Final Challenge: the Fire Scath

I continued to trek up the mountain. I was taking hours to climb this mountain. Eventually, the sky grew orange and the sun sank lower into the sky.

I was starting to believe that the Cave Guardian snake probably hadn't been able to stop the Scath from advancing. By now he had probably gotten well past the snake and was fighting against the monkey. Maybe, he's already beaten the Tree Guardian monkey.

After a long agonizing walk up hill, I saw a house on the top of the mountain. I was the training building of the True Master. "Finally." I said. I started to climb the stairs up to the training house. About half way up, a bind made of heat came up from behind and wrapped around my arms and body.

"Not so fast, Slade." It was the Scath. He had gotten past the snake and the monkey. His black robe was silhouetted against the setting sun. Standing next to him was a much taller, more muscular, bald man wearing a black robe with red trim.

"Katigeri?" I asked. "What are you doing with this Scath?"

"Poor guy." The Scath said. "You should've seen the look on his three year old son's face when I forced him to help me. Oh, well. He's here to keep you busy while I complete my real mission and kill the True Master!"

"What? You can't kill the True Master. He's too powerful." I objected.

"His Guardians couldn't beat me, and neither will you." He pulled hard on the heat bind and I stumbled down a few steps. When I came close, he punched me hard in the stomach right where the breast bone ends. It easily knocked the air out of me and brought me to my knees. The heat bind dissipated and I placed my arms over my stomach. "Don't get in my way." He said. He then walked past me and left me with Katigeri.

I slowly got to my feet and held out my arms to defend me. "For the sake of my son, Katarou, I will defeat you." Katigeri said. He swung a powerful punch to my head, I ducked just in time.

While kneeling down, I stood on my hands and delivered a powerful two legged kick to Katigeri's chest. He buckled under the pain. I quickly got to my feet and slammed my elbow into the back of his neck. He swung a powerful uppercut and hit me in the chin. I was thrown to the ground.

He was on me in seconds, aiming another punch at my head. I rolled to the side and his fist only punched into rock. I got him in the side just below the ribs with a powerful kick. He yelped in pain and fell on his hands and knees, clutching his side. I jumped to my feet and gave a downward kick to the back of his head. He collapsed on the ground.

I knelt down, grabbed his robe and held one fist over his face. "Now talk!" I demanded. "Why are you working for this guy?"

Katigeri ground and blood dripped from a split lip. "I did it for my son." He said.

"Why would you degrade yourself to helping a Scath and say it's for your son? Do you think he'll be proud of his father when he hears that his father helped kill the True Master?"

"I did it because the man in the black robe with the fire powers said he would kill my family if I didn't help him. I had no choice."

When he said that, I let go of his robe. The thought of a Scath threatening to destroy ones family just to get his help disgusted me. "Help me." I said. "Help me to stop the Scath and save the True Master and your family." I held out my hand to help him up. He took my hand and I pulled him to his feet. "Let's go up there and defeat that Scath together."

We both turned to run up the stares and catch up with the Scath. It didn't take us long. We got to the top and found the Scath's hands a blaze with fire. He was aiming them at the old women. "Now tell me, you old hag, where is the True Master?"

"Leave her alone, Scath." I said. He turned, in slight surprise, to face us. "Your fight is with us."

He grinned a little. "You've made an ally of my minion. It doesn't matter. "I'll destroy you both!" He yelled. He swung his fire blazing hand at my head, but I dodged by bending my knees and leaning backward. His flaming hand swished over my head.

When I pulled myself up, I slammed my fist into his face and he staggered back. "Take him!" I said to Katigeri. "I'll go help her." I ran to the side of the old woman and grabbed her arm. "We have to get you out of here!"

"You need me." She said, pulling her arm back.

"The one we need is the True Master."

"I am the True Master." She stated.

I was in a state of shock for a moment. "You're the True Master?"

"Yes." She said. "And you need me to help you beat this criminal." She ran at the Scath and then jumped into air and aimed a powerful kick at his face.

