Chapter 404

He was tired, he was lacking in cultivation energy and, frankly, he was still injured. Fighting Tun Rahman, the final boss, was likely going to be a losing proposition. He didn't even have his usual tricks up and running, already having used his Refined Exploding Energy Dart. On another note, he scooped up to grab the tooth that had come flying out, shifting his hand to jam it back into his mouth, only to find the wound already closed.

Cursing a little, he kept pushing, not at all interested in running around toothless. The gapped looking was not at all sexy and he was still man enough to care...

Realising that all he was doing was injuring himself, he gave up and dropped the tooth, noting another reason he needed to learn how to do regeneration. Now, it was getting personal...

Pushing that thought aside, Arthur made his decision. He ducked into the room with Ramli's body, shut the door hard and then dropped the closet in front of it, stopping the door from opening easily. Glancing down at the man's body, considering if there was anything worthwhile to grab, his gaze fell on the spear.

An idea flickered, and he quickly moved spear and chair around, adjusting it so that it was facing the entrance but back a few steps so that the swinging door wouldn't smack it. Then, his crude and simple trap done, he ducked out, cursing as he realised he'd left behind his spear.

No point, anyway, since he couldn't exactly carry it out while climbing up onto the roof and running away. The spear had a lot of uses, but carrying around while running away was not one of them. And that was definitely what he was doing.

He leapt, gripping the edge of the window ledge, swinging himself backwards and upwards such that he spun through the air, landing on the roof. Landing with a hard thump, he hissed, gripping his stomach, pain radiating as his body pointed out how such movements were a bad idea. Breathing, slow and easy, then he started creeping along the edge away from the window.

A small jump, afterwards, into a set of bushes not far away. He landed, hard, hissing as the impact sent pain radiating through him again. Whimpering just a little, as something broke apart within him.

He couldn't keep doing this, and rather than doing what he had intended to do  - run away into the woods, after, hopefully, leaving enough clues that he was on the roof - he found himself rolling away. Under the building itself, moving such that he was out of easy sight so that he could have a break.

Small chance, that he might get away with it; but he would take it.

He waited, forming a REED within him, storing it away, pouring energy as well into his healing, putting the retorn part in his abdomen together in case he had to fight. Running away was not at all courageous, or brave, or manly - but if one thing Arthur knew, living to fight another day was the name of the game.

Anyway, he'd leave the big discussions of honor and morality and face for others; he was just a poor Chinese-Malaysian given a chance, at something more, and if there was one thing you learnt, it was that you took what came, worked twice as hard and kept going. Everything else, all the honors and applause, that was fleeting; momentary benediction until they found a new way to tear you down or take away what you gained.

Footsteps above, crashing to a halt. A pause, a push against the door, scraping of cupboard as it moved back a little. A frustrated growl, and then, an explosion of movement followed by a loud splintering as door and cupboard was pushed away as Tun Rahman charged through. It was punctuated by a howl of rage moments later, all of that causing Arthur to smile just a little.

He hoped that shout was because the spear had caught his opponent. He wasn't sure though, and so, he waited. For the thumping, the leap and the body rushing along the top of the roof. He listened as it faded away, and then; more noise.

As one very angry prince screamed his rage and challenge.

A long moment, then he felt something from the Tower itself. A quiet insistence that he had no choice but to open.

 

Quest in Danger of Imminent Failure

Time to Failure: 23:59:04 

 

Of course there was a countdown. Why wouldn't there be?

More noise, more shouts. Arthur tuned it out, beyond the most peripheral of noises as he kept healing himself. He wanted to cultivate, but dared not. Pulling himself into his body, turning off his attention to everything else going on around him would be a fool’s move.

No, better to keep his attention here, while he lingered beneath the longhouse, while Tun Rahman stalked around, shouting imprecations and admonishments, daring him to come and do battle. Growing ever more unhinged by the moment.

“I know you. I know you’re working for Tun Lok. You think I didn’t? I’ll kill you, kill all of you. Tear your guts out and string it out in front of the building, send your heads back to him! Eat your livers and have the bomoh make of your body a doll. Make full use of you, make sure you can’t ever betray me again like you did now.”

Arthur listened, waiting for the man to run down. Eventually, silence, as Tun Rahman stomped away into the distance. Arthur exhaled in relief, allowing himself to relax a little for a moment before he turned his attention instead to the more important part. He had less than a day if he was lucky before he would confront the other. 

In that time, he needed to fill some of his dantian at least and heal himself up. 

Under the building, as pale moonlight streamed from above, Arthur pulled in the Yin energy. A part of him noted the significantly stronger presence of Yin energy below, even stronger than sitting in a clearing at night, drawing in the moonlight. You would think that would be the strongest, outside of perhaps a graveyard; but somehow, here, beneath the building, the Yin energy was powerful.

Flavored, in secrets and death, in rot and damp and the quiet of lurking predators.

He drunk it all in, Yin energy swirling into his meridians, pouring through his meridians to lock into place in his dantian, one stream after the other. Drinking his fill into his parched center, feeling energy course through him and strengthen his body once again. He noted how even his healing technique, now that he had a refilled dantian full of unrefined energy, worked better. Not significantly so, but just a little. 

Like the Tower energy bolstered the refined energy, giving it more rigid and firm surface to work from.

Every minute, his breathing grew a little easier, the pain that he had shoved to the back of his mind faded away. At one point, he had to break off his cultivation and wait. As voices and an angry, still raging voice echoed outward. Coming back from searching the nearby woods, unable to locate Arthur, returning to his residence.

Waiting, for his prey to come to him. 

Arthur understood that well enough. After all, that damn timer was running down.

20:47:18

He exhaled, pushed the concerns aside.  Focused on cultivating, on his dantian now that the man had left.

Focused on healing himself, for the inevitable fight. Now that he was the only one left, it was clear, there was only one last way to end this tragic story. To finish the quest.

A part of him cursed, wishing everyone had played their parts properly. Gave him a chance to puzzle it out, rather than force him into a fight he never wanted to take.

If wishes were real, beggars would be full and the rich would be fools.