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Act XVIII: Honor And Duty

Lord Oh-Kuni-Raiden Amakami proved to be the strong silent type. After my arrival and introduction, he guided me to the task at hand and spoke little else. His time was evidently very precious to him and my presence was simply tolerated out of respect. When we had both completed the task, he saw me to the gate and bid me goodbye. That was the last I saw of him. The ki-rin lord was an extremely busy entity.

When I emerged from the ki-rin gate, I noted that Valerian and the Tibetan woman were still present. My sudden arrival didn't see to phase them.

"Raeyu isn't back yet?"

Valerian glanced my way.

"You've only been gone a few minutes, Jansen. Time in the ki-rin's world is different from our own time. If you were there a few hours, only a few minutes passed here."

I blinked my eyes, but upon reflection, it made sense.

"I see. I can use this moment to report in. If you'll both excuse me..."

I walked down the trail a way, then pulled out my via-satellite videophone and called Danath Gaul. I told him how the meeting went, then added that I was about to accompany Valerian Mouse and company on an oni hunt. Danath gave me some info on oni and had the bunker express deliver me both blessed and silver weapons. When they arrived, I was surprised by the hand crossbow with blessed bolts, the silver katana with scabbard, and the vials of holy water. At first, I thought Danath had made a mistake, but after I had returned to Valerian and his lady friend, Valerian verified that my weapons were of the best choice for confronting an oni.

We waited for another hour. Then, Raeyu returned, minus Sam Murdock. Judging from Raeyu's expression, something unusual must have happened. But I didn't ask. We needed to focus on the trip to find the oni.

The Tibetan woman never gave her name while I was around, but she took charge almost immediately.

"I'm only going to say this for Jansen's benefit, but the rest of you take notes anyway. The oni we're after has captured a few people, and is likely going to drain them of their very lives. Once we're within the oni realm, try to stay together. If you get separated, make your way back to the oni gate. As far as we know, its the only way in and out of the oni realm. Also, those of us with magic spell powers do not need the oni permission to perform there. But keep in mind: spell power in that realm draws not upon the elements, but upon your own life forces. Avoid using spells if you can afford it. As for Jansen, your organization has provided you with the appropriate equipment. Silver and holy items are your best bet. You were not given guns and bullets because the oni are immune to gunpowder. What you have will be the most effective in combat against the oni and his forces."

We all nodded our heads. The Tibetan woman seemed to know her business. We gathered our gear, and Raeyu used his magic to activate the oni gate. Then we all jumped through the gate.

When dealing with oni who might even suspect that you're coming can often be a horrific situation to deal with. Case in point. We all jumped through the gate as a group. We didn't all arrive as a group. My landing point was nowhere near the others. In fact, I wasn't even sure I was in the same realm as the others.

I arrived on a hillside overlooking an encampment of tents. My companions were nowhere in sight. However, the shogun warrior on horseback certainly noticed my arrival, and rode over to greet me. When he arrived, he dismounted and removed his helmet. He appeared to be an 8th century, young Japanese man. A human, like myself. Certainly nothing demonic. My clothing must have seemed an oddity to him. He slowly raised a hand and touched my shoulder. Then he spoke, in Japanese.

"/You are real./"

I mentally thanked Danath for insisting that I study and learn ancient languages, ancient Japanese included. I smiled and nodded my head.

"/Yes, I am. I was traveling with a group. We are hunting an oni. A wu`jen opened a gate for us, but jumping through the gate has separated me from my companions. I am Jansen Tanner, a White Bishop of Chess. Who are you?/"

He smiled when I spoke his language.

"/I am Chou Lun, a shogun warrior of the emperor's army. Your arrival here can be taken as both a blessing and an omen. I am not sure as to which. An evil spirit has been attacking our encampment at night. I was preparing to ride out to search for this spirit's lair, when you appeared within my sight./"

I nodded my head, then showed Chou Lun my holy weapons. When Chou Lun was satisfied, he replaced his helmet and remounted his stallion. I suddenly had an idea.

"/Chou Lun. May I accompany you on this search for the evil spirit? There is a chance that it is the same oni that my companions were hunting. If it is, then our goals will be the same, and I can lend my expertise toward your fight against the fiend./"

Chou Lun looked down to me, then smiled again.

