Gwen's party stepped into the oppressive atmosphere of the conference room, watched by guards and strangers alike. She bowed at the door, raising her head to meet the half-closed eyes of Secretariat Choi, his face wearing a habitual, fox-like grin.
The man directed her attention to his left.
Gwen's eyes followed, then widened to their utmost limits.
"B-babulya?!" she blurted out.
She could scarcely believe it. Why was her grandmother here?
"Gwen, dearest." Her babulya's face broke into a smile. "I am glad to see you're safe. I had feared a more unfavourable outcome."
Gwen had to resist the urge to break ranks and rush toward her grandmother. After Nephres Zalaam, she sorely desired a heart-warming hug.
Behind Klavdiya was another familiar face.
"Magister Birch!" Gwen blinked. What was her Conjuration professor doing here?
Magister Birch sat beside her grandmother, dandy as ever, looking unhappy in his vest and suit.
Incredibly, beside Birch sat Professor Ma, who scanned the party until his eyes fell unpleasantly on Lulan.
Gwen followed Lulan's eyes until she reached Choi's right, where a Mage in his forties stood, wearing a mandarine jacket in blue silk. Standing beside the stranger was the final guest—Kusu Li, which left little doubt that the unusually dressed man was his Sect Elder.
Her party proceeded until their members stood in a row before the austere company seated on the opposite side of the conference table.
Director Song.
Magister Birch.
Professor Ma.
Secretariat Choi.
And the Huashan Elder, whose expression was unreadable.
They bowed again.
"Good, everyone is here." Choi put his hands together under his chin. "Elder Luwei, you have the floor."
The Elder named Luwei seemed taken aback that the entire party was only looking a little worse for wear.
When his eyes studied Lulan, who looked as though she'd emerged refreshed from a day-spa, his expression grew thoughtful.
"Perhaps, we should listen to what these young Mages have to say first?" Luwei spoke to Kusu, who looked equally flustered and confused at his sister's presentation.
"Very well." Choi motioned a hand toward the party. "This is not an interrogation, so say what you will. So long as its believable."
Magister Birch and Gwen's grandmother both turned to look at Choi, who chuckled at his joke.
Luwei passed the Secretariat an irritated look.
"Lulan, you first," the Elder instructed his unruly adherent.
Lulan looked visibly nervous as she stepped up in front of her audience.
With a motion that made Gwen flinch, she dropped to her knees on the vermillion carpet and kissed the plush fabric with her forehead.
"Sirs!" Lulan implored the panel. "I disobeyed Elder Li's orders directly and attempted to seek out Gwen Song, who I believed at the time, was hiding my brother Kusu's implements. Despite my uncle's and my brother's advice and warning, I chose to take action of my own accord. I allowed my rash anger to overcome my better judgement. For this, I am deeply apologetic. In my thoughtlessness, I have destroyed valuable infrastructure endangered and harmed the citizens of this District. The fault is mine, with no relations to either Kusu, Elder Li, or the Huashan Sect."
Lulan's audience nodded. It was an excellent appeal for leniency and a favourite show of loyalty for Lulan's brother and the Huashan Sect. However, when Gwen saw Kusu and Luwei's open mouth, she completely understood their confusion.
This was their Lulan?!
Shouldn't Lulu be stepping out of line, screaming at the top of her voice, refusing to admit fault, and blaming it on Gwen? Shouldn't she be red-faced, eyes glazed, bursting with Earthen mana? Who the hell was this model student? What happened to the firebrand? Was Lulan under an Enchantment or a Mind Control spell of some kind? Had Gwen Song skin-change Lulan?
"Well, that was easier than I thought," Secretary Choi chuckled. "That settles it then, shall I announce the sentence?"
"A little hasty, don't you think?" Klavdiya interrupted the man. "Earlier, Secretariat, you informed us that three levels of Filtrations Systems were disrupted and one destroyed. I would like to hear more details before severe punishments are passed onto one so young. Gwen, my dear, can you volunteer?"
Secretariat Choi's eyes moved between Gwen's Director grandmother and her granddaughter, trying to gauge their game. Gwen could tell the man was only giving her grandmother "face".
