Looking for the Lost:
An AU Vagrant Story fic, language, violence, and adult situations. (Vocab. and explanation at the end, if you ever make it that far. :P)
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Liet shouldered his bag and morosely twisted the last of the water from the sleeves of his jacket. His partner wasn't doing any better. The guardian closely resembled a half drowned puppy with his hair a damp mop and the oversized clothing still dripping river silt. The gunman looked over his shoulder at the spot where their boat /had/ been.
"/Great/ just... /GREAT/... I /told/ you he was bad-news... but you wanted /this/ boat!"
"I know... I'm sorry..." Ashley slogged through the muddy reeds and began the painful process of climbing the small rocky ledge that lead to the road.
"He /sank/ his /own/ fucking boat?!"
"You should've woken me up... I could've stopped him..."
"How was /I/ supposed to know that he broke something important?! Do I look like a Sailor?!"
"No, Liet..." The teen flashed a tired smile. "Here, give me your hand... I'll help you up..."
"And /why/ the fuck are you taking this so calmly?!" The assassin waved a finger threateningly under the youth's nose.
The dark-haired man blinked slowly at him, and then shrugged. "Getting angry won't change the fact that the boat is gone, and every worldly possession I have is now covered in mud..." He stood, orienting himself on the damp gravel road. "The sooner we start walking... the sooner we get somewhere... we can't be more than two weeks from Chiu-Chiang..."
"I thought we were only four days away..."
"That was by boat..."
"Oh..." Liet looked around at the untold beauty of the Yangtze River's unpopulated stretch, and at the tiny one-lane muddy path that was misnamed a highway. The trail twisted and dipped, moving inexorably /upwards/. With a pained sigh, he followed the westerner, carefully putting one food ahead of the other. It began to rain. "Oh of all the /unfair/... "
********************
Water was plentiful, /more/ than plentiful. Really, there was enough of it to be a down-right nuisance. The older man made no concession to pride as he clung to the outstretched tree-branch, wadding through the washed-out section of road. The impromptu creek cascaded beautifully over the edge of the cliff-side highway, a new waterfall of rainwater and debris. Pine bark scrapped painfully at his skin as he shimmied clear, hauled to his feel by blessedly steady hands. Ashley paused a moment, checking him over for obvious signs of damage before flashing a half-grin.
"There, still alive... Shall we go? This bit is rather unstable looking."
"/Please/ don't say 'unstable'..." His tired complaint went unheard, the teen already pressing ahead. Liet had never walked so much in his life, his body finding several new ways to hurt that he hadn't thought possible. They had been on the roadway for three days, and had made an unpleasantly small amount of progress. The region seemed devoid of human life, only the shattered remains of desolate fishing villages hinting at what had happened. Depopulated by war, hunger, and the flood-swollen river, the rough region had been abandoned.
// ...No people means no /food/... and If I don't eat /something/ soon... even Ash is going to start looking good... //
Trapped on the highway, currently at mid-level between the turbulent river below, and the lush monsoon-foliage above, they were literally starving. "We need to find a town... or a shack... or /something/... I'm /hungry/... and /cold/..." The monologue became something of a litany, interrupted only once during the day's ordeals, when as if on cue, it began to pour again. The heavy rain made the visibility almost nothing, they walked in single-file on the inner-most edge of the road, one hand on the cliff-side for balance. He switched from complaints to curses with a fluency caused by days of practice. The guardian was silent, moving slower now, but setting a steady pace. Head down, hair soaked flat against his skull, he grimly tested each foothold before moving forward, watching for slick mud and other dangers.
It was somewhere around the fifth day that Liet slumped to his knees, his legs refusing to take him further. The dawn had come, cold and hazy; their already damp clothes receiving an added helping of dew. Sleep had been a long time coming in the make shift shelter of the outcrop, and the gunman arose feeling worse than when he sat down. He sneezed miserably. The teenager had looked at him in quiet worry before starting up the next near-vertical stretch of road, a murmured "Don't get sick." Falling to his wooly feeling ears. The assassin would've laughed, if he had had the energy. A little while later he did laugh, sitting in the mud, staring at his traitorous limbs. They had the right idea, the quest was impossible, better to wait in the highway for rescue, or for the rains to wash him away.
// I wonder... will my corpse wash all the way to Shanghai? What an odd sort of homecoming that would be... //
"Get up, Liet."
"Can't. Legs won't listen."
The quiet man grimaced, kneeling beside him to cautiously feel his knees and ankles. The day had been startlingly dry, hopefully heralding the end of the rainy season. The gunman resisted the urge to giggle as the inspection continued, tilting his head cooperatively as the teen examined his face and neck. "You're running a fever, and you've exhausted yourself."
"Not a terrible surprise... I would kill for some pork and steamed rice..."
Ashley laughed for the first time in days. "...So could I, old man, so could I... But we're almost at tree-level... see? Maybe I can catch us something edible..."
"I'll have one rat now please, and one to-go..." Liet knew he was almost raving, but couldn't stop himself. His companion watched him for a grim moment before taking a deep breath, seeming to come to some decision.
"Come on, Liet..."
"Can't. Legs won't listen." It was childish, and funny, /very/ funny. He felt his small pack lifted free of his shoulder, and watched his friend hang it around his neck.
"And now you... come on... just don't strangle me, ok?" Bemused, the assassin clambered up onto Ashley's back, and winced at the distinctly unnerving feeling of movement beneath him.
// How the hell do little kids put up with this?! I'm a grown man, and I'm scared shitless... What if I'm too heavy? What if he slips? // His brain continues to toss terrifying possibilities until giving-up, he closed his eyes, unwilling to cope with the reality of the situation. He /was/ feverish, he could feel the alternating waves of heat and chill wrack his body. // I want to go home... // If he had considered the thought seriously, he would have been forced to admit that he didn't know where it was. The fever left no room for idle musings however, beating like a steady bass-drum behind his eye-lids.
********************
"Liet...?" The man had fallen silent, his breath a steady warmth against his shoulder. Ashley shook his damp hair out of his eyes, grimly aiming for the top of the hill. He was /tired/. Each step on the treacherous road was an exercise in willpower, muscles straining and trembling in pain. He welcomed the burning feeling, using it to keep him focused on the task at hand. His mind was beginning to show a distressing tendency to wander.
// And the old man isn't getting any lighter... just fifty more feet...//
// ...twenty-five... //
// ... ten, I can do this. //
// ...made it? //
Almost disbelieving, he took a few more steps on the now level road, and turned, looking behind him. The vista was incredible, something reminiscent of an ancient wood cut, or ink painting. Far /far/ beneath them, the murky green river wound its way between the battered cliffs, the occasional fleck of white in the water hinting at submerged rocks. The steep gray granite was broken and cracked from centuries of battery by river and rain, each and every nook and cranny filled with bright green bamboo, and other rain-loving plants, higher up, bent pine trees leaned together like groups of old men. Down in the cleft, and all around him, wispy fog-like clouds seemed to twist and flow, sinuous serpents of vapor.
"Hey Liet... you've got to see this..." But the man slept on, unawares. With a sigh Ashley staggered over to the relative shelter of the trees, lowering his burden onto the soft turf. "You don't look so good..." Pausing to rest a moment, he slumped against the side of the tree, and closing his eyes, fell fast asleep. He never even noticed as two men walked down the road, the taller one wrapped in a oddly old-fashioned black cowl. They paused, studying the two fugitives, the shorter one clucking in dismay.
"They are, neither of them, doing very well... silly humans, don't they know this is no weather to travel in?"
"Odd..." The taller man moved forward with unusual curiosity, crouching next to the sleeping guardian.
"What is it 'Sala ? Is he on your list? You'd might as well leave him, I doubt he'll last the night. Not worth the bother, if you ask me."
"I didn't..." The more talkative man simple shrugged, not put off my his companions gruff style. He watched as a three-fingered hand reached out to gently tip the young face into the light.
"The boy is interesting, I grant you... a curiously old-soul in that one..."
"I know this boy..."
"Really? A friend of yours?"
"Yes..."
Salten stretched, taking in the odd scene with his usual candor. "Great, fine... /wonderful/ even." He brushed the rain from his jacket. "Now what?"
********************
"Good morning! Or perhaps I should say 'Good evening' as that is more appropriate given the hour... how do you feel?"
The assassin blinked muzzily, awake but not fully alive yet. It was as if he was trapped in thick warm mud, pulling free was a slow effort. "I... gah... water?"
"I think I can do one better, how about soup...?" The voice was altogether too cheerful as supportive hands lifted him slowly upright. Liet felt more than saw the wooden bowl being pressed into his hands, and lifted it to his lips, gulping down the warm broth. "Better...?"
"Um... yes, thank you... is there more...?" Immediate needs dealt with, he rubbed his face with his hands, grimacing at the several-day old beard on his chin. Feeling awake, but still horribly run down, he gingerly accepted a second bowl, this time getting a proper look at his savior. He very nearly spilled the hot liquid in his lap. A most unusual sort of man was perched on the stool across from him, watching him eat with an oddly cat-like smile. He would've looked a normal young man, if not for the braid of almost silver colored hair looped over his shoulder. The color in odd conflict with the youth of his features.
