Nigkala Tales Pt. 16: Riders of the storm

"Yes. The first is to enhance your senses to foes. The most powerful will usually know how to defeat this, but lesser foes will not. The second is to hide your own spiritual power. Like the hill illusion, the powerful will see past it easily, but to lesser beings, your power will appear less. The last, yet more powerful enhancement, is to enchant your summoned weapons. They shall not easily break for an hour after you summon them. You must summon them willing the enchantment, as it will not affect anything without your desire. It is time to pack, and we will leave about the same time we left Earth.

"I have another gift to bestow upon you: the title of Dragon Disciple. Lord Monkey is right. You were my student and I taught you combat, without realizing it. You have shown dedication and learned well."

He then cleaned up the supplies, while I went to my room to pack. I selected the fancy clothes made by the ladies at the palace, along with the shoes and jewelry. I dressed in a set of work clothes. The rest of the clothes I left. The book Hugeng gave me, and the certificate Master Shen gave me were packed with the Qipao, and I was ready. With plenty of time, Hugeng suggested I go for a final swim. While there, I floated on my back, and meditated, trying to connect with the lake to say goodbye. I felt a surge of chi briefly embrace me and then retreat. Returning, I learned there was time for a pleasant meal, and so we ate.

Lord Hugeng brought me to the gateway we arrived at, and clapped his hands. The mural before us became real, and the reality behind us became a mural. "Remember, here I am known as a visiting monk named Jiao-long."

"Yes. I shall."

We then headed back out, and I found it as he had said. Perhaps an hour had passed in the courtyard, while I experienced over a year.

At the doorway to the courtyard, he stopped and said, "Goodbye, my friend. I shall miss you."

"Have you forgotten our lines for tomorrow?"

"No, but we will not have the privacy to say our true goodbye later, so I give it now."

"You are right. Goodbye, and prosper, my friend." I bowed to him, and he bowed back, to me.

While I had not exactly forgotten my lines, I did want to refresh them, so I headed back, and reread my lines. The next day, we did our lines, and the director was pleased. He announced we were done at this location, and told us to meet at the next location in two days, as that would give us a day to travel, and shoot the day after. Jiao-long and I said goodbye again, but as strangers, as others were watching.

As I prepared for bed, I focused on Inanna. "Queen Inanna, my sojourn to Heaven is over. I have much to talk about and some to ask. Perhaps most notable is that I sparred with Lord Monkey."

"I could sense you changed while you were there. I also sensed time seemed to have lost hold of you. Your dalliance with a dragon, however, was strong enough to get my attention. At another point your power, flared for no apparent reason, for you seemed at peace and meditating. When you returned to Earth, I knew, for I could feel time's hold return. I knew you would speak to me, and I am ready to listen."

I spoke with Inanna for a long time, telling her, in brief, much that had happened. She quickly guessed something had happened at the lake, and had me tell her all about it. She agreed with Hugeng that it should be secret. Lastly, she casually informed me my tattoo was a magician's talisman, and a powerful one.

"Lord Hugeng said they were minor enchantments."

"For him, they are minor. For you, they are not. I have a feeling he may not know just how powerful it is, for not only is it tied to your chi, but also to his. Its construction uses blood from both of you, which is how this happens. But it is also near perfectly aligned, both with you, and within itself. That perfection gives it power. Most such talismans have many imperfections that limit their power, but this one barely has any. Have you looked at it?"

"I did while he placed it on me."

"Take a look now."

I did, and as I did, I sensed it was aware. I also felt a faint echo of Hugeng. I told my Queen.

"Magician's talismans are all aware at some level, in order to be attuned to its user. Yours is more aware than most. It keeps watch for you. The echo, however, is the link to Hugeng's chi. You should not feel that. It is only the level of perfection that allows it. It means he will know you as you know him, no matter where either of you are. I think it also means your friendship is deep."

Over the next month, I tested out the tattoo on summoned weapons. I quickly learned how to summon a weapon with the enhanced durability, and learned it lasted about an hour. I also tested out my life sense. I had to focus to use it, but found that I could distinguish as small as a single ant, and I could sense the abundance of life about me. This quickly taught me that our cities are not at all lifeless, but rather well inhabited by the tiny things. I also could feel the lives of pets, and animals destined for the cooking pot. Of people, I could easily tell size, shape, gender, and general attitude. When I did a martial art exercise blindfolded, I found I could easily follow my opponent, but I could only follow when he struck, not how. So I could usually duck or block, but not always.

The film, in time, came out, and I won two awards: Best Supporting Actor, and Fight Choreography. I wore one of my Qipoas for the awards ceremony, and it got rave reviews. Some months later, I received a visitor at home. I sensed his divine nature, and realized he came to test my strength, as Hugeng had said I might.

But that is another story....