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Thread: Destiny Awaits a Falling Star

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    Senior Member Grundle's Avatar
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    Default Destiny Awaits a Falling Star

    Chapter 1 - The Plum Tree Inn

    "Stinky Little Runt, where is the Soup these people ordered? Do I have to take this meal out of your pay as well?" yelled a fat old man.

    A short, skinny adolescent immediately appeared running at full speed balancing a tray on each one of his hands. "Old man here is their soup, and I also have the Fried Pork strips for Mr. Fong."

    "Must you be slow about everything?" grumbled the old man. "I swear I don't know why I haven't gone out of business. If you don't start moving faster, Runt, I am going to start paying less! Now go and fetch my dinner and take it to my room!" screamed the old man as he slapped the boy on the back of his head.

    Although his name really wasn't Runt, it is what he has been called ever since he could remember. The fat old man had started calling him 'Runt' as soon as he noticed that he was smaller than most the kids his age. Ever since he was an infant he has been living at the Plum Tree Inn. The owner found him in the Cherry Orchard one fall evening when he heard him crying. The only belongings that Runt could say were his, were the basket that he came in and the piece of paper in it that said, "Take care of my heaven sent son 'Jiang Biao'." Although the old man could be considered his father, he treated Runt like a slave instead.

    As Runt hurried back to the kitchen he thought to himself, "Do this, do that! I always have to do what that fat tub of lard tells me. He always makes me lose face in front of the customers and slaps me around. I am really going to make him pay!" Runt went over to the soup bucket and began to urinate into the steaming pot. "I piss in your mouth you smelly turtle egg!"

    After he was finished he quickly prepared the rest of the owner's dishes, carefully spitting into each one. Fifteen minutes later he was done and went straight to the owner's room.

    "What took you so long Incompetent boy? I had to wait at least four hours for you to bring the food. I thought I was going to die of starvation. Just for that you don't get any pay this week, be happy I let you keep eating...now give me my food!" Runt set the tray down and moved over to the corner.

    Bending over the tray the owner inhaled deeply. "Ahh this smells wonderful!" After sipping the soup, an expression of delight appeared on his face. "Ah, I love this soup that you always prepare. No matter how I try, I can never get it to come out quite like this. Tell me your secret!"

    With a large grin on his face he replied, "It is because of my special ingredient. If I told you what it is, then you would have no use for me. Please excuse me now, I must see to the customers." Runt bowed low to cover up his laughter, and quickly left the room.

    The Plum Tree Inn has always been one of the most prosperous businesses in the small town of Lu'an. Despite being fat and lazy, the owner knew how to sweet talk people and make them feel like they were the most honored guest in the establishment. Because of this unique ability, and because he was so fat, most people called him Butter Lips. Some said he could even sweet talk the devil.
    Since the Plum Tree Inn was well established and had a good reputation, most of the wealthy residents of Lu'An would regularly go there to drink their delicious wines, and to sip Runt's famous soup.

    As Runt returned to the dining room of the Inn he saw a tall man wearing a dirty blue robe with a red belt tied around his waste. On his head was a pointed rain hat, still dripping from the storm outside. As he got closer Runt noticed a sword strapped to the man's belt.

    Runt thought to himself, "This man isn't from around here. He must be some kind of hero..."

    "Kind sir, please follow me," Runt said as he lead him to a table in the corner. "What would you like?"

    "Bring me some wine, rice, and dimsum" The man said softly as he sat down.
    Runt ran quickly to get the man his food. "What a strange man," he thought, "he didn't even take his rain hat off when he sat down."

    As Runt was returning he heard someone yelling at the door, "Hey dog turd we want our table!" Runt set the man's food down and went quickly to the door.
    Standing at the entrance was a good looking youth dressed in a stunning white robe. Gathered around him were three other young men holding umbrellas to shield him from the rain. The obnoxious boy was none other than Duck Lo, the son of the richest man in Lu'An.

    Duck Lo was known throughout the town as a trouble maker. He would do whatever he wanted because his father was wealthy and he knew that everybody was scared to offend him.

    "Hey Duck Lo," said one of his friends as they followed Runt to their table, "that new silk robe of yours is great."

    "Yeh," he said proudly, "I had it imported from Fu Zhou. It only cost me 80 taels."

    "I bet you will get lucky wearing that."

    As they sat down all of them began to laugh and snicker, "Hey shorty," sneered Duck Lo, "bring your finest wine, we want to celebrate. If you have a little sister we haven't seen, bring her too."

    "What an idiot." thought Runt as he suddenly had an idea. "Ah yes our best wine...unfortunately I cannot serve it to you. The owner is saving it for a very special customer, so sorry!"

    "What do you mean, what is so special about this wine?"

    "Ah, this wine is a very rare red, rice wine, made in the mountains of Tai Shan. In order to cure it takes 100 years, and is very expensive."

    "Is money the only problem? How much does it cost? Who do you think I am?"

    "My sincerest apologies, Lord, but since it is 100 taels a jug I thought..."

    Duck Lo instantly cut him off, "Bring me two jugs, here is the money!" Duck Lo threw 200 Taels in a bag on the table. Runt grabbed the bag saying, "Of course right away, but I can only bring one jug out at a time so that the other clients won't become too jealous. When you finish the first one I will bring the second jug out."

    "Quickly, slug slime, we don't have all day!"

    Runt ran to the cellar and grabbed two jugs of the cheapest wine they had. As he returned to the kitchen he grabbed a bottle of red ink and poured half of it into each jug.

    "Here is your first jug." Runt said setting the jug down along with three cups to drink with. Runt went and stood to the side to watch the show.

    The three youths immediatlely began to consume the wine. "Duck Lo this wine is amazing!" said one of them.

    "I agree Shiu-pak, I have never tasted anything quite like it. The sweet taste, has a slightly bitter undertone. In my opinion it truly deserves its reputation."

    As Runt watched this he could hardly hold back tears of laughter beginning in his eyes, thinking to himself, "What a bunch of stupid snobs.."

    The four friends continued drinking their wine slowly becoming louder and louder. Generally people could politely ask them to quiet down, but Duck Lo is no normal person. Runt knew that he couldn't let things get too far out of control or the other guests would become offended and leave, so he went back to the table. "Honored guests, the owner has informed me that we have some excellent private dining rooms you can use, on the house, to continue your celebration."

    "We like it just fine here, midget" Duck Lo said doing his best impression of an ape, as his friends erupted in raucous laughter.

    "How can we see all the pretty girls if we are in some cramped room," continued his friend Shiu-pak.

    "Hey waiter," said another, "our jug is empty and we paid for two!"

    Duck Lo raised his voice slightly so that everyone could hear, "Yes waiter, please bring us our second jug of the rare red colored Tai Shan wine!"