// Ears... his ears... // The gunman focused on drinking his soup while his mind happily gibbered in confusion. His odd companion blinked at his odd behavior.
"You've been rather ill, I'm afraid... but seem to have pulled through... I know something of human medicine you see... so it's lucky we found you when we did... 'Sala is a nice-enough sort... but he's bloody useless in situations like these."
// Oh My Merciful Gods... his /eyes/... // He very carefully placed the empty bowl on the floor. The shaking hands had nothing to do with his sickness.
"You know, it'll be a lot easier for both of us, if you just /ask/... these introductions are always such a hassle..." The golden eyes twinkled with obvious mischief.
"You... what /are/ you...? and where is Ash-Li? and am I dead? Are you a demon? Who /are/ you?!"
The honey-colored man blinked, nonplused. "I seem to have opened a floodgate... I think I'll answer them in order of importance, do you mind? I didn't think so." He took a deep breath. "You may call me Salten, my real name is considerably more complicated. Your friend is outside having a conversation with an old companion of his. You are very much alive, thanks to /me/ I might add, and 'no' I am not a demon, rather the opposite in fact."
"Which makes you..."
"Have you ever heard of the Land of Nod, Liet?" The young man's expression was amused.
"Isn't that a children's story...? About a country east of the sun, and west of the moon...? A place where magic comes from...?"
"Yes, indeed it is... but perhaps there is some truth to it as well... What if I were to tell you that I am from such a place...?"
"Do you kidnap children?"
"Never against their will..."
"Oh... do you eat people?"
"Hardly."
"Have you put at curse on me?"
"Not yet..."
"/Will/ you put a curse on me?"
"That depends how many more questions you have." The cat-eyed man grinned.
The gunman shrugged, amazed at how easily he was taking the new twists in his life. "Not three weeks ago I was chased through the streets of Nanjing by five walking corpses and the better part of a squad of ghosts, all of them bent on making me their dinner... Somehow... I don't think I'd care if you had horns... but I'd appreciate not being cursed, if it's all the same to you."
"I'll keep that in mind." Salten rose, gathering up the dish. "I think I'll go tell Ashley that you are recovered, he's been rather worried about you." The tent flap rustled as he slipped through, disappearing outside into the night.
// I think I've gone daft... too much stress... // Careful not to tangle himself in the blankets, he crawled forwards until he could put his eye to the small gap in the smooth fabric.
"I wish I could help you, Ash... but this is my busiest time of year... and to be honest, if the place is have as well hidden as you say, I'd probably fly right over it and never find what you're looking for."
"I understand, you've already done more than I can repay you for..."
"You nearly peeled a decade off my life, turning up like this... We all were certain you were /lost/. People don't usually come back from the void..."
"I was... highly motivated."
"I'll bet. How's the blonde? Still up to his old tricks?" The silence that followed was uncomfortable.
"Way to put your foot in your mouth, 'Sala, try swallowing it too, next time." The familiar voice was full of dry sympathy as it broke the painful moment. "Soup, Ashley?"
"No thank you."
"Your little friend is up... you should probably go convince him that we mean no harm... he's got some rather peculiar notions."
"As far as /your/ people are concerned, I doubt he's far off..." There was humor in the statement, and the other travelers 'humph'ed in amusement.
"I'm an anthropologist for Nature's sake... not a hunter... If I wanted to live up to the more grisly reputations, I'd have to ask 'Sala here for pointers on which end of the sword to use..."
"The pointy end goes /away/ from you..."
This time Ashley laughed as well, moving towards the tent with an easy grace. The gunman shuffled quickly back to his make-shift bed, trying to not look overly guilty as his friend arrived.
"You don't look so bad... how do you feel, groggy?"
"Tired. But fine. What happened, who /are/ those people?"
The guardian scratched his head in bemused wonder. "They... well, /one/ of them used to be a friend of mine... well maybe that's too strong a word, but we fought in a war together... So I suppose we're as close as he lets /anybody/ get... Methuselah is an odd fellow."
The assassin was tempted to ask /which/ war, but decided he didn't want to know. "... and the other one...? The one with the /ears/...?"
"Chatty bastard, isn't he...? He seems to mean well enough, even if he does remind me of my sixth grade history teacher." The teen straightened the blankets in an almost paternal fashion. "Get some rest now... We'll have to get going soon enough."
"Where are we?"
"In sight of Chiu-Chiang... they must have moved us while we slept, for rather obvious reasons, they don't tend to spend much time in cities..." He thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, I should probably warn you... if you think Sal is odd looking, wait until you see Methuselah, but try not to yell in his face, he's kinda touchy about that stuff..."
"... got it. No yelling." Feeling only mild dread, Liet drifted back to sleep.
********************
Either out of consideration, or out of general aloofness, the assassin found that the taller stranger gave him a wide berth around the campsite. He didn't mind that much, the fast-talking scholar absorbing most of his attention. The guardian gave the pot a final stir before standing up, " Hey, Methuselah, let's go have a look around... I need to stretch my legs." The dark-cloaked man rose from his crouch on a nearby stump his appearance oddly hunchbacked. He had the hood pushed back in a concession to the warm day, and Liet discovered that the man sported a rather shaggy haircut, and a large pair of what looked like army-surplus tinted welding-goggles. The man also towered easily over Ashley, hunched or not, a gaunt giant.
"Sure."
The morishi, or so he identified himself, sniffed in amusement as the pair stalked off. "No wonder they get along, neither ever says anything..." He tilted his head, thoughtful. "Although I have to admit, 'Sala has talked more in the last five days then he has for the better part of ten years... and who /knows/ if he talked to anyone before I came along to badger him..."
"You've been traveling with that guy for ten /years/...?" The assassin blinked in disbelief.
"It's a good a way as any to pass the time... and it provides me ample opportunity to conduct research for my book!"
"You're writing a book? About what?"
"Human social behavioral patterns. I doubt it'll be a best seller, but it is a topic that has never been well addressed... Most people think it's a waste of time."
Liet took several seconds to digest the information, uncertain whether to be impressed or insulted. "You... /study/ humans?"
The golden-eyed man smiled cutely. "Yes! It's my life's work!"
"...great..."
"Don't you want to be better understood?"
"You don't capture and 'tag' us, do you?"
"Not yet, I don't have the funding for that..." Salten took a look at the man's alarmed expression. "I'm joking! There are better ways of collecting data then running around with tranquilizer guns... besides... you people are aggressive enough /without/ provocation..."
"Oh..."
"Say, there's an idea... would you like to be part of my book? I'll pay you for your time..."
"What do I have to do...?"
"Just tell me about yourself, your childhood, your family, your job... I'm collecting stories you see...for future cross reference."
"You want to know /my/ story?" The assassin made a face. "It's not much of anything..."
Salten shrugged, "It's not over yet, is it... So don't go saying that yet. Later perhaps I'll see you again, and you can tell me the rest... of your 'incredible quest' perhaps..."
"Quest? If it were a quest, wouldn't I be searching for something?"
"Aren't you?"
"I'm just following Ash-Li... The boy needs /someone/ to look after him."
"You'd be surprised at his self-sufficiency." He tilted his head, birdline, and considered the gunman from a new angle. "I don't know what you seek, Liet... I'm no sage... But I /can/ tell you what you'll find... If you survive the journey."
"Oh? And what is that..."
"Follow Ashley, little human, and you will be taken on a pilgrimage to the edge of the world... to a temple in the clouds... and there... if you are /very/ lucky... you may just witness a /miracle/." The pale-haired man grinned. "An honest-to-goodness-first-time-this-millennia-/miracle/... Maybe not something you'd think to look for... but it'd be something worth /seeing/... hmmm? Quite a story..."
He shrugged, not understanding the song-song man's point, "Sounds exciting. So you want to buy the story? How much?"
"No money I'm afraid, but I have some things that may be of use to you..." Salten dug through his pockets a minute, pulling several things out only to look at them and shove them back in. In the end, three objects were placed carefully on their log-bench; a piece of silk yarn, a palm-sized shard of mirror, and silver bullet. Liet examined the last in amusement, noting it was the right caliber for his gun.
"A string, a shard, and a single piece of ammo? You're joking, right?" He chuckled, "What am I going to do, make a wind-chime?"
"Don't be crass! The string becomes a rope of any length you please, stronger than iron chain... The mirror can make or see through any disguise! As for the bullet... well I just figured you could use it, I don't know where I picked it up from... but it may come in handy..."
"A magic 'rope', a magic 'mirror', and a bullet you found by the side of the road... it's probably a dud..." The gunman shrugged helplessly, "What the Hell, why not." Tucking his dubious new possessions in his pack, he thought a minute, then began.
"I was born... in this little town outside of the main city... mostly fishing and crap like that... but my dad was a government clerk, and eventually got promoted to a job down-town. I remember that mom didn't want to leave our old house... she cried for days..."
********************
"That's that... let's get going hmm? We could both use a fresh set of clothes... This time, I'll let you pick the boat." Ashley's mood was surprisingly cheerful as they stood in the now empty clearing.
