ACT THREE
FADE IN
On the high seas, in the midst of a raging storm.
A ragtag ship is bashed back and forth on the waves. Sailors, most of them Asian, work furiously at the riggings.
A three-year old Asian girl scrambles along on the wet deck, slipping and falling every few steps. She is terrified, for obvious reasons, but seems to be looking for something.
One of the sailors looks back over his shoulder and spots her.
"Muran!" He yells. He is a handsome, swarthy man, barely out of his teens, but with weathered features from sailing. He has short-cropped hair and a gold earring in one ear, and appears to be of mixed heritage, possibly part-Asian and part-Arabic.
The girl turns. She speaks in Chinese, but subtitles translate for us: "<Have you seen Blossom?>"
The man turns his attention back to the rigging, but continues to yell back at the little girl. "<Your cat is not out here, child. Get belowdecks before you are washed overboard!>"
"<She isn't down there!>" the little girl cries.
Suddenly, a tremendous wave hits. Several men are thrown into the air, and hang onto the ropes for dear life.
The little girl starts to tumble backwards, and the sailor who had talked to her lunges to save her. They both go over the rail, but the man grabs on with one hand and grabs the collar of the girl's dress with the other.
They freeze in mid-motion. All around them is suddenly still. Drops of rain hang in mid-air. No wind stirs.
Shantarra and Gene materialize.
Shantarra looks around, brushing hovering droplets of rain from in front of her face. "Is that little kid Muran?" she asks, looking over the railing.
Gene nods. "You said you wanted to see where this all started," he says. "This is Muran on the ocean voyage that brought her to Greece."
Shantarra admires the handsome young sailor who is in the midst of rescuing her. Then she turns to see a thin, pretty Asian girl, about 16 or 17 years old, with a rose tattoo on her face. She is suspended in mid-movement, running to the railing to help.
Shantarra eyes her curiously. "And that's Bong-Cha," she says. "Running to the rescue. I wish I knew her secrets."
Gene lifts a hand and a scroll materializes. He starts to read from it. "Bong-Cha. Born, 47th year of the reign of Monarch Biheng Doksoori in the Goryeo Province. Member of warrior sect recruited to protect Muran, The Chosen One, from interference by the gods..."
"Give me that!" Shantarra snaps, grabbing the scroll. She unrolls it a good three feet, marvelling at what it says. "By the gods, this... this has everything about her! Her timeline, her allergies, where she's ticklish..."
"You wished to know her secrets," Gene says.
"And you can do that for anyone?" Shantarra asks.
Gene nods.
"So why didn't you do this for Autolycus and Muran in the first place?" Shantarra asks. "It would have saved a lot of trouble with this whole 'secret destiny' business."
"They never asked," Gene replies helpfully.
Shantarra sighs wearily, then rolls the scroll back up. "Okay, let's go back to modern day and find Bong-Cha."
"And Sister Bangapda as well, I assume?" Gene asks.
"Who?"
"She accompanied Bong-Cha on the journey to Greece," Gene says, creating another scroll. "She was a priestess of the temple that recruited Bong-Cha's sect to help hide Muran in the first place."
Shantarra snatches the second scroll. "You got one of those about me?"
"If you want it," Gene offers.
"No," Shantarra says. "I prefer to remain enigmatic."
"I could erase you from all recorded history and the memories of everyone in the world if you'd like," Gene says helpfully.
Shantarra scowls. "Not that enigmatic. Come on, sweetcheeks, we've got work to do."
They vanish, and time resumes, as Bong-Cha runs up to the railing to help the sailor and little Muran.
CUT TO:
Egypt, outside the tavern, as three Egyptian war gods stand off against one Chinese and one Greek war god.
Ch'I-You and Ares exchange glances.
"Three against two," Ch'I-You says. "Do you like those odds?"
"Hardly fair," Ares says, flexing his fingertips.
"Sekhmet, take the Greek!" Menhit says. "Resheph, the Chinese!"
The fiery winged woman swings her scimitar. As it comes down, a black metal sword materializes in Ares' grasp. Metal clangs against metal, and the two warriors spin around.
Meanwhile, Ch'I-You creates a whip and uses it to pull the gazelle-headed man's feet out from under him. Menhit, meanwhile, pulls back from the battle, readies her bow and arrow, and fires a shot into Ch'I-You's shoulder.
He howls with pain.
