CURIOUSITY KILLED THE EIRON
by
Crescent Dreamweaver
Disclaimer: I don't own Beastmaster. Those rights belong to Tribune Entertainment. I also don't own the Lost Empire. Those rights belong to NBC and Hallmark Entertainment.
Synopsis: When Dar and Tao set up camp one evening, Tao gets lured out of the camp by a demoness. She tries to kill him, but Tao gets an unexpected rescuer: a man who's half-human, half-monkey. Tao fans, you needn't worry; despite the title, he does not die.
-- --= indicates a person's thoughts
* *= indicates emphasized words
** **= double-stars indicate mind-to-mind speech (the only time it's used is between Dar and Sharak near the end of the story)
Let the story begin!
* * *
The demoness Kashala stared down where she was floating among the trees at the two men traveling up the mountain. The light-haired one would know how to defend himself against her. Besides, he was the Beastmaster, and believed in demonesses, sorceresses, and such. She decided that it would be a waste of time
But his dark-haired companion, on the other hand...
The Beastmaster's companion was an Eiron, which meant that he wouldn't likely believe in her kind. His kind were the kind to look for a rational explaination in everything, including magic. Kashala smiled faintly. -- He's perfect for my next victim-- she thought to herself. She chuckled slightly. Then her eyes narrowed. --Just so long as that bastard Sun Wukung, the Monkey King, doesn't try to stop me.--
* * *
Tao set his satchel down on the ground and sighed, rolling his shoulders. He and Dar had just walked up the majority of a mountain until they'd reached a place that the Beastmaster deemed a good place to camp. Tao looked over at him, and shook his head slightly. --There's no justice-- he thought unhappily. --I feel like I've been running without stopping for a full week, and Dar's not even sweating! There is absolutely no justice. None.-- He sighed again, and sat down on the ground. He cupped his chin in his hands, and stared towards the west, where the sun was setting. The sunlight reflecting off the clouds made it look as though it was the golden gates of heaven. Suddenly, he heard someone humming nearby. Tao cocked his head to one side, listening. It was a beautiful, melodious sound, like the music of angels. Tao got up and walked in the direction of the humming. He didn't know why, but he had to follow the music. Suddenly, it stopped, and he looked around, confused. A moment later, a young woman appeared in front of him. When Tao saw her, he felt his breath catch in his chest. She was beautiful, with long wavy hair as golden as the rising sun, and eyes the color of the midday sky. She wore a gown made of the purest white silk. She walked towards Tao, smiling sweetly.
"Hello, Tao," she said. Tao blinked. --Did I tell her my name?-- he wondered. Then he remembered that he hadn't. --Something tells me that this lady's bad news, and that I should be leaving. In fact, I know that I should be leaving, but I can't get my legs to work.-- The lady leaned towards him. "I'm going to have fun with you," she said softly, and a moment later, her appearance changed. Her face became gaunt, and she smiled cruelly, baring her now-sharp teeth. She lunged at him, ready to rip him to shreds. Tao let out a terrified yell, and tried to run away, but tripped over a root behind him. He stared up at the lady, and prayed that Dar had heard him back at the camp.
* * *
Sun Wukung, the Monkey King, was standing on a cloud that was floating down to the ground. He held his cudgel in one hand, ready to use it if need be. His inner senses tingled slightly, which told him that the demoness Kashala was nearby. She had tried to kill the gods and immortals in heaven, so that she could steal their chi, but she was unable to succede at that, and so she'd left heaven to take the life force from humans in the outside world.
Monkey sighed. He didn't see her anywhere, but he could sense that she was nearby. Suddenly, he heard humming nearby, and he paled when he recognized it as Kashala luring a human into her trap. He flew as fast as he could in the direction of the humming. There might be a chance that he could still save the victim before it was too late. A moment later, the humming stopped, and Monkey knew that Kashala had caught her victim. --Dear Buddha- - he prayed, --please don't let me be too late.--
* * *
When the lady in front of him changed her physical appearance, Tao knew that he was dealing with a demoness of some kind. She loomed over him, grinning. Then she began to reach for him. But before she could lay a finger on him, something slammed into her from behind, and she went flying into the bushes. Tao got up, expecting to see Dar standing there, but instead, he found himself face-to-face with someone who obviously wasn't entirely human. He had an extremely hairy face, wore strange clothing, and held a cudgel in his hands.