Their two odd hosts had packed the camp by the simple expedient of making the tents disappear, leaving only dents in the grass where they had stood. The assassin, bemused had even waved goodbye as the pair faded from view. The hadn't walked. They were simply /gone/. He looked down the now dry expanse of road, watching it dip down the hillside into a smallish sort of town. The antique canted-rooflines reminded him of something out of a post card, but his good mood was undeniable. He even tossed a cheerful salute to Chairman Mao as they strolled through the market, provoking a snort of amusement from his companion.
"What, I'm just thanking the Mighty Chairman for this nice, /quaint/ town! After all... he could've leveled it..."
"Good point..." The guardian nodded thoughtfully.
They picked through a second-hand clothing shop, Liet parting with a small number of rather soggy bills, and some loose change to purchase them fresh shirts and a hot lunch. The roasted fish tasted rather like a tar-coated boot. Determined to think ahead this time, the assassin also wandered into a more esoteric shop, reappearing with a water-tight tin box.
"No more soggy food!"
"I doubt it's going to rain anymore..."
"Forget rain, I'm talking about another dunking in the river!"
"Ah..."
Provisions purchased, they wandered through the narrow cart-lanes, eventually finding themselves at the river. Almost chortling with delight, the gunman carefully inquired after several boats before finally settling on a particularly sturdy little craft. A small-town cargo run about to return up river. For an additional fee they were more than happy to take them a bit further, even all the way to Wu-han.
"Enough of this walking! This time, we ride cool and comfortable..."
"It was about time for a change of luck..."
"Luck had nothing to do with it!" The guardian merely shrugged, and climbed onboard.
The little sailboat made decent time, even with the strong currents. Liet spent a very happy week idly trailing a fishing line in the rushing water, he even occasionally caught something. His partner only blinked in silent amusement as he fished his first boot from the murky depth. The fish were met with slightly more active interest on the part of the crew. The younger man returned to his quiet ways, slouched in an out of the way corner of the deck for hours at a time. His eyes were either watching the unceasing variety of the steep cliffs, or staring up at the high clouds. The weather remained clear, cooperating for the first time in months.
// Boats are /so/ much better than walking... // The assassin flicked his line out again, idly wishing for a fish to bite. // We'll just nap our way to Wu-han... then get a boat through the 'legendary' Three Gorges... I always wondered what those statues looked like... //
"Oi...Ash-Li... after we get to Fu-Ling... /then/ what?"
"Fu-Ling is still a /long/ way off..."
"Pah, nothing to it..."
"After Fu-Ling? We head /up/ into the mountains..."
"... Walking...?"
"I'm afraid so..."
"You're a cruel man..."
"You're welcome to stay behind... I'd understand if you were tired of all this..."
"And just /how/ would you buy your food without me?" Liet basked for a minute is smug superiority.
"I'd work, I suppose..."
"Oh..." He could find no fault with the calm reply, and shrugged. "It'll be faster and easier if I tag along... at least until I see this so-called historic city..."
"As you like..."
"I /do/ like... so hush up, /junior/..."
"Yes grandfather... what ever you say..."
********************
From Wu-han the recruited another tiny freight vessel, Ashley helping to collect and load the various local goods on their journey up stream to I-Ch'ang. The spent a day gazing at a gorgeous mountain lake, as the glided up stream only to be delayed a few days later by an unscheduled stop in a small fishing village. The boat's owner apologized profusely for the delay, explaining that some of the boards of the hull had begun to leak. It would take a few hours for the repairs to be made.
"By all means, fix the boat... /please/..." Liet had had more then enough of swimming in the wild river, and had no intention of repeating the adventure. He wandered around the small village as the boat was patched, surprised to find his partner following him like a shadow. "What's the matter now? Don't tell me you want to head over-land... it's much faster to just wait for the boat..."
"I know... I'm just walking... it's good to be on land again..."
"You /like/ walking, don't you..."
"Depends..."
"On what?"
"On if I have to carry you again..."
The gunman was about to give the boy a piece of his mind, when he was all but run over by a sprinting form from the village. He caught only the most fleeting of impressions as he hit the ground, dirty feet, a ragged cape, and a pair of remarkable blue eyes that stared at him from under the hood for a guilty, startled instant. In a flash, the villager was gone, vanishing into the thick bamboo groves that separated the edge of the settlement from the woods. Liet flailed for a minute before a strong hand caught his arm, helping him upright.
"What the hell was /that/?!"
"Thief, apparently." The gunman snorted at the bland drawl, then followed the younger man's gaze back to the village, a small crowd of angry house-wives and fishermen were heading their direction.
"Wonder what he took..."
"/She/... and I think it was a fish."
They watched the angry men dive into the woods, brandishing sticks and oars. Several older men brought up the rear, moving too slowly to ever keep up. One wizened elder, staggered to a stop next to them with a grumpy sigh.
"That little monster... that's the eighth one this /week/..."
"Why do you say 'monster'...?" The guardian's mild question seemed to bring the man up short, he finger-combed his mustache with a nervous hand.
"The truth of the matter is, that the creature was born in this village... and has been a curse on us ever since. It was the mother's fault of course... Po was such a good lad. A good fisherman too. Then one day he comes back from the market... and he's brought home a /wife/... eight months later, he dies in the floods... they were terrible that year, and when his wife gave birth... it was a /monster/..."
"So you banished her from the village, because of a deformed child?"
"It's not just deformed! It's a /monster/..." Ashley's skeptical snort was ignored.
The assassin frowned at the story. "Maybe the mother died... the child must be hungry..."
"You're both addle-patted idiots... it's a /monster/ I tell you, it's the curse of the village. The sooner it goes, the better we'll all be..." The mob of fishermen returned in groups of twos and threes, grumbling at the phantom child and the lost fish. "Ah well, it'll be over soon... we've hired a /real/ hunter, up from Wu-han... /he'll/ take care of the foul thing..."
Liet gaped in shock as the old man grinned self-importantly. "You... you can't do that... that's..."
"Murdering a child will hardly cure your village of it's curse, Grandfather... You'd have a better chance of that by /feeding/ the girl." The guardian's voice was no longer amused, his entire posture radiating disgust.
"Ah, and which of us is the 'wise' elder... and which of us is the 'stupid-know-nothing' boy? Hmmm? Show some respect, outsider..." The assassin was reminded of the one time he had seen a mongoose face off against a cobra.
There was a long cold moment, then the younger man suddenly shrugged, capitulating. "So, when does your 'hunter' arrive?"
"Next week... Why?"
"And you're probably paying for both his time, and his transportation?"
"...Yes... what do you want, boy?"
"I could make you an offer... /I'll/ get rid of your monster, in exchange for the repairs to the boat... You can send your fishermen down river tomorrow, and tell your 'hunter' his services are no longer needed. Save yourself some money."
"You?! A hunter? Pffft."
"I am willing to offer a demonstration of skill..."
"Um... Ash-Li... what are you /doing/..."
"Not now, Liet..."
The old man sniggered, "well now... what a funny pair you are... you think you can earn your fame by defeating our curse?"
"I never said anything about the curse, I said, I will rid you of your monster." Ashley's smile was sharp.
"If you can do it /tonight/... then you can go, and there'll be no charge for the boat... If you can't..." The wrinkled grin was an unpleasant display of rotted teeth. "Then it'll cost you double..."
"bastard..."
"Deal."
"What?" The gunman looked at his friend in disbelief. "You /can't/ be serious..."
Bowing briefly to the old man, the guardian stalked back into town not stopping until he came to a small woman baking goods for sale. "Can I have six meat-buns?" Completely baffled, Liet paid for the snacks and tucking them into his bag, followed the quiet man back into the woods.
"This is crazy... you can't just kill a stray kid! I... I won't let you!"
"This coming from an assassin?"
"That's /completely/ different! Those were corrupt old men! This is a /child/... Ash?!"
The younger man pulled himself up onto a convenient boulder, then reached down to haul the hit-man up after him. "Relax, Liet. I have no intention of killing anybody... well, the old man is tempting, but not worth the trouble..."
"So what the hell are we doing?"
"/Warning/ her... and perhaps trying to find a few answers..."
Leit hefted the bag higher on his shoulder as he looked around at the shadowy trees. "How in sweet mercy are we going to find /anything/ here...?"
"Well... first we narrow down her location... then we make a peace offering..." Scanning the ground for clues only he could read, Ashley moved confidently onward, leading them further and further up the hillside. The way became confusing as more and more rocks littered the ground, their path taking them far above the small village. After a good hour's walking, the guardian came to a stop, looking around the small clearing with resigned acceptance. "Here... somewhere around here..."
"I guess I'll start a fire..."
The afternoon hours went slowly, both men doing their best to look as calm and unthreatening as possible. The sat on one side of the cheery fire, the small offering of meat-buns were laid out on the other. Liet lazily fell to playing with his little shard of mirror, amused by the way it caught the light. He couldn't see what was so magic about it. His reflection looked just the same as it always did, a little rougher, a little harrier, but nothing special. The gift was obviously a joke.
// Ah well... at least I didn't waste anything on it... save my time... and that I have pleanty of... //
The youth was slouched against a nearby tree, idly peeling the bark off a twig. As he worked he whistled an oddly haunting tune. The assassin pondered breaking the man's concentration, curious about the song, but in the end he decided not to. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched a slim brown hand dart out, claiming the top-most treat. Boredom forgotten, he nudged his companion with his foot. Ashley nodded in agreement.
