“If I told you I had an escape treasure this entire time, what would you say?”
For long moments Lu could only stare at the other man, his jaw slightly slack, the words flying about an otherwise empty head.
Then, emotion, like bile rising up an esophagus, building pressure the whole way.
“You-“ his voice was weak, too full of phlegm, so he swallowed it down. “You must be joking, senior.”
“I am not.” He brandished the walking-stick. “This is a real teleportation treasure. Gifted to me by my master, to be used in only the direst emergency.”
The absurdity of the statement forced Lu’s spiritual sense out almost without thought. Nonsense. Complete nonsense. Teleportation, especially long-range teleportation with no pre-determined destination, was an absurdly rare enchantment given its complexity; even Elder Persimmon, the most skilled enchanter and array master in the sect, would not be able to produce an escape treasure worthy of the name. His sense played over the stick, penetrating it, revealing…
…Damn. Is it really..? The carvings didn’t just cover the surface; they were burned into every single ring of the wood, the rings themselves thinner than a sheet of paper. The closer he looked, the more intricate they became, until they were too small for his sense to make out. It’s engraved into the individual cell walls. This enchantment, it’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen. Each portion of the carving is a form, and I don’t see any repeating segments… it seems to be all one long spellform.
…Millions! Of forms! Is this beyond tenth realm? It must be worth… no, it must be priceless.
Lu’s mouth was somehow too dry and too wet at the same time. “I- I still don’t believe it. No master would just hand their disciple something so valuable, no matter how much they cared for them.”
Tai Sho simply brandished the stick, its obvious reality more solid than any argument.
The anger returned, overpowering his incredulousness. “Why didn’t you bring this out sooner? We could have died!” The swirls of confusion and rage mingled together into a sickening feeling, like deep fever. “You could have died!” This doesn’t make any sense! “Why reveal it now, when all of our combat specialists are already gone? It’s not like we can do the rest ourselves, we’re less than half-way done!” The bubble, nearly forgotten, trembled and began to suck down ki again.
He let it go; he could build another, more sensibly-sized one for himself. The breach folded away into nothingness. Where it had been, there was only empty air – whatever miniscule damage he had inflicted to reality was too small to perceive.
A small smile, almost embarrassed, graced Tai Sho’s lips. “It only takes one passenger, I’m sorry to say. And I fear, perhaps not far enough to escape…” He looked up, at the Sun visible through the metres of sand and pus as though they were merely light clouds. “…This.”
“Then it’s useless! Why even bring it up?!” Lu knew he was letting the stress and qi exhaustion get the better of him, but he didn’t care. “Did you just want to wave it in my face? ‘Ah, little Lu, if only it was just me, I’d be able to continue! If only you hadn’t brought us here so violently, we might not have been trapped!’”
Calm down, calm down. It’s frustrating, but he’s probably going somewhere with-
Lu stomped on the thought, and continued. His voice rose to a shriek as the words streamed past his lips. “I know this is my fault, you don’t have to tell me! Do you think I expected this to happen?! Of course not! I only wanted- I only wanted to save-“ His breath hitched, and the rest of the sentence disappeared. Tears began streaming down his face. Comport yourself, Lu. You’re… embarrassing…
But the tears failed to obey his wishes, and he could only stand awkwardly while Tai Sho looked on, his sad smile not changing.
“…I’m sorry, Lu. I did not mean to imply any of that.” Tai Sho took a step forward, and Lu took a step back instinctively. “None of this has been your fault. Not the kidnapping, or the long delay, or anything that’s happened since we arrived here.”
Lu tried to speak – say you’re manipulating me, or something to that effect – but it came out as a croak.
Tai Sho continued to approach, and in moments Lu was pressed to the creaking wall of myriad substances. “Please, let me explain. This treasure is, for all its power, useless in this particular situation.” His eyes flashed. “Or so it seems. But you, Lu… I think you could use it better than even its maker.”
Lu’s mouth made a shape that was something like a snarl, but it was too mixed with other emotions to be menacing. “What are you..?”
