Authors notes: *Lines with in the stars are thoughts.*
The pair approached the monastery cautously. Both could feel the corruption in the area, so strong that placing it was impossible. Not even Wusheng's training could find the source.
They were greeted at the gates by a monk who, upon learning that Wusheng was from the Kuo Te'Lung monastery, brought him before Chiang Lu Wan, the master of the Yehimal monastery. The two are taken to the main hall, where the master awaits them.
Chiang Lu Wan is an elderly man, though younger than Shao Yun Ng, Wusheng's own master. Like Master Shao, Chiang Lu Wan is a human, as are most of his diciples. His head is shaved completely, displaying the many wrinkles of his age. His course orange robes show him as a spiritual monk, not of the fighting sects.
He rests on a soft cushion in the room, the soft glow of candles reflects off his soft skin, showing that, unlike Master Shao, he is generally inactive.
Wusheng lowers himself to a knee, bowing his head before the master. Master Chiang nods slightly in recognition of the elf and bid him to sit. He then turned to the woman with the elf and spoke to her in her own language. She joined him sitting before the master.
"You say you are from Kou Te'Lung." the old master starts. Wusheng nods briefly. "How is Kang-sifu?" he asks pleasently.
The elf looks at him strangely. "There has been no Kang-sifu in monastery since I have been there, Chiang-sifu." he says, apologetically. "Shao-sifu was quite well, though, when I left."
The old master smiles slightly and nods. He looks down at the blade that the elf is wearing at his waist. "Wu Yao Gim!" he yells. Four large human monks enter the room at their master's shout, staves in hand.
"You say Shao-sifu is still well. I know he would never part with that sword on his life!" the master yells at the elf.
The four large men begin to approach the elf, staves at the ready, trying to surround him. Wusheng sighs, standing quickly enough to startle guards who are now nearly close enough to attack. One lunges in, swinging at the elf.
Leaping lightly to the side, Wusheng catches the end of the staff in his left hand. Punching through it with his right hand, the elf sends splinters of the waxwood across the floor. Continuing his forward motion, he plants his left foot behind the leg of the guard and strikes him in the chest with his left fist, knocking him from his feet.
Even as the fighter bounces across the floor, three more warriors enter, heavy dao drawn. Wusheng's hand drops to Wu Yao Gim. The blade hums, almost pleasently, as it appears drawn in the elfs hand, almost as if by magic.
Suddenly a blur of motion, Wusheng dives forward, a staff crashing into the floor where he just stood. Rolling to his feet, the elf brings his gim up, blocking a second staff, before bringing the palm of his hand hard against the knee of the monk. The monk grunts in pain, Wusheng had to give him credit for not screaming, at least, as he falls back, clutching his shattered knee. Rolling back, he narrowly avoids a heavy dao that would have removed his head from his shoulder.
Rising to his feet, the demon hunter thrust his leg behind him, his heel connecting with the chest of the third staff wielder. The man goes down hard, colliding with a wall, then sliding to the floor. The gim comes up, even with his face, stopping a dao. In a blur of motion, the sun elf brings his left leg up and around, knocking the dao from the man's hand, following up with a turning kick to his temple, turning him, literally, upside down and knocking him unconcious.
The momentum of his turn continued, and amplified, he unleashes a spinning kick with his left leg. His heel collides with the jaw of the last of the staff fighters, dropping him to the floor in an instant. Leaning over, his back parallel with the floor, Wusheng spins his sword over his chest, forcing one dao wielding warrior behind him to take a step back, and lining a second up for a thrust.
Before he could follow through, though, the last swordsman attacks, forcing Wusheng to spin to the side. Using the motion of the spin, he snaps the handle of his gim out, sending the weighted tassels hanging from the end to arc out before him. The long tassels brush against the swordsmans eyes, forcing him to close them for a moment. A moment is all the elf needs, though, as he follows through with his braid, which connects harder than a length of hair should, opening a cut on the side of the warriors face.
The elf continues his spins, adding to it even more, thrusting, first his left leg, followed quickly by his right, propelling him through the air and over the swing of a dao. Landing, he faces one of the two remaining fighters with a flurry of quick thrusts and slashes. Even as he begins to force an opening, though, the other swordsman lunges from the opposite side.
