Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior’s Path

by Johnson, M. H.

  “Following orders and doing as I’m told?”

  She chuckled softly. “Something like that.” Soft brown eyes gazed longingly into his own. “I can see why my father is worried. You certainly are trouble, Alex, even if you possess no more than a Ruidian gem master’s odd gifts, despite the fact that I see absolutely no gem upon your brow at all.”

  Soft fingers gently caressed his forehead.

  Alex smirked enigmatically. “More than one actual Ruidian gem master also puzzled over my lack of any gem.”

  “It is certainly a puzzle,” she said. “Are you actually some sort of watermancer? Is that what allowed you to walk on water and avoid being sent hurtling down? Until, well, you were?”

  Alex’s grin widened. “Far easier to believe that I somehow found a strength gem than to consider the alternative. Anything to discount the possibility that I’m actually able to cultivate, right?”

  She shrugged. “Honestly, I’d believe anything at this point. Do you really think entering the school proper will do you any good? Can you actually cultivate, Alex?”

  “Well enough to put on some muscle and ascend some steps, at least.” He paused and frowned. “Not that that does me much good, since I can’t enter the school.”

  She gave him a puzzled look. “Why can’t you enter?”

  He blinked. “You should know as well as anyone. I need a talisman just to get in, right?”

  “So use the one you have.”

  He froze, staring at her intently. “Liqin, what are you talking about?”

  She started in surprise. “Wait… you mean you don’t know? I thought you understood. Understood why you were better off here than…” She flushed prettily at that. “But considering how strong must be to have so easily captured my blade…” Her eyes widened, face paling as she stared at his abdomen. “Alex, I marked your flesh, I know I did! And I didn’t give Mother any chance to tend to you, especially with the way she was…”

  Inhumanly fast fingers pulled up his changshan shirt. “Alex. My blade scored your flesh. I felt it.” She shivered, hugging herself tight. “Even when I flinched and tried to pull away, wondering what mad fury had possessed me to run a boy through that I had almost…” Shock stilled her voice as she swallowed, visibly trembling. “I felt my blade plunge into your flesh, but muscles like steel tried to grip it, futile as it was, before your hands…”

  Her hands darted forward, flipping his own hands over to reveal no trace of cut or injury. “Alex?”

  Alex shrugged. “Is it possible your mother or another practitioner temporarily dulled your blade, or toughened my skin, to assure that I got a good thrashing but no worse?”

  She furrowed her brow, glancing down at her now empty hand.

  “Your mother reclaimed it, I think, right before you dragged me out of the room.”

  She smirked, but her eyes remained concerned. “She would. Are you truly alright, Alex?”

  Alex nodded solemnly. “Please convey to your mother my gratitude for her forbearance and mercy.”

  She rubbed her forehead and groaned. “I’m never going to hear the end of this.”

  “Liqin?”

  “Yes, Alex?”

  “What did you mean by my having my own talisman?”

  “I mean the one spirit-bound to you.” She looked up at him curiously. “Can’t you sense it?”

  “Wait… what? What are you talking about?” Then he frowned, closed his eyes, and accessed his internal matrix.

  Feelings of both elation and chagrin rose when he sensed the crystal clear six-inch rectangular bookmark-shaped talisman, blinking like a newly found item in his extremely sparse inventory, beside his world seed in the shape of a tarnished brass ring and the clothes he had changed back into. His only other possessions, not soul bound, were the contents of his coin pouch and the Qi-reinforced rawhide choker studded with beast cores now concealed by the high collar of his changshan shirt, protecting his throat as well as any gorget of steel.

  You have found 1 Divine Talisman in your inventory.

  Do you wish to access Divine Talisman?

  You have chosen YES!

  And just like that, a rectangular talisman of jade so pale, it was nearly translucent, appeared in his hand, secured about his wrist by a thin string of pearlescent spiritual energy.

