Fight of the Celestial Dragon

Two warriors stand across from each other in an ancient stone room. One is a young man in a black gi with a red celestial dragon wrapped around it from toe to the head of the dragon on the man’s shoulder. The opposite of him stands a woman who appears to be older than the stone ground that she stands upon. She wears a black gi with a simple red dot above her heart. She stares at the young man with impossibly cruel eyes, hardened by a lifetime of deeds best left unmentioned.

“Xan Xing, son of my heart. Do you really intend to go through this? You wound my heart with this betrayal.”

The young man curses. “You think I have betrayed you? My eyes are finally unveiled, Tehuai Anxiu. You took me in and trained me in your corrupt Red Palm Kung Fu and turned me against my family. You wanted to weaken my Celestial Dragon Kung Fu so that when this day had finally arrived that I would not be able to stand up against you and my warrior house would be under your heel forever.”

Tehuai Anxiu laughs harshly. “The House of the Celestial Dragon may not be under my heel forever. Once you have perished, your family will be sent to Japan to secure my influence there once and for all. The battles may be more than the Celestial Dragon can handle, and once it is finished? I will finish the house off myself. Your death brings about the final days of Celestial Dragon Kung Fu, my son.”

She lets this sink in before adding to it in an almost caring voice. “You know you can prevent their slaughter. Refuse this duel and swear your house’s loyalty for all time. End this foolish tradition of dueling along with the deaths of so many. Celestial Dragon can never defeat Red Palm.”

Xan Xing glares at Tehuai Anxiu. “Every time an ancestor of mine has come before the Red Palm for the duel that will determine control of the Warrior Houses, there has ever been treachery on the part of the Red Palm to win.”

Tehuai Anxiu slides into a fighting stance, keeping her hands at her sides. “Treachery is a part of war and battle. Have you come to be a part of a tradition dating back to the founding of the Warrior Houses or have you come to debate?”

Xan Xing goes silent and instead gets into a fighting stance with his feet wide and his hands out in front of him. “I have come to kill you. Asia has suffered enough.”

Tehuai Anxiu shifts her stance so that her left palm is facing outwards to Xan Xing. Where there would be a red circle tattooed to her palm to represent her style is only darkness. Xan Xing’s eyes go wide in recognition of the meaning.

“Your mark!”, Xan Xing gasps. “It has been consumed by the corruption! I thought that meant death?”

Anxiu only smiles. “Death does not come for me this day, or any other day. Now come and face your destiny.”

Xan Xing crouches down a bit and lunges across the room at Anxiu, ripping at her with hands formed into claws. Anxiu deflects and dodges most blows, but one strike sweeps past her defenses and tears open her shoulder. Anxiu hisses, but doesn’t grasp at her bleeding shoulder. Xan Xing takes a step back, suddenly proud of himself.

“First blood to the Celestial Dragon.”, he boasts. As Xan Xing presses his attack, Anxiu grasps at her shoulder and then flicks her fingertips at her attacker. Xan Xing’s hands instinctively fly to his eyes, but he is blinded by the flying blood.

Tehuai Anxiu takes advantage of Xing’s blindness with several fingertip strikes to his chest before stepping back to watch the results. Xan Xing’s hands fly to his chest as he begins to have trouble breathing. He thrusts his hand into the air with a primal scream and plunges his fingers into his right side and up under his ribcage. He rips out a pulsating black mass the size of a golf ball and flings it away. The bloody mass hits the ground and transforms into a black scorpion, scurrying away. Xan Xing puts his hands back over his eyes and screams a chant. When he pulls his hands away, he regards Anxiu with clear eyes again. She appears to be somewhat amused.

“You have learned how to counter and heal some of the Red Palm arts.”, she observes. “Good. This won’t be as boring as I had thought.” She loses her hand over her wounded shoulder and utters a single word. When she slips back into a fighting stance, her shoulder is patched with a pulsating darkness. Xan Xing remembers the darkness within him and shudders. Tehuai Anxiu must be far more than a simple Warrior House Leader.

Anxiu’s eyes scan for a weakness in Xan Xing’s stance. She grins and glides to within strike range, lashing out with a roundhouse kick. Xan Xing easily sidesteps the kick, but Anxiu spins around in a circle and drags a fingernail down Xing’s left side. Xan Xing responds by slamming the butt of his palm into Anxiu’s right eye socket. The resounding crack tells Xan Xing of the damage he has inflicted on her even as the unnatural hissing of flesh tells the story of his pain.

Xan Xing grits his teeth and blocks out the pain while pressing his advantage. A few dragon claw strikes send Tehuai Anxiu, the Terror of Asia, reeling. He drops to his knees and brings his hands together in a strike that hits both sides of Anxiu’s lower chest to damage the floating ribs. He leaps to his feet with a celestial kiai to hit a double uppercut that sends Anxiu flying backwards by six feet. He walks over to her panting, bloody form on the stone floor.

Xan Xing: “It’s over, Anxiu. You and the Red Palm are finished! Here is the death blow that you taught me! May it strike your soul from your ancient corpse!”

Xan Xing brings his palm back to perform the “Red Palm Death Blow”, a secret technique that has frightened nearly every martial artist since martial arts have been first taught. As Xan Xing’s palm strikes Tehuai Anxiu’s chest, Anxiu’s own palm barely touches Xan Xing’s. Tehuai Anxiu goes flying thirty feet across the room where she impacts with the wall. Her form becomes embedded in the stone wall. She lets out a great kiai and the wall cracks in a circular pattern for up to ten feet away.

Xan Xing smiles as he regards the blood trickling from his opponent’s mouth as she hangs in the wall. “You are defeated. The vibrations building within your chest should be…should be…what?”

Xan Xing clutches at his chest and drops to his knees as Tehuai Anxiu removes herself from the wall. She staggers for a couple of steps, but rights herself enough to walk over to the downed Xan Xing.

