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Jan 26, 2025

Yellow Sand, Desolate Dusk

((Black Cloud, Red Fire))

((Part 2))

During your college years, one of your many dreams was to go in the desert during the cactus blooming season. Now the only thing you wanted to do was slap your past self in your head for that stupid idea.

The scarf around your head that one of the Carovana people had gifted you protected you from the scorching sun, but the heat was almost unbearable. You cleaned your forehead, panting from the strain that your legs were making by walking on the sand.

Yuán Fèn, your monkey companion and friend, who was still trying to accustom himself to his new name, raised his dǒu lì, trying to Look forward to the dunes and Wind swirling around the two of you.

A week before your departure, the curious bird that you had retrieved from Black Wind Mountain started to sing a strange tune, forcing everyone that could hear to pay attention to him, especially you and your friend.

The old monkey proclaimed that another relic had been calling upon its sister, and now it was time to prepare for your new objective: the second relic. In front of the same map where you located the first one, your senses made you point in the middle of nowhere... well, not exactly. It seemed to be in a desert... which it was in the middle of nowhere.

"Maybe it's an oasis? I mean, why should it be in the dirt and the sand?"

Ah, you wondered if, at that time, Yuán Fèn was trying to ease your nervousness, because now you just wanted to smack his head. Yeah, a really nice Oasis...

He kept on looking up, noticing another small dot in the sky stop moving and a golden halo.

"Hey, easy with the immobilize back there..."

"I'm getting the hang of it..." You said, your fingers still pointing up.

"I'm not doubting it, but..." He takes a sip of water. "Someone might see it... and rise an alarm..."

"Uuh..." You looked around, dunes from where eyes could reach "someone...where?"

"And..." He continued, extending you the gourd, "I need you in shape. You have to direct me to the relic, remember?"

You took a small sip of water while holding with your other hand your own willow staff. When you returned from Black Wind Mountain, you insisted on receiving training in fighting and magic since you wanted to be more helpful in the mission, but you were still stuck on the basics in martial arts and the immobilize spell. You sighed. Why was it so hard?

Yuán Fèn noticed your demeanor; he did understand your frustration, but for this, like these, you needed patience! And, even if they were small steps, you were pretty talented! Okay, a real fight was far from training with him, but you two had time for that. In the meantime, he swore to be your protector, so he wanted to get through with that.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" You asked when you had reached the summit of the dune.

"Of course we are! We're just right where you pointed, remember?"

"Yeah, but... what if it's not the right place?"

"Impossible! You found the first one, remember?"

"...Well... yeah, we were lucky... But what if we're not this time? I mean... how can the relics be here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Because," he said with a smirking tone, "there's something in the nowhere!"

You wanted to raise a question, but as soon as you looked in front of you, in the distance, you found your answer in that strange phrase. The desert was slowly changing its nature, leaving the sand and giving space to rocks and mountains. They weren't high or full of life like the previous one, but they were impressive nevertheless, and, by your surprise, they seemed to give home to something! In the distance, even if still small, it was visible. One of those Giants gates that could have been found in some cities, showing that maybe someone lived there!

You both sprinted towards those gates; the hope of finding some solace in the shadow of the mountain and maybe some fresh waters was enough to give you some strength to move on the sands. Unfortunately, that hope was now faltering when you started to notice the state of the wooden gate.

The sun had now completely eroded every kind of color that the wooden structure once had, replaced now by the nude timber color. the sand, moved by the wind, had smothered the decorations that once had adorned the structure, or there was something now It was just made for you both to guess. The few tiles that still were attached to the roof were now broken or completely useless in their first meaning, their fate now in the hand of the scorching sun.

You weren't an expert, but by the looks of it, that gate had been there for years, and no one had taken care of it.

"It doesn't look like a good sign..."

Yuán Fèn looked up, searching for the name of wherever you had ended up.

Usually these gates are made to let travelers know where they are, but unfortunately the name of this place was almost completely erased from it. The only thing he was able to get from it was the word "ridge"...whatever that meant...

"Ummm... Ridge... maybe Yellow... I'm not sure; it's hard to read in that state..."

