Winter in the Imperial Lands

    Ten Rabbit cleaned his blade on the cloak of an attacker, this was the third time this week that the party had been attacked while they rested for the night. Thankfully Fulha had informed them that according to the guards atop the walls that they should reach the Great Gate tomorrow. They couldn't reach the gate soon enough as far as Ten Rabbit was concerned. The almost nightly attacks were interfering with his sleep and Ten Rabbit didn't appreciate that. Sure he could go for days without sleeping and function fine but that didn't mean he enjoyed it, and it also didn't mean the rest of the party could do the same. Although he was fairly certain that both Nahla and Fulha probably could too.

     At least this time the attacking Oster had been more than just children, not that it had made any difference to the outcome. The attackers had all died and the party had their sleep interrupted. Ten Rabbit had noticed that at least thanks to the attacks Devshi was getting much better at fighting, she even started to use a small shield that she had taken off of a dead attacker after the first battle below the wall. Bisha had gotten much better at using his majic without distressing side effects that had so accompanied his previous attempts. In fact there hadn't been an exploding fire or miniature sun for a while now.

     After a quick talk with Nahla and himself, Bisha had started practicing his majic every night so that he could use it without risking the rest of them. Considering how disastrously his first few spells had gone practicing was a great idea. Bisha had said that he wasn't very happy with why he had to practice and what the situation forced him into, but now he had a beautiful wife that he really wanted to get back to and nothing was going to get in his way of that. His spell with the flying rock had improved nicely, they now flew where he wanted them, he had even started perfecting his aim. Ten Rabbit had started referring to them as "Bisha's Arrows", Bisha didn't get the joke. 

What had started as a worrying side effect of the spell, the rock exploding at the end of the spell, had turned out to be one of the better aspects of the majic attack. Through practice Bisha had been able to get the speed of the flying rock faster and faster, until the eye couldn't see it in flight. Because of how durable majical obsidian is, the small shards were like arrow heads that would be going so fast that they would go through one maybe two enemies, embed itself in another and then explode with enough force to cause serious damage to its victim. Ten Rabbit had been the one to point out that the faster the rock went the larger the explosion at the end. 

One thing about Bisha's use of majic that Ten Rabbit wasn't sure of, he wasn't even sure he was seeing it, was that as Bisha practiced more and became more proficient Ten Rabbit thought that he could almost see strange symbols in patterns around Bisha when he cast a spell. It was very strange, it was just for a moment and not defined enough for him to say that it actually happened. It was almost like a mirage, a strange flickering in the air. It was there, but it wasn't. It was as if the symbols were made of thicker air? Ten Rabbit decided to wait and see before he broached the subject to Bisha, he wasn't sure he was ready for another lengthy stream of consciousness lecture on the nature of majic again. 

      The next morning Ten Rabbit saw the largest gate he had ever seen. To be honest he hadn't actually believed Fulha when he described the thing. After all Fulha had admitted that he never actually seen it and was using what was written about it for his description. But here was the proof that at least this time the description wasn't wildly over stated, if anything the description was an understatement. The iron gate itself was over thirty feet tall with one of the large structures that held their devastating weapons in it. The gate was so well balanced that it could be moved by a single child but was so sturdy that it would stop any attack. The dual gates each had large dragon designs that mirrored those on the walls but instead of having symbols that were representative of the areas it protected. These were surrounded by the symbols that represented the celestial emperor or at least that's what Fulha had said. 

      For once they didn't wait until it was getting dark to land instead they landed before the noon meal. Fulha had told them that they needed to wait for the guards to open the gate and that they should unload the animals while they waited. Ten Rabbit wondered if the Atlom's Axe was going to still be here when they left after all of the attacks they had withstood. So they unloaded the beasts while they listened to Fulha discuss who knows what with the guards that were over the metal clad gate. He was speaking to them in their own language. It sounded strange to Ten Rabbits ears, Fulha would say something using a flat even tone. The guards would respond in an almost sing song that had an odd cadence to it.   

It wasn't until the gates opened that Ten Rabbit found out what all the chatter was about. Fulha had arranged for the Atlom's Axe to wait for their return just inside of the gates as well as a translator to travel with them all the way to the capitol. According to Fulha their being allowed to travel through the Celestial Empire at all was surprising and from what Ten Rabbit was able to learn a translator was a huge concession and never happened, it was expected that visitors be able to be conversant in Yi Jen before they came.

A group of guards came aboard as an escort to guide them through the gate. Two of them took their place on each side of Ten Rabbit pointing spears t him as he piloted the ship through the gate. The other guards formed an arc around Ten Rabbit to prevent anyone from interfering. It was a stressful moment, but Ten Rabbit wasn't going to add to it by doing anything suspicious or too quickly. He calmly told the guards what he was doing while he was doing it, moving in slow controlled movements. The guards didn't relax until the ship had landed inside the gate and they had all disembarked.   

     Later that day everyone was mounted and ready to go right after eating the noon meal. Fulha had asked for and had received permission for the engineer to stay with the ship, although the banker decided to accompany them to the Celestial Palace, apparently the Hafla banker needed to speak to the Emperor's court in person. Ten Rabbit wasn't too sure that was going to happen but didn't mention it in case he was wrong. The translator, who was a little shorter in stature than Ten Rabbit, had a beautiful iridescent blueish coloration to his scales and he wore thick blue robes with a dragon chasing its tail embroidered on the front. When he had first seen the Long Yi that made up the Great Dragon Army of the Chi Eng Zhou empire upon the walls he had been reminded of the sole Long Yi that had he had fought back in Alkadharam before he had joined this group of misfits that had become his friends. Thanks to Fulha he now knew that female Long Yi had scales that were dull brown and green as well as being larger in build. The males were all brightly colored and were more petite in build. That was when Ten Rabbit realized that he had fought a female Long Yi back in Alkadharam not a male as he had originally thought. That realization however didn't change how he felt about what had happened back in that rented room.  

      They were all ready to go once they had finished the noon meal. The farm filled plains stretched out before them. The translator told them all that they were currently in the Huang Jia prefecture which was the bread basket of the Celestial Empire and that they would be expected to say a prayer and make a small donation at the shrine just inside the gate. The shrine was a large statue representing the Great Celestial Emperor with a large bowl of sand in front of it. The sand had several sticks of burned incense sticking out of it and a flat area in front for people to kneel and say their prayers. The statue, bowl, and prayer area were all protected by a large square wooden gazebo. Off to the side was a small outbuilding that had a monk in simple brown robes, apparently you made the donation to them and they gave you your incense to burn. Fulha paid the monk, lit the incense, and kneeled to make his prayer. He pulled a small string of beads from a pocket and counted the beads with his fingers as he made the prayer, the monk seemed somewhat impressed by this.    

     After the prayer they had started their journey, off in the distance they could see some of the farms that the translator had mentioned. The cold dry air was sharp in Ten Rabbits nose making him wish for the warmer wetter weather in his homeland. He had never enjoyed winter but the dryness of the air here was much worse than the cold wetness of Michocan and he was fairly certain his air passages were being cut up. The only good thing about winter here was the lack of ice cold mud, instead there was snow and ice on the ground which was something Ten Rabbit still wasn't used to. Everyone was wearing the cold weather clothes that they had received from the Oristani high chieftain, Ten Rabbit was very thankful for it.

     The party rode out from the gates on the icy path that lead towards the Celestial Palace. The ground crunched under their mounts feet as they headed northwards to their hoped for meeting with the emperor. Ten Rabbit was still uncomfortable riding, never mind that he had been riding for almost a year now, he was never going to feel right about doing it. The crunch of the ice under his mounts feet added a cadence to Ten Rabbits thoughts as he listened to the translator describe the land around them in heavily accented Kishnagari. The sun glowed bright in a cold blue sky with no warmth at all as the wind whipped around them all like daggers. Ten Rabbit was glad that he had switched to the heavier clothing that the Oristani Great Chieftain had given them, it fought off the majority of the cold and wind. 

      Ahead of them the road wound before them like a ribbon. On each side of the road were fields that lay fallow for the winter. The scrubby remains of the crops stuck up out of the snow that lay on the ground like a blanket. Above the party a bird flew in circles periodically giving a lonely cry that struck Ten Rabbit in the depths of his soul, resonating though him like a beat so deep that it was felt rather than heard. Ten Rabbit felt more alone than he ever had before, even more alone than when he'd been traveling to Alkhadharam alone. He didn't know why that solo bird's cry affected him so much but it did. A fact that confused Ten Rabbit almost as much as the feeling itself, he had never really felt alone before so this was definitely new to him.

     Ten Rabbit listened quietly as the party talked in low voices around him. It seemed that he wasn't the only one feeling the desolation of the winter that they were riding through. It was actually reassuring to learn that he wasn't alone in his feelings of loneliness, yet another thing that the party shared with him, at this rate Ten Rabbit was going to feel closer with his fellow party members than he did with the people in his own order. Once again Ten Rabbit wondered about how close he now felt to the party especially Bisha who he now looked at like he was one of his younger cousins. Particularly since the visit to his home when the cousins had taken Bisha and Irene to a race. Bisha being able to successfully guess which dog was going to win had surprised Ten Rabbit, it was still somewhat hard to believe.

     Ten Rabbit was startled by the sudden scream of the bird of prey that had been slowly circling above their path as it streaked down through the sky to strike a small mouse sized animal that had been hiding in the snow covered scrub. As Ten Rabbit watched the bird wing its way back into the sky, its dinner clutched in its talons. That was when he realized that he had spent more time feeling like the prey in the birds talons than he did the bird itself. Why he feel like the prey not the predator Ten Rabbit had no clue, but he did. Nor did he know how to feel about that fact either, yet another thing that had started to confuse him. Deep in his mind Ten Rabbit felt rather than heard the questioning thought as it also resounded through him.

Riding Through a Story Book

    Irene was amazed, all around her was farm land that looked like a child's picture book idea of what winter looked like in rural areas. While the fields were snow covered and dormant around the houses everything was manicured. Irene was more than a little surprised at how well manicured everything was, no farm in the Grundhorn Empire was ever that intensively groomed. There were no snow piles or uneven muddy places, even the ditches were manicured. Irene was becoming convinced that the appearance of the land they were riding through had been staged just for them. She had always heard that outsiders weren't allowed inside the Celestial Empire but here they were riding through the most artfully groomed land she had ever seen.

