Chapter 38

The sundered fired another arrow at me, I pushed Qi through my limbs, adjusting my stance in a sharp sidestep. The arrow whistled past, close enough to brush my sleeve, until my blade flashed upward, cutting it clean from the air.

My heart was hammering now. This was going to be a two-on-one.

My heart thundered against my ribs. I’d fought beasts and monsters. But this felt different. The Sundered moved like people, even spoke like people. There was purpose behind their actions, strategy behind their stances. That made them worse somehow. The twisted limbs, the glowing red eyes—that I could stomach. But for some reason them being sentient made me pause, even though my body was screaming at me to wipe them from existence.

For a split second, I considered running. Disappearing into the trees and coming up with a better plan. But the thought vanished as quickly as it came. If I ran, they’d alert the others. Then they’d hunt me. And who knew how many of them were out here.

No, I had to end this here, now. These two were isolated. This was a chance to test them, to see how strong they really were and to start thinning their numbers before I made a move on the cave. I gripped my sabre tighter, my resolve hardening.

They hadn’t followed up the arrow shot yet. The archer was nocking another now, slow and steady. The other shorter, stockier one, with that jagged spear and red eyes, began to circle to my left.

It looked like they were testing me. Likely confident because of their superior numbers.

The archer’s fingers twitched. I felt it in the air more than I saw it. Before the arrow was even loosed, I was moving—Qi surging through my limbs like lightning through wire once again.

I dodged the arrow, already expecting it and exploded forward, sabre low, my feet skimming the forest floor as I closed the gap between us. The bigger one with the bow seemed slower. He was tall and wide-shouldered, with that half-scalped head and too-long arms. If I could close in, take him out first—

My sabre cut a sharp line through the air, aiming to cleave through his abdomen. But metal clanged off metal. The spear caught my strike.

I didn’t even see the smaller one move. My blade glanced down the shaft of his weapon, sliding harmlessly off to the side. In the same movement, he stepped in, twisted, and drove the butt of the spear into my side.

Pain flared along my side and I grunted while staggering back. If I hadn’t reinforced myself with Qi a second before the impact, he might have cracked bone.

My sabre came up defensively, eyes narrowing. Both Sundered moved to flank me—one pacing left, the other slow and deliberate to the right. The spear-wielder’s stance shifted, dropping his weight into his hips like a trained fighter.

I surged forward once again, not wanting to be stuck on the defensive. I charged the smaller one, feinting low at his knees. He dipped to meet the strike and I twisted, reversing my grip and slashing up at his throat.

His eyes widened ever so slightly and he jerked away, blood beading along his neck but not deep enough to kill.

He stabbed straight at my chest with his spear as he leaped forward. I twisted to the side while dropping low and slicing against the back of his leg.

He staggered to the ground and I tried to press my advantage but had to jump back from an arrow that was trying to take my head off.

The spear wielder stood up. He wiped the blood from his throat and looked at it. I followed his movement as he brought his hand up and licked the dark black blood. His sharp teeth being revealed.

“It looks like we have a fighter, brother.” The archer cackled. “That makes things so much better.”

I ignored them and pushed Qi through my meridians once more, I felt my muscles begin to rip but my speed exploded. I slashed at the spear wielder and unleashed a flurry of blows. His spear met my sabre more times than not and it was clear he was skilled. But he lacked the strength and speed I had while pushing Qi through my pathways. The only saving grace was that I had to dodge arrows constantly. But I could feel him slowing.

I charged forward again, my limbs beginning to protest from the strain. This was a truly insidious cultivation technique. I struck and he jumped away, his spear snapping out defensively. A sickening smile crept onto his face and I realised I had been baited.

An arrow struck before I could turn fully.

Pain ripped through my left shoulder. I staggered, sabre dropping slightly. My back slammed into a tree and I nearly dropped to a knee. The arrow was buried deep, halfway into the meat of my shoulder. The green ooze hissed and bubbled where it touched my skin. My breath caught. I thought I was used to pain. The feeling of my muscles tearing, of claws sinking into my flesh but it turns out the feeling of your body being eaten alive and flesh falling off was far worse.

I let out a hiss and looked up at the two assailants in fury.

I felt last stand activate but ignored the notification. A cooling sensation spread outward from my chest, dulling the fire in my shoulder. My vision cleared slightly and I unclenched my teeth..

The two Sundered moved in tandem now. Like jackals circling a wounded deer. But I wasn’t prey.

