《Master of the Immortal Heavens》


 1 Mis

    Sitting quietly on a stone, a young boy, Mist, quietly looks into the shadowy forest. This forest, called the Forbidden Forest, surrounds most of River village. An old mountain path leading out of the village is free of the forest. Only hunters are permitted entry into the Forbidden Forest. Mist is an average-sized seven-year-old child wearing rough brown shorts and a shirt. His hair and eyes are both dark brown.


    The River village is hidden and cut off from the greater world. Several generations ago, the River Clan moved into this hidden place in search of a simpler life. Since its founding, the members of the River Village have relied on one another for survival. Every person in the village trusts each other with their lives. It is only because of their unity they have been able to survive for so long.


    Staring into the lush mysterious depths, Mist wonders what things lay hidden inside the mysterious forest. He''s heard many tales about the Forbidden Forest. He knows all kinds of dangerous animals and insects are inside.


    The elders, his parents, and even other children constantly warn him against going into the Forbidden Forest. Mist can''t describe it to anyone but to him, it feels as if something is calling to him. The calling started when he was five and it has only gotten stronger. He often finds himself staring trance-like into its depths.


    Standing up he slowly walks to the dividing line between the safe area of the village and the tree line, the doorway into the Forbidden Forest. Lifting his foot he moves it forward about to cross the boundary line. Just as his foot is about to land he feels the back of his shirt being grabbed and someone roughly pulling him back.


    "Mist, what do you think you''re doing, son?!"


    A large man standing just over six feet towered over Mist. He wore the typical gear of the village''s hunters. Every bit of his skin was covered with the course and heavy shirt and pants colored in forest colors to help him hide when hunting.


    The pants are covered by the shoes which look almost like boots. His elbows and knees have special padding; while his face is painted in dark forest colors to help him blend in. His head is wrapped by a special hat that covered over his ears. A quiver filled with arrows and a strong bow was slung over his back. An intimidating knife was sheathed on a belt. This hunter even carried a heavy club on his back while holding a fearsome spear.


    "Nothing, Father," Mist said. Looking at his father, River Snake, he couldn''t help feel a little fear. This wasn''t the first time Mist''s father barely caught his son before he stepped into the forest. River Snake is not only Mist''s father; he is also the strongest hunter of the River Village.


    "Do you know why it''s called the Forbidden Forest? It''s because everything there can kill you! Even experienced hunters such as myself only go in after extensive preparation. Do you see this helmet? It covers my ears to keep the brain-eating beetles out. My ankles are protected from the vicious snakes, scorpions, centipedes, and other toxic animals in the forests. The poison most of these creatures produce is so strong they can kill a two-ton spirit beast! Every piece of clothing is meant to help me survive.


    Look at you! What are you wearing? A short-sleeved shirt and shorts! Are you trying to get yourself killed?! You''re mother and I have had six sons and three daughters. Out of our children, all of them have died except for you and your baby sister. Do you know what else your siblings have in common? None of them died due to stupidity!


    Do you not want me to pass on my bloodline? Do you want your mother to cry over one more child? Who will protect your sister Fairy? Are you an enemy to my bloodline?! Get back to the house I''m going to beat your moon red! Maybe that will help you remember going into the Forbidden Forest is bad!" River Snake yelled.


    River Snake didn''t want to spank his child, he loved him dearly, but he didn''t know what to do anymore. This child seemed determined to get himself killed. Pushing Mist forward, River Snake escorted his son back to their home.


    What neither father nor son noticed when they left the glowing red eyes watching them from within the forest.


    After his spanking, Mist laid on the bed in the room he shared with his sister Fairy. He was still crying. He didn''t want to make his parents sad. He knew the beating he just received was a result of his father''s fear for his life. The problem was Mist couldn''t help himself. The Forbidden Forest kept calling to him. No matter how much he tried to resist it he always found himself drawn to it.


    He would try to stay away but then he would suddenly find himself at the edge of the forest. He was never scared of the forest. All of the adults feared the forest, but not Mist. He felt like he would be safe no matter what. His father didn''t believe this.


    Mist wasn''t able to lay on his back, he could only painfully lay on his stomach. His mother came into the room with the remains of tear streaks on her face. She came to treat her son''s backside with a healing balm.


    "Little Mist, every time you almost enter the forest your mother cries her heart out. I cannot lose you. I have lost almost all of my children. If I lose you and my little Fairy I will die of a broken heart. When you risk your life, you aren''t just risking your life but mine as well. Do you want mother to die?" She asked with new tears falling from her face.


    Mist loved his mother and got up and hugged her. He was crying, he didn''t want his mother to die the idea of his kind and loving mother dying made him scared. He decided from now on, no matter what, he would never go near the Forbidden Forest again.


    After having his hindquarters treated, Mist lay in bed and fell asleep. Night fell and the entire River Village drifted into sweet dreams.

 2 Watch Your Sister

    After a few days, Mist was finally allowed out of the house. However, he was not allowed to train with the other young boys. His hunter training was put on hold. Currently, he was on babysitting duty.


    "Your mother and I have different matters today, therefore, you will be in charge of your sister, Fairy." River Snake said.


    "Father, I want to train with the other boys!" Mist said with a slight temper.


    "Watch your sister or I''ll give you another red moon!" River Snake roared.


    He was instantly intimidated. The beating from the other day was fresh in his memory. His mother, Mountain Sprite, came to his side and gave a stern look to his father River Snake.


    "Little Mist, your father is really worried about you. Remember what we talked about the other day, about how hard it would be for me if you were to die?" she asked.


    Nodding his head he was feeling bad again. He forgot about his talk with this mother. He forgot everyone was worried about him. It wasn''t just his mother who was worried. His father was extremely worried. As a hunter, he was the clearest about the dangers in the Forbidden Forest.


    The problem was River Snake had trouble expressing his feelings to his son. He was young when his father died. He wasn''t much older than Mist when he became the head of his house. He and his wife, Mountain Sprite, were married at fourteen and thirteen. They lost all of their children except for their two youngest from several tragic events. Their story was pretty typical among the villagers. Even after having so many children, River Snake was only twenty-one and his wife just turned twenty. Out of nine children, with two pairs of twins, they were left with one boy and girl.


    They were barely adults themselves and lacked the experience to know how to be good parents. They did their best. River Snake always kept his emotions to himself, but the fear his son gave him caused him to react with anger. He was still seething. It was only because of his wife, Mountain Sprite, he was able to hold back from yelling at his son.


    "If you remember what we talked about then you should focus on being safe and keeping your sister safe. Can you do this?" she asked.


    "Yes, mother," he said as he looked at the ground while nodding his head. He was on the verge of tears once more.


    "Good, we''ll be back later, if you need anything you can go find the old woman," she said.


    The old woman referred to a widowed woman named Mountain Breeze. She was forty and her only surviving child, River Clear, was married to a man from the Tree Clan, Tree Monkey. Mountain Breeze was alone in the River Village but she didn''t mind. She loved the River village it was where she had lived most of her life. Her husband passed away just two years before and she wanted to be near his grave.


    She worked with other women to weave clothes together for the villagers. As one of the oldest people in the village, she was the head of the weaver''s cottage and an honored elder. River Snake and Mountain Sprite treated her like a surrogate mother. She was the closest thing River Mist and River Fairy had to a grandmother.


    After a few more hugs and kisses, River Snake and Mountain Sprite left their children. Mist took his little sister into the house and made some gruel to eat. After eating, he and his sister wandered around the village exploring every dark hole and mysterious nook and cranny they could find. River Fairy was only three years old. She had a pretty good balance when it came to walking but would still fall sometimes when she ran.


    She would also get tired from too much walking. Mist and Fairy rested often. Mountain Breeze called the children to her house and prepared lunch for the siblings. She loved these lunches with the children. She loved the heroic spirit of Mist and the cute antics of Fairy.


    After lunch, Mist and Fairy returned to their house. Mist made his sister lay down for her afternoon nap. While she was napping, Mist played with a stick. He was "practicing" his spearing technique. He and the other boys his age were already learning about the tools hunters used. He enjoyed twirling his "spear," the most.


    He already knew the names of several kinds of plants and animals. Mountain Breeze knew some basic reading and writing and taught Mist his letters. Most of the villagers were illiterate. Knowing how to read and write increased Mountain Breeze''s prestige as an elder.


    Being a restless boy and knowing Fairy would be sleeping for at least a couple of hours; he decided to play outside for a little while. Soon, Mist was having a hunting adventure. He took his "spear," and pretended to track the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf of the Forbidden Forest.


    The Red-Eyed Evil Wolf was one of the most terrifying creatures in the forest. Whenever the hunters saw him they would immediately flee. It was a very big wolf as tall as a man. The most terrifying thing about it was its glowing red eyes!


    It was said, if a man stared into those eyes he would be driven insane! It was only natural a young boy like Mist would fantasize about killing the great evil being.


    After playing for a long time, Mist went in to check on his sister, Fairy. To his surprise, Fairy was nowhere to be found! He realized she had gotten up while he was playing.


    "Where did she go?" he wondered.


    After looking inside and then around the house, he began to worry. He called Mountain Breeze to help him find Fairy. Mist was already in tears as he desperately searched for his sister. He didn''t know what he would do if anything happened to his little sister.


    Searching, he even began to search in some unusual places. Lifting his eyes towards the Forbidden Forest, Mist finally found his sister. To his horror, she was walking towards the Forbidden Forest!


    He ran towards Fairy as fast as he could. As he ran he shouted back behind him. Coming to see what the yelling was about, Mountain Breeze saw Mist running towards the Forbidden Forest chasing after his sister.


    In a panic, she called over a hunter who was resting up from an injury. He got up and ran as fast as he could. He injured his leg on his last hunt so his running speed wasn''t very fast. However, he was the only hunter currently in the village.


    Mist was very close to catching up with his sister. He began to yell at her to stop, but when she heard him she looked at him, and with a big grin she started running toward the forest. She thought her brother was playing a game with her.


    Getting more and more scared as he chased his sister the tears wouldn''t stop flowing. Just as he caught up to her, she turned and stumbled backward into the Forbidden Forest. Mist followed her in to pick her up, but as soon as he reached her, he heard growling. A large wolf nearly the size of his father, with glowing red eyes was staring at him.

 3 The Red-Eyed Evil Wolf

    Standing before the monster wolf, Mist was so scared he froze on the spot. He played many games of hunting the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf in the past. Standing before the beast removed every bit of childish confidence Mist possessed. What he dreamed to be an epic, and yet easy battle, now looked to be his and his sister''s instant death. There was no way he could fight this creature. He was so scared he peed his pants.


    The wolf looked at him with his glowing red eyes. It was almost as if those eyes were pulsing. Mist almost felt like the wolf was intelligent. Even though he was scared out of his mind, he slowly became fascinated by the wolf. The tears which had flowed without ceasing since he first saw his sister approach the forest quickly dried up.


    He had a strange feeling the wolf wasn''t what he thought. Even more the feeling of being called was intensifying the longer he remained in the Forbidden Forest. A voice suddenly awoke him from his trance-like state.


    "Mist, Fairy!" River Creek called out. He was the hunter with the injured leg. He was finally able to arrive and was shocked to see Mist staring at the Red Eyed Evil Wolf. Even stranger was the wolf wasn''t attacking. Fairy was sitting on the ground crying through all of this. She was scared and calling for her mommy and daddy.


    Noticing the strange situation, River Creek slowly walked toward River Fairy. He gently picked her up and slowly walked backward until he was over the separating edge. Everyone knew the Red Eyed Evil Wolf couldn''t cross the boundary.


    None of the fierce beasts could cross over the separating line. This is why they never bothered building a fence. Building a fence might break whatever magical fence kept the vicious beasts out of their village.


    The wolf still hadn''t made its move, but seeing his sister safe, Mist also wanted to return to the village. It was when Mist moved towards the village the wolf suddenly made a move!


    Jumping in front of Mist, the wolf growled fiercely at him and even bared its fangs. The change in the wolf once again scared Mist so much he started crying once again. Jumping back from the snapping jaws of the wolf, Mist turned around and ducked behind a tree. The wolf started chasing him and forced him away from the tree.


    Watching the strange scene, River Creek had the strange feeling the wolf was playing with Mist.


    "Maybe this beast wants to play a game of cat and mouse before eating him," he thought.


    He watched as Mist tried to elude the wolf as it cut off his escape routes. Realizing he needed to get the other hunters here to try and save Mist; River Creek took out a horn and blew it with a series of short and long notes. This was the emergency sound, no matter where the other hunters were they would immediately come back to the village.


    Mountain Breeze followed River Creek from the village. She was scared for the children and wanted to help in whatever way she could.