"It's a pity those villagers are complete idiots..."
"I couldn't stay there another minute!"
"Still, the poor girl looked hungry..."
"And to think, we brought extra food incase we met her again..."
"It'll probably go to waste..." Another meat-bun disappeared into the bushes a little slower this time, and the guardian repressed a smirk.
"Somebody need to warn her about those villagers, though... They're really going to try and kill her from the sound of it." Liet watched the bushes carefully, and swore he saw a pair of eyes. There was no way to tell if she understood them.
"There's no way to help her if she can't be found... if they bring in dogs... it'll be over pretty quickly." The teen's keen ears picked up a faint gasp of dismay. The last three snacks remained untouched. He slowly stood, "Ah well, nothing to do but go... We tried..." The gunman stood as well, preparing to douse the fire.
"...wait..." A small voice came from the bushes. "...what do you mean 'dogs'...?"
"You can speak...?" The guardian quickly sank into a non threatening crouch, trying to pinpoint the girl's location. "That's more then I hoped for... We came to talk to you..."
"Nobody talks to me... only mother, and she's gone."
Ashley shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry that you've been alone... and I want to talk to you... will you come and sit?"
"I'd rather stay where I am..."
Liet decided to make an offering to the conversation. "If you come out... I'll gladly share some of this candy... He pulled a well concealed bundle of sweets from the bottom of his bad, shrugging guiltily at his partner's curious stare. "They've survived the trip all the way from Chiu-Chiang..."
"Where's that...?" The voice was stronger now, older sounding. The lure of sweets doing what bravery alone could not.
"Down river, several days down river..."
Moving hesitantly, Liet slowly placed the box of tiny confections near the fire before backing away. There was a quiet rustle of leaves, and then, moving in short skittish bursts, a slender form emerged from the woods. Arms and legs appeared well-formed in the fire light, but her head and shoulders were wrapped carefully with an assortment of shrouds. Picking up another meat-bun, she tucked it under the concealing cloth, and quickly finished it. "What are you doing here...? What do you want...?"
The Riskbreaker watched her carefully, weighing his options. "The villagers are going to kill you, unless you have the power to stop them...?" She hesitantly shook her head, and then turned to explore the box nearby. Using her claws daintily, she peeled the paper wrapped off the sweet, and swiftly popped it in her mouth. The assassin swallowed nervously at the way the curved edges caught the light. She was not a girl without defenses.
"I want you to come with us..."
The girl looked up in alarm, "What?"
"I can't explain everything right now... but you can trust me... and I want you to leave this place, it's not safe here."
"And it's /safer/ with you?!" She was frightened now, and curiosity forgotten she edged away.
Ashley sighed in frustration. "I know what you are... I think I can help... but only if you come with me. I'll protect you, I swear."
"Swear?! Hah, swear by what...? If you say 'the gods' I'll claw out your eyes..." Her voice had a distinct hiss to it.
He considered the question and at length smiled. "I swear by my sword... and I swear by the Rood which was once mine and will be again. I will deliver you to a place of safety, a place where no one will terrorize you again."
"Um... Ash...? Exactly /how/ do you plan to do that...? We have a boat to catch... /remember/...?" Liet hated it when he was obliged to be the voice of reason. His worried comment catching the young woman's attention.
"Yes, /stranger/... exactly how /do/ you plan to get me on your boat... The village will stone me on sight! Not to mention the sailors..."
Momentarily confounded, the teen paused, "We'll need to disguise you somehow..." The forest-girl began to laugh.
The hit-man scratched his head in thought. "Well, maybe if we get you a new dress, and a hat or something... we can just walk you to the boat tonight and nobody will notice."
"It'll take more than a hat to conceal /me/, never mind then... to hell with both of you, I can escape without you..." Ashley made to protest but was silenced with a bitter look. "I'm leaving..."
Digging his hands into his pockets, the assassin sighed in frustration, pausing as his knuckles grazed a sharp edge. It was the mirror. "Ow! Stupid piece of shit..." He fished it out and chucked it towards the fire." Both of the young people followed the shining arc with sudden curiosity, but the guardian moved faster. Scooping up his prize he turned it over in his hands, obviously startled.
"Um... Liet... where the hell did you get one of these?!"
"That idiot friend of Mr. Goggles gave it to me... why? Is it valuable?"
********************
"This feels weird..."
"Just keep moving, the sooner you're in the boat, the happier I'll feel about all of this." Liet carefully herded his companion along the edge of the village, and towards the dubious shelter of the small ship. The repairs were complete, and the crew was slowly reloading the cargo. The large form at his side only slouched lower, obviously uncomfortable, and followed his lead.
"Will /he/ be alright... you think?"
"I've yet to see anything that could slow him down for long, he'll probably be in place long before /we/ ever set sail from this hole." It was uncanny, he was talking to Ashley, and yet /not/ talking to Ashley. The teen's voice and movements were all faithfully copied, along with his face and form, but it was all a charade, a costume of mirror shine made flesh. The girl moved almost guiltily through the town that had given her birth, head down and posture slumped. It gave the guardian a particularly downcast and defeated look.
// Almost like he had met the 'monster' and lost... that could be useful, except I have no intention of paying the repair bill for this... Ah well... she's doing her best not to attract attention... // They almost made it to safety, when a gnarled hand reached out and rudely caught the forest-girl's illusion wrapped arm.
"Back so soon? I knew you'd give up... Our witch is a sly one she is... I'll take the payment /now/ if you don't mind... since I'm sure you're an honorable man."
"...Pay...?" The question was blankly confused, and for a moment Liet was privately amused at how perfectly his companion unknowingly imitated the /real/ thing. Before her ignorance could get them into trouble, he stepped forward, neatly separating them and pointing her forward to the boat with a jerk of his chin.
"Gice up? Who said we'd given up? The boy here is simply angry that it was I who found the means to do away with the 'beast'... You'll find that after today, your monster will trouble you no more." He ignored the departing man's snort of amusement, and fixed the elder with a coldly disinterested stare. "As we've lived up to /our/ side of the agreement, I think you had better let us go... Don't you?"
"What? Where's your proof?" The smile was singularly unappealing. Idly pulling and examining a gun, the assassin raised a curious eyebrow.
"Proof? Who said anything about /proof/...? If you wanted it, you should have specified it at the time of contract negotiation. My hauling what was left of the ragged thing down the mountains was not part of the plan, and since it would have been tedious, and likely /dirty/ work... We left it all behind. If you want proof, go look in the forest, you'll find ample evidence that she is gone."
Fighting the urge to laugh at the stubborn old man's frozen dismay, he turned and trotted to the boat, climbing inelegantly over the side. It was five minutes work to ride the boat out into the river, and in under an hour, they had rounded the tight curve of the river, putting the small settlement out of sight. Liet bargained for a moment with the ship's captain, and eventually the wizened fisherman acceded to his odd request, steering towards shore again, and dropping anchor in the shallow water near a reedy bank. The crew watched, bemused, as the assassin and his friend went ashore, wading through the muddy water and disappearing into the bushes. For a nervous moment, the gunman was afraid it was hopeless, but a low whistle caught his attention and moving deeper into the bamboo he found what he was looking for. The guardian was lounging on a sunny boulder, waiting for them as if he never doubted their arrival.
The gunman sighed in relief, "There you are... for a minute I was afraid I'd lost you."
"Hardly. Was there any trouble?" He observed his Doppler with mild interest as he dropped from the tall stone shelf, landing smoothly in the soft dirt.
"Nothing worth mentioning."
His still-damp copy fumbled for a minute before retrieving the shard of mirror from a pocket. The forest-girl stared for a quiet minute into the shining surface before the artificially tall form melted away, leaving her in shroud and rags once again. "That's that then... so... what happens now?"
// I don't think I'll /ever/ get used to that.... bah... /magic/... // He kept from flinching as the blue-eyed glare was pointed his direction. Under her concealing face-wrap she was obviously frowning.
"...Well? It's not like there can be /two/ of either of you... and I don't know anybody else's face well enough to copy it in the mirror..."
Ashley frowned a minute, considering the problem. "You'd be better off with something closer to what you are... it'll take less of your concentration to maintain the spell... " He shrugged at her annoyed grumble. "I don't question your power, but you have to admit, your training is ragged at best... no, better to have it simple... Unfortunately, any faces that I remember well are obviously foreign... and I draw enough attention as is..." The guardian looked questioningly at Liet.
"What...?"
"Can you think of any nice 'normal' woman that she can imitate for a bit? A secretary perhaps? Or a neighbor?"
"...I never met my neighbors..." The image came almost unbidden to his mind, there was /one/ face he could easily fix on, had done many times before when he let his thoughts wander.
// Damnit... why did I have to think of her /now/... no use for it... although Gods know her face brought /her/ no luck in the end... // He hesitated only a minute, before shrugging blandly.
"Yeah, sure, I can think of one or two women... but what good does it do? /She/'s the one who can make the mirror work... and it's not like I have a pencil or any talent at drawing..." He froze as the girl moved closer, firmly placing the mirror in his hands before covering them with her own.
"Doesn't matter, just concentrate on what she looked like." She closed her eyes, concentrating, and reluctantly, Liet did the same.