The nimble elf steps to the side, purposely avoiding spinning now. These warriors were used to him using momentum attacks, so he would have to change his tactics. The heavy dao missing him by a hairs breath, the elf still uses the slight turn he made to add power to his strike as his arm spins out from him, connecting the top of his opened hand to the mans nose.
He turns back to the last swordsman, thrusting hard. The man drops low, arcing his blade out to intercept. The blades, though, never touch as the fast elf reverses his motion with a turn of his wrist. His fist, sword still in hand, now lined up with the man's face, he unleashes a barrage of solid punches which drop the man to the floor.
Turning back to the master, Wusheng is about to give his opinion of the master's hospitality when another warrior enters the room. A sigh escapes his lips as his gim comes up to block. *A gim!* he notices his opponents blade. *Does this mean I fight a demon hunter?* he wonders as he and his new opponent spin and thrust, jockeying for a striking position.
Stalemated, unable to break through the others defense and attack patterns, the two break off at the same time. Coming to a stop three meters apart, they can finally get a good look at each other. *A female sun elf!?*
This was quite unusual. Few women become demon hunters. Wusheng always assumed that it was simply unappealing to them. Fewer sun elves become demon hunters. It is usually a human obsession, driving the demons from these lands. Most elves believe that specific demons may need driven out, there will always be demons summoned by corrupt wizards and priests, so why make a living out of hunting them when you will make little, if any progress over a milleniums time. Not even elves live long enough to make much of a difference.
A little younger than Wusheng, her long golden blonde hair is like-wise braided and looped around her neck. The slight pull at the end of her braid shows that she has a weight hidden, perhaps, even, a blade, like Wusheng has, with-in the end of her hair.
"That is quite enough, Rising Dawn." The old master speaks loudly enough to be heard.
Wusheng looked at him, suspician in his eyes. Looking at the woman that followed him here, he found her likewise confused, though, likely it was for the language differnences.
"This was a test." Wusheng said accusingly.
"Of course. If the Wu Yao Gim had been stolen, you would not have been able to draw it against your fellow demon hunters." He looks at the sun elf, who looks visibly angered. "I do not blame you for being upset, but, sit. There are things going on here that you should know of."
------
Translations can be found at http://wuyausu.homestead.com/home.html under glossary.
The pair approached the monastery cautously. Both could feel the corruption in the area, so strong that placing it was impossible. Not even Wusheng's training could find the source.
They were greeted at the gates by a monk who, upon learning that Wusheng was from the Kuo Te'Lung monastery, brought him before Chiang Lu Wan, the master of the Yehimal monastery. The two are taken to the main hall, where the master awaits them.
Chiang Lu Wan is an elderly man, though younger than Shao Yun Ng, Wusheng's own master. Like Master Shao, Chiang Lu Wan is a human, as are most of his diciples. His head is shaved completely, displaying the many wrinkles of his age. His course orange robes show him as a spiritual monk, not of the fighting sects.
He rests on a soft cushion in the room, the soft glow of candles reflects off his soft skin, showing that, unlike Master Shao, he is generally inactive.
Wusheng lowers himself to a knee, bowing his head before the master. Master Chiang nods slightly in recognition of the elf and bid him to sit. He then turned to the woman with the elf and spoke to her in her own language. She joined him sitting before the master.
"You say you are from Kou Te'Lung." the old master starts. Wusheng nods briefly. "How is Kang-sifu?" he asks pleasently.
The elf looks at him strangely. "There has been no Kang-sifu in monastery since I have been there, Chiang-sifu." he says, apologetically. "Shao-sifu was quite well, though, when I left."
The old master smiles slightly and nods. He looks down at the blade that the elf is wearing at his waist. "Wu Yao Gim!" he yells. Four large human monks enter the room at their master's shout, staves in hand.
"You say Shao-sifu is still well. I know he would never part with that sword on his life!" the master yells at the elf.
The four large men begin to approach the elf, staves at the ready, trying to surround him. Wusheng sighs, standing quickly enough to startle guards who are now nearly close enough to attack. One lunges in, swinging at the elf.
Leaping lightly to the side, Wusheng catches the end of the staff in his left hand. Punching through it with his right hand, the elf sends splinters of the waxwood across the floor. Continuing his forward motion, he plants his left foot behind the leg of the guard and strikes him in the chest with his left fist, knocking him from his feet.
