“Me,” agreed Alex, looking all around.
“You’re going to pay for what you did to my friends. You know that, don’t you, worm?”
Alex smirked. “You know what? I really don’t think I am. In fact, I’m almost certain I’m going to get away with it, scot-free, as they say. Not that that translated for you, but there you go.”
“You make no sense, Ruidian!” The giant cultivator’s eyes suddenly widened while taking a good long look at Alex. “Wait a minute… so that’s your secret! That’s how you were able to get the drop on Yumeng. That’s how you’re even able to climb these stairs! You’re no cultivator. You’re no real threat at all! You’re just a clever monkey who can walk on water!”
Find weakness skill check made!
Artificer skill check made!
Alex’s grin widened. “I was wondering how long it would take you to catch on. And now that you’re staring at me in wide-eyed wonder, I think it’s the perfect time to give you your present!
Erlengzi frowned. “What the hell are you—”
He cried out when multiple clay flasks filled with rice wine smashed into his mouth and forehead. Quickly blinking away the hot stinging alcohol, the brutish cultivator instinctively raised his massive arms to ward and parry any additional blows before he lowered them with a snarl, realizing that the barrage had stopped. He rubbed his reddened eyes, unable to catch sight of his tormentor. "I will kill you for that, Ruidian bastard! You can only run for so long before I finally catch your hide and pound you to dust!"
His ugly scowl transformed to a look of surprised disbelief when sudden pain tore through his gluteal muscles and blasted through his hip as he crashed into the waters, his agonized squeal eerily similar to the bleats of a gutted pig.
Bullrush! Bullrush! Adderstrike!
Dagger skill is now Rank 5 and may be fully incorporated into Golden Realms Kung Fu. Golden Realms Kung Fu rank supersedes Dagger skill rank. Golden Realms Kung Fu rank will now be used with all Dagger skill checks!
Dark Qi Projection skill check: Success! Congratulations! Dark Qi Projection is now Rank 5! You have achieved Adept Status in Dark Qi Projection! Qi costs for use of this skill outside the Underworld have been significantly reduced! You may now project Dark Qi 1 foot beyond your body with any weapon with which you have achieved Adept or better status, with a basic skill check!
You have critically hit your opponent! Dark Qi-coated dagger pierces all spiritual energy wards! You have pierced Bronze Rank 3 body cultivation technique with Adderstrike! You have partially severed gluteus maximus tendon! You have successfully lodged dagger in hip socket! Opponent is now partially crippled!
You are unable to free dagger.
You have been struck by Wild Swing and have suffered one Medium Wound! Your jaw has been shattered! You are temporarily stunned! You are at risk of Drowning!
Dark Qi Metabolism engaged.
Power healing engaged!
Alex groaned and shook his head, heart racing with momentary confusion and horror as he inhaled water, sputtered, and gasped before a surge of soothing darkness flooded him, both an ecstasy of relief and an agony of torment as his cells switched from aerobic to Dark Qi metabolism.
“I see you, Ruidian! I will kill you for that! Aargh!”
Alex’s heart lurched in his chest. He didn’t bother holding back but sprang free of the water with a massive Bullrush of a leap, tapping into one of the beast cores woven into the cords of rawhide forming an odd cross between choker and gorget around his neck. It was a treasure normally hidden by the high collar of his changshan that proved its worth as it had many times before, the wild energies trapped within the cores instantly washing away his daze and allowing him to snap back into the moment, for all that he cried out with sudden pain, fiery-hot oxygen racing through his limbs once more.
He didn’t bother taunting his opponent further, instead racing for the far end of the chamber, desperate not to die from his own stupidity. A pain-filled howl and a crash made it clear his foe had fallen over once more.
Only then did he risk a quick glance back, his racing heart calming to the degree necessary for him to actually think. He was relieved to see his opponent momentarily lying face-first in the water, struggling to right himself; one leg had twisted and locked at an awkward angle, the dagger plunged so deep in Erlengzi’s hip socket that half the hilt was now lodged inside the limb, causing who knew how much damage.