    "Yes of course, right away!" said Runt. As he rushed away Runt fell to the floor with a loud bang causing everyone in the room to stare in his direction. "Ha ha ha, Lu Chan that was some brilliant Kung Fu!" laughed Duck Lo

    "Yes, I call that one, 'Drunken Monkey Sweeps His Tail'"

    Runt glared at them as he got up off the ground and then smiled widely at the four loud friends. He went and got the second jug of wine and made his way back to their table. As he neared the table, suddenly Runt lost his balance. As he fell forward, the jug of wine flew out of his hands towards Duck Lo and landed right in his lap.

    The whole Inn instantly became quiet as wine laced with red ink drenched Duck Lo. "You stupid brat!" screamed Duck Lo, "look what you have done to my new silk suit!"

    "So sorry honored guest, it was a simple accident. I can offer you another jug free of charge if you wish!" said Runt, trying to look as sincere as possible.

    "You call this an accident?" said Duck Lo blind with rage. With a sly grin Runt responded, "Lord, how was I supposed to know that the drunken monkey would vomit? Besides, pink isn't such a bad color either."

    Duck Lo suddently realized that Runt had been mocking him, which made him even angrier. "Well well Mr. comedian, I guess my friends and I are going to have to teach you better so that no more of these little 'accidents' happen in the future."

    Duck Lo and his friends all got up out of their chairs and walked towards Runt. Shiu-pak grabbed him, holding him by the arms, as Duck Lo spit on him, "Let me have the first couple of hits. I haven't had my work-out yet today."

    Duck Lo pulled his hand back and swung as hard as he could at Runt. Right before his fist smashed into Runt's face it swerved to the left barely missing him, hitting his friend Shiu-pak squarely in the jaw.

    "What do you think you are doing Duck Lo?" cried out Shiu-pak grabbing his jaw in pain. Duck Lo just stood there stunned, "Som-som-something hit my hand." Runt noticed that there was a bruise already forming on the back of his hand.
    Looking at Duck Lo, Lu Chan walked over to Runt, "Let me take care of this for you brother." As he got closer Runt noticed a grain of rice shoot towards Lu Chan hitting him in the center of his forehead. Lu Chan flew back and landed on top of one of the tables breaking it with his fall.

    The impact of the rice had completely knocked Lu Chan out, "What amazing skills" Runt thought. He suddenly burst out in laughter, "Haha! The drunken monkey has passed out!"

    As Runt continued to laugh, the owner heard the crashing noises and quickly ran to the main room to find out what was causing all the unusual noise, "What is going on here?"

    Duck Lo immediatly spoke, "This little mealy mouthed cretin has not only humiliated me and my family name, but has also injured several of my friends. I can assure you that my father will hear about this Butter Lips. You can kiss your worthless shack of a tavern good-bye!"

    With an angry look towards Runt, Butter Lips immediately ran over to Duck Lo and began trying to repair the damage, "Honored Lord Duck, this is the gravest offense ever in history! Just look at your magnificent robe. It has been ruined!" he said in a comforting tone, "I would suffer shame upon shame if you didn't accept two robes just like it as a personal gift. There really isn't any reason to speak with your father over such a small thing, now is there? You know that your family is always welcome here and of course you know that your family never need to pay for anything. Your presence alone is worth more than any normal customer could ever offer us here at the Plum Tree Inn."

    Duck Lo was already giving in to Butter Lips' sweet tongue, "Yes you have a very good point, but neither my family nor I could ever show our faces here as long as that little worm is around."

    Butter Lips immediately turned around to face Runt and yelled, "I have given you food, work, and shelter for 16 years and this is how you repay my generosity? You have made a mockery out of my business, you have shamed my untarnished name, and you have cost me a fortune today. From today forward I disown you! Get out of here you stinky Runt, you are nothing but trouble!" Butter Lips grabbed Runt by the neck and began to slap him repeatedly across the face. While he was striking him another grain of rice flew with amazing speed and struck Butter Lips in his fat belly. Butter Lips immediatly let Runt go and hunched to the floor grabbing his stomach. Even though he was extremely fat, he still felt the tremendous blow.

    Runt took this opportunity to run as fast as could out the door and into the rainy night.

    When Butter Lips finally recovered, he looked around the Inn. He saw several shattered chairs and tables. Duck Lo and his friends were still standing by their original table, with the shattered wine jug. Apparently everyone else had left the Inn when the trouble had first started. As he turned towards the entrance to speak with Duck Lo, Butter Lips suddenly noticed the man with the rain hat still sitting quietly in the corner.

    "Hey you, why did you help that worthless Runt out?" Butter Lips said as he charged towards the table. The man appeared to ignore him as he continued to sip his wine. Since the rain cap had been pulled low none of them could see his face, except for his mouth. Regardless, Butter Lips continued his tirade, "That smelly brat cost me a fortune today, if I ever see him again I am going to..."

    The man abruptly stood up placing his hand on Butter Lips shoulder, "You will do nothing." The man removed his hand and leaned carelessly against the wall. "It isn't every day you get to see a clever boy rob someone of 280 taels without them even knowing it. If that isn't enough, he has also ruined a lucrative business...all in one day." The strange man threw a couple of coins on the table and left without another word.

    Butter Lips wanted to turn around and question the man some more when he realized that he couldn't move. How could he know that the man sealed vital pressure points when he touched him on the shoulder? Terrified by what was happening to him, his gaze shifted to the wall where he noticed a palm print at least 3 inches deep in the wall. The print was exactly where the man had been leaning seconds ago. When he finally understood what he was looking at Butter Lips immediately fainted.
    Last edited by Grundle; 04-18-06 at 06:30 PM.
    --=={Grundle}==--

  2. #2
    Senior Member Grundle's Avatar
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    Please give honest critiques. If this story is terrible I don't want to torture you guys by continuing to post. Honestly I won't be offended. I am mostly interested in improving.

    Thanks!!
    --=={Grundle}==--

  3. #3
    Senior Member Grundle's Avatar
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    Default Chapter 2 - A Lonely Wanderer

    With rain flowing down his face Runt aimlessly walked through the streets of Lu'an. He pondered all of the things that had recently happened to him. He had never thought about being out on his own, and the sudden idea began to scare him.

    Since Runt was always working in the Plum Tree Inn he never really made any friends. He was truly alone in the world. As he continued to walk he stopped at a street corner and stared up in to the night sky. A lonely tear streaked down his face as despair rose in his heart. Soon many more tears were falling down his face mixing with rain-drops. "What can I do, where will I go?" he thought.

    *ching* *ching*......*ching* *ching*.......*ching* *ching*...

    Runt heard this strange noise and began to look around. He saw a very old man squatting in the alleyway begging for money, with what looked like a basket. "It seems that there are less fortunate people in this world than I..." thought Runt with compassion. He walked over to the old man and said, "Old man, you won't make much money on a night like this. Who would want to go out on a stormy night like this?"

