“... to put it simply, the core of the carving spell is strong impressions or imagination, or a bination of both. This visualization of symbols, creatures and other structs would serve as blueprints and frameworks for the juring.” Master Liaorahe way dowairs as he took the opportunity to expiernal meisms of the carving spell, using nguage that was as simple and straightforward as possible: “But like other spells and talismans, it needs an energy source. Ualismans, carvings are three-dimensional, and the energy could not e from the abar ink and specialized paper itself like talismans.”

  “So - the fuel for the carving spell would be Qi, or whatever spirit form of energy that fuels the malicious ghosts and monsters?” Marcus asked.

  “Yes - in a way. Iypical case of this monk’s earlier experiments, strong, positive emotions like happiness, devotion, loyalty, bravery were quite useful as well. You might have heard of the stories about how certain aplished monks, taoists, schors or just brave warriors had their will and minds burned into their frequent pces, their personal items or their sarira. But as all of you would know, ive emotions, under almost all circumstances, will outst positive ohey brew, they fester and they i. And thus, it’s almost destio be oo reawaken horrible creatures from the past and in legends at one’s enemies.”

  “But should that be the case, how could it be used as a defense array?” Keryn could not help but ask: “Creating any sort of those creatures he cores would destabilize the array itself, right?”

  “Illusions?” Gloria asked after a brief moment of thought.

  “Yes - but irely.” Master Liaoran snapped his fingers at Gloria, smiling: “It’s using the byproduct of the array - normally unusable energy that would make thoughts, especially subscious oo ma more easily. So - in a way it could create illusions and structs out of the invaders’ thoughts, fears and worries, and therefore stall and thwart them.”

  “We entered a ghost’s byrinth on our way down. Was it a possible effect of this kind of defense?” Keryn asked.

  “Possible - but this monk does not know of any real cases of it being used that way.” Master Liaoran sighed again: “Like this giant array itself, its fate and use escaped their inal pns and purposes.”

  “Well - at least you’re here.” Marcus let out a breath of relief.

  “Who is that old friend you mentioned?” Gloria asked, having waited for an opportunity to throw this question out.

  “They’re - they’re members of the ‘cil’, at least that’s when they were called.” Master Liaoran scratched his jaw, frowning: “It was hard to tell if they were the same ohis monk had met before, or they were just bearers of the seats from their families. This monk had lost tou how they would i their seats and their monikers. ”

  “Chef Tang’s dots! They also mentiohe cil’. I thought they were just some kind of middle or lower ma.” Kevin raised his hand: “They all said that something something is required by the cil - but - I guess we finally know what that means now.”

  “Would the chef happen to know what it means?” Gloria asked.

  “He for certain did. But this monk ot presume what he will do with this information.” Master Liaoran shook his head with a smile: “The chef is a wise one, with a strong code of his own and a - a unique sense of justice. But he is also a strategie, for this he was able to deal intelligend remairal evehe city’s power is at its highest.”

  “Hopefully he’d - ” Marcus mumbled, then decided to not jinx his wish.

  “We are close.” Just this moment, Master Liaoran looked around him: “This monk sehe the tral pilr. It’s calling.”

  “Okay, then we will be ready to fight.” Marodded and turo the rest of the team: “How’s everyone?”

  “Better now.” Keryn took a deep breath.

  “I’m ready. ” Mick raised his hand.

  “Then roceed.” Master Liaoran everyone before tinuing dowairs. The staircases got longer each level they went down, and just like before, the air grew colder as well. The team swarmed around the master, for there appeared to be an aura of warmth radiating from him. Marcus and Gloria deliberately walked further, to allow the civilians to get more ce.

  “This is it.” After a long flight of stairs, they reached the bottom. There were two doors on both sides, one was leading to the dire of the giant hole in the middle of the building, and the other one was much thicker, heavier and made of solid metal.

  “Are we at the bottom?” Keryn asked, ing slightly closer to the master.

  “Not yet. There must be some more.” Master Liaoran shook his head as he opehe door leading to the hole.

  Ihey were much closer, but not at the bottom. As they walked oforms on the wall and over the space above the bottom, they could see what was below: a forest of dark spikes shooting up from the depths. Patches of gray were distributed among them - bodies of bare men and women ying belly up ft bug mangled, with their necks, chests, limbs and abdomens impaled.

  Happy Year of The Snake!