Prelude to Darkness
"Gah!" Tigress hit the swinging, spiked pendulum with tremendous strength, sending it back the way it came. It had been three months since the fall of Tai Lung. The Valley's order had been restored during that time, as well as buildings damaged in the battle. With all other threats gone from The Valley of Peace, it had experienced just that; peace. Its economy soared when other villages heard of this, and a surplus of immigrants from all over the land began arriving. They brought unique foods and trinkets, stories and legends, and the occasional collection of gems and rare metals such as gold and silver. Due to potential overpopulation, the Valley of Peace had grown drastically in size. In all of it, however, Tigress felt nothing different about the village below. To her, it was still the so boringly normal place. There were no surprises, no masters.
No Shifu.
She was startled to find that she had zoned out like that. Even more so when she realized she was still in the midst of her training course. After she finished her session, Tigress began to wonder if it was all becoming routine for her. That she needed something a little more… challenging.
"Tigress." A voice behind her said. The Tiger turned to find Master Shifu standing in the door way. He glared at his student in a matter that made a slight shiver run down her spine. "I must say I'm a little disappointed. You were very sloppy in your attacks."
He's been there the entire time? "I can explain that, Maste-
"There is no explanation." He interrupted, "You're just slacking." Tigress bit back a few vulgar words. She knew better than to go against her Master when he was in a bitter mood. I'll have the chance to talk to him later. She thought. "Also, when you're done here, meet me in the Hall of Warriors. There is something we must discuss." With that, Shifu limped away. Tigress quickly dried the sweat off and made for the Hall of Warriors.
Po, along with the rest of the Furious Five, had already arrived. They stood in a semi circle next to the pool at the end of the Hall. In the center sat Master Shifu, a large bag positioned behind him. "As you have all witnessed," The red panda started, "the Valley of Peace is prospering thanks to Po's success." Po smiled with pride, but kept a rather neutral expression. "But this Valley's well being is partly an illusion." Shifu pulled a scroll out of the bag, set it on the floor, and rolled it out. Painted on it was a map of China, dotted with villages and lined with rivers. A large mountain range bordered the south of the country. Shifu pointed at a lone mountain near the center of the map with his flute. "Here is Daemon Mountain. It is here that many strange creatures gather under one banner. Usually, they don't bother anyone but each other. However, we've received messages telling that a large army of daemons has attacked and seized several nearby towns. This concerns me."
Shifu moved the flute slightly east to two smaller mountains with the Chinese character for Peace in the middle. "We are here. Though the army is said to be heading west, it is quite possible for them to have a second force scheduled to head in our direction."
"An army?!" Exclaimed Viper. "Master, even if we gathered all the villagers, put them in armor and gave them a sword and shield, we would still be no match for an army!"
Irritation showed on Shifu's face, but he quickly betrayed it with a chuckle. "That's why we're going to strike first. I've been wanting to teach you, but," The master once again reached into the bag. He searched around in it, wincing at something unseen. Then, with the sound of clattering metal, he pulled out a pair of metal claws. He handed them to Tigress. "These are for you. They will fit you just perfectly, seeing as they are light weight, and will not require you to learn any new techniques. You can freely use your unarmed skills with even more devastating effects."
Shifu unveiled four more weapons; a spear, for Crane, a whip, for Viper, a spiked shield, for Po, and a Bo staff, for Monkey. "I want you to get used to these weapons. I personally do not like using them, but you will be up against armored opponents, and will need much more than shear strength or agility to defeat them."
"Hey, wait, where's my weapon?" Mantis crossed his arms and shot his master a grim look.
Shifu smiled. "Your size makes you a weapon yourself. You are difficult to spot, much less hit, and can easily slip in and out of enemy armor to attack them where they are vulnerable. Now, head down to the courtyard. I've set up specially designed dummies for you to train against."