I do not own Kung Fu Panda. I only own my OC's. Huge thanks to Berserker88 for helping out with the details of this chapter and the next.
Chapter 4: Encounters
Dong seethed in rage at the four idiots who had set his captives free. Over half his stock had escaped, and that meant that a troop of soldiers from the nearby villages could be here any second. That meant he had to settle for shipping the meager numbers that his boys had managed to recapture. The client would not be happy, and if the client wasn't happy, Dong lost money, and that was unacceptable. He needed to make an example of these wannabe heroes.
"Do you have any idea how many yuan those escapees were worth!?" The massive gorilla snarled into the face of the weakest looking one, a rabbit of some sort with absurdly long ears. The girl flinched at his words. "I ought to behead the lot of you and leave your heads on stakes as a surprise for the soldiers!" Dong roared. The girl looked terrified. Her eyes teared up. The big silver baboon tried to lunge at Dong, but was held back by six bandits.
Dong grinned. "Oh, don't worry. I won't do that. You lost me a lot of money. So…I feel that you owe me. Boys!" The Bandits snapped to attention. Dong jerked a thumb at the boat. "Throw 'em in the hold with the rest of the captives. I'm sure E Jile'll love 'em."
Their hands and feet were bound in chains, and the bandits forced them at sword point into the hold below the ship's deck. The python was locked in a tight cage that he could barely fit in. The rabbit girl paused at the threshold, refusing to move even when jabbed with a spear. Dong picked her up by the ears and tossed her into the crowd of chained captives.
The sound that came out of the rabbit girl's mouth should not have come out of any mortal being. She sounded like a fresh soul being tortured in the darkest corner of Hell. Several of the captives, and even a few bandits, covered their ears in pain.
Her three friends rushed to her side, and the unnatural shriek quieted. The girl's eyes were wide and glassy, like she was seeing her worst nightmare made flesh. Her whole body went limp in the rat's arms.
Dong snorted. "Weaklings…" He muttered to himself. He turned away contemptuously, slamming the thick iron door behind him.
Bao Zhi glared after Dong. "I'm going to kill him before we leave this island." He turned to where Bing was tending to the fallen hare. "Is she okay?"
Bing shook his head. "I don't know."
A grizzled old badger in tattered rags approached curiously. "What's wrong with her?" He queried.
"She's got a massive phobia of people she doesn't know." Gishi explained. "Particularly in crowds, and even worse if the crowd is in a small space like this."
The old badger glanced around the room. "There's only about fifty of us left in here. Be glad you didn't get thrown in here yesterday. I only wish your little rescue attempt had actually succeeded."
Gishi couldn't hide a small chuckle from within the cage. "Actually, it's not quite over yet. We still have a plan."
"A plan that we need Yin Bei for. Without her, we can't get out of these chains."
The badger tilted his head. "Well, I don't know if it'll work, but let me see what I can do."
He turned and snapped at the assembled onlookers. "Nothing to see here! Get back to wallowing in your misery!"
Some of them gave offended murmurs or made rude gestures, but they all backed off. "There you go."
Bing nodded. "Thank you. What was your name again?"
"Li Sheng." The badger told him. "Used to be a soldier in the Imperial Army back in my youth. Don't know what they'd want with an old guy like me. I'm not good for much, other than the occasional barroom brawl."
Bao Zhi laughed. "Same here, friend." He held a hand up for a high five, which Li Sheng ignored with a glare.
"Can we count on you or any of the others in a fight?" Bing inquired.
Li Sheng inclined his head. "Most of these people were merchants or travelers, kidnapped off of the road. But there are several mercenaries and a couple of other soldiers. In total, about eleven of us can fight. We'd been planning to try and break out and take over the ship once they set sail and can't get help from the mainland. There can't be too many of those bastards on board."
Bing shook his head. "We need to get to Blue Moon Isle. There's a dangerous bandit leader there who we have to either arrest or kill."
This brought a surprised look to Li Sheng's face. "Blue Moon Isle? The only things out there are an old lighthouse and some docks and boathouses. Why would they bring us there?"
"We don't know." Bing admitted. "We had intel on how to get to the island for a surprise attack. Once we get there, we're running blind."
Li Sheng scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I'll ask around and see if anybody knows anything about the island. I'll come back if I learn anything."
As the stranger left, Yin Bei began to stir. "What happened?" She murmured weakly.
"They threw you into the hold, and the Haze made you freak out." Gishi explained. "An old dude scared everyone away from you. How are you feeling?"
