The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

The watching people gasped in horror when the soldier threw the lance at Ming but… when Tyriece embraced Ming, the people went nuts; their jaws dropped in disbelief.

"What the heck is going on?" said one elder watching on the wall.

This was completely unusual in the eyes of the masses, because, at first, Tyriece declared to thrash the governor, but he saved him from the spear and, the worst, hugged Ming like a newly found long-lost brother. If this was not weird, then they could be crazy.

The Goding soldiers were also stupefied. Aside from the hugging, this was the strangest war they'd experienced. Why didn't they attack? Why the need for having bouts? What the soldiers felt right now was, they weren't here to attack this city. Everything was nothing but a skirmish between the two nations.

In the city, the Youshians began murmuring and asking each other, wondering who won and why the two champions became chummy after their grueling fight.

"Are they friends now? Will the war stop? What do you think, Lady Lifen?" asked Zang Wei.

"I'm sure we won this bout because of that soldier's intervention and friendship might have begun between champions," Lifen said, hoping her words were the real case and this war would take a turn for the better.

However, the person involved just stood there mouth gaping looking at the grinning general and the young knight. Ming had no idea how to respond after that shocking revelation. Would he be glad? Would the war end after these revelations? Or what? He didn't know what to think anymore.

It was the first time another Chiangda willingly exposed himself to him. He met some when he was a young schoolboy but only after an accidental exposure of their powers. However, they stayed away from each other, afraid somebody would report them to the authorities.

Then the two Godingans took turns slapping their wrists twice and brushed their right shoulders once as if dusting themselves. Ming didn't see the significance of their actions, so he only said, "Thank you for honoring the rules I made." And faced Tyriece. "Thank you for saving my life and I'm honored to fight against one of Goding's best fighters. See you tomorrow morning for the second bout."

The general saw Ming did not understand. So he patted Ming's shoulders and whispered, "That's how we Chiangdas greet each other without telling people who we are."

This was double shocking news for Ming, making him dumb to the point his mind went blank. He just stood there wide-eyed and speechless.

The two Goding Chiangdas chuckled, pleased with Ming's stupid expression. Before they left him, "Let's share a drink later, Governor," said the general and waved a hand as he turned to dismiss the soldiers.

"We'll wait for you outside the gate and don't forget to bring dinner for us since you stole our stocks," Tyriece said and was about to leave but added, "Make sure there's meat. Get that?" And left the dazed Ming.

After a while, Ming trudged back to the gate while Tyriece's words rang in his mind. "I'm glad to meet you, brother Chiangda." He smiled, feeling refreshed. Though so unlikely to meet in such a manner, he felt a camaraderie spirit with the two as a Chiangda.

He looked back and saw Tyriece smiling silly while waving a hand at him. "Eh?" This opponent's actions gave Ming goosebumps. There was nothing creepier than a person with emotions that don't match the situation. However, this gave him hope. Hope that the general would declare a truce.

---- o ----

All of these happened while Xinyi was still inside Skrider's space. But what made Skrider's eyes changed to golden yellow was the next events that had taken place.

---- o ----

Inside the tent, General Lofey and Tyriece knelt on the ground with their swords in hand. They winced in pain facing the supposedly tied soldier, who was now standing freely while bodies of two soldiers laid on the puddle of blood.

"General, I don't want to do this but my instructions were clear but you disobeyed me," a hollow voice said from the mouth of the standing man holding a Wag stone. The General knew that voice. It was Mafan. General Lofey assumed the adviser controlled the soldier's mind from afar.

While they were deemed helpless as Chiangdas against the Wag stone, they couldn't be taken lightly. General Lofey gathered all the strength he could muster and with one forceful thrust of his sword, the soldier groaned staring at the sword in his belly.

The general thought it was over but... the man was still standing as if the hole in his belly and the loss of blood had no effect on him.

"How dare you kill my man? I won't forgive you," yelled Mafan through the man.

This confused General Lofey. Why didn't the man die? Why was Mafan still controlling the soldier? Suddenly, he remembered another Chiangda telling him a tale about Mafan.

"You know what? I don't trust this King's adviser," said an old Chiangda he met before.

"What makes you say that?" asked General Lofey.

"I saw him cut a man's nape and placed a black stone inside."

"That's too much. How could he cut someone's neck but the man still alive?" the general said matter-of-factly.

"Jeez, can't you get the point. I didn't mean he cut the neck but only opened the flesh and placed in the stone."

General Lofey wasn't certain if it was true but he had to stop Mafan from controlling this poor man's body. Thus, after piercing the belly, he pulled the sword out and directly cut the man's neck. The soldier's headless body fell, including the Wag stone.

Then, Tyriece used his remaining energy and tried to smash the stone with his sword but to his dismay, he couldn't even leave a scratch on the red stone. Rather, his muscles got weaker after that attempt and the sword fell from his hand.

"What happened?" the general asked, feeling his body weakening further.

"My hand lost its strength." Tyriece's knees shook and about to give way.

This alarmed the general but recalled an incident where he accidentally opened a silver box and saw a Wag stone inside. Hence, he took a silver cup on his table and with trembling hands, exerting all of his last ounce of strength, covered the Wag stone on the floor... and their strength instantly returned.

The two slumped on the dirt ground, gasping for air and trying to regain their physical strength.

But Mafan's influence was far from over because outside the tent, more soldiers waited ready with their swords and shields.