Page 79 of The Wind Dancer
I considered myself lucky, as slipping away from patrols, and pulling out the right lock pick from a couple dozen, even while upside down, came naturally to me. But in a situation like this... There was nothing I could use. I hated it here, the stone weighed me down, trapped me beneath the earth where I couldn’t feel the wind.
The only light I had managed to find was a half-rotten stick with strange glowing mushrooms growing on it. As it turned out, even that weak glow was enough to guide me.
I left marks on the walls as I moved. A mark before every turn to make it clear that I had been there before. It was easy to get lost in this web of identical passages. And they were driving me crazy. I’d find that I had gotten turned around and would run into one of my marks after a while.
I was striving. I yearned for a bowl of spicy noodles, some delicious sweet and sour pork would do too. And a fresh bao! One so fluffy it’d just melt in my mouth. And I’d wash it all down with a jug of good rice wine. Why wasn’t I in the Garden of the Nine Gates...?
Judging by the condition of things, I was in an old part of the catacombs. And that meant I had to find a way up to the newer sections.
I didn’t know how many hours I had spent wandering before I saw the way up. I wanted to laugh. The hatch in the ceiling was like a blessing from above, my way out of these mind-numbing tunnels. There was just one small problem — the ladder.
The rusty metal rings had broken off about nine feet above me.
My way out was just out of reach. I had to figure out how to bridge the gap. I swept my gaze around, searching for anything that might help. I didn’t need much, just enough to grab onto one of the remaining rings.
It wouldn’t have been a problem if I was rested and fed, and hadn’t spent the last day or so trudging through thedark, musty tunnels. I would’ve attempted this jump without hesitation, but now...
“Shit,” I hissed. “Come on, Feng Lao, it’s time to get out of here.”
I took a step back. Then another one. I had to find a good distance for a running start. Then I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. My lungs had to be steady for this.
I ran and jumped.
My fingers grazed the rusty metal and immediately slipped off.
I landed on my heels, lost my balance and fell flat on my back. The pain made me more furious. If I felt pain, that meant I was still alive. The words of my mentor popped into my mind. Thank you, mentor, you taught me not to give up no matter the situation. So I wouldn’t give up here either.
“I almost had it,” I muttered to myself. “This is my only chance and I will take it. As long as I had strength, I had to try.”
I backed up, ran, and jumped.
Almost.
I grabbed the bar with the tips of my fingers, and slipped again. My skin ripped as if I had run it along a very rough grindstone.
Breathe in, and breathe out. I had to clear my mind. I had a goal and I would achieve it!
The third attempt.
And I failed again.
I was so close. Just a little more and I’d be free.
My hands kept slipping off as if cursed. Dust, sweat, and blood mixed.
I was furious. Furious at myself, the stupid ladder, the damn dragonblood. I wanted to curse at Cloud City, the sky, everything!
I straightened up with a lot of effort. My muscles were burning. I was wheezing from the effort.
“You’re not going to die here,” I told myself out loud. My voice was trembling with rage. “Not in this cursed place. Not like a rat in the sewers. I have to survive, at any cost. The fucking dragonblood and their games that got me into this mess.”
I cleared my mind. A moment later, the translucent symbols, which the Sanctuary called the interface, appeared before my eyes again. The first thing I noticed was that during my roaming, the essence had increased by one unit. It was time to check out what kind of dragonblood I was.
“Come on, Feng Lao, let’s see what you’re capable of now.”
I could feel my blood boiling with rage and determination. The essence was resonating with me, coursing through my veins like liquid fire. I called up the interface again, mentally pressed the Basic Enhancement icon — and everything changed.
My heart beat slower, but with more power. My breathing became perfectly even. The muscles felt like steel springs. I stood there, feeling my body become lighter, more flexible, and stronger. It was as if someone had taken away the weight offatigue and pain from me. Not by magic, just a body refined to its limit.
