War (Chi Warriors Book 3)

by Ino Lee

  “It’s getting tough out there.”

  “More trouble?”

  “Kaigun-shur.”

  “Kaigun-shur? No wonder the Shaolin Staff is going off like fireworks.”

  She debated something internally, then put on a white mask, highlighted by a single painted tear.

  The ranger looked confused. “What are you doing?”

  “I want the kaigun-shur to know I’m back.”

  Renshu danced along the tops of the trees, making a straight line toward the final guard station before Tiger Lair. The path was clear and it seemed like the magaus would be able to make an unimpeded run on the defense similar to the first station, but a mist appeared—a dark moving cloud that targeted him. It surrounded and engulfed him, first an ethereal form, then solid arms that locked around his body and squeezed, causing him to fall from the treetops. He struggled to break free from its vice-like grip, but the kaigun-shur was too strong. They plummeted through the air on a deadly collision course with the ground when the demon became spirit again, saving itself and drifting safely away.

  Renshu looked around for something to break his fall, but there was nothing within reach. He twisted around for a better view of his falling trajectory, then summoned the Dragon Arm to life. It lengthened and tripled in size with a hooked end, which he used to catch onto a branch and swing to safety.

  He looked above and saw another lo-shur trying to break the magaus’ progress, materializing in their path and latching onto them similarly, like a hawk pulling fish out of water. Another group of magaus had already broken off from the main pack and came his way after seeing him fall.

  “No!” he yelled, waving his staff. “No! Continue!”

  The magaus kept coming for him despite his pleas to stay on course, but he knew they would not waver from trying to protect their king. He rushed through the trees again, higher and back on route, hoping his frenetic pace would make up for their detour.

  Demon smoke nearly solidified before him but he batted it aside, the partial contact with its semi-materialized body bringing a smile to his face. He hoped it hurt. The spirit chased, but how could it expect to catch up with a magau in the trees? The lo-shur were a devastating force on the ground, but facing them in the forest was another matter. He scurried up a trunk and zipped horizontally across a bough, the strong and enduring branches offering an endless playground of pathways.

  He could get used to this forest. The scale of it seemed magnified, a perception accentuated by the fact that the forest was more thinned out than the canopies of Tangled Root, offering less cluttered views of the infinite space.

  The spirit floated and materialized in a tree in front of him, once again blocking off his path. He was humbled by its perseverance and knew he could not elude it forever; the cleaner sight lines also had the effect of making it harder to slip away, and the lo-shur’s spectral mobility made it easy to take more direct paths than the tree limbs. The other magaus bustled nearby, so he decided to test his mettle and take out the demon before they arrived.

  The kaigun-shur looked vulnerable, having no weapons since its spirit form could not carry solid objects, though Renshu knew better than to be complacent. He led with rapid strikes. The blows were readily blocked by the demon’s arms and hands, which followed his movements perfectly and felt as immovable as a giant rock. He vaulted forward using his staff for a change of pace and kicked out, jolting it back. The demon stumbled and the monkey king did not let up, repeatedly striking to keep his forward momentum. On the final attack, he thrust with the staff like a spear, but the demon exploded to spirit form just as the Dragon Arm passed through its ghostly body and lodged into the tree trunk. It floated to the branch directly above his head and solidified again, smashing down with both hands and fracturing the heavy bough. The limb fell and crashed below, thudding loudly before bouncing away.

  The demon looked for signs of the magau, but he was gone. Suddenly the Dragon Arm thrust out and knocked it in the side of the head as Renshu wriggled around the trunk. The demon dropped to a lower branch, and Renshu pursued, not wanting to lose his advantage.

  The kaigun-shur backed away and snapped off a branch, clearing off twigs and leaves by sliding a hand down its length, then fracturing the end for a ragged, pointed tip. It blocked Renshu’s attacks and returned strikes with its clumsy weapon. Their frenzied pace continued to a draw, when the demon powered through a block and snuck in with a vicious uppercut, knocking Renshu off his feet. The magau king rolled back and licked his wounds, knowing the longer they fought, the more stalled their assault on the final station became.

