Book 6: Chapter 50: The Ruins (5)

Book 6: Chapter 50: The Ruins (5)

As pets go, its really creepy, said Misty Peak.

Sen gave her a level look. Its not a pet.

It acts like a pet. It follows you around all the time.

By that logic, youre my pet. Should I be scratching you behind the ears?

The look of blind outrage on Misty Peaks face was too much for Sen. He burst into laughter, which didnt help things at all. She stalked toward him with bloody vengeance in her eyes. It was a challenge to duck and dodge all of the punches and kicks she threw his way while he was still laughing, but Sen wasnt one to let small things like debilitating laughter get in the way of saving his own life. By the time the fox woman got tired of not landing any blows, Sen had his amusement mostly under control. Mostly.

Stop smirking at me, said Misty Peak with barely restrained fury.

My other pet isnt nearly so demanding. Did you see how it just quietly waits for me?

I will cut your throat in your sleep.

Alright. Alright. Ill stop poking fun, said Sen taking up position by the door leading back outside.

Its better for your health that way.

Youre in a terrible mood. Did I forget to feed you today? asked Sen before darting out the door.

Sen crouched in a shadowy corner behind a building while Misty Peak hunted for him, shouting his name, and issuing very graphic death threats. He decided then and there to leave out the part of the story where he ran away and hid in any future telling of the tale. He glanced up at a soft chittering noise. The spider was clinging to the wall above him. While Sen couldnt be entirely sure, he felt like the spider was giving him a reproachful look. He eyed the spirit beast.

What? asked Sen in a quiet voice. She had it coming.

When Misty Peaks anger seemed to have subsided, Sen and the spider cautiously emerged from hiding. They tracked the fox woman down, who was leaning against a wall, arms folded across her chest, and staring at Sen with eyes narrowed so much they were barely slits. As Misty Peak looked like she was about to say something, the spider abruptly moved sideways to put some distance between itself and Sen.

Traitor, muttered Sen before he announced in a loud voice, well, important business to be about. Spatial treasures to find.

The fox stalked right up until she was standing nearly nose-to-chin with Sen, glaring up at him.

Dont imagine for one second that were anywhere near done with the whole pet discussion. We are not.

Sen formed a mental fist and seized all of the comments that sprang to mind which he was certain would lead to instant bloodshed. He promptly crushed those thoughts and looked for anything less inflammatory to say.

Yeah. I figured.

With one last glare, Misty Peak spun on a heel and started walking away. Sen gave her back a curious look.

Where are you going?

To find that spatial treasure.

Do you know where it is?

Sen rocked his head back and forth a little. I think that something is going on here that were not seeing. Probably something were not meant to see. Something designed to keep us away from that temple. At least, thats my good theory.

Is there a bad theory?

The bad theory is that this city is bigger than it looks and that spatial treasure your grandfather wants so badly has warped it somehow.

Misty Peak considered those options. Okay. I see your point. Im hoping for the first choice.

Sen took the lead in their walk and kept glancing back to see if the sword was still there. For a short time, it was there. Then, it was gone from behind them and Sen could see it down a street to his left. He came to a stop and simply pointed to it. Misty Peak gave the sword an unsettled look before she finally asked a question.

Did you even feel the environment change? she asked.

I didnt. You know more about manipulating what people see than me. What do you think we should do?

Sen waited while the fox paced back and forth a few times with her brows furrowed. Whatever was happening to them was well beyond his experience, and he knew it.

We keep going, at least for a while. Maybe we can piece together enough information to understand how this works. Right now, this feels like a trap, and I know I dont want to be stuck in here forever.

No kidding, offered Sen. Ive got a few years worth of food, but Im not feeling good about what happens after that. I havent seen anything like food in here so far. Have you?

A few years worth of food. What kind of disaster were you planning for?

All of them, I guess. You cant ever really have too much food.

Sen decided not to mention that he could get by without food if he had to do it. Hed done it before. He just didnt want to subsist entirely on qi, even if it would probably prove easier and easier to do so over time. That was just a step too far removed from humanity for Sens tastes. He knew that, if he ascended, there was a good chance that such things would be commonplace. It didnt mean he felt a rush to embrace it. His teachers hadnt, after all. Pushing away the distracting thoughts, Sen eyed the sword and then their ultimate destination. He gestured to Misty Peak.

Lead the way. Maybe youll have better luck than I did.

For the next hour, Sen paid very close attention to his surroundings. Despite the temple always appearing as though it was directly ahead, the sword exposed that lie. It would appear and increasingly disappear from their sight, sometimes to their left or right, sometimes behind them, but slowly growing more distant. Sen picked an intersection and drove another sword he knew hed never use into the street. As they set out, Sen decided to take a different tack. He cycled for earth qi and used it to displace part of the road as they traveled over it. From time to time, hed give the spider a look, but it was just walking after them seemingly unconcerned about their current situation. Either thator it wasnt able to follow the conversation enough to understand what's happening, thought Sen. This might all just look like human madness to it. After another hour of watching the new sword appear and disappear seemingly at random, Sen figured that it was probably time.

Lets stop here for a minute. I want to check something, said Sen.

What is there to check?

Our trail.

Without bothering to explain himself beyond that, Sen formed a qi platform and rose up over the city. He kept expecting to find the barrier above, but he didnt. He wasnt sure if he just didnt get high enough or if it was somehow open at the top. He assumed it was the former, otherwise that barrier would just extend up into the sky forever. Sen understood the qi consumption of formations rather well, so he knew that an open barrier like that wasnt realistic just in terms of what it would cost in energy. He was able to get high enough to get a better sense of the city, which was perfectly circular. Yet, looking down on it, the city did look bigger than it had from outside the barrier. That started a sense of unease, but it was looking at the visual trail hed left behind that truly gave Sen pause. They had been weaving a complicated path through the outer edges of the city. When seen from above, though, that path in combination with the circular design of the city looked vaguely familiar. He stood on that platform for quite a while as he tried to dredge up whatever memory was associated with that pattern. When it finally clicked, he lowered himself to the ground.

You took your time, said Misty Peak. You also dont look very happy. What did you figure out?

What do you know about mandalas?

That they exist. Thats about as far as it goes. Why?

Because Im pretty sure were stuck in one.