Chapter 129: In the dirt


    Rilu wasted no time in tossing Chance a healing pill. Chance put it between his lips numbly, unable to take his eyes from Vexs remains. It didnt feel real. He could dimly hear the sound of fighting in the background as Lin and Shae battled, but that felt so far away that it didnt even matter.


    The wound on Chances palm stitched itself together and sealed shut. He walked up to Be, standing silently beside her and holding a hand out. Be looked up at him, then down to his hand. Slowly, she took it and Chance pulled her to her feet.


    Its done? Be asked, speaking softly as if her words would somehow cause the world to remember that Vex wasnt meant to be dead.


    Its done, Rilu confirmed. He is dead, and dead he will remain. Vex is gone.


    Bes hands clenched and unclenched at her sides. She took a trembling breath and let it out, her lips pressing thin. I I dont get it. Why dont I feel anything?


    There is only so much that the human mind can handle. I suspect all the emotions you would have felt now have already been felt. Rilu put his hands on their shoulders. And you will feel more than you care to soon enough. It wille with time.


    A loud crash spit the still air. Chance nced over his shoulder in the direction of Shae and Lins fight. It was still going strong. The two powerful cultivators were so fast that all Chance could pick up were the after-effects of their attacks.


    We really got ourselves in a bit over our head, didnt we? Chance asked.


    Be wiped her face with the back of a sleeve and coughed into the crook of her elbow. Thats one way to put it.


    Another crash roared through the sky and the ground trembled. A wave of Essence passed over Chance, buffeting his hair and forcing him to squint.


    There was no more fighting after it.


    And so it ends, Rilu said, not looking particrly pleased. The Shikari is dead.


    Lin won? Chance asked.


    <em>I Im not actually sure if I should be happy about that or not. </em>


    And departed with haste. He wisely chose not to remain in my presence for long. His very Essence disgusts me. Lin is in direct opposition to us, Chance. You should be wary around him.


    Hes definitely a bit out there, Chance agreed. I well, he was nice to us, though.


    Kindness does not make a man good. The evil can do great acts, but that does not change who they are. Rilus eyes narrowed as he looked into the distance. If it would not interfere too greatly in my cultivation, I would purge Lin as well. s, I have already done far more than I should have.


    A sh of shame washed over Chance as he realized that they hadnt even thanked Rilu for his help properly yet. He inclined his head respectfully.


    Thank you so much for everything you did. Be and I would be dead if you hadnt given us that scroll, Chance said. I have to admit that, for a moment, I thought you screwed us over. Im sorry about that too. I should have trusted you.


    Riluughed and pped him on the shoulder. You saved yourself, Chance. The universe gives us tools. Today, I was the tool. Tomorrow, I will not be. Nothing will have changed, though. So long as you remember that everything you could ever need will be provided for you, then you will make it very far along your Path.


    Chance is right, Be said. Thank you, Rilu. Not just for the scroll, but for the help with my own Path. After meeting with Yamish, I was a little worried that all Karma cultivators were insane.


    Hey! Chance red at Be. Whats that supposed to mean?


    Be threw her head back,ughing. Chance opened his mouth, then paused to listen. Herughter  unburdened and free  was beautiful, and he didnt want to interrupt it. Be continuedughing, her mirth turning to a trickle of tears that ran down her face.


    Why  why am I crying? Be asked through her uncontrobleughter, trying to wipe her face with the back of a sleeve andpletely failing at the task.


    Emotion is an odd thing  one that evades me just as much as it evades you. Rilu gave them both a wry smile. This time, it is truly time for me to go. And for you  it is time for a decision.


    Rilu tossed two wooden tokens to Chance, who barely managed to snag them out of the air without dropping them.


    Will we see each other again? Chance asked. And what about Lucy?


    If Karma wills it. For what its worth, I suspect we will, Rilu said. Im looking forward to that time. It is always a wonderful feeling to see a nted seed flower. Goodbye, Chance. Goodbye, Be. Youve got some choices ahead of you.


    Be managed to raise a hand in farewell; still caught in the throes of hystericalughter. Chance and Rilu exchanged onest look before the Karma cultivator shimmered and faded away in a swirl of golden particles.


    Still caught in a mixture betweenughter and sobs, Be sank to the ground. Chance sat down beside her and she leaned her head against his shoulder.


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    It was a clear, bright day. The sun shimmered overhead in a bright blue sea, shining down on them. The heat was carried away by a gentle breeze that, while not enough to cause any chill, kept the temperature ideal.


    Chance wasnt sure if the beautiful day fit Vexs death. Part of him almost felt like the vile man had deserved a torrential downpour to sweep away anyst traces of his existence. But, the more he thought about it, the more the day felt right.


    Vex was gone. He didnt have to deal with the days anymore, and it wasnt going to matter to him if it rained or not. The only ones that remained were those who were left behind. And, for them, a sunny day was exactly what they needed.


    It was several minutes before Be got control of her emotions again. If anything, Chance was surprised shed managed it so quickly. If hed been in her shoes, he was pretty sure it would have been an hour before he could think straight again.


    What did Rilu give you? Be asked, her voice stuffy.


