Chapter 14

  It was the most gruesome thing Yin had ever done, kneeling over a pink remnant with its head splayed open, writing with his madra scripts inside. Even though it was a remnant, the process was disturbing.

  Secretary, snuggly pressed into the glowing cranium, took hold of the new circle of scripts and pressed it tightly around itself. In seconds the white madra characters turned purple and integrated with the spirit and remnant both.

  Duong finished his own circle and the process repeated. They were close to finishing now, having already finished more than fifty scripts.

  ‘’How are we doing on time?’’ Yin asked, and waited for a response from anyone. None came, Ten had left the room to set up her treasure blades and cycle. Emriss and any other lords she’d brought to this insane ‘training’ were nowhere to be found. Nothing left to do but finish up.

  Yin and Duong both set to work on the last line, one that looped seven times before rejoining its beginning. What could essentially be called the cranial bones for the artificial brain to rest in. When it was finished it created a barrier that only Secretary would be able to alter. To anyone else it was a solid wall that maybe even higher gold artists would find hard to crack.

  Yin left it to Duong to stitch up the remnants head, feeling like they were entombing his friend in the most messed up way possible. It was done.

  As they waited for Secretary to get used to piloting a body it occurred to Yin that the city was currently under attack. He’d suspected from the very start that Emriss would be behind their backs, but after actually confirming it the tension of the event faded completely for him.

  But this was still a test, not over yet.

  Yin patted Secretary’s new head and then bumped Duongs shoulder. ‘’Got any casters left? I want to blow shit up’’

  Duong patted himself down and handed over seven constructs. Yin did his best to tie what he couldn’t hold to his belt. Getting up made him aware of a deep exhaustion that had been building. He’d only slept a few hours, and after all that fighting earlier he’d spent close to an hour forging scripts.

  He was so hungry, even the idea of eating Montai was starting to become attractive. Yin shook his head, feeling his unevenly acid eaten hair sway. ‘’Kill shit, eat, sleep, eat again then a haircut.’’ He said to himself as he walked through the compound. Finding Ten outside. ‘’Ten, get ready. We’re gonna go end the guy in charge.’’ He kicked one of the treasure swords she’d arrayed down for good measure, and dodged the retaliatory knife. A knife that never came.

  Ten sighed and stood up slowly, dusting off her pants and looked down at Yin neutrally. ‘’There was no need to do that.’’

  Yin scratched his nose and some dried flakes of blood fell away. ‘’Yeah, you’re right, I’m just super mad and not the slightest bit sorry. Let’s go.’’

  They trekked down streets that were pristine outside the Tulaigo compound and then steadily got more worn down. Then they started to come across the devastation that had hit the city. The sun peeked up over the horizon showing burned, crushed and in some cases wildly overgrown houses. The roads were pockmarked by the sheer number of sacred arts that had hit them over the last hour and a half.

  Soon they found the defensive line, towering over everyone was a golem Kam’en had created. It swung a boulder fist down and the impact rocked Yin hard enough that his feet left the ground for a moment. At a roared command a dozen sacred artists unleashed caster techniques that seared his senses.

  Another line of artists came up and blocked the retaliation with different types of shields.

  Yin had killed half a dozen remnants. A number that was so entirely insignificant in the conflict that he might as well have not bothered. The idea that he could use his Falling Star blast to clear out a swathe in one go at the cost of emptying his core didn’t sound so silly anymore. In fact, that would have been the best use he could have made of it.

  Oskar was a child again, maybe he’d always been one even in his last life, over fifty years old and trying to do flips like a young athlete on a bet. He’d gone into the conflict with the notion that he had to prove his worth, to Emriss, but also himself. That the years he’d spent trying to gain power weren’t all for nothing.

  If this had been a real battlefield, one not puppeteered by a monarch to test them, Yin would have been long dead.

  Rage and shame burned in his body. Despite it all Yin was still young.

  He nudged Ten and then climbed up the facade of a building the normal way, saving his little stores of madra. She followed along wordlessly.

  They looked out over the leftovers of the remnant army, a third the size it had been when they came. They were so diminished that the single speck of white light in the multicolored tapestry stood out.

  Yin squinted, but couldn’t make out anything more. He thumbed the different casters on his hips, picking a gray one obviously shaped like a desert eagle. ‘’Ten, what's your reach like?’’

  She considered the leaf-like blades swirling around her. ‘’My blades would lose too much force on the way to be effective at this distance. Oh?’’ She took the red caster he offered her with a hesitant hand.

  ‘’Let’s wait for the next barrage from the defenders and then we can blast the center.’’

  They waited, watching the undulating army throw themselves forward into unyielding lines. Kam’en’s massive golem intermittently laying down incredible forceful attacks.

  Then it was time, the golem swung again, the defending lines surged forward and let out blazes of power. Yin and Ten aimed and fired.

  Ten’s armament belched out a compact orb of flame that lazily drifted down into the army and exploded. Yin’s gun on the other hand peeped. He wasn’t sure it had actually fired so he did it again a few times, rewarded by little peeps every time.