"Oh! Yellow Wind Ridge!" You exclaimed, looking at a curious monkey. "The last village you visited, they told me that once there was a place with this name!"

"Oh!" He seemed surprised. The name... It rang a few bells in his mind...but it wasn't like he could know everything.

"All right... so... up ahead?" He said moving his staff in front of you. With an uncertain road in front of you, you both start to take the path in the mountain, in the shadow of the rocks, unknowing of what you would find there.

///

Even if it was completely different from Black Wind Mountain, even this desolate place holds a certain kind of beauty in it.

The rock structures stood like the walls of a castle, reaching till your eyes could reach. The color of the rocks changed here and there; sometimes it was a yellow ochre, a remnant of the name of the place, sometimes it was a vibrant orange when the light touched it, and just near to the base you were walking, a deep red like blood.

You once saw something similar in a few photos, but it was a completely different story in person.

"A river must have passed here millennia ago..."

"A River?" Yuán Fèn looked at you curiously.

"I learned that these kinds of rock structures are what is left of the bed of a river!"

"Oh! And... where did the water go?"

"Ummm... evaporated? I'm not sure; I'm not that smart."

He laughed a little. It was nice to enjoy some peace; he didn't know how long it would last, so it was better to savor it.

Despite his carefree behavior, more than once he had stopped in his tracks, almost making you bump into him, looking around and smelling the area. The path had now transformed into a gorge, the sun still hiding behind the walls of the mountain around you. He looked around, his ears piercing, his senses searching for something.

"You okay?" You said in a whisper, wondering why he had stopped all of a sudden.

"...Yeah... I thought I heard... something..."

"Yaoguais?"

"Can't tell... this place reeks of it, but I heard something... I don't know, let's be vigilant now."

And with that he reached for your hand, holding it right, and his staff was now in a fighting position. The peace was over; time to get back to work.

It was amazing how he could perceive the smallest changes in his surroundings. Maybe it was an hermitage of his species or just a product of his training, but he was able to catch even the smallest change in sounds or smell.

Another show of this ability of his own cane was when, suddenly, his hand was now firmly against your chest. He had stopped in his own tracks, making you do the same, and, with a swift movement, his staff was now in front of you in a defensive mode.

"Someone's coming." These were the only words he said, now completely concentrated in front of him. Now, in the complete silence, you finally could hear something coming from the always ahead of you, a sound that looked off. It seemed like someone was dragging something, the clattering of metals, and some pants of fatigue?

He, on the other hand, was prepared for the attack of his new foe...until it came into view. A huge backpack, full of objects, some for traveling and some that were part of a household, pots and pans that clattered together while moving around, tied by a rope around the pile that had been carried, and a figure that, covered in rags, moved steadily and slowly on his feet.

A traveler? It seemed that they were mostly moving away by the amount of stuff.

You sighed in relief since you couldn't spot any kind of weapon on him, and the grip on your own staff loosened. Yuán Fèn, on the other hand, decided to keep his guard up on this new figure appearing. He had learned that everyone could be an enemy, especially in a place like this one.

Once you both were spotted by them, the creature seemed to become quite tense, maybe for the same reason why you two decided to stay on guard and started to slow down on his tracks.

Yuán Fèn never let his guard down, fearing maybe another trick like the one that the bear had done to you the last time, while you were quite curious about this newcomer. Despite it all, it seemed quite harmless, and with all that staff on his back, you wondered what kind of danger it could have brought.

A few minutes passed, and the mysterious figure, who you realized was an old one since the ragged way that he was breathing, and the two of you shared nothing more than a few attentive looks until he surpassed you and then started to get on in his road, realizing that in the end you were just harmless like himself.

"...Do you think he's moving out?"

"I don't know," Yuán Fèn sighed, finally putting his staff back. "At least we still can take it easy."

"We should ask him some questions. It's better to be prepared!"

"I don't think he wants to be disturbed. We can get on and WAIT WAIT WAIT COME BACK, Y/N!"

He was interrupted by your soft trot, following the old man, still covered in all the rags. You were so focused on following him that you barely noticed an old tail like a rat one.

