"Take this, Shui."

She approached her master. Watching with an intent gaze as a small, adorable bear hugged her master's leg. Hiding its face in his robes. It squeaked something fierce and sad, crying out to the world at being forgotten within the spacial bag. Never brought out to play.

That's not its true form.

It was clear to her. The tiny form it carried now was only a fake image. An illusion to hide its truest form, size, and frightening visage. Not that she had an issue with that. It was the first cute spirit she had ever met as far back as she could remember. Nice cute things didn't have a tendency to be spirits for some reason. Odd really.

Hu Shui ran up to her master and reached to grab the absolutely gargantuan hammer that was taller than her and with a head wider than her entire chest. Not once thinking about whether she could pick it up. Her ancestor would have considered it. He was the smartest after all, beating even Jun.

The little bear squeaked loud in distress. Hugging her master even tighter than before and refusing to let go. It seemed to cry at the thought of being separated from him.

"Mr. Mo Mo doesn't want to leave your side, Ancestor." Shui said.

She knew better than to forcefully take the hammer. All the spirits she'd talked to agreed that being forced into a slave to master relationship was the worst. Some told her of horrifying experiences. Killing what they had never intended to kill, slaughtering entire villages without a choice in the matter.

Most were simply not strong enough to defeat the bonds of their sword and the connection with the master of the weapon.

Her master frowned. Mr. Mo Mo let out a mournful sound. Yin Hu's intent was clear as day to the both of them. Giving it a choice between following his commands or being banished away. Back into the rice bag. She didn't blame it. The scary shadow thing was in there after all. Just waiting for a chance to eat her core and Spiritual Roots.

"Tell Mr. Mo Mo that his job is to guard you, my disciple. To be weightless in your hands. Protect you from anything that dares harm you."

Said bear sagged as it slid down his leg and onto the floor. It turned to her. Eyes glowing a myriad of lights she could not understand. Combinations of the things she recognized, but in ways and patterns that felt foreign and odd. Yet, it was comforting.

"I am yours to wield. A gift from my master until he decides to rescind his hospitality. Until then, fear not the void. Fear not the dragons. Fear not the dangers of this pitiful world…" Mr. Mo Mo's said.

His voice echoed in her head.

The bear's image, the illusion, faded away like white fog. A dark shadow towered over everything and it's back touching the ceiling. Shui understood that Mr. Mo Mo was larger than this. A gargantuan figure. Standing far higher than any tree she had ever seen.

Just as quickly it transformed, it vanished into thin air. Leaving her only with the hammer. Shui nodded. Accepting its words. There was no need for enlightenment. No grace required for its ultimate use and purpose.

Find the target. Smash the target. That was all it was.

Shui's fingers wrapped around the hammer, worried it would be too heavy. But she trusted her master's words. Jun gave her a nod. Shui took advantage of the moment and picked up the massive thing and swung it around. Laughing. Dancing. Enjoying the whooshing it made when she swung it back and forth.

Jun had to dodge a few errant swings, but that could not stop the giggling and joy. The massive smile that hurt her face. The fulfillment in her chest as a small cub appeared around her to play with her. A real friend. Someone she could run around with. Break things with.

Maybe even one day steal cookies again with.

She roared with all her energy behind her strike. A final hurrah. Smashing the hammer down onto a large boulder that was to her thighs in height. Shattering it into pieces. Flinging sharp pebbles and stones around the entire cavern.

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Her fingers slipped on the grip. The hammer going further than she expected it to. Mr. Mo Mo seemed to fill her with energy for that last strike. Copying her movements. Blasting through the boulder and sending large cracks through the very base rock they were standing on.

The cave shook.

Large pointy stones fell from the ceiling and shattered to pieces. Fog rose from the ground, the dust unsettled. The water shifted back and forth, large waves sending water further onto land than before.

Shui stumbled back and forth. Needing to use the hammer as a source of balance. She could feel the bear steady her. Holding her back and prop her up. Being the perfect friend already. She couldn't have found a better one anywhere else, not even the village. Her ancestor seemed to have the best things. Including playmates.

"Play again?" Said the bear cub.

Hu Shui nodded. Starting to swing the bludgeon with a laugh that hurt her stomach a bit.

