Hotcha just looks up in amazement.
That is really very beautiful. Is Hao Jin really behind the kaiju attack? Because that would make her a mass murderer who can create something beautiful.
Somehow, Hotcha would have found it less unsettling if Hao Jin wore a black cloak, laughed maniacally, and build her floating palace on an obviously-evil thundercloud.
She replies to Cap’n Yoh, “Yeah… I like down better than up.”
The Solar Jian II descends, landing on the plateau atop the peak. Thousands of carved stone steps stretch from the base to the peak of Iron Mountain, the trees cleared out around the incredible staircase. The only sounds come from the flapping of prayer flags in the biting wind. The stairs open to an alpine plateau overlooking a vast, steaming lake that smells of sulfur and remains liquid in defiance of the low temperature. Twin vermillion shrine gates break the surface off a lone pier. Twelve statues depicting the Tian zodiac, some broken, stand a scattered watch over the plateau.
"Better bundle up! The magical warmth won't protect you once you leave the ship's deck," Yoh reminds you, offering you sets of cold-weather clothing if you need it.
Studying the dais, Yog'Moi realizes that it is the site of an important ritual and acts as receptacle to gather natural energy, becoming full every 12 years. While it has been less than 12 years since the dais was activated, a huge amount of energy, aligned with the element of the phoenix, was recently released here, saturating the site and priming it for some task.
Each of the zodiac statues bears an inscription in spirit tortoise script, an ancient dialect of Tien. With a few hours of work, Hotcha is able to translate the script and decode the phrases on the statues.
The southern cluster of statues comprises the Underworld Dragon, the Swordswoman, and the Sea Dragon. The script here reads: "The Celestial Dragon once spanned the sky and shook the land, before they were sundered. Assemble the Celestial Dragon’s three fragments—their breath, their spirit, their bones—that they may be born again, as the wheel completes its turn. A wish granted."
The Swallow, the Ox, and the Sovereign Dragon look out from an outcropping on the east of the plateau. The script here reads: "A sacred art, the dance of Rai Sho. Steps and circles to surround the world. The Dragon’s breath."
The Ogre, the Forest Dragon, and the Blossom guard the north of the dais. The script here reads: "A lineage of maidens, bold and noble. Those allowed the privilege of intercession. The Dragon’s spirit."
The Dog, the Sky Dragon, and the Archer are plainly visible to the west. The script here reads: "A branch growing between two worlds, which connects Heaven and Hell. Both implement and offering. The Dragon’s bones."
Hotcha moans about having to wear clothes. “Awww, clothes?! I don’t even—“ Before blurting TMI in front of four men, Hotcha is distracted by a thought. “Wait… regular clothes don’t magically resize. Did Her Majesty have a sprite winter outfit prepared for me?”
When given a parka meant to accommodate her size and wings, Hotcha excitedly throws it on and twirls in the air to show it off!
* * *
After translating, Hotcha says, “When in doubt, follow the instructions in the order they were given. Well, gee whiz, I guess that means we gotta find the secret dance first!” If she’s trying to conceal her enthusiasm, she’s doing a poor job of it.
"Anyone know anyhting about dragons?" asks Wu Xin. "Or have a clue about any of these other things?"
Hotcha replies in a rowly-growly way:
“Ha, ha… but other than their language, ummmm…….l”
”No way! Do they mean the Celestial Dragon?” Yoh says in wonder. He relates to you the legend of the Celestial Dragon: an imperial dragon of immense power who appears atop Iron Mountain once every 12 years to grant a wish to a royal maiden. If the legend is true, this Celestial Dragon is clearly something more primordial than a common wyrm and their power is likely sufficient to open a way to the strange island and Hao Jin with it. If you want to summon the Celestial Dragon you must bring together the Dragon’s three components for the ritual—breath, spirit, and bones.
”I’m not sure about the other two, but I recognize the name Rai Sho,” Yoh continues. ”This was the name of a priest of legend who founded a monastery near the foot of Iron Mountain. It’s as good a place as any to start your search. I can fly you there if you’re ready!”
Hotcha says, “I am ready! If dance is the key to that weird upside down island, I’m your girl! I’ll dance up a storm and then—exit. Stage up!”
She rises into the air, twirling again. …then stops twirling.