    "ke-ke-ke-ke," cackled the old man, "young man you never know when fortune may visit you."

    "This is true," said Runt with a pensive look on his face. Coming out of his reverie, he flashed a brilliant smile, "old man, let me call you grandfather! I have just the thing for you...I found this dirty little bag earlier tonight and I am sure it would be perfect for you." Runt took Duck Lo's 200 taels and set it in the old man's basket.

    Bowing three times to the old man he said, "May we meet again grandfather!" As Runt walked away the old man stared intently after him.

    After turning the corner to continue his endless journey, the eyes of the old man began to glow with a strange luminescent blue light. It seems that this old man was no normal person, he contained a very peculiar form of inner energy. As the old man stood up his bent crippled form straightened, his wrinkled gnarled face began to smooth out. He quickly transformed from an ancient old beggar into a strong young man. He took the basket and turning it upside down set it on his head. The basket had been a rain hat all along that he had used to collect the money.

    With a smile playing on his lips the strange man's form seemed to blur and then he disappeared from sight altogether.

    Runt felt much better after giving away the bag of money. Although he now had nothing in the world except for the clothes that he was wearing, Runt felt a strange sensation of peace and happiness.

    When he stopped walking Runt noticed that he had already arrived at the city gates. Realizing that he had nothing left in Lu'an he decided that he would leave his home and see the world thinking, "I could die of starvation in a week, or I could become rich and famous...either way tomorrow I will be starting my new journey." Happy with his decision Runt found a tree that gave relatively good cover from the rain, and curled up underneath it falling soundly asleep.

    When Runt woke up he began to feel a floating sensation. Opening his eyes he was surprised to find himself on the top of a magestic mountain. A cool crisp wind blew across his face causing him to inhale deeply. Runt could see many miles in every single direction and being so high up the colors of the landscape were vibrating with a clarity that he had never seen. Runt was simply in awe by what he was seeing. While Runt enjoyed the splendor of the view he heard a quiet monotone chant coming from somewhere

    "ta-ya-tha om be-khan-dze be-khan-dze ma-ha be-khan-dze be-khan-dze ran-dza sam-un-ga-te so-ha.......ta-ya-tha om be-khan-dze be-khan-dze ma-ha be-khan-dze be-khan-dze ran-dza sam-un-ga-te so-ha...."

    "I must be here for a reason." thought Runt, "I'll go find the chanting monk." Walking towards the deep chanting voice Runt could see that higher up on the mountain was a cave. When he finally arrived he could see a strange form of writing around it's entrance. Over to the side, on the ground was a circular painting containing trees, animals, and other designs. "I have heard the Buddhists talk about the Wheel of Life, but I never thought I'd actually see it," .

    The melodic chanting was obviously coming from the cave, but Runt stayed to admire the artistic work as well as to ponder the visual knowledge contained in the wheel. An hour passed before he decided to make his way into the cave. The chanting was still going on as if no time had passed at all.

    When Runt entered the cave the chanting stopped immediatly. "Strange," he thought. A dim glow was radiating from the rocks giving him a faint source of light. After he ventured a little deeper into the cave he heard the deep voice say, "Approach the pool."

    A still pool that looked like the face of a mirror was 100 meters from where Runt stood. Around the edge it was lined with rocks, having an opening that faced the cave entrance. As he walked towards the pool Runt asked, "Who are you?"

    "I am everyone, and I am nobody. I am your father, and I am your grandson. We have met thousands of times. We have been friends, we have been enemies. I am you and you are me, both of us are travelers in the wheel of time..."

    Scratching his head, Runt was perplexed by what he heard. Even though he knew which direction the voice came from, Runt still couldn't see who was talking.

    When he arrived at the pool the voice spoke again, "Three is the number of completion. Young one, do you have the courage to step into this pool three times? Many blessings for those who can complete their destiny, but what is yours?"

    Looking into the pool Runt saw it begin to swirl. He felt a vague sense of dread but decided to put his foot in just to see what would happen. The second his foot touched the liquid he immediately began to descend, down, down, down. When he landed he found himself in the middle of a battle.

    To Be Continued...
    --=={Grundle}==--

  4. #4
    Senior Member Grundle's Avatar
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    The smell of blood made him wrinkle his nose, the screams of pain and agony made bile rise in his throat. Runt had always believed that battle was a glorious event where heroes fought and destroyed the forces of evil, yet all around him normal looking men were writhing in agony. Many men were calling out the name of loved ones with tears in their eyes. Others stared into the sky, looking at nothing, their eyes glazed over in death.

    The air was heavy with dust making it hard to see. A low rumble could be heard all around from the countless horses charging around. Voices echoed from all around.

    "Charge the left line!"

    "Find the thieves who stole...!"

    "Leave nobody alive"

    Ting, Clang, Whop -- the sound of weapons in use sang violently on the wind.

    Hearin a nogise behind him "tok-a-tok tok-a-tok tok-a-tok" Runt noticed it was quickly increasing in volume. Turning around he saw a horse charging full speed with the rider aiming his spear at him. Ducking just in time Runt was able to avoid the spear, but the horse was still close enough to knock him off his feet. The impact of the blow sent Runt flying 25 meters into a row of bushes. Luckily the bushes had been there to cushion his fall or he could have been hurt worse.

    "Ouch," thought Runt. Checking himself over he found only some minor cuts and bruises. "Boy was I lucky, I thought I was going to die."

    A few meters to the right the bushes began to rustle and move around. Runt was a little scared, but he crawled towards the noise anyways to see what was happening. When he got closer he saw a man wearing a white robe laying on the ground. Blood was covering his shirt and the man was trying to cover the wound with his hand. It looked like he had been stabbed in the stomach.

    The man looked in Runt's direction and then began to mumble something, "*cough* *cough* It's hidden....it's hidden in the Son-songshan cave....sss-sssongshan c-c-c....." The man had tried to tell Runt something important with his dying breath, but he had no idea what it meant. Runt gazed at the man's dead body feeling sorry for him, when everything started to slowly fade. The sounds became more distant and he felt like he was floating upwards.

    Runt found himself standing by the pool once more.

    "His inheritance locked safely in its chest." the deep voice said. The voice continued, "Three is the number of completion. Young one, do you have the courage to step into this pool three times? Many blessings for those who can complete their destiny, but what is yours?"

    After what had just happened Runt wasn't exactly sure he wanted to step into the pool again.

    Looking at the swirling pool Runt thought to himself, "It couldn't get much worse than that..." gathering his courage he stepped into the pool once more. He felt the descending sensation again, falling, falling falling.

    When he stopped he found himself in a large dark room dimly lit by candles that were evenly spaced around it's perimeter. At the front there was a raised area with some sort of podium on it. A man dressed in a black robe and wearing a mask was standing to the right side. The rest of the people were seated facing him, and it looked like they were all dressed the same as him.

