The five adventurers were up before the sun and trekking along. Rogue John grumbled occasionally about missing breakfast, but after Ryujin offered to carry him, the halfling quieted. Slade yawned periodically, but Jasper and Artie were fully alert. They would reach the Tiger Spires Monastery, and they hoped and prayed that they would find the Mask of Mandu today.

Starting before daybreak, they had the roads to themselves. They saw plenty of wildlife - raccoons, foxes, deer, and even a few big cats. A herd of horses spooked and scattered off into the hills, causing Rogue John to grumble again about their journey on foot. The five of them stopped for a few minutes to admire the color dancing on the horizon as the sun began to rise. Vibrant orange and bright pink bounced off of the clouds ahead of them.

They stopped for lunch, washing the dust of the road from their hands, faces, and necks out of a small pond they found along the way. They shared what had been their meal nearly every day of travel - bread, cheese, and smoked sausage. Slade's stash of alcohol had run out days ago, but they had found an inn every time they needed to replenish, which usually resulted in Rogue John pointing out how Slade's prices were higher than the places they visited. Slade would roll his eyes and remind him that everything was more expensive in the city.

Finally, they crossed through the valley and arrived at Tiger Spires Monastery.

It was named after the black and amber striped rocks that jutted out of the ground. The amber stripes on the spires would glow at night, bathing the monastery grounds in dull, warm light that negated the need for torches outside. The stones ended in sharp points like fangs, which contributed to the name alongside the colors themselves.

There were several wooden huts on raised platforms scattered amongst the stone formations. Colored ribbons and decorated wind chimes swayed from the eaves. Bushes were carved in the shape of wild animals - which reminded Jasper of Dellevant's villa - and large rocks had been carved into statues of all sorts. There were a couple of rock gardens, which a few monks were tending to with rakes, while others went about caring for koi ponds. Others still were meditating or stretching on mats they had placed on the porches of the buildings.

Ryujin smiled. "Reminds me of home!"

"Should I tell them to get a proper garden?" Rogue John asked, taking a sip of ale out of a bottle.

"You'll do no such thing." Ryujin muttered at the halfling. Looking around, he continued: "I believe the head of the monastery was Master Sano. Let's see if we can find him."

Walking through the monastery grounds, they turned the corner of a building and found a group of twenty or so monks training with wooden staves. One man stood before them, barking fighting forms, correcting footwork, and watching all the students like a hawk. He was clean-shaven with a long, braided ponytail running down his back. He wore the same dark blue robes that all the monks wore.

The five friends stopped short, giving the warrior monks a wide berth. Jasper guessed that the instructor must be Master Sano. The man was in his late fifties, and though his loose robes hid most of his body, his lean forearms and sharp jawline hinted at a strong physique underneath. As he watched the monks train - feet pounding the ground, staff whirling and whipping through the air - he was impressed by their discipline and attentiveness.

Master Sano saw Jasper and the others, but he was in no hurry to greet them. He took his students through their final forms, and then instructed his students to stand at attention. "Forms five and eight," he said, before bowing. His students returned the bow, and he stepped away.

"Greetings," Ryujin said, bowing. "You are Master Sano, correct?"

"Good day to you," the man said, returning the gesture. "I am. What brings you all here to the monastery?" He looked at all five of them and Jasper felt his piercing gaze studying him.

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"We're seeking someone who you cared for a couple years ago, and we were hoping you could help us."

"That's quite a long time. I hope you haven't come trying to collect debts." Sano smiled. "What was the man's name?"

"We don't know," Slade said. "We don't know what he looks like, either, but he has something that we're hoping to get from him."

"You may be asking quite a lot for me to remember a man without a name or a description." He held his hands out as if to apologize.

"You would remember him," Jasper said. "His wife was sick here. He would have left for a time and come back with the Mask of Mandu."

Sano's eyes changed immediately, growing colder, harder. "I know the man... Murata was his name. A vile man, truly... Come with me. We'll discuss this in private."

He dismissed the other monks, and the five of them followed the master into the upstairs of a nearby building. It was sparsely decorated, with just a couple paintings and potted plants. There were mats on the floor to sit on, as well as a couple of low tables. Sano instructed a young scribe in the room to bring them tea, which left them to be the only people in the room.

"Thank you for having us," Ryujin said. "We promise not to take up too much of your time."

"You wish to know of Murata?"

"Anything that will help us," Artie said, his tone pleading.

"You seek the mask?"

Artie nodded.

"Many have... It is evil, or rather it causes men to do evil."

"I can tell you're apprehensive to talk about it," Slade said. "Is it the mask, or is it Murata?"

"Both were evil. Murata was no saint, but the existence of the mask causes men to do evil things. If it can truly heal anyone of anything, what wouldn't a person do for that kind of power?" Sano fell silent and stared at the ground, brows furrowed in thought. "Why do you want the mask?"

Artie and the others looked at Jasper, and so he said, "We have a friend that's sick. She's been visited by clerics, physicians, sorceresses - no one can help her. She's going to be kicked out of the wizarding college, and because of her illness she won't be able to work. Her family is too poor to support her, so she'll be homeless. If the sickness doesn't kill her, the starvation or exposure will. We can't let that happen."

Master Sano took a deep breath and said, "Your intentions sound noble, but even Murata thought he was doing the right thing. Let me tell you his story: Murata was a crime lord. He had his hand in every kind of illicit activity: weapon smuggling, prostitution, drugs, counterfeit goods - you name it, Murata had profited from it. He had people murdered, he enslaved any and all kinds of races. He was not a good man.

"Then something changed - he fell in love. This woman was a prostitute, but not long after meeting her, Murata pulled her from that life and married her. She must have been a special woman, because her influence began to change him. While he never fully gave up his life of crime, he did shift to only the least heinous activities. That may not sound like much, but for a man who had absolutely no morals, to shift even a little bit was powerful.

"Years later, she became sick. Much like your friend, no one could help. No medicine, magic, or prayers were able to heal her, and so Murata turned to the only thing he could think of - the Mask of Mandu. He left his wife here and went in search of it. I don't know how he got it, but he returned a month later. I did not believe it would work, and I believed the thing was of evil origins. I tried to stop him. He went ballistic. He murdered three of my students and seriously injured several others. He forced his way to his wife and placed the mask over her face..."

Sano's eyes flicked to all five of them until he had met all of their gazes. "Miraculously, she got well almost instantly. She stood up, and she ran away into the wilderness with Murata, while I was left to bury my students."

Jasper was shaking. Artie dropped his eyes to the ground. Rogue John was silent, his eyes averted to a nearby wall. Slade and Ryujin looked at one another, but said nothing.

"I implore you: Don't search for the mask. You may be forced to to do terrible things to acquire it. And if not... terrible things may still happen."

While all the others were silent, Jasper was spurred to reply, saying, "Respectfully, you don't know us, and you don't know our friend. I understand why you caution us to turn away - it's a powerful artifact. But you said yourself that it works, and by telling us that we can't stop. You're free to help us or not, but we will find it. We don't have any other choice. It's life or death. Cerana deserves the chance to live."

Master Sano studied Jasper with calm. "You have heart."

"So I've been told."

"I cannot see how this will end well for you, but if you feel you must have it, I will not stop you. I'll not be the reason your friend dies. However, if I help you, you must promise never to return here. If you do, I'll consider it war."

Jasper held Sano's stern gaze. "We don't want war with anyone. We just want to save our friend."