The Price of Blood: Part Seven

On a plateau in Northern China sits the monastery that the House of the Jade Hare calls home. Once upon a time a village sat here with a modest wall that a child could climb. Now a tall inner keep is surrounded by tall walls and bastions of defense topped by anti-aircraft cannons. These weapons now point in the direction of a monstrous horde gathered just out of range in front of the main gate.

A wide variety of creatures can be seen from the top of the wall where the Elder of the Jade Hare stands. He has long white hair, beard, and mustache that trail to his knees. He stands alone, watching the gathering threat with piercing gray eyes. Winged humanoids fly about mixed in with other winged monsters. Half-human, half-spiders intermingle with horsemen on demonic horses. There are several huge serpents and a four legged beast that is so large that it defies reason. It stands sixty feet tall and looks to be over a hundred feet long from nose to tail. It almost resembles a dinosaur except for bright scales that constantly change colors and tube-like extensions that cover it's back. Dozens of bright little comets fly above the creature before fading and being replaced by new ones from the tubes. In the back of it all stands Sikarin Tsooth. His staff glows a bright blue, setting him off from the horde around him.

A young man runs to Elder, stopping and gasping at the sight of the forces outside of the walls. The Elder motions for him to come, his voice firm but kind.

“Do not give into panic. This is the effect that he desires most.”

The young man nods, tearing his eyes away from the monsters and swallows nervously. “We have contact from the Black Diamond, Elder. They will be with us in a few short hours.”

The Elder nods and regards the young man, his expression softening. “And what of the messenger that we sent? How is your father?”

The young man's face becomes a mask, devoid of emotion. The Elder easily spots the cracks in the facade.

“He died of his wounds. Didn't he?”

The young man's mask shatters into an open expression of grief and loss. As the tears roll down his cheeks, the Elder opens his arms. He hugs the young man to his chest, patting him on the back.

“Your father was very brave.” He soothes. “His sacrifice has allowed help to come and save many lives that the sorcerer out there would have had destroyed. His heroism will not be forgotten and his death will not go unavenged.”

The Elder releases the young man and waits for him to compose himself before continuing.

“Now. Go and prepare for the Black Diamond's arrival. I feel that our 'guest' will not wait much longer before revealing his hand.”

As the young man leaves, a flicking blue light flashes across the field as a one thousand foot tall visage of Sikarin Tsooth. He smiles, looking down upon the Elder on the wall.

“So you are the Jade Hare's Elder. How did you survive when I purged your lot years ago? Did you hide in a hole like a true rabbit? Did you skulk in the shadows while your brethren died all around you?”

The Elder's face burns bright red, but he keeps his emotions in check as best he can. Sikarin has no right to ask such of him or to parade a perception about to his warriors. His weaknesses. His regrets about the past...are his own.

Sikarin's laughter nearly breaks his resolve as it chills him to his very core.

“You did, didn't you? You hid in the dark places and came out when the bloodshed was over. My Serpent told me there were survivors, but that he let them go to leave people alive to hate Tsai Jingkai for his betrayal. Did you hate him, Elder? Did you hate Beilai's son for betraying you all to my tender mercies?”

The Elder looks down at the floor in shame, feeling hot tears wash across his cheeks. He tries hiding the answer in his heart, but knows he can't. Sikarin's expression becomes somber as he nods.

“It is good that you hate him for he has betrayed you all one final time.”

His voice isn't much higher than a whisper, but it carries over the field to reach the Elder's ears. His head snaps up to look at Sikarin in shock.

“No!” He cries. “He has made amends! Helped us return from the brink of extinction!”

Sikarin laughs harshly. “Jingkai came to me, seeking battle. I had my sport with him before striking a mortal blow. I sought answers to my missing treasure called the Disk of Awakening and he freely told me that you had this before his death.”

The Elder grips the rampart in front of him, his knuckles going white. Despite the latest betrayal from Jingkai that once again threatens every life here, he must remain calm. “Then you have been betrayed just as we have been. The artifact that you seek has been sold years ago to a collector. You will find nothing of your stolen treasure here!”

Sikarin's face becomes a mask of rage as he slams his staff into the ground.

“You lie!” He screams. “You would like to me to protect your people from death!”

Just as quickly as it appeared, his rage is replaced by a calm smirk.

