Depthless Hunger

The second journey down to the Primal Loom was much less ominous than the first, yet Kai still felt the weight of its presence. Insanity or not, the Loom represented an immense amount of power, the culmination of generations of work by the elves. He'd basically forgotten about it while on Deadwaste, but it had spent months preparing the essence they'd granted for some sort of new power.

Whatever it was, Omilaena thought it was worth it. Of course, given how much they talked about the "threads of fate" Kai was fairly confident things wouldn't go well for him. Maybe the Primal Loom would come alive and attack him so he could eat it.

When they reached the bottom chamber, the same robed elder greeted them. "Welcome to the Primal Loom," he told them. "It is time to receive your gifts. There is no telling what the Loom might weave for you, but I guarantee that you will not find finer in the entire world."

"No trouble with our essences?" Omilaena asked.

"It has had more than enough time to grow. Please step this way."

There were spindles floating in the air in one shadowy recess of the room - only six spindles including theirs, which meant that even the elves weren't getting much clothing from the Primal Loom. Kai knew exactly which one was his: one of the spindles was radiating an ominous hunger. The threads surrounding it were an ugly black and gray mix, but when he picked it up the power hummed in his hand.

"What's this?" Omilaena gestured with her spindle, which was surrounded by odd blue rocky strings.

"The Primal Loom can weave more than simple textiles," the elder said. "I cannot guess the exact result, but it is certain to be formed from a different material. Likely gemstones of some sort."

"Hmm. I suppose that's for the best."

Meanwhile Zae Zin Nim had quietly picked up her spindle, which was surrounded by elegant white thread. She seemed pleased enough with it and Kai could feel the intense qi even from where he stood. The elder drew them all out of the recess to the center before speaking again. He stood with his back to the central dais and the Primal Loom stretching behind him.

"Each of you must step into the loom, raise your spindle aloft, and let the threads of fate weave themselves." The elder gestured to an even older elf standing nearby. "We cannot assist in the process of creation, but the Weaver has spent a lifetime studying the Loom's work. She will be able to tell you the capabilities of your results." The old woman bowed and then both elves gestured them to the center.

They all looked at each other briefly before Omilaena nodded to Zae Zin Nim. She walked toward the Primal Loom, hesitated at the spiritual threads moving around its spines, and then stepped inside. Immediately Kia saw her eyes widen and the spindle in her hands began to glow. It spun rapidly, its energy spiraling into the air, twisting and forming something new.

The spindle clattered to the ground because Zae Zin Nim had released it, instead reaching out toward the result. When her fingers touched the energy it fully resolved into a long pale cloth, white as pearl - or perhaps jade. Zae Zin Nim smiled and then tied it around her waist, where it seemed to fit perfectly with the ends hanging down in front of her. As soon as she pulled it tight, her qi surged more powerfully within her dantian.

"The Primal Loom has brought forth the Heavenly Sash!" the old woman pronounced. "It purifies itself and its wearer, but I sense that its greatest strength lies in its qi. It will resonate strongly with your cultivation, growing along with you."

Zae Zin Nim descended, looking over herself. "It's an improvement of 10%," she marveled.

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Could she actually mean that the sash multiplied her cultivation by 10%? If that remained constant, it was an incredible improvement. She likely would have worn something so powerful even if it was hideous, but it suited her remarkably well. It would match with simple clothing without being outshone by expensive robes. When she glanced toward him, Kai gave her an encouraging nod.

"Then I guess it's my turn next." Omilaena took her jeweled spindle into the Primal Loom and raised it overhead.

This time the energy flowed more chaotically, seeming to coalesce into several different shapes. As it grew denser, Kai realized that the rocky string was actually sapphires, almost glowing with chakra as they took on new forms. Omilaena laughed and grabbed them out of the air, leaving him confused about what they actually were until she put them on.

First there were two sapphire earrings, which Omilaena stabbed through her ears despite not having worn earrings earlier. A medium-sized form turned out to be a choker that fit around her neck perfectly. The largest fragment of the power he'd seen was a long necklace with a sapphire pendant that nestled in her cleavage. Omilaena looked extremely pleased even before the Weaver spoke up.

"The Primal Loom has brought forth the Prana Jewels! They resonate with your Heart of Poison and will strengthen it, but its greatest potential lies in its nature. With these jewels, you will be able to absorb poisons of any strength, whether for alchemy or to cure the poisoned."

"And they look lovely." Omilaena toyed with her new necklace as she stepped down, admiring the sapphires. "I was worried about how much of a sense of aesthetics a loom could have, but this will work just fine."

Now it was his turn, so he had no choice but to step up and see what happened. Kai walked into the Primal Loom and almost gasped as he felt the spiritual strings run through him. It was as if something was reaching directly into his soul, yet it never touched his mind. He'd hoped there would be a moment where he could shape the result, but his spindle was already burning with power.

Some sort of dark cloth was forming, but he couldn't tell what it was. Kai let go of the empty spindle and reached out to grab the glowing result, then to his surprise the cloth seemed to wrap around his wrist. It pushed against his tunic, apparently consuming it as the new cloth traveled over his chest. The fabric grew around his body and for a moment he was convinced that it was going to try to suffocate him, but in the end it resolved as pants and shirt with a mantle over them.

"This..." The Weaver looked taken aback for the first time, but she cleared her throat and continued. "The Primal Loom has brought forth the... Beggar King's Rags. They will grant a small amount of Physique and conform to the wearer. Other than repairing themselves, they seem to have no other capabilities."

"Stupid loom," Omilaena said.

The elder regarded her severely. "The Primal Loom sees all of fate and decides-"

"Clearly it has blind spots," Zae Zin Nim interrupted. She marched past the startled elder to look over Kai. "I suppose it could be worse."

"Fate screwed up this time," Kai said with a smile. "These are damn comfortable, and did you hear about repairing themselves? I won't have to spend half our budget on clothes."

"That is what you expect men to do," Omilaena said with a roll of her eyes. "Always throwing away money on clothes."

Zae Zin Nim considered and then nodded. "At least you won't be unclothed. It's suitable... for a barbarian."

Kai smiled and went to join them. The elders seemed displeased by their irreverence and were eager to usher them away from the Primal Loom, and he wasn't about to make trouble. He hadn't been lying with his reaction, because he thought these would actually be convenient. It wasn't just that they fit him perfectly, they seemed to shift along with his body, so he didn't think they would be destroyed by the Savage Heart transformations.

And there was one more benefit he couldn't mention out loud: his Monstrous Hunger had been stuck at Lambda rank for ages, but the instant the cloth touched him, it had leapt up to Mu. It wasn't a temporary upgrade, either, it was as if the cloth had unlocked new hunger within him.

With their new garments wrapped around them, they were stronger than ever and ready to throw themselves into chaos. Kai had hoped to talk to Ceryyn one last time, but she seemed to be busy with other elven business. There was so much going on that their suicide run into the Commonwealth was only one piece of the overall picture.

Once they had spatial items filled with the supplies they'd need, including enchanted cloaks for disguises and other stealth equipment given by the elves, there was little more reason to stick around. A teleporter asked them if they were ready one last time, they leapt across the continent, and then they were standing in the southeast of the Commonwealth.

Enemies on every side. No backup in leagues. Nothing to do but fight.