It was late at night. The restless winds shook the trees and mighty waves crashed upon the shore. The sky was dark, darker than usual. The moon was hidden by the black clouds that were gathering. Commander Hon Fa-Gao didn't like the clouds. A storm was brewing. The large rhino watched the black clouds gather fearfully.
He was in charge of Shensheng fortress, a building built to keep safe many wondrous treasures and sacred relics. It was virtually impossible for any thieves to get in, but that didn't stop Fa-Gao from worrying. The large rhino paced back and forth in his office.
Meanwhile three dark shapes came skulking out from the dark swamps nearby. It was hard to see them because of how dark it was, but they had little pink hands and long hairless tails. They came to the outer wall of Shensheng fortress and carefully began scaling the walls. They waited, at the very top of the wall, for two of the guards to walk past before slipping onto the other side and sliding down the wall.
"What do we have here? Intruders!" snorted an angry rhino from behind the three.
The rhino grabbed them before they could run off. While the Rhino's back was turned a pink tendril, like a small scaly tentacle curled around a ring of keys on the rhino's belt and pulled it into the shadows.
"When will you thieves ever learn, no one gets into the treasury! Thanks to guards like me" said the rhino as he tossed the three out of the fortress.
Meanwhile inside the fortress, in the kitchen which was just across the treasury, a chef was busy making dinner with his helpers. The chef looked very threatening. He had a mean glare, sharp teeth, and one eye.
A small rat entered the kitchen; his tail was wrapped around a ring of keys.
"Hey boss, I got the keys"
"Shhhh! Shut up Cheng, give me those keys" hissed the chef "Tell me, are the others outside?"
"Yeah"
"Well hurry up and let them in through the back door you idiot"
Cheng opened the back door. Three rats entered.
"Hey Chin" one of them called "I got the-"
"SHHHHH!" hissed Chin "You'll ruin everything!"
"Oh sorry"
"What is it Da-Ming?"
"I got your crossbow!" said Da-Ming holding up a large bundle proudly.
"Careful with that you simple minded dolt!" said Chin as he snatched the bundle from Da-Ming's little hands.
Chin had worked for several days straight building that crossbow. It was beautiful and well made. It was large and well polished. It had a special mechanism that allowed it to fire multiple bolts without reloading, a spring would pull the bow string back while popping another bolt up to be fired. The bow was specially made as well. It was a composite bow, a weapon that was very hard to make, but very powerful. The crossbow was spectacular, it didn't look a thing like the makeshift devices Chin usually carried with him.
"Da-Ming listen to me, this crossbow is literally worth more than our life"
"…oh"
"If there was a fire and I had to choose between you and the crossbow, I'd save the crossbow"
"Got it boss"
"Now listen close you bunch of flea-bitten, brainless, numbskulls. This is our first big time job. Our first mission if you will, a chance for us to rise to power as fearsome bandits!
If anyone of you messes this up for me I'll have your tail as a belt, now I hope you all remember your jobs, Cheng you grab a broom and head upstairs, when Bai-Ling comes let her in, if any guard asks you're the janitor. Da-Ming, Dong, you two help me here in the kitchen, the rest of you stand ready."
Chin, Da-Ming, and Dong began making moon cakes and buns. Chin reached into one of the many pockets and compartments of his armor (Which was hidden under normal clothes) and pulled out a handful of strange dark green herbs. Chin carefully sprinkled a little bit of the herbs into the dough of each bun and cake before baking them.
After they were done Chin put them on a platter. Just then Cheng and Bai-Ling came into the kitchen.
"Bai-Lings here boss"
"Good, begin phase two. Bai-Ling do you remember what you're suppoused to do?"
"…kinda"
"What do you mean kinda?"
"Could you run it by me once more?"
"*sigh* you fly up to the treasury and disable the device that keeps the first door shut"
"Okay…I was just wondering… how do I do that?"
"Luckily for you" said Chin pulling out a piece of paper "I have our plan written down, the first device can only be unlocked by a special key all the guards wear"
Chin held up the stolen key ring, one of the keys was very strange looking.
"You will disable the device, which is located above the door, so that when I unlock the door it cannot be locked again, to do so you must remove the spring that pushes the two steel bars"
"er…"
"To remove the spring you must first remove the pin that holds it in place"
"So…"
"Open the box, find the mechanism that keeps the pin down, there will be winding gears"
"Uh…"
"Clog the gears and the machine can easily be removed"
"Okay"
"Use Da-Ming's bean paste, that stuff is more adhesive then any glue I know of"
"Got it" said Bai-Ling as she flew as stealthily as she could towards the treasury.
Chin picked up the platter of pastries.
"The rest of you guys stay hidden and don't come out till I tell you" hissed Chin.
Bai-Ling was at the treasury. The door way was made from solid steel and was decorated with dragons. At the top of the doorway was a small box. Bai-Ling did everything Chin told her to do, after she came down from the door there was a bit of machinery stuck to her claw, she had to remove it with her teeth.
