“Now there should be someone from my sect waiting for me at the exit so you can go about your business,” Soga said with a confident nod.

  “That’s neat. Do you know how far we are?” I asked him. I still wanted to dig for more information from the man.

  Soga looked around a little and then down at the map. “Um, maybe like an hour? Your ox is fast, though, so it could be quicker.”

  I nod and smile as I look at Betsy. “Yeah, she’s a lightning beast,” I tell him.

  He nodded. “Yes, I felt that. It’s interesting you have such a powerful spirit beast pulling your wagon. Yet you don’t…”

  “Yes, I want more information about that. I don’t have a traditional element?”

  He nodded his head. “Correct. There are those that believe, though, that you don’t need an element to advance and reach immortality. Though, if you gained one, it’d give you more power. There are those, like the Moon Lotus Pavilion…”

  I interrupted him. “The Moon Lotus Pavilion?”

  “Yes, it’s a rather unorthodox sect with their beliefs. They all have elements, but they believe that if they find their specific path in the universe, that is to say, what they’re meant to be doing, they’ll progress and find immortality,” Soga explained to me.

  I furrowed my brow and looked down at my belly. “So, if I believe I’ve found what I’m supposed to be doing…” I trailed off.

  “Well, it isn’t proven. It’s just one theory. There isn’t anyone that we know of who has reached the pinnacle of cultivation. We call them Celestials. We’re all just going about hoping someone can do it,” he explained as we rode along.

  I frowned. “So, should I get an element?”

  Soga shrugged. “It would help in fighting, and it might make some things easier, but I don’t know that you need to. The Mother’s don’t have an element. They can just read into fate, but they’re still considered cultivators.. Well, sort of.”

  I cocked my brow. “The Mothers?”

  “Yes, they’re Oracles, soothsayers, future tellers, whatever you want to call them. They have the ability to look into fate and read Daichi’s book, as they say,” he explained.

  “Da -”

  But he answered the question before I could ask. “The god of fate is the only one unrelated to any element.”

  I nodded my head and just took in the information he gave. I looked up at the sky and smiled to myself. This man was exactly what I needed. It was always funny when the main character in a story just happened upon something right when they needed it. I never quite believed it happened that way, but sometimes I guess you have good karma.

  We rode in silence for a while until we were about three quarters of the way to the spot where we were supposed to meet his sect. “So, how do you cultivate?” I looked over and asked Soga.

  “Well,” he started, and then lowered his head. “In your case, I think cultivating would be easy. To grow your power, just do what you do, you know? Go about your path and meditate on it. If you had an element, it’s a little more involved. You have to meditate and feel the aura, and, well, it’s hard to explain without you doing it.”

  I nodded my head as I listened to him.

  “Though, I suppose, even if you don’t have an element, maybe there are things you’d be able to do that aren’t traditionally known,” Soga said and then sat back in his seat. “I’ve heard about this chef who has the ability to imbue mana in his cooking and give the food he cooks special magical properties. Since I haven’t personally met him or tasted his cooking, I’m unsure of the statement’s truth. I guess he and his wife just wander around the empire in a cart like yours and serve food.”

  I smirk. A Fantasyland food truck sounded like the exact thing I needed to find. Still, though, it made me think. I wondered what sort of things I’d be able to do with this mystery core I had. If I was already a powerful cultivator, but I didn’t have a traditional element, what did I have? Could it be trucking? Or well… transporting? Could it be that simple?

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Oh look, that must be them.” Soga elbowed me and pulled me from my thoughts.

  I nod my head and don’t really give Betsy any direction. She knows what to do. She started slowing and pulled us off to the side of the road. I noticed two men standing there with their arms crossed against their chests and glaring at us. I cock my brow and look over at Soga.

  He gives me a reassuring nod and just smiles before he turns and waves at them.

  Once Betsy came to a full stop, he climbed down and before he could greet the men, one of them lay into him.

  “You’re supposed to be representing us, and you lose horses to some mortal bandits?” The older one spits out at him. His hair was graying, and he had a beard typical of old masters in the kung fu movies I always liked to watch.

