Thar Shaddin

Self proclaimed 'King of Ghosts' Wenli had held the remote mountain village of Yunshan in bondage for months. Shackles of sheer terror gave the wizened little sorcerer dominance over the small population of thirty three villagers. Wenli had chosen carefully: the village's own walls and gate, built to discourage bandits, made the village a virtual prison at night under the watchful eyes of his unseen retainers.

During the daytime, Wenli let out only those villagers required to tend the paddies. The stream-irrigated terraces carved into the earth around the village afforded little cover for one trying to escape Yunshan. The rest of the villagers tended to Wenli's demands or prepared for the homecoming of the others. At dawn and dusk Wenli held a roll-call to ensure the number of villagers remained constant, each villager's family held virtual hostage to ensure the return of the fieldworkers.

None dared oppose Wenli. All could remember the first day of the sorcerer's arrival, and his pronouncement of ownership over the entire village and its residents. Headman Guo's son Liu, taking insult on his father's behalf, tried to cut Wenli down with the headman's old sword. The result became scarred in the memory of those present for the occasion.

To the village, it appeared as if Liu had been halted in his tracks, wrestling with an unseen enemy as blood started appearing in broad stripes on his back and torso. Death came to Liu when his throat was turned into a slashed wreckage by no blade or claw visible to any present. It could almost have been a skilled pantomime, were it not for the evidence of arterial blood gouting into the chill afternoon air. After death, Liu remained dangling in the air like a puppet caught in its own strings, while Wenli repeated his proclamation.

That night, one of the village's men tried to leave the village to take word to the nearest town magistrate. His eviscerated body was found barely a hundred metres from the village wall the next morning, and his entire family dead in their sleep. No further attempts to escape were made by the terrified villagers.

In truth, it might have been possible for the status quo to have remained until tax time, and possibly longer, were it not for salvation in the form of bandits. Not the typical salvation one might have expected, given most of them were cut down by Wenli's ghostly retainers. But five of the brigands, witnessing their companions falling to unseen blows, fled on horseback. Only two managed to escape the reach of Wenli's guardians, and their flight brought them into the arms of the county magistrate's bailiffs, who had been tracking the bandits' passage. Impressed by the sincere terror behind the bandits' tale, the magistrate reduced their sentence by one grade, and forwarded a request for assistance to the regional magistrate. Wénshēn Cai, at that time a guest of the regional magistrate having completed one task and recuperating from her exertions, was approached with the report.

Which was how, a month after the abortive bandit raid, Cai was making her slow and careful way up the approach to Yunshan village. Cai was not particularly fond of mountains. It wasn't that she was unfit, or incapable of the climb. It was simply that the cold mountain air made mornings a hell of aching scars and old wounds. The astral seal was not particularly strong in the mountains here, and Cai took the precaution of keeping in tune with the influence of her falcon tattoo. The air seemed misty with the leakage of supernatural energies.

A mile from the village the woman's attention latched onto ripples in the flow of nature's qi. Instantly on her guard, Cai focused her awareness through the tattoo and sent her vision racing to examine the creature bearing down on her. A moment's look was enough, and Cai snapped back to her body, hissing "A Yaoguai. Emperors teeth, of course it would be, when is it not demon ghosts?" An impressive motley of man and mantis, the spirit's inhumanly jointed appendages screamed impending trouble.

Cai swiftly pressed a latch on the silver ring adorning her right hand, releasing the small razor. A swipe across her oft-scarred left hand released a thin line of red and Cai reset the ring's mechanism. Rubbing her hands together, the trigrams of binding tattooed on her palms were soon coated in a veneer of blood, and the Jinyiwei was ready to engage. As the intangible creature approached, bladed arms coiled like a mantis, Cai breathed deeply and waited.

The creature, its insectoid head mostly featureless aside from the gaping void where eyes should have been, was swift in its initial assault. Streaking through the astral energies like a fish through water, it prepared to slash into the tattooed woman. Cai breathed out and directed her qi through the bloodied trigrams on her palm. And thus began the twofold battle for Cai. The Astral energies flowing through her body were at odds with her Material Plane physicality, and what started as a mild tingling would soon become pain if Cai did not end things swiftly with the more immediate threat of the mantidean Yaoguai.

If the Yaoguai was shocked when Cai clapped the blade of its limb between her two palms it lacked the features to express it. But it was slow to respond when Cai's leg snapped up to plant a kick on what might have been its chin. The element of surprise was frequently critical to Cai's role as one of the Jinyiwei's veteran ghost hunters: few ethereal creatures expect a mere human or half-elf to physically engage with them. After all, magic users would typically prefer to attempt to deal with such creatures at a more safe distance. Cai would have preferred that option, truth be told, had she the ability. But one worked with the tools they had. But obtaining the initiative was but the beginning of the banishment.

With each strike, Cai focused qi through the Binding Trigrams, weakening the creature's hold on the Material Plane with the essence of the material plane itself. Had anyone been watching, they would have easily mistaken Cai's exertions as mere practice of technique. Cai moved with a calm grace, like a river flowing around a boulder, her hands the water lapping up against the stone. Had someone stayed to watch for long, they'd have noticed red smudges in the air, gradually increasing in number and giving a sense of form to Cai's otherwise invisible opponent. When Cai finally severed the creature's present link to the Material Plane the red smudges dropped to the ground in a spatter of Cai's shed blood.

Although successful in her first encounter with Wenli's minions, Cai's body burned with the contamination of qi required to interact with Astral entities. Sagging against a tree the half-elf grimaced, envying the humans whose pure blood allowed them to attain the far less painful, albeit less versatile, art of Yi Jing talisman exorcisms. Five minutes later, though, Cai forced herself to continue. There was a fine line between necessary rest and self-pity, and Cai had no time for the latter.

By the time Yunshan village was in sight the noon sun was granting a glimmer of warmth in both the air and Cai's bones. The ghost hunter was on edge, having had no further aggressive spirits, which as far as she was concerned meant more trouble. However, rather than an attack, Cai was greeted by a villager whose ingratiating smile could only be described as 'nervous'. The man, who introduced himself as Shun, extended to Cai the village's hospitality "...though we have few visitors, living in such a remote village as we do, we never turn away a guest." To Cai, it had the feeling of a practised recital, and the man positively exuded an aura of fear. Cai introduced herself and lied smoothly "I will be pleased to accept your hospitality. I am travelling into the mountains for the purposes of training and meditation, and your generosity is welcome to me."