    "Brothers and Sisters," said the man in a booming voice, "I have gathered you all here because urgent news has come to my attention. The great demon of the south, Lord Ba'almon, has informed me that a star has been reborn. This is a matter of great urgency because an event like this is very rare. The last time a star descended from the heavens was 10000 years ago. Lord Ba'almon wants his freedom, he wants his former power, find the star and bring him to me!"

    After the man's speech the rest of the people began to whisper among themselves.

    "How do we find this 'star'?" yelled someone from the front.

    "Don't worry, he will make himself known soon enough. If there are no more questions, let the ceremony begin." After clapping his hands twice, two men appeared carrying a large grey sack that appeared to be writhing. Opening the sack, they set it on the floor and pulled a beautiful young woman out of it. Terror was in her eyes as she looked around frantically trying to figure out where she was. The two men set her on the altar and tied her hands and feet to each end.

    The man at the front began to chant and slowly the rest of them began to follow along. Runt couldn't understand what they were saying, but it seemed to be some sort of ritualistic magical ceremony. The chanting started get louder and quicker increasing in tempo and ferocity. As it neared its crescendo the man pulled a knife from his robe and held it up over his head using both hands.

    Runt suddenly realized what was happening, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed. Everyone turned to look in his direction while at the same time several strong pairs of hands grabbed onto him tightly. The man at the altar continued to chant and then looking Runt directly in the eyes plunged the knife into the maiden's heart.

    An ear splitting scream filled the room as the people continued chanting faster and faster. When she had stopped moving the chanting ceased immediatly. "Bring the intruder here." said the man.

    Runt began to sweat with fear as the strong hands pushed and pulled him towards the altar. Looking at the man Runt saw him start to fade and he was to rising again.

    When Runt was by the pool again he collapsed into a heap on the floor. He was still trembling with fear as flashes of what had just happened played in his mind.

    "Ripples of water disturbed, warn the fish" the deep voice said. "Three is the number of completion. Young one, do you have the courage to step into this pool three times? Many blessings for those who can complete their destiny, but what is yours?"

    After Runt heard this familiar phrase again he began to wonder if he had the courage to step back into the pool. "What happens if I don't step into the pool? Will I be able to live through another trial like that? What is the meaning to all of this?"

    To Be Continued...
    --=={Grundle}==--

  5. #5
    Moderator Suet Seung's Avatar
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    Nice and interesting titles.

    I have my hands full right now but I'll come back to read and comment asap.

    Most people are silent readers here at this forum, so if you don't receive comments, don't worry. I'm sure those silent readers will come out of their shells one of these days, I hope.
    I just love how you Captivate My Mind

    Self reminder - Update blog more often and continue editing/writing for TOV fanfic.

  6. #6
    Senior Member Grundle's Avatar
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    Runt sat by the pool for a long time trying to find answers to his questions. He even pondered what happened to him before he arrived in this strange place. Having these thoughts something suddenly occurred to him that he had told himself before, "I could live or I could die...either way I will continue on my journey."

    With this thought Runt smiled to himself. Standing up he ran full speed at the pool and with a yell, "Live or die I will go on!!!", he jumped into the pool.

    The familiar sensation took ahold of Runt taking him to uncharted depths. When he felt that he had stopped he saw lush green trees, beatiful flowers, and a small pond with golden carp swimming in its depths. A curved cedar bridge straddled the pond so that people could stand on it and admire the scenery. Runt found himself in the middle of somebody's paradisic garden. "This person must be extremely rich! Even the Ducks don't have anything like this."

    "Boy. What are you doing in our garden?" a sweet voice asked.

    Surprised that he had been seen, Runt became alarmed but it was too late for him to run. Turning around Runt was greeted by an amazing sight. A girl about the same age as him stood about 2 meters away from him. She was wearing a brilliant red dress that could only compare to her ruby red lips. Her hair, blacker than the darkest onyx stone, cascaded down her shoulders to her waist. When the light reflected off of it her hair looked like it was emitting a faint blue sheen. Her skin was smoother than the finest silk, and her eyes were the color of the rarest jade. Runt could only compare this experience to what he had felt on top of the mountain. He was in awe.

    Covering her mouth slightly with her hand the girl giggled, "Aren't you going to say something?"

    "I-I-I just wanted to admire the scenery kind lady. Pardon me if I have offended you." was all that Runt could say as he bowed awkwardly to cover his embarassment. Every time he looked at the girl his mind would become blank, his knees would begin to tremble and he would become filled with a strange feeling. New unknown emotions began to stir within his heart.

    Smiling at him sweetly the girl said, "Don't..."

    "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" screamed someone breaking the spell. "YOU!" A large muscular man with a shaggy red beard yelled pointing at Runt. "you you you DARE look at my daughter??"

    "But father he's just..."

    "I will handle this, now be quiet!" Grabbing Runt by the arm the imposing man leapt into the air taking Runt with him. They landed 300 meters away next to a cauldron full of red hot coals with iron handles sticking out everywhere.

    "Lecherous boy, I will teach you to walk around where you are not wanted." Grabbing one of the iron handles he pulled it out of the cauldron. At the end of the handle was a disc shaped brand that was glowing red with heat. "Here's a little something to remind you to mind your manners" spat the man as pressed the brand onto Runt's inner forearm. Runt closed his eyes screaming in pain as the brand burnt into his flesh. He could smell skin burning and hear it sizzling as he felt the most intense pain of his life.

    When Runt opened his eyes he was underneath a tree by the roadside where he had gone to sleep. Several people were giving him strange looks, "Boy are you all right? Do you need any help? You were screaming and thrashing around."

    "No.....I'm o-kay" he said.

    When everyone saw that there was nothing wrong they all went back to their own busy lives.

    "It was a dream.." he said over and over to himself. "It was just a dream."

    After coming to his senses Runt began to evaluate the strange dream. "It was so real, I could feel myself being burned!" Remembering the intense pain he looked down at his forearm but he didn't see any burns or welts. Checking the rest of his body he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, except for a little soreness from sleeping across some of the tree roots.

    Images continually flashed through his mind, "What is Song Chan? Who were those people chanting?" Most of all Run thought about the beautiful young girl. In his mind she was a goddess and he was faithfully devoted to her.

    Thinking about her he made a silent vow to himself, "I promise to serve you only my graceful lady. I will not rest until find you and only you!" It didn't bother Runt at all that she might only be a dream. "Better to have known love in some form, than to have never loved at all!" he thought to himself.

    Taking one last quick look at Lu'an, Runt set off on his journey. He only had to go a short distance before he realized that he was carrying something quite heavy in his pocket. Reaching in he pulled out a familiar looking leather bag. Runt was astonished by what he saw, "But I gave this away to the old man last night!"

