Descending the Mountain

Amethyst was actually feeling a little drained by the time she reached the mountain town of Rea. Rei Li was already at the front of the path waiting for her. He ran to her and gave her a warm hug.

"What happened? Is he sealed away? I looked for a caster but I couldn't find anyone to help."

They released their embrace and she smiled to herself thinking,

I sometimes forget how cute he can be. Annoying, but cute.

"Yes, we sealed it in a clay pot. Jun An ran off with it, who knows where he is. Is there an inn?"

Rei Li led her into the town, which was dark and seemingly empty. It was a little into the night so it wasn't at all surprising. While they walked, Amethyst went into detail for Rei Li about the events after he'd left. He loved stories, and collected them, so he kept asking questions.

Soon, they came to see a single lit lantern denoting a cozy little inn.

Amethyst took a few pieces of silver from her coin purse and handed it to the innkeeper once inside.

She led them up the wooden stairs to a single room, and left with an,

"Enjoy your stay."

The two settled down on some futons, but were, despite exhaustion, a bit restless. It had been an interesting night, after all.

After trying to sleep for a few minutes, Rei Li suddenly said,

"You know, I've heard all sorts of stories about the Masked Demon. But seeing him now, I don't think they're true."

Amethyst's ears perked up. She shifted to her side, staring across the dark room. She couldn't see Rei Li, so she lit a flame on her unhurt fingertip and used it to light a candle nearby.

It flickered in the dark, barely lighting the room around them. Amethyst thought about getting a few more off of the desk in the room, but she decided she would rather lay down.

"Masked Demon?" She questioned.

Rei Li adjusted his eyes to the light, but didn't move. He laid still on his futon, staring up at the phazing light drawing patterns on the ceiling.

"Surely you've seen him before now? You travel everywhere, I thought you'd at least heard the stories."

"I hear all my news from you." She chuckled.

Rei Li smiled to himself, still gazing at the roof quietly. After a bit of silence, he spoke again.

"He's a demon from the An kingdom, supposedly.

Really, we don't know who he is or where he's from, but he's a demon in a mask, and he's been seen almost every time something bad happens."

"What do you mean?" She asked, still staring at him in curiosity.

Rei Li finally turned to his side to face her, his smile falling.

"He is said to have killed hundreds or thousands even, and is said to be quick on his feet. He has dozens of other nicknames, like Hummingbird and Will o' Wisp."

"What did you mean when you said they were seen each time something bad happens?"

Rei Li sighed, having avoided bringing it up. He'd been excited to talk stories, as usual, and hadn't realized it was too late to backtrack when he'd said it.

"People say they see him everywhere. When boats sink in the Nara Sea, they would see him in the water. When a bloody battle would happen during the war, they would see him using corpse puppets.

The day you were hit with the Violet Hand of Death...and the day you were supposedly killed...both times they said he was there."

Instead of grimacing at the memories, Amethyst felt refreshed. She studied the nearly wrapped bandage across her hand, and the one at her fingertip.

She smiled and flipped onto her back before propping her mostly uninjured hand as a pillow beneath her head.

"What makes you sure that was the Masked Demon, Rei Li?"

He thought a moment before turning onto his back as well, repeating Amethyst by placing his arm beneath his head.

"The mask." He said after a few moments of deliberation.

"There are many masks in the world, but that one is well-crafted and one-of-a-kind. Whenever people would describe the Masked Demon, that is exactly the mask I'd see in my head."

Amethyst smiled a bit brighter and added,

"But aren't they supposed to be a killer?"

"Stories are stories. Maybe they got him wrong. He did help tonight...but I'm sure it was him."

She continued smiling to herself, turning her back to Rei Li and onto her side. She brought both hands close to her face, thinking about how this "Masked Demon" had so kindly wrapped her wounds.

She touched the wound on her palm, tracing the bandage, remembering how the figure's delicate hands touched hers. They were soft and warm, and extremely gentle. She thought to herself,

I'm not sure about the stories, but I'm sure the Masked Demon must be a woman.

Rei Li blew out the candle once he'd seen that Amethyst was facing the other way. The two fell asleep in no time at all, exhausted from the exhilaration of the night and the long day before it.

Amethyst woke up an hour after Rei Li. He'd already bathed and dressed and she was quick to do so herself. Before that, she sent him off with her coin purse to buy a few things to eat for their journey ahead.

While in town, Rei Li ran into a familiar, unwelcome face. Jun An was off spouting nonsense in the street, clay pot in his hand.

"Thanks to me, your town is safe! Under this seal is the vengeful god, trapped forever, never to threaten again!"

Rei Li almost unsheathed his sword in front of the vendor stalls before thinking not to draw attention to himself. He couldn't bite his tongue, however, so words would have to do.

"You truly are shameless, taking another's credit as your own!"

