Amdirlain’s PoV - Northeast from Wudang Mountain

  The gate guards wore a combination of thick leather armour with riveted metal plates to protect their torso and upper limbs, with symbols at their collars showing their rank. The leather contained a residual energy that provided a specialised protective effect that opposed the power of Di Yu.

  Amdirlain stretched her awareness further and aside from the undead she’d already reported to Master Tang, the only ‘threat’ between this town and its neighbours was some normal wild animals.

  It’s a peaceful town, with no junction points nearby to stir up trouble from animals transforming, only minor ley lines. There is no sect compound, the temple is empty of priests, and the few people with any Ki training haven’t taken it past level twenty; most people only have non-combat classes. The Wujen is a pure arcane type, with her classes a mix involving spellcasting, enchanting, and alchemy, which makes sense with her two affinities: Wood and Water. Who enchanted the guards' armour?

  “They have protective enchantments on their armour, Master Tang, but the temple has no priests present.” Amdirlain kept her eyes downcast.

  Sadka glanced between the late afternoon travellers on the nearby road and lowered his voice. “Perhaps I should have asked about your other abilities.”

  “I could give you information directly to your mind.”

  “Whenever you feel that is suitable. I’m not sure what to expect here. The reward for dealing with the issue is well below typical, and the news took a moon to reach the Duty Pavilion, so it’s probably passed through other orders’ hands.”

  ‘The cemetery’s ward has failed. Fifty-eight undead are within its fence line, and another hundred phantom-like entities that barely rate as wisps scattered among farms further north, but those are weaker with a parasitic feel.’ Amdirlain projected. Along with her words, she provided a mental map of the town and its surroundings with the respective locations of the undead she sensed. Most were within the cemetery set atop an artificial knoll to the north of town, though a scattering of minor incorporeal entities lingered around the closest farmhouses. Across the river, within a still tightly sealed burrow, was a centuries-old undead, mouldering away within its sarcophagus.

  His composure almost cracked at her mental touch, but he calmly nodded. “As said before, let’s find the town elder and learn what has occurred. It seems I don’t have to worry about being surprised by forces escaping Di Yu, only your abilities.”

  ‘Would it be alright if I act like I’m your novice and you let me have some fun? Unfortunately, I will cause a little fuss as I don’t like what I hear from the guards’ minds.’

  “Please don’t go overboard and ensure your truthfulness in whatever showmanship you wish to undertake. If I feel the act isn’t working, I’ll part its veil when I deem it suitable.”

  There is no point in simply collecting information from people’s minds. He will want to reassure them that help is available.

  ‘If you give a deep sigh, I’ll give it up. I know you’re powerful, so my boosting for you will be truthful.’

  Amdirlain fabricated a prayer staff with chiming rings hooked to the top. They steadily headed along the road through the ripened yellow fields of foxtail millet to the gate. Other travellers who glanced back at the sound of Amdirlain’s staff stepped out of their way after spotting their robes. She watched the guards rudely treat various farmers and travellers entering the gates ahead. One sour guard with Ki swirling lightly through his chakras sneered at a group of families with their possessions on their backs. He seized on the first excuse, kicking up a fuss when a young man with them enquired about places to find work within the town. Yelling and drawing his weapon, he drove the families back, and they fled along a farm road that headed north around the town. A direction that would take them to where Amdirlain sensed trouble. Beside her, Sakda tensed his concern gaze on a screaming baby cradled by her mother.

  “I know you don’t want a fuss,” murmured Amdirlain. “I dislike bullies, even though you could say that I bully them, and he’s a low-level practitioner.”

  Sadka signed deeply, and Amdirlain shot him a look of surprise.

  “You’re pulling the pin on the Master and Novice disguise so quickly?”

  “Do you want to throw your weight around, or should I?” asked Sadka.

  “Master Tang?”

  Sadka smiled sadly. “You wouldn’t make a good example of a hidden master. You were fine until he sent those families walking toward danger. Your walk has become a predator's glide, and you look ready to open someone’s head with a flick of your finger.”

  I was getting better while we travelled. Have I backslid so much already? Maybe all those days of sparring against Xuan Wu put me into an aggressive mood.

