Traveling in the back of a delivery truck might count as one of the more boring things that Jade had ever done in her life, at least it would if it weren't for the company she was currently keeping. The fact that all of them knew she was traveling with them made it an interesting change of pace from when she usually traveled with Section 13 and Jackie. Xiao Fung sat next to her near the cab while Valmont, Finn, and Ratso took up the rear end of the vehicle. While the lieutenants had fallen asleep Valmont was keeping his eye on the pair of demons.
Jade put her back against the wall and was trying to fall asleep but she couldn't help but overhear Valmont as he began conversing with Xiao Fung, "You know I can't help but wonder how long until you do something that will make me regret ever having agreed to aiding in your release."
"A wise thing to consider since your service to Shendu ended on such a sour note. I'm sure that I could make all sorts of promises to you that you have nothing to worry about from me but we are also both aware that they would only be until convenience dictates otherwise. We know so little about each others plans and goals I don't think we could possibly know when you will regret my freedom." Xiao Fung responded.
"But you don't deny I will regret it?" Valmont sounded even more frustrated now.
"No." Xiao Fung sounded entirely to pleased with himself.
"And if I decide not to help Jade in releasing the other demons and she travels around the world at a very slow pace, fraught with uncertainty and hardship what will you do than?" Jade could practically feel the menace from that.
"Should she be stopped then the burden of my siblings would fall upon me. I would be displeased to shoulder such a responsibility but if she is so weak that she can not gain dominion over your broken band of thieves she will not last the times between our release." Xiao Fung stated strongly.
"Siblings?"
For a moment Xiao Fung hesitated, "It is an affection that Bai Tza perpetuates and little more, I assure you."
"I see, you have given me much to think about." Now Valmont sounded pleased for some reason, though Jade couldn't understand why, the two seeming to have gotten each others measure and let the rest of the trip pass in silence. With the rock of the van as it drove down the road, Jade finally fell asleep.
When Jade woke up the first thing she noticed was that she was hungry. Scratch that, she was absolutely starving, what she would expect to feel after not eating in days but had been missing all this time. The hunger had all suddenly caught up with her, and she couldn't stop herself from letting out a low groan, as her stomach echoed her, and her body ached from how much she'd pushed it in the last couple weeks. Jade opened her glowing red eyes and saw that she was in luck, someone had left her a delicious piece of meat in the van. Jade picked up the well-cooked steak, even if it was a little cold now, and she tore in to it, devouring as much as she could until it was all gone and started to feel more like herself. Looking around even as bits of meat hung from her chin, she felt a little embarrassed as she wiped away the gristle and could feel Jackie's disapproval at her poor manners. Just watch any moment he'd turn to look at her and say...
"What a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Jade." Xiao Fung said.
No that isn't what he would say, Jackie had met Jade loads of times before and again everything hit her about her situation. Looking around she saw that she was alone with the demon frog. Jade had been kind of hoping that this moment would come for weeks now, where she could freely talk to a Demon Sorcerer but now that it had finally arrived she really wasn't sure what she should be saying. Honesty really was the best policy Jade felt, "Thanks for not turning on me like Po Kong did."
"Well I saw how well that worked out for her, bringing in a chi wizard to send her right back should she not prove willing to keep the pact that was made with Bai Tza. Did you think that if you made a pact with me that it would be any more binding?"
Jade grimaced, "I don't know, I hoped that would be the case but Uncle already told me that he couldn't help me. I figured even if you did decide to be hostile and try to back out on the deal than I would have already lost. Bringing Uncle would have made it a lose-lose. Wait, are you saying a demon's word isn't binding?"
"As binding as for any human, remember that Jade, it all depends on how honorable they are. Luckily for you I repay those who have served me well." Xiao Fung replied.
"So are you going to teach me your demon ways?" Jade asked in a flippant manner.
Xiao Fung chuckled at that, "I will teach you the basics of Chi of course and how to generate some wind, I doubt there will be much time left to cover anything else before I take my leave."
