The Staff of Wuzen Ch. 02

"I will try to magically contact Meiya, but Shang Tsung is surely expecting such a move." Ziyi said as she pulled away from him. "He will try to track me through our bond. We must be ready to move as soon as I reach her."

Fuyun nodded and picked up his staff. The two of them moved out of the grotto. The clouds had finally broken and faint moonlight shone through the trees.

"Be ready." Ziyi said, and closed her eyes.

Moments passed before she reopened them. Her brows narrowed in distress.

"I cannot find her!" She exclaimed. "It's as if something is blocking my..."

Through the faint moonlight Fuyun saw the air shimmer. Without a second thought he grabbed Ziyi and shadow stepped.

The sound of the blast reached them just as they emerged, half a league away. Ziyi looked at him in relief, but her expression was quickly replaced by frustration.

"He's blocked her somehow! I don't know how, but he did! How are we going to find her now?" She cried.

"It's alright, Ziyi, we'll find another way." Fuyun tried to reassure her.

Just then, wolves began to howl. At least, Fuyun thought they were wolves. There was something... wrong... in those howls, as if he was hearing them more with his soul than with his ears. He looked at Ziyi questioningly, and saw her blanch.

"Shadow Hounds... they've got my scent..." She whispered.

"We'd better get going then." Fuyun said.

"No, you don't understand! These things are bred for the fox hunt. They do not tire and move more swiftly than any mortal man!" Ziyi exclaimed.

"Then we shall lay an ambush for them." Fuyun replied.

Ziyi shook her head. "Shadow Hounds cannot be killed by ordinary weapons, and Shang Tsung will surely be following his hounds closely. No, listen to me, Fuyun-dag'e, you cannot outrun the Shadow Hounds, but I can."

"What? Ziyi, I will not let you face those things on your own!"

"You can, and you will, because it is our only chance. You see, Shang Tsung may be powerful, but he is vulnerable in close combat. That is why he has Shadow Sect warriors with him. I can lure him and his hounds away while you destroy his minions."

Fuyun nodded as he understood. "Without the protective screen of his warriors, he may decide to retreat. It would buy us time to find and rescue Meiya.

"Go then, quickly, but be careful! Watch out for the Snake Fang Brothers. Avoid confrontation and wait for me to come find you. I will find you, rest assured."

Ziyi nodded, and before he could say anything else, she pulled him into a passionate kiss.

* * *

Meiya was lying on the ground while Snake and his brother took turns fucking her. First, Fang had laid her down on her side and hammered her from behind. Then Snake moved in to replace him, pulling out a knife and cutting free Meiya's bound ankles so that he could spread her legs while he fucked her. By now all semblance of reason had left her mind and Meiya was moaning like a bitch in heat as she was violated by the two massive cocks.

Despite pounding away at her for what seemed to be ages, neither Snake nor his brother have yet to shoot their load. Instead, he was sporting the most massive erection of his life. It was as if his cock was straining painfully against its own skin and that the only way to relieve the tension was to bury it in the girl's snatch or mouth.

Snake pulled Meiya onto her knees and placed his cock against her lips. She dutifully opened her mouth and began sucking. Fang came up beside him and slapped her face with his own massive rod. Meiya tried to grab Fang's cock while still moving her mouth up and down Snake's shaft, but her bound hands were making it an awkward exercise. Seeing this, Fang picked up Snake's knife and sliced free her bound wrists. In response, Meiya took Fang's cock in her hand and stroked it while she kept sucking.

Meiya remained kneeling as she took turns sucking the two massive erections before her. Holding a cock in each hand, she alternated her mouth between them, wrapping her lips tightly and sliding down each shaft in turn. Her head bobbed eagerly as if she couldn't get enough of those cocks.

"You love having a hard cock in your mouth, don't you, wench?" Snake asked her.

Meiya moaned in acquiescence, and bobbed her head faster in response.

"Good... now beg us to fuck you." Snake ordered.

"Please... fuck me some more..." Meiya begged in a tiny voice.

"I can't hear you!" Snake said.

"Please... fuck me... fuck me hard with your big cocks!" Meiya cried out.

"Let's fuck her at the same time!" Fang suggested and lay down on the ground.

Meiya climbed on top of him and eagerly lowered her dripping pussy onto his cock. Snake moved behind her and placed his cock against her asshole. Meiya screamed as she felt the enormous erection violate her anus. The brothers began pounding.