// ... Dark hair, large eyes, small chin... a rather ordinary face if taken in pieces... so why was it so special...? How was it those ordinary features became so beautiful when she looked at me... I remember the way she dimpled when she smiled... she never smiled enough... and less and less as time went on. // The assassin snorted in disgust at his still maudlin memories of the woman who had betrayed and abandoned him. // No, that's not true... not /betray/... She did what she thought she had to... and I was too /stupid/ to understand... overacting was all I was ever good at back then, /stupid/ kid... I didn't deserve her. //
Suddenly angry, he jerked away from the forest-girl, startling her with his energy. He heard a mild murmur of approval from behind, the guardian looking past him curiously. The gunman turned, meaning to apologize for his selfish reaction, when he really /looked/ at the woman now standing in the clearing. Pained surprised turned his words into a garbled noise that faded and died in his throat. Fidgeting nervously under the double inspection, his wife smoothed a dress of plain home-spun, and tucked a small shard of mirror into a pocket. She looked up, and the spell was abruptly broken as sharp blue eyes stared at him defensively.
"/What/...? Did I make a mistake? The mirror never shows /me/ any change, so it'd better be right..."
Ashley nodded thoughtfully. "It'll do... we may have to beat the sailors off with sticks, but it'll do. Now all you need is a name. Calling you 'monster' would be a little silly, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose..." She paused, uncertain. "My mother... she called me Peilei..."
"That doesn't sound Chinese..." Still rattled by the specter from his past, the gunman's comment was harsher than intended. He wilted under the double stare of annoyance from his companions. "...Well... it /isn't/..." Liet couldn't help but feel embarrassed as he followed the quiet pair back towards shore, wishing he had kept his traitorous mouth shut.
// You always /did/ talk too much around her... /nerves/... or something... /stupid/... // He shook his head, trying to force the memories away. // But /she/ is not my wife... she's a crazy witch-woman... with /claws/... Yes Liet... Do try to remember the claws, and mind your manners, ok? //
********************
It was remarkably easy to explain away the appearance of a new passenger on the small ship. The crew was either disinterested, or too grateful of the extra payment to risk any overly direct questions. Pei, as she had come to be called, made herself useful in hundreds of quiet ways, doing her best to stay out of the way of the workings of the boat. As they moved up river, the previous week's patterns gradually slipped back into place. Aside from the brief break, when they changed boats at the ancient city of Wu-han, the journey continued its slow pace deeper and deeper into the heart of China. The assassin resumed his lazy afternoons of fishing as the boat skimmed along the smooth sections of water, admiring the poetic scenery. It didn't take him long however to realize he had gained a shadow with the arrival of the forest-girl. Ashley had spent the first few days speaking earnestly to their new arrival, their soft conversations always just below the level of his hearing. It lasted only briefly however, the guardian gradually returned to the unmoving ennui that had plagued him before. By the end of the week he spent his unoccupied time dozing against the side of the bales of rice, eyes unfocused, attention turned inwards. Liet kept a cautious eye on the younger man, worried, but not knowing what else to do.
"What's wrong with him... is he sick?"
The question caught him by surprise, and he turned to find the girl had settled beside him. Working quickly with needle and thread, she set about re-attaching a button to one of the sailor's shirt. He shrugged, uncertain how to answer"... Sort of... But like no sickness I've ever seen... It's like he's just /waiting/... This whole journey, it's not an 'adventure' to him, more of a necessary evil really."
"He told me we were going to a temple... he said they'd look after me there... that they wouldn't think me a monster..."
"They probably will..." The assassin looked at her thoughtfully. "He seems to know some pretty odd-looking people... I can't say, having never seen you, but I doubt you're any worse than the fellow with cat-eyes..."
"The one who gave you the mirror?"
"For all the good it did me? Yes, he's the one."
"I'd say it's done /me/ a great deal of good..."
"Well that's something then, isn't it..." It was odd to be speaking so peaceably with the girl when faced with her new appearance. Strangely, the intimately familiar features were transformed by the personality behind them. Rather than his wife's invisible barrier of pacifism and traditional etiquette, there was a spark behind the odd-colored eyes that seemed to remake her into someone entirely new. It was not an unpleasing transformation. They fell into a new pattern as the slow journey progressed, randomly talking about anything and everything in order to pass the time. Peilei taught him a trick of catching fish with nothing but his fingers, and in turn he told her all about the towering cities to the east. The days slipped by along with the river, each in smooth succession until they came to a bend in the river, and it revealed the mouth of a wide, glassy lake.
The change of scene seemed to bring the guardian back to life. Watching his younger friend stand, truly alert for the first time in days, the assassin couldn't help but feel a little suspicion of foul-weather ahead. But the man said nothing, staring curiously over the empty water as if searching for something, or standing watch against it. As if picking up on the teen's tense mood, the ship was abnormally quiet for the remainder of the day, even Pei's humming a muted presence as they slipped silently across the water. As dusk approached, Liet finally gave up any pretense of understanding what was going on, and decided to ask.
"It's just a lake... Right?"
"Sure... it's a lake..."
"So what's the big deal...? You're almost as jumpy as that time back in Nanjing..."
The guardian frowned slightly, trying to put his instincts into words. "...There's something here... or rather... it's /always/ been here... but usually it sleeps..."
"Sleeps? /What/ sleeps?" The assassin watched his friend warily. "What aren't you telling me...? Are there more ghosts out there or something?"
"Ghosts? No, not ghosts... it's very much alive... although I've only seen it once..." Ashley shrugged, "Do you know what a 'construct' is?"
"What, like a building?"
"Don't be silly." A prim voice at his elbow almost made him jump, and he shot Pei an exasperated look. "What...?" She smiled archly before adding to the conversation. "A construct is a magical 'thing' isn't it? Like when mages make themselves a pet gargoyle or something?"
"That's one example yes... but they're not limited to small pets... some of them... well there was once a group of mages who lived above that lake... a /long/ time ago... before /my/ time, anyway... and when their little kingdom was threatened, they decided to build themselves a guardian god... a creature so fearful that no one would ever dare attack them..."
"You're joking right?" Liet received a sharp jab in the ribs for his comment. The forest-girl was now watching the water avidly.
"What was it? a Dragon?"
"No, dragons are real, they live and die as we do... if just on a slightly larger scale. But this thing... it just /is/... when their war was over, they put it to sleep, down at the bottom of the lake, so deep no one would find it..."
Still skeptical, the gunman shrugged. "If it was asleep, how come you've seen it before..."
"I saw it because some fool was crazy enough to try to wake it up... You have no idea how hard it was to make that thing go back to sleep..."
"What, you didn't kill it?"
The look was long suffering, "People always ask me that... they never seem to realize the logistics of killing something that size are not as easy as you might think... No I didn't kill it... I didn't feel like wasting the time it would've taken to find a sword long enough... not to mention I haven't the slightest of what I'd have done with the body."
"...Leave it?"
"And pollute the lake?"
"Hmmm you have a point, just /how/ big is this thing anyway...?"
"You've seen ocean-liners, right?"
"No way."
Ashley simply shrugged. "It was the marvel of its time."
"And you're saying this thing is /awake/...?! We've got to get the hell out of here!"
"With any luck it won't even notice we're here... and we're almost back into the river... it can't fit in the narrower channels..." For an almost hysterical moment, Liet contemplated the idea of a cruse-ship sized monster hopelessly wedged in-between the narrow walls of the river's cliffs. He quickly dismissed the image of its absurdly floundering flippers and took a deep breath. It took some effort to keep himself together.
"So... we cruise along, quiet as mice... and you keep an eye out for sea monsters..."
"Lake monsters."
"Whatever."
The assassin deliberately refused to watch the scenery after that, settling himself against the small deck house and taking a long nap. The crew continued to work quietly, guiding the boat into the relative safety of the river long after night fell, unwilling to pause on the lake. Shaken awake in the odd half-darkness of the moon-lit night, Liet found himself pulled to the rail by small urgent hands. His muttered grumbles were met by a chorus of whispered 'hush'es, and startled, he fell silent, joining the rest of crew at the side of the boat to witness an impossibility.
The moonlit water sparkled balefully in the darkness, and at first it seemed a mirage, a dark island rising out of the depths. The smooth curve gleamed as no granite boulder ever could, a hint of massive scales apparent even from half-way across the water. He held his breath as the dark form rolled in the water, and revealed a glowing amber eye roughly the size of an elephant. He couldn't suppress the shiver that raced down his spine, and was relieved to hear he wasn't the only one. There was a collection of murmured oaths from the rest of the hardened sailors as they stared at the ancient mystery. They were safely tucked in the shallows beyond the body of the lake, but it was with a definite sigh of relief that they steered further into the channel, leaving lakes and leviathans behind. Letting out his held breath, the gunman looked down to notice that Pei had nervously attached herself to his arm, face pinched from their close encounter. He gave her a little shake and almost smiled as she pulled away, blushing.
// What a strange night. //
In the empty expanse of lake, the massive beast completed another lazy circuit of the cold waters. The unblinking crimson eyes colored the darkness with mindless territorial vigilance.