As Shun led her into the village, Cai could see the workers in the paddy fields casting worried glances in her direction. Feigning the need for a brief rest and sitting on a roadside stone, Cai once more cast her senses adrift of her body, trying to ascertain from whence the next danger would arrive. Shun was looking far too jittery about the delay, in Cai's opinion, but she wasted no time lingering at the site of her body. A broad sweep over the village told everything that Cai needed to know: the largest building, likely the headman's, rippled with interference to the area's qi. That would be where the greatest danger lay. A quick sweep over the paddies caught Cai a glimpse of another Yaoguai, this one a creature resembling an elongated and distorted cat with long talons. Returning awareness to her body, Cai prepared herself for the mild headache which was the inevitable punishment from separating her senses from her body for even a handful of minutes. Hauling her self to her feet, Cai nodded to Shun "Thank you for your patience. The mountain air is thin, and I was in need of a moment's rest and meditation. Please, lead on."

Cai was not surprised when Shun led her directly to the Headman's house. It was the standard custom for an Imperial official newly arrived in a village to meet with its leader. The headman's building had simple but sturdy stone architecture: no doubt due to easy access to the raw materials yet little access to highly skilled stonewrights. Yunshan was just as rustic and backwards as every other village Cai had visited. It just had less flammable buildings. Shun led the way and then, standing to one side, bowed deeply and said "Wénshēn Cai of Yulongjing, travelling for the purpose of training and meditation, has graciously accepted our offer of hospitality. I am pleased to introduce Headman Guo of Yunshan Village". His duty done, Shun exited as quickly as propriety would allow, leaving Cai along in the room with two old men.

Seated in the headman's chair was a white-haired man who, quite frankly, looked miserable. Cai assumed this man to be Guo, and offered him a polite nod. It was the other, a wrinkled old prune of a man dressed in fine silk, whose sharp gaze caught Cai's attention. And it was he whom Cai focused her attention on when she presented her Jinyiwei talisman and stated "Prosperity to your village. I am Wénshēn Cai of the Jinyiwei, and my travels have brought me to your village." Old prune-in-silk didn't bat an eyelid, but there was a sudden spark of life in Guo. The headman rasped out a hoarse greeting "Guo of Yunshan Village extends the village's hospitality to you, Wénshēn Cai. Forgive me for not standing: age has brought illness upon me. Allow me to introduce Wenli, the village's doctor." There was an edge of something to Guo's voice with that phrase, but the old man continued "You are invited to use the guest room here, if you so choose." Wenli interceded with an alternative immediately "But my house is also empty while I stay here and attend to headman Guo's needs. Perhaps you would prefer my warmer abode, rather than risk illness: the nights get cold in a building this large." Wenli's smile didn't shift, nor did his tone change, but something in Guo's posture slumped ever so slightly.

Cai bowed slightly "The guest room will suffice. My needs are simple, so I thank you for your generous hospitality." The tattooed woman imagined a slight tension to Wenli's smile then. "If I may, I would spend some time in meditation. Might I impose upon your hospitality immediately?" A courtesy, that. Having revealed herself as a member of the Jinyiwei, it was Cai's right to make of it an order rather than a request. But it was a courtesy Guo seemed to appreciate, and the old man called for a servant to lead Cai to her room. Cai followed in the servant's wake and settled down on the mattress, requesting merely some tea to refresh her. When the servant left Cai immediately seated herself and sent her awareness forth to the Headman's audience room. It seemed Wenli was far less happy than the earlier smile had suggested.

The prunish old man was hissing at Guo "You are as great a fool as your son, Guo, if you think the appearance of this woman will save you and your village. By the time morning comes..." Wenli stopped, and tilted his head as if trying to hear something. Cai shifted her awareness to a new location as Wenli turned to look at the spot she'd first inhabited. The old man was now looking around the room, and Cai retreated to her body before Wenli could confirm whatever suspicions her presence had inspired. A few minutes later the servant returned with tea, and Cai breathed in its aroma. Tea was soothing, and would help with the onset of the headache even now hammering its way into her skull.

A quarter of an hour's rest later saw Cai recovered from her brief exertions with the falcon tattoo. The Jinyiwei was picking through her thoughts on the predicament she had voluntarily walked into. It was disconcerting to Cai that she had not been attacked by more of the Yaoguai during her approach, and she was forced to assume that a concerted attempt on her life would come during the night. The question was: should she prepare for the attack in advance, or beard the sorcerer in his den during daylight. Both had their difficulties. Daylight would prove easier for Cai, but provide Wenli the opportunity to attempt to use the villagers as hostages. Dealing with the creatures at night, with only the perceptions filtered through her Shang Dantien, would prove dangerous but with less risk to the villagers.

In the end, compassion won over practicality: there was little point rescuing the village from the sorcerer Wenli if the criminal were given the opportunity to cull its members in vengeance. Cai would deal with his spectral assassins first, then the sorcerer himself. So Cai meditated, occasionally casting forth her awareness to gauge the present location of the remaining Yaoguai. After a light dinner, eaten in the guest room, Cai waited for the inevitable. As night fell, the tattooed woman shifted a stool into the centre of the room, and perched atop it with razor ring ready. Whether the creatures came through walls, ceiling, or floor, Cai had created an opportunity to react. And so she waited, carefully tightening and relaxing her muscles to avoid cramp, as the moon rose and the temperature dropped.

It seemed Wenli was an impatient kind of man. Cai had barely spent two hours in readiness when she felt a rippling through the air's qi above and below her. The tattooed woman dived to the side, rolling to her feet as she slashed open a small line of blood on her left hand. Swiftly clicking the razor back in place, Cai rubbed her hands as she was once more forced to evade the assault of the two Yaoguai. She recognised the long-taloned cat demon from the paddy fields, but the second was new to her: an astral rendition of a headless man - as if formed of lumpy clay by a child learning sculpture for the first time. Where the catlike Yaoguai was swift in its assaults, the other moved slowly, using its limbs like clubs.