"As you wish, Director. Please elaborate, Miss Song. Miss Li, you may be at ease."
Gwen nodded. She had been building a narrative in her head since they'd left B12. When Richard had announced their return, she'd known that she'd have to spin like Fox and Friends on an Election Year to cast their fiasco in a good light.
As for Lulan, her displeasure for the girl had been derived from self-preservation, only now her ambient feelings of enmity had trickled into sympathy. When Lulan further made her grossly overstated confession, sympathy had turned into compassion.
Lulan wasn't right in the head because of her magic, wasn't it? The haywire magic had belonged to her Sect. And now that their human battering ram had accidentally pounded its way into the wrong castle, they wanted to throw her under a bus?
That was precisely the sort of thing that she could not stomach. Certainly, Gwen herself was no stranger to bouts of dark passion—with Nephres as a case-in-point.
Earlier, when they ascended the rickety lift, she had spoken to Lulan, whose transparency and fatalism was both sad and aggravating. Before Lulan's near-death experience, her manifestations had been rusted iron—now her swords were gleaming steel, indicating that Lulu had gotten an unexpected new lease on life.
And since the Sword Mage had amply demonstrated her usefulness, Gwen's desired outcome would be to preserve the girl and placate the Sect. Or, at the very least, retain the girl and vex the Sect. If someone had to gain from this sordid, chaotic ordeal, it might as well be her.
Additionally, for Lulu's sake, she had spent a Tier 7 Regeneration Cube made by Magister Wen and Magister Dao. And so, having sunk that cost, Gwen expected investment returns.
She took a deep breath, smiled, and stepped forward with an aggressively provocative air.
"Of course. Magister Song. Secretariat Choi. Magus Li. Magister Birch. Professor Ma. I will endeavour to reach the truth."
Gwen met her babulya's eyes, swept her gaze over the rest of her audience, then began.
"Good Magisters, honoured Elders. Madams and Sirs. Lend me your ears for a moment and allow me to relate. In the beginning, we arrived as per Magister Choi's advice on Basement level 7. There, pertaining to Professor Ma's coursework, we interacted with the locals and partook in some sightseeing activities, mingling with the locals in a friendly manner."
Choi's smile grew more rigid than the man had likely intended. Perhaps he hadn't expected her to have a way with words?
"When we reached the filtration section, Mayuree, our Diviner, informed the party that there were Mages following us. We further ascertained our circumstances and revealed that these were not neutral parties but Slavers. Next, we logically ascertained that since Boss Yi has promised us that his men would not intervene with our operation, the culprits must be a rogue-party not under the control of the PLA nor the militia of D-109."
Gwen quickly scanned her audience.
They were not in disagreement, which meant she could keep pushing.
"At this point, we were presented with the dilemma of whether to wantonly seek the death of our potential enemies, who, by Mayuree's Clairvoyance, had announced their intention to harm us—or to proceed with a slight detour. Therefore, our party resolved to complete Secretary Choi's quest without further bloodshed in honour of Professor Ma's guidance for the last six weeks." Gwen nodded at the NoM Professor. "For every NoM in the Lost Districts are our fellow human beings, each capable of pain, joy, love and the pursuit of happiness."
Professor Ma inclined his head sagely, pleased with her name drop.
"Our party found our way to the lower section of B7, where via an Arcane Eye, we found no less than four groups seeking to ambush us should we engage the Carrion Crawler. Furthermore, the size and scale of the Crawler indicated that it was purposely bred for combat, not reagents and ingredients. Therefore, we chose to complete our task remotely via my Familiars."
"And your Familias could destroy this beast by themselves?" Secretariat Choi enquired.
"Yes, Sir." Gwen gave no more details. "Just ONE familiar. I have the means."
Choi made a porcine snort.
Gwen continued.
"Having then deployed my Familiars, our would-be assailants were unfortunately alerted. Next, my Familiar delivered its payload in the chamber that housed the target. Unfortunately, this was when Lulan intruded into the scene. I am not in a position to state why she was present, but she did not interfere with the operation at this point."
Elder Li's brown eyes drift from Lulan onto herself with both brows knitted in growing suspicion.
