by Ino Lee
“Scouting the eastern path. He’ll be back soon.”
“Anything happen?”
“No. Quiet.”
“Good . . . I think.”
“You think?”
He stood motionless without reply, locked cryptically in thought.
A little voice broke the silence. “There are more marks.”
Wong turned to him and smiled. “Very good, Kai.”
“Um,” Zhozang said. “Not to take away from the moment, but isn’t that bad?”
“It seems the Koon Gee have been busy. They’ve lost us, so they’ve cast a net.”
“Where are the marks?” Han asked.
Wong reached out with both hands. “There’s one northeast of here. There,” he said, indicating with a hand. “And over there, to the west.”
“Can you tell how far they are? How strong?”
“They’re far. Many hours away.”
“How shall we handle it?”
“The way I see it, we can either stay here while the net shrinks or press past the marks and try to reach Jaguan.”
“That does not sound like much of a choice. I guess we will have to test this net of theirs. Perhaps we can find a hole.”
“The best path is right between the marks, but I imagine there will be scouts dotted in between. It will be hard to get past them without them knowing. They don’t even have to search. All they have to do is sit and wait for Kai’s mark to come within range.”
“Then we’ll punch a hole through.”
“Aye sumo, we think alike,” Zhozang said. “I did not expect us to get through without fighting anyway. I am ready.”
A lone silhouette appeared in the road. Li approached them and sensed their heavy mood.
“What’s wrong?”
They traveled the entire day. Despite the multiple marks, they had not come across any scouts—or at least any that they saw. They picked up their pace as the sun grew faint, fearing travel under darker skies.
“We won’t make it out of the forest before nightfall,” Li said. “The trees will get taller and thicker before we reach the plains. We should rest now and press on in the dark until we get there.”
The others nodded. They found a small clearing in the woods, picked out a comfortable spot, sat, and unpacked rations.
Wong looked up at the sky. Daylight. It was a security blanket—an unfailing guardian throughout his long and difficult journey. It was fading rapidly and bad things tended to happen when it was gone.
“It’ll be dark soon,” he said. “Dark enough for ninjas.”
“Dark enough for many things,” Han added matter-of-factly. “Unan demons, Ga warriors—”
“Lo-shur.”
Han paused. “Yes. Lo-shur.” He breathed deeply. “Let them come. It is a good night to die. We can go together.”
Wong laughed.
Tae scolded them. “Seriously, guys. Not appropriate.”
Han grimaced as though he had said nothing wrong, then grinned and let out a deep chuckle. He said on a more conservative note, “I wonder if there is a radiance pool out there.”
“What’s that?” Kai asked.
Li was pleased by Kai’s curiosity. “Radiance pools allow lo-shur spirits to bind with organic hosts. They mutate and induce power into the living things they bind with, making them much more dangerous and powerful than before.”
Wong frowned and spoke to Kai more simply. “It’s a pool of water. When you’re near it, lo-shur spirits can possess dagwais and other things to make them stronger. Much stronger.”
“Oh,” Kai said glumly, unsure of what to make of it. He had hoped a radiance pool was something amazing to see, like the Stone Forest or the air transport.
“And you think they’re already out there?” Tae asked.
“It is likely,” Li said.
“Then why haven’t we seen them yet, the lo-shur demons?”
“We probably haven’t come within range of a radiance pool yet,” Wong answered. “Lo-shur can only appear as spirits outside of the pool’s effects . . . like the one that marked Kai. As spirits, they can’t do much else to us.”
Li added to his explanation. “In the heart of the Koon Kagi there are chi pools which allow lo-shur to take on solid forms without hosts. When they need to fight outside of their strongholds, they bring some of its water to create a radiance pool. Though it is not strong enough to allow them to solidify on their own, they can through a host organism.”
“I have heard of that before, but I never thought I’d be in a situation to experience it firsthand,” Tae said.
Wong looked concerned. “It worries me that we are headed toward a pool.”
“We can manage,” Han said.
Li nodded. “We’ve faced them before. I do have the sword with me.” He explained to Tae: “Lo-shur can only be killed when they are in solid form or bonded with their hosts. My sword was forged with the waters of the temple, opposite to that of the Koon Gee. It bears its mystical properties and can affect them in spirit form too.”
She glanced over at his mystical weapon and said, “Let’s just try to make it through the night without fighting any.”
“I have never faced one,” Zhozang said. “I look forward to the challenge.”
“This is not like fighting at the Guilin Games,” Han warned. “Don’t be foolish. Do not take lo-shur demons lightly.”
“But that’s why I’m here. To match swords with the best. To test my limits. I have always wanted to kill a lo-shur. Now that would do much for my name.”
“While confidence is better than despair, beware your path, Zhozang. The greatest warriors are usually born of circumstance,” Li said.
“Shoukui, I mean no disrespect, but I do not even know what you just said.”
Wong suppressed a grin. “He means don’t try so hard to get yourself killed. You’re a good warrior. A name will follow in time.”
“Try hard? Am I not in the presence of former wushu champions? Of the Guilin Games and Hanai? Was that not for name?” he said, referring to Wong and Han.
