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Redemption’s Rose - Chapter 28

Published at 24th of March 2023 05:56:29 AM


Chapter 28

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I could see my cave, just. We were on the other side of the gaping hole that hollowed the residential tower. Something I considered needlessly dangerous. I would not be surprised if it had claimed lives, especially inexperienced practitioners; still susceptible to stumbles.

“Found it!” shouted Safi from ahead. I approached her, the door stood before me looking very innocent and unassuming.

I knocked on it, there was no reply. I knocked again, louder. Eventually he opened the door. He was shirtless, half-asleep and completely defenceless.

“I don’t have your clothes…” he said before yawning.

“We got new ones,” I said.

“Why are you here then?” he asked with mild confusion.

“For you. You’re Itzcoatl, aren’t you?” I asked for confirmation. He did not seem like the master of stealth I was looking for...

“I’m not interested,” he said, then moved to close his door.

“I think you could be.” I casually stated which he entirely ignored and finished closing the door. “Well…” I shrugged.

“What?” asked a startled Safi. “That was your attempt at recruitment?”

“Well, I have some things I can use to convince him but if he’s not even slightly interested before I reveal them then I have some reservations about bringing him along.”

“Look at it from his perspective, you don’t have a lot going for you at the moment.”

“From his perspective I suppose that is true,” I nodded in agreement.

“So, let's grab his attention,” she queried.

“How?”

“Use some of your illusory tricks to impress him, or at least frighten him a little.”

“Tricks? That’s highly insulting,” I scowled after having the techniques I had honed over multiple lifetimes degraded to tricks.

“You can cry about it later,” said Safi with a shrug.

Now that my blood was boiling slightly, I decided to show off a little. I channeled my qi into an old, mischievous technique called Awnar’s Entry. I opened the door without worry, according to Itzcoatl it was still closed. My presence completely erased, the master thief skill not letting me down. My illusion affinity allowed me to become friendly with a lot of different skill sets - stealth and subterfuge were a natural fit.

Itzcoatl had climbed back into bed, the sheets wrapped tightly around him so that only his head was visible. He was certainly not the cold-blooded rogue I was imagining, not that it was a bad thing.

Unfortunately I was a little stuck on what to do. I decided I’d leave a little message, a rather fitting one considering the circumstances. I stole all his clothes.

Safi gawked as I strode away from his room, she had to jog to catch up. “That’s the best idea you’ve had since I met you. Nothing like petty revenge to make you feel better.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” I nodded as she took some clothes from the top of the pile.

“Do we dispose of them or is that too far?” she asked with an evil smile.

“I think that’s too far, we do want to recruit him after all,” I reminded her.

“Shame,” she lamented.

As we scampered back to our lodgings, the afternoon training was beginning. Disciples flooded the halls and walkways. Safi and I awkwardly swerved and meandered through the tide of people. Finally, we were home. I set the clothes down at the foot of my bed.

“What now?” asked Safi.

“I say we prepare ourselves for our first mission.”

“You’re so full of good ideas today, I’m impressed. We can leave tomorrow, that will at least give us time to study our techniques.”

Without wasting any more time we began to cultivate and study, I was focusing on Imaginary Arrow. Eyes of the Mountain God was a technique that I was already familiar with and could train passively.

Safi had taken up a seat next to me instead of leaving for her own room. Without further delay, I delved into the Imaginary Arrow and its many mysteries. I marvelled at the handiwork of the book maker, the beautiful spine bindings and the wonderful materials used. It was part of the reason I was so eager to learn it.

I was able to glean a lot of information about the quality of the technique from the book itself. As I explored, I found my assumptions satisfyingly accurate. I found myself mentally tested for the first time since arriving in this world.

Safi shook me excitedly before I could even scratch the surface. “Time to go,” she demanded. She looked freshly washed. I was not particularly in need of a wash so I packed what little I needed; she was already packed as well, of course.

Outside we found a severely out of breath, still shirtless, Itzcoatl. “Finally…” he said. I looked around to see a small crowd watching, some were seated meaning they’d probably been there a while.

“Had some trouble getting in this time?” I asked with a smirk I was trying to hide.

“That’s the most confused I have ever been…” he said between breaths.

“Would you like to come with me? We were planning on going on a mission?”

“Could I put some clothes on first?”

“Be my guest,” I said gesturing towards my closed door. He hesitated as his hand reached the handle, Safi noticed this, deepening her curiosity. Eventually he opened it, gasping in relief and satisfaction as my room became visible, his clothes neatly piled at the foot of my bed.

I closed the door to give him time to change, Safi leapt at the opportunity. “What did you do to him?” she asked frantically.

“Just a little trick,” I simply stated. She batted me on the shoulder.

“Don’t get smug, he looked like a lost puppy,” she said as she crossed her arms.

“Yes, he looked better than I expected him to.” Safi got a little scared after that, Itzcoatl walked out right on cue, fully clothed and ready to go.

“Alright,” he said as he strode forward. “Let’s get going, we can do introductions on the way.” We set off after him.

Casualperv Thank you for reading, I hope you'll stick with me through this new year despite my upload schedule :D





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