"Once the Crawler died, we had planned to evacuate to our preplanned route, expecting to extract via the levitation platform to inform Secretariat Choi of the presence of the rogue Slavers in his tightly controlled District."
Secretariat Choi looked to protest, but Gwen pushed on, raising her tempo and octave.
"The ceiling was then Stone Shaped by Lulan, at which point she descended, demanding why she was attacked. As you can imagine, there was significant confusion due to the unforeseen circumstances of the friendly-fire incident. Had we known beforehand of her presence, we could have informed her of our danger-close operation."
"It was incidental then." Gwen brushed off the incident euphemistically. "That Lulan's confrontation delayed us significantly, and we became surrounded. My party became trapped in one section of the tunnel while she was stuck outside with the Slavers. A chaotic melee ensued, after which we emerged as the victor. Lulan scored most of the kills, and we escaped largely unscathed."
"When our party finally regrouped with Lulan, she informed us that the Rogue Mages' leader, a Healer, had escaped. Taking advantage of Mayuree's Divination and being very mindful that Secretariat Choi had promised us another 20 CCs, we gave hot pursuit until we cornered the woman—an individual called Nephres Zalaam—at B-12."
"The woman struggled free when we tried to discern her identity and intent. I am sorry, Secretary Choi, I know we had overstepped our boundary, but Richard and I are starving for CCs. As a result, I allowed the heat of the moment to overwhelm me, and I erased the woman with the power of the Void. All I can offer is ocular evidence that we encountered and destroyed your enemy for you."
"We then checked the area for loot—I mean evidence. After which, we arrived here and were informed of your august presences, Magisters and Elders."
The group looked at Gwen, each with slightly dazed expressions.
Choi's face was scarlet.
Her babulya expressed support and courage.
Birch had no expression at all.
Luwei had one that was dark and contemplative.
Kusu's expression said bewilderment and surprise.
Lulan herself faced the floor, her eyes staring into the carpet.
Choi opened his mouth to speak but had no rebuttal to give. Her story appeared to have covered all the angles: after all, everything the student Mages did, they did for Choi.
"Fine. That leaves us with the matter of Lulan Li," the Secretariat said after a moment's hesitation, putting Gwen's spell-proof narrative aside. "Unauthorised intrusion into the Lost Districts is punishable by stasis imprisonment up to ten years, pending sentencing. Besides, she has caused extensive damage to the District, resulting in the death of no less than eight citizens and up to thirty with grievous injuries."
"What do you say to these charges, Lulan?" Choi demanded.
"Guilty," Lulan answered quietly.
"Lulan!" Kusu stepped forward, but a calloused hand barred his approach. It was Luwei, his Uncle and Master.
"What did I tell you, Lulan?" Luwei spat, finding his stride after Gwen took the words from their mouths. "I gave you explicit instruction to stay put. I told you exactly that if you take action on your own, I will excommunicate you from the Sect if you bother Miss Song again. Well, I suppose that's what you wanted. The moment you left your brother's apartment to seek out Miss Song, you were no longer a member of the Huashan Sect. We are not responsible for any action you perform. I hope you are at peace with the decision you have made."
In the wake of Elder Li's verdict, Gwen's sympathy for Lulan swelled like the moon tide.
Excommunication from the Sect?
She felt personally attacked.
Kicked out from Sect and family?
Well, well, well, she thought to herself as her compassion for Lulan solidified into sympathetic indignation. Now ain't that a familiar kick in the ovaries.
[https://imgur.com/xJGXTPm.jpg]
Lulan Li slowly moved her face upward until she met her uncle's stoic mien. She could see the cogs turning in her uncle's eyes and sense the slow building of bitter bile in her chest.
With the clarity of her mind came the clarity of understanding; all those put-downs, those punishments, the slaps across the face, the public humiliation and the gaslighting. Her uncle had been planning this for some time.