  “It seems I still fail at being subtle. When I find someone hurting others or risking lives, I want to teach them a lesson. Do you ever go the hidden master route?”

  “Sometimes, I do. The role of a hidden master is best played over the long term to ensure lasting influence. A spark that provides a moment of illumination quickly fades unless it finds fuel to continue.” Sadka’s fingers tapped lightly against his thigh. “You know, either of us could send messages to that family advising them not to camp outside in the north. Though we’ll probably have the situation dealt with before those things have time to hunt.”

  We could, but he’s not saying we should.

  “Then how would I have justified tossing the sadistic bastard around?” asked Amdirlain. “I know my showing him up will have consequences, but he might realise his bullying can cost him and restrain his future impulses.”

  “What if he only learns to fear you?”

  Amdirlain sighed. “I know, but I can’t force someone to become good.”

  How many slaves did Erwarth and the others rescue from the Dao on the Elemental Plane of Earth? It’s been so long since I thought about their work ruining things in the genies's empire.

  “Then act in a way that has a long-term result,” suggested Sadka. “There are three keys to successfully behaving like a hidden master.”

  “Would you share them with me, or is it something one can only learn through understanding?”

  “I will tell you shortly, but you’ll still need to meditate on what it means to you and if it’s worth the effort. When you take on the role of a hidden master, don’t seek to act as a subtle version of yourself,” stated Sadka. “You changed appearance so readily, so my question is, does your form mean anything to you?”

  “Not really.”

  “Then changing appearance will not influence your behaviour. Instead, wrap the essence of a humble servant, kindly farmer, or the age-diminished elder around you and fill it only in ways that persona allows. The next parts are patience and time available to plant the seeds you seek to tend. If that family were truly in danger, you’d have to weigh up if it’s something you can discretely handle without giving yourself away or if it's time to set the mask aside.”

  He’s proposing a method-acting approach instead of putting on a show.

  “I appreciate the advice.” Amdirlain tilted her head towards the families. “What would you do in this case?”

  “I only asked you to disguise your outlandish appearance, not play the part of a novice. My question remains: Do you want to throw your weight around, or should I?”

  “But the fuss.”

  “A fuss has started. Why should the one who started it determine where it ends? A bully acts for their sadistic enjoyment or insecurities. Would you act against another for either reason?”

  “No, and I’ve worked through plenty of insecurities.”

  “Then let us entrap him so we can have a dramatic moment. Can you suppress the enchantments on our clothing so a bit of dust shows?” asked Sadka. “The lack of spotless silks should make him doubt our introductions.”

  Amdirlain grinned; their boots became dust-covered, and the robes faded. She focused on the guard as they continued walking and watched him mistreat others passing the gates. By the time they finally reached the guards, she had her furious disgust hidden behind a serene mask.

  The guard in question stepped forward and eyed their garb. “You wear the robes of practitioners, but something about you is off.”

  Amdirlain glanced at Sadka, and he motioned for her to go first.

  “I’m Lady Am, and I’ve recently travelled from Wudang mountain.”

  The guard sneered in disbelief and made a show of looking for a non-existent escort behind them. “A lady with no family name travelling alone with a man? What poor con artists are you, pair? I can see the dust and travel wear on your clothing despite your attempts to maintain them. Unlike the fools you’ve conned in the past, I know the real gleam of practitioner's robes.”

  “You are not fit to question us. I’m Master Tang, an exorcist of the North Wind’s Court. We’re here to tend to the befoulment that has befallen your town’s cemetery. We require an escort to the town’s elder.”

  The guard snorted. “Good luck conning that merchant. You can find the elder’s house-“

  Sadka tensed dramatically, his gaze sparking with fury. “Please be prompt in administering a suitable chastisement, Lady Am. We’ve got the elder to see, and I’d rather not delay.”

  Amdirlain grinned at the guard. “You won’t escort us to the elder or arrange an escort?! How disrespectful! Apologise at once!”

  The guard’s mouth twisted into a leer. “Rude child. You’re neither a resident nor the law here. I should arrest you for false claims and the impersonation of a practitioner. I sense no Ki about either of you. Indeed, I'm going to arrest you right now. We’ll see what story you spill once we apply some pressure.”

  The guard motioned to his fellows, leering at her as he did. She stabbed a hand forward, and the guard’s feet left the ground; everyone froze in sudden fear.

