I turned my attention to Aurelia partly because I was afraid but mostly because I didn't want to lose her and it felt like looking away from her even in the face of danger, would cause her to disappear and that was something I couldn't bear to let happen.
"Aurelia.." I tried but with nothing to say since the words refused to come.
I have to do something to stop the bleeding.
"Move!" Aurelia yelled a quick ki blast from her pushed me away and against the hard cave wall.
Aurelia, why would she attack me?
It hurt and as confused as I was I couldn't blame her if she hated me. This was all my fault after all.
"Interesting," Naruk stated curtly his voice an octave lower than before. "Even in 'your' state you could sense my attack and save your friend but this is simply unacceptable you really shouldn't interfere in the affairs of the living, so do you mind just staying still and dying? I promise I'll send her to keep you company in hell!"
Naruk, I had completely forgotten about him.
I turned and with a wave of my hand brought up a ki shield separating him from us.
Before, slowly getting up and making my way towards Aurelia.
"Don't you dare lose control," she stated seriously the words being forced out through sheer effort. "See?" she smiled some, "I'm fine, lets just get moira out of here."
She was not fine, not by a long shot. I could see the blood pooling around her torn clothes despite her hand being over it.
The red liquid oozing, leaking through the spaces between her fingers and the pained expression she wore because of it.
It took me a while to notice the subtle glow of focused hou over her hands while she stood slowly finding her balance before leading moira towards the exit with her free hand.
Healing technique?
"Lalie, we're retreating, lets go."
"With whose permission?" Naruk asked as he stood nonchalantly right next to me his hand on my shoulder.
"eh?" i managed before I was slammed into the cave wall again knocking the wind out of me in the process.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you should know better than to underestimate a foe!" he stepped on my head "Why are you so disappointing?"
"Lalie!" Aurelia yelled.
I forced myself up after grabbing his foot and removing it from atop my head.
"Oh, what's this?" Naruk queried through amusement.
"Run!" I yelled at Aurelia who had hesitated. "I'll hold him here so just go, escape with Moira first!"
"But!"
"Please! just go!"
"Ugh! Don't you dare die on me just stay alive until I get help!"
She didn't have to tell me that because I have no intention of falling here.
She hurried out of the small opening to the chamber where we were captured with little Moira in tow.
"Hmm, that's fine my only interest was only ever you, Lalie." He chuckled darkly "don't let it get to your head now, because if you die too easily, killing everyone in my clan and those rain bastards wouldn't have been worth it. Even if Jiya was the one who asked me to."
I finally managed to stand, my knees still shaking from the pain I was currently gritting my teeth to bear.
"Do you really think you can kill me?" I stated before stepping back till I touched the wall.
"Lalie, Lalie don't you realize that you've already exhausted your bag of tricks? None of which were effective if I might add."
Now!
I launched myself with all the strength I could muster using the wall as a stepping board.
If I couldn't kill him by draining him of his hou then I'd just have to subdue him taking his head and seeing how he let his guard down, he probably underestimates me not knowing that my strongest trait is my physical strength.
My punch hit center mass pushing him backwards a few inches.
He had completely underestimated me assuming my only weapon was the sword by my side.
He coughed a little, a small trail of blood leaving his lips.
"Playing pig to catch a tiger?" He reached up like a flash grabbing my hand and pulling me into a punch to my stomach.
This winded me again.
Why was I taking this much physical damage? With my body tempering technique this should be impossible!
No matter I'll just return it ten fold!
My next punch caught his chin punching his to an odd angle followed by a straight right to the face and a kick to his neck forcing him to kneel.
Then while in the angular momentum without any wasted movements I went low and wide pulling my blade at the perfect moment.
Finally!
"Let's see you survive without a head!"
With my full weight in this strike it would decapitate him undoubtedly!
However the blade only shattered.
It's pieces clinking on the hard floor as it fell in different directions.
"W...what?!"
"Disappointing..." he remarked unfurling compressed ki from his palm. Once the pressure subsided I found myself planted into the hard rock floor. "mh- ah!" i had tried getting up but his last attack had broken something. The sharp piercing pain from my side only served as proof.