"/A search alone is not always a wise endeavor. You may come./"

Chou Lun helped me up on the stallion's back, seating me behind himself. I held on as Chou Lun spurred the stallion into a gallop. We were on our way.

We rode all that day. When the night fell, Chou Lun stopped his stallion at the top of a hill. Down in front of us in some sort of ceremonial site, we both saw a horrific oni spirit. He seemed to be heating his katana in the fire pit. Chou Lun and I both knew that this was our target. Chou Lun spurred the stallion, once again, down the hill and into the ceremonial site.

We both dismounted with weapons in hand before the evil fire oni could turn to face us. He was huge and ugly, and a lit of spiritual flame. The fire oni snarled obscenities at us, and I taunted him by telling him that I'd heard far worse. This angered the fire oni, and the battle began. At first, Chou Lun and I used our katana. Then, during a moment when my katana was clipped out of my hand, I opened one of the vials of holy water and splashed it across both of his eyes, then dove for my katana. Chou Lun used the moment to leap and kick the fire oni backward out of the ceremonial circle. I rejoined Chou Lun immediately, and we traded katana. Chou Lun leaped at the fire oni with a downward sword strike. It was a perfect strike. Chou Lun's sword skills were far better than my own, and the silver from the katana pierced the fire oni's hide, killing him instantly. Chou Lun, his stallion and I were immediately overtaken by a quick, thick fog-like smoke. When the smoke cleared, I blinked my eyes.

It was the table rock that Valerian and his friends had met at before leaping through the gate.

I slowly turned and looked around me. Chou Lun and his stallion were also here with me. Chou Lun appeared to be both shocked and relieved. Though his eyes were on the modern day Tokyo in the distance. I approached Chou Lun and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"/How long had you been in that illusion, Chou Lun?/"

Chou Lun was slow to speak. It was as if he was slowly coming to grips that he had finally escaped from the illusion and was in the real world again.

"/A very long time, Jansen Tanner. What is the year?/"

I sighed and told him.

Chou Lun lowered himself slowly to his knees, still dressed in his armors. His stallion still dressed and armored as he had been before. Chou Lun looked to me.

"/Thirteen whole centuries. Was my ordeal all for nothing? Where will I go now? What will I do? Who can I serve?/"

I was feeling bad for Chou Lun. The world had evolved during the time he was trapped in the fire oni's illusion. I knew that I had to help my new friend. I suddenly knew how.

"/Chou Lun. I know a group who can use your skills. You can still be useful. You have knowledge that no one else does. Will you come with me?/"

Chou Lun slowly turned to look up at me.

"/I have nowhere else to go. I will come with you. I know now that I am forever in your debt, Jansen Tanner. Lead me. My stallion and I will follow you./"

Transporting Chou Lun's stallion from Tokyo, Japan, to Athens, Greece, was a bit of a challenge. But we finally arrived, and soon, were in a meeting with Danath Gaul. I explained where I had found Chou Lun, then revealed my idea. We would employee Chou Lun as a Chess informant who would lend what knowledge and skills he had to our operatives. I then suggested that Chou Lun live in my own Chess headquarters in northern California. Danath thought that my idea was a good one and left me in charge of Chou Lun.

Transporting Chou Lun and his stallion to my private Chess headquarters was a lot easier. Thank the Baron for that wolf magic he had given me. I was soon showing Chou Lun the stables, for his stallion, and Chou Lun's own quarters for himself. I spent the next several months educating Chou Lun on how the electronic things worked. In the end, Chou Lun opted to prepare all of his meals over an open flame. But he loved the refrigerator. Keeping food fresh longer was certainly an improvement he appreciated. I spent another night with Chou Lun before deciding that it was past time to get back to work.

My first duty was to contact Valerian Mouse's Mystic Citadel. I was pleased when Mark Jolson picked up the telephone. I explained to him where I was and what had happened to me. He took notes, then told me how Valerian's venture went. The mage had evidently caused himself to age prematurely in order to save everyone's lives from the oni. I was saddened that Valerian had aged so much, but was pleased that no one had died. I hung up the phone and planned my next mission.

My next duty was to contact Danath and find out what my next mission was. Danath grinned at me over the wide-screen monitor in the meeting room.

