Chapter 2: Birdsong in Hollow Valley

Feng eats her breakfast with pleasure, enjoying the relaxing decadence while it is available. There is still the matter of planning what to do next, and so she pitches her ideas.

"It seems we have a full schedule people. I would argue the mold samples and this mysterious beast are our top priority, but tell me Meng: this employer of yours, are the the patient sort?"

Iko eats breakfast with Feng, though he seems far more preoccupied with the scrolls he is reading at the same time. Though even with his attention divided, he puts his thoughts in on the matter.

"I would prioritize the beast over all else. I would prefer no one else dies while we hunt down a mold that likely isn't going anywhere or do business with a patron of thieves..." he looks quickly to Rong Hua. "..no offense."

"Our employer by now will have heard of the raid on the Guong estate, and also the more disturbing news that Lady Guong was assassinated. I suspect an attempt to frame Rong Hua and myself for the murder. The scroll we were asked to recover is now in the hangs of the Changgok. Our employer is someone from the Quian. In order words, betrayal is afoot. When we report back, it is likely we will get entangled further. However, a commitment is a commitment. I agreed to retrieve the scroll, and will have to do so at some point, whether before or after we deal with the monster." Meng summarised thoughtfully.

"As for Mei, while I do not condone slavery, she rightly belongs to Shen Xin. We must at least detour to deliver her, but we needn't stay after that." Wu Meng did not reveal that he had given a share of his gold to the slave girl, for her to use wisely, and perhaps even buy her own freedom.

Finally, Meng had his own private matter regarding Rao's flute, but this was not the time to act on it yet.

Wu Meng nodded. "If everyone finds this plan acceptable, let us return Mei to Shen Xin first, and then proceed to search for beast."

"If you think that is best, so be it."

Iko nods, rolling up the scrolls and stowing them in his robe. "Very well."

"Does the beast appear in the daytime? If so, we can hunt it right after dropping Mei off. If not we'll have to wait till nightfall."

"I suppose we'll just have to check their stomping grounds for ourselves, seeing as we are without anymore intel."

Iko scratches his chin for a moment. "So we have until nightfall to waylay the beast... or we could hunt it then. In the meantime, we could use our daytime to accomplish other tasks." His head sways from side to side, mulling things over. "Many of these tasks do not require all of our numbers... in fact, I am sure that some of our separate employers would not take kindly to all of us being privy to the details of our jobs... perhaps we should split, making sure we reconvene before tonight's hunt?" he suggests.

Iko's eyes widen as he looks to Zhang Wei. In a moment, he is out of his seat and heading towards him. "Wei? WEI! Take it off!" He reaches for the ring to remove it for him if he is unable or unwilling to.

Iko looks genuinely alarmed, not a comforting feature on his usually serene face. "What's happening, Wei? Is someone speaking to you through the ring?"

By now this spectacle has stolen Feng's attention from her nearly finished food. It's never a good thing when Iko loses his composure, especially now that she notices Wei has excused himself to examine a strange ring. "Wei, what did you do?"

With an almost child like expression Wei shakes his head. "Nothing...much."

Taking the ring off of his finger, Wei hands it over to Iko. "Here you can talk to the spirits"

"No one should be speaking with the spirits." He says, attempting to simply take the ring without putting it on.

"Wei, you have to be more specific." At this point Feng has gotten on her feet to see what all the fuss is about, quite curious at this talk of spirits.

Wei slowly relaxes as he hears the plea from the spirit. Motioning for Iko to wait, Wei tries to communicate with the spirit. *Okay, if your secret is worth it, I'll keep you.*

Wu Meng was distracted on the other side of the room, checking on Mei's well-being, but came closer again on hearing all this talk about Wei's ring and spirits.

It's been five years since our match. I went back into training after.
I felt it was a betrayal of everything we were taught and that the culprit needed to be stopped but Shifu Qian's instructions were to meet Wu Meng and to be sure he and what he carried were kept safe.
I wasn't surprised that Shifu Qian sent me, given the history, but I was surprised that he sent me to be a protector and not to seek justice.
I feel like seeing a lost brother again after so long, awkward but happy. Though he doesn't really show it in his face.

"Who might be looking for us?" Meng wondered. As the others were wrapped up over the matter of the ring, the monk reached for the door and opened it.

Kalam Makhir! Disciple of the Sky! Wu Meng's face displayed both genuine surprise and pleasure at seeing a fellow disciple, albeit one following the precepts of another one of the Eight Masters. He grasped Kalam's hand and arm in a gesture of warm friendship. "What brings you here?" Noticing the warrior woman beside him, "Forgive me, greetings to my lady. Please, both of you, come in."

Curiosity gets the better of Wei as he listens to the spirit. Who's past is intertwined with mine?

As there is indeed a knock on the door, Wei turns to Iko and motions that he's okay. "I'm fine, the spirits say they can help with my situation. If it ever becomes problematic, I'll take the ring off and we can get rid of it."

Iko looks to the door as it opens, then back to Wei. "This conversation is not over. If there is a problem, you tell me immediately." he warns.

