Once and Future King part 4 (finale)

The student sat on the floor opposite his master, meditating. Outside the temple, a gentle wind blew petals past the windows while monks carried buckets of water and carefully filled the shallow indention in the middle of the room. Nearby, another monk opened a box on the floor, revealing a clay seal. The brown cube was mostly bare, with 水 carved on one side (the Chinese character for water). Incense was burning in an urn next to it and once it was properly hot, the seal was placed on top.

The student and master silently rose in unison. Two monks removed the student’s outer garments, leaving his entire torso bare. He kept his hands together humbly as he stepped toward the pool of water. Once there, he laid down on his stomach with his forehead resting on a folded towel at the edge which propped his head up, allowing him to breathe. Both arms were outstretched across the indention and he kept his feet together. The seal, now red with heat, was removed with a set of tongs by the master. Carefully, it was pressed against the student’s back.

The heated seal burned the symbol into the student’s flesh. He remained focused and the pain did not appear on his face. He was calm. At peace. This was a privilege few would ever have and he was deeply honored by it. Once the seal was removed, he began to feel nature flowing into his being.

In another temple, an identical ritual was carried out except that the student laid on a wooden plank to receive the power of the wood element. In another temple, a steel slab was used for the corresponding element. Another involved a student laying outside in the dirt. And in the fifth temple, a student lay on burning coals to receive the fire element. The five students had abilities no one else on Earth had and when they became too old, they would choose another set of students to carry the legacy. It was a tradition that would last for generations.

Centuries later, in a different part of the globe, a man calling himself Wuxing stepped out of a car and surveyed his surroundings. Hellgate Bridge covered the East River between Queens and Wards Island, lit only by street lights and the surrounding cityscape. A small beach led up a grassy hill to a park area where the bridge met the land. Under the shadows of the bridge, he spotted the outline of Cavalier’s famous Dragon hovercraft. The knight stepped out from under the bridge to meet him.

Behind Wuxing was a cluster of his men and Mr. Fong, his advisor. Wuxing casually removed his red sunglasses and black blazer, handing them to one of his men. “We’ve already lost the casino and the girls,” Fong told him, “Do we need to do this?”

“Minor setbacks,” Wuxing assured him, “We got the insurance racket and the money-laundering back up, so money’s good. Best of all, the city realizes we aren’t the pushovers we once were.”

“So why not go back to the business and leave the Cavalier for another day? I don’t like that he’s drawing you out like this.”

“Guys like that have trouble learning their lessons. I kicked his ass once already and that was pretty good for morale. Killing him will put the Triads on top of the New York hierarchy for decades. Hell, if I knew he was this stupid, I would’ve killed him when I had the chance.”

Mr. Fong and the rest of the men stood by their cars and Wuxing strode across the beach to meet his opponent. Cavalier waited patiently until he got closer.

“I’m only gonna tell you this once,” Cavalier told him, “Get the hell out of my city.”

“Afraid I can’t do that” Wuxing told him with false sincerity, “Ready for round two?”

“Now that I know all about the elemental seals, sure.”

“You did your homework.”

“I’m not the first Cavalier to fight the Triads. I know your organization’s been after those five clay seals for years. The seals apparently give people the power of the Five Elements.”

“And now you know how I got my powers. It’s not the win you think it is.”

“Maybe, but I still have some questions. I know you didn’t get those powers from some temple in the mountains, so what’d you do to the rightful owners?”

“Let’s see… I think the last time we spoke about this, I told you about the valuable life lesson my dad gave me.”

“Cheating to get ahead?”

“Yeah, that’s the one,” he snapped his fingers, “Now, as you already learned, Triad leaders had been going after the seals for decades, digging through old ruins or breaking into museums. I had a different approach. I figured the old temples were still around somewhere, tucked away from the prying eyes of the CCP and whoever else. As someone who really loves history, I knew where to look and what avenues to take. I put out a challenge to the current generation of masters, insulting their legacies as frauds and issuing a friendly contest. If they won the fights, I would have to prostrate myself and give respect to their schools. If I won, I could keep the seals. My hope was that word would get back to them and they’d take up the challenge. To my surprise, all five masters agreed to show up… and with the seals in pretty little boxes.”

“You had no intention of fighting fair, did you?”

“Hell no! Any one of them would’ve beaten the piss outta me. But like my father taught me, cheating was fine if it got you what you needed. When the masters showed up at my penthouse, they were smart enough to demand that me and my boys strip to our boxers to make sure we did’t have any weapons. And we didn’t.”