  He fled. Their staff skills were evenly matched, but his true skill was in the trees. Upward they chased. He sprang through a bough that was thick with leaves, but hung on with his feet and tail to immediately reverse directions and slam down with his staff on the kaigun-shur’s face just as it broke through.

  The demon fell and knocked into a bough, twisting and flipping in a downward spiral through leaves and limbs. Perhaps the demon would land awkwardly and snap its neck, but more likely it would turn to spirit or fall on a soft pile of leaves. The radiant chi energy of the area would eventually revive it if it were still alive, but the important thing was that the demon was out of play.

  Renshu lifted his staff and cawed, which elicited a return cry from the magaus. The agile creatures shook their staves and cheered through the canopy, growing in excitement at the prospect of a new assault on a treetop station.

  Jaguan and Xiong punched through the kaigun-shur’s initial assault, hitting hard and sending them briefly into retreat, but Koon Gee reinforcements were not far behind. The black spirits mixed in with their forces and jumped between bodies liberally, possessing dagwais, dark ninjas, and zhuks for a multifaceted attack.

  The melee was intense, but the Shaolin and magau forces came on too quick. Jaguan managed to scorch a lo-shur with his staff as it leapt bodies, while Xiong sliced through the arm of the other in its solid form, causing them to retreat into the distance. Their forces pressed forward to the last defensive bastion before Tiger Lair, and were greeted by a hail of arrows.

  Jaguan trailed Domu to within striking range, angling between trees to avoid being hit, when the burly gorilla-man stopped. The Shoukoo lifted the butt of his staff forward in jousting form, measuring his steps carefully and watching the treetops to get his timing right, then sped up into a full-blown charge. When the two met, Domu grabbed the handle of the Shaolin Staff and heaved Jaguan overhead, screaming and toppling over with effort. He glanced up at his projectile to make sure his aim was on point.

  The monk flew through the air, the leaves and branches of the forest a blur. He powered his Shaolin Staff so that its tip grew blindingly bright with chi energy, making him appear like a star shot out of the heavens.

  A dagwai archer spotted the approaching missile and carefully lined up an arrow when Zhanzu slammed into its face with claws, causing it to misfire. When Jaguan landed, the bright white of his staff detonated a burst of chi energy—a ring that spread in all directions.

  The defenders on the platform were either stunned or knocked off their feet, some going over the side. Jaguan heard the cawing of magaus grow loud and knew the timing of his attack was impeccable. Renshu and his cohort of troops touched down—a violent squall of monkeys that dropped on the platform, roof, and branches.

  The entire tree shook as the magaus stormed the station. The Koon Gee bowmen put up weak resistance in close combat with the marauders, and it was not long before the station was secured. The rangers arrived to take up positions on all sides, helping themselves to the ready supply of arrows.

  Renshu noticed Aiying’s mask. “Ah. Painted Tear. I knew you would not fail the magaus.”

  New forces stormed in from Tiger Lair, and the magaus alongside the station took note of the reinforcements. They prepared satchels of mamu powder and whirled the packages
overhead with a sling before letting them fly into the field, shrouding it with poisonous dust.

  Xiong started climbing up the station’s sturdy support tree, followed by Jaguan, Renshu, Aiying, and a line of magaus and rangers. When they reached the top, Xiong readied his oversized bow. He looked across the field at Tiger Nest, the view clear because the trees around it were cut down to prevent attack from nearby branches, and examined the fortress’ multiple tiers, wondering what kind of forces were stationed within. In the adjacent forest, he saw flashes of light and smoke, battle signs from Tengfei’s forces. He wondered how they fared. Whatever was happening, they had at least been successful in their mission of distraction since the resistance encountered thus far had been relatively light. Now it was up to them.

  “Is it time?” Xiong asked.