Jun An rolled his eyes at the young man, pulling the jar closer to his body. He walked closer to Rei Li and whispered,

"Well what can you do? Expose Princess Ame and tell them she sealed it? Tell them the Masked Demon was on the mountain last night?"

Rei Li scoffed, but it was a fair point. In irritation more than anger, he harshly hit his palm against Jun An's forehead, causing him to stagger back.

"Her name is Amethyst."

Jun An shook off the stagger and tsked at the boy. He looked around at the townsfolk and plastered on a fake smile as he showed off the clay pot. He raised it and nodded to them, each bowing and saying their thanks.

"Shameless. You even ran off while they captured it, and yet here you are…"

"Rei Li! Reirei, don't mind him." Amethyst shouted as she came to them, long brown robes flowing behind her.

Rei Li's ears went red at his nickname, silently cursing as he looked around. Seeing as no one had heard it, he looked back to her. Suddenly, Jun An bursted out into laughter.

"Hahaha, Reirei? Who's going to take you seriously with that name? A young man needs a warrior's name! Meanwhile, you've got the name of a puppy!"

Before Rei Li could retaliate, Amethyst whacked his forehead with her palm, the same way Rei Li had done before. Jun An's smile vanished at once. He rubbed his head with his free hand, the clay pot curled in his other arm.

"Leave Reirei alone. Even the gods would take him more seriously than they do you."

Rei Li blushed and looked down, anger appearing like plumes of smoke from his ears.

"Hey, that's not fair, you know...bringing up my past. If anyone's shameless, it's you!"

"How on earth could he be a god before? Were they short-staffed?" Rei Li added to the sting.

The three began to walk toward the continuation of the mountain path, on the other side of the town.

"You know, Jun An, you never explained how you knew Dozao, or why he was attacking the town." Amethyst said.

As they walked through the series of street vendors, a few homes and taverns, they felt the air ease again. The dirt path was narrowing the further through the town, and less and less people were visible.

For a mountain town off of a path few took, it was rather nice. Having an inn was also surprising, as it didn't seem they had too many visitors.

"Dozao was a martial god from lower heaven. We rarely spoke but...I did offend him at one point. I guess he still holds a grudge."

"Why'd he descend?" Rei Li asked.

Jun An sighed, as if this was the most boring subject in the world.

"A god born of need dies without one. The townsfolk didn't need him once the emperor sealed the Third, so they stopped praying. But he refused to die, so he became this…"

"I don't think that's the case." Amethyst cut in as they finally came to the beginning of the path.

"Remember the temple floors? They were spotless. And even that chair that was falling apart, it obviously had been brought in from outside."

Rei Li nodded, thinking that the floors had been very clean, and recalling the chair. Jun An didn't recall, but he said,

"So? I'm sure many people have slept in the temple the way you two were. Which is highly disrespectful, might I say-"

"We didn't clean the floor when we stayed." Rei Li jumped in.

"Exactly, who would bother? It's odd, don't you think?" Amethyst finished.

Jun An still wasn't convinced. He struggled to keep up with the two marching down the mountain path. Rei Li gave Amethyst a bread roll he'd purchased, and returned her coin purse as well.

Jun An, irritated that he hadn't been offered any food, said,

"Some people don't want to sleep on the dirty floor."

"But why clean it after travelling a day's journey up the mountain? You'd be exhausted." Rei Li said, biting into a bread roll of his own.

Jun An watched and looked down. His stomach ached a bit, but he didn't ask for a bite. In good will, Amethyst broke hers in half and tossed one half to him.

He bowed his head in thanks before taking a bite.

"So you think someone is still praying at the temple? And that is why he's still alive?"

Amethyst frowned at Jun An, who'd spoken with his mouth full. She swallowed her bite and looked to Rei Li as if to say, "don't do as he's doing."

"Maybe. What I'm more interested in is how much miasma he produced. Even a god fallen from demonic pathways won't make that much."

"What I'm more interested in, Jun An, is why you're following us!" Rei Li shouted.

Jun An shrunk back a little before getting heated.

"I'm your elder, don't just keep calling me by my name! The utter disrespect, how old are you? Do you want me to call you Reirei, too?"

Rei Li fumed, reaching his hand back to hit him again. Amethyst grabbed his wrist, and he calmed a bit. After she released it, he rubbed it with his other hand in silence.

Jun An smiled to himself as if he'd won, but a smile crept up onto Rei Li's face as well. He turned to look back at him and said,

"Alright, Grandpa."

Jun An's fist flew up in rage. Amethyst also grabbed it without a second thought. She didn't even have to turn around.

"You little!"

"You're right, you are my elder by what, 200 years? I think Grandpa is the exact right name for you!" Rei Li snorted.

Amethyst released the fist and laughed a little as well.

It had been only a few minutes they'd walked out of town when a gut-wrenching scream took their ears by surprise.