“What did you do?”

“Those old monks spent most their lives in the mountains. They were too sheltered. They didn’t think about the fact that there were big windows on all sides, facing some adjacent buildings. I had five of my best snipers in position. They never knew they were surrounded. Before any fights started, they all took a bullet through the head. Split second. They never knew what hit ‘em.”

“You’re a piece of shit.”

“Oh, no doubt,” Wuxing began unbuttoning his red shirt.

“But from what I know, the seals are useless unless you perform the correct rituals. How’d you know about them?”

Wuxing dropped his shirt on the grass, “We had enough info to get the gist of everything. The rituals were carried out by some shamans we hired.”

“Unfortunately, it seems like it worked out for you.”

“The processes hurt like Hell, but it was worth it.” Wuxing turned around and on his bare back, Cavalier saw the characters for all five elements burned into flesh and in the traditional circular diagram he saw on the Castle’s computer. “And just to make sure… ,” Wuxing turned back to face the Cavalier, “…I destroyed the seals after I was finished. Gotta make sure no one else can do what I do. I’m gonna be the last.”

“You’re right about that part.”

Wuxing dashed forward with a flying kick that Cavalier deflected. After he landed, he spun into a sweep kick and removed Cavalier’s legs out from under him. He fell on his back and rolled onto his feet before delivering a kick to Wuxing’s chest, pushing him back. “Alright, enough patty-cake,” Wuxing pressed his hands together, summoning the fire element. The symbol for fire flashed in red and he separated his hands as his fists emitted fire. With his limbs now engulfed in flames, he took a fighting stance, “Just so you know, I’m not playing around this time. I’m going straight for the-”.

Suddenly, the Dragon came alive – the hovercraft’s water port released a high pressured stream in Wuxing’s direction. Normally, this device was used to put out fires, but this time around, it was used as a weapon. It hit Wuxing, sending him rolling onto the grassy area near the beach and a cloud of smoke escaped into the air once his flames were out. “What the hell?” Wuxing roared as he stood up, soaking wet. In the cockpit of the Dragon, Emily Koboshi smiled at Cavalier. Beneath his helmet, he smiled back.

“I thought you’d be alone,” Wuxing growled.

“I guess cheating isn’t so bad. Your father inspired me more than I thought.”

The destructive cycle of the elements was a regulatory part of the Five Elements philosophy. Hank Hawkwood was sure to add that to his files. Just as one cycle generated energy, the opposite cycle counteracted it. As Arthur Hawkwood put it, it was “like rock, paper, scissors.”

Water obviously extinguishes fire.

Earth absorbs water.

Wood digs its roots into the earth.

Metal chops wood.

Fire melts metal.

Wuxing angrily took a particular fighting stance and placed his hands in a certain configuration; Cavalier recognized the symbol for wood emerging in a golden haze. “Let’s see how confident this asshole is after he gets an aneurysm,” Wuxing thought to himself before he approached. With that elemental power, Cavalier knew Wuxing could attack the nerves (roots) of a person’s body, creating a variety of ailments. He knew he couldn’t let him come close and had the perfect weapon for a distanced attack – the metal shield discs he once used as a ranged weapon. He removed the disc from behind the folds of his cape and hurled it. For a moment, it sailed through the air, then bounced off the side of Wuxing’s head, forcing him to stumble back and lose concentration. “Goddamn!” he shouted as blood trickled down the side of his face. Metal chopped wood.

Wuxing tried another configuration. This time, it was earth and Cavalier noticed the symbol flashing in the air. Wuxing stood still, ready for the next attack while impervious to harm. Cavalier didn’t come any closer; he threw another object from his belt. The canister flew into the air and exploded, releasing tear gas. Wuxing threw himself out of the way as a cloud erupted above him. He rolled off the grass and onto the beach while coughing and choking. “This time, I’m the one attacking the roots,” Cavalier told him, referring to the destructive cycle. “Yeah, I know what you’re doing!” Wuxing was losing his temper, his eyes now burning red.

The next element Wuxing chose was water and Cavalier knew it by the glowing blue symbol that appeared in the air. Wuxing received a boost in speed. He zig-zagged back and forth in an attempt to dodge whatever came next. Cavalier dropped a pellet on the sand and it began to bubble. Wuxing spun into the air, knocking Cavalier to the ground, but when he took the next step, he felt his foot sink. The sand where Cavalier dropped the pellet had turned to putty due to a chemical compound from Arthur Hawkwood. He tried to step out of it, but it only made the sticky substance worse, taking away the speed he once had. The earth had absorbed water. Cavalier returned, delivering a few rapid punches that brought Wuxing to the ground.

