Chapter 65: & Book 2 Start

Chapter 65: & Book 2 Start

The first three days of travel through the forest went far better than Chance had expected. After leaving Gleam behind together with Bella, hed half expected to be under attack by monsters every few steps.

Hed spend the first few hours beset by the terrifying forces of faint wind rustling the tree leaves and the crunch of sticks beneath their feet. Not a single monster had come after them. Like Bella had predicted, the area around Gleam was completely cleaned out and, as far as they could tell, safe.

But, even after camping through several nights, the two of them hadnt encountered a single living creature. Now that the threat of the Shikari was lessening behind them, Chance couldnt help but start to appreciate the forests beauty.

There was just enough room between the trees for the sun to shine down, warming their backs. It might have gotten close to uncomfortably warm had the canopy not cast shade over everything else, keeping the forest at a comfortable, slightly chilly, temperature.

Of course, it was still a forest. Chance would have taken a real bed had the opportunity been available to him, but he was far from suffering as they camped out beneath the lush trees and the glimmering purple stars peeking through above them.

And, as he was starting to get used to, his peace came to an end at the hands of Yamish. Right at the dawn of the fourth day after leaving Gleam, as Chance and Bella were packing up their meagre camp, Yamish appeared between them.

He floated upside down, his elongated, sharp fingers interlaced and his legs crossed. Chance cursed, his urumi flying to his hands before he realized who had arrived. He lowered the weapon, his heart thundering, and let out a large sigh. Bella looked considerably less pleased at Yamishs arrival, which wasnt saying all that much.

You scared the life out of me, Chance said, sitting down on a curved protrusion coming from a nearby tree. The urumi slithered back around his wrist, returning to its purple, spiked bracelet form.

Travelers should always be wary and prepared, Yamish said, rotating so that his head was right side up. You were not.

Are you the real Yamish? Or the fragment of will?

Both are real, but I am not here in my full capacity. You speak with the Yamish that you know most.

Not to cause offense, but why are you here? Bella asked, picking her bedroll up and sliding it into her bag without taking her eyes off Yamish. Is something wrong? Are the Shikari following us?

I am not observing their attempts to locate you. It is possible that they near, and it is possible that you have been forgotten.

Then why are you here? Are you going to give me more training? Chance asked.

To give you your instructions for this trial. The Shikari will maintain the search in whatever capacity they see fit for a period of four months. You may use this time as you see fit. Your only goal is to avoid capture.

You mean we could just camp in the forest the whole time? Chance asked. Not that Ive got any plans of doing that. The forest is nice, though.

Do what you will, but remember: those who do not advance fall behind. Vex is among your pursuers, so I do not predict your outcome will be enviable should you remain in such close proximity to Gleam.

Bellas face turned several shades paler. Seriously? Hes chasing me?

He is an irritable child whose toy you have broken. He chases.

Of course he does, Chance said. Lucky us. Thanks for the warning, Yamish. Is there anything else we should know?

No. I have watched over you thus far, but no longer. This will be the last time we meet until the test is over. Do not fail to meet my expectations.

Then he was gone as if he had never been there. One second Chance had been looking straight at him, and the second there was simply nothing. Bella glanced over her shoulder, then shuddered.

That is terrifying. Nobody should be able to just appear and disappear like that. There should at least be some warning.

Youre telling me. At least he isnt kidnapping you out of bed while youre trying to cultivate, Chance said. He finished packing his own supplies up and slung his travel pack over his shoulder. I suppose we should probably follow his advice and get out of here, though. Do you know how far away we are from the next city?

Is this better? the Old City raised its hands, revealing the proper ten fingers. Unfortunately, not a single one of them was on in the right direction or place.

You are not supposed to have a thumb in the center of your palm, Chance supplied. How did you manage to do that?

Look, this is hard. Have you ever formed a body out of a bunch of rock? No. I didnt think so.

Arent you supposed to be the smart one? Youre two whole years older than me.

My wisdom does not extend to making pathetic bodies like yours.

Youre the great Scholar-City of Gleam, arent you? It feels like it should be a fairly simple task to not get an ear stuck in the middle of your head.

The statue reached up and cursed, grabbing the ear and shifting it over to the proper position on its head.

Bella cleared her throat. Chance. This is Gleams awakened form? Youre not playing a joke on me?

Are you implying that I am insufficient? the Old City asked, cocking its head to the side. It moved a bit too far for its rocky form to permit and its head snapped off, thumping to the ground and rolling to a stop beside Bellas feet.

Its body knelt, reaching blindly for the missing head. Bella hesitantly picked the head up and returned it to its owner. The Old City plopped its head back on and twisted it into place, sealing over the cracks as if they had never been there.

I dont mean to be rude, Bella said. You just arent what I expected, I guess.

Well, dont complain too much. Im not exactly here voluntarily. Chance scammed me. I didnt want to get bound to anyone this early. Ever, actually. I just needed a few hundred more years to gather my strength.

Bellas eyes narrowed and she tapped a finger on her waist. Chance would never scam someone.

I know him better than you do, fleshbag. He scammed me right out of life and home. The Old City pointed a misplaced finger at Chance. I wouldnt be here if I had literally any other choice.

How? Bella asked. I cant see Chance ever trying to take advantage of someone.

He was supposed to get strong enough to defeat Yamish before I got smashed up or bound. Instead, he just made a deal and got himself bound to me.

Im sorry, what? You wanted Chance to try to defeat Yamish? Did he tell Yamish about your existence or something?

Well, no. He didnt beat Yamish, though.

You wanted a boy who arrived on Gleam no more than a few months ago to defeat one of the strongest cultivators that have ever lived on Centurion, Bella said flatly. And what did Yamish want with you?

To consume my Essence.

And yet here you stand, Bella said. Chance opened his mouth, but Bella shot him a sharp glare and he closed it. So what youre telling me is that you wanted him to defeat a vastly superior opponent and, instead of leaving you for dead like anyone with a brain would have, he managed to save your life and find a way to protect you from all the other cultivators in Gleam that would almost certainly bind you if they had a chance.

When you put it like that, you make me seem ungrateful. I gave him a magic urumi.

From what Ive seen that urumi do, it would be worth a few hundred gold at most, Bella said, shaking her head and pointing her dagger at the statue. I wont be having any of that. Chance might tolerate it, but I wont. No guilt tripping. Learn some respect. If it had been anyone else youd made that deal with, theyd have sold you out to the Shikari leadership in a heartbeat. Chance probably passed up on hundreds of thousands of gold just to save your ungrateful rocky butt.

Chance and the Old Citys eyes both grew wide as Bellas tirade came to an end. She crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow. The Old City shifted uncomfortably.

We can agree to look past it, it said. The fact of the matter is, Im stuck with you now. I didnt want to show myself until Yamish stopped hanging over you like a storm cloud. Now that hes gone, we can actually talk.