The pair of blood-soaked lovers broke their embrace and surveyed the carnage they had caused. What remained of the seven old monks were crushed corpses and pools of blood that stained the once-pristine white marble floor. The black-haired man had a cocky smirk while the red-haired woman had an open smile; each reveled in their own way in the carnage they had caused.

On an unspoken cue, the duo ascended the tier of stairs that the monks had been guarding, crossing the distance to an altar draped with white brocade. The woman reached the platform first and snatched the prize from it: a head-sized mirror, silver bounded by a lattice of black metal. She held the trophy aloft, laughing.

"Is it so funny then, Thren?" the man asked of the woman.

"Absolutely delightful," she replied.

"And here I thought you were perfectly content the way you are."

More silvery laughter filled the air. "Yes, but how many are not? And how much can we get from them?"

"Even without its use, such a treasure of Heaven and Earth is priceless," the man replied.

"Oh, it has a price. Everything has a price, Eb."

"Even us?"

"Especially us," the woman's ruby lips arched in a smile. "You and I both know that is the way of things for creatures like us, whether they call themself devil, demon, or immortal."

"How very cruel you are," the man mock-lamented.

The woman flicked her wrist, and the mirror vanished into some unknown space. "You could run away again. Remind me again, how long was it last time, two thousand years? You always come back in the end, though."

The bloodsoaked couple again embraced, their passions evident as--

Strong River muttered and awoke, eyes trying to blink away the rays of sunlight peeking out through the closed slats of the room's window. He had returned late to the clan's compound, leaping back over the walls and returning to Elder Cloud's house through its back entrance.

After changing back into his warrior's garb, the elder had directed him to this bedroom as a place to rest. The room's interior was larger and better furnished than River's entire hut had been. Collapsing into the fur-covered bed -- the most luxurious of his whole life -- the young man fell into a deep sleep.

That sleep was dreamless save for that momentary foray into the ethereal tale of the devilish lovers. That was perhaps River's luck; given the events of the past day or two, there were many much worse imaginings he could have conjured in his nightly repose.

River handled his morning call of nature -- the elder had an actual facility in the yard of his own -- and returned inside the house, where he encountered the elder sitting at a table covered with plates full of foods the likes of which River had only seen on feast days. Such was the life of the strong in the Flowing Water clan.

"Well, you took your time waking up, River," the elder quipped as the young man entered.

"Apologies, Cloud, but I've had a few long days lately," the youth waved off the hidden rebuke.

The elder tapped a rolled up parchment against the heel of his palm. "You forgot your map, you know."

River shrugged, and he took a seat at the table. "I know my way around the area well enough; a glance was enough to know where to go."

Grabbing a fruit from the table, River began to narrate -- between bites sampled from the array of food -- a modified version of the previous night's adventure to Elder Cloud. He left out the connection with Soaring Wave's death, instead excusing it as River being a scapegoat for an issue previously communicated to Elder Wave by the men. The stone-faced old man's expression remained hard-etched, refusing to satisfy the youth's curiosity on whether he was at all surprised at the ongoings at the bandit outpost.

"You seem to be taking this rather well, all things considered," Cloud commented after River's narration ended.

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"You mean the part where Elder Wave has paid a branch of the Dragon's Den to kidnap me so he could get off, scratch out his grudge, and get a favor all at once? Given everything else the Waves have put me through it's not surprising anymore, only sickening."

Cloud sighed. "So then, do I keep you under confinement and stymie their efforts until the next party leaves to the forest?"

River shook his head. "No, I'll be returning there soon, but I won't be leaving enemies behind me when I do. If these fellows want to lay hands on me out of the sight of the clan, I figure I should at least be kind enough to oblige them in that. Such efforts shouldn't go to waste."

"A dangerous proposition. You are strong, but--"

"Yes, strong is even in my name," River quipped. "I wouldn't propose this if I didn't have the confidence in pulling it off. And if I fail, well, I pay the price and you'll miss your good show before you kick the bucket."

Cloud snorted. "It's your backside, River."

"Your concern for my backside is at least less disturbing than Elder Wave's, Cloud," River replied with a touch of acid. "They'll be expecting a much weaker boy than what they'll be getting."

"So, you've already put together a plan, River."

