Disclaimer… I do not own Maple… Aeons do not own maple!
Wham! Nathan chucked a boulder at Ba Gua, who ducked under it and fired a blast of air at him. Rooting firmly into the ground, Nathan weathered the blow. However, Ba Gua had taken the chance and had lunged forward, stabbing various pressure points across Nathan's body. The crowd groaned as Nathan fell on his knees, then onto the ground, completely paralyzed. Ba Gua flipped him over, drawing back his hand to prepare the final strike to the throat. His hand came rushing down, but instead re-opened Nathan's blocked pressure points. Holding out a hand, Ba Gua smiled. "True victory is attained only when both combatants win the fight.", he said, and Nathan smiled. Getting on his feet, he placed a fist and open hand together, and bowed. Ba Gua did the same. Several spectators cheered: however, one brawny man stepped forward. "Listen, I came to see some blood and action, so I'm going to get some blood and action!", he exclaimed. Nathan and Ba Gua looked at each other, then looked at the man. Ba Gua began spinning his hands in circular motion, creating a miniature tornado around the man, raising him off the ground. Nathan stepped forward and stomped on the ground heavily, making a rock spike propell the man over the treetops. "That enough action for you?", Ba Gua called after the flying man, and walked back into the bar. Nathan stretched his arms and yawned, following Ba Gua. The rest of the crowd slowly filed in, and Ba Gua sat with Hitori and Nathan. "What the heck is going on? First you two are fighting to the death, and now you're best buds?", Hitori asked in bewilderment. Nathan and Ba Gua looked at each other, then Ba Gua leaned forward. Pulling an amulet out beneath his orange robes, he showed the cloud emblem on it to Hitori, whispering, "We'll explain later, in a more secure area.". Suddenly, Nathan noticed his rock luggage was open. Pointing, he stared at Hitori. "Oh, her. She woke up, so I let her out for some air. Next you know, she was off and away, flying through the window.", he explained, picking his teeth. Nathan clapped a hand to his forhead. He didn't say it, but his body language quite clearly gave the message, "Hitori, you idiot".
"I still don't see why we couldn't sleep in the inn.", Hitori grumbled, fiddling with an Omok piece. "Well, you wanted an explanation, didn't you?", Ba Gua asked, the light of the fire casting an eerie light over his face. Hitori lay back on the cave floor. "Yeah, I did. Alright then, where is this explanation of yours?", he asked, hand behind his head and staring at the ceiling. "Well, first off, do you know of the spirits?". "Sort of. Nathan over there is a burrow one, ain't he?". "Yes, he is. There are four different types of spirits: tide, ember, cloud, and burrow. I am a cloud spirit. Even though we're called spirits, we're living organisms like everything else. We were the first species to practice magic, and gained supernatural abilities. The original spirits did not resemble humans. They were the badgers, the hawks, the snakes, and the lions. However, a race of people called the Sharenians declared us an afront to the gods, and slayed us without mercy. Now, we are on the brink of extinction.". "Oh, come on, it can't be that bad. Entire species have been able to recover from only five percent of their original numbers.". "We have eleven.". "Eleven percent? That's not too bad.". "No, I mean eleven spirits. You're looking at about a fifth of the entire population right here.", Ba Gua said, turning away. "The spirits that survived were the ones who adapted. We gained human forms, and hid among humans. We recognized each other with various signals. The rock gloves are one; to engage in combat and reveal your elemental skills is a confirmation of that.", he continued to explain. "But...why did the Sharenians stop hunting spirits?", Hitori asked. "The answer...is the Silent.", Ba Gua said, pointing at Nathan. "He singlehandedly crushed the Sharenian empire, in less than a single day."
Kevin wrote this chapter.... Hitorihyuuga...