But she didn't mind. She was having fun after all.

Yin Hu approached her. The bear laid its head down immediately, stopping her play session."Shui. You be careful now. That isn't a toy. It's a weapon made to defend yourself and defeat your enemies. A very strong weapon."

Shui stopped the momentum of the hammer from hitting her master. Afraid it would shatter. Mr. Mo Mo agreed with her sentiment wholeheartedly, wincing as she got close to Yin Hu's body. Both of them let out silent sighs of relief when she prevented it from happening. Neither one wanted to lose their new friend.

"Remember my lessons?"

Hu Shui looked up and nodded to her ancestor and attempted to give him the cutest, most adorable, most conniving look she could possibly make. Jun never succeeded in fighting against it and always falling prey to it. But not Yin Hu.

She dutifully ignored Jun's burning glare from the side. Only giving up when her ancestor shook his head at her and began to teach her about being fast and not wasting steps. Butterflies were cute, bees were cute too with big bums. Not wasps though. Those were the meanest things on the planet.

He paused for a second.

"Yes, Ancestor!" Shui shouted. Acting like she listened intently.

"Good. Now return to your training! We won't waste any more time here than necessary," he turned away from her and walked back to his throne seat. Lavish and ornate. Pausing to give Jun attention. "Oh, and Jun, grab me the tea kettle. It should be ready."

She ran back to her pack, getting Mr. Mo Mo comfortable in the blankets and letting him nap in them. She had katas to finish. Turn big and strong to beat up all the bad guys like her master. No spiders would mess with her and her spirit friends. No door house, palace gate things, would mess with them anymore when she could beat them all up like her ancestor said she would one day.

Hu Shui began her practice for a few minutes. Yin Hu shifted. It caught her attention and burning curiosity, she found him holding the last two rods under his armpits. Pulling out a massive Koi Fish out of the water. His rod snapped and breaking into pieces as the fish fell back into the water.

Where'd the rest of them go?

Yin Hu shouted. Red killing intent blinded her inner eye. She paled. A dark blue and silver fishing rod appeared in his hands. A creature unlike anything she had ever seen appeared in the waters. More limbs than she could count. Tentacles larger than her and Jun combined each. Sharp barbs and hooks. A beak as a mouth underneath it all. It screeched. Shui lost the strength to stand and fell face first into the ground.

She could feel all six dragons lock onto their area. Mr. Mo Mo turned big again and invisible to all their senses including her inner eye. Only a silhouette.

"I am Xukerod, leader of our master's many forces and powers—"

The tentacle monster screeched in defiance again. Unfamiliar with her master.

"—Watch your tongue, squid. You are in the presence of I. Burtonir, The Devourer," Fatty cut it off. His presence growing larger and pressing the mad squid deeper into the lake's depth. She could hear him lick his lips and salivate. "Open your beak once more before my master, and I'll find enough salt to cleanse your filthy flesh for my ravenous appetite."

Magerdon the cruel huffed and his presence starting to disappear. "I will not introduce myself. A thousandth spirit. A hundred thousand more in our master's spacial pocket. Not each one deserves to know our names."

"Agreed."

"I concur."

"Makes no difference to I."

Only the leader and fatty remained. The other four disappeared and with it their overwhelming presence. That did not mean her ancestor had calmed down. Nor does it mean the tentacled monster vanished with them to wherever they usually went.

She could feel it approach the Koi Fish. Hungry. But unwilling to break their master's orders.

Feeling the desire to satisfy its insanity.

Break the flesh and spirit of the nice, kind, and cute Koi fish.

Hu Shui could not allow that. Not when she could have even more friends. More family. People to love and care for. Make up for all the kids that ditched her. Shunned her. She would make up for all their parents she saw whispering into their childrens' ears to stay away from her.

Could I convince the dragons to help? Can Koi fish live outside of the water? How would they play without hands and feet?

So many questions and so little time. Shui decided to grill the fatty and the loud voiced leader. Get all the necessary information and delay the ugly squid from eating all her potential new friends. She could imagine it. All of them tag teaming to prank Jun. She'd never guess who it was in a million years even with her own help. Not unless…

The mean lady spirit won't tattle, right? I hope not.

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