[center][img]http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/1/1d/The_Immortal_Iron_Fist_(2007).png/revision/latest?cb=20130523002657[/img][/center] [b]March 20th, 2005 New York City, Chinatown 10:24 PM[/b] As he and the White Tiger leaped from rooftop to rooftop, Danny couldn't help but feel pensive and distracted. Professor Wing's explanations had finally put a name to his family's murderers and given him real clarity of purpose for the first time in what felt like forever. At the same time though, they had raised a whole new host of questions. If Khan was still real and active in the world then why hadn't he been informed of the existence of such a dangerous enemy? Surely his teacher Lei-Kung would not have wanted to send him to the mortal world unprepared, and his uncle the Yu-Ti would have informed him of such a grave threat to K'un-Lun and the mortal realms alike. So why- White Tiger brought his attention back to the matter at hand: finding the Cult. There were only five entities in New York City that he was aware of that might have knowledge of where to find such a dark and secretive entity. Chiantang was one, but getting to him would require fighting through an army of experienced guards and he doubted the Black Dragon would be in a cooperative mood anyways. The Sorcerer Supreme was right out, obviously. K'un-L'un might maintain good relations with the magical community, but ever since his own tutelage on magic had concluded Danny dreaded knocking on the door of Strange unless it was absolutely necessary. Elder Brother Shang might possibly know, but since the reemergence of HYDRA yesterday Danny had been unable to contact him. That left two options as actually usable...neither of which he was particularly fond of and both of which would cost him...dearly. [color=seagreen] "The way I see it we have two-" [/color] Danny froze for a moment as a cold shiver went up his spine and tugged at all of his alarm bells. He knew this dreadful feeling, knew he had sensed a dark disturbance in the qi, a [b]big[/b] one. He scanned around for the source and a few moments later White Tiger did the same, picking up on the faint sounds of many feet landing on rooftops all around them. They were most definitely being followed, and Danny's plans for finding the Cult of Khan didn't matter anymore. Because the Cult of Khan had found [i]them.[/i] [hr] They came sailing out of the night to land around the pair in a circle, assassins all in black though decidedly human and armed with weapons that looked like they were cut from the nighttime shadows themselves. That was no big deal to Danny, mysterious assassin attacks were a dime a dozen in the martial arts world although the feel of their various weapons made his skin crawl. But then he saw their eyes. they were black empty pits reflecting only the abyss, horribly, unnaturally dilated til there was barely a trace of white like the eyes of a shark or an inhuman doll. No human should ever have eyes like that but from their lips came the drone of human, voices rusty with disuse but human all the same: [Center][i]"Blood for The Master The Amulet for the Master Blood for the Master The Amulet for the Master Blood for the Master..."[/i][/center] they chanted it ceaselessly without stopping for breath as they inched closer and closer, blank black eyes emotionless except for a bizarre, dull glimmer of ecstasy as they readied their weapons. Danny shook off his sense of unease and fell into an aggressive stance as he prepared himself for the first true step on his path to revenge. [color=seagreen]"Don't let their weapons touch you, and if you can try and take one...well, I think they're still alive but anyway try and capture o-"[/color] He froze again, this time in true terror. Because what had just stepped past the circle of fanatic killers had eyes far more terrifying than the cavernous black orbs of the cultists. They were the eyes that had been a feature of Danny Rand's nightmares for ten long years. They were eyes that brought him back to six years old, freezing and alone on an unforgiving mountainside with the stench of blood in the air, too tired and cold to cry anymore. The were eyes of the wolves that had devoured his mother. The creature that stepped into view had the silver-gray fur and predatory features of a mountain wolf, but the body was too similar to that of a human and moved with a strange loping bipedal gait as its clawed feet dug into the rooftop with each step. A palpable cold like an Himalayan wind radiated from its' body forming frost on the roof as it came towards them, and from its slavering jaws a voice with far too much of a beast's growl to be human tore forth: [color=slategray]"[b]RRRRRRRRRRAAND'KAI![/b] We have hunted you Rrrand'Kai, acrrross the yearrrrs, acrrross this city, acrrross the worrrlds! We will DRRRRINK your life's blood as We drrrrank your Motherrr's. Then, this agonizing existence will end. Khan has prrromised us this." [/color] Then the wolf demon leaped past the swiftly closing assassins, its fangs bared and aiming for his throat... ...and Danny Rand, living weapon and champion of K'un-L'un, was suddenly just a child paralyzed by fear.