To her knowledge, Uncle Luwei belonged to the faction of Pei, the youngest son of the Sect's Head, a rare prodigy. Lulan and Kusu's old Master, the third son, would have desired his disciple, Kusu, to play a more critical role in the Sect's affairs. Lulan knew that she'd always been a thorn, particularly the Sect Head's, because her raw power had always excelled the boys, even if she wasn't entirely lucid or stable while wielding it. In a fair duel, if she supported Kusu, she could potentially demolish the authority and, most importantly, the "face" of any of Kusu's competitors.
She was, therefore, an existential threat to Pei.
Lulan thought once more of when the innocuous Pei had convinced them to challenge Gwen Song to build Kusu's reputation. The boy was still in high school, but he was as dangerous as a Rock Viper.
Was she the sacrificial lamb then? Was an offering of her head what it took to keep Kusu safe? Without her, there would be no threat to Pei, and Kusu could live on in the safety of mediocrity, eventually becoming an Elder, taking a wife, becoming yet another branch family of the Sect?
That wasn't so bad, was it?
"Do you concede?" Elder Luwei demanded.
To Lulan's surprise, her lips refused to move. With the red mist gone, she realised just how much she desired to live in a world of restored colour. Even Gwen Song's confrontation with the Ice Mage filled her with curiosity and wonder, fulfilling Lulan with a desire to uncover the world's secrets.
Who was Nephres Zalaam?
What about Elizabeth Sobel?
Where did Gwen draw her powers?
An endless array of questions assailed her mind.
How could she die now? How could she leave Kusu alone to suffer under Pei? How could she allow this smiling villain to succeed?
"Very well, I will take your silence as compliance," Choi answered for her.
Her Elder did not protest. "Lulan Li, Disciple of San Li, I officially strike your name from—"
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"Don't! Uncle! No!" Her brother interjected.
Luwei ignored Kusu, his face flushed with anticipation.
"—from the annals of the Huashan Clan and Sect. Henceforth, you will return to Huashan the arts bestowed upon you by the ancestors. I—Luwei Li—Elder of Huashan, will carry out this sentence in the name of our Sect Leader."
With the sentence delivered, Luwei Li swung his arm toward where Lulan knelt. A thin blade, barely visible, appeared from a slit between the Elemental Planes and moved toward her chest, aiming for a space below her heart.
CLANG!
The blade struck a thick slab of iron which caught Luwei's attack mid-air. Upon closer inspection, where the metal had kissed metal, it was evident that the whisper-thin blade had chipped itself on Lulan's materialised length of gleaming iron.
Her uncle winced, then his eyes grew dangerous.
"The Iron Sword!" The senior Sword Mage sucked in a breath of cold air. "How can you manifest the Iron Sword?! That's impossible! You're a woman!"
"Lulan?" Kusu was incredulous as well. "You are healed? How?"
"Miss Li owes me a tier 7 Regenerate." To Lulan and the other's surprise, Gwen stepped in between Luwei and herself. "Elder, I would appreciate it if the Clan of Huashan does not come between creditor and debtor. I can't collect my dues from Lulan if you maim or kill her."
"This wouldn't be the one Magister Wen, Petra and myself acquired for you, would it?" Klavdiya, Gwen's grandmother, immediately gave her support, making Lulan's chest tighten. "If so, that was a personal favour from Magister Dao."
Choi's beady eyes shifted between the parties and Lulan. "That may be so, but what do you intend to do with her, Gwen Song?"
Gwen turned to Lulan, her face hidden from the adults.
"Don't you think you should repay me, Lulan?" The Void Mage winked at her.
Lulan's eyes glanced upward for a microsecond. Then her head fell lower in shame. "Yes, I cannot repay such an auspicious gift, but I cannot leave such a debt unpaid by duty and honour. Elder Uncle! Please allow me the chance to repay Gwen Song!"
"You're not a member of our Sect or Clan Li anymore!"
"Is this how the Clans repay their benefactors? For shame!" Gwen snapped back at her Elder. "Elder Luwei, do you think tier 7 Regeneration spells grow on trees?! Lulu was a member of your Sect when I expended the treasure, so I am waiting if you can pay me back."
Luwei's lips twitched. Her Elder was turning a shade of red more akin to pork liver.
