Chapter IV
The Girl and the Fox
"Aoi? Aoi talk to me…Aoi?"
Aoi only heard voices in the dark, he didn't know where he was, or why he was in such pain. He only heard voices in the dark, and nothing else. He could only see black before him, nothing more, nothing less. Suddenly images flew into his head; A woman to his door; a little girl; explosions; and then Dangun Jin. Aoi's eyes burst open and he jolted to a sit-up position. He panted and held his head. He looked around and saw Kori with him.
"What…happened?" asked Aoi.
"You were shot, remember?" said Kori.
Aoi stood up in a daze. He looked at the sky; it was evening.
"You stayed here?" asked Aoi. "All this time?"
"Well I'm not just going to leave you to die…" said Kori.
Zhou Liu ran in with a bucket of water and a cloth.
"Oh, you're up!" said Zhou Liu. "So, ready to start showing me how to fight?"
"Liu I don't thi--" said Kori.
"Now." Aoi interrupted.
Kori looked at Aoi as if he were insane.
"Aoi, you're just waking up from getting shot! You're lucky to be alive!" said Kori.
"Right, and I'm fine now." Said Aoi. "Let's go Liu, Kori you come too."
Zhou Liu and Kori followed Aoi to the meadows outside of Liaozhong. Aoi took a spare blade from Envy's saddle out and held it out to Zhou Liu.
"Ever hold one of these?" asked Aoi.
"Duh, every day! But my stupid foster parents wouldn't let me practice…" said Zhou Liu.
Kori took her sheathed blade off and sat down, setting the blade next to her, and watched.
Aoi unsheathed his blade, and said, "Attack me."
Zhou Liu ran at Aoi and swung the blade from her right slowly, and Aoi blocked. Liu swung around to the left, and Aoi blocked again.
"Okay stop." Said Aoi. He sheathed his blade and took hers. He went over to Envy and pulled out a rapier, a thin but sharp blade. Aoi walked back to Zhou Liu and handed her the blade, and it was very light on her. Aoi used the blunt sword he had handed to Liu.
Zhou Liu held the rapier with both hands and swung it from side to side at Aoi, who blocked continuously.
"Okay, stop!" said Aoi. "Kori come here."
Kori stood up and walked over, and Aoi handed her the rapier.
"Okay, Liu, just watch us." Said Aoi.
Zhou Liu anxiously sat down and watched.
Kori held the blade with one arm, and Aoi held his with both. Kori charged and swung the blade down swiftly, and Aoi blocked. She spun and hacked at his left, but Aoi smacked her blade back and thrusted it to her side, stopping at the skin.
They became more and more aggressive, competing at each other. Aoi swung upward from his right and left, spinning around to get her side, but all were blocked. Kori moved her blade away from Aoi's and stabbed at Aoi's heart. Aoi stepped to the side and slashed down at Kori's head. Kori rolled forward and slashed at Aoi's legs. Aoi jumped low and stepped on her blade, and put his blade to her neck. Kori swung her head under it and kicked Aoi back. She went to her blade and used her right hand to unsheathe it, using the left for the rapier. She ran at Aoi with her two blades, and Aoi readied himself. Zhou Liu's eyes were boggling in amazement. Kori swung her blade at Aoi, and used her rapier to cut at his chest. Aoi blocked her normal blade first and swung down at the rapier, hitting it away. He then stabbed at Kori's stomach, but she arched her back to the side and flipped over, kicking Aoi's blade up. She ran forward and stabbed at Aoi's stomach, but he fell to the side and kicked at Kori's foot, tripping her. They both swung their blades down at each other, and they landed at each other's necks.
"You cheated." Said Aoi. "Using two swords."
"Why, afraid to lose to a girl?" smirked Kori.
They stared and smiled at each other for a while before remembering Zhou Liu was there. They blinked and stood up. Kori sheathed her blade and handed Zhou Liu the rapier, who tried hard to imitate Kori and used one hand…
After a peaceful week of sessions, Zhou Liu really came through. She couldn't beat Aoi or Kori, but with a rapier she could beat someone twice her age. Even when alone, she would continually practice ambitiously trying to be good enough to beat anyone who would fight her.
Hex Wolf entered the feasting room and took his seat at the first chair of the table, and Dangun Jin took the second. Across Dangun Jin sat a rather large man.
The man was in his late twenties to early thirties, and his head was free of hair. He wore iron padding on his chest and shoulders, and a white, sleeveless undershirt. He wore a chain belt with two sheathed blades, that were no bigger than a foot and a half, wielded in so he would always hold them, though his usual battlefield weapon was a large battle axe. He wore silk bandaging on both wrists, and was quite muscular. Around his mouth and nose was silk cloth, masking himself. He had leggings, but was covered by armor that went from his waist to his ankles. His name was Kuan Rong, the leader of the Kuan family of mercenary warriors, fully enlisted by the Black Fang.
