Chapter 21
“Rachel, are you all right?” A concerned Alex gazed down at the trembling young woman, wide, frightened eyes locking with his own even as she shivered with cold, despite wearing his coat on top of her own.
“I couldn’t do anything,” she whispered. “When its terrible eyes locked with my own… I froze!”
“And that’s why you didn’t get any experience points,” Linnea said sympathetically.
“Had you had it within you to force your will upon reality’s mantle even just a tiny bit, to affect causality just a hair, then you would have blossomed like never before!
But don’t feel bad. These were half-step Silver monsters!
They could have torn out your throat before you could blink. ”
Alex smirked, happy to see his companion so effortlessly shift to her natural self when he wasn’t embracing gestalt, relieved to sense her mind so bright and bubbly and cheerful, clearly no worse for wear after having temporarily fused with his own.
Even if he wanted to wince at her particular choice of words as he did his best to reassure Rachel.
“Don’t feel bad,” said Tang of all people.
“For a newly delving Ruidian, choosing Winter truly is madness. But your friend’s right.
If the rumors I hear are true, and you all really do blossom with the potency of your kills, just like spirit beasts devouring cultivators, spiritual herbs, or one another, then I suspect you’ll be far stronger than you ever were before, once we finish this delve. ”
Alex nodded. “We just need to figure out how best to use your skills. Whether offensively or defensively. Are you able to summon shields or wards of Wood?”
Rachel bit her lip. “To be honest, I was hoping for a far more… lush environment?” She winced.
“I guess I just hadn’t really thought of the ramifications of Winter.
Silly, foolish me. I should have known it would be just as barren as the desert…
just… with crystals of ice instead of sand.
And at least I understand and can manipulate the element of Sand!
But that doesn’t seem to extend to, um… snow. And I tried. Believe me, I tried!”
Alex nodded. “But since I’m guessing this is the first time you’ve ever experienced snow, I wouldn’t be too hard on yourself. What matters is that now you know, and the only question you should be asking yourself is, what can you do in this environment to help turn the tide of battle?”
She knitted her pert little brow, Alex glad to let her, though he was pleasantly surprised to find his boon companions in no immediate rush to hurry.
Which definitely made sense, as it gave them a few more minutes to recover and ready themselves for whatever came next, not to mention harvest choice cuts of spirit beast meat.
For long moments, Rachel glared at the snow, and Alex almost thought he felt… something tingle his senses. His eyes widened when he felt the caress of Linnea’s mind, and suddenly it all snapped into brilliant focus.
He could see tendrils of Rachel’s magic questing into the ice flow, which was either a purely manufactured construct, or, if this somehow echoed with an actual realm or world out there somewhere, they were effectively on a mile-high ice flow and there was no chance in hell of Rachel’s arts accessing either dirt or plants of any sort from down below.
Which to Alex made no sense. For then what supported the beasts, unless it was the arcane spiritual radiation of this realm as a whole?
Unless there was a lake nearby… in which case plankton and lichens could still serve as the base of an ecosystem of some sort.
Then he blinked, thoughts racing with an unexpected possibility, even as Rachel slumped her shoulders in defeat.
“I’m sorry,” she all but sobbed before a surprisingly sympathetic-looking Lao Tie. “I fear I’m all but worthless, here!”
Lao Tie shook his head. “Hardly that, my young Ruidian friend. Your gifts include wood, yes?”
She nodded hesitantly, earning a bright smile in return.
“Wonderful!” He then gestured at the wooden hafts held by Alex and his own companions. “I do believe I see four weapon shafts that could certainly benefit from whatever strengthening arts your gifts could imbue.”
Alex, noting the hesitation in the others. And why wouldn’t they hesitate, introducing foreign arts to weapons that had stood them so well so far? Gamely, he pulled out his own fangtian ji.
“If you can enhance it, Rachel, that would be wonderful.”
Rachel beamed happily, clearly grateful to be of use… only to wilt as her hands clasped the shaft of Alex’s weapon.
“I’m sorry, Alex.” She swallowed, suppressing a shiver from the cold. “But this artifact is already so infused with potency that the shaft won’t take a hairsbreadth more.”
Kuaisu smirked. “Of course the boy’s weapon is a spiritual treasure.
No other way it would have survived striking those wolves with such force!
” She then gamely presented her own spear.
