Talon and Shion stood back to back, surrounded by a legion of monks. All was silent for now, though both of them knew that such fragile peace would not last.

The attack began with four monks dashing towards Shion and Talon. The two met the charge head-on. Talon fought fast, unleashing a punch followed by a sweeping kick that dispatched two of the attackers in a blur of motion. Meanwhile, Shion used his sword's hilt as a weapon, smashing it into one monk's head before launching a punishing kick into another's midsection.

Then, with a loud yell, Talon created a watery maelstrom that manifested beneath his feet. More of the hostile monks attacked him, but Talon countered each and every incoming blow with his own rapid series of strikes. His fists and kicks were empowered by the water he created. Each time Talon made an attack, some of the water from around his feet would surge up and slam against his chosen target. In no time, he had single-handedly repelled ten monks, leaving them sprawled and reeling.

Shion smirked at the sight. "Not bad, I guess I should start getting serious too then."

Talon shot Shion back a smug grin. "Feel free to let loose, the monks here can take it."

Gripping his sword tight, Shion began to chant, "Ignite: Phoenix Blade!" Fire soon engulfed his blade, ready to fight.

As several monks came for him, Shion held out his sword and chanted. "Scorch my enemies: Heat Wave!"

Immediately after, a wave of hot air burst forth out of Shion's sword, knocking back the monks that charged at him earlier. When another monk tried to sneak up from behind him, Shion managed to jump out of the way in time, before raising his sword and chanting once again. "Hunt my foes: Scatter Shot!" From Shion's sword erupted five fiery embers that flew out and slammed against the monks closest to him, knocking them unconscious immediately due to the force of impact and heat.

Meanwhile, Talon was locked in brutal hand to hand combat with two other monks. He blocked and parried each of the attacks that came at him, and for a brief moment, it almost looked like he would be overwhelmed. However, just as a punch landed on him, Talon's body turned into liquid water. And soon, he burst out of a nearby water puddle, slamming both of his assailants to the ground with ease.

Talon and Shion were both breathing more heavily now, but the deed was done. The two had managed to fend for themselves, for now.

"Is…that…all of them?" Shion asked, panting.

Talon clutched at his knees. "No, there…will be more."

"How much more?" Shion asked.

"That much more." Talon said, pointing towards the countless monks charging into the Grandmaster's chamber from the corridor.

***

Alza coughed up blood. She held a hand against her head to try and soothe the ringing in her ears. She couldn’t believe that she fell for such a simple trick. But before she could get up, the old monk was already onto her, pummeling her with a series of punches and kicks, each one driving her deeper into the walls.

Despite taking a beating, Alza managed to unleash a barrage of sharp rocks from her mouth, each one striking the Grandmaster in the face, one even lodged itself deep into his eye. As the old monk was reeling in pain, Alza quickly conjured a bony spike which impaled the Grandmaster right through the chest.

She then stood up and leaned against the cavern wall, before slumping to the ground in exhaustion. Alza coughed up blood, she clutched at her stomach, trying to steady herself. The old monk had given her much trouble, but he wasn’t-

Suddenly, Alza stood there, breathless. She saw how the limbs of the old monk began to twitch and stir as he began to regain his strength. In desperation, Alza staggered back and pressed her hands together; before reciting a spell in her mind.

Multiple coffins erupted from the ground, their heavy lids creaking open to reveal an eerie congregation of undead monks. Their necrotic muscles twitched with the reluctant energy of undeath. And their hollow eyes glistening with a menacing resolve, ready to heed the call of battle. All of the monks Alza resurrected were once buried beneath the monastery. But now, it was time for them to serve once again.

And it was just in time too. The Grandmaster had regained more control over his limbs and smashed the bone spike that impaled him. He plummeted to the ground with a heavy thud and then locked his gaze onto Alza's, smiling.

"Not bad, mage, but it will take more than that to kill me."

Alza let out a bitter laugh. "You truly are a monster."

"Says the one who has stirred my old disciples from their slumber." the Grandmaster replied.

"I’m just borrowing their strength for a bit, I’m sure you don’t mind."

The Grandmaster smirked. "Not at all."

With a mental command, Alza unleashed her undead monks against the Grandmaster. Although individually these resurrected monks paled in comparison to the Grandmaster, The old monk found it difficult to fight against all of his former disciples at once.

The undead monks encircled the Grandmaster. Their decayed fists and kicks rained blow after blow upon his body. The Grandmaster, however, still had a lot of fight left in him. In a burst of agility, he jumped into the air and delivered a bone-crushing kick to the chest of one of his former disciples. The impact sent the unfortunate monk hurtling backward, causing disarray among the undead throng.

The Grandmaster then landed back on the ground and surveyed the battlefield, his eyes ablaze with a newfound, radiant power. He harnessed his inner strength, channeling it into a radiant energy that turned his veins into a brilliant golden hue. Then, he launched himself into the heart of the undead horde.

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Caught off-guard by the Grandmaster's sudden surge of power, the undead monks struggled to parry his attacks. Their pitiful defenses crumbled under the onslaught, and one by one, they were sent either spiraling through the air or slammed back into the ground. He would almost certainly come out victorious if given enough time.

After spitting out some blood, Alza decided it was time to try and end things, again. She took a deep breath, and then stomped her right foot against the ground. Immediately, a bone spike impaled the Grandmaster. This time, however, Alza did not stop there. She pressed both of her hands together, summoning two stone hands that slammed themselves against each other, crushing the Grandmaster within their clutches.

As Alza’s bone spike shattered and crumbled, the Grandmaster’s limp body fell to the ground. This time, however, his body did not dissipate into water. Alza had finally defeated the real deal.

