“We made it!” Linnea gave a thankful groan as she scrabbled up the last of the ascent, earning quiet nods from Hanz and Lieberman and a gentle pat from Alex, though Ya Ling had flowed up the side as effortlessly as a squirrel.
“Trust me, there are far worse ascents. Now come on. With any luck, we’ll be able to get to the compound without any interference at all.”
And much to Alex’s relief, the cloak of night, even with a star-filled sky, was more than enough to slip through the college grounds all but unnoticed. The handful of students who weren’t feeling the tension pressing against the foundations of most still knew better than to do anything but hurry on their way without even glancing in their direction. And with Qi Perception now giving him an 80 yard radius sense of where any soul radiating a cultivator’s potency might be, it was almost effortless for Alex and his friends to avoid stray gazes that would probably be as happy as not to avoid all trouble and pretend they hadn’t seen a thing.
Or so things stood until the Wu clan pagoda was finally in sight.
But just as Ya Ling gave a happy squeal, clearly eager to race inside and greet her grandparents, Alex quickly held her back, spotting the pair of figures callously tearing up the garden that he had put so much time and effort into restoring.
“It’s not here!” snarled an unfamiliar voice as Alex raised his fist, his linked party immediately sinking into squats behind a thorny hedge, not making a sound.
“You want to tell Xuon Li that? Feel free,” said another voice with a snort. “But the kitsune bitch spying for our masters made it clear that there’s a prize to be found here, and if we want to shine in Xuon’s eyes, we damn well better find it!”
Ya Ling froze, eyes wide with a sudden sense of betrayal, but Alex frowned. It was true that Nili was both skilled, resourceful, and the head of another city’s JiangHu sect. Which definitely pointed to a certain willingness for ruthless efficiency. But to so blatantly betray them, and use such amateur buffoons while doing so? Clearly there was more to what was before them than met the eye. And she was clearly far more than any Duo Li clan lackey.
So even as Ya Ling trembled with rage, Alex gently shook his head. “Wait.” Even if she was unable to read his thoughts, their party bonding in that perilous rift had at least gifted them with a shared emotional connection. She sensed his hesitation, and his suspicion, slowly loosening her outrage.
If worst came to worst, his foes would unveil the very prize he had come there for, and depending on the party they brought it to, it might end a very bitter and bloody night indeed.
But Alex sure as hell hoped things wouldn’t skew that far from the trust, and honor, he had been so ready to honor Sunlay’s party with. Still hoped to honor her and Nili with, certain that they were worth it.
And his choice to wait bore unexpected fruit, even if not quite in the way he had expected.
“You fools better find the prize our clan alone is fit to claim, or shining in our master’s eyes will be the least of your worries,” declared a chill voice hidden in Shadow until suddenly, thanks to Forest Sense, Qi Perception, and Linnea’s integrated infravision as Alex embraced their shared gestalt once more, he and the three Ruidians linked to him were suddenly aware of three additional players steeped in darkness, all of them radiating the potency of Deepest Bronze, just a heartbeat away from Silver. Serious heavy hitters, in this time and place.
“And pray I choose to forgive you using our master’s name so lightly,” the cold sneering voice continued. “Our lord doesn’t tolerate failure from those who dare presume themselves worthy of our clan. So unless you wish to find yourselves exiled naked to the desert sands by first light, you will find that damned core! Garden or house, hounds, you will use your affinities for Wood to track it down!”
“Yes, at once, Lord Gui!” assured the now panicked pair, voices formerly filled with avarice now laden with anxious panic that Alex sensed pleased the coldly smiling trio of cultivators armed with bladed staves as well as blackened suits of spirit beast hide lamellar armor as the tallest of the trio addressed the one who had spoken for them.
“It’s been a full day since that bitch reported, and I see no sign of any prizes, Ruidians, or Wu Clan allies stopping by. I suspect the fox-blood made up tales to entice, to slip into our master’s good graces just as these desperate hounds are so eager to do.”
He frowned when the man beside him gave a curt shake of his head.
“Qing Wu’s granddaughter is still unaccounted for, and the prize being offered by Prince Wonang is one that our master is most interested in, so we will wait until he says otherwise,” declared the clear leader of the three, rubbing his mustache and chuckling coldly. “If all goes well, he will be declared headmaster by the new prince by first light and we will finally be permitted to end this farce and take the lead in purging this school of the unworthy.”
Alex felt a chill with those words, softly spoken as they had been, and Ya Ling as well, tensing as the Wind whispered its secrets.
“They captured my grandparents!” a panicked Ya Ling hissed.