Cai wove between them, the circular Huang-style footwork aiding her in redirecting their attacks, while she tried to find a better position to begin a counter attack. However, while Cai was able to work around the brutish Yaoguai, the feline Yaoguai proved too swift to evade. Cai hissed as the creature's claws raked across her ribcage, leaving four bleeding gashes, and a cold burning sensation from the astral energy. Cai was left with no choice but to call upon the Emperor's Protection, and incur the costs of doing so. Cai focused her Qi from her Xia Dantien through the dragon tattoo on her chest all the way to the Zhong Dantien, and the air around her shimmered with the appearance of translucent jade scales. Knowing that every second guaranteed agony in triplicate later, Cai launched her assault, slamming strike after bloody-palmed strike on the feline Yaoguai.

The astral creature, which had attempted to skewer Cai during her frontal assault, found its claws gliding off her green scales. Furthermore it could feel the connection to Wenli and the Material Plane lessening. Though compelled by Wenli's sorcery to fight on, the creature was relieved when Cai's binding trigrams finally dissolved its painful and tenuous presence on the material plane. Wenli's sorcery was a vile thing, binding the Astral creatures by pulling some of their essence through weaknesses in the seal, forcing them to manifest a portion of their essence on the physical plane despite the pain such contradictory states caused the beings.

Soon afterwards the brutish clay-like Yaoguai was despatched in similar fashion, and Cai swiftly expelled all qi circulating through the dragon tattoo. With a haste born of need Cai reached into an internal pocket of her travel bag and withdrew a small length of thick leather, pushed the guest room's wooden desk against her door, and returned to her bed. She could only hope that the sorcerer would not come and physically ascertain her situation over the next ten minutes.

There was a strange kind of symmetry to the side effects of the dragon tattoo: the shorter the period it was used, the sooner the side-effects appeared, but they were also swifter in vanishing. Placing the leather between her teeth, Cai lay on the bedding, and soon the first tingles which warned of the hell to come arrived. Lightning, fire, and ice raced equally through Cai's veins and nervous system. Cai thrashed, teeth clamped tight on the leather, as the grave imbalance to her qi caused by the dragon tattoo's use restored itself to a state of equilibrium. When the seizure finally concluded, several minutes later, Cai's blanket was covered in sweat and blood from her wounds.

Through her pain-wracked thoughts, Cai heard someone trying to open the door, their first attempt thwarted by the desk. Cai grimaced, and crawled to her knees, forcing her unsteady legs to hold her weight as she used the wall for support. A moment later, the door was forced open, and Cai saw the silk-robed figure of Wenli highlighted by the room's flickering lantern. The sorcerer gaped a moment, then raged "No, you should be dead! The room reeked of your blood and ghostly energy, even from my chambers! I could feel your death throes in the floorboards!" Backing away, Wenli cursed "I'll be done with you yet, nosy Imperial whore." before hurrying off. Cai could feel the man slowly manipulating astral energies, and knew she had little time to stand around pitying herself, despite looking like she'd been bathed in her own blood.

As the shock of the dragon tattoo's after effects wore off, Cai found her ability to move less hampered, and taking up the lantern she raced off in the direction of where she could sense the sorcerer working his summoning. When Cai reached the top of the stairs she found Wenli already busy at work. Headman Guo lay slumped in his chair, blood pouring from his slashed throat, and King of Ghosts Wenli was hurriedly using a large calligraphy brush coated in Guo's blood to paint an octagonal arrangement of trigrams and symbols. Cai knew better than to try and interpret Wenli's gruesome calligraphy. What she did know was that she had little time to act. Wenli's mastery of calligraphy was astounding; the old man's brush gracefully and elegantly spread his design across the hall's floor, with a swiftness on a par with those masters of calligraphy Cai had herself witnessed in Yulongjing.

But Imperial justice took precedent over questions of art, and Guo's leaking throat was a silent cry for that justice to be dealt before Wenli could summon some new horror with which to defend himself. The shrivelled old man was powerful: with every stroke of his brush the astral energies in the room shifted, and the barrier between the Material and Astral Planes weakened a fraction. Cai took the option of expedience, and hurled her lantern to crash in the centre of his pattern, oil swiftly catching fire and spreading in a pool across the stone floor. The fire wouldn't last long but Cai was already on her way down the stairs.

Wenli screeched with outrage when the lantern ruined his work, and Cai felt a shiver when the old man simple pulled on as much power as he could and splattered a small and simple arrangement on the floor "Your interference matters not! I have opened a door, Jinyiwei! I don't care what comes through, for it shall be your destruction, and I its master!" Or at least, Wenli planned to be its master. He'd work on a proper binding while whatever came through presumably attacked the first thing it saw: the blood-drenched figure of Cai.

Even putting the slightest of cracks in the barrier between the physical plane and the material was a feat of immense capability, and Cai shuddered to think what could have happened if Wenli had been given more time. As it was, both Cai and Wenli were knocked off their feet by the magical backlash of the seal restoring its integrity. As the sorcerer clambered to his feet, Wenli shrieked "Behold your undoing, Imperial bitch!" Cai, also compelling her sore and bloody body to its feet, beheld.

What she beheld seemed to be a miniaturised replica of her emperor, though albino, about the size of a well-fed house cat. Wenli, too, blinked in surprise at what was perhaps the most underwhelming summoning of his career since he was but an apprentice to his long-dead master. Still, the surprise was not enough to stop him from screaming out "Kill her! Kill the Imperial Whore! Slash her and shred her!"

When Lóng Beitzya was born, his parents had an unexpected surprise. Curled against Beitzya was a second child. Unlike Beitzya, who was a glossy black, the second child was gleaming white. Most residents of the realm thought the twin’s birth auspicious. The pair obviously represented the honored duality of nature. The Lord and Lady named the second son Pure White, or Piǎo Bái, because of his coloring.

Beitzya was the larger of the two, and, as first-born, the Lord and Lady of the Silvery River named him their heir. Cherished as a gift, Piǎo Bái was spoiled by parents and retainers alike. Beitzya was cherished, too, but as the heir, he was held to higher standards. Beitzya learned to fight and defend, to read and write, and to rule. Piǎo Bái learned to read and write; however, Piǎo Bái’s other studies included things such as deciding which sauces made the best accompaniment for meat pies, playing musical instruments, swimming, and ornamental dance.