One thing was for sure: that monster would not be running any time soon, no matter how mighty a Bronze he was.
Alex took advantage of his opponent’s distraction, an unexpected reprieve lasting a good minute as the man howled with pain and cursed his own weakness. The floundering cultivator was clearly desperate to gasp life-giving air and only later propped himself up to a position in which he could hobble across the room. During his struggle to rise, Alex had had plenty of time to Bullrush across the massive pool and hide behind a small cluster of lemon trees whose foliage overhung the first of the golden steps leading upward once more.
Only then did he take the time to castigate himself for being an utter fool, riding so high on his string of successes—due as much to chance and opportunity as actual skill—that he had lost focus for a crucial second that had almost cost him his life.
So desperate to reclaim that dagger, most of its hilt already jammed inside his foe, so hard his 31 strength and Adderstrike had forced it, that he had been caught completely unawares when his enemy’s flailing fist happened to catch his jaw at just the right angle to send him crumpling to the ground.
And how damned stupid it would have been, after overcoming so many obstacles and facing down so many foes who had wanted to kill him this past year, to die to something so stupid as a chance blow, giving a witless broken Bronze the time he needed to foot-stomp Alex’s skull to oblivion.
Alex chose to embrace the searing hot torment of his fractured jaw knitting itself together at superhuman speed, thinking it a well-deserved lesson in pain, so that he never lost focus like that again. No matter how well his plans were going, or how cocky like the fox he felt, he needed to always keep a measure of himself and his targets and never lose focus, not even for a heartbeat, lest it be his last.
“Where are you, Ruidian!? I’m going to kill you for what you did! I’m going to kill you!”
The red-faced Erlengzi alternated howling like a tortured child with roaring death threats, trembling hands lacking the fierce resolve necessary to pry out the blade buried so deeply in his flesh, despite the agonizing fact that the dagger was grinding against his hip socket and making walking all but impossible, if Alex’s Find Weakness skill check was anything to go by.
Altogether, the brutal injury almost made Alex pity the monster.
Almost.
However, considering that Erlengzi and his cohorts were almost certainly agents of the Red Prince, and had had every intention of breaking this entire class of students, forcing them all into servitude, one batch at a time, one degree at a time, before ascending with smirks of cold satisfaction to the upper reaches of Bronze or Silver or however far they could go themselves, Alex’s momentary pity quickly turned to cold disdain.
And when the howling, shrieking cultivator was startled by Puren’s unexpected overtures of assistance, the man returning far quicker than he had originally promised—not that Alex blamed him with Erlengzi bleating like the stuck pig that he was—the massive Bronze Ogre just snarled off the man’s offers to help.
“I’ll not be stuck here as a base servant like you dregs!” Erlengzi roared, his agonized hobble turning to a strangely desperate lurch to reach the golden steps, laughing like a madman when he scrambled first one, then the next, huffing like a bellows and whimpering with pain and exhaustion as he struggled desperately forward.
It was only after he had managed a good handful of steps, the man already seeming to fade away to mist and whatever spiritual magic involved those golden stairs, that Alex finally stepped out of cover
.
Only to behold Puren’s icy scowl. “What the hell did you do to that man?”
Alex smirked. “What does it look like I did?”
“I thought you two were going to have something in the nature of an honorable duel. You stuck a dagger up his ass!”
Alex’s grin widened. “Now correct me if I’m wrong on this, Puren, but so long as my hands didn’t help a fellow contender forward or force him back, I’m under no penalty while on the steps. And with disputes on the plateaus… so long as both parties can still advance even a single golden step, neither is penalized. And as you can see, Mister Dagger-in-his-ass is stumbling up those steps just fine.”
Puren glared daggers of his own at the smirking supplicant before him. And how the hell did this fool know his name?
“I’m a good guesser?”
