“A job well done”

The monks resisted the advancing soldiers in vain. Two of them, young men probably in their early twenties came out screaming with sticks in their hands. They were gunned down by a volley of bullets from battle rifles held by two of Knightmare-Grim's men in the front.

Several more monks came at them from the bushes flanking the left side of the entrance of the monastery. These monks got closer to the men and one of them managed to tackle down one of the soldiers. However that monk and the others were dispatched with ease as three of the soldiers shot them with their semi automatic pistols.

Inside the poorly lit building the soldiers shot monks at will. Their sacrifices brief and set aside, splattered bodies covered with blood, overturned and lifeless. There were many, and many fell. None were spared as Knightmare-Grimm instructed, and he smiled with pride at the work done. He followed through the entrance to find a collection of lives ended without ceremony. The sound of gunfire continued on the floors above. He walked up the steps and found himself shocked to find one of his men sprawled on the stairs, killed. A dagger to the throat was cause of death. Still, one would not have noticed any reaction of shock in the tyrant's behaviour and it was only one casualty- an outlier in the statistics. 'Technology triumphed over religion today, he thought.'

In the final room there were a bundle of monks stacked on the ground. One of his men was strangling a small boy to death. The boy's legs dangling and jerking like a lamb being slaughtered for dinner.

For a brief moment, Knightmare-Grimm's heart sank because he thought the boy was Yi. But it wasn't. His target sat on a tablet of stone with a sullen expansion. The red mark on his head identifying him as the one they wanted; Knightmare-Grimm's soldiers pointing their guns at him, waiting instruction.

"I thought these were magical monks," said Knightmare-Grimm. I expected a better fight than this."

Yi did not say anything but his facial expression was one of extreme sadness. Knightmare-Grimm did not look at his eyes to notice this. Still he assumed the boy must be feeling despair.

Knightmare-Grimm stood over him. "Don't blame yourself boy. When you took over the mind of that corrupt police officer in London, you weren't to know that I would eventually take over his body and have access to his memories. What incredible talent you have, you should be proud."

Yi exhaled a long slow breath.

"Grace Shelly, that pretty female specimen you helped is my primary target. You will prove a great bargaining chip for her capture. I discovered from the memories of my current host that she felt a special connection with you. Of course I will keep you both. This astral projection ability of yours rivals Avatara, if not exceeding it. I must find a way to extract it from you. A lot of testing is required."

Knightmare-Grimm stopped talking for a moment and reflected for a bit. Then with a movement of his hand he instructed his men to lower their guns. No words were needed for that.

"Have you ever been to Sheldrake Enterprises boy? We think you'll like it. Oh and one more thing…" Knightmare Grimm tore off some cloth from the body of one of the dead monks. Then he tied it around Yi's head, covering his eyes.

"That's better. I know the mind control thing you people do is with your eyes, so better keep those pearls covered. Maybe, I will pluck them out when we get back to London."

Yi was bound by rope on his arms and legs, and blindfolded. The only reprieve of this being that he did not have to see the slain bodies of his brethren. He must have heard the splashing of liquid on the ground by Knightmare-Grimm's men. Knightmare-Grimm instructed them to set the place on fire. The men doused the floor and the bodies with kerosene fuel. They set the bodies alight from outside the monastery and a huge blast went through the building. Within a minute, the whole thing was on fire.

The tilt rotor plane flew past the risen sun, leaving a mountain of destruction in its wake.