He looked across the small clearing to see Yin Chiong. He had heavily bandaged ribs, and he had scars all over his face and chest. He had also been through hell in this fight, but not just physically. He had watched all of his students and fellow instructors die as the Temple had fallen off of the cliff near them. He, also, had lost a good friend in the former Buddha, Cao.

Long turned his gaze to the boy, no that was wrong, young man sitting beside him. Drake was only 20 years old, but he had proven himself in battle, and had stood up to some of the meanest men on the planet. And he had suffered, as well. He was bruised all over, had a broken rib, he had a fat lip, one of his eyes were swollen shut, and he was missing a toe on his left foot. All of that was from torture from the late Loki of the Temple of the Silver Moon. The part that Long respected about Drake the most was that he hadn't broken. He had resisted Loki through out all of his torture. A man with a lesser spirit would have crumbled down and submitted.

Radcliffe applied the last of the salve to Long's wounds, then he placed a bandage over them, and patted the bandage. Long winced in pain again, then he looked up at Radcliffe. "Watch it" he said, cautioningly.

"Yeah, yeah" replied Radcliffe.

Drake turned from his stargazing to look at them. "So this is the famous Radcliffe?" he asked. "Long's told me about you. I feel a bit safer now."

Radcliffe shrugged, and Long sighed. "So what do we do next?" asked Radcliffe.

Long thought for a bit. "I guess we can't stay here. Come daylight, we'll leave."

"But where will we go?" asked Drake.

"There is a mercenary fort not far from here" said Long, recalling his knowledge of the area. "We could go there."

"No" said Radcliffe, shaking his head. "That's where the first battle is taking place. It's probably already started and maybe even finished by now."

"Then how about Muse?' asked Long.

"No" said Yin, walking over to them. "That'll be Highland's next target. We're probably cut off from going there anyway. I can only guess that Highland won the battle at the merc fort, so I figure they've cut off all routes to Muse on their trek to the city. I say we go to South Window."

"I don't know" said Radcliffe. "They may have cut off all routes their as well. If they didn't, they would be leaving themselves open for an attack on their flanks."

"I also think that South Window is a good decision" said Long. "Then we could get to Muse by water if we take a boat form Coronet to Kuskus."

"Sure, why not?" asked Drake.

"Then it's decided" said Yin. "Except for you Mr. Radcliffe."

"I guess we could do that" said Radcliffe. "Helping Jowston with this conflict could strengthen their resolve, and we could help prepare them for the Temple's invasion."

"What's to prepare for?" asked Drake. "We know nothing about them. We don't know their exact strength. We don't know who leads them. We don't know what their strategy is. We should find out something about these subjects before start spreading rumours."

"We can still go to Muse" said Yin. "I have some frustrations to let out. The Highland soldiers should do just fine for that." He started doing a few punch combos and then added in some kicks. "I can't dwell on this forever. I can grieve after the war."

"Good idea" said Long. "I may have been hard on you because of your 'no emotions' way of dealing with Cao's death, but now its totally different. We are at war now. Even though we belong to no army, we must fight for peace, and if beating Highland means peace, then I'm all for helping Jowston. Our honour demands that we help."

"For honour" said Yin.

"For honour" said Radcliffe, nodding in agreement.

"Oh, what the heck. . ." started Drake. "For honour."

Long smiled. This would be good. They would head for Muse to help with the war efforts there, and then they would fight the Temple of the Silver Moon. And with this group of people, Long was sure that Highland and the Temple didn't stand a chance.

The four men awoke early the next morning. Radcliffe had been up earlier, and had scouted out the area for any sign of Lyonel Kingsley and Corinth's return to strike back while they were asleep. He joined the other three as they were waking up to give them, finally, a good route to travel by.

"The way I see it, Highland may be one of the most efficient military groups in the world" said Radcliffe. "They probably have the routes by Radat and Toto guarded tightly, so I say we go by a mountain route. These mountains are interconnected to the ones that go by Toto. We could probably pass right by their forces, and make it to Muse before they strike. I think we should go that way."

"But how?" asked Drake. "There are no paths that run that way."

"So we make our own path" said Yin. "I think that Radcliffe's idea is a good one. Let's do it."

"Sure" said Long.

"Well, I didn't sign on for a hiking trip, but whatever it takes to get back at Lyonel and Co." said Drake.

"Besides, you wouldn't know what to do even if you saw Lyonel, what with those poor fighting techniques" said Yin to Drake.

"Well, I seem to remember someone saving you by shoving a sword into someone's back" said Drake.

