The sun hadn’t risen yet and he couldn’t go back to sleep, so he inspected the book he found. After wiping away an inch of dust he found no title. Besides a few scuffs the book was pristine. Its time covered in dust hadn’t done any lasting damage. Even the pages had held up to its time forgotten. Dust shouldn’t have protected it from the worms.

Lex didn’t like mysteries. They were always trouble and he was neck deep in trouble already. Still, he wanted to know what’s inside the book. It was a connection to his past.

He flipped open to the first page. Black lines appeared on the page and formed a lifelike illustration of an eye. It blinked at him before more lines appeared and formed words.

Lex slammed the book closed and tossed it across the room. Magic of any kind was forbidden. Only nobles or clergy men of high standing could safely use magic in any form. Anyone else risked becoming corrupted.

“What the hell was that. Did you see a spider? Shit! That’s a big one kill it with fire.” Babette hissed.

“How can you talk?” Lex asked.

The book opened by itself and turned its pages the ink quickly formed a face. “Do you know how you talk?” The book countered.

“No,” Lex admitted. He knew it had something to do with cords in his throat.

“I see, well don’t expect me to know how I do things eithers. I talk and the how doesn’t matter.” The book let out an animated and voice synced yawn. “You look odd when did you lose your hair.”

“There was a louse out break a few years ago and I’ve kept it shaved since.” Lex said.

“Why didn’t you just make a anti pest formation?” The inked eyebrows animated upwards. “Could it be, are you lazy? How old are you and what’s your rank?” The book asked.

If that were an option instead of shaving his head, he would have gotten right on it. “I’m fourteen and a peasant.” Lex said.

“Peasant, this looks like the family home. I was talking about your cultivation base. What rank is your cultivation base? How much raja have you condensed into qi?” The book asked.

“What’s qi? I heard raja is an energy that only nobles can use.” Lex said.

“You really are a peasant. Only a peasant would believe that nonsense. Raja is just energy anyone can use it whether that’s with breathing and formation techniques or pills, it’s all the same.” The book flopped on its side and opened its pages. The illustrated eye on its page glanced around the room. “I like what you’ve done with the place very roomy. Does it have anything to do with those bugs?” The book asked.

Lex sighed and tapped his head against the wall. “They infested everything. If I didn’t get rid of them, I’d have to burn down the house.” Lex said.

“Getting rid of them with lavender was a great idea. The house never smelt better. But why aren’t the house wards repelling the insects. Did you ever think to check the wards? Now by how you came about your hairstyle, I know formations, potions, alchemy, and even the most basic pest control spells are beyond you. Why didn’t your parents teach you how to maintain the wards?” The book asked.

“I don’t remember my past, my memories of back then are blurry. I’ve only learned about raja recently. What do I call you?” Lex asked.

“Oh, you have problems. I don’t know if I can help. Most use me as reference guide for a few decades before passing me to the next generation. Call me Elder everyone does. What name did you end up with?” Elder asked.

“My name is Lex.”

“I’m sure it is. You seem a little run down. Did your girlfriend beat you up? Peasant girls can be quite violent.” Elder said.

Lex wanted to toss the book out the window. Only, it could tell everyone it belonged to his family. It had already exposed that his ancestors were probably sorcerers. He shivered at the thought of being dragged from his home and stoned to death. In Dunedin the town to the north a sorcerer was stoned a month ago. But maybe this was his chance to get ahead of the monsters. This book might know how to fight them.

“You said my ancestors used you as a reference. Have you ever heard of creatures that only come out at night that leave corpses drained of blood?” Lex asked.

“Was that your attempt at committing suicide? I know what you’re talking about. Two fledglings made it onto the manor grounds. Say the name of their species and it draws all of their attention. Even a fully trained wizard would have trouble against them.” Elder said.

“How do they work? When I said Emily’s name she leapt over the fence and attacked me.” Lex asked. “Before I said her name she was stopped by torchlight.”

