Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior’s Path

by Johnson, M. H.

  “Thank you for my life, hero,” said the girl regarding him with brilliant green eyes. And for only a heartbeat did he feel the terror of her own demise, sensing the malicious oathbindings which tied her soul to the darkest of pacts… before watching them slough free of seemingly inviolate anchors to her soul that had really been no more than wisps of Shadow.

  She released a sad smile. “I think you see far more than most girls could bear, hero.”

  Alex swallowed and looked away. “I’m sorry,” was all he said.

  She chuckled softly. “Don’t be. You saved my life, and soul bindings made against my will are easy enough for a kitsune to slip free of, if she has the knack for it. Just one more reason why our enemies want us either collared or dead.”

  Alex clenched his jaw. “I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them all.”

  Bitter laughter washed over the hall as it slowly slipped into death’s waters. “Of course you will, hero. You’re WiFu’s deadliest pawn, if Mother’s desperately whispered tales in the dead of night were anything other than a broken woman’s delusions.”

  Too thin arms squeezed tightly around Alex, the girl choking back a sob. “I never thought they might actually be true.”

  Alex gently lifted her up, leaping across the growing pool of deadly water. “I think it’s time all we got out of here, don’t you?” Alex said to the dozen or so cultivators still staring at him with looks of slack-jawed awe… and more than a bit of fear as well.

  He deliberately looked over his shoulder, smiling grimly as the wooden floorboards cracked and burst, seeming to dematerialize before their eyes before slipping into the ghostly waters. “Unless you all have a knack for striding death’s currents, I’d say you have about half a minute before you’re starting your next lives.”

  That, like nothing else, broke their horrified stupor. More than one girl screamed as a rivulet of ghostly, mercury-like liquid crawled between the floorboards, approaching the students.

  “I swear to cause no harm to the lord of the portal and obey his word in all things!” shrieked one of the panicked girls now sobbing and banging on the golden portal, before suddenly lurching through to collapse on the floor of a palatial hallway of finest gold-lined marble. The opening showcased sufficient wealth to have the entire panicked group waste perilous seconds in breathless wonder.

  Alex smirked. “That oath was a bit excessive but…sure. Head on through.”

  And wasting no time, a dozen additional cultivators swore to serve their savior in all things as they leaped for their lives, until at last it was just Alex, effortlessly striding upon what was now a miniature lake of ghostly water, with the kitsune girl squeezing herself tightly in his arms.

  Alex caught her gaze. “You’d better jump through now, while you can. Before the river’s waters get any higher.”

  The young kitsune slowly shook her head. “Death waits for you outside. You know that, don’t you?”

  Alex flashed a bleak smile. “Spirit Wolves.” He gazed down at his Dark Qi-gauntleted fists. “That’s alright.” He caught her gaze once more. “I’m not holding back anymore.”

  She tilted her head curiously. “Why not jump through yourself?”

  “Because I dared summon the river we now stride upon, and it won’t be until dawn’s light washes away death’s promise that I dare step into a realm free of all death… at least for now.” Alex chuckled ruefully. “And why I revealed that secret to you, I have no idea.”

  She shot him an arch smile. “Because you’re surrounded by the realm of the dead, so no mortal cultivator can hear a word you say, and what kind of girl would that make me, to betray the man who saved me from damnation?”

  Alex nodded. “Fair point.” His gaze hardened. “Last chance…”

  “I’m with you, hero.”

  Alex didn’t bother wasting time arguing. The shimmering golden portal faded away as the River of Souls claimed the massive assignment hall in its entirety. At least he knew his own palace was perfectly safe, now farther away from peril than any other place in this entire world.

  Qi Percpetion Check made! Critical Success! You sense five Basic cultivators, five Bronze cultivators and two additional cultivators of unknown potency.

  Alex scowled at the western wall as the massive pillars stabilizing the grand hall began to decay and crack, sinking inch by inch.

  “There are a full dozen of them. Be prepared to bolt and hide. This could get ugly.” He sighed and shrugged. “Not like that’s a surprise.”