"Murder and fighting are two different things" said Yin. "In one, you attack from behind, with the sole intent of killing. In fighting, you'll usually attack from the front, and will be working toward incapacitating your opponent."

"Then teach me" said Drake. "Both you and Long. On our way, you can teach me how to fight better."

"Um. . ." said Radcliffe. "No matter how much you two want to talk about this, we are wasting time here. We should part with all haste. We may be able to pass by the Highland sentries unnoticed, but we are taking the long way around, so we should get going. I don't feel like getting there to find the fighting over, or worse, Muse destroyed."

"Sorry" said Yin and Drake at once.

Radcliffe nodded, satisfied, and turned to the forest in front of him. He started walking, with Long behind him, and Yin and Drake bringing up the rear. Radcliffe was setting a very quick pace, and the other three men were having trouble to keep up. They were all hurt to different degrees, and Long actually had a noticeable limp in his walk. Drake was also limping, trying not walk on his injured foot, which was missing a toe thanks to the now deceased Loki. Radcliffe glanced backward to look at the other's and saw their difficulties, so he slowed down. Long noticed this, and scowled at Radcliffe. He took the hint, and quickened his pace back up.

I will not show weakness thought Long. Especially not to him

The men kept their pace up until close to nightfall. The sun was setting and it cast long shadows over the forest that they were in.

"I think we should stop soon" said Radcliffe. "It's getting dark, and we should set up camp for tonight."

"I think we should keep going for a bit longer" said Yin. "I know these woods well enough, and if we can make it to the river by tonight, then we'll be almost a day's walk from Muse. Then we can help out when Highland goes there."

"You know guys, I was thinking" started Long.

"That doesn't happen often" said Drake. "We should listen to him."

"Thanks, Drake" said Long, glaring. "But really, listen up. We are a pretty strong group the four of us. If we do get to Muse, I think we should act independently from their main force."

"This has nothing to do with the fact that you are a wanted man by Muse, right?" asked Drake.

"Well, maybe" stuttered out Long.

"It's okay Long" said Radcliffe. "We don't have to join the main army. With your criminal record, we'll all be put in jail if we are seen with you. If they find out that you were in for trespassing, they might think you are a Highland spy, and maybe execute you."

"I wasn't really trespassing" said Long. "I was only at the destroyed Muse Temple. Technically, that's not their property."

"Good point, but I'm not going to argue with a whole police force to tell them other wise" said Drake.

Yin chuckled at that, and then was silenced as Long glared at him. If Long's eyes were lasers, then Yin would be dead. They walked on in silence until they reached a river. Yin looked about the area and said that this was the place that he was talking about. The men dropped their packs (courtesy of Radcliffe) and set up their sleeping bags, which were really only sheets which they would wrap around themselves when they went to sleep.

Drake decided to get some rest right away, while Long decided to meditate to help his wounds heal, and Radcliffe and Yin decided to trade some old war stories about their previous battles.

As Long let his consciousness go, he drifted off into a deep meditation.

Long saw himself in a bland space that consisted of nothingness. It took him a moment to realize what it was. This was the place where Lyonel usually appeared to him. "What do you want now, Lyonel?" he asked to the nothingness. Sure enough, Lyonel appeared, about ten feet in front of him.

"Just to talk" said Lyonel. "So I hear you are giving up on us for now? Good idea."

"Not giving up, just changing priorities" said Long. "If we can end the Highland threat, then you guys won't be that effective anymore. I know that you intend to use this war as a diversion."

"Maybe, but how can you be sure?" asked Lyonel.

"Don't play mind games with me" said Long.

"Okay, I won't" said Lyonel. "I don't want to embarrass you."

"Why did you bring me here?" asked Long.

"To warn you" said Lyonel.

"About what?" asked Long.

"That I will no longer pull any punches" said Lyonel. "I will use any and all resources to kill you. My new Black Star Squad will defeat you and your band of do-gooders. Sure, you may be changing priorities, but I am not. I want you dead, and so does this group of people."

He moved to the side, and behind him a group of four people appeared. One was easily identifiable as Corinth. The big martial artist was an imposing sight. He had new robes on, Long guessed he had changed since their battles, and was looking refreshed. He had a straw priest hat on his head.

Another, Long vaguely recognized as Ashton. He was not wearing the robes of the Temple of the Silver Moon, but a simple black one-piece suit. He had black fingerless gloves on that went with the uniform. He was looking detached and uncaring. Long guessed that he didn't want to be here right now.

The third one wore the Temple's robes, but had no priest hat like Corinth did. He wore a loose poncho over it, and Long saw him holding a staff upright beside him. He had spiked red hair, and a boyish grin. Long guessed that he hadn't seen much combat yet, and that he was barely 20 years old. Lyonel introduced him as one of his former students, Aramus.

