End of an Era

Cino staggered back slightly at the comment.

"You must be mistaken..." He muttered as he looked at the girl.

"I..." Cino opened his mouth and then closed it as if forgetting what to say and began to look uneasy as he slowly started to step away.

"I know you're good. No one can touch the book unless there good. That's how it keeps the future generations prepared by making sure no one takes anything from it."

She looked at him.

"you're not evil..."

"You realize I still have a job do you not?"

"yes but your not evil..........Is someone bribing you?"

She was more confident now.

"You...stay away! Don't interfere you fool." Cino was trying to avoid the girl now by starting to escape through the forest in search of her friends.

She teleported infornt of him.

"You're good and you know it but at the moment you are trying to help someone or something by listening to someone right?"

She looked him in the eye

At that point, the chi master interrupted by leaping from the trees, throwing bolts of lightning back the direction he was fleeing from as he flew.

Cino held up his hands.

"Look girl..." he started. "I've already told you I have a job to carry out and if I don't..." Cino stopped there. Cino looked back at the girl.

"Sorry about this but I have to continue..." Cino withdrew his sword and sent a gust of wind out at the girl. Cino then began to run through the forest trying to find signs of her friends.

She blocked the attack with a sheild, and ran after him and moved some vines from the tree's to rap around him with her magic.

"You know," She said running up to him, "This could go a lot easier if you told me what was wrong..."

She gave him a determined look as the vines started to wrap around him more.

Cino began to get annoyed as he eye started to twitch.

"I told you...leave me to my business already!" His voice rising.

his growl got louder, and he jumped into the air, making the lightning bolts whiz past him, almost hitting his chest, leaping into the air off a tree. He saw the chi master running from his, and he sped forward, closing the gap with jumps from tree to tree, pushing off the trunks and gaining momentum. he overtook the chi master

don't you run away from me! it only makes me more angry! now die!!

he yelled, and stabbed out at him, slicing and dicing anywhere he coud, trying to tear the master limb from limb, not caring where his strikes went as long as they connected.

"I don't care if i'm agitating you. I know how to take care of myself. Now why on earth did you agree to kill us for this guy and don't say cause of contract cause i know there's more to the story than that."

She didn't leave her spot and didn't bother to say another word, she just looked at him with determination and anger at his resistance to her.

Kenji stopped, looking at his group. The chi master was powerful, but it seemed that we scared it off. Kenji concentrated his energy waiting and watching outwards with his chi for the soldiers

"I'm doing it to...." Cino trailed off for a moment with distress in his eyes. He refused to look at the girl.

"I'm trying to save someone..." He nearly whispered.

The old man dropped to his haunches, and water burst from the ground up into Xarrubi, also sliding across the ground and freezing. He slid himself down through Xarubbi's legs, and got to his feet with a front flip off the ice. He slipped however, for just a second, off balance.

he yelled, and slid his left blade down his hand, moving it to it's forward place. He made his arm fly back, and then ripped it forward, making it fly at the Chi Master. He flipped at slashed, breaking the ice around him, and flew around, jumping, looking for what the Chi Master would do next.

Mud began to rise up from the ground, and gather in large masses. From these initially formless blobs of earth, legs and arms formed but nothing discernible beyond that.

The Golems gathered around Xarubbi...

he grinned, and laughed.

don't you dare underestimate me. I'll show you what happens when you do!

he yelled, and started slashing outward, spinning. The golems chests and peices of arms were targeted, and he stabbed out everywhere he could. He spun faster, making a large gust of wind make a vaccum around him, drawing in the peices of rock that were cut from the golems. He suddenly brought his blade down, stabbing into the ground, and the vaccum rushed out, blowing the golems away with with and stone. He yelled, and jumped at the Chi master, followin his stillf lying blade, trying to get him from the side that was left open.

Kenji had had enough of fighting, from where he was standing he summoned all his energy, calling the chi forth into his hands. his body was glowing. Kenji was going to wipe out the whole forest

The old man sprang into the air from his back, floating over the sword swipe, and whirled, bolts of lightning sparking from his extremities. He flying kicked Xarubbi in his solar plexus, and lift him up into the air with another fire breath. Water from the muddy ground shot up like a cannonball, and carried the airborn berserker into Kenji.

Kenji was shot back by the attack, but landed on his feet, sending the ball of energy that he had at the old man. The ball wasnt strong enough to destroy the forest, but was certainly strong enough to disintigrate an old man. Kenji wouldnt take the chance that he would miss, he jumped up and rocketed downwards, in a flying kick towards the old man

The flying kick caught him a glancing blow off the shoulder, and he was spun around, just a moment's hesitation to right himself.....

but just enough. The blast of power from the warrior caught the chi master, and blew outwards, throwing out an electric light, and throwing the tree shadow into stark contrast with the surfaces, turning the world black and white for a moment, and nothing in the epicenter of the strike could be discerned through the eye-searing light.

When the blast had cleared, and the animals had gone silent, nothing could be seen of the chi master. However....

No char marks marred the ground, no burns upon the green grass, no rent earth jutting from the ground. It was as if both had never been.

Kenji stood, fighting stance, alert, listening through the silence for any sign of attack

"Well you know I could help...."

She didn't need him to look at her for her to know the pain he was feeling. She walked over to him.

"We all need our friends and we all need help we can never do something alone...."

Cino looked up trying not to show any emotion.

"I don't need your damned help! Just let me go!" Cino began to scream.