"Sorry, Miss Song! I cannot allow it!" The words issued from his lips were accompanied by spittle. "If you think the Sect will suffer a rogue possessor of the Iron Sword to live—"
"Uncle!" Kusu interjected, now standing between his Uncle and Lulan, his face a mask of fury. "You told me tacitly that you'd spare her life! You said you would only retrieve the Iron catalyst for Huashan's techniques!"
"Foolish child! Get out of the way! She has the proper form of the Iron Sword now! You want to be excommunicated too?" The Elder warned.
"Please, Uncle! Please show us some compassion! We're your nephew and niece!" Kusu stood before her and besides Gwen. "I can't let you harm Lulu!"
"Ha!" Choi suddenly burst into laughter behind the three of them. "This is why I love Clanners. Never a dull moment. Luwei. Assuming the girl lives, make sure you leave Lulan behind. I am not done with her yet."
"But—Secretariat!" Gwen Song butted in again, speaking out of turn without blinking. "I already informed you that the NoMs and Mages who assaulted Lulan were Slavers."
"Oh?" Choi raised a critical brow. "What proof do you have?"
"We also killed a dozen of them just a few minutes ago," Gwen stated. "That is proof."
"You expect me to believe that, do you? What makes you think the ones Lulan killed were Slavers?"
"Are you suggesting that the ones we killed are not Slavers, Sir?" Gwen cocked her head. "Were you watching us? "
The Secretariat furrowed his brows.
Lulan felt the hair rise on her neck. A Secretariat had unparalleled power in his domain. How is it that Gwen could stand up to these august members of the PLA without bending her spine?
"I suggested no such thing." Choi's voice gained an edge of defensiveness. "I merely ask for proof."
"Fine. If these NoMs are not Slavers." Gwen stepped forward once more. "Then are they fishermen?"
"What?" The Secretariat appeared genuinely flustered by Gwen's pivot.
"They had fishing nets, Sir." The girl's voice grew mocking. "And shackled. Maybe they were looking for fish in the Filtration Chamber?"
"What are you talking about, girl?" Choi's voice took on a keen edge.
"I am saying, Sir," Gwen continued with a cadence that allowed Choi no room for rebuttal. "That within your District, your citizens are Slavers, and the Slavers are the citizens. They do what they must to eke out a living. The ones who attacked us are citizens, but they are also Slavers. The Slavers who attacked Lulan are citizens, but it doesn't make them less capable of being Slavers. Besides, isn't that why the excursion takes place in the Lost Districts? Isn't that right, Professor Ma? What difference does it make if one or two parties of Fudan students must defend themselves against the malicious elements of the Lost Districts? Where are our seniors? Are they in the building still? Have they encountered any difficulties? Are their hands dyed in the blood of your innocent citizens?"
"They are progressing with their quest," Professor Ma informed them. "I loathe to admit it, but the girl has a point, Choi. You and I both know how this works. Why are you drawing Barrier Sigils in the air now of all times?"
Secretariat Choi stared at her, ignoring Professor Ma.
"Lulan defended herself while lost in the District!" Gwen countered tartly, her tone rich with malicious sarcasm. "These Mages she killed, UNSANCTIONED. These NoMs that perished, UNREGISTERED. From the state of this District that I have seen, Secretariat Choi, harping on about the lives of your beloved citizens is a rather precious proposal when the reality is so different from the words issuing from your mouth."
Again, Gwen cut in just as Choi was about to speak.
"Professor Ma! In your lecture, you stated that the Lost Districts are outside of the laws that govern Shanghai and that many of the laws exist in grey zones of ambiguity differing from District to District, is that not true?"
"Without question," Ma affirmed Gwen's verbatim reproduction of his own words.
"Then Secretariat Choi has no legal authority over Lulan. Only law-enforcement outside of the District can pass sentences on the judgement of citizens who are not under the jurisdiction of the Lost Districts, am I correct?"
"You are," Ma stated with a look of strange exhilaration. "Indeed you are! Section XXII, article 4 of the District charter states that officers of the state overseeing a District only have the power of execution and imprisonment over citizens of the District, not anyone who is a citizen of the city! Mao! Can you imagine the chaos if carte blanche power is given to a mid-tier official to act as they please over anyone! Chaos! There would be absolute chaos!"
