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Another year had passed since Wu Hai had left Zhan's field of view. As Brothers, creating their own marks on the world, the Sons of Ooran were determined to endure hardships that came with leadership.
The Tea Shop had started to turn a profit, it kept the the Zao Family without needs. Zhan was watching his soon to be wife while they were standing at a table, she was wearing a new dress. Her old clothes ripped apart at the seams, the pregnancy had not been kind to her wardrobe.
"Oough!. I felt the baby kick." They gathered many friends from the City and even Zhan's commander had taken time to come congratulate the couple after finding out. The assassination attempt in the City was a big deal, the entire Capital was swarming with Guards. The culprit was still at large and patrolling guards had dramatically increased in number during the past day. Sitting at a position of honor at the end of a long train of gifts, the couple thanked each and every one of the people who had come with sincerity.
Setting the Gifts aside for later and stacking them neatly, Lei looked adorable in her frilly pink polka dot outfit. The dresses that some of the women were wearing suggested they were eager to meet one of the Sons of the Zao Clan. The gathering was loud, the laughter and cheering could be heard clear across the City Center.
The Wedding was held at the Zao Family Tea Shop and most of the City's citizen come by regularly. Ever since the Tea Shop had opened, its influence and prestige had been on the rise. Wu Hai had installed a root that separated, purified and filtered the water. It was safe to say that the Tea Shop's water was the cleanest in the City. Seen as a sign of good fortune, the Tea itself was rather good. The smell of stout tea and a sweet aroma filled the plaza at all time.
After Zhan had returned to the Capital and informed the Officials about the plague in Lunara, Old Man Jiang returned a week later and found a Royal request waiting for him at the Shop. He was asked to make tens of thousands of the anti-toxin pills, its effectiveness was challenged by the King. When he heard about the pills, the Old Master didn't quite believe the request and the King had a prisoner who was to be executed standing by to test it. Throwing poisonous substances into the cell, the prisoner was fine for the first few days but ultimately ended up dying. He had to eat.. so the poison made it inside his body.
Old Man Jiang was annoyed, he didn't like the way the King was 'testing' the efficacy of this anti-toxin after the first. It was clear that the King had ulterior motives.
"Satisfied with the results? Your Highness?" Old Man Jiang looked towards the King, his face was blank.
Nobles were often times double-sided when fulfilling their requests, nothing was ever 'quite' good enough.
Master Jiang was sure King Wang would ask for more, as all rulers did, it was no surprise to hear requests but to be expected to fulfill demands like a Slave was not an interest of the Old Master. "I have fulfilled your humble request, if there is nothing else I will be leaving first." Looking at the King, Old Man Jiang felt like, in his best interest, to never return again.
"You are dismissed, I will have you escorted out." With a stern tone and a scoff that followed, King Wang Wei sent Old Man Jiang from his sight as if to be done with him. His sleeve fluttered as he pointed to the Guards.
The Guards knew Old Man Jiang better than the King, they were unlikely to do more to him and so he left willingly through the gates of the Castle.
Old Man Jiang turned the corner next to his shop. He could make out several figures in the shadows. 'I didn't think the King would be involved..' thinking to himself the Old Master dodged an incoming object with a roll to the right. He tumbled through the dirt just in time. It was a spear, it kicked up the dust as it flew by.
'Great!, Now my robes are dirty' "What exactly is going on here? Speak, before I decide to get nasty!" 'The answer will give their position away,' After issuing his ultimatum, he waited.
A flash, a red beam tore through the street, sheering a corner from a building, its owners were home and injured in the blast.
"Leave the people out of this..." Master Jiang had completely lost his patience. He weaved some hand signs and chanted as fast as he could.
A thick, tall barrier rose up to isolate the surroundings, Master Jiang rushed toward the nearest opponent. Fire Mage, a poor one at that, Master Jiang was a reported wood user. It was a bother to worry about the Fire, so Old Man Jiang controlled his barrier to come crashing down instead. The walls fell like dominoes and crashed into the street below.
The impact crushed the Mage and Swordsman nearby.
'THUD, Thud, THUD'
"If that noise doesn't draw guards to here, I don't know what will!" One of the attackers commented before being shot through the throat with a poisonous dart.
Magic could be detected but a small piece of debris was nearly impossible to see in the dark.
"Just die already, I have other things to attend." With a wave, a strange pollen filled the air. One of the opponents had waved for the others in their group to attack.
Master Jiang lost his mercy.