  “Like you followed the town’s laws? You turned families away out of spite and didn’t warn them of the danger to the north. I can hear your thoughts and Soul and know you delighted in holding your superiority over them.”

  Still telekinetically holding onto the back of his armour, Amdirlain spun him to face the families he’d shooed away. Guards nearby, and even atop the wall, found their weapons returned to the racks, and their fear deepened as their eyes widened in surprise.

  He’s lucky I didn’t lift him by the throat.

  “You treated families with vulnerable children that way, driving them towards danger, and you were disrespectful to us. Do you have a preference regarding his punishment, Master Tang?”

  The road dust she’d let accumulate on their robes dropped away, leaving them perfect. The guard swallowed noisily and offered stammered apologies, his colleagues merely backing away.

  “Something requiring proper humility,” Sadka replied.

  Amdirlain ceased projecting her contempt. “For your rudeness, run after that group you sent away earlier. You will apologise and get them within the walls.”

  “We’ve orders not to allow vagrants in,” protested the guard.

  She dropped him to the ground and waved towards the north road where the group was still in sight. “They were not begging. I heard your whole conversation. You will run after them immediately and beg their forgiveness, or I will throw you after them.”

  He opened his mouth, ready to offer politer protests to save face.

  Threats aren’t good if you show you won’t live up to them. I can’t make him good, but I can kick his arse for being a dick. Still, I’m severely punching down. I feel sorry for the poor bastard, but he’s been a grade-a bastard to more folks than these from the sounds of his Soul.

  She hurled him upwards, and the next sound out of his mouth was a high-pitched wail as his momentum faltered fifty metres up, his arms flailing wildly. Weightlessly suspended, she lashed out with a restrained, watery Ki Blast; it imparted enough deflection to send him head over heels towards the families.

  “I said immediately.” Amdirlain sighed. Her gaze on the other guards kept them frozen as the screaming guard’s tumbling continued. She steadily lowered him so he’d land a few metres ahead of the families he’d turned away from town.

  By that time, he’d soiled himself.

  She projected her voice into his ears alone. “Apologise properly, or I will turn you into a swine. Or would you prefer unending pain? While I can’t ensure you are a good person, I will punish you for endangering others.”

  A sustained note shot the air from his lungs as pain akin to severe heartburn expanded from beneath his lower ribs and seared through all of his nerves.

  As the guard grovelled before the travellers, she turned to his wide-eyed companions. “Who offers to escort us to the town elder? Hands up.”

  A wave of hands thrust into the air, and Amdirlain nodded to the eldest guard. “You lead the way.”

  “At once, please follow me, honour practitioners,” gasped the older guard.

  “Master Tang, I believe that concludes the chastisement for now.”

  Sadka patted Amdirlain’s shoulder approvingly before they followed the guard.

  Their walk through the town took them through the haze of the foul-smelling streets, thick with body odour and the smell of summer-heated manure—the lingering warmth of the day, combined with that radiating from the stone structures and wooden pillars. Among the side streets of the less affluent areas, food vendors butchered and immediately cooked up animals ranging from snakes and frogs to chickens and pigs.

  The smell of the cooking food clashed with the pungent odours about them, yet workers ending their days readily swapped bronze coins for what was on offer.

  As the pair travelled along, Amdirlain continued to monitor the chastised guard and issued a warning and a spike of pain the first time he attempted to subvert her instructions.

  Their escort hurried through the crowds to a building near the town’s main square. It was a long, five-story rectangular structure surrounded by vermillion columns that supported a raised ground floor and balconies outside each level. Centred on each broad yellow door out front, the tarnish green of a decorative carp door knocker stood out. The guard rushed up the wide stairs and seized its back. He repeatedly hammered the bronze piece against its back plate, the noise reverberating through the house.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “Do you believe he wants to escape your presence?”

  “I’d hazard a guess at yes, Master Tang.” Amdirlain sighed dramatically. “I took no action against him, so I can’t imagine why.”

  Sakda glanced at the guard’s back and raised his voice slightly to ensure the guard heard his words. “Lord Xuan Wu didn’t tell me how dramatic travelling with you could be, Lady Am. If this continues, our exercises together will be far more refreshing than those who normally seek mastery of my technique.”

