Chapter 46- Waking Up

Tian wished he knew a concealment art. Theoretically, they were available. Practically, however, they weren’t much better than understanding how to shape your body along contours, how to blend your colors with the world around you, how to eliminate shine, and how to still your breathing. In other words, according to his senior brothers, they really weren’t worth it at the Earthly Person Realm. Heavenly Person Realm was another story. They could turn invisible, hide their qi, change their faces and myriad other arts.

Tian wedged himself a little deeper into the narrow crevice that was the only hiding place he found. He wasn’t cultivating, and the rocks pressed so tight on him, he could barely breathe either. Maybe that would be enough to hide him.

He could hear the rasp of scales sliding across the desert. It sounded like they were getting closer. Maybe it wasn’t enough. There was a dull thumping noise. Heavy, deep vibrations coming from the surface. Steady. Thump. Thump. Thump. Was it coming closer?

There was a thrum of high pitched sound, droning like a tyrant choir of wasps. Rising up, higher, There was a hissing and more thuds, the whine and scrape and crunch of a not quite silent battle.

The crunching went on for quite a while. The droning thinned, and eventually stopped. Tian could just about make out the sun moving across the sky. He had run for almost six hours, only stopping for a break once he reached this flat, empty stretch of desert. There was a good rock for shade, and a nice little crevice with some alarmingly orange lichen growing in it. For the wasteland, it was practically a garden spot. He managed to enjoy about six minutes of it before Counter-Jumper picked up the thud of the lizard creature, and he bolted for the crevice.

Things the size of a small building shouldn’t be able to run faster than he could. But apparently nobody told the lizard that.

Tian felt the walls pressing in on him. He couldn’t breathe. He was suddenly desperate to move, but he was pinned. He was crushed and the hawk’s throat was crushing him, the soft walls pressing on him, forcing him down into the belly. Down into the acid hell where the centipedes screamed and died. Where he melted, he felt his body being destroyed, his will corroded by the cold and the dark and he was trapped, trapped!

Tian had a bad time. He wasn’t sure how long that time lasted, but the sun had set. He was covered in bruises. He was bleeding in a few places too. It was silent above him. He worked his way out of the crevice and found a battle zone. Insect corpses littered the sand, none intact. They looked like some awful combination of wasp and spider, each bigger than Tian’s hand. The lizard must have drawn them out on purpose. Tian just happened to be between the lizard and dinner. In a way he was lucky. If he had gone much further, he might have run into the wasps.

Tian cycled his cultivation art and ate a little something. He felt utterly exhausted.

“It happened again, Grandpa.”

And it will happen again in the future. There are lots of ways to be wounded in combat. Some are invisible. You are going to be like everyone else, I’m afraid. Healing.

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Most of the wasteland creatures weren’t particularly high level. Just the opposite- most were his level or lower. It’s just that there were often a lot of them, or they were attracting predators. It felt like all of them were poisonous, or venomous, or acidic, or worse. Tian was privately convinced that even the lichen was out for blood. Then sighed because of course it was. Blood was full of water and nutrients.

Tian made it back to Forward Base Redknife days later than he thought he would. Nobody minded. The courier job really was utterly routine. Nothing would be harmed if it ran a little late, and besides, the Inner Court had ways of communicating quickly over long distances. Word had gotten back about the attack. Tian made his delivery, showered, hit his bunk and had barely waved to Senior Brother Su before he was asleep.

“I want to see Brother Fu.” Tian had barely opened his eyes. He just lay in bed, staring up at the wooden slats of the roof and watching the enchantments of the walls shimmer and flex under the constant bombardment of Earth qi. It added a faint sheen to the night’s dark. The buildings were all protected by formations, so that the cultivators could rest and cultivate safely. It was why each base and depot was established with a storm of blood- each foothold was dreadfully expensive but indispensable.

“He’s leading a team out in the field. There is no telling when he will be back.” Brother Su spoke softly. It looked like most people were sleeping. Had been sleeping. Tian knew his brothers well enough to know that he had woken the whole room. He sat up, bowed silently, and settled back down again. He didn’t really fall back asleep, he thought, but the morning light was shining through the window somehow, so maybe he had.

There seemed to be a Senior Brother Fu shaped hole in the world. Tian felt himself drifting back to the shadows and hidden corners. Separating himself from humanity. This was a different kind of rock throwing, but he couldn’t understand who was throwing them, and how he was getting hit.

He found Brother Wong staring into his breakfast. A big bowl of soy milk, some steamed buns. Simple stuff, but filling and nutritious. Tian bowed and got his own food, settling down next to the haggard old man.

“We lost Brother Qian two days ago. Brother Feng yesterday. They stopped the bleeding in the field and provided an antidote, but the wound festered and poisoned his blood. By the time they got him back to the hospital, only constant healing potions were keeping his heart going. Then even they weren’t enough. I was there with him when he died. He was unresigned.”

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Tian didn’t know what to say, so he did what Grandpa did for him- put his hand between Brother Wong’s shoulder blades and leaned in a little. Just letting the warmth and touch of his little hand be a comfort. Brother Wong snorted, but didn’t shoo him away.

“Nearly lost you too, I heard.”

“Yeah.”

Brother Wong gave Tian a look. He quickly corrected.

“I nearly died several times in less than seventy two hours, Senior Brother Wong.”

“Better. I heard you were very polite over at the Depot. Brought our West Town Outer Court a lot of face. Even shared tea and conversation with a beauty in the moonlight. Tsk tsk. It’s good to be young.”