"Hello? Mr.!" He seemed surprised, shocked even, turning around, meeting your more calm demeanor. "I'm sorry to bother you, but my friend and I have been on the road for quite some time. I wondered if we're in Yellow Wind Ridge."

He coughed a little, surprised by the fact that someone still knew the name of that place and that they were mad enough to wish to reach it.

"Ah... And what are you and your friend searching for there? If it's a death by the hands of desolation, you did find it..."

"We're searching for... a certain object." Yuán Fèn stepped in, more to make sure that no harm came to you when you were so casually starting a conversation with that old one.

"Ah!" He laughed, almost like he had heard a joke: "Searching for treasures?! My father once told me the Legend of the Golden Buddhas; they're long gone till the arrival of that master..."

By saying that there was a hint of sarcasm, that raised more of your curiosity. "Master?" Yuán Fèn repeated.

"Uh... yes, a royal sage... an old rat that had mastered the Wind..."

That was the last piece that Yuán Fèn needed to understand. Who were you going to fight this time? The old one coughed hard, holding his chest with his ragged and bandaged hand. Maybe he was sick? He shouldn't move in that condition.

You quickly grabbed your gourd and gently offered him part of your healing wine. He moved his hand, gesturing to you to keep it to yourself.

"No need... old Lil me can handle..."

"There's no village for miles; just a sip will help you regain some strength."

He seemed surprised by this act of kindness. And, for respect, he accepted one small sip, trying not to ruin the wine and your gourd. He sighed deeply, savoring the sweet savor and feeling the sensation of the healing power of the liquid.

"...thank you, young one..."

You smiled; at least he would be able to make it till the next village.

Yes, giving to him a few of your medicines wasn't exactly the brightest idea; you weren't sure what was going to happen after that, but seeing him like that, forced to leave his home, it felt bad, at least for you. A small help wouldn't hurt you, you thought while taking away your gourd.

Yuán Fèn, despite his silent opposition to your gesture, those were your medicine after all, could not find that gesture anything but admirable. You could just walk away, believing that that man had everything under control; instead, there you were, giving him some of your rationed medicines. He shouldn't be surprised; you were a kind soul, after all. He saw you many times show some empathy or kindness around you, and, by so far, he found it admirable from his own point of view.

"Be safe there, you two," said the old man, slowly walking away on the path, "and watch yourself from danger! This place reeks of them! To think that people used to revere that old one...ah...such a shame, such a shame..." He laughed and coughed, slowly vanishing in the shadows of the mountain."

The two of you, after readjusting your stuff, had started to walk back again, taking the road where the old one was coming from, presumably the right path as much as you both could see. When finally the passage between the mountains started to widen up, the sun reconquered your way, illuminating the place that, it seems, the relics were hidden by someone...

The sun makes the view hard, and the dust in the wind colored the sky, which seemed to not have seen rain for months, a grayish blue. You noticed the peaks of the mountain, but sometimes they reminded you more like old palaces that the wind had completely changed shape by the time and sand. If once there was life, it was gone, leaving only the carcasses of old trees, left in that barren land without a chance of survival. The only vegetal life that could grow there was a thick and long grass that grew in small bushes, and if it hadn't been for the protection of your trousers, they would have surely cut your skin at the passage. The area was surrounded by rocks and sand, making it quite a task to move around, and, even if climbing, another small mountain waited to the other side.

What kind of kingdom could even start there in that place, you wondered...

While walking, you make sure to stay closer to your friend. There were so many cliffs and palaces; it was to see if someone was up there! Making you a good target for attacks.

"You know," Yuán Fèn spoke, breaking the silence. "That old one gave us a good lead about who could have taken the relic. Yellow Wind Sage make any sense to you?"

You made a long um sound from your mouth, a good answer to imply that you had zero idea of who this sage was. He chuckled; of course you didn't know.

"What I know about is that was a foe that had tried to eat the Tang Monk back in the journey, "Yuán Fèn started, "and he was quite strong too!"

"Strong? Stronger than Sun Wukong?"

"Well, he had a weapon....the Samadhi wind to help him out."

