Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior’s Path

by Johnson, M. H.

  Alex and Yingpei exchanged a glance. “Well, Ruidian, if you’re truly willing to risk it all, best get it out of the way now, while the bridge is still intact. That way you still have a chance of running back to safety, should you find no purchase upon those steps.”

  Alex grinned. “No time like the present,” he said, and within seconds, he was before the first step, still shimmering with a fiery golden hue.

  He was impressed by its sheer size, a good fifteen feet wide and four feet deep, with more than enough room for a breather if needed. He couldn't help but note how intently Zhu Bi was glaring at the golden steps ascending upwards as far as Alex could see, a smiling Cheng Lei still by her side, seeming more than content to wait for her to take that next step.

  Alex looked up, noting that most of the would-be disciples were already ahead, led by a trio of men dressed in matching crimson changshan jackets covered in lamellae plates such that it appeared to be as much functional armor as attire so distinct that Alex instantly understood who their master must be. And if the clenched jaw and hard gaze of Cheng Lei, who was also glaring their way was anything to go by, he did as well.

  “Best not delay any longer, friend Ruidian,” said Yingpei. “Give it a go, if you dare. While you still have time to retreat.”

  Alex smirked. “If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think you were concerned for my wellbeing.”

  “More that it would be a waste to see someone with his whole life ahead of him fall to a pointless death,” the youth said with a noncommittal shrug. “Because if it’s a secure future you’re looking for… there are far smarter ways to go about it.”

  “Such as presenting myself before your family compound to see if they’re willing to take on a Ruidian mercenary?”

  Yingpei chuckled. “That depends. Do you actually know how to use those oversized dao at your hips? Or are you a gem master able to hide his jewel? The latter can make quite a decent living guarding trade caravans, and my clan rewards loyalty well.”

  Alex bit back a laugh. “Yes to the former, no to the latter. And though I can certainly pull my own weight, I'm afraid you'll find my reviews as a caravan guard to be a bit mixed.”

  Yingpei frowned at that. "We prefer our guards to be of sterling reputation, I'm afraid."

  "Completely understandable," Alex said, before turning his focus back to the sparkling golden steps before him, heart skipping a beat as he realized that not only his future dreams, but his very existence, hinged on successfully taking that first step and ascending up the ranks as far as he could.

  Because only when he physically entered Royal Phoenix Academy would the doom imperiling his life finally be lifted.

  His eyes traveled up to find the kitsune who had come so close to falling off with her first step gazing with pained eyes at all the steps to come. For an endless moment, he couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to fall into the yawning crevice below, knowing that even with all his skills and powers, if he failed to achieve even a single step… Then he laughed aloud, realizing how silly he was being. Boldly determined to make the ascent, he now found that first step as effortless as a dream.

  Willpower check successful! Significant modifiers for familiarity and ease of difficulty are now in effect!

  Yingpei chuckled in warmhearted approval. “Impressive! You actually have some muscle on you, like a proper trueblood; not like the handful of Ruidians stopping by to trade with my…” The young trader blinked, momentarily speechless. Then his surprise transformed into a genuine smile. “By the fates, you actually did it!”

  Alex grinned. He had indeed.

  And save for the tiniest push against him, like the faintest whisper of a breeze, he found it no more difficult than treading through the thinnest of puddles. Hardly worth the mention.

  Yingpei gave an awed shake of his head. “Imagine that. A Ruidian who actually has the power to cultivate. Even if you only have a handful of meridia—”

  Perception check made! Quickness check made!

  You have caught your target!

  Strength check made!

  And between one eyeblink and the next, the bridge had disappeared.

  Yingpei had time for only a single agonized blink, a terrified scream wrenched from his lips… before his eyes bulged and at least one rib cracked when Alex’s legs clamped around his torso, fingertips holding tight to the ledge.

  Much like the stat bell curves of his favorite childhood games, few mortals would ever exceed 18 Strength. A 19 made you an Olympian, while a 20 was the equivalent of someone who won silver medals on his off days, and gold when everything clicked.