Puren paled. “There is no way…” He quickly shook his head. “Enough. I want you out of here, Ruidian! And should you end up crashing back down…” His smile turned icy.
Alex’s smile was equally cold. “Message received. Now why don’t you go fuck off? I’ll leave when I’m good and ready, and not a moment before.”
Puren’s face blotched with outrage. Alex caught the disbelieving stares of a few terrified-looking servitors and had the gall to wink and smile back.
At least one girl flushed, gazing at him far longer than was good for her, with the way Puren now looked like he wanted to throttle Alex, a sharp spike of cautious fear all that held the man back.
Alex just smirked and held Puren’s gaze before the man finally turned on his heel and left in a huff.
A part of him knew that what he had done was tactically stupid, but right then, he just didn’t care. He would do whatever he had to do to stop those bastards, and if bystanders were going to take it the wrong way? That was on them, as far as he was concerned. Still, he promised himself he’d try to put his best foot forward, literally, with each additional plateau he achieved.
He had made enough enemies already that day. It was time to make some new friends.
Right then, however, it was time to wait.
4
“Are you sure we can’t get you anything?” asked one elegantly dressed cultivator, favoring Alex with a strangely apologetic smile.
He blinked, noting that it was the same girl who had been eyeing him so intently before, kohl-lined eyes a light shade of brown, high cheekbones and full lips making it clear that beauty was no detriment to pursuing the ruthless path so many of them were on.
Alex couldn’t help smiling at her gentle query. “I’m afraid I’ll have to pass. It’s clear that your supervisor Puren doesn’t exactly think too highly of me.”
The girl grinned. “Well, you are responsible for us having to clean up a fairly large pool of blood tainting the entire spa. Fortunately, a couple of us have enough water affinity to handle the mess.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t that make the practitioner a Bronze, at the very least?”
She nodded. “It would.”
He frowned, puzzled. “Then why…”
“Because in order to truly be free, you don’t just have to achieve Bronze. You have to duel another cultivator for the right to your freedom.”
Alex furrowed his brow. “So, what happens? The loser doesn’t just forfeit status, but also becomes a servant of the school?”
The girl solemnly nodded. “Yes, but don’t look so shocked. It’s not that bad. It’s only for a single season, and then he may challenge another Bronze in turn. As far as Master Puren is concerned, their only real duty while they’re with us is teaching those of us with the potential for Bronze the cultivation techniques we need to strengthen our own foundation and hopefully one day break through ourselves.” She smirked. “Of course, you still have to listen to Puren giving you orders for the next three months, but it’s not so bad. You’ll find your obligations light as a feather, so long as you don’t get on his bad side, I mean.”
Alex chuckled softly. "You mean like not mouthing off to his face and earning the killing glare of my potential future employer?"
She smiled archly. “Good luck crossing the steps to Bronze. It’s the difference between climbing a hillside and climbing a cliff.” She swallowed, lowering her gaze. “Believe me, I would know.”
Alex smiled in return, gently squeezing her shoulder. “At least you had the courage to try. And I'm betting you didn’t shirk from putting in your time and learning to better yourself as a cultivator while accepting your responsibilities as a welcome part of this school.”
She eyed him up and down with a surprisingly bold eye. “I hope you do make it up those steps, Ruidian. Who knows? If you rank up high enough…”
Alex flushed, seeing so much in those warm brown eyes.
She gently squeezed his hand. “My name’s Liqin. Here. This will give you strength,” she whispered, handing him a small golden flask before quickly darting for the main part of the chamber, where the servitors were hurriedly ensuring that all was being made ready for the approaching cultivators, who were only at that moment making their way up the final golden steps to the bounty awaiting them.
Alex smiled despite himself at the sight of an exhausted-looking Han, face still bruised with the punishing blow he had received earlier, and Yu, who had been so close to surrendering to the bullying of Yuren and his cohorts, among the number of those successfully making it to this, the third tier.
