Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior’s Path

by Johnson, M. H.

  But he had done nothing to ward the floor they were stepping on as the entire chamber began to fill with what could only be a Gold’s transcendent flame. Alex shuddered. It was as if he was looking directly at the blindingly bright fires of the surface of the sun, roaring on all sides of the pyramid. Fire so intense and all-encompassing that the stone floor itself reached smoking hot temperatures even inside the small refuge, cooking Alex’s feet as he quickly gathered the terrified kitsune girl in his arms to protect her feet, at least, from being seared and blackened.

  Qi Absorption with Fire specialization absorbs 80% of damage taken. Power Healing engaged!

  You have successfully closed World Seed Gate!

  Biting his lip against agony as the jets of fire slipping in from the cracks between stone tiles and impenetrable pyramid walls scorched his feet from all angles, he already knew he dared not try to deflect it with Xun Hu in his arms, sensing the harm the sudden jostling and the need to drop her would cause.

  After a good thirty seconds, the deadly flames continued to roar. And were it not for the incredible boon of his Chamber of Doors, he would surely have been cooked alive. There was a reason why masters of flame were to be feared, especially in closed off chambers where they could cast the most hideous of destructive spells from behind a protective wall of flame before slamming shut doors like the Jade one Alex had tried to open, and distant laughter could be heard echoing through the chamber.

  “How do you like that, Headmaster? Just desserts for daring to threaten a Prince of the Yellow!”

  Alex wanted to howl with frustrated fury. But instead, his heart lurched when he scrutinized the desperately gasping Xun Hu, sweat-coated cheeks a bright red. Only now, he realized that despite the wonder of his portals, the superheated stones cooking the soles of his feet were also heating up their tiny shelter as they were baked by the increasingly hot air surrounding them. And while his Rank 12 Eternal Fox might actually be able to handle the steadily rising heat, even feeding upon the elevated temperature as added energy to channel and absorb, Xun Hu had only minutes remaining, at most.

  “Hold on, Xun Hu. This heat will only last a moment, I promise!”

  Closing his eyes for focus and shame, he did his best to make good on his word.

  Willpower check successful! Simple Gate successfully summoned under extreme circumstances. Congratulations! Summon Portal is now Rank 4!

  Between one heartbeat and the next, most of the floor was replaced by a gate just over a cool woodland stream, instantly dropping the temperature as blazing hot stone was superimposed by a rolling river. Alex gently eased the feverish kitsune’s legs in, delighting in her relieved smile, though he knew it was a stopgap measure, and that the deadly hot air within the chamber had to be vented as soon as possible.

  “How are you feeling?”

  The young girl trembled in his grip. “Like I just escaped fiery death.” She gazed solemnly at the fearsome inferno just beyond their triangular shelter, before gazing back at him with something close to awe. “You knew. Somehow, you actually knew!”

  “Knew what?”

  Then he got it, and instantly started laughing, the pair of them soon howling with mirth. Because of course Alex’s cynical, half-mocking prediction had been absolutely and utterly correct.

  “Had you not been so paranoid about divine vindictiveness that you took the time to loot the whole damned library before we dared to proceed even a single step further, it would have been absolutely incinerated with that attack!” Xun Hu giggled as the cold river water quickly cooled the cracked stone tiles bordering the lip of their pyramid, their legs splashing carefree in the water as they witnessed the blazing inferno just beyond their sanctuary.

  Xun Hu gave an awed shake of her head. “Just how mad with hate are those gods above?”

  “As vindictive and spiteful as the most power-mad villain in your favorite stories, I’m sure, with so many centuries of limitless power assuring they need never feel an ounce of hesitation or regret about a single decision they make, no matter how many lives they destroy,” Alex declared, silently noting how ruthless a killer he himself had become in his desperate fight for survival, now determined to do whatever it took to claim the prizes he needed. Despite the regret he almost felt at his transformation, he still had no intentions of holding back, now that it was clear that the gods above would make damn sure no cultivation academy ever played fair with him in this life, or any other.

  “Then again, at this point, after tearing free multiple soul stones and destroying at least one soul for all time, I’m not sure I’m that much better.”

  “So what now?”