“That is how they work. Immortal killers were designed to kill cultivation houses. Their true name isn’t used, once it controlled them, but that leash was shattered. Even thinking the name could draw their attention. If you don’t say their name, light, garlic, and the property line will dissuade the fledglings. But say their name and all your protections will vanish. None of those protections will mean a thing against an old one. If there is one in the village, I suggest you move.” Elder said.

“Is there a cure?” Lex asked.

“If it can be found it’s in the city of Lutz in the dungeon beneath the city where the curse was created. Before the great siege, the sacking, and the salting when the city of Lutz was the Gundam of its day. If there is a cure, then it lies in the ruins of that city in the research lab. Such a search is beyond you. A mortal can’t survive on salted soil. Even wizards would wither their qi squeezed out of them. Seekers perhaps would last a time but soon wither and die.” Elder said.

“Does salt do something to qi?” Lex asked.

“A hundred generations of geniuses and you think salt can absorb qi. It was a figure of speech. Formations, curses, and seals were left behind to make the land uninhabitable. Why are you interested in a cure? Did you lose someone to the curse?” Elder said.

Lex didn’t like the tone in Elder’s voice. If Elder had a body Lex would hit him. “My intended was turned into one of those things.”

“That’s rough, still Lutz was a crafty old bastard. He might have hidden a cure somewhere. It will take a lot of training to survive on salted soil. Getting there might be impossible. Lutz was buried in 300EC.” Elder said.

As of the new year it was 998EC. He leaned against a wall and slid down. “What else can I do but try? You said a seeker can survive on salted soil.”

“For a time.” Elder said.

“How do I become a seeker?” Lex asked.

“That depends entirely on your aptitude. Seekers are AD types. They have powerful senses, and their qi is quite dense even out of their bodies. Do you know your type? If not, there are ways to tell.” Elder said.

“What do you get out of helping me?” Lex asked.

“What’s wrong with you? Haven’t I been forthcoming with every inane question you asked? You are an ungrateful brat.” Elder yelled.

A glint of orange shone through the window. It was a new day and already his stomach grumbled at him. The worst of the biting insects would be out in force. It was also when the fish were most active. Great big swamp cats might surface to snatch a bloat fly. Mud cats were just a little slower than bass, his favorite.

“My village is overrun with blood sucking monsters, a talking book, and suddenly all my questions can be answered. I’m not an idiot.” Lex said.

“That’s what an idiot would say. Do you know your type or not?” Elder said.

“If I’m not an AD type, can I still train as a seeker?” Lex asked.

“Sure, you can take up the class. You’ll be horrible at it and none of the techniques will work for you. I’m guessing you know your type. Go ahead, it can’t be that bad. Any type can become great by playing to their strengths.” Elder said.

“I’m a BE type.” Lex said.

“Fuck! I mean we can work with that. You just can’t learn any breathing techniques, the only familiar you could get is an adult dragon, and my guess it you can barely see a flicker in the acuity test candle.” Elder said.

“I felt some heat from it.” Lex said.

“Of all the talentless, worthless, and retarded descendants, why did I have to get stuck with you? Breathing techniques and most rituals are impossible for you. I don’t know how to teach you. Get someone to stick some raja into your or make a potion. Do you have any other books?” Elder said.

He’d never felt so small as he did then. The gruff voice of Elder continued its rant while Lex zoned out. “There are no known control techniques that will help you. I doubt you’ll be able to find raja rich herbs with your senses. You’d have to make a deal with a demon to increase your acuity or bond a dragon. Of all the worthless piss ants why did you have to be of my blood.” Elder ranted.

There it was again. He’d have to bond a dragon. Lex took his bag and snapped the book closed. “I’m going fishing.”

…

On the bank of a less dangerous but rarely traveled marsh he dug at the red clay of the bank. He’d stripped down to slather himself in mud. Lex had barely stepped foot out of the village and already heard the buzz of countless biting insects. While spiders weren’t an issue for him, they weren’t the only danger in Yellow Blood Swamp.

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Any idiot could fish in the swamp, most died from the poisonous insects. Their body heat gave them away to every flesh burrowing tick, running death spider, and willow viper. The pox fleas killed most travelers who thought they could traverse the swamp. Men and women some of the nobles walked in but never returned.

