Chapter 145 - Darkness’ Embrace

This is bad!

Finn panicked as he tried to resist the force pulling him away from his body. His struggles were fruitless as he continued to float away from his physical body, which remained standing in a daze in the real world.

“Oh?” The monk chuckled, “You can’t even give a little resistance? Don’t tell me you’re not even a Candidate yet. And here I was worried that I might be up against a real threat this time.”

Finn couldn’t even bluff in this position. His lack of control was completely apparent. While preparing for this investigation Finn had gone over many potential scenarios. This was one of the worst ones!

In the first place, the chance of running into Ming Ru this evening was small. After all, the cabin had been investigated and cleared out, and Exalted officers were scouring the forest for clues.

In the unlikely even that Finn did run into trouble, he had two backup plans. First, his pistol was loaded with a silver bullet, ammunition that was particularly effective against Exalted due to their sensitivity to the metal. The second was Edwin, who was a talented (albeit inexperienced) fighter and of course, a monk himself.

He had counted on Edwin saving him in the situation that they were assaulted, but right now he was unable to reach his body. Edwin was just standing dumbfounded in the physical world while scratching his head.

Who would have thought that Ming Ru would use his ability immediately, without warning?

At this rate Finn was going to be sucked away as a spirit, never to return to his body!

Finn’s mind raced as he quickly said, “You misunderstand. I’m on your side, Ming Ru.”

“Ah, is that why you were telling Edwin that I betrayed him? Or perhaps you were thinking his ‘master’ was a different ‘Ming Ru’.” Ming Ru mused.

You weren’t supposed to hear that! Finn groaned inwardly as he switched strategies and said, “Edwin is a good kid! He needed to know the truth.”

“Yes, he is a good disciple, which is why he does not need to get involved in these affairs.” Ming Ru’s eyes began to glow with a white light as he reached down to his waist. “Don’t worry, he will soon be far away from these troubles. As for you... Your troubles are just beginning.”

Hanging from a rope belt was a gilded silver lantern hanging from a chain. Swirling inside its glass chamber were several lights that resembled fireflies.

Finn recoiled as he felt an intense sucking sensation emit from the lantern. The cage door swung open as echoes of screams and crying spilled out from the lantern. A bright green light shone from within, growing with intensity. Finn’s body began to dissolve in the light as he rapidly flew towards the lantern.

“No-! Wait!” Finn’s voice was drowned out by a high pitched ringing sound and the wails from within the lantern.

In desperation he spun around, reaching out toward his body, which was still standing in the physical world. However his screams were cut short as he noticed that something very strange was happening with his body!

A dark shadow was broiling around his body. A thin black veil filled with thousands of writhing critters and insects spilled out of his skin and clothes. They streamed out like a flood, completely engulfing his body and then pouring out onto the floor. The living darkness landed on the rocks in thick heavy drops and spread out across the room.

The entire room began to whisper as a pressure built up within the darkness.

Edwin felt his spiritual intuition trigger as he glanced back toward Finn’s body. He suddenly let out a cry as he turned to see the shadows climbing up his own legs and covering his clothes and skin. Ming Ru’s eyes shot toward his disciple as he suddenly became aware of the flood of shadows. Finn felt the pull on his spirit suddenly cease as Ming Ru’s attention broke from the distraction.

In a sharp fluid motion the shadow-consumed Finn lifted the pistol and leveled it directly at Ming Ru.

The monk tried to dodge, but a shadow passed through the monk’s glowing eyes at the crucial moment, slowing his reaction.

Bang!

The force constricting Finn’s spirit released in an instant as the world flashed in a kaleidoscope of saturated colours. Before Finn could process it he was already back in his body, holding his smoking pistol out toward the fallen form of Ming Ru.

The vivid colours on the old monk’s body washed away as he collapsed on the floor, his hand grasping at the gaping wound on his neck. Dark, rich blood spewed out between his fingers as his eyes glared up at Finn with shock and anger.

Finn couldn’t even process what had just happened as his spirit suddenly rang out in alarm. A split second later the monk’s eyes hardened and he let out a cry of rage. Blood spilled from his mouth as he leapt toward Finn with inhuman speed and strength.