Even as the fighter bounces across the floor, three more warriors enter, heavy dao drawn. Wusheng's hand drops to Wu Yao Gim. The blade hums, almost pleasently, as it appears drawn in the elfs hand, almost as if by magic.
Suddenly a blur of motion, Wusheng dives forward, a staff crashing into the floor where he just stood. Rolling to his feet, the elf brings his gim up, blocking a second staff, before bringing the palm of his hand hard against the knee of the monk. The monk grunts in pain, Wusheng had to give him credit for not screaming, at least, as he falls back, clutching his shattered knee. Rolling back, he narrowly avoids a heavy dao that would have removed his head from his shoulder.
Rising to his feet, the demon hunter thrust his leg behind him, his heel connecting with the chest of the third staff wielder. The man goes down hard, colliding with a wall, then sliding to the floor. The gim comes up, even with his face, stopping a dao. In a blur of motion, the sun elf brings his left leg up and around, knocking the dao from the man's hand, following up with a turning kick to his temple, turning him, literally, upside down and knocking him unconcious.
The momentum of his turn continued, and amplified, he unleashes a spinning kick with his left leg. His heel collides with the jaw of the last of the staff fighters, dropping him to the floor in an instant. Leaning over, his back parallel with the floor, Wusheng spins his sword over his chest, forcing one dao wielding warrior behind him to take a step back, and lining a second up for a thrust.
Before he could follow through, though, the last swordsman attacks, forcing Wusheng to spin to the side. Using the motion of the spin, he snaps the handle of his gim out, sending the weighted tassels hanging from the end to arc out before him. The long tassels brush against the swordsmans eyes, forcing him to close them for a moment. A moment is all the elf needs, though, as he follows through with his braid, which connects harder than a length of hair should, opening a cut on the side of the warriors face.
The elf continues his spins, adding to it even more, thrusting, first his left leg, followed quickly by his right, propelling him through the air and over the swing of a dao. Landing, he faces one of the two remaining fighters with a flurry of quick thrusts and slashes. Even as he begins to force an opening, though, the other swordsman lunges from the opposite side.
The nimble elf steps to the side, purposely avoiding spinning now. These warriors were used to him using momentum attacks, so he would have to change his tactics. The heavy dao missing him by a hairs breath, the elf still uses the slight turn he made to add power to his strike as his arm spins out from him, connecting the top of his opened hand to the mans nose.
He turns back to the last swordsman, thrusting hard. The man drops low, arcing his blade out to intercept. The blades, though, never touch as the fast elf reverses his motion with a turn of his wrist. His fist, sword still in hand, now lined up with the man's face, he unleashes a barrage of solid punches which drop the man to the floor.
Turning back to the master, Wusheng is about to give his opinion of the master's hospitality when another warrior enters the room. A sigh escapes his lips as his gim comes up to block. *A gim!* he notices his opponents blade. *Does this mean I fight a demon hunter?* he wonders as he and his new opponent spin and thrust, jockeying for a striking position.
Stalemated, unable to break through the others defense and attack patterns, the two break off at the same time. Coming to a stop three meters apart, they can finally get a good look at each other. *A female sun elf!?*
This was quite unusual. Few women become demon hunters. Wusheng always assumed that it was simply unappealing to them. Fewer sun elves become demon hunters. It is usually a human obsession, driving the demons from these lands. Most elves believe that specific demons may need driven out, there will always be demons summoned by corrupt wizards and priests, so why make a living out of hunting them when you will make little, if any progress over a milleniums time. Not even elves live long enough to make much of a difference.
A little younger than Wusheng, her long golden blonde hair is like-wise braided and looped around her neck. The slight pull at the end of her braid shows that she has a weight hidden, perhaps, even, a blade, like Wusheng has, with-in the end of her hair.
"That is quite enough, Rising Dawn." The old master speaks loudly enough to be heard.
Wusheng looked at him, suspician in his eyes. Looking at the woman that followed him here, he found her likewise confused, though, likely it was for the language differnences.
"This was a test." Wusheng said accusingly.
"Of course. If the Wu Yao Gim had been stolen, you would not have been able to draw it against your fellow demon hunters." He looks at the sun elf, who looks visibly angered. "I do not blame you for being upset, but, sit. There are things going on here that you should know of."
------
Translations can be found at http://wuyausu.homestead.com/home.html under glossary.
