As the young sword master moved forward to help his brethren he stumbled.  He felt like a man sitting at a table drinking glass after glass of plum wine, thinking he was fine until the moment he tried to stand up.  Weak and nauseated, Katashi set his hands on his bent knees and hung his head.

“Calm yourself,” spoke Jaala evenly.  “Moving through the portal is difficult, even for those who have done it many times.  Wait a few moments and it will pass.”

Katashi raised his head and observed the scene before him while he waited.  First he noted the room he was in looked identical to the one they had left.  In fact, if the melee before him had not been, he would have assumed the fog somehow hid them from their trailing monstrosity as it pursued down a wrong tunnel.  He also noted the cunning warrior before him finish the last of the well-trained Zealots.

The feeling of disconcertion finally left him as the black armored warrior dispatched his last opponent.  Katashi drew the obsidian blade of the fire elemental and took up the Crane in the Rolling Surf stance.  Blade still drawn the other warrior turned to face him.  That’s when Katashi noticed a large white hand emblazoned on the man’s dark chest plate.

There was nothing to offer either path. They were the same size, had the same amazing stone work, and the same lighting. They looked at each other, Katashi speaking first. “We should have gone up into the tower. I felt it, you had to have too.” It was a strange thing to say at this moment as they had no time for discussion of anything but the path to their safety.

Jaala looked at him and shook his head back and forth slightly. “Truth brother, but sometimes the most direct path to a destination is not the quickest. There are many things here that seek our life.” He left the rest unsaid because they both sensed the urgency of the moment. The sounds of pursuit were loud enough to let them know they were in imminent danger. Jaala nodded towards the two paths ahead and looked questioningly at Katashi.

Katashi glanced towards them and spoke quickly, “There is a slight breeze coming from the one on the left, let’s go.”

The dashed towards it. Turning a corner the light grew stronger, brighter and they ground to a halt at the entrance of a room. It was a good ten yards across and was circular in shape. The carvings on the walls shimmered and seemed to move slowly, fluidly. They blinked, not sure if it was an illusion or not. Katashi noticed in the moment the figures in the stone were warriors locked in an endless eternal battle. They quickly surveyed the room and saw they were neatly trapped. They had come in the only entrance. Katashi drew his blade and turned to face the entrance. If this was where he met his end he would die in battle, perhaps like those on the wall. Besides, he and Jaala had faced much worse hadn’t they?

It therefore surprised him to see that Jaala had not done the same. Not only had he not drawn his sword he was laughing. Katashi was about to speak when Jaala cut him off. “This is not the time for making a last stand brother. There is no time to explain. Follow me and all will become clear.”

As Jaala finished his speech the form began to enter the room and Katashi found he was now quite motivated to do as Jaala suggested. He leapt to follow him. There was a raised platform in the center. It was black, like obsidian and had the same intricate carving as the rest of the room. As they both stepped onto the platform time slowed. The figure stopped, and grew still, pursuing them no more. What happened next surprised Katashi greatly. Fog enveloped them, growing more dense until they could see nothing. He felt suddenly light and then the feeling left. The fog began to clear and a different scene unfolded to their view.

“Come,” bellowed Katashi above the din, waving at Jaala.

The two seemed to move as much backward as forward, but slowly made headway in the shifting cave.  The light increased as they stumbled their way deeper into the passageway, some sort of glowing lichen coating the walls.  Then as suddenly as it had begun, the quaking stopped.

There was a moment of eery silence, punctuated by the green glow about them as they came to a halt.  Then a languid lapping noise began.  So faintly at first, it was hard to place its origin.  As the sucking, burbling noise grew in intensity, they realized it came from the way they had already passed.  Slowly a shape began to take form behind them.  Or, more accurately, a shape began to not take form behind them.  A medley of limbs, tentacles, stalks, teeth, and other appendages faded in and out of the dim light.

“I believe Chaos approaches,” observed Jaala dryly.

“Then Order clearly lies in the opposite direction,” responded Katashi quite seriously, setting off at a swift pace deeper into the tunnel.

