Four mara-struck.
They surrounded the small girl, moving with that unnatural, jerky gait. Eyes empty. Weapons drawn. One had a spear. Two had swords. The last one, the man who'd collapsed first, was unarmed but his hands were already reaching, fingers curled into claws.
The crowd had backed away completely now. The Cloud Knight was pulling civilians further back, shouting for everyone to evacuate.
Bailu stood in the center, tail swishing nervously. She held the vial in one hand, her other hand moving to the gourd at her hip.
"Okay," she muttered to herself. "Just like training. Just like-"
The unarmed mara-struck lunged.
March's arrow hit him mid-leap.
Ice exploded across his chest, freezing his torso. The momentum carried him forward but he couldn't move his arms. He crashed into the ground, sliding to a stop.
"We've got this!" March called out, already nocking another arrow.
Stelle rushed forward, bat raised.
The mara-struck with the spear turned toward her. Thrust forward. Fast. Erratic.
Stelle sidestepped. The spear point whistled past her shoulder. She brought her bat down on the shaft, driving it into the ground. The mara-struck stumbled forward, off-balance.
Stelle kicked his knee.
He went down hard.
She raised her bat, ready to bring it down on his head—
"Wait!" Bailu's voice cut through. "Don't kill them! Just make them lay down!"
Stelle paused. Looked at the small girl. Then at the mara-struck struggling to get up.
"Lay down?" Stelle's tone was flat. Confused.
"Just make them rest!" Bailu insisted, pulling out her vial. "I can treat them once they're down!"
March froze mid-draw. "Treat them? But they're—"
"I'll give them medicine!" Bailu's voice was firm despite her small size. "But they need to stop moving first!"
The two sword-wielding mara-struck were already moving. One toward March. One toward Stelle.
Kevin stepped forward.
No weapon materialized in his hands. No lance. No blade. Nothing.
Just his fists.
She said lay them down. Not kill them.
Fine.
He moved into the path of the mara-struck charging Stelle. The corrupted warrior swung his sword in a wide, horizontal arc.
Kevin ducked beneath it. Low. His center of gravity dropped. The blade passed over his head by inches.
He came up inside the mara-struck's guard.
Fua Hua's style. Control. Precision. Non-lethal.
A face flashed in his mind. Brief. Clear.
Dark blue-gray hair pulled back. Pale skin. Gray eyes watching him with quiet intensity. Hands raised in a perfect combat stance.
"You rely too much on weapons, Kevin. What happens when you have none?"
Her voice. Calm. Patient.
"The body is the first weapon. The last weapon. Master it, and you'll never be unarmed."
She moved. Demonstrated. Each strike controlled. Each movement efficient.
"This is Huang-Jie Boxing. But I've modified it. Made it mine. Fua's Striking Form."
Her fist stopped an inch from his face.
"It's not about power. It's about precision. About knowing exactly where to strike to disable without destroying."
She lowered her hand. Smiled slightly.
"Try it."
Kevin's right fist drove into the mara-struck's solar plexus. Not with his full strength. Just enough. The breath left the man's lungs in a wheeze. His sword arm dropped.
Kevin grabbed the wrist. Twisted. The sword clattered to the ground.
The mara-struck tried to headbutt him.
Kevin shifted his weight. Turned his shoulder. The headbutt glanced off harmlessly.
His left hand came up. Palm strike to the chin. The mara-struck's head snapped back.
Kevin swept his leg.
The mara-struck went down. Hard. Back hitting the stone plaza with a solid thud.
Kevin stepped on the man's chest. Not crushing. Just pinning. Keeping him down.
The mara-struck thrashed. Tried to grab Kevin's leg.
Kevin's foot shifted. Pressed down on the man's shoulder instead. Immobilizing the arm.
"Stay down," Kevin said quietly.
March was backpedaling. The sword-wielding mara-struck was pressing forward, swinging wildly. No technique. Just aggression.
