Price of Blood, part eleven

Muta grumbles as he makes his way across the battlefield, keeping an eye on Hiroshima just behind him.

“Bodies everywhere.” He curses. “How are we supposed to meet with Ishan and the others when we can't even walk a straight line?”

Hiroshima stops and leans on the corpse of a vurlken. Though the healers have done their best, he still needs to get to the monastery as one of his lungs had been speared. He waves off Muta's worried look as he catches his breathe.

“In the general direction of the howling I'm certain. Jingkai and his new allies must be there.”

Muta nods and turns back to walking. He slips on something on the ground and promptly lands on his face. He breathes in sharply as he starts to rise again.

“Hiroshima!” He cries out. “Potion vials! The ones that induced the transformations at the monastery. Look!”

Hiroshima looks to where Muta motions to and gasps. Dozens of little metal vials little the ground with their corks nearby. Hiroshima helps Muta as they begin looking closer at the bodies around them.

“There are few human bodies.” Muta notes. “All of them slain by someone with a sword.”

Hiroshima points at the body of a tsali. “He was killed by the same weapon. Look over there!”

A few steps beyond their location lies a mound of destroyed corpses. Monsters who are dead because their heart was ripped from their bodies in the same fashion that many monks were murdered at the Black Diamond monastery.

“Why would the person who killed or brothers help us in this conflict?” Muta asks, putting voice to the concern in the air.

Hiroshima shrugs. “I don't know. Much of this area was destroyed by the infernal dragon so that the body of the transformed monk may have been destroyed as well. Maybe the monk had to kill his own because no enemy was available.”

Muta shudders as he turns over half a vurlken. Someone had ripped her in half. “We should stay a bit and search to see if we find a monk with wounds to show that he may have transformed and been killed. Otherwise, we may have a risk when we return home if the killer cannot be found here.”

Hiroshima begins turning over bodies to examine their death wounds. “Agreed. Ishan knows we're alive so he won't leave without us.”

Muta nods in agreement and goes back to searching the dead.

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

Ishan Goldenfire stands next to the gaping crater that used to be the Jade Hare monastery. The survivors of the monastery, now allied with Tsai Jingkai as Silver Moon monks stand to one side. Surviving Black Diamond monks stand to the other side of him. Ishan watches silently as Mis Shatis and Mentor join the Black Diamond survivors.

Only missing Hiroshima and Muta, he muses. He grimly regards the survivors of the battle. Lines of grief and anger are carved into every face that he sees.

“We're still short two people.” He begins. “But we are on a short time table so we will proceed now.”

Ishan locks eyes with Jingkai, seeking permission to tell his part of the tale. He inhales deeply when Jingkai nods.

“As some of you may know, Sikarin Tsooth had collected a sizable treasure. The locking mechanism was set with a ring that Tsai Beilai had stolen from Sikarin and kept it safe from him. Sikarin had tried to steal the ring back, but had been foiled when Beilai had passed the ring to his son.”

All eyes turn to Tsai Jingkai for a moment before going back to Ishan.

“This failure prompted Sikarin to have his forces attempt to destroy the House of the Jade Hare in retribution. Jingkai gathered the survivors of this culling and struck out at Sikarin by stealing his treasure hoard and using it to rebuild the House of the Jade Hare into something that could never again be destroyed.”

Ishan lets the absurdity of his words hang in the air for a moment. The crater behind him begins to loom impossibly deep as if the spirit of the monastery sought to consume him for failing to stop it's destruction.

“Hidden amongst the gold and the jewels of Sikarin's treasure were several magical relics. Chief amongst these was the Disk of Awakening. We sold these relics to a sorcerer named Mortamir Black. He informed us that should Sikarin gain possession of this disk that the world at large would be endangered by it. I know no more details than that, but Mr. Black is respected the world around as a businessman and as a magician. Sikarin will now be seeking Mr. Black to retake this dangerous relic.”

Xian Shuang clears his throat to draw attention to himself. “So what you are saying is tat we need to help Mortamir Black stop Sikarin Tsooth from getting the disk just like you helped us stop Sikarin Tsooth from killing nearly all of us.”

The color drains from Ishan's face at the contempt in Shuang's voice. He opens his mouth to speak, but instead it is Tsai Jingkai who answers the challenge.

