Chp 21. Trapped

21.TRAPPED

As Jiang Cheng awoke he came to consciousness he could smell the musty smell of decay and death. It was mixed with a dank and humid scent like fungus or moss. He could feel himself lying on the cold hard rocky ground and he was bound tightly. He dared to not open his eyes until he was sure that no one or nothing was there. He tried to sense what was around him. He couldn't feel anything.

He opened his eyes slowly and saw that he was in a massive cave. He could see the thick moss covered walls lit by a series of torches fastened to the wall. It looked like an old shrine. He began to test the ropes binding him and they didn't budge an inch. He looked around for something to cut the ropes but suddenly realized he was on top of a slab of stone on a raised platform. It was an altar.

He rolled himself off of the altar, and he grunted and pain shot through his body as he landed on his side. He could still feel Zidian, his spiritual weapon, on his ring finger and wrist. Thank the goddess, he thought to himself. He looked around trying to get a layout of the cave. He was in the middle of a massive cavern. There were small round openings all over the cave walls that looked like tunnels. None of them had torches and the tunnel openings looked ominous, like mouths ready to swallow anyone that went in. This was bad. There were probably a 100 different openings, each as ominous and dark as the next.

He struggled incessantly on the ropes that bound him panic beginning to set in. He needed to get out of here. Where was Jin Ling? Jiang Cheng's stomach turned to ice as he tried to wiggle around to look for him.

"I see you are finally awake." a beautiful soft voice echoed through the massive cave and sent shivers down Jiang Cheng's spine. He tried to look around to find the source of the voice but there was nothing around him. He began to roll away from the altar and he continued to struggle against the ropes. The same haunting laugh he had heard in the meadow filled the expanse once again.

Jiang Cheng stilled as he felt an icy hand touch his arm. He looked over and straight into the glowing red eyes of a beautiful woman. Her hair was a brilliant white that seemed to catch the fire of the torches and sparkled in the light. Her face was delicate save for the pair of sharp canines that protruded from her supple bright red lips.

Jiang Cheng's heart froze as he saw the evil smile that curled her lips as she stared directly at him. She was kneeling beside him, her white and red robe touching him and it felt like spiders danced across his skin. The fabric didn't seem to be real. Her whole body seemed to shimmer in place like a cloud, but there was no doubt. Jiang Cheng could feel the pressure from her hand touching him and his skin crawled at the contact.

"Get your hands off me demon!" He barked at her what courage he had finally snapping his eye contact from hers. She made him sick to his stomach. He knew this was one of the demons they had been tracking. There was no mistaking it. He needed to stall for as long as possible, he needed to wait for backup.

Daji clicked her tongue at him "Tk.tk.tk. Now, now, pet you will be asking me to kill you with these hands soon. For now though I feel like having a little snack first." Jiang Cheng tried to struggle but his hands were immobile. He looked at her with a look of disgust.

She smiled a sickeningly sweet smile and her eyes softened as she caressed his chin with her icy hand. Her grip suddenly turned fierce and her nails dug into the side of his face. "Oh sweet one don't worry we have plenty of time to have fun." She leaned down and nestled her head close to his neck and breathed deeply inhaling his scent.

"You smell sooooo delightful. Your core smells so sweet I can almost taste it on you."

"Monster!" Jiang Cheng barked at her trying to pull away, her nails dug deeper into the sides of his cheeks and rivulets of blood began to trickle down from where they dug in. He didn't care. He wanted her to stop touching him. The feeling of her made him sick to his stomach. He needed to get out of here. He needed to find Jin Ling. "Where is the boy? What did you do to him?"

Daji's raised up and her robes seemed to swirl around her and she smiled mischievously down at him. Her eyes glowed even more fiercely than before. "Oh that one. Well he had almost spoiled my fun by attracting those pesky cultivators from before." Her face instantly turned to rage as she seemed to suddenly disappear and her brilliant red eyes filled Jiang Cheng's vision. "You brought many this time, but no one will find either of you. My friends will make sure they never do." She laughed and laid down next to him and began to rub herself on him like a cat would rub itself to be pet.

Jiang Cheng sat up instantly and began to try and push himself away from her. She followed him as if she stalked him like a fox chasing a mouse. Her features looked like a fox, now that he thought about it. A light bulb went off in his head. It was her the whole time. They had been hearing her projections. Some demons were known to be able to project copies of themselves. She could transform into a fox spirit…that's why they had never had reports of demons they could transform into animal spirits…

Daji watched Jiang Cheng closely, knowing that he was disgusted by her touch. She reveled in it. She could taste his fear on the back of her tongue. It tasted like sweet wine, and her thirst was insatiable. She began to laugh and it was no longer the beautiful sweet laugh from before it drifted off like the cackle of a fox. "I don't want to tease you too much and I am hungry. I want to hear you scream. I want you to beg me for death before the night is over. But first, let's not neglect the little one you so graciously brought me." She turned and began to walk to the other side of the cave.