The winged woman, Sekhmet, arcs up into the air and then down toward Ares, the flames around her increasing. Ares narrowly dodges as she comes down like an explosive comet.
Ch'I-You stumbles back as Menhit fires another arrow into his other shoulder. Then Resheph comes up behind him, stabbing him squarely in the back with a serpentine dagger.
Ares grabs Ch'I-You's whip from the ground and snaps it at Sekhmet, catching her ankle as she takes flight once again. She pulls Ares along with her, into the air.
CUT TO:
At a window of the tavern, Lao Bing peers outside. "Oh, dear, a fight scene," he says. "I don't suppose I can avoid that."
He disappears. Mu Ran runs to the window and sees the battle taking on outside.
Resheph lifts his battle-mace, preparing to strike Ch'I-You, who struggles to get to his feet and still has a dagger in his back. Menhit readies another arrow, taking careful aim.
Lao Bing materializes behind Resheph, and brings the palms of his hands hard against the sides of Resheph's head. Startled, the gazelle-headed god yelps and drops his weapon.
Menhit fires her arrow, and Ch'I-You spins out of the way, stopping as he pivots beside Lao Bing.
"Why would you help me?" Ch'I-You asks.
Lao Bing reaches around behind Ch'I-You and pulls out the dagger. "It's a fight, I have to help someone," he says. "Might as well be a countryman."
High above them, Sekhmet spins in mid-air. Ares holds tight to the whip, climbing it hand-over-hand as he tries to get closer to her. Fifty feet up, she twirls the scimitar in one hand and swings it downwards, cutting the whip in half. Ares grabs hold of the upper half that is still attached to her ankle, then does a mid-air spin and lands on her back.
Menhit fires a stream of arrows. Lao Bing, moving with superhuman speed that defies his bulk, swats each one out of the air. Meanwhile, Ch'I-You spins like a dervish, repeated clobbering Resheph.
CUT TO:
A crowd has now gathered at all the windows of the tavern, watching this spectacular battle on the street outside.
Hallasan subtly places himself between Mu Ran and the window. She notices this and sidesteps him so she can continue to look at the action outside.
Autolycus and Muran keep their distance from the windows.
"So why should we look for Bouh-L'ar?" Autolycus asks. "Why not just find a ship and sail home?"
"Well, we've got to shake all these gods on our tail," Muran says. "And from what's going on outside, it looks like that crowd's getting even bigger. Plus, remember when Bouh-L'ar told us about that genie he found? Maybe he can lead us to that one, or another one. I hear they're common in these parts."
Autolycus strokes his chin, contemplating.
At a nearby table, boisterous gamblers pay no attention to the chaos outside, focused instead on the small Chinese man who has just cleaned out their moneypurses. They bellow and curse, and Xing-Chi shrugs apologetically. "What can I say, the dice like me tonight," he explains. "If it's any consolation, they are providing comfort to me after a recent heartbreak."
"That don't console me much," one of the thugs grumbles.
CUT TO:
Somewhere in Greece, on the outskirts of a village. At this time of night, there is little movement, most of the peasants sleeping in preparation for a day of work tomorrow.
A woman sits on a chair on the front porch of a humble hut, gazing up at the night sky.
She is pretty, an Asian woman in her mid-30s, a bit chubby-cheeked and full-figured, and clad in robes meant to conceal that figure. She idly scratches an elderly Siamese cat behind the ear as it sits in her lap. It purrs, stretches its front legs, and leans in to the scratching. She sighs.
Then, there is a sudden burst of light on her front yard.
Her eyes widen as three figures materialize. One is Shantarra, Queen of Thieves. The second is Gene the genie. The third is an athletic Chinese woman also in her late 20s with prominent rose-and-vine tattooes... she is the warrior woman Bong-Cha, 12 years older than when we saw her on the boat.
The two Chinese women lock eyes. The chubby-cheeked woman gets to her feet, the cat complaining as it drops out of her lap onto the ground.
"Sister Bong-Cha?" the chubby-cheeked woman asks.
"Sister Bangapda?" Bong-Cha replies.
They embrace.
"I thought you were dead," each of them says in unison.
Shantarra coughs.
"Oh, this is Shantarra," Bong-Cha explains. "She has been helping Muran."
Bangapda frowns. "But... but surely Muran is dead."
"Surely not," Shantarra says. "She's about 15, a bit skinny but really healthy and athletic. And smart as a whip."
