Besides, now that he was focusing so hard on it, he could sense the tiny strings of black karma connecting him to them. Men who had every reason to hate him. His actions had devastating consequences on their operation, just as his interference had proven such a boon for the city behind him.
"Silver Fox."
"Say nothing. I already know. Just concentrate on the fog. What do you see?"
He focused on those black strings, sensing not just death rapidly approaching, but sensing larger, yet more ephemeral strands connecting him to objects within those misty waters.
Then his eyes widened as it all clicked into place.
Dark blotches within the misty white fog. Several of them.
No, more than several.
Far more.
His eyes widened in growing horror.
"Silver Fox! There's at least a hundred ships out there!"
But when he spun around, he got no response.
Inspector WiFu was gone.
There was nothing but mist and fog, as far as the eye could see.
And then he heard voices that filled him with dread, hulking figures appearing out of the darkness.
Possessing wild beards and pale eyes that blazed with a hot fury, the hulking men were dressed in vests of toughened rawhide over sailors’ jerkins, each of them wielding cutlasses. Behind the pair was a third man dressed in leather boots and a hooded robe. For some reason, his pale green eyes were filled with fear. "There he is. Just as Master Sils foretold. Avenge our brothers' deaths!"
And Alex took advantage of the small flask he had hidden about his person that thankfully the corrupt patrolman hadn't understood the significance of. But back then, with his wrists painfully bound, it had done him no good.
His wrists were free now, however.
Technique check successful!
It seemed a 9 Quickness had been successfully compensated by his deliberate practice in the ship. He took a quick gulp of the flask's contents, but forbore to swallow, for all that the tingling in his mouth would have driven him mad if he weren't terrified for his life now as he had been then.
One heartbeat had passed, and the men had already closed the distance.
A quick shuffle to his knees and Alex had picked up several stones with desperately questing fingers.
"Kill him!" Roared the mage as the pair quickly closed.
But not before Alex had thrown his rock, the farmost swordsman lurching back as he grunted with the blow.
Even if his Finesse score was only 9, Alex had played a lot of baseball once upon a time, and for a human teenager back on Earth, he was considered pretty athletic.
Or had been, before cancer had ravaged his body.
In any event, his throw had brought him a few seconds.
Just long enough for the closest swordsman to snarl and thrust with his blade, looking to end the struggle with a vicious disembowelment.
Before abruptly stumbling to the ground, shrieking and clawing his own face off as Alex spat his mouthful before desperately dodging and rolling aside, heart racing as he came all too close to rolling right off the ledge to the rocky shoals below.
The stream of caustic poisons had scored a telling glow, the dying sailor screaming as his face and eyes hissed and bubbled before his back abruptly arched back, feet drumming upon the ground as he frothed at the mouth, face now a bubbling mass of putrefying flesh.
Intimidation check made!
"Your turn, and then I take the wizard's soul!" Alex roared, the second sailor and the wizard lurching back in the seconds they could have kicked Alex right off the ledge he had almost slid from as he took a second swig of the toxic brew and smiled. He boldly stomped toward the fallen man and grabbed his cutlass before approaching the now hesitant pair, very deliberately keeping the second anxious sailor between himself and the mage.
A single summer's worth of HEMA fencing made him a pathetic student compared to any true saberman, but he was worlds beyond anyone who had never picked up anything more swordlike than a baseball bat, which of course could be a fine weapon all on its own, though the techniques for blades versus clubs were vastly different.
Keeping his blade in high guard with the blade pointed low, he slashed not for the sailor's body, but for his enemy's wrist, the man snarling and darting back, and Alex put pressure on the man whose off-hand was raised defensively, as if to catch any poison Alex my spray.
Alex grinned, closing distance, feinting for the sword wrist then slashing for the vulnerable hand.
The man hissed and pulled his hand back, at which point Alex sliced open his right wrist.
It was a thin cut, but blood had been spilled, the man gazing at Alex in wide-eyed surprise, as if unable to believe the strange foreigner actually knew how to fence.
