DISARMING THE SECOND MONK was not so easy. Joel jumped in front of him, held the hilt of his sword and pivoted, twice. The monk raised the sword and pulled it back over his head.

The radiant green form on the platform stood behind the old man. From the corner of his eye, Joel registered a shock of recognition. He knew her. It was ridiculous. Impossible. He dismissed the thought.

Still holding on, Joel spun. With his back to the monk, he pulled to drag the monk over him and to the floor. Lying on his back, the monk kept his grip of the sword. With a leap he ran up the nearest wall. Joel swung to clasp his legs around the monk’s waist. The sword swished through the air. Joel ducked, but the blade caught the side of his head.

He ignored the warm trickle down the side of his neck as he somersaulted to land and roll over and over. Still he and the monk held the long grip of the sword. until Joel rolled again and the blade stuck into the ground. Joel was ready and the monk was off balance. Twisting, he turned with the monk. He gripped the sword and he pulled the monk’s arm until he had possession.

The monk stood, put his arms together and bowed low. Joel bowed with him. And the robe fell. Empty. Only Moslon had defeated both of his monks, but Carter was soon done, and Ben was not long behind.

The green statue was not only smoke. As it moved the old man’s face shone. He watched like he couldn’t tear his eyes away. He bowed his head and began to kneel. “Jade Fire,” he said, “Our goddess has returned at last.”

Her lovely face was shadowed with sadness. And it was definitely Honey’s face.

~~

The goddess must appear as Honey to me, and as somebody else to each of the others, Joel reasoned. He checked that other three cam displays in his visor. Nope. They were all Honey.

The old man moved to the front of the platform. Raising a hand, with the fingers pointed up, he swept his other hand in front of him. As he turned his raised hand, a luminous green mist swirled around his robed body. His eyes glowed and he stared right at them. Sparks crackled in the green mist as it wreathed in intricate patterns.

With a knee raised and his palms down, he made two throwing gestures.. Puffs of mist billowed into columns either side of him. The columns thickened and the green faces of foxes appeared at the tops. Robed like the old man, two six-foot high foxes bounded off the platform.

Tongues lolled from their wide, grinning jaws as they leaped at the four candidates. Carter swung a sword at the nearest of them. His blade cut through the green smoke. The mist thickened back into shape and the fox’s head tilted like it was laughing at him.

He swung again and cut the fox in two lengthwise. The two columns of smoke swirled like liquid. They formed up to make two foxes, both about the same size as the first one. As he lunged again, they seemed to actually laugh. In a single stroke he cut them both horizontally into two.

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The top half of one joined the bottom half of the other. The two remaining halves formed up, wrapping themselves around Ben. The mist transformed Ben into a fox. Carter grinned as he cut the first fox into two again lengthwise. One half formed back into the laughing fox. The other half slipped behind him and turned into Ben.

When Carter spun, around, he cut the fox in half at the waist.

But he cut the wrong fox. As Ben’s twitching bisected corpse fell convulsing to the floor, the mists all swirled. The thick column divided quickly into two columns. One of them was wrapped around Molson. The columns formed into two foxes. Carter whirled around, facing Molson.

Without hesitation, Molson raised his sword and split Carter in two from his head to his pelvis.

~~

“You didn’t have to do that!” Joel yelled.

Molson said, “You saw what happened to Ben,” but his voice was unnervingly calm. He approached Joel, moving like a cat. Like a hunter. Joel sidestepped.

As Molson advanced on Joel, he pulled two of the monks’ swords from the ground. “You aren’t the only one who had a meeting yesterday.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Joel had to duck as the blade slashed the air where his neck had been. “I mean, yes. I was taken yesterday to meet…” He couldn’t take his eyes from Molson’s. He knew that could be fatal. He stepped back. Reaching out for swords, there were none near enough to grab.

“I know.” Molson said, “I know all about it. I know about your deal.” He lunged forward and brought a blade straight down. Joel was flustered as he dodged.

“What deal? I don’t have a deal.”

Two green foxes stood tall and circled around Molson and Joel.

“You fooled Ben and Carter and those other saps.” He stabbed. Joel had to guess which way to jump. Still no swords in his grasp. His ninja skills and Molson’s were at the same level. And Molson was strong. And very athletic.

One of the foxes formed itself to look like Molson. The other like Joel. They danced around the pair of them. Neither Joel nor Molson let their eyes off each other for an instant.

Molson’s blade swished at waist height. “You never fooled me, outlander.” A ninja jump was Joel’s only option. But timing it was hard. He felt like he’d left it too late. Everything seemed to slow down. Joel didn’t think that was a good sign.

His feet were wide apart and only just cleared the blade. The other sword stabbed and just missed his crotch. If Molson just thrust upward, he’d be bisected. He grabbed Moslon’s wrist.

Gripping that sword hand, he flipped. The blade went into the ground. Molson still had the other sword. Joel twisted and brought up his knee. Kicking down, he slammed his heel into Molson’s ear.

Toppling to the ground, Molson landed on his shoulder. The shoulder of the arm that stretched out with the sword. Joel jumped back. Molson thrust upward with the sword. Straight for Joel’s heart.

He kicked Moslon’s wrist. In a slow arc, his foot and his leg followed through. Molson’s arm was deflected. His wrist turned, bent unnaturally. The gleaming blade flashed in the green light.

Half the length of the sword was buried in Molson’s throat. Molson shuddered and shook. His hands twitched, his eyes rolled, his legs thrashed, and his feet hammered on the ground.

Joel looked up. Honey’s eyebrows were knotted. Her hands reached out toward him.

A monk stood in the shadows at the back of the platform. The old man stepped in front of Honey. His head lifted.

The scene began to fade as the old man slowly shook his head.

  Level complete

   Health restored

Joel was wrapped in darkness and silence, colder and deeper than he ever knew before, like a shroud made of fear.