Well, Helloo there. Been a while *scratch* *scratch* yeah... This one actually took a longer time to write out because of its separated sequences. Yes, the groups are splitting up, to Po's nightmare. Frankly. I am not very happy with errr.. the grammar and phrases, but I've tried to polish them. =\ This chap however, act as a pretty important transition.
Things We Have Yet to See
It's been a while since they had last seen each other in the temple. After they came to a crossroad, they were forced to split up in order to hasten their search, as was initially agreed by the team.
Due to popular demand, Po and Monkey took the staircase down into the unknown, while Viper and Tigress entered the hallway leading deeper into the center of the temple. Crane and Mantis however took the spiral staircase up to the structure above.
While the rest of the team seemed to have little objection to it, Po however, wasn't taking it well.
"I told them splitting up is a bad idea," Po grumbled, "And nobody listened. Not even you!" He points at Monkey. "You BETRAYED me! We're all going to die!"
"Hey, Po, look," Monkey dodges from the grip of the panda, "as China's greatest warriors we do have our own discipline." He hastily dodges another attempt from the panda to strangle him, "To protect the people and be sworn…"
Before Po lunged himself at him, Monkey leaped onto the ceiling above, "and be sworn to do our duty, even if it takes us to great risks."
"Well," Po rubbed the back of his head, "I don't like it. But I guess that can't be argued."
"Still," Po's eyes narrowed, "You BETRAYED me! You're supposed to support me objecting that idea!"
"Oh," Monkey tried to act innocent, "like I said, we are sworn to do our-"
"Yeah-really-whatever," Po sighed. "Let's just… head down the path and see what a wonderful place this could be."
"Shall we hold hands while we get to it?" Monkey dropped himself beside Po, grinning.
"Trust me when I say, Pal we'll be going home screaming," Po grumbled, "and no, you walk in front of me, traitor."
"Sure, ghost usually tails their victim right?" Monkey added, "how thoughtful of you."
"On second thought, I will take the lead."
Tigress sensed a bit of foul stench in the air. Given the history of this temple, and how it was abandoned for ages, it doesn't surprise her.
"Tigress, are you seeing this?" asked Viper as she scans the pictures on the walls. The arts, while they were visibly worn by ages, the stroke and marking of each brush still remain recognizable.
"Yeah," Tigress sounded amaze, "these guys sure like to decorate their walls with paintings."
There are probably hundreds of paintings hanging on both sides of the wall. Each picture comes in different sizes, arranged closely as if someone tries to flood their walls with paintings. While most of it are portraits, some shows sceneries of local landscapes.
"I am guessing these are their history?" Tigress suggested, "and the portraits are illustration of their rulers?"
"I am pretty sure they looked nice when they are new," Viper made her compliment.
And Tigress has to agree, whoever they picked to do this sure has the skills to do it. And without realizing it, the two were enjoying themselves interpreting the arts, forgetting the fact that there was a huge storm thundering on the other side of the wall.
"They look like locals," said Viper, "and there seemed to be a lot of people living here before."
"Weird," said Tigress, "they could actually build a city with that population."
"Yeah," Viper sighed, "and all they did was building these large temples in the end."
"I guess the story we heard are missing something," murmured Tigress to herself.
From what she could observe, the folks here were simple farmers and fishermen, and had been living in peace for centuries. Their culture had been the same as time passes, and most of their earnings came from local trading.
The pictures became lesser and lesser the deeper they go, and finally, they stopped. Not because there was no more paintings to look at, but because of the painting themselves…
The theme of the arts changed.
"Look," Viper pointed her tail at one of the pictures, gasping. "That doesn't look so pleasant."
Tigress felt herself shivers, "I guess something did happen to the people."
"Hey, Crane."
"Yes?"
"When Po said that one of the gates had been ruined, did he mention which gates was it?" asked Mantis.
Master Crane gave his question some times to think, "No, I don't think so. Why do you asked?"
"Oh, I don't know," Mantis murmured, "just wondering what kind of ghost will we be dealing with if there is any… that-stuck-here, you know?"
"Mantis," Crane sighed, "give it a rest would you? Besides, don't we have a much more pressing matters to attend to?"
Although Crane would feel like debating on the existence of ghost, he would however, willing to do it anywhere else but here. This is a sacred place afterall. And hopefully the bug would get bored and finally change the topic.
After passing through what seems like a huge shoe rack, they soon entered a narrow corridor, which reminded them of their own dormitory back at the Jade Palace.
"Sleeping quarters?" Mantis suggested, "this is the upper floor anyway, right?
Crane didn't make his reply. Oddly, there was a strange feeling that they were being watched. And even if they are, it was impossible to tell. While the floors were partially illuminated by the flashes of light from time to time, there were many parts of the corridor still loom in the darkness.
Crane was startled when Mantis cracked open one of the paper made doors.
"Hmmm… As empty as new," commented Mantis, "except for the dust. Layers and layers of dust."
"Mantis, please warn me before you do th-"
Suddenly, Crane thought he saw a shadow of a person, standing at end of the empty room when the lightning flashes. Froze, he tried to focus his view on the same spot, but only to find himself looking at an paper wall when another wave of lightning came.
"Hello?" Crane called, "is anyone there?"
There was no reply.
Or was there? It's hard to tell unless the rain stops hammering the ceramic roofs above.
Coldness gripped his feathers as Crane felt an uneasy surge of silence across the corridor.
Was he getting paranoid? The felt of being watched was getting overwhelming, so heavy that he could almost sense the presence of others in that narrow walkway, and that from what he could tell, there was at least three persons somewhere in the area.
"Something in the room?" Mantis whispered.
"I…" Crane hesitated, "probably just my imagination."
No. He lied, and he felt guilty for it.
Guilty, yet confused.
Someone's here. Although their presences are not as strong as he usually feels for a normal person, but they are definitely not alone in the corridor.
- End of Chapter -
Sorry I have to end it here, since its getting long and probably get bored due to the loooong dragg.. But Things would be picking up on the next chap. Cuz... you know.. ghosts... and.. a lots of screaming maybe. Who knows. :) Care to write a review on this chap? anyway, till next time.