“I never really cared for a name, but I see your point. Seeking out lo-shur is not the same as fighting in a tournament, though. Han is right. These are no games. Lo-shur are deadly, and they can’t be overpowered with brute force.”
Zhozang didn’t like being lectured, but accepted his criticism. “If I did not just see you jump from our craft over the Yangtzhu River I would consider you spineless—so I will heed your warning. I will consider it training for Hanai.”
“Good,” Wong said, not quite sure if Zhozang just paid him a compliment or an insult, or if he even got the point of what he was trying to say.
At this Zhozang broke from the conversation, settling in on his own thoughts while sharpening his war cleaver. Li moved over to speak with Kai, taking the opportunity to teach him further. Han joined and chimed in whenever he could. Tae looked straight ahead and nibbled on a biscuit. Wong noted her pensive look and came over, taking a seat besides her.
“You all right?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she replied casually. “First dagwais and zhuks, now lo-shur-infused, demonic mutated Koon Gee. What’s not to like?”
Wong laughed. “Life has its moments, doesn’t it?”
She tried to hold back a smile. “Is that how you handle it?”
Wong looked at her inquisitively.
“Laugh and brush off the danger like it isn’t even there?”
“It works for me.”
Almost as soon as he said it, he wanted to take it back, worried that he was being insensitive.
“I guess you don’t come across this too often back in the Shunnan,” he said.
“No. Mostly tough guys.”
“People are just as dangerous as Koon Gee. You held your own against m
e, you should have no problem with lo-shur.”
Tae smiled. “Thanks. I’ll pretend it’s you I’m striking when I fight them.”
Wong laughed. “Let me see your sword.”
“Why?”
“Just let me see it.”
Tae thought it was an odd request, but complied. Wong took hold of the sheath and pulled out the sword. He played with the weight in his hands and was almost surprised by the quality.
“This is a nice weapon. I like the balance.”
He re-sheathed her weapon and handed it back to her. He then retrieved his samurai blade and held it out horizontally with both hands. “Try this.”
Tae could tell it meant a great deal to him by the way he handled it. She took it apprehensively.
He explained. “It was given to me by a great samurai and friend—”
She unsheathed and examined the blade.
“—He passed it on to me when his time had come. I want you to have it.”
Her mind immediately shifted to the prophecy. “If this is some sort of dying gift—”
Wong cut her off. “No, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Then how did you mean it?”
“You were worried and I thought it would make you feel better . . . more confident. You could use a better weapon to fight lo-shur. I already have the Dragon Arm.”
She frowned.
“You won’t find a better sword unless you take Li’s. You can give it back to me later if you like, but you need it now more than I do. Really.”
He could tell by her silence she was relenting.
“I can’t let Ko Hang outdo me,” he added.
She held up the weapon. “First a petrified Zhigau bow, now this. Are you sure?”
“Perks of saving the world.”
“Thank you,” she said hesitantly.
She played with the balance of the weapon in her hands. It was lighter than she expected, but its construction felt sturdy. She noticed markings on the handle, much like the runes on the Dragon Arm and Shaolin Sword.
“Is it mystical too?”
“Not exactly. The markings allow the weapon to respond to your chi. The Dragon Arm and Shaolin Sword also respond to chi, but they were also infused by great powers.
There are times that I can feel the chi imprint of my samurai master in it though. Perhaps now some of my own chi has left a mark on it. It has seen many battles and sometimes a weapon can become mystic.”
Her eyes lingered on the blade, which seemed suddenly and unnaturally luminescent.
“Thank you,” she said gratefully. She handed Wong back her own sword. “You can have my sword. It’s dear to me too.”
“Then I will treat it as if it were my own.”
She smiled and then swished her new sword around in the air. “It’s nice.”
“Remember, Tae, it is not the weapon that makes the warrior dangerous—it is the warrior that makes the weapon dangerous.”
Tae rolled her eyes. “Oh please, at least have something original for me.”
“Come on,” he said. “You’re not going get a feel of it like that.” He stood up and slapped his new sword against hers.
They sparred a little longer and she began to grow in confidence as she wielded it. The sword cut smoother than her own and felt as if it had much more impact.
“You know, if I had this weapon before I probably would have beaten you in the Stone Forest.”
“It’s a sword, not a magic wand.”
She laughed off his response and attacked.
25
THE SUN HAD begun to set and its reflected rays only faintly lit the sky. They traveled at a brisk but careful pace, wary of a Koon Gee-filled night. The forest was completely devoid of sound and movement now. No animals could be heard, no breeze could be felt, and no leaves rustled.
Wong stopped and let the others pass, taking a moment to concentrate. He quickly scanned the forest behind them with his ears and mind, but nothing followed. He then shifted his attention forward and began to walk. His concentration intensified as he listened for the lighter steps of the dark ninja, but once again, he picked up nothing.
Making his way over to Li, he voiced a familiar concern.
“I really think I should scout ahead. There’s no way we’re getting through the night without confrontation.”
Instead of answering, Li stopped and stared forward without expression.