I stabbed my sabre into the dirt, blood trickling down my arm.

“Alright,” I muttered, voice low. “Let’s see what you bastards are really made of.”

I reached up and ripped the arrow out. “Fucking shit,” I hissed as I threw it onto the ground and grabbed my sabre again.

A sick green liquid coiled around the wound as the flesh began to sizzle. My blood boiled at the edges. It felt like my shoulder was rotting. I could feel it spreading, tearing its way through my muscle fibers like a thousand hot needles. My arm twitched once. Then again. Then went numb.

The tall one stepped forward, knocking another arrow with a satanic expression. “See that Lucien, I got the bastard. But he was cutting you up.”

The shorter one, Lucien, scolded. “Shut it, Malachi. He just got lucky. I told you before we started hunting this human to let me fight him alone.” He finished while pointing his spear at Malachi.

Malachi laughed. “I held back plenty. He’s as good as dead now anyway. The master won’t be pleased.”

I scoffed. I wasn’t dying any time soon. I could feel last stand fighting whatever was on the arrow. “You two will be the only ones to die. Right after I get some answers.”

They both twisted and stared at me with those dark red eyes, making me feel uneasy.

“How strange. You understand us.” Malachi, the archer whispered. He turned to his counterpart. “We have to keep him alive. The master needs to see this.”

The spearman tilted his head. “You’ll make an interesting gift,” he murmured.

I kicked off the dirt and launched forward—straight toward the archer. My shoulder throbbing and my Qi flaring.

But it wasn’t real.

I feinted at the bowman, letting my blade lead the motion just enough to make him shift, make him believe. The second he adjusted his aim, the moment his eyes flicked to track me, I dropped low and rolled to the side.

I shot toward the spearman instead.

He was ready for me, spear whipping out in a tight arc to intercept. Our weapons clashed—steel ringing out like a struck bell. My sabre slid down the shaft of his spear, sparks leaping where the edge met metal.

I twisted my wrists and forced the blade past, shifting my stance and aiming for a follow-up strike to his side but he jumped out of range before darting back in with a flurry of blows. I met each with a parry or a pivot, letting the storm pass around me. But I was watching. Waiting. Because I knew the archer would fire again.

I forced the fight into a rhythm. I stayed mobile, dancing around the spear’s reach, and slowly turned my back to the archer. Focusing more on my enhanced senses. I played on my injured shoulder, making them believe it was worse than it truly was.

The spear came again. I leaned just past it, sabre slicing up across the Sundered’s arm. Black blood flew into the air in a mist. He snarled and stepped back.

I sensed the archer fire another arrow. I spun low, dragging the spear-wielder with me, letting his body shift into the arrow’s path. The bolt slammed into his side with a wet crack.

He screamed.

I kicked him to the ground and darted toward the archer, who was scrambling to draw a second weapon. He pulled a hooked blade from his side and tried to raise it, but I was faster. I ducked under his swing and came up with my sabre in a rising arc, cutting deep across his stomach.

His torso split open with a sound I didn’t want to remember. His intestines spilled like steaming rope. He gasped, mouth open in shock more than pain, and staggered back.

I didn’t let him go.

I drove the sabre in again, through his heart this time. His mouth opened once more, like he wanted to say something.

Then he dropped.

The corpse hit the ground hard, blood pooling beneath him like a shadow trying to crawl away.

My muscles were spasming from the use of my cultivation art and my left arm hung limp at my side, still sizzling. But I could feel last stand fighting. Mending my damage as always.

I turned back to the spearman.

He was still alive, just barely. The arrow had embedded in his ribs and was leaking that same caustic green rot. He was breathing in short, sharp gasps, trying to keep pressure on the wound with one trembling hand. His spear lay in the dirt.

His red eyes glared at me with a hatred that pulsed like a heartbeat.

I just stepped forward, sabre still humming in my hand and dripping with blood.

He bared his teeth.

I kicked him down onto his back. “I need answers and you’re going to give them to me.”

He spat out a chunk of blood. “I won’t tell you anything.” He hissed. “I’m dead anyway.”

I nodded, grabbing the arrow and pushing it deeper. “Indeed, you are dead. But not yet.” I said, voice low. “First you will feel pain.”

He tried to lunge but the pain stole his strength, and his strike came slow. I caught his fist with my free hand and twisted it, while enhancing my strength. His arm snapped at the elbow with a crack like dry wood breaking and my muscles tore in my forearm.

He screamed.

And I crouched beside him.

“Let’s see what you are.”