Mana 4 Chapter 24 (Patreon)

I turned towards the new voice, swirling my mana within me, preparing for the attack. When I saw who it was, I smiled. I was prepared to take down anybody I found in the auction house, but taking down the man who had hit me upside the head for talking was going to feel way better.

Feeling a bit of a battle high, I responded, “Was that rhetorical? You’re not much of a guard if you can’t figure out that I’m here to rob you.”

The powerfully built guard paused and gave me a once over before looking at the rest of the situation. His eyes landed on Wenxi Su. “Miss Su. Please stop this at once.” He must have thought she was in charge and would be the more sensible one to talk to.

“Apologies.” She gave a small bow. “I’m just here to observe.”

His face flickered with confusion. “What do you mean? If you aren’t the one here to cause trouble, then who is?” The guard looked at the reminder of us and focused on me, his scowl deepening. “We just sold you. There is no bad blood between us.”

“Just sold me? Like that should be an everyday thing?” I growled and stalked forward. “You were going to die anyway, but if you hadn’t been, you would be now.”

He stopped talking and drew out a heavy metal club that glowed softly with enchantments. It was just the sort of thing someone would use in order to not damage the merchandise.

I shot forward, pulling the bonesword from my core. We clashed in a blow of power that shook the curtains on the wall and scattered anything that had been left on pedestals. Glass cases crashed to the ground.

As we battled, I realized that there was more to the fight than I’d gone into understanding. I needed to prove to myself that I still had the vigor to climb step by step through the cultivation world. I needed to go head to head with somebody truly powerful and be able to win.

I faltered a moment as the realization hit me, just narrowly dodging the guard’s next attack. But that moment gave me the clarity I needed to refocus stronger than before. I let go of anything I’d let hold me back and flowed like the wind; my sword became a blur as I tore through the guard’s defenses. He was only just barely saved by the chain mail under his robe.

The guard roared in defiance, and his club grew bright as he slammed it down on me. It was a heavy blow even with my block; my bones rattled with the pressure.

His club grew dim, and he sagged, looking at me strangely. “You should have gone down from that.”

“No such thing as an attack that always works.” I chided him. “But I can tell you that wasn’t near enough.” Using Mei’s void mana, I appeared at his side with another attack. He just managed to block, but his hips were twisted, and he didn’t have the strength to hold this one off.

His knees gave, and I pushed him down to the ground, kicking his arm aside and piercing his heart.

There was no need to drag the moment out. He paid the price for the way he sold me like an animal, and time was important at that moment. There would no doubt be other fourth rank immortals making an appearance soon.

“Wenxi, is there an escape route here?” We’d made a lot of noise, and I had no doubt we’d started garnering more attention.

Her eyes opened wide with understanding. “I don’t know of it, but I’m almost positive there’s one.”

My eyes flicked to Kat. She would have done her scouting. “You know, though. I can see it in your face.”

“Me?” Kat batted her eyes at me, before they sharpened as she gave me a gleeful smirk. “Two lefts, one right, and I think it’s behind the shelves. At least, that’s where there seems to be a missing space in the building design.”

I nodded, thanking the universe that Kat plotted so methodically. “Rachel, finish these men off and then go right from here. Do a sweep of the building.” I had a feeling that the strongest guards and cultivators would be with the most precious merchandise, and that was where I was headed. After Rachel acknowledged the order, I lept off to the left and followed Kat’s directions.

As I moved, I passed a number of storerooms without even looking inside. I knew the most precious items would be carried off per some emergency plan they had in place to protect the auction house. So the escape route was my best shot.

Wenxi ghosted behind me, staying far enough away that she wasn’t likely to get caught up in the fight. She really was just here to watch. Although once we got to the good merchandise, I knew she’d be by my side looting for her cut of the riches.

Taking the second left and then dodging an oncoming attack, I tore open the throat of the guard, unfortunate enough to get between me and my goal. Ducking the right turn, it was immediately obvious that Kat was correct in identifying the escape route.

The two auctioneers were commanding a group of third rank guards, who were carrying large crates out from the backroom toward the storeroom Kat had mentioned.

Nearby stood three more prominent guards, these were all fourth rank cultivators. I could feel two were similar in strength to the one I’d just fought, but the last was far stronger. He was more in line with my strength at the peak of the fourth rank. He must be the captain of the guard and the other two his lieutenants.

Scouting accomplished, I moved forward to cut them off before they got all the significant merchandise out.

It didn’t take long for the guards to start shouting as I approached. No doubt I was a gruesome sight, splattered in blood.

“Stop him!” The middle-aged auctioneer shouted and pushed a guard towards me.

The guard fumbled with his sword, and I snapped a kick to his head, wrenching his neck disturbingly to the side with a wet snap.

But as he fell, the two lieutenants jumped into action. One charged me with a spear, while the other drew a bow behind him. They were interesting choices for the narrow hallways of the auction house.

The spearman shot forward, air swirling around him as his charge tore at the walls.

“Get back to moving these.” A shout came up behind them, but I couldn’t worry about that right now.