"Wu Meng, you are a hard man to find lately." There is a grin on Kalam's face. "It's good to see you brother." He returns the arm shake while bowing his head slightly. "It's been a number of years. Last I saw you was on Guangming Peak."
Kalam's face sombers "We've heard of what befell Shifu Gen. I am sorry brother." Kalam bows his head again, in respect for the fallen master.

Mimi nonchalantly nodded in thanks to Wu Meng as she enters the room. She sheepishly looks around the place, pretending to not be paying attention to the patrons as she quickly scans their faces. A fox wanders in with her, walking against her legs.

A look of pain and sadness crossed the monk's usual serene countenance. "I am the last disciple of the mountain." He said poignantly. "I seek to uncover the truth behind the betrayal." Realising that his self-reflective tone made him an inconsiderate host, his mood recovered outwardly. "But come, sit down, tell me why you're here, more so, why you've left your sanctuary. To look for me?"

He looks puzzled by the words Wu has said. "Let us have tea and polite conversation. So all may be made clear." Kalam takes his sandals off at the door, then follows Wu into the room towards a table. Kalam waits patiently for the tea to be poured before talking again. "Shifu Qian and I made our way back to Guangming Peak once we learned of Shifu Gen's death. As you know, the sky palace may go anywhere but it does take some time." he takes a sip of tea before continuing. "Shifu Qian was making inquiries about what happened. Though we knew not where you had gone. He sent me to find you. He said, you and what he hope you carried, were of great importance. If you are the last disciple of Shifu Gen, you are the last mountain, and Shifu Qian was right." he takes another sip of tea, he seems in deep thought as he sets his cup politely down. "What happened to Shifu Gen?"

Hearing the seriousness in Iko's voice causes her to drop the subject, figuring this who spirit business is beyond her. Ironic. She turns her attention Wu Meng, lazily walking toward the duo he obviously knows.

"Friends of yours Meng?" She asks casually, eyeing them up momentarily.

Kalam politely gets up and bows towards the newcomer at the table. "I am Kalam Makhir, second disciple to Shifu Qian, master of Sky style of martial arts. May I inquire as to who you are?"

"Forgive my manners." Meng remembered to make the necessary introductions. "My companions are Xian Feng, Iko and Zhang Wei. We have fought together to stop a dangerous foe recently, and are about to embark on another this morning." He then turned. "This is Kalam Makhir. Both Kalam and myself hail from the Eightfold Way, Kalam observes the Way of the Sky, and myself the Way of the Mountain. We have not seen each other for years, permit us to catch up quickly, before we set off on our duties for today."

Turning back to Kalam, "Li Xiong, former disciple of Shifu Gen, betrayed our master and our sect. Allying with unknown assailants, he slew my master and possibly all my fellow disciples. The last thing entrusted to me is this scroll." Meng withdrew a plain scroll case from within his robes. "I understand this to contain part of a sutra my master was working on with Shifu Zhen, and your Shifu. If you have just come from Guangming Peak you would have found our monastery razed, and thus know the rest of the story."

Mimi looks at the woman in the group. "Hope you don't mind me asking, but you are Xian Feng, right? I am trying to study about spirits, and I have heard about your... situation. I hope you don't mind if I stick around with your group as I also heard you are hunting a beast, and I can offer my service as a forest ranger..." She then realises why one of the names that Wu Meng mentioned sounds familiar. "Ah! Zhang Wei, is that you? Oh my god, it's been a while since we last saw each other! I'm Mimi, the one who lead you through the forest that time!"

"Welcome Mimi, I am Wu Meng. Any friend of Zhang Wei is a friend of mine."

Kalam bows slightly to Mimi, "Excuse my manners earlier. I was excited to see my old friend. Mimi, I am Kalam Makhir. It is nice to meet you." Kalam looks at Wu, "Let's continue this another time. Seems we have a job to do, from what I have gathered."

Wei breaks into a smile as he sees Mimi. "Mimi, it is indeed good to see you. How have you fared since we parted company?"

"Yes, well met Mimi. There are many...misconceptions about my situation." Feng does not elaborate on the matter, seemingly lost in her thoughts as she reflects on some of the closer encounters she had with individuals looking into her situation. Admittedly she seems far less violent. "And well met to you too Kalam Makhir, it seems our numbers grow by the day."

"I know Kalam here to be a master of the blade. If he joins us, we stand in good stead in our next quest." Wu Meng was unfamiliar with the search for the beast, and let the others who knew what was to be done explain it.

"I have gotten used to the new land fairly well! I am brave enough to venture into the cities now, but this "money" thing is not easy for me to get. Though I swear I haven't tried stealing anything! Only things people look like they have discarded..."

Mimi then turns back to Feng. "Oh? Then what might the truth be? You have... another spirit in you right?" She asks nervously.

Wu, your praise of my skill embarrasses me. I am but a student of the Sky. Still with much to learn. He finishes his tea, I'll do what I can to aid you though.