The final one was a young boy who was about fifteen years old. He had medium length, black spiked hair. He had sky blue eyes and a small x-pattern scar on his left cheek. He was a muscular boy, and Long figured out for himself that he was probably a strong fighter. He wore a blue sleeveless gi with an orange t-shirt underneath. It had a strange crest on the the left side of the chest of the gi. Across his hip was an orange belt that was tied on his side. He had a scabbard tied to his belt with the hilt of a sword sticking out.

Lyonel, Corinth, and Aramus all wore the same uniform, and Long figured that Ashton was originally a ninja, which explained his uniform, but this boy was different. Long didn't recognize the uniform or the crest from anywhere. Long's was the common uniform of the Buddha's Temple, as was Yin's. Radcliffe wore a simple peasant's cloak over his Silver Moon Temple uniform. Drake wore a merchant's garb, not really meant for combat, yet he made due. His student, Wakaba, wore the traditional garb of a martial arts student from Long's uncle Elias' dojo, but this boy was different. The crest gave away that they weren't peasant clothes, and it wasn't the crest of any military group that he had ever seen. Not Highland. Not Muse, Greenhill, South Window, Rockaxe, Two-River or Tinto. Not Toran. Not Harmonia. Long had done many travels in his life time, yet this was the first time he had seen such a crest.

"This is your new special little friend" said Lyonel. "When Loki was loyal to the Temple he did not choose apprentices often. He found this one during a survey of an area for the Temple. He has natural skill with all forms of martial arts and weapons. Loki improved on those skills to make this boy a master, even at such a young age. I would make him change uniforms to that of the Temple, but I'm afraid he would kill me in my sleep if I made him do so. He also has latent telepathic abilities, and has his master's longevity. He is Chubei."

The boy nodded to Long with that, and changed his smile to a neutral expression. Lyonel turned to look at him, and the boy shook his head.

"Hmm" said Lyonel. "It seems that you are too far away from us for him to get a good reading on you."

"That is a good thing, right?" said Long.

The boy smiled at that, but Lyonel glared at him, silencing the young boy. He then turned back to Long, and smiled fakely.

"I guess that explains it all" said Lyonel. "Any questions, Long?"

"No" answered Long.

"Then goodbye, and have fun" said Lyonel, as the nothingness disipitated. Long vision was replaced by the river that he was facing. He sighed, and closed his eyes to try the meditation again.

The next morning, the four men were ready and prepared early to leave. Long decided not to tell them about his visit with Lyonel, as it would only agitate them, and they would need to be at peace and calm if they wanted to beat Highland. Agitation would only weaken the mind, and the mind would be their greatest ally.

They got underway, and expected to make it to Muse by nighttime. Then they would lie low until the fighting started, and then they would approach someone so they could help. The plan was all laid out, yet there still was a few things that could go wrong. A Highland patrol could find them, a Muse patrol could find them, the Black Star Squad could find them, they might not be wanted when the fighting started. An infinite number of things could go wrong, but they would make sure that nothing would.

"Well, here we go" said Drake. "I just hope that all this isn't for nothing. They better accept us when the fighting starts. I don't want be fighting two different armies."

"Speaking of fighting, any ideas on what our unit should be called?" asked Long.

"The Temple Squashers" suggested Radcliffe.

"Too obvious" said Long. "It states our objectives."

"The Toran Ninjas" suggested Drake.

"I'm from Jowston" said Radcliffe.

"The Avengers" said Yin.

"Absolutely not" stated Radcliffe.

"I got it" said Long. "Lyonel wants to be the Black Star Squad, well we'll be the White Star Squad. Kind of humorous isn't it?"

"Light against Dark" said Drake. "Nice."

"I agree" said Yin. "I liked the Avengers, but this is okay."

"I'm okay with anything everyone else is happy with, as long as it doesn't clash with my personality or nationality."

"Then it's decided" said Long. "Now, Light Star Squad, forward march!"

The others nodded, but still scowled at the fact that Long was ordering them, and picked up their pace with renewed effort.

"They have faced death" said Cao, who was standing in his translucent form on the branch of a tree. "And will face it again."

"They are the new forces of light" said Elias, who was standing beside, also translucent. "I hope they can get along without us."

They looked at each other, and Cao nodded to Elias. They, then, turned back to look at the four men, just disappearing over the horizon, and Cao sighed.

"Godspeed, men. Godspeed"

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"Long Chan-Chan" and "Suikoden 2" are (C) Konami This chapter was posted on September 23, 2000