He sidestepped her attack and then attacked himself. Swinging a fist at her head. He had to bend down to her height to do this. She ducked as his hand swung over her head. She then smacked him on both sides of the face with her walking stick.

The Scath swung his leg under her feet, but she jumped to dodge it. Unfortunately, tripping her was only his distraction. When she was in the air, he delivered another flaming punch to her stomach. This one hit its mark and the True Master went flying back. The Scath threw two balls of fire at Katigeri and he was pushed away too.

For me, he punched his hands into the ground and a row of flames ran along the ground until they got under me. When the flames got under my feet, they rushed up like a volcano and easily tossed me into the air.

I tumbled through the sky until I felt myself being pulled back toward the ground. As I fell, I saw that I had been thrown off the mountain and was falling toward the river. I covered my head with my arms and braced for impact. I hit the water and the air was instantly forced out of my lungs. I floundered to the shore and dragged myself out onto land. I panted as I lay there on the dirt.

I knew I had to get back up that mountain, but I knew that by the time I did, the match would be over and the Scath would've killed the True Master and Katigeri. I needed my old weapons. I raced back to the small hut and found my duffle bag with all my clothes in it. Quickly, I changed out of this karate suit and back into my Masked uniform. I grabbed the two-sided blade, the exploding disks, and the steel staff and was about to start up the mountain when I say a small sack in my duffle bag along with a scroll. I opened the pouch and saw that inside was the blue powder used to control water. When I unrolled the scroll I saw that it had a series of hand signs and word beneath then. I read the top of the scroll and it said "Water Dragon." I realized that is you take the powder, make the hand signs, and say the words that you could create a dragon out of water. Shaun must've slipped the water powder and the scroll into my duffle bag before I left.

I grabbed a wood cup, the pouch with the powder in it, and the scroll and ran back out to the river. I filled the cup with water, put a little bit of powder into it and rank it fast. I felt the powder of the water come back to me almost instantly. I then laid the scroll out in front of me and stood up. "Okay, here you go." I said. Then I started making the hand signs on the paper and saying the words.

"Uni, ita, erea, hiuy, tekia, ovak, sinture, lomdet, forteat, intu, queju, Torie." I said, as I made the last hand sign. "Water Style, Water Dragon!" From the river, a giant dragon made completely of water arose from the water. I was asterisk. I had succeeded in making a giant dragon out of water. But there was no time to celebrate now. The dragon lowered its head to me and I stepped up, amazed I could stand on this creature. "Okay, big guy. Time to save the others!" The dragon then took off into the air, separating itself from the river and easily flying back up the mountain.

We were back at the top of the mountain in no time. When we got there, the Scath was holding Katigeri ands the True Master in heat binds with one hand and was ready to attack with fire from his other hand.

"Hey, fire boy!" I called out. He turned to face me, and then stared in terror at the sight of my new friend. He was so stunned that he lost control of the heat binds he was using to tie up the True Master and Katigeri dissipated. They too were scared by my creation. "I'm back." I said.

The Scath threw a ball of fire at me in a desperate attempt to beat me. But the dragon just swatted it away in a cloud of steam. He started to step away. "Dragon, attack!" The dragon moved in and slammed itself against the Scath. For a split second you could hear the Scath's horrified screams, but they were soon blocked out by the rush of the water. Steam was coming up from the dragon at the place were the Scath was, probably because of his fire and heat powers. I ordered the dragon to climb higher in the sky in an upward spiral. As it did, I grew faster and faster. I then ordered it to stop. When it stopped, the Scath kept going and was flung out of the dragon. I saw his body disappear as he fell away into the horizon.

Once the Scath had disappeared from view, I rode my giant water dragon back toward the ground and let it go back into the river. I stood there, panting and gasping for breath as Katigeri and the True Master got to there feet.

"That was brilliant, boy!" The True Master cried. "Truly amazing. I do believe that you both are read to train with me."