Tiger Knight: The Tale of Fu Su Lu

He didn't want people to see what he looked like, so that's why he wore that mask.

Fujinritsu Suturakata Ludicium was a very, very ugly man. No man (or woman) would be brave enough to peek under that tigerskin mask and see his true face. They just assumed that the visage of a tiger was evidence enough of his ferocity and power. Fujinritsu hated his physical appearance--or to be more precise, he hated his face. There was a point in time where he valued his looks, and even thought himself attractive. That was before the hunt in the jungle.

Fujinritsu and several other hunters ventured off into the woods one day. Somewhere between Banner and Gregminster, these woods served as a dangerous locality for normal people. Unfortunately, it was also the only safe route between the Scarlet Moon Empire and Highland/Jowsten territory. People had to come through here all the time, so on occasion a bodyguard went with them.

But Fujinritsu and his company were not there to travel or trade, they were there to hunt wild game. Semi-barbaric and wholly savage, the hunters just barely classified as humans, what with their unruly hair, smelly bodies, unshaven faces, animal-skin clothes, beady eyes, and terrible language. Fujinritsu, by far the most sophisticated of the bunch, stood out greatly as he led his fellow hunters through the woods.

As the assembly ventured through the jungle, a large group of tigers snuck up from behind and pulled out a vicious attack. Never one to back away from a fight, Fujinritsu brought out his twin cleavers and glared back at the tigers. His fellow hunters prepared their own weapons and fighting stances.

Out of the nine hunters that went out that day, only Fujinritsu survived to tell the tale. This came as no surprise, seeing as there were approximately seven ferocious animals in the whole bunch. The hunters fought like warrior-demons, as always, and practically mowed down the beasts. But in time, the tigers came back and slaughtered the humans.

Fujinristu's face was permanently disfigured from that fight. From the shoulders down, he retained much of his body and looked like he had never been injured before, but his face was scarred beyond recognition. To say that he was hideous now was almost a compliment. Of course, being a resourceful man, Fujinritsu made a mask for himself out of the tiger that had deformed him.

With a deft slice, a lot of patience and curing, and a little bit of adjustment, Fujinritsu soon had himself a tiger's head to cover the scars of his face. From that point on, he was Fu Su Lu--using the first two letters of his name as an alias. Since he had been the only survivor of the hunting pack, and nobody else really knew of him, he could freely travel around as the "tiger knight" and nobody would know the difference.

Boasting that he was the strongest warrior in the world, Fu Su Lu attained a position in the Kobold division of the Liberation Army. He fought ferociously while serving young Tir McDohl, and when all was said and done, his adventures still had not come to a conclusion.

He said, "The Temple of Annuit Coeptis." Unlike the previous place where he had been, this one Temple was not surrounded by jungle, nor was it inaccessible to all but a select few, nor was it shrouded in mystery. In fact, up until very recently, it was greatly populated and taken care of. Fu Su Lu was there on a mission, of course: to discover why the Temple of Annuit Coeptis had been abandoned so suddenly.

Normally this was not his forte, but Fu Su Lu owed somebody a debt. This "somebody" seemed a little too interested in the Temple, and why there was no longer anybody residing there. As a warrior of honor, Fu Su Lu vowed to explore the Temple and discover the root of the problem--though he hated risking life and limb for somebody's inane curiosity.

Fu Su Lu entered the Temple as casually as his physical makeup allowed him. He had no natural tail, though the one he had cut from that tiger did sway as if it were his own. He had no claws nor fur, for behind that mask he was a human, but he could still churn out a ferocious fight if provoked. To his dismay, there would probably be no need for a battle inside the empty Temple.

Taking inaudible steps, Fu Su Lu crept inside the Temple, occasionally on all fours to give himself a more animalistic feel. Inside the building, things were nasty. Lots of cobwebs, dust, overturned statues, a smashed altar, blood smeared on the broken walls…

"A fight?" assumed the warrior. He put a hand to his chin. Fu Su Lu groaned in thought, and if that tail of his had independent will, it would have twitched along with him.

"Priests," said the warrior to himself. His mind churned out the remainder of the equation. It is forbidden to kill a priest. Whoever or whatever did this must've had a death wish. I haven't noticed any really enticing bounties as of yet, so until things clear up around here, I can safely say that a monster did this.