"Oh absolutely, my apologies for any confusion." Feng pours herself some tea and sips it delicately. "What I mean is some people believe me to be a victim because of my spirit, or occasionally a prize. Most think I'm possessed, which is only true sometimes, if that makes any sense. I've met exorcists, people who scream in terror upon recognition, oh and several cultists tried to convince me they could help my situation, until it became apparent 'helping' involved killing me to take the spirit for themselves in some strange ritual." Feng discusses her misadventures with hardly a care in the world.

"Oh! I'm sorry if I might seem like another trouble to you, but I promise I won't be trying to hurt you, or the spirit. I'll just be observing how it works, and investigating its nature. Perhaps you can also tell me what you know of what, or who, this spirit is."

A spirit...scientist? Odd. Feng scratches her head, admittedly a bit bewildered by Kuroi's request. "There is little of use I can tell you: only that they are very angry at whoever left them to burn alive, to the point where their soul refused to die and instead chose to inhabit my body. I can talk with them through ash, smoke, and fire. But their answers are nothing but rage and hate, and they're only interested in vengeance or the downfall of evil men. Perhaps that is fair given their situation."

Kalam pours himself another cup of tea and listens with interest.

Meng also hadn't seen Feng interacting with their spirit up close, and paid close attention.

Iko watches the conversation from the other side of the room where he had been speaking with Wei. Kalam seemed nice, and if he was anything like Wu Meng, they would be lucky to have another as disciplined on the team. Kuroi concerned and intrigued him. Her knowledge and curiosity of Xian Feng's spirit sent up red flags within his mind, but it seemed to stop at that. On the other hand, having someone along with more than a passing knowledge of the world of spirits could provide interesting conversation.

Speaking of spirits, Iko would be keeping a close eye on Wei for the time being... a very close eye.

"Ah, a vengeful spirit... Hmm, not completely what I'm looking for, but its a good start. I'm a failed nature druid, what do I know about spirits..." Mimi mutters to herself. "Oh, sorry. I mean that's an unfortunate circumstance for you, but I'll still like to tag along as not only your spirit might still have a link to what I'm looking for, but a friend I met is also with you guys!" Mimi waves to Zhang Wei.

Wei smiles and waves back at Mimi. *Fair enough ancient ones, you were right about our guests. Yet how does this relationship of ours work..exactly?*

The spirits hiss in Wei's ear. "We answer your questions when we feel like it. We'll never lie, and we'll try to keep you alive. In return, you answer our questions. Starting with this: do you really trust them? These newcomers? The Guild? Your friends? Your precious woman lying there in an unnatural sleep? Yourself?"

Wu Meng was contemplative of Mei's return to Shen Xin. His internal sense of right and wrong did not judge her for her life choices, nor did he overthink the nature of slavery in Qing'lai. As the great wheel turns, all things have their place and time. That was one of the precepts Meng had learnt from his master. It was not for him to question the grand order of things, but to know unfailingly what the correct action was in any given instance.

"Do we have an indication of which river we are to investigate?" Meng looked towards the companions who had met the Guildmaster yesterday and received his instructions.

"This one." Feng answers, overlooking the sheer amount of traffic on display. "This is a labyrinth in itself, how shall we go about this? Try our luck with the thugs and merchants who will no doubt demand payment for the information, or the patronizing guard who will brush us off? Either way let us make an effort to watch for any mercenaries working for Jimseung, they would be foolish not to retake such a beast."

Wu Meng closed his eyes to get his own sense of the ebb and flow of the busyness of the Dragon river ferry dock. There was so much going on, but surely there would be some who would be genuinely concerned about the beast.

As Mimi walks back out into the crowd, Orengi leapt into her arms in nervousness of the noise. Mimi clutches him close to her like a baby. She sticks close to her new found companions, trusting in their judgement.

"The guards are looking at us." Wu Meng mouthed softly. "It's early morning, let us not act with suspicion. Shall we approach them?"

It seemed all the guards in Qing'lai were curt and impatient. Meng stood next to Kalam and let his fellow brother continue.

Feng crosses her arms at the two, but cuts her sassy remark off on account of needing any intel they can find.

Mimi watches with close attention at the interaction between the guards and Kalam. This is a good opportunity to see how to correctly speak with these men! She thought.

Wei walks up and stands beside Mimi. Glancing over at her, Wei looks at her crossed eyed...to see if she would smile.

When Mimi sees Wei's eyes, she is caught by surprise. "Ah! Is everything okay?" Her face is filled with worry as she looks him up and down.

"Wonderful, someone useful to talk to." Iko remarks as he pushes past the onlookers to get close to the body. He waves a hand irritably at their protests as he examine the body.

"Now we know where to start our search." Wu Meng observed along with Iko as he picked out the tiny snail. "The salt marshes. So the beast is poisonous. That will be more life-threatening to us when we confront it."

Iko nods. "Unless we can get a sample of the poison to the apothecary, he would likely be able to create an antidote..." Feeling around his robes for some kind of container, Iko sees the guards moving in. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he pulls out his knife to get a sample.

Wei smiles at Mimi and simply says, "I'm fine, just having a little fun."

