The Warrior And The Pacifist

Retreat

"Gather the others." Wong Shi Tong said. The knowledge seeker letting out a sharp howl before it took off running the way it had come, throughout the library similar sharp howl could be heard, one at first and then dozens all chattering in acknowledgement, beginning to converge at a single point out of Leki's field of vision.

"What's happening?" Leki asked, her grip on the staff tightening.

Wong Shi Tong shook his head, moving passed them at a speed that shouldn't have been possible for something so large. "Those you seek have found you. You both must leave at once, it is no longer safe for you here." The cult found them, out here of all places?! But how! How could they have known?

The only one who had known where they were going was Lord Beifong, and he was above suspicion. It would have made absolutely no sense for him to point them in the right direction if he was a follower of Hevio. That only left one possible answer with the limited information she had. Hevio was a spirit, it stood to reason that he possessed powers beyond her understanding...why wouldn't one of those powers allow him to see in the mortal world?

"We can't leave yet." Tamura cut in. "We still have questions that need to be answered."

"I am sorry Avatar Tamura but there is no time, the ones you seek have found you. You need to leave this place if you are to have any hope in completing your goal."

The cult had found them? But how?! They were miles away from Iyizi. Miles away from anything for that matter. The only one who had known where they were heading had been lord Beifong, had he been compromised, had he sold them out? No, Leki knew that didn't make sense. Why would he have told them to look in the Library if he thought what they needed was here?

Screams echoed through this sacred hall of knowledge now, screams of pain and fear. Tamura and Leki followed behind Wong Shi Tong. Far down the hall they had traveled she watched as those Scholars who had been reading moments before now ran in fear as figures in black cloaks cut them down with Jians, bodies laying on the floor. Though to the credit of some Scholars, instead of running away they ran towards their attackers with their own weapons in hand.

In one instance Leki could see that a Waterbender and a firebender had teamed up in a way, the two standing side by side as they used their elements to great effect, for a time at least. The Firebender had been the first to fall. Facing so many opponents at once that he was over run and quickly left for dead. The waterbender had lasted a bit longer, taking a few of them down with her before she too fell.

"But how do we stop Hevio!" Tamura shouted, practically ignoring the carnage that played out before them. "Spirits can't be killed by traditional means! How can you kill something that was never alive to begin with?"

Wong Shi Tong wheeled on Tamura. "A difficult question with a simple answer, you cannot. There is yet to be a man made weapon that can kill a spirit unless you plan to lure Hevio into the material world. He will lose his immortality but ironically that will be when he is at his strongest...."

"THERE HE IS!" Leki looked back down the hall to see one of those black cloaked people was pointing at them. His comrades taking note and turning to charge at them.

Wong Shi Tong extending his neck, spreading his wings wide taking a stance, incredibly similar to one used in martial arts. "There is no more time for questions Avatar,  follow the hall behind me and turn left, it will lead you to a secondary exit. We will delay them. Good luck to you both." Wong Shi Tong let out a loud cry. At the call from the rows of bookshelves twenty of Wong Shi Tong's knowledge seekers came to join their master, each one letting out growls of anger as they contorted their bodies in preparation to charge. Their hair standing on end.