Chin approached the door, it was huge and intimidating. Chin took out the special key and put it in the lock, which was located in the snarling mouth of a metal dragon. The large door swung open to reveal a hallway filled with guards. The guards got up weapons ready, until they noticed the platter of pleasant pastries.
"Sorry if I startled you, commander decided you guys could do with a reward" said Chin placing the platter in front of them.
The rhino guards each took a pastry and devoured them voraciously. Then one yawned, then another and soon the hallway was filled with sleeping rhinos. Chin signaled his gang. Bai-Ling, Cheng, Dong, Da-Ming and the others cautiously crept inside. They made their way to the end of the hallway to find an even bigger door.
'Be Warned Those That Make It to This Point, Nothing But Death Awaits Thieves'
Luckily for Chin, most of his gang didn't know how to read (He had tried teaching them before, but just gave up) Bai-Ling however could read and didn't like what the door said.
"Chin-er boss, are you so sure about this?"
"Don't worry Bai-Ling" said Chin "I have an angle"
"Which is?"
"My crossbow"
"Oh…yeah I forgot about that"
"Don't worry, they'll be caught off guard, they aren't expecting anyone to actually make it to this point"
"If you say so"
The device on this door was much more complicated then the ne Bai-Ling disabled, but it wasn't much of a challenge to Chin. Chin climbed up the door and opened the device. With one hand Chin held open the trap like jaws of a bit of machinery that was in the way, with the other he stopped some razor sharp gears from turning and with his tail (Before Chin had began teaching his gang what he called 'the Prehensile Tail Technique' so for only he and Cheng were any good at it, and even they were somewhat clumsy) he removed the mainspring with a hook.
` Chin slid down the door and turned to his gang.
"Alright you lot listen up, on my command we burst into the room, this is a snatch and go operation, once I get what I'm after we're outta here, there's guards in there, elite guards, but thanks to some recent budget cuts there aren't as many in there as there should be, so that evens the odds a bit"
"Got it boss"
"Good, be ready" said Chin as he slipped the key into the lock.
Chin's gang drew out various weapons, many of them strange and complex which Chin had designed himself, while others were standard, swords, knives, spears, clubs etc
Chin opened the door.
They swarmed in screaming, the room contained shelf upon shelf and pile upon pile of treasures and riches. There were only three rhino guards. They jumped to their feet and began searching for their weapons (they had been asleep before) Chin aimed his crossbow. All the rhinos ducked.
"The year of the Rat has come early" Chin shouted as he fired his crossbow.
One of the rhinos got up and charged at him. But Chin suddenly grabbed a very expensive vase of a shelf and tossed it in the air. The rhino jumped and slid, and just managed to catch the vase before it hit the floor. Chin ran up his back and jumped at a pedestal on which a scroll rested. Chin grabbed it just as the rhino came towards him. Chin fired his crossbow. Although composite bows were well known to be able to pierce armor, the armor this rhino wore was of a special kind. The bolt ricocheted off the armor, bounced off a wall and broke off the tip of a Guan Dao another rhino had been carrying. Needless to say the rhino was then unarmed when three rats jumped on him and knocked him to the ground.
The rhino Chin had been dealing with, however, was still armed. He grabbed Chin by the tail and lifted him up.
"I'm going to crush you, you little-"
Bai-Ling tossed several antique plates and bowls. In a flash the rhino let go of Chin and somehow managed to grab all the dishes before they reached the floor. Chin tossed the scroll to Bai-Ling.
"Take it, fly out of here now!"
Bai-Ling grabbed the scroll and flew out.
"Come on you lot, lets get outta here"
Chin began to running and so did his gang with three angry rhinos behind them. Other guards who heard the commotion came running towards them. One of them threw a spear at Bai-Ling as she flew passed. The spear missed, but Bai-Ling dropped the scroll. It fell and Chin caught it with his tail at the same moment grabbing a dish cloth from his chef disguise and throwing it in the face of one of the rhinos.
While the rhino was momentarily distracted Chin slid under his legs and onto the other side of him. Then while dodging and weaving his way passed other rhinos guards Chin placed the scroll into his mouth and scuttled up a later as quickly as he could. By now most of the guards had decided that Chin was their target, not his gang, so Cheng, Dong, and Da-ming (and the others) escaped out the back.
As soon as Chin climbed all the way to the top of the later (which was very high up by the way) he kicked the later over. All the rhinos that had been climbing after him fell to the ground and lay on top of each other exhausted. Chin spat the scroll into his little hand.
"Hah! Those were the elite guards!"
"No they weren't -blasted budget cuts-But I am" snorted commander Fa-Gao.
It had started raining.
"…oh ,bother"
"Now are you gonna give me that scroll or am I gonna have to break every bone in your body?"
"uh…" said Chin who was unable to think up a witty retort "Bye!"
Chin placed the scroll back into his mouth and jumped off the wall into the ocean below.