Daybreak is always early...do not let anyone tell you different. As promised, Sifu had all of the items, men, animals, and equipment ready to move out of the temple at daybreak. Thirty plus individuals were lined up in a column, Sifu on a small Asian horse that was dwarfed by the massive Shire, Tiny, waiting for Tore to mount up. The column was arranged with the faster travelers in front, back to the slower mules and pack animals in the rear – all Tore needed to do is mount up and they would be off.


    Tore was armored for riding at the moment, he was wearing the same gear that he had met Sifu and Kai in. Never being caught without something he may need though, his heavier demon hunting gear was stowed and packed on to the back of Tiny. Easily within reach as well, Tore''s bow was hanging from the saddle. The bow was not lost to Sifu, as he took stock of the mammoth yew and bone recurve composite, it was nearly as tall as a long bow...but recurved. Sifu guessed, the draw weight on the beast must be over 100 pounds, and the arrows – longer than normal by a quarter, black walnut shafts with raven feather fletching and wicked iron barbed tips...this bow was not for hunting food, this much Sifu was sure of. The monks were outfitted in their classic garb of varying colors...grey, orange, yellow, or white. Few were armored other than tough leather bracers, although some of the older students and teachers wore small pieces of leather or bamboo on their chest. All in all, they were dressed for speed.


    The eastern road out of the monastery was well traveled and surprisingly well kempt. Those on horseback could make good time if they so desired, at least up to the half way point where they would leave the road and travel single file on the well-worn goat paths to their final destination. Spring in the high mountain desert was  chilly at daybreak, but at least they would avoid getting baked in the sun come mid-day. Tore mounted up and Sifu signaled for the column to move out.


    The pace was easy on horseback as they did not want to become too far separated from those on foot, this gave Tore and Sifu some one-on-one time, and who doesn''t need some time with a world class warrior monk to make you feel like you are 5 years old, not 65. "Tore" Sifu asked quizzically, "may I ask you a question?"


    Tore chuckled lightly, "Sifu, if I said no, would that make a difference?"


    Sifu looked up, into Tore''s eyes with a knowing grin on his face, "No son, no it would not. So, may I ask who taught you to fight?"


    "Oh Sifu, I knew we would get to this, so I want you to know I will be completely honest with you, but some things are going to get weird, like the way ''you guys didn''t know Xiao existed'' weird...just to be clear." Sifu nodded, giving him his lead, "So, here we go, my mother taught me to fight." Tore''s face lit up with pride and good memories, "As soon as I could walk my mother began teaching me. The basics seemed like dancing to me, and as I got older, we moved into hands and fists, eventually to weapons. In my formative years – mother made it fun, so even as I got more serious it was fun. Along with fighting she taught me many things of hunting demons and monsters, like the ones we are chasing today."


    Sifu nodded, his brow slightly scrunched up in thought, "I started boxing as soon as I could walk as well." He mused, "My father was a renowned martial arts teacher in Xi''an for the king''s guard, and I was a natural, a prodigy I am told. I was not the oldest of my siblings, but I was the best martial artist, and my father invested much in me. He was called to war when I was ten – he never came home, he was killed in push that won the war for us...but, who wins in war. Now, without a father to care for us, and I was not the eldest, I was taken to Dongfeng and offered to the monks who took me in – but only after I beat several students older and bigger than myself. From there I not only studied combat but philosophy, mathematics etcetera, blah blah – you get the story." Sifu looked up at Tore to see if he was paying attention, Tore was actually fascinated by the tale. "Please Sifu, go on."


    "Did you know, it is a misconception that Shaolin monks are ''warrior'' monks. We actually practice combat second to philosophy and morality...medicine, some other things. Our Kung Fu was really developed primarily as a way to exercise and meditate; it has evolved over hundreds of years to what it is now. As Sifu, it is my duty to keep that tradition alive, but to also live in alignment with the modern practices; hence the reason I let some of our more advanced masters participate in the fighting circuit. We do not make it a focus for them and do our best to maintain humility...even though our school is undefeated." His eyes perking up and a small grin on his face.


    "But Sifu" Tore piped up, "you are ranked number three in rankings, how can you not take pride in that?" Sifu scowled a bit, as he answered, "There are a number of us elite masters that have reputations. I am number three, because I am the third oldest...and the rankings give us the benefit of the doubt, that the oldest elite grandmaster is best, followed by the second, and so on. We have all fought at one time or another, but do not fight now, the ranking is for courtesy and respect of the eldest elites."


