Chapter 6
White Stuff
As he controlled his breathing and centered himself, he opened his eyes.
Three ghosts stood over him.
WHAT THE FU- oh.
Yeah.
Chi or whatever.
From the three corpses, a faint, ethereal white glow was emanating.
It rose from the skin like steam, coalesced above the bodies and hung there, slowly dissipating into the air.
?
The intensity varied.
The chi from the fighters was like the first he killed.
A thin torso sized cloud hanging above the bodies.
The energy from the crushed shaman, however, was noticeably brighter.
Filling the space above his flattened body with a rich glow.
It feels… sharper?
?
The powerful, instinctive yearning to absorb the light flared to life.
He didn't question it.
With a low desperate sigh, he performed an instinctual, subtle, internal pull.
Three clouds of white light flowed into his skin.
Like ghosts in a vacuum.
Mr. Murray would be proud.
?
Exhaustion retreated, the deep bone ache in his arm and shoulders eased.
Counter to that, the energy running non stop through his body increased dramatically.
Ken stood up, raised his head, squared his shoulders and thought:
I know just what I have to do.?
He ran south, away from the direction of the goblins, until his lungs screamed and his legs gave him the middle finger.
First step: water.
I’m dying of thirst.
Panting, he pushed his failing legs toward the faint sound of a creek.
Finally reaching the edge of a small, clear stream, he had to refrain from diving in.
Kneeling at the edge and drank deeply and frantically, washing the blood and sweat from his face.
Next step: a place to hide.
My head is buzzing out of control.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
He turned east upstream, moving along the rocks, avoiding slips and splashes.
Trying not to leave any marks
Listening for approaching death.
Every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves sent a fresh jolt of adrenaline through him, but thankfully nothing materialized to stab or bite him.
?
He moved for several agonizing minutes until there was a fork in the creek.
He took the left, heading in the direction where the land seemed to elevate.
After continuing a few minutes, he noticed the water had worn away a small cliff face.
A crevice piqued his curiosity. It worked back into a little shallow cavity with a large enough shelf to at least sit down.
?
The crevice was cramped, smelling of damp stone and ancient rot.
Back pressed against the rough wall, the cold granite leeching the heat from his skin, the new sun trying its best to burn him from the inside out.
It's disgusting here.
Also dark, and concealed.
“Perfect.”
Plopping down with a grunt, he finally stopped moving.
He let out a groan as tense muscles and mind relaxed.
Sitting on the damp shelf, arms around his knees, reliving the last hour of his life.
"I know I saw and felt it this time. That.. distortion... the visible tremor around the goblin spear tip and..."
?
That weird feeling of action before the damn thing even moved.
The sensation of knowing exactly where the strike was headed.
Thinking about that shimmer only intensified the restless energy thrumming inside him.
He felt too full, like a vessel under pressure.
It had been building during his ‘tactical retreat’.
He tried to analyze the feeling, years of mind muscle connection guiding him.
It's like a static tremor…
Not muscle or blood, something deeper.
Weirder.
He could feel the chi kind of trying to…get out.
There was an occasional wisp of energy wafting off his skin.
“No! Mine!”
Slamming his eyes shut, he could feel it moving through certain routes in his body.
The shit won’t sit still.
He pressed at the swirling chi from his arms, his legs, his head—from all sides, trying to collect the chaotic surge.
The rough, solid stone beneath his hands was the only concrete reality in this moment of pure internal strain.
He didn't just move the energy, he fought it.
Guided by intuition, the chaos began to squeeze toward the center of his chest.
It resisted, vibrating with enough force to rattle his teeth, before finally snapping.
In a blessed instant, the chaotic tremor coalesced, collapsing into a point of vibrating energy.
A cold sun sitting just below his sternum.
The building buzzing that was deafening by this point, immediately subsided.
It feels odd, but it seems stable.
Mentally holding it in place, he slowly started to ‘let go’.
Stay… stay… gooood energy.
The knot pulsed once, like a second heartbeat that wasn’t his, flooding him with warmth.
Ken mentally and physically sighed.
Now that it seemed to be behaving itself, he slowly stood up.
Took a cautious step.
Then a quick one.
No change.
It just sat there, just below his sternum, his little bundle of potential.
Warm. Waiting.
Like a loaded spring.
After a few minutes of focusing inwards, he felt as confident as he could that he wasn't about to explode.
He spent a few more moments just listening, trying to determine if anything was sneaking up on him.
Fears alleviated as much as they could be in a magic monster filled cosmic apocalypse, he sat back down with a sigh.
Please… let Kim be okay.
“And where the fuck are Dan and Jimmy when I need them?”