     The whole party was looking around them with looks that clearly showed how stunned they were at their surroundings. It seemed to Irene that none of the party could believe what they were seeing. The oddest part of their ride was that the pristine landscape was completely devoid of people. There was no sign of the farmers that Irene knew had to be there, somewhere. The fields and yards that they rode past were completely empty with not even farm animals that Irene expected to see. Only the distant sounds of animals proved that the farms weren't as empty as they seemed. The road they were riding along had ice flowing across it while the sound of ice under the feet of the various mounts was loud in the silence that surrounded them. Only Somnadi the tiger had silent steps as it paced alongside of the rest.

     Irene was starting to wonder if anybody actually lived here because there was no one to be seen anywhere. Would the Celestial Empire actually stage an area to show how wonderful everything was here? Irene couldn't believe that they actually would but it wasn't impossible. The grey cloudy skies warned of more snow in the future, Irene just hoped that it didn't fall until they were settled for the night. Irene didn't think that the folk that were doing their best to pretend they weren't there were going to be of any help if the storm hit first. The heavily laden clouds loomed darker and darker every hour making Irene wonder just where they were going to wait out the storm.

      Just as the first flakes were starting to fall their guide turned into a dirt track that wound around a hillock. Sitting in a cleared area were tall wooden walls that surrounded multiple outbuildings and a large two story building that had wings on each side of the main central building. The red tiled roof was colored like dried blood thanks to the darkening sky. The flags on the white flag poles flapped in ever increasing winds sounding like they were about to fly away. The dark colored walls of the various buildings seemed to almost glow in the light of the torches that light the courtyard they had ridden into. 

     As they dismounted in the inn's courtyard an innkeeper scurried out towards them. At first the innkeepers face was happy but as soon as he got a good look at the party his look was changed to one of professional courtesy. The sudden change was not surprising considering how reclusive she knew the Celestial Empire to be. They were so reclusive that no outside traders were allowed inside the Great Serpent wall. Any outside goods that were sold inside Chi Eng Zhou were brought in by their own traders, a fact that Irene knew from listening to her parents talk at the dining table after meals. They had constantly complained that none of the Grundhorn traders were allowed in and that the only way to sell goods in Chi Eng Zhou was to sell them to the few traders that came out to trade. This was an on-going complaint of every trader in Grundhorn as far as Irene could tell.

    As they entered the main building Irene looked around the long empty room and saw the sturdy and well constructed tables and chairs. The interior walls were whitewashed on the top half and dark wood on the lower. The ornately carved tables and chairs were stained a light color that stood out against the dark of the walls. The light from the chandeliers was aided by the lamps that were placed on every table. As a result the whole room was brightly lit more like a bright summer day than the inside of a room during the winter. The room was warmed by two fireplaces, one on each side of the long room. Each fireplace looked large enough to cook a whole temee inside. Inside each fireplace was a hog being turned by a spit boy. Irene wondered why they were cooking two whole hogs for an empty inn but she wasn't going to ask since she was fairly certain that the question was more than rude. At least they had their own pick of tables in the empty room.

     The standoffish but impeccably proper behavior of the innkeeper was no surprise to Irene. The almost completely empty huge inn was. The main dinning room in the inn was completely empty. At first Irene thought that it was just deserted because of the parties presence but it quickly became clear that the inn was just empty. What was this large inn even here for and more importantly to Irene's way of thinking was how could they afford to keep it open. It made absolutely no sense to Irene's way of thinking, if only because it was poor business sense. All Irene could do was shake her head in confusion. The translator sensing her confusion walked up next to her and quietly told her that the place served mainly the guards on the wall going to from their shifts, hence the dragon decor hanging from the ceiling. Irene looked up and saw several paper lanterns made to resemble the dragons on the outside of the massive wall. 

     The innkeeper led the translator to a larger table off to one side of the room. The innkeeper quietly conferred with the translator, then the translator gestured for the rest of the group to sit down. The table was just the right size for everyone to sit cross legged or kneel at the table, although it looked like it might be a squeeze for Nahla. There was no seating, not even cushions. As they took their places the innkeeper set a large teapot and some cups on a tray in the center of the table then scurried off presumably to make some food. 

     As they waited for food Irene considered how well the parties mission to the various countries had been. Somehow they had managed to convince the leaders of each country that they'd visited so far to go to Alkhadharam and meet with each other. There hadn't been a meeting of the leaders of the various countries since just after the founding of Kishnagar. The fact that they had succeeded was astonishing to Irene. Irene was less certain about how they would do here in Chi Eng Zhou though. Considering that as far as she was aware they were the first outsiders to be allowed into Chi Eng Zhou outside of the port city of Huong Gong. Any traders from other countries couldn't leave the small enclave built right next to the docks that only foreign ships used. At least according to what Irene had picked up from listening to Fulha talk some times at night.

     At least Bisha seemed happy about everything he had learned from all of his study of every library they had come across. While Irene didn't really understand what Bisha had learned she was well aware that he had learned a lot. The look on his face after every visit made that perfectly clear. Irene just wished that the look was more hopeful. That Bisha expected to get quite a few answers here in the Celestial Empire also, the look was very clear to anyone who knew him. Irene merely hoped that he was right because the alternative of Mrtis winning wasn't to be thought about. 

     Irene's thoughts drifted from Bisha to Devshi making a small smile cross her face. Irene was actually pleased at the improvement that she had made in her ability to fight. Irene was just as concerned about Devshi over doing her training along with Nahla and Ten Rabbit. Irene had been talking to both of them about just that concern. So far however none of them had come up with a solution so they were just trying to keep the overwork to a minimum. Something that they hadn't really been all that successful about, Devshi was showing signs of dehydration and exhaustion. Hopefully they would figure something out before she did real damage to herself.

     One of Irene's favorite parts of all the traveling was tasting the different foods that each country had. Irene was looking forward to dinner tonight since it would be her first taste of Chi Eng Zhou foods. The first thing that Irene had noticed when they walked into the building was the aroma. Never in her life had Irene come across such tantalizing scent. Irene had no clue what the aromas were but they made her mouth water all by itself. The delicious scent were making Irene even hungrier than she'd been when they had all walked in. At this point Irene thought she was hungry enough to eat the table.

     Irene was excited when someone brought out a dish that wasn't like anything she had ever seen before, not that there were a lot of noodle dishes in Grundhorn cuisine. But there were a few but Irene had never seen noodles like this before, the noodles were really thin and clear looking. The aroma that wafted from the dish was almost enough for her to snatch the dish right out of the servers hands. an action that would have been very rude indeed no matter where you were from. The most surprising part was the eating utensils that had come with the food. Irene had no idea what she was supposed to do with the two sticks that were carefully placed across the bowl that held their food. Only Fulha seemed to know what to do with them. Fortunately Fulha noticed the confused looks on everyone's face and told them that it was okay to use their personal eating utensils like they would at any other inn they were eating in. 

     Irene watched as Fulha used the two sticks to eat the food that smelled so yummy. Irene took her first bite and thought her mouth was on fire. She hadn't tasted anything so fiery since the one and only time that Nahla had cooked. As she struggled to chew and swallow the mouthful of fire she was eating Irene watched as Nahla ate the food as if it was not spicy at all. In fact Nahla seemed to actually enjoy the food but more importantly Nahla hadn't added any of her favorite spice to it. Something that had never happened as far as Irene had seen in the almost full year that they'd been traveling together. Irene kept eating even with the fire the food started in her mouth because it tasted so good and it warmed from the inside. Irene heard Fulha chuckle before he told them that from now on he would be requesting less spice for everyone but himself and Nahla something that Irene thought was probably a good idea.

At the end of the meal the waiter, with a small wry grin, brought a small dish with six small withered faintly purple things on it. They didn't really look like much.  Irene asked Fulha what they were as he took the plate and placed one on each person's plate.  Fulha said he wasn't sure, he'd never heard of these, but since the waiter brought it to them it would be extremely rude not to try them.  Irene watched as Bisha sniffed his and had to immediately suppress the urge to vomit.  

"It smells like rotting garbage." he said quietly, his eyes watering from the smell.  The others looked at each other with an expression of dread.

Irene sniffed hers experimentally, it smelled alright.  In fact there was a delicate smell she couldn't place, but it reminded her of home.  She picked it up with her fingers and popped it in her mouth, the rest of the group watched her with a mixture of astonishment and morbid curiosity. Whatever it was exploded with the most beautiful and transcendent flavor she had ever experienced.  The crunchy center was full of even more fantastic flavors. Irene's family employed one of the best chefs in Grundhorn and this one little treat put everything they had ever made to shame, it brought tears of joy to her face.

Irene couldn't understand why everyone else hadn't eaten theirs at first.  Then she remembered, the Zwergin had a very robust digestive system, they frequently ate fermented dishes the other peoples couldn't without being seriously ill.  Apparently the Long Yi did too, because this was the most wonderful and beautiful thing Irene had ever tasted.  She turned to the waiter to thank him for this amazing delicacy, his face gave away his trick.  The waiter had intended to have a laugh at the party getting sick off of the local food, he hadn't accounted for Irene's Zwergin tastes.  The only real response from the waiter was that she wasn't supposed to eat the pit, it was poisonous.  It had tasted so good that she couldn't believe that it was. 

Irene bowed her head and thanked him then asked if she could have some to take with her on the road.  He just stared at her in astonishment while reaching under a counter and handed her a small porcelain jar with the lid covered with waxed paper held on with tied string.  Irene bowed again and thanked him again.  As she turned around to face the group again they all hastily put theirs on her plate.

Visiting a Monastery

     Over the next week The party traveled through the countryside to reach the city of the Celestial Palace where they would meet the Dragon Emperor who ruled all of the residents of Chi Eng Zhou. Devshi wondered what the Celestial Palace would look like since none of the buildings she had seen so far looked like anything she had ever seen before. Not even the architecture of Michocan had looked as different as what she was seeing here. Although she had to admit that the sharply peaked roofs made a lot of sense considering if the current snow fall was indicative of what snow fall in this part of the world looked like. 