********************
Liet dusted the drying mud off his pants with a long suffering grumble. The small boat had dropped them off at its last stop, still a good fifty miles from Fu-Ling. He looked un-enviously at the steep curve of the road as it left the village and curled around the edge of the mountain. The likelihood of finding a truck or a fart heading out of the small fishing town was slim, and with its 'freight' yawl already well up-river on a trade-run, their options were few. They could either wait until the boat's return, try and buy transport over-land, or start to walk. He checked the slim sheaf of bills still in his pocket, and the weight of the bag of coins under his jacket. The trip had not been /that/ expensive, but they were starting to reach the end of their resources. One look at the guardian told him their next move with out even having to ask. The assassin laughed lightly.
"I'll go see about getting us some supplies..."
"I'll help." Pei gave their silent leader one last curious look, but the man never took his eyes off the mountains. With a shrug, she scooped up her make-shift pack and followed the gunman into the village.
The road was just as unfriendly as it looked. Someone must have tried to pave it at some point, or was someday planning to, as there was a thick and rather painful layer of sharp gravel sunk deep into the now rock-hard mud. The usually curious girl walked grimly, head down and focused, her new shoes protected her from the poor roads, but there was nothing to protect her feet from the shoes. Uncomplaining, she walked on, the three of them forming a ragged line as they hiked over and around the broken landscape. Mountains that seemed so scenic from the river proved a test of patience and endurance to a traveler on foot. There seemed to be a bit more traffic on this road however, in the distance Liet could just make out the trundling form of another group of travelers a ragged group of men and a cart pulled by a tired-looking bull. Once they were even passed by a quickly moving government car, and were obliged to shield themselves from the painful sting of the kicked-gravel.
"Someday... /I'm/ going to have a car... and /then/ I'll find that jerk.. and Run Him Over..." The annoyance of dodging the roaring vehicle had rekindled the forest-girl's energy for a short moment as she stood fuming in the road. "Didn't they see us walking here?! I've got half a mind to... to... to turn them into prawns!"
Ashley looked at her for a baffled moment, then began to quietly laugh. Startled by both the outburst, and the reaction, the gunman could only smile amazed at how far he had come in the past months. The still grumpy woman stamped her foot in irritation.
"What? What's so funny?" The guardian only laughed harder, giving up any attempt to keep walking.
It was much later that they staggered into another small village, hoping to find someplace eat and rest. The road lead straight through the small town, and then turned sharply, ducking over an ancient stone bridge and continuing on the other side of the river. The village seemed quiet at first, old fashioned in a way that only mountain villages thousands of miles from industry could be. However, as they walked into the center, Liet found the silence unnerving, it was too quiet, the houses stood empty and abandoned. Any question he might have uttered was caught by the teen's stern look, and he unconsciously reached for a gun. It seemed natural to hook one of Pei's arms, guiding the girl into the marginal cover of his shadow as the guardian eased a sword free from the ragged pack on his shoulder. Sunset glowed in shades of pale peach through the quiet streets as they moved forward. There was no longer any interest in staying in the place over night. The gunman twitched his shoulders nervously, some of the guardian's sensitivity seeming to rub off on him. He couldn't help but flinch however when they approached the start of the bridge and found the wrecked remains of the army-jeep that had passed them earlier that morning.
Ashley had no qualms about investigating the bent metal. The moment's suspicions abandoned, he walked over the broken glass and plastic with care, he peered in and around the car before casually levering the small trunk open with the edge of his sword. The vehicle was unsalvageable and missing both passengers and luggage, but the repair kit was easily liberated, as were random parts from the engine and interior. At first, the assassin simply watched, confused, then understanding began to dawn and he moved to help. In the country they were walking into, a working car was worth more than an entire village's yearly earnings, and parts were valued at a premium. Liet was working quickly to salvage the bolts on the hub-caps, when he accidentally dropped the tire-iron with a loud clatter on the stone road. Wincing at the noise, he worked faster, making the most of the fading light. He never noticed how his companions had slowly stopped what they were doing.
There was one house in town, set back from the others and positioned right next to the old bridge. It had probably once belonged to the mayor, or some other government representative. Across from where they worked on the car, it had seemed as abandoned as the rest of the town, but now, under the forest-girl's watchful eye, something stirred in the darkness. Her hiss of alarm drew the Riskbreaker's attention, and he blindly finished packing the stolen sparkplugs with his eyes focused on the distant door. The gunman continued to work, swearing softly as he banged his thumb in his haste.
"Shut-up, Liet..." The hiss caught him by surprise, and he finally caught on to the tense mood. Standing slowly, he was just in time to watch the old wooden door swing outwards, pushed by a massive dark-colored hand. He was torn between wishing for more light, or less. Their position was horribly exposed, but the long shadows of the buildings only made the old houses spookier. The giant-sized arm proved to be attached to an equally massive chest. Man-like, but only barely, the creature squeezed out the door with some effort, stooping low and shuffling like an ape. Its head, and entire body was covered in a shaggy filthy coat of dark fur, and the face, crowned by a pair of curling horns, was anything but human. Pei moaned in denial, almost tripping over herself to retreat into the shadows. The teen remained as cool as ever, standing a few feet in front of them both as if shielding them by drawing attention to himself. There was a flicker of recognition in the boy's eyes. Not able to look at the creature's ugly face, Liet tried to focus on something else, and was immediately sorry that he had. In the monster's other hand was the remains of an arm and hand; the sleeve still attached. With horrified awe he watched the hairy thing study them myopically, then lazily bring the mutilated limb up for another mouthful. It crunched easily through flesh and bone with a snap of the massive jaws.
The guardian took another step forward, uncaring of the creature's smell or snack. Impossibly, when the teen opened his mouth, it was like no speech he had ever heard before. The troll, for Liet could think of no better word for it, seemed equally surprised, and stopped eating in order to listen. After a moment it waved the man to silence, putting back its head to produce a barking-laugh.
"You talk good, Man-thing, so I talk too. You smart, Man-thing... more than ones before... they only talk man-talk... doesn't matter. Man-things made for eating, not for talking." It shook its shaggy head like a wet dog. "Me Grel! This /my/ place now... many good eatings here!"
"How did you get here, Grel? Your kind have been long extinct from this place..." Ashley watched the beast blink uncomprehendingly. "No trolls here, Grel. Grel's home, where?"
The twisted goat-man grinned. "Walk. Walk many days... Smelled good smells... Smelled man-things... Found dizzy-place, and smell stronger, found /here/. This /my/ place now..."
"So you've said..." The guardian's dry comment went unheeded as the troll observed them closely.
"Some of this place man-things ran away... but Grel good hunter, caught some... then car came... But tomorrow, Grel hungry again." It showed a smile with a great number of sharp yellow teeth. "You Grel breakfast!"
Liet blinked in alarm and brought his gun up. He had no idea if a bullet would even be felt by the massive creature. // What is it with things wanting to /eat/ me?! Aren't human's at the /top/ of the food-chain? //
"Not food Grel... Grel go /home/ now... This is man-place, not Grel-place."
It was apparently the wrong thing to say. Casting aside the well-chewed arm, the troll howled in anger and charged the teen head on. For such a large animal, its speed was amazing. The gunman was able to get only one shot off at the beast and it went wide. Incredibly, the guardian had moved out of the way of the crushing arms, bring his sword to play with a cruel cut along the side of the creature's face. Not wasting the younger man's distraction, Liet sprinted to gain a better position, bringing his gun to bear as he moved. It almost worked. The troll was hardly fazed by the scratch, but it was enraged, Ashley ducked another swing and scored a hit, but his foot slipped on a piece of loose gravel at a critical moment. Swearing at his misstep, he was hauled bodily into the air as a fist closed around his neck and tossed toy-like straight into the gunman's path. The assassin caught the sprawling body full in the chest, and they went down in a painful heap, his head knocking the paving stones sharply. The teen was doing little better, struggling to get himself upright while gasping for air.
"S-sorry about that... old man..."
The gunman was content to lay still a moment, trying to blink he stars from his eyes, but an angry shriek got him upright again. Pei was defending herself the only way she knew how as the hulking beast drew closer, throwing first the tire-iron, then a sharp rock, then herself at the stubborn attacker. Illusion forgotten, she clung to his head like a wild cat, raking at its face frantically with inch-long claws, trying to blind or at least injure. The troll bellowed in pain but it took precious seconds to pull the girl free, flinging her with ease into the side of the building.
"Pei!" The guardian was back on his feet, and in considerably better shape. Blood was flowing freely from cuts on his chest and forehead, but he still moved with deadly intent, closing with his target before the beast could fully turn. He drove it back with a series of heavy swings of the blade, forcing them onto the old bridge. Unable to risk taking a shot, Liet staggered woozily over to the fallen girl, hoping she was better off than he was. She was slowly pulling herself up, cursing fluently as he offered her the hand that wasn't pressed against his throbbing head. Pei gingerly accepted, her claws delicately scraping his already abused hands. Her usual cloak had been knocked free, and for a confused moment, he had a glimpse of a smooth snake-like profile and the hind of scales and horn. He tried to dismiss it as a symptom of his likely concussion, there was no such thing as lizard-women after all. Hurt considerably less by her fall than he was, she quickly pushed past him, breaking into a limping run to reach the bridge. Following her, he winced as Ashley caught another powerfully swung hit across his chest. The force of the blow lifted him easily, and to their horror, dropped him over the edge of the bridge.