I strategized as the spearman charged. Using most of my spells would be far too destructive if I wanted to preserve the value of all the goods that they were moving. So instead, I met the spearman’s charge head on in an explosive collision that had me in the middle of a massive gale wind. It tugged at my robes as small blades of wind scattered about and tore at me with small cuts.

His charge hadn’t been the actual attack. It was the wind he was generating with it that was the real power. He wavered to the side at the last moment, an arrow just barely missed him.

I didn’t have any warning as the arrow sailed towards me. Bending back at an awkward angle, I let the arrow graze my check rather than lose my head. The arrow detonated with a spike of earth that forced me to dodge into the air just as the spearman came with another sweeping attack.

I smiled as my adrenaline spiked. These two were impressive. And it wasn’t only because of their unconventional combination of style and element, but their coordination with each other. Wind for melee and earth for a ranged attacker? That seemed backwards.

How the archer had fired just over the spearman’s shoulder to hide his shot spoke of years of coordination between the two.

The spearman came again, but this time I recognized the two blades of wind riding along with his attack. They were just on the edge of the blade, waiting to continue on his attack even after I blocked.

So I did just what he expected, arresting his momentum with an overhead block. But as he thought he won the exchange, I used void mana to move myself behind him, flowing my block into a strike at the archer.

There was only a moment of shock as the archer suddenly sank into the ground, dodging my attack by sinking up to his knees on the stone floor. Then he quickly raised himself back up with a knocked arrow ready.

I lashed out with my hand and broke the arrow before he could release it, but my neck prickled with danger. Relying on instinct, I rolled to the side. I felt the spear pass over me before I hit the wall and bounced to my feet.

These two were good.

“Don’t suppose either of you would like to let me through, would you?” I joked as the three of us reset, watching each other for who would make the next move. They said nothing in response, slowly moving in coordination with each other.

I kept my senses reaching out for other danger. I knew that there were still three stronger opponents than these two remaining. And even with my bloodline, I wasn’t sure that I would be able to kill all five of the fourth rank immortals here.

And that posed a danger if any got away after seeing my secrets. I wasn’t ready for my power to be well known. If Madam Orchid knew about my bloodline before I bought myself out, I had no doubt it would make my plan far more complicated. And keeping it a secret would be invaluable for my fight with the Ying Family.

So, I needed to figure out a weakness in these two and take care of them before the others joined the fray.

But they were smart. They didn’t press forward or attack. They waited, stalling so that more merchandise could get out.

Deciding to let go of my strategy to try to protect the merchandise over the need to move faster, I upped my power.

They both must have seen my moment of decision, because they burst out on their own, charging me once again. There was the same gale force wind behind the first guard’s charge, and I had a feeling there would be another arrow he’d dodge just in time.

So this time, I grabbed his spear, knowing the thrust wasn’t the real power behind the attack, and locked the spearman in place.

His eyes opened wide in shock as he watched the wind tear up my hand, but my grip never wavered. I twisted his spear and pushed him back. Panic lit in his eyes as he realized he wasn’t going to be able to dodge out of the way.

An arrow blossomed in his chest, and I took the opportunity to grab it and rip it out, causing as much damage as I could in the process. The arrow had hit his lungs, and blood pooled out the edge of his lips as he sputtered.

Diving past him, I swung with my other arm at the archer, tipping my blade down and snapping the tip of his bow.

I’d just neutralized both of their primary fighting abilities, but that didn’t stop the archer from pulling out a pair of knives and the spearman from clutching his chest and wobbling back on his feet. Unfortunately for the spearman, with the change in positions, he no longer had anything behind him that I cared about damaging.

“Kunpeng’s claw.” I slammed my wounded palm forward, catching the spearman and blasting him further down the hall. In the same move, I whirled on the archer and started to exchange blows between two daggers and a long sword.

My blades cut deep gashes several times over before the guard captain stepped in and protected him. “Well done. I was curious to see if they’d gotten any better.” The captain was a grizzled and scarred old man, with the sort of eyes that were hollow of compassion. “But I can’t let you kill good men.”

I readied my sword and let my injured hand hang at my side as it dripped blood. “You all deal in trading men like animals here, so it feels like a stretch to call yourselves good men.”

Over his shoulder, I could see that the team was wrapping up the end of their process. I didn’t have much time left. It looked like Wenxi would get the show she was looking for.

Reaching deep inside of my bloodline, I was faced with the two options I’d considered before.

Either the power of the white tiger or the gold dragon.

Both pulsed with power and majesty, the tiger like the king of the jungle claiming his title and the dragon demanding all those cower in its wake.

For some reason, at that moment, I wanted the dragon.

Grabbing onto the symbol, tyrannical power flooded over me, like a dragon claiming the world by standing atop the tallest mountain. I felt like an unstoppable beast of raw power.

There was a moment of shocked silence outside my inner world as everyone stared wide eyed at the symbol on my forehead.

“Impossible!” the middle-aged auctioneer screamed.

I didn’t care. My body felt like it was filled with the raw power of a dragon. Metal mana sheathed me, and I withdrew my sword. It was time to get a little more hands on.

