Time to get back to work, Cha Ming thought. He popped another Mind Like Ice, Soul Like Fire Pill and channeled starlight again. This time, he focused on the runes and the runic matrix of that very same pill. Thousands of different pathways for optimization appeared in his mind. He rejected most of them but kept a few, some based on their likelihood of success, and others on instinct. Every subsequent attempt would glean him more data, which he could use to refine his work and extrapolate future directions.
Huxian was seated cross-legged in the shop jointly owned by Miyue, Gua, and Bifang. Bifang was busy operating her rotisserie, and Gua was giving manicures, pedicures, and other spa treatments to demons who’d never felt so pampered in their lives. As for Huxian, he was busy. So was Miyue. The sea nymph sat before him, sweating and gritting her teeth as shards of space-time worked their way through her blood, purifying it.
“Stop. Stop!” she finally said in a hoarse voice.
Huxian continued just a little longer before stopping.
“Do you think that sort of endurance will be enough?” Huxian asked.
She looked at him resentfully. “Fine. Continue.” He did so, this time shaping space like needles and using the power of time to accelerate the progress. Though he could only change a bit of her demon body every time, hints of progress were starting to show. The ocean that was her body was no longer blue, but violet. It also contained an inky quality to it, largely due to the Inkwell Clan’s energy she’d been harvesting from nearby inky wells.
They continued for nearly an hour before Huxian finally stopped of his own initiative.
“Keep going,” Miyue said.
Huxian shook his head. “This can’t be rushed. Your will is important, but there’s only so much your body can handle. In the meantime, I’ll try to fish for more advanced techniques on bloodline refinement. Maybe I can find other bloodlines to fuse with yours.” He hesitated. “I’m sorry for not being able to do more.”
Her usual coy smile returned. She appeared beside him and held his arm. “Huxian, dearest, don’t be sorry. You already do so much for me. If only I could repay you adequately.” She blew softly in his year, and it caused him to shiver.
Calm down, Huxian thought. Sea nymphs are just like this. It was a game they played.
“Let’s continue tomorrow,” Huxian said. “I need to go on a short trip.”
“Oh?” Miyue said. “What kind of trip?”
“Oh, just a fun trip,” Huxian said. “No need to worry yourself.” She looked unconvinced. “What? I’m serious.”
“Sure you are,” Miyue said. “Remember, you’re supposed to be on vacation.”
“I am on vacation,” Huxian said. “Anyway, I’ll be back by morning for our usual session.” Only then did she relax.
Huxian left Miyue to rest and focused on his upcoming mission. There was no point in making her worry. Let her think he was having fun. The truth of it was far more complicated. While roaming the mountains the day before, he’d sensed three rakshasa. He had a space-time quest to complete and demon-energy bounties to claim. That aside, he was hoping to find a way to extract the Inkwell Clan bloodline they’d stolen. If he could work that into Miyue’s bloodline, he might even be able to get her shapeshifting abilities.
“You all right, bro?” Gua asked. Huxian snapped back to reality and realized he’d frozen in the stairwell. He walked out to see his friend massaging shampoo into a wolverine demon’s hair. The sharp-toothed man was practically purring as the toad worked his magic. His claws, which were wrapped in individual medicinal bandages, were being smoothed and softened.
“Yeah, I was just going over my shopping list,” Huxian said. “For medicinal ingredients.”
“Right…” Gua said, seeming unconvinced. “Well, be careful when you go out shopping. Wouldn’t want anything bad happening to you. When are you getting back?”
“Morning,” Huxian said.
“Well, be sure you have fun shopping,” Gua said. “Maybe you’ll happen to find some good ingredients for me that I can never seem to find in the market, and that my suppliers insist only grow in the wild.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty lucky, aren’t I?” Huxian said. “I’d better get going before Cha Ming needs more ingredients.”
“About that,” Gua said. “Make me a list. I have people who work for me that can take care of simple things. You can worry about your other shopping. The relaxing kind you like to brag about.”