For a silent moment, Liet could only stare at the empty spot on the stones that his friend had previously occupied. Every panting breath from the injured but still /very/ agile monster echoed in his head like a roar.
// He's gone...? We're over two hundred feet above the water... even if he didn't land on rocks... Oh god he's gone... that means... // He swallowed grimly as the troll turned around slowly to face them, its tiny eyes gleaming.
"No nono... This isn't happening..." The forest-woman, seemed to quail a little at the sight of the shaggy form.
The gunman swore roundly at himself as he pushed his dizziness aside and opened fire. A surprising number of shots landed well, rocking the creature back and opening wounds along its head and chest. The skull was simply too thick it seemed, and for all the damage it was taking, it seemed unready to die. Discarding one empty gun as useless he drew his second from a pocket, already knowing it was hopeless. His only chance would be to get the creature in one of its beady eyes. As questionable as his vision was, it was simply out of the question. Sensing its attacker was running out of energy, the troll turned and charged again, stamina unabated.
"Look out Liet!" The warning came in plenty of time, but his tired body simply couldn't respond. He stood dumbly in the path of the enraged monster, watching in a daze as a heavy, clawed-arm swung down at him. He closed his eyes.
// This is it... //
And the opened them as an unholy yell began, not a foot from his face. The troll's form was bent back convulsing painfully as its body looked to be wracked with the equivalent of 10,000 volts. The gunman was bemusedly reminded of the one time he had watched a building get struck by lightening. Pei had latched onto the outstretched arm, the only part of the creature still stationary, and she held her grip with an expression of singular determination. Or as determined as any lizard had any right to look when it was applying mage-lightening to a target at point-blank range. He took a moment to really /look/ at the woman, her true features illuminated by energies flowing across smoking beast, and found that they really weren't all that bad.
// That's the knock on the head talking, old man... Tomorrow... if you live that long, you'll be shaking so bad they'll think you're having a seizure. // Still there was something rather elegant about the way the bronzy scales shimmered in the white light, and the sharp alien planes of her face had a certain grace about them. His mind ignored the hint of needle-like teeth with practiced ease. As for the rest of her, it seemed normal enough, more scales to be sure, and claws, but nothing, nothing /terrifying/. // I've completely lost it... // He continued to stare, even as she let go of her now rigid foe. The troll fell down bonelessly, smelling strongly of burnt fur. She nudged it with a toe.
"It's... still alive? Impossible..."
Liet looked from the panting woman to their enemy, tired mind refusing to cope. "... Toss it in the river?"
"... try and find something to tie it with... something it can break or chew through..." The voice was faint, and obviously in pain. It was also originating from somewhere over the side of the bridge. Finding energy he didn't know he had, Liet trotted to the low stone railing, peering into the darkness in disbelief.
"...Ash-Li? Are you alive down there?" It took a few minutes for his eyes to pick the guardian's tattered shape out from the general darkness, but the younger man was there. He had somehow caught himself on the bridge's supports, and now rested in relative safety on a narrow ledge, his legs dangling over the edge of a several hundred foot drop into the Yangtze River. Ashley had an arm pressed close against his chest, doubtlessly supporting several bruised or broken ribs.
"Surprisingly, yes... I forgot how fast those bastards are... you two alright?"
"... Yes... I think... Pei just turned into a snake-woman and electrocuted the thing with a touch... is that normal?"
The teen attempted to laugh but stopped as it put painful pressure on his ribs. "For a mid-level demon? Quite possibly, try not to let it worry you... just go find some chain or heavy wire or something... and hog-tie that thing before it comes-around..."
"Got it..." The forest-woman was already moving quickly through the buildings searching for anything the could use, but there was little to be found. They met in the main square, out of breath and desperate.
"Nothing.... you?"
"Nothing..." Staring at her hopeless sigh, an odd series of memories triggered. Thinking of Pei reminded him of the mirror... which reminded him of...
"The /string/! Idiot! I completely forgot!" Digging through is bag in frantic haste he pulled out the last two of the odd gifts, stuffing the bullet in a pocket as he fumbled for the shiny thread.
The forest-woman watched his antics in disbelief. "... How is that going to help..."
Excited, he gave her an end. "Don't complain, just /pull/." It felt silly at first, the two of them yanking on opposite ends of a small thread, but just as he began to doubt, the charm began to work. Pei fell backwards with a thump as the string grew, her end coiled in her lap as a slender rope.
"I'll be damned." They worked together to quickly stretch the rope again, each tug making it longer until they had a generous coil of the smooth stuff. Liet inspected an end curiously, but the material gave no hint as to its construction. He refused to think too hard about it, gathering up all he could carry and tripping back to the bridge. The well-cooked troll was regaining strength in the pre-dawn light. It had flipped itself over and was trying to crawl to the relative safety of its 'house'. Pei kicked it savagely as she dropped her end of the rope and began to efficiently lash the animal together. It was slow work to make sure the ropes were tight, but as they sat back, they were pleased at how well it held together.
Tired, Liet tottered over the edge of the bridge again. "He's trussed up like a roast pig... but we couldn't find anymore rope to haul you up... Any ideas?"
"Yeah... wait an hour or so... and then you can get your rope back..." The gunman blinked at the cryptic instructions, then shrugged, and settled by the wall to wait. After a long moment, the forest-woman slid down next to him, pulling her knees up into a tired curl. They didn't have the energy to speak, and in truth, he didn't know what to say to her.
The sun rose slowly creeping over the rugged hilltops to spill gently down into the shadowy river gorge below. Liet woke from a restful doze, and blinking in disbelief, watched as their hostage fidgeted one last time, then froze, a frosting of gray quickly covering the shaggy body. Within seconds, the creature had transformed entirely into stone. Heaving himself to his feet, he moved closer, disbelieving. The gunman lay a hesitant hand on the now cool and hard fur, amazed at his bravery. Solid rock, the statue made no move. "Incredible... is it dead...?"
The demon woman had wandered closer, watching him from a healthy distance, and simply shrugged. "Looks solid enough... who knew..." The gingerly slid the rope free of the knots and stone and set about knotting it into a rough sling. It took a few minutes to rouse the dozing guardian, but after a hair-raising period of heaving and sweating, all three were safely on the bridge once more. Ashley looked at each of them worriedly, but found no injuries more serious than his own. He then moved to examine what the sunlight had wrought.
"You should've gone home, Grel..." With a shrug, he turned back to the small town and staggered to the bubbling fountain, beginning the long painful process of cleaning up.
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The misty morning was much like the previous five, the twisting fog causing the sunlight to bend and shiver in odd patterns through the trees. The gunman watched his breath steam in front of his face, and idly pondered how unnatural it all seemed. They were walking in a forest sunk into the clouds. It didn't feel a proper place for humans at all. He looked over at Pei as she wandered nearby, gathering berries from a thick mass of bushes. Her hair was slightly mussed, a wavy dark mass tucked over a shoulder. If he hadn't known better, he have sworn the reptilian scales and wild magics of the week before were just a nightmare. She picked her way back to the path, quietly dropping her carefully gathered hoard into his hands before starting over again. A short distance ahead, the guardian walked slowly, still favoring his damaged ribs.
// He needs to rest... and see a doctor... not that I'd trust the old geezers out here, most of what they do sounds more like witchcraft than medicine... but rest couldn't hurt... //
Both he and the forest-woman had tried to convince the teen to pause, to take a much needed break from the grueling hike, but the boy was obstinate. The pain only seemed to drive him harder, something in his eyes brighter than ever before.
"Ash-Li... come eat something."
"...Not hungry."
"Then hold up a bit while /I/ eat... Pei and I are tired..."
"Then stay here..." The reply was gruff.
"You're being unreasonable! And /ungrateful/... sit down for a minute, youngster... we'll follow you gladly, but we won't get there /today/..."
Hesitating a moment, Ashley's resolution wavered and he slowly turned with a rueful smile. "... You're right... I'm sorry... we'll rest a while..."
The chill of the morning was burned off easily by the bright sun, and with the departure of the mist, the forest slowly came alive. They cheerfully picked at the berries and the last of the rice-cakes as insects hummed around in the still-dewy air. The dark haired youth claimed his small share and finished it quickly, gingerly resting against the trunk of a convenient tree. A small smile played over his face as he stared up into the dappled shade of the branches. Liet watched in fascination as a small gray moth fluttered around the tree, circling closer and closer to the man as if drawn to candle-light. Looking around, he realized that more and more of the curious insects had been appearing in the past week. He inspected one as it landed on his bag. It was almost pretty in the early light, furry in appearance, with glistening white wings. A second and third moth had discovered the reclining guardian, and they joined their fellow in happily fluttering around him in lazy patterns.
Ashley seemed to slowly become aware of the aerial acrobatics around him, and stared around the clearing, bemused. With a gentle hand, he reached to catch one of the fuzzy creatures in mid air, bringing it down for inspection. What he saw amused him. The insect seemed perfectly content to walk the length of his hand as he studied it, the ghost of a smile lighting his face. At last it flew off, startled at his light chuckle.
"... Snowflies..."