    "Hmmm" Tore mumble under his breath, "so, the master''s don''t fight any more, at all?"


    "No Tore, we don''t..."


    "But what if you did, who would win?"


    "I would Tore. I can, hands down, guarantee that. Remember, I am the third oldest, those farts older than me, are both over 100 years old...so let that sink in. How old do I look, ask yourself that, and no – I am not going to tell you, either."


    Tore looked down at Sifu, scrunching his face in light hearted thought, "I think I can take you Sifu...yeah, I''d go easy on you, but I think I can take you."


    Sifu grabbed his belly, looked up to the clouds, and began laughing – a hard guffawing belly laugh, "That is the funniest thing I have heard in twenty years, Tore." Sifu let the laugh play out, "Oh wow, son, your mother must have been a great teacher that you haven''t gotten yourself killed yet. As young as you are and the over-the-top self-confidence...self-confidence is good, but it''s gotten men killed, be careful my boy" Sifu''s laughter easing.


    "I am a lot older than I look Sifu, not as old as you – but older than I look..." the look on Tore''s face was incredulous - a bit offended, but also in awe of what Sifu could help him improve on.


    "So, how old are you young man, twenty-five, twenty-nine?"


    " I am sixty five..."


    "No, you can''t be sixty-five..."


    "I told you this was going to get weird; my mother is an angel...and my father is a Viking"


    Sifu''s eyes opened wide, "A what Tore...an angel? One of the heavenly messengers?"


    "That may be what you call them, but my mother is the granddaughter of the Jehovah, the All Father of Christianity, Lord to mankind."


    Sifu had to shake this off and think it through, "Well, we thought Xiao were storybook creatures – why not heavenly messengers, that would also explain why you aren''t dead, you''re half angel..." The pair rode in silence for the next many minutes, both pondering things they just learned about each other.


    "Sifu", Tore started the conversation back up, "I can tell you that I am stronger, faster, smarter, and heal faster, than any man I have yet to meet. But that puts me on even ground with demon''s and monsters, otherwise yes, I would be dead. I have been training and fighting for over sixty years, how is it that you think I am so bad?" Tore looked down at Sifu with curiosity in his eyes, not anger, just curiosity.


    "My boy, I don''t think you are bad. I think maybe I have used certain words for so long, they have a different meaning now, what I think about you, is that you are unrefined. You are like a blade that is not fully complete – the blade and handle are there, but to finish it completely, it must be sharpened and honed to a razor''s edge, and finally hardened and quenched. You are the sharpened blade in need of honing and hardening."


    Tore nodded, not necessarily in agreement, but in understanding, "What is it that I need to ''sharpen'' Sifu? I pride myself on making myself better, learning and applying new skills and knowledge – what is it that you see?"


    "It is the little things Tore. I was watching you fight Xiao, and you are effective, but you waste energy. You are not focusing your Chi – you are just hitting. If you focus your Chi and push the power and energy of your strike into your opponent, you use less physical power but create more impact when releasing Chi at the pinnacle of the strike. The Xiao are minor beasts that are easily beaten, if and when you were to fight me, or even Kai, we will focus the strike properly and release our Chi, and you would pay for your unrefined attacks."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Tore was slowly nodding his head, replaying the battle in his head, focusing on those strikes, all strikes, now in question. "Thank you for that Sifu. Being who I am, there really isn''t anyone that can help me get better...it''s not like there are a lot of angels hanging around to help me out. My mother left me some time ago, told me I was ready, I just assumed she was right."


    "It could be, since she is an eternal being, she took for granted what she taught you. She may not be aware of your capabilities, so she just got you to a point that she thought was the best you could be, not knowing there was room for improvement. Don''t blame her, when we have dealt with Xiao and the students are home, I will be happy to work with you Tore, I will hone and temper you. I can tell you are a man of honor and have an honest heart – I would like to be a part of your story." Sifu looked up to Tore and bowed respectfully, Tore bowed in kind. "This is where the travel will get difficult, we must leave the road now. Let''s get to the caves and get our kids back."