“The Black Diamond monks arrived before the fighting started didn't they? They sent almost every available fighting man and woman to help defend against his army of monsters. No one knew that he had enlisted an infernal dragon or that he could destroy the monastery himself once discovering the truth of his relics location. Did you know he was so powerful? We could have simply fled if you knew this. Did you?”

Xian Shuang looks down at the ground and shakes his head. “No. I did not know.”

“None of us did!” Tsai Jingkai snaps. “He has never revealed such strength before in living memory! We did the best that we could. Now, we have to stop the entire world from looking like this.”

Tsai Jingkai motions to the seemingly bottomless crater. Though Xian Shuang has been looking into its depths, he steps back nervously of something far below. He bows to Ishan, grief cracking across his face as tears roll down his cheeks.

“I am sorry, Ishan Goldenfire.” He sobs. “The pain is just too close to the surface to control.”

Ishan walks over to Shuang and pulls him from his bowing position into a warm embrace.

“We are all full of grief for our fallen brothers.” He soothes. “If there is a time to feel this grief it is now. There is no dishonor in tears for the fallen.”

hint of a smile begins to show. “Thank you, Ishan.”

Ishan grins as he turns away to address the entire crowd again.

“I have a plan. Some of our grievously injured will be returning home to heal. A few of you will stay here. I have people coming to help with the dead, but they need help to be able to pay the highest respects.”

Ishan glances at Jingkai and nods before continuing.

“I will take a few healthy volunteers to go to the Azores to help Mortamir Black. Tsai Jingkai and his Silver Moons will go south to disable a large source f Sikarin Tsooth's power.”

There is a low rumble from Mentor that is cut off when Mis Shatis steps in front of him.

“Mentor says that he knows of an all powerful enough to be of help to us. He and I will leave you and meet you at Black's stronghold.”

Ishan meets her gaze for a long time before she looks away. “You're leaving now?” He asks. “How will you go?”

Mis Shatis looks back at Mentor and swallows hard. “Mentor assures me that we have a way.”

When Shatis looks back at Ishan, her eyes burn with a fierce mixture of emotions. She rushes at Ishan, embracing him and nearly taking him to the ground. She kisses him passionately before burying her face in his shoulder and crying. She lifts her head up so that she breathes into Ishan's ear.

“I love you, Ishan.” She whispers. “Be safe. I will see you again soon.”

As Mis Shatis moves to slip from Ishan's grasp, he pulls her back into another passionate kiss. He moves to be by her ear so he can whisper.

“I love you too, Shatis. Be strong. We will finish Sikarin Tsooth forever. Trust me.”

Ishan slowly allows Mis Shatis to slip away so she can stand by Mentor again. She smiles at Ishan. “I trust you. Farewell.”

Mentor picks Mis Shatis up like a small baby and squats down before leaping high into the air with a shout of a word in a guttural tongue. Ishan watches longingly as the pair vanishes over the horizon. Once he regain himself, he looks over the gathered heroes.

“The clean up detail and transports will be here soon. Use this time to-”

“STOP!”

Everyone turns to the source of the voice. Muta is running to the group with Hiroshima trailing far behind.

“Find Mis Shatis and Mentor!” Muta yells. “We need them detained. Now!”

Ishan holds out restraining hand. “They've already left, Muta. Why?”

In response, Muta draws a sword liberated from a dead naroth. He slashes at Ishan who parried with a flash of steel. With a fierce shout, Ishan pushes Muta back several feet. Ishan settles into an aggressive attack stance, anger playing across his face.

“What is the meaning of this, Muta?” He shouts.

Muta tosses the sword down at Ishan's feet and follows it with a handful of metal vials. A hushed silence falls over the crowd until Ishan finds his voice.

“What? Where did you find all of this?”

Muta points off into the distance, his expression grim. “We found many enemy bodies destroyed as if from someone of near endless strength. We have determined that Mentor had fought there.”

Hiroshima finally joins the group. He leans on a crumbled section of wall and nods encouragingly to Muta as he catches his breath.

“Shatis fought with a sword like this, and at Mentor's side. Many enemies were slain with this blade and with great skill.”

“That does not explain why our allies should be under suspicion.” Ishan growls.

Muta sighs. “I'm getting there, Patience.”