The spearman came out of his daze first and thrust forward, his movements a bit less sure now that he had seen my bloodline.

But I wound around his spear, feeling far faster than him. I palmed his face before twisting and using his head like a battering ram to break through the wall on my right.

I moved just in time as an arrow and several spells zipped past me, filling the hallway with attacks. They clearly no longer cared about not hurting the others or stalling. My bloodline had them scared. I’d just become a problem far too big to be left alone.

The fight had moved me in the auction hall proper, but I was able to adjust that easily. I spun again and hurled the spearman through the wall about where the other group had been.

The wall crumbled as he burst through the large slab. The middle-aged auctioneer had been ready, stabbing into the debris, thinking it was me, but he ended up with one of his own guards on his sword as I came up behind.

The guard captain swung into my path with a heavy sword.

I blocked his sword with my hand, pushing it down and leaping over it. As I expected, the archer had lined up behind him. I needed to take him out.

Kicking off the great sword, I tackled the archer to the ground. Metal mana coursed through me as my fists became great hammers. I brought them down on his shoulders.

The full force of my bloodline and body was enough to shatter his collarbone all the way across his chest. He wasn’t going to be much use after that.

“There’s been a mistake!” The old auctioneer yelled. “We didn’t know you were someone from an ancient family. We can make this up to you.”

Right now, with the gold dragon bloodline flowing through me, I didn’t care for any apologies or conversation. I held up my right arm and let my sleeve fall down. “You DARED sell me.” My voice boomed out, as if shackling the king of dragon kind was an offense against the heavens. My call echoed in the tight hallway. “For that, you must die.”

A logical part of me knew that they were complicit in my selling, but they weren’t all directly involved. They were doing their jobs. But it wasn’t enough.

The tyrannical nature flowing through me demanded they lose all they held dear.

I exploded forward like a dragon rising from the sea, only to clash with both the middle-aged auctioneer and the captain of the guard and they threw in together.

The shockwave knocked them both back and shook the foundation of the reinforced building. The captain of the guard looked over his shoulder in betrayal as the older auctioneer grabbed one last crate and fled.

“Stall him. We need the Ying family patriarch to deal with this.” He yelled as he fled like a rat. I was amazed he hadn’t learned by now that the walls weren’t going to do much to block me. And I couldn’t have him retrieving the patriarch of the family.

I smashed through two walls and caught up to him, grabbing the back of his neck as he turned in shock. Landing, I converted my momentum into a twist and threw him back into the center of the melee.

The third ring guards weren’t faring so well. In the aftermath of the short fight, they had become collateral, trying to pull each other to safety.

The old auctioneer plowed through the two of them, smashing them to the ground.

I was only a moment behind as blades of metal mana danced off of my fingers, ending the poor guards that had gotten involved in a fight far above their level.

Landing on the old auctioneer, I summoned the image of a dragon claw behind me and smashed him into the ground forceful enough to squeeze blood out of his nose and ears.

Getting up off him, I realized I had just landed back in the auction room proper.

The archer limped in through one of the wall openings, using the wall to keep himself upright. Both his arms dangled uselessly at his side. I had to give the man credit. He was determined.

The spearman came in after him, looking a bit better, but not much. Blood dribbled from his nose and mouth, but he at least was able to hold his spear, watching me with his one eye that wasn’t swollen.

As they stumbled forward, the guard captain and middle-aged auctioneer stepped up alongside them. They were banged up, but strong enough as immortals that it wasn’t affecting them greatly. They’d be the larger threat.

I looked down at the older auctioneer and decided to finish the job. Stomping on his chest, I finished him with one movement, pulp flying to the surrounding seats. It was a bit gruesome, but I’d come to make a point.

I looked up at the men in front of me. “You can’t win, and I can’t let you leave. So let’s finish this.”

Wenxi slipped onto the auction stage, watching me with appreciative eyes. She seemed untouched, except for some dirt that had gotten on her white dress. I appreciated that she didn’t look at me like I was a monster; instead, her eyes seemed to find me even more appealing. If she liked what she’d seen so far, she was probably going to love this next show.

Rachel wasn’t in the area, and neither was Kat. No doubt Rachel was doing as instructed and cleaning up the other wing of the auction house and Kat… well, Kat was either helping her or locking down the shiniest trinkets.

I put thoughts of them aside to focus. Kat could handle herself and Rachel either succeeded and earned my respect or died a weakling. A tyrant couldn’t surround himself with weaklings.

The power of the gold dragon still poured through me, and I flexed my hands.

“You’ve gotten your revenge. Now flee the city before the Ying family finds out about this.” The middle-aged auctioneer demanded, pretending he still had authority. But I could smell the fear on him. He was afraid and blustering in one last attempt.

“That’s our problem. I can’t have you identify me to the Ying family.” I readied my sword. “And luckily, corpses can’t talk.”

All of us burst into action, determination filling their faces as they realized I wasn’t going to back down or grab a few treasures and run. We were going to finish this one way or another, and I was just getting started.