Shifting forms was a common ability amongst the dragon kind and most dragons began to shift forms somewhere in their 3rd year. The design of the pair’s home compound allowed for both smaller humanoid forms and larger dragon forms, but the standard mode was to live and move about in the modified humanoid shapes. There was a certain grace and convenience to the forms, which the dragons found appealing. Additionally, when interacting with the other denizens of the realm, the forms allowed for a more equitable relationship when negotiating contracts and treaties.

An accident, in the twin's 10th year, resulted in Piǎo Bái’s nearly drowning. The young dragon lost consciousness and his shifting ability. The family physician assumed it was due to fear, but the young dragon could not (or would not) take humanoid form after that. The physician also instructed the family to allow Piǎo Bái the opportunity to rediscover the ability on his own.

As the years passed, Piǎo Bái grew commensurate with his age, lacking only the ability to shift to human form and billow a large flame. He was smaller than his brother was, but sought to keep up. Among all who lived in the Pagoda, Piǎo Bái adored his brother the most.

At the age of 17, Beitzya was sent away to finalize his education as heir. Piǎo Bái remained at home, despite his desire to follow his brother’s example. The time apart was filled with reports of his brother’s skills and accomplishments. For some, this might have been a time of rebellion or change in perspective, but not for Piǎo Bái. He was thrilled by the stories. Piǎo Bái’s golden eyes sparkled as he read the letters aloud to his parents, reenacting key scenes. Life was good.

~~~~~~~

Piǎo Bái stretched, arching his back, and splayed his claws in sheer satisfaction. He rolled his body through the warm waters, doubling back upon himself in lazy spirals, until finally settling on a back float. He tucked his legs against his body, slowly moving his tail to stay afloat. Stars sparkled above him. Cherry blossoms filled the air, falling like snow, and sending their soft scent everywhere. Puffing one fragrant blossom from his nose, Piǎo Bái lazily blinked his eyes.

In that blink of a moment, the stars were blotted from the sky. Piǎo Bái opened his eyes wide, but before he could brace himself, he was shoved under the water by a heavy, dark body. Spluttering to the surface, he was greeted by the sound of laughter.

“So lazy, living in the lap of luxury, while SOME of us serve in the army!”

“Beitzya!!” Piǎo Bái flung himself at his brother and the pair wrestled, splashing water and blossoms across ornamented tile. “When did you return?”

“Just now, Bleach.”

Piǎo Bái stuck out his tongue at the familiar nickname. “Whatever, Soot.”

Beitzya fell silent, contemplating his brother, and then leaned forward conspiratorially. “I have something I have to do.” Beitzya looked around; making sure no one would hear him. “…In the Garden.”

Piǎo Bái sucked in his breath. “The Ni –“

“Shh! It’s top secret!” Beitzya clamped a paw over Piǎo Bái’s snout. “… but… you could help me.” Beitzya fixed his brother with a stare, “If you think you’re brave enough.”

Piǎo Bái nodded his head vigorously. In the garden was an ancient Spirit Tunnel, said to link the Astral Realm to the Physical. A door blocked the entrance to the tunnel now, with the locking mechanism on the other side. Stories said the door had not always been there. The door appeared one day, closing off the Spirit Tunnel. Now, spells were needed to unlock the door.

Beitzya nodded. “We need to go quickly.”

Piǎo Bái nodded again, this time following his brother as he navigated his way around the pagoda to the Garden. Once in the garden, the twins stood before the door. Curiosity about the door got the better of him and Piǎo Bái moved to place a fore paw against the door.

“It’s warm…,” he said softly, in wonder.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?” Piǎo Bái turned his head to peer at his brother.

“I ran into some trouble while I was training and ended up making a wager. I lost. But… “ Beitzya stared at his brother, the look in his eyes flat and distant. “I am the heir."

Beneath his palm, the door vibrated and Piǎo Bái could hear someone screaming. He let out a shaky chuckle. What was wrong with Beitzya?

“Yes, you are! And, I know you’ll make an excellent leader when Father chooses to retire.” Piǎo Bái, turning to face Beitzya, looked down at his brother’s hands as they shoved against him and pushed him suddenly into the open space where the door had been. Piǎo Bái grappled with all four feet, holding onto the edges of the opening. A vortex of force was pulling on him, trying to suck him backwards. His claws made a keening, screeching sound and made visible score marks as he slipped backwards.

“What? Why?”

“Because I should be the favorite. I’m the heir!” Beitzya gave another hard push. The look on his face was filled with hatred.

“Wait!” Piǎo Bái called out to his brother once more, reaching for him, but the spell had already taken hold. He was being sucked away to the Physical Realm and his brother… hated him.

Piǎo Bái tumbled through the Astral, feeling as if he was being stretched and pulled from the very center of his being. He could feel that his presence was not the desire, sense the wrongness. In another moment, his entire consciousness seemed to disappear and then return with a sharp, white-hot stab from his head to his tail. A pulsing light sucked him toward it, leaving him feeling nauseous, and a little cold. The next thing he knew, he was dumped onto a hard surface, gracelessly laying upon his back, surveying the world upside down, with his tail dangling above his snout.

"Behold your undoing, Imperial bitch!"

Piǎo Bái blinked and cast a glance at the Imperial Bitch. She was covered in blood and sweat. With pointy ears and a baldhead, she was a gruesome sight, reminding Piǎo Bái of a goblin he'd seen once.

The one who yelled was not much better, except the only blood on that one seemed to be splattered across his clothing and one hand. His purple-mottled, wrinkly skin, and bulging yellowed eyes were horrid as well. The creature’s mouth opened to reveal yellowed, crooked teeth as he yelled out again. Spittle flew from the man’s lips.

"Kill her! Kill the Imperial Whore! Slash her and shred her!"

The complete garishness and lack of art disgusted Piǎo Bái, enough so that any compulsion he might have felt, had one existed, to bite the Imperial Bitch disappeared just as soon as the spit left the man’s mouth. About to retort, Piǎo Bái’s eyes opened wider and his mouth dropped. A gigantic black dragon’s maw and a clawed foot slowly emerged through the opening, forcing itself through. Black lightening crackled around Beitzya, protesting his brute force.

The entire building shuddered as first one paw, then another hit the floor. Around them, the force of the dragon’s Qi vibrated. Rage, and possibly a mad sort of glee, showed in Beitzya’s eyes as he focused his gaze on Wenli.

“Our debt is paid.” Ebony claws slashed out. The old man’s body exploded in a rain of viscera and blood. Beitzya did not remain to see if the blow was fatal. Piǎo Bái could not move no matter how much he tried. In his head, he cried out his brother’s name as the giant black dragon pulled back into the rift. When had his brother become so… so BIG??

