Roaring in pain and clear frustration, the Destroyer reached back with its other hand toward Ash.
Which was the point at which Trav attacked, striking the thing’s wrist.
Yelping, more out of annoyance than pain, the Destroyer shifted forward.
Ash couldn’t see what happened but he got the impression the thing had just attacked Trav.
Taking the opportunity, and seeing how to get his daggers free, Ash got his feet up on the monster’s back and pushed.
Coming free with a strange grinding noise, the blades came loose and slid out of the Destroyer. Ash hit the ground and quickly took several steps back, putting some distance between him and the Wraith.
Spinning in place, the Destroyer turned to face Ash. It tilted its head to one side, staring down at him.
Then it began to chuckle. Holding up its right hand it peeled back the skin at its shoulder and looked inside. There wasn’t any blood leaking from the wound.
It looked more like a slit in a piece of paper.
Before Ash’s very eyes, the skin simply closed over itself and mended. Leaving nothing behind as if there’d never been a gouge there.
“Now, I’m going to—”
The creature’s words were cut off as a hideous, overwhelming wave of force rolled over Ash. One that would have likely knocked him flat if he hadn’t already been dealing with the Destroyer.
The monster’s head whipped to the right, staring off into the distance.
“He’s… looking at the Cultivator and the Kin,” Locke whispered. “Maybe… maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll want that prize. Not us. We’re just… snacks to him. That’s a feast. Two feasts.”
“Puny life-things. Find you later,” growled the Destroyer, crouching down.
Then it leapt into the air and began to beat its wings, heading straight toward where the big battle in the sky was now fully underway.
Standing up out of his defensive crouch, Ash really didn’t know what to say or do.
One of the Kin said something Ash didn’t understand in the least. But it definitely sounded relieved.
Looking over, he found that Trav was watching him.
Unable to help himself, Ash grinned at his older cousin. He looked the same as ever.
Stoic, brooding, grumpy.
The perfect example of what Ash tried to avoid. It was just too much like his father.
Though Trav was always so much more decisive than I ever was.
Trav started walking toward Ash, causing Mei, Tala, and Chunhua to bristle slightly.
“So… hell of a thing, huh?” Ash asked lightly in English. He just couldn’t help it. With Trav, the urge to be a smart-ass rose up all on its own.
“Yeah,” Trav said with a snort. “So… how—”
There was a low-sounding thump that cut Trav off. It wasn’t as loud as it was forceful. It made Ash want to get his feet off the very ground, as if there was a creature moving underneath it.
Two corpses nearby shuddered and began to rise up, as though they were awakening from a long sleep.
One was an older man, a cultivator from the alliance Ash had never bothered to greet. He was clearly dead, missing one eye and looking like half of his chest had been crushed.
An invisible power grew around the body. A cold, frosty power that felt like a freezing wind blowing through an open door.
The second was a woman who got to her feet. Ash had no idea where she’d come from and he couldn’t identify her as being Kin or cultivator, but the fact that she wasn’t dressed as a Cultivator made her more likely to be a Kin. She didn’t seem to have any wounds on her body other than a single stab wound through her middle.
“Wow, these are just amazing,” said the woman, reaching down and fondling herself. Her fingers squeezed and kneaded her own breasts. “I can’t even cup them entirely with my hands.”
Turning her head around, the recently-dead woman looked at her rear end.
“Holy hell. Look at my ass. It’s perfect. Kinda wish we could have talked her into your harem if only to see you play with this, Chosen One,” said the woman.
She then promptly reached back and smacked her own rear end.
“Could bounce a coin off this thing,” muttered the woman.
“I… Locke?” Ash asked, feeling very confused now.
“Of course, Chosen One. Who else? Hang on, I need to talk to Gramps,” said the woman, turning toward the old man.
Ash heard a sudden burst of static that felt like it was coming from inside his own ears.
The old man, the woman, and Trav began to clearly talk to one another.
Except Ash could hear nothing.
Not a thing.