    "Mountain Breeze, take River Fairy, and go back to the village. Tell the hunters to come here and what''s happened but make it quick! We need to act as fast as possible if we''re going to save Mist!" After barking his orders, River Creek went back to watching the game of cat and mouse.


    Mountain Breeze ran back to the village. As soon as she returned to the village and came to the main square, the hunters were already arriving. The women of the village along with the children were also gathered. This was the standard procedure when the emergency sound was made. The hunters would determine where to take the women and children once they understood the situation. Mountain Sprite noticed Fairy with Mountain Breeze, but she couldn''t see Mist anywhere.


    "Mountain Breeze, where is Mist?" Mountain Sprite asked. She had a tight feeling in her chest. She knew something must have happened, otherwise, Mist would already be here. River Snake joined his wife looking at Moutain Breeze expectantly.


    "Mist is in the Forbidden Forest and he is being chased by the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf!" Mountain Breeze said straightly.


    "That boy! I told him to stay away from there!" Tears were welling up in River Snakes'' eyes. His wife, Mountain Sprite nearly fainted.


    "The boy rushed to the forest to save his sister who ran into there. He was very brave. We don''t have time to talk. River Creek wants all the warriors to meet at the edge of the forest to save Mist. You must all run! Hurry!" she cried.


    Without another word, all of the hunters ran at their fastest to the edge of the forest. Arriving there, they saw River Creek still watching dumbly at the scene. River Snake moved forward and watched as the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf chased his little boy. Anger immediately replaced the fear in his heart. Turning to the crowd he fiercely yelled at them.


    "Come on, let''s save my son!"


    The other hunters were also taken out of their trance and took out their bows and arrows. This was the quickest way to get the wolf''s attention. If they could distract the wolf perhaps Mist could make his way out of the forest. Maybe they could even kill the wolf and be done with this plague.


    The hunters were shooting their arrows while rushing into the Forbidden Forest. The arrows were all accurately shot but before landing on the wolf they froze in the air! Finally, the arrows were dropping onto the ground. Mist and the wolf disappeared into the deep forest.


    The hunters were shocked, they never saw such a thing in their life and now they finally understood this wolf was truly powerful. Unfazed by the wolf''s show of strength, the hunters quickly followed the wolf''s tracks into the forest.


    Far ahead of the hunters, Mist was still being chased by the wolf. He finally reached a dead end and came upon a strange circular platform. The outline of a symbol similar to the Greek letter "Omega."


    Suddenly feeling a push from behind, Mist looked over his shoulder and saw the wolf nudge him onto the platform with its nose. He fell face-first into the dirt and quickly turned over and sat up.


    Mist heard the wolf make what sounded like a muffled laugh as it lifted up its paw and placed it on top of a circular stone. Light exited from the wolf''s paw and before Mist could react, he was surrounded by a white light so intense he had to close his eyes.


    Just as this happened, the hunters caught up. They saw Mist disappear into the light while the wolf slowly turned to look at them.

 4 Masters Village

    The blinding white light quickly faded and Mist was able to open his eyes. He was shocked because he was no longer in the Forbidden Forest. Now, he was sitting on a small hill overlooking a large village.


    Not knowing what to do, he decided it was safer in the village than in the open by himself. There wasn''t even a tree to hide behind here! He could see from the hill the village was bustling and filled with strange creatures and people. He saw beasts with six legs pulling heavy loads. There here people with as many limbs as a centipede! Many strange and wondrous things were in the village.


    Coming into the village, he briefly stopped next to a guard at the gate of the village. The middle-aged looking man simply smiled and waved for Mist to enter. Walking through the gates, Mist was able to see things much more clearly.


    He saw men with animal heads, animals with human heads, people with blue skin, and green skin. One man had no skin, Mist could see his muscles and veins! The animals were just as strange. There were many different types of beasts of burden. Big hairy beasts of burden, small but dangerous guard animals. There was a monkey looking creature opening doors for people walking into a place.


    Mist was so enthralled by the sites of the village he failed to notice someone standing in front of him. He walked right into this person and fell on the ground. Looking up, he saw an extremely large man with muscles the size of boulders. He was covered in black soot but he had a warm heroic smile.


    A woman and another man stood next to the dirty looking man. The woman was extremely beautiful and she seemed very intelligent. Mist saw she was holding books! He recognized them as books because Mountain Breeze had a couple of books. Her books weren''t as impressive looking as these, but even still. A person who could read and write was worthy of great respect. The woman wore a long blue and white dress. The top of her dress was covered in little clouds, the bottom part of the dress almost looked like water. Her hair was blond, a hair color Mist had never seen before.


    Next to the beautiful woman was a man wearing metal. Mist didn''t know this was the armor he had never seen it before. The River Village didn''t have any warriors. Everyone in the village was either a hunter or a farmer. Some of the men did both. The women typically cared for the families and the homes. This man wore golden armor and had a sword attached to a belt around his waist. He also wore a long flowing red cape and a golden helmet with feathers sticking out. There seemed to be other metal objects all over his body. He even saw a big knife.


    Out of the three, the woman seemed the most pleasant. The dirty man smiled but it was the kind of smile men in the village had when they were playing tricks on him. The man in gold metal looked like the hunters from his village after hunting a really dangerous beast. The woman, however, reminded him of his mother with her kind eyes.


    "Welcome to Masters Village," the woman spoke.


    Mist rose up from the ground and performed a respectful bow to each of the three people. This was the bow he performed whenever he met one of the village elders. The only elder he never bowed to was Mountain Breeze.


    "Thank you, elders," he said. Frankly, Mist was too young he wasn''t sure what else to say. He stood there waiting for the adults to continue the conversation.


    "My name is Elder Yemay, to my right this dirty fellow is Elder Smith, and on my left is Elder Soturi. What is your name?" she asked.


    "My name is River Mist, I am from the River Village. I was chased by the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf and somehow I am here. I don''t know where I am can you help me get home?" Mist said with tears in his eyes. He was trying to be brave like a hunter but he missed his parents and was worried about his sister. He just wanted to go home to hug his mother. He wouldn''t even mind getting a love beating from his father. He knew he deserved one after running into the forest and nearly getting eaten by the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf. He was still scared of that experience.


    "Do not worry young man, we will certainly return you to your parents," Elder Soturi responded with a stiff smile.


    "The Red-Eyed Evil Wolf, that should be that little pup we put into that forest a few years ago," Elder Smith said thoughtfully.


    "It looks like he finally found a candidate for us," Elder Yemay said.


    The three people continued chatting. Mist didn''t understand much about their conversation but it sounded like they were the ones who placed the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf in the Forbidden Forest. Mist was suddenly concerned. Once more, tears were welling up in his eyes.


    Elder Yemay noticed the change in the little boy. She could feel his terror.


    "I''m sorry dear, was the wolf mean to you?" she asked sympathetically.


    Mist nodded his head and started crying. Snot was pouring out of his nose.


    "He tried to eat me and my little sister!"


    Mist was inconsolable for a few minutes. The elders looked at one another sheepishly. They realized they had chosen a rather scary agent to find a young candidate for them. They''ll need to make a couple of changes to prevent this from happening again. They could barely talk to this kid now because he was so scared. All the snot didn''t help either.


    "Listen, son, there''s no need to worry about that wolf, here have a candy that''ll cheer you up!" Elder Smith said as he handed something to Mist. Taking the object Mist looked at it, there was something wrapped in a strange-looking material. The material had pictures of a strange fruit on it. He didn''t know what it was.


    "This is candy, take it out of the package and eat it, it''s really good stuff," Elder Koos encouraged him.


    Mist unwrapped the candy and slowly placed the cubed object into his mouth. As soon as it entered his mouth he was shocked by the flavor. It was the most wonderful thing he had ever eaten in his life! He savored the flavor and immediately stopped crying. He was smiling and happy now. Elder Yemay was immediately taken by the little boy''s happy face.


    After a couple of minutes, Mist finished the candy and looked back at the elders. He was feeling much better about the elders and looked at them expectantly. Elder Yemay walked up to Mist and placed her arm gently around him.


    "River Mist, we brought you here today for a very special reason. If you''ll come and talk with us I''ll make sure to get you something just as delicious as that candy, deal?" she asked.


    Mist happily nodded his head and the three elders slowly guided Mist away from the village gate towards a nearby building.

 5 The Old Doctor

    Mist followed Elders Smith, Yemay, and Soturi into the building. The trio went to the second floor which was completely empty. Only Mist and the three elders were on the second floor. Elder Smith ordered a few things while Elder Yemay supplemented his order. Very soon several dishes came out and every one of them was a kind of dessert food!


    At first, Mist wasn''t sure about the food in front of him, but after testing a couple of the dishes he quickly dove into the food and ate relentlessly. After Mist had more than his share of sweets, the group walked to a new place. According to the elders, the new place was part of the Elders'' Hall, the Testing Hall.


    "This is where we test all potential disciples." Elder Yemay said. "Would you like to become a disciple?" Elder Smith asked. "What''s a disciple?" Mist asked. "A disciple is a very special student. We would teach this student all the knowledge we have," Master Soturi said.


    "Hmmm. My father says the more a hunter knows the more he can hunt," Mist replied. For the first time, a genuine smile appeared on Elder Soturi''s face. "Your father is a very wise man. I think he is very likable," Elder Soturi said.


    "Father is very wise, he is already twenty-one years old and is the top hunter of the village. He once killed a Yanak by himself. "I''m glad you are interested in being our disciple. First, however, we need to determine if you''re what we''re looking for," Elder Yemay said.


    "Okay," Mist said. Even though he really didn''t understand what was going on, or what it meant to be a disciple.


    "Great, Mist, please come and sit on this chair," Elder Yemay indicated a strange metal chair. It was just his size and when he sat on it he felt it was very comfortable. He had never seen such a chair. The seat had a reddish-brown cushion and padding of the same color on the armrests and the neck rest.


    A semi-circular gate rose from the floor and a circular tube extended from the ceiling. Out of the tube was a collection of crystals pointing at Mist''s head. Elder Smith placed two blue stones in Mist''s hands. Each hand had one bluestone. As soon as the bluestone touched his palm, Mist couldn''t remove the stones. It was like it became part of his hand.


    A multi-colored stone inset into a headband was placed on Mist''s head. Elder Smith walked up to a metallic panel and Mist could see he was twisting parts of the panel and pushing some strange stones. Finally, Elder Smith turned his head toward Elder Yemay and nodded. Elder Soturi stood to the side and observed everything.


    A new circular platform ascended from the floor and a circular disc descended from the ceiling.


    "This might sting just a little," Elder Yemay told him. He merely nodded, still not understanding what was going on.


    Mist felt a strange numbness spread throughout his body. Next, a stinging sensation at the base of his skull could be felt. It was extremely uncomfortable but not so much Mist would cry out about it. The crystals above Mist''s head began to glow in resonance with the blue and multi-colored stones.


    The new platform began to glow and slowly an old man appeared. The old man was wearing a suit and tie. The Suit jacket and pants were a dark grey color. He was wearing a blue shirt and two cufflinks with strange symbols. Dark black dress shoes with dark blue socks. He held a glossy black wooden cane in his right hand. Long grey hair nearly reaching his shoulders gave him an eccentric look. There was a stern look on the man''s face. He was patiently looking around at his surroundings as he continued to materialize. Finally, the man seemed real and solid. Instead of moving, he quietly remained in place.


    "He''s strong, there''s great spiritual energy coming from him. Very powerful!" Elder Smith said as his eyes got larger.


    Mist sat quietly watching everything unsure of what was going on. He only knew this old man appeared out of nowhere as if by magic! Mist was really interested in this old man. The old man seemed very interested in him. He looked towards him kindly. He wasn''t very far away from Mist and greeted him.


    "Hello my little friend," the old man said. Hearing the old man speak, the three elders were very shocked. To their knowledge, this wasn''t supposed to happen. They quickly came to the old man and examined him.


    "Hello," the old man smiled at the elders.


    "Senior, you''re able to communicate!" Elder Smith said.


    "If you didn''t want to talk you shouldn''t have called," the old man laughed.


    "Sir, can you tell us about yourself?" Elder Yemay asked. "You woke me up and don''t even know who I am? Very sloppy work my young friends!" he replied. "Please senior," Elder Soturi said with a slight bow.


    "My name is Dr. Carter Alan French. I am the greatest mind of the twenty-first century! I am a Polymath," he said proudly. "What is a Polymath?" asked Elder Smith.


    "A Polymath or according to the older way of saying it, a Polyhistor, a person with a wide range of knowledge in several different fields. I hold degrees in fields related to Chemistry, Medicine, Biology, Electrical Engineering, Architecture, Music and know more than sixteen dead languages and am fluent in twelve living languages. These are a few of my degrees. I am also known for my contributions to economics, politics, and philosophy," he explained.


