บท 37: Grab and Hold
*this one chapter is hella late. It's basically close to 12 a.m. and I just finished writing. Gotta call it a day for now, even if I wanted to write some more and get closer to the sweet part. Still, enjoy, and take care. If this chapter is a bit sloppy, I apologise. I'm a tired guy right now. Peace out and Deus vult.*
Soon enough, Fu Xuan had returned from her duties, which gave them all the signal to gather and prepare for what was to come. He sat there, in the back, next to Tingyun, keeping a close eye on her for anything that could happen.
Discussions were smooth, their plan about to set in motion. March finally got the courage to deny their services, refusing more errands, but in the end, what they had to do seemed easier than leading the Cloud Knights into battle.
Following her, the group walked over to the elixir crucibles, some large gourd-like objects that emit smoke, never ceasing. Evemist Mansion—that's what the place was called. Mark's eyes simply followed the smoke, trailing along as it slowly dissipated in the air. Fu Xuan kept explaining about the entire strategy—the way the Astral Express, formed of short-lived species, was the trump card that the Sanctus Medicus couldn't have prepared for.
"Alright, off we go to turn off the smoke machines. We'll make sure to handle it in stride," chuckled Mark, trying to keep his feelings in check. His entire body was tense, feeling a bit of the strain left from when he lifted the aurumaton.
The lift took them all down below, with the smoke growing denser as they got closer. Tingyun was still with them for some reason, and everyone was worried.
"Miss Tingyun, you should go back. We're dangerously close."
She shook her head at Welt's words, giving them the usual smile she presented.
"Don't worry about me. I'm still young, maybe even younger than you, benefactors."
In this entire mess of a situation, Mark found himself avoiding battle, instead standing by Tingyun's side, falling in step with her. His movements were deliberate, calculated in such a way that to the untrained eye they'd merely seem like him letting the others take the front. The few mara-struck monsters that did roam the area were handled quickly by Stelle, who took them down before they could blink.
One by one, the elixir crucibles were stopped, the smoke going away, finally allowing them proper sight. Just one message, and Fu Xuan was down with the Cloud Knights following her. Everyone had gathered in the center, with the master of the Sanctus Medicus Disciples floating there, sparing them but a glance over her shoulder.
"Dan Shu..." muttered Mark, taking one step forward.
"There's still time to stop this mess..."
She turned to him, shaking her head in a slow motion.
"The inevitable is already upon us."
Heavy was the sigh that left his lips in that moment, his head bowed slightly. He hated watching as people went down the wrong path, unable to stop them no matter how hard he'd try. She wouldn't listen. In the end, grief has more power than logic could ever hope to have.
Stelle put a gentle hand on his shoulder, tugging him back softly. She understood him, despite his lack of communication.
"This is what you talked with her back then," she whispered, not wishing for the wrong people to hear it. March and Welt were close enough to catch hints of her words, looking over to his troubled face. Fu Xuan stepped forward as well, ready to apprehend her.
What followed was a matter of the Xianzhou, something that Mark had no saying in. He had already discarded more boundaries than one should, caring not even for those that Fu Xuan and Dan Shu represented. One of them clung to the age of old, to times when supposed miracles happened, to the promise of undying bodies, while the other had chosen the newer age, the one that sought to vanquish evil and willingly strive to be human.
Right before their eyes, battle ensued. Mara-struck soldiers and creations of the Abundance swarmed the place, leaping over the platform and right into the middle of the platform. Their numbers were roughly the same as that of the Cloud Knights, but they soon fell. The battle happened without outside intervention from the Express. They simply watched as the battle unfolded, the Luofu troops stronger than expected. They fought as one, in perfect unison, swinging their glaives from all sides, cutting down beast after beast.
"Damn... that's why the Sanctus Medicus had to fight dirty. These guys are no joke. They were just taken by surprise."
Their plan fell to ruin. Not one of them had become undying, not even with the power of the Stellaron. Dan Shu could only watch, her form weakened, promises made to her going up in the air.
With a shaky voice, pushed to the brim of tears, she spoke.
"Phantylia... the Disciples of the Sanctus Medicus have fulfilled our promise..."
She looked over to them all, her voice harsher in tone.
"You, Lord Ravager, must do the same... Now! Quickly!"
The name nearly sent Mark's mind into a blank, more memories than required clashing with the wall in his mind, thundering loudly against the fog that clouded what he knew. His legs were shaking, his nose bleeding as his vision doubled. He tried to wipe away at his nose, but it was useless. Stelle quickly supported him, but he shook his head, forcing himself to stand.
Tingyun spoke from the back, an eerie tone that differed like the night compared to the day from her usual cheerful demeanor.
"Tsk, tsk, little pawn, must you force me to intervene directly? I'm loath to flout my philosophy of destruction. Never mind. It would seem the time has come for other means of dismantling the Xianzhou from within."
