Thirteen Nightmares (IC)

[Supercape]

GM

The home of Jin Zhi Wong (aka Ferros)

Day One: September 20th

Jin Zhi Wong's dream could only be described as a nightmare. Horrible, half remembered and vague. Oriental demons chasing him, persecuting him, and torturing him. The monks of the Benzhi temple floating and wafting in and out of his perception, warning him of his dangerous powers.

Thankfully, such dreams are not endless. At least, this one is not. Jin awoke covered in a thin cold sheen of sweat, hyperventilating and palpitating. He was momentarily disorientated from the vividness of the dream and the sweet coolness of wakening.

And the metallic coolness on his chest.

For on it lay a small metal sculpture.

The symbol was about ten inches high, and perfect in artistry.

Only one person could have made that symbol.

Jin Zhi Wong!

[quotemyname]

Jin grabbed at the statuette, panting. He held it closer to his face, his eyes still bleary from sleep. He turned it over and over, Death... he read the meaning of the character to himself...

Jin calmed himself down after a few minutes. He rose from the bed, grabbed the statue, and walked from his room clad only in his long pajama pants. He crept through the sleeping Espada household, and made his way to the front of the house. He exited, found the trash bins near the side of the house and deposited the statuette there. Good riddance to bad luck, he thought.

Jin made his way back upstairs. He entered the room the Espadas family had been nice enough to supply him with, and closed the door behind himself. As he turned to go back to bed, he stopped, rigid. Perched on the small dresser was the same statue he'd just thrown out. The window was sealed. There were no obvious entry points. "This is too creepy." He spoke quietly to himself.

Jin lifted the statuette, examined it again, and found nothing new or remarkable about it. It was definitely his work, though he couldn't remember making it. I'll ask the monks tomorrow about this. For now, sleep Jin placed the statue down again, and retreated to bed.

Jin tossed and turned. His subconscious seemingly unwilling to return to the land of nightmares which had spawned the statuette. After an hour or so, he sat up in bed, and contented himself with simple meditation for the rest of the night.

[Supercape]

GM

Dawn came, and the cold light offered some solace from the feverish nightmares.

The metal statue remained cold and impassive, a solid and real reminder of the night - and it was virtually indisputable that it had been forged by his own mysterious powers.

The rest of the city was slowly coming to life, the traffic had started, the horns were going, and the sirens too.

Jin could not quite place it, but there was a certain heaviness or oppressiveness to the city air, one that was neither quite definable or quantifiable.

Later, at the Benzhi Temple, Kingston...

The greeting monk bowed politely and calmly at Jin when he arrived. He was dressed traditionally, looked somewhat young (and was not someone Jin recognised), and was drinking green tea. The door to the temple, whilst still observing the traditions of the temple, was perhaps slightly more relaxed, as it was the gateway and interface with the outside world.

The young monk was of caucasian descent and spoke with an American accent.

"Welcome to the Benzhu temple. What do you seek here?" he asked, politely.

[quotemyname]

Jin arrived at the temple dressed plainly. He sported the simple robes he'd been given during his tutelage there. He'd left his helmet and leather jacket back at his motorcycle. He carried only a plain brown leather satchel. It held the statue, which weighed heavily on more than just his shoulder.

"Welcome to the Benzhu temple. What do you seek here?" he asked, politely.

Judging by the man's accent, Jin decided he'd better use English, "Tranquility, knowledge, and insight." He paused, and bowed to the man, one hand in front of his chest, "Is Jiàoshī* Chao Guo here? You may tell him an old student has come to visit. If he is unavailable, then I can wait. I have no more pressing matters than visiting my old Jiàoshī." Jin gave the man a friendly smile and waited patiently for his response. He could still remember the days that he held that man's position. Even now, he could still remember the proper placements for the tea settings...

Learn Chinese - 教師

Jiàoshī

Teacher

[Supercape]

GM

"Tranquility, knowledge, and insight." replied the young man at the temple door, beckoning Jin in.

"Jiàoshī* Chao Guo is indeed here, meditating no doubt" he said with a smile, indicating that that was probably what the old man spent most of his time doing, and it would be a fair guess that meditation was his activity at any part of the day.

"However, I am sure he would be delighted to see an old pupil. You might want to wait a little in our humble garden such as it is..." he continued politely. He pointed the way to the small but pleasant garden, where a few monks where tending the flora - both for food and decoration. "I will let Guo know you are here" the young man finished.