"Sama...what?"

"What did you learn in your world?!"

"They didn't even teach us how to do taxes; give me a break!" And, after a long ugh sound from him, he decided to let it go. You knew so many staff, but how could the theory of relativity really help you out in a fight?!

"Samadhi is like being unified with a certain element or a god even. It's like the object itself is free from the rule of the world! For example, the Samadhi fire is a TRUE fire! And simple water cannot extinguish its flame!"

"OOOh....wait!" You stopped in your tracks. "Let me recap here: we're going straight to a certain Sage—"

"That is a rat."

"Not needed, but thank you. That can control a very formidable wind that could kill us... Is that what you're saying?"

"...Kinda?" Your hand met your face; you were less shocked than last time, but knowing that maybe this one was a more dangerous foe than the bear didn't help you calm down.

"Do you... at least have a plan?"

"Well," he got closer, using his staff to give you a few small nudges. "I suppose that the Bián huá could make the same trick like last time!"

You looked at him suspiciously, trying to figure out what he was talking about... then you remembered the old mantle made of pure red silk that, if not for its presence, you would have been roasted like a meatloaf.

"But... last time it was just luck... how do you know that I can do it again?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

Ah yes...he believed in you. Well, last time you were able to find the relic, and you were able to survive...maybe you were somehow kind of a little special? But you didn't want to hold your hopes high, especially knowing the so many dangers that you both had to take last time.

"All right, all right... I'll try to believe in my doodle-do magic staff... So, I'll say let's keep going.

"Now you're talking my language!" And, with a sprint, he marched on, giving you a grin like he was challenging you to follow him. And you did.

///

Time lapsed, and despite how much the two of you were able to get inside this new territory, the more you noticed that even Yaoguais seemed to be absent from this place. Besides the old man, you met a body on your road, and that was unnerving.

The fact of not knowing what was waiting, the fact that maybe you weren't that alone like you wanted to believe, had put both of you in a position that forced you to look at every sound like a danger. Because, even if you weren't approached by anyone, the sensation that you were observed was drilling in your head.

Yuán Fèn kept on keeping you close to him, fearing that something could have happened at every second, but the sand and the dirt avoided his nose to perceive the smells and the sound of the wind that roared, covering the sounds. It wasn't a good position; he knew that, but he couldn't risk leaving the road to face an opponent that he couldn't even see or leave you alone like that. So the only option was to just go forward, hoping to meet a better condition.

The area opened up again, and, alongside the same vegetation and the rocks, a body of water stretched around, giving life to some plants that were lucky enough to be nearer and some structures that reminded you of the ones you found at the last temple. The difference was that the ones you found now were far bigger and made of solid stone, and, other than for the time passed under the unforgiving sun, it seemed like they were deliberately destroyed. You wondered what kind of past this kingdom had and what kind of karma it had faced for its act against the Buddha. Well, you weren't in the position to judge; what really caught your attention was the water, colored in a reddish tone.

"We should take some," you proposed, taking yours gourd from your sack.

"It doesn't seem edible..." Yuán Fèn retorted, more inclined to keep it up instead of stopping there.

"We don't know if we'll find any more! And we can still boil it and drink it later!"

It wasn't like your idea wasn't good; in this kind of territory, every drop counts, but he didn't like the idea of staying too much in one place, especially since he couldn't read his surroundings at all.

You started to collect the water from the pond, carefully taking only the one on the surface, avoiding moving it too much. He stayed behind you, looking around, and he started to listen.

It seemed so calm; the wind was blowing over your heads, and the walls made of rock avoided It took an hour to enter through the passage. It was a big area; the sound wasn't covered that much...

He started to concentrate...the wind, the sand that slided around, the water...a piece of wood that got removed from some leather... A string that is getting stretched...

You had just finished collecting the water when his hand grabbed your shoulder, grasping it and pulling.

"We must move, NOW."

"Wha-Why?!"

"We need to take cover; we're—!!!"

Before he could even take another step, an arrow, coming from nowhere, pierced his chest in one strike.

Your eyes widened; suddenly the atmosphere changed, and the pond was surrounded by sounds of voices and arrows that were shot.