“My son…”, she begins. “You have never used to full potential of the Red Palm Death Blow. You have always assumed that the technique required strength and power. You changed the technique in your mind as you learned it into a Celestial Dragon version, and as we have just seen in action…Celestial Dragon is weak compared to Red Palm. I hit you with the technique’s true secret. Did you feel it strike you? Did you feel the moment that sealed your fate forever?”

Xan Xing coughs up blood and goes down to his hands and knees. He remains silent as his end comes rushing at him, each heart beat growing louder and louder in his own ears.

Tehuai Anxiu kicks Xan Xing in the ribcage, rolling him over onto his back.

Anxiu regards Xan Xing with harsh eyes. “This day seals the fate of you and your house. I gave you a way out. I gave you a way to live, a way to save the lives of hundreds of your friends and family. You refused. You chose death for everyone that you cared about for the Celestial Dragon.”

Xan Xing starts to sit up and reach for Anxiu, but clutches at his chest and lies back on the ground. “My house will rebel. They will join…the Japanese in resisting you.”

Tehuai Anxiu laughs. “The Celestial Dragon, dishonor their vows to me? They would rather die than be dishonored in such a way, and I will see that their final days are filled with glory as they die in Japan. No. They will not defy me, anymore than you could have defeated me.”

Xan Xing builds up his energy again, but sighs as his heart gives way to lifelessness. Tehuai Anxiu sighs as her confidence and energy leaves her face.

“Attend me!”

Two women in Red Palm Gis run into the room and grab Anxiu’s arms and steady her as she begins to fall to her knees.

“No, Mistress!”

“Are you alright?”

Tehuai Anxiu gives a pained grin. “I am fine. The young dragon has only broken a few ribs. Help me to my meditation room so that I might help myself to heal.”

As the two women help Tehuai Anxiu to her room to heal, two men in gis come into the room and grab up Xan Xing’s still form and drag him away.

*************

Xan Xing awakens on the ground outside of the Red Palm Citadel. Groggily, he sits up and begins to look around at his surroundings. He pulls his gi to the side to reveal a red hand print with a black circle where the palm is, though the black circle is looking as if it is shrinking. He looks along his side where another wound has been inflicted by Anxiu’s fingernail. A jagged red mark exists where there was a wound growing sick with corrupt chi.

“Why am I still alive?”, he wonders aloud. “No one survives the Red Palm Death Blow…or so I was told.”

A new pain explodes in Xan Xing’s chest as he falls back to the ground. He looks at the red hand print on his chest and sees the black circle vanish. The hand print shrinks down to nothing and is replaced by a small red circle. Xan Xing clutches at his chest and tries his best not to scream out in pain as to not alert any sentries.

“What is happening to me?”, he gasps.

Xan Xing feels an unnatural heat from behind his hands. More curious than in pain, he pulls his hands back to reveal the head of a celestial dragon. As Xan Xing watches in disbelief, the dragon slowly flies up out of the red circle on his chest and into the air. It appears to have several red and black dots on him along with many wounds. Is it the pain of the House of the Celestial Dragon, or his own recent experience with Red Palm Kung Fu? The dragon silently regards Xan Xing before inhaling sharply. Xan Xing’s eyes go wide as he realizes what’s to happen next.

The celestial dragon lets loose a deafening roar that sends red and black energies flying from its body into nothingness. The celestial dragon glows with a new found power as it and Xan Xing lock gazes as the alarm is sounded in the background. Without another sound, the dragon re-enters the red spot and it vanishes from sight. In its place, Xan Xing feels renewed power and vigor. The training of the Red Palm is still in his mind, but only as a way to counter the corrupt chi attacks. Xan Xing realizes without a shadow of a doubt the purpose that has been laid down for him since his birth.

“I have been born to bring freedom to my house and all of Asia. I am the Celestial Dragon!”

The realization doesn’t help him as a dozen Red Palm Warriors greet him outside of the citadel walls. His own version of the Red Palm Death Blow without the weakness burns through his mind as the warriors surround him and slip into fighting stances.

“This.” He states, “Will be your last days of terrorizing Asia.”

As Xan Xing gets into a fighting stance, an almost invisible aura appears around him. The Red Palm Warriors shift back nervously. Xan Xing grins as the celestial dragon flies free from his chest and wraps around his hand as if ready for battle. The Red Palm Warriors see the spiritual form of the celestial dragon and nearly flee. Instead, they get settled into another fighting stance. One that informs Xan Xing that they will be fighting to the death rather than face their mistress in failure.

A few minutes of frenzied fighting are all that it takes. Xan Xing sighs in relief as the last of the warriors fall dead to the ground. The alarm however, is still sounding so Xan Xing begins a dash to the nearby woods to escape view from the sentries on the wall. He hears shouting as the bodies are quickly discovered behind him.

“Celestial Dragon grant me speed!”, he desperately calls out as he begins to hear pursuers behind him. Xan Xing quickly finds a downed hollow tree and hides himself away, and sits quietly as he hears his pursuers pass him by. He takes the calmness of the moment to examine his chest. The red circle is still there along with an almost invisible visage of the celestial dragon’s face. He feels as new energies constantly flow from the circle into his heart and through his body. The chi is stronger than anything he has ever felt before.

“I wonder why no one has ever experienced this?”, he muses aloud. “What power is this? Why has the celestial dragon selected me?”

The answers to his questions go unanswered and slowly exhaustion from his recent ordeal begins to overtake him. Once he is certain that he will not be discovered soon, he drifts off to sleep.

**********

Inside the Red Palm Citadel, Tehuai Anxiu meditates in a circular stone room that is filled with small pedestals all around her. Each pedestal has a severed hand on it with a black circle on the palm, each a death from the corrupting influence of Red Palm Kung Fu. A man slowly enters the room, keeping his head down to avoid looking directly at the severed hands and from feeling the wall of dark chi in the room.

“Mistress, there is a problem.”