Seconds passed and Piǎo Bái realized he could move. The rift was closing! Piǎo Bái twisted his body, trying to gain the right perspective. Every moment counted. If he could get back through, he could go home. Home first, then he would figure out why his brother hated him so much.

The thought hurt his heart, but he stifled it. Finally, on his feet, Piǎo Bái leapt for the closing rift, catching the edge with the tips of his fore claws. Piǎo Bái dangled there, scrabbling with his back feet against the air, trying to pull himself up. The result was clipped claws and another fall. This time he dropped to his bottom, sitting on his haunches with one leg stretched on the floor and the other tucked up next to his side.

Piǎo Bái dropped his head between slumped shoulders and stared at his dulled claws dumbly. Just this morning, he had been a beloved, spoiled younger brother. His whiskers quivered and large tears glistened in his eyes. Now… now where was he? Hated and exiled! Who was going to take care of him? How was he going to get home? Who was going to feed him? Growing dragons needed to eat!

A large tear dropped from his eye onto his left paw. The salt in the tear stung. Piǎo Bái realized, then, that one of his claws was torn upwards, loosened from the quick and bleeding. Blood pooled around his foot. For Piǎo Bái, it seemed as if time had stopped and everything was etched in stark clarity. The closure of the rift was like having all the air sucked from his lungs. The sudden lack of the Qi energy his brother exuded, was like a vacuum sucking out Piǎo Bái's very life essence.

Piǎo Bái tried to stand and stumbled. His pulse sounded in his ears, loud like drums, and he felt nausea once more. His color started to mottle to a flat gray. What was this? Had Beitzya known this would happen?

Cai was shocked into inaction by the sheer power of the black dragon's appearance and qi, so different in sensation to that of her Emperor. It was Wenli's sudden end which prompted her into action, though she barely had time to turn away and raise an arm to the spray of gore from what used to be a sorcerer of great power. There had been few times in her life when she wanted a long, hot bath more than now. But something caught her eye, something small and floundering, and changing colour rapidly to something far less healthy than how it had first appeared.

How the Tianlong maintained their life and longevity on the material plane remained a mystery to even their Dragon Guard, but Cai knew enough to know that an Astral being cut completely off from the Astral plane could sicken and die. Normally, it was her task to ensure that happened, or to return an Astral entity to its home. Unfortunately, the latter was no longer possible as the creature had been physically shunted here through Wenli's 'door' rather than being the result of a more spectral summoning. Something about the way the little dragon stumbled about was adorable. Like a newborn cat.

No, not adorable. Pathetic. Cai mentally took a hold of herself and regained her sense of equilibrium. Still, she had to do something, or the miniature dragon would not survive. Grimly, Cai forced herself to lurch across the blood-slick floor, ignoring as best she could the scattered human entrails. "Emperor, forgive me" Cai thought as she wiped her bloodied hands on the one or two dry patches left to her clothing and picked up the small dragon, draping him over her shoulder like a sack of rice. The comparison to a newborn cat vanished with the clammy and cold sensation of the creature pressed over her shoulderblade. The cleaners did not deserve this Cai noted as she tracked blood and drippings of gore up the stairs to her wreckage of a room. "My apologies, little dragon, but circumstances do not permit a more comfortable solution."

Using a clean part of her bedsheets to wipe the blood off herself and the ailing dragon, Cai retrieved her tattooing needles and ink from their case. Setting the small dragon upon her pillow, Cai withdrew her pigments. The basic pigment powder would have to be altered and attuned to them both. Using her razor ring, she opened a small cut in her left hand and let a drop of her blood fall into the pigment. Then, regardless of protest, Cai opened a small cut in the small dragon's front left paw and dropped a small droplet of his blood into the pigment. Blending the two, she added from a small flask some of the restorative waters from the Guang Wan fountain to the pigment and began mixing the ink. Although not a strong restorative, Cai also used some of the liquid to wash the little dragon's face and provided a small bowl of it to drink.

Cai's focus was given utterly to the task of preparing the tattoo which might provide the creature a link to the material plane. Entering a semi-meditative state, Cai began diverting qi into the ink, purifying the mixture and preparing it for the needle. She would only be able to complete the outline in one sitting, but it should prove to be enough in the short term. Slowly, and carefully, Cai inserted the ink with careful and precise jabs of her needle. More than two decades had passed since she had taken the pact of the Dragon Guard. Perhaps that would still be enough to create the qi link between herself and the little dragon suffocating on insufficient astral energy. Like an infant, he would just need to be given enough time to learn how to breathe the new air. Hours passed, each dab of ink forming a small connection between the little dragon and Cai, until the outline of a small dragon took form around her left forearm. Finally, Cai pressed a drop of her own blood against the cut in the dragon's paw to complete the link.

The rest would be down to fortune as to whether the little dragon could use that link to acclimatise to its new environment. Cai's fatigue, held off for so long by her willpower, crashed upon her the moment she completed her task. The Jinyiwei collapsed in a bloody mess over a bed already ruined by her earlier convulsions. Outside, the villagers refused to approach the Headman's house unless summoned, for fear of what could be transpiring in that hellish building.

The room spun and shook in his vision. His right foot slipped out from under him, sliding across what might have been human skin and fatty tissue. Piao Bái’s chin thumped against the floor and his rump flew upwards. He didn’t notice the woman. He was floundering. He was … dying!

He didn’t want to die! He wanted to find out WHY. Suddenly his world was up-ended again. Piao Bái flopped over something warm. If only he could focus. If only he could breathe better. The world was moving back and forth, in various shades of grey. Motion sickness threatened, but never manifested.

"My apologies, little dragon, but circumstances do not permit a more comfortable solution."

The warm thing was trying to help him. Oh, good… Piao Bái lost consciousness. He regained consciousness when cold water splashed against his face.

