Chapter 57: Qi Sensing
It was as if the lake itself whispered a warning, but it was too late. The canoe swayed and broke his concentration. His instincts kicked in and, while exhaling impurities, he paddled forward. At the spot behind him, a shadow formed and his senses picked up on something moving in fast.
’Dammit.’ He let his OCD tendencies get to him. He made a mistake. A mistake he wouldn’t have ordinarily made if the power hadn’t seduced his patience.
A huge splash of water flew up and crashed down on him, and the Misi-kinepikw lunged high above him, its serpentine body unfurling with astonishing speed. The creature’s enormous, fanged jaws gaped open, revealing rows of dagger-like teeth as it came down upon him.
"Em—" His throat hitched and the impurities bottled up. Through sheer will alone, Dasha managed to circumvent the wheezing, and announced, "Ember Uppercut!"
His fire encoated fist slammed its jaw. The creature was sent back into the water, flailing from the pain. Panting, Dasha waited for another attack. Unfortunately, due to the releasing of purities, his Qi Sensing was malfunctioning. In midst of the pain and struggle, his remaining senses told him that the Misi-kinepikw was revolving around his location.
’I see! It was able to sense my Qi and when it noticed that it went down, it attacked.’ A hasty breath, a nasty black smoke. ’Creatures capable of interacting with Qi—so that is possible too. So far, I assumed only humans possessed a degree of control over their inner energy. None of the books I read mentioned animals doing the same. A rash assessment, stemming from my scientific perspective. Indigenous works put emphasis into the spirituality of animals. Of course they can control it.’
The canoe shifted. The Misi-kinepikw was coming. His initial thought was to paddle away but his constricting lungs told him otherwise. This battle couldn’t go on for more than a minute.
Therefore, the suitable course of action was to dive into the water and surprise it. Immediately, the heftiness of the water slowed him, yet he landed two critical punches to the Misi-kinepikw’s long, sparkly body.
On its head, it bore a set of impressive, curved horns. What truly mesmerized Dasha was the radiant crest on its forehead, a gem that gleamed with an otherworldly luster, akin to a flawless diamond.
Its speed surpassed his in the water, weaving its serpent body left and right, waiting for the correct opportunity.
’Seven, eight, nine...’