After having departed from the Lady Malevolent and informing Vinarei that he would return the next morning, Sallo stood among survivors of the current war in Darkshore. His steps were steady and his expression neutral as always while he made his way down the docks and into the island village of Rut'theran that was being used as a recovery center for those returning from battle. On all sides he gazed at kaldorei caring for their kin, many in dire states and in need of healing while others had that fateful sheet pulled over their heads.
Sentinels, priestesses, druids, no one had been spared in the defense and it was a horrid sight for the spirit. Still, Sallo kept calm and did not let his emotions run away from him. Instead, he looked for familiar faces, anyone who might be able to direct him towards his daughter. Almost every sentinel he spied was far too busy or preoccupied to point him to one of their sisters.
Then, he saw someone he absolutely recognized. Sallo stopped in his tracks as he saw Jetha sitting on the steps of one of the huts towards the outside of the village, her hands clutching her arms as she looked towards the dirt at the bottom of the steps. Her priestess robes were still white and pristine as she had not seen combat yet, likely staying within Rut'theran to assist with the wounded. Her expression was of utter exhaustion and defeat, eyes glazed and cheeks wet with a mouth hung slightly open.
Sallo steeled himself for a moment. He had hoped this meeting could have been avoided all together but it seemed he had little in the way of options. As he stood before her at the bottom of the stairs, he exhaled before steadily greeting her. "Hello, Jetha." The female's eyes focused on where they were looking and her mouth slowly closed, lips pursing. She looked up to him, her eyes still glazed but a scornful anger in them that could burn through a man.
She stood up gracefully and made her way down the steps, her eyes locked to his as no words were said. She stood just before Sallo's neutral expression, mere inches from him, and waited until his mouth opened to speak before a hand came up and slapped Sallo across the cheek with a loud crack. Her voice was cold but punishing in its low volume. "Our daughter is dead."
The words hung in the air like a knife above his head that threatened to fall at any moment. Sallo's eyes slowly widened and his mouth hung open in horror. His way, the way of the monk, was to maintain balance at all times, to not let any emotion, good or bad, overwhelm the rest. At this moment, Sallo failed in his teachings as he simply stared forward while Jetha moved passed him, disappearing into the rest of the village. Sallo's heart clenched and nearly stopped in his chest. All sound faded from around him into a simple muffle as he collapsed to one knee and leaned forward on one hand. "Our...daughter is..." were all the words that he could muster in a hushed tone. He could see it in his mind, his daughter, a newly graduated sentinel, on the battlefields with fear in her eyes as her sisters perished around her and the Horde descended to silence her screams and tear her apart with no regard for honor or mercy.
Sallo's eyes slowly lifted, breaths heaving through grit teeth as ho turned to look at the shores of Darkshore with one thing in mind.
The Jade Forest, a long standing symbol of beauty and harmony within Pandaria and home of the Tian Monastery, a place of learning for new students of the ways of the monk. Being the most accepting to those that are not pandaren, races from all over Azeroth come to begin training either for self defense, spiritual enlightenment, or their own personal reasons. Master Hoon Dullhide, a brown furred pandaren, one of these classes by taking a group of students to a clearing in the forests just outside of the monastery. The class was entirely of novices and nearly all of them were of foreign races. The pandaren that were there were practically children and they kept up with the other students all too well, drawing some ire and embarrassment from the others along the way.
As Master Hoon spoke his lessons, walking back and forth in front of the dozen students that sat in the grass, a male kaldorei stood just behind him towards the treeline with his hands clasped behind his back and gaze looking over the students. The elf's light leathers adorned with red feather and ropes were contrasted by the dark purple skin and the bright cyan hair that grew in a closely shaved beard and in a long ponytail behind his head. His expression was hard to read as it fell over those sitting, not stern or hardened but not showing any bit of affection either.
"Master Hoon, we don't need a lesson why punching and kicking works. We came here to learn to do it!" A female voice piped up. A blonde haired sin'dorei sitting near the middle of the class voiced her impatience with the class being given. "Why did you bring us all out here? I learned a new technique yesterday and I was hoping to spar with the other students back at the monastery." Master Hoon stopped in his pacing and merely smiled at the blood elf, a gentle chuckle answering her.
"Oh have you now? I would very much like to see it." He turned to the kaldorei behind him. "Sallo, can I trouble you with sparring a round with our friend, here?" The kaldorei bowed his head.
"Of course, Master." Sallo stepped forward to stand at the front of the group as the blood elf got up from her spot and stood across from him, her eyes fierce as she readied herself. Sallo simply bowed to her with his hands remaining behind his back and stood upright as Master Hoon moved to stand behind the row of sitting students and proclaimed the start of the spar.
"Begin."
Sallo slightly widened his stance but otherwise let his hands remain clasped behind his back. Not a moment after Master Hoon spoke, the female rushed forward with a flurry of wild punches and kicks being thrown at Sallo's head and chest. Every one of the strikes only felt air as Sallo steadily stepped backwards and bobbed from left to right around every attack. Continuing his evasion, Sallo noted when they were backed to the end of the line of students and he easily rolled around to her back when ducking under another punch. An opportunity was given to him as she was slow to turn around but he did not take it, choosing to teach a lesson rather than hand her a defeat.