“Really?” Huxian said. “All right. See you soon.” He put the list on the table, and after a few pointed questions, he wandered over to the rotisserie.
“Huxian!” Bifang said, hugging him as he entered the crowded place. A row of assistant chefs flinched at her sudden movements, nearly losing control over the seven-colored flames they were working with. The dining floor was full, and there was a line of people outside her shop waiting for their roast meat sandwiches. “Where did you go?”
“Oh, you know,” Huxian said. “Relaxing. Gambling. Fetching ingredients. I’m on vacation, you know.”
“Right…” Bifang said. “Well, I packed you some snacks. You know, just in case you found yourself too distracted by fun things to take the time to eat.” She gave him a low-quality spatial ring fully stocked with ten days’ worth of food for a normal demon. Which, to him, was about a day’s worth, assuming he didn’t forage.
“You’re the best,” Huxian said. “Tell Gua not to be too grouchy while I’m gone. And tell him I’ll definitely keep an eye out for those foot-bath ingredients he’s looking for.”
“The ingredients that are definitely not available on the market and can only be found in the wilds outside the city?” Bifang asked innocently.
“You know it,” Huxian said with a grin. “I might even get lucky and find those spices you’re looking for.”
Huxian whistled as he walked out of the shop, lunch in hand, clearly up for a day of debauchery and relaxation. Once he was out of sight, he hid in the shadows and began teleporting. A few dozen teleportations later, he was out of the spire again and well within the Phoenix Clan’s restricted areas.
“First things first, beat up that hunter and force him to help me,” Huxian muttered. When had the Zheng become so lazy? He had a schedule to keep and an image to maintain. No way he was letting a few stray rakshasa ruin either of them.
Chapter 25: Break-In
Far to the north of Stargazer City, and far away from any stationed troops, a door opened in the wilderness. A dragon, a demon hybrid, and eight badgers stepped out from a starlit place. The portal collapsed behind them, leaving nothing to chance. The enemy knew of their starry roads and had been known to infiltrate them.
What a ragtag team we are, Serrendil thought as she inspected the rest of the group. Silver Fish was being stoic as usual, despite the cuts and burns he’d suffered during their escape. As for the badgers… they had all kinds of different injuries, though the wounds to their pride seemed to sting them the hardest.
We should move, Silver Fish said, wrapping an enchanted cloth bandage around his arm. It tightened around a six-inch gap, staunching the bleeding and soaking up whatever inky blood hadn’t yet dripped onto the rocky forest ground. He had other wounds, but no time to mend them.
Can you cloak our entire group like before? Serrendil asked. They’d escaped the enemy encirclement, but that didn’t mean they had to be stupid. Silver Fish waved his hand, and the air around them darkened visibly, obscuring them in a way that seemed impossible unless you remembered what this world was really made of: ink. Every tree, every rock, and even the air they breathed was nothing but a massive painting. Most people were just oblivious to it.
You didn’t know either until I told you a few months back, the Clockwork Ancestor said, sensing her thoughts. Arrogance does not suit one so lacking in skill and knowledge.
You’re one to talk, Serrendil replied, chasing after Silver Fish and the others. The dragon was the most arrogant of them all. They swam through the thicker air, an
d it pushed them forward much like the wind would a sail.
Before long, they arrived at a tall tree where Silver Fish knocked a few times. A few nondescript birds with brown-and-tan plumage flew out and adopted their human forms.
“Any news?” Silver Fish asked.
“They’re convinced you headed west,” the avian demon said. “It should be many hours before they realize that isn’t the case.”
“Good,” Silver Fish said. “What about your scouting mission? How does the situation compare to a few months back?”
“They have a much larger force stationed in the mountains than they did weeks ago,” the demon scout said. “It seems they anticipate some sort of attack on the mountains. Management also changed hands a while back, and shipments have increased threefold since then. It seems someone from the Xia Clan has managed to improve on the Li Clan’s mining operations.”
“Do you know if they’ve broken into the vault?” Serrendil asked. That was the most important question. If the vault was compromised, their mission was moot. Clever Dusk had sent them to retrieve a treasure, one that could greatly increase their chances of surviving the war.