  As it did for Alex at that instant, having caught the clenched jaw and wide-eyed dismay in the elder guardian’s expression when the sky abruptly darkened with thick brooding clouds at what Alex was certain was supernatural speed. Understanding flooded him at once regarding what was about to happen, and the one gambit open to him that wouldn’t reveal his most precious secret, nor cost him the ascension he so desperately craved.

  For all that his body was that of a college freshman, with features still handsome with youth’s first blush, his Strength and Quickness now transcended what even Olympians could hope to achieve. And he had needed each and every one of his 25 points, or Rank 2 Bronze Quickness, to catch the gasping Yingpei in time.

  The young man was gaping at Alex with wonder and horror in equal measure, his life now completely in Alex’s hands. Or feet, in this case.

  “Please…” So much said with that one desperate word.

  Alex turned his head as he dangled by the foremost step by the tips of his fingers, catching eyes with the once more collected Elder. “I do recall your words, Elder. I will suffer the penalty of a full rank, if my own hands are what lifts him up to salvation. Is that not correct?”

  The instructor regarded Alex solemnly. “You could do far worse than have the scion of one of the richest trading clans in all of Baidushi as a sworn ally.”

  “Please, I beg of you! Don’t let me fall.” Yingpei sobbed. “I know what it would cost you, saving my life. And I will always be grateful for it. You will have a true friend, and I will be your brother in all things, I swear it!”

  Finesse check made!

  Before the panicking young merchant prince could embarrass himself any further, Alex flipped him to the first step, twisting his body much like a high wire gymnast would do for a partner, before slowly, steadily, rising himself up in a handstand. Carefully balancing and pivoting as he regained his footing after his clamped legs had gently placed the shaking scion upon the first golden step, he refused to be thrown off by the pressure from the golden stairs trying to push him back, the resistance doing no more than ruffling a few strands of Alex’s bright blond hair.

  The look on the guardian’s face was nothing compared to the wide-eyed stares both the kitsune and the powerfully built Cheng Lei were giving him.

  However, Alex had eyes only for the silver-haired instructor. “And not once did my hands clasp him, pull him up, or otherwise touch his person.”

  The elder gazed at Alex strangely for several long moments before giving a short, sharp bark of laughter. “You already understand the rules of this game far better than most ever will. And far from using it to strike your enemy, you instead saved a life and made an ally.” He gave a subtle nod of his head. “Well done.” He then pointed at the heavens, the meaning behind his intent gaze unmistakable.

  As for Yingpei, he spent long moments shuddering and sobbing, taking great big breaths and struggling to collect himself before finally rising to his much more steady feet. “Thank you, Ruidian. With all my heart, for my life… I thank you.” Though he did not lower himself to perform dogeza, which was probably for the best, considering the subtle current that Alex sensed he was already feeling, Alex was almost certain that his formal bow was deeper than any merchant prince had ever used to honor a Ruidian before.

  “I meant every word I said. Once we manage to square ourselves—�
�

  “Don’t worry about it. Let’s get going. I get the feeling we don’t want to be caught on these first steps before too much time passes.”

  Yingpei paled, as did Zhu Bi and Cheng Lei, all of them still on those first steps.

  The young noble garbed in robes which Alex was increasingly sure were blessed with multiple potent enchantments, turned to the shaken kitsune. “It’s best we continue, Zhu Bi.” He flashed the girl a reassuring smile. “And don’t worry. I will not cheat you of your own accomplishments. You and you alone will ascend these steps. But I’ll be just behind you, ready to catch you, should you fall.”

  The girl flushed and lowered her gaze but couldn’t hide her smile. “Thank you, Cheng Lei. I won’t let you down.”

  Neither the kitsune nor the young merchant prince hesitated after that. For all that both visibly strained and grimaced with each step, their pace didn’t slow down.