Lex sometimes used their bones to mark more dangerous places. It was a habit that most locals kept. The bones found in yellow tiger shit made great signs. Any local who spot them knew to get out of danger.

The mud once dried to his skin would hide him. Swamp cows might even ignore him while coated in the red clay. He edged out into the water careful not to fall into a sink hole. The water bubbled around him. Mostly, those bubbles came from mud cats. Sometimes they were sink holes. Once caught the clay would form a seal and pull him down.

He used an old stick to poke around keeping a loose grip. He’d seen an experience man poke with a firm grip. The suction ripped the man’s arm from its socket.

Raymond was too far from help. Lex had made it up a willow tree when the wild dogs came. He watched Raymond the grappler slit his throat. Then the dogs divided the body. Lex hadn’t slept soundly for months after that.

Once he was sure he wouldn’t get sucked under, searched for any hidden gators or swamp cow calves, he’d start. When nothing tried to eat him, he settled down and snatched a rot fly from the air. The fat green fly struggled in his grasp. Lex tossed it in the water and watched it paddle around in circles.

He pulled out his club and held it overhead. Most of the dangers wouldn’t be a problem this close to the village. There weren’t any yellow tiger sightings recently.

If a yellow tiger showed up, he’d die. This close to the village made it unlikely but they had attacks on occasion. Desperate yellow tigers will sneak into houses to take nursing mothers and babies together. The beasts loved the smell of milk. When hungry enough yellow tigers became very bold. If they manage to get away with it, they’ll repeat the act until their killed. Lex had seen quite a few fathers search the swamp for revenge, few returned.

He stared down at the circling fly waiting for the mud cat. Bubbles formed around the struggling fly and the bug swam faster. It circled until a mini whirlpool formed. Then he felt it. His club descended just as the fish launched itself at the fly. The mud cat had to weigh nearly 10kg.

Lex swung his club. The leather wrapped knotted wood whistled through the air and splashed. It missed and he saw it miss. He’d been close but the mud cat swam back into the depths.

An itching sensation spread across his nerves. His stomach let out an angry gurgle and he snatched another fly from the air. This time it was a harsh black armored fly. Too many bites from it could make a man’s extremities turn black and rot off. Getting bit by one felt like getting stabbed by a sewing needle. While one bite wouldn’t do any lasting damage, they traveled in swarms during their mating season.

The one he caught was female. That would be 50,000 less eggs this season. As soon as it hit the water it swam in circles. Its wings beat splashing against the water while Lex prepared his club.

Bubbles crept up from the below and Lex felt movement at his ankles. The water shifted and he swung with all his might. The flat head of a mud cat splashed up with its mouth opened wide. Lex’s club slammed down to meet it.

He felt the impact all the way up to his shoulders. Moving quickly, he snatched the stunned mud cat behind the front fins. He twisted and wrenched 20kg of fish from the water in an overshoulder throw. Just as the fish left the water, he saw the surprised face of a blonde-haired man.

Out in the middle of the swamp dressed in silk tunic and britches. His boots were of the finest leather made locally of course. The man’s face couldn’t be anything but royal and perfect with eyes like shined sapphires plucked from Epsilons own treasury. The man’s blonde hair was loosely tied back and even at the tender age of 14 the hint of a beard grew. Stocky of build and with reflexes to put a demigod to shame the man caught the fish.

“Don’t let it go.” Lex shouted. The regally dressed man took one two steps back before tripping over Lex’s poorly placed belongings. In the water such a bulky creature could move swiftly but on land it was too heavy to flop around.

“I got it, my names Artus by the way. Did I sneak up on you?” Artus asked.

Lex paused. He’d gone soft working under Tom. Before he might be able to hear a wild dog sneaking up on him. For a random noble to do so was troubling. “My name’s Lex. Did you use qi to do it?”

Now that his fish was no longer in danger, Artus didn’t look quite so heaven sent. There was an air of danger about the man like Ronny. Artus didn’t mention a last name so he might not be a noble. But he did feel a heat from the man like with the candle. Then again it could just be the sun.

