Despite restricting his use of movement arts to only when absolutely necessary, somehow the trip up through the Junk Pit was going far smoother than his previous journey downwards.
Part of it was Tai Sho barreling his way through any obstacles with brute force, rather than sliding past with spells as Lu had done. I can sort of see how he and Bull would have gotten along, at the moment. There’s certainly a sort of recklessness they share. But a much larger part was the spell wrapped around his limbs like oily smoke.
Stealth and body enhancement simultaneously – and if I’m not mistaken, there’s some sort of sensory component as well. His suit’s own enchantments were better, but he could definitely taste something there. And given how subtle an impact it had on the ambient ki… No, there’s no way this is a normal art.
But Tai Sho was meant to be an outcast, so where did he get such a sublime art? The easy answer would be if he had simply learned it before the incident, but… That just pushes things in a different direction. Someone capable of learning a spell like this, of being given a spell like this, must be intelligent and driven – so why would they need to resort to unorthodoxy to advance?
Lu let his mind turn the various questions over while his body continued upwards. Once again he passed through green fields lit by shining lamps, tools scattered about, still moist with healthy soil. And once again, Tai Sho and his bead of blood were leading the way, the man bounding forward without bothering to look at his surroundings even a little.
But then without warning he stopped dead, his feet not skidding a millimetre on the dirt-encrusted floor, and Lu dove to the side to avoid running into his back.
Not paying his junior’s annoyed look any more attention than the tunnels, Tai Sho’s head rose to point at the ceiling. “We’re very, very close. He spent a long time somewhere directly above us. Months.”
Any lingering irritation blew away. “Directly above?” The psychic’s floor! I checked it over and didn’t find a thing. “Very good, senior. There should be a way up right nearby, let me-“
“No need. This way is faster.” He raised his arm, and Lu felt fluctuations building. The moment his palm faced the ceiling, a spell – Lu recognised it as similar in structure to Instant Firming, his Comprehension painting the shockwaves with a familiar flavour in a way that left him slightly nauseous – grabbed hold of the tonnes of stone and squeezed.
In the time it took to blink, a new shaft connected the two floors, its walls smooth and straight. Lu was caught between admiration for the spellwork, trepidation for his ally spending his limited qi so freely, and some small encouragement at that same spending; after all, Tai Sho might not remain an ally much longer.
A moment later, the worry won out. “Tai Sho, I know you feel no need to be stealthy, but please remember that there might still be a large amount of work to be done. Let’s not use the last of our qi without thought, yes?”
Tai Sho’s smile was wide, his painted lips parted to reveal impossibly perfect teeth. “No need to worry, brother Lu. With a concrete trail to follow, I’ll be able to cast much more conservatively.” He leapt up, and Lu followed with a complicated expression. Of course, senior. But I have to follow you all the way too, you know? Weight Reduction was cheap, but not free by any means.
They leapt up into an unremarkable chamber, the organic-looking walls of the circular room completely free of adornment. No chains, or any marks on the floor where a cage was dragged in or out. Not even a door to lock. It was just a dusty room, and if Tai Sho hadn’t led him here Lu wouldn’t have looked at it for more than a second. I probably did only look at it for a second; I doubt I missed any rooms on the first go-through.
“It’s… empty, senior. You’re certain this is where the trail starts?”
“Perfectly certain.” In his cupped hand, the small bit of blood seemed to move of its own accord, wobbling and contorting, and Lu felt Tai Sho casting further spells not only on the blood, but the entire room.
His teeth bit down lightly on his lower lip. I… don’t actually know very much about divination. Basic sensory enhancement, yes, but the more advanced functions… Divination beyond the outer realms tended to be, ah, spiritually moving, for lack of a better term. It was yet another source of stress that he wouldn’t be able to verify anything Tai Sho said with his own abilities.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Except… An idea formed in his mind. Maybe I can? Cobo had been able to copy his spells at least a little just based on feel, and there was no way he was going to accept inferiority in spellwork to his own disciple.
With only a little trepidation, he pushed at his Comprehension. It’s… light. The qi isn’t really interacting with the material at all; it’s looking at the ideas of things, not the things themselves.
He wasn’t entirely sure how he knew that. Analyzing the spell was almost like pulling on the Grandmaster’s imparted knowledge, where information seemed to spool out from nowhere – it fact, it was seemingly identical. Ah, so was he actually gifting me a chunk of his own Comprehension? Could I unlock the whole thing at once, if I..?