Blearily, Piao Bái tried to lift his head. He could smell the water now, some pungent other smell, the smell of blood – his, the woman’s, and the old sorcerer’s. The woman, the so-called Imperial Bitch, pressed her hand to his paw. In that moment, something jolted and jerked him from the inside out; almost as if his soul had passed through that connection into her and back again.

The sensation was the most intimate thing he had ever experienced in his life. Something pulsed between them, something intangible and precious. Without a thought or sound, Piao Bái accepted Wenshen Cai’s binding. Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes! For better or worse, in sickness and in health, the pair were bonded, together forever. Only a higher power, such as death, would be able to break the bond.

He still felt weak, but her strength of life was strong enough to at least wipe the cobwebs from his head. Piao Bái watched from his pillow as Cai collapsed across the bed. A brighter red was darkening the slashes in her shirt. Piao Bái’s head jerked up. A mistake… the room spun again and he fought the sensation of nausea. The scent of the water in the bowl caught his attention. Yes, if it could help him feel even a little better, then maybe …

Piao Bái slid, on his belly, from the pillow toward the bowl. Maneouvering his back end around himself, he clasped the bowl’s rim between his jaws and began to drag it toward Cai’s abdomen. Each jerk, splashed water over the rim onto his snout, making him sneeze. Each sneeze hurt his body. Why was he so damnably small?! Slowly, slowly he inched his backside up and across the woman’s muscular stomach. The bowl rested beside her now. A dribbly trail followed its path across the bed. Piao Bái rested himself across Cai’s abdomen, breathing laboriously. With her every breath his body rose and fell, lulling him, enticing him to sleep.

No! The sharp scent of fresh blood jolted him up. He had to stop her from bleeding. This seemed very important for some reason, as if his very survival depended on it. Piao Bái stretched out his neck and sipped a mouthful of water. Then, he turned his head and let the water dribble onto the first claw mark. He repeated the process four times and was rewarded when the edges of the wounds seemed to shrink. The last time, he swirled his tongue in the water and licked it in zigzags across the wounds. The taste was awful, something he hoped never to taste again. Piao Bai lifted his head and made a sour face. So awful! He had heard of other astral creatures that fed on human blood, but for the life of him, the taste would never appeal. He continued to lick the water over the wounds, though. The wounds didn’t heal completely, but enough that he may have made a difference. He certainly hoped so.

He was so, so tired… weren’t you supposed to put pressure on bleeding cuts? Piao Bái eyed the wounds and the shredded fabric. Between teeth and claws, he managed to tear the fabric in to pieces. Placing the pieces over the wounds, Piao Bái then squirmed his way up, to lay across the wounds. He felt like this might be a good thing to do. He would use the weight of his body to keep the makeshift towels in place. Besides… Cai was so warm… and her breasts were so pillowy soft...

Cai's fever-sleep was characterised by dreams of shifting shadows on a dim red background, an abyss through which she drifted while the crimson slowly wrapped around her in coagulating tendrils like a serpent winding around her. Slowly, as if over the passage of years, the abyss tightened its coils. Cai felt her dream-self slowly losing the ability to breathe as the serpent of blood and darkness gradually crushed her ribs.

The Jinyiwei startled awake, the chill of drying sweat cooling her brow. Her ribcage still stung, but it felt strange. Opening her eyes properly, though, provided some explanation for the dream. The little dragon had migrated from her pillow to her stomach. The strange sensation on her ribs was explained by the new presence of torn fabric on the wounds... over which the creature lay. Cai propped herself on her elbows and took a moment to analyse the situation. The sheet next to her wounds showed signs of water diluting blood. The creature had, therefore, attempted to wash and clean her wounds. Clear signs of intelligence above that of an animal. Which, Cai berated herself, she should have expected from something resembling the Emperor. It would be absurd for such a thing to be a mindless animal. It would go against heaven and nature.

Cai permitted herself another minute to gather her willpower for the next unpleasant yet necessary task. Getting up, and having a proper bath. The wounds would be alright if she could have a safe night of rest on warm earth. But for now, she needed to avoid infection at all costs. And the little dragon could probably use a wash too.

Step one: remove the dragon. Returning to a prone state, Cai picked up Piǎo Bái like a cat, and set him back down on the neighbouring pillow. Half-managing to stifle a groan, her wounds complaining with the movement, she rolled to one side to rise to her knees. Step two: achieve standing position. Using the wall for balance Cai forced herself to her feet. Bits of blood-drenched fabric slopped to the floor, and Cai resolved to get some cleaner materials for new bandages. Step three: bath.

Cai once more picked up the dragon, setting him over her shoulder while she gingerly made her way into the neighbouring guest room to purloin fresher bed linens. The house was designed in a predictable fashion, so finding the bath-house proved to be of little difficulty. With a dragon on her left shoulder, and an armful of fresh linen, Cai grumbled to herself "And of course, it is no doubt my right and privilege as an esteemed Imperial emissary to this horrible little village that I get to heat up my own damn bath. Oh, the joys which fortune chooses to bestow upon me." Cai looked for somewhere to set down both dragon and linen, whilst determining where the fire-starting equipment might be.

One would think Piao Bái’s dreams would be filled with blood, dragons, and suffocation as well, but they weren’t. Instead, Piao Bái dreamt of warm clouds and floating on gently lifting waves. If he were a cat, he might have purred in his sleep. He barely woke when Cai placed him on the pillow or over her shoulder once again, cracking his eyes long enough to see what she was doing as she moved him around here and there. He was perfectly fine with being carried around like the treasured prince he was. A perk, he decided, he would accept as part of the curse of being shrunken down to such as ignoble size. Certainly, he was feeling substantially better.

Opening his eyes, Piao Bái pondered his circumstances. He was the size of someone’s pet and slung over a woman’s shoulder like a bag of rice. His back half swung back and forth with every step the woman took causing him to slip down until his underarms caught on Cai’s shoulder. Now, his forearms stuck straight out. As Cai made her way through to the bath house, Piao Bái surveyed his surroundings. By his standards, the building was shoddy. No lacquered panels adorned doorways. No tapestries lined the walls. A hand pressed against his back stopped him from slipping completely off.