    "To put it simply you are a man whose knowledge is both wide and deep," Elder Yemay said. "Something like that," Dr. French smiled slightly in response. "Sir, pardon us for disturbing your sleep, we only meant to test the boy to see if he would be suitable as a disciple for us. We did not expect to speak with his root," Elder Yemay said.


    "Oh, you know something about roots and branches, eh? Very impressive, but there''s one thing you''ve gotten wrong my dear. I am not that boy''s root, I''m merely another branch that birthed him. Our tree is very big, and you don''t have the power to connect with his root. Even my branch might be a bit much for you!


    However, I think I understand what you want to do. This boy is ideal for your plans if I help him that is," the old man said. "I never could have done this in the past but I think I understand a few more things now, young man! I''m going to give you a gift but you must use it well. Don''t let me down and become an agent of evil," he said.


    Strange energy flowed from the old man to Mist. As the energy flowed into his body, Mist felt very strange. Suddenly, he was overtaken by a strong need to sleep. Falling asleep, Mist lost all awareness in his surroundings.


    "As for you folks, I''ll give you a present as well. It''s really for the boy, but you''ll also find it useful. Energies flew out of the platform once more moving towards a rack of transparent crystals. After the crystals glowed for a few minutes, the old Doctor faded away.


    "Take care of my boy, he could be very important one day!" with those words, Dr. Carter Alan French returned to the ether from which he came.

 6 Village Disciple

    Mist opened his eyes and saw the three elders looking at something next to the wall. They had their backs to him. Elder Soturi was the first to realize Mist was awake. "Do you feel better? Did you have a nice nap?" Elder Soturi asked.


    Nodding his head and rubbing his eyes, Mist slowly woke up. He noticed the gems were no longer in his hands and the thing on his head was gone. The room returned to normal and all of the additional room features receded once more into the floor and ceiling.


    Elder Yemay seemed to almost float to Mist. She gently stroked his hair. "Are you ready to be our disciple little Mist?" she asked. "Your disciple?" he asked. "The disciple of the village," she said.


    "What does that mean?" he asked. "Everyone in our village is very good a something. We will all teach you what we are best at. We will all be your teachers and you will be our student," she explained.


    "I''ll know a lot then, whoah! I might know more than Mountain Breeze!" Mist was excited. The three elders laughed at the excited child. "Do you even know what kind of things we''re going to teach you?" laughed Elder Smith.


    "How to be a strong hunter, like father," Mist responded clearly confused by the question. "You''ll be more than just a strong hunter, it doesn''t matter. You''re still a little young." Elder Smith said with a laugh.


    "You come from a village of hunters?" asked Elder Soturi. "Yes," Mist confirmed. Elder Soturi turned his head and stared into the distance. Just as Mist was about to ask what was going on, a man walked into the testing room.


    The man looked a little strange, but Mist immediately recognized him for what he was, he was a hunter. Dressed in rough clothes and protective leathers. The man carried a bow and had a quiver of arrows. A knife was at his side and he carried an elegant but ferocious-looking hunting spear. There was also a small bag on his belt.


    "This is Elder Tok, he will be your hunting instructor. No one is a better hunter than master Tok," said Master Smith. "Elder Tok, this is Mist, he is our village''s disciple. He comes from a hunter village like you. I would like you to take him back and explain to his people that he will be our student," Elder Yemay said.


    "He passed the test?" Elder Tok asked with surprise. "More than passed," Elder Soturi said with a smile. Elder Tok was surprised. Elder Soturi wasn''t a person to exaggerate. If the boy was able to put such a satisfied look on his face; he must have extraordinary potential.


    Elder Smith walked near Elder Tok and quietly spoke to him. Mist observed the pair as they talked. The Hunter looked very shocked as Elder Smith spoke with him. The entire time he spoke, Elder Smith had a large smile on his face.


    By the end of their conversation, it was obvious Elder Tok was excited. Looking at the boy now, Elder Tok saw Mist as a little treasure. "Mist, I don''t want you to think we are going to make things easy for you. Everything we teach you will require a lot of hard work on your part," said Elder Soturi.


    "Okay, I''ll work hard," he answered simply. He was truly an innocent child. "Go home and say goodbye to your family, and you''ll return to start learning," Elder Koos said. "Say goodbye to my family? I don''t want to leave my family," Mist said as tears welled up in his eyes.


    "Don''t worry, you aren''t saying goodbye forever, you''ll even get to visit with your family from time to time. It''s just, you have a lot to learn. We need you to stay with us for a few years. Don''t worry, your parents will agree," Elder Yemay comforted Mist. She knew a child like Mist would find parting with his family to be scary and sad. The problem was there was so much they needed to teach him.


    The boy needed to build up a foundation of knowledge in many fields so he could master everything they wanted to teach him. He couldn''t do this and live at home. "Don''t worry, you''ll see your family but you''ll also learn medicine, forging, hunting, reading and writing, and countless other things. Don''t you think this knowledge will be good for your village?" asked Elder Tok. He was from a hunter tribe and knew how to talk to the little hunter.


    Mist realized he could be a big help to the village if he could learn from these people. Even though he was only seven-years-old, Mist was determined to learn even if it meant leaving his family. Elder Tok could see the determination in the boy''s eyes. "Good boy, let''s go see your family. I''ll even take them a few gifts to help them," he said.


    "Wait a moment," Elder Yemay said. She disappeared for a moment but soon returned. When she returned she was holding what Mist thought was a tiny egg and a bag of some fort. "This is for the wolf, he did well bringing us the boy. You need to give him his reward," Elder Yemay said.


    Elder Tok nodded his head and received the items. After this, Mist said his goodbyes to the three elders and left with Elder Tok. The three elders saw the pair off as they left the village. "I was starting to doubt we would ever be able to find someone to teach," said Elder Soturi.


    "The boy brings hope," Elder Smith said while nodding his head. "He''s a sweet boy, he reminds me so much of..." Elder Yemay began but suddenly became emotional and choked back tears. "He does dear, he does. Maybe Trevis is giving us a second chance," Elder Smith said while he gently stroked Elder Yemay''s hair.


    "Do you think so," she asked desperately. "Of course, it''s possible," Elder Smith replied. "This husband and wife, both of you should go home and rest, it''s been a stressful morning for you," Elder Soturi said.


    "It''s a good kind of stress," Yemay said while turning her eyes back to the direction Mist left in.

 7 Master Hunter Tok

    Elder Tok and Mist exited the strange gateway and returned to the Forbidden Forest. Mist didn''t notice earlier, but when he found himself on the hill overlooking Masters Village, he was standing on a platform similar to the one the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf forced him onto.


    The hunters from the River Village were at a standoff with the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf at the moment. The wolf leisurely stood next to the gateway while the hunters were glaring at it. They wanted to attack but they also knew they were no match for the animal. They hoped to find Mist once they tracked down the wolf. However, Mist was nowhere to be seen. In their minds, the wolf already ate him. The boy''s father, River Snake, had red eyes and started to look a little crazy.


    A flash of bright white light shone through the gateway the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf was standing next to. The light was so bright everyone was forced to shut their eyes. When they opened their eyes again, they saw Mist standing next to an impressive-looking hunter who was taking in his surroundings.


    Mist was also looking around and when he saw his father he couldn''t help but shout out to him joyfully. River Snake was so relieved a couple of tears escaped his eyes. He wanted to run to his son, but his son was standing next to the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf.


    Elder Tok turned his attention back to the wolf and took out the beast pill and bag given to him by Elder Yemay.


    "You found us a good seedling little wolf, here are your rewards. You are free to leave this forest. Thank you!" Elder Tok said.


    Handing the things over to the wolf, it first ate the beast pill and then snatched the bag in Elder Tok''s hand. Once it had the bag it ran into the deeper part of the forest. All of the hunters were shocked by what they just witnessed.


    Running to his father, Mist lept up for his father to catch him. His father caught the leaping Mist and held him in his massive arm. Mist had one arm wrapped around his father''s neck after giving him a hug.


    "Mist, who is this man?" River Snake asked. "Father, this is Elder Tok, he is my teacher," he responded. Elder Tok walked to River Snake nodding in greeting.


    "The boy told us his father was the strongest hunter in the village. I see the boy does not exaggerate," Elder Tok said. River Snake nodded back respectfully, "Sir, we teach our children to speak correctly. We are neither overly humble nor arrogant."


    Elder Tok liked this young man. It was no wonder Mist was such a good boy when he had a good father. "My son called you his teacher, may I know your name, sir?" River Snake asked. "I am Tok, a Master Hunter, I have come here to talk with Mist''s family and elders to receive permission to teach your son,"


    "We should return to the village where we can talk with the Village Chief," River Snake said. "Good, but before we return I would like to prove my worth and bring a gift to your village," Elder Tok said. "Sir?" River Snake was confused.


    Elder Tok sniffed the air, listened, and examined his surroundings. After doing this for a couple of minutes, he ran towards the deepest part of the Forbidden Forest. River Snake and the other hunters were shocked at his speed. They even doubted if the man had been there at all. Perhaps they were infected by miasma and now seeing things.


    Before they could discuss the strange hunter, they heard a mighty roar and the sound of a mountain crashing into the earth. The ground beneath their feet shook intensely. All of the hunters were sure they were about to die.


    If the ground quaking and shaking wasn''t scary enough they next heard what sounded like trees being uprooted and broken. Eventually, a shadow emerged from within the trees. Two gigantic legs broke through the trees and foliage.


    "It''s the Kyloxe Mountain King!" the hunters gasped and shouted. Everything else which happened previously was nothing, seeing the legs of the Kyloxe Mountain King breaking through the trees, all the hunters had the biscuits scared out of them!


    "Wait, why are its legs pointing toward the sky," a hunter asked. The other hunters also realized the Kyloxe wasn''t moving normally. "Was it crawling on its back," they wondered. The giant lizard creature''s hindquarters approached the group and suddenly elevated. It was Elder Tok who was using one of his arms to push up the rump of the hill sized lizard.


    "This is the evidence of my ability to teach the son of the River Village. This food will increase the strength of everyone in the village. Its skin can be used to create sturdy armor and roofs for houses. Weapons can be forged from its bones, the powerful meat will increase the power of the hunters, and the demon core can be absorbed by the men of the village. It will strengthen their bodies and any babies born after absorbing the energies in the beast core will be born with peerless strength in this mountain. "


    The hunters were speechless. Even Mist''s father was so stunned he couldn''t talk. Seeing the stunned hunters, Elder Tok smiled, bemused. "Mist, which way to your village," Elder Tok asked. Mist jumped out of his father''s arms and indicated Elder Tok should follow him. Following Mist, Elder Tok dragged the Kyloxe after reminding the hunters to get out of the way.


    River Snake was the first to snap out of his stunned state. He immediately ran up to Elder Tok. His attitude was no longer wary but curious and excited. "Such a hunter wishes to teach my son!" "Master Hunter Tok, how did you meet my son?" River Snake asked curiously.


    "The wolf pup back there sent your son to us," he replied. "The Red-Eyed Evil Wolf sent him to you? Why would he do this?" he asked. "That''s its job, we placed the wolf in this forest years ago to act as a talent scout. Your son was the first one to catch its attention, but I have to admit it really has an eye for talent," Elder Tok said.


    "Really?" River Snake was taken back. The Red-Eyed Evil Wolf their village feared for generations was just there to look for gifted students? "Master Hunter Tok, the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf is your pet?" River Snake asked.


    "Who would make a level three demon beast their pet? He''s an employee. Didn''t you see me pay him just now?" Elder Tok asked. Thinking back to it, he remembered Elder Tok speaking to the beast and giving it some things. At the time River Snake was so relieved to see his son he totally ignored the strange interaction between Elder Tok and the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf.


    "Who would think, this Red-Eyed Evil Wolf would turn out to be working for someone and even did our village a kindness." River Snake muttered to himself. "You keep calling it the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf, has this wolf attacked your people or something in the past," Elder Tok asked. If the wolf were running amok and hurting the villagers he would need to take action against the wolf. It was told all those years ago not to hurt any villagers. If it did, they would kill it.


    "No, it really never did anything to us," River Snake admitted. Elder Tok was stumped, "Then why do you call it the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf?" "I guess because it looks so damn scary," River Snake admitted blankly. Hearing this answer, Elder Tok couldn''t help but roar with laughter.

 8 River Boa

    Elder Tok continued to chuckle at the River Snake''es honest answer. The poor wolf had been maligned by the fears of the villagers for so many years. He felt the little thing was truly pitiful. After initially being intimidated, the hunters gradually approached Elder Tok and asked him various questions about hunting and trapping.


    The hunters were all very impressed by Elder Tok''s thoughtful answers. What many of them didn''t realize was this kind of interaction with Elder Tok was extremely unusual. Typically, experts wouldn''t talk with common people like these hunters. Their knowledge and experiences were precious and only their peers or disciples of such knowledge.