She whirled around with a kick but he bent backwards and it sailed right in front of his face, his demeanor still calm. He paced the fight back along the line of students again and again, his opponent becoming even more frustrated and embarrassed with each pass and her strikes becoming more wild. Her breathing was becoming labored as more energy was expended and Sallo saw the real opportunity that he wanted.
As she reached out with a strike and put her whole body's weight into it, Sallo stepped to the side and left his foot out in her path, the force of her strike carrying her forward to trip over it and squeak as she fell face first into the grass. Laughter erupted from the class and Master Hoon only smiled. "Now, now. All of you should be thanking her for learning a lesson for you, not laughing at her perceived defeat." He made his way around to where the female was gathering herself, her face red from embarrassment. "Do not be so quick to rush into defeat. Let victory find its way to you."
The master stepped aside and let Sallo face her once more, his fist in his hand in front of him as he bowed and she begrudgingly did the same. As they bowed, Sallo's voice carried to her in an almost whisper. "Keep your weight on the back foot." The blood elf blinked as they came out of the bow and looked to the still stoic face of Sallo, a purse of her lips given before she hurried back to her seat and the kaldorei returned to the master's side.
Master Hoon smiled at the class and continued. "Now, where was I-?" The words had barely left his mouth when a distant booming sound echoed through the forests. All of the students looked around in a confusion but both Master Hoon and Sallo looked over the peaks to the west towards the Peak of Serenity. Master Hoon looked in frightened awe at a green glow and massive ships hovering over the Peak. "What...what is this?"
Sallo stared with his arms at his sides, mouth slightly open and murmured, "The Burning Legion." Sallo's attention shot to the class, all now stood up and looking towards the distant peaks with fear whispering through the group. His voice hardened with urgency and he looked to Master Hoon. "Master, we must get the students back to the monastery."
Before they could even turn to start back, a splitting crack thundered through the sky and a Legion ship shadowed them. Sallo looked up with wide eyes and the hum of the formidable structure was only accompanied by the cries of panic from the class and Master Hoon trying to calm them while keeping fear out of his own voice as much as he could. Sallo watched the ship trail forward towards Tian Monastery and the beams of green energy come down as its soldiers touched down. The monastery was no longer an option.
"Quickly! We must head east towards the Temple of the Jade Serpent!" Master Hoon proclaimed. Motioning the students along, the group began to head through the lush forests. Sallo slowly backed towards them, his vision glued to the catastrophe that was happening in the distance. Tearing away, he ran to catch up as the group was in a hurry and he took up the rear as Master Hoon lead the way through the trees.
Sallo lost his sense of time, not knowing if they had walked for a mere minute or a whole hour as he gazed around the forests in search of attackers. Master Hoon called out. "Sallo! A word, please." Sallo jogged up to the front of the group, passing students mumbling to themselves and all trying to make sense out of what was happening. Sallo leaned in to speak in a hushed tone to the master.
"If the Legion has returned, no temple will be safe for long. We must find out if there is a defense forming."
Master Hoon merely looked forward in response, his voice gentle but his brow laced with concern. "We have students under our care. That is our only focus at this moment. Keep sight of what is in front of you, not on what may or may never come forward."
Their conversation was cut short by a cry of pain from behind them. Sallo whipped around to see one of the human students fall to the ground in smoldering green fire. As they peered through the forests in the direction they came, Legion forces sprinted through the brush, hulking demons grunting and brandishing their spears while eredar readied their foul magics. Cries of panic overwhelmed the students and all began running past their master through the trees hoping to not be one of the few who were cut down but foul spells and flying weapons.
It all so quickly descended into chaos as the demons caught up to them in seconds. Sallo sprinted through the trees and let a quick fist crash into any demon who caught up with the group but it wasn't enough. He could still hear some of the demon's finding their prey and students being slain with outbursts of agony. Some were even taken prisoner, harshly subdued and carried back towards Tian Monastery. As Sallo stood up and looked for who was left to defend, he saw two students cowering behind a tree. The blood elf female that he had sparred with before was clutching a young pandaren boy, shielding him behind a tree.
Just out of the corner of his eye, Sallo could see the flash of metal and time moved in slow motion as he turned to see a spear hurtling through the air straight towards them. There was no time for him to intercept it but it was another quick movement that stopped it. Master Hoon's form was between them and the spear before Sallo could even realize what was happening and the weapon burst through his chest and just poked out of the old pandaren's back. The two students cried a whimper and Sallo rushed over to Hoon who was laboring his last breaths. A large hand rested on Sallo as he held his old master up. "Keep sight...of what...is in front of you." He aired out before the large master collapsed forward onto the spear that killed him.