    The trail took off to the left, the slope slowly becoming steeper the higher up it rose, but not unmanageable. The light brown desert landscape was full of scrub brush and rocky outcroppings, the trail often seemed to get lost if you were looking too far ahead as the colors and textures just blended into that desert brown. Tore took the lead of the now single file column, "Sifu" he shouted back over his shoulder, "pass it down the line to keep an eye out...and up for Xiao – they may not take kindly to us in their territory." Sifu nodded and in turn, passed the warning down the column. Tore kept his mammoth bow at the ready and let Tiny have his head...he was a smart horse, not to mention he had also been trained, with Tore, by Turkish horse master''s to take commands from his riders'' leg movement. The pair could move as a single entity leaving Tore''s hands free for anything else.


    Two hours later, and not seeing anything out of the ordinary, the column turned one final bend in the single-track trail that opened into a decent sized bowl set against the side of the mountain, with openings into the earth, at the back of the bowl. The open area was large for the entire column to pour into and have room to stage before going in. The cave openings were more like alcoves that had been carved out, with solid rock columns looking like a support structure, keeping the roof up. There were three archways in the mountain. The center one was six feet tall, wide enough for six or eight people to walk through side by side, the ones on either side were lower by a head, but just as wide. Tore led Tiny right up the edge of the center opening and dismounted. Unsheathing Sirius and Arcturus and looking at Sifu, "I am going to check this out before we get too settled in...in case we need to haul as outta here."


    "Wait" Sifu scowled abruptly, at least get a torch, and take Kai with you – Kai, get a torch and come here!"


    Tore lightly shook his head ''no'', "Sifu, I can see in all but pure darkness. Let me get a look, Kai can back me up, just in case, but I am best suited for this." Tore gave Kai a minute to catch up, and he entered the arched cave. Under his breath, Tore prayed, ''Father guide my eyes and my steps, give me what I need to find out missing children – Jesus loved the little ones, guide me to them. Sharpen my wits and open my ears – Amen''. Tore could feel a subtle but palpable shift to his person, his senses became just a bit sharper. As Tore''s senses settled, he heard Kai a couple of steps behind, take a sharp breath, "What''s the matter Kai?" Tore kept slowly moving into the cave as Kai followed, "My body just tingled, I thought it was my ass waking up from the long ride, then all of a sudden I can see in the dark and I am pretty sure I can hear mice or moles burrowing in the ground under us – what the hell?" Kai scrunching his eyes at the sudden shift in vision. Tore quietly responded, "Hmm, I will explain later" and mentally thanked the Allfather for gifts unassumed.


    The pair quietly skulked around the back of the cave their night vision piercing the shadows. They noticed several openings, large and small, delving further into mountain side. It was not until Tore looked at them all and came back to a particular one that was on the furthest to the left of the cavern as you looked in, he got the feeling like this was the way they needed to go – and he gave a mental thanks to his Allfather above. "Kai, do you feel anything in your bones when we stand over here?" not that he needed confirmation, but Kai did respond, "yes, I definitely feel like that is the tunnel we should go down – you?"


    "Absolutely, let''s get Sifu ready."


    The pair stepped back into the cool mountain sunlight and made their way to Sifu, who was choreographing the setup of camp. "There you two are – I didn''t hear any screams or howls after a few minutes, I figured I was safe to have our camp set up. What did you find?" Tore quickly explained what they found but did overlook the new found night vision that Kai acquired, not necessarily on purpose. "Kai" Sifu scowled, "look at me", and of course Kai did. "what in the nine hells is wrong with your eyes?"


    "Why Sifu...what''s wrong with them?"


    "I can barely see your pupil, it''s not normal."


    Kai turned to Tore, "You mentioned you were going to tell me something, do you remember?"


    "Oh, oh yeah, that''s my fault." Tore grinned, "Sifu, I didn''t get the chance to tell Kai, but remember who my mom is?" Sifu slowly nodded his head in recognition as he replied, "I would expect something from you, but what of Kai?" Kai quickly interrupted, confused "What the devil is going on here – what do I need to know?" Tore was smirking, "My friend, it''s definitely not the devil, I am half angel – my Great Grandfather is the Christian God, and uh, I asked him for a little boost to find the kids – it seems as if he feels like you could benefit as well. Your night vision kicked in right after I finished praying." Kai scrunched his eyes closed and grabbed the bridge of his nose, "Your moms a what, and your great grandfather is who...?"