In the trees ahead, the silhouettes of several figures could be seen in the lower branches. Wong was surprised he did not detect them earlier. Weapons were drawn. Han lifted Kai into a pack on his back, something devised the night before to carry him in times of danger.
The figures did not move, though they appeared to be looking in their direction. Their silence was unnerving; the sound of a zhuk kwai roar was preferable. Perhaps it was the coming darkness that played with their senses, but the figures seemed to exude great evil. Their presence was palpable—the air felt heavier and the light seemed to blur around them. At first glance the figures appeared human, but the longer they looked at them, the more distorted they became, until finally there was nothing left but an unnatural obscurity.
“Dark ninjas,” Li whispered, and after a thought added, “And something more.”
Without sound, the ninjas dropped from their positions into the black of the forest. The suddenness of their disappearance was shocking. An unnatural breeze wafted in their direction and swift movement could be sensed. The inevitable happened and Wong quickly announced its arrival.
“Lo-shur ninjas. They’re possessed.”
“Get back,” Li urged as his sword shimmered in anticipation of a combined lo-shur and dark ninja entity.
If not by the sheer presence of the mutated ninjas, the gravity of the situation was made clear by the tone in the brothers’ voices. For the first time since meeting them, Tae heard it—a hesitation, an uncertainty. And then, however slight, she recognized it for what it was—fear. She looked down at the samurai blade in her hands, hoping to draw strength from it, and pulled her ninja mask over her face as if to conceal her own fear. Behind it she was Tae no more, but a Hunter of Shunnan.
Movement in the forest grew and the party braced for attack. Wong tried to pinpoint the movement, but it was too fast and random. Wind picked up and blew in their faces, trumpeting the demons’ arrival. Suddenly, loud and high-pitched screeching pierced the silence from multiple directions.
The first possessed ninja appeared, lunging out of the darkness. Its distorted pale white face was completely exposed and grinning, its eyes entirely black; the darkness seemed even to swallow the light around it. It clashed swords with Li then swept past him with blinding speed, bearing directly toward Han and Kai. The Weapons Master slid in the way and hacked at it, but the demon dodged his weapon without lifting a sword. It slowed its advance, backed away, and wheezed, delighted to see him.
A second ninja burst from the forest and jumped at Li. He met it head on, with this ninja sticking around to accept the challenge.
A third streaked past Tae and knocked her down, making its way toward Han. It furiously slashed at the sumo, who blocked with his mace and backpedaled away, finding it difficult to keep up with the upgraded ninja’s strength and quickness. Han took to the offensive and swung, but the demon sidestepped the attack and cut him with a flick of its sword. Han reeled back, and the ninja followed with a flip kick that knocked him off his feet. He fell backward and dropped his mace in an effort to brace his fall without crushing Kai behind him.
Zhozang stormed in with several forceful hacks, pushing the demon away from Han. The ninja ducked and weaved between each attack, carefully watching Zhozang’s movements with a hackneyed grin. When it found the right moment, it dropped its sword and grabbed Zhozang’s arms firmly with both hands and flipped him against a tree trunk some dista
nce away. It regained its weapon and turned back toward Han, but Tae dropped in front with her sword held out perpendicularly in its direction. The ninja stood back, holding out its own weapon to match, encircling her and measuring her up.
“That sword does not belong to you,” it said in a thin, raspy voice, before violently striking.
Meanwhile Li engaged in skilled swordplay with his adversary. They flashed their weapons, parried, and thrust, each unable to gain an advantage over the other. They studied each other’s movements and started the dance all over again.
Wong flickered the staff about him, slashing at the enemy, and poking at its defenses. Although their fight looked somewhat lax, both fighters were locked-in. The ninja blocked and dodged Wong’s forays, smiling smugly at each turn.
“This one is ours, Weapons Master, outcast of the wretched temple.”
Wong angrily struck with his spinning blades and nicked the ninja’s chin, drawing first blood. He then stepped back, and grinned in jest.
Tae could feel her heart pulsating. The spirit-infused ninja hit harder than she expected, and she found herself on the defensive. Fortunately, it wasn’t too quick for her and she was able to avoid its blows. The demon charged and pressed, using its strength aggressively. Tae blocked left, deflected right, and stepped back to avoid two more slashes. The ninja had extended its reach too far and she was able to knock it back it a well-placed kick. Her spirit grew and she took the offensive.
The pace of Li’s battle quickened. The two maintained a strategy of hit-and-withdraw. They stepped into one another, exchanged five or six rapid blows, and withdrew. Each incursion taught them a little more about the other, and would culminate in one last, extended assault.
Li deemed it the right time and charged. When the fifth blow had been reached, he pressed on. He slashed and thrust, but the enemy caught his thrust with an upward movement of its sword. It swung down from this position and frayed his garbs as he jumped out of the way. He countered by slashing downward and missing, forcing the ninja back. He swung horizontally from the left and was weakly blocked by the retreating ninja, so he pivoted and slid the Shaolin Sword downward, cutting off the demon’s sword-bearing hand.