Finn’s shadow-engulfed arm thrust out spontaneously toward Ming Ru as a stream of insects poured out of the darkness in the room, swarming over the injured monk, who suddenly dropped to the floor while struggling.

At this point Finn became aware of another presence in the room.

No, more accurately, a presence within himself.

The impression of a masked man in a double breasted trench coat bubbled up in Finn’s mind. The man had an angular face and rashes that covered his skin, as if his entire body had been rubbed raw. Two ice blue eyes peered out toward the monk through Finn’s eyes.

“Locke!” Finn exclaimed, recognizing his supervisor. This exclamation only occurred in his mind as the scarred, twisted man ignored him completely. Finn suddenly realized that he had lost complete control of his body.

Once again, Finn could only watch the scene proceed.

In the physical world, the darkness-engulfed form of Finn calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out a pouch of gunpowder. In a smooth, practiced motion he poured the exact required amount of powder in, retrieved a silver bullet from his pocket and rammed the bullet into the back of the barrel.

He performed the actions with a cold, disconnected calmness even as Ming Ru struggled and grunted against the formless shadows weighing him down. The shadow Finn cocked the hammer of the pistol and extended his arm, pointing the gun directly at Ming Ru’s forehead.

“You have two options.” Finn said, in a gruff, raspy tone, “Release the officers, or die. Your choice.”

The once distinguished, proud monk was in a pitiful state as he lay heavily on the ground, grasping the gaping wound on his neck. His eyes stared up at Finn, knowing that he was at the complete mercy of this officer who had turned the tides in an instant.

The lantern at Ming Ru’s side creaked noisily as the cast iron doors swung open. In the physical world this lantern appeared crudely made of iron and was completely lifeless, but after Ming Ru’s release several lights flickered to life and flew into the air.

The balls of light arced across the room and landed in the bodies of the officers that had been lying motionless this whole time. They violently came to life as their eyes shot open and they sat up heaving for breath.

Upon seeing the officers recover, Finn heard a soft sigh in his mind. He felt the presence of Locke disperse, like a statue crumbling into dust. The restriction on Finn’s spirit suddenly released as he found himself back in control of himself with no fanfare or warning.

He blinked and the swarms of shadow insects were gone. The room looked completely normal.

“Finn?” An incredulous, disoriented Minnie looked over to him as she pushed herself to her feet.

Finn calmly gestured at the monk with his pistol, his finger still on the trigger. “Careful, he’s still a danger to us.”

Ming Ru was no longer suppressed by the shadows, but lay docilely on the floor as a pool of his own blood soaked into his robes. The silver bullet in his neck had an incredibly draining effect on Exalted powers, but the suppression wasn’t lasting. Still, the clarity in his eyes was quickly fading as his life bled out onto the floor. Finn didn’t take his eyes off of the monk for a second as his fellow officers recovered.

Pressed into the corner of the room a trembling, shell-shocked Edwin continued to glance between his fallen master and the nightmarish officer before him.

“We can get back to headquarters in a few jumps.” Minnie said softly, siding up beside Finn. The other officers looked disoriented, but even though they did not know Finn, they understood that he was currently in charge.

“Let’s go, before he dies on us.” Finn nodded. He turned to Edwin, “Grab your Master if you want us to save him.”

“Y-y-yes..” Edwin couldn’t even stammer a proper response as he scrambled forward, half out of urgency to save his master, half out of his newfound fear of Finn himself. He hoisted the old man onto his shoulder.

Two of the officers drew their weapons and pointed them at the monk pair while keeping their distance. The young monk’s eyes widened as he began shaking even harder.

A portal opened up as one of the officers thrust out his hand to the air. The rustling of wind through leaves and the sound of wildlife filled the room as a moonlit clearing came into view.

One by one the officers stepped through the portal, escorting the two monks out into the world.

Finn was the last to leave. Just before he left the cave he glanced around the darkened room.

He paused, then whispered softly into the darkness.

“Locke?”

He waited for a few seconds, but no reply came.

He could no longer sense the presence of Locke in his mind, nor could he see the illusory forms of insects curling and twisting in the depths of the shadows in the room. As far as Finn could tell, he was alone.

Despite this he could feel that something had changed within him.

He frowned softly, then left without further hesitation.