Watching the others as they examine the body, Wei comes up with an idea...."If we can get a sample of the poison, perhaps Yao Fri could help us again. Possibly even tell us what to possibly expect."

Mimi slaps him in the shoulder playfully. "Oh you! You scared me for a moment! I though maybe you were suddenly possessed by a spirit or something!"

Mimi watches with confusion at the sudden turn of events that happened. She figured from what her new friends are saying, there is a dead body in the water that has been poisoned by the rumoured beast. Her friends also seem to need the poison for something, and that Iko has gone close to the body to posibly take some of the poison.

She sees that he is anxiously looking over his shoulder. Mimi looks around to see what is looking out for, and figured the grumpy uniformed men that are also moving in quickly are what he is afraid of. She decided to help him out, and quickly moved in front of the men to distract them. "Help me! Help me! I'm being attacked by this fox!" She says while twirling around, and keeping an arms' distance from them.

Mimi sees that Iko has finished what he was doing, but now she has to deal with the scene she has made for herself. She is gonna give one last cry for help before running off from the guards towards the stalls/buildings near the area, and find a spot she can hide at to lose them.

"We need to go to the Apothecary. If we want to have any hope of defeating the beast, we will need an antidote to its poison."

Feng is a bit amused by the combined antics of the party, chuckling slightly. It also keeps her from simply insulting the guard for his brashness.

"I'd rather not fight a poisonous monster without some security."

"Lead the way my friend. We need to see Yao Fei." Wei says as he listens to Iko.

Wu Meng smiled at Mimi's quick thinking. It was showy, but it got the job done. He followed Iko and Wei as they headed to the apothecary.

You find Yao Fei at his usual spot bent over his workbench. The slug-man apothecary sniffs the specimen you brought him and picks it up with a pair of silver tweezers. He drops the sample into a dish and peers at the tweezers, muttering to himself. It takes a few minutes before he realizes you're still there. "What, you're still here? This could take a while. Come back later."

It's still fairly early in the morning. What do you do now? Continue the hunt without antivenom? Fetch Sikeo and go fungus hunting? Something else entirely?

"Now that we know we can get an antidote, it seems unwise to proceed without it. I've fulfilled my responsibility in returning Mei, so I am open to the next suggestion you may have." He looked at the others.

Wei pauses as he thinks about their options. "Perhaps we can go look for the yellow fungus while we wait?"

"Yellow fungus? Sure, I can help you guys with looking for that!" Mimi pipes up hoping to continue to be of good use to these people.

"I can send for Sikeo if you wish," Yao Fei says, hardly looking at you, "but she looks woods-wise enough."

"Thank you." Wu Meng waited patiently for instructions to their next enterprise.

"We can proceed if Mimi will lead the way regarding matters of nature." Once again, the monk was patient and respectful to wait till the others were ready.

He himself took a moment to reflect on a more personal matter. He pulled out the flute that he found the day before, and began to examine it, puzzled as to why Shifu Rao's flute was in the possession of someone else. What could this mean?

He thought about it for a while, and turned to Kalam. "Brother Kalam, what do you know if Shifu Rao and the disciples of the Wind?"

"I concur, if Mimi believes herself up to the task." Feng chimes in, not entirely trusting Sikeo will come without a price.

Mimi leads the way...

Wu Meng followed. They were searching for fungus, so Meng didn't pick up on Kalam's suggestion to bring beast hunting equipment yet, and heeded Iko's volunteering to be the quartmaster. "I am able to scout ahead, as I have recently mastered the skill of moving swiftly across various environments."

Iko wanders through the strange woodlands, feeling the soft breeze on his skin and listening to the bird's sing their listless melody. A small smile creeps on to his face. There were so many simple joys away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and it pained him that it had been so long since he had gotten to enjoy them. Taking in a deep breath, he could feel a strong connection to the Spirits and the Other Side.
He felt like there was something he was meant to do, that he was in charge of, but for some reason, the serenity of the glen made it seem not so important. He took a moment, finding a soft patch of grass and moss to rest in under the shade of a peach tree. Odd, to find one so beautiful and in bloom at this time of year. His smile widened as he removed his hat and sat down. The bird song grew quieter, but sweeter, more content.
Iko turned his head toward the sound of footsteps, expecting to see one of his companions, coming to share in his serenity, but saw instead a bird of exquisite beauty. It languidly walked toward him, its eyes gleaming with pure emeralds and its feathers burning with ethereal fire. For any mortal man, the sight would have convinced them of their madness, but Iko had seen the Other Side, and the realms of the Spirit Kings. He knew he had slipped into that place, or into a pocket between the two worlds.
The two spoke as if old friends. Iko shared tales of his travels, and the folly of men. The spirit spoke of the sights of its home, and the strange politics of its kin. For hours they conversed, until the sun seemed to be tiring, and heading to its place of rest beyond the horizon. Iko began to rise, speaking of the necessity of returning to his people, and to his mission. The spirit looked at him with sad eyes, reminding him that, no matter what he did, no matter who he convinced of his righteous cause, he would not be able to make his world as beautiful as the Spirit's.
He looked down sadly, and retrieved his hat. When he looked back, the bird was gone, replaced by his companions shaking him awake. "Sorry... I could have sworn it was time to rest..." He says, confused, with his usual sad smile on his face.