    It was clear Elder Tok viewed things differently. He always maintained the straightforward heart of a hunter. This was the secret to being able to reach his level. He reached the level of Arrow Heart. Arrow Heart was a spiritual level only Master Hunters could reach. It was said, "Let your heart fly straight as an arrow and you will always strike the heart of your target." Not many hunters were able to reach this stage because it was so hard.


    This world more often than not was cruel, surviving and fulfilling selfish desires were the typical focus of the masses. Finding a hunter who could remain aloof from the world enough to reach the stage of Arrow Heart was rare.


    The hunters and Elder Tok reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest and the Village. The villagers had already hidden when they felt the ground shake and the sound of thunder come from the earth. When they saw the gigantic Kyloxe beast penetrate into the territory of the village they became so frightened many of them fainted.


    Knowing how shocking it would be for the villagers, Elder Tok put the body of the Kyloxe down once they were in the River Village''s boundaries. After putting it down, River Snake guided Elder Tok toward the Town Hall to the Village Chief, River Boat.


    As they made their way to the Town Hall, people poked their head out from their hiding places from time to time to look at the newcomer. When Mountain Sprite saw her son Mist safely leading the way to the Town Hall with his father, she was so relieved she rushed out to embrace her son. She totally forgot about all the scary things she had witnessed earlier.


    Mountain Sprite showered her son in kisses and gave him so many hugs he thought his bones were about to turn to mush. River Snake stopped the procession and brought his wife before Elder Tok.


    "Elder Tok, this is my wife Mountain Sprite. She is Mist''s mother," he added.


    "Sprite, this is Elder Tok, he has taken our son Mist as his student. He is a Master Hunter who single handily killed the Kyloxe Mountain King," he informed his wife.


    Everyone in the village heard River Snake''s words and were shocked beyond words. Mountain Sprite was also shocked but when she heard this man wanted to be her son''s teacher she became a little worried. "Wouldn''t this mean Mist would leave their village?" she asked herself. Mist and Fairy were her only living children. If she lost them she didn''t know if she could bear to live in this world.


    Noticing the worry in Mountain Sprite''s eyes, Elder Tok gently smiled and turned toward River Snake. "Perhaps your wife would like to come into the meeting hall. What I have to say involves her son whom I''m sure she is worried about," he said.


    Mountain Sprite was immediately relieved and grateful toward Elder Tok. She was afraid she might be forced to wait outside.


    River Snake, Mountain Sprite, Elder Tok, and Mist all entered the Town Hall and arrived at the Village Chiefs meeting room. River Boat immediately got up and bowed respectfully to Elder Tok. Indicating for everyone one to sit, River Boat asked Mountain Sprite to prepare some tea and snacks for everyone. Reluctantly she did as she was asked.


    River Snake, as the Chief Hunter and father of Mist, made introductions between the chief and Elder Tok and shared everything that happened as-well-as Master Tok''s intentions towards Mist. Mist was actually bored and went to steal a treat from his mother who was making the snacks and tea while straining her ears to hear what was being said. When Mist came in, Mountain Sprite immediately made a shushing motion toward her son. She grabbed a stack of treats and had her son sit at the little table in the kitchen.


    "Elder Tok, although losing a single hunter is difficult for our village, I cannot find a reason to turn you down. Mist will learn how to become a mighty hunter and in the long term I believe this will benefit the village," River Boat said.


    Elder Tok quietly assessed River Boat and lifted his eyes when Mountain Sprite walked in with the tea and snacks. Taking a slow sip of his tea, Elder Tok looked at the Village Chief.


    "Chief Boat, I do not think I''ve fully explained what we''re hoping for. I will not be Mist''s only teacher. I am only one of many," he said. "One of many? What else could a hunter need to learn than hunting?" River Boat asked confused.


    "I and Mist''s other teachers hope to teach Mist so he can one day become more than just a hunter. We want to make Mist into a true Master," Elder Tok said. "More than a hunter, what''s more than a hunter?" asked River Snake.


    "Mist will learn at the feet of the greatest Masters in the world in every field of learning. He will learn Medicine, Alchemy, forging, formations, hunting, agriculture, architecture, and many other subjects. He will become a peerless existence," He said.


    River Boat considered the words of Elder Tok carefully. A light of realization spread across the Village Chief''s face. Quickly this expression was changed with a gloomy realization. He looked towards Mountain Sprite and then quietly asked Elder Tok,


    "What must we give up to receive the favor of your teachings," River Boat asked. "He will come to our village and learn for the next seven years," Elder Tok replied. "No, I refuse." Mountain Sprite stood up and grabbed Mist who just walked in. Placing him in her arms in a protective embrace.


    "I will not lose another child!" The room became very quiet. Even Elder Tok wasn''t sure what to say. Mothers had their worries.

 9 Soul Tree

    Elder Tok considered Mountain Sprites words for a few minutes. He understood the heart of a mother. After her outburst, he came to understand she had lost other children. It''s no wonder she is against Mist leaving to learn.


    "I can bring your family with me. You can continue to live with Mist for the next seven years so long as you promise not to interfere with the training," Elder Tok said. "Really?" Mountain Sprite said.


    "Yes, I will need to get permission from the other teachers, but I''m confident no one will have a problem with it. To us, Mist is more precious than the rarest gem or artifact. We can easily find replacements for things, but finding a replacement for Mist, impossible," Elder Tok said as he shook his head.


    "Why is my son so special," River Snake asked. "It''s because your son actually has the capability of learning all of our skills. Perhaps you don''t know this, but due to the complexity of many different fields of research, it''s nearly impossible for a person today to match up against a person from many millions of years ago.


    In the golden era of cultivation, a person could easily learn every field, but now there''s either something lacking within us, or the subjects have become too complex. Maybe it''s both," Elder Tok admitted.


    "I still don''t understand, why Mist? If you want to teach someone all of your skills, you and the other teachers, why not do it?" asked River Snake. "If learning our skills were a matter of rote memorization then we could ''just do it,'' however, memorization alone isn''t enough. We need someone with a very special soul," he said.


    "A special soul, what do you mean?" asked Mountain Sprite. "There is a theory about life, death, and reincarnation going something like this: human souls were created and place in the cycle o birth and rebirth. This process is called Samsara. Being reborn into this lowly world of materialism over and over again creates suffering.


    The goal of our lives is to break the cycle of Samsara. Only doing this will ease the world of its suffering. However, the means for this are very difficult to acquire and implement. The process of breaking out of the Samsara cycle requires enlightenment.


    Once we achieve enlightenment we can break through the cycle of Samsara. Exciting, right?" Elder Tok asked. "It sounds like what I learned," said River Snake.


    "Yes, it sounds good and it''s definitely the orthodox understanding. The problem is it doesn''t seem to be true. If every person''s soul is in the cycle of Samsara then why are we no longer able to comprehend all the fields like the ancients?" There are other problems with this model, but the main point is the traditional answer we grew up with doesn''t match our direct experiences.


    There is another idea concerning souls and reincarnation. This is called roots and branches. According to this idea, a primary soul is created. When the person dies, a branch from this soul goes on to another life. This branch soul has the core features of the main soul but it is a reincarnated portion for the purpose of ''fixing'' the imperfections of the root soul. Branch souls will also produce branches until the entire soul ''tree'' is perfected.


    Just like a regular tree, a soul tree''s branches are thinner and less powerful the further away from the root it becomes. Until it eventually gets to the top and is very very thin," Elder Tok said.


    "How does Mist fit into this theory?" asked River Boat.


    "In ancient times, souls were closest to their roots and were the most powerful. This meant they had the capacity for taking on as many areas of study as they desired, but later the new soul branches were born, they became less and less capable of taking on multiple occupations. This leads to today''s situation where having two or three occupations is enough to consider a person a genius of epic proportions," he said.


    "But you think Mist can learn more than three occupations?" Mountain Sprite asked.


    "Correct," he said.


    "I don''t understand if we''ve reached a point where souls have gotten smaller and smaller, why is Mist''s soul so strong?" River Snake asked.


    "This shouldn''t be too hard for a hunter to understand. If we go into the forest we''ll see trees of many sizes. There will be small trees and big trees, skinny trees and fat trees. Since some trees are bigger than other trees there are some branches which are as big as the thickest part of smaller trees. Mist comes from a very big soul tree. Due to this, he is more than capable of learning from all of our teachers. We hope to turn Mist into an ancient cultivator who can reach the topmost realm of power, the Immortal Heavens,"


    River Snake''s eyes glowed and pride blossomed in his heart. These teachers saw how great his son was. He could become a peerless expert in the future.


    "Your son has far more potential than being just a hunter in this little village. He could become so strong and powerful he could not only protect himself but also his friends and families. To do this, however, he needs teachers who can realize his potential. This is why he needs to come live with us," Elder Tok said.


    "Mountain Sprite, this is the best for our son. We can only offer him a short and hard life here," River Snake said.


    Mountain Sprite knew her husband was right but her heart was conflicted. Would she have to give up her only living son so soon?


    "The average age of the villagers here looks to be around 32. Mist has the potential to have a nearly limitless lifespan," Elder Tok interjected.


    "Mother, I think it will be fun! Besides, you can come with me. We can still be together," Mist said to his mother.


    Looking at her little boy with all the tenderness in her heart, Mountain Sprite finally relented.


    "Ok," she said.


    Elder Tok was relieved. Now, he neede to convince the Village Chief, he could tell River Snake was already on board.


    "If you take the boy and his parents we will lose our Chief Huner. I cannot agree to this!" the Village Chief growled.

 10 Reaching an Agreemen

    Elder Tok wasn''t surprised by the Village Chief''s objection. In fact, he expected it. Not only was he taking a future hunter from the small village; he was even taking the Chief Hunter. This would leave the village in a very dangerous position.


    "Master Hunter, as much as I appreciate your intentions towards Mist I can''t let you take his father. The Chief Hunter of the Village is the most important position in the village next to Village Chief.


    Not only this, we are counting on River Snake for the upcoming hunter competition. If we win the competition we will get many benefits. The greatest benefit is the protection from the Lynwood Family. With the increase in bandit activity we mountain people aren''t equiped to deal with this scourge.


    The Lynwood family is already patrolling the areas around the mountains protecting villages from the bandits but this requires money and resources. Everyone must pay a lot in goods to receive this protection. If we win the competition we will get the same protection as everyone else but free for one year.


    We don''t have the resources right now to pay for another year of protection. Therefore, we need to win the competition otherwise our village will likely die. Without River Snake we have no hope of doing anything. Putting it bluntly, if you take River Snake you are dooming this village.


    "When is this competition?" asked Elder Tok.


    "Two weeks," the Village Chief responded.


    "I understand the importance of this competition for your village. As a hunter I know it is the duty of every village hunter to put the needs of the village above their own needs. I will not ask you to do something harmful to the village," Elder Tok responded.


    "I still cannot allow you to take River Snake," River Boat said.


    "Let me make an offer before you turn me down. I will stay in the village for the next two weeks and train all of your hunters. When the competition comes I promise every single hunter will be stronger than River Snake is right now.


    I will take the Kyloxe Mountain King''s body and show all the villagers how to process spirit beasts. I will have some weapons and armor made from the bodyof the Kyloxe. These will for your hunters and I''ll even have some special things made to barter with in the future.


    This should be sufficient to take River Snake and his family away for seven years. I also promise to take River Snake as a personal disciple and teach him everything I know about hunting in these seven years. Are you satisfied?" asked Elder Tok.


    "Did you really kill the Kyloxe Mountain King by yourself and then carry it all the way to the edge of the village?" asked River Boat.


    "Yes," he responded.


    "If you do not do as you have said it will tarnish your honor as a hunter and I will not let River Snake and his family leave with you," River Boat said decicivly.


    "Deal," Elder Tok extended his right arm forward and took the right arm of the Village Chief. Finally, the tense atmosphere relaxed.


    "I''ll go back to my village to prepare a few things and then come back," said Elder Tok.


    "Go back to your village, do you have the time?" asked River Boat.


    "Don''t worry, my village is close, it''s just hard to get to," he said with a wink.


    "That''s right Village Chief, The Red-Eyed Evil Wolf has to throw you through a circle and use his glowing paw to touch a special stone while laughing at you!" Mist added.


    "Haha, it''s not this complicated and you people should stop calling him the Red-Eyed Evil Wolf he''s actually a very nice puppy. Just call him by his real name," Elder Tok said.


    "What''s his real name," River Boat asked.


    "Smoochie! Elder Yemay named him when he was born," Elder Tok was having too much fun with these villagers. It was a long time ago when he left his own hunting village. He missed it a lot. He even considered visiting it, but it probably wasn''t around anymore. Not after all of these years at least.