"What about protecting me from the memories? That was part of the deal, I don't think I can last much longer if they keep going like they have been."
"Really? To have survived the months you have so far since we first contacted you, you must have had some protection." Xiao Fung pondered.
Jade shrugged, "There was a door, in there. If I could get to it in time I could escape Shendu but its been harder to find each time, more damaged. I'm not sure how to explain it but I don't think it works anymore."
Xiao Fung nodded, lifted the door to the truck, and hopped out. Jade followed him to find that they were in a clearing surrounded by evergreen trees and just the two of them. Looking around Jade wondered where the driver was? It was really unlikely that Xiao Fung had driven them out here. "Ah, I suppose that would make sense, the chi wizard would have taken measures to bless his family with general protections from before your possession. Weakened the longer they remained with out renewal, I will have to see later just how effective it truly was, still it appears to have bought you more time than is typical for someone that manages to slay a Demon Sorcerer. An interesting method I had not considered before, still that is a minor matter. You are eager to get in to your training so the first thing you will do is remove that ridiculous bandage from your arm."
Jade wasn't sure how long they'd been driving but for a cut that deep, Jade didn't think the wound would have fully healed. She peeled away the bloody cloth wrap expecting to see scabbed skin but was surprised to see that the skin wasn't even marred by a scar across the green scales of her forearms. Jade flexed her fingers and moved the arm through its full range of motion, "Whoa, Chow cut me pretty deep and it's fixed already? No pain."
"Young as you are as a human Jade, you are but an infant of a demon and as such you will find that I got about as much enjoyment as you would hearing someone say they can walk."
Jade really didn't like the implications of that, "That's a little rude."
"The other thing you need to know is that as a demon, your body is producing demon chi which will allow you to tap in to your inherent powers and the more you tap in to your Chi the more your body changes. Thanks to Bai Tza's assistance you have become especially absorbent and you will start picking up on my Demon Chi as well. Do not be surprised and adapt is the only suggestion I can give you about the physical changes you'll experience. Now there's no time to waste if we want to get anything done. First, I must get you to recognize your own chi so go and gather wood from the forest and stack it up."
Jade did as she was bid and walked through the woods picking up branches, getting a big enough pile that it filled her arms. Jade was nervous that something in these woods would set off her memories but for some reason the woods were deathly still. Jade returned to the clearing and dumped the wood in front of Xiao Fung but he was decidedly unimpressed. Ordering her to get as much wood as she just had five times over Jade was forced to wander further afield as she scoured the undergrowth for suitable pieces of wood though for what purpose Jade wasn't entirely sure.
It turned out to be the obvious reason as Xiao Fung had gathered a portion of the wood off to the side and muttering to himself, he let out a sigh and just like that there was a spark in the midst of the tinder and in moments a healthy blaze was going. "You will sit perfectly still Jade and meditate until you can control the fire. Now begin."
"Control the fire? Control it how?"
"I'm sure you're a clever girl Jade, after all you figured out how to use the Panku box, so I'm sure you'll grasp this in a small amount of time."
"How long does it normally take people to learn how to control the fire?" Jade asked curiously.
"Well the majority of Chi wizards will never sense it but I suppose those with the inclination for it might grasp this lesson after three years or so. Of course they don't have the advantages that you have now Jade, control the fire. When you're able to do that you will be able to use your own demon chi and then it will be worth my time to bother teaching you anything else."
Jade sat there for what felt like hours but sadly when she peeked at her watch proved only to be a matter of minutes. Jade found it especially difficult because she had to tend the fire, giving it fuel at periodic intervals to prevent the flames from going out which ruined her concentration anytime she felt like she was making progress.
Eventually the hours did pass and Jade's pile of wood was completely burnt away. By the end of the day Jade was exhausted, even if she didn't feel like she had done much besides stare in to a fire, and her fire was extinguished.