    Too many wierd things had happened to Runt all at once. He was simply dumbfounded by this new discovery. How could he possibly know that the old man was not who he appeared to be, and could return the bag to Runt even in broad daylight without him noticing. The words of the old man rang in his mind, "..you never know when fortune may visit you."

    With a smile plastered on his face he followed the dusty road. Runt walked most of the day taking plenty of time to enjoy being out doors. It was his first time outside the city of Lu'an so he was filled with a sense of exhiliration and joy the farther away he travelled. He carried with him a certain sense of freedom, that few people experience in their entire lives.

    Every once in a while Runt would stop at a roadside store to buy some noodles or buns. He wasn't really hungry, but he wanted to sit and watch all of the people passing by. Having worked at the Inn all of his life Runt had never had the time to just sit and observe people. The most mundane things fascinated him. The world seemed so big to him, "There is just so much to see and experience!" he thought.

    As he got farther and farther away from Lu'an he saw less and less people until he was the only person on the road. When the sun started to sink on the horizon he decided to look for a place to sleep for the night. Looking for a comfortable bed of leaves to lay on Runt heard what sounded like fighting nearby.

    "Come back here it is mine, I caught it!"

    "I saw it first, how could it be yours?"

    A third voice yelled, "I was thinking about it before you saw it, its mine!"

    Runt ran towards the voices and saw three men wearing brown robes bouncing off the trees, chasing each other. One of the men was holding a large Coney. The other two were continually launching themselves at him from trees as he avoided them himself by bouncing from where he was to another tree.

    It was an amazing sight to see them jump from a branch, flip in midair and bounce off the trunk of another tree. From trunk to trunk they went without stopping arguing the whole time.

    "How could you be thinking about it when you don't know what it is?"

    "Of course I know what it is, why would I think about it if I didn't know what it is!"

    "Why don't you tell us what it is then?"

    "Hah, you just want to trick me into telling you so that you can say that you knew what it is"

    Runt had never seen such peculiar behavior in his life before and began to laugh at the three men.

    "Thief!" shouted one of them as all three instantly rebounded off a tree and shot towards Runt.

    "Wait!"

    All three of them landed in front of Runt. He finally was able to take a good look at all three of the men. They were relatively skinny with shaven heads. One of them had an extremely large nose dominating his face. Runt couldn't decided if its width was wider than the length, or the other way around. The second had extremely large eyes that were crossed. Runt noticed that when he spoke one of them would spin without any apparent control. The third one had a very broad sloping forehead with a slight drip of drool falling from his mouth.

    "Why should we wait?" said the one with the nose.

    "I think I can help you"

    "We don't need help. Why would we need help?"

    "You want eat that Coney don't you?"

    "It's a CONEY" screamed the drooling man, "I told you I knew what it was."

    "You just said that because you heard what he said, it doesn't count!" replied cross eyes.

    "I knew..."

    Runt interrupted them before they could begin to argue and chase each other again, "What if I could make it so all of you can eat it?"

    All three of them looked at Runt with blank stares. After a short pause one of them suddenly said, "Haaaaaay, you want to steal our food!!"

    "No wait, lets make a deal. I'll make it so all of you can eat this Coney. When I say I am done, if you don't think that I have kept our agreement you can do whatever you want with me."

    Once again they all stared at him blankly.

    "Okay," said big nose handing the coney to Runt.

    Taking the coney Runt went over to the fire. Since they had some basic utensils he was able to start skinning and cleaning the coney. "I'm Runt"

    "Allow us to introduce ourselves, I am Noseless" said the man with the big nose.

    "I am Eyeless" said guy with the lazy eye.

    The third one just stood there looking around and drooling, "Oh, I am uh..Thoughtful"

    Runt thought about their names, "Noseless for a man with a huge nose, Eyeless for a man with crazy eyes, and Thoughtful for someone extremely stupid." He thought these names were hilarious, but he dared not to laugh so that he wouldn't offend them.

    "You have probably heard of us." said Eyeless puffing out his chest.

    "Nope"

    "Stupid! You didn't tell him our name," said Thoughful.

    "Of course I did, and so did you!"

    "We are also called the Three Deformities." Thoughtful said proudly, ignoring Eyeless.

    "Nice name"

    "You haven't heard of us?" they all said in disbelief. "Sorry! Come here the stew is ready." Runt took four plates and put four equal portions on each one so that they wouldn't fight. All four of them sat down and began to eat.

    "Hey hey, this is amazing!!"

    The three deformities all wore an expression of delight on their faces.

    "This is great, you kept your word!" said Noseless.

    "Where are you travelling to?" Eyeless continued.

    Runt looked up in the sky thoughtfully, "I don't really know"

    "How can you not know? Everyone knows where they are going." said Thoughtful

    Eyeless spat back, "You don't even know where you are, he doesn't have to know where he is going!"

    "Of course I know where I am, I am right here...you are so stupid sometimes!"

    As they continued to argue Noseless said to Runt, "Why don't you come with us?"
    --=={Grundle}==--

  7. #7
    Senior Member Grundle's Avatar
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    Chapter 3 - Journey to Zouyang

    "I would be honored to join you" smiled Runt, "where are you travelling to?"

    "We are going to Zouyang for a gathering." replied Noseless.

    "This is great!" shouted Thoughtful interrupting, "More wonderful food from Runt! Now you can cook all of our meals."

    "Don't be so rude!" scolded Eyeless.

    "Do any of you know how to cook? Of course he will cook all our meals, he's the only one that knows how."

    "Thoughtless you really..."

    "It's okay" said Runt trying to calm them down, "I would love to cook for you. I really enjoy cooking anyways!" Clapping like little boy Thoughtful started to giggle in delight.

    The next day Runt and his three new companions began the long journey to Zouyang. While they were walking the three Deformities would try to tell him everything about their lives. Usually they would end up arguing over little details that didn't matter. Runt was so amused by this he couldn't help breaking out into laughter every single time.

    As mid-day was approaching the four companions arrived in a a small town. By this time they were all feeling very hungry.

    "Lets find something to eat." said Eyeless

    "I want some Lo Mein with Peking Duck!" said Thoughtful.

    "How can we have Peking Duck, we aren't in Peking!" rebuked Noseless.

    "You don't have to be in Peking to have Peking Duck!" replied Thoughtful.

    Eyeless' eye began to spin like a tornado as he said, "If it isn't in Peking then it wouldn't be Peking Duck, it would be Chonqing Duck, or Jiangxi Duck, or Hunan Duck, but not Peking Duck"

    "They are going to be at this all day," thought Runt. Still feeling very hungry Runt decided to go buy their food while they continued to argue. Walking away he could still hear them,

    "But we aren't in Chongqing, or Jiangxi, or Hunan, so it can't be any of those eith..."

