No order needed, the cultivators flee in every direction at top speed. My legs heal after a few minutes, but I notice they are slower than before and it worries me. No time to ponder this as I hear screaming. “GOSSOON!!!! AY PRETTAH GOSSOON, WHER’ ARE YE?!”
Scanning from the rooftops I see the gargantuan woman hanging from a rapidly detaching gutter on the side of a building. I’m impressed she had the foresight to escape the blood. Using the whisker to attach to a massive build I then swing through the air to grab her off the pipe.
“THANK’YE YEW WEE PRETTAH’ GASSOON! AH’M AMAZED YEW CAN LIF’ MAE!” She yells out as we swing through the air to a nearby rooftop. I’d answer, but I am glowing green with exertion. I imagine if my blood was still red I’d look like a tomato. I let go and we roll across the rooftop. I feel myself hoisted up into a crushing embrace. “YEE WONDER YEW, THANK’YE! Me Da was right about yew!” She lets me go at the mention of her Father and grows quiet. I thought if she was quiet I’d be happy, instead the silence feels painfully heavy. I decide to break it.
“What is your name?” I stand and pat her back. She collapses to her knees and leans her head back, she’s so tall it rests on my shoulder despite me standing up. “Me Name’s Aoife Mcallah, an’yew?” I answer her while pulling out a comb I used to use on Lianhua and start taking some of the tangles she has in her hair out. “My name is Zhong Li, yes it’s quite embarrassing, my name means...gravity…” Before I can put any other thoughts together the sound of a throat clearing echoes out. “Greetings my duckies, it is I, Xue Lie Xue, the greatest of all cultivators! I’m impressed! You are a mere second grade marrow realm and turned away a battalion of...well, I was going to praise them, but well, they are cowardly baby killers afraid of their own death. I see it in your eyes, you hate even being compared to them. So prove it to me and I’ll prove the same to you.” They throw me a sword and as I go to catch it Aoife takes hold of it. “Ifn’ yer looking tae swing steel ah’m yer lassie!” Their eyes startle, but they quickly say “Challenge accepted.” I instantly realize she saved my life. I can’t even follow what’s happening and my extra energy sensing only makes it look more confusing, she seems to be in the late Earth Realm. Xue Lie Xue is much harder to read, they appears to be repressing their cultivation base, no idea why. Seems to me like they could just overpower us and kill us, until I see the skill gap. Aoife is landing hits, they do absolutely nothing to them because they’re fleshly body is so advanced, but they’re not trying to lessen the strikes. Eventually she strikes hard with her blade against theirs and I notice her trick, as late for me as it is for Xue. Every blade exchange they had she focused on the same space of the sword, weakening it, then she waited for a big strike.
Throwing a haymaker strike she allowed her sword to be cleaved and the now knife sized broken sword struck clean on Xue Lie Xue's throat with an explosion of sparks against their bare neck. She dodges the sword strike with a finesse betraying her size and clubs his face with her bare severed elbow which causes them to flip an entire three-hundred and sixty degrees. They start clapping despite laying flay on their back. Aoife is clearly exhausted and panting as Xie Lie Xie speaks. “Well Ms. Ducky, you utterly defeated me, my close combat prowess is clearly pale compared to yours. Please tell me your name.” Panting, Aoife narrows her eyes and responds. “Ye know damned well me name, ye came ta kill mae. I’m Aoife Mcallah.”
This bizarre person says in their pompous voice as they stand to a ninety degree angle with no visible excertion. “Oh how true, but I kill lots of people so I never truly learn names. You’ve taught me you are better than me today. For that I learn your name and one day? We can fight again Aoife so I can kill you fair. Count on it, but as for the mole behind you, he’ll have to prove to me he has a name some other day. Until then Xue Lie Xue bids you Adieu!” He just..fades out. It is very impressive. I walk over to Aoife who is trying to catch her breath, she seems very angry. I try to console her by being honest. “I’m too weak too, thanks for saving my life.” She pats me heavily on the back before giving me a half-hearted smile. “Aye wee Zhong, we’ve a lon’ road ahead.” I don’t ask her if she intends to travel with me...I’m scared she’ll say no if I’m being honest. It is nice to have a friend again.
“Wait a minute, how am I standing? What is this building? Think about it, have you even seen my feet before now?” I ask Aoife, she thinks about it before retorting. “Aye, s’trange. This here’s tha Mayor’s...house….OH YEW LOATHSOME TOAD!!” I am thoroughly confused by her anger at me, she grasps my sides and lifts me a full half meter into the air, her face tomato red with exertion before letting me go. I crash feet first into the roof and the sound of metal grinding and snapping is deafening as the entire ceiling bends in before I crash into the floor of what is obviously a vault. Aoife jumps in beside me, she puts a hand on my shoulder, but it covers most of my side. “Sorry Zhong, couldnae think of a’nothar wae ta get tae hem.” She advances on a palm sized, normal looking toad in the corner. “Yew speckled bastard! Yew ware suppos’ tae leave wit’ da children! Ye let’em die!” She swung at the frog which sprung through the air to avoid the strike.