Immediately after, Alza held up her left hand and placed it on her stomach. A radiant golden glow diffused over her body, knitting her injuries and restoring her to full health. Alza then walked towards the old monk. She could no longer sense demonic influence from him now. She then placed her hands over the Grandmaster's torso, and began to heal him.

***

The Grandmaster slowly stirred awake. He clutched at his head with a hand for a few moments. "Ugh…what happened?"

Alza helped the Grandmaster up by slumping him over her shoulder. "Your mind was under the control of a demon, Grandmaster, I managed to break you free."

"I see…thank you."

"Can you stand?"

"I…am fine."

The Grandmaster stumbled onto his feet at first, but he soon managed to regain his footing.

"Once again, I owe you my thanks, stranger." The grandmaster said with a respectful bow.

"It's really no problem, you can just call me Alza."

"And you can call me Tranquil."

"That is…an interesting name."

Grandmaster Tranquil let out a hearty laugh. "Every Grandmaster of Waterway Monastery must renounce their old name and take on a new, more virtuous one upon taking their position. Though admittedly, I must not have lived up to my namesake as of late."

"Fair enough, though I am curious as to why there are so many skeletons here. I figured you would have buried them somewhere long ago."

The Grandmaster walked a few steps ahead of Alza. "We normally do, but this is a sacred place. It’s been our tradition to leave those who die here be."

"I…see." Alza muttered. "I won’t pry too much then, but I do want to ask about how did you become cursed in the first place?"

"It’s a rather humiliating story, really." The Grandmaster reminisced with a sigh. "We received a visitor a few weeks ago, a woman clad in black. She told us that she was seeking refuge because her country was at war, and so we allowed her to stay in the monastery temporarily."

"What happened next?"

"Slowly but surely, I noticed that some of my disciples seemed to become more aggressive, less in tune with their inner self, and more focused on gaining power. I had thought it was a mere slip in discipline at first, but as more of my students changed, I grew suspicious of the woman we housed."

"And so you decided to check on her?"

"I confronted her, yes. Unfortunately, I chose to do it alone, that was my greatest mistake."

"If I may venture a guess, did the woman transform into a half human half spider creature and then attack you?" Alza asked?

The Grandmaster's eyes widened in surprise. "Why…yes, how did you know?"

"I’ve encountered this woman before during my travels, dealing with her was not a pleasant experience." Alza explained.

"Evidently so." The Grandmaster agreed.

"Oh, by any chance, are you aware of the plague that has befallen Selgrad?"

The Grandmaster sighed. "I am aware. I urged everyone to exercise caution at first, but as the plague worsened, I planned on sending out a task force to investigate."

"But then the woman in black arrived?" Alza asked.

"She did…though now that you mention her, I wouldn’t be surprised if she had something to do with the plague in Selgrad."

"I would not be surprised if she was responsible as well. Though perhaps, not directly."

"You mean that the woman in black has another puppet?"

Alza paced around the chamber. "It’s a possibility, she has a habit of controlling people for her own ends."

The Grandmaster paused for a moment, before speaking again. "Tell me, mage, are you perhaps immune to the woman in black’s abilities?"

"I…have devised countermeasures to protect myself against her, yes." Alza replied.

"Would it be possible for you to share this information with me? I’d like to protect the monastery from being taken over again in the future."

"Sadly, my methods only work on mages." Alza lied.

"That is unfortunate, but understandable. Still, that does mean that I can’t quite afford to deal with the situation in Selgrad, I’d like to protect the monastery for the time being."

"But how will you protect the monastery if she were to return? I’m sure she could unleash whatever technique she had again and force you all to bend to her will."

"That…is fair." The Grandmaster conceded. "But what else are we to do?"

"I could help you, if as I assumed, that the woman in black is responsible for the plague in Selgrad, then our goals align."

"I welcome your aid, mage, but what plan do you have for dealing with our enemy?"

"I’m confident I can deal with the woman in black if I can just find her or get close to her."

"Ah, but you cannot do so at the moment because she is…elusive, yes?"

"Precisely."

"In that case, follow me, as gratitude for breaking me free of that curse. I will guide you to meet someone who is more qualified to aid you."

***

The Grandmaster led Alza down a series of stairwells until the two reached the lowest level of the temple. Along the way down, Alza noticed the countless murals that decorated the walls. Each one depicted the rivers, lakes, and oceans. Some also showcased rain and thunderstorms.

"Is this place a temple dedicated to a dragon?" Alza asked.

The Grandmaster nodded briefly as he walked beside Alza. "Yes, His name is Ilm: Lord of the Lakes. Legend has it that the first Grandmaster of Waterway monastery was personally taught by him."

"If I may ask, what did the dragon do to have a temple dedicated to them?"

"I'm glad you asked. The dragon in this temple was once the guardian of many people against the demons of old."

Alza tensed slightly at the mention of demons. Though she made sure to hide her reaction by turning away from the Grandmaster briefly. "I see, and how long ago was this temple created?"

"Just over 5,000 years ago."

Cold sweat beaded from Alza's forehead. She was almost completely sure that she was still leading the demonic legions during that time. And if she were a betting woman, it was likely that she fought this dragon before.

Alza coughed in her hand. "My apologies, but you mentioned before that the dragon's name was Ilm, right?"

"That is correct." The Grandmaster confirmed. "He was among the few dragons that did not retreat to Aetheria during the last Great Demonic War."

"You know, on second thought, maybe visiting Ilm is not such a good idea." Alza said.

"Oh? But we are already here."