"Snow?"
"Yes, you ever see it?"
"Only in pictures... They're called Snowflies because they're white? I've never seen them before..." Liet prodded his tiny passenger with a finger, causing it to flit off in alarm.
"They're quite rare, I suppose... They 'foregather where the Dark runs deepest...'" The quote sounded peculiar, and he didn't grasp the reference. The teen merely shrugged, not explaining himself.
"Funny little things..."
"...'Dark'...? Hei-an?" Pei's voice was confused. "But they come out in daylight as well..."
Ashley chuckled again, thinking better of it as his ribs complained. "Different sort of 'Dark'..."
Gathering up their bags, the started down the road again, determined to reach the final stop in their journey. Several tiny white bugs fluttered after them, seeming to be caught in an invisible breeze.
The ancient streets of Fu-Ling has existed since the days of the earliest empire, and their worn beauty was no less welcome for it humility. Peaked roofs and stone guardian lions seemed to be everywhere, decorating even the most ram-shackle brick houses. The narrow lanes wandered in odd disorganized patterns over the hillside, dipping at last into the river below. Having been named the groups un-official spokesman, Liet contentedly lead the way into the maze, just as wide-eyed as either of his companions. If not for the ever present red flags and communist propaganda, the town would have seemed like it never left it's golden age. He half expected warlords in chariots rather than military vehicles to come trundling down the street.
It was a simple enough decision to take the money remaining after supplies were bought, and splurge on a night at one of the better inns. They would have little use for it where they were going, and oddly, none of them were willing to talk about what would happen 'after'. Getting there was all that mattered. The gunman soaked for a long time after Ashley had pulled himself out of the water and sought his bed. He sat in the hot bath, thinking about the mountains, and fate, and quests, and the blue eyes of a particular girl who was not a girl, nor truly human at all. There were no great revelations to be had, but then, he hadn't been expecting any. Finally pulling himself out of the tub, he staggered to bed, and dreamed of the home from his childhood; a house with a fountain, near a grove of mulberry trees. The smell of the fresh blossoms stayed with him well after waking.
Pei woke up from a curious dream where she had caught a fish with rainbows for scales, and the face of a wizened old man. It had bartered for it freedom, and had given her a pair of pearl earrings.
When asked, Ashley confessed he had dreamed of nothing at all.
********************
The forest was becoming older as they climbed. Barely a day away from the old town, it was as if they had fallen off the edge of the world. They were lost in a bizarre fairy land. There was barely a path leading where they were going. The village awaiting them barely had a name, much less any need for the outside world. It lay in a graceful bowl of a valley seeming half-way between here and /elsewhere/. The snowflies gathered in small swarms now, swirling with the mists much in they way their namesake did in the northern mountains. The assassin shivered with chill despite the relative warmth of the day, and judging by her worried expression, the demoness also felt the tingle of magic. The air hung heavy, and vibrated strangely in the lungs. In the long dusky shadows, things stirred just beyond the veil of trees, strange soft grumbles and footfalls could be heard. Mysterious lights were lit and then extinguished. The guardian walked on, uncaring of the other worldly feel to the woods, his feet never straying from the all-but-invisible path. They moved in silence, two of them too awed to speak, one as quiet as it had always been his nature to be. Pei made no attempt to continue scouting as it grew darker still, and even Liet's mental self-assurances that the village must be close, didn't help to keep him from jumping at shadows. It was with faint relief that he felt a smaller hand slip into his, and he gave the girl a supportive smile, only realizing later that it was already too dark for her to see it. They walked on.
The gunman's anxieties were wound so tight, that when the attack finally came, it was almost a relief. Ashley had stepped into a narrow stream, well in the lead as they picked their way through the brush, when a sudden bright light had erupted from the water, throwing him back several feet. From beneath the suddenly turbulent water, emerged a floating specter, reminding Liet whimsically of the stories he was told as a child. It was said that drowned fishermen would often choose to haunt water ways, their affinity with the element slowly transforming them into something more. The creature in the stream stood like a man, arms and legs vaguely shifting in the mist, but there was also the hint of fishy fins, scales, and a tall hat of reeds. It would have been fascinating if it hadn't been encountered in the middle of a haunted forest late night. Pei was too practical for such musings, swearing softly under her breath as she moved boldly forward. Her victory over the monster on the bridge had inspired confidence. Nearby, the guardian staggered to his feet with a quiet groan, sword ready in one hand as he braced his chest with the other.
// There's no way he'll be able to fight at top form like this... if those things are half as broken as I bet they are... he'll probably puncture a lung. //
It was an instinctive reaction to pull the last hand-full of shells out of his pockets and ready a gun. The shots had little effect on the insubstantial form, but the path of the bullets, and the way they momentarily scrambled the ghost, seemed to distract it, allowing the forest woman the chance to get closer unmolested. Using what small magics she could muster, she began to attack the creature, causing it to wail in dismay. At first it retreated, but then reversed course wrapping the woman in a column of water. Ashley hissed in worry as his sword slid uselessly through the phantom; the blade's edge only meant for more mundane things. It lacked either silver or sorcery to make the blows count for more than simple irritation.
Pei flailed inside her watery prison, her enraged scream nothing but a choked cloud of bubbles as she struggled for freedom. Liet grimly calculated how much longer it would be before she began to drown. His fingers desperately grasped the last of the bullets in his pocket, and he blindly chambered the gun. For an insane moment he pondered shooting the girl where she hung suspended, ensuring that at least one of them had a quick death. He swore softly and fired at the specter again, counting each of the bullets as it vanished into the night. When he reached two, something odd occurred. The gun snapped as it always did, his muscles tensing for the critical moment to make sure the shot went true, but the bullet /glowed/. Arcing through the darkness like a tiny comet, the projectile struck the phantom in its elongated head and unlike the dozen or so of its predecessors, it /rocked/ the creature, sending it flailing backwards and clawing at its wound. The demon woman was unceremoniously flung free from the water, coughing and sputtering sharply. They watched in surprise as the shimmering creature melted back into the darkness, still moaning in dismay.
"... So... It wasn't a dud after all..." Ashley's dry commentary jarred him out of his amazed immobility and he bit back an annoyed curse. Moving as a pair, they hoisted their wet partner to her feet and all but carried her as they scrambled down the last hillside and into the waiting town.
********************
He had very few memories of the village itself, aside from the blankets and the crackle of the fire as he drifted to sleep. It wasn't until the following morning when they departed that he got a good look at the tiny settlement behind its tall stockade. Odd curling script and symbols adorned the wall at regular intervals, the eye could hardly travel three feet before encountering another magical ward. Even more strangely, everyone in the small commune seemed somehow 'gifted' as if to be born in the village meant to be born a mage. Liet idly wondered what the government would do if it ever found out about such a place. Judging by the lack of travelers on the path, it wasn't too serious a concern.
// Besides, from all I've seen, having an army full of mages would likely be akin to herding cats... grumpy, ego-maniac cats... //
They headed up into the trees again, and burdened as they were by the small relics given by the village, found themselves largely unmolested. The path grew more and more obscure, until it finally occurred to the gunman that there was no path at all. Ashley was leading them by instinct alone. By mid-afternoon of the second day, they came across the base to a cracked and broken staircase. It looked to have been carved out of the granite of the mountain as it wound /up/ twisting clear of the trees and around the side of a cliff. Pushing thoughts of avalanche and wash-outs aside, Liet took a firm grip of the forest-mage's hand, and gingerly began to climb. By the dusk of the second day, they had arrived. He stood at the gates of a temple in the clouds; on the verge of a miracle.
********************
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Vocab: (what you think I /really/ know any Chinese?! pfffft! ~ Thanks Fish! ~)
Shiao-zi :: boy (rude)
Shiao-huo-zi :: boy(friendly)
Hei-an :: 'dark' as in night or shadowy, NOT as in Dark... ^_^ hence Ashley's chuckle.
Mo-sheng-ren :: stranger, an unknown person
(Ta-) ma-de :: "Damn it"
Don't we feel smarter now?
Notes: Ah, End-Game... thy name is "FINALLY! SWEET MERCIFUL ANCESTORS!" Hehehehe, so yes... what to say about this... it's long. No kidding. You stuck with it this far (bravo) so why not go a little further? One more chapter to go kids! Will we make it? /Sure/ we will! I've been itching to write for Sydney again ^_^. I'm still suspicious that I should've broken this in half, but then I thought... if people don't like this part of the story, better that they only have to skip one chapter rather than two. So Liet's quest ends, or rather the part where he plays center stage does... Not that he ever was the focus for this adventure, but it seemed more fun at the time to tell this bit of the story from a non-Ashley point of view (even if I did slip once or twice). The next chapter is all A-kun though, so away we go! Stay tuned! for Next chapter! 'Journey's end in lover's meeting!'
Thank you, Mr. Shakespeare! And thank you discovery channel for your documentary of the ancient towns along the Yangtze that will very-soon-now be bulldozed in favor of new dams and hydro-electric plants, the photography and maps are entirely to blame for this little odyssey.
--Lunar.
PS - Because I'm a 'legend' geek, the "Land of Nod" is supposed to be the Asian equivalent to the Atlantis myth, go fig, I just felt like throwing it in.