He swore he could hear a word here and there, but it was all drowned out by the static.
“What? What are you all saying? Do you hear that?” Ash asked, reaching up and drilling a finger into his ear.
Back and forth, the three talked. Though they also seemed to be moving at a faster speed than normal. As if they were sped up.
Almost as quickly as it started, it all ended.
The woman collapsed back to the ground and the old man tottered to a knee. A second later, he fell flat onto his face and once more was unmoving.
“Well! That was productive. Though damn, that was a very beautiful woman. Put her in the ring. I want to keep her in storage. She won’t rot or go bad there. Maybe we can figure out a way to resurrect her later,” Locke said.
I… what? Wait, we need to talk about this.
An ominous grinding noise behind Ash was the only warning he got before a large portion of the keep collapsed in on itself. Then the entire corner sheared off, bricks and shattered masonry spewing out.
Seconds later as the dust and debris cleared, Ash could see inside the giant hole and found it was loaded with glittering, shiny objects.
“Uh… treasure?” Ash asked no one in particular.
Well… that… I… I don’t—
“Get the woman. Put her in the ring. Now,” Locke commanded.
Ash did as he was told and put the dead woman into the Hall. Slowly, Ash turned back to Trav.
“I… I think the Destroyer broke whatever was holding this place together. The Wraiths are going to come back, too,” Ash murmured. “Split the treasure and bolt? Back to our… our own veils?”
“Yeah. That’ll work,” Trav muttered, shaking his head slightly. “No time to really catch up, I guess.”
“Ah… no. Doesn’t seem like it, but…” Ash started, scratching at his left shoulder. “But it’s good to know you’re alive. That you’re okay. Neat eye patch, by the way.”
As if to punctuate that their time was borrowed, a very ugly purple portal began to open up not far away.
“More Soldier-Wraiths,” Locke murmured.
All around, Kin and cultivators had been busily cleaning out the treasures. Things vanishing into bags, storage rings, and otherwise.
Nearly at the same time as the portal reached full size, Mei came over and nodded to Ash, then looked to Trav.
“We have completed our mission. We should return as quickly as possible,” Mei said, her eyes moving back to Ash. “You should tell your… brother, or cousin, that they should flee quickly. As we must do.”
Ash opened his mouth to argue because he wanted to talk to Trav a bit longer, but he realized Mei was right.
“She said we need to go. Now. Which means… uh… this is goodbye. Again,” Ash said, feeling strange about the situation.
Trav nodded his head at that, then held out his hand toward Ash.
“Then goodbye, safe travels, and fare you well, Ashley,” Trav said, finally smiling at him.
Ash reached out and took Trav’s hand in his own.
At which point, the larger man yanked on him and crushed him in a rather forceful hug.
Twenty-Six
It wasn’t until they crossed the Veil-overlap that Ash let anyone slow down at all. Up until that moment, he’d been riding along
at the back of the column, urging anyone who lagged behind to speed up.
All of their remaining horses had been loaded with wounded, treasure, and supplies.
The sorceresses under Chunhua had done their best to keep everyone moving as swiftly as the slowest horse.
Coming to a full stop just on the other side of the overlap, Ash dismounted and looked back the way they’d come.
A horde of Soldier-Wraiths were still behind them. Chasing onward after their prey.
Ash and his people.
They can’t cross. Right? You said that.
Said they couldn’t cross.
“They can’t cross. I promise it,” Locke said. His tone had drastically shifted since his conversation with the other presence. Ash would say that he didn’t seem as moody. “Don’t worry, Chosen One. You and your harem are safe.”
He was still an asshat though. There was no question about that.
Bending over at the waist, Ash put his hands on his knees. Taking in deep gasping breaths, he remained just like that, trying to catch his wind.
All around him, his people were collapsing to the ground in exhaustion, moving forward like robots, or going about whatever business they could.
“And before you ask, we only lost six. Six of your harem died and you slaughtered hundreds of Wraiths. I promise you that the experience the harem gained in exchange for those six was immense,” Locke said.