     Devshi was very thankful for the warm clothes they had received from the Oristani high chieftain. It never snowed in Kishnagar, it was too far south. While the snow was pretty she didn't really appreciate the cold, it made her ears and nose hurt. She would be much happier when they got back home. As she was taking in the scenery the translator announced that they were going to have to make an unscheduled stop at a local monastery. A blizzard was coming and they did not want to get caught in it. Devshi looked the direction the translator gestured and the sky was a wall of white approaching them quickly.

The translator took a dirt road track the led out behind a ridge of hills. As they wove their way between them they came to large complex surrounded by a stone wall, when they got to the gate the translator rang a large bell by the gate door. Almost immediately a younger looking Long Yi in red robes opened the door and gestured for them to come in and closed it when everyone had come through. He bowed to the group and gestured to the central building. 

As the party reached the short stairs that led to the large sliding front door the translator told them that they each has to light a stick of incense in the bowl next to the door, bow their head, and then take their shoes off before entering. As they entered the building they saw that most of it was taken up by a huge open room, the only furniture was some simple benches off the sides of the room otherwise the room was bare. A large number of red robed figures scattered around the room all stopped to stare at their surprise guests. After everyone had taken off their shoes an elderly Long Yi accompanied by a younger one approached the group.

The translator came forward, bowed, and addressed them. After a short exchange the elder Long Yi bowed and addressed the group in passable Kishnagari. "Welcome to the monastery of Bao Shen Dai, please come in and warm yourselves." he said with a friendly tone that was almost cheerful. He gestured to the room, "It's not everyday we get emissaries from outside the empire, we must make sure to leave a good impression." He turned to the younger Long Yi who accompanied him, "Please get our guests some tea, they must be very cold from their journey." The younger one ran off to fetch the tea.

As the party made their way into the large room the elderly Long Yi continued, "Please put your belongings by the benches along the wall, your mounts are being seen to. Are you hungry? Of course you are." As he said this four other of the red robed Long Yi went off to presumably get some food. "I apologize for our food, we are an order devoted to simplicity and avoid the richness that I'm sure your stomachs are used to."

Nahla replied, "We thank you for your hospitality and are grateful for anything you wish to share with us." She must have said the right thing because he bowed to the group again, he then gestured to the edge of a large yellow rectangle painted on the floor. "Please sit and let us entertain you." Everyone dutifully sat along the yellow line. The yellow rectangle traced an area that spanned most of the room.

As they sat half of the Long Yi lined up along one of the shorter edges and the other half on the opposite side. After a moment one of the younger ones from each side walked to center of the rectangle stood facing each other for a moment and then bowed to each other. The older Long Yi walked out between them then bowed to each in turn. When he stood up straight the two younger ones immediately attacked him throwing punches and kicks with remarkable speed. The older one still standing in the same place blocked all of them easily. After a few exchanges the older one took a single small step and with blinding speed struck the younger one on his right with the back of his hand in the chest. The strike was so fast that Devshi couldn't track it and the younger monk flew back almost ten feet, landing flat on his back. With a quick jump he was back on his feet.

Before the younger monk had left the ground the older monk struck the other younger monk in the stomach, once again using the back of his hand, the result was the same. When the two younger monks had got back onto their feet they joined the older monk they all faced the party and bowed. Devshi and the rest of the group could just sit in amazement, not sure how to respond. The older monk stepped forward just as a monk arrived with a comically large tea pot that had obviously seen a lot of use and a stack of cups balanced in his other hand. He set the tea pot on a small bench that someone had set up without anyone noticing, he then gave them each a cup and then filled them from the large tea pot. The tea was a clear faintly greenish brown, the only way Devshi could find to describe the smell of the tea was comforting. It had a light taste that was very soothing and she felt warmer already. Devshi had to see if the monks knew where she could get some tea to bring home. Not long after the tea was served some bowls of a clear soup with noodles were served. It too was fragrant and warming, it was strangely filling. Devshi felt so much warmer.      

Devshi was curious about the warm welcome they had received considering how everyone they had met so far had reacted to them. She decided to ask the elderly monk about it, but how to ask without sounding ungrateful, finally she decided that being honest and direct was probably the best tact to take. She set down her finished bowl of soup and addressed the monk, "Um, sir. I apologize I'm not sure how to address you." 

He replied, "Please call me Lam Ei, that is my title here."

Devshi continued, "Lam Ei, I was wondering why you have been so welcoming and hospitable to us when everyone else we have met has acted like we were insects or some sort of pest?" She hoped that she hadn't offended him, but his smile put her mind at ease.

"We follow the teachings of Bao Shen Dai, the protector of all living things. Our most basic tenets are acceptance and generosity to all living things, even to the lowliest of creatures. It doesn't matter where you come from or what position you hold in society, we must treat you as one of our own. Our scriptures are very clear on this." He continued, "We are forbidden from killing another, the accumulation of wealth, and we must shape our selves to not only love all beings, but to radiate it from our hearts." He paused a moment before continuing.

"Bao Shen Dai teaches us that all beings are deserving of love and we regret the treatment you have received from our countrymen thus far. While you are here please be at ease there is no animosity here." With that the elder monk bowed to Devshi, Devshi returned the gesture.

In the spirit of sharing Devshi shared he own beliefs. "Lam Ei, I myself follow the way of Parvai, the goddess of courage, fertility, and beauty. I follow Parvaimijeta, her aspect of healing and medicine, we are taught that we are the servants of Parvai and by extension all living things." Lam Ei considered this before responding, "Then she is a wise goddess indeed." 

After a moment Lam Ei addressed everyone. "Please let us give you a demonstration of some of our disciplines, we don't get a chance to show off that often." He said with a bit of humor and then bowed. He was joined by some of the older monks and they took turns demonstrating things and techniques that almost seemed like miracles. One monk took a long steel spear and braced on the ground, he placed the sharp end at the soft spot on his neck where it met the body. He took a sharp deep breath and released it just as sharply and then walked into the spear. As he did so the steel spear bar bent. 

Devshi was amazed, she looked at the rest of the party and saw that they were as well. Only the translator seemed to not be awed by this. Another monk came forward with a companion holding a large curved sword, the companion demonstrated that the sword was sharp by slicing through a sheet of paper. The first monk undid his robe to his waist, stood in a type of squat with his fist at his hips and took a sharp deep breath just as the first monk had. His companion then raised the sword and swung it with great force hitting him in the chest. That should have been a lethal blow, but the blade bounced off without leaving a mark. Finally another monk came forward while a couple of monks set up a stack of bricks that looked like a tiny wall.

The monk stood facing the stacked bricks about six feet away. He held up one hand with his palm facing the bricks, the other tucked close to his body as if he was readying a puch. He focused intently on the bricks and took a couple slow breaths. After a second he took the same sharp deep breath as the other monks and punched the air infront of him toward the bricks. A fraction of a second later the center brick shattered as if hit with a great force. All of thew demonstrating monks then stood in a line and they all bowed in unison to the group before joining the other monks milling around. Devshi and the group could only sit there silently, in shock at what was just demopnstrated to them. Bisha broke the silence.

"Was that a form of majic?" Lam Ei gave a generous good natured laugh and responded, "No. No majic, just mental discipline and focus. Anyone can learn to do this if they devote themselves to it." Bisha had to take his time to consider this.

Devshi asked tentatively, "Could you teach me?" Lam Ei replied with humor in his voice, "It would take a lifetime to do what we have shown you, some of my brethren can teach you some of the basics though." Devshi bowed deeply, "Thank you Lam Ei, I am most grateful."

A younger monk approached Devshi, bowed, and gestured to a corner of the room. Once there the monk led Devshi in some drills. The rest of the monks went back to doing whatever it was they did during the day. Devshi saw a small group get together, they followed Nahla at a respectable distance and whispered to each other. Meanwhile outside, the snow had not abated yet, it looked like they were going to be stuck here for a few days.

The next morning after morning meal one of the elder monks approached Bisha as he was talking to Nahla. "Forgive me sir, but I couldn't help to notice that you carry a great sadness about you. Would you like me to lead you in a meditation that will help?" Bisha was slightly taken aback by this, but Nahla considered it for a moment. "That is not a bad idea, it could help you with your focus on your majic as well." Bisha conceded the point to Nahla and agreed.  The monk led them to a small platform that overlooked a small garden at the back of the building. He had Bisha sit cross legged on it while he and Nahla sat to one side of him.

The monk gave Bisha instruction, "Relax, put your hands on your knees, and close your eyes." Bisha did as he was told. The monk continued, "Now take a very slow deep breath, fill your lungs. Hold it just for a moment, then very slowly let the breath out." Bisha did so. "Let your mind wander, there will be many thoughts. Do not focus on them, let them come and go without paying attention to them and breathe slowly." Bisha did this for a couple minutes and then he started to give off a slight glow. As he continued he began to glow brighter, Nahla and the monk gave each other confused looks. Suddenly Bisha's glow became a brightness, he radiated a sort of light. Gently he started to hover off of the platform and a few small objects around him did as well. By this time Bisha attracted a crowd of monks. Nahla started to look very concerned and the monk looked nervous, this was obviously new to him. Suddenly Bisha opened his eyes and they radiated light like miniature suns, Nahla reacted immediately. She slapped him across the face, breaking his concentration. He dropped back onto the platform and his hand went to his face.

He looked at Nahla, "What was that for?" Hurt and surprise strong in his voice. Nahla responded, "You started to hover and glow. You opened your eyes and they were glowing brightly, I reacted instinctively. I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Bisha rubbed his cheek, "No, it was just a shock. Did you say I hovered?" "Yes," Nahla replied, "and started to glow." Bisha just rubbed his cheek and gave her a dubious look it was obvious that he didn't quite believe her. Since the show was over, the crowd around Bisha dispersed. Nahla leaned in closer to Bisha, "I think this has something to do with the explosion. We need to investigate this more closely, but I'm not sure this is the place to do so." Bisha considered this for a moment before agreeing with her.