[quotemyname]

Jin thanked him before he ran off. He spent the next few moments wandering the garden. The sights at the temple took him back. He'd helped plant many of the flowers that the monks were tending to. He didn't have much of a green thumb, but it had been enough.

Things like daily chores and rote tasks always relaxed him. He missed the temple, but he knew that his life was moving in a bigger direction. He couldn't give up protecting people for a life of relaxation. He had a gift, and it was his responsibility to use it.

As he wandered the garden, the metal statue in his satchel seemed to grow heavier...

[Supercape]

GM

Chao Guo was an elderly man who moved slowly. Very slowly. And precisely. The perceptive would notice this was not due to infirmity, but rather due serenity - the man was simply in no rush. He just absorbed the experience of life around him to its fullest.

He sat down by Jin, with a simple smile on his face. The man was not simple of course. Or rather he had elevated past simplicity, past complexity, and back to simplicity again.

He did not say a word for several minutes as he simply sat by Jin, his face to the sun and his eyes closed, enjoying the experience of being alive.

When he spoke, it was just one word, heavy and light at the same time. Both a statement and a question.

""

[quotemyname]

Jin was silent all the while his JiàoshÄ« sat and basked. Jin sighed when Chao's judgment flowed over him. "事實上，教師。" Ferros moved aside the flap on his bag and withdrew the statuette. "我在我的ç¡çœ ã€‚我一直自豪我的平衡自己。我看到雙方的爭論。我接å—別人的觀點和æ„見，與盡å¯èƒ½å¤šçš„信仰，因為我相信您的教誨。我ç¡è¦ºæ™‚，一切都是安éœï¼Œä¸è¨˜å¾—夢想å•å¿ƒç„¡æ„§ã€‚"

Ferros leaned back, and composed his thoughts as his JiàoshÄ« studied the statuette, "但ç¾åœ¨é€™äº›å¤¢æƒ³æ˜¯æ‰­æ›²çš„和暗的。他們生動，如太陽和蠕變白天他們到我的想法。"

Ferros looked back up at the man that had influenced the course his life had taken drastically. Hoping he held some answers, Ferros asked, "告訴我，è€å¸«ï¼Œä»€éº¼æ€Žéº¼è¾¦ï¼Ÿ"

---

The translated Version:

Indeed, Teacher. I made this in my sleep. I have always prided myself on my balance. I see arguments from both sides. I accept the viewpoints and opinions of others with as much faith as I believe your teachings. And when I sleep, all is as the quiet, not remembered dreams of a clear conscience. But now those dreams are twisted and dark. They are as vivid as the sun, and they creep into my thoughts by day. You have been an inspiration to me for years. Tell me, teacher, what do I do?

Phonetics:

Shìshí shàng, jiàoshÄ«. WÇ’ zài wÇ’ de shuìmián. WÇ’ yÄ«zhí zìháo wÇ’ de pínghéng zìjÇ. WÇ’ kàn dào shuÄngfÄng de zhÄ“nglùn. WÇ’ jiÄ“shòu biérén de guÄndiÇŽn hé yìjiàn, yÇ” jÇn kÄ›néng duÅ de xìnyÇŽng, yÄ«nwèi wÇ’ xiÄngxìn nín de jiàohuì. WÇ’ shuìjiào shí, yÄ«qiè dÅu shì Änjìng, bù jìde mèngxiÇŽng wènxÄ«n wúkuì. Dàn xiànzài zhèxiÄ“ mèngxiÇŽng shì niÇ”qÅ« de hé àn de. TÄmen shÄ“ngdòng, rú tàiyáng hé rú biàn báitiÄn tÄmen dào wÇ’ de xiÇŽngfÇŽ. DuÅnián lái, nÇ yÄ«zhí gÄ›i wÇ’ de qÇshì. Gàosu wÇ’, lÇŽoshÄ«, shénme zÄ›nme bàn?

[Supercape]

GM

The old man was silent for what seemed an age, nodding. He looked at the metal creation, without apparently blinking.

"" he said with a smile that was full of rich sorrow.

""

He stood up, gently patting Jin on his shoulder.

""

""

He stopped.

""

[quotemyname]

Jin accepted the statuette back from his old Jiàoshī just before the man walked slowly away. Jin rolled it over in his hands once or twice looking down upon it as he sat quietly. He knew inside that his Jiàoshī was right. There was not going to be any easy way out of this. Sure, he had questions, but the only person that could properly answer them was himself.

""

He stopped.

""

Guo's last words echoed through his thoughts. He dared not think what lay at the end of his road. Not yet.