"Not killing! Not killing!" March chanted to herself, loosing arrow after arrow.
Ice bloomed across the mara-struck's legs. Slowing him. His movements became sluggish. Uncoordinated.
March's next arrow hit his sword arm. Ice crawled up to his elbow. The sword dropped from frozen fingers.
He kept coming anyway. Lurching forward on ice-covered legs.
March planted her feet. Drew one more arrow. Aimed carefully.
Released.
The arrow hit his chest. Ice spread instantly. Wrapped around his torso like a cage. His legs locked up completely.
He teetered. Then fell backward. Stiff as a board.
March lowered her bow, breathing hard. "Okay. He's down. He's... down."
Stelle was dealing with the spear-wielder.
He'd gotten his weapon back. Was thrusting at her in rapid, uncoordinated jabs. Stelle blocked with her bat. Each impact sent vibrations up her arms.
She couldn't get close. The spear's reach kept her at a distance.
The mara-struck thrust high.
Stelle ducked. Swung her bat at the spear shaft. Missed.
He recovered. Thrust again. This time low.
Stelle jumped back. The spear point grazed her shin.
She gritted her teeth.
Can't hit him with the bat. Too much force. Might kill him.
The mara-struck thrust again.
This time, Stelle didn't dodge. She stepped inside the thrust. Let the spear pass beside her. Grabbed the shaft with her free hand.
Pulled.
The mara-struck stumbled forward, off-balance.
Stelle drove the butt of her bat into his stomach. Not a swing. Just a sharp jab.
The air left his lungs.
She swept his legs with the bat.
He went down. The spear clattered away.
Stelle planted her boot on his chest, pinning him like Kevin had done.
"Stay," she said flatly.
The unarmed mara-struck March had frozen was breaking free. Cracks spider-webbed across the ice on his chest. Pieces fell away.
He started to rise.
Kevin was there before he fully stood.
No wasted movement. Kevin's hand caught the back of the man's neck. Fingers finding the pressure point.
The mara-struck's eyes rolled back.
Kevin guided him down. Laid him flat on the ground. Unconscious but alive.
Fua Hua taught me that one too. Said pressure points were the difference between a warrior and a killer.
Kevin straightened. Looked at the four mara-struck. All down. All breathing. None of them dead.
Bailu stood in the center of the plaza, looking at the four bodies on the ground. Her tail swished once. Twice.
Then she put her hands on her hips. Looked down at them with a stern expression.
"That'll teach you a lesson. Ready to lie down now?"
Her voice was confident again. Like she'd planned this all along.
She turned to the crew. Smiled brightly. "Thanks for helping stabilize the patients! Your 'assertive sedation' techniques are quite effective."
March blinked. "Assertive... sedation?"
She paused. Processed. "Wait, you mean beating people up?"
"Mm-hmm!" Bailu nodded seriously, pulling vials from her gourd. "Very efficient method! Though these Cloud Knights were already sick, and now they're injured too." She sighed dramatically. "I gotta bandage up wounds, realign their bones... ugh, as if I didn't have enough on my plate."
She knelt beside the first mara-struck, checking his pulse.
March looked at the small dragon girl. "Where did you come from, little one? Is your dad around?"
Bailu looked up at March. Her expression went flat. "I don't have a dad."
March blinked. "Uh- what about your mom?"
Bailu shook her head. "I don't have a mom either."
March's mouth opened. Closed. She looked speechless.
Stelle put a hand on March's shoulder. Shook her head as if to say shut up, you're making it worse, look at the poor child.
Bailu stood up, putting her hands on her hips. She looked up at them with the sternest expression her young face could manage. Which, honestly, just made her look cute.
"Hmpf! I get it. You think because I'm small I must be a runaway child."
She crossed her arms.
"Welcome to the Xianzhou, my short-lived friends. Appearances can be deceiving here. The Vidyadhara is a self-reincarnation race. No mom or dad required."