Ishan continues to growl, but bows slightly in respect so Muta can continue.

All around this area are these little metal vials. More than twenty of them at least. For every empty metal vial is an enemy body with no heart. There are no monks killed in this way, but we have several bodies scattered about. They were all killed by the sword that Shatis wielded and with the same skill used to slay our enemies.”

Ishan frowns as he works out the mystery unfolding in front of him. “So you are saying that Mentor is the killer we have sought and that Shatis covered for him by murdering our friends and allies?”

“No.” Muta admits. “I don't know. Shatis could have killed transformed souls as they lost control. They could have fought alongside Mentor and Shatis before their blood lust won out and they had to be destroyed. If so then Mentor and Shatis must answer to why they did not stop the transformation. If it is they who are responsible then they must be stopped! Did they say anything about when they were fighting?”

Ishan looks around him at the gathered monks to see if Shatis had indeed related anything about her part in the fighting. No one stepped forward with anything.

“So then...” Ishan slowly begins. “Either she is using this potion and is a traitor or she stopped several monks from turning on us. Irregardless, she is withholding some vital secret from us.”

Ishan sighs sadly and sheathes his sword. He starts walking in the direction that Muta and Hiroshima came from. He calls out without looking back.

“Muta. You and Hiroshima will return to the Black Diamond monastery. Hiroshima is no condition to fight and I need you to watch to see if Shatis and Mentor arrive. I want them detained if all possible until I return.”

Hiroshima gives a halfhearted nod and Muta bows.

“It will be done.” Muta intones. “What are you doing?”

“I need to find something.” Ishan states.

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

Not long later, Ishan arrives at the spot where he found Shatis and Mentor. The ground is sunk in where Mentor had impacted from his fall from the infernal dragon. He scans the ground briefly, not wanting to find anything, but knowing better of it.

He's just about to give up and walk away when he sees it. An unopened metal vial. He leans down to pick it up, and rises to see Tsai Jingkai standing before him. Jingkai looks at the metal vial.

“I've been dead so I'm a bit behind.” Jingkai admits. “What is this potion and how does it connect to Mentor and Shatis?”

Ishan looks down at the potion in his hand and explains to Jingkai everything that had occurred while he was gone and about the powers of the potion.

Jingkai remains silent throughout and motions to the metal vial when Ishan is finished speaking.

“You are uncertain if this is the potion that causes the transformations though.”

It was not a question. Ishan's expression is grim as he shakes his head.

“No. I don't know. The last transformation witnessed, the victim drank the potion. Shatis had her hand over Mentor's chest and said a word. I think she was about to open this vial when I called out to her.”

Ishan and Jingkai stare at the metal vial for a long time before Jingkai breaks the silence.

“Do it.”

Ishan looks at Jingkai with a startled look.

“What? It may not be safe.”

Jingkai grins. “It shall be a sorry day when I should fear if my best friend should want to rip my heart from my chest. Do it.”

Ishan grins, but it fades quickly as he places his thumb on the cork of the potion. Thinking back to what he heard before, he utters a single arcane word and open the vial. A black mist billows out of the metal vial and wreathes Ishan in it's darkness, changing to a deep crimson. Immediately, he feels a sudden blood lust rise up within him as he rushes at Jingkai.

Tsai Jingkai blocks Ishan's attempt to rip his heart out with his bare hand. Maddened by blood lust, Ishan drops the metal vial and tries with his other hand. Jingkai blocks this attempt as well, locking his hands with Ishan's in an impromptu test of strength. His knees buckle as Ishan's greater strength forces him down.

“Ishan!” He yells. “Fight it!”

Ishan forces Jingkai to his knees with a savage roar. He flattens Jingkai with a headbutt and kneels by him with his hand over Jingkai's chest where his hand stops.

Jingkai sees the quivering hand and swallows hard. His best friend may be the death of him after all. Slowly the mist dissipates away from his form. Ishan doesn't move, kneeling over Jingkai, his eyes becoming less and less glazed.

“Jingkai?” Ishan asks. Standing up and looking at his palm in amazement. His hand goes from being totally black to it's normal color. “What happened?”

Jingkai instinctively covers his chest with his hand. “You tried to rip my heart out when the black mist covered you and turned red. That hand had changed color as it reached for me.”