Tai Sho swung the stick, holding it so close to Lu’s face that it almost touched his helmet. “You can, can’t you? The truly restricted records might be closed to me, but…” His eyes flashed again, brighter. His expression should have been too muddy to make out through the glare of the Sun and a damaged faceplate, but somehow the beauty arts were compensating. “I think I’ve pieced some things together. There’s a reason you were given the breaching treasure, isn’t there? Even more, if you use both at the same time…”
Lu stared at the end of the stick. It was capped with the slimmest possible coating of gold, barely visible. “…You didn’t answer my question. Why now? Why give this to me, even if only I can use it?” Don’t mince words. “Don’t you want to rescue Bull yourself?”
The smile was no longer sad. “I do. I’ll be there.”
Hesitatingly, Lu reached out and touched the gold-tipped treasure. Instantly he could feel the enchantment. “What do you mean?” He’s right. I can feel the way the imbedded spell wants to be used. It goes maybe ten kilometres at most… But if I fold the space even tighter using Space Ripper, go in a straighter line than is normally possible…
“The treasure is meant to carry one person. But there’s a little bit of give to it – and we have other treasures.” At Lu’s uncomprehending look, he elaborated. “The spacial arrays, brother Lu. I will simply hide inside your armour, while you carry mine. It is the obvious solution.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Lu was silent. But eventually, staring into Tai Sho’s too-bright eyes, he opened his mouth. “…No. Not unless you stop dancing away from my question. Why now? Why keep this from the others? They dislike you, but not enough to warrant forcing them away.” Was this your plan this whole time?
Tai Sho sighed. He reached up and put a hand to his helmet, as though to stroke his hair. “They do not care about Bull. Not the way you and I do.”
“They volunteered to rescue him. Please senior brother, if you want me to trust you, tell me your real reason.”
For a fraction of a moment, the man’s expression became glassy. His beautiful face crinkled, frustration evident in every feature. “I swear, that’s the only reason. They shouldn’t be there. This is between me and Guanyin… and you, obviously. With too many people there, the situation could get…” He licked his lips. “Messy. You are the only one who understands him the way I do.”
There was a very loud part of Lu that wanted to tell his senior how insane he sounded. What, do you think he’ll just jump into your arms? After what you did? Respectfully Sir Tai Sho, you are not in your right mind. He’s going to take one look at you and punch you in the face. Instead, he questioned an entirely different facet of the situation. “Are you really willing to put your life in my hands? With your suit, I could easily betray you.”
“You won’t.” It was said with absolute conviction. “You need me, my strength, my divinations. And I need you, to get us back to the sect. We, both of us, are the only irreplaceable parts of the team – everyone else was expendable. We don’t need them; let them go back to the sect, the way they wanted to. We can bring Bull home with just the two of us; no dead weight, no slow flying machine to hold us back or combative juniors questioning our every move.”
Some of Lu’s skepticism must have shown on his face, because Tai Sho’s words filled with greater fervor. “Do you think we can’t do it? With my illusions, we’ll be invisible. Perfect stealth, unlike what the martial artists are capable of – do you doubt my abilities?”
Not your abilities, senior. Just your motivations. “I have barely enough qi for a Dancing Spark, and no pills left – you must be nearing you limit as well. Continuing would be the height of folly.”
Hearing his words, Tai Sho merely smiled harder. “And yet, don’t you want to continue?” He leaned forward, and for a terrible moment Lu thought their faceplates would touch. “If you turned back now, so close, wouldn’t you regret it?”
…Damn. He’s got me. For all that the situation was tripping every warning snare in Lu’s head, he was actually going to have to go along with it. His teeth bit down on his lower lip, a fresh rivulet of blood starting the long journey towards his boots.
He gripped the stick properly, tugging it gently from the core disciple’s hand. There was no resistance; Tai Sho let the priceless treasure be taken from him without a hint of greed, his smile unbroken.
“Do you have any other treasures you’ve been saving?”
“I do not. Only some healing pills and barrier arrays.”
Healing pills, the one type I’ve barely used. “Well then…” The enchantment snapped into his mind, unfolding like some flowering plant. He could feel the insane complexity underlying the thing, but it was obviously made to be used by anyone; the mental control necessary to activate it was miniscule. I can tell immediately that Space Ripper is compatible – I don’t even need to consider the splinter. I should definitely be able to go a few hundred kilometres if I use most of my ki. There was even a map, not the various shades of blue like the splinter provided, but a proper three dimensional map with clear differences between open or occupied space. I get the distinct impression that trying to teleport inside something will just kill me. No safety rails on this ramp…
“…I’ll do it. Get that armour off, before I come to my senses.”