"And of course, it is no doubt my right and privilege as an esteemed Imperial emissary to this horrible little village that I get to heat up my own damn bath. Oh, the joys which fortune chooses to bestow upon me."

Piao Bái lifted his head and turned it toward Cai’s when she spoke. The woman’s skull was devoid of hair and covered in colored lines. Her ear was slightly pointed. Was she really a goblin after all? Piao Bái peered down toward the floor. Not possible, much too tall…

Imagine what one’s fortune must be when one is shunted from one’s beloved home, reduced in size one hundred .... no... one thousand fold, and starving! Piao Bái thought with disgruntlement. I'm hungry... In response, his stomach gurgled loudly. He did not think to offer to start the fire. That was a job for servants.

The joy of solitude, Cai maintained, was the freedom from keeping up appearances. Courtly etiquette was a necessity, of course, but only in the presence of others. In private she could speak her mind as circumstances dictated. Which was an eloquent justification for the stream of invective prompted by the pain of her wound. It also delayed Cai from awareness of the little dragon's awakening.

Bending to set down the cleaner linens had, in hindsight, been a terrible mistake. "Thrice-damned mule-kissing dungheap yaoguai, a pox on the lot of them." Cai plopped Piao Bai on a bench next to the linen at which point she noticed the open eyes. It was awake. Well, hopefully it could carry itself henceforth.

Composing herself, Cai adopted a more personable demeanor. The effect was quite possibly ruined by being stained all over by blood. "Greetings little dragon. Welcome to Yunshan village in the Province of Jin. I am Wenshen Cai, Jinyiwei and member of the Imperial household. And you will forgive me, I hope, for setting a bath as my highest priority at present." And if he didn't, too bad. Cai wanted the blood of that sorcerer off her at the earliest opportunity.

Piao Bai wondered what the woman was going to do after she unceremoniously plopped him down on a bench. With sinuous motions, he circled a few times before curling up. He crossed his front legs, one paw dangling over the other, atop his tail and tilted his head to the side. There was intellect behind his golden gaze if one were used to looking at dragons.

Had she taken another road, Wenshen Cai would have been beautiful. Piao Bai could see that, but it was hard to see behind the ink markings, scars, torn clothes, raw wounds, and gore. He was quite sure, actually, that at this point she would win few favors.

"Greetings little dragon. Welcome to Yunshan village in the Province of Jin. I am Wenshen Cai, Jinyiwei and member of the Imperial household. And you will forgive me, I hope, for setting a bath as my highest priority at present." Piao Bai was staring at Cai intently. Her accent was horrific, but he could understand her. He blinked. Once.

Piao Bai dipped his head. Then he opened his mouth to speak and little bit of flame splutted out. That was not supposed to happen. Piao Bai lifted his paw and covered his mouth, glancing away. "I am Long PIao Bai. I would also like a bath. And food. Is there food?"

Cai had been about to respond normally when she realised a stark disconnect between what her mind had registered and what her senses had registered. The little bastard had the temerity to enter her mind?! Cai's hand itched from the barely restrained desire to smack the creature over the nose for the impropriety. A moment of reflection however indicated that the little dragon's speech wasn't quite the all-pervading, all seeing ocean of awareness she felt when she became one of the Dragon Guard. The Emperor's presence had been like an ocean's waves passing through her very being. Common sense also suggested that the little creature probably wasn't equipped for human speech.

Putting a wrap on her temper, justifying it to herself as the result of a truly horrendous day, Cai resorted to the structure of etiquette to carry her through the next few moments "I am honoured to meet you, Long Piao Bai. And yes, I can see that a bath would be of benefit to us both if we are not going to terrify the villagers when we emerge. As for food, well, that can be looked into once more important matters are taken care of." By which Cai meant her bath. And speaking of which, did the little dragon just burp fire?

If there was one thing this village had to commend it, it was the ready availability of water, and the corresponding luxury of a proper bath. Fortune smiled for once in that someone had apparently been preparing a bath earlier before hell broke loose. Cai added some more kindling and checked the water levels. "I will find a smaller tub for you, Long Piao Bai, and a bucket to transfer water to it. Make yourself useful and set the kindling burning while I find one." Cai noted with disapproval the bloody footprints she was leaving all over the house. What an utter mess this day had become. Honestly, if there wasn't the prospect of a bath to keep her focus, she wasn't sure quite what she'd be making of the situation.

Piao Bai inhaled and exhaled a long breath, looking away from Cai. She had bonded him, hadn't she? And, she expected him, treasured son of the Lord and Lady of the Silvery River to burp fire on sticks? He looked back at her, staring intently again. He didn't move. He was more dried blood coloured than white at the moment. Did she expect him to bathe in that? Wasn't she going to wipe him down first?

No food. No pampering. He had been sent to the NETHER WORLD! That was really the only plausible explanation.

Is this the Netherworld?

Cai had turned away, laying eyes on a bucket behind a small pile of chopped lumber, and had just gripped its handle and lifted it with a wince when Piao Bai's question wormed its way into her mind. Cai ground her teeth. The little dragon's method of communication was going to take some getting used to. Drawing in a breath, Cai turned back to the recalcitrant little dragon and drew herself to her full height of just over six feet. Now, one could potentially blame Cai's behaviour over the following moments on an accumulation of horrible events, but that would be amiss and unduly kind. Cai had not earned her various reputations without due merit.

With a smile that looked more like a predator's grin, the tall and gore-covered member of the Jinyiwei said in a voice far too sweet in contrast to her demeanour "It will swiftly become so if that wood does not miraculously catch fire by the time I find you a tub." Offering Piao Bai another disconcerting smile, Cai placed the bucket a few feet from the tub. Still in her 'sweet lady' voice, she added "I am now going to find you a bath. It would be an appropriate exchange if my efforts were balanced out by the simple task of a little firestarting, yes? We are agreed? Good."

There was, in that last and pointed 'Good', an unmistakable element of a military woman giving out marching orders. Cai smiled in a more friendly way and stalked from the room. Well, half stalked, half 'staggered in a determined way'. At any rate, Cai started tracking more blood over the house in her search for a second tub, leaving Piao Bai a good few minutes to evaluate his options before her inevitable return, and a horrible mess for the villagers to clean up.