Ishan's eyes don't leave his hand, but his heart sinks into unknowable depths. “So then she was about to take his heart using the power of this mist in the vial. Shatis tried to murder Mentor, and yet he left with her in tow.”

Jingkai frowns. “That doesn't make sense. If Mentor knew that she was the killer then why not stop her?”

“No.” Ishan protests. “When many of the murders happened at the monastery, she was with me.”

“Then.” Jingkai continues. “Mentor is the killer and Shatis is covering for him.”

“She will come back, Jingkai.” Ishan growls impatiently. “And we will have answers. All is not what it appears to be. She wants to avenge herself on Sikarin, not do his bidding. You'll see.”

Jingkai reaches out and clasps Ishan by the shoulder. “I hope you're right, Ishan. For your sake as well as us all, I hope you are right. I'm heading back so I'll meet you when you get back.”

Ishan nods, not watching as Jingkai bounds away in wolf form. Instead, he fixes his gaze on the little metal vial whose contents nearly influenced him to murder his best friend. Everything seems to point in the direction of Shatis and Mentor being enemies and not friends.

“I hope I'm right too.” Ishan says to the air.

Ishan draws his sword, and in a flash, cleaves the metal vial in half. He sheathes the sword simply and begins walking back.

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

Price of Blood, part ten

On the rooftop of the inner keep, the Elder hangs on the side, looking over the battlefield. He holds himself up by his arms, both of his legs having been broken by his desperate leap to safety.

He rejoices as he watches the infernal dragon being brought down. With it's defeat, the fight has gone out of much of Sikarin's forces.

The Elder goes silent when he hears motion behind him. It should be that young monk returning to give report on the keep's evacuation.

“Mishra Tan?”

There's a silence before an answer is said. “Yes, Elder.”

The Elder lets himself down to a sitting position so he can look at the young monk. He grins proudly at the young man.

“It is good that you returned. I trust that everyone is out?”

Mishra Tan nods as he walks to stand next to the Elder. “Yes. Yes, Elder. I sealed all entrances and exits to the inner keep just as you specified.”

The Elder looks horrified at Mishra Tans suddenly cruel expression. “No! I told you to seal the front, but evacuate everyone from the secret exit in the rear of the keep! Everyone could have been killed had we not won the battle! How could you make such an error?”

Mishra Tan snarls, spitting on the Elder. “The outcome of this battle has hardly been decided. The death of a few servants is unimportant compared to the goal f this slaughter!”

“What are you talking about?” The Elder asks, despair finding it's way into his heart. “I don't understand.”

Mishra Tan grabs the Elder by the throat and lifts him into the air. He grows taller and his hair grows, changing from black to silver. The Elder closes his eyes as his throat is being squeezed closed. When he reopens his eyes, it is not Mishra Tan that he sees but Sikarin Tsooth. A low blue glow can be seen from the hand clutching at the Elder and he can feel the flesh of his throat burning.

“You underestimate my power, Elder.” Sikarin glowers. “The result of this battle has never been in question. Only the means.”

The Elder gasps for air and he burns his hands trying to pry open Sikarin's iron grip on his throat. Sikarin cackles cruelly.

“You know it was refreshing to watch such valiant heroes fight to save their home. And it took me back to watch a Goldenfire fight and destroy his enemies. If he only knew the history behind the sword he bears and the origin of his fighting arts. He would not feel as he does now. Still, he resembles his damned ancestor very well. What do you think, Elder?”

When Sikarin only receives a strangled gasp, he loosens his grasp and turns off the blue flame.

“I do not know.” The Elder manages to gasp out. “His parents are in business and are not warriors.”

Sikarin gives the Elder an odd look. “You do not know? I feel the power of the Jade Hare within you though.”

Sikarin regards the Elder for a long time before grinning. “Of course, I had forgotten. The House of the Jade Hare is only a thousand years old. Far too young to know of events that I speak of. You are probably only a smattering of centuries old at best. It matters not since that is not what I seek. Now. Where is the Disk of Awakening?”

“We do not have it.” Blood runs down the Elder's body and down Sikarin's arm and into his robe from the burns on the Elder's neck. Sikarin growls, shaking the Elder and squeezing until his eyes bulge.

“Tell me where my relic is!” Sikarin shouts, his eyes flashing blue with power.