The street was swept with a strange pollen. It's stickiness was impressive but it was equally more corrosive. If not for the dirt road, the group of attackers would have had a change to escape.
Steps away from the edge of the road, they still died. The pollen had infiltrated their bodies, the group of attacks began to emulsify.
'Your masters should all be ashamed.' Old man Jiang cleared the pollen from the street, dispelling it entirely. Remains that were giving off sizzling noises were scattered and people were screaming nearby.
The last of the struggling attackers, one that didn't instantly die, crawled a bit and screamed in pain. Blurting out, "You.. Old.. Monster." The Assassin lost all the light from his eyes.
"It's Old Master, You worthless Rat." Old Man Jiang gloated over the corpses for a second, he had been detoured from the Wedding by the Assassins in front of them. The remaining traces of energy surrounding Master Jiang started to pull back and the noise in the area seemed to calm down for a moment. He sent a gust of wind pulling across the area and swept the remains of the assassins and their weapons into his storage.
Returning to his shop, Old Man Jiang saw that it was guarded but the guards could not have been younger. He didn't recognize them, so he knocked them out before entering.
'Whelps.' Master Jiang took pity on those chosen as fodder, he wouldn't take their lives.
"If this is it.. then this is it." Old Man Jiang took everything from the store into his storage, shelves, safes tables, rugs and all.
"Humph. I wonder if I'll be able to get into my house..." He stopped, clenched his fists and whispered, "The Zao." Leaping to his feet, Old Man Jiang had come to the conclusion that his Disciple's Family was next.
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The Zao Family was getting Dinner ready for the Wedding, Zhan and Rachael had come by as well. The Family had become increasingly close over the past few years, their Meal came to a halt when they heard pounding on the Gate.
"Break it Down!" Yells could be heard in proximity of the front gates, dozens of men held a battering ram and seemed intent on coming in. Their yells grew louder with each strike.
A knock came on the backdoor of the Zao Family residence.
It was Master Jiang, his heart was racing when he started to explain the situation, "I left the Castle, some men attacked. I killed them all and thought maybe it was the King's men. I wasn't sure until just a moment ago."
"Do you mean, they are the people at the gates?" Ooran looked frustrated and asked, it was his Son's Wedding Day. Gifts had come from all over the City and the Zao Family was well respected, he didn't see reason for the King to have sent the Guards.
"Yes! There is no Time.. Grab Everyone, we're leaving." Old Man Jiang's face turned serious.
Noticing that the yelling had stopped, Ooran swiftly agreed.
"Calistown, grab Lei. Rachael don't fell behind your Mother-in-law." With a whistle, the Black Firewolf pup ran up and stuck close to Lei.
Zhan pulled out his bow and stood ready for anything while they gathered anyone on the property as quickly as they could.
Master Jiang pointed to the back wall, Zhan watched a large wooden bridge appear from roots.
Old Man Jiang had made the root bridge very fast, the banging had stopped at the gates and it was very likely that the Guards had made their way into the Estate. The Family was making their escape over the wall and they saw the Fires light up the Sky.
"Why does everyone want to burn down our house?" Zhan was pissed, "Mother, Father.. once we get outside the gates, we're going to be hunted. I'll be labeled a traitor."
"Whatever we lost, we will get again." Ooran wanted to make sure everyone survived, he was about to be a grandfather, nothing mattered besides the Family.
'Break!' With a wave of Old Man Jiang's hand, the bridge crumbled to the ground.
The Zao family fled over the walls and into the forest. By the time the Guards could make it over the wall, the night was filled with darkness. Even torches would be mostly useless in the search.
Passing through the hills, every now and then they would stop for a moment to look back. Several Fires could be seen from afar, the Family home, the Tea Shop.. the Bookstore, the whole capital was roaring in flames.. so many of the people they had known were likely to have perished.
Everyone winced and watched from the distant hill top, it was difficult to hear anything nearby with the cries from Lei.
The Fires in the City could be seen from miles away, some of her new friends were back there. Lei was screaming, feeling their emotions, their fears and deaths in her mind. "Mommy," holding tightly to her Mother's hand, Lei did her best but she could feel the others' pain and it was more than any child could be accustomed to. Every time one of the feelings vanished, she knew another person she knew was gone.
No one in the group used torches, no one stopped to eat, they traveled to through the night. The valley would eventually turn to plains and then they could find transportation and form a plan. The most important thing for everyone was escape and survival.
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