Alex silently nodded. A tiny corner of his mind prayed that they were being safely contained beside the headmaster, and that Nili would free them as well as their main objective in her unspoken mission to prove her and her mistress worthy of the priceless Water Core they had silently claimed from the prizes seized from the sand worms for the sake of their own city, but Alex knew that was a desperate hope.
In all likelihood, their enemies had struck Elder Wu and his wife completely unawares, while Alex and his companions were desperately delving for cores. And what a fool Alex had been, to have assumed that the original trio of assholes was anything but an opening move. It didn’t matter if Elder Wu was in a delicate position, his recent healing needing a healer’s touch and perhaps a wife’s love. If anything, that should have made Alex hold off. Delay for a couple more precious hours. How could he have been so stupid as to not even give them warning? To assume they could protect themselves, to not insist that they come along?
Alex silently castigated himself in his own mind as he clenched his trembling fists, barely hearing the voices of the pair of Duo Li hounds daring to tear up the garden he had tended to so tenderly, just a handful of days ago.
“Yuchun, what did you do? The Copper Root vines are writhing!”
“I did nothing, it’s the wind, idiot… and look, there’s the prize! Under the roots of the… Aagh!”
A surprised scream cut off to a choking gurgle as Alex took advantage of the sudden distraction of the trio of heavily armed sentinels, coldblooded killers working for the Duo Li clan, now turning to glare in the direction of the pair of writhing men.
“What the hell are you fools doing? You’d better be finding that core!” Snarled the scowling lead.
His second turned to him, no longer leaning on his bladed staff as he frowned, peering at the furiously rustling garden.
“I think those fools triggered a ward.”
This earned a cold chuckle. “Then they better cut themselves free and get back to work! Master Xuon doesn’t take ki---” His words abruptly cut off with a read flute’s mournful whistle, frantic hands desperately grabbing for the spurting wound in his throat as he crashed to his knees, mouth wide open in horror as steel flashed through the air faster than the pair of thugs by his side could blink.
Yet they were Deepest Bronze. Professional soldiers who immediately raised their weapons in overhand grips as their leader collapsed, eyes peering desperately in the wildly writhing garden they now found themselves in, their shuffling feet tripping over roots and blades of grass as a snarled curse became a shocked scream from the shortest of the trio when steel flashed faster than the man could blink, and his furiously cursing compatriot was suddenly without a head.
Bullrush! You have successfully pivoted behind your opponents!
Piercing Strike ruptures Lesser Qi Wards.
Your fangtian ji flows effortlessly in your grip!
You have successfully decapitated your opponent with Silver-tier Strength and martial skills alone!
The final would-be killer’s scream as he gazed wide-eyed at his slumped over companion spurting blood from his neck and the monstrous glaring Ruidian with hair like the sun and sky-blue eyes promising final judgment glaring down upon him was abruptly cut off by Ya Ling furious hiss, tearing free the man’s helmet with one hand while simultaneously pressing the blade of her jian against his throbbing jugular.
“Please, mercy. Mercy!” The man sobbed against the background screams and choking gurgles from the thieves now desperate to escape the garden they had so wantonly destroyed.
“Where are they?” Ya Ling snarled in the trembling man’s ear.
“Where is who, where is what!? Are you JiangHu? Lady Ding Xiang herself made it clear that she wouldn’t interfere with the coup or inform anyone of our intentions, so long as she’s permitted to continue operating in the city!”
Alex blinked at this, but before he could ask any questions, Ya Ling’s voice cut through the night. “Tell me where my grandparents are now, you bastard! What the hell did you Duo Li bastards do to them?”
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The man froze, his expression flickering from contempt, to dismay, to a desperate half smile ill befitting his rough-hewn features. “Ah, you mean Lady and Lord Wu, of course, yes? They are presently… guests of our centralmost compound. But fear not! With my help, we’ll be able to clear up any misunderstanding, and reunite you with them right away!”
Alex flashed a cold smile. “And I assume the headmistress is enjoying similar accommodations?”
The man flinched, glaring Alex’s way before terror froze the sneer off his lips. “The former headmistress has agreed to step down in return for a reduced sentence for her crimes of betraying the school’s most sacred mission and deceiving the entire city with just how bad the water situation has gotten.” He flashed a desperate smile. “But don’t misunderstand. Lady Zha is hardly a captive. She is under Lord Gui’s personal protection, as a guest of the compound!”
Alex’s smile was all teeth, shining in the reflected moonlight. “Do you know why my partner is resting her jian against your jugular, worm? It’s so she can measure the beat of your pounding heart. It skips when you lie, you see.” Alex’s icy smirk grew when the man flinched and paled as the faintest trickle of blood flowed from a minuscule cut that could so easily become so much more. “Should you lie too often, or your deception prove too grievous, your pounding heart might just cause my partner’s blade to… slip.”