The Elder's expression goes calm, accepting his fate. “I will not tell.”

Sikarin angrily grits his teeth. “Then I will rip it from your mind.”

The top of Sikarin's staff begins to glow a bright blue and the skull within begins laughing. When it stops, thin beams of red energy lance from it's eyes into the Elder's.

That's when the screaming starts.

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

Ishan Goldenfire and Tsai Jingkai pull the spine from Hiroshima's shoulder and throw it to the side. Hiroshima slides down the side of the mammoth beast to sit n the ground. Muta rushes to his side to help stem the flow f blood from Hiroshima's wounded shoulder.

Ishan spares a moment to look around for Mis Shatis or Mentor, but stops when a long inhuman scream echoes from the direction of the inner keep. Everyone stops to look to see whats going on as the screaming fades away. What they find is Sikarin Tsooth standing on the edge of the keep, holding up the corpse of the Elder by the throat in his free hand.

Sikarin looks at the scene of carnage below him with a savage triumph.

“You sought to fool me into thinking that my prize was within this stronghold. You wished to defeat me and my army to prevent the truth from being revealed to me.”

Sikarin hefts the Elder's corpse u to ensure that everyone can see him and then drops him over the side of the keep. Jade Hare monks below rush to catch their Elder, weeping at the sight of his burned and broken form.

“My friends, in this you have all failed. My army might be broken, but I have the knowledge that I have come to find. It was foolish of you to sell my hidden treasures. That itself carries a most serious penalty. Then you sold a most precious relic to one of my most ancient of enemies. So you have not only freed my relic at a time when it's power will nearly be ready, but you have sent it to a location that I require of it All that I have to do is go there, slay that aged fool, and accomplish what I have set out to do.”

As monks below attempt to open the gate to the inner keep, Sikarin Tsooth throws his head back and laughs. The top of his staff begins glowing a bright blue and gets brighter and brighter.

“Now as I have told the young Goldenfire. I promised to kill you all. I would hate to renege on that promise. Goodbye.”

The bright blue glow at the head f Sikarin's staff travels down the staff and into the stones of the inner keep. The glow quickly spreads from stone to stone. Sikarin himself vanishes in a flash of blue flame, his laughter echoing across the battlefield. As it becomes clear what is happening, everyone begins running for cover. Minutes later, the whole world becomes a flash of blinding blue as the inner keep explodes.

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

As his eyesight returns, Ishan takes stock of the setting around him. Where the inner keep was, now sits a deep crater. A few sections of outer wall held up against the blast, but the rest was blown outwards. The roar of crashing stone announces collapsing sections. Smoke rises from burning helicopters and corpses. Bodies of monsters and men lie as far as the eye can see.

Of the Jade Hare monks, he can only see a few left standing. Maybe around a dozen, he counts. Of the Black Diamond monks that came with him, only half are left. He scans the area for Mis Shatis or Mentor, but doesn't see either of them. He sighs as Black Diamond healers make their way through the battlefield, saving those they can and giving a final peace to those they cannot. No monster is spared. The horsemen who had turned against Sikarin at the end were gone with their fallen.

“No matter what he says. A great victory had been won here today.”

Ishan turns to the source of the source of the voice to see Tsai Jingkai walking towards him. He shifts forms as he does so, transforming from wolf-man to merely human. Ishan greets him as a brother, clasping him in a tight hug. Jingkai quickly croaks in pain.

“Ishan. Ribs.”

Ishan grins broadly, releasing Jingkai. “I'm sorry.” He chuckles. “I forgot about your frailty.”

Jingkai growls, shaking his head and pointing to where the Jade Hare monks were gathered by the crater within the blasted walls.

“My family will never recover from this blow struck by Sikarin. Every non-fighting member was in there.” A seething anger underpins Jingkai's every word. Ishan can almost see Sikarin being torn apart in his eyes. He shakes his head with a warm smile.

“I had sent a young monk named Mishra Tan to the keep to evacuate everyone out a rear exit. They are safe.”

Relief floods Jingkai's expression as he yells to the Jade Hare monks, telling them to search for survivors. He runs over to them to explain more.