Tehuai Anxiu’s eyes never open and she doesn’t look at the man. “He lives.”

“Yes, mistress. He has survived. Sentries heard a dragon roar to the north of the building and went to investigate.”

Still, no emotion from Anxiu. “And so we lost twelve warriors to him.”

The man looks shocked. He hadn’t gotten to that part of the report yet.

A faint smile plays across Anxiu’s face. “I felt their energies return through me. I am the focal point of the dark chi for Red Palm Kung Fu. I know about every single warrior under my command that has any mastery of the art.”

The man bows down to the ground. “I’m sorry, mistress. I did not know. A search party was sent out to find and kill him. He has died once so the ancient traditions no longer hold. Correct?”

Tehuai Anxiu grits her teeth. “The traditional duel between Celestial Dragon and Red Palm for control of the Warrior Houses is to the death. A final death. If he is found, he is to be brought before me so we can finish this duel.”

“Yes, mistress.”

As the man stands up and prepares to leave the room, Tehuai Anxiu raises a hand that stops him in his tracks.

“One more thing. His house does not need to know that he lived through this duel and that it continues. My conquest over those who defy me in Japan must not be stopped now. Inform the Celestial Dragon of their champion’s death and tell them of their orders to go into Japan. Do not let Xan Xing escape from the southern ”

“Yes, mistress. At once.”

He rises up and exits to room to carry out the commands given to him. Tehuai Anxiu utters a single word. Dark energies seem to fly from the severed hands in the room to her heart. “The Celestial Dragon itself wishes to save its house from destruction by saving its last champion. There won’t be a house left to save once the battles in Japan are finished.”

Another man enters the room. He nearly blends into the darkness of the surrounding room with a black sorcerer’s robe on. He bows as he gets near to Tehuai Anxiu.

“Oh mistress…you have summoned me to you?”, he intones.

Tehuai Anxiu stands and faces this man. She motions for him to rise and as he stands, she smiles cruelly. “Xian Tsar. I trust you are ready for your end of things in Japan?”

Xian Tsar grins. “Of course, my mistress. All is ready for the assault against the Order of the Phoenix. I will claim the Son of the Phoenix for myself. What can I do for you?”

Tehuai Anxiu motions to the north. “Xan Xing has survived through the intervention of the Celestial Dragon itself and has fled to the north. I have sent my warriors to find him, but would like you to help in the efforts. What can you conjure for me?”

Xian Tsar rubs his chin in thought. “Hmm.”

He holds out his hands as if to hug Anxiu, but stands motionless. Four little balls of light float into the room and hover above the floor in front of Xian Tsar. He speaks a single word and they transform into large, black-furred dogs with sharp black talons and fangs. An oily substance seems to drip from their fangs and talons.

Xian Tsar motions to him with his hands, proud of his accomplishment. “These spirits will be able to track the pureness of Xan Xing’s spirit. The dark chi in their forms will poison Xan Xing and maybe even harm the Celestial Dragon itself.”

Tehuai Anxiu regards the creatures with a frown before finally motioning to the door. “Good. Now go and find him. Xan Xing must be brought back here alive so that the duel can be finished. His spiritual well being is of no concern to me.”

The dogs roar and run towards the door. As they arrive at the door, wings sprout from their backs in an explosion of wetness and they fly through the doorway. Xian Tsar smiles smugly.

“They will get the job done, my mistress. Now, how many phoenix ninja did you want left alive?”

Tehuai Anxiu doesn’t give the matter a second thought. “None. Leave none left alive.”

Xian Tsar bows and starts backing up towards the door. “Of course. None will be spared.”

Tehuai Anxiu watches as Xian Tsar leaves the room before going back to her meditations. She has a smug expression on her face as the door to the room is closed. “The Celestial Dragon will no longer be a threat to my power and Japan will be brought fully under my heel.”

*************

Xan Xing rises from his hiding spot and stretches. There’s no longer any further sound of pursuit. He starts on the long journey to the nearest city to get transport home to warn them when he hears rustling behind him. He turns around to see four black-furred dogs with wings in the air. Corrupt chi treachery! Xan Xing curses Tehuai Anxiu and her dark chi magicians. He takes a leap backward through the air to land by an ancient tree. He screams out a kiai as he strikes the trunk of the tree with his palm while using the Celestial Dragon Death Blow Technique. The trunk of the tree explodes with fury, bringing the tree down in front of the flying dark spirits. Xan Xing turns around and begins running at full speed in the confusion of the tree ripping itself apart from the internal vibrations from Xan Xing’s technique.

One of the spirits makes it past the tree quicker than the others and lands on the ground in front of Xan Xing, forcing him to stop in his tracks. It begins stalking towards Xan Xing, a sludge falling from its chin as drool as it growls. The foul material kills the grass and other plant life as it hits the ground. Xan Xing drops down into a crouch and slowly begins to back up.

Xing. “Nice doggie.”, he breathes. “Don’t you have a flying fire hydrant to find and destroy?”

The response that Xan Xing gets is a leap into the air as the spirit attempts to rip at his throat with its teeth. Xan Xing side steps the attack and hits it in the side ribcage with both palms and a shout. A flash of light greets the impact of the blow, bright enough to nearly blind Xan Xing. The dark spirit is knocked ten feet away from the impact. It makes an attempt to stand up, but whimpers and falls to the ground. It crackles with light as if a broken vase and explodes with light. As Xan Xing breathes a sigh of relief, he hears growling behind him. He turns to see the remaining three spirits.

“Right. You three want to play too. I have to go…sorry.”

Xan Xing brings his hands together with a clap that sends out a flash of bright light that seems to intimidate the dark spirits. Xan Xing strikes each one in turn in the skull with his death blow technique and stands back as the Celestial Dragon Chi within him destroys them…except one. It shakes off the attack and glares at Xan Xing with hate-filled eyes. Its head smolders with the after-effects of being attacked by pure chi, but still it advances towards Xan Xing.

