Pathway

Chang Chang was making sure that everyone who was still upright got out safely.

One half-giant grabbed her and asked, "When do we get our money?"

"Go to the Three Brothers Stable by the City of the Dead and wait for us there, you'll get paid. Tell the thri-kreen that I sent you, and say the word 'garojing.' " It was a word that was meant to sound like elven, but it truly meant nothing. But it signaled to Tara Lin that the fighters had truly been sent by someone from the emporium.

Once they all got out, she found Fe Hao, holding a large metal box filled with their profits from the increasingly dangerous job. "What's going on?"

Chang Chang blew out a breath. "Everything's going to hell is what's going on. Whatever Fa Mu's turned into, it's powerful enough to take on the chamberlain. Chang Chang's gone to help him."

"What?"

As soon as she'd said it, Chang Chang realized she should have kept her mouth shut.

Fe Hao immediately dropped the box onto the stone floor. It hit with a rattling thunk and Fe Hao ran back the way Chang Chang had come.

With a sigh, she hauled the box of ceramic coins and made her way to the exit. She wasn't sure where Koming was, but she trusted her brother to take care of himself. She needed to get the hell out of there before the chamberlain and the monster conspired to destroy the entire arena.

Fe Hao ran through the catacombs of the arena and what he saw chilled him to his very bones.

Intellectually, the mul knew that Chang Chang was a mind-mage. Not a trained one, and she mostly only used her skills to help fool victims in the game, and to occasionally block the emporium members' thoughts from other mind-mages.

So it was easy for him to forget how powerful she was.

There she stood, side-by-side with Ju Feng, magic coursing through them both, lattices of energy that were intertwined and being thrown at the monster that Fa Mu had been changed into.

For all his life—both in the arena and with the emporium—Fe Hao had solved most problems with his might. Either he'd punch things or lift heavy things or do something else that required his prodigious strength.

This, however, was a fight where he wasn't sure what good his physical abilities would do.

But Chang Chang was fighting for her life, and she was the woman Fe Hao loved. He was still angry at her for making him go back on his word and become a part of this foul place, but that didn't mean he wouldn't lay down his life for her if necessary.

So he charged the creature, slamming it into the wall.

Chang Chang felt a surge of joy as Fe Hao's bulk sent the Voidharrow smashing into a wall. So focused was the otherworldly monster on the magical end that it had lost track of the physical.

Ju Feng, with Chang Chang's help, took advantage of the distraction to strike as hard as possible.

In truth, the actual spellcasting was all Ju Feng. Chang Chang's lack of training in the Way prevented her from being an active participant, instead being relegated to being a power source. She was simply the water that flowed through the pumps—Ju Feng was the well that did the work to bring it out.

Fe Hao's arrival, however, weakened the creature enough that Chang Chang was able to split her focus briefly. Ju Feng could handle things for a bit.

Instead, Chang Chang turned her attention to the corner of the Astral Plane where she saw Fa Mu curled up into a ball.

But she sensed nothing. Fa Mu's presence was gone from this mindscape.

Still, she reached out mentally, tried to find a spark, a presence—something that might have remained of Fa Mu within.

Fa Mu—it's Chang Chang. Please tell me there's something here. Tell me that some part of you is hanging on.

"…  go away …"

The voice was small, faint—Chang Chang barely heard it. It was cloaked in agony and despair and loss.

But it was definitely Fa Mu.

Listen to me, Fa Mu, I can help you.

"I'm beyond help. Just let me die in peace."

In truth, he was very close to that. His last spark of consciousness was flickering and dying. A few more moments and it would be too late.

And even the tiniest spark could be fanned into a flame.

We're here fighting for you, Fa Mu. Me and Komir and Chang Chang—Fe Hao is fighting the creature you've turned into. And Tau's been here all along trying to save you.

"I can't be saved, Chang Chang. There is no Fa Mu Mandred anymore, there's just the Voidharrow." The voice grew louder, but the despair thickened.

So you're just going to give up?

What choice do I have?"

Chang Chang was suddenly furious. I guess you're right—there is no Fa Mu Mandred. Because the Fa Mu I know, the Fa Mu that my brother pledged his lifelong friendship to, would never give up without a fight.