    After entering a shop nearby a quick look revealed a plump plucked duck. "Since they want Duck so bad I guess I could buy this. Then they could argue over exactly what kind of duck they are eating..." laughed Runt to himself.

    He bought the duck, some herbs, and some vegetables hoping to give some variety to their meal. After buying the food he went to the inn next door to buy a couple of flasks of wine. When he finally left the Inn Runt noticed that although the three deformities were still arguing they had managed to become surrounded by 30 men all dressed in white robes. Not wanting to reveal himself yet, he moved close enough to see what was happening. "I am telling you that if the Duck flies from Shaanxi but is cooked in Heibei it would still be a Shaanxi..."

    "Hey you three freaks!" shouted one of the men.

    Eyeless, Noseless, and Thoughtful just continued arguing as if they hadn't heard a thing.

    "But if it flies from Shaanxi who knows..."

    "When I speak you will pay attention" then man shouted again as he launched a knife at eyeless.

    Without looking up eyeless lifted his hand and flicked the knife with his finger *ping* sending it zipping back at the nameless man. The action was so quick that the man was barely able to avoid his own weapon.

    "Look brother Noseless, the 'Sacred Lotus Sword Sect' has come to pay us a visit" said Eyeless.

    "You killed one of our brothers and we have come to seek revenge." said the man.

    "It isn't our fault," protested Thoughtful "He stole our master's 1000 year ginseng and tried running from us."

    The man had a confused look on his face, "But you guys hired him to transport the ginseng."

    "Of course we hired him," said Noseless "but after handing him the ginseng we thought that maybe he was trying to steal our prescious ginseng. We really had no choice but to take care of the thief!" Runt began to groan at what he was hearing, "Are they really that stupid?" he thought.

    The man who had spoken before was now choking with rage, he could only splutter, "K...k...kill them all"
    --=={Grundle}==--

  8. #8
    Moderator Suet Seung's Avatar
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    Hi Grundle,

    Finally had the chance to sit down and read.

    As Runt returned to the dining room of the Inn he saw a tall man wearing a dirty blue robe with a red belt tied around his waste.
    I noticed a typo, waste is suppose to be waist.

    Ah, this wine is a very rare red, rice wine, made in the mountains of Tai Shan. In order to cure it takes 100 years, and is very expensive."
    Cure wine? I thought you brew wine. Just confused....hope you clarify that thanks!

    Um...The story sounds very original, except for that girl Runt sorta falls for after seeing her and wanting to be devoted to her only, it was like deja vu, Runt suddenly reminded me of Duan Yu from Jin Yong's DGSD. Which I'm not sure I like that, where the guy just falls for the girl so quickly like so. But anyway, I like the titles you've used, really pulls the reader's attention because its interesting. Your writing style is very good. I hope you continue with the story. The 3 Deformities are a funny bunch. I couldn't help but laugh at the end of the 2nd to last post. ""You don't even know where you are, he doesn't have to know where he is going!"

    The story is interesting so far, please update soon. I hope the others will take notice of your story soon. Or else I'll just enjoy it all by myself and nobody can blame me for being greedy. mwahahha
    I just love how you Captivate My Mind

    Self reminder - Update blog more often and continue editing/writing for TOV fanfic.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Grundle's Avatar
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    Suet Seung -- Thank you for taking the time to read this I am very happy that you pointed out some errors and ambiguities, especially the part about the wine. What I had in my head did not get transcribed to paper it would be more along the lines of

    "This rare red wine, after being prepared, is buried on a mountain top for 100 years to cure (or a better word would be ferment). "

    Anyways I don't know if I should change it though, because Runt is making it all up as he talks. Maybe it would be good for him to show a little ignorance, and better yet for Shiu Pak and his friends to swallow such a bold lie so easily?

    As for Runt's little "love affair" thats a good point as well, but as you know he is still an adolescent. With all the exuberance of a young man he commits to love and life fully and freely. Maybe I should tone it down a bit? I don't know, but my idea is to set him up at that moment so that he can get into some sticky situations later with other girls who fall for him. He would reject the others based on a dream (not even reality). I know it is mean to make these poor girls suffer because of Runt but I just can't help it, he is too mischevious
    --=={Grundle}==--

  10. #10
    Senior Member Grundle's Avatar
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    Simultaneously thirty men rushed towards the three deformities with swords in their hands. In response to the concentrated attack all three of them used their excellent jumping skills to execute the same rebounding "game" Runt saw in the forest. Instead of tree trunks they were using the men robed in white instead. Very few of the Sacred Lotus Sword Sect members were able to avoid being hit, and when they were struck the majority would fall to the ground and cough up a mouthful of blood from the extreme nature of their injuries.

    Soon only four of the men in white were left standing. These men were obviously the most experienced members of the group.

    "I guess we should be serious with these four," said Eyeless. While he spoke he flicked his wrist sending four iron balls flying towards the men. Even though they tried to avoid the attack, all four of the men fell to the ground simultaneously. Each one displayed a ball embedded in their forehead as they stared back up at nothing, seeing nothing.

    Runt heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that his friends were unhurt. He was about to approach them and suggest they try to get as far away as possible when he saw a black blur rush towards them like a comet. Runt couldn't even see what happened, but he could hear each one of them being struck. After a couple of seconds the three deformities just stood there as a man dressed in all black looked at them coldly. His robe was black, tied with a black belt, and even his sword appeared to be black. The man spoke harshly, "Take them away! Wait for me at the camp!" After giving his orders he turned and walked away without looking back.

    Since most of the men had only been injured in the fight, they were quickly able to comply with what the man said. The three deformities were still immobilized as the men carried them away. Their pressure points had been sealed in the brief "fight" so they couldn't even move.

    After the men in white disappeared Runt returned to the Inn dazed. He was completely bewildered by his situation and felt powerless. "What am I going to do? I can't just let them hurt my friends, but I can't fight either..."

    "Ho ho ho ho, it looks like your friends are in a heap of trouble" a voice said from the back of the room.

    "What's that?" Runt said searching for the owner for the voice.

    "Don't mind him, he's just a drunk." said the bartender, "Pipe down druken Wu!"

    "Eh? I'm a paying customer, mind your manners and bring me another cup! You, boy come over here *hic*."

    Runt finally recognized the man who had been speaking. Curious about what the man had to say he went over to his table. The man sitting at the table looked to be very drunk. He was wearing a tattered great cloak with a pair of blue pants and black shoes. His eyes were only half open and a little swollen. He had a lazy grin on his face, and he appeared to be swaying slightly from side to side.

    As Runt sat down at the table the man poured him a glass of wine.

    "What do..."

    "SHHHH!" said the man. "First you must appreciate a good cup of wine."

    Looking at the cup Runt shrugged his shoulders and drank it in one gulp.