"TAKE THE MONKEY DOWN!"

"Leave the girl!"

The sound of squeaking and piercing voices came from the rocks; arrows jeep on Flying towards the two of you.

The pain from the arrow was enough to make To stumble on his feet, but Yuán Fèn only needed now to push you away, allowing you to stay out from the line of fire.

You tried to reach him, but every time another Arrow stopped you and forced you back down while he was still holding his staff up to try to protect himself and you, but the shooters were too many, and the more he defended himself, the more Arrows kept on piercing.

"NO, NO, NO!" You raised your digger, aiming towards the direction of the Arrows, starting to use the immobilize spell. Golden auras came from a few of them, but without a good view of your assailants, you could only stop just a few of them.

"Y/n! Find co-" another Arrow, his mouth started to leak blood and his breath got rugged. He tried again to hold his staff up, but now he only had enough strength to use it to stand up. It was so painful. The attack stopped; the sound of small feet moving around reached the area.

You weren't so careful like him; your only care was to use this moment of calm to avoid falling on the dirty ground and trying to cure him from those many wounds! You started to panic; he had more than ten arrows piercing his body!

"EASY! EASY EASY, I'll fix you! Okay?!"

"Y...y/n...y/n, they're... they're co—" he coughed again while you put him down to rest on a rock. "You need to...leave!"

"I'm not leaving you here, okay?!"

You didn't want to listen to him, as much as you didn't want to listen to your surroundings. What you wanted was only to cure him and help you to take care of those two rats that you had completely forgotten in the panic of the moment.

Holding your gourd, you were ready to use its contents to cure him when a long but slim hand grabbed you by your scarf and pulled you so hard that you were practically dragged away.

Over your head, a pair of big black eyes looked at you with a malicious intent, and a broken and grim smile showed a series of long and sharp rodent teeth.

"Ah ah! Good meat!"

"Something to please our prince brother!"

Oh no! Not again! Fastly, you grasped a full hand of dust and threw it in the face of the one that was holding you, taking this advantage to slip away from the scarf and reach your staff.

DAMN! Yuán Fèn told you several times! Never leave behind your weapon! And you were too drained out to use again the immobilize spell!

You tried to jump in it, but before you could even reach it, the tail of one of the two rats grabbed your ankle, making you face the ground, sand and dirt in your mouth.

"PUAH! Ugh! I hate when they do this!"

"You should have put on your helmet, Brother!"

You shook your head, taking away some of the sand on you, when the same hands from before held you by your arms, raising you from the ground.

"She's a feisty one. I hope the prince will like her as a snack..."

"You're crazy?! Who cares! As long as she's fresh, he'll like the meal!"

You kept on squirming, kicking your two new captors, but you could only reach their armored torso.

"LET me go! Stop!"

Yuán Fèn tried again to move, but the pain from the arrows in his chest created a shock that made him growl. The Teo rat noticed his new attempt, alongside the big pool of blood that now made the ground turn a deep red.

"What about the monkey?"

"The king will not mind some...dried meat!"

The two laughed, starting to head away from the spot, while you craned your neck so much that it hurt, looking in fear towards your beloved monkey.

"YUÁN FÈN! NO! NO, PLEASE STOP! LET ME GO! YUÁN FÈN!"

Yuán Fèn tried again, and again he fell down in pain, panting and feeling his life force slowly drying away.

"Y...y/n...."

He felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. Your scream started to get more distant and muffled.

"I...need to..."

He loses his senses.

///

The song of a sanxian played somewhere.

He slowly started to open his heavy eyes from the forced slumber. His finger could still feel the sensation of the blood on the ground, now reduced in some kind of mud by the dirt and the sun. He tried to stir his body, but the arrows in his chest must have messed up his muscles.

The music kept on playing, strong; he felt the sound of someone stepping down their foot to keep the beat. Was he dreaming? Why would someone play in such a place? He tried to call for help, but his mouth was dry.

"Yellow Wind Ridge,

A mighty ole' range,

Once buzzin'

With Joy and Glee."