It had been blocked from Jiang Cheng's view, but now that he had wiggled around the altar he could see the still form of Jin Ling laying 50 ft away. His clothes were torn and tattered, splattered with blood. It looked like he had been attacked and dragged there. Jiang Cheng looked the same, he had been too distracted with trying to get his bearings he hadn't noticed.

"Jin Ling!" Jiang Cheng cried out and he resumed his struggle, his face taught with concern. "Please, please, don't!" He begged as he watched Daji slowly walk towards his still form.

Daji's eyes looked back at Jiang Cheng and a sinister smile lit across her face and her eyes glowed fiercely in the dim light from the torches. She licked her lips. "Oh sweet child. You will get to watch as I feast on your kin."

Jiang Cheng stared at her in shock and he struggled even more against the bonds. He couldn't watch this. He had to do something. He couldn't let the demon hurt Jin Ling anymore than she already had. He just needed...He closed his eyes and sent a huge rush of spiritual energy into Zidian and the whip crackled around him and seemed to cut through some of the ropes that had bound him.

Daji was already at him before he could do anything else and break the remaining bonds. Her wispy clothing seemed to swirl around him and her inhuman strength lifted him up like he was paper. She grabbed him by the throat, a snarl on her lips and her eyes glowing a bright crimson that lit up his face. "How dare you try to escape!" She snarled in his face. Her own face transforming into a feral fox demon.

"Fuck you...demon..." Jiang Cheng choked back at her. His throat constricted under her gripping strength. He couldn't breathe. His strength was waning quickly as he was held by his throat with her one arm.

"You really want to die this quickly?" She mused at him as his toes dangled as she held him aloft. She growled and threw him to the ground. "No, you don't get to get off that easily. I will have my fun and you will watch. I will, however, make sure you can not escape." An evil smile lit her face as she looked back down at him lying still bound on the ground. "You won't need to be able to walk anymore, so let's start with that, shall we?" The hauntingly beautiful laugh echoed again through the cave and was replaced with the ear piercing scream of Jiang Cheng.

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Huang Jin stumbled as she ran through the forest a deep stabbing pain in her chest. She couldn't explain it. It scared her and her mind began to go in a panic. She caught herself on the nearest tree and she clutched at her chest. Her eyes immediately went to Chang Su. He looked at her worriedly.

"I-I. We must hurry. I feel that we are close." She tried to breathe in deeply and steady her hammering heart. She focused on her core and tried to warm her icy chest. She had such a bad feeling about this…

They had been chasing this trail for what seemed like hours, in reality it had only been about an hour. The deeper they went the more it had taken them deeper into the forests. It was not as dense as when they had first entered but the mountainous region made it tough going. They had wound their way around the small animal trails and the light was beginning to dim. They were losing daylight.

Where the heck was Nie Huaisang and the rest of the sect leaders??? If it was the demon as she had feared they were going to need their help. The aching feeling in her chest seemed to pound harder and she rubbed her chest again trying to chase away the feeling.

Chang Su didn't know what to say. He had followed her closely, his hand tightening on his sword as he tried to think about what to do or how to help but this was not his area of expertise. He didn't even know where they were going. He trusted Huang Jin completely when it came to spiritual power. If she had said they were following the right path he believed her entirely. He had sparred with her and knew what she was capable of. His talents lied much more in the physical world, that being said he had wondered why it was taking Nie Huaisang so long as well. He had left a perfect trail for him to easily follow. Oh Huaisang...I hope you did not get lost, he thought to himself. He walked calmly over to Huang Jin and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down and focus Huang Jin. You know that you can do this. You just need to focus." He soothed.

Huang Jin breathed in deeply once again, her eyes locking with Chang Su and her own self doubt tried to take over her, the look in his eyes was so trusting of her. She smiled and breathed another deep breath, rubbing her chest once more, and settling herself. She closed her eyes and concentrated. "Thank you…" she smirked at him and she opened her eyes and sent a huge blast of spiritual energy out. Chang Su felt it pass through him and the sheer power behind it almost made him gasp.

Huang Jin's eyes glowed as she looked out among the forest. She could feel the pull in her chest, and she tried to focus on the trail they had been following. It was still there but it seemed to have been getting weaker as time went on. They needed to hurry. "Follow me." she said and she began to follow the trail once more.

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Wei Wuxian huffed loudly as he followed Lan Zhan through the thick forest and a sudden shooting pain hit him directly in his chest. He stumbled and caught himself on Lan Zhan's shoulder.

They had been following the sounds of the foxes and had tried several times to catch up to them. But every time they had gotten close or had thought they had finally caught up to them the sounds disappeared for a brief moment and reappeared elsewhere. They were being led away farther and farther away from where the Nie Sect had broken off from them.

"Lan Zhan, Zewu-Jun. Something is wrong." Wei Wuxian said rubbing his chest.

Lan Wangji turned and grabbed his elbow to support him. The look of concern plastered on his face.