An image came to his mind though as they moved down the dimly lit hallway that was taking them further and further into the earth. He was a youth, sitting opposite his master in meditation. His master had spoken to him asking him if on their walking meditation that morning, high in the hills he had noticed the single leaf that had fallen from the sycamore tree as they had walked underneath it, he asked what color that leaf was and where it had landed. He was embarrassed that he had not noticed and could not answer any of the questions. His master had chided him, taught him many things that morning, but one of those things came to mind today. “Katashi,” he had said, “Chaos is order, and order is chaos.”

They came up to a door. It blocked their way and the only choice was to go through it or to turn around and go back. Jaala stopped a few feet in front of it hesitating, smile still on his face he looked back at Katashi who was coming up beside him. “What say you?”

Katashi kept moving past Jaala and spoke as he did, “Prepare yourself brother. In Chaos is order.” It was counter intuitive, it didn’t make sense if you thought about it which was why it seemed exactly the right thing to do in this case to Kitashi. They weren’t expected to be here, to go through this door, and perhaps that was reason enough.

His hand touched the rough wooden handle and with no stopping he pulled it quickly towards them throwing it wide open.

As Katashi bounded down the torchlit hallway, he wondered at the faces on the outside of the tower.  The first had clearly been the Earth Elemental, yet what was the significance of the ancient totem?

Almost crashing headlong into Jaala, he leapt at the last moment and cleared the former monk, narrowly avoiding dashing his brains out on the low rock ceiling.  “What are you doing!?”

Jaala held up his hand for silence.  Katashi listened, realizing they were not pursued.

“Yes,” said Jaala, reading Katashi’s face, “but why?”

“Likely some greater evil,” commented Katashi, ever the warrior.

“Perhaps.”  Jaala rose grinning.  “Let’s find out.”  And with that the stout man continued on.

“Before we go any further I want you to tell me about this order of the silk shield. I have felt for some time now that there were things you were keeping from me, secrets. This is at the core of it isn’t it?” Without waiting for an answer he finished. “Tell me Jaala. If you and I are to continue on this journey you must tell me all.” Frustration was in Katashi’s voice and a trace of anger. It was not becoming one of his station and he noticed it even as he tried, unsuccessfully, to let go of it.

Jaala looked at Katashi as he spoke. He seemed nervous, like an animal caught in a trap with the hunter closing in. He had no where to go. He knew he had to tell Katashi what he had asked but this was neither the time nor the proper setting to do so. If this was handled wrong the order could lose a most valuable asset. He started to open his mouth to speak.

At this moment a noise was heard from outside. Both their heads turned to look to see where the sound was coming from. Beasts, hard to tell just what, were running towards them clearly intent on attacking. Nothing was available to barricade the door. Jaala’s demeanor immediately changed to one of confidence.

“I will tell you everything you ask, but not here, not now.” With that he turned and bolted towards the door, the one going down into the ground.

“No!” Katashi yelled, but too late. Jaala was gone.

Katashi was faced with a decision. Follow Jaala down and increase their chances of survival by staying together, or take the path upward where the pin was leading him.

“Stay your breath or I will unleash its might,” Katashi spoke crisply holding the pin before him.  It was a bluff.  He did not know the pin’s capabilities or how to wield them, but then the elemental hardly knew this.  Or so he hoped.

The air elemental floated before them for a moment and then with a bone-shattering shriek hurtled into the air until it disappeared from sight.  Yet it had not gone before roiling clouds, the color of coal, flooded the sky.  With whip cracks of thunder snapping about them and rain driving at almost right angles to their leaning bodies, they could scarcely see or hear one another.

They continued north, deeper into the land of the Haizea, struggling with every step.  Katashi yearned to know of this Order of the Silk Shield, but he sensed it was something that would unfold soon enough.  Right now he needed to complete whatever it was that the pin wanted him to do.  The tugging at the edges of his mind had by now become a twisting, heavy pull as if he were being brought down like a reluctant steer.

They were almost upon it when they saw it, looming maybe five times their height.  A tower carved in a stacked series of faces, coated here and their with thick green moss.  The stone glistened black in the rain where the moss did not cover it.  The tower stood straight but at its base were a jumble of boulders, that as they inched forward, revealed a fissure that led below.

