The door suddenly opened and in walked the master.
“Welcome back, Jacko,” he said.
The master was wearing his traditional black and yellow trimmed robes. He kept his long, gray hair braided behind his back and his white beard neatly trimmed down to his stomach. Jacko bowed deeply to him, and the master asked him to join him at one of the tables. After they were seated, another student, wearing solid gray robes, entered the room carrying a steaming pot in one hand and two cups in the other.
“How was your test?” Master asked.
Jacko waited until the black tea was poured before answering. “I defeated my opponent. A student named Chow Yen.”
“Very good.”
“I have something for you.” Jacko produced the rolled-up parchment Teacher Ma gave him.
“What is this?”
“Teacher Ma said for me to give this to you.” Master unrolled the scroll and scanned through the parchment.
“Why would he give this to you? He knows the rules. He was supposed to deliver it directly to me.”
“There’s a reason why.”
“Oh!”
Jacko went on to tell Master everything from his training to the Chatar creatures, the one-eyed Slyantom and Ma’s encounter, how he wanted to stay and help Teacher Ma fight, and finally, the guilt he experienced.
When he was through, Master touched his arm. “Jacko, you must listen to the more experienced students from time to time. Teacher Ma had his reasons for you not staying and sharing his fate with him. You did the right thing by not staying.”
“I liked and respected him and will not forget him.”
“Me too, he was one of our finer students. It will be a great loss for our Order.”
“Master, before he died, he asked me to go to the town of Mirkin and warn his father about Slyantom.”
“That would be a good idea. I had another task for you, but, given this news, you should honor Ma by carrying out his wishes. While you’re there, I want you to stop by our other Order, located near Mirkin, and warn them about this Slyantom character. Brother Lee Chee Wa will know best how to handle him. He will pay for Ma’s death, I promise.” Master took a sip of his tea before continuing. “Jacko, complete both tasks for me and you’ll receive another promotion and an opportunity to advance to the level of the Hawk. If you need assistance, don’t hesitate to ask some of your brothers to accompany you on your journey.”
“Master, if I have an opportunity to kill Slyantom, do I have permission to do so?”
“NO,” he said firmly. “If Ma was unable to beat him, then you won’t either.”
“But…”
Master held up his hand to silence the young student. “Ma’s skills were far superior to yours, and if he failed, then so will you.”
Jacko felt rejected and Master took notice.
“There is nothing to be ashamed about. Does it matter who kills him?”
“But I want revenge,” Jacko pleaded.
“I’m sure you do, but for now, one of our top rated students will handle him.”
“Very well,” Jacko said and tilted his cup toward Master in acceptance.
“If I ask some of the other students to come along, will that lessen my accomplishment?”
“I’m afraid so, each one will be credited once the task is completed. You have until tomorrow to decide.” Master clapped his hands twice and the monk, who brought the tea, walked up and handed Jacko his new robes. They were the color of yellow with white trim. Jacko proudly accepted the garment and bowed his head. “Go now and rest,” Master said.
Jacko left the room and went to the student quarters.
****
Inside the student quarters were many beds with small foot lockers placed in front of them. After placing his gear on one of the unoccupied beds, he unpacked his bag and dressed in his new robes. They are soft and comfortable, he thought after feeling the material. He proceeded to do a series of kicks and arm movements to test their flexibility. He had just finished another series of moves when Sun Chin walked into the room.
“Nice clothes.”
“They feel great.” Jacko did a few more kicks.
“How was your meeting with the master?”
“It was good. I’m leaving tomorrow for Mirkin.”
“You just got here.”
“I know. I made Teacher Ma a promise, and I have to warn his father that he could be in danger.” Jacko looked like he was about to say something and stopped.
“What’s wrong?”
“I want revenge against the scum who killed him.”
“Are you sure he died.”
Jacko nodded.
“I’m coming with you, and we’ll take our revenge.”
“Master doesn’t want me to. I have to go to our sister school and tell Brother Lee Chee Wa to handle him.”
“Well if Master thinks that’s the right course of action, then we’ll obey his wishes. However, I’m sure he would be okay if we accidentally ran into him and had to defend ourselves.” Sun winked at him and Jacko grinned.
“So tell me what happened to Ma.”
Jacko told him everything. Sun listened intently to his every word and was pleased to hear how his friend handled himself. He knew that it must’ve been hard for Jacko to leave Ma behind, because when he grew fond of someone, he developed an unconditional loyalty.
“You did a brave thing by leaving. I know it must’ve been tough for you,” Sun said.
“I still feel like a coward.”
“Don’t. You did the right thing. Are you going to ask anyone else to come along?”
“Master is giving me another promotion if I complete both tasks, but if I bring someone, it will take away from it.”