    "Now, I wanted to..."

    "no no NO NOO!!" the man shouted starting to look angry. "Boy don't you know anything?"

    "Wha...what did I do?" Asked in Runt in surprise.

    "In order to appreciate a cup of wine there are several steps that you need to follow." began the man as he poured Runt another cup of wine, "FIRST -- the smell is very important. You can always tell the quality of a wine as well as the type of wine by its smell." The man bent down and began to pick up the empty jugs sniffing them in succesion, "Cherry Blossom Fragrance Wine, 100 year Spring Willow wine, Atumn Peach Wine...do you see? You can enjoy a good wine on smell alone! Go ahead, smell the wine...and close your eyes when you do it."

    Closing his eyes Runt picked up his cup and took a whiff of the wine. The wine had a crisp smell to it with a sligh dankness. The smell brought several sad images to his mind. When the images subsided Runt looked at the man,

    "Sir you are right! What is this one called?"

    "So good of you to ask, this is called 'Whispering Rain'" smiled the man as he continued on, "SECOND -- the taste is just as important as the smell. Before you even drink the wine you must taste it and savour the flavor." Taking the cup the man took a sip of the wine and began to swish it around in his mouth before swallowing. Smacking his lips together he said, "Excellent wine, excellent wine!!"

    Runt quickly copied him and noticed that when he swished the wine around in his mouth it felt like a thousands flavors were released that he hadn't even noticed when he gulped it the first time. "Wow, excellent indeed" he commented.

    With a sly smile the man finally responded, "Now that you are calm, lets talk about your friends."

    Runt was amazed that he had nearly forgotten about his friends, the three deformities, who were in grave danger. "Do you know who those men were that attacked them?"

    "They are a group called the 'Sacred Lotus Sword Sect'. About 60 years ago their sect appeared and has steadily increased in power because of the effectiveness of their lotus palm and sword arts."

    "What about the guy dressed in black?"

    Taking a sip from his cup the man slowly replied, "That is the current senior student Cruel Lotus. There are always four disciples of the Sacred Lotus head master and each one of them leads a different division of the Sect. The current head master of the Sacred Lotus Sword Sect is Divine Lotus. His disciples are Cruel Lotus who leads the Black Lotus division, Fire Lotus who leads the Red Lotus division, Pearl Lotus who leads the White Lotus division, and Golden Lotus who leads the Yellow Lotus division."

    "Do you know where they went?" asked Runt.

    "Oh yes I have seen them coming and going from the East side of town. If I were wanting to find them I would start searching over there." Looking at the man intently for a couple of seconds Runt finally asked, "Would you help me save them?"

    The man blinked twice, "Eh? I'm no hero!"

    Runt sighed and then thanked the man, "Never mind then. Thank you for the information....one more question though, whats your favorite wine that this place serves?"

    Without a pause the man said, "Goldenberry delight."

    After standing up Runt cupped his hands and bowed to the man, he then turned and went to the bar, "Bartender, how much for a jug of Goldenberry delight?"

    "15 taels" was the reply.

    Setting 15 taels on the counter Runt said, "I would like to buy one for the gentleman at that table. Please tell him it is from a friend." After buying the wine he immediatly left to go search for his friends.

    As Runt walked in an Easterly direction true to the man's word he began to catch glimpses of men wearing White robes. Most of them appeared to be from the encounter earlier in the day. By following them he was easily able to find the path that lead to their campsite. Not wanting to be discovered Runt walked to the side of the path so that he wouldn't encounter anyone and arouse suspicion. Walking through the dense brush was a little more difficult but after an hour he finally came to the encampment.

    Hiding underneath a hedge of thorns Runt was able to see that the camp was rather large. Towards the middle was an open area with a large cauldron set up. "This must be the eating and cooking area, Runt thought. On the west side he saw a line of horses. He counted a total of 50 horses. Around the open area were several small tents set up, and on the East side was a larger tent with a black flower on the entrance flap. On each side of the flap were two guards each carrying a staff.

    "This must be Cruel Lotus' tent" Runt assumed that the three deformities would probably be in that tent since it was the largest. Suddenly Runt noticed two men walking in his direction. He became extremely scared and began to pray hoping that he wouldn't be discovered. As they came closer he could he part of their conversation.

    "....should get rid of them now" said one.

    "I agree, but Cruel Lotus said we can't do anything until he gets back"

    "Whenever that is."

    "I wish we were done with this so..."

    As the men walked farther away Runt finally began to relax. With so many men he was beginning to think it would be impossible to save his friends alone. Staring at the ground he began to try and figure out a way. "Cruel Lotus is gone, that is good...I don't think I could do anything if he were here....Their security seems pretty light...maybe I could sneak into the tent and untie them." thought Runt, "no it is the only thing that is guarded."

    Runt was starting to feel defeated and discouraged when for, no apparent reason, a big grin began to form on his face.

    "The answer has been in front of me the whole time!!"
    --=={Grundle}==--

  11. #11
    Moderator Suet Seung's Avatar
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    Hi Grundle,

    So good for you to update so early in the morning! I can go to sleep after reading it and now I can wake up to your story. Ha-ha! Thanks for the cliffhanger.

    You have a good command of the English language, thank goodness! That is always a plus because the story flows better and when the reader finishes reading, they're not left with this choppy and confused "after taste". Uhm, yes I do feel 'fermented' would've been a better word than cure. Because cure would make people think of medicine and other medical related stuff. But I suppose we can excuse "Runt" for it.

    Just a suggestion: I think you need to run the previous chapters/installments through with spell check in MS Word or some word processing that spell checks, I caught some minor stuff.

    Update soon!
    Last edited by Suet Seung; 05-23-06 at 10:31 AM.
    I just love how you Captivate My Mind

    Self reminder - Update blog more often and continue editing/writing for TOV fanfic.

  12. #12
    Moderator Suet Seung's Avatar
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    No More updates?
    I just love how you Captivate My Mind

    Self reminder - Update blog more often and continue editing/writing for TOV fanfic.

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    Hi Grundle,

    I was expecting more updates on your story. Its getting interesting.

  14. #14
    Senior Member Grundle's Avatar
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    Ah wow, I didn't think anyone was interested :P

    I kind of hit a writers block at this point. I know where I want to go, but I am not quite sure how to get there in an interesting way.

    If you all want I can pick it up again, just let me know

    Oh wait, lol, it is at the end of this chapter that I hit my block. I forgot I had written more O_O
    --=={Grundle}==--

  15. #15
    Senior Member Grundle's Avatar
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    There right before Runt's eyes were hundreds of Dahuang plants. Since he had been cooking as long as he could remember, Runt had to know the properties of many different plants. Gathering the herbs himself helped the Plum Tree Inn cut down on costs and added to the freshness of their food.