At which point Alex spat half his mouthful of caustic poison, catching the rapidly ducking man only on his right cheek.
But it was enough.
And how the man screamed and clawed his ear, not spasming and dying yet, but in no position to fight as Alex tossed his second rock, left-handed, at the flinching mage.
His rock didn't come close to hitting, being as he was a right-hander, but it didn't matter. The mage had been so badly cowed and horrified that he took any attack seriously, flinching for all that his forcefield was up.
And for all that his enemy's hands blazed with fire, Alex didn't hesitate to slam into him, taking a gamble that the field might ward against attacks rupturing the field, but not against him shoving the field as a whole.
You have strained your shoulder! You have suffered 10 damage and one Light Wound! You have saved versus stun!
You have suffered burn damage! 15 Health and 1 additional Light Wound taken!
The mage abruptly laughed as Alex stumbled to the ground, his shoulder wrenched. The sickening stench of his forearms being seared by the fiery grip of the mage made him dizzy with pain.
It was all he could do not to cry out.
To wait for that vital moment, his nemesis's gaze cocky and sure.
Lurching back to his feet, pressing forward, spitting upon the fiery rightmost hand gripping his smoldering forearm.
"Fool! You thought to best me so easily?" Sneered the mage.
Then his eyes widened as he inhaled the billowing smoke from the flaming hand Alex had spat the remainder of his mouthful of highly flammable poison upon. Alex's gamble that he could shove the enemy mage back despite his forcefield had been utterly wrong. It really was a fantastic defense. But Alex already knew their forcefields were permeable to gases, and the fiery hands that took such delight in searing his flesh were the perfect catalyst to set his caustic brew ablaze.
The mage began choking and gasping and sobbing, his protective ward flickering out, wide eyes filled with horror as he struggled just to breathe.
Alex's hand stopped a heartbeat from touching the glimmering red Jewel, certain he already had a copy in storage, and he dared not absorb yet another soul directly.
Both surviving men were shrieking or gurgling, and if other invaders were to use that fog to hone in on him… Alex realized he had no choice. His countenance was both hard and grim as he gazed down at the writhing mage, cutlass clenched tightly in his fist.
Then he heard a faint clap as Inspector WiFu seemed to materialize out of the fog, his wide-brimmed hat tilted just enough for Alex to catch sight of bemused silver-green eyes and a roguish grin. An offhand stray thought wondered if he'd see fox ears hidden in the man's thick silken mane of hair if he dared to lift up the hat and look.
No doubt a certain young lady recently fallen from grace had found them absolutely adorable.
"Well done, little mouse. Utterly untrained, with a laughable lack of any sort of cultivation base or martial skill, yet clever enough to think on your feet and use all the tools at your disposal." He gave a considering nod, having stepped carefully back from the mage's extinguished hand, still exuding traces of poisonous fumes. "I no longer think it quite a stretch, your story of ho
w one little mouse managed to sink an entire ship."
Alex grimaced. "Mostly it's because of the poison I can spit."
WiFu nodded. "Mostly. Remind me not to introduce you to any young ladies."
"Ha, ha. Very funny."
"Not for the ladies."
Alex rolled his eyes. "I take it we're capturing the survivors?" In truth, he was relieved. Though he had been prepared to do it, he didn't really want to slice the throat of the panicked mage.
His compatriot flashed a wicked smile. "You say that like there's more than one."
Alex blinked, as the billowing fog chose that moment to part, and Alex hissed to catch sight of half a dozen bodies. Only the first man he had killed still had his head.
Inspector WiFu flashed brilliant streaks of silver Alex only realized was a pristinely forged pair of Dao when they had already been sheathed, before pulling out a pair of metal cuffs much like the ones Officer Wan had used on him. Alex rubbed his own wrists in sympathy, and Inspector WiFu's icy voice was every bit as terrible as Judge Qin's had been when he coldly informed their wheezing, dying captive that if he wished any ending to his life other than a slow asphyxiation, he would cooperate.