In that moment, it all clicked together with the loudest possible noise. Mark's eyes widened, struggling against himself to keep it together before he'd lose more blood than his body held. She began stepping forward, the mara-struck turning into troops of the Antimatter Legion.
"Damn, you're NOT doing this!" shouted Mark, dashing at her with what little power of his own he could muster. His pipe fell with a loud sound, which only seemed to still as time froze.
While the others watched, he leapt at Tingyun's possessed body, meeting her gaze as she turned around, not expecting that to happen. Quickly, he pulled her to the ground, wrapping his legs around hers, holding her arms to her torso with his left arm wrapped around her body, using his right one to push her tongue inside her mouth and hold two fingers between her teeth. With his chin and chest, he forced her head against him, blocking it from snapping.
"You're not killing her, you hear me, you fucking heliobus!"
The blood still dripped out his nose, falling on Tingyun's dark hair. She bit against his fingers, trying to snap them off, but Mark didn't yield. The henchmen of the Antimatter Legion were closing up on him, but Stelle and March were quick to act. Ice arrows flew from their side, clashing with the hideous foes. Stelle's bat was quick to fall and strike them down. To their surprise, a Cloud Knight rushed in, cleaving his way through before grabbing Mark, who still clung to Tingyun's body. With a heave, he dragged them back to safety.
"Thank you for saving me earlier. It's not much, but it's how I could try to pay you back."
Mark smiled despite himself. The Cloud Knight he had healed went ahead and threw himself in the danger to try and snatch him out of it.
"Thanks, man," chuckled Mark, the taste of blood prominent on the tip of his tongue. Soon, Tingyun's teeth ceased their relentless assault on his fingers, the heliobus exiting her body. Limp in his hands, Mark checked quickly for a pulse, finding a truly weak one. He stood up at once, her body in his arms, handing her over to the Cloud Knight.
"Please, as fast as you can, take her back to Bailu, the dragon medic, or whatever you call her. Please, run as fast as you can."
He nodded, taking her frail body and moving away in an instant. Fu Xuan stared at Mark with wide eyes, looking at his disheveled form. His two fingers were bleeding, turning slightly purple from the pressure. He didn't care about it. They didn't fall off, which was good. With a smirk, he tried wiping away what remained of the blood on his face.
"It's fine, no worries. We've got bigger issues."
A voice rang out, loud and calm, the pressure coming from just the intense sound.
"I am Lord Ravager Phantylia. I have come with a single purpose: to set in motion the self-destruction of the Xianzhou."
Mark watched the flame float, hoping that it would just give up on Tingyun's body. Indeed, she kept blabbering about her monologue, mentioning two more names, Zephyro and Celenova, which once again forced Mark's body on the defensive. With a hand clutching his head, he tried to stop the pressure from building up, forcing his brain to physically stay together.
Soon, it all stopped, and the Antimatter Legion's troops went down as well. March and Stelle joined the group, both of them flabbergasted.
"W-wait, hold on a second... Are you really saying that Miss Tingyun was a member of the Antimatter Legion all along? And what was that fire that came out of her? Mister Yang, you're smart. What happened just now?"
Her eyes flew over to Mark, who didn't have many talking capabilities, yet his unusual knowledge recommended him as the one to receive those questions. He sighed, holding the bridge of his nose.
"Ah, that's not the case. I'm sure Mister Welt has a clue already. Tingyun was possessed or something. That thing you saw is a heliobus, some form of energy with life. It's odd to explain it since I myself am not fully sure what the hell they are, but this is a good explanation. Chances are, she was already in this state for a long time. Let's hope that she'll get better, since those fuckers put a strain so large on the creature that she might never recover from it."
Welt nodded, going along to complete his explanation with more information he held on Phantylia. Mark just remained silent, his vision still a bit blurry, partially from how much blood he had lost. Slowly, he managed to grab his pipe and hold on to it, using it to stand straight. A few deep breaths were all he took to slowly regain some strength. The next destination was Scalegorge Waterscape.
"Mark, you should head back and get some treatment. You're pale, even more so than usual."
He shook his head, too stubborn to listen to Welt's advice.
"Sorry, but I need to see this through. I have to make sure nothing extra happens."
Both their gazes were caught in conflict, with Mark unrelenting in his pursuit. Nothing could hold him from going ahead, not even his body. Stubbornness like that wasn't good in such a situation, yet he knew deep down that things would play out well one way or another. He could just watch and make sure things go well.
"Always the stubborn fool. This mentality will bring you to your doom one day, do you know that?" mumbled Fu Xuan, pretty angry at seeing his resilience in such a scenario.
"Sorry, but I'd rather die standing than live kneeling. I have to make sure this goes well... to the end. After all, it's my Trailblazing mission, right? My first official one."
He smiled a little, finding what glimmer of health resided within him, holding on to it as they prepared to embark on a starskiff.
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