And he also had an annoyed look on his face.
"You humans," he said disgustedly. "Always thinking below the waist. By the gods, you think more with your hormones than with your minds. That was the demoness Kashala. The sharp teeth should have clued you in."
"It wasn't my fault," Tao said defensively. "She was humming, and I couldn't help following it. It was like the song of a siren. Yes, she looked beautiful, but I figured that something wasn't right when she said my name." The person in front of him blinked.
"Human, what does the fact that she said your name have to do with anything?" he demanded, looking confused. Tao sighed.
"Well, for one thing, I never told her what my name was." The person nodded slightly.
"Well, human, I guess you're not as dumb as I thought." Tao gave him a Look.
"If I were dumb, I wouldn't be a scholar," he retorted. "And don't call me Human. I have a regular name, you know." The person in front of him raised one eyebrow slightly.
"And that name would be---?" he prompted.
"Tao."
"Well, Tao, I'm Sun Wukung, the Monkey King." Now it was Tao's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Who?"
* * *
Monkey stared at the human in shock. --This human doesn't know who I am?-- he thought, stunned. --This must be some kind of a joke. By the gods, I hope this is just a joke.--
"Haven't you ever heard of the Monkey King?" he asked. Tao looked contemplative for a moment, and then shook his head. "The Great Sage Who Equals Heaven?"
"Nope," he replied. "Of course, if it's from a different land on the other side of the world, then that's probably why I never heard of you. No offense or anything." Tao gave Monkey a long look. "You don't look much like a Great Sage. You look like a hairy person who's not entirely human."
Monkey rolled his eyes. "Well, of course I'm not entirely human," he said disgustedly. "I'm half-human, half-monkey. And I'm one of the most powerful gods in existance." Tao looked skeptical.
"You don't look much like a god, either. I thought gods wore glittering robes made of stardust and moonlight," Tao said. Monkey looked disgusted.
"Who the hell fed you *that* load of bullshit?" he demanded. Tao looked puzzled.
"Well, that's what the stories say," he replied. Monkey rolled his eyes.
"By the gods. 'Glittering robes of stardust and moonlight', indeed! Most gods and goddesses wear fine clothing of silk in all the colors of the rainbow, and the goddesses wear jeweled headdresses." He let out a snort of derision. "Either the person who wrote the stories down didn't have all his facts, or he was a brainless idiot." Now it was Tao's turn to look disgusted.
"You do realize that the stories I'm talking about had to be told from memory until they were eventually written down?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. "When stories are told from memory, details get changed. That sort of thing happens." Monkey shook his head.
"Whatever you say, Tao," he said. He began to walk away. A moment later, he turned back around to face Tao. "I suggest you get back to camp. Kashala might not be gone." With that, he left. Tao looked around nervously and then headed back to the camp, where Dar was sitting in front of the fire, with Ruh beside him and Kodo and Podo in his lap.
* * *
Dar was silent when Tao finished telling him about his encounter with the demoness Kashala, and how he had been rescued by the Monkey King. Tao bit his lip nervously.
"Dar, you *do* believe me, don't you?" Dar looked up at Tao, and nodded.
"Of course I believe you. I've seen too many things in my life to think that there aren't any gods besides the known ones." Dar's eyes twinkled. "Besides, I know you, and I know that you don't make stuff like this up." A moment later, his eyes clouded with worry. "And from what you've told me about Kashala, I think we should be extra careful while in these woods." Tao nodded in agreement.
"No arguments there."
Dar lay down on the ground. Kodo and Podo scurried over to lie beside him. "We should get some sleep. We've got a long journey ahead of us." Tao lay down on the other side of the fire, and fell asleep the moment his head touched the ground.