Bei moaned. "Terrible." Her head pounded. The sudden surge in the Haze had overwhelmed her senses, sending nightmare hallucinations searing into her brain. She spat up a bit of blood from where she'd bitten her tongue. She hadn't felt this awful since she'd sampled some of the unknown liquor in Bao Zhi's flask when she was ten. Just like then, she felt like she'd drunk acid while someone was viciously beating her with a club.
"Can you go on with the plan?" Bao Zhi asked worriedly.
In answer, Yin Bei shot out one ear and shattered the chains on Bao Zhi's wrists, then the ones on her own and Bing's, then the lock on Gishi's cage. The snake slithered out and stretched. "Oh that is so much better. Thanks Bei."
"It'll be a while before we reach Blue Moon Isle." Bing told her. "Go ahead and take a nap. We'll make sure nobody bothers you."
Yin Bei looked unsure. "What about my… y'know… sleep issue?"
Gishi chuckled. "I think these guys can sacrifice their eardrums for the person who's about to save them. Don't worry. If anyone says anything, I'll break their legs."
Bei gave him a smile. She stretched out, resting her head on Bing's hip and closing her eyes. Within minutes she was sound asleep.
Then she started making a noise even more terrifying than her screech earlier.
Several of the other captives looked over in shock. "Do you have a feral tiger over there!?" Li Sheng exclaimed.
Gishi slapped his face with his tail, stifling giggles. Bei was too small and far too cute for the ferocious snore that erupted from her whenever she fell asleep.
Bing socked Gishi in the head. "Stop laughing, idiot! She can't help it!"
Gishi gave him an injured look, coiling up. "Jerk…" He muttered.
Bei woke a few hours later when Bing jostled her shoulder. "We're almost there." He told her.
She sat up and stretched, yawning hugely. She looked around, and immediately froze up. A circle of captives sat around them at a respectable distance. There were five wolves, two rhinos, three female tigers, and an old badger.
"Is she going to scream again?" One of the wolves asked worriedly. The tigresses all shot him a glare, silencing him.
"They're going to help us take over the ship." Bing explained. "No worries. Just stay quiet. They have a plan for once we get on the island. They'll do all the talking."
Bei gulped and nodded.
One of the rhinos snorted. "That thing is going to take down a bandit lord? She's knee-high to Master Mantis!"
"Don't judge Yin Bei by her size." Bao Zhi assured. "She's handled guys bigger than you."
Bing nodded. "Yin Bei is the one who will handle E Jile. Li Sheng, do you know which building he's most likely to be in?"
The badger scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose that the lighthouse would be one option, but from what I've heard it's not the sturdiest thing. I'd say one of the boathouses would be the most likely candidate. I've heard rumors of smugglers using them on occasion. From what I hear they're supposed to be in semi-decent condition. If you want to know which, I guess you could shake down one of his lackeys to find out."
"Then he'd probably house whatever operation he has going on in one of them too." Said Gishi. "I'll go and see if I can shut it down."
"I'll handle Dong." Bao Zhi announced. No one argued with him.
Bing shifted a little. "I'll snoop around and see if I can find anything about our …other targets. There might be some clue as to their whereabouts."
"There'll be too many guys on the island for us to handle." Li Sheng reminded. "We need to take over the ship now, while we have the chance."
"How do we get through the door?" one of the tigresses asked. "It is solid metal."
"Easily done!" proclaimed Bao Zhi. From his hip, he produced a large steel flask. He unscrewed the lid and took a long swig. Wiping his mouth on his arm, he approached the door. "Stand back!"
They all watched as Bao Zhi gripped the door and, without even a grunt of effort, ripped it clean off its hinges.
"By the gods!" One of the tigresses exclaimed in awe.
With a roar of bloodlust, Bao Zhi charged onto the main deck, body slamming the two unfortunate wolves outside into oblivion. A half-second later, the stupefied soldiers loosed a raucous battle cry and followed. One of the rhinos scooped up a sword from one of the wolves, and Li Sheng picked up a halberd from one of the others.
Yin Bei jump kicked a boar overboard, snatching his metal staff from his hand as he fell. Bei gave the staff a spin. She generally preferred using her bare hands in a fight because it was more fun, but she figured that E Jile would show no mercy, and neither should she.
Bao Zhi grappled with Dong. "Go! We'll handle the ship! Swim for the island!"
Without hesitation, Bei, Bing, and Gishi leapt overboard, into the murky green waters of Lu Lake.
Upon emerging from the disgusting liquid, they all split up. Gishi dove into the undergrowth, slithering stealthily up into a tree.
Two wolves approached down the path. Gishi waited until they were directly beneath him, then struck.