""

Jin stood, and placed the statuette back in his bag. Silently, he made his way toward the gate of the temple. He nodded a goodbye to the younger man at the door and made his way to his Motorcycle. Just as he was buckling on his helmet, another young student exited the temple. The one guarding it, pointed at Jin, and the second began making his way toward Jin.

The engine of the motorcycle roared to life, and muttered contentedly as he sat upright when the student approached him, "Yánjiūshēng Jin," The boy greeted him over the sound of the motor, "The Jiàoshī wanted you to have this. He says it is a gift." The man offered him a small leather bound book.

"Xièxiè," Jin said, and accepted the small volume. He read the front of it just before slipping it into his bag. It held a single word, "é“德經" It slid easily into his bag. Jin shut the visor on his helmet, and revved the engine of his motorcycle. Before long, he was moving quickly through the streets of Freedom City...

[Supercape]

Day Two: September 20th

The nightmares showed no sign of abating that night - if anything they had escalated in intensity.

And this time, more metal had twisted into the symbol. Not just one, but three separate signs, in various parts of his flat, all equally disturbing.

Jin could almost swear they moved slightly as he awoke from his nightmare that early morning.

The Espedras family were still asleep - the sun was still but a glow on the horizon.

Outside, Jin could hear the first rumblings of traffic. A car pulled to a halt, and he could hear a man outside on the road in a shocked voice.

"God! What the hell is that! I ain't ever seen anything like it..."

A door slammed.

"Jesus H. Christ! The Dog's still breathing... I think...I think it's still alive...."

[quotemyname]

Bleary eyed, Jin looked out the window down upon the scene in the middle of the street. It was inexplicable. A weapon like that was extremely rare ever since medieval times. How could it have...

Suddenly, Jin knew that it had been him. Backed up by the feeling of dread growing in the pit of his stomach, he knew that the dog had been injured because of him.

In a flash he threw off the covers and raced through the house toward the back door. He didn't even slow down as he raced past the bathroom, and unlocked the medicine cabinet with his powers, pulling the first aid kit to him by it's aluminum buckles.

He certainly didn't slow down when he passed no less than three more of the small statuettes, all scattered around the house, that proclaimed what likely lay at the end of his path.

As he rushed out the back door, the thin layer of metal that was his costume covered his body; he lifted the mask to his face, and leaped onto the disc he used to fly.

---

"It's okay!" Ferros called as he lowered the disc down to the street next to where the injured dog lay. He glanced only briefly at the people that had gathered. "I can help him. Just give me some room."

I'd BETTER be able to help him...It's my fault after all.

He held his hand over the weapon and it melted away flowing onto the street. He swept the metal away to the side, then reached for the first aid kit. "Poor thing..." His whisper was just barely audible, "I'm sorry."

[Supercape]

GM

The Poor Dog had been impaled through its leg with a small metal spear - literally pinned to the ground in the middle of the road outside Juin's house. It was whimpering in pain. A middle aged couple had stopped their Car and got out to try and help.

"Jesus, will you look at that!" said the man, adjusting his thick rimmed glasses, as Ferros appeared and melted away the metal.

"What in the name of the Lord happened here, son? Is it them Grue? Alien abductions now is it?" he asked

"This is awful, just awful! look at that poor dog!" sobbed his wife, dabbing her eyes with some cloth that had materialised from her clutchbag that was, suitably, clutched to her chest.

The man looked around suspiciously. "Who could have done such a thing? This ain't right son...it ain't right at all. We should call the cops, get some of them there that forensic people onto that metal..."

[quotemyname]

Ferros was finishing the bandage on the dog as he listened to the couple. Despite it's whimpering, he could only hope that it would be okay in time. He tied off the bandage and then took a look at the dog's neck. There was no tag. "Hmm, I'm not sure what police forensics would be able to do with the metal, seeing as how I've already liquefied it, ya know?" His mask shifted to display an expression that held a small bit of shame. "In this case, I chose the dog's life over destruction of evidence, I'm afraid."

He rose, holding the dog in his arms, But hey, there's one thing I am sure of. This dog needs a good home," He playfully ruffled the dog's scruff, before looking up at the couple. "And you two cared enough to stop in the first place..." With a wave of his hand, the puddle of metal that had been the spear rose into the air, and molded itself into a thin chain with a metal dog bone dangling from the end. Ferros clipped it around the dog's neck. The dog bone had a single word etched into it, a result of the fine detailing his powers were capable of. It read "Spike", he thought the ironic name might serve the dog well. "Hey now, think you might be able to do this little guy a favor?" Ferros offered the dog to the man, who accepted him.

