Walker and made our way inside to Aella’s apartment, Reff following close on our heels. My combat instructor lay above the sheets on her bed, her skin pallid and damp in the late afternoon air. She was wearing a sky-blue kimono and yellow pants stained red with blood. The cut in the fabric was small, and there was not a lot of blood, but the red stood out sharply.

My mentor had explained that Aella had staggered into the arena only a few minutes before I showed up and that he had not had chance to take a look at the wound.

“Hunter, the bastards that kidnapped you have some nasty toys.” Her sing-song voice was tight with pain, but she still managed a grin.

“This was them?” The anger in my voice surprised me – I had only known my teacher for a little over a week, but the thought of the same people who had tortured me hurting one of my only friends had my hands twitching with the need for violence.

“I was asking around about them when some turtle slime eating bastard popped out of nowhere and stabbed me. I think it’s safe to assume.” That sounded familiar – Gluey McHandface had popped out of nowhere back at Ro’s place.

“That sounds like the guy I glued to himself before they took me. He was invisible or something. That’s... not common, is it? Like, something everyone can do?”

“Invisibility is not a common ability. Their appearance in these circumstances belies mere coincidence.” Walker too had more than a little heat in his voice, and I almost felt sorry for whoever he got his hands on.

Leaning in, my dark mentor tore Aella’s pant leg away from the rip downwards, revealing an extremely appealing leg marred by a red and black circle of flesh, radiating from a small puncture on her thigh. Aella growled at the sudden jostle, before looking down and seeing her damaged pants.

“Walker! Those were my favourite pants, damnit.”

“Please forgive me, Aella. It was easier than traditional removal.”

Aella opened her mouth to say something more when a sharp intake of breath drew our attention behind me, and I turned to find Reff staring at my teacher’s leg in shock.

“In profound confusion, this is the malady afflicting my people, Hunter. How is this possible?” I blinked at him for a moment, before turning back to Aella.

“This is the poison you spoke to Ro about? Didn’t you say an assassin started it all? Maybe all this is related?”

Walker was still looking at Reff, one eyebrow raised above his blindfold.

“I am sorry, introductions were forgotten in the rush. I am Walker, and you are...?”

“Sorry, this is-”

“Gravely, I am Reff Stonebinder, brother to Raaf Stonebinder, Apex of The Mountain’s Seed and ruler of the Blacksand Citadel. It is an honour to meet you, Apex of the Infinite Blades.” Reff once again bowed deeply, though concern and confusion were still written clearly upon his face.

“Hunter is fortunate indeed. You say this same poison has been used upon your people, in the Blacksands?”

“In affirmation, that is correct, Apex. My brother sent me here to obtain the help of Honoured Master Alchemist Ben Won Ro, as all of our efforts at a cure have been ineffective. We are to set out to my home in the morning.”

Nodding, Walker moved over to the open window, a whisper of his power leaking out like physical slap.

“Stay here, allow no entry. I will fetch Ro.” There was a sound like a cannon being shot followed by thunder and Walker simply vanished.

“With reflexive fear, I hate it when they do that.”

“That? Vanishing?”

“In contradiction, no – that is merely the result of speed. I refer to the aura Apex’s exude.”

“That’s an Apex thing? I thought he was just crazy dangerous.”

“In agreement, he is as you say, ‘crazy dangerous’, but the aura which serves as warning is the result of whatever creates an Apex.”

“So your brother didn’t tell you how to be an Apex, huh?”

“With frustration, he said it could not be explained, only accomplished.”

“I guess the science of it all breaks down by then...”

“Hunter, shut up and bring me some water. You, baihu, Reff is it? You said this is affecting your people – what should I expect?” I flinched, feeling guilty at forgetting my teacher was still awake and filled a glass with water for her.

“In reluctant confession, the mark will spread along your skin, eating deeper and deeper as it goes, burning flesh to ash. Should you survive beyond the day, the poison will spread upon the wind infecting all those around you.”

“It’s nothing serious, then?” Aella tried to laugh but winced and gritted her teeth before continuing “Why if I survive?”

“In continuation, the poison works faster the weaker the carrier is. Those too weak will die before the malady may spread. It offers continued hope of a cure while driving home despair with its spread.”

“It sounds like something those assholes would cook up, based on my limited experience.” I passed Aella her water and watches as she gulped it down.

“What happened to the man that stabbed you?”

“I reacted badly to being stabbed...”

“You-”

“He’s mostly mush now.” I felt a little sick – I could imagine why she was called the Falling Star, but it was not a pleasant image.

“... He probably wouldn’t have talked anyway.”

“In agreement, the assassin who originated this affliction within my home severed their own arm to escape. I have doubt they would have talked.”

“Oh, shit, I have a bunch of bottles and stuff I took off them! I can’t believe I forgot to ask Ro about them again! What if the poison is one of them?” I had intended to ask Ro about them, but it had completely slipped my mind for the second time that day.

“In conciliation, this is not a common poison, Hunter. I have doubt it would be carried by many.”

“I hope I do have it, though I would have regretted it if you and Ro had left before I realised. But if I have it, won’t it be easier to find a cure?”

“Hunter, if you save my life, I promise to stop training you wrong, as a joke.”

“Wait, what?” I stared at my teacher with mouth open, my tripping over itself as I thought back to our practices, but it lasted only a moment before Aella’s wide grin tipped me off that she was joking.