  Ten gave him a look and reached down, taking another caster from his belt. Yin pushed down his instinctual reaction and let more madra into the binding in the weapon. The peep this time was deeper, and an actual little line of madra shot out. ‘’Oh.’’

  Yin pushed much harder and the gun barked deeply enough that he felt it in his chest. The projectile of madra hit a remnant so hard that its upper body disintegrated entirely. ‘’Haha.’’ Ten looked surprised now. ‘’Hahaha.’’ Yin fired again and unfortunately that was all the binding could handle before disintegrating in his hand. ‘’I’m gonna get Duong to make me more of those.’’

  Ten suddenly tackled him, sending them both flying off the roof. Said platform exploded seconds later as several blasts hit it. Instead of letting him go Ten jumped again, saving them from a familiar looking serpent of water that took half a building out when it hit.

  Yin glared down at the white spot in the sea of remnants. ‘’Marunil?’’ Another water serpent careened their way and Yin simply jumped down from the roof with Ten close behind.

  Taking two more caster from his belt he handed a black one to Ten and got a feel for the grip on a teal one. ‘’Let’s join the line. Are you going to be able to throw any bigger knife storms again?’’

  Ten shook her head as they crossed the roads. ‘’I’ve already forged too many, my channels won’t be able to take any more. I can throw these though.’’ She flicked her free hand and showed him the dozen blades that had come out of her sleeve.

  Yin couldn’t help but side eye her, and when she noticed it she did the same right back.

  ‘’Yin? What happened to you?’’ Kam’en asked as soon as they came onto the street the defenders' main force were on.

  ‘’Acid bath, can’t recommend it.’’ Too tired to play the innocent little cousin who was eager to please. ‘’I want to kill the guy in the middle of the pack, help me get to him.’’

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  Kam’en’s stoic mask cracked a bit, but it wasn’t the expected scorn that came out. ‘’Nephew, I am sorry, your sacred beast companion already tried on its own. The master, he killed it in two blows.’’

  Yin processed that, ran his tongue over his teeth and looked at the wall of artists working to cull the enemy. ‘’Well.. in that case..’’ Trailing off, Yin turned and used his pure cloak jumping up on top of a building.

  He pulled another caster from his belt and fed the two in his hands madra enough that he could feel their binding strain. The teal one shot a crystal that shattered on its way tearing everything in the path to shreds. The other, pale yellow, fired an enduring beam that cut through anything he swept it across.

  When they broke he dropped them and pulled out the last one, sickly green and black. As he randomly decided on a target the defenders finally took the fucking hint and fired their own techniques again.

  In the chaos Yin fired, aiming for the white spot. The caster defied his predictions though and produced a bubble that filled with a smoke that Yin could physically feel was pure destruction. Almost switching to Falling Star madra to flee, Yin was saved from wasting the precious energy when the bubble finally accelerated away from him.

  Something shot it down halfway and the deadly payload was unleashed. The dark mist descended as if it were heavy and everything it touched was ground away into nothing.

  More and more attacks surged out and cut through swathes of remnants, the already diminished army fading before his eyes. Yin patiently waited, and as expected Kam’en finally sent his golem forth. It took slow, lumbering steps that crushed everything in its path.

  Nothing seemed to be heading Yin's way so he sat down and extended his senses. The energies were still chaotic but he could feel light, fire and force. Ten jumped up and stood guard in front of him as he slowly filtered out the correct ratios to cycle. It amounted to barely nothing, like filling a bathtub by scooping teaspoons of water into it. But anything was good enough now.

  Minutes felt glacial as he kept most of his mind focused on the energy in his core, the battlefield changing moment by moment.

  A chunk of the remnants started to turn away, the white dot in their center. Yin’s pure core was at less than a fifth, no good, the Falling Star core teetering over half. ‘’Ten, we’re gonna push up and get the white one, you ready?’’

  ‘’This is a bad idea Yin.’’ She said, six forged blades trailed after her as she jumped down before him.

  He still sort of thought she was the worst, but he had to respect her after that. Getting up and simply taking a running leap off the building he used the last bit of pure madra he was comfortable with to dampen the fall.

  Together they cut through some lingering remnants, defenders broke ranks and rushed out with them. Yin and Ten kept going where others stayed to mop up the chaff that had been left as a last distraction. The ground was uneven, parts wet and muddy or dry and flaking.

  Ten closed the distance faster than Yin by virtue of her greater height and stronger cultivation base. Her blades wove into the remnants and felled them by the dozen, then she began throwing her real knives to lesser but still devastating effect.

  Some other defenders overtook Yin as well and laid into the last of the remnants. Then Yin saw it, a pale ethereal halo standing just over the other heads in the crowd. His Godspeed cloak slammed into place and Yin took two steps in quicker succession than ever before.

  Time felt like it stood still as Yin brushed past swinging men and women, then multicolored creatures that sometimes defied description. The one wearing the halo held two weapons, and Yin knew them by sight alone. Yeng and Marunil.