Ishan begins waling, searching for where Mis Shatis and Mentor are. He stops by where a healer is tending to Hiroshima's wounds. Muta sits down nearby, resting against the gargantuan monster that had spit spheres of spirit from it's back. He looks at the body of a giant vurlken with an odd expression. When he sees Ishan, he shakes his head sadly.

“The vurlken queen. I had thought that these monsters served Sikarin willingly. She revealed before her death that service to Sikarin never involves judgment. I have no regrets for the fighting, but I wish that we could have freed them all from servitude instead of simply killing them.”

Ishan puts his arm around Muta's shoulder with a sigh. “I know how you feel. But you must know, until Sikarin himself is slain that the only freedom for his servants is death.”

Muta is about to respond when Hiroshima groans in loudly in pain as the healer removes a shard of the spine that had impaled his shoulder. Ishan motions to the great beast that dwarfs them all.

“So I was told that it was the two of you that brought this creature down.” Ishan grins as Muta and Hiroshima beam with pride. “That was a feat that I'm certain helped determine the outcome of the entire battle.”

Muta motions to Hiroshima with a grin. “It was his idea. I'm just glad to have survived it.”

“Good thing that you survived.” Ishan chuckles, but suddenly turns serious. “I'm going to keep looking for Shatis and Mentor. There's been no sign of either since the end of the battle.”

Muta's expression becomes sombre as he glances over to where Sikarin Tsooth had stood. “You know she really hates him. Right?”

Ishan glances over to where Muta was looking. “Yes. Yes, she does. Why?”

Muta shudders. “She killed enemies to make her way to get to him before the dragon came out of the ground. We don't rejoice in the actual killing that has to be done. She took pleasure in the killing. She had an insane bloodthirsty grin as she fought.”

Ishan sighs to himself. He had not thought that it would have been good for her to come. That thoughts of vengeance for years of abuse would overcome her. He grins weakly at Muta.

“It was her chance to pay Sikarin back for all he's done to her. I'm sure of we were in such a state that we would do the same. I just wish that I knew where she was.”

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

Mis Shatis staggers across the battlefield some distance from everyone else. The body of the infernal dragon gives her cover from casual sight. Tears streak through dirt on her face as she cries incoherently.

She had him! Ishan was fighting Nikantu, the naroth king. All she had to do was clear the distance between them and strike home with her sword! Then that dragon had burst from the ground.

That dragon. She nearly stops when she thinks of the dragon. The Infernal Dragon was not that long ago known as the Celestial Dragon. The machinations of Tehuai Anxiu, the Grand mistress of Red Palm kung fu and Director of Asian Operations for the Warhammer Corporation, transformed the spirit of the dragon with corrupt chi. Her House, the House of the Celestial Dragon was damned. The members who were not transformed are even now being hunted. Her amongst them.

She stops as she arrives at the still smoking form of Mentor. Somehow his mask survived the fires of the Infernal Dragon. She sits down next to him and places her hand over his heart. She pulls back her hand quickly, marveling at the bruise forming in her palm from the shock of his heart beat. So much power still.

Shatis' lip curls into a snarl as she slaps the masked face of Mentor. He doesn't react, still unconscious from the fighting and the fall.

“You said you could help me!” She screams vehemently at Mentor. “You said that it would be all over soon! That my tormentor would be dead by my hands!”

She sobs, pounding on Mentor's chest with her hands. She begins screaming when he doesn't stir to the abuse. She stops when she sees a metal vial fall out of a hidden pocket and onto the ground. She holds her breath for a moment before picking the vial up. Looking at the vial, she can almost imagine the dark mist roiling inside.

“Ebon Mist...” She says in a low voice. “With this I could create Crimson Mist from...”

Her hand hovers over Mentor's heart. She can feel the heart beat even from six inches from over his chest.

“Such power...” She whispers to herself. “I could destroy Him utterly. I could become the new Celestial Dragon and save my House. I could...”

Shatis goes silent as she looks down at the metal vial in her hand. Her other hand hovers over the cork to the vial, shaking nervously. She closes her eyes and breathes slowly as she weighs her choices. She could take Mentor's power and add Ishan to it. Sikarin Tsooth could stand to her power. Her House could be cleansed of it's corruption.

She stops with the word of invocation on her lips She had thought of sacrificing Ishan to complete her power! He loves her, she love him. Right? She stares down at the metal vial in her trembling hand.