Xan Xing leaps back as the dark spirit leaps at him. It’s still not enough to get clear of the spirit’s claw as it rakes furrows down his arm. Xan Xing curses and clutches at his bleeding arm as he feels the Celestial Dragon presence within him scream in pain. The shock is almost enough to force him to black out, but Xan Xing stands firm. He strikes his own arm with his other hand. The dark chi that was threatening to spread through his body from his arm shatters. Though Xan Xing grits his teeth in pain as he’s certain that he’s broken his own arm, he sighs inwardly at the Celestial Dragon’s relief. Xan Xing side steps and turns to avoid another lunge by the dark spirit. This one is stronger than the others. He meet another lunge of the spirit with a palm strike to the snout. Xan Xing cups his hand around the spirit’s snout and directs its lunge away from him. Once the spirit lands, Xan Xing presses his advantage with a series of strikes to the head and shoulders of the spirit using his healthy arm. With the spirit quickly recovering from the blows, Xan Xing strikes in near slow motion to cover his palm across the spirit’s eyes to use the Celestial Dragon Chi to blind it. The damage done, Xan Xing clutches at his broken arm and begins running to make a little distance between him and the dark chi spirit.

Only ten minutes had passed before Xan Xing heard the angry howls of the dark spirit behind him to let him know that it had recovered enough to begin the hunt anew. He sighs in pain as his broken arm throbs. If only he hadn’t broken the arm in the attempt to cure the dark chi poisoning. As hope in his heart began to turn into despair, he sees a young creek! The spirit presence within him assures him that this is a refuge from the dark spirit as the pure spirit of the creek will shield him if he is within its confines. Xan Xing lies in the creek and sighs as the cool water rushes around him, though it only goes up to his cheek bones. Xan Xing does a half-shrug. At least he won’t drown.

The dark spirit quickly arrives at Xan Xing’s location, but doesn’t enter the creek. It remains at the edge of the water and growls. Xan Xing gives a pained laugh. “Your mistress will not claim me today!”

As a chill starts to set into Xan Xing’s body, he peers at the dark spirit from the corner of his eye. The spirit angrily paces by the creek, impatiently waiting for Xan Xing to leave the protected confines. Xan Xing sighs.

“You just won’t give up and leave. Will you?”

The spirit barks out a response. Xan Xing strains to hear, but can understand nothing that the spirit says. Xan Xing chuckles to himself. “Guess we do this the hard way…”

As Xan Xing meditates, his broken arm grows warm as chi flows into it. As the minutes crawl by, he begins to move his fingers. Xan Xing moves quickly. He bridges up, and does a light jump with his feet leaving the ground. Once his feet hit the ground again, he pushes himself up and out of the creek with a leap that lands him on the dark spirit’s back. He grabs at the wings of the spirit and shouts fiercely as he pulls the wings off of the spirit’s form.

A horrible gut-wrenching scream emits from the spirit. Not so much as from the mouth of the spirit, but from every part of the spirit. Xan Xing drops from the back of the spirit, clutching at his ears in pain. It doesn’t take long for him to recover. He gets into a fighting stance and prepares for a Celestial Dragon Death Blow, but his broken arm goes limp. Xan Xing grasps at his arm, suddenly pale and breathing heavily. He glares at the wounded spirit.

“You are lucky that I can’t finish you now.”

The dark spirit makes a move towards Xan Xing, who scrambles together a poor defensive posture. The spirit seems to lose strength and collapses, dark chi slowly flowing from the stumps where it’s wings were. Xan Xing breathes in deeply, turns, and begins running again.

********

Xan Xing runs into the outskirts of an ancient forest. His arm has long since gone numb after hours of agonizing pain. A furious howl in the distance tells him that his pursuer is still behind him someplace.

He rests against a tree with a trunk that's wider than he is tall and thinks through his options out loud.

“I could try fighting it.”, Xan Xing says to himself. “But even my Celestial Dragon-fed strength is fading so I may not stand a chance.”

Xan Xing looks around the forest, seeking someplace that would hide him from sight. “I'd hide, but it would sniff me out and ambush me.”

Xan Xing growls, shaking his head. “I can't fight. I can't hide. I can't even climb this tree!”

A voice from above startles him, sending him into a twirl to get into a weak defensive stance.

“You could always let the creature eat you and hope that it is poisoned by your foul stench!”

As Xan Xing looks for the source of the voice, the tree begins to creak loudly. Steps grow out of the trunk of the tree, wrapping around it like a spiral staircase.

“Quickly! The beast will soon be upon you!”

Xan Xing does a half-shrug and scrambles up the stairs. As he climbs, the steps sink back into the trunk and out of sight. Soon, he is at a wooden platform that also looks grown from the tree itself. A middle aged Chinese man in a soft green and yellow gi with a picture of a tiger over his heart stands, chanting softly under his breath.

Xan Xing waits patiently, looking at the man n wonder as he displays powers not of the kung fu norm.

“Jade Tiger warrior-monk.”, Xan Xing states when the man finishes. “You are very far from where your House calls home. Why have you aided me, sorcerer?”

The man smiles. “I am the House of the Jade Tiger, my son. Where I roam, my students will follow. The spirits told me of your duel with the Mistress to free us all from her iron grasp. We would be fools to let her treachery damn us for another generation...”

Xan Xing frowns before realization dawns on him. “So that would make you Cui Jiaqui? The Jade Tiger himself?”

Cui Jiaqui nods with a slight smile. “That would be correct, Xan Xing, son of Xan Jie, who is the Celestial Dragon.”

Xan Xing's expression falls as he remembers his last meeting with his father. It was about his decision to learn Red Palm Kung Fu to become strong enough to defeat Tehuai Anxiu when the time came for them to fight. Now, he can't tell his father that he was wrong to learn the forbidden arts as a Red Palm assassin had seen to that.