Wuxing knelt on his hands and feet, blood dripping from his lip as he caught his breath. “Wanna keep going?” Cavalier asked. Wuxing managed to crawl away from the chemical compound and stood up.

The next configuration was an expected one – the metal element gave Wuxing a brief boost in strength, allowing him the ability to deliver devastating blows. Cavalier stepped back and signaled to Emily to be ready. Wuxing’s anger was taking over, his fist clenched, ready to release all his rage. There was no finesse in his attack despite his skill in the martial arts. He threw himself at Cavalier in desperation. In the Dragon, Emily activated the flame thrower. A burst of flames erupted and the last counter-measure was used. Fire melted metal.

As the fire got close, Wuxing somersaulted at the last second. While he didn’t receive serious burns, his pants-leg ignited in flames and he used his brief boost in strength to propel himself into the river to put out the fire. A whiff of smoke escaped and Wuxing began to swim away from the beach.

“Bennings was right,” Cavalier thought to himself, “It’s always good to have a flame thrower handy.”

The Triads in the distance pulled their guns and blades from their suit jackets. Cavalier rushed back to the Dragon while the cockpit opened; he hopped in alongside Emily and as the hatch closed, bullets bounced off the hovercraft. “Last phase,” Cavalier said and pressed a button on the hovercraft’s console. The Dragon’s Scream emitted a high pitched screech that stopped the crowd of Triads in their tracks. Some retreated while others fell stunned. They were subdued in an instant. Police sirens approached from the distance, not that they would’ve been in the condition to hear them. It was a victory and even though Wuxing had escaped, the Cavalier was satisfied that his war with the Triads was over for the moment.

In a refugee camp, several women were returned to their friends. They happily hugged one another with the assurance they were safe. The proper authorities would obviously be relocating them, but for the night, there was a reunion. And they knew who to thank for it. The ladies decided to commemorate their salvation with tattoos of the Cavalier.

Later, the sun crept up over the rooftops as the Dragon made its way to Emily’s building. Cavalier and Emily entered her apartment soon after, Cavalier taking note of her usage of her cane.

“So how much longer do you have with that thing?” he asked.

“Not much longer. The stitches have mostly dissolved and at this point, the doctor said I could stop using the cane once it stops hurting. I’ll give it a week.”

“Well, with or without the bullet wound, you did great tonight.”

Emily moved in close with a cheeky smile, “Maybe you can bring me along for more missions?”

“Yeah,” he admitted, “I think that can happen.”

She reached up and touched his mask, “How does this helmet work, anyway?” She ran her hands along the vental of his hemet. “You can raise this part if you need to take a drink or something, right?”

“Yeah,” he answered, allowing her to explore.

She carefully raised it up, exposing his mouth, “Hi, there.”

He smiled, “Hi.”

“You have very straight teeth,” she said jokingly.

“Good genes, I guess.”

“And good dental hygiene. Very white.”

“I don’t drink coffee much.”

“And a nice smile,” Emily looked into the red lenses of the helmet and ran a thumb across his bottom lip.

He leaned in and placed a gauntleted hand at the small of her back. They stood in the center of the living room, embraced. The kiss that followed was a release from a build up neither one of them were fully aware of.

“This is okay, right?” Cavalier asked, “Not awkward?”

She stared at him for a moment, “Well…”

“If it’s weird, we can…”

“No, no. It’s just the mask is kinda in the way.”

She reached up to remove the helmet, but he held her hands, “Wait.” He unlocked the helmet manually to deactivate the failsafe, then removed it himself and held it at his side. Emily smiled when she saw his face.

“Handsome.”

“Thanks,” he smiled, “I’m Michael by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Michael.”

They embraced again, gradually removing his chest plate and cloak. The rest of the outer armor fell heavily to the carpet and they silently moved to the couch.

Epilogue…

He lay still on a pier, wearing nothing but black slacks that were partially burnt and torn. The sun was up and he could feel the heat on his bare chest. He failed to rebuild the casino, several of his men had been arrested, and he likely disappointed his superiors in the mainland.

He didn’t let it bother him. Whatever his status was, he’d recover. His family was strong. There was history there. Wuxing spit some water out and walked barefoot along the pier. It was still his city. They just didn’t know it yet.

Next: Bleeding Steel