  Alex was amazed to feel what he was almost certain was a divine artifact in his hands, but all it earned from Liqin was a faintly pitying smile. “And that’s why Mother and I thought you’d be better off here, Alex.”

  Alex frowned, staring at the obviously valuable item. “What do you mean?”

  She furrowed her brow. “Do you truly know nothing?”

  “Obviously I don’t know whatever it is you think I should know.”

  Folding her arms, she gazed at him with an expression eerily similar to the worried look his mother had given him on his first day of school. “Alright, let me explain. Save for the most rudimentary of classes and a place to safely rest your head, everything else in this school is up for challenge. Every credit you earn. Every meridian rejuvenation pill or cultivation manual you buy. All of it.” Intent brown eyes gaze into Alex’s own. “Do you understand?”

  He quickly nodded. “I do.”

  She smiled wanly. “Good. That’s the most important thing for you to understand. If you dare to declare yourself a disciple of this school, you’ll be forged in the fires of conflict until the steel of your soul shines with a killing edge.”

  “Unless you’re smart enough to keep your rooms in the servants’ quarters and gain a reputation for being a master chef, so who would be stupid enough to piss off the girl responsible for preparing half your dishes?”

  She chuckled softly. “Exactly. It always pays to seek any and every advantage you can find, and it’s doubly fortuitous that I absolutely love to cook. And eat.”

  Alex grinned.

  “But we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you. Do you know why your position is particularly precarious?”

  Alex shook his head. “But I imagine you’re going to tell me?”

  She gazed at his near translucent marker. “It’s because your talisman is so weak, so faint, that even an uncharged Copper talisman will show right through it.”

  “I take it that’s bad.”

  Her pitying smirk spoke volumes. “It means anyone can challenge you at any time. At least, that’s what I think it means.”

  Alex frowned, glancing up from the talisman to meet her eyes. “How many fights should I expect to have to face in a day?”

  “It’s not that bad, Alex. The way it works is, between two people of equal rank, they may each offer and accept a fair challenge with every waxing and waning of the moon. But the more rarified your talisman, the more significant your potential; therefore, the harder it is for anyone else to challenge you, and the easier it is for you to be able to challenge them.

  “For example, my three silver insignias means a basic bronze talisman holder would need to charge up 3 half moons, or one and a half months, to earn the right to challenge me. And win or lose, my talisman saturates, and suddenly it’s as hard to challenge me as it is a Tier 1 Silver. If someone with a silver talisman pushes me and forces a challenge, then my talisman saturates to the upper peaks of Silver. If I’m pushed hard enough, it might even become as inviolate as Gold, though if things were that bad above, I’d never leave the kitchens again!”

  Alex smiled as she chuckled, pretending not to see the momentary flicker of fear in her eyes.

  “Furthermore, students blessed with silver talismans of whatever tier, or a triple-sigiled bronze talisman like me, gain access to weekly hours with specialist trainers, additional resources, and better sleeping quarters and eating privileges that cannot be challenged. And once you hit Silver, you get an Inviolate Box where you may store your most prized items, soul-linked to your talisman. For anyone to challenge for rights to that prize successfully, they’d have to be Gold, or on the Ruler’s Path. So, fo
r all intents and purposes, you can keep your dearest possessions safely stored against any challenger, should you achieve Silver, so long as there is space inside.”

  Alex tapped his chin thoughtfully. “So you’re saying that almost no one can challenge silver talisman holders, even if they’re just basic cultivators taking the first footsteps along the path of cultivation. They get to call the shots in almost all circumstances.”

  “Of course. A cynic would argue that that’s actually the point of it all. Silver talisman holders have less to fear about being taken unawares, even if they’ve only tapped into basic cultivation, allowing them to focus all their energies on personal growth. And the more aggressive talisman holders can keep a sharp eye out for potential targets and focus on challenging them when their marks are at their most vulnerable.”

  Alex frowned. “So, what motivates anyone without a silver spoon in their mouth to even bother with doing assignments that earn study credits, if anyone can challenge them for it?”