* * *
In the trees above them, Monkey stood on a cloud, watching the two friends sleep. As he stared down at them, his eyes narrowed as a flash of light heralded someone's appearance on the tree branch he was floating next to. --Damn it!-- he thought angrily. --That demon-bitch doesn't know when to give up!-- Monkey spun to face Kashala, bringing his cudgel up and holding it at her throat, but saw that it wasn't the demoness; instead, it was a lady. She had long blond hair pulled into a ponytail, blue eyes, and she wore an outfit that most of the gods and immortals in heaven would consider scandalous. She held both her hands out, palm up, indicating that she meant him no harm.
"It's all right," she said gently and calmly, as if having a cudgel held at her throat was something she was used to. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"Who are you?" Monkey demanded, not lowering his weapon.
"Someone who can help you," she replied. Monkey still didn't lower his cudgel, and the lady sighed. "I'm a Sorceress. The Ancient One has given me leave to help you defeat Kashala, if you need it. After all, she poses a threat to everything in existance."
"Tell me something I don't know," snapped Monkey, but he lowered his weapon. The Sorceress sighed with relief.
"Does this mean you trust me?" she asked.
"No," Monkey replied bluntly. The Sorceress sighed, but didn't look particularily upset, or surprised. Instead, she looked slightly disappointed. She looked down at Tao and his friend, and smiled down at their sleeping figures.
"It's amazing how close those two are," the Sorceress said, as if trying to strike up a conversation. "They're just as close as if they were brothers." She looked over at Monkey, and smiled again. "In fact, the only thing keeping them from being true brothers is their blood." She looked back down at the two friends. Monkey glanced over at her. Suddenly, she cocked her head slightly, as if listening to something.
"What is it?" asked Monkey, looking around warily. The Sorceress stood up.
"The Ancient One has just summoned me. I need to return to the mountain." With that, she disappeared into thin air. Monkey stared at the place where she had been standing, and then looked back down at the two humans, who were both sound asleep. He sighed, scratched his head, and lay back on his cloud. It was going to be a long night.
* * *
The next morning, Tao awoke to find that Dar was already awake, and doing his morning stretches. He yawned, and started gathering his belongings. By the time he was done, Dar had finished his stretches, and had pulled dried fruit out of the food pouch. Kodo and Podo appeared suddenly, chittering excitedly, and proceeded to gobble down their breakfast. Dar smiled down at the two ferrets, and then handed some of the dried fruit to Tao, keeping some for himself. After they had finished their breakfast, they set off, Kodo and Podo settled comfortably in their carrying bag.
Tao looked around nervously, hoping that Kashala wouldn't appear out of nowhere and attack him and Dar. Suddenly, he heard the same humming that he'd heard yesterday. His eyes widened, and he grabbed Dar's arm. Dar stopped and looked at him, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Tao, what is it?" he asked. Tao looked around, trying to see where the demoness was, and trying to keep from following the humming into the woods, like he'd done yesterday.
"That humming---it's the demoness Kashala," he replied nervously.
"Are you sure?" Tao nodded.
"I'm positive, because I heard that exact same humming yesterday."
"I take it the demoness lured you into the woods by humming?" Tao nodded again, and Dar grabbed his staff. (God, that sounds perverted.) He brought it out in front of him, holding it at the ready. The humming stopped all of a sudden, and Dar let out a sigh of relief. But Tao still kept looking around nervously. Suddenly, a figure jumped out of the bushes, and leapt at them. Tao saw that it was the demoness Kashala in her true form. She tackled him to the ground, and prepared to rip him to shreds. Suddenly, Monkey appeared out of nowhere, slamming into the demoness. Kashala was knocked to the ground. She jumped to her feet and spun to face Monkey, baring her needle-like teeth at him.
"Monkey!" she hissed furiously. "You wretched simian! I might have known that you would protect these sheep! Well, you can't stop me! I'm going to take away their life force, in one way or another!"
"I don't think so." Kashala spun to face the new intruder, and her eyes narrowed slightly. The Sorceress continued. "You see, I happen to be rather fond of the Beastmaster and his Eiron friend, and I wouldn't be very happy if they died, especially if their deaths were caused by someone like you." The Sorceress quirked an eyebrow slightly. "Get the point?" Kashala gaped at her, her jaw hanging open. Finally, she spoke.