River grinned. "Oh yes. I can't exactly go out hunting or whatever, but what if I showed up at the mound with a bag of coin from Elder Wave and a message? Wouldn't that be an exceedingly clever arrangement for him to have made?"

"It's one that would have you facing their entire force head-on."

"Then I will have them right where I want them," River waved off the elder's concern. "Of course this only works with a couple of contributions from you."

"Oh?"

"I can't read or write, Cloud," River observed. "I'll need that message -- and the coin. You'll get it back and maybe even some interest when it's all over."

"And when does this all need to be ready?"

River took a deep breath and exhaled. "Sunset, tonight. They won't be expecting it so soon, and that means their special arrangements for containment won't be ready. They'll have to improvise. At least one of them will have to leave to retrieve Elder Wave -- matching his written instructions, of course -- and the others won't be expecting anything dangerous from a boy barely in the fifth-grade Human Realm."

"You have remarkable confidence in your ability to handle these men. Even I wouldn't dare something like this."

River smiled, "Which is why they'll be surprised when it happens. You've accepted so far that I have means above the norm, so it shouldn't be a surprise that you aren't the only one who can gauge the strength of his opponents. I have a good read on the situation, Cloud."

Elder Cloud shrugged. "You'll have your coin and your message. Weapons?"

River shook his head. "That'd raise their suspicions and I haven't trained with anything well enough to bother with more than my fists."

Finishing his breakfast, River returned to the bedroom and sat cross-legged on the floor, preparing to meditate.

"I'm not sure how this plan of yours will turn out, River," Mister Black finally chimed in.

"Good morning, Mister Black," River greeted his spectral mentor. "It is a gamble, but everybody else won't stop and wait for me to come up with a safer solution. The longer I sit in stasis waiting for the perfect chance, the less patience the elders will have."

"And so the best chance is the one you create yourself," Mister Black gave his assessment.

"Exactly," River agreed. "Oh, by the way, I had another one of those dreams again."

"Oh?"

"It wasn't very long, but it was the same couple in that same place. The woman picked up a black-framed mirror and made it disappear while talking with the man."

"Hmmm... anything else?"

"Nope. I couldn't follow what they were saying, something about it being very valuable."

"Ah, well." Mister Black almost sounded disappointed. "What are your plans for the rest of the day, then?"

"Meditate here for a while, then I'm going to head out and 'pet' some animals around the clan to top off my reservoirs. Besides Cloud and the Ripples, they all think I'm wrong in the head anyway so that shouldn't attract attention. Then I'll come back, have another full meal, and head out to execute the plan."

"Very well. I'll keep an eye out for any unexpected movements, then."

"Thank you, Mister Black. With you watching out for hidden dangers, I can focus on what I need to do."

River then immersed himself in meditation. Shortly after noontime Elder Cloud delivered the requested money and missive, and River halted his meditation to make a circuit around the clan's compound. He sapped minute amounts of blood essence from the various domestic animals, making sure that his reserves were full.

As afternoon gave way to nightfall, River ate another meal inside Elder Cloud's cabin. The elder did not show up for that meal but his servants prepared it all the same. After a satisfying repast, River then mentally double-checked his plan and set off. This time he left the clan through one of the gates, not needing to engage in stealth and guile.

Taking care not to move too fast, River made his way to the bandit's outpost. The sun vanished beneath the horizon, and the moon's crescent illuminated the rest of the way to the mound.

Adopting the bearing of a timid, browbeaten youth, River trundled the remaining distance to the outpost. Lightly, almost tentatively, he gave the door a knock, intentionally not mimicking the pattern Elder Wave had used the night before.

"Beat it, kid," a growly voice warned from inside.

"Um, but sir? I'm here to deliver Elder Wave's payment?" River pitched his voice a little higher and affected a trembling quiver of nervousness.

The hinges screeched as the door swung open. Behind it stood a thug of a man, long scars crisscrossing his bare arms, holding a torch aloft. "Payment? Already?"

"Um, yes sir. There's also a written message? Some sort of instructions?"

The man's roughly shaven jaw clenched with a frown. He then stepped aside, making room in the doorway. "Come on in, boy."

"Thank you, kind sir." River smiled a delighted grin.