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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ForceUser" data-source="post: 339845" data-attributes="member: 2785">Session Three, Part Six”HE LOANED me his staff,” said Hien. He and Woo admired the weapon. It was six feet long, made of varnished Banyan wood and carved with scenes of nature spirits protecting their domains from intruders. Atop the weapon, a carving of a great mountain spirit sat as though surveying everything below it. Hien hefted it; it was well balanced and solid. “The journey will be difficult for horses,” said Vo Thi Chao, “They will likely slow your progress, and could be injured by the uneven terrain. You can leave them with us if you wish.” Lei looked at the small stables in the compound. “Are you sure?” “Yes,” the woman replied, “We have handled such beasts before.”Lei grunted and began to remove their packs from the horses, and Tran and Tam helped him, sorting their gear into piles and deciding what would remain and what they could carry on foot. Woo and Mai listened as Thi Chao gave directions to the gap, and discussed where the monastery was likely located. Hien led the now-barebacked equines to the stables, and Vinh looked at the walls and the buildings in the small compound. He surmised that it could house perhaps fifty people, though there seemed far less about. “You any good with that?” a voice behind him said. He turned and faced the guard they’d first met when they arrived. The man carried his masterful kama-do with easy confidence, and up close Vinh could see that his dark face was weathered from long years outdoors. A campaigner, perhaps. He gestured at Vinh’s own kama-do and spoke again, “Well?”“I am trained in its use,” Vinh replied cautiously, “I studied at Han Bai.”“Ah, White Crane!” said the warrior, “Good school! I am Tuyen.” He grinned and inclined his head slightly, a mildly rude gesture of acknowledgement indicating that he chose not to bow. Stiffly, Vinh leaned his kama-do against a wall and bowed properly, grasping his right fist in his left in front of him. “Han Vinh,” he replied. “Show me what you can do,” the older warrior continued, provocatively. He gestured at Vinh’s weapon for emphasis. “I’m not sure that is appropriate…” Vinh began. “Come on!” said Tuyen, “I want to see you fight!” He dropped into a ready stance and leveled his polearm at Vinh, grinning wider. Sighing, Vinh reached for his kama-do……and threw it in front of him in a cross-pattern, immediately on the defensive as the heavier Tuyen slammed his own weapon down with furious force! The ringing of the kama-dos startled everyone in the yard, and they turned to watch. They sparred. Tuyen led Vinh in a whirling blur of motion, as he struck again and again and again, hammering the young no-sheng back across the yard as he desperately tried to block each blow. The older man was incredibly swift, forcing Vinh to fight conservatively, keeping his weapon close to his body so he wouldn’t have to move as far to react. For his part, Tuyen worked Vinh’s defenses, attacking high, then low, reversing his direction of thrust unexpectedly. He left an opening on his right flank, and Vinh took it, surging forward. Tuyen’s last thrust had been wide, and his weapon too far from his exposed side to counter Vinh’s attack. But he deflected it anyway, switching his grip by choking up near the blade of his weapon and batting the thrust away with its heel, wielding his kama-do like a staff.Vinh stopped, breathing hard and sweating, “How did you do that!? I have never seen the kama-do wielded that way! What style is that?” Tuyen stopped and stood. “You’re pretty good. Maybe one day I’ll teach you.” Then he grinned again, bowed properly, and walked away.“Anyway,” continued Thi Chao to Lei and the others as she returned her gaze to the group, “There is more you need to be aware of. Another group of fighters came through here several months ago, asking questions about the area. They did not say what they were looking for, and they left soon after they arrived. We have not seen them since. Also,” and she paused to glance at each of them, “be aware that these mountains are very old. There are things up there that have existed since long before the time of Men. The mountains keep their counsel well, but we have learned some of their secrets. You must be wary of the Wang-liang.” “Who are the Wang-liang?” Woo asked. “They are giants,” she replied, “magical and terrible, and they hate Men with enduring passion. They were once the lords of the earth, but have fled to the far places for refuge as we have waxed and their people have waned. They harbor great anger for their lot.”“Oh…not good,” said Tran. At the request of Thi Chao, they slept that night on the slopes out of sight of the fortified village. Disgruntled but polite, the party had collected what things they could carry and marched off into the night. “Why is it the horses get to stay inside, but we have to leave? And ‘out of sight’? Does the sight of us offend them?” Tran complained, shivering. “Get some sleep, master,” Lei replied, hunkering down into his bedroll. The wind howled down across the rocks and stubby vegetation, and a panorama of stars shone throughout the night.The next day, they began their trek to the lost temple of the monkey-god.</blockquote>

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