"A human woman thinks to keep me from stealing the life force of these pathetic humans?" She stared at the Sorceress a moment longer, and started laughing. "I've never heard anything more ridiculous in my eternal life!" The Sorceress looked over at Monkey, Dar, and Tao, and then back at the demoness, who was practically rolling on the ground with laughter.
"But I'm not human," the Sorceress replied quietly, and Kashala stopped laughing. "And it's not ridiculous." The demoness stared at her in shock. Finally, she recovered.
"Then what are you?" she demanded scornfully. The Sorceress cocked her head to one side, gazing at Kashala. Finally, she spoke.
"A Sorceress." She lifted one hand, and a flash of light burst out of her hand, striking the demoness. Kashala flew backwards, crashing into the ground. Before she could get up, Monkey brought his cudgel down upon the back of her neck, slicing her head off. Pale blue mist poured out of Kashala's open neck, and began swirling around. A moment later, the mist faded away, and both Dar and Tao looked over at Monkey for an answer.
"The life force of her past victims," Monkey murmured, sounding satisfied. "At last, their souls can rest in peace." Dar and Tao nodded in agreement. Monkey looked over at the Sorceress, and smiled. He held out his hand. "Thank you." She walked over to him, and clasped his hand.
"You're welcome, Great Sage Monkey." She smiled. Suddenly, she cocked her head to one side, listening.
"What is it?" asked Monkey. The Sorceress turned her attention back to him, and smiled.
"The Ancient One says congratulations for defeating the demoness." A moment later, she disappeared in a flash of light. Monkey turned to Dar and Tao.
"I'd best get back to heaven," he said. He looked at the headless corpse of the demoness Kashala, and muttered a few words under his breath. An instant later, the body disappeared.
"Where'd it go?" asked Tao curiously. Monkey smiled faintly.
"To heaven, where it'll be disposed of." A moment later, a cloud formed underneath him, and he began floating upwards.
"Safe journey, Monkey!" Dar called, and Tao waved. A few minutes later, the two friends set off down the mountain.
"I'm glad that the demoness Kashala is dead," said Tao. He let out a sigh of relief. "At least we'll be able to sleep without having to worry about a demoness that wants to rip us to shreds and steal our life force." Dar nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, he heard Sharak call from high up in the sky. **Terrons are approaching!** Dar looked through his eyes to where Sharak was looking, and saw a small group of Terrons heading towards them. They were pulling several people along, their hands tied in front of them. --Wonderful-- Dar thought unhappily. --Terron slavers.--
"What is it?" Tao asked. Dar turned towards him.
"There's a small group of Terrons slavers heading towards us." Dar started running in the direction of the Terrons, and Tao sighed. --Well, it looks as though life are back to normal-- he thought wryly. He took off running after Dar, trying to keep up with the Beastmaster's long-legged gait.
* * *
Monkey stared down at the two friends from high up in the clouds, and smiled faintly.
"Safe journeys, you two," he whispered. Then he disappeared, returning to heaven and the monkey kingdom, where he was given a hero's welcome by his people for defeating the demoness Kashala. The other gods and goddesses, of course, didn't lower themselves to come and congratulate him on his victory, but that was to be expected, of course, seeing as they didn't like him.
The End
* * *
A/N: This story is set during the second season, after Iara took over Curupira's job, and the second Sorceress replaced the first one, but before the Ancient One left to find new magic. Oh, "The Lost Empire" was a two- part mini-series that aired on NBC back in April. Some of you readers out there might have read the novelization, which was called "The Monkey King", by the same author as the novelization of "The 10th Kingdom"; but the people at NBC changed the title of the mini-series from "The Monkey King" to "The Lost Empire". Dunno why; the first title was better, but I'm not sure if anyone out there besides me watched it. It had Russell Wong as the Monkey King, and Thomas Gibson from "Dharma and Greg" as the Scholar from Above/Nicholas Orton. Anyhoo, please R&R, but no flames. Potential flamers, heed these words: I have a roll of duct tape, a shovel, and a big backyard. You do the math. *grins evilly*
by
Crescent Dreamweaver
Disclaimer: I don't own Beastmaster. Those rights belong to Tribune Entertainment. I also don't own the Lost Empire. Those rights belong to NBC and Hallmark Entertainment.