Valmont was happy for once when the truck pulled up to deserted sawmill in this remote section of woods near the Canadian border. It had been part of the original operations tended to by the Dark Hand but had been abandoned by the time Tohru had joined so it was unlikely that it had been revealed to Section 13 as a possible location to investigate shortly after their breakout. The sawmill had served as a base of operations for a prescription drug ring till one of the doctors got cold feet. He had been handled before he gave away any important information but his punishment had served as an ineffective discouragement to others and Valmont had been forced to remove their support. Shortly after that, the ring had been discovered by the Mounties and shut down.
Valmont had considered going back to San Francisco and starting up his operations at an abandoned fishing cannery that had served as a perfect shell company for bringing in human trafficking from Asia, but having a demon in the back made any populated area a bad idea. After the demon was gone, Valmont would consider his options at that point and perhaps he could even afford to abandon Chan's niece out here without any repercussions from Xiao Fung.
Valmont looked to Xiao Fung who loomed over the sleeping body of Jade. Deciding it was none of his business, Valmont directed the others to leave the truck and towards the Sawmill's offices, but the toad spoke up, "I have a request for you. Make sure a fire is kept for as long as we are here."
Valmont gave no answer to Xiao Fung but on the walk to the office when they were no longer within earshot of the wind demon he instructed Ratso, "Do as he said, take shifts in tending it and the others are free to do as they please while I take care of things."
Valmont isolated himself in the manager's office and got to the first order of business by calling his accountants to determine where he stood financially. Valmont had known it was bad from the reports that his prison contact had given to him but this news made Valmont want to shatter the phone as he discovered that of his legally obtained funds, everything had been frozen except for his Swiss account which appeared to have remained unknown and held a little over a quarter of a million dollars. A tenth of what he had first had when he had when he had begun his criminal enterprises and a tiny fraction of the hundreds of millions he had enjoyed at the height of his power before getting mixed up with Shendu.
Having no other choice, Valmont called his informant to see who else was left to contact and salvage of the old operations. Contacting everyone was likely going to take up his week but if he could provide some leadership, it should cut down on his losses of his illegal earnings. Looking out the door Valmont could see that the others were beginning to settle in to the break room.
"Ugh I think something pissed on the furniture." Finn wrinkled his noise at the offensive odor.
"It isn't too late to get you back in to a clean cell." Hak Fuu shot back and considering his stone face no one was sure if he was joking about that.
"Nah, besides it looks like there's a SNES to play while we wait. Much better than making license plates any day. I call first." Ratso replied.
"Yeah right, you heard the boss, you're on fire duty so that means I get first." Chow sat down on the chouch while Ratso and Finn went to gather firewood. Hak Foo ignored the fools and watched the truck, waiting for the demons to make their move.
It had been five days at the fire exercise, sitting out in the elements, day and night with no real progress when she could finally feel it. The fire's glow and warmth, she tried to grab hold of it with her hands but they just passed through. She started to get angry at herself and she couldn't help but notice the fire was mirroring her emotions, growing larger despite the lack of any more fuel or a gust of wind. As she calmed down so did the flames.
"Xiao Fung, look. I got it. See?"
Xiao Fung, who had taken to hopping around the clearing and knocking down trees at irregular intervals, came over to investigate Jade's progress and nodded, "Very well done Jade, now I want you to sit there and extinguish the flames, then determine if you can sense any flames in the surrounding area."
Jade smiled, "No problem, watch me get this right away."
Jade looked at the flames and meditated, keeping her focus on the flame, drawing it down until it flickered weakly on the coals and imagined she was blowing them out like candles on a birthday cake. The flames on the fire winked out and only a small of smoke rose up. The first part taken care of, Jade then tried to use her new sense to feel any fire in the area. Jade felt like she could sense everything around her in the clearing but no flames were revealing themselves like this. If only she could move around but Xiao Fung had been adamant that she stay here while she was doing this.