“It's nothing.” He chuckles. “Only a minor setback. Just tell me the name of the buyer and I will be on my way.”

The Elder stares at Sikarin Tsooth for a long time. It comes to this. When the man who bought the Disk of Awakening came to pick it up, he had foretold that Sikarin would one day seek it. He had impressed upon the Elder that the artifact in Sikarin's hands would be a grave danger to the entire world. He sets his jaw, looking up at Sikarin.

“I cannot tell you that.” He announces simply.

Sikarin nods. “This is because you still have it in your catacombs.” His temperament is surprisingly even compared to the last few minutes. “Produce the artifact. You have two hours to comply.”

“I told you.” The Elder protests. “We do not have the artifact that you seek!”

“I no longer care, Elder. Produce it or else death comes to the Jade Hare. Again.”

With that the image of Sikarin Tsooth flickers and vanishes from sight. The Elder sits down behind a battlement and sighs. Two more hours. When the fighting starts, the Black Diamond will be two hours closer. The Jade Hare are not cowards by any means, but without the Black Diamond there is no hope for victory.”

“Please hurry.” He silently prays. “You have two more hours.”

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

In the court yard between the gate and the main keep stands sixty warriors, men and women. The Elder stands on the stairwell to the battlements. He regards his people with a feeling of pride. They don't compare to the hundreds of enemies beyond the gates, but they are each equal to many of them. Throw in the defenses of the monastery itself and they may just last long enough for the Black Diamond to do some good. He clears his throat to get everyone's attention.

“In thirty minutes, Sikarin will expect us to produce the Disk that we sold to his enemy to the west. As we have given oaths to not disclose who this buyer is to Sikarin. So, in thirty minutes his host will wage war upon us in retribution. Hold fast and allow the weapons at the walls do their work. We will stand at the walls to repel any fliers and climbers that get past the guns. If all goes well, we will have softened them for the Black Diamond to help us finish them. We are the Jade Hare! Never prey!”

The Elder waits as the assembled warriors cheer themselves nearly hoarse. They are ready for this. Ready to defend their lives against a monstrous host. And if they are very lucky, they will be able to destroy one of humanity's oldest threats.

“When I give the signal, those of you on sky defenses will come up to the walls to meet the enemy when they arrive. I will go now to break the news to our esteemed guest.”

Everyone goes silent as the Elder ascends the stairs to the top of the wall. When he arrives, the image of Sikarin Tsooth flickers back into view. The Elder shudders at his murderous expression.

“I see you do not stand before me with the Disk of Awakening.” It was a statement full of malevolent. “I take it that someone will bring it to me then.”

The unspoken threat is clear. There will be no more stalling for time. The Elder clears his throat to speak, but stops as a chorus of thumping fills the air. The Elder turns to look and sees a dozen Warhammer Corporate Atlas-class transports flying toward the monastery. He swallows hard, waving off the anti-aircraft weapons to keep them trained on the supernatural threat below. If they are enemies as well then they were already defeated. As the transports hover over the monastery, warriors begin zip-lining down to the ground. The Elder grins when he makes out the symbol of the Black Diamond. They made it before the battle has begun. He turns back to face Sikarin with a greater confidence, but turns cold when he sees the glint of dark amusement in his eyes.

“You seek to increase your numbers to stop me and keep my relic. I should do the same. I keep this with me in case of emergency.”

Sikarin turns his free hand palm up to reveal a large white glowing sphere. It breaks up into over two hundred smaller pieces that scatter throughout the gathered horrors. The small glowing spheres transform into ghost white humanoids with razor teeth in black gis. Sikarin laughs at the Elder's horrified expression.

“My children...my Tsali...have long been training for this moment to prove their loyalty to me. Now...my relic if you please.”

The Elder sighs as he looks at the swelled numbers of Sikarin's army. There's almost no chance for victory anymore, and yet...there's no option but to fight. Betrayal is not a word that the Jade Hare will be associated with. He sets his jaw, bowing slightly to Sikarin Tsooth.

“It is with our deepest regret,” he begins. “That we will never turn over such a relic to a monster such as you. We would rather die.”

Sikarin grins as the blue glow at the head of his staff begins to glow brightly. “It will be my honor then to kill all of you and condemn your souls to the abyss.”

