It turned out that Glimr of Night could not teach them how to do it. It wasnt for a lack of trying, either. The spider had very patiently described his exact process for doing whatever it was he had done to the cores. It just hadnt taken Sen very long to figure out that Glimr of Night was operating from an entirely different understanding of qi that used webs and various kinds of interconnection as the baseline. Given enough ti and context, it was probably a decipherable thod. They just didnt have that kind of ti. So, Sen had turned to experintation to see if they could still make use of the spiders ability. While the modified cores were unstable, they werent irreparably unstable. He had Glimr of Night do his thing to a core and just set it on the ground. Then, the cultivator, the spider, and the fox had watched the core from a distance. When nothing happened, they traded glances.
Alright, said Sen. I guess its my turn.
He walked over to the core and gingerly picked it up. He held his breath for a mont as he waited for it to engulf him in so kind of qi explosion. Sen glanced at the others. Misty Peak tried to give him an encouraging look that mostly failed. Glimr of Night was staring at the core like he was almost disappointed that it hadnt done sothing terrible to Sen. Shaking his head, Sen moved on to his second experint. He tried to put the core into a storage ring. As soon as the ring started to act on the core, he felt it. Sen threw the core up in the air and covered himself in a do of hardened air. A massive torrent of water crashed down on him and flooded the nearby streets. When the water finally cleared away, he walked back over to Glimr of Night and Misty Peak as they exited the building they had been hiding in. Sen just handed the spider another core.
Maybe try doing what you do a little less this ti, said Sen.
As much as Sen wanted to get out of the ruins, he couldnt view the hours they spent experinting on those cores as a wasted ti. It took a lot of trial and error, but Glimr of Night eventually figured out how much he could, for lack of Sen coming up with a better word, crack the core and still let them go into a storage ring. A casual toss wouldnt set them off anymore, but a throw from cultivation-enhanced arms was still good enough. Sen didnt imagine that they would be enough to turn the horde back, but they should make a very effective distraction. Particularly if the horde was still behaving like a disorganized horde.
It was sothing that Sen had to keep reminding himself about. He didnt need to beat the horde, just elude them. Given how little attention the devilish beasts and spirits had paid to anything happening in the nearby forest, he figured it was a safe assumption that most of the horde wouldnt chase them into the woods. As for the ones that did chase them, Sen felt a lot more confident about handling one or two dozen out in the trees. It was an environnt that would likely favor him more than it favored them. He just needed to get them all there alive. First, though, everyone needed a rest.
Sen wasnt sure how much it cost the spider to modify the cores, but it certainly didnt look easy. Plus, Glimr of Night had been at it for hours during the testing and prepping cores for their initial exit. Sen was probably fine to go, but an hour or two of sleep should serve them all well. If nothing else, it would give their minds a break. Sen didnt even get the token resistance hed expected from Misty Peak. Not that he thought she was in a hurry to leave but simply because she seed to enjoy being contrary. She must have read the thought on his face because she rolled her eyes at him.
I dont disagree with everything, she said.
Sen lifted both hands to her. I didnt say a word.
Oh, you said plenty.
Sen put a lot of extra effort into keeping his expression perfectly neutral, but Glimr of Night ca to the rescue again.
No, he didnt say anything. I was listening.
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Sen had to resist an urge to give the spider a hug. Misty Peak turned a glare on Glimr of Night that was, as near as Sen could tell, completely lost on the spider. Worried that he might start laughing if he kept watching, Sen picked a building and went inside. He threw a blanket and pillow on the floor and stretched out. The other two ca in shortly after. Realizing that the spider would have nothing even remotely like bedding or anywhere to store them if he did, Sen got back up. He took a minute to transfer everything out of a storage ring, and then store so essentials in the ring. That, in turn, led to a much longer conversation than Sen wanted about the ring itself and how it worked. The spider seed fascinated by the ring, taking things out of it and putting them back in over and over. Sen reminded himself repeatedly that he was once in awe of the rings himself. With that problem settled, he returned to his blanket.
While thoughts of the fight to co threatened to drag him into a spiral of what-if thinking, Sen fell back on ditation techniques to clear his mind. It was simplicity itself to fall asleep after that. He was deeply surprised to discover when he woke up that he hadnt had any dreams that he could recall. Hed almost expected to have a nightmare about the horde killing them all. He looked at the others. The spider seed to be sleeping peacefully, but there was a troubled expression on Misty Peaks face and she twitched occasionally despite being asleep. I guess she got the bad dreams this ti, thought Sen. He stored his blanket and pillow back in the ring and settled in to prepare himself ntally.
It was unusual that Sen had more than a mont or two to really think about what he might do in a fight. It was usually just a quick buildup and then a descent into violence. In this case, though, he discovered that there wasnt a lot of ambiguity. There was nothing in that horde that deserved to live another day as far as Sen was concerned. That bit of clarity put things on the table for him that he might otherwise think twice about. Heavens Shadow and Heavens Rebuke were obviously on the table, although he had to wonder if there was sothing in the horde that could counter them. It seed unlikely given that hed never t anything else that could, but it was never wise to assu. Of course, there was one other thing he could do or at least try to do.
Hed done it when he was fighting the dragon, and again when Falling Leaf was fighting against that beast tide. Hed resisted any urge to do it again or even try to practice it. It wasnt refined or controlled enough to call a technique. He wasnt sure what to call it. He could replicate it, though. The fact that the dragon had withstood it gave him a little pause but what else could he expect from a dragon that old? It would have been more shocking if it hadnt shrugged it off. What he could rember about what it had done to that beast tide and everything else in its path was the real reason hed held back from doing it again. The utter devastation of it had been too much. Until now. Now, he faced foes that deserved that level of devastation, that kind of annihilation. He could only hope that it would destroy their souls if it ca down to it. Still, it was a last resort. The first resort was simply to get away, but Sen took a certain comfort in the knowledge that nothing was off the table in this fight.
When the others woke up, they found Sen standing in the doorway to the outside. The spider cocked his head to one side like he was trying to figure sothing out. It was Misty Peak who looked at Sen with alarm written on her face after she got a look at his expression.
What happened?
Sen lifted a shoulder in response. Pack up. Its ti to leave this place.
There was a total lack of talking as Sen led them to the barrier. He frowned out at the blurry ss, wishing he had a better idea of what was waiting for them. He supposed it didnt matter. They were going out there one way or the other. He drew his jian and prepared Heavens Shadow like he had the last ti with one minor alteration. He hadnt gone far enough last ti. Hed infused the technique with fear. This ti, he infused it with unadulterated terror. The cold terror of being without shelter before the storm. The hot terror of facing down things you know can kill you. The existential terror that cos with the certainty that a predator has co and is hunting you. Sen didnt want those things afraid. He didnt want them panicky. He wanted them to feel like they needed to flee before the arrival of certain death. In his other hand, he summoned one of the unstable cores. He looked at Misty Peak and Glimr of Night.
Whatever you do, stay behind . If it looks like we wont be able to carve a path, Im going to do sothing that you do not want to get caught in, said Sen before he focused on the fox woman. Do you have a way to contact your grandfather? A way to send him a ssage?
Misty Peaks brow furrowed as she thought it over. I think so. What ssage should I send?
Sen turned back to the barrier, drawing his focus ever tighter. Tell him to take cover.
Then, Sen stepped through the barrier.
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