The air seemed to shimmer around Artus before he turned his head to the side. “You can’t see raja or qi. Your probably not a warlock or heretic sorcerer then.” His next words held an edge. “Who told you about qi?”

He saw an opportunity to give Ronny some trouble. “Ronny Rickson, he was the tax collector before he left our village for dead. You sure arrived here at a bad time. Not that there is ever a good time to arrive in Yellow Blood Swamp.” Lex said.

“Alright, explain.” Artus said.

“Before that, do you want to clean the fish or start the fire?” Lex asked.

Hunger might have affected his encounter with Artus. Now that his fish was no longer in danger reality returned in force. Without the sun shining directly on Artus, the boy looked rather plain. The tiny hairs on Artus’s chin weren’t so impressive. “I’ll start the fire; I can’t get blood on my clothes or Ser Hector will punish me.” Artus said.

Lex nodded and rammed the knife in the mud cat’s brain. He flipped the knife behind the fish’s gills, cut a line down its back, and ripped out the spine. It all happened in a few seconds and in less than three actions. From there, he leisurely pulled the skin back.

“I’ve never seen that before. You mentioned Ronny your tax collector leaving your village for dead. Is there a new plague I should be aware of?” Artus asked.

Lex shook his head. Faithful had stood against plague and disease before. If it were just a sickness they could quarantine and be done with it. Even a normal predator could be trapped and killed. They weren’t dealing with normal.

Lex stabbed his knife through the head of a willow viper as it slithered into striking range. Tom’s knife really was well balanced. He cut just beneath the snake’s throat and ripped the venom sacks free. Artus stared at him in surprise while Lex tossed the venom sacks in the air and caught them one handed. Like a juggler, he tossed them one after the other in one hand. He was so gentle the sacks never burst. Finally, he caught them and buried them under the dry clay.

“Monsters have invaded our village. They leave corpses behind drained of blood and young girls go missing. Michael our coroner won’t investigate the cause of death. He reports them all as heart attacks. I think he might have gone missing as well. The missing people don’t stay missing. At night, they stalk our homes and ask us to say their names.” Lex said.

“You’re fucked!” Artus said without preamble. “It sounds like an old one wanted a harem and didn’t feel like dealing with the hunters in the west.”

“I heard there was a cure in the city of Lutz.” Lex said.

Artus shot across the clearing and covered Lex’s face. “I have no idea what that place is but if its related to the immortal killers don’t speak the name.” Artus sighed and pointed at the cabin of sticks he made. A flame lit on Artus’s finger before shooting into the cabin. Soon the cabin erupted into flames. They placed the fish on stone in the middle of the fire.

“What are you doing here, did Ronny call you to help us?” Lex asked.

“I don’t know your tax collector. He sounds like a bastard son of count Rick.” Artus shook his head. “No Ser Hector dragged me along because of your town’s exotic mead and its on the way to Gundam. I’m going to participate in the tourney. Why don’t you come with me? You seem handy with a blade and experienced with fishing; do you hunt as well?” Artus asked.

Artus was going to the capitol. If there was a place to gain more knowledge of the monsters and the location of Lutz it would be there. But he didn’t want to leave Anna behind. An idea came to him then.

“I heard that even I can cultivate with some raja to start with.” Lex said. Artus shrugged.

“I’m not supposed to teach others how to use raja, but Ser Hector didn’t say anything about loaning some out. Do you know what your doing?” Lex gave a thumbs up. He had no idea.

He felt something like molten steel plop into his chest. Lex opened his mouth, but he couldn’t get a breath. It felt like his body was simultaneously on fire and being beaten by hammers at the same time. He threw himself in the marsh with a splash.

It didn’t help, he screamed in the water and fought his way to the surface. Movement caught his attention and he turned tosee Artus running out of the forest leaving him behind. Whether Artus fled to get help or leave him for dead, Lex didn’t know. He wanted to scream to the heavens but couldn’t keep a breath long enough to scream. It felt like every time he took a breath it was forced out of him. The heat kept getting worse. Every fiber of his body felt like it was on the verge of exploding. He couldn’t contain it whatever this thing was it hurt. In the pit of his chest, he could feel something breaking, tearing, and being irrevocably scarred.

