This chapter might be a bit boring... And Kari-chan, thanks for your advice, but between writing AND translating Ni Tang I have to work with my Cedric/Phobos slash site, so I just don't have time to add any extra.

NI TANG

Chapter 6

Tchang Zu looked at the youngest member of the demon family and nodded.

"Ni Tang, it's time for you to paybackfor the freedom we gave you. You will have to give us what we gave to you and open the eight demon portals to let us free. We have taught you and told you what you will have to do and all you lack is experience. We can not give that to you; you have to get it by yourself," the thunder demon said.

He gestured at the circle formed by the rest of the demons.

"When we eight chant a special spell, a temporary portal will be opened and you can step through it into the real world," he continued, and Ni Tang stepped into the middle of the circle, glancing at the others. Hsi Wu gave him a nod and Tso Lan's peaceful expression made him feel a bit better. The other demons didn't show any signs of caring, not even Po Kong, Bai Tsa or Xiao Fung, who he had believed to be better than Dai Gui.

"Keep in mind what we have taught to you and why we let you go. You owe us your freedom and cannot let anything ruin your mission," Tchang Zu said and gave a sign to Bai Tsa who closed her eyes and started to sing in a clear voice. It made Ni Tang shudder but he didn't let it show. He could not allow the others to think he was weak.

One by one other demons joined their sister's song, each with a different voice and soon a complicated choir could be heard in the Netherworld. It might have been very beautiful if you stayed and listened it with care, but Ni Tang didn't feel like concentrating on it.

The air next to him started to quiver and soon it looked like a red puddle was hanging in the air. Slowly it started to take shape and the puddle turned into a green portal, which showed a trash can and some grey asphalt. Ni Tang took a glance around but all of his siblings were too concentrated on the spell to give him any advice. So he drew a deep breath, took an bold step towards the portal and finally stepped through it and away from the Netherworld.

He felt a hard, cold surface under his bare feet and noticed he had arrived to some kind of street. It looked very uninviting with the dark corners, trash lying everywhere and rats squeeking in the darkness, but it still made a wave of strange familiarity and comfort go through him. This felt more like home than the Netherworld ever had or would.

Now it was time for him to decide what to do. What had Shendu told him again? How would he ever find the Pan Ku box when he didn't even know where he was and what he should do? This alley offered him no clues or advice. Maybe he wasn't quite as ready as his siblings believed.

Ni Tang shook his head, feeling disgusted at himself. What kind of pathetic fool was he? He was alone now, so he would just have to prove to everyone that he was capable of taking care of himself. He was sure none of his siblings would have been this helpless; they would have got straightto the point by now. Ni Tang drew a deep breath and straightened his back. He might be the youngest and weakest one, but sure would live up to all expectations!

He slit his eyes as he stepped out from the shadowy street in the crowd. Everything had suddenly turned out to be very bright and for a short moment he feared someone had attacked him. He raised his left hand to cover his eyes and looked around.

Different people were everywhere and the noise they made got on his nerves. On top of that he could see some weird creatures made of metal and while he didn't know what they were, he felt like they were nothing worth of fearing.

But the sun made him feel confused. He knew what it was now tha the had seen it and he was surprised to notice it didn't bother him very much. He had thought that as a polar demon he would be forced to hide from it.

"Hey! Who the heck are you?" someone shouted and Ni Tang turned on his heels to face two men. And then he understood how strange he had to look in the human eye. The grey mask covered his face but his glowing red eyes and weird clothes were enough to attract some unwanted attention.

And now these two had seen him. Should he kill them now before they told anyone about him? Ni Tang glanced at his hands. He didn't have claws like Shendu or Hsi Wu and he gave up the idea. Now when he couldn't use his powers he was no match to the humans. As much as admitting the truth hurt his demon pride he knew what was the only option.

Ni Tang turned on his heels and dived back into the shadows of the alley.

"Hey! Wait!" one of the men shouted and both rushed after him. Ni Tang looked behind him to see how fast they were and cursed when he stepped on something sharp. His unprotected feet were not made for running around in a city like this.

He stopped suddenly to avoid hitting a stone wall. Blast it! He had totally forgot the street led to nowhere and now he had to answer the questions of those two curious and maybe even dangerous men. Ni Tang turned around to face them. He really hoped he had never even met those men.

The first one frowned in confusion and eyed the empty street.

"Where did he go?" he asked his partner, who just shrugged.

"Beats me. He did run here and then he just vanished in the air," he said, feeling just as confused. He rubbed the back of his head.

