sandon, Sir Trellis, and all the other knights thought so highly of their chosen Goddess.

I realized I was standing a bit closer to her than was probably polite. My feet must have carried me forward unconsciously while I was lost in her gaze, so I stepped back and cleared my throat.

“Anyway, as we discussed through your statue, I’m here, and I’m willing to help rescue your worshipers. I just need the coordinates. Also, the System didn’t like the title you gave me, so as it stands now I might have a tough time proving my identity...”

She smiled again and beckoned me back to where I'd been standing. “Don’t be shy. I will fix both issues now.”

I took two steps forward again, and the Goddess in Jade beckoned me forward again, even closer this time. She reached out with a hand that somehow looked delicate despite being larger than my own, and with it put a hand on the back of my head. Then she leaned down and kissed me.

It was a sudden and unexpected thing. Her tongue brushed against my lips, and a tingle ran up and down my spine. Under other circumstances, I would have returned the gesture, or at least tried to reciprocate, but my mind was entirely focused on the Goddess in Jade’s earlier warning about how men sometimes died just seeing a woman from the Eternal Spring Sect without their veil on. Kisses were no doubt even more deadly.

I focused my mind on my lower half, willing the blood not to flow there and instead keep pumping through my brain. I was only partially successful by the time the Goddess in Jade finished her kiss.

“You have a very handsome soul, young Carter,” the Goddess in Jade said as she resumed her previous seated position.

“Thanks...” I said, putting a hand to my lips, expecting lipstick to come away with my fingers, but none was there.

"How are you still standing? No man has ever survived a kiss from Senior Sister Jade without their head exploding..." Hyacinth said in wonder. Before, she'd only been polite, but now she seemed to have genuine interest in me.

Meanwhile, I did my best not to wince internally. If I had a nickel for every woman I'd met who exploded their last romantic partner's head... I'd only have two nickels. But it was still weird that it happened twice.

"Don't be like that, Hyacinth. You'll scare him. For the record, If I thought your head would explode, I wouldn't have kissed you," the Goddess in Jade said reassuringly.

"Thanks?" I scratched my head awkwardly, not really sure what to say to something like that. Luckily, the Goddess in Jade moved on a moment later.

“Now, as I mentioned to you before, I will not allow you to labor for me uncompensated. What can I do for you in return?” the Goddess in Jade asked. My mind thought of a few things I’d like to have her do, starting with another kiss, and then a lot more after that. But I knew in my head that I needed to push for a more material reward.

Also, the thought of my head exploding was still lingering in my mind. Though now that I thought about it, it would likely be more of an implosion, since the Goddess in Jade said the effect was induced by a sudden redistribution of blood away from the brain.

“He has a sliver of a wood spiritual root. I didn’t think that was possible for any of the races created by the System. Perhaps he needs guidance on the true path to power. He could throw off the System’s yolk and still have a path to power. That’s more than most followers of the System can hope for,” Outer Disciple Hyacinth suggested.

I shook my head. “While training sounds nice, I doubt you have time for it with a war on. I thought more like items, unique abilities, magic, secret treasures, or that sort of thing.”

The Goddess in Jade smiled serenely.

“I have access to the Eternal Spring Sect’s treasury. In our grand history, we have crafted, discovered, and obtained all manner of useful things. I can not let you see the treasury’s contents, but if you describe what you might want, I can find something suitable for you each time you come to me with more of my people,” the Goddess in Jade said.

And I told her a few things I did well and where I wanted to improve. I was disappointed to find the Eternal Spring Sect didn’t have much related to multidimensional crafting, though they had plenty of rare raw materials.

“Here, I will give you these robes for now, as payment for the first group of refugees in advance. They are called the Robes of the Enigmatic Scholar of Fate and are meant for an A-Grade cultivator, so you will have to grow into them, but they will provide significant defenses for you while you wear them.”

The wide-sleeved white garments weren’t quite my style, but I was pretty sure they could be altered into a more familiar style. I would have to examine them when I was back in System space, but I was pretty sure I’d gotten them for a steal, considering I planned to help the Goddess in Jade anyway.

“Here is the first world I need your help with. Good luck, Carter Smith of Earth.” The Goddess in Jade bid me goodbye with a wave and a smile.