“Bullcrap!” Alpha pointed at the woman and countered. “I see what this is! Convince me the big shiny weapon is bad for my health, and then when my guard is down, take it for yourself! I know your game. You’re not the first to try and pull this!”
Alpha pulled away from the woman. Who knew what else she was doing to him?
Jīshí sighed, but didn’t move closer. Paranoia, irrational thinking, and misinterpretation were always side effects of severe soul damage. Some theorized it was a defense mechanism of the soul to prevent more damage, like tissue inflammation, but for the non-material soul. That only made dealing with such people all that more difficult. The injured could go from calm and collected to raving lunatics at the drop of a hat. It didn’t help she had to poke at his injuries for him even to notice them.
That had likely aggravated the symptoms, even if it was necessary for what came next.
She was tempted just to let the soul damage destroy him. Jīshí had seen what he was capable of. What the people he represented were capable of. This “Federation” represented a greater threat than the thing locked beneath them. But unlike that engine of destruction and war, the Federation could be reasoned with. She knew that many of this world would not understand. There were too many old powers. Too many people were stagnant and content in the “old ways.”
She’d been one of them only a few moments prior.
Now? She knew negotiations with the Federation would be… difficult if she let Alpha die. When the AI failed to put down a world, the Federation’s retaliation was swift and without mercy. If the AI was to face true death, and not just bodily destruction?
Not just this world, but all the Great Firmament would burn and turn into fuel for the Federation’s progression. She couldn’t let that happen, not after everything she and others had given up to keep this world safe.
Slowly, Jīshí backed away, putting more distance between them, and spoke softly. “Alpha, no one is trying to take anything from you. I need your help. I need you to understand what is happening to you and why.”
Alpha pointed again and responded, “Why should I trust anything you say? For all I know, this is just a simulation! Can I even trust my system queries?!”
The TAWP swayed, and thinking was starting to hurt. Why did it hurt to think? He did his best to ignore the red warning messages flashing in his mind and focus on the woman before him.
Jīshí shook her head as she spoke. “Because you have no concept of what is happening. Because I can help you if you let me. And because if you don’t, then not only will you die meaninglessly, so will the child.”
Her words struck Alpha like lightning, cutting through the growing fog. That’s right, Snowball was still in trouble. That’s why he was here in the first place. He still had to rescue her. But why did he really care? Sure, he’d face some heavy fines if she was hurt, maybe disappoint the general. Was that worth all this effort, though? All the supplies he was wasting on this excursion? He should be building a base, dang it! Not fighting zombie hordes and running around like a chicken with his head cut off! He should be… he should…
Memories flashed through his mind. A wounded Snowball stared up at him with fearful eyes. A Snowball on the mend, happily wagging her tail while she waited for him to throw the crystal into the air. Snowball, covered in penguin blood as she stood on a large pile of bodies with her head held high, basking in his praise. The young pup — .
FINE! Fine! I get it already!
The gaggle of meddling sub-AI fled from his active consciousness, taking the recordings with them. They might have been “parts” of him, but sometimes Alpha could swear they liked to screw with him.
Slightly more clear-headed, Alpha turned his attention to Jīshí and asked, “Let’s assume I believe you. That you’re serious about wanting to help. How? Can you fix my ‘soul’ or whatever you call it?”
Jīshí shook her head sadly. “No…”
Alpha threw his arms out and yelled, “Then what the hell ar — ”
Jīshí cut him off with a raised hand and continued. “Let me finish. I could heal your soul. But I’m not going to. Not yet.”
Alpha glared at the woman as she continued. “A damaged soul, especially one in such a terrible shape as yours, isn’t a simple thing to fix. This is made more complicated as the vast majority of treasures that could heal the soul wouldn’t work on you because of your nature. Of those exceedingly rare ones that might, we have no way of obtaining them currently. As contradictory as it might seem, the best medicine for someone in your current state is time. Time to rest, heal, and regenerate what has been lost.”
Alpha’s optic plates spun as he filled in the blanks of what wasn’t said, “Time we don’t have…”
Jīshí nodded sadly and said. “Correct. Your time in the village helped some, but the stress and events after have undone all the good that did and sped up the problem.”
“Then what’s your solution?! Stop beating around the bush!” Alpha asked in turn.
Jīshí held out her hand, and something grew above it. As it did, she said, “We don’t have time to heal you, but I can stabilize you enough to buy us the time we need. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t perfect or even good. It’s equivalent to a soldier stuffing a stab wound with gauze or splinting a broken bone. You’re still hurt, but you can fight… somewhat. Push too hard, though, and the ‘wound’ will reopen. The damage will escalate, and you may come out worse than before.”
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Alpha asked, unsure if he liked that idea. “And how exactly are you going to do that?”
Jīshí smiled up at him just as the large, watermelon-sized crystal finished forming. It hovered in the air, gently spinning above her hand as she spoke. “Why, I’m coming with you, obviously.”
— — — — — — — —
Ganbaatar stood on the edge of the inner Earth Shrine, staring at the hundreds, maybe thousands of Earth Elementals that patrolled the area just beyond. The thick braided rope and fluttering white talismans marked the boundary limits set up by the temple priests.
This was a dangerous place. Despite the Wandering Cities claiming to “own” their various shrines, the truth was no one really did. They just controlled the area around them. Instead, the Earth Elementals who called the shrines their home guarded their territory jealously. Few were allowed to approach, only the priests, and even then, only at very specific times of the year, typically after each Apex.