  Yet Alex couldn’t help noting the ease with which Cheng Lei took those steps, as if he wasn’t having to brace himself against a tidal wave of force trying to push him back, but rather was striding through the shallowest of streams.

  Much like Alex himself was.

  As if sensing Alex’s covert glance, the young aristocrat met Alex’s gaze with his own appraising stare before flashing a guileless smile. “Like the gentlest of breezes, is it not?”

  Alex nodded, turning back to the struggling pair they were shepherding, just in time to catch sight of a handful of others they were rapidly approaching, now that they had picked up their pace.

  “I get the feeling we’re the exception,” he replied to Cheng Lei, striding up the next golden step and still finding it no harder than ascending any other flight of stairs, though at least this one had a fantastic view.

  He glanced to his left, catching sight of the starry night sky twinkling so brightly that he had no problem making out the golden steps softly glowing in the reflected light. The brooding clouds that had almost cost the young merchant his life had already faded to distant memory.

  Only then did he hear the sound of voices raised in anger, followed by splashing and a cry.

  Alex frowned, picking up his pace, and then they were there.

  Yingpei and Zhu Bi both gave exhausted, grateful smiles upon reaching the first plateau.

  “We did it!” Zhu Bi declared, earning a nod from a grinning Yingpei. “Even if we would be relegated to lifelong servitude, we’ve still made it to the first cultivation plateau in this, the greatest academy in all of CuiJing! Or at least the most perilous,” she muttered under her breath.

  Suddenly, her bonnet twitched, as if hidden kitsune ears were catching the tail end of the conversation Alex was also hearing at the far end of the plateau. All four of them were now wading in what seemed a pristine pool of water, catching sight of the three aspirants dressed in their matching sets of crimson armor. The trio were presently browbeating a handful of exhausted-looking supplicants separated from the others, jabbing their fingers at the pair of silent servants obviously waiting for whoever was ready to leave the pool, for all that it meant accepting a life of servitude, albeit for the most honored of colleges.

  “You’ve come far enough, commoners. Leave this pool and accept your rightful place in this school,” said the tallest of the trio, sneering down at the handful of aspirants dressed in tattered robes, much like the youth who had, unfortunately, turned out to have no cultivation talent at all. “Those who fail to accept their place will find their future stay here very short-lived.”

  Before anyone could blink, he lashed out with a kick that sent one of the poorer looking supplicants collapsing to his hands and knees with a cry, coughing and sputtering water.

  “Han!” One young woman quickly raced to her fallen companion’s rescue, glaring daggers of hate at the armored trio. “You bastards will lose a full rank for that!”

  Cold laughter was the only response she got.

  One of the girls paled and curled in on herself. The young men clenched their jaws and curled their fists… but didn’t dare meet their tormentors' gazes.

  Alex frowned, noting the handful of better dressed aspirants patiently standing aside, refusing to gainsay the declarations of the trio in matching crimson armor, all three of them bearing the haughty gazes and contemptuous sneers of the most arrogant of lords, though what Alex suspected they really were was soldiers. Specifically, members of Dongfang Hong’s elite forces that the Red Prince had been slipping past the border. In addition to their reinforced attire, all three of them radiated a certain degree of vitality that made it clear they had left basic cultivation behind, some time ago. They had achieved Bronze Rank 1 at the very least, and were already well beyond most of the students daring these steps. Or at least those dressed in the humblest attire, Alex thought, his frown deepening when one of the bullied aspirants gave a bitter sigh and prepared to leave the basin.

  “Yu, What are you doing?” one of the girls cried.

  “It’s just not worth it, Chen. We’re not actually on the steps. We’re in a basin between flights of stairs. Shoving Han over was a warning. These monsters could beat us with impunity. They know it, and we know it too.”

  The girl paled. “No. I refuse to believe this school is like every place else. I refuse to believe we don’t have a chance here!”

  Her bitter words earned fresh laughter. Even several of the patiently waiting aspirants, those wearing the attire of merchants or lesser nobles, smirked at that, though most of the onlookers at least had the grace to look away in embarrassment for the poorest amongst them, even if none would dare risk a beating themselves, or worse, earn the ire of a faction that would see them likewise dressed in servant’s robes, if they weren’t careful.

