Book 3: Chapter 68: Combo


    Torrents of chi poured through me, the flow only increasing as time dragged on. A full quarter of my significant reserves were drained each second, and if left to my own devices, I’d have beenpletely drained in moments. But I wasn’t alone. The world’s chi assisted, bubbling up from deep beneath me, only to travel through my cores on its way back down to thework below.


    Despite the amount traveling through Maria being only a fraction of what passed through me, it wasn’t any less taxing on her. Tension radiated from her, her jaw clenched and shoulders hunched. I realized I was doing the same thing. I squeezed her hand to get her attention, then forced myself to rx. She followed suit, releasing a small breath and easing the tension in her coiled muscles.


    Considering there was a battle ying out in our mind’s eye, it was no small feat.


    Since the enemy force had arrived in their zing orb of misguided glory, Maria and I had been watching, thework beneath us somehow rying sights, sounds, and to my great dismay, smells. I could have done without thetter, because the king’s corrupted chi had the aroma of a love child from the unholy pairing of a septic tank and a fish left to rot in the sun. In short, the homie smelled like absolute shi—


    Maria sent me a mental nudge, telling me off for getting distracted.


    <em>Sorry, </em>I sent back, returning my attention to the battle.


    The actions andpetency of the defense force made my heart sing; Borks’s arrival, ws and Cinnamon’sbo meteor attack, and the kindness shown to the alchemists and the royal family, people who had done terribly by most of the congregation. It made an immense sense of gratitude for my pals pour from me, joining the chi draining down into thework below.


    It took me a moment to understand why Roger and Barry were stalling. They likely knew as well as I did that the attacking force didn’t stand a chance against thebined might of the defenders. It was definitely a conscious choice, though—one that, I realized, wasmunicated to the others by holding two fingers down. They were stalling for my arrival, which now that I considered it, was the smartest move with the information they had ess to.


    When the identity of Lizard Wizard was discovered, I felt a little miffed. I’d been hoping for a dramatic reveal, but the king’s madness seemed too advanced to allow for fun hijinks. A smile came to my face as I recalled how our names had fooled him for so long. But my enjoyment evaporated when Roger revealed how he knew the weird little bird man. Sadness flowed from Maria, as did a desire to go to him. Sharon was at the rear of the field, and our omniscient point-of-view let us see the heartbreak wrought across her face. She, too, wanted tofort him.When the front lines finallyunched toward each other, it was a wee distraction from Roger’s emotional devastation—even if the charge onlysted for the length of a single step.


    Unlike everyone on the field, Maria and I had been well aware of Lemon and the other tree-spirit’s preparations, so we weren’t at all surprised when the ground burst apart. They had been gathering power down there the entire time, a vast web of roots stretching out to gather the world’s essence. My two wooden friends sted it out over the battle, forcing most of the king’s nauseating essence back toward him and his deranged followers.


    When Barry and Roger bellowed in tandem for the counterattack to begin, a shiver ran through me. As one, the defenders flew forward, going on the offensive. I had a sense of everyone’s power, and if we were only counting the humans, the enemy forces might have had the advantage.


    But that didn’t ount for the immense strength of all my animal pals, who were first off the line.


    Private Pistachio, as stoic as ever, channeled power into the hinges of his mighty ckers. Corporal ws, wreathed in lightning and donning her trademark smirk, rocketed toward the handlers. Sergeant Snips, with blue chi jetting from her joints, prepared to unleash the first of a barrage of aura-des. Bumblebro and Queen Bee, who had gone unnoticed thus far by the enemy forces, darted from under Roger’s cor, their wings droning andpound eyes locked on two of the bird-like cultivators. Pelly and Bill spiraled down from above, picking up speed with each rotation. Borks, still recovering from his earlier expenditure, got to his feet. Cinnamon dashed toward him, and despite his exhaustion, he opened up a portal. The other side was behind the king, and as she flew for the hole in space, she was already winding up a devastating roundhouse kick. Roots shot up from beneath the enemy, coiling back and preparing to strike.