Katashi was wary of this entrance but also knew this is where the pin wanted him to go.  He motioned for Jaala and then ducked through the opening and out of the storm.

Jaala looked back at Katashi evenly, unemotionally. He had sworn an oath to never reveal the existence of the Order to anyone except those the council had agreed to admit into the order. The rules did not cover situations such as this though. The rules said nothing about elementals revealing the existence of the order. The maddening thing here was that Jaala was sure Katashi was the one, that he would of a necessity become a member of the order. Only this was not how it was supposed to happen. Jaala was just getting ready to speak when thankfully the elemental took the opportunity away from him.

“Foolish men,” the maelstrom spoke. “You have been weighed and found wanting. Now I will destroy you.”

The time for conversation was gone for the moment and they both turned to face the elemental.

“You are back for your things?”

Handing the owner another gold coin in addition to the first he had been paid, Massoud replied, “No, I simply need a few items.  Has there been a messenger?”

“Yes, he is in his room.  I will send someone to fetch him while you get what you need.”

Massoud went to the storage room, pulling out the key for the lock.  He knew the lock, or the door itself for that matter, would not stop someone determined enough to gain entrance.  But it did keep out the petty thieves.  He pulled out a travel-worn canvas pack, grabbing two objects and pocketing them in a blur of motion.  Locking up the room, Massoud came back out into the great room.

There at a table sat a royal border scout.  Massoud crossed the room to sit with him.

“You’re late,” said the border scout with an edge.

Massoud studied the man.  Like most border scouts he had the lean rangy look of the mountaineer, of the woodsman.  Royal border scouts were part of the royal guard, making them the elite of an already select group of men.  They were generally acknowledged as fiercesome fighters but that was not where their real skills lay.  The man’s face was covered in stubble and road dust, even though he had undoubtedly possessed ample opportunity to wash and shave; part of the persona.  That said, Massoud did admire the man for his hardness, it was neither affected nor covering some inner weakness.  The scout spoke this way because he had other uses for his own time, not to intimidate.

“My apologies, Scree.  It was not by choice.”

Scree grunted.

“So have you word of the pin?”

Scree looked at his hands for a moment.  “My scouts were tracked and slaughtered by Shikoba.  Two squads.  Damn good men.  Hard to replace.”  Scree trailed off.

“Such skill lost, skill honed over many years of practice, is undoubtedly difficult to overcome,”  agreed Massoud.  They sat silent for a moment, Massoud knowing this was not the moment to press the man for information.

“Well at any rate,” Scree emerged from his thoughts, “the pin was lost.  But the Shikoba did not take it.  I tracked two men Northwards for a time before returning.  Likely, Bishamon based on their sign.”

“That is unfortunate.  I had hoped to retrieve the pin.”  Actually I am glad in a way that I do not have to deal with it now.  I am not sure I want the elementals as a factor in this plot, thought Massoud.

“I do not expect payment as I failed in my task.”

“I would not leave a man such as you empty-handed,” said Massoud, putting a small purse on the table between them.

Scree’s impassive face showed a glimmer of surprise.  “I did not expect that.”  After a pause he continued, “Otherwise I may have gone elsewhere than to the Zealot bitch to pass on the information about the Bishamon, the pin, and, of course, yourself.”

Massoud stood and whirled, just in time to catch a glimpse of Akane before a blunt object struck him in the face knocking him unconscious.

Massoud let a soft chuckle escape as he remembered the phrase, where was it from, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” He felt fairly confident he could keep the judge in line until his plan had unfolded to completion. After that? Well then yes, perhaps then they could dance together and see who took the lead. This was true because what he was offering the judge in return for his cooperation was something he greatly desired. It really was a question of knowing how to motivate people wasn’t it? Once you knew the lever to pull even the most powerful could be made to bend to your will. Still, this one was a very sharp two edged sword, one that would have to be carefully watched.

Massoud slipped into the shadows of the close unnoticed. The matter dealt with there was now only one or two things left before he could leave the city.