Despite his lie, Fu Su Lu's hearing was very sharp, as sharp as any cat's. With the sound of footsteps approaching on the floor, the tiger knights scampered away and hid beneath an overturned pew. Peeking through the eyeholes he had cut, the great warrior could easily spot who was coming. He hoped that it was the monster.

It was not the monster. It was worse.

Out from the shambles of the temple emerged what appeared to be a great sheik, or at least somebody who was dressed like one. He wore a white cloak to protect himself from the burning desert sun, and had a white hood over his hair. Great thick strands of neutral gray hair sat above his eyes and beneath his nose, and a fierce gaze was permanently etched on his face. He reminded Fu Su Lu of Kasim Hazil, somewhat.

Fu Su Lu did not make a single sound as he watched the man quietly walk through the temple. A scimitar was hung neatly on his belt, the tip swaying to and fro as its master walked. The sheik, whoever he was, was probably here for the same reason as Fu Su Lu--though the tiger knight doubted this.

Suddenly, the man halted. Fu Su Lu frowned, swearing that every noticeable body part he had was concealed. His scent would have been masked by the dusty smell of the abandoned temple, and the soot on the floor was so thick it covered his prints. There was no way in Hades that the man knew of his whereabouts.

"Fujinritsu!" called the man, and Fu Su Lu growled inwardly. How the sheik knew that name, when the knight didn't even recognize him, was a complete mystery. But Fu Su Lu wasn't obligated to answer. After all, the sheik didn't have to know that he was there, so he kept still.

"Come on, pussy," growled the man, searching the room with his beady gray eyes. The tiger knight frowned, but made no more movement than a rock. If he was emitting any sounds, they would have been too soft for even a Kobold to hear. He was completely hidden by the pew, and nothing stuck out. Unless the man in white started overturning things, he could stay there as long as required.

"Illegitimate son of a worthless mother," muttered the sheik. Fu Su Lu dared to smile as he saw the sheik mutter and search the temple. How he even knew about the tiger knight, let alone where he would be, was a question that Fu might've never gotten the answer to--nor did he desire to find out. As long as he stayed hidden, he would be safe and unseen.

"Aha!!" said the man, pulling a tapestry aside. Nothing was behind it. Fu grinned as broadly as he dared, but knew better than to laugh. This sheik was amusing, but he was hardly worth revealing himself over. Fear tickled at his ribs as the idea of the man pulling apart other items crossed his mind. Fu frowned quietly, and dismissed the thought.

After what seemed like thirteen minutes of looking, the sheik sighed and gave one last ultimatum.

"Come on out or I'll burn the place down!!" Fu Su Lu almost snorted, and didn't believe for one second that the man would make good on his promise--unless he had been the one to kill those priests. Either way, Fu Su Lu had to do something. With a growl, the tiger knight flung the pew he was hiding under at the sheik, and brandished both his hatchets.

"To get to the one you seek, would you scorch this holy temple?!" roared the tiger knight. The sheik glared at the knight in horror, and a scimitar was taken out of its sheath.

"You were here, insolent puss!" growled the man. Fu Su Lu merely stared back.

"Do I know you?"

"No, it is I who knows you," hissed the man. Fu growled gently, but kept his gaze on the man in white.

"What do you mean?"

"I heard of a ferocious warrior who wore the mask of a tiger," said the man. "This warrior is believed to be responsible for killing the priests in this Temple. I have come here to ascertain this."

"Oh, please," groaned Fu, scratching his back with his axe. "I came here to look for whoever killed the priests!"

"I do not believe you," hissed the man offensively. He took one step closer, and the blade in his hands begged for blood. Fu merely purred threateningly.

"It could mean that there's another tiger-warrior out there," he suggested.

"One named Fujinritsu Suturakata Ludicium?!" yelled the sheik. "No no, you're the only man in the world with that name."

"Then somebody must have set me up," suggested the knight. The sheik smiled wickedly.

"You are trying to avoid death," he whispered menacingly. "That is… unwise."

"I'm not your guy," insisted Fu. "This place was like this when I got here. I'm totally in the dark." The sheik grunted, and sneered in a rage. He hung the scimitar back into its sheath, but made no other movements.

"I will make a deal with you," he pointed. "I will accompany you to determine if what you say is correct. If I find no evidence that proves your innocence, then it is I who shall be wearing that tigerskin mask. And if I find proof that what you say is true, then I will apologize and assist you in punishing the true culprit. Does that sound fair?"