"You will give me your word, mage. You will swear to come peacefully with me and submit yourself to questioning. In return, I will heal your lungs sufficient to breathe, and if you are truly lucky, you might just survive to see another summer. By my Qi I bind you. May your meridians burst and your soul forever corrode if you dare betray this oath, once given. What say you?"
The mage desperately nodded, and WiFu bent down to clasp the man's hands before suddenly freezing as a crimson crackling aura surrounded the mage and inspector both.
"Fool! That you would dare to think we would be so craven as to surrender ourselves to our inferiors! Now your life force will feed my own before I make this abomination pay—"
And whatever else he was going to say died off as Alex's palm smacked against the brilliantly glittering blood-red jewel embedded in the man's forehead, easily slipping through the shimmering matrix the mage had willed back into place.
The mage gazed up at him in horror. "No! My crystal is warded! You shouldn't be able to—
Hybrid Blood-Mage Relic has been exposed! Do you wish to claim Hybrid Blood Mage's potency?
"Yes!" Alex said the word like a curse as the man bucked and screamed, shriveling like a desiccated corpse. Alex flinched as hot pain flooded through him once more even as the throbbing scorch marks upon his forearms eased to a week-old burn that, if he was lucky, wouldn't scar.
Soul storage is reaching critical capacity. You presently have no class. Do you wish to take on the class of Hybrid Blood Mage?
Alex groaned as he shook away the prompt, refusing to permanently damn himself with a limited class to alleviate what he hoped was only temporary pain. Especially when he sensed incredible potential gazing at him, just feet away as Alex groaned and shuddered on the ground, doing all he could just to keep his inner matrix from bursting under the pressure he now felt.
Refusal acknowledged. 5 opposing elemental relics affiliated with Welton culture's arcane traditions have been discovered. New class has been synergized. Lesser Elementalist Bloodmage Hybrid Class is now available to you.
Alex's eyes widened at this. It explained the oddly blood-red jewel he had first thought symbolized flame alone. And had this wizard's hands been filled with some blood draining technique and not flame, Alex's own desperate gambit might have ended with his own death a notch in someone else's belt.
The inspector known as Silver Fox scowled at the corpse.
"No Dantian, no meridian channels, no Qi at all. His life force and all his potency were entwined within that jewel, just like a beast core. How very strange." He chuckled softly. "No wonder he broke his word so easily. Only a beast-binding would have worked on him."
He bent down, gazing calmly at Alex as he writhed and groaned, desperately struggling to contain the terrible power now churning within him.
"I fear whatever ails you is beyond my ability to cure. And much as it humbles this one to admit, it is now I that owes you."
Alex was thrown off by the strangely intent gaze the man gave him when the roaring seas of power flooding him had finally calmed sufficient for Alex to get up without feeling like he'd topple over as the pain finally subsided.
"How do you feel?"
Alex forced a wry grin. "Like I better choose a class damn soon, and not kill anyone in the meantime, lest I want to rupture like a melon tossed from a window."
Silver Fox chuckled softly. "Save for the occasional power-hungry cultivator, most citizens do well by following a policy centered around causing as little death and mayhem as possible. It certainly makes living in a city of millions so much easier."
Alex's eyes widened, gazing once more at the magnificent panorama behind him. "Millions? But, historically, it wasn't even until after antibiotics and sewage systems were firmly in place that city populations actually grew! Before then, they tended to shrink due to tainted water and overly cramped living conditions, coupled with poor diets. How can you possibly have millions in a society this primitive without everyone dying of disease?"
The Inspector frowned. "We are hardly primitive, boy. Is this another flash of insight from your previous life?"
Alex grimaced. "Perhaps."
The man nodded. "Well, most of your words make sense, and you have no cause for worry on that account. Sewers, aqueducts, herbalists, and cultivators who have chosen the healing path can all be found within this city. Fear not, we are well aware of the risks of tainted water. This empire was founded on a peerless infantry and impeccable central planning. And as for proper nourishment, this city, like most, has plenty of hunters who do their best to thin out lesser game before they overrun the endless forests beyond our city walls."