    River Boat nodded his head at the name not thinking it peculiar at all. Women liked giving silly names to animals. However, getting used to calling the scary wolf by such a cute name was a little weird and hard to get used to.


    "Mist, stay here with your parents, I''ll be back in a little while," he said.


    "Elder Tok, please wait," Mist called out.


    "What is it kid?" he asked.


    "Would you ask Elder Koos for some Candies. To share with the other kids. They''ve never had candy and I can help them learn about it," Mist said with a straight face. If the boy weren''t seven you might seriously believe he was asking for candy for all the kids in the village out of kindness. Elder Tok was old enough to recognize a scheming candy monster. He left the Meeting Hall with a laugh.


    "I''ll see what I can do, kid!"


    "What''s candy," Mountain Sprite asked.


    "It''s a kind of fruit or something," Mist responded happily.


    "Let''s bring that Kyloxe next to the village, I don''t want any other beasts to start eating it," said River Boat.


    River Snake nodded to the Village Chief and walked outside to the waiting villagers.


    "All men bring ropes and carts and meet me next to the Kyloxe!" River Snake ordered.


    Mist was already running towards the giant creature. To him it was a big toy. River Snake sighed helplessly. Coming to his wife, he took her by the hand and looked at her tenderly.


    "Our son is alive," he said simply.


    These words softened Mountain Sprite, she leaned in and hugged her husband. She cried a little.


    "He survived, one of my children might live long enough to get married." She was very happy and couldn''t contain herself. These last few years were hard on her. A parent should never experience the death of their child but River Snake and Mountain Sprite had lost several children.


    "He has a strong teacher, many strong teachers. We will live with him and watch him grow strong. Maybe we''ll find a match for him in the village or maybe a match for our daughter," Mountain Sprite said hopefully.


    "A while ago you were upset because you thought our son was going to leave us, and now you''re trying to marry both of our kids off. Silly woman, don''t know when they get married they won''t live with us anymore?" River Snake asked with a light laugh.


    Mountain Sprite also laughed a little at herself.


    "That''s different, once they get married I should have some grand babies! Children worry their parents to death, Grandchildren fill one with joy," she said.


    This was something her mother used to say when she was growing up. It''s too bad she died from the sting of a wasp snake right before Mountain Sprite''s wedding. She never got to see her grandchildren. Of course given how most of them died, maybe this was for the best.

 11 Mighty Forger Tik

    Less than two hours after Elder Tok left for his village he returned. The villagers just finished moving the body of the Kyloxe closer to the village.


    When the villagers saw Elder Tok they realized he was being followed by a young man who was only fourteen or fifteen years old. He had purple hair, a thin and dirty dark red shirt, black pants and heavy boots.


    On his back he carried a large kiln along with other forging equipment. He looked like an ant carrying a soda can. "Were all these people from Elder Tok''s village so strong?" They wondered.


    The young man walked up to the beast and patted it. He then looked around and aimlessly asked, "Where can I set up?"


    "Set up, you should greet the elders first Tik," Elder Tok said.


    Tik clasped his hands together and bowed slightly while swiveling his torso around to the villagers as if he were bowing to all of them.


    "Greetings elders, where may I set up at?" he asked once again.


    Elder Tok slapped him on the back of the head.


    "Go put your things over there and come back," he indicated a spot near the beast. Tik set down his equipment bag and rejoined Elder Tok.


    Elder Tok stood near the Village Chief, River Boat, and Mist and his family.


    "This kid is here to forge some weapons and things for the village. His name is Tik and he''s also my nephew," Elder Tok said.


    "Strength runs in the family," River Snake said as he reached out and shook hands with the young man.


    "That has nothing to do with our family, he''s been training under Elder Koos since he was six as a forging expert," Elder Tok said.


    "So there are other students in your village?" Mountain Sprite asked confused.


    "All the masters have disciples and apprentices such as Tik, however, there is only one shared disciple. Mist is unique in our village," answered Elder Tok.


    Mountain Sprite couldn''t help but look a little proud hearing her son was so special. Tik looked at the woman and noticed she was staring down at Mist with loving eyes. Putting two and two together, he realized who he was.


    "This is the shared disciple?" Tik asked.


    "Yes, his name is Mist, I expect you to take care of him," Elder Tok said.


    Tik nodded and looked at Mist.


    Later, you want to help me make some weapons?" he asked.


    Mist liked the sound of this very much. Making weapons? What kid wouldn''t find this exciting?


    "Yes, thank you!" Mist replied.


    "No problem, but you have to share some of your candies with me. Master Koos is so stingy with his treats and yet he gave you so many," he said.


    Mist looked around but didn''t see any candy. "I don''t see any candy," he said. Just as he finished speaking, Elder Tok waved his hand and a bag the size of a mountain appeared. Looking toward Mountain Sprite, Elder Tok smiled.


    "I''m afraid Elder Koos went overboard with the candy. I''ll have to trust you to give these out sparingly to the children of the village. If they eat too many of them their teeth could fall out!" he said.


    "Their teeth could fall out! I won''t let them have anything," she said in horror.


    "HaHa, it''s okay these candies won''t do such a thing, but others do. Still the children shouldn''t eat too many of them it will ruin their apitites. Just use these as treats and rewards," Elder Tok said.


    Mist ran over to the bag and pulled out a few pieces. He then ran up to his mother.


    "Look mother, I''ll teach you about these. I''ve already had some," Mist very quickly and seriously explained how to properly unwrap the candies and eat them. He warned his mother how delicious they were.


    "Try one, mother, I''ll have one just to make sure," he said.


    Mountain Sprite ate the candy and her eyes lit up. It was like eating honey and fruits at the same time! It was the most delicious thing she ever ate. No wonder her son was posing as a candy expert just so he could get his hands on these things.


    She walked over to her son and took the remaining candies.


    "One is enough for now, you already had some earlier so I''ll take the rest," with this she took the candies and had a couple of hunters drag the bag of candy to the storage silo where the village kept their grains.


    Watching his mother carry off the candy, Mist looked a little dejected. Not long after a cunning look flashed through his eyes. he walked over to Tik and secretly gave him a few pieces of candy he covertly put in his pocket earlier.


    "Don''t worry Tik, I know a secret way to get into the silo. I''ll get you some more candies later," he whispered.


    Hearing this exchange Elder Tok stifled a laugh, "definitely a cunning candy monster," he thought to himself.


    "All right, let''s get to work, I need all of the villagers to gather around the beast and I''ll give a demonstration on how to properly process a spirit beast," Elder Tok said.


    The villagers gathered around the spirit beast. Even the children joined in. Older children watched younger children so their parents could pay attention. Mist was brought to the front and made to stand by Elder Tok so he could watch.


    Elder Tok looked at Mist who seemed a little distracted.


    "Mist, it''s very important you pay attention. You are my student now, as your teacher I need your attention, pay attention!" he said.


    Mist''s father walked up to his son and scolded him as well.


    "You have a great teacher and this chance brings honor to the village. You are the first child of our village to learn from a Master Hunter! You better pay attention or I''ll beat your @55!" River Snake said delivery his favorite threat to his son.


    Mist looked gloomy but nodded obediently.


    "Yes, father, I understand," he said. After being scolded twice, Mist focused all of his attention on what Elder Tok was doing.


    Elder Tok took a strange looking knife and before inserting it into the beast he said to the crowd, "How well you start determines how well you''ll end."

 12 Training Begins

    Elder Tok''s demonstration lasted half the day. For him, processing a spirit beast like this would only take about five minutes. He needed to explain everything to the villagers and give them tips and tricks so it took him a lot more time. He even let them come up and help with various aspects of the processing.


    The hunters were experienced with processing animals they killed but they didn''t realize there were so many profound secrets to the process. Even less did they realize how many uses there were for all of the parts. If processed properly, every part of a spirit beast was useful.


    Many were surprised to learn about the benefits of the blood of the spirit beast. It could be used for farming, forging, and strengthening other animals. Elder Tok warned them against drinking the blood of the animals. He informed them that even though it was popularly believed drinking spirit beast blood could strengthen the body of people, this wasn''t true.


    According to him, many diseases were carried in the spirit beast blood. After describing some of the examples of illnesses which could be caused by drinking the blood, many of the village women started crying. Even Mist''s mother started crying intensely.


    The problem was they all believe drinking spirit beast blood was beneficial and had given it to their loved ones. It was thought it was a health tonic and given to those who were sick to help them recover. Now, they realized it was the spirit blood which had actually lead to the death of many of their loved ones. Many of the dead children in the village died as a result of the diseases they caught from the spirit beast blood.


    Mountain Sprite realized half of her children would be alive right now if she never gave them spirit beast blood to drink. This realization almost drove her crazy. River Snake came and hugged her whispering into her ear, "we didn''t know," over and over again.


    Mist didn''t understand what was going on, he couldn''t understand why all the women were crying. Elder Tok knew why, he too came from a village like River Village and they also used spirit beast blood as a tonic. His older brother, younger sister, and even his third child died from the diseases in the spirit beast blood. He truly sympathized with everyone here.


    After everyone collected themselves, Elder Tok continued to guide them with processing the beast''s body. All of the materials were processed, collected, and neatly arranged near Tik''s forging area. He finished setting up his forge and tools a long time before. When he heard all the women crying about the death of their family members due to spirit beast blood he also got a little emotional. His father died from spirit beast blood when he was little. It was because of this his uncle Tok took he and his mother in he was able to become a Forging Apprentice. Elder Tok raised Tik like a son.


    After the processing was completed the village separated to eat lunch. After lunch they once more gathered where the beast was processed.


    "Okay, now I will start training the hunters. I need all of the hunters, including Mist and the other children to come over here. All the women, elders, and farmers please report to Tik and he will help you process some more parts of the beast. He''ll also get your help to create leather armor and such for the hunters," Elder Tok said.


    None of the villagers objected to Elder Tok''s orders. Even the Village Chief obediently gathered with the hunters. He was the Chief Hunter of the village in his younger years just like River Snake. Although he served as the Village Chief for several years, it didn''t mean he lost his pride as a hunter. He was still eager to learn the secrets of hunting. How could he not come and learn from a Master Hunter?


    "The thing which all of you lack the most as hunters is knowledge. When the three elders who met Mist for the first time asked if he wanted to learn from them he immediately accepted. He said his father told him the more a hunter knew the better he could hunt. These words are true and seperate Master Hunters from regular hunters.


    For the first week of training I will pour into you knowledge about plants, animals, tracking, traps, climate, and the types of animals you can kill and the types you must never kill if you don''t want to bring a tragedy upon your village," Elder Tok said.


    Listening to the Master Hunter all the other hunters eyes glistened. Everything Elder Tok said was soaked in and taken as absolute truth. They were thoroughly convinced by Elder Tok.


    "First, let''s head into the Forbiden Forest. Everyone, leave your hunting gear, you won''t need it."


    The hunters were surprised but without much fuss they took their hunting gear and stored it at their homes before returning to Elder Tok.


    Elder Tok and Mist were left alone and while eveyone was gone, he watched as Mist dug into his clothes every now and then and took out a hidden piece of candy. "Just how much candy did this kid manage to hide. He even did it while everyone was watching him. What talent!" He praised in his heart. This was the most cunning, sneakiest, and capable candy monster Elder Tok had ever seen in his life.


    After half an hour, the hunters returned. Their wives gave them food for later in case they stayed out late. The married hunters laughed at the single hunters.


    "You boys better find a wife at the competition, then you''ll know how a woman will take care of a man," one of the hunters ribbed the young hunters. Elder Tok enjoyed this kind of environment.


    "Okay, let''s get started. I want to intoduce you to your forest. I know you call this the Forbidden Forest, but the truth is this is really a Treasure Forest. What makes it forbidden to you is you don''t know enough about it," Elder Tok began.


    With a wave of his hand he began introducing the true nature of the forest to the hunters.

 13 Training Week 2

    For the last week Elder Tok took the hunters through the Forbidden Forest teaching them about the forest. Now they understood so many things the fear they had of the Forest decreased significantly. They understood how to survive in the Forest even without their hunter clothes and weapons.


    The Brain-Eating Beetles, for example, which were once one of the scariest creatures in the Forest could be easily detected and avoided. The body of the insects could be smashed up and used in medicine and it was even possible to extract a unique pheromone from the insect and put it on the hunter''s body. This pheromone told other Brain-Eating Beetles the hunter was already infected. This kept other Beetles away.


    Even without the pheromone, he taught the hunters a simple means using their internal energies to fend off the insects. The hunters never knew they had internal energies and learning to use them for minor survival help in the Forest was already a great boon.


    Elder Tok didn''t stop there and even gave the hunters a secret cultivation technique suitable to increasing the strength and durability of their bodies. The power of their senses were also increased through this technique. Even though it was less than a week since they learned the technique, many of them were twice as strong as they were in the past.