  Rearing back as time accelerated back to normal, Yin struck with all he had into a barrier of forged earth madra. It didn’t hold, and his fist crashed into the face of his opponent. The man fell back, his movements familiar to Yin, that was a style he knew.

  Falling on his back and letting his momentum carry him back up, Yin finally stood face to face with him again.

  Jakka sneered and absently pushed his broken nose back into alignment.

  —

  Jakka sneered and absently wiped the little clod of dirt Yin had thrown at him off his face. Then the older boy kicked Yin in the ribs.

  ‘’You just don’t get it, do you?’’ He asked the coughing child, writhing on the floor.

  —

  Less than half again.

  Yin smiled and spread his arms widely, as if inviting Jakka for a hug. Falling Star madra cycling at speed he wouldn’t have dared to if he hadn’t known Emriss was watching.

  Jakka began to raise Yeng, and Yin didn’t give him the chance. Godspeed carried him forward and he front kicked Jakka in the shoulder hard enough it likely dislocated. But Jakka simply turned with the momentum and aimed Marunil at Yin.

  —

  Yin landed a blow on Jakka, but the older boy spun with it and delivered a hook with his other hand.

  When Yin came back to his senses, Yeng stood over him, the sun further up in the sky telling him an hour must have passed at least. ‘’Vaz Uloy. How many times have I told you about it? Clearly not enough, that you’re still caught off guard from its retaliations. Wash your face boy. I will beat the proper response into your body if your mind is to be so lacking.’’

  —

  A serpent of water careened at Yin, but it hit nothing, he’d already stepped away with Godspeed.

  Yin remembered now, lessons on how to combat Jakkas style of deflections and counters. His eyes fell on Yeng, now a distorted staff of fire and dream madra. ‘’Overwhelm him boy.’’ Yin said quietly, laughing at the memory.

  ‘’How the fuck is a seven year old supposed to overwhelm a twelve year old?’’ Yin flashed away again from Marunils one attack.

  Jakka looked strange, his face going from calm and thoughtless to blinded by rage and then back. The Silent King was fighting to keep its hold, but surprise surprise, can't work much magic on a brain that isn’t any bigger than a fingernail.

  ‘’Azub! Repair!’’ Jakka barked, and Yin thought he’d gone fully insane until something unfurled from his back. Five metal limbs came out and grabbed its master, in a dull snap they forced his shoulder back in place. ‘’Retrieve!’’ It tumbled away, going for Yeng.

  ‘’I’m pretty sure Ten went and killed her dad that night. You remember that night right?’’ Yin asked tracking the contraption that stopped to shred a remnant that wandered into its path. ‘’I should have used the chaos to try to kill you back then. Imagine the trouble that would have saved.’’

  —

  His entire body was cold except for his nose that felt like it was submerged in magma. Only meters away a merry fire burned, Ten and Marunil slept while Jakka kept watch.

  Yin twitched as something hit him, he looked back at the campfire, seeing the light reflecting in Jakka’s eyes. The boy picked up another pebble and threw it at Yin.

  He kept doing it until Marunil woke up and took the next shift of firewatch.

  —

  The construct, Azub, reached Yeng, and Yin met it there in a flash. Driving a hand filled with madra into the center of its limbs and flooded it. The thing twitched and ceased, letting Yin pick it up and use it as a shield for the next snake from Marunil.

  Less than a quarter.

  Yin looked back at Jakka who lowered his caster, then let it slip from his hand. Spent, the construct started to disintegrate.

  The halo over his head faded and then disappeared completely. Jakka didn’t change at all, but the remnants left around them all went back to their normal behaviors. Some whistling, others rumbling or shrieking. All simply starting to wander away.

  Jakka raised his hands into a combat stance, and slowly started to advance on Yin.

  Yin felt like the grin that bloomed on his face might tear it in half. When the older and larger man burst forward on helpfully hardened earth under his feet Yin met him with a kick to the face.

  —

  Yin used the kicking move Yeng had drilled him on for days. But Jakka met him halfway and kicked him in the head.

  ‘’You just don’t learn, do you?’’

  —

  Jakka rolled back and came up unsteadily.

  Yin was done playing with his food. One step took him into Jakka’s guard and his fists started flying. The man didn’t stand a chance.

  —

  Yin was pitted against Jakka again. He could swear they did it on purpose, they just enjoyed seeing the crippled boy get beat up.

  The call to begin came. And Yin didn’t stand a chance.

  —

  Jakka fell to the ground unconscious, and Yin jumped and brought his heels down on the man's head.

  Someone yelled at him to stop, but Yin refused.

  —

  Yin desperately swallowed the sublime mushroom. His nose was split from Ten’s knife.

  Jakka stood over him, his fist encased in forged stone. He could see it in his eyes, the boy was about to kill him.

  —

  One hand gripped Jakkas robes, and his unfocused eyes rolled to look at Yin.

  Yin cycled and used his Godspeed cloak in a different way, instead of moving his legs he focused on his arm.

  It glowed.

  And like a star.

  Fell to earth.