  The young kitsune scowled, her auburn fox ears perked intently forward. “Then why face them at all?”

  Alex blinked. “Because…” Then he chuckled softly. “You’re right. Why fight them at all? And this entire place is just a minute away from collapsing.”

  He peered intently at the rafters above, suddenly realizing what a fool he was being. With carefully concealed air ducts aplenty, it would be nothing to Bullrush up and slip outside the building on the far side of the newly alarmed Spirit Wolves, who were finally realizing that something unexpected was occurring. Alex found himself suddenly privy to their conversation.

  “What the hell’s going on, Tan Wu? The captain told us it would be only minutes before we could ambush and challenge the Ruidian.”

  “How the hell should I know, fool?”

  “Shut up, pups, something’s wrong!” snapped a gruffer voice. “That pillar’s about to collapse! Look out; the assignment center’s collapsing!”

  Alex indulged in a wolf-like grin of his own. “I don’t suppose you’d care to make a stop at the library?”

  “Anywhere but here, hero,” she said with a smile that couldn’t quite hide the fear behind her gaze.

  And between one second and the next, Alex was leaping for the rafter and out of the massive hall, having to hold back a roar of exhilaration as he pushed himself to the utmost as he blinked through the air so fast not a single soul glanced his way, though his Qi reserves plummeted. The sound of a massive edifice of hardwood and stone collapsing with a roar instantly faded as Alex raced for the library, catching naught but a few snapshots in time as all heads turned to the scene of devastation.

  And by the time anyone thought to turn around and go about their normal business, all of those who didn’t go rushing for the assignment center, there was no sign of Alex beyond the rustling of trees by the library on a near windless day.

  You have saved versus calamity. You have successfully chained Bullrush forty-two times without causing injury to your passenger! No enemy cultivator spots you as you blink through the air!

  You now intuitively sense how to carry up to 1 additional passenger safely while using this ability for double normal cost!

  Bullrush is now Rank 8!

  Forest Flight Diffuse Movement Perk is now in effect, though you are swaying on a single branch!

  Cherry trees accept your boon! You are now a Friend of the Grove!

  Grove uses your abundant spiritual energy to enrich foliage and seed new sprouts!

  Your camouflage has increased!

  Power Healing engaged!

  “Hero?”

  Alex smiled. “Name’s Alex.”

  A soft chuckle rose from the girl still holding him so tightly as they rested in deepest shadow within the bower of the largest cherry tree, as if the dense camouflage of the rustling branches and leaves wasn’t already beyond what mortal eyes could pierce.

  “Mine is Xun Hu. Alex?”

  “Yes, Xun Hu?”

  “Why are we sitting in a tree beside the most securely guarded building in this entire academy, when the Headmaster himself is roaring for his lackeys to attend to him immediately, and why did you just spray this tree with so much of your lifeblood?”

  Alex responded with a weary smile, inspecting the neat incision on his wrist as it healed to flawless skin before his eyes.

  Because Xun Hu’s unspoken words were right. This was madness, and he too had to fight not to tremble before the crushing weight of a Gold,
so like the presence of the cockatrice that had nearly paralyzed him, along with his first friends in this world, and every single beast for miles around. Fortunately, it wasn’t quite that intense, and, most importantly to him, the presence was moving away.

  Heading right toward the ruins of the job center.

  Alex turned to the girl. “It was a gift to the tree for working so diligently to keep us hidden in leaves and shadow, because I can’t port myself safely out. Not until dawn’s light washes away death’s weight from my soul. My enemies will kill me if I don’t play my cards perfectly, and the one place none of my foes expect me to be hiding is right here. Sitting with a beautiful girl in the branches of a cherry tree, just a dozen or so yards away from the library I don’t ever dare enter again.”

  The girl smiled. “Sweet words, but I know I’m the farthest thing from any boy’s fancy, especially after…” She swallowed and shuddered. He gently squeezed her shoulders as the friend he hoped to be, but she gave an angry shake of her head. “Weakness is beneath me,” she said, so softly that Alex could barely hear it. Forced to wonder if she had spoken the words aloud at all.