Remembering the time had used the sheep talisman, Jade tried to exit her body with her spirit but sadly that didn't appear to be a part of her demon powers. Jade tried extending her sense further in one direction and she felt like she was making some progress even as the rest of her senses became secondary thoughts the vision of the clearing weakened until she might as well have been in a sensory deprivation chamber. The area she was focusing on was extending and stretching it as far as she could, she was still unable to detect anything. Checking each cardinal position, Jade finally felt something to the east but it didn't make much sense. In an area Jade had walked through multiple times picking up firewood was a fire that appeared to be tended to by Hak Fuu. Through the flames, Jade could sense there were others and in fact they were in a building of some sort.
Focused on this detail for a minute and memorizing where the location was, Jade returned her focus back to her body only to find that her body had fallen over and Xiao Fung had a hand wrapped around her. Judging from the crater she resided in, she had been pounded quite a few times. Jade let out a gasp as the pain hit her, Xiao Fung heard the noise and released Jade, "Ah good, it's important to remember Jade that the further you cast your senses the harder it will be to keep track of your own surroundings. Something that is true of all forms of scrying magic so it should only be done in locations where you're in no immediate danger and strongly defended. Otherwise a Chi wizard could just waltz in, capture you, and steal your power from you."
"Couldn't you have just told me that?" Jade coughed.
"I find this method to stick the hardest when teaching difficult students. Besides I didn't do you any lasting harm."
Spitting up blood Jade countered,"Because we're in a dream? Its the only thing that makes sense to me." Jade croaked at Xiao Fung.
Jade blinked and found that she was still lying on the hard surface of the truck with Xiao Fung beside her. Only this time she was uninjured if a little sore from laying in the same position for what she assumed had been days. "Well done Jade, you have grasped the most basic part of Chi magic, accessing your own chi. Like I said to you earlier, for most chi wizards it takes them years to access their own chi, in the meantime they must rely on Chi that has been infused in to their own particular artifact by their masters and the world around them. Using a string of words to focus that power to perform magic according to their desires, a Chi Wizard can do much, shields, barriers, and wards for those focused on defense and blasts and bolts for those focused on striking down the forces of darkness. Eventually gaining access for both types of magic as time passes, time that you really don't have Jade."
"I know that, and I was really hoping that you would get around to teaching me how to fight the memories so I can have the time. Can we please get to that now." Jade pointed out.
"Not so fast, I think we both need a little break so first I'll let you have some real sleep." Xiao Fung said.
Jade tried to protest but then it all went dark.
When Jade opened her eyes, she found herself in a broad clearing, similar to the one that had been the sight of her last training though this one was more real. She could feel the breeze and see it affecting the trees around her though if this was a dream maybe her mind was just providing the sensory information she'd missed before now that she realized she'd missed it. Jade wondered if she was still asleep and briefly considered feeling out for the flame but Hak Fuu near by had her put that plan on hold. Hak Fuu looked as dour as ever, Jade wondered what she was supposed to do next when she got the overwhelming impression to move. Taking advantage of this strange premonition, she leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding Xiao Fung as he fell out of the sky and almost landed on Jade if not for her instincts. "Hey! You almost crushed me there."
Xiao Fung chuckled at that, "Just making sure that you had taken my lesson to heart, you were looking especially vacant at the moment."
But if I'm really awake than that would have seriously hurt me, Jade didn't laugh along with him. Xiao Fung continued, "You wanted to learn about how to protect yourself from the memories. I will first have to see first hand how far you are along by activating one, now associations typically do the trick, so lets see what this gets us. Croak."
When Jade heard the noise, felt the rumble shake her bones even as a strong breeze whipped past her leading to the falling sensation of going to that other place, it was stronger than she'd ever experienced it before and like a person that has been repeatedly dunked in to the water Jade panicked and tried to stop it. Grasping on to her chi as a life preserver, she couldn't think of what to do after and that's when she fell completely under.