Xan Xing clears his throat. “The honorable Var Thaxis now leads the House of the Celestial Dragon.”

Cui Jiaqui opens his mouth to speak when a soul wrenching monstrous howl is heard below. Jiaqui points down below with a weak smile.

“I see that your friend has arrived.”

Down below, the wingless horror stalks around the ancient tree. Oozing gouges along the trunk reveal where the beast tried to leap and climb the tree.

Cui Jiaqui reaches into a pocket and pulls out a small piece of jade. He motions to the beast with a free hand.

“Do you mind if I handle this? You seem a bit tired.”

Xan Xing leans against the tree with a weak laugh. “Go ahead. I would like to see the mythic fusion of kung fu and chi sorceries in action.”

Cui Jiaqui lightly tosses the jade into the air and sends it downwards with a quick strike. He holds his hand out, palm down, and gusts out a great kiai once the jade strikes the beast. Green lightning streams from Jiaqui's palm to strike the jade and as lightning reflects off of it in all directions, the beast is struck many times. It gives one final scream and shatters into fading fragments of shadow.

Cui Jiaqui grins at Xan Xing's expression.

“We who study Jade Tiger Kung Fu know that power is found in nature all around us as well as within ourselves.”, he explains. “It only requires one to be able to feel the innate power in all things living and not.”

He places a hand on the trunk of the tree. “There is a power here that has slumbered for a thousand years. I only need to ask that the tree share this power and...”

Xan Xing nearly shouts as chi enters his body through his contact with the three. More chi energy than he thought possible recharges his spirit, heals his broken arm and wounds, and grants him and the Celestial Dragon spirit within him a brand new level of strength.

The Celestial Dragon bursts forth from the red circle on his chest and twines around his body. The dragon's head soars above Xan Xing and lets out a joyous roar and a gout of flame before retreating back into the circle.

Cui Jiaqui grins as he watches the dragon. “So it is you who are the Celestial Dragon, not Var Thaxis! That is a level of spiritual investment that I've never seen before!”

“Spiritual investment?”, Xan Xing's confusion is obvious.

Cui Jiaqui rolls his eyes. “Yes. Spiritual investment into the kung fu masters of the Warrior Houses. You didn't know why your father was over a century old when he sired you?”

When Xan Xing's confusion turns to shock, Cui Jiaqui shakes his head. “Never mind. Now, you need to go to Var Thaxis and tell him that you yet live and your duel is not finished. Become stronger and defeat Tehuai Anxiu. You can then free the Warrior Houses and put an end to the teachings of the Red Palm Kung Fu forever!”

Xan Xing stands silent on the platform and stares far away to the north. His father's death could be avenged. All the anguish of the Warrior Houses for generations could be avenged. He gives Cui Jiaqui a grim smile.

“I will seek the council of wise Var Thaxis and change the destiny of Asia forever!”

Cui Jiaqui jumps back as Xan Xing is enveloped in a burst of flame. When his vision clears, he sees a small celestial dragon flying away to the north.

He waves to the flying dragon, awe in his expression. “Good journey, Xan Xing. Good journey, Celestial Dragon.”

As Cui Jiaqui turns to climb down off of the tree, a small feminine figure rises up from the platform. Jiaqui looks at it with some alarm.

“My daughter!”, he calls out. “You take a great risk in projecting yourself this far!”

Cui Wanye, daughter of Cui Jiaqui, bows. “I am sorry father, but I had to reach you. The Mistress calls for us to assemble.”

Cui Jiaqui frowns. Though he knows the answer to his next question, he asks in the vain hope that he may be wrong.

“To what purpose does she require of us?”

Cui Wanye shakes her head. “We are to travel to Japan as the Mistress brings to heel the people who have held her and the Warhammer Corporation at bay for so long. Father...we are to make war! Is there not something that we can do to prevent this event from happening?”

Cui Jiaqui glances to where Xan Xing had flown away to. He sighs sadly as he only sees a speck of the Celestial Dragon form.

“We have set into motion everything that can be done within the constraints of honor.”

This makes Wanye look hopeful. “So we will not set out into Japan then?”

Cui Jiaqui shakes his head. “No. We will go to Japan to fight the enemies of the Mistress as honor and duty requires of us. When the Mistress is defeated, we will be free to cleanse our lands of the Red Palm corruption.”

Cui Wanye's expression becomes as wooden as her projections. “Very well, father. I will see you soon. We are expected to leave at daybreak.”

As the projection of his daughter fades back into the tree, Cui Jiaqui again watches where Xan Xing had gone.

“Please hurry, Xan Xing. The lives of the Warrior Houses all depend on you.”

**********

As Xan Xing flies through the air, he nears the city-monastery that is home to the House of the Celestial Dragon. It is one of the largest and strongest Warrior Houses in all of China.

Even from a distance, he sees warrior-monks scrambling as if in preparation for something big. With a flash of flame and thunder, Xan Xing lands by the front gate in his human form. At once, he dodges a flying kick from a female warrior-monk.

Xan Xing turns to face her in a defensive stance. As she lands on her feet, she draws a sword from her back with a blade as long and as wide as she is. She slashes at Xan Xing, nicking his chest as he dodges being cut in half.

“Mis Tan!”, he shouts. “It's me! Xan Xing!”

Mis Tan snarls and slashes at Xan Xing again. “I know you fool!”, she shouts. “You were killed!”

Xan Xing dodges another slash and aims his own version of the Red Palm Death Blow at the flat of her sword near the hilt. A two foot section of the blade shatters and the rest buries itself point first into the ground.

Mis Tan flings the hilt at Xan Xing and does a back flip into an offensive stance. Xan Xing dodges the hilt and slips behind Mis Tan, grabbing her using a technique called Grasp of the Dragon Claw.

“Enough, Tan!” Xan Xing shouts. “I yet live as you can plainly tell! Anxiu sends out lies so she can have me hunted down and slain at her leisure.”