The scout shook his head. “We have no idea what’s happened inside. But we have noticed an increase in quality of the shipments. I can sense it through my bloodline ability, Eye of the Collector.”
“Maybe they found a way,” Silver Fish said.
“That could easily be from better mining,” Serrendil said doubtfully. “We should proceed, in my opinion.”
“Thank you,” Silver Fish said to the scout. “Please continue as before. And be careful. They might come in force if things don’t go as planned.”
“Regardless, they won’t see us,” the scout said, transforming back into a pigeon and flying away. No one ever suspects birds.
“I’m concerned,” Silver Fish said. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“So do I,” admitted Serrendil. “So if you want to back out, I’m all for that. I’ll go back to the prefecture and get my clan to safety. You can take care of this hopeless war.”
“No,” Silver Fish said, shaking his head. “We’ve come this far already.”
“Chieftain Clever Dusk has made it quite clear that we are doomed without this artifact,” Dashing Moon, the leader of the badgers, said. “My group will try, even if it means dying to the last.”
It was one of the many problems with the mission, Serrendil had noticed. Most of her teammates had a death wish. Silver Fish also wasn’t big on teamwork, though they’d managed to salvage a working relationship. They could do this. Barely.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that, Dashing Moon,” Silver Fish said. “Are you and your group ready?”
“Of course,” Dashing Moon said.
“Let’s swim,” Silver Fish said, and they continued their stealthy approach. The gentle inky waves barely caused ripples in the alarm perimeter. They crossed it like it wasn’t even there.
They passed sentries. Nothing major—only a few middle-rune-carving cultivators who weren’t exactly vigilant. They avoided the guards posted at the entrance to the mine and instead proceeded to the side of the mountain. Once there, Dashing Moon placed a hand on the wall. The stone melted away, revealing a pathway into the mountain. They followed him into the darkness.
The outside of the mountain was made of good hard stone, so the investiture-realm badger was quick and efficient. And the deeper they dug, the greater Serrendil’s powers grew. There was a reason the dragons had made their home in the mountains. There was a reason they’d been so loath to abandon it.
“I can’t go any farther,” Dashing Moon suddenly said, stopping their advance. The rock here had taken on a reddish hue and refused to move like the stone before. “We’ll have to find a way around this metal-rich vein.”
“Let me,” Serrendil said, pushing past the chattering badgers. She placed her hand on the wall, and it began to crumble away. The metal leeched out of the stone, leaving behind gritty slag that had lost all structural integrity. As for the metal? She absorbed it straight into her body. “Well? This rock isn’t going to clear itself.”
“I’d forgotten your kind could do that,” Dashing Moon said. He swept away the grit.
Together, they continued tunneling deeper and deeper, taking great care to avoid the passageways the humans used. It wasn’t difficult to keep track of the artificial walkways that were carved in stone but reinforced with metal.
They dug for hours before they arrived at a wall that wasn’t rock, ore, or dirt. It was a sheet of solid silver metal. Serrendil put her ear to it. She flicked the wall with a claw, sending vibrations through it and everything it connected to. The sound went unnoticed to the tone-deaf humans on the other side, but by using it, she was able to map out what lay on the other side of the sheets and the location of the guards and the workers there.
Serrendil waited. When Silver Fish tried to speak, she held up a hand to silence him. It was minutes later when she finally spoke. “On my mark, we run,” she said. “Now!”
The metal wall melted away, revealing a large open cavern. She closed the wall behind them and led them through a path and down some steps and into abandoned stone building.
It was a three-story building, dusty and decrepit. They climbed to the top floor to get a better vantage point. From that empty window, they surveyed the city.
“A work of art,” Dashing Moon said solemnly.
Serrendil agreed. She drank in the sight of their ancestral city, Gold Spine City. She’d heard tales of it from her mother and grandmother, but she’d never personally seen it. The buildings here weren’t tall like in the Burning Lake Prefecture, but they were extremely sturdy and well-built. You could tell because despite all the metal ornamentation that had been stripped, and the valuable metals that had been pillaged, they still stood strong after two centuries of abandonment.