Devshi watched all of this while doing her drills, she was more concerned with living up to wish of her goddess. Devshi was throwing herself fully into the drills, focusing only on what the monks told her. After a couple hours at it her body was screaming at her, but she couldn't stop. She had to be the warrior her goddess wanted her to be. She started to feel dizzy, but she kept at it relentlessly. Suddenly she found herself laying on the ground with a monk, Nahla, and Irene looking down on her.  The monk was the first to say something.

"Miss, when was the last time you drank something?" Devshi gave him a confused look. He continued as he helped her to her feet, "You need to let your body rest so that it can get stronger." Nahla added, "That's what Irene and I have been trying to tell you. If you keep this up your going to hurt yourself." Irene interjected, "Don't forget, you're the healer. You can't help us if you damage yourself." Devshi had to concede the point, her arms and legs felt like overcooked noodles. 

"I'm sorry" Devshi started, "I've been so focused on making up for lost time. I kind of overdid it didn't I?" she said somewhat sheepishly. 

Nahla half scolded her, "Ever since the note you have been bouncing from one extreme to another. Really, you need to relax and let your body heal before you do something you can't heal from." Nahla looked at her in all seriousness, "Maybe you should take some time and meditate, talk to your god. See what she says and go from there." Devshi had to admit Nahla and Irene were right, she was pushing herself too hard. Maybe should take some time and commune with Parvai. Devshi let herself be led to a bench, she sat down while someone brought her some tea. She thanked them and decided after a good rest she would meditate and talk to her goddess.

It was then that she realized that an ancient looking monk was seated on the floor near her playing an odd looking stringed instrument. It had a small squarish body and a long skinny neck, he was holding it upright in his lap and playing it slowly with a bow. The music had a strange almost melancholy tone to it. The monk stared off into space while he sang very softly in his native tongue. For some reason Devshi was entranced by this. When he finished his song Devshi asked, "What was that you were singing?"

The ancient looking monk looked at her with dull rheumy eyes, his scales dull with age. He considered her for a moment and then spoke with a voice that sounded like it was from a far off distant time. "I tell stories, my order keeps the tales of the heroes of the ages. Would you like to hear one?" 

"Yes, please." Devshi replied. The elderly monk smiled and set up his instrument again and began to play. 

"I will sing you the tale of the great hero Wi Lei." and he started playing. He sang a story of Wi Lei and his companion Ro Bo Te. How they wandered to many strange lands and were lured into a trap by their evil uncle Si Mi Tu and were rescued by their father Jo Niu. The story continued with Wi Lei and Ro Bo Tu getting into ever more unlikely situations, mostly caused the evil uncle, and being rescued by Wi Lei's parents or his good uncle, Don Wei Tu. The story ended with the family finally finding a place to call home and the evil uncle finally redeemed.

As the elderly monk sang his tale he attracted a group of monks who sat and listened to him. Occasionally one of them would hold out a cup of tea for him to drink out of, he would sip from it without stopping his playing. After his third cup Devshi realized it was because he was blind. The realization only made his story telling more interesting, he was so proficient with his instrument that he played it by sound alone, his fingers so practiced that they knew where to play each note perfectly. 

When he finished Devshi thanked him, complimenting his playing. The monk demurred and said that anyone could learn to play. He carefully set down his instrument and bow on the floor by his side and held out his hand. A young monk instantly took it and helped him up. The old monk bowed to the younger monk and started to walk forward. He stepped forward fifteen paces and turned around. 

"Would you like to see something actually praiseworthy?" He said, his rheumy eyes staring off into space. As he said that several young monks formed a circle around him. On an unseen command all of the younger monks attacked him at once. The old monk swayed and moved like a silk scarf being blown by the wind. No matter how hard the younger monks tried they couldn't score a hit. After a short while the elderly monk decided to end the show and stomped his foot. When he did all of the younger monks flew backwards landing on their backs, by the groans the landed pretty solidly. 

After they all got up in unison they all bowed to their elder and went off to take care of their daily duties. The elder monk turned to Devshi, gave a short bow, and went back to his instrument. Apparently the lesson was over. Devshi decided that now was a good time to meditate and found a quiet corner to commune with her goddess. While she didn't get to talk to Parvai, she could feel that her goddess approved of what she was doing.  

A couple days later the snow had stopped and the party could head out on their journey again. As they were gathering up their things and getting bundled up the head of the monastery and the elderly monk came up to Nahla. "Since you are going to meet with the Celestial Emperor, may brother Mi Dao travel with you? He is headed to our shrine outside the palace."

"Of course, we welcome the company. I know Devshi would like to hear more stories." Nahla replied.

"It is always good to have an appreciative audience, it would be my pleasure." The elder monk walked to the door, slipped on a pair of sandals, and patiently waited for the party outside with his instrument slung across his back. Devshi was wondering if he was going to be warm enough, his feet were basically bare in the snow. Steam started to emanate from the elderly monk and where he was standing the snow melted away from his feet. 'I guess there's nothing to worry about.' Devshi thought to herself. The party headed off to the Celestial Palace, each night the elderly monk played them another story when they stopped at an inn. Each time he attracted a crown of the inns patrons.

Finally they were one more night from the Celestial Palace. This night, after their meal, the elderly monk addressed Nahla specifically, "Tonight I will tell you the story of truly the greatest warrior in history, the great Zhu Yeng Do." He sat by the inn's fireplace and played. The music started slow and melancholy, he sang of an orphaned child washed up on the shore of a small village. The baby wasn't Long Yi, it was Oristani. The baby was found by a blind blacksmith looking for driftwood for his forge, he took pity on it and brought it to his home and raised it as his own. 

Because the baby wasn't Long Yi she had no friends, the other Long Yi children would throw stones at her and insult her. Over time the blacksmith taught her the fine art of sword making and in time her swords were of exquisite quality. Swordsmen would come from all over the empire to buy a sword, thinking they were made by the blacksmith. But the blacksmith had a plan, every time a swordsman would come he would have them demonstrate everything they knew, telling them that he needed to know so he could make them the right sword. He had Zhu Yeng Do watch everything and practice everything she saw in private. Over time she became a formidable swordsman in her own right.

When the blacksmith saw that the time was right he sent her out to make a name for herself. She found work wherever she could slaying bandits, protecting villages, or serving as a body guard. At first it was very difficult because she wasn't Long Yi, but over time she had built up a reputation as a great warrior who was able to master any weapon. One day she was approached by an imperial diplomat who bade her to slay a ferocious bandit who had slain every soldier and warrior who faced him. After a pitched battle that gave her a scar on her face she finally slew the bandit, when she went to report of her success to the diplomat she was attacked by the diplomat's guards. Not wishing to be executed for murder she subdued all of the diplomats guards, leaving them unconscious on the ground.

The diplomat was very impressed, he complimented her skill and told her he had kept a secret from her. That all of this was a test. He revealed himself as the Great Celestial Emperor and told her he wanted her to be his personal guard, but she had to have complete devotion only to him. She drew her sword, kneeled before him, and laid her sword at his feet. No one would ever think less of her, no one would ever tease or insult her again, She was the greatest warrior and the personal guard to the Celestial Emperor himself. She was Zhu Yeng Do.  

The Bureaucratic Dragon

The city of the Celestial Palace was a huge sprawling metropolis, its streets a spiderweb all leading to the palace complex in the center. Long Yi of all types crowded the streets and street vendors sold all sorts of goods, although the food stalls were obviously the most popular. The sounds of the bustling city were everywhere, yet somehow it didn't seem to intrude. The party was made well aware that they were different, the residents stared as they passed. Some whispered, some glared, mostly though conversation stopped until they had passed. Not a single merchant approached them to sell their wares. Not even the presence of the elderly monk or translator softened anybody's attitude toward them. 

Fulha wasn't about to let anyone here take away from his excitement. He was about to face his greatest professional challenge, the imperial bureaucracy. It was a thing of legend, it is said that more than one person was driven to madness by the massive bureaucracy and its paperwork. Fulha was looking forward to the challenge, but first they had to get to the palace itself. He was ready, decades of training in the guild in how to infiltrate, all of his years working behind the scenes with the Mahapratanidhi, and his lifetime of personal study of the Celestial Empire's bureaucratic system have lead to this moment. It was time to show everyone why the Mahapratanidhi included him for this quest.

When the party reached the city proper the elderly monk thanked them all for letting him travel with them. He appreciated the company and the chance to tell his stories, but he had pressing business he needed to attend to and should be going.  As he was walking away he rather cryptically told Nahla to not forget his stories, this left her somewhat confused. As they made their way toward the palace proper the palace walls and its huge gate became visible. It was quite an imposing sight, the way it dominated the skyline of the city. This was the center of power and no one was allowed in without express permission.

The way to the palace grounds was simple enough. No one bothered them, no vendors tried to ply their wares, they could just walk up to the gates. All the while the city moved around them in its daily activity, the crowds simply parted giving them a wide berth. No one wanted anything to do with them.

When they reached the gate it was a huge structure unto itself. The walls looked to be fifty feet tall and the doors were framed by an archway fifteen feet across and twenty feet tall. The iron doors themselves were set behind the archway so they completely closed off any chance of entry. The courtyard in front of the gate was completely empty, no people, no vendors, no carts, just the two guards who stood at the gate. It seemed almost comical that the main gate to the palace was guarded by just two soldiers, but Fulha knew better. As they were approaching the guards Fulha was certain there were at least a hundred archers watching their every move. If anyone made a sudden move he was certain that the whole party would be dead before anyone could finish their first step. 

When the party reached the gate Fulha stepped forward to address the guards in his best diplomat voice announcing their presence and who each of them was, the guards did not seem impressed. After a moment one of them pushed open the iron gate so they could enter single file. As they entered Fulha could see that the gate opened to a tunnel thirty feet long carved through the massive granite blocks that made up the wall. As they walked down the hallway their footsteps echoed hollowly, the tunnel becoming narrower and shorter as it led to another iron door. There was a large iron ring set into the panels of the door, presumably to notify the guards on the other side of your presence. Fulha used the ring to knock on the door, the clang of the ring on the iron door echoed sharply in the hallway.