Synopsis: When Dar and Tao set up camp one evening, Tao gets lured out of the camp by a demoness. She tries to kill him, but Tao gets an unexpected rescuer: a man who's half-human, half-monkey. Tao fans, you needn't worry; despite the title, he does not die.
-- --= indicates a person's thoughts
* *= indicates emphasized words
** **= double-stars indicate mind-to-mind speech (the only time it's used is between Dar and Sharak near the end of the story)
Let the story begin!
* * *
The demoness Kashala stared down where she was floating among the trees at the two men traveling up the mountain. The light-haired one would know how to defend himself against her. Besides, he was the Beastmaster, and believed in demonesses, sorceresses, and such. She decided that it would be a waste of time
But his dark-haired companion, on the other hand...
The Beastmaster's companion was an Eiron, which meant that he wouldn't likely believe in her kind. His kind were the kind to look for a rational explaination in everything, including magic. Kashala smiled faintly. -- He's perfect for my next victim-- she thought to herself. She chuckled slightly. Then her eyes narrowed. --Just so long as that bastard Sun Wukung, the Monkey King, doesn't try to stop me.--
* * *
Tao set his satchel down on the ground and sighed, rolling his shoulders. He and Dar had just walked up the majority of a mountain until they'd reached a place that the Beastmaster deemed a good place to camp. Tao looked over at him, and shook his head slightly. --There's no justice-- he thought unhappily. --I feel like I've been running without stopping for a full week, and Dar's not even sweating! There is absolutely no justice. None.-- He sighed again, and sat down on the ground. He cupped his chin in his hands, and stared towards the west, where the sun was setting. The sunlight reflecting off the clouds made it look as though it was the golden gates of heaven. Suddenly, he heard someone humming nearby. Tao cocked his head to one side, listening. It was a beautiful, melodious sound, like the music of angels. Tao got up and walked in the direction of the humming. He didn't know why, but he had to follow the music. Suddenly, it stopped, and he looked around, confused. A moment later, a young woman appeared in front of him. When Tao saw her, he felt his breath catch in his chest. She was beautiful, with long wavy hair as golden as the rising sun, and eyes the color of the midday sky. She wore a gown made of the purest white silk. She walked towards Tao, smiling sweetly.
"Hello, Tao," she said. Tao blinked. --Did I tell her my name?-- he wondered. Then he remembered that he hadn't. --Something tells me that this lady's bad news, and that I should be leaving. In fact, I know that I should be leaving, but I can't get my legs to work.-- The lady leaned towards him. "I'm going to have fun with you," she said softly, and a moment later, her appearance changed. Her face became gaunt, and she smiled cruelly, baring her now-sharp teeth. She lunged at him, ready to rip him to shreds. Tao let out a terrified yell, and tried to run away, but tripped over a root behind him. He stared up at the lady, and prayed that Dar had heard him back at the camp.
* * *
Sun Wukung, the Monkey King, was standing on a cloud that was floating down to the ground. He held his cudgel in one hand, ready to use it if need be. His inner senses tingled slightly, which told him that the demoness Kashala was nearby. She had tried to kill the gods and immortals in heaven, so that she could steal their chi, but she was unable to succede at that, and so she'd left heaven to take the life force from humans in the outside world.
Monkey sighed. He didn't see her anywhere, but he could sense that she was nearby. Suddenly, he heard humming nearby, and he paled when he recognized it as Kashala luring a human into her trap. He flew as fast as he could in the direction of the humming. There might be a chance that he could still save the victim before it was too late. A moment later, the humming stopped, and Monkey knew that Kashala had caught her victim. --Dear Buddha- - he prayed, --please don't let me be too late.--
* * *
When the lady in front of him changed her physical appearance, Tao knew that he was dealing with a demoness of some kind. She loomed over him, grinning. Then she began to reach for him. But before she could lay a finger on him, something slammed into her from behind, and she went flying into the bushes. Tao got up, expecting to see Dar standing there, but instead, he found himself face-to-face with someone who obviously wasn't entirely human. He had an extremely hairy face, wore strange clothing, and held a cudgel in his hands.