The Elder turns and yells to his warriors to retreat from the gate. He ducks down as a bolt of blue power streaks from Sikarin's staff. The secret leaping technique of the Jade Hare carries the Elder far away as the gate and the wall around it explodes in a blue fury.

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

Ishan watches as the Jade Hare's Elder sails through the air, aiming for the inner keep's roof. He doesn't see the Elder land as he's thrown to the ground by the gate exploding with mystic power. As the smoke starts to clear, Ishan stands up and gasps at the extent of the breach in the wall. The gate itself is totally gone with an additional ten feet to either side. It is through this breach that the enemies of the Jade Hare and Black Diamond pour through as the giant projection of Sikarin Tsooth fades away while laughing demonically.

Ishan draws his sword and clashes blades with his first enemy. A winged humanoid with gray skin, black leathery wings, and armored in meaty, decaying bones. Ishan bats the creature's sword away, shears off a wing with the backstroke, and strikes again to send its head flying into the air.

Ishan works his way through the enemies' ranks like this. Raw power and masterful sword work shattering defenses and rending through bodies. His momentum stops when his sword passes through a horseman as if he were a ghost. The horse on the other hand knocks Ishan to the side as the horseman charges past.

Ishan steadies himself as the horseman spins around to make another charge. He holds his sword low, intending on sweeping the horse's legs. As the horseman charges, Ishan decides better of it and dodges to the side, the horseman's lance grazing his shoulder. Ishan grimaces in pain. The weapon had passed through him harmlessly moments ago? Ishan watches the horseman wheel about with more care. The demonic horse seems slightly pale, but as the horseman readies to charge the horse's color becomes more substantial. Ishan holds his sword high as if to strike the rider, but jumps back and opens the horse up from chest to rear flank. The horseman fades away as the dying horse crashed to the ground.

The ground around Ishan cleared, he looks for his next opponent. He finds it quickly in one of Sikarin's Tsali, eyeballing him like a prized steer for the slaughter.

“Goldenfire.” He rasps. “Much glory to me for slaying a child of Goldenfire!”

Ishan grabs a corpse of a winged humanoid and flings it between him and the Tsali as he speaks something in an unknown tongue. Red lightning streaks from his splayed fingertips to strike the corpse, causing it to explode with red electrical arcs connecting the flying debris a split second before dissipating.

Ishan picks up a fallen sword and hefts it by the blade. He sneers. “No glory to you!” He hurls the sword like a spear as the Tsali casts his lightning spell again. The energies are pulled to the metal of the sword which drives itself to the hilt into his chest and knocks him back five feet. He's dead before he hits the ground.

Ishan takes a couple of steps before the ground shakes, throwing him to the ground. He looks up and sees that the biggest creature in Sikarin's army has begun to move. It is a building-sized monstrosity that is spewing multi-colored comet-like creatures from tubes on its back. Each step it takes shakes the ground like a small earthquake.

Ishan dodges as the comet creatures descend on him and his allies. Gray comets hit warriors in the face and transform into a goo to suffocate. Yellow comets hit warriors like a bolt of lightning, leaving victims on the ground in painful spasms. Black comets kill and transform victims into long, decaying corpses. Green comets break up into hundreds of little versions that eat victims like a swarm of hungry piranha. Blue comets transform into splashes of acid, melting the flesh and bones of victims. Silver comets extend a liquid looking razor that slashes through limbs with ease. Red comets explode like fireballs, turning victims into instant funeral pyres.

Ishan puts himself between the comet creatures and his allies as best he can, slashing and crushing the little bodies with brutal efficiency. This is until a large red comet flies at Ishan, gibbering and laughing.

Ishan splits the creature in half and is rewarded with twin explosions that blind him and send him flying backwards into darkness.

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

Hiroshima curses as he sees Ishan fall out of the corner of his eye. He calls out to Muta as he slips behind a winged humanoid, grabbing its wing joints and flipping it over to slam its neck into the ground to shatter it. Muta finishes a Tsali with a pair of hook-shaped daggers and joins Hiroshima's side.

“We have to take down that beast!” Hiroshima shouts to be heard over the sounds of battle.

Muta cuts through a leg of a spider-human hybrid, distracting it long enough for Hiroshima to crush the feminine torso into bloody ruins. He dodges a blue comet, leading it to splash in the face and throat of a Tsali. The ghost skinned humanoid screams in a garbled voice as he melts.