Wu Meng moved without too much difficulty in the forest, and as he entered the glen, its rare beauty put him in a contemplative mood, although Iko's strange tale made him cautious again. When he checked himself he found that some of the ginseng tea left to him by his shifu was missing. This troubled him, as he has saved it for a more ceremonial occasion to share and consume.

He closed his eyes, to see if he could get a true sense of the valley.

Iko shakes his head as the ginseng thief runs off. "I bet it doesn't even know how to make tea." With a sigh, he looks to his companions, "We need to keep moving. If I was here for hours, and you all found me in a few minutes, we could easily waste too much time here while that beast continues to rampage through the city." While the valley had taken him back to his days of studying the spirits, and the teachings of his order, being with people grounded him, and made him remember his task.

Wu Meng found his inner spirit recharged. It was as if the serenity filled him with more life than was possible. He focussed his thoughts once more, as if to project a sense of gratitude towards that which surrounded him, before opening his eyes again, and spotting the little figure who pilfered his sachet.

"Who are you, little one? What is it that you want?" The monk asked out of respect than genuinely expecting an actual answer. He turned to Iko and nodded at the priest's suggestion. "Yes we had best move on."

Feng quite likes this place, finding the vivd colors relaxing her very soul. If the ghost is trying to give her a sign she wouldn't be able to understand, feeling herself slowly slip into a trance while she simply admires the scenery. Even Iko's concerns -something she would normally heed- don't seem all that important at the moment. "Come now Iko, there is no reason to give excuses, we are still on our...mission."

Kalam looked around, the calm taking him. Not noticing what was happening really. He had never visited the spirit world. He lived his life in the sky but his mind was well grounded, normally. One needed a strict mental discipline to perform his skills and technique. So he was unfamiliar with the spirits but knew of the spirit world from Shifu Qian's teachings, though not it's workings.

Orengi snarled at the little thieving spirit, as he noticed that not only did it stole his only friend's belonging, but that the spirit's nature is a mischievous one.
Mimi noticed that her companion is getting fiercely defensive against the creature. "It's okay, it's okay... We don't have to fight the spirit..."

As for Mimi's attitude of the forest, she has become used to the dreamy nature of the spirit-touched forests, and has become instinctively cautious, but unafraid.

Despite the beauty that surrounds him, Wei finds himself thinking to his last conversation with the spirits.

Do you trust them...Yes, I do trust my friends. We've fought side by side in battle. That's how I acquired this ring.

These newcomers?Yes, I've met Mimi previously when I was moving through the forest to get to the city. As for our other new companion, if he's half as honorable as the others then we will be fine.

The Guild?For the moment...yes. We will see how our dealings go.

Your precious woman lying there in an unnatural sleep?Yes, I wish I could find a way to save her.

Yourself?I've traveled my path by myself for a while now. Who else can I trust if not myself.

Kalam looked around drowsily, he sees the forest spirit with the tea packet run into the brush. He lets out a little giggle, finding the act strangely humorous.
"The little one likes your tea Meng."
He then sobers and his brow furrows, "The passage of time is strange here. I can't seem to grasp it, even my own time is altered." he kinda giggles a little again but tries to cover his mouth. Kalam looks to be making an active effort to control himself or something anyway.

Mimi sees that her new companions are being badly affected by the spiritual energies of the place. "Hey guys, keep it together! Despite this forest being relatively peaceful, it can still be able to pull you fully into the spirit realm! I won't be able to find a way to bring you back if you do. So, I advice having something to focus on keep you from being distracted. Such as the yellow fungus we were meant to look for. Stick close to me, I can't keep watch on you always..." Mimi begins to study the present area for clues of fungus growth.

Mimi is an excellent tracker of the forest with Orengi at her side, spirit infused or not.

"Interesting that we all seemed to pierce the veil in different ways." Wu Meng found in disturbing that while the reality was desolation, the illusion was what charged his inner ki.

He turned to the others who first heard of this task. "What were the properties of this fungus? Were you instructed on how best to safely transport this?"

Wei stands there looking at the husk covered in yellow fungus. Still shaken by all the death in the valley, he simply stands there. Thank you ancient ones, your guidance saved my life.

That was disturbing... The forest was dead all along... What happened here? Mimi wondered to herself as she led the group out of the illusion. She decides to focus back on the task instead of the troubling revelation.

She nodded to Wu Meng's question. "Yeah, this is the yellow fungus we are looking for. But, are you sure this is what you want? It looks to be a parasite that manipulates insects to their death. Why would you need this dangerous species?" Mimi asks hesitantly.

The moment Feng is brought out of her haze she doesn't say a word about the experience, and any attempt to discuss the matter is met with her ignoring or walking away from the conversation with an embarrassed look on her face. Luckily the conversation moves on without much fuss, and so does Feng.