“Oh, but first we gotta board the ship and exit-stage-down.”
As the Solar Jian II lifts off from Iron Mountain, Yoh does a wide loop around the region directly around it to get a bird's eye view of notable landmarks.
Nestled between snowy peaks to the west is a rectangular structure with golden roofs and red-painted walls--Rai Sho Monastery. Though the coastline to the southwet is largely sheer cliffs that plunge directly into the choppy waters of the Embaral Ocean, a sizable black sand bay tapers to a road leading up into the mountains. And to the south, a ring of rock protrudes through the cloud cover, a clear caldera of some kind. The center of the caldera can’t be seen below the clouds, but every so often, a cry sounding like a cross between a whale and an elephant echoes through the caldera, and flashes of lightning illuminate strange, massive shadows below.
You head first to the monastery, arriving in the middle of the afternoon. Green and gold buildings surround the central plaza of this monastery, which is filled with monks walking to and fro, while others practice poses in a straw-floored training hall. Prayer flags flutter in the cold alpine wind, and snow rests on the orange petals of a sal tree in curious bloom despite the alpine environment. A massive stone statue of Irori sits in contemplation within a sheltered worship hall, gazing out over the mountainous vista.
A short, nervous samsaran meets you at the monastery's entrance. His head is shaved, and he wears red and white robes. "Greetings to you," he says with an awkward bow. "I am Leeyan. Um, are you with the other outsdiers? It is strange that two groups would arrive so close to one another." He motions to the plaza, where you can see the members of the Arms of Balance tying up horses with crystalline hooves, eyes of white marble, and manes that flow like desert sand.
"Regardless, um, all are welcome to stay here at Rai Sho Monastery as long as they like. Would you like to explore the grounds? We have our training hall, our worship hall, our quarters, and a hot spring that accelerates the healing process."
Yog'Moi had spent the time it took Hotcha to translate the odd language to think of a way to capture the site's majestic energy in some sort of drink. One (major) question that he hadn't quite managed to answer yet is how big the cask containing the to-be-empowered liquid should be. The question of what drink to use was a simple one to answer: the clearest and most pristine of whitest of wines. Sadly, the mental effort was for naught.
A somewhat deflated Yog'Moi gives his okay to Yoh's suggestion. "Sure, fine, let's go."
---
The gloom and doom following his failure to solve the ritual puzzle is quickly left behind as the majestic sights of the monastery and then the caldera passes on by. It's the caldera in particular that manages to catch his eye. Mysterious and hinting at crazy levels of danger, Yog'Moi wishes he could bless his feet with the ability to tread on air and venture on down. It's not to be. Instead, they sail for the monastery and it is there that they're welcomed by a skittish samsaran. "Greetings to you too, I do suppose. To answer your question, no, we aren't with them, because if we were, we wouldn't need to introduce ourselves to you, now would we? We came here with a simple question. Hotcha, what was the question again?"
The samsaran man might notice that Yog'Moi's breath reeks of alcohol.
’A sacred art, the dance of Rai Sho. Steps and circles to surround the world. The Dragon’s breath.’
Hotcha replies, “I’m a dancer! I trained with the Shelynite nuns who raised me, and I read of a sacred art called The Dance of Rai Sho!
“What can I do to earn the honor?” she asks, as Hotcha doesn’t expect she can just show up to a monastery and get free a dance lesson and take off.
”Ah. You will have to speak to the monastery’s abbot, Tsujon,” Leeyan says. ”However, um, Tsujon is deep in meditation and can be interrupted only by those who’ve proven their dedication to the monastery. Sorry!”
Leeyan elaborates that if you are to receive instruction from the abbot, you need to show your devotion and humility by participating in some of the temple activities alongside the other newcomers to the temple, the Arms of Balance, who appear quite out of their depth as they watch the monks in the courtyard perform a training regimen. You can divide the chores with the Arms of Balance if you like, but you must complete at least three of the four tasks.
Hotcha says, “I slash with my feet! I got this!”
She immediately stubs her toe on a tree.
”YOWZA!!”
She finishes the combo.
The tree takes minimal damage and heals up. “Uh, can I try again?”