  “There are limits to how many challenges can be given, just as there are limits to how often an opponent can force you to accept. And there can be social repercussions to challenging a student who has clearly not broken through, if you already have.”

  Alex couldn’t hold back his cynical chuckle as he leaned against the brownstone wall. “So, what… if someone who’s actually broken through to Bronze challenges a basic cultivator, people will look down on him? You’re going to tell me that’s actually a deterrent?”

  Liqin sighed and shook her head. “Not necessarily. But if you challenge someone more than one rank lower than you—for example, a midrank Bronze challenging someone who’s only recently broken through—you’re responsible for any healer’s fees. This will be nothing, if a good honest fight results in nothing more than sore muscles, bruises, and humbled egos. But if you shatter bones or come close to crippling them, that can cost you quite a few credit-hours. And you’d better hope that the damage isn’t so significant that it runs you an actual Spirit Pearl, or worse.” Her gaze hardened. “That, more than anything else, keeps powerful students’ savagery in check. But students can and do die here, Alex, for all that the guilty party might find himself with a very steep bloodprice on his head. Especially if he was the challenger and was significantly stronger than his opponent.”

  Alex frowned, though the pieces were starting to fall into place. “So you’re saying students actually fight to the death here?”

  “They fight to the point where they feel the thrill of life and death with the pounding of their heart, the killing edge, where a soldier’s greatest growth and insights are to be found.”

  He whistled, eyebrows raising in disbelief. “I’m all about maximizing personal advancement, and I mentored under a master who believed in forging his disciples in fire. But it sounds like this entire school is following that philosophy. And when you factor in these talismans... this takes it to a whole new level.”

  She nodded soberly, clearly unsurprised by his assessment. “The brutal truth of it is that there can be no real limits, because one must always be aware of the peril of death on some level, if one truly wants to transcend all limitations. Perhaps you can even transcend your original ascension upon the Golden steps and that feat, Alex, is a cause for tears of joy and celebration like you wouldn’t believe.”

  She then flashed a reassuring smile. “And don’t worry. Very few students are actually foolish enough to take it to a fatal extreme. Those who get a reputation for killing or permanently maiming a student beyond what our healers are capable of treating? No matter if that formerly blessed student has a triple rune-marked silver talisman, he will quickly find that no master is willing to teach him even the most basic techniques, let alone the most forbidden, and librarians will act like he doesn’t even exist when he dares to enter their inner sanctum. Such savages are effectively censured by all parties and are completely unable to advance. Their own path is stunted by the brutality they couldn’t control, their doom entirely of their own making.”

  As much as he wanted to take comfort in her words, Alex had endured too many bitter lessons at Dragon Academy to assume there weren’t exceptions to every rule. “Are there any situations where one student can get away with killing another? Perhaps… favored offspring with significant connections that no one dares to oppose?”

  She smirked. “Such a student would have to have extremely influential patrons indeed, to think he could intimidate an academy this expansive, with so many powerful instructors and masters. Multiple overlapping departments means that no one master is allowed exclusive control over, say, crafting magical treasures, or growing medicinal plants and priceless alchemical botanicals. So, no, Alex. Unless two fools actually agree to a death match, there will always be social repercussions for savages. And the more savage you are, the more severe the consequences will become.”

  He frowned, still not wholly convinced. “Can any student actually force a deathmatch?”

  Throwing her head back, Liqin laughed. “That’s almost unheard of, Alex! Maybe if they actually have Gold, and thus walk the King’s Path, they might dare such madness. They alone remain immune to all censure. But I know of only two students who hold such priceless talismans, and neither is a monster. Both of them would have to worry about how their behavior here would affect their family’s standing in the principalities they rule, and both are quite busy with their private tutors and rigorous training regimens.”