The flare from the Nie sect lit the sky showering the area in bright light from above. They all looked upwards and everyone looked to Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen. Wei Wuxian put a finger to his lips. They needed to make whatever they were following think that they had fallen for it. It had been the plan after all to force the demons to separate after all. In doing so, it would leave certain groups more vulnerable. Chang Su had made sure to show Xichen his new talisman that allowed them to track each other through the dense forest. Lan Xichen had been thoroughly impressed when Chang Su had shown him the invention and it was vital for this plan to work.

Lan Xichen looked from Wei Wuxian to Lan Wangji and drew out on the ground with his sword point onto the ground below. "You two go. We will keep going and distract whatever it is we are following. Go. Now."

Lan Wangji looked at his brother wanting to say something but Lan Xichen shook his head, the gentle smile on his lips. The unsaid good luck and don't worry about us, written across his features.

Wei Wuxian smiled sadly and nodded to Lan Wangji grabbing his wrist. They both rushed through the treeline towards the direction of the Nie sect flare.

They rushed through the dense foliage and kept glancing up periodically to make sure they were still following it. It didn't look too much farther.

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji broke through the treeline and came to halt the small stream. A dozen sword points pointing at them.

"Jeeze. Guys calm down. It's just us." Wei Wuxian joked raising his hands. Lan Wangji beside him taking in the scene.

"Oh thank you goddess it's just you guys!" Nie Huaisang sheathed his sword, the worried and scared look on his face vanishing as he rushed forward.

"You activated the flare. Are you guys ok?" Lan Wangji asked as he had noticed that no one was injured and there didn't seem to be any sign of trouble.

"N-No. I was waiting for you to get here." Nie Huaisang looked around Lan Wangji as if he was expecting that others were behind him. When he didn't see any others he unfolded his fan in a nervous habit and hid his face behind it. "Is it just you two? Where is Lan Xichen and the rest of the Gusu sect?"

"We would have still been following the demons' projections if we hadn't split up. It kept leading us farther and farther away. We split up to make sure we could split them up. Where is Huang Jin and Chang Su?" Wei Wuxian asked, glancing around, a sinking feeling in his stomach. They wouldn't have left Huaisang by himself like this.

Nie Huaisang snapped the fan shut suddenly realizing the situation and his courage flared. "W-We must go quickly. They left to go help the Jin sect. They were the ones who activated the flare first. I think they may be in trouble!"

Wei Wuxian's eyes widened and he immediately rushed to Nie Huaisang grabbing his wrist. "Where are they? Which way do we go?"

Nie Huaisang grabbed Wei Wuxians wrist, his grip unbelievably tight and it hurt. "Wei Wuxian don't worry they left the trail. We can follow it now that you are here. Just. Please let me go."

Wei Wuxian released his grip not having even realized that he had been grip[pping him so hard.

Lan Wangji stared at them and looked around and saw the faint glow from the first trail talisman that Chang Su had laid. "Wei Ying." he nodded towards the marker.

Wei Wuxian looked at Lan Wangji and to where the marker was and immediately released Nie Huaisang's wrist and began to run towards the trail. Everyone followed in his wake.

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Huang Jin came to a sudden halt as she looked up and saw the large shrine entrance hidden amongst the rock cliffs they had been following. The inlet opened up suddenly and the beautifully carved columns that had probably once been kept in pristine condition at some point in time were covered in moss and ferns that had taken root in the worn and decaying wood. Beyond the columns lie the mouth of a large cave. There was a single torch lit at the entrance, and it flickered like an ominous beacon begging the ignorant to enter.

Chang Su looked from behind her and he tried not to inhale as he stared at the entrance. They could feel the barrier from where they stood. This was definitely the place. "Huang Jin."

"Yea, I know. I can feel it too." she said her face screwed up in frustration and concern. The worrying feeling in her chest hadn't stopped since she had seen the flare. The light was waning and the sun was setting behind them. THe shadows cast grim and eerie lights along the small path that led into the cave.

"I don't like this…" Chang Su said rubbing his arm and looking behind him. He had left the trail to follow them but it had felt like they had been following the trail for what felt like hours. They wouldn't be able to wait forever though. As if in answer an ear piercing scream echoed through the cave mouth. It was faint but it was enough to spur them into action. They both lurched forward and Huang Jin gathered her spiritual energy as she shot out a talisman from her pouch and thrust it towards the invisible barrier. The barrier chattered the moment the talisman hit and it cracked apart.

Huang Jin looked at Chang Su as they both stood at the mouth of the cave. She sent out another huge sensing spell but she couldn't make anything out clearly. The spiritual energy here was intense. It must have been a powerful shrine at one point.

She cursed under her breath. "I won't be able to sense anything in there. The spiritual energy is too intense. I can't get a good read on anything. We will have to go in blind."

Chang Su sighed heavily, he could hear the amount of pain in that scream. Whoever it was needed their help. Now. "We have no choice."

They both unsheathed their swords and ran into the cave entrance.