Muta glances at his hook-shaped daggers and then at the living siege engine lumbering across the battlefield. He would laugh except now is not the time. “Great idea! Except how are you planning this?”

In response, Hiroshima plucks a basketball sized and shaped demon out of the sky, plunging his hand into its eye to use the socket as a handle and flings the creature at the towering monster. It bounces off the scaled side of the beast without even a sideways glance. Now Muta dares a laugh.

“Great! Now we wait for it to fall right?”

Hiroshima's response is drowned out as a massive serpent rears up thirty feet into the sky and is suddenly bursting with spins like heavy lances. With a loud hiss, the serpent sends these spins hurtling through the air like a cloud of death.

Hiroshima ducks behind a winged humanoid, the spines impaling the horror-clad monster, but not reaching him. Muta ducks behind Hiroshima and looks on as the spines slay indiscriminately throughout the battlefield. Hiroshima points at the serpent with a grim smile.

“That's how. We will slay it with him.”

Hiroshima calls up several Black Diamond monks and quickly explains his plan. A few monks begin climbing the rubble to reach the top of the wall while the others guard against attacks. Hiroshima puts his hands together and squats down. Muta eyes the serpent warily. He breathes in deep and exhales with a dry chuckle.

“No one lives forever. Right?”

Muta grips his hook-shaped daggers tight and steps onto Hiroshima's palms where he is thrown high into the air. Hiroshima takes off running towards the tail of the serpent, shouldering aside anyone in the way. Muta twists in mid-air to avoid the serpent's bite and lands on it's nose. With a flash of steel, he carves out one of the serpent's eyes. He hops onto the serpent's head, and begins running down the body of the serpent. As pores along the serpent's body begin to open up, Muta increases his speed to avoid being impaled.

Muta flips off of the tail as new spins erupt along the full length of the serpent. He lands onto Hiroshima's waiting palms and is flung across the battlefield onto the lumbering beast's head. The serpent whips its head to find the person who harmed it and unleashed it's spines in that direction. Muta slides behind the beast's skull as the spines hit home, killing the beast, two of the serpents, and many of Sikarin's other creatures. A large protective blue energy field springs to life for a split second over Sikarin Tsooth himself, protecting him from the spines that find their way to him. The anti-aircraft guns on the wall fire on the serpent, ripping through its head like an over ripe melon. The massive creature lets out a shriek, falling to the side in death. The hundreds of comet creatures flying about fade into nothing nothingness as it falls to the ground. Muta sinks his hook-shaped daggers into the neck of the beast and braces for impact.

Price of Blood: Part Six

Ishan Goldenfire stands out on the bridge outside of the Black Diamond monastery. He holds out his sword horizontal to his chest. He swings the sword out to attack imaginary foes in front of him. Starting out slow, he switches from different attack and defense forms, gradually picking up speed until his sword is a blur in his hands. His anger and frustration at being unable to protect his brothers-in-arms from dying fuels his workout.

“Every precaution was taken.” He snarls to the air. “Every man and woman tested!”

Ishan shouts something unintelligible as he slashes the air in front of him. The attack drains him more than normal as an arc of force extends from the sword to cleave a cloud in half. Ishan pauses to watch in wonder as the cloud continues to discorporate from the force of the blow. His amazement at reaching a new pinnacle of strength quickly diminishes as his problems return to mind.

“Everything!” He shouts at the dying cloud. “We've done everything except establish martial law and test the children and non-warriors.”

He returns to practicing his attack and defense forms with his sword, inventing new methods on the fly as he imagines himself surrounded by foes. He hears a soft movement behind him and turns so swiftly that when he sees Mis Shatis that he releases his sword. He cries out a warning, but Mis Shatis freezes with her eyes wide as the sword sings past her head and flies several hundred feet to bury itself to the hilt into the front gate. The monastery echoes with the force of the impact.

Pale and shaken, Shatis brings her hand up to feel a shallow cut in her cheek. “Ishan...” She breathes as her eyes roll up into the back of her head and she falls to the ground. Ishan runs to her side and cradles her head in his lap as he strokes her hair. Shatis slowly opens her eyes and looks up at Ishan with a small smile. “You have grown so strong...”

Ishan frowns disapprovingly. “You should not have come out here now.” He warns. “Though now that you are here. I can tell you that I will advise the Elder to announce a state of martial law. No one leaves and no one enters and every room will be searched.”