Soon every twitch was agony until he stared at the yellow marsh a shaking wreck. His joints erupted into terrible pain as the fire spread through them. All throughout his body, he searched for something anything that might help him. When something touched against the power Artus had placed in him the pain worsened.

He felt something then. Beyond the mind blowing, thought shattering, and psyche rupturing agony was a different reaction. The tiny drop of molten steel shifted slightly. He’d been so focused on everything within him that even the slightest shift in the molten steel lodged inside was a revalation.

Lex got ahold of himself through the mind-numbing pain. This probably was a mistake. He’d happened by someone who knew something of raja and probably just started training in it. Whatever this was couldn’t be natural. But he wasn’t thinking rationally. All he was at that moment was agony and observation.

The tiniest shift in the terrible heat made him very aware. He could affect change. The first thing he tried to do was force the lump of molten steel out. It wouldn’t budge. No matter how he ground his teeth and pushed against the power, it didn’t move. Soon he found he could turn the molten steel but not dislodge it. It was like a wagon wheel sucked into a sink hole. He’d probably shatter himself before it ripped free.

In those moments of agonizing pain his mind traveled down the strange avenues of recent events, he thought about the dizzy butterflies, the spiral of spider webs, and whirlpools in the marsh. He couldn’t move it out of him but what if he spun it. Lex had tried to push it out with all his might, and it hadn’t worked. What was the harm in trying something else?

Lex spun the lump of molten steel in his body. It was slow at first but quickly built-up speed. Slowly, he felt something cool pull into him. It felt natural, right, and it stopped on the farthest edge of his body. He didn’t know what to do. The little dot of cold seemed to cool him but the flame didn’t go away. It spun one way and he felt the tiny dot of cold spin the other way. When he tried to let go of his control the flames they roared back and the burning continued.

He fell to his knees and stared up at the flowing willow trees. If he lost concentration for too long his qi stopped rotating and he burned. Elder said that’s what refined raja is called. Did he refine it? He felt it rotate inside of him and the tiny cold qi edged dangerously close to the heat. Lex fell over as his body failed him.

As he gasped in the throws of agony and rest, he saw a red fox sneak up and snatch the fist from the burnt-out fire. While the hot qi had raged through him the cold qi was slow but soothing. The sun climbed to the middle of the sky when he stopped spasming.

The mud had dried across his body and mixed with some horrible black liquid. He sniffed the air and gaged. Lex smelled like an open septic tank. It was like the time he had to open it to get the drowned rats out. That was an experience. Whatever the black stuff was, it clung to the mud tighter than his skin.

Lex sucked in a breath but didn’t feel it. The breath didn’t refresh him or fill his muscles with activity. Still, he spun the qi within. He felt strange. The heat and the cold were changing even as they spun and shrunk. He tried to turn his attention away and his body flared with heat and bitter cold.

Tears leaked from his eyes. He’d thought he’d gotten this under control, but he was wrong. The hunger he’d felt this morning hadn’t come back. He reasoned it must have been the pain. But he didn’t thirst either. If not for the pain he’d feel disconnected from his body.

Slowly, he timed between moving his arms and controlling his qi. Orange light dipped through the branches of the willow trees. When the sun sank, he’d be a sitting duck. Lex clawed away from the campfire and found a nice pile of red clay. With his knife and the last few hours left of the day he cut a reed.

His plan was simple. Lex was going to burry himself and breath through the reed until morning. Its not like he hasn’t done something similar before, though he had more limbs and time to work with then.

He thrust his hands through hard clay, and it gave way to him. Lex’s eyes widened in shock. The clay must have been looser than he thought. His hands tore open the hard ground with ease. Like a lizard shedding its skin chunks of hard clay broke off of him to shatter on the ground leaving behind a smelly black powder.