Meiya screamed with each thrust. Her tits flopped wildly as two sets of balls slapped against her ass and thighs. Impaled upon the two massive cocks, Meiya could do nothing but cry out helplessly as waves of climax began surging through her body.

Snake rammed Meiya's ass mercilessly. It was tighter than even her pussy. He could finally feel the long-delayed climax building up. He felt Meiya's body shiver and began thrusting harder and faster. Looking down, he saw Fang had closed his eyes, a sign that he was close to cumming as well.

Meiya was screaming louder and louder, and her shivers turned into convulsions as climax took her. With a grunt, Snake gave a final thrust, burying his cock all the way up her ass. Meiya screamed and her anus suddenly felt like a vise, holding his cock in an iron grip. Her ass clenched and unclenched repeatedly, milking his cock. It was too much, Snake screamed as he began shooting, jet after jet of hot semen, deep into her ass. He kept shooting long after he should have stopped. Fang had opened his eyes, his eyeballs bulging, his mouth open in the same frozen scream.

Snake kept shooting, and shooting, and shooting... Everything turned black.

* * *

Fuyun stalked the shadows bringing death to the worshippers of Shadow. The Shadow Sect warriors operated in squads of three spread out over easily reinforceable distances. They had been deployed in an arc and were now heading toward their master. Once Fuyun figured out this pattern, it was easy to track each squad down.

Most never even saw him coming. The few who did put up only short fights as the ferocity of his attacks quickly overwhelmed them. Battle lust was upon him as Wuzen chi raged like a storm-churned sea inside him.

All Monks of the Wuzen Temple are taught to resist the temptations of material wealth, alcohol, and of the flesh. Yet, it was only upon attaining the rank of Martial Monk, whose duties lay in the world outside the Temple, were they taught that battle held a seduction of its own.

Martial Monks were trained to recognize and guide their battle lust. It sharpened their focus and quickened their reflexes, but uncontrolled, severely degraded tactical judgment. Fuyun was now holding his battle lust on a tight but frayed leash. Concern for Ziyi urged him to move faster, despite the alarm of his tactical mind, already finding his current pace risky.

The distant howls of Shadow Hounds pushed him to move faster. He attacked before they were fully committed, and they saw him coming. Despite this, Fuyun struck down one Shadow Sect warrior before the other two could react. One rushed him while the other fell back. Fuyun quickly dispatched the charging warrior, but it was too late. The third warrior, the one who had backed up, launched a screeching whistle.

Several squads were now coverging on his position. Good, he thought, it will spare me the time to track them down. He moved toward the signaler, but the warrior turned and ran. Fuyun shifted his grip on his staff and launched it like a javelin. The staff whistled through the air and struck the fleeing warrior in the back with enough force to shatter his spine. The man collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

Fuyun retrieved his staff and prepared for battle with the reinforcement. They arrived within moments, rushing him from multiple directions. His staff caught the first Shadow warrior in mid-stride, knocking him off his feet. In a fluid motion, Fuyun slammed the opposite end of his staff into a second Shadow warrior, striking him in the soft area just beneath the thoracic cage, killing him instantly.

Fuyun fought like a demon, his staff a blurring whirlwind of death. He danced among the Shadow warriors, too fast for their blades to find purchase. One by one, the Shadow warriors fell, the last ones falling so quickly that none of them even had time to think about fleeing. When Fuyun flowed into the closing stance of the Raging Storm style, a dozen black-clad bodies lay in a circle around him.

For a moment, the night was utterly still. Fuyun stood motionless, listening. A howl rose in the distance, and as if in cue, the night's sounds - crickets chirping in the bushes, leaves rustling in the wind - resumed. Satisfied that the remaining Shadow warriors were either hiding or had fled, Fuyun set off in the direction of the howl.

* * *

He found her with her back against a tree. She had summoned her battle raiment, but it was tattered and torn. An entire section on her left side had been torn off, exposing her from hip to thigh. Instead of a whip of golden light, she held only her ordinary steel sword.

Three huge mastiffs the color of deep night prowled back and forth before her. One growled and leapt at her, only to crash into an invisible wall. Ziyi seemed to stagger from the shock, but the Shadow Hound simply picked itself up, shook itself, and resumed prowling.

The Hounds sensed his approach, turning towards him and growling. Ziyi's eyes widened as she saw him, and cried out:

"Fuyun-dag'e! No! Your staff can't harm them!"