    Chance looked down at the tokens in his hands. Hed nearly forgotten that he had them in the first ce. But, even with just a single nce, he immediately knew what they were. Rilus parting words made a bit more sense as well.


    Theyre transport tokens, Chance murmured. To Gleam.


    Bes eyes widened. But we cant


    We can, actually.


    Be paused. Blinking in shock. Youre right. Vex is dead. We dont have to run anymore.


    Well, Im pretty sure theres still an order our for our heads, Chance said, rubbing the back of his head. But Yamish said this was until Vex was dealt with. So, unless he lied to us, that should be that. Vex is dead. I passed his test, so we should be allowed to go back.


    Be looked from Chance to the tokens in his hands. She bit her lower lip and leaned back, drawing in a deep breath of the fresh morning air.


    Is is it even a good idea? Be wondered. Going back, that is. The Shikari betrayed us at the drop of a hat.


    Not everyone. Pete never did. Neither did Yeo. Petes still in Gleam somewhere, and Im sure Yeo will return so long as Yamish really wasnt lying. And theres Jade and Wren as well. They both believed us.


    Be nodded slowly. And where else would we go? Another schr city? I suppose we could, but that almost feels like running.


    Im not sure if it would be running, but I think Id like to be a proper team again, Chance said. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. Dont get me wrong. Traveling around is fun, but I really enjoyed getting to be a team with you and Yeo. Just going around and helping people, no big threats or axes hanging over our head.


    Be raised an eyebrow. What, am I not enough?


    What? No, I


    Be burst intoughter at the panicked expression at Chances face. She took onest look back at Vex, then pushed herself to her feet and held her hand out. Chance took it and Be pulled him to his feet.


    I like the idea of it as well. I do hope you realize the chances of us being normal Shikari are probably zero, right? Even if everyone magically forgets the kill order that was out on our heads, Yamish isnt going to leave us alone.


    Probably true, Chance admitted. But thats out of my control, so Im not going to worry about it. I just want to meet up with our friends again so things can be as close to normal as they can be. Everything else can be dealt with as ites.


    I suppose well find out. What do you think, then? Did Yamish already handle things?


    Only one way to find out, Chance replied. He activated his third eye, revealing the strands of Karma crisscrossing throughout the world around them. Drawing a deep breath, Chance reached out.


    Yamish answered.


    The air before them twisted, a mass of gray twisting into being as Yamish quite literally unfolded himself as if emerging from a tiny box the size of a watermelon. He floated in typical upside-down, legs crossed above his head.


    Chance, Yamish said, his smile looking like a frown because of his position. I was wondering when you would decide to reach out. I had thought you may have done it earlier. During the fight with the Rank 6 fools  or when Lin appeared. How fascinating. Youpletely ignored me until the entire test wasplete.


    Calling out to you was an option?


    No, Yamish replied. He righted himself. It was not. But I expected you to try it nheless. Fascinating.


    He passed, right? Be asked. We can go back to Gleam?


    Yamish nced at Be, then back at Vex. Yes. He passed.


    If Chance didnt know better, he would have thought that Yamish might have been making a joke. For that matter, maybe the strange cultivator was. Chance still had absolutely no idea what made Yamish tick, and he got the feeling that he never wanted to find out.


    We can return, then? Chance pressed.


    You may. As in all things in life, bnce has been achieved. I have already made the arrangements for your return, Yamish said. His legs unfurled and he lowered to the ground to stand before them normally. For several seconds, Yamish was silent. Then he inclined his head in the faintest show of respect. You have both impressed me. For a pair of mortals, you show great resolve. My true self made the right decision with you, Chance. I look forward to our next meeting, but you will be permitted to enjoy the rewards of your work for the time being.


    With that, Yamish vanished as if hed never been there. Be and Chance exchanged a nce.


    That wasnt ominous, Be drawled.


    Lets not worry about it too much. You heard him. Ive got some time off, and Im not nning to sit around wasting it.


    Be nodded. Not going to argue with that. What about Vex? You think we should check if he had anything important?


    Chance chewed his lower lip. Vex had been a powerful cultivator, but the idea of rifling through the dead mans pockets wasnt ideal. The less they had to remind them of Vex, the better. But, at the same time, he couldnt help but feel like Vex owed Be something for everything hed taken from her.


    He called on his Essence, sending a snake of golden energy twisting across the ground and into Vexs body. There was a soft thump as one of his pockets pitched open and a tiny bell rolled out, dropping to the grass and rolling until it came to a stop at Chances feet.


    Chance picked the bell up and wiped it off before handing it to Be. Here. Courtesy of Vex, as an apology for what he did.


    I dont suppose you know what it is?


    No idea, but my Essence thinks its important.


    Be studied the bell for a moment, then shook her head. She took Chances hands in her own and pushed the bell back into his palm. Then you hold onto this for me. Your Essence found it, which means its probably a pretty strong artifact.


    But


    Chance, youd give away literally every artifact you had if you could. Just take the gift.


    Fine, fine. Thank you. Ill let you know if I figure out what its for. Chance cleared his throat and tucked the bell into his pocket. He then held out one of the tokens. Shall we?


    Be took the token from him with a smile. Yeah. Lets go.


    The two of them snapped the tokens between their fingers. Essence roared and they both vanished, leaving Vexs body in the dirt behind them.