  Jaguan’s eyes were in a trance, his mind connected with Zhanzu. “Nothing out of the ordinary to report. It appears as good a time as any.”

  Xiong acknowledged and drank a vial of chi water, the energy invigorating his muscles and senses. He notched a special arrow to his bow, the tip fitted with a grappling head and its tail connected to a long thin line of Yaje. Using the power of the Infinity water, he pulled back on the extra taught bow—the torque ratcheted up to inhuman levels—and fired. The arrow flew high above the treetops, across the field of choking Koon Gee, to the bottom floor of Tiger Lair.

  He pulled on the line to make sure it stuck, then smiled and signaled to everyone below. They secured their end to the tree.

  “Who wants to go first?” Xiong said.

  “Lead the way,” Jaguan replied.

  The Shoukui hooked onto the cable.

  “Godspeed, my friends. When I see you next, we will take Tiger Lair.”

  He zipped across the expanse.

  37

  KAI RUSHED THROUGH the hallways and rounded corners, trying to recall the series of twists and turns from the images pulled from Donghai’s mind. He finally spotted a familiar looking door and knocked on it.

  “Shadow?”

  He knocked again impatiently.

  “Shadow?”

  A voice soon returned. “Who is it?’

  “It’s us,” Ting said excitedly.

  “Who?”

  They turned the handle, but it was locked. A key hole without a key complicated things.

  “Step away from the door,” Kai said.

  He flared his monk staff and cracked it against the lock, smashing the door open, though perhaps a little more loudly than anyone would have preferred. Shadow came out cautiously, but then excitedly hugged Ting and Panyin when she saw them.

  “How did you get here?” she asked.

  “Never mind that,” Riyon said. “The question we should be asking is: How do we get out?”

  “Who are you?”

  “He’s a Shaolin master,” Panyin said.

  Shadow was surprised and curious about his presence, but there were more important things to worry about, as two guards rounded the hallway.

  “Hey, you there!” they shouted. “Don’t move!”

  “Ting,” Riyon calmly said. “I think it’s about time you start blowing that whistle.”

  The elder held out his folded staff and stepped to the forefront, but did not unfurl his weapon, waiting for the guards to get closer.

  “Behind me,” he said to the others.

  The guards saw his challenge and unsheathed swords. When they were about to strike, Riyon reacted, extending both ends of his staff, one in each hand, the metal light and quick. He slapped away the sword of the first guard, blocked an ensuing stroke from the second, then thrust both ends as a one-two punch into the collar and abdomen of the first before finishing him off with an uppercut swing. The second chopped down, but Riyon blocked and wrapped the weapon with his chains, the two struggling back and forth for control.

  Kai ducked under Riyon’s arm. “Excuse me.”

  He touched the tip of his monk staff gently on the combatant’s chest, sparking upon contact and throwing the guard back off his feet. Riyon couldn’t tell if he was annoyed that Kai interrupted the fight and put himself in danger, or happy that he took care of the guard so easily. He supposed he should be happy since the guard did not get back up again.

  Hojin took a sword off one of the fallen officers and offered it to Shadow.

  “I can’t use that,” she said. “Give me the knife.”

  Hojin passed her the knife, while she pillaged a second from the other guard. They ran down another random hallway as Ting continued to blow on her silent whistle.

  “Look for a staircase,” Riyon said.

  Loud shouting could be heard further down the floor, from the direction of the room where they were initially held for questioning. Riyon guessed someone had found the unconscious guards. Things were about to get intense.

  Kai pointed. “That looks like a staircase door.”

  They entered the stairwell and heard footsteps rising. Riyon peered over the railing and debated the risk of descent, hoping for a quick exit out of the building, but decided against it since alarms of warning already sounded and too many people had been seen on the first floor earlier. There was little chance they could get out cleanly.