After a couple of moments the door slowly opened to allow them into the palace grounds. The brightness of the outside contrasted sharply with the gloom of the hallway, as the door opened it revealed a huge open courtyard, easily fifty feet by fifty feet. The only people in the courtyard were a couple guards standing at a huge red gate across the courtyard directly in front of them and the two guards as the door they entering. The walls around the courtyard mirrored the outer wall, being fifty feet tall and topped with crenelations, an archer standing at attention at each open spot. Above the gate opposite them at the top of the wall was a covered platform that had a complete unobstructed view of the courtyard below. Seated in the center was single Long Yi wearing iridescent blue silk robes, he sat motionless watching them. No doubt judging every move and gesture they made.

Fulha quietly instructed everyone to walk into the center of the courtyard, kneel down, and hold their foreheads to the ground while extending their arms forward, and most importantly be silent until he told them otherwise. As they did this the seated figure sat motionless, almost seeming to be a statue. After a full minute Fulha whisper to them to stay down, he then sat up staying in the kneeling position and calmly stated his intent.

"I am Fulha Shakhmavedhidahanpur. Diplomatic Liaison to Mahapratanidhi Praveena Ramjeeta Akishnabandahur, Supreme Rule of the United Provinces of Kishnagar, and I humbly ask that the Great Celestial Emperor, The First Dragon and Most Exulted Pearl of Heaven, His Greatest Imperial Majesty, The Red Emperor Zhou Yu Chien Yu Zhei deign to notice my lowly self." He then put his arms forward as if he was holding someone around their waist, lowered his head, and waited. This seemed to satisfy their observer because after a few moments he raised is hand and the doors to the palace grounds slowly opened. 

The view inside the palace walls was not entirely what Fulha expected. Certainly there were the crowds of Long Yi bustling around taking care of their daily business, but what he wasn't prepared for was the general atmosphere. Everything was designed to put someone at ease. Every aspect of the palace grounds was designed to be ascetically beautiful, every angle, every detail, even the paint on the wooden beams. Even the gravel besides the paths and the paths themselves was made to make someone feel at peace, the sound of everyone's footsteps was a pleasing crunching sound.

As the party was taking this in the Long Yi from the wall walked up to meet them.  The translator stepped up between the Long Yi and Fulha, standing off to the side so they could face both of them at the same time. The Long Yi started talking through the translator, not bothering with an introduction.

"You will begin the petition process at the administrative buildings in the western grounds, during the process you will stay at the provided housing. Until your petition is completed you are not allowed to leave the palace grounds for any reason, food and drink will be provided. Your mounts will be kept in the palace stables." As he finished his "introduction" two guards accompanied by what Fulha assumed were a group of stable hands arrived, they took all of the mounts including Usha and Somnadi. They just walked up and calmly took the reins and walked off leading the animals, they didn't seen nervous or off put by either the temee or the tiger. To their credit both Usha and Somnadi didn't resist, they just followed along. Once the mounts had been taken care of the... ...administrator? unceremoniously turned around and left, it was obvious that the administrator did not approve of their presence. Fulha looked to his left, there was another iron gate with its pair of guards, he turned to the rest of the group. "Shall we?" he said before heading in to meet his challenge.

As they were walking toward the gate of the administrative sector Fulha told the rest of the party that they would probably be better off staying at the residence once they knew where it as, this was going to be a lot of boring paperwork. The rest of the party agreed, besides as they were told they pretty much had run of the palace grounds, at least couldn't leave the palace grounds, so why not do some sightseeing. There wasn't going to be much else to do.

At the first office Fulha was able to start the paperwork process and find out about the residence they would be staying, it was somewhat modest by palace standards but nicely appointed. The palace's western grounds were very garden like, lots of beautifully sculpted trees and bushes, everyone and everything were colorfully decorated, there was a gentle stream that connected to a couple of ponds, and everywhere there was music. The music was being played low enough that it could be heard clearly, but not loud enough to be intrusive. There had to be musicians placed all over the palace grounds because no matter where you went the music was there, but you couldn't see where the musicians were.  

Bisha decided to stay in the residence, it would give him some time to work on some majical formula, not spells he was quick to reassure, just some analysis to try to figure out why majic was behaving the way it was. Bisha tried to explain it, something about too much energy, a state change, and something else. Honestly Fulha was lost very quickly into one of Bisha's explanations.

Fulha was preparing his day pack, making sure he had everything he was going to need for dealing with the bureaucrats. As he was putting stuff in his pack Bisha asked about one of the items, was that one of those touristy nick-knacks that that vendor by the docks in Alkhadraham sold? Fulha explained that in the Celestial Empire there was a huge black market for small items from foreign countries, and that what was most popular were the little trinkets bought by tourists. After putting the last couple things in his pack he set off to begin the petition process.

Three days later Fulha came back from his day of dealing with bureaucratic process, it had been a pretty productive day and he was feeling like going out to celebrate. When he came into the residence they were staying at the party was sitting around the main room, everyone engaged in their own thing. Bisha was reading, Nahla, Irene, and Devshi were playing a card game they had picked up the other day. Fulha surveyed the room seeing a bunch of bored faces, "Who wants to go have some drinks and maybe something to eat?"

Everyone stopped and quietly stared at him for a moment before they all stood up and got ready to go out, the general mood immediately improved. Fulha led the way into the dusk with the group following along. When they got to the place they had been going to Fulha kept going, he led them between two the larger buildings at the end of this complex. At the back of the building was a stairwell that led up to a nondescript door on the third floor. On their way up the stairs the group was giving each other confused looks, Fulha paid them no attention. He was leading them to a place he had received an invitation to from one of the bureaucrats he had worked with earlier. 

At the door Fulha gave a short sequence of knocks and the door opened revealing a bustling restaurant. Fulha led the group inside, as they came in everyone stopped and was staring at them. Silence hung in the room. The silence was broken suddenly by everyone cheering, everyone looked happy to see them. It was confusing considering the reception they had received everywhere else. Fulha turned around and told the party what was happening.

"In Chi Eng Zhou outside influence is strictly forbidden, what you are seeing is the palace black market and you are the guests of honor. So make yourself comfortable and have fun." Fulha could see they were confused, so to break the ice he addressed them all personally.

"Bisha go to the table in the far corner, there are a couple of people who like to discuss majic with you. Devshi, there's a group at the bar that want to talk about Alkhadharam and I couldn't think of a better representative. Irene there are some guards over by the window that would like to discuss your family's training regimen. Ten Rabbit, there are a couple of monks who are curious about your god. And Nahla, just pick a spot, you are sort of the guest of honor." With that Fulha walked over to a table and started talking to a group of well dressed Long Yi. 

It was surprisingly quiet considering how many people there were. As Fulha was talking to his hosts he kept an eye on each of the group. Considering how long the Celestial Empire had been isolated from the rest of Ardu, it was surprising how well the Long Yi in the room spoke Kishnagari. Aside from some very thick accents there weren't any problems for the party communicating.

Fulha was learning all sorts of stuff about the empire from his hosts and he was educating them just as much about the outside world. After a little bit Fulha looked around the room to see how everyone was doing. It seemed that the only one not in an involved conversation was Nahla so walked over to her to see how she was doing. "Are we having fun?" he asked. 

Nahla seemed a little disappointed, "It's strange, it's as if everyone was frightened by me." Fulha nodded, "I've heard that there is another Oristani on the palace grounds, but no one will tell me where. I was hoping that you would be able to work it out of someone." 

Nahla nodded, took a sip of her tea and discretely pointed at a group of Long Yi in a tight group at the end of the bar, they were whispering to each other and occasionally looking at Nahla and then going back to their whispering. 

"Do you want me to talk to them?" Fulha asked. Nahla replied "Don't bother, I managed to corner one of them and the only thing they would tell me was that it "wasn't their place to tell", whatever that means." 

"Are you having fun at least?" Fulha inquired 

"It's alright, it's a little crowded for me, but otherwise yes." she responded. 

"Good. Just so you know I'm getting through the petition process fairly quickly. When we get to the final office I would like you to come with me. There is something that will require your personal touch." Nahla gave him a quizzical look to which he cryptically replied, "I would hate to spoil the surprise." 

Fulha followed up with, "If you get bored, do you know the way back to the residence?" 

"Yes, it's not like I could get lost here." Nahla replied. Fulha smiled and returned to his socializing.

The next day went smoothly for Fulha, several of the bureaucrats that he had to deal with were at the party last night. Fulha was able to grease the wheels as it were by presenting gifts to the administrators. Not as bribes, Fulha was quite clear about that. They were gifts to someone who appreciates art of that type and most definitely not bribes meant to bypass the bureaucratic process. The fact that Fulha was able to get his petition processed in record time was purely coincidental. 

It had been seven days and Fulha finally reached the final bureaucrat he needed to get his petition to meet with the Celestial Emperor. He had been warned that this one was going to be a problem, he had quite a reputation for a strict literal interpretation of the rules and was renown for his rigid mentality. Fulha wasn't worried though, he had a secret weapon. Fulha had done his research quite thoroughly and had found the crack in the armor, this was why he he had gone back to the residence to get Nahla. As they were walking to the administrator's office Fulha prepared her for the meeting, she was supposed to stand tall behind him and look her most stoic, give no indication of emotion at all. She was to do nothing until he gestured to her.

They sat in the administrators waiting room patiently waiting for them to be called for their meeting. When they were finally called Fulha and Nahla stood up, to her credit she was playing her part perfectly. As they walked past the bureaucrat's secretary, the secretary stared nervously at Nahla who didn't even acknowledge their existence until she was within arms reach, then she turned her head and gave her best dealing with a naughty child glare. The secretary withered under Nahla's gaze, as if her eyes were boring a hole through their soul. 

As they entered the administrator's office Fulha quickly took a survey of the surroundings to analyze the bureaucrat's personality. Everything was in perfect order, everything was evenly spaced, even the brush pens on their desk were in order by brush size and perfectly parallel to each other. Fulha was going to have to play this carefully, he was going to have to time everything perfectly for his ploy to work, but he was confident. Nahla had taken her place by the door.

