[PREVIEW] Great Sage Above Brockton 2.06

I figured it wouldn't be fair to my lower tier patrons if I didn't release a preview of the 3rd reserved chapter, so have one on me!

-x-

“Widen your stance, disciple! Weak pillars support no castles!”

Taylor drew in a sharp breath as she did as he asked. Her golden wings shimmered under the sunlight and followed her body’s motions, jutting from the two tears of her shirt. A thin layer of sweat coated her brow, and although her limbs slightly trembled, she showed no signs of stopping. 

“Not so easy after several laps, isn’t it?” Sun Wukong asked. “Breathing cools the body, but the body still suffers from the aches. If you do not breathe properly when exerting yourself, your breath becomes harsher and your body recovers more slowly. Like the flowing waters of the river, you must maintain a steady pace, lest you encounter the rapids.”

She offered no verbal acknowledgement of his words; instead, she maintained her breathing and continued the exercise. Her limbs flowed close and away from her chest, and her legs remained planted upon the rubble-strewn grounds of the Trainyard. A water bottle stood nearby, half-empty from previous drinking.

As for Wukong, he was perched upon his staff and idly nibbled from a large bag of what claimed to be ‘extra-spicy’ nachos. 

‘The bite has a modicum of harshness, yet this Old Sun feels no searing…bah, compared to the old Bull’s winter stew, these might as well be morsels of well-seasoned porridge!’ His nose wrinkled as he looked inside the bag. The bright red of the chips almost glowed in the darkness of the crinkly material, as though the chips’ maker needed to emphasize the spiciness with a visual stroke. ‘Foolishness; the best spice hits the taste buds hardest when you are unaware!’

A winter breeze blew past him, whistling between the four metal crates he chose as markers for their impromptu training field. Under the cloudy sky, the bloom of Taylor’s wings cast long shadows, dancing on the ground in tandem with her movements. The wings sliced through the air, the golden leaves that composed them breaking off and reforming with every step. 

Taylor began to enter a new stance, and suddenly her breath hitched and a grimace twisted her features. Wukong raised an eyebrow, but she took several calming inhales and her breath evened out again. With bent knees, she rolled her arms inwards and let them settle at her hips. She then punched the air with her right fist before rolling it up and pulling the air. Once the arm returned to her side, she repeated the motion with her left. 

Activating his Golden Eyes, Wukong beheld the influx of qi streaming through Taylor’s wings and into her body, the ethereal stream of energy pulsating with every move she took. Motes of light sprouted from the earth around her, unseen and unfelt by all except him. 

“Your wings are truly remarkable, dear girl,” he commented. “To draw qi with such ease at your stage…truly, my former master would kill for a student such as yourself. Do you feel it? The lightness in your muscles, the cleansing tingle in your lungs?”

She slowly nodded with a furrowed brow, seeking out the qi’s warmth in her body. “Yeah…it feels like water under my skin.” Another fist. “Every time, I throw a punch, something…rushes forward. When I pull it back…” she performs the stated motion sharply. “It’s calmer. Barely a tickle. I can’t seem to hold it.”

Wukong chuckled. “Patience, o disciple. Even with your…unique advantage, summoning qi is no easy feat. It is meant to cycle through the body, to enter and leave. To hold it in and bring it forth on your will? Ah, now that is far trickier.” He finished off the last of his nachos and crumpled the bag into a tiny ball. “For now, focus only on that sensation beneath your skin. Allow your wings to move freely and unrestrained.”

Taylor nodded and continued, though he didn’t miss her eyebrow twitch of impatience. Alas, such was the nature of youth; he could not change any more than he could his own curiosity. 

Over a minute had passed, and Taylor’s breath grew sharper with every punch she threw. Her wings, while losing their rigidity like he’d requested of her, began to flash with greater pulses. Wukong opened his mouth to gently reprimand her when a flash of black flickered in the corner of his eye. 

It was a cluster of motes, floating toward his disciple much like the rest. Yet while the other sparks of qi radiated with life and warmth, these ones were…hazy. Warped. Trailing like sludge and leaving a thick, purple miasma that tickled his nose -

Rotting flesh. Spoiled earth. Foul sky. DecayDEATHROTROT -