He gestured to the headless corpse by his feet. “Much like my blade slipped, just seconds ago. And my partner is far less cool-headed than I am about this entire affair.” Alex then smiled fondly at his blood-spattered fangtian ji, the gore already sliding free of the pristine steel of his near indestructible weapon. “So I suggest you seek solace in truth, and perhaps my weapon will spare you the icy cold rivers of death that will be your final resting place this night.”
The man hissed, visibly trembling as his rough conniving voice turned to a desperate plea. “Please, I know nothing. I am from the outermost ring of my clan! I’m permitted access only to the outer compounds. But I will tell you what I can! Just please… please spare my life, Ruidian!”
“Where are my grandparents?” Ya Ling hissed once more, fist trembling with the desperate hunger to end her would-be kidnapper’s life.
Alex slammed the haft of his fangtian ji down, arresting the man’s attention once more. “I already made it clear I will spare you my blade’s kiss, but only if you answer her questions without delay!”
The man sobbed, quickly nodding his head despite the blood now liberally flowing down his neck. “Yes, of course, honored warrior. The elders were brought to the innermost compound. I believe that they will be kept just as… secure and protected as the headmistress herself.”
“What does that bullshit even mean?” Ya Ling snarled. “Secure and protected… you mean locked up in a cage, don’t you?”
The man squinched his eyes tightly shut, before jerking a nod. “I… yes. Yes, my lady. Please, I beg of you, mercy! I have no influence or sway with political currents. I’m just a piece on the board of lords and princes, doing what he’s told!”
“Where exactly are these cages kept?” Alex snapped.
“I… know not. Only that they are cells. But don’t despair, the honorable Lord Xuon takes excellent care of all his… guests.” He blanched, choking back a whimper, clearly aware of just how bad that sounded, voice taking on a frantic pitch. “Please, I’ve told you everything I know!” His eyes lit with panicked desperation. “Spare me and I will happily share the location of water reserves and resources. My clan’s secrets can be yours, if only you will spare me!”
Alex smiled even as Ya Ling flinched, knowing damn well when a whispered promise was too good to be true.
“Let me get this straight. You, a pawn of the lowest circle by your own admission, know your clan’s best kept secrets? The source of your water, your hidden power that shines in worth and wealth only in times of desperation like these… and your clan head would have entrusted the secret with anyone who could sell them out?” Alex smirked and shook his head. “You can do better than that, pawn. Tell me who can tell us the secret, not an agreed upon ambush sight whereupon your clan’s tools will use any sighting of outsiders to spring a trap of your own.”
Alex flashed a fierce smile at the way the man flinched and shuddered, even as the trickle of blood became a spurt.
Bullseye.
A shot in the dark that had actually hit home.
The man’s voice grew panicked, sensing his peril as his blood flowed. “No, please! Only Lord Xuon Li and his sons know those secrets… but spare me and I can take you right to them, I swe—“
His words cut off in a dying gurgle as a snarling Ya Ling tore open his throat with a single furious wrench, leaping free of the writhing man spraying his lifeblood on the thirsty garden as he choked out a desperate whistle, rolling over to pin them with his horrified gaze, mouth open in a silent bloody plea before his gaze grew glassy and Alex sensed the shuddering of his spirit as it slipped free of its body before fleeing into the chill waters of oblivion.
Alex coolly stepped back, not even acknowledging the misty waters he knew were right there, only holding a shuddering Ya Ling now sobbing against him.
“I killed him, Alex! I was so furious and wanted to make him suffer, but now I...”
He gently patted her back as Ya Ling crumpled in a shuddering ball.
“I cut open his throat in hot blood!”
“You did.” Alex acknowledged. “And there was no way we could have let that monster live without imperiling ourselves and risking those bastards threatening to cut open your grandparents’ throats if we didn’t surrender immediately, at which point we’d all be lucky to see the week through without being summarily executed by torture.” He flashed a gentle smile. “And that’s why I made him focus on my own promise not to cut him down with my fangtian ji. I made no such promises on your behalf, because you cutting his throat was pretty much a given.”
He didn’t sugarcoat his words. He believed every one of them. And he was relieved to sense her bitter dismay turning to hard acceptance, now glaring down at the corpse joining the two others.
“They came here to ambush us!” Ya Ling hissed, glaring with renewed anger. “They’ve done all they can to destroy us!”