  Talk about name-dropping.

  Amdirlain gave Sadka a beaming smile as the guard stiffened; at the mention of Xuan Wu, the man’s thoughts warred between warning his fellow guard and allowing him to suffer whatever further wrath the bully’s games might drop on his head.

  They heard light footsteps inside before the door opened and ended the guard’s panicked banging. The young servant girl nervously regarded the guard and flinched back at half step. Barely in her teens, she was taller than older children Amdirlain had seen about the town; her bright gaze, neatly cut short brown hair, and clean but dull yellow robes made her a picture of relative prosperity.

  Before she could speak, the guard bellowed. “Master Tang and Lady Am are here to see the merchant Elder Fan Chéng.”

  With that pronouncement, he turned, jerkily bowed at her and fled, shocking the girl at his unseemly retreat.

  Amdirlain dipped into his public thoughts and caught the fact that the merchant was the richest of the town elders, representing the interest of the traders in town and those plying the river.

  She stepped forward and nodded kindly to the blinking girl. “As he rudely and incompletely said, we’re here to see Elder Fan Chéng about the problem in the cemetery. Master Tang is an exorcist of the North Wind’s Court. You can call me as Lady Am. Is your master in presently?”

  The girl shook with surprise, her mind racing about tales of practitioners and immortals as she eyed the gleaming silk of their robes. She bowed deeply with her right hand pressed flat against her chest to Sadka and repeated the gesture to Am. “Master Tang and Lady Am, please accompany this one. That’s if you’d allow me to show you to the tearoom before I advise Elder Fan of your presence.”

  “We appreciate your welcome, child,” Sadka said kindly. “Let your master know we merely seek information before tending to the problem.”

  She nodded rapidly and stepped back, motioning jerkily to a door on the right-hand side of the entry. “This way.”

  The entryway was a short corridor with several doors, and stairs that rose at a forty-degree angle straight through the building, connecting balconies on each floor until stopping at the top. Though carefully polished, the floorboards showed years of traffic, and newer sections were scattered among them. Decorative sections were inland in the entryways, panelling focused on floral decorations that incorporated many traditional symbols for prosperity and good fortune.

  The shutters of the tearoom were closed, and the servant hurried to open them, letting the afternoon sunlight spread across the furnishings. The light shimmered slightly on the deep blue of the lacquered cabinets in the corners and the red-polished oak of the circle of unpadded wooden chairs. With the windows opened, she bowed yet again and motioned for them to sit. When Sadka selected a chair, she hurried out of the room and quickly skipped up the stairs.

  “I doubt the merchant will keep us long, but why don’t you sit, Am?”

  Amdirlain moved to the chair across the room; her prayer staff melted back into ectoplasm and vanished as she sat. “Maybe I should have planned on playing the part of a terrifying enforcer from the start.”

  “I take it you held him aloft with a non-Ki ability?”

  “I did. I’m trying to achieve a smooth mastery of my combined abilities. Time will tell how well I do.”

  Sadka smiled reassuringly. “Is that not the case with everything we learn?”

  She shrugged and sat quietly, taking in the fuss upstairs until the girl had updated the merchant. Then she nodded towards the stairs. “She’s spoken to Fan Chéng. He’s given orders to get the cook to include us in dinner preparations.”

  “Do you require food?”

  Amdirlain shook her head.

  “Neither do I.” With that, Sadka relaxed in his chair, silently waiting for Fan Chéng.

  Heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs from the third floor. The heavyset merchant did not pause as the serving girl followed him, straightening his red and gold silk robes, his gut barely restrained by the broad sash. His pale complexion was as much a product of make-up as from staying out of the sun. The girl who had returned with him bowed deeper than the Elder as they stepped inside the chamber.

  “Elder Fan Chéng, these are your guests, Lady Am and Master Tang.”

  “I’m honoured to meet you. I’m so glad you’ve arrived to help the town. Will you do me the honour of dining here tonight?” asked Chéng eagerly.

  “While the offer of hospitality is welcome, neither of us requires sustenance. After we have some answers, we’ll be on our way to see to your town’s safety,” Sadka replied kindly.