"Didn't your mother tell you not to... hit women?" i attempted, trying my best to hide my pain.
He eyed me over, my clothes had become ruined.
"Urgh!" I struggled hard against the pain which seemed to reverberate throughout my side. It hurt, it hurt so bad that I could puke, but even so I wouldn't give up. I tried getting up again placing a hand on the rim of the small crater I had formed in the hard cave floor only to be pushed back into it again. The residual wisps of ki from the impact blast slowly fizzing away afterwards.
"Jiya promised me a fight but what's this?" He growled "you're so weak and I'm not even using my ascended form yet!"
I looked up at him coughing as he stood over me.
Ah... I can taste blood.
Is this really how I'm going to die?
Shit, am I losing consciousness?
I struggled to keep myself from being enveloped by the cold wave of blackness creeping in on the edges if my peripheral.
"With vehatra blessing, how are you this weak?" He stooped down and grabbed hold of my clothes lifting me out of the rubble. Suspending me in the air by only my clothes.
"I should kill you and that pest Jiya for lying to me. But I'm in a merciful mood.
I won't kill you, instead I'll give you a year to get stronger and I'll even give you a parting gift." He smiled gleefully.
"I've injected some of my ki into you, ah- don't worry it won't harm you given that you manage to breakthrough to the ki compressing realm before a year has passed." He let go and I fell to the broken floor.
"If you don't then it will corrode your meridians and you'll be left as a cripple, without even the ability to manipulate hou. Just waiting for me to return to consume you."
He turned to leave and stopped, "I almost forgot! How silly of me forgetting such an important matter.
"I'll be taking the little brat... as insurance~ Ha HA HA!"
…..
I woke with a start and recoiled from the pain.
The pain from my wound hadn't receded any, its throbbing sapping my breath. Making the already dark chamber feel even more miserable.
Naruk... That bastard, I hope that he and Jiya kills each other.
Even though I thought that. The chances of it happening were as slim as a paper to a brick wall.
Jiya is strong.
And even though she acted like she didn't have much power, her title here told me otherwise.
Not to mention the fact that she easily sealed my cultivation without much effort.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not rooting for Jiya. Simply stating the obvious.
This time's experience however wasn't something I could sweep under the rug.
I almost died.
And "-OH God!" Aurelia! Did she escape safely?
I slowly pulled myself up gritting my teeth against the numbing pain which didn't seem to have any intention if ceasing.
But As much as I wanted to go see Aurelia, in my current state my body wouldn't allow me to be mobile anytime soon unless I recovered my strength first.
I hadn't had the opportunity to do this since I had never been this injured to this extent before.
The memory of master showing me how to meditate carrying natural hou over to my core to boost healing gradually through breathing, made my eyes threaten to leak, shaking my breath and making me reminisce albeit sadly.
She had been the only one who really cared about me but now as her only disciple, I've brought shame to her.
She would often tell me,- never give up because your future prospects are endless and your potential limitless-.
But this... Losing like this... left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I hated it.
I hate feeling like I did before master taught me. Before I came through to this side.
Weak.
I was terrified.
But...
This won't happen again.
It mustn't.
This shame will be the last of its kind.
I'll never lose again.
I'll diligently cultivate to become stronger than anyone.
I'll never let myself feel like this again.
I had closed my eyes and only now opened them because of the heat that now enveloped me.
A heavy Ki Shrouded me, it poured from my golden core.
It felt explosive and hot. This had never happened to me before.
Until now my ki had always been calm like a small stream and colorless, but now it's clearly visible and flame like appearance lit the area a soft orange.
But even so, even with the heat it produced, it didn't harm me. Instead it felt like an extension of my mind, my essence.
Was this the result of meditating at the ki gathering stage?
It was awesome! Almost as effective as directly consuming the hou of the dragon born.
And not to mention, this ki was easily mailable.
I lifted my left hand and gathered ki in my palm condensing it into a small orb.
"Naruk ill have to thank you for this the next time we meet!" I let the orb fade and now focused on recovering.