    If the hunter competition were based on brute strength, every hunter in the village could win. Even the children were almost as strong as adults. They showed the most progress as hunters. The benefit of the cultivation technique included an increase in memory and clearer thinking. The children, who already were quick learners because of the developmental age reaped the most rewards. Elder Tok usually had to explain things to the adults twice, but the kids only needed to be taught once.


    Even after only a week of training, the hunters felt the competition would be easy to win. Elder Tok, however, wasn''t satisfied. He was preparing the hunters for his second week of training.


    This week, he would focus on teaching the hunters how to properly use hunter tools and weapons. Along with this, Tik had already finished forging new tools and weapons for the hunters. Originally there was only fifty hunters, but Tik made enough tools and beast leather armor for two hundred hunters. The first morning of week two training was teaching the hunters how to properly dress and store their hunter tools and weapons.


    Tik also made various artifacts using other parts of the spirit beast for the villagers. These were things they could use as gifts for the Lynwoods and barter with other hunting villages. The tools and weapons for the hunters were all forged from the bones of the Kyloxe Mountain King. They were incredibly sturdy and had unusually sharp edges.


    Mist attended most of the hunter training. There were times when he headed off into the Forest with Tik to find suplemental materials for forging things.


    They found a mine in the Forest and extracted a few ores. Tik taught Mist how to find and identify ores. He would learn a lot of this latter when he was learning with Elder Koos, but Tik figured since he was there he might as well teach him some basic information.


    Mist impressively absorbed all of the information he was given like a sponge. He almost seemed impatient when it came to learning. He couldn''t wait for Elder Tok and Tik to finish speaking so he could understand a concept.


    The hardest thing they found in teaching Mist was often after he learned something he would try to immediately rush off to test his new knowledge. In a word, Mist was a handful. To have such an enthusiastic student was a happy occasion for any teacher.


    One thing the hunters never realized was there were techniques to using all of the tools and weapons and when using these techniques; their ability seemed to reach an almost mystical level. Shooting an arrow wasn''t just aiming and releasing the arrow. Wind, angles, and how to shoot without giving away your position were vital considerations when shooting.


    A knife was both an offensive and defensive weapon. It''s effectiveness was increased when you knew the weak spots of the animal. Even animals with dense furs which in the past made knives ineffective were easily cut with the knives when the hunters understood how to cut while avoiding the fur.


    Many of the concepts were things the hunters woud need years to unpack but the core techniques were taught. Experience would help them explore the techniques further. The hunters spent six days practicising and learning. Mist learned the quickest and he was given additional things to learn by Elder Tok and was also following Tik around learning different things.


    Tik even taught him how to use some of the forging tools. The most exciting thing for Mist was Tik taught him how to forge his very own skinning tool. Mist made this and a kitchen knife and gifted them to his parents. The tools were crude, but for a first try by a seven year old, they were amazing.


    Elder Tok held an examination of the hunters skills and knowledge. Every hunter passed and received a special device called a compass from Elder Tok. This was a sign of a hunter a device which could help the hunter find their way home no matter how lost they were. All of the hunters were very proud of their accomplishments. They were shocked at their advance in hunting. Before Elder Tok came to their village, every hunter believed he knew everything there was to know about hunting. The difference between hunters was merely talent. Now, they knew how wrong they were.


    The top student of the two weeks of training was Mist who was given extra candy as a reward. Of course only Elder Tok knew Mist and Tik regularly broke into the silo over the last two weeks and ate shocking amounts of candy. However, he had no plans to expose them, they were clearly having a lot of fun. Mist''s upcoming future wouldn''t allow much fun as he was about to be relentlessly taught for the next seven years.


    Elder Tok gathered the hunters on the day before the hunter competition.


    "I''m very proud of all of you. Your progress these two weeks have been amazing. You have brought great honor to yourselves and your village. Even your Village Chief, River Boat, humbled himself to learn from an outsider and didn''t think it was beneath a venerable elder such as himself to learn. This is a strong hunting village. It reminds me of the village I came from as a boy.


    Originally, I didn''t think we would finish everything until this evening. However, you have all surpassed my expectations. Therefore, I''ll give you an option. You can either have the last day off to relax and spend with your family. Or, the second option is, you can spend today with me learning a secret technique that will shock and awe your opponents tomorrow. You can display this special hunting technique and win the comepetition in the hearts of your opponents before it even starts. Which do you choose? A day off or the Hunting Technique?" Elder Tok asked with a smile. He already knew what they would choose.


    "Hunting Technique!!!" All of the hunters yelled together enthusiastically.


    "Okay then, have a seat everyone and let''s get started!"

 14 Atlas Lynwood

    The competition was being held in a Forrest near the Lynwood Clan''s area. A special clearing was prepared and stadium seating was built for the spectators. An amazing series of events was to take place over the next several days. These events would display the abilities of the hunters, who were the lifeblood of the mountain people.


    The Lynwood Clan benefited greatly from this event. They also began as a hunting family but eventually expanded to become a merchant family. They were the biggest Clan in the Mountains having three divisions of jobs, Merchant, Hunter, and Soldier. The hunters hunted for raw materials, the merchants sold the materials, and the soldiers protected the merchants on their travels.


    The Lynwood Clan collected the hunting materials from the other clans and sold them in large towns and cities. It was very convenient for the hunting clans to work with the Lynwoods and everyone profited from the association.


    The Hunter Competition allowed for the Lynwoods to deepen their relationship with the various hunting clans and served as a convenient means for collecting materials the clans wished to sell. Another matter arose recently, the bandits. This year, the Lynwood''s Clan Chief was hosting a meeting with the other clans to discuss the growing bandit problem.


    Up to this point the Lynwoods were protecting the clans from the bandits by deploying their soldiers. The problem was these soldiers were needed to protect the merchant convoys of the Lynwood clan. Either the Lynwood family need to hire more soldiers or the clans needed to send some of their hunters to help. If they hired more soldiers, then the Lynwoods would need to increase the fees they were charging in order to afford the new soldiers. This would place a financial burden on the hunting clans. Most of these clans were barely getting by as things stood now.


    The competition was set to begin at ten in the morning. It was already nine and all of the clans were present except for the River Village Clan. The River Village Clan was recognized as a strong hunting clan and were highly respected by the other clans. Last year, the River Village Clan came in second for the hunting competition. River Snake was unmatched among the hunters, his peers from the village were weaker than him. This plus the slightly less than smooth teamwork caused them to lose firstplace to the Forest Village Clan.


    The Chief hunter of the Forest Village Clan was Forest Fire. He took first place last year and led his team to overall victory. It was a close competition, so everyone looked forward to the rematch between Forest Fire and River Snake.


    A large man, around six foot seven inches tall, sat in a tent made from spirit beast hide. He had a bulky beard, large muscles and wore a special set of hunter gear which displayed his status as a merchant and competency as a hunter. The colors of his clothes were like other hunters since it could camaflague in the forest, but its quality was far beyond the quality of clothing other hunters wore. His hunter tools and weapons were also of the best quality. This man was Atlas Lynwood, the Patriach and Clan Chief of the Lynwood Clan.


    Sitting next to Atlas was a beautiful looking girl who was thirteen. She wore an elegant purple and white dress but lest anyone think she was incapable she also had a hunter''s knife and a blackwood bow and arrow sat next to her. She was both a hunter and a little princess. Her name was Xena Lynwood, the daughter of Atlas Lynwood.


    "Sebastian, any word about the River Village Clan?" Atlas asked a servant who just entered the tent.


    "Sir, our patrols have discovered some villagers from the River Village Clan. These were only the women and some children and old people from the village. None of the hunters or even the Village Chief were present. We asked them where the hunters were and they didn''t know. They said the hunters should be on their way," Sebastian said.


    "Do you think something has happened to the hunters from the River Village Clan?" Atlas asked.


    "I don''t know sir, but Mountain Sprite, River Snake''s wife and their daughter River Fairy are here. Mountain Sprite asked permission to see you sir. She said she has a gift for you," Sebastian informed him.


    "A gift? Please send her in," Atlas Lynwood said to Sebastian.


    "Father, how strange is this, what do you think is going on?" Xena asked.


    "I don''t know, perhaps Mountain Sprite can tell us. She is the wife of the Chief Hunter of the Village. If anyone knows what''s going on it should be her," he said.


    Mountain Sprite entered carrying a small rectangular box. Following her was Mountain Breeze who carried River Fairy in her arms. Mountain Sprite greeted Atals and Xena.


    "Greetings Clan Chief Lynwood, miss Xena Lynwood," Mountain Sprite said with a slight bow.


    Both Atlas and Xena nodded their heads toward Mountain Sprite and returned her greeting. The relationship between the hunting clans and the Lynwoods was one of mutual respect and not subservience.


    "Mountain Sprite, we are curious about your hunters do you know where they are," Atlas asked.


    "They''ll be along. My husband and the Village Chief, River Boat, send their apologies for not coming with us. They hope you can start the proceedings on time and they should be here soon. As a way of apology, the Village Chief asked me to deliver this gift," she said.


    Lifting the rectangular box in front of her to present the gift, Sebastian came to her and took the box. He brought it to Atlas who opened it with curiosity. Inside the box was an exquisite bone knife. At first, Atlas just thought it was pretty, but then he examined the knife and noticed some strange etchings marked on it. Taking out the knife he threw it at an iron practice dummy nearby. The knife went through the dummy like it was butter. The knife piearced the tent and after a few yells came to rest somewhere outside. Sebastian ran to collect the knife.


    "Amazing," Atlas said. Xena''s eyes sparkled as she looked on in shock.

 15 Ghost Hunters

    After retrieving the knife, Atlas and Xena made their way to their personal booth. Once they were situated, a man walked up to a stage built for the event.


    "Welcome to this year''s Hunter''s Competition, my name is Chronos Lynwood and I will be hosting this competition," he said.


    The spectators roared in excitement and even some of the hunters clapped enthusiastically.


    "We received word from the River Village Clan hunters saying they would be here soon and we should begin things without delay," he said.


    "We''re here already," a voice said next to Chronos.


    Chronos was so surprised he actually jumped away from the voice. This was very embarasing for Chronos who was a mighty hunter. He was well known for his nerves of steel. The reason he was so scared was because the person appeared next to him and he never noticed him. Chronos never stopped sensing his environment yet this person was able to sneak up on him.


    Looking around he noticed there were Rive Village Clan Hunters all around. Some were in the field, others were in the stands, and some were peaking around guards who were still unaware of their presence!


    The person who just spoke was the Clan Chief of the River Village Clan, River Boat. Standing next to him was River Snake. Atlas and Xena Lynwood were just as shocked as Chronos. Perhaps even more shocked because until River Boat spoke, they didn''t even see him or his hunters.


    "How did he do that?" Xena asked.


    "It''s just a trick."


    "Now Atlas and Xena jumped slightly. Standing in between Atlas and Xena''s chairs was a little boy with a bored look on his face.


    "Who are you?" Atlas asked.


    "I''m River Mist, sir," he said.


    "River Mist? You''re from the River Village too?" he asked.


    "Yes, sir, River Snake is my father," he responded.


    "How did you get past the soldiers?" Atlas asked.


    "The soldiers, the big guys who are standing like statues? I don''t think they were really paying attention. They were staring straight ahead and I tried to figure out what was so interesting to them, but it just looked like they were staring at air, so I came in," Mist replied.


    "Staring at air?" Atlas thought about it for a minute. He guessed if you looked at the soldiers a certain way it looked like they were staring at air.


    "Do you mind if I compete with the adults," Mist asked?


    "Huh?" Atlas was confused.


    "My father said kids weren''t allowed to play in the competition unless they got permission from you. I came to get permission," he said.


    "Sure," Atlas responded blankly.


    Mist was extremely excited. It was then he looked to his right to see Xena who was staring at him.


    "Would you like some candy?" he asked her.


    "Candy?" she asked confused.


    "Here, take a few, Mother said I should bring you a good greeting gift. As far as I can tell candy is the best gift you could ever get. I wanted to share some candy with you!" Mist said.


    "What''s candy?" she asked again ever more confused.


    "It''s a kind of fruit I guess, here'' a bag of it. I picked out the bag and candies all on m own!" he said proudly.


    Taking the bag offered to her, Xena looking in the bag saw a collection of shiny things wrapping something. Each wrapper had a picture of a fruit.


    "Thank you, Mist," Xena said.


    "Ok, I''m going to go and play I''ll see you guys later." he said.


    Nodding their heads, Atlas and Xena watched as Mist excitedly ran off. Suddenly both of them felt they weren''t alone. Turning their heads to their right.


    A young man was sitting next to them.


    "He''s such a little kid. Look at him running off like he doesn''t have a care in the world," Tik said.