  Chéng clasped his hands together before his ample belly and didn’t move to sit. He nodded to the servant, and she bowed again before backing out the door with her eyes lowered.

  “You had a dramatic arrival, and I witnessed your escort flee from my window,” noted Chéng. “I can only offer my apologies for any uncouth behaviour you’ve endured. Please don’t hold his conduct against our poor town. I don’t know how he could forget even the simplest etiquette.”

  “We witnessed another guard deliberately driving travelling families towards the danger to your north. Lady Am chastised him, which left his fellow guards unsettled. Perhaps you should look at the person or persons who will willingly hire and command such individuals.”

  He expected me to speak as the lower of us.

  Chéng looked between them, still unsure about their seniority, but settled on Master Tang as the junior since he spoke for them. “If august individuals saw fit to punish one of them, then I’m sure it was deserved. I’ll speak to the guard captain.”

  “I’ll leave that to your discretion, as it’s not why we’re here. Today, we’ve come from Wudang Mountain to deal with an infestation in the town’s cemetery. Tell us what you can.” Sadka leaned forward; for all his business-like words, he projected a picture of calm, empathic concern.

  “I’m not sure what information would be useful to you, Master Tang. We’ve never had such a problem before. This has been such a peaceful town my whole life, and after the guards encountered things in the cemetery, the other elders were waffling on. While they dithered about, I sent word along the river and offered a reward.”

  I bet it’s more that his luxurious life has been peaceful.

  “You did the right thing, though unfortunately, you set the reward too low to attract attention from most exorcists. Some duty pavilions won’t post the job on their board if the reward doesn’t match the risk. You’re fortunate that we needed targets to help Lady Am fine-tune a technique,” advised Sadka.

  Chéng choked off an almost silent groan and bowed again.

  “Start with when it began. What information did reliable witnesses provide?”

  “Over a moon ago, a family visiting their relatives discovered the remains of some stray farm animals in the cemetery. One child spotted a mound of dirt beyond the shrine, and when the family heard whistling cries echoing out of strange tunnels, they fled. A group of guards who volunteered to investigate perished. The place now has a fearsome haze among the gravestones.”

  Level ten to thirty undead are fearsome if you’ve got no combat classes. Did all the morally decent guards in this town die in that attempt?

  Taking in the Elder’s nervous demeanour, Sadka prompted him to sit and waited for him to settle. “Where are the local priests? The last time I visited this town, there were four priests.”

  “There haven’t been four priests in over twenty years, and those old Jūn had trained over the years have moved on. I’ve heard some say the Chief Priest was far too strict.”

  “Was anything or anyone unusual reported around the cemetery shortly before the problem started?”

  “The priests maintained the cemetery wards, billing the council for the cost. Jūn’s assistant died in an accident half a year ago, and then, before a replacement arrived, a sudden illness claimed Jūn. We’ve still not heard from the parent temple about a new Priest, and no wandering priests have been through.”

  Sadka’s mouth tightened. “I’ll ensure someone looks into that for you. What have you been doing with the dead in the meantime?”

  “We’ve sent them downriver for funeral rites,” replied Chéng, wringing his hands. “While there haven’t been many deaths, it’s getting people worried about being separated from their family and being unable to tend to their graves each year.”

  “I’ll arrange a Priest for the town once we’ve secured the cemetery,” said Sadka. “There are farmhouses to the north. How have they fared?”

  “They’re ensuring they’ve got their animals inside and everything shuttered as they’re on their own once the gates shut.”

  “When do the gates close?”

  “The gates close at sunset, which isn’t long from now,” offered Chéng.

  Sadka rose and nodded to Amdirlain. “The streets are still busy. Let’s fly to the north gate. We’ll walk to the cemetery from there so I can get a feel for the energies, and word can spread.”

  Taking that approach warns the guards that we’re out there.

  Excusing themselves, the pair left and flew northwards. Sadka landed on the road leading out the north gate, and Amdirlain followed him as he strode through the late afternoon foot traffic.

  When they reached, the guards were eyeing the darkening sky and preparing to close up.

  Sadka approached the guard with the most markings on his armour’s collar. “Are you the one in charge of this gate?”

  The guard’s gaze took in the silks that Sadka wore and nodded politely. “I’m in charge of this watch. What is it you need?”