Xan Xing releases Mis Tan and she steps away and turns to face him, her eyes narrowed in anger.

“Do you deny facing her in combat before you were ready?”

As the accusation hangs in the air unchallenged, the silence is answer enough. Worry starts to overcome Mis Tan's anger as she glares at him.

“You could have died!”, she bursts out. “We thought – I thought that you had died!”

Mis Tan sits on the ground, tears starting to form, but she fights them back. “And now...and now...oh I'm not supposed to know to be able to tell you!”

Xan Xing kneels down and puts his hand on Mis Tan's shoulder. “It's alright. I know. She told me of her plans before we fought.”

Xan Xing stands and helps Mis Tan up. “Come on! We must see Var Thaxis to determine how to proceed. The Mistress will be on her guard now, but I must confront her and finish what was started.”

Mis Tan says nothing, but leads Xan Xing through the front gates past the crowds of warrior-monks preparing to go to war. They get to the center of the monastery where an elderly man studies a map alone. He looks up at Xan Xing and Mis Tan in annoyance, but stops short of speaking when he recognizes Xan Xing. Strength nearly cackles from his eyes in raw power as he silently regards Xan Xing.

Xan Xing bows in respect. “I am sorry. I sought to invoke the duel of generation with Tehuai Anxiu. I wanted vengeance for my father's death. I failed to defeat her with my Red Palm teachings poisoning my Celestial Dragon style. I was saved from death by the Celestial Dragon itself and the poisons purged from my body. Now I can defeat her, but she will be ready. She has already stated that I am dead so any of her servants who kill me will be doing her will. How can I get close enough to defeat her once and for all?”

Var Thaxis sighs and in doing so he seems to deflate, becoming much older and tired.

“This you cannot do without help. Tehuai Anxiu in her place of power will prove to be unbeatable. Her very surroundings will feed her corrupt soul and give her unimaginable strength. It was our foolishness that allowed the Red Palm to choose the place of the duel and has been a hindrance that no Celestial Dragon has been able to overcome.”

Xan Xing frowns. “Then how?”

Var Thaxis slams the point of a dagger into a map of Japan. “This has been Anxiu's obsession of many years. You must draw her to Japan to fight her and this must be done at the expense of many lives. You will help the Japanese fight the Mistress and after our first mission, they will need help and leadership to survive.”

Before Xan Xing can ask, Var Thaxis motions to the map. His eyes go wide in shock. “The Order of the Phoenix? They are the ninja clan that was central in keeping the Mistress and the Warhammer Corporation out of Japan!”

“Yes.”, Var Thaxis is grim. “We will be meeting Xian Tsar and his Black Guard. We will be joined by the Order of the Demon and enough shocktroopers to exterminate the Phoenix Ninja.”

“The Order of the Demon?” Xan Xing asks as his eyes narrow in suspicion. “Are they not also Japanese?”

Var Thaxis nods. “They are. They are also a ninja clan that is part of the council that has long fought against the Warhammer Corporation. Since a non-interference pact has recently passed, the Demon Ninja have decided to aid the Mistress in destroying their old rivals.”

“So then...”, Xan Xing looks stricken. “You want me to help the Phoenix fight you?”

Var Thaxis shakes his head, a smile playing across his face before quickly fading. “No. I won't make you do such a thing. You will travel with us and jump out here.”

He points to a spot on the map marked “White Marauder Keep”.

“Once upon a time samurai trained here to learn the White Raider style of sword fighting.”, Var Thaxis explains. “I have heard that the House of the Ebon Jester will be striking here aided by shocktroopers. Does this target sound more appealing?”

Xan Xing chuckles. “Yes! The Ebon Jester have too long basked int the favor of the Mistress. Striking a blow against them will irk her and bring them down a bit.”

Var Thaxis pulls his knife out of the map and sheathes it. “Good. Then get ready for we leave within the hour.”

**********

Xan Xing looks out of the window of the Kali-class transport helicopter. They are high over the White Marauder Keep. The Ebon Jester warrior-monks and white armored shocktroopers have already begun their assault.

The Shocktroopers, rank and file security forces of the Warhammer Corporation, press their attack with gunfire while the Ebon Jester warrior-monks attack directly.

Next to Xan Xing, Var Thaxis chuckles. “The White Marauders have gone soft since the treaty had been signed to stop the Warhammer Corporation from gaining influence in Japan. They will need your help ion order to stay alive. Look.”

Xan Xing looks to where Var Thaxis points to see a lot of Ebon Jester warrior-monks standing in a complex circular pattern. Red energies begin to swirl in the air above them. Thick dark red smoke begins to form into a large humanoid shape.

“What sorcery is this?”, Xan Xing asks. “Is it like Jade Tiger Kung Fu?”

“Yes.” Var Thaxis answers. “The Ebon Jester are similar to that. Though where the Jade Tiger deals with healing and empowerment, the Ebon Jester take a more direct path.”

The smokey humanoid solidifies and takes a swipe at the defenders. It takes out a dozen White Marauders and more than a few shocktroopers that were too close with a single claw slash. Xan Xing stands up and opens the door.

“I know what must be done.”, he states. “Stay alive long enough for me to save you.”

With that, Xan Xing leaps out of the transport, aiming himself at the giant attacker. As he falls though the air, he turns and places the butt ends of both palms together. The celestial dragon bursts from the circle on his chest to wind around Xan Xing's arms. A fiery aura surrounds him as he streaks through the air at the giant creature, accelerating into supernatural speeds.

Xan Xing strikes the creature in the center of the chest with a double palm strike while roaring a draconian kiai. He bursts through the creature, leaving a large gaping hole before landing on his feet behind it.

The enemy all around Xan Xing begin to run in fear, and when Xan Xing looks up he can see why. The creature falls backwards to the ground with a thunderous crash.