Sallo stood wide eyed, that slow motion effect coming to him again as he looked around the scene. Corpses littered the forests of those who stood up against the impossible foe that still pressed towards them in growing numbers. Sallo looked to the blood elf and the young pandaren still behind the tree and he hardened his resolve, making towards them. He slid behind the tree and put a hand on each of them. "Do you remember Master Hoon's teachings on chi?" He said as gently as he could.
The two looked at him with teary eyes, almost confused. After a moment, they both nodded.
Sallo looked around the tree at more of the demons getting closer and nodded to them. "Alright, I want you to close your eyes and recite them back, okay? Keep your eyes closed and tell me what chi is." The blood elf seemed ready to question or even protest but he looked at her, a steel in his eyes as he repeated himself. "Close your eyes and tell me what chi is." He was given another look, one of panic and confusion but they both eventually complied and closed their eyes. As they began, Sallo breathed out and stood up, making his way around the tree and eyeing his enemy.
Chi is the spirit energy within all beings.
A wild felgaurd came rushing through the brush with a roar, his spear pointed at Sallo. The elf ducked low under the thing and swept his leg under the felgaurd to make it crash to the ground before keeping his momentum and driving a heel into the front of its skull, his chi focused in his strikes to create such a force that bone cracked and the demon lay limp.
Chi is not a magical source. It is the will of yourself, your fighting spirit.
More emerged to attach Sallo and the monk quickly darted forward with a flurry of punches in lightning succession and drove one of the demonic soldiers to the ground while feeling the skin of his arms break and bleed as the monster retaliated until its demise. The other bounded past him and towards the huddled students. Sallo picked up the spear of the one he dispatched before it even hit the ground and sent it hurtling back into the second demon's neck, pinning it to the other side of the tree from where the students were and causing them a moment of panic. Sallo cried out, "Keep going!" before he felt a bolt of fel energy impact his abdomen and he was knocked to the ground gasping for air.
Chi has no limit just as your self has no limit. It is as strong as you will it to be.
Sallo looked up, his teeth grit, to see the eredar caster readying another spell as it approached. The kaldorei's abdomen smoldered green but only for a moment as a gentle blue glow pulled the flames away and left only the damage they had managed to cause thus far behind. He pushed off of his back foot and launched himself forward, rolling under the next green fireball that came out and coming out of it driving a heel straight up into the chin of the eredar, sending it skyward. Sallo lept up after the demonic creature and grabbed around its neck before twisting his body around in midair to let the momentum break the eredar's neck.
To master my chi is to master myself and my own destiny.
The corpse landed with a thud and Sallo fell to his knees, bleeding clutching his wounded gut and wincing as he looked forward. He could hear them, more demons coming through the forest. The kaldorei was unsure how long he could keep this up before being overwhelmed and fear began to tickle at the back of his mind. He saw his own corpse next to those he had slain, the students captured or killed and all because of his failures. His yellow eyes closed and a slow breath was taken in. Fear would not take hold of him. If this was the day he was to die then he would die in defense of those it was his duty to protect. opening his eyes and standing, he readied himself, hands up and eyes in the woods.
Chi is the spirit within all beings.
Sallo tightened his knuckles before opening his palms, his breaths steady from his nostrils.
Chi is not a magical source. It is the will of yourself, your fighting spirit.
That blue glow emerged from his body again, a gentle mist wiping away the blood from his arms.
Chi has no limit just as your self has no limit. It is as strong as you will it to be.
All felt quite for a split moment, the calm before the storm. A gentle breeze rustled the trees around him and blew at his hair. Sallo remained a statue, ever ready for a last stand.
To master my chi is to master myself and my own destiny.
An armored eredar broke through the treeline roaring wildly as it charged forward seemingly out of control. Just as it made it a few feet from Sallo, its eyes rolled back in its head and it collapsed forward to reveal crossbow bolts pierced all along its armor. Sallo blinked and looked up to the treeline with wide eyes to see a mixture of demons and black armored pandaren emerge in gruesome battle, the pandaren having the upper hand. The Shado-Pan had come to Tian Monastery’s defense.
From where Sallo stood in the present day, stepping from a ship onto the docks of Duskscale harbor, he wondered if it was mere luck that he and the students had been rescued that day and taken to the Wandering Isle where he had remained to aid in the war with the Legion. There, he had helped train those eager to fight for their world and stepped onto the front lines a few times himself. Part of him now put stock in the pandaren's strong beliefs of destiny.
Either way, the war was over and the monasteries were beginning to rebuild but Sallo had decided that he had been away from the rest of the world for too long. He was seeking an old friend.
As he walked down the harbor, he stopped one of the workers. "Where can I find the captain of the Veil Jumper?"
Una sorta di malessere, vorrei piangere ma proprio non ci riesco, probabilmente perché ho avuto uno sbalzo ormonale talmente sballato che ho giá pianto tutte le lacrime che avevo e ora non piangeró mai più.
E mo’? Che posso fa quando sono triste? Mi prendo a pizze in faccia? (Così, ‘na cosa un po’ emo per esternare dolore)
