• "I need your key woman, for once in your life, realize your not as young as you think. You will live longer once you do." A man said with much hidden vehemence in his voice.

    "You idiot. Once you start believing your old, the body reacts to the chemical change and begins to get old itself. And besides, you think you can take it from me by force? You must have some other scheme in play because you could never beat me when we sparred."

    The man turned his back, hiding a smile. He spoke after a moment of silence. "Your perceptiveness was always something if an admiration of mine, it must have been passed down to your new pupil. What was his name?" He turned to her, his smile now closer to a wolf showing his fangs to his prey, "Kitan Namathorn?"

    The woman laughed at his response. "That moron couldn't be my pupil if he beat me with his hands behind his back."

    "Oh? Then I guess having my men dispose of him in Dralgo during the tournament was a mistake." He turned again away from her.

    At hearing his words, the woman dropped her drink and lunged at him. She put all her strength she could muster into the punch that missed the back of his head by inches. He had twisted slightly to his left, turning to her again and continuing to taunt her. "Whats wrong 'Master Tin Dall', was this child something to you?" He slid to his right as she sent another powerful punch at him. "Was he your child?" He jumped back as she tried to make contact with a roundhouse kick, "No he couldn't be, a student you thought could take over when you passed on?" Contact. She had rushed him, quickly stopped mere inches from his face and back-flipped, making contact with her foot to his jaw. She wasn't holding back, the man was sent flying upwards and followed immediately by her front-flipping into the air, with her foot connecting in his gut. Or so she thought. When she landed, panting slightly and after the dust cloud had cleared, she saw. He was getting to his feet. Laughing.

    "You have gotten weak old woman. Your not the same Pamela that crushed thousands with her deadly earth shattering fists when travelling with the others from the Band. Nor the woman whose eyes I once wished I could have."

    She had only a moment to ponder his words. With a flick of his wrists a demented looking dagger was in each hand, and then flying through the air at her. She dodged the first with a backflip but the second nicked her shoulder. She recovered and was about to resume her attack but something was off.

    "Whats wrong old woman, not going to finish me off? Then I will finish this for you. Don't worry, I wont kill you, I want you to live long enough to see what you put so much of yourself into get crushed by my will."

    He smiled once more and rushed towards her. He closed the distance between them and with another flick of his wrist another pair of daggers were in his hands. He slashed with his left. She smiled at how slow his strike was. Twisting to the right she dodged. Suddenly a sharp pain shot through her left. She had no time to react because he was already striking with the other dagger. She jumped back, evading his attack once more. When she landed another more piercing pain shot through her front and down her left leg. Her vision was beginning to become blurred.

    "Whats wrong old woman, beginning to realize your getting old?"

    She got to her feet and once again lunged at him. He was still smiling when she missed and returned a punch of his own directly into her gut.

    Her vision began to blur even more as her last thoughts were why she hadn't been able to land a single blow. The man leaned in closer to her ear.

    "Wondering why your all bruised and battered and I am little more than scratched? Its the secret of my future empire. The Great Divide will rip through the lands once more. But I promise you the new era will be what stitches it back together. An era under my rule. Now." He reached up to her neck and yanked the chain from her neck, revealing the key he had spoke of. She sank to the floor, to her knees. "May your life be as worthless as your time as a part of the Band. One key down... Onto the others. You know as much as I do that the secret not written, the unknown events of history was going to be unleashed one day, it was just a matter of time." He walked off a few feet, then stopped. Over his shoulder he spoke to her. "And if its anything to you, Kitan is alive. How he fares I could care less about. He is of no concern of mine... for the moment. If he gets in my way I wont hesitate to kill him. I can change my plans if that comes to pass." Then with that he disappeared into the forest around her house.

    Kitan... please be safe, you truly were my best student, may your path be a safe one. I have faith in your abilities.