He could only move his head, resting his cheek on the rovent rock, and he saw the source of the sound.

A headless body was joyfully playing a sanxian, tapping his foot on the rock.

Now he saw everything... well, he could tell a nice story to the Enma...

"But the pesky rats took hold,

A sudden unfold,

Turned it all barren and bleak."

Uuuhhg, not a bard! If he really needed to die here, at least he preferred it in a less extravagant way!

He was still curious about the fact he didn't have a mouth to express the words, though...

"The King GOT Denide,

Rules thrown aside,

Evil connived,

Running wild and free."

He was telling about the story of this place. Well, as much as he knew, the only information that he had was about when the Yellow Rat tried to capture the Tang Monk. The old man was right; things were bad there even before...

"Wukong went to the

Bodhisattva to plead,

Granting the Land

A Moment o' Peace."

That was during the journey, well, nothing that he didn't know...

"Yet before long,

Another disaster struck.

The cursed returned

On a killin' spree."

Alright, now things started to get different. What kind of beast started rampaging after the events of the story?

"The hero, he lies there dead,

With the truth hidden

From Ye and me..."

...Truth? Hero?...did he mean...what truth?! Oh, come on! He couldn't die there without knowing! He tried to stir again, fighting against his approaching demise, but his body felt like stone there.

The headless figure, that with that rosary at his neck, reminded him more of a monk now, jumped down from the rock, holding the instrument in his arms, approaching the soon-to-be-dead monkey.

"I reckon I got an idea why ye have come here, me friend."

The monkey coughed a little, finding just enough saliva to moisten a few words.

"A-ah...?... Go....good for.... you t...then..."

"Eh," he seemed amused by the small response of Yuán Fèn, " 'n' ye seems lik' in a ill shape."

If you were there at that moment, he was sure that you would use some sarcastic words against him after having a small stroke for the view of the inside of his neck.

A few strong were pinched, and the sound of the sanxian was heard again. Yuán Fèn noticed only now some strange glows around every time the monk pinched the strings. A few hours started to disappear like dust in the wind.

"Haste makes waste." The monk proclaimed, "I'll lend ye a hand."

And, with one swing of the strings, the sanxian created one beam of golden light that struck the monkey straight in his chest. Atsushi, at the beginning, felt the pain of the muscle contorting, the. The relief of the arrows that started to disappear from his chest, alongside his wounds, and, in the end, he felt his strength come back all of a sudden.

He touched himself, inspecting his body, and found it incredible that a few moments before he was at the brink of death, and now he felt like he could just battle. That monk... wasn't just a strange creature.

The monk laughed, noticing the surprise of the monkey, while he started to stand up from the ground. The blood had disappeared, only some more golden glow floating around.

"Watch your step, eh?" He kept laughing, gesturing around, "Get more shots, and you'll be high and dry!"

But, despite his strangely jovial behavior, the monkey couldn't not feel a sense of havereness around that monk. He started circulating him, watching that curious creature that kept on playing the chords of the instrument, mimicking the monkey move.

"Who are you? Why did you save me?"

He couldn't ready anything about that musician without a face. It was hard, but his fingers seemed to think about the notes to take, like words.

" a' o' this maiter? ah thought ye hud something mair important tae tak' care about!" More notes were played, "like a quine in need o' 'n' hulp? she surely wull catch th' yak o' someone oot there!"

"Y/n!"

The questions and the wondering about this person were immediately cast aside; he had more important matters to attend to now!

He recalled his own staff, and, laying on the ground, he noticed your own weapon, left there when the rats had taked you away. He reached for it and secured it on his shoulder.

From afar, he could hear the sounds of more rats, maybe enjoying the idea of a feast with his own flesh and yours for the future.

"Hold on tight, Y/n... I'm coming for you!"

And, with a sprint, he took the main road, approaching the next battle.

///

Rats weren't the only enemy that he had to face. After the defeat of the young frogs that tried to attack him from the water surface he was passing by, he must have admitted that this challenge was more complicated than the last one.

Atsushi Black Wind Mountain, the Yaoguais worked under a system, a rule of one big leader, and acted in such a way. Here they were erratic and chaotic, following different rules made by different people. Kind of odd, especially knowing that the Yellow Wind Sage was around... if he was around.

