Chapter 13: Bizarre Friend

"Fine, let me hear your offer. So long that it's as you say, not excessive and can also benefit me, I'm willing to listen". That much receptiveness Zax agreed to give Carl.

"Hahaha..." If the two were any closer, Carl would have pat Zax on the back. "You won't regret it, well ... only if you'll disagree, but that will be after a long time, when you'll realize your mistake". Carl phrased himself sensibly to not make it sound as if he was threating Zax and also to plant the seed of doubt in the content of disagreement. This was definitely an acquired virtue to his personality, something that only years of expectance could foster.

"My offer is quite simple. Let's form companionship in the Savage Cave". Carl held up two fingers and crossed them, smiling.

"Companionship?" Zax echoed.

"Indeed". Carl immediately confirmed. "To search freely for ripe Blood Red Grapes, neither of us has the ability to move freely in the cave. Sure, the savages generally should be weaker than us, but they don't care for fatigue or death and there are too many of them to take lightly. And let's say that you do manage to avoid clashes with the savages, it is very unlikely that you will find a Blood Red Grape on a random tree. Eventually you will have to look for groves like this one and then hope to not meet an expert already dwelling in them or hope that if there is an expert, then that he or she will show you courtesy".

"All for the sake Blood Red Grapes? I thought that there was something else that you were interested in..." Zax ate enough of the Blood Red Grapes to know that they may help to mollify one's temperament in the Savage Cave, but only for a short time. It was not worth it to seek them for a short lived pleasure. Better was to stay in his undisturbed plot and train.

"You have been in the Savage Cave for four months, Zax, but how long have you been in the grove?" Carl asked.

"For nearly the same length of time".

"And how many ripe Blood Red Grapes did you truly eat?"

"Over thirty". It was not the exact number, but Zax received the impression that a high number rather than an exact number was what Carl wished to hear. He also did not have problem to honestly answer since despite the savageness in Carl's eyes, he did not sense enmity or a killing intent from him.

"Then you probably misunderstood something good as your own doing". Carl said decisively and frowned. "Blood Red Grapes should not be consumed whenever you feel like eating one. Of those thirty that you ate, I suspect that an uneducated guy like you had wasted the real benefits of at least two thirds!" Stating so firmly, Carl grip on his three grapes tightened as if to guard them from the slapdash fellow in front of him.

Seeing Zax's confused expression, Carl nodded his head and said. "I'll elaborate to help you understand. In the Savage Cave the greatest impediment is making the soul adapt to the savagery. This becomes even more of a problem the longer you stay in the cave. My soul, for example, a year ago managed to ninety eight percent adapt to the savagery. Since then, however, I did not make any progress. The reason is that over time the savage energy condenses and liquefies and in an even longer period of time ... No need to mention the less fortunate. What I'm trying to say is that the ripe Blood Red Grapes, if consumed before exercising adaption methods, will help increase the soul's durability for a while. In other words, will hasten the time it takes the soul to adapt to the savagery".

'If that is true', Zax suddenly realized, 'not only I was a wasteful fool, it also explains why I barely made progress this month... ' Unconsciously he began to grip his grape in the same protective manner Carl did. 'It's not good to stay here longer'. He came to the conclusion.

"If we'll travel together to find grapes, what's your plan?" Carl already proven to Zax that he was unbounded by the savagery, if venturing in the cave, Zax felt that a guy such as him would be an acceptable companion.

"Not complicated at all, as a matter of fact. If the two of us will go together to the other half of the cave, where it's abundant with grove even larger than this one, and present a united front when facing an expert that already took control on a grove as his training grounds, if we won't be able to convince him to let us look for Blood Red Grape, at least we will make him think twice before discharging his pent up savagery on us. That's the focal idea of why I offer that we should travel together".

"Besides the grapes, there are of course more ways that we could support each other. Dealing with the savages will be less dangerous, and although we train in different refining techniques, we could also exchange pointers. Naturally, when one of us does chose to train alone, the other will keep an eye for him, as well". Carl stated the pros alluringly. As for the cons, there was only one. But a too obvious one that he could do nothing about and so he hoped that Zax will go along with him if he will emphasize the positive.

Trying his capabilities against a Core Master did sound tempting to Zax and he wanted to do so since he reached the Intermediate phase of the bodily maneuvers. But... "How do I know that I can trust you? Both of us are still in the Savage Cave and unless our souls will perfectly adapt to the savagery, the risk of lashing at each other is too high".

"That..."

Discussing the con in the end was unavoidable and with respect to the effect of the savage force of the cave, anyone that just began to adapt to it knew how tricky it was to keep the savagery at bay. Even when the soul a hundred percent adapted to the savagery, if staying in to Savage Cave for a long time, the savagery will still build up the desire to kill, this was why those who trained in the Savage Cave for tens or hundreds of years were dangerous to deal with.

" ... Is something that you and I will have to ask ourselves if we are willing to risk". Carl answered honestly. "I've been for a short time and a long time in the Savage Cave ... time here is relative to your achievements. A long time, because after six years I was not as lucky as you in finding a desolated grove and so my soul still did not adapt to the savagery. A short time, because in those six years my training had not even begun".

Zax considered Carl's reasoning. 'Put aside the Blood Red Grapes and a Core Master as a training partner, I've got between five and a half to seven months before the day of evaluation by Master's big brother. To be on the safe side, I can't afford to stay here longer than six months... '

"Is that all?" Zax asked.

"If you agree than there is only one more thing". Carl said.

"What is it?"

"If we do travel together, then if savages attack us, we can't interfere with each other. To help, the only thing that is allowed is to attract some of the load off in case there will be many savages. That way our killing intent won't be directed at each other ... By asking are agreeing to form companionship?"

Zax walked closer to Carl and raised his hand.

The two shook on it and a companionship was formed.

...

It took Zax and Carl four days to cross to the other half of the cave. It was not that the Savage Cave was bigger than most caves in Valgarel, but to cross it without arousing the attention of the savages, those who submerged in the savage force, one could not act rashly.

In those four days Zax learned from Carl why experts chose to train in the Savage Cave.

"You are not a Core Master so you are unaware of it, but the most important thing for Core Masters is to cultivate the soul..."

In essence, the Savage Cave for those that wanted to cultivate the soul was akin to the Essence Cave for those that wanted to cultivate the body. The mere difference was that in the Savage Cave one could practice a soul refining technique of his or her choosing, and the Blood Red Grapes were the counterpart of the herbal liquid Zax soaked in when he practiced the Seven Stages Of Bodily Refinement.

Zax also got an answer in regards to the plant that he sought. Regrettably, Carl was not familiar with the plants and did not recognize them when Zax drew them and described their colors. On the other hand, Carl told Zax that from what his elders told him, there are roughly eight types of unique plants that grow in the Savage Cave and most of them can be found the closer one gets to the tunnel to the second Savage Cave. At which point, Zax decided to first complete the adaption of his soul to the savagery, since Carl also confirmed his hypothesis.

"The bubble will vanish when your soul will adapt to the savagery ... I suggest that you assess its state once every day so you won't be caught blindsided when it will start to condense". By the look on his face, it seemed that Carl learned the hard way that the bubble should not be taken for granted.