She tries again. And again ten more…
Abs after a dozen failures, the fairy—now sans parka, warmed only by gobs of sweat and furiously blushing from embarrassment, gives a yell as she lands a powerful kick! And a completely ineffective kick! And she shouts a cuss word in Sylvan as she shatters the tree!
“Uh…… timber?”
Hotcha stomps out the persistent fire so she doesn’t have to chop a second tree!
Wu Xin sprints after a dri, but misses, his hands slipping off her smooth horns.
Dusting himself off, the rogue general leaps into the air, landing solidly athwart the dri's path and sweeps her legs from under her. Before she can rise, he has tied her hooves. With a groan, he lifts her and hauls her back to the temple.
I grumble and do my best to follow along with the timing of the bell. It takes me a few tries, but I eventually manage it. And quite well, if I do say so myself.
Wu Xin carefully attempts to place sand grains in the mandala.
The monks offer reassuring words to Xin so he doesn't feel too bad about fouling the mandala. Still, he, Hotcha, and Esh are able to complete the other tasks without too much difficulty. The members of the Arms of Balance are grateful for the assistance. "This monastery is far different than the Academy of Golden Hymns that we trained at in Vudra," Usvani the vanara says. "You aid will help us save face with the other disciples. Thank you." He and his teammates bow to you.
Once the chores are complete, Leeyan nods in satisfaction. "Now that you have demonstrated your dedication to the monastery’s ideals of peace and learning, you should now test your strength of body by way of a friendly sparring session while the abbot looks on." He leads you into the temple's training hall. Abbot Tsujon sits solemnly near the back of the hall. She is a wizened woman who holds a golden khakkara. She does not acknowledge your presence.
Leeyan suggests you spar with four of the monastery’s fighters—two wandering yetis who are currently seeking admission to the monastery and two Rai Sho disciples. You take up positions across from the monks, who bow first to the abbot and then to you. Leeyan bangs a gong, and the battle begins!
Your battle cries do not impress the monks!
A friendly sparring session?! Nothing about Yog'Moi's martial methods and fighting style is friendly. Unsure as to what they're expecting from this, and what is okay and what isn't, the unruly priest unleashes a spell of fear on three of their four adversaries.
The yetis seem quite inured against fear, not flinching in the slightest. The human monks both falter a bit, though.
One of the yetis moves his hands in intricate positions, unleashing his ki to conjure a cloud of falling snow. While everything within is concealed, the other yeti seems to disappear completely within the snow, vanishing from sight.
The human monks join their palms together in the shape of a sal flower, evoking the truth that all things eventually decay. Once in that stance, they rush forward through the snow, their bodies blurring as they use their ki to speed themselves up! They emerge from the snow and strike at Hotcha and Esh! Hotcha avoids the attacks, but Esh takes two hits!
The human pair of monks sprints to flank us. One manages to hit me while I'm still pulling fire, but I was already in Jodan and retaliate quickly before sliding away into the snow.
Xin invokes his own stance and rushes north to flank Hotcha's foe.
Yog'Moi unleashes a primal scream that causes the floor to tremble.
“Do you not know who I am! I’m the only fair ever to chop down a self-healing tree with her foot!”
She attacks the foe who is conveniently right in front of her, missing a lot!
“Now I’m gonna make like a tree… and get outta here!”
Hotcha becomes invisible! ⏩ Snd she attacks!
Xin moves to flank Hotcha's opponent. While his first attack misses, Hotcha disappears and scores a critical hit, allowing Xin to follow up with a successful backstab! The monk is stunned and weakened as his wound bleeds.
Esh delivers a powerful strike to the other human monk before stepping into the falling snow. Yog'Moi bolsters everybody with a primal scream of power.
The yeti in the snowfall moves his hands and conjures icicles that he hurls at Esh, but none hit the elf. The other yeti that vanished suddenly appears beside the elf to rip at him with his claws!
The human monks quickly use their ki to restore their bodies, healing their wounds. One strikes out at Xin, while the other steps up and attacks Yog'Moi.
One of the monks appears suddenly out of the snow and hits me incredibly hard. I retaliate quickly.
The invisible fairy strikes again!
She apparently has trouble seeing her own invisible feet, but her first and last strike land!
Hotcha gleefully obeys Xin’s order… and catches her heel in her own dancing scarf attempting a hook kick. She’s glad she’s too invisible for the embarrassing moment to be seen.
