Chapter 58
Exercising by Exorcism
Mr. Yi, your resident Yaoguai Qūmóshī or supernatural exorcist was leading us quickly through Bloom Park.
By quickly, I mean he was running at near top speed, one where I found myself having to cycle on my Life Reinforced Movements* a factor that everyone in the group who also seemed to have their own movement Skills both picked up on and then began increasing their speed to match my own.
Even the old Madame Bloom was able to keep up easily with me. For a moment I wondered what type of Skill she was using to keep up, but soon found it hard to just breathe at this pace. Fortunately, either the park was small, or our destination was relatively close as we soon found ourselves slowing down.
Mr. Yi held up a fist, while coming to a complete stop, everyone else did the same mirroring his sign. Only once everyone was stopped did he give another sign, I guess showing that he was breaking free of our diamond formation. Which he then used to explore.
It was at this point that I saw the purpose of the golden tongue. As it turns out my initial interpretation of the tongue being to taste the air like a serpent was completely wrong. Instead, he flicked his tongue out causing golden motes of mana to form and follow the general path of his tongue. I saw them fall like flakes of yellow snow. Once again I was reminded of the saying about not eating yellow snow, but this time for an equally disgusting but slightly different reason. Still, I was in awe of this Skill being used and its actual purpose.
While I was watching the first trail of golden mist fall to the ground, Mr. Yi was already moving ahead and performing the same act over and over. Seeing the intense look on my face, Madame Bloom chose this moment to talk to me in a hushed whisper about what was happening.
“Part of Mr. Yi’s talents is that not only can he see where spirits and supernatural beings have been with his eyes, but he can also reveal those same movements to others, as we will now see,” as she spoke, the first drops of golden mana fell to the ground and began coating and highlighting what could only be described as footsteps. The footsteps of bones and little else that seemed to highlight how a walking skeleton would walk.
Reluctant sighs.
All around me, I could hear the intake of breath as everyone saw and immediately seemed to recognize the type of creature that could make such an imprint.
“That’s a Death Eater alright,” Markan stated, a slight note of dread in his voice. “Going to solidify these footsteps in permanence.”
I was about to ask what he meant by permanence, but that is when Madame Bloom whispered to me, “watch this, with your affinity for Earth, you too might be able to duplicate this type of Skill in the future.”
At that, I watched as Markan went over to the glowing feet imprints on the ground and waved his hand, instantly causing cubed blocks to form around each imprint. To my astonishment, the cubes not only captured parts above the ground, but after they were removed, it was clear that they went down at least six inches below the surface as well. Once Markan was done he gathered the two slabs one for a right foot, and one for a left and proceeded to take them back to Mr. Karl who was already removing a large but empty backpack from his back. But before he could place both into the back, Madame Bloom waved him over and began pointing at the blocks as she wanted me to truly take in this lesson.
“We gather the layers below, so we can test for erosion and decomposition, to see how long ago the supernatural entity walked on the ground. As you can see, there is clear permeation of glowing golden mana sifting up to an inch below the surface, meaning that just under six hours have passed since we gathered this sample.”
“One-inch equals six hours?” I pressed, trying to make sure I got the equation correct.
“Roughly, yes,” Madame Bloom responded with a nod. She let me look at the slab for a bit, and finally after a moment or so of my watching how the golden light seemed to follow an odd decay path, I was pulled from my musings. “Do you notice anything else?”
Feeling that this was a test, I looked at the slab and realizing that this might be this world’s equivalent of a Geology exam, I look and do in fact see something odd.
“Yes, actually,” I begin, as I notice that this soil seems to be different from what one might expect. “If you look down here at the older soil it still looks bright and healthy. While it is clay, it still has deep rich texture to it showing that it is still healthy. But then as you slowly go up, you can see a slow but gradual shift, where the soil looks to almost rot. Until you get to the top where it is all this marshy decay, which should be perfect soil for growing plants, but it clearly won’t grow anything.”
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As I say this, I look around, and am surprised that I didn’t notice the lack of bushes or lower shrubbery before. While this had been common in the parks of my past life, where people regularly mowed and maintained the lawns of the open parts of the park. To see the same here meant an entirely different thing.
“New plants can’t grow here. Not even new saplings. It is only the older trees that survive. Even the grass can’t grow here anymore,” I exclaim realizing that this might have been easier to notice in the summertime. As it is now, most of the ground is littered in the dead and dying leaves of the older trees here, but there is something desperately wrong here.
“Very good,” Madame Bloom responded, as she too began looking around at the park with her eyes as if she was just seeing the noted changes as well. Finally, after a moment, Madame Bloom broke free of her own thoughts and raised the solidified earthen brick to hand to Markan, “here store this one too.”
Markan grabbed the brick of dirt and was about to hand it to Mr. Karl but paused as he looked at the block. Only after a few hard seconds of staring did he seem to notice something, before handing it to Mr. Karl.