“Revenge. Love.” She whispers. “What is the right path?”

Then it becomes clear to her. If she would sacrifice someone she has come to love to become a power to change all of China then it would not be a good change. She would free the Celestial Dragon to damn it to a darer fate. The Red Palm would be destroyed, but it would be replaced by something far more sinister. The Warrior Houses would never be free, many would become extinct. Another lesson then becomes clear to her. Of why when she became a master of Celestial Dragon kung fu of why the spirit of her House never chose to infuse her with it's power. She was never worthy.

She breathes deeply, weighing the choices in her mind as Mentor slowly opens his eyes and looks at her. She sees the understanding and acceptance there.

“Do what you must,” he says weakly. “I cannot stop you now.”

Shatis nods, her choice made. She mouths the word again in anticipation of using it. Mentor slowly. nods.

“Yes.” He instructs. “That is the word.”

Shatis nods again, damning everything in her whole world. She presses her thumb to the cork on the metal vial and opens her mouth to invoke the power when a voice startles her enough to drop the vial.

“Shatis!”

She grabs the vial and stashes it in one of Mentor's many hidden pockets. She stands up and spins around, catching Ishan as he sweeps her up in a warm embrace and passionate kiss.

Shatis stiffens at Ishan's actions, but melts into his arms. The last few agonizing moments and the choices made during that time slip away into a hazy mist. This is someone who can help her gain her vengeance and keep her on the side of the angels.

Once Ishan releases Shatis, he steps back a step with a grin. “I thought you may have been hurt when He summoned the infernal dragon.”

Shatis shakes her head. “I slipped behind the dragon and tried to ambush Sikarin, but he vanished after the summons. I then sought Mentor after he fall – you okay?”

Ishan grins wider as Shatis gives him a curious look. He stops just short of laughing when she frowns.

“Just what's so funny?” She demands.

“You said his name, Shatis.” Ishan explains with a proud grin. “You said Sikarin.”

Shatis looks blankly at Ishan, replaying the last thing she said in her mind. She beams as realization sets in.

“I did. Didn't I?” She admits while embracing Ishan again. “It's taken a long time to become strong enough to confront him, much less say his name.”

When Shatis releases Ishan, he takes a concerned expression while regarding Mentor.

“How is he?” He asks.

Before Shatis answers, a deep rumble comes from Mentor. “Alive.” He says weakly.

E will be gathering near the wall soon to make plans. Some of us will need to go home to heal. Some will help here. Some of us will go to prevent Sikarin from attaining his relic.”

“We will be there.” Mentor intones.

Ishan nods, locking eyes with Mis Shatis for a long moment. Emotions storm across the distance between them before Ishan slowly turns away.

“Good. I'll see you there.”

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

Behind the ruined monastery, Tsai Jingkai sniffs the air as he and the Jade Hare monk survivors search for loved ones who escaped the fiery destruction of the inner keep.

Jingkai sniffs along a still standing section of wall, looking for the secret exit that he had incorporated into the construction. As he gets close, the smell of burnt flesh becomes strong. No, he corrects himself. Not simple burnt flesh, but flesh that has seen arcane fire. He smelled it when Sikarin had killed his allies. He swallows hard, tracking the smell down to his secret exit.

The section of wall that's whole is only a few feet to either side of the exit. The body is on the outside of the door that is sealed from the inside with a mystic sigil that still glows blue as Jingkai approaches.

Though his has never met the young monk lying dead at his feet, he is certain of who it is.

“Mishra Tan.” He says simply.

Jingkai looks to where the Jade Hare monks are searching and lets out a long, mournful howl. He falls to his knees by Tan's side as the monks arrive.

“Sikarin Tsooth murdered Mishra Tan and sealed the evacuation route.”

Jingkai doesn't say that this means that everyone inside the keep must therefore be dead, but he doesn't need to say anything else. The monks fall to the ground, their wails of grief joining his own.

Finally, Tsai Jingkai stands and faces the monks with a hard expression.

“There are enough of you left to rebuild once again. There were fewer survivors years ago when Sikarin tried to destroy the Jade Hare in the past.”

Once of the Jade Hare monks stands up and bows slightly. “I'm afraid rebuilding is no longer an option.”

“What?” Jingkai replies, looking shocked and hurt. “I don't understand. You're giving up?”