“What a mess,” Serrendil said, shaking her head.
“This was once the crown jewel of the local demon lands,” Silver Fish said. “Even the Iridescent Clan was forced to admit it. But now…”
“It’s a dump,” Serrendil finished. “Not even a tenth of the craftsmanship that was put in it remains.”
So much has been lost, the Clockwork Ancestor agreed. Perhaps we can collapse the tunnel before we leave? To hide this embarrassing display? We could crush all the humans while we’re at it.
I’ll think about it, Serrendil said. She was tempted. They’d stolen her people’s city, and she’d rather see it buried than desecrated. The mission comes first, Ancestor. We have a promise to keep.
Agreed, the Clockwork Ancestor said. As vain as she was, she would always honor her words.
Silver Fish stared at the palace in the distance. He was brooding and wore a deep frown. In Serrendil’s experience, that probably meant he was formulating a plan without bothering to consult them. Then again, she wasn’t a planner either. None of them were. Besides, she was hired help. She had the least amount of skin in the game. She was coming to recover their treasures from the vault. She wasn’t here to fight or ensure their safety. As long as she got what Clever Dusk wanted and got out, they were even. Moreover, no matter what they did, she had to keep out of sight. Incriminating her clan was the last thing she wanted.
“I have a plan,” Silver Fish finally said. “I’m just not sure if it’s a good one.”
Serrendil groaned but thanked the heavens that he’d at least been blessed with self-awareness.
Something was wrong. Something was off. He could feel it in the air like a fish felt hidden currents. There were nets in this place, carefully hidden. A fisherman’s trap waiting to spring.
Getting into the vaults is going to be much easier than getting out, Silver Fish thought, though he didn’t voice his concerns. Naysaying was counterproductive, he’d found. Moreover, he could tell that they could feel it too.
“Follow me,” Silver Fish said, leading the way. They entered the currents of the Inkwell P
lane and used them to navigate around the few guards and sentries in the city. Occasionally, they bypassed one of the few excited scholars studying what was left of the building now that everything of value had been pillaged.
Wait here, Silver Fish said when they arrived at a heavily guarded pathway that led around the ruined palace. He slipped into the waters unseen and appeared beside a sleepy guardsman, clamping his hand over the man’s mouth. He slit his throat without hesitation. The man gurgled quietly, but his warning came too late for his guard companion. Silver Fish was already behind him, plunging a dagger in his back. Silver Fish was no hero. He wasn’t meant for the battlefield. He was an assassin, and he was getting good at it.
There’s some kind of alarm perimeter here, Silver Fish said, eyeing the doorway that had been forcibly carved into the palace wall.
They have badges, Dashing Moon said, ripping two of them off their uniforms. He tossed one to Silver Fish and one to Serrendil. Can you disable the formation? An invisible boundary flickered across the empty doorframe.
Allow me, Serrendil said. She walked up to the barrier and felt at the runes on the metal frame. Then, to Silver Fish’s surprise, she hummed. The sound resonated with the alarm field, causing it to sputter and disrupt. Eventually it winked out. They jumped through the portal, after which she hummed once again, snapping the barrier back into place.
I’ll go ahead, Silver Fish said. He sensed guards here. He swam through the air, invisible to their weak human senses. He ended them as he found them, knowing that if the situations were reversed, he wouldn’t be spared.
They obtained more passes from the corpses of the men which, to his surprise, were not Xia Clan employees like the ones outside. They were from the Cao Clan. They smelled of metal and oiled leather; they were obviously from the army.
I smell a trap, Dashing Moon said. The others agreed. Yet they’d come too far to turn back now.
They reached a stairwell where Serrendil flicked a claw on a long metal pole. Empty all the way to the bottom, she said. They hurried at her quick pace down the thick metal steps. The walls changed as they descended.
Claddings of Light : Book 12 of Painting the Mists Page 39