Perhaps goblins were taller in the NETHER WORLD... Piao Bai tucked his nose under his tail and looked up at her from under his brows, with big golden eyes.

He was going to respond, but his stomach chose that moment to gurgle loudly again for an uncomfortably long time given the situation. The sound followed Cai out of the room. Certain she was gone, Piao Bai muttered a thought.

You don't have to be so grumpy about it, came the muttered thought, it was just a question, after all... Piao Bai sighed heavily again, then slipped from the bench. He eyed the contraption and tried to remember if he'd ever observed the servants do this before. Thankfully, Cai had set up everything. All he had to do was provide the fire power.

Piao Bai examined the squat, round stove over which the tub sat. Tiles lined the bottom of the tub.

"Huh," he thought, "that must be how they keep everything from catching fire. He had never thought to figure out how things worked. He just accepted their working as part of his due.

Inhaling a breath, Piao Bai willed his internal furnace to light. The familiar burning in his gut made him feel quite sure he could do it. Piao Bai blew out the breath. Ash, soot, and kindling blew back at him filling the air around him and sticking to the spots of gore and blood that managed to stay damp. A fart also escaped him, reducing the sense burning sensation in his gut. Blinking several times, Piao Bai turned to look at his butt in confusion.

This was not going well at all. He was thankful, of course, that flames hadn't come shooting out of his butt. That could have made things so much worse. Slumping, Piao Bai worked to gather the pieces of kindling he'd blown out of the fire pit and placed them back.

Right.

Piao Bai sat back on haunches, closed his eyes, and rubbed the flat of his fore paws against his stomach and chest. Come on.... come on...

Warmth began to fill him, feeling different from the burning sensation of before. Oh yeah! Come on... Come on!

Piao Bai lunged forward, mouth open, aimed at the pile of kindling. A teeny, tiny little flame emerged and licked at the corner of one stick.

Victory! Piao Bai sat back, quite pleased with himself, and watched the flame lick at the piece of wood. His victorious expression slowly faded into a look of horror as the little flame guttered out.

NO! Piao Bai leaned forward and blew on the reddened ember until he started to feel dizzy.

Got to... light the... goblin!

Piao Bai fell to his side and looked forlornly at the heating contraption, the bath tub, and the two rocks beside the grate.

Two rocks...

Who'd leave rocks in the bath anyway?

Piao Bai rolled his eyes before closing them. He fantasized about servants holding him aloft on a satiny, soft pillow while Cai labored to light the fire.

...
...
...

Labored to LIGHT THE FIRE!

ROCKS! he shouted at the top of his "lungs" in glee before rushing over to the pair before the grate.

Clasping the rocks between his nimble paws (he did have opposable thumbs, after all), he began to mimic the movements he remembered seeing.

Clack, clack, clack... sparks flew.

Yes! Piao Bai continued to strike the rocks together until the sparks took to the kindling. The dragon inhaled a gentle breath and began to blow. A huge belch of flame followed, causing the wood to flare and lick at the bottom of the tub.

No, no, no!

Seeing the door to the grate, the dragon grabbed for it and slammed it shut.

Piao Bai slumped against the grate, exhaling a sigh of relief.

His stomach gurgled in protest.

A timber washing tub proved to be less elusive than Cai had expected. More cumbersome was the task of carrying the tub back to the bathing room, and her torn side complained with every bit of effort. Finally, though, a slightly paler Cai made her reappearance. If Cai was surprised or pleased by the presence of fire, it was hidden in her bland and courteous "Thank you for your assistance, Long Piao Bai. How hot will you require your bath water?" It was an important consideration, given Cai had no idea as to what the creature's preferences were.

Cai examined the fire, and poked some of the burning kindling around to better catch on the larger pieces of lumber. "I should also find out now: what kind of food do you eat?" It would be just her luck, Cai thought, if Piao Bai said 'children'. Cai tried to keep her mind active, planning ahead, and thinking about any topic that did not involve acknowledging the pervasive scent of blood which permeated the air around her.

Piao Bai straightened to attention and moved out of the way as Cai approached. He was covered in ash, soot, and dried blood now.

"You're welcome." He regarded her profile. When she reached out to poke the fire, Piao Bai saw the tattoo. He reached out a paw to touch her arm.

"Hot, but not too hot. However you take your bath should be fine. I like all kinds of food. Curried meat buns are especially nice." His stomach agreed vociferously.

The claw lightly followed the pattern along the inside of the marks she had made.

"Doesn't look a thing like me." Amusement rumbled in his chest. Piao Bai turned to look at the bath.

Are you going to wipe us down before we get in the water?

Curry, was it? Trust this one to like spicy foods, Cai thought, as she finished fussing with the fire. Still, in the mountains of Jin they were most likely to get steamed dumplings of some variety, and rice with wild herbs. "Curry is not one of this province's culinary specialities, we'd have to head further south or to the capital for that, but dumplings could be possible. Assuming Wenli hasn't already stripped this village of meat for his own dinners. Steamed rice, by itself, doesn't sound quite so appetising at present." The little dragon was as curious as a cat too, it seemed, poking at her arm like that.

A moment later the urge to smack the thing had returned. Cai stifled her immediate responses, none of which were complimentary, and instead responded dryly "If only I'd had the luxury of a studio, clean environment, and the preparation time required to adequately portray realism over stylised simplicity. Next time, do try to pick better times to start dying at a person's feet, would you?" Cai slumped her weary body onto the bench, wincing again. The sooner she had the opportunity for a couple of days of healing sleep, the happier she would be.

Cai pointed to the laundry tub "That large tub will be your bath. I will tear off some of these linens for you to use as wash cloths. The larger bath I shall use. And trust me, with the amount of blood I am wearing, the water will turn red in moments. You will be glad of the separate tub" Cai's lips pursed with displeasure at the thought "I'll no doubt be stained red for several baths to come. How delightful. May the Emperor bless me with heavy rain." A flash memory of huge black talons and the sudden dissolution of Wenli's physical form into a ravaged spray of gore came to Cai's mind and sparked an involuntary shudder. The water really could not heat up fast enough, so Cai resorted to conversation to keep her mind off the day's events "This mind-to-mind speech, Piao Bai. Does it work both ways? Would I be able to speak silently, in my mind, in such a way that you could hear it?"