  Liqin’s gaze then turned almost apologetic. “But there are groups within the school who do reinforced an established pecking order of sorts. And although they’re not stupid enough to force deathmatches, they can still make the lives of those who don’t follow the unspoken rules… very uncomfortable.” She awkwardly cleared her throat. “I’m afraid the definition of what exactly constitutes a savage has been watered down a tiny bit, of late. And the leaders of those groups do indeed have more than a bit of clout. But it does stop short of killing, I can promise you that much, at least.”

  Alex chuckled bitterly, somehow not surprised at all to hear that. He then gazed down at his talisman and furrowed his brows thoughtfully. “So if I end up pissing off the wrong people, and if my crystal talisman never grows opaque when someone places their own talisman under it…”

  “Anyone hungry for challenge will be eager to test the Ruidian who thinks he can cultivate,” Liqin confirmed. “And should your odd talisman never change color...”

  Alex winced. “Anyone who doesn’t like me can force me to fight constantly, till I’m a ruined wreck, stripped of all wealth and resources.”

  Liqin gave him a sad smile. “I doubt it would be that bad. But assuming your talisman is no stronger than Copper, you could easily suffer half a dozen challenges every month, or more. And that can take a serious toll on a cultivator’s body if you’re not ready for it, especially if you’re short on resources and don’t have a healer who either owes you considerable favors or happens to be a member of your family. Odds are, you’ll suffer lasting trauma that never gets a chance to heal, even if no individual fight grew so brutal and crippling that you could actually force your opponent to pay for a trip to the healers. And the most skilled fighters are clever in their brutality. They’ll give you a beating like you wouldn’t believe, but one that you will heal up from well enough with a few days or a week’s worth of rest, without leaving anything so blatantly damaged that you need to see the healer. But if you’re forced to fight bout after bout like that by merciless bastards who will deny you any chance to recover...”

  A warm hand tenderly brushed his cheek.“Now do you see why I wanted you here? Why I tried to coax you to stay? There’s a reason why even those Coppers who triumph sufficiently to ascend as students choose never to leave service, for all that my father gives them extra time to train and cultivate, in addition to their lighter duties. Because so long as they remain servants first, they are protected, able to grow at a safe pace, free of the threat of constant battle, even if neve
r entirely, well… free.”

  Alex actually flushed. “At first, I thought you were just trying to seduce me.”

  Her cheeks reddened and she lowered her gaze. “Your thoughts are not entirely wrong.”

  “But you were also interested in protecting me.” He couldn’t help grinning. “You wanted to be my knight in shining armor.”

  She looked a bit flustered at his words. “That didn’t quite translate but… yes. I wanted to keep the adorable Ruidian boy, who fell from the heavens and splashed into our basin like a fairytale, safe from all harm.”

  Alex gently squeezed her hand. “Thank you for that. And for the… misunderstanding I suffered with your father, I apologize for that.”

  “Apology accepted.” She kissed his cheek with an impish grin. “Though I doubt he’ll ever completely forgive you for making him lose so much face. But at least now, word will get out that Erlengzi’s not quite the innocent cultivator wronged by the savage Ruidian as he likes to pretend.”

  Eyes dancing, Alex fought back a chuckle. “And how ironic it is that he’s now forced to suffer the same fate as he tried to burden so many others with, by trying to force aspirants to leave the golden steps early, on penalty of being beaten half to death if they dared to challenge him.”

  Liqin’s brow furrowed at that. “Yet no one before you even said one word to that effect. Still, the way some of the newer aspirants grow pale at the sight of him, with one girl even begging not to be given assignments anywhere near him… I’ll make sure someone keeps an eye on him. Though once word of your accusation spreads, that you even put your cultivation base on the line so none could discount your words…”

  Alex gave a satisfied nod. “At least this way, people will know who the real monster in their midst is. But if he starts taking his frustrations out on innocent cultivators just because he’s furious with his lot in life…”

  Her gaze hardened. “Then Father and I will have to deal with him.” She favored Alex with a sad smile. “You know you can’t stay here, right?”