Coughing and in a dry sweat, Jade opened her eyes to see that she was now on a wide open plain with no sign of any structure or cover as far as the eye could see. Jade couldn't see anyone and she wondered what she was supposed to do when a green blur was rushing to her fast as a bullet train. Letting out a cry, she crouched down, and by some miracle she wasn't hit. Looking up Jade's relief shattered as she saw Shendu had stopped with in spitting distance of Jade. He appeared agitated and was sniffing at the air like the whole land stunk, curious Jade did the same and could smell the the recognizable scent of cow patties.
Jade found herself looking for the source as well, but it was difficult to really pin down. Like Shendu's shadow, Jade followed the demon towards his target when a frog's croak caused them both to step back even as the wind picked up at an amazing rate and threatened to push the two back. Jade was able to use Shendu as a wind block as he crouched down to a more stable footing. The wind settled down and Jade was grateful to see Xiao Fung. Crossing her arms in front of her, "Well look who decided to show up. One of my unhelpful brothers."
Xiao Fung didn't look as pleased with her presence, "You are not allowed to be here, I told that to your messengers. Was I not clear about that fact?"
No, this wasn't the Xiao Fung she wanted, this one was just Shendu's memory. He couldn't protect her and once this scene played itself out, Jade would have no place to run or hide fast enough from her demon, "You were perfectly clear, but what I desire is here. If you give it to me than I will not disturb this site any further? Surely that is not to much to ask from a brother?"
Xiao Fung's body lowered itself to the ground in anticipation of a spring, "I will not ask you again nor will I cater to your obsession with the talismans. Leave now unharmed or with your arms and legs broken, the choice is up to you."
Jade hoped to get out of here while the two fought but her body continued acting as Shendu's shadow, her mouth spoke the same words as the demon, and she was frightened. Jade was charging at Xiao Fung with the speed of the Rabbit Talisman only to come to a stop as a second Xiao Fung leapt out of the air and crashed in to the dragon toppling him and Jade found herself free to move on her own again. Feeling like a marionette with its strings cut, Jade fell to the ground and tried to regain her strength in front of the the three demons she now found herself surrounded by.
"Now Jade, calm the flames!" Jade used her sense to determine that Shendu had a massive amount of fire chi within him and found that she could control it. It was slow but Jade caused Shendu's flames to weaken and his struggles against Xiao Fung became more frantic even as the hold became more firm.
"You dare interfere in my rebirth Xiao Fung!" Shendu spat his venomous words, but the wind demon paid him no heed, breaking Shendu's arm so that it bent the wrong way and drawing forth a cry of pain. Xiao Fung seemed quite pleased with all of this until, the first Xiao Fung whispered something in to Shendu's ear and Jade found she could hear it as well even though it was as quiet as a whisper.
Jade screamed at the memory Xiao Fung along with Shendu, "Traitor!"
Distracted, the power within Shendu exceeded Jade's ability to suppress and looked near to breaking free from Xiao Fung's hold as well. Grimacing, the real Xiao Fung snapped Shendu's neck causing the world to fill with a dark mist as the sun went out. Jade opened her eyes and was standing in front of Xiao Fung in the clearing with Hak Fu hadn't made a move, his bored expression quite clear.
Feeling a migraine coming on, Jade clutched her head and then it passed as quickly as it had come. Wanting to get to the training even more now, Jade looked at Xiao Fung expectantly, "So are we going to start on my lesson?"
"We are already finished Jade. Some short term memory loss is going to happen, but don't worry I'm sure that you'll remember it the next time you go under. After experiencing that with you I see that your protection was superficial, at best. Shendu's power has continued to grow within you even as you managed to hold on to your own strength. It allowed you to run and hide but you can not truly escape something that is inside you.
"Now lets move on to showing you some things that will make you a worthy of the title Demon Sorcerer."