Not the time. Tai Sho’s divinations continued to feel around the room, and Lu followed them with all his senses. The art extended into directions that he couldn’t follow, but by putting his knowledge of forms together with the fluctuations it made together with his Comprehension’s powerful intuition, he could just begin to make out the shape of it.
“…Lu? Junior brother?” The words made him jump.
“Ah!” I got too absorbed! How long have I been staring off into space? “Pardon, senior, I lost track of my thoughts. It’s been quite a day, hasn’t it?”
Tai Sho was still smiling, though it now looked slightly strained. “It has, disciple Lu.” The strain disappeared. “But we’re almost done. His trail is clear as day – there’s no interference at all. Bull is alive, and reasonably near.”
He said it with such conviction that Lu found tension immediately leaving his body. “…You’re certain?” I hoped, obviously I hoped, but to hear it said aloud..!
If the repeated question bothered him, he didn't show it, merely nodding. Illuminated from above by the powerful lamps, Tai Sho appeared to have a halo about his head, and for a moment Lu almost let go of his enmity towards the man. “I guarantee it. I was afraid that the atmosphere of this place would obscure things, but it seems the opposite; it’s almost like he’s standing right next to me.” With a florid motion he pointed, and with a quick check of the Jadeite Lu confirmed he was gesturing to the north-east. “That way, less than five hour’s travel. I’ll be able to carry us easily while flying, so no need to worry about buried explosives or the like.”
Lu was forced to swallow back his emotions in order to speak. “Well then.” The end is in reach, Bull! We’ll have you home before the day is out! “Are we waiting for something? Let’s go!”
He said it with exuberance, but in his head there was a shadow underpinning the hope. Tai Sho, I don't trust your motivations at all. I'll ignore anything if it gets Bull home, but what happens after that might not be so straightforward.
----------------------------------------
“[Trouble.]”
It was the growling alien voice that dragged Bull out of meditation, more than Bond’s translation. He opened his eyes, squinting just slightly; even through the ice, the glare exceeded the mid-day sun. “[Trouble?]”
“[Yeah. Giant steps. We’re too small.]” Cobo’s jaw was set in a way that put his own instincts on edge; it was the look of a man gradually accepting his own mortality. Bad omen, a face like that. ‘Giant steps,’ is that the earthquake?
Cobo and Stinger-Tail had been chattering back and forth about it, but until now he had assumed the strange term was Bond being poetic about things, the way it was an annoying majority of the time. ‘Giant steps.’ One of Lu’s reports mentioned something…
“[Big Joe?]” That was the name, I’m pretty sure I’m remembering it right. Wandering around the desert for an undeterminable amount of time hadn’t done good things to his grey matter, but that wasn’t exactly an easy name to forget.
Cobo nodded. “[Giant steps, yeah. First come, first serve – going up to meet the sunset.]” His knife-edged expression became even sharper, and he cracked his neck to the side before continuing. “[Accept the speed. The world goes faster.]”
Okay, I think I understand. A huge, possibly emperor realm giant was coming for them, and unless they moved out of the way they would die – and they weren’t fast enough to get out of the way. I could go, I think. Burn my circuit out with a movement art, bury myself and maybe survive.
It wasn’t anywhere near a sure thing, but it was a lot better than sitting put and getting stepped on.
One problem, though… He looked at the alien’s weird flat face, at the familiar expression on his foreign features. He must have had a pretty intense look himself, because after a second the man looked away, averting his eyes.
So damn expressive. Open. Just like a certain other person whose life he happened to give a shit about. Someone who would also give a shit about his kind-of-disciple getting converted to paste under his watch. Damn it. I know basically nothing about this guy, and yet here I go getting attached by proxy.
…Okay. He clenched his fists. Up front Cobo had his head out the window, talking to Stinger-Tail in low tones. Speed. A group movement art? Marching Song might do the trick, but that’s fifth realm, way above what I can cast with the circuit…
His eyes refocused on Cobo’s back. What I can cast alone, at least. Is it even possible? And more importantly, would he be able to stomach it? It had been over a decade, enough time for scars to fade, but some things still set him off.
…Fuck it. Beats getting stepped on; let’s give it a shot.
He tapped the man on the leg, and he spun around. “[Yeah?]”
A breath. “[Okay, this is complicated, so it’s going to be an absolute pain to translate, but I’ve got an idea.]” Cobo nodded hesitantly. “[Did Lu ever teach you about dual cultivation?]”