"Yao Fei wants to study it. We fought roach-men who were infected by a much nastier "strain" of this crap thanks to the Fan clan. We still need to pay them a visit for such a grievance."

The voices in Wei's head stir at Feng's words.
The Fan? Oho! Anybody named Fan in here? Haha! Hey, watch out for the toad!

You all hear a loud, crunching noise nearby. When you peek through the trees, you see an enormous creature resembling a giant, horned toad, as tall as a man, munching on a fungus-infected cockroach. It doesn't appear to have noticed you. What do you do?

"Is it also noteworthy that the yellow fungus is being eaten by creatures who do not seem to be turned off by it? Or perhaps they might be how it spreads."

Wei stops walking as he sees the giant toad. Raising his hand to get everyone's attention, he points towards the toad.

Kalam regains his composure. "Shifu Qian, once told me the time in the spirit world worked differently, but to experience it for myself." he lets out a low whistle. "The power involved was immense, I can manipulate my one time or life force, ki if you want to call it. That left me feeling drunk with the power of it, im not sure what lingering effects i may have. Is that a giant toad over there?" Kalams' daggers are in his hand as soon as he hears the call of the toads. "I'd rather not be the thing to settle this beasts stomach."

"Seems I was wrong in my initial assessment of what constitutes toad food. Do we need to salvage what's left of the meal before leaving swiftly?"

Iko looks at the fungus, then back at the toad. It likely wouldn't be long until it noticed their presence and attacked.. Feeling around for a container of sorts, he pulls out a potion vial. He cursed inwardly for not being more prepared, but, with no other choice, he makes a mental note to buy some spare containers for such purposes, pops off the vial's cork, and downs the health potion.
Cleaning it out with a bit of his robe, he rushes in to collect a quick sample from the untouched roach before him.
Being very careful not to touch the fungus, he scrapes a decent amount into the vial.

As Mimi watch the toad creature try to make a call to others, she tries to recall if she can recognise this type of beast.

"We're running yes? No reason to stick around." Feng takes a defensive stance, one foot already moving back.

Stowing the sample in his robe, Iko says, "Yes, that is the plan." He tuns back the same way they came provided everyone else does.

Wei listens to the noise the to add are making. We have what we came for. There's no need to pick a fight. Least of all one where we're about to be surrounded. Let us go check in with Yao Fei.

"Yes in this case I believe running would be the best option." Kalam glances around at the party. "Mimi, would you be so kind as to lead the retreat?"

Now that they got what they came for, there was no need to tarry. Wu Meng nodded to the others, and began their stealthy retreat.

Mimi revealed to the group what she knows about the dangerous giant toad. "Yup, let's leave now!"

Mimi relies on her sneaking skills...

"These antidotes are good insurance." The monk was now ready to hunt the beast.

"The hunt is on." Feng responds casually, looking at something in her finger with great interest.

"So we got back safely thanks to Mimi's guidance." Kalam bows respectably to Mimi. "I think that hunting down this beast and putting an end to it once and for all would be the best course of action for now. We can deal with the spread of that fungus after. Saving citizens may give us insight as to what is going on here." Kalam looks at each individual as he says this.

"We may end up hunting by night. Best we bring some torches as well as some of the equipment Kalam suggested earlier."

Iko looks to the sky, judging how long it will be until sunset. "If it is all the same to you, this would be the best time for me to meditate and offer prayer to Dai'Shan. I fear we will need more power than I currently have for our hunt." He looks to the rest of them. "It would be best if I could find a private, quiet place to perform my rites. I believe we still have a room at the guildmaster's inn, do we not?"

"Unless you wish to pay for a room, no. My shop however, is always free for you."

"Sure, let's hunt the beast..." Mimi nods to Wu Meng. She has been busy thinking back about the threats to the natural world she has seen. "Once this people-killing creature is slain, shall we handle the issue about the forests? I can't help but feel a growing imbalance..."

"That would be preferable, I think. Thank you, Xian Feng." Iko says. "If everyone likes, they may stay here, watch for the beast or prepare the battlefield in some way. I should only be gone n hour or so."
The priest waits to see if anyone will join him, then leaves to go to Xian Feng's shop.

"Very well, if we have errands let us run them, and meet here again in an hour." Wu Meng himself adjourned to check on Rong Hua. He had looked out for her yesterday, and felt it necessary to see how she was doing.

Wei stays silent for the most part once they hot back to the city. As the group splits up to make preparations Wei goes to check on possible supplies for combating the beast.

Feng has the curious blue crystals in her possession, perhaps a vendor can give her some insight.

Mimi has no clue about what Kalam is saying about Meng, so she nodded in response with a confused expression. She figured it's best not to ask too much.

"Thank you Kalam. I do have our shared agenda in mind, which is to investigate the massacre of my temple, and figure this out as well." Wu Meng showed Shifu Rao's flute to the duelist. "This belonged to Shifu Rao, and was found in the possession of an evil Hiptite wizard. Perhaps some trouble may have befallen the temple of the Wind as well."