    Tore gave Kai a minute to recover, "Come my friend, let us pull up a rock over there and I''ll explain. Sifu, let''s do a good lunch and head into the cave when you''re ready – it''s always a good idea to eat well before demon hunting ''cause you never know if that meal will be your last, or, when you''re going to eat again." Sifu nodded, "I agree. We can eat in fifteen or so – you take care of Kai."


    Tore was able to give Kai the short version, since he was already experiencing a gift from the Allfather, it was easy. "...and so", Tore finished up, "your pupils are now tiny because your eyes adapted, and we don''t want you going blind while out in the light." Kai sat in stunned silence for a few moments longer, "That is incredible Tore...the implications here are endless. The Xiao are real, so what other myths are real. You are clearly not human with an angel mother, so what other myths are real...?" Kai was in a deep ponderance, "Yes, what other myths are real?" He looked up to Tore''s face, "I have met some Christians and have heard of their God, you are not like them." Kai ran his left hand over his mouth and hairless chin, looking into Tore''s face, "I am ready to get retrieve our children, we will talk of this later – but as you say, I don''t know if this will be my last meal, so let''s eat." The pair walked over to the chuck wagon, manned  by the master of the kitchen, grabbed some jerky and dried fruit, pulled up a piece of ground next to Sifu, and quickly finished their meals.


    Sifu stood and walked to the front of the large cave opening, "Here Here!" he  bellowed, grabbing the attention of all. "You know your places and the jobs you need to do. Get your things and line up here, torches, weapons, armor, medicine, and so on – we aren''t sure what we''re getting into so we must all be prepared to die...or run. Karma says we will get our children back and the evil will be repaid, but we all know that karma is brat, and karma will do as karma does. Tore and Kai will lead – this is Tore''s realm; he has done this kind of thing before, believe it or not. You will listen to his guidance as you would mine. Tore do you have anything you would say or warn us about before we enter?"


    Tore was talking as he moved his way through the crowd to Sifu''s side, "Watch your friends back. It is hard to see in the caves, the shadows can cover burrows or hidey holes – trust nothing. Xiao may not be the only thing down there – you thought the Xiao were a myth...now think to yourself, what else is NOT a myth, and keep an eye open for that. I do specialize in demon hunting, Sifu knows this, as does Kai. I don''t have time down there to answer questions, so if I say to do something, don''t ask why, just do it. I will do all I can to bring us all back, ALL of us. Having children abducted by monsters is not what the Allfather has planned for innocent children, that is why I am here, I am a tool of balance and vengeance. Have faith in me as I have faith in the Allfather, and we will triumph. If you have any pertinent questions about this mission, ask now, otherwise, I will answer questions later." Tore paused for a few moments, "Okay, get your gear and let''s go".


    The camp broke into a hustle, each person knowing their role, they were anxious to move out. Sifu would follow directly behind Tore and Kai, he had donned his light bamboo armor and studded leather bracers, armed with studded tonfa for close quarter fighting. Kai only wore studded bracers for armor and was armed with a long knife in each hand and nunchaku tucked on his belt. Sifu and Kai watched as Tore donned his heavier scale armor. His massive arms looked like alligators, with silvery scales instead of green, that ended in studded fingerless gauntlets. A large 3 scaled piece covered his torso – it was heavier but did not hinder his movement like solid western style plate armor. His trousers were actually made to accept externally mounted thigh  and shin guards, while his helmet, in the likeness of a bear, sat on top of his head, not covering his face, and blending into the armor scales on his back, protecting his exposed neck. Finally, Tore grabbed his massive bow and began to disassemble it – the yew limbs could be removed, and now instead of being almost as tall as a man, it was a short bone recurve that could be more easily handled in tight spaces. Tore also grabbed a different quiver of arrows, not the extra-long ones Sifu had noticed earlier. And as always, Sirius and Arcturus, the star metal axe and hammer hung in his belt. The technology Tore used was more incredible than anything Sifu had seen, even that of the Chinese royal armory in Beijing.


    Tore walked over to check in with Sifu and Kai before they entered into the subterranean shaft that presumably led to demon central, Sifu looked him up and down, "Tore, if I saw you in the night and did not know you, I might think you were the demon." Tore nodded respectfully, "Sifu, I don''t know how kids do it in China, but in Norway, children look under their beds before sleeping to make sure there are no monsters there...also in Norway, monsters look under their beds to see if I am there", and Tore smiled a large devious smile, "Let''s go get our kids back, shall we?" and the team began the trek into the mountain.