  “Ensure those on the wall know we’re tending to the town’s problem,” Sadka motioned towards the cemetery, “I want no interruptions from the ignorant during the rites.”

  “It will be as you say, practitioner.” The guard bowed instead of nodded in acknowledgment. “Might I know your names?”

  “Master Tang and Lady Am.”

  The guard called for the guards closing the gate to hold and waved Sadka through the gate’s gap. Once they were outside, Amdirlain moved to walk beside him. As they crossed the cleared space before the gatehouse, the bars securing the doors clunked into place.

  The cemetery was located a kilometre outside of town. The gravestones and family markers surrounded a central shrine on the peak of a knoll.

  “Does our proximity reveal anything further?”

  She took in the grey-skinned, emaciated forms lurking in the tunnels they’d clawed out under the cemetery, and Analysis of their themes gave her their names.

  “Only Gui and Jiangshi are present, but the seven of them are still in their coffins.”

  “The Jiangshi will be in command, which means none will appear before the sun is fully down. Of the varying vampiric species, they’re the easiest to deal with, but they’re also able to turn any corpse into one of their kind,” advised Sadka. He glanced at the thin wedge of the sun still peeking above the horizon.

  “We’re complete overkill for the forces in the cemetery,” advised Amdirlain.

  He glanced at her curiously.

  She waved ahead to the cemetery. “I mean, the undead inside don’t stand a chance against either of us, and there isn’t a trace of a Di Yu Gate.”

  The cemetery knoll had a flat plateau, with a shrine in the middle whose exterior was battered, but nothing had broken in. The most prominent statue inside the shrine was that of Buddha, but arranged in the room were also statues of the Jade Emperor and the four winds, along with other figures such as Sun Wukong and Nezha. Paving stones covered the space between it and the single-story mausoleums surrounding it. Hidden in the shadows of these buildings were mounds of scattered dirt around the holes that plunged into the knoll; the network of scratched-out tunnels hosted the scores of Gui and the seven Jiangshi. Wide stone stairs descended to meet the road, crossing through burial tiers that circled the hill. Each tombstone-sized marker was engraved with a family name and had decayed offerings before it that showed the long weeks since anyone had visited.

  When they were a hundred metres from the prayer gate at the base of the stairs, the guards atop the wall started muttering between themselves.

  “That woman shouldn’t be going with him. Is he going to feed her to the demons?”

  “If that’s what he’s counting on, she won’t buy him any time. That ‘girl’ has no meat on her bones,” huffed another guard.

  “I don’t know. She’s lean, but she could hop on my meat.”

  The group’s leader turned on them. “Fool. You’d be sticking your dick in a grinder. The sergeant said Master Tang and Lady Am would deal with the cemetery. She must be high-born or a senior practitioner. No noble family will risk their daughter on chores like that without bodyguards, so my money is her being a Ki Practitioner or a Wujen from whatever sect sent them.”

  Sexist prigs.

  As they started up the steps to the first tier of graves, she studied the place in greater detail, ignoring the guards’ murmured words as they continued to argue the point.

  Sakda stepped through the prayer gate and froze. “You were right about the wards failing, but I’m not even sensing residual energy.”

  Amdirlain considered the fence line and took in the faint whispers of a failed ward. “They’re chewed up, so that’s not surprising.”

  Turning, he directed his gaze to the back of the prayer gate; his attention went to slips of inert paper stuck on the uprights.

  “This is wrong. The paper for the seal is fresh, yet the sigils and protections have already eroded.”

  Sakda righted the urns at the base of each pillar, placing some lighted incense sticks in each.

  “You want me to get answers?” Amdirlain asked.

  “Unbound demons don’t answer to anyone but stronger demons. If we capture some, we can hand them over to investigators.”

  They bundle undead and demons under the same banner. Well, I’m not in the local hierarchy.

  “Does that mean someone sent them here?” asked Amdirlain.

  “That’s probable, given the map you showed me and the absence of stronger entities,” replied Sadka. “The question is whether Mortal agents eliminated the priests or its just coincidence.”

  “What’s our first step?”

  He waved her to proceed up the stairs. “We’ll start by dedicating the main shrine, which should provoke them to react. Don’t rush your attacks, and ensure your energy flows are smooth, concentrating on speeding up incorporating the technique.”