The hobgoblin raises his staff and wills him and Esh to be healed. Power swirls around the staff as it tries to resist his calling, causing most of the power to spill over to Esh.
Xin stabs the monk he is flanking three times, then shouts for Hotcha to strike! While the fairy's initial strike misses, she hits three times with her quickened flurry, then Xin backstabs the monk to take him out of the fight!
Yog'Moi passes out healing as Esh strikes at the yeti that attacked him, landing one hit.
The yetis move to flank Esh, slashing with their claws and scoring several deep cuts!
The remaining human monk moves up to Yog'Moi to keep the pressure on him!
Yog'Moi tries to avoid the punishing blows and kicks but knows that his rather massive presence puts him at a disadvantage. Hastily, he conjures a protective shield and then asks for help. "Mind giving me a hand?! I can't zap 'em like bugs and keep Esh up at the same time, y'no?!"
Meanwhile, more healing powers surge from the staff to envelop Esh.
Hotcha says, ”On it, Yog!” trusting him to keep Esh up. (As well as Esh’s overall meatiness.)
▶️She flies into the monk’s space!
She then strikes up close and personal!
I'm half blinded and taking heavy hits from both of the big monks, but that leaves the other two monks outnumbered, and sure to go down quickly. I grimly hold on, lashing out with both my feet and my blade, just trying to keep their attention. I feel Yog's healing magic burn through me, and I do my best to stay in the range of his magic.
Xin moves into the falling snow to attack the nearest yeti. He feints and strikes, leaving a bleeding wound! Esh manages to trip the other yeti, though he misses with his follow-up strike.
As Yog passes out more healing, Hotcha flies up to the other human monk and delivers a barrage of critical strikes, stunning, slowing, and igniting the man!
The yeti Xin struck turns on him, lashing out with his claws. The other one gets to his feet and hurls icicles at Esh. Meanwhile, the human monk shakes off his stun. He invokes wholeness of body to heal himself before flailing at the invisible Hotcha! Xin is the only one who takes a hit!
The monk stops burning, but the yeti Xin stabbed continues to bleed.
Hotcha decides to finish what she started!
As I swing uselessly at the monks, I'm beginning to suspect that trying to fight the yetis in the middle of a snowstorm might have been a bad idea.
"AHHHHHH! You're really starting to make me angry!!!", Yog'Moi yells at the monk as static electricity begins to crackle over the priest's tummy and meaty mittens. He calls upon Hei Feng to punish their foes and then strikes with his sword.
"Esh! Jade Dragon Pattern!"
All three monks avoid some of Yog'Moi's lightning. Esh and Xin flank the nearest yeti and do their best to strike him, but only Xin manages to hit with his backstab. Hotcha fares much better, however, the invisible fairy raining blows upon the human monk. As the fire crackles along his clothes, the monk finally sags and falls!
Leeyan bangs a gong, and the yetis both fall to their knees, yielding the battle. "Well done. Take a few minutes to rest," he says as he moves to Abbot Tsujon's side. The abbot has her eyes closed, as if in deep meditation. The yetis pick up their fallen brethren and carry them off to the healing springs while you take your rest.
Abbot Tsujon opens her eyes and stands while Leeyan stands by her side. They both open their mouths and speak in unison with the same creaking voice. “You have done well to learn our ways and best my disciples. But whatever you require the Celestial Dragon for surely cannot be undertaken by the faint of heart or weak of body. I would test you myself—come.”
Your battle cries give the two monks momentary pause...
Hotcha flies at the yellow monk—
—kicking her in the forehead and flying up as high as she can!
Hotcha punches Abbot Tsujon, but the woman does not budge. Both the Abbot and Leeyan simultaneously drop into the Crying Bell Stance, cupping one hand and posing the other to strike it. As one, they strike their cupped hands, sending sonic vibrations soaring up at Hotcha! The sprite is struck three times!
I go from gedan to waki as I pull on my fire, not just in my blade but all around me, the cold air hissing and steaming at my aura.
The bells echo in Hotcha’s little fairy brain as she drops from the sky!
Hotcha heals herself and calls to her team, ”Uh…… little help?”
"For the Celestial Dragon!" Xin shouts to inspire his allies, then rushes to Hotcha's aid.