  Alex furrowed his brow. “Now we have to vent the library. But all my portals are currently tied up, which puts me in an awkward position, because the only one which no friend is counting on is the one blocking the entrance.”

  Then his face lit with an evil grin. “And how much do you want to bet that our enemies are filling the second floor library hall even now, trying to slip through that portal?”

  The kitsune’s vengeful smile matched his own. “Somehow, I seriously doubt the headmaster would allow any legitimately honest cultivator who is not already bound to him, body and soul, overhear him roaring about how a certain Ruidian got the best of him.”

  Alex chuckled darkly. “My thoughts exactly. But just to be sure…”

  As one, they stepped out of the water, Xun Hu giving a nervous nod. “But only for a few seconds, okay? The stream is a wonder, and if that’s closed off…”

  Alex nodded. “But when the gate is open, we’re not hit with the heat of the stone as much. Still, I’ll keep it brief.”

  Summon Portal skill check made! You have successfully summoned Complex Portal linked to your current plane. Limited transfer (radiation in visible light spectrum, sound within standard decibel range permitted.)

  Within seconds, the stream had been replaced by what was, for all intents and purposes, a see-through panel showcasing a furiously gesticulating Headmaster Sudong. The infuriated leader fumed at a pair of cultivators radiating the power of deadly Golds, just like himself, all of them staring helplessly at the portal before them.

  “Well, fools? Fix this gate! That damned disciple of the Fox must have done something. There is no other explanation! He seeks to rob us. To rob us blind, just like his cursed master, forever stealing from his betters! Well, I will not be made a mockery by some bastard half-breed! You will open this gate, and you will bring me his head!”

  The closest of the pair of Golds bowed low before the hot-eyed headmaster, and it was clear to Alex that not another soul was in sight. “Forgive us, Headmaster, but there is nothing we can do. The tunnel has been twisted out of true alignment. Instead of leading to our pocket sanctuary, it instead leads to the other side of the gate, just as if someone were stepping through a mirror. Or, well… a door.”

  “I know that, fool! Now fix it!”

  Alex’s smile grew all the wider at their desperate nods.

  “Right away, sir,” said the closest, jumping through once more.

  And this time, he went through.

  The headmaster’s pursed lips widened in a feral smile. “Success! Soon, Ruidian. Soon, you will pay for—“

  The threat was immediately cut off as the Gold emerged from the portal covered in flame, screaming for all he was worth and earning the headmaster’s furious glare, before Sudong and his cohorts and the library at large were bathed in a storm of superheated air.

  You have successfully formed Complex Gate spanning half of inner sanctuary chamber! Exit point: Library Gate. Twenty Qi Spent.

  You have successfully damaged Rising Phoenix Library!

  You have successfully inflicted Medium Wound to Gold-ranked assistant! (Inhalation Damage)

  You have successfully inflicted Superficial Wound to Gold-ranked assistant (Fire specialist)

  You have successfully inflicted Medium wound to Headmaster Sudong! (Inhalation Damage)

  Gol
d-ranked wards prevent further damage!

  Alex indulged in a vindictive, satisfied smile to hear the panicked screams and roars of the Golds so eager to kill him.

  Perhaps they had only suffered the slightest of wounds, air being one element that no cultivator save Alex himself would dare ward against, and superheated air that had little to do with a direct Qi attack was no doubt the last thing they were expecting.

  But still, the fear he had seen in their eyes, the panic as he sensed at least two fires blazing within the second-floor stacks, filled his hardened heart with furious glee.

  He refused to play the fool, though, quickly shifting his gate to a location that had once filled him with awe. He cast his mind all the way back to the time when he had glimpsed a particularly spectacular view of snowcapped mountains in the distance while he had raced along the High Road with his mentor the alchemist Liu Jian and Liu Li, who was now somehow a princess, what had only been a few years ago. A fresh pair of gates formed between opposite sides of the library just as soon as he closed the one superimposed over the exit, the new openings filling the library with ice cold howling winds, just as he knew they would.

  Within seconds, the library was as chill as the mountain peeks glittering with ice and snow, though he knew it would warm up soon enough with the heat trapped in the stones at their feet.