    It all happened in slow motion, my enhanced awareness letting me see even the smallest of details. So I was able to witness the very moment their power was ripped from their very grasps. Simultaneously, their cores opened up, the chi held within pouring down into thework that my essence was also flowing into.


    Somehow, the king also felt it. His eyes and grin turned vicious as those that were flying through the air lost momentum. His hands were a blur as they extended before him, the fire chi held within already ring out. It would wash over my friends in less than a second, and with their power being sucked away, I wasn’t sure they’de out unscathed. Even the soothing chi that Lemon helped exude was gone, its power draining into the ground instead.


    I jumped to my feet, preparing to leap away as I started forcing the floodgates of my core closed. I had to go there. I had to save them. I—


    <em>Trust!</em> the echoes of my friends’ souls called to me through the bond. <em>Trust! Trust! Trust!</em>


    Such reassurance had been good enough before, but seeing mypletely defenseless animal pals flying toward the king was too much. I continued mming my will against thework draining my chi, and though it put up a fight, my strength was too immense. It would only take a moment longer, then I’d be off, racing toward Tropica at the speed of...<em> huh?</em>


    Trent and Roger, at a clip faster than I was aware they could travel, straight up zoomed in front of everyone else. They were immediately before the king, both men’s arms drawn back as chi rushed from their cores toward their hands. Together, they swung. Roger’s beautiful de, its surface a ripple of silver and ck, arced wide. Trent’s chi rushed in, his mes billowing out and condensing right before Roger.


    What was their goal? Roger could slice through Trent’s chi, but what good was that? The resulting explosion would be nowhere near enough to counter the king’s building corruption. It only steeled my decision to up and leave this ce. But just before Roger’s sword entered Trent’s mes, he twisted his hand, weeping through the cloud of condensed fire with the t of the de.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Some of the mes were pushed aside from the sword, only to get caught up in the low-pressure wake of Roger’s lightning-quick attack. Exposed to the heat, the weapon’s ck ripples glowed a hot red. Just as it looked like the sword would melt, de-like chi shot out of it, cutting into Trent’s essence.


    My eyes flew wide. It was a frackingbo attack!


    <em>Fwooom!</em>


    The cone-shaped inferno that resulted engulfed the king, the mountainside, and the burned-out husks of trees that remained. The king’s corrupted chi, condensed and not yet unleashed, backfired. The sound and detonation were so strong that my vision of thendscape flickered for a second, warping beforeing back into view.


    “Frack me...” I said, taking in the destion.


    The entire mountain was aze. Of the defensive forces, only Trent and Roger remained standing. Everyone had been knocked back a few meters, flung clear of any danger. It took me a moment to spot the king and his aplices. They were halfway up the mountain within a sphere of sickly chi. Well, almost all of them were. There was a man missing, either incinerated or sent flying far enough for me to not sense him.


    As the king dismissed his power, the sphere popped, his disgusting essence oozing back out over the battlefield. As if in answer, Lemon’s soothing essence returned, as strong as before but with a hint of warmth. I sent my awareness that way, not understanding how she was doing it while her chi was still getting siphoned down below.


    The answer was simple: it wasn’t Lemon.


    Peter sat at the base of the unnamed tree-spirit’s trunk, his legs crossed and eyes closed. He was acting as a ry, drawing up buckets of chi and sending it out. The warmth wasing from <em>him,</em> a reflection of his core’s aspect. I breathed a slow breath, willing my pounding heart to calm.


    A familiar hand reached up,cing her fingers with mine. <em>Come,</em> Maria sent me. <em>Sit.</em>


    <em>Trust...</em> the echoes of my pals repeated, urging me not to shut myself off.


    I wanted to. I really did. Despite some of our strongest defenders being taken out of the fight, the others were proving that everything would be okay. It seemed like an almost sure thing... but that was just it. <em>Almost</em> didn’t seem good enough. So why did my heart tell me to stay...? I sought out a sign, expanding my awareness in search of something to reassure me that my heart could be trusted.


    When I found the approaching group, I couldn’t help butugh. The fluttering chiing from them was just what I had been looking for. Squeezing Maria’s hand, I sat back down and opened up my core.


    This was going to be interesting.