  Alex glared at the onlookers too cowardly to do anything, before realizing he was just standing there like a fool himself.

  He strode boldly forward, until he was stopped in his tracks by a surprisingly strong grip. “Have a care, Alex. Best not to throw your piece away this early in the game.”

  Alex frowned, but when he turned to meet Cheng Lei’s gaze, he saw naught but gentle concern.

  He instead turned to the waiting servants. “Is it true? Can aspirants beat each other with impunity in these pools?”

  The closest servant scowled and refused to meet Alex’s gaze. The second flashed an approving smile. “Ah. One actually has the common sense to ask. Jostling is, of course, permitted, such as our young friend Han has suffered. But should an actual injury be inflicted which prevents a supplicant from ascending the next step of their own free will, that will count as a mark against the aggressor.”

  The three redshirts turned as one to glare at the servants. The scowling one seemed to shrink in on himself, yet the servant who had spoken flashed a wide grin, his smile not touching his ice-cold eyes. “Indeed, I will confess to being quite curious as to just what kinds of wonderful havoc our dear trio could inflict. If nothing else, it might give us access to the most powerful servants this school has collected in a handful of years.”

  One of the red-garbed supplicants snarled and seemed ready to confront the man who had dared to address them as equals, his killing glare causing any number of aspirants to pale, but the outspoken servant’s grin only widened, eyes flashing with genuine interest. “Does the revered aspirant wish to challenge this humble servant?”

  The tallest of the trio laughed as if the man had spoken in jest, a powerful fist gripping the shoulder of the hulking brute who had been about to take the bait. “Why would we bother with filth such as yourself? You have already told us all we need to know.”

  He then sneered at the terrified aspirants huddling in the center of the pool. “Now, you filth will follow your new master and take on your roles as indentured serfs of this school, or my man here will be forced to show you the error of your ways. And since this lesson will cost him, he will be sure to inflict the full measure of that cost upon your flesh.”

  “That’s ox crap and you know it!�
�� hissed Chen. And for all that the girl’s robes had clearly seen better days, her hair tied back with simplest string, she still had the spine to glare at the trio of smirking tyrants. “Your lackey will be losing ranks for each of us he tries to intimidate and break! Is he ready to fall to servant status, just to serve as your monkey?”

  The brutish cultivator snarled, held in check only by his master’s clenched grip, like a dog on a leash. The leader’s cruel smirk widened. “There’s a far more important question you fools should be asking yourselves.”

  Chen just glared.

  “What question would that be?” said a still-gasping Han.

  “Who’s willing to be pounded into a pile of shattered bone before we tear your eyes out and throw you to your new master? Because the last of you fools to leave this pool before I count to thirty will suffer that very fate.”

  This earned more than a few horrified gasps, while the entire cluster of struggling aspirants began dragging their feet to reach the pair of servant cultivators waiting for them. The surly-looking servant was now gazing at the youths with the bitter smile of someone happy to share his pain. The other servant, the one who had coldly smiled before a powerful Bronze’s killing aura, wore features chiseled in stone.

  But Alex hadn’t been completely idle while all this had been going on.

  Soul Sight perception check failed against lead cultivator.

  Find Weakness skill check successful against all three cultivators!

  Alex flashed a cold smile. No matter that a trio of experienced Bronze foes were beyond his ability to instantly sense their Qi flows, he could tell by their shifts of balance, stance, the way they held themselves and adjusted their weight, which joints were under the most strain. He now intuitively sensed which limbs would be slowest to react to a strike from unexpected angles, and most importantly, where to hit them for maximum damage.

  Or how to inflict hardly any damage at all.

  “You heard Yuren. Get moving, peasants!” sneered the bulkiest and slowest of the three, whom Alex instantly pegged as a strength cultivator to be wary of as he leisurely strode past the trio.