Chapter 95: The Astral Phantom (1/2)

Chapter 95: The Astral Phantom

“Where’s Lan Jue?” Lan Qing sat opposite the Wine Master, saying nothing more about his Prometheus remark.

The Wine went on with his line of thought in a gentle voice. “Of the Four Divine Monarchs, you’re the most well known. Supersoldier of the Eastern Alliance. The ‘God of Wisdom’. But with all that supposed wisdom, you still come here. Unless I’m mistaken, your name is number six on the Black List after you destroyed that Northern battalion masquerading as pirates.”

Lan Qing smirked. “The guy above me is called ‘the Astral Phantom’.”

The Wine Master mirrored his smile, but his tone was serious. “You shouldn’t have come. You’re brothers, you could call him to you.”

“He wouldn’t come,” Lan Qing said, shaking his head. “Otherwise he would have long ago.”

“Would you like something to drink,” the Wine Master inquired, suddenly changing gears.

Once more, Lan Qing shook his head. “I used to be quite the lush. But I haven’t had a drop since I was twenty. Alcohol impairs judgment.”

The Wine Master chuckled in spite of himself. “As well as your strength, hm?”

A hard glint shone through the admiral’s eyes. “You must never give your enemies an opportunity for attack.”

“The Jewelry Master is on the way back.” Once again, the Wine Master suddenly switched topics. “He should be here in roughly an hour. I assume he’ll go directly to his shop on the Avenue surface.

His guest nodded. “Thank you. I’ll wait.”

“Feel free to wait here. His shop is just across the way.”

“Hm.” Lan Qing closed his eyes. Like that – still, silent, blind – he remained.

An Liu remained standing to the side. As Lan Qing shut his eyes, his famously frigid exterior warmed by considerable degrees. The hardness of his expression eased as well, all but the area around his eyes which retained that steely resolution. His lashes were so long! Sitting like this, she could certainly see the similarities between him and the Jewelry Master. Even sitting ‘at ease’ his back was straight and his posture perfect – certainly worthy of a military designation.

“Ms. An, I’m sure you have other things to do than look after us,” the Wine Master said, mild-mannered and fatherly.

“Yes, sir,” came her respectful response. She turned and made her way to the door. As she moved past Lan Qing, his hand suddenly shot out and gripped her by the wrist.

An Liu’s reaction was swift, unconscious, and powerful. Instantly a suffocating aura of cold arose from around her. However, just as quickly she felt as though she had been covered by a blanket, an invisible force that stopped her powers from manifesting on the surface. She whirled around and stumbled to his side.

A thick dark spike, black as pitch, appeared directed at Lan Qing’s chest. But it did not pierce him.

The light around Lan Qing shifted, warped, and in the next instant he and An Liu vanished. The Wine Master quickly followed.

A stuffed, muted voice arose. It sounded like it was coming through the walls, from another room. The hoarse tones accosted them from all directions. “Ah, Cosmagus. It looks like I still arrived too late!”

As the voice faded in to the air, three shadows coagulated in to reality.

Lan Qing sat where he’d always been. He looked unchanged, unfazed. An Liu also had come to her senses, but appeared now on the opposite side of where she’d vanished.

The Wine Master’s face was hard and angry. “The Astral Phantom!”

An Liu understood then that Lan Qing had grabbed her to save her life. The warmth of his hand still lingered on her skin, but the expression that spread across her face was dark and cold.

“I’ll deal with him,” she said, stepping forward.

“No need.” Lan Qing lifted his arm to block her progress. She collided with his arm, and the brief impact caused her to lose her balance. As she tumbled the general grabbed her against his chest.

The contact was brief, but it nonetheless caused Lan Qing some awkwardness and surprise. As he grabbed her, An Liu’s firm, taught backside landed on his thighs. For the first time since their meeting outside the Avenue, he saw her as the attractive woman she was.

An Liu’s pretty face had grown red. “What are you doing?!”

Lan Qing shook himself from his temporary stupor. “Don’t bother going after him, there’s no point. He’s one of the Ten Paragons – the lowest of them, but his mastery is speed. There isn’t anyone in the Three Alliances that can match him. He can even fold space, create wormholes. Presumably he made his way here the instant he heard news of my arrival. He likely didn’t count on the Cosmagus being here.”

The Wine Master’s response was level, but cold. “This is something he and I will settle. His arrogance has been allowed to go unchecked for too long.”

Another rare instance of a small spread across Lan Qing’s face. “I’m assuming he panicked, once he realized you were present. After all, if there is anyone in the universe with the ability to control him and his speed, the three Paragons of Skyfire Avenue are them.”

The various Paragons had attached themselves in one way or another to different forces of the Three Alliances. Specifically, the Avenue had three Paragons in attendance. In the Western Alliance, the Pontiff’s Castle and the Dark Tower had one each. The Coterie from the North had two of their own. Three more existed, though their alliances lay elsewhere. This Phantom, the last counted among the Paragons, belonged to the largest and most notorious coven of assassins in all the known territories.