"How can I fight myself?" A glimmer of hope started to shine through.

You can take back Fa Mu of your own body. I can help you.

"It's no use, Chang Chang. It's not even my body anymore." The hope started to weaken, and the voice grew faint again.

You can at least try to stop it from causing further harm. Fe Hao and Tau and I are trying to fight it. You can help us.

"Tau's here?" The hope came through more clearly then. "He's still alive?"

Yes, and fighting for you.

A pause.

"What do you need me to do?"

Chang Chang thought for a moment. I can give you a mental boost—it might be enough to give you physical contFa Mu of at least a small part of the creature.

"All right."

Determination pierced through the veil of despair, fanning the flames of Fa Mu's consciousness. Chang Chang diverted some of her power into Fa Mu, hoping that what she took from Ju Feng could be spared.

She felt Fa Mu concentrate on his right arm, thinking about all the things he did with it: punching people, holding knives, putting it around pretty women, eating fine food, eating bad food, eating that fantastic jerky, drinking far too much ale, and throwing open doors to make dramatic entrances.

Chang Chang found herself learning a bit more about Fa Mu than she expected just from that …

Fa Mu flexed his fingers—and the fingers of the creature moved.

On its right hand, at least. Its left hand smashed into Fe Hao's stomach.

The creature's voice then came from everywhere at once. You are a fool, Fa Mu Mandred. Are you truly so deluded that you believe you can defeat me?

"I'd say I'm exactly that deluded, yeah." After saying that, Fa Mu made the creature punch himself in the nose.

Fe Hao chose that moment to return the creature's favor by punching it in the stomach in the real world at the same time that Chang Chang and Ju Feng both started to strangle him on the blue earthen floor.

Fa Mu tried to expand his influence beyond that right arm, but found himself being beaten down by the creature.

Chang Chang poured more of her own abilities into Ju Feng. With them hitting the creature on three different fronts—the two of them magically, Fa Mu mentally, and Fe Hao physically—they stood a chance.

At least, Chang Chang had to hope that.

Ju Feng probably felt that thought, because he then said to her, "There's only one thing we can do, and we must do it now."

In her mind's eye, she could see the spell he would need to cast, which Ju Feng shared with her through their mental link.

"It will kill him," Chang Chang said, "and possibly us and Fe Hao as well."

"Violence makes it more powerful. The longer this fight continues, the worse our position becomes. And Mandred's final echo of consciousness won't last much longer. Once it finally expires, we'll die."

Chang Chang knew Ju Feng was right, for all that she wanted him to be wrong. Time was their biggest enemy right then.

"Let's do it," she said, wishing that there was some way that she could say good-bye to Fe Hao and to Tau.

Komir and Barglin were pulling Tau's broken form out from under the rocks—he was still breathing, thankfully—when suddenly there was a fierce glow that was brighter than the sun.

Komir shielded his eyes as Fa Mu, Chang Chang, Ju Feng, and Fe Hao—who had joined the fracas while Komir and the dwarf were rescuing Tau—were enveloped in it.

But he couldn't just see the light, he could feel it. The brightness seemed to actually touch his mind.

That was when Komir realized that it was probably the most powerful burst of mind-magic he'd ever encountered.

After a few seconds that seemed to take forever, the light faded, dimming into nothingness.

Three bodies were left lying on the stone floor staring up at the ceiling, and a mul who was blinking furiously.

"What just happened?" Barglin asked.

"Damned if I know," Komir muttered. "You all right, Fe Hao?"

"Chang Chang." Fe Hao kneeled down beside her.

Barglin hefted Tau over his shoulder. "I'll take care of him. You help the mul."

"Thanks."

Smiling, the dwarf said, "Tau was okay to me. And he was kinda funny, plus he cared about his friend. You don't see that every day."

Nodding, Komir walked over to see both Chang Chang and Ju Feng lying on the floor, staring blankly up at the ceiling. They both breathed shallowly, but they showed no signs of consciousness. He waved his hands over Chang Chang's eyes, and she didn't blink.