Shocktroopers begin to swarm over the creatures body to find Xan Xing's crushed corpse, but a draconian kiai tells them that he still lives. A flash of flame from the hole in the chest is a sudden prelude to the creature exploding, sending razor shards and shocktroopers everywhere. At the center of the explosion is Xan Xing, covered in a fiery aura with the celestial dragon flying madly around him.

Everything is silent and still as everyone watches the aura around Xan Xing fade. When the celestial dragon fades back into his chest, everyone moves at once. The area is saturated with concentrated gunfire, but the target is gone. With a flash of reds flame and a blur of motion, over a hundred shocktroopers lie dead on the ground. Xan Xing is soon in front of the enemy commander, a trail of dead bodies behind him.

Before Xan Xing stands Kang DoYan the Warmonger, leader of the Ebon Jester and Commander of the force sent to subdue the White Marauders. He regards Xan Xing with a grim grim, running his hand back over gray hair. He seems old as or older than most elders that Xan Xing has known, but no less deadly.

Xan Xing settles into an aggressive attack stance, but Kang DoYan merely laughs.

“You must be the Celestial Dragon Champion that Tehuai Anxiu wants brought to her so that the Duel of Generation can be finished.”

Xan Xing remains in his stance, but nods in response. Kang DoYan motions to the carnage behind Xan Xing with a grin.

“You would have done your father proud displaying such power. Do you think that you have the strength to defeat the Mistress and set the Warrior Houses free?”

Xan Xing nods again. “When she comes to Japan herself to stop me from preventing her from setting her influence here, I will finish her.”

Kang DoYan watches Xan Xing, his expression as stone. “Then you may be the first Celestial Dragon to try to lure her from her place of power instead of foolishly going in and simply dying for the sake of honor and tradition.”

The area is silent as Kang DoYan regards Xan Xing, looking for weaknesses in his stance. Finally he grins wide. “Then you look like the strongest and smartest Celestial Dragon that I have ever seen! Still, we have a duty to the Mistress until you can claim your victory. To that end, you will fight my grandson. If you win, we will return to China as defeated warriors. If you lose, we will send you to her and finish what we started here.”

Xan Xing remains still. “We fight to the death?”

Kang DoYan chuckles. “Oh no. I would not want to lose a grandchild in testing your strength and I would not want to ruin my place in her eyes by taking your death from her if you prove to be weak. Do you accept?”

It doesn’t take Xan Xing long to decide.

“I will do this.”, he states. “When I defeat your grandson, make sure that you tell the Mistress that I will not stop defeating her forces until she comes herself to stop me.”

Kang DoYan nods with a grin. He motions to a nearby warrior-monk. “Zraex! Summon TuSha to me! I have a little fight for him.”

Minutes later, Kang DoYan’s grandson arrives with an enormous sword across his shoulders. Kang DoYan beams proudly at the bloodstained sword and it’s bearer.

“This is my grandson, Kang TuSha! And this, this is his thousand pound sword called “butcher”. What it doesn’t cleave, it crushes. This fight is hand-to-hand and is to the submission, TuSha. Drop Butcher.”

Kang TuSha looks mildly disappointed, but drops the sword behind him. It hits the ground with a thud and sinks part way into the ground. He gets into a strong attack stance, his disappointment changing into an eager smile as he awaits the violence to come.

Before the two can begin to fight, Kang DoYan holds up a hand. “Wait! The Ebon Jester has one last joke to play out before this begins. Did you think to fight with the power of the Celestial Dragon against a monk with only a minor investment? Kang TuSha. Call upon the power around you.”

Kang TuSha nods and utters a single word. The shards of the shattered creature destroyed by Xan Xing rise up and fly towards him. As they near TuSha, they turn into smoke and merge with his body.

Kang DoYan shrugs as Kang TuSha flexes and growls from the influx of power.

“I’ll be the first to admit it.” Kang DoYan chuckles. “My grandson is lost to the subtleties of Ebon Jester Kung Fu, but he gets the job done. He would have been a better Tiger Claw or Celestial Dragon I suppose, but we cannot fight out destinies I suppose.”

When Xan Xing takes his eyes off of Kang TuSha to look at Kang DoYan, his opponent moves. Xan Xing manages to move out of the way of Tush's strike, knuckles grazing the side of his head.

Xan Xing dodges two more heavy blows that would've taken an ordinary man’s head off. Xan Xing ducks and attempts a dragon claw strike to TuSha’s midsection, but his arm is grabbed instead.

Kang TuSha throws Xan Xing over a hundred feet. His body plows through shocktroopers, knocking them aside like bowling pins. Xan Xing recovers enough to roll out of the way as Kang TuSha lands on the spot that he had landed. When TuSha’s fist strikes, it splinters and cracks the ground for ten feet in all directions.

Xan Xing lunges, catching Kang TuSha under the chin with his shoulder. His momentum carries him into a flip, and he turns as he hits the ground to launch again. This time he strikes Kang TuSha in the small of the back with his shoulder, bringing both of them to the ground. Xan Xing pelts TuSha’s body with a few quick strikes before rolling backwards to his feet.

Kang TuSha is up and on him almost before he can move. Xan Xing blocks a strike with his forearms, driving him back a few feet. Xan Xing grimaces as he feels his left forearm crack. Another broken bone.

Kang TuSha presses his advantage, striking at Xan Xing with lightning speed with blows capable of shattering stone walls. Xan Xing backs up, deflecting instead of blocking to lessen the damage to his arms. Finally, Xan Xing slip[s under his guard and brings his palm up in front of TuSha’s face. A flash of red flame temporarily blinds him so that Xan Xing can land dragon claw strikes to TuSha’s face and chest until TuSha falls to the ground.

Xan Xing stands back to see if his opponent is finished. Kang TuSha chuckles as he rises from the ground and wipes the blood from his mouth.

“That was low.” Kang TuSha laughs. “I can do lower.”