In record time, he dug a deep hole and buried himself tossing willow leaves around to help hide him.

From the continuous cycling the hot lump of qi and the cold lump had shrunken. While the qi shrunk within him it also grew brighter. The two clumps of qi grew brighter until they finally crashed together. For a second, he tried to pull them back apart and felt as if he’d explode from the process. The force of the spiral he’d created forced the two qi lumps together. If he stopped the spiral, it would shatter him. There wasn’t a choice either he died by stopping the spiral or he bet it all on the combining. He expected the heat and cold to war within his body. Instead, they seemed to lump together into a comfortable temperature.

He sucked air through the reed and focused on the strange lump in himself. Lex didn’t have a name for where the lump rested. Tiny motes of blue and green fell in and spun to his qi. They descended slowly and his body pulsed with their presence. Soon, they fell into the center and molded to the whole. Lex could only keep spinning falling asleep and waking up to sudden pain. Sometimes the pain was felt like his body would turn to stone and rupture. At other times, it felt like he would drown.

As time flew by, he heard the chirp of crickets, the slither of snakes, and the cries of owls. When he dozed off the pain woke him, and he continued the process. He wondered if this would be his life. Lex didn’t want to live his life between naps.

“Why are we here Anna I’m hungry? A familiar voice asked.

“His scent is strong here.” Anna replied. Lex held his breath. There was no burning in his lungs only the surety of the spiral and the sounds around him. If she could smell him then breathing wasn’t a good idea. The ground around his mouth was held up by branches packed in. He might have a little air but not a lot.

“It stinks, did he take a dump here. Is that what the black stuff is, I stepped in that Anna?” Emily yelled.

Did she know he was nearby? “We can’t go anywhere alone. Lex nearly killed you with a stick.” Anna said with a snicker.

“Don’t laugh, it was a big stick. But I don’t get it. Why is the master interested in him and not Robert? All Lex did was get lucky. Robert was good, kind, and could recite poetry. What could Lex do but hunt and fish? We don’t need fish only blood from people.” Emily said.

“She wants fledglings that know Yellow Blood Swamp. I hope a yellow tiger didn’t get Lex. That would be too cruel.” Anna said.

“It sounds like justice to me. Why should some dumb hunter get to live and not my Robert?” Emily demanded.

“You could have disobeyed and turned him.” Anna said.

“Right, like you can stop once your teeth sink into them. I’m not dumb, ok. Lex isn’t either. I’m sure he’s long gone. But don’t worry I’m sure you’ll find another boy toy.” Emily said.

“If we weren’t forbidden from hurting each other, I’d beat you with a stick.” Anna said.

“Whatever, I’m going to his house he’s probably there.” Emily said. Lex clamed down as she left. He breathed in the stale air of his hiding place. He was scared to nod off. If he snored too loudly and yelled out when he jumped awake, they might hear him.

“You’re lucky Emily’s stupid.” Anna said. He kept his mouth shut and didn’t say a word.

“I know about the time you broke your leg. That’s what I used to convince my father to apprentice you. Did you hurt yourself again Lex?” Anna asked with a huff.

What did she want him to say? They were enemies now she was an immortal killer and the woman he loved. She fed on the blood of men and what could he say.

“I will cure you.” Lex said.

“Do you even know where to begin? Could I even survive the process? My heart doesn’t beat, ichor runs through my veins, and only the blood of humans can satisfy my thirst. I’ve killed people Lex, I didn’t mean to, but I was so hungry. My master will beat me again for letting you go. She’ll find out I talked to you and then she’ll do horrible things to me. This is the thing of ale house stories its not supposed to be real.” Anna said.

Lex wanted to reach out and hold her hand. He wanted to crush her to his chest and tell her everything would be ok. With the power of qi cultivation, he could be like the heroes from those ale house stories. Like King Octavian, he could slay the dragon and rescue the damsel.

“I’m the monster from the ale house tales and your another victim. We die in the stories Lex, so why should we struggle?” Anna said.

“You’re right they’re just stories. I know where the curse began, I know there is a cure, and I will save you.