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Deep under the earth, in a barren chamber carved from stone, there sat a corpse on a raised dias, and three holy men. It was not His corpse, except in the way that all corpses were His, but it would suffice.
The scent of ages filled the chamber, heavy, solemn. The bare walls were suddenly adorned with candles, the holy men stiffening in shock at the sudden change in atmosphere as their shadows danced. The corpse, which had been nothing but dry bones for hundreds of generations, opened its eyes.
Each of the three witnesses reacted differently. One’s breaths quickened as a mix of awe and terror filled his face; another went completely still, almost like a corpse himself.
The third stepped forward, placed his fists knuckle-down on the ground, and kneeled. “Great Ancestor. I am Broken Sign, high priest of this humble cult, the Cult of Dust and Ash. I offer prayer and exultation.” A moment later, the other two men flopped down to mimic their leader.
Oldest Bones looked out through a great many eyes, housed within a great many skulls. Before him were a great many shrines, mausoleums, and crypts. Caves and temples. Even breweries and dairies. With all but one of his jaws, he said this: “Gather all of your followers. Go to Knifefish Bog, in the eastern part of Horrible Swamp. There will be others of many faiths – do not quarrel with them needlessly. You will understand what to do when you get there.” The eyes in the skulls retreated like snails pulling into their shell, disappearing.
Except for one. In a small room packed with fermenting fruit, and meat, and milk, a large man with red skin and strangely coloured eyes looked down at a small shrine with a mix of disbelief and religious terror.
A tiny skull, no larger than a rat’s, floated just above the offering bowl. With a thin, whispering voice it proclaimed: “I, who have eaten death, call upon you. The other ancestors stir their cults to gather here – accommodate them. Give them the shards that cut through worlds. Do you understand?”
The man, a fermenter of little import, looked overwhelmed and conflicted. But as he gazed at the image of something he had never truly believed in, something stirred in his heart. His fist thumped into his chest in a salute. “I understand. I’ll talk to the cult masters right away, great one.”
“Good. Do not allow anything to stop this.” As the ephemeral skull sunk back into the sacrificial basin, its surface pristine from disuse, it spoke one last time. “Let Stingy-Eye’s people take the lead. Or One-Man’s. Or anyone’s – at long as it’s not us. They can bear the brunt of the glory, and the casualties.”
Deep in a forest, a woman clothed in pitch-black leaves paused while feeding; surprisingly, the head of her kill had lifted itself off the ground, looking her straight in the eye. She cocked her head, as the smell of violence intensified.
The Mother of All whispered to her, as she licked blood from her teeth.
A man with imprints of swords burned into the backs of both his hands stared up, at the whirling smoke above the pyre. Slowly, inexorably, it coiled around the figure of a man, invisible but for where the smoke wasn’t.
The invisible presence lifted its hand, pointing into the distance, each movement heavy with flame-bright meaning.
Hidden at the bottom of a deep lake, a glowing silver figure weaved truth into lie, then back again. Its priestess dutifully recorded each weft – and if she added a little embellishment here and there, well, that was just how thing's went.
On a wind-blasted mountain peak, twelve cultists stood, their hands raised. Each called out in song, speaking curses and blessings into existence as they listened to their Ancestor’s voice carry in the wind. There, it said, go there, as fast as you can. Carry the name Uriel to each corner and hidden place.
Sealike Breath had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his gut, a dread that grew with each passing day. For his entire life, the comforting sound of Joe’s footsteps had accompanied every waking moment. Perfectly even, perfectly measured, they were as unchanging as anything – Big Joe stepped exactly once every twelve seconds. It was simply the way things were. Joe did not hurry for anything, or balk at anything.
But lately… that unchangeable certainty was no longer unchangeable. Lately, Joe had begun to outpace the Cult of Prime Movers, forcing them to run faster and faster to keep within his holy pressure.
Lately, Big Joe had started to run.