Bangapda stumbles back onto her chair.
"As I understand it, you two brought her to Greece when she was little, to keep her safe from the bad guys," Shantarra says. "But she lost track of you both when she was little."
"There was a flood," Bangapda says. "She was swept away. I thought she had died. Bong-Cha went to search for the body but never returned. I just... stayed here. Me and, a year later, Blossom."
"Blossom?" Shantarra asks.
Bangapda waves a hand at the Siamese cat, grooming itself. "Muran's pet cat. She was lost in the flood as well. About a year after Muran disappeared, Blossom showed back up at my doorstep. I thought it was an omen that that chapter of my life had come to a close, and that I would never see Muran again."
"Well, this is a new chapter," Shantarra says. "And thanks to Gene here, you're all going to be reunited."
Bangapda gazes up at Gene's face. "How nice," she says.
"Yes, isn't it?" Gene replies with a smile.
CUT TO:
In the tavern, the gamblers scatter as a flaming comet bursts through the ceiling, decimating the table where they were playing.
The unconscious form a winged woman lies in the middle of the wreckage, her fiery aura extinguished. Ares gets to his feet, patting out residual flames on his leather outfit.
Mu Ran motions to a flame on top of his head, and he pats that out as well.
"Thanks, kid," he says, then heads to the door to go back outside.
Just before he can reach it, the door slams open from outside, as Lao Bing helps Ch'I-You inside.
Both are bruised, battered and bloody, but Lao Bing looks positively radiant.
"Ah, now that was an enjoyable scrap," Lao Bing says as he helps Ch'I-You to a chair. In the course of a matter of seconds, their bruises fade and wounds heal. Ch'I-You's armor regenerates, but Lao Bing's robes remain dirty and torn.
"I appreciate your standing at my side," Ch'I-You says as he gets to his feet, patting Lao Bing on the shoulder.
"But you still plan to betray me and the other aspects of war," Lao Bing says.
"How... how could you know that?" Ch'I-You asks.
"You're very predictable," Lao Bing says. chortling.
Autolycus and Muran watch these proceedings from the far end of the tavern. Xing-Chi comes up beside them.
"You look refreshed, uncle," Muran whispers. "A little while ago, I thought you were going to cry about Shantarra abandoning you."
"I just needed a good game of chance to clear my head," Xing-Chi replies.
Autolycus looks over at the scorched remnants of the gaming table. "Looks like your winnings went up in smoke."
"Doesn't matter, as long as I won them," Xing-Chi replies. Then, in a low, conspiratorial whisper, he asks "So what's our plan now?"
"Well, we're going to make a break for it," Autolycus whispers. "And try to find a way back to Greece. Shrimpkins here thinks we need to find a genie and teleport back, I'm more for hitching a ride on a boat."
"Oh, you people aren't going anywhere," Ares says, popping up behind them.
Autolycus, Muran and Xing-Chi are understandably startled, but then so is Ares... as the three mortals vanish in a blink.
Ares looks at where they were, then looks over at where Hallasan and Mu Ran also were but are no more.
"Or, maybe you people ARE going somewhere," Ares growls as we...
FADE OUT.
I remember when things were simpler...long ago, you gave hints to Muran's history, but you had some really fun one-offs that were such a peach to read, that I never asked too many questions.
And now you're answering the questions, and in such a detailed, specific way, I wonder if this is what you had planned all along, some, what, 9 years ago?
You used 'toly as a springboard for Muran, and it amazes me.
haha, in retrospect, I really haven't said anything about the installments specifically XD
I guess I have nothing really to say, save the usual "omgwtfbbq, I heartzors. I wan more, pls k thx", which is far from detailed :S
As usual, I am sitting, waiting, wishing.
PS.
You are old.
PPS.
Don't threaten to kill Muran, because you're an old crotchety man.
1. I did have to make one major change to Muran's destiny because of events in the Xena/Herc TV series (part of her destiny originally involved saving Zeus from obliteration, but then they went and killed the Olympian Gods on the show), but otherwise things have remained very true to the original plan. I hope it doesnt seem too convoluted. I know this isn't a good episode for people who havent followed the series/have forgotten what happened before/etc.
2. thanks for saying I am old. it makes it easier for me to kill off Muran and not worry about hurting your feelings. After all, we're two episodes away from Episode 100. What better way to amp up the drama?