    Atlas Lynwood scrunched his face in confusion once more.


    "Who are you?" he asked.


    "I''m Tik, I made that knife do you like it?" he said.


    Atlas was once again surprised, this kid made this amazing knife? He couldn''t get his head around it. He didn''t look much older than his daughter.


    "Are you a forger?" Atlas asked.


    "Yes, I''m just an apprentice right now, but Master Koos thought I was ready to try doing some work outside of the village. He let me come with Uncle Tok," he said.


    "Who is uncle Tok?" Atlas asked.


    "He''s the Master Hunter who has been training the River Village Clan, he''s also Mist''s teacher.


    "M-M-Master Hunter?" Atlas cried out.


    "Yes?" Tik responded confused.


    "Did he teach the River Village Hunters to appear out of nowhere like that?" Atlas asked.


    "Yeah, it''s just a little hunter foot technique. It''s called Ghost Hunter Steps, not bad right?" Tik said proudly.


    "I didn''t know there was a Master Hunter in these mountains," he said.


    "He''s just visiting. He''s helping the River Village Clan win the Hunter Competition and then we''re going back to our village with his disciple. Both of his disciples I suppose," Tik said.


    "Who are his disciples?" Atlas asked.


    "River Snake and his son River Mist, the little kid from before. Anyway, I guess you should get things started otherwise people are going ot get bored. There''s way too much chit chat going on without much action," he said.


    Atlas nodded his head and sent Sebastian to tell Chronos to get things back on track. Sebastian went to pass Atlas'' order to Chronos and soon he found his footing and once again begain explaining the competition.


    "We will hold hunter events over the next five days. On day one we will test your knowledge of plants and animals inhabiting the Forbidden Forest. On day two we will test your skill with the three hunter weapons, the spear, the bow and arrow, and the knife. On day three we will test your skill at processing game. On day four, we will test your knowledge of trapping. Day five will be the ultimate test. The contestants will enter the Forbidden Forest and all of their skills will be put to the test. The team which can hunt the best game will have a significant chance of winning the entire competition even if they did poorly on the previous days. It''s all up to your skill!" Chronos announced to the audience.


    The spectators and hunters were looking forward to the competition. There was one man and girl who thought the winners of the contest were a foregone conclusion. Atlas and Xena were the only ones who knew the River Village Clan was trained by a Master Hunter.


    Master Hunters were legendary beings. Atlas was aware of them only because he came across stories of them as a merchant. To his knowledge there shouldn''t be any Master Hunters in the mountain region. In fact the entire continent of Xulo shouldn''t even have Master Hunters. They tended to exist in the areas where the strongest Demon and Divine Beasts lived.


    They weren''t sure how long the Master Hunter trained them, but the River Village Clan''s entrance was enough to demonstrate their astonishing capabilities. Even knowing the outcome, Atlas couldn''t wait to see the skills of the River Village Clan and make plans for the future.

 16 Dragon Fury Bandits

    While the Hunter''s Competition was beginning plots and schemes were being hatched. In a nearby mountain near the Lynwood properties, the Dragon Fury Bandits were discussing what to do about the hunter villages. In the meeting chambers of their base, a military style war council was taking place.


    In the room four men sat around a square table, these were the leaders of the Dragon Fury Bandits. The leaders were made up of three Generals and the Bandit Prince. The Red General, Fyre Rond, was a middle-aged man standing six feet three inches tall. His hair was thinning on top, and he wore leather armor over a green tunic and dark brown pants. He sat at the table with a knife on his hip.


    To his right was the Black General Tebu Tahazi, an older man in his mid-fifties standing at an even six feet; he wore the same outfit as the Red General. The Yellow General, Evan Starg, sat directly across from the Black General and to the left of the Red General. He similarly matched the other two generals'' uniforms.


    The only difference between the three generals'' uniforms was the single lizard scale in each one''s helmet. The Red General had a red scale the Black General a black scale, and the Yellow General a yellow scale.


    The Yellow General was also the smallest of the generals. He was only five feet seven inches tall. Unexpectedly he was also the strongest, in raw physical power, of the three Generals. He liked to use a large club in battle, smashing his enemies into paste. The Red General was the most vicious and unrelenting with his spear; while the Black General was the most nimble and cunning favoring large knives and hidden weapons.


    The Bandit Prince, Luther Long, wore green princely robes. His presence and bearing was almost ethereal. He was known for his incredible speed and sharp sword. Some said he could command the wind itself when he attacked. He was the youngest of the men here but no one looked down on him. At twenty-seven-years-old, he had the presence of a man three times his age. He was elegent with an incisive mind.


    "How is the looting going?" asked the Prince.


    "My lord, our commanders have reported there are no problems looting the hunter villages who are attending the contest. We bought off, bullied, or killed the soldiers the Lynwood family hired. Tomorrow is the last day of the contest and we''ll be able to surround the attendees of the contest. Our plan to enslave the rebellious villagers and the Lynwood merchant shouldn''t be a problem. The strength of the hunters is pathetic," the Black General answered.


    "I want to make this Atlas Lynwood my foot slave. I''ll teach him humility. He could have sided with us and had some real power in the mountains. I''ll break him. He has a daughter, correct?" The Prince asked.


    "Yes, Xena, she''s thirteen and an accomplished hunter," the Black General said.


    "We''ll keep her as insurance against her father. Who knows, when she gets older and if she''s good looking enough I might give her as a reward to one of you to do with as you please," he said.


    "We should train her up as a maid so she knows her place. Don''t let her sit as a little princess," laughed the Yellow General.


    "Of course, we''ll turn these mountains into our stronghold. When my brother arrives, this will serve as the foundation stone of our new Empire!" the prince said.


    "Will your Kingly brother arrive soon?" the Red General asked with great hope.


    "Three to four more years and he''ll be here. He''s still fighting hard battles right now. Once he crosses the Naidin Ocean, his progess should be much smoother. Right now, our job is to prepare these mountains for his arrival. As soon as he arrives he will want to begin to campaign!" said the Prince.


    "At last we''ll be able to remove the dishonour of being bandits and live once more as a true army under our king!" The Yellow General said with anger.


    "When we''re strong enough, we''ll take revenge on our enemies. They think they can destroy my Dragon Kingdom? They''ll soon learn to regret the tragic future they have chosen themselves," the Prince said.


    "I''ll put that Rebel Raezon''s head on a pike!" said the Red General.


    "We''ll have our revenge eventually. Right now we must focus on our current situation. We''ll force those hunters to become foot soldiers for us. With their knowledge of the forests, we''ll make this forest impenetrable," The Prince said in a frenzy. He could already see their future successes.


    The table erupted into laughter as all four men spoke unendingly of coming glory and revenge.


    The Hunter Contest already finished the first four days of the competition. As Atlas Lynwood expected, the River Village Hunters took first place in every event. This was without River Snake or the Village Chief of the River Village Clan taking part. The best hunter of the contest turned out ot be the seven-year-old son of River Snake, River Mist.


    Atlas invited River Snake, his wife, Tok, Tik, Mist, and the Village Chief to his tent for a private discussion. Atlas was very nervous because this would be his first time meeting the Master Hunter since the contest began. During the entire competition he remained aloof and was hardly around. To ensure his attendence, Atlas Lynwood emphasized the meeting represented the future of the Mountain Clans.


    When Mist and his elders arrived at the meeting, they noticed Xena Lynwood was also in attendence. She seemed especially made up wearing the most elegant and girly clothes. Her presence made sense as she seemed the most likely person to inherit the Lynwood Clan Leader position. The Lynwood Clan was the creation of her father after all.


    Atlas came to the opening of the tent and personally welcomed all of his guests. He was especially respectful of Tok, the Master Hunter. While towards Tik he was friendly. Tik watched the contest everyday in Atlas'' booth. He was a relaxed young man. Tik saw Xena and got a little excited.


    "Do they want to build a marriage alliance with our Masters'' Village through me? Haha, what an unexpected harvest," he thought to himself.


    After everyone took their seats, Atlas hesitated for a moment before beginning.


    "My friends, I have asked you hear this evening to discuss something of the utmost importance to our Mountain Clans. I would like to propose a marriage alliance," Atlas said.


    With a twinkle in his eye Tik thought, "I knew it!"

 17 Marriage Alliance

    "Marriage Alliance?" Elder Tok asked.


    Looking at Xena and then at Tik, Elder Tok shook his head. he knew Tik had spent most of the week in the box with Atlas and the pretty little girl Xena, but he didn''t expect things to go in this direction. The Age difference wasn''t much, but this wouldn''t work.


    "I''m afraid this isn''t possible. Tik belongs to the Masters'' Village and it isn''t appropriate for him to marry someone from your village. There are restrictions to our involvement in the world outside the village. Besides, he already has a little wife back home," Elder Tok responded.


    Tik''s face turned sour. He didn''t think his Uncle Tok would sabotage him like this. He knew there were restrictions, but couldn''t those be worked around? It was true he had a wife, but it''s not like most of the masters in the village didn''t have a few wives. What was the big deal?


    Atlas and Xena were both a little shocked when they heard this and looked at Tik briefly.


    "I''m afraid there''s a misunderstanding. The proposed Marriage is between my Lynwood''s Xena and the River Village''s River Mist," Atlas quickly corrected.


    "This shouldn''t be a problem?" he asked.


    Elder Tok and Tik were both surprised as were Mist''s parents. The Village Chief had a sparkle in his eye.


    "Smart thinking," he said to himself.


    "Isn''t she a little old for Mist?" Tik asked. He was completely disgruntled. What did a seven-year-old kid have on him?


    "Not at all, it''s good to have a wife a little over than the man. Especially if she''s the first wife," Mountain Sprite said.


    "I thought you said one woman was enough for a man," River Snake said.


    "One woman is enough for a man like you. Besides, more wives means more grand babies!" Mountain Sprite said. Xena''s face blushed slightly.


    "As long as Xena is the first wife I have no problem with him having more wives later," Atlas said.


    "Hahaha very good, no wonder the Lynwood Clan has grown so much under your leadership. A man with such far reaching vision," River Boat laughed.


    The Clan Chief, and Mist''s parents were excited. Tik was disgruntled and pouting. Mist was confused while Atlas was also excited and Xena didn''t seem to object to the arrangement. She even seemed a little happy.


    The only person who seemed they might have a problem with the arrangement was Elder Tok. He looked like he just ate something sour.


    Noticing Elder Tok''s expersion, Atlas knew he needed to get over Elder Tok''s objections if this were going to work.


    "Master Hunter Tok, you have an objection?" he asked hesitantly.


    "Mist will be living in the Masters Village for the next seven years and will go on to shake the world. I''m worried if your little princess can keep up with him. Ultimately, this matter is up to Mist''s parents and you and I won''t interfere. However, you should consider your daughter.


    For the next seven years Mist will be trained day and night and won''t have time for romantic considerations. When Mist leaves our village after seven years he will undergo a training journey which could take who knows how many years.


    Settling down to have a family won''t be possible. Little Xena would need to follow Mist around the world with him and suffer the highs and lows of his training journey if they are going to be together. This will be very dangerous for her. However, it''s more than likely she will need to wait at home and wait for Mist to return one day. By the time this happens she might be an old lady.


    Lastly, I expect he will have many wives in the future and if she isn''t strong enough can she be worthy to be the first wife or a wife at all?" Elder Tok said.


    The points he raised were all very strong and Atlas needed to consider them carefully. This was his daughter after all. As he sat there thinking he looked at his daughter who spoke up.


    "Mist is a child much younger than me right now, but over the last few days I have been able to tell for myself his future potential. The kind of man his father is gives me hope Mist will cary the heart of a true hunter.


    I don''t know him right now and even though I''m only thirteen it makes me nearly twice his age. I''m much stronger and more mature than him. However, this won''t always be the case. If I am married to him then I will go where he goes. When he experiences good things I''ll be there with him. When he experiences bad I''ll also be there even if we have to go through hell together.


    I don''t say this as an inexperienced girl but as a hunter who has seen the wider world. I have the heart of a true hunter like my father. When I commit it is until the end. If Mist can also have a hunter''s heart I know I will grow to love him in the future.


    Even if he has other women I will be satisfied if I am by his side. A great man, a capable man is expected to have many wives.


    I cannot answer your other concerns but I can tell you I am willing to put everything into this. I only ask to be accepted by Mist''s parents, his Clan Chief, and of course his Masters. I''ll do whatever I need to do this," Xena said.


    "Why?" asked Mountain Sprite.


    "I can''t deny the benefits of a marriage like this for my Lynwood Clan, but this isn''t enough. I know this. Master Hunter Tok''s words are correct, so I must have a stronger reason to marry Mist than just benefits for my clan. I''m not just some thing to be traded. I know my father doesn''t think of me in this way and I certainly do not see myself like this.