"He sure was a weird looking fellow, mask and everything," he said and Ni Tang stared at them not understanding anything. He was right there!

He tilted his head and took a careful step forwards. Neither one of the men seemed to notice this and it encouraged him to wave his fingers in front of the eyes of the nearest man. No reaction. What was going on?

"Whatever he was, now he's gone," the man said with a shrug.

"Maybe we were both hallucinating or something," the other one admitted and they left muttering to each other and leaving Ni Tang alone.

What had just happened? First the men had seen him and then he had suddenly disappeared. Ni Tang shook his head to himself and pinched his arm to make sure he still existed. It hurt and he frowned. Bizarre.

Well, whateverit was about he was still in square one. He had no idea where the Pan Ku box was and he would not find it by staying there. But how could he ever leave when he would attract the attention of humans?

"I think I'm in trouble," he muttered and hoped one of his siblings was there with him. Even Dai Gui would have been enough; the earth demon would know what to do. With a quiet sigh Ni Tang sat down and crossed his legs. Tso Lan was the wisest one of the demons and the moon demon spent most of his time thinking. Maybe he would find the right solution if he did this like his big brother would?

He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. He was in a totally strange city and time and he knew basically nothing about anything. He had to find the Pan Ku box, but he had no idea where it was. On top of that he had to be careful with humans; he could not let them know who he was and what he was doing here.

Hmm... There were too many humans; it would be easier if there were less of them. Ni Tang knew humans were diurnal animals and when the sun set most of them would return in their homes leaving the streets empty. So he just had to wait for the night, then he could do what was needed.

He would be safe here if no one saw him. He couldn't say why, but he felt safe there and it would have been sad to leave the street that soon.

"I will leave when it gets dark," he promised to himself and opened his red eyes.

At night no one would pay him any special attention and he could start his hunt. Shendu had told him to seek the family of Chan and that was what the polar demon would do. And if the Chans turned out to be as difficult as Shendu had said... Well, Ni Tang knew he could get rid of them somehow.

He was allowed to sit there in peace without anyone disturbing him. He was thankful, he could not assume that the would mysteriously disappear every time something bad happened. Time flew like it had wings and he sat there almost the whole day thinking and making plans.

Firstly, he had decided to calm down. There was no sense in rushing into this and ruining everything just because of that. He knew that if he failed his siblings would never forgive him and that would not be very healthy for him. So, he had to explore the city and find himself a hideout where he could retreat for days and wait for nights.

And when the sun finally set Ni Tang wasn't nervous anymore. He had a plan and it would not be too difficult to put the first part in action.


Ni Tang opened his eyes and they glowed gloomily in the shadows of the street. The city was much quieter now, even if it wasn't soundless anywhere. It was colder and of course darker. The only sources of light were the streetlights and neon lights. He stood up and stretched his numb limbs. Demon or not, he had to move too.

He took a glance around and only now he seemed to notice everything there was. The wall he had thought to beempty and dull was now something much more. Its surface was rough and Ni Tang touched it with his fingertips to feel it better. Here and there were small carvings and someone had thought it would be fun to paint his or her initials on it with white paint.

But the most important thing were brown ladders that rose up along the wall. Ni Tang frowned to himself. He should have noticed them before.

Now when he had the opportunity he was not going to waste it. He was still unsure whether he should show himself on the streets, even at night, so the ladders were like a gift. He could climb up and have a good look at this city. Shendu had called it San Francisco and Ni Tang thought it sounded good. Nice name, like he knew it somehow.

He grabbed the first step with his grey fingers and lifted himself up. He was surprised by how easy it was; the first step was kind of high after all. NiT ang didn't stay there thinking about it, he was a demon and why to worry about something that was only useful?

Climbing was easy and the old ladders carried his weight, even if they shook at times. They ended on a roof, which was empty save for few boxes. Ni Tang took a step towards the centre of the roof looking around himself.

The only way down seemed to be the ladders he had used and most people would have climbed down. Most, but not demons. He took a careful glance around trying to decide what direction would be the best one. Because he didn't know this city it didn't really matter and he chose south. There was another building with a higher roof in that direction and he eyed it for a while. Oh well...

With a few agile leaps Ni Tang was standing on the other roof feeling quite smug. This place was like the one before and quickly leaped on the next one. It was easy and he continued going even though he knew it would be wiser to stay and investigate at least part of what he faced.