Alex couldn’t help but note Yu’s eyes, now aflame with bright, fierce determination as the too-thin boy in the tattered robes boldly strode for the far golden staircase that Alex was lounging beside, coldly shaking his head when elegant servitors tried to ply him with food and drink.
Food and drink that an exhausted Han gratefully imbibed, as did a handful of others, including Chen, the girl who had spoken up for Yu. She had only barely clawed her way past that last step, heaving and sobbing as a pair of hosts helped her to her feet, though only after she had crawled completely into the basin—and how oddly touching it was to see smiles and tears exchanged by servitors and shaking aspirant alike—Chen clearly grateful just to be amongst those treating her as one of them already.
“You made it, sister!”
“Be welcome.”
Alex smiled at the warmth shared, until his eyes locked upon a determined-looking Yu, so focused on the steps before him that he hardly seemed to register Alex’s presence at all.
Until suddenly he did, snapping his head around to stare full-on at Alex for long moments before giving him a slow nod, conveying so much without a word being said. Then he grimaced, all his attention on the golden stairs once more as he dared that first step marking the inviolate border between servitor and ascended.
Alex smiled fondly, mentally wishing Yu the best of luck.
Before jumping nearly out of his skin at the bemused baritone chuckle coming from just behind him.
Perception check failed! It looks like someone got the drop on you!
Fortunately, it wasn’t a mistake that would instantly spell his death, though Alex did chuckle ruefully as he beheld the handsome features of Cheng Lei once more, with his twinkling blue eyes that marked him as either partially Ruidian, or, oddly enough, when paired with otherwise pure Han features, as an heir to one of the most aristocratic bloodlines that no one would dare insult. That, along with his perfect physique and an angelic smile that hinted at so many shared secrets between them all, combined for at least a +4 Charisma, Alex ruefully thought to himself. Nor was he at all surprised to find Zhu Bi flushing prettily as she gazed up at the man she walked beside, before flashing Alex an impish smile of her own.
“It is good to see you, friend Alex!” Cheng Lei declared. “And let me be the first to formally congratulate you on a move both daring and bold, a cultivator actually blessed with virtue and willing to take on paper tigers with such fearsome roars that it was surprising to see how they folded after a few well-placed blows.”
Zhu Bi nodded in enthusiastic agreem
ent. “You sucker-punched them and ran, laughing like a madman! So, of course, they raced after you, completely forgetting about intimidating all the rest of us.” She bowed her head. “This one thanks you as well.”
Alex smirked. “Well, I’m glad someone appreciates my courageous moves and brave sacrifice. After all, it takes a certain panache to sucker-punch an asshole and run like a cackling hyena while everyone gives chase, and I’m glad I fall into that exclusive category.”
He gave a mock sigh, catching the eyes of a coldly glaring Puren.
“Unfortunately, my daring bravado took a visceral turn in the very pool we’re standing in, and I fear, however virtuous my intentions, it left a bad taste in the mouth of our dear… host.”
He then smiled bold as brass at the frosty-eyed cultivator, before tossing the vial which the beautiful servant had handed him into the reflexively clasping hands of the man in question.
“I fear your servant dropped this, Puren. I would hate for you to think I’d do anything as stupid as drinking the poisoned fruit of my enemy, nor would I allow your own doubtlessly pristine reputation to be sullied by accusations of trying to entrap struggling aspirants, so please… allow me to return this, so that we may avoid any unfortunate misunderstandings.”
Alex grinned as the man fumed, only then catching sight of Yingpei Lin, grinning widely into the winsome smile of the servant who danced with him to the sounds of flute, erhu, and zhonghu, before passing her partner a chilled carafe of wine.
“Yingpei! Good to see you, kung fu brother! So, you’re stopping at the third tier with that first sip of refreshment? Well then, fair enough, I suppose. I understand you can challenge for the right to actually attend the school, with minimal privileges, assuming you can take out a Bronze! Far more difficult a path than an additional flight of stairs and all the accompanying perks that will earn you, but hey, maybe you like an added challenge?”
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior’s Path Page 5