  She abruptly turned and caught his gaze. “You’ve saved my life, and I owe you more than I’ll ever be able to repay.” Her smile grew sad. “The least I can do is reveal a few of my clan’s secrets… secrets torn free by our enemies, even as we were left to rot in chains.”

  Alex clenched his jaw but forced himself to nod. “For your clan’s losses…”

  “You tore free his soul and sent him to a place darker than hell. I don’t need your tears, only your strength,” she said with her smile, her eyes pinning his own once more.

  Alex’s heart began to pound. If there was even a chance… and after what that monster did to her…

  Alex clenched his jaw so tightly, his tooth cracked.

  He glared up at the heavens. “Anyone who touches my clan, I will destroy, WiFu. I will show no mercy. Not now, not ever!”

  Of course, there was no response. How could there be? Just the rustling of the branches all around, a scratchy whisper that almost seemed to say, “Hunt well, little fox. May the last card in play be your own.”

  And by the way Xun Hu gasped and shook, Alex wasn’t the only one reading too much into the rustle of branches and leaves. But all he chose to say aloud was, “There were a couple elder cultivators who actually did me a good turn. The least I can do is offer them shelter from the storm to come.” He could not keep the bitterness from his smile. “Assuming it hasn’t swept them away already.”

  “A storm led by a Gold out for blood,” Xun Hu noted. “You play a dangerous game, hero.”

  Alex shrugged sadly, meeting her emerald green eyes. “It’s the only game I seem able to play.” Then he hissed, his gaze transforming to one of awed disbelief. “I don’t believe it.”

  “Don’t believe what?”

  Alex chuckled softly. “I knew it was just a shot in the dark. A gesture for my cover story tomorrow, and a good faith effort, so one less stone would weigh down my conscience when next I dared sleep. But this?” He shook his head, earning a confused look from Xun Hu.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You see that elderly man and ageless-looking woman by his side, strolling this way right now?”

  “Yes, of course. Wait, you mean…”

  Alex smiled and nodded. Serendipity least expected when tragic irony seemed the norm.

  But there was no denying the serene countenance of Elder Ru, whom Alex knew to be a deep Silver who had managed to endure for countless centuries, for all that he looked like the gentle doting grandfather of the strikingly beautiful woman beside him, who was herself radiating a spiritual pressure near the equal of Ru’s own.

  And Alex felt a perilous chill racing up and down his spine, realizing he wasn’t nearly so clever as he had thought, or perhaps his hoped-for allies were just that much more powerful… when the pair calmly stopped just under the tree he was perched upon, gazing upward with curious smiles.

  “My, how magnificent our favorite tree is looking today, grandfather,” said a mirthful Chun An.

  “Indeed it is, beloved granddaughter. Never have I seen her cherries so ripe and vibrant, rich as blood and a god’s boon of mischief and wonder.”

  Chun An snorted. “And I wouldn’t dare pluck a single one.”

  “Probably for the best, my dear. I prefer the quiet eddies of a peaceful life, not being forced into roaring rapids which promise either glory or destruction, but a very short life, either way.”

  Alex was relieved to note that they were the only ones even glancing their way.

  Heart racing, he forced himself to meet the gaze of the smiling Elder, whose eyes hinted at a will strong enough to crush countless lesser men.

  “Ah. I do believe our little fox dares to peek at us from his burrow. And how are you this fine day, Wild One?”

  Alex swallowed, knowing he was putting his life in peril if his sense of their virtue was a fool’s delusion, giving too much credit to a pair of Deep Silvers forged in a world where ruthless predation was the norm. But still, recalling the genuine joy the pair had for all of the aspirants who had actually broken through to the Silver Plateau… he couldn’t believe coldest apathy or dark malice had lain beneath their smiles.

  Yet as deeply as he felt that truth, it was another thing entirely to pin his life to that hope.