“Look at it this way, if you get hurt or die, will it matter? Your kung fu is improving, but you’re not ready to face the dangers the world has to offer.” His words bruised Jacko’s ego a little, but he looked past it and continued to listen to his friend. “When I was going on assignments in the beginning, I had no problem accepting help on some of the missions. I learned early on that advancement is not a race, but an experience, and so is life. There are other ways to get full credit for your assignments without taking some of our brothers along. Hire some skilled fighters. The only drawback is that it could become pricey.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good. Let’s go get something to eat.”
****
The room was packed with students of various ranks, but none higher than the status of Roc. Jacko and Sun Chin seated themselves with fellow students Mao, Tor, Telor, Lee Kon, Quip Se Young, Fin, and several others from different schools, whom they never met before.
Once everyone finished filing into the room and was seated, the most senior of the students, Shin Tu, stood up with his cup in hand and began toasting the students who advanced in rank over the last few months. Jacko felt honored and proud when he heard his name mentioned. After Shin Tu finished, the dinner consisting of chicken, beef, lamb, vegetables, two types of rice, and hot tea was served. When the feast began, the room was suddenly abuzz with all types of conversation: from tales of adventure, promotion, family, friends, and, of course, training. Halfway through the meal, Jacko asked everyone seated at his table if they were interested in going with him to Mirkin.
Quip Se Young was the first to respond. “What for?”
“Master asked me to complete another task,” Jacko responded.
“So soon?” Fin interrupted, sounding bitter. “When I was promoted, Master didn’t request my services until three months later.”
Jacko knew where this conversation was going given Fin’s jealous nature. “It’s not what you think.”
“Oh, then what is it?” Fin pressed.
“He doesn’t have to explain anything to you,” Sun Chin interrupted and gave him an angry look. Fin knew better than to cross him and quieted down. “Go on,” Sun encouraged Jacko.
“I have a couple of things t
o do. I have to deliver a message to a family living there and the other I’ll explain along the way.”
“You do know that you’ll have to share the achievement with those who come along, don’t you?” Lee Kon said.
Jacko shook his head. “I only want two students to come along, and one must be of a higher rank than me.”
“I’ll go,” someone said from the end of the table. “I’m from the school close to Mirkin.”
Jacko looked at the student, who was wearing blue robes. “What is your name?”
“My name is Woo, and I am skilled in both the Iron Palm and Eagle Claw.”
“Anyone else?”
Lee Kon and Mao were the only other students who said they’d go. Both were the same rank as Jacko. Jacko told them he would let them know in the morning. While they were eating, another student came up to Sun Chin and handed him a note. After reading it, he explained to Jacko that he couldn’t go with him.
When dinner was through, Jacko and Sun walked back toward the sleeping quarters.
“Who do you think you’ll take?” Sun asked.
“Woo might be a good candidate given his rank and skills, but I don’t know him. Lee and Mao are of the same rank as me, so only one of them can come. Are you sure that you can’t?”
“I’ll go ask the master if I can postpone my assignment. I’ll meet you in your quarters when I’m through,” Sun said and left.
Jacko went up to his room.
****
Sun returned an hour later, and by the look on his face, Jacko knew the answer.
“I can’t go with you. Master needs me to complete my task first. Who did you pick?”
“I decided to take the student named Woo, because of the obvious reasons, and young Mao, because he’s never been anywhere outside of this town.”
“Good choice. Make sure you hire some help for diversity.”
Jacko took Sun’s advice to heart, then they sat down and talked about the old times until they were tired and went to bed.
In the morning, Jacko dressed in his usual traveling garb: dark-green shirt, black pants, and soft leather boots. He buckled on a belt with several throwing daggers and placed the finger knives in his closely guarded pouch.
He left his room and strolled down to the eating area to inform Mao and Woo that they were selected. Both men were delighted and after they finished their meal, they went back to their room and dressed appropriately for the trip. Mao wore dark pants, a russet-colored shirt, black boots, and a gray cloak; while Woo was dressed far warmer with a thick, woolen white shirt, brown leggings, and heavy boots. When they were ready, they left the sanctuary of the school and headed toward the Inn of the Crippled Giant.
“Where are we going?” Mao asked.
“First, we are going to recruit some men, and then we’ll start on our way toward Mirkin,” Jacko answered.
“Sounds good. Do you want our opinion about the men you want to hire?”
“I would expect it.”
****
As they entered the inn, Jacko took notice of several tables filled with patrons. Some were farmers, others were dressed like travelers, and toward the back was a small group of men who looked like adventurers.
“Come on,” Jacko said and led them directly toward the back, where they sat at a table near the adventurers.
“Now what?” Mao asked after they were seated.
“I was going to listen in on their conversation and find out some information first,” Jacko said.
“Why not just ask them?” Woo added.
“Let’s wait.”
Jacko ordered three ales from the serving wench, then listened to the other table’s conversation.