Fulha stepped forward, stopping three paces from the administrator's desk. He silently bowed deeply and staying bowed brought his arms forward as if he was hugging a tree with his face pointed to the floor. The administrator didn't acknowledge Fulha's presence immediately, instead his kept his eyes on his work and signing papers. After a minute of this the administrator carefully set his brush pen down with its mates making sure that it was aligned perfectly. The administrator then folded his hands together on his desk and looked at Fulha, judging the person who had made it to his office in record time. The administrator then pasted on his best customer service smile and said, "How may I help you today?" leaving off any honorifics as a quiet jab to remind Fulha where he was.

"Great Minister of the Department of State Affairs, this lowly being seeks to be noticed by the Great Celestial Emperor to relay news of great import concerning the health of the Great Celestial Empire of Chi Eng Zhou." Fulha intoned as if he was reciting a religious chant.

The administrator simply grunted and replied, "I'm sure you do. Why should I allow you anywhere near his most august self? Tell me this message and I will deliver it to the emperor myself." making his disdain for all things not Long Yi very clear. Fulha wasn't taking the bait.

"I am under orders by the Mahapratanidhi, supreme ruler of the United Provinces of Kishnagar to deliver my message personally to the First Dragon himself." Fulha must have said the right thing because the administrator gave a slight grunt in response. 

"What am I to make of someone seeking an audience who is obviously a powerful wizard who has used his majic to charm the courts bureaucrats to short cut his application? There is no other explanation for someone who has made it through the petition process in as little as a single week." The administrator was testing Fulha to see if he would slip up and make a mistake so he could send them back to the beginning to restart the process. Fulha saw the crack in the administrator's armor, pride and a sense of superiority. 

Fulha set him up, "Great Minster, I can make no such claim. Such things are far beyond one such as I." 

The administrator asked rather pointedly, "Is it bribery then? Such things are forbidden in the celestial palace, the punishment is quite severe." Fulha grinned inwardly, time for the set up before the strike.

"I would never seek to sully such a great and august institution. I have not attempted to influence anyone in this court, I have only given tokens of appreciation as a way to thank someone for doing their job in a professional and efficient manner."

"I'm sure." the administrator demurred suspiciously. "So what trinket have you brought to 'show your appreciation' to me?" 

"Nothing of any true worth that you would consider a temptation." Perfect, he was taking the bait.

"Go ahead, tempt me. You will find I am not so easily influenced." Now came the strike. Fulha stood up straight and gestured to Nahla who walked up to him on cue.

"I present to you a single gold coin from the veil of an Oristani Sunyari under assignment to none other than the Narn Dargra Herself, Shildeg Okhin." the administer's eyes widened, "The last descendant of the Great Unifier himself, Orista Temjin al Narantse al Chimeg" Fulha added the last bit so sweeten the pot. If the administer was a Michocano, he would have been sweating.

"I will accept under only one condition." Uh oh, Fulha was put off balance by this. The administer continued, "I must remove the coin myself to guarantee authenticity." Slightly confused Fulha looked to Nahla, her face radiated dubiousness. Fulha turned back to the administrator quickly. "One moment"

Fulha led Nahla back toward near the door, the administrator watching them intently. "Is there a problem with this?" Fulha whispered. Nahla just as quietly replied, "The coin has next no value to me and it's not uncommon to let someone remove a coin themselves." Fulha asked with a hint of frustration, "Then what's the problem?"  

"He seems a little too anxious to pull the coin off himself. Are you certain this isn't some weird sex thing?" Nahla asked suspiciously.  

Fulha replied, "I get it, he does seem a little weird, but remember they have next to no contact with the outside world. A coin from a Sunyari's veil is extremely valuable to them." Nahla didn't seem entirely reassured by Fulha's words, but she relented. "Alright, as long as its not some weird sex thing."

Fulha quickly thanked her and turned around to address the administrator, "To ensure authenticity only." Fulha specified. The administrator nodded solemnly.

Fulha gestured for Nahla to approach the administrator, she walked up slowly and stopped a couple paces from him. He stood from his desk and reached to her veil slowly, as if he was about to touch a holy relic. With a short sharp movement the administrator snapped a coin off the string holding it to her veil, he held it in his cupped coin for a moment, gazing at it as if it was the most precious item in the world. Nahla looked at Fulha dubiously and backed away. The administrator set the coin on his desk and reached into a shelf built into his desk for a small square of very high quality silk. He set the silk down and placed the coin in its center then reverentially folded the coin into the silk and placed the little package into a small box on his desk.

The administrator looked up with a friendly smile and said, "Let see about that paperwork." Fulha handed him the form. "Ah yes, here we go. I sign here, and here, and initial here, then give it my seal."

With a satisfying thump the administrators stone seal left its red ink mark on the lower corner of the page, he handed it back to Fulha with a smile and said, "Good luck." The administer then waved them out of his office and promptly went back to his paperwork as if Fulha and Nahla had somehow disappeared. Fulha and Nahla looked at each other for a moment, shrugged, and then went back the residence. On the way back Nahla asked Fulha, "What now?"

Fulha stopped mid stride and stared off into space for a second, "You know, I'm not certain. I think someone will come to the residence take us to the audience tomorrow." 

The next morning after breakfast an official and a dozen guards arrived to escort them to the emperor. Under their direct supervision the party had to change into a set of robes that the guards had brought with them, they weren't allowed to bring any of their stuff with them to see the emperor. The only exception was that Bisha was allowed to bring his tiny pet, Nahla wasn't even allowed to bring Ryah. Once they were changed the official escorted them to the inner palace, surrounded by the guards.

They were led back to the central courtyard that they had used to get to the west court and through the central gate to another courtyard. This one had a huge platform in the center that was used for official announcements. They were led around it to another courtyard, this one was a military ground. Thousands of soldiers were practicing ion huge formations and going about daily duties, none of the soldiers paid any attention to them. They were led through an even larger gate to an area bordered by huge hedges sculpted to be walls with gaps between them to get to the areas behind them, as they passed them they could see huge temples at the far ends of the court. They were led to another gate, this one just wide enough for two people to walk through side by side. When the gate was opened for them they got their first view of the emperors palace, it was huge. The palace building alone was the size of the entire downtown section of Alkhadharam.

They were led through a maze of rooms and corridors. Everywhere they went there were high level officials and servants, all of them whispering amongst themselves as soon as they saw the party. They didn't get visitors very often apparently. After a while it became apparent that the gossipers were focusing on Nahla. This was interesting, Fulha was going to have to find out why. they were finally led to a smaller courtyard with a pond and a covered area that had a table and some bench seats. They were instructed to wait here until called upon by the emperor and when they entered they were to walk in a single line side by side. They would then kneel and bow before the emperor and wait to be acknowledged. 

They had been left alone in this courtyard with the interpreter as their only guard. Fulha didn't think for a moment that they weren't under intense scrutiny, every move, every noise recorded. If they made even the slightest aggressive move they would be dead before they could even finish a single step. With nothing to do but wait Fulha decided to join Nahla in looking at the fish in the pond.             

In the Presence of the First Dragon Empire

Nahla sat in contemplation watching the fish in the pond in the courtyard outside where they were going to meet the emperor of the Long Yi people. They were a strange people, on one side they were xenophobic and extremely isolationist and on the other they lived in almost perfect harmony with their land and were obsessed with trinkets from other cultures. In a way they were much like the Oristani, except by comparison the tribes were much more welcoming. They had to be, the lands in which the Oristani lived were much more unforgiving and difficult to live in. As beautiful as the Long Yi lands were, she missed the barren openness of home. The vast open plains, the rough mountainous lands, even the vast southern grasslands with the vast stretches of forest even further south. Most importantly Nahla was missing her people.

Nahla's reflections were cut short when a short Long Yi came out to gather them. They all filed in after the translator and took their positions side by side to present themselves to the emperor. They all knelt where the translator told them to and did the arm thing they were supposed to and waited while the translator took their position facing the party at the foot of a platform with an elaborate golden throne. Seated on the throne was a Long Yi of average height with the most brilliantly colored iridescent scales she had ever seen on anything, this must be the emperor. 

The emperor just sat there watching them. If Nahla wasn't mistaken the emperor was making his impressions of the group and deciding how to deal with them. After what seemed an interminable amount of time the emperor finally spoke, the translator translating the emperor's speech into Kishnagari.

"What is so important that you seek an audience with my most august self?" The emperor asked sounding almost bored, as if this happened every day. Fulha replied.

"Your most majestic self, Pearl of Heaven, and First Dragon of the Heavenly Celestial Empire we humbly ask for your help in defending Ardu against the Goddess of Death and Destruction, Mrtis." The emperor sighed in response.

"If it is so important, what will you give me in return?" Fulha looked confused, apparently this wasn't in the game plan? Nahla took a moment and surveyed the room, there were guards everywhere surrounding the room. each one heavily armed and ready to dispatch anyone at the slightest whim of the emperor. This was the throne room of someone of immense importance, even Nahla realized that the support of the Dragon Emperor was crucial to defending against the children of Mrtis. The emperor continued, glancing briefly at Nahla, "I will make you a deal. If you can make my fish sing I will grant my support."

The look on Fulha's face said that this was a rebuke, the emperor was giving them an impossible task that they could never complete. Fish can't sing. Nahla thought for a moment, the way the emperor glanced at her was as if he expected her top do something. Nahla had a thought, and it was going to mean risking everything. Nahla took a deep breath, she knew if she offended the emperor they would all be put to death before they even realized the offense. Nahla stood up. Fulha frantically whispered for her to get back down or they were going to die, Nahla ignored him and addressed the emperor.

"Great Dragon, may I be allowed to talk to the fish to find out why they have stopped singing?" The emperor raised a single eyebrow and replied, the translator spoke. 