Not my harem. They were my people, but they weren’t my harem.
“They were in your harem, just not the inner harem. Not in the wives’ harem. Trust me on that one, Chosen One. I can promise you that I have a better understanding of how a woman feels than you,” Locke said with some heat. “And I’ll continue to arrange more women to join your harem as I can. You should just follow my lead and I’ll give you everything you could ever want.”
And what if all I wanted was to not have a harem?
“I’d say you were doing a piss-poor job of that even before you included my own additions, Chosen One,” said Locke, his voice dripping with amusement.
Before Ash could even consider that comment, Jia, Na, Rou, and Yue descended on him. He knew it was them without seeing their faces, just based on their legs and shoes.
Multiple hands pressed to his back and shoulders, one even running through his hair.
Ash’s head was forced upward and he had a single second to react before Jia kissed him roughly.
Stunned into absolute stillness, Ash hung there between Jia’s hands. They were pressed to each side of his face. She was much stronger than him at this moment after what they had just gone through.
Tilting his head slightly to one side—so that he could breathe rather than have his nose smashed into hers—Ash kissed her back as that was his only option.
Taking his movement as something altogether different, Jia slid her tongue into his mouth, making the kiss significantly deeper.
Her fingers curled into his hair, locking him in place, her tongue sliding and rolling over his own.
Seconds ticked by while Jia kissed Ash.
Finally letting him go, she pulled her head back, yanked Ash into a standing position, and then hugged him.
“Jia, w—” Yue started.
Angling Ash’s head to one side, Jia kissed him again, her tongue spearing into his mouth this time without waiting for him.
“Oh. Oh, my. I would say the wounded we sent back must have told her what was going on,” Locke murmured. “Betting Jia won’t wait for you to get closer this time, after all.”
Ash could only agree with that as he stood in Jia’s arms while she kissed him hungrily. In a way he’d never experienced and certainly didn’t expect from her of all people.
Warm hands pressed into his back, keeping him smeared over the front of Jia. He could feel the softness of her against himself.
Coming away from the kiss with a soft gasp, Jia hung onto him, pulling his face down to her neck.
“Good work, Tala, Moira,” Jia said, her fingers digging into his shoulder and hip. “You completed your duty and brought him back.”
“You should be kissing my elegant self’s feet, not him,” Tala complained. It sounded to Ash like she was still laying on the ground, but he couldn’t see her. He was forced to watch the logistics base behind Jia.
Yue, Na, and Rou all shuffled over to stand in front of him, behind Jia, and looked at him.
“He made it difficult with how often he ran off to treat the wounded,” explained Moira. “Tala and I were forced to engage many enemies to keep him safe.”
“Completed your duty and in the face of great adversity,” Jia said, not releasing Ash. “I thank you.”
“Are you okay?” Yue asked, smiling at him, edging closer to Jia’s back.
“Tired. Worn down,” Ash said, smiling at the young woman. “But I’m alright. Quite a few of the medicine and pills you prepared for me are gone though. I can honestly say I wouldn’t be here without your effort. Nor would many others of our people.”
“Oh. Oh, I-I’m glad to hear that,” Yue said. Her eyes were moving back and forth as if she couldn’t decide which part of his face to look at. “I’ll be sure to make you plenty more.”
“Glad you’re back,” Rou said with an extremely authoritative tone. “Now, Jia, give Ash to me. I’ll be taking him into my care for now.”
Jia’s head turned slightly at that, likely looking at Rou from the side of her eyes.
“Hand him over,” Rou said with a completely no-nonsense tone. Her eyes were bored and clinical, watching what Ash assumed was Jia’s face.
“Of course, Healer Rou,” Jia said, turning around and handing Ash off to Rou like he was a small child.
Rou took hold of Ash as if he were nothing more than a doll. Despite her inabilities as a cultivator, she was, of course, still just that.
A cultivator.
Her strength and speed were well beyond what a normal human would be able to accomplish.