  So he shrunk one gate sufficient to keep the inner chamber filled with ice cold air, even as he superimposed the final one back over the gate to the library, chuckling despite himself when he thought of the Headmaster’s unbridled fury at finding himself skipping to just beyond the gate once more.

  That is, assuming he dared to try the gate ever again.

  But with fear of the Red Prince’s displeasure, to say nothing of the Emperor, should he ever catch wind of these annexation antics—and perhaps far worse, to his mind, being locked out of his library? Alex couldn’t even fathom what punishments a man ruling over twenty Earth-sized territories might bring to bear.

  One thing was for sure.

  No matter what else might happen, Sudong and his henchmen would be doing all they could to unlock the riddle of that gate.

  Xun Hu’s questioning gaze met his own. “Alex?”

  Alex smiled, solemnly putting his hand through the closest gate serving as a de facto wall of force. At least for anyone who didn’t have permission to pass through. He smiled with satisfaction. “Feels as cool as a fall day. As long as you have boots on, you should be fine.”

  She coughed, glancing down at her bare feet. “I sort of don’t?”

  His cheeks flushed with shame. He really had been neglecting his rescuee.

  The kitsune smirked at his expression. “You saved my life, maybe twice over, and you’ve been fighting for your own. If you’re that concerned for my comfort, you can always buy me a wardrobe’s worth of dresses and shoes once we get out of here.” Shaking her head at his continued embarrassment, she laughed. “Alex, you already gave me more gold than my family would earn in a season, after winning it off fat merchants who failed to pay their tithes.”

  Alex blinked at that. And when she flinched and turned away, haunted by sudden bitter memory, he was gracious enough not to press. “Good. Then fancy clothes and shoes it is, and all the qipaos you like, once we get out of here, assuming we can find a city not instantly hostile to us.”

  He then turned to regard the massive jade door, already knowing what his next move had to be.

  You have successfully summoned Basic Portal. Portal is presently blocking Jade Door. Portal can only be penetrated by yourself, or any object you are carrying. 5 Qi Spent.

  “Cheng Lei, can you hear me? Prince of The Yellow? Whoever you are, I’m not your enemy! I promise you I loathe the headmaster every bit as much as you do!”

  “Ha! Of course you would say that!” snapped a furious voice from beyond the door, making it clear they could hear his every word.

  Then a second voice echoed through the chamber, one that lifted his heart to hear.

  “Alex? Is that you? Saint’s Mercy! Please tell me you’re alright!”

  “Wait, you know this fool?”

  “Of course I do, Caojin! I told you to hold!”

  “Your caution would have gotten us killed!”

  Alex and Xun Hu exchanged a look. “Audio communication is obviously fully operational,” he noted with a smirk.

  “Alex! Truly, my friend, there is nothing I’d like more than to open that door and greet you like the brother to me that you are!” said Chen Lei. “But I fear my faith in you is not something the rest of us share.”

  “Oh, I can take care of myself, no matter who he is,” Caojin corrected aloud. “But I’m afraid the steps I’d have to take, should your faith in our unexpected guest prove misplaced, would mean a certain prince and princess would be fried to a crisp.” His voice went from exasperated to puzzled. “You, out there. Are you a Fire specialist? There’s no way you should even be alive, and your lungs should have been burned to ash, if you haven’t already choked on poison fumes.”

  Alex laughed at that. “I’m happy to report that the air’s fine. Fresh as a winter breeze, actually.”

  This earned him a wry chuckle. “I’m afraid I find that hard to believe. Just as much as I do the claim that you’re a Ruidian, when any fool knows you must be a high-ranking wujen at the very least. Did LanTu nation or the imperial clan actually get our messages?”

  Alex shrugged, though he knew no one could see it. “Sorry, no idea. I just came here to raid the library before leaving this shithole for good. Thought I’d stop by and offer you guys a way out, if anyone’s interested, before you tried to deep-fry me.”

  Caojin laughed. “Spoken like the cockiest of wandering heroes in all the tales on Bard’s Row. Delightful!”

  “Alex, are you truly alright?” asked Cheng Lei, his tone still noticeably worried.

  “Never better,” Alex declared. “Now, are you going to open this door so we can all port out of here safely, or should I just take my leave?”