    "This is perfect!" he thought to himself, "There is enough dahuang here for an entire army!!" Grabbing handfuls at a time Runt started shoving the herbs into his his pants. When he finally had enough he cautiously looked around for any more Lotus Sect Members.

    Sweat started pouring down his face as he thought about what he was going to do. Looking towards the middle of the campsite it seemed so much farther than he originally thought. Puting these thoughts behind him, Runt steeled himself and quickly rose to his feet breaking into a run. He quickly reached the cauldron set up in the cooking area. Sure enough there was some sort of stew already being prepared. Losing no time at all Runt began to dump all of the dahuang into the pot.

    "If this doesn't do the job, I don't know what will. Time to get back to..."

    "HEY" somebody shouted interrupting his thoughts.

    Runt cursed himself for being so careless.

    "What do you think you are doing?" a short old man yelled waving a wooden spoon at him.

    Runt's insides immediatley began to churn and boil. "What am I going to do? I am done for now!!" Puting on his most pitiful face Runt quickly replied.

    "Honored sir, I haven't eaten in weeks. Seeing this amazingly large pot of stew I couldn't resist any longer. I knew this was a strict encampment with great heroes such as yourself and thought to myself 'they will kill you if they catch you' and yet my body refused to obey my mind. I throw myself upon your mercy!"

    Looking at him askew the man barked at him, "Who told you, you could eat for free? You should have come to me in the first place." Admonishing him while he herded him towards a tent the old man finally stopped and pointed towards the tent. There are plates to clean and shoes to shine. After everyone has eaten and you have finished you may have a bowl of stew.

    Faking surprise and adoration Runt began to thank his new benefactor, "Oh I knew you were a great Hero, I am sure that stories will abound about you in the future. Nothing can compare..."
    Cutting him short the old man harshly said, "If you don't get to work you'll never eat." As the old man walked away Runt could tell he had a faint smile on his face.

    Having no idea how long it would be before the lotus members ate Runt decided to sit down and think about the next part of his plan. There were several things that he needed to happen so that they could escape without any problems. First Cruel Lotus should not return any time soon. If he were to return, Runt was sure that their plan would fail. Second all the lotus members would have to eat at the same time or close to the same time. If not, a general alarm would go up and they would be even more alert. These thoughts and many more swirled through Runt's mind as he polished shoe after shoe. As his mind turned these problems over and over he was quickly interrupted by a clanging bell.

    "This must be the dinner call!"

    Creeping to the tent flap, Runt peeked out to see what was happening. It looked like all of the White Lotus members were crowding around the cauldron. He could hear their chatter and exclamations easily from where he was.

    "Finally a hot meal!"

    "Good thing we have Old Ho with us, he always cooks something decent!"

    "Rabbit stew my favorite!!"

    "What luck," thought Runt, "They have a good cook with them, and they haven't eaten anything decent for a couple of days." He knew that all of them would be crowding around trying to get as much of the stew as possible. "There are two things that are predictable when it comes to men. They will never miss a good meal, and they will always ogle a beautiful woman." Smiling to himself Runt sat back and waited for the show to begin.

    The second the Lotus members got their stew they instantly began to devour it. After finishing many of them went up to get seconds. Others sat around and talked amongst themselves. After watching them for about 20 minutes he noticed some of them starting to grab at their stomachs.

    "Hahaha here we go!!"

    Soon many of the Lotus Sect members were rolling around on the ground groaning in pain. The ones that could still walk were waddling towards the trees. Flatulating noises were abundant and soon most of the Lotus sect members had totally lost control of their bowels as they writhed and convulsed on the ground.

    With tears in his eyes Runt thought, "This has to be the funniest and yet...the most disgusting thing I have ever seen!" With that thought Runt realized that it was time to go set the three deformities free.
    Running to the large tent Runt ran through the entrance and was shocked to see all three deformities with bowls to their lips.

    "DON'T.." he screamed.

    "Eh? Look its the Runt."

    "I told you they would catch him"

    "You didn't tell him that, I did"

    "But I thought about telling him, and that is what matters.."

    "Don't eat from those bowls!" Runt interrupted.

    "Oh this?" said Noseless, "Its just water."

    Sighing with relief Runt untied the three deformities. "Come on we have to go before that guy in the black comes back!"

    Leaving the tent all of them ran across the campground towards the edge of the woods. When Thoughtless saw the White Lotus sect members rolling around on the ground he stopped laughing loudly and pointed his finger. "I told you not to mess with the three deformities. It looks like our Runt scared you all so much that you crapped yourselves hahahaha" With that they ran into the forest and disappeared from the camp ground.

    "We can't go back to the city because they will find us there. We have to stick to the forest for awhile. Lets just head towards Zouyang and hopefully we will lose them in the wilderness."

    "Ah Runt great plan as always." said Eyeless.

    "What KungFu did you use on them Runt?" Thoughtless said in wonder.
    'I can't beieve he actually thinks I know Kung-Fu. What harm can come if I have a little fun with them.'

    "That is a very ancient form called 'Monkey Eats Disembowling Powder'."

    "WOW!" all three of them said in unison.

    "Come on, lets make our way to Zouyang!"

    After almost a week moving through the forests and fields they finally felt safe enough to go back to the main road. After such a close brush with the Sacred Lotus Sect the four travelling companions felt that the danger was finally over. While they travelled Runt continued to cook and tell the Three Deformities any wild story he could think of. The Three Deformities, of course, continued to argue over every little thing.
    The companions didn't have to travel very long on the road before Zouyang came into sight. Even from a distance Runt could tell it was a large city.

    When the companions entered the gate Runt's mouth dropped in awe at the size of everything. He had never seen so many buildings in his life. He had never seen so many people all gathered together in the same place before either. Every little thing he saw caught his interest. Runt was so wrapped up in everything he didn't notice that the Three Deformities had begun to argue again until it was too late.

    "Go to Zouyang and wait for me, thats what he said!" Eyeless said.

    "I know thats what he said, but who is 'me'?" asked Thoughtful.

    "You idiot the master is me!" said Noseless.

    Thoughtfull suddenlly hit noseless as hard as he could across the face, "You are not the master. How could you disrespect our master like that?"

    "You just asked who is 'me'?"

    "Why would I ask who you are? I already know you!"

    "Master said go to Zouyang and wait for me"

    Once again Thoughtful said, "Who is 'me'"

    Runt thought to himself, 'I hope he isn't stupid enough to answer that question twice...'

    Noseless looked at Thoughtful carefully before replying, "Master is 'me'"

    Before Thoughtful could hit him again Noseless took off with Eyeless and Thoughtful in hot pursuit.

    "You dare insult our master?!? You are you, and I am me. The master is the master how could you get it so wrong?" Thoughtful continued to shout as they quickly disappeared.
    --=={Grundle}==--

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