Mis Shatis sits up so suddenly that she nearly throws Ishan to the ground. “No! That won't help! Not if the source of the potion is already here!”

Ishan shakes his head. “I disagree. Once it is known that we will search every room, the source will try to escape. This way we will catch the person trying to do us harm.”

As Mis Shatis gapes like a fish out of water, Ishan waves to several sentries investigating what shook the monastery. He looks back at Mis Shatis, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“You know. You have been more deeply affected by this than even those who have lost loved ones to this insidious potion. You know something that you are not telling! What is it? Is Mentor the source? Are you? Would I find the potion in your room? Tell me!”

Mis Shatis stares at Ishan, her face had gone bone white. Her voice, when it comes, is no higher than a whisper.

“How...how could you ask me that? He...he...used me. He manipulated and black mailed me. He killed my friends. My family. My lovers. Everyone close to me was in danger of being murdered by his agents. He raped me as punishment. As a reward. Or even...just because. It took me years to find the strength to break away from his control. What he did to Mentor...”

Shatis shudders, sobbing violently. Ishan hugs her close to his chest as she cries. He sighs, grateful for the fact that she is trembling so badly that she doesn't notice his own quivering limbs. A new found rage fills his spirit as the extent of Sikarin Tsooth's trespasses become known. He knew that Sikarin was a master of many forms of torture and manipulation, but not this. It changes many things, including the possible source of the potion.

“So...it maybe.” He waits for Shatis to relax somewhat so she can hear. “It may be that whomever the source of the potion is could be a victim of the same form of manipulation. It's horrible. They would have to lie to save loved ones and kill to do the same. I had no idea, Shatis. If I had known, I would have killed Sikarin long ago.”

Mis Shatis pulls back from Ishan and looks at him. A new light blazes in her eyes and she hugs him tightly, kissing him passionately.

As she pulls away again so that she and Ishan can catch their breath, she looks at him expectantly. Ishan pulls her back into another passionate kiss, lasting longer this time. When they break to breathe again, Shatis only waits seconds before pressing Ishan roughly to the ground. She straddles his hips and in a swift motion, rips his shirt open. As she descends to plant fiery kisses on his chest, she grins.

“I have waited long to do this...”

As Shatis starts sliding downwards with her kisses, several shouts come from the front gate of the monastery. Shatis jumps off of Ishan as he sits up to see what the commotion is. Two sentries from down the mountain path half carry a third. He bears the gi of the House of the Jade Hare and appears to be bleeding from numerous wounds. Ishan runs to help.

When the man sees Ishan, he begins shouting.

“A monstrous horde of creatures has assembled outside of the House of the Jade Hare! We need help!”

Ishan nods, grabbing his sword and pulling it from the front gate. “I will alert the Elder. Take him to the healers and assemble every fighting man and woman in the training hall.”

Ten minutes later, Ishan Goldenfire and the Elder stand in the white circle in the training hall with the warrior-monks of the monastery. Both men look grim as they regard the crowd. Ishan clears his throat to silence the murmuring.

“A horde of monsters has assembled outside of the House of the Jade Hare. We assume that this means that Tsai Jingkai and his team were killed by Sikarin and he means to take his vengeance on the Jade Hare for the assault.”

Ishan lets this sink in a bit and allows for the outraged cries to dull down.

“This is my intent. I will travel to the House of the Jade Hare to help in their defense. I will also see if Sikarin has come himself to oversee his bloody work and strike him down once and for all!”

Ishan steps back, nearly overwhelmed by a resounding cheer for support. Now is a good time as any to press forward. Evil potions will have to wait a day or two.

“Now I cannot command any of you to come with me into this battle, but if any of you would like to come with me and help honor Tsai Jingkai's memory by helping defeat what he has helped to rebuild. I would be glad for the help.”

Ishan grins as the entire fighting force of the Black Diamond speak as one, pledging to help destroy Sikarin and his forces. He wipes away a single tear from his cheek.

“Such loyalty does my heart proud. We will mobilize as quickly as we can. I've called in a favor to get us a fleet of Atlas transports to get us there. They will arrive in a few short hours so be ready. The time for vengeance is at hand!”

