Friends and Foes - part I

Years ago I was found half dead near a little village in Wu Tang Shan. Until this day I have never stoped studying the wonderful techniques in the art of healing. I have mastered the Hermit Healing of Fire and Purity, with the help of a few wu tang disciples I have met in my journeys.

It was a cold morning when, my teacher, doctor Hu Laodai, knocked on my door and asked me to hurry to the clinic. A young man, unconscious and wounded, with a deep cut on his right cheek, was laying on the bed. A weak voice kept saying the same word all over again - "Tora". I asked those who brought him and apparently he was attacked by a ferocious tiger on his way through Zhengzhou. Though his clothes were dripping of blood, the insignia of the vagabond travelers could still be noticed. He was not yet a disciple of any clan in the land. The fear that in the future this man who was lying unconscious in front of me could be a disciple of the demons, made my soul shiver for a second. But the man needed my help, regardless his future choices, his life was precious to me.

Sleepless nights have passed until Arashi Tora, for that was the name given by those who found him, woke up, half surprised to notice he still breaths, half scared for he did not recognize any of the faces or objects around him. New clothes were waiting for him on the chair near the bed, for the ones he wore were unable to be fixed. Whatever the beast who attacked him was, made sure no seamstress in the land could repair his wardrobe. But his wounds were healing nicely and soon he will be able to start his quests again, discovering the land that had so much to teach. After days of wandering through Wu Tang Shan, with the stories that Gu Yuan decided to tell him in exchange for food and drinks - annoying man with a scent of indifference in his looks, but probably well intended - young Arashi decides he wants to become a disciple of the Wu Tangs, and vowed to make everything in his power to reach his goal.

Longfeng, the warrior who gained the blue sword of the Wu Tang, made his next days a living hell, sending him back and forward from one gate to another, asking for proofs of his intentions in joining the clan, but Arashi didn't gave up. His determination was an impulse for everyone who knew what he had gone through since he arrived, ripped to pieces by the beast of Zhengzhou. Watching him so eager to become one of us filled my heart with joy. With little help, in a number of days Arashi gained the insignia of wu tang apprentice-hood, beautifully binded on his wardrobe, close to the sign of a tiger, the White Tiger who once lived among us, teaching his disciples the art of healing and kung fu skills to help anyone survive in the land as it was after the war of the nine dragons. From this day forward, his actions were to be reported to Master Songfeng, the keeper of the White Tiger's lessons and trainings.

Not long ago I had received the five dragons insignia as a reward for my achievements. The earth dragon, who's healing techniques were indispensable; the water dragon, from whom I was thought to gain more strength and dexterity when fighting; the fire dragon, with flames that could burn a village within seconds has taught me to increase my confidence and be stronger in front of the enemy, able to defend myself better; the storm dragon, which helped me watch the world with more vitality and more energy in my own body, and the winter dragon, the elder with a great wisdom. The five dragons were now my guardians, my closest friends and the most feared enemy, until I could find the Palace of Sun and Moon.

With Arashi by my side we wandered through the land, searching for new undiscovered places, helping the villagers to defeat the disciples of the shadows that haunted like ghosts the nearby hills. While talking with the innkeeper of Lushan Inn, KuangYuexian, a young warrior with the Blue Dragon insignia binded in his garments, showed up near us, gasping for air. A disciple of the shadows with little life left in his being was following him, determined to end his life before death. But the shadow didn't knew what he was about to meet. Arashi jumped in front of him and stopped him from moving any further, giving the young warrior time to catch his breath. As the vicious disciple had his last breaths of air, the newcomer whispered a "thank you" and presented himself. His name was BlooM, a warrior of the Wu Tang Clan, searching for the shadows that dared to insult our clan. We decided to help the young warrior, and left together in the search of his future. For days and days we traveled together, learning from each other lessons our masters could not teach us, getting accomodated with the area in which we were to spend our future years.