Sliding one arm under Ash’s rear, Rou lifted Ash up off the ground and carried him off.
“Come along, Chunhua, we’ve work to do and we’re the only ones qualified to do it,” Rou proclaimed.
Watching behind as Rou carried him off, Ash felt mildly amused.
Everyone in his “inner harem” as Locke called it was watching Rou with equal parts envy, yearning, and anger.
“They can glare all they want,” Rou commented, apparently feeling the heat of their gaze on her back. “You’re mine, Ashley Sheng. I’m your personal Qi Healer and you’re my Cultivator. Chunhua is my partner in this and your personal Sorceress. I’m sure she’s likely been telling you all about how we should be your first and second wives.”
“He was quite receptive,” Chunhua said when Ash didn’t respond. She walked along at Rou’s right-hand side. “He even held me in the middle of a fight, and I proved our combat worth.”
“Oh? Splendid. Good job, Chunhua,” Rou said with a smile in her voice.
“Goodness, goodness, goodness. Your inner harem is going to really start fighting now. How exciting!” Locke said with a laugh. “I wonder who Na will support. Whoever can talk you into bedding her, I imagine. Maybe Rou? Maybe Mei? Or… oh! Maybe Yue and Na might form their own duo?”
Letting his eyes shift to the woman in question, Ash saw Yue gazing at him with undisguised desire and want.
Na slowly eased up next to Yue and they began to discuss something.
“Ha! That’ll be fun to watch. I should nudge a few things here and there if I can. Now… you just let your Qi Healer and Sorceress care for you and you’ll be fine. We’ll talk more once you wake up,” Locke said.
Wake up?
Ash fell asleep before Rou got him back to her tent.
***
Starting awake, Ash came face to face with an old man staring down at him.
“Good evening,” said the old man with a wide smile. He had large bushy white eyebrows, scraggly white hair that was balding, and the hard eyes Ash�
��d come to associate with those who worked for Gen.
“Uh, hey,” Ash said, not really sure what was going on. The last thing he could remember was being carried almost like a child by Rou.
“All is well. At least… it will be. You have visitors who will be coming along shortly,” said the older man, still smiling thought it felt flat to Ash. “They are from the Inner Sect and are here to kill you. I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen. Master Gen sends his regards, Master Sheng.”
The older man placed one hand in the other, and bowed his head in deference to Ash.
“He’s very strong. Very, very strong. He wasn’t this strong when Yue fixed him. He’s been training excessively. He’s stronger than Gen but has less talent and potential than him,” Locke warned. “He is Master Li-Yong.”
“Good evening, Master Li-Yong,” Ash replied, then sat up from his bedroll. Lifting his hands up, he responded with the same show of deference to the older man. “I await your instruction.”
The strange flat smile the man had been wearing morphed into an actual grin, his head tilting to the side slightly.
“Ah, yes. Master Gen deduced the Inner Sect would wait for your return from your mission to attack. When you would be less likely to be on guard for attacks,” Li-Yong said, moving his hands behind his back. “I was dispatched to watch and wait for such a time. I left when they did and trailed them. Once I realized you had returned, I came to join you. We should go out and prepare to meet who is coming.”
“Certainly,” Ash murmured. Then he flicked the covers off only to realize he was nude. Rou had undressed him once again and tucked him away into a bedroll.
Not bothering to try and find his clothes, he simply pulled a fresh set from the Hall and began getting dressed.
“Your people are all mostly sleeping,” Li-Yong murmured. “The two women in the tent here are sleeping more deeply at the moment as I did not wish for them to wake up with you. It is not likely I could protect all three of you if the worst should happen. Though it will be simple enough to protect only you.”
Ash had a flash of trepidation that perhaps Li-Yong wasn’t who he said he was. That this was perhaps a trap.
“If it were me,” Li-Yong said, nodding his head slightly, “I would be very cautious at this juncture that I may not be who I say I am. I was instructed to hand you this, at this time.”
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