“Mine is as well. But if you can make it any stronger without harming the enchantment…” Her eyes widened when a beaming Rachel gently closed her hand around the shaft, hummed softly to herself, then presented it with a smile.
“Hear you go. I managed to strengthen its resilience by exactly thirty-seven percent!”
Kuaisu blinked. “So exact,” she said, before performing a basic kata and nodding thoughtfully. “At least it feels just as good as it had before.”
Within seconds the rest of the crew had their equipment similarly enhanced, and Alex couldn’t help but exchange a nod with Lao Tie, grateful that the man had found a way for Rachel to feel useful and valued. And only after she had serviced what equipment she could, did Alex make his own request.
“Rachel, do you know how scum can form on a stagnant pool of water, even if it appeared clear, just days before?”
Rachel nodded. “Of course. The few of us with gifts for water know well how to sterilize such moss and algae. I do as well, but…” She shrugged. “People prefer arts they’re familiar with. Not that I blame them.”
Alex’s suddenly intense gaze locked with her own. “Rachel? Can you do the same for the snow drifts all around us?”
“Wait, you want me to sterilize the snow, for drinking water?” She frowned thoughtfully. “That won’t be necessary. It’s actually pretty sterile already.”
Alex slowly shook his head. “I want you to do the exact opposite.”
Rachel blinked, clearly taken aback. “I’m sorry, Alex, you wish me to cover the snow with… what, algae?”
Alex solemnly nodded, ignoring the odd looks this earned him. “Yes, Rachel. That’s exactly what I’m asking.”
Rachel bit her too-pale lip before her entire body shivered with a bright surge of healing warmth.
You have successfully channeled personal potency into Lu0866.
Homeostasis has been fully restored!
(Additional pheromones have been released.)
Rachel’s eyes widened, pupils dilating as her cheeks flushed.
“Alex! Did you just… heal me?”
Alex winked. “Just doing my part to keep you warm and comfy. How do you feel?”
“I feel so much better! Now give me just a moment, yes… maybe?” She frowned down at the snow before closing her eyes. And for long moments, there were no sounds, save for the howling wind.
“I have an idea…” Ya Ling said.
“About…”
“The Wind! If I could calm it…”
“That would mean gaining control over it, or at least the first step toward mastering it, just like a wujen,” Alex noted, sharing a smile with his friend. “You should totally try.”
Their newest party members, however, having finished catching their breath, harvesting meat, and preparing themselves for what was to come, were beginning to look a bit impatient.
Yet still… Alex couldn’t help but smile with happiness when the snow around them took on the faintest green-and-pink tinge.
Tang cleared his throat. “Thank you again for strengthening my naginata. I’m eager to try it out on the next snow wolf we find.”
“Myself as well,” Kuaisu declared.
Wu Xien smirked down at the intently frowning Ruidian girl. “What they’re saying is best we get going, little one. You’ll have plenty of time to turn the snow pretty colors, later. I can all but promise you that.”
Rachel’s eyes snapped open, her cheeks flushing with more than the wind. “I, um… of course you’re right,” she said softly as the crew began making their way forward in earnest.
She turned to Alex, panting as she struggled to keep up with the others wading so effortlessly through the snow.
“I’m sorry, Alex, that’s the best I could do.
” She wheezed before collapsing with a soft groan…
only to gasp when Alex effortlessly lifted her up, earning an adorable yelp as he gently placed her on his shoulder.
“Alex!”
“It’s quite all right,” he said with a chuckle.
“Don’t slow us down,” Tang snarked.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Alex said with a smirk as he raced in front of them all, miming pushing forward one foot after the other like he was on ice skates as he effortlessly rode upon wind and snow.
“Alex!” Rachel gasped.
“Alex!” Linnea pouted.
Ya Ling, able to glide about even more effortlessly than he, presently carried serenely by the wind only a few feet above the ground, just grinned and waved as she floated right past him.
“It’s all right, Rachel, you’re doing wonderful!” Alex said with a chuckle. “I’ll tell you what. You let me worry about movement, keeping us warm, and topping off your metaphoric batteries. You just focus on visualizing the snow we cross as being covered in that wonderful pink-green algae.”
Her brow furrowed. “I almost understand what you mean by… Oh, now I understand!” Her eyes widened as her efforts led to patches of algae being left in their wake. “This way we can find our way back, if we need to, without having to worry about…”