"Yes, completely," said Fu Su Lu. The two warriors extended their hands, and shook on the deal. "So, do you have a name?"

"Yes," replied the man. "Call me Amar Khayiim."

Silently, Fu Su Lu and Amar journeyed back into town. As far as the tiger knight was aware, nobody knew he was going to the temple save for the friend that had asked him to visit there. Fu Su Lu did not expect to find the area so wrought with destruction, though, nor did he expect to find the enigmatic Amar waiting for him. He could only theorize that somebody had told the sheik that he would be there, and unless his hunch was wrong, that somebody would be his curious friend.

Why Amar thought that Fu Su Lu had been the killer of those priests was a mystery. Perhaps the real culprit had learned of Fu's arrival, and informed Amar of the deed so as to clear his own name. Yes, that seemed reasonable…

In any case, Fu Su Lu knew that he was innocent--after all, the temple had been in shambles when he arrived, and he had never visited there before. He had no reason to fear the other warrior's threatening words, but he still had the matter of finding out who the true culprit was. That alone would be difficult, unless a great coincidence pointed all fingers to the friend that had directed him to the temple.

Fu Su Lu had a feeling that his twin hatchets would be used frequently in the next few days.

Arriving in Zexen, Fu Su Lu and Amar wordlessly dismounted from their steeds. Neither warrior had spoken a single word to the other during their time on the road, which was perhaps best. Growling just barely, Fu Su Lu brushed his hands against the hilts of his hatchets, the hair on his arms and legs bristling. He calmly walked through the town, paying nobody any heed, though he himself drew a bit of attention. With one exception, he had never been in the town before.

Amar continued to follow Fu, his scimitar drawn threateningly. He only made slight growling sounds, and on occasion he would grunt out something; other than that, there was no speech between the two. Thankfully, Fu Su Lu knew where he was going; otherwise, he would have gotten lost and Amar would have grown suspicious. Arriving at the house of his friend, Fu Su Lu knocked twice before letting himself in.

"Are you in here, Aksa?" He purred quietly, using his sharp sense of smell and hearing to scout out his friend. The man emerged from the back door a few minutes later, and jumped slightly as he saw the two warriors.

"Oh, Fu! Y-you're back so soon!"

"Yeah, piece of cake!" roared Fu, balling his fists up in victory. Aksa, his friend, smiled warily.

"Yeah, I knew you'd look into it. So why was it abandoned, anyway?"

"Oh yeah! Well, you won't believe it, but all the priests in that temple were killed off!"

"Oh man!!" Aksa cringed in horror, and had to sit down before he fell down. "Fu, that's terrible!! Killing priests is punishable by execution, isn't it?!"

"Sure is!" grunted the tiger knight. "But, ah, I stumbled onto a little problem while I was over there! See this guy over here?" Fu Su Lu stepped to the side, displaying Amar like he was a new line of clothes. Aksa mumbled and adjusted his glasses.

"Oh yeah, he's from the tribe of Khak'sah. They're a wandering group of warrior-sheiks who occasionally do the dirty work for important people. But why's he hanging around you?"

"I was informed that this person here may have been responsible for murdering the priests," hissed Amar darkly. Aksa swallowed and adjusted his glasses again.

"Huh, Fu? No, I can vouch for him. I sent him to that temple two days ago. He had a favor he owed me, and I wanted to know why that place was abandoned."

"And you had nothing to do with this guy trying to kill me?" asked Fu. Aksa grunted and glared at him in offense.

"Humph, the nerve! I'm shocked that you accused me of such a thing! I know it sounds fishy that I know where this guy comes from, but trust me when I say that I've never seen him in my life." Fu Su Lu growled softly, and folded his arms in disbelief.

"I guess I can trust you," he snorted. "But if you didn't set me up, then who?"

"Dunno," shrugged Aksa. "But if you think I can help you out, then I will. I mean, you went to the temple for me, right?" Fu Su Lu nodded his head, and Aksa stood out of his seat to join his companions.

"By the way," he mentioned, "if you're going to start searching, we'd better ask your sheik friend about who sent him. I have no doubt that that'll be our guy." Fu Su Lu and Aksa turned their eyes towards Amar, but he only crossed his arms.

"I suppose I could tell you," he groaned. "It's a man named Algoth. I met him while wandering around in Kal--"

"Algoth?!" Fu Su Lu nearly spat out his uvula as he screamed out the name. "Well, I should have known! Old Algoth's been wanting to kill me for years! He swindled me out of a deal, and tried to put the blame on me!! Huh, if he's behind it then I won't doubt how you were manipulated."