He landed directly on top of one bandit's head, instantly coiling around his head and flipping him into his companion. Pinning them together, he coiled around their necks in a brutal double chokehold. He choked one unconscious, leaving the other awake. "Where are the captives being held?" He asked in a threatening whisper.
"F-fuck you man!" the wolf choked out. "I aint telling you shit!"
"Ya know, I had a pretty long trip, and I am starving!" Gishi mused. "And you, my friend, look mighty tasty right now."
The wolf now looked truly terrified. "Alright! Alright!" He choked. Gishi loosened his coils a bit so that the wolf could speak. "They're in the south boathouse, not far from here. Just keep following this path."
"How many of you are here?" Gishi demanded.
The wolf looked unsure. Gishi started to squeeze a little tighter, unhinging his jaw. "I-I don't know!" The bandit pleaded. "I never learned to count! I swear!"
Gishi took pity on him. He choked him out.
Yin Bei took a less subtle approach.
As soon as she found a crowd of around six bandits lazing around a campfire, she dove right in.
She held the staff in her ears, spinning it so fast it looked like a silver tornado. The tiger who had his back to her was struck hard in the back of the head, sending him off to dreamland. The rest soon wished they could follow him.
A lanky monkey jumped at her with an axe, but was smacked out of the air and sent sailing into the undergrowth. An ox swung at her with a mace, but she dodged behind him, swinging the staff hard between his legs. He went down with a pained groan.
A crocodile snapped his jaws so close that he actually caught part of Bei's tail. Bei spin-kicked him on the snout, then took him down with a hard backhand blow to the side of the head. She swept the legs out from under a rat, then slammed the butt of the staff into his chest, cracking his sternum.
The last bandit was a simple goose, who was now shaking like a leaf. Bei felt none of the Haze, as her adrenaline was running high. "Where is E Jile?" She snarled at him.
"N-north boathouse!." The goose whimpered. A large wet stain was spreading over the lower part of his tunic.
Bei smiled. "Thanks." She smacked him with a grand-slam swing that sent him flying out of view.
Bei continued through the undergrowth, whacking bushes and bandits alike as she went. The bandits seemed to lack any real training, and didn't pose any real threat to her. She figured that E Jile just didn't discriminate who he hired.
Up ahead, the boathouse loomed. Constructed from tall, thick logs, the structure was large enough to hold several ships. It stretched high into the air.
And somewhere in there, E Jile awaited.
Bei slipped in through a gap where the logs had rotted away. Her heart and breathing sped up in anticipation. At long last she'd get the opportunity to exact her revenge.
Inside the boathouse was, obviously, a boat. It was a large sailing ship that had clearly been there a long time. Its planks were rotten with age and several were missing. It was a wonder it stayed afloat.
Bei's eyes were drawn to the person standing on the deck. The giant black bear was dressed entirely in black iron armor, with an elaborate helmet that was adorned with what seemed to be ox horns. A clay medallion with a strange symbol on it swung from his neck. In his right hand, he wielded a giant war hammer like it was a toy.
Yin Bei wasn't sure what she expected E Jile to do when she confronted him, but it sure wasn't what he did. He looked directly at her, smiled, and said; "Hello, snack. I've been waiting for you."
Bing was a ghostly shadow. Unlike the others, he didn't bother attacking any of the bandits. His objective was to gather information. To do this, he needed to get a good look at his surroundings and determine where important information might lie, and the lighthouse was the perfect vantage point.
The structure, as the Hood had described, was highly unstable. But Bing was used to ascending things like that. Abandoned towers and ruins had been his home for many a year before he'd come to Master Rooster's compound. Bing crept up the side of the lighthouse, digging his claws lightly into the wood. It was almost comically easy to reach the top, where the beacon was.
However, he absolutely did not expect to see a smiling hare in a black vest with a red kerchief around his neck.
Yang Chao gave a sarcastic salute. "What's up, Bings? It's been a while."
End of chapter 4
Sorry this took so long to get up. I was having some trouble with the details. Huge thanks to Berserker88 for helping me out with that.
My other problem was with motivation. I don't really like just writing one story at a time, and if I try I get bored really easy. Luckily, I came up with a solution; simply write another one alongside SotH. I'll be working on both this story and one called Pokémon: Horizons. That way I have some options. I'll probably be updating about the same frequency, since I spend a lot of my free time writing.
Anyway, next chapter we see Yin Bei vs. E Jile, Bao Zhi vs. Dong, Gishi finding out what E Jile's been up to, and how this surprise encounter with Yang Chao goes for Bing.
Mind Jack, out!