The Stolen Princess And The Blind Prince

Rice Pudding looked up. He saw Wulin, and an orange-aproned, well-endowed, pan-wielding girl running out of the kitchen.

"Hey Boss!" the young man smiled, dodging a sword swipe. He reciprocated, kicking the man in the groin, incapacitating him. He began waving, trying to get Wulin's attention. Then kicked himself.

"Stay back," Wulin said to Mi-hee.

"No thank-you," she responded, hurling her pan at another man who was mid-swing. He was aiming a chair at the distracted Rice Pudding.

Is this family made of stone or something? Wulin thought. Hearing the man fall with an 'Urk!'

"Thanks! But I was gonna dodge it!" Rice Pudding says tossing it back. "It was one on two for a while there!"

"Where's Porridge?"

"He's helping people outside."

At the other end of the bar, near the door, Boulder and Mama Peach were fighting off four men. They stood back-to-back, with about two feet between them. Boulder's shield was broken, his leather armor gone, and his cotton shirt had dark stains. Mama Peach had blood running down her forehead and a broken nose. Their area of the bar was filled with a dark smoke. The pair seemingly unable to track where the next attack would come from.

"Granny!" Mi-hee said, sprinting over.

Wulin and RP followed, unsure of how to help. The smoke was a thick purple, glittering slightly. The dark color helping it's blend into the darkness of the bar.

"Can you see through it, Boss?!" Rice Pudding asked.

"I can't sense anything... It's like an iron curtain." Wulin shook his head, visibly confused.

Whomever this smoke cloud belonged to, he thought, was a martial artist. They were using a 'sense dampener' and working together with these bandits. But who, and why? What were they after?

"Stay back!" Mama Peach said, splitting her attention from the fight for just a moment.

The smoke behind the giantess rippled. She reacted immediately, swinging her hefty fists, but hitting air. An axe-wielding bandit appeared, a little to her right. He swung, aiming for her neck. The axe struck Boulder's already splintered shield. It shattered, the axe slicing into his arm. Boulder stumbled. A chain cut through the smoke, wrapping around the old warrior's torso, pulling him to the ground.

"Boulder!" Rice Pudding, rushed in, followed by Mi-hee.

"Wait!" Wulin warned, "You can't just run in without thinking for a second!"

"I think," Rice Pudding shouted, his presence flickering, "I'm just going to make this a fair fight!"

Wulin clicked his tongue in frustration, knowing he couldn't follow. He instead, circled around the area, looking for a source of energy.

Skills that lasted this long required a direct and constant energy source. The best is fire, but Wulin didn't smell anything burning. He suspected someone was controlling the arena. Especially since it seemed like the bandits had no issue moving within the smoke itself.

He focused on the ground, keenly aware of the fighting not even ten feet away. He felt a pull near his foot; an energy that was different from the wood of the bar. He followed the slim, hair-thin line of energy to a wall. It suddenly went up, fading into the ceiling. Wulin reached out, intending on cutting the line with his finger nail.

A flying kick connected to Wulin's ribs. "Hey! Have some damn manners!"

Wulin spun, unsure of where this new enemy came from. He slid along the wall, a placing his back to it.

He felt metal slice into his cheek, then a burning-tingling feeling.

"Poison?" He called, stalling.

He knew these types. They couldn't help but talk.

Wulin extended his senses, waiting for the vibrations of sound. He reached into his shirt grabbing the two spoons he had picked up earlier. He secured them between his fingers, preparing for a throw.

He heard three things: on his left, near the line of energy, the twinkling sound of metal on metal. In front of him, the sharp sound of boots hitting the ground, and on the right a rush of air.

He quickly dodged left, throwing a spoon to his right. Wulin could hear the sound of sword-cutting-through-wall. But… where had the spoon gone?

"Wow, you're pretty smart!" The bandit leader said.

Wulin frowned. His legs felt heavy, while his fingers and toes were tingling. The man's voice sounded scattered, making his hesitate. Wulin released his breath, focusing on cutting the wire that was behind him.

If he could stall for just a moment…

"Whats wrong with you man?"

Wulin stepped back, not realizing how close the other man had gotten to him. He dodged another sword swing, inching closer to the wire.

"I'm walking at you and you're not even reacting..." He w.h.i.n.ed. "Is my poison really that good? Have you been struck blind?"

As much as Wulin hated to admit it, the man was right. He was having a hard time focusing energy into his senses, like there was some sort of block…

Two more knives cut him, one in his leg and the other, his arm. He tried to recover, but his steps faltered. Wulin's skin was burning. He could feel bile rising up his throat, the bitter taste stinging his tongue.

Laughter erupted all around him. It echoed, the sound warping. From the raspy voice of a man, into the twinkling voice of a woman.

"Wow." She giggled, "I guess there's no point hiding in this disguise anymore…"