And he also had an annoyed look on his face.
"You humans," he said disgustedly. "Always thinking below the waist. By the gods, you think more with your hormones than with your minds. That was the demoness Kashala. The sharp teeth should have clued you in."
"It wasn't my fault," Tao said defensively. "She was humming, and I couldn't help following it. It was like the song of a siren. Yes, she looked beautiful, but I figured that something wasn't right when she said my name." The person in front of him blinked.
"Human, what does the fact that she said your name have to do with anything?" he demanded, looking confused. Tao sighed.
"Well, for one thing, I never told her what my name was." The person nodded slightly.
"Well, human, I guess you're not as dumb as I thought." Tao gave him a Look.
"If I were dumb, I wouldn't be a scholar," he retorted. "And don't call me Human. I have a regular name, you know." The person in front of him raised one eyebrow slightly.
"And that name would be---?" he prompted.
"Tao."
"Well, Tao, I'm Sun Wukung, the Monkey King." Now it was Tao's turn to raise an eyebrow.
"Who?"
* * *
Monkey stared at the human in shock. --This human doesn't know who I am?-- he thought, stunned. --This must be some kind of a joke. By the gods, I hope this is just a joke.--
"Haven't you ever heard of the Monkey King?" he asked. Tao looked contemplative for a moment, and then shook his head. "The Great Sage Who Equals Heaven?"
"Nope," he replied. "Of course, if it's from a different land on the other side of the world, then that's probably why I never heard of you. No offense or anything." Tao gave Monkey a long look. "You don't look much like a Great Sage. You look like a hairy person who's not entirely human."
Monkey rolled his eyes. "Well, of course I'm not entirely human," he said disgustedly. "I'm half-human, half-monkey. And I'm one of the most powerful gods in existance." Tao looked skeptical.
"You don't look much like a god, either. I thought gods wore glittering robes made of stardust and moonlight," Tao said. Monkey looked disgusted.
"Who the hell fed you *that* load of bullshit?" he demanded. Tao looked puzzled.
"Well, that's what the stories say," he replied. Monkey rolled his eyes.
"By the gods. 'Glittering robes of stardust and moonlight', indeed! Most gods and goddesses wear fine clothing of silk in all the colors of the rainbow, and the goddesses wear jeweled headdresses." He let out a snort of derision. "Either the person who wrote the stories down didn't have all his facts, or he was a brainless idiot." Now it was Tao's turn to look disgusted.
"You do realize that the stories I'm talking about had to be told from memory until they were eventually written down?" he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. "When stories are told from memory, details get changed. That sort of thing happens." Monkey shook his head.
"Whatever you say, Tao," he said. He began to walk away. A moment later, he turned back around to face Tao. "I suggest you get back to camp. Kashala might not be gone." With that, he left. Tao looked around nervously and then headed back to the camp, where Dar was sitting in front of the fire, with Ruh beside him and Kodo and Podo in his lap.
* * *
Dar was silent when Tao finished telling him about his encounter with the demoness Kashala, and how he had been rescued by the Monkey King. Tao bit his lip nervously.
"Dar, you *do* believe me, don't you?" Dar looked up at Tao, and nodded.
"Of course I believe you. I've seen too many things in my life to think that there aren't any gods besides the known ones." Dar's eyes twinkled. "Besides, I know you, and I know that you don't make stuff like this up." A moment later, his eyes clouded with worry. "And from what you've told me about Kashala, I think we should be extra careful while in these woods." Tao nodded in agreement.
"No arguments there."
Dar lay down on the ground. Kodo and Podo scurried over to lie beside him. "We should get some sleep. We've got a long journey ahead of us." Tao lay down on the other side of the fire, and fell asleep the moment his head touched the ground.