  “Wait, no need to be so damned hasty,” declared a suddenly panicked Caojin. Alex could hear the door shifting as if being opened before suddenly stopping, his voice abruptly turning hard and serious. “But first, I need your cultivator’s oath that you aren’t intending to injure, poison, murder, waylay, or deceive us, or lead us into any trap or ambush, or planning to reveal our location once we leave here.”

  Alex furrowed his brow.

  “Alex, please.” Cheng Lei’s concerned voice, conveying both that he knew it was a tall request to make such a binding request to one’s would-be rescuer in a world where oaths could so easily be twisted against a would-be hero, and that he hoped Alex would be gracious enough to comply, regardless.

  Alex sighed. “I swear that it is not my intention to injure, murder, impair, delay, trap or ambush you, and I have no desire to reveal to any hostile party where exactly my secret base is, in any case. Of course, my good faith intentions last only so long as you, in turn, swear not to attempt to harm, poison, impede, murder, or steal from me or my friends. Though of course accidental jostling, use of supplies in good faith, and agreed-upon sparring matches and training are exempt. Will you swear to that as well?”

  “Done,” said the pair of men in concert, delaying not a moment further as the door was opened just a crack, revealing a powerfully built young man who radiated the fearsome potency of a newly minted Gold as he met Alex’s gaze. His gold-threaded changshan tunic with an undershirt of pristine white cotton and pants of finely tailored linen and silk that shimmered like living flame with more than a few jeweled rings and pendants exuding the potent spiritual energy of priceless magical treasures, meant that he looked every inch the royal scion he no doubt was.

  He wasn’t handsome by any stretch of the imagination, with his thick brow and heavy features, but he oozed vitality and a fiery potency that could only belong to a Gold. His hard features split into a wry grin.

  “Cheng Lei wasn’t kiddin
g. You truly are a Ruidian.”

  Alex solemnly bowed at a 45-degree angle. “This Bronze humbly greets the Gold before him. May our relationship be long and mutually beneficial.”

  The formality earned him a smirk, though the dark eyes now locked with his own were burning with curiosity. “And how the hell does a Ruidian know I’ve just broken through?”

  Cheng Lei, now at his side, chuckled politely. “Our dear Alex is a man of many talents, and is not to be underestimated under any circumstances, despite having only taken the first crucial steps of his cultivation journey.”

  Caojin shrugged. “The fact that he’s even alive attests to this.” He scowled, taking in the state of the room at large. “Damn. I had feared that would be the case.” He clenched his jaw and shook his head. “Grandfather will not be pleased.”

  Alex affected polite curiosity at that. “Pleased about what?”

  Caojin’s scowl grew. “The fact that this library was destroyed.” His eyes flashed dangerously. “And I assume we can all agree that the blame lies at the feet of Sudong alone, for daring to imprison a Royal Scion!”

  Alex dipped his head. “If that asshole of a headmaster hadn’t been gloating about having you all in chains before the Red Prince, I have no doubt that not a single book would be burned. And I have no problem swearing that before anyone,” he said, Xun Hu nodding her agreement.

  The odd declaration earned Alex a bemused smile. “I see you understand how this game is played. Now, I assume that when you said you had secured passage out of here, you were completely serious and know the whereabouts of a safe and unguarded exit point leading away from this accursed academy?”

  Holding back a smirk of his own, Alex solemnly nodded.

  The man before him breathed a sigh of relief. “Excellent. I assume that a noble title and a yearly stipend of say, two thousand gold crowns annually, would be sufficient reward for your services today?”

  Alex’s eyes widened at the offer, sharing a glance with an equally stunned Xun Hu. But now it was Cheng Lei chuckling. “Fear not, Alex. My associate is jesting, I’m sure. The least you deserve is administerial rights over the trade town of your choice, should you wish to put your father’s mercantile acumen to good use in the years to come. Or perhaps you wish to settle down at the choicest of estates with a yearly stipend of, say five thousand gold?” He winked. “And if that doesn’t suit your fancy and you’d rather study and train with the best masters LanTu nation has to offer… just say the word, kung fu brother, and I’d happily have you by my side when Cui Li and I return to my palace, once we are wed. You know there will always be a seat at my table with your name on it, should you desire.”