  He made a quick decision and took the staircase upward. If they couldn’t escape, they needed to buy time for help to arrive. Since the most obvious place to look for them would have been down toward the exits or on the second floor where they were held captive, he figured moving higher would throw them off. They exited at the next floor and rushed through an inconspicuous door.

  Inside, a training room full of uniformed Blood Ninjas got their attention. Two sparred, one an enormously large man that might have passed for a sumo and practiced with two rounded meteor hammers; the other held a naginata. Two more were sitting and observing from the floor, one a sly-looking fighter enjoying a smoke.

  The elder shook his head in exasperation, frustrated by their lack of good fortune.

  “Close the door,” he said.

  He raised the ends of his sectioned staff and banged them together.

  The Blood Ninjas looked surprised at first, then laughed at the elder’s challenge—though the intruders had greater numbers, the prospect of fighting an old man and some children was not particularly concerning.

  Panyin shut the door and jammed a knife underneath to prevent it from opening again, then sheathed his sword and grabbed a staff from from a nearby rack.

  “We can take them,” Hojin yelled. “These guys look dumb.”

  The Blood Ninjas’ faces soured.

  Hojin charged straight for the giant. “I got the big one.”

  Riyon meant to disapprove, but the smoking ninja was already up with a sword and converging. He noted his speed. These were no pushover dark ninjas or low-level security guards; they were advanced Blood Ninjas, men with advanced chi. Riyon parried several rapid slices, then stepped back to dodge a jumping roundhouse. The ninja looked impressed, though possibly amused, still fighting with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

  “You know,” Riyon said. “Those things will kill you. Terrible for the lungs.”

  The ninja laughed. “That’s what my old man used to say. Must be why I killed him. You remind me of him.”

  He dropped his smoke and charged.

  Hojin threw a butterfly sword up high at the big man, and another down low, thinking the ninja would be too slow to block, but both were bounced away by his meteor hammers. The ninja advanced and smashed down, causing Hojin to flip away as the hammer dropped. He ducked and rolled from the ensuing swings, surprised by the ninjas’ agility. He had underestimated the challenge.

  The ninja with the naginata ran at Kai, while the remaining ninja took on both Panyin and Shadow.

  Ting was left to herself and felt somewhat disrespected. She continued to blow he
r whistle, but then put it away and decided to do something about the fight. They would regret leaving her alone. She analyzed the fighters at play and plotted the best course of action.

  Shadow and Panyin were the least experienced fighters. They held their own only because they outnumbered the ninja, but a simple slip up would be fatal against an experienced sword hand. Ting reached for a bolt and wanted to throw it, but held back because of her limited supply. Perhaps they would not notice a little girl with a doll. She circled around.

  The ninja chipped away at Panyin’s staff, then swung to distance Shadow, the annoying girl having to be kept at bay. Something unexpectedly stung his back, and he knew immediately that something was wrong—a cool, numbing sensation spread from the pain and caused his muscles to freeze up. Panyin’s staff soon came crashing down.

  The ninja dropped, with Ting left standing directly behind him, the paralytic bolt in her hand. She pivoted and flung it at the giant ninja, whose back was turned while smashing the ground after Hojin. The bolt stuck. The ninja didn’t immediately drop because some of the toxin came off in the first ninja’s back and the sheer size of the man required more to be effective, but at least it slowed him down.

  When Hojin noticed the ninja’s lazy movements, he threw his knife at his foot, then jumped up on his back and wrapped his Yaje line around his thick neck. The ninja spun and flailed, struggling to shake him off before dropping to a knee.

  Kai thrashed his opponent, then came over to the big man and Hojin.

  “Good night.”

  He touched his gemstone to the ninja’s head and knocked him out.

  Riyon completed a vicious round of battle with his opponent and stepped away.

  The ninja breathed heavily. “Not bad, old timer. You must be Shaolin, heh?”

  “An elder.”

  “I suppose it would be awkward to ask if you could train me?”

  Riyon smiled. “Quite possibly.”

  Kai and the others closed in. The ninja examined his fallen comrades.