* * *
In the trees above them, Monkey stood on a cloud, watching the two friends sleep. As he stared down at them, his eyes narrowed as a flash of light heralded someone's appearance on the tree branch he was floating next to. --Damn it!-- he thought angrily. --That demon-bitch doesn't know when to give up!-- Monkey spun to face Kashala, bringing his cudgel up and holding it at her throat, but saw that it wasn't the demoness; instead, it was a lady. She had long blond hair pulled into a ponytail, blue eyes, and she wore an outfit that most of the gods and immortals in heaven would consider scandalous. She held both her hands out, palm up, indicating that she meant him no harm.
"It's all right," she said gently and calmly, as if having a cudgel held at her throat was something she was used to. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"Who are you?" Monkey demanded, not lowering his weapon.
"Someone who can help you," she replied. Monkey still didn't lower his cudgel, and the lady sighed. "I'm a Sorceress. The Ancient One has given me leave to help you defeat Kashala, if you need it. After all, she poses a threat to everything in existance."
"Tell me something I don't know," snapped Monkey, but he lowered his weapon. The Sorceress sighed with relief.
"Does this mean you trust me?" she asked.
"No," Monkey replied bluntly. The Sorceress sighed, but didn't look particularily upset, or surprised. Instead, she looked slightly disappointed. She looked down at Tao and his friend, and smiled down at their sleeping figures.
"It's amazing how close those two are," the Sorceress said, as if trying to strike up a conversation. "They're just as close as if they were brothers." She looked over at Monkey, and smiled again. "In fact, the only thing keeping them from being true brothers is their blood." She looked back down at the two friends. Monkey glanced over at her. Suddenly, she cocked her head slightly, as if listening to something.
"What is it?" asked Monkey, looking around warily. The Sorceress stood up.
"The Ancient One has just summoned me. I need to return to the mountain." With that, she disappeared into thin air. Monkey stared at the place where she had been standing, and then looked back down at the two humans, who were both sound asleep. He sighed, scratched his head, and lay back on his cloud. It was going to be a long night.
* * *
The next morning, Tao awoke to find that Dar was already awake, and doing his morning stretches. He yawned, and started gathering his belongings. By the time he was done, Dar had finished his stretches, and had pulled dried fruit out of the food pouch. Kodo and Podo appeared suddenly, chittering excitedly, and proceeded to gobble down their breakfast. Dar smiled down at the two ferrets, and then handed some of the dried fruit to Tao, keeping some for himself. After they had finished their breakfast, they set off, Kodo and Podo settled comfortably in their carrying bag.
Tao looked around nervously, hoping that Kashala wouldn't appear out of nowhere and attack him and Dar. Suddenly, he heard the same humming that he'd heard yesterday. His eyes widened, and he grabbed Dar's arm. Dar stopped and looked at him, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Tao, what is it?" he asked. Tao looked around, trying to see where the demoness was, and trying to keep from following the humming into the woods, like he'd done yesterday.
"That humming---it's the demoness Kashala," he replied nervously.
"Are you sure?" Tao nodded.
"I'm positive, because I heard that exact same humming yesterday."
"I take it the demoness lured you into the woods by humming?" Tao nodded again, and Dar grabbed his staff. (God, that sounds perverted.) He brought it out in front of him, holding it at the ready. The humming stopped all of a sudden, and Dar let out a sigh of relief. But Tao still kept looking around nervously. Suddenly, a figure jumped out of the bushes, and leapt at them. Tao saw that it was the demoness Kashala in her true form. She tackled him to the ground, and prepared to rip him to shreds. Suddenly, Monkey appeared out of nowhere, slamming into the demoness. Kashala was knocked to the ground. She jumped to her feet and spun to face Monkey, baring her needle-like teeth at him.
"Monkey!" she hissed furiously. "You wretched simian! I might have known that you would protect these sheep! Well, you can't stop me! I'm going to take away their life force, in one way or another!"
"I don't think so." Kashala spun to face the new intruder, and her eyes narrowed slightly. The Sorceress continued. "You see, I happen to be rather fond of the Beastmaster and his Eiron friend, and I wouldn't be very happy if they died, especially if their deaths were caused by someone like you." The Sorceress quirked an eyebrow slightly. "Get the point?" Kashala gaped at her, her jaw hanging open. Finally, she spoke.