Built in the walls of the rock or destroyed around the area, what was left of old Buddhist temples remains, showing the story of attempts to eradicate that belief from that place. But, by the looks of it, it seemed to have backfired...

He kept on running around the rocks and the sands, trying to catch your scent in the air. He must have been down for some time; he couldn't get your trace even with proper concentration. How was he supposed to find you?!

After another climb, another scene appeared in front of him: behind some mountains and dunes, like a column that was erected in the distance, a tornado made of sand stood tall in the distance. It was pretty impressive and scary too; it looked capable of destroying everything in its path... but then he noticed one interesting detail: it wasn't moving at all.

"...could it be...uh..."

He needed to look it up on it, but that wasn't his priority right now.

A pair of stairs, built inside the stone, led him to an area where, instead of rock formations or old statues, houses made of bricks and stone were built, alongside old walls and structures made for the living and more. Despite the fact that there were many, none of them seemed to have been used in years, and he saw no mortal around that could live there! The only ones that seemed to have found a home in that place were the rats, the same ones that were not far from his position right now.

When he heard some more steps coming closer, he had enough time to hide in one of those houses, allowing the two rats that were currently on patrol to come closer. They were casually talking to each other, not on guard like the ones that he had already fought.

"And he kept on bragging about how good they were to have brought that human there to the prince!"

"You know him; what's bad in hoping for a bite?"

"Like he'll even left some spare for us! We'll only get the monkey that was with her..."

A human? They must have been talking about you, and by the looks of it, things were looking pretty bad now, especially since they seemed interested in making you the lunch for... a prince? Their prince?

"You know what's funny? When I passed near his abode, I hadn't heard him eating at all! And you know how he is with food! I even heard someone talking!"

"Maybe he's playing with her? Who knows? He's clearly not the brightest in the bunch.

The two keep on laughing and talking, unaware of the door that was slowly opening behind them. They made a huge mistake by revealing that you were in fact still alive...he held at least. The first one didn't even notice the head of the staff crashing into his head, while the other hand only had the chance to acknowledge the enemy attack.

"WHAT THE—UGH!"

Another blow made him fall on his back, and, before he could even react, Yuán Fèn's staff was ALREADY pointing to his muzzle.

"Scream and I'll split your head open! Where's the human girl?!"

"Wh-what human g—" he stopped when the staff started to brush his teeth.

"The human girl that you were talking about before! The one with the monkey, speak up now!"

There was a moment of silence from the rat, unsure if speaking would have been better than receiving that staff on his head. When he realized that Yuán Fèn wasn't joking about opening his head, he gulped.

"They have her to the prince ...in his abode, in a cave!"

"Where?!"

"North! Just before the cliff, you can't miss it!"

"...good..."

A smack on the rat face was enough to make him lose consciousness. You were alive ; that was all that mattered, and, with that thought in mind, he started to lead North.

///

After the defeat of the next enemy, the monkey started to understand how they were supposed to work around there. While on their last journey, they seemed to go from the less strong to the strongest of their ranks, maybe with the sole purpose of protecting the relics; here they seemed more chaotic or, at least, concentrating in certain areas of Yellow Ridge. He didn't think that he would have found so few Yaoguais protecting their prince, and that maybe was a sign of the strength of that One.

By following the directions of the rat, he found himself following the Wall of another one of those mountains, the Shadows covering his path, allowing him a relief from the sun. The lack of other enemies around was also a lucky opportunity for taking a breath from the ones he had ALREADY fought.

It wasn't that far till he found, as he told him, the entrance of a cave. It was big enough to let him pass or make a living if something big.

What really gave him a cold feel on his shoulder was the amount of bones and objects that unlucky passengers had left behind. Maybe the leftovers of the meal of this prince. What kind of prince a bunch of rats could have?! By the look of the mess, it seemed like he had quite the appetite.