  The other man was younger and had a firmer jaw. He had a more placid look about him, and his hair was still jet black and in a topknot. “Simmer brother. Soga here is still new to the sect and only developed his core not too long ago.” He put his hand on the older man’s shoulder.

  Soga, while the two talked, bowed towards them both with his hands clasped in front of him. “I’m sorry Elders.”

  The older man pulled away from the younger and looked up at me. “So you’re the one who saved him, huh? Should have left him on the side of the road. He could have carried the supplies back.” Then he rounded on the younger looking man that had been waiting with him. “And how many times do I have to tell you to not call me that? Just because they appointed you an elder…” the older man stopped his tirade and visibly calmed himself.

  I just sat there with a cocked eyebrow and tried to remember what the name of this sect was. It seemed like it had a sort of peaceful name to it.

  Soga and the younger elder were going behind the wagon and I climbed through the help unwrap the rope so they could get their things. “It wasn’t any trouble at all, Elder. I just picked him up, and we went on our way. I’m just on my way to the capital,” I said and offered a smile at the older man when he popped up at the rear to help.

  “Well, you should. He’s a member of a noteworthy sect and you’re just some…” he paused and I felt that cold shiver pass through my body once. I was growing to really not like the sensation. Maybe if it was hotter out, it might feel kinda good. Get your buddy to sense your spirit on a nice hot day to cool you down.

  “Oh, I guess you aren’t just some mortal, are you?” He eyed me as he reconsidered my place in his mind.

  I just gave a smile and a little finger wave. “I’m just a guy who transports goods, Elder. This time, those goods happened to be your junior sect member.”

  The old man sniffed and looked at Soga. “I suppose he said we’d repay you as well, didn’t he?”

  Soga just walked back from carrying one crate to their wagon, and he saved me from having to answer. “I told him if he needed any runes or anything done he could come see me,” Soga informed the old elder.

  “I have some plans to upgrade my wagon. When I come back through, I’m hoping to see Soga here and maybe get some things done,” I told the elder with a wide smile.

  The elder narrowed his eyes at Soga, but oddly, he didn’t direct any of that anger towards me. He didn’t say anything. He just shook his head and walked off to his own cart. “Come on, you guys got the last two. Let’s get back to the sect. There’s work to do.”

  The younger elder looked at me with a grin and shrugged a little. “He’s one of the founding members of the sect. Come see us whenever you’re ready and we’ll see what we can do for you. Ask for me, Elder Hisai. Even if you don’t want any work done, we have some beautiful land. Good little spot to relax,” he informed me with a wide smile.

  I bet it’s relaxing. It sounds like one of those hippie retreats where you go eat magic mushrooms and trip balls.

  I nod my head and smile at him. “Thank you Elder, I’m Maikeru. I look forward to visiting. Soga marked the area where your sect is on my map, so I won’t have any trouble finding you.”

  He gave a weird look at Soga, but a moment later he smiled back at me. “Maybe then you can fill us in on that weird core of yours,” he knocked on the last crate before he picked up and followed Soga back to their own cart.

  Yeah, I’ll be sure to fill you in once I figure it out for myself.

  I shook my head and sighed as I climbed back through and got back on my driver’s bench. One last wave at the three sect cultivators as they maneuvered their horses around and did a u-turn to get themselves headed toward their own sect.

  A few moments after they were gone, Betsy gave a low bellow and then I felt the wagon rolling along the path once more. I reached down and grabbed the map and unrolled it in my lap.

  “How long do you think you’ll be able to pull us for Betsy?” I asked as I trailed my finger along the line towards Yoshino.

  “Shit!” I yelled when I just realized something and patted my pocket. “I should have asked them if they could send my letter. God dammit. Or wait, is it God’s dammit here? Or Kami’s dammit?” I shook my head, more than a little irritated with myself.

  I wouldn’t swear by it, but I was almost positive I heard Betsy laugh at me. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I have that messenger thing. A butterfly can deliver a message to her from me. “I’ll send one before I go to sleep.”

  As of this posting there's 21 chapters and bonus stuff on the

  Hiroshi, Tale of a Sumotori

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