  Amdirlain retreated a step and stabbed a thumb over her shoulder. “I’ll stay near the prayer gate while you dedicate the shrine.”

  Sadka eyed her. “Is there something I should know?”

  “I’m not a local, and I’m unsure how my body will react to a ground dedicated by your rites.”

  “I was told not to open my Third Eye near you without permission. Are you a type of Demon?”

  He’s only asking that now?

  “Nope, just my appearance you might find unsettling, and I don’t know how my body would react to your Third Eye. Though I’ve endured the technique from Kadaklan while he helped me heal, it was years ago, and I’ve changed a lot since then.”

  “Endured? Kadaklan is the Immortal Phoenix who travels with you, correct?”

  “Yes. Long story short, my Soul is bound under a curse. The Third Eye Power clashes with it, causing pain in my physical form. The rite might trigger a similar or more extreme reaction from my flesh.”

  He blinked. “That’s not what I was expecting, given the strength of your blasts. I’d suggest you position yourself beyond the boundary. The rite won’t reach beyond it, but you should be able to attack them even once it's completed. The rite's effects prevent undead and evil forces from crossing the cemetery boundary.”

  I could drag them out, but hitting a floating target is no challenge.

  Amdirlain nodded and retreated to the prayer gate, where an itch trickled along her spine, so she took down the damaged seals. With them secured, she blotted out her presence and rose high enough to ensure she had a line of sight to the main shrine.

  Sadka started his preparation, and Amdirlain monitored the undead as they shifted positions. After placing and lighting more incense, Sadka bowed his head to pray before the shrine. As the initial syllables had left his lips, the first emaciated figures leapt from cover, and more rushed around the mausoleums with clawed hands outstretched. Their hungry cries whistled through their thin, slitted mouths as their faces contoured in a pained expression. The Jiangshi followed them; the vampires were far slower, hampered by shambling gaits that resembled zombies from a B-grade horror movie.

  Cables formed from ectoplasm immobilised the vampires and lifted them upwards so fast it caused their heads to snap back. Once they were clear, she fired the first blast at the figure nearest Sadka; a blazing white Phoenix ripped through the air and obliterated its torso, and the rest of the body went up in flames. With the wavefront of its overload smacking the air, she toned down the following strikes. Their deaths came within milliseconds of each other, and the combined flames lit up the early evening with the brilliant white of burning phosphorous. The Gui were ash before their last screams echoed through the still night to the town.

  [Combat Summary

  Gui x51 (50%)

  Total Experience Gained: 24,786

  Songbird: +24,786

  Songbird Levelled Up! X1

  Ki Blast [S] (104->105)]

  He calmly looked over the burning bodies, and then Sadka strolled to the closest Jiangshi. “Tell me how you came to be here?”

  The face twisted like the thing was fighting rigor mortis in its facial muscles. “We were promised a place.”

  “Set them down near me, Am. I’ll bind them with ghost shackles, and we can hand them over to those who are better suited to investigate. We need to find you more situations to practise Ki Blast, not chase down loose ends.”

  The undead mind of a Jiangshi is weird, and I’m trying not to take responsibility for everyone’s problems, so I’ll let him handle this their usual way.

  Amdirlain offered Sadka the ruined seals she’d taken from the prayer gate. “They might want to investigate these as well. I had a hunch they might prove handy to someone. Shall I teleport us near the lower palace?”

  He looked thoughtful as he took the seals. “No, the mountain would destroy them. We’ll take them to Shiyan. There are people there I’d trust to deal with this matter.”

  “If you picture the location for me, I’ll teleport us straight there.”

  “Please teleport us directly to this compound.” Sadka’s thoughts showed her a grey stone wall with a red tile roof; in the middle of the image was a rune-covered steel door with the Jade Emperor’s seal in the middle. A banner on either side of the door showed the words: The Silk Clouds.

  “The Silk Clouds. What sort of order is that?”

  “In their founder’s words, the sect specialises in finding valuable information among the brambles, worms, and their leavings.” Sadka affixed a paper seal to the first Jiangshi, causing its body to go rigid, and Amdirlain floated the others closer. When the last seal was in place, she teleported them away.