As the crowd disperses to prepare themselves to transport, Mis Shatis and Mentor approach Ishan and the Elder. Shatis grins at Ishan, going a little rosy in the cheeks.

“Ishan...” She stops, unable to stop grinning. “Mentor and I would like to come as well. It will help us both...settle...our issues with our common foe. Besides, Mentor's strength will prove invaluable.”

Ishan sizes up Mentor, trying to get an idea of the emotions that must be roiling underneath his bandaged mask. He reaches out with his right hand and shakes Mentor's firmly.

“This battle will change the course of history, Mentor. The entire world will now of our names.”

“Yes.” Mentor rasps painfully in agreement. “Everything will change.”

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

Ishan Goldenfire walks into his room and looks around at what to bring with him. His eyes go to the plate mail armor on his desk. Broken by Mentor when he first arrived, there has been no time to get it repaired. He mutters to himself as he walks to his bed.

“We are beset by the Warhammer Corporation and yet we will be saved by them as well.”

He mentally corrects himself. Sikarin Tsooth is no more a part of Warhammer than cancer is a part of it's victim. His army of monsters would never be sanctioned by the Board of Directors.

Ishan reaches under the bed and pulls out a long, slender case covered in ornate, but unreadable runes. He sets the case on the bed and opens it up to reveal a long sword with similar runes along the length of the blade flat. A family heirloom, he was told that it came from a warrior-king of some forgotten nation buried in the mists of prehistory. Despite the myths and lies surrounding the sword, it is still the finest sword that he has ever known. He hefts the blade with a smile.

“This will be the sword to finish Sikarin off once and for all.”

A quiet knock on the door startles Ishan enough that he nearly drops the sword. He sets it down in the case and answers the door. Everyone should be busy preparing to leave. Still, Mis Shatis us waiting at the door when he opens it. She stands at the entrance way, meeting Ishan's gaze with a fiery passion roiling in her eyes.

“I didn't bring anything here to pack.” She says, her voice thick with emotion.

Before Ishan can say anything, Shatis pushes her way into the room and fiercely embraces Ishan, passionately kissing him. She reaches back with her feet and closes the door.

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

Tsai Jingkai bounds across the plains towards his far away goal at the House of the Jade Hare. He revels in the new found power granted to him by merging with the wolf spirit. By transforming to this lupine form, he has been able to cover distance in minutes what would have once taken him an hour to run. Still, that leaves hours to go before he reaches his destination.

He imagines the horrors contained within the hole in reality and the very real danger that his people were in. The thoughts make him increase his efforts to get there in time to help with the fighting.

As he runs, a ghostly form takes shape beside him. It becomes more and more solid until it can be recognized as a wolf running alongside Jingkai. Another wolf spirit?

“L'aeron! It has been years since you have run with your pack. Where have you been all this time? Why are you bonded with this mortal form?”

The name “Buthar” comes unbidden to Jingkai's mind as he runs along with who he is. Buthar, alpha male of an entire pack of wolfen spirits. He replies, using knowledge of events that he had never experienced.

“I was captured by the Left Hand and made to starve to be used as a weapon. The man I was used against bears a kindred spirit. He wages war against the Left Hand and so I chose to help him in his efforts.”

A barking laughter escapes Buthar's maw. “You want revenge for your enslavement. That is why you help.”

Jingkai growls low. “And so what if it is?”

“Just checking.” Buthar laughs. “Your pack will help. The Left Hand is enemy to all.”

Jingkai and Buthar run for some moments before he responds. “Thanks, Buthar. That means a lot.”

Buthar says nothing, but lets out a howl that echoes across the land for many miles around. Chinese peasants in a village ten miles away bolt themselves in their homes and wait nervously for the danger to pass.

As Jingkai and Buthar run, motes of light begin to flicker around them, keeping pace with their speed. One at a time, the lights flare into the shape of a spirit wolf. Each newcomer growls a greeting to Jingkai/L'aeron and Buthar before running alongside. Over the course of twenty miles, nearly a hundred spirit wolves join.

Jingkai nearly laughs out loud in exhilaration at the allies joining his side. Now he has a force that is sure to be able to threaten Sikarin Tsooth and whatever dark forces he has gathered. Now all he has to do is get there before his brethren are overwhelmed. He determinedly increases his speed, leaving little streamers of light behind him. The spirit wolves match his pace, looking like an army of dashing comets around him.