"I'd like to thank you, and not for taking Spike." Ferros told them as he stepped away, "It's people like you who make this city worth saving." His mask cracked a small smile. Ferros retreated a few steps onto his disc. Once he had both feat firmly planted on it, he rose into the air, "Thanks again!" He called out, as he flew off toward the east and the rising sun...

I'd say that makes it pretty clear that I can't be around people right now...

[Supercape]

(GM)

The driver and his wife took Spike in rather leaden arms. It appeared the man was wavering about accepting the "gift", but his wife, red-eyed and emotional, was more decisive in the matter.

"Oh the poor thing! of course! its so adorable!" she said, fussing over the hound already.

And so the matter was settled.

The day would draw on to evening and night without further incident. Whatever was burning in Ferros' mind was only manifesting when his conscious defences were down, during sleep.

At least for now.

The question was, for how long? And what dangers would the nights bring?

Where would he seek sleep tonight?

[quotemyname]

Unwilling to let himself lapse into another dream that would endanger those around him, Jin returned late to the Espadas house. He made his way out his bedroom window and climbed to the roof. There he intended to sit for the duration of the night in meditation. If he could just stay awake long enough, perhaps he could spare anyone, or anything (he thought of Spike) from further harm.

At least until he figured things out.

There on the roof, he cracked open his copy of the Daodejing given to him by the monks. He began to read, fervently at first, hoping to find some answers. But after a time, his reading became more relaxed as he used the words on the page as a focus for keeping himself awake.

[Supercape]

GM

Day three: September 21st

The night passed slowly, with Jin deep in calm meditation.

It was perhaps this inner peace that lead to a night without incident. No screaming, no shouting, no bloodshed.

How long he could stay awake was another matter, of course.

In the cold crisp light of morning, on top of the Espadas house, the sun played upon the roof. There, in a faint silvery reflection, was a perfect circle of metal, thread thin, without blemish or violence as the previous manifestations had been. Tonight at least had been calm.

On closer inspection, the circle contained a tiny metal sculpture dead in the centre. Something he recognised: it was a tiny minature replica of the hospital in Chongquing he had spent his early childhood, terribly ill, before being sent to Freedom City.

[quotemyname]

Jin slowly and carefully lifted the tiny scale model. At first, he had no clue what building it was supposed to represent. He hadn't seen the hospital since early childhood, and even then he wasn't in great health so as observe it properly. But something deep inside him knew what it was. "Vi veri universum vivus vici," He whispered softly, "Thank you, Mister Crowley." He drolled.

Ferros stood up, calling the metal thread to him from the ground, he wound it around his neck. After adding the new piece of jewelry to his collection, he summoned his flying disc as well. "Seems like I'm taking a road trip." He held the small model of the hospital in front of his nose on a flattened hand. He drew in a breath and blew on it. "For good luck, ya know?" he announced to no one in particular.

Spreading his costume around himself so that he wouldn't be recognized while soaring through the sky. He shouldered his bag, placed the model in one of the side pouches and stepped onto his flying disc. Not pausing to tell the rest of the Espadas household where he was going, he launched off into the sky toward the land of the Rising Sun and the Orient which lay beyond.

A little forethought would have told him it was still the middle of the night in China. But Ferros wasn't about to let that slow down his quest for finding answers.

As soon as he was passed the city limits, Ferros began to truly tap into his powers. He urged his disc to go faster, and faster still. He pressed the limits of the sound barrier, and in no time flat, he arrived at the hospital in Chongquing. He hovered above the entrance way, withdrew the model his own subconscious had sculpted, and scrutinized it. He made a single pass around the outside of the building. Sure enough, it was an exact miniature replica, built to scale and perfect in every way. "Well now, Da Vinci would be proud." He lowered himself to just in front of the entrance way and disembarked. "But I bet he'd be even more thrilled if I could find some answers, ya know?"

[Supercape]

GM

The Great Wall of China...

The trip was long and, frankly, arduous, requiring great focus from Ferros. His trusty metal disc had covered nearly half the globe to reach the orient, across oceans and land, at huge speed.

By the time the Great Wall of China swam into view in the horizon, it was night-time and tiredness was creeping in. The wall was lit at several points (for tourism, one would imagine) and a few guards and tourist offices could be seen - including a few tourists. But the wall was long, the night was dark, and the wonder of the world was largely empty - just stone after stone of inspiring monument.