"You may. I grant you five minutes to find out why my fish won't sing, they are in the courtyard you were waiting in. If you can not find out in five minutes you will watch all of your companions be put to death and I will have your tongue and eyes cut out." Nahla not wanting to waste even a second ignored everyone's panicked faces as she strode quickly to the pond. She sat on the edge of the pond and reached out with her mind to the fish but couldn't make any contact. Nahla stopped, took a deep breath, and cleared her mind. She focused on a single fish, one that was circling near her and gently reached out with her mind to it.  

All she could pick up from it was sadness, pictures and impressions of desolation and the burning sun. She asked a single question, 'why'? She received impressions of a beautiful and majestic tree, its flowers gave life, it's branches provided shade, it was protection. The image shifted and the tree was gone, the sun was harsh and its rays burned, and there was a never ending hunger. Not of greed, but of loss. She could almost feel the petals from the tree landing on the surface of the water, she could almost taste them, they reminded her of a tree she had once seen as a child. A traveling merchant had one in a tiny pot in his wagon, he had said it had come from a far away kingdom. The merchant had called it a cherry, which she thought was odd at the time because the merchant had told her that it didn't produce fruit. Nahla knew what had to be done, she walked back into the audience chamber and assumed her spot with the group and raised her arms like everyone else.

"Well?" was all the emperor asked through the translator. Nahla knew she had to be respectful in her response.

"Great Dragon the fish do not sing because their favorite tree was removed. It's branches gave them shade and protected them, it gave them sweet petals to eat making them happy. If you replace the tree they will sing." with that she bowed her head to show deference.

The emperor raised his hand and a servant came running to him and bowed at his feet. The emperor said something to the servant that the translator didn't translate and the servant ran off. The emperor looked directly at Nahla and the translator said, "We will wait." The emperor sat back in his throne. Momentarily a lot of shuffling and grunting could be heard outside the door, it sounded like a lot of people doing something very strenuous. The sounds lasted the better part of an hour and then went silent. Not long afterward there was a strange haunting sound that started out like an ephemeral chorus, but it quickly coalesced into a sort of song. It didn't sound like any music Nahla had heard before, but was definitely a form of music. The emperor smiled and spoke, the translator said,

"It would seem you have been graced with the favor of the Pearl of Heaven. So which of you will explain how you expect me to help?" 

Fulha elbowed Bisha causing him to stand up to gain his balance, as he stood and saw the emperor Bisha looked like he was going to wet himself. The emperor's expression smoothed and he addressed Bisha directly.

"Bisha Massey, wizard of Adikha Yunavarasiti, what is it you wish to tell me?" he asked in an almost friendly conversational tone. Nahla was impressed, here was someone who was in complete control of themselves and by extension everyone around him. This was a truly powerful person. To his credit, Bisha visibly relaxed and took a deep breath before going into his rather lengthy description of everything he had learned about the Children of Mrtis, the emperor looked like a small child having so sit through a lengthy and boring explanation. The emperor gave an exasperated sigh and started to speak, the translator doing their job.

"Yes, Yes. I know all this. The Children of Mrtis have been quietly infiltrating governments and religious orders to work behind the scenes." The emperor scratched the side of his nose in annoyance before continuing. "They intend to destabilize the nations so that they are able to present a cohesive defense when Mrtis is brought to this world. They seek nothing other than the complete destruction of our world so that Mrtis may rule all that is left." The emperor sighed again and stroked his right horn in boredom.

With a swift motion that was over before anyone realized what had happened half of the emperors guard fell to the ground dead, immediately replaced by more guards. Everyone in the group was frozen in shock. The emperor stood up as if nothing had happened and walked to the window looking out at something, he waved his scarf as if he was waving to an old friend and turned around and sat down on the throne again. Nahla had no idea what to do, half of the emperor's guard was just killed in front of her and as far as she could tell the emperor didn't care. The translator just walked out of the room, now they were left in the throne room of a madman who could kill them without a single thought and the only means of communication just left.

The emperor leaned forward staring at the party and in perfectly unaccented Kishnagari said, "I have been waiting over a hundred years for heroes such as yourself to make their presence known. Bisha, I have waited patiently for your Yunavarasiti to do something that would allow for an effective defense against Mrtis. I was hoping for a weapon, but I will take the change to majic." Everyone blinked in surprise, everything about the emperor's presence had changed so smoothly that no one had seen it happen. The emperor that sat in front of them now was no longer the petulant bored king, but a focused and ruthless emperor of one of the most most influential empires in the world. He knew about the explosion at Adikha Yunavarasiti before it even happened, he had been waiting for them since before they were born. This was quite possibly one of the most powerful people, if not THE most powerful person in Ardu. The emperor spoke again, this time in a more friendly and conversational tone.

"I will help you in your quest against Mrtis and I will join the deliberations of the Great Council in Alkhadharam, but first I think Bisha should have a look through my library." The emperor sat back in his throne and clapped his hands. A tall, lanky, but obviously muscular person stepped out from behind the throne. It was an Oristani female dressed in the armor of an imperial guard with a pronounced scar on the left side of her face that ran from just above her eye to the edge of her jaw. The emperor stood up and walked down to stand among the party, the Oristani followed closely behind. The emperor spoke again.

"I am well aware of what is happening and who is behind it. You see we Long Yi are very long lived, my grandfather sat me on his knee and made sure I knew everything I would need to know. My grandfather was the Dragon Emperor during the Great war." He turned to Nahla, "Yes, he knew Orista personally, and he told me that it would take another Oristani hero to help save Ardu again." He looked at the rest of the group. "As well as all of the nations fighting together for us to succeed." 

The emperor looked at Nahla again with a look of slight amusement, "I think you have some questions for my personal guard, Zhu Yeng Do. Please, sit by the pond and discuss." The emperor turned to talk to Bisha and Zhu Yeng Do gestured Nahla to the pond. Nahla followed her out was surprised again, next to the pond was a mature cherry tree overhanging the pond. Zhu Yeng Do sat a bench and looked at Nahla expectantly. Nahla for her part considered what to ask first.

"On our way here we stayed at the monastery of Ben Shao Dai to wait out a blizzard, while we were there a monk told us of the legend of Zhu Yeng Do, the greatest warrior. He made it sound like a legend from the distant past." Nahla paused for a moment before continuing. "Do you have any memory of your parents?"

 Zhu Yeng Do looked thoughtful for a moment, "Not really. I have vague impressions and I remember the tune of a song. I don't remember any of the words though." This gave Nahla some hope to unraveling the guards past.

"Could you hum it for me?" Nahla asked. Zhu Yendo Do closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment before humming a simple tune. Nahla recognized it immediately from one of her trips with her teacher Temjin. Nahla let her finish before telling the guard.

"That is a very old song, from well before the Great War." Nahla told Zhu Yeng Do. "It is a lullaby sung to children by the people of the Zurkhetak Highlands, the people of the deepest desert. I'm afraid it only raises more questions. The true blooded Oristani would never leave their lands, the connection is too strong. Only those of mixed blood, such as myself, go forth to other lands. Mostly to bring stories of the outside world back to the tribes, it is a very respected role among the Oristani."

Zhu Yeng Do considered this for a moment before asking, "What can you tell me of the people of the Zurkhetak Highlands?" Nahla searched her memory.

"They are called the Suns tribe, I guess the best translation would be the Ghost tribe. They are called that because they live in the hottest and most inhospitable lands of the Oristani tribes and can seem to disappear in an instant. It is a land of endless sand dunes and there is a single mountain in the middle of it, Mount Gal. Mount Gal is sacred to the Suns, it provides protection from the sands and most of the food for the tribes there. One of the tribes lives at the base of Mount Gal, they make the most beautiful blown glass bottles that are traded far and wide." 

Zhu Yeng Do had a puzzling expression for a moment before reaching into a large pouch at her belt. She pulled out a very small delicate bottle holding some sort of liquid. "Like this?" she asked.

"Yes." Nahla replied. "If I may ask, where did you get it?" 

"Shortly after becoming the emperor's guard he bought it for me from some caravan of traveling merchants. Every couple of years a group of merchants is allowed onto the palace grounds, they bring items from all over Ardu. I didn't think to ask where it was from, but I've always felt a strong connection to it. I guess I now know why. May I ask you a question?"

"Of course." Nahla replied.

"You say that you are of mixed blood and that those of pure blood never leave their lands. What is it that you do?" Zhu Yeng Do asked.

"I am a Sunyari, I guess you would call me a shaman of sorts. I see to the spiritual needs of our people, all of them. I no longer belong to any one tribe, although I was born to the Uulyn Shonkor or Mountain Hawk tribe. Because I wasn't assigned to a specific tribe I would normally wander where the spirits guide me to help whoever needed it. Currently I am on a sacred quest for the Great Spirits of Chulun Toiroq to prevent the destruction of the world."

Zhu Yeng Do considered this, "That is a very honorable mission, you must be quite a warrior then."

Nahla demurred, "I don't know about being a warrior, but I have contributed greatly to the safety of our group. Right now I have been charged to protect Bisha from harm by the Narn Dargra." Nahla continued when Zhu Yeng Do gave her a quizzical look. "Narn Dargra means 'Great Chieftain' of the Oristani tribes, Bisha is her I guess the word is 'husband'. He is the Narn Khanij, or 'First Consort' of the Narn Dargra. Don't let his unassuming presence fool you, he is a truly powerful wizard indeed." Nahla gave a slight chuckle at the thought of it, but yes he truly is a great wizard. She just hoped her adopted brother didn't get himself killed finding out how powerful he truly was, the incident at the monastery concerned Nahla greatly. Nahla returned her full attention back to Zhu Yeng Do before continuing. 

"We should return to the group, we will have plenty of time to talk while on the road." Nahla watched Zhu Yeng Do carefully, something seemed off about her and not just her being raised in a different culture. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something seemed off about the emperor's guard. Nahla stood up and went back into the audience chamber with Zhu Yeng Do following. Everyone was grouped at the base of the pedestal with the emperor sitting on his throne, the emperor turned toward the two Oristani.

"Welcome back, we were waiting for you to return so we could go to my library for information."