Madame Voyou also came over to check out the slab, but she seemed to be lost. It wasn’t until Markan came over and pointed at a few areas did realization seem to settle on their features as they both seemed to nod in unison. A sign of how long they had spent together as a couple, and how comfortable they were in each other’s presence. Then as one they stopped and stared at me, which was odd as I could almost feel their intense gaze on me as I had already turned ahead to watch Mr. Yi continue to shower the field with his golden magic. As I turned back at the three sets of eyes on me, I saw a momentary panic fill them, before they all turned away and began looking away awkwardly before taking up their previous positions in our diamond formation.
Just as we were done with our section, Mr. Yi seemed to be done with his analysis of the crime scene.
Now what I saw were not one, but two clearly distinct sets of footprints. To my surprise, the path that Mr. Yi took us was around the very tree where I almost died due to the Necrotin assassin. Somehow he was able to get their footprints to glow brightly. And what was worse was that the same set of footprints seemed to make multiple paths through this area, towards the still open spirit rift, and back out, in the direction that the Necrotin escaped from.
Seeing the glowing set of footprints, I could tell that these were the exact footprints of the killer, well attempted murderer, I was still alive after all. But seeing their faded steps, I was shocked as I could see the slightly faded but still glowing brightly footsteps of the Necrotin.
There was even a bright glowing marker over the long dead branch that had been burned away by the residual Necrotin flames. However, I just had one question, perhaps seeing my confused face, Madame Bloom asked.
“You have questions?”
“Yes,” I nodded while answering, then finally I formed the question that I still couldn’t wrap my head around. “Why aren’t my footsteps showing up?”
“Good question, that is because Mr. Yi is using a Light affinity Skill that only shows dark and demonic presences,” Madame Bloom responded, leaving her explanation there as if wanting me to fill in the rest.
“Meaning my attacker is doing more than just using spirit affinity based Skills,” I pressed, knowing for a fact that I was using both Soul Devour and Soul Sight that day. Both Skills are spirit attuned and why I am currently maxed out on my body’s Spirit based Skills.
“Very good. Mr. Yi’s skills will not catch any user of spirit Skills, but only particular types of spirit Skills that are darker and twisted,” Madame Bloom noted.
As she spoke a very tired Mr. Yi came over, his eyes losing their golden sheen as his body seemed to revert back to its normal form. Then getting to the formation, he began panting, while clutching at his stomach and removing a few spirit quills. Seeing the wound, Madame Bloom immediately went over to him and touched a glowing green hand to his hunched over shoulder. Watching Madame Bloom work was like watching a master of her class in action as she began healing the wounds so quickly that the quills that had penetrated Mr. Yi’s body were quickly pushed out by rapidly regenerating skin.
Nodding in satisfaction at Madame Bloom, Mr. Yi raised his head and then stated the last thing I expected to hear. Though, had I been paying attention, I guess I should have expected this to come.
“This next part is all you apprentice,” Mr. Yi stated while locking gazes with me.
“Me?” I parroted back, only to realize the faces of Madame Bloom and Markan lit up as I again parroted a comment back. Even Mr. Yi smiled slightly at the slip.
“Yes, take your practice sword and show us what you have learned over the last few days,” Mr. Yi stated while pointing to the wooden practice sword that was strapped to my side. An object I had forgotten due to how seamlessly it rested on my side and didn’t do the annoying tap-tap-tap that most objects on your side do.
“Right,” I reply as I unsheathe the sword and doing a quick check realize that some of my Soul Devour energy had faded away since our drive here, but it was still mostly full. Applying the last two points of energy back into the blade. I nodded to myself, feeling a lot better knowing that everyone else was around me and ready. Then I asked the question to the team that I should have probably asked a bit earlier, “you all aren’t coming?”
With that, everyone just reluctantly shook their heads.
“We can’t, Mr. Yi is out of mana and needs to rest, while the rest of us do not have any Skills that would help with spirits. That said if the Death Eater comes, we can definitely hold it off long enough for you to run away,” Markan began so brilliantly and then went straight downhill from there.
“Great,” I reply, trying not to sound as sarcastic as I feel at that moment.
Chuckles.
Though apparently my sentiment was quickly picked up on despite the attempt to mask my true feelings.
Realizing that this was some type of test, a way for me to prove my worth to the team here, a team of people who I had reluctantly found respect for, I decided to do my best.
“Right,” was all I said, before walking forward, with my infused sword leading the way as I crested the slight hill and saw the somehow larger legion of spirits all gaggling by the rift entrance.
Taking a breath, I paused trying to center myself.
Pfft-pfft-pfft.
Then I heard the sound of annoyance that instantly flips my dial from normal to angry in a second. Hearing the distinctive battle cry of the pin-spitting spirits, I forget all pretense of centering myself, of finding my calm. Instead, I let my rage cut in. Rage at being pricked to death by hundred of tiny spirit needles, rage at having to wake up early on a Saturday to get stuck like a pin cushion.
Unconsciously I begin cycling my Skills, Life Reinforced Movements* for movement, Golden Life Ratio Mana Regeneration* for more mana and then raising my glowing spirit felling practice sword, I charge head long into battle.
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