He looked around, searching for the fresh meats for his recent meals, and, with a sigh of relief, he had found nothing that could lead to you. Despite the look, the light of the place was enough to allow him to see around freely without the need of fire or by lighting one of the braziers around the place. And, to his surprise, there were a few objects around that made the place almost bearable… or a mock of a human habitation of some sort. Old vases, broken panels, what it seemed to be a tree sradicated from its roots and posed near the wall like imitating an indoor plant…

What kind of creature could try to do such a thing?

Still wondering, he stopped his exploration when he heard some roaring sound coming not so far from him and…

"No! You must stay! Other kill and eat; I protect and care! You too, nice! You stay!"

It was the voice of a male, hoarse, and it wasn't friendly at all!

He followed it, and, after moving away an old curtain that had seen better days, in front of him there was… well, he surely wasn't just a rat; he was a BIG rat! His armor reflected a few sparkles when the light shone upon it; he moved like he was trying to hold in place something. Resting near the wall, a giant Chui stayed, ready to be held by its owner.

His tail moved like a storm, still trying to fight whatever was in his hands and

"Put me down! I don't want to stay here with you! LET ME GO!"

Yuán Fèn's eyes widened, realizing that what the prince tried so badly to hold on tight to was in fact you. Without another thought, he unleashed his staff and, emitting only a huge STOMP, he bashed his weapon on the head of the rat. Instead of falling dead on the ground, he started to move like a drunk man, obviously kerfuffled by the monkey attack but not dead like he hoped.

That giant started to fall, losing the grip on you, and, by taking that to his advantage, Yuán Fèn was able to catch you in his arms before you could meet the hard ground. Your eyes were shut close, scared for the fall, and he couldn't hold a small giggle for that display.

"You look like you were in need of assistance, my Bián huá!" He said.showing off a little for the rescue.

You opened your eyes; a gleam of happiness reappeared.

"...Monkey!"

Your arms met his neck in a hug, relieved that in fact both of you weren't dead at all. He sighed, holding you closer. trying to calm you down from the huge scare you must have felt back there. Then, you suddenly make some space between the two of you, a mortified look on your face.

"AH! I'm sorry! Your wounds!"

"I'm fine! See? Not a scratch!"

He showed you his chest, untouched and without trace of any wounds or arrows.

"But I saw it... Did the healing wine help you?"

"Not exactly. I've found a helping hand that...

Will let you lose your head!"

"...it's strangely specific."

He just laughed it off; he was sure that, sooner than later, you would understand his words, and, maybe, he couldn't wait to see your face once you noticed the headless monk. But he regained his seriousness once he heard some moan of pain from the rat Yaogaui in front of him. He let you down, then took back his staff; he couldn't let that thing walk around again, not after the danger he had put you through.

"Wait!" Your hands resting on his arm, he looked at you surprised. "Let's just leave him. You gave him a concussion already. I don't think he'll be a problem soon."

Well, that was new… You seemed even sorry for what had happened to that rat. Now, come to think of it, you were practically unharmed. Not only that, but by looking around, he noticed a tea set, now almost completely destroyed on the ground, what it seemed to be tea and a bunch of staff not so far from you. Dared he say, that prince never had any intention of eating you!

"All right, I don't know what happened here, but you look like you had a blast. Let's move now; more rats will come after the commotion!"

You nodded, but you still looked back at the prince with a sorry expression that made your friend more curious than before.

"I'm sorry. It's an urgent matter. I promise to apologize better when we take the relic. Thank you!"

And so you and the Destined One left hand in hand the cave, even if your friend now was quite interested in knowing what had just happened between you and that thing in that cave. Once out, you needed to cover your face from the sun, trying to readjust to its rays even in the dim light of the rocks.

"Hey." His voice made you look at him, noticing something long and dark pointing at you. Your staff…he had kept it all this time...

You smiled, taking from his hand your weapon, promising yourself to be more careful. Your hands shook at the view of your friend dying on the ground… Then, his hand reached yours, making one of the two leaving the staff and giving it a light squeeze.

"Come on... I know the way." He said with confidence.

And so, you followed him.

((GEEEEEEEZE, ugh...sucha ride...it's more a prologue than a part buuut there it is!))

what had happene din that cave between you and the prince?

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