Bisha was practically vibrating in place in anticipation of getting to dig through the emperor's library, the emperor stood and walked toward a plain looking door in the back of the chamber, this led to a sort of meeting room with chairs, couches, and tables. The emperor continued on to another simple door in the back corner of the room, this one opened into a smaller room with a table and a single chair. A guard stood next to another nondescript door. The emperor walked to the door and before he reached it the guard opened the door revealing a wide square stairwell that led down. The party was led down the stairs past several doors, the bottom of the stairs led to a thick iron door. A pair of guards at the door opened them with what looked like great effort. 

The room inside was moderately lit, a very elderly Long Yi stood waiting by a table, their once vivid scales now dull with age. As the party entered the emperor gestured to Bisha and said something in the Long Yi language, the elderly Long Yi bowed again. The emperor turned to Bisha, "I have instructed the librarian that you should have full access to the library's contents. Please take the translator with you and I wish you happy hunting. Knock when you are done." With that the emperor left leaving everyone with the librarian, the door closed behind him with a latch making a heavy click. They were stuck here until Bisha was done. 

Zhu Yeng Do quietly took a position by the door and stood guard. Bisha, the translator, and the librarian disappeared into the shelves of books, scrolls, and tablets. Nahla decided this was the best time to talk to the party about Bisha, she gathered the group away from the door so Zhu Yeng Do would at least have difficulty hearing them. They all sat around a table looking to Nahla.

"Did everyone see what happened with Bisha at the monastery?" she started with. Everyone nodded and mumbled agreement. "I am concerned with him, his majic has been consistently getting stronger and then there was what happened at the monastery."

Irene pointed out, "If you remember what the artificers in Khunduz said, Bisha and Ten Rabbit were affected the most because they were closest to the explosion." Irene turned suspiciously to Ten Rabbit, "Come to think of it, what were you doing so close to the experiment?" Ten Rabbit looked very uncomfortable as he considered his response.

"I've been thinking about it myself and I can't remember from midday to the next day, I have no idea. For personal reasons I've avoided the subject, but I have talked to Nahla about it. I think something is wrong with me." Ten Rabbit shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "This is very hard for me to talk about. I've been having periods of memory loss and I think I'm hearing voices. Well, not voices. A voice." Ten Rabbit took a deep breath, "I feel like I'm slowly losing my mind."

Irene's attitude shifted, "I'm sorry, I didn't know." Ten Rabbit continued, "In Michocan there is a stigma against people who have lost their grip on reality. I could never bring this up back home," Ten Rabbit looked around at the party, "I'm glad I have you to talk to about it. It's almost like I have someone else living in my head. I know it's not like Devshi's relationship with her goddess because it's all the time and my god hasn't revealed himself." 

Fulha raised an eyebrow, "Who is your god?" he asked.

Ten Rabbit didn't hesitate. "I worship Camatz. Camatz is the one responsible for severing the soul from the body so the soul can make it's journey to the afterlife, whatever it might be. I know what you're thinking and Camatz is not evil, quite opposite actually. If Camatz doesn't sever the soul from the body then the soul is trapped and is doomed to wander Ardu forever separated from their family and everyone they loved. It's a horrible fate." This seemed to satisfy everyone's curiosity. 

Ten Rabbit continued, "I am concerned with Bisha as well, I'm afraid of what might happen if he loses control of his majic, he's been getting more and more powerful. I just don't know what to do about it."

Nahla sat in silence, this was exactly what she had been worrying about and the incident at the monastery told her she was right to be concerned. The group just sat there quietly, everyone lost in their own thoughts. The quiet was suddenly broken by an exclamation from Bisha. He came walking into the reading area looking at a large book intently, narrowly missing walking into the corner of a table.

"I think I found it." he said excitedly, "I think I found exactly what we've been looking for." Everyone rushed up to Bisha as he set the book on the table in front of him. "According to this, near the end of the Great War a group of heroes used a device from the Age of Legends to stop Mrtis and trap her in a large stone." Nahla looked at the book, it made no sense to her. It was mostly strange diagrams and what writing there was was in a language she had never seen before. 

"After the war the device disappeared. It was assumed to be lost, but I'm not sure. If I'm reading this correctly it was taken to an underground kingdom of monsters and from there it's trail is lost." 

Irene looked confused. "There must be a mistake, that's just a story to tell kids so they'll go to bed on time." There was general consensus amongst the group, they all had been told if they didn't go to bed or eat their vegetables the monsters that lived underground would get them. Bisha continued.

"The Long Yi call them 'Yo Gai", I think, and according to this they live in a huge kingdom deep underground." 

Just then the emperor emerged silently from the bookcases startling the group. "Bisha is quite right. The Yo Gai are indeed in possession of the device, but" the emperor paused for dramatic effect, placing a strange cylinder on the table for all to see "I am in possession of the most important part of it." Everyone stared at it. The cylinder was slightly shorter than a hand span and just thick enough to comfortably grip in the hand. On each end was a polished circle that looked to be made from some sort of coppery metal. The emperor continued, "The only thing my artificers can tell me about it is that it contains some sort of power that isn't majical and that it is very old indeed. As near as they can tell this is older than any civilization on Ardu. Which, by process of elimination, means it was made by the Yo Gai."

The emperor looked directly at Bisha. "My library is the oldest on Ardu, it is said that it was founded during the Age of Heroes or before. In some of the earliest texts there are many stories about the Yo Gai. It would seem that at one time we lived with the Yo Gai, but something happened that led to war and the Yo Gai were driven underground. As fantastical as it might seem, I believe that the Yo Gai do exist and that they are in possession of a device that will defeat Mrtis." Once again the emperor paused for effect.

"My librarians tell me that when Kishnagar was first formed certain texts were taken by the then emperor and were purposefully hidden by his agents to keep them safe for when they were needed again. It seems that my ancestors had the gift of foresight." Bisha gave this some thought.

"If that was the case I should have found them when I was beginning my search."

The emperor replied, "But did you know what you were looking for then? Also the texts were purposefully hidden to make them very hard to find. The device is supposed to be extremely powerful so it's existence was too important for anyone to know about, also I think you need something that shows that you are permitted the knowledge." Once again the emperor pulled something out of his robes, it was a symbol carved out of some strange type of stone. It looked old, very old. "I suggest you try this."

The emperor finished with "If my sources are correct you should hurry back to Alkhadharam and try again with this new knowledge as soon as possible. I am sending my personal guard with you to facilitate your travel, when you get to Alkhadharam she will act as my liaison until I arrive, I have preparations I have to make before I can join your Great Council of Nations."

All of this was just to amazing to Nahla, there was a lot going on behind closed doors here. The Celestial Emperor seemed to know too much about what was going on, what was his plan? Now that she thought about it there was a lot more going on than any of them realized, they were now involved in the complexities of the affairs of entire nations, if not all of Ardu. Their decisions would effect entire cities worth of people. Nahla was suddenly very nervous about the whole affair. It was one thing when it was their small group going on a quest for information, but it was quite another when she realized that they were doing something that would affect every last person on Ardu. This was something much bigger than them and things were happening that were too big for them to see.

For the first time in a long time Nahla felt small, like the young back country tribal girl that she was. Nahla glanced at Zhu Yeng Do, she had the strength and confidence that Nahla pretended to have. Nahla was concerned about her as well. Yes, she was Oristani, but she wasn't raised with the ways of the tribes. She was obviously totally loyal to the Long Yi emperor, Nahla was going to have to keep an eye on her. One more thing on a growing list of concerns.

Before sunrise the next day the group went to leave the Celestial Palace minus the translator. On their way out of the palace grounds there were severed heads with a symbol carved into their foreheads on tall spikes along the walls of the central courtyards, it struck to a primal fear in Nahla. The Emperor was willing to execute anyone at a moment's notice. Nahla was hoping her fear wasn't showing on her face. As if she could read her mind Zhu Yeng Do came along side Nahla.

"The emperor has purged the empire of the Children of Mrtis, they will no longer be a problem in the Celestial Empire." Zhu Yeng Do then rode a little bit ahead of the party, seemingly unconcerned with heads on spikes. Upon leaving the palace grounds they could see even more lining the road to the palace. Weirdly there were more people out in the streets of the city outside the palace than when they arrived and none of them were concerned with the new decorations, also wherever they went people were eager to get out of their way.

The trip back to the Great Serpent Gate was mostly uneventful, barring an incident at an inn along the way. They had stopped to get something to eat. When they arrived the innkeeper was extremely deferential, bowing repeatedly as they took their mounts. They were served immediately as soon as they sat down and the innkeeper made sure their cups never ran out of tea. As they were eating there was a loud commotion outside and a group of bandits kicked in the front door, the party froze. Before the bandits could say anything their leader locked eyes with Zhu Yen Do and suddenly looked panicked. He quickly turned around to leave, but his compatriots were blocking his way. Zhu Yeng Do stood up and as she did so everyone else in the inn made themselves as small as they could while the bandits were almost comically trying to leave the building.

Silently Zhu Yeng Do took off what Nahla first thought was her belt, it was a metal ball about the size of a fist on the end of a long chain. Zhu Yeng Do started swinging the ball around in circles, suddenly she started wrapping herself in the chain and just as the bandit leader was making his way out he door she made a kick motion and the metal ball rocketed out to strike him in the back of his head. Judging by the sound the strike made he was dead before he fell to the ground. Zhu Yeng do continued out while swinging the ball, Nahla followed quickly. There was large group of bandits outside, it looked like twenty of them.

As soon as they saw Zhu Yeng Do they panicked and tried to run, unfortunately for them she was too quick. Using long sweeping arcs of the hammer Zhu Yeng Do wound her self up in the chain and using kicking and punching movements made the metal ball strike out at fantastic speeds. Each strike was deadly lethal, she struck each one in the head. Some of the bandits were wearing metal helmets, but it didn't help. When the ball hit them it caved in their helmets. The battle was over quickly and none of the bandits survived. It wasn't a battle, it was a massacre. Nahla felt she was right to be suspicious of the emperor's guard. 

Zhu Yeng Do just quietly wrapped the ball and chain around her waist and went back inside without a word. She quietly sat down and went back to eating. Nahla sat down as well and gave Irene and Ten Rabbit a significant look. The rest of the trip to the gate was uneventful.