But it will take more than your combined powers. You must weaken it first. Every tulpa is different, depending on the energy used to create it. A tulpa created for revenge knows only hatred and anger. What it wants is more anger. When you fight it, you feed it. So you must ply it with the opposite to weaken its energy. The trick will be to emit”—Goron made a distasteful face, as though he’d gotten a whiff of a dead fish—“ loving emotions while fighting the tulpa.”
“We have to send warm and fuzzy thoughts to the tulpa?” Elle asked.
“You can think of someone you love or puppies or anything that makes you happy. But keep in mind that this will only work for a short time, perhaps even seconds, before the tulpa returns to its task.”
“So we have to be fighting for our lives and thinking happy thoughts.” Elle hoped she kept the strain from showing in her voice. She traded a look with Kirin, who obviously saw the difficulty, too. Especially for him, since he’d be Dragon.
Except…he wouldn’t be Dragon.
Kirin’s arms tightened at his sides. “How can I use my Dragon powers if you have them?” Kirin asked.
Goron raised one eyebrow, a wry smile on his face. “That is your problem. I have done my part. Now I shall go singe some angels, those superior—”
“Goron?” she asked. “My father’s price for your help in creating the tulpa. What was it?”
“His ability to protect himself. You see how much fun I have with you Crescents.” He vanished, leaving only the echo of his laughter.
“Hell.” Kirin slapped his hand on his chest, taking in the absence of his tattoo. “He set us up. He’s probably sitting in a recliner over there with a beer and popcorn, waiting for the show.”
They heard a low rumble nearby. The black mass pressed against the circle. The tulpa was taking form again. It couldn’t get in, but they couldn’t sit there for eighteen hours until Kirin’s Dragon returned.
Kirin studied the circle. “Do you think he was telling the truth, about how to get rid of it?”
“I don’t know. But it’s all we have. What is the deepest breath, anyway?”
“It’s the drawing of all of our power into one deadly stream. So we come back and finish the thing off.”
She watched the tulpa, now fully formed into its previous scary-assed visage. “Yeah. But we have to get out of here first.”
Chapter 6
G reat. Just fucking great. Kirin was half-naked, Dragonless, with a massive tulpa waiting to grind him up. The Dragonless part bothered him most. A piece of his psyche was missing. He’d felt a little like this when he’d gone two weeks without coming back to Miami. Except this wasn’t just a withering feeling; it was a gaping hole.
Kirin eyed the thing as it stood outside the circle eyeing him back. Well, he thought it was; its eyes were black pits in a flat, butt-ugly face.
“Kiiiiiillll,” its low voice rumbled.
“Yeah, same to you.”
Elle stood next to him, her hands anchored on her hips. “I say we make a run for it.” She worked up a blue orb.
“I’ll distract it here while you break the circle back there. Throw the orb and run to the door. I’ll keep distracting it as I head your way.”
Running away chafed, but without power it was stupid to mess with a fifteen-foot-tall tulpa.
“Hey, dumb ass!” Kirin waved his hands when the tulpa looked at Elle moving away. “Hey! Look at me.”
“Ready,” she said.
He jumped over the circle and moved closer to the tulpa.
Except she didn’t run. “Go!” She faced the tulpa, the orb hovering above her hand.
Like hell.
Elle reared back as the tulpa reached for her. The big, black hand swiped at her, causing the orb to go splat on the floor. Blue sparks flared out, singeing their feet and blackening the concrete. She hissed in pain, dancing away from the sparks, her attention off the tulpa for just one second.
That’s all it took for the creature to reach out. Kirin leaped between that massive hand
“We have to send warm and fuzzy thoughts to the tulpa?” Elle asked.
“You can think of someone you love or puppies or anything that makes you happy. But keep in mind that this will only work for a short time, perhaps even seconds, before the tulpa returns to its task.”
“So we have to be fighting for our lives and thinking happy thoughts.” Elle hoped she kept the strain from showing in her voice. She traded a look with Kirin, who obviously saw the difficulty, too. Especially for him, since he’d be Dragon.
Except…he wouldn’t be Dragon.
Kirin’s arms tightened at his sides. “How can I use my Dragon powers if you have them?” Kirin asked.
Goron raised one eyebrow, a wry smile on his face. “That is your problem. I have done my part. Now I shall go singe some angels, those superior—”
“Goron?” she asked. “My father’s price for your help in creating the tulpa. What was it?”
“His ability to protect himself. You see how much fun I have with you Crescents.” He vanished, leaving only the echo of his laughter.
“Hell.” Kirin slapped his hand on his chest, taking in the absence of his tattoo. “He set us up. He’s probably sitting in a recliner over there with a beer and popcorn, waiting for the show.”
They heard a low rumble nearby. The black mass pressed against the circle. The tulpa was taking form again. It couldn’t get in, but they couldn’t sit there for eighteen hours until Kirin’s Dragon returned.
Kirin studied the circle. “Do you think he was telling the truth, about how to get rid of it?”
“I don’t know. But it’s all we have. What is the deepest breath, anyway?”
“It’s the drawing of all of our power into one deadly stream. So we come back and finish the thing off.”
She watched the tulpa, now fully formed into its previous scary-assed visage. “Yeah. But we have to get out of here first.”
Chapter 6
G reat. Just fucking great. Kirin was half-naked, Dragonless, with a massive tulpa waiting to grind him up. The Dragonless part bothered him most. A piece of his psyche was missing. He’d felt a little like this when he’d gone two weeks without coming back to Miami. Except this wasn’t just a withering feeling; it was a gaping hole.
Kirin eyed the thing as it stood outside the circle eyeing him back. Well, he thought it was; its eyes were black pits in a flat, butt-ugly face.
“Kiiiiiillll,” its low voice rumbled.
“Yeah, same to you.”
Elle stood next to him, her hands anchored on her hips. “I say we make a run for it.” She worked up a blue orb.
“I’ll distract it here while you break the circle back there. Throw the orb and run to the door. I’ll keep distracting it as I head your way.”
Running away chafed, but without power it was stupid to mess with a fifteen-foot-tall tulpa.
“Hey, dumb ass!” Kirin waved his hands when the tulpa looked at Elle moving away. “Hey! Look at me.”
“Ready,” she said.
He jumped over the circle and moved closer to the tulpa.
Except she didn’t run. “Go!” She faced the tulpa, the orb hovering above her hand.
Like hell.
Elle reared back as the tulpa reached for her. The big, black hand swiped at her, causing the orb to go splat on the floor. Blue sparks flared out, singeing their feet and blackening the concrete. She hissed in pain, dancing away from the sparks, her attention off the tulpa for just one second.
That’s all it took for the creature to reach out. Kirin leaped between that massive hand
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