    ***


    As Den nced back at the almostatose Teddy, he was beyond d that he and his brother had brought the cart. The bear had copsed out of nowhere, seemingly unable to move of his own ord.


    They were almost back at Tropica. Even if they hadn’t been able to feel the mix of chiing from just east, the gods-damned fireball that consumed a <em>mountain </em>ahead was a pretty good indicator. The moment Teddy had copsed, the brothers had leaped into action, lifting him up onto the cart. As a result, something within Den’s core had buzzed. It was mirrored in Dom’s, the twins experiencing something they’d only felt once before.


    Last time, they’d been attacked. Ambushed by Nathan. Their cores had resonated with the desire to protect each other and the life they’d found, but the world’s power had fled before their breakthrough could take ce. They’d been defenseless as a result, and if not for the intervention of Snips, ws, and Borks, they’d likely have lost their lives. This time, something felt different. What about putting Teddy on the cart had felt so... right?


    They were at the base of the ming mountain now, still trailing the dirt path made by the enemy’s passage. What trees hadn’t been destroyed were singed and smoking, their greenery not enough topletely fight off the explosion’s heat. The air was steamy as they started climbing the hillside, moisture having been expelled from the earth. The sickly chi hit them like a sledgehammer, making both brothers miss a step. They stumbled, holding onto the cart’s handles for bnce.


    A momentter, a cool breeze flowed over the mountain’s destroyed peak. It brought the world’s essence with it, and a warmth washed over Den’s body that was nothing like the corrupted chi. Though it was also brought heat with it, it wasforting, making him feel like he was lounging in the afternoon sun.


    Den would have loved to sit in that moment, to embrace the coziness and forget all about the battle he could feel taking ce. Before he could say no to that impulse, the battle came to him. A man flew from the forest, screeching like an owl as he rocketed toward Den. Corrupted essence streamed from his arms and trailed behind him, the mere touch of it causing trunks to wither and die. That alone made it clear that in their current state, the brothers had absolutely no chance.


    Den reached for his core, trying to embrace the world’s chi as had happened before. Dom did the same, the twins aware of each other as they searched for the meaning that would facilitate their breakthrough. It had to do with them. The life they had found. A profound desire to protect it had caused the chi to rush in thest time. They both felt that now. Yet the world’s power wouldn’te to them.


    Time crawled to a stop as the crazed man flew. His gaze flicked to the side, and at thest possible second, he swooped to the left. Like a bird in flight, his arms redirected his passage right past the brothers and toward Teddy, who was still only half conscious.


    If the man were to strike him...


    Both Den and Dom spun, tried to get in the way and shield Teddy in time. But the enemy’s speed increased, air hissing as his outstretched limbs tore through it. Den extended a hand toward Teddy, trying to reach him despite knowing it was too far. The breeze flowing by slowed then paused, halting in mid air. Small bubbles of chi rose from the ground, each drop further muting the nauseating essence surrounding them.


    Den gritted his teeth and he lunged further. Dom was right beside him, one hand raised and fingers grasping. They’d never make it. But Den didn’t care. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t strong enough. It didn’t matter that hecked the power to defend his furry friend. Teddy was defenseless, and Den needed to <em>protect </em>him...


    With only moments before the enemy cultivator hammered into Teddy, the world answered, and Chi rushed into the brothers’ cores faster than either of them couldprehend. It swelled there, pressing against their abdomens as it condensed. Den knew how this was supposed to go. After the power exploded out of them, they’d be rendered unconscious for a short time as their bodies and minds adjusted. That, too, was uneptable.


    Sickly essence extended from the assant as he flew headfirst for Teddy’s undefended back, now only centimeters away. The excess chi poured from the brothers. It scattered in every direction, assaulting Den’s awareness. His vision already failing, he gathered his will and harnessed the fleeing essence. Dom did the same, and both knowing what to do, they shot it toward Teddy. Rather than hit him, the chi molded to his body, forming a thinyer of prismatic light.


    The cart exploded in a cloud of splinters, ice, and chunks of fish as the man flew into Teddy.


    Before the carnage settled, Den was falling backwards, his vision going ck.