  Instead of responding directly, he took a deep whiff of the cherry blossoms by his cheek and smiled, the tree’s foliage now so thick and resplendent with pink blossoms and ripe, red cherries radiating so much Woodland Qi, it truly was a wonder the Deep Silvers had seen him at all.

  “Luscious and ripe, with all the peril and promise of the wilds, just as you had said.” He gazed intently at Elder Ru. “But it’s an honest peril, dare you savor the Deepwood’s blood-red prizes, unlike other crimson treasures that sparkle with brilliant flame. Captive sunlight flashes all the more brilliantly for the chains willfully binding it in a jewel that shines as brightly as the blood of countless trusts broken, crimson letters of betrayal sweeping fresh meanings into oaths twisted beyond all recognition.”

  Elder Ru tilted his head, eyes twinkling with something other than sunlight, then turned to Chun An, who Alex could swear was looking right at the kitsune trembling against him, no matter that even he could feel the intense flood of Shadow Qi suddenly washing over them both.

  “What interesting rumors one hears in the twisting of branches and the rustle of leaves. As if Nature herself has reservations against the shifting tides of fortune sweeping through Baidushi and, dare I say it, our home as well.”

  Chun An nodded with exquisite grace, as was her way, her smile strangely sympathetic. “And those who refuse to bend to the will of the howling storm, like blades of spineless grass, risk being shattered to kindling by the pounding fury so very like the winds of wars which we tell our children never happened. Even the thickest of oaks risks splintering under such a storm.”

  She then pointedly turned in the direction of the former assignment center, and even Alex could sense the panic and fear radiating from that direction. An entire grand hall continued sinking into the most perilous of all rivers that would spell instant death to any mortal who dared to touch those frigid currents.

  Alex felt a jolt of despair with her pronouncement, before finally realizing the profound truth right before him. No matter their words of caution, neither of them wore a single Ruby upon their person, their sashes snow white, without a trace of rust or crimson.

  He swallowed but resisted the desperate squeeze of the suddenly panicked kitsune beside him. “And what if I were to tell you that there was a way past the violent storms of tyrants and madmen; a door, if you will, leading to shelter that would allow one to weather any storm?

  Those words earned him a pair of hard-eyed stares, all banter gone from gazes inflexible as steel.

  Willpower check successful!

  It was all he could do no
t to freeze in mortal terror, as if his soul truly was being measured in those moments, with Xun Hu trembling and whimpering aloud like a pup in mortal terror for her life.

  After endless moments, Chun An and Elder Ru exchanged glances. “The little fox is as bold as his master, granddaughter.”

  Chun An gave the old man an unreadable smile. “Clearly. And yet his gaze is that of a man who believes utterly in what he says.”

  Elder Ru shrugged. “And what could be more dangerous than a madman sincere in his insanity?”

  “The homicidal prince who killed his king and hunted down his remaining kin for the last ten years, and who now holds your school in the palm of his ruby-encrusted hand,” Alex snapped, no longer willing to mince words. “A monster who has smuggled countless hundreds, perhaps thousands, of elite Bronze-ranked soldiers across the border, and who has every intention of claiming Princess Liu Li as his wife and destroying anything and anyone who gets in his way.”

  His expression hardened. “A man who directly suborned countless numbers of your peers, and I suspect your headmaster as well. A man who arranged for the replacement of your job clerk with an infernalist who did his utmost to fill the hands of unsuspecting aspirants with tainted contracts that would have immediately bound their souls, enslaving them to unfillable quotas in the rifts that kill so many of your kind, or forcing them to serve the Red Prince as slaves in all but name.”

  Elder Ru paled, gaze now sharp as a blade and utterly free of humor. “Do you even know the peril in saying such things aloud, fool?”

  “He risks nothing,” said the suddenly bold girl beside him. “For Shadow cloaks him from all mortal players.”

  “And of those above?” hissed Lady Chun An, eyes crackling with sudden tension.

  Alex sensed Xun Hu wilting under the powerful Silver’s glare.

  “They are not something you need to worry about,” he said with cold smile. “So long as I’m the one speaking.”