"There you have it—Secretariat!" Her saviour gushed sweetly at Choi. "If you wish Lulan to be prosecuted, I am afraid you will have to engage a third-party officer from the Judicial Division of the Magistrate's Office to oversee the trial. They will have to engage in a thorough investigation of whether or not these citizens were Slavers or if they were innocents, though I contest that I believe my party and Lulan innocent. I am sure you would welcome an investigation, no? After all, for us who possess clean consciences, a trivial inquest from the MSS touches us not, am I right?"
Though Lulan was more used to taking a beating while on her knees, she could still discern that Gwen's threat slapped Choi's face like one of her Iron Blades.
"Nothing to add? Then I rest my case, Sir," the girl ended with a flourish.
The Secretariat looked as though he'd been stabbed, though the man was just as quick to recover. "Is Gwen Song's summation of your actions in B7 correct? Has she omitted any important information you would like to add? There should be a substantial reward if you were to aid in my proper administration of this matter."
He turned to the eager looking Richard. "Mr Huang?"
Richard grinned. "Make it a hundred CCs, Sir? Make it a good bribe, at least."
Choi grunted with displeasure.
"Then I suppose not, Sir."
"Miss… Mayuree?" The Secretariat continued to Gwen's next companion.
"I have nothing to add, Sir."
"Miss Liang?"
Kitty turned her head toward Gwen. The temperate dropped a degree or so.
Mayuree coughed.
"I didn't see anything," Kitty said coldly.
"There you have it, Sir." Gwen posed like a teapot, with one hand on her hip and another showing Choi just how it is.
Choi, unperturbed, then looked to her Elder.
As if on command, Luwei once again turned his attention to Lulan.
"Gwen Song, move aside. I need to retrieve the Heart of Iron."
Gwen moved instead in front of Lulan until she blocked Luwei entirely.
"I am afraid I can't let you do that, Sir."
"Move aside!" Luwei's mask of congeniality had shattered. "Will no one control this child? Will she listen to nothing?"
Gwen glared at her Elder with disdain, making Lulan's body ache with fear for her saviour.
"You are gravely mistaken, Sir. I am not a member of your Sect, and you are not a Magister. You have no authority to tell me to do anything I do not wish to. Here is not Huashan, Elder. Sir, this is Shanghai."
"Pufft—!" Magister Birch almost spat out the glass of water he'd been nursing.
Gwen's babulya was smiling as well.
Lulan could only marvel at her saviour's devilish tongue, for the truth could sting like a Hawk Wasp.
Though the old Sects had always thought of themselves highly, their numbers made them increasingly less significant. How many Mages could the People's Liberation Army field against the Undead? How many Mages did even the largest Sects possess in comparison? The reality was that the Sects were no more than a mantis blocking the cartwheel of history.
A few metes away, her Elder turned to Kusu. "Kusu, retrieve the Heart of Iron from Lulan."
The blood drained from Lulan's face.
For the Elder to be so devious—she had not expected that. Kusu was likewise pale and wobbling. His hands trembled.
"Ha! What a crock!" Before Lulan's hope could even begin to wane, her saviour set upon her brother like a vengeful Harpy. "Is this the honour you hold like a precious baby bird, Kusu? A family that detests Lulu? Don't you know why your sister was sick? Wasn't it because she was given defective magic, Kusu? All those years she suffered, and yet year after year, your Sect did nothing! Are you even her sibling, Kusu?! Do you know what Lulan was doing? In the deep dark of the District, she came after me, demanding your daggers! Her hair was cinders! Her skin was charred! She was barely conscious! You know what Lulu said to me?!"
Lulan quivered.
Kusu's whole body shook.
"She said—GIVE ME MY BROTHER'S DAGGERS!"
Lulan's thoughts grew blank even as her chest grew warm. When had ever anyone spoken up for her like this?
"KUSU! Has your heart gone to the dogs?! Is your honour fed to brutish beasts?! Are you a man?! Lulan! Get up!"
Gwen took Lulan by the hand and pulled her up.
Lulan rose in a daze, trapped in some unimaginable dream. With a finger, Gwen poked a spot just below the soft mound of her bosom.