“Ha ha, Teacher. You’re hilarious.”

At that moment, I heard footsteps moving up the stairs – with a glance at Reff, I hurried over to stand next to the door. If I could grab somebody, I was confident I could pump enough electricity through them to put them – and myself – down. Reff stood between the door and Aella’s bed, his stance wide and a large rock appearing in each hand.

A figure in white stepped through the door and I grabbed towards them as quickly as I could, my hand just brushing the fabric of their robe before I flipped and over end, landing hard on my back on the polished wooden floor.

“Child! You have improved since we first met, but you are many years too young for that fight! Ha!” Of course, the figure in white was Ben Won Ro. The master alchemist stepped past my prone body, followed closely by Tang, who at least moved to help me to my feet. Finally, Walker – bringing up the rear – entered the room.

On my feet again, I straightened my clothing and turned to my mentor.

“Walker, how did you get there and back so fast?”

“Swords.” My dark mentor was as chatty as ever, it seemed.

“Master Ro, I forgot to ask you earlier... and earlier... I took some alchemical items from the kidnappers, could any of them be the poison?”

Ro was already standing by Aella, offering brief greetings while examining the discoloured wound.

“Perhaps! Bring them.” I removed the bottles, vials and bags and passed them over to Ro. A white flam with flares across the spectrum sprang up around the items I had handed over, lifting them from his hands to hover within the flame’s embrace.

“Hmm. There are poisons, certainly, though nothing interesting. Basic healing pills, a few mist screens. Nothing useful, I’m afraid.” My heart ached as Ro placed the items on the floor. I had really hoped the situation would resolve itself that easily, but I supposed even being Lucky had its limits.

Turning his attention back to Aella, the prismatic flame sprang up once again above Ro’s palms. Placing his hands above the wound, so that it was completely covered in fire, the master alchemist closed his eyes. Despite the flames, Aella made no sound – there was no sizzle of flesh or sickly sweet smell – indeed, there did not seem to be any heat at all.

“Walker,” I whispered, “What’s with the fire?”

“The Honoured Master Alchemist is utilising the Spiritual Flame. It is the signature Focus of the Alchemist Association.”

“What’s it do?”

“It is used for many things – it allows the user to sense and alter the properties of that it contains. To a limited extend, depending on the cultivator.”

“Like some sort of multi-tool. Cool.”

“Indeed, it can be cool, or hot as needed.”

“That’s not what I – never mind. I think you and Reff will get along.”

We fell back into silence as the moments stretched into minutes as Ro moved his hands almost imperceptibly, the colours flickering almost too fast to see.

Eventually, the flames faded and Ro sat leaned back.

“It would seem these reckless idiots have found another use for their captive phoenix.”

“Urgently, you know the cause? Can it be cured, Honoured Master Alchemist?” Reff’s voice loud and low, like a distant earthquake, but it held hope.

“The properties of the phoenix have been incorporated directly with a virulent bacterium. It is not a poison, as such, but rather a disease introduced via infection. Any attempt at removal will merely increase the speed at which it spreads. I can slow it, but a cure will be difficult. The phoenix essence draws Experience directly from the body of the patient, fuelling the bacteria’s rebirth. To eradicate it, we must drain the body of all energy.”

“Okay, so can we do that?”

“Doing so would kill her, Hunter.” I could hear anger in Walker’s voice, and I was right there with him.

“What about those Spiritual Weights they used on me? Would that stop the phoenix whatever working?”

“No, child. If it did you would have died, as you were exposed to both.” The alchemist was right, of course. When I had been injected with the stuff I had been in a room with 4 of the things and the elixir had still worked.

“So what do we do?”

“I can create a cure, though it will take me weeks longer than Aella has. If we can obtain the original egg, and bring it to her, it is possible it will retake its lost essence. If that works, we can take the egg to the Blacksands to do the same, before releasing it.”

“Master Ro – how long do I have?”

“It is only an estimate, but at your strength you should last a week, maybe a little more.”

There was silence in the room as we all took that in, being broken a short time later by Reff.

“With sorrow, this matches with our own observations – the longest any so infected have survived is 6 weeks. They suffered greatly.”

“We will simply track this group down take the egg. They will regret bringing themselves to my attention.” For a split second, the full might of Walker’s aura flared out, and it felt like it had on that first day. My body shook and shrank away from him, every instinct in me screaming for me to run, to bow to beg for mercy. None of us went unaffected, and I even heard distant wailing telling me it could be felt further than the confines of the Steel Splinter.

“Enough, Walker! I appreciate the sentiment but making us all mess ourselves is not helpful! You’ll need to speak to my contact, his name is Quhei. Ask for him at the Thrice Frost.” The feeling cut off as suddenly as it had come and I heard each of us take in a steadying breath

“Tang and I will attempt to slow the spread. Go, find the egg.”

“With determination, I shall join you. If these people hold the key to my people’s salvation, then we shall trade it for regret. I have hope they drown in it.”

I felt a vicious grin of my own stretching across my face, and something hot and dark wormed its way through me. I was going to get some payback and save people; the dopamine was already flowing like wine.

“Let’s get a move on, the sooner the better and besides... I’m all out of bubblegum.”

Five voices spoke out all at once, filled with confusion:

“What?”