“No. We are not giving up.” The monk explains. “My name is Xian Shuang and I am the last master of Jade Hare kung fu. When the House was rebuilt, the spirit of the Jade Hare was with them. This is not the case for I can no longer feel the spirit that is the Jade Hare. He has abandoned us in our time of need.”

Jingkai goes pale at the though of the House of the Jade Hare coming to such an end. Everything that he has done to redeem his betraying his father has come to nothing.

“So what will you do now? Where will you go? Another House?”

Xian Shuang shakes his head as he motions his fellow monks to rise. “We will strike back at the one who did this to us. His army is destroyed here. We will hunt down and destroy Sikarin Tsooth.”

The other monks mutter in agreement as Shuang stands, flushed with anger. Slowly, Jingkai begins to grin. This echoes a conversation in another place not long ago.

“This feat was attempted before this army was gathered.” Jingkai patiently explains. “The attempt failed. Sikarin is too strong for a simple attempt on his life. We need power and a plan.”

“We can't do nothing!” Shuang cries out. “How do we attain the power we require? We have trained for years!”

“We can help in that matter.”

Wolf spirits materialize all around the monks, Buthar among them. He prowls around the group, sniffing Xian Shuang.

“There is much potential in these young warriors, L'aeron!” Buthar growls.

“Jade Hare kung fu has made them stronger than I had ever realized.” Jingkai admits. “But why are you interested in helping?”

“Jingkai.” Buthar begins. “You are a master of Jade Hare Kung Fu and Wolf Fang Kung Fu. You are one with L'aeron. All the potential is there for something new. We will join with these warriors, you will train them, and together we will bring about a powerful new House that even the Mistress herself will have cause to worry about.”

Tsai grins at the Mention of the Mistress. The title given to Tehuai Anxiu, the Grand mistress of Red Palm Kung Fu. She brooks no rival House remain outside of her control. The Jade Hare had been left free because of perceived weakness. Still...

“No good enough, my friend. Try again.”

Buthar growls. “The Mistress and her corrupt chi pollutes the very landscape of China! We cannot hunt in many regions because of the monsters that prowl the land! She is ally to the one we have just fought, your jailer! What reason more do we require?”

Tsai Jingkai shakes his head. “None. Vengeance is enough of a reason to begin.”

He turns to Xian Shuang. “Well? You have heard Buthar's proposal. What say you? We can form a new House and fight Sikarin Tsooth. Once strong enough, we can even challenge the Mistress herself. All of China's Warrior Houses could be free.”

Xian Shuang looks to his comrades for their answers, finding his own emotions reflected within. He turns back to Tsai Jingkai and Buthar with a grin of triumph.

“Jingkai. Buthar.” He begins respectfully. “We would be honored to begin this quest. To become something new. If you will have us.”

Buthar growls contentedly. “I have already picked out spirits for this.”

Jingkai's eyes narrow in response. “You had this in mind all along didn't you?”

Buthar says nothing, but his barking laughter says all.

Jingkai begrudgingly chuckles. “Then call these spirits.”

More wolf spirits appear until there is one wolf spirit beside each Jade Hare monk.

“They are already here.” Buthar states simply.

The wolf spirits let out long howls as they enter the forms of the Jade Hare monks. They howl in pain as the wolves devour what weakness that they find and transform the bodies of the monks. Each one in turn transforms into a half-wolf, half-man hybrid form with a silver wolf paw print on their cheek. Jingkai and Buthar look on in pride as they turn back to human forms one by one.

Soon only Xian Shuang is not transformed. Buthar looks to him with a growl.

“And now you...”

Buthar leaps into Xian Shuang's body, bringing a primal scream of pain from the monk as the transformations are much more dramatic. Xian Shuang grows feet taller and broader before transforming into the hybrid wolf form. Instead of a small paw print on his cheek, one large silver paw print covers his heart. He howls to his pack, reveling in their return howl.

“And now we are complete.” Jingkai nods. “Welcome everyone! Welcome to the House of the Silver Moon! We stand upon the threshold for freedom in China and indeed all of Asia. We have but to walk the path.”

Jingkai is answered by drawn out howls from the newly rechristened Silver Moon monks. He smiles as plans how to best strike out at Sikarin Tsooth begin forming in his mind.