Pine led the way again, and Ruwen followed close to the old man.
If Pine didn’t know that term, it meant he came from a different planet than Ruwen. The fourth secret flashed across his thoughts. His world had a dense concentration of Spirit, and that allowed the gods the power to resurrect their followers. Blapy had told him he was destined to restore Spirit to the Universe. That meant Pine’s home, along with the rest of the Universe, didn’t have access to Spirit, and Cultivators didn’t exist. The lack of Cultivation or Ascendancy explained the state of Pine’s body despite his young age.
“Ascendancy gives you some power over death,” Ruwen said, regretting bringing it up.
Pine studied Ruwen for a few seconds. “Only gods and demons have that power on my world.”
“I’m neither,” Ruwen said, and then wondered if he might be both. He had the Architect Role only given to the gods, and the Scarecrow Aspect, created by a demon god, had fused itself inside him. Plus, his Core had absorbed the Core of a peak Diamond demon from the Infernal Realm. That might set off some demon alarms.
Ruwen could see the doubt on Pine’s face and changed the subject. “How will I know your grandson if we’re separated?”
The reminder pushed Pine back into motion and the old man strode forward, whispering over his shoulder. “I’m not telling you his name, just in case you are a demon. I hope you understand. He’s a thin ten-year-old who acts like he’s thirty, with dark hair, light brown skin, and grey-blue eyes. He has a scar near his right temple and the hair there grows white.”
Ruwen didn’t reply. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that he’d triggered an escort quest as part of his trial here.
Pine pointed up into the bamboo. With the last of the light, Ruwen saw a clump of green grapes. He studied the trunk and limbs and didn’t see any snakes. Gripping the tree, he pulled himself up, using the increased strength and power of his Gold body. His spells and abilities would have made this easier, but they weren’t necessary.
Forty feet off the ground, Ruwen hugged the tree tightly while pulling the grapes from their vine. There were three of them and he immediately ate one. Sweet juice filled his mouth, and he quickly swallowed. His body flushed with warmth, and while holding himself to the tree wasn’t hard, it now felt effortless.
Letting go of the tree, Ruwen fell the forty feet in a blink, squatting as he struck the ground. His body felt like a caged animal and it begged for release. He handed a grape to Pine, rolled up his right sleeve to create a pocket, and placed the last grape there.
Using fingers like a spear, Ruwen struck the bamboo above his head, splitting the bark and letting the water from the tree soak him. Pine ate his grape and did the same, impressing Ruwen. He thought for sure the old man’s fingers would snap. Without a word, Pine strode deeper into the trees.
As the darkness increased, Pine slowed considerably.
“What’s wrong?” Ruwen asked.
“I can’t see anymore. I should have saved some red sorrow fruit.”
While dim, Ruwen could still make out the surroundings to about thirty feet. He realized it must be his Gold Fortified eyes. “Let me lead, while you keep a hand on my back. How do I know which way to go?”
“We want to take the steepest path. That’s the quickest way to the summit.”
Ruwen really missed his map. This whole exercise would be trivial with just a few familiar items. He studied the ground and moved forward in what seemed to be the most uphill direction. Pine walked behind him, surprisingly quiet, his touch light in the middle of Ruwen’s back.
Snakes appeared more often the deeper they went. The ones that moved were the easiest to spot, but many didn’t. Ruwen stopped every ten minutes so they could resoak themselves, but still had to slow down to avoid stepping on the coiled vipers that littered the ground. Without the water cooling their bodies, he didn’t think they’d have made it far.
Ruwen heard snakes moving but couldn’t see them and wondered if they benefited from eating the fruit as well. The last thing he wanted to face was invisible vipers. “Do you think—”
Two vipers sprung from the ground, directly at Ruwen’s mouth. He punched them both, sending them limply to the ground. A third one however dropped from above, landing on his head. He reached up to grab it, and the snake bit him, sinking its fangs deep into his right hand.
Ruwen clenched his hand, crushing the snake’s head. He pulled the fangs from his hand and dropped the snake to the ground as his hand pulsed in pain. The counter on his left palm glowed dimly and he watched it drop by five.
Either the snakes here could penetrate a Gold Fortified body, or the armor portion of Ruwen’s Fortification hadn’t transferred with him. He’d kept the Gold reflexes, thankfully. The pain faded and the puncture marks disappeared from his hand. The quick healing was something at least, but it wouldn’t matter if he got swarmed. There were hundreds of snakes all around them, and they obviously reacted to sound. If he got into a loud fight, it might mean disaster.
The next time they stopped for water, Ruwen killed the nearest fifteen vipers before breaking the bamboo open. He couldn’t be sure if some hid in the upper branches, but he watched and avoided the one that fell.
The buff from the grape had long since disappeared, and Ruwen resisted eating the third one. Vipers had bitten Pine and Ruwen multiple times as their footsteps caused enough vibration to trigger the snakes they’d overlooked.
Ruwen stopped when the bamboo ended and a glade, three hundred feet wide appeared. White columns twenty feet high ringed a circular area in the glade’s middle, and they supported a fractured
