Blue Dragon

didn’t say anything as we raced down the stairs. Then he and the Tiger stopped and concentrated.
    ‘There are more on the other side of this door, waiting for us,’ John said. Then he went rigid. ‘The Dragon and Phoenix are gone—the demons destroyed them—but they managed to take the last couple of turtles with them.’
    ‘Can you three handle them?’ the Tiger said.
    John concentrated. ‘Yes. There are about fifteen level sixty snakes on the other side of this door.’
    ‘I’ll scout ahead and find the demon, you get Simone,’ the Tiger said. His body shimmered, then he snapped back. ‘Can’t travel in here; interesting.’ He shook his shaggy head. ‘Ouch.’ He grinned up at me. ‘I’ll just have to destroy these demons with you.’
    ‘Let me go through the door first,’ Leo said. ‘I’ll see how many I can take out before I go down. You can take the rest.’
    ‘Go through together,’ the stone said. ‘Emma, with energy. Turtle, Lion, Tiger, physical. Go in swinging. You will have more of a chance.’
    ‘Stop, Leo,’ I said. ‘The stone says go in swinging together. Me with energy, you three with physical.’
    ‘Yes,’ John said. ‘I’ll open the door, Leo stand back, Emma hit them first with energy.’
    ‘Can I shoot chi into the ground?’ I said. ‘Are we on the ground?’
    ‘Good idea,’ the stone said. ‘Yes.’
    ‘Into the ground,’ I said, and John nodded, understanding.
    We readied ourselves. The Tiger used PK to open the door, then he and Leo stepped back.
    All I saw was a writhing black mass on the other side of the door; they were silent, not hissing. They must have been at least thirty centimetres across.
    Using my sword, I shot a bolt of chi into the floor and it went right through the middle of the snakes, blowing them up. It popped out of the floor about three metres away at the other end of the room, and I managed to make it swerve through a few more as it returned to me. I’d taken out about five of them. I sent the chi into the earth; if I retrieved that much it would kill me.
    John and Leo raced through the door, swords swinging. The Tiger leapt. I followed them in and threw another bolt into the floor, destroying another three demons. Eight down. Seven to go.
    The room was about three metres to a side, plain concrete. Just us and the snakes.
    John had no difficulty with the demons he faced. He backed into a corner and only one at a time could battle him, they were so enormous. Dark Heavens destroyed them easily as it sliced through them; just its touch seemed to be enough to make them dissipate.
    Leo had trouble with the demon he was attacking, so I took it out with a bolt of chi, then threw the result into the floor at another one.
    The Tiger was a white blur. He leaped at them, tore their throats out, and worried them as they fell.
    The demons moved back from me, obviously concerned by the energy. John, Leo and the Tiger continued to battle.
    I sent another bolt of chi through the snakes, then more into the ground.
    John ripped Dark Heavens through the demon he was facing and it fell.
    All gone.
    We all stood, panting, trying to regain our breath. Leo stumbled to me and leaned against the wall next to me. John came and stood with us, the Tiger backed to us.
    ‘Anybody injured?’ John said.
    ‘Poisonous,’ the Tiger said, panting. ‘Fangs. Leo?’
    ‘Yeah,’ Leo said.
    The Tiger transformed into human form and went to Leo. Leo slid down the wall to sit on the floor, his face ashen. The Tiger took his hands, lowered his head and concentrated. Leo’s face screwed up with agony and he gasped.
    ‘Hold,’ John said, putting his hand on Leo’s forehead. ‘The pain will pass.’
    Leo was completely still, his face stiff with control.
    ‘Breathe,’ John whispered.
    Leo took a deep gasping breath and arched his back, then went limp. The Tiger concentrated again, and his hands filled with the golden glow of chi. The energy grew like a nimbus around his hands, then moved onto Leo, creating an aura around him. He appeared to be surrounded by golden fire for a split second, then it was absorbed into him.
    Leo exhaled a huge deep breath, snapped open his eyes and smiled. ‘Thanks.’
    ‘It wasn’t as bad as I thought,’ the Tiger said. ‘The fang just grazed you. You were very lucky.’
    Leo raised his left forearm and examined the long red mark where the fang had sliced across. ‘Gone.’ He pulled himself to his feet. ‘Any more between us and