During these brief windows, the priests would perform maintenance and repairs to the shrine and ensure they continued to function properly. If anyone else crossed the boundary line, they would immediately be set upon by the hoard of powerful Elemental creatures. Lucky for most, Earth Elementals were slow, so they could easily escape past the boundary line.
The youth of some cities even turned it into a game, turning seeing how long they could play “chicken” with the Elementals into a game of bravery and bragging rights. However, most people discouraged this foolish game. Every year, they would hear of some idiot getting themselves killed because they got a little too close to one of the rare Elementals with ranged ability. Or they were so focused on the big ones they didn’t see the small ones sneaking up on them. They’d then be pulled under the earth, trapped and unable to escape when the big ones reached them.
Those stories raced through Ganbaatar’s mind, and a cold sweat formed on the back of his neck. Yutu walked up beside him, and Ganbaatar tore his eyes away to look at him as he spoke. “Yutu… are… are you sure about this? I mean… I know you’ve got this — ”
He paused and gestured to the young man beside him, mostly the man’s eyes. Ganbaatar was still getting used to those strange eyes looking at him with his friend’s face attached.
He continued, “ — whole thing going on, but how sure are you this is really going to work?”
Yutu didn’t answer at first. He stared up at the pulsing obelisk in the distance for a moment, then spoke softly. “I… Mostly sure. The information is less… words or instructions and more… memories. Experiences and knowledge. I know how it’s supposed to work. But whether it still does… or if things have changed…“
Yutu let the statement hang in the air.
Ganbaatar chuckled and shook his head. “Riiiiight. Memories from the mysterious stone lady in your head…”
Yutu frowned and turned to the other man as he spoke. “You saw her too, Ganaa.”
Ganbaatar frowned back and responded. “Yes, and we still don’t know what she did to you. Or why?”
Yutu turned back to the obelisk. He was silent for a moment and spoke, “… I trust her. I can’t explain why. Not yet, at least. But I do. If we don’t do this, lots of people are going to die. Not just in the Radiant Sea either. This is bigger than you realize, Ganaa. It’s — ”
Yelling voices interrupted him.
“Why can’t I go?! I passed my apprenticeship, I’ve just as much right as anyone! I was there from the start, and I have a right to see this through!” Zolzaya yelled up at her father, her face red and her eyes burning.
Juatan stared down at his daughter and spoke softly. “Because, daughter, we have no idea what we’re walking into. Whatever may wait for us on the other side is no place for a fresh Grassreader barely into [Iron Body], as impressive as that might be.”
All three of the young Slatewalkers had broken through earlier that morning. Whether it was the experience they’d gained, the high spirit energy in the area, or a bit of instruction from Artemis as an apology for her behavior, it was still something to celebrate. Unfortunately, they hadn’t had much time.
Zolzaya pointed to the group behind her father. “What about them?!”
Four squads of 12 Guardians stood at the ready. In front of each, a young man or woman stood in more ornate armor, the house shield of each of the four “Gate Houses” etched into them. One of the young men was familiar to the Slatewalkers. Mönkhkhan Eastgate stood tall in front of his squad, though what could be seen of his face through the ornate helmet appeared sunken with deep bags under his eyes and clammy, pale skin.
Juatan frowned and retorted, “The Scions have all spent years in the Guardian and Officer academies. They are also all [Silver Spirit] cultivators. Though I will admit, if I had my say, they would not be joining us either. This is a job for senior Guardians. Unfortunately, they are all we have. All of our most powerful Guardians are stuck defending against the undead. Their attack has become increasingly intense as time passes. That we could gather even a full platoon in such a short amount of time is a miracle in itself.”
Zolzaya glanced down at her feet and softly said, “You can’t keep protecting me like this…”
Juatan’s eyes softened, “Zaya… I’m just wor — ”
“She right, you know.” Artemis walked over, dressed in full armor and ready for war. The powerful Akh’lut in human form looked between father and daughter before continuing. “You can’t protect her from all the world’s evils. All that will do is make her weak and unable to protect herself when you’re no longer by her side.”
Juatan frowned and narrowed his eyes, addressing the woman, “With all due respect, there’s a difference between giving her room to grow and throwing her into an unknown situation that I’m not even sure I’m fit for. Whatever is going on, the perpetrators have been planning this for a long time. Even the slightest mistake on our part could — ”
Artemis cut him off. “All the more reason for the girl to come. As she’s said, she’d been dragged into this from the start. She might know or see things that could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Besides, I was doing far crazier things than this at her age. Hahahahaha!”
Artemis broke into laughter. Zolzaya noted that despite the motion, not a single clip, strap, or buckle on the woman’s armor jingled or came loose from its position. The young woman didn’t doubt that if Artemis so wished it, her prey would never even know she was there, even after she removed their head from their body.
Juatan’s frown deepened, “While I love my daughter dearly, I don’t think it’s quite fair to compare a talent sharpened by centuries of war and battle to that of a small village Grassreader, regardless of recent events.”
Artemis grinned at him with a mouth full of sharp teeth and responded, “I agree. Your girl has far more potential than I do.”
Zolzaya turned to her father and matched Artemis’ grin.
Juatan could only sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose through his helmet.