"This is the unkindest cut of all, Kusu! What will it be? SPEAK UP!"
Lulan held a hand protectively against her chest, feeling a tenderness where her saviour had intruded into her heart. In her passion, Gwen had poked with rather too much enthusiasm.
"I—" Kusu tried to speak.
"Do you want to be exiled as well, Kusu?!" Elder Li shouted behind the wavering Sword Mage. "Are you and your worthless sister ferrets of the same den!?"
Kusu froze, then turned to his uncle.
Lulan knew the answer before her brother spoke.
"Wocaoni-ma..." Kusu muttered.
F-fuck your mother? The audacity of Kusu's profanity was enough to make Lulan's knees weak. Perhaps sharing her sentiment, the whole room grew silent.
"Kusu, say that again..." Elder Li pointed a shaking finger at Kusu.
"Wocaoni-MA!" Kusu spat out between gritted teeth. "Screw you and Huashan! Make me attack my sister! Rip her heart out? GO FUCK YOURSELF!"
Lulan did her best to suppress the delirious happiness building inside her chest. Comparatively, her Elder looked as though he was ascended into a new Plane of existence. "D-Do you know what you are doing?"
Kusu spat back, gave Li the finger, then placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lulu, get up. Let's go."
Her brother's touch dispelled every ounce of doubt in her body, causing her body to rise all on its own.
"YOU DARE?!" The bark from her Elder was punctuated by the distinct sound of manifesting Sword Sorcery.
Schwing—!
An eye-blink later, the sharp trill of metal cleaving air hummed like a struck chime. A barely visible blade moved through the air toward Kusu and herself.
"Dagger Barrier!"
"Thrust!"
"Shield!"
Each of the students activated their defences.
Her brother manifested the two dozen or so daggers he had that remained in a futile attempt to block the incoming swing.
Lulan, meanwhile, had taken her deceased Master's instruction to heart. The best defence was an offence. Luwei wanted to kill Kusu? Fine, if the vain bastard were willing to trade his life for that of a disciple, then she would call his bluff.
Unfortunately, while she and Kusu had spent years working together, their number three knew only self-preservation. Faster than both her brother and herself, Gwen's shield instantly ballooned, knocking Kusu and herself to the ground.
So it was that Kusu fell forward, she fell backwards, and to Lulan's horror, Gwen became the unintended target of Luwei's sudden assault.
Keeekkeeeekeeee—
The screeching blade bit into Gwen's life-preserving barrier and made instant progress. As bits of her crystalline mana sprayed into the air, the observers could visibly see its cutting-edge vibrate with an ear-splitting frequency.
Lulan cursed. Her Elder had used a Sonic Blade variant, meaning he was cutting through Gwen's shield like a hot knife through soft lard.
A vision of her saviour being decapitated flashed across Lulan's frontal lobe. Here was a foe turned friend who had spared her life, saved it again, then freed her heart from bondage.
Where Gwen had touched, Lulan's Heart of Iron jolted into life. Should saviour be maimed—Lulan told herself. Then she would tear her Elder limb from limb.
[https://imgur.com/xJGXTPm.jpg]
Keeekkeeeekeeee—
Luwei was as surprised as anyone else in the room when his famed Barrier Cutter bit into not Lulan nor Kusu but the girl who was Secretary Song's grandaughter.
To his credit, the attack was rich with killing intent—though the target, much to his chagrin, was one he could not maim.
"JUN!" a shrill cry from Director Song sliced through the air even as Luwei did his best to pull his weight.
In answer to the Director's outraged howl, Luwei heard and sensed the manifestation of a spell he dared not even dream of possessing.
"Disintegrate!"
A thin white ray instantaneously appeared, connecting Luwei's sword hand to an invisible point in space, creating a brief vision of spontaneous cubism.
The spell that stuck Luwei also revealed the caster, a man in his late thirties wreathed with a halo of Elemental Ash. With every pulse of his mana, the carpet beneath the Mage's feet turned into white particles that swirled in tiny eddies as the residual energy from the spell dissipated.