“Exactly,” Alex said. “They came here to claim this garden’s most sacred prize at the final hour, to assure that there was absolutely no way we could save the city before it was too late. These monsters would have thought nothing about imperiling the lives of half a million souls.” He glared at the bodies even as thick green shoots grew in sudden fecund abundance, hiding all evidence in less than a minute as Alex used his Water Shield to nurture the garden even as he calmly claimed the Ice Core from the clawed grip of the bulging-eyed pair of men who, even in death, were clawing at the thorny vines that had encased their bodies, suffocating them much like a boa might, Alex dispassionately thought, before the writhing vines grew thicker, more abundant, the night echoing with the dull crack of bone being crushed, and Alex was somehow certain that come first light, there’d be no sign of the intruders at all.
He gave the now impossibly thick serpentine vines a fond pat. “Thank you for understanding. If the city dries up, desperate fools will tear you to pieces for sustenance before the desert sun finishes the job. If things work out, the city will be at peace, and we’ll have plenty of opportunities to restore you to perfection. And don’t worry. I’ll do my best to water you all regularly, until I can find a spare core for you.” He then turned around, flashing a satisfied smile Ya Ling’s way. “Come on. We have what we need.”
Ya Ling, however, was staring a bit too intently at him.
“I… I know what you can do. Even though I still can’t quite believe you’re anything but the man I know, I’ve read the stories… but still, how exactly did you do that?”
Alex blinked, feeling a sudden sense of foreboding. “Wait… what stories? And do what, exactly?”
She gazed intently at the surprisingly lush greenery, eyes inexorably drawn to the pair of human-sized bulges in the massive knot of coiled vines in the heart of the garden. “That.”
Alex shrugged. “It wasn’t me, it was the garden.”
She gave him a look. “Alex… gardens don’t trip people, throttle enemies, or hide bodies.” She shook her head. “Not that it matters. I’m just grateful that those bastards won’t ever hurt anyone again.”
She choked back a sob, gazing at Alex with imploring eyes. “What do we do now?”
Alex gently stroked her cheek. “Just what we planned. We find the senior cultivator and restore the waterfalls and the people’s confidence in our school and the prince. That will hopefully be enough to assure that the headmistress keeps her position, and if both headmistress and prince remain in place, I’m betting that the Duo Li clan’s influence will wane pretty damned fast, and maybe their ‘guests’ will find themselves free and with pockets fat with prizes of one sort or another, our enemies desperate for whatever grace or concessions they can earn that doesn’t end with them exiled from the city, or on the headman’s chopping block.”
“But they have a Gold,” she whispered.
Alex winced. “I know. But I’d like to at least think that if they’re trying to seize power politically… something prevents our opponents from wholesale slaughter.”
Ya Ling nodded. “Hopefully we’ll at least be able to win their freedom, if not the exile of those water merchant bastards.”
“And if we’re lucky, our friends will make those measures completely unnecessary.”
Ya Ling trembled. “Assuming they didn’t betray us to begin with.”
Alex shook his head. “I felt the threads of karma that bind us. If they had… I think I’d know.”
This earned a hard stare. “You can sense karma so well, can you?”
Alex flashed a bittersweet smile. “Spirit Qi. And after so long free of those threads… it humbles me to feel them settle about my soul with every life I save… or take away,” he said, sighing at the fading black cords tying him to a handful of souls that would feel a desperate urge to flee his presence, or an unreasoning surge of hate, if they ever met again in a future life, even if they were all just children. Not that Alex expected to be reborn as anything but a relatively young adult with what were now far too many painful memories for anyone of just twenty years.
On the plus side, he took solace in the deep cords of gold now binding him to both Ya Ling… and the three patient Ruidian companions that were in an odd wonderful way an extension of himself, his own mind, thinking his thoughts and feeling his feelings, even as their senses carefully scanned the surroundings, making sure no ambushers were closing in.
And it wasn’t that strange, he thought to himself. It was much like playing so many of his favorite RPGs of a lifetime ago… where he controlled a party of four, and was fond of all of them.
“But we’re real people, and I want to marry you more than anything in the world,” he sensed a part of himself thinking. He flashed Linnea who was grinning his way a fond smile. He tried not to wince at the spike of hurt dismay she felt at him holding back so much of his heart, yet at the same time that part of his psyche understood and sympathized with his pain, the grief and regret of ancient loves lost, for in that moment of perfect empathy, they truly were all one.
Then Alex gently pulled himself free once more, peripherally connected to his now beloved companions, even as his gestalt assured that the three could continue to respond and fight as one.
Alex turned to a still clearly shaken Ya Ling. “It’s going to be okay. We have the prize that will help stop a coup from enemies who would gladly purge this school of anyone not directly beholden to them.”
He flashed a cheeky grin. “Now come on! It’s time for us to save a city, be heroes, and try to put this awful night behind us.”
Ya Ling flinched before giving a solemn nod, trembling hands stilling with controlled discipline as she cleaned and resheathed her jian. Then she turned around and left the garden and its gruesome secrets without once looking back.