He flashed a grim smile. "Though we do lose a fair number to Remnants, Spirit Beasts, and magical creatures, there are always more young folk eager to risk their necks in a profession as ancient as man itself, where risk and reward go hand in hand."
Alex blinked. "You don't just raise livestock?"
Silver Fox grinned. "We do. Pigs, poultry, and cattle a plenty. But most men hunger for richer fare, filled with the spiritual energy of the wild world all around us. And with the ever abundance of wild herds that need culling, hunting serves both purposes at once."
He then turned back to the sea. "And now, lad, if you have recovered, there is far deadlier prey that demands our attention this night."
Alex swallowed and nodded, gazing out towards the mist-covered sea. He tried not to flinch as strong hands filled with the power of chaos and death squeezed his shoulders.
"Now gaze out to sea, lad, and do your best to spot those ships."
And for several anxious heartbeats, Alex saw nothing but mist-covered seas.
Sensing his odd host's frown, feeling the grip tighten upon his shoulders.
Words like cold steel seemed to pierce Alex's skull, sending chills down his spine. He was suddenly certain this Silver Fox character was far more than the charming, roguish inspector who might or might not have seduced the city lord's granddaughter. This was a man with a mission to save his city, who would do anything and everything in his power to make that happen.
And it would be effortless for someone who had decapitated near a dozen invaders to add one more to that body count if he thought Alex was holding out on him.
Which made Alex frown. How exactly had those sailors honed in on him through the fog in the first place?
His eyes widened as he remembered their early conversation regarding karma, the golden glow that seemed to bathe the city, and the odd patch of darkness over the man who had died before him at the docs, a death that arguably had been his fault, at least indirectly, to say nothing of the black patch surrounding the flames radiating from the ship he had managed to destroy. A ship whose dire fate was directly Alex's fault.
And perhaps that slight to h
is enemy's fleet had been all they had needed to somehow latch onto the man who did owe them a debt of sorts for the destruction he had wreaked among them.
Perhaps threads of karma were more than just a metaphor here.
Alex grimaced, struck by the mad impulse to gaze down at his shadow.
He blinked. It was night. How could there possibly be any shadows?
Then he saw it, the dark, undulating, shadowy threads emanating from his feet into the oddly luminescent nighttime mist covering the sea. And as he squinted, he could just make out the spindly threads that seemed to connect his soul to the endless scores of ships, all of them full of raiders eager to burn this city to the ground, and of course kill the boy who had turned their secret weapon against them.
Alex glared at the shadowy ships, somehow sensing their hate for him, feeling a fierce, hot burning in his gut as he felt no less hatred for the butchers who had been prepared to poison a city of millions.
His hands jutted unerringly forth, and somehow it wasn't strange at all that silvery strands suddenly flickered into being between his fingertips and a hundred enemy vessels.
WiFu gave a soft chuckle. "Well done, lad. Well done. Now quit staring at those impressive silver strands emanating from your hand. My Qi arts can work through you, as we are now fate linked, you and I. For I have saved your skin, and you have saved mine from considerable embarrassment. Imagine, being held captive for even a second by a mortal mage possessing no Qi or spiritual energy at all!"
Inspector WiFu gave a dramatic shudder before flashing a mischievous grin from beneath his wide-brimmed hat, quickly spinning around, pulling Alex back from the precipitous drop and the misty sea below to face a pair of furious-looking men fast approaching.
Alex trembled, falling to his knees.
From both rapidly approaching men, he sensed a crushing pressure that seemed to squeeze his very soul.
And if he were of a less generous mindset, he would think the inspector had been less interested in preventing Alex from suffering an unfortunate fall off the ledge than he was using Alex as a shield against the hot gazes of the pair of titans rapidly approaching.
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Reborn: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 1 Page 7