He next pulled out his most treasured object which he had been guarding with his life, the scroll given to given by his shifu. "I have been given this, but am only allowed to open it when I attain enlightenment. It is part of a sutra shared between my master and yours. Perhaps you have the right to open it." He humbly handed over the item to Kalam.

Kalam gently pushes the scroll back into Mengs hands. "I haven't reached enlightenment either brother. Though I am humbled that you should believe so." Kalam looks at the flute with a troubled expression. "You are right to be worried about Shifu Rao, that can be something else we can look into. Though I am reminded of one of Shifu Qians teachings, trying to solve the world's problems is like catching the rain." Kalam looks at the flute as he says this.

Meng returned the scroll back to its case. As for the flute, he continued to wonder if some enemy was intentionally going after all the Eightfold Path in turn. It'd be a long journey to the lands of Hiptos to investigate this.

"To solve the world, one must first solve oneself." Meng intoned with a slight melancholy.

"I am ready." The monk looked forward to ridding the town of this dangerous beast.

Mimi takes a look at the snail, and at the surroundings as the boat passes by, trying to find clues on how to find the spider-buffalo.

Mimi will go after any trail she may find.

"Orengi!" Mimi cried as she saw her friend stuck in the quicksand. "Don't move! Stay still! I'll save you!" She look around to find something that can be used to pull him up without entering into the quicksand as well.

"Hold on Mimi, let me." Wu Meng leaped from his position, light as a feather. His plan was to flit from where he was over the quicksand to see if he could extract Orengi safely without being impeded.

"Lead on Mimi. Trust your instincts, if not your eyes."

Wei stands there with the others. Patiently waiting, he has complete faith in Mimi.

Mimi, encouraged by her team members, tries to continue her attempt at tracking down the beast via the prints in the mud.

"Could our beast do that?" Feng cracks her knuckles, clearly getting ready for a fight as she peers directly into the growing fires, the terrifying visage of tormented souls trying to break from the flames and smoke. Her hands suddenly erupt into flames, eyes rolling back. "Get ready."

"Well, he has more pressing matters, it seems. Can't blame him, wish we could help but looks like he doesn't want it by then way he's running off." Kalam looks at the smoke in the distance. We have a monster to hunt, any idea as to its where abouts? Kalam inquiries.

Wu Meng watched the flames for a while, to see if he could ascertain from this distance what the commotion was. He did so while he waited for Mimi to continue directing them.

"Guys, I have lost the trail of the beast in the waters. From what I see, it has continued on upstream towards the city. I would guess that this creature may not be the cause of the fire happening in the village downstream. What do you guys think we should do next? Try to save the village, or look for the beast nearer to the city?

"The boat is the safer option for us to return. The darkness has made it hard to navigate. Let us at least head to retrieve the boat."

Iko looks out towards the city for awhile, trying to determine the best course of action. He finally speaks up, "If we face these perils simply tracking it down, it may be best for us to wait until there is some light before attempting to fight it. In the meantime, we may be able to help mitigate the damage the fire is causing." He looks to his companions for a decision to be made.

"I understood that the beast only comes out at night. We may have no choice but to hunt it during so, despite the inherent difficulties."

Regardless of when it hunts, we may be able to find it when it is nesting... or sleeping or whatever word you would use to describe what it does. And Mimi would likely better able to find it in the sunlight than be moonlight." He looks to the ranger. "Correct me if I am wrong."

"There is fire, death. Are we to stand idly by?!" Feng looks at the fire with an enraged expression, her brows furrowed and mouth contorted into a grimace. It's hard to say how much of the conversation she heard.

Feng's passionate anger sparked Mimi from her previous passive attitude towards the fire. "Feng is right! We should not be ignoring the crisis of the village fire! It might continue to spread out of control, and destroy even this beautiful environment..." Mimi thought back to the scene of the forest that had all along been burnt and dead. "Whether or not the beast caused it, I feel that the fire is a bad omen..."

"Let us make haste then, before there's nothing left to save."

"It is agreed then, we help the villagers. Hey boat crab-man! Let us help!" Kalam yells as he makes his way towards his boat, wading into the water as needed. He helps those who need it into the boat. "As Meng said make haste, before the fire claims any lives if it hasn't done so already."

"If only if I had been a good druid, I could have commanded water spirits to douse the fire just like my mother used to do... Do any of you guys have an ability to stop the fire?"

"I have no such ability. But I will use what little I have to see if it makes a difference." Wu Meng bowed, and once again leapt ahead with his qinggong, or lightfoot skill. He moved as fast as he could, grabbing two buckets along the way; back and forth he went to try to douse the nearest hut.

Inspired by Wu Meng, Mimi went forth to grab buckets herself and fill them with water. "Come on, Orengi! Let's try to save this village!" The fox will also attempt to pick up a water filled bucket in its mouth.

Iko did not have the speed or the fortitude to go about putting out fires. He called out to a nearby crabman. "Bring your wounded down near water. I will tend to them as best I can, but we need to get them away from the heat and smoke."
He hopes that the creature heard and understood him, as he secures his robes around him and begins setting up a makeshift infirmary by the riverbank.