The feast had begun. Dangun Jin sipped from a bowl of wine.
"So, get any fun battles in, Kuan man?" asked Dangun Jin.
Kuan Rong sat quietly, ignoring Dangun Jin.
"Loosen up, it's dinner." Said Jin.
But still, he remained quiet. The Kuan family was some of the few people Hex Wolf could work with and not have an urge to kill.
"He talks only to those who are worth the breath." Said Hex Wolf.
"Really? I haven't seen him talk to you lately." Said Dangun Jin with a testing smirk.
"Watch your tongue before I slit it from your throat." Said Hex Wolf.
"Oh yes, you did a bang-up job last time you tried that, didn't you?"
Hex Wolf stood up immediately, blade drawn. He quickly put it to Dangun Jin's throat. Dangun Jin laughed, but took on a serious expression.
"Go ahead, do it." Said Jin. "Take my head and burn it, so that while I descend to hell I can wait to see you damned with me."
Hex Wolf glared but removed his blade, and sat down to eat. Dangun Jin put his hand on his crossbow gun, but saw Kuan Rong watching, and let go of its hilt.
Outside stood another Kuan, cousin to Kuan Rong. His hair was black and stood up, often said to resemble a flame. He wore gray, baggy pants and a crimson belt. He wore a sleeveless vest, tucked into itself and his pants, and a gray headband. Attached to his belt were two knives on hand gauntlets, on each end of his waist. On his back was a black-hilt sword, for long range opponents. His name was Kuan Shang. Though he was not very muscular, he was fast and agile, giving him an edge with his blades.
Next to Shang was his twin sister, Kuan Bei. She wore crimson gloves with sleeveless knuckles, a bow and quiver to her back, and a spare blade to her waist. Her main weapon sat next to her, it was a double-ended pike with the blades facing the same direction. Her black hair was pulled back to a ponytail. She had blue eyes, but her glare was as fierce as her arrow, and her boots were gray.
The other Kuan members had retired to bed after eating early, while Bei and Shang sat and watched the sunset.
"I'm getting bored of this Hex Wolf bastard." Said Kuan Shang. "Dangun Jin is taking all of the fun."
"Hex Wolf obviously sees Dangun Jin as expendable to him, powerful though he is." Said Kuan Bei. "I doubt it would leave much damage to him if he died anyway, after all he has us. We've not once lost!"
"Where are Kuan Jin and Kuan Shi?" he asked.
"They've gone to bed, Rong had trained them very hard today." She said.
"Heh, can't wait till they are good enough to join the team. We'll be even more unstoppable with those kids."
Kuan Rong had two sons, Kuan Jin and his brother Kuan Shi. He also had another son, an exceptional warrior, but he had run away and Rong would never speak his name.
"What do you think will happen when we find that Shinek whatever." Asked Kuan Bei.
"Hex Wolf will take over, and we'll be the great Tiger Generals of his new empire. Power, wealth, we'll even have our own province!" said Kuan Shang. "Oh, and not to mention we'll get to fight in the great invasion. And all we need is a dinky old relic. And you and me will fight them all…"
It was midnight, and Dangun Jin sat alone outside on a cliff, over-viewing the province. His blade was stabbing into the earth, and his arm was leaning on it. His face was very serious, but his eyes were dead.
"They've beaten you again?!" shouted Dangun Jin's father, furiously.
Dangun Jin, a small boy, was on his knees begging for forgiveness. He had a black eye and his face was bleeding, and his body was bruised.
"It won't happen again, I promise!" said Dangun Jin.
But his father kicked him over.
"You're a disgrace to this family, I hate you!!!" screamed his father.
Dangun Jin continued to watch over the evening's province.
Dangun Jin made his way to his day school, when a pack of four teenage boys met up with him.
"Hey Jin, ready for another beating?" said one of them.
Dangun Jin was surrounded. He was a boy of eight, against four boys of fourteen. One pulled out a knife and slashed at Jin. Jin ducked and grabbed the blade away, and cut at his leg. He glared and kicked Jin over, and the boys begun another beating.
That night Dangun Jin again confronted his father.
"You…get out of my sights! YOU WEAKLING!"
Dangun Jin sighed, as these images of his childhood burned his mind with every sleepless night.
Dangun Jin opened the door of his father's bedroom. He glared with the utmost hatred towards the man he was cursed to call his own flesh and blood. He ran in and jumped on his bed. His father's eyes burst open and begun strangling Jin. Jin held up the knife he stole from one of the bullies, and thrusted it into his father. Blood spurted in his face…he dropped the blade and backed into the corner, crying over his sudden murder.
A tear dropped from Jin's eye, and fell to the earth…