After twenty minutes, he determined that they were mercenaries for hire and ordered a round of ale for them. After the drinks arrived, a big fellow, with a rather large head in proportion to his body, blond hair and blue eyes, accepted their offering and asked them to join their little group. As soon as, Jacko, Mao, and Woo sat down, the others raised their tankards, toasted them, and swallowed the contents. The man who invited them ordered several more ales and then began the introductions.
“My name is Konafar, and I hail from the west. My weapon of choice,” Konafar paused, reached under the table, lifted a heavy two-handed sword, and proudly said, “I call it Carnage.” He flexed his bulging biceps underneath his chainmail shirt.
“Is there really a need to over compensate for your manhood by pulling out that piece of hunkering metal?” a serving wench, standing directly behind him said, which prompted laughter from his companions. The portly serving wench, with the black flowing dress, placed the drinks on the table. Angered, Konafar stared at her. The man on his left, with dark hair and wearing studded leather, could tell he wanted to hit her.
“Lighten up, big man,” he told him, then turned his attention to the newcomers. “My name is Gunther the Crafty, and I specialize in the art of secrecy.” He paused and added, “If you catch my drift.” The man looked very much like a thief, Jacko surmised.
Next to introduce himself was a very tall, lanky fellow named Delisar. He had a narrow face, black hair, and a pointy nose. He wore a black tunic, leggings, and boots with a long sheathed dagger strapped across his chest. He said that he was a tracker by profession.
Finally, another fighter, wearing scalemail armor, by the name of Greghor, gave his formal introduction. He was the complete opposite of Konafar in build and looked more like a farmer instead of a warrior. Jacko introduced himself and the Order they hailed from, Woo followed and then Mao. Greghor found their Order’s unusual fighting style interesting, while Gunther looked uninterested, which caught the attention of Woo who couldn’t resist saying something.
“Gunther,” Woo said his name without even looking in his direction. “You should definitely show courtesy to others when they introduce themselves.”
Silence fell over the table as everyone stared at Gunther. “I apologize. Mister…Woo was your name, right?”
Woo nodded and accepted his apology even though his tone wasn’t sincere. Konafar raised his goblet, breaking the tension, and chugged down the contents in one gulp, then rapped his mug several times on the table, letting the serving wench know he wanted more.
Several rounds later, Jacko told the group that he was heading to Mirkin and wanted to hire some men as their escort. Delisar was the first to accept, followed by Konafar. Greghor said he had other commitments and Gunther quietly sat there drinking his ale, not saying a word.
As they were readily agreeing on a fee, a burly, rough-looking woman, with short red hair, wearing a dull green cloak over her leather armor, walked up to their table and sat down beside Gunther.
“Get me a drink,” she shouted to the serving wench, then looked at the three strangers sitting on the opposite side of the table. “What do we have here?”
“What we have here, my dear,” Gunther began, “are three students from the Order of the White Fist, and they are looking for someone to escort them to the town of Mirkin.”
“I see,” she replied. “My name is Valasca, and if you’re paying, I’m in.”
“Are you sure, my dear? After all, they are quite skilled in the art of hand-to-hand combat, so how could you graciously serve these mighty warriors?” His tone was very condescending, and Jacko could tell Woo was almost at his breaking point with the man.
“Gunther,” Jacko interrupted calmly. “You seem to have some reservations regarding our Order. Why don’t you tell us why?”
By Jacko intervening, Woo relaxed a bit.
“It’s not that I have a concern with your Order, it’s…” He paused. “It’s your skills. I find them…How can I put this, very ineffective in real combat situations.”
“And how did you make that determination?” Woo snapped at him.
“Let’s just say I’ve seen some of your fellow students fight, and I know for a fact that if it came down to a life-threatening situation, they would die.”
Woo stared at him with hatred in his eyes. “Would you care to test your skills against mine?”
“It wouldn’t be a fair test,” Gunther replied.
“Is that so? I’ll even fight you unarmed.”
“Alright. We’ll test our skills after we reach the woods.”
Woo agreed and Gunther started drinking again.
Jacko finished negotiating their fee, and everyone agreed to meet by the edge of town in an hour.
Chapter 8: A Town in Disarray
After they left the town, Jacko informed the group that he might be hunted by a scouting party of Chatar creatures. Delisar was asking how many there were when Konafar interrupted and said that he hoped there was enough for everyone. Delisar ignored him and asked Jacko again. Jacko thought about telling them the truth, but he decided against it and told them they tried to capture him while he was out hunting.
****
After clearing the perimeter of the town, they turned east and walked parallel with the forest to the north. It was around midday when they neared the town of Redden. Jacko halted the group.
“Do you mind if we stop by and see if my friend wants to come along?” Jacko said.
“That wouldn’t be a good idea,” said Delisar, “the town fell not more than a week ago and is currently occupied by an army.”
A Demon's Quest the Beginning of the End the Trilogy Box Set Page 16