Wei rushes forward and seeks opportunities to help.

Kalam will help by pulling people out of buildings as well as carrying the wounded to Iko.

Wei rushes over and attempts to move the debris pinning the crab-man.

Feng looks for anyone stuck inside a burning building, or even an opportunity to simply keep some of the fire from eating away at the wood. She reaches out, wrestling with the licking flames as if it was a snake as she tries to pull it away, her body remaining unscathed.

Feng quiets the flames. Mimi and Orengi help the crab-folk douse the fires with buckets of water. Wei plants his feet squarely and heaves the burning, collapsed wall off of the pinned crab-man. Kalam and Meng rescue trapped folk and guide them through the smoke to where Iko tends to the injured. The crisis is surmounted.

Though grateful for your help, many of the villagers bow and scrape with a measure of fear. People generally don't come out here to the salt marsh except to round up more slaves to add to their stables. A crab-man steps forward, and you surmise it is an elder of sorts. Surprisingly, the elder speaks the common tongue, albeit awkwardly. No one has ever bothered to learn the language of the crab-men, which sounds like nothing more than bestial hisses and clicks.

"Wee thankk... why kkomm you?"

What do you do?

Wu Meng bowed, "We are glad that no terrible harm has befallen your village. Our guide returned here with our boat, we still require it, as we are hunting this deadly beast. Perhaps you have some clues to its lair or whereabouts, and can direct us." The crab-men were regarded as slaves, but Meng spoke to the elder with respect, as an equal.

"No problem, crab-person! Saving others is always a good thing! " Mimi also replied oblivious to the social circumstances of the Crab-men. "By the way, do you know of what caused the fire in the first place?"

The crab-elder eyes all of you with surprising intelligence. With its alien features, it's hard to tell what it's thinking. With a stick, it draws in the sand. A creature out of nightmare, identical to the sketch you were given, save for one feature: in the crab-man's drawing, the creature has a tail ending in a poison stinger, much like a scorpion's. Given the venom Iko discovered, it makes perfect sense. With gestures, more drawings in the sand, and the crab-elder's rudimentary speech, a possible location for the creature's lair is suggested to you. It's series of mud pools along a small tributary near a bend in the Tiger just a few miles from the city.

What do you do?

"Thank you. May we continue to have your crab-men guide us there in a boat?"

The crab-men are taken aback that you would ask their permission for anything. Permission is granted.

Satisfied that they had done whatever they could to help the village, Wu Meng got back on the boat with the others, and nodded to their guide to proceed where the elder had directed them towards, the mud pools. At least they now had more information than they did previously regarding the beast and its venomous sting.

Kalam follows suit

Mimi is still bothered about the cause of the fire, so she made a quick investigation before heading back to the boat.

Mimi gave Orengi a pet for helping her sniff out the clues.

"...Does anyone have any extra garments?" Feng has regained her composure now that the situation has been remedied. She doesn't seem too embarrassed with her current situation; if anything she only looks annoyed at destroying perfectly good clothes.

Mimi does her tracking of the beast again.

"Stay alert friends."

"Guys, the beast is very closeby. It's either in its lair now, or moving about outside. Maybe it even might meet us at any moment. Do you guys have a plan?"

"Hunt it like any other monster. Set a trap or ambush and hit it from range. If it's as poisonous as we have seen, engaging it in close proximity could be very fatal." Kalam surveys the terrain. "Mimi, could you please select a spot for something like that. You have the better eye for the terrain." Kalam looks at everyone then. "If we need bait, I'll volunteer. It's my plan, and I won't put anyone else in harm's way for it."

Mimi will go and climb a tree to have a view of the surroundings.

"Spread ourselves out. It'll help if we are able to come at it from all sides. Maintain eye contact with each other if we can." Wu Meng began to make some space to encircle the lair, knowing that he moved the quickest amongst them and can swiftly come to anyone's aid should they need it.

Mimi climbs back down to report that not only did she find the beast, but that it is also giving birth to young which it later consumes. The canabalism of the beast clearly upsets her.

"Would any of you have the skill to try and chop off the stinger?"

"I could burn it. Probably."

Kalam, raises an eyebrow at Meng's suggestion. "That is a good suggestion, I may be able to deal with that. Remember our duel? Same thing may work here."

"Alright, then I'll go ahead and take the first surprise shot, then Feng or Kalam may handle the stinger."

Mimi goes to climb up the tree again and tries to place a headshot on the cruel beast.

Wu Meng smiled at Kalam's reference to their duel years ago. "It would be opportune if your lightning could take the sting out of the scorpion. As you can see, I've also learnt to move quicker since then. Prepare. I shall lure it." Meng took a position in the direct path of the beast, so that the others could flank it when it charged. He picked up one of the small rocks nearby, and flicked it at the beast, charging it with his inner energy.

"Now fire, to force it out."

Wei simply waits and watches. Knowing his skill set is for when it gets close and personal, he buses his time.