Banqiu, Salt, and Bo-Jing concluded unanimously and immediately that because the temple was forbidden to outsiders, they should explore it in secret. And because they all had the means to become invisible through the aid of magic, they decided they would explore it immediately, leaving their associates behind in the guest house.
The temple gate was unlocked and unguarded. They passed through an overgrown garden where a monkey was chained to a small tree and into the towering structure of the temple itself. The floors squeaked under their feet, and they made their way hurriedly through the entryway and into the main altar room.
Upon doing so, Bo-Jing realized that his friends had fallen under some kind of curse. They yelled out in confusion, and ran hurriedly through the temple room, bumping into pillars. The three monks in the room called out to them, asking them to show themselves. Bo-Jing said nothing, but followed his friends by their footsteps, and whispering their names when he got closer to them.
The three invisible explorers, bumbled through the temple and its many side chambers, the monks following close behind. And then Bangqiu stumbled into the private chambers of the abbot, a room bedecked with a great number of wicked-looking idols, many of them stained with blood. Shocked by the horrific sight, he began to regain his senses and called out to Bo-Jing for assistance. Salt, likewise intuited that the monks franticly pursuing her were less trustworthy than the still invisible, but calm-voiced Bo-Jing. He promised that if she would hold onto him, he would lead her to safety. Risking the attention of the monks, he called out to Bangqiu in the strange tongue they had learned in Maztica, and made a plan to flee together. Dodging, the monks and the abbot, the three adventurers retraced their steps and ran out of the temple and back to the guesthouse.
Back in the guest house, Bo-Jing removed his invisibility ring, and informed Ryu and the warriors what had happened. Ryu was able to perform an exorcism spell on Bangqiu. Bangqiu recovered his memory but was so exhausted that he retreated to his chambers to sleep. Bo-Jing ordered a guard and instructed Ryu to perform another exorcism. Ryu agreed, but he needed several hours to prepare the necessary incense and purify his own spirit. Salt, still unable to remember her name and history, nor able to stop being invisible, babbled to herself incessantly until Bo-Jing prepared her some rice. She ate greedily and then fell asleep. Nekhil announced that he would guard her while she slept.
Not long before sundown, there was a knock at the door. Bo-Jing answered the knock.
Two monks, the same pair they had met at the bottom of the stairs were standing there. They wanted to know if their guests were comfortable and if they were hungry. Bo-Jing replied that they were very comfortable and were preparing to retire early after having already eaten their own food. The monks shifted from one foot to the other and then asked if they heard anything strange coming from the temple.
“The temple? Aren’t outsiders forbidden from the temple?”
“Yes, but . . . there were some uninvited spirits there . . . and we want to make sure . . . maybe the spirits came to the guesthouse and have made your minds tired? Maybe we can help?”
Bo-Jing assured the monks that they were only tired from their journey and he looked forward to talking to them in the morning.
The monks wished Bo-Jing goodnight and departed. Bo-Jing closed the door, all but a crack. He watched the monks linger outside the door and then enter the guesthouse by another, previously obscured by a tattered banner and overgrown shrubbery.
Bo-Jing called for Batzorig to accompany him; together, they into the door where the monks had entered. They found a small chapel, warmly lit with glowing candles and adorned in a manner similar to the guesthouse and the rest of the monastery. There was no sign of the monks. Bo-Jing examined the symbols and paintings in the chapel and was comforted to see that they resembled the iconography of the lead coins rather than the abbot’s private shrine. And although the chapel was under the same roof as the guest guesthouse, there was no apparent between it and the rest of the structure.
Bo-Jing returned to his companions and decided to wake up Bangqiu. Still exhausted, the magician nevertheless understood that his special skills were required. Although he would need more rest to grasp his most powerful magic, he was eager to assist Bo-Jing in investigating the newly-discovered chapel.
Working together, the companions discovered that in fact one of the paintings had a moveable panel about halfway up the wall. And sure enough, moving the panel did permit access to the guesthouse itself. While debating whether to pass through this secret door or rush back to the main entrance to warn the others, a solitary hooded figure entered the chapel from the exterior door. This proved not to be a monk, but a wild-haired, fanged monster who rushed at them to attack. Bo-Jing, relying on his magic boots, levitated to safety while Bo-Jing engaged the monster. The brave baghatur allowed the monster to back him into a corner; when the monster lunged at him, Bo-Jing, ducked out of the way and then spun on his heels and drew his sword, pointing it at the monster’s throat. The monster hesitated. In the flickering light of the candles, Bo-Jing confirmed that the monster’s robes were of the same style and fabric as the monks. Despite its fangs and bloodshot eyes, something in its expression reminded him of one of the monks he’d encountered in the temple. Bo-Jing repeated one of the mantras he’d learned from Gaansukh. “Where is your heart? Where is your treasure?”
The monster snarled and lunged, impaling itself on the sword and slashing at Bo-JIngs face with its claws. Despite the horrific wound, it didn’t die. Licking Bo-Jing’s blood from its claws, it continued to attack with vigor. Bo-Jing stood his ground and cut with strength and precision. When Bo-Jing faltered for a moment, Bangqiu descended swiftly, striking the monster with the stone figurine of a dove. Bo-Jing recovered and, with a swift and mighty cut, severed one of the monster’s legs. It collapsed to the ground, and Bo-Jing next removed its head, finally killing it. Bo-Jing and Bangiu elected to go through the secret door and bar it from the inside.
Bangqiu returned to sleep. Ryu meditated next to Salt. Bo-Jing and the warriors separated into two groups, and searched the entire guesthouse, confirming there neither monks nor monsters were hiding in any of the rooms, or in the garden. Only then they rested. Except for Nekhil, who stood guard the whole night.