    As members of hunter villages don''t we all know the dangers of living in the mountains surrounded by spirit beasts and cut off from the rest of the world. I''ve traveled with my father and seen the world outside. It is both beautiful and frightening. As beautiful as it is, it cannot match the beauty of the mountains. As frightening as it is my life in the mountains gives me courage.


    What matters the most to those of us in the mountains is the next generation. I want my children to grow up and have a father whose strength as a hunter is only surpassed by his character. I want a man who has a true heart. I think Mist will be such a man, what more could I ask for?" she said.


    Mist sat listening to this girl say such nice things about him and he was feeling proud. He couldn''t help but speak.


    "Don''t worry, when we get married I''ll make sure to bring you the best candy there is. We can eat it together and give it to our kids," Mist said heroicly.


    Everyone present couldn''t help but laugh at the well-meaning child. Even Xena''s eyes sparkled a little.


    "I like this girl," Mountain Sprite said.


    "Me too," River Snake said.


    "I think she would make a great wife for Mist, but what about the things Master Hunter Tok said. We musn''t disregard his wise words," River Boat said.


    "This isn''t a problem," Mountain Sprite said.


    "Oh, why is that?" Elder Tok asked a little surprised.


    "We''ll just take her with us and you can find her a master to train her in something," Mountain Sprite said.


    Elder Tok was a little surprised and laughed lightly with disbelief.


    "Sprite, you can''t just expect Master Hunter Tok to just force one of the masters in his village to take Xena on as an apprentice," River Boat said.


    "Hmm. I don''t believe he''ll have to force anyone. This girl believes in Mist and I believe in her. She''s so young and already an accomplished hunter. They''re going to an entire village filled with masters; I bet there''ll be at least one master who will see this gem of a girl. Don''t worry about it!" Mountain Sprite said.


    Everyone looked at Elder Tok after hearing Mountain Sprite''s words. Noticing everyone was waiting for him to speak; Master Tok thought for a few moments before speaking.


    "I suppose it''s worth a try. The girl isn''t bad and as a hunter I think a girl like this would be a good match for my student. However, I can''t train her as a hunter. I''m already training Mist and his father. If she wants a master it''ll have to be a master who can teach her something other than hunting. For this to happen, honestly this is up to Xena''s innate gifts and determination. But I don''t really think it would hurt to try.


    Listen girl, if you can''t find a master in the village you''ll have to decided then whether you''ll spend your life trying to follow this kid around or return to your village. I won''t object to you staying in the village for the next seven years even if you can''t find a master, but if you can''t match this boy in some aspect...just don''t make yourself suffer and risk unhappiness," Elder Tok said.


    Xena and her father nodded in agreement. Now the matter of the marriage between Mist and Xena received Elder Tok''s approval, it was time to celebrate.

 18 The Hunt Begins

    The celebration lasted for several hours. Very few were aware of he marriage alliance. Only those who were present during the discussion were present at the celebration. Atlas wanted to make the announcement after Mist and his team of hunters won the final contest to make things more dramatic.


    The next morning, everyone seemed extermely enthusiastic. Even though the River Village Clan won the previous days'' events, the confidence of the hunters from the other mountain clans wasn''t weakened at all. Instead, they were fired up about today''s contest.


    Chronos Lynwood started things off in a grand style.


    "My friends! Today is the final contest of the Hunters Contest! For the last four days in the individual contest one boy has dominated every competition, River Mist!


    The past is the past! Today is a team event. Just one excellent hunter cannot win this contest. It will take the whole team. This means the winner of this competition is still undecided. Everyone still has a chance to win!"


    The crowds roared and the hunters were ready to go into the Forbidden Forest to begin their hunt.


    "To win the final contest is quite simple. The team with the strongest prey wins!"


    Once more the crowds roared.


    "Without wasting any more time, team captains, please lead your teams into the Forbidden Forest," As Chronos spoke the hunters raced into the forest.


    Usually the strongest hunter in the team acts as the team captain. Mist was just seven and didn''t have the experience needed to command the team. Instead, River Flow, who was chosen to be the Chief Hunter after River Snake left with his family.


    Both River Boat and River Snake had great confidence in his ability to lead. Over the last two weeks of training he showed not only the most potential as a hunter, but many of the other hunters respected him and listened to him.


    Mist came along with the other nine hunters, but they didn''t expect him to stay with the team. They knew he liked to run off by himself. At first, River Snake would get upset with Mist every time he ran off. Eventually, he realized it was just the boy''s nature and stopped pressuring him.


    Within five minutes, Mist had already split off from the rest of the group. He decided he would catch a spirit animal and then compare it to the one his team captures. The bigger one would be used for the contest or maybe they could use both.


    Mist quickly zipped through the forest looking for signs of a big spirit beast. He moved using the Ghost Hunter Steps Elder Tok taught him. He already reached the second level of the steps. So far, he was the most advanced in cultivating these steps. Even his father didn''t develop as quick as he did. Of course, he also had extra focus from Elder Tok and Tik even gave him some pointers when they were out. Mostly he thought Mist was too slow so he helped him speed up a lot.


    The Ghost Hunter Steps made him invisible to the low level spirit beasts. The higher beasts, even if they detected him, couldn''t attack him because he was moving too fast. After about an hour of aimless wondering, Mist found himself in a strange area of the Forbidden Forest. He kept finding dead spirit beasts and human tracks. He couldn''t believe this was the work of hunters. They would never be so wasteful as to kill spirit beasts and leave their bodies behind. They certainly wouldn''t move through the Forbidden Forest in such a sloppy manner. Whoever it was they were either lucky for not drawing a powerful beast to them, or they were really strong.


    Mist followed the tracks and quickly came upon several men armed with swords, bows and arrows, and other military arms. Mist found a place to hide near the men who were currently resting. Listening to the men he soon discovered they were planning to attack the Hunter Contest. They were going to not only hold the spectators hostage but even planned to hurt Atlas and Xena!


    Mist knew he needed to tell his father. He ran back at a much faster speed. Exiting the forest he found his father and the Village Chief.


    "Mist, why are you here?" River Snake said.


    The Village Chief, River Snake, and his parents were there. Mist quickly told his father what he heard. River Boat took a horn he always carried with him and blew into it. He sounded the signal for the River Village Hunters to return. It was a war sound.


    Very soon, Elder Tok, Tik, Atlas, Xena and the other Village Chiefs congregated together. River Snake told them what Mist told him. They quickly planned to secure the spectators and called back the other hunters. River Snake looked up and noticed Mist was gone.


    "Where''s Mist?" he asked.


    Everyone looked around but realized he was gone.


    "That kid looked mad when he left," Tik said.


    "What do you mean?" Elder Tok asked.


    "I mean when we were gathering I saw him and he was rushing into the forest. I didn''t know what was going on so I didn''t think much of it," Tik said.


    "That boy has gone after the bandits!" River Snake said in shock.


    "Why would he do this?" asked Atlas.


    "It''s because they threatened you and your daughter. My son may not understand what marriage is but he understands you''re part of his family now. We raised our son to honor the relationships of family. He''s probably gone to make trouble for the person behind this," Mountain Sprite said. She knew her son the best.


    Xena was moved by what she heard and knew she chose correctly.


    "Father, we must save him," Xena said.


    "I would like to, but you''ve seen this kid over the last few days. Do you think I could even find him much less any of my men?" he said.


    "Tik, go find Mist. Let him do what he wants but you must not let him get hurt. Bring him back when he''s done. This is a good opportunity for him," Elder Tok said.


    Tik nodded his head and disappeared from his spot. It was like he was never there.


    "I can''t participate in this battle. I am only here in a limited capacity. Tik has a little more freedom to act than I do because he''s only at the apprentice level.


    "However, I can tell you they should be here in less than thirty minutes and they are surrounding this area. You need to act quickly. If they get here and you aren''t ready, it will be troublesome," he said.


    "Don''t worry, we''ll be ready for them, but they won''t be ready for us!" River Snake said.

 19 Bandit Base

    Mist picked up the tracks of the bandits from the point he found them and began tracing them back. He was determined to discover their origins. He would spy it out and if it was too much for him, he would return to his father and get his help to take care of those bandits. He knew his father and the other hunters would be busy for a little while dealing with the conspiracy to capture their families. Scouting, planning, and trap making were all important skills for hunters. Mist was already the best in the village.


    Using the Ghost Hunter Steps, Mist followed the tracks. After about two hours he found the base. There were several guards patrolling the perimeter of the base outside its stone walls. Mist found a spot in a tree and began to observe the base.


    After watching from one position for a while, Mist moved his position to observe the base from another place. In the new position, he was able to get into an elevated position and look down into the base. From his Hunter bag, he pulled a simple telescope. The telescope was made of leather which rolled up and he fitted each side with a glass.


    Mist was able to find several weak points in the patrols and hiding spots within the base. The next hurdle he would face when he got past the patrols were getting into the base itself. This would leave him exposed. Who knew what was in the base. Mist realized it would be foolish for him to go into the base.


    This realization didn''t stop Mist. He was already aware of a few tricks he could use to bring the people in the base out. Fishing in his bag once more, Mist found a tube filled with a thick paste. Sneaking into the base he started smearing the paste on animals, buildings, and even people. No one knew he was there. The Ghost Hunter Steps were truly mystical. He could appear and disappear like vapor. His touch was so light no one noticed him.


    After finishing with spreading the paste, Mist moved through the base and found a few areas where he could hide and placed a few arrows in those spots. After setting a few traps, Mist retreated back to the forest and took up his elevated spot to spy out the coming activity using his telescope.


    After waiting for about twenty minutes, the sound of thunder erupted from the forest while the ground felt like it was going to split apart. Even Mist had to hold onto the branches in the tree for dear life. He almost fell out of the tree twice. Terrifying beast roars sounded out from the forest. By now, everyone in the interior of the base came out to see what was going on.


    Seeing so many people flooding out of the base, Mist made his move back into the base. Everyone was still looking for the source of those terrifying beast roars. They failed to notice Mist''s little body flashing in and out of site while making his way to the hiding spots he found earlier. Mist recovered arrows at each location and lit, aimed, and fired them at the base. Moving swiftly from place to place, Mist had started small fires all over the base.


    Even until this moment, no one noticed the base started burning. Mist returned to his hiding spot in the tree once again. By the time he reached his spot, he was able to see the fires suddenly blaze and the whole base started burning. Now, everyone saw the base was on fire. Everyone reacted quickly and gathered water and started throwing the water on the base.


    It was at this time the spirit beasts came flooding out of the forests.


    "Beast tide!" a man yelled.


    Mist giggled quietly. Now it was time for the big show! No one could figure out why a beast tide suddenly broke out, no one except for Mist. Mist, after all, was the one who started the beast tide. The paste he speared around the base was a special ceremony. Its smell triggered a crazy desire for mating in the beasts. Flooding into the base, the spirit beasts were looking everywhere for their partners.


    At first, no one could figure out what the spirit beasts were looking for. Finally, after one of the first large oxen was "attacked" by a spirit beast and let out a mournful sound they understood what was going on.


    Their confusion didn''t go away, they were even more confused now. Why did these spirit beasts suddenly rush in here to mate? Initially, they believed the spirit beasts would only attack the other beasts. However, they were wrong. Suddenly many of the spirit beasts started targeting humans. The humans fled in complete terror. It was utter chaos in the base.


    Four men appeared from somewhere. Mist didn''t notice them at first, but they immediately began to attack the spirit beasts. These men were really strong, they began cutting down some of the spirit beasts. The strongest was a man wearing a green outfit with armor. It seemed like the air obeyed his will as several spirit beasts were decapitated.


    These were the leaders of the bandits'', Mist realized. This was what he was waiting for. Getting down from the tree, Mist got into a position from the forest to attack these four. The walls protecting the base were already knocked down so he didn''t need to stay in the tree to see into the base.


    Taking his bow and arrow, Mist waited for the four men to get into position. The Black General was stealthy moving from one shadow to the next. Mist was impressed with his movements as they were a little similar to his Ghost Hunter Steps. Mist named them shadow steps as they seemed to move this guy from one shadow to the next. Watching this person, Mist was able to determine where he would step next and waited until the man got near a certain point. When he did, Mist shot an arrow and it cut a line which caused a net to spring up. As the net sprung up a powder also shot up covering the Black General. The net also closed and the Black General could only struggle with the net.


    The Black General was getting more and more furious and then he heard it, a roar so blood-curdling it could steal the soul away instantly. The Black General froze as did the other spirit beasts. A beast the size of a small mountain charge out the forest, it was a Kyloxe Mountain King even larger than the one Elder Tok killed.


    It''s eyes were red and steam was expelled from its nostrils. It''s gaze focused on the Black General. After a few moments, it charged right toward the Black General!