Fuyun ignored her, his attention focused on the Shadow Hounds. They were shades, he decided, not truly existing in this world. Ziyi was wrong. He *can* harm them.

"Om Nuwa dvapra yuma..." Fuyun began to chant softly.

The Shadow Hounds seemed to hesitate, but the pack alpha led the other two forward. They advanced slowly, their hackles raised, snarling and growling.

"Namo amita Nuwa yuma..." Fuyun continued his chant.

The pack alpha suddenly launched itself toward him. Fuyun moved with the speed of thought, his staff swung before him. A flash of light erupted as the ironwood struck the beast, and with a pitiful whine, the alpha hound was knocked to the side. An acrid smell of burnt fur wafted into the air.

Fuyun's staff was now glowing with a silver light. The other two hounds hesitated, then moved to flank him. They attacked simultaneously, but Fuyun met them with spinning staff. The pack alpha got back up and joined the fray. Fuyun danced between the snapping jaws and struck a flurry of blows. Finally, the Shadow Hounds fell back.

"I see the reputation of the Wuzen Temple is well deserved. Too bad you chose to die for a lowly fox-imp." A voice came from above.

Fuyun looked up. Hovering ten feet above the ground was the middle aged man who had captured Meiya.

"Shang Tsung, I presume." Fuyun replied calmly.

"You presume correctly, young master. You have the advantage of me." Shang Tsung said with a slight, mocking bow.

Fuyun straightened himself and planted his staff in the ground beside him. "I am Fuyun, First Disciple of Master Fahai of Wuzen. I am here to send your evil back to hell!"

"Oh ho, how bold! Let's see if your skills match your bluster!"

Shang Tsung raised his hand and a ball of fire hurled toward Fuyun. Fuyun leapt to the side as the fireball exploded, blasting him with scorching air that singed his robes and blistered his skin. He heard Ziyi cry and saw her launch herself into the air to engage Shang Tsung.

Shang Tsung waved his hand and a gust of wind sent Ziyi reeling back. Fuyun leapt onto a tree and used it to propel himself upward, his staff raised to strike. Without even looking in his direction, Shang Tsung thrust out his palm toward him. An invisible force slammed into Fuyun, sending him crashing into a tree and falling to the ground. Three dark streaks charged toward his prone form.

In desperation, Fuyun slammed his hand against the ground, lifting his body in a spinning motion, using his staff as support to rise higher. The Shadow Hounds pounced through empty air below him, their momentum carrying them beyond him for a few precious heartbeats. When the hounds turned back to face him, Fuyun had lifted his staff in mid-air and brought it down upon the nearest hound. The powerful blow, augmented by holy Wuzen prayers, smashed the hound's skull. It collapsed with a dull thud.

The remaining hounds closed in on him, but Fuyun was already running. A bolt of lightning streaked through the clear night sky to strike where he had been a moment ago. Having fought sorcerers before, he knew that the only chance at victory was to keep attacking. Using the momentum from his sprint, Fuyun dashed vertically up a tree trunk, and using the height it afforded, propelled himself once more toward Shang Tsung.

Shang Tsung swerved to evade Fuyun's attack, and retaliated with a blast of fire. The flames billowed harmlessly around Fuyun as Ziyi dived in to shield him. As he landed on the ground, the remaining two Shadow Hounds leapt at him. He dodged the hounds with a sideways dash and slammed the butt end of his staff into one hound's side. The blow knocked the hound to the ground, where it rolled uncontrollably until stopped by a tree. Fuyun moved in for a killing blow, and a thunderbolt lifted him off his feet.

When he regained his senses, Fuyun was lying on the ground. All he could hear was a constant buzz that seemed to come from everywhere around him. A shadow flew toward him and Fuyun struck out with an open palm, catching the Shadow Hound under its jaw. The blow abruptly shut the hounds jaw, but its claws rent furrows into Fuyun's side as it crashed into him.

Ignoring the pain, Fuyun snaked an arm around the beast's neck and threw himself on its back. The hound thrashed and buckled, but Fuyun held on, straining with all his strength. The hound began to whimper as its struggles became more desperate. Finally Fuyun felt the vertebra snap, and the hound fell still.

Picking himself back up, Fuyun suddenly realized that the area was swarming with bees. He looked up and saw the creatures swarming around Shang Tsung. At first Fuyun thought this was another one of Shang Tsung's spells, but he soon realized that Shang Tsung was trying to fend off the bees. The sorcerer began flying higher, with the bees in pursuit. Ziyi landed beside him.

