In short order, the group was seated with small lacquered cups of green tea Alex gratefully sipped, immediately feeling a spark of clarity to his increasingly disjointed thoughts. He shamelessly tore into the roti canai before dipping it into the spirit-beast curry absolutely exploding with flavor in his mouth, and even if he had grunted with pleasure, certainly it hadn’t been worth the death glare Quing Da sent his way, or Nili’s snicker, as Lady Sunlay, who had taken but a single sip of tea, turned to address the Senior Cultivator.
“Are you aware of the situation at the western rift?”
Senior Cultivator Te Chang stiffened. “We had multiple groups dare that rift since the unfortunate incident experienced by several of our newer candidates, including the pair of Ruidians I now see accompanying you. Let me assure you all that since that unfortunate encounter, absolutely no one has reported any irregularities of any sort!” He flashed a brief smile. “If anything, they reported a rift far too calm and docile for their taste, retrieving plenty of spirit herbs we made sure to pay top coin for, and only a handful of spirit beasts, only one containing a core no bigger than your thumbnail. Since the waste Qi buildup is only a fraction of what it is at most rifts, and since all know what to expect at the Western Rift, they were easily placated but...”
Sunlay turned to Alex. “Show him.”
Te Chang furrowed his brow, pinning Alex with his gaze. “Is there something you wish to show me, aspirant?”
Alex did his best to ignore the shiver the man’s odd tone sent racing down his spine. Perfectly sensing the tension of demanding the truth, yet knowing as well the displeasure that would radiate when certain truths were made manifest. Yet considering what he had already faced, risking the displeasure of a man he would have loved to have in his corner was a burden he was more than willing to bear.
Solemnly, Alex revealed the dark prizes he and Linnea had claimed, one by one. It was all he could do not to flash a bitter smile at Te Chang’s increasingly wide-eyed countenance, outright blanching when he pulled out the largest head of all. A massive shadow cat who had been larger in life than any tiger.
“I suspect that complaints of a too tame delve run will be the last thing on anyone’s mind, right before these ambush predators tear out their throats from behind,” Alex declared, earning a soft snort from Linnea, who was presently happy just to sip her tea and lean against him.
Alex shivered against the unexpected chill he felt before Te Chang’s suddenly too intent gaze.
Intense eyes locked with his own. “Tell me everything that happened. In sequential order. Leave nothing out.”
Alex took a slow breath, and began doing just that. He didn’t bother overstating his exhaustion. At this point he assumed it was pretty much obvious to everyone, and urgency took precedence over personal comfort, so he shared the details of his adventure even as Te Chang rang a silver bell, quietly spoke to several deferentially bowing servitors, and a busily scribbling scribe was soon quietly ensconced in a discrete corner of the room. Alex dared pause in his account only long enough to take fresh sips of his perpetually refilled tea cup before going on.
“...And that was when I urged everyone else through,” Alex said, pausing as Te Chang raised his fist.
The man was now peering at Alex with hard measuring eyes.
“Let me make sure I understand, Alex. You had multiple Deep Bronze, even a powerful Silver tier ice specialist by your side, and your first instinct wasn’t to flee… but was to take on a full pride of shadow killers with no one but your betrothed by your side?”
Alex flushed at those words, only now appreciating how sharp and perilous the situation had been, how utterly extreme the danger. How much he had imperiled the girl by his side that he found himself caring for far more than he had ever intended. And even the warm glow of her approving thoughts couldn’t allay the sudden sharp twist of guilt he felt, lowering his head.
He swallowed, forcing himself to say it. “Yes. That’s correct.”
He didn’t need to see the disapproving glares of kitsune, guard, or noblewoman to sense their unified disdain of a man who would drag his supposed life partner into such perilous waters.
“It’s not his fault, he did nothing wrong!” Linnea, of all people, said in his defense. “You already know we’re Ruidian. And we’re a couple. We can do what others can’t. When it comes to a fight, we can think and act as...” Her eyes widened when unexpected peach flew her way from the shadows, far too fast for her Quickness to intervene, even if the shot would have done nothing more than splat against the padding on her chest.
Yet it wasn’t too fast for Alex to claim, even in his presently exhausted state, even though he wasn’t looking that way at all.
He pretended he didn’t see Te Chang’s hard smile through Linnea’s eyes.
“We can think and act… and fight as one,” Linnea said with a shudder, gazing down at Alex’s clenched fist, trembling way too tightly with the test, peach juices squirting everywhere as she covered his hand in gentle flame.
Hard emerald green eyes met Te Chang’s own, ignoring the wide-eyed whispers their actions were earning from Lady Sunlay’s party. “With Alex’s ability to blink through foliage and strike, sensing their weaknesses, and my ability to see the fiery hot blood pumping through their bodies… we knew it fell to us to put down those cats before they took any more innocent lives.” Her gaze hardened. “And before the Duo Li clan could use the fear of a doomed rift to wrestle ever more power from Liushi’s counsel and try to squeeze Ruidians free of the privileges and opportunities we’ve enjoyed here for centuries, to the city’s benefit, and our own.”
Te Chang blinked at this. “So you stayed in the hopes of clearing that band of spirit beasts, for the sake of future delvers?” His gaze turned sympathetic. “Although I sincerely appreciate your good intentions, you do know that each band of adventurers enters a slightly different, well, story of what the Western Rift can be, no?”
Lady Sunlay nodded. “Which means that the cats you met won’t necessarily trouble us… and the cats you kill in the hopes of protecting your fellows won’t do a lick of good for anyone else who dares that rift.”
Linnea’s spine stiffened. “I know you all think that, but Alex doesn’t. And now I’m not sure either.”
Te Chang furrowed his brow. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
Linnea lowered her gaze, suddenly embarrassed. “I’m sure it might sound silly to you, but to me, the air felt… heavy. Heavy with richness, with potency, with meaning. And after running into an actual legendary fortuitous encounter… I thought that perhaps, well, it was like rolling the dice. With each version of the rift being a distinct pip on a square die… only now it’s a thousand dice rolled at once, and all the combinations are true.” She paused, locking gazes with everyone in the room. “Every miraculous intervention, fortuitous encounter, or deadly peril you could hope to find in that rift is now in effect, as if all the possibilities are now in play at the same time.”
Her words died off in the thoughtful silence, a cynical Alex noting how every one of their gazes was now fixated on the massive Shadow Puma skulls.
“Personally, I wanted to test it by going back and seeing if we could find the bodies these cats are tied to. If so… then it’s clear that something, or someone, has somehow tampered with the rift. And if we can get to the root cause, we’ll be able to assure the safety of future delvers. But right now I’m about to collapse, so I don’t dare go back until I’ve had a chance to rest and consolidate my gains.”
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Te Chang sighed. “A most interesting story.” He then flashed a sad smile. “It looks like our situation has grown more perilous than ever. I take it you weren’t able to finish off the pack?”
He chuckled softly at Alex’s look. “I don’t even need to tell you how astoundingly beyond the pale it is to find a pair of Ruidian youths who by all rights should be celebrating their engagement, not be forced to fight for their lives, who had actually managed to take out a dozen spirit beasts that might spell even a Silver-tier party’s doom. Especially if they failed to spot an ambush in time or lacked the spiritual treasures ideal for the most perilous of delves. But if there is a dark echo of spirit beast manifestations now resonating through the rift… a clean clear will do much to ease those ripples.”
Alex sighed and shook his head. “I tried,” he said, only now shivering as the fierce exhilaration of perilous battle became the shudders of a man forced to recall his own madness of just an hour ago, where reveling in fierce combat was all that allowed horror to become exhilaration and for him to thrive where most others would fall. “But they just kept coming. Their pack size only grew!”
This cause more than one brow to rise with alarm.
“Are you sure, Alex? It’s a large forest. Even the most talented Ruidian...”
Alex solemnly shook his head, not bothering to explain, eager to keep at least a few cards close to his chest. “The Shadow Puma count was exactly as I stated. Trust me, I would know.”
Sunlay gazed intently at Alex for long moments before dipping her head. “I believe him.”
Te Chang sighed, rubbing his temples. “So do I. And that’s the problem. With the Western rift turning that perilous, we’ll need to make at least one Silver-tier cultivator a mandatory requirement with all future delves.”
“Or allow for pair-bonded Ruidians!” Linnea said brightly, earning a tolerant smile from the Senior Cultivator.
“Or that,” he allowed, honoring Alex with a closed-fist salute. “And I will make sure that it is known to all that you two are permitted to delve without restriction in the Western rift, being uniquely suited to it’s environment, though I’d prefer it all the more if you were part of a strong group.”
“Well that works perfectly then, as the pair has agreed to adventure with us, just as soon as they’re rested,” Sunlay said with a pleased smile.
Te Chang blinked, gazing at the noblewoman for long moments before giving a thoughtful dip of his head. “Perhaps that would be for the best,” he allowed. “Especially if our Ruidian friends’ racial gifts allows them to form unusually… cohesive parties.”
Sunlay nodded. “And we can see for ourselves if the plethora of Shadow cats was but a fluke, or is a significant risk that must be accounted for in all future delves.”
Quing Da gave an angry shake of his head. “My lady, as much as I appreciate the desire to hunt and hone yourself in a crucible less deadly than war… we must be careful. If the accounts I’ve studied and my own experiences clearing desert rifts is anything to go by, stalking predators, masters of Shadow arts, promise great peril for minimal reward.”
To this Alex smiled, including Te Chang with his words. “In this alone, I have good news.” With a flourish of his hands, he presented prizes that had instantly silenced the soft murmurs of Sunlay’s party gently urging caution, Alex noting the busy scribbles in the back only by their absence. For just a moment he felt multiple crushing auras before startlement and envy were reigned in by fierce discipline, Alex quietly pleased to see so many tests of character passed, all for the simple cost of showing his hand.
Before placing his prizes in a silk pouch with ceremonial formality, then placing the entire hoard into Te Chang’s hands.
He couldn’t help grinning into the man’s disbelieving gaze. “It appears that maybe there is some sort of karmic balance in play here, after all. For every cat I had a chance to both kill and bag had a core to claim, and would you believe it’s actually effortless to separate the pair when placed in a pouch of holding?” He dared a cheeky grin. “I, for one, am glad that I didn’t have to savage their majestic skulls claiming their prizes.”
Te Chang gazed at the bag before him and the noble party as well, before coming to a quick decision.
“Fu Tan, if you would get the golden plate and monocles?”
Even Nili whistled, impressed, when Te Chang’s assistant with both a healer’s gifts and other skills as well, it seemed, appeared from the shadows holding the prizes requested, as Te Chang solemnly placed the golden plate on his hardwood desk before solemnly emptying the contents of Alex’s silken bag upon it, only then making use of his golden monocle as two other cultivators radiating a solemn gravitas and Deep Bronze cultivation Alex sensed as being closer aligned to mastery of sacred skills than the violent crucible of battle stood quietly by Te Chang’s side by the time he finished examining the second beast core. The three men moved with odd precision, the latter pair nodding at all but the final markings Te Chang made upon a leather-bound ledger.
Te Chang flashed Alex a smile as everyone waited with breathless tension. “It appears that my colleagues and I are in agreement in regards to the value of all but the final core, to which we will offer for our highest appraisal.” He paused for breath, gazing at Alex for long moments. “We mark these Silver tier prizes as being worth no less than five thousand seven hundred and seventy credits. And to keep things simple, we will round it up to six thousand, or three thousand for both you and your fiance.”
If it was quiet before, the sudden tense silence had Alex’s heart surging with more excitement than when he had been fighting for his life, just hours ago.
Te Chang furrowed his brow, please smile slowly fading. “Is this acceptable to you?”
Alex blinked, startled into a response.
“Alex, say something!” Linnea urged.
“Yes, of course!” Alex said. “But it wasn’t just me and Linnea that was in that delve. I’d like an equal share to go to my companions who dared to take on those beasts by our side.”
Te Chang blinked, looking both surprised and oddly pleased. “There were four others, yes? That will bring your share to one thousand for your latest venture, or 1,800 Silver Sands credits to you both, considering that you two explored the same delves together. Is that acceptable to you both?”
Alex blinked, realizing that in his efforts to treat his friends right, an argument could equally made that he and Linnea were the ones who had fought tooth and nail to both slaughter and claim those Shadow Pumas, and that not only did they more than earn the full 6000 credits, but a true mercenary would have expected a reward for saving their companion’s lives.
Fortunately, Linnea’s happy nod made it clear that she also liked the idea of giving their friends an equal cut, as everyone had acted in good faith to the best of their abilities, and lasting friendship was indeed more important than a single haul. And considering how badly he feared Ya Ling had suffered from the ordeal, having earned both boon and bane in a single delve, Alex now felt much better about the whole thing. Because if regenerating a lost hand was as treasure and resource intensive as he feared it was, Ya Ling and her grandparents now had an extra 3000 credits to put toward it, which Alex had the sense was worth a hell of a lot at this school and in this city, to make that happen.
“Absolutely!” Linnea declared with an affectionate squeeze of Alex’s hand. “They’re our boon companions and our friends! It’s hardly a friendship if you’re coldly measuring every ounce of their contribution. They had our backs and we had theirs. In and outside the delve.”
Te Chang smiled at this, eyes twinkling with warm approval. “I will make a note of their boons on our ledger. Fear not, they will receive their just compensation before the end of the day.”
Lady Sunlay gave a pleased smile as well, nodding her head in approval as she took a sip of fragrant tea. “They will make a most worthy addition to our party, I think.”
Alex was more touched than he wanted to admit when her companions uniformly nodded, even the wujen who had never surrendered their names. Fortunately, the gazes of the man and woman were far less cold than they had been a short while before.
Te Chang then gave Alex a knowing smile. “And I suspect you’ll be wanting to return to your quarters as soon as possible. And please don’t worry. I’ll be happy to give your friends the good news.”
Alex blinked, wanting to protest, before he felt Linnea’s gentle hand squeezing his own. “Come on, Alex, let’s get you to bed.”
A bemused Alex soon found himself being led back to the luxurious suite reserved for him in the high-end quarters he could now reserve pretty much indefinitely, if he so chose. Yet he could tell by the way Linnea was looking at him when they returned to quarters that sleep was the absolute last thing on her mind, and boy was he grateful that biochemical mastery allowed him to effortlessly take care of dirt and odors without having to make use of the steaming hot copper tub calling out to him invitingly, a hungry-eyed Linnea already undressing with an impish smile. “I think it’s time for our bath, don’t you, husband?”
And there was so much Alex wanted to say to that, to admit that yes, she was strikingly beautiful, and had things been different, had a thousand years not felt like a mere two months, had he not been burdened with a shifted Dantian once more, for all that he sensed greater strength within him and less pressure with flirtation than he once had… for all that he wasn’t even sure if he was basic or Bronze… none of his thoughts escaped his lips. Just the delightful comfort of the warm, silky pillow as he sunk into his down stuffed mattress’s soothing embrace and allowed exhaustion to claim him at last.