*Lines with-in stars are thoughts.*


The woman sat in silence as the old master speaks to her gold elven guide. Unfortunately, they were speaking some elfish language, and Erin simply couldn't understand what they were saying.

*I hate being left out.* she thinks. Unable to follow the conversation, her mind drifts back to the fight she had just witnessed. The sheer magnatude of the battle threatened to over-whelm her. *Nine enemies, the elf had fought!* she thinks. The prospect took her breath away. She has sat, in stunned silence, watching as the sun elf defeated one, after another, after another, of the warriors. The speed and power with which they had moved frightened her more than a little. *And it all happened so fast..*

Shaking her head, she forces the thought away. The thoughts that she could never learn to fight like that, that she could never be a suitable heir to her fathers fighting style.

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"Of course, I felt the corruption when we approached." Wusheng says. There is no arrogance in his voice, for a change, despite the words he chooses to use. "Even the woman felt the corruption."

The old master could do little more than nod, seeming embarrassed. Before Chiang Lu Wan could say anything, the sun elf speaks again.

"What demon is this, that can corrupt even here?" He stared hard into Chiang-sifu's eyes. "Marilith? Balor?"

The old man shakes his head, eyes locked on the ground. "Not all demons are so obvious." he says softly.

The elf's patience was out. "Are you going to tell me what happened so I can help you, or are you going to sit there and wait for us both to die from old age?"

Anger flares in Chiang-sifu's eyes. One does not generally speak to the master of the monastery in such a manner. As quickly as it appears, though, the anger vanishes. "Have you ever heard of Mogwai-Chiyou?" Chiang asks.

Wusheng nods, suddenly silent. A mogwai-chiyou... A demon that can possess others so completely that it can not be detected through magic, usually. This explains much. the sun elf thinks. After all, a simple demon, even one as strong as a balor, would have a hard time standing against a whole monastery of demon hunters.

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, the demon hunter asks, "How long?"

"Three weeks." the old man says. "I am surprised that Shao-sifu has heard of it so quickly, though I should not be. The man's instincts were always strong."

Wondering if he should mention the Diya-dailai. Instead, he continues asking questions. "What was the first sign?"

"Jiyoun Minzhou, a young warrior with us, was slain by unknown means." the old man tells the elf, head hanging low. "He was found outside the monastery, on the plateau."

"May I see the body?"

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"What do you mean, it was cremated already?" The voice of the sun elf echoes of the walls of the crypt, reflecting his opinion.

The elf stood in a large room, three stone tables rest towards the center. Sun light filters down into the crypt through a large crystal in the top of the ceiling, nearly three stories up, bathing the whole room with bright light. The light from the candles flicker, sending shadows dancing through the room.

The crypt master, an elderly man, more so, even, than Master Chiang, with a complection that showed he spent too much time in the crypt and library.

"There was worry of him rising as undead." His voice cracks as he looks up from his table.

"Oh?" Wusheng almost actually sounded interested. "And why would that be?" The elf had noticed some things while entering the crypt that makes the threat of undead suspicious.

The heavy steel door was reinforced on the outside with bars and beams so thick, a lone giant couldn't move them. It took 6 monks working with a series of pulleys to move them, allowing the door to open. Once inside, the beams fall back into place, blocking the door completely. No demon, even balors or the strongest oni, could rend the door. Only through use of a coded knock would the door be opened, and always with a large number of guards.

With this system, there was no need for a key hole. Hardened leather skirts the outside of the door, preventing even air from passing through. This was to prevent vampires from the west, and there have been one or two who journeyed here, from turning to mist and filtering out. The large crystal in the top of the ceiling, which bathed the entirety of the room in brilliant light, even with only stars over-head, is magically warded to prevent evil, not just undead and demons, from approaching it. Wards are bound into the walls and door, likewise preventing evil from touching them.

Now, he truely wished that he shared at least one language with the woman who's been traveling with him, just so he could speak to someone of his thoughts. With all this in place, A single undead in the crypt would have not lasted long. Even if it could survive the magical sun light for a brief time, it could not leave the room. Over time, the undead would be reduced to nothing with-out a single monk setting foot in the crypt.

"The unusual nature of the death." the man answers. "It was deemed best to rid ourselves of the body as soon as possible, so to avoid any complications."

"'Complications?'" the elf echoes. "Do your wards here work still?" The old monk nods and Wusheng continues. "Then, what complications could there be? Evil simply cannot leave this room."

The old man merely shrugged, having no answer. "Chiang-sifu has been master here for many years. If he deemed it important to destroy the body immediately, then so be it."

----------------------

*So,* the elf thinks as he wanders down the hall, after leaving the crypt, *Chiang-sifu was the one to order the body destroyed. But why? Surely the master is too powerful to be possessed with-out someone noticing.* Shaking his head, he decides, *No. It must be some one else, but why start with a lower demon hunter, rather than the master or other skilled warriors who could cause him problems. Unless....*

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Translations can be found at http://wuyausu.homestead.com/home.html under glossary.