"We have to go, while he's distracted!" Ziyi said.

"Where to?" Fuyun asked.

"I can sense Meiya now. Though I still can't contact her, I can get a sense of direction."

"Let's go quickly then."

Fuyun retrieved his staff and they ran into the night.

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the stone windows of the old shrine. Meiya disentangled herself from the two desiccated corpses and stretched herself languorously, like a kitten who had just had her fill of cream.

She discarded the tattered remains of her clothes and stepped out of the shrine. The warm sun felt wonderful upon her bare skin, and the cool breeze raised delightful goose bumps along her arms. Meiya closed her eyes and tried to contact her sister.

Meiya! Where are you? I have been trying to reach you all night! A flood of emotions filled her mind, chief among them surprise and relief.

Where are you, jiejie? She sent back. Images of flying through treetop canopies battling an all-too-familiar foe flickered in response through her mind, followed by a half-formed gateway spell.

With a word of power, Meiya summoned her battle raiment. Choosing the appropriate runes, she completed the gateway spell. The air before her began to shimmer, soon forming the outline of a portal.

I'm coming, jiejie! She sent, and stepped through.

* * *

They spent the rest of the night fighting a running battle with Shang Tsung. Despite the loss of his minions, the sorcerer continued to hound them. As the sun began to rise, they were forced to make a stand.

The air around them froze, turning the undergrowth into unyielding crystalline walls, and threatening to freeze them solid. Fuyun drew upon his chi to warm his frozen limbs, but it was a slow process. With a shout, Ziyi burst into violet fire and shot into the air. Fuyun could only watch helplessly as she engaged Shang Tsung.

Ziyi was faster in the air, more mobile, but it was all she could do to evade waves and waves of sorcerous attacks. The few strikes she managed to squeeze in glanced harmlessly off Shang Tsung's magic shield.

Finally, Fuyun's limbs warmed enough for him to move, but there was nothing he could do. The two combatants flew too high and too fast for him to reach. There was only one attack he could attempt, and he had to make it count.

Fuyun drew as much chi as he could and infused it into his ironwood staff. He then took careful aim and threw it at Shang Tsung. The staff burst into azure flames as it shot through the air. Shang Tsung had his back turned, but he reacted with surprising speed, turning and raising both hands before him in a defensive gesture. Fuyun's staff struck Shang Tsung's fortified mage shield and the high mage was knocked back by the impact.

Though he was unharmed and recovered quickly, Ziyi lashed out with her whip of golden light. Shang Tsung caught it on his arm, his sorcerous defenses flickering with strain against the whip's blasting magic. After a few moments, he swung his arm dismissively. The whip vanished and a powerful force sent Ziyi crashing into a tree.

The air behind Shang Tsung shimmered and a figure in white and green appeared from thin air, holding a spear of white fire. Fuyun recognized Meiya just as she dived at Shang Tsung. Her spear of white fire punched through Shang Tsung's shield and impaled him through the chest. The impact sent both of them crashing down to the ground.

Incredibly, Shang Tsung stood up. He grabbed Meiya by the throat and tossed her aside like a rag doll. He then took hold of the spear protruding from his chest. Frost began to cover his hands and the flames of the spear began to gutter. In a moment, the spear was gone, leaving only a cauterized wound in the sorcerer's chest.

At that moment, Fuyun moved.

Thirty paces separated him from Shang Tsung, Fuyun covered them in the blink of an eye. His open hand slammed into the sorcerer's chest, striking with the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart technique. Shang Tsung's eyes widened in astonishment, a trickle of bright red blood flowed down the corner of his mouth. A moment later, he vanished in a flash of light.

"Is he dead, jiejie?" Meiya asked as Ziyi helped her up.

"I don't know, meimei." Ziyi answered. "Powerful sorcerers often have contingency spells to pull them back to safety in the event of grievous wounds."

"He is dead." Fuyun said. "No matter where his magic took him, he is dead."

* * *

The rain had started again when they emerged from the forest, albeit so softly it was almost a mist. The three of them made their way back on to the county road and traveled in silence until they came to a crossroad, where they lingered for a long time.

"Come with us, Fuyun-dag'e. You saved our lives, let us thank you properly!" Meiya said.

"We are forever in your debt, Fuyun-dag'e... My sister and I would gladly serve you any way we can... That is... if you should want us..." Ziyi said.

Fuyun looked at them both, taking in their heart-aching beauty, and said with a sigh: