The newly appointed Grand Master of the Peak of Serenity tilted their black and white head at Aysa Cloudsinger. “Li Li Stormstout? Really?”

  Cloudsinger nodded sagely. “She has wandered far since you last spoke. And aside from you, she is the most well-traveled Monk we have on the Isle.”

  “She's a teen!”

  Aysa smirked. “And that teen has ranged farther than most adult Pandaren. And lived. She likely knows the story of the Artifact you seek, for we do not have it here. Not even a shred of a tale. Go, Grand Master. The Archmage awaits our answer, Chen and I already have our weapons. The Monk’s order waits upon you, to suitably arm yourself.”

  The young adult Pandaren, clad in the armor of the Temple of the White Tiger, turned and started muttering. “Grand Master of the Peak. Expert in the Tiger Style. The most seasoned Monk still alive…and the best we can do as a partner is a teenager.” It wasn’t that they didn’t respect Li Li’s adventures, she had quested a fair bit and the monk knew as well as any adventurer what that entailed, but this was a life or death situation. The Legion leader known as Keletress had made it her mission to wipe out every monk she could, and while there was no question as to the strength of Li Li’s spirit, her body did still have the limitations of youth. And the benefits. The Grandmaster sighed, heavily, shooting into the air with the power of their Chi as they began to fly. From the sound of it, at least, this weapon would not have him dragging a teenager into a fight with the Legion.

  Air bent around them as they flew head-first across the Wandering Isle, to Mandori Village, the home of the Stormstouts. The locals bowed and murmured the monk’s title as they landed and began walking, and they inclined their hat-covered head in return. The brim was wide and round, but the jade decorating it sparked with Chi lightning, and vaguely resembled a tiger’s face.

  Chon Po Stormstout welcomed the Grand Master as they entered the tavern, mid-meal. The master monk’s empty stomach rumbled as they smelled the food, and that made Chon Po chuckle. “Eat with us, Grand Master. Fill your belly. You’ll need the energy.”

  “If it’s not an imposition…I would greatly appreciate the meal.” The Grandmaster answered, removing their helm, and revealing their face. Chon Po smirked. This cub had been marked for greatness since they began training as a monk as a child, even younger than Li Li. The youngest ever inducted on the Wandering Isle. Their facial markings deemed them destined for greatness, equally black and white as they were, and split down the Pandaren’s face by the shape of an S. Their right side was all white fur, while the left’s eye was hidden among fur as black as the moonless night. The rest of their body was fairly standard in terms of pattern, and yet, when measured, had still been found to be a perfect balance of black and white. The elders at the time had deemed this a sign.

  And now that sign was Grandmaster of every monk on Azeroth. Chon Po’s ears twitched, as they spoke to Li Li. "It’s good to see you again, young Stormstout. I've heard that you know of a tale describing a set of mysterious hand blades."

  Li Li’s yellow eyes widened with excitement, as she sensed an opportunity. The Grandmaster had pull with the elders. Authority. Enough to get her the Fel out of here. "Yeah! Let me think... I heard it back when Uncle Chen and I were still traveling the world before we found the way to Pandaria. We were in Booty Bay one night, staying at a place called the Salty Sailor. While there, I met a giant creature who called himself a Tol'vir. Kind of like a…cat person, but with a body like a Centaur! We chatted for a long time and he told me of his homeland, a place covered in sand called Uldum."

  The monk resisted sighing. Their pack still had sand from Tanaris in it, from all the times they’d been there. The sand their felt evil, and it never fully went away. They nodded. "I've also heard of it."

  Li Li continued, an exposition machine that could not be stopped. "It's really dry and covered all with sand, like a big kitty box! I briefly went there with my Uncle Chen. I wish I could see it again! So, according to the story, thousands of years ago there was this smith called Irmaat, who used to live there. The smith was known all throughout the land for his excellent work in creating magical weapons that represent the Air Spirits that live there. His finest work was said to be a set of hand blades that were formed from the essence of pure Air. The story goes on that he attempted to summon the Windlord himself to imbue the weapons with its power. That didn't go so well for him."

  The monk tilted their head as they om-nommed a meat bun, and then swallowed it, practically whole. "What happened then?"

  Li Li smirked wide, standing up on her chair as she went full storyteller. "According to the story, the Al’Akir was filled with great wrath and decided to play a trick on Irmaat. The Windlord imbued the weapons with the purest form of his essence, knowing that Irmaat could not possibly wield such power. Irmaat named his creation the ‘Fists of the Heavens’ and held them to the sky to admire his work. This was a mistake, for when he did this it conjured a great vortex of swirling sand and air that was completely out of his control! The vortex scattered the smith's blades and buried his home under the desert sands. Wouldn't it be neat if the blades were real? I'd give anything to get out of here and go search for them!"

  The Grand Master took another deep breath and forced their ursine lips into a smile. “Actually…I was hoping you would come with me on my search.”

  Lili grinned, downed her ramen broth, and looked at her father. “Pop, it’s been…it’s been something. I need to get on with my travels.”

  Chon Po growled. “No. Not again. Li Li, I told you I don’t want you going off on your own.”

  The Grand Master looked between them, and quietly drew his ramen into his mouth. The entire Isle knew of Chon Po’s tragic loss, and as her father, it was his call.

  Chon Po however was no match for his daughter. Her yellow eyes went wide and she tilted her head. “I thought you might say that…but look! I have a guardian this time, and it’s even the Grand Master of the Monks! I’ll be fine.”

  Chon Po continued eating, and then growled low, and irritated. “Clearly, nothing I say is going to change your mind. Fine. Go on your adventure…just come back to me unharmed.”

  As Li Li scurried off, the Grand Master felt the weight of Chon Po’s gaze. “Obviously, I will ensure her safety as best I can.”

  Chon Po scowled. “That is not reassuring.”

  The Grand Master chuckled, “You know your daughter. I will use all of my power to try to keep the hurricane that is Li Li Stormstout from danger. Even when she leaps straight into it.” To be fair, the monk did that themself, all the time, so they could not judge.

  As they exited the establishment, Li Li rode up, still shorter than them, on the back of a crane. “Alright! ADVENTUUUUURE!” The crane took off, and the Grand Master leapt into the air beside them, matching their pace. This time, a cloud from around the Great Turtle acted as their mount and they began the relatively short trip to Uldum.

  Ruins of Ahmtul - Uldum

  “Keep it up, Master! You’re doing great!”

  The monk grimaced at the storm elemental known as Nader blasted them with lightning from their strange elemental weapon. “Just keep up the healing!” The monk whirled, and redirected the attack, and Nader was weakened further. Spinning kicks and fists of fury did little against a wind based opponent, but monks fought with more than fists. Chi was as effective against an elemental as anything else.

  Nader roared as they struck at the monk, only for the irritatingly fast Pandaren to roll away from them. "Filthy Monk, I'll bring your head to Lord Typhinius!"

  The monk smirked, and then went soaring through the air foot first, as the White Tiger himself formed around their attack, manifesting through their Chi. In a flash, it was over, and the monk was behind Nader as their arms dissipated into nothing, their weapon and shield clattering to the ground.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  “How will you carry my head, without arms?” They quipped.

  Nader whirled around and roared, but the monk was waiting with a final decisive roundhouse kick to its ‘face’. It groaned as it dissipated back to the Plane of Air. "Lord Typhinius... I have failed you..."

  The monk reached down into the soft sand and metal bands that was the elemental’s corpse, and pulled up a stone humming with power. The monk jerked their head, and a lens popped down from the brim of their hat. “Ooooh! An Identify Glass? Aren’t those super expensive and rare?”

  The monk smirked. “Not in Dalaran. Hmm. Essence of the Whirlwind…let’s bring this back to King Phaoris, and see what he makes of it.”

  A short flight later, the two monks were once more in an audience with the King of Ramkahen. King Phaoris looked up from examining the essence, to the two strangers from a foreign land that had requested his aid. "This stone is saturated with Elemental power, possibly the remnant of the magic used against Irmaat! If you went outside and held the stone aloft, it would unleash the stone's essence as a mighty whirlwind. So potent a windstorm could carry you and your companion all the way to the Skywall! If the hand blades of Irmaat, the Fists of the Heavens, are as powerful as the old tales say, they would certainly be found there."

  Li Li was beaming. “Getting launched all the way into the Plane of Air!? Heck yes!”

  Moments later…

  Li Li, despite her enthusiasm, looked quite green as the winds whirled around them, sending them further and further into the sky, between the very planes of Azeroth, before violently depositing them into Skywall. "Get me out of this thing!" The young Pandaren shouted, only to then clamp her mouth shut and grimace. Eventually, the chaotic air magic brought them to a landing. "Ohhhh... My head still feels like it's spinning! I might lose my noodles, Master…”

  “Hang in there, Li Li.” The monk murmured, also similarly upset by the turbulence. They took a moment to compose themselves, but, of course, Li Li recovered quicker, and seemed fine as she decided to just calmly walk over to a group of air elementals.

  "What's going on over there? Hello? Hi!"

  An image of an Air Elemental Lord reacted instantly to her presence, as did its minions. "Mortals, in my domain? They must not disrupt my plans! Slaughter them!"

  Li Li backed away slowly back towards the Grand Master. "They…don't look so happy to see us."

  “Then it would’ve been better to remain unseen.” The monk chided.

  Through raging whirlwinds, through sparking orbs that exploded when poked, through packs and packs of what felt to the Grand Master like half the population of th Skywall, they and Li Li bumbled through causing chaos and emerging victorious time after time. Eventually, the image of the Elemental Lord appeared before them again.

  Li Li chuckled. "Hey, it's that big ugly guy again."

  The image of what the monk assumed must be the Typhinius that Nader had mentioned, decided to start monologuing from the safety of long distance communications. "Puny mortals, you tread in my realm now! There is no one to save you!"

  Li Li made a motion with her paw. "Blah, blah, blah! You sure do talk a lot."

  The monk smirked, as the image was detailed enough to show the pulsing vein of surging air energy in the elemental’s brow. "Insolent whelps! Witness the powers at my command! Al'burq wa Alra'ed hiyah!"

  Another elemental appeared, unbound by metal, storming, with a cyclopic eye of lightning as its core. The monk moved, sensing the summon’s stamina was weaker than their own. That, meant death.

  With a single touch, and a small gasp from Li Li, the elemental died after a brief, ignoble existence. "A small victory!” Typhinius crowed, “Enjoy it while you can!"

  The monk smirked at Li Li. “See, this is the part where they think everything is ‘merely a setback’, even while their plans fall apart, and they eventually die to our Fists of Fury anyway.”

  Li Li smashed her paws together. “My favorite part! Bad guy butt-whooping!”

  The image of Typhinius left a wall of wind behind it, strong enough to blow them back from advancing…if they were walking. Both Pandaren rolled forward, landing on a new platform, only to find Typhinius at the far end of it, mid-summon. "Come forth, servants of the storm! Defend your Master!"

  Three times Typhinius summoned lesser elementals to fight for him, and three times, the Grand Master of the monks and Li Li Stormstout routed his forces, with knowing smirks. The Elemental Lord’s frustration only grew fiercer.

  "These mortals will not die! Zaurac, defend your master!"

  A draconic roar the monk recognized as a drake echoed through the air at its master’s summons.

  Li Li pointed, mouth wide and enjoying every second. "Holy smokes! Dragon!"

  “Actually, it’s an Elemental Storm Drake. They’re quite different.” Tha Grand Master educated.

  Li Li gave them a look. “It has scales, wings, and breathes-”

  “Watch out!” The Grand Master grabbed the babbling teen, and panda-rolled out of its electrifying breath attack. “Less talking, more healing, Li Li.” With a brief head pat, the monk leapt back through the air, striking one of the drake’s claws as it swept toward them, knocking it back. The draconic being moved like the wind, spinning into the strike for a painful tail lash, but the monk took the punishment, and a cloud of healing Chi enveloped them not long after.

  Like its master, the drake found striking the monk’s Grand Master to be almost impossible. They were as agile as any Air Elemental, and struck like one birthed from Deepholm. Eventually, after taking many kicks to its jaw and losing several teeth, which Li Li collected, the dragon exploded with an aura of wind and lightning, pushing the monks back.

  Li Li pointed at it as the Grand Master groaned and rolled back onto their feet. "It's taking off! ... Or not..."

  The mighty drake roared, and then collapsed, whining in pain as it did. The monks approached, one with more caution than the other.

  “Aww, poor scaly baby…here, have some heals.” Li Li fearlessly approached the dragon, and began mending its wounds. As it stood up again, the Grand Master met its eyes, and held out a hand, radiating with Chi.

  “You will fly us to your master…and then you may live your life as you choose. Free of them. Forever.” The drake sparked with fresh lightning as it eyed the Pandaren’s claw, but eventually, it pressed its snout into the palm, and the Grand Master tossed it a meat bun they’d snuck from the inn. “Good dragon. Now. Take us to your master.”

  In a matter of seconds, the elemental dragon had carried them to the peak of Skywall, where the source of Typhinius was located. Li Li gulped as they dismounted. “Do me a favor…and never tell Uncle Chen I was this high up…” The other monk nodded in silent agreement, but Li Li’s mouth had once again erased any chance of stealth, or surprise.

  Noticing them, Typhinius became instantly enraged. “Are all of my subordinates weaklings!?”

  “Yes.” The Grand Master said, with a smirk. “A weak master attracts weak followers.”

  Eyes burning, Typhinius summoned the power of the storms with the very weapon the monks were after. “I shall end you both, myself…” Tornadoes manifested in every gap between the pillars of Typhinius’s throne, and began ominously, but slowly, rolling across the space.

  A cone of lightning crashed down on the monk, but once again, the agile Pandaren had already rolled away upon seeing the skill charge up. They then danced through the pats of the slowly moving tornadoes with a wide grin that showed their fangs. Furious, Typhinius unloaded focused lightning on the monk, but they channeled it right back into him, aligning the volatile energy with negative charge. This pattern of attacks continued, the monk dodged each one like the master they were, and the next focused lightning was redirected with positive charge.

  Seeing the monk’s counter as futile, Typhinius laughed, “Pitiful Mortal! Your useless flailing only empowers me!” Their form swelled in size, growing massive and stormy as the two opposingly charged and volatile sources of Spirit fought within the elemental for domination, as was their nature. The monk frowned. That did not bode well for little Li Li. If and when the self-proclaimed prince exploded, she did not yet have enough mass to keep her footing…and it was a long fall back to Azeroth.

  Sensing what was coming Li Li panicked, backing up against a pillar. “Oh no!” She squeaked.

  “Leave it to me.” The monk answered, already in front of her.

  Typhinius roared, apparently too mad to notice their body was about to detonate. “MY WINDS SHALL RIP YOU APART!” They certainly tried, howling as they exploded into bands of metal, discharged lightning, and wind, but the monk was already shielding them. A Chi manifestation of the White Tiger himself curled around them, and the volatile storms washed harmlessly over the far flung children of Pandaria.

  “Thanks, Xuen.” Li Li said with surprising reverence as she inclined her head towards the August Celestial. The lightning Chi tiger licked her cheek, leaving it numb and sparking, and then faded into nothingness. “Well, this has been a fantastic adventure, hasn’t it? We explored the desert, punched a dragon in the face, even though he turned out to be a good boi, and you even got something shiny in the end!”

  Looking up, the Grand Master nodded. “Right…the Fists of the Heavens…” As they approached the handblades, figures appeared on the wind outside the structure. Three lieutenants, which they recognized, as they’d beaten them to ‘death’ earlier. Their forms were less corporeal and dangerous, and they seemed to be watching out of curiosity. The monk was not surprised. These weapons contained the last shards of their lord Al’Akir’s power, after all. They could not help but be drawn to them.

  The platform shook, as the drake from earlier joined them, and watched. The monk donned the fists, and raised them high, and while the torrent of wind that followed was mighty…it was also kept in check by the Grand Master’s Chi. It would take time to truly balance them.

  Li Li gasped. “Master! Look! The dragon!”

  Turning their head, the adult Pandaren chuckled. “So…you wish to come with me?” The storm drake rumbled happily, and dropped a sparking-saliva covered bridle and saddle before them. The Grand Master smirked at Li Li. “Feel like riding a dragon back to the Isle?” Her yellow eyes went wide, and after a quick wiping down, the two monks began the journey home.