But he didn't want to stop. The cold night air surrounded him and he felt like he was flying when he leaped along the roofs of San Francisco, not caring where he was going. For a while he felt jealous for Hsi Wu's great wings, but then he killed those ideas. He just had to take what was given to him.

He continued with the cat-like agility most circus people would have admired. Ni Tang didn't know if the other demons were like this, but he just couldn't imagine Po Kong jumping around. Maybe this was part of his powers?

He stopped when he arrived at a construction site and sat down on a high crane. There was nothing special up there, but around it was. San Francisco was a sea of light; the light that shone from windows, lamps and different advertisements made the nightly city look very beautiful. Ni Tang leaned against the crane and let his eyes admire the city.

This city should be mine, he thought before he could help it.

He could hear the sounds of the city but he let them be. A cold breath of wind made his white hair flow in the air and he wanted to remove his mask so he could feel the wind on his face. He raised his hand to do it, but then decided against it. There was no time to stay there and dream; the night would not go on forever.

He stood up and looked at the city one more time before he leapt nimbly down along the crane. Now he had seen what the city looked like from the heights, he still had too see what it was likeon the street level. He landed softly on his feet and straightened his back.

He could see no one, but who would be loitering around in a construction site at night? Even though most of the people slept some of the were actually waking right now. They spent their nights in night-clubs and even darker places and there were always people on the street.

At night the danger of someone paying him attention was smaller, but Ni Tang didn't want to take any risks. He glanced around and started to walk on the pavement wondering where it would lead.

He could not move on without facing humans, but they were too concentrated on their own business or just too drunk or high to notice anything special in him. Ni Tang looked at them curiously. One had to be an idiot if one didn't recognise a demon when one saw one!

The night was still young when he found a perfect hideout for himself. It was an abandoned warehouse with all doors and windows tightly closed. It wasn't difficult to break in and hide his tracks so that it seemed no one had never been inside. Inside of the warehouse was dark but that didn't bother him. As a polar demon he could see as well as a cat and he was soon familiar with the place. There was dust and trash, but it still suited him and he decided to stay there until he found something better.

The walls were lined with boxes and Ni Tang jumped on a heap of three of them. Now he had a place where to stay when the sun was up, but what next? He had seen part of the city and understood now that he would not learn to know it well if he didn't waste weeks exploring it. And that would not please his siblings and he didn't want to make them wait for that long.

So he just had to give this up and start the hunt for the Pan Ku box. All he knew about it was that it was in the hands of Chans. Where were them, he had no idea. But he wasn't stupid and could count things together. Firstly, Chan was a Chinese surname. Most of the people Ni Tang had seen were white western people, so if there were Chinese people in San Francisco someone had to know where. The old chi wizard was a good clue too. Surely someone knew where he lived.

Giving himself a nod Ni Tang jumped down and left the warehouse. The hunt had begun and even if he didn't use the traditional ways the result would be just as good. All he had to do was to stop the next human and ask. None of his siblings would have done it, but these humans seemed to be so stupid that he didn't believe they would cause any trouble.

He returned to the street and looked around. There were humans on the move, he just had to pick one. He hid in a shadow and waited for someone to walk past him. And he didn't believe he would be forced to wait for too long. Steps gave someone in and Ni Tang frowned. He just had to be ready... now! With a swift move he caught the human by the collar and dragged his prey into the shadows. He pressed his hand on the human's mouth and just then did he notice his prey was a woman. Or a girl actually, she was barely sixteen and way too young to dress like she did. She wore a heavy make up and it seemed she had drunk something no one of her age should be allowed to.

"If you are quiet I will let you leave alive. If not, they will find your body tomorrow," Ni Tang said quietly and the girl seemed to understand despite her dazed condition.

"Good. Now you will tell me if you know anyone called Chan," he told and the girl shook her head in confusion. She had brown eyes and looked fragile in her tight clothes. "Then do you know where I could find them?" Ni Tang asked again and this time the girl nodded. The polar demon frowned behind his mask.

"I will let you speak but if you scream that's the last thing you'll ever do," he said slowly and removed his hand carefully. She let out a relieved sigh and turned to face her captor.

She drew a shocked breath when she saw only glowing red eyes in the darkness and opened her mouth to scream when Ni Tang put his hand on her face, killing the scream before it was actually born.

"Remember what I said," he threatened and the girl nodded nervously.

"Chinatown. Chans, whoever they are, have to be there," she said quickly in a high voice.

Ni Tang nodded. "Good," he said slowly and disappeared into the shadows. The girl took a glance around and ran back to the street. She didn't feel like having fun anymore.

To be continued...