"What?! What did you say, pussy?!" Amar growled, and raised his scimitar to Fu's throat. The tiger knight grunted, and eased the blade away.

"There, now! None of that! I'm just saying that Algoth's a conman's conman! He conned me, and I'm pretty shrewd for a fighter! Don't take it so offensively when I say that he tricked you!!" Wordlessly, Amar growled and sheathed his weapon again. Aksa sighed.

"I think I know where Algoth is. I last saw him in the bar, but that was yesterday. I don't think that he's left town just yet, but there are no guarantees."

"Well, it's pretty early in the day, so we'd better have a look around just in case," suggested Fu Su Lu. "If we don't find anything, we can just head back to this bar. All right?"

"Right."

Reeking with the stench of old beer and smoke, the bar in Zexen was hardly the place to retreat to if one wanted to escape daily problems. The seedy dive was hardly up to the region's health code: patrons sat chortling and coking on century-old stools, smoke clogged the ceilings, beer was spilled across the floor (and some dried blood had been mixed in it), there was filth everywhere, and to say that the bartender was friendly was a blasphemy.

In other words, Fu Su Lu hated it.

"Old Algoth would love it here," noted the warrior. Amar growled softly and held his hand over the hilt of his blade.

"What an unholy place," he muttered. Aksa swallowed, somewhat less accustomed to hanging around joints like this, and nervously asked the bartender about Algoth's whereabouts. The bald, thin man grunted and pointed a bony finger off towards a corner.

"Over there," he said emptily, and Aksa made sure to give him some potch for his troubles. The weakest member of the trio reported the status to his comrades, and Fu and Amar examined the corner to make sure the information was correct.

Sure enough, perched on a stool in the darkest corner of the room was a young man in an old man's clothes, smoking on an illegal pipe and drinking prohibited whiskey. Fu actually growled when he saw the con artist, and Amar carefully fondled the hilt of his blade.

"Allow me," he said, stepping forward slowly. "After all, he was the one who hired me." Fu Su Lu and Aksa shrugged and let the warrior approach Algoth. As Amar stepped forward, an inaudible conversation between the two took place. Neither Fu nor Aksa could determine what was being spoken, but the way that Algoth became animated was enough evidence to prove that he was mad.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," muttered Aksa. Fu Su Lu grunted.

"Maybe…" Suddenly, Algoth bolted out of his chair and noticed the two men standing there. He shouted, and drew a wicked-looking short sword on them. Amar growled, and slammed his scimitar on the table, neatly cutting it in half and almost doing the same thing to Algoth.

"So!" he shouted (he had to bellow pretty loud to be heard in that tavern). "It WAS you!" Algoth flinched, and sneered angrily before rushing at Amar. The sheik easily sidestepped him and gave the man a fierce kick in the belly. The other patrons in the bar gasped in horror, while some scrambled around to watch the fight.

"Hey!!" roared the bartender. "Take it outside, you two!!" Amar and Algoth glared at each other, but agreed to hold their match outside. As they left, Fu Su Lu wordlessly shrugged and followed them, with Aksa bringing up the rear.

Outside, Aksa had cleared the way so the warriors could duel. Much to Amar's chagrin, however, Fu Su Lu stepped up beside him with his twin hatchets.

"It is I who must fight him, pussycat!" barked the sheik. "Your business is through! I relinquish you of all accusations!"

"Hey, I said that this man conned me!" replied the tiger knight. "So if anything, I should be the one who fights him!" The two stared at each other for a brief time, but nevertheless agreed to fight together. Algoth, who was formerly a surly mass of guile and trickery, shirked the warriors and tried to hide in the shadows.

"Oh, no you don't!" shouted Fu Su Lu. He rushed towards the manipulator, swinging his axes like a blender. Amar roared after him, his scimitar swinging in the breeze. Poor Aksa, on the other hand, merely looked away as the carnage commenced.

When it was all said and done, the morgue had a very prestigious guest to add to their collection--or whatever remained of him--and Amar personally apologized for the misunderstanding. Fu Su Lu was officially cleared of all charges, and the priests who had been murdered were given proper burials. As clichéd as it was, everything settled down peacefully after that moment.

"Well," said Aksa as Amar silently rode off into the sunrise, "that certainly was an experience."

The End