Where the white beam had struck the vibrating blade's pommel, Luwei's implement ceased to exist, becoming fine dust. The unconsumed particles then ate into the hand that had carried the murderous length.
Luwei tossed his weapon as though he was scatting hot ashes, but even so, his fingers were gone. Worse still, before Luwei could feel fear, rage, or any emotion, all attachment drained from his body. Like a viper of Element Ash, the Negative Energy from the Mage's unique talent demolished his will to fight.
Epiphanically, he looked around him as though awakening from a dream. What's the use in fighting? He wondered. Why bother with a girl who would die from foolishness anyway? He should return to the Clan and meditate on his Dao.
He carefully studied the stumps that now made up his sword hand. He then looked at the mocking faces of those around him.
Somehow, he felt too tired even to summon shame.
"Know your place!" The Ash Mage lowered his finger, wagging it like the tip of a smoking Wand. "Who gave you the nerve to harm my niece? Does the Sect of Huashan wish to be excommunicated from Shanghai?"
The girl whose face he was about to disfigure a moment ago was only now recovering from her shock.
"Uncle Jun!" She called out. "Oh my God! Why are you here?"
Elder Li shook himself awake from the Negative Energy induced stupor to regard the Mage called "Uncle Jun".
Jun Song? The Mao-damned Ash Bringer of the Northern Front?! The Ash Bringer himself just mutilated him?
If so, Luwei looked at the stumps that now made up his sword hand. Dared he even mend the injury?
"This man is deranged, Uncle! He just attacked me out of the blue!" Gwen Song pointed an accusatory finger at Luwei.
Luwei sighed. Should he tell the girl that there was no need for theatrics now that Jun Song was involved?
"No doubt." The Ash Bringer's pupils were white-hot orbs. "I saw."
"I saw it too." Klavdiya had a hand over her heart. "My heart nearly leapt from my throat! Gwen, dear, are you alright?"
The Director gave Professor Birch a kick in the ankles.
Magister Birch looked up at the ceiling for just a moment, then stepped forward.
"I too bore witness to this assault," he said flatly.
"Count me in." Professor Ma joined in as well. "I may not be a Mage, but as an attaché to the Shanghai Inner Regional Magistrate Advisory Board, I can attest that Gwen Song was assaulted without provocation!"
Luwei looked at them disinterestedly, unable to summon the emotions he knew he should feel. So this was what it is like to be afflicted by Elemental Ash, he thought. What a unique experience.
"I… I apologise for my indiscretion," Luwei replied unceremoniously. "Deal with me as you see fit."
"Are you alright, Gwen?" Jun approached, leaving behind ashen footprints on the carpet that made Choi wince.
The girl looked up at her uncle with a pained expression, her eyes twinkling wickedly.
"I am alright." Gwen winced painfully, then affixed her eyes on Luwei. "I feel so traumatised though… nothing short of a concession or compensation may shake this debilitating experience from my heart."
Luwei understood the girl's hostility was a bad sign, but he couldn't summon the energy to retort.
"Gwen, that's enough." The girl's grandmother approached Luwei. "Allow me to apologise, Elder Li. My son is overzealous. Give me your hand."
Luwei obeyed.
"Restoration!"
Verdant motes of Positive Energy infused Luwei, dispelling the Elemental Ash tainting his Astral Body. Several seconds later, Luwei felt his faculties return.
"Give me your hand." Gwen's grandmother commanded the Clan Elder.
Knowing he wasn't out of danger yet, Luwei obliged like a child.
"Lesser Regeneration!" Director Song's Clerical sorcery, Luwei had to confess, was some of the best he had seen in the PLA.
An intense, bone-rending itch travelled from his hand to his heart, then to his head. Luwei gritted his teeth as fingers, white and pale, sprouted from the charred stumps.
Armed with a new hand, he looked at the collection of Mages now standing in front of him.
This time, Luwei felt fear.
He quickly glanced at Lulan, whose mouth was wide enough to fit a quail's egg, then regarded Kusu, who carried the same stony expression the day his Master San died.
"Alright, Elder Li." Gwen Song's voice was sickly sweet as she once more took her old place. "Now that you've cooled down—let me make you an offer you can't refuse."