"Next mission? I think we have something in your part of the world that you may find interesting. I am sure you've heard of the Bermuda Triangle. I have been reluctant to send any Chess agents there because of PSI's apparent patrolling of North America. Because you're already there and because PSI already knows that you're stationed there, your next mission is to team up with PSI and see about cracking the Bermuda Triangle mystery. I don't need to remind you of how dangerous this is. You're the best damned agent I have who can get things done and I don't want to lose you to a stupid magnetic part of the ocean. Anyway, that's your mission. I don't care who you work with this time. Just get me results. Good luck."

Danath's image faded from the screen. The Bermuda Triangle. Danath actually sounded concerned for my life. It was a definitive first. And I had to work with PSI. I knew who to contact. And I hoped she'd want another chance to show me how great PSI was.

I was, of course, talking about Krystal Silverly. PSI's top agent. I last saw her on good terms. I was hoping that those terms still held. I packed my gear and got into my sports car. I drove to the airport in Eureka, California, and parked my car aboard the private Chess jet.

PSI's main headquarters was located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The jet trip didn't take me long at all. Just a few hours. Once we had landed, I drove my sports car out of the airport and into the city. Within half an hour, I parked my car, locked it up, and entered the front doors of the PSI building. I asked the secretary for Krystal Silverly and flashed my Chess badge. The distaste of having a Chess agent in their building was very obvious. It didn't take Krystal long to meet me in the lobby.

"Well, well... Don't you look spiffy? Why are you here?"

I smiled to Krystal.

"You're probably going to get a kick out of this, but I need your help again. And this time, it's business. More specifically, I need PSI agent Krystal Silverly's help. I am not on a vacation. Danath Gaul told me to seek out PSI this time. I mainly showed up to give you the opportunity to work with me again."

Krystal had her arms folded across her chest... now they hung limp.

"You... you're kidding... aren't you? I figured that I'd be the last PSI agent you'd want to see, especially after the last time."

I smiled again.

"If I wanted someone else, I wouldn't have asked for PSI's best agent. This is a dangerous mission this time. It involves the Bermuda Triangle, which is in the PSI territory. Therefore, I need PSI's presence on the mission. I chose you."

Krystal was still pretty shocked that Chess' best agent wanted her.

"Okay. I'll need to clear our outing with my supervisor. Then, we'll need to meet with a professor I know who's been studying the Bermuda Triangle and its effects. Then, after I gather the gear I'll need, we enter the triangle itself. What exactly are we looking for there?"

I tilted my head and chuckled.

"Danath wants me to crack the triangle's mystery. Whatever we find out will be shared with both PSI and Chess. Because you're closer, you'll be given first dibs on the discovery. Besides, you are PSI's best agent. Knowing this, we'll both return alive. I liked what I saw of you in Las Vegas, Krystal. You have some real talent. Think of this as a chance to redeem yourself to me."

Krystal smiled.

"A chance to redeem myself. You know, I am starting to feel good about your coming to see me today. And I will admit, I did like the Chess sports car. I wish I had one like that."

I winked at Krystal.

"If you do well in my eyes this time, I'll arrange for you to get a car just like mine, with all the same extras. And remember: we're not competing against each other this time; we're in this as a team."

Krystal nodded her head and shook my hand.

"A team. You have yourself a PSI agent."

I shook Krystal's hand. I could tell she wanted to do good this time. She led me upstairs to talk with her superior about the mission. I wasn't sure what lay ahead of us, but knowing that I had a professional partner with me certainly improved my hopes that we'd find out something very important in the triangle. Little was I to know what that something was.

---

She grinned as she finished reading the current section. She stood up and entered her kitchen. She grabbed a packet of popcorn and tossed it into the microwave. Within a few minutes, she poured the popped popcorn into a bowl, then grabbed a cold cola from her refrigerator. She carried the bowl and cola back to her computer, and sat down.

"Jansen fought a fire demon, rescued Chou Lun, a shogun warrior and his stallion, who'd been stuck there forever, then somehow, managed to get them all home. And now, he's teaming up with Krystal Silverly again. The Bermuda Triangle? Everyone has been curious about that place."

She stood up again and fluffed her seat pillow, then sat down on it again.

"Speaking of triangles, I wonder if that prissy slut is going to crash the wedding this weekend. Gods, I hope not. She always did have it in for the rest of us."

She ate some popcorn, drank some of her cola, and resumed reading Jansen's agent history. This was getting very very interesting.

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