"A human woman thinks to keep me from stealing the life force of these pathetic humans?" She stared at the Sorceress a moment longer, and started laughing. "I've never heard anything more ridiculous in my eternal life!" The Sorceress looked over at Monkey, Dar, and Tao, and then back at the demoness, who was practically rolling on the ground with laughter.
"But I'm not human," the Sorceress replied quietly, and Kashala stopped laughing. "And it's not ridiculous." The demoness stared at her in shock. Finally, she recovered.
"Then what are you?" she demanded scornfully. The Sorceress cocked her head to one side, gazing at Kashala. Finally, she spoke.
"A Sorceress." She lifted one hand, and a flash of light burst out of her hand, striking the demoness. Kashala flew backwards, crashing into the ground. Before she could get up, Monkey brought his cudgel down upon the back of her neck, slicing her head off. Pale blue mist poured out of Kashala's open neck, and began swirling around. A moment later, the mist faded away, and both Dar and Tao looked over at Monkey for an answer.
"The life force of her past victims," Monkey murmured, sounding satisfied. "At last, their souls can rest in peace." Dar and Tao nodded in agreement. Monkey looked over at the Sorceress, and smiled. He held out his hand. "Thank you." She walked over to him, and clasped his hand.
"You're welcome, Great Sage Monkey." She smiled. Suddenly, she cocked her head to one side, listening.
"What is it?" asked Monkey. The Sorceress turned her attention back to him, and smiled.
"The Ancient One says congratulations for defeating the demoness." A moment later, she disappeared in a flash of light. Monkey turned to Dar and Tao.
"I'd best get back to heaven," he said. He looked at the headless corpse of the demoness Kashala, and muttered a few words under his breath. An instant later, the body disappeared.
"Where'd it go?" asked Tao curiously. Monkey smiled faintly.
"To heaven, where it'll be disposed of." A moment later, a cloud formed underneath him, and he began floating upwards.
"Safe journey, Monkey!" Dar called, and Tao waved. A few minutes later, the two friends set off down the mountain.
"I'm glad that the demoness Kashala is dead," said Tao. He let out a sigh of relief. "At least we'll be able to sleep without having to worry about a demoness that wants to rip us to shreds and steal our life force." Dar nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, he heard Sharak call from high up in the sky. **Terrons are approaching!** Dar looked through his eyes to where Sharak was looking, and saw a small group of Terrons heading towards them. They were pulling several people along, their hands tied in front of them. --Wonderful-- Dar thought unhappily. --Terron slavers.--
"What is it?" Tao asked. Dar turned towards him.
"There's a small group of Terrons slavers heading towards us." Dar started running in the direction of the Terrons, and Tao sighed. --Well, it looks as though life are back to normal-- he thought wryly. He took off running after Dar, trying to keep up with the Beastmaster's long-legged gait.
* * *
Monkey stared down at the two friends from high up in the clouds, and smiled faintly.
"Safe journeys, you two," he whispered. Then he disappeared, returning to heaven and the monkey kingdom, where he was given a hero's welcome by his people for defeating the demoness Kashala. The other gods and goddesses, of course, didn't lower themselves to come and congratulate him on his victory, but that was to be expected, of course, seeing as they didn't like him.
The End
* * *
A/N: This story is set during the second season, after Iara took over Curupira's job, and the second Sorceress replaced the first one, but before the Ancient One left to find new magic. Oh, "The Lost Empire" was a two- part mini-series that aired on NBC back in April. Some of you readers out there might have read the novelization, which was called "The Monkey King", by the same author as the novelization of "The 10th Kingdom"; but the people at NBC changed the title of the mini-series from "The Monkey King" to "The Lost Empire". Dunno why; the first title was better, but I'm not sure if anyone out there besides me watched it. It had Russell Wong as the Monkey King, and Thomas Gibson from "Dharma and Greg" as the Scholar from Above/Nicholas Orton. Anyhoo, please R&R, but no flames. Potential flamers, heed these words: I have a roll of duct tape, a shovel, and a big backyard. You do the math. *grins evilly*