As the days passed, Jade got into a regular routine going in to the woods practicing her meditation to strengthen her control over the flames as Xiao Fung ordered her what to do with them. After the first few hours were over, and a light lunch was eaten, Xiao Fung had Jade run along a path, that had been marked out by Hak Fuu through the woods and regularly changed.
Jade found the training unpleasant as she was told to feel the wind, just like how she had felt the flame before. Jade would run down the path, losing track of her senses as she tried to feel the wind and painfully crash in to a tree and find herself several hundred yards off the marked path. The first time kind of hurt, so did the seventh, the twenty-sixth, the third, and the eighth, and the fourth. Jade was pretty sure she'd lost track of how many times she'd actually crashed but it was sort of hard to focus.
Bruised, battered, and exhausted, Jade continued at it till she was able to stay on the track only for Xiao Fung's test to become even harder as Hak Fuu would chase after her, cut across the course to ambush her, and lay pitfalls and snares to keep her from completing the course in the time that Xiao Fung demanded. Jade found the course grow even more difficult as her her claws became webbed and instead of sweating she produced a slime that was keeping her cool but also horribly staining her clothes. This training pushed her to the limits of even her inhuman body and when the day was over, all three would return to the hideout and sleep.
It was a small comfort that Jade's body didn't ache by the time she woke up in the morning, her natural regeneration healing the damage to her body. Jade made little progress in picking up Xiao Fung's teaching when it came to the wind, but what he was able to teach her concerning some basic charms to control the fire, to create it, and to speak through it came to her easily. The training was very different from what she had expected and challenged her both physically and mentally yet Jade found herself enjoying it. As the days ticked down that Xiao Fung had set aside for teaching, Jade felt the stress build because she knew that once Xiao Fung left, she would once again find herself in front of the imprisoned Demon Sorcerers when she fell asleep. Her success at keeping one of them out sure to be tempered by their own irritation and impatience over still being imprisoned.
The last day of training, after a fight with Hak Fuu on the course and narrowly avoiding a pit fall Jade found herself able to feel the wind. Unlike the fire chi which was contained in one spot, Jade could feel the wind floating through the woods all over the place. Ecstatic, Jade completed the course with her best time ever.
"Well done Jade, you have an amazing talent and skill but I have no more time to spend with you. Tonight I will be leaving."
Realizing her time with the Demon Sorcerer of Wind had ended, Jade took stock of the things that had happened to her, she now looked more beast than girl like a brown salamander that while only four feet high would measure closer to six from the tip of her nose to her long tail. Jade's mouth had grown a little too wide, seeming to extend into her cheekbones and all but the hair on top of her head had fallen out. The only concession to her lost humanity that Jade clung on to now were the clothes Valmont had sent Ratso and Finn to get for her, a couple sets of black t-shirts and shorts to change into every day. Jade had been forced to rip the seat off the shorts to accommodate her tail near the end as her body stabilized. Desperate for one last lesson Jade asked, "Any chance you can make me look human?"
Xiao Fung considered the request, "No, I know of a spell that you could cast on yourself but you are still to weak to properly maintain it."
"Please," Jade dragged the word out, begging.
"Alright, but be warned that the spell will only last as long as you concentrates on it. It can not be maintained while asleep and holding it for long periods will be exhausting. Here is your final lesson."
Xiao Fung goes through the steps before giving her a live demonstration and turns human, dressed in a purple suit. Jade managed to pull it off after a half hours practice and now she looked completely normal, her eyes even back to their original color and when she looked in the side view mirror of the van she could have wept.
By now the sun was beginning to set, "Goodbye Jade. I do not expect to ever see you again Sister."
Jade got still at that and wiped the tears from her eyes,"You think I'm going to lose to Shendu."
Xiao Fung nodded, "As it stands now, the outcome is inevitable. Fulfill your responsibility and free the others, perhaps they will teach you enough to survive, as for me it's time that I find out what I can of this world. What has changed and what has stayed the same."
Jade watched him go and hoped that she wouldn't regret the consequences.