Kang TuSha grabs a shocktrooper standing nearby and shoves him into Xan Xing. He forms his hand into a knife and drives the fingertips through the shocktrooper’s chest. The armor parts like warm butter as TuSha drives his fingertips through and deep into Xan Xing’s chest, piercing his left lung.

Xan Xing gasps in pain as TuSha rips his hand back. There’s a moment where Xan Xing feels everything go dark, but he summons the strength to strike the dying shocktrooper with the strongest Celestial Dragon Death Blow that he can muster, driving the shocktrooper into Kang TuSha and sending both of them flying back nearly thirty feet.

The shocktroopers hits the ground dead, his chest crushed into pulp. Kang TuSha slowly makes his way to his feet, laughing painfully.

“You can’t defeat me. The chi I have. Too much for one little dragon!”

Kang TuSha gets into an offensive stance and is surrounded by a shadowy aura. He slowly strikes the air, sending a wave of shadow at Xan Xing.

Xan Xing stands firm under the pressure of the attack. He grins as the Celestial Dragon bursts from his chest to curl around him, bathing him in a fiery aura. The shadow wave seems to no longer affect him.

“Ebon Jester Kung Fu is but one side of the coin, Kang TuSha.” Xan Xing imparts. “It is Yin in the way of things. Most kung fus of the Warrior Houses are such. We of the Celestial Dragon are the whole. We are Yin and Yang. Life and Death. Key to defeating the corrupt Red Palm.”

A wave of fiery chi pushes the shadow wave into Kang TuSha, enveloping him in it’s red glow.

Xan Xing stops and relaxes as Kang TuSha loses his fighting stance and stands limply. He smiles exhaustedly.

“I could be wrong you know…”

With that, Kang TuSha falls face first to the ground.

Xan Xing turns to Kang DoYan as the Celestial Dragon returns to within his chest. “It is as you have seen. I am strong enough to defeat the Mistress of the Red Palm.”

Kang DoYan bows slightly in respect with a wide grin. He motions to a couple of Ebon Jester warrior-monks, who rush to Kang TuSha to attend to him. He holds his left hand in the air, palm up where a shadowy sphere forms and flies away. Moments later, a shocktrooper arrives with markings on his shoulders indicating command rank.

“Commander Stevens.” Kang DoYan begins with a hint of a sneer. “We are defeated. Make ready to return to China.”

Commander Stevens shakes his head and motions to the downed Kang TuSha. “Just because of theirs beat on of yours in a duel doesn’t mean that we lose the whole battle. We still have them outnumbered. Their defenses are broken. I can have the enemy slaughtered within the hour. Anything less is treason.”

Kang DoYan nods and motions his hand into an intricate pattern. The Chinese symbol representing the Ebon Jester becomes visible on the commander's chest. It becomes clear on all of the shocktroopers.

“I thought as much,” he says his voice full of cruel eagerness.

“Remember your mark of protection that I had placed on every single shocktrooper in my command?”

Commander Stevens slowly traces the symbol on his chest “Yo said t would protect against enemy magics. You lied. These samurai rejects didn't even use magics.”

Kang DoYan shrugs. “You are right of course. We face sword wielding zealots. What enemy magics? That is there just in case I needed to kill you all. Like now.”

Kang DoYan stops his hand motions and suddenly every shocktrooper including Commander Stevens drop dead to the ground. Kang DoYan bows deeply to Xan Xing.

“Now we take our leave,” he grins. “We will pass on how you defeated us and decimated our shocktroopers. Tehuai Anxiu will be most displeased.”

Kang DoYan utters a single word and laughs. He and his Ebon Jester warrior-monks fade like a shadow before the light of the sun. Kang DoYan's laugh lingers in the air as Xan Xing is joined by the White Marauders.

************

In the private mediation chamber, Tehuai Anxiu sits in a lotus position. Her eyes are closed, but flicker as if in agitation.

Her eyes flicker open as the door to the chamber slowly opens. She grins cruelly in open anticipation.

“You've come to report?”

The Red Palm warrior-monk jumps at the sound of Anxiu's voice. “Mistress, we are victorious on nearly all fronts. The slaughter of your enemies has been nearly wholesale.”

Tehuai Anxiu sneers. “Nearly? Explain. Have the Phoenix survived their purge Has Xian Tsar fallen?”

The warrior-monk shakes and places his forehead on the floor in supplication. “No Mistress,” he says nervously. “Xian Tsar and his Black Guard have brought the Phoenix low. Your forces have all won except the Ebon Jester.”

Tehuai Anxiu frowns. She had not expected them to fail. “The White Marauders defeated the Ebon Jester? You speak nonsense. How is this done?”

The warrior-monk begins to shake in fear. “Well, Mistress. That is...”

“Xan Xing was there!” Tehuai Anxiu hisses. “He helped defeat the Ebon Jester and my soldiers!”

“Yes, Mistress. No shocktroopers survived.”

Before the warrior-monk can react, Tehuai Anxiu stands up and spins around. She brushes his chest with her fingertips and spins back around back into a lotus position. The monk clutches his chest and is dead by the time he hits the ground.

“Grand daughter! Flower of my heart! I have need of you!”

Before her words finish echoing off of the stone walls, a young slender young woman walks into the room. She looks down at the body and a slight frown crosses her features that vanishes when she looks up at Tehuai Anxiu.

“Yes, grandmother,” she says. “You called for me?”

“Yes, my dear,” Anxiu says as she smiles warmly, but doesn't turn to face her grand daughter.

“I need you to bring your husband to me. I have terrible news regarding his family in the Order of the Phoenix. I need him to find the man responsible for what happened. As chance would have it, your husband and this man were friends.”

Anxiu's grand daughter bows low. “I will bring him straight away, grandmother.”

Tehuai Anxiu's warm smile fades to cruelty as she feels her grand daughter leave.

“Xan Xing, you betrayed the Phoenix to extinction. You just don't know that you

did. Their last son will hunt you to the very ends of the Earth to bring your crippled form to me for the last moments of your life!”